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Full text: The Report on Origins, Facts and Perils of U.S. Military Hegemony (2)

Xinhua) 09:06, September 08, 2023

Chapter II: Acts and Means of the U.S. in Maintaining Military Hegemony

In his 1941 article announcing the advent of the "American" century, Henry Luce, an American publisher and co-founder of Time, said that it is necessary "to exert upon the world the full impact of our influence, for such purposes as we see fit and by such means as we see fit."

Military supremacy depends on enduring control. To maintain military hegemony all over the world, the United States has not only exercised direct control by explicit means such as launching or involving itself in wars and laying out global base networks, but also used implicit means such as alliance systems, rules and mechanisms to exercise indirect control. It has developed a new intervention model, military and concepts for operations in accordance with the new situation, so as to control any potential competitor and prevent it from becoming a power that rivals the United States or challenging the United States' supremacy.

2.1 Explicit control: wars and bases

-- War and military operations are the most direct means for the United States to maintain its military hegemony.

"War has become an integral part of the history of this country. The United States is not so much a long-term participant in war since its founding as a product of war. The wars the United States fought made the country what it is today, and will shape its future," French historian Thomas Rabino said, in describing the "unbreakable" relationship between the United States and war.

It was shaped in war, expands in war, and dominates in war. The rise of the United States to the pinnacle of power over the past 240 years or so can be attributed to the endless wars including the American War of Independence, Indian War, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Kosovo War, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, etc. The U.S. hegemonic chariot has thundered across the world.

Through wars, the United States has expanded its territory, captured strategic locations, and enlarged its sphere of influence. The territory of the United States has increased more than 10 times from about 800,000 square kilometers at the beginning of its founding to about 9.37 million square kilometers now. By means of military intervention, coups, and proxy wars, the United States treats Latin American and Caribbean countries as its "backyard" and exerts geopolitical control over the Middle East and other Eurasian countries.

With wars, the United States has occupied sea transportation lines and resource-critical areas. The United States has annexed many islands in the Pacific Ocean such as Hawaii and Wake Island, colonized the Philippines, forced the construction of the Panama Canal, divided up interests in China with other imperialist powers, stationed troops in Africa and controls vital resources and materials through military action.

With wars, the United States has united allies and eliminated dissidents. After the September 11 attacks, the United States has launched wars or military operations in 85 countries around the world under the banner of "anti-terrorism." The U.S. National Security Agency, Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies are constantly "creating" enemies, overthrowing other governments through illegal, secret operations, and assassinating foreign leaders that are against the United States.

The endless wars to defend and enhance its supremacy, including short-term wars, long-term wars, world wars, the Cold War, secret wars, proxy wars and anti-terrorism wars, are turning the United States into a Spartan state and dragging it into a perpetual state of war.

-- The military bases all over the world are the strategic anchors for the United States to control the world.

Military bases are the frontiers for the United States to impose deterrence and military intervention. With military bases as anchors, the United States exerts military hegemony throughout the world from the Arctic to the Cape of Good Hope, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The number of U.S. military bases overseas increased significantly during World War II. In September 1940, the United States offered Britain, its ally on the edge of bankruptcy, 50 destroyers from World War I in exchange for its control over sea and air bases in British colonies. It reflects the ambition of the United States to strengthen its military presence around the world. In 1943 and 1944, U.S. military planners drew up plans for building a system of overseas bases that presupposed the U.S. hegemonic power across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. During World War II, the U.S. military built and occupied about 2,000 bases on all continents, with about 30,000 military installations.

After World War II, its military bases overseas turned into an ever-extending "strategic frontier," and delineated a large area under U.S. "de facto sovereignty." During the Cold War, the United States encircled and contained the Soviet Union with a large number of troops and military bases as close to the country as possible. After the end of the Cold War, American politicians still believed that overseas military bases were crucial to the global security of the United States. They made the military always remain in a state of readiness, and also shaped an offshore defense belt for the United States. For example, the Bush administration claimed that overseas bases "maintained peace," while the Obama administration believed that "moving bases forward and deploying U.S. troops are meaningful and necessary."

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the United States established a powerful network of military bases in Afghanistan and the entire Middle East and Central Asia in the name of "anti-terrorism," thereby establishing its own military, geostrategic, geopolitical and geoeconomic bridgeheads in the heart of Eurasia.

After ushering in the 21st century, the United States began to adjust its overseas military base deployment strategy, and moved to build smaller and more flexible "forward operating bases," or "lily pads," to reduce the U.S. military's reliance on large Cold War-style bases. These "lily pads" are seen in Colombia, Kenya, Thailand and many other places, generally located in areas where there was little military presence in the past, and thus within easy reach.

Over the years, the United States has built a network around the world by signing bilateral and multilateral documents such as military base agreements, status of forces agreements, and security cooperation treaties with other countries. According to a 2021 study conducted by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, the United States currently has 750 military bases in 80 countries and regions overseas, which is almost three times the number of U.S. embassies, consulates and missions. These bases cost 55 billion U.S. dollars every year. Since 2001 alone, overseas military bases have provided support for the United States in launching wars or military operations in at least 25 countries. Some analysts believe that the establishment of overseas military bases by the United States and the emergence of wars in other countries where the bases are located seem to follow the law of cause and effect. Military bases are more likely to bring about wars, and wars ask for the establishment of more military bases.

2.2 Implicit control: alliances and rules

-- The alliance system is the main pillar for maintaining U.S. military hegemony.

The alliance system indicates a formal or informal security cooperation relationship between two or more countries. Compared with "tangible" wars and military bases, the alliance system established and dominated by the United States can be seen as implicit control to maintain hegemony.

The U.S. hegemony is underpinned by a delicate system of alliances and allies around the globe. The main way for the United States to establish and maintain military hegemony is to form alliances and establish an alliance system with itself at the core. It will thus help the United States achieve its strategic goals.

Marked by the establishment of NATO in 1949, the United States began to establish military alliances. It then established alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines to form a global alliance network centered on the United States. During the Cold War, its global alliance system played a major role in helping the United States win the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The Cold War turned the United States into the superpower of the Western world, or actually the head of alliances. After the end of the Cold War, these alliances with the United States at the center were not dissolved, but were instead strengthened. For example, through the "new strategic concept of NATO," the United States changed its function from collective defense to global intervention, and turned it into a political and military tool to maintain its hegemony. In the wars that the United States participated in after the Cold War and the global anti-terrorism cooperation after the September 11 attacks, the United States' alliance system played a substantial role and acted as the major pillar for the country to maintain its global military presence and hegemony.

The United States has built the military alliance system based on three considerations: first, to deter opponents by means of garrisons, joint military exercises, and military assistance; second, to gain an overall military advantage through alliances and maintain its own security and interests; third, to keep allies at bay as an incidental goal. Statistics show that in the fiscal year of 2011, the U.S. Pacific Command led a total of 146 military exercises involving the U.S. military and its allies and the U.S.-led NATO conducted 88 military exercises in 2020.

On the whole, the U.S. military alliance system is a hierarchical system among countries. The United States with its leading role sets the agenda and exerts hegemony with others subject to asymmetric and unequal conditions.

In recent years, the United States has taken the lead in promoting the transformation of the bilateral alliance system towards trilateral and multilateral development, from the U.S.-Japan-Australia and the U.S.-Japan-Philippines alliances to the U.S.-Japan-India-Australia "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue," forming the U.S.-UK-Australia trilateral security partnership, in an attempt to strengthen the alliance against potential threats and challenges. With the eastward shift of the U.S. strategic military center, the Indo-Pacific region has become increasingly important. The United States is making great efforts to build the "Indo-Pacific alliance system" in an attempt to utilize the alliance system to integrate regional strategic resources, which will help improve the efficiency of U.S. operations in the region. The U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy" truly aims to maintain its hegemonic system.

-- American rules and mechanisms are used to maintain the dominant position of U.S. military hegemony.

First, export control is employed.

Its world-leading military technology is an important basis for the U.S. military to occupy the dominant position. On the one hand, it is attributed to the excellent scientific research capabilities and strong manufacturing industry of the United States. On the other hand, it is related to various export control measures introduced by the United States. The measures are important tools for expanding military superiority and seeking military hegemony. During the Cold War, the export control policies of the West played an auxiliary role in isolating, containing, and ultimately dragging down the Soviet Union.

The U.S. export control policy has a history of more than a century and can be dated back to the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917. It was strengthened during World War II and the Cold War, with the purpose of maintaining a military technological edge over its opponents. Specific practices are as follows: Laws and regulations such as the Export Administration Regulations and the Arms Export Control Act were consulted to build dual-use and military export control systems. Legislation was conducted in specific areas, covering the Atomic Energy Act and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act. Multilateral mechanisms were set up or driven forward such as the "Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls," the "Missile Technology Control Regime," and "The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies."

The existence of these international rules and mechanisms essentially serves the security interests of the United States.

In order to maintain its hegemony, the United States is willing to suppress and sanction its allies, as shown in the Toshiba incident. During the 1980s, Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. in Japan exported 9-axis CNC machine tools to the Soviet Union, an action seen by the United States as a threat to its military superiority and national security. Consequently, the United States imposed sanctions on Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. and used this incident to pressure Japan regarding its new-generation fighter jet program, ultimately forcing Japan to make concessions to the United States. The Toshiba incident laid bare the United States' hegemonic mentality and behavior from the start to the end of this incident.

Second is arms control.

According to the traditional view, the arms control agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War were made to increase transparency, reduce the risk of nuclear conflict, and enhance strategic stability, preventing the nuclear arms race from spiraling out of control and ultimately contributing to the peaceful end of the Cold War. However, the U.S. government's core objective in pursuing arms control was to establish and maintain its military technological superiority over the Soviet Union.

Thomas Countryman, former U.S. acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, has stated that "(arms control agreements) are a vital tool that can constrain other nations' ability to act against our interests, while still allowing the freedom of action that is necessary to defend U.S. interests and those of our close allies. In other words, arms control agreements are not a concession made by the United States, nor a favor done for another nation; they are an essential component of, and contributor to, our national security."

By utilizing the arms control mechanisms in a flexible manner, the United States can achieve three key benefits. First, it can allocate more funds toward enhancing military capabilities in other areas. For instance, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed with the Soviet Union in 1972 allowed the United States to save billions of dollars; second, another advantage of leveraging arms control agreements, such as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, is the transparency and verification measures they provide. This enables the United States to gather and analyze intelligence on its adversaries' military capabilities, which can help its effective planning and management of nuclear forces; a third advantage of arms control mechanisms is the ability to restrict adversaries' advancements in critical areas, while also forcing them into an unwinnable arms race in areas where the United States holds an advantage. For instance, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union was not aimed at sea- or air-based intermediate-range missiles, where the United States had significant advantages in technology, geography, and allies compared with the Soviet Union.

In February 2021, the U.S. government extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, which largely reflects considerations of "playing to one's strengths and avoiding weaknesses." Jon Wolfsthal, who previously served as senior director for Arms Control and Nonproliferation on the National Security Council during the Obama administration, warned in 2020 that Russia was close to completing its strategic nuclear modernization cycle. If the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty were to expire, the United States could fall behind Russia in terms of strategic nuclear forces due to the uncertainty of the U.S. nuclear modernization program. Therefore, extending the treaty would allow the United States to maintain a limit on and monitor Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal while advancing its own nuclear modernization projects.

The third is the misinterpretation and misuse of international law.

The United States has long relied on a strategy of selectively applying international law when it serves its interests while ignoring it when it doesn't, which is a consistent approach of U.S. hegemonism. The most blatant example of this in the military field is the misinterpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which it leverages to maintain its naval hegemony through the implementation of "freedom of navigation" actions based on its own standards.

Starting in 1979, the United States has been carrying out what it terms "freedom of navigation" operations, which it claims are meant to "preserve lawful commerce and U.S. military global mobility." However, these actions are designed to ensure that the United States can possess unrestricted and unimpeded power projection capabilities. Several American scholars have said that the United States' persistent "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea are a crucial means by which the U.S. military sustains its presence in the region.

In its "freedom of navigation" operations, the United States recklessly deploys large combat ships to challenge coastal nations' sovereignty and jurisdiction over their territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, archipelagos, and straits. The U.S. refusal to comply with requests from coastal countries for prior notification or permission and its arbitrary entry into foreign territorial waters underscores its military hegemony. The fact that the United States has not yet ratified the UNCLOS but still selectively interprets and utilizes it as a means of maintaining its maritime hegemony reflects the hegemonic logic of "might makes right."

2.3 New models and trends

The world in which the United States exists today is vastly different from the past. The world is currently experiencing a new trend: emerging countries are rising rapidly, the military technology of major powers is gradually becoming more widespread, and the international balance of power is shifting towards a multipolar structure. In the face of profound changes in the international landscape, however, the United States continues to cling to its hegemonic mentality and attempts various methods to maintain and reinforce its military dominance.

-- New model of military intervention

The use of military force has always been a significant means for the United States to maintain its military dominance. However, after several wars that have drained its resources and damaged its reputation, there has been a decline in public support for U.S. military intervention abroad. As a result, the U.S. government and Congress have shown a reduced willingness to use military force outside their borders. Against this backdrop, in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States, together with its allies, has relied on providing a large amount of military aid and intelligence support to manipulate the situation without openly deploying personnel to intervene in the conflict. This may indicate a new model for future U.S. military interventions abroad.

This kind of military intervention has three new characteristics.

First, military assistance is highly targeted and can be supplemented and adjusted according to changes on the battlefield. Since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States has pledged to provide Ukraine with over 46 billion U.S. dollars in military aid, and the types of weapons offered have changed according to the situation on the battlefield and the needs of the Ukrainian military.

Second, the United States has used its intelligence advantage to the fullest extent. The intelligence information and battlefield situation awareness provided to the Ukrainian military by the United States have played a crucial role in enhancing Ukraine's combat capabilities. According to reports, such a large amount of intelligence shared with Ukraine, a non-ally, by the United States is almost unprecedented, and U.S. intelligence agencies have even modified 27 intelligence-sharing policies for this purpose.

Thirdly, the United States has employed new hybrid warfare tactics. The United States and its allies have launched a hybrid warfare campaign against Russia, which includes economic warfare, diplomatic warfare, and propaganda warfare. Although the U.S. military did not directly intervene in the conflict, it has been fully involved in the war in substance. Some scholars have pointed out that the U.S. involvement in the conflict has provided rules and models for future U.S. military interventions overseas.

-- Adjustment and upgrading of the alliance system

In light of the weakening of the United States' absolute military superiority and its strategic shift towards great power competition, the United States has been gradually breaking through geographical, structural, and technological limitations in its use of its military alliance system in recent years.

First, the United States has been encouraging its allies outside the region to intervene in Indo-Pacific security affairs. This is exemplified by NATO's inclusion of Indo-Pacific security issues in its strategic vision and its expanded military presence in the region. In 2021, a group of countries including Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands dispatched 21 naval vessels to the South China Sea to take part in joint maritime exercises with the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

Second, in the Asia-Pacific region, the United States has shifted its military alliance focus from primarily relying on a bilateral military alliance in a "hub-and-spokes" model to more trilateral and multilateral approaches. Since taking office in 2021, the Biden administration has elevated the importance of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) mechanism among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia and established a trilateral security partnership with the UK and Australia. At the same time, the United States is further deepening its engagement in smaller multilateral security mechanisms such as the U.S.-Japan-Australia and U.S.-Japan-South Korea partnerships while actively encouraging allies to enhance their security cooperation.

Third, the United States is transferring advanced military technology to its regional allies to bolster their military capabilities. For instance, within the framework of the trilateral security partnership among the United States, the UK, and Australia, the United States and the UK have agreed to assist Australia in constructing at least eight nuclear-powered attack submarines. This marks the first time the United States has shared its nuclear propulsion technology with another country since it did so with the UK over 60 years ago. This move may pose a risk of nuclear proliferation as it exploits loopholes in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act and could potentially undermine regional security and stability. The United States is departing from past limitations and conventions by transferring core military technologies and offensive weapons to regional allies, with the fundamental objective of increasing its competitiveness in the military race in the Indo-Pacific region.

-- Application of new technologies and new operational concepts

On the one hand, the U.S. Department of Defense attaches great importance to the strategic significance of new technologies such as AI and automation in future military competition. Given the research and development advantage and experience of U.S. commercial tech companies in related fields, the Pentagon has been making efforts in recent years to foster closer connections with such companies and continuously promote the research and development of new technologies such as AI and automation, as well as their application in weaponry and equipment.

On the other hand, the United States is creating military concepts to adapt to new circumstances. For instance, there is the "Mosaic Warfare" that highlights flexibility, dispersion, and network intelligence, and the concept of "Joint All-Domain Command and Control" that aims to integrate sensors and combat platforms, as well as enable real-time data and information transmission. In the 2022 version of the National Defense Strategy released by the United States, the concept of "Integrated Deterrence" is identified as the core of the country's defense strategy. This requires a high level of integration of new technologies, operational concepts, and capabilities, the removal of boundaries between military branches and operational domains, and cooperation with allies. (More)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Migrants live in tents along the Dan Ryan Expressway near 5100 S. Wentworth Avenue and outside a Chicago police station on Oct. 17, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday offered a peek at his plans to establish migrant camps throughout the city and move nearly 1,600 currently living inside Chicago police stations into large tents before winter  his administrations boldest effort yet to get a handle on a humanitarian crisis that has left local officials vexed.

The mayor said he will move with expediency to transition asylum-seekers into more suitable base camps as migrants wait for spots in city-run shelters. As of a week ago, 1,576 migrants were living in Chicago police stations and another 418 were sleeping inside OHare International Airport, according to city data.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a news conference in the Roseland area of Chicago on Sept. 8, 2023. (Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune)

Weve identified multiple locations around the city that can be suitable to treat the families of individuals, who by law are seeking asylum constitutionally, legally, to have a place that recognizes their dignity, Johnson said.

The new effort, first reported by the Sun-Times, suggested a renewed urgency by the Johnson administration to remove migrants from living for days or weeks inside Chicago police stations lobbies. The crowded floors have become a symbol of the new arrivals plight upon arriving in the nations third-largest city that professes to welcome all.

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The mayor has yet to reveal details about the timeline or locations of the camps that migrants will be directed to in lieu of police stations, though sources briefed by the Johnson administration Friday said officials projected costs could be significant.

Sources who attended the briefings said the mayors team indicated the current estimated $144 million for the migrant mission is not sustainable. Projected expenditures were anticipated to hit $238.3 million by the end of this year but that number could reach $302 million when factoring in the new tent encampment sites, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Johnson did not rule out new or increased levies to pay for the services.

[ A year in, Chicagos migrant crisis exacerbated by City Hall and state delays, hefty contracts and questionable decisions ]

So the sacrifices that will be required in this moment will be necessary from all of us, every single level of government, Johnson said at an unrelated news conference Friday when asked about whether additional revenue will be needed.

Look, I can tell you that the cost of inaction will be far more substantial, he said. The point here is: Police stations being used as landing zones, thats what I inherited. And Ive said that from the very beginning that this is not dignified. So my plan is to move, with expediency, families out of police stations into housing and shelter thats more suitable.

Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, who joined the mayor at the news conference in his Far South Side ward announcing federal funding for an extension of the CTAs Red Line, told reporters afterward that he thinks tent encampments are not the right thing to be doing.

He also said he would be hard-pressed to ask taxpayers funding it to continue making sacrifices.

We have to be compassionate.  At the same time, at some point we have to stop people from coming to Chicago because we cannot continue to absorb people coming and supporting them like this every single day, Beale said. Asked about alternative solutions, the alderman said, Well, you can turn the buses back around and send them back where they came from.

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But Ald. Andre Vasquez, chairman of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee, said such a move is a non-starter for him.

I understand the sentiment of like the capacity issue and the fact that we have to also make sure were taking care of the communities that have been around prior that also need the support. Right, I do understand that tension, said Vasquez, 40th. That being said, were not playing tennis or Ping-Pong with buses. Its not the way you solve a problem.

Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said he was reassured to learn how well the proposed tent structures could shield migrants from harsh elements, but added the fiscal conundrum looms. The administration showed aldermen examples of large tents in New York City as an example, and Hopkins said he was told they will have metal frames, thick insulation and heating.

Its a slight incremental improvement over the floor of a police station lobby. So, in that regard, I support it. Its the right thing to do, Hopkins said. But its not a permanent solution and it has its own limitations. So if were going to talk about this as a temporary measure, we need to focus more on what the ultimate end game is here. And were still really not doing that.

Each of the 50 City Council members will be asked to identify two to three suitable sites in their wards that can shelter at least 200 migrants and have access to showers, according to briefing materials. The tents are intended to house 500 to 1,000 migrants, Hopkins said.

But Hopkins said the city is already over capacity, noting he was informed by other officials that five buses were on their way from Texas as of Friday afternoon.

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We expect theyll arrive over the weekend, and there literally is not a single bed available to accommodate them, Hopkins said. There isnt even floor space for another sleeping bag in a police station. There is literally nowhere for them to go, and yet we know theyre on their way.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who also was present at the CTA announcement, defended Johnsons leadership and said he and other Democrats in Congress have a comprehensive immigration bill ready but the migrant crisis has been manipulated for political purposes at the expense of these poor people.

(The mayor) is trying to make the best of a very challenging situation, Durbin said. The bottom line is this: We are in this predicament today because of the failure of the United States Congress and the president over 30 years to pass immigration reform in Washington. Thats why we face these extreme situations.

Vasquez said he shared the same concerns as Beale regarding the harsh Chicago winter, and responded to a question about raising new revenue with an assertion that only the state and federal governments have the money required to sustain such operations.

I dont know that theres anything that can be done at a municipal level that can take on that capacity, Vasquez said. I dont think theres any easy answers.  Theres a lot of concerns. I dont think its ideal, but I dont think anybody  including the administration  thinks its ideal.

Chicago Tribunes A.D. Quig contributed.

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ayin@chicagotribune.com
Amid the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat backing "reservations", Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS chief are doing what "Golwalkar wrote in Bunch of Thoughts". "Yes, they are opposing it (reservation). What Golwalkar wrote in Bunch of Thoughts is what is being done by Modi and Mohan Bhagwat. Bunch of Thoughts speaks against reservation, they said it here too," Lalu Prasad Yadav said while speaking to reporters in Patna. MS Golwalkar was the second RSS chief and is regarded as one of the ideologues of the RSS by his followers. Bunch of Thoughts is a compilation of his speeches. Earlier on Wednesday, Mohan Bhagwat said that the RSS gives complete support to the reservations provided in the Constitution. Bhagwat's statement came amid the reservation row in Maharashtra where some protesters demanding reservation were lathi-charged by the police. "We kept our own fellow human beings behind in the social system. We did not care for them, which continued for almost 2,000 years. Until we provide them equality, some special remedies have to be done. Reservations are one of them. Reservations should continue till there is such discrimination. The Sangh gives complete support to the reservations provided in the Constitution, the RSS chief said during an event in Maharashtras Nagpur. Last week a clash broke out in Maharashtra's Jalna between police and protesters demanding reservation for the Marathas. Police resorted to lathi charges to disperse the protesters. (ANI)
Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit going to be held on September 9-10. Fernandez was received at the Delhi airport by the Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development Faggan Singh Kulaste. Following the 15th BRICS summit, the five-member BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) invited Argentina along with five other countries to join the alliance. Argentinas envoy to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi praised India's role in the expansion of BRICS and said that "his country's inclusion in the group would not have been possible without India's support". Moreover, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India-Argentina relations are cordial and encompass political, economic, scientific and technological cooperation including Antarctic research and cultural cooperation. India and Argentina have always supported each other on major international issues as well as Indias candidature to various UN and multilateral bodies. Argentina has always expressed its gratitude, in particular, for Indias support to Argentina on, the sovereignty issue of the Malvinas Islands and, recently on the issue of sovereign debt servicing and holdout creditors. India is geared up to host the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. Our G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow travellers in the Global South, whose voice often goes unheard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last December. (ANI)
The Ladakh administration has announced a new schedule for elections to the fifth Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in the Kargil region, following a directive by the Supreme Court. As per the notification, elections to 26 seats of the 30-member LAHDC will be held on October 4. The LAHDC Kargil had come into effect in 2003. As per the previous notification the Union Territory of Ladakh had announced that elections to the LAHDC was scheduled to be held on September 10 and counting to be held on September 14. According to the new notification, the process for filing nominations will start on September 9 and the last date for filing nominations is September 16. The last date for withdrawing nominations has been fixed on September 20, it said. Counting of votes will take place on October 8. Voting will be held between 8 am to 4 pm, it said. The notification further said that the entire election process should be completed before October 11. The Supreme Court Wednesday set aside the August 2 notification issued by the Ladakh administration for elections to LAHDC and directed that a fresh notification be issued within seven days. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanulla imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the Ladakh administration and also dismissed its appeal against an August 14 order of a division bench of theJammuand Kashmir High Court which had upheld an interim order by a single-judge bench for grant of the Plough poll symbol to theJammuand Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). It declared that the JKNC is entitled to the exclusive allotment of the plough symbol for candidates proposed to be put up by it. The Election Department of Ladakh, in an order issued on Thursday, said, In pursuance to the order of Supreme Court, the symbol 'Plough' is hereby reserved for the J-K National Conference Party for the ensuing elections to the 5th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah called upon party workers and leaders to be prepared for the polls. "Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Party colleagues can begin preparations for the electoral battle in right earnest," Omar Abdullah said in a post on X. The Model Code of Conduct shall come into force from the date of publication of the notification in the official e-gazette of the Union Territory of Ladakh and shall remain in force till such time the election process is completed. The code of conduct will be applicable for the entire Kargil District. (ANI)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit scheduled to be held under India's Presidency on September 9-10. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shobha Karandlaje welcomed Meloni at the airport. Earlier this March, Meloni had visited India to attend the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue. During her visit, she held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi in New Delhi. The two leaders decided to elevate the India-Italy partnership to the level of strategic partnership. India and Italy are ancient civilizations with trade ties for over 2000 years. Political relations between India and Italy were established in 1947. The G20 Summit is being held at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan in the national capital. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. This is the first time that a G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The Group of Twenty (G20) was formed in 1999 to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries. The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. The G20 grouping comprises 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States along with the European Union. Currently, G20 members account for more than 80 per of the world's GDP, 75 per cent of global trade, and 60 per cent of the global population. The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. A G20 Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025. (ANI)
Ahead of the Lok Sabha and local body elections in Karnataka, the Janata Dal (Secular) is likely to support Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in an effort to strengthen the party base at the grassroots across Karnataka. In connection with this, a meeting was held on Wednesday in the state capital at the residence of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in the presence of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. As per party sources, opinions have been sought by the MLAs, ex-MLAs, and senior party leaders about supporting the BJP in Loksabha election. Most leaders have given their opinion in favour of an alliance with the BJP. The final call will be taken by Party supremo HD Devegowda. With JDS not being invited to be a part of the joint opposition INDIA alliance the party is gravitating towards the BJP. However, it will not be easy for the leadership to convince the party cadre given that the JDS enjoys signficant minority support especially in the Old Mysuru region of the state. Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has claimed at various times that the JDS would fight alone, while HD Devegowda had said the party cadre were not slaves of any National party. Despite these claims the party which won only 19 seats in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections knows that its survival depends on supporting a larger national alliance. In 2019 JDS had won just one Loksabha seat from the family pocket borough of Hassan where HD Devegowda had made way for grand nephew Prajwal Revanna. Now Prajwal Revanna's Loksabha membership is also at stake as the High court of Karnataka has disqualified him, stating that Prajwal had filed false affidavits during the 2018-2019 general election. The BJP which enjoys the support of the Lingayats in Karnataka is looking to gain by allying with the JDS which has a strong base amongst the Vokkaligas the other dominant caste in Karnataka. (ANI)
With bright murals, graffiti and painted walls, New Delhi has pulled out all the stops to ensure a smooth G20 Summit that will host world leaders on September 9 and 10. The G20 Summit being held in New Delhi under Indias Presidency will draw the participation of the top leaders. The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries-- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States-- and the European Union. During the summit, the national capital will play host to US President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others. The authorities have beautified roads, footpaths, roundabouts, markets, flyovers, and public areas with over 1 lakh potted plants. On the security front, the Delhi Police has heightened security across the city. Delhi Police continued its security checks on Friday morning. Zenon, Ming, Zone, Zozo and Zinger are among six NSG dog squad members with their handlers as well as bomb disposal units kept on checking inside and outside the periphery of Rajghat from the beginning of the day on Thursday till late night on different occasions to ensure safe and secure event. These specially trained security members of NSG's dog squad are among their other colleagues who are also strategically deployed at India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Pusa campus-- other venues where the Summit and related events are scheduled. Curbs on traffic regulations have also come into force in the national capital. The New Delhi district has been designated as Controlled Zone-I from Friday 5 am till Sunday 11.59 pm because of the summit. Delhi Traffic Police on Friday morning said that the movement of buses into the city from the Rajokari border has been stopped with effect from September 8 till September 10. Online delivery services, except for medicines, have been barred in the area where the G20 summit venue and hotels for delegates are located. According to the gazette notification issued by the Delhi Government on Tuesday, all types of goods vehicles, commercial vehicles, interstate buses and local city buses have been stopped from operating on Mathura Road (beyond Ashram Chowk), Bhairon Road, Purana Quila Road and inside Pragati Maidan Tunnel from 00:00 hours on the intervening night of September 7 and 8 to 23:59 hours on September 10. However, interstate buses are being allowed to enter from other borders of Delhi. The movement of buses into Delhi from the Rajokari border has also been stopped. (ANI)
The Tibetan community in New Delhi staged a protest near Majnu Ka Tilla against the Chinese Government over its oppressive policies in Tibet on Friday- a day before the G20 Summit. The demonstrators were seen protesting with posters and play-cards that read--Free Tibet. The protest was organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress. As per the Tibetan Youth Congress, the protest campaign was held seeking to draw attention to and condemn China's hardlines oppressive policies in Tibet, as well as the broader geopolitical concerns related to China's expansionist activities that threaten, not only India but also the surrounding countries. In view of the protest, heavy security was deployed near Majnu Ka Tilla. "We had received a request for a protest called by the Tibetan Youth Congress. We denied their request, however, to have a peaceful situation in the area in terms of law and order and traffic we have made elaborate security arrangements..." DCP North Delhi Sagar Singh Kalsi told ANI. Earlier on Thursday, Tibetan Youth CongressPresident Gonpo Dhundup informed that the protest will put a reminder for all 19 nations of the G20 that China is not to be trusted. Speaking to ANI, Gonpo Dhundup said, "We are not protesting against India hosting the G20. We are very proud that India is hosting this prestigious G20 meeting in New Delhi. But our protest is against the Chinese Communist Government. Chinese Government illegally occupied our nation. Currently, the situation in Tibet is very critical." He further stated that through these protests they want to remind G20 nations about China that its diplomatic assurances are not to be trusted. "We want to inform the global community that China is not be trusted. For Indian security, Tibet's independence is necessary. Chinese CCP is a threat to the world. China's expansionist policy is creating disharmony and violence in the whole world. We must have a global collaboration to make China accountable. The Chinese president has no guts to come to India, no courage to show his face in a free nation," he said. "We want to put a reminder for all 19 nations that China is not to be trusted. We are the victims. So, we are organizing a protest tomorrow against the Chinese Government," he added. Delhi is gearing up for the 18th G20 Summit. It will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. The Peoples Republic of China asserts that Tibet has been a part of China since the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. In 1951 Tibetan leaders were forced to sign a treaty dictated by China. The treaty, known as the Seventeen Point Agreement, professes to guarantee Tibetan autonomy and to respect the Buddhist religion but also allows the establishment of Chinese civil and military headquarters at Lhasa (Tibets capital). However, the Tibetan people including Dalai Lama consider it invalid and signed under duress. This has often been described by the Tibetan people as a cultural genocide. In 1959, following the Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama (spiritual leader of the Tibetan people) and many of his followers fled to India. (ANI)
The G20 Summit, a highly anticipated event featuring top world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan on September 9 and 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this complex on July 26 this year.

Earlier, the PM had a picture of himself in front of Parliament as his cover image.

Notably, the national capital has started welcoming foreign delegates and leaders from all across the world for theG20 Summit. As a host nation, the Centre has taken special care of the arrangements and experiences of foreign dignitaries while they are in India.

TheG20 Summitbeing held in New Delhi under Indias Presidency will draw the participation of the top leaders.

The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries-- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States-- and the European Union.

During the summit, the national capital will play host to US President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others.The authorities have beautified roads, footpaths, roundabouts, markets, flyovers, and public areas with over 1 lakh potted plants. (ANI)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said that it is very unfortunate Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge has not been invited to the G20 Summit in New Delhi. This is a very unfortunate thing that he is being called in the summit. The dissent of the Opposition should be respected. Leaders of the opposition have a very important role in a socialist society, Baghel said while talking to the reporters here. He further said that the decision of the Central government not to decide Kharge in the summit is an attack on the democracy of the country. The G20 Summit, a highly anticipated event featuring top world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan on September 9 and 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this complex on July 26 this year. The G20 Summit being held in New Delhi under Indias Presidency will draw the participation of the top leaders. The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries-- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States-- and the European Union. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda were also invited to the G20 Summit dinner. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda informed that he won't be able to attend the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu due to health reasons. Deve Gowda, who has been invited to theG20 dinneron September 9, said he has communicated his decision to the government and wished the G20 Summit a grand success. "I will not be attending theG20 dinnerorganised by the Hon'ble President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success," the former Prime Minister posted on 'X'. (ANI)
Ahead of the G20 Summit, the Congress party on Friday attacked the Central government, saying that the 18th summit with Indias rotational presidency is revealing one of the "biggest failures of the NDA as it has failed to conduct the "decadal Census" that was due in 2021 due to which an estimated 14 crore citizens are excluded from their food entitlements. Terming National Democratic Allaince (NDA) as No Data Available, the Congress has every G20 country except India has managed to conduct the census, despite COVID-19, including other developing countries like Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa. Jairam Ramesh, the Congress MP and general secretary (communication) of the party, said that not failing to conduct the census is an unprecedented failure in the history of the nation. The start of the 18th G20 summit today with Indias rotational presidency is a moment for reflection, revealing one of the biggest failures of the NDA (No Data Available) Government it has failed to conduct the decadal Census that was due in 2021. The Modi government is so inept and incompetent that it has been unable to carry out Indias most important statistical exercise which has been conducted on schedule since 1951. This is an unprecedented failure in the history of our nation, Jairam Ramesh said in a statement. Citing a media report, the Congress MP claimed that the Modi governments failure to conduct the Census has led to an estimated 14 crore (140 million) Indians being excluded from their food entitlements. This is a categorical denial of a fundamental right to the citizen guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution, which was implemented by the UPA government through the landmark National Food Security Act (NFSA). The Modi government was forced to rely on the NFSA as a critical lifeline for families across India, providing the much-needed safety net for the poorest during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. He further said that under NFSA, 67 per cent of Indians are entitled to food rations, but as the census of 2021 is still pending, it only offers NFSA coverage to 81 crore people based on the 2011 Census, whereas 95 crore Indians are entitled to the NFSA coverage, going by current estimates of the population. New beneficiaries are not being added and people are being denied their rights for at least two years now. In July 2022, the Supreme Court had noted this issue and directed the Modi government to rectify this untenable situation by using population projections. But no change was made. This massive failure shows not only the Prime Ministers contempt for the Supreme Court, but his disdain for the Constitutional rights of the people of India, Jairam Ramesh added. Not only has the Modi government failed to carry out the Census, but the Socio-Economic Caste Census that was conducted by the UPA government in 2011 remains suppressed, he said. There is a pattern to how the Modi government discredits, discards, or even discontinues collecting any data that it finds inconvenient to its narrative. Here are the most prominent examples: In his statement, the Congress leader demanded to conduct an updated national Caste Census and stop opposing state-level Caste Census efforts. The party demands to end the suppression of data inconvenient to the government, like the 2017-18 NSS and the 2022-23 CES, stop manipulating NFHS to hide failures in health indicators, and restore faith in Indias historically robust statistical system, he added. (ANI)
Despite Chicago having one of the most lenient moonlighting policies for big-city police officers, some aldermen are looking to make the rules even looser and allowing off-duty cops to begin working security at bars and liquor stores.

A panel of City Council members is expected later this month to tackle the controversial idea that is part of a citywide policy that also prevents police officers from owning taverns or being bartenders. The ownership restrictions would remain in place under the proposal.

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The measure is supported by some aldermen but was first pushed by West Side Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th. While Ervin said bars and liquor stores can be magnets for negative activities he doesnt think it is right for the city to forbid those businesses from hiring security guards who can arrest people, if needed, or for the city to prevent officers from legitimate employment.

Regular security officers dont have the power to arrest, dont have any statutory authority to do anything other than security, Ervin said, adding private security guards can only detain people until an officer arrives. A police officer can work at Home Run Inn but not a liquor store. I didnt understand the logic of that.  Everyone should be able to have off-duty (Chicago police officers). If (Home Run Inn) can have it, anybody else should.

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But the proposal has drawn criticism from watchdogs who note the expansion could contribute to officer burnout and open up the city to liability issues.

Critics also said there was no pressing justification to expand outside employment when Chicago cops already have a more lenient policy than peers in other big departments and that if the policy was to change it should be done thoroughly and not on a piecemeal basis.

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Ervins proposed order is not only an unusual mechanism for CPD policymaking, but noted officers are already subject to fewer rules around outside jobs than other city workers.

Most city employees have to get permission to work a job outside their city job. Most CPD employees do not, she said.

Ervins proposal was initially scheduled to be debated Friday during the councils Police and Fire Committee meeting, where Mayor Brandon Johnsons appointment of Larry Snelling as Police Department superintendent also faced its first aldermanic vote. Although aldermen canceled that meeting, its chair, Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, said he planned to have both items heard later this month and Taliaferro, a former Chicago cop, voiced general support for loosening the moonlighting ban.

Ald. Chris Taliaferro, center, speaks to colleagues during a City Council meeting on March 15, 2023, at City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Taliaferro said he worked multiple jobs and went to law school while he worked for the Police Department and noted he does not support another proposed ordinance prohibiting aldermen from any type of outside employment.

In my opinion, to say you can or cannot work somewhere to help meet your needs is somewhat out of what I believe we should be dabbling in as elected officials, Taliaferro said. Theres a justice system if someone decides to go astray.

[ Second jobs for Chicago aldermen would be restricted or even banned under proposed ordinance ]

Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, who chairs the councils Public Safety Committee, said he supported Ervins proposal. He has sometimes required businesses operation plans to include security that are staffed by off-duty police  most are from suburban departments.

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Why are we purposely denying Chicago residents who happen to be police officers extra income if they want? Hopkins asked.

During his tenure as an alderman, Ervin has supported efforts pushed by liquor stores both citywide and in his ward.

The Tribune previously detailed that Ervin didnt stand in the way of allowing Da Icehouse, the only stand-alone liquor store in the ward at the time, to extend its hours despite violence and liquor license violations there in the past. Ervin also received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the liquor stores operators. Ervin was also one of the aldermen who pushed back on former Mayor Lori Lightfoots liquor store curfew during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[ How 'Da Icehouse' got a late-night liquor license in high-crime Austin ]

According to current directives  last updated in April  CPD employees are barred from working in bars, liquor stores, as well as engaging directly or indirectly in the ownership, maintenance, or operation of a tavern or retail liquor establishment, or serving as a bartender to dispense intoxicating liquor or to serve as a cocktail waiter/waitress.

There is a separate CPD rule that has been in place since 1979 barring officers from engaging directly or indirectly in the ownership, maintenance, or operation of a tavern or retail liquor establishment.

Police Department employees are also not allowed to work for licensed cannabis dispensaries, growing operations or transportation companies; businesses that would bring either the Department or the Department member into disrespect or disfavor; or result in a conflict of interest. Nor are officers supposed to work when they are on the medical roll for any reason.

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But CPD does not have a way of tracking where most of its employees work in their off hours. Exempt and civilian employees are required to fill out an outside employment form and receive approval to work outside jobs. Captains, lieutenants and sergeants must fill out a secondary employment notice that reports their expected hours and employer if they want to hold an outside job.

But sworn, unionized members are not required to disclose outside employment or seek permission to work a second job, according to the directive. Contract provisions for sworn officers represented by the local Fraternal Order of Police state cops arent required to disclose any item of his or her property, income, assets, source of income, debts, or personal or domestic expenditures.

CPDs secondary employment policy is one of the weakest of the nations largest police departments, a 2017 review by the Chicago Reporter and WBBM-Ch. 2 found. Of the 50 biggest departments the news outlets reviewed, 48 required officers get permission to work a second job and more than half required officers fill out paperwork about those second jobs at least annually. More than two-thirds of departments limited the number of hours officers could work outside their police hours, and 28 banned work for specific industries such as casinos, strip clubs or acting as a broker for a private security company.

Though records and interviews suggested cops worked at bars anyway, the departments bureau of internal affairs did not discipline any officers for violating the policy between 2010 and 2017, the report found.

There is also more of a liability risk if the city loosens the policy, Witzburg said.

The Department of Justice and others raised concerns about CPD officers moonlighting in its 2017 investigation into police use of force in Chicago. A DOJ footnote stated a significant amount of alleged officer misconduct involved off-duty work. While federal authorities did not fully investigate CPD oversight of secondary jobs, the review that we did undertake indicated that there is a need for a thorough review of the policies and accountability measures related to officers secondary employment.

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The Reporter/CBS-2 report found the city had paid more than $10 million in settlements for 32 lawsuits involving cops working other jobs.

A 2017 city inspector generals office review also raised concerns about officer fatigue, stress and burnout from secondary employment. The IGs office  at the time led by Witzburgs predecessor Joe Ferguson  encouraged the city to pursue a more rigorous secondary employment policy when it was negotiating its new contract with officers.

Staffing issues and morale make the burnout question even more relevant, Witzburg said.

We need officers well enough rested to make decisions that are safe, she said. How much time people are spending working second jobs is part of that question, part of that concern.

But no moonlighting changes were included in the agreement Lightfoot signed with the FOP in 2021. It was a risk management issue that Lightfoot told Axios she wanted to still address in arbitration talks with the union.

Ervin said he hadnt discussed the change with union leadership.

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FOP President John Catanzara confirmed that loosening the policy was not an idea he or the union proposed, saying he had no idea what prompted the sudden and bizarre attempt to change the rules.

Its not something we championed or pushed or even asked about, he said. He added the city has for the last two years sought to implement a secondary employment agreement with the FOP that, he said, would restrict our ability and amount of hours we can work secondary employment, where we can work, we have to notify the city and all this stuff.

[ CPD unions new leader is a cop facing discipline related to police report he once filed against Eddie Johnson ]

Catanzara was previously disciplined for working a side job as a security guard for a restaurant when he was supposed to be on medical leave for a back injury.

Ed Yohnka, a spokesperson with the ACLU of Illinois, said in an email that the proposal is a bad idea and a distraction.

Already, staffing shortages have led to CPD delaying critical steps toward reform  including trainings and implementation of a community policing model, he said. Officers long have been barred from these jobs; there is not a good argument for changing that policy at this critical moment.

But Taliaferro also offered a potential middle ground on the proposal, saying perhaps officers working second jobs could be required to carry their own liability insurance.

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Its at the risk of his own insurance having to possibly pay out any claims as a result of negligence or liability, he said.

aquig@chicagotribune.com

scharles@chicagotribune.com
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the Opposition bloc understands Indias relations with Russia, and contended they would by and large agree with the countrys position on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Gandhi was speaking at a news conference at the Brussels Press Club. The Congress MP is on a tour of Europe organised by the Indian Overseas Congress. "I think the Opposition, by and large, would agree with India's current position on the conflict (between Russia and Ukraine). We have a relationship with Russia. I don't think the Opposition would have a different position than what the Government is currently proposing, Rahul Gandhi told reporters, when he was asked to respond to rising crude oil sales to India when the West has put sanctions on Russia. India has been buying Russian crude oil at discounts. India on several occasions maintained that its oil imports will be determined by its national interest and keeping in mind its large consumer base. Also, India's position has been that Russia needs to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict. Further, when asked about Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G20 Summit, Rahul Gandhi targeting the central government, said, "What is contrary about it? They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition. It tells you something. It tells you that they don't value the Leader of 60 per cent of India's population. It's something that people should think about - why they are feeling the need to do that and what is the type of thinking that goes behind that." Rahul Gandhi will also travel to Paris and hold meetings with French lawmakers. Before returning to India, his last trip would be to Norway, where he is expected to meet the country's parliamentarians in Oslo As the battle heats up for next year's Lok Sabha elections, the 28-party Opposition bloc INDIA is gearing up to lay a broader roadmap against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. (ANI)
Hindi and Urdu writer-gazalist Nalini Vibha 'Nazli' is among five women writers who will be honoured by the Himalaya Literature Forum for their unique literary, cultural and environmental thinking programs in the country and the state. Eminent writer and President of Himalaya Sahitya Manch, S R Harnot said in a statement on Friday that along with 'Nazli', Prerna Thakre (Neemuch Madhya Pradesh), Devkanya Thakur, Deepti Saraswat 'Pratima' and Devina Akshaywar will be honoured with 'Himalaya Yuva Sahitya Samman'. The name of senior writer Dr. Nalini Vibha 'Nazli' is famous across the country as a poetess. Her 13 ghazal collections have been published so far, including two books for children. Recently, her extensive book of ghazals 'Diwan-e-Nazli' has been published in which about 500 of his ghazals are collected. Nazli ji has received many awards from the state and the country. Dr. Prerna Thackeray's native language is Malayalam while he has been very active on the Hindi stage poetry for the last almost 25 years and is popular like a celebrity in his state. Dr. Dev Kanya Thakur is active in Hindi literature and film production. So far five books have been published in English and Hindi and many films have been produced in many rare subjects of Himachal which have received many state and national honours. "Deepti Saraswat is serving Hindi while teaching along with writing 'Pratima'. Dr. Devina Akshaywar is originally a resident of Mauritius but after obtaining her PhD degree from JNU, she has made her permanent residence in Shimla, Himachal. She is also a scholar of French language, Harnot said. The felicitation ceremony will be organized in Shimla in October this year. (ANI)
The HTT-40, a product of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is a home-grown creation designed to meet the training requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, the Department of Defence said in a statement.

The HTT-40 is a fully aerobatic aircraft, powered by a four-bladed turbo-prop engine that provides the necessary thrust for training purposes.

This advanced trainer is equipped with a state-of-the-art glass cockpit, modern avionics, and cutting-edge safety features, including a zero-zero ejection seat for maximum safety, the statement said.

With a top speed of 450 kilometres per hour and a service ceiling of six kilometres, it boasts the performance capabilities required for effective training.

This indigenous trainer aircraft had its maiden flight on May 31, 2016, and achieved system-level certification on June 6, 2022. Currently, it is undergoing clearance by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification for full operational readiness, read the press statement.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has demonstrated its confidence in the HTT-40 by signing a contract with HAL for the procurement of 70 aircraft.

The induction process is slated to commence on September 15, 2025, and will continue until March 15, 2030. The HTT-40 is expected to significantly enhance the quality of training for ab-initio pilots within the Indian Armed Forces, the statement said.

In addition to the aircraft, the procurement includes a Full Mission Simulator, a vital component that will complement aerial training.

This simulator will allow pilots to practice various flight profiles on the ground, offering valuable experience before taking to the skies for actual sorties, it said.

The HTT-40 represents a substantial step toward realising greater self-reliance in India's defense and aviation sectors, aligning with the Government's vision of 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat' or 'Self-Reliant India.'

This achievement not only bolsters India's defence capabilities but also demonstrates the nation's commitment to technological innovation and indigenous development in the aerospace industry. (ANI)
As elaborate motorcades of world leaders on Friday rolled out of the Palam airbase in the national capital towards the designated hotels, ahead of the G20 Summit, the office of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena informed through a release that he will keep a close tab of the security situation in the city from the Raj Niwas. The city has been turned into a veritable fortress ahead of the big-ticket summit, which will see world leaders hold deliberations on global economic challenges. The 18th G20 summit is to be hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam on September 9 and 10. "He (L-G) will be in constant touch with the Command Room of the state-to-art Control Room of the Delhi Police Headquarters on September 9," read the statement from Raj Niwas. "He will remain in touch with the Police Commissioner and will keep an eye on every road and hotel detailed for G-20 requirements, apart from taking livestock of the development in the City, through the hi-tech gadgets installed at the Control Room," it added. Officials at the Raj Niwas informed further that the L-G, on a visit to the Control Room recently, held a detailed discussion with the Delhi Police Commissioner on the deployment of armed forces personnel and high-tech security measures adopted to keep a hawk-eye over the city. The L-G was informed that live visuals would be captured by more than 5,000 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city, the Raj Niwas informed through a press note. "Two teams comprising 25 security personnel will be monitoring in different shifts, the digital information being beamed into the Control Room, around the clock. The Control Room is getting district-wise visuals and a special Command Room has been set up for 30 senior police officials to monitor the minutest of developments in the City and its roads" the press note stated further. It added that besides normal-sized monitors, 2 giant screens, in which the images can be magnified, have been also installed in the Control Room. "The Command Room which has the capacity of making arrangements for the sitting of 30 senior officers has been designed in such a way that those working in the Control Room are visible to them," the LG office added in the press note. The Control Room is manned by technical experts to ensure that everything goes off without any glitches, the L-G Office stated, adding that the police commissioner apprised Saxena thatinformation is being received from each district round the clock and there has been a full deployment of the police personnel across the city. The press note stated that Saxena also took stock of security arrangements at public spaces to be visited by the G20 leaders and delegates. "Besides the VVIP areas, high-resolution CCTVs have also been installed in sensitive parts of the city which in the past have been the nerve centre of mischief," the L-G office added. The G20 summit will witness participation by over 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union, as well as guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations. India assumed the G20 presidency in December 2022 and will pass the mantle to Brazil at the end of its term inNovember this year. The next G20 Summit will be hosted by Brazil where India will formally hand over the presidency of the bloc to the host country. Prior to the G20 leaders' summit, about 200 meetings were organised across 60 cities. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. (ANI)
As the national capital is closed for three days in view of G20 Summit under India's Presidency, people living in Delhi and other cities are rushing towards Himachal Pradesh to enjoy their long weekend, giving a boost to the tourism sector of the hill state. Rohan Fernandis, a tourist hailing from Karnataka, said that earlier there was a fear in visiting the hill state as recently rain has wreaked havoc here. "But now the weather is very nice," he said. We have come from Delhi. It is our first day here. We were afraid to visit Shimla, we heard that here it was raining and floods earlier but now it's good to be here," he said. "As far as Delhi is concerned it's crowded and the temperature is soaring there. Because of the G-20 Summit, most of the places are closed and everything is shut. It is very good here, including the weather, Rohan said. Preeti, another tourist, said that Shimla is the appropriate place to visit during this time. We are coming from Karnataka. Our trip was planned earlier but because of the prevailing inclement weather we postponed it. I am happy that the weather is very nice and it is nice to be walking around here. The summit is going on. It is very crowded over there in Delhi. So, I think Shimla is the right place to visit, she said. Moreover, international tourists are also visiting Himachal's capital. Lisa, a Swiss national, said that the temperature is soaring in Delhi making it unfavourable for them. I came with my husband from Switzerland to visit India for the next few months. We were aware about the flooding situation we were waiting for things to get better. Now the weather is really very pleasant. It's very beautiful to be in the mountains. We went to Delhi, we loved the city but it was too hot for us. With the G-20 coming up we decided to go to the mountains and to spend the next three weeks travelling to mountains in Himachal Pradesh, we shall be going to Spiti-valley and doing some trekking. We recommend everyone to come to India. We love the country," she said. Meanwhile, tourism stakeholders are also hopeful that this will boost their businesses, which is recovering from the economic shock, developed after the recent monsoon fury. Mohinder Seth, President of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Stakeholders Association said that the hoteliers have come up with discounts and offers to attract tourists here. Yes, due to the G-20 Summit holidays in Delhi, people are planning to come here. We have come up with different lucrative packages. Tourism was badly affected due to floods but now things are back to normal. This G20 meet has come up as a boom for revival of our tourism business, Mohinder Seth said. "The tourists have started coming in here as there are restrictions in Delhi, our different units and hotels have come with a four day package to attract the tourists. Some hotels have given one night free with two nights. The Shimla, Kasauli, Chail and Narkanda tourists have started coming similarly in Kangra circuits. Tourists have started coming is a good sign for us but for Manali area tourists have not yet started coming soon they will be coming. The G 20 would be a boom for the revival of tourism in the state, Seth further added. Thousands of tourists annually visit Himachal, as per data available with the tourism department of Himachal Pradesh during the year 2019, nearly 17,20,000 tourists including nearly 4,00,000 foreign tourists visited the state with a jump of nearly 5 per cent in comparison to the year 2018. During the year between 2020 to 2022 arrival was decreased due to COVID-19 induced pandemic and now again this year it was hit by floods during the past two months. Economic activities of over Rs 11,000 crore are generated in the hill state in the tourism sector and it is considered a backbone for the economy in the state which contributes to 7.3 per cent in SGDP. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari on Saturday came down heavily on the Ashok Gehlot government and said that the state is at the top in rape cases, corruption and many more. "Crime, corruption and unemployment are at their peak in Rajasthan. Rajasthan is number 1 in rape, crimes, cyber crimes, and corruption. We (BJP) have to address all these issues. We will bring positive changes in the state," Manoj Tiwari said. Manoj Tiwari is on a two-day visit to Rajasthan to participate in Parivartan Sankalp Yatra. "Every evening Ashok Gehlot gets the survey and he knows that his government will not come to power. Gehlot sir knows everything. When Gehlot discuses this with his close ones the very next day they plan to announce a new scheme," he added This 'Parivartan' yatra is proof that the people of Rajasthan have decided to throw out the Congress government from the state, he said. Earlier on Saturday (September 2), Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda flagged off the party's First "Parivartan Sankalp Yatra" in Rajasthan. According to the BJP, This yatra will pass through all the 200 assembly constituencies in the state and cover over 9000 km, thus reaching out to over 1 crore people in the state. Rajasthan is scheduled to go to the polls later this year with the BJP and the incumbent Congress locked in a straight fight. In 2018 the Congress had won 99 seats while the BJP had won 73 seats in the 200-member house. The Congress led by Ashok Gehlot formed the government with the support of Independents and the BSP. (ANI)
On Chinese President Xi Jinping not attending the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on Friday said China is a multilateral player and discussions at multilateral level are very different from bilateral issues. He said China discusses issues of growth, development from its own perspective. "China is a multilateral player. In multilateral discussions, the issues are very different from bilateral issues and the Chinese discuss issues of growth, and development from their own perspective. The challenge about any multilateral discussion is you have to bring consensus across every issue, every country has veto power. We've been able to work with every single country and bring them on board..." Kant said in a press briefing prior to the G20 Summit. Kant further said that one of the key takeaways of India's presidency is that the world acknowledges that the country has truly revolutionized technology through the digital public infrastructure. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced that Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the 18thG20Summit to be held in New Delhi,Indiaon September 9 and 10. Quoting foreign ministry spokesperson,Mao Ning, the statement read, "At the invitation of the government of the Republic ofIndia, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18thG20Summit to be held in New Delhi,India, on September 9 and 10." However, no reason was given in the statement about Xi's absence from the summit. Earlier, Reuters had reported that Chinese PresidentXi Jinpingis likely to skip theG20Summit to be held inIndia. Sources inChina, two of whom said they were informed by Chinese officials, added they were not aware of the reason for Xis expected absence, according to Reuters. The Chinese President has made few overseas trips sinceChinaabruptly dropped its Covid restrictions. He, however, attended the BRICS Summit in South Africa last week. SeveralG20ministerial meetings inIndiaahead of the summit have been contentious as Russia andChinatogether opposed joint statements which included paragraphs condemning Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine last year, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit during which he highlightedIndia's concerns over the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in Ladakh. The two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials "to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation". Along with Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not attend the summit inIndia. According to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov is expected to attend two plenary sessions on September 9 and 10. Lavrov is scheduled to hold several bilateral talks and contacts on the sidelines of the summit. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India." Indiaassumed theG20presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related toG20were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18thG20Summit will be a culmination of all theG20processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionization of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. (ANI)
Telangana Congress Chief Reddy led a delegation to the state Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar urging him to provide security for September 17 as party will be holding a public meeting at Tukkuguda.

Addressing the media, TPCC Chief Reddy said, "The CWC meetings will be held at Taj Krishna on 16th and 17th September. Many National leaders will converge at Hyderabad for the meeting. There will also be a public meeting being organized on September 17 at Tukkuguda. Lakhs of people from across the state will participate in the public meeting. We have requested the DGP to provide security in this regard. BJP and BRS have conspired not to give us the parade ground for the meeting. The DGP has said that he will look into it."

The newly constitutedCongressWorking Committee (CWC) will hold its first meeting in poll-bound Telangana's Hyderabad on September 16, under the leadership ofCongressPresidentMallikarjun Kharge.

The Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled to be held this year. The state is set to witness triangular contest among the BJP, the ruling BRS and the Congress.

The Telangana election will serve as a litmus test for the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA alliance before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)
The Assam Cabinet has recommended that the Assam Assembly convenes in Kokrajhar in December, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement on Friday. The decision was taken in the state cabinet meeting held at State Guest House in Guwahatis Koinadhara on Friday evening under the chairmanship of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. Announcing the cabinet decisions, the Assam Chief Minister said that the state cabinet has recommended that the Assam Assembly convenes in Kokrajhar in December 2023. The state cabinet has approved several important bills including Panchayati Raj. The state cabinet has also decided to form 79 sub-districts in the state, CM Sarma said. The CM also announced that the cabinet approved Rs 10 cr financial assistance to flood-affected in Himachal Pradesh. Among other decisions taken at the Assam Cabinet, it has also resolved to revise the flood season from May 1 to October 31 and also approve fair compensation and transparency in Land Acquisition R&R (Assam Amendment) Bill. The state cabinet has also made a recommendation to the central government to withdraw Disturbed Areas Act and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the entire state. CM cited the significant improvement in the law and order situation, the surrendering of scores of underground cadres of extremist outfits with huge caches of arms and ammunition following the signing of several peace accords and the drastic fall in deaths of security personnel and civilians as reasons for the complete lifting of AFSPA from Assam. "We decided to request the central government to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) completely from the state of Assam. However, we will abide by the decision of the central government, more particularly the Home Ministry, because it is, after all, the central government that will assess the situation," CM Sarma told reporters in Guwahati. CM Sarma recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and discussed about the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from Assam. The AFSPA was first imposed in Assam in November 1990 and has been extended every six months since then after a review by the state government. (ANI)
United States President Joe Biden on Thursday headed for the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in India. As the US President boarded the flight for India, Biden, on his social media account X, said, "Im headed to the G20 the premier forum for international economic cooperation focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver." Earlier, on Thursday, Biden departed from Andrews air base on Air Force 1 for India to participate in the 18th G20 Summit at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The White House also said the same on its social media account, X. "President Biden is on his way to New Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders Summit, where hell work with allies and partners to further strengthen the global economy," it said in a post on X. Beginning Friday, Biden has a packed schedule for the three days. He will arrive in New Delhi on the same day. The US President is scheduled to participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, according to a White House press release. On Saturday, Biden will participate in an official arrival and handshake with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US President will then participate in the G20 Leaders Summit Session 1: One Earth. Later in the day, he is slated to take part in the G20 Leaders Summit Session 2: One Family of the G20. Biden will also participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event. His day will wrap with a dinner and cultural program with G20 Leaders. On Sunday, the US President will visit the Raj Ghat Memorial along with other G20 Leaders. Meanwhile today, the White House recalled the last years G20 Leaders Summit in Bali and reshared the images of President Biden. In the post, the White House shared some moments when Indonesia's leader and Biden had a word on the importance of the countries' relationship. "The two leaders also discussed ways to continue working together to promote peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world," the White House said in a post on X. The White House also shared the pictures of Biden and PM Modi and said, "President Biden met with Prime Minister Modi of India and President Widodo of Indonesia to reaffirm their shared commitment to the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation." (ANI)
One of the things I enjoy most about writing my column is communicating with readers just like you. As often happens, a reader will visit my AsktheBuilder.com website and use the form on the Ask Tim page to get help.

Not too long ago Bob did this. He lives in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and reads my column in his local paper. Bob wrote: I really enjoy your columns. Your practical knowledge and no-nonsense approach reminds me of my father-in-law, who was an architect and builder. Bob mentioned that he was also an amateur radio operator like me. Its loads of fun to hear from readers with similar interests!

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Bob then went on to ask for my advice on how to replace his cupped and cracked 12-inch-wide wood fascia boards with a more durable material. One of the dealbreakers was that he wanted to paint the replacement material to match the dark-green color of his existing trim.

Three different methods of solving this problem come to mind. The least expensive method is to paint the existing fascia boards, assuming theyre still in fair shape. Bob did send two photos, and the boards have seen better days. There are quite a few exterior spackling compounds and epoxy wood fillers that do a magnificent job of filling large cracks and holes. These materials can be sanded and they all accept paint. Cupped boards can sometimes be made flat using stainless steel screws.

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You may have had bad luck with paint in the past. Believe me, I understand that frustration. What would you say if I told you I know of an exterior house paint that can last 25 years if you apply it according to the simple instructions on the label? Youd probably think I fell and hit my head. I used this paint on the redwood siding on my own home in Cincinnati in 1997, and it still looks as good today as the day I painted it.

The resin component of the paint is urethane. Understand that paint at its most basic level is nothing more than colored glue. You want to use a paint that is ultra-sticky, and urethane fits the bill. Visit a traditional national-brand paint store and youll discover that urethane exterior house paints can be purchased in any color and different sheens.

A second solution to Bobs problem is to wrap the fascia boards with painted aluminum coil stock. Millions of feet of wood trim on houses has been covered in this manner over the past 50 years. My childhood home had it done in the 1960s. Aluminum holds paint exceedingly well, and some coil stock comes from the factory painted a dark green color.

You can rent a metal-bending brake from a tool rental business. These simple machines allow you to make precision bends so the aluminum conforms to the shape of the fascia boards. There are numerous videos on YouTube that show you exactly how to use a brake. Its never been easier to discover how to do something. You can also watch other videos showing you how to install coil stock over fascia boards.

The most expensive and time-consuming solution is to remove the fascia boards and replace them with a non-wood material. Fiber cement is an option. I have fiber cement siding on my home and on a shed I built. You can paint it any color you prefer. While it has wood fibers in it, the cement prevents the boards from cracking, cupping or rotting like ordinary wood.

You could also use a plastic fascia board. There are several brands. The only drawback with plastic is that it has a very high expansion/contraction coefficient. The manufacturers caution that painting the material with dark colors can lead to catastrophic paint failure as the plastic material expands beyond the limits of the paint.

I have tested this material on my own home with great success. I had to replace my front door several years ago and used plastic trim instead of wood. This door faces south and doesnt have any protection from the sunlight. Its painted a fairly dark green, and after six years the paint has not peeled. I did use the urethane paint, and I feel its stickiness is the reason the paint continues to bond to the plastic.

You can often avoid the expensive process of replacing wood trim by simply protecting it from the ravages of water. Water and wood trim dont play well together. If your wood trim, siding, fencing and railings are in great shape, think about taking the time to do what I did with my house all those years ago. Get a good quality urethane paint, read the label and apply it exactly as directed. You may never have to paint it again!

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2023 Tim Carter. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that their view is very much that having Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G20 Summit hosted under India's Presidency would be a good thing. Speaking in a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sullivan noted that Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table. Responding to the question regarding Zelenskyy not being invited to the G20 Summit, Sullivan said, "Look from our perspective anytime President Zelenskyy gets the opportunity to address a body, a group is a good thing. We believe that about the G20, he addressed it last year but President Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table and we also saw in Jeddah not long ago many of the key countries of the G20 including from the Global South sit with Ukrainians in the same room to talk through the principles of adjust and durable peace including sovereignty and territorial Integrity. "So, I feel good about where we are. Although the US view is very much that having Zelenskyy have a role in this G20 would be a good thing," he added. Earlier in March, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that the Ministry of External Affairs at the time of the launch of the G20 Presidency had shared details regarding the nations that will be invited as guests. Asked on whether Ukraine will participate in the G20 Ministers Meeting in March, Kwatra said, "As far as Ukraines invitation is concerned, see, during the presser that we did at the time of launch of the G20 presidency, it was made clear as to which nations are invited as guests, including obviously, the G20 members. The list of those countries was shared with you. We have not made any changes or addition in that list." India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on September 9-10. This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025. (ANI)
Former G20 Sherpa Montek Singh Ahluwalia showed his hopes ahead of the G20 summit being held here in the national capital that India would have a good G20 summit. "I hope we have a good G20. It is a difficult situation as, for the first time, there are global events on which countries don't actually agree. But many of the other issues that are being discussed are very relevant. I certainly think we are looking at the right issues. The G20 is more like a forum for creating a broad sense of consensus, and then negotiations take place at other forums," said former Sherpa. Ahluwalia also emphasised the issues of climate change, inclusive development and sustainability and said that he would focus on these issues in the meeting. India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations. India aims to achieve the twin objectives of adding the African Union as a member of G20 and resolving disagreements about a joint statement related to the war in Ukraine at the Summit. During the presidency, India has focused on various issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access. By leveraging its presidency, India is fostering collaborative solutions that benefit its own population and contribute to the broader global well-being, The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU (represented by Comros), and South Africa. Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, the U.A.E, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey Spain, Germany, France, Mauritius, the European Union and Singapore.(ANI)
German Ambassador Philip Achermann said that the absence of the Chinese President and the Russian President will not make any difference in the G20 Summit being held in New Delhi this year. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Achermann said "President Putin didn't attend the last Summit either. I think that was to be expected. We were a little surprised by the Chinese no-attendance by President Xi Jinping. But let me say very clearly, this is a G 20 plus meeting. I think when you have the Chinese PM in attendance and not the Chinese President - it doesn't make a big difference. One should not let this Summit be overshadowed by the non-attendance of one President. I think the Chinese PM is a very good representative of China and China will make its voice heard at the table, the Ambassador added. The German envoy also endorsed Indias move to invite the African Union for permanent membership in G20 and said his country supports Indias call. He said, "We wholeheartedly support this Indian endeavour to get the new member at the table in the form of the African Union. That will be the second big Union of countries, next to the European Union. We are completely in favour of it." The ambassador affirmed that Indias presidency has elevated the G20 to the next level and hoped that the G20 outcome statement will be consented to by most of the G20 states. Achermann said, They did this job in a very difficult time. This is maybe politically the most difficult G-20 presidency. We will see what happens during the weekend. We hope and are very confident that the Indian side will come up with a statement that will be at least consented to by most of the G 20 States." This is the peak of a very successful and extremely impressive presidency. India has been like no other president before...It has elevated the G 20 to the next level I think. 500 meetings all over India...My respect and admiration goes out to the Indian protocols, to the Indian Sherpa, team, Amitabh Kant and the Indian Government, the German Ambassador added. India is hosting G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations. (ANI)
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived here on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty. Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Sunak and his wife at the airport. A group of dancers performed a traditional Indian dance to welcome Sunak and his wife. It is Rishi Sunak's first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed office in October last year. Ahead of his arrival in Delhi, Rishi Sunak said that he is heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable. "Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Sunak said in a post on X. "At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the worlds most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putins war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy," UK Prime Minister's Office said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year and discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement and the talks started in 2022. The 12th round of negotiations for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) took place from August 8 to 31. The negotiations for the UK-India FTA were conducted in a hybrid fashion, with a number of UK officials travelling to Delhi for negotiations and others attending virtually. In August this year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UKs Secretary of State for Trade Kemi Badenoch took stock of the FTA and agreed on ways to progress the negotiations. The 13th round of negotiations is due to take place in September. Earlier, Gautam Dev Sood, a relative of Rishi Sunak, expressed his excitement at the UK Prime Minister coming to India and expressed his desire to meet him. "We are very happy that he is coming to India. There is a great sense of excitement that we are trying to assemble in Delhi if it is possible to meet him, he told ANI. On being asked if there is any confirmation of UK PM Sunak going to Ludhiana, he said that there is no information as of now. Sood also said that the relatives in Ludhiana are also excited and trying to get permission to meet him. The G20 Leaders Summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam.Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the Summit being held in India for the first time. The G20 grouping comprises 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, and the US along with the European Union. y, G20 members account for more than 80 per of the world's GDP, 75 per cent of global trade, and 60 per cent of the global population. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. (ANI)
As the global leaders have begun to arrive in India to attend the G20 Leaders Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he looks forward to the three bilateral meetings scheduled at his residence. On Friday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to hold bilateral meetings with Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and US President Joe Biden. This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence, posted PM Modi on X. The Prime Minister also said that these meetings will provide an opportunity to review Indias relations with these countries. I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden. The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation, the post further read. Mauritius PM Jugnauth arrived in India on Thursday while Bangladesh PM Hasina arrived on Friday afternoon. The Mauritius PM, in an exclusive interview with ANI, hailed Indias G20 Presidency and said that there couldnt have been a better them for the summit than One Earth, One Family and One Future, which translates to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit. Jugnauth said, I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change. US President Biden is expected to arrive in India on Friday evening. Meanwhile on PM Modi and Bidens bilateral meet, US NSA Jake Sullivan has said that meaningful progress on a number of issues including GE Jet engine issues, MQ9 Reapers, 5G, 6G, civil nuclear areas will show the breadth of relationship. "Tomorrow the president will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi and it will be an opportunity to follow up on prime minister Mod's visit to the United States and we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues including the GE jet engine issue the MQ9 reapers on 5G, 6G on a collaboration on critical and emerging Technologies and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well," he said. Sullivan also said, "We will mark all of that progress when the two of them meet tomorrow which shows the breadth of the relationship between our countries. Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical fundamental values that the United States stands for as he does in all of his engagements and then he'll look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend." Sullivans remarks came on the heels of US President Joe Bidens departure for New Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders Summit. The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in India. (ANI)
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that President Joe Biden will speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for apart from discussing other issues of global import in his engagements on the sidelines of G20 Summit. Interacting with the media on board Air Force One, Sullivan said he would not issue any scorecards in relation to fundamental freedoms. I cant characterize another leaders perspective, and Im not here to issue scorecards. What President Biden said when he was standing at the State visit earlier this year and what he will say in every significant leader engagement is what he believes and what the United States believes and what an American president stands for, he said. Thats our responsibility. Thats what we do on behalf of our national values, who we are as a people, who we are as Americans. Thats what well keep doing, and Ill leave the scorekeeping to others, he added. He was answering a query related to Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the United States in June this year and his assessment of fundamental values question in India following the joint media interaction of President Biden and PM Modi during the visit. Sullivan said that the bilateral meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States. And we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well, he said. Sullivan said the G20 meeting will be an opportunity to engage on significant issues facing major economies. As we head into the G20, were looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we think are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world, he said. And that goes from climate, to energy security, to food security, to global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank reform initiative that President Biden has been working on. And so, we think this will be an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time, he added. The US National Security Advisor said Chinese President Xi Jinping is not coming for the G20 Summit and whether they would play spoiler and so forth, Im not going to handicap what will happen at this summit in that regard. But I would point out that if you look at the hosts of the G20 over the next few years: We have India this year, Brazil next year, South Africa the following year, and then the United States. And I think, along with those three countries India, Brazil, and South Africa the US has a deep stake in stewarding the G20 and making sure that it remains a central mechanism for global coordination on all the major challenges we face. And I think, over the course of the weekend, youll see opportunities for us to reflect that, Sullivan said. Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements. And then, hell look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend before we head off to Vietnam, he added. The US President will arrive in India on Friday evening and will later have a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. The G20 summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. (ANI)
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said that he is heading to the G20 Summit set to be held under India's Presidency with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable. Sharing a post on X, Sunak stated, "Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine." Rishi Sunak's remarks come ahead of his arrival in New Delhi for the G20 Summit which is due to be held in Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on September 9-10. Sunak shared the post in response to a statement made by UK Prime Minister's Office on X which reads, "The war in Ukraine continues to affect us all. Were making sure food exports get out of Ukraine to countries that need it: Establishing surveillance in the Black Sea Providing 3m funding for the World Food Programme Convening an international food security summit." UK Prime Minister's Office in a press release said that during the G20 summit Rishi Sunak would emphasise that global leaders must make it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has increased Russias global isolation, and pledge to protect those whose lives have been devastated by the ongoing conflict. According to the release G20 leaders will on Saturday gather in Delhi to discuss the big challenges faced by the world, including the spike in the cost of living driven by Putins actions. The press release said, "At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the worlds most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putins war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy." "Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality" the release from the UK Prime Minister's office said. "Russia has displaced 11 million people from their homes, manipulated global energy prices and made daily life more difficult for households across the planet" it added. "The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putins destruction. That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putins stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain" the statement added. According to the press release, the UK will host an international food security summit later this year and increase support for vulnerable people worst hit by rising food prices. UK will also contribute 3 million in funding for the World Food Programme to continue work started under President Zelenskyys Grain from Ukraine initiative. (ANI)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit which is being hosted by India this year. Sheikh Hasina was received by Darshana Jardosh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles and in Ministry of Railways at the Delhi Airport. India and Bangladesh share bonds of history, language, culture, and a multitude of other commonalities. The partnership has strengthened, matured and evolved as a model for bilateral relations for the entire region and beyond. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in December 1971. India's links with Bangladesh are civilisational, cultural, social and economic. Earlier Last month, India and Bangladesh held the fifth Annual Defence Dialogue on August 28 in Dhaka, where the two nations agreed to enhance their defence cooperation including increasing the bilateral exercises. The two-day Joint Group of Customs (JGC) meeting between India and Bangladesh was held in New Delhi where both sides discussed issues relating to customs cooperation and cross-border trade facilitation, the finance ministry informed in an official release. On September 6 last year, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held bilateral talks to review and further strengthen the relationship between both countries at Hyderabad House. After that, seven MoUs were signed between India and Bangladesh during the visit of Sheikh Hasina to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to Bangladesh from 26 to 27 March 2021 to join as Guest of Honour at a troika of celebrations: the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh; the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and; 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh, said a document release from MEA. Apart from this, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar & Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina attended the inaugural session of the 6th Indian Ocean Conference in Dhaka on May 12, 2023. India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations. (ANI)
Ahead of the G20 Summit in India, the United States on Friday said that it is keen on working with India after seeing the ambition of the youth in the country. US State Department Spokesperson Margaret MacLeod speaking to ANI said, We will have discussions on several issues at the G20 Summit. India and the US share a partnership in several sectors including critical emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Education, Student mobility and others. America wants to work with India after seeing the ambition of the youth in India. The official said that the US believes that India is raising its voice as an emerging economy through the G20 forum views of the whole world should be included. In fact, under Indias Presidency, there is talk of including African Union as a permanent member of the G20, which America supports, MacLeod said. The 18 th G20 Summit will take place in the national capital on September 9-10. A G20 Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The State Department Spokesperson Macleod said that a consensus on a G20 would be difficult but is not impossible and that the US will make efforts to get the agreement done. "Who will participate in the Summit is the decision of that individual country. We will try to work with the representatives of China and Russia during the G20 Summit. As our National Security Advisor said, consensus would be difficult (on Delhi declaration), but it is not impossible, we will try our best to get the agreement done." The 18th G20 Summit, under Indias presidency is being held amidst divisions among member countries on theRussia-Ukraineconflict. While China andRussiado not want, in the Delhi Declaration proposed to be adopted by the G20 leaders on Sunday, a mention of the ongoing war, countries of the European Union and other Western nations are pressing for Moscow to be declared as an aggressor and are seeking an end to theRussia-Ukrainewar. At a press briefing on Thursday on board Air Force One, after PresidentJoe Bidens departure from Washington to India,USNational Security AdvisorJake Sullivanwhile responding to a question on the G20 joint outcome statement said: We have been working all day and all night for a joint statement. In that we bring a spirit of compromise to a lot of the different issues that are contentious so that we can find a text that everybody can live with. Sullivan said, there is some distance to travel before a final joint statement is released. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are not participating in the G20 Summit. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend G20 Summit in India. The Russian delegation is being represented by by country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Margaret Macleod said that the specifics of the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not been announced yet. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had said Biden and PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting. He noted that the meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on PM Modi's visit to the US and hold meaningful progress on several issues, including GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers and 5G/6G. Speaking at a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sullivan said, "Tomorrow, the President will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and it will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States. And we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well." Biden departed from Andrews air base on Thursday for the 18th G20 Summit set to be held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Delhis Pragati Maidan. Before boarding the flight for India, Biden posted on his social media account X, "Im headed to the G20 the premier forum for international economic cooperation focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver." (ANI)
Thousands of members of the youth wing of Nepali Congress, Tarun Dal, on Friday marched in the capital Kathmandu in protest against the country's Home Minister in connection with a physical attack on the partys joint general secretary on Wednesday. A man attacked Nepali Congress Joint General Secretary Mahendra Yadav during a public program in Kathmandu and he has been hospitalized since then. Tarun Dal took to the streets demanding the resignation of Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha for failing to ensure security. The protesters chanted slogans against Nepal's Home Minister to ensure security as well as demanded an alternative to Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. According to Superintendent of Police Kumud Dhungel, spokesperson at the Kathmandu District Police Range, Congress leader Yadav, who sustained injuries to the back of his head is undergoing treatment at the Trauma Center of Bir Hospital. The attacker identified as Shyam Bahadur Sapkota was apprehended on the same day from the site of the incident with a Khukri which he used to attack Yadav. On Thursday, the Kathmandu District Court remanded Saptoka in custody for five days for further investigation. Originally from Nuwakot, Sapkota currently lives in the Balaju region of Kathmandu. Police have moved ahead with the investigation against Sapkota for an attempt to murder. On September 6, Sapkota followed Yadav and attacked him from behind with a khukuri when the latter came out of the Reporters Club after the event. Police investigation has found that Sapkota had been arrested earlier too. Two cases of indecent behaviour were filed against him two years ago. (ANI)
Authorities are still considering whether charges will be filed against a Wheeling motorist who struck a 13-year-old boy while the child was on his bike crossing the street Wednesday in Buffalo Grove, a village spokesman told Pioneer Press.

BG Police plan to review the case with the States Attorneys Office next week, village spokesman Tim Kirsininkas told Pioneer Press in an email.

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According to a news release earlier this week, Buffalo Grove police and firefighters responded around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to a call of a cyclist being struck by a vehicle on Weiland Road near Newton Drive.

The release states that the 13-year-old boy was on his bike in the crosswalk when he was hit by a vehicle that was traveling northbound on Weiland Road. The driver of the vehicle was identified as being a 66-year-old Wheeling resident. The driver is not named or further identified because, as of now, they are not charged with a crime.

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The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with authorities, according to the release.

The boy was treated at the scene and then transported by Buffalo Grove paramedics to Lutheran General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the release states.

Authorities did not provide any further details, including whether speeding or any impairment, including alcohol or drugs, played a role in the incident.

As of Friday, no charges have been filed and the case is currently under investigation by the Buffalo Grove Police Departments Traffic Unit, along with the Major Crash Assistance Team, according to authorities.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the "truly special partnership" between India and Mauritius. Sharing a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jaishankar stated, "Delighted to call on PM @KumarJugnauth of Mauritius today morning. Value Mauritius participation in the @g20org. Reaffirmed our commitment to take our truly special partnership forward." On September 7, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit set to be hosted under India's Presidency on September 9-10. Union Minister of State for Ports, and Shipping Shripad Naik received him at the airport. As he came out of the Delhi airport, he was welcomed with a traditional folk dance performance. India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. This is the first time that a G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. On Thursday,Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hailed Indias G20 Presidency and said that there couldnt have been a better them for the summit than One Earth, One Family and One Future, which translates to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Jugnauth said, I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change. So, it is important for a summit like this one all the countries to sit down and see how we can bounce back. I think there is a need for us to be resilient, there is a need to review our policies in view of the lessons that we can draw from those events, he added. He further said that amid the ongoing conflicts in Africa and Ukraine, and issues like climate change, the issues being put up by India under its presidency are very pertinent. "I think there could not have been a better theme that has been chosen by India - One Earth, One Family and One Future - which is drawn from the Sanskrit phase of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. I think this is pertinent more so when we look at the effect of climate change because what one country does, not only affects that country but also the whole world. That is why, we have to reflect collectively and we have to act collectively, the Mauritius Prime Minister said. He added, Each one of us has a duty to save the planet and save the whole population. I am happy to see that India has taken this very inclusive approach and to try to get everybody on board. There have been a number of meetings before the summit, and there have been a lot of proposals and ideas that have been edited. I am very confident that we are going to make progress." India has close, longstanding relations with Mauritius, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons, according to the Ministry of External Affairs statement. A key reason for the special ties between the two nations is that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the islands population. India has traditionally been the first responder for Mauritius in times of crisis, including during the recent COVID-19 and Wakashio oil-spill crises. (ANI)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida landed in India on Friday to attend the G20 Leaders Summit scheduled to be held in the national capital. At the airport, Kishida was received by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Kumar Choubey. At the G20 summit in India, Kishida plans to show Japan's stance of proactively contributing to various global issues, based on the results of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Japanese media reported. "The agenda in India will include global food security, which has been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as development, digital transformation and other international issues," according to NHK. Earlier this year, PM Modi met his Japanese counterpart in Hiroshima, where he attended the G7 Summit. During the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Modi spoke with partner countries on subjects such as peace, stability and prosperity of a sustainable planet; food, fertiliser and energy security; health; gender equality; climate change and environment; resilient infrastructure; and development cooperation. The cooperation between India and Japan continues to deepen over time as the two nations share historical linkages with exchanges between the two countries being traced to the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced in Japan. As both nations deal with the challenges provided by an aggressive China in the Asian region, India's political ties to Japan have grown significantly over the past few decades. The commitment of India and Japan to a free and open Indo-Pacific, boosting economic cooperation, and encouraging people-to-people interactions is highlighted by their most recent strategic discussion. In the lead-up to both the G20 and G7 summits, the visit of Japanese PM Kishida to India in March bolstered further commitment between the two countries to work together for the realisation of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. India and Japan have already developed various frameworks of security partnership including a 2+2 Dialogue involving Foreign and Defence ministers. The two countries regularly participate in joint military exercises such as the Malabar Exercise and have various partnership agreements ranging from defence equipment trade to military logistics. Japan is India's 13th-largest trading partner, whereas India is Japan's 18th-largest. With Japan's private sector investment in India steadily increasing, it is among the top five foreign investors in India. India and Japan's joint efforts to foster a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region demonstrate the strength and potential of their ever-strengthening relationship. (ANI)
Oman Prime Minister and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Friday arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit set to be held under India's Presidency on September 9-10. Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Oman PM at the airport. A group of dancers performed a traditional Indian dance to welcome Oman PM. India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. Oman is a strategic partner of India and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League, and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora. India and Oman are linked by geography, history, and culture and enjoy warm and cordial relations. India and Oman diplomatic relations were established in 1955, and the relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2008. As a mark of this special friendship, India has extended an invitation to the sultanate of Oman to participate in the G20 Summit and meetings as a guest country during India's Presidency in 2023. In June, the National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval paid an official visit to Oman. In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Oman while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Oman in 2019. Meanwhile,Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi visited India in March 2022, and Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion visited India in May 2022. On May 12, 2022, a meeting of the India-Oman Joint Business Council (JBC) was jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (ANI)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit. The 18th G20 summit is to be hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam onSeptember 9-10. The UN chief received a rousing welcome,with a group of dancers performing a folk dance. The G20 Leader's Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the big-ticket summit in the national capital. As a founding member of the United Nations, India strongly supports the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions to implementing the goals of the Charter and the evolution of the UNs specialized programmes and agencies, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement earlier. India strongly believes the United Nations and the norms of international relations that it has fostered remain the most efficacious means for tackling today's global challenges, it added. In August, at the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasised undertaking reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The BRICS joint statement also called for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms and affirmed support for the aspirations of emerging and developing countries like India, Brazil and South Africa. At the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, the UN chief further spoke on India's G20 Presidency and said that he is confident that India will do everything possible to make sure that the geopolitical divide that exists is overcome and that the G20 can conclude with possible results. "I am confident that India will do everything possible to make sure that the geopolitical divide that exists, is overcome and that the G20 can conclude with possible results...I will be very interested in seeing the emerging economies and developed countries that are gathering in the G20 to be able to come to a united approach, to an increased ambition," Guterres said. "Ambition in mitigation to reduce emissions as we are facing a catastrophic climate situation and ambition in justice to provide developing countries with the resources they need for climate action in adaptation and in mitigation," he added. (ANI)
He was received by Union Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Raosaheb Patil Danve. India and South Africa established a strategic partnership in March 1997.

A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded between the two countries since the assumption of diplomatic relations in 1993 in diverse areas ranging from economic and commercial cooperation, defence, culture, health, human settlements, public administration and science and technology, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Indias Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) has been a useful medium for promoting cooperation in the development of human resources.

Both countries are observing 25 years of Strategic Partnership in 2023 and 30 years since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with South Africa.

Earlier last month, PM Narendra Modi attended the 15th BRICS Summit held under the Presidency of South Africa in Johannesburg.

The 11th Session of India-South Africa Foreign Office Consultations was held on August 3 in New Delhi. The Consultations were co-chaired by Puneet R. Kundal, JS (East and Southern Africa), Ministry of External Affairs and Ntombizodwa Msutukazi Lallie, Acting Deputy Director-General Asia and Middle East, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa.

During the consultations, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade which touched USD 17 billion in 2021-22 and agreed on the importance of further diversifying their trade.

The G20 Summit to be held over the weekend in Delhi will see participation by over 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. (ANI)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said G20 has been a huge success for India and it is the "right country at the right time to be hosting this. The UK PM said that he will make sure that G20 under India's presidency achieves success. "I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Modi and making sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally," he said. G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this.I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made, the British Prime Minister added while highlighting that the coming two days will witness hectic deliberations. Emphasizing that various issues are on agenda at the G20 under Indias leadership. He said: Im confident that well make very good progress on a range of different issues. Referring to the theme of the 18th G20 Summit "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "One Earth, One Family, One Future", UK PM Sunak said: I think its a great theme. I am an example of the incredible living bridge that Prime Minister Modi described between UK and India. Mentioning on the progress to be made on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, Sunak said, "Well I think the bilateral relationship is in good health and Prime Minister Modi and I are keen to deepen and broaden our relationship. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that which is why it remains our priority and as I said there is hard work to go. But I hope we can conclude a successful FTA. Meanwhile, India and UK have held 12 rounds of talks for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It was held on August 8-31, and was conducted in a hybrid fashion. A number of UK officials travelled to Delhi for negotiations and others attended virtually. The thirteenth round of negotiations is due to take place in September. The India-UK bilateral trading relationship was worth Pound 34 billion in 2022, growing by Pound 10 billion (Rs 102 crore) in one year, according to official UK government statistics. The British Prime Minister said almost two million people of Indian origin live in the UK. So, its very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family is from, he said. Sunak arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty. Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Sunak and his wife at the airport. A group of dancers performed a traditional dance to welcome Sunak and his wife. It is Rishi Sunak's first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed office in October last year. Ahead of his arrival in Delhi,Rishi Sunaksaid that he is heading to theG20 Summitwith a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable. "Im heading to the #G20 Summitwith a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Sunak said in a post on X. "At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the worlds most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putins war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy," UK Prime Minister's Office said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting withRishi Sunakon September 9 on the sidelines of theG20 Summit, sources said. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year and discussed theIndia-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement and the talks started in 2022. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. "It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India," Kwatra said. Indiaassumed theG20presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related toG20were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18thG20Summit will be a culmination of all theG20processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionization of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden arrived in India on Friday for the G20 Summit during which he will engage with other leaders on issues facing major economies of the world. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation Gen VK Singh (retd). US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti was present at the airport with his daughter. President Biden interacted with her as also had a brief chat with the union minister. He also cheered the group of dancers who performed a traditioinal dance to welcome him. During the visit, Biden will hold bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is his first visit to India as US President. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One earlier that G20 hosted by India will be an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time. As we head into the G20, were looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we think are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world, Sullivan said. And that goes from climate, to energy security, to food security, to global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank reform initiative that President Biden has been working on. And so, we think this will be a an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time, he added. The 18th G20 Summit is being held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. The bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Biden will be held on Friday evening. "Im headed to the G20 the premier forum for international economic cooperation focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver," Biden had said on X before leaving for Delhi. Prime Minister Modi was on a state visit to the US from June 21 to 24. Sullivan said the bilateral meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States. We will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well, he said. (ANI)
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the G20 Summit. He was accompanied by his wife, the first lady of Turkiye Emine Erdogan. Erdogan was received by Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India. The G20 summit will be attended by world leaders and delegates representing international organisations and will be hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam over two days September 9 and 10. Earlier in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election as President of Turkey. PM Modi said that he is confident that the bilateral ties between the two nations and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow. Earlier today, G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that Indias presidency will bring economic benefits to the country as the G20 meetings and activities included extensive participation of people through "Jan Bhagidari" from across the nation. We would have received a total of 100,000 visitors for our G 20 presidency from over 125 nationalities and for many of them this has been a discovery of a new India. G 20 presidency will bring economic benefits to our country and to our citizens, Shringla said during a pre-summit press conference at the International Media Centre. Leaders of the G20 summit will be treated with first-of-its-kind instrumental music performances showcasing the cultural depth of Bharat on the occasion to be hosted by the President of India on September 9. Moreover, India and Turkey share historical connections. Diplomatic relations were established and Ambassadors exchanged in 1948. High level visits were exchanged regularly, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Bilateral relations have been strengthened by the exchange of visits of leaders of both countries in recent times. Earlier in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the G20 Summit held in Antalya on November 15-16, 2015 and on the margins of the Summit, Prime Minister had bilateral talks with President Erdogan. Moreover, India-Turkiye economic and commercial cooperation constitutes an important dimension of the bilateral relationship. (ANI)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday arrived in India to attend the G20 Summit. The Canadian PM, accompanied by his son Xavier, was received by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The summit, which will witness the participation of world leaders and delegates from international organisations, will be hosted in the national capital under India's presidency of the 20-member bloc. The two-day huddle is set to get underway at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam at Delhi's Pragati Maidan onSeptember 9 and 10. The Canadian PM recently called India a key partner in the promotion of shared values of democracy. As the worlds largest democracy, India is and will continue to be a key partner for Canada in the promotion of our shared values of democracy, pluralism, and progress. We are committed to building on this rich history of collaboration, including under Indias presidency of the G20 this year," Trudeau said in a statement. Looking ahead, as Canada strengthens its presence in the region under its Indo-Pacific Strategy, we will continue to work together to preserve the rules-based international order, promote multilateralism, and grow our economic ties to benefit people in both our countries as well as the region at large," he added. The Canada-India relationship is based on strong and longstanding ties between our people. Canada is home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, with nearly 1.4 million people of Indian descent living in our communities from coast to coast to coast. These communities are an integral part of Canadas national identity, and today we recognize their valuable contributions, past and present, that have made our country stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive," the Canadian PM said. Trudeau said Canada is home to one of the longest Indian diasporas in the world, adding that nearly 1.4 million people of Indian descent live in the country. Meanwhile, ahead of the summit on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India." Indiaassumed theG20presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related toG20were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18thG20Summit will be a culmination of all theG20processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionisation of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially, very few people knew about it, but it has(been) taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. He further said that the digital payment infrastructure has been widely accepted as a way to bring financial inclusion. Addressing a pre-summit briefing in the national capital, Kant said, When India started the G20 Presidency, very few people knew about Digital Payment Infrastructure and the open source model of it. This has been extensively taken forward, by both the Finance track and Sherpa track in a very rigorous manner. Digital Payment Infrastructure, has broadly been accepted asthe way to bring financial inclusion. This is the way to do fast payments, this is the way to drive the innovation of the future. (ANI)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit scheduled to be held on September 9-10. The Australian premier was accompanied by his partner Jodie Haydon. Australian PM Albanese was received by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, State Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India at Delhi Airport on Friday. Meanwhile, India is geared up to host G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. This is the first time that G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with an intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face. Earlier in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a three-nation visit when he also visited Australia. Australian PM said that PM Modi's visit to Australia has strengthened the relationship between the two countries. "This is a relationship we need to invest in. Our strong partnership with India will deliver benefits for Australia in trade, investment and business and in regional security and stability," Anthony Albanese said. Underscoring the value Australia gives to India,Albanese said that he met PM Modi six times. He also stated that Australia is a better place because of the contributions of the Indian-Australian community and he wanted to see more connections between the two countries. Meanwhile, on Twitter, Albanese said that Australia and India are working more closely together to boost renewable energy in both our countries. After concluding his visit, PM Modithanked his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese for the hospitality during his Sydney visit, one which will "boost the friendship between Australia and India," and noted that the two leaders will keep working towards a "vibrant India-Australia friendship," which is also in the "interest of global good." The Australia-India relationship is already strong, but both saw the potential for growth and an opportunity for a better future. As his Australia visit comes to an end, PM Modi tweeted, "From productive talks with PM @AlboMP to a historic community programme, from meeting business leaders to eminent Australians from different walks of life, it's been an important visit which will boost the friendship between Australia and India." Moreover, PM Modi reassured that the two leaders would work together to strengthen the friendship of the two countries. (ANI)
The Knowledge Exchange manager Suzanne Patterson and historian Tom Shepherd help lead a group of older students during a daylong field trip in the summer. Suzanne Patterson/Governors State University, summer 2023, Chicago, Illinois (Governors State University/Daily Southtown)

When it comes to classes for The Knowledge Exchange at Governors State University, the older students who participate get an intellectual workout.

These classes are cerebral, said Suzanne Patterson, the external manager of the program. Its not how to crochet or how to quilt or how to learn Photoshop on the computer. None of that.

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Instead, Patterson said the classes are borderline academia.

There is well thought out course material, she said. We have people who are really experts in their field as retirees teaching.

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Some members of the Knowledge Exchange pose at the Ton Farm during a summer field trip. (Governors State University/Daily Southtown)

This extended learning program offers challenging topics including current events, history, Abe Lincoln and the Beatles.

Its keeping the brain healthy and alive with these cerebral, thought-provoking discussion-oriented classes, Patterson said. But its also combined with socializing and getting people out of their homes when they are retired.

The program on the University Park campus is open to all people who want to continue to learn.

Its designed for the retired and semiretired and boasts of being the only program of its kind in the south suburbs.

It meets Fridays over fall, winter and spring semesters, offering courses, workshops plus lunch and learn presentations.

Last year, The Knowledge Exchange introduced summer programs including concerts, lectures and field trips.

Some group members took a daylong bus trip July 29 to learn about the Underground Railroad and other events in Black history, hosted by Governors State alumnus Larry McClellan and historian Tom Shepherd.

The response was great, Patterson said. We had to cut it off at 40 people. It was a six-hour bus tour and we did so much.

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She said stops included the Crete Museum, the Interstate 394 Kohls site, the Mount Glenwood Cemetery in Glenwood, the Underground Railroad Memorial in South Holland, the Ton Farm in Chicago, the Burr Oak Cemetery and the Robbins History Museum.

Popular programs over the two summers included a concert with Warren Brown playing Mark Twain.

It looks like Im locked in for summer sessions. I dont think Im going to get away from them, Patterson said.

Many of the classes deal with history, and the history of The Knowledge Exchange is also interesting.

Patterson said in 1992, when GSU was a two-year graduate school, instructor Bill Dodd started up a group that became known as The Adult Learning Exchange.

It was a group of volunteers who shared ideas and opinions, she said. It was grassrooty and it grew out of that. Im amazed that they started it.

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It grew some legs and moved to the Anita M. Stone Jewish Community Center in Flossmoor.

Patterson, a co-founder of the Chicago Southland International Film Festival, led a film class in 2005, a precursor to her involvement.

In 2010, The Adult Learning Exchange was in a state of flux as the Jewish center ceased to exist in Flossmoor, and Patterson was asked to run the program.

For two years, I ran it from my living room, she said. But I kept it going because the people wanted it, both the volunteer leaders and the participants.

The learning exchange linked up with Governors State again in 2012, but the name was changed to The Knowledge Exchange. Patterson eventually picked up full-time status at the university and she said she still loves the program.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

We have a couple of 90-year-olds who have been with us since 2005, Patterson said. Its bittersweet because the 85- to 90-year-olds are starting to age out a little bit and we are losing them. Thats the nature of the job.

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The pandemic in 2020 didnt hurt the program too much.

We had virtual classrooms and we were able to serve the population that were dropping out because they could no longer drive or they were homebound, she said. Some moved away to be near their kids and grandkids and the wonderful thing about going virtual was that they were (watching) from Arizona and Florida.

But Patterson said it has been tough trying to rebuild the audience and get new retirees to participate.

The people who are in it love it so much, she said. They try to bring in people that they meet. They bring up The Knowledge Exchange and quite often, thats how we grow.

For more information about the program, call 708-534-4393.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Friday arrived at Delhi's Palam airbase to attend the G20 summit. The two-day summit, being hosted in the national capital under India's presidency of the 20-member bloc, will get underway at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam from Saturday. President Al Nahyan wasreceived by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai. Meanwhile, ahead of the G20 summit, which will bring together some of the most powerful leaders of the free world as well as delegates representing international organisations,Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India." India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, last year, with about 200 related meetings organised across 60 Indian cities. The 18thG20Summit will be a culmination of all theG20processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionisation of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. After concluding his recent official visit to the UAE, PM Modi shared a video clip of histrip to the Gulf nation saying both countries will continue to work closely for the global good. Sharing the video on Twitter, which showed him attending important events in the UAE, PM Modi posted, "India and UAE will keep working closely to further global good! During the visit, PM Modi and UAE President Al Nahyan affirmed that India's G20 presidency will play an important role in accelerating cooperation in combating climate change, said the India-UAE joint statement on Climate Change. PM Modi and the UAE President recognized the urgent need to address the global challenge of climate change through global collective action while respecting the foundational principles and obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on the Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, read a joint press release. PM Modi also congratulated UAE on being chosen as the host country for COP28 in 2023 while pledging the country's full support to the Gulf nation as it assumes theCOP28 Presidency. President Al Nahyan, in turn, congratulated India on its leadership role in the G20. Both leaders affirmed the importance and significance of Indias G20 presidency while stressing the grouping'srole in fostering and accelerating cooperation in combating climate change, with emphasis on finance and technology as critical enablers, as well as on just, inclusive and sustainable energy transitions, the joint statement said. The leaders committed to enhancing cooperation on climate ambition, decarbonization, and clean energy, and work together to have tangible and meaningful outcomes from the 28th Session of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties. (ANI)
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday arrived at Delhi's Palam airbase to attend the G20 summit. He will lead his country in the deliberations over two days in the absence of President Xi Jinping. Beijing had earlier confirmed that the Chinese President would give the summit, which is being hosted in the national capital under India's presidency, a miss. The Chinese Premier was received by Union Minister of State of Road Transport and Highways,Vijay Kumar Singh, at the Palam airbase. The two-day huddle of world leaders and delegates representing international organisations would be hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam at Delhi's Pragati Maidan. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. This is the first time that G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Elaborate preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit in a bid to showcase Indias soft power as well as its emergence as a key global player. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that Premier Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit in the absence of President Xi. However, no reason was cited in the statement on why the Chinese President had decided to give the summit a miss. However, claiming that President Xis absence will not cast a shadow on the G20 Summit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said there have been presidents or Prime Ministers, who, for some reason, chose not to come for global meetings and that the country's position would be articulated and put forward by the leader filling in for him. I do not think it has anything to do with India. I think whatever decision they make, they would know best, Jaishankar said in response to another query. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit during which he highlighted India's concerns over the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in Ladakh. The two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials "to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation". According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), despite tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the bilateral relations between India and China have expanded and become more diversified in the past decade. During the visit of President Xi to India in September 2014, the two sides redefined the bilateral engagement as a 'Closer Developmental Partnership'. India and China have established more than thirty dialogue mechanisms at various levels, covering bilateral political, economic, cultural, people-topeople, consular matters as well as dialogues on regional and global issues. (ANI)
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has arrived in New Delhi to participate in the upcoming G20 Summit going to be held on September 9 and 10. Prime Minister Loong was received by L Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting of India on Friday. Meanwhile, India is all geared up to host global leaders for the G20 Summit scheduled on September 9-10 in New Delhi. This is the first time that G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with an intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face. A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. Earlier this year, India and Singapore linked their respective online payments systems -- Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and PayNow of Singapore -- for seamless cross-border transactions between the two countries. The virtual launch function was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.The linkage of these two payment systems of both countries would enable residents of both countries to the faster and more cost-efficient transfer of cross-border remittances. People in both the countries will be able to send money real-time via QR-code based or simply by entering mobile numbers linked to the bank account. This collaboration will also help the Indian diaspora in Singapore, especially migrant workers and students through instantaneous and low-cost transfer of money from Singapore to India and vice-versa. Singaporean High Commissioner to India Simon Wong Wie Kuen further said that this collaboration would take bilateral relations to greater heights and his country looks forward to continuing to be part of India's digital transformation journey. Moreover, the close ties between India and Singapore have a history rooted in strong commercial, cultural and people-to-people links across a millennium. (ANI)
He was received by Minister of State Shantanu Thakur at the airport.

A group of dancers performed a classical folk dance to welcome the Indonesian President.

Notably, Widodos visit to India comes just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 18th East-Asia Summit and 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Indonesia is the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.

Indonesia also made adjustments to the schedule so that PM Modi could go back to India on Thursday for the G20 Summit.

India and Indonesia have shared two millennia of close cultural and commercial contacts, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Hindu, Buddhist and later Muslim faith travelled to Indonesia from the shores of India. The Indonesian folk art and dramas are based on stories from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The shared culture, colonial history and post-independence goals of political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and independent foreign policy have unifying effect on the bilateral relations.

Indonesia has emerged to become the second largest trading partner of India in the ASEAN region. Bilateral trade has increased from USD 6.9 billion in 2007-08 to USD 19.03 billion in 2014-15.

There are around 100,000 Indonesians of Indian origin in Indonesia mostly concentrated in Greater Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Bandung.

The 18th G20 Summit is being held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.

A Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday "reiterated India's commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South" in a bilateral meeting with his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth here. PM @KumarJugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated India's commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South, PM Modi said in a post on X. Earlier today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with the Mauritius Prime Minister and the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the "truly special partnership" between India and Mauritius. Mauritius Prime Minister highlighted Indias support seen in all sectors of the Mauritian economy and said that New Delhi was the first to sign an agreement with Port Louis. On Mauritius-India trade relations, PM Jugnauth said, "India has signed first agreement with the first country in Africa with Mauritius. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is another testimony of the consideration that India has for Mauritius. This has now opened up new avenues for trade between the two countries...It is beneficial to both countries..." Meanwhile, in 2023, India, and Mauritius celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations. I think in itself, it is a milestone that needs to be celebrated and also a testimony of how this relationship has been strengthening throughout the years so that we have reached a situation today where I can say that never before has this relationship reached such heights, Jugnauth said. The Mauritian PM then went ahead to thank the Indian government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the countrys consistent support in Mauritiuss fight for decolonisation. India and Mauritius share a colonial past and are joined by unique diaspora ties. Both countries celebrate diversity of ethnicities, faiths, languages, and cultures, and draw strength from being inclusive democracies with independent judiciary and a vibrant media. We are very thankful for the role that India has played. I believe that with the influence of India, we have gathered even larger support and we are very convinced that we are progressing each time that we are moving forward, he said. Mauritius Prime Minister Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the G20 Summit set to be hosted under India's Presidency on September 9-10. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden, during his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, ahead of the G20 summit, reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member. The US also welcomed Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29, the White House said in a statement. Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29, read the statement from the White House. PM Modi and President Biden underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system. The leaders once again underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system so it may better reflect contemporary realities and remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council, the statement added. The two leaders sat down for a bilateral meeting in the national capital, ahead of the G20 Summit starting Friday. The talks were held at PM Modi's official residence 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi and covered wide-ranging issues focussing on deepening bilateral ties. Speaking on the meeting, PM Modi said that the friendship between India and the US will continue to play a great role in furthering global good. Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good, PM Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter). Meanwhile, the 18th G20 Summit is being held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. A Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit. (ANI)
Brazil President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva accompanied by his wife Rosngela da Silva landed in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in India on September 9,10. Brazil President was received at the airport by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai. India and Brazil share a close and multifaceted relationship based on shared democratic values and convergence of views on many global issues, according to a release from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The two countries cooperate not only bilaterally but also at plurilateral fora such as BRICS, IBSA, G20 and in multilateral bodies such as the UN and WTO, among others. IndiaBrazil relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2006, thereby heralding a new phase in bilateral ties, it added. Indias relationship with Brazil has continued to grow over the past decade with various high-level exchanges and got further intensified in 2019 and early 2020 with back-to-back VVIP visits. PM Modi met then-President Jair Bolsonaro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29, 2019. Key issues of bilateral importance were discussed during the meetings, opening up opportunities on both sides to take the strategic partnership forward. PM Modi also attended the XI BRICS Summit in Brasilia on November 13-14, 2019. He also held a bilateral meeting with President Bolsonaro on the sidelines of the summit on November 13, 2019. At the invitation of PM Modi, President Bolsonaro paid a State visit to India from January 25-27, 2020. He was also the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2020. Meanwhile, ahead of the summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Friday said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, and Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India." Indiaassumed theG20presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related toG20were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed issues ranging from defence cooperation, and technology sharing. The US President also congratulated India for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The two leaders held bilateral talks at PM residence - 7, Lok Kalyan, Marg in New Delhi, ahead of the G20 Summit over the weekend. During this, India and the US also settled the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute. Notably, the six previous disputes were resolved during PM Modi's state visit to the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed United States President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to India today, reaffirming the close and enduring partnership between India and the United States. The leaders expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground breaking achievements of Prime Minister Modis historic, June 2023, visit to Washington, the India-US joint statement read. The two leaders called on their governments to continue the work of transforming the India-US Strategic Partnership across all dimensions of our multifaceted global agenda, based on trust and mutual understanding. After the meeting, both the leaders lauded the India-US relations and said that the friendship between the two nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good. Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBidento 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good, PM Modi said in a post on 'X' (formerly known as Twitter). President Biden also affirmed support towards making the India-US partnership stronger, closer, and more dynamic. Great seeing you, Mr Prime Minister. Today, and throughout the G20, we'll affirm that the United States-India partnership is stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history, President Biden posted on X. The two leaders re-emphasized that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship. PM Modi and President Biden also lauded the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between India and the United States. This follows the unprecedented settlement of six outstanding bilateral trade disputes in the WTO in June 2023, the joint statement read. President Biden also lauded Indias G20 Presidency for further demonstrating how the G20 as a forum is delivering important outcomes. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks, as per the statement. During the bilateral meeting, PM Modi and President Biden reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Modi looked forward to welcoming President Biden to the next Quad Leaders Summit to be hosted by India in 2024. India also welcomed the US decision to co-lead the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Pillar on Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, further to the US decision to join IPOI in June 2023. President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member. The US also welcomed Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29, the White House said in a statement. Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29, the joint statement read. The two leaders reaffirmed technologys defining role in deepening our strategic partnership and lauded ongoing efforts through the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains, based on mutual confidence and trust, which reinforce our shared values and democratic institutions. India and the US also intend to undertake a midterm review of iCET in September 2023 to continue to drive momentum toward the next annual iCET review, co-led by the National Security Advisors of both countries, in early 2024. During the meeting, President Biden congratulated PM Modi and the scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the historic success of Chandrayaan-3 at the south polar region of the Moon, as well as the successful launch of Indias first solar mission, Aditya-L1. The leaders welcomed efforts towards the establishment of a Working Group for commercial space collaboration under the existing India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group. Determined to deepen our partnership in outer space exploration, ISRO and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have commenced discussions on modalities, capacity building, and training for mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024, and are continuing efforts to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of 2023, the joint statement read. India and the US also intend to increase coordination on planetary defence to protect planet Earth and space assets from the impact of asteroids and near-Earth objects, including US support for Indias participation in asteroid detection and tracking via the Minor Planet Center. The leaders further reiterated their support for building resilient global semiconductor supply chains, noting in this respect a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology, Inc., to invest approximately USD 300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India and Advanced Micro Devices announcement to invest USD 400 million in India over the next five years to expand research, development, and engineering operations in India. The leaders also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing implementation of announcements made in June 2023 by US companies, Micron, LAM Research, and Applied Materials. PM Modi and President Biden reaffirmed their commitment to building resilient technology value chains and linking defence industrial ecosystems. The leaders recommitted their administrations to promoting policies and adapting regulations that facilitate greater technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities between Indian and US industry, government and academic institutions. They also welcomed continued engagement through an inter-agency monitoring mechanism under the auspices of the bilateral Strategic Trade Dialogue, launched in June 2023. They also welcomed the signing of an MoU between Indian universities, represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council), and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute, with a combined initial commitment of at least USD 10 million, as per the joint statement. PM Modi and President Biden also welcomed the growing number of multi-institutional collaborative education partnerships, such as those between New York University-Tandon and IIT Kanpur Advanced Research Center, and the Joint Research Centers of the State University of New York at Buffalo and IIT Delhi, Kanpur, Jodhpur, and BHU, in the areas of critical and emerging technologies. The Global Challenges Institute will bring together leading research and higher education institutions from across our two nations, including beyond AAU and IIT membership, to advance new frontiers in science and technology, spanning collaboration in sustainable energy and agriculture, health and pandemic preparedness, semiconductor technology and manufacturing, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden reaffirmed their commitment to deepen and diversify the India-US Major Defence Partnership through expanded cooperation in new and emerging domains such as space and AI, and accelerated defence industrial collaboration. The two leaders also pledged high-level of engagement to realise their ambitious vision for an enduring India-US partnership. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden pledged to sustain the high-level of engagement between our governments, industries, and academic institutions and realize their ambitious vision for an enduring India-US partnership that advances the aspirations of our people for a bright and prosperous future, serves the global good, and contributes to a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific, the joint statement further stated. Earlier in June, Prime Minister Modi was on a state visit to the US from June 21 to 24. During this, he led a special yoga event at the UN Headquarters, held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at the White House and also addressed the UN Congress Meanwhile, the 18th G20 Summit is scheduled to begin at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9. (ANI)
"The MoU on cooperation in Digital Payment mechanism was signed between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Bangladesh Bank," the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release.

Another MoU focused on the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) between India and Bangladesh for 2023-2025. The third MoU was signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC).

PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina also looked forward to beginning of negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), covering trade in goods, and services, and protecting and promoting investment, the MEA release said.

The full range of bilateral cooperation, including political and security cooperation, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development collaboration, and cultural and people-to-people linkages, was discussed by the two leaders.

Discussions also included recent regional developments and collaboration in international fora.

Expressing satisfaction at the implementation of development cooperation projects, both Prime Minister Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina looked forward to the joint inauguration of projects: Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link, Unit-II of the Maitri Power Plant and Khulna-Mongla Rail Linkat a convenient date later.

Keeping in mind the regional situation of Bangladesh, PM Modi expressed appreciation of the burden shouldered by the country in hosting over a million persons displaced from Rakhine State in Myanmar.

He conveyed India's constructive and positive approach to support solutions towards safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees, according to the MEA.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina praised Prime Minister Modi for the hospitality and the two leaders expressed a desire to continue their exchanges at all levels. The leaders decided to keep collaborating in order to step up their extensive engagement. (ANI)
The number of people injured in Russia's Sept. 8 missile strike against Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's Kryvyi Rih has risen to 73, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

Some 35 of the wounded have been hospitalized; two men aged 34 and 28 are in serious condition, the governor said. One person - a policeman - was killed in the attack.

The strike reportedly damaged 62 apartment buildings, seven houses, and over 50 cars. Lysak said that the utility services are still clearing the area of debris.

Russian forces launched a missile strike against Kryvyi Rih on the morning of Sept. 8, targeting a police station. Aside from the one police officer killed, at least nine more were injured.

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The same morning, Russia targeted two other major cities, namely northeastern Sumy and southern Zaporizhzhia.

Read also: Russian missiles hit 3 Ukrainian cities, killing 1, injuring at least 64

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Harvey 4th Ward Ald. Tracy Key, wearing a shirt stating "vacant properties matter," tells Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board members and staff the city should have been provided several alternative sites for a flood relief basin. (Brett Johnson/Daily Southtown)

Harvey residents pleaded Thursday for the city and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to consider alternate locations for a flood relief basin, saying when there are so many vacant lots in town, it is unfair longtime residents will be forced from their homes.

A lot of them are 70 or 80 years old, where are they going to restart their lives? said resident Chapelle Hooks. Some of them, this is generational wealth for them because its the property their parents or grandparents started.

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But while MWRD Board President Kari Steele said they would investigate alternatives and listen to residents, project designers and Mayor Christopher Clark appeared to rule out other possibilities for the proposed Central Park Stormwater Detention Basin Project.

Engineers specifically ruled out calls to use land farther west, including the vacant property at 151st Street and Dixie Highway where Dixie Square Mall once stood, saying it is far away, on higher ground and there are other main water diversion pipes crossing the path.

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Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark tells residents the selected site is the best location, and praises federal and county officials for investing money a project the city could not fund itself. (Brett Johnson/Daily Southtown)

The water has to run toward the lower point, Clark said. Thats why you cant put it in Dixie Square, because thats not the lowest point.

Daniel Walsh, a senior civil engineer with MWRD, said other sites were considered but this location near Myrtle Avenue and 153rd Street is at the right elevation, near other drainage pipes and central to the area where they seek to alleviate flooding. The project is intended to protect 209 buildings in Harvey and cost about $9.8 million, according to the MWRD.

It will involve installing nearly 2 miles of storm sewers, according to the MWRD, which is working to secure federal grant money. Walsh said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has already approved this site and a change now could threaten such funding.

The MWRD said of 31 properties being acquired, 15 are occupied and the rest are vacant.

Residents complained that while they were invited to public meetings, that occurred after the proposed site was selected. Many suggested investigating smaller retention ponds near the affected area, or moving it a few blocks to where there are already vacant lots.

Ryan Sinwelski, a member of the Harvey Plan Commission, said residents were not given enough notice and he didnt even know about the project until recently, despite his position and living in the affected area. (Brett Johnson/Daily Southtown)

Ryan Sinwelski, a member of the Plan Commission and a resident near the proposed site, said he only learned of the proposal recently.

We are completely out of the loop, Sinwelski said.

Fourth Ward Ald. Tracy Key said the MWRD should present four or five possibilities for the project.

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But 1st Ward Ald. Shirley Drewenski urged residents to think of the greater good the project would do for the community. She noted there was a lot of hostility when Ingalls Hospital expanded in the 1980s, purchasing property in its neighborhood. But the result is a hospital many residents now use, she said.

Steele said the district was proceeding with the plan at the villages request to address flooding near 144th and Wood, but said the City Council and her board could change direction if there are viable alternatives or resident opposition.

If you dont want this project, then thats a discussion we need to have, she said.

Kim Polk, a relocation specialist with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, explains to residents how the district will help those displaced find and afford comparable housing. (Brett Johnson/Daily Southtown)

But she urged residents who have received letters to make appointment with the property appraisers and to met with Kim Polk, the MWRD relocation specialist, to learn how much they will get for their property and in assistance to purchase potentially more expensive comparable housing.

You can say no, but see what your options are, Steele said.

Clark said other, more affluent communities have received focus before from county, state and federal officials, or been able to afford to fund their own flood relief projects. Harvey does not have that option, he said, but now has the attention of high-ranking officials.

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For all the years we were overlooked, other people were getting the funding we should have had, he said.
Customs and Border Protection has 14 preclearance locations at airports in six countries.

Travelers clear US customs in cities such as Dublin and Abu Dhabi before flying back to the US.

If you have to go through preclearance, you should budget extra time before your departure.

Courtney Danser and her friends were traveling back to New York from Croatia with Aer Lingus when they hit a major snag.

Their first flight from Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Dublin, Ireland, on August 2 was delayed and, upon arriving in Dublin ahead of their connecting flight, they found customs was closed for the day, and they were unable to board their second plane.

It turned out they had to go through US customs in Dublin before taking their New York-bound flight in a "preclearance" process overseen by Customs and Border Protection.

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But with customs closed, there was no way to get their flight home.

"When we get there, the doors are closed, the lights are off, and there are two women standing out front," Danser told Insider's Monica Humphries. "They tell us that US customs is closed for the day, so no one else going to the US can board any flights for the rest of the day."

Ultimately, Danser said it cost her and her two friends more than $4,000 to get home on new flights, and Aer Lingus has so far refused to refund them. Aer Lingus and the Dublin Airport did not respond to requests for comment.

There are 14 airports around the world where US-bound travelers clear customs before taking off

Usually, when you land in the US from a foreign country, you go through a customs inspection in the first US city you land in.

However, if you're flying from one of 14 designated airports with preclearance facilities offered by Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, you clear customs before you fly. So when you arrive in the US, you're treated as a domestic traveler rather than an international one and can go directly to a connecting flight or final destination, according to CBP's website.

The Points Guy noted that travelers who are flying out of an airport with preclearance might need to arrive earlier to leave time for the inspection.

Currently, CBP has preclearance locations at airports in six countries: two in Ireland, one in Aruba, one in Bermuda, one in the United Arab Emirates, one in the Bahamas, and eight across Canada.

Here they are, along with their opening hours:

Dublin Airport in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Airport in Ireland. mikroman6/Getty Images

Hours of operation at the preclearance facility: 7 a.m.  5 p.m.

The US Customs and Border Protection facility can be found at Terminal 2, Pier E in Dublin Airport, according to CBP.

According to its website, Dublin Airport advises arriving at the designated terminal up to three hours before a long-haul flight, although even more time is suggested if travelers are checking in bags or traveling in large groups.

Furthermore, it identifies peak periods at security to be from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m.

"The airline may request operations to remain open past posted hours to accommodate late transfers," CBP said in a statement to Insider, in response to Danser's ordeal at the airport. "CBP frequently accommodates such requests, but does not control the operations of the other stakeholders. The vast majority of passengers who use preclearance do not miss their flights."

Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland

Shannon Airport. mikroman6/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 9 a.m.  5 p.m.

According to the airport's website, travelers should allow for a minimum of an hour before the scheduled departure time of their flight.

Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba, the Caribbean

Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Hours of operation: 8 a.m.  6 p.m.

Queen Beatrix International Airport's website notes it typically receives more than 150 flights a week. It therefore recommends people traveling to the US during its peak hours  Fridays to Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.  give themselves more time at the airport to allow for customs.

L.F. Wade International Airport in St.George's, Bermuda

L.F. Wade International Airport is the main airport serving Bermuda. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Hours of operation: 6:30 a.m.  4 p.m.

This preclearance terminal, according to CBP, opened in December 2020. It is the culmination of a $250 million upgrade to L.F. Wade International Airport that began in April 2017.

Abu Dhabi International Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. Shams/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 6 a.m.  2 p.m.

The US Customs and Border Protection facility can be found at Terminal 3 in Abu Dhabi International Airport, according to the airport's website.

Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas. Juan Silva/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 5 a.m.  7:45 p.m.

Not only is Lynden Pindling International Airport one of the few places in the Caribbean with a preclearance facility into the US, but Nassau Paradise Island is also the first airport outside of the US to implement TSA PreCheck for eligible travelers to fast-track through security, according to the airport's website.

Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

A passenger plane landing at Calgary International Airport. wwing/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 4:30 a.m.  8 p.m.

As outlined on the airport's website, although US Customs opens at 4:30 a.m., connecting passengers are not permitted entry until 6:30 a.m.

For travelers requiring earlier entry, they can go to "E Security" for screening and US Customs entry.

Edmonton International Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Edmonton International Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. George Rose/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 4:30 a.m.  6:30 p.m.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, or CATSA, has a website that updates to show travelers live wait times for domestic and international flights at Edmonton International Airport.

According to the airport's website, travelers should allow a minimum of 3 hours before the scheduled departure time of their flight to clear customs and security.

Robert L. Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Passenger drop-off at Robert L. Stanfield International Airport in Halifax. tomeng/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 5 a.m.  5 p.m.

At Halifax's Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, travelers checking in for US travel will do so on the second floor of the terminal building.

Although the preclearance facility closes at 5 p.m., the airport's website says all passengers must be processed through customs by 4:30 p.m., regardless of their flight time or delays.

Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport building. Robin Cerutti Photography/Getty Images

Hours of operation: 4:30 a.m.  8 p.m.

According to CBP, a benefit for airports like the Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in having a preclearance facility is that it creates new direct routes to more than 150 US airports, even if they don't have a CBP port of entry.

CATSA's website is also updated to show travelers live wait times for domestic and international flights at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Skyline of Toronto, Canada. Posnov/Getty Images

Hours of operation: Terminal 1: 4:30 a.m.  9 p.m.; Terminal 3: 3:30 a.m.  9 p.m.

Lester B. Pearson International Airport, according to its website, has two different terminals that offer US Customs and Border Protection security checkpoints that process travelers.

For Terminal 1, travelers are processed up until 30 minutes prior to closing at 8:30 p.m.

For Terminal 3, processing begins 30 minutes after opening at 3:30 a.m. and until 30 minutes before closing at 8:30 p.m.

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Hours of operation: 4:15 a.m.  7:30 p.m.

The US Customs and Border Protection facility is at Level 3 in Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, according to the airport's website.

Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver International Airport. David Buzzard/Shutterstock

Hours of operation: 4:30 a.m.  12 a.m.

The US Customs and Border Protection facility can be found at International Terminal 3 in Vancouver International Airport, according to the CBP.

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg, Canada. Primestock Photography/Shutterstock

Hours of operation: 5 a.m.  6 p.m.

Live wait times at James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg are updated every 2 minutes on CATSA's website for domestic and international flights.

Correction: September 8, 2023  An earlier version of this story included a preclearance location in Victoria, Canada, with an address for a seaport rather than an airport. It has been removed from the article.

Read the original article on Insider
MILLERSPORT -- Fairfield County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the Millersport area due to threats made against the school district via text message to the sheriff's office Thursday around 3:48 p.m.

Deputies arrived on the scene and were able to apprehend a 17-year-old juvenile suspect, according to Sheriff Alex Lape. The juvenile was arrested and will be placed in the Multi County Juvenile Detention Center.

Detectives are continuing the investigation with the potential of additional charges to follow, according to a news release.

The sheriff's office has been in contact with the superintendent and has developed a plan for the school day on Friday to assure the safety of all the staff and students in the Walnut Township Local School District.

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According to Lape, the sheriff's office takes these types of threats extremely seriously and fully investigates each case.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Threats against Walnut Township Schools result in arrest of juvenile
An 18-year-old worker was applying sealant on a Missouri roof earlier this year when he fell more than 22 feet, authorities said.

The man suffered serious injuries that left him in a coma for five days before dying, according to a Sept. 8 news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Following the fatal March 27 incident in Trenton, inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began investigating Troyer Constructors LLP, which operates as Troyer Roofing & Coatings.

Investigators have now determined the 18-year-olds death could have been prevented, according to the release.

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Troyer Roofing & Coatings could have prevented this young workers death by requiring their employees to use fall protection equipment, Karena Lorek, OSHA area director in Kansas City, said in the release.

The company, based in Jamesport, declined to provide a comment to McClatchy News on Sept. 8.

Authorities said the employer had fall protection available, but it did not require its employees to use it. The business also failed to train its employees on how to properly use fall protection equipment, according to the release.

Disturbingly, the employer allowed other workers to go back to work on the same roof without fall protection, Lorek said in the release.

Investigators also found Troyer Roofing did not train employees on proper forklift operations, failed to provide workers with face and eye protection, and did not have a written hazard communication program for sealants and other chemicals the employer used, authorities said.

The business was cited, records show, and faces a proposed penalty of $205,369.

Troyer Roofing & Coatings has 15 business days from when it received the notice to either comply with the penalties, request a meeting with OSHA or contest the findings.

OSHA said the company was cited for similar fall protection violations in 2015.

Jamesport is about 80 miles northeast of Kansas City.

Worker burned during fire died days later, NC officials say. Now business faces fines

Worker trapped for hours in pile of beans after company ignored safety rules, feds say

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US President Donald J. Trump delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress from the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, United States on February 28, 2017. Traditionally the first address to a joint session of Congress by a newly-elected president is not referred to as a State of the Union. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Pool/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Every US president has told a lie  from war and taxes to health conditions and extramarital affairs.

When Dwight D. Eisenhower was caught lying by Russia, he said it was his greatest regret in office.

President Donald Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements while in office.

"This is what we will say publicly but now, let's talk about what we will actually do," President Richard Nixon wrote in a memo about secret bombings in Cambodia in 1970.

"Every president has not only lied at some time, but needs to lie to be effective," Ed Uravic, who wrote "Lying Cheating Scum," told CNN.

From President James Polk lying to invade Mexico in 1846 to then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush famously promising no new taxes, here are some of the most famous lies US presidents have ever made.

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In the 1840s, President James Polk told Congress that Mexico had invaded the US.

Former President James Polk. Universal History Archive/Getty Image

This was a lie. In actual fact, his administration had ordered US soldiers to occupy an area in Mexico near the Texan border in 1846. Then when Mexican forces attacked the US soldiers, Polk claimed it was an attack against the US.

The result of this lie was the Mexican-American war.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, also known as "Honest Abe," might not have lied, but he wasn't always truthful.

Former President Abraham Lincoln. Getty Images / Staff

In response to rumors that he was about to meet with Confederate representatives in Washington, he told the House that no representatives were on their way to Washington, The Washington Post reported.

He wasn't lying  they were on their way to Virginia, where he would later meet them. He didn't tell the whole truth at the time because he didn't want his meeting to impact the passing of the 13th Amendment.

Political theory professor Meg Mott told The Conversation his use of truth when dealing with the Confederacy was "devious."

In 1898, President William McKinley declared Spain had attacked a US warship called the USS Maine in Cuba, killing 355 sailors.

Former President William McKinley. Library of Congress

But reportedly, he had no evidence of this.

The actual cause of the sinking has never been conclusively proven.

Although reluctant to go to war with Spain, his insistence that the Spanish were behind the attack led to war, per the Columbus Dispatch.

In 1940, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the nation that "your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars."

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hulton Archive/Getty

But Roosevelt was already preparing to enter the war. His declaration was an election promise  one he would not keep  made during his campaign against Wendell Willkie.

After his speech, his speechwriter, Sam Rosenman, asked him why he hadn't said the final part of the speech, which was, "Except in case of attack.".

Roosevelt responded, "If we're attacked, it's no longer a foreign war."

The following year, in 1941, Roosevelt lied again. This time, he said a German submarine had attacked a US ship called the Greer without provocation.

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Keystone Features/Getty Images

In actuality, the Greer had been protecting British ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean and had been following that German submarine and letting the British know its path.

Roosevelt used the attack as a provocation to prepare the US for entering World War II.

In August 1945, the Truman administration issued a press release after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, describing it as "an important military base."

Former President Harry Truman in 1945. MPI/Getty

Hiroshima was home to 350,000 people, although it did have a military base in the city.

About 10,000 soldiers were killed in the blast, but most of the 125,000 people who died were civilians.

In 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower dismissed claims that the US had flown spy planes over Russia after one of its planes was shot down.

Former President Dwight Eisenhower. Getty Images

Thinking the pilot was killed, he approved a number of statements that said it was a weather plane. But when Russia announced it had one of the pilots named Gary Powers in custody, he had to admit he had been lying.

He called it the biggest regret of his life.

"I didn't realize how high a price we were going to pay for that lie," he said.

On October 20, 1962, President John F. Kennedy told America he had a cold.

Former President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office signing copies of his official portrait in 1961. Henry Burroughs/AP

The truth was he was dealing with a crisis. Intelligence agents had found that the Soviets were creating a missile base in Cuba.

To ensure the public didn't panic, Kennedy told the press he had to leave Chicago where he was campaigning because he had a fever. In reality, he had to attend a meeting back at the White House to decide whether to invade Cuba.

He also claimed that the Russians had more nuclear weapons than the US.

Though he lied about having an illness, Kennedy lied about not having another one. In 1960, he said he had "never" had Addison's disease.

Former President John F. Kennedy in the White House in 1963. Keystone/Getty Images

Despite scientists later confirming he had the disease, in his primary campaign against Lyndon B. Johnson , he called himself "the healthiest candidate for President in the country."

Kennedy wasn't the only president who lied about his health. Numerous presidents  including Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower  lied about their health at some point.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson said in a televised speech, We still seek no wider war.

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Oval Sitting Room of the family quarters of the White House. Bettmann/Getty Images

This was in reference to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which North Vietnamese patrol boats had reportedly attacked US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin.

In the same speech, he declared, "Aggression by terror against the peaceful villagers of South Vietnam has now been joined by open aggression on the high seas against the United States of America."

Johnson's administration claimed that the US ships were out on routine patrols, but they were actually on a secret mission in North Vietnamese territory. The attacks were used to increase the US's presence in Vietnam.

Johnson's lies didn't end there either. He went on to withhold information from the public and Congress about how much was spent on the Vietnam War and how badly the war effort was going.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon lied to the country about a US covert bombing campaign in Cambodia.

Former President Richard Nixon. Getty Images

After the bombings were made public, Nixon let people believe the attacks on Cambodia were over.

He advised his staff to tell the public that the soldiers were providing support for local soldiers when, in fact, the attacks continued.

In a memo, Nixon wrote, "This is what we will say publicly but now, let's talk about what we will actually do."

In 1974, Nixon declared, "I'm not a crook" after being accused of obstructing justice and lying during the Watergate scandal.

Former President Richard Nixon in 1969. Bettmann/Getty Images

He claimed he was not involved in the scandal, but an investigation found evidence that he was. He later resigned as president instead of potentially being impeached.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan promised the nation: "We did not  repeat, did not  trade weapons or anything else for hostages, nor will we."

Former President Ronald W. Reagan in the Oval Office in 1985. Diana Walker/Getty Images

This was during the Iran-Contra Affair, where the US government secretly traded weapons with Iran in exchange for the release of US hostages being held by terrorists in Lebanon.

The government then used the money from the weapons to fund anti-communist groups in Nicaragua.

Despite Reagan's promise, it later turned out the US had in fact traded arms for hostages.

He later said, "My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not."

In 1988, then-Republican presidential nominee George H.W. Bush said, "Read my lips: No new taxes."

Former President George H.W. Bush. Diana Walker/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

His whole statement was: "My opponent won't rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no. And they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again, and I'll say, to them, 'Read my lips: no new taxes.'"

At the time, the six words were seen as a successful political slogan.

But Bush was later forced to raise taxes during negotiations with a Senate and House controlled by Democrats. After he did so, The New York Post went with a headline that said: "Read my lips: I lied."

His U-turn on taxes was widely seen as one of the reasons he did not get re-elected for a second term.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton said before a federal grand jury, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," referring to his intern Monica Lewinsky, with whom he did, in fact, have an affair.

Monica Lewinsky and former President Bill Clinton. Fiona Hanson - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images. Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images.

Clinton was impeached for lying under oath, but he was acquitted by the Senate.

It was thought to be the first time a president was caught lying about their sex life because it was the first time a president had ever really been asked about it.

In 2003, two months after the US invaded Iraq, President George W. Bush claimed to have found weapons of mass destruction to justify the war.

Then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 1999. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

"We found the weapons of mass destruction," he said. "For those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong; we found them."

But they hadn't found anything.

Bush later said, "We do not know whether or not [Iraq] has a nuclear weapon."

However, then-CIA Director George Tenet later testified that Bush was advised there were no nuclear weapons and it would be unlikely that the country could even make one until 2007.

In 2008, when President Barack Obama was pushing through his new Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, he promised people wouldn't need to change their plans if they didn't want to.

Former President Barack Obama in 2017. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

"If you like your plan, you can keep it," Obama said. But it wasn't true.

In the end, millions of people had to change their plans. He also didn't just say it once, but around 37 times, Politico reported.

"I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me," he said in 2013.

President Donald Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements while in office.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a political rally on July 29, 2023 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

This averaged out at about 21 false claims a day, The Washington Post reported.

Some of Trump's lies included his claim that the pandemic was "totally under control," the altering of a weather map with a Sharpie after he wrongly said Alabama was at risk from Hurricane Dorian, or his claim that Rep Ilhan Omar supported al Qaeda.

He also falsely claimed the election was stolen from him.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Your slice of the headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Friday, September 8, 2023.

 U.S. will transfer assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs to Ukrainian veterans  Blinken

The United States will, for the first time, transfer assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs to Ukraine, with the primary aim to support Ukrainian veterans, U.S. State Secretary Anthony Blinken said during his visit to Kyiv on Sept. 6.





 Deputy Head of Presidents Office Shurma on systemic corruption  interview

The name of the deputy head of the Presidents Office, Rostyslav Shurma, quite often appeared in Ukrainian media headlines in mid-August, along with a scandalous story. Bihus.Info journalists conducted an investigation, concluding that the state had paid Shurma brothers solar plants for electricity in Russia-occupied territories.





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 NATO must clearly define 'red lines' for Putin in Europe  Kurt Volker

Gray zones in European security architecture should become red lines for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who otherwise exploits any weakness or ambiguity, Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Donald Trumps Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, told journalists on Sept. 7.





 $27.3 million in alleged fraud: Kolomoisky s case

One of Ukraines wealthiest people, Ihor Kolomoisky, will be held in custody for two months. The court allowed him to post a bail of UAH 509 million ($13.8 million) but he refused to do so. NV Business compiled everything that is known about this high-profile case.





 Security Council secretary Danilov categorically rules out talks with Russia

Ukraine cannot enter into talks with Russia as it refuses to recognize Ukraines territorial integrity and is responsible for the deaths of at least 500 Ukrainian children, according to the Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, on September 7.





 Russia detains two generals responsible for Moscow's air defense in corruption probe

Two senior Russian generals responsible for Moscows air defenses have been detained in a corruption investigation, Russian state media outlet TASS reported on Sep. 7.





 Ukraines security chief Danilov warns against holding elections during war

Ukraine cannot hold elections during wartime due to the risk of interference by the Russian security services, according to Oleksiy Danilov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, on Sept. 7.





 Elon Musk shut down Starlink over Crimea to prevent Ukrainian drone attack, says CNN

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, reportedly issued covert instructions to his engineers to disable the Starlink satellite network over Russian-occupied Crimea last year to thwart a potential attack by Ukraine on the Russian military fleet, according to CNN on Sept. 7, citing an excerpt from a new biography of Musk by Walter Isaacson.







 Russia wont abandon missile strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure  Ukrainian intelligence

Russia will most likely stick to its strategy of using missile strikes to try and degrade Ukraines energy infrastructure this winter, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said in an interview with Ukrinform news agency on Sept. 6.





 EU pressuring Ukraines neighbors to drop politically motivated grain export ban extension

A total of 22 out of the 27 EU countries are against calls from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia to extend an import ban on Ukrainian grain beyond mid-September, four EU diplomats told POLITICO on Sept. 6.



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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
LANSING  Two Lansing police officers who shot and killed a man while on duty last year were acting in self-defense, Attorney General Dana Nessels office has determined.

Warning: the video contains graphic content, including gun violence.

Lansing police on Oct. 3, 2022, responded to gunfire in the 2000 block of Malcolm X Street and found numerous mopeds in the driveway of the nearest residence, which they suspected were stolen. Hours later on Oct. 4, officers attempted to execute a search warrant on the house, and Terrence Robinson refused to exit the house or allow police to enter, informed the officers he was armed and threatened to take his own life if officers entered the house, Nessels office said in a news release.

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Robinson, 31 at the time, was accused of firing 16 rounds at officers in about 12 minutes and 30 seconds before leaving the home through a backdoor, when he was again accused of firing at officers. Lansing police officers Dan Salinaz and Nicholas Zuber shot and killed Robinson, Lansing police said last year.

Nessel cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, saying they were justified in using deadly force to protect themselves and the public.

Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee, who at the time said the officers acted with "bravery and professionalism," issued a statement on Friday afternoon commending Michigan State Police and Nessel's team "for their diligence."

My condolences continue to go out to the Robinson family," Sosebee said. "These tragic events serve as a reminder to what our officers face on a daily basis when doing their job.

Attorneys in Nessels office reviewed written reports, video footage, lab reports, an autopsy report and 911 calls among other evidence, the department said in a statement.

In her release, Nessel said officers need to carefully balance "all human interests" before using deadly force. Those decisions are based on their perception of the threat and a subjects "apparent ability to carry out that threat," she said.

Under all the facts and circumstances known to police officers on this date, they were justified in their use of deadly self-defense," she said. "Law enforcement officers have the same privilege of self-defense as anyone else. Shooting a gun in self-defense requires an honest and reasonable belief that an officer is in danger of being killed or seriously injured. If that persons belief was honest and reasonable, they can act immediately to defend themselves. The act is justified where the person (1) was not the aggressor, (2) acts under an honest and reasonable belief that they are in danger of death or great bodily harm, (3) retreats from the scene if possible and (4) the only recourse lay in repelling the attack by the use of deadly force."

Former Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon, who has since left office, declined to review shootings by police and referred the case to Nessels office for possible criminal charges.

State police investigated the shooting.

Contact Ken Palmer atkpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 2 Lansing police officers cleared in fatal shooting last year
SINGAPORE - 20 cats were rescued from a Bukit Merah flat with a burst sewage pipe on 19 August.

The SPCA said via social media posts on Wednesday (6 September), that it had worked with the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) in a 12-hour operation to rescue the cats.

The CWS was first informed by the flat owner that a sewage pipe had burst on 10 August, with leaking waste matter throughout the flat.

According to SPCA, the owner had left his cats and one kitten to fend for themselves, leaving them at risk of malnutrition and poisoning from the toxins in human waste.

SPCA, CWS mounted rescue mission

The SPCA was first alerted by the CWS of an "urgent" case on 18 August.

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Later that evening, SPCA officers and the CWS hurried to the flat, but were only granted access after midnight on 19 August.

The floor was covered in "human waste", and some of the cats were seen drinking liquid from the sewage pipe leak. Two cats were also in cages.

None of the 20 cats had access to any fresh water for more than a week, the SPCA said.

Authorities were immediately alerted by the SPCA of the "dire" situation, and requested to seize the cats for urgent medical attention.

The cats could have faced "life-threatening" consequences if they had not attended to in time, the SPCA said.

They are currently under the care of the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) of the National Parks Board (NParks) and investigations are ongoing.

The SPCA has said that it will help rehome the cats after investigations are complete.

Not first incident

This is not the first time SPCA has encountered incidents like this.

It understood that many factors, such as financial difficulties or relocation, can make it hard to care for pets.

However, SPCA reminded the public that pets are a "lifetime responsibility", and are to be cared for "no matter the situation".

Pet owners are encouraged to have a contingency plan, should they be unable to care for their pets in case of a crisis, such as seeking help from a relative or a friend.

Members of the public can alert AVS of any suspected cases of pet abandonment via their feedback form or call them via their Animal Response Centre at 1800 476 1600.

They can also call SPCAs 24-hour hotline (6287 5355) for assistance, or email enquiries@spca.org.sg regarding any difficulties in caring for their pets.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.

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Off the coast of Scotland, a gentle giant appeared. The 20-foot-long sea creature left kayakers and paddleboarders in awe  and prompted a warning from wildlife officials.

Ally Connell and his friend went out fishing in kayaks off the coast of Dunbar on Sept. 2, he told McClatchy News and wrote in a Facebook post. They were over a mile from the shore when I noticed the big fin beside my friends kayak, he said.

Connell recognized it immediately as a basking shark.

Basking sharks are the worlds second largest fish, according to NatureScot. A toothless shark, they eat plankton soup by filtering large amounts of water through their gills to find plankton. This feeding, or basking, usually takes place near the surface.

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The basking shark circled Connells kayak, which I thought was amazing, he said and photos show.

Connell wasnt the only one amazed by the massive ocean animal. Jacob Allen heard of the sharks presence and decided to paddleboard out to see it on Sept. 5, he wrote in a Facebook post.

Allen spotted the sharks fin and approached, the post said. The basking shark was soon lapping around me.  After its first lap, I slipped into the water to see if it would come round again, Allen wrote.

Video footage shows the huge sharks gaping mouth as it swims along. The shark passes near the camera and Allens paddleboard, the video shows.

Despite knowing its a harmless basking shark, seeing a huge mouth and a 25ft shark in the dark water definitely got the adrenaline rushing!! Allen wrote. I had the most amazing wildlife encounter of my life.

Ian Combe was also out on the water off the coast of Dunbar on Sept. 5, according to a Facebook post from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Dunbar. While fishing, Combe had a close encounter with the 20-foot-long shark, the organization said.

I was sitting just off the cement works when it approached me, Combe told the organization. Seeing it up close, it was some size, bigger than my own boat, but such a gentle giant. Ive only ever seen one here before and that was about 50 years ago.

Video footage shows the shark swimming very close to Combes boat before turning away.

Drone footage shared by Andrew Smith on Facebook also shows the beautiful, massive and fascinating creature. Even without anything nearby to compare it with, the shark appears relatively large. It moves slowly just under the surface.

The East Lothian Council Countryside Rangers issued a warning to boaters about the basking shark on Sept. 5, according to a Facebook post. We have been made aware that some paddleboarders and kayakers are getting far too close to it, even reaching out to touch it, officials said.

Wildlife officials reminded people to keep their distance and not to swim or try to pet the shark, the post said.

Allen did not respond to McClatchy News request for comment on Sept. 7.

Dunbar is about 30 miles east of Edinburgh and about 365 miles northwest of London.

Elusive mountain creature  with metallic purple body  discovered as new species

Woman spots small creature  considered locally extinct for 100 years  in her garden

Trail cams capture shocking appearance of rare, white creature in India park. See it
A 2023 GMC Canyon AT4 has been stranded near the top of a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado's Rocky Mountains for days nowmaybe even more than a week. The first attempt to recover the off-road pickup truck was reportedly unsuccessful, leaving authorities to resort to extreme measures that one imagines the driver will foot the bill for.

UPDATE 9/9/2023: The truck is now safely off the mountain with the help of volunteer teams and a very brave Bobcat driver. You can read more about the incredible effort here, and the original story continues below

The truck got stuck on the Decalibron Trail, a seven-mile hiking route that tours four mountain peaks above 14,000 feet (locals call them "fourteeners"). Its name is a portmanteau of those four peaks; Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross. The disused mining roads around the area now reportedly see as many as 30,000 hikers annually.

However, the trail is partially situated on private property. Between a new risk of liability to the owner, as reported by the Colorado Sun, and poor condition of the trail indicated by 5280, the Decalibron has been effectively closed for most of the year, reopening only in late July. It only took a month for a 2023 GMC Canyon driver to remind the owner why they limited access in the first place.

A 2023 GMC Canyon AT4 stuck on a hiking trail in Colorado

A 2023 GMC Canyon AT4 stuck on a hiking trail in Colorado

A photograph of the immobilized truck was shared to the 14ers.com Facebook group, where the poster said it had been taken between Mount Cameron and Mount Bross en route to the latter. The GMC had clearly slid off the side of the trail onto a slope of loose rocks, the driver having evidently lost traction and dug into the loose surface. The exact location specified in the images below is suspected to be around 13,800 feet, or almost as high as you can get in Colorado's Rockies.

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From piecing together anecdotes from comments under the photo, we gather that the truck has been there since at least Monday, Aug. 28. The driver is speculated to have accessed the trail via a road that approaches Bross, Cameron, and Lincoln from the east, but terminates in a trailhead or becomes a former mining road. One comment indicates the route isn't well-marked, and that it's not unheard of for drivers to get lost and try wheeling up the footpath.

But this driver apparently didn't realize how far they were off the beaten path until they got stuck. A witness said the truck had dug itself in up to its differential, posing the risk of rolling if the driver tried to power out. Another hiker who said they spoke to the truck's driver reported they had thought the trail was a road. Multiple commenters indicated the truck had an Arkansas license plate, suggesting the driver may be unfamiliar with mountain terrain.

Topographical map of the Decalibron Trail

Aerial view of Mount Cameron

Route map of the Decalibron Trail

As of Tuesday, Aug. 29, the truck had apparently been reached by volunteer organization Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery, which may have brought along recovery vehicles of its own. The driver was reportedly present, but it's unclear whether they spent the night on the mountain. The extraction seems to have been unsuccessful though, as a photo shared on Sunday, Sept. 3 showed the vehicle abandoned with traction boards still surrounding it. That means the truck may have been there for more than a weekand still be up there, as no recovery has yet been reported.

In an ironic twist, commenters observed that reaching this point via the southwest trailhead may have required driving the privately owned portion of the trail, which crosses land owned by one John Reiber according to the Colorado Sun. That matches the name of the vice president of automotive services at AAA Coloradothe folks you call when you're stuck on the side of the road. Reiber probably wouldn't have been glad to field this call, though.

The USDA Forest Service could not provide information on the vehicle's status at the time of publication, and our inquiry to Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery was not returned. AAA also did not respond to our request for comment from Reiber.

Unfortunately, this is far from the only recent incident wherein headstrong drivers have immobilized their vehicles on trails above their skill level. After a string of serious incidents on Colorado's famously tricky Black Bear Pass, the San Miguel Sheriff warned inexperienced four-wheelers away from the pass before closing it entirely. But that didn't stop the driver of a Toyota 4Runner from driving it anyway, only to get lambasted by the sheriff as a "complete ass clown" when they got stuck.

San Miguel Sheriff lambasts an incompetent off-roader. Twitter

Whether or not there were any signs to deter this GMC's driver, there still should've come a point where they asked themselves if it was time to turn back. The trail is visibly wide enough only for hikers, and it doesn't have the parallel tracks of many high-country off-road trails. But when your confidence is inflated by a new truck, inexperience, and maybe O2 deprivation, you can make a costly mistake. And it won't just be you who has to clean it up.

Tread lightly out there, folks.

Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com
 Read the full article on Motorious

It's left carrying the torch.

As the sun sets on the iconic Hellcat V8 era, a surprising hero emerges from the shadows to carry the blazing torch of supercharged Hemi power into the future. The legendary Challenger Hellcat, Charger Hellcat, and the monstrous Ram TRX are bidding their farewell, preparing to join the revered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk at the motorsports park in the sky. Yet, against all odds, a most unexpected contender stands firm - the 2024 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, now embarking on its third and possibly final chapter.

See both these Mopars race, only they're both highly modified here.

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In a nostalgic journey back to 2021, Stellantis was swept up in the Hellcat frenzy, driven by the knowledge that the mighty 700-horsepower supercharged engine could find a snug home within the Durango's capable frame, shared with the WK2 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (although the latter has since transitioned to the WL platform). Dodge, in a move that delighted fans and enthusiasts, answered their fervent prayers with a limited one-year production run of the Durango SRT Hellcat SUVs. Packing a jaw-dropping 710 horsepower and the prowess of all-wheel-drive, it swiftly earned its place as the ultimate family hauler, harmonizing the comforts of a BMW X5 M Competition with blistering speed. However, as the calendar turned to 2022, the Durango Hellcat seemingly vanished into obscurity - or so it appeared.

To the surprise of many, the Durango Hellcat made a triumphant return in 2023, as part of Dodge's "Never Lift" sprint toward the climax of V8 production. This decision, however, left existing owners in a state of perplexity. In March, Automotive News broke the story of a lawsuit filed by a group of 2021 Durango Hellcat drivers against Stellantis, the parent company of Dodge. Their grievance centered on the belief that they had paid a premium for their vehicles, and had they been aware of Dodge's intentions to extend production beyond the 2021 model year, they might have pondered their purchase decisions more carefully. Dodge had indeed employed a similar strategy before with the 807-horsepower Demon-inspired Challenger Super Stock, but it was a distinct model, unlike the Durango's continued journey. Nevertheless, is the extended production of Hellcat-powered vehicles truly a detriment?

As we embark on the realm of model year 2024, it's nothing short of remarkable to witness the Durango Hellcat's persistence, with no officially announced end-of-production date. It remains a formidable 710-horsepower powerhouse, capable of sprinting from zero to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds while accommodating three full rows of seats. It's the quintessential all-American performance SUV, a versatile juggernaut capable of towing, challenging muscle cars, and accommodating the entire family. Though it may not be entirely "all-American," given the Durango's shared heritage with the third-generation Mercedes-Benz ML, we can afford to overlook that minor detail, considering that German engineering once propelled us to the moon.

Curiously, the grand finale of the Hellcat engine may find its ultimate stage within an SUV, a remarkable departure from convention. Moreover, it's indeed unusual to witness the current-generation Durango enduring a thirteen-year run in a fiercely competitive three-row SUV market. Yet, the Hellcat engine complements the Durango impeccably, both serving as nostalgic relics from a bygone era. The era of supercharged V8 family vehicles may be dwindling into obscurity, but the Durango Hellcat refuses to fade silently into the night. For those who yearn for a ludicrously swift, undeniably capable, and irresistibly charismatic performance SUV, the time to seize the moment may be now, before this remarkable breed becomes an indelible chapter in the annals of automotive history.

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Mayor Johnson needs to hold criminals responsible

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently gained attention and became a trending topic online.

Was it for offering innovative ways to improve the dismal track record of the citys public-school instruction, in response to a disturbing August report that only 20% of third through eighth graders met or exceeded state reading standards in 2022 while only 15% did so in math? Sorry, no!

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He actually talked of filing a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai, blaming them for a meteoric surge in car theft/carjackings across the city, claiming their cars lacked sufficient anti-theft measures. Ald. Ray Lopez, also a Democrat, mocked the lawsuit.

Johnson recently passed the 100-day mark in office. Isnt the main takeaway from that milestone that he has been consistent in blaming everything/everyone but the actual criminals whenever crimes are committed.

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Christine Craven, Evergreen Park

Frankfort fest showed lack of bicycle culture

After moving to Frankfort from Rogers Park in Chicago, my wife and I were happy to join 250,000 others last weekend at the Frankfort Fall Fest. We browsed the art stalls, drank Goose Island IPA in the beer tent, and enjoyed world-class people watching.

What surprised us, as we rode our bicycles through the barricades and past the parking lots (right on the lawns!) was how few people were traveling to the event on bikes. Despite a pretty good trail system and the presence, right there of the Old Plank Road Trail, there were no bikes at all in the bike rack we found on White Street, in the center of the action.

At a fest in Chicago, the racks would be jammed with bikes by people who wanted to have fun but didnt relish the hassle and expense of finding a parking space for their car. It was disheartening to see that the car culture so dominates life here, but we hope that will change in the coming years.

Patrick Barry, Frankfort

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Submit letters to the editor via email to suburbanletters@tribpub.com. Please include your name and town of residence for publication. Please include phone number and email address for confirmation. Letters should be no more than 250 to 300 words.
Shyheem William Rainge

A 21-year-old man was found guilty Thursday of second-degree murder in the killing of a teenager four years ago during what court records state was a planned carjacking robbery.

Shyheem William Rainge will face up to life in prison when he is sentenced for the killing of 18-year-old Eric Gordon.

Besides finding Rainge guilty of second-degree murder, the jury also found that the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Rainge "actually killed, intended to kill or attempted to kill Eric Gordon," according to the State Attorney's Office.

Rainge was also found guilty of being a delinquent in possession of a firearm.

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Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn will sentence Rainge at a later date.

Rainge was on trial on a charge of first-degree felony murder in Gordon's killing, but the jury convicted him on the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

His codefendant, Selvina Marlissa Bernard, 19, plead guilty last year to first-degree felony murder. Her sentencing is set for Nov. 22.

Convicts sentenced to life for an offense they committed as juveniles are legally entitled to a review of their sentence after serving a portion  often 25 years.

"An 18-year-old is dead and the shooter, now 21, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. This is the reality and consequences of young guns violence, " State Attorney R.J. Larizza stated in a press release.

Teen found slumped in car

Gordon, of Daytona Beach, was found slumped over inside his car around 9:39 p.m. Nov. 23, 2019, on the grounds of Campbell Middle School at 625 Keech St., according to police. Gordon had been shot.

Rainge was 17 at the time of the murder; Bernard was 16.

Bernard told Daytona Beach Police that she called Gordon to meet her to set him up for a carjacking and robbery, according to a charging affidavit. Bernard said that she later got into the car with Gordon to perform oral sex on him so that her friends could carjack and rob him, the affidavit stated. Bernard said she was in the car when her friends shot Gordon, according to the affidavit which did not name the shooter.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 21-year-old found guilty of second-degree murder in teenager's killing
According to new court documents obtained by 25 Investigates, the woman accused of second-degree murder in the death of her late boyfriend and Boston cop John OKeefe has filed a pretrial motion for security camera footage she believes will support her allegations of a wide-ranging cover-up.

New defense filing in Karen Read case. Her lawyers trying to confirm if there was a working Google Nest camera at 34 Fairview. Defense says Brian Albert told grand jury he had one but it had not been installed #boston25 pic.twitter.com/t4VXnLjlN9  Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) September 8, 2023

OKeefes body was found just after 6 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, in the front yard of the Canton home of a Boston Police officer. Prosecutors accuse Read of reversing into him in anger after a night of drinking, before fleeing the scene and leaving him to die in a blizzard.

In Karen Reads Thursday motion filed in State court, her attorneys says its hard to believe that there was no security camera installed at the Canton home.

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The motion includes grand jury testimony where the homeowner Brian Albert said he received what he thought was a nest camera for Christmas but it had not been installed.

25 Investigates: Karen Read asks for security camera footage, court documents show

Reads motion said security camera footage would establish whether OKeefe ever entered the home.

Her defense team claims that law enforcement never asked any party attendees whether they ever saw security cameras at the home.

Reads team has pointed to cell phone data suggesting that OKeefe may have walked upstairs after being dropped off at the Canton home.

But prosecutors say cellphone data isnt 100% precise, and that all attendees of a party that night at the home said OKeefe never entered.

Reads team wants the court to issue a summons to Google LLC to see if the Canton homeowner installed a Google Nest camera.

The prosecution added new filings of their own Friday.

The documents list dozens of items of evidence the prosecution has turned over  including text messages between OKeefe and a Canton police detective.

The filing doesnt reveal what the texts say. OKeefe reported concerns about drug activity to Canton detectives before his death.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Celeste Maloy solidified her Republican congressional primary win against Becky Edwards and Bruce Hough Thursday, one day after she was named the projected winner by The Associated Press.

Updated vote counts from Davis, Salt Lake and Washington Counties came in around 4:30 p.m. They showed a widening gap between Maloy and Edwards, from 2,431 votes to 4,569. As of Thursday evening, Maloy had captured 38.5% of the vote, Edwards 33.4% and Hough 28%.

Results from the 2nd Congressional Districts two most urban counties favored Edwards, while vote totals from the states rural and southern regions, particularly the more populous Washington County, leaned heavily towards Maloy.

This made the outcome all but inevitable when it was revealed Wednesday afternoon that despite what seemed like a close race between Edwards and Maloy at the time, there remained nearly 13,000 outstanding votes in Washington County compared with only a few thousand in Davis and Salt Lake Counties.

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Maloys opponents likely recognized this all but ensured a victory for her in the Republican battle to replace Rep. Chris Stewart. On Wednesday evening, Edwards, a former state lawmaker and U.S. Senate candidate, and Hough, an entrepreneur and party committeeman, conceded the race to Maloy.

Maloy, a former Stewart staffer and GOP convention winner, will now advance as the GOP nominee to Novembers general election where she will face off against the Democratic nominee, state Sen. Kathleen Riebe, as well as nominees from Utahs other registered parties.

The news was received with warm reactions from national, local and state Republican leaders.

Congratulations (Celeste Maloy) on your hard-fought primary win! Looking forward to supporting you in November and working together to advance Utahs priorities in Washington, Sen. Mitt Romney said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-NY, also extended her congratulations.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Maloy was a dedicated and brilliant public servant and will make an incredible member of congress.

She knows this district better than anyone and will make Utah proud. I couldnt be more excited for her (and us), Cox said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

During a monthly press conference in August, Cox revealed his preference for Maloy, though he didnt endorse her. He said it was important to have some representation off the Wasatch Front once in a while. Maloy graduated from Southern Utah University and spent the first two decades of her career in southern Utah.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes posted a lengthier statement, recognizing the work Maloy did as a summer extern in his office in 2013 while she was attending law school at Brigham Young University.

Celeste is tireless in her advocacy for our state, whether on public lands, water, federalism, or our economy. I look forward to supporting her in the general and working with her as our next Congresswoman, Reyes said.

The Salt Lake County Republican Party, which donated $2,000 to Maloys campaign, also praised her in a long statement.

Celestes triumph is a testament to her unwavering dedication to our partys principles and, more importantly, to the people of congressional district 2, the statement reads. Her tireless efforts to connect with the community, understand their concerns, and advocate for their needs have truly set her apart. Celeste embodies the values that our party holds dear, and her win is a clear reflection of her genuine commitment to serving the people.

Maloys general election opponent, Riebe, who has served in the state Senate since 2019, took the opportunity to come out strongly against her competitor.

I welcome Maloy officially to the race and look forward to her getting to know the district again after years away, Riebe said in a statement Thursday morning, referring to the four years Maloy spent in Washington, D.C., working as Stewarts chief legal counsel on 2nd District issues.

In her statement, Riebe points to Maloys support for national restrictions on abortion and Social Security reform as divisive positions and says Maloy is out of step with Utah voters. During her time in the state legislature, Riebe opposed measures to restrict access to abortion in the state of Utah.

Maloy, on the other hand, says her priority over the next few months is to unite Republican voters so that we are going strong into the general.

Its been a tough primary, Maloy told the Deseret News Wednesday, moments after her primary win was declared. And I want to make sure that all of the Republicans who backed someone else in this race know that Im ready to welcome them with open arms. I want to represent them well and I want everybody to be pulling together going into the general.
Three immigrants who entered the U.S. without proper documentation were rescued from the mountains near Sumas after they were abandoned by a human smuggler on Friday, Sept. 1, authorities said.

This incident occurred a day after 29 immigrants were arrested after entering the U.S. on a freight train from Canada.

In the first incident, Blaine Sector Border Patrol agents from the Sumas station received a distress call from a woman who told them the three individuals were lost in the mountains. Agents were able to determine the groups location based on the GPS coordinates and photos sent from the womans phone, according to a news release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Due to the sheer face of the mountains, a technical rope rescue was conducted by the Blaine Sector Special Operations Detachment at around 7:30 a.m. that morning.

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The three were determined to be immigrants from Mexico who entered the country illegally, and were medically cleared after the rescue.

The Blaine sector of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol also responded to the apprehension of 29 people here illegally from Mexico. this event. There is no evidence to show the two events were related, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol public affairs officer Jason Givens.

No other details on the arrest of the 29 immigrants were immediately available.
[Source]

A 61-year-old Chinatown resident in Chicago was beaten and carjacked from by three women in front of his home on Tuesday evening.

What happened: Danxin Shi, a rideshare driver, had just parked his car in front of his apartment on West 22nd Place when three women reportedly chased after him before physically attacking him at around 5:30 p.m. Surveillance footage of the incident shows one of the women hitting Shi with what appears to be a pipe as he lies on the ground.

They're holding me, you know, three people, three girls hitting and beating me, Shi told ABC7 Chicago. I have a key and they took my key.

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Although the 61-year-old tried to stop the attackers, the women reportedly managed to flee the scene with his car.

More from NextShark: Chinese American WWII Veterans Awarded Congressional Gold Medals in Fresno

The aftermath: While Shi suffered scratches across his body, he said that the loss of his vehicle has had a greater impact on him as a driver.

Right now I have nothing to drive, I just stay home because I have no car, but next week I try to rent a car, he said.

The Chicago Police Department is currently searching for the suspects. Shi hopes that the GPS in his vehicle can help police recover it.

More from NextShark: Naomi Osaka says she was 'very scared' of social media during mental health battle

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(The Hill)  A Fulton County, Ga., special grand jury recommended charges against 39 people for their involvement in former President Trumps efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, according to its final report.

Only 19 people were ultimately charged last month in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss (D) years-long investigation.

Some of the most notable names in the report released Friday who werent among those ultimately charged were Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), former Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both Georgia Republicans, and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Heres the fill list of the 39 people the special grand jury recommended charges against:

Former President Trump

This booking photo provided by Fulton County Sheriffs Office, shows former President Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, after he surrendered and was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

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Former President Trump was charged with 13 counts in last months indictment, marking his fourth criminal indictment this year.

The special grand jurys final report shows that Willis filed some, but not all, of the recommended charges against the former president and brought additional charges in connection with the fake elector scheme that were not recommended by the jurors.

Cleta Mitchell

Cleta Mitchell speaks at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill, Pa., Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Cleta Mitchell, a longtime conservative attorney who sat in on Trumps infamous January 2021 call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, was included in the special grand jurys charging recommendations but was not indicted last month.

The jurors unanimously recommended that Mitchell be indicted on four counts over the call, in which the former president asked Raffensperger to find him 11,780 votes. However, they were more split on other possible charges related to the call.

The special grand jury also suggested charges over Mitchells role in a December 2020 meeting of Republican electors at the Georgia Capitol, as well as with respect to the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Rudy Giuliani

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trumps personal attorney, was charged in the August indictment on 13 counts.

Many of the former New York City mayors charges were connected to the scheme to submit a fake slate of pro-Trump electors and efforts to promote false claims of election fraud at Georgia state legislature committee hearings.

David Perdue

FILE  Former Sen. David Perdue speaks during a gubernatorial republican primary debate on May 1, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, Pool)

Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) is one of three current or former senators that the special grand jury recommended charges against in its final report. None of the senators were ultimately indicted.

Jurors suggested that Perdue face charges for the persistent, repeated communications directed to multiple Georgia officials and employees between November 2020 and January 2021, as well as for taking part in the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Jacki Pick

Jacki Pick, an attorney who walked Georgia state legislators through a video showing election workers counting ballots at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, was also included in the special grand jurys final report.

Jurors unanimously recommended that she be indicted for making false statements, but she was not charged in the August indictment.

Robert Cheeley

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Robert Cheeley on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Robert Cheeley, a Georgia attorney, was charged in the final indictment with 10 counts primarily related to the fake elector scheme.

He also faces the indictments sole perjury charge for knowingly, willfully and unlawfully making at least one false statement about the fake electors plot and his communications with Trump lawyer John Eastman.

William Ligon

Georgia state Sen. William Ligon, R-Waverly, looks over paperwork at his desk on the Senate floor Tuesday, March 27, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Georgia state Sen. William Ligon (R), who called for a special legislative session to respond to the false claims of election fraud, was not charged in the final indictment.

However, the special grand jury recommended that he faces charges for filing false documents and participating in the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Ray Smith

This mug shot provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Ray Smith on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Trump attorney Ray Smith was indicted alongside the former president and the 17 others in August.

He faces several charges in connection with the push to promote election fraud claims at three committee hearings in the Georgia state legislature, as well as the fake elector scheme.

John Eastman

John Eastman, the Trump lawyer who engineered the legal strategy behind the former presidents push to overturn the results of the 2020 election, was charged on nine counts in last months indictment.

Scott Hall

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Scott Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Scott Hall, who owns a bail bond business, was indicted over his role in the Jan. 7, 2021, breach at an elections office in Coffee County, Ga.

Trevian Kutti

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Trevian Kutti on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Atlanta, after she surrendered and was booked (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, was charged on three counts last month for pressuring Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman to make false statements about election operations.

Harrison Floyd

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Harrison Floyd on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Harrison Floyd, a leader of Black Voices for Trump, was also charged on three counts for pressuring Freeman to make false statements.

Stephen Lee

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Stephen Cliffgard Lee on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Stephen Lee was indicted for traveling to Freemans house on two occasions in December 2020 in an effort to influence her testimony.

He faces charges on five counts.

Kurt Hilbert

Kurt Hilbert, a Georgia-based lawyer who represented Trump, was not charged in the August indictment.

However, the special grand jury recommended charges over his role in the December 2020 gathering of the pro-Trump electors at the Georgia Capitol.

Alex Kaufman

The special grand jury similarly recommended that Alex Kaufman, another Georgia-based lawyer who represented Trump, face charges over the gathering of Republican electors in December 2020.

However, he was not included in the final indictment.

Kenneth Chesebro

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Kenneth Chesebro on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who helped coordinate the fake electors scheme, was charged with seven counts in the August indictment, including conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to make false statements and conspiracy to file false documents.

David Shafer

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows David Shafer on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

David Shafer, the former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, was one of several pro-Trump individuals who signed documents purporting to be the states presidential electors.

He was indicted last month and faces charges on eight counts, including impersonating a public officer, forgery, making false statements and attempting to file false documents.

Joseph Brannan

Joseph Brannan was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

He was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Georgia and voted for Trump.

Vikki Consiglio

Vikki Consiglio, a supporter of Republican candidate for Senate U.S. Sen. David Perdue cheers results as she attends an election-night watch party Tuesday Nov. 3, 2020 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Vikki Consiglio is a Georgia Republican Party leader and was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

The grand jury recommended she be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though she was not.

Carolyn Fisher

Carolyn Fisher is a Georgia Republican Party leader and was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

The grand jury recommended she be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though she was not.

Burt Jones

FILE  Burt Jones, then a candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor, participates in a Republican primary debate, Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, Pool, File)

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump. The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, was barred from indicting Jones after a judge found that she had a conflict of interest.

Willis hosted a fundraiser for the lieutenant governors opponent while he was running for office.

Gloria Godwin

Gloria Godwin is a rural Georgia Republican leader and was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

The grand jury recommended she be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though she was not.

Mark Hennessy

Mark Hennessy is a Georgia car dealer and was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for former President Trump.

The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

He was appointed to the states Board of Natural Resources in May.

Mark Amick

Mark Amick is a Georgia businessman and was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

John Downey

John Downey was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

Cathy Latham

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Cathleen Latham on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after she surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Cathy Latham is the former chair of the Coffee County Republican Party and was charged in relation to the voting machine plot in the county.

She was also one of the fake electors.

Brad Carver

Brad Carver is an Atlanta attorney who was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump. The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

Shawn Still

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Shawn Still on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Shawn Still is a Georgia state senator who was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump.

He was charged with seven counts in the August indictment.

C.B. Yadav

C.B. Yadav is a business owner and Republican donor in Georgia who was one of the fake electors who attempted to pass off fraudulent Electoral College votes for Trump. The grand jury recommended he be indicted by a 19-2 vote, though he was not.

Misty Hampton

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Misty Hampton on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Atlanta, after she surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Misty Hampton, a former Coffee County elections official, was indicted last month on seven counts over her involvement in the scheme to access voting equipment at an elections office in Coffee County.

Sidney Powell

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Sidney Powell on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after she surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Sidney Powell, a Trump-aligned attorney who litigated cases across the country challenging election outcomes, was also charged on seven counts in relation to the Coffee County voting machine scheme.

Powell has requested for a speedy trial, and will be tried alongside fellow Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro beginning Oct. 23.

Jenna Ellis

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Jenna Ellis on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after she surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Jenna Ellis, a Trump-aligned attorney, was charged racketeering and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath in connection with a Georgia Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in December 2020.

Mark Meadows

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Mark Meadows on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Mark Meadows served as Trumps chief of staff through the last year of his presidency. He was similarly indicted on charges for racketeering and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath.

Meadows has sought to move his portion of the Georgia case to federal court, arguing that the charges relate to his then-role as a federal official.

Lin Wood

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2020 file photo, Attorney Lin Wood, member of President Donald Trump's legal team, gestures while speaking during a rally in Alpharetta, Ga. Wood has asked officials in his home state of Georgia to retire his law license, a move that comes as multiple states have sought to discipline the lawyer for his false insistence that former President Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election. Wood made the request Tuesday and posted it to his Telegram account. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

FILE  In this Dec. 2, 2020 file photo, Attorney Lin Wood, member of former President Donald Trumps legal team, gestures while speaking during a rally in Alpharetta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

Lin Wood is a former attorney to Trump who litigated cases contesting the 2020 election alongside Sidney Powell. Wood claimed that Democrats, the communist Chinese and anti-Trump Republicans were responsible for Trumps loss in the election, which he said was stolen.

The grand jury recommended charges against him in a 20-1 vote, but he was ultimately not indicted.

Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) questions OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during a Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law hearing to discuss oversight of artificial intelligence.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is the most senior sitting politician that the grand jury recommended charges against.

The grand jury voted 13-7 to charge Graham in relation to national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He was not charged.

Graham testified to the grand jury after a lengthy legal battle which ended in the Supreme Court.

Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn

Former National Security Advisor to President Trump, Michael Flynn, appeared in court Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Sarasota, Fla., to try to quash an order to appear before a Georgia special purpose grand jury investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune via AP, Pool)

Michael Flynn served as a senior military advisor in both the Obama and Trump administrations, first as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and then as National Security Advisor. He was not indicted in August, although the grand jury recommended charges related to the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, in a 20-1 vote.

Flynn has been a prominent supporter of Trump and was a key figure in the Stop the Steal movement to overturn the 2020 election results. Since leaving the White House, Flynn has traveled the country on speaking tours and has been associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Kelly Loeffler

FILE: Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga) speaks during an election-night watch party Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is one of three current or former senators the grand jury recommended charges against. Jurors voted 14-6 to recommend charges related to the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the same charges recommended for Graham and Purdue. She was not charged in the indictment.

The report states that one member of the grand jury decided to vote against charges for Loeffler and Purdue because their statements, while pandering to their political base, do not give rise to their being guilty of a criminal conspiracy, the report reads.

Boris Epshteyn

FILE  Boris Epshteyn, former special assistant to President Donald Trump arrives for the 2019 Prison Reform Summit and First Step Act Celebration in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Former Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn was not charged in the Georgia case despite the grand jury recommending charges in a 20-1 vote. The special grand jury suggested charges related to the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Epshteyn also served as a senior advisor to the president and a strategist for the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.

Jeff Clark

This booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Jeffrey Clark on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official whom Trump sought to install as attorney general near the end of his term, was charged with racketeering and making false statements in last months indictment.

Prosecutors allege that Clark made false statements to senior DOJ officials urging the officials to let him convey the false information to Georgia State Officials.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Five men, including four Edison residents, who work in New York Citys Diamond District, were arrested Thursday and charged with illegally processing more than $600 million through unlicensed money transmitting businesses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.

Raj Vaidya, 26, Rakesh Vaidya, 51, Shrey Vaidya, 23, and Neel Patel, 26, all of Edison, and Youssef Janfar, aka Joe Rodeo, 57, of Great Neck, New York, each have been charged charged with one count of operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, Sellinger said.

They all appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel in Newark federal court and were released on unsecured bond.

According to court documents, since 2019 Raj Vaidya, Rakesh Vaidya, Shrey Vaidya and Neel Patel have operated numerous purported diamond, gold and jewelry companies in New York Citys Diamond District, including Arya Diamond Jewellery (Karats & Carats), Diamspark LGD LLC, Royal Diamonds LLC, Raj Gold and Diamond LLC, Royal Arya Jewellery Inc, and Raj Gold and Diamond Inc. Janfar also purportedly operated companies in the Diamond District, including Rodeo of NY (Sarah Jewels).

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They allegedly used these and other entities as fronts to conduct hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal financial transactions for customers  including converting cash to checks or wire transfers  in exchange for substantial fees. At times, they allegedly moved millions of dollars in cash in a single day. None of their companies were registered as money transmitting businesses with New York, New Jersey, or the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Sellinger said.

The charge of operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an illegal money transmitting business carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain that any persons derived from the offense or of any pecuniary loss sustained by any victims of the offense, whichever is greatest.

Sellinger said the case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ men charged in illegal money transfers from NYC Diamond District
A 4-foot-7-inch man completed Marine boot camp in September, possibly making him the shortest U.S. service member ever.

Pfc. Nathaniel Laprade graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, on Sept. 1, as the Marine chosen to carry the guidon representing his entire series, according to a Marine Corps news release Tuesday.

As a teen, Laprade joined his high schools Army JROTC program. But he said he was pulled toward the Marine Corps because it offered the snap precision his program instructor, retired Army 1st Sgt. Thomas Gent, instilled in his students.

One day in the cafeteria there was a Marine recruiter standing there and his uniform was perfect, no flaws no nothing, Laprade said in the release. You just felt something, stood there, strong and disciplined, a solid statue of determination of honor, courage and commitment.

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A corporal gave a speech in front of the top Marine  and got promoted

A year later, when Laprade was set to graduate, he was one of the first students the recruiter approached. The recruiter told Laprade his name was the first that was pulled from his system because he saw something in me, the private first class recounted in the release.

At boot camp, Laprade was part of Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, according to the release. He said his peers treated him with respect and even were motivated by his own motivation  a cycle that further motivated him.

I think they kind of looked up to me in a way, Laprade said. I had one recruit, now a Marine, who told me that I was his motivation.

Many of the obstacles in the obstacle courses were taller than Laprade. But his drill instructors saw him make his way over them with little to no trouble, the news release stated.

Laprade just had to push himself to jump a little higher, he said.

The hikes were tougher. As the lead guide for his series, Laprade led the formation alongside the lanky guide of his platoon, according to the release.

Little legs with a little body weight, a lot of weight in the pack and a lot of miles in the hikes, Laprade said. That was the hardest part for me, the hikes.

Laprades occupational field is logistics, though he hasnt been assigned a specific military occupational specialty yet, according to Marine spokesman Maj. Philip Kulczewski.

Some occupational fields within the Marine Corps have specific height requirements, like aviation support, engineering and construction, motor transport, and military police and corrections, according to Jim Edwards, a spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

Laprades next stop, after 10 days of leave, is Marine Combat Training at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, according to the release.

Is Laprade the shortest service member of all time? Its hard to say for sure.

The minimum height for Marine applicants is 4 feet, 8 inches, while the maximum height is 6 feet, 10 inches, according to Kulczewski.

However, individual cases are subject to waivers on a case by case basis, the spokesman said.

During his enlistment process, Laprade heard from recruiters about Richard Flaherty, a 4-foot-9-inch former Army captain who became known as the Giant Killer for his service as a Green Beret in Vietnam. Some have claimed Flaherty was the shortest man in U.S. military history.

But there may have been competition for that historical title: In 1951, a Connecticut newspaper called the 4-foot-9-inch Sgt. Robert Perkins the second shortest man in the air force, leaving inquiring minds to wonder who clocked in at No. 1.

Learning about Flaherty spurred Laprade to one-up the slightly taller soldier.

The main part that inspired me was that he was Army and 4 foot 9 inches, Laprade said in the release. If I go Marines when Im 4 foot 7 inches, I will beat him in two ways.
A group of four men have been indicted on stalking charges in connection with the alleged harassment and intimidation of two journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio, federal officials announced Friday.

Eric Labarge, 46, of Nashua, Tucker Cockerline, 32, of Salem, Michael Waselchuck, 35, of Seabrook, and Keenan Saniatan, 36, also of Nashua, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on charges of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and/or the use of a facility of interstate commerce, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office of Massachusetts.

Labarge was arrested Friday morning and will appear in federal court in Boston, while Cockerline, Saniatan, and Waselchuck remain in custody after they were previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 16, 2023.

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The NHPR journalists published an article in March 2022 detailing allegations of sexual and other misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson, whom Labarge was a close personal associate of, according to the indictment.

In response to the reporting, Labarge, Cockerline, Waselchuck, and Saniatan allegedly agreed to harass and intimidate both journalists and their immediate family members, vandalizing their homes with bricks, softball-sized rocks, and red paint on five separate occasions.

In one of the cases of alleged vandalism, the suspects painted the phrase JUST THE BEGINNING in large red letters on one of the homes, the indictment showed.

Each charge in the indictment carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution.

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A Gary man was sentenced to one year in prison Thursday for abusing two girls over a decade apart.

Victor Davila, 73, pleaded guilty July 27 to two counts of sexual battery. He is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

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The two cases  charged in November 2021 and May 2023  involve a different 7-year-old girl about 15 years apart.

Deputy Prosecutor Tara Villarreal said the earlier case was particularly tough to prove at trial due to lack of evidence.

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The earlier victim  who was first abused in 2006  tearfully said in court Thursday how even taking showers made her skin crawl and she struggled with years of sadness, anxiety and nightmares. Davila was a trusted figure  a wolf in sheeps clothing, she said.

I forever have to live with memories I do not want, the woman said.

The second victim did not attend. Villarreal read the womans victim impact statement where she detailed years of therapy, but was finally at a place where Victor doesnt haunt me.

Davilas lawyer Maryam Afshar-Stewart said he had no prior sex offenses and heavily regretted his actions.

In the older case, both she and Villarreal had deposed over ten witnesses and concluded there were inconsistent statements, lack of physical evidence and serious evidentiary issues.

Registering as a sex offender is something thats going to follow him, she said.

In the earlier case, Villarreal said they had couldnt find the original rape kit, Indiana Department of Child Services file, or hospital records. All they had was an original police report and the victims testimony, she said.

Davila declined to speak before he was sentenced.

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The cases were tragic, Judge Salvador Vasquez said.

Normally, he did not want a concurrent sentence  i.e. one sentence for two victims. However, he accepted the plea deal, partly to shield the victims from having to testify, as lenient as it may be.

One woman told a Lake County Special Victims Unit investigator in an Oct. 26, 2021 interview that she met Davila around age 7 in 2014 at a family friends house. She was running and jumping on an air mattress at a New Years party and Davila joined her.

Several months later, while wrestling he started touching her under her clothes, according to the affidavit. He told her not to tell anyone. The abuse went on for years, happening almost every time she went to that house. It stopped around New Years Day 2019 when she elbowed him in the kidneys.

Nearly a year after Davila was charged in that case, another woman, then 23, was re-interviewed on Aug. 22, 2022 by the SVU unit. She told investigators Davila started abusing her when she was 6 or 7, first in Gary, then at her familys Lake Station trailer.

Its not clear why the original investigation appeared to stall.

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She was 7 when she told an SVU detective on Jan. 4, 2007 that Davila had touched her privates and made her touch his penis. He was babysitting her and her siblings while her mom and then-boyfriend were out. The child told detectives he had the siblings go to different bedrooms to be alone with her.

Back then, the family was living with him for a short period, the woman said. Davila took advantage to abuse her when she took a bath, changed clothes or her swimsuit, used the bathroom or was in her bedroom, she said.

He told her that she and her siblings would go back to foster care if she reported him.
A special needs teacher is facing charges after she was accused of hitting and shoving a 4-year-old student with autism, Florida police said.

Police were called Sept. 7 to Indian River Elementary School after staff said they witnessed one of the teachers slapping and shoving a student, according to an arrest report from the Edgewater Police Department obtained by McClatchy News. The woman was a teacher for exceptional student education, which is designed for students who may have a disability, according to the report.

Officers were told the teacher hit a 4-year-old boy with autism on the arm when he didnt do what he was told, according to the report. She also forcefully pushed him against the wall in a time-out when he tried to run away, police said in the report.

Later, the boy tried to get up from a group session, a witness told officers, and the teacher snatched him on his upper arm and pushed him into a bookcase in the classroom, police said in the report.

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The other staff members told officers they could not believe what they observed and said the teacher was also aggressive with other autistic and non-verbal students, according to the report.

They told officers the teacher hit their hands and pulled them very rough in whatever direction she wanted them to go, the report said.

The staff immediately alerted school administration, according to the report.

The teacher has been placed on leave pending an investigation, a spokesperson for the Volusia County Schools told McClatchy News in an email. Volusia County Schools has followed all protocols in immediately responding to this incident, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate this matter. VCS takes any behavior that jeopardizes the safety of our students and trust of our parents very seriously.

Police said the childs father and the Department of Children and Families were made aware of the teachers actions.

The teacher was charged with felony child abuse without great bodily harm and misdemeanor battery the same day, according to the report.

We will continue to strive to foster a safe and respectful learning environment for all students. Any such behavior that does not align with these standards will not be tolerated, the district spokesperson said.

Edgewater is about 55 miles northeast of Orlando.

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Police have arrested a 22-year-old Georgia man who they say is the ringleader of a crew that broke into more than 400 vehicles this summer.

The East Point man is accused of leading a group that has been tormenting citizens of Gwinnett County and the Metro Atlanta area since May, the Gwinnett County Police Department wrote in a Sept. 7 news release.

His arrest ends a multi-agency search that began when Gwinnett County police say they identified him as the groups leader earlier in the year. Police say the group is responsible for 400 vehicle break-ins and more than 15 vehicles stolen in Gwinnett County.

The crime spree occurred nearly every other night throughout the summer, according to the release. Police say they gathered enough evidence to connect the leader to 30 crimes in one night alone.

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On June 22, the day of the spree, an officer was responding to a call of a motor vehicle entry when a call came in about a similar crime on the the same street, according to an incident report. Before the officer went to the first location, two other reports of motor vehicle entries had been called in.

Gwinnett County Jail records show the 22-year-old was booked Aug. 31 and has been charged with 30 counts related to entering a motor vehicle or theft.

Detectives will be seeking indictment on hundreds of more charges, Gwinnett police said.

Gwinnett County is located just outside Atlanta.

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Six bodies have been exhumed from a mass grave found in a vacant lot on the eastern edge of Juarez, the Chihuahua attorney general said.

The hidden burial site was discovered Wednesday after authorities received an anonymous tip that a body was in the parcel of land, Chihuahua State Attorney General Cesar Gustavo Jauregui Moreo said at a Thursday news conference.

Election 2024: Mexico likely to get its first woman president after top parties choose candidates

There have been six bodies located "until now" as the investigation continues to identify the dead and determine the causes of death, Jauregui said. Officials have not said if the remains were those of men or women.

Chihuahua State Investigation Agency officers collect evidence at a scene where the remains of six bodies were found in the eastern part of Ciudad Juarez on Sept. 6, 2023. It appears the victims were wrapped in blankets before being buried in a mass grave.

The buried bodies  which appeared to have been wrapped in blankets  were on vacant land in the Portal del Valle area off the Juarez-Porvenir highway near the community of Loma Blanca, located across the Rio Grande from San Elizario.

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It was the second mass grave found in the state of Chihuahua in recent days. Four bodies were discovered at a clandestine gravesite near Aldama, northeast of Chihuahua City, Jauregui said.

Most victims in Mexican migrant mass grave identified

State police criminalistics and forensic investigators used DNA test results to confirm the identities of all but one of the Mexican migrants in the so-called Coyame mass grave found last month in eastern Chihuahua, the attorney general said Thursday.

The hidden grave was discovered on Aug. 23 near the small community of El Mimbre in the Coyame del Sotol region.

Crime: Mexican army special forces soldiers sent to Juarez as murders surge

Nine of the 10 bodies have been positively identified, with investigators waiting on DNA from family members of a migrant believed to be from the southern state of Chiapas. Three other migrants remain missing, Jauregui said.

The men were killed in a dispute for control of border migrant smuggling routes between the Sinaloa drug cartel and La Linea, also known as the Juarez drug cartel, the attorney general said.

A missing-persons poster shows 11 of 13 migrants who disappeared in the region of Coyame del Sotol, in eastern Chihuahua near the Ojinaga-Presidio border, in September 2021. A reward of 200,000 pesos was offered for information leading to the location of each of the missing men.

The group of 13 migrants disappeared two years ago when they were intercepted by cartel gunmen while heading to the Mexican border town of Ojinaga, located across the Rio Grande from Presidio in the Texas Big Bend region. The migrants had planned to cross the border on a journey to Odessa, Texas. A boy migrant was spared and released by his captors.

The attorney general mentioned that much of the ongoing violence among border region organized crime groups is believed to be tied to disputes over drug and migrant trafficking.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Violence in Mexico: Six bodies found in Juarez mass grave
The family of a 7-year-old girl who died in a vehicle crash in Ohio is asking the driver to turn himself in after he left the scene, news outlets reported.

DaiNyla Wray was riding in an SUV carrying 15 people on Sunday, Sept. 3, in Cleveland when the driver lost control and crashed into a pole, WEWS reported.

DaiNaya was one of 11 children inside the vehicle, according to WEWS.

My baby, she was just so delightful. She was the sunshine in everybodys life, DaiNylas mother, Rayauna Caradine, told WEWS. She wanted to be a dancer. My baby taught herself everything.

Caradine, who was also in the SUV, told WEWS they were on the way to Lake Erie for a beach day.

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DaiNylas father, Deonte Wray, told WJW he is still in disbelief and says he cant understand how the driver could just leave.

You are dead wrong. You left my kids at the scene. You left your daughter at the scene. You a coward, Wray told WJW.

Police say the driver of the SUV left the scene and remains on the loose, according to WOIO.

Please  just turn yourself in  please  Caradine told WEWS.

Witnesses described it as a horrific and tragic scene.

The kids just started ... I pulled over on the street really fast and came over, and kids just started falling out of the car; they were in the trunk pouring out of the car. It was devastating, Brooke Weese, who stopped when she saw the crash happen, told WOIO.

Wray said its hard to describe the nightmare he is living, WJW reported.

Now I gotta explain to my son that he is never going to see his sister again, and I just wouldnt wish this on anyone, Wray told WJW.

Six children in the vehicle were rushed to a hospital. Audrianne Howard, 6, was one of them, WJW reported.

She is going to have to learn how to walk again. Her leg is broken in two different places, her mother, Katie Tatro, told the outlet.

The children in the vehicle ranged from ages 2-12, according to WOIO.

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A 7-year-old girl found the second largest diamond recorded this year at an Arkansas state park.

Aspen Brown was visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfeesboro, about 90 miles southwest of Little Rock, with her family on Friday to celebrate her birthday.

Aspen went home with a shiny new trinket from the park, a 2.95 golden brown carat diamond found on the north side of the park, according to a news update from Arkansas State Parks.

The largest diamond found this year was unearthed in March weighing in at about 3.29 carat. The diamond was also brown.

The golden-brown diamond found by 7-year-old Aspen Brown was the first large found after an excavation project was started at the park.

More on Aspens adventure on Crater of Diamonds State Park

The Paragould resident and her family were walking on a plowed field, right above the eroded surface of a volcano when she decided to stop and take a break.

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She got hot and wanted to sit down for a minute, so she walked over to some big rocks by the fence line. Next thing I know, she was running to me, saying Dad! Dad! I found one!, Aspens dad Luther Brown shared with park officials.

The gem Aspen picked up along the pathway was the size of a pea. The family stopped by the Diamond Discovery Center to have park officials confirm the find was a diamond.

Aspens diamond has a golden-brown color and a sparkling luster. It is a complete crystal with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side that was created when the diamond was formed. Its certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds Ive seen in recent years, assistant park superintendent Waymon Cox said.

Visitors often name the diamond or diamonds they find at the park. Luther Brown thought that the Aspen diamond was the perfect name for the diamond his daughter found.

There was no skill required for her to find it. She was just in the right place at the right time, Luther Brown said.

How many diamonds have been found?

A farmer by the name of John Huddleston was digging up diamonds on Crater of Diamonds land way before it became a state park in 1972. Over 75,000 diamonds have been found since then, according to park officials.

The largest diamond ever found in the U.S. was found at Crater of Diamonds in 1924 during an early mining operation.

One to two diamonds are found by park visitors every day and 563 diamonds have been registered at the park in 2023, totaling more than 89 carats.

Aspens diamond was the first large diamond registered since park officials started an excavation project last month.

A contracted company dug a 150-yard trench in August to help manage erosion on the north side of the search area. Several tons of unsearched diamond-bearing material were exposed and it's very possible that this diamond and others were uncovered as a result, park superintendent Caleb Howell wrote.

Tips for finding a diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only places in the world where visitors can search for diamonds from an original volcanic source, according to the Crater of Diamonds State Parks website.

The diamond search area consists of a 37.5 acre field. Any rocks, minerals, or gemstones a visitor finds are theirs to keep.

Visitors can also bring their own mining equipment or rent tools from the park. No battery powered or motor-driven mining tools are permitted, the website stated.

Even though diamonds come in all shapes and colors, the three colors most commonly found at the park are: white, brown, and yellow. Park staff will assist in identifying all of the rocks, minerals, or gems found in the park.

Here are some things to keep an eye out for as you search:

Diamonds are usually clean crystals with a rounded surface and metallic shine

About half of all diamonds registered by park guests are found in sifted gravel taken home from the park.

Each guest may take up to five gallons of sifted gravel home per day to search for diamonds later.

Diamond search area admission is $13 for adults and $6.20 for adults. An admissions past cost $220. For more information, visit Crater of Diamonds State Parks website.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arkansas Crater of Diamonds park has 2.95 carat gem for birthday girl
King Charles III ascended the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8, 2022.

The king has been more approachable than his mother, accepting kisses from members of the public.

Anti-monarchist protests appear to have gained traction in the year since Charles took the throne.

King Charles III is wrapping up his first year as monarch of the United Kingdom.

In the year since Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, 2022, Charles has taken on his new role as king in stride with a pared-down coronation and renewed focus on modernizing the monarchy. However, his first year as king has also been marked by a steady decline in positive public perception of the royal family and high-profile anti-monarchist protests.

Here are seven key ways the monarchy has changed under King Charles' leadership.

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One of the most obvious changes in the monarchy is the new titles many members of the royal family now have.

Kate Middleton and Prince William look at each other on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation of King Charles. Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles became King Charles III, and he wasn't the only royal to receive a new title.

Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, took on the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales, which were previously occupied by Charles and Princess Diana. Prince William and Princess Kate also became the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall following Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Camilla, previously the Duchess of Cornwall, became Camilla, Queen Consort, and Queen Camilla after she was crowned.

Prince Edward also received a new title as the Duke of Edinburgh, an honor that previously belonged to his late father, Prince Philip. Charles initially inherited the title from their father after his death in April 2021 before passing it on to Edward in March.

King Charles has shown himself to be a more approachable monarch than his mother.

A woman kisses King Charles' hand outside Buckingham Palace on September 9, 2022. Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images

When greeting well-wishers after his mother's death, Prince Charles could be seen conversing with the public and receiving kisses on his cheek and hands  something Royal biographer Andrew Morton says the Queen would have never allowed.

"He lets people kiss him, which the Queen would never do. So there's a different kind of style there," Morton told Insider in November 2022.

Morton also said that Charles' schedule was likely to be busier than the Queen's.

"The Queen was in her 90s and had a very much reduced agenda. The king, I think is going have to go at pace, even though he's 74 himself," he said.

The Washington Post also reported that royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith also described Charles as being a more open leader and a "very good extemporaneous speaker, much better than his mother."

Charles has also taken steps to be an inclusive leader and has taken a stand on humanitarian issues.

King Charles III. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Insider previously reported that on September 16, 2022, following his mother's death, Charles invited faith leaders from multiple religions to Buckingham Palace.

According to a press release, Charles told them that he considered it his duty to "protect the diversity of our country" and that he "thought of Britain as a 'community of communities.'"

In February, the king also directly condemned Russia's "unprovoked full-scale attack" on Ukraine in a press statement, adding that "the world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians."

The Queen avoided speaking publicly about the war in Ukraine.

His coronation was noticeably pared down compared to his mother's.

King Charles and Prince William at a coronation rehearsal. Chris Jackson/Buckingham Palace via Getty Images/Handout via REUTERS

While still estimated to cost in the tens of millions, the BBC reported, the coronation had a guest list with just over 2,000 attendees, compared to the 8,000 that attended Queen Elizabeth's coronation in June 1953. Time reported that the ceremony and processional were also shorter for King Charles' coronation compared to his mother's.

Reports have said that Charles wants to do away with a lot of the pomp and circumstance that has become synonymous with the royal family in an effort to modernize the monarchy and focus on the key royal family members.

The Times of London reported in 2019 that Charles intended to include just seven key working royals, although that plan has not yet come to fruition. According to the royal family's website, there are 11 official "working royals" who work for the monarchy full-time.

The Washington Post also reported in September 2023 that Charles hasn't made any significant changes in regards to how much the royal family earns, and that the taxpayer-funded stipend allotted to the royals remains unchanged.

As the future king and queen, Prince William and Kate Middleton appear to be stepping up their roles, while shirking the family drama that's followed them for years.

Prince William serves a beer during a visit to the Dog & Duck Pub in central London on May 4, 2023. JAMIE LORRIMAN/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

As heir apparent, William has become an increasingly important member of the royal family since his father's crowning, and he and Kate are key figures in keeping the monarchy relevant and modern.

Before the coronation, William was photographed pouring a pint of ale and riding on the new Elizabeth subway line with his wife, the Associated Press reported.

William has also taken on his father's advice to "lead our national conversation" on environmental issues through his continued work with the Earthshot Prize, an award given to environmental innovators.

Prince William's appeal appears to be growing since his father took the throne. According to a poll conducted by Ipsos for the Evening Standard following the coronation, his satisfaction rating among the public rose 11 points from before the coronation to 73%.

Charles himself has also traditionally taken a more casual approach to royalty than his mother  he's been photographed candidly over the years wearing balloon hats, drinking beer, and even dressing up as a cheesemonger.

However, Charles' former adviser Kristina Kyriacou told ITV's royal editor Chris Ship that Charles hasn't gone to great lengths to modernize the monarchy during his first year as monarch, and instead, he's looking to Prince William to do so.

"The king will be thinking to himself, 'My son will be able to be more modern than I could ever be,'" Kyriacou told Ship on Thursday. "It is William  when King  who'll be the big reformer of the monarchy."

However, it's not all smooth sailing for the royals. An April survey found that King Charles' approval rating had fallen slightly since he took the throne.

The royal family in the Royal Box ahead of the coronation concert at Windsor Castle on May 7. Kin Cheung-WPA Pool/Getty Images

Reuters reported in April that an Ipsos poll found 49% of the public believed Charles was doing a good job, down from a 61% approval rating in September 2022 after he succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth.

CNN also reported that a survey conducted by polling company Savanta in May 2023 found that more than one-third of UK adults say their opinion of the royal family has become more negative in the past 10 years.

According to the report, 21% of those surveyed said their views on the royal family had gotten more positive over the past decade, while another 41% said their overall opinion of the royal family has stayed the same.

Only half of UK adults reported that they were interested in watching the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, and only 20% described themselves as "very interested" in the coronation.

Anti-monarchist protests also appear to have gained traction in the year since Charles took the throne.

Anti-monarchists are expected to protest at King Charles' coronation. Jon Super/Pool/AFP via Getty Images ; Samir Hussein/Pool/WireImage/Getty Images

Protests against the royal family are nothing new  Prince William, Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth, and other royals have all been on the receiving end of anti-monarchist demonstrations over the years.

Queen Elizabeth was greeted by discontented crowds in Quebec in 1964, and four protesters were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct when then-Prince Charles visited New York City during "The Troubles" in 1981.

William and Kate also faced protests while on their 2022 Caribbean royal tour marking Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, and even had to cancel the first stop of the tour in Belize after locals organized a protest against the royals.

However, a new wave of protests has picked up speed since the death of Queen Elizabeth and the ascension of Charles to the throne.

In November 2022, Charles and Camilla narrowly avoided getting egged by a protester while visiting York. The eggs were thrown at them by an individual who was reportedly detained by police.

Republic, a group that's campaigning to have the British monarchy abolished in favor of an elected head of state, has taken on the use of the phrase "Not my king!" to express discontent with the monarchy, Insider's Mikhaila Friel reported in July after she attended a protest in Scotland that witnessed hundreds of anti-monarchist protesters.

Read the original article on Insider
The landscape of American education has undergone an unmistakable change since the emergence of COVID-19, with building closures and virtual instruction giving way to a sizable, national disenrollment from schools. As many parents began searching for private and homeschool alternatives to the traditional K12 experience, conservatives seized the opportunity to enact or expand sweeping school choice programs in a slew of states, achieving a breakthrough that had eluded them for decades.

Few could have foreseen a shift of this magnitude. But the theory and framework for a truly choice-based school system, in which families receive subsidies from the government to attend the private institutions they prefer rather than being assigned to the school nearest their homes, were laid long ago. Cara Fitzpatricks The Death of Public School, which will be published September 12 by Hachette Book Group, offers a comprehensive and unblinkered history of the half-century campaign for school choice  and a kind of origin story of the moment were living through.

Beginning in the early 1950s, the book explores the hodgepodge of intellectual influences on the fight for school choice, ranging from conservatives like Milton Friedman to liberals like the psychologist Kenneth B. Clark, whose research was cited by the Supreme Court in the Brown V. Board of Education case. An editor at the education site Chalkbeat who won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting at the Tampa Bay Times, Fitzpatrick gives careful consideration to familiar vignettes from the history of the movement, including Southern efforts to undermine the Courts blow against segregation in schools.

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She also reintroduces obscure, but critical, players from the years-long push for school vouchers. One of them is Virgil Blum, a Jesuit priest and civil rights activist who insisted that taxpayer support for religious education was not only desirable, but entirely necessary under the U.S. Constitution. Though he died just before Milwaukee established its pioneering voucher system, Blums arguments can sound strikingly similar to those advanced in Carson v. Makin, the landmark 2022 litigation that disallowed prohibitions on state assistance for parochial institutions.

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Related

For Maverick Polly Williams, the Mother of School Choice, The Point Was Always to Empower Parents and Improve Education for Black Children

Though it took years to move from theory to action, the diverse and resilient coalition eventually proved stunningly successful. Closing in on the present, Fitzpatrick gives close consideration to how some of the movements biggest victories grew larger and faster than their advocates ever anticipated. One of the most compelling policymakers she follows, Polly Williams  a Wisconsin Democrat who entered what she deemed an unholy alliance with Republicans to pass a municipal voucher law  later broke forcefully with her signature accomplishment and its supporters.

Whats so intriguing about this topic is watching what happens to someones ideas 30 or 40 years on, after other people have picked them up with different intentions, Fitzpatrick said.

In a discussion with The 74s Kevin Mahnken, Fitzpatrick talked about the widening political divide on education policy, the endless debate over whose values are reflected in education, and the pandemics continuing impact on families school decisions.

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

The 74: The book is called The Death of Public School. But something like 50 million American kids attend public schools. What did you intend by choosing this title?

Cara Fitzpatrick: Everyone loves to ask me about the title! Its provocative, thats for sure.

Originally, the book was called Unholy Alliance: The History of School Choice, which is a partial quote that I loved from Polly Williams. But unless you know about that quote, it was possible for people to think it was specifically about the Catholic Church or something. It didnt say enough about education. And since people define school choice in very different ways, we couldnt really go with that either.

Reporter Cara Fitzpatricks book, The Death of Public School, will be released on Sept. 12. (Hachette Book Group)

As a reporter, this book was my way of asking whether you can have the traditional public school system alongside everything that comes with school choice. Charter schools have probably been the most successful school choice reform; they enroll 7 or 8 percent of kids around the country, and in some cities, theyve had a huge, huge impact.

For me, it all raises some questions: Are these things compatible? Does this expansion of choice inevitably mean the end of the traditional public school system?

An even wonkier question that I was also thinking about was how we define a public school. Our country has defined it a certain way for a long time. But if you start having private schools where every student receives a voucher, and most of the money essentially comes from the state, at what point does that become a public school?

The narrative part of the book really kicks off in the 1950s, with desegregation and the first voucher programs on the horizon. But you also periodically allude to the debates over parochial education in the 19th century, when a huge, alternative system emerged to serve Catholic families. Would it be fair to say that the seeds of the present moment were sown from the beginning of public schooling?

Going back 150 years, there were town tuitioning programs in a couple of New England states that were essentially a model for school vouchers, and the Catholic school system was forming at the same time. You could say that was the earliest movement for school choice because it represented a group of people who were not well served by common schools, which had a distinctive Protestant bent to them. There were huge fights over which Bible to use in class, for example.

So figuring out where to start the book was tricky. The Founding Fathers had debates about how to educate kids and which kids should even be educated. One of the ways I addressed it was to mention that history in my introduction and then introduce Virgil Blum, this mostly forgotten priest who was interested in vouchers for religious liberty. I thought his background could open the door to the big themes without the book being 500 pages long and extending back to the American Revolution. You dont want your book to be an encyclopedia of school choice that no one will read.

From one point of view, the seeds were there all along, as you say. But theres an essential difference between what developed in the late 1800s and what we had a century later: a public school system thats secular, thats compulsory, thats for everyone. You could say there was such a thing as a choice system earlier than that, but this also wasnt a country that was interested in educating women or Native Americans or African Americans during that period. That makes it hard to compare.

Its been hard to know how [the book] would be received on either side because were not super interested in nuance right now.

I ended up starting in 1950 for a few reasons. You had what was going on in the South during the lead-up to Brown v. Board of Education, and you had segregationists looking to privatize the school system to avoid Brown. But at the same time, there were other threads that I thought were really compelling, like Milton Friedman making an economic argument for vouchers. The way a lot of people tell the story, school choice begins with Milton Friedman, and then nothing happens for 40 years, and then you get vouchers in Milwaukee. Thats kind of the stylized version Id often heard as a reporter.

Friedman did make his economic argument for choice in the 50s, and there were also segregationists essentially using choice for exclusion. But you also have Virgil Blum advancing an argument based on religious liberty. I thought it was fascinating to have these voices emerging and previewing where this movement could go, for good or bad uses. They set up so much of what were still seeing now.

As a longtime education journalist, do you think the complexities of the debate around school choice have been flattened somewhat in the public conversation?

As a reporter, we so often cover the school choice issue as this yes-or-no, pro-or-anti phenomenon. There are traditional public school advocates who are very opposed to anything involved with private school choice, and they are increasingly opposed to charters as well. Of course, theres an energetic lobby in favor of choice on the other side.

When I started digging into the research, I found the history much more nuanced than that. For instance, its pretty hard to say, Heres the date and time when we had a public school system that was available to everyone as we know it today. The regions of the U.S. developed public schooling at different paces, such that the South was a bit further behind, and New England was a bit further ahead. There have always been voices and debates about how we educate kids, and whose values are reflected in education, but theyve been sort of lost in some of the yes-or-no, for-or-against debate. My fascination with those debates kept me going through five years of research.

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I also found it interesting that even among school choice advocates, there wasnt universal agreement about how it should work. Should it be a means-tested program for low-income kids? Is it a tool of empowerment for African American and Latino kids? Should all schools exist within a choice system, as Milton Friedman said? In some of his letters, Virgil Blum argued that Catholic schools would need to adopt some of the same accountability measures as public schools under a voucher system, whether those included elected boards or public audits.

You can see those fault lines now in the way some choice programs have evolved. Milwaukees system started out with less accountability and had more and more added to it over time. Kids who receive vouchers in Florida take a norm-referenced test  its not the same as the state test, but its a measure of accountability.

Of the three school choice strands that you listed, a lot of people have heard of Milton Friedman, and many are familiar with the story of segregation academies by now. But Virgil Blum is going to be a new name to most readers.

Youre right that people are probably familiar with the segregation element. But the treatment of that is sometimes used by opponents of choice to just invalidate the whole thing.

I dont think thats entirely right or fair because even as the courts were striking down school voucher programs, there were already overlapping figures who were interested in school choice as a mechanism to help low-income kids. You had [journalist and academic] Christopher Jencks and Kenneth Clark active in that time period as well. It wasnt just that segregationists were trying to thwart desegregation. Other people were looking at the same mechanism and thinking of uses for it that were quite different. That aspect of the segregation story can get lost at times.

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But you asked about Blum. He and his organization, the Catholic League, were hugely influential during this period. He was making arguments about religious liberty  legal arguments  50 years too soon. The Milwaukee voucher program hadnt happened yet, and obviously neither had the Supreme Court cases that have since shaped the way vouchers can be used. But he was already advancing the case that they would someday be allowed under the First Amendment because this was an issue of religious liberty and discrimination against people who wanted to choose a religious education.

It is incredible to read Blums early writing, which you can find at the Marquette University archives, and think about how ahead of his time he was. Some of these federal cases were happening while I was doing my research. Id watched the arguments for Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue at the Supreme Court, and this guy made some of the same arguments in a book published in 1958.

It sounds so dorky, but one of the coolest things for me was to read the correspondence between Blum and Friedman. They exchanged a few letters, and you could see that they were coming at school choice from different angles  both in support, but from different motivations. Friedman was very candid with Blum in arguing that school choice could actually be bad for Catholic schools; he was anticipating that if vouchers came about, there would be many more private schools entering the market, and Catholic schools would face more competition.

You can see how that dynamic is playing out now. Catholic schools may, in fact, benefit from the recent explosion in voucher legislation, but other schools will as well. But it was all forecasting at the time, and Blum didnt even live to see the Milwaukee system enacted.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman was the chief intellectual proponent of school vouchers. (Getty Images)

Do you think Friedmans predictions proved accurate? It seems like urban charters, more so than private competitors, have played the biggest role in shrinking the Catholic sector. Vis a vis the South, he also noted that vouchers might not succeed in maintaining segregation. While there is some research on vouchers and segregation, I think the jury is still out on that question.

Friedman wrote an essay in 55 laying out his view of how vouchers would work, and its not exactly a barn burner. I hear people refer to it as a manifesto or something, and Im like, Have you read it closely? He was making an economic argument, with no fiery language, about what he saw as a better way to run education.

He lived a long time, unlike Blum, and he actually got to see his theory become policy in Milwaukee and Cleveland. That included litigation, and the Supreme Court signing off on Clevelands program. And I think some of the things he thought would happen were pretty close to right. He never really changed his mind that a voucher system was more likely to end segregation than create it. When he was interviewed even 50 years later, he kept arguing that school choice would help deal with segregation.

We dont know yet how the spread of vouchers will affect Catholic schools, which have been on the decline for a long time. A Catholic school recently closed in my neighborhood in New York, just a couple of years after another one closed. But Catholic schools in Florida might end up benefiting from private school choice. Im not sure if Friedman was really making the point that vouchers would hurt Catholic education, or if he was just trying to be honest with Blum that things might not go in the direction he hoped. Even at that time, Catholic education wasnt necessarily doing that well, which is partially why Blum was leading this movement to get aid from the state.

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I think Friedman was right about the ideas potential, and right now, were obviously seeing kind of a wildfire spread. Its still small numbers compared with traditional public schools, but this proliferation of choice laws over the last few years would have probably pleased Friedman  especially the universal legislation. He didnt think voucher programs that were solely targeted at low-income children were a good idea.

One thing the book shows is how diverse the school choice movement has been, including not just religious figures like Blum and conservatives like Friedman, but also Cold War-era liberals like Kenneth Clark and the sociologist Christopher Jencks. Do you think any of that heterogeneity remains? Vouchers today are as polarizing as any other political issue.

It seemed like it was headed in that direction even when I started doing this research. There was always a tension between African American Democrats like [Wisconsin legislator] Polly Williams, who were in favor of school choice to help low-income children, and their white conservative allies. I think that when President Trump was elected and Betsy DeVos was at the helm of the Education Department, it definitely increased that polarization.

One of the ways we really saw that unfold was with respect to charter schools. Until that point, there had been a longtime, bipartisan consensus around charters as an education reform that people were comfortable with and that seemed somewhat successful. But a lot of Democrats started backing away from them when DeVos became education secretary, that fissure is widening now with the push toward religious charters, which goes against the original intent of the policy. All the school voucher legislation, especially the push for universal programs, comes much more from a Friedman place than a progressive or bipartisan place.

The appointment of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education coincided with a period of heightened polarization around school choice that hasnt yet subsided. (Getty Images)

Im terrible at making predictions, but it does feel extremely polarized at this point. Its why I come back to the question of whether these two ideas can coexist, universal school choice and traditional public schools. At the same time were seeing the wave of choice legislation, were also seeing fairly aggressive attacks on public education from Republican lawmakers. That makes it very hard to look for consensus.

Ive now spent a long time researching and writing a book that would give a fair look at the complexity of these debates and not take an ideological position. Its been hard to know how it would be received on either side because were not super interested in nuance right now.

My sense is that this debate has split the Left more than the Right. As you mentioned, Democrats are somewhat torn on charters, where most of the gains for school choice have actually been made over the last 30 years. Maybe Im wrong, but it feels as though theres no opposition in the GOP to universal vouchers, by contrast.

There are definitely people [on the Right] who got into school choice and school vouchers with a Polly Williams mindset, just aiming to help kids who had access to fewer choices. Ive spoken with people who are uneasy with how things have gone the last few years. Some of them have voted Democrat before, and maybe theyre feeling some discomfort seeing where universal vouchers are going. But I dont know if that means theres no place in the movement for those people anymore.

Theres not a lot of space right now for a Democratic lawmaker whos interested in school choice of any kind.

Theres always been a sense within the school choice community that it should be a big tent. Thats supposed to be the nature of choice. On the flip side, Ive recently heard this argument play out on Twitter and elsewhere: Can we use the culture war to rack up wins for school choice legislation? Weve got people like Chris Rufo talking about how distrust in public school could lead to more demands for school choice.

Theres been pushback to that line from other advocates within the movement. That said, I think the Friedman side has won. What the book broadly describes are the competing arguments within the movement, and the Friedman side is ascendant right now. The question is whether the other folks are disgusted and walking away, or whether theyll find a way to navigate the new landscape.

And the Democrats? Few of them will talk much about school choice anymore.

Theres not a lot of space right now for a Democratic lawmaker whos interested in school choice of any kind.

That was on display in Pennsylvania, where [Democratic Gov. Josh] Shapiro stuck his neck out on school vouchers. I was astonished by that because it definitely didnt feel like the moment for a Democratic governor to support a voucher program. I had to double-check his party affiliation because I was like, This cant be! And as we saw, there was a backlash to that, and a backlash to the backlash, and hes backed away from that commitment for now.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shaprio indicated an openness to enacting a school voucher program before making an about-face this summer. (Getty Images)

There was a backlash to charter schools from Democratic lawmakers during the Trump administration, and since that time, the interesting turn of events has been the push in some quarters for religious charters. For the traditional public education defenders who were always opposed to charter schools, they feel like this is what theyve always warned against: Charters arent truly public schools, theyre just masquerading as such. But for the early charter advocates, its so far from what most of them intended, almost like a bomb going off in the charter movement.

Whats so intriguing about this topic is watching what happens to someones ideas 30 or 40 years on, after other people have picked them up with different intentions. You see that throughout the history of vouchers, and the same thing is happening now with charters.

Whats your assessment of the educational effects of this blossoming of school choice? Stanfords CREDO institute released a report this summer showing that charters now slightly outperform district public schools, and lots of other research point to beneficial competitive effects from the charter sector. Id say that studies on voucher programs have been mixed-to-negative, however.

Research was one of the more difficult things to handle while I was writing this book. When school choice policies got off the ground, there really was no research other than this sense that Catholic schools were pretty good. I also didnt want to write a book about research studies, any more than I wanted to write an encyclopedia of school choice.

But you cant ignore the research, especially now that we have pretty good findings on the existing school choice programs. We dont know much at all about how universal programs work because theyre still too new, but there are studies on charter schools and on some of the voucher programs that have been around a while.

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Early on in the writing process, I had a brief fellowship at the Russell Sage Foundation as a visiting journalist. As part of that, I presented to some researchers about my book, and by an incredible coincidence, Christopher Jencks  who makes several appearances in the book  happened to sit in on my presentation. And after listening to me go back and forth with an economist who was really pushing me to focus more on research, he suggested that I look at how the research has influenced the narrative around school choice.

As an example, one of the arguments for the earliest voucher program in Milwaukee was that it was actually going to be better than the existing public schools; after all, why else would we be spending money to send kids to school that arent better? But the very early research on Milwaukee didnt show that. Parents were very happy and satisfied about being able to choose, but test scores were about the same as they had been.

Eventually, though, that changed. [Harvard Professor] Paul Peterson and a couple other folks conducted a study in Milwaukee that showed increases in test scores. This argument over the programs effectiveness was happening while it was being litigated in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. You could see that the research mattered a lot in that moment, as part of the argument about whether private school choice was worth replicating.

Beyond that, I had the feeling that after three decades, I had to be able to say something about whether school choice works. If someone picks up the book who knows nothing about school choice, that is the obvious question: Does it work? And, if so, how does it work?

In the end, I dont think any of the results have turned out as well as early advocates believed. Vouchers show some good life effects for their students, including an increase in high school graduation for some of these programs. Those are good. But there have also been multiple studies showing declines in test scores for some of these programs. Certainly, advocates did not anticipate the private schools actually performing worse than public schools.

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As you mentioned, CREDOs most recent report shows that, on average, charters now have an edge over traditional public schools with respect to test scores. But with most charter studies, the effects tend to vary depending on the different charter markets. Some cities have much better charter schools than others, and theyve varied over time. For a while, there were certain states that were seen as problems in the charter school movement because they kind of let anybody into the market. The reverse was Boston, which was much more selective about letting people open schools, and they saw really good outcomes. Urban charters in general have done really well raising test scores for disadvantaged kids.

No one study is the end-all, be-all, and with this research, people cherry pick the findings they like best. But its worth trying to look at the cumulative picture over time.

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Given how harsh the debate around charters and vouchers, do you think a truly public system of choice  like open-enrollment, which allows families to cross district lines  could be a reasonable area for compromise? Its been widely embraced in Michigan, though with the unintended side effect that districts are now racing to poach one anothers kids.

For various reasons, theres even opposition to the idea of inter-district choice. There are clear limitations, like how you move kids from a really rural district to go to school somewhere else. A lot of bigger districts, where that issue is easier to manage, already offer a bit of choice in their student assignments, and things like magnet schools. Its an area that was pretty instrumental in establishing the idea that your kids didnt necessarily have to go to their neighborhood school, but I dont know that it offers a compromise in the current argument.

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Thats even more true now that so much of the argument revolves around values and the Virgil Blum side of the debate. Being able to switch from the New York City school district to somewhere in Westchester might be useful for a family thats trying to escape a particular zoned school, but what if you really want a religious education for your children?

You write about that question in an early passage about parochial schools that might not admit gay students or hire a gay teacher: These reflect religious beliefs but perhaps not the views that all Americans want supported by tax dollars. But of course, all Americans have never agreed about what they want schools to teach. The pivot is that courts are now taking a much more open view of what the state can support.

Thats right, all Americans dont have much of a consensus on anything. To go back to the beginning of our conversation, this idea of which values to express in American education has been there going back to the 1700s. If youre using a Protestant Bible, then the values of Catholics arent reflected.

In Texas and Oklahoma, some conservatives actually oppose school voucher proposals. I think thats because they believe they already see their values reflected in public schools.

The idea of a public school system has been to avoid those really personal considerations and try to find a landing place that works for most people. And theres a whole legal history in this country to do something else if they want that. The Supreme Court famously ruled in Pierce v. Society of Sisters that the child is not the mere creature of the state. The practice was to have a system and then let people go outside the system to reflect their values.

Whats also important in our country is that we dont have one, standardized system of K12 schools. Local control has been the hallmark of American education from the start, and local values tend to differ a lot by region. Were seeing really tense political battles in Texas and Oklahoma, where some conservatives actually oppose school voucher proposals. I think thats because they believe they already see their values reflected in public schools, and public schools are a huge part of their rural communities.

My public education, which I experienced in a conservative corner of Washington State, was probably rather different than one experienced by a coworker of mine who was raised in New York City. You could argue that degree of localism is good or bad. I spent a good bit of high school learning the history of the Pacific Northwest. [Laughs.] We got a lot of Lewis and Clark because at some point, someone decided that was really important for kids in my part of the country. If you live in Gettysburg, you probably take a field trip to Gettysburg every year.

That kind of variation is already possible in American schooling, and your local district probably does incorporate the identity of the community in some way. Whats interesting now is watching Republicans, who tend to be in favor of local control and small government, taking a statewide approach to the issue of how we teach history and gender and race.

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K12 enrollment has fallen quite a bit since the pandemic, and early signs dont indicate that the rebound will make up for what was lost. Do you think that movement, along with steadily declining birth rates, could further fuel school choice and perhaps provoke some kind of death spiral for a number of public school districts?

COVID was happening as I was writing. I signed a book contract right before having my third child, and the pandemic started when he was nine months old. So he never went into childcare, and I lost in-person school for my older kids at the same time.

I could see, both as a journalist covering the pandemic and a parent living through it, that this was going to have a lasting effect on schools. Ive heard historians say that you cant write about something until 10 years after it happens, and I didnt choose that. But I ended the book in 2019 because there was a moment there that I thought tied everything together nicely.

For a lot of kids, theres been a disconnect from the idea that you have to go to school; the pandemic showed that they really didnt have to go to school.

Despite the books title, I think the idea of a death spiral is a little much. You could say that the pandemic has opened up a moment when its been easier for Republicans to justify and pass school choice legislation. Given the nature of how parents had to get through the school closures, peoples lives were changed so significantly that they were willing to try forms of education that they hadnt before. We saw a big lift in homeschooling among African American families, for example.

A lot of parents got a closer look inside classrooms through Zoom  not that that was necessarily a fair representation of what normally happens inside schools  and it set some families on a fundamentally different path. Other families made short-term choices that got them through the crisis, and then they returned to what they were doing before. We homeschooled my older kids for a year, and it was a really interesting experience, but theyre now back in a public school full-time.

Some of the enrollment decline obviously comes from people leaving big, expensive cities like New York. Some of it comes from people making different school choices. Catholic schools had an increase for a year, but theyre still in decline. In the end, the biggest questions leftover from COVID have less to do with choice and more to do with academic recovery and mental health. For a lot of kids, theres been a disconnect from the idea that you have to go to school; the pandemic showed that they really didnt have to go to school.

That said, Im very curious to see how many people actually take up the states on some of these voucher programs. How many Floridians will use these vouchers? And how many were ever enrolled in the public school system? Were going to see it happen in real time.
Steve Keller was hiking with a group not too far from their campsite in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming when he vanished, officials said.

The group started searching for the 76-year-old California man the moment they noticed his absence Sept. 2, but didnt find him after several hours and sent out an SOS via satellite, the Fremont County Sheriffs Office said in a Sept. 7 news release.

There have been no signs of him since, officials said.

Search and rescue teams flew into the area near Steamboat Lake, near Lander, Wyoming, to search on the ground and from the sky on Sunday, Sept. 3, officials said. But bad weather on Monday delayed their search efforts.

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They kept searching on the ground and in the sky as weather allowed, but the remoteness of the area, the high elevation, and the extremely rugged terrain have made searching extremely difficult, officials said.

Kellers niece posted a missing person flier on Facebook on Sept. 4.

This is my uncle, Betsy Briggs Miller said in the post. We are deeply concerned.

Miller said in the comments that Keller  whom she described as an expert outdoorsman and very tough  had gone on the same backpacking trip dozens of times before.

He was leaving for a day hike and his pack was left at the campsite unfortunately, she said.

Several people commented, saying they knew him from mission trips in the Philippines or that he was their longtime dentist in Palo Alto, California. The dental practice website shows him as retired and missed by all.

Keller worked at the Palo Alto Dental Group from 1979 to 2022, his daughter, Karen Jacobson-Sive, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

In a Sept. 6 update in the comments, Miller said weather was cooperating and a group of 16 people  as well as dogs and drones  would keep searching for her uncle.

We are told today will be the last day the helicopter will bring people in to search, she said.

She also thanked people who had volunteered to backpack in to help with the search.

Steamboat Lake is about 10,000 feet elevation and 17 miles in from the trailhead, she said. Winter comes fast, this is not for the beginner backpacker.

Keller is 6 feet tall and about 170 pounds, officials said. He was last seen wearing a green jacket with a black, blue and green Patagonia fleece.

Officials ask anyone with any information that might be helpful to contact the Fremont County Sheriffs Office or the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Game and Fish Office.

Family says search goes on for longtime Wichita dentist missing in Colorado

Wife waits in car for 79-year-old husband to scout for hunting spot. He never returned

Worried friend finds missing climbers car and calls for help. Now body found
You need a POA when planning your advanced directives, but many of us make costly mistakes.

You need a POA when planning your advanced directives, but many of us make costly mistakes.

A power of attorney is one of the most important legal documents you can ever create. Depending on if its for health care or for your finances, it can direct how you, the principal, want your agent to act on your behalf when you cannot.

A power of attorney enables you to proactively plan for unexpected events, such as illness, injury or cognitive decline, which might render you incapable of managing your own affairs, said David Watson, an estate planning attorney based in Mequon, Wisconsin. Without it, your loved ones may encounter delays and legal complications when trying to handle your matters.

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And unlike a will, these documents actually matter when youre alive, said Alice Choi, an estate planning attorney at Novick & Associates in New York City and Huntington, New York. It affects your money, your actual quality of life and everything.

Thats why not having one at all is the biggest mistake, because the alternative can be expensive, prolonged litigation. If you do not have a power of attorney, your loved ones will have to commence a guardianship proceeding and go to court to get that authority...when you could have simply done that with a power of attorney, Choi said.

Beyond the mistake of not having one to begin with, HuffPost asked estate lawyers about the worst mistakes they commonly see people do with powers of attorney that they want you to avoid. Heres what they shared:

1. You think its only for elderly people and wait too long to do it.

If you procrastinate until your cognitive or physical health starts to decline, it will make a power of attorney more difficult to obtain.

Waiting too long may result in the principal no longer having the capacity to sign the document, Watson said. Rushed power of attorney documents can also raise suspicions of undue influence.

Even young people should have a power of attorney, especially if you have children, Choi said. You just never know whats going to happen.

2. You only get one POA for your health care or finances, but not both types.

Eido Walny, founder of Walny Legal Group, an estate planning and asset protection law firm based in Wisconsin, said that everyone needs two powers of attorney: one for health care and one for financial.

These are two fundamentally different powers of attorney. One deals with a myriad of financial-related issues, while the other deals with end-of-life issues, he said. Having one will not help at all with the issues of the other.

3. You misunderstand the difference between a springing power or one that goes into immediate effect.

Its crucial to understand the difference between a POA that has springing power or one that takes effect immediately upon signing.

Health care powers of attorney typically spring into action only when the principal becomes incapacitated. In contrast, financial powers of attorney can either spring into effect upon incapacity or be effective upon signing, granting immediate authority, Watson said. Financial institutions may challenge the springing power, insisting on medical proof of incapacity before recognizing the agents authority. In many cases, opting for immediate effectiveness can be more practical.

Depending on what life stage youre at, you may want one type of POA over the other.

Choi said that in the cases of younger people in their 30s and 40s, she would typically recommend a springing power where it will become effective only when your doctor says, Oh, OK, she doesnt have capacity to make these decisions. And by attaching that letter to the power of attorney, it becomes effective.

Meanwhile for elderly people who just need help paying bills and accounts online, a springing power of attorney could be another hurdle because the doctors cant maybe say youre incapacitated, because you have capacity, Choi said.

4. You do it once and then dont ever update it.

Carmen Rosas, an estate planning attorney based in San Mateo, California, said people can approach their power of attorney document with a set it and forget it mentality out of discomfort.

I think a lot of people, even if its subconsciously, dont want to think about not ever being in control of their lives, or their bodies or their money, she said.

But this is a legal document you want to review regularly, because it can give your agent a lot of control that you may no longer want to grant if that person is now your ex or estranged child.

Peoples relationships change, Choi said. It should be updated when theres a major life event, when you get a divorce, you get married, someone dies.

Choi said people often forget whats in their POA and its why she recommends reviewing it every five years. Rosas also recommends updating it every five years, noting that after 10 years, some banks may question and challenge why there was not a new one done.

If you ever have a medical emergency, your loved ones will need a power of attorney document to carry out your wishes.

If you ever have a medical emergency, your loved ones will need a power of attorney document to carry out your wishes.

5. You choose the wrong agent to carry out your wishes.

Do not make the choice of your agent lightly. Walny said that, People rely too much on familial norms at the expense of a good agent decision, and that its more important to pick someone you know would be competent than to try to appease the people you think expect to be named.

Not that you cant trust your children, but you do have to think about it, Choi said. Everybody thinks these things would never happen to [them]. My child is not like that. But you know, if thats the case, then I wouldnt have a job.

If your spouse is getting elderly, has trouble managing money, or any other issues, they may not be a good candidate to make any decisions for you, Walny said. If youre in a second marriage and your spouse is not your trustee, its probably not a great idea to make them a durable agent when they can redirect certain assets away from your trust.

6. You choose the wrong witness.

Depending on your states laws, a power of attorney document may require witnesses or notarization for validity.

Overlooking these essential requirements can render the document null and void, Watson said. For example, its crucial to ensure that witnesses on a health care power of attorney are not related to the principal by blood, marriage, adoption, or financially responsible for the principals health care.

In this way, choosing the wrong witness can potentially void your power of attorney.

During the COVID pandemic, I encountered a situation where a health care power of attorney, although seemingly executed correctly, was declared invalid when presented to a health care provider because one of the witnesses, though bearing a different last name, was related to the principal, Watson said. Fortunately, we were able to rectify this with a new document and appropriate witnesses.

You always want someone whos not related or who has no potential interest, Rosas said. She said if she was picking a witness,it would be a neighbor, or itd be like a family friend, someone who if I died today, would have no potential  even if its remote  possibility of inheriting or getting access to my stuff.

7. You name multiple agents to act at once, or you dont have an alternate.



Estate lawyers advise against naming co-agents.

This is a terrible decision we often see: [The] client doesnt want to alienate any of their two or three kids so the kids are all [named] as co-agents. This is a great way to end up in court asking for a judges help, Walny said. When you make a committee, that often leads to confusion, delay, mistakes and other issues. Dont ever name co-agents.

But do have alternates, so if the primary person you appoint is not available, you can make decisions without delay  especially in the event of medical emergencies.

If the primary person went on a trip to Cambodia and you need to make this decision whether to have the surgery or not right away, then you go to the next one, Choi said as an example. I think for health care proxies, or medical power of attorneys, its important to have multiple alternate people.

Having a successor agent is a good idea, too. Rosas said that a lot of times married couples will name only each other as the agent, and that can lead to problems.

If theyre in a car accident together, and theyre both incapacitated at the same time, but theyve named each other and they havent named a secondary or a successor agent, they end up back in the same situation as if they hadnt created a power of attorney, she said.

8. Youre not specific enough in your POA.

Dont assume your wishes will be carried out unless you spell it out. If youre not specific enough about what affairs your agent should handle and under what conditions, it can lead to headaches later on.

If you grant too much power, where youre like, OK, this person can just do whatever they want, without any specific instructions or explanation, thats a lot of times where people can kind of get screwed out of their properties, Rosas said. Because with powers of attorney, you can have the right to sell.

Know that you can and should get detailed with your conditions. You can say things like, Well, theyre able to sell [property] but not until my youngest child reaches the age of 25, Rosas said.

Choi said one big area of estate litigation is around the monetary gifts agents can have the power to give themselves.

If youre silent on gifts, an agent [could take] $5,000, $10,000 from the fathers account, and just use it and say, Its a gift, he gave it to me, Choi said. If its silent on it, then its going to be litigated. And when somethings litigated, I feel like everybody loses.

The people and entities relying on POAs demand specificity. If you want Medicaid planning, that better be in the document, Walny said. If you want broad or narrow gifting powers, that better be in the document. If you want your agent to be able to access intangible assets like your voicemails, online photos or emails, that better be in the document.

Ultimately, creating a power of attorney document will take careful research and potentially awkward conversations, but its worth it for the emotional, legal and financial costs you could be sparing yourself and your loved ones.

Lets say Im incapacitated right now today, and my husband doesnt have power of attorney, Choi said as an example. Someone has to pay my credit card bills. Someone has to file my taxes, someone has to pay the hospital for my medical care. All those things actually cant be done without a power of attorney.

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Nearly 40 years ago, a concerned neighbor went up to Steven Picos mother and said: Im so sorry. Steve mustve done something horrible, like killed someone, to get on the front page of the paper, according to Steven.

It wasnt that: he was suing the school district.

In 1976, Pico and four other teens sued their Long Island school district for banning 11 books from their classrooms and school libraries. It is the only book-banning case that has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hundreds of miles away in South Carolina and about four decades later, Beaufort County made local and national headlines by pulling 97 books off classroom and library shelves for review. The district has since reviewed 66 and banned four. No one has brought up lawsuits against the county regarding the banned books yet.

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Its a nationwide tend. Across the United States, the American Library Association found 1,269 attempts to censor library books and resources from public schools and libraries in 2022. They said it was the highest number of attempted book bans since they began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The number 2022 doubles the 729 challenges reported in 2021.

Beaufort County resident and Beaufort Academy student Elizabeth Foster, 18, who graduated last school year was at the forefront of the local opposition to book bans. BA isnt part of the public school system, but Foster attended school board meetings, forums and organized events to advocate against the district keeping books off shelves.

Pico, 64, spent six-years battling against his school district until the U.S. Supreme Court held that public schools cannot remove books from school libraries because of their content under the First Amendment. He still lives in New York and is a painter, sculptor and editor. In his free time he advocates for first amendment rights, including connecting with students like Foster on how to fight back against book bans.

When youre young, you can be fearless, Pico said. He sat down with Foster and The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette to compare his experience as a young person fighting book bans in Long Island years ago to Fosters experiences in Beaufort County last year.

Elizabeth Foster, left, is a vocal advocate against book bans in Beaufort County. Steven Pico, right, brought a book ban case to the U.S. Supreme Court about 40 years ago.

The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Where did the movement to ban books come from?

Steven Pico: The major difference between now and then was that then book banning was coming from many quarters in our culture. There were many feminists who wanted to engage in censorship. There were Black people who came up to me and said I dont want Gone With the Wind shown in my school. I dont want The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn taught. I had to confront censorship from all parts of the culture. It was also the time of the rise of the Moral Majority.

Today, you have Republican governors who have to be called out for encouraging people to censor. And they encourage it in ways that are just simply unfair. Not encouraging people to read the books, just encouraging people to pass out excerpts, words, and say, This is vulgar.

Elizabeth Foster: The list of books pulled from Beaufort County schools list attacks so many different cultures and identities, that theres really only one culture left over thats not being attacked. And thats the kind of people that are making these complaints and filing those complaints.

The 11 books banned in Island Trees are shown, plus MAUS (published in 1986) banned from curriculum in 2022 in Tennessee; MAUS is Art Spiegelmans Pulitzer Prize-winning story of his parents who survived the Auschwitz death camp; his mother died by suicide.

How political do you think the book ban movement is?

SP: We dont see this as a right wing, left wing issue. We see this as a patriotic issue. I dont want to speak for Elizabeth, but we see this as something that everybody should be fighting against from all parts of the political spectrum. So we definitely agree with that. We think this is a mainstream issue that goes to the heart, the bastion of our democracy, of multiculturalism, of pluralism.

There are haters and extremists throughout the country. I think that the majority of book banners today are the new bullies on the block. Politicians who encourage attacks on literature, educators, librarians and our institutions devoted to learning are nothing more than opportunists who are fanning the flames of hatred and division for selfish political gain. So this is the first time in 45 years of advocacy that Im saying: We have to also address the political aspects of this.

Most newspapers dont want to print that the majority of censorship is being flamed by the Republican Party, or at least part of the Republican Party. Its definitely Republican governors, right now. They dont want to lay political blame, when in fact, we need to lay political blame, because Republicans who are not happy with censorship, need to perhaps think about leaving their party and returning when these attacks on our liberty stop.

EF: I think that this is definitely much more targeted, streamlined. Its very organized. Its not a rise of censorship across groups nationally, its a rise of censorship by groups like Moms for Liberty, and by the GOP.

Did you feel supported by your community to speak up against book bans?

SP: I didnt have a lot of support either at the family level or at the community level and honestly, I didnt care. My parents were not totally supportive because they were worried that I would be labeled a troublemaker: that my name and my reputation would be harmed, that I would have trouble in school, in getting into college.

The teachers and librarians were supportive privately, so there was a lot of whispering, and that as a student annoyed me.

EF: I feel really supported by my community, my family. I know teachers are in a difficult position in offering their support, just because in the climate, you know, its difficult. But they did at school. I think that from my peers, I experienced a lot of apathy more than anything. So it wasnt necessarily disapproval, or anger at me, it was just like, it wasnt even on their radar, which is understandable, as a high schooler, and sometimes frustrating.

Did you ever feel scared?

SP: (No.) I dont understand the need for raising this to a level of threats and violence and hatred. Today, young people already face violence, hatred, bullying, drug and sexual abuse issues. I want them to be prepared. There are sincere parents who have concerns. Book banning, in my opinion, in my experience, leaves young people defenseless.

You can always donate or suggest that we add literature to balance our curriculum to balance a classroom discussion. And the whole point of this, I think, is that parents and everyone else in our society need to remember that schools and libraries are one of the few safe places, supervised places. There are usually security guards. Its a safe place where theres somebody to lead discussion: a teacher, or librarian, educator. And students, if they wish, can discuss things among their peers.

EF: Our first kind of, I guess, frightening interaction was at that one board meeting when the the speaker broke the rules by calling out one of my friends. The board recessed and then she turned around and again, began delivering her speech in an aggressive manner towards us, because we were in the front row. That was scary for me.

Photo of Steven Pico from 1981. In 1981 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Pico v. Board of Education, Island Trees. It is also the year Pico graduated from Haverford College.

How did you think social media played into you feeling frightened?

EF: I personally am not on Facebook. I dont interact with the complainants on social media. But I know that there are a lot of efforts from them to interact with my friends and the Families Against Book Bans. Theres just a lot of kind of trying to do beat people, knock people. There have been very threatening comments made about people, my age, minors, and adults and teachers. I think that all of that is really exacerbated by social media because those threats can be made, but its easier to make them from a computer than at the board meetings. Theyve really taken advantage of that.

Do you think there are different implications for book bans in the South versus the North?

SP: When you have whats going on in Florida, it means youre going to water down whats tested. Youre going to water down whats educated in the classroom. Youre going to water down whats presented in textbooks across the entire country (because national publishers often cater to the biggest markets). Just because one governor can have policies where hes trying to turn the narrative around and say, like many Republicans believe today, that the biggest problem white Republicans face today is racism against white Republicans.

EF: Beaufort especially is very historically rich, the South is historically rich. I think that it is more important in the sense that so many of the effects of slavery are prevalent in the South, because, slavery was in the South.

Students are more drawn to fiction and young-adult books that reflect them. If we take those away, then were erasing our history. Were kind of entirely cutting off any ties students would be able to have with the history and to be able to understand the effects of racism in our community. And in the South, it is really important to understand that history and its current effects.

In the North, I think Im still going to say its equally important because I do think that a lot of people have the misconception that there was just generally less racism in the North, and there wasnt. Access to fiction, access to readable stories for young adult audiences are so important in both of those locations.

What would you consider success?

SP: What Elizabeth is saying, and I agree with her, is that there is a censorship movement thats growing and alive in this country right now. And it will probably continue to grow through the next presidential election. And many of the people behind the censorship movement today are simply trying to destroy our public school system by diverting public money to religious and private schools. And thats where the subterfuge and the deception comes in.

There are well-meaning parents out there who want to be involved in their kids education. Thats great. But I think some of them are being fooled because part of the goal of a lot of book banners is to actually destroy and defund our public school system and divert the (public) money to private and religious schools.

EF: I asked myself that all the time in trying to figure out what are we ultimately fighting for? Part of why I think its difficult to answer is that all of this movement, kind of, right now is in response to this movement by the GOP, by Moms for Liberty, to dismantle the public school system and privatize education. And so at this point, my ultimate goal is to nip that in the bud.

My ultimate goal is that everybody in this country is able to exercise their constitutional rights freely. I think the ultimate goal is that we reinstate that as the default. I think that the these conversations will continue in different areas. I dont think that the book ban movement is necessarily near its end, though. I think that the same arguments, the same efforts to destroy public education, will just present themselves in different ways.
A Thursday night crash on northbound Interstate 65 near the Fair Oaks exit led to one man being hospitalized and the other was arrested after he fled the scene. - Original Credit: Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police (Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police/HANDOUT)

A Thursday night crash on northbound Interstate 65 near the Fair Oaks exit led to one man being hospitalized while another was arrested after he fled the scene.

Around 11:15 p.m., police responded to a crash involving a school bus and a semi in the northbound lanes of on I-65 at the 222 mile-marker, which is two miles north of the Fair Oaks exit, according to an Indiana State Police press release. Troopers located a school bus in the right ditch. The bus driver was pinned in the vehicle, but he was alert, the release stated.

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Preliminary investigation determined that the driver of the bus rear ended a semi in the right lane. The semi pulled over and some Good Samaritans stopped to assist to both the driver of the bus and the semi driver, police said. However, the semi driver fled the scene.

While troopers and first responders were extricating the driver of the bus, another trooper located the semi that left the scene in the rear parking lot of the Loves Truck Stop located on Indiana 10 in Jasper County, the release stated. Police observed that the semi trailer sustained substantial damage that was consistent with being involved in a significant crash recently. The driver of the semi was also located and gave statements inconsistent with what had happened on the interstate, police said.

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Police arrested the driver of the semi, Aregay Tesfay Gebremariam, 57, of Atlanta, and transported him to the Jasper County Jail. He could face charges for leaving the scene of an accident, the release stated.

The bus driver was the only occupant of his vehicle. He was trapped inside of the bus for several hours while the fire department worked to remove him, police said. Once he was removed, the driver was transported to Franciscan Health Hospital in Rensselaer and later taken to a hospital in Chicago for treatment of potential life-threatening injuries.

This bus was new and was being driven to another location, the release stated. The bus is owned by Norton Transport Inc. located in Rock Spring, Georgia. The semi is owned by Weini Transportation LLC, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Alcohol/drugs are not suspected to be factors in this crash.
People scale a fence after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States in Eagle Pass, Texas, in August 2023. (Suzanne Cordeiro / AFP/Getty Images)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott slammed President Biden on Thursday over a Times report that Washington is considering forcing some migrant families to remain in Texas while they await asylum processing.

This scam was tried years ago & was shot down by a judge, Abbott wrote in a late-night post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. We will send Biden the same swift justice.

The Republican governor, a fierce critic of the Democratic presidents border policies, has bused thousands of asylum seekers to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other blue cities since last year. He vowed on X to send even more buses of migrants to Washington.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, center, is joined by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, left, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, second from left, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem , second from right, and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pollen, right, during a news conference along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on Aug. 21. (Eric Gay / Associated Press)

Bidens plan, which has not been finalized, would force certain migrant families to remain in Texas or possibly other border states, tracking their locations using GPS monitoring devices such as ankle bracelets.

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But the plan has drawn the ire of immigrants advocates as well as border-state officials such as Abbott.

Migrants and their advocates have already laid out objections to the plan.

When people cross borders their human rights come with them, Marisa Limon Garza, head of the Las Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, said in a statement.

Politicians like Abbott and Biden cannot continue playing games with the lives of thousands of children and families, she added. Migrants are not hot potatoes.

Most of the migrants who have arrived in blue cities such as L.A. and New York from Texas were not bused in by Abbott; they paid their own way to cities where job opportunities are plentiful and policies make it easier to move through the world without documentation.

Punishing people seeking refuge flouts refugee law & plays into the hands of perpetrators of fear-mongering & invasion rhetoric who paint people seeking refuge as threats, Eleanor Acer, refugee protection director at Human Rights First, wrote on X.

Blankets are delivered to St. Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church in Los Angeles in June after busloads of migrants arrived from Texas. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

But as Abbott alluded to in his post, the Biden administrations plan is not without precedent.

In 1988, President Reagans Republican administration forced thousands of migrants to stay in southern Texas while they awaited asylum processing. The asylum seekers quickly set up camps in parking lots and abandoned buildings.

In January 1989, a federal judge ordered immigration officials to stop enforcing the policy while he assessed whether they had the authority to enact it, and the migrants filtered out to other parts of the country to pursue their asylum cases elsewhere.

Although the judge, Filemon B. Vela, did temporarily block immigration officials from keeping migrants in Texas that January, Abbott mischaracterized the ultimate outcome of the case.

In February 1989, after President George H.W. Bush had taken office, Vela ruled in the federal governments favor, holding that the government had the power to keep migrants in southern Texas while officials considered their asylum claims.

By that point, officials in the Republican administration had begun to shift strategies.

Instead of allowing asylum seekers to camp out in southern Texas towns while they waited on their cases, the administration formally detained them.

Single adults were held at the Port Isabel facility outside Brownsville, Texas. Families were held in a Red Cross shelter in Brownsville.

The Biden administration, however, has promised not to resume family detentions  leaving the George H.W. Bush administration strategy off the table, at least for the moment.





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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Biden administration formally asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review and overturn a ruling from a federal appeals court that would limit the availability of the common abortion pill mifepristone.

DOJs request followed a separate one made Friday by Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of the brand name Mifeprex. In its filing, the company said its drug is safe and effective, and that the appeals court decision upends FDA-approved conditions of use for the drug.

Mifepristone is widely used across the U.S. to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks of gestation, and was first approved in 2000. About half of all abortions nationwide are performed using mifepristone as the first of a two-pill regimen. It is also used to help manage miscarriages.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled in August that mifepristone  the branded drug Mifeprex and its generic counterpart  can stay on the market in states where abortion is legal, but changes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made since 2016 to ease access to the drug were not allowed because the agency did not follow proper procedure.

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In a court filing, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote that if the appeals courts decision is allowed to take effect, it would upend the regulatory regime for mifepristone, with damaging consequences for women seeking lawful abortions and a healthcare system that relies on the availability of the drug under the current conditions of use.

The conservative judges ruled FDA acted improperly when it said mifepristone can be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy rather than seven, allowed the medication to be mailed to patients, lowered the dosage, and permitted providers other than physicians to prescribe the drug.

The case seemingly marks the first time any court has restricted access to an FDA-approved drug based on disagreement with FDAs expert judgment about the conditions required to assure that drugs safe usemuch less done so after those conditions had been in effect for years and millions of people have safely used the drug, Prelogar wrote.

That decision will remain on hold until the Supreme Court decides whether to take up the case in the term that begins in October. If that happens, arguments would likely happen sometime in early 2024, with a decision coming by the summer.

The case marks the highest stakes legal battle on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.

Dancos attorney Jessica Ellsworth argued its drug Mifeprex is safe and effective, and that the Fifth Circuits decision upends FDA-approved conditions of use for the drug.

The decision raises questions about whether a single federal court can limit abortion access in the States that protect it. And it destabilizes the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries by questioning when scientific studies  accepted by FDA  are sufficient to support conditions of use, Ellsworth wrote.

For the women and teenage girls, health care providers, and States that depend on FDAs actions to ensure safe and effective reproductive health care is available, this case matters tremendously, she added.

Updated: 6:24 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This article has been updated to correct an error in Josh Cresons occupational specialty in the Army.

An activist hopes to remove a small Christian bookstore operating in an exchange mini-mall on Fort Liberty, N.C. claiming a violation of separation of church and state.

The Faith2Soar store has operated as a concessionaire in an Army and Air Force Exchange Service mall location for eight months after previously opening from kiosks.

We have no trouble with any of these stores at all if theyre in some local mall. But its about the time, place and manner. This is on U.S. military property, said Mikey Weinstein, founder of the non-profit Military Religious Freedom Foundation. We would be just as upset if it were another religion.

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Weinstein said the Constitution makes it clear that [the government] will not establish religion. This is the epitome of establishing religion, in a post exchange.

Were not stopping anybodys free exercise of religion, said Weinstein, an Air Force Academy graduate who has sparred with a series of Christian organizations and military commands for nearly two decades. His organization boasts 85,000 members, including currently serving military, veterans, civilians and others, of various faith and non-faith groups.

The obvious COMMAND endorsement and favor of fundamentalist Christianity, to the exclusion of all other faith and non-faith traditions of your subordinate U.S. Army soldiers, by the Fort Liberty command structure is unmistakable, untenable, illegal, immoral, and unethical!!, Weinstein wrote, in an Aug. 31 letter registering his complaint with Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty.

It represents the heinously un-American, unconstitutional epitome of unlawful, in-your-face, fundamentalist Christian nationalism, triumphalism, exceptionalism, domination, bullying and supremacy, Weinstein wrote.

Weinstein calls for AAFES to investigate the store, and to remove it, saying his group will exhaust all remedies.

A Fort Liberty spokesman referred questions to AAFES. The store owner, Josh Creson, said local AAFES officials had met with him to look at the items in the store since Weinsteins complaint.

No action has been taken against the store.

The Exchange has thoroughly reviewed all aspects of the issues that have been raised, said AAFES spokesman Chris Ward.

Weinstein is flat-out wrong on the law, said Mike Berry, director of military affairs at the non-profit First Liberty Institute, which is providing legal representation to the bookstore. It would be unconstitutional and illegal for the government to exclude a bookstore or any other type of business from operating in an AAFES area simply because they are a Christian or other faith-based business.

Ban on troops communicating with civil rights group clears House

Blindsided by complaint

The owner of Faith2Soar, Josh Creson, told Military Times he was blindsided by Weinsteins comments.

Weve never been approached by anyone complaining about our presence here at all. Weve received a tremendous amount of praise and appreciation from people saying they are so thankful we are here, but nothing ever negative, Creson said.

Were a for-profit organization. Were not tied to the military, he said.

Like any vendor, the company went through the process for AAFES approval to operate as a concessionaire. As with other vendors, more than 20% of their sales goes to AAFES in support of morale, welfare and recreation programs for troops and families, he said.

He also operates a store in the civilian community outside the gate, in Spring Lake. N.C..

In addition to Christianity-based products, the store also sells inspirational and self-help books on a variety of topics as well as some products related to Judaism or other religions, per requests.

Christian nationalism on base?

Weinstein described the store as Christian nationalist. Although there are varying definitions of the term Christian nationalism, the most common descriptions involve Christianity playing a dominant and institutionalized role in society, according to a survey of U.S. adults conducted in September, 2022 by the Pew Research Center.

Creson disputed Weinsteins characterization. I dont post things about politics, or argue for one religion over another, he said. While he sells patriotic items, he stressed he offers nothing negative, nothing that bashes other political parties or bashes any other religions.

Creson served in the 82nd Airborne Division, he said, and left the Army in 2004. He was a logistician in the Army, he said, and after leaving the Army, worked with a program that involved deploying linguists of multiple religions alongside military and diplomats, for almost 12 years. I believe in freedom, the right to choose your religion, he said.

We dont preach to people, or try to convert people.

First complaint

Weinstein said he was alerted to the stores existence in late August, when a soldier emailed his organization about the bookstore in an AAFES mini-mall, selling t-shirts reading Salvation is Found in JESUS and other very exclusively Christian messages.

Weinstein said he contacted a senior Army official, who told us we were being punked, that it wasnt true. He later verified the details with some of his organizations members at the post.

AAFES hasnt received any negative customer feedback specific to this concession operation, Ward said.

Authorization for concessionaires to operate in an AAFES complex is provided in a commodity concessions contract which stipulates all merchandise displayed by concessionaires should be appropriate for sale and representation in military markets, Ward said.

Asked about whether AAFES guidelines for concessionaires address religious items, Ward said AAFES products and vendors are reviewed to determine compliance with the prohibitions regarding the sale of items that are illegal, promote the use of drugs, or include words, symbols or scenes that are lewd, profane or vulgar. If a product or vendor is determined to be in violation of these restrictions, the Exchange takes corrective action.

Asked if any businesses selling religious items related to the Jewish faith, Muslim faith, or others have ever asked to be a concessionaire at a military installation  and whether AAFES sells these items inside the stores, Ward said Customer demand determines product and service availability. The Exchange provides a diverse and inclusive assortment of religious-themed merchandise.

A few examples of merchandise not authorized for sale by a concessionaire include the Confederate flag and related products, items containing racial or ethnic slurs, official military uniform items, and items that include words, symbols or scenes that are lewd, profane or vulgar.

Meanwhile, Creson said Weinsteins efforts have spurred a response that has caused him to be concerned about the safety of his family, and the negative effects on his business. Hes received vulgar phone calls, and has seen posts on social media suggesting that people damage his store.

Ive asked for prayers for the opposition, he said. We believe in the goodness of all people. We believe the way things are spiraling out of control is not good, its not healthy for anybody, especially for military men and women, he said.
Five individuals protesting against a controversial police training center were arrested after chaining themselves to a bulldozer on Thursday.

The protest comes two days after Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced a massive RICO indictment against 61 individuals they allege are militant anarchists seeking to block the Atlanta Public Safety Training Facility from being built. The five arrested who chained themselves to a bulldozer, along with roughly 25 other protestors, were able to stop construction of the site for more than an hour implementing what they referred to as a peoples stop-work order.

Activists and community members have expressed their concerns over a large training facility, which they have unaffectionately dubbed Cop City. The effort to #StopCopCity is an autonomous movement made up of individuals from various backgrounds who disapprove of the site for multiple interwoven causes  including police militarization that will likely be used unfairly against people of color, environmental harm and building the site on native land.

The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement that each of the individuals chained to the bulldozer  Lalita Martin, Timothy Sullivan, Ayeola Whitworth, David Dunn and Jeffrey Jones  were each taken into custody without incident.

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The five of them, who range across various demographics from 25 to 65 years of age, were each charged with Trespassing and Obstruction. Martin received an additional charge of Reckless Conduct.

This is a war happening against protesters, Ayeola Omolara Kaplan, one of the five activists arrested, told the Atlanta Community Press Collective in a written statement. If we dont stand up for our right to protest now, standing up in the future will be vain. Cop City is in the process of being built, and this can only continue if we allow it.

Videos circulating on social media show the chained protestors explaining what led them to protest on Thursday.

We are religious people here, guided by our faith to stand up and protect the land. We are supported by our community, which are right there. We are here with the support of not just the people, but the forest and the environmental protection movement globally, one organizer said on a video posted by the ACPC.

Sixty-one people are being charged for racketeering, another added. Whats next? You wont be able to organize to form any local group, even your local PTA. Theyre criminalizing people organizing to push back against whatever they want to do.

Protests against the facility have been ongoing for roughly two years and have received a boost in media attention after the police killing in January of Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, a 26-year-old forest defender whose nickname was Tortuguita. Organizers and community members have repeatedly faced harsh charges throughout the span of the movement.

Hannah Riley, an abolitionist organizer and writer in Atlanta, told HuffPost on the phone Thursday that she commends the bravery of the activists who put their bodies on the line while participating in the movement, most recently those who chained themselves to the bulldozer.

I think direct action like that is incredibly brave. The diversity of tactics fighting Cop City, which includes really putting your body on the line, whether youre living in the trees that you hope to defend or chaining yourself to the violent machines that are trying to uproot the trees, I find that incredibly brave, especially given that it happened mere hours after a very clearly political indictment of over 60 people, Riley said.

Riley also slammed the recent indictment, calling it an embarrassing legal document that is nakedly political.

The RICO charges against the 61 individuals essentially liken the autonomous, multipronged movement to the mafia, which the charges are primarily used against. Recently, the state also used the same charges in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 other alleged co-conspirators.

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Spanish climate activists sprayed red paint across a superyacht owned by billionaire Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie in Barcelona on Friday, the second time the yacht has been the target of protests in the past two months.

Two activists from the climate groups Scientist Rebellion and Extinction Rebellion accessed Marina Port Vell, a dock for superyachts, at 7 a.m. local time on Friday, according to a spokesperson for the organization.

They sprayed biodegradable red paint onto the superyacht before unfurling a banner reading: Billionaires should not exist.

At the end of another exceptional summer in terms of record temperatures and extreme weather events, the richest 1% of people on the planet continue to pollute more than the poorest 50%. Mega-yachts are one of the most obvious examples of a lifestyle that is unsustainable for the planet, the spokesperson said in a statement.

The Walmart heiress Nancy Walton's megayacht was spray painted this morning by climate activists in Marina Port Vell, Barcelona . - Scientist Rebellion

A spokesperson for Marina Port Vell said that the boat had not been damaged in Fridays action.

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After a quick action on behalf of the security team, the incident has been corrected and the boat is now in a perfect state, the spokesperson told CNN.

The activists were detained by police at the marina for three hours before being released, according to a spokesperson for Scientist Rebellion. CNN has contacted the Port Police for comment.

Lauries yacht was also targeted in Ibiza in July. Activists from the environmental group Futuro Vegetal sprayed the yacht with red and black paint and held up a banner reading: You Consume Others Suffer.

The luxuries enjoyed by the worlds wealthiest people  from superyachts to private jets  are increasingly the focus of climate protests because of their heavy climate impact.

Extinction Rebellion has pledged to target the super wealthy, saying they want to make it clear that the rich and their leisure activities that waste essential resources are a luxury that we cannot afford.

Americas wealthiest people are some of the worlds biggest polluters, according to a recent report, which found that Americas richest 10% are responsible for almost half of the countrys planet-heating pollution.

The Barcelona protest comes the same week as scientists revealed this summer was the planets hottest on record by a significant margin.

Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service which produced the data, said the world should expect these records to be broken again and again.

The scientific evidence is overwhelming  we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until we stop emitting greenhouse gases, she said in a statement.

CNNs Mitchell McCluskey contributed reporting

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FILE - Israel Adesanya reacts after knocking out Alex Pereira in their middleweight title match during the UFC 287 event at the Kaseya Center on April 8, 2023, in downtown Miami. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP, File)

SYDNEY (AP)  Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya will have some Southern Hemisphere support when he takes on American title challenger Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 on Sunday.

The fight at Sydney Olympic Park's Qudos Bank Arena  across the Tasman Sea from Adesanya's base in New Zealand  will give the middleweight champion an opportunity to add a submission, or tap out, to his fight results repertoire.

A submission sees an opponent verbally concede the match due to pain or to avoid further injury. Adesanyas 26 professional mixed martial arts fights include 16 wins by knockout and eight via decision (along with two losses), but none by submission.

What do I want in my career? Submission, I definitely want a submission, Adesanya told media this week. It might be this fight. I know hes going to wrestle. Hed be dumb not to. I know hes going to try and mix it up. Hes doing this whole thing, Man dance, man dance."

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Its the first time since 2017 that a UFC fight has been held in Australias largest city, and the second UFC card in Australia this year.

In February at Perth, Western Australia, Islam Makhachev defied a sustained challenge from Alexander Volkanovski to maintain his supremacy in the lightweight division.

In the lead-up to the title bout  which is timed to coincide with Saturday night in the lucrative pay-per-view TV market in North America  the 32-year-old Strickland, with a record of 27-5, has claimed he is happy to stand and box with Adesanya, although he believes his best chance is by wrestling with the champ.

Adesanya and Strickland don't like each other much  both have traded barbs in the past. At UFC 276 in Paradise, Nevada in 2022, they were only a short distance away from each other, yelling, which started what has become a healthy rivalry.

Should Adesanya win on Sunday, there are a few question marks as to who he will fight next.

The 34-year-old Adesanya was set to take on Dricus du Plessis after he beat Robert Whittaker in a No. 1 contender match, but the South African turned down the UFC 293 fight, citing more recovery time needed and allowing Strickland to earn the call-up.

Adesanya criticized du Plessis for not taking the chance to fight for the title  "he (du Plessis) doesnt call the shots, I do.

STRICKLAND CONTROVERSY

Outside of the hexagon, the UFC fight made news in the New South Wales state legislature, where the leading government lawmaker was forced to defend his states payment of about $10 million to help ensure the UFC event came to Sydney.

Strickland made sexist and misogynistic comments during a media conference this week, echoing comments he's made previously.

Premier Chris Minns described the comments as absolutely appalling. But he said the entire sport could not be tarnished by obnoxious comments from one fighter.

Theres millions of people that love the sport, that follow it and dont hold those views at all, Minns said Thursday.

HEAVYWEIGHTS ON MAIN CARD

The heavyweight bout between 30-year-old Sydney-born Tai Tuivasa and Russian Alexander Volkov, 34, is also on the main card and will precede the title fight. Tuivasa is 15-5 after having lost his last two fights and Volkov is 36-10.

Also on the main card: Manel Kape vs. Felipe dos Santos; Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane; Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
This article was originally published in New Jersey Monitor.

As New Jersey students returned to classrooms this week, the number of them eligible for free or reduced school breakfast and lunch jumped  and hunger insecurity advocates are eyeing ways to make those meals free for all children.

We are hopeful  since New Jersey has done so much and really led the way in addressing hunger and food insecurity  that in this next legislative session, they can get a school-meals-for-all bill passed, said Lisa Pitz of Hunger Free New Jersey.

About 26,000 new students became eligible for the free breakfast and lunch program this school year thanks to a bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law last September. Thats in addition to the more than 395,000 children who received free or reduced breakfast and lunch between 2019 and 2020, the most recently available data.

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The law, known as the Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act, expanded eligibility to families who earn 200% of the federal poverty level. That translates to households with three children earning $46,060 maximum, or for those with two children, $36,620.

It also requires all school districts to provide a free school breakfast and lunch program and to publicize its availability to their communities.

While experts applauded the new law, signed soon after pandemic-era federal programs providing free lunches expired, nutrition experts and food hunger advocates want to see more action from state lawmakers.

Theres definitely interest at the state level in going for a universal meals program for the state. Its just a matter of getting everyone on board and finding the will to do it, said Sal Valenza, public policy chair for the New Jersey School Nutrition Association.

The Assembly passed a bill (A5684) in June that would further expand eligibility for free and reduced school meals for the 2024-25 school year. The bill would also require the creation of a task force that would study school food security issues and recommend state- and federal-level action.

Related

Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Students or Just a Band-Aid?

A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex), a prime sponsor of the legislation, said he believes every child should have access to meals at school, and the bill advanced in June will put New Jersey on the path to accomplish that goal.

The bill still needs to advance in the state Senate, where it has yet to be heard in committee. It is expected to cost the state about $57 million.

A more expansive bill that would phase in free school lunches for all students by 2028 advanced out of an Assembly committee in June but did not win full approval before the Legislature went on its summer recess. Under that bill, which is estimated to cost the state more than $500 million after its phased in, New Jersey would join a handful of other states to provide free school meals for all students. Last month, Massachusetts officials made school lunches available to all public school students regardless of income level.

But New Jersey would be an outlier by using the phase-in approach, noted Pitz.

Really, the time to act on this is now, she said. We dont ask our kids to pay for their textbooks or when they take the bus. School meals should just be part of their school day so that all kids can learn and grow to their full potential.

Related

New Data Shows 7% Drop in Students Accessing School Lunches Last Year

New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com. Follow New Jersey Monitor on Facebook and Twitter.
The first time I realized how the world saw me, at least age-wise, occurred during the pandemic lockdown, when news reports were full of stories about people who were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. That set included older adults. In my mind older adults meant all those with a chronological age that exceeded mine by at least 10 years.

Science disagreed. I discovered that I belonged to the oldsters, the elders, the seniors, the golden-agers. I was shocked. Shocked, I tell you. The sudden comeuppance felt totally gratuitous.

I protested loudly to The Hubby: How can I be old? I feel fine. I look fine. ImIm middle-aged, thats all. He laughed and welcomed me, not without some smugness, to reality. And reality, as we all learn sooner or later, can be merciless.

Lately Ive been thinking about my pandemic revelation  and my reluctance to accept it  because the subject of aging, particularly as it relates to our politicians, has been in the news a lot. In another era, our two leading presidential candidates would have been retired instead of stumping for office. And the senate minority leader, along with one of the senators from California, wouldve been enjoying stress-free weekends with their family in retirement.

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Joe Biden holds the distinction of being the oldest president elected. Hes currently 80 years of age. On Inauguration Day 2025 hed clock in at 82 and would be 86 at the end of his second term. The four-time indicted Donald Trump is no youngster at 77. If he runs and wins, hed be 78 during inauguration and 82 by the end of his second term.

Lots of voters consider those ages too old for the highest office in the land. While there are minimum age requirements for federally elected offices, theres no maximum. This likely happened because past generations were dying younger, though people didnt necessarily retire earlier.

Bringing up age might sound, well, ageist, but we only have to look at the recent physical and cognitive issues of two politicians to reconsider. For the second time in five weeks, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, 81, froze for several seconds when asked a question by reporters. His aides have used all kinds of excuses  a bout of lightheadedness being the latest  but no one is buying that. At 90, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is not running for reelection in 2024 but has been adamant about serving out her current term, in spite of various ailments that made her miss months (and votes) in Washington.

So how old is too old too old to run for office? To stay in a job? To look in the mirror and lie to yourself?

In my totally unscientific poll, the answers depend a lot on the age of responder. Younger people, millennials and Gen Xers, resent how the rest of us cling to spots that should go to those climbing up the ladder. One older-millennial family member, for instance, stayed on a job for almost five years expecting to land his bosss title once the old man retired. The boss didnt, not even after completing his 72nd rotation around the sun, and my relative took his talents elsewhere.

His take: Boomers need to move out of the way and make room for others. I suspect thats the feeling of U.S. voters who view Washington, D.C., as a city of doddering politicos.

But back to the debate about how old we think we are and how old others see us. Ive long thought of old age as a moving target. Every birthday pushed the threshold farther. Sixty was the new 40, and all that. Im not so sure anymore.

Many friends also insist age is about attitude, not a number, but watching the cringe-worthy performances of those who stick around too long, I wonder if were kidding ourselves. I wonder if a youth-obsessed society has led us to believe that we can defy the calendar forever.

Ana Veciana-Suarez writes about family and social issues. Email her at avecianasuarez@gmail.com or visit her website anavecianasuarez.com. Follow @AnaVeciana.
If youve caught any of Ahsoka, Disney+s latest Star Wars series, youve likely already heard the name Thrawn. In the show, somebody name drops the mysterious villain every five minuteswhich doesnt make for the most compelling viewing, but it does make Ahsoka one of the most important series for the franchises near future.

With creator Dave Filoni confirming to Empire Magazine that Thrawn will be the antagonist in his upcoming Star Wars movie, Ahsoka appears to be the point at which all the disparate parts of Disneys Star Wars catalog begins to cohere and move toward a single endpoint. Thrawn becoming Star Wars next Big Bad also means it might be time to get your Thrawn homework done.

If, however, you dont have time to read six books about Thrawn and watch 75 episodes of Star Wars Rebels to get caught up, dont worry. We let the captive nerds at The Daily Beast out of their cages to answer all your most pressing Thrawn questions.

Everything You Need to Know Before Watching Ahsoka

Who even is Grand Admiral Thrawn?

Thrawn first appears in Heir to the Empire, Timothy Zahn s 1991 bestseller that continues the story of Star Wars beyond Return of the Jedi. Set a few years after the fall of the Empire, the novel sets Luke, Leia, and Han Solo against the Imperial remnants under the command of Thrawnreal name, Mitthrawnuruodo. The fall of the Empire left Thrawn mostly unscathed, thanks to being stationed in the Outer Rim. As the New Republic pushes the Imperial remnants further and further back, however, Thrawn is able to muster and codify whats left into a new offensivealbeit with the help of some clonesbefore hes ultimately killed by his own bodyguard and his forces sent into retreat.

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Though Heir to the Empire and its sequels are no longer considered canon following Disneys acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, Zahn has expanded Thrawns story in a new, canonical book trilogy dubbed The Thrawn Ascendency. According to these books, Thrawn hails from the Unknown Regions, a vast, inhospitable tract of space on the Galactic Rim. Hes a member of the isolationist Chiss, who, in the best Star Wars tradition, are just humans painted blue and with red contact lenses. Despite his military acumen, Thrawns belief in striking first leads to his expulsion from the Chiss Ascendency and, ultimately, to Palpatine.

Realizing his potential, Palpatine welcomes him into the Empire. Thanks to his familiarity with the Unknown Regions, Thrawn quickly rises through the ranks. So instrumental is he in the Empires plans that, in one of the tie-in comics, Palpatine suggests that if he was at hand during the final stages of the Galactic Civil War he may have proven the difference against the Rebels.

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Why do I know that name?

The Dave Filoni era of live-action Star Wars is built on one basic tenet: If you name drop it, they will comeas demonstrated in the Ahsoka Episode 4 cliffhanger, in which Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) just turns up. This reliance on fan service sees peopleoften Jediwalking around with their arms folded, throwing out names only especially dedicated fans will care about. Thats no different for Thrawn, who got his moment in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian. There, Ahsoka fights Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and demands, Where is your master? Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?

The thread is expanded in The Mandalorians third season when Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) meets with the Shadow Council. This group of Imperial leftovers also includes the father of General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), Brendol Hux (played by Domhnalls younger brother, Brian Gleeson), because one name drop at a time isnt enough anymore. Thrawns henchman, Captain Pallaeon (Xander Berkeley), reassures Moff Gideon that Thrawn will return to reinvigorate the fractured Imperial remnants and send them to battle against the New Republic. Gideon appears unconvinced, but given we know Thrawn is getting a film of his own, its all but certain.

Sabine Wren, the Real Star of Ahsoka, Is a Giant Mystery

Where have we seen Thrawn before?

After Disney exiled him from Star Wars canon, Thrawn re-emerged in the official continuity in Dave Filonis Star Wars Rebels, where hes voiced by Lars Mikkelson (who also plays him in Ahsoka). Here, hes the principal antagonist for Jedi Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray) and his Ghost Crew, including Hera Syndulla (voiced by Vanessa Marshall and played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in live-action) and Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar).

Thrawn runs into Hera on Ryloth and is influential, though not present, in the Battle for Mandalore. But the major conflict comes on Lothal, where we find Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in the first episode of Ahsoka.

The Battle of Lothal takes place shortly before A New Hope and sees Thrawn trying to deal with the Ghost Crew once and for all, and deliver Bridger to the Emperor. Bridger, however, helped by the Force, persuades space-whales to yeet Thrawns flagship, the Chimaera, into hyperspace with Thrawn and Bridger on board. Where to, exactly? No one knowsexcept whoever drew a map and left it lying around for Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) to find. This both sets up why Thrawn wasnt present in the Original Trilogy in canon and sets up the events of Ahsoka, in which Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Wren race to find Thrawn before he can return and revitalize the Empire.

Disney+

Why does any of this matter?

Filonis live-action Star Wars series thus far tend to deal with the same themes over and over again. Namely, the New Republic is toothless and ripe for the rise of the Empire from within. Which is whats going to happen, likely in the especially unstable Outer Rim; it appears ready to fall into space-fascism at any moment. All of this, it turns out, has been leading to Thrawn.

It makes Ahsoka the startpoint of an overarching narrative that sets up Filonis Star Wars movie. That means youre out of luck if youre hoping Ahsoka will have some resolution. Thrawns slated to appear in the show, but hes got some heavy plot armor (and possibly clones) to make sure hes still available later on.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Finale: Our Biggest Lingering Questions

This is also not good news if you found the straight copy of the Empire and Death Star found in J.J. Abrams First Order uninspiring. It looks like, mashed between the fall of the Empire and rise of the First Order, were going to have another go with Thrawn at its head. This time, however, the Empire will be facing down against The Mandalorian (whoever that refers to by then), Ahsoka, and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) in an Avengers-style showdown.

It all feels very Disney, doesnt it? Like with the MCU, missing one of Disney+s Star Wars shows is now going to mean you miss a step on the way to Thrawn. With the MCUs overarching multiversal narrative already leaving fans cold, the fan service laden road to Thrawn may be just as boring. When that road ends, however, is far from certain. The bad guys set off into hyperspace to retrieve him at the end of the latest episode of Ahsoka, and with Episode 5 heading to theaters, we might be in for a big reveal. But given the pace at which this show travels, were more likely to get a glimpse of the back of Thrawns head than actually meet him. So, maybe next week? But whatever comes next, you can be sure it all hinges on Thrawnexcept Andor Season 2, that is.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The fifth and sixth lawyers to represent Donald Johnson, the 58-year-old Porter resident accused of more than a dozen counts of securities fraud, were granted their motion to withdraw as his legal counsel Friday morning in a Zoom hearing before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffery Clymer.

Its readily apparent to the court that there has been an absolute breakdown between the defendant and his current lawyers, Clymer said at the beginning of the hearing. It is also readily apparent at this point that theres not going to be an acquittal, theres not going to be a plea.

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To that point, Johnson maintains his lawyers Julie Treida and Bob Hammerle did not perform their due diligence and tried to force him into a plea deal that he did not agree to and made a motion to have them return their $150,000 fee. Clymer denied the motion.

He also denied a Motion to Reconsider filed by Johnson asking Clymer to reconsider his third Motion to Dismiss.

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I believe strongly in my motion to dismiss, Clymer said.

Also present were Lake County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Rooda, who is serving as special prosecutor, and Gabriel Brown of the Indiana Securities Division.

Johnson was initially charged in Porter Superior Court in March 2014 with 14 counts related to securities fraud, Class C felonies at the time. Two months later he was charged with one count of forgery, also a Class C felony, and two counts of theft, Class D felonies, in a related case.

The allegations date back to 2007 and include multiple victims who allege the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate investments when they did not get the returns they were promised by Johnson, nor return of their initial investments. Clymer pointed out that Treida and Hammerle were successful in petitioning the Indiana Court of Appeals to throw out two of the 17 counts. They have benefitted you, he told Johnson.

Johnson tried to explain what his specific complaints were against his lawyers.

My attorneys havent prepared. They havent done depositions with my witnesses, he said.

Clymer explained that he didnt want to know any details, because if Johnson is convicted, he will be the one sentencing him, and should not be prejudiced by any information that should be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Johnson finally chose to represent himself.

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Im the one who knows the case, he said. I feel like I have a better chance than an attorney thats unwilling to do the work.

Johnson balked at the trial time frame. A final pre-trial hearing has been set for 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6 and the trial will begin on Monday, Nov. 13.

Only two months left, Im supposed to do it all myself, or a public defender who has a heavy caseload and only gets a couple hundred dollars, Johnson said.

Clymer said he will stress two points with the jury at that time: that Johnson enjoys a presumption of innocence during the trial, and that the state bears the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt Johnsons guilt.

He also advised Johnson that he could opt for a public defender at any time, though the sooner the better, to allow a new attorney as much time to prepare as possible. If you are convicted of Class C felonies, you could be sentenced to years in the Indiana Penitentiary. Years. This is a serious case.

Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The Air Force plans to roll out online promotion testing for mid-level enlisted airmen starting in January 2024, the Air Forces personnel chief said Friday.

The long-awaited change is a leap into the digital age for Weighted Airman Promotion System, or WAPS, exams, which judge whether staff sergeants and technical sergeants are ready to advance to the next rank.

We are finally, after years and years and years of trying to do this, getting rid of the Scantrons, Lt. Gen. Caroline Miller, deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, told Air Force Times in an exclusive interview.

Weighted Airman Promotion System tests quiz potential promotees on their own career field and on the Air Force more broadly, including its regulations, customs and history. Those scores are combined with other factors, like their military decorations and performance reviews, to determine whether they make the cutoff for promotion.

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Online promotion tests for enlisted airmen are coming soon

The Air Force processes more than 120,000 of the tests each year.

Officials hope the move will streamline the process of administering and grading those tests and make it easier to track the related data. Computer-based tests also avoid the slip-ups that can happen when filling out forms by hand, and cant be misplaced or lost in the mail.

In 2024, airmen will take the paperless exams at testing sites across the Air Force or at locations run by educational testing company Pearson VUE, Miller said. The service is working through final steps to ensure some installations can handle the switch, she said, but the initiative is about 99% ready to go.

Miller said it will still take time to validate test results, so airmen wont see their score pop up on a screen when theyre done. But a brief message will hint at how airmen fared.

When they finish their tests  they will get, Hey, maybe you should have studied in the history area, she said.

Its unclear whether the service will offer paper copies of Weighted Airman Promotion System tests as a backup option in case of technical difficulties. Leaders have voiced concerns about connectivity and access to computers at some of the Air Forces overseas bases and more remote outposts.

To get comfortable with online testing, the Air Force first transitioned its Air Force Officer Qualifying Test  a standardized exam used to select applicants for commissioning programs like Officer Training School and the Reserve Officer Training Corps  to Pearson VUEs online platform.

That has offered a blueprint for moving the larger Weighted Airman Promotion System program to the digital realm.

Thats going to be a huge win, Miller said of e-testing. It seems so simple, but its so not.

Air Force leaders frequently bemoan the lack of digital testing. Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, the services previous personnel chief, had wanted a plan for online tests in place by the end of 2021.

The fact that were not electronic testing, I think, makes all of us as senior leaders absolutely crazy, Kelly said in June 2021.

His comments followed an incident in which a mail carrier with a contract to ship Weighted Airman Promotion System papers cross-country misplaced nearly 90 airmens finished answer sheets when moving them from Maryland and Arizona to Texas. Those staff sergeants were allowed to retake the test.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, the services top enlisted leader, also has acknowledged that airmen are clamoring for online tests but cautioned against the pitfalls of moving too quickly.

Rolling out new systems and IT platforms is not anything brand new to anybody, Bass said in 2022. We need to be a little bit more thoughtful  and ensure that our airmen have all the tools that they need.
Ukrainian authorities have reported that an air-raid warning has been issued in most oblasts due to the threat of missile attacks.

Source: alerts.in.ua; Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram

Quote from Air Force: "There is a threat of missile attacks in the oblasts where an air-raid warning has been issued!"

Details: An air-raid warning was issued in the city of Kyiv at 08:55, then was quickly extended to the country's north, centre and east.

Oleksandr Vilkul, Head of Kryvyi Rih City Council, reported at 09:03 that an explosion had rung out in the city.

Update: The all-clear was given in most oblasts at 09:15. The threat is ongoing only in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
An Alabama woman was sentenced to a year behind bars after prosecutors say she violated her Black neighbors civil rights.

In 2019, according to the Department of Justice, 64-year-old- Cheryl Lynn Pytleski displayed racially offensive homemade dolls on the neighbors fence to intimidate the neighbor and force them to move out of the neighborhood.

Prosecutors say Cheryl Lynn Pytleski hung up the dolls to intimate her neighbors. (WDHN/ Youtube screenshot)

Prosecutors said that Pytleski admitted to targeting the neighbors due to their race. She pleaded guilty to a criminal violation of the Fair Housing Act in March. She was handed down her 12-month sentence on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Related: Treated Her Like She Was a Dog: Missing Atlanta-Area Social Media Influencer Found Dead Near Site of Her Burning Car Was One Semester Away from Graduating College

A person violates the Fair Housing Act if he or she uses force, or threatens the use of force, to willfully injure, intimidate, or interfere with, any person because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, who is or has been engaged in the selling, purchasing, renting, financing, occupying, or contracting or negotiating for the sale, purchase, rental, financing, or occupation of any dwelling, the DOJ said in a press release.

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As WDHN reported in 2019, the incident happened in Ozark, Alabama, about 86 miles from Montgomery. Photos obtained by the outlet show the words Boo Hoo and KKK painted on the dolls.

It dont take a genius to see a black doll, with a rope around its neck, hanging from a post or a tree with KKK, one resident told WDHN at the time.

Pytleski reportedly tied the dolls in a way that made it difficult for them to be removed. Reports show the dolls were displayed for several weeks before they could be completely taken down.

Herring said she then put up a display with a cry baby on it after the police ordered that the racist dolls be removed.

Recently, in a separate incident, residents in a Montgomery neighborhood said their property was vandalized with racial slurs and swastikas.

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The state of Alaska is suing the Biden administration over its decision to reinstate protections from logging for a national forest in the state.

The Biden administration restored the protections on more than 9 million acres that were rolled back under the Trump administration in January, citing biodiversity and climate change in its reasoning.

On Friday, Alaska officials announced they would challenge that decision to protect economic development in their state.

Alaskans deserve access to the resources that the Tongass provides  jobs, renewable energy resources, and tourism, not a government plan that treats human beings within a working forest like an invasive species, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) said in a statement.

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The Tongass National Forest, in the southeastern part of the state, is the countrys largest national forest and is home to wildlife including eagles, bears and salmon. It also stores significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

The protections on certain parts of the forest were first put forward at the end of the Clinton administration in 2001.

The rule has been highly partisan over the years, and its status has ping-ponged during different administrations.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In mid-2023, Justice Samuel Alito met twice with a lawyer who later wrote two op-eds defending him.

The attorney, David Rivkin Jr., is closely connected to a case the court agreed to hear in June.

On Friday, Alito said he's refusing to recuse himself from the upcoming case.

In an official court statement published Friday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitodeclined to recuse himself from an upcoming case after he met with a lawyer involved in it for hours as part of a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Attached to the Supreme Court's list of orders and rehearings, Alito wrote that there was "no valid reason for my recusal" in the upcoming Moore v. United States case. He said that if Supreme Court justices recused themselves every time a case arose before the court alongside an attorney who's a longtime acquaintance, former clerk, or former colleague, "we would regularly have less than a full bench, and the Court's work would be substantially disrupted and distorted."

Alito continued, noting that that several of the high court's justices  both conservative and liberal  have also frequently participated in interviews with reporters from various news outlets, despite those very same outlets occasionally bringing cases before the court.

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Alito's formal statement comes months after Alito met with a Wall Street Journal reporter and attorney David Rivkin Jr. on two separate occasions for interviews that resulted in two intricate op-eds pushing back against allegations of ethical impropriety in the high court and detailing the consequences of the court overturning Roe v. Wade's abortion protections in 2022.

In one of the pieces, Alito said that Congress had absolutely no authority to even attempt to put ethical guideposts in place for the Supreme Court, defying the often-mentioned checks-and-balances system as part of the US government's three coequal branches.

"I know this is a controversial view, but I'm willing to say it," Alito said. "No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court  period."

While it's usually not controversial for a politician or judge to speak to a reporter, Alito has faced rampant criticism from Democratic detractors in recent months for the two Wall Street Journal op-eds given that one of its authors, Rivkin, represents one of the parties in the case and was even listed on its original writ of certiorari in February.

Following the release of the two opinion pieces, a group of Democratic senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent Chief Justice John Roberts a letter asking him to push Alito to recuse himself from the Moore v. United States case. They claimed that helping Alito "air his personal grievances" in two separate interviews with Rivkin, "could cast doubt on Justice Alito's ability to fairly discharge his duties in a case in which Mr. Rivkin represents one of the parties."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito on Friday rejected calls to recuse from a major tax case after he sat down for two interviews with an attorney involved in the case.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and others had called for Alito to step aside from the case after The Wall Street Journals opinion section published the interviews.

In the wide-ranging interviews, Alito told David Rivkin, the attorney, as well as an editor at the Journal who attended the interview that the Supreme Court bar should be defending him from recent ethics attacks and that Congress had no authority to regulate the court.

Durbin then sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts demanding Alitos recusal from Rivkins upcoming case at the high court.

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Because this case is scheduled to be heard soon, and because of the attention my planned participation in this case has already received, I respond to these concerns now, Alito wrote in a four-page statement Friday.

There is no valid reason for my recusal in this case, Alito continued.

Alito and several other justices have come under intense scrutiny in recent months as reports surfaced about undisclosed trips and other ethics controversies.

Alito regularly recuses himself from cases when he has financial investments with one of the parties. But as the recent controversies spurred demands for Alito to recuse from multiple other cases, the justice has been forcefully pushing back.

In Moore v. United States, the Supreme Court is set to decide this term whether a repatriation tax enacted as part of the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act is constitutional.

Rivkin represents the plaintiffs attempting to convince the justices that the tax runs afoul of the 16th Amendment.

Senator Durbins request for my recusal is presumably based on the theory that my vote in Moore will be affected in some way by the content of the articles that resulted from the interviews, but that theory fundamentally misunderstands the circumstances under which Supreme Court Justices must work, Alito wrote.

We have no control over the attorneys whom parties select to represent them, and as a result, we are often presented with cases in which one of the attorneys has spoken favorably or unfavorably about our work or character, he added. Similarly, we regularly receive briefs filed by or on behalf of Members of Congress who have either supported or opposed our confirmations, or who have made either favorable or unfavorable comments about us or our work.

The recent ethics controversies have fueled a push among Democrats to pass a bill that would require the justices to adopt a binding code of ethics. Republicans, meanwhile, have attacked the effort as a pretext to tear down the Supreme Courts conservative majority, giving the bill slim odds of passage.

Alito came under controversy in particular after ProPublica in June reported about an undisclosed fishing trip the justice took to Alaska in 2008, including that his private flight was provided by a billionaire hedge fund owner whose interests later came before the court.

Justice Alito, of the originalist school of thinking that empty seats on an airplane dont count as gifts, surprises no one by sitting on a case involving a lawyer who honored him with a puff piece in the Wall Street Journal, Durbin pushed back in a statement later Friday. Why do these Justices continue to take a wrecking ball to the reputation of the highest court in the land?

The justice has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he was not required to disclose the trip. In his later interview with Rivkin at the Wall Street Journal, Alito called recent stories about him nonsense.

In his Friday statement, Alito said there was nothing out of the ordinary about the interviews, noting that other justices have participated in interviews with media outlets who have had cases come before the high court.

Similarly, many of my colleagues have been interviewed by attorneys who have also practiced in this Court, and some have co-authored books with such attorneys. Those interviews did not result in or require recusal, he wrote.

Updated: 4:26 p.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A new school year has arrived, and yet the nationwide teacher shortage  which first cropped up early in the Covid-19 pandemic  persists. To that end, the issue has come under increased scrutiny in Florida, where headline after headline has telegraphed the lack of educators, as well as disagreement between the Florida Education Association and the state's Department of Education over whether such a problem exists. If you ask the teachers union, the teacher shortage is everpresent and worsening. But if you ask the governor's office or reference the DOE numbers, Florida is dealing with no such thing. What's going on?

How bad is the alleged shortage?

As of Aug. 10, the Florida Education Association had counted about 7,000 teaching vacancies  up roughly 1,000 from last year and 5,000 support staff vacancies across the state. "Florida is dealing with, if not the worst, one of the worst teacher shortage situations in the nation," Andrew Spar, president of the FEA, told Tampa Bay's Fox 13 last month. Meanwhile, however, the state's Department of Education claimed on Aug. 15 that there had been an 8% drop in vacancies year-over-year, which it said went from 5,208 to 4,776 between the start of the 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 school years.

Tuan Nguyen, a Kansas State University professor who studies the teacher labor market, told the Orlando Sentinel that the differing data is likely due in part to the timing of each count.

What is behind an apparent shortage?

Spar attributes the chaos to both outside politics and poor teacher pay, he told Fox 13. "While beginning teacher pay has improved significantly over the last few years, you can't bring people in and not continue to allow for growth in pay because they will leave. And that's what we're seeing," he told the outlet. As of at least April of 2023, Florida was ranked 48th in the nation in teacher pay, CBS News reported per an analysis from the National Education Association.

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And in regard to politics, Spar told Axios Miami that state educators are feeling hopeless after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) passed a myriad of state laws limiting what can and can't be discussed in classrooms and schools. Teachers are asking, "Are these books allowed? Can I get books that my kids will relate to? Is my teaching permitted? What if a parent complains?" he said. Added United Teachers of Dade president Karla Hernandez-Mats: "There is enthusiasm but there is apprehension and confusion."

What laws are teachers up in arms about?

Well, there is the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, or "Don't Say Gay" bill, which has now been expanded to prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms from kindergarten through eighth grade. The law also restricts reproductive health education through 12th grade, prohibits schools from requiring that students and employees refer to one another with their preferred pronouns, should they differ from those they were assigned at birth, and bars trans employees from sharing their preferred pronouns with students.

In 2021, the Florida Board of Education banned the education of concepts related to "critical race theory." In 2022, DeSantis signed the so-called Stop WOKE Act, intended to further restrict how racism can be taught in schools and by employers. Among other provisions, the law "prohibits instruction that could make students feel responsibility for or guilt about the past actions of other members of their race," The New York Times reported. As a result of the law, the state put a stop to an AP African American studies course in January 2023.

Meanwhile, school administrators and librarians have preemptively pulled books on race and gender from their libraries rather than risk non-compliance, and have even been instructed to teach middle schoolers that "slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit."

How might things get better?

Certain Florida counties, like Hillsborough and Pasco, might be able to provide a roadmap; both have seen a drop in vacancies between this year and last, and Georgia Papaemanuel, the recruitment manager at Pasco Schools, associated the improvement with a recent tax referendum that raised teacher salaries, wrote Fox 13. "I can report that has to have a direct correlation to why we have 150 or more or less openings issue than we did a year ago at this time," he said.

What does DeSantis have to say about this?

The governor's office rejects the numbers from FEA, the statewide teacher's union, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz told the Orlando Sentinel in August. They are a "complete myth," he said. Notably, however, when Diaz first announced the numbers, he shared them not through the state's Department of Education but with the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, thereby "highlighting the issue's political implications," the Sentinal reported.

Though Nguyen, the professor, said he doesn't have a reason to doubt the numbers from Florida's Education Department, research does suggest the state needs more teachers. "There are lots of things that are going on in Florida that probably aren't that appealing to people who might join the profession," he said.

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MIDDLESEX, N.J. (WPIX)  An alligator spotted lurking in a New Jersey park two weeks ago was finally captured on Thursday, officials said.

The alligator was discovered in front of a home in Piscataway around 10 p.m., which is around 400 yards southwest from where the animal was first spotted, according to the Middlesex Borough Police Department.

Multiple state departments were brought in to Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex to search for the animal, estimated to be around 4 feet long. The gator was first spotted on Aug. 25 in Ambrose Brook, which prompted the all-hands-on-deck search mission.

Mother charged in in 4-decade-old Baby Mary cold case

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Some Middlesex residents said they were hoping to see the animal. Police had urged the public not to approach the alligator and to notify authorities immediately if it was spotted.

You can tell by the people out here. They are excited. We finally made the news for something, said resident Francis Sweeney.

There was also brief speculation that the elusive alligator may have died after a police officer reportedly fired a shot at the animal and it hadnt been seen since. The gator submerged after the shot was fired, but it was unclear if it was hit, authorities had said at the time.

The reptile was taken to Cape May County Zoo, police said. It remains unclear how the alligator ended up in the New Jersey suburb.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
No Return

Grindr seems to have played itself by giving its employees a return-to-office ultimatum  and nearly half of those employees responded by quitting.

As Wired reports, management at the popular queer and trans hookup app issued a stark turnaround from its previous commitment to remote work when they gave workers an abrupt notice: pledge within two weeks to return to work in person at the company's offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco at least two days out of the week, or be laid off.

A bunch of those employees weren't having it, and as representatives from the Grindr union told Wired, 82 out of the company's 178 employees  or a staggering 46 percent of its total staff  decided to quit in response to the policy that would have required relocation for many. Many more who did not sign the pledge will face termination next year during the second phase of the policy's rollout, employees said.

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In other words, the fracas is a perfect illustration of post-pandemic workplace dynamics in tech and beyond, as bosses are lobbing increasingly draconian return to office demands at workers who've been accustomed to a more flexible arrangement.

Bust Up

Strikingly, the announcement of the hard-lined policy came just two weeks after staff announced that they were unionizing with the Communication Workers of America. As one of the remaining employees pointed out, nine out of the 11 union organizing committee members were forced out by the policy announcement.

Unsurprisingly, the Grindr union is peeved. The CWA is filing multiple unfair labor practice charges against Grindr on their behalf, including one that alleges the return to office policy  which was a dramatic departure from the company ownership's previous commitment to remote work, which was reinforced as recently as June  was a union-busting tactic.

Grindr employees told Wired that in spite of relocation stipends, the company requiring employees not based in Chicago, LA or SF to move is hypocritical in the current anti-LGBTQ political climate.

Robin, a trans Grindr employee who asked Wired to use a pseudonym and for their location to be withheld for fear of retribution from the company for speaking out, said the in-person work mandate put them in an impossible position: to either leave a queer workplace that "felt like a breath of fresh air" or to leave their support network, which includes doctors who provide them with gender-affirming care.

Ultimately, they decided to walk  and their other trans coworkers who would have had to move chose not to stay with the company either, which "shows a disparate impact on a marginalized class of workers," Robin said.

"Demanding that LGBTQ+ people move for their jobs in this political environment conflicts so much with Grindrs mission," they told Wired, "that its close to its users, that its a part of the community."

More on remote work: Forcing Workers Back to the Office Might Not Have Been a Good Idea After All
UK intelligence noted the vital importance of agricultural trade for Ukraine, saying that alternative routes are unlikely to match the capacity of exports across the Black Sea.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence review on 8 September, as European Pravda reported

Details: The agency noted that the successful export of Ukrainian grain in the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative helped to reduce world prices and food insecurity.

During the initiative, more than 32 million tonnes of food have entered the global market, and the food price index has fallen 23% from its peak in March 2022.

Developing countries especially benefited from lower prices as well as from direct grain imports from Ukraine.

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Quote: "Russias withdrawal from the BSGI has reduced Ukraines exports, a clear effort to degrade the Ukrainian economy and its ability to support the war effort," the review states.

The UK Ministry of Defence recalled that the agricultural sector accounted for 40% of Ukrainian exports before the war and remains vital, with food exports bringing in US$28 billion in 2021.

"Ukraine has found success using alternative methods like river, rail and road to export its grain; however, it is unlikely that this will match the capacity of the Black Sea export routes," the British intelligence said.

Background:

Russian President Vladimir Putin, following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that Moscow was not ready to immediately return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it quit in July.

Erdogan called for the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and noted that Ukraine needs to soften its approach so that it will be extended.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Shanghai handles rising number of China-Europe freight trains

Xinhua) 09:32, September 08, 2023

The first "Jinbo" China-Europe freight train is seen upon its arrival in Shanghai, east China, on October 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

SHANGHAI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai has handled a total of 60 China-Europe freight trains this year as of Aug. 24, exceeding last year's annual total, according to Shanghai Customs on Thursday.

By Aug. 24, the freight trains had carried goods totaling approximately 2 billion yuan (around 273 million U.S. dollars), including chemical products, computer parts, clothing, and auto parts, to stops along the Belt and Road in Central Asia, Europe, and Russia.

Shanghai launched its first China-Europe freight train in September 2021.

In the first seven months of the year, Shanghai's imports from and exports to Kazakhstan totaled 2.17 billion yuan, a 33.7 percent year-on-year increase, and its foreign trade with Uzbekistan doubled year on year to 2.78 billion yuan, according to Shanghai Customs.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Lake Station Mayor Bill Carroll will face one fewer opponent in November after a successful challenge ousted Independent Kevin Gaskin from the ballot.

The Lake County Board of Elections Tuesday voted 4-0 to support a challenge to Gaskins eligibility filed by Lake Station Councilman Rick Long, D-5th, seeking to remove him from the ballot. A challenge to a mayoral candidate can be filed by anyone who lives within the city.

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In the challenge, Long cited court documents indicating Gaskin plead guilty to a felony, criminal recklessness, in 2008. That felony was modified to a misdemeanor after Gaskin completed the terms of his probation. Long was not at the election board hearing but was represented by a proxy, Jack Daniels.

Election Board president Kevin Smith, a Democrat, said that while Gaskins criminal record was modified by the courts, reducing the charge on his record from a felony to misdemeanor, the law concerning who is eligible to run for office is different.

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My concerns about the city of Lake Station have got me to the point where I have to run for office, Gaskin said.

He argued the court reduced the charge after he successfully completed his probation and believed because the charge is now considered a misdemeanor on his record he would be eligible to run.

Smith said when Gaskin was in court in 2008 having the conviction reduced, he probably never considered he would be running for a political office and didnt even consider the distinction between the laws.

(The law) helps from a personal standpoint. From a candidate standpoint, at least as I see it, it doesnt help, Smith said.

Michael Tolbert, the Democratic attorney for the Election Board, agreed state statute prohibits anyone who has pleaded guilty to a felony from running for elected office. The law goes further to state that just because a felony conviction is reduced to a misdemeanor by the courts, the original plea of guilty stands as it relates to election law.

The law can be very harsh and, in this case, I think it is, Smith said. This prevents you from running for officer forever.

Carly Brandenberg, the Republican attorney for the board, said the boards position is inline with a 2006 Indiana Attorney General opinion on the matter. In the opinion, released Jan. 25, 2007, the attorney general found the election law did disqualify anyone convicted of a felony regardless of the final disposition after the conviction.

Board member Clerk Mike Brown, a Democrat, said the election board works to encourage people to run for office and does not want to discourage people from getting involved, but its hands are tied.

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Its unfortunate. We dont make the laws. We have to enforce them, Brown said.

Smith echoed Browns comments that the board has to follow what the law says, regardless of the circumstances of the case.

Were not passing judgement on you as a person, we are trying to operate under the law, Smith said.
Rescue teams could start to move trapped American explorer Mark Dickey from 3,400ft inside a cave in Turkey within hours, a report says.

An international team of cave rescuers and medical personnel have been working to stabilise the cave expert before launching a rescue operation as early as Saturday, a director at Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) told CNN.

Mr Dickey, 40, is on a mission to explore the Morca cave. But on Saturday, while exploring at 3,400 feet below the surface, he began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding.

Authorities in Europe worked quickly to send a doctor down to Mr Dickey where they performed blood transfusions in the hopes of getting him strong enough to leave.

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I was very close to the edge, Mr Dickey said in a video obtained by The Associated Press.

While Mr Dickeys condition has improved thanks to a team of doctors from several countries, he may still need a stretcher to exit.

The cave system is described as extremely narrow with many twists and turns, making it difficult to navigate. It typically takes a person in good health around 15 hours to exit.

Key Points

Heres what we know about the cave rescue mission so far

Mark Dickeys condition continues to improve

A look into the depth of the Morca cave

Mark Dickey says he was very close to the edge in emotional first video from Turkish cave

Where is the Morca cave?

What is a speleologist?

19:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Mark Dickey is an American speleologist, or someone who studies all aspects of caves including their geology, biology, hydrology, and history.

Speleologists often research how the cave is formed and how It changes  this is known as speleogenesis and speleomorphology.

Speleology is an interdisciplinary field that combines a lot of scientific skills, according to StartCaving.com says.

Read my colleague Faiza Saqibs explainer on this field of study here:

What is a speleologist?

Who is American speleologist Mark Dickey?

18:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Hailing from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, Mark Dickey is a highly-trained caver, cave rescuer and well-known in the international speleological (cave expert) community, according to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).

His resume of cave explorations and expert status is endless: secretary of the ECRA medical committee, lead instructor for Caving Academy, a US-based organisation that prepares other cavers for exploration and a national instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.

Find out more about about the 40-year-old American researcher here:

He helped rescue people from caves. Now hes stuck in one of the worlds deepest

16:59 , Maanya Sachdeva

Rescue of American explorer trapped in Turkey cave has begun, officials say

Rescue teams have begun the arduous process of extricating Mark Dickey, who became seriously ill while he was exploring the Morca cave in the south of Turkey last Saturday.

The rescue operation could last for up to 10 days.

Full story here:

Rescue of American explorer trapped in Turkey cave has begun, officials say

Trapped American explorers parents say our prayers are being answered amid rescue operation

15:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

The parents of Mark Dickey, who is currently trapped in a Turkey cave, have said our prayers are being answered as a rescue operation to safely extract the American explorer gets underway.

In a statement obtained by Mail Online, Andrew and Deborah Ann Dickey said: We are extremely grateful to the international caving community volunteers who have demonstrated such support for our son.

Mark is strong, but he needed his fellow cavers, including, of course, doctors to allow a devastatingly scary situation to turn positive, their statement read.

They also said they are thankful Mr Dickeys fiancee and fellow caver, Jessica has been with him during this ordeal.

Our prayers are being answered and we cannot express how much that means, and will always mean to us.

Mr Dickey has remained trapped in the Morca cave since last Saturday (Sourced)

Rescue teams using explosives to widen cave for Dickeys safe extraction

14:35 , Maanya Sachdeva

More than 180 people from eight countries have joined the efforts to help Mark Dickey out of a cave in Turkey, according to The New York Times.

The American explorer was exploring the Morca cave last week but became trapped after he began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding.

The newspaper also reported that rescuers are using explosives to widen parts of the extremely narrow cave, with many twists and turns that make it difficult to navigate.

It typically takes a person in good health around 15 hours to exit.

While Mr Dickeys condition has stabilised, officials said he may still need a stretcher to exit.

Rescue operation will last at least three to four days

13:16 , Maanya Sachdeva

The operation to rescue trapped American explorer Mark Dickey from the Morca cave in Turkey will last at least three to four days, officials have said.

This is a difficult operation. It would take a [healthy] person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days, Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkeys disaster relief agency, AFAD, told the IHA news agency. Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Rescuers poised to begin evacuation of explorer trapped 3,400ft inside cave in Turkey

Dickey says he was very close to the edge in emotional first video from cave

12:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

Trapped American explorer Mark Dickey said he was very close to the edge as he thanked Turkish authorities for saving his life in an emotional video from deep inside a cave system.

Full story by Graeme Massie here:

Trapped American explorer releases emotional video from deep in Turkish cave

Watch: Rescue operation underway for ill American stuck deep in Turkish cave

12:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Images of the rescue operation

11:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

Rescuers arrive at a base camp to take part in the rescue operation for trapped explorer Mark Dickey (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

The base camp of international rescuers is seen near the Morca Cave (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

A rescuer holds a map of the Morca Cave during a meeting (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Map of Morca cave system

10:35 , Graeme Massie

An American is recovering deep below ground and awaiting rescue after getting sick while on a mapping expedition of Turkey's Morca cave. (AP)

$50,000 raised for Mark Dickey

09:01 , Graeme Massie

A fundraiser benefitting the teams that are rescuing Mark Dickey from the cave in Turkey has raised $50,000.

The GoFundMe was set up to help fund the complicated rescue mission which will likely take days.

This fundraiser is started on behalf of the National Cave Rescue Commission (for whom Mark is also an instructor) and will be used to be distributed to the rescue teams to cover the logistical costs of aiding him out of the cave, the description reads.

So far, the fundraiser has met half of its goal of $100,000.

Six international rescue teams will assist in rescue

07:10 , Graeme Massie

Six rescue teams from different countries apart of the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) are working together to try to rescue American Mark Dickey from the Morca cave in Turkey.

At 3,400 feet, it will be incredibly difficult to get Mr Dickey, safely, out of the cave.

To make it easier, the ECRA is going to split seven parts of the cave up among the six teams. Each time will find solutions to conduct the rescue operation at a set number of feet.

The Bulgarian cave rescue team will first find a way to get Mr Dickey from 3,412 feet (where he is now) to 2,953 feet.

From there, the Croatian rescue team will get Mr Dickey to 2,345 feet.

Then the Italian rescue team will get Mr Dickey to 1,640 feet.

After that the Polish rescue team will take over to help Mr Dickey reach 1,181 feet.

Then the Hungarian team will assist in reaching 590 feet.

Finally, the Turkish team will help get Mr Dickey out of the cave and to the surface so he can reach proper medical care.

Dickeys parents thank rescuers for efforts

05:04 , Maanya Sachdeva

Andrew and Deborah Ann Dickey, the scientist Mark Dickeys parents, released a statement thanking rescuers for their life-saving efforts.

Mark is strong, but he needed his fellow cavers, including, of course, the doctors, to allow a devastatingly scary situation to turn positive, Dickeys parents said.

Our prayers are being answered and we cannot express how much that means, and will always mean, to us.

Who is Mark Dickey?

03:05 , Graeme Massie

Hailing from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, Mark Dickey is a highly-trained caver, cave rescuer himself and well-known in the international speleological (cave expert) community, according to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).

His resume of cave explorations and expert status is endless: secretary of the ECRA medical committee, lead instructor for Caving Academy, a US-based organisation that prepares other cavers for exploration and a national instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.

He also volunteers with the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a nonprofit search-and-rescue team.

Having participated in many cave explorations in karst areas around the world for many years, Mr Dickey is knowledgeable and skilled  the kind of person youd want on complicated cave exploration like the Morca mission.

Mr Dickey was on an expedition to map the 4,186-foot-deep cave system in southern Turkey for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association.

Photos from a Facebook page that seemingly belongs to Mr Dickey show him happily preparing for the mission by inspecting all the necessary gear before embarking.

He built a career rescuing people from caves. Now hes stuck in one of the worlds deepest

01:00 , Graeme Massie

For five days, expert cave explorer Mark Dickey has been stuck 3,400 feet below the surface in a cave in the Taurus Moutain region of Turkey.

Mr Dickey, 40, is an experienced caver who embarked on an expedition mission to map one of the deepest caves in the world  the Morca cave system in southern Turkey.

But the expedition was suddenly cut short after Mr Dickey fell ill with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Now, a rescue team of over 150 personnel from several international organisations have combined their efforts to try to retrieve Mr Dickey, who cannot leave the cave due to the emergency medical situation.

As of Thursday, officials in the Speleological Federation of Turkey said that Mr Dickeys situation had improved but that he would require a stretcher, making the rescue mission even more complicated.

Ariana Baio reports:

He helped rescue people from caves. Now hes stuck in one of the worlds deepest

Officials share more details about cave rescue operation

19:03 , Chris Stevenson

Tulga Sener, the head of the rescue commission medical unit, told Reuters that Mr Dickeys health condition was stable and his vital signs normal, adding that three doctors would attend to him on his way up.

It is believed that Mr Dickey will have to take significant rest at frequent points on the way out.

Explosives will need to be used to expand some of the more narrow points of the cave to allow safe passage said Recep Salci, the head of search and rescue for AFAD, with the aim of bringing Mr Dickey up a stretcher.

Rescuers will use a security belt system to lift him through the caves narrowest openings.

Our aim is to bring him out and to have him hospitalised as soon as possible, Mr Salci said.

What is a speleologist? Mission to extract US explorer trapped 3,400 feet deep in Turkish Cave underway

Friday 8 September 2023 20:33 , Graeme Massie

The Cave Exploration Society says Morca cave is the 74th deepest cave in the world and the third deepest in Turkey - heres everything you need to know about Speleology.

What is a speleologist?

Mission to bring caver to surface will start Saturday, Turkish officials say

Friday 8 September 2023 18:31 , Graeme Massie

Mark Dickey remains 3,600ft underground, but the effort to lift him to the surface is set to begin on Saturday, a director at Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) told CNN on Friday.

Dickey fell ill last weekend with suspected gastrointestinal bleeding during an exploration of the Morca Sinkhole in Morca Valley, near Anamur in southern Turkey.

(AP)

Doctors working to improve Mark Dickeys health

Friday 8 September 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio

In an update from the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA), officials said doctors are working to improve Mark Dickeys health to the fullest extent possible before they conduct the rescue mission.

The doctors are working to further improve the patients health [sic] so that the difficult transport to the surface can begin soon without further complications, they wrote in a press release.

Officials said they believe Mr Dickey will need to use a stretcher for some of the rescue mission but the better his condition is the fewer complications there will be.

Mark Dickey calls rescue mission great opportunity for international teams to work together

Friday 8 September 2023 16:45 , Ariana Baio

In a message from Mark Dickey, the expert caver said a rescue mission like the one he will embark on is an opportunity to show the world how international teams can work together.

As you can see Im up, Im alert, Im talking. But Im not healed on the inside yet so Im going to need a lot of help to get out of here, Mr Dickey said in a video circulated around on Thursday.

Despite the scary situation, Mr Dickey remained hopeful and provided some positive thoughts: This is often, in the caving world, a great opportunity to show just how well the international world can work together.

Communications improved

Friday 8 September 2023 15:19 , Chris Stevenson

The European Cave Rescue Association said on its website on Friday that the cave had been divided into seven sections, with various rescue teams taking responsibility for each of the levels down the cave. Communication lines inside the cave had also been improved, it said.

"The doctors are working to further improve the patient's health's so that the difficult transport to the surface can begin soon without further complications."

Swapping doctors

Friday 8 September 2023 14:57 , Ariana Baio

Members of Italys National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team joined rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey late on Thursday.

The Italian organisation said six of their rescuers, including a doctor and nurse, reached Mr Dickey during the night.

The team is switching out the Hungarian doctor who has been tending to Mr Dickey with their own. The team planned to work to keep him stable for 15 to 20 hours before being replaced by another team.

Small camps are being set up at different levels inside the cave gave doctors, nurses and technicians a place to rest, the group said.

Dozens of rescuers in the cave

Friday 8 September 2023 14:12 , Chris Stevenson

Recep Salci, a Turkeish rescue official, told HaberTurk TV that doctors gave Mr Dickey IV fluids and 4 litres of blood inside the cave.

More than 30 rescuers were inside the cave on Friday afternoon, and teams comprised of a doctor and three or four others take turns staying with the American at all times, Mr Salci said.

Our aim is to bring him out and to have him hospitalized as soon as possible, he said.More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.

Rescue plan on hold until doctors to give go ahead

Friday 8 September 2023 13:49 , Ariana Baio

A Turkish official has said rescuers are waiting for doctors to give the go-ahead for the difficult operation to begin.

Recep Salci, the head of AFAD's search and rescue department, told HaberTurk TV that the plan was to lift Dickey on a stretcher but to use a "security belt" system to lift him through the cave's narrow openings.

"We are trying to expand the narrow areas by making small explosions, by breaking some areas," Mr Salci said.

Caver describes the complexity of Morca cave

Friday 8 September 2023 13:10 , Chris Stevenson

Carl Heitmeyer, the public information officer for the New Jersey Initial Response Team described the complexity of the cave system that Mark Dickey is in to New Jersey Patch.

"I compare it to Everest," Mr Heitmeyer said.

"Theres twists and turns and squeezes," he said. "Theres climbs both up and down. And then theres the rope work, where youre hanging on, climbing up. And then theres water coming in...some of the times when youre on rope, doing all that very technical stuff, youre blinking because of the rain."

Cave divided into sections'

Friday 8 September 2023 12:48 , Chris Stevenson

Gretchen Baker, a representative of the National Cave Rescue Commission in Huntsville, Alabama has spoken about how the route is being prepared for Mark Dickey to exit the cave. The cave has been divided into seven sections, with different cave rescue teams working to prepare each section for Marks passage, Ms Baker said. This includes adapting the current rigging to rescue rigging, which can hold more weight and is in good places to put in haul systems. It also means enlarging the passages so that a litter can fit through.

Mr Dickey will assist in his rescue, but to keep his condition stable, he will be put on a litter, a type of stretcher, for at least part of the time, Ms Baker told The Washington Post. Using the litter protects him, but also means that it will take longer to get out of the cave, as there are many narrow, tight sections on the route out, and the litter is harder to fit through than a human body, she added.

I was very close to the edge

Friday 8 September 2023 11:30 , Namita Singh

In a video message from inside the cave and made available Thursday by Turkeys communications directorate, Mark Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.

Hi. Mark Dickey from nearly a thousand metres, Mr Dickey said. The caving world is a really tight-knit group and its amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface.

Were still waiting for communications actually to reach down here. So right now its a day or two days of travel for information to get back and forth. I dont quite know whats happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge.

Mr Dickey, who had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, has stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days, according to a New Jersey-based cave rescue group he is affiliated with. It is unclear what caused his medical issue.

Hours of descent'

Friday 8 September 2023 11:15 , Chris Stevenson

Speaking to an Israeli rescuer, they say getting down to the depth Mark Dickey is takes almost a day of contstant descent. Communication also slow, as for every update you need to send someone to climb 500m to the phone that sits at that depth. That takes 7-10 hours.

Watch: Rescue operation underway for ill American stuck deep in Turkish cave

Friday 8 September 2023 11:09 , Chris Stevenson

Evacuation could take days'

Friday 8 September 2023 10:46 , Chris Stevenson

"The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating [Mark Dickey]," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey's disaster relief agency, told the IHA news agency. "We are now in a position to evacuate him."

"This is a difficult operation. It would take a [healthy] person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days," Mr Yildiz continued. "Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger.

More rescuers to join Dickeys extraction mission

Friday 8 September 2023 10:30 , Namita Singh

A team of rescuers from Italys National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team will be flying to Turkey on Thursday night. A total of around 50 rescuers will be at the entrance of the cave early on Friday ready to participate in the operation directed by Turkish authorities.

The rescue teams hope that the extraction can begin on Saturday or Sunday. Kovacs said that lifting Mark Dickey will likely take several days, and that several bivouac points are being prepared along the way so that Dickey and rescue teams can rest.

The cave has been divided into several sections, with each countrys rescue team being responsible for one section.

The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, made up of volunteer rescuers, was the first to arrive at Mr Dickeys location and provided emergency blood transfusions to stabilize his condition.

How deep is the cave Mark Dickey is in?

Friday 8 September 2023 10:14 , Chris Stevenson

An image depicting the vertical depth of the cave where Mark Dickey is (Turkish Caving Federation)

Rescue will not be quick'

Friday 8 September 2023 09:55 , Chris Stevenson

This will not be a quick rescue due to where he is in the cave and the challenging terrain ahead, Gretchen Baker, a representative of the National Cave Rescue Commission in Huntsville, Alabama, said in an emailed statement. But the cave rescuers on scene are extremely talented, and many have worked in deep caves. Mark has caved in several European countries and knows some of these rescuers from other expeditions.

Who is Mark Dickey?

Friday 8 September 2023 09:30 , Namita Singh

Experienced caver Mark Dickey, 40, suddenly became ill during an expedition with a handful of others, including three other Americans, in the Morca cave in southern Turkeys Taurus Mountains, the European Association of Cave Rescuers said.

Described by the association as a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself, Dickey is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the associations medical committee.

Mr Dickey was on an expedition mapping the 1,276m (4,186ft) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association (ASPEG) when he ran into trouble about 1,000m down. He initially became ill on 2 September, but it took until the morning of 3 September to notify others who were above ground.

Justin Hanley, a 28-year-old firefighter from near Dallas, Texas, said he met Mr Dickey a few months ago when he took a cave rescue course Dickey taught in Hungary and Croatia. He described Mr Dickey as upbeat and as someone who sees the good in everyone.

Mark is the guy that should be on that rescue mission thats leading and consulting and for him to be the one that needs to be rescued is kind of a tragedy in and of itself, he said.

International rescue agencies join together in Dickey extraction mission

Friday 8 September 2023 09:00 , Namita Singh

Marton Kovacs of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said that the cave is being prepared for Mark Dickeys safe extraction. Passages are being widened and the danger of falling rocks is also being addressed.

Turkish disaster relief agency AFAD and rescue team UMKE are working with Turkish and international cavers on the plan to hoist Mr Dickey out of the cave system, the European Cave Rescue Association said.

Mark Dickey, the US caver who is currently trapped near Morca (Reuters)

The rescue effort currently involves more than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics who are tending to Dickey and experienced cavers, Ogrenecek said, adding that the rescue operation could take up to two to three weeks.

The operation includes rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey.

Communication with Dickey takes about five to seven hours

Friday 8 September 2023 08:30 , Namita Singh

Communication with Mark Dickey takes about five to seven hours and is carried out by runners, who go from him to the camp below the surface where a telephone line to speak with the surface has been set up.

Experts said it will be a challenge to successfully rescue Mr Dickey.

Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey said that one of the most difficult tasks of cave rescue operations is widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass through at low depths.

Stretcher lines are labor intensive and require experienced cave rescuers working long hours, Mr Ogrenecek said. He added that other difficult factors range from navigating through mud and water at low temperatures to the psychological toll of staying inside a cave for long periods of time.

Catch up with the situation

Friday 8 September 2023 08:00 , Ariana Baio

Race against time to save cave rescuer trapped in one of deepest caves in Turkey

Dickey issues video message thanking authorities for support

Friday 8 September 2023 07:30 , Namita Singh

Mark Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts to help him in a video message.

The caving world is a really tight-knit group and its amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface, said Mr Dickey.  ... I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge.

American caver Mark Dickey, left, 40, talks to a colleague inside the Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (AP)

Mr Dickey, who is seen standing and moving around in the video, said that while he is alert and talking, he is not healed on the inside and will need a lot of help to get out of the cave. Doctors will decide whether he will need to leave the cave on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power.

Mr Dickey, who had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, has stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days, according to a New Jersey-based cave rescue group hes affiliated with. Its unclear what caused his medical issue.

Ailing American explorer trapped 3,000 feet deep in Turkish cave awaits difficult rescue

Friday 8 September 2023 07:00 , Namita Singh

Rescuers from across Europe rushed to a cave in Turkey on Thursday, launching an operation to save an American researcher who became trapped almost 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below the caves entrance after suffering stomach bleeding.

Experienced caver Mark Dickey, 40, suddenly became ill during an expedition with a handful of others, including three other Americans, in the Morca cave in southern Turkeys Taurus Mountains, the European Association of Cave Rescuers said.

While rescuers, including a Hungarian doctor, have reached and treated Mr Dickey, it could be days and possibly weeks before they are able to get him out of the cave, which is too narrow in places for a stretcher to pass through.

Mark Dickey awaiting doctors permission to transport out

Friday 8 September 2023 06:00 , Ariana Baio

On Thursday, the European Cave Rescue Association provided an update to Mark Dickeys condition and the possibility to exiting him from the cave.

The patients medical condition is stabilized. With support, he could move slowly [sic] on his own and is feeling better, the press release said. Technical teams are actually preparing the cave for transporting him out smoothly. As soon as the doctors are giving their permission, the transport will start.

GoFundMe set up for rescue efforts

Friday 8 September 2023 04:00 , Ariana Baio

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to benefit the rescue teams involved in helping extract American Mark Dickey from the cave in Turkey.

This fundraiser is started on behalf of the National Cave Rescue Commission (for whom Mark is also an instructor) and will be used to be distributed to the rescue teams to cover the logistical costs of aiding him out of the cave.

Click here for the GoFundMe.

Map shows where the Morca cave is

Friday 8 September 2023 02:00 , Ariana Baio

Communication between officials and cavers is difficult

Friday 8 September 2023 01:00 , Ariana Baio

Extracting Mark Dickey from the Morca cave is already a challenging feat.

But to make matters more complicated, communication between the underground team and the surface team is very limited.

Runners are being used to travel from the camp where Mr Dickey is to the surface where a telephone line is to speak with officials, according to AP.

Watch: Rescue operation underway for ill American stuck deep in Turkish cave

Friday 8 September 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio

Doctors deciding if Mark Dickey can walk out of cave

Thursday 7 September 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

As of Thursday afternoon, Mark Dickeys condition was improving and doctors were considering if he still needs a stretcher to leave, the Speleogical Federation of Turkey said in a press release.

Mr Dickey initially was determined to need a stretcher to leave after experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding.

Expedition was intended to set up camps and survey

Thursday 7 September 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

The expedition that Mark Dickey set about on in the Morca cave was intended to help set up camp, survey the cave and collection information, a friend of Mr Dickeys told The Associated Press.

Justin Hanley, a 28-year-old firefighter from near Dallas, Texas, said he met Mr Dickey a few months ago when he took a cave rescue course Mr Dickey taught in Hungary and Croatia. He described Mr Dickey as upbeat and as someone who sees the good in everyone.

Mark is the guy that should be on that rescue mission thats leading and consulting and for him to be the one that needs to be rescued is kind of a tragedy in and of itself, Mr Hanley said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Watch: Mark Dickeys message from the cave

Thursday 7 September 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio

What happened to Mark Dickey?

Thursday 7 September 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio

While on an exploration of the Morca cave in Turkey, Mark Dickey fell ill, causing the mission team to stop and alert authorities in the hopes to recieve medical attention.

It began with severe gastric pain that was escalating quickly.

Though there was initial hope that Mr Dickey could exit the cave on his own, the pain turned into gastrointestinal bleeding.

The Speleological Federation of Turkey sent a medical team and six units of blood in the following days in the hopes of stabilising Mr Dickeys medical situation.

While doctors worked to assist Mr Dickey, cave experts began putting their teams together to figure out how to rescue Mr Dickey through one of the deepest, and very complicated, cave systems.

A long and challenging rescue operation is initiated to carry Mark out on a stretcher, the ECRA said in a statement.

How international teams plan to rescue Mark Dickey

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:50 , Ariana Baio

To tackle the issue of rescuing Mark Dickey, the team of international experts has divided up the depths of the cave and assigned it to a specific team to figure out a solution for that specific area.

At multiple very narrow spots, a demolition team will need to widen them so Mr Dickey can pass through on a stretcher. They will also need to set up several camp spots on the way up to continuously monitor Mr Dickey and give him and his team sections to rest in.

To make the matter more complicated, communication between the underground team and the surface team is limited. Runners are being used to travel from the camp where Mr Dickey is to the surface where a telephone line is to speak with officials, according to AP.

Hungarian Cave Rescue Service member, Marton Kovacs, told CBS News that they were also addressing the danger of falling rocks in several places. The Hungarian team is working between the 590 to 1180-feet depths

Mr Kovacs said Mr Dickeys exit will take several days and they hope to begin on Saturday or Sunday depending on Mr Dickeys condition.

Mark Dickey delivers message to people on surface

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:20 , Ariana Baio

In a video, obtained by The Associated Press, caver Mark Dickey shares a message to the people on the surface.

Hi! Mark Dickey from nearly a thousand meters, Mr Dickey begins.

The caving world is a really tight-knit group and its amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface. Were still waiting for communications actually to reach down here. So right now its a day or two days of travel for information to get back and forth. I dont quite know whats happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge.
FILE PHOTO: A banner reading: "Abortion Out of the Penal Code" hangs from a building during International Women's Day, at the Zocalo Square in Mexico City, Mexico March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/

By Gabriella Borter

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - In a sweeping decision that would have once seemed almost impossible in this Catholic country, where women were jailed for ending pregnancies, Mexico's Supreme Court this week declared it unconstitutional for the federal government to criminalize abortion.

It was a huge victory for abortion rights advocates who have pushed for such a comprehensive ruling since 2021, when Mexico's top Court first struck down a law criminalizing abortion in the northern state of Coahuila.

The ruling set a significant legal precedent and paved the way for the federal health system to begin providing abortion services and broaden access dramatically. At some point, that might even make Mexico an increasingly important destination for U.S. abortion-seekers fleeing more restrictive laws.

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But Mexican abortion rights advocates say the ruling's promise of expanding abortion access will not become a reality overnight and could depend on the political and legislative will of the federal government.

Aside from safeguarding abortion patients and providers from prosecution, the ruling will have limited impact on access until the federal public health system starts providing abortion services. The federal system has, until now, only been legally obliged to do so in cases of rape or to preserve the mother's health.

Maria Antonieta Alcalde, Latin America and Caribbean director of reproductive rights organization IPAS, said the practical implementation of abortion services - via pill or surgery - should be a minimal lift for the national health ministry, which provides a full spectrum of healthcare services for the majority of the population.

"The point here is not capacity, the point here is political will," Alcalde said.

A spokesperson for the health ministry did not return a request for comment.

How quickly federal services begin could depend on who wears the presidential sash.

While current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has carefully avoided expressing his own views on abortion, both of the female candidates recently nominated to vie for his seat in the June 2024 election support abortion rights.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the former Mexico City mayor tapped to represent the ruling leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), oversaw the repeal of gestational limits on abortions in rape cases in Mexico City in 2021.

Xochitl Galvez, the senator chosen to represent the main opposition coalition, has broken from her center-right partys anti-abortion platform to support abortion rights.

As president, either candidate would be tasked with overseeing implementation of the court's ruling, including deciding the conditions for legal abortions and budgeting for reproductive health services.

"Their vision on abortion and their support to provide abortions, I think that will be critical," Alcalde said.

U.S. ABORTION-SEEKERS LOOK TO MEXICO

The decriminalization of abortion in Mexico follows a cascade of reproductive rights advancements in Latin America in recent years after a long period of strict bans. According to Mexico's Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), the advocacy group that brought the case to the Supreme Court, 172 people in Mexico were imprisoned for illegal abortions from January 2010 to January 2020.

It also starkly contrasts with the elimination of rights in the United States.

Since the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion in June 2022, U.S. abortion seekers have increasingly turned to Mexico, where a well-oiled machine of informal volunteer networks have provided abortion-inducing pills to residents for years.

Mexicos court ruling this week could make it much easier to end a pregnancy anywhere in the country, through state-run clinics as well as informal operations, potentially making the country even more of an abortion destination for Americans.

"It opens more possibilities. They will have even more options in Mexico," said Veronica Cruz, the founder of Las Libres, a volunteer network based in the state of Guanajuato that saw an influx of U.S. women seeking abortion pills after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Now that Mexico's federal government is under court order to remove abortion from the federal penal code, abortion rights advocates expect the national congress will soon draft legislation to add abortion regulations to the federal health code.

Lawmakers will have to decide the conditions under which abortions will be legal in Mexico, including a gestational limit. Then, abortion rights advocates expect they will add a provision to the general health law, which would set regulations at state level as well.

Just 12 of 32 Mexican states have removed abortion from their local penal codes. But this kind of federal law, proactively legalizing abortion, would offer legal protection to abortion patients in all states.

Isabel Fulda, deputy director at GIRE, said it was hard to estimate a timeframe in which abortion would become universally accessible in Mexico, but the group stood ready to contest any federal resistance to provide services.

"In reality, implementation takes time," she said.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Josie Kao)
Its impossible to completely know what goes on between a couplelove, anger, jealousy, need, and resentment make for a complex stew thats only fully understood, and felt, by the parties involved. What happens, then, when an accident befalls someone, and the sole other person present is their partner? Led by a phenomenal Sandra Huller, Anatomy of a Fall is a courtroom thriller rooted in that intriguing question. Yet the brilliance of director Justine Triet s drama is that it both understands our private relations as enigmas to those on the outside, as well as wields that mystery for a subtle, striking examination of the imaginative means by which we fill in personal and collective blanks.

Anatomy of a Fall, which won this years Palme dOr and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival Sept. 7, is a whodunit about the essential role of storytelling in comprehending the unknowna process in which the film itself is also inherently engaged. Co-written with her husband, Arthur Harari , Triets gem is as piercing as a freshly sharpened knife, even if its early going suggests a more muted affair. Though its action is confined to a few central locations and involves a handful of characters, it proves to be an expansive study, and act, of invention. Its tale is a stark snapshot of the way that fiction and reality inform each otheroften to messy and revelatory ends.

Neon

Anatomy of a Fall revolves around the death of Samuel ( Samuel Theis ), a teacher and writer who is found on the snowy ground outside the French Alps chalet that was his childhood home, which he now shares with his more successful author wife Sandra (Sandra Huller) and 11-year-old, blind-from-injury son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner). Triet and Hararis script doesnt introduce us to Samuel before his demise, simply hinting at his presence in the home via the reggae-instrumental cover of 50 Cents P.I.M.P. that he blares from his attic studio as Sandra attempts, unsuccessfully, to be interviewed by a visiting student (Camille Rutherford). Once that conversation endsfollowing Sandras playful (and flirty?) evasions about herselfDaniel goes for a walk with his dog. Sometime later, he returns to find his dad motionless on the ground, his head lying in a pool of blood. His cries draw Sandra to the scene, where she frantically calls the authorities.

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In the aftermath of this tragedy, Sandra enlists the services of her friend Vincent (Swann Arlaud), a lawyer who agrees to take her case and notifies her that no one will believe that Samuel inadvertently fell from his third-floor workspaces window; the two reasonable scenarios, as far as the police will be concerned, are that Samuel deliberately jumped or was killed. Sandra denies committing the latter and doesnt want to believe the former. Nonetheless, since she was the houses lone other occupant at the time, she becomes the prime suspect and is formally indicted and put on trial for his murder. While Triet spends considerable time in the familys chalet, fixating on Daniels jarring piano playing to amplify the atmospheres simmering tension, its in court where Anatomy of a Fall chiefly resides and where the complicated details of Sandra and Samuels life together are dragged into the light.

Drive My Car Directors Latest Film Is Another Oscar-Worthy Triumph

Triets film has the specificity and knottiness of the finest true-crime docuseries, with blood spatter analysis, crime-scene recreations, autopsy reports, and competing testimonials all factoring into its equation. Initially speaking in French, even though shes more comfortable expressing herself in English, Sandra is put on the defensive by a bullish prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz) who paints an unflattering portrait of her as an uncaring, unfaithful and duplicitous wife. Not helping her cause are reports from Samuels psychiatrist and a secret recording that Samuel made of a heated fight that took place the day before his passing. From one particular angle, Hullers protagonist looks a lot like an unhappy and potentially volatile woman who, in a moment of heated confrontation, might have snapped and done away with her spouse.

Anatomy of a Fall, however, appreciates that there are two sides to every tale, and in the absence of one of them, those left behind can only use whatever evidence is available to grasp (or produce) the big picture. The further it proceeds, the more Triets film becomes a self-conscious treatise on storytellings ability to illuminate the incomprehensible. Samuel is a stranger to us and to those deciding Sandras fate, a specter as omnipresent as he is imperceptible, and the second-hand snippets providedbe it a therapists analysis of his state of mind, or an out-of-context argument with Sandra that the director dramatizes on-screencreate a variety of two-dimensional versions of him, rather than the real thing. That Sandras own based-on-her-life novels come to the fore during the trial underscores Triets preoccupation with make-believe and its relationship to facts. Its a dynamic echoed by the materials concurrent conflicts between creativity and plundering, thoughts and deeds.

Neon

Lurking beneath Anatomy of a Falls genre facade is a canny investigation of the stories we tell ourselves, each other, and the world, in order to both fathom and conceal the truth. Whats always clear, however, is Hullers stellar work as the accused, whose composed demeanor is a sign of either her reasonable innocence or cold-hearted villainy, and who recognizes that her fate hinges on which narrative (constructed from fragmentary plot points and opposing perspectives) a jury will believe. As, respectively, a boy without sight (a telling condition, given this subject matter) and a lawyer uninterested in excessive speculation, Machado-Graner and Arlaud are captivating. Yet its Huller who commands these proceedings, delivering a powerhouse performance of desperate rationality and emotional remoteness.

Triet wisely refrains from gussying up Anatomy of a Fall with showy aesthetics; her clean, straightforward images, pressing zooms, and spiky cutting keep the focus on her characters and the literal and theoretical ideas floating around the courtroom. Even at a not-inconsiderable 151 minutes, its a taut, gripping film that, from tantalizing beginning to knockout end, is rooted in the notion that knowledgeat least, of anything other than ourselvesis in some ways a construct, here epitomized by the late query, Can you imagine his life?

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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An 'ancient' human skull was dropped off in a donation box full of taxidermy items to an Arizona Goodwill store

This human skull, along with a prosthetic eye, was recently dropped off at an Arizona Goodwill, authorities said. Goodyear Police Department

Someone dropped off an "ancient" human skull inside a donation box at an Arizona Goodwill.

"It's very bizarre," a spokeswoman for the Goodyear Police Department told Insider of the situation.

Police do not believe that the skull, described by police as "historic," is linked to any crime.

A recent donation to a Goodwill store in Arizona included something extra unusual  an "ancient" human skull, local authorities said.

The skull, along with a serial-numbered prosthetic eye, was discovered inside of a box full of taxidermy items and faux animal bones that someone had dropped off at a Goodwill in the Maricopa County city of Goodyear, according to police.

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"It's very bizarre," Goodyear Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Berry told Insider on Friday, adding, "We have not seen something like this before."

When staffers at the Goodwill store went through the donated box on Tuesday and found what they quickly believed to be a human skull, they called police to report it.

A spokesperson for Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona told Insider: "Our store team followed protocol by immediately reporting the donation to the Goodyear Police Department" and added that Goodwill is cooperating with authorities.

Investigators with the Goodyear Police Department had the skull sent off to the Maricopa County medical examiner's office, which did "confirm that it is in fact a human skull," Berry said during a press conference this week.

Goodyear Police Dept (@Goodyearpolice) September 6, 2023

Berry said the skull appears to be "historic" and "ancient" and that at this time authorities don't believe that the skull is linked to any crime.

"It does not appear to have any forensic value at all," Berry said.

The skull remains in the possession of the medical examiner, which is still carrying out its investigation, Berry told Insider.

"Once the findings come back from the medical examiner's office, then we'll know what we have," she said, adding, "There's no crime associated with it based on what they know now."

Berry noted that it's not necessarily a crime for a person to possess a human skull. But she added that a "grave-robber type of situation" could be different.

"If people are out there, you know, digging up graves, that would be a crime," Berry told Insider. "But we have nothing to go on at this point to determine that that's the case."

At this point, it remains a mystery where the skull came from.

Read the original article on Insider
Its been a good week for two Black men who spent a lot of their adult lives behind bars. On Tuesday, Leonard Mack was exonerated after DNA testing proved he was not the man responsible for a 1975 rape he was convicted of.

The same day, Jesse Johnson walked out of jail in Salem, Ore. after the Marion County Circuit Court dismissed his case.

Read more

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The person who witnessed the suspect leave Thompsons home was not able to share her side of the story.

For 17 years, Johnson spent his time on death row, awaiting execution for a murder he did not commit. But in October 2021, the Oregon Court of Appeals noticed that Johnsons attorneys did not interview the only witness to the murder and ordered a new trial for the Black man who was at deaths doorstep. His conviction was reversed.

More from the Associated Press:

The district attorneys office on Tuesday asked the Marion County Circuit Court to dismiss the case against Johnson, saying that based upon the amount of time that has passed and the unavailability of critical evidence in this case, the state no longer believes that it can prove the defendants guilt. The court granted the motion. Prosecutors said no other suspect has been identified in Thompsons murder.

While Johnson is elated that he was freed from jail and that his wrongful conviction is behind him, the Oregon Innocence Project is not letting the court off easy, according to the Associated Press.



Steve Wax, the Oregon Innocence Projects legal director, pointed out that there were racist made by the investigators looking into the 1998 murder which influenced Johnsons wrongful conviction and made it harder for the lone witness to tell her side of the story.

Still, its good to see that a Black man does not have to pay with his life for a crime that he did not commit.

More from The Root

Sign up for The Root's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
Another day, another squeaky clean conservative lawyer testifying that he was alarmed at Attorney General Ken Paxton s actions office.

Ryan Bangert, the former deputy first assistant to Paxton, remained fervent and unflinching throughout his appearance Thursday at Paxtons impeachment trial in the Senate. The House has brought forth charges of bribery and abuse of power against Paxton, who would be removed from office if convicted on any charge.

Bangerts pedigree is as squeaky clean as Jeff Mateers, the first witness in the trial, and his delivery was more stoic, if punchy at times. He A seasoned trial attorney himself who now works for the Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization with 15 Supreme Court wins on First Amendment and religious liberty issues, Bangert kept his cool and pushed back a bit while being cross-examined.

Often, when told he must answer yes or no, Bangert would respond that he would if he could and went on to explain his answer, such was his penchant for being thorough.

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Throughout questioning, Bangert maintained that over the course of 2020, Paxtons behavior became increasingly alarming. Towards the end of the day Tuesday, Bangert said Paxton was acting like a man with a gun to his head when he was trying to finalize an opinion that would stop outdoor home foreclosures during the pandemic.

Bangert also testified Tuesday that Paxton asked him to intervene on behalf of campaign donor Nate Paul three times in a six-month period and Bangert said Paxton felt like he had been wronged by law enforcement.

On Thursday, the court discussed Paxtons insistence in hiring an outside lawyer to help investigate how Paul, had allegedly been wronged. Bangert repeatedly objected to that idea.

I was deeply concerned that the name and authority and power of our office had been, in my view, hijacked to serve the interests of an individual against the interest of the broader public, Bangert said.

Eventually, Bangert and others reported Paxton to the FBI after exhausting their efforts within his office to halt or make sense of Paxtons behavior, he said. Bangerts explicit reasoning was compelling.

I went to the FBI because I believed, based on my experience over the previous nine months, that the attorney general had abandoned his obligation to work on behalf of the interests of the people of Texas, to serve the interests of one person: Nate Paul, Bangert said.

An attorney for Paxton, Anthony Osso said: Did you consider it a mutiny?

Bangert responded: It was not a mutiny. ... We were protecting the interest of the state, and ultimately I believe protecting the interest of the attorney general. And in my view, signing our professional death warrant at the same time.

The effect of Bangerts decisions on his job security became a point of contention. Osso clarified that Bangert was not fired, but he voluntarily resigned. Bangert maintained that he was constructively discharged, a specific legal phrase that means, when a workers resignation or retirement may be found not to be voluntary because the employer has created a hostile or intolerable work environment or has applied other forms of pressure or coercion which forced the employee to quit or resign. Bangert did not describe this definition in court.

During cross-examination, Osso certainly gave Bangert a run for it, although much of the pushback felt more like smoke and mirrors than any kind of specific area where Bangert had erred or fabricated. How the jury reacted to Bangerts testimony remains to be seen.
A soldier of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade gives first aid to his 19-year-old wounded comrade, near Bakhmut, the site of fierce battles with the Russian forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

Ukrainian soldiers suffer serious wounds during the ongoing counter-offensive against Russia. Chile remembers the 50th anniversary of the coup where President Salvador Allende was killed, and Gen. Augusto Pinochet was brought to power. And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wears an eye patch after a jogging accident. This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.

The selection was curated by AP Photo Editor Tomas Stargardter in Mexico City.

Follow AP visual journalism:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews

AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images

AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com/
An appeals court Thursday stopped a lower court order that required Texas to remove the floating barriers it placed in the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing.

The temporary stay issued by the Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit freezes a significant win by the Biden administration against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) from the day before.

At issue is a central cornerstone of Operation Lone Star, Abbotts plan to stop migrants from crossing into Texas from Mexico.

The buoys were decried as violating human rights by civil society groups and Democrats, while Abbotts allies defended them as an effective deterrent that prevented migrants from potentially drowning in the river.

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The Mexican government, however, has recorded at least two migrant deaths due to the buoys, which are chained together parallel to the flow of the river and separated by serrated steel discs.

Mexicos formal diplomatic complaints played a key role in District Judge David Ezras decision to order Abbott to remove the barriers.

The Department of Justices suit against Texas was based primarily on federal law concerning navigable waterways, which prohibit installing obstacles in said waterways without federal permission.

In his ruling, Ezra lambasted Abbott for saying he was not asking for permission to implement Operation Lone Star, writing permission is exactly what federal law requires before installing obstructions in the nations navigable waters.

Ezra also ridiculed Texas for unilaterally labeling migration an invasion to justify the use of public force against migrants.

Such a claim is breathtaking, Ezra wrote.

Abbott quickly attacked the original decision, vowing to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A federal appeals court Thursday put on hold a judge's order from earlier this week requiring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to remove a floating barrier from the middle of the Rio Grande.

The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals allowed Abbott, a Republican, to leave in place for now the 1,000-foot barrier the state installed to deter illegal migrant crossings. The order was issued by a three-judge panel of two Democratic appointees and a Republican appointee.

Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Ezra had ordered that the barrier moved out of the main waterway to the bank of the Rio Grande on the Texas side by Sept. 15, granting the Justice Department's request for a preliminary injunction while the case is litigated.

The Justice Department declined to comment. A spokesperson for Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.

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Lawyers for Texas have characterized illegal crossings at the southern border as an invasion that the state has a right to defend against.

"The buoys were deployed under the Governors constitutional authority to defend Texas from transnational-criminal-cartel invasion," they wrote in a motion Thursday. "Moving the buoys exacerbates dangers to migrants enticed to cross the border unlawfully, and to Texans harmed by human trafficking, drug smuggling, and unchecked cartel violence."

The Justice Department argued in its filing that temporarily blocking the lower court's ruling would delay "preparatory work" and threaten "Texass ability to comply with the repositioning deadline prescribed by the district court."

The appeals court action is the latest in a battle between Abbott and the Biden administration over the floating barrier near Eagle Pass. After Wednesday's ruling, Abbott struck a defiant tone and vowed that Texas was prepared to take the fight "all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Justice Department attorneys initiated the court battle in July with a civil suit that said Texas had violated the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act, an 1899 law that deems the unauthorized obstruction of the countrys navigable waters unlawful unless the work has been recommended by the Chief of Engineers and authorized by the Secretary of the Army.

Texas countered that the Army Corps of Engineers lacks jurisdiction over a "non-navigable river stretch" in Maverick County, where the barrier is located.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily halted a district judges order for Texas to remove from its river border with Mexico a thousand-foot-long buoy barrier put in place to deter crossings, a decision that will maintain the status quo as the appeals court considers a longer-term stay.

In documents filed on Thursday, Texas legal team pushed the court to issue the stay pending appeal , arguing that the states sovereignty and self-defense interests would be irreparably harmed  even if the court eventually ruled in favor of Texas. The states lawyers further argued that the barrier was necessary because the state is under invasion from drug cartels, leaning into a conservative legal theory that contends states have the constitutional power to enforce border security if its people are in imminent danger.

The buoys were deployed under the Governors constitutional authority to defend Texas from transnational-criminal-cartel invasion, the Texas lawyers wrote. Moving the buoys exacerbates dangers to migrants enticed to cross the border unlawfully, and to Texans harmed by human trafficking, drug smuggling, and unchecked cartel violence.

The Texas attorneys also criticized the district judges Wednesday interpretation of a law that allows the federal government to regulate waterways and ensure their navigability, which was a key part of the ruling. The judge had also argued that the barrier presented a risk to human life.

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Gov. Greg Abbotts office said on Wednesday that it was prepared to fight the case up to the Supreme Court if necessary.

The roughly 1,000-foot floating barrier, which Texas constructed in an attempt to obstruct movement across the Rio Grande, is made up of 4-foot spherical buoys connected by heavy metal cables, according to previous court documents. Roughly half of the barrier also contains an anti-dive net below it. The structure had drawn blowback from the states Democrats, the White House and Mexican government officials.

Lawyers for the Justice Department said Texas need for a stay was unnecessary, given that previous case discussion cited that the state needed only a few days to move the barrier, which it must do in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Texas by its own admission certainly does not need to move any buoys before September 11 in order to comply with the district courts order, the Justice Department lawyers wrote . A multi-day administrative stay threatens to delay Texass preparatory work  by, among other things, diminishing Texass incentive to coordinate with the Corps  and thereby threatens Texass ability to comply with the repositioning deadline prescribed by the district court, even if this Court (as is likely) ultimately declines to enter a stay pending appeal.
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent protesters, loyal to then-President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Two Seattle police officers who were in Washington, D.C., during the January 6 insurrection were illegally trespassing on Capitol grounds while rioters stormed the building, but lied about their actions, a police watchdog said in a report released Thursday, July 8, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) (John Minchillo/AP)

A Crown Point man has now joined the more than 1,000 rioters charged in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Gregory Mijares, 41, has been charged in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds, the office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves said in a release Friday. Mijares was arrested in Crown Point September 8 and made his initial appearance at the U.S. District Courthouse in Hammond the same day, the release said.

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According to a statement of facts, FBI Agents investigating the insurrection received a tip in October 2021 that Mijares was in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel January 6 as rioters turned against law enforcement. Mijares told investigators after they showed him a series of pictures of him at the Capitol that he rented a car in Indiana and drove with a friend to D.C. January 5, 2021, to participate in the rally to support then-President Donald Trump, records said.

Following the rally, Mijares began walking with the crowd toward the U.S. Capitol and entered the grounds wearing a gas mask and made his way to the Lower West Terrace pursuing law enforcement officers, records said. As officers tried to regroup in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, Mijares stood in their path and raised a flag over his head, records said, after which he started fighting with them as they tried to remove him.

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Video footage from the Capitol shows Mijares was one of the first rioters to pursue police into the Tunnel, entering the archway at approximately 2:41 p.m, records said, with body cam footage and open-source video showing him approaching a set of glass doors that police previously locked behind them. Rioters then smashed one of the glass panes, and Mijares flipped off the officers before pulling open the now-broken door and pulling open a second set of doors open for the other rioters, records said.

Officers tried to push Mijares back using a riot shield, at which point he pushed back against the shield and other rioters started fighting the officers, records said. Mijares then was able to grab a baton with which an officer hit him.

Mijares remained at the front and pushed against police in a couple heave ho efforts, passing out riot shields taken from officers to rioters, according to the statement of facts. After one last heave ho against police, he left the tunnel about 3:19 p.m. EST, records said.

This 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; Valparaiso-based attorney Matthew Soliday has been appointed as Mijaress public defender, according to court records.

Mijares is the second person from Crown Point to be charged in the Capitol breach.

Dale Huttle, 72, as of August 10 appears to be closing in on a plea agreement for his multiple counts, which include assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon, records show; his nephew, Matthew Tuttle, of Hebron, on August 12 pleaded guilty to one count of Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds, which carries a sentence of six-months to a year in prison.

Matthew Tuttles sentencing hasnt been set yet, records show.

In January 2021, Kash Lee Kelly, 34, of Hammond, was charged in the District of Columbia with two misdemeanor counts, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the charging documents.

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Last November, Kelly pled guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building, and he was sentenced to two months in jail, court records state. That time is being served concurrently alongside his four-year sentence on drug dealing charges and for violating his probation. Kelly is currently at FCI Tuscon, a medium security facility in Arizona, and scheduled to be released in July 2024, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons website.

In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,146 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 398 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney release said.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
SANTIAGO, Chile  The Argentine government has finalized negotiations to buy four surplus P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from the Royal Norwegian Air Force, meeting a requirement set in 2015 by the South American countrys Navy.

The agreement was reached Aug. 31 in Buenos Aires during a meeting between Defence Minister Jorge Taiana and representatives of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.

Three of the P-3C aircraft are fitted for maritime surveillance, anti-submarine and anti-surface missions, and one P-3N is designed for search and rescue operations, according to a news release from the Argentine Defence Ministry. The statement also also noted the deal is worth $67 million.

Argentina originally intended to acquire surplus P-3Cs from the U.S. Navy. However, the American aircraft would have required refurbishment that exceeded the Argentine governments funding, according to local military sources, who spoke to Defense News on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

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Argentine and Norwegian officials began talks about purchasing the aircraft in late 2022. In February 2023, the head of the Argentine Navy, Adm. Julio Guardia, confirmed negotiations were underway with Norway to acquire three or four P-3s that the Nordic country would consider surplus after replacing them with P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Negotiations covered the financial conditions of the potential sale and included efforts to receive U.S. government permission for the transfer of the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft.

The first two planes are to arrive in Argentina by the beginning of October. The P-3s are expected to bolster the capabilities of the Argentine Navys surveillance squadron based at the Almirante Zar Air Naval Base near Trelew along the Patagonian coast of southern Argentina. Since 1997, the unit has operated P-3Bs acquired from the U.S. Navy, but their need for servicing has limited their use.

Between 2009 and 2016, before Norway decided to replace its P-8s, all of the countrys P-3s underwent life extension and upgrade work. That included Lockheed Martin replacing wings and parts of the horizontal stabilizers using components made of new alloys more resistant to fatigue and corrosion. The P-3C mission systems underwent an upgrade with the integration of AN/USQ-78B acoustic processor technology refresh, AN/ASQ-227 aircraft mission computers, and tactical mobile acoustic support systems.

Even when the acquisition of a new, long-range maritime surveillance aircraft should have taken place several years ago, it is a very good and important step toward increasing surveillance, control and protection of Argentinas extended exclusive economic zone, Luis Pineiro, an independent defense and security analyst based in Buenos Aires, told Defense News. Illegal fishing, which is causing losses of $2.6 billion each year to this country, will be from now prevented and fought more effectively with the support of newer and more capable [maritime patrol aircraft].
At least 10 Arizona school districts have decided to sue TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, alleging the social media companies have knowingly contributed to a mental health crisis among their students and forced them to divert resources to address it.

They join hundreds of school districts across the nation that have pursued litigation against the platforms this year. Seattle Public Schools was the first to do so in January, according to Joseph Tann, an attorney representing six Arizona districts.

More than 600 school districts nationwide have sued the social media companies, according to William Shinoff, an attorney representing four Arizona districts.

Though not all of them have filed a legal complaint yet, the Arizona school districts that have decided to retain counsel to sue the social media companies include Tolleson Union, Tempe Union, Tempe Elementary, Kyrene Elementary, Mesa Public Schools, Scottsdale Unified, Paradise Valley Unified, Phoenix Union, Chandler Public Schools and Sunnyside.

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The districts are being represented on a contingency basis. That means there is no cost to them unless they win money from the social media companies.

Districts say social media contributes to mental health crisis

Arizonas largest school district, Mesa Public Schools, filed a 111-page lawsuit in January, making it the third in the nation and the first in the state to do so, according to Tann, who is representing Mesa Public Schools.

The district, which serves more than 58,000 students in the East Valley, alleges the social media companies created a mental health crisis in its community and affected its ability to fulfill its educational mission.

The complaint alleges that the social media companies have intentionally designed their platforms to maximize the time users  particularly youth  spend on them. They've done so by exploiting the neurophysiology of the brain's reward systems, despite knowing that social media harms young people, according to the complaint.

Students who experience anxiety, depression and other mental health issues "perform worse in school, are less likely to attend school, more likely to engage in substance use, and to act out," the complaint says.

Read the document: Mesa Public Schools' lawsuit against social media companies

Mesa Public Schools' complaint states that the number of youths using social media platforms has increased significantly since 2008, and during that time, youth mental health across the country has worsened. It points to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data that show that from 2009 to 2019, the rate of high school students who reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40%, and that between 2007 and 2018, suicide rates among people ages 10 to 24 in the U.S. increased by 57%.

The complaint cites a 2022 Pew Research Center study that found over half of teens say it would be hard to give up social media and nearly 20% of teens use YouTube "almost constantly." That number is 16% for TikTok, 15% for Snapchat, 10% for Instagram and 2% for Facebook, the study found.

The complaint also cites a number of studies that suggest a link between social media use and negative effects on teenagers. These include "encouraging unhealthy social comparison," causing a rise in cyberbullying, contributing to sleep deprivation and increasing the likelihood of disordered eating.

According to Mesa Public Schools Superintendent Andi Fourlis, social media has facilitated bullying among students in the district, which ultimately contributes to chronic absenteeism through disciplinary measures like suspensions and by making bullied students feel unsafe at school.

Social media also leads students to compare themselves and their lives to others, she said, which contributes to huge, huge mental anguish in many of our children.

As a result, school administrators must spend time investigating bullying and harassment incidents that occur on social media, she said, and the district has added counselors to its elementary schools and provides parent education on the ways they can monitor and control their childrens social media use.

Mesa Public Schools is "shifting taxpayer dollars into these mental health supports ... when we're reacting to a problem that has been created by those who are making billions of dollars, Fourlis said. In the complaint, the district requests a judgment that includes relief to "fund prevention education and treatment for excessive and problematic use of social media."

Tolleson Union High School District, which in early August hired Shinoff of Frantz Law Group to sue the social media companies, was recently part of a legal settlement with Juul Labs. The case that brought about the settlement alleged the e-cigarette company marketed its vaping products to youth. The same attorney who represented Tolleson Union in the case against Juul is representing the district in the social media lawsuit.

Tolleson Union Superintendent Jeremy Calles said he sees similarities between the two lawsuits.

If companies are doing things that are harming students, that are manipulating students to do things that are against their own best interests, then yes, well be a part of fighting against those companies, Calles said.

Calles referenced the devious licks challenge that went viral on TikTok in September 2021, when students posted videos of themselves stealing school property and vandalizing bathrooms. Later that month, following backlash from school administrators across the country, TikTok removed the #deviouslicks hashtag. Now, a search for the hashtag leads to a page that warns users of the dangers of some online challenges.

First Amendment rights and more: What parents, schools should know about TikTok challenges

Tolleson Union students participated in the "devious licks" challenge by trashing bathrooms and stealing property like soap dispensers and hand dryers, Calles said. Students caused harm to themselves by partaking in criminal activities, he said, which ultimately led to disciplinary measures for some.

That's going to mess up the student's future. It's going to detract from their education, he said. When they are promoting this all over social media like this is acceptable behavior, they are setting the student up for failure.

In Mesa, social media challenges including devious licks have meant school administrators must spend time staying one step ahead of whats coming next in social media, Fourlis said. During the devious licks challenge, students were getting in trouble who had never been in trouble before, leading her to believe that social media addiction can propel kids to do things that they wouldnt normally do, she said.

Chandler Public Schools and Scottsdale Unified say in their complaints that they've seen a worsening mental health crisis among their students.

From July to December 2022, nearly 400 Chandler Public Schools students were assessed as having suicidal thoughts, according to its complaint, and in recent years the district introduced a Teen Mental Health First Aid program and established a school-based suicide treatment center.

In Scottsdale Unified, the percentage of students receiving homebound instruction due to mental health increased from less than 1% during the 2020-21 school year to 23% in the 2022-23 school year, according to the complaint.

Districts using legal strategy from opioid, tobacco, e-cigarette cases

The school districts claims are being brought under public nuisance law.

It's a centuries-old doctrine that came out of medieval England to solve problems impacting public welfare, like blocked waterways and roadways, said Leslie Kendrick, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Over time, its been used by states  which have individual public nuisance laws  to pursue litigation against defendants that have allegedly interfered with a public right, which typically includes public health, public safety and access to public spaces, she said.

Public nuisance doctrine, which is "very flexible," Kendrick said, was a backbone of state litigation against the tobacco industry in the late 1990s, which resulted in a $246 billion settlement. In more recent years, its been deployed in litigation over climate change and the opioid epidemic, as well as against e-cigarette and gun companies  with mixed results, she said.

When courts have ruled on whether products can be considered a public nuisance  which is a debated question among legal scholars  theyve gone in different directions in different jurisdictions, she said. In 2021, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that its public nuisance law did not extend to the "manufacturing, marketing and selling of prescription opioids," and that manufacturing and distributing products rarely causes a violation of public right  rather, a public right refers to a public good like air, water or rights-of-way.

Still, in tobacco, opioid and e-cigarette cases across the nation, public nuisance doctrine has had a big impact with respect to settlements, kind of independent of how well it has fared in the courtroom, Kendrick said.

Under Arizona law, a public nuisance is "injurious to health, indecent, offensive to the senses or an obstruction to the free use of property that interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property by an entire community or neighborhood or by a considerable number of persons" and is barred when a person "knowingly maintains or commits" one.

Social media companies say they've taken measures to protect teens

Google, which owns YouTube, denied the complaints allegations in an emailed statement from spokesperson Jose Castaneda.

Protecting kids across our platforms has always been core to our work, Castaneda said. In collaboration with child development specialists, we have built age-appropriate experiences for kids and families on YouTube, and provide parents with robust controls.

Though Snap Inc. said it cant comment on specific cases, spokesperson Pete Boogaard wrote in an emailed statement that Snapchat was designed differently from other social media platforms.

Our app opens directly to a camera rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling and is primarily used to help real friends communicate, he wrote. We aren't an app that encourages perfection or popularity, and we vet all content before it can reach a large audience, which helps protect against the promotion and discovery of potentially harmful material.

In an emailed statement, TikTok said its safety policies for teens include screen-time limits, parental controls and restrictions on messaging and live-streaming.

Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, did not respond to a request for comment.

Social media companies seeking to dismiss lawsuits

Past lawsuits against social media companies have sometimes proven unsuccessful because of a federal law commonly called Section 230, which provides immunity for internet companies with respect to third-party content generated by their users, Tann said.

Section 230, which was enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, acts as a shield for social media companies, he said. But, he said, these lawsuits are not Section 230 cases because they are not attempts to hold social media companies accountable for content users posted on their websites.

"This lawsuit, on the other hand, is about the choices made by these social media companies," Tann said. "I think that's where we are pioneering."

Kendrick, the legal scholar at the University of Virginia, said the lawsuits against social media companies are similar to the ones against e-cigarette companies, which have largely been settled, in that they both focus on "harms to youth, harms to school districts, and marketing ... that allegedly appeal to youth," she said.

But in the cases against social media companies, Section 230 could interfere, as well as issues of free speech. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that suits between private parties cannot violate the First Amendment, and the social media companies claim that their products are speech  that "what they produce and how they produce it ... should count as speech," Kendrick said.

"The plaintiffs are going to have to run a gauntlet of free speech issues here that just don't come up when you're talking about opioids or e-cigarettes," she said.

The social media companies have filed motions to dismiss the complaints under Section 230 and the First Amendment.

Madeleine Parrish covers K-12 education. Reach her at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @maddieparrish61.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: These Arizona school districts claim social media is harming students
This article was originally published in Arizona Mirror.

State schools chief Tom Horne is canceling millions of dollars in contracts funded by COVID-19 aid that his Democratic predecessor awarded to Arizona education programs in order to funnel the money into a new tutoring program for struggling students. But the tutoring will help only about 10% of the students who are falling behind academically.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona received three federally funded grants totaling more than $4 billion to bolster public schools and improve student outcomes. Former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman awarded money from the third grant package to organizations that, among others, support teacher training and the social and emotional health of students, a particular focus of her administration. Recipients included the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and Playworks Arizona, which serves low-income schools and teaches inclusivity and conflict resolution via play.

On Sept. 6, Horne, a Republican who has vowed to raise academic achievement, announced that his office has eliminated and reduced ESSER-funded contracts by as much as $70 million. Of that, $40 million will be earmarked for a new tutoring program aimed at students in first grade through eighth who failed to meet a proficiency benchmark on state assessments.

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We have to make up for the deficiencies of our predecessors and make sure that the students learn more and we have better academic progress, Horne said at a Tuesday news conference.

Students who qualify will be able to take advantage of extra help four times a week for six weeks. Teachers who choose to tutor can teach a maximum of three students per six-week session, earning $30 an hour. And $200 bonuses would be awarded for every student who shows a one-half year academic gain between the pre-test administered at the start of the tutoring session and the post-test at its end.

Related

Tutors For All? Education Expert Says Tutoring Could Reshape Schools After COVID

Its unlikely, however, that the funding will pay for tutoring sessions for more than a fraction of students who failed to meet state standards. There are at least 525,000 students who tested below proficiency in at least one subject, and the $40 million would cover tutoring sessions for only about 54,000 of them.

But Horne dismissed that criticism, saying any help is valuable.

It doesnt solve the whole problem, he said. We cant generate money out of thin air and we have to deal with the money we have, but a 40 million dollar program  for 1.3 million hours of tutoring  is very major.

Neither will the program target the populations most affected by pandemic-related learning loss. High poverty schools spent more time, on average, doing remote learning, and the inequality between minority students and their peers that already existed was exacerbated. Instead, the program will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, with applications set to launch on the department of educations website on Sept. 15.

Race has nothing to do with it, Im looking purely at academic performance, said Horne.

If the program is successful, Horne anticipates taking the idea to the state legislature to continue it beyond the ESSER fundings September 2024 deadline.

Organizations left in the lurch

As many as 27 contracts were eliminated entirely or reduced. On Aug. 18, the Arizona Department of Education, which Horne oversees, contacted organizations awarded grants under Hoffman and gave them five days to prove their work was improving students academic achievement. If an organization could present tangible data showing the benefits of its programs, but wasnt spending enough to use up its award by 2024, the contract was simply readjusted to cover the rest of the grant period. Any leftover money will be returned to the federal government.

Among those cut off completely was Playworks Arizona, which focuses on creating a welcoming environment during recess to improve students well-being. Last year, more than 22,000 Arizona students experienced the structured play offered by the organization. In an emailed statement, spokesperson Beth Eisen said Playworks was still in discussions with the department of education about restoring its grant.

Last school year, 94% of educators in Playworks Arizona partner schools agreed that Playworks helps to create a supportive learning environment in their schools, Eisen said. We remain steadfast in our belief that every child in Arizona should benefit from safe and healthy play every day.

Horne on Tuesday noted that, despite the five-day deadline, organizations still have the opportunity to prove they deserve to keep their funding. While $70 million was pulled back, only $40 million is currently set aside for the tutoring grants. The rest is a buffer in case an organization earns back its funding and will also be used to pay for the development of the tests used during the tutoring sessions to show improvement levels.

Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association, the states largest teachers union, was unimpressed by Hornes decision to rescind contracts.

Once again, Tom Horne is giving us a side show, she said, in an emailed statement. He is throwing unneeded chaos into the work of programs serving kids and reneging on promises made to families so that he can get a cheap headline.

Arizona Mirror is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arizona Mirror maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jim Small for questions: info@azmirror.com. Follow Arizona Mirror on Facebook and Twitter.
Watch Erin Burnett Out Front tonight at 7 p.m. ET for more on this story.

As Covid cases spread in 2020, visitors to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences were greeted by a colorful sign put up by grateful neighbors outside the universitys medical center: Heroes Work Here.

The university adopted the message in glossy promotional videos it posted online, introducing viewers to individual nurses, doctors, and health workers who described their jobs. Sometimes its easy for people who pass through here to see our frontline caregivers as the heroes, or our educators as the heroes  its really everybody, Cam Patterson, the university chancellor, declared in one video.

But at least a dozen of the heroes that UAMS featured in online advertisements and other videos werent just employed by the university  theyve also been sued by it.

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UAMS, Arkansas flagship public health sciences university, has been aggressively suing thousands of former patients over medical debt in recent years, including hundreds of its own employees, a CNN investigation found.

Since 2019, UAMS has sued more than 8,000 patients to collect on unpaid medical bills, according to court records. It filed more debt collection lawsuits in recent years than any other plaintiff in the Arkansas court system other than the state tax office.

The universitys use of the courts ballooned during the coronavirus pandemic. It filed 35 lawsuits in 2016 but more than 3,000 in 2021  an average of nearly nine a day.

CNN reviewed court documents from thousands of UAMS lawsuits and identified more than 500 defendants who were listed as working for the university itself. The employees ranged from nurses and patient services associates to clinical technicians and lab workers to housekeepers and cooks.

Twenty people sued by UAMS, including more than a dozen current or former employees, spoke to CNN about their cases. Keri Whimper, a former UAMS medical assistant, said the universitys lawsuit against her  demanding a total of about $700 for a bill she thought had been covered by insurance  felt like a betrayal after she contracted Covid while working at the medical center.

I worked for them through Covid, and theyre still doing this to me, she said. This really shows they dont care about their employees at all.

UAMS, which is part of the state government and is Arkansas largest public employer, operates a major teaching hospital in the state capital of Little Rock and runs clinics around the state. Its legal practices, which have not been previously reported, are an example of how aggressive medical debt collection efforts arent limited to corporate, for-profit hospitals.

Most of the lawsuits UAMS filed in recent years involved unpaid medical bills of about $1,000 or less, with some cases over as little as $100. In its complaints, the university tacked on hundreds of dollars of court filing fees, attorney fees, service fees, and interest charges, sometimes doubling or tripling the original amount owed. It moved to garnish defendants wages or bank accounts in thousands of cases.

In an interview, Patterson, the chancellor, said he hadnt been aware of the number of employees UAMS was suing until CNN informed him, and said the university was evaluating changes to its collections policy. But he defended the lawsuits as important to the institutions finances, especially at a time that it has faced budget shortfalls and layoffs.

We cant fulfill our mission if were not getting paid for the work that we do, Patterson said, adding that the university provides free care to many low-income patients and we dont take legal action against people who cant pay.

Renee Russell said the university's lawsuit and wage garnishment against her devastated her finances. - CNN

State financial records show that UAMS regularly takes in more than $1 billion in payments from patients and insurers each year  suggesting that individual debts of a few hundred dollars were a drop in the bucket.

But the lawsuits had dramatic consequences for some defendants. Some patients declared bankruptcy after being sued by the university, and others, like Renee Russell, told CNN that the lawsuits and garnishments forced them to take on second jobs or cut down on food for their families.

What they took from me was life-altering during a hard time, said Russell, who was sued over about $3,000 in bills.

Berneta Haynes, a lawyer with the National Consumer Law Center whos studied medical debt, said UAMS appeared to be using some of the industrys most egregious types of collections practices.

Hounding people for money, wage garnishments, seizure of bank accounts, all over minimal amounts of money it feels draconian and cruel, Haynes said. This is why people end up avoiding necessary healthcare, because they dont want to face the spiral of medical debt.

Suing their own employees

In one of the universitys pandemic-era promotional videos, which features employees discussing the slogan UAMS Strong, a student recruitment director says that the phrase means to me that were all in this together, that were supporting each other, that were lifting each other up.

But the day before the video was posted to YouTube, the director was served with a lawsuit from her employer over $700 in unpaid medical bills. The university went on to garnish a portion of the very same wages it was paying her, according to court documents.

Her experience was hardly unique. In addition to the more than 500 current and former UAMS employees that CNN found had been sued, about 100 other defendants were listed as working at Arkansas Childrens Hospital, which is affiliated with UAMS. Those numbers are likely undercounts, as thousands of additional cases did not include employment information or did not have case documents available in Arkansas online court database.

Employees being sued told CNN they had gone to their employer for medical treatment either out of convenience or because of incentives in their insurance. UAMS health insurance program offers employees lower deductibles and copays if they go to UAMS doctors and facilities for their medical care instead of other in-network providers that arent part of the university.

Current UAMS employees  who asked to speak anonymously to avoid retaliation  said the cases against them were demoralizing and infuriating.

One nurse sued by UAMS worked long hours coordinating Covid care during the height of deadly surges in case numbers. She remembered calling hospital after hospital trying to find beds for patients who needed to be intubated, knowing that if she couldnt find them a spot, they would likely die.

An aerial view of UAMS. - CNN

Around the same time, she said, she was personally receiving collection calls about years-old medical bills from her own employer. UAMS sued her and, after winning a default judgment, moved to garnish part of the wages it was paying her, according to court documents.

Getting sued after working through the worst of the pandemic was a punch in the gut, the nurse said. Were a revenue source, and if they dont get their revenue, they sue us for it.

Another nurse, who was sued by her employer over a bill for medical treatment provided to a family member, said that the lawsuit was a bombshell in my finances.

Its a crappy way to treat anybody, especially somebody who comes to work for you, working their butt off during Covid, she said. Just the humiliation of it, and feeling like they dont really have your back, it hurts.

Some employees were making annual salaries of about $30,000 or less when they were sued, according to financial records.

A housekeeper at the hospital said she didnt realize she had been sued by her employer until they started garnishing part of her paycheck, because court documents were sent to her old address. She said she was forced to get a second job at Walmart to keep up with her bills.

Yall say youre for the people, but how am I going to survive when youre taking hundreds of dollars out of my paycheck? she asked.

On the other end of the pay spectrum, a handful of the defendants were doctors, professors or departmental leaders. The university sued its chief of pediatric emergency medicine over nearly $2,000 in medical bills in 2021. He resigned his job in the following months to take a position elsewhere  but UAMS still garnished a portion of his last paycheck, according to court records.

A UAMS spokesperson said the university couldnt comment on individual cases due to health privacy laws, but would review the examples CNN cited.

Patterson, the chancellor, said UAMS hadnt previously received complaints from employees about the collections process, but that it breaks my heart to hear some of what workers told CNN about being sued. He said that the university had recently convened a working group to evaluate its billing and collections policies and make recommendations for changes.

We dont like to think about pursuing legal action for anybody, he said. And were very interested in finding ways in which we can accomplish the same goal without having to resort to legal action.

A barrage of lawsuits

For years, UAMS only filed a few dozen medical debt lawsuits annually. But that changed in 2019, as the university pursued cost savings and partnered with a new debt collection firm  and the numbers skyrocketed during the pandemic.

In 2021, UAMS filed more than 3,000 lawsuits  nearly 100 times the number it filed five years earlier.

The jump in lawsuits appears to be linked to UAMS work with Mid-South Adjustment Company, an Arkansas debt collection firm. Court documents in some of the lawsuits state that bills should be paid to Mid-South, and most of UAMS debt collection lawsuits are represented by Brad Dowler, an attorney who also represents Mid-South.

UAMS first began paying Mid-South during its 2019 fiscal year, according to financial records  the same time the number of lawsuits jumped. Since then, its paid the company more than $3.1 million. In addition to collections, Mid-South also provides UAMS other services such as patient communications and insurance verification, according to a contract bid. Dowler and Mid-Souths president declined to comment on the lawsuits.

As UAMS increased its lawsuits, it was in the process of rebuilding its finances. In early 2018, the university cut several hundred jobs as it faced a large budget deficit. Patterson, the universitys new chancellor, arrived in June 2018 and declared in an interview on his first day at work that the mission of UAMS is not to make money but to serve the people of Arkansas.

In recent years, the university has seesawed between a stronger and weaker financial picture. It recently announced plans to lay off 51 employees amid a $30 million deficit. But in its 2021 fiscal year, UAMS recorded its highest increase in net position in more than a decade, thanks in part to federal Covid-related funds  and it still sued thousands of people.

Patterson said that UAMS does not collect debt owed by patients with a household income less than 200% of the federal poverty level  a total of about $60,000 for a family of four  or people who are unemployed or on Medicaid or Medicare. Each year, he said, the university writes off about $100 million in medical care for people who cant afford to pay. And people who are not eligible for free care can set up payment plans to avoid lawsuits, in some cases paying as little as $5 or $10 per month, he said.

Dr. Cam Patterson, chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, speaks during an interview with CNN. - CNN

But those policies are not publicized anywhere on the universitys website. While UAMS has posted an application for financial assistance, some of the patients sued told CNN they dont remember being informed about the possibility of receiving financial assistance or being encouraged to apply.

In contrast, UAMS largest competitor in Little Rock, Baptist Health Medical Center, has posted detailed online policies offering free care to families whose income is less than 300% of the federal poverty level, with exceptions based on assets. Baptist also lays out a litany of requirements and income checks that must take place before any collections lawsuit is filed.

A UAMS spokesperson said that hospital employees give patients a one-on-one personal explanation about their bills and available assistance.

Meanwhile, some other hospitals around the country have moved to limit or end their use of lawsuits to collect on medical debt. The University of Virginia Health System and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis both reformed their collections policies after reporting from the nonprofit news outlets KFF Health News, ProPublica and MLK50 revealed the hospitals had sued thousands of former patients.

States such as New York, Maryland, New Mexico and California have also passed legislation in recent years banning or limiting the use of wage garnishments and other measures to collect on medical debt, although theres been no similar move in Arkansas.

Nationally, nonprofit and public hospitals were among the most litigious at collecting medical debt, a Johns Hopkins University study from 2021 found. The study counted lawsuits by the 100 largest hospitals in the US  which did not include UAMS  and found that nine of the 10 most litigious were nonprofit or government-run.

Some longtime UAMS patients said they noticed a pronounced change in the hospitals approach to collections in recent years. Suzanne Saettele, who got an emergency liver transplant at the UAMS Medical Center in 2005, has returned multiple times a year for tests and checkups since then. Living paycheck to paycheck, she said she struggled to pay the bills at times over the years, but the university was always willing to give her time to pay or set up payment plans.

UAMS was 1000% on our side, she remembered, citing their flexibility with bills and the hospital social worker who helped her apply for financial benefits. I could just cry, they helped me so much.

That changed in May 2021, when she got a knock on her door on the day of her daughters high school graduation. She expected flowers  and it turned out to be a man with a lawsuit from the hospital.

Even though she had been making regular payments on a previous UAMS payment plan, Saettele said, the university still sued her over several outstanding bills totaling $295. After attorneys and court fees, she owed $525, part of which the hospital garnished from Saetteles bank account after winning a default judgment.

It just broke my heart because they had been so good to us, Saettele said. I had such good care and felt so safe with them  and now I dont.

It hurt me big time

Some patients sued by UAMS told CNN that the lawsuits against them had dramatic and long-lasting consequences for their personal finances.

The vast majority of defendants sued did not have an attorney and made no court filing. The university typically filed for default judgment, which was granted if defendants didnt respond within 30 days of being served.

UAMS added hundreds of dollars of attorneys and court fees onto the hospital bills in its court complaints. After winning judgments, the university earned interest on the amount owed at rates that in some cases reached 9% each year.

Those fees were horrible, said Tonya Dixon, who was sued over about $1,000 in bills after giving birth to her son Lukas at UAMS. The amount she owed rose above $1,500 after attorney and court fees. I told them, theres no need to get a lawyer, Im willing to pay you. But nobody listened.

Tonya Dixon plays with her son, Lukas, who was born prematurely at UAMS in 2019. - CNN

To collect on its judgments, UAMS moved to garnish defendants wages or seize money from their bank accounts in at least 5,000 cases since 2019, according to CNNs analysis of court records. Some other defendants were allowed to set up monthly payment plans to avoid garnishment.

Notably, UAMS also exploited a loophole in state law that allowed it to collect on debts that may have been too old for most hospitals to bring to court. Arkansas statute of limitations blocks debt collectors from suing over medical debt if more than two years have passed since the debt was incurred or the last payment was made.

But in some cases, UAMS sued over debts that were three or four years old, because that statute of limitations doesnt apply to the state government.

In one case, after the hospital sued a patient in June 2022 for medical treatment she received in March 2019, the defendant objected that the statute of limitations had passed. UAMS attorney, Tim Cullen, responded by citing an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling and wrote that Plaintiff is an arm of the State of Arkansas. The statute of limitations does not run against the state. The judge ruled in the universitys favor, and Cullen moved to garnish the defendants wages from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A UAMS spokesperson objected to the idea that the law allowing the university to sue over older bills amounted to a loophole, and said the university waits at least a year before filing suit, and often longer, in order to reach out to patients multiple times and give them an opportunity to pay

Patterson said the universitys policy is to be transparent with patients about their bills and that defendants should have received plenty of notice before it gets to a lawsuit. If people are being sued without understanding that they have unpaid bills, thats of course too aggressive, thats not our process, he said.

Still, some patients sued said the university was unwilling to give them reprieves, even when they faced financial distress.

In 2021, UAMS sued Renee Russell for about $3,200 over a medical bill for treatment of her diverticulitis, plus more than $800 in attorney and court fees. The hospital garnished part of Russells wages from a dog grooming business, which she said had already dropped dramatically due to the pandemic.

Russell told CNN she called UAMS and its collections firm and asked about their financial assistance policy in light of her reduced income. I told them Im trying to pay this, but I am in a horrific financial bind right now with Covid  Im barely keeping my head above water, she said. But Russell was told it was too late for her to qualify for financial assistance because the lawsuit had already made its way through the courts, she said.

The garnishment, which took hundreds of dollars out of Russells paycheck, devastated her finances at the same time she was taking care of a disabled brother after her mothers death and adopting a child, she said. To cope, she cut down on food for the family, took on extra jobs cleaning houses, and postponed crucial dental work.

As her savings evaporated, Russell wrote two handwritten letters to the court explaining her financial situation and asking for a reprieve. I am begging for some relief, she wrote. UAMS did nothing until a judge scheduled a hearing months later. The day the hearing was set to take place, the university agreed to lift the garnishment, and Russell said an employee of the universitys lawyer told her they would forgive the remaining $82 of her debt. But then, about two months later, UAMS moved to reinstate the garnishment  and took that last $82.

The impact of the lawsuit against her has been long-lasting, Russell said: Her credit score dropped from 750 to 480, and shes still working to build up her savings again.

It hurt me, it hurt me big time, Russell said. What did they gain from literally crushing me?

CNNs Curt Devine and Ashley Killough contributed to this report. Student journalist Emily Kennard also contributed for CNN.

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Ashton Kutcher , left, shown at the 2017 CMT Music Awards with Danny Masterson , wrote a letter in support of his co-star from "That '70s Show" in a high-profile rape case. (Kevin Mazur / WireImage)

A bevy of high-profile stars came to the defense of actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson before his sentencing Thursday, calling on the judge in his case to offer leniency.

Masterson, 47, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo on Thursday despite the pleas from his "That 70s Show" co-stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, among others.

"I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would [be] a tertiary injustice in and of itself," Kutcher wrote in his letter, which was published first by reporter Meghann Cuniff.

The letters in support of defendants by their family and supporters are routine in criminal cases before sentencing. In Masterson's case, they came as part of a 108-page filing reviewed by The Times. Neither Kunis nor Kutcher argued that Masterson was not guilty of the crimes, but they vouched for his character and the person they knew him to be.

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Read more: Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life for raping former Scientologists

"From the very beginning, I could sense his innate goodness and genuine nature," Kunis said in her letter. "His caring nature and ability to offer guidance have been instrumental in my growth both personally and professionally."

In Kutcher's letter, he noted a time when he said Masterson jumped to the defense of a woman whose boyfriend was berating her at a pizza restaurant.

"It was an incident he didnt have to get involved in but proactively chose to because the way this man was behaving was not right," Kutcher wrote.

Both actors said Masterson's anti-drug attitude helped them to stay on the straight and narrow during their careers in Hollywood.

Masterson was convicted in May of two counts of rape after his second trial on charges stemming from allegations of sexual assaults by three women he knew through the Church of Scientology.

Read more: Danny Masterson Sentencing Memo Letters of Support

State law required Masterson to be sentenced to 15 years to life on each rape count, but Olmedo had the option to run the sentences concurrently or consecutively, meaning Masterson effectively faced either 15 years to life or 30 years to life.

In court, defense attorney Shawn Holley also asked Olmedo to exercise sentencing leniency, citing Mastersons lack of a criminal record and history of philanthropic actions, drawing a sharp rebuke from Deputy Dist. Atty. Reinhold Mueller.

The manner in which this defendant committed his acts  it was violent, it was targeted in some instances, surreptitiously drugging his victims so they were incapacitated when he committed these assaults, he said. Its heinous. And to suggest, under all of these circumstances, that 15 years to life ... is enough and thats fair and just? Absolutely not.

Read more: Mars Voltas lead singer broke with Scientology and reunited with the band. His battles with the church arent over

The rapes occurred at Masterson's Hollywood Hills home in the early 2000s, when he was a rising star from "That 70s Show."

During testimony, each victim described violent assaults in graphic detail, saying they fell prey to Masterson after he served them drinks that made them disoriented and nauseated.

The Church of Scientology was invoked repeatedly at trial and became a key focus of defense and prosecution teams alike. The women said the church discouraged them from reporting Masterson to law enforcement at the time of the rapes; the church denied those allegations.

Read more: Appeals court says accusers' case against Church of Scientology can proceed

Other well-known Hollywood actors, including Masterson's brother-in-law Billy Baldwin and Giovanni Ribisi, who was raised in Scientology, wrote letters in support of Masterson, as did fellow "That 70s Show" cast member Debra Jo Rupp.

Numerous family members, including Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips Masterson, also penned letters in support.

Masterson's victims, identified in court only by a single initial and either their first or last name, also had a chance to address the court before the sentencing.

One woman, N. Trout, said Masterson enjoyed hurting her.

"You relish in hurting women, she said. It is an addiction. It is, without question, your favorite thing to do. ... Your sickness is no longer my burden to bear.

Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Fulton County Commissioner Natalie Hall was censured this week by her board colleagues in a 5-0 vote due to her inappropriate sexual relationship with her former chief of staff and retaining a staff member who violated county procedures while working for her.

Concerned citizens in Atlanta  the Georgia capital is the county seat of Fulton  have asked her to resign, even making fun of her relationship and mocking her as a leader.

One resident came forward at the county commission meeting on Wednesday and used the public comment segment to roast Hall. After approaching the microphone and podium, the resident interpolated soul singer Billy Pauls 1972 hit Me and Mrs. Jones.

Fulton County Commissioner Natalie Hall, left, and resident who faced off with her on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Photos: Fulton Government Television/YouTube screenshots)

She started to sing, Me and Mrs. Hall, we got a thing going on and its much too strong to let it go now.

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Shes using trackers to keep an eye on her crackers. She raised our taxes and doubled and doubled her gigolos salary, she continued before going into a vamp about how certain explicit activities that hurt so much cost the taxpayers money and how Hall and Brock needed to be careful so as not to be exposed by the other politicians.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

After the womans colorful performance, tensions rose on the dais.

In a heated exchange, Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. vehemently objected to Halls censure being public.

We never discuss litigation nor personnel matters on a public agenda. It is absolutely unprecedented, he said.

Related: Youre Prohibited from Using It: Donald Trump Made Millions Selling Merchandise with His Historic Mugshot, But Legal Expert Says He May Have Violated Copyright Law

However, he was shut down by Fulton County Chair Rob Pitts, who declared him out of order, and the discussion moved forward.

Neither Arrington nor Hall voted on the censure, which is related to a 2021 complaint filed by her former chief of staff, Calvin Brock.

In his EEOC complaint, Calvin Brock v. Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Brock demanded monetary damages for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation and for Hall violating federal employment laws.

Brock claims he was coerced into a sexual relationship with Hall, and when he ended the relationship, Hall fired him. The commissioner, who was married then, allegedly had sexual encounters with Brock at her downtown Atlanta office, her home and his apartment, he claimed. He reportedly got two promotions while Hall was his boss, which he alleged were rewards for their affair. His salary started at $65,000 and climbed to $125,000.

However, things took a turn, according to Brock, when he told Hall that he wanted to see other people. He claims the commissioner planted three tracking and recording devices in two of his personal vehicles out of jealousy.

Halls attorneys contend that the sexual relationship had been consensual, and Brock even told Hall that she could have him anytime she wanted. They decided at one point to make the relationship public, and they met each others children. Hall said both agreed that Brock would leave and get another job, but they started having problems in the relationship in 2020.

Hall said he started lying about minor things and disrespecting her in front of a colleague. Her attorneys challenged the wrongful termination assertion and disputed the allegations of sexual harassment.

The censure resolution publicly clarified that consensual relationships, though not necessarily constituting sexual harassment under federal laws, still infringe upon Fulton County Personnel Procedure 311-16, which prohibits supervisor-subordinate sexual relationships.

The facts presented to the panel showed Hall demonstrated lapses in judgment and failure to safeguard the best interests of Fulton County resulting in damage to the reputation of Fulton County and the Board of Commissioners, according to the resolution.

It also highlighted Halls decision to retain one worker despite evidence that the employee violated county procedures, misused county property, and had previously served time for crimes related to impersonating a police officer and robbery.

The sexual harassment claim opened the county up for not just public scrutiny and possibly civil damages but also public ridicule from constituents.

A clip of the singing resident went viral on social media Thursday.

If that was not enough to show that Atlanta is an unreal & unsophisticated place, wrote one X user.

The woman in the viral clip is not the only one demanding that Hall resign.

We do not trust her. We dont believe the things she says because she smirks like as if there is no apology, community leader LA Pink said, according to 11 Alive. She should step down.

Hall admitted to the relationship with her employee but did not discuss if she was going to step down. Instead, she waited for the meeting to move on, and she joined her colleagues in addressing those other issues on the agenda for the week.
Opening statements in the second homicide trial of Max Struck  whose first trial ended in a mistrial in June  largely echoed the first, with the 10th Judicial District Attorney's office claiming Struck deliberated before killing his neighbor and the defense claiming he acted in self-defense.

Struck, 35, is on trial for first-degree murder and is accused of fatally shooting Patti Magby on Oct. 21, 2022, outside of his home in the 4700 block of Bergemann Road in rural southwest Pueblo County. Struck was first tried in June, but the trial ended in a mistrial due to a "jury issue," according to court documents.

In an initial 911 call, Struck stated that he had shot at an unknown figure who was taking pictures of vehicles and structures on his property for an unknown reason. Magby's body was found on the property with a gunshot wound to the lower leg and a mortal gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Pueblo DA's office lays out its case

Tenth Judicial Deputy District Attorney Suzanne Marsh argued in her opening statement Thursday afternoon that Struck acted deliberately to kill Magby.

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In a recorded 911 call, Struck told an emergency dispatcher on the night of the shooting that he was sitting in a vehicle in his driveway when he saw lights come on inside his home. In the 911 call, Struck said he then saw an intruder exit the residence and circle around the side of the house, taking pictures of his property, including the vehicle he was sitting in.

He told the 911 operator he yelled at the intruder to leave before going into his house and arming himself with a 9mm pistol. He said he then exited a patio door and yelled again for the intruder to leave his property.

Struck stated in the call that the unknown intruder replied, "Well, come here," at which point he said he fired into the darkness.

Marsh also noted that despite Magby having two loaded guns in the vehicle she had parked right in front of Struck's residence, Magby was unarmed at the time she was killed, having left one of the guns inside the vehicle and the other on top of it.

Adding to the arguments made in her original opening statement, Marsh attempted to refute a piece of audio evidence that the defense had previously leaned on. In a snippet of a 911 call, Struck, through sobs, stated something hard to decipher, which defense counsel claims was "The light came on, and I heard two shots."

During the first trial, prosecutors stated that it was too difficult to make out and could have been anything. However, in Marsh's opening statement, she offered her own interpretation  "The light came on, and then she stopped."

Marsh claimed that the DA's office had consulted with an "audio expert" who was able to isolate and clarify the audio, making it easier to hear.

Like the first trial, Marsh claimed Struck acted with deliberation, having had several moments to weigh his plan to shoot Magby before acting on it  leaving his vehicle, yelling at Magby that he planned to get his firearm, putting on a robe, selecting the gun that, in Struck's words, "he'd prefer to use," repeatedly opening the door, firing, and closing the door, and clearing two weapon jams. Struck fired a total of seven times, she noted.

He then loaded a second magazine, "just in case," but didn't see any further movement and ceased firing. Each of these steps constituted an opportunity to deliberate, Marsh argued.

"Is trespassing an offense warranting taking another's life? The answer is no," Marsh said.

Defense argues Struck felt afraid and 'under attack'

James "David" Henderson, an attorney representing Struck, said in his opening statement that Struck had a reasonable fear for his life.

"Bang, bang  that's the sound my client heard when he was isolated on his property that night. He was isolated, he was alone, and he was afraid," Henderson said.

Henderson pointed to the audio clip of the 911 call, which he claimed stated that "the light turned on, and I heard two shots."

Magby, who had a blood alcohol content of .155  nearly twice Colorado's legal limit to operate a motor vehicle  along with evidence of two prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death, did not have permission to be on the property, Henderson noted, and had ignored a "no trespassing" sign on the way down Struck's long driveway.

As he did in the first trial, Henderson noted that the house was in an isolated area of rural Pueblo, and that if Struck had called law enforcement to solve the problem, response times could "take a while," up to 20 minutes. Henderson also pointed to Magby's loaded handgun on top of the vehicle, which detectives took nine days to find after the shooting.

The gun was photographed on top of the vehicle the night of the shooting but only found after the vehicle was towed into Pueblo, miraculously staying on the roof of the vehicle during the tow. The revolver was loaded with five "snake shot" rounds, two of which appeared to have been fired in succession, according to Henderson.

Henderson also stated that Magby's hands were swabbed for gunshot residue, but the state refused to test the swab. Finally, Henderson argued that despite the prosecution's claims that the yard where Magby was shot was well-lit, it would have been very difficult for his client to see well, pointing to photos taken of the yard with lights off taken the next day.

A photo from Magby's phone, which appeared to be an accidental selfie, also showed the night sky above Struck's roof. Henderson argued that his client acted in a reasonable manner to defend himself against an unknown intruder and that Struck cooperated to the fullest extent with investigators in the case.

He also argued there was a bias against Struck from the beginning, as a member of Magby's family works for the Pueblo coroner's office.

"He had a reasonable fear of losing his life. He was alone, isolated, and afraid," he concluded. "My client is not guilty."

The trial is scheduled to continue through Sept. 22.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Questions, comments or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Attorneys outline cases in second trial of Pueblo man accused of murder
The Humane Society of Summit County facility in Twinsburg Township includes dog kennels that face each other and can elevate canine stress; a new complex to be constructed in Cuyahoga Falls will face the kennels away from each other.

When the dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and other animals from the Humane Society of Summit County make the trek from Twinsburg Township to Cuyahoga Falls next year, they will move into a new building designed with their needs in mind.

Diane Johnson-Owens, president and CEO of the Humane Society, said the organization's new building will be equipped to provide what are considered the best practices in animal care.

"Twinsburg has worked well for use in the past 13 years, but we are trying to keep up with the evolution of shelters," said Johnson-Owens.

The new Humane Society of Summit County facility will be a 27,000-square-foot shelter and adoption center on West Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls. Work on the shelter, designed by FMD Architecture of Fairlawn, began in July. AM Higley Co. in Cleveland is constructing the facility.

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It is expected to open in fall 2024.

The new Humane Society facility, expected to open in fall 2024, will be on West Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls.

The new Humane Society facility will have two entrances, including one for guests looking to adopt a pet.

An advantage of the future Cuyahoga Falls location is its more central access for Summit County residents, said Louise DiLullo, director of capital campaign and major gifts.

"It's going to be so visible to the community," DiLullo said. "It will be a place people want to come to, an attractive place to meet pets."

While the Humane Society's current building is a retrofitted former warehouse, its future home opens new design possibilities to better suit the organization's purpose. One change will be how the dog enclosures will be arranged, Johnson-Owens said. Currently, the cages all face each other.

"When one dog barks, they all start barking," she said. "It can be crazy; it gets loud."

This can be stressful for the animals in the facility's care, Johnson-Owens said. This is especially a problem because animals received by the Humane Society tend to arrive with ailments or trauma.

"We take care of abused, abandoned and neglected animals," she said. "We don't take in healthy animals." Healthy animals, Johnson-Owens added, typically are sent to animal control or another volunteer rescue agency.

The new facility will have natural light and spaces separate from the kennel area where prospective adopters can meet the animals. The kennel spaces for canines will be larger and set up in pods. The cats will have spacious enclosures with visibility to the outdoors and group living spaces for more social felines.

The new building's veterinary services area will be twice the size of the current space and will include two surgery tables, Johnson-Owens said.

The Humane Society of Summit County plans to expand its veterinary wing when it relocates from Twinsburg Township to a new facility under construction in Cuyahoga Falls.

The new Humane Society facility in Cuyahoga Falls will feature a larger area for veterinary services.

Building a better path toward animal adoptions

Major goals for the new facility are decreasing the amount of stress experienced by animals in its care and cutting the wait time for adoptions in half.

The Summit County Humane Society rescues, rehabilitates and adopts more than 2,500 animals per year, Johnson-Owens said.

The current shelter "is not conducive to getting the animals adopted," she said.

Pixie, bottom, makes friends with her neighbor at the Humane Society of Summit County.

The new complex will have two entrances  one for those looking to adopt, and another leading to an animal intake area, Johnson-Owens said.

In addition to upgraded living quarters, the facility will include outdoor run and walking trails, Johnson-Owens said.

What happens if there are issues getting an adopted pet settled into its new home? The Summit County Humane Society has programs for that, too, including counseling.

"We do a lot of counseling," DiLullo said. "If a cat doesn't use the litter box, we can walk you through it."

The Humane Society of Summit County has repurposed office space house overflow cats at the Twinsburg Township facility.

Fundraising efforts continue for new facility

Construction will be entirely funded by donations separate from the nonprofit's annual operating needs. The Humane Society has been raising funds quietly through its network of supporters for 18 months; the Adopting a Better Future campaign has raised more than $7.8 million toward its $10 million goal.

We have been overwhelmed by the support of our closest friends during the quiet phase of fundraising," Johnson-Owens said. "We were even able to advance our construction timeline by a year due to the early gifts by certain incredibly generous investors.

A cat named Jersey Giant peeks through the handle of a basket at the Humane Society of Summit County in Twinsburg Township.

An anonymous supporter donated the land for the new facility, Johnson-Owens said.

The Humane Society of Summit County was founded in 1968. It has provided care for more than 30,000 animals at its Twinsburg facility since 2010. Prior to the move to Twinsburg, the organization operated a shelter on Quick Road in Cuyahoga Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The new facility will allow the Humane Society to expand on its programs and host community events, Johnson-Owens said. It will even have space for outside groups to meet and host programming.

"We are very excited about this," Johnson-Owens said.

Details on the construction project and the campaign may be found online at www.summithumane.org and www.adoptingabetterfuture.org.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Humane Society tailors design for future home to animals' care needs
Italian chef Andrea has been bustling around the hotel cafeteria lately, as the business is picking up rapidly along with the post-pandemic recovery of the cultural and travel industry.

The executive chef at the Swiss Grand Nanchang in east China's Jiangxi Province said he is very pleased to see the business improving. "Now we receive an average of 120 customers a day."

Italy, a country along the Belt and Road famous for its culinary treasures, has garnered the appreciation of Chinese consumers through its exquisite cheese, pizza, and pasta. This encouraged Andrea to come to China to seek opportunities.

"The Belt and Road Initiative has built a bridge for Sino-Italian cultural exchanges, and food is an important part of cultural exchanges," Andrea said. "I'm happy to be a messenger of cultural communication so that more Chinese people can learn about Italy through food."

Having relocated to China for work, he developed a deep appreciation for Chinese cuisine and married a Chinese girl. In 2020, amidst the pandemic, Andrea and his family decided to settle in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi.

"At that time, many medical workers were on the frontline of pandemic prevention and control, and they made great efforts to protect us. My team and I decided to support them by offering delicious food, which has the power to soothe people," Andrea recalled.

During that period, Andrea and his colleagues worked from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., cooking up to 3,000 meals daily.

"Although it was hard work, seeing the surprise when the medical staff received the food made it all worth it," he said.

Andrea was deeply touched by the resilience and unity of the Chinese people during the pandemic. It is also in the process of working with the Chinese people to fight the pandemic that he has forged a stronger and more meaningful bond with the city.

Andrea started to place greater emphasis on engaging with local customers, understanding their preferences and crafting a diverse range of dishes that blend the distinctive elements of both Chinese and Italian cuisines. This approach has successfully drawn numerous customers eager to savor his creations.

His recent hit is a Chinese-style tortellini. "This new tortellini, stuffed with typical Italian ingredients and Nanchang rice noodle sauce, creates a fascinating flavor, and became a sought-after cuisine after its roll-out," Andrea said.

"I hope that the Belt and Road Initiative will bring more Italian ingredients into the Chinese market so that I can make more cuisines with authentic flavor and contribute to building a gastronomic bridge between China and Italy," he added.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, pose for a photo after signing the Memorandum of Understanding during his visit at the Malacanang palace in Manila Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Earvin Perias/Pool Photo via AP)

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Australia and the Philippines elevated their seven-decade ties to a strategic level Friday to broaden an alliance underpinned by their rejection of Chinas increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Philippine Ferdinand Marcos signed the pact upgrading their ties in Manila. They also agreed to hold an annual meeting of their defense chiefs.

Aside from an aim to further boost trade and economic engagement, Albanese said their countries have common views about the need to uphold international law, and Australias position on that will continue to be consistent, as we have always been, including recently over issues relating to the South China Sea."

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, have been locked in a decadeslong territorial standoff in the disputed waterway. Its a key passageway for global trade and is regarded as an Asian flashpoint.

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It's also where China has repeatedly had tense face-offs with Philippines vessels.

Marcos said he and Albanese acknowledge that our shared values, the democratic principles and mutual respect for international law, have been instrumental in fostering a strong partnership."

"Our commitment to these ideals has guided our path forward as we address the complex challenges facing our region and the world at large, Marcos said.

In just-concluded summit talks attended by Albanese, Marcos, and several other Western and Asian leaders Thursday in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the Australian premier underscored Canberras recognition of  and the need to uphold  a 2016 arbitration ruling by a tribunal set up under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea that invalidated Chinas expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds.

The Philippines sought the arbitration after China forcibly took control of a disputed shoal after a tense 2012 sea standoff. China did not participate in the arbitration, rejected its outcome as a sham, and continues to violate it.

Marcos thanked Albanese for renewing Australias position during the Jakarta summit talks, where Chinese Premier Li Qiang was also in attendance.

You have made very clear that the claims that are being made upon our Philippine maritime territory are not valid and have not been recognized, and not in conjunction or consistent with international law, Marcos said. To have friends like you and partners like you, especially on that subject, is very gratifying and encourages us to continue down that path.

Australia, along with the United States and Japan, immediately condemned an Aug. 5 action by a Chinese coast guard ship that used a water cannon to block a Philippine boat delivering food and other supplies to Filipino forces stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal.

China also claims the atoll and has surrounded it with Chinese coast guard ships and militia vessels in a yearslong standoff.

While Albanese and Marcos were meeting Friday in Manila, two Philippine supply boats en route to the Second Thomas Shoal were blocked by a Chinese coast guard ship and other Chinese vessels, but managed to breach the blockade and reached the Filipino sailors stationed in a long-marooned and rusting navy ship, Philippine security officials said.

The Philippine government condemned the Chinese coast guards actions and vowed it would not be deterred by the aggression and continue the supply missions.

An inter-agency government body dealing with the territorial disputes said it strongly deplores and condemns the continued illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct of the Chinese coast guard and Chinese maritime militias within our nations Exclusive Economic Zone."

___

Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
By Karen Lema

MANILA (Reuters) - Australia and the Philippines on Friday agreed to hold annual defence ministers' meetings as the two nations upgraded bilateral ties to a strategic partnership amid rising security challenges in the region, including in the South China Sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a strategic partnership agreement with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his trip to Manila, the first visit by an Australian leader in 20 years.

"Australia is working with our partners including the Philippines to shape a region where sovereignty is upheld," Albanese said in a joint press conference with Marcos after holding bilateral talks

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Marcos said their countries' close ties were "terribly important".

The Philippines last month held military exercises near the South China Sea with Australia, its second-largest partner in defence security. It is also one of only two bilateral partners with whom the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows two countries to undertake joint exercises, high-level visits, dialogues and exchanges.

Australia has discussed pursuing joint navy patrols in the resource-rich waterway.

Albanese threw his support behind a 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea that invalidated China's expansive claims in the strategic waterway where about $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually.

"Australia supports the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award. That is final and binding. And it is important that it be upheld going forward," Albanese said.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have claims to certain areas of the South China Sea. Most of Australia's trade also goes through the South China Sea.

Albanese confirmed on Thursday he will visit China later this year, the first visit by an Australian leader since 2016.

(Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
Charlie Munger invested nearly $90 million of his family fortune with Li Lu. The 'Chinese Warren Buffett' has turned it into about $400 million.

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. Johannes Eisele/Getty Images

Charlie Munger handed $88 million to Li Lu when the value investor launched a new fund in 2004.

Warren Buffett's right-hand man says he's made four or five times his money since then.

Munger also discusses BYD and another of Li's best stock picks in a new interview.

Charlie Munger handed nearly $90 million of his family's fortune to Li Lu in the early 2000s. The value investor, whom Munger has dubbed the "Chinese Warren Buffett," has grown the sum to roughly $400 million since then.

"We made unholy good returns for a long, long time," Munger told the Financial Times for a new profile of Li. "That $88 million has become four or five times that."

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Munger, 99, is Buffett's business partner and Berkshire Hathaway's vice-chair. He met Li at a Thanksgiving lunch in 2003 and was so impressed that when Li launched a new fund in 2004, Munger backed him with his own money, the FT reported.

Li Lu. JP Yim/Getty Images

Li's winning bets include Kweichow Moutai, a distilled-liquor brand that has skyrocketed in value over the past two decades and now ranks among China's largest listed companies.

"It was real cheap, four to five times earnings," Munger said. "And Li Lu just backed up the truck, bought all he could and made a killing."

However, Li's most famous stock pick is undoubtedly BYD. He invested in the battery- and electric-vehicle maker in 2002, paving the way for Buffett and Munger to purchase their own stake six years later. The wager has been one of Berkshire's best performers in the past 15 years.

"It worked so well, the early investment in BYD was a minor miracle," Munger told the newspaper.

BYD makes electric cars such as the Seagull. BYD

The nonagenarian investor also reflected on Li's history as a student protester at Tiananmen Square.

"Li Lu is no longer a revolutionary," Munger said. "He's a capitalist. You can't find a more capitalistic capitalist than Li Lu."

Buffett, Munger, and Li go way back. For example, Li decided to pursue an investing career after listening to Buffett lecture at Columbia University in 1993.

Munger has said that Li is the only outsider he's ever trusted with his money and once predicted Li would eventually take a leading role at Berkshire.

Moreover, Li moved his Himalaya Capital Management firm from New York to California to be closer to Munger before stationing it in lower-taxed Washington state in 2018. He's also structured his office like a mini-Berkshire, with teams of analysts digging into a select few companies and sharing their findings directly with him, the FT reported.

Himalaya held $306 million of Berkshire stock at the end of June, Securities and Exchange Commission filings show. Buffett's company was one of just a few positions in its $1.8 billion US stock portfolio, along with Alphabet, East West Bancorp, and two of Berkshire's flagship holdings: Apple and Bank of America.

Read the original article on Business Insider
FILE PHOTO: An ethnic Armenian soldier looks through binoculars as he stands at fighting positions near divided Taghavard village in Nagorno-Karabakh region

By Andrew Osborn

LONDON (Reuters) -Azerbaijan is ready to allow Red Cross aid from Armenia into the ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh enclave if Red Crescent aid from Azerbaijan is let in at the same time, Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to President Ilham Aliyev , told Reuters.

Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenian authorities, is at the centre of a rancorous stand-off, with Azerbaijan restricting movement along the only road to it from Armenia to thwart what it says is arms smuggling.

Armenia says what it calls a blockade of the "Lachin corridor", known as "the road of life" by ethnic Armenians in Karabakh, has caused acute shortages of food, medicines and other essentials.

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Baku says it has let the Red Cross evacuate people to Armenia for medical treatment and that its own information shows there is no shortage of basic food staples, but it has not allowed food and other supplies in for some time.

Hajiyev said in an interview on Thursday that Azerbaijan was now ready to let the Red Cross bring in humanitarian aid on condition that the Red Crescent also be allowed to bring in aid, on a different road from Azerbaijan.

He said the two roads - the Lachin corridor and the Aghdam road - could be opened to aid simultaneously as part of a pilot scheme that could defuse tensions and spur long-running peace talks between Baku and Yerevan.

The idea had been discussed in a phone call between President Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sept. 1, he said.

"There was a suggestion for the simultaneous opening of the roads and Azerbaijan agreed and immediately agreed," said Hajiyev, saying that part of the Aghdam road had been obstructed with concrete blocks by Karabakh's ethnic Armenian authorities.

"Now one week has passed since the telephone call with Secretary Blinken and there is no movement."

Yuri Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for the United States, spoke on Thursday of "progress toward immediately & simultaneously opening Lachin and other routes to get humanitarian supplies into Nagorno-Karabakh".

"Opening routes and direct talks are key to resolving outstanding issues," Kim said on X.

Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire banker who was a top official in Karabakh's ethnic Armenian administration until February, said Azerbaijan was wrong to try to attach preconditions to allowing aid to pass through the Lachin corridor.

Vardanyan, who has accused Baku of trying to "ethnically cleanse" the enclave by choking off supplies to it - something it denies - said a Russian-brokered 2020 ceasefire deal signed by Azerbaijan after a short war was meant to ensure that the Lachin corridor remained open to Armenia.

"Their President signed a trilateral ceasefire statement on November 9th (2020) and took responsibility for providing a corridor for uninterrupted connection," Vardanyan said on X on Wednesday.

"However, they now refuse to implement that commitment and are attempting to impose new preconditions for opening the Lachin Corridor."

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail this weekend, beginning political life while facing four criminal trials but nevertheless remaining the Republican presidential frontrunner for 2024.

They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom, Trump told South Dakota Republicans in kicking off a weekend of campaigning that includes a stop in Iowa. This battle is for all of us, and for history.

On Friday night, nearly four weeks after an Atlanta grand jury indicted him on charges of trying to steal the 2020 election, Trump will appear at a "Monumental Leaders Rally" sponsored by the South Dakota Republican Party in Rapid City.

On Saturday, Trump returns to Iowa, where Jan. 15 caucuses begin the Republican presidential nomination process; Trump and some of his GOP rivals plan to attend the Iowa-Iowa State football game.

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While Trump holds huge leads in national and state polls, he must begin to figure out how to run a presidential campaign in 2024 while preparing for as many as seven criminal and civil trials throughout the election year.

Donald Trump

A Noem endorsement

The South Dakota event saw a formal endorsement of Trump by Kristi Noem, the state's governor and a possible vice presidential nominee.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Noem said "I do feel pretty confident that President Trump will be the Republican nominee for president." She said Republican primary rivals "may be good people, but their record isnt...as impressive."

Trump remains the front-runner

Despite the indictments, Trump has built a huge lead over his GOP opponents, in national polls and in statewide surveys in the early contest states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Some opponents will also attend the Iowa-Iowa State game, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

"We are working from the bottom up to compete in all 99 of Iowa's counties," DeSantis said in a local media interview.

Most of the Republican candidates have been loathe to criticize Trump over the various criminal charges. An exception has been former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who argues that Trump's legal problems will render him unable to win a general election against President Joe Biden.

"Hes going to be sitting in a courtroom in March and April next year," Christie said on the X social media site. "Whether you agree or not with the charges, his conduct is reprehensible."

The trials of Trump

Trump has not made an overt public campaign appearance since dropping into the Iowa State Fair on Aug.12.

Two nights later, an Atlanta grand jury returned racketeering charges against Trump and 18 co-defendants, accusing them of illegally trying to overturn his election loss to Biden in Georgia.

The next week, Trump flew to Atlanta to be processed and have his mug shot taken.

Along the way, Trump has campaigned on social media and in media interviews. He has also hosted private events, including a Thursday fundraiser for the legal bills racked up by his former attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

A crowded schedule of trials

Trump also faces federal election theft charges handed down by a grand jury in Washington, D.C.

The judge in that case has scheduled a trial for March 4, the day before a "Super Tuesday" slate of primaries in more than a dozen states. Trump's attorneys are seeking to delay that trial, and others.

Trump has a March 25 trial date in New York City, where a state grand jury indicted him on charges related to hush money payments.

There is also a May 20 trial date in Florida on federal charges alleging obstruction of justice in the handling of classified information.

Scheduling for the Atlanta case is in process. Some defendants want an early trial and some want to move the case to federal court, while Trump will likely seek to delay everything until after Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024.

Civil trials

The former president is also dealing with civil lawsuits, though he does not have to be present in court for any of those proceedings.

One civil trial is set for Oct. 2. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit accusing Trump, members of his family, and his business of inflating their assets by billions of dollars.

Trump also faces a damages trial brought by writer E. Jean Carroll over a sexual assault during the 1990s.

That trial is scheduled for Jan. 15 - the same day as the Iowa caucuses.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Back on the stump: Trump resumes 2024 campaign after 4th indictment
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  With no end in sight for the long lines at ports of entry in Tijuana, tourism officials south of the border say public restrooms are sorely needed, especially along pedestrian crossings.

Right now, most people who need to use a bathroom while waiting in line, must seek access to a restroom located inside an area business and pay a fee.

Its time the city built these facilities, said Julian Palombo Saucedo, president of Tijuanas Chamber of Commerce. We need public bathrooms at both the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry.

Border commuters want popular pedestrian crossing open soon

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Palombo believes the long wait times arent going away any time soon.

Its also time for commuters from both sides of the border to get used to these long lines, he said. As we get used to these waits, sanitary facilities need to be accessible to people waiting in line in case they need to use the bathroom.

Palombo says another thing that needs to happen is for Ped West, the second pedestrian crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, to finally reopen completely.

It was closed when the coronavirus pandemic began more than three years ago, and while northbound foot traffic was allowed to start up again earlier this year, the southbound lanes remain closed.

This is keeping Southern Californians from visiting, many arent bringing their families for a visit and theyre not coming down for medical and dental services offered throughout the city.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

Palombo added that as long as the southbound lanes at Ped West remain closed or operate under limited hours, the long waits will persist along with the need for public bathrooms.

The city of Tijuana says it has considered building public restrooms at ports of entry, but as of now, there are no imminent plans to build them.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
You cant say Jared Wolfe hasnt put in the work.

The owner of Wolfepack BBQ, which softly opened a few weeks ago in Columbus Park at 910 E. Fifth St., was once upon a time an electrical automation salesman daydreaming about a life where he could stand next to a smoker all day.

He knew a little bit about barbecue  enough to judge some competitions in his spare time. With his young daughter about to head off to kindergarten and a small nest egg built up from his day job, he took a leap and started chasing his passion.

That meant learning the trade first. He traveled to Americas barbecue meccas: Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas. Kansas City barbecue will always be number one to me, Wolfe said, but theres a lot of great stuff that happens around the country that we dont always see here.

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He also took jobs at local joints like Scotts Kitchen, Jousting Pigs and Fox & Fire.

I did everything from line cook to pitmaster to washing dishes, Wolfe said. I started to hone my craft a little, picking up ideas I liked and storing them away for when I was ready to do my own place.

Jared Wolfe, left, and Sam Parker, owners of Wolfepack BBQ, which now has a brick-and-mortar location at 910 E. Fifth St. Zachary Linhares/zlinhares@kcstar.com

In 2021, not long after turning 30, Wolfe struck out on his own with Wolfepack BBQ. Like Tyler Harp, a kindred spirit who earned his pitmaster reputation at Raytowns Crane Brewing, Wolfe started out serving brisket and pork during weekly pop-ups inside Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City. He also branched out to other local breweries like Pathlight Brewing and Fringe Beerworks.

He found a permanent home for Wolfepack BBQ last year. The Columbus Park space was formerly occupied by the North End bar and grill. Wolfe and his crew (which includes partner Sam Parker, who handles front-of-house duties) got the keys in December and have spent the months since gutting and revamping the place while serving barbecue on weekends from a food truck parked outside the building.

Aug. 24 marked the first official sale inside the Wolfepack brick-and-mortar. The space is airy and bright, with lots of wood, brick and metal  materials that are not coincidentally, Wolfe said, the three components of a smoker.

Wolfepack BBQ features an air-conditioned, garage door-enclosed patio on the buildings east side. Zachary Linhares/zlinhares@kcstar.com

In all, theres seating for about 100 guests, half in the indoor dining section and the rest on a garage door-enclosed patio on the buildings east side.

A full bar inside has taps from several local breweries, including Fringe and the nearby Strange Days Brewing Co. The everyday menu is straightforward: meat plates, sandwiches, St. Louis-style ribs and sides like fries, street corn salad and white cheddar mac and cheese.

People rave to me about the brisket burnt ends, Wolfe said, but dont sleep on the turkey. You expect turkey to be a little dry. Ours is full of flavor, moist, juicy, tender. Your Thanksgiving will never be as good again after youve had this.

Kitchen manager Cruz Barnes cuts up chunks of burnt ends Thursday at Wolfepack BBQ in Columbus Park. The newly opened barbecue restaurant features brisket, burnt ends, ribs, and other barbecue staples. Zachary Linhares/zlinhares@kcstar.com

But Wolfepack also distinguishes itself on the local barbecue landscape by offering rotating specials and entrees. Recent examples include a sweet potato Thai peanut salad and a walnut-crusted chicken breast stuffed with pear and Gorgonzola cheese and topped with a raspberry coulis drizzle and balsamic glaze.

We try to throw our own spin on things, Wolfe said. I like to highlight what the chefs can do.

Wolfepack BBQ took over a space formerly occupied by the North End, a bar and grill. Zachary Linhares/zlinhares@kcstar.com

Wolfepack BBQ is still staffing up, and though the liquor license is secured for the indoor area, its still waiting on the OK from the city to serve alcohol on the patio. For now, hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. But over the next few months, Wolfe expects to expand to Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Check their Instagram for updates.)

Wolfe said he sees his barbecue joint as a family place. His daughter is 12 now, and shes been working at Wolfepack BBQ on weekends.

I want her to feel comfortable when shes here, he said. I want this to be known as a place where anybody and everyone is welcome.

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Ben Shapirothe pugnacious right-wing commentator famous for DESTROYING college undergrads in debates, slamming his political opponents with a wide variety of vicious labels, and his long-pinned tweet about facts not caring about your feelingsthinks the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is being super mean to Elon Musk. He also thinks the billionaire is correct in his belief that hes being defamed by the nonprofit.

Shapiro is white-knighting for Muskthe worlds richest man and owner of the steadily deteriorating social media site X, formerly known as Twitterbecause the ADL has called for advertisers to pull their business from X, following what the organization claims is a rise in antisemitic content since Musk bought the site last year.

Musk fancies himself a free speech absolutist, despite his penchant for suing critics, arbitrarily suspending journalists he doesnt like, and even banning some users for hate speech (which was bad, according to Musk and his minions, when the previous Twitter regime did it).

Elon Musk, Worst Free Speech Hero Ever

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But now hes threatening a defamation suit against the ADL, which he blames for Xs cratering revenue under his stewardshipwhich has been marred by mass firings, the obliteration of the verification system (making X worthless as a source for breaking news), the amplification of fever swamp trolls who paid $8, and inexplicable technical changes that make the always-janky site even harder to use. (Theres obviously many more reasons Musks $44 billion investment is bleeding out, but you get the idea.)

Shapiro correctly acknowledged that such defamation lawsuits have very little chance of successthanks to First Amendment protections allowing for robust criticism of public figuresbut insisted Musk was right about pretty much everything else.

A lot of these progressive interest groups are very much interested in removing advertising revenue from sources where they can't control the speech, Shapiro said on his show. He also said the ADL defends antisemites in Congress, as long as theyre Democrats, and claimed the group is essentially threatening, Abide by left-wing standards of speech or watch your advertising dollars disappear.

Barbie Seems to Have Destroyed Ben Shapiro

Before I go any further, a few points of order.

In 2020, I published a year-long investigation into the ADLs extremist violence statistics, in which I determined the organization was being irresponsible and deceptive in its overbroad definitions of such incidents and its use of cherry-picked topline numberswhich helped cement in the minds of many (especially journalists) that extremist violence was occurring at far higher levels than they actually were. My colleagues and I analyzed hundreds of incidents and found just 58 percent of them were actually motivated by bigotry or extreme politics.

I disclose this to say, unlike many right-wing media sycophants who trip over themselves to defend Musk from any reasonable criticism, Im not here to carry water for the ADL. But I can say that several Jewish writers from across the political spectrumwho have also been critical of the ADLsee whats happening for what it is.

Conservative writer Seth Mandel said the popularity of the Ban the ADL hashtag on X is the work of the antisemitic groypersbad people with bad intentions and bad designs.

Yair Rosenberg of The Atlantic took issue with Musks statement that because [the ADL] are so aggressive in their demands to ban social media accounts for even minor infractions, [they] are ironically the biggest generators of anti-Semitism on this platform. Rosenberg aptly described Musks conceit that Jews cause themselves to be persecuted as a historically familiar antisemitic smear.

Elon Musks Free Speech Hypocrisy Makes Him the Biggest Snowflake

And while Ben Shapiro often self-deputizes as the arbiter of good Jews and bad Jews, his myopia regarding Musks use of antisemitic tropes and his regular cordial engagements with racists and antisemites on X makes him every bit the partisan hack that he decries in the ADL.

And the debates over whether the ADL is to blame for Musks failing business (it is not) or whether the ADL is to blame for rising antisemitism (it is also not) completely miss the point for free speech poseurs like Shapiro and Musk.

Calls for advertiser boycotts are, themselves, free speech. And that freedom applies whether you agree with the politics of the agitators or the veracity of their cause.

Even Shapiro knows Musk stands no chance of winning a frivolous defamation suita favorite tactic for censorious rich thugs, like Donald Trump, to harass and bankrupt their enemies even when they know they have no chance of winning. But Shapirowho graduated Harvard Law school with honorsis either willfully obtuse or plainly disingenuous to act as though boycotts arent a legitimate form of dissent.

Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and the Apocalyptic Centrists

Way back in May 2023, Shapiro praised the right-wing boycotts of Target and Bud Light over the corporations LGBTQ outreach. He also warned other corporate bosses that they too could be on the receiving end of a boycott if they dont straighten up and fly right.

Shapiro said on his show, All you corporate brand leaders out there preparing for Pride month. Just remember, this could be you. If you decide to step into this minefield and then you get blown up. Aint no sympathy for you over here. And in fact, some of us are quite happy to make an example of you if you decide to become the bleeding edge of the Pride Progress team attempting to foster a societal viewpoint that damages children and wrecks traditional morality.

To recap, a coalition of right-wing organizations, amplified by right-wing celebrities and media personalities, boycotted corporations for becom[ing] the loudspeaker for a system of morality that disdains traditional institutions like the nuclear family, that disdains the natural necessity of heterosexual relationships, and pretends that all sexual activity is morally equivalent and equally fulfilling, as Shapiro put it, approvingly.

I am more than happy to take my business elsewhere, Shapiro concluded.

Elon Musk, Worst Free Speech Hero Ever

Im no elite Harvard Law grad, but how is that any different from a progressive organization, like the ADL, calling for a boycott after looking at the content of Musks X and determining that, yeah, theres a lot of antisemitism on here?

Were he not a transparently partisan culture warrior, Shapiro could have at least appended his comment that Musks defamation lawsuit threat not only has no chance of success, but that its also flatly wrong to conflate calls for boycotts as somehow beyond the pale of acceptable speechhowever much he might despise the progressive politics of the ADL.

And just as Shapiro is free to (correctly or not) label vociferous critics of Israel as antisemites, or any number of political opponents as anti-American, so too is the ADL free to characterize X as a hotbed of bigoted content.

By encouraging the speech-chilling effects of bogus defamation lawsuitslike the one Musk is threatening against the ADLShapiro proves he isnt merely an unprincipled political hack, hes a willful accomplice to Musks attacks on freedom of speech.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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In August, builders broke ground on a new transit-oriented development on land where Geneva Steel Works once stood on the east shore of Utah Lake in Vineyard.

The plans are for a mixed-use community that will be both sustainable and walkable and will contain high-density living, single-family housing, a second Huntsman Cancer Institute headquarters, a boardwalk, retail shopping, schools, churches, parks and offices. Sounds great!

The developers  The Flagship Companies and Woodbury Corporation  last week announced the name of the forthcoming urban core of the county.

Utah City.

Which ... I just ... I ... I mean ... really? Are we sure?

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Its certainly a bold choice. A little too bold, maybe.

Look, I dont know what Im talking about. Im no city planner. And Im certainly not great at naming things. My headlines tend to be run-on sentences and naming my children was three of the most difficult decisions of my life. Followed by naming my dog.

But Im pretty sure the name Utah is taken.

But what about New York City? you may protest. Well, what about it? You think New Yorkers arent annoyed every time they have to clarify whether or not they mean New York City every time they say theyre from New York?

Imagine how annoying it would to be to say Im from Utah, and then be asked, Oh, Utah City? Or having to say Im from upstate Utah to describe Salt Lake City?

And thats another thing. It is unnecessarily confusing to have the word city attached to the name of a city. Its like naming a potato potato potato.

Remember when they announced Salt Lake would be hosting the 2002 Olympics? The spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee said the Olympics would be coming to the city of Salt Lake City, which is just too many cities in one sentence.

We should do whatever we can to simplify the process of identifying Utah cities. Its confusing enough that we have two cities named for different types of forks (Spanish and American), and a smattering of names we stole from other states  Plymouth, Providence, Boulder, etc.

WE CAN DO BETTER.

I say all this as someone who lives in a completely landlocked city named Sandy. Theres not a beach nor a grain of sand for hundreds of miles from here. lt doesnt make sense. It should make sense.

Related

But I do believe we can come up with a perfect name for the 700-acre development that isnt already the name of a place. By we, I dont mean me, because as already explained, I am not the person to turn to when you need something titled.

However, in the spirit of brainstorming, how about something that pays homage to what came before? How about Geneva? Oh, whats that? Theres a town in Switzerland named Geneva? Also a pretty famous series of treaties and protocols? Shoot. OK, yeah, naming a city is difficult; I see that now. But if anyone is prepared to come up with a brand new name, its Utahns, who are notorious for giving their children names that some might consider peculiar.

This has been cause for derision in the past, but I believe its our superpower. With our collective abilities combined, well have a new, better name for Utah City in no time. Turn the naming over to the moms on Instagram and well have it in five minutes.

The good news is that we have a lot longer than five minutes.

Utah City, or whatever better thing we decide to call it, is 15 years from completion. So in the meantime, maybe we just call it The Utah County urban core that has yet to be named.

But even if Utah City sticks, well know its not the worst name ever. That honor belongs to X.
Chinese archaeologist Fan Jinshi [Photo/VCG]

Renowned Chinese archaeologist Fan Jinshi has been awarded by UNESCO on Thursday for her outstanding contribution in protection of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves.



The certificate of outstanding contribution was also given to Dunhuang Academy, Chang Shuhong, honorary president of the academy and Duan Wenjie, former president of the academy.

The ceremony was held during the Sixth Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, which was held in Dunhuang, Gansu province from Wednesday to Thursday.

The Dunhuang Mogao Caves became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Born in 1938, Fan graduated from Peking University in 1963 and started work in Dunhuang. She has made protecting and researching the grottoes her lifelong passion. She is also the honorary president of Dunhuang Academy and has been dubbed the "daughter of Dunhuang".

Fan said the achievements made in protecting the grottoes could not be made without the support of the country, the help of experts and academics from home and abroad and the efforts of generations of people for more than 80 years.

More efforts are needed to continue to protect the grottoes and strike a balance of the protection, research and promotion, she said.

There are 45,000 square meters of mural and more than 2,000 painted sculptures in the grottoes.
The Biden administration on Friday released a new report related to whether a permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline would be canceled  but did not indicate it had come to a decision.

In 2020, a court ordered the administration to review the environmental impacts for a portion of the pipeline that crosses the Missouri Rivers Lake Oahe.

On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released a draft report laying out the possible options  revoking the permit, keeping it in place as is or adding additional stipulations to it. But it did not single out an option as its preferred choice.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is an approximately 1,200-mile pipeline that sends oil produced in North Dakota to Illinois.

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The Standing Rock Sioux have opposed the pipeline, raising concerns about the impacts of a potential spill on their water supply. Former President Trump approved the pipeline, and it began operating in 2017.

The report also outlined the environmental impacts of keeping the pipeline running or revoking the permit that allowed it to cross the river.

The report highlighted several impacts that could happen to local water and wildlife should an oil spill occur, but it also called the possibility of such a spill remote to very unlikely.

However, the agency noted that should a spill occur, it could have long-term, major impacts on groundwater and wildlife, as well as community health.

Responding to the report, tribe chairwoman Janet Alkire released a written statement saying it should be invalidated.

Were furious that the Army Corps has addressed none of our major concerns during the review process, Alkire said.

The pipeline is an imminent threat to the Missouri River, sensitive habitat and sacred burial sites along the riverbank, she continued. The oil companys emergency response plans are inadequate, its safety track record is horrendous, and theres been a stunning lack of transparency with Standing Rock throughout the environmental review process, including inaccurate characterizations of tribal consultation.

Environmentalists expressed similar sentiments.

The worse the potential outcome is, the more it should be prevented, Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Hill. The threat to the water supply is very, very serious.

The report received a somewhat positive reception from Republicans, like Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).

I fundamentally disagree with the need for an Environmental Impact Statement especially after the pipeline has been safely operational for several years, Cramer said. Nonetheless, I am grateful this Draft Environmental Impact Statement was finally released.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
When the Biden administration promised "internet for all" it didn't specify that it meant "at all cost." We should have assumed that was the case, though, given that it started off with a price tag in the tens of billions of dollars, bureaucratic additions to already chaotic federal broadband boondoggles, and subsidies for internet bills guaranteed to incentivize providers to raise prices. Now we learn that some acts of government broadband largesse cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars per hookup.

The $53,000 Broadband Connection

"Nebraska's Winnebago Tribe has long been stuck with sluggish internet service. The federal government plans to fix that by crisscrossing the reservation with fiber-optic cableat an average cost of $53,000 for each household and workplace connected," The Wall Street Journal's Ryan Tracy reported this week. "That amount exceeds the assessed value of some of the homes getting hookups, property records show. While most connections will cost far less, the expense to reach some remote communities has triggered concerns over the ultimate price tag for ensuring every rural home, business, school and workplace in America has the same internet that city dwellers enjoy."

There's a reason rural and small-town dwellers have less access to the sort of fast internet connections that urban dwellers enjoy: It costs a lot of money to lay fiber-optic cable"an average cost of $1,000 to $1,250 per residential household passed or $60,000 to $80,000 per mile," according to Dgtl Infra's Jonathan Kim. It's easier to limit and recover costs in densely populated areas where a lot of potential customers live along paved roads than in sparsely settled areas where there's rough terrain and empty space between each household served. Costs rise dramatically in rural areas.

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"In a routine release last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the latest group of grant winners for its ReConnect broadband deployment program," Fierce Telecom's Diana Goovaerts reported last September. "But hidden in the otherwise unassuming announcement were some startling figures. A prime example: The Alaska Telephone Company, which won a $33 million grant, is planning to run fiber to 211 homes and five businesses at a staggering cost of nearly $204,000 per passing."

The article noted that the connections could be made at lower cost with fixed wireless technology, which effectively provides fast-ish speeds without having to lay cable, but nobody applied for those sweet federal dollars with bids including the more economical technology. "Basically what that means is while it's feasible that another technology like fixed wireless access could have been cheaper, no other options were on the table for these areas," Goovaerts added.

Rural Areas Already Have Internet

In fact, wireless internet offering 10-50 Mbps and (increasingly) satellite connections such as HughesNet, Viasat, and Starlink are how we connect to the world in my piece of Arizona. It's a tradeoff you accept if you want open space around you. Well, you accept that tradeoff unless you can rope other people into paying the cost of laying cable.

"The problem is, money is not infinite," Blair Levin, a senior communications policy official in the Clinton and Obama administrations told The Wall Street Journal. "If you're spending $50,000 to connect a very remote location, you have to ask yourself, would we be better off spending that same amount of money to connect [more] families?"

But, as the availability of wireless connections and satellite offerings show (you can search for services in your area via the FCC), reasonably fast internet is available to people living even in sparsely settled areas. It's arguably "sluggish" compared to the connections offered in cities, but every lifestyle choice involves compromises. It really is possible to grow accustomed to streaming movies in SD instead of UHD, and much online activityincluding my research and writing, my wife's medical records-keeping, and the classes my son took in the course of his homeschoolingdoesn't require high-end connections.

"Not all online activities require the same speeds: For a group video call, 2.5 Mbps speeds suffice, while streaming videos may require 25 Mbps for high-definition quality," John Horrigan of the Technology Policy Institute commented in 2020 as internet use increased during pandemic social distancing. "More complex or technologically advanced tasks may require higher speeds."

Importantly, internet services that naturally evolved to serve more sparsely settled areas are paid for by customers without passing big bills to people living elsewhere. Politicians prefer to make everybody pay.

"President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law brought together Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to better connect the American people through roads, bridges, airports, and the internet," the White House boasted last year. "The law included a $65 billion investment to ensure all Americans can access affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet  Internet for All."

Pricey Federal Internet Chaos

The Biden administration's expensive ambition to run fiber-optic cable to every corner of America isn't the first federal attempt to extend the availability of fast internet connections. As Reason's Joe Lancaster noted last year, "the 2009 stimulus bill allocated more than $7 billion toward broadband grants for rural areas, and expenditures have grown since." They've grown without any rhyme or reason, I should add, as we've come to expect from government agencies.

"Federal broadband efforts are fragmented and overlapping, with more than 100 programs administered by 15 agencies," found a May 2022 Government Accountability Office report. "Despite numerous programs and federal investment $44 billion from 2015 through 2020, millions of Americans still lack broadband, and communities with limited resources may be most affected by fragmentation."

Of course, the Biden administration further larded its program with subsidies for Americans who may already have broadband internet.

"As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden and Vice President Harris worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to create the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households $30 per month off their internet bills," the White House promises. "ACP-eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers."

That's not a $53,000 (or $200,000) broadband hookup, but across the population it's a big commitment. Subsidies are also an effective way to drive up the price that internet providers can charge since tax dollars make up the difference, just as subsidized college loans increase the cost of higher education. That worsens the problems and creates spiraling demand for even more subsidies.

Americans are perfectly capable of deciding for themselves where and how to live and which services they need or can do without, including broadband. They don't need taxpayers subsidizing their choices.

The post The Biden Administration's Ridiculously Spendy Broadband Promises appeared first on Reason.com.
By Nandita Bose

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for nearly an hour on Friday about joint plans on technology, infrastructure and the importance of a healthy democracy, shortly after Biden arrived in New Delhi for a G20 summit over the weekend.

The two leaders pledged to cooperate on issues from democratic values and human rights to semiconductor supply chains and quantum computing, according to a joint statement.

"We're frankly thrilled to be here. It's great to see the Indians so appreciative that we've come," Kurt Campbell, the senior U.S. official for Indo-Pacific policy, told reporters after the discussions.

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The leaders were working on a "major breakthrough" related to infrastructure and communications that would link India with the Middle East and Europe, that could be announced on Saturday, Campbell said.

The U.S., India, and Gulf countries have been talking about a sweeping new rail and ports network to link the regions, a counterpoint to China's 'Belt and Road' global infrastructure plans.

India and the U.S. will also cooperate in 2024 on the International Space Station, 5G and 6G technology and microchips, said Eileen Laubacher, U.S. National Security Council senior director for South Asia.

As Biden and Modi met at the Prime Minister's residence, the U.S. press corps was sequestered in a van, out of eyesight of the two leaders - an unusual situation for the reporters and photographers who follow the U.S. President at home and around the world to witness and record his public appearances.

The prime minister's office released a handful of official photographs of the meeting, showing the two leaders seated side by side and chatting amiably.

Biden and Modi last met in person in June when the Indian leader was the guest of a White House state visit. The two men were expected to advance a number of agreements reached in June, including a deal to allow General Electric to produce jet engines in India to power Indian military aircraft.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined Friday's meeting, as did White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the White House said in a statement. Indian attendees included external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and security adviser Ajit Doval.

Though the countries are not formal treaty-bound allies and India has long relished its independence, Washington wants Delhi to be a strategic counterweight to China.

Armed with cash for the World Bank and promises of sustained U.S. engagement, Biden hopes to persuade fast-growing economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia that there is an alternative to China's Belt and Road project, which has funneled billions of dollars to developing countries but left many deeply in debt.

After the G20, Biden is to visit Vietnam before returning to the United States later on Monday.

CRITICISM OF PRESS FREEDOMS

Questions about press access on the India trip have been persistent, after the official White House schedule did not show that the usual pool of reporters would be allowed in for the start of the Modi-Biden meeting.

Biden spoke to Modi about the importance of a healthy democracy, Campbell told reporters. "He doesn't do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges," he said.

Campbell said he would not be drawn into a discussion about press access, saying Biden preferred to address such topics privately.

The press pool from the United States, made up of representatives of major news organizations, accompanies the president on foreign and domestic trips and normally has some access to major events. News organizations reimburse the U.S. government completely for the cost of the trips, and it is extremely rare for them to be barred completely.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and the press in the United States, while freedom and expression of speech is protected in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

Modi, of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has faced criticism about shrinking press freedom in India since he took office. The government says India has a vibrant free press.

Modi, who rarely meets the press or answers journalist's questions in India, was asked by an American reporter at a joint news conference with Biden at the White House in June about his human rights record.

His allies attacked the reporter afterward, in a targeted online harassment campaign that the White House later called "unacceptable" and "antithetical to the very principles of democracy."

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Grant McCool)
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the G20 summit on Friday in New Delhi. Photo by India's PM Press Office

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in India on Friday for the first leg of a three-day trip that includes a major speech before the G20 summit and a diplomatic visit to Vietnam for strategic meetings with the communist regime amid growing tensions in Southeast Asia.

Upon arriving in New Delhi, Biden sat down with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the day before the highly anticipated summit gets underway.

The White House did not initially reveal the topics that Biden and Modi would discuss after the pair announced an extensive package of defense and technology agreements during the Modi's state visit to the White House in June.

But talking to the press Friday in New Delhi ahead of the summit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said one of the main priorities for the United States at the event will be supporting emerging markets in developing countries.

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"One year since my call to action to the multilateral development banks, we've worked with a growing coalition of partners to make significant progress on reforms related to the World Bank's mission and vision, incentives, operational model, and financing capacity," Yellen said. "We're glad to have [World Bank President] Ajay Banga as our partner in this work. And we look forward to more work with the regional development banks and on how to achieve greater collaboration across the MDB system, including to increase access to climate finance."

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, Emine, arrived at the airport on the eve of the G20 summit in New Delhi. Photo by G20 India

Yellen also said crisis response is another priority on which U.S. stakeholders will focus at the summit.

"We're also asking Congress for two and a quarter billion dollars to boost the World Bank's concessional finance for global challenges and for crisis response," Yellen said. "And we've requested authorization for a loan of up to $21 billion for the IMF, including for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, which desperately needs more resources."

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Second from left) accompanied by his wife, Yuko, arrives in New Delhi on Friday. Photo by G20 India

She also said debt relief would be a priority discussion topic at the summit.

Yellen also told reporters that another major priority for the United States at the summit will be the continued support from the West for Ukraine's defense against Russian invaders.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the G20 summit on Friday in New Delhi. Photo by India's PM Press Office

"As a second priority area, we remain committed to extensive and strategic multilateral action in response to Russia's war on Ukraine," she said. "The price cap and sanctions, both the result of unprecedented global collaboration, are having powerful impacts on Russia's ability to wage its brutal and unjust war."

Yellen emphasized that "there has been bipartisan support for this funding to date, and it's critical that we continue to provide timely economic assistance."

She added: "During my visit to Kyiv earlier this year, I saw firsthand the importance of this assistance in enabling Ukraine's resistance on the frontlines."

Yellen also said the United States is hoping to use the summit "to advance the U.S.-India relationship."

"We highly value our bilateral relationship with India," Yellen said. "In fact, this is my fourth time in India over the last year, making it the country I visited most frequently as Treasury secretary. ... The U.S. is home to the largest Indian diaspora outside of Asia and is India's largest export market. Expanding our bilateral economic ties and our cooperation on global challenges is crucially important to us."

Biden's trip comes days after lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19. The president has tested negative several times and continued to show no symptoms, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said previously, adding that Biden would wear a mask indoors for 10 days.

The summit begins Saturday, with the president attending two sessions called "One Earth" and "One Family," and will later take part in a group photo before participating in an event to launch the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

During a speech Saturday, Biden is expected to take an open opportunity to rally more international support for Ukraine as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were skipping the summit.

The gathering comes days after a Russian missile strike in Kyiv killed 16 people ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's arrival in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday to announce a new $1 billion aid package that Biden was expected to mention in his remarks.

The president's message will likely call attention to the strength of the American economy, including low unemployment, in an effort to deepen alliances with the G20 partners, creating new strategic military and economic advantages for the United States around the world.

The summit also takes place amid increasing military threats from North Korea and China, which have escalated provocations in the Indo-Pacific in recent months. At the same time, Xi and Putin have formed a tighter alliance amid the war, and North Korea is believed to be considering a deal to supply weapons to the Russian military for the first time, prompting warnings from Washington.

The Biden administration has been pushing for closer cooperation among its allies in the region in light of a shifting balance of power across the globe, and Xi vowing to take steps toward "reunification" with Taiwan during his third term, which started in March.

The president would also call for further cooperation between member nations to counter Chinese influence in Africa as the Biden administration was stepping up efforts to uproot Chinese infrastructure around the world amid increasing fears of espionage.

Intelligence-sharing activities have ramped up in recent months, with Biden signing strategic agreements with several Asian nations while shoring up military installations in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

Separately, Biden was expected to try to mend relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia in an effort to bolster the Middle East economy.

Biden would also call on developing nations in the collective to invest more in clean energy infrastructure.

Later in the day, Biden was scheduled to have dinner with the other G20 leaders as part of a cultural gala.

On Sunday, Biden is scheduled to visit the Raj Ghat Memorial before departing for Vietnam, where the commander-in-chief will meet with communist leader General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi.

Biden and Trong will hold a joint press conference after the talks.

On Monday, Biden plans to meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and prominent CEOs before attending a state luncheon with President Vo Van Thuong.

Before departing, Biden plans to visit the John Sidney McCain III Memorial in Hanoi.

From there, the president is scheduled to fly to Alaska to deliver remarks to service members, first responders and their families on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, before returning to Washington the same evening.

The G20 comprises the world's biggest economies: Argentina, Australia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Saudi Arabi, South Africa, South Korea, Britain, the United States, China, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Turkey and the European Union.

Collectively, the body accounts for about 85% of global GDP.
The 30 or so people who logged on to hear about the trans-Atlantic slave trade Wednesday night was just what Pastor Kenneth Johnson had hoped for  a sign that his congregation in Fort Pierce, Florida, was interested in learning more about Black history.

The hour-long video class was the first of a series Friendship Missionary Baptist Church plans to host this fall.

It wasnt a sermon. It would have passed any muster as a legitimate class, said Johnson. We dont need government approval to teach our history.

Friendship Missionary is among the more than 200 mostly Black churches in Florida taking steps to teach Black history in part because of what faith leaders call the restricted and watered-down versions schools must teach under the states new policies. Instead, pastors equipped with a new Black history toolkit are teaching unfiltered lessons during Sunday school, Bible Study or as part of sermons.

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Faith in Florida, a coalition of churches advocating for social justice causes, created the online toolkit, which includes books, documentaries and videos related to Black history. The project, launched in July, aims to push back against state efforts to regulate Black history lessons. Florida is one of several states where mostly conservative lawmakers are leading movements to restrict some teachings of Black history.

We have a responsibility as a whole to make sure our history is not erased or watered down and that it be told, said Rhonda Thomas, executive director of Faith in Florida. It happened. Its history.

This is not a new role for Black churches, which have long filled education gaps in their communities, historians said. But many said these lessons are needed now as much as ever.

It's not farfetched to think that a (Black) church is going to be able to provide educational opportunities where they see public institutions failing, Howard Robinson, a historian at Alabama State University in Montgomery, said.

From the pulpit, the Rev. Rhonda Thomas urges fellow residents of Miami to vote. She and other activists encourage the community to fill out the 2020 census. Experts predict a severe undercount that will disproportionately impact communities of color.

Black history is under attack across US from AP African American Studies to Ruby Bridges

Read more: Black history is under attack across US from AP African American Studies to Ruby Bridges

What DeSantis said about Black history, slavery

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has led efforts across the state to embrace policies that restrict how certain topics, including race, sexuality and gender, are taught in schools and colleges.

Earlier in the year, DeSantis signed legislation that banned the use of state funds to support diversity and inclusion programs at public universities. This has basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda and that is wrong," he said in May.

Florida also banned the College Board's Advanced Placement African American Studies course. Advanced placement studies are college-level courses taught to high school students who can often earn college credit. State officials have said African American history is already taught in schools. They've said some of the course material violates state law and take issue with the inclusion of lessons on the Black Lives Matter social justice movement, Black feminism and reparations.

DeSantis' office referred USA Today to the Florida Department of Education for further comment. The department did not immediately respond.

Hundreds gathered to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis speak at the North Carolina Republican Party 2023 State Convention on Friday, June 9, 2023.

In July, the state Board of Education adopted social studies standards for teaching African American history to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Supporters said the standards include factual information, but critics argue the standards omit important parts of history, including the states role in slavery and the disenfranchisement of Black people and violent attacks against them. Civil rights and faith leaders also criticized language that said slaves developed skills that could be used for their personal benefit.

DeSantis, who is running for president in 2024, has defended the curriculum.

Theyre probably going to show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life," he said in July.

The Rev. Gaston Smith, pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, said he was offended by DeSantis remarks. If anybody benefitted from slavery, America benefitted from slavery, he said.

'It's not just a Florida problem'

Smith spent last week in Bible study not only teaching from the Acts of the Apostles, but also about the struggles LaVon Bracy faced when she integrated Gainesville High School in the 1960s and became the first African American student to graduate from there.

He also turned to the toolkit for help and intentionally started with the topic of injustices because of the debate over race issues in Florida.

Smith and other pastors said theyre using the toolkit as a guide to map out lesson plans. The toolkit has about a dozen topics, including from Africa to America, which focuses in part on the slave trade, and Racial Terrorism and Civil Unrest, which includes works about the Civil Rights Movement. It offers recommendations for Black history books, videos, documentaries and other resources.

Smith, who taught about 100 churchgoers last week, hopes to also reach others through virtual services and other platforms. He said he's disappointed state officials restricted what educators can teach about Black history.

We cant dwell on the fact of what they say we cant do,'' he said. "If nowhere else, the children will get it in church.

Tony F. Drayton, lead pastor of St. James Church in Riviera, near West Palm Beach, said its on more faith leaders and community leaders to teach African American history.

We have such a captive audience, said Drayton, who helped develop the toolkit. From the pulpit, we have to be as woke as possible. Im going to use that word intentionally.

The toolkit aims to help those new to Black history, as well as those well versed in it. Topics were chosen in part based on chronology and the importance of issues, such as criminal justice and Black women's leadership.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Published 2020.

Drayton stressed its not a curriculum, but a guide to resources and that the toolkit will continue to be updated.

Thomas said shes also heard from faith leaders of mostly white churches interested in the toolkit. Shes also getting calls from faith leaders in states like Alabama, Georgia and Virginia.

It's not just a Florida problem, she said.

And if educators cannot teach it, then we will go back to where it started, said Thomas. Our churches will teach our own history.

Black churches teach Black history, civil rights

The church has long served as the hub of civic engagement in Black communities. It was often faith leaders who led protests and helped set up Freedom Schools during the Civil Rights Movement. In the schools, students, many of them adults, were taught to read and recite parts of the state Constitution, which was sometimes required to register to vote. The tactic was used to turn away Black citizens, who were not allowed to read during slavery.

The Black church still provides space and human resources, including teachers, to help with education, Robinson said. The church is going to pull a whole cross-section of the Black community into its sphere so you're going to have an expertise in the church that you're not going to have in some other institutions, he said.

Many Black colleges also have their origins in the Black church, including Alabama State University.

The tradition of self-help is central to the Black experience, Robinson said. This is a present manifestation of it because of whats happening in Florida.

Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a history professor at Harvard University in Massachusetts, said Black communities have a long tradition of teaching the truth about their past because the freedom to learn has always been subject to legal and physical attacks.

Stephanie Laster works on quilts honoring Black and brown lives lost to HIV/AIDS during the Change the Pattern event held on the Alabama State University campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022.

In the tradition of Freedom Schools and Black resistance to Jim Crow, Black students will benefit from what these churches will teach them, he said. Its really a matter of life or death.

Muhammad said other students should also be taught the lessons. The problem is that white, Latinx and Asian American students need to learn the truth of African American history too, he said.

Some worry about history repeating

At Johnsons church in Fort Pierce, members can join the Black history class Wednesdays via Zoom. The church also plans to air sessions on its Facebook page. The next series will focus on Black women.

Even the governor is welcome to attend, Johnson said.

I find it kind of disrespectful and even condescending to have our governor or anyone tell us what we're allowed to learnHistory is history, he said. I know it can be tainted by those who write it, but if we're going to be who we're called to be we have to know what we've been.

During a sermon last month at New Generation Missionary Baptist, Thomas focused on Black history in South Florida sharing how a community once called Colored Town was later changed to Overtown.

It was there in the heart of Miami that Black residents could see Black celebrities who were in town to perform at whites-only venues. The community - a mecca of Black culture - was devastated after the state built a highway through it.

I want to make a point that history is not that far from where we are now, Thomas said. And if we're not careful, it will repeat itself.

Keosha Newton and Lauren Delworth pose at Juneteenth Celebration in Sarasota, Fla., on June 18, 2022, in the heart of Sarasota's historically Black neighborhood of Newtown.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DeSantis banned some Black history classes. These churches fought back
A few decades ago, a young doctor saw a nice-looking home for sale in a north Modesto neighborhood he thought would be perfect for his future family. When he tried to buy it, he was told it had already sold.

But it hadnt. In fact, the vacant house had been on the market more than a year.

Why was he turned away? It wasnt for lack of earning potential. The physician had just finished residency at what was then Scenic General Hospital and was opening a practice in town.

Opinion

At that time, however, the neighborhood was composed exclusively of whites. Something Dr. Jesse Stovall was not.

You see whats going on, Stovall told me in an unpublished interview in mid-2020, about 18 months before he died. No need to investigate it. You have proof after proof. It happened. They wanted no Blacks to move into this area.

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In the 1950s, Sterling Fountains grandmother viewed a Modesto property under cover of darkness, Modesto View magazine quoted her as saying in a February 2020 article. The neighbors would not have been able to accept the shock of seeing the first Black family having the possibility of living on their street, Fountain said, according to writer Tasha Wilson.

The family bought the place, and upon moving in, neighbors assumed they were the hired help. Faced with the truth, the whole street got together and financially offered her the amount she paid to purchase the home, in order for her family not to move in. She refused, the article said.

In 1966, a white landlord refused to rent a Modesto duplex unit to a young Black couple even though both had steady jobs. The owner said the lady on the other side of the duplex wouldnt be comfortable living next to us  and she was on welfare, the Black woman told me.

As Dr. Stovall said, proof after proof. It happened.

Amos McElvaine spent years lobbying for sewer services in an underserved west Modesto neighborhood before improvements began in 2005. Decades before, families of color were prevented from buying homes in more affluent Modesto neighborhoods. McElvaine died in 2013.

In the 1920s, 30s and 40s housing segregation was sanctioned by the government, a regrettable and racist practice Ive written about before.

No part of said real property shall ever be occupied at any time by any person or persons not of the white or Caucasian race, read one template for recorded documents back then. No Negroes, Mexicans, Hindus, Filipinos was standard verbiage. Others targeted Turks, Armenians, Cubans, Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese and other Asiatics. Servants were allowed to work in the homes even if they couldnt live in the neighborhoods themselves.

This dark chapter in Modestos history comes alive in Just Action; How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. Chapter 1 of the new book by Leah Rothstein and her father, Richard Rothstein , outlines the work done by Sharon and David Froba, who found that dozens of Modesto neighborhoods had barred people from buying thousands of homes simply because of the color of their skin.

Segregated housing in Modesto  sanctioned by the government in the 1920s, 30s and 40s  comes alive in Just Action, a new book by father-daughter duo Richard and Leah Rothstein.

Uncovering segregation in Modesto

The Frobas, both retired, felt driven to expose the scope of this ugliness persisting in official property records. They enlisted volunteers from student ranks at Modesto High School, where Sharon had taught, to scour documents recorded with Stanislaus County. Some of these students provided sobering comments for the Rothsteins book.

Clara Silva, for example, told the Rothsteins that most people assumed (discrimination) was a Southern sin. To see that it was also in the North and in my home town, it was surprising to see how cancerous it was.

Jobanna Peralta reflected in the book on the wealth lost by families of color, like hers, over many generations because they werent permitted to invest in homes whose value would compound over the years. We people of color are kept in a box, a box that we cant escape because it ties back to many, many years ago and the chain just keeps on going, Peralta is quoted as saying.

Proof after proof, indeed.

Maria Murillo (rear) escorts her grandchildren along muddy Dallas Street in south Modesto in 2022. John Holland

The vestiges of discrimination can be seen in west and south Modesto, where some neighborhoods lack basic amenities like sewers, sidewalks and street lights. All are in unincorporated islands, or noncity areas surrounded by Modesto but never annexed because their infrastructure doesnt meet city standards. Kids walking to school still slog around huge mud puddles. Residents are mostly brown and Black.

Government officials all these years have known of the disparity. Theyve shrugged it off because improvement costs are almost unbelievable, exceeding $700 million, Stanislaus County CEO Jody Hayes said. Lawsuits brought little relief because the county, which is responsible for these unincorporated islands, cant come up with that kind of money.

Dallas Street flooding in south Modesto in December 2022. Andy Alfaro/aalfaro@modbee.com

Many times in my 30 years at The Modesto Bee have I written about the inequity, with little hope of ever seeing it corrected.

Friends, its time to recognize a positive shift.

When the county received $107 million in COVID-19 relief, supervisors voted to put $50 million of it toward righting some of the wrongs in these underserved neighborhoods, as well as others in places like Ceres, Turlock and Riverdale Park, many of which will get infrastructure upgrades.

When the county budget ended in the black last year, supervisors decided to put $15 million more into these disadvantaged neighborhoods.

As a result, crews are breaking ground on long-awaited drainage and sidewalk improvements in some of these challenging areas, including the Bret Harte and Parklawn neighborhoods of south Modesto near Crows Landing Road, in Board Chairman Channce Condits district, the most neglected in the county. Its monumental. A lot of people cant believe its happening, he told me recently.

More than 1,000 neighbors and local leaders signed petitions supporting an additional $5 million in state money secured a few weeks ago with help from Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil.

Silver lining to COVID-19

As heartbreaking  and in many cases, life-ending  as the pandemic was, we should recognize this silver lining.

Although $70 million is only 10% of the $700 million needed, its a decent start, and its worth celebrating.

Condit and his colleagues on the board  Vito Chiesa, Terry Withrow, Mani Grewal and Buck Condit (Channces cousin, once removed)  might easily have found other uses for that money, as their predecessors always did. But this board correctly decided that these underprivileged neighborhoods had waited long enough.

As long as were giving credit where its due, lets resume the story that started this column, because it has a happy ending. Although Dr. Stovall was stonewalled in buying the home he wanted in Modestos Sherwood Forest neighborhood, he didnt give up.

Modesto broker Gordon Nutson, shown at age 86 in 2000, helped buyers of color find homes when other real estate agents refused. He died in 2002. Al Golub /Modesto Bee

Eventually, Stovall enlisted the help of Gordon Nutson and Wolverine Real Estate, which he owned with his brother Gale and partners Howard TenBrink, Rudy Potochnik and Gilbert Grover. They were known for their willingness to help when other agents would not. Gordon Nutson made the sale happen. And, he loaned Stovall the money he needed for a down payment.

Thats a fact, Stovall told me in 2020. He lived 30 years in that house, and he died in early 2022, 20 years after Nutson died.

Stovall was keenly disappointed at policies hurting Blacks not by error, he told me, but by plan.

Nutson, it seems, was something of a hero to low-income buyers and nonwhites, working to help them overcome the plan, according to a Bee profile a couple of years before he died by my former coworker, Jack Doo.

Combating bigotry and bias

In the early days (he began selling houses in Modesto in 1947), we were the only office that would talk to, listen to, visit and help (them) buy homes, Nutson told Doo in 2000. No other real estate person would pay any attention to them. Selling to a buyer who wasnt white nearly got him kicked out of the local realty association in the early 50s, Doo wrote.

Proof after proof. It happened.

The world needs more Gordon Nutsons.

He did things that in those days were not considered proper, selling houses to African Americans, recalled Marianne Villalobos, whose family was close to Nutsons. When it came to civil rights, she said, he was a fighter all his life.

Incidentally, Villalobos  like Sharon Froba, a Mo High teacher  was the first to discover race-based covenants on her deed. She shared them with the Frobas, whose work is memorialized in Just Action.

Based on similar efforts, the California Legislature last year required that clerk recorders in the states 58 counties begin reviewing all property records to redact shameful passages. Thats 6 million documents in Stanislaus alone, and some counties may need longer than the 2027 target deadline.

Yes, we have proof after proof that it happened. But we also have examples from people like Nutson, Villalobos and the Frobas, standing for right and showing us how to overcome bigotry and bias.
The 37th Mount Tai International Mountain Climbing Festival was recently held in Taian city, eastern China's Shandong province, bringing together about 500 participants from 11 countries.

The 37th Mount Tai International Mountain Climbing Festival opens in Taian city, eastern China's Shandong province, on Sept. 5, 2023. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

The event features a series of cultural tourism, sports, and economic and trade activities, aimed at showcasing the city's rich cultural heritages and tourism resources to visitors from across the world.

Wan Ting, deputy director of the Network of International Culturalink Entities under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, addressed the event. He emphasized the great significance of Mount Tai in promoting cultural exchange and dialogue between China and the international community. While highlighting traditional Chinese culture, the festival also sought to promote mutual learning between civilizations.

Hussam Al Husseini, Jordanian ambassador to China, congratulated the opening of the festival. He said that, over 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road played an important role in connecting China with the rest of the world. Relations between Jordan and China will continue to flourish and their friendship will grow stronger, as Jordan remains an oasis of stability in the heart of the Middle East, he added.

Nabhasporn Bhuttarichval, consul general of Thailand in Qingdao, addresses a Yellow River tourism promotion event in Taian city, eastern China's Shandong province, on Sept. 4, 2023. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

During a Yellow River tourism promotion event, Nabhasporn Bhuttarichval, consul general of Thailand in Qingdao, emphasized the potential for Thailand and China to learn from each other to facilitate the development of tourism and co-invest in various fields. This event was a good beginning, and would lay a solid foundation for advancing tourism centered on the Yellow River, Taian city, and Mount Tai, she said.

In dialogue sessions, participants shared their insights into cultural heritage protection and tourism development, and shed new light on the integrated development of the cultural and tourism industries.

Participants climb Mount Tai in Taian city, eastern China's Shandong province, on Sept. 4, 2023. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Participants of the dialogues also climbed Mount Tai, and visited Daimiao Temple and the Dawenkou Site Museum, among other locations.

The event was hosted by the Network of International Culturalink Entities, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Taian municipal government.
Body camera and store surveillance video Blendon Township released Friday appears to contradict what the family of 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young said a witness told them previously about the events that led to the Aug. 24 police shooting that killed her.

The footage shows Young and two other women going into the liquor section of the Kroger at 5991 S. Sunbury Road around 6:20 p.m. Aug. 24.

Surveillance video shows Young, who is visibly pregnant and at one point is seen cradling her belly, carrying a purse and a shopping basket. As she walks down an aisle out of view of the cash register in that part of the store, she sets the basket down and pulls a tote bag out of her purse. She is then seen putting multiple bottles of liquor into the bag and her purse.

The other two women walk into the liquor section about a minute later and speak with Young in one of the aisles.

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Young, who by that point has at least eight liquor bottles concealed in her tote bag and purse, has another two bottles in the shopping basket and is waiting in line. As the other two women, who also have bottles concealed in bags they were carrying, approach her in the checkout line, the three leave together and immediately exit the store.

In this image from surveillance video Blendon Township police released Friday from Kroger on Sunbury Road, Ta'Kiya Young, center, is seen walking through the store with two other women Aug. 24.

The footage shows none of the women setting down their bags. The other two women get into a vehicle parked in a different aisle of the store's parking lot.

Blendon Township and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation ask anyone with information as to the identities of the other two women to call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.

On Friday, Sean Walton, who is representing Young's family, said the video is "more evidence of murder" and that Blendon Township's lack of comment regarding the officer's conduct, including "numerous crimes committed against Ta'Kiya" egregious. Walton also reiterated that he and Young's family believe the officer violated Blendon Township policy by standing in front of Young's vehicle and having his weapon drawn.

"If he believes that a petty theft and a slow-moving vehicle warrant the killing of an unarmed pregnant woman, then it is clear that Grubb's actions that day are directly related to his training and supervision," Walton said. "Witnesses have come forth with information regarding what they witnessed inside the store. Unfortunately, those witnesses will never be able to testify in court because Ta'Kiya's constitutional rights were violated and her due process continues to be violated as a victim of crime, who is now being villainized by the same department that murdered her."

Earlier this week, Walton said witnesses told his office that Young had put down the liquor before leaving the store.

More body camera video released Friday shows one of the officers moving the tote bag, which was on Young's left arm when she was shot. Glass bottles can be heard clinking against each other when the bag is moved.

"What is clear is that petty theft does not justify murder, and comply or die is not the rule of law in this country," Walton said. "The fact that an unarmed woman was dragged from her car and handcuffed after being shot unjustifiably should shock the conscious of everyone who watches the video, and raise further questions about Grubbs intent that day. He intended to kill Ta'Kiya and that is exactly what he did."

Exterior surveillance video Blendon Township police released Friday from the Kroger on Sunbury Road shows the Aug. 24 confrontation between Ta'Kiya Young, 21, and two township police officers.

After the shooting, one officer is seen running to his cruiser, grabbing two chest seals and running back to Young to apply them.

The officers are also seen handcuffing Young as medical aid is provided, in accordance with standard police procedure.

A passerby, who is an emergency room doctor, also approaches the scene, setting down his grocery bags to begin offering aid as paramedics are dispatched to the scene.

The new video comes one week after the township's initial release of body camera footage showing the shooting, during which Ta'Kiya Young, 21, and her unborn baby died.

The video released Sept. 1 showed two Blendon Township officers in the parking lot of Kroger, where they were helping someone who locked themselves out of their vehicle. A Kroger employee approached the officers and told one that Young, who had gotten into a four-door Lexus sedan, shoplifted from the store.

One of the officers approaches Young's driver's side window, knocking on the window and windshield and repeatedly telling her to get out of the car. The other officer, who Young's family and attorney identified as Connor Grubb, goes to the front of Young's vehicle, which was stopped at the time.

The video showed Young's vehicle moving forward and hitting the officer, who fired a single shot into the windshield. That shot hit Young, who died a short time later at Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital. Young's unborn daughter, who her family says was due in November, also did not survive the shooting.

External video from the Kroger store shows Young's vehicle moving forward in a manner that is consistent with hitting the accelerator in the vehicle, physically moving the officer in front of the vehicle several feet backwards.

In the body camera video released Friday, one of the officers is heard saying, "Her foot's on the gas still," as they try to pull Young from the vehicle to get her medical attention. The officers had to break Young's driver's side window to unlock the door and get to her.

After other officers arrive, the officer who fired the shot can be heard saying multiple times that Young tried to run him over.

Young's family has called for the arrest, prosecution and firing of the officer who fired the shot. Blendon Township has not confirmed the identity of the officer, citing Marsy's Law, a law enacted to protect the rights of crime victims.

The case will be presented to a Franklin County grand jury after the conclusion of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's probe into the shooting, in accordance with Franklin County Prosecutor's office policy.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blendon Township police release more video in Ta'Kiya Young shooting
Injured Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette joins teammates on the field before the Blue Jays' baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

TORONTO (AP)  All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette was activated off the 10-day injured list by the Toronto Blue Jays before Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals and was set to play shortstop and bat second.

Bichette leads the Blue Jays with a .314 batting average and 152 hits despite playing only eight games since the end of July. Hes been dealing with a strained right quadriceps since leaving an Aug. 27 loss to Cleveland.

Bichette also didnt play for the Blue Jays between July 31 and Aug. 19 because of right knee patellar tendinitis. Toronto went 8-8 during that stretch without the two-time AL hits leader.

The Blue Jays went 6-3 in Bichettes latest absence while Toronto played teams at or near the bottom of the standings in Washington, Colorado and Oakland.

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Following this weekends series against the last-place Royals, Toronto hosts wild-card rival Texas for four games. The Blue Jays (77-63) held a half-game lead over the Rangers (76-63) entering play Friday.

Manager John Schneider said Friday that catcher Danny Jansen will miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery Thursday on his fractured right middle finger. Jansen's status for the playoffs will be evaluated if Toronto advances to the postseason. Jansen was struck by a foul tip while catching against the Rockies last Friday.

Third baseman Matt Chapman resumed hitting and fielding drills Friday after having a splint removed from his sprained right middle finger. Like Bichette, Chapman hasn't played since leaving an Aug. 27 game against Cleveland. There's no timeline for his return.

To make room for Bichette, Toronto optioned infielder Mason McCoy to Triple-A Buffalo.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
In this image from video provided by the Tampa Police Department, Joseph Ruddy, a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Tampa, hands his business card to Officer Taylor Grant, outside his home in Temple Terrace, Fla., on the evening of July 4, 2023. When police arrived at his house to investigate a hit-and-run, Ruddy, one of the nations most prolific federal narcotics prosecutors, was so drunk he could barely stand up straight, leaning on the tailgate of his pickup to keep his balance. (Officer Taylor Grant/Tampa Police Department)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  When police arrived at his house to investigate a hit-and-run, Joseph Ruddy, one of the nations most prolific federal narcotics prosecutors, looked so drunk he could barely stand up straight, leaning on the tailgate of his pickup to keep his balance.

But he apparently was under control enough to be waiting with his U.S. Justice Department business card in hand.

What are you trying to hand me? an officer asked. You realize when they pull my body-worn camera footage and they see this, this is going to go really bad."

That footage obtained by The Associated Press showed Ruddy apparently attempting to leverage his position to blunt the fallout from a Fourth of July crash in which he is accused of drunkenly striking another vehicle and leaving the scene.

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But despite being charged, the 59-year-old Ruddy remained on the job for two months, representing the United States in court as recently as last week to notch another win for the sprawling task force he helped create two decades ago targeting cocaine smuggling at sea.

On Wednesday, a day after the AP asked the Justice Department about Ruddy's status, the veteran prosecutor was pulled off three pending criminal cases. A Justice Department spokesman would not say whether he had been suspended but said that Ruddy, while still employed, was removed July 11 from his supervisory role at the U.S. Attorneys Office in Tampa. The case also has been referred to the Office of the Inspector General.

The Department of Justice holds all personnel, including its assistant U.S. attorneys, to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, the spokesman said.

Such an inspector general's probe would likely focus on whether Ruddy was trying to use his public office for private gain, said Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis who reviewed the footage.

Its hard to see what this could be other than an attempt to improperly influence the police officer to go easy on him, Clark said. What could possibly be his purpose in handing over his U.S. Attorneys Office business card?

Ruddy, whose blood-alcohol level tested at 0.17%, twice the legal limit, was charged with driving under the influence with property damage  a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. Despite his own admissions and witness testimony, he was not charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

Neither Ruddy nor his attorney returned messages seeking comment.

Ruddy is known in law enforcement circles as one of the architects of Operation Panama Express, or PANEX  a task force launched in 2000 to target cocaine smuggling at sea, combining resources from the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Historically, PANEX-generated intelligence contributes to more than 90% of U.S. Coast Guard drug interdictions at sea. Between 2018 and 2022, the Coast Guard removed or destroyed 888 metric tons of cocaine worth an estimated $26 billion and detained 2,776 suspected smugglers, a senior Coast Guard official said in congressional testimony in March. The bulk of those cases were handled by Ruddy and his colleagues in Tampa, where PANEX is headquartered.

A former Ironman triathlete, Ruddy enjoys a reputation among attorneys for hard work and toughness in the courtroom. Among his biggest cases were some of the early extraditions from Colombia of top smugglers for the feared Cali cartel.

But the majority of cases handled out of his office involve mostly poor fishermen from Central and South America who make up the drug trades lowest rungs. Often, the drugs arent even bound for American shores and the constitutional guarantees of due process that normally apply in criminal cases inside the U.S. are only loosely observed.

Ruddy is at the heart of a costly and aggressive prosecutor-led dragnet that every year pulls hundreds of low-level cocaine traffickers off the oceans and incarcerates them in the U.S., said Kendra McSweeney, an Ohio State University geographer who is part of a team studying maritime interdiction policies.

Research by Ohio State's Interdiction Lab found that between 2014 and 2020, the median sentence for smugglers picked up at sea and prosecuted in Tampa was 10 years  longer than any other court in the country and compared to seven years, six months in Miami, which handles the second-largest amount of such cases.

Last Friday, nearly two months after his arrest, Ruddy was in court to ratify a plea deal in the case of a Brazilian man, Flavio Fontes Pereira, who in February was found by the U.S. Coast Guard with more than 3.3 tons of cocaine aboard a sailboat off Guinea, in West Africa.

After two weeks aboard the U.S. Coast Guard vessel, Pereira made his initial court appearance in Tampa in March, charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, which gives the U.S. unique arrest powers anywhere on the high seas whenever it determines a vessel is without nationality.

Ruddy is next due to appear in court in his own case Sept. 27. He's accused of sideswiping an SUV whose driver had been waiting to turn at a red light, clipping a side mirror and tearing off another piece of the vehicle that lodged in the fender of Ruddys pickup.

He never even hit brakes, a witness told police. "He just kept going and he was swerving all the way up the road. Im like, No, hes going to hurt somebody. So I just followed him until I got the tag number and just called and reported it.

When officers arrived at Ruddys home in the suburb of Temple Terrace, they found him hunched over his pickup, holding his keys and using the vehicle for support, the report said. Officers noted that he had urinated on himself, was unable to walk without help and failed a field sobriety test.

I understand we might be having a better night, Tampa police patrolman Taylor Grant said before looking at the business card.

Why didnt you stop? the officer asked.

I didnt realize it was that serious, Ruddy said in a slurred response.

You hit a vehicle and you ran, the officer said. You ran because youre drunk. You probably didnt realize you hit the vehicle.

___

Goodman reported from Miami. Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.
The Story of Gangstalicious, season 1 episode 6 of The Boondocks, is one of the greatest episodes of an animated series in American TV history.

It follows suburban transplant Huey Freeman who is befriended by a rapper with a terrible habit of detailing his own crimes in his lyrics while professing himself a disciple of a toxic Stop Snitching culture. Predictably, it things dont end well.

Read more

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In September 2021, Las Vegas police responded to a call where they found Randall Wallace , a man who had been fatally shot in the head.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, witnesses saw a Black man running from the scene in a white vehicle shortly after the shooting. A month later, one of the witnesses claimed to have more information about the shooter, leading them to find McDaniel.

But Kenjuan also made it easier for authorities. In July, a music video titled Fadee Free was released and the suspect was heard rapping throughout the song, I be the reason why hes dead.

During one part of the song he says, I be the reason why hes dead, we still taunt him when he die, not the reason hes dead, so celebrate the reason why his momma cry.

Hes currently being held in jail without bail and his next hearing is scheduled for September 7.

Although hes the latest, McDaniel is not even the most high-profile rapper to allegedly tell on himself in a song.

As hip-hop fans are still waiting on the outcome of the YSL RICO case, many of the charges brought against the defendants by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis are because they rapped about alleged crimes in songs.

But its also been a point of controversy as many artists and music labels have supported bills that would limit the use of an artists lyrics as acceptable evidence in court.

In other words, dont expect art to stop imitating life, or vice versa, in hip hop anytime soon.

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A boutique net-zero-energy development is taking shape in downtown Raleigh. But it comes with a hefty price tag.

Tower Raleigh, a collection of four modern, net-zero-energy (NZE) homes, is under construction at 920 Tower St., near the Village District and Jaycee Park.

Each 4,100-square-foot, three-story home sits on little more than one-tenth of an acre, generating as much renewable energy annually as it consumes, virtually erasing a homebuyers footprint, the listing says.

The homes also start upwards of $1.9 million.

Three of the homes are listed for sale. The fourth  926 Tower Street, which is complete  is the developers personal home.

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Theres absolutely nothing like it, probably in the Southeast, says Will Alphin, founder of REdesign.build, who designed them. High-quality, modern homes that are built to be beautiful, filled with daylight, safe, clean and net positive. I loved them so much I moved into one.

An aerial view of Tower Raleigh, a collection of three modern, net-zero-energy (NZE) homes, currently under construction at 920 Tower Street, near the Village District and Jaycee Park.

Green homes on the rise

Nationwide, green homes are gaining traction, selling faster and for more money.

On average, homes with an energy rating sold for 2.7% more than comparable unrated homes, according to a recent Freddie Mac white paper.

Boosted by tax incentives, buyer demand and rising energy prices, builders are heeding the call with the latest innovations: from solar panels and electric vehicle charging ports to composting stations and more efficient hot water and heating and cooling systems.

Tower is the latest example of this trend.

A partnership between REdesign.build, Chappell, powered by Compass, and Southern Energy Management, its being touted as one of the first NZE developments to hit the Raleigh market.

In 2020, the design won NC Modernists Matsumoto Prize, North Carolinas highest honor for exclusively modernist residential architecture.

Large and boxy with teak-wood accents, the homes are constructed from sustainable materials, like recycled plastic and wood. They come already fitted with rooftop solar panels, water-conserving fixtures and LED lighting. Theres even a Tesla Powerwall, a rechargeable home battery system, for back-up protection. Another perk: Homeowners are eligible for a $12,000 solar tax credit.

Its expected to be delivered in spring 2024. Judging by early interest, some buyers are willing to pay the price.

After just a few days on the market, one of the three homes already has a pending offer.

Its the new standard for modernist builds, said Johnny Chappell, owner and broker of Chappell. It wont be the last.

Roof-top solar panels at Tower Raleigh, a collection of three modern, net-zero-energy (NZE) homes, currently under construction at 920 Tower Street, near the Village District and Jaycee Park.

A peek inside: Tower Raleigh is a collection of three modern, net-zero-energy (NZE) homes, currently under construction at 920 Tower Street, near the Village District and Jaycee Park.

However, at that price point, its out of reach for most buyers. Thats a problem, say experts.

We need to incentivize builders to develop affordable NZE homes that anyone in North Carolina can afford, said Rob Howard, owner of Howard Building Science and former director of construction at Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley. Theres already a federal tax credit. We need a state level incentive.

In addition to Tower, Chappell is bringing IDYLE, another net-zero-ready 10 townhome collection to downtown Raleigh. Planning is in the early stages. Prices are yet to be disclosed on the website.

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TORONTOHayao Miyazaki has long been one of cinemas most revered filmmakers. A pioneer of animation, Miyazaki has spent nearly 40 years at the head of Studio Ghibli, transforming it from a plucky upstart into one of the worlds leading animation studios. His long, astonishing career has delivered bona fide masterpieces like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke. Thats why animation fans, myself included, were devastated when Miyazaki announced his retirement in 2013. But he had one final film to give us, one of his best: the extraordinary The Wind Rises, which felt like a perfect swan song.

But Miyazaki was not, in fact, going gently into that good night. Instead, in 2021, he came out of retirement to announce his twelfth (and, this time, final) film: How Do You Live? Remarkably, the film was marketed in Japan with just a single posterno trailer, stills, plot information, nothing. The names of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have proved more than enough; since it hit theaters there in July, the film has become one of the highest-grossing movies in Japanese cinema history.

The Best of Studio Ghibli in Seven Unforgettable Scenes

Now with a new titlethe hotly debated The Boy and the Heronthe film has finally made its way to its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. As an ardent admirer of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki, I nervously anticipated the films arrival. Could more Miyazaki be a bad thing? Is he past his prime? Could the film possibly live up to The Wind Rises? The short answers are no, hell no, and absolutely.

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In keeping with the fantastic lack of advertising in Japan, Ill tell you only the bare minimum of the plotbut feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you want no details whatsoever. The Boy and the Heron follows Mahito, a young boy struggling with the loss of his mother, who was killed in a fire during World War II. His father remarries, and the family leaves Tokyo for a bizarre old home in the countryside. Its there that Mahito discovers a mysterious tower, and a talking heron, that will change his life forever.

Ghibli films are well regarded for their gorgeous and distinct, if reliable, animation style. But The Boy and the Heron is the most astonishing-looking film the studio has yet made. The opening sequence is legitimately jaw-dropping, literally blurring lines in chaotic and stunning fashion, leading to a fiery burst of color and sound. There are a number of scenes in the film that are positively transportive in their beauty, pushing the boundaries of animation in ways Ghibli hasnt done before. Miyazaki blends fantasy and realism with such a deft touch that everything feels entirely plausible in the increasingly outrageous world hes crafted in The Boy and the Heron. Backgrounds are rich and textured, the characters look fantastic, and theres a dream sequence that will take your breath away while chilling you to the core.

Studio Ghibli

Across every facet, the film feels reflective of Miyazakis career. There are plenty of elements that fans will recognize from his previous films. There are fantastical creatures galore, from the skin-crawlingly creepy to the eye-wateringly adorable (trust me when I tell you the Warawaras will change your life). There are plenty of memorable characters with bold, distinguishing physical features. All the themes youve come to expect from Miyazakis work are here too: environmentalism; friendship; Japanese culture; children; and even tremendously appetizing food are all present. In a way, it almost feels like a victory lapbut Miyazakis foot is firmly on the pedal, pushing himself further and further into brilliance. The Boy and the Heron finds Miyazaki considering his future, as the film grapples with the idea of ones legacy and impact, and how they can live on after that person is gone.

These questions are all channeled through young Mahito. There is perhaps nobody on Earth who believes in the capabilities of children more than Miyazaki and, remarkably, the older the filmmaker gets, the more acutely he understands their limitless possibilities. In a brief sequence following Mahito at school, Miyazaki conveys that unique childhood anxiety of going to a new place and how frightening a place like school can be. But these fears dont make Mahito give up on lifeinstead, as the film goes on, he becomes more and more optimistic about the world and making it a better place. This is, incidentally, one of the driving themes of Miyazakis work and The Boy and the Heron itself.

Studio Ghibli

Between these thematic explorations and the visual splendor, The Boy and the Heron is exquisitely balanced. The detail is simply outstanding, and every imaginable inch of the frame has been thought through. The story is poignant, but occasionally exhausting to take in all at oncethis will be a film thatll take multiple watches to really let its genius soak in. Its magical to watch a master of their craft at work, and I cannot wait to see it again (and again).

Considering just how intensive a process animation is and Miyazakis age (82), theres a strong chance that The Boy and the Heron will actually be Miyazakis last film. If thats true, animations maestro is going out at the top of his game. The Boy and The Heron is a glorious testament to everything that makes Miyazaki Miyazaki. It mixes the comfort and reliability of a greatest hits album with the bold visionary direction of a thrilling, experimental album from an artist at the peak of their powers. If The Boy and the Heron is really the end of Miyazakis career, hes gone out with a triumph.

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Crawford soil and water district hosts welcomes new board members

The Crawford Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) held its 78th annual meeting at The Loft at Pickwick Place on Aug. 30.

One of the main events at the meeting was the SWCD Board of Supervisors Election. Braxton James and Larry Leonhardt were elected to the Crawford SWCD Board of Supervisors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

This years outstanding cooperator award, sponsored by Ag Credit, went to Sunny Slopes Farm from Sulphur Springs. Sunny Slopes Farm, led by Nathan Brause, became a cooperator in 2003 and uses a multitude of conservation practices including grassed waterways and associated rock structures, grass filter strips, 4R nutrient management planning, whole farm resource management plan to reduce runoff, tree plantings and multi-species cover crops. He also utilizes conservation tillage practices including no-till and grid sampling with variable rate application. Sunny Slopes Farms has participated in the H2Ohio Program, EQIP, CRP and the Loss Creek Phosphorus Reduction Program.

Crawford Soil and Water Conservation District presented its outstanding cooperator award to Sunny Slopes Farm during the annual Crawford SWCD meeting on Aug. 30.

Dr. Scott Shearer, professor and chair of the Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Departments at the Ohio State University, gave a presentation on the future technology in agriculture.

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Special recognition was given to SWCD affiliate members who assisted the district by donating $5,350 to the upcoming 2024 programs. Their donations help the district provide the many outreach programs that educate current and future landowners about the importance and techniques of using conservation practices on the land.

Last week for sweet corn at the Farmers Market

This is the last week for bicolor sweet corn at the Bucyrus Farmers Market. Seedless watermelon, cabbage and other produce will also be at the Farmers Market this Saturday along with organic-fed beef, pork and chicken, and baked goods. A complete list of vendors can be found on Facebook.

A regular vendor, Abundantly Blessed Lavender Farm, will host an open house from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at the farm at 1140 Mt Zion Road.

The Positive Seekers will once again be grilling for a donation, and pop tabs are still being collected for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The Bucyrus Farmers Market takes place every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, at 2460 E. Mansfield Str. in the Family Farm & Home parking lot until Oct. 28.

Funding opportunity for law enforcement body-worn cameras

COLUMBUS  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says $5 million in grant funding is now available to help local law enforcement agencies invest in body camera equipment and pay for associated expenses.

The Ohio Department of Public Safetys Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) Wednesday opened the application period for the third round of the Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program. DeWine launched the program in 2021 to assist local law enforcement agencies with costs related to camera equipment, video storage, editing software, public record management, maintenance and more.

To date, nearly $10 million has been awarded to more than 200 local agencies as part of the program.

Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford SWCD meeting, Bucyrus Farmers Market, law enforcement funding
Its seven years since the Brexit vote  and only now are we starting to see the pieces fall into place. There wasnt a manifesto, or a grand vision to change society in a certain Brexity way. It was a vote to lift constraints, then see what followed.

One theory was that Brexit would create a higher-skilled, higher-wage economy: that is, to put it politely, a work in progress. But the idea of striking new global alliances is going better. Rishi Sunaks visit to New Delhi will be the next stage.

A free trade deal is close to being signed and Sunak is arriving as the embodiment of his point about the closeness of the Indian and British people. My story is the story of so many people in Britain with deep and enduring links to India, he told local journalists ahead of his visit.

Not all of them, of course, end up at Winchester then No 10 after making their own millions then marrying an Indian heiress. But overall, Britain is a country where Indians are seen more as family than foreigners; where they are welcomed and their children prosper.

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This is all fodder for Sunaks Indo-Pacific tilt, which is his version of the Global Britain planned by Boris Johnson. It means improving links with an area of the world which contains half of humanity, using the Anglosphere and historical ties.

The common cause hes finding is a desire to contain China. So far, we have the Aukus nuclear submarine deal with Australia, free trade agreements with Australia and Japan, UK accession to the trans-Pacific pact (CPTPP), and, soon, better trade links with India.

Kemi Badenoch , the Trade Secretary, has been there for a while preparing for the G20 summit and to finalise a free trade deal. Britain would be the first country in Europe to agree a free trade agreement with India: the EU is hoping to negotiate its own package but doing so with 27 members takes longer. Badenochs next stop will be South Korea to seek to improve the free trade deal there. It would be the latest in several pieces of diplomatic architecture of a new British policy in the region.

The India trade deal wont deliver fireworks. Itll be good news for whisky makers from across the UK, perhaps carmakers  and at a push  British investors, who might get better protection for the deals they make. India, for its part, wants a National Insurance exemption for its citizens working in Britain and easier access to investment.

But these are all relatively trivial points. Sunak disliked the Boris-era trade deals, feeling that his predecessor gave away too much in desperation to show progress. Badenoch saw the CPTPP deal as a way of showing India that Britain did have other options.

But it was always a mistake to judge Brexit by free trade deals. Theyre unlikely to be substantial, or to move the economic dial. The big Brexit difference is the one that was never really planned and is now well under way: the overhaul in work visas.

Immigration isnt on the table in the Anglo-Indian talks. That would be too controversial, both for Sunak  and for Modi, who is facing pressure at home not to allow a brain drain of the high-skilled to Britain.

It might be a bit late to do that. Indian workers are arriving in Britain at the rate of 1,500 a week, according to visa data, double the pre-Brexit level. Visas have been going to Nigerians at a rate of 600 a week, up from just 20 a week pre-Brexit. For Zimbabweans, its 450 a week, as many as used to arrive in a year. Its about 500 a week for all EU countries put together.

Its quite a shift, and the post-Brexit migration wave may end up shaping the country as much as the original Windrush did. Already, new African parishioners are making churches a little less empty. Job applications (especially in tech) have more Indian-sounding names.

To this we can add the separate phenomenon of the Hong Kong Chinese, of whom 125,000 have arrived since Dominic Raab offered them residency. Thats equivalent to a town the size of Dover. These will be, disproportionately, middle-class graduates.

All told, the post-Brexit wave may turn out to be one of the greatest skill top-ups in the history of British migration. This is nothing the Conservatives would really boast about, given that its in direct defiance of the manifesto pledge to lower immigration.

Brexit was about taking back control, but that control has so far been used to double net migration with a million arrivals a year. Quite something for a country with 5.4 million on out-of-work benefits. But theres no doubt that the post-Brexit change in migration patterns, which has happened almost by accident, is one of the biggest changes of our times.

The empire really is striking back, in that most new visas are now going to Commonwealth citizens. But this reflects what employers want and the cultural links that have long existed. Indians are in the highest demand: one in five of all work visas issued goes to an Indian national. Indians also top the list for study visas. Given that it has three times as many English speakers as Britain, there will be plenty more potential customers, students and employees.

Sunak doesnt really know India and wont pretend otherwise during his trip. He wont do a Joe Biden and claim that its a kind of homecoming (hes more at home in California).

Hell go to the haunts he visited with his wife when they were young, but sees the whole trip as a chance to build treaties, alliances and relationships and lay down the foundations of a British network. The idea that the future is getting back closer to a sclerotic Europe is for the birds, says one Cabinet member.

A few months ago, Tata agreed to build a 4 billion electric bar battery gigafactory in Somerset rather than Spain, to supply its Jaguar Land Rover plant. Sunak saw this as a part of his Indo-Pacific tilt, giving India even more reason to cut taxes on British cars.

And this is what he hopes will come next: better links, better investments and a new global network. The figures are still small, the deals modest and it will take years to see what it all comes to. But a post-Brexit strategy is, at last, starting to take shape.

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Matthew Ferster appeared in Brunswick County Superior Court Friday for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of felony death by impaired boating.

A Shallotte man will spend at least 12 years in prison for his role in a boating accident that left three people dead in 2020.

Matthew Ferster was charged with six crimes in connection with the March 29, 2020, triple-fatal collision on the Waccamaw River that left Garrett Smith, 21, Jennifer Hayes, 37, and Megan Lynn, 21, dead. Ferster faced three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of felony death by impaired boating in connection with the incident.

Ferster was set to face a jury trial on Aug. 28, but instead pleaded guilty to three counts of felony death by impaired boating as part of a plea arrangement with the state.

In Brunswick County Superior Court Friday, Brunswick County Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow sentenced Ferster to three consecutive sentences of 51 to 74 months in prison.

Family members testify in court

Ahead of the sentencing, family members of the three victims took to the stand to share the impact Ferster's actions in March 2020 had on them and their loved ones.

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Katherine Hayes, sister of victim Jennifer Hayes, described Jennifer as a loving, hardworking mother of three. Katherine Hayes said Jennifer was in school studying to become a nurse at the time of her death.

Katherine Hayes said she and Jennifer had been close growing up and as adults, and there isn't a moment that passes that she doesn't think of her sister.

"I can't forgive you," Katherine Hayes said.

Jennifer's three children -- two daughters and a son -- were present in court Friday. Her oldest daughter, Madisyn Reynolds, took the stand and spoke of the hurt and heartache she and her siblings have lived with for the last three and a half years.

"You took my mommy from me," she said.

Reynolds was 17 years old when her mother was killed.

Lauren Lynn, Megan Lynn's older sister, told the court Megan was a mother to two twin sons and described the incident as the worst tragedy she and her family have experienced.

Lauren Lynn said Megan and Smith were in a romantic relationship and looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together, a fate they won't experience now.

"I lost my best friend that day and it has forever changed me," she said.

Smith's parents, Chris Smith and Kelli Barnes, took the stand and said their son was a "good, compassionate" person. Now, all they have left of him are his things, pictures and memories, Barnes said.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

According to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the three victims were passengers on a boat driven by Travis Suggs. Suggs, of Tabor City, and another person on his boat suffered minor injuries. Ferster drove the other boat involved in the incident, officials said. He and the single other passenger on his boat were not injured in the crash.

Following the incident, Suggs and Ferster were charged with operating a boat while impaired.

Ferster was taken into custody Friday by the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Shallotte man charged in triple-fatal boat crash sentenced to prison
A forum held on Sept. 2 at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU), invited scholars and industry leaders to explore innovation in art design against the backdrop of artificial intelligence (AI) development.



Professor Lu Xiaobo delivers his keynote speech at the 2023 AI + Design Innovation Forum held at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU) in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

The 2023 AI + Design Innovation Forum, organized by AADTHU and the Institute for Smart Scene Innovation Design (ISSID), brought together renowned scholars, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors to discuss cutting-edge issues in AI development. Objectives included understanding global AI trends; exploring ways to promote the integration and synergy between art design, AI technology, and the digital economy; and nurturing innovative talent capable of bridging expertise in AI and art. The forum aims to drive innovation collaborations and empower industrial development.

The theme of this year's forum was "Artificial Intelligence and Design Innovation, Industrial Transformation and the Digital Economy," focusing on the widespread application of AI technology in the field of design and the profound transformation brought about by the digital economy on a global scale.

In his opening speech at the forum, Qin Chuan, Party Secretary of the academy, said that guided by the concept of integrating arts and sciences, AADTHU actively explores innovative education in art and design in the era of AI. In late 2022, they established a new team for foundational teaching and research with the aim of cultivating students' interdisciplinary thinking and innovation capabilities. By deeply integrating the innovative power of art and the rational thinking of science, they strive to better address the design demands and challenges of the AI era.

Qin Chuan, Party Secretary of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, speaks at the 2023 AI + Design Innovation Forum in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

Qin added that AADTHU will focus on developing paths for interdisciplinary talent cultivation and strive to promote the integration and innovation of science, technology, and art design. The academy also aims to nurture high-level innovative talents in the new era who possess both scientific literacy and humanistic sentiments. They are committed to embarking on the transformative and innovative path of art education in the era of AI.

Zhang Bo, a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, honorary dean of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University, and academic advisor to ISSID, delivered a keynote speech at the forum. He addressed the frequently debated question in the era of AI: "Can machines create art?" He also addressed the anticipation of innovations that will be brought about by "collaborative creation."

Lu Xiaobo, a distinguished professor of arts, humanities, and social sciences at Tsinghua University and director of ISSID, expounded on how art and AI complement each other and will progress hand in hand from the perspective of "the vitality of art." He reminded attendees to embrace new technologies while also emphasizing the importance of emotions and culture. In the rapid development of AI technology, it is crucial to uphold timeless values.

Marc Hebert, board chair at Leonardo/The International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (Leonardo/ISAST), and chief operating officer at Estuate, a global information technology services company, discussed how art and science serve as the dual wings of human wisdom, providing insights and perspectives from the "Leonardo" journal.

Experts join a discussion during the 2023 AI + Design Innovation Forum held at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

Sun Maosong, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology and executive deputy dean of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University, elaborated on the characteristics and limitations of generative AI from his expertise, providing an insightful perspective for innovative thinking.

Xu Yingqing, professor at AADTHU and head of the Tsinghua University Future Laboratory, expounded on the development trajectory of an intelligent society. He emphasized the importance of not only recognizing the changes brought by AI technology on humanity but also focusing on its impact on society. Xu later provided concrete suggestions in this regard.

Later, top executives from iFlytek, China Telecom, HiDream.ai, Adobe, Alibaba Cloud Research Institute, Goldman Sachs, Amazon Web Services, and the Nvidia Corporation also delivered speeches at the forum, discussing their companies' explorations in AI development and solutions.

A roundtable discussion session was also held, where panel guests expressed their own opinions and engaged in a thought-provoking exchange and collision of ideas regarding the topic of "design, computation, and the digital economy."

In addition, "Zhuangshi," a Chinese academic journal known for its comprehensive strengths in artistic design and published by AADTHU, has established a partnership with "Leonardo," the highly influential American art and science academic journal founded in 1968. Fang Xiaofeng, associate dean of AADTHU and editor-in-chief of "Zhuangshi," together with Marc Hebert, board chair at Leonardo/ISAST, announced their collaboration to co-create a special issue.

It is hoped that the special issue serves as an international platform for communication, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in the global fields of art and science. The announcement of this collaborative special issue signifies a significant step forward in promoting the integration of art and science by both parties involved. The authors hope to highlight exceptional papers and work from distinguished scholars, artists, and scientists, covering various domains such as intelligent design, digital art, media design, bioart, virtual reality, and more, ultimately showcasing the beauty of the convergence between art and science.

Fang Xiaofeng, associate dean of AADTHU and editor-in-chief of "Zhuangshi," poses with Marc Hebert, board chair at Leonardo/ISAST, following the announcement of the two journals' collaboration to co-create a special issue during the 2023 AI + Design Innovation Forum held at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

About 300 attendees participated in the forum, including many senior executives from relevant enterprises, businesses, and industries, as well as faculty and students from Tsinghua University. In the context of AI-driven design innovation, collaboration between the education sector, academia, and industry is crucial, while the forum's discussion about how AI can lead social transformation, drive educational reform, and focus on cutting-edge issues in AI development was received enthusiastically by attendees.




Burning Man attendees who abandoned tents, vehicles and waste at the site after a mass exodus from the remote Nevada desert this week began returning to the site Wednesday to begin the herculean task of cleaning up, organizers said.

The annual weekslong cleanup effort that follows the festival could be more challenging this year after torrential rain covered the site and the campgrounds in ankle-deep mud and led some attendees to abandon belongings they'd brought with them to the venue known as Black Rock City.

Festivalgoers who left early because of the storm are returning to the event site today through Saturday to disassemble their projects, tear down their camps, and remove their possessions, the Burning Man Project said in a statement Wednesday night.

A team will also begin removing trash from the highways leading to the venue Friday, organizers said. The event is held in a vast expanse of desert referred to as the playa.

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A special recreation permit that allows the festival to take place in the desert requires organizers to return the playa to its natural state, Nevadas Bureau of Land Management said Thursday.

After exodus, the Burning Man team has three weeks where they grid out the entire event area and pick up all items and trash, spokesperson Rita Henderson said in a statement. In addition, they clean along the side of the county highways leading to and from the event.

During the first week of October, the bureau and organizers will inspect points around the area to determine whether the cleanup efforts were acceptable, she said, adding that if the bureau finds the cleanup isnt acceptable, it will schedule time with the organizers to address the issues.

The task of cleaning the site may be taller this year after some attendees fled without having picked up after themselves ahead of a mass exodus Monday following a weekend of heavy rain that flooded roads and shut down access to the festival's main gate, leaving attendees in a virtual lockdown. A 32-year-old man, Leon Reece of Truckee, California, died at the rain-soaked festival Friday. While the cause and manner of his death are still pending, drug intoxication is suspected, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiners Office said in a statement this week.

Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said Monday that while there are large amounts of property and trash strewn from the Festival into Reno and points beyond every year, this year is a little different in that there are numerous vehicles strewn all throughout the playa for several miles.

Some participants were unwilling to wait or use the beaten path to attempt to leave the desert and have had to abandon their vehicles and personal property wherever their vehicle came to rest, Allen wrote in a statement.

Burning Man organizers said Wednesday that all but one of the vehicles that were stuck in mud within the Burning Man closure area have been liberated."

Environmental impact

The environmental effects of Burning Man on the Black Rock Desert playa and its greenhouse gas emissions have concerned environmental groups for years. Climate change activists blockaded the entrance to Burning Man, claiming festival organizers were greenwashing the event.

The festivals carbon footprint is estimated at 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide, according to its sustainability road map. Thats equivalent to emissions from electricity use in more than 19,000 homes for a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agencys emissions calculator.

The Bureau of Land Management capped festival attendance at 80,000 people in the festivals most recent permit in 2019 to limit noise, air and light pollution and other harms to species.

Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said hed seen social media posts that showed native vegetation like iodine and salt brush getting trampled and driven through as people fled the Black Rock Desert playa. He was also concerned that festival traffic would disrupt rare species of branchiopods that live on the playa, hatch when it rains and feed migratory birds.

After previous Burning Man events, one study found some species had 50% fewer eggs in parts of the playa used for the festival.

But the festival occupies only about 5% to 10% of the playa, Donnelly said, so impacts arent widespread.

Donnelly said he wasnt particularly concerned about the trash festival attendees left behind. He said he drove around the playa about two weeks after last years Burning Man looking for trash and other evidence of its impact.

I was looking for the evidence, and I did not find it. I think they have a pretty good track record of cleaning up after themselves and fulfilling the promises theyve made to BLM. Its my hope theyll continue to do so and clean up all that stuff, Donnelly said.

Donnelly said he thought Burning Man was a target for criticism because of its rich attendees and tech bro culture but added that nobody has a zero-impact vacation. He hopes the newfound attention for the Black Rock Desert playa will spark more interest in conservation efforts.

Most of the outrage on this is people wanting to dunk on Burning Man, but it would be nice if some of this was general enthusiasm for the protection of public lands in Nevada, Donnelly said, adding that he viewed mining as a greater danger to Nevada's public lands.

'Leaving no trace'

As he was preparing to pack up and leave the area, longtime Burning Man attendee Terry Gault said it was "not surprising to hear that there was trash left behind.

Gault said that wasnt the case near his camp, which was surrounded by veteran burners.

So for those people who left trash behind, those arent real burners, he said. They probably shouldnt be out here anyway.

In its statement, festival organizers reminded attendees that leaving no trace behind when they leave is a core principle of the community.

All participants are expected to pack out everything they brought in and clean their camp space before leaving the city, the statement said.

Dr. Brad McKay, an author who said it was his sixth time attending the festival, said that the heavy rain was unprecedented and that many camps that were there were just not prepared for this to happen. There was just a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion and a lot of people trying to survive in very adverse conditions very quickly.

A few people did start to panic and get into their vehicles and then just got stuck in the mud and werent able to leave whatsoever and had to abandon the vehicles, he said.

McKay said he worried about bicycles, tents and other garbage abandoned in the area where all of the thick mud made it difficult to see the trash left behind.

We did the best job that we could, he said, referring to his camp of 22 people. But others left in a hurry.

Its very difficult to leave no trace when youre trying to leave in a hurry in a horrible environment, he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Burning Man attendees face a new challenge  getting the mud off their cars.

One Reno car wash is turning away burners after caked-on mud and clay damaged its machinery.

Heavy rain caused festival grounds to become muddy, making it difficult to walk and drive.

Burning Man left cars caked in mud. Finding a way to get them clean is proving to be difficult  and annoying some car wash managers in the process.

At this year's Burning Man festival, rainstorms left burners and their cars soaked and muddy with hazardous driving conditions near the festival grounds at Black Rock City, Nevada. (Look no further than this wild video of a Ram pick-up escaping the mud.) One tow truck driver told the Associated Press that his company towed 50 cars and freed 60 more from the mud. Those who didn't get stuck in the mud had to endure grueling traffic conditions.

Now, Burners are finally home after a chaotic festival but are reportedly struggling to find a car wash willing to clean their cars. One car wash said it is turning away excessively muddy cars, due to dirt causing damage to the machinery, AP reported.

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Some cars came to the wash covered in a six-inch thick layer of mud and clay, Collyn Skeen, an assistant manager at Sierra Car Wash in Reno, Nevada, told 2 News. Skeen advised that burners coming home with muddied cars spray their vehicles with a hose to clean off the mud before coming to the car wash.

Burning Man's website suggests that burners wash the mud off their cars as soon as they can. The high pH of the dust can cause serious damage to cars if they're left unwashed, according to the organization. The official website recommends burners either go to a car wash or clean the car themselves using water and vinegar, Armor All, and an air compressor to fully clear all the dirt and dust.

Neither Burning Man nor Sierra Car Wash immediately responded to Insider's request for comment ahead of publication.

Difficulty at the car wash isn't the only issue that the rain and mud caused burners. Some were so restless from roadway conditions that they abandoned their cars and walked through the mud for six miles.

The rainfall caused unusually wet and muddy conditions for the 70,000 attendees. The festival is normally a hit with celebrities and influencers, but conditions at this year's festival had guests stranded in the desert and struggling. Many found their camping supplies were soaked and they were told to ration food.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Business owners of color seeking SBA loans now have to write an essay proving their race is a 'social disadvantage' after a judge ruled it isn't enough

Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Guzman speaks at the National Small Business Week event at the White House in Washington D.C., United States on May 1, 2023. Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

In July, a federal judge ruled business owners cannot say their race is a disadvantage to receive funding.

It challenged the SBA's 8(a) program, which awards money to socially disadvantaged businesses each year.

Now, business owners have to write an essay proving why their identity has been the basis of discrimination.

The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions  but business owners are also feeling the heat.

In July, a federal judge in Tennessee issued a ruling that challenged the Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development program, which was created for the government to give at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars to disadvantaged small businesses each year. The judge's decision struck down a key provision of that program, saying that business owners could no longer say their race is the reason they have faced disadvantage in America.

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The judge wrote in the July 19 opinion that "the determination of which groups of Americans are presumptively disadvantaged compared with others necessarily leads to such a determination being underinclusive because certain groups that could qualify will be left out of the presumption." The opinion gave an example that while some minority groups have faced "significant discrimination in a number of areas," they are not considered "presumptively socially disadvantaged."

This ruling prompted the SBA to change the process for small business owners to receive funds though the 8(a) program. According to the new guidance posted in late August, the SBA is now requiring all 8(a) participants to complete a "social disadvantage narrative" if they want to continue receiving awards through the program.

"SBA must determine that the discrimination or bias experienced by an individual is chronic, substantial, and has occurred within American society (not another country)," the guidance said. "Additionally, the discrimination must have negatively impacted the individual's entry or advancement in the business world."

The narrative should indicate which identities are the basis of a social disadvantage and include a description of a time when bias or discrimination occurred because of that identity. The guidance said that "sufficient" narratives are typically three pages long and should include a who, what, where, why, when, and how the discrimination occurred.

This new guidance comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions at the end of July, which means that colleges can no longer use race as a factor to determine whether a student should gain admission into the school. This has prompted a number of schools since the decision to change the way they admit students  particularly by removing legacy preference from their admissions processes, which have typically benefitted white and wealthy applicants.

Still, the ruling on the 8(a) program could signal legal challenges down the road for other programs that prioritize minority groups. Edward Blum, who was behind the Supreme Court case challenging affirmative action in college admissions, filed a lawsuit in early August against the Fearless Fund, which gives grants to Black, female entrepreneurs. He also sued two law firms that have fellowships aimed at promoting diversity.

It's unclear if President Joe Biden's administration will appeal the 8(a) ruling, and SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman said in a statement that "the SBA and Biden-Harris Administration remain committed to supporting this crucial program and the small business owners who have helped drive America's strong economic growth."

Read the original article on Business Insider
On Thursday night, Fox News discussed President Joe Bidens potential reelection, and MSNBC talked about former President Donald Trump s latest notice in Fulton County, Georgia.

Fox News  Will Biden get better with age?

On Hannity Thursday night, Fox News contributor Joe Concha spoke to Sean Hannity on a comment that CNNs Van Jones made regarding Bidens age.

Van Jones asked a question that every American voter should be asking, Concha said. Do you think this president will get better with age or worse with age? Its a rhetorical question.

He then asked Hannity to forget about the age factor and instead ask himself, Do you like (how) the economy and Bidenomics is going for you right now?

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Concha then proceeded to ask a number of questions regarding the state of the country.

Do you feel safe in your own communities, given whats happening with crime? Are you happy with the fact that 7 million people have entered this country illegally? ... Are you happy with the fact we just sent $520 million to Ukraine to make their energy cleaner?

Hannity said that the amount of money going to Ukraine is more than what has been given to the Americans suffering in Maui and Florida.

If you ask those questions and it becomes an issued-based election, Concha said, Democrats are in big trouble regardless of who the nominee is.

Related

MSNBC  Trumps new notice in Fulton County

Thursday night on The Last Word, Lawrence ODonnell spoke to NBC legal analyst Andrew Weissman on Trumps latest announcement regarding the Georgia case.

Donald Trumps criminal defense lawyers in Georgia filed a notice with Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee informing the court that Trump May seek removal of his prosecution to Federal court, ODonnell said.

He then asked Weissman, I don't understand a filing that says I might do something. Why doesn't it just say were making a motion to remove to Federal court?

Weissman said he thinks this reason is Donald Trump has 30 days in which to make a motion to remove, and since his whole game plan is delay, he is going to file that no matter what hes now saying about he may or may not.

He added that Trump will wait until the very last day so that he just pushes things out. So every single day is a race against the clock. ... This just reminds the court that that is something that is coming down the pike, and that theres no way McAffee wasnt already thinking Trump would do that.
California lawmakers stood in the vanguard in 2014 when they mandated that workers be allowed three days of sick pay annually, but more than a dozen other states have since enacted more generous sick leave policies than that one.

Sen. Lena Gonzalez , D-Long Beach, said its time that California increase the amount of mandated sick time, and she has introduced Senate Bill 616 to get it done. Initially, the measure would have mandated at least seven days of sick pay, but Gonzalez amended the bill last week to say at least five days.

COVID-19 left people unable to work for significant periods, Gonzalez said, and federal and state laws ensured they got the supplemental recovery time and sick pay to avoid infecting co-workers and suffering financial setbacks. Even now, it can take five days or longer for COVID-19 to clear the body, supporters say.

Families no longer have the temporary protections afforded by COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave, which ended last year, Gonzalez said. This back-to-school season, lets commit to ensuring that parents can take the sick leave they need to take care of their health and the health of their children.

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A coalition of employer groups opposed the legislation, saying that many small businesses are still in survival mode because of financial setbacks they incurred during the pandemic.

Despite the economic struggles that businesses have faced recently, the number of overlapping leaves has grown over the last few years and continues to grow, they wrote in letters to legislators. Some are paid and some are unpaid, but even unpaid leaves increase costs on employers because the employer must either shift the work to other existing employees on short notice, which leads to overtime pay, or be understaffed.

They also pointed to an estimate from the workforce solution company Circadian that said unscheduled absenteeism costs roughly $3,600 per year for each hourly employee in this state.

Poll: Small business owners support 7 days

In July, though, the Small Business Majority said that its polling on SB 616 found that an overwhelming majority of small business owners, some 85%, support expanding guaranteed annual paid sick days from three days to as many as seven. The organization noted that owners have concerns about their employees finances as well as their own.

Kim Robinson, who manages two health clinics in Stockton for Community Medical Centers, said she has long supported SB 616 as a wellness advocate but that she now is facing a sick time challenge at work that has shown her just how crucial this measure is.

Robinsons employer allows the 56 hours of sick time that SB 616 initially required, she said, and even so, she has struggled to accommodate the demands of caring for not only herself but also an adult child and a parent who both have ongoing medical conditions.

Robinson said she believes her story encapsulates what many workers experience as they try to hold down jobs that provide the income their families need to survive while also trying to care for ailing relatives.

A Community Medical employee for five years, Robinson said she feared the company would fire her for taking excessive time off after her mothers health deteriorated two years ago. She was running through her sick time and, although her companys sick leave exceeded the state-mandated time, she knew it wouldnt be enough last year.

The thing about sick time, she said, is that if you use all those hours up, you have to wait until you can accrue more time before you can take leave. With her mothers condition, she said, emergencies and unexpected urgent needs had cropped up.

Robinson decided last year that it would probably be best to apply for an intermittent leave under the Family Medical Leave Act. If workers have qualifying reasons, and Robinsons case did, this law entitles them to take unpaid, job-protected time off to care for themselves or family members.

If workers have earned paid time off, FMLA allows them to use it rather than going without a check. Robinson had acquired as much as 224 hours by early this year.

Community Medical approved Robinsons FMLA request last year, and before it expired this summer, the companys human resources team reached out to her and asked if she wanted to renew it. Robinson assured them that she did, and at their request, supplied them with information from her mothers physician explaining how much time she might need.

Her provider put in that it could be up to 40 hours a week, up to eight hours a day. This isnt saying that this is whats going to happen, Robinson said. It is just giving guidelines that, if it needs to happen, Im able to take that time off, and it will fall under the Family Medical Leave Act so that my hours are protected and cant be used against me as Im taking excessive time off and be terminated from my job.

Fear of losing employment haunted worker

Robinson feared losing her job even as she earned fresh accomplishments. Last month, for instance, one of her health centers earned the highest possible marks on two inspections, a scheduled one by the California Department of Public Health and a surprise one by the joint commission that accredits her companys clinics.

She recalled how the auditor from the joint commission chuckled and said, I cant find anything that you guys are doing wrong.

The clinic, based at Stocktons Dorothy L. Jones Family Resource Center, was 100% compliant, Robinson said, and while other Community Medical Centers clinics also had gone through surprise inspections, none of them had earned that high a score. She managed this without the help of the two medical assistant leads who normally help her run the clinics she manages: One had gotten a promotion, and the other had taken some time off.

Despite the wins, Robinson said, her worst fear came true when she received emails from her company telling her that they could not accommodate the leave time spelled out in her intermittent FMLA and that they were placing her on an unpaid leave of absence until Sept. 20. At that time, the note said, the company would reassess how to proceed.

No one called to discuss this decision, Robinson said, and no one has yet returned her calls and emails for more information.

In a statement sent to The Bee, the company did not address Robinsons specific case. The Department of Labor said they would need more information to determine whether Community Medicals actions were legal.

Robinson said she was left with unanswered questions as her company email was disabled: Would she be able to pay her rent or her daughters college tuition? What would she do if she exhausted all her paid time off and had none left when her mother needed her to be there for eight hours or more every day?

Still, Robinson fielded staff calls for direction and, after scheduled vacation time, she said, she returned to the office because she had never requested the unpaid leave. Her teams at both clinics were relieved but surprised to see her, Robinson said, because other staff told them shed been fired.

Undeterred, Robinson messaged her supervisor and told her that she was not on leave and had not requested to take a week off for FMLA time. Another manager had been assigned to cover her clinics, Robinson said, so she also told her manager that was unnecessary since she was back in the office.

Slowly, she said, her email was restored, and her manager welcomed her back to work.

Sarah Taft, the communications director at Community Medical, said the company, which also runs health centers in Dixon, Lodi, Manteca, Tracy, and Vacaville, offers a variety of benefits to meet the needs of its employees, including a generous holiday and paid-time-off schedule. Full-time employees can earn 56 hours of paid sick leave annually, she said.

We welcome input on our benefits from employees and are committed to providing the support they need to thrive, Taft said. Improving health and well-being in our communities is our mission and it drives everything we do.

Robinson said she hadnt given her employer any reason to think she couldnt handle her workload. The move to place her on unpaid leave, she said, made her keenly aware that workers could easily have their lives turned upside down in disputes over sick leave.

How much sick time do other states mandate?

So many people are in that sandwich generation, caring for both parents and kids as they try to earn a living, she said, and they need more job protection than the current three days afford them.

Proponents of SB 616 have told legislators that this is a pocketbook issue for many workers. Missing 3.5 days of work without pay equates to losing an entire familys monthly grocery budget, they said, so those four additional days could mean the difference between putting food on the table and kids going hungry.

In California, seven cities already mandate that employers provide nine to 10 days of sick time, according to researchers at the California Budget ajnd Policy Center. They are San Diego, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville.

Fourteen other states and the District of Columbia also mandate more sick days than California does. Six require more days for all employers or soon will:

 Washington: One hour for every 40 hours worked

 New Mexico: 64 hours

 Colorado and Minnesota: 48 hours, the Minnesota law will go into effect in January

 Vermont and New Jersey: 40 hours

Six states require employers to offer 40 hours of sick time once their workforce has met or exceeded a specific number: 10 in Oregon, 11 in Massachusetts, 15 in Maryland, 18 in Rhode Island, and 50 in Connecticut and Michigan.

The number of sick days vary in two states and D.C., depending on employee headcount:

 New York mandates 40 hours of sick time for businesses with fewer than 100 workers and 56 hours businesses with 100-plus employees.

 Arizona businesses with fewer than 15 workers must offer 24 hours of sick time, but those with 15-plus have to offer 40 hours.

 In Washington, D.C., companies with 24 or fewer employees must provide 3 days, those with 25-99 must offer 5 days, and those with 100-plus workers have to give 7 days.

If legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom approve SB 616 as amended, California would essentially catch up with 10 of the 14 other states offering sick benefits. SB 616 passed in the Senate and must be approved in the Assembly by Sept. 14 to advance to the governors desk.
Assembly Bill 28 would impose an 11% tax on firearms dealers and manufacturers for sales of guns and ammunition, and is one of a small number of major gun control measures still moving through the Legislature this year. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

California lawmakers approved legislation on Thursday to impose a new tax on firearms and ammunition sales to help finance gun-violence prevention and education programs, a victory for Democrats after years of failing to pass similar measures.

The legislation, Assembly Bill 28, would impose an 11% tax on dealers and manufacturers for sales of guns and ammunition, and is one of a small number of major gun control measures still moving through the Legislature this year. It's the first time that Democrats have successfully sent a firearms tax proposal to the governor.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom has rejected or expressed resistance to imposing new taxes, he also has signed into law dozens of gun control measures. And after several mass shootings in schools across the country and two high-profile massacres in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park this year sparked fresh outrage from advocates, lawmakers are under pressure to strengthen gun control in California, even as new laws face legal scrutiny and are often rejected by the courts for being unconstitutional.

Read more: California Democrats try again to rewrite concealed-carry gun law

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Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, an Encino Democrat and author of the bill, estimates that it could generate roughly $160 million annually for violence prevention and school safety programs and victim support services.

Gabriel said the funding for the programs included in this year's bill helped convince a handful of his more moderate Democratic colleagues to support the measure and ensure it landed on Newsom's desk, despite political risks associated with voting for tax increases.

"People can feel really comfortable that we are spending money in ways that are going to move the needle on gun violence," said Gabriel, who is also the chair of the Legislature's Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.

Read more: Newsom signs gun law modeled after Texas abortion ban, setting up Supreme Court fight

If signed into law by the governor, the proposal would set aside $75 million for city- and community-based gun violence prevention programs, $50 million for school safety and also add millions in new funding for law enforcement to remove firearms from those convicted of domestic violence or who have restraining orders against them. It would also set aside a small amount for counseling and trauma services for victims of mass shootings and gun violence.

"Gun violence is the leading cause of death for kids in the United States," said state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank). "Ending that should be bipartisan. ... We should stand on the right side of history."

The bill narrowly cleared the two-thirds vote requirement in both houses of the Legislature necessary to raise taxes. The Senate approved it 27 to 9 and the Assembly by 54 to 17, with Republicans opposing and several Democrats withholding their vote. Gun rights groups, along with conservation, wetlands and wildlife advocacy organizations, opposed AB 28.

"It's ineffective. It's not going to do anything to curb gun violence. It's not going to get illegal guns off the street," state Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) said during a Senate debate.

State Sen. Bill Dodd, a Napa Democrat who did not vote for the bill, said his more rural district included tens of thousands of licensed gun owners "whose voices have not been heard" and who he said will ultimately bear the tax burden.

"I support these programs wholeheartedly. They need to be funded," Dodd said. "I think we need to be careful of how we fund them and who we target."

Read more: Healing a shattered community: Monterey Park shooting survivors return to dance

If signed, the new tax would go into effect on July 1, 2024.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
California is advancing legislation that would require judges in custody cases consider whether parents support a childs gender identity.

The California Senate passed the measure, Assembly Bill 957, largely along party lines Wednesday. It had already passed the Assembly, but it needs to go back to the Assembly for concurrence with Senate amendments before Gov. Gavin Newsom signs it into law.

The bill would include a parents affirmation of the childs gender identity or gender expression as part of the health, safety, and welfare of the child, and courts must already take health, safety, and welfare into account, notes an online summary of the legislation.

Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who has a transgender son, introduced the bill. Wilson said gender affirmation could include letting children play with toys associated with their gender identity, getting their nails painted or wearing their hair at a length that feels comfortable, the Associated Press reports. It does not mandate any gender-confirming medical procedures.

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Affirmation includes a range of actions and will be unique for each child, but in every case must promote the childs overall health and well-being, the bill states. It does not require courts to prioritize a parents attitude toward gender identity above other considerations.

Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, a gay man, said the legislation is proactive. This is about not having to get involved after a child has been beaten and had their arm broken, or after theyve been kicked out, he said, according to the AP. This is about trying to make sure that something terrible does not happen to them.

Alexis Sanchez of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center also spoke in favor of the bill, saying it would help children when they are most vulnerable. A child whose parents are going through a divorce is going through probably one of the worst and most challenging experiences of their life [up] to that point, Sanchez said.

All Republican senators opposed the legislation. One of them, Kelly Seyarto, said it interferes excessively with family relationships, the AP reports. Inserting this into the mix is going to pit one parent against the other and make things worse, Seyarto said.

This week the Senate also passed a bill providing for the sealing of name and gender change records for minors. It is headed back to the Assembly for concurrence as well.

In another major action, the California Senate approved a resolution calling on Congress to hold a limited constitutional convention so it could consider further gun restrictions. As legislators and courts often cite the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as a reason not to approve barriers to gun ownership, Newsom wants to see a new constitutional amendment to require universal background checks, and to ban assault weapons, as well as guns to anyone under 21, and to impose a waiting period on all gun purchases, the AP notes.

To call a constitutional convention on this matter, 33 states would have to approve such a resolution. If the California Assembly passes it after the Senate action, that state would be the first. It stipulates that the convention would be limited to discussion of gun sales, but some politicians, including Democrats, are worried that it would enable other, unwanted changes to the Constitution.

Pictured: California Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Lori Wilson
FILE - A sign marks 53 years of resistance at People's Park in Berkeley, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2022. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, signed a law to alter the state environmental law to say that developers do not need to consider noise from future residents as a form of environmental pollution, clearing the way for the construction of a controversial student housing project at the historic park. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill aimed at clearing the way for construction of a controversial student housing project in a historic Berkeley park.

The University of California, Berkeley, plans to build a $312 million housing project for about 1,100 of its students at the 3-acre (1.2-hectare) People's Park. While university officials said the project would bring much needed housing to its students, opponents wanted the university to preserve the park and build elsewhere. The park was founded in 1969 as part of the free speech and civil rights movement when community organizers banded together to take back a site the state and university seized under eminent domain.

The bill Newsom signed on Thursday, which takes effect immediately, alters a key state environmental law to say that developers dont need to consider noise from future residents as a form of environmental pollution.

Construction came to a halt in February after an appeals court ruled that the university failed to study the potential noise issues caused by future residents and consider alternative sites. The state Supreme Court in May agreed to hear the case and will make the final ruling on whether the university could resume construction.

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The appeals court's decision prompted Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, whose district includes Berkeley, to author the legislation.

The law makes it clear that people are not pollution under the state's sweeping California Environmental Quality Act, Wicks said in a statement. The law also removes the requirement for universities to considers alternative housing sites for a housing project if they meet certain requirements.

Newsom filed an amicus brief in April urging the state Supreme Court to allow UC Berkeley to continue with the housing project.

California will not allow NIMBYism to take hold, blocking critically needed housing for years and even decades, Newsom said in a statement about the new law. NIMBY refers to a movement known as not in my backyard.

A UC Berkeley spokesperson said the university will ask the Supreme Court to consider the new law in its ruling.

The campus will resume construction of the Peoples Park project when the lawsuit is resolved and hopes that the new law will substantially hasten the resolution of the lawsuit, UC spokesperson Dan Mogulof said in a statement.

The Peoples Park Historic District Advocacy Group, one of the groups that is suing the university over the project, said Wicks didn't contact the group when the legislation was being considered.

We see this as aberration of that whole process, said Harvey Smith, the president of the group. Our case centered around the fact that we felt it was a false choice to have to choose student housing over a park.

Newsom's administration this year has made major changes to the states decades-old environmental law to make it easier and faster to build a slew of projects, including housing, solar, wind and battery power storage.
The State of California is making it easier for disadvantaged youth to pursue careers in firefighting and emergency paramedicine after it awarded millions to an organization that operates apprenticeship programs for aspiring first responders.

The California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee was chosen to receive a $4 million grant from the California Employment Development Department.

Cal-JAC runs pre-apprenticeship programs that recruit, train and, eventually, employ firefighters and paramedics. The new grant funding will help the organization expand those programs and will prioritize the inclusion of young adults who come from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, EDD said.

EDD Director Nancy Farias said firefighters and paramedics are an essential and irreplaceable part of communities across the state, adding that the grant money will help ensure that the workforces reflect the communities they serve.

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This funding will allow the development of apprenticeship programs to provide disadvantaged and underrepresented Californians with an opportunity to serve their communities in these key, critical industries, Farias said.

Cal-JAC will expand its apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, adding five new programs that will serve between 270 and 500 participants. The goal of these programs is to increase the number of local individuals that pursue the first responder profession and make it easier for them to stay in their communities.

Participants in the paramedic programs will also be better positioned to pursue advanced health care careers, EDD says.

The grant funding for these programs is made available by California Gov. Gavin Newsom through the general fund. The EDD and the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency are tasked with administering the money.

California is actively working to grow and strengthen Californias health care workforce, which is currently facing an urgent shortage. Workforce for a Healthy California is coordinated by an interagency group that includes the California Health & Human Services Agency and the Labor & Workforce Development Agency and looks to identify ways to address the worker shortage.

Cal-JAC was selected to receive the grant following a competitive application and evaluation process, EDD says.

For more information about the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee, click here. To read more about the grant itself, click here.

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A California judge blasted actor Danny Masterson as she sentenced him to 30 years behind bars for raping two women who gave powerful victim impact statements in court.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo told the disgraced That 70s Show star that he had no one to blame but himself for the heavy sentence she was handing him.

Masterson, who is 47 and has a nine-year-old daughter, will not be able to apply for parole until he is 77 years old.

I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you, Judge Olmedo told Masterson before handing down the sentence.

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But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.

The judge told him that she knew he was sitting in court wondering how you can be convicted of each charge of a sexual incident occurring 20 years ago involving a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.

And she bluntly told him that you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.

Danny Masterson and his wife Bijou Phillips arrive for closing arguments in his second trial, Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Los Angeles (Invision)

You were not convicted based on rumours, innuendo, gossip and speculation. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible.  You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.

Mastersons defence team, which did not call the actor to testify or any other witnesses, told the jury that the acts were consensual.

During her sentencing, the judge appeared to deride Mastersons decision to pay one of the victims almost $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Judge Olmedo told the court that it was an awful lot to pay for a crime he claimed had never taken place.

Masterson was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape on 31 May after seven days of deliberations.

The court was told that both attacks took place at Mastersons home in the Hollywood area of the city in 2003 when he was a member of the cast of the hit Fox sitcom.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson had raped a longtime girlfriend.

A mistrial was declared in Mastersons first trial in December 2022 after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape.
People gather to protest the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) decision on releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in front of the headquarters of the TEPCO in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 24, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's decision to suspend imports of all aquatic products originating from Japan is justified, reasonable and necessary, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday.

In response to a written document Japan submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that called the suspension of imports "totally unacceptable," MOC spokesperson He Yadong told a press conference that China took the emergency trade measures in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations as well as WTO rules.

China has repeatedly made clear its solemn position on the issue of Japan's discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and has expressed serious concerns and raised questions at relevant WTO meetings and at relevant occasions, He said. However, the Japanese government has unilaterally pushed through the discharge of the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, he added.

China has always upheld the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and has always abided by WTO rules, He said.

Japan should reflect upon its actions and immediately stop transferring the risks of nuclear contamination to the world, He said.
After some contentious debate, a California bill that would prohibit school boards from banning books, instructional materials or curricula that are deemed inclusive and diverse cleared its final major legislative hurdle Thursday, when the State Senate passed it, 30-9.

Supporters of Assembly Bill 1078, by Assemblyman Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley, argue that its about preventing censorship and the banning of books by and about LGBTQ people or people of color. Critics say its about taking power away from parents and locally elected school boards to decide what their children should read.

Books and curricula have become a culture war flashpoint in some school districts with conservative board majorities.

In May, the Temecula Valley Unified School District in Riverside County voted to reject an elementary social studies curriculum that mentions gay rights activist and San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Harvey Milk. School board President Joseph Komrosky referred to Milk, the states first openly gay elected official, who was assassinated in 1978, as a pedophile. He questioned why Milk would be featured, calling it morally reprehensible.

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The panel backed down a few weeks later after Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to fine the district $1.5 million.

At a Senate Education Committee hearing on AB 1078 this summer, dozens of parents and advocacy groups testified in opposition, with one quoting from a frequently banned book, This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson.

Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, said Thursday that the bill takes away local control and gives it to the state, preventing parents from having a voice.

She also argued that opponents arent against the bill because theyre opposed to diversity, but because they dont want their children reading age-inappropriate books.

Were not having the conversation at the core of the issue, which is age appropriate materials, she said.

Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, said supporters have blown opposition to the bill way out of proportion.

Parents should have a right to be able to go up to their school board and voice their concern about the content of the material theyre being taught, Seyarto said.

The senator admonished his colleagues not to demonize the parents who are getting upset about this.

Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, said that AB 1078 prevents a practice (book banning) with a long and troubling history, and its quite pernicious.

Sen. Scott Wiener , D-San Francisco, said that he trusts teachers and librarians, who are trained professionals, to curate students reading materials.

He said efforts to ban books amount to government censorship.

And if you think it stops at school libraries, let me tell you its not going to stop at school libraries, Wiener said.

Wiener challenged the argument that this is about age appropriate materials, saying, This isnt about age appropriate, theyre trying to whitewash history.

The bill passed along largely partisan lines, though Modesto Democratic Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil broke with her party to vote no.

After passing out of the Assembly on a concurrence vote, the bill moved to Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk. He has backed the measure and will likely sign it into law. When he does, it will be effective immediately.

After the bill passed, Assemblyman Jackson told The Bee that he was ecstatic to see it make it through the Legislature and on to Newsoms desk.

Jackson said that while opponents of the bill have argued that it is about parents rights or local control, we know that this is really a political strategy.

And were not going to fall for it. And we have to protect our most vulnerable children. So I think overall, were on the right side of history, he said.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California Democrats on Thursday passed legislation that would fine school districts for rejecting textbooks or school library books for discriminatory reasons  a bill backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that he is expected to sign.

Assembly Bill 1078, carried by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Perris), this year became the administration's central legislative response to conservative school boards' embrace of the education culture wars. Newsom aides worked to craft the latest version of the legislation in response to a GOP-backed school board in Temecula that gained notoriety with state Democrats for blocking social studies textbooks over their inclusion of gay rights icon Harvey Milk.

California is the true freedom state: a place where families  not political fanatics  have the freedom to decide whats right for them," Newsom said in a statement after the bill cleared its final legislative hurdle Thursday. "All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves.

Conservative groups and the California School Boards Association opposed the bill. And though the legislation was amended last week to remove two provisions opposed by CSBA, the group argued it would still allow "unfettered state intervention before a school district is made aware of a complaint and has an adequate opportunity to review and remediate the issue."

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Newsom's bill would allow the state to fine districts if they block books simply because they include representation of a marginalized group. It would have originally only applied to textbooks and curriculum adoption, but was expanded to cover school library book selection.

The legislative response represents Newsom's most concrete rebuke of Republican education culture war policies in California that have been championed by national republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A handful of Republican-majority school boards in California have also gotten outsize attention for requiring that schools notify parents if students indicate they identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming. Newsom has declined to take a position on those policies, unlike Thurmond and Attorney General Rob Bonta  who've challenged the policies while mulling runs for governor in 2026.
Senate Bill 58 would remove criminal penalties for the possession and personal use of a limited use of natural psychedelics, including "magic mushrooms." (Richard Vogel / AP)

California lawmakers on Thursday narrowly approved a bill supported by veterans and criminal justice reform advocates to decriminalize the possession and personal use of a limited list of natural psychedelics, including "magic mushrooms."

Gov. Gavin Newsom will now decide the fate of Senate Bill 58, which would remove criminal penalties for the possession and use of psilocybin and psilocin, the active ingredients in psychedelic mushrooms, mescaline and dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, known as ayahuasca. The bill also would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to study the therapeutic use of psychedelics and submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the Legislature.

The measure passed the Senate 21 to 14, with several Democrats opposing.

Californias veterans, first responders, and others struggling with PTSD, depression, and addiction deserve access to these promising plant medicines, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a statement after the bill passed the Assembly in a bipartisan 42-11 vote. Its time to stop criminalizing people who use psychedelics for healing or personal well-being.

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The measure would apply only to those 21 and older and does not authorize the personal transfer or sale of psychedelics in dispensaries. Rather, it would mean police cannot arrest people who have or use limited amounts of the drugs. Oakland and Santa Cruz have passed similar measures.

Criminal justice reform advocates said decriminalizing psychedelics is a step toward ending a war on drugs, while veterans groups said it would help destigmatize psychedelics that, in some cases, have been more effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression than traditional drugs and therapies.

Jesse Gould, a former army ranger and founder of the Heroic Hearts Project, SB 58's sponsor, said the measure would help prevent veterans from having to make the choice between "saving their own life or becoming a criminal in the eyes of their country."

Gould said psychedelics helped him through his own journey with PTSD after three deployments to Afghanistan. He said many of his organization's clients have similarly turned to hallucinogens for relief after other interventions didn't work.

"This is just very basic, people should not be criminalized if they are using personal possession of these substances. If people are choosing to do that in their own privacy, they should absolutely be able to have that ability," Gould said. "We just came out of 20 years of war. There's clearly a mental health issue."

The measure that passed the Senate is a narrowed version that Wiener first introduced last year that would have also decriminalized the use and possession of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and LSD. Wiener also agreed this summer to cut ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid found in the iboga shrub, from the decriminalization portion of SB 58 and instead added it to the list of therapeutics to be studied.

Read more: Bill to decriminalize psychedelics in California gutted by lawmakers

Those changes eased some concerns among lawmakers, including a handful of Republicans who voted for the proposal.

Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Corona) said he was convinced to support the bill after it was revised to include only three plant-based psychedelics and because it is largely limited to personal use and has an age requirement of 21.

"I think the data is clear that while pharmaceuticals certainly have a benefit to some people, it's not having a benefit on all of society," Essayli said. "And I think we can say our approach to mental health in the medical community is not working. I think we are worse off now than we were before."

But the bill divided Democrats, with many of the caucus' more moderate members either abstaining or voting in opposition of the measure. Law enforcement lobbied against the proposal, arguing that the drugs were understudied and could lead to a surge in crime. Parental organizations also worry that the bill lacks the necessary guardrails to keep young adults and teenagers from experimenting with the drugs.

Lisa Hudson, a Marin County mom who has opposed the bill, said her 16-year-old son Shayne Rebbetoy died at their home after taking mushrooms and running off their deck, thinking he could fly. Hudson said the bill fails to include the necessary education, research and training for first responders.

Read more: Lavender for love, salt for cleansing: A day in the life of an L.A. astrologer and witch

"I fear more deaths amongst teenagers, amongst young adults, amongst veterans, and people who are searching for this therapeutic benefit," Hudson said. "Because in an unregulated model, you're spinning the roulette wheel. ... To me, it's just so irresponsible and reckless."

Newsom has until Oct. 14 to approve or veto hundreds of bills. If signed, the bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) speaks to union members and their supporters outside of Netflix and Warner Bros.' office in New York City, where striking actors and writers were picketing.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) speaks to union members and their supporters outside of Netflix and Warner Bros.' office in New York City, where striking actors and writers were picketing.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wants Democrats to do more to curb political corruption  and he believes that President Joe Biden s reelection could depend on it.

If the president is wondering where to start, the Silicon Valley progressive introduced what hes calling his 5-point, comprehensive political reform platform on Friday.

Khanna proposes banning candidates for federal office from receiving donations from lobbyists or political action committees of any kind, banning members of Congress from trading stocks, limiting Supreme Court appointees to 18-year terms, imposing 12-year term limits on members of Congress, and requiring federal judges and Supreme Court justices to adhere to a new and more robust code of ethics.

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Virtually none of the proposals are novel on their own. In previous Congresses, Khanna introduced a bipartisan bill capping congressional tenures at 12 years, and another bill capping Supreme Court tenures at 18 years. He is also a co-sponsor of a current bipartisan bill barring members of Congress from stock trades, and a Democratic bill that would forbid federal judges and Supreme Court justices from gifts and financial investments that pose conflicts of interest.

On an individual level, Khanna has already complied with his first proposed reform, voluntarily declining to receive lobbyist and PAC donations, including those that come from progressive PACs.

But Khanna told HuffPost that he is introducing the slate of reforms now, as a package, to inspire Biden and other Democrats to take action.

There is a sense on both the left and the right of a crisis of confidence in institutions  whether that is the Congress or the Executive Branch or the Court. That level of anger has led to a rejection of politics  an anti-politics, which has created an opening for all kind of demagoguery and sensationalism to fill the void, Khanna said. Unless the Democrats offer a bold vision of reform that we campaign on and deliver on when we win, its going to become harder and harder to prevent sensational and demagogue-type figures from filling that void.

What we cannot allow to happen is for a former president  twice impeached and four times indicted  to position himself as the outsider in the race.Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)

One of those demagogues is former President Donald Trump, who continues to cast himself as an anti-establishment reformer, according to Khanna.

What we cannot allow to happen is for a former president  twice impeached and four times indicted  to position himself as the outsider in the race, Khanna said.

Given the ambitious nature of some of his proposed reforms, and Democratic fears of being punished for disarming unilaterally from the campaign fundraising arms race, Khanna welcomes incremental steps toward his vision. For example, he wants the Democratic National Committee to forswear corporate PAC donations ahead of the 2024 election, and for Democratic candidates not to accept the support of super PACs during Democratic primaries.

Khanna cited the experience of former Rhode Island state Rep. Aaron Regunberg, a progressive who lost a special Democratic primary election on Tuesday for an open congressional seat. Regunberg, whom Khanna endorsed, received super PAC support from his father-in-law, a wealthy financial executive. The support itself  a $125,000 direct-mail campaign  was not that significant.

But it muddied Regunbergs progressive image by forcing him to publicly reconcile the initiative with his commitment to rooting money out of politics. In the process, Regunberg incorrectly denied the past existence of a red box on his website designed to communicate with super PACs without directly coordinating.

Aaron Regunberg would have been better off without the super PAC, Khanna said. It probably ended up hurting him more than it helped him.

Khanna, a proponent of what he calls a new economic patriotism, is one of several Democrats in Congress who hope that Bidens focus on reshoring manufacturing jobs and revitalizing organized labor can help the party reconnect with working-class voters it has been losing in the industrial midwest. Earlier this summer, Khanna embarked on a listening tour of struggling industrial towns in western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Now he says that a strong case for political reform is a necessary complement to the Bidenomics agenda.

Its going to help us at a time where the polling shows that we need work, Khanna said. Youre talking about the two things that are gonna matter: its the economy and its political reform.

It would show people that we are different  that we actually want to get to the institutions that are broken, and that havent been working for a lot of people, he added.

Asked whether his demands were actually realistic, Khanna insisted that Biden has shown an ability to adapt.

Biden has moved left on other issues, why doesnt he adopt a political reform agenda? It would be a breath of fresh air, he said.

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Anaheim Union High School District in Orange County, California, is offering for the first time this fall an ethnic studies course focusing on the history and experiences of Korean Americans.

Forty-one students from ninth to 12th grade across the district enrolled in the virtual class, titled Korean American Stories, Experience & Studies.

The Korean American story is a great American story. But if I were to, as a young person, ask myself, Could I name one Korean American who made a difference for the United States? I would have struggled to name even one, said Jeff Kim, a world history teacher in the district who spent the last three years advocating for the new elective.

Children from a Korean class stand for a photo at the Korean mission in Pachappa Camp in Riverside, Calif., in the mid-1910s. (Courtesy University of California, Riverside)

The course, which is divided into five parts, begins with all students learning about their familys personal story, Kim explained. The students will then learn the history of Korean Americans and archive what theyve learned in a virtual museum.

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One of the units involve students identifying a topic theyre passionate about and finding a way to advocate for it through civic engagement.

The class, which will fill an ethnic studies requirement, will include lessons about immigration patterns, the establishment of Koreatowns, the Korean War, how Korean Americans were impacted during the 1992 L.A. riots, and Korean pop culture in the U.S. It will also highlight historical figures like Olympic diver Sammy Lee, activist Ahn Changho and World War II Col. Young-Oak Kim.

The new course was designed by Kim, history scholars and leaders in the school district. It was also partially financially supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles.

Even though it focuses on Korean Americans, Kim said it intersects with other Asian American experiences.

Michael B. Matsuda, the superintendent of the AUHSD, said he was thrilled to offer the course this fall. He said that, as the son of Japanese American citizens who were placed in internment camps during WWII, it was crucial to teach about the experience of Asian Americans in the U.S.

I think that its really important that young people, whether theyre Korean or not  that they acknowledge and understand the story of this country and its struggles, he said. Its about their story, their narrative, who they are and being proud of who they are without putting down others.

Ahn Chang Ho in the 1920s. (Courtesy Los Angeles Public Library)

Kim said he considered integrating Korean American studies into his curriculum for years, but it wasnt until the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of anti-Asian hate that he decided to focus on developing the course.

I thought, What would be a loving way to respond to this? Because people can respond with fear and anger, but I wanted to respond out of love and wisdom. I thought the best way I could do that is to help students know and tell their own stories of resiliency and Korean American stories of resiliency.

Women and the elderly were major targets during the height of anti-Asian hate incidences in the U.S. A 2021 report by the hate incident tracking coalition Stop AAPI Hate found that a disproportionate number of anti-Asian attacks have been directed at women.

A 2022 report from the coalition and the American Association of Retired Persons also revealed that almost all Asian American seniors who experienced hate incidents during the pandemic reported feeling that the U.S. has become more physically dangerous for Asian Americans.

Dyanne McMath, niece of Col. Young-Oak Kim, and Woo Sung Han, award-winning journalist and author of Unsung Hero stand next to a portrait of the late Col. Young-Oak Kim after its unveiling at the Armed Forces Reserve Center at Camp Humphreys, South Ko (Barney Low / Alamy file)

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Danish Capital of America is once again welcoming visitors to experience a taste of Copenhagen.

Solvang, the small wine country town in the mountains of Santa Barbara County, is finishing up its preparations for the annual Danish Days festival.

Danish Days is an annual tradition in the sleepy town of Solvang, which was founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants who purchased 10,000 acres of land looking to recreate a piece of home. The citys iconic architecture reflects the sensibilities of classical Denmark and many of the towns residents are descendants of the original settlers.

Its a regular pitstop for travelers along Highway 101 looking for some of Southern Californias finest wine tasting, or simply a place to pull up and rest between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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Danish Days is a yearlong planning affair and is one of the towns largest and most economically important attractions.

This is the best California town to visit for Christmas

The weekend-long street fair features live music, traditional dancing and Danish cuisine  highlighted by the world famous Danish holiday desert aebleskiver, a pancake-meets-doughnut-hole pastry that can be found at restaurants throughout the town.

A serving of the traditional Danish holiday desert Aebelskiver is seen in Solvang, California as part of the town's Danish Days celebration in September 2022. (Deborah Chadsey Photography)

Among the events happening next weekend is a free aebleskiver eating contest, which will feature social media star and competitive eater Raina Huang. Huang last competed in the contest back in 2019, prior to a two-year festival hiatus spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, she set a personal record of 36 aebleskivers in five minutes.

The festival will also highlight the Viking history of Scandinavia with an interactive Viking encampment in the towns centrally located park, with historic reenactors ready to show and tell the story of Denmark.

A child plays with LEGO bricks in the center of Solvang, California during the annual Danish Days celebration in September 2022. (Deborah Chadsey Photography)

There will also be a Danish Days LEGO building competition with some of the nations most prolific master builders.

The iconic building block and toy company is one of Denmarks most well-known and beloved companies. The contest will take place throughout the weekend in Solvangs modest downtown.

If youve ever wanted to slide on a pair of wooden clogs and travel back in time, Danish Days is the time to do it.

The festival takes place between Sept. 15-17, and will come to a conclusion following childrens parade and closing ceremony.

For a complete list and schedule of events, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com.
Officers on Thursday arrested a 70-year-old man on suspicion of domestic violence in Marysville after he doused a woman with hand sanitizer and set her on fire after an argument, police said.

Along with the domestic violence charge, he was arrested on suspicion of committing torture, mayhem and arson causing great bodily injury stemming from the abuse the woman suffered, the Marysville Police Department announced in a news release.

Shortly after noon Thursday, officers and medics were called to the 1200 block of G Street for a report of a burned female victim. Police said officers arrived in the residential neighborhood near 12th Street and learned that the man set the 59-year-old woman on fire.

Its unclear whether the man and the woman were a couple or lived together. The Police Department did not release any information about how they know each other.

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Police said the man intentionally doused the woman with hand sanitizer before setting her on fire. He prevented her from seeking help for hours before calling for medical aid, according to the Police Department.

The victim suffered significant burns over 10% of her body, police said. She was being medically treated Thursday afternoon.

Officers also determined the man had struck her on Wednesday, police said, but that she could not reach out for help.

The man was booked at the Yuba County Jail with his bail amount set at $500,000.
A bill that originally would have banned TikTok from state workers government-issued smartphones has been pulled from consideration in the waning days of this years legislative session.

Senate Bill 74, by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, had been amended so that it called for state agencies to adopt risk mitigation strategies tailored to risks posed by platforms such as TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

Dodd spokesman Paul Payne told The Bee in an email that the bill was sidelined in order to give the lawmakers staff more time to evaluate proposed amendments.

It was also a response to the governors executive order on AI, released this week. We hope to incorporate anything that comes out of that as we continue working on the bill in the second year of the two-year cycle, he said.

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SB 74 looked poised to easily pass through the Legislature; the bill made it through every committee, as well as a Senate floor vote, without a single no vote.

Now, the legislation wont be taken up until the Legislature reconvenes in 2024.

TikTok is already banned on federal employees government-issued devices. Its also set to be banned on all devices in the state of Montana next year.
Jeannie Morrill pulls back a bandage on her ankle, revealing an ugly wound, two tear-drop-shaped pockets of blood burrowing into her skin. She has another festering on her arm, and on her hip, she has a deep scar from the worst wound of all.

"This put me in the hospital," Morrill says. "It tunneled five and a half inches down and four and a half inches over. I almost lost my leg over it."

Morrill, 41, is addicted to heroin, but none of these wounds are at injection sites on her body. Instead they are caused by xylazine, a large animal tranquilizer being mixed into Burlington's illicit drug supply, along with fentanyl and other substances. Morrill had no idea at first she was injecting the drug along with heroin.

Jeannie Morrill, as seen on Aug. 30, 2023, at the offices of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform in Burlington.

"The drug supply has gotten more dangerous, more deadly, more potent," said Erin O'Keefe, who runs the Howard Center Safe Recovery program. "People who use drugs have less clarity about what they're even using. You think somebody who wants heroin goes and buys heroin. But really someone who goes and buys heroin buys something that probably has no heroin in it, but is likely some mixture of fentanyl, unknown other substances and then maybe xylazine."

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Xylazine, also known as tranq, has deepened Vermont's already daunting drug crisis, causing flesh-eating wounds like Morrill's, and putting people into a comatose state that Morrill compares to zombies. Dealing with xylazine has ratcheted up the stress on a health care system that's already straining from the pressure of rising drug overdoses.

A report released by the Vermont Department of Health in April showed a 10% increase in opioid-related fatal overdoses from 217 deaths in 2021 to 239 deaths in 2022. There were 158 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020. Xylazine was involved in 28% of fatal opioid overdoses in 2022, up from 13% in 2021, more than doubling.

To make matters worse, xylazine does not respond to naloxone, the drug doctors and first responders rely on to resuscitate those who have overdosed on opioids. Xylazine is not an opioid, and there is currently no antidote available.

Bill from Sen. Welch would improve drug detection technologies

Sen. Peter Welch , D-Vermont, co-introduced a bill with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, aimed at developing an antidote, and directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop new tests to detect the drug in patients. Both Welch and Cruz serve on the Senate's Commerce Committee. Cruz is the ranking member of the committee.

Xylazine wounds on Jeannie Morrill's ankle, as seen on Aug. 30, 2023.

"Xylazine is now implicated in many of our overdose deaths," Welch said. "(The TRANQ Research Act) would do a number of things. It's going to get some research done about what this drug can do and form partnerships to come up with an antidote. One of the big challenges is not being able to test for this drug in a person's system for immediate intervention."

TRANQ stands for "Testing Rapid Analysis and Narcotic Quality."

While there are currently test strips available to check for the presence of xylazine and fentanyl, Welch's bill directs the NSIT to develop better and faster ways to detect and analyze the drugs, as well as other novel synthetic opioids. The current test strips only determine the presence or absence of a drug; they do not measure how much of the substance, whether fentanyl or xylazine, is present.

Such a measurement requires spectrometer technology to provide chemical breakdowns, a technology that is not portable. Personal use spectrometers are still being developed and researched. Welch's bill would invest in that research and provide funding to develop this technology into a rapid, point-of-use tool that goes beyond test strips.

Jeannie Morrill shows the size of a xylazine-caused wound on the back of one of her friend's head, as seen on Aug. 30, 2023.

"At its core the bill funds research into better harm reduction technologies, so we can give folks more tools to protect themselves from an ever-changing drug landscape," Welch said.

As of this writing, the TRANQ Research Act had passed both chambers of Congress. The Senate amended the House-passed version, and Welch is waiting on the House to advance the Senate-passed version. Once that happens, the bill will go to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature, making it a law.

Whispers of xylazine give way to an aggressive assault

Dr. Daniel Wolfson began hearing about xylazine long before it showed up in the emergency department at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he has taken care of patients for the past 20 years.

Dr. Daniel Wolfson in the emergency department at the University of Vermont Medical Center, as seen on June 9, 2023.

"We started hearing whispers of it five years ago on a clinical basis," Wolfson said. "Then it's really only been in the last couple of years that it's actually been impacting us. When it did start it came out of nowhere, very aggressively. It ramped up really fast."

From Wolfson's perspective, the skin wounds like Morrill's are one of the most horrifying aspects of xylazine.

"Xylazine causes small vessel vasal constriction, so it inhibits the blood supply to your skin, not just where you're injecting it, but anywhere in your body," Wolfson said. "So people have been coming in with these horrible  and I mean horrible  necrotic disfiguring wounds. You couldn't even imagine how bad they look, and they're on their face, their legs, their arms. It's not just where they inject."

Worse, the wounds often become "super infected," he said, turning into "deep, necrotic ulcers."

"I've never seen wounds like that before," Wolfson said. "Patients have been in the hospital for weeks and months with some of these wounds. Some require plastic surgery and multiple skin grafts. They're awful."

When dealing with an overdose patient, Wolfson and his colleagues in the emergency department still have to administer naloxone to counteract opioids, but with xylazine in the picture, they also have to be ready to give immediate respiratory and cardiovascular support if a patient doesn't wake up right away. Sometimes CPR is required.

Dr. Daniel Wolfson explains that many people with substance use disorder end up just trying not to be in withdrawal, rather than experiencing a high, as seen on June 9, 2023.

"They don't always go into cardiac arrest, but a certain percentage do," Wolfson said.

As a result of all of these complications, overdose patients are spending up to 24 hours in the emergency department.

"They used to come in, give them the naloxone, they'd wake up and want to leave," Wolfson said. "That still sometimes happens but more and more we're seeing these episodes of prolonged sedation that don't respond to naloxone. You have to do supportive care. That's a big change."

Fear of withdrawal can override desire to avoid xylazine

For those unwittingly using xylazine, said Jess Kirby, director of client services at Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, many, like Morrill, are not liking its effects. Kirby, who is in long-term recovery from opioid use disorder, said she has a "trusting relationship" with her clients, who talk to her openly about xylazine, revealing its cruel ironies.

Jess Kirby and Tom Dalton of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, as seen on June 16, 2023.

"They're like, 'No why would I like it better? I'm completely gone, asleep and then I wake up in withdrawal,'" Kirby said. "If you're someone who has opioid use disorder, and you're going to have withdrawal if you don't use opioids, and the only opioids you can access have xylazine, even if you don't want the xylazine you're going to use that because you're physically dependent on it, and you're trying to avoid withdrawal."

Morrill said she has learned which bags of heroin to avoid.

"I'm not going to intentionally put something in my body that's going to put holes all over me," she said.

A further complication, according to Kirby, is the problematic relationship many addicted people have with the medical community.

"People have major concerns about judgment and stigma and being treated poorly, and it happens," Kirby said.

Dr. Daniel Wolfson explains how an app used to determine the severity of a patient's withdrawal symptoms works, as seen on June 9, 2023.

Kirby remembers overhearing a nurse and doctor discussing her case after she had told them she was going into a treatment program. She was excited, and determined to succeed.

"What do I hear him say behind my back?" Kirby said. "'They're always back here in a couple of weeks anyway. Just give her seven days of whatever.' You hear the whispers and little things people say."

Someone you can trust is the key to recovery

Kirby struggled with substance abuse disorder for more than a decade before she found someone she could trust, and who believed in her  Tom Dalton, executive director of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, now her co-worker and colleague.

"He was the person I came to when I was doing well, but also when I was not doing well," Kirby said. "The most important thing is having somebody that you can go to, that you trust. The relationship wasn't contingent on a desire for recovery. The important part is that you're cared about with whatever's going on."

More: Burlington's City Hall Park: How city's centerpiece reflects community's pain and beauty

Dalton said Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform began in 2013 as an advocacy organization focused on criminal justice reform, but was soon drawn into providing concrete help and support for "justice-involved people with substance use disorder."

"System change is sometimes slow and incremental and takes time, so being able to help people in concrete ways every day is very rewarding and a good balance for us," Dalton said.

Working directly with addicted people also informs VCJR's advocacy work. In the last year the organization has worked with more than 150 people.

"Seventy-nine percent of the people we're working with tested positive for xylazine," Kirby said. "That's how big the problem is, and if we didn't have this direct service program we wouldn't be able to say that."

'We need a regulated, safer drug supply'

Before he became VCJR's executive director six years ago, Dalton founded the Howard Center Safe Recovery program in 2001, providing comprehensive care and counseling for people with substance use disorders. After so many years helping those battling with drug addiction, Dalton is clear on what he believes needs to be done about drugs. It's the same thing that has been done about alcohol and cannabis, he said. Legalize it and regulate the supply.

"We had alcohol prohibition and a lot of people were dying of alcohol poisoning because we had a dangerous, unregulated poisoned alcohol supply," Dalton said. "So instead we legalized it and we regulated it and so people have access to safer alcohol. There are still risks with alcohol, but we have safer versions. With cannabis we made it legal and we now have this whole apparatus in Vermont where the cannabis has to be tested for dangerous chemicals and contaminants.

"So it's a logical model to follow when we have a really dangerous supply of opioids that we need to come up with a safer version for people. We need a regulated, safer drug supply."

A life hanging by a thread

Even if Dalton's dream of a safe drug supply somehow came true, it would be unlikely to help Jeannie Morrill. Morrill credits Jess Kirby with saving her life  by caring about her unconditionally  but it's a life hanging by a thread. In addition to xylazine-induced wounds, Morrill is battling a blood infection that is eating holes in the valves of her heart and in her spine. She was headed to UVM Medical Center with Kirby after her interview for treatment.

More: Overdose deaths in Vermont soared by 70% amid COVID. It's the highest increase in the US.

"They're hoping a lot of antibiotics will help it, but nothing's guaranteed," Morrill said. "I might have to have open heart surgery."

Morrill also has Stage 4 liver disease, a legacy of contracting Hepatitis C. She says she's not interested in receiving a transplant, her best shot at extending her life.

"I don't want one," Morrill said. "This fight is tiring. I'm tired, I'm defeated, I've seen enough."

Dealing with a hurt deep inside

Morrill was not always so hopeless. In 2006, she was raising her two young sons and her two younger brothers while taking criminal justice courses at Community College of Vermont.

"I wanted to be a lawyer," she said. "That was my dream."

Jeannie Morrill sits on the steps of the downtown office of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, as seen on Aug. 30, 2023.

But Morrill also had a boyfriend who beat her. She started taking pain pills to make the beatings hurt less, she said. In 2007, police raided her house and she lost her children.

"I found a needle full of heroin and a pipe full of cocaine and I just tried to die every day, because I didn't know how to live without the pitter patter of my kids' feet," Morrill said. "And then it's just been a vicious cycle since, because you get an addiction and you can't afford the addiction."

Morrill shoplifted and hustled drugs to support her habit.

"Once you're caught up in the law, you're in and out of incarceration, so it's hard to get the children back," she said. "You're dealing with the guilt and shame and blame of that every day, and you just try to bury that more and more with drugs."

Morrill lives on the streets. She is trying to spend fewer nights in City Hall Park.

"I try not to be there as much anymore because it's scary," she said. "There's more shootings, there's more fights, there's more craziness, people robbing people. I'm too sick for it. When I can I stay at a friend's or a relative's."

Learning for the first time that Morrill is not considering a liver transplant, Kirby offered to take her to an infectious disease appointment, just to learn what her options are. Morrill agreed to go.

"I hope that I could help a little bit and that this (interview) will make people look at addicts in a different light," Morrill said. "We're not wonderful people. We're not honest people. We've stolen. We've lied. We've manipulated. That's what addicts do, trying to survive. But when you go by and you see people with their head between their ankles, just know they got that way from a hurt deep inside."

Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont's street drugs now include animal tranquilizer Xylazine
This aerial photo taken on July 19, 2023 shows a container terminal of Tangshan Port in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Despite weak external demand, China's imports and exports maintained stable development in the first eight months of 2023, with better performance, improved structure and greater resilience, data showed Thursday.



The country's total imports and exports in yuan terms edged down 0.1 percent year on year to 27.08 trillion yuan (about 3.76 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-August period, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Exports grew 0.8 percent year on year during the period, while imports declined 1.3 percent from a year earlier.

The data revealed that in August alone, the country's foreign trade declined 2.5 percent from a year ago, but expanded 3.9 percent from the previous month.

"The country's foreign trade operation has remained generally stable," GAC official Lyu Daliang said.

Despite tepid external demand, the country's foreign trade volume has remained high. The total foreign trade in August surpassed the average amount for the same period between 2020 and 2022 by 8.2 percent, according to Lyu.

Monthly data has also indicated improvement. Although exports and imports declined, down 3.2 percent and 1.6 percent year on year, respectively, last month, the pace of decline for both eased when compared to July figures.

The country's trade surplus contracted 8.2 percent year on year to 488 billion yuan last month, according to the data.

In the first eight months of 2023, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remained China's largest trade partner. China's trade with ASEAN countries rose 1.6 percent year on year, accounting for 15.2 percent of the country's total trade value.

While China saw its trade with the European Union, the United States and Japan fall 1.5 percent, 8.7 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, it witnessed trade growth with other markets.

China's trade with five Central Asian countries recorded strong growth, soaring 34.1 percent year on year, while its trade with countries along the Belt and Road rose 3.6 percent year on year.

A breakdown of the data showed that China's exports of machinery and electronic products, which accounted for 58 percent of total exports, increased 3.6 percent during the period.

Auto exports remained a bright spot, with the export value of automobiles surging 104.4 percent from a year earlier in the first eight months.

China's import volume of crude oil surged by 14.7 percent during the first eight months of the year, surpassing the 12.4 percent increase observed in the initial seven months. Similarly, the import volume of iron ore exhibited accelerated growth, rising by 7.4 percent year on year during this period, as compared to the 6.9 percent increase recorded from January to July.
On a remote hill above Cayucos, two farmers and their crew work 12-hour days tending to more than 50 varietals of cannabis.

Everyone thinks its really easy to grow weed or were just a bunch of stoners out here, and thats not the case, Terp Canyon co-owner Justin Carlson said. Were hard-working people.

Each varietal of cannabis is grown in its own hoop house labeled for the plants flavor and scent  which range from Froot Loops to gassy apple.

Carlson chose Cayucos for the farm because cool air from the ocean traps the flavor in the plant, while heat strips flavor away, he said.

Were here 12 hours a day to make it work because we love it, he added. We put our love and passion into our product.

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Though Carlson enjoys growing cannabis and sharing his product, San Luis Obispo County regulations strangle his business, he said.

Were just struggling to make it, Carlson said. In SLO County, we just have some of the obstacles with regulations taking away some of the tools we need to be successful.

Cannabis plants grow at Terp Canyon in Cayucos on July 19, 2023.

SLO County Sheriffs Office responsible for code enforcement

In 2018, SLO County voters passed Measure B-18, which created a tax on the gross receipts of each cannabis business in unincorporated areas of the county.

The tax was designed to cover the cost of regulating the cannabis industry, from inspecting properties to processing permits.

But the tax didnt generate enough revenue to cover the cost of services  during the 2020-21 fiscal year, cannabis business tax revenue generated only $518,130, according to SLO County Planning Department Deputy Director Mark LaRue.

So the county dipped into the general fund to pick up the difference, according to San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office Cmdr. Ian Doughty.

In September 2022, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to create a division in the Sheriffs Office to manage cannabis code enforcement as a sort of cost-recovery unit, Doughty said.

The Cannabis Compliance Team, comprised of two sheriffs detectives and three county code enforcement officers, is funded by fees paid directly by cannabis operators, Doughty said.

Cmdr. Ian Doughty with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office runs the Cannabis Compliance Team.

The team inspects each cannabis operation quarterly to check if it is in compliance with county and state cannabis rules.

According to cannabis business owner Shawn Bean, inspections are a pretty painless process.

Bean owns a delivery business in Nipomo called The Source Central Coast. Each delivery vehicle has a GPS tracking device inside of it, and during a site inspection, the sheriffs deputy will review the GPS data.

He said his business has a positive relationship with the deputies.

The deputies are very easy to work with, Bean said. Theyre there to help. They return phone calls, reply to emails quickly.

Doughty said when the unit discovers a code violation, they work with the operator to fix the problem.

If we identify issues, our goal is to get them into compliance, Doughty said. I like to think we have a good, professional working relationship.

Fees, a lot of steps complicate cannabis program

Carlson said he appreciates working with the Sheriffs Office, too  but the challenging part of the program is the cost of the fees.

When enforcement passed to the Sheriffs Office, Terp Canyons annual fees jumped from $4,800 to $18,000, Carlson said.

Fees related to the Sheriffs Office include an initial background check for $12,600, an annual license renewal of $18,702 for cultivation projects and $15,441 for non-cultivation projects, annual inspection fees of $11,570 for cultivation projects and $9,423 for non-cultivation projects and $628 background checks for employees, according to LaRue.

The Sheriffs Office has been really supportive of what were doing out here. They want us to succeed, Carlson said. I think that their hands are tied by the rules set in place by the county  they can only help us so much, even if they want to.

Justin Carlson is co-owner of Terp Canyon, a Cayucos cannabis farm, seen here on July 19, 2023. Were just struggling to make it, Carlson said. In SLO County, we just have some of the obstacles with regulations taking away some of the tools we need to be successful.

Not all counties operate this way, however.

In Santa Barbara County, code enforcement is handled primarily by the Planning and Development Department and the Sheriffs Office  and their efforts are funded entirely by the cannabis business tax, according to Santa Barbara County Deputy County Executive Officer Brittany Odermann.

While SLO County has a 6% cannabis tax on gross receipts for all cannabis businesses, Santa Barbara County has a 1% tax for nurseries, a 4% tax for cultivators and a 6% tax for retailers, according to Odermann.

Santa Barbara Countys cannabis business tax brings in far more revenue than SLO Countys. In fiscal year 2021-22, Santa Barbara Countys tax generated $8,718,776, while SLO Countys brought in $348,840.

This is partly because more cannabis grows in Santa Barbara County.

SLO County has about 25 acres of outdoor cannabis cultivation, according to LaRue. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County has between 450 and 500 acres of licensed cannabis cultivation, Odermann said.

In San Luis Obispo County, the Sheriffs Office manages code enforcement, the Planning and Building Department manages land use approval and the Tax Collector approves business licenses, Doughty said.

Theres still a lot of steps, Doughty said. Our goal is to make it a simpler program.

Meanwhile, cannabis laws are constantly changing at both the state and local level, Doughty said, which is challenging for operators and the Sheriffs Office to keep up with.

Doughty said he hopes that uniting code enforcement officers and sheriffs deputies into one program will help the county streamline the enforcement process so its more efficient and affordable for operators.

Cannabis laws have changed substantially over the last handful of years, and it has been a changing landscape, Doughty said. What Id like to do with our program is try to stabilize that on our end and try to establish some consistency.

Cannabis plants grow at Terp Canyon in Cayucos on July 19, 2023.

County regulations stress cannabis operators

In the meantime, cannabis growers face other regulatory hurdles that make it difficult to run their businesses.

For example, in San Luis Obispo County, cannabis growers cant store their product on site once its harvested.

It cant even stay here overnight, Carlson said.

This means that on harvest days, Carlson and his team immediately must pack the product into a freezer van, which moves the harvested cannabis to an off-site storage facility in Long Beach.

It just adds steps, adds expenses, Carlson said. If we could store our product (on site), wed be sitting in a way better place financially.

Our whole goal in this struggling market is to try to get our cost down, but without sacrificing the quality of our product, Carlson said.

Growers arent the only cannabis businesses looking for changes in county regulations.

Right now, only cannabis delivery is allowed in unincorporated areas of the county, but Bean said he thinks the board should authorize brick-and-mortar cannabis shops, too.

Beans company delivers cannabis products all over the county, but the county can only collect taxes on sales made in unincorporated areas. So when Bean delivers cannabis in Paso Robles, the county doesnt receive any tax revenue.

Say you put one in Nipomo where Im at, and you have all those people driving up from Santa Maria and SLO, Bean said. All of the people that were to stop there, the county would collect all of that tax revenue.

If the county collected more tax revenue, businesses wouldnt need to pay separate code enforcement fees, Bean said, which would reduce stress on operators.

Its just time to make a change, Carlson said. Maybe those rules worked beforehand when this industry first started, but at this point, its a completely different game.
The cave rescuer who now needs rescue from a 3,000-foot-deep Turkish cave says he's 'gonna need a lot of help to get out of here'

Mark Dickey, the American researcher who is trapped in a Turkish cave, photographed in Bend, Oregon, in August 2019. National Cave Rescue Commission via Reuters

Mark Dickey fell ill during a research mission, exploring a 3,000-foot-deep Turkish cave.

The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said that Dickey is experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding.

In a video update, Dickey said he is "alert" but "not healed on the inside yet."

A cave rescuer now needs rescuing himself  and he's going to require a lot of help, he says.

Teams of emergency responders are in the process of trying to pull Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old American cave explorer and rescuer, out of a cave in southern Turkey, according to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).

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Dickey was on a research mission, 3,000 feet deep inside the Morca cave system, when the man fell ill due to a "severe gastric pain," the ECRA said in a statement on Thursday. The organization received a call about the incident on Saturday.

The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said that Dickey was experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding. The organization was able to get to Dickey's location and provide blood transfusions, The Associated Press reported. However, he won't be able to get out of the cave on his own.

In a video update released by the Turkish government, Dickey said on Wednesday that he is "alert" but "not healed on the inside yet."

The American researcher trapped in a cave in southern Turkey spoke on Wednesday about his experience as rescue efforts continued to help, saying he is alert even though he has not fully healed after failing ill in the cave. pic.twitter.com/C9S9h6zex2  The Associated Press (@AP) September 8, 2023

"I'm gonna need a lot of help to get out of here," Dickey said. "This is often, in the caving world, a great opportunity to show just how well the international world can get together."

More than 150 people are aiding with the rescue operation, according to the Turkish Caving Federation. Part of the immense challenge facing the rescuers is the narrowness and winding passages of the cave.

According to a GoFundMe set up for the rescue teams, Dickey is a speleologist, a person who studies caves, and a cave rescuer.

"He has participated in caving expeditions in many karst areas of the world for many years," according to the fundraising page. "In addition to his activities as a speleologist, he is also the secretary of the ECRA medical committee and an instructor for cave rescue organizations in the USA."

Read the original article on Insider
Anneka Rice has jokingly offered police tips in finding escaped prisoner Daniel Abed Khalife due to her appearance on Channel 4s Celebrity Hunted.

On Thursday (7 September) night, police officers combed Richmond Park in London in search of the fugitive ex-soldier who escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday (6 September). You can follow The Independents live blog for updates.

The location caught the attention of TV stalwart and radio broadcaster Rice, who shared a tongue-in-cheek note for police on Twitter/X. Back in 2017, the 64-year-old hid out in Richmond Park while appearing on reality show Celebrity Hunted.

Note for police! Rice tweeted on Friday (8 September), alongside a photo of herself wearing a large backpack. On Celebrity Hunted I hid in Richmond Park. Then a stranger drove me to the south coast.

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I hid under a large bass guitar at Dire Straits John Illsleys house. Then he took me in his speed boat to the Isle of Wight where I hid under some garlic. Youre very welcome.

A star-studded version of the Channel 4 show Hunted, Celebrity Hunted sees a group of stars pair up before heading out on the run. They must survive 14 days in hiding, with their movements being tracked by an elite team of hunters who are looking to catch them.

Rice appeared on the first series of the show, alongside other celebrities including Made in Chelseas Jamie Laing and Spencer Matthews.

Note for police! On Celebrity Hunted I hid in Richmond Park.Then a stranger drove me to the south coast.I hid under a large bass guitar at Dire Straits John Ilsleys house. Then he took me in his speed boat to the Isle of Wight where I hid under some garlic. Youre very welcome. pic.twitter.com/WW5sDDmZot  Anneka Rice (@AnnekaRice) September 8, 2023

Rice has also appeared on programmes such as Wish You Were Here, Celebrity Mastermind, a celebrity special of Come Dine With Me and QI.

She became a household name after landing her first major TV job on Channel 4s game show Treasure Hunt in 1982 as a skyrunner clad in brightly coloured jumpsuits, racing across the country to solve cryptic clues.

In 1989, she launched her own series, Challenge Anneka, which began life as a one-off stunt for Children in Need in 1987 before becoming a regular fixture in the TV schedule until 1995.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
The prosecution has dismissed the willful trespass case against Newport resident Cheyne Cousens, whose video confrontation with a Middletown property owner over shoreline access went viral on TikTok in July.

Im glad to have this case dismissed so we can move forward with our efforts to restore this public access point, Cousens said in a statement to The Newport Daily News. Im fortunate to have had good legal representation so I wasnt made an example of to discourage people from exercising their constitutional rights. Similar issues with beach access are taking place across the state and hopefully property owners who wish to prevent access will not be successful in using unjust arrest and prosecution to achieve their goals.

Cousens was charged with willful trespass after attempting to access a beach in Middletowns Eastons Point neighborhood near Esplanade and allegedly crossed over someones property to access a set of stairs to the beach. Cousens said he had seen the Coastal Resource Management Council Shoreline Access sign near the property and tried to use that path to get to the water but discovered it was blocked by bushes, which is why he tried to use the stairs.

Middletown resident Randy Rauchle, who lives at the home across the street from the property, confronted Cousens and told him to leave his property, which resulted in an argument between the two and Rauchle eventually contacting the police.

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Cousens recorded the interaction, which received over eight million views on TikTok. He turned himself in to Middletown Police after discovering they had a warrant out for his arrest on willful trespass charges. He pleaded not guilty to these charges at his arraignment in August.

Attorney Brian Cunha, who represented Cousens in this case, said the prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges after a heart-to-heart with Cunha.

It was an extremely weak case, Cousens attorney Brian Cunha said.

Shoreline access disputes: North Kingstown beach access dispute gets ugly; homeowner arrested after breaking umbrella

Other than having to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cousens was willfully trespassing on the property, Cunha said the prosecutions case was hindered because there was a question of whether Rauchle owned the property or those stairs to begin with, as well as whether the police had probable cause to arrest Cousens.

Since then, Cunha has reached out to Middletown to find a resolution for the blocked path to the beach at that CRMC-designated right-of-way.

They have an obligation under their agreement with CRMC to provide access to that beach and they havent done that, Cunha said.

In court: RI's new shoreline access law has its first day in court. Here's a look at the arguments

Cunha said he has not heard back from Middletown as of Thursday.

The Rhode Island shoreline is meant to be public and available for everyone to enjoy, and I hope at the end of the day this case will have brought some attention to this issue, Cousens said.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Charges dropped against Chayne Counsens in shoreline access dispute
An attorney advising former President Donald Trump , who has ties to North Carolina and has pushed for changes in the states election laws, was recommended for charges due to her alleged involvement in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

A special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, recommended that Cleta Mitchell face charges, but Mitchell has not been charged in the case. A judge ordered Friday the release of the special grand jurys recommendations, including proposed charges against Mitchell of:

criminal solicitation to commit election fraud.

influencing witnesses.

forgery.

criminal solicitation.

intentional interference with performance of election duties.

concealment of facts and fraudulent documents in matters within jurisdiction of state or political subdivisions.

false official certificates or writings by officers or employees of state and political subdivisions.

two counts of false statements and writings.

Mitchell found herself on a list that includes names like Rep. Lindsay Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and former Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, Republicans from Georgia.

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Twenty-six Fulton County residents served on the special grand jury, though three of its members were alternates. They heard from 75 witnesses over a six-month period.

The Grand Jury heard extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts, and State of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming that such fraud took place, they wrote in a court document. We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election.

Mitchell is not a North Carolina native, but moved to Pinehurst. She has close ties to the family of former Rep. Mark Meadows , a Republican from Highlands, who went on to serve as Trumps chief of staff.

The recommended charges against Mitchell stemmed from two specific events in a scheme to help Trump retain the White House in 2021.

The first occurred on Dec. 14, 2020, when 16 Republicans met at the Georgia State Capitol and signed documents falsely claiming that Trump won the Georgia electoral college. The second occurred on Jan. 2, 2021, when Mitchell participated in a phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump demanded Raffensperger find the extra votes he needed to win. Audio of that phone call has since been leaked to the media.

More broadly, Mitchell was also swept up in allegations in the grand jury recommendations that there was a nationwide effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election focused on Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. At least three people with ties to North Carolina were recommended for those charges, including Meadows and Sidney Powell, an attorney from the Triangle who now resides in Texas.

The Fulton County district attorneys office ultimately charged both Powell and Meadows for their alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, but not Mitchell. Powell is also believed to be an unnamed co-conspirator in a federal case regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Earlier this year, reports uncovered that Mitchell, who now leads the Election Integrity Network, met with North Carolina lawmakers and gave a presentation to Republican donors.

North Carolina Republicans have proposed stricter election rules this year. A vote was expected this week on an elections-related bill, which drew protests at the state Legislative Building, but legislators punted the bill to another week.
King Charles III ascended the British throne one year ago.

He automatically became monarch when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022.

Some regard his first 365 days as king a success but not everyone agrees.

It's been 365 days since the death of Queen Elizabeth II marked the start of King Charles III's reign.

One year into his tenure on the British throne, public sentiment toward Charles is varied but leans towards favorable, with a recent YouGov survey that found 60% of Britons have a positive view of the sovereign. The same poll found that 59% believe he is doing a good job as king, indicating that there is still a sizable portion of the population who think otherwise.

Mixed reviews on Charles' first year as king have been echoed by royal biographer Katie Nicholl, author of "The New Royals," and royal commentator Kristen Meinzer.

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On the anniversary of Charles' first year as king, Insider spoke to both royal commentators about whether it can be considered a success and the challenges he has yet to overcome.

Charles had 'very difficult shoes to fill,' but Nicholl says his reign has gotten off to a remarkably good start

Charles inherited the British throne from a queen whose unprecedented 70-year reign earned her a particularly beloved status among the British public.

So when it came time for Charles to step up to the plate, Nicholl said it's not surprising there were questions about whether he could replicate even a fraction of his mother's success.

Queen Elizabeth II photographed by Cecil Beaton on October 16, 1968. Cecil Beaton, issued by the Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023 via Reuters

"The queen was such a widely loved and respected figure," Nicholl said. Queen Elizabeth was just 25 years old when she inherited the throne and did so at a time when Britain had a "very different sociopolitical landscape," she added.

Meanwhile, Charles, the longest-serving heir apparent, "came to the throne under very different circumstances," she added.

"There was no guarantee that Charles' first year as king was going to be the success that it has been," Nicholl said. "He was stepping into very sizable shoes and very difficult shoes to fill."

'Not rocking the boat' is Charles' greatest success, Nicholl says

According to Nicholl, Charles' first year as king can be considered a success on the basis that he's been able to keep the monarchy steady by sticking to traditions long-held by his predecessor.

"His great success has been, firstly, not rocking the boat, keeping the traditions, the diary dates, the fixtures of the royal calendar, the events that the queen held so dear," she said. Traditions such as Christmas at Sandringham and routine visits to Balmoral "punctuate" the year of most Britons and help them identify with the royal family, Nicholl added.

If Charles had made any major changes to those fixtures, they wouldn't have been "well received," she added. "In keeping those traditions he's continued that connection between the people and the monarchy."

King Charles III leaves a national service of thanksgiving and dedication to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at St Giles' Cathedral on July 5. Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

There's also a familiarity with Charles among the public, which has enabled his smooth transition to the head of the monarchy, Nicholl said.

The public has known for years that Charles is an avid environmentalist, so it came as a surprise to no one that he "stayed true" to making sustainability a focal point of his reign so far, Nicholl said.

While Charles has not yet appeared to come through on his reported plans for a slimmed-down monarchy  his inner circle still includes 10 senior working royals and key members of palace staff  Nicholl said he has already proved he is sticking to his word when it comes lessening the financial burden of the monarchy on the British public.

"Charles came to the throne with the intention of wanting not just a slimmed down, pared-down monarchy, but a more cost-effective monarchy," she said. As an example, she cited Charles' announcement in January that he wanted to give as much as 32.5 million, or around $40.5 million, to the British taxpayer from lucrative profits made by the Crown Estate's sale of UK wind farm licenses, as iNews reported.

"It's that idea of giving something back, justifying the expense of the royal family, and scaling back where he can," she added.

But Charles failed to 'embody the best of British values and identity' in his first year as king, Meinzer says

Not everyone considers Charles' first year as king to be such a resounding success. According to Meinzer, the success of a monarch in the UK is measured by whether they can "embody the best of British values and identity" and "exude stability, as they are intended to outlast any one elected official."

"Based on both these measurements, I'd say that Charles is not succeeding as a monarch," she said.

A glaring example, according to Meinzer, has been his inability to do what his mother never did  apologize for the monarchy's racist past.

Compared to King Wilhelm-Alexander of the Netherlands, who made headlines earlier this year for his monumental first-person apology of the Dutch monarchy's role in the historic slave trade, Charles has remained largely silent on the topic.

Prince Harry, King Charles, and Queen Camilla. ISABEL INFANTES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

By doing so, Meinzer said he's "failed to present the UK as a multicultural, empathetic, and educated place that takes responsibility for its misdeeds."

"Charles has only gone so far as to passively express 'sorrow' about slavery and agreed to cooperate with research into the British monarchy's possible links with transatlantic slavery," she said, adding that the king has yet to take responsibility for those links despite "evidence that they're real."

But his greatest failure, Meinzer added, has been allowing the rift with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to continue while simultaneously appearing to welcome Prince Andrew back into the royal fold.

"This also crosses over with the matter of stability," Meinzer said. "Just how stable is a monarch who can't even align himself with the right members of his own family?"

Looking ahead, Charles' family remains his biggest challenge

Nicholl and Meinzer present opposing viewpoints on the matter of Charles' success in his first year as king, but both indicate that his greatest challenge is and continues to be how he handles family matters.

Like Meinzer, Nicholl said Charles' decision to welcome Andrew back into the royal fold is questionable, especially when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to be seen as royal outsiders.

"I think this is the king sending a message that Andrew's never going to return to public life, but he's still his brother, and he remains a loved family member," Nicholl said.

Meanwhile, despite his return to London this week to promote the 2023 WellChild Awards, there were no indications that Harry had visited Charles.

Ultimately, Nicholl said mending those broken relationships remains Charles' greatest challenge as king.

"Essentially the royals are looked up to as role models," she added. "We look to them for that sense of unity and togetherness, and I think it's still a problem for Charles that at the heart of the royal family is this great fracture."

Read the original article on Insider
The Chicago Board of Ethics is expected to address allegations that city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin abused her office and violated the states whistleblower act following the recent release of a 2020 letter that laid out a series of accusations from two former top aides Conyears-Ervin fired.

The Chicago Tribune first reported earlier this week the details of the letter, written by the womens attorney, that alleged Conyears-Ervin abused her power and misused taxpayer resources by using government workers to run errands for her, hiring a former police officer to be her personal bodyguard and pressuring public employees to hold events benefiting political allies, among other accusations.

The city kept the December 2020 letter secret and fought requests for years by the Tribune that it be released until late last week when Mayor Brandon Johnsons administration decided to drop the efforts to keep the letter confidential.

The Conyears-Ervin matter was added to the ethics boards monthly meeting, which is scheduled for Monday afternoon, following the letters release.

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The board had been sent a copy of the letter at the time it was written in 2020 and board Executive Director Steve Berlin said earlier this week that the board at the time had opened a case looking into the allegations but closed it after the citys Law Department settled the matter as part of a private $100,000 settlement the two women shared.

This matter was settled by the City, and, as you know, the Board of Ethics cannot adjudicate a case like this  which requires a full factual investigation  without a full factual investigation by the Office of Inspector General, which the board did not receive, Berlin said.

Asked why the matter was being placed on the upcoming agenda when it hadnt been on previous board agendas, Berlin said, the case has been in the news of late, even though it is not new.

Its not clear whether the board will take any action against Conyears-Ervin. Although the Board of Ethics has the power to issue fines, it is not able to conduct any investigations on its own and often relies on the inspector general to present findings.

Conyears-Ervin previously declined to address the allegations that are detailed in the four-page letter, which also alleged the treasurer, who oversees city investments, tried to force BMO Harris  one of the banks where city money is deposited  to issue a mortgage tied to the building that houses the aldermanic office for Conyears-Ervins husband, Ald. Jason Ervin , 28th.

Conyears-Ervin threatened retaliation against employees who raised concerns about the conduct and other alleged misdeeds and told employees they should not care if her plans are illegal since the only way they could lose their jobs is if she fires them, the letter stated.

A former state representative who earlier this year was reelected to a second term as city treasurer, Conyears-Ervin has said she is considering a run for Congress to replace U.S. Rep. Danny Davis.

The controversy dates back to November 2020, when Conyears-Ervin dismissed Tiffany Harper, her chief of staff at the time, as well as Ashley Evans and two other workers, as part of what she called an office shake-up. Harper and Evans, the treasurers former chief impact officer, alleged their firings violated the Illinois whistleblower act, federal laws, and a city ordinance, and sent the letter to the city demanding an investigation and a reinstatement of their jobs.

In response to their dismissals, their attorney, Michael Kanovitz, wrote the blistering letter and addressed it to the citys then-corporation counsel, Mark Flessner, and Berlin. Kanovitz has not returned repeated messages seeking comment.

The letter disputed Conyears-Ervins statement that she fired the workers because she was taking the treasurers office in a new direction.

Treasurer Conyears-Ervin engaged in a pattern of disturbing conduct against the public trust, many of which violated the City of Chicago ethics rules as well as state and federal law, the letter stated. Her consistent and pervasive practice has been to misuse City money, City employees and City resources to benefit her private interests as well as those of her friends and campaign supporters.

Staffers, according to the letter, raised concerns about Conyears-Ervins decision to hire a former Chicago police officer as her private security guard and driver and the hiring of Gina Zuccaro to be an administrative assistant.

The letter stated neither the former cop nor Zuccaro were qualified for their jobs and that both served more at the pleasure of Conyears-Ervins personal needs than to serve the public. Zuccaro is a political ally of both Conyears-Ervin and her husband, and the letter stated Zuccaro was allowed to campaign for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly on city time. Zuccaro lost the election.

In the letter, the two former employees alleged that rather than fulfilling the duties of being an administrative assistant, the treasurer used Zuccaro for personal services like running errands, planning her daughters birthday party, grocery shopping and the like.

Zuccaro has not returned repeated messages for comment.

The two former aides also alleged Conyears-Ervin made contentious demands of City contractors to benefit the Treasurers friends and political supporters, including attempts to use her public position to leverage BMO Harris to authorize a third-party mortgage for the building where her husband maintains his aldermanic office.

A spokesman from BMO Harris has declined to comment, as has Ald. Ervin.

Conyears-Ervin also used city resources to advance the agenda of churches and other religious organizations, many of which support her and her husband  politically and turn out church members to vote for their respective campaigns, the letter said.

Staffers told Conyears-Ervin she should not spend city money to promote religion. But Conyears-Ervin rebuffed those suggestions and even hand-picked the prayer leaders, including her political supporters, the letter said.

Before they were fired, according to the letter, Conyears-Ervin threatened the women with retaliation for opposing her plans and warned them that if they refused to implement her ideas their asses can walk and that they will be walking the f--- up out of here and that this is (her) f---ing office and (her) vision, according to the letter.

The retaliation is clear, as is the corruption in the Treasurers office, the letter stated.

The Tribune sought a copy of the letter but was repeatedly denied access by the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. After the Illinois attorney generals office last year said in a binding opinion that the Tribune should get a copy of the letter, Lightfoots administration went to court to block its release. But Johnsons administration released the letter late last week.

gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Eliana Rodriguez holds a photograph of herself with her daughter Yelena Monroy at home in La Serena, Chile, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. The photograph was taken one year after they were released from a detention center where Rodriguez and her two young daughters were imprisoned for over a year during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who was brought to power in Chile after a military coup in September 1973. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  Yelena Monroy was 3 years old when she was imprisoned for more than a year along with her younger sister and her mother, a socialist activist targeted by the regime of Gen. Augusto Pinochet after he came to power in Chile in a military coup in September 1973.

We were scared, we were crying, recalled Monroy, now a 53-year-old commercial engineer and one of more than 1,000 children and adolescents who were detained in the name of fighting communism and leftist guerrillas during Chile's military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990.

When Pinochet installed himself as leader, the age of majority in Chile was set at 21 years. But being a minor was no protection from the dictatorship's crackdown. Children were detained, tortured, killed, and even used as decoys to apprehend their parents.

The trauma of that period has made many of the young victims of the military regime reluctant to speak out, and the process of prosecuting that era's crimes and making reparations generally has made no distinction among victims based on age. So, the child victims of the Pinochet era have not had much visibility, though minors represent nearly 10% of the deaths attributed to the regime.

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We dont classify them by age, because they all suffered, Gaby Rivera, president of Chile's Association of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared, told The Associated Press.

However, the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture figures show that the Pinochet regime detained 1,132 minors under the age of 18. Of these 88 were under 13 and 102 were arrested along with their parents  or were born in prison.

Some 307 children under the age of 18 were killed during that period, according to human rights groups' reviews of documentation from the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission. About 3,200 people overall were killed during the dictatorship, or went missing and are believed dead.

Chile's National Stadium, in the country's capital, became the largest detention center of the military government. That is where they arrested  and beat  Roberto Vasquez Llanten, when he was 17, for being an active militant of the Revolutionary Left Movement.

He had been in hiding since the start of the coup, but was arrested on Jan. 15, 1974. Vasquez Llanten, who is 67 today, spent a year in the Chacabuco Prison Camp in the Atacama desert along with 16 other minors. There was no electricity or hot water, he recalled. There were antipersonnel mines outside the barbed-wire to keep prisoners in line, while guards kept watch from towers.

If minors had political significance, they were detained just like adults. But they also were used as lures to trap and detain their parents.

The Fernandez Montenegro sisters were imprisoned in February 1974 when they were teenagers.

Viviana, 14, and Morelia, 17, were accused of being guerrillas in the Chilean port of Valparaiso where they lived, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the capital. Their mother was arrested and released after 24 hours. The whole family, with the exception of the father, were active communists.

The sisters were first held together in the Silva Palma Navy Barracks, on one of the many inhabited hills of Valparaiso.

I was in a cell, wearing a hoodie, while some guys put electricity cables on my fingers, yelling and screaming profanities and threats," demanding to know where the weapons were, Viviana Fernandez recounted.

The only thing I did was cry and cry ... I felt very afraid, very afraid," she said.

Fernandez, who is 64 today, and Yelena Monroy are members of the Association of Former Minors Victims of Political Imprisonment and Torture, created nine years ago in part to raise awareness about the fate of children and adolescents under the dictatorship.

Fernandez, who is the spokesperson, says the organization has about 100 members, but she thinks there are many more, and that many are still afraid to talk about what happened to them during those years.

Many other minors of that time did not survive to tell their story.

Jose Gregorio Saavedra Gonzalez, a militant of the Revolutionary Left Movement, was executed at the age of 18 by soldiers in Calama, in the north of the country, together with 25 other political prisoners on Oct. 19, 1973. He was one of the disappeared who years later were located  and identified.

They gave us a little bit of a finger in a small box, and a little bit of what I imagine was a small tooth, recalls his sister, Angela Saavedra, who is 81.

Monroy and Fernandez fault the Chilean government for not fully acknowledging past violations of children's human rights.

We have been totally forgotten by the state, it is very much in debt, Fernandez said.

___

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Chinese newspapers report on the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific, describing the discharge as "extremely irresponsible" and "an atrocity," in Beijing on Aug. 30, 2023. Credit - Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

Have you considered that man-tall crabs or Cthulu-esque octopuses could emerge from the sea in 30 to 40 years? China is apparently upset that Japan hasnt, according to a recent state media report.

In the last two weeks since Japan began releasing into the Pacific Ocean treated wastewater that had been used to cool the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was damaged by a tsunami in 2011, a seemingly coordinated campaign has been waged on social media and Chinese news media to vent outrage and hysteria about the dangers of radiation imposed by Chinas neighbor to the east.

China isnt the only critic of Japans discharge, but it is perhaps the loudest. Chinas foreign ministry called Japan a saboteur of the ecological system and polluter of the global marine environment. And Chinese customs authorities banned all aquatic products coming from Japan since the wastewater release began on Aug. 24, despite being the biggest market for Japanese seafood exports before then. Reports of harassment of Japanese citizens in China soon followed.

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In reality, most scientists agree that the health effects of the wastewater on the marine environment and consumers of seafood from the region are negligible. Some observers have even pointed out that similar discharges have been occurring for years by operators of nuclear power plants across the worldincluding in China.

After nuclear wastewater is treated, including the water released by Japan, typically what radioactive elements remain are tritium (a hydrogen isotope) and carbon-14, which are both already abundant in nature. The water is then diluted to an acceptable limit so as not to be harmful, though there is no common international standard. Its then common practice to dispose of the treated water by releasing it into the ocean. TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima plant, dilutes wastewater to a radioactivity of around 15% the World Health Organizations maximum level for drinking water.

TEPCO has pledged to release no more than 22 trillion becquerelsa unit of emitted radiationof tritium per year. For reference, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California released liquid effluents containing around 95 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2022, and the Heysham B Power Station in England released about 396 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2019.

While the U.S. and the U.K. have supported Japans release plan as safe, as has the International Atomic Energy Agency, China has pressed forward with demonizing Japan. At the same time, the latest China Nuclear Energy Yearbook by the nonprofit non-governmental organization China Nuclear Energy Association shows that plants there have discharged water with much higher radioactivity levels in 2021, the last year for which data are available.

Not all of the numbers are decipherable, but at least 10 nuclear plants in China in just a year discharged liquid effluents containing more than 4.5 quadrillion becquerels of tritiummore than 200 times the self-imposed annual limit for Fukushimas wastewater release.

When presented with charges of hypocrisy earlier this summer, Chinese officials denied that the situations are comparable. In fact, there are essential differences between the nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan and the normal liquid effluents from nuclear power plants worldwide, the National Nuclear Safety Administration said in a statement. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also said during an August press briefing that there is a fundamental difference between the nuclear-contaminated water that came into direct contact with the melted reactor cores in the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the water released by nuclear power plants in normal operation.

Thats not necessarily true. A range of different radioactive isotopes can be present in nuclear wastewater before its treated, but after treatment, the ultimate risk posed by the tritium that remains is not actually affected by how the water was originally contaminated, says Jim Smith, a professor of environmental science at the University of Portsmouth who has extensively studied the impact of radioactive pollutants on the environment. Basically, it's all been through reactors, or at least the tritium has come from reactors, and the other radionuclides come from reactors, he tells TIME, so I don't really see a difference.

But if not for a legitimate concern for health and science, why else might Beijing be so determined to paint Japan as a villain? Some have speculated that the wastewater issue offers a politically convenient distraction for China, which is facing domestic turmoilgiving citizens something else to be angry about instead of the unexpectedly slow economic growth, record-high youth unemployment, dwindling resources for an aging public, and a real estate sector in crisis. China has already had an historically fractured relationship with Japan due to the latters past colonial rule of the former. And just this year, as the geopolitical rivalry between the U.S. and China has continued to intensify, Tokyo has strengthened its military partnership with Washington.

Chinas state media has even reckoned with questions about why it cares so much about this issue. Some U.S. media outlets even claimed that China would be the last to be affected from the perspective of ocean circulation. So why is China stepping up?, an anonymous source quoted in the Global Times asked, before credulously answering: Because what China has been doing is for the sake of being responsible to humanity and the country really cares about environmental protection.

Koh Ewe contributed reporting.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
A staff member explains as visitors look at an emergency communication support system at the China International Digital Economy Expo 2023 in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 6, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The rapid development of the industrial internet has provided many tools and opportunities for small and medium-sized firms, which can better utilize digitalization to create greater value via platform enterprises.



Xu Haoliang, undersecretary-general and associate administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, made the remarks in his address via a pre-recorded video to the 2023 China International Digital Economy Expo that opened in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, on Wednesday.

The three-day expo is themed "Empowering Various Businesses with Industrial Internet, Leading High-Quality Development with Digital Economy".

The industrial internet is the application and development of new-generation information in the industrial sector that provides a viable path for the digital transformation of industries, said Shen Pei, general manager of HBIS Digital Technology Co, operator of the industrial internet platform WeShyper.

A list of cross-industry and cross-field industrial internet platforms was released during the expo's opening ceremony by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, including WeShyper by HBIS and OnePower by China Mobile.

"The industrial internet can connect a company with an industrial chain, or even with an entire region's upstream and downstream sectors, to build a larger platform, leveraging capabilities such as e-commerce, logistics and finance," Shen said during the expo, adding that it is an important foundation and pillar for industries' digital transformation.

For example, WeShyper takes the steel industry as its focus, creating common applications and services in varying sections including production, energy, environmental protection, sales and logistics, according to the platform's Strategy Director Hao Liang.

It gradually builds an industrial innovation foundation, targeting the steel industry chain and providing digital transformation services for the chemical industry and other industries upstream, as well as to the automotive and home appliances industries downstream, Hao said.

"Key technologies of the industrial internet will tend to become more open and ecological. Therefore, technological barriers and costs for SMEs will be reduced via open cooperation and technology sharing," Zhang Yanhua, a professor at Beijing University of Technology, said at one of the expo's forums on Tuesday.

According to a Xinhua report last month, the country's industrial internet has recorded a market scale of more than 1.2 trillion yuan ($163.8 billion).

It added that the country is currently experiencing a robust wave of digital transformation and smart manufacturing implementation. The integration of 5G technologies and the industrial internet is shaping a new era for China's digital economy.

"The digital economy is growing rapidly worldwide and expected to account for 25 percent of the global GDP in the next decade or so," Xu from the UNDP said.

The digital economy has become an important engine driving sustainable development in China, which is in the process of economic transformation, he added.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Images of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo have appeared on Chinese media in fake advertising campaigns for Huaweis new smartphone, according to a report.

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro is being hailed in China as a symbol of the countrys technological progress in the face of what many Chinese say are Washingtons best efforts to restrict Chinas access to sophisticated chips.

In an altered video posted by CCTV, the Chinese state TV network, Raimondo is seen saying: No commerce secretary has been tougher than I on China.

The video then shows altered images of her posing with the phone.

Other videos feature the phrase far, far ahead, which the head of Huaweis smartphone business used 14 times in one 2020 presentation to describe its relationship to its peers.

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Raimondo, who spoke at the Boeing hangar in Shanghais Pudong Airport last week as the new phone launched, is responsible for overseeing export controls that limit Chinas access to chips and the ingredients to make them.

The phone relies on chips made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), a company partly owned by the Chinese government, according to consultancy TechInsight. However, analysts have warned that its production probably involved American technology and machinery.

Chinese social media has been awash with posts hyping the phones capabilities and popularity, the Washington Post reported, with joke videos showing crowds of people rushing to stores to buy the phone with the desperation of someone grasping for water after wandering in a desert.

Chu Yin, a senior researcher at the Center for American Studies at Zhejiang International Studies University, told Phoenix Television that the new phone is a resounding slap in the face to the trade bullying of American politicians.

US sanctions, first implemented by the Trump administration and continued under President Biden, were put in place to prevent Chinese companies from buying or building the semiconductors used in advanced technologies with military applications.

Washington has also sought to block the export of the machines required to manufacture such semiconductors.

On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, called for an end to all US technology exports to both SMIC and Huawei.

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro sold out across major Chinese e-commerce sites less than a week after its release.
Microsoft warned that China has been using AI-generated images to sow discord among US voters.

Real people are reposting these divisive images, not realizing they're fake, Microsoft added.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., hit back, speaking of "malicious speculation" against China.

China has since March been using generative AI to create viral content that divides US voters on social media  and is getting better at it, Microsoft analysts say.

"We have observed China-affiliated actors leveraging AI-generated visual media in a broad campaign that largely focuses on politically divisive topics, such as gun violence, and denigrating US political figures and symbols," wrote Clint Watts, general manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center.

Analysts from the center released a report on Thursday highlighting digital threats from China and North Korea, and said Chinese operatives are influencing their targets to "a greater extent than previously observed."

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Microsoft warned of social media accounts affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, which would post AI-generated images like a Black Lives Matter poster showing bullet holes and a Black man surrendering.

Hours after the Black Lives Matter poster was uploaded, an account impersonating a conservative US voter reposted the image, complaining about racial discrimination, according to Microsoft.

Another cited example was an AI-generated poster of the Statue of Liberty holding an assault rifle, along with the caption "The Goddess of Violence." Microsoft analysts said it was posted by an account suspected of being run as a Chinese influence operation.

"This relatively high-quality visual content has already drawn higher levels of engagement from authentic social media users," the analysts warned.

They added that the new images are more eye-catching, and real US voters are reposting them even though they contain "common indicators of AI-generation," like more than five fingers on a hand.

It's now also harder to tell that these accounts aren't genuine, Microsoft's analysts said.

"Unlike earlier IO campaigns from CCP-affiliated actors that used easy-to-spot computer-generated handles, display names, and profile pictures, these more sophisticated accounts are operated by real people who employ fictitious or stolen identities to conceal the accounts' affiliation with the CCP," they wrote.

But there are tell-tale signs, according to Microsoft. Many of these operatives would start posting in Mandarin, then switch to another language, the threat center said.

The accounts would make a post, then comment, like, and share posts from other similar accounts, creating a pattern where they would boost each others' content, Microsoft said.

"We can expect China to continue to hone this technology over time, though it remains to be seen how and when it will deploy it at scale," Watts wrote.

When asked to respond to Microsoft's report, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., Liu Pengyu, told Insider in a statement: "In recent years, some western media and think tanks have accused China of using artificial intelligence to create fake social media accounts to interfere the US' politics. Such remarks are full of prejudice and malicious speculation against China, which China firmly opposes."

In July, cybersecurity research firm Mandiant said that it found Chinese-affiliated operatives had paid people in Washington, D.C., to protest a US government ban on goods produced in the Xinjiang region. Videos of their protests were then "amplified" by social media accounts used by the operatives, Mandiant added.

On August 29, Meta also warned of a Chinese influence campaign spreading false information, involving more than 7,700 Facebook accounts, 950 Facebook pages, 15 Facebook groups, and 15 Instagram accounts. The social media company said it removed all of them.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MOSCOW (Reuters) -The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, which is trying to recruit more Russians as spies, has released a video targeting Moscow officials with an appeal to tell the truth about a system it said is riddled with lying sycophants.

CIA Director William Burns said in July that disaffection among some Russians over the war in Ukraine was creating a rare opportunity to recruit spies, and that the CIA was not letting it pass.

The agency released the video in Russian entitled "Why I made contact with the CIA - for myself" on social media which shows what is clearly supposed to be a Russian official walking through the snow of what looks like a Russian city.

"I insisted to everyone that it was unscrupulous to distort the truth in reports but those who rose through the ranks were those who did that very thing," the voice over says in Russian.

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"Before I believed that the truth had some value," the video shows as the actor playing a Russian official enters a Russian government building and shows his pass above the double-headed eagle of Russia.

"Those around you may not want to hear the truth. But we do," the video says before detailing ways to contact the CIA, which is based in Langley, Virginia. "Integrity has rewards."

After major failures over the 9/11 attacks and the U.S. war in Iraq, U.S. and British spy agencies claimed an intelligence victory over the Russian invasion of Ukraine by warning of the Kremlin's plans way in advance.

Moscow is so difficult for Western spies to operate in that they developed "Moscow Rules" in Soviet times to guard against complacency. It has been updated for modern Russia.

Russia accuses Britain and the United States of supporting Ukraine in an attempt to cleave Russia apart and grab its natural resources - assertions Washington and London deny.

Putin, a former KGB spy who served in what used to be East Germany, has restored some of the clout of the once-mighty Soviet intelligence agencies though the CIA says the Kremlin chief was poorly informed about the real situation in Ukraine ahead of his decision to invade.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
A civil rights complaint against New College of Florida's trustees and administration was filed to the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education on Aug. 22, according to documents obtained by the Herald-Tribune.

The complaint outlines an ongoing trend of discrimination against "protected groups" such as LGBTQ+ students, and the creation of a hostile environment toward those students. It requests that the federal departments launch a formal investigation into the college's leadership and compel action to remedy damages the complaint claims leaders have caused.

New College has been undergoing a conservative transformation since January when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a new majority to its Board of Trustees tasked with shaping the small liberal arts school into the "Hillsdale College of the South." Hillsdale College is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts school in Michigan.

The trustees swiftly dissolved the college's diversity department, abolished the gender studies program, fired an LGBTQ+ librarian and denied tenure to five faculty members set to receive it.

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Amid the changes, more than a third of faculty have left New College causing course cancellations and staffing vacancies for the fall semester.

New College did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights confirmed receipt of the complaint in an email sent to Jennifer Granick on Aug. 31. Granick is a New College alumnae and lawyer who helped compile evidence and interviews in preparation for the nearly 40-page complaint.

The DOE had not opened an investigation into New College based on the complaint as of Sept. 7, according to the department's website. However, Granick said she's confident the agency will.

"The ultimate goal is for (marginalized) students... (to) be welcomed and to be able to get a good education because they are not being subjected to ridicule or exclusion or policies which disproportionately burden them and interfere with their ability to get an education," Granick said.

Claims against New College in the complaint

Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist, vocal opponent of diversity policy and trustee at New College, is cited several times in the complaint in reference to creating a hostile environment for students. Rufo's posts to Twitter, now called X, are cited as exhibits in which he quotes New College students from news articles with laughing emojis, and posts about pressing misdemeanor battery charges against Libby Harrity, who was a student at the time but now attends Hampshire College.

Harrity allegedly spat on Rufos shoe at a protest on May 15, and Rufo later dropped the charges when Harrity withdrew from New College to attend Hampshire.

The complaint claims that Harrity was "forced" to withdraw because of the charges filed by Rufo and that her leaving New College was "exactly what (Rufo) wanted, pushing out an LGBTQ+ student leader who was not aligned with the little Hillsdale mission."

A screenshot of a Twitter post from Christopher Rufo. Rufo was named in a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Education where it accused the trustee of creating a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ students at New College of Florida.

Rufo also tweeted that identifying as non-binary was "an entirely fake identity," and that nobody was non-binary, adding that it was "weapons-grade pseudoscience." Non-binary identity falls under the LGBTQ+ umbrella and means someone doesn't identify entirely with being a male or female. New College of Florida previously had a large LGBTQ+ population and has historically been seen as a safe space for the groups.

The removal of gender-neutral bathroom signage was also cited in the complaint. The college removed bathroom signs across campus that read "all gender restroom" or "gender neutral restroom" in favor of more traditional bathroom signage. Students re-wrote the gender-neutral language on the signs, but the college erased the writing, the complaint said.

The signage removal contributed to the creation of a hostile environment for non-binary New College students, the complaint claims.

A restroom on New College of Florida's campus with the gender-neutral signage removed, replaced with different signage. New College of Florida was the subject of a civil rights complaint filed to the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education on Aug. 22.

The filing also claims the Board of Trustees abolished the college's diversity program with no plan to support minority students. With the abolishment of the Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence, Muslim students were left without access to food during Ramadan last spring, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The outreach office's funding historically provided meals for Muslim students, since meal plan hours ended before they were allowed to eat.

The actions requested in the complaint include the federal departments ordering New College to implement mandatory training for staff, administration, and the Board of Trustees on supporting LGBTQ+ and minority students.

The complaint also asks that federal departments order the college's leadership to rescind discriminatory policies and directives, and provide safe and equivalent housing for students who wish to live on campus. It asserted that the college discriminated against current students in housing assignments.

New College has been in the midst of a housing crisis as it closed its I.M. Pei dorms ahead of the fall semester. The Pei dorms, which typically house freshmen, were assigned to upperclassmen, and the newer, apartment-style dorms were assigned to incoming student-athletes as part of a record freshman class. The upperclassmen were assigned to Pei dorms despite a mold report finding that the buildings were virtually uninhabitable due to systemic mold issues in the buildings.

The college later shuttered the Pei dorms completely and sent hundreds of students off campus to hotels.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College of Florida alumni file federal civil rights complaint
A local nonprofit will take a step into the past this weekend with a Civil War event, but attendees shouldnt expect battle re-enactments, shooting demonstrations or history lessons straight out of their high school textbook.

The Battle for Freedom will kick off historic preservation group Reflections of Manatees season by highlighting the role of the United States Colored Troops in the final battle for South Florida as well as the emancipation of Floridas enslaved population. The U.S. Colored Troops was the name of a primarily Black regiment of the Union Army during the Civil War.

The organization plans to do this with an event on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1302 Fourth Ave. E., Bradenton, that will be free and open to the public.

The event will feature a variety of activities, including re-enactments by a Tallahassee-based group, a historical-plant sale, a historical-costume workshop and archaeology exhibit tours.

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But while Jean Lammie welcomes you to come and stay for the plant sales or the archaeological ruins, she says most importantly the Civil War exhibit represents the kind of history lesson the state is sorely missing in todays divisive political climate.

This is important because we are living in an area of non-education. Our children cant hear a holistic story at school. They dont get to hear about the men and women who werent white, they only get to hear about white heroes and white heroines, said Lammie, executive director of Reflections of Manatee.

And thats hard when youre a young black man or woman. The students need to hear this history theyre not getting at school. Our adults apparently need to hear this history, too.

And shining a light on those heroes, who she said played a pivotal role in the Civil War in this area, is exactly the aim of Saturdays event.

The 2nd Infantry Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops, a Tallahassee-based re-enactment group, will kick off the Battle for Freedom by advancing colors at 9:15 a.m. before re-creating life in camp and answering questions from visitors throughout the day.

Sgt. Maj. Jarvis Rosier, a retired U.S. Army veteran, will read the Emancipation Proclamation. He will also deliver a lecture at 1 p.m. on the formation of the U.S. Colored Troops and their role in the Florida campaign, which Lammie said involved finding hiding blockade runners in the south, emancipating slaves and more.

Lammie said that in 1865 the United States Colored Troops actually occupied the Samuel Curry residence, which is one of the oldest homes in Bradenton to still be in the location where it was built, according to the historical marker databases website.

The residence, which was built and owned by one of the most prominent names in Manatee Countys early history, is now managed by Reflections of Manatee as part of the groups historical preservation efforts and serves as a museum.

Instead of re-creating battles, the 2nd Infantry Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops will focus on re-creating camp at the Curry House and answering visitor questions.

As part of the days events, there will also be tours of Reflections of Manatees Archaeology of Angola exhibit, which comes after a 2020 excavation beneath the Manatee Mineral Springs Park that revealed forgotten details about an early 19th-century settlement along the Manatee River.

Archaeologists with New College and the University of South Florida found a variety of artifacts in an area where nearly 700 escaped slaves found refuge at a settlement called Angola before fleeing south to the Bahamas, according to previous Bradenton Herald reporting.

Lammie said this event has been a long time coming, but she is excited to bring another big event to the community post-COVID-19.

All in all, Lammie said Saturday promises to be a day where history comes to life. And she thinks that studying and talking about history may be more important now than ever.

This is about creating a dialogue and having a conversation. A lack of cross-cultural communication is a significant part of how we got into this era of silence. We have to be willing to be uncomfortable. We have to be willing to have uncomfortable conversations, Lammie said.

Saturdays event is free and open to the public.

No food will be served, but Lammie said people are welcome to bring their own food and picnic items.

There is limited parking onsite, she said, but there will be additional parking available in the grass lot at the Methodist Church nearby, and there will be signage to direct visitors.
This weeks fugitive is 44-year-old Kenya Aliciae Whitaker. Clay County Sheriffs Office currently has an arrest warrant for Whitaker on seven 7 counts of Fraud on a person over the age of 60, and one count of exploitation of the elderly.

Whitakers last known address is in the 8700 block of Barco Road in the Jacksonville area.

CCSO is asking anyone with information on the fugitives whereabouts to call CCSOs non-emergency number at 904-264-6512.

Or, submit an anonymous tip through the SaferWatch app or you can dial First Coast Crimestoppers at **TIPS

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CLEVELAND CO., Okla. (KFOR)  A slain deputy in Cleveland County has been laid to rest on today as friends and family celebrate her life and accomplishments.

Jordan Cannon, according to police officials was shot and killed by her husband, who was also a Cleveland County Deputy. According to the incident report, officers were called to a domestic disturbance/possible shooting in the 10900 block of SW 30th St. just before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

 Find more Top Stories from KFOR.com

Officials say she and her husband, Deputy Vaughn Cannon, were in a heated argument when Vaugh shot and killed Jordan.

Jordan Reed Cannon headshot

Today friends, family and co-workers gathered at Crossroads Church in South Oklahoma City to remember Jordan. Sheriff Chris Amason says, Jordan meant a lot to the community and everyone is heartbroken.

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OKCPD: Cleveland Co. deputy shoots, kills wife/fellow deputy

Jordan leaves behind a 17-year-old son and two stepchildren.

Vaughn Cannon, her husband remains locked up on a first degree murder complaint.



For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a verification program that would allow meat producers to label their product low-carbon if it meets certain criteria. Credit - Getty Images/iStockphoto

Meat eaters are about to have a new option in the beef aisle. Along with cuts of meat labeled as organic, GMO-free, grass-fed, or what have you, consumers will now be able to buy beef thats certified climate-friendly. In late 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a verification program that allows meat producers to label their product low-carbon if it meets certain environmentally-conscious criteria. And just last month, Tyson Foods and Schweid & Sons, in partnership, began selling the first burger to earn that designation.

The Brazen Climate Friendly Ground Beef Burger was developed under Tysons own Climate Smart Beef Program, supported by taxpayer funds. On its face, this might give the impression that the beef industry is finally doing its part to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing emissions. But frustratingly, the whole scheme is more about marketing magic than science-backed solutions. Its a classic case of greenwashingusing language that intentionally misleads the public into believing that something is environmentally friendly.

The USDA is the agency that oversees the agricultural industry and determines which products can use labels like organic or, now, climate-friendly. Their climate-friendly certification program, however, operates via private third-party companies contracted by the USDA. These companies evaluate candidate meat producers agricultural practices to determine the emissions output. If that measurement is at least 10% lower than an industry benchmark set by the auditing company for emissions, the producer gets USDA approval to label their products climate-friendly and use related language in packaging and marketing.

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Ten percent probably doesnt sound terribly impressive, and actually, its even worse than it seems. When the USDA first launched the climate-friendly certification program (which initially used the label low-carbon), it quickly became subject to criticism. Matt Reynolds, a senior writer at WIRED, pointed out in January 2022 that the criteria for earning the certification isnt very high: for example, the benchmark used by Low Carbon Beef, one of the third-party companies that performs evaluations for companies seeking this label, is 26.3 kilograms of CO2 equivalent emissions per kilogram of carcass weight. In other words, beef producers must emit no more than 23.67 kg of CO2 equivalent emissions per kg of weight (the equivalent of the emissions released by driving 60.7 miles in an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle) to earn the right to call their product climate-friendly.

More From TIME

But that benchmark does not actually indicate below-average CO2 equivalent emissions. A 2019 study found that the U.S. average for this metric is only 21.3 kilograms, already well under the benchmark of 26.3. Matthew Hayek, assistant professor of environmental studies at New York University, points out that this means that even products with higher-than-average emissions outputs will qualify for the climate-friendly label. On top of that, the third-party verification process isnt as rigorous as it soundsit runs on the honor system, allowing companies to report their own calculations, as if there were no obvious conflict of interest.

Read more: Cow Burps Have a Big Climate Impact. Solving That is Harder than You'd Think

And in the case of Tyson Foods Brazen Burger, its a complete and utter mystery how this product qualifies as climate-friendly. Although we know a company called Where Food Comes From is the third-party auditor, journalists have been unable to obtain any information about what baseline that company used, instead being instructed by the USDA to submit a Freedom of Information Act request. What this means is that there is a total lack of transparency, and none of this nuance is required to be presented to consumers.

Another problem with the new certification program is that CO2 emissions may not be the best or only proxy for planetary harm. The initiative is a perfect example of carbon tunnel-vision: the tendency to focus on CO2 emissions to the exclusion of all other environmental impacts. Yes, greenhouse gasses are directly linked to climate change, and reducing emissions is an important goal. But carbon emissions are far from the only way industrial animal agriculture negatively impacts the environment. Waste from livestock farms pollutes water and makes people sick. Livestock farming also uses a massive amount of water, such that a single 4 oz serving of beef takes, on average, 463 gallons of water to produce (only serving to further exacerbate climate-linked water scarcity issues). By contrast, a single 4 oz serving of potatoes (basically a small potato), uses nine. In fact, the industry harms the environment just by taking up space. Some of the richest ecosystems on the planet are consistently wiped out to make room for cattle operations; livestock farming is a known threat to biodiversity and a cause of species extinction. With all of this in mind, focusing exclusively on carbon emissions seems wildly myopic for a federal program that certifies products as climate-friendly.

Read more: The Cow That Could Feed the Planet

The program isnt just useless; it could even harm the environment further. The low bar to certification could de-incentivize producers from making bigger changes and leading consumers to complacency. And even if the requirements for certification were better than average for beef products, the label climate-friendly would still be seriously misleading. Beef is by far the least climate-friendly food a person can eat due to its levels of greenhouse gas emissions; according to one study, producing a kilogram of beef contributed over 22 times more to the climate crisis than producing a kilogram of rice, and 63 times more than a kilogram of wheat. Not to mention the myriad other ways it negatively impacts the environment. And since brands generally arent required to print the relevant numbers, shoppers cant even compare products to figure out which are the lesser of the evils.

Tysons description of their Climate Smart Beef Program, predictably, is also a big fat nothingburger. Within a thousand words, they manage to avoid any specifics. They talk about implementing and incentivizing climate-smart practices through advanced technology and agricultural intelligence, but they dont specify what even one single climate-smart practice actually is.

Read more: How Israel Became the Global Center For Alternative Meat Tech

Its unsurprising that an industry would spin the truth to position itself as being on the right side of the climate crisis, but its a little galling that a government agency would not just allow this, but facilitate it. The USDA isnt serving the American people in any legitimate way, despite the governments ostensible purpose. This program only serves the beef industry, at the expense of misleading (and likely up-charging) the customer. Its unethical and calls the agencys very purpose into question.

The truth is that anyone who is legitimately interested in lowering their environmental impact should cut back on or skip beef altogether, opting instead for plant foods like fruits, grains, vegetables, and legumes. If anything, the climate-friendly labeling program is a cynical reminder that customers shouldnt believe all the claims made in advertising, even when the ads are government-sanctioned. And remember: there is no such thing as climate-friendly beef. At least, not yet.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
The Hong Kong Science Park in Hetao Sci-tech Zone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province on Sept 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



Hong Kong Science Park, operated by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp (HKSTP), on Thursday opened its first Chinese mainland branch in the Hetao Sci-tech Zone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

The opening of the branch located at the Shenzhen Park of the zone was on Thursday  over a week after the State Council, the nation's Cabinet, unveiled the development plan for the Shenzhen part of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in late August.

The Shenzhen Park on the same day inked pacts with 40 research institutions that will begin businesses, or have such intentions, such as Peking University, the China Resources Research Institute of Science and Technology, and ASC Therapeutics  a United States-based pharmaceutical company.

At the signing ceremony, Guo Ziping, director of the development and reform commission of Shenzhen, said with support from the Shenzhen government, Shenzhen Park will continue to enhance scientific research services, promote the sharing of scientific research facilities and instruments and build high-quality facilities to improve the living environment for talents from home and abroad.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said via video link during the opening ceremony that the completion of the Shenzhen branch represents a milestone not only in HKSTP's history but also in the process of science and innovation cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

The Shenzhen branch, as a core project of the Hetao Sci-tech Zone's Shenzhen section, will become a flagship innovation and technology platform to showcase Hong Kong's sci-tech achievements on Shenzhen soil, Lee said.

Also at the event, Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong highlighted Shenzhen and Hong Kong's advantage in jointly building a world-class innovation hub, pointing to the fact that the "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" cluster ranked 2nd in the Global Innovation Index issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization for three consecutive years.

He said the Shenzhen government will continue to carry out in-depth cooperation with Hong Kong in areas such as information technology, life sciences, artificial intelligence and microelectronics, and support Hong Kong in developing the Northern Metropolis, a mega-township project in the northern New Territories bordering Shenzhen.

HKSTP Chairman Sunny Chai Ngai-chiu thanked the central government and the Hong Kong SAR government for supporting the Shenzhen branch's construction, which was completed in just over a year. He said HKSTP will use the Shenzhen branch as a base and extend its collaboration network to every corner of the Greater Bay Area.

Peter Mok Wai-hin, head of the Greater Bay Area of the HKSTP Corp, said that most of the 16 enterprises that have entered the Shenzhen branch are from Hong Kong, estimating that about 30 to 40 companies will move into the branch in the coming three to four months, with the number increasing to about 50 by the end of this year.

Companies operating at the Shenzhen branch will also enjoy entrepreneurship subsidies offered by the Shenzhen government, as well as rent discounts and tax reductions, Mok said.
SAN DIEGO  A critically endangered species of wild horse has been successfully cloned for the second time ever and is now thriving at San Diego Safari Park.

A Przewalskis horse, sometimes called the Last Wild Horse, was born at ViaGen Pets & Equines cloning facility in Texas on Feb. 17. The foal and his mother, a domestic quarter horse, are now settling in at San Diego Safari Park, according to the organization.

The Last Wild Horse born in San Diego

The cloned horse has been given the name name Ollie in honor of Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., who works as the Kleberg Endowed Director of Conservation Genetics for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

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Dr. Ryder oversees research activities in the areas of molecular genetics, genomic studies and genetic rescue efforts. The Wildlife Alliance says his efforts have been focused on reducing extinction risk and contributing to species recovery.

It is an honor to have studied and worked with so many others on the conservation of this special animal, and to see come alive the possibility of using advanced genetic and reproductive technologies to sustain resilient populations in human care and in their native habitat, said Dr. Ryder.

Przewalskis horse

The foal is a clone of a male Przewalskis horse stallion whose living cell line was cryopreserved over 40 years ago in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Biodiversity Banks Frozen Zoo, the organization explained.

The worlds first cloned Przewalskis horse, Kurt, also lives at the Safari Park. He was born in August 2020 from the same stallions living cell line, making him Ollies genetic twin, the organization explained.

Park officials say this type of horse was formerly considered an endangered species and was categorized as Extinct in the Wild until 1996. The park said the Przewalskis horse has survived for the past 40 years almost entirely in zoos around the world.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
An uncoordinated Florida bear cub found itself in a serious but some might say funny predicament when it got one paw stuck in a tree.

Equally amusing were the gimmicks Florida Fish and Wildlife officers used to try to help it, including a slathering of dish washing soap.

It didnt work.

Photos shared Sept. 8 on Facebook by FWC show the adorable bear didnt look the least embarrassed as it stood on one foot, with its front legs wrapped around the tree.

Somehow this little bear cub got a back paw solidly stuck in the crook of a tree, so our officer called in one of our bear biologists to help the poor lil guy, FWC reported.

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Together they worked for two hours in the blazing sun (all while attempting to avoid sharp claws and teeth!) trying to pry the tree limbs apart, moving this way and that  even soaking the leg in dish soap, but nothing worked.

The last resort was a chainsaw, borrowed from someone living in the area, officials said.

As our biologist safely held the bear as still as possible, our officer was able to cut one of the tree limbs entrapping the cub, FWC said.

The bear was given a quick medical check to make sure no permanent damage had been done. It was then reunited with its mother, officials said.

Details of the location and names of the two rescuers were not released.

Florida is home to about 4,050 black bears, many of which live in the northern part of the state and the Panhandle.

The timing of the cubs predicament coincides with a period when they are known to become more determined to fatten up for winter, FWC officials said.

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CNNs Dana Bash said there was no way to spin the networks new poll she said showed deep-rooted dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election.

America is deeply unhappy with Joe Biden and most Democratic voters hope for a change at the top of the ticket, Bash said at the top of her Inside Politics show on Thursday in video shared online by Mediaite.

According to the poll  linked here  Bidens job approval rating stands at 39%, with 73% seriously concerned his age may affect his abilities.

On a potential 2024 rematch between Biden and the Republican front-runner Donald Trump, registered voters are split between Trump (47%) and Biden (46%), the poll added.

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The poll is setting off alarm bells inside the Biden campaign and the White House, said CNN analyst David Chalian.

Overall, his approval rating is down now at 39% approve. So more than 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of the job hes doing, he noted.

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With $10 in her pocket, a Michigan woman said she decided to buy a lottery ticket before starting her shift at a local bar.

As Shawna Foerster was getting ready to play Club Keno, her aptly named co-worker offered some helpful advice, according to a Sept. 7 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

My co-worker, Jack, suggested I add The Jack to my ticket, so I did, and the rest is history, Foerster recalled to lottery officials. Lottery players who add The Jack add-on game get a chance to win a progressive jackpot or other prizes.

Later in my shift, I scanned the ticket on the terminal, and it printed a receipt saying I needed to claim my prize at the Lottery office, the 40-year-old woman said in the release. I figured I had won $1,000 or so, it wasnt until later when I downloaded the Lottery app and scanned my ticket that I realized I had won $197,296!

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Foerster, of St. Johns, had won The Jack prize with numbers 01-07-11-13-36-46-55-57, according to the release. To win the jackpot, players have to match all eight numbers during the drawing.

When claiming her winnings, the mom said she plans to use some of the money to pay for her daughters college. She also plans to save, according to the release.

Winning this prize is life changing for my family, Foerster said. It means well be able to save for a rainy day and not worry as much about having a cushion to fall back on.

The winning ticket was sold at Brunos Bar in St. Johns, about 25 miles north of Lansing.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Lottery players September luck continues with six-figure jackpot prize in Nebraska

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A Columbia man is set to spend more than seven years behind bars.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of South Carolina said in a Friday release that Columbias Melvin Roshad Simuel, 36, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamines.

Simuel was arrested on three separate occasions in 2018 on firearms possession and distribution of meth and marijuana charges, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Two of the guns had been reported stolen, and Samuel was on probation at the time of the arrests for a prior gun conviction, officials said.

Federal law prevented Simuel from having a gun and ammunition because of prior firearm and burglary convictions.

U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Simuel to the seven-and-a-half years, to be followed by three years of probation. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
The News

Companies  big and small  wont be able to put off disclosing their full carbon footprints much longer.

The European Union recently finalized standards for corporate climate disclosures which will take effect in January and eventually apply to about 50,000 companies, including an estimated 10,000 based in the United States. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to finalize its own rules next month. And California might beat them both to the punch: State legislators are expected next week to approve a pair of climate disclosure bills that go even further than the SEC on key points.

The train has left the station, said Mike Wallace, chief decarbonization officer of the carbon accounting firm Persefoni.

Tims view

Although a growing number of corporations are measuring their carbon footprints for the first time, many have strongly resisted being forced to publish the results in their financial statements, pressuring the SEC and EU regulators to water down their draft disclosure rules.

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There are two main sticking points: Scope 3 emissions, and the cost of future climate impacts.

Companies are concerned that being forced to disclose their Scope 3 emissions  which include upstream emissions from suppliers and downstream emissions from customers use of a companys products  is an imprecise, tedious, and expensive process. Many climate economists, on the other hand, insist that measuring Scope 3 is getting easier all the time, and that especially for energy companies and other big emitters its essential. The EU regulations let companies off the hook for Scope 3 if they can prove theyre not material to investors  a vague and potentially subjective definition that Tsvetelina Kuzmanova, senior policy advisor at the think tank E3G, said will muddy the waters and pass the buck to a cottage industry of carbon-auditing firms.

With the justification of reducing the regulatory burden on the companies, theyre actually just creating more uncertainty, Kuzmanova said. Were looking at a mess here.

A draft version of the SEC rules took a similar approach to Scope 3; the difficulty of how to handle those emissions with a minimum risk of lawsuits  either from irate environmentalists or irate corporate lawyers  has been one of the main issues holding up the final version of the rules. The California regulations, which are expected to pass a vote in the state Assembly by next week with the backing of prominent companies including Adobe and Microsoft, would require universal Scope 3 disclosure.

Climate impact risk  which the EU, SEC, and California regulations also require to varying degrees  is potentially even more complicated. Imagine a multinational firm with warehouses scattered around the world. Putting a specific dollar figure on climate-related damage to those warehouses in a given year is hard enough. Projecting those to the future requires companies to practice a kind of hyperlocal climate modeling that is challenging even for climate scientists.

Notwithstanding these obstacles, a growing number of companies are voluntarily disclosing climate data, especially on emissions. A survey by Persefoni in August of 90 large U.S. companies found that 73% report Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and 26% report Scope 3. The reason, Wallace said, is that everyone is already demanding it: Shareholders, government procurement contracts, customers, financiers, other businesses in a companys supply chain, etc.

It doesnt matter what happens with these regulations, he said. Youre going to get questions about your carbon footprint.

The problem, as expressed by influential lobbying groups like the Business Roundtable  which is meeting next week in Washington, and which made a splashy commitment to sustainability in 2019  is making those disclosures mandatory. The Persefoni survey shows most companies that do disclose are putting the data in places where its unlikely to draw much scrutiny or make them liable to fraud or greenwashing charges. Only 14% reported the data in their 10-K financial statements.

Legal risk isnt the only concern businesses have: Firm-level emissions data is also a key ingredient for future carbon taxes and emissions allowances.

Make no mistake, said David Smith, an environmental attorney at the California firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. This will be the baseline from which further reductions are mandated.

The View From Sacramento

The California bills show how close the world is to a tipping point on disclosure. The regulations would cover any business that has any dealings in California, not just those headquartered there, Smith said, and would cover each businesses full global operations. In other words, within the next week a few state lawmakers  and Governor Gavin Newsom, who has yet to weigh in on the bills and, while generally progressive on climate issues, may be reluctant to draw too much business community ire  could effectively force disclosure on companies worldwide.

I dont think the consequences and precedent can be understated, Smith said. Its huge, and its crazy how few people in the corporate world realize how close these are.

Room for Disagreement

New requirements springing up around the world, as well as from shareholders and customers, may end up making final disclosure rules even more confusing and less useful to investors who want to make apples-to-apples comparisons between companies on their contribution and exposure to climate change  which is ultimately the entire point of the exercise.

The Business Roundtable also argues that including Scope 3 emissions in financial filings could mislead investors by implying a level of precision and accuracy inherently not present. Too many mandatory disclosures, they also argue, could spook companies from setting more ambitious climate goals.

Notable

A European watchdog warned regulators to step up their scrutiny of banks environmental claims this week  something they can only do if more companies across the economy disclose their emissions data.

U.S. lawmakers are also pressuring the insurance industry for more disclosures. In a letter Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democratic senators complained that her agency has failed to collect comprehensive and transparent data about the impact of climate change on the insurance industry, leaving vulnerable communities, consumers, and the economy at greater risk from the climate crisis.
The company behind a viral spicy chip challenge has pulled the product after a Massachusetts family blamed it for their teenage sons death last week.

The One Chip Challenge, consisting of a single tortilla chip covered in an extremely spicy powder and promoted by social media influencers online as a dare, became popular in recent months.

Though the official cause of death of Harris Wolobah is still unknown, the 14-year-olds family has blamed the chip.

His mother, Lois Wolobah, has told news outlets that her sons school called Sept. 1 saying he was sick and needed to be picked up. He seemed to be feeling better, but later in the afternoon passed out and was pronounced dead at the hospital, Lois Wolobah told NBC Boston.

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I just want there to be an awareness for parents to know that its not safe, she told The New York Times. It needs to be out of the market completely.

Manufacturer Paqui has asked retailers to take the product off shelves, a move 7-Eleven convenience stores have already followed, The Associated Press reported.

The product, which sells for about $10, is a single foil-wrapped chip in a casket-shaped box. The packaging says the food is intended for adults and should be kept away from children.

We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings, Paqui said in a statement. As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of abundance of caution, we are actively working with retailers to remove the product from shelves.

Hospitalizations due to the spicy chip have previously been reported, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early warned.

You can have very mild symptoms like burning or tingling of the lips in the mouth, but you can also have more severe symptoms, Lauren Rice, the chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Tufts Medical Center, told the AP.

This goes back to the ingredients that are used with the tortilla chip, she said. There are some spices like capsaicin, which is a chemical ingredient that we use in things like pepper spray and so they are very strong chemicals and they can be very irritating. Some of the more severe symptoms that we see can be things like significant abdominal pain or nausea and vomiting.

The terms of the challenge encourages people to eat the chip and avoid drinking water or other spice-soothing liquids for as long as possible, and to post their results online.

The spicy powder for the chip contains two of the worlds hottest peppers, the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper, the company notes on its website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A man who used to live in Pueblo and alleged  without proof  he had sex and did drugs with former President Barack Obama has ties to Pueblo. He was once wanted by local law enforcement after they suspected he defrauded one of his neighbors.

Lawrence Larry Sinclair publicized his claims about Obama in 2008 but reiterated them this week in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sinclair lived some time in Colorado and has a long history of run-ins with the law, especially crimes involving fraud.

Records show that a warrant for his arrest was issued in Pueblo in 2001, but local law enforcement authorities say that warrant is no longer active.

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Here's what to know about Sinclair and the allegations made against him in Pueblo.

Larry Sinclair (left) was interviewed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a 41-minute video posted to the social media platform X on September 5, 2023.

Sinclairs criminal history in Pueblo

Sinclair allegedly stole a tax refund check from a neighbor who trusted him, according to a 2001 police report filed with the Pueblo Police Department.

He also was charged with a traffic violation in Pueblo in 1999  not complying with a traffic control device  but pleaded not guilty and that charge was dismissed.

A criminal history search from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations shows three recorded arrests in Colorado for Sinclair, all in the 1980s.

One of those arrests was in Lakewood in 1986 for fraudulent use of credit cards, but Sinclair also had outstanding charges in Pueblo for check fraud.

He was sentenced to 16 years in jail on forgery charges and had a difficult time in prison. Politico reported that he was disciplined 97 times and was transferred to different prisons around the state before eventually landing at the states maximum security location.

What happened with the arrest warrant in Pueblo?

The Politico report from 2008 stated that Sinclair had an active warrant for his arrest issued by the Pueblo County Sheriffs Office in connection with the alleged theft and forgery in 2001.

Former Pueblo County Undersheriff J.R. Hall told Politico that Sinclairs arrest warrant didnt allow for extradition to Colorado, so he wouldnt face consequences unless he was detained within state lines.

An affidavit of probable cause for an arrest warrant was filed by Pueblo PD Detective Michele Ellis on May 4, 2001, less than three months after Sinclairs former neighbor filed a police report.

A records clerk with Pueblo PD and the public information officer for the sheriff's office confirmed to the Chieftain they have no records of active arrest warrants for Sinclair.

A Pueblo court clerk told the Chieftain by phone that the court's only files on Sinclair are from the traffic charge in 1999.

Jeff Chostner, Colorados 10th Judicial District Attorney, told the Chieftain in an email that his office also has record of the 2001 fraud incident but he could not confirm details about the warrant, such as when it was issued or whether it's active.

Chostner was first elected to the position in 2012.

Sinclairs theft and forgery allegations in Pueblo

The Pueblo PD case file, obtained by the Chieftain through an open records request, states that Sinclair allegedly helped a trusting neighbor prepare her 1999 taxes. But she never received her 1999 income tax check of $2,673.04.

Thats because Sinclair allegedly stole the check and deposited it into his account at Pueblo Bank and Trust  police say he deposited $2,000 and took the rest in cash.

Sinclair's neighbor filed a report with Pueblo PD in February 2001.

According to a summary of a police interview with the victim, she was traveling to visit family in Texas in early 2000 and Sinclair collected her mail for her while she was gone. She contacted the Internal Revenue Service in June after her check never came  they told her it had been cashed.

After filling out affidavits of forgery, the neighbor received a copy of the check from the IRS and said it was clear that the signature endorsing the IRS payment didnt match her own on file.

Where is Sinclair now?

Sinclair has been arrested in the United States at least two times since the arrest warrant was issued in Pueblo: in South Carolina for disorderly conduct in 2007, and in Washington D.C. in 2008 for an alleged larceny in Delaware. The Washington D.C. arrest was made just after Sinclair had spoken at a press conference detailing to reporters his allegations against Obama.

Sinclair ran for mayor in 2018 in Cocoa, a small Florida city along the Atlantic coast. He received the smallest amount of votes among the candidates running, with 30%.

Cocoa mayor candidate Larry Sinclair had been out campaigning in Cocoa most if the day.

Sinclairs allegations about Obama were never substantiated. Politico reported that the website whitehouse.com offered him $100,000 if he could pass a polygraph test, but the results indicated deception. Sinclair and his attorney disputed the accuracy of the test.

The Daily Mail reported that Sinclair grew up in South Carolina but now lives in Mexico.

Sinclairs interview with Carlson on X has garnered nearly 33 million views as of early Friday afternoon.

But the platforms new owner, billionaire businessman Elon Musk, tweeted his skepticism of Sinclairs allegations shortly after Carlsons video published. Of course, the probability that his claims are true would have to rest on objective evidence, rather than claims made by someone with a dubious history, Musk wrote.

In his interview with Carlson, Sinclair denied that he is a fugitive or has avoided persecution.

I've never wasted taxpayer money and any sentence I've ever been given, I've served, Sinclair said.

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How a con man who alleges he had sex with Obama has ties to Pueblo
A convicted felon who the Allegheny County sheriffs office said violated a 10-year probation sentence connected to a conviction for conspiracy to commit third degree murder was arrested.

According to the sheriffs office, Michael Lyons, 32, had been wanted since Nov. 2022 after a bench warrant was issued regarding a probation violation.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Man on Allegheny County Sheriffs Office Most Wanted list arrested in McKeesport

Lyons had two other active warrants against him, one for simple assault and firearms violations and the other for aggravated assault.

RELATED >> Police arrest suspected gunman in Sheraden murder

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Sheriffs deputies found out Lyons was staying on Campbell Street in Wilkinsburg. They arrived at the house Friday morning and arrested Lyons without incident, the sheriffs office said.

Lyons was taken to the Allegheny County Jail.

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Before they were convicted by a jury following a four-month trial, five members of the Proud Boys who faced treason-related charges in connection with January 6 were offered plea deals with prison sentences significantly lower than the ones they received in recent days.

The terms of a plea deal from federal prosecutors were recently made public by an attorney for Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl, two Proud Boys organizers sentenced to 17 and 15 years in prison, respectively.

According to plea guidelines presented to the five defendants last October, Biggs and Rehl would instead have faced six to eight years in jail.

Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the neo-fascist group who was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest term to date among the hundreds of people convicted in connection with the attack, was presented with a possible sentence of nine to 11 years.

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Ethan Nordean, who received a prison sentence of 18 years and is now tied with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes for the second-longest sentence among January 6 defendants, was presented with a sentence of six to eight years.

Dominic Pezzola, the sole defendant among the five men who was not found guilty of seditious conspiracy, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. A plea deal suggested he would face four to five years in prison.

The terms of a plea agreement stipulated that the defendants would agree to a statement of offense that accurately describes their actions and involvements in the criminal offenses to which they would have pleaded guilty.

Proud Boys attorney claims sentences are a trial tax

Jurors found the men guilty on a number of charges connected to the attack in May. A sentencing memo from federal prosecutors suggested prison terms of 20 to 33 years.

Following a series of lengthy sentencing hearings in recent days, US District Judge Timothy Kelly ultimately imposed sentences roughly half of what prosecutors sought for each defendant.

Norman Pattis, an attorney for both Biggs and Rehl, argued in court filings that prosecutors demand for sentences that exceeded the initial plea offer amounted to a trial tax against them. Mr Pattis argues that the sentences imposed against them violated the Sixth Amendment.

The defendants were punished for demanding their right to a trial, according to a filing on 6 September.

During a four-month trial, prosecutors and witness testimony revealed thousands of private messages and evidence that a jury agreed had revealed that the defendants organized for weeks in the aftermath of the 2020 election to forcibly disrupt the outcome, then directed a mob towards the Capitol as Proud Boys dismantled barricades and broke windows to breach the halls of Congress, then bragged about their actions on social media.

Prosecutors argued that the Proud Boys were not merely obedient followers of then-President Trumps commands but were preparing for all-out war to undermine millions of Americans votes and upend a democratic election to preserve his presidency.

After begging for leniency, Proud Boys downplay charges and January 6

The defendants largely apologised for their actions and condemned their behaviour in an effort to avoid lengthy prison sentences and to spend time with their families as they begged Judge Kelly for leniency at their sentencing hearings. But in statements that followed, they have largely downplayed the events of January 6.

Pezzola, who told the judge he was a changed man and said his actions on January 6 were among the worst, most regrettable decisions of his life, shouted out Trump won moments after he was sentenced.

An online fundraiser for Biggs falsely claims that he was punished for merely shaking a fence and participating in online venting sessions with his friends.

Rehl, who called January 6 a despicable day and told the judge he was done with politics and done peddling lies during his sentencing hearing, later falsely claimed in a statement to a far-right website that he was convicted for merely walking around public property.

At his sentencing hearing, Tarrio called January 6 a national embarrassment and apologised to lawmakers, members of the jury and residents of Washington DC. But in a fundraising message to supporters, Tarrio falsely claimed he was sentenced to prison for the crime of speaking the truth.
Chinese Vice Premier to lead delegation to N.Korea

09:32, September 08, 2023 By Fan Anqi ( Global Times

China announced on Thursday that it will send a high-profile delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the second time in less than two months, a rare move which experts believe demonstrates the traditional friendship and support for each other that will inject stability into regional security, at a time when tensions have risen to an unprecedented level.

Against the backdrop of the US-led West's increasingly tough sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang, China's support, which will not be confined to moral support, will help North Korea break its isolation in the international community, observers believe.

At the invitation of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the DPRK, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will lead a party and government delegation to DPRK to attend the commemorative events for its 75th founding anniversary and visit the country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday.

Liu will be the most senior Chinese official to visit North Korea since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korea celebrates its founding day on September 9, known as the Day of the Foundation of the Republic, and this year will mark the 75th anniversary since the peninsula was freed from Japanese occupation.

Regarding the visit, Mao said at Thursday's media briefing that China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and the two parties and countries enjoy a good tradition of friendly exchanges. Having a high-level Chinese delegation attend the commemoration and visit the country reflects our profound friendship and the high importance China attaches to our bilateral ties.

The Chinese vice premier's visit comes only one and a half months after Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, led a Chinese Party and government delegation to the country.

The rare consecutive visits to Pyongyang by Chinese high-profile officials have highlighted China's consistent stance of friendship and support toward North Korea in the current international context, in which the country is being isolated by and facing sanctions from Western forces. In contrast, China is willing to deepen the government-to-government and party-to-party connections between the two sides, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In addition to participating in the celebration activities, the Chinese delegation is likely to discuss the resumption of normal exchanges in the post-pandemic era in areas such as transportation, trade and investment, and tourism, Da said.

Given that Liu is in charge of the health and agriculture sectors in China and North Korea has been dealing with chronic food shortages, Liu's visit may also include the provision of food aid to alleviate its urgent needs, experts noted.

With the US, Japan, and South Korea intensifying their pressure on North Korea, current tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached unprecedented levels, with the recent military drills between US and South Korea, and the US deployment of a nuclear-propelled submarine and B-1B bombers, Lu Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China's reiteration of support for its neighbor plays an important positive role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, Lu said.

Upon the announcement of Liu's planned trip, Western media has been hyping it as "a chance to communicate" with the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un before his reported trip to Russia next week for a meeting in Vladivostok with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

White House officials have said they expect talks between Kim and Putin to focus on arms transfers from North Korea to help the Kremlin with the conflict in Ukraine. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Pyongyang it would "pay a price" if it provided weapons, according to media reports.

However, Russia has said it has nothing to say on the matter, nor did North Korean state media mention any visit to Russia.

Such rhetoric is attempting to tie China, Russia, and North Korea together and purposefully make the "group" into an opposing camp against the West, with the true intention of creating a new Cold War, which is completely absurd, Lu said.

While the three countries share common ground on many international issues and have ample room for consultation and cooperation, it does not imply they are forming an alliance, the expert said, urging Western countries to stop distorting facts.

"The reports about Kim traveling to Russia to discuss an arms deal were solely from US media outlets with no confirmation from either Pyongyang or Moscow. It is an attempt by the US to justify its actions to contain North Korea and undermine Russia's military strength," Lu said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
In a bustling exhibition hall at the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), visitors immersed themselves in a truly global experience: the aroma of Georgian wine mingles with the scent of Norwegian pine while the jaunty rhythms of Malaysia's Sarawak's traditional folk dances fill the air.



This year's CIFTIS is more dynamic and international than ever, attracting over 2,400 companies from 59 countries and 24 international organizations to showcase new technologies across a broad range of industries.

In a time of sluggish global recovery and growing economic challenges, CIFTIS reiterates China's commitment to openness, inclusiveness, shared benefit, and innovation-driven development with an aim to inject confidence into global service trade.

New growth engine

Attending the fair for the first time, Rodrigo Gomez, a trade representative at the Embassy of Argentina in China, said he was amazed by the scale of CIFTIS and the broad participation of international bodies. He added he was eager to explore the technological innovations showcased at the event.

Rodrigo Gomez, a trade representative at the Embassy of Argentina in China, in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2023. [Photo by Cui Can/China.org.cn]



Argentina, a traditional producer and exporter of agriculture products, has in recent years diversified its technological partnerships by collaborating with Chinese companies on farm-related technologies. "Chinese companies are becoming increasingly significant partners for us," Gomez noted.

"Service trade accounts for 14% of our global exports, but our trade with China is still very low. Even a 1% increase would be transformative for us," he added, saying that Argentina is keen to cooperate with China in healthcare services, e-commerce technologies, and other sectors related to knowledge-intensive services.

Henning Kristoffersen (second from the right), commercial counselor at the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, introduces Norwegian health supplements and furniture brands during a livestream held in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2023. [Photo by Cui Can/China.org.cn]



In a livestreaming room at CIFTIS, Henning Kristoffersen, commercial counselor at the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, introduced various Norwegian health supplements and furniture brands to customers all over China using just a cell phone.

With a few taps on their phones, Chinese customers can now easily purchase Norwegian fish oil products online and have them delivered directly to their door. Norway's venture into e-commerce livestreaming at this year's event attracted a large audience and showed the potential of digital trade in services across geographical boundaries.

Zhang Qi, director general of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations of the Development Research Center of the State Council, attributed the success of these convenient services to the rapid development of mobile internet and digital trade. "China's digital technology is becoming a new engine driving its service trade with other countries," she said.

A recent report released at CIFTIS showed that China's total import and export of digital services grew by 3.9% year on year to $371.08 billion in 2022, with exports growing by 7.2%, surpassing the global average.

Building bridges of cooperation

Georgian exhibitor Giorgi Rtveladze (left) introduces world-renowned Georgian wines to Chinese customers in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2023. [Photo by Cui Can/China.org.cn]



Giorgi Rtveladze, a Georgian exhibitor, introduced world-renowned Georgian wines to Chinese customers in fluent Mandarin. The wines, renowned for their rich flavors, drew many curious visitors at the fair.

Rtveladze has been running his wine business in Hainan, China's booming free trade port, for over three years. Thanks to local preferential policies such as lower tariffs and faster customs clearance, he can import Georgian wines at competitive prices and make a profit.

"CIFTIS allows me to reach more Chinese customers, which helps me to expand my footprint in the Chinese market," he said. He added that he plans to open a Georgian wine promotion center and a restaurant in Hainan by the end of the year.

Dancers from Malaysia's Sarawak state perform at the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2023. [Photo by Cui Can/China.org.cn]



Malaysia's Sarawak state also sees CIFTIS as a platform to attract more tourists from China.

Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the minister of the Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Ministry, said his delegation hoped to engage with key players in the Chinese tourism sector during the fair, strengthening the two side's relationship and cooperation.

Sarawak tourism authorities have been promoting Sarawak as a destination for China's outbound tourists since before the pandemic, attracting 39,933 visitors in 2019. Despite having no direct flights from China, Sarawak has received 23,149 visitors as of July 2023, according to the ministry.

As the curtain falls on this year's CIFTIS, its influence will linger for years to come. Liu Baocheng, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said that as China advances the opening-up of its service sector, it will create more possibilities for global investors to benefit.

"Being a major player in global trade and a key supporter of the multilateral trading system, China is expected to revitalize the world trading system and achieve credible outcomes," Liu stated.
The National Agency on Corruption Prevention uncovered that the former head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast military enlistment office and the head of a district enlistment office in Lviv accepted illegal gifts, the Agency reported on Aug. 8.

According to the findings, a subordinate of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast enlistment office's chief at the time sold a MAZDA CX-5 car to his boss's wife at a price that was Hr 800,000 ($21,700) less than its market value.

After that, the office's head granted a leave to his subordinate to travel abroad.

In another case, a son of the Lviv enlistment office's chief received an unfinished house with an area of 638 square meters and adjoining land from a woman with a personal relation to a man who is registered at the same enlistment office.

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Despite being eligible for military service, the man has never been called up for a medical examination or received other orders regarding mobilization.

The Agency handed over the results of their investigations to law enforcement.

Ukrainian authorities began the nationwide inspection of military recruitment offices in late June after journalists discovered that the family of Yevhen Borysov, the former head of the Odesa Oblast military enlistment office, had purchased property worth $4.5 million in Spain during the full-scale war.

Some 112 cases regarding abuses by military enlistment offices have been brought to investigation since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the State Bureau of Investigation said on Aug. 8.

On Aug. 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree dismissing all heads of regional military enlistment offices from their posts.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Luther Jones walked out of the El Paso Federal Justice Center at 6060 Mesa HIlls after meeting with the FBI in 2010

Luther Jones, a former El Paso elected official who was disbarred a decade ago after being convicted of charges that he conspired to corrupt county and school governments, is seeking to have his Texas law license reinstated.

Jones, who has lived in Houston since 2015, said he is seeking to practice law again at age 77 because if I stop working, I start dying.

Even if a court grants his request for reinstatement, which is opposed by the Texas State Bar, Jones would have to pass the bar exam again. He said he plans to do mostly pro bono work, focusing on environmental litigation and tenants facing eviction. He also said he would represent people charged with minor crimes.

Its kind of a way of atonement. I hope that doesnt sound corny, but thats the way I kind of feel about it, he said in a phone interview.

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Corruption involving Jones and others in the 1990s and early 2000s did extensive damage to El Paso, said Steve Ortega, who ran successfully for City Council in 2005 in part because he was concerned about a pay-to-play system that permeated local government.

At the end of the day, you dont want corruption in the community because it harms competitiveness, said Ortega, who now works as a private attorney in El Paso.

Luther Jones, left, is escorted into the U.S. Courthouse in 2009 by his attorney Steve Peters.

The El Paso of 25 years ago was in an economic tailspin, Ortega said. So government contracts were a key source of revenue for many businesses.

So if you can manipulate that process, you had access to significant funds, contracts, and then if you can manipulate the political process, it makes access to those funds and contracts even easier, he said.

Much of the El Paso business and political community were aware of the widespread corruption, but few spoke out, Ortega said.

Jones was among more than 30 government officials, business people and lawyers who were convicted or pleaded guilty to federal charges as a result of Operation Poisoned Pawns, a sprawling FBI investigation into corruption in the city and county governments, as well as El Pasos three largest school districts. The investigation came to public light in 2006, when FBI agents raided the El Paso County Courthouse.

Ortega said that as an attorney, he doesnt feel Jones deserves a chance to practice law again.

I believe in the concept of redemption, but only he knows if hes fully atoned for his acts. Just from a professional perspective, I dont think anyone who is that entrenched in corrupt activities should have the license returned, he said.

Jones said he hopes his wish to practice law again doesnt anger people in El Paso.

I apologize to them. I have no ill will against anybody, including the people that prosecuted me, the judge that sentenced me. I have nothing but the highest regard for the criminal justice system. I accepted my fate and I took my punishment, and Im trying to rebuild a productive life. What else can I say?

Jones filed a petition for reinstatement to the Texas State Bar in a Harris County district court in July. A hearing on Jones petition is scheduled for Oct. 27, with a trial planned for Sept. 30, 2024.

A State Bar spokesperson declined comment beyond providing their court filing that stated they are opposed to Jones reinstatement.

Under State Bar rules, disbarred lawyers seeking reinstatement have the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the best interests of the public and the profession, as well as the ends of justice, would be served by his or her reinstatement.

More: El Paso Water, police warn of utility worker impersonators, misleading sales and scams

A political force becomes an inmate

Jones served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1973-1981. He was appointed El Paso County attorney in 1983 and was elected county judge in 1986. He was defeated for re-election in 1990.

After his re-election defeat, Jones worked as an attorney and behind-the-scenes power broker, helping elect people to City Council, County Commissioners Court and school boards. He then used those he helped elect to steer contracts to his clients, according to indictments filed in 2009 and 2010.

Jones was convicted on two separate indictments. One alleged that he bribed an unnamed county commissioner and District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez to rig a bid to favor his client for a contract to digitize court records. The second indictment alleged he bribed Ysleta school board members to award a health insurance contract to his client. He was convicted by a jury on the first indictment and pleaded guilty to the second.

He was sentenced to six years in prison. He was released from prison in July 2015 and completed his probation terms three years later.

Jones was disbarred in 2013 as a result of his felony convictions. In his reinstatement petition, Jones said he wanted to voluntarily surrender his law license after his conviction, but was unable to do so because he was imprisoned and didnt have access to his records.

More: Work in progress: How to transform out-of-date Bridge of the Americas into 'beautiful' port

A new life in Houston

He said he exiled myself from El Paso after being released from prison in 2015. He volunteered at a Houston hospital after moving there, then took a job from 2015 to 2021 doing constituent work for state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. They served together in the Texas House of Representatives in the 1970s.

Whitmire is supporting Jones reinstatement petition, as is another former House colleague in the 1970s, John Bryant of Dallas.

Whitmire is one of the frontrunners for the Houston mayoral race in November.

His campaign did not respond to a request from El Paso Matters for comment about his support for restoring Jones law license. But he provided a statement to the news organization Houston Landing: I have always been a believer in second chances. Mr. Jones paid a high price for violating the law and now its time to let him have a second chance, like others I have supported.

Bryant served in Congress from 1983 to 1997. He was elected to the Texas House in 2022 after being out of politics for 26 years.

He said Jones was a dedicated public servant for many years, and a talented lawyer. Bryant said people should be judged on the totality of their lives.

Luthers a person of great character, hes generous and honest and was accused of being overzealous in representing a client. The jury didnt agree with his testimony, convicted him, Bryant said, referring to one of the two indictments that led to Jones imprisonment. He did his time, and he returned to public life and began doing volunteer work. The law allows a person whos done that to receive their law license, to return to law practice, if they pass the bar exam.

Ortega, the former El Paso City Council member, said Bryants description of Jones actions with El Paso governments was dead-ass wrong.

There was a long-term effort that resulted in systematic corruption, Ortega said.

Disclosure: Steve Ortega is a financial supporter of El Paso Matters. Financial supporters play no role in El Paso Matters journalism.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Corruption sentence complete, Luther Jones seeks to regain law license
Albertsons and Kroger intend to sell over 400 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers to appease federal regulators as part of the companies plan to merge, according to reports from Reuters and Bloomberg. The sale would bring the two grocery giants nearly $2 billion.

C&S Wholesale Grocers is a private wholesale grocery supply company based in New Hampshire. It operates about two dozen Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, mostly on the East Coast.

The stores Albertsons and Kroger plan to divest are located on the Pacific Coast and in Mountain states, as well as in Texas, Illinois and other places, Reuters reported. But nothing more than that is known. A Kroger spokesperson did not return calls and emails from the Idaho Statesman seeking details, and Boise-based Albertsons declined to comment.

But the deal with C&S Wholesale Grocers isnt a total surprise.

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Albertsons and Kroger said in October when they announced their $24.6 billion pact that they could spin off between 100 and 375 stores into a new company to help their merger pass an antitrust review by the Federal Trade Commission amid concerns of excessive market concentration.

Albertsons and Kroger have stores under their banners in the same cities in multiple states, including in Idaho. Fred Meyer, which has seven stores in the Ada and Canyon counties, is part of the Kroger family. Albertsons has 24 stores in the two counties.

The companies have not disclosed what stores might be sold, but a national retail analyst previously told the Idaho Statesman most are likely to be Albertsons locations.

The analyst said divestitures would be less likely in Boise, where Walmart, Winco, Costco and other grocery retailers have expanded aggressively, and where the market concentration of Albertsons and Fred Meyer stores might not be enough to worry regulators.

If Albertsons and Kroger succeed in merging, the combined company would be led by Rodney McMullen, the Kroger chairman and CEO.

McMullen said at a congressional hearing in November that no stores, distribution centers or manufacturing facilities would close, and no front-line workers would be laid off, if the massive deal receives FTC approval. It could mean some job losses in accounting and other support or service jobs to avoid duplication, he said.

Albertsons is Idahos largest company and a Boise icon, with 290,000 employees nationwide and more than 5,000 employees in Idaho, according to previous Statesman reporting. Founded in 1939 by Joe Albertson, it is the second-largest U.S. supermarket and operates chains under Safeway, Haggen, Jewel-Osco and more than a dozen other brands. It has more than 2,200 stores.

Business Editor David Staats contributed.

Albertsons reports quarterly profit losses, predicts inflationary cost increases ahead

Update: Albertsons to pay stockholders $4b dividend. Grocer announces when it will happen
CRAIG COUNTY, Okla.  Country music star Zach Bryan was arrested for allegedly obstructing an investigation on Thursday night, KTLAs sister station KFOR reports.

He was booked into the Craig County Jail just before 7 p.m. Details remain limited and its unclear what led up to his arrest.

Zach Bryan mugshot. Image from Craig County Sheriff's Office.

Zach Bryan posted a statement about the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter, about an hour after bonding out of Craig County Jail:

Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said.

I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize. They brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around.

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Prayers we can all move on from this and prayers people know Im just trying the best I can, I love you guys and I am truly sorry to the officers.

KFOR has reached out to the Craig County Sheriffs Office but has not heard back.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
FILE - Zach Bryan arrives at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. Bryan says he was arrested and jailed briefly in northeastern Oklahoma. According to a post on his account on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, Bryan wrote that he had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on Thursday night and said some things that were out of line because he was frustrated. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Country music star Zach Bryan was arrested by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and jailed briefly Thursday in northeastern Oklahoma, according to a video posted on his account on the social media site X, formerly Twitter.

Bryan said he was driving through Vinita, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) northeast of Tulsa when his security guard, who was driving behind him, was stopped by an officer.

Bryan, who is from Oologah, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Tulsa, said he also stopped and after 10 to 15 minutes, got out of his vehicle to smoke a cigarette when the officer told him to get back inside the vehicle or be taken to jail.

Bryan said he cursed the officer, who then handcuffed him and placed him in the patrol vehicle.

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I get too lippy with him, Bryan said. Im just mouthing off like an idiot and the officer was just doing their job.

Bryan said he spent a few hours at the Craig County jail before being released on bond and that he spoke to the officer and shook hands with him before leaving.

Bryan in an earlier post on X, wrote, he is truly sorry to the officers and that he was out of line.

I dont think that Im above the law, I was just being disrespectful ... I was just an idiot ... and it wont happen again, Bryan said in the video. I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize.

A representative for Bryan did not immediately return messages Friday morning for comment.

Court records do not show formal charges have been filed.

Bryan earned his first number-one album earlier this week. Billboard reports Bryans self-titled album moved 200,000 units this past week, putting it at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Bryan, in a duet with Kacey Musgraves, currently has the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with I Remember Everything.
The Tri-Cities is starting to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to data from the Benton Franklin Health District.

An increase in cases started on the East Coast, with the Tri-Cities following about a month behind, as is typical for the area, said Dr. Larry Jecha, interim health officer for the Benton Franklin Health District.

The district is seeing more hospital patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and a larger percentage of emergency department patients diagnosed with COVID, as shown on its weekly respiratory hospitalization report.

More of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 also is being found in samples of wastewater collected in Pasco and Kennewick.

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The virus is expected to slowly build to a seasonal peak in late December nationally and likely a little later than that in the Tri-Cities. Cases could be a little lower than last years peak, Jecha told the Tri-City Herald.

Hospitals in Benton and Franklin counties are seeing more patients who have COVID-19, according to data reported Sept. 5, 2023.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expecting a respiratory illness season this fall and winter not too different than last year, with infections again showing up somewhat earlier than usual.

RSV and flu trends

Predictions are based in part by following the respiratory illness season in the Southern Hemisphere. There COVID-19 cases were slightly lower than the previous year and RSV and influenza seasons started earlier than expected based on historical trends, but were no worse than the year before, Jecha said.

Now RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is starting to be seen in Florida, and Jecha expects it to be in the Tri-Cities in November.

Checks for that virus, in addition to the coronavirus, are expected to start soon using samples collected at Tri-Cities wastewater plants.

Nationally flu is expected to peak in late November and RSV in early November, with the Tri-City lagging national trends by about a month.

The common cold season is starting now in the Tri-Cities, which happens with the start of the school season, Jecha said.

He recommends testing to make sure that a respiratory illness is not COVID-19. People with respiratory illnesses should wear masks in public to help limit infections passed onto other people.

Recommended vaccinations

We have got a lot of good vaccinations, Jecha said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Tuesday, Sept. 12, to determine who will be eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccine.

The new COVID-19 vaccines should be available starting this month, and those eligible for them can get them at the same time as their annual flu shot.

Results of Kennewick wastewater sampling and testing for the coronavirus.

Jecha recommends influenza vaccines in October for most people to make sure strong protection lasts through the flu season. Effectiveness starts to wane after about three months.

But its fine to get a flu shot in September if that is most convenient, he said.

An annual flu shot is recommended for people six months and older.

Three types of the flu vaccine are recommended by the CDC as more effective for people 65 and older. Some children may need two doses of the vaccine, with the second dose given four weeks after the first.

The COVID and flu vaccines may not prevent people from getting sick, but they are effective at preventing people at higher risk of serious illness from being hospitalized or dying from either of the infections, Jecha said.

An RSV vaccine also is newly available.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms and most people recover in a week or two. But infants and older adults are more likely to develop severe RSV and need hospitalization.

Recommendations for the new COVID-19 vaccine are expected soon. Make plans to get a flu vaccine in October. If you are at least 60, ask your doctor if you need the new RSV vaccine.

People 60 or older are eligible to receive the RSV vaccine, which protects older adults from severe illness.

Jecha recommends they discuss whether they should get the vaccine with their health care provider. Those who have reduced immune system function, smoke or have lung disease are most likely to need it, he said.

The CDC also says the vaccine may be recommended by a health care provider for those with heart disease or those who live in a nursing home.

A dose of a monoclonal antibody that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July is recommended for infants.
WASHINGTON  Jennifer Kaiser has had COVID-19 four times. But with cases on the rise across the country, the Florida Panhandle resident says she has no intention of masking up even if that means risking a fifth infection.

We live in a free country, and I think people have the free will to choose," Kaiser told USA TODAY.

"If I choose to go and be around other people, and I know that COVID is out there, then that's my choice," said Kaiser, a registered Republican and mother of seven who lives in Santa Rosa County, Florida.

The spike in infections and hospitalizations has revived a debate over wearing face masks, with opinions ranging from support for their benefits to skepticism about whether they work to outright hostility toward the face coverings.

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It's a fight Republicans are amplifying, not one Democrats in Congress or the White House are embracing, ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Though instances of mask mandates around the country are rare, Republican politicians have sounded the alarm over some cases, such as an elementary school in Maryland that required students to wear N95 face masks after a classroom COVID-19 outbreak.

"This is crazy," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Rest assured that as long as Im Governor, Arkansas will not force our kids to wear masks in school."

Yet far from embracing mask mandates, the White House is trying to stay out of the politically fraught issue, arguing it is up to local officials to decide whether they want to follow mask guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's a marked departure from the COVID-19 politics of a few years ago, when President Joe Biden actively encouraged Americans to wear masks.

"It is up to the schools," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday. "It is the decisions of the districts to decide what they want to do with the guidelines that theyve been provided by CDC."

She stressed there are no federal mandates: "These are guidelines. To be very, very clear: These are guidelines."

President Joe Biden holds up his mask while delivering remarks to an audience of leaders from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) during an event to congratulate them on finalizing a new labor contract in the State Dining Room at the White House on September 06, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Most of the country has ditched masks, polling shows

Convinced that most Americans have no appetite to return to masks or social distancing, Republicans have highlighted a growing list of mask mandates in schools, hospitals and other public spaces. Most of the nation isn't affected by the policies, nor is any sort of federal mandate under consideration.

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, introduced legislation to ban all federal mask mandates. "This is coming back unless we stop it from happening," Vance warned.

Much of the country  with COVID-19 vaccines available for protection against the virus  long ago ditched their face masks.

Only 12% of Americans said they wear masks outside their home regularly, according to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll last month, down from 27% in January and 60% in January 2022. Fourteen percent of respondents said they "think less" of those who wear masks.

Here's my real theory on mask mandates," said Rick Cannon, 69, of Cape Coral, Florida, who invented a lockout device for circuit breakers. "If you get the vaccine and the vaccine works, then you're protected. Why would you try to force other people to wear a mask because you're already protected?

In response to an increase in COVID-19 cases, very few communities, most of them in areas that lean Democratic, have brought back masks in recent days. Hospitalizations nationally as a result of COVID-19 were up 15.7% between Aug. 20 and Aug. 26, according to the CDC, and deaths from COVID-19 were up 17.6%.

In Silver Spring, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., Rosemary Hills Elementary School reinstated a mask mandate for students and staff Tuesday after at least three people in one class tested positive for COVID-19.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced a plan Tuesday to distribute N95 masks to students as the school year begins, but they aren't required to wear them.

The health care company Kaiser Permanente put in place a mask mandate in August for staff, patients and visitors at its facilities in Santa Rosa, California. And in Atlanta, Morris Brown College announced late last month that it would require students and employees to wear face masks on campus for two weeks  a measure that was later lifted.

Jenny Longhurst, 60, an operations manager at Beyond Productions in Los Angeles who has battled COVID-19 twice, told USA TODAY she supports mask mandates.

I had it quite badly," said Longhurst, a Democrat and mother of twin boys. "So I don't think it's too big of an imposition to just wear masks to try and keep everyone safe."

A man wears an American flag face mask on July 19, 2021 on a street in Hollywood, California

Biden's new nonchalant attitude on masks is telling

Biden flouted COVID-19 mask protocols Wednesday when he arrived at a White House event holding, not wearing, a mask. The moment came just days after he was in close contact with his wife, first lady Jill Biden , who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

The president even joked about not wearing it like he should  a strong signal he has no plans to return the country to COVID-19 restrictions of the past.

"Don't tell them I didn't have it on when I walked in," Biden said, openly violating the CDC recommendation for people who have been in close contact with someone infected with the virus to wear a high-quality mask when indoors and around others for 10 days.

Some Americans are skeptical N95 and other high-quality masks stop the spread of COVID-19, despite the advice of the CDC and medical professionals.

"Personally, I think that the masks aren't going to do anything to protect me very much," said Katie Hodge, 33, a registered independent from Sacramento, California, who works as a personal assistant in real estate.

Hodge has a 6-year-old daughter who was too young to be in school at the height of the pandemic in 2020 but was in day care where masks were required. Hodge said she would not like to see school mask mandates return and would prefer measures such as social distancing.

"I think it's really mean to make kids wear masks," Hodge said. "My heart broke every day because she cried and cried and cried that it was hard for her to breathe when she was running around."

A hodgepodge of COVID protocols in schools nationwide

More than three years after the height of the pandemic, the CDC still recommends that school districts require masks in areas with high levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Only 15 counties met the threshold nationwide as of late August, according to The Washington Post.

Students and teachers with known or suspected exposure should wear a mask for 10 days after theyre exposed even if theyre vaccinated, according to the agency. But anyone who chooses to wear a mask, the agency says, should be supported in their decision to do so at any COVID-19 hospital admission level, including low.

How schools districts follow the guidance varies wildly .

A junior high school in rural Cuba, Alabama, advised students, employees and visitors a few weeks ago to wear masks after a slow rise in COVID-19 cases. Talladega City Schools, also in Alabama, made a similar recommendation.

A mask-required sign is seen on a door of a store on September 01, 2023 in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District, once known for some of the harshest COVID-19 protocols in the nation, is now advising students to still come to school even if theyre mildly sick to combat chronic rates of absenteeism.

Eleven laws have passed over the past two years to ban school districts from enforcing mask mandates, according to an analysis from EdWeek.

Probably the most important thing from a school perspective is that messaging about keeping children home when theyre sick, said Lynn Nelson, president-elect of the National Association of School Nurses.

Trump and other Republicans embrace a new COVID fight

Despite the White House's reluctance to embrace masks during the COVID-19 resurgence, Republican presidential candidates are working to make mandates an issue in their nomination fight, appealing to conservative voters who are still angered by pandemic-era restrictions.

"The left-wing lunatics are trying very hard to bring back COVID lockdowns and mandates," said former president and GOP front-runner Donald Trump in a recent video.

He added: "Gee whiz, you know what else is coming? An election."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, returning to the campaign trail this week after tending to hurricane damage in his state, also hit mask mandates.

In a Facebook post, DeSantis said "they want to muzzle your children" and vowed political retribution for mandates. "When I'm president, there will be a reckoning for the harm they've done to kids in pursuit of a political agenda," DeSantis said.

Other candidates also jumped on the anti-mask bandwagon. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley described mandates as attacks on parental rights. "We don't co-parent with school boards and we don't co-parent with the government," she said before a campaign event in New Hampshire.

In Congress, Senate Republicans introduced legislation to stop future federal mask mandates, even though the Biden administration hasn't shown any signs of proposing a nationwide mandate. Although a previous U.S. travel mandate  overturned by a federal judge in 2022  required masks on planes and trains, the U.S. never had a blanket mask policy for public schools and other public spaces.

Biden ended the federal government's national and public health emergency declarations in May as Republicans in Congress threatened to end it immediately through legislative action.

Vance, R-Ohio., who introduced the bill banning federal mask mandates, dubbed the Freedom to Breathe Act, said that if the White House and Democrats are not pushing for new mandates, his legislation should be allowed a vote on the floor.

Vance tried to fast-track his legislation Thursday afternoon in the upper chamber but failed to push through the bill past Democratic objections. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., among those who objected, called it a red herring" and misleading on the Senate floor.

My bill gives you a perfect opportunity to go on the record with that fact, Vance told reporters. The concern here is not that theres going to be a federal mask mandate tomorrow. I think the concern is that if you continue to have this massive national freakout over a small spike in COVID cases, we can have (mandates) next month, and were trying to get ahead of that fact.

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., a co-sponsor of Vances bill, echoed those sentiments: Better be prepared rather than complain about it after the fact."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID spike renews fight for mask mandates, bans. Biden wants no part.
Nigerians perform their Friday prayers in front of the French army base in Niamey

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters have been camping outside a French military base in Niger's capital Niamey for the past six days to demand the troops' departure, the latest sign of swelling anti-French sentiment among supporters of a military coup in July.

The demonstration started last Saturday, around five weeks after soldiers toppled President Mohamed Bazoum and seized power in a coup that has been widely condemned abroad but celebrated by many at home.

Relations between Niger and its former coloniser France have worsened since Paris declared the junta illegitimate, stoking anti-French sentiment.

There have been calls for around 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger as part of a wider fight against an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel to leave the country. France has so far rejected this.

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Rallies in support of the junta have been recurring since the takeover. But the crowd in front of the French military has swelled and is showing no sign of leaving.

On Friday, protesters celebrated Muslim midday prayers that are usually held in a mosque in front of the base.

"France has never stood by its colonies and helped us. On the contrary, they are here to plunder our resources," said Hassane Aissa Seyni, sitting among other women in headscarves after the prayer.

(Reporting by Abdel-Kader Mazou; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Cuban authorities arrested 17 people on charges related to a ring of human traffickers that allegedly lured young Cuban men to fight for Russia in Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 8.

To date, 17 people have been arrested, including the internal organizer of the operation, said Cubas Interior Ministry. While the accused were not named, the groups leader relied on two people residing on the island to recruit Cuban mercenaries to fight for Russia in Ukraine, reported Reuters.

Read also: Human trafficking ring coerced Cubans into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Havana says

The accused face up to 30 years in prison, a life sentence, or the death penalty, depending on the crime, which range from human trafficking, to fighting as a mercenary, and hostile action against a foreign state, said prosecutor Jose Luis Reyes.

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Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring that has coerced its citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported earlier on Sept. 5, adding that authorities were working to "neutralize and dismantle" the network, which it said operated both on Cuban and Russian soil.

Read also: Russians reportedly recruiting residents of occupied southern Ukraine into military

Russia tries to recruit foreigners for the war against Ukraine to avoid announcing a new mobilization before the presidential elections scheduled for 2024, reported U.K. intelligence on Sep. 3.

Russia recruits migrants from Central Asia to participate in combat operations in Ukraine, promising them expedited citizenship and a monthly salary of up to $4,160.

Russia planned to recruit an additional 400,000 contract soldiers after its offensive in Ukraine failed. This comes in the wake of significant losses reported Bloomberg on Mar. 24.

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 harbor seal has been spotted for the first time off the coast of a small island in Hainan province, the most southerly point that the species has ever been seen in China.

The seal was sighted in the waters of Wuzhizhou Island, 30 kilometers off the coast of the popular tourist resort of Sanya on Aug 23, in a marine conservation area where artificial reefs have been built in order to restore marine life.

Harbor seals are mainly found in the North Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Sea of Japan. They have a breeding area on the Changshan Islands off the coast of Shandong province in the Bohai Sea, but the previous most southerly sighting of the species was off the coast of Guangdong province.

At 1.48 square kilometers, Wuzhizhou Island is tiny, and its 5.7-km coastline is popular among surf and sun lovers. But since 2010, the waters of Wuzhizhou have been attracting a more diverse and thriving sea life because of a type of marine conservation known as sea ranching.

The sea ranching so far has involved the construction of 80,000 cubic meters of artificial reefs and the planting of 50,000 coral strains to breathe life into the ocean and attract marine species.

The seal was filmed swimming among the artificial reefs and resting on a float at night.

According to professor Wang Aimin, a marine expert from Hainan University, the marine ranch demonstration zone's more than 2,500 artificial cement reefs and 21 ship reefs have enabled coral, fish, shrimp and shellfish to flourish.

"Remarkable progress has been made in marine ecological restoration and conservation of fishery resources," he said.

"A recent survey shows the fishery resources around Wuzhizhou Island have doubled in the past decade, and in the artificial reef area they are five times higher than in the surrounding area. Live coral coverage on the artificial reefs has increased from 18 percent to 25 percent."

Wang said that due to overfishing in the past, the number and diversity of marine life have been damaged, and the artificial reefs are playing a restorative role on the ecosystem.

"Since 2016, we've been planting coral on artificial reefs made of concrete, steel mesh and volcanic rock, improving the ecological environment and attracting more species."

The over 100 species of coral have attracted some 300 species of marine life including giant clams, groupers and clownfish, he said.

Wang Hao, a staff member at Wuzhizhou Island's tourism zone, was excited about the seal sighting.

"This is the first time we've seen a harbor seal near Sanya, and we hope he can make his home here and become a new member of the Wuzhizhou Island family," he said, noting that the seal had been spotted a few more times after the original sighting on Aug 23.

Professor Wang said the arrival of the seal showed that the quality of water and the diversity of marine life were improving. As for where the seal came from and why, there is still no clear conclusion, and experts are carrying out further research.
Cuban officials said they have arrested 17 people suspected of recruiting young men to join Russia's war effort in Ukraine. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Officials in Cuba said they have arrested 17 people in a Russian human trafficking scheme that tricked young men on the island into fighting for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

Cesar Rodriguez, Cuba's criminal investigation department lead, announced the arrests Thursday on the state-run news channel Canal Caribe.

Rodriguez said that one of the people arrested was responsible for organizing efforts to recruit inside Cuba. He did not name any of the individuals arrested or their contacts in Russia.

Rodriguez said the recruiters were targeting Cubans interested in military activity, focusing on those with criminal records who had exhibited "antisocial behavior."

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The Cuban foreign ministry earlier in the week condemned the trafficking operation between allies where Russia used contacts on the island nation to recruit young Cubans to fight. Moscow has been desperate for more bodies in the war.

"Cuba has a firm and clear historical position against mercenarism, and it plays an active role in the United Nations in rejection of the aforementioned practice, being the author of several of the initiatives approved in that forum," the Cuban foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine. It is acting and it will firmly act against those who within the national territory participate in any form of human trafficking for mercenarism or recruitment purposes so that Cuban citizens may raise weapons against any country."

Cuba and Russia have been allies since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. More recently, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin announced their plans to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Russia, though, has struggled to attract recruits to its war effort, with some fighting-age Russian men being reported leaving the country quietly to avoid the war. The Wagner Group had been accused of using convicts from Russian prisons to fight in the Ukrainian invasion.
The cyclist says he now fears leaving the house as a result of his online infamy

A cyclist who was derided for knocking a little girl to the ground has successfully sued the childs father for sharing footage of the incident online.

The Belgian biker argued that the posting of the video marked an intrusion on his privacy and had badly damaged his reputation.

The five-year-old girl and her family were out for a walk on a snowy track in a nature reserve in Baraque Michel in eastern Belgium on Christmas Day 2020.

The 62-year-old cyclist, dressed in black lycra, appeared to stick out his knee as he passed the child, who was dressed in a pink snowsuit, sending her flying to the ground before he continued on his way.

The 62-year-old cyclist sent the child flying

Her father, Patrick Mpasa, was recording a video at the time and later posted the clip on social media. It subsequently went viral.

Childs father made a mistake

The cyclist was originally taken to court in the town of Verviers in Belgium for knocking the child over and was found guilty of involuntary assault.

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He received a suspended sentence, with the court ruling that he had suffered enough already by being lambasted on social media. He was ordered to pay the token sum of 1 in compensation.

But a year later, he took the case back to the court in Verviers, suing the childs father for defamation.

He said there had been such a backlash against him that he was fearful about venturing out of his home.

The court has now ruled in his favour, saying that his reputation was damaged and his privacy compromised.

Mr Mpasa may now have to pay compensation to the cyclist, though exactly how much will be established at a hearing in April.

The cyclist has asked for 4,500 (3,864), which he says is a symbolic sum and approximately the value of his bicycle.

This judgment  has found that the father of the young girl, by publishing the video, made a mistake, said Philippe Culot, the cyclists lawyer.

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.
York County detectives are investigating after a reported drug overdose inside a local high school.

Channel 9s Tina Terry spoke with deputies about how the student was able to get a hold of drugs while on campus.

Stephanie Segura told Channel 9 that she lives across the street from Rock Hill High School. She said she was at home on Thursday when a 15-year-old boy reportedly overdosed in a classroom.

We saw a bunch of cops, but I didnt think nothing of it, Segura said.

ALSO READ: Sheriff warns against illegal drug use after 4 overdoses in Chesterfield County

According to the incident report, a school resource officer was informed that a student ...had possibly taken a narcotic that resulted in him overdosing. The report further stated that the student had ...labored breathing and was not responsive.

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The SRO then gave the student two doses of Narcan to revive him.

Narcan is an opioid reversal drug. In most cases, one works. In this situation, he had to use two, said Trent Faris, Public Information Officer for the York County Sheriffs Office.

Detectives said that the student threw up a white pill after he was revived. He later admitted to also taking a blue pill but would not say what that pill was.

They are testing the white pill in order to find out if it was behind the students medical emergency.

When he recovered from the opioid overdose, our SRO asked him, Whered you get it? Howd you get it? The normal questions you would ask. And that person would not tell us at this time, Faris explained.

ALSO READ: Several employees OD on the job at popular south Charlotte restaurant

While deputies continue to investigate, treatment specialists who help people overcome opioid addiction said calls to help juveniles addicted to drugs have increased by 30 to 40%.

We get phone calls from the hospital, DSS, schools, and parents of kids who are 16, 17, or 15 saying that my child or this child has overdosed two or three times, said Brandon Sipp, Assistant Program Director for Lancaster Treatment Specialists.

Channel 9s Tina Terry spoke with the mother of the student who allegedly overdosed. She said she didnt want to discuss the incident; however, she was grateful for the fast response of school officials to save her son.

The York County Sheriffs Office said this is the first overdose reported at Rock Hill High School. However, last school year, one was reported at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill.

VIDEO: Sheriff warns against illegal drug use after 4 overdoses in Chesterfield County








Police have confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the Chiswick area of west London overnight as the force revealed the outfit the fugitive terror suspect is believed to have changed into after escaping Wandsworth Prison.

Following intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings, the Metropolitan Police said it is focusing the national manhunt for Khalife in Chiswick on Saturday, with officers set to carry out further intensive search activity there throughout the day.

From reports received, which included calls from members of the public, the force added the former soldier is believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, and carrying a small bag or case.

This comes after police helicopters spent Friday night circling around the Thames in west London, with flight radar maps revealing one flying over Chiswick House and Grove Park.

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The Met confirmed the first sighting of the fugitive earlier in the day after a member of the public told police they saw a man resembling Khalife walking away from the BidFood delivery van that had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth roundabout on Wednesday morning.

Key Points

Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier accused of planting fake bombs

Radar map reveals aerial police activity around west London

Police helicopters spend night circling around Thames river

Police keeping open mind on whether escaped terror suspect has left country

Khalife had help to escape, says former prisons minister

10:16 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife would have received some sort of collusion and support to aid his escape, a former prisons minister has said.

Former Tory MP Rory Stewart also said that prisons in England and Wales are unmanageable.

Asked if he would have resigned if the escape happened during his tenure, he told Sky News: I definitely think that its important for ministers to take full responsibility.

There are 120 prisons in England and Wales. There were escapes on my watchfor the first few days, youre just trying to work out what on earth happened  how did this happen? And the story changes, as you can imagine, minute by minute. You have to get on the ground in Wandsworth and talk to the governor.

In this particular case, it seems clear if he had strapping underneath this vehicle, that there was some kind of collusion and support. But its also clear that they seemed to spend, I dont know, half an hour/45 minutes before they even noticed he was gone from the kitchen, and he shouldnt be in the kitchen in the first place.

Mr Stewart added: The bigger issue is the prison population, these prisons are totally unmanageable. And the main thing that I was trying to do when I was in government is reduce the prison population.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife laughed' during arrest

08:31 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife laughed after he was tackled off his bike by a police officer on a canal towpath and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The former soldier  who was found with a sleeping bag, change of clothes, bottle of water and Waitrose cool bag  laughed at police and winked at passersby during his arrest, according to a witness.

Student Ethan Andrews, 20, told The Sun: The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that? I cant believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.

Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Khalife escape

09:58 , Tara Cobham

Around 40 inmates of HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the Category B prison after terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape, the Justice Secretary has said.

Justice Secretry Alex Chalk said on Sunday that the preliminary findings of his investigation into the ageing London jail have found that the relevant procedures and security staff were in place.

But he said dozens of individuals on remand have been moved to different sites out of an abundance of caution amid questions over why a former soldier accused of a terror offence was not in the highest security prison.

Sam Blewett reports:

Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Daniel Khalife escape

Prison population gone over 88,000, says chief inspector

09:56 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor told the BBC the prison population has gone over 88,000.

He said: If you go back to the mid 1990s, when actually crime was much higher than it is now, our prison population was half what it is, or pretty much half what it is today. I think it was around 40 to 44,000 and its now gone up to over 88,000.

The projections are that it will go up even further and the problem is if it goes up even further what that means is more prisoners sharing cells that were designed for one person, continuing to use these old battered, crumbling vermin infested Victorian jails, which would make fantastic museums or flats but really are not fit for purpose for the 21st century.

But also that there arent enough staff in place to be able to unlock prisoners and actually to begin to do the things with prisoners that are actually going to help them to not offend when they come out.

Prisons have got a public protection duty to keep people locked up when theyre inside, but they also have a public protection duty to make sure that they put in place the things that mean that when someone leaves prison, theyre less likely to reoffend.

Prison governors hands tied by extraordinary level of bureaucracy'

09:54 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has said that prison governors hands are often tied by an extraordinary level of bureaucracy.

He told the Laura Kuenssberg show: Its not just about the pipeline of people coming in. Its also about the quality of people coming in. And the fact that many people are leaving the job after quite short periods of time.

And one of the reasons for that, and governors tell me this is that, governors themselves have no part in the selection of staff who come and work in their jail. The boss cant choose their staff.

Im a former head teacher and I sit there aghast at some of the things that governors cant do. They cant commission work.

I spoke to a governor last week who said that in order to buy a pot of paint, she had to go through some long procurement exercise through the centre rather than sending someone down to Howdens to buy a pot of paint to decorate some cells.

So there is a sort of bureaucracy around prisons, which makes things incredibly complicated and means the governors, some of them are unbelievably impressive people who do an absolutely brilliant job, but often their hands are tied by what seems to me coming from an education background, like an extraordinary level of bureaucracy.

Wandsworth prisoners spend 22 hours a day in cells, says chief inspector

09:22 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has said that prisoners at Wandsworth Prison spend up to 22 hours a day in their cells.

He told the BBC: I think Wandsworth is failing typical of most inner city Victorian local prisons of which there is still a huge amount that are open and and there are three things really its about having enough staff of the right quality. Its about the level of overcrowding that you have.

I think Wandsworth is 600 over what it was originally designed for. Its about, 1,600 prisoners, and that means lots of people sharing cells that were originally designed for one person.

And the third thing is about prisoners having enough to do and what we found when we inspected Wandsworth last year was that people were largely locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day and sometimes even worst at the weekends.

HMP Wandsworth in London, which terror suspect Daniel Abed escaped from clinging on to a delivery lorry (PA Wire)

Justice Secretary has absolute confidence in HMPPS investigation

09:20 , Tara Cobham

The Justice Secretary has said he has absolute confidence in the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service to do a very rigorous, very searching investigation following Daniel Khalifes escape from Wandsworth Prison.

Alex Chalk told the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that investigations into how the terror suspect was able to escape are currently underway.

He said: I have absolute confidence in the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service to do their own very rigorous, very searching investigation.

Preliminary findings suggest it is clear the relevant security protocols and staff were in place at the time of Khalifes escape, he said.

HMP Wandsworth had correct security protocols, suggests Justice Secretary

09:07 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said an investigation has suggested that HMP Wandsworth did have the correct security protocols and staff in place at the time of Daniel Khalifes escape.

Discussing preliminary findings of a review he issued, Mr Chalk told Skys Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the investigation has looked into whether protocols were in place relating to the unloading of food from a van and searching the delivery vehicle.

Those protocols were in place, point one, he said.

And point two, the relevant security staff were also in place. Plainly what weve yet to establish is whether those protocols were followed.

He said he will set out the terms of reference next week of the separate independent investigation to ensure that the conclusions are rock solid.

Justice Secretary says 40 inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison

09:05 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that around 40 inmates of Category B HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the prison amid an investigation into how Daniel Khalife escaped.

He told Skys Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: Out of an abundance of caution some prisoners there, some of those on remand, have been moved (this week).

Additional resources have of course gone into Wandsworth, so theres additional governor support, a former governor with particular expertise in security.

But also, out of an abundance of caution, around 40 prisoners have been moved just while we get to the bottom of what took place in Wandsworth. That is a sensible, precautionary measure.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that around 40 inmates of Category B HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the prison amid an investigation into how Daniel Khalife escaped (PA Wire)

Runner describes seeing Khalife hours before arrest

09:01 , Tara Cobham

Runner, Frank Noon, saw Wandsworth Prison terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife further down Thames hours before his arrest in Greenford.

Noon saw the 21-year-old lying on his back while he was running along the river.

It was only when I saw him three hours later and he was wearing the same clothes that I thought thats the same guy thats weird, Mr Noon told Sky News.

Khalife was tackled off his bike by a police officer on a canal towpath and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer near Rowdell Road in west London just before 11am on Saturday (9 September) morning and is currently in their custody.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Runner describes seeing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife hours before arrest

Questions that remain about Khalife's prison escape

07:55 , Vishwam Sankaran

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the terror suspects escape from the Wandsworth prison was clearly pre-planned.

Daniel Khalife escaped from the prison by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery truck leaving the facility.

Mr Khalifes escape has posed questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison, when terror accused individuals are usually imprisoned in Category A facilities.

Justice secretary Alex Chalk has held an urgent call with the prison governor to seek assurances about the security of the jail.

As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak told broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi.

What is terror suspect Daniel Khalife accused of?

07:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

The 21-year old terror suspect Daniel Khalife, who escaped from the Wandsworth facility, is set to go on trial in November over charges that he left fake bombs at a military base.

His intentions were reportedly to stir fears of a terrorist attack.

The terror suspect is also accused of gathering information that could benefit a foreign enemy, reportedly Iran.

Prior to his initial arrest, the 21-year-old had formerly been a soldier in the British Army since 2018.

He had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.

Mr Khalife allegedly placed three canisters with wires at RAF Stafford with the intention of inducing in another a belief that the said article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property.

Khalife is believed to be of Iranian descent and the 21-year-old allegedly attempted to pass on information that could be useful to an enemy to a foreign power, believed to be Iran.

Prison inspector reveals what life inside Wandsworth facility is like

06:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday, leading to a 75-hour manhunt that led to his capture.

His Majestys chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor reveals what life inside the vermin-infested, crumbling prison is like.

The prison, which holds over 1,500 inmates is a squalid, overcrowded prison with 600 more prisoners than its original capacity, he says based on his account of the facility.

The inspector probed the facility in September 2021 following a string of self-inflicted deaths at the jail and returned again less than a year later.

In all the noise about Wandsworth, it is important to remember the many #hiddenheros at the prison - staff who do an amazing job often in the most difficult circumstances.  Charlie Taylor (@charlie_taylor6) September 8, 2023

At the prison, each cell is small, dark, and cramped, with an unscreened toilet in the corner, a sink, and a plastic chair.

Cells on the lower floors suffer from vermin, while those on the top are unbearably hot during the summer, the prison inspector says.

However, he adds that the prisons staff still manage to do an amazing job despite the most difficult circumstances.

Why I believe squalid prisons like Wandsworth should be closed| Charlie Taylor

Read more about the inspectors first-hand account of the Wandsworth prison here.

Commander thanks public for support in capturing terror suspect

06:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

Counter-terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy thanked the public for their support in capturing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

I am pleased to say that after 75 hours of my team and support from the Metropolitan police in leading the manhunt for Daniel Khalife, this morning he was arrested and he is now back in custody, Mr Murphy said in a video message shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

Commander Dominic Murphy thanks the public for their support after Daniel Khalife, who escaped from prison on Wednesday, was arrested earlier today by Met Police officers  pic.twitter.com/dJpHTkNmHQ  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 9, 2023

In no small part, this is thanks to support from the public who have called in their hundreds to support our manhunt. So I would like to thank you for all your efforts, the commander said.

How 75-hour manhunt for terror suspect panned out

05:49 , Vishwam Sankaran

The manhunt for 21-year-old escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife started after prison staff alerted the Metropolitan Police force at 7:50am on Wednesday.

A national search ensued in the next four days, involving 150 Met officers and staff, as well as colleagues from other forces across the UK.

Officers worked at pace around the clock receiving more than 100 calls from members of the public.

The suspect is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth prison strapped to the bottom of a delivery lorry on Wednesday.

Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away

A member of the public reported seeing Khalife walking away from a Bidfood van near Wandsworth Roundabout after he made his escape from the prison.

Police helicopters circled around the Thames in west London looking for the 21-year-old.

The police force then focused its search in Chiswick after confirmed sightings.

Shortly after, the Met announced that the suspect had been nabbed in Chiswick and is currently in police custody.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrested in Chiswick

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after intelligence-led activity and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Daniel Khalife escape: Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

03:00 , Joe Middleton

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier and terror suspect arrested after 75 hours on run

02:00 , Joe Middleton

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt, having finally been captured 75 hours after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chefs outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown.

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was clearly pre-planned  pointing to the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.

With airports and ports installing additional security measures and holidaymakers reporting delays at border control, his escape has posed serious questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison.

Prior to his arrest in January, the 21-year-old had formerly been a serving soldier in the British Army since 2018 and had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.

All we know about Daniel Khalife: Royal Signals soldier arrested after prison escape

Daniel Khalife arrested by police in west London

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect laughed and winked during arrest

22:46 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife laughed and winked at onlooker after being detained by police on Saturday morning.

Student Ethan Andrews, 20, witnessed the arrest, he told The Sun: The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that?

I cant believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike

21:23 , Joe Middleton

A terror suspect who escaped from prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery lorry has been caught after being tackled off his bike on a towpath by a police officer.

Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, a former soldier who fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, was arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.

He was spotted by the plainclothes counterterrorism officer just before 11am on Saturday in northwest London, about 12 miles from where he fled, and is now in police custody, the Metropolitan Police said. Khalife was found with the bike, a sleeping bag and a cool bag full of food.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike

Met Police pivoting investigation to Khalifes escape and if other persons were involved

20:45 , Joe Middleton

The Metropolitan Police said it will now be pivoting its investigation to Khalifes escape and if other people were involved after the terror suspect was captured on Saturday morning.

In a press release on Saturday evening Commander Dominic Murphy said: Our priority following Khalifes escape was to find him and bring him back to custody, which, thanks to the help of the public, and the excellent work by our officers, we have achieved.

We are now pivoting our investigation towards the circumstances of his escape and whether there may have been any other persons involved and that investigation continues.

Plain-clothed officer pulled Daniel Khalife off bicycle during arrest, police say

20:07 , Joe Middleton

Pictured: This is the moment Daniel Khalife was arrested by officers

19:29 , Joe Middleton

Footage obtained by The Sun shows the moment that Daniel Khalife was detained by officers in Northolt, west London, on Saturday morning.

The video sees the suspect sat on the floor on the canal towpath in a white t-shirt close to a Waitrose bag, bottle of water bike and sleeping bag.

In a briefing to journalists on Saturday afternoon the Met Police said that the terror suspect was pulled from the bike by a lone officer, ending the four day manhunt.

When he was detained Khalife said Its not me! I havent done anything, accoding to an eyewitness who spoke to the MailOnline.

It is unclear now if Khalife will be taken back to the category B prison or to a higher-security location.

Khalife was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK.

(The Sun)

(The Sun)

Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest

18:42 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after intelligence-led activity and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the capture of Khalife:

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes down the road

17:40 , Joe Middleton

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in west London following a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers in Chiswick just before 11am on Saturday, a mere 45 minutes drive away from the prison he escaped from on Wednesday morning.

After prison staff alerted the force to the missing 21-year-old at 7.50am, a national search ensued over the next four days, which The Independent has shown on a map.

Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away

Plain-clothed officer pushed Daniel Khalife off bicycle during arrest, police say

17:10 , Joe Middleton

Police say public was integral in search

16:46 , Tara Cobham

Police have praised the public, saying they played an integral part in tracking down Daniel Khalife.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said the force received well over 100 calls in the extremely complicated investigation.

He also commended the Mets officers and staff who put in an astonishing amount of resource and thanked the intelligence services, with whom the force worked really closely.

Police tell how events leading up to Khalife unfolded

16:40 , Tara Cobham

The search for Daniel Khalife "really gathered momentum" from Friday afternoon, said Commander Dominic Murphy, with the number of calls the force received from the public increasing substantially last night and into the early hours of this morning.

At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, he said the manhunt "took a different course" overnight with an intelligence-led search of a home in the borough of Richmond, which involved "a lot of police activity".

While Khalife was not found there, the force received multiple reports of confirmed sightings from members of the public when they were at the address.

One sighting was reported "around the corner" in Richmond, while two more were reported in Chiswick, including on Spencer Road and the area of Church Street and Chiswick Mall, with officers deployed to all locations.

Police helicopters and dogs were deployed throughout the night and into the morning in the search locations, with reports that residents gardens were scoured.

But it was a plainclothes counter-terrorism police officer, who was working as part of the investigation, who finally spotted Khalife. The officer was walking along a canal towpath by Rowdell Road in the UB5 area of west London when they recognised Khalife on a push bike. The officer "pulled him off the bike" and put Khalife in handcuffs, ending the four-day nationwide manhunt.

Pictured: Canal towpath where officer caught Khalife

16:27 , Tara Cobham

A picture shows the canal towpath where a police officer spotted Daniel Khalife, before tackling him off a bike and then putting him in handcuffs, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

In a press conference on Saturday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer on Rowdell Road in west London just before 11am on Saturday morning and is currently in their custody.

A picture shows the canal towpath where a police officer tackled Daniel Khalife off his bike and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt (Google Maps)

Home Secretary praises work of police in tracking down Khalife

16:22 , Tara Cobham

Home Secretary Suella Braverman praised the work of police and intelligence workers in tracking down Daniel Khalife.

Writing on social media, she said: Terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife has been tracked down & brought back into custody thanks to the determined work of our police & intelligence partners.

I want to thank @metpoliceuk, agencies & Border Force for their work on this massive operation.

Anyone who helped Khalife in his escape will face justice, says Met Police

16:03 , Tara Cobham

Police will ensure that anyone who helped or supported Daniel Khalife in his escape faces justice, said Commander Dominic Murphy.

At an online press conference this afternoon, he said there have been no further arrests so far but threatened: Anyone who had supported Khalife before, during or after  I can tell you we will be looking for those individuals and they will form part of our investigation."

He told reporters: It is important to say now though, now he is in custody, and he is in custody in a west London police station, this is still an ongoing investigation so he still has to stand trial for the original offences for which he was on remand and clearly we now need to go and complete the rest of our investigation into his escape.

He added: If we identify anybody who helped and supported him we will be looking for them and ensuring that they also face justice.

Khalife tackled off bike by police on canal towpath

15:48 , Joe Middleton

In a press conference this afternoon the Metropolitan Police said that Daniel Khalife was tackled off his bike by police on canal towpath and then arrested.

Commander Dominic Murphy, the Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism chief, said at an online press conference: At 10.41am he was arrested in Rowdell Road in UB5 in London on the canal towpath.

He was actually arrested by a plain clothes officer... and he was riding a pedal cycle so a pushbike at the time, was pulled off that pushbike by that officer and arrested at that location.

Upon being detained by the officer he was fully co-operative and handcuffed and arrested.

Recap: Soldiers reveal what Khalife is really like

15:22 , Tara Cobham

The soldier facing terrorism and espionage charges who escaped from prison claimed to be a survivalist and went on solitary overnight camping expeditions when off-duty, according to former colleagues who knew him.

Daniel Abed Khalife boasted that he would join a signals unit of Special Forces and was preparing for the entry requirements. There is, however, no evidence of him officially embarking on this path. Former soldiers who knew him say that he was viewed as  a bit of a fantasist , but someone  who took his fitness seriously.

Two former soldiers in the Royal Corps of Signals described 21 year old Khalife as someone seeking attention and sometimes  playing the clown to do so. They recall an incident in which he stole a senior officers epaulettes, put them on his uniform, and wanted to post photos on social media wearing them.

Kim Sengupta reports:

The vain survivalist: Soldiers reveal what Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

Timeline of Khalifes escape and eventual arrest

14:30 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said. Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after "intelligence-led activity" and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Rishi Sunak said he is "very pleased" Khalife has been arrested as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the capture of Khalife:

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Police officers pictured in Chiswick this morning after confirmed sightings in the area overnight.

14:16 , Rachel Flynn

Officers had been searching the Chiswick on Saturday morning after confirmed sightings in the area overnight. (PA)

Police officers search location in Chiswick as hunt for Daniel Khalife continues (PA)

Police in the Chiswick area in west London where Khalife was eventually found (Jamie Lashmar/PA) (PA Wire)

Chiswick resident opened curtains to five police officers this morning

14:15 , Tara Cobham

The Met Police issued an appeal at around 9am for members of the public in the west London district to remain vigilant, announcing that Khalife was believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, carrying a small bag or case.

And just under two hours later officers apprehended the suspect.

Local resident Paul Wade said he opened his curtains to find five police officers outside his home earlier on Saturday.

The 79-year-old said: They were checking everybodys gardens. Our neighbour told us there were sniffer dogs.

As we understand it, they just clambered over the walls and inspected, they didnt wake everybody up. They just checked. They had helicopters above.

Daniel Khalife, the 21-year-old who escaped from HMP Wandsworth

14:07 , Rachel Flynn

Undated handout file photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Abed Khalife, (PA)

The outfit believed to have been warn by Khalife during his escape. (Metropolitan Police)

Khalife escaped by tying himself with straps to the bottom of a Bidfood delivery van. (PA)

Justice Secretary will leave no stone unturned in investigations

14:00 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that he will leave no stone unturned in the investigations launched after the escape of Daniel Khalife, who is back in custody.

In a statement, the Cabinet minister said: I would like to thank the police and partners for their comprehensive efforts over recent days. I am also grateful to staff across HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) for their continued focus and professionalism.

With Daniel Khalife now in custody, the legal process must be allowed to take its course. Nothing should be said or done to prejudice any future trial.

The investigations I requested into prison security and categorisation are well in train, and I will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of how this serious breach was possible.

Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife

13:45 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in west London following a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers in Chiswick just before 11am on Saturday, a mere 45 minutes drive away from the prison he escaped from on Wednesday morning.

After prison staff alerted the force to the missing 21-year-old at 7.50am, a national search ensued over the next four days, which The Independent has shown on a map.

Labour demand answers from government over Khalife escape

13:30 , Tara Cobham

Labour demanded answers from the Government now that Daniel Khalife has been arrested.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper wrote on social media: Thank you to all the police & intelligence teams involved in the search and arrest of Daniel Khalife  very welcome news he has now been caught.

Now we need answers about how on earth a prisoner charged with terror & national security offences could have escaped in this way.

Minister: We need to look at what went wrong

13:13 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Tom Tugendhat has said that we need to look at what went wrong to allow Daniel Khalife to escape from HMP Wandsworth.

The security minister said it is fantastic news the terror suspect was captured and praised the huge effort by the police.

It's a phenomenal success of very, very quick response and a very quick reaction by some extraordinarily dedicated and professional people, he said.

And, asked about how concerning it was that Mr Khalife escaped in the first place, Mr Tugendhat said: There's no question that the prison service will want to look at what happened, how it happened and see what lessons need to be learned.

I am not going to get into an after action review before we have done the inquiry.

He added: We do need to look at categorisation, we do need to look at what went wrong, otherwise he would not have escaped.

Police arrest escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife in Chiswick

13:11 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested in Chiswick, west London, and is in police custody, says the Metropolitan Police.

The force said officers apprehended the 21-year-old just before 11am today in the Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody.

Officers had been searching the district earlier today after confirmed sightings in the area - stopping and checking cars, inspecting car boots and asking residents for their IDs.

Rich Booth and Rachel Flynn report:

Police arrest escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife in Chiswick

Watch: Rishi Sunak pleased with escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrest

13:09 , Tara Cobham

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanks the police and the public for helping capture Daniel Abed Khalife, the terror suspect who escaped from prison.

Speaking from the G20 summit in India, the prime minister said he is very pleased with the news that police have captured the terror suspect.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Khalife was arrested just before 11am on Saturday, 9 September, after escaping HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday.

The force issued a short statement which said officers apprehended the 21-year-old in the Chiswick area and he has been taken into police custody.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Rishi Sunak pleased with escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrest

Recap: Anarchy revealed inside Wandsworth Prison after Khalife escape

13:00 , Tara Cobham

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Mr Taylor said the single biggest problem that faces Wandsworth is a lack of staff, with shortages in every area. He added that many staff were only recently out of school and so inexperienced that prisoners frequently have to tell new workers what they are supposed to do.

As the national manhunt edged into its fourth day, police detailed the first confirmed sighting of the 21-year-old British army soldier  who slipped past guards at the category B prison by clinging to straps placed underneath a food delivery truck  describing it as a significant lead.

Kim Sengupta, Andy Gregory and Holly Evans report:

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Home Office minister congratulates police for rapid effective work

12:08 , Tara Cobham

Home Office minister Chris Philp congratulated the police for their rapid and effective work to apprehend fugitive terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The policing minister wrote on social media: Great work by the Met Police. Well done for a rapid and effective piece of work to catch this fugitive.

An example of policing at its best. Congratulations to all Officers involved in this operation.

Prime Minister very pleased Khalife arrested

12:07 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak said he is very pleased terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested, as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said: Im very pleased with the news and my thanks to the police officers for their fantastic work over the past couple of days, but also to the public who came forward with an enormous number of leads to help the police in their inquiries.

Its good news that we captured the person concerned. As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue.

And this is obviously very welcome news. And again, my thanks to the police but also to the public for their help.

Watch: Police search location in Chiswick as hunt for Khalife continues

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Police officers continue their search on Chiswick Mall for Daniel Abed Khalife after he was reported missing from Wandsworth prison.

Police have confirmed sightings of the terror suspect in the Chiswick area of west London.

Officers have been stopping and checking cars in Chiswick and asking residents for their IDs and looking in boots of cars on Church Street and Chiswick Lane South.

Armed police officers have also been searching up and down the road.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Police officers search location in Chiswick as hunt for Daniel Khalife continues

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife found and arrested in Chiswick

11:42 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in the Chiswick area of west London following a four-day nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers just before 11am on Saturday morning and is currently in their custody.

The 21-year-old is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

In their statement, the Met said: We would like to thank the public and media for their support throughout our investigation to locate Khalife and we will provide a further update on his arrest in due course.

Former justice secretary calls for more prisons so Wandsworth can close

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Conservative former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has said there must be more prison space built to allow the closure of out of date sites such as HMP Wandsworth.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Its important to emphasise that an escape like this is a pretty exceptional event, it brings back to mind escapes like Ronnie Biggs and George Blake from distant history.

However, there is no doubt that our Prison Service is a forgotten service in our country.

Its a service that either people dont want to talk about or just dont know enough about.

We run the prisons service at a hugely hot rate, about 98% capacity and I think that isnt a desirable state of affairs. We need more capacity to allow for flexibility.

He said new facilities are not being built fast enough to close the sort of prisons like Wandsworth and other London prisons that are well past their sell by date.

Radar map revealing aerial police activity around west London overnight

10:55 , Tara Cobham

A radar map revealed aerial police activity around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London overnight amid the national manhunt for Daniel Abed Khalife.

Police helicopters spent Friday night circling around the Thames in west London, with flight radar maps revealing one flying over Chiswick House and Grove Park.

The Met has now confirmed sightings of the fugitive terror suspect in Chiswick overnight. Following intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings, the force said it is focusing the search there on Saturday, with officers set to carry out further intensive search activity in the area throughout the day.

Radar map showing police activity focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London (AirNav/Radar Box)

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife?

10:30 , Tara Cobham

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chefs outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown. Intelligence sources have told The Independent it is almost certain that he had inside help.

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was clearly pre-planned  pointing to the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.

Holly Evans and Andy Gregory report:

All we know about Daniel Khalife - Royal Signals soldier on the run from prison

Police appear to have scaled back search for Khalife in Chiswick

10:18 , Tara Cobham

Police appear to have scaled back their search for Daniel Khalife in Chiswick, south west London.

A number of police cars have left the scene and the area has become busy with runners and dog walkers.

Territorial Support Group vans and unmarked police cars had been spotted in the area early on Saturday.

Chiswick resident Brenda MacDonald said she had seen loads of vans and helicopters as police searched the area.

The 78-year-old said: I guessed it was something to do with (Khalife) because of him landing in Wandsworth. It is not far to get here.

They have got to catch him because it was silly enough that they let him get out.

Watch: Police search location in Chiswick as hunt for Khalife continues

10:05 , Tara Cobham

Former Prisons Service director general criticises mess in system

10:00 , Tara Cobham

A former director general of the Prisons Service has criticised the mess in the system that he believes will have played a role in Daniel Khalifes escape.

Phil Wheatley told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: It has highlighted that the prison system is in a degree of chaos at the moment.

It is very difficult to make anything work well when you are just managing day by day to fumble your way through with too many prisoners and not enough staff. So, I would be surprised in the long run if that wasnt one of the factors that led to things not working right.

The system is just about at maximum capacity, its overflowing out into police cells, thats driven by longer sentences.

The Government has been very keen on longer sentences for criminals but they havent supplied the places with enough staff to supervise them, nor have they managed to maintain existing prisons.

Theyve spent what capital theyve got on trying to build new places, meanwhile some of the older accommodation has had to be taken out of use because it cant be maintained  so its all a bit of a mess, it doesnt look like a well-planned, thought through policy that has been resourced.

Chiswick resident will keep his eyes peeled for fugitive

09:43 , Tara Cobham

A Chiswick resident has said he is going to keep his eyes peeled for Daniel Khalife.

Will Lewis lives on Chiswick Lane South where the police are searching for the former soldier.

The 23-year-old said: I heard he had been seen around west London and we have all said he could be around here.

We saw the description of him so we are going to keep our eyes peeled. Its clearly developing quite quickly.

Its a really nice area. There are lots of people just going about their daily lives, running. Its very safe, I have never seen any disturbance around here. It is usually quiet as well.

Police checking cars in Chiswick as armed officers search roads

09:27 , Tara Cobham

Police officers have been stopping and checking cars in Chiswick, south-west London, in the search for Daniel Khalife.

Officers have been seen asking residents for their IDs and looking in boots of cars on Church Street and Chiswick Lane South.

Armed police officers have also been searching up and down the road.

A police boat can also be seen on the River Thames close to the roads.

Police dogs have also been at the scene.

Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

09:20 , Tara Cobham

Police have confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the Chiswick area of west London overnight as the force revealed the outfit the fugitive terror suspect is believed to have changed into after escaping Wandsworth Prison.

Following intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings, the Metropolitan Police said it is focusing the national manhunt for Khalife in Chiswick on Saturday, with officers set to carry out further intensive search activity there throughout the day.

From reports received, which included calls from members of the public, the force believes the former soldier is wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, and carrying a small bag or case.

Khalife was thought to have fled in the chefs uniform he wore while working in the prisons kitchens, suggesting he has since changed outfit.

In the statement, the Met added: We urge members of the public in that area to remain vigilant and call 999 immediately should they see Khalife, or if they have any information that could assist the search. Whilst we advise members of the public not to approach Khalife if they see him, we still assess that he does not pose a threat to the wider public.

Definitely lots of police activity in southwest London today, confirms Met

08:26 , Tara Cobham

There will definitely be a lot of police activity in the southwest London search areas throughout Saturday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson has confirmed.

They told The Independent the force is currently taking the report of a sighting of Daniel Khalife near Wandsworth Roundabout seriously, describing it as important and significant to investigations. Were hanging a lot on it, they added.

Its significant because its the point that the first phase of his escape is over, the spokesperson said. In terms of the investigation, theyre treating it as significant. Given the circumstances, a man seen walking away from a food van seems to be strong stuff. Its reasonable for officers to hang a lot on it.

Recap: Two pieces of footage released by police in nationwide hunt for Khalife

07:29 , Tara Cobham

Police released new footage showing the BidFood van use by Daniel Khalife to escape prison as the force appealing to the public for their help in finding the fugitive terror suspect.

The video shows the lorry, which Khalife is thought to have clung to the bottom of, outside Wandsworth Town Hall and then driving on the A205 at the junction with Wandsworth Plain.

The Metropolitan Police is now offering a reward of up to 20,000 for information that leads to Khalifes arrest, as detectives investigate a potentially very significant sighting of him near Wandsworth Roundabout.

Editorial: Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

06:34 , Anuj Pant

There are three things that are invariably true about prison escapes. The first is that they are uncommon; the second is that most are planned with the help of accomplices; and the third is that they tend to capture the public imagination.

The case of the terror suspect Daniel Khalife is hardly The Shawshank Redemption, but it seems destined to stay in the headlines for weeks if not years to come, and his apparently audacious breakout has indeed become a focus of media and political attention. Soon, the clamour for a scapegoat  or just accountability  will begin, with the governor at Wandsworth prison, Katie Price, an obvious candidate.

An accidental consequence of this sensational story is that it has highlighted just how squalid conditions in the British prison system can be  and how far the prison service has been run down in recent years.

Editorial: Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

Daniel Khalifes family blame British Army as they urge fugitive to hand himself in

06:11 , Anuj Pant

Tearful relatives of fugitive Daniel Abed Khalife have appealed for him to give himself up and blamed the British Army for his current predicament.

If I could talk to him, I would tell him to end this and give himself up, even though I understand he is afraid, the unnamed relative said.

Describing him as a very, very intelligent, easy going and kind boy, they said he had changed in the past year and had become scared to talk about it.

They said the army has to answer for what happened.

Holly Evans has more.

Daniel Khalifes family blame British Army as they urge fugitive to hand himself in

ICYMI: What are police doing in Richmond Park?

06:05 , Anuj Pant

Police have been searching Richmond Park in London as part of the manhunt for a former soldier and terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth Prison.

Daniel Abed Khalife outwitted guards on Wednesday morning as he fled the prison clinging to straps underneath a food delivery van, and intelligence sources have told The Independent it is almost certain that he had some inside help.

Police have revealed that the 21-year-old had a 65-minute window to make his break for freedom between the Bidfood delivery van he fled on leaving the prison gates at 7.32am and the police catching up with it on Richmond Road in Putney at 8.37am.

Andy Gregory, Alexander Butler and Tara Cobham have the latest on the police search for Khalife.

Police scour Richmond Park as search for terror suspect on the run continues

Police officials say its absolutely possible Khalife has already left country

05:58 , Anuj Pant

Met police chief Mark Rowley has said its absolutely possible Daniel Abed Khalife has already left the country.

Khalife has been accused of planting fake bombs at a military base before he allegedly graduated to attempted spying for Iran.

Commissioner Mark Rowley also said Khalifes escape was clearly pre-planned.

He was also asked if the escape was an inside job. It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? he replied.

He said about 150 officers are involved in the nationwide manhunt for Khalife, with help from other forces and the Border Force.

Radar map reveals aerial police activity around west London

05:32 , Anuj Pant

A flight radar map has shown police activity that focused around west London, around Hammersmith and Chiswick.

Radar map showing police activity focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London (AirNav/Radar Box)

Helicopters have spent Friday night circling the area. Officials, however, have not linked the activity to the nationwide manhunt for Khalife, who escaped Wandsworth prison.

Flight radar maps show particular interest around Hogarth roundabout

05:21 , Anuj Pant

Flight radar maps have shown police activity to be focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London as the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife continues.

Police have focused on a wooded area on the south side of the Thames near the Hogarth roundabout, where there is a long wooded path on the south of the river.

The National Police Air Service (Npas) have confirmed they conducted searches at Richmond Park. The activity witnessed yesterday, however, has not been confirmed as being focused on the search for Khalife.

Police helicopters spend night circling around Thames river

05:14 , Anuj Pant

Police helicopters have spent the night circling around the Thames river in Hammersmith, west London as the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife continues.

Officials have not yet confirmed their focus is linked to Khalife.

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

03:00 , Holly Evans

The chefs uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cooks uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

As more than 150 Metropolitan Police officers and staff search for the 21-year-old, the force has revealed images of the clothes he wore when he escaped, with a police spokesperson telling The Independent the outfit is assumed to be Khalifes chefs uniform.

Tara Cobham has more

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

02:00 , Holly Evans

There are three things that are invariably true about prison escapes. The first is that they are uncommon; the second is that most are planned with the help of accomplices; and the third is that they tend to capture the public imagination.

The case of the terror suspect Daniel Khalife is hardly The Shawshank Redemption, but it seems destined to stay in the headlines for weeks if not years to come, and his apparently audacious breakout has indeed become a focus of media and political attention.

Soon, the clamour for a scapegoat  or just accountability  will begin, with the governor at Wandsworth prison, Katie Price, an obvious candidate.

Read more here

Editorial: Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

Soldiers reveal what on the run terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

01:00 , Holly Evans

The soldier facing terrorism and espionage charges who escaped from prison claimed to be a survivalist and went on solitary overnight camping expeditions when off-duty, according to former colleagues who knew him.

Daniel Abed Khalife boasted that he would join a signals unit of Special Forces and was preparing for the entry requirements. There is, however, no evidence of him officially embarking on this path. Former soldiers who knew him say that he was viewed as  a bit of a fantasist , but someone  who took his fitness seriously.

Read more from Kim Sengupta here

The vain survivalist: Soldiers reveal what Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

Sunak refuses to back Wandsworth prison governor

Saturday 9 September 2023 00:00 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak decline to say whether he has confidence in the governor of HMP Wandsworth Katie Price following the escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife.Speaking to broadcasters in New Delhi, he said:

This is obviously something that people will be focused on and I want to reassure people the police are working night and day to recapture the individual. Thankfully, these incidents are extremely rare.

The PM added: The justice secretary has initiated already an internal inquiry into specific circumstances around his escape. And it would be right to just let that go through so we know exactly what happens.

Pushed again, Mr Sunak said insisted that it was important to establish the facts first, adding: The detail of whats happening is being established as I speak by the justice secretary right now.

Ex-prisoner who escaped US jail says Daniel Abel Khalife will be really terrified on run

Friday 8 September 2023 23:00 , Holly Evans

Police stop van Daniel Khalife could have hidden beneath in prison escape

Friday 8 September 2023 22:00 , Holly Evans

This is the moment police stop and search a van detectives believe terror suspect Daniel Khalife clung to the bottom of in his escape from Wandsworth Prison.

The van was stopped by police in Putney, in footage captured by London Face TV.

Foreign secretary declined to comment if confident Khalife would be found

Friday 8 September 2023 21:30 , Holly Evans

Earlier today, foreign secretary James Cleverly declined to comment on whether he was confident that escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife will be found.

We do have fantastic security services and police services. I dont think it would be useful or credible for me to to speculate.

The important thing is that we let the police, the investigators do their work, he told ITVs Good Morning Britain programme.

Timeline of events around hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 20:45 , Holly Evans

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife had been in prison for more than seven months before he escaped.

The search for the 21-year-old  featuring help from the Border Force and police officers around the country  is in its third day.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the hunt for Khalife:

Timeline of events around hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Prison Officers Association chair says escape is example of budget cuts

Friday 8 September 2023 20:20 , Holly Evans

Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers Association, Mark Fairhurst, spoke about the prospect of an inside job at Wandsworth prison.

He said he could not rule out corruption or bribery, but paid tribute to the staff at Wandsworth prison.

We cant rule anything out, but what I will say about the staff of Wandsworth - they are an amazing group of people doing a fantastic job on behalf of society in extremely stressful and difficult circumstances, he said.

He pointed to the escape as an example of government underfunding towards prisons.

It highlights the crisis we are in because of the constant budget cuts by this government since 2010, he said.

WATCH: CCTV footage of delivery van used in Khalifes escape

Friday 8 September 2023 19:53 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have released CCTV of the BidFood delivery van used by Daniel Khalife to make his escape

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Friday 8 September 2023 19:08 , Holly Evans

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside the overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Read more here

Police probe inside job fears after terror suspects prison escape

Met Police say no sign of chef uniform being recovered so far in search

Friday 8 September 2023 18:53 , Holly Evans

Counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy denied the force had little to go on in their search for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

Mr Murphy told Sky News: I wouldnt accept that. I would accept that were working on lots of leads, over 100 calls, as I say, from the public.

This is just a next step in us trying to understand and, for Daniels information, that he really needs to hand himself in and we will be closing in on him.

Mr Murphy said there was no sign of Khalifes chef uniform being recovered so far, but he appealed to the public to call 999 if they find it.

He said he remained opened minded on whether the terror suspect had already fled the country, but said the search was currently focused on the London area and other parts of the UK, in addition to support from the Border Force.

Reward offered for information on Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 18:37 , Holly Evans

Police have confirmed the first sighting of fugitive Daniel Khalife near Wandsworth roundabout and have offered a 20,000 reward.

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Friday 8 September 2023 18:20 , Holly Evans

The chefs uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cooks uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

Tara Cobham has more

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Terror suspect was seen climbing out from under the lorry

Friday 8 September 2023 17:47 , Holly Evans

Metropolitan Police counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy said terror suspect Daniel Khalife was seen climbing out from underneath the food company van by a member of the public.

He was wearing his prison chefs uniform when he was spotted around a mile-and-a-half from Wandsworth Prison. He then made his way towards Wandsworth town centre.

Mr Murphy told Sky News: That sighting was shortly after Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Prison, and it was at the junction of Trinity Road and Swandon Way at the Wandsworth roundabout where a member the public saw Daniel climbing out from under the lorry and walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

He added: Im not saying I dont have any CCTV. Thats part of our ongoing investigation.

Khalife was seen climbing out from underneath the lorry (The Metropolitan Police)

Khalife urged to hand himself in

Friday 8 September 2023 17:30 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have called on Khalife to hand himself in and warned that officers were closing in on the terror suspect after he escaped prison.

Counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy said: My message to him is to hand yourself in, either call us or go to a local police station and hand yourself in.

With the reward we are offering today and the amazing support we have had from the public and the media, we will be closing in on you, Daniel, you really need to come in and give yourself up.

Full statement from Met Police Commander leading investigation

Friday 8 September 2023 17:27 , Holly Evans

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: This remains a fast-paced and dynamic investigation, but I want the public to know that a large number of officers are working extremely hard to locate Khalife.

We have now received more than 100 calls from the public, and we thank everyone who has contacted us with information.

The sighting near Wandsworth Roundabout could be very significant, and this is one of many useful lines of enquiry that officers are perusing.

We continue to urge the public to contact us straight away if they think they have seen Khalife or have information on his whereabouts.

We will continue to work closely with all our colleagues in police services across the country and other partners to trace Khalife and bring him back into custody.

Pictures released of clothes Khalife was wearing to escape

Friday 8 September 2023 17:25 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have released a series of images of the clothes Daniel Khalife was believed to be wearing during his escape.

The terror suspect is understood to have strapped himself to the underside of a BidFood delivery van as it left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am.

A member of the public has informed the police that a man fitting Khalifes description was seen walking away from the van towards Wandsworth roundabout.

As he had been working in the kitchens, the former British Army was wearing chef clothing, which includes red and white chequered trousers and a white top.

The former British Army officer was dressed in a cooks outfit (Met Police)

Daniel Khalifes red and white chequered trousers (Met Police)

Met Police offer 20,000 reward for information

Friday 8 September 2023 17:19 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police have offered a reward of 20,000 for information which leads directly to Khalifes arrest.

In a first sighting of Khalife since his escape, the police said they had received information from a member of the public who said they saw a man fitting Khalifes description walking away from a BidFood van.

The van had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth Roundabout, at the top of Trinity Road, shortly after his escape. The man was then seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

In their latest appeal, the Met said they have opened their UK Image Appeal website which allows people to submit any relevant imagery and video directly to the investigation team.

This includes CCTV, doorbell footage, mobile phone footage, or dash-cam footage.

Daniel Khalife was potentially sighted by a member of the public (The Metropolitan Police)

Possible sighting of Khalife could be very significant

Friday 8 September 2023 17:12 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander Dominic Murphy said the force is investigating a possible sighting of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife, adding the lead could be very significant.

Khalife is said to have been seen escaping from the delivery van at Wandsworth roundabout, shortly after the vehicle left HMP Wandsworth

Police confirm first sighting of fugitive Daniel Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 17:02 , Holly Evans

The police have confirmed the first official sighting of the escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The sighting took place on Wednesday morning, shortly after Khalifes escape from Wandsworth prison.

The witness saw Khalife escape from a lorry at Wandsworth Roundabout, according to the police.

Timeline of Daniel Khalifes escape

Friday 8 September 2023 16:38 , Holly Evans

Daniel Khalife only had one hour and five minutes to escape before police intercepted the delivery vehicle he was strapped under.

7.32am - A Bidfood delivery vehicle exits the gates of HMP Wandsworth, unaware that Khalife is clinging onto strappings on its underside. It is believed he was wearing a chefs outfit while working in the prison kitchens.

After leaving the prison, the delivery van turned right onto Heathfield Road and left onto Magdalen Road.

It then travelled left onto Trinity Road before heading up to the Wandsworth Road roundabout. The vehicle then took the first exit to Swandon Way and left onto Old York Road which is near Wandsworth Town train station.

A map of the route taken by the delivery vehicle (Google Earth)

7.50am - Prison guards realise Khalife is missing and the prison goes into an immediate lockdown, with security measures put in place.

8.15am - The Metropolitan Police are alerted to the situation.

Meanwhile, the van has taken a left into Fairfield Street and taken a right onto Wandsworth High Street before heading straight ahead to West Hill which leads up to Upper Richmond Road.

Shortly afterwards, the delivery driver is made aware of the situation and turns around to return to the prison.

8.37am - The vehicle is stopped and searched by police on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Carlton Drive but Khalife is nowhere to be seen.

Khalife should have been at Belmarsh, says former prison governor

Friday 8 September 2023 16:25 , Holly Evans

John Podmore, a former governor of Belmarsh, Brixton and Swaleside prisons, told BBC Radio Newcastle he doesnt understand why Daniel Khalife was at Wandsworth, a category B prison.

Without a doubt he should have been at Belmarsh - a category A prison - he says. It is well-suited to holding terrorist suspects and those convicted of terrorism.

Its also a prison that serves Woolwich Crown Court and this man was due to go there. So the illogic of him going somewhere else baffles me.

Terror suspects are usually held at HMP Belmarsh (Getty)

Sunak declines to comment on foreign state involvement

Friday 8 September 2023 16:12 , Holly Evans

The Prime Minister declined to comment on suggestions that there could be foreign state involvement in the escape.

He said: Because this is an ongoing police investigation, Im sure you can understand it wouldnt be appropriate for me to provide a running commentary or detail on it.

But people should be reassured that police are working around the clock.

Route taken by Daniel Khalife during escape from Wandsworth prison

Friday 8 September 2023 15:55 , Holly Evans

The route taken by the delivery van that Daniel Khalife was clinging to during his prison break has been revealed by police, as the nationwide manhunt continues.

The 21-year-old terror suspect only had one hour and five minutes from his escape at HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am until police stopped the van on Upper Richmond Road at 8.37am.

Police reveal where Daniel Khalife disappeared after Wandsworth prison escape

Khalife told fellow inmate he was going to be famous

Friday 8 September 2023 15:43 , Holly Evans

One former inmate, who worked alongside Khalife in the prisons kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as odd and had told him he was going to be famous.

Chris Jones, 53, who BBC London reported was released in June after being acquitted following seven months on remand, told the programme: We always used to joke about that lorry  jump in it and drive off  but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

Sadiq Khan was aware of big problems at Wandsworth prison

Friday 8 September 2023 15:33 , Holly Evans

Wandsworth prisons performance has been rated a serious concern and watchdogs issued a string of warnings about the jail in the year before Khalifes escape..

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said staff shortages are the source of many problems and that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

The prison is in the Tooting constituency, which Sadiq Khan represented as an MP for more than a decade until he was elected mayor of London in 2016.

He said he was aware of big problems at the jail while he was an MP, including overcrowding and staff shortages, telling PA questions will need answering about the link between government austerity and this man escaping.

HMP Wandsworths performance had been rated a serious concern (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Soldier mentality would help Khalife avoid police search, says retired officer

Friday 8 September 2023 15:26 , Holly Evans

A retired military officer has said that British army-trained soldiers are capable of acting under pressure, and voiced concern on the prospect of Khalife exiting the country.

Giving an insight to the mental state of an army soldier, Major Michael Shearer told Sky News: Soldiers know how to handle these type [of] pressures.

The state of mind that soldiers have... [there] is constantly a part of their being that is thinking: How will I deal with that?

Asked if he had faith in Border Force to catch him if he tried to flee the country, Major Shearer said he was worried.

Weve got thousands of illegal immigrants coming into the country every day that our border force and other parts of our institutions cannot manage, he said.

So how [do they] find one individual on the way out? Im at a loss to give comment on.

Police urge witness who claims to have spotted Khalife to come forward

Friday 8 September 2023 15:06 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police have urged a shop assistant to come forward after media reports that he believed he saw on-the-run terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, told the Telegraph that he had seen a tall, lanky dude jumping into a black vehicle outside Wandsworth County Court.

In a statement, the force said: We are aware of news reports about a shop assistant who believes they saw Daniel Khalife.

We are trying to identify this man so we can speak with him. We urge him to contact us by calling 999.

A shop assistant believes that he saw fugitive Daniel Khalife (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

SAS veteran says Khalife could be avoiding cameras by hiding underground

Friday 8 September 2023 15:05 , Holly Evans

Khalife could be hiding underground in an attempt to avoid thermal cameras, SAS veteran Chris Ryan has said.

He told Talk TV that getting hold of clothes would be difficult given Khalifes 6ft 2in frame, but if he is or was in Richmond Park, he would have had access to water while the weather would have allowed him to stay comfortable outside.

Given the size of the park and its mixture of woodland and overgrown shrubbery, it could provide plenty of hiding spots for the fugitive.

If hes had help, hell be in a safe house now, so all hes got to do is lie low for a couple of weeks before making a move, Mr Ryan said.

He also posed the possibility of Khalife staying in a garden shed that backs on to the park.

Reports in the past of prison officers colluding over escape attempts'

Friday 8 September 2023 14:15 , William Mata

An anti-corruption professor has said there have been reports in the past of prison officers colluding over escape attempts.

Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex, said: Prisons are extremely high risk for corruption in any circumstances in any country.

In the UK there have been lots of noises from unions and prison officers of the conditions they are working under, he added on his slot on BBC Radio 4 programme World At One on Friday.

The prison servivce since that report has seen the counter corruption unit revamped. But that unit is operating under great pressure.

He added: Typically corruption is about smuggling things in but there was a report around five years ago that a bribe of around 5,000 could get you to a more favourable prison.

There have been reports of corrupt officers colluding in escape attempts in the past.

Not a surprise if there is bribery'

Friday 8 September 2023 14:10 , William Mata

An anti-corruption professor has said he would not be surprised if there was bribery going on in UK prisons behind the scenes.

Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex, said: Prisons are in a pretty dire state and the few figures we have for corruption in the past few years have not been encouraging.

Speaking on World At One on BBC Radio 4 he added: About 15 years there was a leaked Met report which said that there were about 1,000 corrupt police officers. A freedom of information request about six or seven years ago said 150 officers had been disciplined in some way.

It is hard to quantify the level of corruption.

Wandsworth itself was said to be the Carphone Warehouse of prisons because of the wide availability of smuggled mobile phones which had been brought in by corrupt staff.

That was then [in 2015 when the report was made] and austerity has bitten even deeper since then.

If this was any country in the world you would be asking who was bribed. And it wouldnt be any surprise if this was happening in the UK.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website
A resurfaced chat show clip of Danny Masterson takes on a chilling new light in the wake of his sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for multiple rapes.

The video is taken from 2004 when the 47-year-old actor, who starred in That 70s Show, appeared on the NBC series Late Night with Conan OBrien . The rapes he has been convicted of happened one year earlier.

In the clip, Masterson, then 28, is asked by OBrien why he no longer has a Long Island accent despite being from the area. Masterson tells him that it just goes away naturally, and then theres also certain words that theres nothing you can do about.

The sitcom actor, who starred in Netflix comedy The Ranch, then says that his friend, the actor Bodhi Elfman, always teases him about his voice, launching into an impression Elfman does of him. Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls? he says.

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Here, a confused OBrien asks, So why are you asking people to do that? Thats the more important question, to which Masterson replies: I mean, you got em, you know what I mean? Everybody should grab.

OBrien, in what could be construed as continuing the joke, then says after a pause: Ive heard about you. And youll be caught soon. I know you will. Without missing a beat, Masterson fires back: I will.

Masterson was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape by a jury of seven women and five men on 31 May, following seven days of deliberation. The sentence was handed down on Thursday (7 September) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.

Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and thats why you are here, Judge Olmedo said.

Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life for raping 2 women.Conan knew pic.twitter.com/KEE596oqdl  Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) September 7, 2023

He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

The Independent has contacted OBrien for comment.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.

If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Danny Masterson received letters of support from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher ahead of his sentencing, it has been revealed.

Masterson, 47, was given a sentence of 30 years to life in a Los Angeles court on Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

It has since emerged that his That 70s Show co-stars Kunis and Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support before the sentencing.

In their letters, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff, the couple vouched for Mastersons exceptional character and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedos leniency.

A jury found Masterson guilty of two counts in May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Mastersons Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom.

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The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology  where all three women were also members at the time  to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

Key Points

Actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher sent judge letters of support for Masterson

47-year-old found guilty of rapes of two women twenty years ago at his Hollywood Hills home

Jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count

Verdicts came in second trial after first jury failed to reach unanimous verdicts

Prosecutors allege Masterson used position in Church of Scientology to avoid consequences

Crimes occurred in 2003 at height of his fame in Fox sitcom That 70s Show

Sitcom actor Danny Masterson faces sentencing today

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:22 , Oliver O'Connell

That 70s Show star Danny Masterson could get as much as 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo is set to sentence the 47-year-old actor after ruling on a defence motion for a new trial that shes very likely to reject, and after hearing impact statements from the victims.

A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on 31 May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Mastersons Hollywood Hills home in 2003 when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

The verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December and a mistrial was declared.

Did Scientology play a role in the aftermath of rapes?

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology  where all three women were also members at the time  to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

The women blamed the church for their hesitancy in going to the police about Masterson. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. Scientology told them theres no justice for them.

The church said in a statement after the verdict that the testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs during the trial were uniformly false.

The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, the statement said.

AP

What were the allegations and could Masterson appeal?

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. The defence argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the womens stories by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they said showed signs of coordination between them.

The women whose testimony led to Mastersons conviction said that in 2003, he gave them drinks and that they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them.

Olmedo allowed prosecutors and accusers to say directly in the second trial that Masterson drugged the women, while only allowing the women to describe their condition in the first.

Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there was no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion. The issue could be a factor in a planned appeal from the defence of Mastersons conviction.

AP

Who is Masterson?

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:58 , Oliver O'Connell

Masterson, 47, an actor since childhood, got his major break when he was cast as Stephen Hyde on the retro sitcom That 70s Show, which also starred Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace and would run on Fox from 1998 until 2006.

At the time of the alleged assaults, his career was at its peak, and his house near Hollywood with a backyard pool and Jacuzzi was a social hub. It was also, according to prosecutors, the scene of all three crimes. Masterson had pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have repeatedly denied all of the allegations.

AP

Who were Mastersons accusers?

Thursday 7 September 2023 16:08 , AP

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.

The first accuser

One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Mastersons circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.

The woman said that when she stopped by Mastersons house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.

Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.

The second accuser

A model and actor who was Masterson's girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.

Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.

The third accuser

The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 that Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.

Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.

Thursday 7 September 2023 16:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Have Mastersons former co-stars spoken about the case?

Thursday 7 September 2023 16:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Actor Ashton Kutcher, who starred alongside Masterston on That 70s Show and The Ranch, commented on the case back in January.

Ashton Kutcher (Getty Images)

Who is Danny Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips?

Thursday 7 September 2023 16:55 , Oliver O'Connell

The trial and conviction of Bijou Phillipss husband Danny Masterson joins a long list of scandals she has encountered throughout her life. For those who arent familiar, heres a little background on the sitcom stars wife.

Who is Danny Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips?

What happened during deliberations?

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Jurors deliberated for more than a week before reaching a verdict.

Actor Danny Masterson's rape retrial sees deliberations drag on again

How did Mastersons lawyer challenge allegations?

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Mastersons attorney challenged his former longterm girlfriend during her testimony at the trial as to why new details had emerged in her account of when she claimed the actor raped her in 2001.

Read more...

Danny Masterson lawyer challenges new details in rape story

Thursday 7 September 2023 18:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Court on 15-minute break ahead of sentencing

Thursday 7 September 2023 18:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Just to be clear, Mr. Masterson is not going to say anything, lawyer Shawn Holley just told Judge Olmedo.

Two of the victims spoke for about 10-20 minutes. One brought up Mastersons DJ name: DJ Donkey Punch.

You relish in hurting women. It is your addiction. It is without question your favourite thing to do, legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reports her as saying.

The two women Masterson was convicted of raping spoke in person for 10-20 minutes each.



N.T. brought up Masterson's DJ name, DJ Donkey Punch.



"You relish in hurting women. It is your addiction. It is without question your favorite thing to do," she said.  Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) September 7, 2023

Life is precious and fragile. Find your heart  Learn something. Read books. Listen to the brightness of nothing and get well. I forgive you, the same victim said.

A prosecutor read aloud a statement from the third victim that jurors deadlocked on.

N.T. closed by telling Masterson she forgives him and suggesting some prison activities for him.



"Life is precious and fragile. Find your heart  Learn something. Read books. Listen to the brightness of nothing and get well. I forgive you," N.T. said.  Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) September 7, 2023

Scientology survivor Leah Rimini in court

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Ex-Scientologist and campaigner Leah Rimini is in the court to support the victims.

One of the victims addressed the allegation that she had persuaded them to falsely accuse Masterson.

Sorry, Leahs not behind this.

Victim Jennifer B. addressed allegations that @LeahRemini persuaded the women to falsely accuse Masterson, saying in her 20-minute victim-impact statement, "Sorry, Leah's not behind this."  Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) September 7, 2023

Full story: Judge rejects new trial for Danny Masterson, weighs prospect of decades in prison

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:08 , AP

Danny Masterson, star of That 70s Show could get as much as 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo is set to sentence the 47-year-old actor after rejecting a defence motion for a new trial.

She is hearing victim impact statements before issuing her ruling on what Mastersons sentence will be. The actor, who has been in custody since May, sat in court wearing a suit.

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman who Masterson was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent, she said. The world is better off with you in prison.

The other woman Masterson was found guilty of raping said he has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused. She told the judge, I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and Im so upset. I wish Id reported him sooner to the police.

Masterson watched the women without visible reaction as they spoke.

A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on 31 May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Mastersons Hollywood-area home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

The verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December and a mistrial was declared.

The defence sought to have sentences for the two convictions run simultaneously and asked for a sentence of 15 years to life. The prosecution asked for the full 30 years to life sentence Masterson was eligible for.

Its his life that will be impacted by what you decide today, Mastersons lawyer Shawn Holley told the judge. And the life of his 9-year-old daughter, who means the world to him, and to whom he means the world.

He has lived an exemplary life, he has been an extraordinary father, husband, brother, son, co-worker and community servant, Holley said.

Mastersons wife distraught and crying as new trial denied and victims read statements

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:35 , Oliver O'Connell

The Messenger reports that Danny Mastersons wife Bijou Phillips was noticeably distraught during this mornings sentencing hearing, crying off and on as his victims read their impact statements.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo also denied Mastersons request for a new trial.

Masterson's ex says rape came years into relationship

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:35 , Oliver O'Connell

A former girlfriend of actor Danny Masterson testified during the trial that he had grown increasingly abusive and controlling during their five-year relationship when he raped her in their bed in November of 2001.

The woman, a model who had begun dating Masterson in 1996, shortly before he gained fame as a star of the sitcom That 70s Show, said there had been previous instances when she woke in the night to find Masterson on top of her, and had accepted sex with him to avoid angering him.

On this night, however, she said clearly she did not consent, and resisted.

I told him no, I dont want to have sex. He didnt listen to me, said the woman, the first to take the stand in the Los Angeles courtroom at Mastersons retrial on three counts of rape.

She spoke more quickly and grew more emotional as the story continued. So I continued pleading with him, like, please get off of me, no. And he was continuing. And it was painful. And I remember trying to push his chest up off of me. I couldnt get him off of me.

She said Masterson pinned her arms above her head to keep her down. As she struggled, she recalled Mastersons clearly established rules that no one touch his hair or his face, which she had previously heeded.

If I did this, I knew it wouldnt be good. But I believed it would maybe make him stop.

She said she managed to free one arm and yanked his hair at the back of his head. She said he then hit her in the jaw with a partially closed fist, spat on her, and stormed off.

Ultimately, the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on this count.

BREAKING: Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo sentences That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison for rapes of 2 women.

Judge Olmedo said: Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and thats why you are here.

Judge Olmedo sentenced Masterson to 30 years to life after dismantling his defense.



"Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person's choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that's why you are here."  Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) September 7, 2023

Developing story...

Masterson unmoved by sentencing victim statements

Thursday 7 September 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Actor Danny Masterson remained unmoved as his two rape victims gave powerful impact statements to a judge before the That 70s Show star was sentenced for the attacks.

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

Graeme Massie reports for The Independent from Los Angeles.

Danny Masterson unmoved by powerful victim statements at sentencing

Full story: Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Thursday 7 September 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

That 70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

The sentence was handed down on Thursday (7 September) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.

Inga Parkel filed this report for The Independent.

Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Mastersons wife breaks down at rape sentencing: Who is Bijou Phillips?

Thursday 7 September 2023 20:40 , Kaleigh Werner

Reports indicate Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset in court when her husband of 12 years was convicted on 31 May following seven days of jury deliberation and a mistrial in 2022. The 43-year-old model clung to Mastersons side for the duration of his trial, showing no signs she plans to leave or divorce him as of now.

Her husbands trial joins a long list of scandals Bijou has encountered throughout her life. For those who arent familiar, heres a little background on the sitcom stars wife.

Danny Mastersons wife breaks down at rape sentencing: Who is Bijou Phillips?

Judge verbally dismantled Mastersons defence

Thursday 7 September 2023 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff reported from the court in Los Angeles that Judge Charlaine Olmedo verbally dismantled Mastersons defence.

Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and thats why you are here, Judge Olmedo told the actor

Per Cuniff:

Olmedo told Masterson she knows hes wondering how you can be convicted of each charge of sexual incident occurring 20 years ago involving a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.

But, Olmedo said, you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.

You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip and speculation, Olmedo said. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible.  You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.

Judge Olmedo also noted that Masterson had paid one of his victims nearly $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement, describing it as an awful lot to pay for an incident he claimed never happened.

Does That 70s Show sitcom spinoff address absence of Masterson character?

Thursday 7 September 2023 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Masterson played one of the main characters in the show from 1998 to 2006 and while his cast mates have returned as their characters for spin-off The 90s Show, he has not.

Does That 90s Show explain Danny Mastersons absence following his rape trial?

Mastersons sentencing followed a retrial, heres how the case evolved

Thursday 7 September 2023 22:30 , AP

What led to Danny Mastersons rape retrial and what happens next

How did Mastersons lawyer challenge allegations?

Thursday 7 September 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Mastersons attorney challenged his former longterm girlfriend during her testimony at the trial as to why new details had emerged in her account of when she claimed the actor raped her in 2001.

Read more...

Danny Masterson lawyer challenges new details in rape story

Full story: That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Friday 8 September 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

That 70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

The sentence was handed down on Thursday (7 September) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.

Inga Parkel reports for The Independent.

Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Have Mastersons former co-stars spoken about the case?

Friday 8 September 2023 01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Actor Ashton Kutcher, who starred alongside Masterston on That 70s Show and The Ranch, commented on the case back in January.

Ashton Kutcher hopes Danny Masterson will be found innocent in rape retrial

Who is Mastersons wife Bijou Phillips?

Friday 8 September 2023 02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Reports indicate Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset in court when her husband of 12 years was convicted on 31 May following seven days of jury deliberation and a mistrial in 2022. The 43-year-old model clung to Mastersons side for the duration of his trial, showing no signs she plans to leave or divorce him as of now.

Her husbands trial joins a long list of scandals Bijou has encountered throughout her life. For those who arent familiar, heres a little background on the sitcom stars wife.

Danny Mastersons wife breaks down at rape sentencing: Who is Bijou Phillips?

Mastersons ex says rape came years into relationship

Friday 8 September 2023 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A former girlfriend of actor Danny Masterson testified during the trial that he had grown increasingly abusive and controlling during their five-year relationship when he raped her in their bed in November of 2001.

The woman, a model who had begun dating Masterson in 1996, shortly before he gained fame as a star of the sitcom That 70s Show, said there had been previous instances when she woke in the night to find Masterson on top of her, and had accepted sex with him to avoid angering him.

On this night, however, she said clearly she did not consent, and resisted.

I told him no, I dont want to have sex. He didnt listen to me, said the woman, the first to take the stand in the Los Angeles courtroom at Mastersons retrial on three counts of rape.

She spoke more quickly and grew more emotional as the story continued. So I continued pleading with him, like, please get off of me, no. And he was continuing. And it was painful. And I remember trying to push his chest up off of me. I couldnt get him off of me.

She said Masterson pinned her arms above her head to keep her down. As she struggled, she recalled Mastersons clearly established rules that no one touch his hair or his face, which she had previously heeded.

If I did this, I knew it wouldnt be good. But I believed it would maybe make him stop.

She said she managed to free one arm and yanked his hair at the back of his head. She said he then hit her in the jaw with a partially closed fist, spat on her, and stormed off.

Ultimately, the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on this count.

Masterson unmoved by sentencing victim statements

Friday 8 September 2023 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Actor Danny Masterson remained unmoved as his two rape victims gave powerful impact statements to a judge before the That 70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attacks.

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent, she added. The world is better off with you in prison.

The other victim told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo that the actor has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.

Graeme Massie reports from Los Angeles.

Danny Masterson unmoved by powerful victim statements at sentencing

Did Scientology play a role in the aftermath of rapes?

Friday 8 September 2023 06:30 , AP

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology  where all three women were also members at the time  to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

The women blamed the church for their hesitancy in going to the police about Masterson. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. Scientology told them theres no justice for them.

The church said in a statement after the verdict that the testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs during the trial were uniformly false.

The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, the statement said.

Judge verbally dismantled Mastersons defence

Friday 8 September 2023 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reported from the court in Los Angeles that Judge Charlaine Olmedo verbally dismantled Mastersons defence.

Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and thats why you are here, Judge Olmedo told the actor

Per Cuniff:

Olmedo told Masterson she knows hes wondering how you can be convicted of each charge of sexual incident occurring 20 years ago involving a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.

But, Olmedo said, you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.

You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip and speculation, Olmedo said. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible.  You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.

Judge Olmedo also noted that Masterson had paid one of his victims nearly $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement, describing it as an awful lot to pay for an incident he claimed never happened.

Who were Mastersons accusers?

Friday 8 September 2023 08:30 , AP

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.

The first accuser

One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Mastersons circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.

The woman said that when she stopped by Mastersons house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.

Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.

The second accuser

A model and actor who was Mastersons girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.

Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.

The third accuser

The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 that Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.

Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.

How did Mastersons lawyer challenge allegations?

Friday 8 September 2023 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Mastersons attorney challenged his former longterm girlfriend during her testimony at the trial as to why new details had emerged in her account of when she claimed the actor raped her in 2001.

Read more...

Danny Masterson lawyer challenges new details in rape story

Have Mastersons former co-stars spoken about the case?

Friday 8 September 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Actor Ashton Kutcher, who starred alongside Masterston on That 70s Show and The Ranch, commented on the case back in January.

Ashton Kutcher hopes Danny Masterson will be found innocent in rape retrial

Who is Mastersons wife Bijou Phillips?

Friday 8 September 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Reports indicate Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset in court when her husband of 12 years was convicted on 31 May following seven days of jury deliberation and a mistrial in 2022. The 43-year-old model clung to Mastersons side for the duration of his trial, showing no signs she plans to leave or divorce him as of now.

Her husbands trial joins a long list of scandals Bijou has encountered throughout her life. For those who arent familiar, heres a little background on the sitcom stars wife.

Danny Mastersons wife breaks down at rape sentencing: Who is Bijou Phillips?

Judge blasts Danny Masterson as actor is sentenced to 30 years in prison for rapes

Friday 8 September 2023 21:37 , Inga Parkel

I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.

Read more:

(AP)

Disgraced That 70s Show star , who is 47 and has a nine-year-old daughter, will not be able to apply for parole until he is 77 years old

Masterson unmoved by sentencing victim statements

Friday 8 September 2023 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Actor Danny Masterson remained unmoved as his two rape victims gave powerful impact statements to a judge before the That 70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attacks.

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent, she added. The world is better off with you in prison.

The other victim told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo that the actor has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.

Graeme Massie reports from Los Angeles.

Danny Masterson unmoved by powerful victim statements at sentencing

Did Scientology play a role in the aftermath of rapes?

Friday 8 September 2023 13:30 , AP

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology  where all three women were also members at the time  to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

The women blamed the church for their hesitancy in going to the police about Masterson. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. Scientology told them theres no justice for them.

The church said in a statement after the verdict that the testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs during the trial were uniformly false.

The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, the statement said.

Full story: That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Friday 8 September 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell

That 70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

The sentence was handed down on Thursday (7 September) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.

Inga Parkel reports for The Independent.

Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Did Conan know?

Friday 8 September 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A resurfaced chat show clip of Danny Masterson takes on a chilling new light in the wake of his sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for multiple rapes.

The video is taken from 2004 when the 47-year-old actor, who starred in That 70s Show, appeared on the NBC series Late Night with Conan OBrien . The rapes he has been convicted of happened one year earlier.

Jacob Stolworthy reports on how the chat show banter took on a new resonance.

Old Danny Masterson chat show clip takes on chilling new light after rape sentencing

Who were Mastersons accusers?

Friday 8 September 2023 15:00 , AP

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.

The first accuser

One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Mastersons circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.

The woman said that when she stopped by Mastersons house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.

Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.

The second accuser

A model and actor who was Mastersons girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.

Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.

The third accuser

The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 that Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.

Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.

Judge verbally dismantled Mastersons defence

Friday 8 September 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reported from the court in Los Angeles that Judge Charlaine Olmedo verbally dismantled Mastersons defence.

Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and thats why you are here, Judge Olmedo told the actor

Per Cuniff:

Olmedo told Masterson she knows hes wondering how you can be convicted of each charge of sexual incident occurring 20 years ago involving a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.

But, Olmedo said, you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.

You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip and speculation, Olmedo said. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible.  You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.

Judge Olmedo also noted that Masterson had paid one of his victims nearly $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement, describing it as an awful lot to pay for an incident he claimed never happened.

Leah Remini hits out at Church of Scientology after Danny Masterson rape sentencing

Friday 8 September 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes, Remini wrote. I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women.

Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of.

Read more of her statement below:

Leah Remini blasts Church of Scientology following Danny Masterson rape sentencing

Judge blasts Danny Masterson as actor is sentenced to 30 years in prison for rapes

Friday 8 September 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.

Read more...

Judge blasts Danny Masterson as actor sentenced to 30 years in prison for rapes

Danny Masterson unmoved by sentencing victim statements

Friday 8 September 2023 17:45 , Inga Parkel

Danny Masterson appeared unmoved by the powerful impact statements given by his two rape victims during his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

Graeme Massie has the full story:

Masterson, pictured in court in 2020, has been sentenced to 30 years (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Actor jailed for 30 years by Los Angeles judge for the rape of two women at his home in 2003

How did That 70s Show reboot address Steve Hydes absence?

Friday 8 September 2023 18:15 , Inga Parkel

That 90s Show was dropped on Netflix in January, but while stars of That 70s Show, such as Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher, made an appearance, viewers did not hear anything from Danny Masterson.

The sitcom star was charged with the rapes of three women months before the release of the reboot. In December, however, his first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury of seven women and five men were deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict on the third charge, brought against him by a former longtime girlfriend.

At the time of the assaults, Masterson was starring in That 70s Show as Steven Hyde, a rebellious high school student and the best friend of series lead Eric (Grace).

The sequel (following on from That 80s Show), focuses on the children of Eric and his classmates, with Grace and his former co-stars Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis all making guest appearances. Although, as expected, Masterson does not return to the show.

Read more:

Danny Masterson (Getty Images)

Sitcom actor has now been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women

How did the Church of Scientology play a part in Danny Masterson trial?

Friday 8 September 2023 18:45 , Inga Parkel

Throughout both the first trial and retrial, the Church of Scientology  of which Danny Masterson is a member, and the three victims were former members  played a large part. But how?

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the church to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

The women had blamed the church for dissuading them from reporting Masterson to police. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped and were sent through ethics programs and warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. Scientology told them theres no justice for them.

After the verdict, the church said that the testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs during the trial were uniformly false.

The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, the statement said.

Read more:

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Sitcom actor has since been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women

That 70s Show alumni Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher wrote letters of support for Masterson

Friday 8 September 2023 19:01 , Tom Murray

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis (Getty Images)

Legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff has published the letters of support written by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis for their That 70s Show costar.

In their letters, the actors  who are married  vouched for Mastersons exceptional character and asked for the judges leniency.

Kutcher called his co-star a role model and a person that is consistently there for you when you need him.

I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society, he wrote in his letters conclusion.

Meanwhile, Kunis called Masterson an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me.

Danny Mastersons warmth, humor, and positive outlook on life have been a driving force in shaping my character and the way I approach lifes challenges, she wrote.

Actress Debra Jo Rupp and actor Kurtwood Smith, who played Kitty and Red Forman on That 70s Show, also wrote letters, according to Cuniff.

The Independent has contacted Kunis and Kutchers representatives for comment.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutchers letters of support for Masterson revealed

Friday 8 September 2023 19:34 , Tom Murray

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis vouch for Danny Mastersons exceptional character

Who were Danny Mastersons accusers?

Friday 8 September 2023 20:16 , Inga Parkel

Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on two charges of forcible rape. Though he was initially accused by three women, the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on the third account.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press, which does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.

The first accuser

One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Mastersons circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.

The woman said that when she stopped by Mastersons house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.

Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.

The second accuser

A model and actor who was Mastersons girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.

Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.

The third accuser

The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.

Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.

Did Conan OBrien know?

Friday 8 September 2023 21:00 , Inga Parkel

A resurfaced chat show clip of Danny Masterson takes on a chilling new light in the wake of his sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for multiple rapes.

The video is taken from 2004 when the 47-year-old actor, who starred in That 70s Show, appeared on the NBC series Late Night with Conan OBrien. The rapes he has been convicted of happened one year earlier.

Read more:

(YouTube)

Ive heard about you, Conan OBrien tells now-convicted rapist after lewd comment

Who is Mastersons wife Bijou Phillips?

Friday 8 September 2023 21:30 , Inga Parkel

Reports indicate Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset in court when her husband of 12 years was convicted on 31 May following seven days of jury deliberation and a mistrial in 2022. The 43-year-old model clung to Mastersons side for the duration of his trial, showing no signs she plans to leave or divorce him as of now.

Her husbands trial joins a long list of scandals Bijou has encountered throughout her life. For those who arent familiar, heres a little background on the sitcom stars wife.

Read more:

(Getty Images)

Bijou, daughter of The Mamas & The Papas lead musician John Phillips, and his third wife Genevieve Waite, met Masterson in 2004 and tied the knot with That 70s Show lead in 2011

Judge verbally dismantled Mastersons defence

Friday 8 September 2023 22:00 , Inga Parkel

Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reported from the court in Los Angeles that Judge Charlaine Olmedo verbally dismantled Mastersons defence.

Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and thats why you are here, Judge Olmedo told the actor at his sentence hearing on Thursday (7 September).

Per Cuniff:

Olmedo told Masterson she knows hes wondering how you can be convicted of each charge of sexual incident occurring 20 years ago involving a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.

But, Olmedo said, you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.

You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip and speculation, Olmedo said. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible.  You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.

Judge Olmedo also noted that Masterson had paid one of his victims nearly $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement, describing it as an awful lot to pay for an incident he claimed never happened.

Danny Mastersons daughter, 9, and wife are lost without him

Friday 8 September 2023 22:30 , Inga Parkel

Danny Mastersons nine-year-old daughter and wife Bijou Phillips, are said to be lost without the actor.

Ahead of his sentencing trial on Thursday (7 September), Mastersons brother urged the judge, in a character letter, for your utmost compassion with regards to Danny so that his family may get to see him again, his young daughter and wife most importantly. They are lost without him, as we all are.

I understand the lengthy sentence he is facing per the statute and letter of the law, Jordan Masterson wrote. My brother is looking at the rest of his life in prison. I pray that isnt the outcome.

Danny is a loving father to his daughter and a loving husband to his wife, Jordan added. He cares deeply for his family and always puts their needs first and foremost above his. When his wife needed a kidney transplant and was on dialysis for more than a year, my brother was by her side every step of the way. He moved mountains to get her the treatment she needed. Taking care of a young child and a gravely sick wife while also trying to maintain a career to pay for all of the above is extremely hard as you can imagine. But he did it. Never once did he complain or lament his situation.

Friday 8 September 2023 23:00 , Inga Parkel

Billy Baldwin attests to Danny Mastersons trustworthiness in character letter

Actor Billy Baldwin  brother of Alec Baldwin  was among 50 people who wrote character letters on behalf of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, ahead of his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).

Baldwin, 60, is the brother-in-law of Masterson, whose wife, Bijou Phillips, is the sister of Baldwins wife, Chynna Phillips.

I know that Danny has been convicted of a very serious crime and is facing a lengthy prison sentence, the Backdraft actor wrote. The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the Danny Masterson that I know. Danny the man, the friend, colleague, family member, husband, and father. Things that were not discussed in court but I think are vitally important for you to know.

He continued: Never in my entire life have I had more people refer to someone as family, my brother and best friend than Danny. Many of them have told me that he was there for them in their greatest hour of need and the darkest hour of their life.

The That 70s Show actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women two decades ago.

Full story: That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Friday 8 September 2023 23:30 , Inga Parkel

That 70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

The sentence was handed down on Thursday (7 September) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.

Inga Parkel reports for The Independent.

Danny Masterson (Getty Images)

Sitcom actor was found guilty for the rapes of two women two decades ago

Why was Mastersons case retried?

Saturday 9 September 2023 00:00 , Inga Parkel

(AP)

A Los Angeles jury found That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson guilty of two counts of rape and failed to reach a verdict on a third womans sexual abuse allegations

How did Mastersons lawyer challenge allegations?

Saturday 9 September 2023 00:30 , Inga Parkel

Mastersons attorney challenged his former longterm girlfriend during her testimony at the trial as to why new details had emerged in her account of when she claimed the actor raped her in 2001.

Read more:

Masterson, pictured in court in 2020, has been sentenced to 30 years (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

An attorney for Danny Masterson challenged his former girlfriend on why her trial testimony alleging the actor raped her in 2001 included new details that were missing from the accounts she first gave authorities

Judge blasts Danny Masterson as actor is sentenced to 30 years in prison for rapes

01:00 , Inga Parkel

I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.

Read more:

(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Disgraced That 70s Show star , who is 47 and has a nine-year-old daughter, will not be able to apply for parole until he is 77 years old

What does 30 years to life mean?

01:30 , Inga Parkel

On Thursday (7 September), Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women two decades ago.

What this means is that 30 years is the minimum term the actor must serve in prison before he can potentially be let out early on good behaviour.

The minimum, however, is still flexible depending on the jurisdiction and its specific laws. Although, its been reported that Masterson must serve a minimum of 20 years before hes eligible for parole.

Leah Remini hits out at Church of Scientology after Danny Masterson rape sentencing

02:00 , Inga Parkel

For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes, former Scientologist Remini wrote. I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women.

Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of.

Read more of her statement below:

(Getty)

Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for two counts of rape on Thursday

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis vouch for Danny Mastersons exceptional character in rape sentencing letters

03:00 , Inga Parkel

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support for Danny Masterson ahead of his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).

Kunis and Kutcher, who married in 2015, both co-starred in the American sitcom with Masterson, which ran for eight seasons and 200 episodes between 1998 and 2006.

In their letters of support, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff on Friday, the couple vouched for Mastersons exceptional character and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedos leniency.

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Danny Masterson (left), Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher (Getty Images)

Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago

Danny Mastersons daughter, 9, and wife are lost without him

03:30 , Inga Parkel

Danny Mastersons nine-year-old daughter and wife Bijou Phillips, are said to be lost without the actor.

Ahead of his sentencing trial on Thursday (7 September), Mastersons brother urged the judge, in a character letter, for your utmost compassion with regards to Danny so that his family may get to see him again, his young daughter and wife most importantly. They are lost without him, as we all are.

I understand the lengthy sentence he is facing per the statute and letter of the law, Jordan Masterson wrote. My brother is looking at the rest of his life in prison. I pray that isnt the outcome.

Danny is a loving father to his daughter and a loving husband to his wife, Jordan added. He cares deeply for his family and always puts their needs first and foremost above his. When his wife needed a kidney transplant and was on dialysis for more than a year, my brother was by her side every step of the way. He moved mountains to get her the treatment she needed. Taking care of a young child and a gravely sick wife while also trying to maintain a career to pay for all of the above is extremely hard as you can imagine. But he did it. Never once did he complain or lament his situation.

04:00 , Inga Parkel

The crimes committed by Danny Masterson occurred in 2003 at the height of his fame in Fox sitcom That 70s Show.

He later reunited with former co-star Ashton Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch. Masterson, however, was swiftly written off the show when a Los Angeles Police Department investigation was revealed the following year.

While that investigation began before Hollywood was shaken with stories about Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, the conviction and sentencing of Masterson still represents a major #MeToo era success for Los Angeles prosecutors, along with the conviction of Weinstein himself last year in 2022.

Billy Baldwin attests to Danny Mastersons trustworthiness in character letter

04:30 , Inga Parkel

Actor Billy Baldwin  brother of Alec Baldwin  was among 50 people who wrote character letters on behalf of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, ahead of his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).

Baldwin, 60, is the brother-in-law of Masterson, whose wife, Bijou Phillips, is the sister of Baldwins wife, Chynna Phillips.

I know that Danny has been convicted of a very serious crime and is facing a lengthy prison sentence, the Backdraft actor wrote. The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the Danny Masterson that I know. Danny the man, the friend, colleague, family member, husband, and father. Things that were not discussed in court but I think are vitally important for you to know.

He continued: Never in my entire life have I had more people refer to someone as family, my brother and best friend than Danny. Many of them have told me that he was there for them in their greatest hour of need and the darkest hour of their life.

The That 70s Show actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women two decades ago.

Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging

05:00 , Inga Parkel

Danny Masterson had been accused of drugging and forcibly raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.

He was convicted of raping two of the women in 2003, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third allegation from November 2001, brought forward by a former girlfriend.

Masterson, who maintains his innocence, did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. The defence argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the women by arguing that their stories had been tweaked in their favour.

Defence attorney Philip Cohen fought back against prosecutor Ariel Ansons drugging claims in his closing arguments, claiming there was no tangible evidence to support drugging allegations.

Miss Anson presented a case as if she was arguing a drugging case, Cohen said. Maybe its because there is no evidence of force or violence.

Ultimately, Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there was no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion.

Did Conan OBrien know?

06:00 , Inga Parkel

A resurfaced chat show clip of Danny Masterson takes on a chilling new light in the wake of his sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for multiple rapes.

The video is taken from 2004 when the 47-year-old actor, who starred in That 70s Show, appeared on the NBC series Late Night with Conan OBrien. The rapes he has been convicted of happened one year earlier.

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(YouTube)

Ive heard about you, Conan OBrien tells now-convicted rapist after lewd comment

Who were Danny Mastersons accusers?

07:00 , Inga Parkel

Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on two charges of forcible rape. Though he was initially accused by three women, the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on the third account.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press, which does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.

The first accuser

One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Mastersons circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.

The woman said that when she stopped by Mastersons house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.

Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.

The second accuser

A model and actor who was Mastersons girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.

Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.

The third accuser

The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.

Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.

How did the Church of Scientology play a part in Danny Masterson trial?

08:00 , Inga Parkel

Throughout both the first trial and retrial, the Church of Scientology  of which Danny Masterson is a member, and the three victims were former members  played a large part. But how?

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the church to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

The women had blamed the church for dissuading them from reporting Masterson to police. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped and were sent through ethics programs and warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. Scientology told them theres no justice for them.

After the verdict, the church said that the testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs during the trial were uniformly false.

The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, the statement said.

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Sexual Misconduct-Danny Masterson-Guide (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Sitcom actor has since been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women

How did That 70s Show reboot address Danny Masterson's absence?

09:00 , Inga Parkel

That 90s Show was dropped on Netflix in January, but while stars of That 70s Show, such as Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher, made an appearance, viewers did not hear anything from Danny Masterson.

The sitcom star was charged with the rapes of three women months before the release of the reboot. In December, however, his first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury of seven women and five men were deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict on the third charge, brought against him by a former longtime girlfriend.

At the time of the assaults, Masterson was starring in That 70s Show as Steven Hyde, a rebellious high school student and the best friend of series lead Eric (Grace).

The sequel (following on from That 80s Show), focuses on the children of Eric and his classmates, with Grace and his former co-stars Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis all making guest appearances. Although, as expected, Masterson does not return to the show.

Read more:

(Getty/Netflix)

Sitcom actor has now been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women

Danny Masterson unmoved by sentencing victim statements

10:00 , Inga Parkel

Danny Masterson appeared unmoved by the powerful impact statements given by his two rape victims during his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

Graeme Massie has the full story:

(Invision)

Actor jailed for 30 years by Los Angeles judge for the rape of two women at his home in 2003

Who is Mastersons wife Bijou Phillips?

11:00 , Inga Parkel

Reports indicate Mastersons wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset in court when her husband of 12 years was convicted on 31 May following seven days of jury deliberation and a mistrial in 2022. The 43-year-old model clung to Mastersons side for the duration of his trial, showing no signs she plans to leave or divorce him as of now.

Her husbands trial joins a long list of scandals Bijou has encountered throughout her life. For those who arent familiar, heres a little background on the sitcom stars wife.

Read more:

(Getty Images)

Bijou, daughter of The Mamas & The Papas lead musician John Phillips, and his third wife Genevieve Waite, met Masterson in 2004 and tied the knot with That 70s Show lead in 2011

13:00 , Inga Parkel

One of Mastersons lawyers, Shawn Holley told reporters outside the courtroom on Thursday (7 September), that she was very disappointed in the sentence.

Holley added that a team of lawyers had reviewed the case and found a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues that they planned to use in appeals.

Though we have great respect for the jury, and for our system of justice, sometimes they get it wrong  and thats what happened here, Holley said, of Masterson, who maintains his innocence.
A day care worker has been arrested after authorities say she assaulted children by throwing them onto the ground, Pennsylvania news reports say.

Taylor Titley, who was reportedly fired from Sheryl Buffingtons Daycare and Preschool Palace in Center Township, faces 20 charges, including five counts of aggravated assault of a victim younger than 6, court records show. She was arrested Thursday, Sept. 7.

The 29-year-old woman allegedly abused children ranging in age from 6 months to 2 years, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WTAE. The investigation began in June when a 6-month-old boy was taken to a hospital with a broken arm, WTAE reported.

Its quite literally a mothers or parents worse nightmare, Kara Kennedy, who said her son was abused at the day care, told WTAE. You never wish that upon anybody or anybodys child. I dont care how bad of a person you are, the children dont know they cant speak for themselves.

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Kennedy said her child often came home with bruises, burn marks or rashes, WPXI reported.

Workers at the day care told officers they saw Titley abuse the kids on multiple occasions, according to Butler Radio.

Titley would throw children onto their sleeping mat from about three-to-four feet off the ground, Butler Radio reported, citing court documents. She also allegedly would grab infants by their arm and pull them off the floor.

In one instance, Titley used a flashlight to check a childs pupils because she thought they may have hit their head too hard after being thrown, police said, according to KDKA.

Court records show Titley was charged with multiple counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and endangering welfare of children.

Sheryl Buffington, the owner of the day care, said she was dumbfounded by the accusations, KDKA reported.

We are a licensed daycare, so we are mandated to report things like this, and to my knowledge, I had no knowledge of this going on, Buffington told WPXI.

Titley was arraigned Sept. 7 and is due in court again Oct. 24.

Center Township is about 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

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Japanese forces surrender to U.S. troops in Seoul on September 9, 1945, one day after U.S. forces arrived in southern Korea. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1565, the first permanent European settlement in what is now the continental United States was founded on the site of the present St. Augustine, Fla.

In 1900, more than 6,000 people were killed when a hurricane and tidal wave struck Galveston, Texas.

In 1935, an assassin shot U.S. Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., at the Capitol in Baton Rouge, La. Long died two days later. His close friend, James O'Conner, Louisiana public service commission, recounted to United Press how the senator collapsed in his arms after the shooting.

In 1941, the Siege of Leningrad -- the Russian city now known as St. Petersburg -- began. The Germany army held the blockade for more than two years during World War II, resulting in the deaths of about 1 million civilians and Soviet troops.

The recovered wreckage from USAir Flight 427, which crashed in Pittsburgh on September 8, 1994. File Photo courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration

In 1943, U.S. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower announced that Italy surrendered to the Allied forces after the fall of fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

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In 1945, U.S. troops arrived in southern Korea after Soviet troops occupied the north. The occupations, initially thought to be temporary, eventually resulted in the Korean War and separate states.

Residents of Leningrad, Russia, queue up for water from shell holes December 1, 1941. On September 8, 1941, the Siege of Leningrad -- the Russian city now known as St. Petersburg -- began. File Photo by Boris Kudoyarov/RIA Novosti/Wikipedia

In 1966, Star Trek premiered on NBC-TV.

Leonard Nimoy (R) and William Shatner greet thousands of fans at a Star Trek Convention in the Vancouver Trade and Convention Center on January 26, 1997. File Photo by H. Ruckemann/UPI

House Republican leader Gerald Ford (R) acknowledges applause after President Richard Nixon tapped him to be vice president of the United Stated on October 12, 1973. On September 8, 1974, then-President Ford granted former President Nixon, who had resigned a month earlier in the wake of the Watergate scandal, a full pardon for any offenses he may have committed during his years in office. UPI File Photo

In 1974, U.S. President Gerald Ford granted former President Richard Nixon, who had resigned a month earlier in the wake of the Watergate scandal, a full pardon for any offenses he may have committed during his years in office.

In 1994, a USAir Boeing 737 (Flight 427) suddenly rolled to the left, spiraled out of control and fell 6,000 feet in a crash near Pittsburgh that killed 132 people. A problem with the plane's rudder control system was eventually cited as the probable cause of the disaster.

In 2005, more than 1,000 people attended the Washington funeral of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died of thyroid cancer just before his 81st birthday.

File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

In 2018, Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam in her 6-2, 6-4 defeat of American Serena Williams at the U.S. Open.

In 2019, Rafael Nadal became the first male player in the Open era to win five Grand Slam trophies after turning 30 with his defeat of Daniil Medvedev at the U.S. Open.

In 2021, a 12-ton statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was taken down and cut to pieces in Richmond, Va.

File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI
Its boat time!

A three-day boat show is taking place at the Ocean Center this weekend in Daytona Beach.

The Marine Industry Association of Central Florida is hosting the Daytona Boat Show from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10, featuring 14 of Central Floridas top boat dealers that represent dozens of manufacturers.

Event organizers said there would be approximately 300 boats on display.

Read: Family-friendly Spooktacular returns Sept. 9 to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Boat fans will see a variety of boats that fit any lifestyle, including Bowriders, center consoles, deck boats, flats boats, freshwater fishing boats, jet boats, pontoon boats, and more.

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Tickets are $5 per car and can be purchased here or at the event.

Guests can attend the event from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday, the show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read: Fire crews rescue tiny kitten trapped in a storm drain near a Walmart

See a map of the location below:

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Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Numerous occurrences of torrential downpours have wreaked havoc at different ends of the Earth since the beginning of September, leading to major flooding and dozens of deaths. According to AccuWeather forecasters, more flooding downpours are ahead for millions around the world into next week.

The flood events, stemming from many storms striking in recent days in Brazil, southern Europe, eastern Asia and the western United States, have all bore in common the same thing: a quick onset of heavy rain that lasts for an extended amount of time, leading to flash flooding where time to escape rising waters is scarce.

Numerous records have fallen from the recent flood events over the past week, including an all-time daily rainfall record for Greece and the all-time 1-hour rainfall record for Hong Kong.

Floodwaters cover a suburb after the country's record rainstorm, in Larissa, Thessaly region, central Greece, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. Widespread flooding in central Greece has left several people dead and others missing, with severe rainstorms turning streams into raging torrents, bursting dams, washing away roads and bridges, and hurling cars into the sea. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

While individual events usually cannot be linked to climate change, the collection of many can, as studies have shown that increased evaporation from rising global temperatures can lead to more intense precipitation events.

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Amid winter in Brazil, a storm moving across the South American continent since Monday night, local time, has unleashed heavy rain and flooding in the country. At least 39 people have lost their lives in the flooding, which has stretched across more than 70 cities and displaced more than 6,000 people, according to Brazil Reports.

"I had never seen the city with so many floods, houses and companies destroyed, entire neighborhoods affected," Julio Saldanha, a long-time resident of Estrela, Brazil, told the online news website.

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Hit hardest by the storm was Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state. Rain gauges in the area registered close to 4 inches (100 mm) of rain in a short amount of time, and there were also reports of strong winds from the storm of up to 68.4 mph (110 km/h), Reuters reported.

"An area of low pressure developed along a slow-moving front, which led to the torrential rainfall across southern Brazil and into portions of northern Uruguay last week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.

A family is transported in a tractor through a flooded street in the Ilha da Pintada neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Flooding from a deadly cyclone in southern Brazil has washed away houses, trapped motorists in vehicles and swamped streets in several cities. (AP Photo/Wesley Santos)

The flooding forced the cancelation of Brazil Independence Day parades in the affected area and a declaration of a state of public calamity by the state's governor Eduardo Leite.

A video posted to social media showed a toddler being rescued by helicopter from the roof of a house near the flooded Taquari River. According to CBS News, in Mucum, a city along the same river with 50,000 residents, 15 bodies were found in just one house, as rescuers scoured through a trail of destruction where most buildings were completely swept away by floodwaters.

"The heaviest rain has since moved on from the area," added Douty. "The front remained draped across southern Brazil into late Friday, resulting in additional rain and thunderstorms across the region on Saturday."

From Thursday night into Friday, a round of heavy rain in Hong Kong and southeastern China led to record and deadly flooding. AccuWeather's team of international forecasters warns that the region may see additional heavy rain into early week.

The Hong Kong Observatory reported between around 27.5 and 31.5 inches (700 and 800 mm) of rain from Thursday into Friday in parts of the city, including an all-time one-hour record of 6.2 inches (158.1 mm) between 11 p.m. and midnight local time. Records for the city date back to 1884.

A shopping mall is flooded following heavy rainstorms in Hong Kong, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. Rain pouring onto Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, halting transportation and forcing schools to close Friday. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

The tremendous rainfall rates led to a torrent of floodwaters in the streets of the city, which inundated metro stations and parking garages and led to collapsed roads, according to CNN. The Associated Press attributed at least two deaths to the flooding.

A further 110 people were evacuated from the flooding, and at least 20 people were injured, said the AP.

"Rounds of heavy rain are expected to fall across southern China and Taiwan through the weekend," warned Douty. "This can lead to additional flooding."

Another 4 to 8 inches (about 100-200 mm) of rain can be expected between Friday night and Sunday night, local time, from southern Guangdong province, China, into the mountains of southern Taiwan, according to AccuWeather forecasters. The AccuWeather Local StormMax for the region is 35 inches (about 900 mm).

Following a summer full of devastating wildfires, Greece and surrounding Balkan nations have had to endure heavy rain and flooding as of late, as Storm Daniel moved through from Tuesday through Thursday of this week.

According to CNN, at least 14 deaths were attributed to the storm's flooding rains, which also impacted Bulgaria and Turkey. In Thessaly, Greece, more than 1,900 water rescues occurred on Thursday alone, according to Financial Times (FT), as floodwaters swept through the ancient city.

A damaged house stands over the water after the country's record rainfall in Horto village, Pilion region, central Greece, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Rescue teams in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria have recovered more bodies following floods after fierce rainstorms. (AP Photo/Thodoris Nikolaou)

In Zagora, Greece, 29.68 inches (754 mm) of rain fell in a single day from the storm, setting a new 24-hour rainfall record for the entire country. That beats the old record of 25.38 inches (645 mm) set in Paliki in September of 2020.

The dangers posed by the flooding from Storm Daniel were winding down in Greece late Friday. FT reported that evacuation orders had been issued along the Pineios River, which was starting to overflow its banks. The General Staff of National Defense announced that the armed forces evacuated over 2,000 residents due to flooding across the Thessaly region of Greece late last week and this weekend.

As Storm Daniel continues to track southward across the Mediterranean Sea through Sunday, conditions will continue to improve over the Balkans.

"Heavy rain from the storm will still impact portions of Northern Africa into the weekend," added Douty.

Separate rounds of heavy rain in Nevada made national headlines earlier this week, impacting both the Burning Man desert campout in the northwestern part of the state and the city of Las Vegas in the south.

In the Black Rock desert near Reno, home to Burning Man, tens of thousands of people attending the event were stranded by sudden downpours and mudflows last weekend. Shelter-in-place orders were issued for a time before a mass exodus of attendees occurred this week.

A person walks through floodwaters near a stranded car, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The Sheriff's Office in Pershing County confirmed earlier that one person died at the event, but the cause of death remains under investigation, according to Axios.

The flooding and heavy rain led to the delay of the event's annual culmination, the burning of the "man" totem, initially scheduled for Saturday. That burn eventually began on Monday night, amid the start of hourslong departures from the event site.

Meanwhile, farther south in Las Vegas, one person died in floodwaters that swept through the city on Friday from a round of heavy monsoon rains. Local TV station KSNV identified the victim as a 13-year-old teenager.

The Las Vegas Strip was also impacted by the flooding, which was caused by more than 2 inches of rain falling in a very short amount of time. At Harry Reid International Airport, 0.88 of an inch of rain fell on Sept. 1, nearly three times the average amount of rain for the entire month, and the wettest single day since September 2012.

Much quieter weather has settled over Nevada since the heavy rain events, according to AccuWeather forecasters. In Las Vegas, sunshine and temperatures near the 100-degree mark can be expected nearly every day into next week while the Black Rock area will also be dry for the next week.

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All departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government have been instructed to respond with all-out flood control efforts after Typhoon Haikui brought record rainfall on Thursday night.

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) said from Thursday night more than 70 mm of rainfall were recorded in most parts of Hong Kong and even over 200 mm were recorded in Kowloon, the northeastern part of the New Territories and Hong Kong Island. The Observatory Headquarters recorded hourly rainfall of 158.1 mm between 11 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) and midnight, which was the highest record since 1884.

The Emergency Monitoring and Support Center under the Security Bureau was activated at 11:05 p.m. on Thursday. The disciplined services are handling emergency requests. A number of HKSAR government departments, including the Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Highways Department (HyD), the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and relevant departments are taking full response actions and going to the affected regions to deal with various scenarios.

After the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal was issued at 11:05 p.m. on Thursday, the HAD swiftly activated its Emergency Coordination Center at the same time, and opened temporary shelters for people in need of temporary accommodation.

The first temporary shelter started operation at 11:35 p.m. on Thursday. As of 1:00 a.m. Friday, a total of 12 temporary shelters have been put into operation.

In response to water discharge from Shenzhen Reservoir at midnight, the North District Office specially arranged vehicles before midnight to pick up villagers from six villages that may be affected by flooding to temporary shelters.

A spokesman for the HKSAR government urged again members of the public to stay indoor and stay away from low-lying areas to safeguard personal safety during adverse weather.
By Stamos Prousalis and Lefteris Papadimas

LARISSA, Greece (Reuters) -Helicopters winched people from rooftops and military personnel used rubber boats to rescue families from floodwaters up to 3 metres deep in central Greece on Friday after a devastating rainstorm killed at least 10 people.

Storm Daniel, which meteorologists said was the worst to hit the country since records began in 1930, pummelled Greece for three days, leaving a trail of ruin after a record summer heatwave that had touched off huge wildfires.

Homes were swept away by torrents, bridges collapsed, roads were made impassable, power lines fell and crops in the fertile Thessaly plain were wiped out.

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Civil protection authorities confirmed a death toll of 10, with four people missing. It said 1,700 people had been rescued in total, among them 296 airlifted away from their homes. Residents said the water was 3 metres (9 ft) deep in places.

Dozens of villages in the region were submerged. People who called in to TV stations said hundreds of people were still stranded. Residents, many of them farmers, were despondent at the work of a lifetime disappearing in hours.

"The damage we have all suffered to our homes is irreparable. A lifetime's worth of work (was lost) within two hours," said Haralampos Tsergas, 59, from the village of Palamas.

Another Palamas resident, Evripidis Manoukas, 46, sitting on a trailer with other locals and their pets after being rescued, said the water level had risen quickly.

"We made an attempt to open the door, more water was coming in, so we closed it again and left through the windows," he said.

As well as the human devastation, the storm will deal an economic blow to the country which emerged from a decade-long debilitating debt crisis in 2018, but Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said it could withstand the disaster.

"Greece's economy is now strong enough to tough out such a catastrophe. I will also mobilise every European resource so that we can get additional help to cover, firstly, necessary compensation for households," he said during a visit to the region.

FARMLAND DESTROYED

Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, Thessaly Governor Kostas Agorastos said he estimated the storm had caused around three times the 700 million euros ($750 million) of damage inflicted by extensive floods in 2020.

Thessaly accounts for about 15 percent of the country's annual agricultural output and is a major cotton-producing area.

Torrential rains left more than a metre of silt dumped on once-fertile soils. "The agricultural production isn't destroyed just for this year. The thick coat of silt means it is no longer fertile," Lekkas said.

Extreme weather events have struck across the globe in recent weeks, with floods in Scandinavia, southeast Europe and Hong Kong. In contrast, India had its driest August since records began more than a century ago.

The deluge in Greece - in which, meteorologist George Tsatrafyllias said, one region received more rain in 24 hours than London does in an average year - followed a huge wildfire in the north and the country's hottest summer on record.

Scientists say Greece is on the front line of climate change, with freak weather incidents increasingly common.

"It's just one event after the other," said Christos Zerefos, head at the Athens Academy Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology.

Authorities issued evacuation orders for three areas around the central city of Larissa on Friday over concerns of additional flooding from the river Pineios, the third-longest in Greece.

"I've lived through wars, misery, hunger ... Ive never seen such a thing in my life," survivor Stavroulla Brazioti, 104, told ERT in the village of Pineada, also in central Greece.

($1 = 0.9328 euros)

(Additional reporting by Louisa Gouliamaki, Angeliki Koutantou and Michele Kambas; Writing By Michele Kambas; Editing by John Stonestreet, Ros Russell and Alison Williams)
Authorities on Thursday were investigating the death of a woman whose body was found late at night in a vacation resort community in South Lake Tahoe.

Shortly after midnight, officers were called to the Lakeland Village resort community in the 3500 block of Lake Tahoe Boulevard, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said in a news release.

A 911 caller reported the discovery of a woman found on the ground unresponsive in a common area of the village, according to the news release.

The caller tried lifesaving efforts and was then joined by officers and medics. She was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

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Police said the cause of death remained under investigation as of Thursday. The El Dorado County Coroners Office will release her name after her family has been notified.

Detectives were working with family and community members to develop more information. Police said there were no public safety threats to the community related to this case.

Investigators asked anyone with information relevant to the investigation to email the Police Departments detective division at crimetips@cityofslt.us and reference case 2309-0058.
The Defence Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct the offensive operation on the Melitopol front and have achieved success to the south of the settlement of Robotyne.

Source: evening General Staff report from 8 September

Quote: "Twenty-four combat encounters have occurred during the day. The Russians have launched 10 missile attacks, 60 air strikes, launched 37 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems on the positions of the Ukrainian forces and settlements."

The aircraft of the Defence Forces launched nine strikes on the areas where Russian manpower, weapons and military equipment was concentrated, and one strike on the positions of anti-aircraft systems of the Russians.

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Units of Rocket Forces and Artillery have struck an ammunition storage point, nine pieces of artillery, six control points and one electric warfare station of the Russians."

Details: The Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks near the settlement of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast. They continue to deter the Russian offensive on the Marinka front near the settlements of Marinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast. There, the Defence Forces have repelled 10 Russian attacks during the last 24 hours.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






Security officers at the prison from which terror suspect Daniel Khalife escaped consistently failed to carry out checks that could have caught him, delivery staff have claimed.

One driver who made dozens of trips to HMP Wandsworth in south London to deliver light fittings and equipment said there were no checks of the underneath of his vehicle before leaving the jail.

Khalife escaped on Wednesday morning by strapping himself onto the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

Officers, known as operational support grades, are supposed to use mirrors to check underneath any vehicle coming into or leaving the prison, as well as inside and on top of it. The checks are conducted in a secure area, known as an airlock, between the outer and inner gates of the prisons perimeter.

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However, the driver  who asked to remain anonymous  told the BBC that the only security procedure at the prison involved a pat-down search and checks inside his vehicle.

Alex Chalk , the Justice Secretary, has ordered an investigation report into how Khalife evaded a double set of security checks. He not only got through the airlock but should also have been prevented from escaping by a roll call before the food delivery truck left the kitchen where he was working.

It is believed Khalife helped to unpack the Bidfood truck at around 7am on Wednesday morning, but sources said rules required the catering manager to confirm to the central control room that all the prisoners were accounted for in a roll call in the kitchen before the lorry was allowed to leave for the airlock.

Initial findings from the internal HM Prison Service investigation suggest that Khalife made a makeshift strap from material available in the prison, potentially from the plastic cover of a mattress. Police believe he used it to tie himself to the underside of the lorry, which left the prison at 7.30am.

The vehicle should also have been monitored by CCTV from the control room as it made its way from the kitchen into a sterile area between an inner perimeter fence and the outer walls to the airlock.

However, it has now emerged that a major upgrade of the prisons old CCTV system that was supposed to have been done after a similar escape by a prisoner in 2019 was only started in November 2021 and is now not expected to be completed until 2025.

The apparent security failings come against a backdrop of what inspectors have described as serious staff shortages and inexperience with officer absence rates of between 30 and 44 per cent. On Thursday, Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said Wandsworths problems were so deep-seated it would be closed in an ideal world.

Speaking at a G20 summit in India, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, refused to say he had confidence in Katie Price, the jails governor. Asked twice if he had confidence in the governor, he would only say it was important to establish the facts first from investigations into the escape ordered by Mr Chalk.

Hunt raised concerns in April

The Telegraph can also reveal that Jeremy Hunt , the Chancellor, raised concerns about the extremely worrying state of HMP Wandsworth with its governor and Damian Hinds, the prisons minister, on behalf of a constituent earlier this year.

Mr Hunt took up the case of Mark, a prisoner who spent seven months in the jail on remand before being cleared. Mark had complained of appalling conditions at the vermin-infested Victorian jail as well as staff who tried to do as little as possible, and faced no consequences for under-performance on the job.

The Chancellors initial letter in April to the prison received no reply. A second in May also got no answer. He sent copies of correspondence to Mr Hinds and Prison Service HQ in June but still received no answers, prompting him to tell Mark that he was disappointed and very concerned about the lack of responses.

He finally got a reply in August. The Ministry of Justice said there had been an administrative error, while it was explained that Mr Hinds had not replied because Mr Hunt contacted his parliamentary rather than ministerial office.

On Friday, it also emerged that an acting deputy governor at Wandsworth prison has been suspended over an alleged failure to report information to his bosses.

Figures published on Friday showed the prison was holding 1,617 prisoners, 667 more than it was designed for, resulting in inmates being forced to share two or three to a cell. It is just 11 short of its absolute limit or operational capacity of 1,628.

A prison service spokesman said it expected all vehicles to be searched and had no evidence to suggest this was not happening.

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A Democratic party leader who pledged to dismantle the Minneapolis police following the murder of George Floyd has called for a crackdown on crime after she was violently carjacked in front of her children.

Shivanthi Sathanandan, the second vice chair of the Minnesota DemocraticFarmerLabour Party (DFL), thanked the police department for their help after she was attacked by four armed men in broad daylight outside her home.

Sharing an image of her bloodied face on Facebook on Wednesday, she wrote: This is the face of a mother who just had the s--- beaten out of her. A mother whose only thought was, let me run far enough and fight hard enough so that my kids have a chance to get away.

Ms Sathanandan described hearing her four-year-old daughters screams and her son, seven, wailing for someone to come help because bad guys are murdering his Mama in the backyard.

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The men, who held her neighbours up at gunpoint when they tried to help, left her with a broken leg and injuries to her head and body, she said.

I have NO DOUBT they have done this before. Yet they are still on OUR STREETS. Killing mothers. Giving babies psychological trauma that a lifetime of therapy cannot erase. With no hesitation and no remorse, she said.

Ms Sathanandan called for action against who are running wild creating chaos across our city, adding: I wasnt silent when I fought these men to save my life and my babies, and I wont be silent now.

Ms Sathanandan shared a photo of her injured head after the attack

Ms Sathanandan wrote: Look at my face. REMEMBER ME when you are thinking about supporting letting juveniles and young people out of custody to roam our streets instead of HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

She added: You could have been reading the obituary for me and my children today. But instead, Im here. To write this These criminals will not win. We need to take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this.

She went on to thank the incredible Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Frey, Chief OHara for their assistance following the attack.

In 2020, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin brutally murdered Mr Floyd, Ms Sathanandan pledged to dismantle the police.

In the post, shared at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, she wrote: We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Say it with me.

DISMANTLE [...] The [...] Minneapolis [...] Police [...] Department.

She added: As allies, what can we do right now? LISTEN and LEARN from our Black siblings. And then AMPLIFY this message right now, in this moment.

MPD has systematically failed the black community, they have failed ALL OF US. Its time to build a new infrastructure that works for ALL communities. If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, Im not sure what to say to you.

In the aftermath of Mr Floyd's murder, campaigns to 'defund' the police were at their peak - AP Photo/Matt York, File

DFL chairman Ken Martin told local TV news station KSTP he was heartbroken by news of the attack.

He said: It is my sincere hope that the people who assaulted Shivanthi are quickly brought to justice and face punishment commensurate with the severity of their crimes.

My heart goes out to Shivanthi and her family and I hope their recovery from such a horrifying experience is as swift as possible.

In the aftermath of the murder of Mr Floyd, campaigns to defund the police, moving funds from enforcement to other government agencies, were at their peak.

But Democrats pivoted away from the sentiment after it was blamed for losses in a number of swing states in the 2020 election.

Across the country, cities which had previously targeted police resources, such as in Minneapolis, backtracked in response to rising crime.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden tried to position himself as tough on crime, appealing to both moderates and progressives by supporting an overhaul of law enforcement but through reinvestment.

A 2022 Pew Research survey found 47 per cent of Americans wanted to see an increase in police spending, up from 31 per cent in June 2020. Meanwhile, support for cutting police funding dropped from 25 per cent in 2020 to 15 per cent

The Telegraph has contacted Ms Sathanandan for comment.

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WASHINGTON  Democrats and aligned groups on Friday criticized a new shift from Republicans to move away from "pro-life" messaging on abortion to boost their electoral prospects after a series of election losses when reproductive rights were on the ballot.

Its not really the phrase thats the issue here, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X in response to NBC News exclusive reporting detailing the GOP-led effort.

The head of a super PAC closely aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell met with GOP senators behind closed doors this week and presented poll results from One Nation, a research group also aligned with the Kentucky Republican, that suggested voters are reacting differently to terms like pro-life and pro-choice in the wake of last years Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

According to multiple senators who attended the meeting, the polling showed that pro-life, a term most commonly used by the anti-abortion movement over the last five decades, is no longer resonating with voters as dozens of GOP-led state legislatures enact restrictive bans on the procedure. Republicans briefed on the polling concluded they should be more specific when discussing abortion.

Demonstrators outside the Texas State Capitol during a Women's March in Austin, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Sarah Karlan / Bloomberg via Getty Images file)

Democrats quickly piled onto the news, with members of Congress, pro-abortion organizations, and the Biden administration accusing GOP politicians of being hypocritical in their stance on abortion.

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If congressional Republicans are now interested in pro baby policies, they should stop opposing @POTUSs budget, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates posted to X, pointing to the presidents budget proposal to increase child care options.

They are badly on the wrong side of the American public, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in an interview. The only way for them to fix this political problem is for them to stop their efforts to ban abortion nationwide.  Their problem isnt the terms or the words they use. The problem is that they are fundamentally trying to impact womens rights and people are furious.

Christina Reynolds, senior vice president of communications at Emilys List, said voters know the track record of each party on abortion, no matter what terms are used.

No matter how the Republicans try to say it, voters understand fundamentally who wants to take away their rights, who has worked for decades to do it, and who is continuing to try and take away their rights," she said. "And they understand whos whos trying to protect their rights, and theyre going to vote accordingly.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, argued on social media that Republicans cannot identify as pro baby while simultaneously opposing policies like the expanded child tax credit, paid family leave, high quality childcare, and universal pre-K.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, likewise said that actions speak louder than words when it comes to the abortion issue.

The GOPs obsession with banning abortion nationwide is clear as can be, no matter how they spin it, Hirono added in a statement. Theres nothing pro-life about MAGA Republicans radical, anti-choice agenda, and the American people know it.

Republicans were also critical of their party's messaging woes.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said her colleagues are losing the messaging battle on abortion because people no longer believe we are being pro-woman and pro-life.

What are we doing to help women whove been raped or girls who are victims of incest? What are we doing to improve the foster care system for children who are unwanted when theyre born?" Mace said. "What are we doing to show we care about women and finding middle ground? Women are watching and right now they dont like what they see.

Abortion proved to be a core issue in the 2022 midterms, and recently in states where voters have had the opportunity to weigh in on abortion measures, they have rejected proposals that weaken protections in places like Kansas, Kentucky and Montana.

An NBC News poll conducted in June found that 61% of all voters said they disapproved of the Supreme Courts 5-4 Dobbs decision, which left the legality and conditions of abortion up to the states.

Democrats, looking ahead to 2024, hope to once again capitalize on the abortion issue and catch Republicans flat-footed as the party struggles to coalesce around a single mainstream position.

Well make sure voters see and hear what Republicans have said in their own words, said Nora Keefe, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. And in 2024 voters will hold them accountable by rejecting them and their toxic agenda.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who led her partys unsuccessful efforts in codifying access to reproductive rights into law, accused Republicans of trying to deceive voters.

We are living through a horrifying new reality where in so many states, women are left bleeding and sick, begging for medical care, Murray said. Voters will not forget and they understand that Democrats are fighting to restore reproductive freedom while Republicans are hell-bent on a national abortion ban.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
As a part of a $1 billion aid package, the United States announced this week that it is sending depleted anti-tank munitions to Ukraine to help Zelenskys troops fend off Russian tanks.

The armor-piercing rounds first developed during the Cold War by the U.S. will be fired from 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks that are planned to be delivered to Kyiv in the coming months.

Besides the Kremlin blasting Washington for sending them, the rounds mild radioactivity has sparked safety questions  especially if civilians come in contact with them.

What is depleted Uranium?

Depleted uranium is an offshoot during the process of creating enriched uranium, which is used in nuclear weapons and fuel.

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Its density makes it great for being used as a projectile, although far less powerful than enriched uranium, and it lacks the ability to cause a nuclear reaction.

A common misconception is that radiation is depleted uraniums primary hazard. That is not the case under most battlefield exposure scenarios, according to a RAND Corporation report.

The effectiveness of depleted uranium rounds lies in their ability to pierce through tank armor, as their sharpness increases during penetration. It can also be used to reinforce tank armor.

Its so dense, and its got so much momentum that it just keeps going through the armor  and it heats it up so much that it catches on fire, said RAND nuclear expert and policy researcher Edward Geist.

Effects of depleted Uranium?

The United Nationss nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated that while the depleted uranium is less radioactive than natural uranium, it still calls for caution when dealing with it. The agency said that it has chemical and radioactive toxicity.

The fear is that if depleted uranium shells land on the ground, they may contaminate the soil, Marina Miron, post-doctoral researcher at Kings College Londons War Studies Department, told the BBC. That is why the U.S. and its NATO allies sparked controversy when they used them in Kosovo.

The United Nationss Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation concluded that no clinically significant pathology related to radiation exposure to depleted uranium was found.

This conclusion is slightly different than that of the 2019 study published in the Foreign Policy Journal, which alluded to an association between depleted Uranium used by the U.S. during Iraq War and the Iraqi children having birth defects.

Are these weapons legal?

Yes, since they are not considered a nuclear weapon. Additionally, no specific treaty prohibits their implementation on the battlefield.

However, a group called The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons has said that the weapons use could trigger health risks if civilians get exposed to their dust.

Russias response

Russia has strongly criticized the weapons transfer.

The US Administrations decision to send depleted uranium rounds to [Ukraine] is a clear sign of inhumanity, the Russian Embassy in Washington said in a in a statement Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the transfer very bad news.

Peskov claimed that the United Statess use of those weapons in former Yugoslavia has led to a raise in cancers and other illnesses.

Washingtons view

John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said that depleted uranium rounds will help [Ukraine] be more effective on the battlefield.

What really is happening is that Russia simply doesnt want to see Ukraine with tanks and more effective tank rounds that could be lethal against Russian tanks, a U.S. official told Politico. If Russia has an issue with that, they can withdraw their tanks from Ukraine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Deputies with the Pierce County Sheriffs Department arrested an alleged car thief after a foot chase and hitting him with a TASER Wednesday afternoon.

At about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, a deputy spotted a 90s Chevy pickup driving towards him near 7th Avenue Court East and 168th Street East in Spanaway.

The deputy checked the license plate on the truck and discovered the plate belonged to a 1995 Ford Explorer.

Turning around in their patrol car, the deputy followed the truck to a home that is well-known among law enforcement for stolen cars, drugs and shootings.

When the driver got out of the truck, the deputy ordered him to stop, but the driver hopped over a fence.

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The deputy chased the driver, warning him if he didnt stop he would be tased.

As the driver climbed another fence, the deputy tased him, however, the probes didnt get through the drivers clothing.

The foot chase continued and when the driver attempted to climb another fence, the deputy grabbed his arm, pulled him to the ground, and put him in handcuffs.

The driver told the deputy that he started the truck with a screwdriver and ran off because he thought the truck was probably stolen.

He also had a round of ammunition in his pocket, however, the deputy was not able to find a gun.

When the deputy ran the truck, he discovered it had been stolen Tuesday. There was also a towel wrapped around the ignition to hide the damage and there was a large screwdriver on the seat.

The 32-year-old man was booked into jail.

Prosecutors charged him with unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest. A judge released him on his personal recognizance, meaning he must report back within 24 hours of his release or a bench warrant for his arrest may be issued.




The first GOP presidential debate occurred on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

About a week prior, the New York Times published a debate strategy linked to DeSantis' super PAC.

The release reportedly made DeSantis "apoplectic."

GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was reportedly "apoplectic" after media outlets published copies of debate strategy that were quietly shared online by a company closely connected to his super PAC.

In mid-August, approximately a week before the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the New York Times released a report detailing pages of proposed debate strategy for DeSantis from his super PAC, Never Back Down. The strategy included defending former President Donald Trump from any jabs by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, "hammer[ing] Vivek Ramaswamy," and going after President Joe Biden and the media.

According to a report from the Washington Post on Friday, the media's publication of his potential debate strategy enraged DeSantis when he found out. His campaign and super PAC denied the reporting.

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A series of polls taken before and after the debate by the Washington Post/FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos revealed that likely GOP voters believed DeSantis was the best-performing candidate on stage.

DeSantis is sitting squarely in second place in national polling. According to an average of national polls from FiveThirtyEight, he's nearly 40 percentage points behind Trump and 6.2 percentage points ahead of Ramaswamy who's in third.

At the end of August, DeSantis was took over a week-long break from the campaign trail in the run-up and aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. While Biden said he'd meet with DeSantis to discuss the disaster, the governor never met with him, leaving GOP Sen. Rick Scott to pose with the Democratic president and thank him for the government's quick assistance.

Read the original article on Business Insider
One reality of Florida politics is that a bad hurricane for the state traditionally blows good fortune for its governor. It was true for Rick Scott, elected a senator in November 2018, one month after guiding Florida through category 5 Hurricane Michael; and again for Ron DeSantis , whose landslide re-election last year followed his much-praised handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

This year, however, DeSantis is struggling to shake the dark clouds of Hurricane Idalia, as his return to the national stage to try to rescue his flailing presidential campaign after an 11-day break has been further scarred by his petty and small snub of Joe Bidens visit to Florida last weekend to survey the storms damage.

Opponents seized on it as a partisan politicization of a climate disaster, contrasting the Republican Florida governors approach to a year ago after Ian, when DeSantis and Biden put their differences aside to praise each other and tour the worst-affected areas with their respective first ladies.

Your job as governor is to be the tour guide for the president, to make sure the president sees your people, sees the damage, sees the suffering, whats going on and what needs to be done to rebuild it, Chris Christie , the former New Jersey governor, and a rival for the Republican presidential nomination, told Fox News Radios Brian Kilmeade.

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Youre doing your job. And unfortunately, he put politics ahead of his job, added Christie, who was applauded by Democrats and savaged by Republicans for working closely with Barack Obama after Superstorm Sandy mauled his state in 2012.

It was left to Scott, now Floridas Republican junior senator, to graciously welcome the president to the state, and the bitter political rivals spoke warmly of each other as they surveyed the storm damage together.

DeSantiss office insisted there was nothing political in the decision to skip a meeting with Biden, which aides said would have disrupted essential recovery work. In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts, Jeremy Redfern, the governors press secretary said.

But gaining political capital from the hurricane was clearly uppermost in the minds of his campaign advisers. Talking points about how to spin DeSantiss handling of the storm were contained in a memo entitled strong leadership in a time of crisis, authored by communications director Andrew Romeo, obtained by Politico.

And analysts say DeSantis would have been keen to avoid the potential pitfall of being seen to be too cozy with Biden. In last months first Republican presidential primary debate, he looked on as Vivek Ramaswamy tore into Christie, effectively blaming the then-governors post-Sandy metaphorical hug of Obama for the presidents re-election one week later.

Christie had taken heat about embracing Obama, and that was not a good look for Republicans who are going to be voting in the primary, said Susan MacManus, distinguished professor emeritus of political science at the University of Florida.

Im sure that, without it being said, the DeSantis campaign was mindful of the impacts of such an embrace [with Biden] during a presidential race.

MacManus also believes DeSantis was probably trying to ensure voters lasting memory of him countrywide from Hurricane Idalia was positive.

Any time a hurricane heads for Florida it gains massive national attention. Theres hardly a voter that hasnt been to Florida, wants to come to Florida, or has relatives who live here or lived here, she said.

The net gain for him was to be off the trail. It gave him time to regroup, and it gave him time to reach audiences or opportunities to reach audiences that he would not have reached. A lot of people dont know much about him, in spite of the fact that people who follow politics every single day are well aware of him.

Unsurprisingly, political opponents see it as another messy contribution to a series of missteps on DeSantiss increasingly unlikely path to the White House, as he continues to sink in the polls, and major donors desert him.

It is a really unfortunate time for Ron DeSantis to choose to be small and petty. This is a moment where people are hurting, they want to see their leaders, they want to hear from them. Its a moment to put partisanship aside, Kate Bedingfield, Bidens former White House press secretary, told CNN.

Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic party, was even more blunt. Ron keeps showing us what divisive leadership looks like. In times of crisis, the American people expect our leaders to put aside their differences and find strength in unity, she said in a statement.

By refusing to meet with President Biden, hes proving again what weve known for years: Ron will always put politics over people. I hope his fundraisers in Iowa are worth it.

By Thursday, DeSantis was back on more familiar ground, railing against the medical authoritarianism of Covid-19 mandates at a press conference in Jacksonville, and pledging to keep Florida mask-free as a resurgence of the virus threatens to sweep the nation this fall.

The notoriously prickly governor also found time for a public shouting match with a Black voter who questioned his policies in the wake of racist killings in the city.

DeSantis returns to the presidential trail weaker, in popularity terms at least, and attempting a reset with a new campaign manager. A CNN/SSRS poll this week showed him continuing his decline among Republican or Republican-leaning primary voters, down four points to 18% (Donald Trump leads a large field at 52%, with everybody else in single digits).

And he has suffered setbacks in Florida itself, such as a federal judge striking down his unconstitutional dismantling of majority-Black voting districts (DeSantis is appealing); his lingering feud with Disney over LGBTQ+ rights that continues to turn off voters; and progress of a constitutional amendment measure that could enshrine abortion rights regardless of the state supreme courts imminent ruling on the legality of its current 15-week ban.

MacManus sees abortion, rather than Disney, voting districts or even the hurricane, as more of a trouble spot for DeSantis, both in Florida and nationally.

Its an issue we know is resonating with a lot of people on both sides, and theres the possibility of an amendment before the public in the November election. To me, thats going to be a more consequential issue for him, she said.
Mayor Indya Kincannon was careful to try to lower the temperature in 2022 before a public meeting about hiring Knoxville's new police chief, but at least one officer and one high-ranking city staffer didn't stick to the script.

Court testimony from the trial last week of a Knoxville police reform activist contradicts what city leaders said at the time about Knoxville's role in the arrest of Nzinga Amani outside that public meeting at the City-County Building.

Officials in Kincannon's office said they had asked police to stay away from the meeting convened to solicit input on a successor to Police Chief Eve Thomas.

What they didn't say was a Knoxville police lieutenant tipped off Knox County sheriff's deputies that Amani would be at the meeting and KPD had a warrant for their arrest. Kincannon's team also never revealed that one of the mayor's top officials, Erin Gill, knew before it happened that Knox County sheriff's deputies planned to arrest Amani on the months-old warrant.

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Amani, who uses gender neutral they/them pronouns, is suing police, saying city and county officials conspired over the arrest to maximize the chilling and humiliating effect. Bystanders watched and recorded video as Amani was handcuffed in the busy City-County Building and carried away by their arms and legs.

Gill was at the meeting and told Knox News at the time, "We specifically had no KPD presence or officers here for this reason, because we wanted there to be trust. We wanted this to be a safe space."

Yet testimony at Amani's trial revealed that Gill was told that day that Amani would be arrested, and asked that deputies wait until the meeting was over. A city spokesperson confirmed it this week.

Knox News has been unable to determine whether Gill alerted anyone in the mayor's office, including Kincannon, about the planned arrest. The mayor's office declined to answer additional questions about events that day, citing Amani's pending civil suit.

Mayor's chief policy officer asked police to wait until meeting was over

When Amani was arrested by Knox County Sheriffs Office deputies during the public meeting Jan. 7, 2022, it sent shock waves through the community.

At the time, Knoxville officials disavowed any prior knowledge. But that version was contradicted by testimony at Amani's trial last week that revealed Gill knew about the pending arrest  and rather than ask deputies to hold off, simply asked them to wait to arrest Amani after the meeting.

This week, a city spokesperson said Gill was inside the public meeting when Knox County deputies alerted her they had an outstanding warrant for someones arrest. At the trial, a Knox County sheriff's officer testified Gill approached him.

"She asked them not to disrupt the meeting and if they intended to serve the warrant, to do so after the event," the spokesperson said.

Gill, who no longer works for the city, declined to comment.

Knoxville police waited for months to serve warrant

Amani was wanted on charges of obstructing a road, inciting a riot and resisting arrest. Those accusations stemmed from an April 2021 demonstration against the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old student Anthony Thompson Jr. in a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School.

During a preliminary hearing in May 2022, Knoxville police officer Christopher Starr testified he didn't issue a citation during the demonstration because he didn't want to escalate the situation. He said he made the decision to file a warrant after returning to KPD headquarters and was given instructions not to serve that warrant by Capt. Don Jones.

No attempt was made to serve the warrant on Amani until January 2022, despite their multiple public appearances as a city council candidate.

A police department spokesperson, citing Amani's lawsuit, declined to comment on why KPD never tried to arrest Amani on the warrant at some other time or location; which lieutenant tipped off deputies and why; and whether there was any follow-up with the lieutenant considering the mayor explicitly asked that police stay away from the public meeting.

Knoxville mayor said she had no prior knowledge of Amani arrest

Immediately after the arrest, Kincannon said she was not given a heads-up that it was coming.

"I had no idea that it was happening. I had no idea that he was going to be arrested. I didn't hear about it until after it had already happened," she told Knox News.

Kincannon said in a written response to questions from Knox News that she was traveling back to Knoxville with Police Chief Eve Thomas when Amani was arrested.

"We feel like we were making forward progress and now it took a left turn," Kathy D. Mack, Knoxville's community engagement manager, told Knox News at the time. "I had no knowledge of what was going to happen. This is not at all what we wanted to happen. Its upsetting."

Trial testimony offers more details of what preceded Amani's arrest

At Amani's trial, Knox County sheriffs deputy Ron Chaperon testified he went to the meeting after he was told when the activist was there and wanted on a warrant. He said he was instructed not to interrupt the meeting and was to wait for Amani to exit.

Chaperon said he asked to serve the warrant by his supervisor. Deputy Janette Jolman testified a supervisor asked her to verify the warrant earlier that day.

David Cunningham, who recently retired, said he was a sheriffs deputy working in court services that day. He testified he was told by a Knoxville Police Department lieutenant that a person with a warrant would be at the meeting. Cunningham didn't identify the lieutenant by name.

Cunningham said he verified Amani was present by looking at a sign-in sheet for the public meeting. Cunningham testified that at some point, a staff person from the mayors office came out and asked court officers not to arrest Amani until after their input was gathered. The city confirmed to Knox News this week that staff person was Gill.

I believed he was leaving, Cunningham said, adding, we werent going to give (them) an opportunity to go outside. We were going to take (them) into custody before that.

Events that led to Amani's arrest began years earlier

The demonstrations Amani helped lead began when a Knoxville police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Thompson Jr. in a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School.

Here's a look back:

April 12, 2021: Anthony Thompson Jr. was shot and killed by a police officer in a school bathroom after officers were called to talk to the teenager, who had gotten into an altercation with his girlfriend earlier in the day.

April 13, 2021: Demonstrations against the Knoxville Police Department begin in downtown Knoxville.

April 21, 2021: A large group of protesters gathers at KPD headquarters, and Amani stands in front of a police car. The officer does not cite or arrest Amani during that interaction, but later writes a citation. Police subsequently successfully seek a warrant, but Amani is never made aware of warrant.

May 4, 2021: Amani protests with a group of others at a Knoxville City Council meeting.

May 5, 2021: Amani speaks at a Knox County Board of Education work session meeting.

May 8, 2021: Amani participates at a L.O.V.E. rally in Lonsdale.

July 29, 2021: Amani takes part in a League of Women Voters candidate forum.

Jan. 7, 2022: Amani is arrested after he steps out of the meeting to gather public input on the qualities people wanted in a new Knoxville police chief.

Jan. 7, 2023: Amani files suit in federal court alleging a police conspiracy, that includes the city and the county, to infringe on his constitutional rights.

March 7, 2023: Amani is acquitted of a misdemeanor charge of blocking a squad car during the April 2021 demonstration.

Sept. 1, 2023: Amani is found guilty of resisting arrest, but the jury can't reach a verdict on a charge of assault on a first responder. The state will announce later this month whether it will try Amani again on that charge.

Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email lkellar@knoxnews.com.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville mayor's office played role in activist's arrest
Have you ever stayed at an Airbnb where you had the full unit to yourself, where the owner was not present? Have you ever stayed at one with a spouse and a child, or two friends?

In New York City, such arrangements will no longer be allowed. Local Law 18 came into effect Tuesday. It effectively makes the city's roughly 38,500 Airbnb listings illegal.

"Short-term rentals [30 days or under] are only permitted if the host is staying in the same unit or apartment as the guests, and there are no more than two guests staying with the host," says the city, which dictates that hosts "maintain a common household" with guests and that they register their short-term rental with the government, paying a $145 fee. Guests must have "free and unobstructed access to every room, and each exit within the apartment."

"For this reason, locking internal doors is not permitted," reports The Washington Post, "though hosts and guests can secure bathrooms, bedrooms and other private quarters when they are in use," per the law.

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Many scenarios will now be banned due to Local Law 18. A property owner who rents out their apartment for three weeks while traveling will no longer be able to do so; a family who seeks to rent a full unit, with multiple bedrooms, will no longer be able to do so.

Homeowners like Julian Ehrhardt see this as an assault on their property rights. Ehrhardt bought his home in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood back in 2017. He restored the derelict property "with a lot of pride," Ehrhardt tells Reason, and started renting out one of the units while living in the other. Having hosted over 200 guests from all over the world, Ehrhardt talks warmly about watching foreigners experience his neighborhood. "The origins of the housing crisis are far more nuanced," he says, "than people renting out spare rooms."

"The concern for many homeowners is maintaining the mortgage payments" now that Local Law 18 has gone into effect, he says. "There were a lot of hosts who were retired, who had their homes inherited, who don't have the means" who will be affected by the new restrictions. Ehrhardt is part of a group called RHOAR NYC (Restore Homeowner Autonomy & Rights), a grassroots group that's trying to amend the law "to exempt owner occupied one- and two-family homes" and to remove the capacity limit so they can have the freedom to rent out their homes again, per their website. "The law and implementation of Local Law 18 takes away our autonomy over our homes and puts us at acute financial and personal risk," says RHOAR.

I live in Bed-Stuy, too. When my large family visits, they typically stay at an Airbnb townhouse that's 0.6 miles away from my apartment. I priced out how much they would need to spend for a comparable stay at a decent hotelputting them two to three miles away, since Bed-Stuy has very few decent hotelsand it was double the price. Many others have chimed in with their personal stories of how short-term rentals have made trips to New York feasible for their families. If every visit becomes twice as expensive, why would anyone come to this rat-infested metropolis?

The law is a gift to the hotel industry. But hotels aren't always affordable, nor do they allow travelers to stay in off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods. (As for hostels, they were banned 13 years ago.) There's no reason why the city should let the politically powerful incumbent be locked into an advantage; facing some competition from short-term rental platforms may be a good thing in terms of forcing prices down.

"Council members are scared to vote against the [hotel] unions," says Ehrhardt. Groups like the Coalition Against Illegal Hotels have mobilized to oppose any change to Local Law 18; they cite San Franciscowhich is notoriously unaffordable for both residents and travelersas an example of a place where short-term rental regulations have snuffed out "illegal hotel activity" and as a model worth emulating.

Supporters of Local Law 18 claim short-term rentals are to blame for New York's housing affordability issues. The far greater problem is how difficult it is to build new housing stock in a city that heaps on onerous permitting restrictions and has for too long allowed lots of "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) veto power. In fact, New York is far less dense with Airbnbs than other cities, points out the Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome. And cities need all different types of housing configurations at all different prices in all different neighborhoods, not controlled by central planners, but subject to the changing needs of market participants. All this aside, even if short-term rentals were squarely to blame for a housing supply crunch, infringing on the rights of property owners is a terrible precedent to set.

This year, New York City expects to receive 61 million tourists, up from 56 million last year and inching much closer to pre-pandemic levels (66.6 million in 2019). But city officials are biting the hands that feed: both the tourists who help power the economywhether residents like it or notand the taxpaying landlords who provide housing options to willing buyers at rates all parties accept.

"I think the hotel lobby has done a very effective comms joblabeling us as wealthy landlords was very effective," says Ehrhardt, who seeks to comply with the law.

"The city is treating our private property as the city's housing stock."

The post Did NYC Just Kneecap Airbnb? appeared first on Reason.com.
Queen Elizabeth died of 'old age': What does that mean?

It's the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II 's death. Her cause of death was attributed to old age, according to a death certificate made public a few weeks after her passing.

Her death certificate state that she died on Sept. 8, 2022, at 3:10 p.m. local time (10:10 a.m. Eastern time) in Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The cause was "old age." "Her Majesty The Queen" was the response int he occupation field for Britain's longest-reigning monarch, whose name was marked as Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor.

The death certificate of Queen Elizabeth II reveals how she died. (National Records of Scotland)

The queen's death was announced shortly after she was placed under "medical supervision" because her doctors were "concerned for Her Majesty's health," according to an announcement from Buckingham Palace at the time. Senior royals flocked to her side, and her death was announced shortly after 1:30 p.m. EST.

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Following one of her last appearances, when she appointed the new British prime minister, Liz Truss , concerns swirled about the queen's health. She wasn't able to travel to London for the occasion, a break from tradition, and in photos of the event, some of the last of the queen, she used her cane indoors, and her hand appeared quite purple.

Details are light on how the queen died, but here's what we know about her health leading up to her death.

How did Queen Elizabeth die?

As far as how Queen Elizabeth died, the palace did not provide many details, saying only that she died "peacefully" at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she has traditionally spent her late summer holiday.

What does it mean to die of old age?

The queen's death certificate stated that she died of "old age," a term that generally refers to "dying of natural causes related to aging," according to Cake, a popular end-of-life planning tool. Usually, there isn't one major factor that contributed to the death. The person may have had underlying conditions or developed a condition that a younger person would've survived, such as pneumonia.

Leading up to her death, the queen's health had been under close scrutiny, especially as the monarch experienced a bout of COVID-19 and dealt with "episodic mobility issues," as the palace has called it.

Queen Elizabeth was hospitalized in Oct. 2021 and told to make 'lifestyle changes'

Late in October 2021, the queen canceled a scheduled trip to Northern Ireland and was briefly hospitalized. At the time, few details were announced, but Buckingham Palace said the monarch had "reluctantly accepted" medical advice recommending she take some time off. This was her first known health issue since 2017.

Later that month, Queen Elizabeth was advised by doctors not to attend a climate summit in Scotland due to health concerns. Doctors then recommended she rest for two more weeks and only undertake minor responsibilities.

The doctors have advised that Her Majesty can continue to undertake light, desk-based duties during this time, including some virtual Audiences, but not to undertake any official visits, said a statement from Buckingham Palace.

During that time, doctors advised the queen that she should cut out her evening nightcap, a signature cocktail that she has consumed for decades. The monarch's schedule was also lightened.

A back sprain in November 2021 caused her to miss a major event

Shortly after her October cancellation, Queen Elizabeth missed a Remembrance Sunday event in London because of a back sprain.

She was deeply disappointed to miss the engagement which she regards as one of the most significant engagements of the year, a source told TODAY at the time. A few days later, Charles, Prince of Wales, told Sky News that his mother was doing "all right."

Once you get to 95, its not quite as easy as it used to be, he said, joking, Its bad enough at 73.

The queen contracted COVID-19 in February 2022

Queen Elizabeth was diagnosed with the coronavirus in late February. She experienced "mild cold-like symptoms" and continued light duties at Windsor Castle during this time, Buckingham Palace said.

At the time, she did cancel some virtual meetings before resuming online audiences in early March 2022. She later missed a Commonwealth Day service in mid-March.

Queen Elizabeth was rarely seen in the spring of 2022

Between late March and mid-May 2022, the queen did not attend any public events. In April, she missed Easter celebrations, and in May, she did not attend the ceremonial opening of Parliament due to "mobility issues."

That absence was just the third time in 70 years that the monarch did not attend the opening of Parliament.

Queen Elizabeth returned to the public eye on May 13, when she attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The event is beloved by the queen and features several of her own horses.

The queen missed some Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June

The Platinum Jubilee was full of events celebrating Queen Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne, but the monarch was not present at all of those activities.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - Platinum Pageant (Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty Images)

The queen attended the Trooping the Color parade, but because of "some discomfort," she missed a thanksgiving service at St. Pauls Cathedral on Friday and did not attended a Derby horse race at Epsom Downs that Saturday. She also missed the Platinum Party on Saturday.

Queen Elizabeth did make a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Sunday. Other senior royals also stood by her side.

The queen missed a 'beloved' event near Balmoral Castle last week

In September, the queen missed the beloved Braemar Highland Games, held in Scotland near Balmoral Castle, because of mobility issues.

Queen Elizabeth broke with tradition to appoint a new prime minister in Scotland

Typically, the monarch appoints a new prime minister in London. However, when it came time for Boris Johnson to be replaced by Liz Truss on Sept. 6, the two politicians traveled to Scotland so the event could be held at Balmoral Castle.

This was the first time in the queen's 70-year reign that the prime minister was appointed in Scotland. Truss is the 15th prime minister of Queen Elizabeths reign.

Queen Elizabeth Receives Outgoing And Incoming PMs At Balmoral (Jane Barlow / WPA Pool via Getty Images)

Its a very significant change because if the queen was able to travel, she would, Craig Prescott, an expert in constitutional law and politics at Bangor University in Wales, told TODAY. Its an indication of her mobility problems, and another step on that journey were going on, with the queen doing less and less.

The next day, Sept. 7, the queen cancelled a virtual meeting with her privy council, a formal body of advisors including Truss, after doctors advised her to rest.

Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022

In a statement on Sept. 8, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has revealed the reason he decided to pass on Brokeback Mountain nearly 20 years ago.

The acclaimed director, 73, returns to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year to promote his latest queer short, Strange Way of Life, which takes on similar themes to the groundbreaking 2005 gay western.

In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Almodovar, who will also be honoured at TIFFs Tribute Awards, was asked why he turned down the offer to direct the drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, which went on to win three Oscars including Best Director for Ang Lee .

It was the first time that I really thought about making a movie in English because I loved that story  I knew the [book] by Annie Proulx and I loved it, and the script of Larry McMurtry was very good too. But the thing is, I was insecure with my English, the Spanish-speakingVolver director explained.

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Also, in Annie Proulxs story, one of the things that to me really stood out was the physicality of the erotic encounters that were almost animalistic in nature. But some of that sort of physicality of desire I didnt see translated into the script.

I think Ang Lee made a wonderful movie  I loved Brokeback Mountain  and I think he just made it as far as possible, but I got the feeling that I would not have been completely free to do what I wanted. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are superb in the movie, he added, his remarks echoing those he made last year.

It was better that Ang Lee did it and not me.

Pedro Almodovar and Brokeback Mountain (Getty / Rex Features)

The film was nominated in a total of seven categories at the 2006 Academy Awards, also winning Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

Ledger and Gyllenhaal led the drama as two cowboys in the 1960s who fall in love in the rural West.

Elsewhere, Almodovar addressed the hotly debated topic of whether or not heterosexual actors should be allowed to take the roles of gay or queer characters.

The essence of acting is, in fact, to pretend, to be someone other than who you are, even in your own essence. That is at the core of acting, the openly gay director said.

So, for example, absolutely a heterosexual actor can play a homosexual character and vice versa. If Hollywood is so obsessed, as it is right now, with representing minorities, be they Latinos, Asians or people with disabilities, they should actually hire them to do the writing.
Pedro Almodovar is weighing in on the continued debate over whether its okay for straight actors to take on queer roles.

The acclaimed director himself is gay, and no stranger to making LGBTQ+ movies  including ones starring actors who havent explicitly identified themselves as part of the community. Such is the case for his most recent short film, Strange Way of Life, which stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal.

The essence of acting is, in fact, to pretend, to be someone other than who you are, even in your own essence. That is the core of acting, he recently told The Hollywood Reporter. So, for example, absolutely a heterosexual actor can play a homosexual character and vice versa.

Those who argue differently generally point to the way (presumably) straight actors have often historically been applauded for bravely taking on queer roles, while openly queer actors might struggle to get work. They also point to the idea of authenticity, that queer artists deserve to tell their own stories. Meanwhile, opponents have frequently argued that requiring an actor to label their sexuality publicly to justify taking a role is a terrible idea, in theory and in practice.

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But Almodovars stance doesnt seem to oppose any of these notions. He just has a different solutionone that would address a deeper issue.

If Hollywood is so obsessed, as it is right now, with representing minoritiesthey should actually hire them to do the writing, he suggested. I want to make sure that it is clear that Im very much in favor of minorities of all types to be considered for casting in films and also to be hired behind the camera and that they be able to tell their own stories.

Hire more queer people, tell more queer stories, and then it wont make much of a difference if some of those stories star actors who are straight, questioning, or havent defined their sexuality for the masses. That sounds like a great plan, honestly.
I wrote an elaborate birth plan when I was pregnant with my son 17 years ago.

Almost two decades later, pregnant people are still doing this.

I believe the issue is a lack of communication between providers and patients.

Giving birth can put people in a vulnerable state, both physically and emotionally. Add to that the fact that the US is in the midst of a worsening maternal-health crisis, and it's no wonder that many people create birth plans to help their chances of having a complication-free birth.

Recently, on X (formerly known as Twitter) a doctor went viral for cruelly mocking a birth plan. The Massachusetts doctor shared a picture of someone's handwritten birth plan, accompanied by his thoughts: "This baby might not make it out of the hospital." This doctor's dose of snark exemplifies exactly why birth plans are still popular.

I wrote an elaborate birth plan for myself

Seventeen years ago, when I was pregnant with my son, I wrote out a birth plan. I had heard stories of providers not listening to their patients, and a birth plan felt like a way I could have some sort of control over my experience. Birth plans became popular in the late 1970s and '80s as a pushback to the medicalization of labor and delivery that had started in the early 1900s (which included things like twilight labor and isolation), and they allowed patients to be a more active participant. I wanted my son's birth to be something I was a part of, not something that happened to me.

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I read and researched and eventually came up with a birth plan that, in retrospect, was a bit over the top  did I really have to stipulate that I didn't want maintenance staff coming in while I was in active labor? But in the moment, it felt like a security blanket. It was printed out and encased in a white, three-ring binder, which was stuffed into our "go bag" for the hospital. In my case, I was my midwife's only patient that day, and she must have read the birth plan cover to cover multiple times. In the end, my low-risk birth was fairly uncomplicated, and my plan was followed. What I learned after the fact was that a lot of what I had requested was standard of care for my midwife and the hospital, but I had no idea.

The issue is the communication between the patient and the provider

Almost two decades later, pregnant folks still create them while some providers bristle at them. It's not the birth plans that are the issue, but communication between patients and providers that has to be addressed. Providers should ask themselves why patients feel the need to write out all of these specifics and what they can do to ease their concerns rather than stoke new ones.

Understandably, anyone delivering in a hospital might be nervous, considering what giving birth in the US looks like these days. People tend to feel powerless in medical settings, especially Black women. We have the highest rate of maternal mortality compared to other highly resourced countries, rising rates of postpartum mood disorders, fears about obstetric violence, and more. It's also incredibly frustrating and discouraging when we know that most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

This disconnect between what is possible and what is reality when it comes to birth is what drives many folks to work hard on a birth plan that might protect them. This isn't about a specific doctor or midwife or even hospital. In this case, it's not about the individual but about the broken system in which they work.

The US's current maternal-care crisis is not going to be solved with a birth plan, but it also won't be solved by providers who don't allow space for their patients to discuss their concerns and hopes. Hopefully, we can meet this challenge on an individual level, with less snark and more understanding, compassion, and care.

Read the original article on Insider
Mexico took a step closer towards change with the voice of women being heard as the countrys Supreme Court finally put an end to its federal ban on abortion.

On Wednesday, the court ruled that the national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violated womens rights.

It wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: The First Chamber of #LaCorte ruled that the legal system that penalizes abortion in the Federal Criminal Code is unconstitutional since it violates the human rights of women and people with the capacity to gestate.

The ruling comes after a legal appeal was launched by the Information Group for Chosen Reproduction (GIRE), a human rights organisation focused on reproductive rights.

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Incredible!... With this decision of the @SCJN federal health institutions throughout the country will have to provide abortion services to women and people with the capacity to gestate who request it, the group wrote X, formerly known as Twitter.

Federal public health services are now able to offer the procedure to anyone who requests it  that means access for millions of Mexicans in the country.

The move to decriminalise the countrys abortion laws first began in 2007, it then took 12 years for the state of Oaxaca to follow.

A slow progress, but many people are using this moment as a cause for celebration and looking towards a hopeful future in Mexico.

Today is a day of victory and justice for Mexican women! Mexicos National Institute for Women wrote in a message on X.

The government organisation said this was a big step toward gender equality.

Does the ruling apply to all states in Mexico?

(AP)

On 30 August Aguascalientes became the 12th Mexican State to remove criminal penalties for abortion.

However, some 20 Mexican states still criminalise abortion. Those laws were not affected by the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday, but abortion rights advocates will likely ask state judges to follow through with its logic.

Abortions are not widely prosecuted as a crime in Mexico, but many doctors refuse to provide them, citing the law.

What does decriminalising abortion mean for the country?

Although the ruling is a move towards the right direction, Fernanda Diaz de Leon, sub-director and legal expert for womens rights group IPAS said it does not mean that every Mexican woman can access the procedure.

However, what it does do is push federal agencies to provide the care the patients need and want.

Removing the abortion ban inevitably takes away another excuse used by care providers to deny abortion in states where it is no longer seen as a crime by law.

Its a very important step, Ms Diaz de Leon said. But added: We need to wait to see how this is going to be applied and how far it reaches.

Olga Sanchez Cordero, a former Supreme Court justice, applauded the ruling, saying on X that it represented an advance toward a more just society in which the rights of all are respected. She called on Mexicos Congress to pass legislation in response.

What could this mean for other countries where abortion has been banned?

The US ruling on Roe v Wade last year led to the development of a network of Janes who buy abortion pills over the counter in Mexico and ship them to women and girls in need in the United States.

This also prompted a rise in abortion tourism to other US states where the procedure is still legal, and to Mexico.

Given the latest ruling in Mexico  this may get more women from the American South to travel to Mexico for healthcare.

In the US, as of 23 August, there are at least 22 US states that have banned or restricted abortion, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Additional reporting from the Associated Press
Inadequate care at two state-run nursing homes for military veterans in New Jersey left residents at high risk for serious infections and illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a scathing report released Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department.

The 43-page report is the first government investigation into the administration of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and its management of the pandemic at the homes in Paramus and Menlo Park, which had among the highest COVID death tolls nationally for nursing homes.

The report was a result of a three year investigation into the homes where more than 200 residents died during the pandemic after infection control issues led to outbreaks. And while U.S. agencies declared the end of the COVID emergency in May, the report noted that poor conditions in the homes continue to persist today.

"A systemic inability to implement clinical care policy, poor communication between management and staff, and a failure to ensure basic staff competency let the virus spread virtually unchecked throughout the facilities," the report states.

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Although Murphy fired four key officials of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, including the two homes' CEOs, his administration "did not charge its new leadership with examining what went wrong in 2020 or how the veterans homes should learn from those failures to prevent future crises," the report says.

Numerous states had received scrutiny for their management of nursing homes amid the pandemic where tens of thousands of people died.

Hundreds of veterans fell victim to mismanagement and a lack of infection control protocols as the virus rapidly spread through these homes. Similar to New Jersey, federal investigations were opened into veterans homes across the country, including in Massachusetts, Virginia, Texas and Illinois, among others.

COVID cancels in-person classes: Three school districts suspend in-person classes due to COVID-19, other illnesses

'Deficient basic medical care' persists

The report said the two New Jersey homes continue to provide "deficient basic medical care," including failure to:

monitor residents for acute changes in condition.

create care plans that adequately guide clinical care.

prevent falls.

administer medications properly.

treat pressure injuries and wounds adequately.

Those failures had real consequences, the report says. When the COVID omicron variant spread in late 2021 and early 2022, the veterans homes had the third- and fourth-highest death rates of 44 similarly sized facilities in the region, according to the report.

Kimberly Peck, whose father Vernon fought in Vietnam and died at the Menlo Park home at the height of the pandemic, felt vindicated that the report acknowledged the "horrendous treatment" of the veterans but was angered that significant problems linger.

"Governor Murphy has said over and over again how serious he takes the loss of life at these homes, however time and time again we have seen that nothing has changed there," she said. "What else needs to happen to these people for someone to care and make real effective change?"

The New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars renewed its call Thursday for single rooms and better ventilation systems at the homes.

"This report validates what the VFW has been saying for years  lack of leadership, lack of transparency as well as a culture of intimidation," said Jay Boxwell, VFW legislative director. "We do not celebrate this report. This is a sad day for the most disenfranchised veterans and families that call our veterans homes 'home.'"

State impeded federal investigation

The administration has hired an outside vendor to manage the Menlo Park home and plans to do so with the Paramus home. In a statement, Murphy said the federal report is a deeply disturbing reminder that the treatment received by our heroic veterans is unacceptable and, quite frankly, appalling."

"In an effort to provide our veterans with the care they deserve, over the past three years, our administration has instituted numerous processes and procedures to improve conditions, including most recently securing private management and assistance for these two homes," Murphy said. "However, it is clear that we have significantly more work to do and we are open to exploring all options to deliver for our veterans the high level of care they deserve and are entitled to under the law."

Murphy said he would work with the Legislature to "provide world-class care and services to our heroes" but did not specify what that would entail.

But in its report Thursday, the Justice Department said the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs impeded its investigation during visits to the homes.

Staff attorneys and facility management followed department staff around the facility "far beyond what was necessary to provide direction, standing nearby as DOJ staff spoke to witnesses, and knocking on the doors of offices and rooms where witnesses were being interviewed," the report states.

"Witnesses reported that supervisors and managers inquired about what questions DOJ personnel had asked and specifically discouraged staff members from speaking with DOJ," the report added.

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Told masks would scare residents

As with many nursing homes, COVID quickly spread through the two veterans homes at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

An inspection by federal Medicare officials, first reported by NorthJersey.com, found that the homes were slow to close common areas. They allowed infected or symptomatic residents to mingle with those who were not ill or who were awaiting test results more than a month into the pandemic.

Staff had inadequate personal protective gear and went in and out of rooms among patients who were sick with COVID and those who were asymptomatic or uninfected.

Staff members were also told at the outset of the pandemic not to wear protective masks because it would scare residents. With the help of Murphy's office, managers even devised a series of penalties for nurses who used the homes' supply of masks.

In 2022, the Murphy administration agreed to pay $53 million to families of 119 veterans who died in the homes. Dozens of employees have sued the administration, saying they were put at risk unnecessarily.

Pervasive failures in VA state nursing homes

The VA's health care infrastructure and oversight has long been questioned by watchdogs.

Prior to the pandemic, the Government Accountability Office said the VA spent $5.7 billion in 2017 on nursing home care for about 39,000 veterans. But the GAO also noted that VA inspections in these homes had "opportunities to enhance its oversight."

And when COVID made its way through the United States, veterans in nursing homes were among the hardest hit. Deaths in long-term care facilities across the country accounted for a third of coronavirus deaths during the first year of the pandemic.

Residents in VA state nursing homes died due to issues with testing, personal protective equipment and infection control. Reported COVID infections doubled in months as residents often died in clusters  dozens of veterans died in outbreaks at VA facilities.

A 2021 GAO examination found that there were 3,944 cases and 327 deaths among residents of VA nursing homes from March 2020 through mid-February.

Contributing: Donovan Slack, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: DOJ report says New Jersey veterans homes still put residents at high risk
A federal judge has ordered Washington to redraw the 15th Legislative District, which stretches from Yakima to Pasco. It would be sadly ironic if in doing so, Sen. Nikki Torres, a promising Latina first-term lawmaker, were to lose her seat.

The judge in the case ruled that the current 15th District dilutes the Latino vote in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Latino voters are 51.5% of all voters in the district. That gives them some advantage on Election Day, but not enough to overcome historic discrimination and to encourage diverse representation in the Legislature.

At least thats what U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled.

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Discrimination persists to this day. Benton County will pay $75,000 to settle a Latino voter discrimination lawsuit. And Franklin County also must change how its commissioners are elected, having to pay $375,000 to settle a legal battle over Latino voter representation.

The 15th District includes parts of Benton and Franklin counties.

The judge therefore ordered the state redistricting commission to redraw the district by January and include more Latino voters. If the commission fails, the court will intervene so that new boundaries are in place in time for the 2024 elections.

Latino voters will have to come from neighboring districts, and a corresponding number of white voters will be pushed into those districts. That could include the 8th and 16th districts, which cover the rest of the Tri-Cities area.

Voters in the 15th District elected Torres, R-Pasco, to the Senate last year. She replaced long-time Sunnyside lawmaker Jim Honeyford and handily defeated Democrat Lindsey Keesling in the general election.

Torres is a former president of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a role that earned her a glowing reputation statewide. In her first year in office, she secured a leadership position as the Republican deputy floor leader.

She advocated for farmers, securing passage of bills to expand the states farm-internship program and to improve crop protection. And she championed the states Indigenous people.

Its unclear whether the redistricting commission can meet the federal judges January deadline. The state might not even reconvene the commission. If it does, the fact that the commission held secret meetings last time and engaged in other shenanigans doesnt leave much hope that it would do a fair job.

Whoever draws the 15th Districts new boundaries must proceed carefully so as not to unfairly oust Torres. The worst outcome would be if this turns into a scrum with Democrats gerrymandering another Senate seat for themselves.

When lawmakers formed the first ever Legislative Latino Caucus, only Democrats were welcome. The states two Republican Latino lawmakers werent invited, according to Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy.

Such partisanship overrode the fact that Torres and Ybarra represent rural communities with large Latino populations. Apparently some Democrats reject the idea that Latino Washingtonians can hold diverse political views.

It will be fine if Torres loses a re-election bid someday fair and square. Thats politics, though we hope its to someone else with close ties to the Tri-Cities region.

It will be a great shame if she loses in her first re-election bid because mapmakers stacked the 15th Districts voters against her and her party.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he does not see an end to the ongoing migrant crisis, which he added "will destroy" the nation's most populated city.

During a town hall on the Upper West Side Wednesday night, the Democrat politician expressed the severity of his concerns about the constant flow of asylum seekers entering the city, citing them as a financial burden and a factor for multiple rounds of budget cuts to city agencies he ordered.

The former police officer said 10,000 migrants are entering every month and the city is not receiving any support on the "national crisis."

"Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I dont see an ending to this," Adams said.

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Political theater vs. daily survival: Inside the dire situation facing migrants bused across US

"All of us are going to be impacted by this," Adams said.

At one point migrants were just coming from Venezuela but now people are entering from Ecuador, Mexico, Russia and parts of Western Africa, the mayor added. He said every aspect of community in the city is going to be impacted as a $12 billion deficient leads to budget cuts for every city service.

New York migrant population filling shelters

Nearly 60,000 migrants occupy beds in traditional New York City shelters and over 200 emergency sites. About about 20,000 migrant children are expected to join New York City students returning to school, according to city officials.

Asylum seekers often have no choice but to wait in limbo to secure work authorization, jobs and other building blocks before starting their new life in the U.S.

So far city services have seen limited impact from budget cuts, which mainly came from the the removal of unfilled positions and re-estimates of health care spending, according to Politico. Despite receiving around $140 million in federal funds, New York City has spent about $1.5 billion to help house and serve migrants over the past fiscal year. City Hall expects spending to soar to $4 billion throughout the current year.

Opinion: Migrants bussed from the border is not just an immigration crisis. Think public health.

Adams calls on President Biden for a decompression strategy

On Aug. 9, Adams called for the federal government to declare a state of emergency to properly tackle the "crisis" at the border. Last week, the mayor said the city's requests remained primarily "unaddressed" and demanded a decompression strategy at the border

He led a rally in Lower Manhattan on Aug. 31 to demand the White House accelerate asylum seekers' paths to employment and be granted extended temporary protection status.

"Let them work! Give them the opportunity to contribute to our society," Adams said. "We're saying we must expedite work visas. It's just common sense. Thousands of jobs are available to be filled."

The Biden administration set up 11 federally owned facilities through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help New York asylum seekers. Most existed outside the city, including Stewart International Airport in New WIndsor and an Atlantic City location in New Jersey.

Critics say mayor's comments are dangerous for immigrants

Adams has faced backlash for his comments including from Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, who called the mayor's comments dangerous as it could lead to violence against immigrants. Awawdeh said the mayor should know better before using rhetoric that is "activating people in a negative way against their new neighbors, according to the New York Times.

"Using dangerous language sometimes leads to dangerous acts. NYC Mayor should not be dividing the city further in this moment," Awawdeh told the Guardian. "He should be focused on fixing the shelter crisis that existed before asylum seekers arrived in such numbers."

The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless said Adams villainized "people who fled unimaginable situations in their home countries," the Times reported.

Republicans praise Adams acknowledging severity of crisis

Republicans praised Adams comments at Wednesday night's town fall including Rep. Nick LaLota, who represents the state's first congressional district.

The first step towards solving a problem is admitting you have one. Credit to Mayor Adams for being truthful in this clip about the scope of NYCs migrant crisis, LaLota (R-N.Y.) wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Now, he must repeal NYCs sanctuary policies & President Biden must reinstate Remain in Mexico to help solve it.

The first step towards solving a problem is admitting you have one. Credit to Mayor Adams for being truthful in this clip about the scope of NYCs migrant crisis. Now, he must repeal NYCs sanctuary policies & President Biden must reinstate Remain in Mexico to help solve it. https://t.co/WTvz32VXST  Nick LaLota  (@nicklalota) September 7, 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also emphasized Adams' call for the Biden administration and the state to provide more aid to the city and further ensure migrants can find work.

It has gotten so bad, even the leaders of Democrat strongholds like New York City and Massachusetts are throwing in the towel, McCarthy said in a statement Tuesday. They cant handle the strain that the massive influx of people has had on their city and state.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC Mayor Eric Adams remarks on migrant latest in escalating rhetoric
LANSING  Things are looking a little different at a center city intersection following a long-promised brand change at what was once downtown Lansing's only hotel.

The Radisson sign that has adorned the property at North Grand and Michigan avenue since 1986 came down Friday and was replaced by the DoubleTree by Hilton moniker.

A crew works to install a new sign at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel on North Grand Avenue in downtown Lansing on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023

The rebranding was announced in November 2021 after Waramaug Hospitality, a privately held investment company, bought the property, according to information posted on the Downtown Lansing Inc. website. At the time, Waramaug vowed to renovate the hotel and said it eventually would change the brand to DoubleTree by Hilton.

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The property is owned by Lansing Hotel Investors, which decided the hotel would join the Hilton portfolio by September 2023, according to a news release from DoubleTree by Hilton. The conversion includes renovations throughout the 257-room hotel, which continues to be operated by Texas-based Aimbridge Hospitality.

"We are excited to partner with this iconic hospitality brand to bring a fresh, new lodging option to the Capitol of Michigan," Kenric Hall, manager of the hotel, said in the release.

City of Lansing spokesman Scott Bean said the city welcomed the investment in the downtown hotel.

When the Radisson opened in the mid-1980s, developers negotiated a deal with Lansing that barred the city from giving incentives to anyone else with plans for a downtown hotel.

That agreement expired in 2018.

Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Downtown Lansing hotel, long known as the Radisson, is now a DoubleTree by Hilton
Mali has been hit by a wave of attacks over a 24-hour period, sparking fears of spiraling insecurity in the aftermath of two coups in the volatile Sahel country.

On Friday, Malis armed forces reported a complex suicide attack on the airport area of the military base in the northern Gao region, according to a post on its official Facebook page.

It said the situation was still being assessed and gave no further details.

On Thursday, there were two attacks on a passenger boat on the Niger River near Timbuktu and an army base in Bamba, in the northern Gao region, killing a total of 64 people  49 civilians and 15 soldiers  according to a statement by the interim government.

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They were carried out by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants in restive northeastern Mali, the government said.

It was not immediately clear how many people died in each attack. However, the government statement added that around fifty of the attackers were killed by Malian armed forces.

The boat attacked is operated by ferry operator Compagnie Malienne De Navigation (Comanav), according to the military.

According to local media, this is the second time in a week a Comanav vessel has been hit by militants. A 12-year-old child was killed in an earlier attack.

Thursdays attacks were claimed by Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), a militant group associated with al Qaeda, the government said.

Local media also reported that there has been a blockade of the ancient city of Timbuktu for weeks following an announcement by GSIM.

Authorities declared three days of national mourning in the country, which has seen an escalation in violence after seeing two military coups in the past three years.

Turning its back on Western partners

Mali has been grappling with armed conflict since 2012 when political and ethnic-led insurgent groups took up arms against the government over battle for territorial control.

These conflicts have worsened since 2021 after the miitary junta seized power. According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Malis security situation has deteriorated due to the junta ostracizing some local political actors, and also withdrawing its cooperation with global security partners.

The United Nations in June said endless violence was being unleashed on civilians in northeastern Mali by the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group and its affiliates and experts have voiced widespread concern regarding the worsening conditions in the troubled Sahel state.

In less than a year, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has almost doubled its areas of control in Mali, a UN Security Council report released in August said.

In June, Mali called on the UN peacekeeping force MINUSMA, which has been stationed in the country since 2013, to leave its territory without delay. That process is ongoing.

Malis relationship with France, its former colonial ruler, has also deteriorated due to the juntas proposed delay to return to democratic rule.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown in a coup in 2020, which was followed by another coup in 2021, when current junta leader Assimi Goita overthrew the transitional president Bah NDaw.

Under the junta, Mali has turned its back on relationships with previous Western partners and embraced Russian mercenary group Wagner, which deployed fighters to the country following the 2021 coup.

It is unclear what has happened to the fighters since the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prighozin.

France began withdrawing its troops from Mali last year, with President Emmanuel Macron saying at the time: We cannot remain militarily engaged alongside de facto authorities whose strategy and hidden objectives we do not share. The fight against terrorism cant justify everything.

Analysts say there is also a battle for control over Malis northern region between rival Islamist groups  an area that was previously under surveillance by UN peacekeepers.

However, Malis Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdoulaye Diop has accused the UN of worsening the security problems in the country.

The UN also expressed concerns about human rights abuses by Malis armed forces and their foreign security partners.

Violence against women and girls and conflict-related sexual violence remains prevalent in Mali, UN experts said in the report.

Almost 9 million people need humanitarian assistance in the country. Earlier this month, UN agencies said 200,000 children were at risk of starvation.

A nexus of protracted armed conflict, internal displacement and limited humanitarian access threatens to plunge nearly one million children under the age of five into acute malnutrition by the end of this year  if life-saving aid fails to reach them, the UN said.

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As a fourth-year ophthalmology resident at Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Riley Lyons biggest responsibilities include triage: When a patient comes in with an eye-related complaint, Lyons must make an immediate assessment of its urgency.

He often finds patients have already turned to "Dr. Google." Online, Lyons said, they are likely to find that "any number of terrible things could be going on based on the symptoms that theyre experiencing."

So, when two of Lyons fellow ophthalmologists at Emory came to him and suggested evaluating the accuracy of the AI chatbot ChatGPT in diagnosing eye-related complaints, he jumped at the chance.

In June, Lyons and his colleagues reported in medRxiv, an online publisher of preliminary health science studies, that ChatGPT compared quite well to human doctors who reviewed the same symptoms  and performed vastly better than the symptom checker on the popular health website WebMD. And despite the much-publicized "hallucination" problem known to afflict ChatGPT  its habit of occasionally making outright false statements  the Emory study reported that the most recent version of ChatGPT made zero "grossly inaccurate" statements when presented with a standard set of eye complaints.

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The relative proficiency of ChatGPT, which debuted in November 2022, was a surprise to Lyons and his co-authors. The artificial intelligence engine is definitely an improvement over just putting something into a Google search bar and seeing what you find, said co-author Dr. Nieraj Jain, an assistant professor at the Emory Eye Center who specializes in vitreoretinal surgery and disease.

But the findings underscore a challenge facing the healthcare industry as it assesses the promise and pitfalls of generative AI, the type of artificial intelligence used by ChatGPT: The accuracy of chatbot-delivered medical information may represent an improvement over Dr. Google, but there are still many questions about how to integrate this new technology into healthcare systems with the same safeguards historically applied to the introduction of new drugs or medical devices.

Read more: AI may be on its way to your doctors office, but its not ready to see patients

The smooth syntax, authoritative tone and dexterity of generative AI have drawn extraordinary attention from all sectors of society, with some comparing its future impact to that of the internet itself. In healthcare, companies are working feverishly to implement generative AI in areas such as radiology and medical records.

When it comes to consumer chatbots, though, there is still caution, even though the technology is already widely available  and better than many alternatives. Many doctors believe AI-based medical tools should undergo an approval process similar to the FDAs regime for drugs, but that would be years away. Its unclear how such a regime might apply to general-purpose AIs like ChatGPT.

Theres no question we have issues with access to care, and whether or not it is a good idea to deploy ChatGPT to cover the holes or fill the gaps in access, its going to happen and its happening already, Jain said. People have already discovered its utility. So, we need to understand the potential advantages and the pitfalls.

The Emory study is not alone in ratifying the relative accuracy of the new generation of AI chatbots. A report published in Nature in early July by a group led by Google computer scientists said answers generated by Med-PaLM, an AI chatbot the company built specifically for medical use, compare favorably with answers given by clinicians.

AI may also have a better bedside manner. Another study, published in April in JAMA Internal Medicine, even noted that healthcare professionals rated ChatGPT answers as more empathetic than responses from human doctors.

Indeed, a number of companies are exploring how chatbots could be used for mental health therapy, and some investors in the companies are betting that healthy people might also enjoy chatting and even bonding with an AI friend. The company behind Replika, one of the most advanced of that genre, markets its chatbot as, The AI companion who cares. Always here to listen and talk. Always on your side.

We need physicians to start realizing that these new tools are here to stay and theyre offering new capabilities both to physicians and patients, said James Benoit, an AI consultant.

While a postdoctoral fellow in nursing at the University of Alberta in Canada, he published a preliminary study in February reporting that ChatGPT significantly outperformed online symptom checkers in evaluating a set of medical scenarios. They are accurate enough at this point to start meriting some consideration, he said.

Read more: Column: Artificial intelligence chatbots are spreading fast, but hype about them is spreading faster

Still, even the researchers who have demonstrated ChatGPTs relative reliability are cautious about recommending that patients put their full trust in the current state of AI. For many medical professionals, AI chatbots are an invitation to trouble: They cite a host of issues relating to privacy, safety, bias, liability, transparency, and the current absence of regulatory oversight.

The proposition that AI should be embraced because it represents a marginal improvement over Dr. Google is unconvincing, these critics say.

Thats a little bit of a disappointing bar to set, isnt it? said Dr. Mason Marks, a professor who specializes in health law at Florida State University. I dont know how helpful it is to say, Well, lets just throw this conversational AI on as a band-aid to make up for these deeper systemic issues, he said in an interview.

The biggest danger, in his view, is the likelihood that market incentives will result in AI interfaces designed to steer patients to particular drugs or medical services. Companies might want to push a particular product over another, Marks said. The potential for exploitation of people and the commercialization of data is unprecedented.

OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT, also urged caution.

OpenAIs models are not fine-tuned to provide medical information, a company spokesperson said. You should never use our models to provide diagnostic or treatment services for serious medical conditions.

Read more: Column: Afraid of AI? The startups selling it want you to be

John Ayers, a computational epidemiologist at UC San Diego who was the lead author of the JAMA Internal Medicine study, said that as with other medical interventions, the focus should be on patient outcomes.

If regulators came out and said that if you want to provide patient services using a chatbot, you have to demonstrate that chatbots improve patient outcomes, then randomized controlled trials would be registered tomorrow for a host of outcomes, Ayers said.

He would like to see a more urgent stance from regulators.

One hundred million people have ChatGPT on their phone, said Ayers, and are asking questions right now. People are going to use chatbots with or without us.

At present, though, there are few signs that rigorous testing of AIs for safety and effectiveness is imminent. In May, Dr. Robert Califf, the commissioner of the FDA, described the regulation of large language models as critical to our future, but aside from recommending that regulators be nimble in their approach, he offered few details.

In the meantime, the race is on. In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Mayo Clinic was partnering with Google to integrate the Med-PaLM 2 chatbot into its system. In June, WebMD announced it was partnering with a Pasadena-based startup, HIA Technologies Inc., to provide interactive digital health assistants. And the ongoing integration of AI into both Microsofts Bing and Google Search suggests that Dr. Google is already well on its way to being replaced by Dr. Chatbot.

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
As we prepare for a wide assortment of performances in Charlotte this fall, youll soon have two chances to rap along with Drake at Spectrum Center on Friday, Sept. 22 and Saturday, Sept. 23.

Whether you never got over Yebbas Heartbreak from the Certified Lover Boy album or the 2018 hit, Gods Plan, Drake is sure to deliver you a trip down memory lane with this tours packed setlist.

So as youre headed toward this 100% cashless arena, let us lead the way as you navigate buying tickets, merch and parking.

Drake

Where: 333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202

When: Friday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.

When: Friday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.

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Drakes Its All a Blur Tour will be here soon. Drake, who released the Billboard Hot 100 single, Best I Ever Had back in 2009, is now considered to be one of the biggest rappers on the planet.

Kicking off the tour back in early July, the Started from the Bottom, rapper has plans to travel to places like Atlanta, Miami, Nashville and Toronto until the beginning of October.

What to know about Drake

Born Audrey Drake Graham in Toronto, Canada, Drake was an actor on a Canadian teen series called Degrassi until 2008.

He released first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006. The hit was followed by a single titled Replacement Girl, which featured Trey Songz, leading to further Drakes exposure, as it was featured on 106 & Park, a BET music video show.

The rap star later went on to sign to Lil Waynes label, Young Money, where he released Thank Me Later, which boosted the artist to international stardom. Following Thank Me Later, Drake released Take Care, which won the Grammy Award for best rap album.

Drakes setlist includes:

Marvins Room

Headlines

The Motto

Started From the Bottom

SICKO MODE

Way 2 Sexy

Nice for What

Controlla

One Dance

Rich Flex

Drake merch: Heres what you can buy

Drakes merch site is a combination of typical concert souvenirs and eclectic novelties. Items available for purchase include hoodies and matching sweatpants (sold separately), socks, T-shirts and Air Drake branded items such as a hooded robe and eye mask, along with goods like a Hotline Bling pool float, a magnetic letter set and an electric inflatable air pump. Prices for items via Drakes site range from $24 to $4,100.

Where to park for a concert at Spectrum Center

Spectrum Center, with nearly 30,000 off-street parking spaces nearby, is also accessible via the Lynx Light Rail to the Trade Street Station at Spectrum Center.

Note, there are different types of parking you can purchase in advance:

Where to eat in Charlotte near Spectrum Center

Most restaurants near Spectrum Center are around a one to eight minute walk.

Midnight Diner: Youll be chasing the flavors at Midnight Diner with one of its giant crisp salads, signature burgers or seafood platters like the firecracker shrimp dinner, hand battered and tossed in firecracker sauce.

Papa Rossis: This pizza spot has all the pizza fixings, with its cheese pizza pie, Bavarian pretzel dippers, mozzarella sticks, garlic knots and wings.

Soho Bistro: Spicy curry noodles, pork dumplings and fried calamari are all dishes you can purchase from this uptown Chinese spot.

Ri Ra Irish Pub: Looking for a barbecue burger or reuben? Well, look no further than this pub that also has yummy classics like cottage pie, fish & chips and a patty melt.

Where to get Drake tickets

Tickets to Drakes Charlotte concerts can be purchased via Ticketmaster. Prices range from $305 to $1,500.

What to bring to Spectrum Center

Service animals

Bring your debit card since Spectrum Center is 100% cashless.

Small sign

10 x 10 x 4 bag

What not to bring: Firearms, clothing with indecent or obscene messages, fireworks, large banners and flags, laser pointers, ipads, tripods, umbrellas and illegal substances.
Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara is denying the charges that she was drastically driving over the speed limit when she crashed a car into a Jamaica Plain home in June, instead blasting the investigation and claiming the public has been misled.

In a press conference outside the Blessed Sacrament Church in Jamaica Plain on Thursday, Lara and attorney Carlton Williams said that the allegations she was driving 59.8 miles per hour inside the 25-mile-per-hour zone on Centre Street were dreadfully wrong and that an investigation by an independent forensics company, The Crash Lab, shows the car was traveling around 27 miles per hour when it crashed into a home on June 30, 2023.

There are only three possibilities. That we are wrong. Were not. The other possibility is that someone made a very drastic mistake. The third is that people arent telling the truth intentionally, Williams said.

I know how the mistake was made. Someone measured the distance from where the car turned because they knew pretty precisely where that was. That distance was I think 151.2 feet. If there was a skid mark that was 153 miles per hour, those calculations would be exactly right... but theres no skid mark whatsoever. If you put that number into the wrong part of the equation, you would get the numbers he got. That would also mean you have no idea how to do your job and no idea how to do math, said Williams.

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Lara is also accused of driving with a revoked license when she crashed the unregistered and uninsured car, injuring her seven-year-old son. Lara has pleaded not guilty to charges of operating negligently so as to endanger, recklessly permitting bodily injury to a child under 14, driving a car with a suspended license, and driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.

The city councilor says the car she was driving was insured and that the homeowner, Georgia Kalogerakis, has been provided with the necessary insurance information in order to make a claim.

While Lara did not deny that she has not held a valid drivers license since 2013, the councilor credited the issue to bureaucratic issues with the RMV.

I think that some people who are close to that issue will be able to understand how somebody would have difficulty navigating the RMV even when youve paid all of your fees and turned in all of our paperwork, how you can be in that situation, especially as a single parent and a parent of a child with special needs, said Lara. Im not going to say that there was not a mistake made. Ideally, I wouldve had the resources to make different decisions but I didnt and my hope is that my mistake does not overshadow the two years of work that Ive done on this council.

Additionally, Lara claims that the car belonged to a friend and the vehicles registration had only lapsed by a couple of weeks at the time of the crash. Lara says that when her friend explained the situation to a court magistrate, the charges were dropped.

My hope is that that will report to be true for my case as well, Lara said. Its an oversight that can happen to anyone. And I dont think that its an oversight that makes me illegible for public office.

Lara also says she has not been regularly driving a vehicle during the 10 years her license has been out of date, she doesnt own a vehicle of her own and that difficulties aligning school transportation with her work schedule required her to borrow the cars of friends.

In July, a city spokesperson told Boston 25 that Lara regularly drove a dark gray Honda Civic to work, the same make and model of the car involved in the crash.

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara regularly drove to City Hall despite revoked license

Lara also says her son was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. A police report obtained by 25 Investigates found that officers wrote the child was in the backseat of the vehicle but not in a booster or car seat.

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.

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.

Lara says that as she was driving down Centre Street, a car pulled out in front of her and that with another car traveling down the opposite side of the street, she had no choice but to swerve off the road.

I continued to turn the wheel to the left to pull into the driveway of the home, said Lara. What ended up happening is that I missed the driveway and I accidentally hit the fence and went through it.

Laras team says the investigation has negatively impacted her campaign to be reelected later this month and degraded her perception in the community.

I think the media was misled by this data in the police report. I think the court was misled by the data in this police report. The prosecutor was misled by the data in this police report, said Williams.

Four lengthy videos feature officers speaking with Lara in the moments after the crash and an interview with a man who claimed the councilor was driving like a bat out of hell before she struck a house on Centre Street on June 30.

The Suffolk County District Attorneys Office transferred Laras case to a prosecutor in Worcester County earlier this summer. Williams says he has requested the prosecutor to consider the new information Laras team collected and throw out the negligent and reckless motor vehicle charges.

If someone is driving 27 miles per hour and swerves to miss two vehicles with people in them and hit bushes, I would say thats the opposite, Williams said.

In response to Laras claims, the Worcester County District Attorneys office provided the following statement to Boston 25 News.

Pursuant to our rules of professional conduct, specifically rules 3.6 and 3.8, we do not comment on pending cases. Anything we have to say on this case will be said in open court on the record. Worcester County District Attorney's Office

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
Motorists discovered human remains after their car broke down on a Texas highway, police said.

They were traveling several days before Christmas in 2022 when their car lost a tire outside of San Antonio, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a Sept. 7 news conference.

After exiting the vehicle, the travelers set off on foot in a wooded area, Salazar said. Thats when they found a human skull just out in the middle of the brush.

The next day, dozens of law enforcement officials swept the area in search of other remains but found none.

Now  nine months later  police have made some progress on the case, establishing details about the victim and the state of the remains, Salazar said.

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What we know about the skull is that it appears it had been in that spot before it was found for approximately two years, Salazar said in the news conference. It was relatively clean and without signs of trauma.

There is insufficient evidence to label the case a homicide, but the fact that the skull was found alone is concerning, Salazar said.

It does not appear to have ever been buried and exhumed, Salazar said. We believe that where it was placed is where we eventually found it.

Composite sketch of what the woman may have looked like Screengrab from Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A forensics team was able to identify the victim as a woman, possibly of Hispanic or Asian descent, between 20 and 35 years old.

With the assistance of the University of North Texas and the states Department of Public Safety, a composite sketch of what the victim may have looked like was created.

Police are encouraging anyone who might recognize the woman in the sketch to contact the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.

Their investigation remains ongoing.

Bexar County encompasses San Antonio and is located about 80 miles southwest of Austin.

Man killed mothers boyfriend and accidentally sent her voicemail of it, officials say

Day care worker abused kids by throwing them onto the ground, Pennsylvania cops say

1 dead after shots are fired by security guard at Charlotte Transit Center, CMPD says
So youve found needles and whippet canisters at the park? So have I, but it doesnt make me angry at the people who dropped them there. What is infuriating is that weve pushed the people who use illicit drugs to the furthest fringes of our society so that they have no other choice but to exist in public spaces and take mind-altering substances to cope with the pain and stigma of their addiction and homelessness.

We can do so much better for them, but were letting our prejudices stop us.

Opinion

One accident, a broken-down car, a layoff, or an injury can spiral into homelessness faster than any of us would like to think. A third of Californias 40 million residents live in poverty or near poverty, which likely means either you or one of your neighbors is at risk. Maybe coping with that knowledge is too much, so thats why we push the realities of homelessness so far out of our minds.

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But not all people who are unhoused are on drugs, and even if that was true, itd be a reason to offer them more help and services  not the opposite. Its also incredibly hypocritical for Americans to blame homelessness on addiction when, in 2021, 46.3 million people aged 12 or older  more than 16%  had a substance use disorder in the past year, including 29.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder, 24.0 million who had a drug use disorder, and 7.3 million people who had both.

Homelessness exacerbates alcohol or drug dependence, mental health problems and violent tendencies, and thats why we need services that address all of those problems at the same time while continuing to move people into permanent housing situations.

A recent study by UC San Francisco found that California is home to 12% of the nations population, but 30% of the nations homeless population, and half the nations unsheltered population.

Out of nearly 4,000 participants in the study, about a third reported regular use of methamphetamines, 3% said they used cocaine and 11% said they used non-prescribed opioids to help them cope with the circumstances of homelessness. Only around 16% reported heavy, episodic drinking. One quarter said that substance use currently caused them health, legal, or financial problems, yet just 6% of the studys participants reported receiving any current drug or alcohol treatment. A fifth of participants reported that they wanted treatment, but were unable to get it.

Addiction, and especially opioid addiction, is an American problem, not a homelessness problem. Opioid overdoses caused an estimated 50,000 deaths in 2017; opioid abuse costs the U.S. economy more than $500 billion every year. Life expectancy in the U.S. is declining, in part due to an increase in deaths from unintentional injuries, including opioid overdoses.

Addiction and mental illness thrive in an unstable environment, and thats why the correlation between the two is so high. But correlation is not causation, and addiction is often not the driving cause of homelessness  its the lack of affordable housing and the crushing poverty facing low-income families.

Thats why Sacramento has to pass the Sacramento Forward proposal, which would encourage affordable housing developments that middle-class and low-income Sacramentans can buy, and would protect the basic rights of every renter. It would put a fundraising measure on the 2024 ballot, extend the Tenant Protection Program, implement support such as emergency rent assistance and increase developer fees to grow the citys affordable housing fund. It would also adopt the Sacramento Opportunity to Purchase Act, which would require any tenant building listed for sale to be sold to the tenant or eligible community group if they can meet the initial listing price.

Only by addressing the root causes of homelessness  our states housing crisis  can we begin to tackle the domino effects of that instability, which includes alcohol and drug addiction.

But merely dismissing the unhoused as drug addicts and criminals is a lazy argument, meant to dehumanize the people who are homeless, and give those of us who are housed a convenient excuse for treating them the way we do.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is still considering whether he has the authority to boot Donald Trump from the state's ballot.

Colorado this week became the third state in which watchdog groups have headed to court, hoping to use the 14th Amendment to bar Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot.

It is not off the table that Arizona could join the drive to deny Trump a spot on the presidential ticket.

Last week, Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told both KTAR and The Arizona Republic that he doesnt believe he has the authority to reject Trump, given an Arizona Supreme Court ruling last year.

But he also made it clear that he doesnt agree with that ruling and is still looking into the possibility of bouncing the Republican frontrunner off the ballot.

Some scholars say Trump can be booted

The secretary believes that this is an open question, his spokesman Paul Smith-Leonard told me on Friday. Hes consulting legal experts, hes looking at past precedents and he is deciding how to decide on this question.

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Respectfully, Mr. Fontes. Dont go there.

This is surely one of dumbest, most undemocratic ideas to come down the electoral pike in a long while. And in Arizona, that is saying something.

There is growing talk among legal scholars, including some respected conservatives, that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution could and should be used to stop the Trump juggernaut.

Specifically, Section 3, the post-Civil War amendment that disqualifies from office anyone who previously has taken the oath of office to support the Constitution then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the government.

The scholarly set, along with a fair number of anti-Trump Republicans and Democrats, would tell you that Section 3 has Trumps name written all over it.

Trump wasn't charged with insurrection

The problem is this:

Who decides whether Trump  or state Sens./Fake Electors Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern or U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar  engaged in insurrection or rebellion?

None of them has been charged with that crime (U.S. Code Section 2383), let alone been convicted.

Do I get to decide if their actions have disqualified them from the ballot? Do you?

Does Fontes?

Trump is charged with trying to obstruct a federal proceeding, in this case the certification that Joe Biden won the election. But prosecutor Jack Smith didnt charge Trump with engaging in rebellion or insurrection, and I assume he wouldnt have been shy about doing so had he thought he could get a conviction.

So who gets to decide if obstruction is close enough to insurrection to deny Trump a spot on the ballot?

Do I get to decide? Do you?

Does Fontes?

Republicans already say elections are unfair

For three years now, Republicans have been complaining that our elections arent fair, that Trumps opponents had their thumb on the scale. That there was a conspiracy to rob We the People (meaning, them) of our constitutional right to select our leaders.

Now comes this 14th Amendment stunt to reinforce their beliefs.

Ive heard all the high-minded constitutional talk of how you dont have to be charged or even convicted of insurrection to be disqualified for insurrection. How it is self evident that Trumps actions amounted to insurrection.

Montini: Constitution should keep Trump off the ballot

With every poll thats released, I can smell the desperation of those who say we need to protect our country from the scourge that is Trump.

They want to prevent democracy in order to save democracy.

They want to ignore due process in order achieve justice.

Want to beat Trump? Put up a better canddiate

If Trumps opponents are truly that terrified that he might win, heres an idea:

Nominate a candidate who could beat him.

Find someone who isnt a tottering 81 year old to put forth as the next leader of the free world  someone who doesnt look like he should be running for president of the Golden Acres rest home.

Ultimately, if Fontes or any other secretary of state decrees that Donald Trump is not qualified to run for president, there will be a four-year coast-to-coast serenade of I told you sos from the likes of Kari Lake, Marjorie Taylor Greene and the rest of the MAGA chorus.

Then itll land in the courts.

And I think we all know which court will have the final say.

Dont do it, Secretary Fontes.

You want to beat Trump?

Do it the old fashioned, fundamentally, quintessentially American way.

Lets vote.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kick Trump off the ballot? What a ridiculously dumb idea
Cherokee tribal members in a historic vote have said yes to recreational marijuana, paving the way for the reservation to become the only place in North Carolina legalizing its use.

The Sept. 7 referendum showed overwhelming support for the change with 2,464 voting yes and 1,057 voting no.

The recreational cannabis referendum is not technically binding and would have to be followed by legislation, though the Tribal Council has already signaled its support for the change.

The move is a much bigger step than the 2021 decision by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to allow medical marijuana. The medical system is now in place and is on the verge of opening sales to qualifying patients.

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Leaders of the body created to run the tribe's for-profit medical marijuana business, Qualla Enterprises LLC, say broader legalization would generate "extraordinary revenue" as well as 400 well-paying jobs in a place that needs employment.

"The demand to work with Qualla is both overwhelming and humbling; Qualla has received hundreds of job applications, and that number grows each week," the group said in a Sept. 6 opinion piece in the Cherokee One Feather, the tribe's official newspaper.

More: Legal marijuana in NC? Cooper, Stein urge lawmakers to decriminalize cannabis

Opponents, though, say legalization of marijuana has been linked to declines in young people's mental health.

"Todays commercial marijuana products are associated with depression, suicidality, IQ loss and most recently psychosis and schizophrenia, especially for young people," said Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action President Dr. Kevin Sabet in a Sept. 1 news release from the office of Rep. Chuck Edwards.

The Republican congressman represents most of Western North Carolina and says the federal government should take action to stop tribal legalization. His proposed bill, the Stop Pot Act, would withhold 10% of federal highway funds from the Eastern Band and other tribes and states that permit recreational marijuana.

Edwards said the act would "prevent even greater access to drugs and ease the strain placed on our local law enforcement and mental health professionals who are already stretched thin."

Chief Richard Sneed, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, in his office January 15, 2020.

The Citizen Times reached out Qualla Enterprise officials, a tribal government spokesperson and Richard Sneed, the Eastern Band chief.

In the Sept. 6 editorial, Qualla Enterprise leaders pushed back on contentions about negative effects.

"Numerous studies have identified several other ways that Adult Use Cannabis actually decreases crime and promotes public health and order," they said.

Those include 2021 findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research that there is "little evidence" that recreational legalization encourages use of harder drugs or violent criminal activity. Other studies showed actual declines in crime and use of other drugs, they said. According to the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, the four states where recreational cannabis was legal in 2021 experienced "a 6% reductionin opioid-related emergency department visits for six months" after passing the law, compared to states that did not legalize.

Parents still purchase CBD for kids almost a year after Asheville City Schools restriction

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Cherokee vote to legalize recreational marijuana; only place in NC
The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) initiated a criminal case against Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi at the time when the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) was preparing to serve him with a notice of suspicion.

Source: sources of Ukrainska Pravda in law enforcement

Details: About five months ago, in the spring 2023, NABU significantly stepped up the investigation. During the last two months NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office of Ukraine (SAPO) have been conducting negotiations about the case.

Less than a month ago, on 11 August 2023, ESBU initiated its own criminal proceeding against Kolomoiskyi.

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On 1 September NABU and SAPO signed a summons notice for Kolomoiskyi to serve him with a notice of suspicion. At that time SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko, who had to approve it, was on a business trip in the US. He came back on 4 September.

On 2 September, the next day after the summons notice was signed, the ESBU served the oligarch with its own notice of suspicion.

At the moment the internal investigation concerning the overlap in procedural actions is underway.

Ukrainska Pravda has turned to ESBU and NABU to clarify whether they were aware of each others investigations, and whether the ESBU suspicion notice is connected with the anti-corruption bodies increase of activity. The editorial board has received no response from the press services of the institutions.

Background:

On 2 September, the SSU, ESBU and the Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine served Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi with a notice of suspicion under Articles 190 and 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (extortion and legalisation (laundering) of property obtained in an illegal way).

The Shevchenkivskyi Disctrict Court of Kyiv chose a 60 days long custody with an almost 510 million hryvnias bail as a measure of restraint.

On 7 September, NABU and SAPO served Kolomoiskyi and five more likely accomplices with a notice of suspicion of misappropriation of over 9.2 billion hryvnias [roughly US$247 million] of Privatbanks funds.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






HENDERSONVILLE - It will be forever known as the Edneyville Easter Massacre  a day most everyone in Henderson County wanted to forget.

Thirty-five years later, the man who committed those unspeakable acts on that Easter Sunday in 1988 by shooting and killing three relatives of his ex-wife's while they attended a funeral at Mountain Home Baptist Church's parking lot, has died.

A file photo of Mountain Home Baptist Church in Ednevyille, which was the site of the triple murder committed by Michael Leslie Rainey in April 1988.

According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, Asheville native Michael Leslie Rainey died on May 15. He was 76.

"He died of natural causes at an outside medical center on May 15. He had been assigned to Central Prison in Raleigh," John Bull, a communications officer for the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, told the Times-News Sept. 7.

The mugshot of Michael Leslie Rainey by the Henderson County Sheriff's Office.

Rainey was serving three life sentences in prison for the killing of Wilford Owensby, 61, his wife, Ponelle Owensby, 60, both of Edneyville, and the Owensbys' nephew, Charles Scott Bowles, 24, of Fletcher. Rainey shot and killed all three, who were all related to his ex-wife, Andrea Rainey, with a shotgun and handgun. The couple had divorced three years earlier.

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More: Beyond the Banks: Remembering the Easter Massacre in Edneyville

According to past Times-News reporting, Michael Rainey came to the funeral of Andrea Rianey's grandmother, Effie Justice, on April 3, 1988, at Mountain Home Baptist Church. He went inside, viewed the body, and then waited outside near the parking lot as his ex-wife, Andrea Rainey, arrived with her sister, Sarah Johnston, and Johnston's daughter, Wendy, who was 11 years old at the time.

The late Tom Hatchett, who died in 2021, was one of the deputies on the scene for the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. Hatchett, who retired from the sheriffs office in 2001, told the Times-News in a 1988 article that the shootings happened because of a dispute over land that had been going on for quite some time. The story ended up making national headlines, appearing in both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Below is an excerpt from a "Beyond the Banks" Times-News article published in March 2020 and written by the Terry Ruscin, who described earlier in the article about a land dispute between Michael Rainey and Andrea Rainey's grandparents. It was Andrea Rainey's grandmother's funeral the family was attending that day.

Times-News, March 2020 article

On Aug. 31, 1988, Michael Rainey was sentenced by Henderson County Superior Court Judge James Beaty Jr., who ordered three first-degree murder sentences to be served consecutively for 60 years and sentenced Rainey, who was 41 at the time, to an additional 18 years in prison on three counts of felony assault.

More: Former Sheriff Erwin is back ... find out his new role at the sheriff's office

More: Fletcher man's death after being tasered, punched, restrained by police not a crime: DA

The court later granted a civil judgment of more than $1 million to Owensby family members and the estates of the three killed in the massacre.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Michael Leslie Rainey dies after1988 triple murder in WNC
By Nelson Renteria

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - The governments of El Salvador and the United States will revive the Peace Corps program in the Central American country, after the U.S. agency concluded that security conditions have improved following a seven-year freeze blamed on deadly gang violence.

The Peace Corps, a popular U.S. volunteer abroad program dating back to the 1960s, suspended Salvadoran operations in 2016 over surging lawlessness in the country.

Peace Corps assignments going forward will focus on projects that support community economic development, education and youth, the U.S. embassy in San Salvador announced in a statement on Thursday.

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Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn said at an event that Salvadorans have been important partners in its past initiatives while forging "deep and lasting friendships."

In 2015, the year before the Peace Corps' departure from El Salvador, the nation suffered a record 103 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest murder rates in the world at the time. The violence was largely attributed to deadly fallout from battles pitting the Barrio 18 gang against its rival Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.

Since early 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has championed emergency powers that have allowed security forces to detain more than 70,000 suspected gang members, which has led to a dramatic drop in violent crime.

The homicide rate slid by nearly 60% last year compared to the previous year, and most locals support Bukele's policy and say they feel much safer, according to the authorities and independent polls.

The popular president's anti-gang push has also generated sharp criticism from human rights groups that denounce the suspension of some constitutional rights, as well as what they describe as arbitrary arrests and 174 deaths of people in state custody after the emergency powers were first enacted.

The administration of U.S. President John F. Kennedy established the program some six decades ago, as its volunteers have been deployed all over the globe.

(Report by Nelson Renteria; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Jacqueline Wong)
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  More Las Vegas schools announced the disruption of classes Friday amid a teacher shortage, according to a letter from the school principals.

A letter sent to parents of Linda Rankin Givens Elementary School students Friday announced the cancellation of classes. According to the letter from Daniel Hungerford, principal of the school, there was an unexpected number of teachers absent.

Childcare services were offered for elementary school-aged students at a nearby community center.

The letter, delivered to parents Friday, read, in part, We are canceling school today at Givens Elementary School. Please do not send your children to campus today, Friday, September 8th.

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There are an unexpected number of licensed staff/teachers absent from school today and we have made the difficult decision to not have school today.

We appreciate your understanding and apologize for the inconvenience.

The cancellation comes as the latest in a string of recent closures related to teacher shortages. On Tuesday, classes at Gibson Elementary School in Henderson were canceled for the same reasons, as were sessions on Wednesday at Monaco Middle School, located near Lake Mead and Nellis in Las Vegas.

A similar letter, confirmed by Clark County School District officials to be sent from school principal Laura Dickensheets, was also sent to families of C.T. Sewell Elementary School students in Henderson.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
To get this out of the way: I am still using the site formerly known as Twitter.

I have been posting regularly on what is now known as X since December 2011. The site brought me many things over the yearsclose friendships, news from around the world, a husbandbut these days I mostly use it for one reason. That reason is that I am a freelance journalist, and Twitterexcuse me, Xis still the most useful place to share and get work. In other words, it helps me get paid.

But there is a certain tension in this. I regularly write on Jewish history and politics. This includes politics around antisemitism, and the threat posed by antisemitism. Increasingly, that means that in order to potentially have the professional opportunity to cover the threat of antisemitism, I use a social media platform owned by someone who, I would argue, is using the same platform to make the threat of antisemitism actively worse.

Twitter has long had its issues, but Elon Musk, since taking over late last year, has made existing problems more pronouncedfor example, in allowing accounts that had been previously suspended for hate speech to come backand has invented problems that didnt need to exist, including by getting rid of check marks that verified identity (and also firing thousands of staff). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, top advertisers have left the platform and ad sales have reportedly fallen dramatically.

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But Musk has found someone other than himself to blame: the Anti-Defamation League, which he has now threatened to sue.

Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (thats what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter! Musk posted on Monday. He added, If this continues, we will have no choice but to file a defamation suit against, ironically, the Anti-Defamation League.

The Anti-Defamation League dates back to the 1910s, and per its founder, attorney Sigmund Livingston, exists to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today, the organization tracks hate-crime laws in the United States and provides legal services, such as serving as co-counsel in a federal lawsuit against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for their role in attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

That doesnt mean the ADL is above reproach. Increasingly, it has come under criticism from the left for putting the fight against antisemitism and for civil rights second to the desire to defend Israel and Zionism. In 2021, progressive outlet Jewish Currents published a report based on interviews with former staffers that charged that CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has repeatedly chosen to support crackdowns on criticism of Israel over protecting civil liberties, putting him in conflict with his own civil rights office. Earlier this year, the New Republic ran a piece that took Greenblatt to task for not doing enough to tackle white supremacy, noting that his keynote speech at the ADLs annual leadership summit this year had virtually nothing to say about the rise of white Christian nationalism.  Instead, he focused his ire on what the ADL calls hostile anti-Zionist activists groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, which loudly criticize and protest against Israel on Americas college campuses, calling them the photo inverse of the extreme right.  Ironically, Greenblatt faced backlash last year when, on television, he said, Elon Musk is an amazing entrepreneur and extraordinary innovator. Hes the Henry Ford of our time.

But one does not need to think that Greenblatt is good at his job, or even to think that the ADL has any credibility as an institution, to be concerned that Musk appears to share with Henry Ford not only ownership of an automobile company, but also a penchant for blaming Jews. In looking for someone to blame for his troubles, Musk is lashing out at a Jewish institution that, at least in theory, exists to push back against antisemitism.

This encourages others to join in: Right-wing figure Charlie Kirk, who days earlier had posted that the ADL today is a hate group that dons a religious mask to justify stoking hatred of the lefts enemies, tweeted out a video of Greenblatt on MSNBC that Kirk said showed Greenblatt bragging about how the group extorts every single tech company in Silicon Valley to censor Americans and ban hate speech. Stephen Miller, the former senior adviser in the Trump White House who was called an immigration hypocrite by his uncle, also chimed in, offering: Speaking as a Jew: ADL is NOT a Jewish organization, which was then reposted thousands of times. The idea that a person (or, in this case, institution) can be deemed not really Jewish and thus fair game for an antisemitic smear is a not uncommon one.

But that doesnt make it any easier to see over and over again. It is true that most American Jews, fortunately, have not been targets of physical antisemitic attacks. But the threat of antisemitism is on the rise in the country, and the idea of the all-powerful role of Jews in society shows up in extremists manifestos, including where Jews are not the target; this was the case for the shooter who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York, last spring. The antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews are responsible for all ills is not going away, particularly for those who are extremely online: According to an August report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, 54 percent of teenagers who are heavy social media users agreed with the statement Jewish people have a disproportionate amount of control over the media, politics and the economy, compared to 43 percent of teenagers overall.

Musk himself has not only made it easier for antisemitic posts to be published, but has published them himself.

Im not sure where that leaves Jewish media outlets or institutions on X, or individual Jewish journalists who still use the platform, just as Im not sure where it leaves other X users made more vulnerable by Musk. Im not sure where it leaves me. Ill almost certainly post a link to this piece to Twitter. Ill hope that someone will read it there, amid all the other mini missives. But Ill also know that whatever good it does will be so small compared to whats written by the owner of the site where Ill hit post.
Elon Musk has made little secret of his personal interest and engagement in Russia's year-and-a-half-long invasion effort against Ukraine, and that country's ongoing counteroffensive against their would-be occupiers. He has publicly admitted to "trying my hardest to de-escalate this situation and obviously failing," and mused to his more than 100 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, about which parts of Ukraine should be formally annexed into Russia, even while supplying thousands of his proprietary "Starlink" communications terminals to the region at the behest Ukrainian officials desperate for internet access to coordinate their military maneuvers. "Starlink is indeed the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now," Ukraine's digital minister told The New York Times this summer, highlighting the degree to which that country is technologically dependent on Musk's products  and by extension, Musk himself.

That dependency took on a particularly urgent note this week, with a revelation from Musk biographer Walter Isaacson that the billionaire had personally intervened to withhold Starlink services from a planned Ukrainian offensive against Russia's Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea. Musk himself later confirmed the report  excerpted from Isaacson's upcoming biography, and first published in The Washington Post  by claiming on X that "SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation" had he complied with Ukraine's request for satellite connectivity in the region. However, by acknowledging that he himself had thwarted a sovereign country's military in what has essentially become a war of existential survival, Musk has inadvertently re-energized a long-simmering criticism that he has personally amassed too much power for a single, largely unaccountable, individual.

What the commentators said

Musk's decision allowed Russia to continue its naval bombardment of Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian official Mykhailo Podolyak said on X, calling it "the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego." Podolyak's criticism is an exception though, as "few nations will speak publicly about their concerns, for fear of alienating Mr. Musk" according to various intelligence and cybersecurity officials who spoke with The New York Times. Despite Musk being neither "a diplomat or statesman," one Pentagon official who spoke with The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow said he felt compelled "to treat him as such, given the influence he had" in the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian conflict. But rather than condemn Musk to outright villainy, Farrow placed the ultimate blame on "the systems around him."

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It is "vast economic systems and political trend lines" that have created the opportunity for "a single mega-billionaire of this type" to be able to "fill the spaces that are going fallow at the hands of the state," Farrow explained on The New Yorker's The Political Scene podcast, citing Musk's dominance of both the private space travel and communications industries. "This is insane that we've let it get to this," agreed The Daily Beast's Andy Levy, placing similar blame on the vacuum ceded by the government in certain industries that allowed Musk to concentrate such acute power in himself  even to the detriment of his own companies. After intense negotiations to charge the Pentagon to keep Starlink services available to the Ukrainian military in 2022, Musk backtracked, having "succumbed to the bullshit on Twitter and to the haters at the Pentagon who leaked the story," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told Isaacson. "The Pentagon had a $145 million check ready to hand to me, literally."

What next?

Think of Musk as "a conglomerate," CNN's Seth Fiegerman urged at the onset of the billionaire's Twitter takeover. By controlling so many interconnected industries, "each arm of his empire potentially gives him more leverage, real or imagined, in advocating for the others." Operating against a "backdrop of crumbling infrastructure and declining trust in institutions," Musk excels at identifying "crucial areas where, after decades of privatization, the state has receded" and filling those voids with his own products," Farrow said. Moreover, "efforts to rein him in have had limited success," he explained to The Political Scene. Quoting an FAA official who declined to punish Musk for an unauthorized rocket launch, Farrow explained, "look, the guy is just so rich a fine doesn't hurt a company that he's running."

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An hour before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Russian hackers disabled the commercial satellite network Ukraine and its military relied on to communicate, leaving the country largely unable to mount a defense. Elon Musk stepped in, and within days, Starlink terminals were arriving in Ukraine, getting key parts of the country back online.

Russian hackers have been unable to disrupt Starlink's network, and 18 months later, "Starlink is indeed the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now" and "one of the fundamental components our our success," Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's digital minister, told The New York Times in July. A deputy field commander told the Times that "without Starlink, we cannot fly, we cannot communicate."

But Musk  who can single-handedly turn on or off Starlink internet service anywhere in the world  has also used that power to thwart Ukraine's efforts to retake land seized by Russia, Walter Isaacson wrote in The Washington Post on Thursday, in an excerpt from his biography of Musk.

The Times reported in July that Musk had rejected a Ukrainian request to extend Starlink service to Russian-occupied Crimea to enable a major sneak attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet with explosives-laden drone submarines. Isaacson, citing conversations with Musk, reported that the mercurial billionaire personally stepped in to foil the in-progress attack by secretly telling "his engineers to turn off coverage within 100 kilometers of the Crimean coast. As a result, when the Ukrainian drone subs got near the Russian fleet in Sevastopol, they lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly."

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"Musk thwarted what might have been a decisive military operation to shorten the Russian war against Ukraine, save who knows how many lives and put an end to the Russian food blockade of poor countries in Africa and Asia," David Frum wrote on Musk's X, formerly Twitter. "All while a U.S. government contractor."

After the Crimea intervention, Musk decided Starlink wouldn't aid any Ukrainian counteroffensive operations. Learn how he and the Pentagon resolved those qualms and kept Ukraine online at The Washington Post, and read The New York Times on why some governments  notably Taiwan  won't use Starlink.

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FILE - Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, Friday, July 28, 2023. Elon Musks social media platform formerly known as Twitter has sued the state of California over a law requiring social media companies to publish their policies for removing offending material such as hate speech, misinformation and harassment. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Elon Musk s social media platform formerly known as Twitter has sued the state of California over a law requiring social media companies to publish their policies for removing offending material such as hate speech, misinformation and harassment.

The first-of-its-kind legislation was signed into law a year ago by California Gov. Gavin Newsom . In a lawsuit filed Friday against state Attorney General Robert Bonta, X Corp. challenges the constitutionality and legal validity of the law, saying it violates the First Amendment.

The California law requires social media platforms to post their content moderation policies  which they already do  and twice a year submit a report to the state on how they address hate speech, racism, misinformation, foreign political interference and other issues.

The law, compels companies to engage in speech against their will, impermissibly interferes with the constitutionally-protected editorial judgments of companies such as X Corp. and has pressures companies to remove or demonetize constitutionally-protected speech, says the lawsuit, filed in federal court in California.

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Since taking over Twitter in October 2022, Musk has upended the platform's content moderation system, laying off workers responsible for weeding out problematic content and reinstating accounts banned for engaging in hate speech, promoting Nazi and white nationalist material and harassing users.

Musk also disbanded a key advisory group, the Trust and Safety Council, made up of dozens of independent civil, human rights and other organizations. The company formed the council in 2016 to address hate speech, harassment, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform. He has referred to himself as a free speech absolutist  though the billionaire has at times proven sensitive about critical speech directed at him or his companies. Last year, he suspended the accounts of several journalists who covered his takeover of Twitter.

The law's author, Democratic Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, said it is a "a pure transparency measure that simply requires companies to be upfront about if and how they are moderating content. It in no way requires any specific content moderation policies  which is why it passed with strong, bipartisan support.

If Twitter has nothing to hide, then they should have no objection to this bill," he added.

The attorney general's office said it will review the complaint and respond in court.

Representatives for X did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Friday.
A Ridge Limestone Quarry employee was killed after becoming trapped in what state police are calling a workplace accident Friday morning.

According to Indiana County dispatch, the call for a physical rescue came in just before 10:30 a.m. on Coleman Road in Young Township.

According to Pennsylvania state police in Indiana, the employee was originally trapped in a limestone hopper and first responders were initially called for a rescue.

The coroner was at the scene and will conduct an autopsy on Friday, state police said. The Indiana County Corners Office identified the employee as Eric Komlosky Sr., 39.

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According to the coroners office, Komlosky was inside the stone hopper when the operator of a high lift dumped his load of stone into the hopper. This trapped Komlosky in the hopper.

The coroners office says no one knew Komlosky was inside the hopper.

State police also said this incident was a workplace accident and no foul play is suspected. The coroners office listed Komloskys manner of death as accidental.

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A Deer Park neighborhood next to Highway 225, which borders the refineries, petrochemical plants and industrial storage tanks that line the Houston Ship Channel. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune/Public Health Watch

A report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys inspector general found that the federal agency is failing to enforce federal pollution limits on benzene emitted from refineries, including nine in Texas.

The report published earlier this week found that the EPA has not ensured that petroleum refineries that exceed benzene concentration limits at their fence lines take actions to reduce emissions of the invisible hydrocarbon, which is known to cause cancer after repeated exposure.

The report says that from January 2018 to September 2021, 25 of 118 refineries that submitted benzene monitoring data to the EPA exceeded benzene pollution limits at least once during that time period, including refineries in Corpus Christi, Pasadena, Port Arthur and Texas City. Thirteen exceed pollution limits repeatedly, the report says.

When those limits were exceeded, according to the report, enforcement actions were limited, partly because of insufficient air pollution analysis at the refineries and incomplete data submitted by companies.

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In Texas, the EPA has given the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the states environmental regulatory agency, power to enforce such limits. Refineries are required to submit benzene fence line monitoring data to the TCEQ.

The inspector generals office recommended that the EPA give clear instructions to its delegated authorities, like the TCEQ, on what counts as breaking pollution limit rules and how to spot missing information from refineries.

Ilan Levin, Texas director for the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit environmental organization, said that the report gives ammunition to those who do want to try to clean up cancer causing pollution.

The report also noted that regulatory agencies find the pollution limits challenging to implement because the level that triggers an alert does not automatically lead to a violation.

Levin describes the EPAs benzene limit like a cars engine light. Its a warning to regulators that benzene levels are high, but regulators cant always issue a penalty for it.

The report recommended that the EPA come up with a plan to deal with refineries that don't lower their benzene levels after exceeding the federal limits.

The EPAs Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance said it plans to fix these issues and expects to complete the inspector generals recommendations by next year.

Benzene is emitted from various sources at refineries, such as storage tanks, equipment leaks, and wastewater. Its known to cause cancer after repeated exposure and can irritate the throat and eyes. When inhaled in large quantities over a short period, benzene can affect the central nervous system and cause symptoms including dizziness, a rapid heart rate and headaches.

Eric Schaeffer, the Environmental Integrity Projects executive director, said in a press release that the report highlights an urgent need for the federal agency to crack down on oil refineries that are putting neighborhoods right down the street from these plants at risk.

Schaeffer, the former director of civil enforcement at EPA, said the benzene levels remain far too high at refineries year after year. EPA needs to give these industry laggards a deadline for cleanup, or companies will stop taking these requirements seriously.

Along the Houston Ship Channel, chemical plants, refineries, and smokestacks are surrounded by a string of communities  many of them predominantly communities of color  and studies have found that residents have experienced adverse health impacts from pollution coming from their industrial neighbors.

In 2019, a group of chemical tanks caught fire in a massive blaze that burned for days at Intercontinental Terminals Companys Deer Park facility.

A Texas Tribune investigation revealed earlier this year that hundreds of people experienced symptoms of benzene exposure  including dizziness, a rapid heart rate and headaches  and that elevated levels of benzene remained in the air for weeks after public health measures were lifted.

The inspector generals office looked at benzene pollution data to measure the effectiveness of rules issued in 2015, when the federal agency began requiring petroleum refineries to monitor benzene concentrations outside their fence lines.

If a companys annual average concentrations exceed the 9 micrograms per cubic meter, a level that EPA says is safe to breathe, the company is required to investigate the cause of the excess emissions and take corrective actions. The report says companies dont always follow through with that requirement.

"[The report] confirms what communities have been saying for a long time and adds to the growing evidence of pollution," Levin said. "I hope it can lead to some better protections and for some of these refineries to cut their cancer causing pollution."

The full program is now LIVE for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 21-23 in Austin. Explore the program featuring more than 100 unforgettable conversations coming to TribFest. Panel topics include the biggest 2024 races and whats ahead, how big cities in Texas and around the country are changing, the integrity of upcoming elections and so much more. See the full program.
Eric Munchel, the Nashville man known as "zip-tie guy," has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Judge Royce C. Lamberth sentenced Munchel and his mother and codefendant Lisa Eisenhart at the U.S. District Court in Washington on Friday.

Lamberth sentenced Munchel to 57 months of incarceration and three years of supervised release, said U.S. District Court Judicial Clerk Jason Onyediri. Lamberth gave Eisenhart, from Woodstock, Georgia, a lesser sentence of 30 months of incarceration with the same three years of supervised release, her attorney Greg Smith of Washington said. Smith said both Munchel and Eisenhart were also ordered to pay $2,000 each in restitution.

Munchel's sentence is among the longest of more than 1,000 Jan. 6 defendants. He received the maximum sentence prosecutors calculated under federal guidelines.

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Prosecutors say on Jan. 4, 2021, Munchel and Eisenhart drove from Nashville, where Munchel worked as a bartender, to Washington to participate in election protest rallies scheduled for Jan. 5-6.

Eric Gavelek Munchel, 30, is pictured in the U.S. Capitol carrying zip ties as he steps over a row of seats on Jan. 6, 2021.

They arrived at the Capitol on Jan. 6 wearing tactical vests, while Munchel also wore a Taser holstered at his hip and his cell phone mounted on his chest. Munchels cell phone recorded a 50-minute video that captured most of their approach and entry to the Capitol building, which prosecutors used as evidence in their case against the pair.

Once inside the Capitol, Munchel and Eisenhart found zip ties that they carried around, which prosecutors argued they planned to use to restrain members of Congress. An infamous photograph captured Munchel holding the zip ties as he climbed over a railing in the gallery of the Senate chambers, where 30 minutes before Congress was meeting to certify the results of the 2020 election.

Originally charged mainly with trespassing charges, the charges against Munchel and Eisenhart expanded in October to include obstruction, conspiracy, disorderly conduct and unauthorized entry. Munchel was found guilty of additional charges for carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds for arming himself with a Taser.

Lamberth found the mother and son guilty of all 10 charges against them at a bench trial in April after they forewent their right to a jury trial.

Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum on Aug. 31 that they hoped the sentences deter the defendants and others from behaving similarly in the future.

"With the 2024 presidential election approaching, a rematch on the horizon, and many loud voices in the media and online continuing to sow discord and distrust, the potential for a repeat of January 6 looms ominously," prosecutors wrote. "The Court must sentence Munchel and Eisenhart in a manner sufficient to deter them specifically, and others generally, from going down that road again."

Several other Tennesseans have been sentenced for their roles in the attack at the U.S. Capitol. You can read about their sentences here.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Eric Munchel, Nashville 'zip-tie guy', sentenced in January 6 riot
Netflix has a long-lasting underdog hit on their hands  but a second season is yet to be announced.

After being streamed for more than 74 million hours in its first week of release, mystery thriller Who is Erin Carter? built upon that success to be streamed for a further 90 million hours in week two. In total, it has racked up just under 166 million hours of streams.

In fact, the series has become so popular it has kept new show, the live-action adaptation of manga and anime series One Piece, from the top spot in several territories, including the UK.

This feat was managed despite One Piece breaking records previously held by Stranger Things and Wednesday to top Netflix charts in more than 80 countries around the world.

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The fact that Who is Erin Carter? is still number one in several countries proves the show, which has defied its middling reviews, has staying power beyond its release on 24 August. Many viewers who tore through the series are now wondering if second season will be commissioned.

Its worth noting that the show was billed as a limited series, meaning it was originally devised to have just one run. But considering the shows success, which looks set to continue throughout September, bosses may be planning to extend the show for at least a second run of episodes.

Squid Game, for example, was originally meant to last for one season until it became a huge hit for Netflix. Season two of the Korean-language drama will arrive in 2024.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.

Who is Erin Carter? stars Swedish actor Evin Ahmad as Erin Collantes, a British teacher who finds herself caught up in a supermarket robbery in Spain. But when one of the robbers claims to recognise her, her life threatens to unravel.

Sean Teale, Indica Watson, Douglas Henshall and Jamie Bamber also star in the show.

Who is Erin Carter? is on Netflix now.
There is no certainty in the EU that the leaders of the G20 countries, who will gather for a summit in New Delhi this weekend, will be able to reach a consensus on a joint declaration due to the contradictions surrounding the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Source: This was stated by Charles Michel , the President of the European Council, on Friday, reports European Pravda with reference to Reuters

Quote: "It's difficult to predict if it will be possible to have an agreement on the declaration. We are still negotiating," Michel said.

Quote: "I don't intend to say something that will make the efforts more difficult. We support the efforts made by the Indian presidency," he added.

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Deeper and more entrenched divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine risk undermining progress on issues such as food security, the debt crisis and global cooperation on climate change, analysts say.

India, which chairs the group, wants the summit's final communique to also take into account the views of Russia and China, which have blocked Western efforts to include a strong condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese leader Xi Jinping will attend the summit, with Moscow sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov instead and Premier Li Qiang representing Beijing.

Michel said the European Union wanted the G20 to focus on addressing global food and energy security issues, noting that Russia's blockade of Ukraine's grain exports through the Black Sea was one of the key issues to be discussed at the weekend's talks.

Quote: "The EU will continue to strongly back Ukraine and pile pressure on Russia," he said, adding that it was absolutely clear that the European Union condemned Russian aggression.

Michel does not expect the summit to solve all the "major" global problems but added that the EU wants the group to accelerate efforts on sustainable development, climate change and poverty reduction.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, is expected to insist that India should hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine and use its influence to help end the war.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
The EU Council imposed sanctions against six Russian individuals responsible for human rights abuses in Russia and in occupied Crimea, the Council announced on Sept. 8.

The list includes prosecutors and judges who oversaw the court proceedings in occupied Crimea against Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko and Crimean Tatar activist Nariman Dzhelialov.

The Council emphasized that Russia's judiciary is not independent and is "used to systematically and severely violate the human rights of individuals opposed to the ruling regime by violating their freedom of opinion and expression."

The latest package further includes two officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) who tortured Yesypenko or took part in the investigation of his case, as well as those of Crimean Tatars and Jehovah's Witnesses in Crimea.

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Read also: NGO: Russia conducts raids at Crimean Tatars homes

The sanctions were imposed under the EU's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, which already includes 67 individuals and 20 entities. The applied restrictive measures encompass a travel ban and asset freeze.

Yesypenko, a freelance journalist writing for the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested by the FSB in March 2021 for alleged espionage and possession of explosives, a charge which he rejected. Following a trial that Ukrainian officials and the RFE/RL called a "travesty" and "politically motivated," the journalist was sentenced to six years in prison.

Dzhelialov, an activist, the main deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, political science expert, journalist, and teacher, was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment over alleged sabotage at a gas pipeline in the Perevalne village.

Russia occupied the peninsula in 2014 after the EuroMaidan Revolution ousted the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Since then, the occupation authorities have been carrying out repressions against pro-Ukrainian activists and Crimean Tatars.

Members of the Crimean Tatar community are regularly indicted with trumped-up charges of extremism and terrorism and sentenced to lengthy prison terms in kangaroo courts.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
PARIS (Reuters) - The Council of the EU on Friday announced additional sanctions on six people for serious human rights violations in connection with their action towards members of ethnic groups in Crimea.

The individuals listed include prosecutors and judges active in courts established by Russias occupying force in Crimea who played a role in handing a prison term to a journalist who belongs to the Crimean Tatar community.

Friday's listings also include two members of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) who either took part in torturing the journalist or participated in the investigation against him and members of the Crimean Tatar community and of the Jehovahs Witnesses in Crimea.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
By Tim Hepher

PARIS (Reuters) - The European Space Agency on Friday welcomed a deal for Britain to resume full membership of Europe's Copernicus programme, easing doubts over the next batch of climate-tracking satellites and the completion of development work by European space firms.

Britain said on Thursday it would re-join both Copernicus and the European Union's Horizon science research programme, ending a two-year post-Brexit standoff over funding.

Copernicus is a set of six families of Sentinel satellites designed to read the planet's "vital signs" including carbon dioxide.

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Plans for six more "Sentinel Expansion" missions starting from 2026 have been left in suspense because of a funding gap of 721 million euros stemming mainly from Britain's exit from the EU.

In an interview with Reuters last month, the head of the European Space Agency - which co-leads the world's largest Earth observation project with the EU - warned that work would have to be suspended if there were no funding deal by next June.

But following Thursday's agreement, Director General Josef Aschbacher said the deal would allow UK scientists and industry to benefit fully from one of Europe's leading space programmes.

"The UK's full participation in the programme is a major boost to the climate-change agenda, which relies on space-based observations of our planet every single day,", Aschbacher told Reuters by email.

The agreement is a boost for satellite manufacturers including Europe's Airbus, France' Thales and Germany's OHB that had been awarded contracts to build the new set of satellites subject in part to an EU funding deal.

But while the political agreement signals a further improvement in bilateral relations between Britain and the EU, sources said details of funding were being finalised.

Neither Britain nor the European Commision gave a financial breakdown on Copernicus, or said whether the 721-million-euro funding gap had been fully closed.

Britain's direct but smaller contribution to Copernicus via ESA, which is not part of the EU, had been unaffected.

Prior to the deal, Aschbacher had been among the most senior climate-monitoring officials to voice concerns over wavering support for measures to combat climate change.

Leaving a hole in the Copernicus budget would have sent the wrong signal on Europe's commitment to combating climate change, he told Reuters last month.

Thursday's agreement came as ArianeGroup, owned by Airbus and Safran, said it had successfully run a hot-firing test on the main stage of the delayed Ariane 6 space launcher

(This story has been refiled to add the word been in paragraph 4)

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by David Evans)
PORTSMOUTH  A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a former Portsmouth physician after he violated bail conditions while waiting to be sentenced for domestic violence charges.

Harry Wallus, 46, was arrested on Aug. 19 for operating under the influence in Salisbury, Massachusetts, less than a month before he was expected to plead guilty in his 2022 domestic violence case in Rockingham Superior Court. That led Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway to motion for a judge to revoke his bail in that case just weeks before the Sept. 13 plea and sentencing hearing.

Harry Wallus was arrested Feb. 6, 2022, following an alleged assault of his girlfriend in Greenland.

Wallus, who previously worked at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, was arrested Feb. 6, 2022, for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, breaking two of her ribs and choking her. Wallus has been out on bail since his arrest. He agreed to a capped plea deal in which his attorney and prosecutors will argue whether he receives jailtime, no more than nine months. A judge will decide the term, which could include suspended jail time, two years of probation, and to undergo a domestic violence program.

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Previous story: Woman shares story of assault by Portsmouth ER doctor charged with domestic violence

Judge David Ruoff granted Conways request to revoke Wallus' bail Tuesday, and a warrant was issued. Wallus' attorney, Tom Reid, said he was still expecting a hearing to take place to argue bail before the Sept. 13 sentencing.Conway argued in her motion that Wallus was a danger due to his flagrant disregard for the law.

It appears that the defendant suffers from a severe alcohol problem, Conway wrote. The state does not believe the defendant can refrain from drinking alcohol to excess.

Wallus was also charged with OUI while driving in York, Maine, in 2017, though the charge was dismissed, according to a York County Superior Court clerk.

More: Ex-Newmarket firefighter gets 18 months in jail for abusing disabled girl

Details of Wallus' arrest for drunken driving in Salisbury, Mass.

The night of his Aug. 19 arrest, Wallus was allegedly found in his Ford Explorer parked along Beach Road in Salisbury at approximately 3:30 a.m. by a Salisbury police officer, according to Conways motion. She wrote Wallus was sitting in the front seat using his phone and told the officer who approached him he had run out of gas.

Wallus then continued using his phone as if there was nothing to worry about, according to Conway. When the officer said he smelled alcohol, Wallus replied hed had nothing to drink. He then proceeded to fail all the roadside sobriety tests and was taken into custody, Conway wrote.

Wallus later that night admitted to having two vodka soda mixtures at his house in Londonderry that evening before driving, according to Conway. She said police also found empty Fireball nips, an alcoholic beverage discarded in the center console and a large Yeti mug filled with an alcoholic drink in his vehicle.

Conway argued in the motion there was enough evidence for probable cause to arrest him for drunken driving.

It is clear from the police reports in this case that the defendant was highly intoxicated, Conway wrote.

Hampton Beach tragedy: Man drowns while swimming, another saved by surfer

Wallus set to be sentenced in domestic assault case

Wallus has been recognized in the past for work at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, including an award for excellent patient care and outstanding professional relationships with EMS in 2016, according to a past Facebook post. He also previously served as a part-time Greenland police officer and worked with the Seacoast Emergency Response Team as a civilian.

Wallace no longer holds those positions, however, according to those employers. He still has an active medical license with the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification that is set to expire in 2025.

The Sept. 13 plea deal allows Wallus to avoid a felony that under state law has more potential impact on a medical license than misdemeanors. Wallus was indicted earlier this year on two felony charges of second-degree assault, but he is only pleading guilty to four counts of misdemeanor simple assault  domestic violence.

State law specifies the New Hampshire Board of Medicine may take disciplinary action against licensed physicians convicted of a felony, but it does not say the same for misdemeanors. Still, an operator at the Board of Medicine said in July that the board would likely still review licenses in the event of a conviction whether it was a misdemeanor or felony.

Ashley Gardner, the victim who has spoken publicly about the case, said she has accepted the plea deal as an opportunity to move on with her life and avoid a trial that could result in a lengthy appeal. She told police she was assaulted by Wallus during a fight at his Greenland home.

Gardner told police he hit and kicked her side to break her ribs. She also said he sat on top of her in a way that caused her sweatshirt to strangle her and did not let go as she asked him to stop.

If you need help

As a community service, the following information is published with stories in which domestic and/or sexual violence is alleged, while making no judgment on the guilt or innocence of the accused:

If you need support Haven has trained confidential advocates available. The 24-hour hotline is (603) 994-SAFE (7233). Its confidential online chat service is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at havennh.org.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Ex-Portsmouth doctor loses bail in domestic case after OUI arrest
FILE - A jogger passes power lines during a sunset run, Aug. 20, 2023, in San Antonio, as high temperatures continue to stress the power grid. On Thursday, Sept. 7, Texas' power grid manager again asked residents to cut back on electricity as a prolonged and punishing summer heat wave continued, a day after the system was pushed to brink of outages for the first time since a deadly winter blackout in 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

HOUSTON (AP)  Texas power grid has been under tremendous stress during this summers sweltering heat, with the state setting 10 new records for electricity demand.

The grid's reliability has been questioned by residents and lawmakers since a deadly winter blackout in 2021 knocked out power to millions of customers for days and resulted in hundreds of deaths.

Concerns were renewed this week after Texas power grid manager issued an emergency alert due to low reserves and high demand. Following the alert, the U.S. Department of Energy granted an emergency order allowing Texas to temporarily suspend emissions rules so power plants could produce enough electricity to prevent outages.

The summer heat isnt subsiding as high temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) were expected in much of Texas through the weekend.

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This summers challenges have raised more questions about the power grids reliability and what more the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid manager, should do to shore it up.

WHAT HAS TEXAS DONE SINCE THE 2021 BLACKOUT?

Significant changes included mandates for plants to weatherize for the cold. Texas lawmakers also passed bills this year aimed at providing incentives for the development of more on-demand generation  not including renewables like wind or solar  to keep up with the state's fast-growing population. But its not clear whether that will entice companies to build.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the changes have fixed all of the flaws that caused one of the largest power outages in U.S. history. But skepticism remains.

Energy experts say Texas isnt doing enough to ease demand on the system. When a bill to increase energy efficiency in new construction reached Abbotts desk in June, the governor lumped it in with other vetoes while trying to pressure lawmakers into reaching a deal on property tax cuts.

HOW HAS THE SUMMER HEAT IMPACTED THE POWER GRID?

Record power demand and other problems culminated this week when ERCOT issued a level 2 energy emergency alert, bringing Texas the closest it has been to statewide outages since the 2021 winter storm. ERCOT said it issued the alert because operating reserves fell as demand surged and power from wind and solar energy sources proved insufficient. It also cited another cause: congestion on a transmission line that prevented the flow of power from South Texas to the rest of the grid.

The increased stress on the power grid has prompted ERCOT to ask customers 10 times in the last three weeks to cut their electricity use.

These high temperatures are driving record demands for this time of year, Pablo Vegas, ERCOTs president and CEO, said in a Wednesday letter to the U.S. Department of Energy that asked for the temporary suspension of emissions rules.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm granted ERCOTs request, writing Thursday in a letter that the threat of power loss to homes and businesses in Texas is presenting a risk to public health and safety.

Texas has never had forced outages in summer months since ERCOT was created in the 1970s, according to the grid operator.

WHAT ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS CAN TEXAS MAKE TO SOLIDIFY THE GRID?

Doug Lewin, an Austin, Texas-based energy consultant who writes the Texas Energy and Power Newsletter, said improvements could include using grid enhancing technologies that allow for more electricity to flow on transmission lines and additional battery storage of electricity. He said battery storage likely helped prevent outages this week.

Lewin also called on ERCOT to prioritize programs that would pay residential and small business consumers to use less electricity. Such programs already exist for big power users like manufacturers and cryptocurrency miners. On Friday, Riot Platforms, a bitcoin mining company, said it received about $7 million in energy credits in August from ERCOT for reducing its energy usage. It also got about $24 million in energy credits from its energy provider, TXU, for selling back electricity it had pre-purchased.

They want to compensate me for (using less energy), Ill participate. But Im not doing it uncompensated while Riot Platforms is getting paid millions of dollars. No, like pay me for it, Lewin said.

ERCOT also needs to be more open about its operations, Lewin said, adding that questions remain about the grid operator's explanation on what caused this week's emergency alert, including whether low wind generation was a factor.

I sometimes criticize ERCOT and (the Public Utility Commission of Texas) and the only reason I do it is because we all need them to be successful," he said. "And I think the only way to be really good at a job like that is to be open, honest, transparent to a fault.

___

Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin contributed to this report.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
By Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) -Over the past year North Korea has moved to boost its navy with new nuclear weapons, including an underwater drone, warships, and its first operational missile submarine, unveiled on Friday.

North Korea's navy has historically been dwarfed by the country's land forces, and overshadowed by its rapidly advancing ballistic missile program.

Now, leader Kim Jong Un has said the navy will play a key role in the country's nuclear deterrence, and analysts say it may also assure support among naval commanders and boost national pride.

"Until quite recently, Kim has largely appeared to neglect naval nuclear programmes," said Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "The recent refocus on naval nuclear capabilities has likely been welcomed by the Korean People's Navy."

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Here is what we know about North Korea's navy and its latest advancements.

HOW BIG IS NORTH KOREA'S NAVY?

The Korean People's Army Naval Force (KPANF) has about 470 surface vessels, including guided missile ships, torpedo boats, small patrol vessels, and fire support boats, according to the South Korean military's 2022 Defense White Paper.

Its has about 70 submarines, including Romeo-class vessels of Soviet-era design, and midget submarines.

The navy also has about 40 support craft and 250 landing craft.

The navy is divided into two fleet commands that cover the country's east and west coasts, and about 60 percent of the force is positioned south of Pyongyang, the White Paper said.

"The North Korean Naval Force possesses the capacity to carry out a surprise attack any time," the paper said. "However, its capacity for deep-sea operations is limited because its force is primarily consisted of small, high-speed vessels."

WHAT ARE THE NAVY'S NEW WEAPONS?

In March and April North Korea tested what it said was a nuclear-capable unmanned underwater attack weapon.

Dubbed "Haeil", or tsunami, the new drone system is intended to make sneak attacks in enemy waters and destroy naval strike groups and major operational ports with an underwater explosion, state media said.

Analysts said the weapon's operational concept was similar to Russia's Poseidon nuclear torpedoes, a new category of retaliatory weapon meant to create destructive, radioactive blasts in coastal areas.

However, a report by the Washington-based 38 North at the time said the weapon's slow speed and limited range made it substantially inferior to the Norths existing nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles in terms of time-to-target, accuracy and lethality.

In August, Kim inspected a new Amnok-class corvette, a patrol ship that state media said was capable of firing nuclear-armed cruise missiles.

"Despite the fact that the majority of the weapons and sensors on board are severely obsolete in comparison with western or Asian designs, it is a major step forward for North Korea," the specialist website Naval News said in an analysis, calling its nuclear cruise missile capability a "game changer" for potential adversaries.

On Friday, North Korea said it had launched its first operational "tactical nuclear attack submarine" and assigned it to the eastern fleet.

The vessel appears to be a modified Romeo-class submarine with 10 launch tubes, most likely armed with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

South Korean officials said it appears that the new submarine may not be fully functional, but they did not elaborate.

Like the nuclear drone, its use in a war may be limited compared with North Korea's more robust land-based missiles, analysts said.

"Their submarines just aren't going to be able to be as survivable as their land-based forces," said Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who works with 38 North. "And they'll have a hard time deploying enough missiles at sea to make a big difference."

(Reporting by Josh Smith. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Unprecedented flooding on multiple continents around the world has left dozens dead and displaced thousands since the start of September.

The extraordinary scenes of devastation from extreme rainfall have become commonplace this summer, with record-setting downpours hammering places like Vermont, India, China, Spain, South America and Japan with alarming frequency.

A worker stands by a whirlpool on Friday as floodwater drains from a road in Hong Kong. (Bertha Wang/AFP via Getty Images)

Heres a rundown of the most recent rainfall disasters:

Hong Kong sets record for most rain in a single hour

A shopping mall is partially submerged after record-breaking rainfall Friday in Hong Kong. (Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty Images)

One month after extreme rains associated with Typhoon Doksuri killed more than 80 people in northern China, a historic deluge hit the southern part of the country, including Hong Kong. It dumped a record-setting 6.2 inches of rain in an hour, killing at least two people and injuring over 140, Fox Weather reported.

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The rainstorms transformed city streets into raging rivers, damaging cars and storefronts and shuttering the stock market on Friday, Bloomberg reported.

Floodwaters in Hong Kong stranded cars and taxis. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

This would have been virtually impossible had it not been for climate change, Lam Chiu-ying, a former director of the Hong Kong Observatory, told the South China Morning Post on Friday. We have to be prepared for what used to be extreme but what could become normal.

Brazil pummeled

Huge swaths of Lajeado, Brazil, were flooded by a cyclone on Wednesday. (Diego Vara/Reuters)

At least 39 people were killed this week when an extratropical cyclone unloaded several inches of rain across the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. More than 6,000 people have been displaced in the torrential downpours.

The city went into upheaval. People began to climb onto the roofs of houses. On Tuesday, we ran out of internet and telephone service, and it was even more desperate. Even today, it is difficult to walk the streets; there is a lot of destruction, Julio Saldanha, a resident of the southern city of Estrela, told Brazil Reports.

Aerial view of flood debris left on Wednesday after a cyclone hit Mucum, Brazil. (Marcelo Oliveira/Getty Images)

Firefighters and military police are taking part in rescue efforts, with helicopters being used to pluck people off the roofs of flooded homes, Euronews reported.

"There are still people missing. The death toll might climb higher," Mayor Mateus Trojan of Mucum told Radio Gaucha. "The town of Mucum as we knew it no longer exists."

Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria feel Daniels wrath

Buildings stranded by floodwaters from Storm Daniel in the village of Kastro, Greece, on Thursday. (Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg)

At least 16 people were killed this week after extreme rainfall produced by Storm Daniel pummeled Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, with raging floodwaters leveling buildings and bridges in many locations.

As of Thursday, rescuers had saved approximately 800 people trapped by the flooding, CNN reported.

With the storm stalled over Greece, the city of Zagora set a new record, receiving 21 inches of rain in 10 hours.

Damaged cars are piled up on a flooded road after a rainstorm in Volos, Greece, on Wednesday. (Thodoris Nikolaou/AP)

Earlier this summer, Greece had experienced drought conditions that helped spark raging wildfires. Now the country faces a different calamity, but one that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also attributes to rising global temperatures.

I am afraid that the careless summers, as we knew them ... will cease to exist, and from now on the coming summers are likely to be ever more difficult, he said, according to the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal.

How climate change is increasing extreme rainfall events

Vehicles and debris are scattered on a street in Istanbul on Wednesday after heavy flooding. (Sercan Ozkurnazli/Dia Images via AP)

As global temperatures continue to rise in tandem with the burning of fossil fuels, the amount of moisture held by the Earths atmosphere also rises. Studies have shown that for every degree Celsius of warming, the atmosphere holds 7% more moisture.

When it rains, its increasingly likely to pour, just because of basic thermodynamics, and when its not raining, when its sunny and hot  and, of course, increasingly hot due to climate change  its going to be easier to evaporate that water back into the atmosphere, leading to more arid conditions during that period, more rapidly intensifying droughts, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told Yahoo News earlier this year.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered SpaceX to make numerous changes to its infrastructure and process before being allowed to launch another rocket after its last attempt destroyed its launch pad and caused widespread damage.

The agency provided 63 steps SpaceX must take before it allows the company to launch another rocket from its facility near Brownsville, Texas.

The attempted launch of a SpaceX Starship craft, a super-heavy launch vehicle that is the most powerful rocket ever, ended in disaster in April after the launch pad was destroyed by the rockets engines.

Chunks of the concrete launchpad and metal pieces were sent flying hundreds of feet, damaging the launch facility. The Starship craft got off the pad successfully but was detonated in flight when it started tumbling out of control.

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The failure brought the company immense criticism and allegations that it cut corners because the launch pad design did not include flame diverters  cavities for the propulsion gasses to escape without damaging the pad itself.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk advocated against the use of flame diverters. The companys intended alternative wasnt ready in time for the Starship launch, he said, resulting in the concrete pad being destroyed.

The company said in a statement to The Associated Press that the earlier failed launch provided numerous lessons learned.

SpaceX intends to launch a second Starship craft when the pad site is approved by the FAA.

The company hopes to use Starships to ferry people and cargo to and from the International Space Station, and Musk has mulled over ideas to use the crafts as sub-orbital space transportation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Police walk ahead of G20 Summit in New Delhi

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is hosting the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies for their annual summit this weekend. Here is a list of events:

FRIDAY

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to hold a news conference in New Delhi at 6:15 pm (1245 GMT)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden at 7:35 pm.

Modi to hold talks with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Haseena and Mauritius Prime Minister Kumar Jugnauth (time unknown)

SATURDAY

G20 Summit begins

Leaders to arrive at the venue in New Delhi and pose for welcome photographs with Modi between 9.30 and 10.30 am.

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First session to get under way, followed by a working lunch and bilateral meetings - 10.30 am to 3 pm.

Second session from 3 to 4.45 pm.

Dinner for leaders and heads of delegation from 7 pm onwards.

SUNDAY

Leaders to lay wreaths and attend a live peformance at Mahatma Gandhi's tomb in New Delhi at 9 am.

Tree-planting ceremony at summit venue at 10.15 am.

Third session, adoption of declaration between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm.

Press conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at 1 pm.

Press conference by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at 2 pm.

Closing press conference by Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Sherpa Amitabh Kant at 2 pm.

Press conference by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at 3 pm.

Press conference by the President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at 5 pm.

(Compiled by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Factbox-US government shutdown: what does it mean?

(Reuters) -Large swaths of the U.S. government could temporarily close on Oct. 1 if Congress does not approve spending bills due to a dispute between far-right Republicans and other lawmakers.

Here are some facts about U.S. government shutdowns:

WHY WOULD THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN?

Congress must allocate funding to 438 government agencies each fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. If lawmakers don't pass those bills before the new fiscal year starts, those agencies will be unable to continue operating as normal.

There have been 14 shutdowns since 1981, according to the Congressional Research Service, many lasting only a day or two. The most recent one was also the longest, lasting 34 days between December 2018 and January 2019 due to a dispute over border security.

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Lawmakers often temporarily push that deadline back by extending agencies' current funding levels so they can continue negotiating.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT?

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed without pay and a wide range of services could be disrupted, from financial oversight to trash pickup at national parks.

Other workers deemed "essential" would remain on the job, though they also would not get paid. Services like mail delivery and tax collection would continue.

Shutdowns that last only a few days would have little practical impact, particularly if they occur over a weekend, but the broader economy could suffer if federal employees begin missing paychecks after two weeks.

A shutdown would directly reduce GDP growth by around 0.15 percentage points for each week it lasts, according to Goldman Sachs, but growth would rise by the same amount after the shutdown was resolved.

The 2018-2019 shutdown cost the economy about $3 billion, equal to 0.02% of GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

WHAT FUNCTIONS ARE CONSIDERED 'ESSENTIAL'?

Each department and agency has a contingency plan to determine which employees must keep working without pay.

The 2018-2019 shutdown furloughed roughly 800,000 of the federal government's 2.2 million employees. The White House budget office did not say how many would be affected this time.

The Department of Homeland Security's 2022 shutdown plan calls for keeping 227,000 of its 253,000 workers on the job, including border security agents and the Coast Guard.

The Department of Justice said in its 2021 contingency plan that 85% of its 116,000 employees would be considered essential, including prison staff and prosecutors. Criminal litigation would continue, although most civil litigation cases would be paused.

Air travel would remain relatively unimpeded, but in previous shutdowns the Transportation Security Administration has warned that airport-security screeners could call in sick at an increased rate.

It is not clear whether the United States' 63 national parks would remain open. During a shutdown in 2013, the Obama administration shuttered parks due in part to safety concerns, losing an estimated $500 million. In the 2018-19 shutdown the Trump administration kept them open with public restrooms and information desks closed and waste disposal halted. Some states, such as New York and Utah, paid for their sites to stay open and staffed during the 2018-2019 shutdown.

The Internal Revenue Service has furloughed up to 90% of its staff in the past but all of its employees are considered essential under its current contingency plan.

All military personnel would remain working, but roughly 429,000 civilian Pentagon employees would be furloughed.

HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM A DEBT LIMIT STANDOFF?

A shutdown happens when the U.S. government has not had more money allocated to its budget by Congress.

A debt limit is a cap set by Congress on how much money the U.S. government can borrow, which needs to be periodically raised.

Failure to do so could prevent the U.S. Treasury from paying its debts. Unlike a government shutdown, a U.S. debt default would likely have severe consequences, roiling global financial markets and plunging the country into recession.

Sometimes Congress raises the debt ceiling quietly, and sometimes lawmakers use the occasion to engage in a noisy debate over fiscal policy before raising the cap at the last possible moment, as they did in June.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Grant McCool)
An Atlanta family is preparing to view police body camera video of their loved ones last moments alive.

Its scary, said Myteka Burdett.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Her father was Johnny Hollman. He was a deacon at Lovely Stones of God and was 62 years old when he died in Aug. 10 after an Atlanta Police Officer tased him.

To actually get a call that your dad died in the middle of the streets of Atlanta, thats hard, said Burdett.

Burdett, her siblings and her mother were part of a march through downtown Atlanta Thursday evening. A group of college students from across the city organized it to start at the Atlanta University Center just before rush hour.

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This is tremendous. I cant really believe the support were getting, said Burdett.

Its the second march for transparency since Hollmans death.

A Morehouse College Junior, Daxton Pettus, told Channel 2s Courtney Francisco, Johnny Hollmans story is not one that is new to the public, but its one that has been thrown under the rug. So, were trying to raise awareness.

Another student, Malik Poole, said, If our elders arent safe, then none of us are safe.

911 calls show Hollman called for help after a fender bender in Southwest Atlanta before he died.

Atlanta Police Department said in a statement released the next day that the officer who arrived at the crash claims Hollman became agitated and uncooperative. APD said the officer tried to arrest him, there was a struggle and the officer tased him.

APD said, with the help of a witness, the officer cuffed Hollman. Then, the officer realized he was unresponsive. Paramedics took him to Grady where doctors pronounced him dead.

On Aug. 22, Mayor Andre Dickens announced that he asked Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbum to conduct an evaluation of the interaction with Hollman, including a review of the departments standard operating procedures and training curriculum.

TRENDING STORIES:

Dickens said then that the officer involved would receive due process. APD has not confirmed the name of that officer.

APD said in a statement after the death: We take instances like this very seriously, and we understand the importance of an independent, thorough investigation. We owe that to the persons loved ones and we owe that to the community. The GBIs independent investigation into the death of Mr. Hollman remains open, and we will await their findings.

Thursday, students marching said they hoped people passing by noticed.

I hope they have a sense of urgency to fix the system and hold the system accountable, said Kannette King.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis replied to Ohio Republican Rep Jim Jordans letter regarding her probe into former president Donald Trump and 18 others, accusing him of attempting to interfere with her offices prosecution.

The congressman wrote a letter to Ms Willis on 24 August, telling her that her 14 August indictment of 19 defendants, a group that includes Mr Trump, implicates substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding your actions raise serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated.

The timing of this prosecution reinforces concerns about your motivation, Mr Jordan wrote, insinuating that the Fulton County indictment is designed to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.

He also demanded she provide the House Judiciary Committee, for which Mr Jordan serves as chairman, with her communications with the Justice Department, including with special counsel Jack Smith, who has federally indicted Mr Trump twice times.

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He asked for the information to be provided no later than 10am on 7 September.

But the Fulton County DA didnt take Mr Jordans words sitting down. She blasted back  on 7 September  writing her own letter telling him that his letter contained inaccurate information and misleading statements.

She called his attempt to interfere with her offices prosecution of state criminal cases unconstitutional.

Ms Willis continued, Its obvious purpose is to obstruct a Georgia criminal proceeding and to advance outrageous misrepresentations.

As I make clear below, there is no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter, as you attempt to do.

The demands in your letter  and your efforts at intruding upon the State of Georgias criminal authority  violate constitutional principles of federalism, she wrote, highlighting the differences between state and federal jurisdictions. Congresss lawful prerogative to interfere with states administration of their criminal laws is extremely limited.

She called his attempt to invoke congressional authority to interfere with an active criminal investigation in Georgia flagrantly at odds with the Constitution.

Your letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically, she wrote.

Ms Willis also supplied voluntary responses to parts of Mr Jordans letter, despite the law permitting her to ignore your unjustified and illegal intrusion, she explained.

She wrote that she found his notion that different standards of justice should apply to a select group to be offensive, adding that Mr Trumps presidential candidacy cannot make him legally immune from criminal prosecution.

Ms Willis also clarified that his claims that she was using the investigation and prosecution for political benefit were unfounded.

The Fulton County DA concluded the fiery letter by writing that due to his personal interest in her office, Mr Jordan should consider directing the Justice Department to investigate the racist threats that have been targeting her and her office due to the probe.

She wrote that she does not allow herself to be bullied and threatened by Members of Congress, local officials, or others who believe lady justice should not be blind and that America has different laws for different citizens.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Jordans office for comment.
TheGrio learns that as the Fulton County district attorney fires back at Republicans, Democrats in Congress are pushing legislation to protect Willis case in Georgia.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Democrats are fighting back as political and racist attacks continue to be lodged as she seeks to prosecute former President Donald Trump and his criminal enterprise.

In a new court filing Thursday in Atlanta, Willis disclosed that personal information about her, her family, and her staff was posted online intertwined with derogatory and racist remarks.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a court filing Thursday that personal information about her, her family and her staff was posted online along with racist remarks. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The disclosure, filed in a motion to protect the identity of the jurors in the case, highlights the ongoing threats against Willis, whose national profile has risen since handing down a 41-count criminal indictment against Trump and 18 co-defendants.

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Willis filing came after weeks of political attacks from Trump and Republican lawmakers in Congress and the Georgia state legislature, ranging from threats of impeaching the district attorney to having her office defunded.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, launched an inquiry into Willis two weeks ago, demanding that her office turn over documents to Congress in pursuit of evidence that federal funds or resources were improperly used in her state criminal investigation.

On Thursday, Willis dismissed Jordan, accusing him of playing politics and using his federal powers to obstruct a Georgia criminal proceeding in which he does not have lawful jurisdiction.

Your letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice, and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically, wrote Willis.

Democrats on the state and federal level tell theGrio Republicans are trafficking in hypocrisy in their efforts to undermine Willis.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, began an inquiry into Fulton County DA Fani Willis. As he and other Republicans continue to question her case against former President Donald Trump, other Trump supporters are posting personal information about her. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Do the Republicans believe in law and order, as they have repeatedly said over and over again, or do they believe in law and order when it pertains to cases they like? said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee , D-Texas.

Jackson Lee, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told theGrio she and Democrats are pushing legislation that would place scrutiny on Republicans for potentially violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in their efforts to interfere with Willis case as she pursues justice on behalf the majority Black and brown voters in Fulton County.

Voters of Fulton County are not being protected by this investigation, said the longtime congresswoman. All necessary protocols and protections need to be taken so that District Attorney Willis can do her job and protect her family.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said she and other Democrats are pushing legislation that would place scrutiny on Republicans for potentially violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in their efforts to interfere with Fani Willis case against former President Donald Trump. (Photo by Andrew Harrer/Getty Images, pool)

There were also calls for Willis to be impeached by a minority of Republican state lawmakers in Georgia. State Sen. Clint Dixon threatened to use a newly formed state commission with the power to remove her from office. Similarly, state Sen. Colton Moore announced an ultimately unsuccessful crusade to bring forth an emergency legislative session to probe Willis, who on Thursday he accused of leading a case of corruption.

Despite maneuvering by her Republican colleagues, Democratic state Rep. DarShun Kendrick said it remains to be seen whether there is enough support in the state legislature to use the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission to punish Willis.

I would like to say that there are some more level-headed Republican friends of mine who are going to stay out of this and let justice run its course, Kendrick told theGrio.

However, the Democratic lawmaker said its ironic that Republicans claimed they were creating the commission to penalize Democratic DAs in Georgia who refused to prosecute certain cases.

Now they want to try to use it for somebody whos actually prosecuting, said Kendrick. I really do call on Republicans to have that sense of consistency, particularly if youre going to claim to be the party of law and order.

Former President Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, was indicted in Georgia, spurring his supporters to target Fulton County DA Fani Willis. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Kendra Cotton, CEO of New Georgia Project Action Fund, said that while she does anticipate Trump will continue to attack Willis and her investigation, she doesnt suspect much escalation from Republicans writ large here in Georgia, largely because Gov. Brian Kemp publicly slammed suggestions of impeachment. She explained, He is a sitting governor who is quite popular in our state.

Cotton told theGrio she doesnt understand the targeting of Willis because a jury decided the indictment lawfully. It is the grand jury who decided that there was enough evidence to recommend this being carried over to trial, she said. If we say that justice is balanced here in these United States, then he shouldnt have a problem  if he didnt do anything wrong.

She also lamented: There are folks who it doesnt matter what Trump did or didnt do  theyre going to ride it out with the man.

Kendrick said she doesnt foresee the vitriol against Willis and her high-profile case ending anytime soon.

It seems like every week we hear that another federal defendant has been sentenced because of the Jan. 6 insurrection, she observed. Theyre going to be fueled by anything, but definitely dont think its going to subside.

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. Please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Fani Willis claps back against racist attacks by Trump supporters appeared first on TheGrio.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis essentially told House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to stay in his lane in a blunt response to his demand for documents related to her case against Donald Trump.

Your attempt to invoke congressional authority to intrude upon and interfere with an active criminal case in Georgia is flagrantly at odds with the Constitution, she wrote in a nine-page letter to Jordan, a longtime Trump apologist.

NBC News posted the full letter online.

Jordan had asked for a range of documents related to her investigation into allegations of election interference. That probe led to a grand jury returning indictments against Trump and 18 others on charges that include racketeering.

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Willis told Jordan to keep out, accusing him of an unjustified and illegal intrusion into a state investigation, and slamming his total ignorance of RICO laws in the state.

Your letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically, Willis wrote.

Then, she suggested a way for him to catch up.

I encourage you to read RICO State-by-State, she wrote. As a non-member of the bar, you can purchase a copy for two hundred forty-nine dollars [$249].

Willis also gave Jordan a reality check on how Trump and others could have avoided facing criminal charges in her jurisdiction without interference from Congress.

Those who wish to avoid felony charges in Fulton County, Georgia  including violations of Georgia RICO law  should not commit felonies in Fulton County, Georgia, she wrote.

All 19 defendants in the Georgia case, including Trump, have pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. [Photo/Xinhua]

In the early days of the Cold War, the notorious "McCarthyism" emerged in the U.S. Joe McCarthy, a self-serving and opportunistic political figure, exploited human vulnerabilities, stoked anti-communist sentiments, and incited societal divisions. "McCarthy continuously stirred up chaos, causing significant harm to the relations between U.S. and other countries. Driven by ignorance and lack of communication, a pervasive unhealthy psychology emerged among the American public, leading to hatred and fear. McCarthyism only heightened this mindset."

History tells us: "McCarthyism" is a morally reprehensible and ethically flawed political tactic. After this farce was exposed, McCarthy and his followers faced disdain from the public and their names were forever associated with historical disgrace. However, just two generations later, McCarthy's political witchcraft has made a comeback in American political circles. Today, advocates of McCarthyism on Capitol Hill have rekindled its flame, employing the manipulation of anti-China and anti-communist sentiments as tools to further their own political interests.

Congressional fearmongering: Unfounded claims of China's ubiquitous threat

In recent years, with the U.S. framing the entire China-U.S. relationship as a "great power competition," China's image has increasingly solidified as America's adversary, even an enemy. Despite sharp divisions on other issues, various factions within the U.S. have found unanimous consensus on the China issue, labeling China as a "comprehensive threat" and an "unprecedented challenge."

This perception of threat has been magnified and ingrained within American society's subconscious. Even in the context of serious legislative activities, lawmakers from both chambers of the U.S. Congress do not hesitate to exaggerate the notion of the "Communist China threat."

Some legislators accuse China of infiltrating the "U.S. higher education system." Others "charge" China with meddling in "U.S. judicial activities." There are also those who "express concern" over China's control of the "U.S. cyberspace." In their eyes, China's influence is pervasive, all-encompassing, and has either already infiltrated or is on the brink of infiltrating every corner of American society.

Recent congressional record reveals rampant accusations by members of both the House and Senate:

"COVID was not the CCP's only flagrant and unsparing attempt to infiltrate American sovereignty. Earlier this year, spy balloons floated along the United States and gathered intelligence from sensitive U.S. military sites."

"Communist China has also undertaken aggressive actions designed to expand their influence both in the United States and abroad...They relentlessly and aggressively provoke Taiwan, an island that demonstrates to the world what a free, democratic, and capitalist China could look like...They threaten our allies in Asia and the South China Sea...The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative has spread the tentacles of the so-called People's Liberation Army throughout the world, particularly the developing world, and has ensnared dozens of developing countries in debt-trap diplomacy....The stakes are high, and the CCP's list of offenses against the norms of international order is long."

"Without action now, we face incomplete removal of high-risk Chinese equipment from U.S. networks  wasting the money that Congress has already passed. I have introduced the Defend Our Networks Act to remedy this problem. Protecting our national security is vital, and it is also vital that we ensure the government's response to protect our security does not put smaller companies out of business."

These anti-China rhetoric reflects how political figures, driven by "political correctness," are fervently showcasing their hawkish stance towards China, which remind us of the rise of McCarthyism in the 1950s!

Renowned historian Edward Carr once said, there was a time when people in English-speaking countries and those in the Soviet Union couldn't understand each other because they lacked basic knowledge and empathy about each other's perspectives.

Today, those elegantly attired gentlemen on Capitol Hill are hardly exempt, as they articulate their perceptions of their designated opponents with a lack of fundamental understanding.

Fear leads to precautionary reactions and also to excessive responses

Political scientist Pan Chengxin has succinctly summarized the "Western narrative of China's rise." He said, "The discourse of 'China threat theory' not only prescribes containment but also enforces its execution. This is an exhibition of linguistic despotism, where people are dominated by labels and weapon-like rhetoric."

The congressional record of May 4, 2023 (S1540) records the remarks of a female senator. "... securing our communications infrastructure, it is a national, it is a bipartisan, issue. The FCC commissioners, including Chairwoman Rosenworcel, have come out in strong support, demonstrating the importance of getting this done. Just a week ago, I had the opportunity to question Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo about this big problem that we have, and she agreed that we must address it immediately. Over the coming weeks, I expect that we will continue to gain more bipartisan momentum. And I will continue to push for the swift passage of the Defend Our Networks Act, even as standalone legislation."

The aforementioned congressional record clearly shows that if lawmakers present certain legislative requirements as solutions to "national security threats," it can increase the chances of those bills getting approved, and sometimes speed up the process too. Under the influence of "groupthink," nobody dares challenge the so-called "political correctness." Therefore, the "China threat theory" is being used as a tool to rally political support.

During the Eisenhower era, James William Fulbright made remarks criticizing U.S. foreign policy in the Senate. Senate majority leader Lyndon Johnson believed that division within Congress on this issue would give the world the impression of U.S. weakness. As a result, the Fulbright Resolution was passed by a joint session of both houses of Congress.

After Johnson took office, his administration believed that the main threat was coming from those in the U.S. who were more inclined towards peace (doves). The FBI even closely monitored dovish senators to determine whether they were manipulated by Moscow spies. Thus, the FBI invested much of its energy into identifying and monitoring the so-called "Soviet spies."

Today, we have again seen U.S. senators rally behind the FBI, the world's most rigorous surveillance agency. The congressional record of April 18, 2023 (S1150) had the following story. "We just, yesterday, in New York saw an example where Federal law enforcement arrested two individuals for running a secret, unauthorized Chinese police station right in the middle of Lower Manhattan. Do Republicans agree with President Trump that funding for Federal law enforcement who guard against terrorism and CCP encroachment should be cut or even eliminated?"

Subsequently, the accused were released on bail and ultimately freed. This should have been an unremarkable case. However, the U.S. House of Representatives subsequently launched a baseless attack on the U.S. prosecution system.

The congressional record of May 16, 2023 (H2358) covers the remarks of a member of the House. He said, "Just last month, ...the two alleged CCP spies only to be quickly granted bail and released from custody...It is with great dismay but complete confidence that I say that the weaponization of the United States' prosecutorial system is spinning further out of control, and it is time we take a stand."

This congressman asserts with an undeniable tone that "the weaponization of the United States' prosecutorial system is spinning further out of control." His so-called "taking a stand" targets external "enemies" on one hand and involves other "like-minded people" on the other. How is this any different from McCarthy pointing the blade at the U.S. State Department during the Cold War era?

Only by addressing root causes of 'China-phobia' can we prevent escalation of hatred

Political scholar Dominique Moisi once said that two predominant factors steer political dynamics: fear and hope... there is an America united by fear and another America driven by hope. Currently, it seems that the "America united by fear" may be dominating everything. Consequently, "China-phobia" has transformed into the driving force behind the entire American system, influencing every aspect of its functioning.

After the Cold War, the U. S. was once filled with hope, and optimism pervaded every corner of the nation. Hope inspired people to use the post-Cold War transformation to gain more control over their own destiny, resist domination and oppression, promote social justice, and seek a better life. Whether in domestic affairs or international affairs, the U.S. demonstrated a progressive spirit.

However, over the past years, the U.S. has begun to reflect on the "post-Cold War complacency." For example, in the view of former U.S. President Donald Trump, several previous U.S. presidents' inadequate responses have led to the loss of American advantages in various key areas. The West is no longer the defining voice, which is the first time in two centuries. Globalization is no longer America's domain, and America has lost control over the world's future. And all of this is blamed on China.

Trump "successfully" awakened the hidden racism within the American public. In American political discourse, China, which is non-Western, atheistic, and espouses communism, has an uncertain and unpredictable future, thus harboring risks. The U.S., positioning itself as a representative of Western civilization, cannot tolerate challenges to the international order it dominates from non-Western sources.

Today's America is no longer dominated by liberalism. The peak of liberal internationalism has become a thing of the past. The "engagement policy" has become a political taboo that no one dares to mention. Instead, neo-conservatism has resurged, using the pretext of "great power competition" to practice "confronting China." However, this serves more to cater to the interests of the military-industrial complex than to benefit the general public.

Eisenhower once revealed a secret to the American people. He said, "The political life of the United States, misunderstood by Americans, such as the competition and confrontation between the Democratic and Republican parties, or the disputes between Congress and the White House, is merely a performance. Behind the curtain, ambition, privilege, money, fanatical fantasies, and narrow group interests determine the order in which the nation actually addresses issues."

Amidst the rising tensions of a potential new Cold War and the revival of McCarthyism today, everyday Americans should pause to contemplate the real consequences of confrontations masked as competition for themselves and their communities.

Wang Wei is a researcher at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
A Farmington man faces a federal arson charge in connection with an incident last month on the Navajo Nation in far-western San Juan County.

Ulrick Bruce Canyon, 40, was charged with arson of a dwelling within the maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States for his alleged involvement in an Aug. 28 incident that took place off Indian Service Route 5081 west of U.S. Highway 491 between Sheep Springs and Newcomb, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico.

The release states that a criminal investigator from the Navajo Nation who responded to the scene of the reported fire encountered Canyon as he was pushing a wheelbarrow full of clothes away from the burning residence. When the investigator questioned Canyon about the fire, he allegedly admitted to spraying lighter fluid around the inside of the residence and igniting it with a match.

Before leaving the residence, Canyon said he gathered his clothes and threw them in the wheelbarrow before allegedly throwing two 20-pound propane bottles into the fire, the release states.

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The homes residents later told the criminal investigator that Canyon had been residing in the house with them but that his behavior had become increasingly erratic and violent, which they attributed to his alleged drinking and drug use. They told the investigator that they had left the residence out of fear and were staying at a Farmington hotel when they were informed their house had been burned.

The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBIs Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations.

Canyon, a member of the Navajo Nation, faces a potential life sentence if convicted.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Ulrick Bruce Canyon charged in connection with Aug. 28 burning of home
A 22-year-old Fort Worth man was arrested this week and accused of killing his infant daughter last year.

Heron Gonzalez Jr. faces a charge of capital murder of a person under 10 years old, according to police records.

Aracely Estella Gonzalez was just 48 days old when she died in the intensive care unit at Cook Childrens Medical Center on Aug. 10, 2022. Her death from blunt force injuries was ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office.

Heron Gonzalez called 911 the afternoon of Aug. 10 and told the dispatcher his daughter was unresponsive, according to an affidavit supporting a search warrant issued 12 days after the babys death.

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Gonzalez told police he was taking care of Aracely and his 2-year-old stepson while their mother was at work. He said he laid Aracely down for a nap and went to play with his stepson in the other room. When he went back to check on the infant, he discovered she had changed color and was unconscious, he told police.

Gonzalez said he panicked and started performing CPR on the baby. The search warrant states he told police that he had not harmed Aracely in any way, but could not account for her injuries, which included acute cerebral hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhage, multiple rib fractures, bruises to the chest and liver laceration.

Aracelys mother, Angelica Soto, told investigators she was worried Gonzalez would get too frustrated or anxious caring for Aracely, according to the search warrant. Her husband had never been violent with the baby, Soto told police, but she said he was struggling to cope with their daughters crying and would sometimes become enraged if he was interrupted while playing video games.

Soto said she sent Gonzalez messages during the day reminding him to go outside and smoke if he needed to calm down or just walk away for a while. Gonzalez told Soto not to worry and sent her photos of Aracely, police said. Shortly after 3:30 p.m. he called Soto to tell her something was wrong and he texted her about three minutes later asking if he should call 911, according to a copy of Gonzalezs arrest warrant obtained by the Star-Telegram.

Police issued the search warrant on Aug. 22, 2022, and seized the cellphones of both Gonzalez and Soto. They also seized a gaming computer and Xbox from the apartment to determine if Gonzalez had been involved in an active gaming session around the time Aracely was injured.

In July the case was reassigned to another detective for further investigation. The detective reviewed Gonzalezs phone log and found internet searches for performing CPR on a baby starting around 3:24 p.m. the day of Aracelys death. Immediately after calling Soto to let her know something was wrong with the infant, Gonzalez called another number and didnt call 911 until nearly 3:40 p.m., the arrest warrant states.

The detective also talked with Soto and reviewed the photos of Aracely taken just hours before her death. The baby appeared normal and healthy in the photos, according to the arrest warrant.

Aracely went from good condition to needing medical assistance while in Herons care, the arrest warrant states. The detective also expressed his concern over the time it took Gonzalez to call 911.

Police arrested Gonzalez on Thursday and he was booked into the Fort Worth Jail shortly before 2 p.m., according to police records. On Friday, he was in the Tarrant County Jail with bond set at $400,000.

In a separate case, Gonzalez was charged in February with assaulting Soto. He was indicted by a grand jury in July on a charge of continuous family violence, according to court records.
Tension dominated the conversation Tuesday night as the Fayetteville City Council voted to place a citywide curfew for minors on its next meeting agenda.

The proposed curfew, which mirrors a countywide curfew that has been in place since 2015, was introduced by Police Chief Kemberle Braden at the Aug. 29 council meeting after several recent shootings and Police Department data showed a concerning level of juvenile involvement in serious crimes.

Braden told council members last month that at least 460 juveniles were involved in crimes from January to June, with two juveniles charged with murder, eight charged with attempted murder, 25 charged with assaults inflicting serious injury, 11 charged with shooting into occupied property and 11 charged with speeding to elude arrest.

The Fayetteville City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday night to vote on a proposed curfew for minors at its next meeting.

According to a memo to the City Council from Michael Whyte, attorney for the Police Department, the proposed curfew would serve a dual purpose of keeping minors safe and encouraging accountability for their guardians.

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The Youth Protection Ordinance is intended to reinforce and promote the role of the parent in raising and guiding children, and promote the health, safety, and welfare of both juveniles and adults by creating an environment offering better protection and security for all concerned, Whyte wrote.

How would it work?

According to the text of the proposed ordinance, heres what the curfew would entail:

A curfew of 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday-Friday and 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays for 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds.

A curfew of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for minors under 16.

It would be illegal for any minor with an out-of-school suspension or who has failed to attend school for any reason during regular school hours to be unaccompanied by a parent or guardian off school grounds from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on school days.

Parents or guardians could be charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly permit or by insufficient control allow a minor in their care to violate the terms of the curfew.

Owners, operators and employees of any establishment could be charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly allow a minor to violate the terms of the curfew on the establishments premises.

Anyone 16 or older caught helping someone under 16 violate the terms of the curfew could be charged with a misdemeanor.

Are there any exceptions?

The proposed ordinance states that there are several exceptions to the curfew, including the following:

If the minor is with a parent, guardian or someone 19 or older authorized by the parent or guardian to accompany them for a designated period of time and purpose within an area specified by the parent or guardian.

If the minor is on an errand, using a direct route as instructed by their parent or guardian until 12:30 a.m.

If the minor is in a motor vehicle with parental consent traveling through Fayetteville for interstate travel.

If the minor is traveling in a motor vehicle with a parent, guardian or someone 19 or older authorized to accompany them by the parent or guardian for a specific period of time and purpose.

If the minor is working or traveling to or from their job.

If the minor is reacting or responding to an emergency.

If the minor is directly going to or traveling from an official school, religious, or recreational activity that is supervised by adults and sponsored by a public or private school, the City or other governmental entity, a civic organization, or another similar entity that accepts responsibility for the minor.

If the minor is exercising their First Amendment rights.

If the minor is married or emancipated.

According to the proposed ordinance, minors and their parents can also submit an application to the police chief for a special permit requesting an exemption for a specific occasion. If the chief or his designee rejects the application, the parent or guardian has the right to appeal within 30 days to a Cumberland County District Court judge, the ordinance states.

The right move for Fayetteville?

At Tuesdays work session, some council members questioned if the curfew would do more harm than good to juveniles and their families.

It almost seems like a half-baked plan, Councilman Deno Hondros said, noting that Braden and Whyte could not provide answers to questions like where minors caught out past curfew would stay while officers attempt to contact their parents.

Hondros later compared the curfew to communist Russia or Nazi Germany, saying he worried it would escalate conflict between residents and police.

Councilman Mario Benavente appeared visibly frustrated at some of Braden and Whytes responses, shaking his head throughout the lengthy discussion of the curfew.

How exactly are we supposed to trust that youre gonna suddenly fairly apply this law when we already stop Black drivers at twice the rate of white drivers, that we search Black drivers at four times the rate of white drivers? Benavente questioned. Suddenly, this is the time that you guys are gonna do things the right way?

Braden was quick to defend the department.

I think were making an unfair assumption that we arent doing things correctly or fairly, he replied.

When asked by Benavente if the department had reached out to the Department of Social Services or the Department of Juvenile Justice or had found any studies showing evidence that such curfews work, Whyte and Braden said they had not.

Still, the majority of the council backed the curfew.

Councilwoman Courtney Banks-McLaughlin grew emotional as she voiced her support for the ordinance, noting that she lost her daughter, Coryonna Young, to gun violence last October.

We may face some hiccups, but its a start. As a mother who lost her daughter  for a mother who lost her child, I wouldnt wish this on nobody, Banks-McLaughlin said, breaking down into tears and continuing to quietly cry for several minutes as the discussion wore on.

Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram said she hoped the curfew would save lives.

I dont want to see more people be impacted by the gun violence and the murders, she said.

The council voted 7-2 to address the curfew ordinance at their next meeting, with Councilmen Hondros and Benavente voting in opposition. Mayor Mitch Colvin left the meeting before the vote due to a family emergency, Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said.

Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville City Council moves forward with curfew for minors
Mursal Sadat worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Afghanistan, but was forced to evacuate when the Taliban took over. She lives in the Bay area and is leading a lawsuit to get the U.S. government to process asylum claims for Afghans more quickly.

The U.S. government has reached a class-action settlement to speed up the asylum process for nearly 20,000 Afghans evacuated to the United States two years ago and who have been waiting for months for their applications to be adjudicated.

Under the settlement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency for processing and deciding asylum cases in the country, will expedite decisions under a series of rolling deadlines. The first deadline will be Oct. 31, when USCIS must process 50% of all the asylum applications that were filed by Afghans before June 3. The agency must also file a public status report every 30 days, documenting its progress.

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco must still approve the settlement in the lawsuit, known as Ahmed v. DHS. The National Immigrant Justice Center and the law firm Kirkland & Ellis filed it on behalf of seven Afghans, but had petitioned to make it a class-action lawsuit impacting as many as 20,000 people.

The seven individuals named in the lawsuit had been waiting on a decision for their asylum cases longer than the 150-day period mandated by Congress for nearly 115,000 Afghans who had been evacuated to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome after the U.S. military withdrew and the Taliban took control of the central Asian country in August 2021.

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Mursal Sadat, one of the seven plaintiffs in the case, had told The Arizona Republic her asylum decision took 400 days but was ultimately granted. During that time, she felt anxious about her future in the country and her ability to help her family, who fled to Pakistan six months after Sadat arrived in the U.S. under humanitarian parole.

I am very happy that we have reached a settlement that will change this situation, so that asylum seekers can restart and rebuild their lives," Sadat said in a statement after the settlement announcement. "I may have received asylum since this lawsuit was filed, but I worry about the many others who have not been as lucky.

While thousands of Afghans have received their asylum decision, for the nearly 20,000 who are still waiting, the next few months will be crucial. When they began arriving after August 2021, Afghans who evacuated to the United States received a two-year humanitarian parole permit. It allows them to work but offers no path to permanent residency in the U.S.

Those two-year permits will begin to expire in the coming weeks, and while USCIS announced that it will renew the permits, it will do so on a case-by-case basis. That means it is up to each Afghan parolee without an asylum decision to file their renewal application or risk losing their legal status in the country.

The U.S. government rightly promised that people who worked to support human rights and build democracy in Afghanistan could resettle in the United States. The settlement ensures that the government will fulfill that promise to tens of thousands of our allies, said Richard Caldarone, co-counsel in the case and senior litigation attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center.

In addition to the upcoming October deadline, the settlement agreement set up additional deadlines with incremental markers on the number of asylum adjudications. By Dec. 31, USCIS must process 65% of all applications filed by Afghans before Aug. 3.

By April 2024, USCIS must process 90% of all asylum applications filed by Afghans before Dec. 2. And by June 2024, USCIS must process all applications filed by Afghans before Feb. 1, 2024.

In limbo: Uncertainty continues for Afghan allies two years after arriving in the US

"The Afghan people who fled to the United States had been stuck in a state of limbo. This settlement will help bring certainty and stability as they move forward with their new lives," said Michael Williams, an attorney from Kirkland & Ellis who is litigating the case.

The settlement talks between the plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice had been going on for three months, according to court records. Final approval will be considered at a previously scheduled hearing on Sept. 11.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: US reaches settlement to expedite asylum decisions for Afghan allies
As the late outdoors humorist Ed Zern once wrote, Most fishermen are born honest, but they get over it.

Yet there are some fish stories that are so amazing, they couldnt possibly be made up.

Connor Halsas recent outing on a Minnesota lake has to be one of the best catch-and-release fish tales of all time.

The 14-year-old was drifting with his lure 20 feet down on the rocky bottom of Lake of the Woods when he set the hook into what he thought was a big walleye. His catch turned out to be a wallet that had $2,000 in cash.

Instead of keeping the money, according to a North Dakota television station, the young man tracked down the wallets owner thanks to a business card inside. A Halsa family member called the number on the card, and the person who answered knew that the wallet had been lost by Iowa farmer Jim Denney.

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Denney was stunned to learn that his wallet, which hed lost a year earlier and was stuffed with 20-, 50- and 100-dollar bills, had been found. He recalled that the waves on the lake were rough that day and his wallet had slipped out of his pocket. He didnt realize hed lost it overboard until he went to pay his motel bill.

He was even more stunned when Halsa insisted on returning all of the money and would not accept a reward. When Denney visited Halsa and his family to say thanks in person, his cash reward offer was again turned down. Halsa did accept a customized cooler from Denney, who also treated the family to dinner at a local restaurant.

Not even the great author and fisherman Ernest Hemingway couldve dreamed up a story that fantastic.

Time for teal

Teal are the first ducks to fly south for the winter and Floridas early duck season is the first opportunity for local waterfowlers to hunt since the regular duck season ended in January.

Although early mornings in a South Florida marsh can be uncomfortable given the heat and swarms of mosquitoes, duck hunters rejoice at being able to again watch a sunrise from their blinds and see blue-winged teal buzz over their decoys. Theyll be happy to shoot a few of the tasty ducks for dinner, plus theyll find out what gear they need to repair or replace for the regular season.

The early teal and wood duck season is Sept. 16-20. During that time, waterfowlers can take six ducks per day, only two of which can be wood ducks. The teal-only season is Sept. 21-24 and six teal can be taken each day. The regular duck season opens Nov. 18. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

Teal prefer to hang out in shallow water  two feet or less  that has hydrilla, one of their main food sources. Popular early season hunting spots include Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades and the stormwater treatment areas in western Palm Beach County.

Conscientious waterfowlers will have their decoys, waders, shotguns and boats ready for opening day, but many hunters havent touched their gear since the regular season ended nearly eight months ago. If they can get their boats motor to start during the early season, they might discover that their decoys no longer float, their waders leak and their dirty shotguns keep jamming.

Something I learned many early seasons ago is not to put your keys to your truck on a floating dock when you get back to the boat ramp. That happened to my buddy Jim Rechkemmer of Fort Lauderdale after we hunted at Lake Okeechobee.

When the dock was jarred by a passing boats wake, his keys slid into the water. Rechkemmer didnt have a spare key for his tow vehicle  add that to your hunting checklist. Since there were no 14-year-olds around to hook the keys with a fishing lure, I stripped down to my undershorts, went into the murky water, felt around with my hand in the muck and miraculously found the keys.

Waiting for mullet

The annual fall mullet run, which happens in late September and early October, is one of the best times to catch a variety of fish from boats, beaches, piers and jetties.

Schools of mullet migrate south along Floridas Atlantic coast before swimming offshore to spawn. When the baitfish are on the move, they are feasted on by predators ranging from snook, tarpon and sharks to bluefish, jacks and Spanish mackerel.

If you see birds diving and fish jumping off the beach, youre in the right place. The aforementioned predators will eat live mullet, dead mullet and half a mullet, as well as lures such as spoons, topwater plugs and soft-plastic baitfish imitations.
Miami Beach voters will pick a new mayor and three new city commissioners in November among a field of candidates that was finalized Friday, an election that could shift the balance of power in city government as a majority of the seven elected officials leave office.

The city clerks office confirmed that 10 candidates who had filed to run for office all met the requirements to qualify by a Friday 5 p.m. deadline, setting the stage for a critical Nov. 7 election.

Four candidates are running for mayor to replace term-limited Mayor Dan Gelber: former Miami Beach city commissioner Michael Gongora, former city commissioner and state representative Mike Grieco, current city commissioner Steven Meiner, and former MTV executive Bill Roedy.

READ MORE: Who will be the next mayor of Miami Beach? Four hopefuls square off at first forum

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All three commission races will also be contested after a last-minute change on Friday. Hotel owner Mitch Novick jumped out of the Group 4 race and into the Group 5 race to challenge David Suarez, the marketing director for a skincare company and an activist against short-term rentals in the citys South of Fifth neighborhood.

Suarez was previously the only candidate running for the Group 5 commission seat currently occupied by Ricky Arriola, who is term-limited.

All of the commission seats are at-large positions representing the entire city.

Two candidates are seeking the Group 4 seat currently held by Meiner: real estate broker Andres Asion and marketing professional Tanya Katzoff Bhatt.

Bhatt initially filed in February to run in Group 5, then switched in April to Group 6  a seat being vacated by David Richardson, who is running for Miami-Dade County tax collector  before ultimately moving to Group 4 this week.

The two candidates for Richardsons seat are finance professional Joe Magazine and art adviser and curator Marcella Novela.

Election information

For Miami Beach residents who arent registered to vote and want to participate in the November election, the deadline for the Miami-Dade elections department to receive a voter registration application is Oct. 10.

Early voting will take place at Miami Beach City Hall and the North Shore Branch Library from Oct. 23 to Nov. 5.

After Election Day on Nov. 7, a runoff election will be held Nov. 21 for any races in which no candidate received more than 50% of the vote.
State Rep. Randy Fine on Friday accused a West Melbourne city councilman of illegally obtaining documents related to a fight over the residency status of the city's mayor.

West Melbourne Councilman John Dittmore disputed the allegation, claiming a subpoena he issued last month to a Viera homeowners association was legal and in accordance with powers granted to the council under the city's charter.

It is the latest escalation in a growing battle over the residency of West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose. Dittmore and another councilman have said Rose should have stepped down when he sold his West Melbourne home and bought a house in Viera earlier this year since the city charter says the mayor must be a resident of the city.

Conflict: Dispute over West Melbourne Mayor Rose's residency escalates, with City Council divided

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Rose has said he continues to lease space in a home in West Melbourne that satisfies the charter's residency requirements.

In a letter addressed to state and local law enforcement, published Friday to his Facebook page, Fine accused Dittmore of serving what he called a "fake" subpoena to the Bridgewater at Viera Master Association in early August. The HOA responded with what Fine called "confidential" documents related to Rose's residency.

West Melbourne City Councilman John Dittmore in a 2022 file photo. State Rep. Randy Fine has accused Dittmore of filing an illegal subpoena seeking records relating to a fight over West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose's residency.

The document, dated Aug. 11 and signed by Dittmore, was labeled a "SUBPOENA DUCES TECUM," or a subpoena to compel the production of evidence, and addressed to the homeowners association from "THE STATE OF FLORIDA." It was not notarized or signed by an attorney, judge or other agent of the court.

Dittmore and Councilman Stephen Phrampus previously told FLORIDA TODAY they were compiling evidence  including through the use of subpoenas  to support their claims against Rose late last month.

The new resident application provided by the HOA showed that Rose had indicated he lived at the Viera address fulltime. Rose previously told reporters that he filled out the form that way to ensure mail and packages sent to that address would not be forwarded elsewhere.

Challenged: West Melbourne council member challenges mayor's residency after home sale

Fine in the letter called on state and local agencies  including the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and the West Melbourne Police Department  to investigate, pointing to a state law that makes knowingly falsifying documents related to the legal process a third-degree felony.

"We do not live in a state where a small town politician can 'demand your papers,'" Fine wrote. "In order to send a clear message that we do not live in a police state, I hope you will investigate and/or prosecute this to the fullest."

Neither West Melbourne police or the Brevard Sheriff's Office returned messages seeking comment Friday.

State Rep. Randy Fine on Friday called for an investigation into what he called a "fake subpoena" filed by West Melbourne Councilman John Dittmore against a Viera homeowners association, seeking records related to West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose's residency.

Dittmore said the document was "absolutely, 100%" legal and had been "fully vetted" by West Melbourne City Attorney John Cary, who he said had compiled the subpoena based on Dittmore's wording and emailed to the HOA on his behalf.

"The city has an attorney that represents us, and does a good job, and he gave us the proper direction to move forward" with the document, Dittmore said.

A person who answered the phone at the city attorney's office Friday said Cary was out of town and not available for comment. Cary did not immediately respond to a message left with his office by FLORIDA TODAY.

"In general, no person should be able to arbitrarily subpoena people without reasonable cause, but this subpoena provided confirmation that Mayor Rose resides outside of the city and was pertinent to the investigation of his residency," Dittmore said.

Probable cause: Ethics commission finds probable cause against Randy Fine in dispute with West Melbourne

Dittmore, a former police officer, said Friday that West Melbourne's city charter grants the council limited subpoena powers in investigations related to alleged charter violations. He said Cary had advised that power translated to individual council members.

Other members of the council, including Rose, have disputed that interpretation.

"The City of West Melbourne's charter says to do anything, we're a group. 'Council' is a plural word. It takes four people to do anything, and that's the way democracy should work," Rose said Friday.

West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose disputed that the city charter grants Dittmore subpoena powers, after Dittmore filed a document compelling records related to Rose's residency from a Viera homeowners association.

"So for an individual councilmember to send out (subpoenas) to people not even in the city, and ask for things about the whole household, I don't even think the governor has those powers to subpoena individuals, at least not without backing," he said.

The council directed Cary on Wednesday to try to obtain clarity on the matter from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Dittmore, who is running for the Brevard County Commission District 3 seat, currently held by John Tobia, said Fine's attack against him was politically motivated. It was another example of Fine attempting to interfere in West Melbourne city business, he said.

He pointed to an incident last year in which Fine threatened to having city funding pulled over a police department fundraiser, to which Brevard School Board member Jennifer Jenkins was invited but Fine initially was not. Fine and Jenkins have a longstanding political feud.

The Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause to charge Fine with ethics violations over the incident in April.

Fine, whose district includes West Melbourne, dismissed notions of "interference" on Friday, stating that cities are ultimately accountable to the state legislature.

"We create cities, we dissolve cities. That's not a threat at all, it's just a statement. They are accountable to us," Fine said. "The notion that the Legislature can't ask questions about what's going on in a city is insane. It just shows he doesn't know his place. He's not a cop. He's not a tyrant. He's a small town politician."

Eric Rogers is a watchdog reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Rogers at 321-242-3717 or esrogers@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X: @EricRogersFT.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Fine calls for investigation into 'fake' subpoena from city councilman
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo meets the media after his government's non-confidence vote at the Parliament of Finland in Helsinki on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP)

HELSINKI (AP)  Finlands center-right government that includes nationalist and anti-immigration lawmakers survived a no-confidence motion from three opposition parties on Friday over two ministers from the right-wing populist Finns Party at the center of a racism scandal that has rocked the Nordic country.

Lawmakers voted 106-65 in favor of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Debate ahead of the vote focused on writings from 2008 and 2016 by Finance Minister Riikka Purra , leader of the Finns Party, and Economic Affairs Minister Wille Rydman, a member of the same party, which were deemed racist.

The opposition, particularly the Social Democratic Party, criticized Orpos government for not distancing itself enough from Purras and Rydmans writings and not doing enough to tackle discrimination and racism in Finland, a country of 5.5 million that became NATO's 31st member in April.

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The issue has crippled the government, which took office less than three months ago after Orpos conservative National Coalition Party won the most seats in April's general election, with the Finns Party the runner-up.

To avoid collapsing, the government last week agreed on policies and principles to combat intolerance and discrimination, but the opposition said the move came too late and lacked concrete measures.

The 19-member governing coalition also includes the smaller Christian Democrats and the Swedish Peoples Party of Finland. Together, they hold 108 of the 200 seats in the parliament, or Eduskunta.

Following the emergence of the Finns Party into mainstream politics in the past decade, Finlands political scene has become increasingly polarized, especially on issues such as immigration that the party wants to restrict.

At the insistence of the Finns Party, the government has taken a hard-line stance toward immigration, including tightening requirements for residence permits and citizenship. The party denies that it discriminates against foreigners  particularly those from outside the European Union.

Political analysts say Orpos Cabinet is Finlands most conservative since World War II. It has faced major turbulence during its short time in office.

In July, Purra, who is also deputy prime minister, apologized for racist comments in a blog post 15 years ago. The comments resurfaced on social media after she assumed her Cabinet post in June.

The Finns selected Rydman in July to replace the previous economy minister, who resigned less than two weeks after taking office over alleged ties to far-right groups and Nazi remarks. Rydman has also come under fire over private text messages deemed racist that were sent to his former girlfriend seven years ago.

___

Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark.
(Bloomberg) -- Finlands government survived a confidence vote in parliament over a months-long racism scandal that had threatened to topple the cabinet.

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The four-party coalition led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo received backing from 106 lawmakers, while 65 sought to overturn the government in the vote on Friday.

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In separate ballots, the parliament confirmed it has confidence in Finance Minister Riikka Purra and Economy Minister Wille Rydman of the far-right Finns Party, which had born the brunt of the scandal.

Read More: Finlands Cabinet Makes Final Push to Exit Racism Scandal

The confidence votes followed a rocky start for the government whose image has been tarnished by the racism scandal since ministers were sworn in in June. Utterances and writings by members of the anti-immigration Finns Party, largely years old, were brought to light by the media and the partys rivals over the summer months, fomenting discontent among coalition partners.

Im really pleased that we have clear backing, Orpo told reporters after the vote. Weve found a common stance on racism. The government is stronger having come through this process.

In its early days, the scandal led to the resignation of Vilhelm Junnila as economy minister in June over his alleged association with white extremists, with Rydman later taking up the post.

The government now plans measures to tackle harassment and promote equality and non-discrimination, having set out some plans in a document last week intended to mend the internal rifts caused by the revelations around racist remarks.

The opposition groups argued the plan is cosmetic, saying racism runs deep in the populist Finns Party. The party rejects the claim, saying its commitment to non-discrimination proves it is not racist.

For anyone who reads the communique with an open heart and willingness to understand, there will be nothing unclear, Purra said. More importantly for daily politics is that it enabled the government to stay united.

(Updates with comments from ministers from fifth paragraph.)

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China and Australia held their first economic and trade dialogue since 2020 on Thursday. The talks herald a breakthrough in bilateral relations that have been frozen for years, largely through increased receptivity by the government of Anthony Albanese. As quoted by Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong: "This is the first time the dialogue has been held since early 2020, and it represents another step towards increasing bilateral engagement and stabilizing our relationship with China."



The deterioration of China-Australia relations in recent years was a political choice made by the previous Liberal government led by Scott Morrison. Morrison made the decision to fanatically follow the United States in its foreign policy of opposing China and, in doing, so promoted fear, hostility, and paranoia of Beijing across the board. Australia was struck by a wave of "yellow peril," with its government introducing exceedingly harsh foreign interference laws, demonizing Chinese people as infiltrators and spies, targeting Chinese investments across the board, and promoting conspiracy theories pertaining to China and the COVID-19 pandemic. It was simply not possible for China to engage with a country that was so irrevocably hostile.

Since 2022, Anthony Albanese's government has toned down the Morrison government's destructive and paranoid rhetoric and sought a more constructive approach to China again. Although his, like all Australian governments, foreign policy remains overtly loyal to the United States, such as through alliances like AUKUS, the Albanese premiership is rational, pragmatic, constructive, and reasonable. This has allowed the two countries to constructively manage their differences and, therefore, seek a reset in bilateral ties. This move is welcomed.

Despite the damage done by the previous government, it is nonetheless evident that a positive diplomatic relationship with China remains an extremely important foundation for the prosperity and success of Australia. Australia is a nation with a small population and a surplus landmass and, therefore, an abundance of agricultural and mineral products. China, as a country with 1.4 billion people, constitutes the world's second-largest economy and its largest consumer market. For the past several decades, the rise of China has provided a bonanza for Australian exports through food, coal, and other mining products that are responsible for its economic boom, even as other Western economies have effectively stagnated. China is irreplaceable for Australia as it is doubtful that another single market will attain as much clout.

It is nonetheless clear that Canberra's best interests lie in a mature, practical, and mutually beneficial relationship with China. The Anthony Albanese government has made some effort to demonstrate that, giving breathing space for differences to be ironed out, dialogue to be re-established, and placing focus on mutual economic ties again. It is a reality of geography and market dynamics that Australia and China have become mutually integrated economies and regional partners. It is naive, destructive, and unrealistic to assume this can be turned back. However, Canberra may still have some work to do to demonstrate that it can act with independence in its foreign policy and not as a mere vassal of Washington.

Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
UPDATE (9/8 @ 9:22 p.m.):

The man who allegedly left the scene of a deadly fire in Preble County Thursday night has been taken into custody.

Anthony Luker, Jr., 23, of Richmond, Indiana was taken into custody Friday night in Richmond, according to the Preble County Sheriffs Office.

A warrant was issued for Lukers arrest after deputies said he was at the mobile home at the time of a deadly fire and left with a vehicle that did not belong to him. The vehicle was recovered in Connersville, Indiana.

We will continue following this story and update as new information is available.

>> PHOTOS: Several firefighters on scene of trailer fire in Preble County

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INITIAL REPORT:

A man is dead after a fire broke out at a mobile home in Preble County Thursday night.

Kenneth Doolin, 57, of New Paris, was identified by the Montgomery County Coroners Office as the individual killed in the fire, Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson confirmed Friday afternoon.

Simpson said Doolin lived in the mobile home on State Route 121 where the fire happened.

The fire was reported around 10:45 p.m. on Thursday. Nearly half a dozen departments worked to put the flames out.

While they worked to put out the fire, they found Doolin dead inside.

Simpson spoke to News Center 7s Mike Campbell on Friday. He said deputies had been called out to the mobile home in the past but did not specify what the calls involved. He also said they spoke to the woman who called 911 and reported the fire.

>> He lit firecrackers; 911 call describes what may have started deadly mobile home fire

We talked to her and we are pretty confident we know what was going on at the time when the fire started, but there were several things we needed to do overnight and that were doing today, Simpson said.

Friday afternoon, the sheriffs office revealed new details saying that another man was at the mobile home at the time of the fire and left with a vehicle that did not belong to him. The vehicle was recovered in Connersville, Indiana. Deputies have issued a warrant for that man, identified as Anthony Luker, Jr., 23, of Richmond, Indiana.

Luker has been charged with receiving stolen property.

>> PHOTOS: Sky 7 drone footage shows aftermath of Preble County mobile home fire

On top of investigators in Preble County wanting to speak with him, Connersville police are also looking for him in regard to an attempted stolen vehicle investigation that happened overnight. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.

The fire remains under investigation by the Preble County Sheriffs Office, the Preble County Coroners Office, and the Ohio Fire Marshals Office.

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Nate Russell/Staff

Photo from: Nate Russell/Staff

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Photo from: Nate Russell/Staff

Photo from: Nate Russell/Staff

Photo from: Nate Russell/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

Photo from: Xavier Hershovitz/Staff

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Photo from: Nate Russell/Staff

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The first Leopard 1 tanks supplied by Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have arrived in Ukraine.

Source: AFP, referring to the Danish Armed Forces, reported by European Pravda

Quote: "The first 10 tanks have been sent to Ukraine. And more are on the way," the Danish Armed Forces said.

Danish troops in Germany are training Ukrainian forces to operate these armoured vehicles.

"I have no doubt that it will help them win the defence battle they are fighting right now," army commander Gunner Arpe Nielsen said in the statement.

In February, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands announced that they would provide Ukraine with 100 German-made tanks in the "coming months".

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Background:

On 30 August, the German government reported on the provision of another military aid package to Ukraine, which included Leopard 1A5 tanks.

In addition, the media reported that Germany had approached Greece with a proposal to transfer 100 Greek Leopard 1A5s that are currently in service to Ukraine and, in return, receive upgraded armoured vehicles.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
After months under seal, a report by the Georgia special grand jury that investigated whether any charges should be brought against former President Trump and a throng of co-defendants was released Friday.

The report names 39 individuals whose actions following the 2020 presidential election were investigated over an alleged effort to subvert the states election results and keep Trump in the White House.

While only 19 people were ultimately charged, the report offers insight into the sweeping investigation by Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D), laying out a roadmap to the 41-count indictment handed up last month.

Here are five takeaways from the full special grand jury report.

Trump recommendations not unanimous

None of the charging recommendations against Trump were unanimous, the report revealed.

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For each of the 10 recommendations to charge the former president, one dissenting vote was recorded; between 17 and 20 jurors voted to recommend indictment each time.

A few abstentions were also recorded for the various votes.

The Georgia Grand Jury report has just been released, Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. It has ZERO credibility and badly taints Fani Willis and this whole political Witch Hunt.

Three US senators faced potential charges

The grand jury recommended that a handful of current and former U.S. Senate and state lawmakers face charges, according to the report. However, none of those charging recommendations were ultimately made.

Charges were recommended for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as part of a national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, focused on swing states such as Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin. The jurors voted 13-7 to indict Graham.

Two former Republican U.S. senators from Georgia  Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler  were also recommended to be charged as part of that same effort.

Perdue faced additional potential charges as part of the persistent, repeated communications to Georgia officials and employees between November 2020 and January 2021, for which jurors voted 16-1 in favor.

Georgia state Sen. William Ligon (R), who called for a special session to respond to the false fraud claims, also faced charging recommendations that ultimately were not made; the jurors voted 17-1 to indict him.

The jury also recommended indicting Shawn Still, who became a state senator earlier this year. He was the lone sitting officeholder ultimately charged in the indictment.

And it was recommended that Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, then a state senator, be charged as part of the national effort to overturn the 2020 election results. However, a judge barred Willis from indicting Jones after finding she had a conflict of interest  hosting a fundraiser for Joness opponent when he was running for his current office.

Grand jury pushed for greater use of election laws

The report reveals that the special grand jurors recommended charging Trump under multiple election law provisions.

But Willis did not follow those suggestions, instead charging Trump under more generic criminal statutes.

The recommendations largely came in connection with the infamous Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to help find enough votes to overturn the states election.

The jurors suggested charging Trump with criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties, according to the report.

Instead, Willis charged Trump with soliciting a public officer to violate their oath and making false statements and writings over the call.

She also did not follow the jurors recommendation to charge Trump with influencing witnesses based on the conversation.

Some Trump charges not recommended by grand jury

Though Willis didnt ultimately pursue all of the charges the jurors recommended for Trump, she did go beyond their suggestions.

In the indictment, Trump is accused of committing multiple crimes related to the fake elector scheme, which involved pro-Trump individuals signing documents purporting to be Georgias valid presidential electors.

The special grand jurys report did include a section with charging recommendations for the scheme.

With respect to the gathering of Republican electors at the Georgia State Capitol on December 14th, 2020, and the representations made by as well as documents submitted by that body, the Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek indictments of the following persons, the report states, followed by a list of names.

But that list didnt include Trump. It also didnt include Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor.

Nonetheless, Willis brought six charges against both Giuliani and Trump in connection with the scheme.

The counts include conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit false statements and writings.

Not all fake electors named in report

Only 13 of Georgias 16 fake electors  each of whom signed documents falsely claiming Trump won the 2020 presidential election in their state  were named in the report as being recommended for charges in connection with Williss probe.

The three alternate electors missing from the report are Ken Carroll, former assistant secretary for the Georgia Republican Party; David Hanna, founder and ex-CEO of an Atlanta-based financial holding company; and Daryl Moody, a longtime GOP donor and former chairman of the Georgia Republican Foundation.

Its unclear at this time why the three fake electors were left off the list of potential individuals to charge.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen announced on X that the company was rescinding dozens of job offers.

Some of the new hires were set to start as soon as Monday, the CEO said.

The rescinded job offers come after Petersen reclaimed his role as CEO on Wednesday.

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen announced on social media that his logistics company was rescinding dozens of job offers on Friday morning.

Petersen said some of the new hires were set to start as soon as Monday and added that he was confused as to how many new people had been hired during a "hiring freeze."

"I am deeply sorry to those people who were expecting to join our company and won't be able to at this time," Petersen said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "It's messed up. But no way around it, we have had a hiring freeze for months I have no ideas why more than 75 people were signed to join. Or why we had over 200 open roles are on our web site."

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The CEO said each person whose job offer had been rescinded would be contacted individually and a "handful" of roles related to core initiatives had not been eliminated.

"I hope you will forgive us someday and even consider coming to work here again once we get our house in order," he wrote on X. "But now would not be a good time to add more people and expenses to the company."

Petersen's comments come after a major shakeup at the company. On Wednesday, former Flexport CEO Dave Clark announced he was leaving the company less than a year after departing from his role as CEO of Amazon's consumer business to join Flexport. And Petersen, Flexport's founder, said he would be reprising his role as CEO of the company. While some outlets reported that Clark had resigned, FreightWaves reported on Thursday that the company's board had dismissed Clark, citing two sources familiar with the decision.

The company also let go of at least six more executives that Clark had brought in, according to The Wall Street Journal. Insider's Eugene Kim and Madeline Stone reported on Thursday that the company told staff during a town hall following Clark's departure that they should expect cost cuts, as well as some possible job cuts.

In a post on X that highlighted an email he'd sent to staff, Petersen also indicated a need for Flexport to cut back on spending.

"It's clear that important changes are needed to sustain our growth and return to profitability," Petersen wrote. "Flexport sits at a crossroad where the choice is either to spend our way out of the current downturn in global logistics or pursue a path that gets us back to profitability quickly. The board and I agree that operational excellence and profitability in the near-term is the right path."

Earlier this year, Flexport laid off 20% of its workforce , as the company continued to address an economic downturn and lower freight volume.

Petersen, Clark, and a spokesperson for Flexport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Do you work for Flexport or have a story to share? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work device and email at gkay@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
JACKSONVILLE  Two weeks after Gov. Ron DeSantis reinstated the executive director of Floridas affordable housing organization, the corporations board is considering disciplinary action and will decide if it will fire the governor's ally.

An internal inspector general's report found sufficient evidence that Michael DiNapoli, executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corp., engaged in inappropriate behavior by the organization's standards that included yelling at employees, interrupting them, and threatening their job security.

Almost 10% of the corporations staff, 15 employees, have left or been fired from the organization during DiNapolis six month tenure, but the inspector general could not be sure all exits were due to the boss' behavior.

The report was presented to the FHFC board's audit committee Thursday during its meeting in Jacksonville. The full board reviewed the findings Friday and voted to place DiNapoli back on paid leave as it considers further disciplinary action at a subsequent meeting. DiNapoli makes $185,000 a year in his post.

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The Office of Inspector General looked at each of the examples objectively in light of the policy and concluded that the interruptions of conversations and comments made by [DiNapoli] were reasonably perceived by the witnesses as disrespectful, humiliating or offensive, said Chris Hirst, inspector general of the publicly funded corporation, which handles more than $2 billion in state and federal housing dollars.

DiNapoli reinstated: Florida Housing chief reinstated by DeSantis after 'unsanctioned' suspension

DiNapoli suspended: DeSantis ally put on leave, under investigation at state housing organization

The corporations audit committee voted to accept the report and its findings Thursday, pushing it forward to the full board, which also accepted the report. The report, not yet released to the public, additionally recommends the board review and define the process of hiring any new staff after failing to follow the corporation's own guidelines when hiring DiNapoli.

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation is the lead organization in implementing the recently passed Live Local Act that will put $711 million toward affordable housing and rental programs. All told, the organization creates almost $6 billion in economic activity in Florida's housing sector, according to its annual report.

DiNapoli began working as FHFC executive director in February after DeSantis recommended him for the job. Less than six months later, board Chair Mario Facella suspended him with pay after allegations arose of inappropriate workplace behavior.

DeSantis reinstated him in August, telling Politico "the inquiry into FHFC to date has found nothing to justify the placement of Mr. DiNapoli on administrative leave. Moreover, it is clear that FHFCs administrative actions were unsanctioned

A DeSantis spokesman deepened the battle lines over DiNapoli following Thursday's meeting. Although board members are appointed by DeSantis and confirmed by the state Senate, the governor's press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, went on the attack.

"If anyone wonders what the deep state looks like, this is it. Its clear to us that at least some members of this Board believe they can wield unchecked power to recklessly disparage a public official and tarnish his reputation without basic fairness and due process," Redfern said. "The Board is clearly incapable of exercising prudent judgment."

He added, "We will explore every available tool to ensure proper management and oversight of the board and its staff, including the Inspector General, and to ensure further that this agency ultimately remains accountable to the people of Florida."

The board does not have the sole authority to hire or fire an executive director, meaning in the Friday meeting it can decide to ignore the report, explore disciplinary action or recommend his dismissal to the Secretary of Commerce, J. Alex Kelly, who also serves as DeSantis' interim chief-of-staff.

DeSantis' previous chief-of-staff, James Uthmeier, has taken a leave to serve as campaign manager of the governor's struggling bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

What were the allegations against DiNapoli?

Allegations centered around two provisions  a FHFC policy regarding appropriate workplace behavior and a portion of the Civil Rights Act protecting women and minorities from harassment.

The report found the allegations supported violation of the housing policy but did not find enough evidence to support allegations that DiNapoli specifically targeted women, Hirst said.

The investigation spanned from July 5 to Aug. 29, during which time the Office of Inspector General interviewed 22 current and previous members of staff, as well as two outside individuals.

Florida Housing Policy 6.01 is meant to broadly protect staff, Hirst said. Complainants alleged DiNapoli yelled and interrupted employees, made sexist or misogynistic comments, made inappropriate comments on weight and threatened staff member jobs, Hirst said.

Staff stated they did not feel valued, trusted or respected, the subject does not listen to them and his expectations for them are not known, Hirst said. Staff also voiced their fear over interactions with the subject and fear over being fired for doing their job.

Based on the number of witnesses and the pervasive nature of the allegation, the inspector general found enough evidence to support violation of the policy.

The second allegation dealt with Title XII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Complainants alleged DiNapoli created a hostile work environment through harassment of female staff, but Hirst said the office did not find sufficient evidence to support the claim.

The behavior described met three of four requirements under the act, Hirst said.

The office of the inspector general was unable to determine that the conduct by [DiNapoli] was discriminatory against protected class, Hirst said. However the conduct is severe and pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile or abusive.

Report finds corporation did not follow hiring procedure

The inspector generals office report outlined new findings regarding DiNapolis potential appearances of conflicts of interest, but it also found the corporation did not follow its own hiring procedures when accepting DiNapoli for the position.

The corporation did not receive a resume or application, interview other candidates or check previous employment references  all of which are required under its employment selection policy, Hirst said.

Candidates went through a vetting process when the corporation hired the previous executive director, Trey Price, Hirst said. Board members in attendance said they assumed the checks had already been done because of DiNapolis previous position with the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Facella, the board chairman, said the initial ask was for the board to vote on the governors recommendation at the next available meeting, but he delayed it in order for each member to meet with DiNapoli personally.

Its unfortunate that the assumption was that other things in terms of vetting were being done or were done, so that really the last key piece was each of you to meet him, interview him, and obviously ask whatever questions you had, Facella said at Thursdays meeting. ...Its definitely a big miss for us.

The report recommended for future hires that the corporation put its practices in line with other financial corporations, Hirst said.

The totality of information received during the course of this investigation reveal a pattern of behavior and/or management style of the subject which has elevated Florida housings overall risk and increase of potential threat of corporate instability.

USA Today Network-Florida Capital Bureau reporter John Kennedy contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida Housing Finance Corp. audit: DeSantis-backed director 'abusive'
The state of Florida is fighting back against a court decision that struck down a redistricting plan pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis , announcing this week that it is appealing the ruling.

The notice of appeal, filed Monday by Secretary of State Cord Byrd, had been widely expected in response to a state judges decision Saturday in the legal battle over Floridas congressional map. The appeal also puts the judges ruling on hold.

The new map, which was drawn last year, erased a congressional seat for a district where 46% of voting-age residents were Black. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, represented the district and promptly lost re-election in the newly drawn seat.

The plan also increased the number of GOP seats in Floridas 28-member delegation.

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In his opinion, Circuit Judge Lee Marsh wrote that the DeSantis-approved map violated the state constitution by diminishing the ability of Black voters in North Florida to elect representatives of their choice. He ordered the Legislature to draw a new one.

Marshs ruling was a victory for voting rights advocates  including Black Voters Matter, Equal Ground and the League of Women Voters of Florida  who sued the state, saying the new map violated the states Fair Districts Amendments, which stipulate that new seats cant diminish minority voters ability to elect politicians of their choosing.

The advocates argued that the new map was the reason Lawson failed to get re-elected last year, when he lost by nearly 20 points.

You cant take away a district or retrogress a district that allows for minority voters to elect a member of their choice, said John Bisognano, the president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which has been supporting plaintiffs.

In a February 2022 memo, DeSantis and his office called the stretch of land previously known as the 5th District  housing the states only majority African American county  an example of a racial gerrymander. Two months later, at an April news conference, he promised: We are not going to have a 200-mile gerrymander that divvies up people based on the color of their skin.  That will be litigated.

DeSantis office intervened in the redistricting process, rejecting a map created by the Legislature and coming up with one that erased the Lawson district. DeSantis called a special legislative session and used his veto power to ensure his version was implemented.

Civil rights lawyers like Cecile Scoon found his actions surprising at the time and further disappointing once the Legislature capitulated.

In the past, governors have kept their hands clean, said Scoon, who is also a co-president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Theyve not drawn their own maps.  The governors actions were incredibly aggressive.

Now, with the states appeal, the case heads to the Florida Supreme Court, which has a majority of conservative DeSantis-appointed members.

Despite the plaintiffs celebration over the weekend, Harvard law professor Nick Stephanopoulos said it is far from a done deal.

Its totally routine in redistricting cases for plaintiffs to win at the trial court level and then to have some higher court reverse the decision, he said.

Bisognano said that with redistricting battles simultaneously making headlines in states like Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia, map challenges are the new normal.

We have absolutely entered an era of perpetual redistricting. Its a new time, he said. Its a new moment in which were going to be continuing to fight these fights over the course of the decade instead of just a year or two years after a census.

As for the case in Florida, both sides say they are eager to expedite the process to have their versions of a map ready in time for the 2024 elections.

Republicans have a narrow 222-212 lead over Democrats in the state House, and the outcomes of the latest congressional map battles could have big implications in Congress balance of power.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A Florida mom took a shopping trip to Walmart in St. Petersburg and ended up behind bars, according to authorities.

A St. Petersburg Police Department, report says that the 30-year-old woman parked her car in the sun on black asphalt around 2 p.m. Wednesday outside the store. She left her two kids, ages 3 and 6, inside, with the engine turned off and windows closed, according to the charging affidavit.

READ MORE: Toddler dies in hot car outside church, Florida cops say

The recorded temperature that day was about 91 degrees, the officer wrote.

The children had been in the car for more than 20 minutes before fire-rescue crews arrived and the mother returned. She was seen entering the store on surveillance video at 2:02 p.m. and emerging at 2:26 p.m., the affidavit says.

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After initially putting up an argument and refusing to be handcuffed, the woman was arrested on two felony child abuse counts and resisting without violence, and held on $20,500 bond.

READ MORE: Florida mom leaves kids in car to shoplift and it catches on fire, cops say

On the way to the county jail, the mom did not show concern for the childrens health or welfare, says the complaint.

But she did ask for air conditioner in the cruiser to be turned up for herself.

The kids were taken to the hospital for treatment and met with child welfare officials. Their medical condition and living situation arent publicly known.
A Florida elementary school principal has resigned several weeks after African American students were singled out with an assembly where they were told to improve their academic performance  or face the consequences later in life.

Donelle Evensen, principal at Bunnell Elementary School, has informed Superintendent LaShakia Moore that she is resigning, the Flagler County school district said Thursday in a news release.

Evensen and teacher Anthony Hines were placed on leave days after the Aug. 18 assembly, during which the schools Black fourth- and fifth-graders were collectively told to improve test scores  regardless of their individual performance.

Flagler County School Board chair Cheryl Massaro told CNN in August that a PowerPoint slide described how African American students had underperformed on standardized tests the last three years.

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If you dont improve, you could end up in jail or the victim of gun violence, a presenter at the assembly told the children, according to WESH.

Kids were also promised fast food rewards if they boosted their scores.

Parents were outraged after hearing about the assembly, leading to Superintendent Moore apologizing at a press conference last month.

You left the white children to continue their education, and the Black children had to go out to be talked to about the consequences of not being successful, a parent, who did not want to be identified, told WESH last month.

The school district said Thursday it expected an investigation into the assembly, which Moore launched last month, to be completed soon. It should come with what punishment  if any  Hines will face.

Theres so many red flags that were missed. It even made the teachers uncomfortable when they received her email about sending the African American students down [to the assembly], parent Jacinda Arrington told WESH.

Other parents have appreciated how Moore has handled the situation, but want her to speak to the kids.

An apology needs to be given to our students. Not necessarily just to us. They were the ones who were directly affected by it, a parent told the station.

Bunnell Elementary School is located in Bunnell, about 70 miles south of Jacksonville.
By Sharon Bernstein

(Reuters) -Florida's public university system on Friday approved a new entrance exam that emphasizes classical Western thought and has been used mostly by private and religious colleges, the latest move by the state to make education more conservative.

The Board of Governors of the 12-campus State University System of Florida adopted the Classic Learning Test (CLT) on a voice vote with just one dissension. The test, which will be accepted along with the more traditional SAT and ACT exams, is already authorized for use in the state's public elementary and secondary schools as a way to assess learning.

"The CLT places a strong emphasis on classical education, which includes a focus on reading, writing, and critical thinking skills," Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in a statement ahead of the board's virtual meeting. "It is designed to align with a classical liberal arts curriculum, which some educators and institutions believe provides a more well-rounded and meaningful education."

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The test's adoption marks the third time that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has taken on the non-profit College Board, which administers the SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test.

DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president in the 2024 election, previously banned the College Board's new Advanced Placement high school curriculum in African American Studies. He also tangled with the organization over the inclusion of LGBTQ+ material in a psychology course.

More broadly, DeSantis has supported attempts in Florida to limit the teaching of African American history and systemic racism in public schools, along with discussion of LGBTQ+ issues.

The College Board has pushed back against the new test, criticizing as flawed a study meant to compare students' scores on the CLT with scores on the SAT.

Amanda Phalin, who represents university faculty, said during the meeting on Friday that she was concerned there was not good data showing the effectiveness of the test. Phalin was the only member of the 15-person governors board to oppose adopting the CLT.

There was no other public discussion of the matter on Friday.

Priscilla Rodriguez, who runs the SAT program at the College Board, said in an interview with Reuters that the CLT emphasizes a particular type of learning and content, whereas the SAT is aimed at pinpointing the fundamental skills that students have developed in reading, writing and math.

As a result, lucrative scholarships and coveted spots at university could go to students who have studied the content emphasized in the CLT, even if they had lower overall reading and writing ability than some students who took the SAT, she said.

Jeremy Tate, a former high school teacher and college counselor who developed the CLT in 2015, said in an interview he was aiming to reflect the intellectual rigor and focus on Western academic thought found in Jesuit and similar educational traditions.

While Tate tends to be conservative, his test is not political, he said.

Even so, the embrace of the test by many conservatives appears to be part of a broader reaction against what they see as a de-emphasis on parts of the Western canon in favor of studies that are more inclusive of women and non-European traditions.

Tate said his ultimate goal was to restore the primacy of Western thought in education by developing tests that reward familiarity with Western philosophers and thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas or Dante Alighieri, along with authors such as the Black abolitionist and thinker Frederick Douglass and Southern U.S. female writer Flannery O'Connor.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; editing by Grant McCool)
Florida students seeking a spot in the states public universities can now use scores from the little-known Classic Learning Test to apply to those 12 schools, which had required an ACT or SAT as part of their application process.

The Board of Governors voted Friday to approve the Classic Learning Test as an admissions option, so students can now apply with an ACT, SAT or CLT score. The change kicks in immediately so high school seniors filing applications this fall can use the CLT, if they want. A new law also means they can use the CLT to try to qualify for Floridas Bright Futures scholarships.

The CLT markets itself as a test that focuses on the greatest and most enduring texts that have informed and shaped society. It tests grammar, English and math and says two-thirds of its reading and writing passages come from its author bank, focused heavily on ancient, medieval and early modern (from mid-1400s to early 1800s) writers.

Fridays vote was expected as most of the boards members were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose administration pushed for the new test to make the cut. DeSantis and other GOP leaders in Florida have touted classical education like the CLT aims to support.

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The governor also has been fighting with the College Board  the makers of the SAT  about content in its Advanced Placement courses and has made it clear it wants alternatives to that organizations programs.

The CLT, to date, has been used mostly by homeschooled students and accepted mostly by a few hundred private Christian colleges. Florida is the first state to approve the test for use in its public universities.

After the vote, the CLT said in an emailed statement that the vote marked a monumental day for both CLT and students across the state of Florida, who now have greater opportunities to showcase their academic potential and reach their college goals.

The company said it hoped Floridas approval was just the beginning of a nationwide movement.

Only one board member  a business professor from the University of Florida  voted against the proposal. Amanda Phalin said the CLT, which debuted in 2016, was too new and too untested, so it was not yet clear if it was of the same quality as the ACT and the SAT.

Phalin said those concerns were shared by faculty colleagues, and she also noted that the only study showing how to equate scores on the CLT to those of the long-established college admissions tests was done by the CLT company.

The test reliability and validity have not been independently verified, Phalin said, and the CLT report was based on the scores of only about 1,000 students.

By comparison, more than 1 million students take the ACT and SAT each year, so those exams have been tested, examined and refined and then tested examined and refined again.

She urged her fellow board members to use the world-renowned experts in measurement science found at Floridas universities to help do an independent review of the CLT and to require state universities to track and report on the academic progress of students who submit a CLT score for admissions.

No other board member commented on her concerns or spoke about the new test.

The College Board  its SAT is the most popular college admissions test in Florida  also raised questions about the CLT, saying that its review of CLT practice tests found the math section too easy, with 25% of the questions below a high school level, according to a statement posted on its website this summer.

The organization also said the study done by the CLT to equate CLT scores to those on the ACT and SAT did not meet industry standards.

The CLT is an online test that can be done at home with remote proctoring. It costs $59.
Tim Flach: Reflecting on how people can live in harmony with nature

09:36, September 08, 2023 By Xueyan Shi, Yu Ying ( People's Daily Online

Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, pandas, red crown cranes, lemur leaf frogs World-renowned animal photographer Tim Flach has taken pictures of them all, connecting viewers with animals on an emotional level and reflecting on how humans can live in harmony with them.

Over the years, Flach has made great contributions to the field of biodiversity conservation while bringing environmental issues into the public consciousness. Flach has travelled to China numerous times, photographing animals such as pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and the Tibetan mastiff, telling stories of biodiversity conservation in China through his camera.

Tim Flach (Photo/Patrick Shead-Simmonds)

Flach hopes to touch peoples hearts and minds through his photographs of endangered animals, inspiring people to take action and make a difference in terms of conservation. For Flach, our future lies in developing a trans-disciplinary, intergenerational approach to building our planets system.

Endangered is my proudest work

Photo shows Tim Flach photographing

Peoples Daily Online: What led you to advocating for the conservation of animals and the natural world through your lens?

Tim Flach: When I started this journey, I had never even heard the word Anthropocene, which is the idea that we are entering a geological age shaped by humans. I did not think so clearly about animal conservation as well; while I was doing projects like More than Human, I met scientists, who were working on biodiversity conservation, and understood the importance of animal conservation further.

Peoples Daily Online: Human activities have left permanent marks that are like scars on the earth. In your opinion, what initiatives should we take in this new epoch of the Anthropocene?

Tim Flach: For most of human history, we have looked at nature as robust, almost us as fragile. We sit at a time when we humans have impacted, changed, and shaped the planet to such a degree that our very future comes into question. For the first time, we are the ones who can either destroy or save the planet. So, we have to rethink the frameworks that we have worked with and plan for a future of harmony with the natural world through a long-term, inter-generational approach.

Peoples Daily Online: Your work Endangered reminds us of the precarious state of our planets wildlife. Could you tell us about the message behind the work?

Tim Flach: I have published five bodies of work; Endangered is one that I am most proud of. For this project, I photographed certain animals that are found on the edge of extinction, such as the golden snub-nosed monkeys, western lowland gorillas, and northern white rhinoceros. For me, what is special is to produce an image that really connects and engages with us. I also shared stories about the ecological habitat of these animals and how they ended up in an endangered position. One of my passions is to tell and share stories that make us understand how humanity is affecting the planet and animals through various platforms.

Book Cover of Endangered (Chinese Edition)

Photographing endangered animals in China

Peoples Daily Online: How was your experience of photographing Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys?

Tim Flach: For me, to go to and photograph the Yunan snub-nosed monkeys was definitely an adventure. It meant first of all, going to Dali and meeting up with a very famous filmmaker, who had spent years working on documentaries of endangered Yunan snub-nosed monkeys. We ventured up into the high mountains; the snub-nosed monkeys live at the highest altitude and that is why they have these flat noses for surviving in extremely cold temperatures.

I remember going for days up the mountains with my assistant. Finally, we spotted the snub-nosed monkeys after weeks; they just looked like they had cosmetic surgery with distinctive features like big red lips. One day, I just happened to go down a route and I was not even thinking about the snub-nosed monkey. Suddenly, I saw right down there my feet was one; it was looking straight back at me. I just was able to turn around and go click and get that close head portrait.

Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey (Photo/Tim Flach)

Peoples Daily Online: Pandas feature in several different projects of yours. Could you tell us a little about the experience of photographing pandas in Chengdu and Wolong?

Tim Flach: I have been to Chengdu on a number of occasions, once to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding there. We had this fantastic panda, who we tried to persuade out of a den with a bit of bamboo outside so we could dress the den with some beautiful black dress velvet that we had brought all the way from the UK. We put the dress velvet on the back of the den, and when she came back in, the first thing she did was to pull off and rip the dress velvet in front of us. I thought, Oh no, this was not going to work. But in the end, we got the shot, and the panda looked like she was doing karaoke.

I visited the Wolong Panda Center to document the incredible reintroduction program for panda cubs. During the initial stage, the scientists carefully monitor the cubs, conducting regular health checks and weigh-ins. To make sure the young cub does not recognise humans, scientists dress up in special panda suits that also have added scent to mask the odour of humans. After that is the second stage, where there is a large reserve area, and scientists try to minimise contact between the panda cub and the mothers, so they just let the cub run wild.

Giant Panda (Photo/Tim Flach)

Peoples Daily Online: Pandas are well-known symbols of China and endangered species conservation. What impact do they have as symbols?

Tim Flach: Today we have Kong Fu Panda and pandas have become a very powerful ambassador for conservation, being the World Wildlife Funds symbol for all endangered species. I think it is interesting that pandas are such powerful symbols, although they only came to prominence in the early 20th century. As an icon, the panda is important because it acts as an ambassador, as well as becoming an umbrella species. If we protect and regenerate bamboo forests into natural habitats, this also creates habitats for many other species.

However, we must not forget that there are many animals that are less well known than pandas that bear important symbolic meanings, particularly the golden snub-nosed monkeys and the red crown cranes. The red crown cranes, found in all Asian art, represent long life and fidelity.

Building a shared future

Peoples Daily Online: Many of your works have been exhibited in major cities in China. How were these exhibitions received?

Tim Flach: I have had a number of different exhibitions in museums ranging from Dali to Beijing. The curatorship of these exhibitions was essentially focused on not just having pretty pictures of animals but also having their individual stories alongside the pictures. In 2021, my exhibition, The Disappearing World, at the Yunan Provincial Museum in Kunming received around 300, 000 visitors and it was related to a biodiversity conference hosted in the local area. What I found particularly rewarding was that the museum invited many schools in the local area, offering the next generation an opportunity to understand the challenges that humanity faces now. Schools told the children, not to bring their electronic devices, bring notepads and write down stories about the animals. So, the young people had a chance to think about these characters. My animal portraits often emphasise the personality and character of animals, bridging the world between nature and us.

Peoples Daily Online: China is committed to collaborating in areas of biodiversity conservation and promoting the vision of living in harmony with nature. What are your views of this vision?

Tim Flach: I absolutely share the Chinese governments vision, which was raised at COP15, that we must seek to find a balance with nature. Our future really depends on living in harmony with nature. I believe to realise this vision we need to understand issues surrounding biodiversity and make the issues connect to everyone in such a way that we truly care about bringing back animals from extinction. We must strive to create a planet system that can sustain us all. My exhibition in Dali, which had just finished was linked to the Chinese governments initiative and it is also a crucial component of the promotional activities for the 2023 Erhai Forum on Global Ecological Civilisation Construction.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to go to Lianzhou Photography Festival later this year and to meet fellow photographers, who are passionate about the challenges of how we create this harmony with nature.

Peoples Daily Online: In recent years, you have been working closely with social scientists, working on biodiversity conservation. What is the significance of your collaboration with them?

Tim Flach: Conservation photography is about being issue-orientated and communicating ideas. My pictures are about making animals relatable, giving them personality and character, and sometimes making them anthropomorphic; so, they look quite human, but are they human? No, they are just presenting themselves like they are sitting in a portrait, being a supermodel on the day.

In that sense, the research I have done with social scientists is very important. I am doing work with the National Science Foundation in America, as well as collaborating with academics at the University of Oxford. We are talking about the importance of connecting people to nature, creating stories that make animals relatable and make them be seen as sentient beings. We want to do something that leads to pro-environment outcomes and makes an impact for the better.

I believe that we must take the very best of science and translate it into the cultural space so that not only politicians, philanthropists, and many different people are involved in environmental issues. An academic paper is not enough to touch the hearts and minds of people; we need a trans-disciplinary, intergenerational approach to promote the conservation of animals and the natural world.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
 Flash

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday China is ready to work with South Korea to resist interference, meet each other halfway, and advance bilateral relations so as to reflect the changes of the times.



Li made the remarks during a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Jakarta, namely the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit.

During the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Bali last year, President Xi Jinping and President Yoon Suk-yeol had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, Li said.

Li also called on both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, uphold the original intention of establishing diplomatic ties, and enhance mutual political trust, in order to better benefit the two peoples, and promote regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

The two sides should adhere to the general direction of good-neighborliness and friendship, continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and work together to cope with difficulties and challenges, said the Chinese premier.

Li said China and South Korea should expand common interests, speed up the second phase of China-South Korea free trade agreement negotiations, and explore new growth areas of cooperation such as high-tech, green and low-carbon industries.

China and South Korea should jointly maintain the stable and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains, continuously make the pie of cooperation bigger and better achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li said.

Li urged the two sides to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and safeguard the overall interests of bilateral relations.

China has always supported reconciliation and cooperation between the two sides on the Korean Peninsula, has always advocated maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and will continue to promote peace talks, said Li.

For his part, the South Korean president said he wishes the Hangzhou Asian Games a great success.

South Korea and China have made great progress in bilateral relations over the past 30 years, which has benefited the two countries and two peoples, said Yoon.

South Korea is ready to work with China to enhance communication and dialogue at all levels, deepen exchanges and cooperation in economy and trade, culture and other fields, practice multilateralism and free trade, promote the steady and sound development of bilateral relations, and foster world peace and prosperity, said Yoon.

South Korea, he said, is willing to strengthen coordination with China and promote trilateral cooperation among South Korea, China, and Japan.

Wu Zhenglong, among others, was present at the meeting.
Florida Supreme Court justices gave few clues to how they will rule in a challenge to the states 15-week abortion ban, leaving Floridians waiting potentially months to know whether a more extreme six-week ban will take effect.

During an hour of oral arguments on Friday, justices grilled lawyers for Planned Parenthood and the state of Florida, questioning why they should  or shouldnt  overturn decades of court precedent by allowing the 15-week abortion ban to stand.

At issue is whether the Florida Constitutions right to privacy, passed by voters in 1980, protects the right to abortion.

The Constitution does not mention abortion outright, but the right to privacy states that every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the persons private life except as otherwise provided herein.

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In 1989, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the clause did protect abortion.

With Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody sitting next to him, Florida Solicitor General Henry Whitaker argued Friday that the prior courts ruling was incorrect and that the right to privacy was about Floridians data and information, not lived experiences.

He pointed to a lack of references about abortion in the public debate around Floridas 1980 constitutional amendment.

Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in our society today, Whitaker told justices. It is unimaginable, given that controversy, that it would have included abortion, given the mere absence of reference in the public debate.

But some of the justices shot back. Chief Justice Carlos Muniz, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis , noted that Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that established a constitutional right to abortion, was based on the right to privacy.

Roe v. Wade may have been an abomination, Muniz told Whitaker. It may have been semantically absurd to talk about that in terms of privacy. But for better or worse, that was part of our cultural lexicon, right?

Fair enough, Whitaker responded. But I dont think that was part of our cultural lexicon.

Muniz himself acknowledged as a private lawyer in 2004 that the privacy amendment covered abortion, The Washington Post previously reported.

Does decision affect non-abortion cases?

Justice Jamie Grosshans noted that if the justices adopted the states interpretation that the right to privacy only applied to information, it would affect dozens of other legal cases besides abortion. The privacy clause has also been applied to parents rights in making medical decisions, for example.

Thats 30 years of precedent, completely undone by this one decision, Grosshans said.

Floridas 15-week ban is being challenged by Planned Parenthood. Attorney Whitney Leigh White with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation told justices that since the ban took effect, abortion providers are being forced to deny care, including to a 14-year-old rape survivor.

If this court doesnt step in now, there is an even more dangerous six-week ban waiting in the wings, she told justices.

Muniz, who was the most active of the justices on Friday, asked White why the court shouldnt take into account the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court last year threw out Roe v. Wade.

The same entity that created our understanding of the right to privacy has told us that it was a mirage, he said. Should that matter to us?

White said no, because the high courts decision last year established that states can do what they like on abortion.

No matter how court rules, there are consequences

Some of Floridas justices, most of whom were appointed by DeSantis, have known anti-abortion views. Justice Charles Canady, a former anti-abortion lawmaker whose wife is a state lawmaker who sponsored the six-week bill, did not ask questions. Neither did justices Renatha Francis and Jorge Labarga.

Before last year, state law allowed abortions until the third trimester, or 24 weeks, with exceptions if the womans life was at risk.

This year  after DeSantis was reelected  state lawmakers passed a bill that would further limit most abortions after six weeks. In cases of rape, incest and human trafficking, abortions would be permitted up to 15 weeks, and exceptions for medical necessity exist beyond that.

If the justices rule that the 15-week ban violates the states right to privacy, the six-week law will be nullified. If the justices rule any other way, the six-week ban will take effect 30 days after the decision comes out.

Fridays courtroom was mostly full, with anti-abortion supporters outnumbering the other side.

John Stemberger, the head of the Christian conservative Florida Family Policy Council, said afterward that he was impressed by Planned Parenthoods arguments.

That was surprising to me, he said.

He said he believed the justices would rule in favor of the ban, but hoped they would do so by overturning past precedent and not simply ruling on a technicality. Some justices questioned whether Planned Parenthood even had a right to bring the lawsuit.

Robyn Schickler, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, said at a news conference hosted by the ACLU of Florida on Friday that a ruling to uphold the abortion bans would further preexisting health disparities.

I already know that the people most harmed will be the same people already hurt by our unjust healthcare system: Black, Latino and Indigenous Floridians, Schickler said.

Tampa Bay Times staff writer Lauren Peace contributed to this report.
Florida Supreme Court justices seemed sympathetic Friday to the argument from the government that the state constitution does not protect abortion, a view that could pave the way for a sweeping abortion ban to become law.

The lawsuit challenging the current 15-week ban was brought by a group of Florida-based abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood.

Their central argument was that the law violates the states constitutional right to privacy, which voters approved in 1980 and the Florida Supreme Court in 1989 said provides a fundamental right to an abortion.

The state argued the nearly 35-year-old ruling was wrong and is banking on a much more conservative court reshaped by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to agree.

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Five of the seven justices currently on the court were appointed by DeSantis, and several have deep connections to the anti-abortion movement.

Justices questioned lawyers on both sides on how they knew what voters were thinking more than 30 years ago when they adopted the privacy amendment.

The state argued Floridas Constitution protects informational privacy only and had nothing to do with abortion.

But Whitney White, the attorney representing the abortion providers, said legislators were aware of the implications, especially given that abortion was legal under Roe v. Wade, the decades-long precedent struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last year.

Theres evidence in the historical record that legislators were fully informed and fully on notice that the terms of the privacy clause were broad, that they would incorporate existing federal privacy rights, and that that included decisional autonomy rights such as abortion, White said.

White argued that since there was no way to actually know what voters were thinking in 1980, the state Supreme Court must view the plain text of the constitutional provision, which states that a person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion in the persons private life.

The states court brief, along with those from other groups supporting the ban, cited numerous interviews from legislators and newspaper op-eds from the time to show that there was no mention of abortion in the context of privacy rights.

It was explained and sold to the people solely on informational privacy, said Henry Whitaker, Floridas solicitor general.

Chief Justice Carlos Muniz appeared to agree.

It seems like the record at most shows that, in a legal sense, privacy may have included abortion, but it doesnt seem like the people of Florida really had an actual debate over that when this was adopted, Muniz said.

Muniz later called the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established a right to abortion as an abomination and also indicated he believes a fetus is a human being that needs legal protections.

Youre asking us to essentially take a whole class of human beings and put them outside of the protection of the law, essentially, in the sense that if the Legislature wants to protect those human beings, they are precluded by the constitution of Florida, he said.

There is no timetable for when the court will issue a decision, but the outcome will determine not only the future of abortion in Florida but also across much of the South.

If the justices decide in favor of the state and say there is no right to an abortion, the decision would automatically trigger an even stricter law that will ban abortions after six weeks.

DeSantis, who is running for president in 2024, signed the six-week ban into law in April, and it is set to take effect 30 days after the state Supreme Court issues a decision. If that happens, advocates said women would be forced to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to access care.

Virginia would be the only state in the South to allow abortion beyond the first trimester.

Both Floridas current 15-week ban and the six-week ban contain some exceptions, including for life of the mother and certain fetal anomalies.

The six-week ban includes exceptions for rape and incest and would also provide $25 million in state funding every year for crisis pregnancy centers, which aim to dissuade people from getting abortions.

White, the attorney for the abortion providers, argued the abortion ban puts the health and lives of pregnant Floridians at risk.

Despite their best efforts, providers are finding their hands tied by [the law], White said.

In some cases, its forcing providers to wait for patients who are experiencing otherwise treatable medical pregnancy complications to instead deteriorate to the point of developing life-threatening conditions like sepsis before they can intervene.

These injustices have been ongoing for a year, and if this court doesnt step in now, there is an even more dangerous six-week ban waiting in the wings, White said.

After the hearing, White told reporters a ruling in favor of the state could have repercussions beyond abortion law.

If the Court were to agree with the state, it would be not just overruling precedents related to abortion, but numerous other precedents that hold that the privacy clause gives broad and strong protections  to the ability of all of us to make deeply personal decisions for ourselves, about our lives, our families and our health.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Conservatives have long decried liberal activist judges. But someones activist is someone elses brilliant legal mind.

In Florida, the justices on the states highest court are a product of a meticulous effort to enshrine the most extreme conservative policies and shape how we live in Florida. Some of them have known connections to anti-abortion groups and causes. Its in their hands now to decide the constitutionality of an abortion ban that would clear the way for making abortions illegal after six weeks of pregnancy, when most women dont even know they are pregnant.

Oral arguments on the case began in the Florida Supreme Court Friday. Its our expectation that the seven justices  five of them appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis  will hear the case on its merits. Yet theres also little hope that the outcome will be anything like a 1989 ruling by the court that the state Constitutions privacy clause protects abortion access. In 2017, the court  then with a different make-up  struck down a law requiring a 24-hour abortion waiting period.

Overturning these precedents is exactly what DeSantis wanted when he reshaped the court with ultra conservatives affiliated with the Federalist Society. The groups leader led a secret panel that vetted DeSantis judicial appointments three weeks before his inauguration, according to the Washington Post.

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DeSantis is just a piece in a decades-long effort  or activism  to build courts that rubber-stamp Republican policies, not serve as a check and balance, something the governor abhors.

Anti-abortion links

Granted, the biggest conflict of interest on abortion isnt even coming from a DeSantis appointee. Justice Charles Canady, appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008, is married to the state lawmaker who co-sponsored the six-week ban. As a former U.S. House representative, Canady sponsored an anti-abortion bill in 1995, the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau reported this week.

A justices previous legal work or stances on an issue shouldnt disqualify them from weighing in on a case, but Canadys relationship with the bill sponsor should, a legal expert and a former state Supreme Court justice have said, the Bureau reported. As of Wednesday, there was no motion to remove Canady from the case.

Other justices also have connections to the anti-abortion movement.

The 2019 appointment of Chief Justice Carlos Muniz, a U.S. Department of Education official under former President Donald Trump, was celebrated by a known anti-abortion group. Muniz later personally took members of the Florida Family Policy Council on a tour of the courthouse building in Tallahassee, Florida Bulldog reported. After his appointment, he made a statement saying he would recognize the God-given dignity and worth of every human life. Theres nothing necessarily wrong about that, but it raises questions.

On the other hand, Muniz authored a little-known 2004 article as a private lawyer saying that the privacy clause in Floridas constitution was designed to protect abortion rights, the Washington Post reported. Planned Parenthood and other plaintiffs challenging Floridas ban cited Munizs writing in their opening brief in hopes that he will live up to it.

Justice Jamie Grosshans did legal work for a group that discourages women from having abortions. She wrote in a 2016 article that lawyers are Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

DeSantis put Muniz and Grosshans on the court. Their appointments arent just meant to give conservatives a better shot at prevailing. They are an effort to insert an ideological and religious view into the judiciary branch.

The more ideological, the better for DeSantis.

Case in point: Another DeSantis appointee, Justice Meredith Sasso, is a member of the Teneo Network, a secretive group whose purpose is to crush liberal dominance across American life.

Activism much?

A conservative or liberal court is no guarantee that partisanship will always prevail, as the conservative U.S. Supreme Court proved when it recently ruled against Republicans in an Alabama congressional redistricting case. But Floridas highest court has allowed some of DeSantis most extreme policies to go into effect.

The court recently ruled against reinstating Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, whom the governor suspended last year, in part for signing a pledge to not prosecute abortion cases. The justices said Warren waited too long to present his case, even though a federal judge said his removal was unconstitutional.

As the old political saying goes, elections have consequences. Serious ones.
In an effort to revitalize vacant properties in Wilmington, the Delaware Affordable Housing Group has revealed plans to construct three single-family homes in the city's East Side neighborhood.

This initiative  a collaboration between the nonprofit, an arm of the Wilmington Housing Authority, and the City of Wilmington  aims to create affordable housing in one of the city's most disadvantaged areas. A groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction was held Sept. 5.

The construction of the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath houses is projected to be finished within a year. Upon completion, these homes will be priced between $200,000 and $220,000 and will be offered to participants in the Wilmington Housing Authority's homeownership program.

Elected officials and state leaders participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking of three homes on Bennett Street in Wilmington on September 5, 2023.

Additionally, individuals who meet the criteria to buy homes owned by the local HUD affiliate will also be eligible. To qualify, potential buyers must have an income that may not exceed 80 percent of the local median income.

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The groundbreaking comes on the heels of a recent announcement that the Delaware Affordable Housing Group acquired the Elwyn building, also located in the East Side neighborhood. As part of the renovation plans, the building will be transformed into office space to house a diverse range of businesses, including banking, healthcare and affordable housing services.

MORE WHA DEVELOPMENT: Elwyn closed after the pandemic. Here's what WHA's nonprofit plans to do with the building

Bennett Street homes once a part of insolvent nonprofit

The three homes purchased by the Delaware Affordable Housing Group are part of a larger portfolio of nearly 150 vacant and deteriorating properties that were left behind following the financial collapse of the Wilmington Housing Partnership.

The privately run, publicly supported nonprofit ran out of funds in early 2019 due to financial mismanagement. A city audit revealed that one of the organization's mistakes was purchasing numerous properties without a clear plan to redevelop them and recoup the funds through home sales.

The Wilmington Housing Partnership had focused on revitalizing the East Side, once the heart of Wilmington's Black middle class but now a community struggling from disinvestment. In 2015 and 2016, the nonprofit acquired 148 properties on the East Side, including a majority of the homes on the 800 and 900 blocks of Bennett Street. Its collapse burdened the neighborhood with blocks of vacant properties.

Rows of houses sit vacant on Bennett Street in Wilmington on Thursday, July 2, 2020. Wilmington officials plan to demolish about 30 boarded-up houses owned by the defunct nonprofit Wilmington Housing Partnership on the East Side.

Following the dissolution of the Wilmington Housing Partnership, the city took possession of the properties and invested millions of dollars in cleaning up the aftermath. It assumed a controversial $3.4 million bank loan on behalf of the partnership and paid outstanding bills to creditors and contractors.

The city has since transferred the ownership of these properties to the Wilmington Land Bank, which has sold many to investors and nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County to redevelop these properties.

Contact reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com. Join her on the Facebook group Delaware Voices Uplifted. Support her work and become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware housing nonprofit plans to build on Wilmington's East Side
A former president of the Atlanta NAACP said hes moving forward and creating a new social justice organization.

Channel 2s Audrey Washington was at a news conference on Thursday when Richard Rose and his supporters launched the Communities for United Justice organization in southeast Atlanta.

Collaboratively, we will continue the work, said Rose.

Rose said the organization will fight for social justice, beginning with voter registration and voter education.

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Were going to be planning and fighting together. Justice fighters are what we are, organizer Helen Butler said.

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With the strategies Ive learned over the years, I think Ill continue the collaboration that was successful from young voter turnout to health care, Rose explained.

The former NAACP president launched the organization less than two months after the national NAACP announced Roses departure from the organization.

In July, the NAACP released a statement that read,

On Friday, July 28th, 2023, the National Board of Directors of the NAACP voted to suspend the membership of Richard Rose for conduct inimical to the best interests of the Association.

This suspension occurred as a result of Mr. Roses failure to carry out his duties as an elected officer of the Association. The suspension applies to any office and/or affiliation with the NAACP held by Mr. Rose.

TRENDING STORIES:

Washington asked Rose if there is any bad blood between him and the NAACP.

I have bad blood with white supremacy. Im focused on the work, Rose answered.

Current Georgia NAACP president Gerald Griggs told Washington that he had no comment about Rose or the new organization.

She asked Rose if the civil rights movement in Atlanta and Georgia is somehow fractured.

I am proud of the work that I did with the Atlanta NAACP, Rose answered.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
A former Eastern Kentucky University faculty member was arrested Friday for alleged sexual misconduct, according to court records.

Kyle Knezevich, 35, is facing charges of voyeurism, possessing matter portraying sexual performance by a minor, promoting a minor in a sexual performance, five counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor and five counts of possessing matter of a sexual performance of a minor, according to court records.

Knezevich is accused of hiding a camera inside the mens bathroom of the Whalen Complex.

The camera was found Tuesday and turned over to EKU police, according to court documents. The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch reviewed footage from the camera and saw Knezevich placing the camera in the bathroom for the purpose of viewing genitals of unsuspecting individuals, his arrest citation read.

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Knezevich immediately confessed to the crime when investigators confronted him, according to court documents.

At least one of the victims caught on Knezevichs camera appeared under the age of 12 years old, according to court documents.

EKU learned about the alleged misconduct on Wednesday, according to a statement from the university. Knezevich was immediately placed on administrative leave, and he turned in his resignation letter the following day.

EKU is fully cooperating with law enforcement officials, EKU said in the statement.

Knezevich was an aviation professor, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leaders reporting partner. The university also confirmed that Knezevich had been an assistant coach for the swim team at Model Laboratory Schools, but is no longer in that role. Model is a K-12 school housed on EKUs campus.

Knezevich was booked into jail at 3:13 a.m. Friday, according to jail records. He was being held on a $50,000 bond.

Hes scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 25, according to court records.
Escambia County's former Medical Director Rayme Edler lost a ruling in her lawsuit alleging the county committed fraud against the U.S. government.

U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers dismissed a count of Edler's lawsuit alleging the county "upcoded" claims to programs like Medicare in billing for its ambulance service.

Rodgers ruled that Edler's complaint failed to meet the rule under the False Claims Act that requires "particularity" when it comes to the facts of any alleged fraud's time, place and substance.

That "particularity" can include first-hand knowledge of the alleged fraud.

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Edler alleges evidence of the "upcoding" can be seen in Escambia County's Medicare billing data when billing for basic life support versus the higher-paying advanced life support, as compared to neighboring jurisdictions.

The lawsuit alleges Escambia County billed 74% of its claims for advanced life support compared to only 54% for other ambulance services in Santa Rosa County and Baldwin County, Alabama. The nationwide average for Medicare is only 40% of ambulance claims are advanced life support, according to the lawsuit.

That data was not specific enough to overcome the "particularity" requirement.

Bergosh text messages: Leaked Bergosh text messages mention EMS doctor who is suing Escambia County 102 times

Edler contends the allegations can be proven once the billing data in possession of Escambia County is gathered and is part of the lengthy discovery process in the case. Rodgers noted this but said the requirement for "particularity" set out in court precedents cannot be relaxed unless the person suing had direct knowledge or participated.

"Even though Edler, as medical director, may have had 'direct knowledge of the Escambia EMS Departments business model, structure, equipment, staffing and training,' Edler did not work in the billing department and does not allege that she had firsthand experience in billing or tracking false claims or saw other employees draft or submit false claims," Rodgers wrote.

The dismissal of the count does not kill the lawsuit, as there are three other counts left to be litigated. Two of the counts relate to retaliation against Edler under the Family Medical Leave Act, and one count alleges the county submitted false claims for its ambulance with unlicensed personnel.

The county failed to get the false claims for unlicensed personnel dismissed in 2021 when Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, who died earlier this year, denied the countys attempt to dismiss the lawsuit.

Vinson noted that under the False Claims Act at that stage of the litigation, he was required to assume the allegations were true and had to rule on if the complaint properly stated a legal claim.

Vinson said Edlers attorney's argument for moving the lawsuit forward was comprehensive and compelling, and he rejected the countys arguments as unpersuasive.

The lawsuit has spawned another legal drama as former county employee Jonathan Owens provided Edler's attorneys with a spreadsheet containing 52,486 text messages from Escambia Commissioner Jeff Bergosh. Owens worked directly for former Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill and unsuccessfully ran against Bergosh in 2020.

Judge allows messages: Leaked Bergosh text messages will be allowed in Edler lawsuit, judge rules

Edler's attorneys sought to use the messages in the lawsuit to aid in the relation claims against the county.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Hope Cannon ruled that the messages can be used in the suit once both parties go through a redaction process to determine what messages are relevant to the lawsuit and which ones are also public record.

The lawsuit is under an order to resolve all discovery issues in the next few months.

Meanwhile, the County Commission voted 4-1 on Thursday to seek legal action to halt the further dissemination of Bergosh's text messages. Bergosh said that would include filing an action against Owens.

County Administrator Wes Moreno said the county has been unable to determine how the messages ended up in Owens's possession.

Owens told the News Journal and has said publicly the messages were left on the desk of his county office by an anonymous person.

During Thursday's meeting, Bergosh said he was disgusted by what he called the theft of his text messages, which he said included private and personal information.

"There's 14 citizens not affiliated with my family that now have their medical information out there," Bergosh said. "This needs to be stopped, and we have to send a message here with this."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County Medical Director loses ruling in false claims lawsuit
The Philadelphia district attorney charged a former city police officer with murder Friday over the shooting of a Black man during a traffic stop last month.

Then-officer Mark Dial, who is white, shot and killed Eddie Irizarry while he sat in his vehicle after police stopped his car over alleged erratic driving last month, video showed.

District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) released the graphic unedited body camera footage of the shooting Friday, which shows Dial exiting his police cruiser, approaching Irizarrys drivers side window and firing six shots seconds after approaching the car.

Dial and a second police officer then appear to remove Irizarry from his vehicle by his hands and feet and place him in a police cruiser to be transported to a hospital. He was declared dead at an area hospital minutes later.

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There was no question the district attorneys office should bring charges, Krasner said at a press conference, adding if the shooting involved anyone other than a police officer, there wouldnt have been a discussion.

I dont think were saying anything more than the obvious when we say that firing six consecutive charges at close range at a vital part of the body of a person under the law is strongly supportive, together with other evidence, of all of these charges, he said.

Philadelphia police initially reported Irizarry was out of his vehicle and charging at police with a knife when he was shot and killed. The department later changed that account.

At the time, police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the video footage made it very clear that what we initially reported was not actually what happened. She announced this week she will resign from her post, unrelated to the shooting.

Krasner said he chose to release the bodycam footage at the request of Irizarrys family.

Dial, who has been fired by the department, turned himself in expecting criminal charges earlier Friday. He is charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter and assault. The second police officer, who was driving Dials vehicle, was not charged with any crimes.

Krasner said his offices decision to release the footage and charge the former officer is part of a shift that weve been trying to do for a long time.

We have been trying to make it very clear that justice is even-handed, Krasner said. It is my hope that as we try to be fair in this case, as we do with all other cases, that the public will understand that they can trust that the district attorneys office is trying to be fair.

His office will provide limited explanation on the details of the case, beyond making evidence public, to protect the prosecution, he said.

We are not going to  we are not going to enable the defense in this case, he said. Regardless of what creative writing they may engage in outside of court. We are not going to be lured in to give an opportunity to file a spurious motion that somehow [the case] has to be tried somewhere else.

Krasner said Dial will be arraigned and bail determined later Friday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The former Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry last month has turned himself in to authorities and now faces multiple charges including murder and voluntary manslaughter, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced on Friday. Attorneys for Mark Dial, also 27, called the charges "appalling," telling The Philadelphia Inquirer that they "intend to right this wrong and bring this young man home."

Irizarry was shot on Aug. 14, after police initially claimed he had lunged at them with a knife following an attempted traffic stop. Two days later, police officials recanted their story after viewing body camera footage, which was released by Krasner's office as part of the charging announcement. The footage showed Dial firing through the driver's side window of Irizarry's vehicle "roughly five seconds after exiting a police car," CNN reported, adding that immediately before Dial opened fire "an unidentified voice from outside the car is heard saying, 'I will f**king shoot you!'"

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has already acknowledged the confusion from her department's initial claims, admitting that the public might "not really be sure whether or not they should even trust what we're saying" during a press conference last month. In a statement to the Inquirer Friday, Outlaw confirmed an internal affairs investigation was ongoing, and reiterated that her office "remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the communities we serve." Earlier this week Outlaw had announced she planned to step down from her position at the end of the month.

"They changed the story and they keep changing the story," Irizarry's aunt told The New York Times in August. "What they're saying are lies," she added, calling the crime "abuse."

According to Krasner, Irizarry's family requested the footage's release, saying the police body cameras would "speak for themselves."

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Danny Collins, a former Trump fan, shared why he stopped supporting him.

He said being a Trump supporter made him realize "how horrible of a person" he was.

He said he used to agree with Trump's words, then realized they reflected the "worst" of himself.

A former Trump fan has gone viral after explaining why he stopped supporting the former president in a TikTok.

Danny Collins said he used to agree with Trump's words, then realized they reflected the "worst" of himself.

Collins responded to another creator who was asking Trump's critics why they "hate him so much."

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"It's simple for me," Collins said in his video, which has been viewed over a million times. "Because he made me realize how horrible of a person I really was."

Collins said he "drank the juice" and "joined the cult."

"I was on the Trump train, baby," he said.

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Collins said when Trump would speak about building a wall around Mexico and keeping immigrants out of the US and that Muslim people were a threat to the US, he agreed.

"All of those internalized beliefs, the worst of me that I used to keep suppressed, he brought to the surface," he said. "He showed me how much of a racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, misogynistic, woman-hating, Christian white nationalist I truly was."

He said he felt Trump's slogan, Make America Great Again, with "every fiber" of his being.

"And he made me believe as a white, straight Christian male, that I was under attack, that I was being discriminated against in America today," he said.

Collins said he was an inmate in the Florida Department of Corrections for 10 years and was never tempted to join a gang until he was convinced that "the white man was under attack."

In 2021, he was an inmate at the New River Correctional Institution and was "cheering" on the crowd during the January 6 US Capitol attack while in the TV room. He said at that time, he believed people were taking their country back.

Collins said he was released in June 2021 and had "every intention of telling the world how great Trump is."

"You know what I hate most about Donald Trump? Is that I actually believed the lie," Collins said. "I believed that he actually cared about me, the poor, common folk. I hate that he brought out the worst in me and everybody else that I was closely associated with."

Collins started to change his perspective thanks to a friend he made in prison, who was a Black Muslim man. He realized that everything he identified in Trump was reflected in something in himself.

"He didn't make me be a bad person  he just emboldened me to be the person I already was," he said. "Donald Trump appeals to the worst of America. In 2024, we need to bring out the best of America."

Collins' video hit a nerve with thousands of people, who thanked him for his "self-awareness" and "humility."

"Sir, this level of self awareness, personal growth and humility is something most people never achieve," one person wrote. "Much respect. Thank you for making this video."

Another said the video was "the single most inspiring thing I've seen all year."

"We can all do better," they said. "Bless you for your journey."

Read the original article on Insider
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez in Beijing, capital of China, on September 7, 2023. [Photo/Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez, who is here for the 17th meeting of the Mixed Venezuela-China High-Level Committee, on Thursday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Venezuela have forged an unbreakable, ironclad friendship, and China firmly supports Venezuela in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity.

China is ready to work with Venezuela to make good preparations for the next stage of high-level exchanges, make the 17th meeting of the high-level committee a success, and push for new progress in China-Venezuela cooperation, which will not only benefit the two peoples but also make new contributions to world peace and stability.

Rodriguez said that Venezuela sincerely thanks China for its firm support for Venezuela's just cause of opposing unilateral sanctions and unreasonable blockades and supporting Venezuela in building an independent and dignified country. She believes that Venezuela-China relations will embrace an even brighter future.

The Venezuelan side highly appreciates the series of significant global initiatives put forward by China and is willing to continue to strengthen international coordination and cooperation with China, Rodriguez said.

It is an inevitable historical trend for developing countries to stride forward into the international arena, Wang said, adding that China will continue to stand firm with other developing countries and be their reliable partner for development and prosperity.
FRANKFORT, Ind.  NHK Factory killer 28-year-old Garry Cecil Ferrell II will be a free man if he can live another 80 years in an Indiana prison.

Ferrell killed his ex-girlfriend, 21-year-old Promise Mays, and her grandmother, Pamela Sledd, 62, about 4 p.m. Aug. 18, 2021, at shift change at the NHK factory on the west side of Frankfort.

Clinton Superior Court Judge Justin Hunter sentenced Ferrell on Thursday to 55 years in prison for each murder, and Hunter ordered the sentences be served consecutively, meaning one after the other.

Ferrell pleaded guilty in April to murder in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the death penalty.

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All totaled, Ferrell received a 110-year sentence. Indiana law requires Ferrell to serve 75% of the sentence before he can be released. With roughly two years' credit for pretrial detention counting towards his sentence, Ferrell has a little more than 80 years remaining. He'll be 108 if he ever is released.

In his sentencing order, Hunter noted the harm suffered by the Mays and Sledd at Farrell's hands.

"... (B)oth victims watched the other being shot, and defendant committed the murders while he was committing an offense of confinement with a deadly weapon," Hunter wrote.

"With respect to the Murder he inflicted upon Pamela Sled, Defendant shot Ms. Sledd after she had turned her back and was treating from the scene of the offense she had witnessed against her granddaughter," Hunter wrote in his sentencing order.

Ferrell parked next to Sledd's black Chevy in the parking lot shortly after 4 p.m. Aug. 18, 2021. He opened his car's trunk, then forced Mays from her grandmother's car, according to prosecutors, who cited factory security video for the grim details of the killings.

With his semiautomatic handgun in his right hand, Ferrell dragged Mays to the back of his car and tried to force her into the trunk, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Sledd got out of her car and had words with him, prosecutors said, but Ferrell pointed to the factory and then aimed the gun at Sledd as she was backing away from the scene, prosecutors said.

Ferrell shot Sledd three times as she tried to get away. She collapsed in the parking lot, according to prosecutors.

Ferrell then turned his attention to Mays, who was crouched behind his car refusing to get into the trunk, prosecutors said. Ferrell shot Mays, and she fell to the ground, prosecutors said.

Ferrell got in his car, backed over Mays' body and headed out of the parking lot and east on Indiana 28, prosecutors said. Police intercepted him on the state highway and chased him into Frankfort, where he wrecked his car in the construction zone, police said Wednesday.

Ferrell faced as many as 130 years in prison if he received the maximum sentence, but Hunter found qualities in Ferrell to lessen the sentence.

For example, Hunter noted that Ferrell had been a law-abiding person before the crime, and he cooperated with police, as well as he accepted responsibility for his crimes by pleading guilty. Hunter found that Ferrell was remorseful and suffered from an intellectual disability that affected his judgment and actions. Additionally, Ferrell suffered from trauma in his childhood, which was a reason to not give him the maximum sentence, Hunter ruled.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Frankfort murderer sentenced to 110 years in prison for NHK killings
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long postured as an absolute defender of free speech online, especially after private social media firms declined to provide a platform to his deadly misinformation during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. But he hired Kyle Rittenhouses former attorney to deliver a kill shot to an anonymous DailyKos blogger who penned an article he disliked.

That DailyKos writer, who for two decades has contributed to the sites community section under the name DowneastDem, has revealed his identity to The Daily Beastas well as the extent of Kennedy and lawyer Robert Barnes efforts to punish him for a brief post detailing the now-presidential aspirants attendance at an extremist-led demonstration in Berlin during summer 2020. The piece, headlined Anti-Vaxxer RFK JR. joins neo-Nazis in massive Berlin Anti-Corona Protest, translated and summarized a German publications description of a sprawling and raucous mass gathering in the capital spearheaded by various far-right organizations in opposition to lockdown policies.

Numerous outlets covered Kennedys speech and participation in the days events by neo-Nazis, the Hitler-curious Alternative for Deutschland Party, and members of the paranoid neo-monarchist Reichsburger movement, which last year plotted a putsch against the democratically elected German government. But the Marthas Vineyard habitue singled out the anonymous DailyKos article, launching a lawsuit in November 2020 to force the online publication to divulge DowneastDems real name.

That litigation stalled in New York and California courts, but Kennedy apparently continued his investigation into the man behind the monikerfinally mailing a menacing draft complaint this spring seeking a minimum $1 million settlement from one David Vickrey.

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Please be advised that I have been retained by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to pursue civil claims against you arising from defamatory statements you made about Mr. Kennedy in 2020, an attached missive from Barnes reads. I am sending you this letter before filing the attached draft complaint, to give you the opportunity to discuss a monetary settlement of Mr. Kennedy's claims against you, at this early stage of the litigation."

Barnes initially gave Vickrey a deadline of May 22 of this year to reach a settlement, before moving the goalposts back to Aug. 30 in subsequent correspondence. The draft complaint indicated Kennedy intended to file in New York federal court, though he subsequently requested a jury trial against Vickrey in Rockingham, New Hampshire on Aug. 29, though neither he nor Vickrey resides there.

The attorney did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Vickrey contrasted Kennedys incessant whimpering about supposed censorship of online pseudoscience superspreaders with his years-long crusade against a single private citizens DailyKos diary.

In my opinion the guy is a complete fraud. He wants total freedom to spread his lies online, but write something about him he doesnt like, and he says Ill sue you, Vickrey told The Daily Beast.

The Kennedy campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The draft complaint opens with a boast about the plaintiffs pedigree, calling him "the scion of a storied Democratic American family.

Mr. Kennedy is decidedly not a Nazi and does not affiliate with Nazis, the initial paragraph continues.

The crux of Kennedys claims is that, while Nazis and their collaborators abounded outside the Bundestag that dayand some even tried to storm the German parliamentthe American jet-setter addressed a separate assembly elsewhere in the Tiergarten park organized by a group of wholesome folks called Quendenken.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks to a crowd including coronavirus skeptics, conspiracy enthusiasts and right-wing extremists in Berlin in 2020. Sean Gallup

In truth, Mr. Kennedy gave a speech for peace and freedom in Berlin on Aug. 29, 2020, initiated by the group Querdenkena democratic movement whose name means lateral thinking and who vehemently oppose all forms of fascism and extremism, the Barnes-written document reads, referring to Kennedys rant about Bill Gates and 5G. Despite requests from Mr. Kennedy, Defendants have failed and refused to take down the Defamatory Article.

The problem with this argument is that The Daily Beast and numerous other organizations have extensively documented Querdenkens extremist affinities and associations. Not only does it indulge in QAnon conspiracies and fawn over Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, but the U.S. State Department has highlighted its anti-Semitic rhetoric and views, and a top police official in the German city of Bremen has described it as a serious threat to public security. A report by that official noted that Querdenken is a heterogeneous group of extremists, but noted its links to neo-Nazi and Reichsburger networksas well as to a plot to assassinate the premier of the state of Saxony. The report further identified Querdenken as the main organizing force behind all anti-lockdown activities in Berlin the day of Kennedys speech, as well as behind the attack on the German parliament that day.

These findings match those of the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, which filed briefs on behalf of Vickrey when he was trying to preserve his anonymity in the initial Kennedy suit. Paul Levy, one of the organizations attorneys, noted that Kennedys opening remarks to the frothing mob in Berlin drew attention to already existing media reports about neo-Nazi involvement in the event.

This, Levy argued, would make it nigh-impossible for Kennedy to show Vickrey defamed him.

Its hard to see how a blog post saying Kennedy joins Nazis at this rally, when he goes knowing theres a widespread knowledge that theres a strong presence of Nazis, how he can say theres an actual intention of malice, Levy said, referencing the legal standard the silver spoon-wielder would have to meet. I havent seen any complaint that Kennedy has filed that seems at all likely to succeed.

The hopelessness of Kennedys case makes the suit against Vickrey this year all the more suspect, said Levy.

Its certainly sent with an intention of intimidation, Levy argued. Like many people, Kennedy thinks free speech is not for everybody.

The irony, according to Vickrey, is that his decision to write about Kennedys adventures in Deutschland had little to do with Kennedy himself. A former student at the Universities of Cologne and Freiburg, who wrote his doctoral dissertation at Harvard on the Weimar Republic, Vickrey told The Daily Beast he has long observed the currents of the countrys far-right.

I follow right-wing developments in Germany very closely, he said. I was never very interested in Kennedy, but I wondered, Why would an American go over there and speak at this rally by this right wing extremist anti-vaxxer group?

The unmasked blogger told The Daily Beast that Kennedys vast personal resources to pursue his vendetta had caused some anxiety for his family.

Im just really pissed off at the guy, and would like to get as much information out there as possible to show the guy is a fraud, Vickrey said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Scores of international rescuers had descended by Friday on a cave in southern Turkey, as the plan to save American caver Mark Dickey took shape. Dickey, a speleologist or cave expert, fell ill last weekend while helping to chart Turkey's Morca cave system  the country's third deepest and sixth longest  leaving him stuck more than 3,200 underground.

Rescuers finally reached him around the middle of the week. The long, slow ascent was expected to begin as soon as Friday.

"I'm alert, I'm talking, but I'm not healed on the inside yet," Dickey said in a video clip that emerged from the depths Thursday, in which he's seen speaking with the rescuers who brought him desperately needed blood and other fluids.

U.S. speleologist Mark Dickey (left) is seen next to a rescuer inside the Morca Cave, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey, September 6, 2023, in a screen grab taken from video provided by Turkish officials. / Credit: AFAD, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency/Handout/REUTERS

"I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge," the veteran U.S. cave scientist said in the video, shared by Turkish officials.

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His stomach started bleeding on September 2 as he explored the cave with a handful of others, including several other Americans. With Dickey, himself a cave rescuer, unable to climb out on his own steam, volunteers from across Europe rushed to the scene and climbed in.

The open cross-section of the Morca Cave. Mark is currently residing at the campsite at 1040 meters from the entrance. It takes a full ~15h for an experienced caver to reach to the surface in ideal conditions. The cave features narrow winding passages and several rappels. pic.twitter.com/yP2almvEDf  Turkiye Magaraclk Federasyonu (@tumaf1) September 5, 2023

Dickey, 40, got stuck in a section of the cave system known serendipitously as "Camp Hope." From there, the return path will cover a distance more than double the height of the Empire State Building, with tight squeezes, tight turns and frigid water.

Carl Heitmeyer, a friend of Dickey's and fellow cave rescuer based in New Jersey, equated the extraction to "Himalayan Mountain climbing," but for cavers.

Turkish and Bulgarian rescuers stand at the entrance of Morca Cave as they take part in a rescue operation to extract U.S. caver Mark Dickey, who fell ill some 3,280 feet inside the cave, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey, September 8, 2023. / Credit: UMIT BEKTAS/REUTERS

"When you're fit and strong you can make that climb you can squirm through, you can twist your body, you can contort yourself," he told CBS News. "When you're feeling sick, this is all very strenuous activity."

Dickey and his rescuers will be working in the dark, in 40-degree cold, drenched from pools and waterfalls. Depending on Dickey's condition, they may decide to haul him out on a stretcher, at least part of the way, painstakingly connecting and disconnecting him from about 70 rope systems.

"If they make it from where he's at to intermediate camp  300 meters in one day  I think it's reasonable to expect they can continue onward," said Heitmeyer. "One concern I have if his body is trying to heal itself and bleeds it may open those wounds back up."

A healthy caver could make the ascent in about 15 hours. But getting Dickey out is expected to take at least a few days, and in a worst-case scenario, it could be two weeks or more before he's brought to the surface.

The base camp of international rescuers is seen near the Morca Cave amid a rescue operation to extract U.S. caver Mark Dickey, who fell ill some 3,280 feet into the cave, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey, September 8, 2023. / Credit: UMIT BEKTAS/REUTERS

Dickey himself said that caving and cave rescues often present "a great opportunity to show just how well the international world can work together."

With more than 150 rescuers from across Europe now on hand to help get him back into daylight, his sentiment appeared well-founded.

Georgia special grand jury recommended charges against Lindsey Graham in Trump election case

Fulton County special grand jury report that led to Trump arrest released

Biden lands in India for G20 summit
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Family and friends gathered at Lorenzi Park for a candlelight vigil Thursday night to pay tribute to 1-year-old Knowledge Schuster who was killed in a hit-and-run crash earlier this week.

Her father Tracy Schuster Lide said she was a bright light, smart, independent, and had a big personality.

Anytime she heard music, shed dance, he recalled.

Her glow was taken too soon. She died after the crash that happened on Tuesday on Cheyenne eastbound over the I-15 around 4 p.m.

Tracy Schuster Lide with his daughter, Knowledge. (Tracy Schuster Lide)

Lide said the light turned green for them and they had just begun to move forward when the car barreled toward them.

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Family and friends mourn one-year-old Knowledge Schuster who was killed in a hit and run crash Tuesday afternoon. (KLAS/Lauren Negrete)

Family and friends mourn one-year-old Knowledge Schuster who was killed in a hit and run crash Tuesday afternoon. (KLAS/Lauren Negrete)

Family and friends mourn one-year-old Knowledge Schuster who was killed in a hit and run crash Tuesday afternoon. (KLAS/Lauren Negrete)

We were smacked, we didnt even see the car coming, he said.

Nevada State Police search for driver after baby killed in hit-and-run crash

Nevada State Troopers said it was a silver car with damage to the right side. It was last seen driving eastbound on Cheyenne from the I-15.

Nevada State Police search for driver suspected in deadly hit-and-run crash. If anyone has information regarding the crash or the vehicle of interest please contact NHP (*647). (Nevada State Police)

Tracy told 8 News Now that he hopes the driver will come forward.

We want accountability and justice, he said. Were not angry.

Now, they send up prayers, and purple and white balloons, holding tight to her memory.

Troopers said the investigation is ongoing and they are still looking for the driver.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Nevada State police or call Crimestoppers at 702-385-5555.

The family has a GoFundMe to help with funeral services, and time taken off work to grieve. If you would like to donate, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Elon Musk provided his confidential messages with Ukraine's Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to the billionaire's biographer without permission, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 8.

The minister told the outlet that he was unaware that Walter Isaacson had obtained and published the exchange regarding Musk's restriction of Starlink satellite communications to hamper Ukraine's military operation. The messages are contained in the book's adapted excerpt published by the Washington Post.

"It's not very pretty. I've never shown or talked about our correspondence publicly," Fedorov told the Financial Times.

CNN reported on Sept. 7 that according to an excerpt from Isaacson's biography, expected to be fully published on Sept. 12, Musk secretly instructed his engineers to turn off Starlink satellite communications near Crimea last year to prevent a Ukrainian submarine drone attack against a Russian fleet.

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The billionaire denied that he had Starlink satellite communications deactivated, saying that they had not been active in this region in the first place.

However, Musk also said he had received a request "from government authorities" to activate Starlink, operated by his spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, "all the way to Sevastopol." He didn't specify who exactly had sent the request.

"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," the billionaire claimed on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the biography, it was Fedorov who allegedly pleaded with Musk to restore the connectivity of the drones.

The minister told the Financial Times that Musk himself informed him that he switched off the Starlink near the front line, while Fedorov actually asked him to turn the system on in Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine.

Read also: How Ukraines prodigy minister is innovating the battlefield

Musk's SpaceX began providing the Starlink satellite internet system to Ukraine shortly after the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022. The system has kept many Ukrainians online despite power outages and Russia's attacks on the country's internet infrastructure.

In October 2022, Musk said he could no longer keep Starlink in Ukraine operational due to high upkeep costs and requested funding from the Pentagon. The billionaire later changed his statement and said Starlink will stay online regardless of the Pentagon's support.

According to an article by The New Yorker published on Aug. 21, Musk held conversations with Vladimir Putin  though the billionaire denied talking to the Russian president  which had an effect on Musk's change of position regarding Ukraine.



Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A Fulton County judge is expected to finally release the full the report from the special purpose grand jury investigation that led to the indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 others in accusations that they conspired to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that he would allow the release of the full report as long as no objections were filed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

According to court records, nothing has been filed objecting to its release, so McBurney is expected to make the report public at 10 a.m. Friday.

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Up until this point, only a very small portion has been made public.

We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 election that could result in overturning that election, the report said.

Also, a majority of the jurors believed perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses and recommended that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis seek appropriate indictments.

Willis has said they she would make the full report available at the appropriate time.

RELATED NEWS:

Now that 19 people have been indicted in the case, several entities have been asking that the full report be released.

The Prosecuting Attorneys Council has asked that the full report be made public as it gets ready to appoint a special prosecutor to look into Lt. Gov. Burt Jones possible involvement in the case.

Jones was one of 16 false electors that the indictment said broke the law when they impersonated legal electors, signed their names to a document, and illegally transmitted it to Washington.

Sources confirmed to Channel 2s Richard Elliot that Jones is implicated in the indictment as unindicted co-conspirator No. 8.

Because of her ties to Jones Democratic opponent in the 2022 election, a judge barred Willis from prosecuting him.

One of the defendants indicted in the election interference case, Kenneth Chesebro, has also asked that the report be released.

Based on court filings and media reporting, numerous witnesses were subpoenaed to testify before the SPGJ, and in fact did testify, the court filing said. Mr. Chesebro anticipates that many of these same people will testify at his trial. Therefore, any recordings, transcripts and SPGJ reports are critical for Mr. Chesebro to obtain in order to properly prepare for trial, a motion filed on Monday said.

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The special purpose grand jury wrapped up its work January after eight months of intense investigation into the allegations against Trump and his allies.

The grand jurors investigated everything from the now-infamous phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to the false allegations of voter fraud made by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a state Senate subcommittee, to the meeting of false electors inside the state capitol.

According to the final report, 26 Fulton County residents heard evidence from 75 witnesses. Exactly what brought them to the conclusion to indict 19 people in the case will finally be known once the full report is made public.

IN OTHER NEWS:
A Fulton County judge is expected to finally release the full the report from the special purpose grand jury investigation that led to the indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 others in accusations that they conspired to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that he would allow the release of the full report as long as no objections were filed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to court records, nothing has been filed objecting to its release, so McBurney is expected to make the report public at 10 a.m. Friday.

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[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Up until this point, only a very small portion has been made public.

We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 election that could result in overturning that election, the report said.

Also, a majority of the jurors believed perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses and recommended that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis seek appropriate indictments.

Willis has said they she would make the full report available at the appropriate time.

Read: Not ready to say goodbye: Family member of mass shooting victim prepares for funeral

Now that 19 people have been indicted in the case, several entities have been asking that the full report be released.

The Prosecuting Attorneys Council has asked that the full report be made public as it gets ready to appoint a special prosecutor to look into Lt. Gov. Burt Jones possible involvement in the case.

Jones was one of 16 false electors that the indictment said broke the law when they impersonated legal electors, signed their names to a document, and illegally transmitted it to Washington.

Read: Is this true? Jail calls of former Douglas Anderson teacher accused of lewd conduct with student

Sources confirmed to Channel 2s Richard Elliot that Jones is implicated in the indictment as unindicted co-conspirator No. 8.

Because of her ties to Jones Democratic opponent in the 2022 election, a judge barred Willis from prosecuting him.

Read: Here are the top high schools in the Jacksonville area, according to U.S. News & World Report

One of the defendants indicted in the election interference case, Kenneth Chesebro, has also asked that the report be released.

Based on court filings and media reporting, numerous witnesses were subpoenaed to testify before the SPGJ, and in fact did testify, the court filing said. Mr. Chesebro anticipates that many of these same people will testify at his trial. Therefore, any recordings, transcripts and SPGJ reports are critical for Mr. Chesebro to obtain in order to properly prepare for trial, a motion filed on Monday said.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

The special purpose grand jury wrapped up its work January after eight months of intense investigation into the allegations against Trump and his allies.

The grand jurors investigated everything from the now-infamous phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to the false allegations of voter fraud made by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a state Senate subcommittee, to the meeting of false electors inside the state capitol.

According to the final report, 26 Fulton County residents heard evidence from 75 witnesses. Exactly what brought them to the conclusion to indict 19 people in the case will finally be known once the full report is made public.

CLICK HERE to read the original story by WSB-TV.

Read: Jacksonville Dollar General shooting: Rev. Al Sharpton to give eulogy at one of victims funerals

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
A Fulton County judge has released the full report from the special purpose grand jury investigation that led to the indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 others, accusing them of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

The report was released after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled last week that he would allow the release of the full report as long as no objections were filed.

According to the final report, 26 Fulton County residents heard evidence from 75 witnesses over the course of eight months.

The grand jurors investigated everything from the now-infamous phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to the false allegations of voter fraud made by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a state Senate subcommittee to the meeting of false electors inside the state capitol.

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According to the report, the special grand jury found by unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election.

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On top of the 19 people who have already been indicted in the case, the special grand jury also recommended that 20 other people be indicted, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham , former U.S. Sen. David Perdue , now-Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loefler, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, as well as two different slates of fake electors.

The grand jury believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it. The grand jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling, the report said.

Special grand jurors also recommended indictments for former state Sen. William Ligon whose committee wrote a report demanding a special session to overturn the election, and now-retired Georgia attorney Lin Wood, who appeared on stage in 2020 alongside the now-indicted Sidney Powell and Ray Smith pushing debunked conspiracy theories of massive voter fraud.

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As for Grahams involvement in the case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wrote in past court filings that she believed Graham tried to pressure Georgia election officials to find votes and spread election fraud disinformation.

Graham sent us a statement Friday, saying:

As the then-Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I had to decide whether to hold a hearing regarding the allegations of election misconduct in Georgia and other locations, as well as whether to certify the election results.

I had questions, as did many others, about how the mail ballot process worked in Georgia and other locations. I did my due diligence. At the end of the day, I voted to certify the election results from every state including Georgia.

It should never be a crime for a federal elected official, particularly the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will have to vote to certify a presidential election, to question and ensure the integrity of that election.

Now-Lt. Governor Burt Jones was also listed in the grand jury report as one of those people jurors said should have been indicted. Jones served as one of the fake electors in December 2020. At the time he was still a state Senator.

Sources confirm to Channel 2s Richard Elliot that unindicted co-conspirator No. 8 named in the 98-page Georgia election interference indictment is in fact, Jones.

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Because of her ties to Jones Democratic opponent in the election, a judge barred Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting him, therefore he was not indicted.

Soon after that indictment was handed up, the Prosecuting Attorneys Council confirmed that they were going to name a special prosecutor to investigate Jones involvement. The agency had filed motions as well to have the special grand jury report released.

In a statement from Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, he said in part:

The Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia is aware that the Special Purpose Grand Jurys Final Report has been released to the public. PAC has obtained a copy of the report and will review it thoroughly.

A special prosecutor has not been appointed to the case as of today and we do not expect an appointment to be made immediately. PAC will diligently continue its efforts to seek a special prosecutor to handle this matter.

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loefler, who was also named in the special grand jury report, sent a statement, saying:

Trying to jail your partys leading political opponent ahead of 2024 is election interference. Speaking out in defense of election integrity is not. I make no apologies for serving my state by giving voice to millions of Americans who felt disenfranchised in 2020, and I refuse to be intimidated by a two-tiered system of justice that seeks to systematically destroy conservatives across this country.

It remains unclear why the 20 additional people listed in the special report were not indicted.

READ THE FULL REPORT BELOW:

Trump indictment in Georgia: Special Grand Jury Report by National Content Desk on Scribd

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Craig Emerson, head of an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue and former Australian Trade Minister, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue on Thursday in Beijing, calling for enhanced cooperation to promote the steady and long-term development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Noting that China-Australia relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with Western countries, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the economies of the two countries are highly complementary, the people of the two countries are friendly to each other, and there are no disputes left over from history or major conflicts of interests between the two countries.

"China will work with Australia to promote the sound, steady and sustainable development of China-Australia relations, bring more benefits to the two peoples and contribute to regional peace, stability and development," said Wang.

He spoke highly of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue, saying that it has played a due role in deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation and enhancing friendship between the two sides.

Wang called on the two sides to continuously make good use of this platform to enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings between the two peoples, and make new contributions and add positive energy to the improvement and development of China-Australia relations.

Noting that the year 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia, Wang said that this year the two sides stand at a new starting point of another 50 years.

"Looking back at the past and looking forward to the future, if we look at bilateral relations with a 100-year horizon, the twists and turns in the past few years cannot define the nature of our bilateral relations, still less can they stop the pace of China-Australia cooperation," he said.

Wang underlined that it is necessary for the two sides to draw useful experience and lessons from the setbacks in the bilateral relations.

He urged the two sides to look at each other objectively, calmly and kindly, not interfere in each other's internal affairs, enhance mutual understanding through communication, and properly handle differences between each other.

China and Australia should remain partners rather than rivals, Wang said, calling on Australia to recognize China's development as an opportunity rather than a threat.

"We need to advance China-Australia relations independently and without any influence or interference from any third party," he said.

Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the two sides should make a fresh start again, comprehensively review cooperation in various fields, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang added.

Craig Emerson, head of the Australian delegation and former Australian Trade Minister, said that Australia is glad to see that bilateral relations are maturing after twists and turns.

"Australia always regards China as an important cooperative partner and is willing to conduct constructive and candid dialogue with China to understand each other, manage differences and develop long-term and stable Australia-China relations," Emerson said.

The two sides should also revitalize cooperation in multilateral institutions, jointly promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and work together for the well-being of the two countries and the world, Emerson added.

Wang said that both China and Australia are supporters and promoters of the multilateral trading system, and China is willing to work with all parties, including Australia, to build an Asia-Pacific community and promote globalization toward inclusive, open and win-win development.
FILE PHOTO: Rahul Gandhi gestures as he addresses the media in New Delhi

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's democratic institutions and minority groups are under a "full-scale assault", opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's government on the eve of a high-profile G20 summit in New Delhi.

Civil society, opposition parties and some foreign governments have in the past raised concerns over decisions of Modi's government that they say are aimed at throttling dissent, fanning religious discrimination and keeping the ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power.

The government has denied all such accusations and Modi has said his administration was working for the betterment of all.

"I think there is a sense in India that democratic institutions in our country are under attack and they are under attack from the group of people who are running India," Gandhi, a member of parliament from the Congress party, told reporters at the Brussels Press Club.

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"There's a full-scale assault on democratic institutions...of course minorities are under attack, but so are other communities...tribals, lower caste communities," he said.

Gandhi has made similar comments abroad in the past, drawing strong responses from BJP.

Gandhi's Congress is leading an alliance of 28 parties to challenge BJP in a national election due by May 2024.

India, the world's most populous country, holds the rotating presidency of the G20 and aims to showcase its economic potential and pitch itself as a reliable manufacturing and services hub to the visiting leaders of the bloc.

India is also promoting itself as a "voice" of developing nations on the global stage, as a counterweight to China.

Gandhi said he would meet European lawmakers in Brussels during his visit and talk to them about their views on India.

He indicated, however, that India's opposition parties would agree with the largely-neutral position taken by New Delhi on Russia's invasion of Ukraine - avoiding blaming Moscow for the war and seeking a solution through dialogue and diplomacy.

"We have a relationship with Russia, I don't think the opposition would have a different view than what the government is currently proposing," Gandhi said.

(Reporting by Shivam Patel; Editing by YP Rajesh and Alex Richardson)
HAMPTON  Jaroslav Jerry Langer has no ill will toward the driver police say was intoxicated and struck him on his walk home from work, but he does have questions.

Langer, 25, has no memory of the Aug. 30 accident that left him with a serious skull injury and several bruises. The last thing he recalls was finishing up his work at the Galley Hatch restaurant and telling his coworker he would be out soon to walk home.

Jaroslav "Jerry" Langer, 25, a J-1 visa student from Czech Republic, is recovering from serious skull injuries after being struck by a car driven by a woman police say was intoxicated. He was walking home from his work at the Galley Hatch restaurant.

A J-1 visa student from Czechia, commonly known as the Czech Republic, Langer is now recovering and preparing to fly home, where he is completing his masters degree in computer science. He said he is not angry with the woman who allegedly hit him and was subsequently arrested and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated.

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What he does want, he said, is to understand how the driver ended up behind the wheel and driving in his direction.

Im a little curious why this happened to her, then to me, Langer said. But other than that, I dont feel, like, anger or anything.

Jaroslav "Jerry" Langer, 25, is recovering from a serious skull injury after being struck by a driver who police say was intoxicated Aug. 30. He was walking home from work at the Galley Hatch in Hampton.

Management and staff at the Galley Hatch, on the corner of Winnacunnet Road and Route 1, have rallied to raise money for Langer and be by his side. Langer said he has talked with his parents, but in the United States his family is the Galley Hatch, where he has made a name for himself as a hard worker with a kind attitude.

Just a standup kind of guy, said Joe Linnehan, chief operating officer of Tinios Hospitality, which owns Galley Hatch.

The Galley Hatch staff have started a GoFundMe page to help cover costs for Langer. Linnehan said despite what Langer has experienced, he has found Langers spirits are higher than anyone you would know.

Hes just happy to be alive, Linnehan said.

Previous story: Hampton woman allegedly hit pedestrian, charged with aggravated DUI

Crash leaves Langer badly injured; driver arrested for aggravated DUI

Langer was struck at 9:37 p.m. while walking home on Winnacunnet Road near Towle Avenue, according to police.

The driver Karen Haraden, 59, was driving east on Winnacunnet Road, the same direction as Langer and his friend, according to Hampton police Capt. Anthony Azarian.

Police say Karen Haraden was intoxicated when she struck two pedestrians and seriously injured one of them. Jaroslav "Jerry" Langer, 25, the pedestrian who was hospitalized, was walking home from his work at the Galley Hatch at the time of the crash.

The two pedestrians were walking in the breakdown lane, where Azarian said Haradens vehicle struck them.

Hampton police said a caller reported a person down on the ground, and Langer was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit were called to assist with investigating the crash.

Haraden was arrested on a Class B felony count of aggravated driving under the influence. Azarian deferred further questions about the crash to the Rockingham County attorneys office, which is handling the case. Haraden will be arraigned in Rockingham Superior Court on Oct. 5.

Doctors found that Langer suffered from massive skull fractures and severe lacerations, according to Tinios Hospitality in their GoFundMe page.

Linnehan said the skull is expected to take some time to heal. He said the Galley Hatch staff was by Langers side the moment the crash happened. The daughter of another Galley Hatch employee was coincidentally driving east on Winnacunnet Road and stopped to help, he said. Since then, Linnehan said he and others have helped Langer with appointments and completing paperwork with the J-1 agency. The place he lives is also provided by the Galley Hatch for their staff.

These are people he spent more time with at work than you do with people at home, Linnehan said. That it happened to anybody in our company, its just devastating.

Hampton Beach tire slashing spree: Police seek public's help to identify suspect

Galley Hatch family rallies to help Langer

Langer is preparing to go home for the rest of his medical care, as doctors told him he needed to see physicians in Czech Republic, where they could schedule his coming appointments and potential surgery.

For Langer, the experience in New Hampshire this season was about making the most of his last chance to use a J-1 visa for travel. He is in the final year of his masters degree and hopes to start a career in computer science.

Hampton was not Langers first choice, he said. Initially, he wanted to work in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, this summer. That opportunity fell through, however, so he applied for the job listed at the Galley Hatch.

I have little background in culinary stuff, Langer said. But I was like, Yeah, sounds good, why not apply?

Langer said the location and job ended up being perfect. He has a short walk to work and said he liked the quiet section of town where he and other employees are put up to live by the Galley Hatch. He said he likes the beach but does not go as often as others.

Langer said the support from his coworkers and members of the community have been overwhelming. He said they have visited him at the hospital. In addition to setting up the GoFundMe page, the crew collected cash donations at the restaurant and initially through a managers personal Venmo account.

The people care about me more than I could imagine, Langer said.

Linnehan said the biggest lesson to be learned is the threat intoxicated driving brings to the roadway.

I think that people just think they can get behind that wheel, which you know, is a devastating mistake, Linnehan said. To see it happen in real time, its heartbreaking.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton NH: Galley Hatch worker 'happy to be alive' after hit by car
Durhams solid waste workers continued to strike for a third day on Friday, and are planning a rally as they seek bonuses and pay raises.

Their demands include:

An immediate $5,000 bonus

Pay raises, including increases that were withheld during the COVID-19 pandemic

All temporary workers to be hired full-time

We come to work every day just like the mailman: rain, sleet, snow, Solid Waste worker Herman Moore said. Yall know that a happy worker is a good worker. Yall meet us halfway, or somewhere where we can be satisfied with what we make, and we can do our job.

City staff instructed residents to keep their trash and recycling bins on the curb Friday, as some people are working.

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We will work through this weekend to get missed routes, a city spokesperson said Thursday night.

The workers are rallying at CCB Plaza in downtown Durham on Thursday beginning at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Sanitation workers head into the Durham city council chambers to attend a council work session at City Hall in Durham, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.

City to consider on Sept. 21

The workers appealed directly to City Council members on Thursday and succeeded in getting the matter placed on the agenda for consideration later this month.

Solid Waste worker Gloria Johnson was born and raised in Durham.

Let me give you a little history. In Durham, it was an honor to work three places: Duke Hospital, Ligget & Myers and the city of Durham, she told the City Council on Thursday. Lets come up with some options so all these fine gentlemen in here can go to work and lets get this garbage up.

The citys website has a continuous job posting for a solid waste technician that lists pay between $40,099 and $61,720 annually. Thats about $19 to $30 an hour

Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton, center left, City Manager Wanda Page and Durham Mayor Elaine ONeal listen to a sanitation worker speak during a council work session at City Hall in Durham, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.

Were suited and booted to go to work right now, Solid Waste worker Chris Benjamin said. We just want you guys to work with us.

We dont want to drag this out, added Solid Waste worker Christopher Copeland.

The council appeared split, but directed city staff to prepare for a conversation on the demands Sept. 21, a Thursday.

$5,000 now or else is not really a way we can run the city. Im just going to keep it real with yall, Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton said.

The workers dont have a union contract, but some contribute to UE Local 150, the N.C. Public Service Workers Union. Its illegal in North Carolina for public employees to collectively bargain.

You deserve to be paid a fair wage, council member DeDreana Freeman said. When the firefighters were in here trying to make sure that happened, I was looking for you all. Im glad youre here now.

The politics of the strike

Mayor Elaine ONeal laid the blame at the feet of the four members of the City Council who voted against making last-minute changes to the budget to increase pay earlier this summer. That item would have applied to firefighters, not the workers striking currently.

Im not running anymore. All I do is care about this city. One of the reasons Im not going to run again is because of this kind of stuff, ONeal said.

ONeal allies herself with Freeman, who is running for mayor, and council member Monique Holsey-Hyman, who is running to retain her current seat.

Im going to continue to fight  even if its three of us  for what I know is right, Holsey-Hyman said.

They often find themselves on the losing side of votes with Middleton and council members Leonardo Williams, Javiera Caballero and Jillian Johnson.

Williams is running for mayor. Caballero is running for her current seat. Johnson decided not to run again. Middleton has two years remaining in his term.

I am frustrated because I believe that people are being manipulated, Caballero said in an interview. Theres been no back and forth (between the employees and city management).

Williams, too, was visibly frustrated during the meeting.

l not be reckless and just pretend we can wave a magic wand, Williams said. The city does not go out and sell lemonade and hot dogs to make money. We make money when people pay their taxes.

Does the city have the money?

Union representative Dante Strobino said it would cost $8 million to $10 million to give the $5,000 bonuses to all the citys general employees.

That includes non-management staff in departments such as Solid Waste, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and more. It does not include police and fire.

City Manager Wanda Page said the tax rate has already been set for this year. Raises are a discussion that should be saved until the budget season begins in January.

What is being considered here is a bonus or a one-time payment that will come from the city savings, Page said.

The general fund has about $32 million in reserves above the money it needs to have on hand, according to the latest figures from the budget department.

Nearly $14 million was allocated in the budget approved in July, leaving about $18 million to work with.
WASHINGTON  Textrons Bell tapped GE Aerospace to develop a host of digital systems for its much-anticipated Black Hawk utility helicopter successor.

The arrangement, announced Sept. 7, will see GE Aerospace working on a common open-architecture digital backbone as well as a voice-and-data recorder and a health-awareness network that facilitates predictive maintenance for the Bell V-280 Valor. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

The U.S. Army in December selected Bells tiltrotor aircraft over the Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant X for the multibillion-dollar Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft endeavor  described by service officials as among the largest and most complex competitive procurements. The Government Accountability Office later denied a formal protest, clearing a path for Bell production.

Swedens Saab snags Silicon Valley-based CrowdAI

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Amy Gowder, the president and CEO of defense and systems at GE Aerospace, said her teams work will greatly improve how aircraft are updated and maintained, and it ensures that our soldiers have an advantage on the battlefield.

By leveraging GEs experience in delivering open avionics architecture, the Army will realize the benefits of modular open systems approach designs from the outset of the Future Vertical Lift programs, she said in a statement. The FVL initiative aims to overhaul Army aviation, with particular focus paid to attack, transport and reconnaissance missions.

Prototypes from Bell are due to the Army by 2025. The initial contract obligation was $232 million, with a ceiling of $1.3 billion for additional options, Defense News reported.
Ukrainian forces continue offensive operations in the Melitopol direction, making gains south of the village of Robotyne, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Sept. 8.

In turn, Russian troops launched unsuccessful attacks near Novoiehorivka in Luhansk Oblast, and in the Avdiivka direction in Donetsk Oblast, the report said.

Ukrainian defenders continue to repel Russian advances in the Marinka direction, holding off over 10 attacks over the past day, according to the General Staff.

The village of Robotyne was confirmed as liberated by Ukraine on Aug. 28. Ukrainian troops have since pushed further south from the village, facing heavy Russian defenses.

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As the U.S. intelligence pointed out, Ukraine has managed to pierce through the first line of Russian defenses, which was heavily fortified by mines, near Robotyne, and its troops are already attacking the second line with notable success.

Read also: As counteroffensive presses forward in southeast, every meter costs a life

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Russia has terrorized Ukraine beyond the point of no return. In doing so, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) have exposed the Russian armys many weaknesses.

The Kremlin failed to achieve all its strategic objectives since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Rather than preventing the expansion of NATO, Finland and Sweden abandoned neutrality to join the Alliance. Like the Mediterranean and North seas, the Baltic Sea will soon become a NATO lake. Russia has also gained a 1, 340-kilometer-long border with the Alliance.

The Russian army did not capture Kyiv nor decapitate Ukraines democratically elected government. It also failed to subject freedom-loving Ukrainians to proxy rule from Moscow. Instead of successfully demilitarizing Ukraine as the Kremlin intended, the Ukrainian state has become the most militarized country in Europe. Ukraines Western orientation, and its Euro-Atlantic future, are now irreversible. Kyivs divorce from Moscow is almost complete.

Polls consistently demonstrate that Ukrainians refuse making territorial concessions or conceding Ukraines future membership in NATO to achieve peace with Russia. However bitter a pill this may be for some in the West to swallow, the most favorable and feasible military solution to the war is Ukrainian victory  in the manner defined by Ukraine  and the defeat of the so-called second most powerful army in the world.

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Read also: Otar Dovzhenko: Ukraines media market is a tabula rasa that could aid in post-war recovery

Yes, since the Kremlin is in the wrong. But, more importantly, because Russia is weak.

So long as the Kremlin prosecutes its war in Ukraine, the West must continue its divorce proceedings with Russia. Besides exemptions for agricultural products, fertilizers, medicines and other humanitarian supplies, economic relations with Russia should be ground to a halt. Western companies should withdraw from Russia immediately. The West should cease issuing and renewing visas for Russian tourists, students, and workers to Europe and North America moving forward. Russian athletes must also be banned from participating at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Appeasers in favor of stabilizing relations with Russia argue this level of economic and political pressure will turn Moscow toward Beijing. That is unlikely. Even if it were true, however, then so be it. Once upon a time, the Soviet Union was allied with Communist China too. In predictable fashion, that short-term partnership of convenience also ended in divorce.

Like then, Russia still shares a disputed 4,000-plus kilometer-long border with China. Haunted by the Soviet Unions collapse and obsessed with regime preservation, both authoritarian states perceive themselves as great powers. Russia and China must co-exist on the Asian continent without any values, shared security interests, political institutions, or legal mechanisms to bind them together. Unfortunately, anti-Westernism is not a strong-enough glue for a Beijing-Moscow partnership to survive let alone flourish.

To weaken Russias prospects further, China faces a long list of economic challenges. Among other things, Beijing relies on trade with the West to keep its labor force employed and to maintain its export-driven economic growth. Even if China transfers some technological components to Moscow, Beijing will not risk being sanctioned by Washington and its allies to supply Russia with battlefield-changing military equipment. After all, Beijing has an interest in seeing Moscow weakened, and therefore more dependent on China. But not defeated, and potentially replaced with an administration more favorable to the West.

Moscow lacks the economic weight and defense industrial base to prevail in this war. Relying on a heavily sanctioned regime like the Islamic Republic of Iran to replenish Russias dwindling military hardware is hardly a recipe for long-term success. Even worse, seeking a weapons deal with North Korea reeks of desperation.

Time is not in Russias favor. Sanctions enforcement mechanisms and export controls imposed by the West against Moscow and its sanctions-busting partners are likely to get stricter  not more lenient. This will exacerbate the difficulties Russia already faces in replacing basic supplies and rebuilding its stocks of air defense systems and precision-guided munitions.

Meanwhile, the Wests defense industrial base  that Ukraine relies on for arms and ammunition  will continue improving over time. The same goes for the quantity and quality of weapons Ukraine receives moving forward. Unlike Russia, the West is unlikely to suffer from war fatigue, as the U.S. did in Vietnam or Afghanistan, because American and European soldiers are not fighting and dying in Ukraine.

To be clear: The Ramstein Group must give Ukraine what it needs to win the war  yesterday. Without a doubt, that is the morally justifiable course of action when faced with this scale of great power aggression on the European continent. It is also the intelligent thing to do when one of your sworn enemies makes a strategic mistake of this magnitude. The West has the economic weight, the military technology, and the defense industrial base to make it happen. Time and again, the AFU has demonstrated it possesses the will and ability to pull the mission off.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Belarusian embassies to stop issuing passports luring opposition home

Both Kyiv and the West have repeatedly crossed every supposed red line set by the Kremlin. Despite pushback from appeasers and other voices serving Russian interests, the goalposts have moved from procuring Javelins in February 2022 to providing Leopard Tanks in the first half of 2023 and green-lighting F-16 fighter jets in the second half of the year. Likewise, the AFU conduct cross-border raids, disturb commercial flights at international airports in cities like Moscow, and launch drone strikes on military targets and logistics hubs deep inside Russia with ease and impunity.

The West must continue scaling and improving the training of Ukrainian soldiers. It is also imperative to accelerate the transfer of weapons including air defense systems, armored vehicles, demining equipment, long-range missiles, and fighter jets to end the war faster. Considering the attrition rate in this war, that is critical for saving both Ukrainian and Russian lives.

Given that the Kremlins drones are now targeting Ukrainian grain storage facilities near the Romanian border, providing the AFU with a military advantage is also indispensable for containing the war from spreading beyond the territories of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. This is also likely to minimize  or at least limit  further destruction of Ukraines cities and civilian infrastructure today, that the West is likely to subsidize and rebuild after the war ends in any case.

Ultimately, lessons learned from 200 years of war and diplomacy are consistent. Appeasement didnt work when Metternich and his contemporaries sought to placate Napoleon. Wishful thinking failed when Chamberlain did the same with Hitler. Unconditional surrender was the only option then. A complete Russian withdrawal  or humiliating defeat  is the most favorable and foreseeable conclusion to the war in Ukraine today. Yes, since the Kremlin is in the wrong. But, more importantly, because Russia is weak.

Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

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China welcomes Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit the country at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks in response to a question about the Australian Prime Minister's announcement of his upcoming visit to China later this year.

The spokesperson added that China is ready to work with Australia to make sound preparations for the visit.

China always believes that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of the people of both countries, and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the wider world, Mao said.

"We intend to work with Australia to deliver on the common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, uphold the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit, properly handle differences, and continue to improve and grow our comprehensive strategic partnership," she said.
A special grand jury in Atlanta last year recommended indicting Sen. Lindsay Graham for election interference.

It also recommended charges against now-ex Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, and other Trump allies.

A different grand jury ultimately indicted a narrower set of people, including Trump.

A special grand jury empaneled last year in Georgia recommended indicting Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Graham  along with more than a dozen people the special grand jury recommended for criminal charges  were ultimately not included in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's 41-count indictment over election interference, which included 13 charges against former President Donald Trump.

The special grand jury also recommended charges against former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, as well as several of Trump's aides, including Boris Epshtyn, and other political allies, such as conspiracy theorists Lin Wood and former Trump administration National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

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Thirteen of the empaneled grand jurors recommended bringing a criminal charge against Graham, with seven voting against and one abstaining.

Willis' office empaneled the special grand jury to investigate attempts by Trump and Georgia officials to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It was sparked, in part, by Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to "find 11,780 votes" that would close the gap of his election loss to now-President Joe Biden in the state.

That earlier grand jury finished its work in January 2023. It had the power to investigate crimes and bring subpoenas, but not to bring criminal charges.

"The Grand Jury heard extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts, and State of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming that such fraud took place," the jurors wrote in their report, which was unsealed Thursday. "We find by unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election."

Graham rejected Biden's victory in the 2020 election, urging Trump not to concede after he already lost and donating money to his legal challenges to the results.

According to Raffensperger, Graham privately asked about tossing legally cast ballots  an accusation Graham denied in an interview with the Washington Post.

Graham fought a subpoena from the special grand jury  a legal battle he ultimately lost after the Supreme Court rejected his challenges.

Representatives for Graham and Loeffler didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flynn's attorney Jesse Binnall said the special grand jury report indicated that Willis's case was "politically motivated."

"It's all just fruit of the same poisonous tree that we've seen time and time again  and is designed to destroy the country and undermine the values that make this nation great," Binnall said.

Loeffler later said she would make "no apologies" for her actions.

"I make no apologies for serving my state by giving voice to millions of Americans who felt disenfranchised in 2020  and I refuse to be intimidated by a two-tier system of justice that seeks to systematically destroy conservatives across this country," Loeffler wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

An ordinary grand jury brought charges against Trump and 18 co-defendants in August. The defendants include his former chief-of-staff Mark Meadows, lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and John Eastman, and a slew of Republican officials who falsely said they were state electors.

The special grand jury recommended indictments against 39 people overall.

The report was unsealed Thursday, with a judge ruling the findings no longer need to be private now that a separate grand jury returned an indictment related to the case.

This story has been updated.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., was one of 18 people the Georgia grand jury investigating election interference initially recommended charges against but were ultimately not indicted. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The special grand jury in Georgia initially probing efforts to subvert the state's 2020 election results recommended charging U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and two former senators, according the panel's full report, which was released Friday.

The Fulton County special grand jury examining whether crimes were committed in the national effort to overturn the election recommended charges against 21 people who were not eventually indicted, including Graham, R-S.C., and former U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , both Georgia Republicans.

Perdue and Loeffler were in office at the time of the election, but were unseated in runoffs by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnoff as Trump escalated his claims of election fraud, with a focus on Georgia.

The report noted that a juror voted against indicting them as their statements after the election "did not give rise to their being guilty of a criminal conspiracy."

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Graham had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury as he was one of the prominent Republicans that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said pressured him to overturn Joe Biden's victory.

Republican Kelly Loeffler, who was seeking re-election to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate in 2020, was also recommended for indictment but not charged. File Photo by Tami Chappell/UPI

Besides the three senators, 18 others were recommended for indictment, but ultimately not charged, including Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorneys Boris Epshteyn and Cleta Mitchell.

The report filed with the Fulton County Clerk recommended Trump, who is seeking the GOP nomination for re-election in 2024, be indicted for the phone call to Raffensperger.

David Perdue, a Republican seeking re-election to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate in 2020, was also recommended for indictment but not charged. File Pool Photo by Anna Moneymaker/UPI

Besides that call, the special grand jury identified several crimes, including a "fake electors" scheme and Coffee County Georgia voting machines being accessed by unauthorized Trump allies, all in an effort to subvert the election.

The others the special grand jury recommended charging were alleged "fake electors" -- Mark Amick, Joseph Brannan, Burt Jones, Brad Carver, Vikki Consiglio, John Downey, Carolyn Fisher, Mark Hennessy and C.B. Yadav -- as well as attorney Lin Wood and former Georgia state Sen. William T. Ligon Jr. They were not charged by the subsequent panel.

The grand jury ultimately indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 people, including his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and his attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman. File Photo courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff's Office/UPI

The special purpose grand jury submitted its findings to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who then presented the case to another grand jury for any criminal charges. That second panel returned indictments in August against Trump and 18 others, including his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, laying out a racketeering scheme.

All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Trump posted on Truth Social that the report released Friday "has ZERO credibility and badly taints Fani Willis and this whole political Witch Hunt. Essentially, they wanted to indict anybody who happened to be breathing at the time.

"It totally undermines the credibility of the findings, and badly hurts the Great State of Georgia, whose wonderful and patriotic people are not happy with this charade of an out of control 'prosecutor' doing the work of, and for, the DOJ. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!"

Many of the recommended indictments were linked to the national effort to overturn the presidential election results in Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

The special grand jury's report also definitively reiterated that there was no widespread election fraud in Georgia as claimed by Trump and his supporters.

"The grand jury heard extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts and state of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming such fraud took place. We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election," the report said.
Two different law enforcement agencies in Gwinnett County say a man is impersonating an officer, tying up their resources in the process.

Channel 2s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke with police officers in Norcross to learn more about the man.

Police told Johnson theyve identified the impersonator as Zachary Tanner, and its not the first time hes had run-ins with officers for pretending to be an agent or policeman.

Previously, Tanner was arrested for giving police a bogus tip while wearing a homemade special agent t-shirt.

Officers said they hoped that would be the end of it, until he allegedly called another department, demanding to be taken seriously.

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[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

On video footage obtained by Channel 2 Action News, Tanner is seen contesting his own arrest by Norcross police last week.

Youre arresting a federal officer, Tanner said on police body camera video

However, he is not a federal officer, so officers took him into custody.

Im requesting you to stop immediately, Tanner continued on police body camera video. Sir, ok, let me speak with your superior.

Tanner, just 25 years old, tied up valuable resources according to police. He reportedly called 911 10 times just on Aug. 27.

You cant be calling us over 10 times today and how many times yesterday, an officer told Tanner on police body camera video.

He first met with officers that day on Weyden Court while wearing a shirt reading Special Agent Tanner with a badge number printed on it.

TRENDING STORIES:

He told police he had information about a fugitive, but the tip turned out to be bogus. Officers asked Tanner which agency he was with.

Coval. Federal Coval intelligence agency, Tanner said on police bodycamera video. It is a new agency.

Then, Tanner tried to leave, but was ordered to stay put. Then, police asked him questions to check his mental health before taking him into custody.

He was charged with felony impersonating an officer and abusing the 911 system.

While being arrested, Tanner said he was not impersonating an officer.

Officers told Channel 2 Action News that Tanner keeps getting arrested, but wont stop his behavior.

After his arrest and release, Tanner allegedly called a Duluth towing yard to demand his impounded car be released because hes a federal agent. He eventually made similar claims to Duluth Police officers, police say.

Those calls led to a new felony charge issued against him on Thursday, this time from Duluth police, again for impersonating an officer.

If Tanner is arrested for his latest impersonating an officer charge, hell be facing a minimum $10,000 bond.

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OTHER NEWS:
A special grand jury convened by Georgia prosecutors recommended criminal indictments of Sen. Lindsey Graham and a slew of other allies of Donald Trump who have not been charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis , according to a report unsealed Friday.

The special grand jury, which led a year-long investigation of efforts to subvert the 2020 election in Georgia, helped Willis compile a massive trove of evidence that she used to secure a sprawling indictment last month against Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and others.

But the special grand jury report, which was filed in December but had been largely kept confidential until Friday, shows that a majority of the panel urged her to indict a much wider array of figures linked to the effort.



They include:



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Graham, the South Carolina senator who came under scrutiny for his efforts to contact Georgia election officials after the election

Former senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia

Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn

Attorney Cleta Mitchell

Graham said Friday that he did nothing wrong, telling local reporters in South Carolina that "to suggest Im part of some grand scheme to overturn the election makes no sense given my actions." He noted that he voted on Jan. 6, 2021, to certify Joe Biden's victory over Trump.

The special grand jury, a quirk of Georgia law, had no power to issue indictments but was required to make recommendations to Willis, who then pursued charges through a traditional grand jury. Trump and the other 18 defendants who were indicted on Aug. 14 were all on the list identified by the special grand jury.

The newly released report indicates there was some dissent among the 23 special grand jurors and three alternates assigned to hear evidence related to the election probe.

The panel divided its probe into seven categories of alleged crimes and took separate votes on which Trump-world figures should be charged within each. The categories included: Trumps Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which he urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overcome Biden's margin of victory in the state; separate efforts to pressure Georgia officials; false statements in connection with Georgia state legislative hearings; harassment of Georgia election workers; the gathering of a false slate of GOP electors; a breach of election equipment in Coffee County, Ga.; and the national bid to subvert the 2020 election.

Seven jurors dissented from the recommendation to indict Graham, and six opposed indicting Loeffler. A large majority of the jurors favored bringing fraud charges against most of the GOP activists who posed as false electors, but the panel split evenly on whether many of those same would-be electors should be accused of joining a racketeering conspiracy. The panel, however, did not recommend any charges against three GOP activists who joined the false elector slate.

No more than 21 jurors joined in any of the dozens of recommendations to indict.

The panel took eight separate votes recommending that Trump be indicted in connection with various alleged crimes. In each of those votes, one juror recommended against a Trump indictment, and a few of the votes also drew between one and three abstentions.

Its unclear if Willis will still seek indictments against some of the figures who have not yet been charged. She has called for a trial of Trump and his 18 codefendants on March 4, but the trial schedule remains in flux.

After the 2020 election, Graham pressed Georgia officials on vote-counting procedures while they were in the middle of an ongoing recount. He resisted testifying to the special grand jury  claiming he was immune from compelled testimony because of constitutional protections for members of Congress  and took his fight to the Supreme Court. But the justices opted not to take up the matter and Graham ultimately appeared before the panel, with limits on the subjects they were permitted to grill him about.

The special grand jury recommended charges against Graham, Perdue and Loeffler, among dozens of others, for their role in a national effort to overturn the 2020 election. Its unclear precisely what facts the panel based its recommendations on, and the document doesnt elaborate on the rationale behind any of its findings.

"I did my job," Graham told the reporters in South Carolina on Friday. "The day that that becomes criminalized is very bad for the country.

Graham emphasized the case is over for me, but he warned that political disagreements are leading to criminal prosecutions.

As he defended himself, Graham appeared to draw some distinctions between his actions in the weeks after the 2020 election and Trumps recorded statements to Georgia officials.

I never suggested anybody set aside the election," the senator said. "I never said, 'Go find votes.'

However, Graham said the reports claims and the charges against Trump and his allies wont lead him to back away from supporting the former president in the 2024 presidential race.

I am standing with President Trump, Graham said. "Well see what happens in the courts but well also see what happens at the ballot box.

An attorney for Flynn, Jesse Binnall, dismissed the grand jury report as a political hit job.

Todays report reveals even more corruption by a politically-motivated prosecutor with one goal: to take down President Trump and his associates, and interfere in the 2024 election, Binnall said in a statement. This baseless witch hunt isnt based on the facts, or the law, or reality.


The News

A special grand jury empaneled in Georgia to help investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election had recommended that prosecutors charge more than 30 people, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and two former senators from Georgia, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

The recommendations were included in a report the special grand jury completed earlier this year after hearing from dozens of witnesses for over a year. The report was publicly released Friday.

The Fulton County District Attorney ultimately decided to indict 19 people, including former President Donald Trump , over an alleged criminal scheme to subvert the 2020 election.

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Graham, Perdue, and Loeffler were not charged.

Know More

Graham, who made calls to Georgia election officials after Trumps loss, testified before the grand jury last year.

Perdue and Loeffler, who both lost their reelection bids in an early 2021 runoff, cast doubt on the results of the presidential election in Georgia and called for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to resign.

The special grand jury also recommended charging the entire slate of fake electors that signed documents stating that Trump won in Georgia. Ultimately, only some of them were indicted.
A special purpose grand jury convened in Georgia recommended a slew of additional indictments that went beyond those sought last month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis .

According to the grand jurys report, made public Friday, the panel believed multiple others should be criminally charged for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , both Republicans from Georgia.

They were not ultimately indicted. The panel had significant disagreements about some individuals; the vote to recommend a racketeering-related indictment for Graham broke down to 13 yeas, 7 nays and 1 abstention. For Perdue, the vote broke down to 17 yeas and 4 nays. For Loeffler, there were 14 yeas, 6 nays and 1 abstention.

Perdue was recommended for a second indictment over false statements about the election.

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Willis exact reasons for seeking the indictments she did are not entirely clear. Flynn was not indictedon racketeering even though the panel overwhelmingly signaled that he should be in a vote of 20 yeas to 1 nay. Trump-allied attorneys Boris Epshteyn, Lin Wood and Cleta Mitchell received the same 20-to-1 vote on the alleged conspiracy but were not ultimately indicted, either.

The panel also considered the roles of more than a dozen alternate electors; only three were charged by Willis. (The plot to overturn the results of the election included forming alternate slates of Electoral College members who would be loyal to former President Donald Trump and, theoretically, allow his allies in Congress to hand him another term.)

Grahams alleged offenses stemmed from a highly unusual call he placed to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in the days after the 2020 election with questions about mail-in ballots in the state. The senator from South Carolina said Friday that he was surprised to hear the Georgia jury wanted him charged.

As a special purpose grand jury, the group did not have the power to indict anyone. Rather, the panel sat for around six months last year to consider potential charges, hearing evidence from 75 witnesses, most of whom were under oath. They wrapped up their work by compiling a final report in January.

Willis then convened a regular grand jury this summer to secure the indictments, which were returned in August and matched many of the recommendations the earlier panel had made.

Trump was hit with criminal charges in Georgia along with his former attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell , Kenneth Chesebro and a number of other allies, such as former chief of staff Mark Meadows. All 19 of the defendants pleaded not guilty.

While the court is still wading through pretrial motions, at least two of the defendants  Chesebro and Powell  are scheduled to begin trial Oct. 23.

Footnotes in the special grand jurys report reveal why individual jurors voted the way they did.

One believed that Perdue and Loeffler should be excluded because their comments, while pandering to their political base, do not give rise to their being guilty of a criminal conspiracy.

Two of them thought the alternate electors should be spared because they were doing what they were misled to understand as their civic duty.

The panel concluded by noting: This Grand Jury contained no election law experts or criminal lawyers. The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained.

The foreperson for the jury, Emily Kohrs, received some criticism after her service for agreeing to a string of media interviews in which she hinted at the groups conclusions.

Youre not going to be shocked. Its not rocket science, Kohrs told The New York Times back in February. You wont be too surprised.

Related...
Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee prepares to hear motions from attorneys representing Ken Chesebro and Sidney Powell in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)

ATLANTA (AP)  Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is pursuing charges against roughly half of the people recommended to her by a special grand jury tasked with investigating efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election.

The decision to seek charges against 19 people, as opposed to the 39 suggested to her, was likely a combination of factors, from constitutional protections to streamlining her case against other defendants.

Ultimately, Willis decided against indicting Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; two former senators from Georgia, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue ; and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, even as she pursued charges against former President Donald Trump , former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Here are some of the takeaways from the long-awaited report:

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Why the report was released 9 months after it was finished

The special grand jury that spent seven months hearing evidence in the case voted to recommend that its report be published. Under Georgia law, the judge is then obligated to follow that recommendation.

But at a hearing in January, Willis asked Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney to keep the full report under wraps for the time being, saying her charging decisions in the case were imminent. A lawyer for a coalition of news outlets, including The Associated Press, argued for its immediate release, noting the high public interest in the case.

McBurney decided in February to issue a partial release of the report, which included the introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath. In keeping the charging recommendations hidden, McBurney said some of those people may not have had the opportunity to appear before the panel, and those who did appear did not have the right to have their lawyers present or to offer any rebuttal.

McBurney released the full, unredacted report about 3 1/2 weeks after the indictment was returned.

Discrepancy between recommendations and charges

The stakes were high for Willis, an elected Democrat taking on some of the most powerful Republican politicians in the country. Her investigation was criticized by Trump and his Republican allies, who accused her of weaponizing the legal system for political gain. Meanwhile, critics of the former president were relying on her not to botch the case.

But the members of the special grand jury, operating in secrecy behind closed doors, didn't have to contend with those pressures. They had no specific criminal law training and ultimately don't have to prove the charges they recommended.

Asked why Willis may have chosen not to try to indict many of the people voted on by the special grand jury, Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University who has closely followed the case, said that, especially given Grahams legal challenge over his possible protection under the speech or debate clause when called to testify before the special grand jury, the prosecutor may have wanted to avoid another protracted legal battle.

He surmised Perdue and Loeffler would also argue their participation had taken place in their official roles as federal officials.

Kreis also noted that Graham might well have been successful in an argument that a case against him be moved to federal court, which is something many of the indicted defendants are pursuing.

That would just be an overreach, no matter what, he said. There just wasnt enough evidence of criminality and stuff that fell outside the scope of his responsibilities as a senator.

Recommended charges include vote breakdowns

Instructions for special grand juries are very broad, so the panel had a lot of discretion in how it structured its report.

The report includes a breakdown of the number of yea and nay votes, as well as abstentions, for each count for which the special grand jurors recommended charges.

On all the charges that were recommended against Trump, there was an overwhelming consensus of between 17 and 21 votes that he should be charged and only one nay vote each time.

The vote totals for recommending charges against Graham, Perdue and Loeffler were not as convincing. Special grand jurors voted against indicting most of the fake electors.

While juror vote tallies are important to obtain an indictment from a regular grand jury or a conviction at trial, the special grand jurors werent required to include them at all. And the special grand jury report contained vote totals only for charges that the panel ultimately recommended, not any that the panel rejected.

The report includes footnotes where a juror requested the opportunity to clarify their vote for any reason. For example, one juror thought there should be further investigation for one charge, and two believed the fake electors should not be indicted for doing what they were misled to understand as their civic duty.

One who voted against including Perdue and Loeffler in a racketeering charge believed that their post-election statements while pandering to their political base, do not give rise to their being guilty of a criminal conspiracy.

Kreis said Friday that Willis may have used some of the vote breakdowns to weigh whether she could ultimately successfully bring a case against the people being considered.

If you have a jury and a group of folks who have pored over evidence for eight months and theres still a 50-50 divide or a two-thirds divide ... I dont think thats something that youd look at and say, We have a high probability of a conviction there, he said.

Defiance is the prevailing reaction among those named in report

The high-profile Republican politicians and officials named in the special grand jury report said Friday that they had done nothing wrong and insisted they were acting within the scope of their responsibilities.

Graham, who was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the days after the election and asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots.

The senator said Friday that it was his duty to investigate claims of voter fraud, which were largely debunked. I had questions, as did many others, about how the mail ballot process worked in Georgia and other locations. I did my due diligence."

Loeffler, who cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 election before being voted out of office in January 2021, said Friday that she would make no apologies for serving my state by giving voice to millions of Americans who felt disenfranchised in 2020.

Representatives for Perdue did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday.

An attorney for Flynn, who called for rerunning elections in swing states that Trump had lost, criticized the investigation as a baseless witch hunt and politically motivated sham meant to interfere with Trump's chances of returning to the White House in 2024.

Lawyer Lin Wood, who held meetings at his house where possible ways to influence the results in Georgia and elsewhere after the election were discussed, noted that he was never ultimately charged in the case.

The grand jurors who actually sat and heard the case with the power to indict did not indict me, he said.

I didnt do anything wrong, he added. I was not part of a national legal effort to overturn the 2020 election.

___

Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
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Dino Patti Djalal, founder and chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, receives the "Friendship Envoy Award" at the Inaugural Orchid Awards ceremony in Beijing on Sept. 8. [Photo by Wang Yiming/China.org.cn]

Dino Patti Djalal, founder and chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), received the "Friendship Envoy Award" at the awarding ceremony of the inaugural Orchid Awards in Beijing on Friday for his exceptional contributions to fostering China-ASEAN exchange and cooperation.

The Orchid Awards, initiated by China International Communications Group (CICG), recognize non-Chinese individuals and organizations globally that have furthered international cultural exchanges and advanced mutual understanding between China and other civilizations.

The awards span three categories: Lifetime Honorary Prize, Outstanding Achievement Prize, and Friendship Envoy Prize, with recipients chosen based on their achievements, contributions, and global influence. The Friendship Envoy Award specifically acknowledges those fostering cross-cultural comprehension and mutual respect.

Djalal's significant efforts to nurture mutual understanding, bolstering both ASEAN-China and Indonesia-China relations, rightfully earned him the Friendship Envoy Award.

The award citation highlights his role as a trailblazer in public diplomacy in Southeast Asia and an advocate of the "Bandung Spirit"  a principle rooted in the 1955 Bandung Conference advocating for sovereignty, mutual respect and cooperation among developing nations. He actively promotes collaboration, mutual assistance and bonds between people. As a vanguard of ASEAN-China youth exchanges, he endeavors to establish channels for communication, comprehension, and harmonious interactions among Generation Z throughout the region.

"I want to thank the CICG for the honor of the Orchid Awards. It is a great honor for my Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, which is the largest grassroots foreign policy group in the Asia Pacific," Djalal said. He highlighted the significance of the Orchid Awards in promoting global cultural and people-to-people connections.

"I believe that people-to-people exchange is the foundation of all good relations," he told China.org.cn. "My organization and I have been working very hard on promoting people-to-people contact, and I'm very pleased that these efforts have been appreciated and recognized."

Under his leadership, the FPCI launched the annual Global Town Hall conference, a platform for political dignitaries from various countries and international organizations to discuss the most pressing global challenges. In this year's conference held on Sept. 2, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi shared his perspective, highlighting the need for genuine multilateralism, fostering good neighborliness and friendship, and pursuing comprehensive security.

Djalal also led the FPCI in conducting the annual ASEAN-China Survey, providing insights into how the ASEAN population perceives the friendly and mutually beneficial nature of ASEAN-China relations.

The organization convened the China Forum, facilitating discussions among experts and scholars from ASEAN countries and China on developments and challenges in ASEAN-China and China-Indonesia relations. Additionally, the FPCI has a China Policy Group where Indonesian officials and experts share views and updates on China.

For the younger generation, the FPCI organized the "Halo China video competition" to engage more students in learning about Indonesia-China relations, and the main theme of this year's competition is "Together Towards Future: Celebrating 10th Anniversary of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Belt and Road Initiative."

Reflecting on the past decade, Djalal highlighted the enhancement of Indonesia-China ties as comprehensive strategic partners. He emphasized the profound trust nurtured both at the leadership level and among the broader public of the two nations.

"We're making an effort to make people understand one another through exchanges, through dialogue," he remarked, envisioning a more robust foundation for people-to-people relations in Asia.

"I think this is the Asian century. Indonesia is an emerging economy with high growth, and China is the mover of the world economy. As we maintain a positive growth in our relationship, I think the future is bright," he said.

The Orchid Awards highlight the pivotal role of interpersonal exchanges in nurturing global cultural connections. Djalal's exceptional contributions exemplify how individuals and groups can champion diplomatic efforts and international collaboration, strengthening bonds of friendship and mutual respect among nations.
FILE - The secret service's lettering is on one of the entrances to the headquarters of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 22, 2022. An employee of Germany's foreign intelligence service and an acquaintance have been charged with treason for allegedly passing sensitive documents to Russia, prosecutors said Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BERLIN (AP)  An employee of Germany's foreign intelligence service and an acquaintance have been charged with treason for allegedly passing secret documents to Russia, prosecutors said Friday.

The intelligence officer, who has been identified only as Carsten L. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in Berlin on Dec. 21 last year. The second suspect, a self-employed German businessman identified as Arthur E., was arrested at Munich airport on Jan. 22 as he arrived from the United States.

Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, said at the time of the first arrest that it brought in prosecutors immediately after internal investigations substantiated information about a possible case of treason.

Federal prosecutors said Friday that Carsten L. had been acquainted with Arthur E. since May 2021, and that the latter was in contact with a Russia-based businessman with ties to the FSB, Russia's domestic intelligence agency. The three allegedly met in September 2022 and conspired to procure sensitive BND information for the FSB.

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Carsten L. supplied a total of nine documents related to a project on technical intelligence gathering on two occasions between mid-September and early October last year, printing them out or taking photos of them on his computer screen, prosecutors said in a statement.

He then gave the material to Arthur E., who photographed the printouts, took the digitized data to Moscow, printed it out and handed it to the FSB in meetings with Russian officers, they added.

In September 2022, an FSB officer gave Arthur E. a list of questions of particular interest and Carsten L. procured the answers, prosecutors said. They added that Carsten L. received at least 450,000 euros ($482,000) from the FSB and Arthur E. got at least 400,000 euros in cash, which the latter picked up in Moscow in November 2022.

After the cash pickup, Carsten L. arranged for Arthur E. to be smuggled past German customs after he landed for alleged professional reasons, according to prosecutors.

The two men were charged at a Berlin court with two counts of joint perpetration of especially serious treason, prosecutors said. They added that the information passed to the FSB was classified as state secrets.

Germany has become one of the leading suppliers of military and financial aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In a previous case involving a suspected double agent at the agency, a former BND employee in 2016 was convicted of violating Germanys official secrets law and sentenced to eight years in prison for providing classified information, largely to the CIA.
COLOGNE, Germany  Imagine a drone swarm so cunning it can overwhelm any air defense, or an air defense weapon so smart it can see through any drone swarms tactics. New investments in military equipment will soon lead to artificial intelligence-powered sniff tests to see how such ideas would perform in the real world.

At least, thats the promise of a consortium of German startups and defense academics, who say their GhostPlay virtual battlefield offers acquisition officials the chance to game out new features for unmanned systems, counter-drone guns and everything in between in order to identify shortcomings during the design phase.

At the heart of the platform, internally dubbed a metaverse for the Bundeswehr, or German military, lies a kind of supercharged artificial intelligence engine built on self-learning and enhanced autonomy, according to Yvonne Hofstetter, the CEO of 21strategies. The German company, whose proprietary technology is already deployed by traders in the financial industry, leads the GhostPlay project along with local sensor specialist Hensoldt, the Bundeswehr University Hamburg, and Switzerland-based Borchert Consulting and Research.

The German Defence Ministry funded the idea in the course of a 500 million (U.S. $540 million) COVID-19 subsidy package, spread over four years and meant to jolt the countrys high-tech defense research sector into action. Grants are managed through a joint venture of Germanys two Bundeswehr universities (there is also one in Munich) dubbed dtec.bw.

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What sets GhostPlay apart from other military initiatives dabbling in artificial intelligence is its use of third-wave algorithms, Hofstetter said in an interview with Defense News, meaning the simulated battlefield actors make decisions that are more human-like, with surprises and unpredictability included.

That is compared to second-wave AI technologies that essentially behave as supporting acts to humans  optimizing or speeding up decisions instead of coming up with novel courses of action.

GhostPlay programmers say they can create would-be battlefields as digital twins of the real world. For example, if the assignment were to recreate Lithuania for a simulation, coders would fan out to copy the environment down to the last leaf using satellite photos and local authorities databases on everything from housing, infrastructure and vegetation, Hofstetter said.

Coders can also replicate the performance of enemy weapons, especially former Eastern bloc types, using data from open-source intelligence. That includes characteristics of air defense weapons or seeker technology in missiles.

There is enough info ... kind of scary, really, said Hofstetter, adding that old military handbooks of the German Democratic Republic have offered a window into warfighting tactics on display today in Russias invasion of Ukraine.

And even without data, the GhostPlay engine still serves up veritable foes by way of algorithms constantly fine-tuned via lessons learned in countless simulations.

The physical domain

Researchers have begun toying with the idea of transferring some of the projects AI decision-making logic to existing military equipment. If successful, that could give legacy systems a new lease on life and surprise adversaries with new capabilities in old kit, said Heiko Borchert of Borchert Consulting,

A paper authored by GhostPlay officials last year states the fire control system of the German Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, for example, could significantly enhance the target hit rate and increase its own chance of survival when infused with advanced AI algorithms.

The German government has transferred 46 Gepards to Ukraine from the stocks of manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. As of Aug. 24, a running online list of Berlins military support for Kyiv showed the transfer of six more vehicles was in the works.

No longer used by the Bundeswehr, the weapons reportedly have been instrumental in repelling some Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine, including against civilian targets.

In the context of GhostPlay, researchers trained the Gepard to fight a variety of platforms, including Bayraktar TB2 combat UAVs, drone swarms, as well as Russian Ka-52 and Mi-28 attack helicopters.

Preliminary results suggest that the [simulated Gepard] platform learns very fine-granular engagement tactics for different types of threats and even senses when its important to destroy the target or only disable it, according to the paper.

The platform also learned to optimize its sensor mix to detect targets and prioritize them based on the immediacy of a given threat. For example, the fire control algorithm learned to fire first at weapon-carrying platforms, like helicopters or missile-bearing drones, and engage loitering munitions later.

As for drone swarms, the simulated Gepard shot into what appeared on its radar as singular drone cloud; this thinned out the crowd until sensors were able to recognize tracks for each drone. And when a different, more urgent threat suddenly appeared from a different direction, the system managed to turn its turret and fire while a drone swarm conducted fancy maneuvers elsewhere meant to confuse the vehicles sensors.
(Bloomberg) -- KFW, the German development bank, has offered a 200 million ($214 million) loan to South African power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. so that it can boost its transmission grid in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces.

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The sovereign loan, part of an $8.5 billion energy transition pact between South Africa and some of the worlds richest countries, would allow Eskom to add 2,200 megawatts of renewable energy to the national grid, the German embassy to South Africa said Thursday.

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The advance requires approval from Eskom and the National Treasury. South Africa needs to build about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) of transmission lines each year until 2030 to meet its energy needs, the embassy said in a statement released on behalf of the investment partners in the so-called Just Energy Transition Partnership  the UK, US, Germany, France and the European Union.

The UK is willing to provide significant funds for transmission through African Development Bank lending enabled through its JETP guarantee, and more facilities could be available from the European Investment Bank, the partnership said in the statement.

Read More: How South Africas Blackouts Went From Bad to Worse: QuickTake

South Africa is facing a crippling power crisis, which at times necessitates power cuts of more than 10 hours a day. Attempts to tackle it have been hampered by the weakness of its transmission grid, which has limited the amount of renewable energy that can be added.

The grid is strongest in Mpumalanga in the east, where the countrys coal-fired power plants are sited, and weakest in areas with strong wind and power potential such as the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape.

Weve got to sort out the transmission network so that we can get more renewables onto the grid, Barbara Creecy, South Africas environment minister, said in an interview earlier this week.

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(Bloomberg) -- German lawmakers approved a controversial ban on fossil-fuel boilers in new homes, with a watered-down bill set to eradicate only about three quarters of the harmful emissions it initially targeted.

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From next year, home owners installing heating systems in new properties on new estates will have to make sure that they run on at least 65% renewable energy. But owners of existing properties will have until 2028 at the latest, giving them time to take local district heating plans into account. Gas boilers are still allowed if they are convertible to hydrogen.

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Like many of its European peers, Germany has faced difficulties in reducing emissions related to aging buildings. The legislation approved Friday in the lower house of parliament, overseen by Greens Economy Minister Robert Habeck, prompted an outcry among voters concerned about the cost of new heating systems and was diluted after months of in-fighting within the governing coalition.

It was also delayed for several months following a ruling by the countrys top court, which ordered the government to give lawmakers more time to assess the complex plans.

After an emotionally charged debate in the Bundestag in Berlin Friday, 399 members voted in favor of the law and 275 against, with five abstentions.

We have debated this law intensively for months, and the many discussions and conversations have made this law better, Habeck said in an emailed statement after the ballot, calling it key milestone for climate protection.

Germany would now be less dependent on fossil energy, consumers will be protected from rising prices for natural gas and crude oil and domestic competitiveness in green technologies will be given a boost, he added. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a post on X that its another good step toward climate neutrality.

The law is expected to cut emissions by about 40 million tons by 2030, compared with 54 million tons estimated in a stricter draft of the legislation presented in February, according to the Economy Ministry.

The government also promised to cushion the financial burden for home owners and top up funding for the replacement of boilers from around 40% to a maximum of 70%.

If the boiler exchange is combined with other renovation measures, the government will provide as much as 90,000 ($96,404) in subsidies per year, up from 60,000 initially.

Joerg-Andreas Krueger, the president of German environmental group NABU, called the law a toothless tiger, arguing that the weaker version doesnt solve the problem its trying to address.

The bottom line is that the government still lacks a political response for a socially just and climate-friendly heating transition, Krueger said in an emailed statement.

(Updates with Habeck comments starting in sixth paragraph)

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Rudy Giuliani , the former New York mayor and onetime attorney to Donald Trump , owes millions of dollars in legal fees, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, a debt that Giuliani hopes to eat into Thursday night at a fundraiser at Trumps Bedminster golf club.

Amid a host of lawsuits and now criminal charges tied to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Giuliani is expected to take in more than $1 million for his legal defense fund at a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser hosted by Trump Thursday evening. It is the first of two fundraisers Trump is expected to sponsor for Giuliani.

Giulianis son, Andrew Giuliani , who helped organize the fundraiser at Trumps New Jersey club, said in an interview Thursday on Sid Rosenbergs WABC radio show that the event would not cover all of Giulianis legal fees. But he said that it would help Giuliani be able to have the resources necessary to put a team together to fight against what many of us see as political prosecutions.

Giulianis closest allies have been soliciting donations from people the former New York mayor has helped in the past  including former deputies and politicians who previously solicited favors from Giuliani, as well as from high-dollar donors who have contributed to Giulianis political endeavors. Its unclear how successful this effort has been, but a source familiar with the legal defense fund said it has raised peanuts compared to the millions of dollars Giuliani owes.

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The fundraiser at Bedminster comes amid a split in Trump world about whether the former president should be doing more to help Giuliani pay for his mounting legal bills, multiple sources familiar with the conversations and dynamics between the two men told CNN.

Trump has pushed back on the idea that he should pay Giulianis bills himself so that their interests remain aligned, arguing that he hasnt committed any wrongdoing, some sources said.

Michael Ragusa shared photos of former President Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani speaking to a crowd of supporters at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on Monday. He has also shared a video of Giuliani speaking to the crowd of supporters. - Michael Ragusa

But despite not paying his legal bills, the two men still spend time together. Trump and Giuliani ate lunch together Monday and greeted Trump supporters together at the former presidents Bedminster resort.

Giuliani has struggled to pay his legal bills  which one source estimated to be as high as $5 million  while defending against multiple defamation lawsuits. Giuliani has been sued over his comments and actions after the 2020 election spreading false claims of election fraud.

Last week, a judge ruled Giuliani lost a defamation lawsuit from two Georgia election workers against him after he failed to provide information sought in subpoenas. He has already been sanctioned nearly $90,000 in attorneys fees and now faces the prospect of significant damages that could amount to thousands if not millions of dollars.

And in a defamation case brought by voting technology company Smartmatic against Giuliani and others, his attorney said last month that Giuliani couldnt afford to pay $15,000 to a data-hosting company for an electronic search of his phone records.

Giuliani is also facing criminal charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for his role in an alleged conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020.

Legal bills for the Fulton County case could easily add millions to Giulianis tab. Prosecutors told Judge Scott McAfee Wednesday that they expect the Georgia trial will last approximately four months and they intend to call more than 150 witnesses. Giuliani is currently represented in the Georgia case by attorneys Brian Tevis and David Wolfe, as well as New York based attorney John Esposito.

But it is still unclear if Giuliani will be able to come up with the money to retain his defense team.

Asked about the fundraiser, Tevis told CNNs Kaitlan Collins Thursday night, I assume that theyre trying to raise as much as possible. And I think theyre going to need it.

If you look at how much the state has already spent on a case like this  all the district attorneys theyve pulled from the line, all the paper copy costs, all the investigative work, all the things theyre doing  I dont care how much money you have, you cannot outspend the state, he said on The Source.

Just being named in an indictment of this magnitude and knowing the scale, the scope, the length of this trial, even the preliminary matters, is going to be extremely costly.

Some of those people dont like Rudy Giuliani

There is disagreement among Trump advisors about whether he should be helping Giuliani. Multiple advisers have told Trump that it would be in his best interest to help his former lawyer with these bills as a way to keep him in the fold and to aid a longtime ally.

Others have encouraged the former president to cut Giuliani loose.

Andrew Giuliani blamed some Trump aides for suggesting there was a wedge between them. During his WABC interview, he said that his father was willing to tell Trump when he sees somebody thats yessing him to death who isnt giving the former president good information.

And guess what  some of those people dont like Rudy Giuliani for doing that, Andrew Giuliani said.

Sources close to Trump pushed back on the idea that Trump was not helping Giuliani, specifically pointing to the fundraisers he has agreed to sponsor, as well as a payment from his political action committee to cover Giulianis debt to a data-hosting company.

This is his way of helping him, one source said.

Trump has paid the full legal bills of a number of advisers, aides and employees connected to both the House select committee that investigated January 6, 2021, and the federal investigations into the former president.

Many of these individual whose bills Trumps PAC has covered are relatively unknown, unlike Giuliani, who still has supporters willing to dole out money at fundraisers.

Bernie Kerik, Giulianis longtime friend and former New York police commissioner, is advising him on finding lawyers and also raising money to help pay Giulianis outstanding bills, according to sources. Kerik traveled with Giuliani to Georgia for his arraignment last month and was seen walking with the former mayor into the Fulton County jail.

I dont care who you are and what you have done for Trump  Giulianis done ten-times more and suffered more than anyone, Kerik told CNN. He estimates Giuliani has lost between $10-$20 million in business because of his work for Trump.

Kerik worked closely with Giuliani after the 2020 election to chase down supposed election fraud. Though he is not charged in the sprawling indictment out of Fulton County, Keriks attorney confirmed to CNN that Kerik is the unnamed individual listed in the indictment as co-conspirator 5.

Giuliani wont ask for money himself

Giuliani currently owes more than $1 million to his former attorney Robert Costello, according to a source familiar with matter. As CNN first reported, the two men met with Trump earlier this year to discuss helping pay off Giulianis legal debt. But multiple sources said Costello did all the talking in those meetings.

Giuliani has not been willing to personally ask Trump for help directly.

He will not do it. He thinks its disrespectful to the president, a source close to Giuliani said.

After the meetings with Costello, Trumps Save America political action committee paid $340,000 to a data-hosting company, Trustpoint, on Giulianis behalf, according to federal campaign records. CNN confirmed that the payment from Trumps leadership PAC  which has paid roughly $40 million in legal fees for Trump and his aides and advisers  covered Giulianis debt with the company and allowed him to pay for an additional search for evidence.

Trump also agreed after meeting with Giuliani and Costello to attend two fundraisers for Giuliani, a source said.

Andrew Giuliani has also made direct appeals to Trump on behalf of his father. The younger Giuliani, who set up a political action committee to help with his fathers legal bills, has developed his own relationship with Trump.

They love the chaos

Sources who have spent time with Trump and Rudy Giuliani describe a friendship and said that the former president remains very fond of the former mayor.

Its not that he is refusing to help, one source said, noting Trumps PACs payment for Giulianis debt to the data-hosting company. The source also said Trump had not ruled out taking on more of Giulianis legal bills in the future, should his other fundraising efforts fall short.

Andrew Giuliani, who did not respond to CNNs questions about Thursdays fundraiser, said on WABC Thursday that the former New York mayor is ready to take on the charges against him.

When he called his father to ask how he was feeling shortly after the Fulton County indictment was unveiled, Andrew Giuliani said he was almost chipper because he had a challenge.

I hang up the phone and Im like, This guys half-crazy. He loves the chaos, the younger Giuliani said. Hes like Trump in that in that regard. And that really is true. Theyre wired a little bit differently than most of us. They love the chaos. They love the challenge.

CNNs Alayna Treene contributed to this report.

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While a medical student at UC San Francisco, Dereck Paul grew concerned that innovation in medical software was lagging behind other sectors, like finance and aerospace. He came to believe that patients are best served when doctors are equipped with software that reflects the cutting edge of tech, and dreamed of starting a company that'd prioritize the needs of patients and doctors over hospital administrators or insurance companies.

So Paul teamed up with Graham Ramsey, his friend and an engineer at Modern Fertility, the women's health tech company, to launch Glass Health in 2021. Glass Health provides a notebook physicians can use to store, organize and share their approaches for diagnosing and treating conditions throughout their careers; Ramsey describes it as a "personal knowledgement management system" for learning and practicing medicine.

"During the pandemic, Ramsey and I witnessed the overwhelming burdens on our healthcare system and the worsening crisis of healthcare provider burnout," Paul said. "I experienced provider burnout firsthand as a medical student on hospital rotations and later as an internal medicine resident physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Our empathy for frontline providers catalyzed us to create a company committed to fully leveraging technology to improve the practice of medicine."

Glass Health gained early traction on social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), among physicians, nurses and physicians-in-training, and this translated to the company's first funding tranche, a $1.5 million pre-seed round led by Breyer Capital in 2022. Glass Health was then accepted into Y Combinator's Winter 2023 batch. But early this year, Paul and Ramsey decided to pivot the company to generative AI -- embracing the growing trend.

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Glass Health now offers an AI tool powered by a large language model (LLM), tech similar to that behind OpenAI's ChatGPT, to generate diagnoses and "evidence-based" treatment options to consider for patients. Physicians can type in descriptions like "71-year-old male with a history of myocardial infarction presents with subacute progressive dyspnea on exertion" or "65-year-old women with a history of diabetes and hyperlipidemia presents with acute-onset chest pain and diaphoresis," and Glass Health's AI will provide a likely prognosis and clinical plan.

"Clinicians enter a patient summary, also known as a problem representation, that describes the relevant demographics, past medical history, signs and symptoms and descriptions of laboratory and radiology findings related to a patients presentation -- the information they might use to present a patient to another clinician," Paul explained. "Glass analyzes the patient summary and recommends five to 10 diagnoses that the clinician may want to consider and further investigate."

Glass Health can also draft a case assessment paragraph for clinicians to review, which includes explanations about possibly relevant diagnostic studies. These explanations can be edited and used for clinical notes and records down the line, or shared with the wider Glass Health community.

In theory, Glass Health's tool seems incredibly useful. But even cutting-edge LLMs have proven to be exceptionally bad at giving health advice.

Babylon Health, an AI startup backed by the U.K.s National Health Service, has found itself under repeated scrutiny for making claims that its disease-diagnosing tech can perform better than doctors.

In an ill-fated experiment, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) launched a chatbot in partnership with AI startup Cass to provide support to people suffering from eating disorders. As a result of a generative AI systems upgrade, Cass began to parrot harmful "diet culture" suggestions like calorie restriction, leading NEDA to shut down the tool.

Elsewhere, Health News recently recruited a medical professional to evaluate the soundness of ChatGPT's health advice in a wide range of subjects. The expert found that the chatbot missed recent studies, made misleading statements (like that "wine might prevent cancer" and that prostate cancer screenings should be based on "personal values") and plagiarized content from several health news sources.

In a more charitable piece in Stat News, a research assistant and two Harvard professors found that ChatGPT listed the correct diagnosis (within the top three options) in 39 of 45 different vignettes. But the researchers caveated that the vignettes were the kind typically used to test medical students and might not reflect how people -- particularly those for whom English is a second language -- describe their symptoms in the real world.

It hasn't been studied much. But I wonder if bias, too, could play a role in causing an LLM to incorrectly diagnose a patient. Because medical LLMs like Glass' are often trained on health records, which only show what doctors and nurses notice (and only in patients who can afford to see them), they could have dangerous blind spots that aren't immediately apparent. Moreover, doctors may unwittingly encode their own racial, gender or socioeconomic biases in writing the records LLMs train on, leading the models to prioritize certain demographics over others.

Paul seemed well aware of the scrutiny surrounding generative AI in medicine -- and asserted that Glass Health's AI is superior to many of the solutions already on the market.

Glass Health

Image Credits: Glass Health

"Glass connects LLMs with clinical guidelines that are created and peer-reviewed by our academic physician team," he said. "Our physician team members are from major academic medical centers around the country and work part-time for Glass Health, like they would for a medical journal, creating guidelines for our AI and fine-tuning our AIs ability to follow them ... We ask our clinician users to supervise all of our our LLM applications outputs closely, treating it like an assistant that can offer helpful recommendations and options that they may consider but never replaces directs or replaces their clinical judgment."

In the course of our interview, Paul repeatedly emphasized that Glass Health's AI -- while focused on providing potential diagnoses -- shouldn't be interpreted as definitive or prescriptive in its answers. Here's my guess as to the unspoken reason: If it were, Glass Health would be subject to greater legal scrutiny -- and potentially even regulation by the FDA.

Paul isn't the only one hedging. Google, which is testing a medical-focused language model called Med-PaLM 2, has been careful in its marketing materials to avoid suggesting that the model can supplant the experience of health professionals in a clinical setting. So has Hippocratic, a startup building an LLM specially tuned for healthcare applications (but not diagnosing).

Still, Paul argues that Glass Health's approach gives it "fine control" over its AI's outputs and guides its AI to "reflect state-of-the-art medical knowledge and guidelines." Part of that approach involves collecting user data to improve Glass' underlying LLMs -- a move that might not sit well with every patient.

Paul says that users can request the deletion of all of their stored data at any time.

"Our LLM application retrieves physician-validated clinical guidelines as AI context at the time it generates outputs," he said. "Glass is different from LLMs applications like ChatGPT that rely solely on their pre-training to produce outputs, and can more easily produce medical information that is inaccurate or out of date ... We have tight control over the information and guidelines used by our AI to create outputs and the ability to apply a rigorous editorial process to our guidelines that aims to address bias and align our recommendations with the goal of achieving health equity."

We'll see if that turns out to be the case.

In the meantime, Glass Health isn't struggling to find early adopters. To date, the platform has signed up more than 59,000 users and already has a "direct-to-clinician" offering for a monthly subscription. This year, Glass will begin to pilot an electronic health record-integrated enterprise offering with HIPAA compliance; 15 unnamed health systems and companies are on the waitlist, Paul claims.

"Institutions like hospitals and health systems will be able to provide an instance of Glass to their doctors to empower their clinicians with AI-powered clinical decision support in the form of recommendations about diagnoses, diagnostic studies and treatment steps they can consider," Paul said. "We're also able to customize Glass AI outputs to a health system's specific clinical guidelines or care delivery practices."

With a total of $6.5 million in funding, Glass plans to spend on physician creation, review and updating of the clinical guidelines used by the platform, AI fine-tuning and general R&D. Paul claims that Glass has four years of runway.
The Subject

When Tennessee state representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson took the state House floor to protest and demand a gun safety bill, state Rep. Gloria Johnson joined them. They were expelled from the chamber; by one vote, she wasnt. But she traveled to D.C. with them  the Tennessee Three, Democrats in a deep red state who the national party embraced as heroes.

On Tuesday, Johnson announced a campaign for U.S. Senate, challenging freshman Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn in a state that hasnt voted for a Democratic senator since 1990. I think weve gotten donations from all 50 states, and all Tennessee counties, Johnson said in an interview, as she described the first days of her underdog campaign and what she planned to run on.

The Interview

Americana: At your launch speech, you said that Phil Bredesen got within 10 points of Blackburn in 2018, you needed to close that gap, and a lot had changed since then. But Republicans did just fine in Tennessee last year. What can you point to that shows that voters want a change?

Gloria Johnson: What you have to understand about Tennessee is that most people didnt understand that we had a full ban on abortion, ready to go. They were shocked and surprised when they found out. They found out, they got much more active, and now theres a broad coalition for womens autonomy and abortion care across Tennessee. Eighty percent of Tennesseans believe in abortion care at some level, even if we may not all agree on where that level is.

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Americana: The Republican response to that is that Democrats dont want any limits whatsoever on abortion. Do you want limits?

Gloria Johnson: You know what? I am fine with the Roe standard, 24 weeks. What we hear from our colleagues across the aisle is that Democrats want late term abortion. Theres no late term abortion  nobody decorates their nursery and then decides, oh, we dont want to have the baby. When theres a termination, were talking about severe complications for either the fetus or to the mother. Those are just tragic decisions that have to be made to save lives.

So, theres 80% of us that support womens bodily autonomy, and 80% of Tennesseans believe in gun sense legislation  urban, rural, suburban. Im a gun owner. I have a gun. I plan on keeping that gun. However, we can keep the guns out of the hands of dangerous people and keep our communities and schools safe.

Americana: Why have Tennesseans been voting Republican if they agree with that?

Gloria Johnson: Thats what gerrymandering is about. They have chosen their voters instead of allowing the voters to choose their elected officials, so they can be extreme and motivate their extreme MAGA Republican base to turn out. Theyre not concerned about winning a general election  all they care about is winning a primary. Its not just gun violence and abortion thats affected, its all of our education stuff  vouchers, privatizing public education, our third grade retention law, these are all extreme things that the majority of Tennesseans do not agree on, yet they do them anyway.

This time is different. Im just a grassroots person. Im very in touch with what is happening on the ground. And what is happening on the ground is amazing in Tennessee. You truly have a coalition coming together of people that havent worked together before. Theyre coming together on things like Medicaid expansion, health care, and public schools. And what were doing is creating this multiracial, multigenerational coalition that will not be divided.

Americana: In 2018, Bredesen said that he would have voted for Brett Kavanaugh. The story at the time was that this killed Democratic enthusiasm. Is that how it looked to you?

Gloria Johnson: That is a fact. I have all the respect in the world for Gov. Bredesen, but I disagreed with that. I would absolutely have voted against him, and I wouldnt have had to think twice about that. Im a woman. I knew exactly what was at stake.

Americana: One of Sen. Blackburns priorities is the Kids Online Safety Act. Do you support it?

Gloria Johnson: Ive absolutely got some serious questions about that. Im concerned about what the true motives are. Im going to have to read a lot more on the bill before I make a decision on it, because Im concerned whether its targeting a certain group of people. With legislation like this, you need to think of all the different effects that it could have.

Americana: Maybe the most famous moment of Blackburns first term was when she asked Ketanji Brown Jackson if she could define the word, woman. How would you answer that question? What is a woman?

Gloria Johnson: What I would say is: Its a human being who you have spent your career trying to deny full bodily rights to. But its kind of funny. They sent a tracker after me this week to ask me that question  a young man. And I told him: If you dont know now, I dont think I can help you.
The UAW strike is a "nightmare situation" for Detroit automakers.

Work stoppages and labor cost increases pose setbacks for their EV ambitions.

Tesla is already having a banner year for both sales and production.

The strike by the United Auto Workers union, which represents hourly workers at the Detroit Three car companies, could be great news for Tesla, one analyst says.

The union walked out on Friday after spending the summer negotiating new contracts with Ford, General Motors, and Jeep-owner Stellantis. The union is asking for historic wage increases, elimination of a tier system implemented during the depths of the recession, cost of living adjustments, and more. The strike could cost the industry as much as $5 billion in 10 days, experts estimated ahead of time.

This is all "a potential nightmare situation for GM and Ford," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to clients this month. Any threat to supply would also inevitably diminish year-end production and inventory, chipping away at holiday season deals.

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Tesla, which does not use union labor, is situated to benefit from any work stoppage at competitors, especially at a time when the industry is pushing harder into electric vehicles, Ives said.

"Tesla does not face similar issues which speaks to the complexity both GM and Ford face going up against the EV leader Tesla, while trying to satisfy rising union demands," Ives said. "If a strike happens then ultimately production and the EV roadmap could be pushed out into 2024 and delays would be on the horizon at this crucial period for GM, Ford, and Stellantis."

Setbacks come just as Ford and GM are looking to unseat Tesla

Ford and GM have both set lofty goals for electric vehicle production over the next several years, with Farley putting Elon Musk and Tesla directly in his sights when Ford launched the F-150 Lightning last year.

But production slowdowns from a work stoppage combined with potentially large labor cost increases could put the brakes on Detroit's race to beat Tesla at the EV game, Ives said.

Raising the stakes for GM and Ford: Tesla is already having a banner year for both sales and production, on track to hit its nearly 2 million-unit production target by the end of the year. And the long-awaited Cybertruck is expected to add to that success when it hits customers' driveways later this year.

"Farley and Barra both face some tough decisions ahead," he said. "The options around facing a strike OR accepting a major cost intake for the next decade is a dynamic the Street will be closely watching over the next week."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A BMW executive told Autocar magazine the company will be ending its $18-a-month heated seat subscription.

The executive said the carmaker plans to continue with a subscription model for certain features.

This seat-heating paywall was dunked on by everyone, from consumers to talk show hosts.

BMW drivers can celebrate  you'll no longer be asked to pay extra for your heated seats to work.

Pieter Nota, the German carmaker's board member for sales and marketing, told Autocar magazine in an interview published Thursday, that the company would no longer charge consumers for features that are already in their cars.

That includes the roughly $18 monthly fee  or $180 annually  to activate heated seats, which come pre-installed in these cars. BMW cars typically cost anywhere between the low $30,000s to the high $70,000s in the US.

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Back in 2020, the company said they could start charging subscriptions for features already in the car. Seat warming charges appear to have been rolled out in 2022.

"What we don't do anymore  and that is a very well-known example  is offer seat heating by this way. It's either in or out," said Nota. "We offer it by the factory, and you either have it or you don't have it."

"We thought that we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that later, but the user acceptance isn't that high," Nota told Autocar during the IAA Mobility conference in Munich.

"People feel that they paid double  which was actually not true, but perception is reality, I always say. So that was the reason we stopped that."

Nota did not disclose when the company stopped charging this fee.

BMW's venture into such in-car purchases wasn't just about seat warmers  the carmaker announced in 2020 that it was planning to offer subscriptions for features like adaptive cruise control and heated steering wheels.

The automaker faced considerable backlash from consumers after these charges were announced. Even talk show host Trevor Noah joked about the cost in an episode of The Daily Show, saying, "It's only a matter of time before you buy a BMW, and then you're going to have to listen to a mattress ad everytime you start the car."

Despite scrapping the seat-warming charges, Nota told Autocar the company still plans to go ahead with charging for other features  like $20-a-month driving assistance software.

It's not just BMW that runs such subscription models. Automakers Ford and General Motors set a target annual revenue of at least $20 billion from software services by 2030.

BMW did not immediately respond to a request for comments from Insider, sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The clock is ticking for Donald Trump s rivals to catch up to the former president in Iowa, the first state to vote in the GOP nominating process next year.

Trump has built up significant and stable leads in the polls, both nationally and in critical early-voting states.

Now, other GOP presidential candidates are scrambling to close the gap in the Hawkeye State, which could prove decisive in determining who will continue forward in the race after the Jan. 15 caucuses.

If the front-runner, in this case Donald Trump, wins Iowa, wins New Hampshire, this is going to be a short nominating process, said Iowa-based GOP strategist Craig Robinson.

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Iowa has been the first state to vote in the presidential nominating process for decades and has regularly played a role in narrowing the field. The top-performing candidates often gain momentum, while those who show poorly frequently leave the race soon after.

But past races for the GOP nomination without an incumbent have not been as dominated by just one person at this point in the contest as they have been this cycle.

Nikki Haleys presidential campaign argued in a recent memo that Trump is essentially running as an incumbent given his wide name recognition and the strong, well-established views about him. That said, the memo noted that Trumps lead in early states is somewhat smaller than it is nationally, with the former president holding less than a majority of support from primary voters.

That means close to 60% of Republican caucus/primary voters are actively looking for someone else to support, the memo states.

Trump stands at about 43 percent support in Iowa, 26 points ahead of his next closest opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to RealClearPoliticss polling average of the race. Its a commanding lead but measurably less than the national average, where Trump has nearly 54 percent backing, an almost 40 point lead over DeSantis.

Republican strategists said that difference could give other candidates an opportunity to make waves in Iowa, but they need to step up to find a way to stand out and clearly run against Trump instead of only focusing on each other.

Robinson said most candidates have been unable to move the needle in their favor, despite being in the race for several months now, amid Trumps dominating media coverage and unique candidacy.

He questioned whether provocative television ads and mailers would be effective at hurting Trump, but said investments in grassroots organizing to meet Iowans face-to-face could give Trump some concern.

You dont reap instant benefits from doing [that], but can you really build an organization thats going to turn out for you on caucus night? Robinson said. And Im not sure any of those candidates are currently really doing that sort of work.

Many candidates have made regular appearances in Iowa, but some have been more aggressive.

DeSantis has been advertising his goal of visiting all 99 counties in the state, which he said last month he expects to complete by the end of October. It has been part of the governors plan to focus on local events to make connections with Iowa voters.

Robinson emphasized that the important factor is what DeSantis is doing with his visits and if he is making the most of each stop instead of just being able to say that he went to all counties.

Its what you do with it that matters. There isnt some prize after you hit number 99. It matters how you do it and what you do with it. I think its very wise and smart to go everywhere and to ask for the vote for everyone, he said, adding that the campaign should focus on getting turnout at events and signing people up to get involved.

After DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has most often placed third in the state, taking about 10 percent in RealClearPoliticss average. But some Republicans have expressed worries that Scott may be not taking up the attention he needs in Iowa.

The Des Moines Register reported last week that some of Scotts rivals for the nomination have outpaced his visits to the state. A few recent polls have shown candidates like Haley or Vivek Ramaswamy passing Scott.

Iowa Republican consultant Nicole Schlinger said that Iowas role is to winnow the field, and she expects three tickets are going to get punched out of Iowa. She said the odds are in Trumps favor to win the state, but she pointed to the 2016 and 2008 races, in which the eventual winners of the Iowa caucuses were not leading in the polls at this point in those cycles.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) narrowly won the Iowa caucuses over Trump and other candidates in 2016, but polling heading into fall 2015 showed then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and neurosurgeon Ben Carson in the lead.

Schlinger said Cruzs ground game of going door to door helped him eventually catch up in the state, highlighting how a caucus differs from a primary.

A caucus is not like a primary. A caucus is a community meeting thats run by party volunteers. Its not an election, you cant vote absentee. You have to show up. You have to be there in person. Your neighbors are going to see you there, she said.

Thats the beauty of a caucus, is that candidates who historically have fared well have done a lot of that spadework far outside the limelight, she continued, adding that the 2008 Iowa caucuses winner, Mike Huckabee, spent months going to churches or meeting with people, which was extremely effective.

Michael Zona, a Republican strategist who worked on Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassleys two most recent campaigns, said he thinks the focus that the candidates are putting on Iowa is the reason why Trumps lead is not as significant in the state as it is on a national level.

He said Iowa is of particular importance this cycle because two candidates are from South Carolina, which will be the fourth state to vote on the primary calendar. The appeal that candidates have in Iowa would translate well to South Carolina, he said, but two candidates from that state, Haley and Scott, would make competing more difficult for the others in the race.

Zona agreed that candidates need to turn more attention directly to Trump if they want to seriously compete with him. Many candidates fought with each other for second or third place during the 2016 primaries while ignoring the front-runner.

That didnt work out for any of them. So if these candidates want a chance at winning  and I doubt some of them are intent on actually winning, but if their goal is to win  theyve got to make the case that they should be leading the party and winning over votes not just from their competitors in second or third or fourth place but their competitor in first place, he said.

It seems a lot of candidates havent necessarily learned much [from 2016], Zona added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tommy Tuberville has finally found an ally in his war against the Pentagon: Mike Lee. On Friday, the Republican senator from Utah tweeted out a defense of his colleague from Alabama, who has been holding months-long one-man embargo against critical military promotions for months. Lee even called for Republicans to de-fund Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and to cut Pentagon funding.

Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, since February has been blocking military promotions requiring Senate confirmation over his opposition to the militarys policy of reimbursing service members who are forced to travel to other states to obtain abortion services. The embargo has resulted in the stonewalling of more than 300 confirmations. The Marines, Navy, and Army all now lack a Senate-confirmed leader.

The Pentagon has repeatedly called the blockade a threat to national security and military readiness. Attempts to negotiate directly with Tuberville have proved fruitless, and this week the Pentagon began a media pressure campaign against the senator.

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Mike Lee has taken offense to that.

The Pentagon has vast resourcesmore than any other entity on earth, he wrote on Thursday. Its leaders have weaponized those resources against Americans they dont like. @SenTuberville is only the latest, most visible victim of their politically motivated bullying tactics. Who else have they attacked, whether overtly or covertly? Who will be their next victim? Do we really want a military that attacks American citizensjust to win their own political battles? I think not. Its time to clip some wings at the Pentagon, he wrote.

When Pentagon leaders stop fighting Americas enemies And instead fight Americans Waging war on American babies Its time to cut Pentagon funding, he added in another tweet Friday morning. Lee also called for Defense Sec. Austin himself to be defunded, accusing him of flouting abortion laws and using the DODs vast resources to defame those who call him out for it.

When Pentagon leaders stop fighting

Americas enemies



And instead fight Americans



Waging war on American babies



Its time to cut Pentagon funding pic.twitter.com/YJn4EjeTu3  Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) September 8, 2023

Lees support of Tuberville marks a break with Republican leadership. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters in May that he doesnt support putting a hold on military nominations, although the GOP leader hasnt been able to push Tuberville towards a resolution.

The battle between Tuberville and the Pentagon is likely to escalate in the coming weeks, as the Pentagon prepares to appoint a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to replace General Mark Milly, whose term ends Oct. 1. Should the dispute with Tuberville remain unresolved, it could leave the highest-ranking military office empty.

Lee entering the fray could help to stiffen Tubervilles already steadfast resolve even further. Im not budging, the senator told CNN on Tuesday.

More from Rolling Stone

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Click here to read the full article.
Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota will endorse former President Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary at a campaign rally in her home state on Friday, according to a person familiar with the forthcoming endorsement.

Noem, who was once a possible 2024 contender herself, will introduce Trump at a fundraiser hosted by the states Republican Party in Rapid City. CNN first reported the impending endorsement.

The popular GOP governor has been floated as a possible Trump running mate, and has publicly voiced her support for the former president in recent months, saying that Trump is the only candidate in the race with the ability to win.

Our country is breaking right in front of our very eyes today, and everybody should be a part of putting it back on its foundation, Noem told Fox News host Sean Hannity last month. And if President Trump is going to be back in the White House, Id do all I can to help him be successful.

Alex Isenstadt contributed to this report.
Daniel Khalife strapped himself to the bottom of a delivery van - METROPOLITAN POLICE

Terrorist suspect Daniel Khalife should have been in a high-security category A jail over his espionage charge, says a senior adviser to the Government on terrorism.

Jonathan Hall, KC, the UKs independent reviewer of terrorism law, questioned why former soldier Khalife, 21, was placed in HMP Wandsworth, a category B prison in south London, after being charged with a crime against the state as a potential spy for Iran.

He is believed to have escaped on Wednesday morning by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, has ordered a report into whether the security level of Khalife had been correctly categorised to place him in category B prison rather than category A, such as Belmarsh high security prison in south-east London.

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Mr Hall said that unlike many other terrorists, anyone charged with espionage could have access to a network of supporters allied to a hostile state.

Capability that is not open to other terrorists

You would ask yourself, could they have assistance? Is it possible he is part of a network that will have a capability that is not open to other terrorists, he said. I would have thought someone charged with espionage ought to be held more securely.

The ex-Signals soldier, formally based at Beacon barracks in Stafford, was charged in January with breaching the Official Secrets Act by allegedly committing an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of Britain in a plot said to be linked to a hostile nation.

British-born but said to have Middle Eastern heritage, Khalife was said to have gathered details that could be useful to an enemy between May 2019 and January 2022.

He was also charged with eliciting information about members of the Armed Forces useful for terrorism, by recording personal details from the Ministry of Defence joint personnel administration system on Aug 2, 2021.

Khalife was arrested after allegedly planting fake bombs  three canisters with wires  on a desk in his barracks accommodation on Jan 2 this year.

Security flaws

The soldier was discharged from the Army when he faced criminal accusations of perpetrating a bomb hoax with the intention of inducing a belief in another that the said items were likely to explode or ignite.

Since his arrest, judges have refused to grant the terror suspect bail ahead of his trial at Woolwich Crown Court on Nov 20. Khalife was last seen in public at the Old Bailey in July when he denied all three charges.

Mr Chalk has also ordered an investigation into security flaws that allowed Khalife to escape and whether all prisoners in Wandsworth are correctly categorised. There will also be a review of all 271 terrorist prisoners in English and Welsh jails to establish whether they are being held in the appropriate jails.

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New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has said enough is enough when it comes to gun violence (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The time for standard measures has passed. Today I am declaring gun violence a public health emergency in New Mexico," is the message New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made loud and clear in a statement she released on Thursday.

The announcement was made by following the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy during an alleged road rage incident on Wednesday.

The governor also urged in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland for New Mexico to be assigned more law enforcement agents to cut off vast criminal networks and decrease the persistent violence.

In an executive order that the governor signed yesterday declaring the public health emergency, she is also requesting various government departments to collaborate on stopping the gun violence. She requests an emergency fund of $750,000 to invest in public safety.

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The 11-year-old boy was killed and a woman was taken to hospital in critical condition after they were shot at whilst driving westbound on Avenida Cesar Chaves near University Boulevard, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Media confirmed in a press briefing.

Governor Lujan Grisham also mentions the death of a five-year-old girl. Today, I join the family of an 11-year-old boy in mourning his violent death yesterday, she said. And I mourn the loss of a 5-year-old girl murdered in her bed last month.

These are disgusting acts of violence that have no place in our communities. As a mother and grandmother, I cannot fathom the depth of these losses, and their effects will be felt by families, friends and communities forever."

The governor urged to Attorney General Merrick Garland to assign more law enforcement agents to New Mexico (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The executive order also showed statistics on the rate of gun deaths in New Mexico, which has has increased by 43 per cent between 2009 and 2018, compared to an 18 per cent increase across the US.

In the letter she wrote to the attorney general, Ms Lujan Grisham also outlines various other crimes that are tormenting the state, such as human trafficking and drug rings. A cannabis farm was discovered in Estancia and was believed to have many victims of human trafficking on the site, she wrote.

The governor also urged her fellow citizens on X (formerly known as Twitter), to Get loud. Step up. Demand change: from your neighbors, from your friends, from your communities, from your elected leaders. Enough is enough.

However, the decision to put a spotlight on gun crime did not receive the back of some of her political colleagues.

New Mexico House Republican Minority Leader Ryan Lane accused the governor of making the childrens death a political matter so she could "push her anti-gun agenda."

"The Democrats policies have created and exacerbated the crime crisis that is literally killing New Mexicans daily. It is unacceptable that it has taken this long to notice the number of everyday New Mexicans that are being affected by criminal violence," the Republican leader said in a statement.

In the US so far in 2023, there has been at least 25,000 gun-related deaths and 470 mass shootings across the nation, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Russia launched air and mortar strikes against two settlements in Kherson Oblast, killing three people and wounding another five, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Sept. 8.

Two women and a man aged between 40 and 48 were killed when a guided aerial bomb hit the village of Odradokamianka, according to Prokudin.

The attack wounded four women, with two of them hospitalized in stable condition, the official said on Telegram.

Odradokamianka lies on the Kyiv-controlled west bank of the Dnipro River, some 70 kilometers east of the regional capital, Kherson.

Russian troops also reportedly used mortars to target the village of Vesele, just across the river from occupied Nova Kakhovka.

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A 67-year-old man was wounded and hospitalized as a result of the attack, the governor added.

Ukraine liberated Kherson and other regional settlements on the Dnipro Rivers west bank in November 2022.

Russian forces were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) defended his actions surrounding the 2020 election after a grand jury report in Fulton County, Ga., released Friday showed jurors recommended that he be prosecuted.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) ultimately did not pursue the charges.

Graham said Friday that his decisions, including his highly-publicized call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), were consistent with his job as a U.S. senator and, at the time, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The South Carolina Republican added that he made the responsible decision and noted repeatedly that he voted to certify the 2020 election for President Biden.

What I did was consistent with my job as being a U.S. senator, chair of the Judiciary Committee.  I think the system in this country is getting off the rails and we have to be careful not to use the legal system as a political tool, Graham told reporters in his home state.

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The South Carolina senator added that he did not read the report in question and that he was surprised the grand jury recommended him for prosecution. According to the grand jury report, 13 jurors recommended prosecution while seven did not. One member of the grand jury abstained.

I was totally surprised.  I never suggested anybody set aside the election. I never said go find votes. I never said anything other than trying to find how the mail-in balloting system worked, Graham said.

The case will move forward without me, Graham said. If it ever becomes impossible or politically dangerous or legally dangerous for a United States senator to call up people to find out how the election was wrong, God help us all. The next election, if I have questions, Ill do the same thing.

Graham added that he has not had any further communication with the grand jury.

Jurors also voted 17-4 and 14-6 to recommend indictments for former Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively.

Graham came under fire for his call with Raffensperger, who claimed that the senator asked him about possibly throwing out votes that were legally cast. Graham has scoffed at that idea repeatedly and has maintained his focus was on mail-in ballots and how to match signatures.

Willis ultimately issued charges for former President Trump and 18 others involved in the 2020 election, including ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani and a number of lawyers involved in the effort to overturn the election.

The grand jury report released Friday also showed the grand jury recommended charges for a number of other people that Willis did not move forward with. Among those were Trump-aligned attorney Cleta Mitchell and Michael Flynn, who served as Trumps national security adviser for a brief time.

The grand jury also called to charge Boris Epshteyn, a longtime aide to Trump who serves as part of his legal team.

Trump responded to the grand jury report Friday and panned it as having ZERO credibility.

Essentially, they wanted to indict anybody who happened to be breathing at the time. It totally undermines the credibility of the findings, and badly hurts the Great State of Georgia, whose wonderful and patriotic people are not happy with this charade, he wrote.

Updated at 1:47 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
While Switzerland is known for its snow-peaked Alpine mountains, it is not immune to our planets overheating. And as the nation swelters during Europes recent heat waves, older Swiss women are taking legal action against their government for failing to protect them from climate change.

KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz (known in English as the Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland) is a group of Swiss women who have filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights, the highest human rights court in Europe, The New York Times reported.

The group has accused the Swiss government of violating their human rights and not doing enough to shield them from extreme heat.

Like the rest of the world, Switzerland has experienced record-breaking heat in recent years, and older women are disproportionately impacted. In 2022, heat waves killed over 61,000 people throughout Europe, the majority of whom were women older than 80, as the Times reported based on a paper in Nature Medicine.

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In Switzerland specifically, older women had the highest mortality rate for heat-related deaths last summer in a study.

KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz hopes its lawsuit will force the Swiss government to strengthen its climate policy to limit rising temperatures. While the group acknowledges that extreme heat endangers everyone, it is using older womens specific vulnerability to heat-related illness to bolster its lawsuit.

With over 2,300 members as of spring 2023, the plaintiffs case could pave the way for more Europeans to take legal action and force governments to improve environmental policies.

This case is the first of its kind in Europe, and if the court sides with the KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz, it could set a precedent for similar cases in the 46 countries that are members of the human rights court.

The court held a public hearing March 29, and the group anticipates a final judgment by the end of this year or in 2024.

Although KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz members have diverse backgrounds and speak a variety of languages, they are united by their shared concern for their lives. They described their struggles doing household chores and activities during Switzerlands heat waves to the Times.

It is difficult to go outside  it is difficult to breathe, Fatima Heussler, a 71-year-old Zurich resident and KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz member, told the outlet.

Isabelle Joerg, a 70-year-old group member from Basel, said: I feel like I need to protect myself. I used to love summer  and now I can be threatened by it.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Explore Fort Worth: Sign up here for our Eats Beat newsletter  the best in what to eat and drink in the Fort Worth area.

The city of Lake Worth is named after an artificial lake on the northwestern edge of Fort Worth in west central Tarrant County. The popular lake was formed by a dam completed in 1914 on the West Fork of the Trinity River and provides municipal water and recreation to the Fort Worth area. In Texan folklore, the Lake Worth Monster or the Lake Worth Goatman is a legendary creature said to inhabit the lake, described as part-goat, part-fish and part-man.

Where is Lake Worth?

Lake Worth, a 2.5-square-mile city incorporated in 1949 and originally called Lake Worth Village, lies to the east of the lake that its named after. The Tarrant County suburb houses a small population of 4,710 people, double the population in 1950. Lake Worth offers a rural feel, with many families and retirees living there and most owning their homes.

Activities in Lake Worth

What to eat

Bosses Pizza Wings & Burgers  With dough made daily, a reviewer of this pizzeria touts its perfect cheese to sauce ratio. This restaurant at 6059 Lake Worth Blvd. boasts of having the coldest beer in Texas. It also serves chicken wings and burgers.

Thai Orange Cuisine  This restaurant offers a wide selection of rice and noodle dishes with flavorful spices and meats. Located at 6060 Rocky Point Trail #300, the restaurant also serves traditional Thai dishes such as pad Thai and chicken and beef satay. Mulan Japanese Kitchen  Hungry for sushi or tempura? This Japanese restaurant at 6548 Lake Worth Blvd. Suite 200 will satisfy your cravings. Tuscany Italian Bistro  This family friendly restaurant at 6060 Rocky Point Trail Unit 500 serves Italian fare made with fresh and quality ingredients that, its website states, exemplify the traditions of old-world home cooked Italian comfort food.

Ginger Browns Old Tyme Restaurant & Bakery  This popular local diner at 6312 Jacksboro Hwy. serves American cuisine in a setting fit for the entire family.

Arizolas Mexican Restaurant  This Tex-Mex restaurant truly has Lake Worth roots. Whether dining alone or with the entire family, you will find menu items sure to satisfy your hunger at this local haunt located at 6055 Lake Worth Blvd.

Bullfrog Grill  This restaurant at 6700 Azle Ave. serves up burgers and barbecue. A reviewer on tripadvisor.com writes: Great burgers, really!! Hand cut fries and amazing barbecue chicken plate. Very fast and great service too!

Galilee Falafel & Shawarma  Galilee is a fast-food takeout shop serving Mediterranean cooking with a simplified menu. For example, theres a choice of grilled chicken or beef, shawarma or falafel. But thats served with vegetables as a bowl, or atop a salad, or wrapped in pita or  yes  a flour tortilla. Galilee, 6116 Lake Worth Blvd. (on Jacksboro Highway near Roberts Cut Off Road), doesnt use the word burrito or wrap. But thats what it is, write Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy.

Texas Movie Bistro  Dinner and a movie is what this place is about. Located at 3980 Boat Club Rd., reserve a seat and browse the menu.

Who lives here

Median age: 43.5 years

Race: 62% White, 34% Hispanic and 2% Black

Median household income: $78,958

Number of households: 1,762, 2.6 people per household

Median home value: $163,600

Percentage of foreign born residents: 13.5%

How to get around

Lake Worth has a walk score of 59 and a bike score of 45.

Public transit in Lake Worth is provided by Trinity Metro, with three bus stops in the area.

The nearest airport is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The freeway nearest to Lake Worth is I-820.
Last week, the Biden administration held the nations first ever offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico. It described the sale in a press release as part of its once-in-a-generation investment in Americas infrastructure and our clean energy future, with the potential to power around 1.3 million homes with clean energy. A significant sale could have signaled a shift away from fossil fuels for the oil- and gas-intensive Gulf region, but it was far from a runaway success: Only two companies bid for the leases on offer.

The sale isnt the only sign of trouble for the U.S. offshore wind industryand some major players are flagging problems to come. Following a summer of canceled projects from various companies, Danish offshore wind giant Orsted said in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday that it needed more help from the U.S. government if it was going to move forward with its U.S. projects. We are still upholding a real option to walk away, CEO Mads Nipper told the outlet.

The Biden administration has made kick-starting the U.S. offshore wind industry a core part of its climate agenda, while also hoping to make it a cornerstone of Bidens plans to invest in manufacturing jobs. It set an ambitious goal of installing enough offshore wind energy to power 10 million homes by the end of the decade. But despite record investments and government incentives, some serious headwinds (pardon the pun) are facing the industry. From the hard financial realities of building capital-intensive infrastructure projects to serious fossil fuelfunded political opposition, theres a rocky road ahead for offshore wind over the coming yearsno matter how much support or incentives the Biden administration throws at it.

When climate people talk about the renewable energy transition, they tend to wax poetic about the continually plummeting costs of wind and solar. That holds true for wind on land but is not the case for its offshore component. Siting and construction for offshore wind turbines is, unsurprisingly, much more expensive than for onshore wind; some estimates place the price tag for a kilowatt-hour of energy produced by offshore wind almost five times as high as that same kilowatt-hour produced onshore. Theres a lot of labor and time involved in installing skyscraper-size turbines miles off the coast. While onshore wind has had a steady foothold in the United States for decades, there are only two offshore wind farms currently operating in the U.S., off the coast of Virginia and Rhode Island. Many of the proposed projects are having to start from scratch in figuring out manufacturing and labor.

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When you add the high price of materials like steel, things get even trickier. Because they dont face many of the siting regulations that affect onshore turbines, individual offshore turbines can be designed much larger than their onshore counterparts in order to capture more power. These turbines are only projected to grow bigger over the coming decades. Thats great news for the grid but means higher installation costs up front.

Many of these problems are not unique to the offshore wind industry; with high worldwide prices for raw materials and labor, plus sky-high interest rates in the U.S., its not exactly a great time for huge infrastructure projects in general. As Bloombergs Liam Denning wrote last month, offshore wind has a lot more in common with the nuclear industry than it does with its onshore counterpart in terms of big, lengthy projects with a lot of upfront costsand is similarly going to have to rely on the government to get a lot of its farms across the finish line.

For capital- and time-intensive industries like offshore wind and nuclear, the political support of a presidential administration can make or break projects. In the U.S., the Trump administrations antagonistic attitude toward renewable energy created several roadblocks and additional lag times for offshore wind, including, ironically, a last-minute environmental review for already-delayed projects in the Atlantic Ocean. All the Biden administrations encouragement and tax incentives cant make up for lost time. (Some developers are flagging that certain requirements in the Inflation Reduction Actincluding, notably, that turbines be made in the U.S. and sited in specific communitiesare making it more difficult to access those incentives.)

And unlike nuclear, which has seen a dramatic surge in support from the center and right wing in recent years, offshore wind is currently the target of a massive misinformation campaign. Since Biden took office and projects around the country have begun to move forward, right-wing groupsmany funded by fossil fuel interestshave mobilized grassroots opposition (or created it wholesale) along the Atlantic coast, professing concern for offshore winds impact on wildlife. In places like New Jersey, offshore wind developers are facing lawsuits from these astroturf groups that are tangling up the process.

Even if offshore wind companies manage to weather the industrys financial troubles and handle these lawsuits, this political opposition isnt something to be ignored. The GOP is learning to more creatively campaign against climate action and figuring out different ways to boost fossil fuels when its not in power. As we saw with the Trump administration, much of the American clean energy project is a long game, requiring years of encouragement and incentives; the most enthusiastic, proclimate action administration in the world cant play catch-up if we go back to square one every election cycle.

Good News, Bad News

A Memphis-area plant that uses carcinogens to sterilize medical equipment will shut down following years of activism from community members living around it.

An entire town in Louisiana was forced to evacuate last week as part of Louisianas unprecedented summer of wildfiresAugust alone saw 441 fires.

Stat of the Week

25%

Thats how much climate change has increased the risk of wildfires in California, a new study shows.

Elsewhere in the Ecosystem

Climate change came for Burning Man this yearbut last year, its organizers helped stop a geothermal energy project in the desert where the festival is held, Grist reports:

The Burning Man Project, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, also worked with residents of the tiny town of Gerlach, the hamlet closest to the geothermal development, to appeal the [Bureau of Land Management]s decision. The wells, the organization said, would threaten the viability of Burning Mans various projects in Nevada by potentially jeopardizing local hot springs in the area and disrupting the desert ecosystem. The plaintiffs argued that BLM had approved the project without adequate environmental review and hadnt sufficiently consulted local communities, including the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, in its permitting process. People travel to Gerlach to experience the solitude of the vast open spaces and undeveloped vistas present in the Black Rock Desert, the lawsuit said, as well as to attend numerous events and to pursue a variety of recreation experiences in the undeveloped desert.  The claim that the region remains relatively undisturbed, given the 70,000-person party that rolls in every year, rang particularly hollow. Some of the hype around Gerlach has been disturbing from a scientific point of view, James Faulds, Nevadas State Geologist, told Grist. The Gerlach area has already been disturbed by man.

Read Zoya Teirsteins full piece at Grist.

This article first appeared in Life in a Warming World, a weekly TNR newsletter authored by contributing deputy editor Molly Taft. Sign up here.
George Alan Kelly enters Courtroom Three for his preliminary hearing on Feb. 22, 2023, in Nogales.

The murder case of the Nogales-area rancher accused of shooting and killing a Mexican citizen has undergone a flurry of developments in the weeks leading up to the original trial date.

George Alan Kelly, 75, was accused of killing Gabriel Cuen Buitimea on Jan. 30 when Buitimea was walking through Kellys nearly 170-acre Kino Springs property. Kellys attorneys argue that he only fired warning shots above a group of migrants crossing his property.

Kelly is facing one count each of second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

The trial was initially supposed to start on Sept. 6 but was vacated by the Arizona Court of Appeals after prosecutors requested a stay in the case. A new trial date has not yet been set.

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Heres what you may have missed.

Trial vacated for now, oral arguments scheduled for appeal

Kimberly Hunley, Santa Cruz County chief deputy attorney, filed a petition with the appeals court for special action and a motion to stay the trial. On Aug. 29, the court granted the stay only 30 minutes before a scheduled hearing at the Santa Cruz County Superior Court in Nogales.

Hunley argued that the state needed more time to prepare for trial after the defense disclosed a handful of expert witnesses too late.

The stay delayed the trial until further notice. The defense and prosecution had both asked Judge Thomas Fink to delay the murder trial in the past but Fink was adamant about keeping the original date.

Appeals court oral arguments were scheduled to be heard at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 19.

Trial vacated: Nogales rancher murder trial delayed

Prosecutors considered dismissing all charges against Kelly

During an Aug. 16 hearing, Hunley signaled that prosecutors may seek to temporarily dismiss the charges against Kelly if a crucial state witness did not testify during the trial.

The anonymous man alleged to have witnessed the shooting of Buitimea, and he previously gave dramatic testimony in which he reenacted Buitimeas death. It was later revealed that the witness previously had pleaded guilty to smuggling cannabis across the Arizona-Mexico border in 2015.

The man initially was reluctant to testify, jeopardizing a key witness in the states case. Charges against Kelly ultimately remained as the witness later confirmed that he would testify.

Kelly compared to Unabomber as texts cite 'mowing down migrants'

Prosecutors tried, and failed, to admit inflammatory text messages that Kelly had exchanged with his son and his male friend that referred to mowing down migrants at a large clip.

Kelly said in texts that he put 27 migrants in the ground where they were growing daisies, and that he dealt with 33 migrants with his AK-47, which was hot!, according to court documents.

Prosecutors compared Kelly to the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, alleging that Kelly was motivated by his political views, ideas and animosity toward migrants.

The motion to include the text messages was denied.

Court documents later revealed that Kelly "could not confirm" to the U.S. Border Patrol if he had shot at a group of nine people moving through his property in January 2022, about a year before he was accused of shooting Buitimea.

Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joseicastaneda.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: George Alan Kelly: What to know about murder trial of Arizona rancher
FREEHOLD - It was bad enough Quanique Smith went to bed one night in January and left wax folds of fentanyl and heroin scattered around her bedroom, readily accessible to her 2-year-old son, a judge said Thursday.

But Smith also claimed she wasn't even high when she did it, Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux noted.

"She had a clear mind and went to bed with a 2-year-old, with heroin all over the place," LeMieux said. "That's even worse, isn't it?"

The 2-year-old boy ingested some of the drugs and died on Jan. 5 as a result.

Quanique Smith stands during her sentencing before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold Thursday, September 7, 2023. She earlier pled guilty to the aggravated manslaughter of her 2-year-old son, who died after ingesting the heroin and fentanyl she left laying around.

Similar case: Lacey mom admits role in 2-year-old son's fentanyl overdose death

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The fact that Smith was sober when she went to bed that night and left drugs around her toddler was something Lemieux said he struggled with in sentencing Smith in accordance with a plea agreement she reached with the state.

Without the plea bargain, Smith would have faced 10 to 30 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter, which she pleaded guilty to in May.

In the end, Lemieux said the plea agreement was in the interest of justice, and he sentenced the 27-year-old Asbury Park woman to eight years in state prison.

Yet, the judge seemed disturbed by the totality of the circumstance surrounding the crime.

"This case is a nightmare," Lemieux said before he sentenced Smith.

Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux presides over the sentencing for Quanique Smith at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold Thursday, September 7, 2023. She earlier pled guilty to the aggravated manslaughter of her 2-year-old son, who died after ingesting the heroin and fentanyl she left laying around.

Drug death: Lacey man admits to manslaughter after giving Toms River woman the drugs that killed her

"When a child is born, the goal of a parent is to protect that child, no matter what, and even at your own detriment," the judge said.

He noted that Smith's mother and grandmother were aware that drugs were left in the house around the toddler and did nothing about it.

"i actually think that's a disgrace," he said.

"Your mom and her mom were not protecting you, and you were not protecting your 2-year-old child," Lemieux told Smith.

Stephanie Dugan, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, said Smith woke up and noticed her son didn't look right, so she called 911. But when emergency responders arrived, she didn't offer that she had left illegal drugs accessible to the child. Only when a police officer asked her if it was possible the toddler could have ingested heroin did she acknowledge that.

Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux listens to Stephanie Dugan, Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor, during the sentencing for Quanique Smith at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold Thursday, September 7, 2023. Smith earlier pled guilty to the aggravated manslaughter of her 2-year-old son, who died after ingesting the heroin and fentanyl she left laying around.

At that point, first responders tried to save the child's life by administering Narcan, but the effort was unsuccessful, and the boy was pronounced dead, Dugan said.

On that same night, Smith "spent hours with police and didn't ask about the status of her son," only to be told by them that he was dead, Dugan said.

Smith's attorney, Allison Friedman, said Smith suffered from both drug addiction and mental illness, for which she was not receiving adequate treatment.

In fact, Smith acknowledged that her mental illness and addiction were affecting her children and asked for "a higher level of care," which was not forthcoming, Friedman said.

After her son's death, Smith was incoherent, grief-stricken and on suicide watch at the Monmouth County Jail, Friedman said.

The defense attorney asked for leniency so that Smith can get the help she needs and at some point be reunited with her other child, a 5-year-old daughter with special needs.

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Smith said she was sorry for what happened.

"I was in the height of my addiction and wasn't getting the help I needed," she said "I was blinded by my addiction.

"No punishment is greater than the pain I feel everyday and will feel for the rest of my life," she told the judge.

Lemieux told her, "This case is a poster board for why you should not do drugs."

Smith will have to serve 85% of the eight-year prison term, or six years, nine months and 22 days, before she can be considered for release on parole, under the state's No Early Release Act. Once she is released from prison, she will remain under parole supervision for another five years.

Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park NJ mother gets prison for toddler's drug death
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Las Vegas high school memorialized the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 Friday, taking time to remember a teacher lost on that day.

On Friday, Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas held its annual rededication ceremony, honoring the victims of the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil. One of those victims was foreign language teacher Barbara Edwards.

Edwards was on American Airlines flight 77, the jet that crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001.

Students and faculty at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas memorialize the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in a Friday morning ceremony. (KLAS)

Students and faculty at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas memorialize the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in a Friday morning ceremony. (KLAS)

Students and faculty at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas memorialize the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in a Friday morning ceremony. (KLAS)

Students and faculty at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas memorialize the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in a Friday morning ceremony. (KLAS)

Students and faculty at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas memorialize the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in a Friday morning ceremony. (KLAS)

Students and faculty at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas memorialize the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in a Friday morning ceremony. (KLAS)

Edwards son Scott was 25 years old at the time of the attacks. Previously, Edwards had been a part of the ceremony, remembering his mothers love for the Palo Verdy community.

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Mostly, we missed her laughter and her joy. The stories that people come up and tell me  like Hey, my favorite story is when your mom showed up to the meeting dressed as a french fry,' Edwards remembered during the 2021 ceremony.

Gail Fahy, a longtime friend of Barbara Edwards, a victim of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, holds a folded flag at Fridays memorial event at Palo Verde High School. (KLAS)

In attendance was Gail Fahy, a longtime friend of Edwards, who, at previous ceremonies, remembered Edwards outgoingness and sense of humor.

Everything reminds me that shes still here with us in spirit and I loved her very much, Fahy said. Shes just a real special person. Shes still  still my best friend. Shes always in my heart.

Edwards was 58 years old.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
If God would just let me have good health and let me get around and do like Im doing now for another five years, that would be fairly right. Id be satisfied.

Thats what Ethel Rivers, then 100 years old and believed to be the oldest resident of Hilton Head Island, told the Island Packets David Lauderdale nearly five years ago, ahead of her centennial birthday.

At the time, the ever-spiritual Rivers laughed and flashed her warm smile, Lauderdale wrote. Whether she truly expected to or not when giving the interview, Rivers received almost exactly the five healthy years shed hoped for.

The morning of Sept. 7, a month and one week shy of her 105th birthday, Rivers died peacefully on the island she called home her entire life.

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A repository of Gullah Geechee culture and tradition, beloved mother to 17 children and grandmother to 46, Rivers was one of the few islanders who remembered Hilton Head as it was before private resorts, airports and a bridge to the mainland.

She was the elder even to lifelong island resident Thomas Barnwell, who often introduces himself facetiously at Hilton Head Town Council meetings as a short-time resident of only 88 years.

Barnwell said Rivers passing represents not only the diminishing memory of Hilton Head before developers transformed the island, but a fading way of life among Gullah Geechee islanders.

She was not only her birth childrens mother, she was everybodys mother, Barnwell said. It was just the way of life on Hilton Head prior to development. It was the way of life. The older residents, regardless of what section, regardless of where you lived, children growing up was the responsibility of all native people on the island. ... Thats the way Hilton Head used to be, and Mrs. Rivers is the last that I can think of, there are maybe one or two others.

Rivers represented the last of an era for Hilton Heads Gullah Geechee, Barnwell said.

Her loss is one thats not measured. There are no tools to measure that loss.

You say lets, Ill say go

Ethel Rivers during a 2016 tour of the White House poses with her daughter-in-law, Barbara Rivers.

Family was always Rivers top priority, from her first child to her last great-grandchild.

Clarence Rivers, a retired U.S. Army officer and the youngest of his siblings, said his mother would tell the story of having to turn down other island families who showed interest in adopting from the family.

She said No, these are all our children and well raise them, Clarence Rivers said.

Even at over 100 years old, Ethel Rivers made time for family  no matter how far away they were. The Rivers clan has members spread from Jacksonville, Florida to New York, Clarence Rivers told The Packet, and Ethel Rivers had recently made a trip to Virginia to visit family. His mother lived mostly independently even at 104 years old, he said, with little day-to-day assistance from family.

Shortly after Ethel Rivers husband died, Clarence Rivers asked if shed like to visit he and his wife in Germany, where he was stationed at the time. His mother didnt hesitate, he said, and made the trip to Europe to journey across Germany, Italy, and France.

It always felt like You say lets, and Ill say go, Clarence Rivers said of his mothers energy. That would be the main thing for her, just a love of life, a love of going and traveling. ... She always wanted to be around her family.

The love she had for life extended to her faith. No matter what, even into her old age, Rivers was up with the sun to check on St. James Baptist Church and its congregation, which she lived across the street from. The church, founded by freed Gullah Geechee in the 1880s, is one of the few institutions on Hilton Head that predated Rivers birth.

Clarence Rivers said she even had a favored spot in the church, the second pew on the right hand side.

Shed recently mentioned to church members she was hoping to reach her 105th birthday milestone.

One of the first things she would do every morning was look out her front door to make sure the church was still there, said Herbert Ford, chairman of the churchs board of trustees. Her age was never a debilitating factor for her. Shes been here every Sunday morning, and whenever the church doors were open she would come.

During one of her birthday celebrations, Ford recalled, Rivers was given a motorcycle tour to see the neighborhood she was raised in. She was only a passenger the first time around.

She had plans more in line with her get up and go attitude, however.

When it ended, she said she wanted to go again, but faster this time. They were going too slow for her, Ford said. And she said that she wanted to drive.

Rivers took her second circuit as the driver.

Ford said her loss is the loss of one of the congregations most well-loved and respected members who became a mother to the church.

She was a quiet lady, but when she spoke, she spoke with impact, and everyone would respond accordingly, Ford said. She would always deliver words of wisdom and guidance when we were going through rough times.

His mothers legacy and century of wisdom boils down to a few simple lessons, Clarence Rivers said.

You have to be good to each other, you have to trust in God, and you always treat people the way you want them to treat you, Rivers said. Its all about sharing love and trying to be a help to somebody when they need help.

Plans for memorial services are still being made.

The hands of Ethel Rivers, who will turn 100 on Oct. 16, 2018 on Hilton Head Island, where she was born.
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the United States marks Hispanic Heritage Month. For the next few weeks, there are numerous opportunities for Rochesterians to attend activities and events to celebrate Latino culture.

Here's a roundup of events you can check out in Rochester:

Roc'n Ritmo

Held at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square, Roc'n Ritmo will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month in Rochester on Saturday, Sept. 9. The event runs from 5 to 11 p.m. and will feature headliners Carlos Garcia and Divino. Tickets cost $7 in advance or $10 at the door. Children 10 and younger are free.

Celebration at International Plaza

A fiesta celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month will run from 5 p.m. to dusk on Thursday, Sept. 14, at the International Plaza, 828 N. Clinton Ave., Rochester. The free event will feature live music (Bomba Boriken and 4 Latin Band) and dancing from the Grupo Cultural Latinos En Rochester.

Block party and art exhibit

The free event will be held at City Hall, at the corner of Church and Fitzhugh streets, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15. The block party will feature live music and performances, a variety of Hispanic dishes and an art exhibit in Link Gallery inside City Hall, 30 Church St., featuring about 15 Latino artists and their work. The theme this year is "Prosperity, Power and Progress."

Fiesta at Casa Hispana

Nazareth University will host a fiesta to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15 at Casa Hispana's multi-purpose room on campus, 4245 East Ave., Pittsford. The free event will feature live music, Latin food and dancing.

Hispanic Business Person of 2023 luncheon

The Rochester Hispanic Business Association will host its annual luncheon announcing this year's Hispanic Business Person of the Year on Tuesday, Sept 19 at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center, 123 E. Main St., Rochester. Keynote speaker is Synthia Jaramillo, senior vice president of corporate relations for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The event begins with a reception at 11:15 a.m., luncheon at noon. Tickets start at $60 per person or $550 for a table of 10.

Rochester Museum & Science Center

Explore hands-on activities and interactive storytelling (with music and movement) to learn about Hispanic and Latinx contributions to STEM, arts, culture and activism at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave., Rochester, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30. For admission fees and details go to rmsc.org.

Strong National Museum of Play

Learn about Hispanic heritage at the Strong National Museum of Play, at 1 Manhattan Square Drive, on Saturday, Sept. 30. View a cooking demonstration of recipes inspired by Latin American, watch dancers from Boriguen Dance Theatre and make a percussion instrument inspired by the Quijada from Peru. For admission fees and more details, go to museumofplay.org.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day

The Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave,. will host Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1. The event is part of MAG's Celebration Series, which aims to teach people about different cultures.

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Tickets are free and must be reserved in advance. The event will feature live music, dances and performances and presentations centered on this years spotlight country (Chile), storytelling, arts and crafts and a youth talent show. This year's event is sponsored by the Gallery Council of the Memorial Art Gallery.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hispanic Heritage Month: How to celebrate in Rochester NY
Ahead of the implementation of large-scale pretrial criminal justice reforms, state and county officials on Thursday offered a first look at specifics of how the complex Cook County bond court system will change when cash bail is abolished later this month.

The historic reforms will take effect Sept. 18 across the state, marking a major change in the way decisions will be made around whether a defendant will be released from jail while awaiting trial. Though other jurisdictions have moved to eliminate or reduce money as a factor, Illinois was the first to pass it in the form of statewide legislation.

Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx , Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, state Sen. Robert Peters and other officials spoke during a media event at Loyola Universitys Water Tower campus, highlighting changes coming to the statewide court systems and ongoing preparations for the reforms, which became a flashpoint for controversy in recent years and were put on hold after Illinois prosecutors filed a lawsuit seeking to block the measure, passed as part of the SAFE-T Act, the sweeping criminal justice reform measure signed into law in 2021, from taking effect.

We have had a humanitarian crisis in that jail for decades, Foxx said, noting that efforts to reform the bond system and reduce the jail population have been in progress for years.

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Instead of using a monetary bond, judges will have the option to detain someone pretrial if they meet conditions that indicate they would be a flight risk or a danger to the public or release them on conditions meant to ensure compliance while facing criminal charges.

The law also dictates a change in how the courts handle pretrial proceedings. In place of traditionally fast and chaotic bond court calls, prosecutors seeking to detain someone must make their case in a lengthier hearing, with defendants allowed more of a chance to make a case for mitigation.

Since Cook County courts have already reduced the use of money bail, the more in-depth detention hearings are likely to be among the most visible changes here as the reforms take effect, with court calls added to accommodate the detention hearings.

Speaking during the event, Cook County Judge Mary Marubio, who heads the countys pretrial division, outlined changes ahead of an expected order from Chief Judge Tim Evans.

Its not so different from how we release people now, its just that money will no longer will be a condition of release, Marubio said.

The county will have a midday initial appearance call for defendants who will be released with conditions, along with a morning and afternoon court call for the longer detention hearings.

Officials expect that domestic violence cases will make up a large portion of cases in which prosecutors will seek to keep people detained pretrial, and have estimated overall potentially 10 detention hearings per day on weekdays and 20 on weekends, Marubio said.

The bond reform measure outlines which criminal offenses for which prosecutors can seek detention.

Peters, who pushed for the law in the statehouse, said Cook, DuPage and Kane counties appear ready to implement the changes. He noted that there has been significant resistance from some officials in other counties.

Every county needs to make sure they follow the law, he said.

The reforms are being implemented nine months later than intended due to an effort by opponents who have argued that the law violated the Illinois constitution.

Given the time county officials needed to prepare for the changes, the SAFE-T Act, though signed in 2021, mandated that the bond reform measures would take effect two years later on Jan. 1 of this year. But the Illinois Supreme Court halted implementation just hours before it would take effect.

The stay followed a decision from a Kankakee County judge who ruled in favor of prosecutors challenging the law, finding that, among other things, it stepped on judicial authority and violated the constitutions separation of powers clause.

The Illinois high court in July ruled 5-2 in favor of keeping the legislation, rejecting those arguments. It built in time for counties to again pivot back to preparing to implement the changes brought by the law.

Asked at the event about the bail reform controversies and narratives that pin blame for violent crime on progressive prosecutors, Foxx, who has supported bail reform measures since she took office, called it a lazy narrative not rooted in fact.

It is a frustration when youre sitting and having to spend more time debunking misinformation than informing people about the actual processes of the criminal system and how bail is actually supposed to work.

Mitchell, the countys public defender, called the money bond system a broken model.

The hardest thing Ive had to do is have conversations with mothers, sisters, church members ... about how to pull money together to pull their person out of jail.

mabuckley@chicagotribune.com
On Thursday, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) voted 2,464 to 1,057 to legalize recreational adult-use marijuana on Cherokee tribal territory, known as the Qualla Boundary.



The vote is not legislation, however, and would require action by the EBCI Tribal Council to make recreational marijuana legal on the reservation. It will be the only place in North Carolina that permits the sale and use of recreational cannabis.

The vote comes less than a week after North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards (R) introduced his Stop Pot Act in the House of Representatives. The bill seeks to penalize states and tribes that legalize recreational marijuana. If it passes, it would withhold 10% of federal highway funds from states and federally recognized tribes that receive transportation funding.

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During a time when our communities are seeing unprecedented crime, drug addiction, and mental illness, the Stop Pot Act will help prevent even greater access to drugs and ease the strain placed on our local law enforcement and mental health professionals who are already stretched thin, Edwards said in a press release on September. 1.

Native News Online reached out to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and learned that yesterdays election also voted in a new Principal Chief, replacing Richard Sneed with Michell Hicks. Hicks was the Eastern Bands leader from 2003-2015. A new Tribal Council was voted on as well, and it must first draft a recreational marijuana law. The law could take more than a year to be finalized, voted, and signed by the principal chief and other tribal leaders.

In 2021, the EBCI Tribal Council voted to pass a medical marijuana program. The Tribal Council then created a for-profit medical marijuana business, Qualla Enterprises LLC, to grow, market and sell cannabis. Qualla Enterprises is on the verge of beginning sales at what tribal officials are calling the worlds largest medical super dispensary store.

The business, which is owned by the EBIC, published an opinion article in the Cherokee One Feather on September 6, saying, Adult Use Cannabis represents another opportunity for our people to lead. While multiple states and tribes across the United States have already legalized Adult Use Cannabis, nowhere in the surrounding region has done so. The Cherokee People can and should be first and reap the benefits of our courage and leadership.

Qualla Enterprises General Manager Forrest Parker said in a July Tribal Council meeting that revenue from cannabis operations is directly tied to the number of people who can legally walk in and buy the product. He also shared data from a study conducted on the enterprise and said that potential gross revenue from its medical cannabis operations starts at $206 million and can approach $578 million by the end of year five.

If adult use were legalized, revenue could conservatively reach $385 million in the first year and exceed $800 million by year five, Parker said.

About the Author: "Darren Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) is a staff reporter for Native News Online who is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Thompson has reported on political unrest, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous issues for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Indian Country Today, Native News Online, Powwows.com and Unicorn Riot. He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Voice of America on various Indigenous issues in international conversation. He has a bachelor\u2019s degree in Criminology & Law Studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "

Contact: dthompson@nativenewsonline.net
Can my Homeowner Association demand a photo of my dog, ban visitors in my community pool or regulate how I decorate my outdoor patio?

In California, they can  and do.

HOAs are nonprofit organizations established to create and enforce bylaws for those living in residential developments. Oftentimes, the tension lies in the historical makeup of the association: Homeowners are governed by everyday people, who double as their next-door neighbors.

Chris Neri, an assistant commissioner with the California Department of Real Estate, said HOAs perform duties typically assigned to a city or county like maintenance and insurance upkeep.

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The department does not oversee community associations; in fact, no agency does.

The Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act  a large body of laws including dispute resolutions, elections and finances  governs associations across California. Most HOAs will hire a property management firm, but theyre at the will of the board of directors.

The board in all likelihood is not going to be real estate attorneys or theyre not going to be property managers ... but they decide the fate, said Neri, who signs off on new associations before theyre marketed to the public as head of the California Department of Finances subdivisions team.

The Sacramento Bee consulted Neri and MBK Chapman, a California-based real estate and business law firm, to grasp an understanding of how much power HOAs have over their members.

Heres what we found:

What powers do HOAs have over their members?

Every HOA has a different set of law-binding agreements, restrictions and responsibilities  created and carried out by a batch of homeowners who have volunteered to make up a board of directors.

According to California Civil Code 4350, associations can enforce practically any rule they want to, so long as they follow these guidelines:

Its in writing The board has the power to make the decision It doesnt conflict with a local, state or federal law Its adopted without ill intent Its fair and sensible

Community associations are legally able to do the following, according to MBK Chapmans A Homeowners Essential Guide to Homeowners Associations:

Establish rules and budgets

Arrange meetings

Impose government documents

Invest money

Manage common areas

Acquire insurance

Build committees, schedule elections and select officers

Employ managers, attorneys and vendors

Establish building standards

Disburse reserves

Sign off on contracts

Collect and pay association fees

File and defend lawsuits

You could face fines for not complying with your HOA.

What are my rights as a member of an HOA?

According to California Civil Code 4500, homeowners split equal shares of their communitys common areas through their membership in the HOA.

California Civil Code 4095 defines common areas as the entire residential development, excluding individually owned property. This could be the pool, grill pits and fitness center  but there are exceptions to the rule.

For example, a residential development can have a public park that the city requires the HOA to maintain.

A board of directors cannot prohibit you from hanging the American flag, displaying noncommercial signs or religious items, owning at least one pet or air-drying laundry in your backyard. The Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act also covers protected uses of roofs, satellite dishes, water usage, pressure washing and electric vehicle charging stations.

Disputes among homeowners and the board are common, Neri said, and the only way to permanently squash the beef  a lawsuit isnt very effective.

How do I resolve an issue with my HOA?

According to California Civil Code 4515, you can sue your association in a civil or small claims court for up to $500 for each violation.

Just remember, youll be paying for their legal fees, as well as your own.

A portion of your monthly dues covers the associations legal expenses. Stop paying for long enough and your property can be foreclosed, Neri said.

Im the first to say theyre not perfect, Neri said, but its the only system that we have.

Members also have the right to recall the entire board of directors or a specific member, according to MBK Chapman. In limited circumstances, the Office of the Attorney General can guide you through disputes.

What rules cannot be enforced by HOAs?

According to California Civil Code 4225, housing associations cannot discriminate based on race, religion, sexual orientation, income, gender (identity or expression), disability or status (martial or military).

Associations cannot prohibit members and residents from doing the following, according to California civil codes 4510 and 4515:

Accessing their separately owned properties

Gathering peacefully during reasonable hours to discuss HOA-related topics

Inviting public officials/candidates or HOA representatives to speak at meetings

Using vacant space in a common area to hold meetings

Circulating HOA-related information among themselves during reasonable hours

Using online tools to discuss concerns like elections and living conditions

Using a common area without paying a fee or for insurance

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
While its possible to hold general elections in Ukraine in 2024, doing so would require overcoming a set of major challenges, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the Yalta European Strategy forum on Sept. 8.

Read also: Ukraines security chief Danilov warns against holding elections during war

What should we do about temporarily occupied territories and their inhabitants? Ukrinform news agency quotes Zelenskyy.

All Ukrainians in occupied territories are very important. Particularly those Ukrainians who found themselves under occupation on Feb. 24 [2022]. What should be done primarily about them? How will they express their will?

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Zelenskyy added that every effort should be made to ensure that Ukrainian troops can also vote  "in the trenches, on the frontline... they defend people's rights, but they, themselves, might not have the opportunity to vote".

The president also brought up the issue of transparency, asking how election observers would "function in the trenches."

Read also: Zelenskyy introduces Ukraines new Defense Minister Rustem Umerov

The third issue concerns people who live abroad; there are millions; how will they vote?

We don't have the infrastructure. Meaning, we will have to engage the appropriate infrastructure of other countries."

Read also: Ukraines Foreign Ministry slams Russias sham elections in temporarily occupied territories

In 2024, presidential and parliamentary elections were supposed to take place in Ukraine, but the Ukrainian constitution rules out holding elections in wartime.

On Aug. 24, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) stated that elections in Ukraine should be held even under war conditions.

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
OLIVE TWP.  A local man has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery in Olive Township on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office responded to 104th Avenue in Olive Township around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday on reports two victims had been assaulted, with one beaten and robbed at gunpoint.

Investigation showed a group of four or five suspects confronted the victims, two males aged 28 and 32, whom the suspects were loosely acquainted with. One subject produced a handgun and struck the victims, robbing one victim of his cash, jewelry and electronics.

One of the victims received injuries not believed to be life-threatening and was transported to the hospital.

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A suspect, 24-year-old Nikko James Hernandez, of Holland Township, was located and taken into custody Tuesday. He was arraigned Wednesday on one count of armed robbery, two counts of felonious assault and habitual offender, third offense. His bond was set at $500,000 cash and he remains lodged in the Ottawa County Jail.

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Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation Wednesday at the residence on 104th Avenue and an apartment on Falcon Lane in Holland Township. Through those investigations, four additional subjects were taken into custody on outstanding warrants not related to Tuesdays incident.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact OCSO or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT.

 Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Township man arrested for armed robbery, assault
Hollyoaks will no longer be broadcast on Channel 4 for the first time in the shows 28-year history. Instead, it will permanently air on E4 and Youtube.

The soap first aired on the channel in 1995, but a shake-up by bosses aims to target the shows younger demographic.

Channel 4 has confirmed the change to The Independent, revealing that each episode will be uploaded to YouTube after it has premiered on E4.

Since 2005, episodes of Hollyoaks have premiered on E4, with each episode subsequently being broadcast on Channel 4 the following day.

But Channel 4 bosses are hoping to tap into the digital age by teasing a first look at each new episode online before broadcasting the episode on E4 half an hour later. Whereas that episode would have aired on Channel 4 the next day, it will now be made available to view on YouTube instead.

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Channel 4s chief content officer Ian Katz said: Hollyoaks has always been the youngest and most innovative soap so its fitting that it should be the first to embrace the changes in the behaviour of younger viewers and switch to a genuinely digital-led release pattern. It was the first UK soap to move to a stream-first model last year and this is the next phase of that evolution.

We hope making Hollyoaks available on YouTube, as well as our own platforms, will introduce a whole new generation to the show.

Hollyoaks follows a group of suburban college students through numerous ups and downs in their lives in Chester in the north-west of England. The show was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously devised Brookside for the channel, and has been a Channel 4 staple since 1995.

Despite being set in Chester, the soap is primarily filmed at Lime Pictures studios in the Childwall suburb of Liverpool.

The soap has always been perceived to be targeted at the young adult audience, and has won awards  including Best British Soap in 2014 and 2019  for its tackling of important subjects. These have included themes around mental health, knife crime, violence against women and conversion therapy.

Over the years, Hollyoaks has made stars of Will Mellor, Ricky Whittle and Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel. Other actors to have appeared on Hollyoaks mover the years include Gary Lucy, Emmett J Scanlan, Warren Brown and Jennifer Metcalfe.

Nick Packard, who plays Toy Hutchinson, is the only original actor to still appear on the show.
Grace Lutheran Church has been a part of countless changes in the 125 years since it formed, but one thing that has remained constant is a focus on community and goal of uniting State College community members.

The church will kick off its 125th anniversary celebration on Sunday, the first of several planned events that stretch into the spring and mark the milestone. Originally chartered in 1898, the church has been a staple since 1965 at its current location on South Garner Street in State College, where its affectionately known as the Dorito Church for its unique building design.

The building was built and engineered by Harold Wagoner, a prominent 20th century American architect, senior pastor Scott Schul said.

What really matters is not so much the building itself, but the people and making sure that everybody without exception knows they are welcomed and loved here, Schul said.

Grace Lutheran Church is located on the corner of Beaver Avenue and Garner Street in State College.

The anniversary celebration, Schul said, is an opportunity to take stock of where weve been (and) celebrate what weve accomplished.

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He sees one of those accomplishments as uniting State College community members, which the church has achieved through various service programs. In addition to partnering with the YMCA twice a month for food distributions and providing residence to guests of Out of the Cold: Centre County, the church also partners with Meals on Wheels to produce about 1,200 meals per week out of their kitchen, Schul said.

Im real proud of how were not only feeding peoples hearts, but feeding their bodies as well, he said.

Senior Pastor Scott Schul kisses a cross medallion as he puts it on in his office at Grace Lutheran Church on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

Finding a home

Ellen Campbell, a retired high school teacher, started attending Grace Lutheran Church when she was a teenager in the 1960s. She got married in the church at 1971, and after 20 years away from the area, she rejoined in 1993.

Campbells oldest son, Matthew, has an intellectual disability, and because the liturgy is an oral tradition, he has learned it through repetition, she said.

For him, its an easy way to participate in the service, Campbell said. We found a home here, but even maybe more importantly, our son Matthew has found a home here.

Hes part of the program known as Disciples Together, which Schul said focuses on intellectually disabled adults and their caregivers. The program offers mid-week dinner church-style worship and music every other month, along with dance parties, karaoke, movie nights, according to the churchs website.

Last year, the church surprised Matthew on his 50th birthday during the weekly supper.

The people in our church have always treated him with love, grace and care, Campbell said. That is really important to us.

The sanctuary at Grace Lutheran Church is pictured on Aug. 30, 2023. The church in downtown State College is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Creating a welcoming environment for all is something thats important to Schul, too.

The pastor acknowledged the challenge of creating a feeling of inclusion for the next generation of worshipers. He said the church is attempting to reach them through beauty, and establishing a sense of beauty through arts and music.

Back in the Middle Ages, the church was the patron of the arts, Schul said. Thats not the case anymore, but were trying to resurrect at least a little of that.

The church is also working on becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation, which ensures the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, according to Reconciling Works.

We accept, encourage and welcome all people from the LGBTQ community, said Laurel Sanders, the churchs director of music and arts ministries. You have a home here, you belong to Christ, you are one of us, you are with us.

Senior Pastor Scott Schul talks about the imagery in the stain glass windows at Grace Lutheran Church on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

Uniting through music

Sanders describes her role as helping people to discover their unique God-given talents, regardless of their musical experience.

She first came to Grace Lutheran in 2006 as a parishioner after an 11-year stay in Germany. Because she had elementary school children at the time, Sanders said she was looking for a church with active youth programs.

When I first came to Grace, I could tell just from my first visit that it was a warm and welcoming place (and) that children were an important part of what they did, Sanders said.

Soon after she started attending Grace, she was asked to help work with some of the childrens music programs. After writing two passion plays with music, Sanders said she founded Crossfire, the churchs teen choir.

Grace Lutheran Church is located on the corner of Beaver Avenue and Garner Street.

Sanders also cited the churchs ecumenism, or aim of promoting unity among all churches, as a way it unites community members.

We are one way of worshipping; we respect many other faith traditions, Sanders said.

Sanders founded an ecumenical choir in 2012 that welcomes and actively encourages people of various denominations of Christianity. She said she uses music as a means of expressing that shared faith.

We are all one body, Sanders said. Let us walk as one body together.

She said the churchs practice of love for all people is what keeps her coming back.

The warmth that I felt when I first came (to Grace) is the same warmth I feel today, Sanders said.

Senior Pastor Scott Schul shows a photograph of members of the Grace Lutheran building committee in 1962 looking at a diagram of the future church. The church is celebrating 125 years.

Marking a milestone

The first of Grace Lutherans anniversary celebration events starts at 8 a.m. Sunday with a traditional, piano-led worship service, followed by a 9 a.m. festive worship service that will also be broadcast and streamed at 10:30 a.m.

At 11 a.m., the church will host worship on the lawn, followed by a picnic. The days celebration concludes with a 6 p.m. contemporary worship.

The church will host a special worship service at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15, during which it will share the six original musical works it recently commissioned to celebrate its anniversary. They include three choral anthems, two bell choir anthems, and an organ anthem composed by native son Michael Costello, according to Schul.

The church will be holding special events all year long, said Schul, who added that bringing community members together is at the very core of (his) faith and is as much a part of what it means to be a Christian as everything else.

Items from the original Grace Lutheran Church are on display in the library of its current location on Beaver Avenue and Garner Street.

One of us here worshipping without the rest (means) were all diminished a little bit, Schul said. As a society and as a church we need to recapture the importance of community.

Schul said many people are hesitant to come to churches now because they think theyre not going to be welcomed or theyre going to be judged. He invites those people and anyone else to visit the church, or learn more at Grace Lutherans website, www.glcpa.org.

Id hate to think that people are in the church because they have been coerced or persuaded to do it for reasons other than love, Schul said. The people who are here are here for the right reasons.

Schul said he understands how vulnerable it can feel to come to a church for the first time.

Just come, Schul said. Youre loved. Youre welcome.

Lights on the ceiling of the sanctuary of Grace Lutheran Church show the constellations of the winter of 1965, the year the church was built.
The race for Charlotte City Council District 3 took another negative term Thursday evening after Warren Turners campaign sent an email questioning Tiawana Browns nonprofit. The email, which had the subject line truth, trust, and transparency, called into question Browns safe houses and her ability to run them as a nonprofit.

Brown is the director of Beauty After the Bars, a nonprofit that helps women who were formerly incarcerated and face other life challenges. Turner did not respond to an email from Channel 9 on Friday. Melinda Lilly is also running in the race.

The email points out that Beauty After the Bars was placed on the IRS Auto-Revocation List in 2020. According to the Internal Revenue Service, the IRS publishes this list of organizations whose tax-exempt status was automatically revoked because of failure to file a required Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF or Form 990-N for three consecutive years.

Beauty After the Bars appears on the list. The IRS says just because an organization appears on the list doesnt mean the organization is currently revoked because they may have been reinstated. A spokesperson for the IRS said they couldnt comment on the current status of Beauty After the Bars.

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Brown says she applied for reinstatement and is awaiting a ruling from the IRS.

My paperwork is in as we speak, ready to come out, she said. I was hoping it was in the mailbox.

Brown says she is able to still operate her nonprofit because she is operating under a fiscal sponsor.

She attributes her falling out of compliance to a misunderstanding of reporting requirements. She thought her nonprofit was below the reporting threshold.

These are growing pains that people need to see, she said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: A new low: Charlotte candidate condemns opponents email calling her a habitual felon

The Turner campaign email also cited Mint Hill Planning Director John Hoard as allegedly saying, there is no paperwork on file to support the approval or existence of a Safe Home at the Lawyers Road location. The email claimed that Hoard said Mint Hill and the property owner werent aware of the intended use of the property and that the lease agreement was canceled.

Brown says the property owner was in attendance for her press conference at the home about Beauty After the Bars. She also says the lease was never canceled. Three women are currently living in the five-bedroom home, including Shanteia Sapp. Sapp is formerly homeless and a survivor of domestic violence.

The minute I walked through the door, I was so relieved, she said. There was so much peace.

Brown told Channel 9 that the property isnt being used any differently than any other home. She says there are no around-the-clock services. It is just a place where people are staying. Hoard told Channel 9 that if it is just a home where people are staying, thats okay.

This is their home, they live here, Brown said. They come in to live, eat, cook, watch TV, and use that balcony.

Turners email claimed Browns other Safe Home on Beatties Ford Road is nonexistent. Brown confirmed she is no longer using the house because the lease expired and it has flooding damage. Brown provided Channel 9 with a copy of the lease.

It has been a fierce campaign for District 3 which stretches from South End to Steele Creek and includes west Charlotte. Brown says she has nothing to hide and will always be transparent.

Look at me, right here with the tough questions, answering, smiling because this is my life, she said. This is who I am. I am not running. I got nothing to hide.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: In District 3 race, a candidate with a controversial past attempts comeback

Second Turner Email

This is the second controversial email Turner has sent about Brown.

Earlier this week, an email sent by the Turner campaign claimed Brown is a habitual felon.

Brown, who was arrested on a felony charge in the 90s, says the claim was not true and below the belt.

Turner Dodges Questions

Warren Turner served on Charlotte City Council from 2003- 2011. He lost his District 3 race after a city investigation into claims he sexually harassed city employees.

Turner denied allegations at the time.

He has also declined all interview requests.

VIDEO: A new low: Charlotte candidate condemns opponents email calling her a habitual felon








A pedestrian waits for a bus on a flooded street following heavy rainstorms in Hong Kong, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

HONG KONG (AP)  Hong Kong on Friday closed schools and halted trading on the stock exchange as torrential rain lashed the city overnight, flooding streets in parts of the city as well as an underground subway station.

Heavy rains poured down on the city from Thursday night, with the government warning that the weather would last till noon Friday.

The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 mm (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording since records began in 1884.

The highest black rainstorm warning, the first in nearly two years, was issued Thursday night and remained in place Friday morning, with residents urged to seek safe shelter if they were outdoors.

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Videos circulating on social media showed a flooded underground subway station, as well as water rushing down the stairs and escalators of the station.

Other videos showed cars caught in muddy water on flooded streets, including in the citys cross-harbor tunnel that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon. Another video showed a flooded shopping mall in the citys eastern Chai Wan district.

Most of the citys bus services have been suspended, as well as parts of the citys subway network that have been affected by the rain.

Authorities announced that classes for the day were suspended, and urged non-essential employees not to head to their workplaces.

A government statement during the early hours Friday said that Hong Kong leader John Lee was very concerned about the severe flooding in most parts of the territory, and has instructed all departments to respond with all-out efforts.

The Hong Kong stock exchange did not open for morning trading Friday and will remain shut in the afternoon if the citys black rainstorm warning remains in place 12 p.m.

The citys observatory attributed Fridays rain to a trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of the Typhoon Haikui, which earlier this week swept through Taiwan and southern Chinas Fujian province.

The torrential downpour comes days after the city was shut down due to a different typhoon, Typhoon Saola.
An Indianapolis police officer was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison Friday after pleading guilty to stomping a handcuffed man in the face during a 2021 arrest in an act that a judge said "shocked the conscience."

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sgt. Eric Huxley will also be on home detention the first six months after he leaves prison, Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson ruled, stopping short of the sentence requested by prosecutors. Magnus-Stinson cited Huxley's lack of criminal history, his family's needs and his acceptance of responsibility for what he did.

But the judge said she "physically pulled away" when she watched the body camera footage of Huxley driving his foot down on Jermaine Vaughn's face. "It was that brutal," Magnus-Stinson said.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sgt. Eric Huxley, right, walks out of the federal courthouse alongside his attorney John Kautzman after a sentencing hearing Sept. 8, 2023.

Vaughn wasn't in the courtroom, but Huxley had a message for him: "I failed you that day," he said before being sentenced.

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He said he thinks about what he did every day, and he carries the burden of a single act that threw away an otherwise commended career as a police officer. "Please know I had no intention to step on your head or face," he said.

Prosecutors wanted a sentence that 'police officers will hear about'

Huxley, 44, who is still on suspension without pay from the police department, pleaded guilty in May to a felony of deprivation of rights under color of law. Federal prosecutors wanted him behind bars for 18 to 24 months.

U.S. attorney Tiffany Preston urged incarceration because "police officers will hear about it."

"They will pay attention to it... and hopefully that will change future behavior," she said, referring to police abuses of power.

Prosecutors said Huxley "betrayed the trust of the community he served" when he attacked Vaughn during the September 2021 arrest. He acted as a "rogue officer," they said.

His attorney, John Kautzman, wrote in response his client's actions were "serious and troublesome," but they amounted to "a one-time totally out of character lapse in judgment."

Kautzman pushed for no prison time, just probation, at the minimum. If the court didn't think that was appropriate, he suggested six months of incarceration plus a year of home confinement.

"This incident has been devastating not only for the victim, but also for Mr. Huxley and his family," Kautzman wrote. He said Huxley was worried about not being there for his teenage daughter, and not being able to care for his aging parents. His family has amassed over $50,000 in debt during the past two years and is "currently exploring" bankruptcy.

JERMAINE VAUGHN: Man kicked in face by IMPD officer at Monument Circle sues Indianapolis

Huxley will soon resign from the Indianapolis police force, Kautzman said. That will bypass the need for a hearing by the Indianapolis Civilian Police Merit Board, which makes officer discipline and termination decisions.

While Magnus-Stinson acknowledged his clean criminal history and past awards within the police department, she took issue with Huxley's characterization that he kicked Vaughn by accident while trying to hold him down with his foot.

"That's not what happened," Magnus-Stinson said. "That's not what's shown in the video." She referred once again to the kick's "senseless brutality." Prosecutors said Vaughn was completely restrained and posed no threat when it happened.

Huxley's federal charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release after prison.

What happened during Jermaine Vaughn's arrest

Huxley was indicted in the federal Southern District of Indiana in October 2022, more than a year after the controversial and violent incident.

Body camera footage from Sept. 24, 2021, that was released by Indianapolis police, shows a handcuffed Vaughn falling on his back near the steps at Monument Circle downtown during his interaction with police. Moments later, Huxley is seen stomping his foot down on Vaughn's face.

Before Huxley kicked him in the face, Vaughn had been insulting another officer as they searched Vaughn's pockets and attempted to remove his belt. If the case went to trial, U.S. attorneys would have argued Huxley's act deprived Vaughn of his rights under federal law or the U.S. Constitution, including freedom from unreasonable force by a police officer.

Vaughn was charged in Marion County court with two misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement, but both charges were dismissed.

Huxley's state charges move forward

Huxley also was charged in state court. He faces two Level 6 felonies of official misconduct and battery in a case out of Marion County that's still pending. A hearing is scheduled for October.

In February, Vaughn sued Huxley, the City of Indianapolis, its police department and the other officers involved in his arrest. He's asking to be financially compensated for intentional battery, unlawful and excessive force, official misconduct, negligence and other claims. The lawsuit is pending.

PREVIOUSLY: Indianapolis officer who kicked handcuffed man in face pleads guilty to federal charge

Other officers involved sue police department, alleging retaliation

Two of the officers present during Vaughn's arrest are also involved in a lawsuit. They sued Indianapolis police, alleging retaliation after reporting Huxley's actions.

Matthew Shores and Christopher Kibbey faced "abusive ridicule, embarrassment and defamatory statements" by the chief and their superiors, their federal complaint states. Shores was placed on administrative leave, and Kibbey on administrative duty, "despite any wrongdoing on their part." The city's lawyers, on behalf of the police department, deny the allegations.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis officer who kicked man in face sent to federal prison
Rep. John James wants to bar anyone over the age of 75 from serving in Congress or the White House.

But James has endorsed Trump , who's currently 77, despite once saying he's "not fit to lead."

Imposing an age limit would require amending the US Constitution, a long and difficult process.

Republican Rep. John James of Michigan is proposing an amendment to the US Constitution that would effectively bar anyone over 75 from serving in Congress or as President of the United States.

The resolution, introduced on Tuesday of this week, would need to garner a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate to kick off the amendment process.

"No person may be elected to a term as President, Vice President, Senator, or Representatives in Congress if at any time during the term the person will be 75 years of age or older," reads the resolution, which includes a provision clarifying that the limit wouldn't affect any politician whose term had already begun when it takes effect.

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However, there are two key wrinkles in James' effort.

The first is that it's exceedingly difficult to amend the Constitution, requiring not just supermajorities in both chambers of Congress but ratification of the amendment by 38 state legislatures. And despite the proposal's popularity with the public, particularly as aging lawmakers suffer increasingly-public lapses in cognitive ability and health, there's plenty of opposition to the idea, particularly among lawmakers.

The second is that James has endorsed former President Donald Trump  who is currently 77 years old and would be 82 by the end of a second term  for president in 2024.

James' endorsement of Trump was already eyebrow-raising: he made the endorsement in July, despite saying just months earlier that Trump had disqualified himself for office by calling for the termination of the US Constitution.

"A man who would suspend the Constitution can't be trusted," James said in December 2022, according to local Michigan news outlet WLNS. "Anyone who will put their egos over people is not fit to lead."

Ask by Fox News about how the age limits proposal would pertain to Trump, James reportedly dodged the question, pointing out that the proposal would take years to enact.

James was more forthright, however, when it came to other politicians, including President Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.

"You can't watch a video of Feinstein or McConnell or Biden and tell me that everything's OK," James told Fox News. "It's not just us saying it, it's our adversary seeing it, they see that America has lost a step."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Following Huawei's surprise launch of the seemingly 5G-capable Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro smartphones last week, the Chinese firm has today unveiled two more devices: the Mate 60 Pro+ and the Mate X5 foldable. Huawei was largely limited to 4G connectivity on its handsets since the US sanctions, but with this latest wave of smartphone launches, the company has been intentionally secretive about its choice of radio. Sources told Engadget that these are indeed 5G devices  as supported by Chinese blogger Vincent Zhong's speed test on the new foldable, which reached a download speed of over 1Gbps (you'll see that there is no 5G indicator on the screen).

It's likely that both phones are also powered by Huawei's mysterious HiSilicon Kirin 9000S, the 7nm process node of which has raised concerns on whether the local chip supplier, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has violated US sanctions to access foreign chip-making technology. Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comments about the specs of these new phones or the chip.

A recent Kirin 9000S teardown conducted by TechInsights for Bloomberg confirmed SMIC's 7nm process, which was thought to be impossible given the import ban on key manufacturing equipment  namely the EUV lithography machines from Dutch firm ASML (Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography). Before the US import ban, Huawei relied on TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) for its 5nm process, which was enabled by ASML's machines.

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It is unlikely that SMIC procured such advanced machinery from ASML  at least not directly  without raising alarms. According to Bits & Chips, ASML CEO Peter Wennink recently expressed that "the Mate 60 Pro shouldnt come as a surprise to anyone, as the restrictions essentially forced the Chinese to double down on innovation." Thus implying that SMIC could well have developed its own high-end lithography machine.

Benchmarks conducted by Chinese tech blog Geekerwan suggest that the Kirin 9000S' performance is close to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888, meaning it's around two generations behind. The site added that the CPU here features one big core and three middle cores based on Huawei's own "TaiShan" architecture, in addition to four little cores based on Arm's efficient Cortex-A510. As a bonus, the Kirin 9000S is the first mobile processor to support multi-threading  running eight cores with 12 threads, though apparently apps will require further optimization to make use of this feature. As for the GPU, Huawei added its own Maleoon 910, which is allegedly on par with the one in the Snapdragon 888.

Huawei Mate 60 Pro+

Much like the Mate 60 Pro, the higher-end Mate 60 Pro+ supports satellite call service by China Telecom and satellite messaging using BeiDou. The only notable differences (that we can see for now) are the different "nanotech metallic double dye process" and better rear cameras. As for the Mate X5 foldable, it's almost identical to the super slim Mate X3, except for the switch to Huawei's fancier Kunlun Glass on the external screen (hence a 2g bump in weight), as well as the slightly tweaked appearance of the rear camera island. Huawei has yet to reveal prices for either model, though pre-orders will start at 6:08PM local time today.

If all four of Huawei's latest smartphones are indeed powered by Kirin 9000S, it would suggest that Huawei is confident with its chip yield  potentially adding a further blow to the US sanctions. Rumors suggest that we'll be hearing more about these devices towards the end of September  conveniently avoiding the iPhone 15 rush.
This story is part of a weather partnership between The Virginian-Pilot and WTKR News 3.

On Dam Neck Annex, the beaches are quiet.

Sporadic sunbathers dot the 4-mile stretch, and an occasional paddleboarder or surfer paddles out. Behind them, the dune grasses sway in the breeze. During the summer, though, hundreds of tiny swimmers are born on the military posts dunes. Small armies of sea turtles hatch and march toward the water line, ready to start their new life in the sea. As the nesting season comes to a close, some of the last turtles are expected to emerge. Only about 1% will survive to adulthood.

Michael Wright, Naval Air Station Oceanas natural resources manager, said the beach hosts three species of sea turtle: loggerhead, Kemps Ridley and green sea turtles. So far, there have been three nests on the base this year, each with dozens fo eggs. Every morning from the middle of May to the end of August, members of the team are on the dunes before dawn in order to complete nest patrols. They look for signs of sea turtle crawls  prints in the sand that show a turtle has climbed onto the beach.

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Once a biologist has confirmed theres a nest, they will decide whether the eggs need to be relocated. A runway, or planks of wood that create boundaries for a path from the nest to the ocean, is built to guide the babies once they hatch.

When we relocate, its either because its in a designated area authorized for relocation, or its because theyve nested at or just below the high-tide line, Wright said. I will say it is nerve-wracking. When youre having to relocate a nest, you have to be very precise. You have to be gentle. You cant just willy-nilly tip an egg, because if theyve started attaching to their egg, you dont want to separate them. Its a straight up and out (of the nest) and relocation. You have to be careful.

However, with changes in the climate and the environment come changes in nesting. Sand temperature is very important to the turtles, she said. If the sand is too warm, more of the babies in a nest end up female rather than male. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if a turtles eggs incubate below 81.86 degrees Fahrenheit, the turtle hatchlings will be male. If the eggs incubate above 88.8 degrees Fahrenheit, the hatchlings will be female. Temperatures that fluctuate between the two extremes will produce a mix of male and female baby turtles.

Typically, well see what things happen is changing weather events occur and we may have to extend (patrols) a little bit. But what we typically find is the end of August timeframe is the latest that we usually see nests coming up, Wright said. There have been a few September nests that were surprises, but usually anything after September, those nets will typically fail because it gets too cold here for them to survive.

Sea-level rise also affects nesting. In some cases, human intervention is necessary to make sure the nest does not get swept away.

Anytime you have elevated tides, it just encroaches on where they can lay and have a successful nest, she said. So hopefully, they adapt and just instinctively know to move their nests up further. But until then, were here and well help them with relocating them and allowing those juveniles to imprint on the beach.

Cpt. Josh Appezzato, who assists with the patrols, said the lack of commercial development on Dam Neck makes for an ideal nesting spot. Earlier this summer, a nest was discovered at Virginia Beachs North End. This was the first on the North End since 2019, though more remote areas like False Cape State Park have hosted the hard-backed creatures for nesting. Wright said lights from development, such as large building on the Oceanfront, can confuse babies that have just emerged from the sand. The turtles use lights reflecting off the ocean to guide themselves to the water, so when nests are laid in an area where resorts or other buildings are shining lights at night, the turtles become disoriented.

Wright said human items like Mylar balloons or other pieces of trash can look like jellyfish, a big food source for the turtles. Once eaten, pieces of plastic can cause serious health issues. Other threats like ghost crabs can cause issues, so Wright said volunteer nest-sitters watch the nest  also called a boil, since the turtles moving until the sand make the area appear to be boiling  to make sure there are minimal impacts on the turtles overnight.

Wright said she receives texts from nest-sitters while they are off-duty, and they usually send updates on the nests during the day.

You feel like a parent, she said.

WTKR News 3 meteorologist Kristy Steward contributed to this report.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
While Hurricane Idalia ravaged Floridas Big Bend region, rain and wind from the massive storm also caused wastewater leaks, chemical dumps and fuel spills in Tampa Bay and other storm-struck parts of the state.

At least 26,000 gallons of wastewater spills, mostly raw sewage, were reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as of Friday.

In each instance, the flooding was so severe that officials said its not possible to tell exactly how much wastewater was released. Instead, estimates were provided.

In Tampa Bay and neighboring tributaries like the Manatee River and Boca Ciega Bay, winds and high seas toppled boats, sending their gasoline into the waters below. Hurricane Idalias floodwaters are also being blamed for a kerosene leak that sent flammable liquid into a St. Petersburg mobile home park.

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The early snapshot of Idalias environmental impacts, gleaned from state and federal pollution reports, underscores the typical reality following a major hurricanes landfall: Waterways under the storms crosshairs get stirred with human sewage, gas and whatever else may have mixed with storm surge.

Wastewater, especially when its untreated sewage like in the case of Idalia, can contain red tide-fueling nitrogen and other contaminants that can help a bloom thrive in the right conditions. High volumes of sewage or gasoline dumps can cause fish kills and marine life death.

Several high-profile sewage spills have plagued the Tampa Bay area this year, including 600,000 gallons of sewage into the Hillsborough River in January.

The magnitude of early reported environmental impacts during Idalia, at least for now, appears to be far less than Hurricane Ians landfall in Southwest Florida last year. That storm dumped at least 17 million gallons of dirty wastewater into Manatee County waterways alone, pollution reports showed. Tampa area waters saw more than 300,000 gallons of wastewater spills during Ian.

Still, it could take months for the full scope of Idalias environmental toll to come to light.

The largest wastewater spill reported so far related to Hurricane Idalia was in Punta Gorda, an area hit hard by Hurricane Ian last year. On Sept. 1, it was reported to the state that Idalias rainfall caused hydraulics at the citys Pelican Harbor wastewater treatment plant to fail completely.

Somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 gallons of wastewater spilled due to the malfunction. The wastewater then flowed into the area surrounding the plant and into a pipe that empties into the Peace River. The river flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

The report sent to the state said that the area around the plant, along with a section of the Peace River, will be tested for E. coli and other harmful bacteria. An update had not been provided by the time of publication.

Another estimated 6,000 gallons spilled in Punta Gorda when a sewer line ruptured while the area was underwater due to flooding from Idalia, according to the report.

In Crystal River in Citrus County, the sewer station was overrun with floodwaters. According to a report, staff watched as water from the gulf entered the facility and mixed with sewage until the storm surge receded. An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of sewage escaped during the event.

In Leon County, where Tallahassee is located, an estimated 2,500 gallons of sewage spilled near Piney Z Lake after Idalia caused a power outage at a wastewater pumping station.

On the same day, a Clearwater wastewater station on Harbor Drive near the Gulf of Mexico was inundated with floodwater and leaked sewage. A representative for the city said it was impossible to know exactly how much was released but didnt believe it was a large amount because so many people were already evacuated from the area and so less sewage was being created.

In Fort Meade, south of Lakeland, water from a reclaimed mining site leaked due to Idalia flooding. A representative of Mosaic, the company that owns the site, said the spill was around 1,000 gallons.

In Charlotte County, 2,400 gallons of raw wastewater spilled, but the county says all of the water that was spilled was recovered because it was in a contained area.

In Pinellas County, early reports show sinking boats likely dumped diesel and oil into area waterways, including in Boca Ciega Bay and even inside Tampa Bay itself. In one instance, a boat owner alerted the U.S. Coast Guard on Aug. 30 that his boat was pushed against a seawall in Boca Ciega Bay during the storm, and that 15 gallons of diesel and motor oil were spilling into the water, causing a rainbow sheen to emerge around the vessel.

That same day, a caller alerted the Coast Guard that a derelict personal watercraft was floating in Tampa Bay, with a sheen of oil veiling the watercraft. The incident is being attributed to Hurricane Idalia, according to pollution reports filed to the federal National Response Center, a pollution reporting call center.

Idalias floodwaters caused up to 20 gallons of kerosene to leak from an underground tank at Crosswinds mobile home park in St. Petersburg, sending the hazardous fuel down the parks street and around roughly 10 mobile homes, according to Jim Millican, division chief of the Lealman Fire District.

When Lealman fire crews arrived on the scene the morning of Aug. 30, they built a dam around the spill to prevent it from spreading, Millican said.

We diked and dammed it so that it couldnt travel any further and it couldnt make it into the storm sewer system, Millican said. The Lealman Fire District consulted with Pinellas County about a hazardous material response, and the remainder of the cleanup was left in the hands of the trailer parks management group.

To the north, in Tarpon Springs, a caller to the National Response Center reported that when Idalias floodwaters receded, diesel oil covered the ground near a canal bordering St. Joseph Sound. The person who reported the pollution suspected it likely stemmed from a sunken barge, according to an initial pollution report.

Once the storm passed and the surge receded, more evidence of spills began to appear. On Aug. 31, a caller to the federal response center said a boat was caught underneath a dock in the Manatee River. The vessel had taken on water during the storm, and there was a sheen of oil around where it now rested, according to a pollution notice.

In Horseshoe Beach, near where Idalia made landfall, aerial drone imagery from Tampa Bay Times reporters showed displaced vehicles spewing gasoline into neighborhood canals. Smaller-scale spills like these are hard to identify in the wake of a storm, and will typically go unreported to state and federal environment regulators.
Hurricane Lee, currently barreling westwards through the Atlantic towards the Caribbean islands, rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm on Thursday night and it is feared the storm could soon work up to wind speeds of 180mph.

It is expected to pass well to the north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend and into early next week, according to forecasters.

After that, however, its path is less clear cut, with different models reaching different verdicts as to precisely how close it could pass along the US East Coast as it steers northwards, already inspiring some premature and slightly hysterical tabloid headlines.

More credibly, CBS has warned that Hurricane Lees path might bring it to New York City and the Tri-State Area, reporting that initial forecasts suggested a landfall in the Mid-Atlantic region, and then riding up the coastline towards New York before drifting out to sea.

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Since then, tracking on Thursday has placed Lee much closer to the East Coast, the network reports, with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts predicting the hurricane will stay out in the ocean without making a direct landfall, but coming very close to the US mainland.

This solution would yield heavy rain and wind for the extreme eastern portion of Long Island, before heading toward Nova Scotia, it adds.

Americas Global Forecast System, meanwhile, has Lee scraping Cape Cod, and then heading into the Canadian Maritimes, which, the broadcaster warns, is likewise unnervingly close to home, and must be monitored carefully.

Lonnie Quinn, a CBS New York meteorologist, was relatively adamant about the likelihood of Lees arrival during a Thursday evening segment, commenting: This will definitely be a big player for our area. This will definitely be a significant weather event for our area.

For its part, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says it is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the US East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic.

5 am AST - Hurricane #Lee is a powerful category 5 hurricane. Here are the Key Messages. Visit https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ for details. pic.twitter.com/wERUw5oN5x  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 8, 2023

Regardless, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along most of the US East Coast beginning Sunday, the NHC adds.

President Joe Biden is understood to have been briefed about the hurricanes latest trajectory on Thursday and given details of preparations underway by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has deployed assets to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, according to the White House.

The prospect of the hurricanes arrival in New York City will conjure unwelcome memories of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which submerged parts of the Big Apple and caused more than 40 fatalities a decade ago.
Country music star Zach Bryan said he was on his way to see the Philadelphia Eagles play the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium this weekend when he was arrested in Oklahoma on Thursday.

In a video posted on the social media platform X, Bryan said that he was driving through the small town of Vinita when his security guard, who was driving behind him, was stopped by an officer. He also made it known that he was on the way to Boston to see the Birds play.

I wake up and I tell my security guard, Hey man, Im going to drive to Boston today to see the Birds play, Bryan said in the video. So, were driving to Boston...Hes behind me and I see him getting pulled over.

Bryan explained that he also stopped, and after a few minutes, got out of his vehicle to smoke a cigarette. At that point, Bryan said the officer told him to get back inside the vehicle or be taken into custody.

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Bryan said he then got too lippy with the officer, who then handcuffed him and placed him in the cruiser.

Im just mouthing off like an idiot and the officer was just doing their job, Bryan said as he apologized for his behavior.

Bryan spent a few hours at the Craig County jail before being released, he added. He also said he spoke to the officer who arrested him and shook hands with him.

In an earlier post on X, Bryan wrote, that he is truly sorry to the officers and that he was out of line.

Bryan wrote, Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said. I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated at the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize. They brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around. Prayers we can all move on from this and prayers people know Im just trying the best I can, I love you guys and I am truly sorry to the officers.

Bryan earned his first number-one album earlier this week.

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MERSIN, Turkey (Reuters) - An American cave explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres underground in a cave in southern Turkey has recorded a video message to say he was up and alert after a team of rescuers reached him with medical supplies.

Mark Dickey, 40, was on an international exploration mission in the Morca cave in Mersin province's Taurus mountains when he began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding at a depth of 1,040 metres (3,412 ft). More than 150 rescuers from Turkey and other nations have been working to save him.

"Hi, I'm Mark Dickey from nearly a thousands metres," Dickey said in the message, dressed in a red puffer jacket and using a headlamp. "As you can see, I'm up, I'm alert, I'm talking. But I'm not healed on the inside yet, so I'm going to need a lot of help to get out of here," he said.

Dickey said he was "very close to the edge" when the team reached him with medical and survival supplies and thanked the Turkish government and rescuers, saying this was "a great opportunity to show how well the international world can work together".

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Footage from the operation showed rescuers setting up shelters in the cavity where he was found and chatting with Dickey. Other teams from Turkey and elsewhere set up camp outside the country's third deepest cave.

Tulga Sener, the head of the rescue commission medical unit, told Reuters that Dickey's health condition was stable and his vital signs normal, adding that three doctors would attend to him on his way up.

The rescue operation was divided into seven sections, each given to a team from a different country, due to the complexity of the operation, according to Recep Salci, the head of search and rescue for Turkey's AFAD disaster management authority.

"Of course, this is not a cave that can be reached on foot," Salci said. "It takes 12 hours for a caver to get down and 16 hours to climb up," he said.

The operation to bring Dickey out could take days, with explosives needed to expand some narrow spaces to allow safe passage, he added.

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Ros Russell)
Two days after a 30-year-old woman died, falling 25-floors from a Detroit high-rise apartment building, the Detroit Police Chief said she "suffered from a history of mental illness" and "made the decision to take her own life."

He added in an email to the Free Press sent late Thursday that for about 11 hours, the woman went from "moments of clarity and optimism" to "expressions of hopelessness" and he is confident everything was done that could have "to prevent this tragedy."

Police, firefighters and paramedics nationwide have had to deal with many suicide situations over the years, and the numbers suggest they are increasing. Some cases, like the one in Detroit, have been public; most, however, are not. And too many are over even before rescuers arrive.

First responders are attempting rescue a woman on the ledge of a Detroit high-rise apartment complex on Sept. 5, 2023.

In 2021, the latest year data was available, there were 48,183 suicides in America, the highest number recorded since 2018, according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, the state's Suicide Prevention Commission's annual report noted, there were 1,482 in Michigan.

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To put those numbers in context, suicide is the nation's 11th-leading cause of death, the second-leading cause among people aged 1034 and the fifth, among those 3554, according to the CDC. While suicide is seen as the result of a mental health disorder, the CDC emphasized it rarely is the result of one factor.

"Our suicide rate is now near the highest level weve seen in the last two decades," Michigan's Suicide Prevention Commission's Co-Chairs Brian Ahmedani and Nancy Buyle wrote. And yet, they added: "We remain optimistic about the opportunities in front of us."

Still, the grief and concerns surrounding suicide linger.

"We really wanted a better outcome  a different outcome  to get this young lady the help she needed," Detroit Police Chief James White told WJBK-TV (Channel 2) Wednesday. "My heart goes out to her mom. I talked to her last night, and she was very brave and very strong, but you can see she was broken."

Weighing potential harm

Understanding and discussing suicide has long been a challenge for loved ones, first responders, school officials, religious leaders and journalists. It is an emotional, private and for some, a taboo topic, to talk about.

Police and fire departments tend to limit what details they release. Schools struggle with how to help students cope. And journalists weigh the harm of reporting suicides against the benefit of holding people accountable and preventing them.

Studies on suicide have shown when news reports describe how these deaths unfold in graphic detail, using sensational headlines and images, it often leads to more of them. So when suicides do occur, the accounts often go unreported.

At the same time  and this is where the optimism and opportunities comes in  experts, including those at Columbia University's graduate school of journalism, note that more open conversation and thoughtful media reporting can "change public misperceptions and correct myths, which can encourage those who are vulnerable or at risk to seek help."

Reframing mental health is a first step in improving care, said Michigan Kevin Fischer, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This sign is in the basement of Fischers Plymouth, Mich., home, where the walls are decorated with pictures of his son Dominique Alexander Fischer, 23, who died by suicide in 2010.

White added the "tragic situation highlights the need to ensure that mental health resources are more widely available and that everyone does their part to remove the stigma that seems to be associated with mental health treatments."

As preventive measures, September has been designated as National Suicide Prevention Month, and there's now a national hotline, 988, for folks who many be thinking about taking their lives and need someone to talk to, reconsider what they are doing and get help can call.

Asking hard questions

Still, as a public safety and public health matter, there are still questions.

One upset Free Press reader emailed to ask why first-responders didn't attempt to pull the woman at the Jeffersonian Apartments away from the edge. And questioned why firefighters weren't "positioned with something to catch her"  a net, air bag or foam mattress  below?

The Free Press sent a written list of questions to the police and requested, through state Freedom of Information laws, to see the incident report with the hope more specifics might offer insight on how a different response could have resulted in, as the chief said he hoped for, a "different outcome."

While Chief White didn't detail the rescue plan Tuesday, he briefly addressed what he framed as a dilemma: Whether or not to attempt to physically restrain the woman 25 floors up who might jump. He explained what officials decided to do.

"We're going to wait her out," he said, eight hours into negotiations with her, sounding hopeful that she could be talked off the balcony. "But we've got the be careful with that. We've got to watch for, you know, nuances and changes in her behavior that necessitates us moving in."

White had said earlier in the day that the woman was depressed and had taken medication. He did not identify what kind of medication it was or how it might be affecting her. But later, he said, she began showing signs she wanted to live. For one, she began talking about the future.

Leaping to their deaths

Nearly two decades ago, the Free Press wrote about an unusually high number of people who had been leaping to their deaths from overpass bridges and what it meant, not only for those attempting to take their own lives, but also the first responders who tried to save them.

The 2004 report pointed out there were 1,095 suicides in 2002, the most in three years. That was 387 fewer suicides than in 2021. An at the time, similar to now with the pandemic, many were concerned that Americans had just been through national trauma, the 9/11 attacks.

Big bridges  especially better known ones such as the 220-foot-high Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and 130-foot-high Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto  had long been places where people have gone to take their own lives, jumping from 20- and 30-foot overpasses into oncoming traffic was uncommon.

It also, suicide experts said, was a more aggressive way to die, forcing those below to participate.

In some of those suicide attempts, police were able to coax people away from the overpass, even risking their own lives to do so. In one case, two Michigan State Police troopers saved a 26-year-old mom who said she had lost all hope.

One of the troopers wrapped his arms around the woman poised to go over. When he did, she tried to jump. They both teetered on the edge. The other trooper lunged at them both. Somehow, he managed to hold on tight to both of them, steady himself and keep them all from falling to their deaths.

In another case, in 2018, a man tried to leap from an Interstate 696 overpass near Coolidge. But State Police troopers arranged for more than a dozen truckers to stop, side-by-side, under the bridge, to create a barrier, limiting the distance the jumper could fall.

BREAKING: I-696 CLOSED both sides right now at Coolidge. In an effort to stop a man from jumping off overpass, these trucks packed in closely. @FOX2News @1003WNIC pic.twitter.com/L6FQylV5kQ  Jay Towers (@JayTowers) April 24, 2018

The troopers then talked the man down, likely saving his life.

Tremendous heartbreak

A few months after the 2004 report on overpass deaths ran, another suicide case in the Free Press recounted how Waterford Police officers were unable to save one of their own from taking not only his own life  but the life of his family, too.

The officer was under investigation for theft, suspended and sent home. Sometime, perhaps in the middle of the night or early morning, he shot his 40-year-old wife, their 9-year-old son, both in the temple and at close range, and then the family's small dog.

He turned their house into a inferno and turned the gun on himself.

In 2019, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Deputies went looking for a 56-year-old Superior Township man who seemed to disappear. For 30 years, he never missed work and then suddenly seemed to vanish without a trace. His body was later uncovered in a wooded area of Van Buren Township.

Experiencing thoughts of suicide? These Michigan, national resources can help

Authorities concluded he hung himself.

At the time, in unrelated cases, two other missing men's bodies were found, which likely were suicides.

In many ways, it must have brought relief to their families  and investigators looking for them  to know they were no longer missing. But it also left them with tremendous heartbreak.

And with every suicide that family, friends, first responders, health professionals, teachers, witnesses and even reporters try to prevent, it is painful for them to wonder, when there is a death, what more could have been done.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com. Reporters Chanel Stitt, Bill Laytner and Andrea May Sahouri contributed.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan suicide increase affects those struggling to prevent them
Policemen stop an auto rickshaw at a checkpoint as traffic restrictions and diversions are placed ahead of the weekend's G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

NEW DELHI (AP)  Its never been easy for the leaders of the worlds largest economies to find common ground, but Russias war on Ukraine has made it even harder for the Group of 20 meeting to reach meaningful agreements this year.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , this years host, has pledged Ukraine won't overshadow his focus on the needs of developing nations in the so-called Global South, but the war has proved hard to ignore.

As leaders began arriving Friday, Indian diplomats were still trying to find compromise language for a joint communique. Ending the summit without such a statement would underscore how strained relations are among the worlds major powers  and tarnish the image Modi has been trying to cultivate of India as a global problem solver.

New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of concern for the Global South, said Nazia Hussain, an associate research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

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So while there will be discussions on the emerging issues as a fallout of the war  supply chain security and decoupling, energy security, and food supply  the focus must remain on how to mitigate the fallout rather than debate the geopolitical/security aspects of the war.

Russia and China, which has been Moscows most important supporter in the war against Ukraine, have rejected draft communiques over a reference to Ukraine that said most members strongly condemned the war, the same language they signed off a year ago at the G20 summit in Bali.

The European Union, meanwhile, has said compromise language suggested by India is not strong enough for them to agree to, while the U.K. said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak planned to press G20 members to take a tougher line against Russias invasion.

European Council President Charles Michel told reporters Friday that it was important to give India space as it worked actively, maybe sometimes discreetly, to maximize the chance for a communique.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Bali summit by video last year, but Modi has made a point of not inviting the country to participate in this years event.

Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised Zelenskyy to keep Ukraine in the discussions, telling him in a video call that the leaders posted on Instagram: Im disappointed that you wont be included but as you know, we will be speaking up strongly for you.

Founded in 1999, the G20 began with a focus on global economic challenges, but since then, geopolitical tensions have complicated its ability to work effectively, said Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund and director of its Brussels office.

Russia's attack on Ukraine and China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region have added friction, pitting some of the most powerful G20 countries directly against each other diplomatically, Lesser said.

Having China and Russia in the room now is a very different question than it would have been a decade ago, he said. It is very difficult now for any of these large-scale summits to avoid the major issues of the issues of the day, and these major issues are very polarizing  the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Indo-Pacific, even climate policy  the things that are both at the top of the global agenda but also very difficult to address.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 themselves, instead sending lower-level officials.

Russia and China did not indicate why their leaders are not going, but neither has traveled much recently and both seem to be putting a greater emphasis on the more like-minded BRICS group of nations. That group agreed at its summit last month to invite six new countries to join.

Chinas relations with India continue to be strained over border disputes, but Modi discussed the issue face-to-face with Xi at the BRICS summit and Chinas Foreign Ministry said Beijing considers India-China relations generally stable.

India also has historic ties with Moscow, but is on good terms with the U.S., too. Modi is hoping to use his country's influence to bridge gaps between the wealthy nations that have been standing together to sanction Russia over the Ukraine war and the group of countries known as the Global South.

About half of the G20 countries are found in that group  depending on how one defines it  and Modi hopes to add the African Union as a bloc member.

In preparation, he held a virtual Voice of the Global South summit in January and has emphasized issues critical to developing nations, including alternative fuels like hydrogen, resource efficiency, developing a common framework for digital public infrastructure and food security.

For the Global South, Indias presidency is seen as an opportunity with immense potential to address developmental needs, particularly as Brazil and South Africa are set to take over the presidency of the G20 from India in 2024 in 2025 respectively, Hussain said.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters before Biden's departure that the president supported adding the African Union as a permanent member and that the president hoped this summit will show that the world's major economies can work together even in challenging times.

The U.S. will also focus on many of Modi's priorities, including reforming development banks like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Sullivan said. Biden will also call for meaningful debt relief for low- and middle-income countries, and seek to make progress on other priorities including climate and health issues.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday dismissed suggestions that the proposals are designed to counter China's global lending and investment through its so-called Belt and Road Initiative.

Michel, the EU council president, said he had hope the summit would be productive.

I do not think the G20 will resolve in two days all the problems of the world, he said. But I think it can be a bold step in the right direction and we should work to make it happen and support the Indian presidency.
In his new book, The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future, Atlantic magazine writer Franklin Foer goes deep inside the West Wing. Tracking the new presidents response to the coronavirus pandemic, negotiations with Congress, the Afghanistan withdrawal and the war in Ukraine, Foer provides an intimate look at the first two years of the Biden administration.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre disputed some of Foers reporting.

Below, five takeaways from The Last Politician.

Read more on Yahoo News: Biden's reelection bid faces vulnerabilities in wake of special counsel appointment, via Associated Press

1. COVID ruled the administrations early days

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at a press briefing in November 2022. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Biden entered the White House while the pandemic remained a potent threat. Foer writes that his campaign manager Jen OMalley Dillon was tasked with coming up with a plan to keep the virus from spreading inside the West Wings tight quarters.

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Masking was mandatory. Staffers were told to eat lunch at their desks behind closed doors. ... Most meetings would be conducted via Zoom, even if a colleague sat next door.

The usual festivities of a presidential inauguration were canceled, as Washington reeled not only from the pandemic but also from the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Read more on Yahoo News: 'We need to be ready'  Biden unveils COVID-19 plan as Omicron arrives ahead of winter, via Los Angeles Times

2. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra refused to take action on unaccompanied minors

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Foer writes that Biden was infuriated at Xavier Becerra, the health and human services secretary, for not doing more to help house unaccompanied minors who had entered the United States by crossing the border with Mexico.

According to Foer, Becerra said he would step in if ordered in writing by Biden, an insistence that earned him a chiding from Susan Rice, chair of the Domestic Policy Council: You wont get a request in writing. Thats not how the president operates. Hes given you an order.

Widely known around Washington to be one of Biden's least favorite Cabinet members, Becerra seemed to only grudgingly accept his responsibilities.

(Becerra has not responded publicly to Foers reporting. At the time of the controversy, Politico reported that Becerra was in favor of a more cautious approach. Theres just a lot on the plate right now, a person close to the secretary said.)

Read more on Yahoo News: Xavier Becerra violated Hatch Act, U.S. government watchdog finds, via National Review

3. Kamala Harris struggled to find her role in the administration

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House last month. (Leah Millis/Reuters/TPX Images of the Day)

Having served as a vice president himself, Biden wanted to treat Harris with the respect that he felt Barack Obama hadnt accorded him, Foer writes. At the same time, she could be tenuous and intensely sensitive to criticism, some of which could have more than a tinge of racism or misogyny. She was so eager to avoid controversy that she asked to be placed in charge of relations with Scandinavia, according to Foer. She got the migration crisis and voting rights instead.

Read more on Yahoo News: An unlikely solution to the problems with Harris and Feinstein, via Los Angeles Times

4. Joy at lifting of mask rules

Biden during the COVID-19 surge Jan. 13, 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The Biden administration was routinely portrayed by its critics as excessively cautious when it came to pandemic restrictions. Foer, however, paints a somewhat different picture, describing the joy Kate Bedingfield, then the communications director, felt upon learning that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky (who has since left the position) was lifting the masking guidance for vaccinated people.

After she arrived at work, the White House operations team sent an email instructing staff that they no longer needed to wear masks in the building, Foer writes. Bedingfield stepped out of her office, ripped the mask from her face, and blurted, Ta-da. She walked down the hall to [White House chief of staff] Ron Klains office and joked, If I had known this was coming, I would have worn makeup today.

Read more on Yahoo News: Is the COVID pandemic really over?

5. Biden mistrusted Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, meeting with Biden in the Oval Office, Sept. 1, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is widely revered for standing up to Vladimir Putin when Russia invaded his nation  the second time in eight years  in 2022. And he has no booster quite like Biden, who visited the young leader in Kyiv earlier this year. The audacious journey to Ukraines besieged capital, conducted in secret, is even the subject of a new presidential advertisement.

But when they first met in Washington in late 2021, a few months before the start of the war, Biden had found the former actor and inexperienced politician to be grating. During an Oval Office meeting, Zelensky forcefully argued that Ukraine needed to join NATO, only to receive a tepid response from the U.S. president.

In response, Foer writes, Zelensky began to lecture Biden about how NATO was about to become irrelevant in any case.

It was an absurd analysis  and a blatant contradiction. And it pissed Biden off.

Zelensky, for his part, reportedly thought Biden weak.

Read more on Yahoo News: Ukraine counteroffensive against Russia finally showing signs of progress
Austin Colson, shown at his home in Willis, was misidentified and arrested for a crime that occurred in San Marcos. He was hundreds of miles away in East Texas at the time of the crime and had never been to San Marcos.

Austin Colson had just finished a 16-hour day that began with classes at Sam Houston State University and ended as a night shift Pizza Hut delivery driver when he headed to his suburban Houston home.

On my way was my worst nightmare, he said, retracing his steps from behind the wheel of his Toyota Camry.

The mild-mannered 19-year-old who was still living with his parents to save money was within a mile of their house when a Montgomery County sheriffs deputy said in a report that he did not come to a complete stop at a four-way intersection.

Minutes later, the teen who had never had a run-in with police sat in the back of a jail-bound patrol car  completely blindsided and baffled.

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As deputies clasped the handcuffs on Colson that October 2021 night, they informed him that he was the target of an arrest warrant issued by the San Marcos Police Department three months earlier on an assault charge.

Colson was floored. He had never set foot in San Marcos, 200 miles west of his home. And he knew hed never assaulted anyone.

I was stunned by it basically, he said.

Over the next several weeks, Colson, his freedom and reputation at stake, and his father worked day and night to untangle why authorities had identified him as one of four assailants in a June 2021 fight outside Showdown nightclub in downtown San Marcos.

An American-Statesman examination of what happened to Colson found that the San Marcos Police Department built its case on:

Flawed evidence, including little or no checks-and-balance by the department to verify Colson's identity.

Mistakenly claiming Colson attended a local university, which put him near the crime scene.

Never giving Colson an opportunity to provide an alibi before arresting him.

A justice of the peace who signed the probable cause warrant based on an incomplete investigation.

The lead investigator for San Marcos who later became a disgraced officer and who was eventually shot dead by his fellow officers after a domestic violence arrest.

Timothy T. Williams, a former Los Angeles Police Department senior detective supervisor who now consults for law enforcement agencies nationally, said what happened to Colson highlights the results of an investigative misstep or a half-baked case that can set the stage for faulty arrests  and even worse, wrongful convictions.

If you want to see a wrong investigation, you look at this, he said. You have to corroborate what the witness is telling you, and how you corroborate is that you do that through your independent investigation.

Colson eventually got the case against him dropped and removed from public records in Hays County. The now 21-year-old is suing the city of San Marcos and multiple officers and supervisors over the investigation.

In a statement to the Statesman, San Marcos city attorney Joanna Lippman Salinas said, After the arrest, the police department received additional information and conducted additional investigation that resulted in the determination that the suspect was incorrectly identified.

The statement added that police subsequently called prosecutors to ask that they drop charges against Colson. But the city is still fighting his lawsuit, saying Colson has not reached the standard for it to go forward, including identifying overall training deficiencies in the department.

Exclusive: Mom of San Marcos arson suspect: Cops have wrong guy. Witness says son set fire

A drive home and an arrest

Colson is the son of two Montgomery County employees  his father is a county commissioner staffer, and his mother works as an emergency management administrative aide  who always supported law enforcement.

When hes not working or studying, he enjoys tinkering with older model trucks and cars, and friends sometimes call him Smiley because of his cheerful disposition. He now works in construction while at Sam Houston State.

The night of his arrest, Colson walked out of Pizza Hut with his own pepperoni pizza, got in the drivers seat of his Camry and pulled onto FM 1097, which runs through his hometown of Willis.

He turned left onto the two-lane Cude Cemetery Road and approached a four-way stop. Soon after pulling through, he saw flashing blue lights from a Montgomery County sheriffs deputy in his rearview mirror and nervously pulled into the parking lot of Little Texans Child Care.

Hed never been stopped by police.

I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I was scared, he said. My heart was beating."

Colson nervously played with his phone, waiting for the deputy to check his license. As minutes passed, he saw a second deputy arrive, his anxiety ratcheting higher.

Then they both approached his car and ordered him out.

"I was very scared, and I was scared of jail itself, actually, he said.

Colson spent the next 16 hours behind bars  in part because a judge in Hays County who signed the warrant for his arrest did not set a bond or conditions for his release. Finally, jail staff got a Montgomery County judge to do so.

Colson said he told corrections officers repeatedly, I dont even know why I am in here. He sat on the cold floor of a holding cell for several hours with 11 other detainees before being moved to a more permanent cell.

Exhausted from stress and a sleepless night, he remembered melting into his mothers arm as she waited for him in the jail lobby the next afternoon.

That moment was basically like a sigh of joy, he said. I couldnt wait to hug her. I walked out and immediately gave her a big hug.

More: This group is trying to stop violence in Austin before it happens. But it needs funding.

Unraveling what happened

Colson and his father, Tim Stewart, immediately went to work trying to understand what led to the arrest.

"When you call a town three hours away and you try to talk to their police department, they aren't willing to give information or talk to you at all, Stewart said. But you dont get to quit or say, Let it run its course. It is not one of those things.

According to Colsons lawsuit, he and his father got a copy of the arrest report from the June 29, 2021, incident that named Colson as a suspect. It described how San Marcos police officer Kyle Lobo arrived at Showdown at 1:19 a.m. and found the victim on the floor of the bathroom drenched in his own blood with a large laceration to the right side of his head and scrapes on his arms and legs.

The victim recounted the assault to Lobo, saying that he exited Showdown and saw a man kicking his 2004 red Toyota Tacoma. The man then began taking swings at the victim, he reported, and both fell to the ground. The victim told Lobo that three other men joined in the assault before running away, the report said. Officers arrested the man they called the main aggressor.

The victim described the other three assailants as all generic looking (white male) college kids wearing shorts and shirts. No individual identifiers were gathered, Lobo noted in his report.

Nine days after the attack, according to an arrest affidavit for Colson, the victim emailed Lobo and advised that he had identified one of the males in the melee by looking through (the suspects) Instagram.

Months later, as he reviewed the report, Colson recognized the name of the main suspect, whose case, according to his attorney, has since been resolved via a plea with prosecutors that will dismiss it if he complies with conditions such as community service.

Colson had attended elementary and middle school with him, but the two had lost touch since they attended different high schools.

Their only connection, Colson said, is that he  and his profile picture  appeared on a list of the mans Facebook and Instagram connections. He said doesnt remember ever posing in a picture with the man.

I had not seen this guy in five years, he said. I was actually shocked that they gave out a warrant based on a social media picture.

According to an arrest affidavit for Colson, Lobo took one additional step to identify Colson as a suspect.

"I took this information and verified Colson's identity by following up with (a) Texas State University database listing Colson as a student," Lobo wrote.

Colson said he has never registered for or attended classes at the university.

This verification was quite obviously erroneous, Colsons suit said. This is a fact that Officer Lobo could have easily verified had he bothered to actually contact Mr. Colson at any point in his investigation.

A month after receiving information from the victim, Lobo took an arrest warrant to Hays County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Maggie H. Moreno, who signed it. Morenos clerk said in an email to the Statesman that Moreno had no comment.

As they worked to clear his name, Colson and his father said they felt as though they had to convince authorities that he was not guilty.

"I shouldn't have had to prove my innocence, but in this situation, I definitely did," Colson said.

The suit said that Stewart twice contacted the Hays County district attorneys office over several days, but it referred him to the San Marcos police.

One unidentified police employee told him he would have to prove the misidentification in court, according to the suit. He also asked to speak to Lobo, and he eventually got a call back.

Lobo stated that he and his supervisor compared the photograph to them from (the social media account) to a still photo from the crime scene and noticed similarities, the suit said.

Three weeks after Colsons arrest, he filed a formal complaint with the chief of police, Stan Standridge. In response, the suit says he received a call from a night shift commander, Tiffany Williams, who repeated that Lobo and his supervisor reviewed a social media account and that based on a picture, agreed that one of the suspects could be Austin Colson.

But she acknowledged that she independently confirmed that Colson never attended Texas State.

The next day, the supervisor informed Colson that the department had asked prosecutors to drop the case.

"I feel like we were dealing with a bunch of people who didn't care ... that just thought I was another person calling and complaining," Colson said. "They could have definitely shown more empathy.

More: Requesting public information from Austin police? You may be waiting a while. Here's why.

Aftermath

A year after Colsons arrest, Lobo resigned from the San Marcos Police Department after fellow officers arrested and charged him with assaulting his wife and an 11-year-old child.

On Dec. 25, 2022, his former colleagues shot and killed Lobo after authorities said he pulled a gun on them after responding to a report that he had assaulted someone in an apartment.

Colson said a friend of his fathers sent them a news release about Lobos death.

This on top of that it made it even crazier for me, Colson said.

In addition to Lobo, other defendants in Colsons suit include Standbridge and multiple unnamed John Doe officers and supervisors.

Austin attorney Manny Arambula, who represents Colson, said what happened to him was a failure by the department, not just one officer.

He said the department did not follow a mandate in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures requiring police who use photographs to identify a suspect to take additional steps, including:

Using a photo lineup that includes a picture of the suspect in which he does not stand out.

Asking the suspect how confident he or she is with the identification.

Using a photograph other than one the witness has seen to identify the suspect.

Every department is obligated to both institute and ensure the use of these types of policies, said Arambula, who represents Colson. They didnt follow simple investigative guidelines."

Colson said he suffered through weeks of trauma from the incident. His grades plummeted, and he quit his job at Pizza Hut so he could focus on college.

He said even though the case was dismissed, he chose to sue the city and department for accountability.

You would never think something like this would happen to you, and its just totally crazy that it happened to me," he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Family sues city of San Marcos after teen's wrongful arrest by police
Ukrainian counteroffensive forces made gains in two sectors of the front, advancing in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and south of Bakhmut, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Sept. 7 report.

"Ukrainian forces are making tactical gains and successfully attriting defending Russian forces," the ISW said.

Citing geolocated footage and Russian military commentators, the ISW said that Ukrainian troops advanced north of Verbove, reaching the northwestern outskirts of the settlement.

Verbove is located in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, about 10 kilometers east of the recently-liberated village of Robotyne.

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The ISW also said counteroffensive units made gains southwest of Bakhmut.

As Ukrainian forces begin to breach Russia's outer lines of defense, expectations for the next stage of the counteroffensive are changing. On Sept. 7, U.S. intelligence official Trent Maul said there was a "realistic possibility" that Ukraine would break through Russia's second and third defensive lines by the end of the year.

The ISW also cited a Ukrainian official, former Aidar Battalion Commander Yevhen Dykyi, who said on Sept. 4 that Russia's next defensive layers are not as heavily mined as previous ones.

"The subsequent series of Russian defensive positions may be weaker, less mined, and less manned than the defensive layer that Ukrainian forces have breached," the ISW said.

However, the ISW also injected a note of caution. While "Ukraines counteroffensive may achieve operational successes in 2023," the ISW said it was important to note that Russian defenses "are not uniform."

Moreover, Ukraine's southern front faces an additional challenge. The National Guard reported on Sept. 7 that Russia is relocating troops from other sectors of the front to positions in the south.

"[S]ubsequent series of Russian defensive positions still pose significant challenges for Ukrainian forces and may in sections be strongly held," the ISW said.

Read also: Larger US military package required, says former special representative for Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A California man was sentenced to six-and-a-half years behind bars for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, during which he sprayed police officers with bear spay.

Sean Michael McHugh, 36, of Auburn, Calif., was found guilty on two felony counts of obstruction and assaulting, impeding or interfering with law enforcement officers.

His sentence also includes three years of supervised release after his prison term, a $5,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution.

According to a news release from the Justice Department, McHugh was part of the initial breach of the Capitol grounds. He sprayed a line of Capitol police officers who were guarding a barricade, causing them to lose ground in the initial breach as hundreds of supporters of then-President Trump rushed the area. He used a megaphone to encourage other rioters to similarly attack officers who were trying to secure the area.

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Before heading to Washington, McHugh told people he planned to go to the Capitol to fight and storm Congress to stop the certification of President Bidens election in the 2020 presidential race, according to the Justice Department.

He later posted on Facebook, We stormed them and we took Congress.

Nearly 1,200 people have been arrested in the Capitol attack.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Francis Tang and Maki Shiraki

TOKYO (Reuters) - After Japan's top talent agency Johnny & Associates apologised on Thursday for decades of sexual abuses committed by its late founder, local broadcasters issued rare mea culpas of their own for failing to report on the allegations for years.

The abuses by Johnny Kitagawa , the man behind some of the most popular Japanese boy bands such as SMAP and Arashi, had been reported by local tabloid Shukan Bunshun as far back as 1999. Kitagawa sued the magazine, but major media outlets steered clear of covering the lawsuit or chasing the story.

It was only after Britain's BBC aired a tell-all documentary in March - four years after Kitagawa's death at the age of 87 - that local mass-media followed suit, stirring national outrage.

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"This issue had been reported frequently in weekly magazines and other publications, and the Tokyo High Court's ruling on the fact of sexual assault was confirmed in 2004," public broadcaster NHK said in a statement on Thursday.

"But NHK's awareness over this issue was wanting, and we never followed up with deeper reporting or chose to take it up," it said, promising improvements.

A third-party committee set up to investigate the allegations reported last week that Kitagawa had sexually abused hundreds of boys and young men, and faulted the media for its silence.

Kauan Okamoto, a victim of Kitagawa's abuses, has said he had not been aware of allegations prior to joining the agency because they were scarcely reported.

Other major broadcasters including NTV, TV Asahi and Fuji TV, also issued statements promising to do better.

"The conduct of the media on the issue of sexual assault is also being questioned (with this case)," TV Asahi said. "We will heed the voices of victims, the (third-party team's) report, and the opinions and suggestions of viewers seriously, and reflect them in our future broadcasts and activities."

(Reporting by Francis Tang and Maki Shiraki; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Mark Heinrich)
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to reshuffle his cabinet on Sept. 13, the head of the junior partner in Kishida's ruling coalition said on Friday.

Public broadcaster NHK showed video footage of Natsuo Yamaguchi , leader of the Komeito party, telling reporters that Kishida, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party, said in a phone call earlier that he was "preparing for a cabinet reshuffle and party leadership change with Sept. 13 on his mind."

Kishida, who is visiting India for a G20 summit, has seen his approval ratings plunge after a series of government mishaps in implementing a policy to integrate peoples tax and social security data into a single identification card.

On Thursday, there was further bad news when former ruling Liberal Democratic Party member Masatoshi Akimoto was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes.

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"I am very disappointed that a lawmaker has been arrested. I believe that as lawmakers we must focus on the job at hand with a sense of vigilance," Kishida said on Thursday in Indonesia, on the sidelines of a regional summit meeting.

According to the Asahi newspaper, Akimoto denied the charges during a voluntary interview with investigators.

In a poll by the Yomiuri newspaper in late August, 35% of respondents approved of Kishida's leadership, while 50% opposed it. 56% of people thought Kishida should renew his cabinet and shake up the senior executives of the ruling party.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya, Sakura Murakami, Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by John Stonestreet and Susan Fenton)
FILE -New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. New Jersey's leaders appear to agree with Justice Department findings that state-run veterans homes failed residents during COVID-19 and continue to violate their constitutional rights, but there's little clarity on how exactly they'll address the issues. The Democrat-led Legislature and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 gave the strongest indications yet that they'll be addressing the problems highlighted in the report. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  New Jersey's leaders appear to agree with Justice Department findings that state-run veterans homes failed residents during COVID-19 and continue to violate their constitutional rights, but there's little clarity on how exactly they'll address the issues.

The Democrat-led Legislature and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy gave the strongest indications yet that they'll be addressing the problems highlighted in the report.

Justice Department investigators on Thursday detailed what one veterans home worker in Paramus called pure hell, and another at the Menlo Park facility termed a battlefield, according to the report.

Among the findings were that the facilities didn't properly cohort residents, resulting in the mixing of people sick with COVID-19 with those who weren't. The homes also didn't properly train staff or use masks correctly, the document said. It also determined that the count of people who died from the outbreak was almost certainly higher than initially reported because of a lack of testing.

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The report's publication comes as lawmakers are by and large in recess after passing a more than $54 billion budget in June, and ahead of legislative elections this fall.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said he thinks all options for comprehensive change should be on the table to prevent further failures as described in the report. Senate President Nicholas Scutari said its findings will undoubtedly require us to take further action.

Some lawmakers have put forward ideas for addressing the issues.

Democratic state Sen. Joe Vitale wants to strip responsibility for the veterans facilities from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and put it into a new Cabinet-level authority. That tracks roughly with what advocates for families of residents have suggested is the problem: Nursing homes being run through a military department instead of a health department.

Democratic state Sen. Joe Cryan said he agrees and that legislation creating a new department is needed.

Murphy hasn't indicated what path he supports. He had promised a comprehensive review of how his administration handled COVID-19, but that's not expected to be out until later this year. He didn't take questions Friday at an event naming Tahesha Way as the new lieutenant governor.

It is clear that we have significantly more work to do and we are open to exploring all options to deliver for our veterans the high level of care they deserve and are entitled to under the law, he said Thursday.

Even before the report's release, signs of trouble at the homes had been stirring. In 2021, the Murphy administration reached a $53 million settlement with more than 100 residents at the homes. And in October 2020 federal investigators questioned the Murphy administration's nursing home death count and announced it was launching a formal investigation of the states veterans homes.

Republicans, who are in the minority in the Legislature, want Murphy to be held accountable for the failures outlined in the report.

Our most vulnerable residents cannot survive this administrations long-overdue Covid investigation, apathy and inaction, Republican Assembly Leader John DiMaio said.

The Justice Department report said officials there look forward to working with the state to remedy the failures they uncovered.

It also notes that, within 49 days, the U.S. attorney general could file a lawsuit aimed at correcting the deficiencies they uncovered if the state hasn't addressed concerns.
New Mexico State Rep. Jim Townsend (R-54) said hes running for the Republican nomination for Senate District 34, a seat presently held by Sen. Ron Griggs of Alamogordo.

The nominee chosen in the Republican primary election will be on the ballot for the November 2024 election and assume office the following January.

Townsend held his seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives since 2015, rising to minority leader  a position he said he recently relinquished.

New Mexico Rep. Jim Townsend (R-54)

More: Oil and gas industry adds billions to New Mexico's budget as economists warn of volatility

Im finished in the House. I have relinquished my leadership roles, Townsend said Thursday. I still have energy and a desire to represent the constituents.

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District 34 covers parts of Eddy, Otero and Dona Ana counties.

It straddles New Mexicos southeast region, known as a Republican stronghold, and the southwest portion of the state containing major urban areas around Las Cruces and communities along the U.S.-Mexico border.

More: 'Gerrymandering' lawsuit against New Mexico Democrats delayed ahead of trial

Griggs held the seat since 2012, previously serving as mayor of Alamogordo.

Townsend said the two have been allies in the two chambers of New Mexicos Legislature, doing battle against New Mexicos Democrat-controlled law-making body and its administration.

He said he became interested in the seat amid recent uncertainty if Griggs would seek reelection 2024 and decided to seek the nomination.

More: New Mexico lawmakers discuss nuclear impacts during meeting at Los Alamos National Lab

Griggs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Carlsbad Current-Argus.

I had heard during the last legislative session that he (Griggs) was considering if he should run again or not, Townsend said. "I told him I was interested in the seat, and he said he hadnt made up his mind. We will remain friends.

If elected, Townsend will join a contingent of Republican lawmakers in the chamber from the southeast corner of the state, often representing oil and gas industry interests and conservative values, but hell be the only one from Eddy County.

More: Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties chose nominees to replace Sen. Gay Kernan

Sen. David Gallegos (R-41) of Eunice represented the region along with former-Sen. Gay Kernan (R-42) of Hobbs, who stepped down earlier this year.

The process is underway to appoint Kernans replacement with Eddy County commissioners nominating former-County Commissioner Steven McCutcheon and Lea County's board nominating State Rep. Larry Scott (R-62) of Hobbs. The Chaves County Commission also voted to nominate Scott.

More: President Biden faces criticism from oil and gas, environmentalist after New Mexico visit

The final decision will come down to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, picking from the county nominations.

Another southeast GOP lawmaker Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-32) of Roswell, representing portions of Chaves, Eddy and Otero counties signaled earlier this year he would not seek reelection.

While the Republican Party has firm hold on the region, Townsend said Eddy County, which along with Lea County hosts the lions share of New Mexicos oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin, needs better representation in the State Senate.

More: US Rep. Gabe Vasquez introduces bill to compensate New Mexico's oil workers for injuries

Oil and gas was recently credited with about half of New Mexicos state revenue, and the state was propelled during the ongoing boom to become the second-biggest producer of oil following only Texas which shares the Permian Basin with New Mexico.

I think Eddy County deserves more representation, Townsend said. My job is to represent the whole district, but I think having a sitting lawmaker in your county brings advantages. When youre a county that does so much for the state, having a sitting senator is not too much to ask.

If chosen by voters in 2024, Townsend said he would prioritize reforming education, asserting fiscal responsibility and support energy development in the state, potentially expanding to include renewable energy alongside oil and gas.

More: Oil demand to peak by 2033, followed by declining production in New Mexico, officials say

We have renewables, we have nuclear projects, we have cities that need representation in Santa Fe, Townsend said of Eddy County. But the biggest issue senators have is listening to their constituents, not a personal initiative or political issue.

Gallegos said he was unsure if Griggs would seek reelection but said either candidate would serve the Republican Party and region well in Santa Fe.

New Mexico State Sen. David Gallegos (R-41)

He said he worked with Townsend both in the oil and gas industry and in the New Mexico House, noting Townsends skills of negotiating often across the aisle with Democrats who control both chambers.

Either one that gets in, theyre going to have to be able to find ways to get the other party to compromise, Gallegos said. I think both guys, as for how theyre looked by the other side, are favorable.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Rep. Jim Townsend of Artesia announces bid for New Mexico Senate
A Georgia judge this week set a trial date for Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, two of the 19 defendants who are charged with participating in a racketeering conspiracy aimed at keeping Donald Trump in power after the 2020 presidential election. Unless other defendants succeed in moving the case to federal court, Powell and Chesebro will be tried together in Fulton County beginning on October 23, a month and a half from now.

Powell, a conspiracy theorist who was a member of the "elite strike force team" that aimed to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election, and Chesebro, another attorney who advised the Trump campaign, both invoked the right to a speedy trial under Georgia law. But neither wanted to be tried along with the other. They argued that such a trial would entail copious evidence concerning conduct they had nothing to do with, creating confusion for jurors charged with determining each defendant's guilt or innocence.

After a hearing on Wednesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee nevertheless concluded that prosecuting Powell and Chesebro together would not impair their right to a fair trial. But the arguments McAfee considered highlight the challenges that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will face as she tries to prove the charges laid out in a sprawling racketeering indictment that includes 41 counts, many involving multiple defendants, and 161 acts in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy.

Willis says she wants to try Trump and all 18 of his co-defendants together, which her office estimates would take about four months, not including jury selection, and involve testimony by around 150 prosecution witnesses. McAfee said he was "highly skeptical" of that plan, and there are good reasons to doubt that Willis can manage the feat she has in mind. The objections that Powell and Chesebro raised in arguing that they should each be tried separately suggest how complicated and perplexing such a mass trial would be.

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In addition to violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Powell is charged with six felonies: two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit computer theft, one count of conspiracy to commit computer trespass, one count of conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the state. All of those charges stem from an attempt to verify her fantastical claim that deliberately corrupted software used in machines supplied by Dominion Voting Systems switched Trump votes to Biden votes in Georgia and other states.

On December 6, 2020, according to the indictment, Powell contracted with SullivanStrickler, a Fulton County forensic data firm, "for the performance of computer forensic collections and analytics on Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Michigan and elsewhere." Two weeks later, the indictment says, Powell sent SullivanStrickler an email asking it to share "a copy of all data" obtained from Dominion equipment in Michigan with three unindicted and unnamed co-conspirators.

On January 7, SullivanStrickler employees copied data from Dominion machines at the Coffee County Board of Elections and Registration Office. This is the incident that inspired the felony charges against Powell.

Powell's lawyer, Brian Rafferty, says she did not ask SullivanStrickler to investigate Dominion machines in Coffee County and "did not plan or organize the Coffee County trip." But The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that an invoice shows Powell's nonprofit organization paid SullivanStrickler $26,000 "for computer analysts to copy Georgia's statewide voting system software in Coffee County on Jan. 7, 2021." And that morning, a SullivanStrickler executive told Powell, "We are on our way to Coffee County, Ga., to collect what we can from the election/voting machines and systems." In a recorded March 7, 2021, phone call, Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman who participated in the Coffee County visit and is one of the 19 defendants named in the indictment, said "we scanned every freaking ballot" and "imaged all the hard drives."

In any case, Rafferty says, "a unanimous Coffee County Election Board gave permission for the forensic inspection, and nothing was stolen." That jibes with the account that Hall gave in that phone conversation. "We basically had the entire elections committee there," he said, "and they said, 'We give you permission.'"

Yet six weeks after the SullivanStrickler visit, the Coffee County election board fired elections director Misty Hampton, who is one of the 19 defendants named in the Georgia indictment. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Hampton lied to his investigators, concealing the fact that she had shared computer passwords with SullivanStrickler's technicians. Like Powell, Hampton is charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy, and conspiracy to defraud the state.

Meanwhile, SullivanStrickler, which is not named as a defendant in the indictment, says it was only following instructions from "licensed, practicing attorneys" and never imagined it was doing anything illegal. According to an August 2022 statement from the company's lawyers, it is "categorically false" that SullivanStrickler "illegally 'breached'" voting equipment in Coffee County. The company "has never been part of a 'pro-Trump team' or any 'team' whose goal is to undermine our democracy," its lawyers said, describing SullivanStrickler as a "politically agnostic" firm that was paid to "preserve and forensically copy the Dominion voting machines used in the 2020 election." Last September, SullivanStrickler added that "our firm and our employees are only witnesses in this matter."

Witnesses to what, you might wonder, since SullivanStrickler insists everything its employees did that day was on the up-and-up. The fact that neither the company nor its employees are facing charges in connection with the data copying suggests that Willis did not view their conduct as criminal. But if so, why does Powell's connection to that supposedly authorized inspection justify multiple felony charges?

That's a question Powell's lawyers are sure to raise at her trial. But they complain that trying her together with Chesebro will interfere with her defense because the same jury deciding her fate will also be hearing lots of irrelevant evidence concerning his alleged crimes.

In addition to racketeering, Chesebro is charged with six felonies: conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to submit false statements and writings, and conspiracy to file false documents. All of those charges are related to the "alternate" or "contingent" electors scheme that Chesebro promoted and helped organize. The plan involved presenting Republican candidates for the Electoral College in supposedly contested states, including Georgia, as "duly elected and qualified," contrary to the certified results.

That strategy, Chesebro will argue, was a legitimate way to preserve the Trump campaign's options in the (highly unlikely) event that its lawsuit challenging the election outcome in Georgia proved successful. He will cite the precedent set by the 1960 dispute over whether Richard Nixon or John F. Kennedy had won Hawaii's electoral votes. In that case, Kennedy's "contingent" electors did essentially the same thing that Trump's "contingent" electors in Georgia did.

The main difference is that there was a genuine controversy over the election outcome in Hawaii, where a recount prompted by a Democratic lawsuit ultimately led to recognition of Kennedy's electors. In Georgia, by contrast, there was no serious question about whether Joe Biden had actually won the state. Prosecutors portray Chesebro's efforts in Georgia as a knowingly fraudulent attempt to overturn that outcome.

In rebutting that version of events, Chesebro's lawyers complain, they will be hampered by the simultaneous presentation of the state's case against Powell, which has nothing to do with the "alternate" electors plan. The two cases, they say, are "akin to oil and water""wholly separate and impossible to mix (into one conspiracy)." Arguing against a joint trial, The New York Times reports, one of Chesebro's lawyers "raised the possibility that the same jury hearing his client's case would be subjected to weeks, if not months, of testimony about the data breach that he was not involved in."

Conversely, Powell complains that the evidence against Chesebro has nothing to do with the question of whether her arrangement with SullivanStrickler makes her guilty of multiple felonies. Rafferty worries that her defense is "going to get washed away" by all the evidence related to Chesebro's "alternate" electors.

Georgia's highly commodious racketeering law, however, allows prosecutors to treat distinct, uncoordinated acts as part of the same conspiracy. As Willis sees it, even if Powell and Chesebro had little or no contact with each other, and even if their alleged crimes do not overlap at all, they were still participants in the same overarching "enterprise" aimed at nullifying Biden's victory. "The conspiracy evolved," Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten told McAfee. "One thing didn't work, so we move on to the next thing. That thing didn't work, so we move on to the next thing."

That we is doing a lot of work in those sentences. Powell and Chesebro separately did different things, prosecutors say, but they had the same goal in mind, which is enough to subsume them under the hive mind of the "enterprise." That is why Willis thinks it makes perfect sense to try all 19 alleged racketeers together, a proceeding that inevitably would blur distinctions that are essential in assessing the culpability of each defendant.

The post Joint Trial of Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro Illustrates the Fuzziness of Georgia's RICO Law appeared first on Reason.com.
JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report)  Border commuters no longer must follow detours and brave heavy traffic to travel from Juarez to El Paso, Texas, over the Bridge of the Americas.

The City of Juarez last week wrapped up work on the rebuilt Carlos Villarreal bridge connecting the touristy Pronaf area to the port of entry in South Central El Paso. The 85-year-old Villarreal bridge developed cracks and became a safety hazard. The city closed the access in February to tear down and rebuild the bridge.

We promised to and finished on time. We said six months and it was no more than six months. Some people were saying it was going to take forever but that was not the case, Juarez Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar said.

On Tuesday, the line of cars waiting to enter the U.S. port of entry extended beyond the Carlos Villarreal bridge three-quarters of a mile south.

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It looks good. Hopefully, they used good (construction) materials, and it will last, said a Juarez resident on her way to El Paso who declined to give her name.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

The Bridge of the Americas is one of four international bridges connecting heavily populated areas in the two adjoining border cities. The others are the Paso del Norte, Stanton and Ysleta-Zaragoza ports of entry.

(Juarez freelance photojournalist Angel Cervantes contributed to this report.)

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
Fair Use"/>

On Friday, the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit that could trigger a six-week abortion ban, which would devastate access for people in the South. One Justice, Charles Canady , is intimately familiar with the ban because his wife, state Rep. Jennifer Canady (R), co-sponsored itand he didnt recuse himself from the case.

Barbara Pariente , a former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, said in June that Canady should step aside. I know Justice Canady to be of the highest ethics, Pariente said. I cannot imagine himself not recusing himself from a bill that his wife co-sponsored. But, like the U.S. Supreme Court, no one can make a justice recuse themselves. As one law professor told the Orlando Sentinel, There is no one that can police a Florida Supreme Court justice and tell them that they need to recuse themselves. What we need is such an entity.

Read more

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DeSantis did not appoint Canady, whos been on the bench since 2008, but he was the lead sponsor of federal legislation to ban abortions later in pregnancy back in 1995 when he was a member of the House of Representatives.



The case the justices are hearing is nominally about whether a 15-week abortion ban passed in 2022 violates the state constitutions right to privacy, which the state Supreme Court has said protects abortion for more than three decades. But the six-week ban has a trigger provision saying that, if the court upholds the 15-week ban, the more restrictive law would take effect in 30 days. That wording basically shows how, once the right to privacy is gone, its game over for abortion in the state. The court could release its decision at any time.

Advocates had a shred of hope going in, given that Chief Justice Muniz wrote in a 2004 law review article that the privacy clause does cover abortion, but his questioning on Friday seemed hostile to the idea. Muniz asked a lawyer for Planned Parenthood why the court shouldnt simply side with the legislature, which said it has a compelling interest in life, rather than the state constitution.

Justice Muniz asks why they shouldn't defer to the legislature's assertion that the "compelling interest in protecting human life" justifies infringing on abortion rights. She responds that it's the court's job to defer to the state constitution, not the legislature.  Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) September 8, 2023

No matter the outcome of the case, activists are working to get a pro-choice referendum on the statewide ballot in 2024. Its a smart thing to do, but, as always, its still gutting to think that people could be denied abortion access before they have a real say in the matter. Its especially awful given the fact that Justices like Canady with clear bias are involved.

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China's NEV industry speeds ahead in global electrification race

Xinhua) 09:39, September 08, 2023

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's new energy vehicle (NEV) sector has turbocharged growth in recent years, getting a head start in the global race to electrify cars and fostering competitive edges in its domestic auto brands.

In its latest move to boost NEV development, China said it aims to bring this year's NEV sales to 9 million units, an increase of 30 percent year on year, according a work plan unveiled last week.

In the first seven months of this year, China saw its NEV sales surge 41.7 percent from a year ago to 4.53 million units, official data shows. Globally, the country has ranked first in terms of production and sales for eight straight years since 2015.

Zhu Yifang, a researcher with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd., said that policy support has been an "accelerator" for the development of China's NEV industry over the years.

China rolled out its first NEV development plan in 2008. The country's policymakers, at both central and local levels, have since provided consistent and solid support for the development of the sector.

East China's Anhui Province is a typical example. It was among the first provinces to develop NEVs in China, and has long leveraged policy stimulus to spur the growth of the industry. Anhui is now home to carmakers such as Chery and Nio.

On the consumption front, preferential policies have encouraged people to choose new energy cars over fossil-fueled ones, facilitating the expansion of the NEV market and powering firms along the industrial chain to step up innovation.

The fast-growing market has prompted battery producers to dig deeper into materials and structures, pushing China's power battery sector to the forefront globally, said Wu Kai, chief scientist with Chinese battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.

With policy support and market-driven innovation, China has put in place a relatively complete NEV industrial chain, covering batteries, motors, electronic controls, and vehicle manufacturing and sales.

In the Yangtze River Delta, where industrial clusters are well-developed, a new energy car manufacturer can basically find all the components it needs within a four-hour drive.

Shanghai supplies chips and software, while the cities of Changzhou and Ningbo, both of which are about 200 kilometers away from Shanghai, provide power batteries and die-casting machines, respectively.

In the past, competition in the sector was mainly about special technologies, but nowadays what matters more is the industrial chain, said Xu Jun, vice president of Chinese car manufacturer Leapmotor.

Official data shows that China's NEV exports totaled 636,000 units in the first seven months of this year, an increase of more than 1.5 fold from the previous year, a sign of the increasing global recognition of made-in-China NEVs.

As China's growing NEV manufacturing has grown stronger, the competition landscape of the global auto industry has also been reshaped, prompting overseas auto behemoths to expand their market presence and roll out more electric fleets.

Tesla was quick in establishing itself within China's NEV market. After building a Gigafactory in Shanghai -- its first outside the United States -- the automaker announced in April that it would build a new mega factory in the metropolis.

Carmakers from other auto manufacturing powerhouses have also jumped on the bandwagon. Japan's Toyota has teamed up with Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. to develop new energy models, and German car manufacturer Volkswagen Group has set up its global new energy car R&D center in Anhui Province.

Doubling down on NEVs, Volkswagen reached an agreement in July to buy a 4.99-percent stake in the Chinese electric vehicle startup Xpeng and co-develop two NEV models for the Chinese market.

Back in the era of petrol vehicles, cooperation between multinationals and Chinas local automakers was usually made because China traded its vast market for technologies. In the Volkswagen-Xpeng deal, however, the German carmaker's primary purpose is to access Xpeng's technologies, according to industry insiders.

This turnaround in the form of cooperation is evidence that China has become a stronger force in the transformation of the global auto industry, said Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association.

According to Zhu Yifang, if China's new energy carmakers want to benefit from the current momentum, they should consolidate their advantages and catch up with their overseas peers in such areas as brand value, technology R&D and global layout.

Fu Bingfeng, executive vice president of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, called for sustained efforts to improve the development of chips, basic software, key materials and other weak links in the industrial chain.

Amid the global wave of electrification and intelligent transformation, China's carmakers must step up technological innovation and make car manufacturing more digitalized and intelligent, Zhu said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A Jackson County judge sentenced a 45-year-old man to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the 2017 killing of a southwest Missouri police officer.

Ian McCarthy, of Clinton, alternatively faced a death sentence for his conviction of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of police officer Gary Lee Michael Jr.

McCarthy shot Michael with a high-powered rifle during a traffic stop in Clinton, roughly 80 miles from Kansas City, on Aug. 6, 2017.

Jackson County Judge Marco Roldan issued the lifelong sentence late Friday morning. The case was a rare example of a death-penalty decision resting with a judge.

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The trial was moved from Henry County to Jackson County, and the jury was selected from Platte County. On June 26, the jury returned a guilty verdict on the murder charge but could not come to a unanimous decision on sentencing.

Henry County prosecutors sought the death penalty for McCarthy. Defense attorneys for McCarthy argued against that punishment, in part by saying the Missouri law allowing judges to issue death sentences does not align with civil rights afforded under the U.S. Constitution.

Missouri and Indiana are the two states with capital punishment where a judge may order a death sentence. Others that still use the death penalty require a jury to issue the sentence.

Roldan denied a motion by the defense to declare the states death penalty law as unconstitutional.

The Stars Katie Moore contributed to this report.
The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments Friday on a case that will decide the future of abortion rights in the state. And theres one very big conflict of interest: One of the justices ruling on the case is married to a Republican state representative who co-sponsored the six-week abortion ban.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Florida has allowed abortion up to 15 weeks, making the state a major hub for people seeking abortions in the South. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law in April that would ban abortion after six weeks, before most people even know they are pregnant. If the state Supreme Court upholds the 15-week ban and dismisses the legal challenge in the case it is now hearing, then the more radical six-week ban will automatically go into effect.

The seven-justice bench includes five conservatives appointed by DeSantis, who has made his opposition to abortion access clear. It also includes Charles Canady, who refuses to recuse himself from the case.

Canady is married to state Representative Jennifer Canady, who co-sponsored the six-week ban. Again, the Supreme Courts ruling in this case will directly impact whether the six-week ban is triggered into law.

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Prior to serving as a justice, Canady was a Florida representative during the 1990s. While on Capitol Hill, he sponsored multiple bills to ban partial-birth abortion, which is not a thing.

Unfortunately, even despite Canadys refusal to recuse himself, the rest of the court does not offer much more hope.

Another justice, Meredith Sasso, is married to DeSantis loyalist Michael Sasso. DeSantis appointed Michael Sasso as vice chairman of the controversial Disney oversight board. Sasso resigned in May, although he did not explain why. While the Disney case has no bearing on abortion, Justice Sassos close link to DeSantis could indicate how she leans on reproductive rights.

Arguments did not get off to a strong start Friday when a third justice, Carlos G. Muniz, suggested that legal abortion violated fetal personhood. Anti-abortion activists argue that humanity begins at conception and thus fetuses should be afforded legal rights. But health experts warn this line of thinking could be used to criminalize doctors who provide lifesaving care.

If the 15-week ban is upheld and the six-week ban allowed to take effect, abortion access will effectively be wiped out throughout the southern United States. North Carolina Republicans recently forced through a law banning abortion at 12 weeks, and South Carolina Republicans passed a law banning the procedure at six. All three states had become abortion havens in the South after the fall of Roe.

Abortion rights advocates in Florida, though, are hopeful they can win back abortion protections. The abortion rights group Floridians Protecting Freedom is working to get an abortion rights referendum on the states 2024 ballot. The group says it has collected nearly three-quarters of the 900,000 verified signatures from registered voters required for the ballot initiative.

If it succeeds, then abortion protections would likely be enshrined in the state constitution, overriding any laws the legislature has passed. A February study by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 64 percent of Floridians believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Louisiana has incarcerated dozens of youths in a former death row unit of its infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola.

Louisiana has incarcerated dozens of youths in a former death row unit of its infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola.

UPDATE: Sept. 15  Louisianas Office of Juvenile Justice said in a statement that it transferred all children out of the juvenile facility at the state penitentiary, despite an appellate court temporarily pausing Judge Shelly Dicks order.

PREVIOUSLY:

A federal judge ordered Louisiana officials to remove incarcerated children from a former death row unit in the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary by Sept. 15.

Chief District Judge Shelly Dicks Friday decision followed a seven-day hearing as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by teens in the custody of Louisianas Office of Juvenile Justice. Dick found that the conditions of confinement at the prison  a former slave plantation better known as Angola  amount to cruel and unusual punishment and violate the 14th Amendment, as well as a federal law protecting children with disabilities.

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This is a case of promises made and promises broken, Dick wrote in her ruling, which enumerated six broken promises relating to the length of time the Angola facility would be in use, the number of kids sent there, and how they would be treated. Regrettably, the Court bought what the Office of Juvenile Justice was selling.

The youth at Angola are being victimized, traumatized, and seriously and irreparably harmed, Dick continued.

Of the estimated 70 to 80 children who have been incarcerated at the Angola unit, known as Bridge City Center for Youth at West Feliciana or BCCY-WF, the overwhelming majority are Black. The state had previously assured the judge that conditions at BCCY-WF would be comparable to other juvenile facilities in the state, only in a more secure building. However, the children imprisoned at Angola report spending days in solitary confinement in windowless cells, losing access to education and disability accommodations, having limited phone calls and visits with their families, and being physically abused by guards.

For almost 10 months, children  nearly all Black boys  have been held in abusive conditions of confinement at the former death row of Angola  the nations largest adult maximum security prison, lead counsel David Utter said in a statement. We are grateful to our clients and their families for their bravery in speaking out and standing up against this cruelty.

During a hearing last month, Henry Patterson IV, a guard at BCCY-WF, admitted that the kids are kept in cell restriction for as long as five or six days. Cell restriction is used at intake, as well as to punish everything from assault to throwing food, graffiti, and destroying clothing, according to evidence presented at the hearing. State law prohibits keeping juveniles in solitary confinement for more than eight hours.

The hearing also exposed a shocking incident in which a guard pepper-sprayed a teen who was locked in his cell and left the boy there for about 14 minutes before removing him from the toxic gas. Guard supervisor Daja McKinley testified that the boy had thrown liquid from his toilet at a guard, who responded by unloading pepper spray into the cell.

In July 2022, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a plan to move about 25 kids from OJJ facilities into a building that, until 2006, had imprisoned men on the states death row. The governor cited several recent escapes from juvenile facilities as evidence of the need for a more secure facility. Officials claimed that children would only be at Angola temporarily until renovations on a juvenile facility were complete and that they would retain access to rehabilitative and educational services.

Death row signage was removed from the unit shortly before kids started arriving last year.

Death row signage was removed from the unit shortly before kids started arriving last year.

The proposed transfers faced immediate backlash. Elizabeth Ryan, administrator for the Department of Justices Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, warned OJJ leadership on July 25, 2022, that the state will potentially be in danger of violating federal laws and could potentially face costly litigation.

Unlike the adult prison system, the juvenile justice systems explicit purpose is rehabilitation rather than punishment. Juvenile delinquency adjudications are civil findings, not criminal. According to OJJ, youth in their secure custody facilities are housed in dormitories or housing units rather than cells, with an emphasis on treatment and family involvement.

Every single one of these young people will be released by their 21st birthday at the very latest, and it is Louisianas job to ensure that, by that time, they have been educated, treated, and supported in a way that enables them to live healthy lives without posing a risk to the community, a group of current and former youth correctional administrators wrote in a letter to the governor last year. Sending them to Angola will do the opposite.

Angola is perhaps the most infamous prison in the country, and exists in our national conscience as a quintessential harsh, merciless, and dangerous place for adults who may never be free again, the group of youth correctional administrators continued. This lore is not lost on the children that Louisiana is now planning to send there. The stigma and trauma of a move to Angola would be devastating for the mental health and future prospects of these young people and, consequently, the safety of the citizens of Louisiana when these young people return to their communities.

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, the states only maximum-security prison, sits on 18,000 acres of farmland that used to be a plantation called Angola. When the plantation became a prison, the prisoners, rather than the slaves, tended to the fields. Most of the states prisoners who are facing life sentences  who are disproportionately Black  are incarcerated at Angola, where jobs include working the fields for pennies an hour.

Weeks after Ryans warning, a group of children in OJJ custody sued Edwards and other state officials and asked Judge Dick to block the transfers from proceeding. The children are represented by the ACLU, the Claiborne Firm and Fair Fight Initiative, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the lawyers Chris Murell and David Shanies.

I am terrified of being moved to Angola, a 17-year-old plaintiff identified by the alias Alex A. wrote in a declaration last year. Ever since I learned we were going to be moved, my sleeping troubles have gotten worse. I would lay awake at night and start pulling on my hair until it came out.

Alex A., who has a disability, expressed fears that he would lose access to schooling, counseling and calls with his mom  the part of the day I look forward to the most, he wrote.

Last September, Dick allowed the transfers to proceed while the underlying case moved forward. She acknowledged that being in Angola would likely cause psychological trauma and harm to the children but expressed confidence in OJJs assurances that the facility at Angola would be comparable to other juvenile facilities.

Plaintiffs argument that special education services and mental health services will be unavailable or deficient at [Angola] went unproven, Dick wrote ahead of the transfers.

I am close to getting my HISET (high school diploma)  and it makes me sad I cant earn it. They keep promising that theyll give me education, but dont.a plaintiff identified by the alias Charles C.

The first group of youth were transferred to Angola in October 2022. Their experiences were everything they feared.

This is much worse than the other facilities, a 15-year-old plaintiff identified by the alias Daniel D. wrote in a declaration filed in January.

Daniel D. reported seeing mold in the tap of the sink his drinking water came out of and losing power when it rained. His substance abuse counseling ceased when he got to Angola, he wrote, and he was typically locked in his cell alone overnight from 5 p.m. until 6:45 a.m. Sometimes the children would be locked in their cells for days at a time, allowed out only to shower.

The United Nations Mandela Rules, outlining the standard minimum of humane treatment for prisoners, state that solitary confinement, defined as isolated confinement for 22 hours or more a day, should only be used as a last resort, for as short a time as possible and subject to independent review.

Although the children at Angola are in OJJ custody, guards from Louisianas Department of Corrections work at the facility, too. When DOC guards arrive, all OJJ staff say the situation is out of their hands and whatever DOC says goes, Daniel D. wrote.

One time, Daniel D. wrote, staff  its unclear whether OJJ or DOC  allegedly maced a group of kids after one boy struck a guard. Staff put the boy on the ground and punched him while he was being maced, Daniel D. wrote.

In June, during his third stint at Angola, Daniel D. wrote that there was no air conditioner on his block and that when the power went out, they couldnt even use fans. That month, temperatures reached 99 degrees at Angola.

A 16-year-old plaintiff identified as Frank F. described in a declaration how he was left alone in his cell from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m each day, losing his disability accommodation, losing group therapy, having inconsistent access to hot water, limited access to the phone to call his family and not being allowed outside for recreation on the weekends.

This is the worst OJJ facility I have been in, he wrote.

Several of the plaintiffs reported having one teacher for all of the kids and no library. The last time I was provided access to school  a computer, no teacher  was last Tuesday, a plaintiff identified as Charles C. wrote the following Tuesday, on July 11. I am close to getting my HISET (high school diploma)  and it makes me sad I cant earn it. They keep promising that theyll give me education, but dont.

In that same declaration, Charles C. alleged frequent abuse by staff. The previous week, he wrote, a staff member threw him against a wall, causing the skin on his back to break, possibly from glass. The next day, staff maced a youth in the neighboring cell while the child was handcuffed and shackled, Charles C. wrote. The mace spread into Charles C.s cell, burning his open wound.

Despite the states claims that the Angola facility was not intended to be punitive, several kids said staff threatened to send them to Angola if they misbehaved.

In response to a detailed list of questions, OJJ spokesperson Nicolette Gordon described a spread of misinformation and referred HuffPost to an FAQ published on its website. In the FAQ, OJJ claims that the juvenile facility at Angola is fully air-conditioned, that youth have access to clean and safe drinking water and that they are never placed in solitary confinement.

The FAQ also notes that there are windows along the full length of each wing where youths rooms are located. Asked if the actual cells are windowless, as the plaintiffs allege, Gordon did not respond.

Pressed about the plaintiffs allegations of physical abuse, Gordon said that OJJ does not comment on specific allegations related to pending litigation.

In July, the group of teens in OJJ custody filed a motion asking the court to order the state to remove the kids from Angola.

The states treatment of kids in Angola has been a series of broken promises, Utter said at the time.

The state promised the Angola facility would close in the spring. The state promised the kids wouldnt be held in solitary. The state promised the kids would receive their education and treatment, Utter said. None of this has come to pass.

Related...
The prosecution of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for attempting to overturn the 2020 election will remain in Georgia state court, a federal judge ruled Friday as he turned down Meadows bid to move the case to federal court.

The decision is a victory for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis drive to bring former President Donald Trump , Meadows and 17 other defendants to trial under the states broad criminal racketeering statute for their roles in trying to help Trump cling to power.

Meadows filed an appeal to the 11th Circuit on Friday night.

The Court concludes that Meadows has not shown that the actions that triggered the States prosecution related to his federal office, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones wrote in his decision, while emphasizing that he was not ruling on the right of any other defendant to have the case against them moved to the federal system.

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Jones, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, concluded that Meadows was not acting within the scope of his employment at the White House when he organized a Jan. 2, 2021 phone call where Trump pressed Georgias secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to declare him the victor in that state. Other actions that Meadows took, as described in a grand jurys indictment last month, similarly fell outside Meadows official duties, the judge said.

Meadowss participation on the January 2, 2021 call was political in nature and involved the Presidents private litigation, neither of which are related to the scope of the Office of White House Chief of Staff, Jones wrote. The Court finds that these contributions to the phone call with Secretary Raffensperger went beyond those activities that are within the official role of White House Chief of Staff, such as scheduling the Presidents phone calls, observing meetings, and attempting to wrap up meetings in order to keep the President on schedule.

By finding that Meadows acted outside the scope of his duties, Jones concluded that Meadows is not eligible for so-called removal  a procedure under federal law that allows federal officials to transfer a case from state court to federal court if the case is based on their official acts.

Meadows attorneys had signaled that they hoped to move the case to federal court as a precursor to arguing that the case against him should be thrown out on grounds that as a former federal officer hes immune from charges relating to his duties. And if a trial went forward in federal court, the jury pool would likely have been broader and slightly friendlier to Trump and his allies than one drawn only from Fulton County.

A federal court trial also would be unlikely to be televised, whereas the state court judge has already vowed to livestream all the proceedings.

Four other defendants in the Georgia case have also asked for the cases against them to be moved to federal court: former Justice Department official Jeff Clark and three pro-Trump activists accused of falsely certifying that they were presidential electors from the state. Those requests remain pending with Jones, and he said he was not pre-judging them as he turned down Meadows.

If any of the other requests are granted, it is not clear if the entire 19-defendant case would be transferred to federal court or if some defendants would remain in state court. But Meadows failure to convince Jones that the case should be transferred bodes poorly for the other defendants who are hoping to get into federal court, because those defendants actions were much further removed than Meadows from the heart of their day-to-day job duties  if they had any at all.

So far, Trump has not joined those seeking to move their cases to federal court, but on Thursday Trumps attorney sent the state-court judge a notice saying the former president may seek to transfer the case before a deadline at the end of this month.

What the Court must decide for purposes of federal officer removal is whether the actions Meadows took as a participant in the alleged enterprise (the charged conduct) were related to his federal role as White House Chief of Staff, Jones wrote. The actions at the heart of the States charges against Meadows were taken on behalf of the Trump campaign with an ultimate goal of affecting state election activities and procedures.

Jones also sided with Willis argument that the Hatch Act  a federal law that prohibits political activity by government employees  plays a crucial role in assessing whether Meadows was acting in his official capacity. Though Jones stopped short of concluding that Meadows violated the Hatch Act, the judge said the law makes clear the outer boundaries of a federal officials role.

But he also stressed that the racketeering case was a novel test for the removal statute, given that most efforts to send state cases to federal court involve individual defendants or a small number of discrete acts  not a 19-defendant conspiracy with a sprawling scope.

Trump, Meadows and the other 17 defendants were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury last month following a two-year investigation carried out by Willis office. The group is charged with conspiring to try to keep Trump in office by tampering with the certification of Joe Bidens victory in the state.

All the defendants have pleaded not guilty, and several  including Trump  have decried the prosecution as politically motivated.

So, the Witch Hunt continues! Trump wrote on his own social media platform on the day he was indicted last month, blasting Willis as an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney.

The 98-page indictment in the Georgia case  one of four criminal prosecutions Trump is facing  alleges that several different efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the vote count in the state were part of a single conspiracy to keep him in office unlawfully.

The indictment focuses on the January 2021 conference call in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to find enough votes in the state to declare Trump the victor. But the charges also delve into the efforts to organize activists to pose as electors for Trump, an alleged scheme to tamper with voting machines in Coffee County, Ga. and false ballot tampering allegations against poll workers in Fulton County.

At a hearing last week, lawyers for Meadows argued that his official remit as a federal employee was extraordinarily broad and encompassed resolving virtually any matter that had the potential to distract Trump from his official duties. Meadows and his attorneys portrayed him as a minor, almost trivial, figure in the efforts to change Georgias vote count and to convene slates of pro-Trump electors after officials had declared Biden the winner.

Willis prosecutors said Meadows actions were clearly political in nature, not official, and they stressed that the Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity under the auspices of their official positions.
A federal judge has rejected former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows s attempt to move his charges in the Georgia election interference case to federal court.

The ruling was a broad rejection of arguments from Meadows that his case should be heard in federal court because he was acting in his capacity as chief of staff at the time.

It marks a major victory for Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D), who has pushed back on the attempt by Meadows and multiple other defendants to move their charges out of state court.

In a 49-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that many of the allegations were instead political activities outside of the scope of Meadowss job.

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Even under the quite low bar for federal officer removal, the Court concludes that Meadows has not met his burden to show that his criminal prosecution can be removed under the federal officer removal statute, Jones ruled.

Meadows filed an appeal of the ruling to the 11th circuit just hours after Joness decision.

He was charged last month with two counts in Fulton County, both as part of a sweeping racketeering case brought against all 19 defendants along with another charge related to his participation in a call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in which former President Trump asked the state official to find additional votes for him.

Meadows pleaded not guilty.

Unless he successfully appeals Fridays ruling, the decision will require him to defend himself in state court.

An attorney for Meadows did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Moving to federal court would have expanded the jury pool to areas beyond the heavily Democratic Fulton County, which includes Atlanta. It also would have likely prevented Meadowss trial from being televised.

Meadows had also filed the request to attempt to assert constitutional immunity from the charges.

Though Jones cautioned that his ruling does not, at this time, have any effect on the other co-defendants who are still trying to move their charges, their arguments have significant overlap.

Jones will soon rule on similar requests from former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and three pro-Trump individuals charged with signing documents purporting to be Georgias valid electors.

Trumps attorney has suggested the former president may soon mount such an attempt as well.

The ruling was a swift rejection of Meadowss effort to remove the case, which was filed shortly after he was charged alongside Trump and 17 others in the Georgia case.

In the mid-August filing, attorneys for Meadows argued that his actions were not only all legal but simply a part of his job.

Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the Presidents behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President. One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things, the filing states.

This is precisely the kind of state interference in a federal officials duties that the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits.

Jones countered that in his ruling, suggesting such activities would typically be handled by a campaign and that political activity falls outside the bounds for a chief of staff.

The Court finds that the color of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff did not include working with or working for the Trump campaign, except for simply coordinating the Presidents schedule, traveling with the President to his campaign events, and redirecting communications to the campaign, he wrote.

Thus, consistent with his testimony and the federal statutes and regulations, engaging in political activities is exceeds [sic] the outer limits of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff.

The legal battle in the case was a remarkable one, with Meadows taking the stand and Willis calling Raffensperger, who rejected the former chiefs claims he was acting within the scope of his role.

Outreach to this extent was extraordinary, Raffensperger said at the hearing.

The judge on Friday noted that Williss use of racketeering charges presented a novel question in deciding which court was proper. Rather than charging Meadows over a specific action, Willis accused him of entering a months-long criminal conspiracy to keep Trump in power.

Jones found only one of eight overt acts attributed to Meadows in the indictment could possibly have been within the scope of his job: a text Meadows allegedly sent to Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) asking for Pennsylvania legislators contact information.

The omission in the Indictment of the context Meadows sought this phone number, when coupled with the testimony that retrieving phone numbers for state officials was a routine part of his role as Chief of Staff, leaves the Court to conclude Overt Act 6 arguably occurred within the scope of Meadowss duties as White House Chief of Staff, Jones ruled.

Updated at 6:41 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The judge who signed off on a search warrant authorizing the raid of a newspaper office in Marion, Kansas, is facing a complaint about her decision and has been asked by a judicial body to respond, records shared with CNN by the complainant show.

Kansas resident Keri Strahler filed the complaint against Judge Laura Viar about a week after police raided the office of the Marion County Record, the home of the papers publisher and a county councilwoman, seizing reporters cell phones and computers, among other items, in a move that drew widespread condemnation from news organizations and press freedom advocates.

The complaint requests the Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct to review Viars mental capacity in her decision to seemingly circumvent federal and state law when she signed off on the search warrant for the newspaper office, according to a copy of the complaint provided by Strahler.

The commission has asked Viar to respond to the complaint, which its members have slated for consideration on November 3, according to a letter from the commissions secretary, Douglas T. Shima, to Strahler.

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CNN has reached out to Viar and the commission for comment.

The warrants were executed as part of an investigation into identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers, according to unsealed search warrant affidavits. Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody suggested in his affidavits that the raids were based on the belief that reporter Phyllis Zorn unlawfully obtained the driving records of local restaurant owner Kari Newell before the paper published a story about her.

But the countys top prosecutor withdrew the search warrants days after the raids due to insufficient evidence and said authorities would return the seized items.

The Records publisher, Eric Meyer, said the newspaper has been vindicated by the reversal after the raid was widely criticized as a violation of the papers First Amendment rights.

The citys insurance provider, EMC Insurance, has hired a private law firm to conduct an investigation, city attorney Brian Bina has said, though he did not say whether the results of the probe will be made public.

Reporter sues police chief over raid

Marion County Record reporter Debbie Gruver filed a federal lawsuit against Cody last week accusing the chief of violating her constitutional rights by obtaining an unreasonable and unlawful search warrant and seizing her personal property, according to the complaint.

Gruver accuses Cody in the suit of targeting her because he knew she had been investigating allegations of misconduct against the chief during his time working for the Kansas City Police Department, although the newspaper has not published those allegations.

Such acts were done by Chief Cody in retaliation for Ms. Gruver exercising her protected rights under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as a reporter for the Record, which protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press, the lawsuit states.

In addition to having her computer seized, Gruver says Cody physically seized her personal cell phone from her, which the suit argues did not fall under the scope of the warrant.

By seizing the personal cell phone, the suit states, Cody violated Gruvers Fourth Amendment right to protection from unreasonable search or seizure.

Cody did not respond to requests for comment from CNN.

On August 12, shortly after the raid gained national attention, the police department posted on Facebook, As much as I would like to give everyone details on a criminal investigation I cannot. I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated.

The department has declined further comment on the search, referring questions to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is conducting its own inquiry.

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A jury sentenced De'ondre White to 30 years in prison for the murder of 25-year-old Doug Kantor in a shooting on Sixth Street in 2021 that injured 14 other people. The jury deliberated for more than five hours before reaching the sentencing verdict on Thursday night.

After the sentencing, Joe Kantor, Doug Kantors father, took the witness stand and spoke to White during allocution, the part of the trial that allows victims to tell the defendant how they feel.

My son is an amazing man and I say is because hes still with me, Joe Kantor said. He brought so much joy and hope to everyone he met.

Joe Kantor said his son had a positive outlook that resonated with people and his mere presence brought out the best in them. If you had met him and been fortunate enough to meet him, perhaps we would not be here tonight, Joe Kantor told White.

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Julia Kantor, Doug Kantors mother, then said that when her son was lonely, he would call her on the phone just to talk about recipes. He loved movies, liked to cook and loved to shop with her, she said. She said he bought his first house at age 23 and had planned to marry his girlfriend and have children. He told me three weeks before he was murdered that his brother needed him and he was willing to put his career on hold so he could be there for him, she said.

Doug Kantor was in Austin to celebrate receiving his MBA from the University of Michigan, his mother said. She saw him in the hospital after he was shot and thought he was going to survive.

Instead, I walked out of the hospital carrying a brown paper bag with what was left of his blood-stained belongings, she said.

Julia Kantor said she had become numb since losing him. I am a robot, and every day is the same day, she said, adding that she places her sons ashes on the nightstand beside her when she sleeps and every morning she takes his ashes with her wherever she is in her house.

The only small comfort I can get," she said, "is that I can hold the ashes close to me.

Julia Kantor said to White, who was sitting with his lawyers after the sentencing, that he was rotten to the core. You will continue to cause pain and destruction until the day you are put down, she said. You have destroyed so many lives of people you dont know, and you could care less.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said in a statement after the verdict that "our office is committed to holding people who commit acts of gun violence accountable."

In a split second, the lives of 15 people were changed forever by a senseless act of gun violence," Garza said. "We hope this verdict and sentence brings closure and peace to the victims and their families.

As White walked out of the courtroom with his lawyers after the sentencing he glanced quickly at his mother, Joycelind White, who had been there every day of the trial. One of White's lawyers, Russ Hunt, said after the sentencing that he knew White was disappointed with the sentence the jury gave him. White will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.

"His family is very disappointed with the verdict and the last thing he would want anybody to think is that he did this on purpose," Hunt said. "He feels terrible about what happened and feels terrible remorse about all the people that were injured."

Doug O'Connell, a lawyer who is personally representing Kantor's family, said outside the courtroom that the family was grateful to the jury for rendering the guilty verdict. "They wanted me to reiterate their thankfulness to the Austin police officers that ran toward the sound of gunfire and worked so hard to save Doug and provide first aid for all the other victims."

He said the Kantor family was also grateful to the "Austin citizens that have reached out with love and condolences."

Before jurors began deliberations on Thursday, they heard from the mother of one of the people that 21-year-old White was accused of shooting. She said her daughter was so seriously injured that she just wants to die.

Thelma Ramirez said in a video interview shown in court that her daughter was paralyzed from the shooting and will never be able to walk again. "She said she would prefer to be dead than to be the way she is right now," Ramirez said.

DeOndre White, shown arriving in court Wednesday, was convicted Wednesday night of murder in a 2021 downtown Austin shooting that killed one man and injured 14 other people.

She said her daughter Jessica has five children. Her daughter and her daughter's five children have all moved into Thelma Ramirez's garage because Jessica can no longer take care of herself or her children, Ramirez said. She said her daughter can't feed or dress herself. She also said Jessica could not testify Thursday because she had a seizure when she found out Wednesday night that White had been convicted of murder.

After four hours of deliberation, a jury Wednesday night convicted White in the death of 25-year-old Douglas Kantor, a Michigan resident visiting Sixth Street who died at a hospital after he was hit by two bullets. White, 21, also injured 14 other people on Sixth Street on June 12, 2021, after firing eight shots from his gun. He was charged with 14 counts of aggravated assault in connection with that. Those charges are still pending against him.

Julia Kantor, the mother of Doug Kantor, testified in court Thursday about how her son's death had affected her family.

Doug was the bedrock of the family, she said. He was involved in everything in our lives. He was interested in everything we were doing. His friends would be over all the time. It was a lively house.

Douglas Kantor, a tourist from New York, died after being hit by bullets on Sixth Street on June 12, 2021.

Julie Kantor said she deals with her own pain about her sons death internally, and it just eats at you constantly. She also spoke about seeing a video shown in court during the trial that included her son reaching to the police for help after he had been shot.

I dont know how I will ever get over that, she said.

Douglas Kantor, 25, had just finished his master's degree at the University of Michigan and had been working at Ford Motor Co. while in school.

Adrianna Salazar, another shooting victim, testified that she was shot in one of her thighs and that the bullet traveled through to her other leg. The bullet shattered her femur, and she now has a rod in one of her legs, she said.

Salazar said she had to use a wheelchair and then a walker and a cane and do six months of physical therapy to recover from the injury. "It was frustrating," Salazar said while quietly crying. "It was a long recovery."

In a video shown in court of what happened immediately after the shooting, Salazar was seen laying on the street crying and screaming when police first arrived to help her.

As Salazar testified Thursday, White, seated beside his lawyers, began to quietly cry.

Another of the victims, Miguel Soto, said he was shot in the right leg and as he was bleeding on the ground, he phoned his 5-year-old son because he thought he was going to die from the wound.

The last witness to testify for the prosecution before the jury started deliberating on the sentence was Austin police Detective Israel Pina, who said White had posted several pictures of himself with guns on his iCloud account before the shooting.

In one of the pictures shown in court, White was holding a Glock pistol. He also posted a meme shown in court that said, "Shoot First Don't Ponder."

A video was shown in court in which White is shown holding his phone and looking at his hair while a song played in the background with lyrics that said "something to the effect that we run around killing people," said Pina. Pina said the video was posted the day after the shooting and showed that White had dyed his hair to change his appearance.

Whites aunt, Ruth Collins, testified during the sentencing hearing that he had lived with her and her children since 2008 in Killeen. She said his father wasnt involved in his life and that his mother was involved on and off. White made good grades, went to class every day, graduated from a Killeen high school and then went to a welding school in Houston, she said.

The welding school worked out for about eight months and then White moved back to Killeen in May 2021, Collins said. She said on the night before the shooting, she had given him money to go to Houston to celebrate a friends birthday. She said she had no idea he had gone to Austin until police called her about a week later.

A neighbor of Collins', Herb Loring, also testified in a video that White had been in his youth group that helped raise money for charities for 10 years.

After all the witnesses finished testifying in the sentencing hearing, the attorneys made their closing arguments with prosecutor Habon Mohammed asking for at least a 40-year prison sentence for White, while defense attorney Russ Hunt asked that the jury consider at least five years but less than 20 years.

Hunt said that White was not a bad person. "He is not such a danger that you have to lock him away for an extended period of time," said Hunt.

DeOndre White listens to testimony during his murder trial on Wednesday.

More: De'ondre White found guilty of murder in 2021 Sixth Street shooting

White had no previous criminal record, Hunt said. "He feels terrible about the damage he has done," Hunt said.

He also said there were plenty of people who want to be involved with White's life and help him after he gets out of prison.

Mohamed said the jury should not only consider Doug Kantor's death when sentencing White but also should think about the 14 other people he injured.

"In a matter of 10 to 15 seconds, he forever altered the lives of 15 people," she said.

The shooting was the worst mass casualty event in Austin in the past decade. The punishment for murder ranges from five to 99 years in prison.

More: Expert links casings found on Sixth Street to De'ondre White's gun used in mass shooting

Witnesses said during the trial that there was an altercation between two teens from Killeen that preceded the shooting. White testified he shot in self-defense to protect himself and his friends after seeing one of the teenagers involved in the altercation, Tyshawn Degrate, start to pull out a gun.

Other witnesses in the trial said they never saw Degrate pull out a gun.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: De'Ondre White gets 30 years for fatal Sixth Street shooting in 2021
Othal Wallace sits at the defense table in the Clay County Courthouse on Friday during jury selection. Wallace is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor.

A jury has been selected for the trial of Othal Wallace, the man charged in the killing of Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor.

Wallace, 31, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Raynor on June 23, 2021. The 26-year-old Raynor remained hospitalized until his death on Aug. 17, 2021.

The jury is made up of nine women and five men, including one Black man and one Black woman. The panel included three alternates. Opening statements are set to begin at 9 a.m. Monday.

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty if Wallace is convicted at his trial, which will take place in Green Cove Springs.

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Wallace sat at the defense table Friday wearing a dark coat and white shirt with a red-striped tie. His defense attorneys, Terry Shoemaker and Tim Pribisco, sat next to him as did Allison Miller, who was brought in to help with jury selection. Another defense attorney, Garry Wood, sat to the side in the courtroom.

State Attorney R.J. Larizza and Assistant State Attorneys Jason Lewis and Andrew Urbanak sat at the state table.

Prospective panel questioned by attorneys

Jury selection was a week-long process that ended Friday. One of Wallaces defense attorneys, Allison Miller, asked prospective jurors Friday afternoon how many were gun owners. About 10 raised their hands. She then went one-by-one asking what type of firearms they owned. Most said handguns, one woman said she had a 9mm pistol, another woman said she had a revolver. A man said he, too, had a 9 mm. Another man said he had both a handgun and a rifle.

Miller asked each one if they had ever used the guns in self-defense. None said they had.

Miller then asked how they would feel about using deadly force in self-defense against a police officer. It would be under circumstances in which they had the legal right to defend themselves, Miller said.

Most of the prospective jurors said that if it was a choice between their life or the police officers, they would use deadly force to defend themselves.

But several jurors said they would want to know more about the circumstances that led up to the incident. Some jurors questioned what could cause someone to use a gun against a police officer. One woman said she found it hard to think of a situation in which she would use deadly force against a police officer.

A whole lot needs to go wrong for you to get to that point with a police officer, a woman said.

A man also said hed want to know more about the circumstances, although he would protect himself.

At another point, Miller asked jurors if they were familiar with George Floyd.

Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis objected, which was sustained.

Miller then asked for a sidebar. The gaggle of attorneys huddled with the judge at the bench.

No decision was announced as is typical of such discussions before the judge. But Miller did not ask about George Floyd again.

Miller also asked whether the jurors believed that everyone had the same experience with law enforcement. No one indicated that they did.

Later in the afternoon, the prosecutors and defense attorneys went through prospective jurors, with the defense and prosecution using their allotted strikes to remove jurors they believed would not be good for their respective cases. The defense used all 10 of its strikes and requested more. Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano gave each side two more. The defense promptly used another. And soon after, another.

The state used 10 strikes to remove jurors.

What happened the night Jason Raynor was killed?

Raynor was patrolling in an area of Daytona Beach on June 23, 2021, because residents had complained of criminal activity, police have said. Raynor went to question Wallace, who was sitting in a car outside of an apartment building at 133 Kingston Ave., where Wallace was living with his girlfriend and their children, according to reports.

Police said Wallace shot Raynor in the head. Raynors gun was found still in its holster.

Wallace was arrested on June 26, 2021, when a task force found him hiding in a treehouse in DeKalb County, Georgia, near Atlanta.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Othal Wallace jury selected; opening statements on Monday
ANTRIM COUNTY  Soon after Eric Molitor sat down to testify in his own defense in the Antrim County Courthouse on Thursday, Sept. 7, his attorney began to ask about his views on government.

Along with twin brothers Bill and Mike Null, Molitor is being charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and illegally possessing firearms. The defendants are accused of being conspirators in an elaborately planned plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer . They are the last of 14 men charged in the case to stand trial.

Nearing the end of the second week, earlier testimony in the trial had described the conspirators' ultimate goal of violently overthrowing the government and inciting a nationwide civil war.

Are you a pro-government or an anti-government person? asked attorney William Barnett.

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I like government. We need government, obviously, replied Molitor. I just think people need to get more involved and rein it in a little more.

Molitor added that he felt scared that peoples rights were under attack during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked the same question about law enforcement, Molitor said, "I'm pro-law enforcement. I just wish they would weed out the bad guys more instead of standing up for them.

Defendant Eric Molitor explains his tattoos in court, showing that none of them have any militia significance.

Out of the 14 men charged in the kidnapping scheme, Molitor is only the second to testify in trial on his own behalf. The other man was Daniel Harris, who was acquitted of the charges.

Are you a person who would vote? questioned Barnett.

I voted for Gov. Whitmer," was Molitors response, adding that he also voted for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The AGs office is leading the states prosecution of Molitor and his alleged co-conspirators.

Barnett's line of questioning was intended to show that Molitor is not the government-hating ideologue that other members of the militia involved in the kidnapping plot have been described as.

More: State rests its case against defendants in final Whitmer kidnapping plot trial

13th Circuit Court Judge Charles Hamlyn speaks to the courtroom before adjourning court for the day on Sept. 7, 2023. Eric Molitor (right back) listens along with his attorney William Barnett (standing center).

When asked about militias, Molitor said he had been in militia groups starting in 2017 but dropped out of any formal association, only attending military-style training camps hosted by the groups. He testified that although militia ringleader Adam Fox tried to swear him in, he never took an oath to join a militia group.

Molitor detailed his previous frustrations with militia groups, describing them as being full of chest-beating and paranoid people.

There were always people running their mouths telling people about what theyve done. Lying about being in the military. You just had to deal with that to be able to get down to the core group of people for training, said Molitor.

At the time of Molitors arrest on Oct. 7, 2020, agents executing a search warrant found 13 firearms, body armor, a gas mask, flex cuffs, a radio and a combat medical kit designed to treat wounds while in battle. A radio frequency detector was also found, which is a device that could detect if someone was wearing a listening device.

All of those items were legal, according to Molitor, and used to further his career as a security guard  a job obtained for him by militia ringleader Adam Fox  or to compete in firearm training competitions or use for protection in instances where there might be civil discord.

More: Scenes from the final trial in foiled Whitmer kidnapping plot

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Molitor claimed that during the daytime reconnaissance mission to the governors Birch Lake summer cabin in August 2020, he was initially unaware of where he was going or what they were doing. He said he thought they were visiting a "high-profile vacation home," which he took to mean something involving protesters.

Starting from Cadillac and riding in an undercover FBI informants truck along with Fox, Molitor said he only became aware of the plans involving the governors cabin when the group had almost reached Elk Rapids.

While Fox and the informant  named as "CHS Dan"  were talking about the plans to kidnap the governor during the trip, Molitor said he was thinking What do I say? and trying to figure out "How to act to get out of the situation."

While they are talking, Im in my head trying to figure out what I need to do ... what was going on ... how much danger am I in, said Molitor, who was the only one of the three carrying a concealed weapon.

The group drove down the governors street a few times and Molitor took a slow-motion video of her cabin at the request of Fox. They also went to Birch Lake to look at an access point for transportation.

Molitor said he took the video to fit in with the group that day and that if they had asked him to do anything extreme, he would have said no.

When prompted to explain his feelings during the Elk Rapids trip, Molitor said he was only thinking one thing, I just want to get back home to my kids.

Toward the end of the trip, Molitor said he had grown less concerned about his personal safety and the reality of the kidnap plan as he realized how unprepared "Dan" and Fox were and how far-fetched Foxs ideas were.

After the trip, Molitor continued to maintain contact with Fox and other militia members, saying that he was listening for more information about a plan coming to fruition.

When asked, Why didnt you call the police?" his response was There wasnt enough concrete evidence.

Molitor attended a firearm and medic training session in Luther, Michigan in September 2020, acting in the role of a medic. He claimed to be unaware of any planning regarding the kidnapping and that he heard no talk of using explosives to blow up the Elk River Bridge to slow police response.

He was not in attendance at any of the planning meetings listed on the AGs significant events timeline.

Eric Molitor's mother, Susan Molitor, testified on his behalf in Antrim County on Sept. 7, 2023.

Before Molitor took the stand on Thursday, his mother, Susan, testified on his behalf. In testimony to his character, she said that he "has empathy for other people, he cares about all people."

She also said Molitor had grown up around guns and they were not seen as something symbolizing violence in their household.

"We come from a long line of veterans and hunters. We believe that everyone who is a citizen here has constitutional rights to have guns," she said.

So far, other court cases involving conspirators in the kidnapping plot have seen four men strike a deal to plead guilty with the state, two men acquitted, two men found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to possess weapons of mass destruction, and three men convicted of felony counts of gang membership, providing material support to terrorism, and illegal weapons possession.

Court will resume at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, at the Antrim County Courthouse in Bellaire with continued testimony from Molitor.

 Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231)675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: 'I just wanted to go home': Defendant testifies in Whitmer kidnapping trial
Police have arrested a male juvenile accused of firing a gun and injuring a girl during an altercation officials characterized as likely gang-related in downtown Boise last weekend.

The boy, who has not been publicly identified because of his age, is charged with felony aggravated battery.

The incident occurred Saturday night on the 800 block of Main Street at around 11. According to a Boise Police Department news release, a group of mostly juveniles got into an altercation and the boy fired a gun in the direction of multiple people, striking the girl. She was treated for minor injuries.

According to the news release, evidence indicated the incident was likely gang-related, but officials did not elaborate. A Caldwell Police Department news release said the boy, who was arrested in Caldwell, is suspected of committing several gang-related crimes in both Ada and Payette counties.

Caldwell officials said the boy was believed to be armed and dangerous, prompting SWAT to serve an arrest warrant for him at a Berkeley Avenue home on Thursday afternoon. After several hours of negotiations, the boy was taken into custody.
Vice President Kamala Harris said it would be a huge mistake for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim John Un to meet following a warning by U.S. officials that arms negotiations between the countries are actively advancing.

Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the two leaders are planning to meet this month in Russia, likely in Vladivostok. Putin is seeking more weapons for his countrys war in Ukraine, and Kim is looking for advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines and food, according to the Times.

In an interview with CBSs Face the Nation set to air in full Sunday, Harris warned the partnership would backfire.

The idea that they would be supplying ammunition to that end, it would be a huge mistake, Harris told CBS host Margaret Brennan , speaking from Indonesia. I also believe very strongly that for both Russia and North Korea, this will further isolate them.

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Harris is not the only Biden administration official to sound the alarm over the meeting.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that North Korea would pay a price for this in the international community if it chose to supply weapons to Russia for use in the battlefield in Ukraine.

In August, the U.S. announced sanctions against three entities for allegedly trying to facilitate arms deals between Russia and North Korea.

The vice president added to CBS that Putins willingness to speak to Kim is indicative of Russias desperation as the war drags on.

At the beginning of it all a year and a half ago, the pundits were saying that this would be over in days, Harris said. Well, the Ukrainians are still fighting.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently visited Pyongyang with the aim of convincing Kim to sell artillery ammunition to Moscow. Another group of Russian officials subsequently traveled to the country to continue those negotiations, the White House said Tuesday.

Related...
Kansas Civil Asset Forfeiture laws are one of law enforcements most valuable tools for dismantling criminal enterprises like human trafficking organizations or the cartels that import deadly drugs like fentanyl into Kansas.

Some argue that these laws give too much power to law enforcement, inaccurately calling them unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has repeatedly found these laws to be constitutional, and the laws play a crucial role in maintaining public safety.

Opponents of forfeiture fail to mention all the protections provided for innocent property owners. They dont mention that property is only subject to seizure if law enforcement can prove it was used for or acquired through specific illegal acts. They dont discuss the requirement that a judge order the forfeiture of property.

And they leave out that any possible owner must have an opportunity to be heard in court. Opponents of the law imply that these seizures are the result of law enforcement officers run amok, but really a judge must oversee and authorize every forfeiture action.

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Those critical of forfeiture laws misleadingly say, Kansas civil asset forfeiture laws allow law enforcement to seize peoples money and property if they suspect it is connected to criminal activity, even if the owner is never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Without context, this statement seems ominous.

But forfeitures are not tied to criminal charges because criminals often register assets using fictitious names. When the cartel flies 200 kilos of cocaine across the country, they use a jet registered to a fake company to avoid criminal charges. Law enforcement can significantly interrupt cartel operations by not only seizing the drugs but also seizing the jet.

These laws allow police to seize assets of criminals ranging from street level dealers to cartel leaders in order to eliminate their profit motive. Taking ill-gotten cash and property can cripple the financial foundation of criminal enterprises, making it harder for them to operate. No matter the size of the business, profit matters, and Kansas asset forfeiture laws are a powerful deterrent.

Opponents have also said, Officers can confiscate drivers cash without even issuing a simple traffic citation. What they dont share is that officers or prosecutors must file a detailed notice explaining the facts and legal authority to seize the property. They must follow a rigorous legal process that requires a judge to determine if forfeiture is legal and appropriate.

Forfeiture laws help fund important law enforcement efforts without burdening taxpayers. The funds are reinvested in agencies for equipment purchases, training, and community outreach programs that arent possible due to limited budgets.

Kansas forfeiture laws are designed with checks and balances to ensure accountability. These processes ensure that property rights are protected and innocent parties are not unfairly affected.

Law enforcement agencies are battling cartels that import lethal doses of fentanyl into Kansas. We work every day to confront organizations engaged in human trafficking, drug trafficking and other immediate threats to our safety and security.

Forfeiture laws serve as a vital tool in law enforcements arsenal against these dangerous organizations. These laws are appropriately restrictive and ensure accountability and fairness.

Now is not the time to take away one of law enforcements most effective tools for keeping Kansans safe.

Tony Mattivi is the director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: This is how Kansas Civil Asset Forfeiture laws help keep Kansans safe
When Mike Rosseau and Dorothy Tobe bought a long-vacant church building to live in in St. John, they thought theyd be moving to a peaceful and quiet lifestyle in a small Kansas town.

They never imagined that the city government would push them into homelessness and do its best to make them into criminals.

The property address is 420 N. Main St., but it really sits squarely at the intersection of incompetence and injustice.

Rosseau and Tobe, a married couple in their 60s who were pushed out of Denver by the high cost of rent, are now sleeping in their real estate agents guest room.

Theyre facing criminal prosecution on an alleged zoning code violation for sleeping on their own property when they first got to town, while they worked to renovate the small former church into a functional home.

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If convicted, Rosseau and Tobe could face a $500 fine and six months imprisonment for each violation, and each day is a separate offense, according to St. John Municipal Court documents.

No one in their right mind would send somebody to prison for a minor zoning violation, but it is being treated as a criminal case and in St. John, apparently anythings possible.

Rosseau and Tobe have already been arraigned and are scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Wednesday, which theyre hoping they can get continued, because theyve been unable to hire a lawyer.

The few attorneys in the area either have a conflict of interest because they do business with the city, or they dont do the kind of defense work that Rosseau and Tobe are going to need.

The couple applied for a special use permit that would have solved the problem, and it was approved by the citys recently created planning and zoning commission.

But the City Council overruled the commission, in deference to a nearby electrical contractor who apparently has his own designs on acquiring the church property.

An employee and business partner of that electrical contractor serves on the council and voted to deny the permit.

Rosseau and Tobe are the first people ever to be prosecuted under the citys zoning code, which dates back decades. Its a distinction they could live without.

We cannot believe they would let a building become dilapidated and fall apart, rather than let people buy it and fix it up, Rosseau said.

Hard times in Colorado shabby shack

Rosseau and Tobe lived in Denver for 30 years before coming to Kansas.

He worked as a bicycle mechanic and she supplemented their income with a small eBay business selling various antiques and knickknacks theyve collected over the years.

They rented a small house that Tobe described as a shabby shack next to a corner gas station. But it was only $675 a month and they could afford that.

In July of last year, Rosseau suffered a heart attack and couldnt work. The next day, the landlord called me to tell me that he had sold the house and we had to move, Tobe said.

The modest house and the gas station were sold to a developer planning to build an apartment complex. The house fetched $825,000, as a teardown.

The couple went looking for another place, but Denver rents are sky-high and they couldnt find anything, even another shabby shack, for less than $2,000 a month. They looked south to Pueblo, which was cheaper, but still outside their price range.

So they started looking in Kansas, where theyd heard housing prices were lower. In an online search, Rosseau found the St. John church building and several other possibilities.

The church wasnt their first choice, but the market was overheated.

They were intrigued by some homes listed for sale in Topeka, but their calls to real estate agents went unreturned, or they were told there were already multiple offers for way over the asking price.

Our search just kept coming back around to this church, Rosseau said.

So they arranged an appointment with the listing agent and in one day, drove the 860-mile round trip to take a look at the place.

It wasnt perfect, but the previous owner had done some upgrades, including a new roof, before putting it on the market.

The price was right: $43,000, which they scraped together from the remnant of Tobes inheritance from the sale of her familys farm in Ohio, and money the couple made from selling about half their belongings.

They rented a Penske truck in Denver and moved themselves, pulling a car carrier behind the truck with Rosseaus pride and joy, a classic 1954 Hudson Super Wasp, which they unloaded on the lawn in front of the building.

Mike Rosseau and wife Dorothy Tobe, with cat Daisy, inside the church they bought to renovate into a home in St. John

Welcome to Kansas  not

After they bought the property, problems arose with the zoning.

The building was constructed in 1940 as a Church of Christ and later converted to a Lutheran church, but its been deconsecrated and vacant for 20 years.

It sits at the outside edge of the citys downtown commercial district and the city government has it zoned as commercial property.

When the couple bought the church, they had consulted the county tax record, that lists it as Property Class R, Residential.

The reason for the discrepancy is what the property is used for, versus what its zoned for, said Stafford County Appraiser Carl Miller.

The family that sold the building had used it for years as a storage unit. Because the items stored were personal property and not business-related, the county assessed it as a residential use.

Thats a critical judgment call because under Kansas law, commercial property is assessed for taxes at 25% of appraised value, while residential property is assessed at 11.5% In other words, the owners would have paid more than twice the taxes they did over the years.

When the City Council considered Rosseau and Tobes request for a permit to use the former church as a residence, members overturned the planning commission on a 4-1 vote.

Opposition to the permit was led by locally prominent businessman Kevin Davis, the owner of Davis Electrical, a couple doors down the block from the former church.

Davis and a neighboring property owner, Jeni Jones, sent a letter to the council accusing Rosseau and Tobe of disregarding the conditions the planning commission had put on their approval.

They moved in on Friday, July 7th and have resided there since, said the letter, which is undated. Please note that they lived there over the weekend without any electricity or water. The first thing they did was park a car in front of the building.

The lack of water and power was actually the citys fault. Tobe has an e-mail in which the city clerk wrote, We can make sure to have electricity on for the 7th, but you will need to be there for when the water is turned on.

Rosseau said hed happily move the Hudson, but the starter blew out when they got it off the transport trailer and he hasnt had a chance to fix it with all thats been going on.

Dorothy Tobe and Mike Rosseau talk in the yard of the former church they bought, where the city of St. John has filed criminal charges to thwart their plan to live in it.

People store junk, live in downtown storefronts

The meeting was not recorded  the council hasnt posted an agenda on its website since September of 2020, and the latest meeting on its YouTube channel is more than a year old.

But several people who were there said Davis spoke about the need to keep the former church zoned commercial, because people wait years for prime business property like it to open up.

Thats hilarious.

If theres anything St. John has no shortage of, its vacant commercial property.

Half the downtown square is empty storefronts where people store their junk.

And if you looked around town, youd probably find more building and zoning violations than there are residents, 1,200.

For example, while Rosseau and Tobe are getting raked for parking on the grass, their property is directly across the street from the citys maintenance yard, where the employees park on the grass every day.

At least a dozen people live in the downtown business district, some legally, some illegally, but no one else is facing prosecution. No one ever has.

The former church was never used for commercial purposes anyway, and if Davis wanted it, he could have bought it before Rosseau and Tobe stepped up.

Davis didnt return a message left in person at his office seeking comment.

Employees park on the grass at the city of St. John maintenance facility, across the street from where Mike Rosseau and Dorothy Tobe are being criticized for parking on grass.

Friends in high places not talking

Davis has an ally on the City Council.

According to the city website, council member Ryan Christie has been employed by Davis Electrical as an electrician and HVAC technician for the last 11 years.

The Kansas secretary of states website shows Davis and Christie are partners in a company called C&D Irrigation, LLC.

Christie should have recused himself for conflict of interest, but he didnt.

Contacted by phone, Christie said, Im not interested in commenting on it, and hung up.

Council members Kyle Bunker and Aaron Gleason didnt return phone messages, and council member Sarah Woolf could not be reached.

The council member who would talk was Mark Bryant, the only one who voted in favor of the permit.

He said he sympathizes with Rosseau and Tobe being uprooted twice in a year. Of the councils decision, he said, I do not agree with that and I think its wrong.

He said hes asked some of his council colleagues why theyre so adamantly opposed to the couple living in the former church, and I cant get an answer.

The chairman of the planning commission, Dennis Veatch, is a former development services director and zoning administrator for Dodge City.

He says the councils decision was improper because the city failed to notify all neighboring property owners within a 200-foot radius as required, and the protest petition was legally inadequate.

Veatch has asked the council to delay any legal action against Rosseau and Tobe, and start the permit process over and do it right this time.

Rural Kansas towns failing for decades

The prosecution of a pair of would-be residents for trying to move to town is all the more astonishing because the steady depopulation of rural Kansas has been an issue for decades.

The state government is begging  and literally paying  people to move to places like St. John.

Witness this recruiting pitch from the state Department of Commerce: Kansas is filled with the natural beauty, simplicity and communal bonds of rural life. We want you to experience the peace and joy of rural Kansas so much that well even throw in some added bonuses.

Trying to stem the bleeding of population, former Gov. Sam Brownback and the Legislature passed the Rural Opportunity Zone program in 2011.

It offers incoming residents from other states a 100% income tax exemption for five years if they move to one of 95 (out of 105 total) Kansas counties that are classified as rural.

Another element of the program offers $15,000 in student loan debt repayment for college graduates who agree to relocate to rural Kansas for five years.

The program is an expensive and frankly embarrassing failure.

According to an evaluation last month by the Legislative Division of Post Audit, approximately 1,700 people have taken advantage of tax relief since the ROZ got underway in 2012, and 1,650 have gotten student loan debt repayment. An estimated 150 got both, but nobody really knows for sure because the records are sketchy.

The ROZ program has cost the state $27.1 million to attract about 3,200 residents. During the same period, ROZ counties lost 25,000 people.

The Post Audit Division displayed a rare gift for understatement with this conclusion: A few aspects of the ROZ program may not be operating as the Legislature intended.

Good old boys used to being in charge

The problem of rural Kansas lies not with its tax rate, but with its sociopolitical structure.

Newcomers with new ideas often hit the wall of a good-old-boy network thats grown accustomed to running the town their way for their benefit. A common attitude among the local gentry is: You aint from here, so what are you doin here?

Less than a month ago, the news out of Stafford, just east of St. John, was about the city government mowing down a budding nature preserve and arresting a young man who chased the mower off the property with a brush knife.

But Kansas likes to bill itself as a friendly place, and it can be.

Some St. John residents are rallying around Rosseau and Tobe, recognizing the manifest injustice the local power structure is perpetrating on them.

About 20 co-signed a letter to the editor of the St. John News written by journalist Beccy Tanner, who grew up in St. John, moved back after a long career at The Wichita Eagle, and now runs a private Facebook page of local news called Eyes on St. John, KS, Take Two.

More residents have shown up at City Council meetings since the charges were filed against Rosseau and Tobe  and most of them are demanding that the city back off.

After the meeting where the council denied the zoning permit, one resident offered to pay $500 of the couples legal bills to fight it.

And fireworks erupted at last weeks meeting when another resident  who owns another vacant church thats kitty-corner to the one owned by Rosseau and Tobe  was escorted out by police after calling the citys actions a word referencing what comes out of the south end of a north-facing bull.

A Stafford County commissioner, Jim Stanford, has offered to let Rosseau and Tobe stay in his hunting lodge until they can get their legal problems straightened out. Stanford was displaced by a fraternity house fire when he was a sophomore in college, and regularly lends out his cabin to locals displaced by fire or storm damage.

So St. John might just be redeemable after all.

But to get there, the City Council needs to start listening to the growing segment of the community that wants to welcome Rosseau and Tobe as friends and neighbors  rather than dispensing special favors for special people.

The council needs to immediately drop its ludicrous criminal complaint against them, and apologize for putting them through that.

Then the council needs to approve the couples zoning permit and give them a reasonable grace period to get their house in order.

Thats what real cities do.

And if the council continues to dig in its heels, well, theres an election coming up in November.

Christie, Bunker and Gleason are unopposed in their bids for reelection.

But situations like this are what write-in campaigns were invented for.
Kanye Wests rumoured wife, Bianca Censori, has sparked confusion with her latest outfit, which saw her holding a pillow over her chest while walking around Italy.

On Wednesday 6 September, the rapper  who legally changed his name to Ye  and Censori were photographed in unique ensembles while walking through the streets of Italy. The outing came days after the pair were reportedly banned from a boat company in Venice due to their alleged behaviour on board one of its vessels.

In recent photos that circulated online, Censori was seen walking in sheer beige stockings and a matching spaghetti strap bodysuit. She was also holding a purple cushion over her chest, seemingly in an effort to cover the top half of her body. The architect completed the look with a pair of heels.

Meanwhile, West opted for an all black look, which included a short-sleeved shirt, pants, slippers, and hooded scarf, which covered the majority of his face.

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On X, formerly known as Twitter, people expressed their confusion over Censoris look, with some questioning the pillow accessory.

Is [Ye] going to use her as a couch? one person asked, while another wrote: I hate all her looks and theyre always nylon, like quit playing with the pantyhose.

Others suggested West had been styling Censori  who reportedly married the rapper in a non-legally binding ceremony  and criticised him for it. They also acknowledged that West previously styled his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, when they were together.

I feel like Kanye is making her dress like this, one fan wrote, while another asked: Why is he making her dress like this?

Remember Kim and then all his GFs after her started dressing similar to this [during his] whole dating them, a third wrote. Then they break up and theyre back to normal human clothes!

He does. Remember Kim and then all his GFs after her started dressing similar to this whole dating them. Then they break up and theyre back to normal human clothes!  Gay vanilla latte (@AlexTheAight) September 7, 2023

I feel like Kanye is making her dress like this  Lunadeus  (@LunadeusLilitu) September 7, 2023

Other social media users offered their own suggestions as to why the pair were walking around in the surprising outfits, with one claiming theyre clearly doing it for reaction purposes but it is very bizarre.

Following the outing, The Daily Mail reported Censori was spotted with the pillow while she and West were leaving their hotel in Florence on 6 September. A source alleged to the publication that Censori wore the ensemble throughout the day, including during a shopping trip in the city.

However, according to another source, Censori had changed into a long-sleeved bodysuit by the time she went to dinner with West that evening.

This isnt the first time that one of Censoris outfits has sparked mixed reactions. In June, the pair made headlines when they were pictured heading to Wests church service in all-black ensembles, with West wearing a black T-shirt with the word Polizei, the German word for police, emblazoned on it. He also sported a pair of black leggings that covered his feet in what appeared to be sock shoes.

Meanwhile, Censori wore a stocking-like ensemble that covered her entire body, including her face. She also wore her arms inside the black pantyhose, while a ring of black fabric circled the lower half of her face and neck.

Days before they were photographed in Florence, a Venice boat company, Venezia Turismo Motoscafi, issued a statement declaring that they were no longer welcome on future trips. The ban came after they were photographed on the boat in what appeared to be a compromising position, as West had his trousers down and bottom exposed, while Censori appeared to be crouching between his legs.

Following the release of the photos, a spokesperson for Venezia Turismo Motoscafi  whose celebrity clientele reportedly includes Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, and Ben Affleck  explained that the driver had not seen these obscenities because they were looking out for traffic on the water.

The statement added that, if the driver had witnessed the couple engaging in any lewd behaviour, they would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority.

In recent years, the rapper has been at the centre of several controversies, making headlines for a slew of antisemitic remarks. In 2022, West was dropped by both Adidas and Balenciaga over his hateful and dangerous comments relating to Jewish people. CAA, one of the biggest celebrity talent agencies in the US, also cut ties with the musician.

You can read more about West and Censoris summer antics in Italy here.
Kate Middleton has paid homage to the late Queen Elizabeth on the first anniversary of her death in a dazzling family heirloom.

The 41-year-old Princess of Wales stepped out in drop-down pearl earrings as an ode to Her Majesty on 8 September. Kate walked alongside Prince William as the pair attended a service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

For the occasion, she paired a long-sleeve burgundy trench coat dress and matching hat with the Queens Silver Jubilee diamond and pearl earrings  a poignant tribute. Though this isnt the first time Kates been spotted in the delicate diamonds, their appearance on the anniversary of the day the monarch died one year ago is a notable tribute. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, Kate kept the earrings on for the entire week, including while in Sandringham greeting well-wishers.

Like the Silver Jubilee accessory, the Princess of Wales re-wore the Eponine coat dress after wearing it last December when she attended the Together at Christmas service. Her pointed-toe heels and Mulberry hand-held clutch paired well with the colour of the long garment. Kate was photographed hand-in-hand with the Prince of Wales as they entered the cathedral.

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On Kate and Prince Williams joint Instagram account, the two posted a carousel of photos of Queen Elizabeth, both solo and of the monarch surrounded by her family before she passed. Her Majesty could be seen in her renowned top hat adorned with wrapped bows, as well as sitting on the couch surrounded by her grandchildren. The caption read: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

In addition to the throwback images, the royal couple posted photographs of them from the tribute service, standing in the church before Queen Elizabeths photo. A moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world, they wrote.

The sweet tribute comes after Kate was criticised in July by the former British Vogue editor, Suzy Menkes, during her podcast Creative Conversations over her jewellery choices. Speaking to the now-jewellery editor for British Vogue, Carol Woolton, the fashion critics reflected on Kates assumption of the sentimental jewels within the royal family, while Menkes expressed how underwhelmed shes been by Kates styling of the pieces.

The Princess of Wales is a bit of a disappointment about jewellery, she proclaimed. I imagine her looking beautiful in one of those gowns behind the scenes and then pulling a face as if to say: Do I have to wear this?

She continued: She doesnt give any sense of adoring jewellery and being pleased to put it on.

Yet, contrary to Menkes opinion, Kates been known to wear the many heirlooms passed down to her, including the engagement ring and wedding band that stay firmly on her finger. Whats more, shes worn the famed Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara that belonged to Princess Diana, as well as the Queens pearl choker she was gifted by the Japanese government.
Ken Keechl, the first out gay member of the Broward County Commission in Florida and the countys first gay major, has died at age 60.

He died last Friday of pancreatic cancer, a family member told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Keechl, a Democrat, was elected to the commission in 2006, beating incumbent Republican Jim Scott, a former state senator whod been appointed to the commission by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2000. He served on the commission until 2010, spending his last year on the body as county mayor. The mayor is chosen by commission members.

I ran for the commission not as a gay man but as a fiscal conservative and as someone concerned about the environment, but I am aware of the historic nature of becoming mayor and am proud of it, he told the Sun-Sentinel in 2009.

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Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale and the heavily LGBTQ+ city of Wilton Manors, is Floridas second most populous county, after Miami-Dade.

On the commission, he advocated for the addition of gender identity and expression to county nondiscrimination law, and commissioners added the language in 2008. He also authored a resolution in favor of gay people serve openly in the military and one against a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Voters approved the marriage amendment in 2008, but it was struck down by a federal court in 2014.

Keechl and Ted Adcock, a real estate professional, married in New York in 2011, shortly after that state passed a marriage equality law. Adcock died last December.

In addition to his government work, Keechl was a lawyer, serving many LGBTQ+ clients. He lost his county commission seat in the 2010 election and later tried unsuccessfully for reelection several times. He also ran for the Florida House of Representatives and the Fort Lauderdale City Commission but did not win either post.

Many are remembering him fondly. He felt that everyones rights mattered. He made sure that everyone had a voice at the table and everyones concern was there, his friend Michael Albetta told public broadcaster WLRN. Albetta and Keechl were both members of Dolphin Democrats, Floridas oldest LGBTQ+ political group. Keechl was president of the organization for a time. Albetta recalled campaigning for Keechl in the county commission race and seeing the politician kiss his husband at the swearing-in ceremony. It was exhilarating for the LGBTQ community, Albetta said.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis told the Sun-Sentinel that Keechls death is a terrible tragedy for the entire community. Keechl was a leader in the LGBT community and tirelessly committed to the welfare of everyone that he served, Trantalis added. Its a great loss for everybody. He also said Keechl continued to be an activist even when he was out of office.

Former County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman praised Keechls environmental advocacy, telling the Sun-Sentinel, He didnt believe in paving over Broward County. She noted that he was a loyal friend: When Ken is your friend, he is there through thick and thin.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida paid tribute to Keechl on X, formerly Twitter.

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From January to July of this year, reported abortions in Kentucky dropped by almost 100% compared with 2021, according to state data.

Thirteen abortions were reported to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services between January and July of 2023, compared to 2,591 reported in 2021 during the same time frame  a reduction of 99.5%.

The marked cliff is a direct result of Kentuckys trigger law and six-week ban, both of which took effect after federal abortion protections were overturned in June 2022. The trigger law bans all abortions except when a pregnant persons life is immediately threatened, and the six-week ban, or fetal heartbeat law, outlaws abortions after fetal cardiac activity develops, which is usually around six weeks gestation.

The impact has been a near-total elimination of abortion, even in circumstances where the procedure is medically recommended, as the Herald-Leader has reported, including when a fetus is nonviable.

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That trend is mirrored across the country in more than a dozen states that have enacted similar abortion bans, according to new estimates released this week from the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research policy center.

Despite roughly a dozen U.S. states outlawing it, the cumulative number of abortions provided so far this year actually increased nationwide compared to 2020. In states that have preserved access, like Illinois, demand for the medical procedure has ballooned.

Most states surrounding Kentucky, including Tennessee, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Arkansas, have passed laws restricting abortion. Illinois  a state without an abortion ban  is the outlier. There, abortion remains legal up to the point of viability. From January to June of this year, the number of abortions provided in Illinois grew by an estimated 69% (from 26,000 to roughly 45,000) compared with 2020, according to Guttmachers report.

Across the board, states without abortion bans saw similar increases: Abortions in Virginia increased by 60%, North Carolina by 57%, Michigan by 16%, and in Kansas, the number of abortions increased by 114%.

These estimates, which only count abortions by providers working in brick-and-mortar clinics and doctors offices, indicate that thousands of women who live in states that have restricted access traveled to states that havent. The true figures are likely even higher, since an estimated increase in abortion medication received by mail is not factored.

Kentuckys 2023 data

Guttmachers report did not include numbers from Kentucky. The Herald-Leader obtained that data through an open records request. A more comprehensive 2022 annual abortion report is expected to be published this month by the Cabinets Office of Vital Statistics.

Historically, most abortions in Kentucky were provided at EMW Womens Surgical Center and Planned Parenthood, both in Louisville. Both stopped providing terminations with the law change.

Pre-abortion ban, in a given month in Kentucky, between 300 and 400 abortions were provided, state data from recent years shows. So far this year, the most reported were in May: four. Most of the 13 were medication abortions, and most occurred in the second trimester, the latest being 21 weeks.

The Cabinet denied the Herald-Leaders request to release the ages of individuals whove received abortions in Kentucky so far this year, even though that information has historically been public. The Louisville Courier Journal reported last September that, before Kentuckys abortion bans took effect, the two youngest patients to need an abortion were under age 9. Under state law, sexual intercourse with a 9-year-old is first-degree rape. Kentuckys current bans do not include exceptions for rape, incest or pregnant minors.

Its unclear if any of the people whove needed an abortion so far this year in Kentucky were under the age of 18. In a response to the Herald-Leaders request for ages, the Cabinet said it was withholding that information. Since there are so few reported abortions, providing age along with the other data points provided may allow for a ready identification of the individuals, a spokesperson said, and may constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Piecemeal data provides some insight into how many Kentuckians are traveling out of state for this type of medical care. Before Indianas near-total abortion became law in August, state data showed 340 Kentuckians had traveled to the Hoosier state for abortions between January and March, representing roughly 90% of all abortions provided to non-residents. In 2022, a total of 950 Kentuckians got abortions in Indiana, WFPL reported in June. Other surrounding states have yet to publish their 2022 reports.

To Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, this enforces the reality that many people will continue to seek out this type of care despite local bans.

Kentuckians didnt stop needing abortions, theyve just been forced to go elsewhere, she said. Those who had the means and the ability to leave the state are leaving the state for that type of care.

Kentucky Republicans  who have doggedly sought to restrict abortion  so far have not formally tried to limit or scrutinize out-of-state travel to get abortions. But GOP Attorney General Daniel Cameron, whos running for governor to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, has signaled he wants to retain the right to access medical information of Kentuckians who do just that.

Cameron in June joined 18 Republican state attorneys general in co-signing a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that its rule change proposal to shield patients reproductive health services information from officials in states that have criminalized abortion would unlawfully interfere with states authority to enforce their laws.

The rule change would make it harder for officials in states that have restricted access to reproductive health care, like abortion, to obtain patient medical information for care sought out of state if its for the purpose of investigating a civil or criminal law violation.

Out of state abortions

Though the full scope of Kentuckians traveling across state lines for reproductive health care isnt known, organizations that help women to this end say demand is not letting up.

Kentucky Health Justice Network, which offers assistance to people who need help paying for their abortion, fielded more than 500 calls from January to July of this year (421 received donations from KHJN to pay for their abortions). That breaks down to 15-20 calls a week, said Savannah Trebuna, KHJNs abortion support fund co-director.

KHJN not only helps foot the bill for the cost of the procedure, itself, but increasingly this year, theyve helped cover the cost of gas for Kentuckians to travel to out-of-state clinics.

Before the ban, a large barrier to people seeking care at clinics was just the cost of the appointment, Trebuna said, which can range anywhere from $600 to $1,000.

In the more than year since the trigger law, donations spent on travel  what KHJN calls direct assistance  has increased 127%. Increasingly, were seeing a large need for practical support, things like gas money or a flight, hotels and childcare expenses, she said.

Where people go largely depends on geography and financial means, Trebuna said. Before August, 44% of people who called KHJNs hotline traveled to Indiana (since Indianas ban, KHJN has sent close to 30 callers to Illinois for abortions). The closest access point in Eastern Kentucky is Bristol, Virginia, and in western Kentucky its southern Illinois, she said.

Kentuckys abortion bans do not legally permit the standard of care treatment for when many abortions may become medically necessary, the Herald-Leader has reported. Unnecessarily prolonging a non-viable pregnancy, for example, can greatly increase the health risks for a pregnant person. But unless their life is immediately threatened, current law forbids doctors from terminating those pregnancies.

There have been cases where weve had callers who would have died had they continued their pregnancy, but because they werent actively dying in front of a doctor, they were still referred out of state, Trebune said.

The amount of money KHJN gives to each person varies. In the last two weeks, KHJN has averaged giving $450 to each caller to cover the cost of their abortion, and $80 for travel expenses. KHJNs funds are largely possible because of private donations. That reality is problematic, she said.

The way that abortion funds are operating right now is so unsustainable, Trebuna said. There will be a point where we cant do as much as were doing now, because our resources are finite. These are not acceptable conditions for anybody, especially Kentuckians that have poor maternal health outcomes.

Hospitals and health care clinics continue to refer patients out of state for abortions, but where depends, in many cases, on the individual and their doctor.

When asked about where patients needing abortions are pointed, a spokeswoman for Baptist Health Lexington said, referrals for any procedure are a decision between the patient and the physician.
King Charles, pictured at his coronation in May 2023.

King Charles, pictured at his coronation in May 2023.

King Charles waited for his time on the throne for a long, long time  a record-breaking 70 years, in fact.

But, his first 12 months of rule have hardly been smooth sailing.

His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was  for the most part  kept out of any political spats and familial dramas by the time of her death in September last year.

And, at 96, her decades of public duties meant she was well-versed in managing a neutral public image. Her son, on the other hand, has been drawn into the story on more than one occasion.

To commemorate exactly 12 months since he fulfilled his lifelong destiny, heres a look at some more awkward moments which have made headlines since he took the crown.

1. Pen-gate

Shortly after the queens death, Charles made headlines for appearing excessively agitated about pens being where they shouldnt on two separate occasions, while on camera.

"I can't bear this bloody thing!": King Charles' signing ceremony at Northern Ireland's Hillsborough Castle made one thing clear  even royalty can't escape the frustration of an inadequate pen. pic.twitter.com/nzygNTLslX  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 13, 2022

2. Republicanism rises

The queens passing marked the end of a particularly poignant era for Jamaica, as it cemented the decision for it to become a republic, according to its government.

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Australia, Antigua and Barbuda Papua New Guinea and the Bahamas have suggested they might look for independence now Charles is King, too.

However, this wasnt completely unexpected  17 former colonies left rule under the British crown during the queens reign. Barbados left just in 2019.

3. Liz Truss

Charles caused a furore when he was caught on camera saying, Back again? Dear oh dear to Liz Truss, following her disastrous first few weeks as prime minister. She stepped down a week afterwards.

NEW VIDEO: King Charles holds the first of his weekly audiences with Prime Minister Liz Truss.

It happened today at Buckingham Palace pic.twitter.com/VibppWrT8C  Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) October 12, 2022

4. Prince Andrew

Andrew officially stepped down as a working royal following backlash over his friendship with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

But, Charles has been scrutinized for inviting Andrew, and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, up to his Scottish estate in Balmoral last month. Andrew also attended his coronation and sat in the same row as Prince Harry .

5. Prince Harrys memoir

Charles youngest son may have turned up to his fathers coronation in May, but his appearance came shortly after he really slammed the royals through his memoirs Spare and the series of promotional interviews.

The Duke of Sussex issued a whole range of statements about his father (and his other relatives), including suggesting his family have shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.

As far as we know, theres still a rift between Harry and his royal relatives.

6. Prince Harrys court case

Shortly before his fathers coronation, Harry added to tensions by making serious claims about how the royals navigate the press in his 31-page witness statement of his case against the publisher of The Sun.

For instance, he said the royals always wanted to keep the media onside because they were incredibly nervous after being stung by events such as Tampongate in 1993.

Thats when an intimate phone call between Charles and Camilla (when they were both married to other people, and engaging in an extramarital affair) was leaked.

7. Charles cancelled trip to France

The king was due to go for his first state visit trip as monarch to France, when riots broke out in the country in March  and some anti-monarchy graffiti appeared in the streets, meaning it was cancelled at the last minute.

8. Camilla causes controversy over new title

Charles second wife raised eyebrows when she adopted the title of Queen Camilla after his coronation. Both of them went through divorces prior to getting married, meaning many expected Camilla to have a lesser title once her husband was officially crowned.

Queen Elizabeth II also gave her blessing for Camilla to be Camilla, Queen Consort  a subtle difference to Queen Camilla.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London.

9. The Sussexes

There was much anticipation over whether or not the Duchess of Sussex would attend her father-in-laws coronation in May. Meghan chose not to go in the end, which many praised her for.

However, some fans still turned up to the coronation to show their support for her, hailed by some as the peoples princess.

Charles was also scrutinized for choosing to hold his coronation on his grandson Prince Archies fourth birthday.

10. Pledge of allegiance

Charles was slammed after it was revealed the public would be invited to swear their true allegiance to the king at his coronation.

That was supposed to be in place of the traditional ceremony where the hereditary peers had to kneel and pay homage to the King. However, it was dropped after huge backlash.

Then, some MPs and Lords revealed they werent exactly happy about swearing an oath of allegiance to the King.

11. Coronation blunders

The coronation was heavily criticized for showing off extreme wealth during the cost of living crisis  one carriage was made of solid gold.

Then it was revealed that the palace could censor some of the BBC coverage if they didnt like it in the run-up to the event.

Meanwhile, anti-monarchy protesters were arrested at the ceremony  some preemptively  raising questions about the UKs democracy. He has faced protests consistently throughout his first year, and even dodged a couple of egging attempts, but the Mets decision to arrest peaceful demonstrators caused uproar.

The coronation also sparked queries about reparations for former British colonies and calls for the crown jewels to returned to their country of origin.

And this is all before we even mention the massive penis mowed into lawn at his coronation party venue.

12. Charles got a pay rise from UK taxpayers

Government plans revealed earlier this year that Charles had to receive a hefty increase in his annual sum from the taxpayer in 2025.

In fact, therell be an increase of 45% funding for the royals from 2025, according to details of a royal funding review from the treasury.
Mitch McConnell's Republican colleagues in Congress, including at least one member of his own GOP caucus in the Senate, are now calling for the Republican leader to step aside.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. joined the ranks of Republican lawmakers who have voiced opposition to the Kentucky senator continuing to hold office after his second instance appearing to freeze during a news conference in the last month sparked concerns about his health and ability to serve.

"I don't think you can have it both ways," Hawley told press gathered in the Capitol Hill hallways Thursday, referencing Republicans' attacks on President Joe Biden over his health and capability.

"If you're concerned about the president's ability to do his job, and I am, and a lot of Republicans say they are, you have to be concerned when it's someone from your own party," Hawley continued, adding that he does not think the 81-year-old McConnell should remain leader.

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Hawley doubled down on his position in an interview with Fox News that night, telling host Laura Ingraham that he was "concerned" McConnell could affect the potential 2024 success of the Republican Party if he completes his term. "I understand why people are concerned about it, I'm concerned about it," he said. "Listen Laura, I'll be honest with you, I didn't vote for Mitch McConnell for leader. He is not my choice to be leader and so I think we need a change. I've said that for months."

McConnell's fellow Kentucky senator, Rand Paul, a Republican, said the incidents leave him concerned for McConnell.

"It doesn't look like dehydration to me. It looks like a focal neurologic event. That doesn't mean it's incapacitating, it doesn't mean he can't serve, but it means that somebody ought to wake up and say, 'Wow! This looks like a seizure.'"

Along with Hawley and Paul in the Senate, MAGA darling Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has called for McConnell to step down.

"I don't think you can have it both ways."

"Severe aging health issues and/or mental health incompetence in our nation's leaders MUST be addressed," Greene wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Biden, McConnell, Feinstein, and Fetterman are examples of people who are not fit for office and it's time to be serious about it," Greene continued before raising the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment, which addresses succession and disability as it applies to the president.

Severe aging health issues and/or mental health incompetence in our nations leaders MUST be addressed.



Biden, McConnell, Feinstein, and Fetterman are examples of people who are not fit for office and its time to be serious about it.



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pic.twitter.com/AfvNv50BvA  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) August 30, 2023

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"These politician's staff and family members should be ashamed of themselves by enabling and allowing their loved ones to remain in office all to hold power. We are talking about our country's national security and it's all at stake! 25th amendment and other measures need to be on the table," she wrote.

Despite his recent freezes, McConnell has dismissed calls from other party members for his resignation, declaring earlier this week, "I'm going to finish my term as leader and I'm going to finish my Senate term."

In a letter released by McConnell's office on Tuesday, Dr. Brian Monahan, the U.S. Capitol attending physician wrote, "There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson's disease."

After the freeze-up in July, CNN reported McConnell fell two other times this year. McConnell was also hospitalized earlier this year with a concussion after falling at a private dinner in March at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

McConnell's health is just one subject that has widened the split between congressional members of the GOP as in-fighting over whether to probe and punish Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis and whether to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden has inflamed tension in the group.

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about McConnell's health
UC Berkeley in September is about those glorious second summer days when time stops, the sun pours and the last light burns. My class begins as the sun reaches its apex. Our classroom, a freestanding bungalow with a bomber jet name (B5) has its own lawn in the Hearst Field Annex. We take class outside  our toes in the grass, hands shielding glare, a stickiness at our elbows and the occasional licking breeze. By late October, Daylight Savings will drop like a blind, and when class ends, the sky will be a singe-black.

Opinion

Our course on Asian American Literature begins with everyone telling a story that only they can tell. I clarify that Im not asking for secrets. A story is a fact. A secret is the manipulation of a story.

Ill go first, I say. Who knows the name Betty Ong ?

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I did not expect many to answer. In a decade of teaching at UC Berkeley, only one student has known her name. Betty Ong happened to work on American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Ong is an unsung national hero: She was the first person to alert American authorities that a terrorist attack was taking place. Her alert about the hijacking of Flight 11 led to the shutdown of our national airspace.

Each September 11, my students listen to the recording of her last 23 minutes of life. Her voice becomes an echo tunnel inside their ears: Betty Ong is trapped, Betty Ong cant escape, the terrorists have taken control. And when she stops speaking, we know the plane has hit the North Tower.

One by one, my students walk back into B5. Theyre stunned at how calmly Betty had recounted the hijackers actions, and how she repeatedly says her name and seat number  as if shes being interrogated.

Their eyes train on me. I tell them that in the 60s, Betty Ong and I were classmates while living in a San Francisco Chinatown that was a glitzed-up tourist attraction for outsiders and a replica of China that residents had left behind.

On September 11, 2001, I had been a New Yorker for over a decade. That morning, Id taken the subway downtown and walked up onto Delancey Street to see the tail of a jet jammed into the North Tower. Id stood with homeless folks and stiff shirts alike, too shocked to be afraid. Id continued to my appointment that day because, as a firstborn, Im trained to proceed with the plan. My accountant and I huddled around the radio which crackled with nothingness. Then I walked back on the eerily-empty Delancey and got back onto the subway to ride the last train uptown before the city locked down.

I let my students sit in their quiet.

Then I ask: Would you call your boss or your mother?

Mother! Mother! The chorus of voices is thunderous. I dont need to remind them of this fact: Outside America, parents protect their children; in America, children must protect their parents. To save the country is to save the family.

Lavie, a Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet, recounts the ridiculously lavish 9/11 commemorations where shed learned about the fallen firefighters, the men on Flight 93 and even the names of all the rescue dogs.

But I never heard Betty Ongs name, she said.

Catherine, looking disturbed, puts her head down on her pack. Later that night, unable to sleep, shell email to tell me what shes discovered: her grade school in Bakersfield petitioned to have the schools name changed to honor the fallen heroine.

The Campanile, UC Berkeleys 307-foot tall bell tower, chimes as Im giving the rest of the assignment. They know the story so theyll share it: theyll choose a friend and listen together. Then theyll write about the personal and the partnered experience. This teaches more than story, this magnifies experience and memory. I tell them theyre breaking a secret: theyre writing the intimacy, which becomes their own Betty Ong story.

As my students gather their belongings, they lower their gaze to confer privacy in our close quarters, a talent from their ancestors. They stand and move into the amber light  their stillness and quietness, cousins of obedience and respect in the face of suffering.

Fae Myenne Ng teaches creative writing and literature at UC Berkeley. She is the author of bestseller and PEN/Faulkner Fiction finalist, Bone and American Book Award winner, Steer Toward Rock. Her new book, Orphan Bachelors, is out from Grove Atlantic Press.
The investigation into Crystal Rogers disappearance took a turn Thursday evening when it was revealed that a suspect had been charged in connection to the case.

Joseph Lawson, 32, has been indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. Lawsons attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed to WDRB and other Louisville-based media outlets that the charges are related to Rogers case.

The indictment is the latest development in what has been a long investigation spanning more than eight years, involving several law enforcement agencies. Heres what to know about the arrest of Joseph Lawson.

Is Joseph Lawson accused of killing Crystal Rogers?

Lawson has not been charged with Rogers murder. His indictment instead says Lawson agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commissions of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime, when he, and/or a co-conspirator, intentionally caused the death of another.

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This charge of criminal conspiracy to commit murder is a Class B felony in Kentucky, which is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

Hes also accused of destroying, mutilating, concealing, removing or altering physical evidence with the intent to impair its verity or availability in the official proceeding, his indictment said. That charge of complicity to tampering with physical evidence is a Class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison if hes convicted.

The indictment doesnt mention Rogers name but says the crime happened on July 3 and/or July 4, 2015, in Nelson County. Rogers was reported missing by her mother on July 5, 2015, and she hadnt been seen or heard from since July 3.

Who is Joseph Lawson?

Lawson is a 32-year-old man who has addresses listed in Bardstown and Willisburg in his court documents.

He has not previously been publicly identified as a suspect in the case. Lawson has been involved in other criminal incidents  hed been on probation for a separate case when a motion was filed in August to revoke his probation because hed been accused of violating conditions of his release. Hes also been convicted of fourth-degree assault, facilitation to strangulation and facilitation to unlawful imprisonment, according to court records.

He was being held at the Grayson County Detention Center Friday on a $500,000 bond for the conspiracy to murder charge and a $50,000 bond for the complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge, according to court records. He is due back in court in October.

Will more suspects be arrested?

Its unclear if more suspects will be arrested. A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on Lawsons indictment and didnt elaborate on whether investigators have arrested or will arrest others.

Shane Young, the special prosecutor appointed to Lawsons case, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Kentucky State Police also did not immediately return a request for comment.

Brooks Houck, who was Rogers boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, was named a suspect in the case in 2015 by the Nelson County Sheriffs Office. He was believed to be the last person who saw her. But Houck has never been charged with anything in relation to Rogers disappearance.

What has Lawsons lawyer said?

Coleman told the Herald-Leader Friday he had no further comment beyond what had already been reported about his clients case. Lawson pleaded not guilty when he made his first court appearance Thursday, court records show.

Whos investigating the case?

The Nelson County Sheriffs Office led the investigation into Rogers disappearance once she was first reported missing. But other agencies have since stepped in.

Kentucky State Police and the FBI have both been involved in the case, with the FBI taking the lead in the investigation in 2020. Federal investigators have carried out searches at several properties in Bardstown related to Rogers case, officials confirmed previously. The FBI said it recovered pieces of evidence in past searches and those items were taken to a federal lab for analysis.

An FBI agent and a KSP detective have been listed as complaining witnesses in Lawsons court files, and court records indicate those investigators were witnesses during grand jury hearings which led to Lawsons charges.

Authorities previously searched the Houck farm before in August 2020. Local law enforcement also searched the property two months after Rogers was reported missing. The FBI searched the Woodlawn Springs subdivision in Bardstown in August 2021. Several items of interest were found during the search, but the FBI didnt elaborate on what those items were.

The FBI also previously released surveillance photos of vehicles related to the investigation.

When did Rogers disappear?

Rogers, a Kentucky mother of five children, was reported missing by her mother, Sherry Ballard, on July 5, 2015, according to the FBI. She hadnt been seen or heard from since July 3, 2015.

The day she was reported missing, her Chevrolet Malibu was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire. Her keys, phone and purse were inside the car, according to the FBI.

Tommy and Sherry Ballard, Rogers parents, led efforts to find her after her disappearance. But her remains have never been recovered. Tommy Ballard was later shot and killed by a suspect whos still unknown. The shooting happened while he was preparing to go on a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson, the FBI says.
Supermarket chain Kroger has reached a potential $1.2 billion agreement in principle to settle a majority of claims made by states, local governments and Native American tribes that accused the company of helping fuel the opioid epidemic.

Kroger announced Friday it has agreed to pay up to $1.2 billion to states and local governments, and $36 million to Native American tribes, in funding for opioid abatement efforts. Both amounts would be paid over the course of 11 years in equal installments, beginning in December.

The company said all parties  33 eligible states and the District of Columbia, along with tribes and municipalities  will have an opportunity to opt-in to participate in the settlement. If all conditions are satisfied, the settlement would allow for the full resolution of all claims.

Kroger said in a statement that the potential settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability and that the company will continue to vigorously defend against any other claims and lawsuits relating to opioids that the final agreement does not resolve.

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There have been thousands of lawsuits filed against drug distributors, pharmacies and wholesalers for contributing to the opioid crisis.

Last fall, Walmart agreed to pay $3.1 billion to settle claims. CVS and Walgreens also agreed to settle and pay about $5 billion each.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs said the settlement announced Friday was an important step toward holding each company that played a role in the opioid epidemic accountable.

The agreement is the first involving one of the smaller, regional supermarket pharmacies that still played a significant part in the opioid crisis. With many cases against regional pharmacy defendants still pending, we will continue to aggressively litigate these remaining cases, the attorneys said.

They also encouraged all eligible states and municipalities to join the agreement to expedite the process of providing these life-saving resources where they are needed most.

Kroger said it expects to take a $1.4 billion charge during the second quarter of 2023 related to the settlements and associated legal fees, which will negatively impact earnings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Prescription pain pills, or opioids, spill from a bottle.

Kroger has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to states and local governments to end a lawsuit that claimed the Cincinnati-based grocery giant played a role in fueling the opioid epidemic, lead attorneys said Friday.

The lawsuit was among a slew of suits nationwide brought by state, county and city governments against prescription pill manufacturers, distributors and companies. Kroger's agreement is tentative and expected to be completed within 30 days, litgators for the local and state plaintiffs said.

The agreement is the first case involving one of the smaller, regional supermarket pharmacies that played what plaintiffs' attorneys called "a significant role" in the opioid crisis. Many other regional pharmacy defendants are still pending.

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This $1.2 billion agreement-in-principle is another step forward in holding each company that played a role in the opioid epidemic accountable and ensuring hard-hit communities are provided with much-needed resources," co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs Jayne Conroy, Paul T. Farrell Jr. and Joe Rice stated in a press release Friday. They encouraged eligible states and subdivisions to join them in the settlement agreement, saying that it will lead to "providing these life-saving resources where they are needed most."

States, counties and cities are deciding where best to put the money they receive from the the nationwide litigation settlements.

Kroger stressed it was not admitting any wrongdoing and would "continue to vigorously defend against any other claims" not covered by the settlement. The payout erased the supermarket giant's second-quarter profit as it booked a massive $1.4 billion one-time charge that also included $177 million in attorney fees and costs.

Still, the company welcomed bringing the litigation to a conclusion.

"This is an important milestone in the companys efforts to resolve the pending opioid litigation and support abatement efforts," Kroger said in a statement. "Kroger has long served as a leader in combatting opioid abuse and remains committed to patient safety."

If the states and local governments that brought the lawsuit agree to take part in Kroger's proposed payment, they will receive money over 11 years, with the first coming in December, the lawyers' press release states.

Epidemic evolved from prescription opioids to heroin to fentanyl

The U.S. opioid epidemic evolved from a rise in overdose deaths from prescription painkillers in the 1990s, to a rise in heroin overdose deaths starting around 2010, to the emergence of deadly fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid that has saturated the illicit drug market and accounted for the most overdose deaths, U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention records show. In 2022, provisional data indicated that more than two thirds of the reported 107,081 drug overdose deaths in the United States involved synthetic opioids other than methadone, principally illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogues.

A graphic from DEA.gov site shows how people, especially young people, are purchasing and selling counterfeit prescription drugs. Jason Schumacher is assistant special agent in charge of the DEA Cincinnati district office said the days of doing drug transition under the cover of darkness is over. ItOs all social media he said. He said throughout the country, including Cincinnati, the amount of confiscated counterfeit prescription drugs is rapidly rising and itOs contributing to the increase in overdose deaths. Friday, April 8, 2022

Ohio and Kentucky have been hard hit by the opioid epidemic. The states struggled with pill mills, where doctors prescribed large amounts of prescription opioids to people who were addicted. When the states cracked down on the pill mills, people turned to a new market fueled with heroin, brought in primarily by Mexican cartels. Next came fentanyl, which arose from rogue "factories" mostly in China, where fentanyl was made and sent to Mexico. Currently most of the fentanyl coming into the United States is coming in over the Mexican border, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

More: Fake prescription pills kill kids, inexperienced users in latest version of epidemic

Results so far of the national prescription opiate litigation

In 2021, nationwide settlements were reached to resolve all opioids litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors  McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen  and against manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its parent company Johnson & Johnson. The settlements have been finalized, and payments have begun, according to an executive summary of National Opioid Settlements.

In late 2022, agreements were announced with three pharmacy chains  CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart  and two other manufacturers, Allergan and Teva.

Under both the 2021 and 2022 national settlements, at least 85% of the funds going directly to the states and local governments are required to be used for opioid epidemic abatement, with most proceeds restricted to funding future abatement efforts, according to the National Opioid Settlement news releases.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger to pay $1.2B to settle opioid lawsuits
(NEXSTAR)  The number of claims filed in the $725 million Facebook privacy settlement may constitute the largest class in a lawsuit in U.S. history, lawyers said in a San Francisco court Thursday.

The administrator in charge of vetting claims has received more than 28 million applications for a payment, said Lesley Weaver, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the case.

As far as we can tell thats the largest number of claims ever filed in a class action in the United States, Weaver said.

Of the 28 million filed, about 17 million have been preliminarily validated, meaning at least 17 million people will be getting a piece of the massive settlement if and when its given final approval.

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Facebooks $725M settlement is huge, but how much will you actually get?

About 2 million claims were duplicates, 8 million were flagged as potentially fraudulent, and there were still about 1 million left to review, the lawyers explained.

Once the total number of eligible people is finalized, well know how many people will be sharing the $725 million settlement  but first there are some deductions.

The lawyers in the case are requesting about $180 million in attorneys fees. That chops down the settlement fund to $545 million.

The next major deduction are administrative fees. Essentially, an administrator is appointed by the court to set up the settlement website, look at claimants information, verify theyre eligible, and send them what theyre due. At this point, its not clear how much the administrator is charging.

When will Facebook settlement payments be sent out? Heres what we know

The pot shrinks by another $120,000 because each of the eight plaintiffs who represented all Facebook users in the case is entitled to $15,000.

Once all that happens, the final pot of money will be divvied up between the 17 million or more eligible recipients  but not equally. Those who had a Facebook period for longer will get a larger sum. That makes predicting the exact amount youll receive difficult to do in advance, but class counsel estimated a median payment size of $30 when speaking in court on Thursday.

Judge Vince Chhabria gave the lawyers representing the plaintiffs another week to file some additional documents with the court. Once the judge gives the settlement final approval, well be one step closer to payments being sent out. However, there could be appeals, which would delay payments.

Facebook parent company Meta agreed to pay the sum to settle claims it allowed peoples personal data to be shared with third parties. The most famous third party to get access was Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm that supported Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign.

Meta agreed to the payout, but denies any wrongdoing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Las Vegas race car driver, who was the target of a murder-for-hire plot last year, faces theft and money laundering charges after he allegedly stole more than $1 million in COVID-related government loans, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained.

Jeffrey Schildmeyer, who builds and services race cars  and races them, according to online records  faces charges of theft, money laundering and perjury, documents said. A Metro SWAT unit arrested Schildmeyer on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

In January 2022, Metro police responded to a call for a robbery with a deadly weapon at Jeffrey Schildmeyer Racing, documents said. During the call for service, Schildmeyer provided police with his phone number and home address.

While investigating the robbery call, a financial intelligence analyst noted five businesses tied to Schildmeyers home address, documents said. All five businesses obtained $150,000 loans from the [Small Business Administration] under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program in August and September of 2020, police said.

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The federal loan program was designed to provide economic relief to businesses that experienced a temporary loss of revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, police said.

An initial review of these businesses revealed a nonexistent public-facing and internet footprint for these entitles, police wrote in court documents. As such, suspicions regarding the authenticity of the businesses were called into question as most businesses commonly have a public-facing or internet footprint for sales and marketing purposes.

Investigators learned Schildmeyer allegedly made nine loan applications under nine business names, documents said. Each application includes Schildmeyers name, phone number and home address, among other identifiable information.

Jeffrey Schildmeyer, who builds and services race cars  and races them, according to online records  faces charges of theft, money laundering and perjury, documents said. A Metro SWAT unit arrested Schildmeyer on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (LVMPD/KLAS)

The loan documentation revealed the five loans Metro detectives uncovered, plus funds for four additional businesses, documents said. While police mention the nine loan applications, the charges related to Schildmeyer focus on six businesses. Each business received $150,000 in loans under the guise they have between one and 10 employees each, police said.

All six businesses were organized or incorporated within one month of the loan application dates, police said. Not one appeared to have any operations or business activity associated with them, yet Schildmeyer identified each business earned more than $300,000 gross revenue in the twelve months prior to Jan. 31, 2020, police said.

Detectives later found five of Schildmeyers bank accounts were opened on the same day and all less than 24 hours before each [loan] application being initiative online, documents said.

[The detective] discovered five of the applications were all commenced within 18 minutes of each other, police said.

Police accuse Schildmeyer of money laundering as he allegedly transferred the loan money between the six applicant businesses and a seventh company in at least three dozen instances, documents said.

In all, police allege Schildmeyer obtained more than $900,000 in government money meant to help businesses struggling during the pandemic, documents said.

In July, Arutyun Akopikyan, 43, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and solicitation to commit murder for the 2022 incident at Schildmeyers racing business and in the money after, records said. Akopikyan knew Schildmeyer for several years, though Schildmeyer told a grand jury he did not know what the dispute was about.

During the grand jury hearing, an inmate who met Akopikyan at the Clark County jail said Akopikyan propositioned paying him to kill Schildmeyer, transcripts said. Akopikyan also sent the inmate photos of Schildmeyer, his family and his address, the inmate told the grand jury.

He actually wanted me to kidnap Jeff, the inmate told the grand jury, according to documents. The reason I had to kidnap Jeff was because they needed Jeff to open the phone instead of me just killing him. He wanted Jeff killed, that was the whole thing, to kill him, but the only way we can get the money was to kidnap him and get his phone.

During a preliminary hearing in the criminal case, Schildmeyer told the court his shop builds race cars and [facilities] race needs, documents said. He described the case involving Akopikyan as a murder for hire in grand jury transcripts.

Schildmeyer posted bond and was due to return to court in October. No attorney was listed in his case.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Edward Blum, the conservative activist behind the Supreme Courts affirmative action ruling, accused Morrison & Foerster of discriminating against white applicants.

A prominent American law firm has made a significant change to one of its fellowship programs in the wake of a series of lawsuits targeting diversity initiatives.

According to Reuters, a PDF flyer for Morrison & Foersters Keith Wetmore 1L Fellowship for Excellence, Diversity, and Inclusion no longer specifies that the program is only open to Black, Hispanic, Native American, or LGBT candidates. The firm launched the fellowship in 2012 to support law students from historically underrepresented groups in the legal industry.

Instead, it now states candidates must bring a diverse perspective to the firm as a result of your adaptability, cultural fluency, resilience, and life experiences.

Edward Blum, the affirmative action opponent behind the successful lawsuit challenging the consideration of race in college admissions, is now targeting law firms diversity efforts. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Data for the flyer indicates someone created it on Aug. 30, a week after the American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by Edward Blum, filed lawsuits against it and another sizable law firm, claiming their diversity fellowships unjustly rejected some candidates based on their race.

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Blum, the conservative activist who spearheaded the successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the consideration of race in college admissions, accused Morrison & Foerster, which has over 1,000 attorneys globally, and Perkins Coie of discriminating against white applicants.

Morrison & Foersters fellowship includes a $50,000 stipend and a paid summer associate post, frequently resulting in full-time employment at legal firms with salaries in the six figures following graduation.

The paid fellowships aim to help recruit people of color, a demographic major law firms have struggled to add to their partnership ranks for years.

Perkins Coie, a global law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys and a comparable fellowship, has declared its intention to defend itself, asserting that its dedication to diversity is steadfast.

Legal challenges against corporate diversity initiatives have intensified in the aftermath of the Supreme Courts affirmative action ruling, which resulted from lawsuits Students for Fair Admissions, formed by Blum, filed against Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

He also has filed a lawsuit against Fearless Fund, a venture capital firm that assists Black women entrepreneurs.

To support his allegations against the groups, Blum relies on a portion of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, passed in response to legislation Southern states implemented during Reconstruction designed to restrict freed Blacks activity and ensure their availability as a workforce, theGrio previously reported.

The legislation stated that regardless of race, color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude, an American citizen was entitled to equal citizenship rights in every state and territory of the United States.

Blums lawsuits rely on a provision of that statute that forbids racial discrimination in contracts.

In a statement, Blum said his groups application for a preliminary injunction in district court is still pending a formal response from Morrison & Foerster, Reuters reported.

TheGrio has reached out to Morrison & Foerster for comment.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Law firm sued for diversity initiative removes historically underrepresented language from program materials appeared first on TheGrio.
Judges on the Arizona Court of Appeals listen to arguments on Oct. 17, 2019.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit seeking statewide elections for Appeals Court judges, just one day after the complaint was filed.

The conservative-leaning Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit at the state Supreme Court on Tuesday on behalf of four clients who are calling on the secretary of state to include Arizona Court of Appeals judges in statewide retention elections because they felt the existing system disenfranchised them.

But Justice Ann Timmer wrote in an order on Wednesday that the court had read the petition as a facial challenge, meaning the court interpreted it to be calling a state law unconstitutional on its face.

Only Adrian Fontes, in his official capacity as Arizona secretary of state, was named in the original complaint.

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Timmer dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs can file it again if they "include as parties all persons who have or claim any interest that would be affected by the relief sought" and notify those parties.

Ruling sought: Goldwater Institute lawsuit seeks to let all Arizona voters decide on Appeals Court judges

Joe Setyon, senior communications manager for the Goldwater Institute, said the think tank plans to refile the petition in the coming days.

A spokesperson for the Arizona Secretary of State's Office said the agency was aware of the dismissal and was monitoring the situation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Lawsuit over Arizona Appeals Court judge elections dismissed
Leah Remini has hit out at the Church of Scientology after Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for rape.

On Thursday (7 September), three months after the That 70s Show star was found guilty of two counts of rape, the 47-year-old received his sentencing in the Los Angeles Superior Court. You can follow The Independents live blog for updates.

Both attacks took place in Mastersons Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a third count.

During the trial in May, prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology  where all three women were also members at the time  to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.

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Scientology officials have previously denied the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers, claiming that these allegation have been debunked and portions of the trial testimony regarding the organisation were uniformly false.

A frequent critic of both Scientology and Masterson, Kevin Can Wait star Remini was among the first celebrities to first speak out following Mastersons sentencing.

Remini, who is a former Scientologist and is in the process of suing the Church, tweeted that she had been in attendance at the sentencing, and that sitting in court today with the women who survived Danny Mastersons predation was a surreal experience.

Masterson had initially been accused of drugging and raping three women at his home.

Masterson, pictured in court in 2020, has been sentenced to 30 years (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

His accusers blamed the church for dissuading them from reporting Masterson to police. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, sent through ethics programmes and warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

Reminis statement echoed the accusations made in court, which the Church of Scientology denies.

For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes, the 53-year-old wrote. I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women.

Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of.

She continued: The women who survived Dannys predation fought tirelessly for justice. Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible. For that, we will forever be grateful.

To the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorneys office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury, we thank you for your fair and impartial approach to this case and trial.

Remini was among Scientologys high-profile members for 35 years before she left in 2013 (Getty Images)

Responding to The Independents request for comment, the Church of Scientology shared two recent statements regarding Reminis recent lawsuit against the Church.

In the more recent statement, they wrote: Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when people exercise their right to free speech, exposing her for what she is  an anti-free speech bigot.

Last month, Remini filed a lawsuit against the organisation and its leader David Miscavige. In the legal filing, she accused the Church of destructive retaliation efforts to curb her and thousands of other detractors who have spoken out against them.

In her 2016 docuseries Scientology and the Aftermath, which ran for three seasons until 2019, Remini featured interviews with two of Mastersons accusers and explored allegations of sexual assault more widely in the Church.

Responding, the Church of Scientology said that if Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself.

Obviously everybody in Hollywood now knows what we already knew: that Remini is a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her, they said.

When Masterson was charged with rape in 2020, Remini, who was among the organised religions high-profile members for 35 years before she left in 2013, tweeted that victims are being heard at last.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.

If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 are removed from a nursing home in Riverside on April 8, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: As one whose husband died from effects of isolation and poor care in 2020 and who is now a designated support person for two loved ones in a nursing home, I greatly appreciated Steve Lopez's column, "Increased staffing for nursing homes? Sure, but the lack of oversight is deplorable."

Nursing home residents have no voice. It's difficult for them to gather in the streets for protests, and few have the means to make their voices heard via social media, email or even phone. Many have no one to speak up for them. They need us to be their voice.

There is this sense that society accepts that nursing homes "are what they are." That needs to change.

The conditions of nursing homes, which house younger adults and pediatric residents too, are deplorable. There are many wonderful staff, but overall facilities are poorly administered. And with no accountability, nothing will change.

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Even with more support for people aging at home, there will always be a need for skilled nursing facilities. Residents and their caregivers need people who will lend their voices to the rally cry for public and legislative attention.

Quality of life is medically necessary.

Melody Taylor Stark, Monrovia

..

To the editor: I am a registered nurse who consults with nursing homes on infection prevention and control. I am involved with facilities throughout California.

Why is it necessary to continuously bash nursing homes? I have yet to find an article that talks about the wonderful things that the healthcare providers in long-term care facilities do to enhance the quality of life of our growing population of frail seniors.

Are there some facilities that are guilty of providing substandard care? Probably yes, but when you realize how heavily regulated nursing facilities are, those places don't survive for long.

Lopez states that California provides oversight of nursing homes in all counties except Los Angeles. In fact, L.A. County has a very robust oversight of their skilled nursing facilities, both from a public health perspective and in licensing and certification.

Staffing has been a problem, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has been very difficult to attract quality caregivers, especially since the hourly wage is so low. In addition to increasing the staff-to-patient ratio, we need to increase reimbursement to facilities so they can pay higher salaries and attract good healthcare providers.

Dolly Greene, Tarzana

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON (Nexstar)  This week the opioid reversal medication Naloxone became available over the counter nationwide. Federal health officials hope that will make a big difference when it comes to saving lives.

One of the things that Ive heard was let that junkie die. Let that crackhead die,' says Rosalind Picardo, founder of Operation Save Our City, who claims she has reversed more than 2,000 opioid overdoses with Naloxone, a nasal spray.

The number one cause of death for people 18 to 49 is drug overdoses, states Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of National Drug Policy. Dr. Gupta has also observed that people harbor stigmas about both the use of drugs and the use of overdose reversal medications, because they think it wont impact them.

But Gupta emphasizes, People from all communities, all socio-economic status, demographic and geographic status are being affected.

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Officials want Naloxone to be widely and easily accessible. For that reason they say theyve stocked the Health and Human Services headquarters building with doses. And theyre encouraging other businesses and public places to also have naloxone on hand.

The nasal spray is easy to use. But at about $45 for two doses, it may still be too difficult for many to afford. Which is why HHS says its working with state governments to provide Naloxone to community resource centers and clinics.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Lilly is seen on a wall of the Lilly France company unit, part of the Eli Lilly and Co drugmaker group, in Fegersheim near Strasbourg

(Reuters) -Eli Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro has gained the backing of Britain's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog, which said it would be a good option for patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said in draft final guidance that it estimates some 180,000 people could benefit from the new treatment.

The drug, also known as tirzepatide, has also been in the spotlight for its potential to treat obesity. A U.S. decision on its use for weight loss is expected later this year. Lilly's share price has surged, with investors betting that an approval will make it a blockbuster drug.

Final guidance from NICE is scheduled to be published on Oct. 11 after which the drug will be made available in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) within 90 days. NICE is the government agency that determines if medicines should be used in the NHS.

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NICE in July asked Lilly for more data about the drug's benefits.

Its decision comes amid national shortages of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, which is from the same drug class as Mounjaro and is approved in Britain for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Lilly did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Advocacy group Diabetes UK told Reuters this week that Ozempic's increasing "off-label" use for weight-loss has hurt people with type 2 diabetes who have been prescribed the drug but have struggled to fill their prescriptions.

(Reporting by Lavanya Ahire and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Maggie Fick; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Ros Russell)
The special grand jury in Fulton County, Ga. that investigated the state's 2020 presidential election recommended charges against Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and former Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, the special counsel grand jury report unsealed Friday reveals per CNN.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not charge the legislators in the sprawling racketeering indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants she returned last month. Special grand juries in Georgia are not permitted to bring down indictments, so the decision for how closely to follow its recommendations rested with the district attorney.

The grand jurors largely agreed that Graham, Perdue and Loeffler had engaged in unlawful conduct with 13 of the 21 voting in the affirmative for Graham, 17 for Perdue and 13 for Loeffler. One of the dissenting jurors, however, believed that the former Georgia senators' statements following the 2020 election, though pandering to their political base, did not indicate that they were guilty of criminal conspiracy, the report noted.

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The lawmakers have denied committing any wrong doing in relation to the 2020 election. They are among a larger group recommended for charging by the special grand jury that Willis decided against indicting, which included Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Lin Wood.

The special grand jury had also suggested charging 13 of the 16 members of the false Georgia elector slate. Willis only brought charges against three  Cathy Latham, a former Coffee County GOP chair, David Shafer, the former chairman for the Georgia Republican party, and Shawn Still, a current freshman Republican state representative  and it is unclear why the three excluded electors were not recommended.

Despite the overwhelming votes to indict the electors, two dissenting jurors believed "the electors should not be indicted for doing what they were misled to understand as their civic duty."

Legal experts reacted to those excluded from the indictment online Friday following the report's complete release. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Weissmann noted it is "So interesting who was NOT then charged" based on the juries recommendations.

So interesting who was NOT then charged. https://t.co/UGeNSQfTbr  Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads) (@AWeissmann_) September 8, 2023

Related

Trump's claims he can do "whatever" he wants "constitute virtual confessions": legal experts

"We now understand much better what probably was happening as we all waited for the indictment to drop 'imminently,'" former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Willis had a bevy of decisions she was making & ultimately decided not to charge more people than she decided to charge (20-19). That's a lot of deliberation."

We now understand much better what probably was happening as we all waited for the indictment to drop "imminently." Willis had a bevy of decisions she was making & ultimately decided not to charge more people than she decided to charge (20-19). That's a lot of deliberation.  Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 8, 2023

"Does the forbearance play as a a virtue for Willis, or does the narrow scrape of prominent current officeholders fuel critics of prosecutions of national figures by a local DA? Probably both," he added.

Does the forbearance play as a a virtue for Willis, or does the narrow scrape of prominent current officeholders fuel critics of prosecutions of national figures by a local DA? Probably both.  Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 8, 2023

Other experts offered explanations for why Perdue, Loeffler and Graham were left unscathed in Willis' final charging decision and pondered whether others like Flynn had decided to cooperate with authorities.

"For those asking why certain individuals listed by the special grand jury were not indicted by Willis, bear in mind the following: 1) murky constitutional issues tied to Members of Congress due to their role under the Electoral Count Act; 2) some people, particularly fake electors, might have made cooperation deals with Willis; 3) some people might have been viewed as more helpful simply as material fact witnesses than as criminal co-defendants," national security attorney Bradley Moss wrote in two posts to X.

electors, might have made cooperation deals with Willis;

3) some people might have been viewed as more helpful simply as material fact witnesses than as criminal co-defendants.  Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) September 8, 2023

Asha Rangappa, a lawyer and former FBI special agent, echoed those sentiments, acknowledging that Willis bringing charges against the senators would have given "folks like Jim Jordan a clear 'hook' to do what he's doing now," referring to the investigation the House Judiciary Committee chairman and Ohio Republican launched into Willis' handling of the indictment last month.

Seeing lots of news reports highlighting that D.A. Fani Willis did not indict U.S. senators despite special grand jury recommendations. Doing so would have 1) potential constitutional hurdles and 2) would give folks like Jim Jordan a clear "hook" to do what he's doing now  Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) September 8, 2023

"Can attribute some of the non-charging decisions to calls about guilt and innocence and what they could prove, eg Graham. But others who dodged bullets  thinking here of Flynn & Mitchell for startersseem no less culpable," Litman tweeted. "Does that perhaps suggest that they are cooperating??"

Can attribute some of the non-charging decisions to calls about guilt and innocence and what they could prove, eg Graham. But others who dodged bullets -- thinking here of Flynn & Mitchell for starters--seem no less culpable. Does that perhaps suggest that they are cooperating??  Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 8, 2023

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Graham appeared before the special grand jury last year following a court battle regarding his testimony. After the 2020 election, Graham corresponded with Georgia election officials, including phone calls with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff connected to the potential of finding enough fraud in the state that it could reverse Trump's loss.

The South Carolina Republican repeatedly pressed Raffensperger and his colleagues over the phone about the signature-matching of ballots in the Atlanta-area. Raffensperger told CNN in November 2020 that he believed Graham "implied" that he should attempt to "throw out" ballots in the overwhelmingly Democratic county.

Raffensperger testified to the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6 that his phone call with the senator made him "uncomfortable" because some of Graham's suggestions could have precipitated "disenfranchising voters."

The senator denies wrongdoing and challenged Raffensperger's description of the call. He argued in his battle against the Fulton County subpoena that his calls to Georgia officials were legislative activity directly connected to his duties as the then-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He also asserted that his actions should be protected by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause.

Perdue, who lost his Senate run-off election in January 2021, personally encouraged Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to bring a special session of the legislature to aid in Trump's efforts to overturn the election. Loeffler, who lost her run-off election that January as well, was also present at the meeting.

Perdue last year carried out an unsuccessful Trump-supported primary challenge to unseat Kemp, relying heavily on peddling false claims of election fraud touted during the 2020 election.

The Fulton County special grand jury began hearing evidence in June 2022 and Willis used the group to probe efforts to reverse Joe Biden's victory, an inquiry prompted by Trump's infamous January 2021 phone call with Raffensperger where the former President asked him to "find" the thousands of votes he needed to win the state.

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about Republican malfeasance
A long-awaited Georgia grand jury report released Friday provides a look at how Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) avoided being charged in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis s (D) election interference case against former President Trump and 18 other defendants.

The report shows that the jury recommended taking the enormous step of bringing charges against the sitting U.S. senator, as well as two former Georgia senators, both of whom were defeated in runoff elections held the day before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

In fact, a majority of the grand jury  13 members  backed bringing charges against Graham with respect to the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

But seven other members voted against doing so, exhibiting for the first time the split in the Fulton County grand jury. In contrast, the report showed 20 of 21 jurors recommended charges against Trumps attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

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Legal experts The Hill spoke with after the release of the report said the split vote, along with other factors involved in charging a sitting member of the Senate in the interference plot, likely convinced Willis she would have a steep hill to climb to win a conviction.

Thats not exactly a ringing endorsement that theyre going to be able to prosecute him and get a grand jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed an offense, said Josh Stanton, an attorney with Perry Law who has penned analyses of various Trump cases.

Graham was a key figure in the case in large part because of his phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), who alleged the senator asked him about possibly throwing out votes that were legally cast  a claim Graham dismisses.

That seven grand jury members who didnt find the charges against Graham convincing would have been a problem for Willis, Stanton said. And that jury, he noted, heard Lindsey Graham talk about his actions during the election and his effort to maybe speak with Raffensperger, to suggest that he take a particular course of action to help Donald Trump.

Graham on Friday said he was surprised that charges were even considered.

I was totally surprised.  I never suggested anybody set aside the election. I never said go find votes. I never said anything other than trying to find how the mail-in balloting system worked, Graham said.

Graham said his call to Raffensperger was consistent with his job as a senator and as the then-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

At the end of the day, nothing happened, Graham said. What I did was consistent with my job as being a U.S. senator, chair of the Judiciary Committee.  I think the system in this country is getting off the rails and we have to be careful not to use the legal system as a political tool.

The South Carolina Republican added that if he has questions after the 2024 election takes place, Ill do the same thing.

Some legal observers noted that theres a range of reasons why Graham and those who were listed in the special grand jury report were not charged, including possible cooperation with the investigation, especially for some of the fake electors.

But Clark D. Cunningham, the chair of law and ethics at Georgia State University, said the fact that the special grand jury heard the sitting senator testify and subsequently deemed him to be a criminal was notable.

Thats astonishing, Cunningham said.

In addition to Graham, former Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) were also recommended for prosecution. The pair of ex-Senate Republicans called for Raffensperger to resign after the 2020 election.

Special jurors voted 17-4 to recommend an indictment for Loeffler. They also voted to recommend charges for Perdue in a 14-6 vote.

Trying to jail your partys leading political opponent ahead of 2024 is election interference. Speaking out in defense of election integrity is not, Loeffler said in a statement. I make no apologies for serving my state by giving voice to millions of Americans who felt disenfranchised in 2020  and I refuse to be intimidated by a two-tiered system of justice that seeks to systematically destroy conservatives across this country.

As for Graham, one group of individuals that have stayed mum on his situation are his Senate colleagues, including those across the aisle.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee with Graham, declined to comment on the Senate Republicans situation during an appearance on MSNBC, adding that he had not yet read the special grand jurys report.

Before I talk about one of my colleagues and friends, Ill take a look [at the report], Murphy said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he was totally surprised by the revelation that a Georgia grand jury recommended that he be criminally charged over efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

What I did was consistent with my job as being a U.S. senator, chair of the Judiciary Committee, Graham told reporters in South Carolina on Friday. I think the system in this country is getting off the rails and we have to be careful not to use the legal system as a political tool.

The special grand jury voted 13-7 earlier this year to recommend charges against Graham, now the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The senator was not ultimately indicted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis when she brought charges against former President Donald Trump and other allies last month.

According to a special grand jury report made public Friday, the panel also believed multiple others should be criminally charged for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, including former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and former U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , both Republicans from Georgia. The grand jury also recommended charging Perdue for making false statements about the election.

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Prosecutors in the case probed a highly unusual phone call Graham placed to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 10 days after the 2020 election. Graham asked Raffensperger on the call whether he had the power to toss out all mail ballots in certain counties. Raffensberger said it sounded like Graham was suggesting he find a way to set aside legally cast ballots.

But Graham denied that implication, reiterating on Friday he was merely inquiring about the way the presidential election had been conducted as well as about runoff Senate elections involving Perdue and Loeffler, which had yet to take place.

If it ever becomes impossible or politically dangerous or legally dangerous for a United States senator to call up people to find out how the election was wrong, God help us all. The next election, if I have questions, Ill do the same thing, Graham said.

I did my job. I wouldnt change anything I did, he added.

Prosecutors are afforded wide discretion in deciding how to charge someone, and its not clear why Willis sought some indictments but not others. Asha Rangappa, a lawyer and legal commentator for MSNBC, suggested on Friday that bringing charges against members of Congress could prove difficult and harmful to the broader case.

Seeing lots of news reports highlighting that D.A. Fani Willis did not indict U.S. senators despite special grand jury recommendations. Doing so would have 1) potential constitutional hurdles and 2) would give folks like Jim Jordan a clear "hook" to do what he's doing now  Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) September 8, 2023

Also -- sitting U.S. senators would have a pretty solid basis to request removal to federal court, potentially taking many or all of the other Ds with them. (Meadows trying that now, but he has a much looser claim than a senator, IMO). Fani made the right call on them https://t.co/SumbE0pRL5  Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) September 8, 2023
Lets get this country moving again, John F. Kennedy preached in the 1960 presidential campaign. The slogan, coined by the Vietnam hawk Walt Rostow, was premised on the conceit that the Eisenhower years were sleepy and silent, which they werent. The missile gap that Kennedy campaigned on, for example, didnt exist. But Kennedys message of vigor and renewed strength inspired idealistic government programs like the Peace Corps and Volunteers in Service to America (Vista); paved the way for Great Society innovations like Medicare and Medicaid; and helped open the door to epochal civil rights legislation.

No presidential candidate today would urge that we get America moving again. It would scare people too much! Instead, candidates talk about Change We Can Believe In and Making America Great Again and Stronger Together and Building Back Better. Only this last commits the voter to any tangible activity, and even here the building is apparently something we were going to have to do anyway (better). God forbid that a political candidate order America to get up, unbidden, from its power-lift vinyl recliner with waterproof cupholders on each arm and consider for one brief moment not what its country can do for it but what it can do for its country.

These irritable generalizations are prompted by the fascinating news, reported by Rachel Wolfe in Thursdays Wall Street Journal, of a national shortage in prescription and over-the-counter laxatives:

Surging demand is contributing to a shortage of polyethylene glycol 3350, the generic name for laxatives like Miralax and Glycolax, gastroenterologists and suppliers say. Consumers are noticing emptier shelves in drugstores across the country as a result.

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The reasons for the shortage, Wolfe writes, are an aging population and bad eating habits on the part of the young, who dont consume enough fiber and believe that moving their bowels at least once a day helps them lose weight, which it doesnt. Covid made everything worse as people stopped leaving the house, stopped going to the gym, and ate more unhealthy snacks. But even before Covid, the United States led the world in the consumption of natures laxative, prunes, devouring about 50,000 metric tons in 2021, the last year for which data are available. France, despite its more robust culinary tradition of cooking with prunes, placed a distant second, gobbling up about 14,000 metric tons.

My beloved country is perched atop the porcelain throne like Jake Portnoy, listening for distant thunder, its kishkas  gripped by the iron hand of outrage and frustration. Its a powerful metaphor for our political epoch, which began with the election of Ronald Reagan and is struggling, finally, under President Joe Biden , to drop a deuce.

We are Constipation Nation. Please bear with me as I explain.

The largest fecal mass our republic cant expel is Donald Trump . Elected president in 2016, twice impeached, and now under prosecution in two federal courts and two state courts for a variety of forehead-smiting alleged crimes, Trump is currently the front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2024, polling, at 52 percent, higher than all his rivals put together. This is worrying for Democrats but even more worrying, I think, for Republican officeholders, most of whom quietly loathe the man and understand that hes, well, a turd. If hes their nominee, hell probably lose. If he wins, hell destroy whats left of the Grand Old Partys reputation. Yet they cant get rid of him.

Did I mention that Trump is 77 years old? The incumbent is 80. Its pretty hard to get a country moving when its a gerontocracy. As I explained in an essay four years ago, in 1982, the year Leonid Brezhnev died, the median age within the Politburomuch-mocked every May Day when the old farts appeared on a Red Square reviewing stand, rheumy-eyed and immovable as a stuffed Kamchatka brown bearwas 71. Today, the median age of Americas closest equivalentthe president, the top leaders in Congress, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and the leading candidate to challenge the incumbent in 2024is 72. The median age of a U.S. senator is 65, the highest its ever been. The median age for a U.S. representative has for the past 10 years been 57 or 58, which is also higher than ever before.

Theres a simple explanation for this: Voters are older than ever before. The Baby Boom cohort, combined with the much greater tendency of older people to vote, has pushed the median voting age up to about 53. In the primaries, where most races get decided, the median is an even higher 62. As New York City Mayor Eric Adams, age 63, pointed out on primary election night 2021, Social media does not pick a candidate. People on Social Security pick a candidate. (Im grateful, as ever, to Phil Keisling, a former secretary of state in Oregon and board chairman of the nonprofit National Vote at Home Institute, for updating these numbers.)

Older leaders can be an invaluable resource. President Joe Biden, at 80, has managed the economy superbly. Nancy Pelosi, who stepped down in January at 83, was the greatest House speaker since Sam Rayburn. Senator Mitch McConnell, 81, was performing very competently (if infuriatingly) as Republican leader until recently. But now he isnt, and despite Senator Rand Paul, a medical doctor, pointing out that cameras have twice captured troubling neurological mishaps, McConnell is refusing to step down. His Republican Senate colleagues dont appear willing to force the issue. Similarly, Senator Dianne Feinstein, at 90, has stayed in office too long, and her fellow Democrats are stuck with her because Senate Republicans wont allow her to be replaced on the Judiciary Committee, where a Democratic majority is needed to confirm Bidens judicial nominations. In both instances, Democratic and Republican leaders are just  stuck.

The Founders vision of governmental checks and balances has degenerated into a deadlock machine. Youve heard this before. Jonathan Rauch of the Brookings Institution labeled the phenomenon Demosclerosis in a book of that title published three decades ago. Rauch favored the metaphor of arteriosclerosis. I think a more precise metaphor (if less Brookings-friendly) is constipation, because it better conveys inaction.

The GOP mechanism for barring Feinsteins replacement is the filibuster, which allows 41 dissenters to block legislation. The filibuster has been eliminated for nominations, but Democrats have hesitated to eliminate it for legislation, and when they tried to suspend the filibuster for a single vote on ballot access (Biden would also like to suspend it for a vote affirming abortion rights) they were blocked by Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (average age: 61.5). Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, age 68, is demonstrating right now that a single senator can hold up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, just because he doesnt like that the Pentagon reimburses service members for traveling out of state to have an abortion. Its like a Quaker meeting gone berserk.

Neither the filibuster nor the Senate hold is mentioned in the Constitution. They are governed, instead, by Senate rules (supplemented, in the case of the hold, by legislation in 2017 and a Senate resolution in 2011). And yet they remain.

Other desirable changes in governance would require a constitutional amendment. It would be helpful, for instance, finally to rid ourselves of the Electoral College, a creaky and undemocratic mechanism that dates to the eleventh century, or to pass, finally, the Equal Rights Amendment. In the not too distant past, constitutional amendments were pretty common. During the twentieth century we did it no fewer than a dozen times. But no constitutional amendment has made it past the finish line since 1992, when the Twenty-Seventh Amendment changed the procedure by which Congress gives itself a raise. The country is too divided now to permit it.

The persistence of a too-high federal budget deficit (projected this year to be $1.4 trillion) is, I think, a form of constipation. President Bill Clinton got rid of it in 1998, and the nation heaved a great sigh of relief. (Ahhhhh.) Then, to pay for tax cuts to the rich and the Iraq War, President George W. Bush brought the deficit back (also, funnily enough, to $1.4 trillion, though thats $2 trillion in current dollars) and the country once again doubled over in pain. The deficit persistsand, consequently, ambitious ideas for new government programs get set asidebecause the thought of raising taxes gives Congress gastric distress. Mostly the fault lies with Republicans, but the Democrats deserve some blame too. When Biden proposed lifting the corporate tax rate to 28 percent (before Trump it was 35 percent), his fellow Democrats in Congress balked. It was the same when Biden tried to raise the top capital gains rate to 37 percent (up from the current 20) and when Biden tried to tax unrealized gains at death. These proposals were all designed to hold harmless taxpayers making less than $400,000. Thats pretty constipated too. But even so, Biden couldnt get traction. (I should here acknowledge former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley for pioneering use of the word constipated in a political context to mean blinkered or incomplete. Thats not precisely how I apply it here, but its close enough to warrant mention.)

Psychopaths have turned Americas elementary schools into shooting galleries. According to Education Week, which keeps a running tally, weve seen 28 school shootings this year and 172 since 2018. Clear majorities support various gun-control measures, including a ban on assault weapons. But we dont get them. Why not? Its easy to blame the National Rifle Association, a not particularly well run lobby group. The real problem is the highly motivated electoral minority that, as candidate Barack Obama got in trouble for saying in 2008, cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who arent like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. They sound a little constipated, no? This minoritys frustrations are with an economy that tells them to get lost. Congress could help them expel all those Glocks and AR-15s if it passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would make it easier for working people to join a union. But it doesnt.

The only big new social welfare program created since the Johnson administration was Obamacare, which lowered the cost of health insurance and now extends coverage to 18.2 million. Republicans tried to kill it and failed, but theyve sabotaged it wherever they can. Obamacare needs to be absorbed into Medicare so that the U.S. can rejoin the community of civilized nations. But universal health care isnt even discussed these days in Washington.

I could go on. We are the wealthiest nation in the world, and a scandalously impoverished one. We aspire to greatness and settle for mediocrity or worse. We cant be budged. America needs to get the hell up out of its chair, walk down the hall and to the right, close the door, turn on the fan, and make it happen. Lets get this country moving again.
The Ministry of Defence of Lithuania has announced the supply of 1.5 million projectiles to Ukraine within the framework of the new military aid package.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the press service of the Defence Ministry of Lithuania

Quote: "Lithuania continues uninterrupted military aid to Ukraine and today has supplied the fighting country with 1.5 million projectiles."

Shortly, Lithuania will also send NASAMS launchers, anti-drone means, logistic equipment and other military aid to Ukraine.

"Besides sending military equipment, Lithuania is also actively training Ukrainian soldiers, provides medical treatment, rehabilitation and expert consultations, as well as makes its contribution to the international funds in support of Ukraine," the Lithuanian Defence Ministry added.

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Lithuania has supplied Ukraine with Mi-8 helicopters, L-70 anti-aircraft howitzers and ammunition, M113 armoured vehicles, millions of cartridges and ammunition for grenade launchers.

Background: On 24 August, Lithuania announced that it would supply Ukraine with a military aid package including ammunition for Carl Gustaf grenade launchers, naval radar stations, 5.56-mm ammunition, generators, and anti-drone systems.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Lithuania has handed over 1.5 million rounds of ammunition to bolster Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russian aggression, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced on Sept. 8.

Vilnius announced a $44 million defense aid package for Kyiv in August, including ammunition for Carl Gustaf hand grenade launchers, rifles, maritime surveillance radar sets, 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, generators, anti-drone systems, and other equipment.

According to the ministry, Vilnius has already provided Kyiv with "Mi-8 helicopters, L-70 anti-aircraft aircraft with cartridges, M113 armored personnel carriers, millions of artillery pieces, and cartridges with grenades" in 2023, as well as training and medical support for Ukrainian soldiers.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also said that Ukraine should receive new NASAMS launchers from Vilnius sometime in September.

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Read also: Lithuania to provide Ukraine with $44 million defense aid package

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The UK government has cited figures that Russian strikes on ports and grain elevators have reduced Ukraine's ability to export grain by a third in two months.

Source: Bloomberg; UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a press release

The UK government's press release said Russian strikes have damaged or destroyed at least 26 civilian port infrastructure facilities, warehouses, silos and grain elevators since July, reducing Ukraine's export capacity by about one third.

London notes that such volumes of grain would be enough to meet the food needs of about 1 million people throughout the year.

The Prime Minister's office also confirmed that the UK is conducting surveillance and reconnaissance flights in the Black Sea to "deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain."

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Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said he would "use any opportunity" at the G20 summit to convey to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the war unleashed by Russia is causing significant problems worldwide.

Background: It was reported earlier that the UK is preparing a summit for countries suffering from high food prices due to the war unleashed by the Russian Federation.

It was also reported that at a meeting with the Indian PM, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will call on the Indian government to influence the Russian Federation on the issue of the war against Ukraine.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Long Beach bar and restaurant patrons now have the ability to test whether a drink is safe when they fear its been tampered with. The city's Health and Human Services Department has begun providing drink test kits for free.

The health department announced its new initiative, SipSafe Long Beach, which starts this week to empower bar-goers to take charge of their safety by testing their drinks  alcoholic or not  for GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate, also known as the date rape drug), ketamine and other dangerous substances, said Jennifer Rice Epstein, spokesperson for the department.

The Long Beach Police Department has received an average of 25 reports annually the last three years from people who believe they have been drugged by a spiked drink, the Long Beach Post reported.

The program follows a similar one rolled out last year by the city of West Hollywood after 30 reports of individuals feeling they had been roofied at nightlife venues between 2016 and 2021.

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Since the program's establishment, 38 businesses have participated, said Sheri Lunn, West Hollywood public information officer.

"Every business that has test strips operates a little differently," Lunn said. "Some make them available at the bar counters while others will provide a test strip to a patron upon request to any server, bartender or manager of the business."

Here's what the Long Beach community can expect from the new program and how the test strips work.

How can I get a test?

The health department is providing the drink test kits to businesses and organizations by way of an online request form, which is available in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer.

Once an establishment has filled out the form, the health department will deliver 100 kits; order fulfillment will be based on availability of test kits.

Of the department's 45,000 tests, 7,000 have been distributed to local businesses and organizations within the city, Epstein said.

How do the kits work?

The kit comes with two tests on a single card. One is to the left and one is to the right side of the card. Each test has two spots, labeled "A" and "B."

When testing your drink, you need to place drops of your beverage onto both the "A" and "B" spots of a single test. Use a swizzle stick or your finger to place the drops, then smear them gently and wait for the liquid to dry.

To read the result of the test, you might have to wait a few minutes for the spots to dry, so be patient.

A positive result: If either spot turns a dark blue color, that translates to a positive test  your drink does have a substance in it.

A negative result: If there's no dark blue hue, you have a negative result. Test My Drink, the company that created the tests, explains that many colored beverages will create a slight hue on the test spots, and that is not a positive test.

Some mineral waters and tap water also may cause the spots to appear blue while drying, but that isn't a positive result.

The company advises that people never leave a drink unattended. When in doubt, always throw it away.





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On this special episode of the 5 Things podcast: In the beginning, people suffering from what is now called long COVID were forced into the shadows. Their symptoms - debilitating tiredness, lung issues and non-specific pain - didnt seem to fit together. Over 3 years into the pandemic, the medical community is still grappling with the question of treatment. Why has it remained such a mystery? Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, Director of the Long COVID Initiative and Chair of the department of epidemiology at Brown University, joins 5 Things to explain.

Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Dana Taylor: Hello and welcome to Five Things. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, September 6th, 2023, and this is a special episode of Five Things. In the beginning, people suffering from what is now called Long COVID were forced into the shadows, their symptoms, debilitating tiredness, lung issues and non-specific pain didn't seem to fit together. They ping ponged from specialist to specialist. No one seemed to want to treat all of their symptoms. Over three years into the pandemic, the medical community is still grappling with the question of treatment. Why has it remained such a mystery? I'm joined today by Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, the director of the Long COVID Initiative and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Brown University. Dr. Beaudoin, thank you for joining me.

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: Thank you so much for having me.

Dana Taylor: So I want to start with a recent analysis that came out in the journal Nature Medicine that showed that people who have had even a mild case of COVID are at a heightened risk of lung problems, fatigue, diabetes, and other conditions associated with Long COVID for up to two years. First, what is Long COVID?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: I pause because it's still hard to answer that question. I can give you the definition that the World Health Organization gives us, which is new or persistent symptoms three months after an initial COVID infection lasting for two months or longer. And those symptoms can take a variety of forms. And my initial hesitation is because two and a half, three years later, we're still really grappling to understand and accurately define Long COVID.

Dana Taylor: Well, for people who suffer from this disease, it can be isolating and devastating. I recently saw a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, by one sufferer who wrote, "Thanks to Long COVID, I've lost my independence, my fitness, my sense of identity, my friends, my dreams." Is it the wide array of symptoms that are causing so much suffering? Is it the isolation and loneliness? How do you advise patients to navigate all of the layers at play here?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: There's a few things to unpack there. The burden of symptoms for some people is really high. And I think a commonality is the persistence of symptoms, lack of recovery after the initial COVID infection, and then a component of interfering with your day-to-day life activities. Importantly, that's actually not a part of the official definition, but I think when we think about people impacted by Long COVID, what they're telling us is they have trouble going to work. They have trouble interacting with their family, doing things that they enjoy. I've talked to people who have trouble getting out of bed every day, and that to me is pretty staggering and remarkable. And then there's other people who can't go to the gym anymore, and we might say, "Well, no big deal. Going to the gym is a luxury," or whatever, but for that person, going to the gym is a big part of their quality of life.

And so even that level of impact is important and we need to be thinking about. And then there's people maybe with more mild symptoms, persistent loss of taste and smell. Taste and smell are important to us in our enjoyment of food and other things. And so even that impacts people's day-to-day quality of life.

Dana Taylor: Well, in the beginning, a lot of Long COVID patients complained about being bounced around from specialist to specialist with doctors not wanting to treat all of their symptoms. Why did it take so long for the medical community to reach a consensus that this condition is real and patients need specialized care?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: There's a few things here. One is that there's not a clear test to diagnose Long COVID. And so for a lot of people, this ends up being a diagnosis of exclusion, as we sometimes say in medicine, meaning ruling out other things. And that's actually part of the definition is that there's not something else going on because Long COVID can mimic a lot of other health conditions. And so there is a piece of this that is a diagnostic challenge. Then there's a component that it does involve multiple systems throughout the body. If you're having both extreme fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, "brain fog" and shortness of breath, who should deal with that? I feel strongly that a person's primary care provider should be integrally involved in the care so they can coordinate across specialists, but it's not clear who owns the care of Long COVID. And so it begs the question of where should people go for quality multidisciplinary care about Long COVID? There was a recent commentary, I believe in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlighting this and calling for funding for centers of excellence for Long COVID care.

And you see that centers of excellence play out with other chronic health conditions, and it's a place where people can receive high quality evidence-based multidisciplinary care. And so perhaps there is a role for centers of excellence in Long COVID that doesn't exist yet, and it doesn't help people today with Long COVID. So a lot of frustration there in both the medical community and in patient community. And I think part of why we are seeing more now than in the past is the large burden of the pandemic in general affected a lot of people. And then there's probably something very specific about this infection and this virus that led to all of these downstream consequences. And we also have the ability to capture some of this through data in a way that we couldn't before. And so it's interesting that we didn't know about it. It shouldn't have been a surprise, and this is a good place to focus as we think about future pandemic preparedness, the consequences, the ripple effect once the initial infection is stabilized or resolved.

Dana Taylor: So there's treating it and then there's the question of whether or not it's curable. Is it?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: There currently is not a cure for Long COVID. This is an area of interest and focus. Currently, we're spending a lot of time talking about symptom management. The National Institutes of Health just launched a series of clinical trials as part of the recovery initiative with the goal of trying to facilitate recovery of Long COVID. The majority of people have some recovery, but there is a subset of individuals who have persistent symptoms and have not gone back to their "baseline" before having COVID.

Dana Taylor: Well, I wonder how prevalent is it? How many Americans have had it?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: Hard to know exactly. There are some good estimates. The current estimate from the Centers for Disease Control, I believe, is that about 6% of Americans, which is a huge number, would satisfy criteria for Long COVID. The important thing to keep in mind there since we're talking about nearly one in 20 US adults, is that the symptoms vary quite a bit. And so that's not one in 20 people have completely debilitating Long COVID not leaving their house, but that encompasses the range of people who are still having some lingering effects from their initial COVID infection. Even if that is an overshoot of the number, this is real. The burden is high. A lot of people are affected. We're talking about millions and millions of people.

Dana Taylor: So who's getting Long COVID? Are there groups that are more at risk?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: Anybody can develop Long COVID. There's cases of young healthy people in their late teens, early twenties, developing Long COVID. But we've come to understand that people who have a more severe initial infection are at higher risk, vaccination appears protective, the number that ... There's some consensus around is that 30% reduced risk of Long COVID if you're vaccinated. And then studies seem to demonstrate that women and older adults are more vulnerable to developing Long COVID and also having persistent symptoms.

Dana Taylor: So has the disease itself changed over these past three years or just our understanding of it?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: Probably a combination of the two. I think the data is constantly evolving, emerging, but I think there's some indication that earlier variants, so early in the course of the pandemic, that you were probably more likely to develop Long COVID with those initial versions of COVID versus later. Now we're seeing some escalation in COVID-19 cases in this tale of summer 2023. We won't know the downstream effects of that for months, and so it's always this moving target. But I think that we've seen some evolution in both the risk of developing Long COVID from those viruses, but then other things have changed too, right? We've introduced vaccination, we have Paxlovid, changing variants, and so it's very hard to disentangle all of these things that are happening simultaneously over time. If you were to develop COVID-19 today, what is your risk of Long COVID? I don't know that I can give you the answer to that.

Dana Taylor: So what are the most important steps that people with Long COVID should regularly do to take care of themselves and to recover?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: This is where a close relationship with your primary care physician, primary care provider is important, somebody that knows you and that can work with you in the steps to A, getting a diagnosis. If there are things like true disability, if need for work-related accommodations, pursuing some of that, engaging and making referrals to specialists as needed for symptom management, potentially giving access to clinical trials. This relationship with somebody that knows you and that can do appropriate diagnostic tests to make sure that there isn't something else going on, because that would be unfortunate if we just started lumping all new health conditions and saying like, "Oh, it's Long COVID. It's Long COVID." Low thyroid levels can look very similar to Long COVID, and that's just one thing, but there are many, many more. There's two things going on. There's being able to emotionally, psychologically handle having a chronic health condition. And we could say that with diabetes, with cancer, with every other thing, and then there's pursuing the best course of treatment and evidence. There's a lot of parallels between Long COVID and other chronic diseases.

Dana Taylor: Well, does it exacerbate underlying conditions or precipitate other health problems?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: That is a concern, and I think a real concern. There are studies reporting that people are likely to get a new dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis in tandem with Long COVID. And is that because Long COVID is exacerbating those underlying cognitive impairments or is it because now someone's going to the doctor more because they're having new health problems, and while they're there, other concerns, other health conditions get unmasked. Is it because they're in the healthcare system that we're finding these things out or is it because Long COVID is causing it? And really hard to separate those two things.

Dana Taylor: Well, I don't think that there's anyone who isn't ready to move past Long COVID, but it is what it is and it's still here. Do you think that there's enough awareness of Long COVID across the general public?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: Awareness is better, I think, especially in this age of politicizing health, healthcare, medicine, misinformation, disinformation; it's really important to provide good information that people can understand. Stories and narratives are more powerful for people than numbers sometimes. If we had a close family member that was impacted by Long COVID and we watched it with our own eyes, that's much more believable to us than quoting these prevalence numbers and millions of people. And that doesn't touch home. That doesn't resonate with us. And so I think it's really important when we're communicating information and thinking about how do we get the message across in a way that builds trust and is accurate, and actually helps improve public health. So health for the population, but also for the individuals involved.

Dana Taylor: Well, what's been the most promising development in the fight against this disease?

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: I think we have a much better understanding of the what and the who than we did early on. We still need to do much better in the way of treatment. People have very limited treatment options. I mentioned the RECOVER Initiative. I would be remiss in saying the RECOVER Initiative has been a little bit of a disappointment and still waiting to see headline results coming from a more than 1 billion investment by US taxpayers. And there's been media attention around that lately and I hope that that attention is actually some fuel to continue doing the studies that need to be done. And there are new studies coming down the pipeline. I am more of an optimist than a pessimist, and so I'm hopeful that we will make improvements, but this is the nature of learning as we're going. And same thing with vaccine development during the pandemic and building the tracks as the train is barreling ahead. Vaccination is protective in developing initial COVID infection and appears to also be, even if you get COVID, makes it less likely to develop Long COVID.

Dana Taylor: Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Beaudoin.

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin: Thank you so much for having me.

Dana Taylor: Thanks to Cherie Saunders for her production assistance. Our senior producer is Shannon Rae Green, and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of 5 Things.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Long COVID remains a mystery: 5 Things podcast
Nearly a year after being incarcerated in the countrys largest maximum-security adult prisonincluding being held in solitary confinement and placed in death row cells, youth detainees will finally be transferred from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a former plantation for enslaved African Americans commonly known as Angola.

The children will be released by Sept. 15, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

In a press release issued on the ACLUs website Friday, Chief Judge Shelly Dick pulled a 180 from a previous decision and found that officials at Angola punished youth detainees with multi-day solitary confinement, handcuffs, pepper spray, and a denial of family visits. The maximum-security facility also had an insufficient number of social workers and counselors, educational resources, and mental health treatment.

For almost 10 months, childrennearly all Black boyshave been held in abusive conditions of confinement at the former death row of Angolathe nations largest adult maximum security prison, lead counsel David Utter said, according to the ACLU. We are grateful to our clients and their families for their bravery in speaking out and standing up against this cruelty.

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Louisiana activist organization Families and Friends of Louisianas Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) praised the motion to remove the children from Angola, but wasnt shortsighted on the future of incarcerated youth.

We are relieved the judge decided to release children from Angola. This decision is long overdue and its shameful that it has taken a lawsuit and federal intervention, Youth Organizing Manager Antonio Travis said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

However, advocates for the youth who have been detained at Angola remain critical of the system that appears to be a revolving door.

Theyre going to go back to the same thing, just a different location, FFLIC Co-Founder and Executive Director Gina Womack told The Daily Beast. With even more damage.

There is no win here, as youth in prisons all across the state still remain in facilities that clearly cannot give them the support they desperately need, Travis said. Our ineffective over-reliance on youth prisons has proven time and again that punitive measures dont work and dont foster rehabilitation.

FFLIC youth leader Rio Valdez accused the Louisiana justice system of not trying to help young Black and brown people.

The justice system, their mentality is more or less, OK, well, young people are just going to kill each other off, and the rest theyre just going to scoop up, throw away, he said. Theyre not worried about saving or giving people a chance. Its more so just about getting rid of as many as they can.

Todays ruling is a step in the right direction, but it isnt actually progress, the statement from Utter read. Its simply regaining what we lost last year when the Governor decided to send kids to Angola. There is much more work to be done in order to truly reform this broken system.

In July, attorneys for youth detainees between the ages of 14 to 18 filed a motion against Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, the acting deputy secretary of the Office of Juvenile Justice, and the acting secretary of the state Department of Corrections to immediately transfer the kids who had been temporarily placed in Angola back to juvenile centers.

Within those youth facilities, the detainees were supposed to receive state-mandated resources for education, mental health, and rehabilitation, according to the filing, but they were moved to former death row cells at Angola because of alleged limited space and staffing.

The U.S. Department of Justice followed up later that month with a letter of interest.

In August 2022, an emergency complaint was filed to prevent the transfer from happening, claiming Angola was insufficient to house the juveniles due to poor conditions and because adult offenders would be in the area.

[Angola] cannot provide basic, humane care for the adults within its gates, the complaint read, citing a previous case in which Dick found the prison to be limiting.

[The Louisiana State Penitentiary] lacks the infrastructure necessary to provide a constitutionally adequate health care system for patients with serious medical needs, and overwhelming deficiencies in the medical leadership and administration of health care at [the prison] contributes to these constitutional violations, the complaint quoted the judge. If LSP cannot protect the constitutional rights of the almost five thousand adults in its custody and care, it will not be to provide care to youth placed there.

However, after a series of hearings, the federal court denied the motion in September 2022, saying the positives of the youth being transferred outweighed the disturbing negatives.

While locking children in cells at night at Angola is untenable, the threat of harm these youngsters present to themselves, and others, is intolerable. The untenable must yield to the intolerable, the order from Dick read.

Were Putting Kids in Maximum-Security Prisons. In America.

The court added that the Office of Juvenile Justice, a government organization that oversees youth detained in Louisiana, would provide necessary care for incarcerated children, even though they would be detained at an adult prison.

The Court is mindful that the specter of the prison surroundings alone will likely cause psychological trauma and harm, the order continued. However, the public interest and the balance of harms require that OJJ be afforded the latitude to carry out its rehabilitative mission for the benefit of all youth in its care.

Unfortunately, that wasnt the case for the youth transferred to the former plantation, which was named for the country where the enslaved Africans who were forced to work there originated. After slavery was abolished, owners utilized the states leasing convict system to exploit the labor of Black inmates. By the 1880s, the land was converted into a full-blown prison, and it became Louisiana state property in 1900.

According to the complaint filed on behalf of the youth detainees, the juveniles, already traumatized during incarceration, endured harsher conditions at Angola than they would have at juvenile facilities.

[One child reported that Angola was unlike other juvenile facilities, because he spent most of his time alone, and was sometimes left alone in his cell for multiple days, read the complaint, adding that other youth were only allowed out of their cells for eight minutes a day to shower while handcuffed and shackled.

The lack of windows in the cells, the lack of privacy, lack of normalcy, inadequate recreation space, the metal prison beds and sinks and many other physical features send the clear message to Plaintiffs that they are in an adult prison, and that they are being punished, reads the complaint. Unlike their peers in juvenile facilities with individual rooms or dormitories, rather than barred cells, youth transferred to the [Office of Juvenile Justice] site at Angola face a greater risk of suicide by the very architecture of the facility.

In an interview with The Daily Beast after Friday's ruling, Utter said that a guard pulled a juveniles hands through a cells bars and left him lying on the floor after being maced. He also explained that kids had been forced to exercise and clean while handcuffed.

This is a case about promises made and promises broken, he said.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana Juvenile Justice Reform Act 1225 in 2003 mandated that juvenile detention centers uniformly rehabilitate incarcerated youth with community involvement and engaged programming that will ensure a safe, secure, and humane environment for children within the facilities.

Since 2022, between 70-80 had been transferred to Angola, the 2023 complaint noted, adding that the majority of the youth have been Black and may have been transferred more than once to the former slave plantation that now houses more than 5,000 inmates.

[These kids] know where they are, Utter told The Daily Beast. If these were rich white kids and these are middle-class white kids, there would be citizens screaming to the rooftops to stop it.

You dont want to feel like were in the 21st century and we have the same mentality that Black and brown children are not real people, Womack said.

The state should understand what theyve done, and, immediately, every child that was in that facility, immediately they should identify those kids and get special counseling and services wrapped around them. That's what should happen, Utter said.

Do I think that's going to happen? No. This is Louisiana.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The Texas attorney general office's former lead law enforcement officer testified Friday that Nate Paul , an Austin real estate developer at the center of the bribery allegations against Ken Paxton , concocted a "conspiracy theory," which Paxton believed, alleging that a group of federal officials had altered a search warrant for Paul's property.

David Maxwell expressed his view from the witness stand alleging that Paul was a criminal who inappropriately sought an investigation into law enforcement agencies probing his business. He said Paul related to the attorney general's office that federal agents obtained a search warrant for drugs and guns, but had changed the subject of what they were looking for when they did not find drugs or guns.

"I told them if they believed that to be true why weren't they in the inspector general's office for the federal government?" Maxwell said. "They danced around the answer, but they felt like they were in the right place."

This summer, as a result of that federal investigation, Paul was arrested and indicted on eight counts of mortgage fraud. Investigators accuse Paul of doctoring records to inflate his assets on mortgage applications.

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Paxton's impeachment trial began its fourth day Friday with Ryan Vassar, a former attorney general's aide, returning to the stand first and responding to questions from Paxton's attorney, Mitch Little, who tried to paint Vassar and other agency whistleblowers as actively and improperly insubordinate to their former boss.

Re-watch: Witness testimony continues in Day 4 of Ken Paxton's impeachment trial

Vassar was a part of a group of eight top aides in the attorney general's office who in September 2020 complained about Paxton to the FBI. They accused the attorney general of possibly committing crimes, including bribery and abuse of office.

A big part of Vassar's second day on the stand was spent clarifying comments he made Thursday, when he said the whistleblowers approached the FBI without evidence.

Ryan Vassar, a former Ken Paxton aide who sued the attorney general's office for wrongful termination in 2020, testifies Friday during Paxton's impeachment trial.

Vassar, in responding to questions from prosecutor Rusty Hardin, said the evidence they brought to the FBI was not on paper, but rather their shared experience in working for Paxton's office as Paul's involvement grew.

My opinion was that our experiences were evidence, but we did not conduct our own investigation to provide documentary evidence of what we had come to learn, Vassar testified.

We were witnesses, he said.

Little continued a hard line of questioning he had initiated Thursday, seeking to further establish Friday that Paxton had supreme authority in the office.

Ken Paxton impeachment trial recap: See what happened during day four

He chalked up the efforts by Vassar and other top aides  such as seeking to stop Paxton from hiring outside legal counsel to investigate law enforcement agencies looking into Paul's business and to sway the attorney general out of issuing a legal opinion to halt foreclosure sales, which could have helped Paul from losing some properties  as decisions Paxton was entitled to make in his elected position without further confirmation from his office.

Paxton's top aides had looked into Paul's allegations against the law enforcement agencies and found they had lacked merit and were concerned about the possibility of interfering with a federal investigation and obstructing justice. Paxton hired Brandon Cammack as an outside attorney to investigate federal authorities without consulting his top staff, catching them by surprise and raising concerns among them about the attorney generals relationship with Paul, who at that point had been the subject of a federal investigation for 14 months.

Whistleblower Ryan Vassar answers questions Friday from Mitch Little, one of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton's defense attorneys.

"Outside counsel contracts don't have to be approved by you," Little said to Vassar. "Or anyone but the guy who got 4.2 million votes, right?"

"That's correct," Vassar responded.

Little also sought to showcase messages among the whistleblowers in which they joked about the intelligence of the agency's leadership and griped about Paxton's increasingly frustrating conduct related to Paul.

Maxwell, who made his debut as a witness in Paxton's impeachment trial Friday, was a part of those group texts, and responded to a message at one point saying Paxton was "all about himself."

However, Maxwell's testimony began with a focus on Paul, who the longtime Texas law enforcement legend (as noted by defense attorney Dan Cogdell in his first cross-examination in the trial) said was a criminal espousing conspiracy theories.

"My feeling was Nate Paul was a criminal and we should not be associating with Nate Paul," Maxwell testified.

Maxwell said he felt Paul's request to have the attorney general's office investigate the law enforcement agencies was backed by Paxton, which was confirmed in a conversation with Paxton's former first deputy, Jeff Mateer.

"I did not want to meet with Nate Paul, and I expressed my concerns to Jeff Mateer," Maxwell testified, saying Mateer responded that he was getting pressure from Paxton to make the meeting with Maxwell and Paul happen.

Whistleblowers, fraud and Nate Paul: A timeline of Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial

In a recorded interview with Paul, Maxwell said the real estate developer claimed law enforcement came to his home looking for drugs and guns, and when none were found they altered the search warrant. Maxwell called it a conspiracy theory unworthy of further consideration by the attorney general's office.

"It was ludicrous," Maxwell testified. "It didn't meet any of my requirements."

David Maxwell, left, former director of law enforcement at the Texas attorney general's office, is cross-examined Friday by Ken Paxton defense attorney Dan Cogdell.

As the other employees were approaching the FBI, Maxwell testified that he made contact with leadership in the Texas Department of Public Safety to make them aware of the developing situation.

Maxwell said he knew he would be fired by Paxton for his decision, which came true in November 2020 when he was unfavorably discharged from the attorney general's office, ending his 48-year career in law enforcement.

"By firing me and berating me in the news, he ended my career," Maxwell testified. "I sued because he ended my career in a very unjust manner."

Ken Paxton impeachment trial: Who are the key players?

Four of the whistleblowers sued the attorney general for claims they were fired for complaining about Paxton to the FBI. Paxton and the whistleblowers agreed on a $3.3 million settlement, but it fell apart after the Texas House declined Paxton's request to have the state pay that amount.

The House then launched an investigation into Paxton's behavior and voted to impeach him.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Witness: Nate Paul sought Paxton investigation based on conspiracies
A residential home for people with autism and severe intellectual and intellectual disabilities can administer controversial electric skin shocks on new patients with court approval, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday.

Thus, the department may not prospectively ban the use of level three aversives for all new patients, in the absence of changed circumstances, without running afoul of the consent decree, reads the ruling.

Advocates and some former residents of Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton have protested for years against the use of shocks.

Currently, the center is the only place in the U.S. that administers the shocks.

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Electric shocks and other aversive conditioning strategies were once widely accepted.

But leading medical and behavioral groups call the shocks outdated at a time when positive reinforcement, behavioral modification and prescription drugs have proved more effective.

Still, some parents in Massachusetts have said the shocks have helped halt dangerous, self-injurious behavior.

As of 2020, about 45-50 people were receiving shocks.

Thursdays ruling noted that currently no children are receiving shocks.

This case thus involves a heart-wrenching issue: continue to protect a controversial practice that has widely been criticized, or pave the way for its prohibition at the risk of subjecting these vulnerable patients to a life of sedation and restraint, or extreme self-injury, the ruling said.

The state barred new patients from getting shocks in 2011 through regulations.

But the ruling Thursday said those regulations cannot interfere with a 1987 decree allowing limited use of the shock devices.

The ruling says department can contest individual decisions - or await a potential legislative ban.

If the department seeks to get out from under the decree, it must either wait for a legislative solution, provide more robust evidence that electric skin shock is outside the standard of care than the record it relied upon in 2016, or establish an ongoing record of good faith regulatory conduct toward JRC, the ruling says. In the interim, of course, the department is always free to intervene in any individual substituted judgment proceeding where it objects to the use of the GED for a particular patient.

The Judge Rotenberg Center said its pleased by the ruling, and that clients approved for electrical shocks tend to have self-injurious behaviors that can result in blindness and mutilation.

The ruling ensures that the lifesaving, court approved electrical stimulation device (ESD) treatment remains available to those for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed, reads a statement provided by a spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the center has no plans to start using the devices on new patients.

25 Investigates has learned the FDA plans to ban the use of the electric shock devices for self-injurious or aggressive behavior as soon as December.

Leo Sarkissian, executive director of The Arc of Massachusetts, pointed out that the United Nations has deemed the use of the electric shock devices as torture.

He acknowledged concerns from parents who support the use of the devices  but said society should view the issue as a matter of human rights.

Even prisoners are not allowed to get corporal punishment, according to the U.N. charter and U.N. rules, he said. We even have laws about dogs and other pets in Massachusetts preventing corporal punishment. So I still think the time will come and it might be very soon that people appreciate we shouldnt be treating people with disabilities differently.

He called for more focus on evidence-driven treatment options for societys most vulnerable.

We dont fully understand why people can be self-abusive, Sarkissian said. But we do know that with the proper assessment and time taken, that we can find other ways to solve that.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Referring to Black people as monkeys or apes is a racist cliche used for ages to justify slavery and imply that Black people are less than human.

A Black welder filed a lawsuit against a Maine shipyard, alleging the company permitted racial discrimination against him without repercussion.

Former employee Aaron Martin filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, claiming Bath Iron Works subjected him to severe and pervasive racial discrimination and harassment, including allowing others to refer to him as a chimp, according to Bangor Daily News.

Referring to Black people as monkeys or apes is a racist cliche used for ages to justify slavery and imply that Black people are less than human.

A Black man filed a federal lawsuit against Maines Bath Iron Works (above), claiming the shipyard allowed employees to use racial slurs without reprimand. (Photo credit: Screenshot/YouTube.com/News Center Maine)

The federal lawsuit claims Martin would frequently hear co-workers and superiors refer to him with a racial epithet used against Black people. In one instance, an employee allegedly called him a slur in front of dozens of co-workers and managers.

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Managers failed to discipline the employee, the lawsuit states, with one advising Martin that he should have physically assaulted his co-worker instead.

The allegations in the complaint speak for themselves, said Martins attorney, Nicholas Bernate. During the years that Aaron worked at Bath Iron Works, he was regularly subject to racial slurs and severe discrimination based on the color of his skin. We look forward to Bath Iron Works being held to account for its conduct.

One of Martins managers used a derogatory epithet to refer to Black employees in written correspondence and to allude to work he believed to be subpar.

The complaint claimed that when Martin or other Black employees were present, others would call them monkeys and chimpanzees and make monkey noises.

Martins lawsuit comes not long after Love & Hip-Hop franchise producer Mona Scott-Young fired Erica Mena from the long-running series for calling fellow cast member Spice, who is Jamaican, a blue monkey, theGrio previously reported.

Mena, who shares two mixed-race children with ex-husband Safaree Samuels, also tells Spice she should have died, referring to a health scare. As production crew members guide Mena to her car, she again uses the slur.

Erica, I cannot believe you, then-castmate Shekinah Jo, who was also present during the incident, said in an interview during the episode. You just called this girl a monkey and then said she should have died. She questioned how Mena would feel if someone referred to her own Jamaican children as monkeys.

Bangor Daily News reported that one supervisor in Martins lawsuit used a racist slur to inform a welder his team was made up of Black and Latino employees, adding that Bath Iron Works is an equal opportunity employer after all.

The lawsuit claims team members carried out the harassment openly without attempting to conceal it. The complaint contends that, as a result, the business should have been aware of what was happening and taken appropriate action.

Martin, who began working at the shipyard in August 2018, received notices of his right to sue from the Maine Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after filing a discrimination complaint.

He is requesting that the court rule that Bath Iron Works conduct was unlawful discrimination, provide compensatory and punitive damages, and award lawyers fees and costs.

According to its website, Bath Iron Works started manufacturing ships in 1884 and has since produced over 425 vessels. The company designs and builds ships from start to finish, including for the U.S. Navy. The state of Maine said the business has 6,001 to 6,500 employees in 2023, making it the fourth largest employer.

Bath Iron Works terminated Martin in October 2021 for reasons unrelated to the lawsuit. At the time Martin worked there, the shipyard  a General Dynamics subsidiary  had around 4,000 employees.

Bath Iron Works spokesperson David Hench said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

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A major hearing in the state's death penalty case against the El Paso Walmart mass shooter was pushed back more than a week, court records show.

A scheduling conference, which was originally set to be held Sept. 11, for Patrick Crusius was pushed back to Sept. 20, court records show. Court documents do not state why the conference was delayed nine days.

Judge Sam Medrano, of the 409th District Court, who is presiding over the case, has declined to comment as the case remains pending.

El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks and the gunman's attorney, Joe Spencer, said they did not know why the hearing was postponed. Both attorneys hope the scheduling conference will help establish a timeline for when the case will go to trial.

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"I anticipate that we will talk about the schedule for the trial, for when we anticipate voir dire and when we anticipate setting a trial date," Hicks said.

Twenty-three beams were lit one at a time as names of the dead were read out loud during the fourth-anniversary event for the victims of the 2019 Walmart mass shooting at the El Paso Community Healing Garden at Ascarate Park, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. The mass shooting by a white supremacist from Allen, Texas, left 23 dead and dozens injured.

Vior dire is the process of selecting a jury.

Defense attorneys are still receiving evidence, also referred to as discovery, from state prosecutors and expect large amounts of evidence to be turned over in the coming months, Spencer said. It is frustrating for the state case to drag on for so long, which is taking an emotional toll on the victims who are just seeking justice, he added.

"We hope to get answers on the status of the outstanding state discovery that we have still, four years later, have not received," Spencer said. "Once that occurs we can estimate a timeline of a scheduling order. That should be the goal of all parties."

More: El Pasoans remain committed to honor those lost in Walmart mass shooting

Neither attorney went into further details because of a gag order issued by Judge Medrano. The gag order prevents the attorneys, witnesses and anyone connected to the case for discussing it publicly.

It is not uncommon for court hearings to be pushed back as the legal process plays out. However, the delay is pushing back the first major action set to take place in more than four years in the state's case against the gunman.

The gunman faces one count of capital murder of multiple persons and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in state court. Hicks is seeking the death penalty against the gunman.

As the state case lingers, the gunman, from Allen, Texas, has already been convicted and sentenced to life in prison in the federal case. The U.S. Attorney's office did not seek the death penalty.

The federal case against the gunman is expected to near its conclusion Sept. 25 with a restitution hearing. The federal hearing will determine how much restitution the gunman will have to pay the victims and their families for the financial losses suffered due to his actions.

"We are meeting next week with federal government in hopes of getting closer to finalizing the outstanding federal issues," Spencer said.

Accused El Paso Walmart mass shooter Patrick Crusius is arraigned Thursday, October, 10, 2019 in the 409th state District Court with Judge Sam Medrano presiding. Crusius, a 21-year-old male from Allen, Texas, stands accused of killing 22 and injuring 25 in the Aug. 3 mass shooting at an East El Paso Walmart in the seventh deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and third deadliest in Texas. Crusius entered a not guilty plea along side his attorneys Mark Stevens and Joe Spencer.

The mass shooter was accused of fatally shooting 23 people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire with a variant of an AK-47 assault rifle Aug. 3, 2019, at an East El Paso Walmart. The gunman confessed to law enforcement the shooting was racially motivated and he was targeting Hispanics.

In federal court, the gunman pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to 90 federal charges. He was sentenced July 7 to 90 consecutive life sentences.

Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama, who presided over the federal trial, ordered the gunman to serve his federal sentence at the ADX Florence supermax federal prison near Florence, Colorado.

However, the gunman remains in the downtown El Paso County Jail in state custody as he awaits trial in the state's case.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Walmart shooting case: major hearing slightly delayed
According to a new Ipsos survey, 57 percent of Jewish college students in America say they have either witnessed or experienced antisemitism.

The locations where the students said they witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident include on campus, at a college/university affiliated event and [i]n the general public.

Almost a third of Jewish college students said they have witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident specifically on campus. That drew a stark contrast to the same question asked on non-Jewish students, with only 5 percent of them saying they had witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident on campus.

In an interview with The Hill, Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey said some instances of antisemitism, such as microaggressions and tropes, can be harder to identify than others.

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At the end of the day, we cant ignore the small stuff or it will become bigger, whether thats on campus or off campus, Jassey said.

Jassey noted the gap in understanding between the general population of college students and Jewish students about antisemitism today, and suggested closing the gap through education.

That has to start young, K-12, Jassey said. And that cant stop, it has to continue in trainings that are happening for colleges, and for workplaces.

An Economist/YouGov poll from Dec. 2022 found 50 percent of U.S. adults saying that antisemitism had increased in the last few years. A majority of the respondents also said it was at least a somewhat serious problem in the country.

This study provides concrete evidence that not enough is being done by school administrators and government officials to protect Jewish students from hate, World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder said in a statement. Its clear that something is very wrong with our education system when more than fifty percent of Jewish students in America have observed an antisemitic incident.

Through our partnership with Jewish on Campus we will continue to elevate their voices as they fight back against the endless stream of verbal and physical attacks, he added.

The Ipsos survey featured responses from 2,020 adults ages 18-28 who are currently attending a two-year or four-year college or university as undergraduates, and 1,022 in that category who identified as Jewish, according to the survey. The survey has a credibility interval of 3.1 percent for the general population respondents.

The survey, conducted between March 19 and May 24, was conducted for Jewish on Campus and supported by the World Jewish Congress, according to an Ipsos press release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A majority of likely Democratic voters say the party should nominate someone other than Joe Biden for president next year, according to a poll released on Thursday.

Related: Vivek Ramaswamy refuses to explain Trump criticism in viral interview

Two-thirds of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters surveyed by CNN and SSRS from 25 to 31 August said they would prefer someone other than Biden. Among those voters, 18% specified another candidate but the overwhelming majority  82%  said they just want to see someone besides the current president.

Among declared Democratic candidates, however, Biden is seen as the best-positioned to beat the clear Republican favorite, Donald Trump , CNN said. Other contenders include Robert F Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, and the self-help author Marianne Williamson, who also ran in 2020.

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Most observers say the US economy is strong, and note legislative successes for Biden, including the passage of ambitious infrastructure and domestic spending packages. In last years midterms, messaging about Republican extremism, particularly on abortion and voting rights, helped Democrats avoid the kind of heavy losses usually suffered by a presidents party.

Polling now shows voters are split on partisan lines when it comes to the merits or otherwise of a likely impeachment effort driven by far-right House Republicans over business deals involving the presidents son, Hunter Biden .

But Bidens own poll numbers remain stubbornly low. In the new poll from CNN and SSRS, the presidents approval rating was just 39%. Nearly 60% of respondents said they thought Bidens policies had made economic conditions worse, while 76% said they were seriously concerned that, at 80, the president was too old to serve a full term if re-elected.

That echoed other recent polls, including a survey conducted during roughly the same period and released on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal. In that poll, 73% of voters said Biden was too old to run for president but just 47% of voters said the same about Trump, who is only three years younger than Biden.

Despite widespread opposition to a second term for Biden, the CNN poll found that Nikki Haley was the only possible Republican nominee who voters said would conclusively beat Biden next year.

Haley, 51 and a former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the United Nations, enjoyed a clear lead over Biden in a notional general election, by 49% to 43%. On the campaign trail, Haley has repeatedly targeted Bidens age, calling for mental competency tests for politicians over 75.

Haley is, however, generally fourth in Republican polling averages, behind the entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis. All of them are way behind Trump, who has long dominated the race regardless of an extreme legal predicament that now features 91 criminal charges and civil suits including a defamation case in which he has been adjudicated a rapist.

On Wednesday, in the strongest challenge yet to Trumps eligibility to participate in the election, a watchdog group sued to remove him from the 2024 ballot in Colorado. The suit argues that Trumps involvement in the deadly attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021  when supporters he told to fight like hell sought to block certification of Bidens election win  disqualifies the former president because the US constitution bars from office any state or federal official who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion.

Trump did not take part in the first Republican debate in Wisconsin last month, a contest Haley was widely held to have won. But she has not seen a meaningful bump in support among Republican voters.

Related: Democrats worried over Biden chances are bedwetters, ex-Obama adviser says

Jim Messina, a former campaign chair for Barack Obama, to whom Biden was vice-president, this week called Democrats worried about Bidens prospects fucking bedwetters and said electoral signs remained positive.

But according to the CNN poll, match-ups between Biden and all other major Republican candidates returned ties or scores within the margin of error.

Trump is set to face a series of criminal and civil trials in election year. Nonetheless, he led Biden by 47% to 46%. DeSantis and Biden were tied on 47%. Biden was one point ahead of Ramaswamy, 47% to 46%. The former vice-president Mike Pence, the South Carolina senator Tim Scott and the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a rare Trump critic, edged Biden out by two points each.

Nearly half of respondents said any Republican would be a better choice than Biden.
Makah Tribal member Patrick Finedays DePoe has announced that he is running as a Democrat for Washington states Commissioner of Public Lands.

If elected, DePoe would become the first Native American to hold a statewide position in the Pacific Northwest.

Im running to be the Commissioner of Public Lands to protect all that is great about our state, its lands and the people they sustain, DePoe said in his campaign video. Ive seen first-hand how public policy impacts our environment and our livelihoods. As Washington moves towards a better future, we need to bring new energy and creativity into using, and sustaining, what nature provides us.

In an interview with McClatchy on Thursday, DePoe said that he has always had ambitions to run for statewide office, and that he has always had a passion for natural resources because he comes from a Tribe that depends on those resources. He said that seeing the impacts of environmental public policy made in Olympia has laid out his path for him.

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When asked what he thinks the most pressing issue is for climate sustainability in Washington, and how he hopes to tackle those issues, DePoe said that he can bring it back to something as simple as planting more trees.

I say that because it sounds like a task thats not unattainable, DePoe said. Its about expanding and thinking outside of the box, and bringing new energy and creativity to this position to show that we can find ways where we dont have to go to legislation year after year with our hands out asking for more money to support tree planting.

He said he wants to look at carbon sequestration, and at managing current revenue streams with DNR to prioritize planting trees.

You plant trees, youre tackling the climate crisis head on  you capture more carbon and youre providing more jobs in our rural communities, DePoe said. I want to get in front of this and do everything I can to make sure were using our lands, our waters to the best of our ability in the most sustainable way possible.

DePoe, who was raised on the Makah Reservation in Neah Bay where he still lives, serves as Director of Tribal Relations for the Department of Natural Resources, and he said that he makes his way to Olympia at least twice a week. Prior to that he was a commercial fisherman and a land manager.

In his role with the Makah Tribal Council he focused on coordinating with state and federal level agencies regarding climate resilience and habitat restoration.

Hilary Franz, the current Commissioner of Public Lands, already has endorsed DePoe for the position. Franz, who first assumed the office in 2017, is running for governor.

Patricks Tribal community depends on natural resources for their culture and their livelihoods which shapes his approach to conservation, natural resources, and rural economic development. His life experience, deep knowledge of land management, and thoughtful leadership make him uniquely qualified to lead this department, said Franz in a press statement Thursday.

Im proud to endorse Patrick because hes the most qualified person and will make an outstanding Commissioner of Public Lands, and Im excited about the historic nature of his candidacy. ...

According to the Public Disclosure Commission, DePoe is one of five candidates in the race for Public Lands Commissioner.

Democratic state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege from Sequim so far leads the other candidates with more than $75,000 in donations.

Former state Senator Mona Das is also in the running after she chose not to run for re-election to her seat in 2022. So far her campaign has raised more than $46,000.
(Bloomberg) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing criticism after a crucial ally was freed of longstanding graft charges, with ruling and opposition politicians alike questioning his anti-corruption commitment.

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Anwar on Friday denied interfering in the Attorney-Generals Chambers decision to withdraw all 47 criminal charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi , citing ongoing investigations. The high court on Monday accepted prosecutors request for a dismissal but didnt grant Zahid a full acquittal.

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It was not my decision, Anwar told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, adding the AG only informed him of it because it was a high-profile case. We must be fair as many have been discharged in the past and that has not been an issue.

The AG is appointed on the prime ministers advice, prompting critics and the opposition to point fingers at Anwar, who relies on Zahids support to remain in power. The optics worsened when Zahids release on Monday was followed by the court acquitting another fellow party lawmaker of corruption charges on Thursday.

The decision is a significant step backward for Anwars reform agenda, said Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, a lawmaker for Johor state who is part of the ruling coalition. Malaysians voted to get rid of corruption, mismanagement, and hold people in power accountable  not to get rid of corruption cases, she wrote on Facebook Thursday.

The backlash highlights Anwars dilemma: his decision to welcome Zahid as an ally when the latter was still facing graft charges had already upset longtime supporters, yet he needs the backing of the party Zahid leads to ensure his majority in parliament. Zahid was key in ensuring the scandal-tainted Barisan Nasional he leads buried its decades-long hatchet with Anwar to form a unity government, after the November general election resulted in a hung parliament.

Zahids discharge means the government has lost credibility on rule of law and justice, said Wong Chin Huat, a professor and political scientist at Sunway University. The unity government will now have to really deliver on the economy to please their base and some middle ground voters, he said.

Anwars closest allies in his Pakatan Harapan alliance have distanced themselves from the case. The Democratic Action Party on Tuesday demanded clarification from then-Attorney General Idrus Harun, saying it was important to protect public and international confidence in the countrys legal system.

Idrus was reappointed as AG in March, and his contract expired a day after Zahid was discharged. The court accepted the prosecutors reasons for dropping Zahids charges as cogent, the AGC said in a statement Tuesday.

Critics are now wondering if a similar reprieve is coming for former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was jailed last year for his role in the 1MDB scandal and faces multiple other related charges in court. Zahids Barisan Nasional, which Najib led when he was prime minister, has been pushing for Najibs royal pardon.

If Najib is also discharged, the DAP may need to withdraw from the cabinet to appease its own supporters ahead of the next general election, Sunway Universitys Wong said.

Anwar on Friday pledged to separate the role of AG and public prosecutor to prevent any abuse of power. But we cant bulldoze this in a few weeks and we need a to have a two-thirds majority to enforce this reform, he said, referring to the consensus needed in parliament to enact the legislation.

(Updates with comments from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in second, third and final paragraph.)

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Investigators used DNA evidence to track down a man who is accused of breaking into a south Sacramento home before he licked the feet of a 9-year-old girl and her mother as they slept in their living room, sheriffs officials said.

Terrell Maurice Abston, 38, was arrested Aug. 30 on suspicion of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14, burglary and battery, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office announced Friday in a news release.

Sheriffs officials said an unknown male suspect on April 27 entered through a window at an apartment near Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. The suspect got inside the home and approached the girl sleeping in the living room.

The child woke up, and the suspect made a gesture telling the girl to be quiet. Sheriffs officials said the child covered herself with a blanket.

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The suspect then began licking the foot of the girls mother, who was sleeping beside her daughter. Sheriffs officials said the suspect also sucked the mothers toe. The mother woke up and yelled, which caused the suspect to leave the apartment.

Deputies were called to the home. They collected evidence from the scene, including evidentiary swabs of both victims feet.

Sheriffs officials said the Sacramento County District Attorneys Crime Lab conducted a forensic examination of the swabs and obtained a DNA match that linked Abston to DNA evidence taken from the feet of one of the victims.

Abston remained in custody Friday at the Sacramento County Main Jail downtown. He was being held without bail. When he was arrested last week, he already was in custody on an unrelated burglary charge, sheriffs officials said. He was initially booked at the jail May 5, eight days after the south Sacramento break-in.

Abston appeared for his arraignment Aug. 31 in Sacramento Superior Court. He is scheduled to return to court Sept. 19 for further proceedings in his criminal case, court records show.
A man applying for the Wichita Falls Police Department Police Training Academy filled out a questionnaire that led to his arrest on a rape charge involving a 13-year-old girl, according to allegations.

Diego Abram McCullough, 25, of Wichita Falls was charged with aggravated sexual assault and was being held Friday in the Wichita County Detention Center on a bond of $50,000, according to online jail records.

The first-degree felony is punishable by up to life in prison. Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

McCullough was arrested Thursday while working at United Regional Health Care System, according to a Wichita Falls police arrest report.

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An affidavit laid out an investigator's case for a judge to sign off on an arrest warrant for McCullough. The allegations date back to an incident Oct. 1, 2018.

McCullough applied for the police academy and was required to fill out a thorough personal history packet  as is everyone who applies, according to allegations in the affidavit and Sgt. Charlie Eipper, a police spokesman.

He filled out the packet and signed it June 13. A criminal history questionnaire in it asks whether an applicant has performed sexual acts after turning 17 with someone younger than 17.

McCullough responded "yes," according to allegations. An officer conducting a background check on him at 11:30 a.m. June 23 saw that McCullough failed to follow instructions to provide an explanation.

During an interview to review his personal history packet, the officer asked him about his response. He told the officer when he was 20 to 21, he met a female online.

He said he had a weird feeling she was underage. McCullough tried to get her to show him an ID, but she refused. When they met in person they had sex.

McCullough gave a written statement on the question: "Met with another female on Tinder or Instagram who I later realized was under the age of 17, when I was 20-21." He gave her name and where she lived.

The officer found out the girl was now 18 years old, and she would have been 13 at the time she met McCullough.

An investigator contacted the victim, and she picked McCullough out of a photo lineup. She told the investigator she was 13 in 2018 when she met McCullough. She was spending the night with another 13-year-old when she messaged him around 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.

He picked them up, took them to his home and had sex in his bedroom with the girl he met online, according to allegations.

A search of the iPhone she was using at that time found McCullough's name and his phone number in a contact created Sept. 21, 2018.

The victim told the investigator she had sex with McCullough a week to a week and a half after they began speaking online.

Texas law states it is a crime to perform sexual acts with a minor whether the person knows the child's age or not at the time.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: WFPD police academy questionnaire leads to sexual assault charge
The motivation behind the man dropping dye into swimming pools via drone is still unknown (ABC 7)

A bizarre mystery where several swimming pools near Atlantic City in New Jersey suddenly turned green has apparently been solved.

Patrick Spina IV, 45, was arrested last week when police tracked a drone dropping dye into pools in neighbourhoods in Absecon back to his business. He is facing multiple charges of criminal mischief.

Mr Spinas peculiar pastime was first spotted in late June by a local hotel manager who noticed the pool used by guests had turned a neon colour.

"I saw it totally green and I was like, Oh wow what is going on? So we saw a dye pack in the bottom of the pool and we didnt know what it was," Sandra Woolstion, general manager of a Quality Inn in Galloway Township, told ABC.

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Ms Woolstion said she knew it was not green algae, but even after having the pool drained and cleaned, the dye kept being dropped by the drone bandit at least a dozen times over the summer.

The pool was very expensive to clean every time, she said, costing tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance, and guests were often very disappointed by the closure of the pool.

"The girls are standing here like, Oh my God we want to go swim. Some of them were crying," Ms Woolstion said. "I was like, Are you kidding me?! I myself cried. I went into my office and I had a meltdown."

Not only were there bills for refurbishments to the pool, but she also took on losses because of pool closures and also had to give her staff overtime pay to monitor the pool.

It was just more than we bargained for, she told The New York Times. I was like, I cant deal with this anymore. This is crazy. This is costing me too much.

The general manager of a Quality Inn in New Jersey said she had a meltdown due to cruel trick being played on her pool (ABC 7)

Police also started to receive other calls that reported the same incident happening to their home pools.

"We had a resident who was enjoying time in his pool and saw a drone over top and the drone actually dropped something in his pool and it turned green immediately," said Absecon Police Chief James Laughlin.

However, Mr Spinas drone had now been on too many outings for it to fly under the radar. When the drone holding the green dye was seen hovering over the Quality Inn again last Friday, the police brought in staff from the Federal Aviation Administration to track the drone back to a nearby business, Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling.

With this information, police arrested the business owner, Mr Spina.

The green pigment turned out to be sea dye that is usually used by search and rescue teams, and which can have a damaging effect on pools.

Police say they are still unsure of Mr Spinas motive for dyeing the pools.

Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating the crimes and said that people who use drones in an unsafe manner could face up to $30,000 in fines and have their drone license suspended or revoked.

In a statement on Tuesday the agency warned: "FAA regulations prohibit the unsafe or unauthorized operation of any aircraft. We encourage the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement to help discourage this dangerous illegal activity."
A Norwegian man had barely unwrapped his new metal detector when he discovered what experts have described as the gold find of the century.

Erlend Bore, 51, told NBC News by telephone Thursday that he took up the hobby after his doctor advised him to get some exercise.

But he stumbled across the unique treasure trove which is more than 1,500 years old when he was using his new gadget on Rennesoey, a picturesque island to the north of the Norwegian city of Stavanger.

Bore, who lives in Sola, a small seaside resort near Stavanger, said that hours of detecting only yielded trash like aluminum foil and a very small fem ore, a more modern coin that is no longer in use.

Bore found nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls on a southern island in what was described as the gold find of the century in Norway. (Anniken Celine Berger / AP)

On the verge of going home, he said he tried a nearby hill and it took seconds for him to get a hit.

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Initially, Bore said, he thought he'd found toy gold coins or chocolate money. But experts at the university's archaeological museum later determined he had come across nine gold pendants, three gold rings and 10 gold pearls that someone might have worn as showy jewelry centuries ago, all lying barely 5 inches below the ground.

Norway gold metal detectorist (Theo Eli Gil Bell / AFP - Getty Images)

Not seen since before the Viking Age, the pendants were bracteates: thin, flat, single-sided gold discs that once formed an amulet.

The find weighs just 3.5 oz but has huge historical significance for the understanding of the period. There has been no similar find in Norway since the 19th century.

There was a terrible period in the middle of the 6th century when both plague and climate deterioration came at once, Hakon Reiersen, associate professor at the museum, told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. He added that at the time, the region of Rogaland had a large population, and many died.

From that period immediately after, we have almost no finds, he said.

So many people died, and some had to put down their most precious things in hopes of either getting better times or to hide their treasures, he added.

Buried around 500 A.D. when Norway was ruled by rival kings and the Roman Empire had not long collapsed, the museums experts believe the intricate craftmanship shown in the gold suggests the jewelry was made in a nearby workshop controlled by political and religious elites that may have held sway over much of southern Norway.

Norway Gold Metal Detector (Anniken Celine Berger / Archaeological Museum / via AP)

The motifs on the jewelry are unusual and have excited archaeologists. The 1,000 bracteates found in Scandinavia typically show the Norse god Odin healing the sick horse of his son, Balder  but the new pieces show just a horse, an image with important cultural symbolism in pre-Christian Norway.

On these gold pendants the horses tongue hangs out, and its slumped posture and twisted legs show that it is injured, Sigmund Oehrl, an archaeologist at the museum, said in a press release.

"Like the Christian symbol of the cross, which spread in the Roman Empire at exactly this time, the horse symbol represented illness and distress, but at the same time hope for healing and new life," he said.

The museum plans to put the items on public display.

I didnt sleep much for several nights after the find, I was so high on adrenaline, Bore said, adding that his more recent searches had yielded more normal results.

On a recent search he said he found a sheeps ear tag and the lid of a teapot.

Under Norwegian law, Bore could be entitled to a finder's fee of the gold's minimum value plus 10%, which he would have to share equally with the landowner. But Bore said this has yet to be decided.

The plan is to exhibit the find at the Archaeological Museum in Stavanger, about 200 miles southwest of Norway's capital, Oslo.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A man was arrested after a confrontation at a Walgreens escalated.

According to a police report from the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office, deputies went to the Poinsettia Avenue store in Clearwater Beach a little after 1 a.m. Monday.

A 23-year-old man was waiting to purchase a box of 305 brand cigarettes when he was asked to show ID, but only presented a photo of the card, and was refused due to the business policy.

In Florida, cashiers are required to ask for drivers license or some other form of government-issued identification in order to purchase tobacco or nicotine products if the shopper appears to be under 21.

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The customer then became irate, says the criminal complaint and began throwing several Snickers bars at the cashiers manager. Another employee attempted to intervene as the suspect caused a scene and refused to leave the store.

Deputies reviewed the surveillance footage and saw the suspect throwing the candy, which hit the victim in the chest. The officer noted that the act looked very intentional and against the will of the employee, who was not injured.

The Lakeland man, who appeared highly intoxicated, admitted to hurling the chocolate bars, but said he didnt mean to hit anyone.

The suspect was charged with simple battery and booked into the county jail. He was released a few hours later on $500 bond, according to court records, which say he has no prior criminal convictions.

This isnt the first violent incident involving candy in Pinellas County. Late last month, a customer close to being checked out at a Family Dollar in Clearwater also ended up arrested after attacking a manager with a lollipop.
Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin, 43, was sentenced to five years and eight months in federal prison.

He was found guilty of conspiring to transfer and transferring unregistered machinegun conversion devices.

Ervin additionally was sentenced for structuring cash withdrawals from his bank account consisting of proceeds from the sale of the devices.

According to court documents, in January 2021, Ervins bank contacted ATF to report that they believed Ervin was trafficking machinegun conversion devices.

Read: Two men, one from Clay County, convicted for transferring machinegun conversion devices

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Subsequent investigation revealed that Ervin was running an online business selling machinegun conversion devices, known as lightning links, etched into metal cards, which he referred to as Auto Key Cards. Ervin described the Auto Key Card as a pen holder, a novelty, and a political sculpture.

In February 2021, federal agents from ATF and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service surveilled Ervin and observed him dropping off dozens of packages at an Orange Park, Florida, post office, each of which was determined to contain unregistered machinegun conversion devices. A lightning link can be dropped into an otherwise legal AR-15-type firearm and converted into a fully automatic machine gun.

Read: Jacksonville Sheriffs Office is looking for a carjacking suspect

Matthew Raymond Hoover operated a YouTube channel called CRS Firearms on which he advertised Auto Key Cards. Hoover stated that his viewers could cut a lightning link out of the Auto Key Card, drop it in your receiver, scratch your full auto itch, throw it away when youre done and no ones the wiser.

Hoovers videos advertising the Auto Key Card led to a substantial increase in Ervins sales. Ervin sold more than 2,000 Auto Key Cards in only a few months.

Read: SEE: Rev. Al Sharpton delivers eulogy for Jacksonville Dollar General shooting victim Angela Carr

Multiple purchasers of the Auto Key Card testified at trial that they had learned about it from Hoovers videos and purchased the Auto Key Card intending to use it to convert their AR-15-type weapons into machine guns. Ervin compensated Hoover for his advertisements by sending cash through the mail and, on one occasion, a Louis Vuitton purse.

The court also ordered Ervin to forfeit $68,000, representing the amount of funds involved in the structuring offense. Ervin and Hoover were found guilty by a federal jury on April 21, 2023.

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One day, we could be Martians.

Not the luminous green blobs with three eyes and wobbly antennae, but humans, born and raised on the Red Planet.

NASA researchers are currently spending a year in a simulated Mars habitat in Texas, in preparation for the space agencys ambitious plan to land the first astronauts on Mars as early as the 2030s, while the European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for the first round-trip from Earth to Mars at the end of the decade.

But accurate land maps and local weather data are critical for landing spacecraft safely. Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) are bringing this dream closer to reality with their Mars Atlas.

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Carefully combining over 3,000 high-resolution images gathered by the United Arab Emirates Hope probe  which has been orbiting Mars since 2021  the team created a beautiful color mosaic of the whole planet, says Dimitra Atri, head of the Mars Research Group at NYUAD.

If you look at the history of Mars, so many probes have just crashed, says Atri, adding that the thin atmosphere makes it difficult for rockets to slow down and even low winds can alter landing trajectories. If a probe crashes, it is a big loss of science and resources. But when youre sending humans you need to be very careful.

Understanding daily and seasonal weather patterns can help researchers identify the safest time and location to land, says Atri.

Landing is just one challenge that accurate atlases can help to overcome: identifying the best locations for human settlements in terms of landscape, temperature and resources is another. If there is ice available, we can convert it to water which can be used for habitation, explains Atri.

It might sound silly, but maybe in the future it will be very common for people to go to Mars and even live there, says Atri.

Dimitra Atri plans to publish the new maps in an atlas, which will be available to the public. - EMM/EXI/Dimitra Atri/NYU Abu Dhabi Center for Astrophysics and Space Science

Dust and desertification

Astronomers have been mapping Mars for nearly two centuries. The first map of Mars was produced in 1840 by Wilhelm Beer and Johann von Madler in Germany. But it was Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparellis 1877 map that sparked an enduring fascination with the idea of a Martian civilization, when the natural water channels he marked on the map were mislabeled as artificial waterways.

NASAs Mariner missions in the 1960s and 70s provided a better understanding of Mars topography, including the first images of volcanoes, lava flow, rocky canyons and huge dust storms. In the decades since, NASA has created a number of maps, including ones based on the planets mineralogy, and earlier this year, the US space agency released a detailed interactive 3D map of Mars.

NYUADs map is the first one to entirely use actual color photographs of the entire planet, says Atri.

NASAs Goddard Institute of Space Sciences is now using NYUADs map in its Mars 24 software, which maintains precise timings on Mars. JMARS, a publicly available database used by NASA scientists for mission planning, has also incorporated the atlas into its database.

Scott Dickenshied, a representative of JMARS, told CNN in an email that NYUADs map is created from more recently acquired data than some of the previous global maps and provides an additional perspective of what Mars looks like.

While NASA and ESAs instruments offer higher resolution data over a longer period of time, the instrument used to collect the data for the NYUAD atlas is able to observe the entire disc of Mars at once, says Dickenshied, adding that this perspective could be very useful to researchers looking to observe clouds or dust storm activity at a planetary scale.

Mars and Earth

Its theorized that Mars was once a water-covered planet like Earth that could have hosted life, but thinning in its atmosphere caused cooling and dryness that led to its current arid state. Now, it experiences regular global dust storms, which have a huge impact on its climate, including blocking radiation and trapping heat, says Atri.

Desertification is a growing problem on Earth, particularly in regions such as the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, and Atri believes that climate scientists can apply the data gathered about Mars desertification to Earth, to understand what could happen to our own planet going forward.

My worry is that if we dont do enough on Earth (to tackle climate change), then it might become Mars-like, he adds.

The new images show details of Mars topography, like the Valles Marineris, which is known as the Grand Canyon of Mars, in stunning detail. - EMM/EXI/Dimitra Atri/NYU Abu Dhabi Center for Astrophysics and Space Science

In the future, Atri plans to recreate Martian conditions in the lab to study how plants behave. Mars has an unforgiving, harsh environment: very little atmosphere, extremely low temperatures, and high levels of UV radiation.

Atri says the plants he will study, which grow naturally in dry, salty soil in desert regions, like the United Arab Emirates, could help us understand how plants could survive the Red Planets harsh climate, and allow researchers to find better ways to grow food in space, or optimize agriculture in arid regions on Earth.

This research is in the early planning stages and Atri hopes to have his first real samples from Mars around 2033. But elsewhere, other researchers are already examining how innovations being developed to grow food on Mars could impact Earth.

About 34% of all human-made global greenhouse gas emissions come from food production, which uses enormous quantities of land and water. But inefficiencies in the system mean that one-third of the worlds food goes to waste, while over 345 million people experience extreme food insecurity, and rising hunger and malnutrition. Limited resources in space mean that food production technology on Mars must be highly efficient and closed-loop, with little to no waste.

Researchers in the UK last month published an article in the journal Nature Food exploring how controlled environment agriculture in space could be a gateway to developing similar technology for Earth, while two food scientists in Canada have published a book arguing that growing food on Mars could transform agriculture on Earth.

Lessons learned about Mars geology, its climate and atmosphere can also help us discover whether any of the thousands of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system may be habitable, or able to sustain an atmosphere, says Atri.

Many scientists believe life on Earth originated on Mars billions of years ago, and Atri sees the Red Planet as the perfect laboratory to research the theory.

We need to understand our neighbor, says Atri. Maybe it had life at some point, or maybe there is some life below the surface that still survives. Maybe we had common origins. Who knows?

This is our best bet to understand ourselves, and where we came from.

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French fashion designer Marc Bohan is pictured with his models after the Dior collection presentation in Paris, Jan. 29, 1970. French designer Marc Bohan who served as Dior's artistic director for nearly three decades died at age 97 Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Jean-Jacques Levy)

Diors longest-serving creative director Marc Bohan, whose slim silhouette designs dressed the likes of Hollywood royalty including Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, has died at 97, the luxury fashion house confirmed Friday.

The son of a milliner, Bohan was asked to lead the French label after his predecessor Yves Saint Laurent was drafted into the French military in 1960. He would go on to oversee the brand as artistic director for nearly three decades, from 1961 to 1989, delivering elegant and tasteful tailored looks for the modern woman.

In his first couture collection for the house in 1961, he debuted the slim look, a slender take on Diors classic silhouette with feminine shoulders and sensibly sophisticated skirts.

Dior announced Bohan's death Friday, calling him an immense visionary and passionate creator" who left his mark on the fashion house.

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Marc Bohan was a unique creator dear to the heart of our House, infusing Dior elegance with his free spirit," Delphine Arnault, Dior CEO, said in a statement. "A man of immense talent who profoundly marked both our history and that of fashion.

At Dior, the couturier would become close friends with Princess Grace of Monaco; hence, her closet paid homage to his work as the pair shared the same vision of elegance and style. Even outside of his friendship circle, Hollywood played a part in Bohan's work: He crafted a collection in 1966 where he incorporated fur trim and long coats after pulling inspiration from Doctor Zhivago.

Although Bohan preferred to stay out of the limelight  he was often referred to as private and discreet  his designs kept him in the spotlight. In 1967, Bohan was asked to design the lavish coronation dress for Irans then-empress, Farah Diba Pahlavi.

During his time at Dior, Bohan took the brand into new avenues, from launching Diors baby boutique to developing a line for young women, Miss Dior, and for men, Dior Monsieur. He was also heralded for staging Diors first shows in India.

Gianfranco Ferre replaced Bohan at the fashion house in 1989. Leaving behind Dior, Bohan moved to London where he joined the prestigious house of Norman Hartnell, a couturier for Britain's royal family. He is survived by his daughter.
In a historic vote on Thursday, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in western North Carolina appeared to have solidly approved adult use of marijuana on tribal land, uncertified election results showed.

As of 8:30 p.m., according to unofficial results reported by EBCIs election board, yes votes were far ahead on the cannabis referendum.

Go inside North Carolinas only marijuana dispensary as its doors open for first time

Cherokee vote

On the question of whether to make legal recreational use of marijuana, early results showed 2,464 votes in favor, and 1,057 against.

EBCIs reporting of the results late Thursday did not include whether officials have completed tallying ballots.

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As approved, the referendum legalizes possession and use of cannabis by anyone 21 and older. Tribal lands, home to Harrahs Cherokee Casino, are an important cultural and tourism destination in the Great Smoky Mountains.

An EBCI referendum to allow controlled liquor sales in places like restaurants also had broad support, unofficial results showed. The vote was 2389 to 1113 in favor of the Tribal ABC Commission issuing mixed beverage permits to restaurants, hotels, convention centers and non-profit organizations for sales on tribal lands.

The Sept. 7 general election also decides Tribal Council seats, with members from each Cherokee township, and Principal Chief.

Similar to municipal elections in North Carolina, EBCIs election results require certification by Board of Elections officials. Additionally, Cherokee ordinances require a minimum of 30% of registered voters to have cast a ballot in order for a referendum outcome to be certified.

The referendums were held during the tribal general election in which voters booted Principal Chief Richard Sneed from office.

Sneed lost to former Principal Chief Mitchell Hicks by a vote of 2254 to 1212, according to unofficial returns.

Marijuana vote in Cherokee, North Carolina

The tribe on the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina had already approved use and controlled sale of medical cannabis.

The referendum also requires the tribal council to develop legislation to regulate the market.

Voters interviewed by The Charlotte Observer outside businesses on the tribes 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary Thursday all said they supported the cannabis referendum.

Some people take it as a bad thing, and I can understand where theyre coming from, said Tristin Bottchenbaugh, a 23-year-old barista at Qualla Java Cafe. But at the same time, Id rather us smoke than drink.

Allowing alcohol sales brought lots of visitors who drank and became angry, he said.

Cannabis involves fewer health and other issues than alcohol, he said. He intended to vote in favor of the cannabis referendum after work.

The tribe has grown and cultivated $30 million of cannabis on a farm on Goose Creek Road on the Qualla Boundary, Forrest Parker, general manager of Qualla Enterprises LLC, told The Charlotte Observer at an open house for the tribes new cannabis dispensary superstore Wednesday. Qualla Enterprises is the tribes for-profit cannabis subsidiary.

Called Great Smoky Cannabis Company, the dispensary is near Harrahs Cherokee Casino Resort, 46 miles west of Asheville in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Adult use sales could generate $385 million in the first year of the dispensary, which is expected to sell product by December thats being produced on the farm by tribal workers, officials said.

Tribal workers produced their first batch of cannabis extraction late Wednesday that will be used in various products at the dispensary.

EBCI originally planned to issue regulated medical cards to eligible adults to buy from the dispensary. The retail operation is the first and only place to legally purchase marijuana in North Carolina.

Even with Thursdays vote, some people needing higher-potency cannabis for their medical conditions will need to get a medical card from the EBCI Cannabis Control Board formed by the tribe, officials told Charlotte Observer reporters at the open house.

Anatta Watts and her partner, Michael James Youngdeer also supported the measure.

Shes a first-descendant Cherokee whose blood quantum is just under what would qualify her as a member, she said. But she would have voted yes if she could have, just as Youngdeer enthusiastically did, she said.

Watts father was an enrolled member and she lived in Cherokee as a girl before living in Vancouver, British Columbia, for many years.

She saw the medical benefits to people when cannabis was legalized in Canada, she said.

And decriminalizing cannabis for recreational use undercut the illegal market and both petty and serious crime and the money supporting that, she said.

One of the great legacies of the Eastern Cherokee Nation is leadership, being able to set precedents, being very adaptive and very strategic and visionary. And I think this is another example of that.
The Biden administrations recommendation last week for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule marijuana marked one of its most significant steps related to the presidents ambitious campaign promise to decriminalize cannabis use.

But advocates and policy experts say rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not address the plethora of racial justice issues caused by current cannabis laws.

Rescheduling doesnt address  the harm to marginalized communities, said Natacha Andrews, executive director for the National Association of Black Cannabis Lawyers.

It doesnt address the over policing, it doesnt address the immigration issues, it doesnt address the access to federal services, and its not in alignment with what 38 states have done to regulate and legalize.

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Under its current scheduling, marijuana is rated at the most stringent level  as a Schedule I controlled substance  on par with methamphetamines and more severe than fentanyl.

This designation means authorities consider the drug to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reportedly advised a shift down to Schedule III.

The DEA has final say in changing marijuanas scheduling and is not bound to abide by HHSs recommendation.

My initial reaction is that this is less than what the Biden administration promised specifically, said Cat Packer, director of drug markets and legal regulation at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA).

This decision kind of leaves me and other communities that are concerned about the harmful impacts of cannabis criminalization wondering how President Biden is going to keep his promises around specifically decriminalizing personal use.

Changing marijuanas schedule under the CSA is not the same as decriminalizing marijuana use.

The Biden administrations goal for decriminalizing marijuana has been presented as a social justice action from the beginning. During a town hall event in October 2020, then-candidate Biden voiced his opinion that marijuana should be decriminalized and said,  I dont believe anybody should be going to jail for drug use.

Two years later, he followed through on part of his promise when he announced pardons for everyone convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. Along with the pardons, Biden directed the HHS secretary and the attorney general to review how marijuana is scheduled.

When reached for comment for this story, a White House spokesperson reiterated that the review of marijuanas scheduling is an independent process run by HHS and the DEA.

Moving marijuanas designation down to Schedule III would essentially mean the federal government acknowledges marijuana has some medical uses, but it doesnt change its status as a prohibited substance.

What Biden promised and what people are crying out for is a combination of decriminalization and equity and neither of those things are even remotely addressed by going from Schedule I to Schedule III, Andrews said. It takes people who already have access, who already have resources, who already have connections, who already have politicians in their pocket and it gives them a leg up.

Thats not to say there wont be some gains, but they will be minimal, Andrews said.

When you look at the realities, there will still be people arrested, there will still be people detained, there will still be people deported. There will still be moms going in for custody battles because they have a legal cannabis card but someone that day felt that they didnt, she said.

Karen OKeefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, said the larger issue is that the history of cannabis prohibition is still not addressed with rescheduling.

White folks and African Americans tend to use cannabis at roughly the same rates, OKeefe told The Hill. Despite that, we see more than three times as many arrests for cannabis possession by Black individuals as we do for white individuals. We see these disparities at every level  at searches, stops, arrests, sentencing and incarceration, and we also have some cases where law enforcement were very explicitly motivated by racism.

Bidens pardons last year excluded several groups, like those who were convicted of possessing another substance or had another drug offense as well as people who were not lawful permanent residents at the time of their conviction. And unlike expungements  which Biden alluded to on the campaign trail  the pardons dont erase convictions from permanent records.

These limitations led some to characterize the White Houses actions as mostly symbolic, which advocates say could be said about rescheduling too.

Symbolically, the fact that we are changing the policy in the direction away from strict prohibition, thats a good thing. But the simple schedule change itself doesnt necessarily alter the facts on the ground, David Nathan, founder and president of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, told The Hill.

A change in scheduling wont allow doctors to prescribe it to patients. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would need to approve it as a drug and, according to Nathan, a Schedule III designation is unlikely to encourage the agency to do so. He notes when it comes to botanicals in general, the FDA usually approves extracts of a plant as opposed to a plant itself.

Nathan said physicians like him who are focused on marijuana regulation worry that rescheduling would amount to the Biden administration saying, OK, we did something and now were done.

Its also unclear how rescheduling could affect states that have decriminalized or legalized the plant, said Andrews, of the National Association of Black Cannabis Lawyers.

It has the potential to derail a lot of state programs, Andrews said. The legalization within states violates the order of operations. Not knowing what that next step is going to be that the DEA takes leaves a lot of things in question.

By legalization happening from the bottom up, Andrews added, some states could have no issues with the new scheduling, while others could see medical programs disrupted, recreational use affected or other issues.

I dont think any of us know what the final outcome will be, she said. Andrews predicted pharmaceutical companies will see the most profit from the change  rather than Black and Brown communities.

Other groups have noted that a scheduling change could benefit marijuana businesses  white-owned by a vast majority  which are currently prohibited from deducting expenses from their taxes like other businesses due to selling a Schedule I substance.

OKeefe, of the Marijuana Policy Project, said the only way for true racial justice is if marijuana is completely legalized. Decriminalization could still lead to police interactions, which can be violent and deadly, and which disproportionately target Black individuals, she said.

Legalization also needs to include reparative justice, she added.

Reparative justice measures things like removing the stigma, removing old criminal convictions, freeing prisoners, having set up so you have employment training and assistance for disproportionately impacted and Black and Brown communities to own cannabis businesses, OKeefe said. So, at the bare minimum, I think legalization is whats needed federally.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A slimmer, more senior and technology-driven Marine infantry battalion structure now unfolding across the service will shape the deployments, careers and lives of future riflemen, the most essential element of the services combat power.

The new infantry battalion reduces the former standard manning of the battalion from 965 Marines down to 811 Marines while also adding a host of new technologies to vastly increase the strike, sensing, communication and firepower of the unit.

But that was only phase one of a two-phase experimentation plan.

The next phase will refine how the battalion  the Corps lowest echelon unit capable of independent, extended combat employment and the foundation of a variety of formations that have earned the service its force-in-readiness calling card  moves, shoots, communicates and cares for its wounded. Planners expect the next fight will be a vast battlefield dotted with dispersed units facing firepower not seen since heavy combat of the mid-20th century.

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Phase two kicks off later in 2023 with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, out of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Leading that effort are battalion commander Lt. Col. Bryceson Tenold and Sgt. Maj. Trevor L. Goff.

This is far from the first time that the Corps has altered the structure of its basic combat units. New adversaries, technologies and global conditions demand such changes. And Marine leadership has stressed these changes and others are making the Corps relevant for today and tomorrow while preserving and improving its core missions and capabilities.

This is what Marines do better than anybody, were small enough that we can be agile and quick and make changes quickly and efficiently, said Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, deputy commandant of Combat Development and Integration during a June 2 call with media unveiling the phase one changes. And thats exactly whats happening here.

But some critics caution that the current effort is narrowly focusing on a singular threat  the Chinese military. And while that may be the foe of the future, they say overspecializing could bleed the Corps hallmark flexibility. And the potential rigidity may sideline Leathernecks in the next fight.

John Schmitt, 64, former Marine major and author of Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication-1 Warfighting, the bible for modern Marine thinking on combat, admits hes not privy to inside information any longer but from what he can see in new Corps doctrine, there could be gaps.

Im not believing that the futures becoming any more certain and that were not going to require this global response capability that weve had for decades and that were not going to pay a price when we lose it, Schmitt said. Its a big gamble and I dont think its a smart bet, personally.

The new infantry battalion reduces the former standard manning of the battalion from 965 Marines down to 811 Marines while also adding a host of new technologies. (Cpl. Jonathan Willcox/Marine Corps)

Recent changes

Leaders such as Heckl and others provided the first big-picture public view of the results of nearly two years of conceptual work and experimentation for phase I of the infantry battalion experiments in June.

Those experiments looked various configurations among three different battalions: 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with a 735-Marine battalion; 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, at Camp Pendleton, California, with an estimated 930 Marines and 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, at Marine Corps Base Hawaii with a mixed version in the middle.

Before these experiments began, the infantry battalion manning stood at approximately 965 Marines, which emerged from an early 1980s study and reconfiguration that reduced the post-Vietnam War sized battalion of more than 1,000 Marines.

The new Marine manning now sits at 811 Marines and 69 Navy support personnel in the infantry battalion after phase one concluded.

Over that same period, during Bergers tenure, the Corps has reduced its conventional artillery while increasing rocket-launched artillery such as the high mobility artillery rocket system, or HIMARS. The service removed tanks from its entire inventory and reduced the number of infantry battalions overall.

There are 21 active-duty infantry battalions and eight Marine Reserve battalions. The service cut three active-duty infantry battalions since 2020 as part of Force Design 2030.

This summer two battalions already had transitioned to 811 Marines, according to data provided by Manpower & Reserve Affairs.

The remaining battalions will transition on this schedule: two in fiscal year 2024; three each in fiscal years 2025 and 2026; four each in fiscal years 2027 and 2028 and the final three in fiscal year 2029.

As of June, the Marine Corps had 2,148 officers and 22,805 enlisted Marines with infantry as their primary job in the active duty ranks, according to manpower data. Another 353 officers and 4,721 enlisted Marines held infantry primary jobs in the Marine Reserve as of late May.

Phase I experimentation:

Removing snipers from the battalion and instead creating a scout platoon to conduct some of the past functions of snipers in the headquarters & service company.

Increased headquarters & service company capacity, such as added radio operators, a motor transport officer and chief, administrative clerks, warehouse clerks and food service specialists.

Reorganized rifle company elements into a weapons platoon manned with machine gunners, mortarmen and antitank missile gunners.

Added medical training and personnel for improved casualty care in austere locations where immediate medical evacuation may not be available.

Increased 81 mm mortar platoon with two additional, for a total of four fire direction centers and organic precision fire section personnel in each rifle company.

Added signals intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities at the company level.

Enhanced command and control, sensing, lethality and sustainment experimentation.

Experiments to reduce cognitive load on leaders at all levels, including a new course for company noncommissioned officers on running 21st-century combat operations.

Removal of the assistant squad leader and one rifleman from each squad. The squad now contains 13 Marines instead of the previously configured 15 Marines.

Source: Marine Corps

Each of the three rifle companies within the battalion contains individual operations, signal, logistics, electronic warfare and medical sections. Plans now involve having a corpsman available for every squad.

The headquarters & service company holds its standard S shops  S-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  battalion medical and a fires platoon with 81 mm mortar platoon and operations fires section. The scout platoon falls under S-2.

Combat Development and Integration released a 13-minue video online in mid-August outlining some of the phase I changes.

In the video, Experiment Division Director Col. Christopher Bronzi emphasized that the changes were driven by modern battlefield threats and the increased need for lower echelon precision strike, counter-drone and electronic warfare.

The new formation, he said, would provide enhanced sensing, command and control, lethality and sustainment for the battalion, an increased capacity to sense, make sense and strike the enemy.

The colonel noted more maturity at every echelon.

That means sergeants leading fire teams, staff sergeants leading squads, gunnery sergeants co-leading platoons with second lieutenants, master sergeants and captains running companies, sergeants major alongside lieutenant colonels at the battalion level and colonels at the regiment.

Except for the sergeants major, that is a rank up or more for every position within the formation.

Studies looking at staff sergeant squad leaders date back at least for the past five years. However, in high-demand rotations and depleted manpower, corporals and sometimes even lance corporals have served as squad leaders in combat over the recent war on terrorism.

Each of the three rifle companies within the battalion contains individual operations, signal, logistics, electronic warfare and medical sections. Plans now involve having a corpsman available for every squad. (Cpl. Scott Aubuchon/Marine Corps)

Sgt. Kristopher J. Hassemer, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab fellow in the experiment division said in the video that theyre focused on organic power generation at the battalion and company level and optimized power management at the platoon and squad level. Each part of the battalion will carry more electronic equipment than ever before.

The experiments have added water purification capabilities, increased tactical unmanned aerial and ground systems with a focus on tactical resupply unmanned aircraft systems.

In the video, Capt. Michael J. Hogan, assistant team leader on the infantry battalion experiment concept development team, noted increased drone capabilities and the incorporation of signals intelligence and electronic warfare teams. The scout platoons will generate multidomain effects.

Hogan answered a controversial decision to replace scout snipers with scouts by noting that removing precision rifle employment allows scouts to focus on recon, surveillance and target acquisition.

Maj. Daniel C. Phillips, team leader for the concept development team, said in the video that the hallmark of new command and control focus was to have a shared common operating picture from squad to battalion. That will include MESH network radios, which allow users to share voice, data and video through the best pathways across a communication network, network-on-the-move company vehicles and beyond-line-of-sight communication at the squad level.

The result, Phillips said, would be reducing deconfliction time and location reporting, rapid kill change closing and secure communications on the move to companies as well as giving users multiple waveforms to communicate in cluttered electronic environments.

First Lt. Michael Meier, a Marine Corps Warfighting Lab fellow working with the battalion experiment development team and former company executive officer for 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, the on deck phase two experimentation unit, updated lethality changes.

In the video, Meier pointed to both Javelin and multipurpose anti-armor anti-personnel weapons systems in the company, precision rifles in the company arms room and integration of aerial loitering munitions.

This combination gives the company a 50 km reach for organic fires. Previously that range stood at 3.4 km with the 60 mm mortar. And the 60 mm mortars remain in the company, spokesman Maj. Eric Flanagan told Marine Corps Times.

Brig. Gen. Kyle B. Ellison, commanding general of Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and 30-year infantryman, summarized much of the explanation by highlighting the changes will increase lethality and maneuverability while enhancing combined arms across all domains and improving and increasing casualty care.

He took an extra beat to emphasize what the experiments are not doing, which is creating an infantry battalion unable to adapt to changing mission essential tasks, operate on the offense and defense.

This is not about major course correctionsabout one to two degree rudder steers, Ellison said. Its about a journey, not a destination.

The threat of the 80s

In the late 1970s, then-Marine Corps commandants Gen. Louis H. Wilson Jr. and his successor Gen. Robert H. Barrow, conducted outside studies and internal work on reducing and rearming the infantry battalion and preparing it for the threat of the eighties.

The Corps had left the Vietnam War only a few years before having seen its infantry conduct mostly dismounted patrols in jungle, hilly and sometimes urban terrain. But the likely foe on the horizon would be the Soviet Union, an armor and artillery-centric force.

While the Armys mass centered in Europe to meet that threat, the Corps needed to find its way to fight on the edges or in key positions of any potential conflict. That was the vision of the services leaders, according to multiple accounts in historical documents Marine Corps Times reviewed recently at the services Quantico, Virginia, archives.

Marines operate the radio to establish communications with the surrounding squads during defensive tactics training, Aug. 6, at the Base Expedicionaria de Fuzileiros Navais in Formosa, Brazil, during the annual Infantry Training Exercise Formosa. (Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Wetzel/Marine Corps)

One study encapsulated the effort and would change the structure of the infantry battalion in some ways to present day  the Marine Infantry Battalion 19801990 Study.

Initial work came out of an independent review of the battalions combat effectiveness and recoverability should it sustain casualties by Science Applications, Inc. completed in November 1979.

From the outset, the commandant and senior leaders looked to reduce the infantry battalions size to 900 Marines or fewer, down from more than 1,000 Marines in its previous war footing.

Retired Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper, whose final posting was running Marine Corps Combat Development Command from 19951997, told Marine Corps Times that the initial focus first on manning then on capabilities in that study resulted in some positive and some ludicrous changes. But he maintains that the initial push to focus first on manning due to lower Corps end strength was flawed from the start.

The Marine Corps didnt arrive at a 1,000 Marine battalion with heavy weapons and a weapons company without a hell of a lot of combat experience, Van Riper said.

The retired three-star first enlisted in 1956 and retired in 1997. At the time of the 1980 study and its later implementation Van Riper was a lieutenant colonel commanding 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. He and a group of other retired senior Marine officers have been openly vocal critics of major changes that have happened in recent years under the previous Commandant Gen. David Berger.

The 1980 battalion study resulted introduced the M198 155 mm howitzer, increased other conventional artillery, added a 24 BGM-71 TOW anti-tank, guided missile launchers, the Mk-19 automatic grenade launcher, M2 .50 caliber machine gun, the Mk-153 shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon and the squad automatic weapon, a 5.56 mm light machine gun. The changes also increased the number of M47 Dragon anti-tank missile launchers from 24 to 32.

While the firepower was a welcome addition, both Van Riper and Schmitt, who served first as a rifle platoon commander then as the anti-armor platoon commander in 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, an experimental unit in the 1980s battalion study, had to make major adjustments on the ground.

Van Riper recalls a practice by which two Marines were expected to run a vehicle with both a Mk-19 and a .50 caliber machine gun. One Marine driving, the other firing, and only one weapon could be mounted at a time. That move proved not only cumbersome and demanding, but risky at best.

He noted that should one of those two Marine be wounded, that would essentially take two guns out of the fight. At the time the M60 machine gun, a 7.62 mm gun used routinely required a three-Marine contingent to operate, he said.

Schmitt recalls commanders repurposing some of the machine and grenade-launcher mounted vehicles, Jeeps at the time, to conduct nuclear and radiological reconnaissance because the battalion had no such capabilities but still faced that threat.

As the anti-armor platoon commander, Schmitt received his fill.

The relevant thing is that it went from a (table of organization) of 56 (Marines) to a TO of 96 in response to the threat posed by Soviet armor, he said.

But overriding any equipment employment questions and the blessings of more firepower, the biggest change that thwarted effective efforts was the introduction of the 11-Marine squad. Down from the decades-long, combat-proven 13-Marine squad.

The Corps has used a 13-Marine squad formation, the building block of its platoons, companies and battalions, since at least the 1950s. The squad centered around a single squad leader coordinating three, four-Marine fire teams.

Marines were being tasked with more weapons, more mobility and more communications, but losing two Marines in each squad.

And that figure flowed across the formation, Van Riper noted.

Heres the usual argument on manning  technology makes the individual Marine, fire team or squad more effective, therefore we cut, he said.

But by cutting the rifle squad from 13 to 11, he said. With 13-Marine squads, the organization remained three-quarters effective when it took a casualty. But with 11 Marines its now only two-thirds effective.

When leaders at the time cut for the sake of meeting manning numbers and adding tasks and tech, they were simply thinking about bringing fire upon the enemy but not about the resiliency of a squad, he said.

By 1984, 60% of the Corps battalions had shifted to the new formation. But the Corps had already switched back to a 13-Marine squad after reports from the field.

Recent squad changes

In 2016, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, conducted a series of experiments over a six-month period looking at how the Corps could increase the situational awareness and firepower of the squad and what the composition of the unit could be. The experiments looked at various manning structures.

While wrapping a tour with FAST Company, then-Capt. Joe Patterson got a call from the infantry career monitor who asked if he wanted to return to his old unit, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, in Camp Pendleton, California, and lead a company. The only other thing he remembered was the monitor asked how he felt about experimentation.

I said, Great, lets go, I just wanted to go back to 3/5, Patterson said.

He thought the experiments might mean adding female infantry Marines to the unit, which had only begun a short time before.

Patterson served as Kilo Company commander during the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Integrated Experiment, which lasted until 2017.

Kilo Company and its two fellow companies each used various options at the platoon level but once the initial part of the test concluded, his company went with the 15-Marine model.

He reported to his unit on a Friday and found his executive officer filling rosters, pulling in Marines from across the Corps. Every billet was filled with a senior rank for that spot. Experienced sergeants were leading squads, all his fire team leaders were corporals, both a rarity in a stretched-thin, constant deploying Corps over the previous decade.

And it wasnt only riflemen. He was getting engineers, mechanics, more communications Marines, generators, water purifiers, drones and radio equipment that few at his level normally had in their gear locker.

He went from 160 Marines in the company to 350 in about a week, he said.

The next four months whipped by at breakneck speed. Individual training on the new gear lasted one to two weeks, nearly every Marine learned how to purify water, talk on and troubleshoot radios then work as fire teams, squads, platoons then as a company in a couple of months.

The squad has now reverted to the 13-Marine structure, keeping the squad systems operator and cutting the assistant squad leader and one rifleman from the ranks. (Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Wetzel/Marine Corps)

The idea was that we could all hop into an aircraft run an over-the-horizon mission, conduct long range operations and be completely self-sustained and live off the land without long logistics chain back to the (Marine Expeditionary Unit Amphibious Readiness Group), he said.

Patterson described it as old-school Vietnam type of fighting with modern technology.

By the end of the company phase of this, man I tell you I wouldnt have wanted to be the bad guys on the other end of what we were delivering, Patterson said.

Along the way, he said, they were told repeatedly that they were the tip of the Marine Corps spear and treated as such. That meant countless visits from distinguished guests, endless questions and feedback from experts and never-ending after action reviews for the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.

This was not the traditional company command experience, he said. I was under the microscope. Everything we did was evaluated and graded; we were tested constantly.

What that led to for this captain was something now commonly called task saturation.

The bombardment of more information than perhaps any Marine company commander had ever seen sometimes stalled decision-making. And he worried it would do the same for a squad alone in a combat zone. The formation needed extra bodies simply to provide security while leaders looked at screens, ran comms or did the myriad of more complex tasks being asked of them.

Even he was overwhelmed. At one point stuck trying to figure out how to employ a machine-gun equipped robot in the firing and maneuvering. There were no manuals for this.

But a friend broke him out of his own fog.

Hey dude, you know what it still is? a friend asked. A machine gun. Employ it like you would a machine gun.

The companies in the experiment also got a batch of the then-new MRZR, the four-person off road vehicle that would later be fielded as the ultra-light tactical vehicle now providing most of the tactical wheeled mobility for the company. That one change helped his Marines zip around corners of the battlespace in ways theyd never had.

Looking back, Patterson sees how some automation could reduce the workload on his Marines in some ways but increase it in others. Hes happy the Corps went with the 15-Marine squad for exactly that reason. Though it has since reverted to the 13-Marine squad.

Patterson led a platoon on a combat tour in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan, in 2010, during some of the most intense fighting there during that phase of the war.

At one point the unit took three casualties at the same time. All research and reports indicate that any near peer conflict would see casualties that dwarf anything experienced during the war on terrorism, rivaling perhaps the figures seen during World War II.

Those three casualties took two squads to evacuate. One to carry them off the battlefield and the other to provide security while they did. A smaller squad would have been crippled by that incident.

Patterson recalls the final phase of the experimentation, a two-week, self-sustained field exercise culminating in a massive live fire event that featured robot battle buddies, scavenged power sources and a variety of new drone, communications and fires options, as one of the most rewarding of his more than two-decade career.

I didnt have anything to do as Im leading this attack. I just ran behind my guys, shouted nice things at them and watched the beautiful destruction occur, Patterson said.

About a year later, in May 2018, then-Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller announced that the Corps would move to 12-Marine rifle squad.

The new squad lost a Marine but gained the following: the M27 infantry automatic rifle which replaced the M4, a common handheld tablet, multi-channel radios and a better grenade launcher, the M320 replacing the rifle mounted M203.

But by the end of the year, Neller had pivoted and wanted to see how a 15-Marine rifle squad would perform.

In 2019, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, deployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with a complete 15-Marine rifle squad structure. The formation had kept the 13-Marine base and added an assistant squad leader and squad systems operator.

And, until mid-August, that was the publicly announced squad configuration. But in a mid-August online video explainer rollout of the new infantry battalion, the squad has now reverted to the 13-Marine structure, keeping the squad systems operator and cutting the assistant squad leader and one rifleman from the ranks.

Heading into phase two, the Corps has decided to use the 13-Marine rifle squad structure due in part to manning considerations, Flanagan said. As experimentation continues, planners will continue to evaluate the squad.

Both 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, battalion commander Lt. Col. Bryceson Tenold and battalion Sgt. Maj. Trevor L. Goff are set to lead the battalion through the next two years of experimentation. The pair are already receiving Marines, some of which were in units involved with phase one experiments.

Tenold and Goff told Marine Corps Times in a mid-August phone interview that they plan to set the tone for the right kind of culture in the battalion that aims to rapidly build up skill sets and teams through openness and sharing of lessons learned.

Between now and the end of the year many Marines in the unit or headed to it will attend a variety of training schools and continue that training on new equipment and methods of employment in the coming months.

An estimated 500 Marines of the 811-Marine battalion are already on station, Goff said. The remainder should arrive by November. Some internal shifting will occur as promotion boards for various ranks across the Corps release promotion data in the coming months.

Thats important because the aim is to have sergeants as fire team leaders, staff sergeants as squad leaders, gunnery sergeants as platoon sergeants, master sergeants as company sergeants and sergeants major as both battalion and regimental sergeants major. All of those with the last two exceptions were previously filled by ranks at least one, sometimes two ranks below.

The Thundering Third wont get to operate in a vacuum, Goff emphasized theyll be simultaneously experimenting with the new battalion structure while also readying for any crisis response, contingency or larger scale exercises and operations the division or Marine expeditionary force tasks them.

When the pair learned theyd be leading this battalion at the edge of new experimentation, each had their own reactions.

After a nearly three-decade career, Goff said he and his Marines have a lot of excitement about being part of this historic effort and that its shows the Corps is willing to redefine and refine the infantry battalion and continue to refine it along the way.

As of June, the Marine Corps had 2,148 officers and 22,805 enlisted Marines with infantry as their primary job in the active duty ranks. (Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Wetzel/Marine Corps)

Hes already stressing to his junior Marines that the input theyre able to give the institution will inform how the future battalion is designed and deployed.

Tenold sees this as a great opportunity, both to command an infantry battalion and to set in motion options for senior leaders to evaluate as they develop the way ahead for Marine Corps infantry.

Patterson retired as a major in 2022. And while he doesnt closely follow every detail of Marine infantry any longer, his heart remains close to those ground-pounders with whom he served.

His has simple advice for the captains leading companies at 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.

To re-read MDCP-1 Warfighting and apply its principles. And no matter what Gucci gear they get and to stick with infantry 101.

Dont get lost in the sexiness, Patterson said.

A Marine is still a Marine and nothing is more dangerous and lethal than a Marine with his rifle and all of this stuff you are going to experiment with is going to enhance that Marine and not replace. So dont overthink it.

The story before the story

Marine Corps Warfighting Lab commander Ellison specifically noted in the video explainer that the battalion will remain ready to accomplish its historic tasks along with its new missions.

But not everyone is yet convinced, Schmitt among them.

Schmitt, who wrote Warfighting under the supervision and inspiration of a maneuver warfare shift within the Corps driven largely by the much lauded 29th Commandant Gen. Al Gray, has concerns that Force Design 2030 and its focus on sea control and denial may be the war that the Corps wants to fight, rather than the one it will be forced to fight  one that includes close combat.

I think the thing that has generated a lot of the resistance is not just the dramatic change in infantry numbers, because the Marine Corps is always tweaking numbers, but its the fact that that change is taking place within the framework of a new concept for warfare that not everybodys bought into.

The combined arms, maneuver-inspired approach of even the smallest of Marine units set it apart from the hulking formations of the U.S. Army. That carved a unique niche that saw Marines employed and deployed for everything from embassy evacuations and battalion landing teams to fire missions and humanitarian aid over the past 40 or more years.

We were that way precisely because we knew we couldnt predict what was going to be needed. And that seems to be another thing thats different today. There seems to be a belief that we know what were going to need, and we can start to tailor ourselves to this need.

Should the Corps lose that flexibility, Schmitt said the move could change how others view the Corps purpose, which may sideline the Marines in the next fight.

But Schmitt admitted he doesnt know all the details and could be wrong.

Maybe the next fight is going to be a big fight in the South China Sea and Marines are going to distinguish themselves and everybodys going to say, Thank God for this new Marine Corps, Schmitt said. I dont know.

Van Riper, a lifelong student and teacher of history, worries that current leadership has only looked at its most recent shadow as it prepares for the coming decades and not the long line of combat history that led to where the Corps formations have their origin.

Marine Corps Times requested documents, literature review or explanation and analysis of historical aspects as they relate to the infantry battalion. Those were not immediately available prior to publication of this article.

One day, back in the mid-1990s, while Van Riper headed Marine Corps Combat Development Command, he saw two majors with an appointment on his schedule.

They wanted to talk about the need to reorganize the Marine infantry Battalion.

I said, gentlemen, let me tell you a story, when I came in the Marine Corps, we had a weapons company that went away. Now its back. When I came in, we had 60 mm mortars, they went away before Vietnam and then came back and then went away again. And Ive seen this thing played over and over and over. We keep reinventing the wheel.

Then he had a task for the two ambitious majors.

I want you to tell me the history of the Marine Corps infantry battalion, so we dont end up repeating things that are erroneous, Van Riper said.

They went away, and I never heard from them again.
Correction: This story was updated at 8:19 a.m. Sept. 11, 2023, to correct the age of one of the deceased victims in the crash, listed due to a source's error. The correct age is 18. The Herald-Mail apologizes for the mistake.

Correction: This story was updated at 12:45 p.m. Sept. 8, 2023, to correct the first name of one of the deceased victims in the crash, listed due to a source's error. The correct name is Dystanei Nickole Cain. The Herald-Mail apologizes for the mistake.

A Hagerstown married couple was killed Thursday night when the moped they were riding on U.S. 40 was struck by a pickup truck, according to Maryland State Police.

Police identified the couple as Dystanei Nickole, 20, and Evan Alexander Cain, 18, according to a state police news release.

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According to a preliminary investigation, the moped was hit by a maroon 2000 Ford pickup, which left the scene of the crash, the release states. The initial release on the crash alleges the pickup driver was impaired.

The 43-year-old Hagerstown man who was driving the pickup was taken into custody and released, according to Sgt. A. Matthai.

The Washington County State's Attorney's Office is reviewing the case to determine charges, he said.

The Herald-Mail is withholding the pickup driver's name because he hasn't been formally charged yet.

State police were notified around 9:14 p.m. Thursday of a collision on westbound U.S. 40, west of Garland Groh Boulevard, the release states.

Troopers found the deceased couple when they arrived at the scene.

State police continue to investigate the crash.

U.S. 40 in that area reopened around 1 a.m., Matthai said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown couple killed Thursday when pickup hits moped on U.S. 40
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday offered a peek at his plans to establish migrant camps throughout the city and move nearly 1,600 currently living inside Chicago police stations into large tents before winter  his administrations boldest effort yet to get a handle on a humanitarian crisis that has left local officials vexed.

The mayor said he will move with expediency to transition asylum-seekers into more suitable base camps as migrants wait for spots in city-run shelters. As of a week ago, 1,576 migrants were living in Chicago police stations and another 418 were sleeping inside OHare International Airport, according to city data.

Weve identified multiple locations around the city that can be suitable to treat the families of individuals, who by law are seeking asylum constitutionally, legally, to have a place that recognizes their dignity, Johnson said.

The new effort, first reported by the Sun-Times, suggested a renewed urgency by the Johnson administration to remove migrants from living for days or weeks inside Chicago police stations lobbies. The crowded floors have become a symbol of the new arrivals plight upon arriving in the nations third-largest city that professes to welcome all.

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The mayor has yet to reveal details about the timeline or locations of the camps that migrants will be directed to in lieu of police stations, though sources briefed by the Johnson administration Friday said officials projected costs could be significant.

Sources who attended the briefings said the mayors team indicated the current estimated $144 million for the migrant mission is not sustainable. Projected expenditures were anticipated to hit $238.3 million by the end of this year but that number could reach $302 million when factoring in the new tent encampment sites, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Johnson did not rule out new or increased levies to pay for the services.

So the sacrifices that will be required in this moment will be necessary from all of us, every single level of government, Johnson said at an unrelated news conference Friday when asked about whether additional revenue will be needed.

Look, I can tell you that the cost of inaction will be far more substantial, he said. The point here is: Police stations being used as landing zones, thats what I inherited. And Ive said that from the very beginning that this is not dignified. So my plan is to move, with expediency, families out of police stations into housing and shelter thats more suitable.

Ald. Anthony Beale , 9th, who joined the mayor at the news conference in his Far South Side ward announcing federal funding for an extension of the CTAs Red Line, told reporters afterward that he thinks tent encampments are not the right thing to be doing.

He also said he would be hard-pressed to ask taxpayers funding it to continue making sacrifices.

We have to be compassionate.  At the same time, at some point we have to stop people from coming to Chicago because we cannot continue to absorb people coming and supporting them like this every single day, Beale said. Asked about alternative solutions, the alderman said, Well, you can turn the buses back around and send them back where they came from.

But Ald. Andre Vasquez, chairman of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee, said such a move is a non-starter for him.

I understand the sentiment of like the capacity issue and the fact that we have to also make sure were taking care of the communities that have been around prior that also need the support. Right, I do understand that tension, said Vasquez, 40th. That being said, were not playing tennis or Ping-Pong with buses. Its not the way you solve a problem.

Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said he was reassured to learn how well the proposed tent structures could shield migrants from harsh elements, but added the fiscal conundrum looms. The administration showed aldermen examples of large tents in New York City as an example, and Hopkins said he was told they will have metal frames, thick insulation and heating.

Its a slight incremental improvement over the floor of a police station lobby. So, in that regard, I support it. Its the right thing to do, Hopkins said. But its not a permanent solution and it has its own limitations. So if were going to talk about this as a temporary measure, we need to focus more on what the ultimate end game is here. And were still really not doing that.

Each of the 50 City Council members will be asked to identify two to three suitable sites in their wards that can shelter at least 200 migrants and have access to showers, according to briefing materials. The tents are intended to house 500 to 1,000 migrants, Hopkins said.

But Hopkins said the city is already over capacity, noting he was informed by other officials that five buses were on their way from Texas as of Friday afternoon.

We expect theyll arrive over the weekend, and there literally is not a single bed available to accommodate them, Hopkins said. There isnt even floor space for another sleeping bag in a police station. There is literally nowhere for them to go, and yet we know theyre on their way.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who also was present at the CTA announcement, defended Johnsons leadership and said he and other Democrats in Congress have a comprehensive immigration bill ready but the migrant crisis has been manipulated for political purposes at the expense of these poor people.

(The mayor) is trying to make the best of a very challenging situation, Durbin said. The bottom line is this: We are in this predicament today because of the failure of the United States Congress and the president over 30 years to pass immigration reform in Washington. Thats why we face these extreme situations.

Vasquez said he shared the same concerns as Beale regarding the harsh Chicago winter, and responded to a question about raising new revenue with an assertion that only the state and federal governments have the money required to sustain such operations.

I dont know that theres anything that can be done at a municipal level that can take on that capacity, Vasquez said. I dont think theres any easy answers.  Theres a lot of concerns. I dont think its ideal, but I dont think anybody  including the administration  thinks its ideal.

Chicago Tribunes A.D. Quig contributed.

ayin@chicagotribune.com
Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrive for a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on July 12, 2023. Credit - Tom WilliamsCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

As House lawmakers return from a summer recess next week, with less than a month to pass a federal budget, the GOPs hard-right flank plans to impose a thorny ultimatum on its caucus: open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden or risk a government shutdown.

The scenario is setting up a potentially combustible standoff. Republicans have only a slim five-member majority, and there are nearly twenty House GOP dissenters, according to sources familiar with the matter. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he would only initiate an impeachment inquiry after a full House vote.

Its a moment Official Washington has been bracing for since last November, when Republicans won control of the lower chamber and went straight for Bidens jugular. But the House Oversight Committees months-long investigation has yet to find evidence that the President profited from his son Hunter Bidens business dealings. Thats led to resistance among some powerful GOP bigwigs, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Impeachment ought to be rare, he said. This is not good for the country.

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None of that is slowing down the House Republicans who are hungry for Biden to endure an impeachment ordeal while Donald Trump is facing four separate court cases, all of which could go to trial over the next year. And they are mustering a strategy to flip their reluctant GOP colleagues: force a vote and subject the defectors to the wrath of a MAGA-fueled retaliation and social media onslaught.

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Let me tell you the greatest thing that can happen, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia tells TIME. If I were Speaker of the House, I would put the impeachment inquiry vote to the floor on September 12 when we got back, whether it fails or not. Then I'd let those members who voted against it hear from their constituents. And then I'd put it back to the floor for a vote again, and I can guarantee they will sing a different tune.

Its a tactic that has worked for Trump-allied Republicans before. In June, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna forced a vote to censure Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who led Trumps first impeachment and served on the Jan. 6 Committee, but the measure fell short because of 20 GOP holdouts. After Luna and her allies orchestrated a social media backlash against the Republican detractorsand removed a provision that would have fined Schiff $16 millionthe Florida freshman reintroduced the motion a week later. This time, it passed on a party-line vote. Not a single Republican voted against it.

Now, Republicans are exploring that same blueprint to push forward an impeachment inquiry, the formal mechanism that initiates the impeachment process. I have no problem calling out names, Greene says. In the interview, she cited Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Ken Buck of Colorado, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Lawler of New York, Tom McClintock of New York, and Darrell Issa of California as impeachment opponents. I think people need to start taking the American people seriously instead of worrying about a bad article or the Democrats saying that it's going to hurt Republicans in re-election. I'll argue that is very much a lie.

Shes not alone. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, another staunch Trump ally, has threatened to force a vote on launching an inquiry, suggesting that his fellow Republicans could move to oust the speaker should McCarthy not put the measure on the floor.

Over the summer, momentum has been building among the GOP to pursue the Presidents removal after two IRS whistleblowers alleged that the Justice Department gave Hunter Biden a sweetheart deal. Their alacrity to impeach Biden intensified after discovering that he used email aliases as Vice President. Republicans like Greene and Gaetz say the Oversight Committee has turned up enough suspicious activity to warrant a full inquiry. Now, Greene insists she wont vote to fund the government unless House Republicans do precisely that.

McCarthy has vocally supported opening an impeachment inquiry but has faced pushback within his conference. Some of his members, such as Lawler, are in districts that Biden won in 2020 and worry that an inquiry will hurt their re-election chances, sources say. Its a sentiment echoed by Democrats, who suspect they would benefit politically from the spectacle. Go ahead. Do it, I dare you, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania told reporters Wednesday. It would just be like a big circle jerk on the fringe right.

Yet other Republicans, like Bacon, say the congressional investigations have failed to prove that Biden committed a high crime or misdemeanor. Weve got to have some kind of direct evidence of a crime that points to the President, Bacon tells TIME. Or if the President doesn't answer the subpoenas or provide the information that's being requested, that would also be grounds for an inquiry. Until then, Bacon adds, he wont budge: We don't want an impeachment to be this thing we do with every presidency. It shouldn't be revenge politics. Though it feels good to have revenge, its not good for the country.

The Biden administration has dismissed the GOP push to impeach Biden as designed more to hurt the President 2024 election prospects than to hold him accountable for alleged transgressions. If Speaker McCarthy opens an impeachment inquiry simply to throw red meat to his most extreme far-right members, it will further prove this is nothing more than an evidence-free political stunt to baselessly attack the President, Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson, tells TIME.

Republicans, for their part, have argued that they are only asking to open an impeachment inquiry to expand their investigation into the President and his wayward son Hunter, who federal prosecutors plan to indict later this month on gun charges. An impeachment inquiry is completely different from impeachment itself, Greene says. It's just an inquiry. It's like, may we ask the question? Let's take a little peek, just a little peeky peek. To me, it's absurd to not be able to vote yes for that.

Such a probe could potentially put Biden in a bind, according to Michael Conway, an attorney who served as counsel for the House Judiciary Committees 1974 impeachment inquiry into former President Richard Nixon. One of the three articles of impeachment that were considered against Nixon, he notes, was for defying the impeachment inquiry itself.

Its the apex of congressional power and the President's refusal to comply with the subpoenas was itself an impeachable act, Conway tells TIME. We didn't have any greater ability to actually get the documents. But the Constitution gives us the House the power to impeach if you impede the impeachment inquiry. That itself is an impeachable offense. They could send any kind of subpoena and then on a partisan vote say the President didn't give us what we asked for.

For that reason, some moderate Republicans fear that once they start the process of impeaching Biden, there will be no turning back. And they are up against members of their own conference who are not afraid to hold the federal budget hostage to their demands.

The only place in America that thinks the government shutdown is a big deal is Washington D.C., Greene says. Outside of Washington, D.C., if you ask regular Americans, they could care less honestly. As a matter of fact, they laugh when that is brought up. Like, who cares? We still go to work every day. We still do our jobs.

But Greene and her comrades are betting that their colleagues who say theyre dead set against an inquiry might soon fall in line, especially if it helps avoid both a shutdown and the derision of an expectant GOP base.

We have a duty to take hard votes, Greene says, whether we like it or not.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Jamey Gunter, right, with Asheville Food and Beverage Workers United and Union of Southern Service Workers, is hugged by Nichel Dunlap Thompson, an organizer with Charlotte-Metrolina Labor Council, after Gunters speech in Thursdays rally.

ASHEVILLE - Hundreds of pro-union workers  from nurses to McDonald's employees  gathered Sept. 7 in Ashevilles Pack Square Park to rally for health care justice and workers' rights.

The group marched to the park from the North Carolina State AFL-CIO annual convention, taking place Sept. 7-8 at Marriott's Renaissance Hotel on Woodfin Street.

Many held signs and donned colors of the National Nurses Organizing Committee  a bright red.

Over a sea of red T-shirts and picket signs, fast food worker and member of the Union of Southern Service Workers Jamey Gunter spoke to the crowd.

"Whether you are working in McDonald's, Dollar General or Waffle House  we all have the same problems," Gunter said. "That's why we are organizing and demanding the same things for all service industry employees, and one of the main demands is health and safety."

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Last year, Gunter had been working at McDonald's when she had to have emergency heart surgery. During that time, McDonald's gave her no sick leave and her Medicaid was cut short, Gunter said.

"The doctors wanted me to stay longer, but I couldn't afford to. McDonald's is a billion-dollar company and they couldn't afford to give me and all the other workers health care and paid sick time-off," Gunter said. "All these corporations can afford it. I know that so many other workers have the same story as me."

The rally was organized in coordination with multiple North Carolina union organizations, and several members of Mission Hospital's nurse union spoke on providing health care.

Claire Siegel, a registered nurse at Mission Health, speaks during a union rally at Pack Square, September 7, 2023.

Over 1,500 nurses at Mission Hospital are represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United. Nurse Claire Siegel said that the rally comes out of care.

"We just want to do our jobs and do them safely, and I think all of us that are here today are just here because we care about our patients," Siegel said. "We're tired of having to hold HCA accountable, and stand up every single day against their corporate greed."

Siegel cited examples like purchasing cheaper needles, or understaffing, where Siegel will work short staffed Sept. 8.

"Tomorrow on my schedule there are four nurses scheduled and there are supposed to be eight," Siegel said. "And they're cutting our incentive pay to come in; even when we are critically short like that."

Hannah Drummond, a registered nurse and chief nurse representative of National Nurses United, speaks during a rally at Pack Square, September 7, 2023.

Hannah Drummond, a Mission Hospital nurse and member of the AFL-CIO executive board, highlighted recent struggles the hospital has faced.

We are fighting to stop short staffing and units all across the hospital including my department  the emergency department  to eliminate the excessive wait times in the waiting room, to have nurse to nurse report when transporting patients and ending workplace violence which is happening all throughout the hospital, Drummond said.

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During 2023 over 350 nurses have left the hospital, far outpacing the number theyve been able to hire, Drummond said.

The rally was sponsored by several North Carolina union organizations, but also an official Asheville trade union  Asheville Food and Beverage United.

AFBU announced its status as an official trade union during the rally. We're gonna organize service workers, said Jen Hampton, the lead organizer for AFBU.

We did this because we think its really important. We understand that our labor is power, and this system cannot survive without our labor. And weve got to wield this power, Hampton said.

AFBU has recently campaigned for living wages for local restaurants and cafes, where the unionization of Green Sage Cafe has been seen as an example for the future of the labor unionization in Asheville, president of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO MaryBe McMillian said.

These victories are just the beginning. We're gonna stand with the nurses here to win a fair contract. We're gonna stand with the restaurant workers so they earn better wages and working conditions, McMillan said.

We are gonna stand with workers, whoever they are, wherever they are, whatever their fight, because  when we stand together we can win justice for all working people.

Mission monitor reprimand: NC Attorney General's office reprimands Mission Hospital independent monitor

Kerri Wilson, a registered nurse at Mission, poses for a picture after attending a union rally at Pack Square, September 7, 2023.

Kerri Wilson, another nurse at Mission, said that the rally wasnt just about Asheville.

I want to see the workers in Asheville, and in North Carolina as a whole, be able to actually make a living wage and to actually see health care justice for all of our communities, Wilson said. There are so many disparities and companies like HCA put profits over patients all the time  I want to see that change.

Rebecca Gross-Alford, a union representative and nurse of forty-three years, listens as MaryBe McMillan, president of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, speaks during a rally at Pack Square, September 7, 2023.

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him atWHofmann@citizentimes.com.

Tourism dollars for housing: Asheville workers call on TDA to put tourism tax dollars toward affordable housing

Mission understaffing: HCA executive responds to attorney general over claim of Mission cancer care understaffing

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Mission nurses, McDonald's employees rally for more rights
At Ukraine's request, the Pentagon had decided to prolong the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Abrams tanks, the Voice of America reported on Sept. 8, citing U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command's spokesperson Martin O'Donnell.

Almost 200 Ukrainian military personnel will continue to improve their skills in operating and maintaining the vehicles for a few more weeks until the promised batch of 31 Abrams M1A1 is refitted and ready to be delivered, O'Donnell said.

The main part of the courses, taking place on a U.S. base in Germany, concluded in August.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced the decision to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks, a force equivalent to one Ukrainian battalion, to Ukraine in January, just as other Western partners pledged their own advanced armor such as Leopard 2 or Challenger 2 tanks.

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The Abrams tanks are expected to arrive this fall. Politico reported that the first 10 vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in mid-September.

Read also: What will it take for Ukraine to maintain and operate the M1 Abrams?

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The Melbourne Police Department said they arrived in the area of U.S. 1 and Rose Court around 4:00 p.m. Thursday for a body floating in the river.

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When officers arrived, they determined the male was dead and requested recovery teams to pull the body to shore.

Read: Multiple Orange County students treated after feeling unwell from school bus odor

Officers said the male appeared to be between 40 - 50 years old but said there were no reports of any missing persons cases in the area that would match.

Melbourne police and the Brevard County medical examiner are still trying to identify the male and the cause of death.

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The Melbourne Police Department says if you know anything about this case, call them at 321-608-6737 to talk with a detective.

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Nikki Haley is on a roll  but the question is how far it will take her.

Haley has emerged as the clear winner of the first Republican debate, held in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.

Her polls have ticked up in the aftermath  both nationally and in the key early states. She has got an infusion of fundraising. Her campaign aides eagerly note that she has been seeing bigger crowds on the stump too.

The former South Carolina governors run of good news continued Thursday when a CNN/SSRS poll indicated she would be the strongest general election candidate of all against President Biden.

In hypothetical match-ups, every other Republican candidate was, in effect, in a dead heat with Biden. Former President Trump, who leads GOP primary polls by a huge margin, held just a 1 point edge over Biden. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , who still holds onto second place in national GOP polls, was exactly tied with Biden, at 47 percent each.

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By contrast, Haley led Biden by six points, 49 percent to 43 percent.

The result was a stark one, and it could have real appeal for a Republican electorate desperate, above all, for victory in 2024.

It also underlines the arguments made by Haley boosters that she has a greater appeal to independent voters and female voters, and is a less divisive figure, than her rivals including Trump and DeSantis.

This is the sort of positive that she was likely looking for, which gives her something to talk about to the Republican electorate, said GOP pollster David Winston, who is not affiliated with any candidate in this years race. It gives her the opening to say, This poll says I am the strongest candidate.

Haley makes that case plenty as it is.

She reminds voters often on the stump that she has never lost a race. She talks about how polls going into the first contests next year will inevitably look very different from how they look now. And she underlines that she has often been an underdog, dating back to her runs for the South Carolina state House and, later, when she became the Palmetto States first female and first governor who does not identify as white.

Shortly before the first debate, she appeared at the Iowa State Fair in a T-shirt bearing the slogan: Underestimate me. Thatll be fun.

Olivia Perez-Cubas, a Haley campaign spokesperson, told this column that the audience from the first debate had gotten to see the candidates up close. A lot of those people liked what they saw in Nikki Haley  her toughness, her honesty, and her refusal to back down on the important fights.

Haleys campaign claims to have raised more than $1 million in the first 72 hours after that debate.

There have also been some eye-catching polls from the early states. A recent NMB Research poll of New Hampshire had Haley tied with DeSantis for second place, with each winning 10 percent support. At least two recent polls of Iowa have put her in third place and advancing.

But all the positive vibes dont make the gradient Haley has to climb much less steep.

Right now, Trump is so far ahead of the rest of the pack that the other contenders are fighting for scraps.

The New Hampshire poll that had her and DeSantis tied for second place, for example, had Trump 37 points ahead of them both.

In the weighted average of national polls maintained by data site FiveThirtyEight, Haley is in fourth place, behind biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as well as Trump and DeSantis.

In that average, Haley registers roughly 7 percent support. Trump is on 53 percent, DeSantis on 16 percent and Ramaswamy on 9 percent.

The dynamic between Ramaswamy and Haley seems especially sharp. She excoriated him for his position on Ukraine  and what she contends is his lack of foreign policy experience  during the debate, while he refers to her by her more stereotypically Indian names, Nimarata Randhawa, while criticizing her on his website.

In any event, the real question is whether Haley, whose appeal appears to be strongest to more upscale Republican voters, can come to pose a genuine threat to Trump, whose populist instincts inspire avid support among a sizable share of the GOP grassroots.

Haleys campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, sought to address that point head-on in a memo first published by Axios on Wednesday.

In the memo, Ankney contended that a plurality of the GOP primary electorate, especially in the early states, is still shopping around for an alternative to Trump.

Ankney further asserted that Trump was running as, in effect, an incumbent.

The number of voters who are ONLY considering voting for Trump is around 25%, Ankney wrote. He has a strong grip on that 25%, but if any other incumbent were staring down those numbers, they would be rightly nervous.

Haleys campaign manager also took a swipe at DeSantis and Ramaswamy for, in her view, being willing to fall all over themselves to copy Trump on everything from policy to his leadership style.

Still, though Haley is tonally very different from Trump and has criticized him on occasion  including saying during the debate that he was the most disliked politician in America  she did herself serve as his United Nations ambassador, and she abjures the more aggressive criticisms of him articulated most conspicuously by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).

It is possible that her nuanced approach to Trump pays off. But its also possible Haleys approach comes to be seen as a too-clever-by-half effort to thread an electoral needle.

Republican skeptics contend that Haleys approach, which also includes a belief that a national abortion ban in the early stages of pregnancy is unrealistic, garners favorable media coverage but is less likely to win over the GOP primary electorate.

Most of the vote that isnt for Trump is socially-minded, has some kind of social conscience, said Barry Bennett, who was a Trump senior advisor during his 2016 run and worked for the short-lived campaign of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez this year. The vast majority of those pro-life people are never going to vote for somebody who is going to let New York and California decide what to do on abortion.

Other unaffiliated Republicans are at least intrigued by Haleys apparent momentum, however.

She is in a very good position and the theory of her race is stronger now than anybody elses, said Rick Tyler, a GOP consultant and Trump critic who was Sen. Ted Cruzs (R-Texas) communications director during the 2016 campaign.

Now the question is, does she have the organization and ground game to compete? Tyler added. We dont elect people on national polls. But can she get people to the caucuses in Iowa, can she get people to vote in New Hampshire? She has got to be able to turn her people out.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Memphis Animal Services announced the appointment of a new interim director following the departure of the previous director in June.

The organization released an announcement on Facebook Thursday welcoming Ty Coleman to the family.

Memphis Animal Services director Alexis Pugh to leave in June

According to MAS, Coleman has over a decade of dedicated experience in animal welfare and a track record of exceptional leadership in various capacities.

MAS says that Coleman was previously the Animal Services Manager for the City of Midland, Animal Services Director for the City of Sherman, and Supervisor for the City of Dallas Animal Services.

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Colemans experience, dedication, and passion for animal welfare make him a valuable addition to our team, said MAS in an announcement on Facebook. We are confident that under his leadership, our Animal Services department will continue to thrive, and our community will benefit from his commitment to improving the lives of both pets and people in Memphis.

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Ty Colemans appointment was effective as of Sept. 5.

The previous MAS director of seven years, Alexis Pugh, resigned in June of this year.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
A man was arrested Thursday after police say he confessed to shooting and killing his stepfather in Mesa.

Police identified the suspect as Alexander Solano, 43, and he faces second-degree murder charges.

According to court documents, family of Solano told police that he and his stepfather, 61-year-old Darryl Hynek, both lived at the same residence near Broadway Road and Val Vista Drive. They told police they never got along and had an argument about rent money close to the time of the shooting.

The suspects mother was awoken around 4:30 a.m. Thursday to the sound of two gunshots in her living room, and thats where she found her husband dead in his recliner, court documents say.

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Security camera footage from the scene showed Solano fleeing, according to court documents.

The family at the residence helped with the investigation by providing texts that Solano was sending at the time to his brother. His brother also told police that Solano had a Springfield Hellcat 9 mm pistol and ammunition, court documents state. At the scene, police said they found two 9 mm casings that matched the casings found in one of Solano's backpacks inside the home.

Mesa police arrested Solano near Country Club and University drives on Thursday afternoon.

According to court documents, Solano broke down in tears when asked about his mother and confessed to shooting his stepfather. He also told them he threw the gun into a canal because he didnt want anyone to get in trouble, which has led investigators to believe someone acquired the gun for him.

Solano told police he was "willing to accept responsibility for his actions and advised that sometimes people just reach a breaking point," documents state.

At the time of the arrest, Solano was on felony probation out of Navajo County for charges related to unlawful flight. Solano has previously been arrested for domestic violence charges, burglary and DUI, according to court documents.

Solano faces charges of second-degree murder, misconduct with weapons and tampering with evidence.

Resources for Arizonans experiencing domestic violence

In Arizona, people can call the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, 602-279-2900 or 1-800-782-6400 or visit its website, acesdv.org/helpline.

The Phoenix police website, www.phoenix.gov/domesticviolence, has a list of places people can contact in Maricopa County.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa police: Alexander Solano confesses to killing stepfather
Bella Milano in Edwardsville celebrates its 20th anniversary this fall, and the milestone includes plenty of discounts, special pricing for entrees, sweet freebies and more over the next couple of months.

Festivities kick off at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, with a rededication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Edwardsville restaurant, according to a media release.

Bella Catering will serve complimentary drinks and appetizers during the event. Guests who stay for dinner afterwards will receive 20% off their meals.

Special 20th anniversary-themed offers over the next couple of months will include $20 chicken entrees, 20% off entire checks, free dessert and more for E-Club members, stated the release.

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In September, a 20% discount will apply to all carryout orders. Diners can enjoy exclusive Retro Dishes  previously featured menu items that will return for a limited time.

Guests will have more tasty deals in October with a buy one, get one offer of a complimentary entree with the purchase of an entree at regular price, stated the release.

In addition  and good news for whiskey fans  Bella Milano will receive its Buffalo Trace Single Barrel Bourbon and will celebrate with a launch party where folks can buy bottles and sample the bourbon in a cocktail party atmosphere.

On Friday, Nov. 10, the celebration hits its peak with a party at The Leclaire Room in Edwardsville.

The event at 600 Troy Road will feature The Robert Perry Band. Appetizers and bar service will be provided by Bella Catering.

More details will be available closer to the November event date.

About Bella Milano Edwardsville

The concept for Bella Milano was developed by friends Sam Guarino and Craig Kalogerou, who wanted to create an intimate dining atmosphere with elevated service that was family-friendly and suitable for various budget types, stated the release.

Bella Milano opened at 1063 S. State Route 157, Edwardsville, Dec. 3, 2003.

A second location opened in Springfield (4525 Wabash Ave.) in fall 2005. A third location, 455 Regency Park, OFallon, opened in May 2012.

Guarino died in March 2020. His wife, Debbie, co-owns the restaurant with Kalogerou. Guarinos son, Tom Guarino is the director of sales and hospitality for the restaurants.

Hours in Edwardsville and Springfield are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

OFallon hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Indoor dining, curbside pickup and carryout options are available in Edwardsville and OFallon.

Dinner service starts at 3 p.m. at all locations.

For more information about Bella Milano, visit bellamilanos.com.
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  The city of Tijuana is reminding its own police force and other law enforcement in the state that they cant turn migrants over to immigration officials for the purpose of apprehension or detention.

Enrique Lucero, Tijuanas director of Migrant Affairs spoke with reporters on Wednesday to discuss Mexican federal law pertaining to immigrants rights when stopped by local and state police.

We have not gotten any complaints from migrants or local residents about this, but its good to remind people about what the law says, he said.

Lucero emphasized that the role of the police department is to provide support and protection for migrants and to guide them to city or state services and support agencies.

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13 Mauritanian migrants mistakenly arrested in Tijuana

In terms of children or unaccompanied minors, officers are to take them to our offices, or in cases like the migrant campsite at the border from a few years ago, officers must protect and provide safety for the children, he said. Theres no instance where a migrant is to be turned over to the National Institute of Migration.

Lucero said there are legal pathways for migrants to pursue if they feel a public safety agency is responsible for their detention at an immigration facility.

If a municipal or state police officer was involved, its important to file a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission; its important to document these cases, said Lucero. Our work with the city is not just about protecting the community, but migrants as well. We want to make sure our police officers are doing work to affirm our city doesnt discriminate against anyone.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

Considering that some police officers did not behave the way they are supposed to when migrant caravans arrived in 2018 and 2019, Lucero stated he can understand why some migrants might not believe the city has their best intentions in mind.

On behalf of the mayor, I want to emphasize that we welcome anyone to our city, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
(Bloomberg) -- Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blasted opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Galvezs business-friendly proposals for the energy industry, saying he opposes privatizing state-owned oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos.

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Lopez Obrador, who was banned by the countrys electoral institute from naming Galvez in his press conferences after a complaint that his mentions were gender violence, referred to her as the lady.

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That lady says shell privatize Pemex. That helps me with the people, AMLO, as the president is known, said. I dont believe in privatizing Pemex or the energy industry. That model of privatization was a synonym of corruption.

Galvez told Bloomberg News in an interview Thursday that if elected, she would undertake a sweeping reform of state oil firm Pemex, opening the energy sector to private investment and supercharging renewables. While she didnt commit to privatizing the highly-indebted company, she said a model like Brazils Petrobras, which is publicly traded despite being government-controlled, could work for the Mexican producer.

Read More: Mexicos Maverick Ms. X Adopts Pragmatism in Presidential Bid

Lopez Obradors nationalistic energy policy, which includes the cancellation of oil exploring rounds for private companies, has been one of the most characteristic features in his five years in government. Mexico is holding general elections on June 2, with Galvez becoming the most immediate threat to the ruling partys attempt to remain in power for another term.

--With assistance from Amy Stillman.

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Claudia Sheinbaum speaks after being elected to be the MORENA party candidate for the upcoming national presidential elections, during an event in Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexicos ruling party, Morena, has selected former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as its candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Sheinbaum, 61, will face Xochitl Galvez, a candidate for an opposition coalition made up of the PRI, PAN, and PRD parties  traditional competitors who have united to unseat Morena.

With both the ruling party and its main opposition choosing women candidates, it is certain that Mexico will elect its first woman president in 2024. Currently, polls favor Sheinbaum over Galvez, a former senator.

Senator Xochitl Galvez, opposition candidate for the presidential elections, high-fives a supporter during a political event at the Angel of Independence monument, in Mexico City, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The 2024 election will be held in June, with the winning candidate inaugurated in December. In Mexico, presidents serve a six-year term and cannot run for re-election.

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Sheinbaum grew up in Mexico City and studied physics and then environmental engineering at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). During her doctoral work, she spent four years at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, where she researched energy consumption trends in Mexico and other countries. She earned a Ph.D. from UNAM, where she later became a professor. She served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of the United Nations, as a part of the team that won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

When President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was mayor of Mexico City, he appointed Sheinbaum as environmental minister of the city. She would then become mayor of Mexico City, the first woman and the first Jewish person to serve in that role, in 2018, resigning in June of this year to run for the Morena presidential candidacy.

Presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, left, and Claudia Sheinbaum, coordinator of the Morena political party, hold hands at an event at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. The ruling MORENA party announced early this month Sheinbaum as its candidate for the upcoming Mexican presidential elections, but runner-up and former Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has said the process is marred with irregularities.

Sheinbaums main competition for the candidacy was Marcelo Ebrard , who served the Lopez Obrador administration as its foreign minister.

Ebrard criticized the partys selection, which is based on a series of internal polls, as reminiscent of the dedazo (hand-picked) used by presidents of the ruling PRI during most of the 20th century to hand-pick their successors.

Ebrard, unlike Morenas other pre-candidates, did not attend the meeting where Sheinbaums nomination was officially announced and it is unclear if he has plans to challenge her after initially calling for the partys polls to be redone.

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, left, and Mexico City's Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum shake hands during a news conference at a hotel in Mexico City, Sunday, June 11, 2023. Sheinbaum is now the ruling partys official candidate for the next presidential elections.

For her part, Sheinbaum accepted the nomination with confidence and called for party unity.

Today we have more freedom. Today we have a living movement that will continue working for the transformation of our country, Sheinbaum said in her acceptance speech Wednesday night.

There will be a (female) president and she will be from the Fourth Transformation, she added, referring to the title that Lopez Obrador uses for his administrations promises on reform and change.

Though she has presented herself as a candidate who will carry on Lopez Obradors legacy, Sheinbaum likely represents an important departure from the outgoing president, especially in the areas of energy and environmental policy.

While she has not openly criticized Lopez Obradors oil-centric energy investments, she is expected to focus more on renewable energy because of her background in environmental science.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Steinbaum vs Galvez: Race to become Mexico's first female president
By Kylie Madry

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Transportation has told Mexico that it will officially recover a U.S.-given air safety rating next week, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday, preempting the much-anticipated decision.

Mexico was downgraded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the Category 2 safety rating more than two years ago, pausing Mexican airlines' plans to expand new routes to its northern neighbor.

The FAA, responding to a request for comment on Lopez Obrador's remarks, said it continued to assist Mexico's civil aviation authority and it expected to conclude the process "in the near future."

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The downgrade was a major blow to national carriers, as U.S. airlines were able to scoop up market share. Mexico overhauled its civil aviation law, but faced several hurdles in recovering the Category 1 rating.

"This is good news," Lopez Obrador said in a regular morning press conference, explaining that Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena had been informed by the U.S. Department of Transportation of the upcoming decision. "All of the requirements have been met," he added.

In a June audit, the FAA raised concerns about Mexico's process for post-accident investigations and for carrying out medical exams for sector employees, meeting minutes obtained by Reuters showed.

The imminent upgrade to Category 1 comes as Lopez Obrador continues to criticize operations at the country's busiest airport and encourage airlines to move operations to a military-run airport, a flagship project he opened last year.

"There's space; there's no pretext" for airlines to not move flights to the newer AIFA," Lopez Obrador said, describing operations at the older, busier AICM airport as "very risky," without providing evidence.

Government-mandated flight cuts at AICM are set to take effect in January, slashing slots from 52 per hour to 43 per hour. Industry groups decried the move.

Transport options to the farther-away AIFA remain limited for residents of the capital, and a Reuters reporter found in an August visit that many storefronts past security remained vacant.

Carrier Aeromexico announced earlier this week it would increase its flights at the AIFA by 40% by October.

The flight cuts would also affect the usage tax collected from each passenger who travels through the AICM. The tax is currently used to pay off some $4.2 billion in outstanding bonds from the construction of an unfinished airport, which Lopez Obrador scrapped upon his election.

Ratings agency Fitch revised the outlook of the trust which manages the bonds, the Mexico City Airport Trust, to negative from stable earlier this week, citing concerns about the AICM's ability to address maintenance needs and passenger congestion.

Lopez Obrador slammed the ratings agency's decision on Friday, and said he could assure bondholders their investments were safe.

(Reporting by Kylie Madry; additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Edmund Blair and Aurora Ellis)
Miami-Dade Countys first budget over $11 billion advanced on Thursday with commissioners approving Mayor Daniella Levine Cava s 2024 spending plan, which has a slight reduction in the main property-tax rate, higher spending and projected shortfalls in the coming years.

The $11.7 billion budget won preliminary approval through a series of votes shortly before 11 p.m. The narrowest  legislation needed to implement a $38 increase in trash fees for the budget year that begins Oct. 1  passed 6 to 5.

Voting against were commissioners Kevin Cabrera, Rene Garcia, Roberto Gonzalez, Raquel Regalado and Anthony Rodriguez. Commissioners Danielle Cohen Higgins and Kionne McGhee left the chambers before that vote took place.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks to reporters after presenting her 2023 budget proposal at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami on Friday, July 15, 2022.

The budget proposal includes a 1% drop in the countywide property-tax rate, from $462 for every $100,000 of taxable value to $457. Rising real estate values helped allow Levine Cava to propose a lower rate and a 12% increase in spending, including a 3% increase in wages for most county workers.

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Long-term forecasts show current revenue levels may not be enough. The property taxes charged outside city limits to fund county municipal services falls $27 million short of expenses in 2025.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade has its first $11 billion budget. Why a lower tax rate wont cut spending

Commissioners took no action on most of the requests from about 150 public speakers who crowded the chambers at the Stephen P. Clark Center in downtown Miami and spoke for more than three hours.

Here are some of the main themes from the first budget hearing:

Housing assistance

Many speakers urged Miami-Dade to continue or expand grant programs for helping low-income residents fight evictions, pay utility bills and help with housing expenses.

I have the saddest address on the planet, Pedro Rafael Castro said when he took the microphone for the one minute given each person there to speak. Im living on the street.

Levine Cava has about $5 million in the 2024 budget for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded with a mix of county money and federal COVID dollars before it stopped taking applications at the start of 2023. Levine Cava said the money will cover about 1,800 existing applications still in the pipeline awaiting funding. Related programs offer mortgage assistance and help with utility bills.

Canvassers from Miami Workers are part of a $3 million effort to connect non-profit lawyers from Legal Services of Greater Miami with low-income tenants facing homelessness from potential evictions. Approved last year, Levine Cavas budget proposal has an additional $300,000 for the effort.

Engage Miami, an advocacy group, used the evening to pitch a $25 million Young Peoples Budget that included an additional $2 million for housing assistance and nearly $20 million to deal with climate-change issues, including expanding solar power and addressing flooding in low-income neighborhoods.

Multiple speakers shared their struggles living in Miami-Dade and the high cost of living that comes with it. Rosalyn LaRose spoke through a Creole translator when she described years waiting for an insurance payout on a storm-damaged roof that still leaks, and the difficulty of keeping up with a $1,000 mortgage when she cant work. I have arthritis, she said. I need assistance.

Spending on Animal Services

Supporters of the Pets Trust campaign wore red, urging a $10 million infusion to non-profits to jump start sterilization of dogs and cats as Miami-Dade faces surging numbers of homeless pets overwhelming capacity at the county shelter in Doral and a bare-bones auxiliary one in Medley. Rescue groups are bursting at the seams, Sharon Shaw told commissioners. If the mayor believes Miami-Dade animals are being treated well under her watch, think again.

A smaller group of speakers in white used their time to urge Levine Cava to reinstate Bronwyn Stanford, the Animal Services director suspended in July amid a slander lawsuit accusing her of lying about a shelter benefactor. Weve made huge progress, Janet Carabelli, the evenings first speaker after arriving at County Hall at 2 p.m. Lets empower and do more.

Levine Cavas proposed $37 million budget for Animal Services is in flux.

Janet Carabelli said she arrived at the Stephen P. Clark center at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, for Miami-Dade Countys first hearing on Mayor Daniella Levine Cavas 2024 budget proposal. She was the first of about 150 people to speak, advocating for funding for the Animal Services Department.

After the mayors budget proposal released in July called for spending about $2.6 million creating and running a dog sanctuary in the Redland, Levine Cava last week released a memo backing away from that plan. A third facility to house dogs would not be the most effective long-term solution to manage the large dog population and would likely reach capacity within a year, Levine Cava wrote. Some speakers urged Levine Cava not to spend the money on the sanctuary, saying it wouldnt provide long-term relief for the growing number of stray dogs in Miami-Dade.

Charity funding

Multiple non-profits also asked for financial help after Levine Cavas budget wiped out the grants provided in this years spending plan tied to a dwindling surplus of federal COVID dollars.

The Ladies Empowerment & Action Program received $200,000 this year from the Miami-Dade Rescue Plan, a Levine Cava initiative funded with federal COVID dollars. Next year, the plan has nothing for LEAP and its education programs for women leaving incarceration.

I want you know what your money bought, Mahlia Lindquist, the non-profits director, told commissioners. We have taught over 300 women in English and Spanish.

Curleys House, a food bank that delivers food to seniors, also lost out on a Rescue Plan grant in the 2024 budget. Founder Laverne Spicer asked commissioners for more funding in 2024 for a non-profit that can reach the countys oldest residents. Seniors are proud people, she said. Theyre not going to come to their doors and talk to anyone.

Changes sought in final version

Some of the requests could be addressed in the final version of the budget.

The final budget vote comes after a 5 p.m. public hearing on Sept. 21, and multiple commissioners said they planned on lobbying the mayor for changes in the final version her administration will release before that meeting.

We must begin working on a comprehensive plan to address the resurfacing of our roads and stormwater management, Commissioner Marleine Bastien said. Whenever it rains for a couple of hours, our streets become flooded. Some of us need boats to navigate.

Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez said he was concerned by the projected deficits in the $616 million budget for services in unincorporated Miami-Dade. We need to talk about that, he said. The budget mostly funds police patrols, a service set to transfer to an elected sheriff in 2025 once that position is revived under a state mandate.

Cabrera failed to win support from fellow commissioners for a 3% reduction in the countywide tax rate and joined Regalado and Garcia in voting against Levine Cavas proposed 1% decrease. That followed a brief dispute over the impact of a 3% cut for a tax that funds law enforcement. None of us are going to vote to defund the police, Chairman Oliver Gilbert said. Cabrera responded: Its not defunding the police.

Regalado urged the administration propose a targeted rebate program for homeowners. If we want to talk about keeping people in their homes, she said, we should send some of that money back.

Though he voted for Levine Cavas tax rate, Gonzalez said he wanted to see the budget shrink to ease how much homeowners pay the county.

Folks, when I talk to people in my community, theyre not seeing a 12% increase in services, he said. We cannot continue to fund government growth on the backs of the middle class.
A Miami-Dade woman is behind bars awaiting trial after police say she didnt allow her daughter outside their home, made her beg for food and didnt take the little girl to school for several years.

Kelli Mcgriff-Williams has been charged with child neglect with no great bodily harm. The 42-year-old remained without bond at the countys Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Thursday night.

On Aug. 26, police responded to Mcgriff-Williamss home in unincorporated Miami-Dade, where she lived with her daughter  now 9-years-old  to follow up on an investigation of the Florida Department of Children and Families, her arrest report states.

Due to Mcgriff-Williams altered mental state, she was involuntarily admitted to Jackson South Hospitals behavioral unit under Floridas Baker Act law, WPLG Local 10 News first reported.

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According to the officers investigation, the girls father said Mcgriff-Williams didnt allow her daughter to leave the residence and confined her to a bedroom the majority of the time.

The victim would have to beg to eat, and the defendant would not always provide food to the victim, Mcgriff-Williams arrest report revealed.

Mcgriff-Williams daughter had never been provided an education nor taken to a doctor, per the report.

The victim is unable to read and write, the report notes. The defendant has never taken the victim to a doctor, even when she has been very ill.

The girls father told investigators Aug. 30 that he had been attempting to gain custody of his daughter since 2017.

An official of a child protection team at the University of Miami interviewed the victim, concluding the case represents child neglect, medical neglect, mental injury and educational neglect, police noted.

On Sept. 1, police picked up Mcgriff-Williams from the hospital and took her to jail.
One of the largest school districts in America once again will prohibit recognition of LGBTQ+ History month.

The Miami-Dade County School Board for the second year in a row, voted 5-3 against the recognition in October. Members cited concerns over Floridas controversial dont say gay law.

There is a law on the books that is clear, said Danny Espino, School Board vice chair, during the meeting.

The Florida law prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, and Espino said he saw no way teachers could recognize the month without violating the law.

School Board member Lucia Baez-Geller, who has championed recognizing the month for years, told local news outlets she was saddened by the controversy.

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She worked to provide changes that left recognition out of instruction while still celebrating the contribution to society of LGBTQ individuals in history.

Its supposed to be something, a celebration, and endorsement, one of many, she told Miami ABC affiliate WPLG. She and two other members voted yes, but five School Board members voted no.

Baez-Geller said she had grown tired of Miami-Dade, the largest school district in Florida, sending so many tax dollars to Tallahassee to pay for censorship. She said its the vagueness of laws like dont say gay that are leading to districts and educators self-censoring.

Its part of a bigger picture, she said at the meeting. Its part of an anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and an agenda thats happening out of Tallahassee.

Board members heard 12 hours of testimony on the proposal, including from a mother who said LGBTQ people cant make children and are trying to indoctrinate others. The Miami Herald published photos of members of the Proud Boys wearing shirts that read shoot your local pedophile.

Some board members said ultimately, values around sexuality must be left to parents and out of schools. School Board member Mary Blanco said she wrestled over the issue and applauded Baez-Geller for trying to present a resolution that complied with the law, technically named the Parental Rights in Education law.

No matter how much you try to have those guardrails, inevitably things will spill into discussions in the classroom, which are also protected under the parental rights act, Blanco said. I do fear this places our district and our teachers at risk of litigation by parents or some kind of state sanction.
EAST LANSING  The Michigan State University Board of Trustees Friday in a split vote approved changes to its weapons policy that place further restrictions on on-campus firearm possession.

The ordinance revisions that passed in a 5-2 vote continues MSU's general prohibition on carrying weapons on campus, with exceptions for police or others specifically authorized to do so. Language from university ordinances saying no one shall possess a weapon "except as permitted by state law regulating firearms" was stricken, and replaced with an exception for those with concealed weapon permits who drive onto campus, as long as the weapon remains in their vehicle.

MSU spokesperson Dan Olsen said Thursday the changes "provide clarity" on the school's weapons policy.

Olsen said the exception allowed in the ordinance for motorists is "Designed for those traveling on campus to reach a final destination elsewhere." He added that motorists who park their vehicles on campus even if they remain in the vehicle would be in violation, and enforcement for anyone involved in a crash or who stopped their vehicle for a mechanical problem would be left to the discretion of law enforcement.

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Student activists had argued that section of the ordinance "except as permitted by state law regulating firearms" created a loophole that allows a member of the general public with a valid CCW permit to carry in outdoor public spaces on the sprawling campus.

Board of Trustees Chair Rema Vassar and Vice Chair Dan Kelly criticized the new policy, saying it afforded too much discretion to police officers who are charged with enforcing the ordinance.

There's going to be people that will not be arrested and people that will be arrested, and it won't be based upon this language. It will be based upon whether or not the police officer believes they're suspicious, and that's a bad look, said Kelly, the sole Republican member of the board.

Vassar said that while she didnt have concerns about MSUs police officers specifically, she had broader worried about bias among law enforcement.

Every single person in this room has biases and we cant all know them at any given moment, she said. We should try to take discretion out of these ordinances because we do know that folks have biases.

Kelly also stated plainly that he doesn't believe the ordinance will "have any impact on the safety of this campus."

Vassar referenced an incident in August where Lansing police were seen apprehending a young Black teen who had been taking out the trash and was wearing a similar clothing to a suspect in a vehicle theft.

"We do know that discretion has been an issue with police," she said. "We do know that we have certain populations who are policed in different ways."

Vassar clarified after the meeting that the regulation would prevent visitors, employees and contractors from leaving weapons in parked vehicles. To comply with the regulation, they would have to turn their firearms into MSU police upon arriving to campus, she said.

Vassar also said signs would be posted at campus entrances making it clear that firearms aren't allowed for the general population but she said she wasn't sure when those would be installed.

MSU employees, students, faculty and staff are prohibited from having a weapon on campus regardless of any permit.

The vote came seven months after a man killed three students and injured five others on campus.

MSU's firearm ordinance hasn't been amended since June 2009 and has long been discussed, and the timing of the new resolution is connected to a July 20 Michigan Court of Appeals ruling involving the University of Michigan's weapons policy, the board's agenda noted.

The appeals court ruling clarified public universities ability to regulate the possession and use of guns on their property. The ordinance now plainly states that the possession or use of any firearm or weapon is prohibited upon property governed by the Board.

Trustee Kelly Tebay credited student activists with keeping the issue at the forefront of the boards consideration while legal challenges to university firearm enforcement progressed through the courts.

They're the ones that brought this ordinance to me and subsequently continued to engage and educate us on why it was important to change this ordinance, she said. And I think obviously after what happened on February 13, it was even more important that we do this.

Marlon Lynch, vice president and chief safety officer, said Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane had said his office would consider charges based on the ordinance revisions. The previous prosecutor, Carol Siemon, previously had said her office would not enforce the charges if the amendment was implemented, Lynch said.

Lynch said the policy was similar to those enforced by other universities in the state.

Lynch was also asked by student liaison Hannah Jeffry whether the policy would have prevented the deaths of the three students in the Feb. 13 shooting. He said the shooters possession of a weapon on campus was already a criminal offense since he didnt have a concealed carry license.

Trustee Dennis Denno was not present at the meeting due to an illness.

Contact Sheldon Krause at skrause@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @sheldonjkrause.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State University further restricts weapons on campus in split vote
Mike Lindell in a deposition for a defamation lawsuit brought by former Dominion executive Eric Coomer. US District Court

Ex-Dominion executive Eric Coomer deposed Mike Lindell three times in a defamation lawsuit.

Lindell insulted him, his lawyers, the judge, and took a break to go on Steve Bannon 's podcast.

Coomer asked a judge to sanction him and provided footage of the depositions.

Over the past year, Mike Lindell sat for three depositions in a defamation lawsuit brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who was the subject of a false conspiracy theory that he was on an "Antifa conference call" to rig the 2020 election.

None of them went well.

Throughout the depositions, the MyPillow CEO called Coomer and his lawyer "criminals," "disgusting slime," and "evil" and rambled so much that the court reporter transcribing one deposition refused to show up the next day, according to court filings and deposition video and transcripts reviewed by Insider.

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During the final deposition, on August 23, Lindell left the room in the middle of questioning to call into Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast, where he hawked his company's pillows, sandals, and dog blankets.

"Well, Steve, I'm in the middle of a deposition for a big attack on MyPillow right now, and it's disgusting," Lindell told Bannon during the episode, before telling listeners they could get a discount on pillows with the promo code "WARROOM" for the company's 20th-anniversary sale.

"We have the MyPillow beds  the best beds in history," Lindell continued. "You haven't even heard about 'em yet."

"Mike Lindell, you're a patriot and a hero," Bannon responded. "Go back into your deposition and give them hell. Give them hell from the War Room."

When Lindell returned to the deposition, he insisted on keeping his cellphone with him, according to a filing from Coomer's legal team. When he stood up to take a call in the middle of questioning, Coomer's lawyers called it a day.

Mike Lindell in a deposition for a defamation lawsuit brought by former Dominion executive Eric Coomer. US District Court

"Dr. Coomer's counsel finally suspended the deposition when Mr. Lindell again stood up and walked out of the room to take a call, shouting that Dr. Coomer's counsel was a 'jerk' as he left," Coomer's lawyers wrote. "The video record of these events is provided herein and is demonstrably worse than any attempt to describe the conduct."

Lindell plans to go on the offense

The details of the depositions were recounted in a motion Coomer's attorneys filed Thursday asking a judge to sanction Lindell for his conduct.

The motion asked the judge to force Lindell to pay for all the costs associated with the depositions and to force him to sit in front of a judge for seven hours to finish answering questions.

Coomer asked for sanctions against Lindell alone and not his attorneys, noting that he "recognizes the challenges associated with representing such an unmanageable client."

"How do you guys sleep at night?" Lindell asked Coomer's lawyers in a March 9 deposition. "You obviously don't have a MyPillow. That's a fact."

In an interview with Insider on Friday, Lindell called Coomer's lawyers "creepy" and "evil."

"They're just frivolous, horrible, evil lawyers," he said. "I've done a lot of depositions and they're a different breed."

He said he had to take a personal "emergency call" before the deposition ended, and that Coomer's lawyers were aware it was coming. He also said the interview with Bannon was prescheduled.

"They scheduled this deposition. And I said, 'I have a podcast every day for 10 minutes,'" Lindell said.

Lindell also told Insider he plans to sue Coomer, and rattled off other purported litigation efforts to challenge election technology.

"We're going to file to get rid of the machines that goes in two counties in Texas," he said. "We're taking what's-her-name in Wisconsin."

Coomer's lawsuit against Lindell and two of his companies  MyPillow and social media platform FrankSpeech  is distinct from litigation brought by Dominion, which has also sued Lindell in a case that remains pending.

Following threats to his life because of conspiracy theories that he manipulated the election results, Coomer filed a hail of lawsuits against right-wing influencers and media organizations he claims defamed him. Newsmax and One America News have each settled lawsuits brought by Coomer.

Lindell has attempted to go on the offense with countersuits against both Dominion and Smartmatic, a rival election technology company, baselessly advancing voter fraud claims. A federal judge dismissed his counterclaims and sanctioned Lindell for frivolous filings.

Lindell says his pillow company has nothing to do with his election claims

In the Coomer case, Lindell has been "combative, vulgar, disrespectful, non-responsive, evasive, and consistently loud," using "rapid-fire filibusters" and refusing to answer questions during depositions, according to Coomer's lawyers.

"When reprimanded for his constant non-responsiveness, even by his own counsel, Mr. Lindell responded, 'I'm so sorry, Your Highness,' and continued with the exact same conduct," Coomer's lawyers wrote.

Lindell's speechifying during one deposition moved so fast that a court reporter transcribing it "refused to come back for a second day and had to be replaced," according to the sanctions filing.

Lindell insists he will win. In the March 8 deposition, he expressed frustration that US District Judge Nina Wang, who is overseeing the case, had permitted discovery to go forward without ruling on his motion to dismiss Coomer's lawsuit.

He said it was "disgusting to our country" that Wang allowed the depositions to take place, and said he was aware she would be able to see his comments.

"I got a problem with the judge not making a ruling," Lindell said. "So there. Now go ahead. Now that the judge has that on record, now you don't have to worry about what me and the judge think about each other." After the deposition, Wang denied Lindell's motion.

Lindell has argued against the premise that MyPillow  which has used discount codes like "Dominion" and other phrases he associates with his fight against election fraud  should be held liable for his own views on the 2020 election.

He also bemoaned his own reputation changing.

"I'm branded as now 'election,' not 'MyPillow guy," Lindell testified.

During the depositions, Lindell fiercely guarded his pillow company's brand and bristled at any suggestion that one of its latest products, the MyPillow 2.0, could be subpar.

When shown a customer complaint that referenced "lumpy pillows," he erupted at Coomer's attorney.

"You don't have a MyPillow 2, don't you?" Lindell snarled. "Asshole."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russia is accumulating its forces near the Luhansk Oblast village of Novoiehorivka in the Lyman direction, which is one of the epicenters of fighting on the eastern front, Eastern Force Grouping spokesperson Illia Yevlash said on Sept. 8.

"Now the enemy is accumulating all their forces there. They have prepared a strike force in that direction," Yevlash said on television.

According to the spokesperson, Ukrainian forces are holding back a heavy onslaught by Russian invaders, with tens of thousands of ammunition rounds fired at them every day.

Russia is reportedly consolidating forces from broken units, sending all military personnel, including signallers, into combat.

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Since July, the Ukrainian military has warned that Russia began accumulating a significant force around Lyman and Kupiansk. In late August, Yevlash reported that Russia had concentrated over 100,000 troops in the Kupiansk-Lyman direction in Kharkiv Oblast and Luhansk Oblast.

According to the U.K. Defense Intelligence, this is likely part of a Russian strategy to seize the initiative from Ukrainian forces, who are advancing on the southern front and around Bakhmut.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian forces took control of more than half of the village of Klishchiivka, located south of Bakhmut, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade Maksym Zhorin told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Sept. 8.

"There is still a small part (of the village), maybe a street and a half, which the enemy is trying to partially control, but they are not succeeding," Zhorin commented on the situation in the embattled Donetsk Oblast settlement.

"We have created such conditions in this direction that Russian forces are unable to properly use their equipment."

According to the officer, Ukrainian forces have destroyed almost all Russian equipment in this sector, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Those Russian vehicles that remain are not used or utilized only for transport or logistical purposes, he added.

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However, Zhorin stressed that air strikes remain a serious problem for Ukrainian troops, including drones, aircraft, and guided aerial bombs. Electronic warfare systems also pose challenges to Ukraine's defenders.

In close combat, Russian troops are unable to hold out and forced to retreat, the officer said.

The deputy commander also noted that Russian forces suffer heavy losses on a daily basis along the line of the villages of Klischchiivka, Andriivka, and Kurdiumivka, forcing them to withdraw from their positions.

At the same time, Russian troops are attempting to create new footholds. As a result of the fighting, all three villages have been completely destroyed in recent months, Zhorin revealed.

The area around Bakhmut is one of the main directions of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive. Kyiv has reported moderate but steady advances along the flanks of the occupied city.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on Sept. 4 that Ukraine has made gains near Klishchiivka, while Russian forces carried out unsuccessful attempts to take back lost positions near the said village, as well as at Kurdiumivka and Ozarianivka in an attempt to restrain the advance of Ukrainian troops toward Bakhmut.

Read also: New brigade bears heavy brunt of Russias onslaught in Kharkiv Oblast

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Two teens have been arrested in connection with an April drive-by shooting that left one person dead and another injured.

Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Willistons Levern Glover, 18, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy and three counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The sheriff said Bambergs Drevon Owens, 19, has been charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal conspiracy.

A release from the sheriffs office said a third person wanted in the case is being held on charges in another state, and will eventually be brought back to South Carolina to face charges.

On April 9, a 15-year-old was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting outside of a motel on St. Matthews Road in Orangeburg, the sheriffs office said. A 14-year-old also was wounded in the shooting. Witnesses said gunfire erupted from a red sedan just before noon that day, according to the sheriff.

This is truly mind boggling as to why someone would commit such a senseless act, Ravenell said in a statement. You know we are going to find you. We will not give up until you are brought to justice to face your crimes.
A 69-year-old Key Largo, Florida retired doctor was ruled not a danger to the community, and cash bail was set at $200,000, after a Plymouth District Court detention hearing on Thursday, according to a statement from Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois.

Scott Anthony Burke was arraigned on Nantucket on charges of trafficking cocaine, possession to distribute class A drug, possessing a firearm without a firearm identification card, possessing ammunition without a firearm identification card, and two charges of possessing a large-capacity firearm.

Henry Brennan, a lawyer for Burke, said in an email to the Times, that they "were grateful for the court's careful consideration" and called himself "disappointed by the misguided charges."

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"Mr. Burkes only transgression was to extend himself selflessly to help others and place himself in a vulnerable position. His grace is not surprising to those who best know him," said Brennan in the email. "Some of the reporting attempting to character assassinate him relying on baseless claims and unnamed sources that have no attachment to reality is cowardly and gutless. I believe in Mr. Burkes innocence."

Brennan said his client's "lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes and the betterment of others best reflect his immaculate character and the person that he is."

A woman needs medical help on a boat in Nantucket Harbor

On Tuesday at 7:47 a.m., Nantucket police received a call about a woman needing medical assistance on a boat in Nantucket Harbor, according to the police department's Facebook page.

The Nantucket police with help from the Nantucket harbormaster's office, U.S. Coast Guard Station Brant Point, and the Nantucket fire department found the 80-foot yacht and located the woman who had called, and also identified Burke, who was onboard, as the owner of the boat.

The woman was transported to Nantucket Cottage Hospital by the Nantucket harbormaster's office and the Nantucket Fire Department. Burke was arrested by Nantucket police and charged with two counts of possession of a firearm without a license, according to the police Facebook post.

Nantucket police and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents continued an investigation, and Burke then faced further charges.

At the Thursday hearing, Judge James Sullivan denied the commonwealth's request to hold Burke as a danger and imposed the $200,000 cash bail related to all charges.

Burke is expected back in court for a probable cause hearing on Oct. 2 in Nantucket District Court.

The district attorney's office said Thursday afternoon it would make no further comment on the pending charges against Burke.

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Judge sets $200K bail for retired doctor after arrest on Nantucket
Stephane Deneve might be alone in this opinion, but he thinks summer break is too long.

The world renowned conductor is on the heels of his inaugural season as the artistic director of the New World Symphony, Miamis prestigious three-year fellowship program and ensemble for young musicians. He cant wait to get started.

I feel impatient, Deneve said during a recent video call. I cant wait to meet the new fellows.

Deneve, an acclaimed French classical music conductor, is only the second artistic director in New Worlds 36-year history. Michael Tilson Thomas, the symphonys co-founder and internationally acclaimed conductor, announced last year that he would step down from the artistic director role due to health concerns. While this is Deneves first full season at the symphonys helm, he made his debut as artistic director with a concert in April.

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With over 1,200 alumni sharing their art and a strong and vital future secured for the institution, I feel we have realized our dream, Tilson Thomas said in a statement after Deneves appointment was announced last year. How reassuring to know that Stephane Deneve will carry that dream forward.

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the New World Symphony on May 6, 2022. Tilson Thomas stepped down as the symphonys artistic director due to health concerns.

New World Symphonys reputation undoubtedly proceeds itself, as its alumni go on to perform around the world. In fact, Deneve held up his phone to his computer camera to show a group photo he took with former fellows at a music festival. Just about anywhere he travels, he runs into alumni, he said.

This job is a responsibility Deneve does not take lightly.

New World Symphony is a pipeline for so many orchestras all over the world, he said. It is therefore, for me, a huge responsibility to help the new generation musically but also in their attitude, in their values and their understanding of what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.

And Deneve plans on taking a 21st century approach to his tenure at New World Symphony, following Tilson Thomas lead. He looks forward to experimenting with performances, connecting with the community and championing music he hopes will be the new classics. The symphonys 2023-24 season kicks off with a concert Sept. 16.

That is what is so exciting, he said. The New World Symphony is forever new.

The boy in the chapel

Deneves story begins in a small city in the north of France, just on the border of Belgium. It wasnt supposed to end up like this in Miami Beach.

This life is a permanent bonus that I was not supposed to have, Deneve said.

His great grandfather worked in construction, his grandfather worked in construction, his father worked in construction. And that was the pattern Deneve would have continued.

But one day, as a little boy attending a Catholic school, he hid in the chapel as a nun played an organ. The nun noticed him and asked, What are you doing? He responded, I am listening.

The nun offered him lessons and noticed his musical talent. She suggested to his parents to send him to the conservatoire, a music school. He became a pianist and eventually took up conducting. He conducted his first piece during a concert on his 14th birthday.

Thanks to music, I went to Paris. I was the very first in the family to move from the village, he said. And I started to meet incredible people. And I started to learn amazing things.

An impressive career ensued.

He was the principal guest conductor for The Philadelphia Orchestra, chief conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic, chief conductor of Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He regularly conducts the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony and, of course, the New World Symphony. Deneve has also worked with young musicians at Tanglewood Music Center in Boston, the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Stephane Deneve conducting in France at age 20.

Deneve also serves as the music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He still lives in St. Louis with his family, and plans to regularly travel to Miami Beach. He doesnt plan on relocating while his 15-year-old daughter is still in school.

On a personal level, Deneve, who is 51, said his tenure at New World Symphony has given him a sense of purpose in my life. He especially looks forward to being an educator.

I have the incredible opportunity to influence and try to help the new generation of musicians, he said. Im humbled by it, but I feel really a sense of purpose. This is my mission. This is what Im doing with my life.

Break that fourth wall

Before every concert at New World Center, the symphonys campus and concert hall, hundreds of music fans gather outside to get a nice spot at the park to watch the Wallcast, the free live broadcast of the show projected onto the outside wall.

Years before his appointment as artistic director, Deneve had returned to Miami Beach to perform with the symphony as a guest conductor. Musicians tend to walk around the massive crowd outside and head straight to the stage door, said Howard Herring, New World Symphonys president and CEO. Its faster that way.

That is not Stephanes way, Herring said. Deneve walked through the crowd, introducing himself to people and shaking hands. It took him about 20 minutes to make it to the front door, Herring recalled.

He is about community, Herring said. Hes about getting to know people in the community, and getting them to know him and his commitment to the joy of making music.

The New World Symphonys WALLCASTs fill the park outside the New World Center on Miami Beach with viewers.

Deneves eagerness to engage with audiences was one of several reasons why he was chosen to succeed the symphonys co-founder, Herring said. He added that the symphonys board was also taken by Deneves digital point of view and his deep understanding of Tilson Thomas vision.

Each year, New World Symphony graduates a third of its musicians to welcome a new cohort. The impact an artistic director, like Tilson Thomas or Deneve, would have on a fellow in their early 20s cannot be overstated, Herring said.

This industry is competitive. Just preparing for an audition for a slot at an orchestra is as intense as a law student studying for the bar exam or a medical student entering a residency program. And the audition process is nerve wracking, as hundreds of aspiring musicians vie for the same opportunity.

Its a grueling thing. You need confidence, Herring said. And one of the ways you get confidence is to play this music under the most demanding conditions, i.e. in public on a weekly basis, with someone whos going to guide you. When you walk into that audition, you can remember that Stephane Deneve or Michael Tilson Thomas has looked you in the eye and said, That was beautiful. That was excellent. You have a level of confidence that others dont.

And on top of all of that, Herring said, Deneve is passionate about his craft.

Caleb Breidenbaugh, a second-year percussion fellow at New World Symphony, saw that passion years ago when he was still a student at Temple University in Philadelphia. Deneve would perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra as a principal guest conductor, and his love for music -- and for connecting with audiences -- was undeniable, Breidenbaugh said.

As an audience member and now as a fellow, Breidenbaugh said he appreciates the time Deneve takes during concerts to address the audience candidly and explain the story behind music the orchestra was playing, who composed it and why it was important.

Thats really significant, actually, Breidenbaugh said. To break that fourth wall and really invite the audience into what were doing.

Each conductor has their own style, Breidenbaugh said. Some are extremely granular, others allow musicians to have more leeway in their interpretation of the music. Deneve is able to strike a balance, both as a conductor with an artistic vision and as an educator eager to share tidbits with fellows. He leads by lending us his artistic vision, but he wont try to do our job for us, Breidenbaugh said.

In rehearsals, Deneve discerns which details need to be nitpicked over to achieve the sound he is looking for, even if its something as simple as the way Breidenbaugh strikes a triangle.

The moments that he chooses to be particular about is a testament to his study, his expertise and the depth of his vision that he has for the art that were creating, Breidenbaugh said. There are some details that really tie a piece of art together, and those are the things that hell get particular about. But hes letting people be who they are as musicians.

The 21st century orchestra

The opening concert on Sept. 16 will be a glimpse into the symphonys future under Deneves leadership. The shows program is what he calls an homage to the color blue.

Deneve was inspired by the blue that surrounds New World Symphony. The ocean, the sky, the centers seating, even Tilson Thomas glasses.

The future is blue at the New World Symphony, he said. Its full of hope.

The sea-faring show opens with Adolphus Hailstorks An American Port of Call, which will be conducted by Molly Turner, New World Symphonys first female conducting fellow. The program continues with Escales (Ports of Call), Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes and ends with Claude Debussys La mer.

For the final performance, Deneve planned an experimental visual component of atmospheric video art to play along with the music. The visual component consists of paintings that Debussy himself loved, Deneve said.

All of that is an experiment to not disturb the listening but to enhance the listening, and that is really a very difficult thing to do, Deneve said. Im very, very happy that the New World Symphony is a lab where everything is possible.

Conductor Stephane Deneve

Experimentation will be a major theme throughout Deneves tenure, from collaborating with other arts organizations to exploring social media and community outreach with the fellows. For Deneve, experimenting is about having an open attitude toward music, and he wants the fellows to be curious.

When youre a young musician you are very focused on the excellence of your playing, your virtuosity and your instrument, he said. But I like to experiment always about what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.

One of his (many) goals at New World Symphony is to make sure the fellows know that when they follow their passions, incredible things are possible.

I feel so privileged , Deneve said. I am proof that when you love something very strongly, it can enhance your life every strongly.

New World Symphony season opener concert

When: Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Where: New World Center, 500 17th Street, Miami Beach

Info: https://www.nws.edu

This story was produced with financial support from The Perez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi Democrats on Thursday named attorney Ty Pinkins as their new nominee for secretary of state to replace a candidate who left the race because of health problems.

Pinkins will face Republican incumbent Michael Watson in the Nov. 7 general election.

Pinkins was already running a different statewide campaign, challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker in the 2024 election.

During a news conference Thursday on the steps of the state Capitol, Pinkins said Mississippi has restrictive and confusing voting laws because of Watson and other Republicans.

Republican lawmakers and state leaders have carefully gerrymandered and redrawn districts to limit the voting strength of minority and poor communities, said Pinkins, a military veteran. Theyve refused to allow online registration and early voting. Theyve made it cost-prohibitive and sometimes impossible to vote absentee, even with a valid reason.

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Democratic nominee for Mississippi secretary of state withdraws campaign amid health issues

Watson is an attorney and served three terms in the Mississippi Senate before he won the open race for secretary of state in 2019.

The Associated Press sent Pinkins statements to Watson by email and text message Thursday, seeking response. A spokesperson for Watson said the secretary of state was traveling and unable to respond but would be available for an interview next week.

Shuwaski Young had been unopposed for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, but he recently announced he was leaving the race because of a hypertensive crisis that was limiting his ability to campaign.

Two of three members of the state Board of Election Commissioners voted Wednesday to accept Youngs departure and to let Democrats name a new nominee. Watson is on the commission but did not participate in the decision.

Watson had nearly $884,000 in his campaign fund in July. The secretary of states website showed no campaign fund for Pinkins as of Thursday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
A mother is accused of running over her son with her car as he chased after her, California police say.

Melissa Damron, 42, locked her 6-year-old son out of the car in the morning of Aug. 22, the Corona Police Department said in a Sept. 7 news release. He then chased after her as she drove away from their Corona home, police said

He tried to open her car door as Damron continued driving, police said. The boy then fell into the roadway, where he was run over by the car, according to police.

The boy was taken to a hospital, where he later died, according to police.

Police said evidence showed Darmon was aware the boy was close enough to the vehicle to present a hazard, and she drove with gross negligence, causing her sons death.

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Neither drugs nor alcohol played a factor in the incident, according to police.

Police said they arrested Damron on Sept. 7 and she is facing charges of vehicular manslaughter and child endangerment.

Damron was released from custody after posting a $50,000 bail, according to police.

Police said they forwarded the case to the Riverside County District Attorneys Office.

Corona is about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Mom accused of strangling her 13-year-old son to death in bed, Florida sheriff says

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Mom in custody dispute kills young son, teen daughter and herself, Florida cops say
The Russian Air Force has withdrawn almost all of its aircraft stationed in Belarus, leaving behind only one Su-25 attack plane, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported on Sept. 8.

According to the anti-government group, Russia pulled back its aviation group on Aug. 5.

A total number of 11 helicopters, including four Mi-8 and seven Mi-24, reportedly flew from Machulishchy to Seshcha in Russia's Bryansk Oblast.

Nine Su-34 and Su-30SM jets were also re-deployed from Baranavichy airfield back to Russia, according to Belarusian Hajun.

Most of the departing helicopters and planes have reportedly been stationed in Belarus since January 2023. As of Sept. 1, only one Su-25 jet, which flew to Machulishchy on July 25 and then to Lida on Aug. 31, remains in the country, the group said.

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Russia used the Belarusian territory, with the approval of Alexander Lukashenko 's regime, to launch an unsuccessful offensive against Ukraine from the north last year, hoping to capture the capital of Kyiv.

Recently, the number of Russian troops stationed in the country was steadily decreasing and in July, Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had withdrawn almost all of its troops.

Belarus became a host to a number of Wagner Group mercenaries, who arrived following their short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in late June. Although reports emerged that the contractors began to depart following their boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's death in a plane crash on Aug. 23, Minsk denied these claims, saying that the mercenaries will remain.

Read also: Lukashenko admits Russian troops invaded Ukraine through Belarus in 2022

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More than a half of the Wagner Group camp in the settlement of Tsel, Belarus, has been dismantled. The work is ongoing.

Source: Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet, on Telegram

Quote from Belaruski Hajun: "The active dismantling of tents, which began on 28 July, is underway in the Wagner Group camp in the settlement of Tsel near Asipovichy. Our data says the camp had about 292 tents (including tents for household needs) at the beginning of the dismantling, and at the moment, they have already dismantled more than 160 units, i.e. 55%".

Details: Reportedly, more than 60 tents have been removed since the last satellite images were taken on 23 August. The most active period of dismantling fell at the end of August.

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As of 8 September, the Wagner Group camp has about 130 tents, or about 45% of the initial number.

In June, Belaruski Hajun reported that 8,000, or even 10,000 Wagner fighters would come to Belarus. Accordingly, the camp was built based on this number.

Presumably, the tents are being dismantled because they have proved unnecessary, as fewer mercenaries have arrived than expected.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A motorcyclist has critical injuries Friday after a crash on 71 Highway in Kansas City, police say.

Officers were called to 71 Highway and 59th Street around 11 a.m. Friday for a reported injury crash.

Independence police search for missing 44-year-old woman

Police determined the driver of a Kia Sorento minivan was headed northbound on 71 Highway when it failed to stop at a red light. KCPD said the minivan hit a Suzuki motorcyclist who was driving westbound on 59th Street.

First responders took the motorcyclist to the hospital in critical condition. The minivan driver was not injured.

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Police closed 71 Highway to all traffic for over an hour, but the highway has since reopened.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Police say a car thief dressed in an Enterprise uniform to steal an SUV off an Enterprise lot and tried to take a car from Hertz at the Memphis airport.

Detectives with the Auto Theft Task Forces said Charles Lanos, 24, and Blake Bolton, 20, worked as a team to steal a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee from the Enterprise in the 2000 block of Airways last month.

They said three days later, the men abandoned the Jeep at Mendenhall and Sparks after they ran out of gas and tried to drive a Nissan Altima off the Hertz Rental lot in the 3600 block of Airways the same day.

ATTF detectives said both times, Lanos wore an Enterprise shirt provided to him by Bolton to go unnoticed. He said Bolton also gave him a fraudulent Enterprise work order to use.

Lanos told police after he took the Jeep from Enterprise, he drove it down the street, where Bolton took possession of the vehicle.

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Investigators said a Hertz employee stopped Lanos from taking the Altima off their lot. The employee said Lanos told him he was there to pick up a car for Enterprise and gave him some paperwork he realized was fake.

The Hertz worker said after he told Lanos he could not take the car, he tried to hide his face, got out of the vehicle, and ran.

Police said Bolton got the Enterprise shirt and work order from a relative, who was recently fired from the company, and the relative drove Lanos to the Enterprise lot. No word if the relative is facing any charges.

The latest crime numbers from the Memphis Data Hub show so far this year, 11,286 vehicles have been reported stolen in the Memphis area. That compares to 6,080 auto thefts during the same period in 2022.

Lanos was released from jail on a $1,500 bond, and Bolton was released on his own recognizance.

Bolton was booked back in the Shelby County Jail on Thursday after he was charged with another theft. Police said Bolton was caught on camera at around 2:30 a.m. trying to slip under the gate at FedEx Express with two stolen iPhones.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) shot back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after the congresswoman attacked Buck over his response to a letter about alleged poor jail conditions for Jan. 6 defendants that she called factually wrong and completely out of touch.

When youve got people that care more about their social media accounts then about the Constitution, you have a real problem in Congress, Buck said in a radio interview Thursday.

On Tuesday, Greene said she was appalled by Bucks response to the letter, which she claims shows that he believes the Jan. 6 defendants held in the D.C. Jail are being treated fairly.

Ken Bucks letter to Mr. Watkins of the El Paso County GOP appeared to show full support of Bidens Weaponized Government and a total disconnect from the cruel reality of J6 defendants and the American people, she said.

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Greene has visited the jail multiple times and repeatedly said the Jan. 6 defendants conditions are poor and illegal.

In the Thursday interview, Buck called out Greene for not having the legal expertise to make such claims.

When I was teaching law school, I learned and taught certain constitutional principles. When Marjorie Taylor Green was teaching CrossFit, she learned a whole different set of values, evidently, he said.

Because my idea of what this country should be like is based on the Constitution. And she sees the world differently, Buck added.

In her attacks, Greene questioned Bucks support of important party issues, claiming that he did not support former President Trump because Buck voted to certify the 2020 elections and that he has not supported an impeachment inquiry for President Biden.

Buck said that the Constitution requires Congress to certify the election votes, and that Greenes attempts to impeach Biden are merely a political exercise.

He is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a right-wing group of which Greene was a prominent member until she was forced out in July. She has since sworn off the group.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A study estimated the direct economic contribution of tribal governments to be nearly $900 million in 2019, directly employing nearly 20,000 workers.

In 2010, my partner and I were approached by the Cherokee Nation to estimate its economic impact. That project led to an unexpected 13-year career specializing in tribal economics as tribal requests kept coming. The high demand for such studies is understandable given that public information about tribal economies was previously nonexistent. Ive had the opportunity to estimate the impact of all tribal activity in the state on three separate occasions: 2012, 2019 and 2022. I would like to share some of the things that Ive learned.

Tribes are sovereign nations that exist within the boundaries of the United States. Tribal government activities provide one source of tribal economic impact. Tribal governments provide programs and services to their citizens, including health care, education, workforce development and many others. And as governments, they have executive, legislative and judicial responsibilities. We estimated the direct economic contribution of tribal governments to be nearly $900 million in 2019, directly employing nearly 20,000 workers.

More: Clash over jurisdiction: What tribal leaders, Gov. Stitt, others say will move Oklahoma forward

Tribal government programs and services yield cost savings to the state and enhance future economic growth. Consider health care for low-income tribal citizens. The federal Medicaid program provides health insurance for low-income people, with costs being shared by the federal and state governments. However, when tribal Medicaid patients receive care at tribal health facilities, the federal government pays the entire cost. In 2019, the state share of Medicaid costs was 37%. According to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, tribal health facilities were reimbursed $232 million for Medicaid-insured patients. With the federal government paying the entire cost for these patient visits, the state saved $86 million. Similar savings occur every year. Other savings occur from tribal funded programs that enhance the workforce, provide family support and education funding.

Cherokee Nation Film Office, pictured in March, celebrated the opening of the Cherokee Film Studios, Owasso Campus, with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony in July 2022. The tribes state-of-the-art facility was the first of its kind in Oklahoma and Indian Country. It features groundbreaking technology, including an xR, or extended reality, virtual production LED volume studio crafted with industry-leading software and hardware technologies.

Tribal businesses are another source of economic impact. Gaming is the most significant source, but tribes are diversifying their business operations each year.

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For example, the Cherokee Nation has invested heavily in the film industry, creating a film office to develop Native American talent, building media facilities that can accommodate local production and even providing $1 million in film incentives to attract productions to Oklahoma.

The Choctaw Nation has invested in drone technology and was selected to participate in the FAAs unmanned aircraft systems pilot program. These are just two examples from a list that is too lengthy to mention here. We estimated that tribal businesses employed 34,572 workers and had revenues of $7 billion in 2019.

The Choctaw Nation's drone ranch in southeastern Oklahoma.

Tribes also spend significant dollars on capital projects every year. The Muscogee Nation community hospital in Okemah, the Cheyenne and Arapaho George Hawkins Memorial Treatment Center in Clinton, and the Citizen Potawatomi Iron Horse Industrial Park in Shawnee are notable examples. With funding from the federal Tribal Transportation Program, tribes also fund road and bridge projects that benefit all Oklahomans. Examples include a 2.7-mile asphalt overlay road project near Cyril High School in Caddo County, the reconstruction of 3.4 miles of Route 0188 in Ottawa County, and the replacement of a structurally deficient bridge on old U.S. 75 in Okmulgee County. Oklahoma taxpayers get the benefit of these federally funded projects without incurring costs to the state. We estimated that tribes spent $46 million on road and bridge projects and $284 million on other capital projects in 2019.

Production ramps up Aug. 14 at the Canoo electric vehicle manufacturing plant in west Oklahoma City.

How much would the state be willing to offer to bring the tribes to Oklahoma today? The recent courtship of Canoo can provide guidance. An Aug. 14, Canoo news release stated that it will receive $113 million in incentives over 10 years. Canoo estimates they will employ 1,300 workers in their Pryor and Oklahoma City facilities. This implies that the state is willing to pay $86,923 per job for 10 years of employment. At this rate, we can estimate the state would be willing to pay over $4.7 billion in incentives to attract the tribes 54,200 jobs. And the tribes wont be lured by another state offering incentives tomorrow.

I failed to mention that some Canoo funding is being provided by the Cherokee Nation. The tribes provide great value to the state.

Kyle Dean

Kyle Dean is a professor of economics and director of the Native American and Urban Studies Center at Oklahoma City University's Meinders School of Business.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tribal government programs and services yield cost savings to Oklahoma
MUNCIE, Ind.  A Muncie man has failed in a bid to have his convictions stemming from an October 1999 homicide set aside.

In July 2000, a Delaware Circuit Court 3 jury found Michael L. Bruno, now 46, guilty of murder and three counts of criminal recklessness in the slaying of 28-year-old Julian Brown of Gary.

City police said four Muncie men  including Bruno  who had been denied entry to a party at an "unofficial" fraternity house, near the Ball State University house, later returned to the house, along West Bethel Avenue, with firearms. Gunshots were fired through the home's walls, wounding three people and killing Brown.

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In June, Judge Linda Ralu Wolf  successor to Robert Barnet Jr., the judge who presided over Bruno's trial in 2000  conducted a hearing on a petition for post-conviction relief filed by Bruno in December 2021.

in a ruling made on Aug. 23  a week before she retired as judge  Wolf rejected Bruno's motion.

More: Muncie man convicted in 1999 slaying claims witnesses were 'coerced'

The judge ruled that more recent accounts provided by co-defendants that recanted earlier testimony "to be not credible or worthy of belief."

Wolf also rejected Bruno's claim that he had received ineffective representation at his trial from his attorney, Darnail Lyles. The judge concluded Lyles did not have a conflict of interest in the case, as Bruno had claimed.

Wolf noted while Lyles  as a student in law school in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s  had joined Kappa Alpha Phi fraternity, he was not acquainted with any local members of the fraternity who were at the Muncie shooting scene.

The judge concluded that Lyles was "a seasoned, accomplished and experienced trial lawyer skilled in the art of criminal defense."

Bruno, incarcerated at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, has a projected release date in February 2040, according to a state Department of Correction website.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Judge rejects bid for new trial by Muncie man convicted in '99 murder
Musk acknowledges he turned off Starlink internet access last year during Ukraine attack on Russia military

Elon Musk on Thursday acknowledged turning off internet access from his Starlink satellites during a Ukrainian raid last year on a Russian naval fleet, saying he did so to prevent SpaceX from being complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.

Musk responded on his social media platform X to new details from an upcoming book that indicated he ordered his engineers to shut off communications network before the attack off the Crimean coast.

There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol, Musk wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation, Musk wrote.

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An excerpt about the raid from American author and journalist Walter Isaacson s upcoming biography on Musk, titled Elon Musk, was published by CNN.

Ukrainian submarine drones loaded with explosives were approaching a Russian naval fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol when they lost connection and washed ashore harmlessly, according to Isaacson.

Musk was concerned about Russia responding to the naval attack with a nuclear weapon, Isaacson wrote in the book, according to CNN. Ukrainian officials begged him to turn the service back on, but he declined to do it for the Crimea incident.

Starlink has been an incredibly important service for Ukrainian troops in the war against Russia. Musk provided the service to Kyiv in early 2022 after Russia disrupted Ukraines communications systems.

Still, the billionaire has questioned his involvement in the war, according to Isaacson.

How am I in this war? Musk asked Isaacson, per CNN. Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.

Earlier this year, Musk also stressed on X that he reserved the right to turn off the service if needed but claimed he had never done so.

SpaceX commercial terminals, like other commercial products, are meant for private use, not military, but we have not exercised our right to turn them off, he wrote in February. Were trying hard to do the right thing, where the right thing is an extremely difficult moral question.

Musk was an early supporter of Ukraine who challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to a duel shortly after the Russian invasion. He has since, however, floated peace plans to end the war that enraged Ukrainian supporters.

Musk last fall also said he could not keep funding Starlink in Ukraine and requested the Pentagon pick up the tab, but eventually relented. However, the Pentagon announced in June that it was paying for Starlink service in Ukraine.

Isaacson is the author of biographies on Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. His new biography Elon Musk is set to be released Sept. 12.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
East Asia understands difficulty of development, value of peace -- Chinese premier

Xinhua) 09:53, September 08, 2023

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the 18th East Asia Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

JAKARTA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that East Asia is fully aware of the difficulties of development, the necessity of openness and the value of peace.

While addressing the 18th East Asia Summit, Li noted that in recent decades, East Asia has seized the opportunities of the times amid waves of economic globalization, firmly embarked on the right path of open development and win-win cooperation, and thus become an important engine for world development.

He added that the region also well understands that unity means prosperity and division entails decline.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Elon Musk denied that Starlink shut down in Crimea, but also refused Ukraine's request for activation in an attack on Russian Black Sea fleet

The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, wrote on X (Twitter) on Sept. 8.

Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his companys Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet, according to an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacsons new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled Elon Musk., CNN reported on Sept. 7.

Read also: Pentagon contracts SpaceX to supply Starlink terminals to Ukraine

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Musk acknowledged he had refused Ukraines emergency request for the activation all the way to Sevastopol. The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.

Musk posted a series of controversial tweets in Oct. 2022 suggesting to vote for his "peace plan" of Russias war against Ukraine. Options included territorial concessions to Russia, so-called "referendums" in temporarily occupied regions, Crimea water supply guarantees, and Ukraines "neutrality". The tweets sparked outrage among Ukrainian and foreign politicians, journalists, and activists. After the scandal, Musk stated that he still strongly supported Ukraine but feared escalation of the conflict with Russia, which he said introduces risks of an all-out nuclear war.

Read also: Responding to criticism from US horror writer King, Musk says hes already donated $100 million to Ukraine

Musk promoted his "peace plan" for Ukraine at conferences and in discussions with participants from analytical centers and "hinted at contacts with the Kremlin," CNN reported, citing sources.

Musk had spoken with Russian President Putin before his controversial peace plan tweets, reported Vice Media Group, citing American political scientist and the Eurasia Group president, Ian Bremmer.

Musk denied this, claiming he had not spoken to Putin in over a year and a half and that their conversations were about space issues. In Aug., The New Yorker, citing Colin Kahl, a senior Pentagon official, reported that Elon Musk had indeed spoken to the Russian President by phone in 2022.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Elon Musk denied that he had Starlink satellite communications deactivated near Crimea last year to disrupt a Ukrainian drone attack against Russian military ships, saying that they had not been active in this region in the first place.

However, Musk also said he had received a request "from government authorities" to activate Starlink, operated by his spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, "all the way to Sevastopol." He didn't specify who exactly had sent the request.

"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," the billionaire claimed on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Musk also called on Russia and Ukraine "to agree to a truce," equating Ukraine's fight to liberate the occupied territories to the Russian unprovoked and brutal assaults.

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"Every day that passes, more Ukrainian and Russian youth die to gain and lose small pieces of land, with borders barely changing. This is not worth their lives," he added.

Read also: How Elon Musks Starlink satellite internet keeps Ukraine online

Musk's statement comes a day after CNN cited an excerpt from an upcoming book by Walter Isaacson, saying that Musk had ordered his engineers to turn off Starlink near the occupied peninsula to prevent Ukrainian submarine drones from hitting Russia's Black Sea fleet.

According to the author, Musk's decision was driven by fear of Moscow's nuclear retaliation, sparked by the billionaire's conversations with senior Russian officials.

SpaceX began providing Ukraine with the Starlink satellite internet system shortly after the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022. The system has been crucial for providing communications for the Ukrainian military, as well as for energy, telecommunications, healthcare, and agricultural facilities in Ukraine.

In October 2022, Musk said he could no longer keep Starlink in Ukraine operational due to high upkeep costs and requested funding from the Pentagon. The billionaire later changed his statement and said Starlink will stay online regardless of the Pentagon's support.

According to an article by The New Yorker published on Aug. 21, Musk held conversations with Vladimir Putin  though the billionaire denied talking to the Russian president  which affected Musk's change of position regarding Ukraine.

Read also: How Ukraines prodigy minister is innovating the battlefield

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Elon Musk has confirmed that he in essence scuttled a Ukrainian military strike on Russia by refusing to allow Starlink to be used in the process. The billionaire claims the decision was made to avoid being "complicit in a major act of war," but it also raises serious questions regarding the role of oligarchs in military matters.

The news was first reported by CNN, citing Walter Isaacson's upcoming biography of Musk. In the book, Musk describes a situation in 2022 when Ukraine planned an attack on Russia's navy off the coast of Crimea.

The ships and marine drones that would have performed this attack relied on Starlink for connectivity, but the satellite internet service was not (Musk asserted later on X/Twitter) active over the region. When Ukraine made an "emergency request" to activate it, he refused, and the drones "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly," obviously leaving the Russian ships untouched.

(In a confusing "clarification" seemingly prompted by Musk's ire, Isaacson wrote later on X that Ukraine "thought" coverage had been enabled to Crimea, but for some reason asked Musk to enable it anyway, which he didn't.)

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In a way the matter is very simple: A government requested a service from a private company that the leader of that company thought was inappropriate, and declined. Therein is demonstrated the inherent risk of relying on a private service for the prosecution of warfare  Musk was in effect a mercenary or arms dealer, albeit less directly involved in violence. (Russia itself would soon have its own demonstration of a similar principle when the Wagner Group marched on Moscow.)

But in another, far more troubling interpretation of events, an American billionaire made a unilateral military decision for a foreign allied power. Doubtless this has happened countless times before, but seldom has a technology from outside the military-industrial complex (and thus outside its norms and expectations) risen so quickly to prominence as Starlink has due to  it must be said  Musk's own promotion of it for use by Ukraine after Russia's invasion.

The complex mathematics of geopolitics are beyond the scope of this article (and indeed this site and your author), but it is hard not to wonder whether it is appropriate for Musk to offer a key service to support Ukraine, only to withdraw it at his own discretion.

"If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," Musk wrote in justification of his decision.

Image Credits: X/Twitter

This is fair enough in its way, but, as with many of the CEO's pronouncements, is profoundly dismissive of important context.

Leaving aside that Starlink had been a key enabler of countless military actions already, one does not need to be an expert to find dubious Musk's claim that this would have amounted to a "mini-Pearl Harbor." Ukraine and Russia were by this time in open war, instigated by the latter's invasion; to compare a counterattack against an aggressor during a serious and ongoing conflict to the infamous sneak attack that drew the U.S. into World War II is at best ignorant. But considering Musk's proposals that the conflict end with concessions to Russia, it feels more disingenuous.

It is simply untenable for Musk's personal opinion of how a conflict should play out is the sole determinant of how Starlink can be deployed in warfare. As advisor to Ukrainian PM's office, Mykhailo Podolyak, expressed on X/Twitter after the story hit:

Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake. By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via #Starlink interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego.

Is Musk willing to perform the value judgment of whether negating an attack on Russian materiel is worth the inevitable cost in Ukrainian lives? Because that is the position he has placed himself in: deciding who should live in a war taking place on the opposite side of the world.

It's not hard to imagine that Musk may think himself capable of doing this, but it would not be the first time he has overestimated his own competence. The question is not whether he can make the choice, but whether he, or anyone in a similar position of civilian or commercial power, should be permitted to make it.

Garry Kasparov, former world Chess champion and now a prominent activist, offered a simple summary:

"SpaceX & Starlink are marvelous, but if Musk's delusional 'anti-war' agenda leads him to interfere with their services to Russia's advantage, it's a huge risk."

The situation Musk found himself in was new and unprecedented, but now it is neither. And those for whom life-and-death decisions are familiar territory will likely find ways to circumvent an interfering foreign oligarch in making them.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there, saying he feared complicity in a "major" act of war.

The billionaire businessman made the comment on his social media platform X after CNN cited a excerpt from a new biography of Musk that says he ordered the Starlink network turned off near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt the Ukrainian sneak attack.

In the post on X - formerly known as Twitter - late on Thursday, Musk said he had no choice but to reject an emergency request from Ukraine "to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol." He did not give the date of the request and the excerpt did not specify it.

"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor," Musk wrote. "If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

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Russia, which seized the strategic Crimea peninsula in 2014, bases its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and has used the fleet in a de factor blockade of Ukrainian ports since its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The Russian fleet fires cruise missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets, and Kyiv has launched attacks on Russian ships using maritime drones.

According to CNN, Walter Isaacson's new biography "Elon Musk," to be released by Simon & Schuster on Tuesday, says that when Ukrainian explosive-laden submarine drones last year approached the Russian fleet, they "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly."

It said Musk's decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack with nuclear weapons.

CNN said that according to the biography, this was based on Musk's conversations with senior Russian officials and his fears of a "mini-Pearl Harbor."

In August, a Russian warship was seriously damaged in a Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base at Novorossiysk, the first time the Ukrainian navy has projected its power so far from the country's shores.

SpaceX, through private donations and under a separate contract with a U.S. foreign aid agency, has been providing Ukrainians and the country's military with Starlink internet service, a fast-growing network of more than 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, since the beginning of the war in 2022.

The Pentagon said in June that SpaceX's Starlink had a Department of Defense contract to buy satellite services for Ukraine.

Commenting on the reports on Ukrainian national television, Vadym Skybytskyi, an officer in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate GUR, did not directly address whether Musk had declined Ukraine's request. But he said it was necessary to investigate and to "appoint a specific group to examine what happened."

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Musk's decision but said, "The Department continues to work closely with commercial industry to ensure we have the right capabilities the Ukrainians need to defend themselves."

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart and Ron Popeski; Editing by Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman)
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk s X Corp. sued California to undo the states law aimed at exposing sources of hate speech and disinformation by requiring social media companies to explain how they moderate their content.

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X, which operates the social network that used to be known as Twitter, argued in a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Sacramento that the law interferes with its editorial judgments that are protected as free speech under the Constitution.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom said when he signed AB 587 last year that it was designed to protect the public by demanding companies reveal their policies on hate speech, disinformation, harassment and extremism on their platforms, and report data on their enforcement of the policies.

But the laws true intent is to pressure social media platforms to eliminate certain constitutionally protected content viewed by the state as problematic, according to the complaint.

When Musk acquired the social media company for $44 billion last year, he vowed it would be free of censorship and he reinstated formerly banned users while firing content moderators. The self-styled free speech absolutist hired NBCUniversal ad executive Linda Yaccarino as chief executive officer in May to help repair partnerships in the media industry and lure back advertisers.

Researchers have said that during Musks tenure, the platform has seen a spike in harmful content due to policy changes in content moderation.

Read More: Musk Blames Anti-Defamation League for Xs US Ad Sales Slump

This month Musk blamed the Anti-Defamation League for a slump in US advertising revenue on X. He accused the nonprofit of trying to kill the platform with false accusations that he and the company are anti-Semitic.

In July, X sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate, accusing the nonprofit of falsely describing X as being overwhelmed with harmful content.

An earlier legal fight over Californias content moderation law suggests Musk may face a tough road. Last month, a federal judge dismissed a challenge to AB 587 by groups including the National Religious Broadcasters, ruling that they failed to allege an actual danger from the measure. The judge gave the groups a chance to revise the complaint.

California Attorney General Rob Bontas office declined to comment.

The case is X Corp. v. Bonta, 23-cv-00903, US District Court, Eastern District of California (Sacramento).

(Updates with Musk blaming Anti-Defamation League for advertising slump)

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The July 20 article Gov. Lee's gun bill faces sti opposition. So what do GOP lawmakers support instead? shed light on proposals by lawmakers following The Covenant School tragedy. While the article focused on reactions and inuence by the gun lobby, it ignored input from the very people affected by these discussions: thousands of Tennesseans and their families touched by mental illness.

Whenever mass shootings take place, the public wants to know the motivation of the shooter. All too often, mental illness is erroneously established as a default motivation of the shooter.

This is demonstrated in discussions by lawmakers outlined in the article. Solutions oered by the legislators interviewed ranged from streamlining involuntary commitments to building more mental health institutions. These approaches might address the needs of a few hundred people who may or may not be violent or homicidal. Contrary to popular perception, most people with mental illness are not violent and are more likely to be victims of violence.

What gun laws would Republicans support? Gov. Lee's gun bill faces stiff opposition. So what do GOP lawmakers support instead?

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These approaches continue the stigma against mental illness and ignore research showing up to 96% of the people who commit acts of mass violence do so based on other motivations, such as racial hatred (El Paso shooting, August 2019; Bualo shooting, May 2022) and religious hatred (Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, October 2018). Authorities still dont know the motivations, other than anger, behind the 2017 Las Vegas shooter.

Supporters of gun safety reform hold signs during committee meetings at the Cordell Hull State Office Building on Aug. 23 in Nashville.

Anger and hatred are not mental illnesses  but they are risk factors for mass violence

Anger and hatred are not mental illnesses. They are, however, risk factors for committing acts of mass violence. Certainly, untreated mental illness is a risk factor, along with isolation, alcohol and drug abuse, past violence and untreated trauma.

The June mass shooting of three children and three adults in Marion County involved a man with an active order of protection against him. Tennessee has a law that would have allowed his estranged wife to ask law enforcement to petition the court to have his rearms taken away.

Tennessee and 19 other states already have laws for risk-protection orders. They allow a judge to issue an order so law enforcement ocers can temporarily remove rearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. These laws have been shown to reduce incidents of suicide. NAMI Tennessee supports such a law, so long as individuals with mental illness are not singled out and due-process rights are preserved for individuals to regain possession of rearms when they are no longer considered dangerous.

Tennessee special session is over. Here's what lawmakers did and did not accomplish

NAMI Tennessee is pleased that lawmakers were discussing ways to help an estimated 1.4 million Tennesseans with a mental health condition. NAMI Tennessee oers these suggestions:

Improve Tennessees patient bed tracking system so that hospitals' emergency departments and crisis stabilization units can check bed availability at treatment centers and admit patients experiencing a mental health crisis to an appropriate location.

Build upon recent eorts by lawmakers and Gov. Bill Lees administration to attract and retain behavioral health professionals by creating pathways to employment such as internships and college loan forgiveness programs.

Build upon eorts to crack down on health insurance plans that improperly deny or reduce services for mental health and substance use disorder.

NAMI Tennessee is the largest grassroots advocacy organization for individuals with mental health conditions and their families. NAMI Tennessee resources are available to lawmakers as they develop appropriate public policies that move past fear-based approaches by focusing on the wide array of risk factors that contribute to mass violence.

Alisa LaPolt

Alisa LaPolt is policy and advocacy director of NAMI Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is gun violence caused by mental health? Linking them continues stigma
Nancy Pelosi says she will run for another term in Congress.

"Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery," she wrote on Twitter.

Pelosi has been in Congress for nearly four decades.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that she will run for reelection, ending speculation that the powerful House Democrat was ready to call it quits after nearly four decades in Washington.

"Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery," Pelosi wrote in a message posted on her team's Twitter account. "Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote."

Pelosi, who is 83, won a special election in 1987 and has since won 18 full terms. She previously stepped down from House Democratic leadership after leading her party for two decades. Pelosi is far from a backbencher though, her fellow Democrats bestowed the title of Speaker Emerita on her and she remains a force in Washington.

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Before she stepped down, Pelosi was the oldest House speaker in history. She has encouraged President Joe Biden, the oldest president ever, to embrace his age ahead of his own reelection. Polls show that Americans are weary of Biden's age.

Politico, which first reported the news of Pelosi's decision, earlier published a lengthy profile of the former speaker where the subject of her future loomed large. In a telling moment, Pelosi appeared to cut off her husband who was discussing the speculation that Pelosi might become US ambassador to Italy.

"It wouldn't go away but she was very clear," Paul Pelosi told Politico's Jonathan Martin: "'I don't want the job, I'm done, I'm done.'"

In Martin's recounting of the moment, Pelosi then grabbed her husband's hand "in that way spouses do when they want to quietly convey something to one another, in this case: Please don't say anything more on that topic to this reporter."

Paul Pelosi was violently attacked in October 2022 when an assailant was hoping to confront Nancy Pelosi, who was not in California at the time.

As for her future, Pelosi previously spoke of a generation of California women who represented the state in Congress. Now, only her and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who at 90 is the oldest senator, remain.

"Well let's just go back about six years and we had Dianne, we had [Sen.] Barbara [Boxer], we had [Congresswoman] Jackie Speier, now Jackie is gone, so we'll see," Pelosi said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stands for photos with attendees at a town hall meeting in the athletic center of College of Mount Saint Vincent in The Bronx on Monday, March 14, 2022. Pelosi Bowman Town Hall Meeting (John Meore/The Journal News/John Meore/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will seek re-election in 2024, she announced Friday, almost a year after she said she would relinquish her powerful and polarizing post as the top House Democrat.

A politically-motivated attack on her husband contributed to Pelosi, D-San Francisco, reconsidering a role in House Democratic leadership in 2023 when Republicans would control the majority.

Pelosi, 83, was the first woman to be Speaker of the House of Representatives when she served from 2007 to 2011. She regained the gavel in 2019. During her two decades in whipping Democratic votes, Pelosi became known for uniting and guiding her party through historic and sometimes bitterly debated votes.

She promised to continue serving the people of San Francisco when she planned to leave leadership. And Friday, the San Francisco Democrat promised to do so for at least another two years.

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Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery, Pelosi posted on social media. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote.

Changing California leadership

A POLITICO story published yesterday telegraphed Pelosis interest in running again as the faces of Bay Area congressional legislators have shifted significantly in the past six years.

Several prominent California Democrats have stepped away from Congress or promised to, leaving the states Washington D.C. presence starkly different from the one Pelosi is used to.

Former Rep. Jackie Speier retired at the beginning of this year. Former Sen. Barbara Boxer stepped down in 2017.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, will not seek election in 2024. The leading contenders to succeed her are from Southern California.

And Vice President Kamala Harris, who started her political career as San Francisco district attorney, had been in the Senate since 2017. With her rise to the vice presidency in 2021, Sen. Alex Padilla, from the Los Angeles area, took her seat.

When Pelosi yielded her spot as the Houses Democratic leader, speculation about her retirement from Congress spurred murmurs about succession down to the city level. Would a state lawmaker take over after Pelosi? Who would replace them in the Legislature?

No one said they would run, but talked-about potential congressional candidates included Pelosis daughter, Democratic activist Christine Pelosi , and State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.

Pelosi as House Speaker

Pelosi was first elected to the U.S. House in 1987. She ascended to the top of the party in 2003, making her a fixture of Democratic leadership for two decades before she announced she would step down last November.

For me the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, Pelosi told the House floor last November, the day after Republicans officially won control of the chamber for 2023.

If Democrats retake the House next year, she wont be leader, but shell have a say in shaping legislation and policy again.

It was long expected that Pelosi would turn over the reigns. In 2018, she told Democrats that she would leave her leadership post by 2022. Republicans taking the House and the attack on her husband, Paul Pelosi , likely sealed the deal.

Three weeks before Pelosi said she would step down, her husband was assaulted in the couples San Francisco home by an attacker who was looking for the congresswoman. She was in Washington D.C. at the time.

David DePape faces state and federal charges over the attack on Paul Pelosi from Oct. 28, 2022. Paul Pelosi was hospitalized for a week following assault, undergoing surgery for a skull fracture and treatment for his hands and right arm.

In an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper a few days after Paul was released, Pelosi said her decision about stepping down as speaker from the House would be affected by the attack.

Will your decision be impacted by the attack in any way? Cooper asked.

Yes, Pelosi said.

It will? Cooper asked.

Pelosi reiterated, Yes.

McClatchy DCs David Lightman contributed to this story.
Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Friday that she will seek reelection in 2024, aiming to prolong her historic tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives after more than 36 years.

Pelosi, 83, relinquished her leadership post earlier this year, after becoming the first female House speaker in 2007.

A statement posted to social media referenced her home city of San Franciscos continued economic recovery efforts following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL.

She added: That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote.

Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote.  Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) September 8, 2023

In an interview with Politico last month, Pelosi hinted at a reelection bid by pointing to the number of female veteran California Democrats who are retiring or have already retired from Congress: Sen. Dianne Feinstein , former Sen. Barbara Boxer and former Rep. Jackie Speier.

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I havent been thinking much about it  yet, she said in the interview, which was published this week.

Boxer sympathized with her colleague, telling Politico: Its really hard to leave a job you love and are great at.

She added, If Im Nancy, its not easy.

Pelosis announcement, however, comes as voters have signaled concern about the advancing age of the nations leadership in Washington.

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) experienced a second freezing episode after a reporter asked him about his own reelection plans for 2026. A similar incident had occurred in front of news cameras in late July.

However, McConnell, 81, indicated this week that he is not planning on stepping down before his term is up.

Neither is 90-year-old Feinstein, despite health problems that have raised eyebrows, although her office did announce earlier this year that she will not seek reelection in 2024.

Polling has shown that President Joe Bidens age, 80, is also an issue of concern for some voters as he gears up to run for a second presidential term next year. At 77, Bidens potential Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, is not a young man, either.

Aside from offering jokes, Biden has told voters to look to his record in office as proof of his fitness, saying, Watch me.
Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kao Kim Hourn speaks in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri)

JAKARTA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will continue to see strong cooperation momentum in various fields including economic integration and people-to-people exchanges, and these collaboration is set to bring more benefits to the people of both sides, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said.

"The current momentum of cooperation is going very strong. Moving forward, it would remain strong," he told Xinhua Thursday on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits, which concluded on the same day in the Indonesian capital.

Latest data from China's General Administration of Customs showed that ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner in the first eight months of this year, with total trade volume climbing year on year, bucking a downward trend globally.

Kao said China and ASEAN have abundant cooperation opportunities in the future especially in such fields as the marine sector, green energy and people-to-people exchanges.

China and ASEAN will co-host the ASEAN-China year of people-to-people exchanges next year, which is expected to further facilitate bilateral cooperation in culture, tourism, training and youth.

Speaking highly of China's proposals during the summits, Kao said those proposals in people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation will bring in more investment, trade and more jobs for people in ASEAN.

"We hope China will continue to invest in infrastructure projects across the ASEAN member states. This will of course benefit ASEAN society and ASEAN people," he said.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest free trade pact that became fully effective on June 2 this year for all its 15 members, will increase more economic dynamism and bring economic benefits for both ASEAN and China, the ASEAN chief added.

The 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits saw a number of cooperation deals signed by China and ASEAN in the fields including e-commerce, agriculture as well as science and technology.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 
[Source]

 Naruto  could have been completely different had mangaka Masashi Kishimoto succeeded in his first pitch for the manga series.

Retelling the story: While details about Kishimotos original vision for Naruto first circulated nearly a decade ago, they were reshared and widely circulated this week, revealing to new fans of the series that the franchise was not originally about ninjas.

It was about ramen: Kishimoto, 48, told Fuji TVs Kendo Kobayashi in a past interview that Naruto was originally inspired by the ramen restaurant he used to go to in college. The YouTube video of Kishimotos interview has since been taken down.

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The first pitch: Kishimoto initially pitched Naruto as a story of an apprentice at a ramen restaurant. The series would have focused more on Narutos growth and antics as he learns the ropes of the ramen business under the head chefs teachings.

More from NextShark: Hong Kong denies Australia access to dual citizen facing life imprisonment under national security law

Fortunately for Naruto fans, Shonen Jump rejected that idea, and Kishimoto went back to the drawing board with a few more revisions before landing on the franchise we all know today.

Some elements remained: While the series went through several revisions, some of the elements from Kishimotos original idea remained, notably Narutos name and his love for ramen.

The connection: Naruto's name is a reference to narutomaki, a topping commonly found in ramen made from a type of cured fishcake. The topping features an iconic bright pink swirl, which was reportedly the inspiration behind Naturo's clan's emblem.

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NASA officials have said their SLS mega-rocket program is "unaffordable."

The program has long been criticized for a lack of transparency over its growing budget.

Officials agree the SLS budget "needs to be improved," but it's not clear how, per a government report.

Senior NASA officials have admitted their Space Launch System (SLS), which aims to help humans build a base on the moon, is "unaffordable," according to a US government watchdog.

When built, SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever created by the space agency. But costs are spiraling out of control.

NASA aims for its Orion spacecraft and its associated booster, collectively referred to as SLS, to play a crucial role in its Artemis missions to bring humans back to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years.

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The agency had a big win last year when SLS flew around the moon on its maiden voyage. But the program has long come under fire for its ever-expanding budget and its lagging deadlines.

"Senior agency officials have told us that at current cost levels the SLS program is unsustainable and exceeds what NASA officials believe will be available for its Artemis missions," the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report published Thursday.

The exact costs are unclear

The GAO says NASA has spent $11.8 billion since 2011 on the development of the integrated SLS rocket.

But there's a wild variation in numbers reported about the actual cost of this program, which depends on whether the development of the Orion spaceship  which predates SLS  and other running costs are included.

One estimate, drawn from NASA's Congressional Budget justification, puts that number at about $50 billion, when including costs linked to developing the Orion capsule since 2006, for instance, per the Planetary Society.

And the spending doesn't stop here. NASA has requested another $11.2 billion for the next five years to further improve and produce the next iterations of the rocket, per the report.

Further SLS and Orion improvements are making up a substantial chunk of the agency's relatively small budget  about a seventh of the $27.2 billion budget it has requested in 2024, per the Planetary Society. By comparison, the proposed defense budget for 2024 is about 30 times larger.

This is in stark contrast to private companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX, which are pushing to reduce their own rockets' launch costs.

While officials have admitted their spending on the program "needs to be improved," it is not yet clear how they aim to achieve this, per the report.

SLS is NASA's workhorse for lunar missions

The rocket is at the center of NASA's moon strategy in the upcoming Artemis mission because it is the only rocket that's built to fit within those missions, Brendan Rosseau, a teaching fellow of space economy at Harvard Business School, previously told Insider.

Over the next few years, NASA has planned a series of missions that will put boots on the moon at first, before aiming to establish a lunar base.

NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft shown here being rolled of their assembly building ahead of the Artemis I mission. After the succesfull mission, NASA has admitted the mega-rocket's growing budget is "unsustainable," per a government report release Sept 8, 2023. NASA/Joel Kowsky

The plan is for SLS to carry people to the orbit of the moon, where it will meet up with a lunar lander that can pick up astronauts and bring them down to the lunar surface.

NASA's people carrier, the Orion spacecraft, is at the center of these missions. And it was specifically designed to fit with the SLS booster, and not another rocket, per Rosseau

"NASA's worked really hard on it. It seems like they're going to stick with this for a while now," Rosseau previously said.

NASA's SLS is an anomaly

Part of the criticism for the SLS program is that it sticks out as a "bit of an anomaly" in NASA's latest approach to project development, Rosseau previously said.

Driven by a political will to bring down the cost of space exploration, NASA has been moving away from developing its tech in-house over the past few decades, instead preferring to issue one-time contracts to commercial providers who can deliver a service for a set price.

This move to a commercial-first mindset has been crucial to the development of the private space industry.

It has led to stiff competition, with SpaceX moving forward with the development of its own Starship mega-rocket, after it landed a $2.9 billion contract to create a lunar lander for NASA's Artemis missions.

The agency also recently awarded a $3.4 billion contract to Blue Origin to develop a lunar lander for another Artemis mission.

Starship launches toward orbit for the first time. SpaceX

"If you look at the price tag and how long it's taken to develop and the problems that it's had, maybe it's evidence that buying services from the commercial sector really is the way to go," Rosseau said.

It may have been a political gambit, rather than a business decision, that drove SLS's continued investment, Rosseau previously said.

"Some cynics would say that it was congressional appropriators and senators with parochial interests who really wanted NASA to be building a giant rocket just for the jobs in their districts," he said.

Still, the SLS is the only rocket of that power class that has demonstrated that it can work.

SpaceX attempted its first fully stacked launch of Starship in April, which ended in a fireball when the spacecraft failed to separate from its booster while in flight.

SpaceX's Starship exploded this morning on its first launch, causing a huge fireball in the sky. SpaceX

NASA is working to bring costs under control, but it's not clear how

NASA has said it is now aiming to pare back its costs using a four-point strategy: "(1) stabilize the flight schedule, (2) achieve learning curve efficiencies, (3) encourage innovation, and (4) adjust acquisition strategies to reduce cost risk," the report states.

Still, per the report, NASA "has not yet identified specific program-level cost-saving goals which it hopes to achieve."

The agency said moves have been made to reach those goals, but it's not clear whether they've led to savings so far, per the report.

There's reason to question whether NASA can achieve its cost-saving goals, Ars Technica senior space editor Eric Berger wrote Thursday.

A recent plan from NASA to reduce the cost of SLS's rocket engines by 30% down to $70.5 million has been criticized by NASA's general inspector, Paul Martin, who said the budget did not include project management and overhead costs.

The engines would still also be far more expensive than equivalent private engines, per Berger. Blue Origin's BE-4 engines, for instance, are manufactured for less than $20 million, and SpaceX wants to bring its Raptor to a cost under $1 million per engine.

Read the original article on Business Insider
LEBANON TOWNSHIP  The long-running conflict over plans to open a medical marijuana cultivation facility on Anthony Road will be returning to the battlefields this month.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment will meet next week to determine whether the NAR Group's proposal meets the definition of a farm within the township's zoning ordinance. That meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 in the main gym at Voorhees High School.

If the Zoning Board of Adjustment decides the facility is a permitted use, then NAR's application will return to the Planning Board.

If the Zoning Board of Adjustment decides it is not a permitted use, then NAR will have to obtain a use variance, a more rigorous process than obtaining site plan approval from the Planning Board.

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NAR filed a lawsuit Sept. 1 in Superior Court against the Save Lebanon Township Coalition (SLTC) and township resident William Bohn, alleging that Bohn helped to form the group because NAR refused his offer to invest in the business. He then became "a fly in the ointment" to thwart NAR Group's plans, the lawsuit argues.

The lawsuit claims that "every month that NAR Group is not cultivating cannabis for sale to licensed state dispensaries it loses millions of dollars in potential revenue."

The suit says that marijuana for medical purposes sells for an average price of $4,000 a pound.

SLTC's GoFundMe campaign to oppose the project has raised more than 4,640.

Lebanon Township residents have mounted a campaign against a proposed medical marijuana facility on Anthony Road.

Still pending in Superior Court is another lawsuit that NAR filed against the Planning Board claiming the board's decision that the facility requires a use variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment was "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable."

A case management conference to set a trial date in that case is scheduled for April 2024.

Earlier: Marijuana farm applicant in Hunterdon County claims dirty local politics

In a recent Facebook post, NAR said it will be addressing "baseless accusations" by opponents to the proposal at the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting.

On its Facebook page, SLTC is asking residents to support its efforts to block the proposal and attend the meeting.

"NARs principals are out-of-town developers," the SLTC Facebook post said. "They are represented by high-priced lawyers and consultants who will try to convince the Board of Adjustment to give NAR what they want."

NAR, in response, said in its Facebook post, "NAR consists of local middle-class NJ residents engaged in healthy competition against large corporations. We are committed to our communities well-being. SLTC appears resolute in obstructing our rights."

NAR said it is now growing hemp indoors on the property and "practicing environmentally conscious methods."

NJ legal weed sales growth: Inside the 'tug of war' over cannabis

NAR received approval from the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission in October 2021 to operate the cultivation facility and a month later, the Township Committee adopted a resolution confirming that agricultural crops are permitted in the Resource Conservation District.

That led to NAR preparing plans for the facility, though discussion of the facility continued monthly at Township Committee meetings as opposition mounted and a social media campaign started.

Rahna Manglani, NAR's CEO, received anonymous telephone threats, the first lawsuit said.

In addition, another NAR representative, Nitin Manglani, was told at a public meeting that he does not belong in Lebanon Township and "should move to Linden, where his kind belongs," according to the first lawsuit.

Others working with NAR were threatened that their wells would be contaminated "like they have done with other projects in town," the first lawsuit alleges.

Despite this opposition, NAR submitted an application in April 2022 for site plan approval of the indoor cultivation facility. At its July 2022 meeting, the Planning Board ruled NAR's application was complete and John Gallina, the board's attorney, said NAR's application was for a permitted agricultural use with no variances.

But in September 2022 the Planning Board then passed a resolution, declining jurisdiction over the application and that the application should be reviewed by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

That led to NAR filing its first lawsuit in November 2022.

The NAR Group wants to construct an indoor medical marijuana cultivation facility at a former industrial site on Anthony Road in Lebanon Township.

The 40-acre site that formerly housed the Diamond Aerosol manufacturing facility had been operated more than a decade ago as a research and development facility for internal coatings of aerosol cans, according to a 2011 Environmental Protection Agency report.

Before that it was used by the Diamond East Corporation to manufacture cosmetics and personal protection devices containing tear gas, pepper spray and other specialty chemical products, for about three decades.

In 2011, the EPA report said, the site contained an old stone barn which housed the original cosmetics business, a large stone house used as a residence, two warehouses and various out-buildings used for storage, offices and vehicles.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ legal weed: Lebanon Township marijuana farm battle intensifies
COMMENTARY | Near the end of a six-hour meeting last month, the Jacksonville City Council's finance committee agreed to dip into the city's operating reserves to pay for a $300,000 grant for a farm project run by Clara White Mission  whose CEO and president is City Council and finance committee member Ju'Coby Pittman  and up to $1.4 million to help a charter school founded by a prominent Republican donor build a gym.

There was no indication prior to the meeting the finance committee was set to consider that largesse. The payouts were not part of a list of budget "enhancements" the group was weighing that day nor were they included on any other handouts made publicly available before or during the meeting, even though committee members were circulating draft copies of a term sheet for the charter school payment while they were discussing it in real time.

If approved by the full council later this month, nonprofits run by two members of the finance committee will be set to benefit from budget additions the committee itself made. That includes Pittman's Clara White as well as finance Chairman Nick Howland's organization, the Fire Watch Project, which I previously reported is set to benefit from a $90,000 grant the committee also included in Mayor Donna Deegan's proposed budget. The vast majority of nonprofits in the city must compete for funding through a public-service grants process. The direct award for Clara White and the separate grant that will benefit the Fire Watch Project will require council members to waive a rule requiring competition as a condition for city funding, and both Howland and Pittman have had to recuse themselves from the votes and discussion about them.

City Council member Kevin Carrico, a former vice president at Clara White, proposed the $300,000 for the nonprofit's White Harvest Farms expansion project  which has already gotten $1.7 million in city funding after cost overruns and blown deadlines  as well as another $1.4 million potential grant for Jacksonville Classical Academy, a charter school founded by influential Republican donor John Rood that is part of an educational network on the vanguard of conservative efforts to change public education in Florida. The school has been a favored speaking venue of Republican elected officials in Jacksonville and across the state and is affiliated with a management company run by conservative education activist Erika Donalds, who is also the wife of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican representing a deeply conservative district in Southwest Florida.

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Carrico offered no explanation for the Clara White funding, which had become a source of concern by some of his former colleagues. Last year, Clara White asked for $200,000 on top of $1.5 million in aid city hall had already provided to help complete the behind-schedule White Harvest Farms expansion project, prompting questions from members of that former finance committee. "This is one I look back on that, had I known everything that was going to happen, would I have voted for it the same way when we initially did  I'll leave that as a mystery," deadpanned then-City Council member and finance Chairman Aaron Bowman.

But the city ultimately approved that money despite those questions and without any apparent concern over a 2021 controversy at Clara White during which five of the nonprofit's six executive board members unexpectedly resigned and accused Pittman of mismanaging the long-standing organization. The council has never discussed that episode or indicated it weighed on their decision to continue providing Clara White financial support.

Carrico's proposed $300,000 is intended to help Pittman's Clara White set up a vocational program at the farm, an apparent expansion of the city's previous role, which had been limited to helping the farm project get off the ground. Neither the documents posted publicly before the recent finance meeting nor additional documents received from a public-records request shed any light on who asked Carrico for this grant. Clara White also typically applies for competitive funding each year and usually gets most if not all of what it asks for, so it's possible the nonprofit will actually receive city money above and beyond the $300,000 for the farms project, which would total far more than what most local nonprofits get (Clara White got $150,000 from that competitive grants process in the current fiscal year).

For the charter school funding, Carrico simply invited the school's lobbyist up to the podium to justify the award. The grant is intended to help the school clean up a portion of its campus  the site of a former ash incinerator which it purchased from the city in 2018  so it can build a gym. Steve Diebenow, the school's lobbyist, told council members the bulk of that work would be paid for by the Vestcor Family Foundation, the charitable arm of the development firm Rood founded in 1983.

But the request raised red flags with Mike Weinstein, the city's interim chief financial officer, who warned the finance committee it was "sort of out of our lane here doing business this way." The city, Weinstein said, had "a lot of work" before it could be comfortable with the scope and true cost of the project and fully clear about whose responsibility that work belongs to. The City Council Auditor and the Office of General Counsel had also not vetted the proposed aid, but most finance committee members were unfazed and said the diligence could be done in time for a final vote on the money later this month by the full City Council.

It's not clear why the school couldn't use the proceeds of a newly enacted sales tax, of which charters get a cut, to pay for the work  particularly since that revenue was intended to help Duval County's public schools build better infrastructure for students. Asked at the meeting, Diebenow had no details about how Jacksonville Classical Academy was using the sales tax money.

Another quirk: The council member who represents the district, Jimmy Peluso, asked the committee to table the request until further details could be hashed out, but the finance committee discarded the deference usually shown toward the wishes of district members on funding issues within their council boundaries.

Pittman, of Clara White, emerged as a champion of the charter school funding. "This is an opportunity to make good on something that we are responsible for," she told her colleagues on the finance committee.

Pittman, a Democrat, might seem an odd champion for a school so tied into a conservative policy project, but she has recently come under fire for displaying what her critics believe to be a kind of unseemly transactional politics. Pittman infuriated some demonstrators when she rebuked an audience of mourners who loudly booed Gov. Ron DeSantis at a prayer vigil for the victims of the racist murders at a Dollar General last month. "If the governor wanted to come here and he's bringing gifts to my community, y'all know I'm taking the gifts," she told the crowd.

The next day, during a large rally in James Weldon Johnson Park against white supremacy, some protesters made sharply critical references to Pittman.

"You dancing for money. You dancing for other things," one speaker said. "If that is your purpose, I need you to go back to your little cushy office across the street (in city hall)."

The two funding requests, which are coming out of the city's operating reserves, also create an awkward juxtaposition for a finance committee that slashed $232,000 for one of the mayor's priorities  a diversity, equity and inclusion officer  citing fiscal prudence. "We have a role to the taxpayers to spend their money wisely," Howland said at the time. "We have a role to be fiscally responsible. So when we saw redundancy, we eliminated redundancy."

That position is one its advocates have said is particularly needed in light of the racist killings last month, which highlighted the festering white supremacy movement in Northeast Florida and a local atmosphere in which some Black residents no longer feel safe. This week, the Deegan administration indicated it planned to take the fight over the DEI position to the full council. Now is the time for Jacksonville to join the ranks of our peer cities and Corporate America who find value in a chief diversity officer," Deegan said in a statement this week. "This unifying force is especially important in the wake of the horrific, racist mass shooting we recently experienced."

Nate Monroe is a metro columnist whose work regularly appears every Thursday and Sunday. Follow him on Twitter @NateMonroeTU.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nate Monroe: Council sneaks more money for special interests in budget
A storm undergoing rapid intensification, as Hurricane Lee is now, can throw a wrinkle into the plans of emergency managers throughout North Carolina, forcing them to make choices about how to use the limited hours before such a storm makes landfall.

Part of the problem coastal states like North Carolina face with rapid intensification is residents who have experienced numerous storms and developed their own calculus for when to stay and when to flee. A storm that suddenly gains strength introduces an unexpected variable to the risk equation, potentially too close to landfall for people to change their minds about how to keep themselves safe.

Hurricane Lee has undergone dramatic rapid intensification this week. The National Hurricane Center wrote Thursday night that Lee had skyrocketed to Category 5 wind speeds, jumping from about 100 mph at 11 a.m. Thursday to about 160 mph at 11 pm.

Particularly for the Carolinas  the Outer Banks and those coastal areas  the biggest risk has always been a storm coming in that for many people doesnt warrant much concern and it intensifies rapidly and it gets inside of their ability to prepare and evacuate, Craig Fugate, a former FEMA administrator, told The News & Observer.

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Rapid intensification happens when a storms wind speeds increase by at least 35 mph over a daylong period. If a storm undergoes that process as it nears North Carolinas coastline, emergency managers like New Hanover Countys Steven Still would be forced to make tough choices.

In such a scenario, Still said, it would be difficult to evacuate thousands of people with a storm bearing down on them. The fear is that many people would be unable to get out of harms way before the storm arrives. Still pointed to Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017, where many people drowned either in or trying to escape their cars.

Instead of trying to evacuate everyone, Still said, New Hanover Countys plan in such a scenario would be to focus on the storm surge, the relentless rising water that a storm brings ashore. People in the path of that storm surge would be directed to evacuate, while many others in the county would be directed to shelter in place until the hurricane passes.

The evacuation out of an abundance of caution is not always the best method. (With) a targeted evacuation, particularly if its a rapid intensification, were really going to have to narrow down the numbers to those vulnerable to that highest impact, Still said.

Will Ray, North Carolinas emergency management director, said the state tries to envision the worst case scenario.

Hurricane Idalia, for example, underwent rapid intensification shortly before making landfall but did not look like it was going to be a major storm for North Carolina. Still, the state still activated 120 members of the National Guard and deployed two swift water rescue teams.

Like New Hanover Countys Still, Ray said a storm that rapidly intensifies could mean emergency managers dont have as long as theyd like to prepare.

Decisions on evacuations, decisions on sheltering, decisions on other things are going to have to be done probably much quicker than our ultimate timelines would like us to do, Ray said.

Warm oceans are heat engines

Hurricane Lee is still churning through the Atlantic, and the Hurricane Center has consistently maintained that it is too soon to know how or where it could impact the East Coast. Rip currents are one likely effect, with the Hurricane Center warning that beachgoers could start seeing them as soon as Sunday.

Jason Sippel, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Hurricane Research Division, said rapid intensification requires a few ingredients.

Those include warm ocean waters, a moist atmosphere to prevent thunderstorms from pushing cold air down to the surface and low vertical wind shear. Low wind shear means winds at different levels of the atmosphere arent blowing strongly in different directions.

A storm thats undergoing rapid intensification is also likely to be smaller, Sippel said, comparing it to ice skaters spinning with their arms out and gaining momentum as they tuck their arms toward their body.

In terms of a hurricane, that means the vortex is intensifying, its spinning more and more quickly. Imagine a curve. Its intensifying a little bit, then a little bit more and then it shoots up, Sippel said.

Fugate pointed to 2018s Hurricane Michael as a classic example of a storm that underwent rapid intensification at a dangerous moment. That storm leapt from a tropical storm to a Category 5 shortly before making landfall in Florida, killing 45 people and causing $25 billion in damage.

Warm waters  like the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean right now  mean that when a storm intensifies, it seems to stay strong, Fugate added.

These are heat engines. So the more heat there,the more potential. If you dont have other limiting factors, these storms are just going to get stronger and stay stronger for longer periods of time, Fugate said.

A warm ocean is one factor in rapid intensification that is being altered by climate change. Ocean temperatures reached record highs this summer; NOAA and Columbia researchers have found warming temperatures reduce vertical wind shear; and a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture.

A 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said rapid intensification has likely become more common in recent decades and said researchers have medium confidence that manmade climate change could be a factor.

Sippel acknowledged that rapid intensification has increased since the 1970s and 1980s but said how much of that can be attributed to climate change remains an open question. The Atlantic Ocean seems to go through multi-decade periods with stronger storms, he added, having undergone one from the 1920s through the early 1950s before entering a more quiet period.

We might find that out in the future that yes there is something that is a signal there, but Im not confident enough at this point to say that that is indeed happening, Sippel said.

Forecasters and emergency management officials alike say the National Hurricane Center has made great strides in forecasting storm intensities over recent hurricane seasons.

In 2022, Sippel said, the Hurricane Centers margin of error on rapid intensification was about 17 mph. Thats down from about 35 mph as recently as 2017.

Sippel, who is part of NOAAs Hurricane Hunters crew, said the planes have helped with the intensity forecasts by helping the models better understand how features of the storms vortex could impact intensification.

The intensity of the storm and the size of the storm determines the storm surge, and thats the most important thing to get right because thats what kills people, Sippel said.

The Outer Banks experience

Drew Pearson was just preparing to start at Dare County in 2014 when Hurricane Arthur jumped from a low pressure system to a Category 2 hurricane.

For emergency managers, that event makes you think a little bit more, Pearson, Dare Countys emergency management director, told The N&O.

Traditionally, Pearson added, emergency managers try to think about what they would need if a storm is going to be a category higher than projected. Now, he said, they might need to be more expansive.

We need to think about the impacts from multiple categories higher now because of the changes in the ocean conditions that are there that warm waters and things like that could bring, Pearson said.

Pearson said he urges people to be aware of the potential impacts of a storm ranging from the forecast surge to rip currents to the tornado risk. Those things all provide more information about specific hazards a system poses than the category alone.

Part of being prepared is urging people to keep their emergency kits stocked and updated, making sure they know where to head if an evacuation is called and how they would shelter in place if that becomes necessary. Thats important, Pearson said, because a storm that rapidly intensifies compresses the timeline people have to prepare or make decisions.

If Lee does come to us, were going to have four, five, six days to get ready for it, to do the things that we need to do. Its the ones that develop quickly where you have hours, not days, Pearson said.

This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and the 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
Megasites are steering the present and future of North Carolinas economy. With a minimum of 1,000 contiguous acres each, these expansive tracts of land have, in only the past few years, attracted the types of large-scale projects never before seen in the state.

Toyota to Randolph County. VinFast to eastern Chatham County, and Wolfspeed to Chathams western half. Each promise to create more than 1,000 jobs and invest over $1 billion in local, often rural communities. Each have been announced since 2021.

The state now looks to lure its next big fish. In an interview with The News & Observer, Christopher Chung of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina said the Tar Heel State is currently a candidate for 15 major private initiatives that would each invest more than $1 billion.

However, where another Toyota-type company would locate is not clear; the state is running low on megasites.

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Today, there are five available sites statewide  including a location near Siler City already shared by the semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed. Of the remaining megasites, only one was identified in a recent state-commissioned report as being highly competitive to attract a company: the 2,187-acre Kingsboro Business Park outside Rocky Mount.

Dwindling megasite supply comes as demand for big industrial plots has never been greater. Companies nationwide have increasingly gobbled up 1,000-acre-plus sites as shifts in global supply chains and increases in direct foreign investment have led companies to reemphasize advanced manufacturing production in the United States.

In the span of 24 months, nearly every quality megasite in the U.S. has been acquired by some type of next-generation manufacturing projects, read the commissioned study released in May by the site selection consulting firm JLL. Sites which were on the market for a decade are now receiving multiple offers in a span of weeks and months.

Business-friendly Southeastern states in particular have been front row to the megasite rush.

Workers have cleared the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite in Randolph County, NC, where Toyota is building a factory to make batteries for electric vehicles. The plant is expected to employ about 2,100 people.

We went from having quite a few megasites around the state to put in front of companies just a few short years ago to having considerably fewer these days, Chung said.

To replenish the states supply, the North Carolina General Assembly last year allocated $1 million to establish a Megasite Readiness Program. Legislators also directed the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina to hire a firm to pinpoint future site locations.

And the next NC megasites will be in...

EDPNC tabbed JLL to lead the search.

The Chicago-based firm had worked with Toyota and VinFast to discover their North Carolina locations, and Chung specifically wanted consultants who intimately knew what companies sought in megasites: even topography, regular dimensions that dont look like gerrymandered congressional districts, access to rail lines, water and power infrastructure connections, and proximity to a deep labor pool.

JLL started its search by inviting site proposals from the local economic development departments of all 100 North Carolina counties. Its request returned 30 submissions, and JLL winnowed this list to 11 appealing candidates.

Site visits followed, and ultimately, the firm selected seven finalists. The Kingsboro megasite in Edgecombe County was the only top candidate thats shovel-ready, or pad-ready, meaning a company could generally begin to build on it right away. Of the six potential sites, most are clustered in Eastern North Carolina, including within the counties of Wilson, Brunswick, Cumberland, Nash and Pitt.

Compared to other regions, Eastern North Carolina has suffered chronic economic distress, said Jonathan Morgan, a professor at the UNC School of Government who coauthored a 2020 report on workforce entry barriers in Edgecombe County.

Edgecombe in particular has seen several large employers leave in recent decades: Glenoit Fabrics shuttered its plant in the county seat of Tarboro, Texfi Industries abandoned its 600-worker woven-fabric mill in Rocky Mount, and in late 2021, a fatal fire destroyed the QVC distribution center in Rocky Mount. The company moved out rather than rebuild in the city an hour east of Raleigh. These exoduses have left a gap; Edgecombe has the second-highest unemployment rate in the state, at 6.2%.

(Getting a major economic project) can be a game-changer that puts a county on a different economic trajectory, Morgan said. There can be considerable ripple effects  additional suppliers and related industries coming to a community.

Now that more potential megasites have been highlighted, Chung said the next step is for the state to direct dollars into readying these locations, some of which are privately held.

That could mean helping offset acquisition costs, he said. That certainly could include things like grading and clearing sites to get them a little bit ready. Or it could include designing and engineering infrastructure improvements to make sure theyve got huge industrial scale utilities.

This spring, the state House and Senate released budget proposals that both designated $10 million to the Megasite Readiness Program Fund. Legislators expect to release a final budget as early as next week.

North Carolina wont be able to refill its megasite stock overnight. According to the JLL report, it typically takes five to 15 years from the moment a site is found to the realization of a project.

Competition for large manufacturers is also fierce  especially in the Southeast. JLL listed megasites in the region, not counting North Carolina. However, the study noted few of these locations are shovel-ready.

Edgecombe says its time is now

South of Greensboro in the small town of Liberty (population: 2,650), residents are witnessing the early impacts of their local megasite getting filled. By 2029, Toyota is expected to create 1,750 jobs at its future electric battery plant in the Piedmont.

What we hear is homes are going to be built nearby, said Sam Elkordy, owner of Sams Diner in Liberty. Weve already had some changes during the lunch rush, people from the Toyota plant coming in to introduce themselves.

Yet over in Edgecombe, local officials still wait on a company (or companies) to lay claim to their local megasite. The Kingsboro location is the most competitive shovel-ready site in the state. Its been available for quite some time; Chung remembers the site sitting on the market when he took over as EDPNC executive director in 2015.

Toyota North Carolina construction progress at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite as of May 15.

The site has had previous suitors. A few hundred acres in the center of the site were graded and cleared in preparation for the anticipated arrival of Triangle Tyre, a Chinese tiemaker that in late 2017 announced it would build its first U.S. factory in Edgecombe.

Yet, as happens with many state-backed economic initiatives, the Triangle Tyre deal fell through. The companys CEO, who had championed expanding to Edgecombe, died in 2018 and subsequent trade tensions between the United States and China further complicated the projects funding.

Before its plans collapsed, Triangle Tyre represented the largest rural manufacturing commitment in North Carolina history: 800 new jobs and nearly $580 million directed to the community near Rocky Mount. Average annual salary at the plant was advertised to be $56,450, a class above the countys existing average wage of $32,642.

We certainly were heartbroken when Triangle Tyre pulled the plug on their project, Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans said. It turned out to be a blessing and a gift because all the sitework (done for the company) now just makes that site that much more ready. (A company) can basically bulldoze or scrape the grass off a little work and start pouring concrete.

Edgecombe officials believed Triangle Tyre would help reverse the countys troubling socioeconomic trends. Among all North Carolina counties, Edgecombe routinely ranks near the bottom of most positive categories  like health outcomes and wages  and near the top of the undesired metrics like unemployment, obesity, and injury death rates.

Im sick and tired of being at the top and bottom of every bad list, Evans said. Weve got the highest this and the lowest that. We need to do something about that.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper helped announce that Toyota will open a multi-billion dollar battery plant with at least 1,750 employees in Liberty, NC, at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.

This spring, Evans introduced Edgecombes Get Off the List campaign, an effort to rid the county of its ignominious statewide rankings. He predicted a big employer or two will announce plans to fill the Kingsboro megasite within the next year.

Asked about specific prospects for filling Kingsboro, Chung declined to share, citing EDPNCs policy not to comment on active company recruitment. But he acknowledged the megasite in Eastern North Carolina is top of mind.

I would say it is quite well-known among selection consultants that we work with regularly, he said. I dont have any doubt that that site will one day be home to the kind of advanced manufacturing company and facility that was the vision of the people who put that megasite together.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation assists families dealing with the toughest challenge of their lives: when their children are diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

NVCCF just received top honors with the Angel Award for non-profit of the year.

The Yasinovsky family in Las Vegas shared their battle and the crucial support they received from NVCCF. Alma Yasinovksys 16-year-old son Diego is now a junior at Desert Oasis High School.

Im so happy that my life is starting again, Deigo said.

Life as he and his family knew it came to a halt three years ago.

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He was more tired than usual, a lack of energy, said Alma. One night he mentioned red little dots around his legs.

Las Vegas foundation asks community to keep donations local for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Test results a day later revealed he had leukemia. The number one priority became saving Diegos life. The family of six needed a lot of help.

I had to stop working, Alma added. As a Mom, as a family you get hit by something like that you are not thinking how am I going to pay for the house, how am I going to pay this, youre thinking how am I going to save my kids life.

Thats when NVCCF stepped in as one of the largest nonprofits in Nevada for the amount of assistance it offers families of kids with a variety of diseases.

Its not just cancer, its sickle-cell, its all the immune, all the blood-related diseases, President and CEO Jeffrey Gordon said.

Gordon said the agency is honored to help these families with emotional, educational, and financial support.

Today, I signed almost 45 checks for families who need financial help paying rent, mortgages, and utilities, Gordon said.

Alma said their support made all the difference.

This amazing foundation with their volunteers, like Tenicia and Brenda, they were taking care of my other kids, calling to see if they needed backpacks, taking them to activities, where they can be normal kids, Alma explained.

This helped Alma focus on Diego and his fight which proved challenging. His first bone marrow transplant failed to take, but he had success with the second attempt.

For the second transplant his donor was his half-brother from Puerto Rico, Alma added. Six years old at the time, hes been our hero, hes the one who saved Diegos life.

After nine months spent recovering at Childrens Hospital L.A., Diego is now back at home, one-year cancer free.

To be honest, Im just so happy to be out of the hospital, Diego said.

Diego wants to become a DC Comic book writer. He is very proud of his collection at home.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Nevada Republicans are turning up the heat on Democrats who voted for a big funding package as the Legislature finished its business in June.

Assembly Democrats Tracy Brown-May, Cameron C.H. Miller and Venicia Considine are targets for their votes.

Brown-May and Miller voted for Assembly Bill 525 (AB525), legislation that funded a number of nonprofit groups. Brown-May serves on the board for Arc of Nevada, which received $250,000 in funding. Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow has already announced she will not seek re-election after an ethics complaint cited her vote on AB525. Gorelow became director of Arc soon after the funding passed. Miller was hired as president and CEO of the Urban Chamber of Commerce before he voted for $100,000 in funding for the chamber.

Considine voted on Senate Bill 341 (SB341), an appropriations bill. She works for an organization that received $4.25 million in funding from SB341 and AB525.

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Republican activist Chuck Muth filed the ethics complaint against Gorelow, and John Burke of Better Nevada PAC has spearheaded attacks on the other Democratic members of the Nevada Assembly.

A tweet Thursday afternoon by Muth: Just like Gorelow, Miller, and Brown-May, Considine seems to think its okay to use Nevadas state government as an ATM to help her employer. The culture of corruption in Carson City must end.  John Burke, Better Nevada PAC #YeagersFavorFactory

A video of Miller posted on Twitter shows him saying before a committee vote, Super excited about this, but I do have to disclose that I am employed by the sister organization to the Urban Chamber Community Development Corporation and so out of an abundance of caution, I want to abstain from making any votes on AB525, according to Assembly Standing Rule number 23. So I will abstain from voting for AB525.

The record shows no abstentions for the final vote before the full Assembly.

The Legislative Counsel Bureau, the legal arm of the Nevada Legislature, said the public importance of the bill  along with the fact that it contained funding for 56 agencies  excused lawmakers from abstaining or making disclosures.

I voted to pass AB525 and SB341 after receiving the Legislative Counsel Bureaus opinion because it funded non-profit organizations doing critical work in all across the state of Nevada, including supporting food banks, supporting organizations that help with disabilities, and helping minority-owned business among others, Considine said Thursday evening. I had no part in advocating for this funding to be included in this legislation and I stand by my vote.

AB525 passed 39-3 in the Assembly and 13-8 in the Senate and was signed by Lombardo. SB341 passed 13-8 in the Senate and 28-14 in the Assembly. It was also signed by Lombardo.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
A wig-clad person robbed a bank at gunpoint before fleeing with thousands of dollars in cash, police in Georgia say.

Now authorities are asking the public for help identifying the suspect.

It happened around noon Saturday, Sept. 2, at a Truist Bank in southwest Atlanta, the citys police department said in a news release.

A wig-clad man robbed a bank at gunpoint before fleeing with thousands of dollars in cash, police in Atlanta, Georgia say. City of Atlanta Police Department

Employees told police the suspect demanded money from them at gunpoint. At one point, the person opened fire and made their way behind the counter to steal approximately $30,000  $40,000, police said.

Authorities released surveillance photos from the robbery showing the person wearing a tousled wig, sunglasses, a pink hoodie and black pants.

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No one was hurt, according to police.

Authorities are offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information on the case can send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477), or online at www.StopCrimeAtl.org.

Repeat carjacker taken down by owner of muscle car he tried to steal, Tennessee cops say

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NAIROBI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- African countries should invest in decentralized energy systems like mini-hydropower and solar plants to ensure off-grid communities have access to low-carbon electricity for lighting and cooking, experts said Thursday during the Africa Climate Week held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Targeted investments in small-scale renewable energy projects will help electrify Africa's marginalized communities besides catalyzing progress toward a just and green transition, said Olufunso Somorin, the regional principal officer of climate change and green growth at the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Somorin believed that fiscal incentives combined with innovative financing would be key to implementing off-grid power projects in Africa's remote outposts and stimulating their growth.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in its 2023 energy progress report says that 567 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, or 80 percent of the global total, lacked access to electricity by 2021.

According to the report, for Africa to realize Sustainable Development Goal 7 on access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, the continent should leverage collaboration, robust funding and technology transfer.

Somorin observed that sustaining Africa's growth trajectory will be hinged on deliberate efforts to tackle energy poverty through investments in decentralized power systems.

Dan Kithinji Marangu, the director of renewable energy in Kenya's Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, said African countries should explore regulatory incentives in order to attract investments in off-grid power projects, spur trade, connectivity and industrialization in remote areas.

"The continent has huge potential for hydro, wind, solar and geothermal power. All that we need is investments and technology to connect off-grid communities, and drive green growth," Marangu said.

He added that Kenya is on course to achieve universal access to clean energy among households by 2030 through ramping up investments in mini-grid solar and wind projects.

John Kioli, the chairman of the Alliance of Civil Society Organizations for Clean Energy Access (ACCESS Coalition), said that African countries should leverage policy dialogue, research, innovation and knowledge sharing in their bid to decentralize energy systems and connect off-grid communities. 
It looks certain that New Hampshire lawmakers will introduce legislation that would tighten the states ability to place neglected and abused children in institutional settings when their own homes are unsafe.

The inspiration? A pair of reports from the states child advocate detailing her concerns about Bledsoe Youth Academy, a Gallatin, Tennessee, facility for boys 12 to 18 used by the Department of Health and Human Services.

In her most recent report, released Wednesday, Child Advocate Cassandra Sanchez said the two New Hampshire children whom she asked the department to return from Bledsoe have shared additional concerns about their treatment since coming home. They include threats of retaliation for talking with New Hampshire authorities.

Sanchez also quoted a former Bledsoe employee who contacted her office after she first raised concerns about the facility in August. Those concerns included physical and emotional mistreatment of children and a culture of punishment. The employee had a message for states still placing their children at Bledsoe, according to Sanchez: Go get your kids today!

Children placed at Bledsoe Youth Academy wear color-coded jumpsuits that identify their behavioral and punishment status. The Office of the Child Advocate raised serious concerns about the site.

While the two children at Bledsoe have been returned to New Hampshire, as of late August there were nearly 90 youths being served out of state, including 10 outside New England, in Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, said Health and Human Services spokesperson Jake Leon. Children in abuse and neglect cases are placed in facilities when there are no suitable family or foster homes available.

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Rep. Mark Pearson, a Hampstead Republican and chairman of the House Children and Family Law Committee, said Wednesday that he has begun drafting legislation with the committees vice chairman, Democrat Patrick Long of Manchester, ahead of Fridays filing deadline.

The main issue initially is to make sure that any facility where a New Hampshire child is placed, whether that is in-state or out-of-state, is a good one and that it has been evaluated on site and that weve investigated it, Pearson said. We are on a deadline, and on one hand, we dont want to rush this and have bad legislation. On the other hand, this is a pressing issue.

Sen. Sharon Carson, a Londonderry Republican who has co-sponsored other legislation aimed at protecting children, is reviewing Sanchezs reports and will also file legislation if appropriate, said Maya Harvey, Senate spokesperson.

The departments inspection and evaluation of Bledsoe are in dispute.

In her first report, Sanchez said that while the Division for Children, Youth, and Families had been checking in with the two children at Bledsoe, the department had not visited Bledsoe in person for a facilities evaluation before awarding it certification in 2021 or recertifying it in 2023.

Leon told the Bulletin in August that the department had fulfilled its obligations when it certified Bledsoe for out-of-state placement and is investigating whether more visits to facilities would be appropriate.

Sanchez noted in her first report that a simple internet search of Bledsoe or its operator, Youth Opportunity Investment, would have been enough to warrant reconsideration. The search results include a 2017 report of arrests at the center following a disturbance and low reviews from prior employees saying they were unwilling to provide details for fear of retaliation.

Sanchez made 11 recommendations in her August report that included requiring the department to visit out-of-state facilities in person on a quarterly basis.

Its also likely lawmakers will continue pushing to increase upstream support services aimed at keeping children and families safe, without intervention from the state.

In an August interview, Sen. Becky Whitley, a Hopkinton Democrat, said she remains focused on legislation that would expand those kinds of treatments and protections.

Recently, that effort included more money for Medicaid services, such as counseling and child care, and the prioritization of preventive care that allows children and families to remain safely home.

Looking ahead, Whitley said she would like to see more schools offer Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, where struggling students get increasing levels of services, depending on their needs. Whitley said the school districts currently offering the program are relying on federal dollars.

Whitley hoped to expand that with state money this year through Senate Bill 265. While the state budget included $900,000 to expand the program, Whitleys legislation calling for more money failed. She said she remains committed to growing that program.

Whitley said she is also looking into reports that families with private insurance are not getting coverage for the same level of mental health care that Medicaid must cover. She and former state senator Tom Sherman attempted to remedy that a few years ago without success, she said.

Whitley said she may submit legislation addressing that when the Senate filing period begins Sept. 28.

I dont know if its a study committee. I dont know if its an insurance mandate, she said. But it is an area that I think we really need to look at.

In a statement, Kathy Remillard, Health and Human Services spokesperson, pointed to what she described as the success of prior efforts to better protect kids.

The implementation of juvenile justice and Childrens System of Care strategies have led to more youth receiving services in their home communities and fewer youth placed in residential settings, she said in an email. Over the past several years, New Hampshire has seen a 50% reduction of juvenile justice-involved youth in placement.

Worst fears confirmed

Former child advocate Moira ONeill began visiting children in facilities when the office was created in 2018. When Sanchez replaced ONeill in 2022 she visited seven facilities that year, including one in Arkansas. The following year, she visited more than a dozen in New Hampshire and New England.

At each stop, Sanchez talked with the children and staff separately and then followed up with recommendations. This year, she chose to travel to Tennessee because the state was using two facilities there, Bledsoe and Hermitage Hall in Nashville.

The visit to Bledsoe was so alarming that Sanchez reported her safety concerns to the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services from the parking lot, something she had never done.

In her latest report, Sanchez said she contacted the department again after her return to relay the boys new disclosures. She was told the department had closed its investigation because Tennessee state law requires reports to identify a specific staff member as the alleged perpetrator and a specific child as the victim. Sanchez also reported her concerns to the state licensing officials.

The Tennessee Department of Childrens Services declined to discuss the case when contacted by the Bulletin Wednesday.

We can confirm additional investigations have commenced in this case, and we are working with the Department of Mental Health who licenses the facility, read an unsigned email from the agency. However, pursuant to state and federal law, we are unable to release case-specific information regarding children or families served by the Department of Childrens Services.

During their first conversations with Sanchez, the boys told her and her team that staff offered them incentives to assault other children. Cameras in bedrooms left little privacy to change. Kids suffered rug burns while restrained face-down on a carpet.

Sanchez said she learned even more from the children once they were back in New Hampshire, separate placements she described as warm, supportive, and welcoming. She detailed their new disclosures in the report released Wednesday.

Independently, the boys reported that an adult female staff member in her 20s and one of the boys had an inappropriate relationship. Staff had kids watch inappropriate movies that one of the children described as pornographic, Sanchez wrote.

Following Sanchezs visit to Bledsoe, the two New Hampshire boys said they overheard staff say they had snitched. Staff separated the boys, according to Sanchezs report, and threatened to beat them both up if they did not reveal which one had shared concerns with Sanchez and her team.

Sanchez wrote that the older boy offered to take the blame because the other boy was smaller and cannot fight.

One boy said that two days before he returned to New Hampshire, someone shut the bathroom lights off and entered the stall where he was, which was out of the cameras view.

I couldnt see anything. He was swinging so I started swinging, Sanchez quoted the boy as saying. I hit the wall, the toilet, I dont know, I couldnt see.

Both boys said they did not have a therapeutic experience at Bledsoe. One boy said his time there had made him feel institutionalized. The other said he had become skittish.

The former Bledsoe employee who contacted Sanchez had worked at the facility briefly as a therapist before resigning. Throughout the conversation, the former employee recalled multiple incidents where staff berated the children, Sanchez wrote, were both verbally and physically aggressive towards the children and consistently provided harsh punishment for even minor missteps.

When Sanchez asked the employee why they had contacted her office, the person said, I am really concerned for all those children, Sanchez wrote.

Sanchez concluded her reporting by saying its not enough to only remove the New Hampshire children from Bledsoe. No child should be there, she said.

The (Office of the Child Advocates) worst fears were confirmed, she wrote, in that, there was further physical and emotional harm to these children after bravely disclosing the maltreatment they experienced while at Bledsoe Youth Academy.

Sanchez said her investigation has also underscored the need for the state to better protect the children in its care. It is also imperative that certification and oversight of New Hampshire children must be more closely managed, she wrote.

Sanchez said the Department of Health and Human Services has cooperated with her investigation and asked her office to collaborate on many of the recommendations included in her first report.

Remillard, a department spokesperson, said that partnership is critical.

As the (Office of the Child Advocate) would acknowledge, the residential treatment system in New Hampshire does not currently meet the individual needs of every youth, Remillard said in an email. We continue to focus on system improvements so that all youth who are unable to remain at home have access to the services they need, when they need them, in a safe, appropriate setting that best meets their individual needs.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH child advocate has lawmakers rethinking abuse, neglect placements
The News

LAGOS  A court ruling that it is not mandatory for Nigerias electoral commission to transmit voting results electronically has thrown into doubt the future use of technology in Nigerias elections.

The ruling by the presidential elections petition court on Wednesday suggests the hope that innovation would foster transparency and justice in Nigerias often contentious elections might not be fulfilled.

The decision was part of a ruling by a panel of five judges of the appeals court in the capital Abuja that dismissed all challenges to Bola Tinubu s victory in Februarys presidential elections.

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The judges unanimously said opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi did not prove their allegations that Tinubu was unqualified to run, that the polls were marred by malpractice or that the electoral commission INEC failed to follow laws mandating it to transmit and publish results electronically.

Lawyers for Atiku and Obi rejected the courts decision and said they would appeal at Nigerias Supreme Court where a final ruling can be expected in 60 days.

Know More

Every Nigerian presidential election but one since 2003 has been challenged in court for alleged irregularities. Ahead of the most recent poll, the idea to electronically transmit results from over 177,000 voting units and publish them online for real-time viewing was to help preserve the integrity of results as declared before voters at each unit.

A new law and INECs guidelines codified the intent and stipulated the process for using a biometric device for voter verification and results transmission (BVAS), and uploading result sheets to a dedicated website (IReV). Mahmood Yakubu, chair of INEC, promoted both new platforms during his talk at the London-based think tank Chatham House in January.

But the elections court said the law allowed INEC to choose a manual transmission of results if it so wished. Petitioners had alleged that over 18,000 result sheets were illegible on the results website, raising questions about the validity of those results as announced during the collation process that preceded INECs declaration of Tinubus victory.

Alexanders view

After multiple incidents of often violent disruption, the lowest turnout in seven elections and Tinubus slim margin of victory, many voters and some analysts raised questions about a crisis of confidence in future Nigerian elections. Those anxieties existed before the polls as democracy was tested around West and Central Africa. The stakes are just as high as such tests have continued in recent weeks.

Strong ethnic and religious tensions have clouded Nigerias elections since the first post-independence attempts in the 1960s, prefacing a slide into three decades of military dictatorships. Debates since democracy returned in 1999 have gradually introduced technology as a neutral lens to calm suspicions of malice. But the courts ruling that essentially renders technology optional feels like a missed opportunity to institutionalize transparency by guaranteeing that players and umpires perform under the publics unhindered gaze.

Voter turnout has declined steadily since 1999 and will likely continue its downward slide as more people lose faith in the process, Ayisha Osori, a Nigerian lawyer and director at the Open Society Foundations, the New York-based democracy advocacy nonprofit, told Semafor Africa. The verdict could frame elections as a charade that Nigerians simply decline to take part in, she said, though there is a chance for further legal clarification of the necessity of electronic transmission by the Supreme Court.

Another potential risk is that distrustful candidates avoid upcoming elections, as a former high-ranking cabinet minister Osita Chidoka (and member of the opposition who supported Atiku) suggested, describing the verdict as the most damage done to our democracy. Opposition boycotts are unlikely but apathy would allow the ruling All Progressives Congress to claim crucial state governorships unopposed.

Room for Disagreement

Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, a senior Nigerian lawyer and member of Tinubus legal team, defended the current stance on technologys place in Nigerias elections.

IReV is just a viewing portal not a collation center. Weve not reached the stage of electronic collation of results in Nigeria like they do in the U.S., Adebayo told Channels, a Nigerian TV network, on Thursday. And I have challenged people to show that results declared at their polling units were different from what was online. Nobody has been able to say that.

An adviser for Tinubu referred Semafor Africa to a statement which said the courts verdict signaled the continuing maturity of Nigerias legal system.
By Gram Slattery

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) -U.S. 2024 Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley wants to send special forces to Mexico to wipe out drug cartels, double down on sending weapons to Ukraine and make sure China understands "there will be hell to pay" if it attacks Taiwan.

The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is stubbornly bucking traditional political wisdom that foreign policy does not influence American voters in elections.

Despite opinion polls for the Republican nomination putting Haley in single digits, she is still singularly focused on winning over voters, in large part by pushing her foreign policy vision in a party where isolationism has increasingly taken hold.

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This is where Haley differs from many of the other nine contestants for the party's presidential nomination. Her vision for a much more assertive U.S. foreign policy is not just a plank in her campaign, but a huge part of her pitch to voters to elect her the nominee.

Haley acknowledged in an interview with Reuters this week that she is preaching to a divided party, but said she sees her role as educating voters, rather than showing them that she already shared their views.

"If you go to my town halls, you hear me talk about it, and the reason I talk about is because I want Americans to have all the facts," said Haley, who is running fourth among Republicans in most opinion polls.

"When the Americans are given the truth, when they're given all of those facts, then they understand why I'm passionate about it, and why they should care about it as well," said Haley, who served two years as U.N. ambassador under former President Donald Trump .

Haley's stance on military aid to Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion in particular puts her at odds with much of her party's rank-and-file. Some 52% of Republicans said in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in July that they were less likely to support a candidate who favors increased military aid to Ukraine.

The campaign is making a strategic wager, advisers said, that Haley's full-throated support for Ukraine is more popular among voters looking to move past Trump, than with the Republican Party writ large.

'LET THE CHIPS FALL'

Haley said she uses her town halls to explain to voters that her staunch support for sending more military equipment to Ukraine is to ensure they have what they need to fight the Russians, so that U.S. troops never have to be deployed there.

"I go and lay it out there, and let the chips fall where they may," she said.

That position puts her in conflict with rivals, Republican front-runner Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Haley's advisers argue that those Republicans least in favor of military aid to Ukraine are more likely to be Trump supporters, so pandering to them is not a sound tactic.

In one memo sent by the campaign to donors and seen by Reuters, campaign manager Betsy Ankney cited comments by DeSantis in March in which he dismissed the Ukraine war as a "territorial dispute," as an example of an opponent trying to appeal to the most dedicated Trump acolytes.

"Many of the people who believe most that we should not be supporting Ukraine are going to be your hard-and-fast Trump voters so they're never going to go with someone else anyways," said one adviser, who requested anonymity.

"The vast majority of the persuadable voters are what you might call 'hawks.'"

At two town halls in New Hampshire, Haley discussed Russia, China and Ukraine at length, as well other U.S. foes including Iran, Venezuela and China.

CALL TO ATTACK MEXICO DRUG CARTELS

In her interview with Reuters she reiterated her willingness to send U.S. special forces into Mexico - without the greenlight of the Mexican government - to attack drug cartels behind the smuggling of the synthetic opioid fentanyl that has fueled drug-related deaths in the United States.

"Well, first you go to the Mexican government, you say, either you do it, or we do it, but you don't wait," she said.

On China, she was no less willing to confront the world's No.2 economy if it sought to invade Taiwan, the democratically governed island that China claims as its own.

"We need to let China know that there will be hell to pay if they touch Taiwan. So are we going to defend Taiwan? We will do whatever we need to defend our friend," Haley said.

Haley is getting more attention from Republican voters since the first Republican primary debate on Aug. 23, where she strongly asserted the importance of confronting Russia and China. Her support has doubled since then, according to polling averages, but still lingers at about 7%.

In the two New Hampshire town halls, attendees were divided on Haley's foreign policy stances, illustrating the tricky position in which she finds herself. Some attendees cited her support for Ukraine as the reason they supported her.

"I spent 11 years in Europe as a soldier. I know the threat over there, and it will be devastating if (Russia) took over Ukraine," said Al Lepine, 75.

Others cited it as the very reason they were hesitant to vote for Haley.

"I think she's a bit pro-war," said Mike Loftus, a 68-year-old retired engineer. "I think that we shouldn't get involved in all the conflicts around the world."

(Reporting by Gram Slattery; editing by Ross Colvin and Grant McCool)
Its been reported by Eurogamer and VGC that developer presentations for Nintendos upcoming console, unofficially known as the Switch 2, took place during Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, last month. TRG sources have confirmed these reports.

Eurogamer claims that these developer presentations took place behind the scenes and that tech demos were shown off to partners. Reportedly, one of these demos was a new-and-improved version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which had been developed for the Switch 2s more powerful target specs. As the publication noted, however, this doesnt mean that a Breath of the Wild re-release is in the works for the upcoming console.

At the time of writing, Nintendo has yet to publicly acknowledge these reports, nor has it given any indication of when it expects to release its next console. There are numerous games that are already planned to release on the current Nintendo Switch hardware for the rest of this year and beyond, though, including the port of Luigis Mansion: Dark Moon, the Super Mario RPG Remake , and Metroid Prime 4 .

In other Nintendo news, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom s producer, Eiji Aonuma, has confirmed that the developers have no plans to release additional content this time , since they feel that theyve done all we can do to create play in that world.

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He noted that the reason that the developers decided to make a Breath of the Wild sequel was because they thought it would be worth experiencing new ways to play in Hyrule. Speaking about the next game in the series, Aonuma promised: Whether it is a sequel or new work, I think it will be a completely new way to play, so I hope you will look forward to it.

If youre a big Nintendo fan, you can discover your next favorite game with our list of the best Nintendo Switch games . You can also read our roundup of the most exciting upcoming Nintendo Switch games for 2023 and beyond.
MENDHAM TOWNSHIP, N.J. (WPIX)  Investigators have solved a nearly 40-year-old cold case involving the death of Baby Mary, a newborn whose body was found in a wooded area in New Jersey in 1984, authorities said.

The baby girls body was found in Mendham Township on Christmas Eve in 1984. She was less than a day old when she was abandoned in the remote area, her umbilical cord still attached, according to the Morris County Prosecutors Office.

The baby girl, whose identity was unknown, was baptized by the Rev. Michael Drury, of St. Joseph Church. Drury, the Mendham Township Police Department chaplain, named the baby Mary.

The identity of Baby Marys parents remained a mystery for nearly four decades  until this year when the infants mother was identified and charged in the case, law enforcement officials announced Thursday.

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Using new technology, law enforcement networking in three states, and old-fashioned police work, investigators were recently able to identify Baby Marys biological father and mother, the Morris County Prosecutors Office said in a news release.

MRI reveals cause of unbearable headaches for college baseball player, a rare condition

DNA analysis led to the identification of Baby Marys mother, authorities said. She was tracked down in South Carolina and charged with manslaughter in April.

The mother was 17 years old at the time of her babys death and is being charged as a juvenile, so her identity wont be released, authorities said. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

The biological father of Baby Mary died 14 years ago, before investigators were able to identify him, according to authorities. However, investigators said theres no evidence he was ever aware of the pregnancy.

For the past 39 years, the Mendham Township Police Department has pursued this investigation relentlessly to solve this case. If it were not for the hard work and dedication of our officers, who have worked this case over the years, this case would still be unsolved, Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson said former Police Chief Steven Crawford called for a re-examination of the Baby Mary case nine years ago, which led to more leads being examined and investigators eventually cracking the case.

I want to commend all of our current and former Mendham Township Police Officers who investigated or worked this case in one fashion or another, which helped get us here today, as well as Father Michael Drury, who made Baby Mary a part of our community and department over 30 years ago, Johnson said.

Johnson said members of the Mendham Township Police Department and the community have held a memorial service at the grave of Baby Mary every Christmas Eve for the past 35 years.

Today, we are finally able to bring closure to this case and the community that has supported her, Johnson said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko has reacted to media reports about the negotiations between the UN and the Russian government about resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative in exchange for sanctions concessions to Russia.

Source: Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for Ukraines Foreign Affairs Ministry, on Facebook, cited by European Pravda

Details: He stressed that Ukraines position will not change: an easing of sanctions against Russia will lead to new blackmail by the Kremlin.

"The international community must work in order to make Russia fulfil its obligations, not exacerbate its sense of impunity and encourage a new wave of aggression by proposing concessions," Nikolenko stated.

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He added that Ukraine is ready to continue the export of grain to worldwide markets, mainly to African and Asian countries, both within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and through alternative routes in the Black Sea and by land.

Background:

Earlier, Bild, the German media outlet, reported that Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, is negotiating with Russia about resuming the grain deal. In exchange for this, Guterres promises Russia that some sanctions against Moscow will be eased.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that Moscow was not ready to immediately return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it quit in July.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkiye, acted in favour of resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative at the meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and remarked that Ukraine needs to "soften its position" to resume grain deal.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) is expected to endorse former President Trumps White House bid at a rally in her home state Friday, unidentified sources told The Associated Press.

Noem, who is set to introduce the former president at the Republican fundraiser in Rapid City, has been among those floated as a potential running mate for the GOP front-runner.

When asked Thursday whether she would consider a theoretical offer to run as Trumps vice president, Noem said she absolutely would.

I would in a heartbeat, she told Newsmax. Just because you respect the position and the person who asks you to do something, and then see if you really believe that you could make a difference.

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Trump needs a strong partner if hes going to take back the White House, Noem added. And hes going to need somebody who knows what its like to run a business, to be an employee, earn a paycheck. But also having a wife, mom, and grandma isnt bad either.

The former president remains the clear front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, holding double-digit leads over the rest of the crowded GOP field in the polls.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
North Korea claims to have launched a new Korean-style tactical nuclear attack submarine that it says heralds the beginning of a new chapter for its navy. But analysts say those claims should be taken with a large pinch of salt, with South Korean authorities doubting the vessel even works properly.

The submarine, named Hero Kim Kun Ok, was launched to much fanfare at a ceremony attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The agency quoted Kim as saying the vessel was equipped with a large number of nuclear delivery means and capable of preemptive and retaliatory strikes against hostile countries, and said he had called on the country to convert all of its medium-sized subs into nuclear-capable versions.

But South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staffs (JCS) poured scorn on those claims in a statement on Friday, saying the new sub appears not capable of normal operation, and warned there were signs North Korea was trying to exaggerate its capabilities.

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The reports about the sub come after North Korea last weekend claimed to have simulated a nuclear missile attack to warn the United States of nuclear war danger.

Meanwhile, US experts have also expressed doubts over the new submarine, both over the potency of its missiles and whether North Korea would be able to build more than one such vessel.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine. - KCNA/Reuters

Whats nuclear about it?

US analysts believe the submarine, which was first revealed to be under construction four years ago, is conventionally powered but possibly capable of launching ballistic missiles tipped with nuclear warheads.

Submarine expert H I Sutton, writing on the Naval News website, said the new vessel appears to be based on the old Soviet-designed Romeo-class submarines. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, North Korea already has 20 Romeo-class subs in its fleet of an estimated 64 to 86 submarines.

The latest sub appears to have 10 missile launch tubes in a compartment attached to its sail, Sutton noted, adding that, Given the Hermit Kingdoms investment in ballistic missiles, it is likely that these are nuclear capable.

North Korea has test-fired submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) nine times since 2015, most recently in 2022, according to the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) North Korea Missile Test Database.

However, other analysts said it remained unclear whether the new sub was capable of launching SLBMs.

Others were even more skeptical. Carl Schuster, a retired US Navy captain and former director of operations at the US Pacific Commands Joint Intelligence Center, said the newly launched sub was probably two years away from being fully operational. He said installing and testing the subs internal machinery and components would take around 18 months, then there would be up to six months of sea trials and training.

And even if and when the sub does become fully operational, there are some who doubt the effectiveness of Pyongyangs submarine-launched missiles.

Vann Van Diepen, a former US government official working on weapons of mass destruction issues, wrote on the 38 North website in July that ballistic missile subs had taken a back seat to land-mobile ballistic missiles in Pyongyangs forces and were unlikely to be a consequential and credible leg of its nuclear forces anytime soon.

Pyongyangs land-based missiles, which are much more survivable and cost-effective than a (ballistic missile submarine) force, are highly likely to remain the mainstay of its nuclear and missile forces, he wrote.

Sending a message

While analysts believe the sub launched on Wednesday is conventionally powered, Kim has said previously that he wants his country to produce nuclear-powered vessels in the future.

He reiterated that call in his speech Wednesday, saying it was necessary to give greater impetus to the construction of nuclear-powered submarines to strengthen and develop our navy into a military force of a world-class maritime power, according to KCNA.

Irrespective of its power source, Schuster said Wednesdays launch enabled Kim to send a deterrent message to adversaries like the US and Japan.

He is signaling that his nuclear program is progressing and that he can soon conduct strikes from multiple directions, Schuster said.

All US Navy submarines, both of the attack and ballistic missile varieties, are nuclear powered. Russia, China, Britain, France and India also operate nuclear-powered subs.

The launch of the sub and North Koreas claim to have simulated a nuclear missile attack last weekend come as Pyongyang prepares to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the countrys founding on September 9.

The events also come amid signs that Pyongyang has been rattled by increasing cooperation between the United States and South Korea.

At the end of August the two countries held joint military live-fire exercises simulating a counterattack against invading forces. And following a May summit meeting in Seoul the US and South Korean presidents pledged to step up military cooperation. That pledge followed more than a dozen missiles tests by North Korea this year  a big increase on the eight it carried out in 2021 and the four in 2020.

CNNs Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report.

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North Korea launched its first tactical nuclear attack submarine Friday, according to state media.

The diesel-powered submarine, dubbed Hero Kim Kun Ok and based on the Soviet Romeo class, can carry nuclear-tipped missiles, crucial to counter the U.S. Navy in the region, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said.

The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK, state media said Friday.

It is believed to have 10 missile tubes, four larger than the others, which North Korean media said are capable of firing missiles from underwater.

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Defense analysts shared doubts that the new submarine would significantly bolster North Koreas naval threat, saying the Soviet design the submarine is based on is poor and outdated.

This submarine, though heavily modified, is based on 1950s Soviet-origin technology and will have inherent limitations. Nevertheless, in terms of complicating the targeting challenges that the U.S. and its allies will face, the submarine will serve North Koreas purposes, Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Associated Press.

Kim outlined a need to modify the countrys existing naval forces to handle nuclear weapons, describing a nuclear-armed navy as an urgent task, state media said. He also committed to developing a nuclear-propelled submarine, which would be able to stay underwater and at sea for extremely long periods.

The nuclear attack submarine, for decades a symbol of aggression against our republic, has now become a symbol of our revolutionary power to strike fear into the hearts of our despicable enemies, Kim said, according to state media.

The South Korean military doubted the submarines claimed capabilities.

There are signs of deception or exaggeration, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, with no further detail.

The submarines launch is timed to celebrate the countrys 75th anniversary, North Korean media said, which falls Saturday.

The move comes as North Korea is expected to negotiate an arms deal with Russia, sending small arms support for the countrys invasion of Ukraine. The North could request advanced missile technologies or satellite capabilities in return, defense analysts told the AP.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
JAKARTA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Voices affirming unity and the need to reject bloc confrontation have come under the spotlight in the just-concluded three-day summit here by ASEAN leaders with Asian and Western counterparts.

ASEAN must not be an arena of destructive rivalries, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the opening of the 43rd ASEAN Summit on Tuesday. He urged the regional grouping to stay united and not be a proxy to any power.

"Don't make our ship, ASEAN, become an arena of rivalry that causes damages to each other," he said. "Make our ship the foundation to build cooperation and create prosperity, stability and peace, not only for the region but also for the world."

Widodo called on the United States to become a positive force in ensuring that the Indo-Pacific remains a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region through concrete and inclusive cooperation. "ASEAN has agreed to continue to serve as the locomotive of peace and stability in the region, where the Indo-Pacific must become a platform for collaboration."

The biggest challenge facing the Asia-Pacific region, especially East Asia, is that the United States is attempting to provoke geopolitical confrontation in the region, said Zhai Kun, deputy dean of the Institute of Area Studies of Peking University.

"Apparently, ASEAN countries do not want to follow suit," Zhai said.

Other ASEAN leaders share similar views. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said, "We do not want to end up with rival blocs forming or countries having to take one side or the other."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended such a spirit and said "ASEAN has been an important factor for unity in the divided world."

The world has been stretched to the breaking point by a cascade of crises, from the worsening climate emergency and escalating wars and conflicts, to growing poverty, widening inequalities, and rising geopolitical tensions, said the UN chief.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, Southeast Asia is fulfilling a "vital role in building bridges of understanding" worldwide, he said.

The truth is Asia-Pacific countries are seeing vibrant development and mushrooming opportunities ahead. The path they choose to embark on determines the future of the region.

In his first participation in the ASEAN summits, Chinese Premier Li Qiang highlighted commonalities among Asian countries and called on them to properly handle disagreements and disputes.

Li travelled Wednesday aboard a train on test run along the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway connecting Indonesia's capital Jakarta and the country's cultural hub Bandung, the site of the legendary Bandung Conference of the Third World.

When Bandung Conference was held in 1955, similar choices were put on the table for Asian countries: united for development or entangled in confrontation. For coping with the complex international situation at that time, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai proposed "seeking common ground while reserving differences."

This week during the ASEAN summits, Li also said, "to keep differences under control, what is essential now is to oppose picking sides, oppose bloc confrontation, and oppose a new Cold War and to ensure that disagreements and disputes among countries are properly handled."

The more difficult it is, the more regional countries need to stay together, show solidarity and coordinate with one another, Li said.

The current momentum of China-ASEAN cooperation remains robust, Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of ASEAN, told Xinhua. "It's going very strong," he said.

China and ASEAN remain each other's top trading partner. Latest data from China's General Administration of Customs showed, for the first seven months in 2023, the total trade value between China and ASEAN was 3.59 trillion yuan (519 billion U.S. dollars).

Analysts said Washington's de-risking binge failed to contain China but pushed it away. China's largest export market is no longer the United States, but Southeast Asia.

According to a list of China's initiatives for the ASEAN summits, future cooperation between the two sides is going to involve more innovation areas like digital technology, new energy vehicles, the photovoltaic industry and artificial intelligence.

Kao, the ASEAN chief, said that there will be continuous collaboration, focusing particularly on "economic cooperation and economic integration" as well as boosting trade.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is aligning ASEAN community's Post-2025 Vision, a roadmap for common prosperity, with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

"We want to see proposal that will be visible to the people," he said. "They will bring in more investment, more trade, many more jobs for the people."

In the meeting between ASEAN and China on Wednesday, Lee Hsien Loong said that the two have forged close bonds of friendship over the past three decades.

"As we look ahead to the next phase of our comprehensive strategic partnership, I am confident that we will build an even stronger ASEAN-China relationship based on mutual trust and respect," he said. 
A very deep rework of an ancient Cold War-era Romeo class diesel-electric submarine that North Korea has 'Frankensteined' into a conventionally-powered missile submarine has been officially unveiled and launched. The ceremony, which Kim Jong Un attended, took place at Sinpo submarine yard on North Korea's eastern shore on September 6th. The submarine is named Hero Kim Kun Ok and carries the hull number 841.

Kim inspects his ballistic missile submarine in Sinpo. (KCNA)

The boat's Romeo-class origins are more clear in this image. Note it appears the submarine's rudder and screw have been totally photoshopped out of the image. (KCNA)

We first saw parts of the so-called Gorae/Sinpo-C class 'SSB' as it was being modified on land back in 2019. The grafted-on missile compartment behind its sail gave it a bizarre look. While it isn't perfectly clear if that was the same boat that we are seeing here, it seems highly likely, especially considering North Korea had years to fiddle with it to make it a workable design.

As for the submarine's capabilities, its missile compartment extension aft of the sail clearly features five doors on each side, for a total of ten compartments. The forward four are larger than the rear six. This does make sense, with the boat being designed to carry multiple types of missiles, specifically a mix of short-range and longer-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) , and/or SLBMs and submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM). In particular, the Hermit Kingdom's new nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missile, the Hwasal-2, adapted for submarine launch would be the top cruise missile contender for this submarine, as we previously posited.

The submarine's very dated hull design and grafted-on missile compartment are apparent here. (KCNA)

Here we see the boat post-launch alongside the pier. (KCNA)

North Korea has been openly pursuing a second-strike nuclear deterrent in the form of sub-launched ballistic missiles of various types for many years. Still, assuming North Korea can get their deeply modified SSB to work, just having a boat or two capable of nuclear patrols does not ensure a credible nuclear second-strike deterrent. These submarines will be very noisy by modern standards and will be tracked from the second they leave North Korean piers. Still, the very existence of such a capability would be viewed as another major step for North Korea along its unbridled nuclear weapons development adventure. Persistent patrols could also tie up significant South Korean, U.S., and Japanese anti-submarine resources.

Kim touring the Sinpo submarine yards back in 2019, the first time we got a glimpse of the regime's Romeo class turned SSB 'Frankensub' ambitions. (KCNA)

Kim riding on a Romeo class years ago. The type dates back to the 1950s and still makes up the backbone of the North Korean Navy's submarine fleet. (KCNA)

One discrepancy that is worth mentioning is that supposedly the launch took place on September 6th. Yet high-resolution satellite imagery from that day shows nothing of the sort, including any obvious preparations for an event. It is possible that the launch occurred and the pier area was reset quickly or preparations happened very fast and the satellite pass did not pick up any of them, but it does seem a bit odd.

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As for Kim's remarks on the big unveiling, NKNews.com writes :

The DPRK leader outlined a plan to remodel existing medium-sized submarines into offensive ones loaded with tactical nuclear weapons to play an important role in the modern warfare in his speech Wednesday, the Rodong Sinmun reported, calling it a low-cost ultra-modernization strategy.

The country will accelerate the nuclear armament of the navy without letup in a scheme that is separate from our developmental and prospective plan for building nuclear submarines, the report added, part of North Koreas advance toward the attainment of the grandiose goal for turning the country into an advanced maritime power.

The next big milestone for this very unique boat will be actually test-firing an SLBM, that is if it survives its shakedown operations.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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Burning Man flooding triggers false claims of Ebola outbreak, national emergency

CLAIM: Officials confirmed an Ebola outbreak at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, where a national emergency was declared.

THE FACTS: Federal health officials told the AP they have not received any reports of Ebola cases at the Nevada event. A screenshot of a supposed post from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirming such cases was fabricated. And there is no record of a national emergency being declared. The claims emerged after summer storm left muddy roads flooded, stranding tens of thousands of partygoers; event organizers let traffic flow out of the main road Monday afternoon. So it was announced earlier that Burning Man was declared a national emergency because it was flooded, and so they sent in FEMA, a woman claims in a TikTok video shared on Instagram, suggesting the development was suspicious. The AP found no record, including on federal websites and in White House announcements, of a national emergency declaration and FEMA confirmed that it was not involved in the situation. No FEMA personnel or assets have been deployed to the Burning Man festival and there are no requests from local or state authorities for our assistance, FEMA spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said in an email. The TikTok video, like other posts, goes on to relay baseless rumors of reported cases of Ebola, whose occasional outbreaks in humans primarily occur in Africa, at the festival. Some posts also shared an image made to appear that the CDC confirmed the supposed outbreak on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The purported X post from the agency reads, Ebola outbreak confirmed at Black Rock City, NV. It is recommended that all Burning Man attendees remain in their dwellings until further notice. Current State of Emergency in progress. But the CDCs X account published no such post. CDC has not received any reports of Ebola at the Burning Man Festival and has not issued any warnings or had any requests for assistance from the state and local health departments either, agency spokesperson Scott Pauley said in an email. Reverse image searches further show that a graphic about Ebola used in the fictitious CDC post was published by the agency in 2016, but elements of it were changed. For example, the original graphic asks, Recently in West Africa? But the version used in the made-up X post asks, Recently in Nevada? Referencing more online rumors, Pauley also noted the CDC had not received reports of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, or Marburg, a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever, in relation to Burning Man. A representative for the Burning Man Project organization also refuted the online claims. Quite simply, the online rumors of transmissible illnesses in Black Rock City are unfounded and untrue, Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley said in an email. The festival had been closed to vehicles after more than a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) of rain fell Sept. 1, causing flooding and foot-deep mud, as the AP reported. The annual gathering, which launched on a San Francisco beach in 1986, attracts nearly 80,000 artists, musicians and activists for a mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances

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 Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in New Jersey contributed this report.

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Arkansas isnt ditching voting machines for paper ballots, despite claims online

CLAIM: Arkansas is switching to election ballots that are marked by hand rather than by machine.

THE FACTS: Theres been no statewide change in how voters cast ballots, elections officials and voter rights groups in Arkansas say. Residents will still continue to use voting machines in nearly every county in the state. One rural county recently approved a plan to start using paper ballots that voters must mark by hand, and a final vote on that decision is expected later this month. But social media users are claiming Arkansas as a whole is ditching voting machines. BREAKING: Arkansas will use hand-marked paper ballots in all future elections, one user wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Chris Powell, a spokesperson for Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurstons office, in an email called the claim 100% false information." The vast majority of the state will continue to use the ES&S ExpressVote system for upcoming elections, he said. Under the current process, voters select their candidates on a touch-screen display. The machine then makes corresponding marks on a paper ballot, which is printed out and run through a ballot scanner, which tabulates the vote. Conrad Reynolds, CEO of the Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative, a local group thats been pushing for counties to switch to hand-marked and hand-counted ballots, confirmed the posts are spreading misinformation. There is no law or anything at this point saying that the state will go to a paper ballot, period, he said by phone. Efforts to bring back hand-marked and hand-counted paper ballots gained momentum after the 2020 election, fueled by conspiracy theories that voting systems were manipulated, leading to former President Donald Trumps defeat. But election experts say hand counts take longer and are far less reliable than counting with machines. In Arkansas, just one of the states 75 counties has so far decided to switch back to more traditional voting methods, according to Powell and Reynolds. Election commissioners in Searcy County, a rural district with a population of less than 8,000, voted last month to begin using paper ballots that voters fill-in by hand. However that decision still requires a second vote to be finalized. Meanwhile, Cleburne County voted earlier this year to adopt a similar hand-marked ballot process, but the county of nearly 25,000 residents rescinded the decision just months later. Arkansas lawmakers also passed a law this year requiring any counties that switch to hand-marked paper ballots to first tally ballots by machine in order to quickly turn around the initial election results. The ballots can be counted by hand later for the official results.

 Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

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Social media posts misconstrue the efficacy of vaccines for flu, measles, mumps and rubella

CLAIM: Vaccines for the flu, measles, mumps and rubella were developed decades ago, yet the diseases havent been eradicated, proving that the immunizations dont work.

THE FACTS: Cases of measles and rubella have been virtually eliminated in the U.S., thanks to vaccines, according to public health agencies and experts. Flu and mumps vaccines, meanwhile, have helped drastically reduce the incidence of serious illness and death from those diseases. Other once-deadly illnesses, such as smallpox and polio, have also all but been eliminated in the country by vaccinations. Still, social media users are casting doubt on the COVID-19 vaccine by sharing a misleading meme that suggests the flu, measles, mumps and rubella still exist even though inoculations against those diseases have been around for decades. The flu vaccine was invented 78 years ago. The MMR vaccine was invented 60 years ago, the meme reads. I might not be a smart man, but I dont think those vaccines are working. How many years will we continue to pretend the COVID (vaccine) works, too? wrote an Instagram user who shared the meme, using an image of a syringe instead of the word vaccine. But the notion that vaccines havent had an effect on the four diseases doesnt hold up. For one thing, measles and rubella have been considered eliminated in the U.S. for almost two decades now because most people in the country are vaccinated against the illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile mumps cases have dropped markedly since the country rolled out vaccines, from more than 150,000 cases a year in 1968 to about 320 last year, according to the CDC. The flu has been more challenging for vaccine developers, because the virus constantly mutates and there are multiple strains of it circulating during any given year, said William Schaffner, a spokesperson for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. But that doesnt mean the shot is ineffective. So what we have is a vaccine that can mitigate the worst aspects of influenza, but cannot eliminate the infection completely, Schaffner explained. The widely shared meme plays on a common misconception that for vaccines to be effective, they must fully eradicate a disease, says Nicholas Pullen, a biology professor at the University of Northern Colorado. Fundamentally, vaccinations are meant to reduce the likelihood of someone getting the disease and lessen its severity and prevent death if contracted, he said. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious diseases physician at Boston Medical Center, argued that research has demonstrated that the flu vaccine is effective in both regards. During the 2019-2020 flu season, which was the last one before the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines prevented an estimated 7.5 million influenza illnesses and 6,300 influenza-associated deaths, she said, citing CDC data. Flu vaccination has also been shown to reduce severity of illness, Assoumou said, citing a 2021 study in the journal Vaccine, which showed that vaccinated flu patients had a 31% lower risk of death from flu compared with those who were unvaccinated. Whats more, by narrowly focusing on the flu and MMR shots, the social media posts are conveniently ignoring the role vaccines played in virtually eliminating in the U.S. two other once deadly illnesses: smallpox and polio, said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. In short, no it is not a fair argument, said Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization. Vaccines work very well, but they only work if they are in arms, not on shelves.

 Philip Marcelo

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The number of people injured as a result of a Russian missile attack on the police administrative building in the city of Kryvyi Rih carried out on the morning of 8 September has risen to 72, and 1 more person has died.

Source: Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Defence Council of Kryvyi Rih; the Patrol Police of Ukraine

Quote: "As a result of a strike on an administrative building, one person, a young man, has died, and 72 people  this is a final number  have been injured. Thirty-five are in hospital, three of them in critical condition. The overall diagnosis is multiple shrapnel wounds and thermal burns. Everyone has received necessary medical treatment."

Details: Vilkul reported that the homes of over 5,000 residents of Kryvyi Rih were damaged  over 80 houses, out of them 23 are private homes, others are apartment buildings.

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A headquarters located near the arts school on Tserkovna Street, 2 operates in the city to help the victims.

The Patrol Police have posted a video of the first few minutes after the morning strike.

Background:

On the morning of 8 September, a Russian missile destroyed one of the administrative buildings of the police in Kryvyi Rih. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported about nine injured officers.

According to the preliminary reports of the Air Force of Ukraine, the Russians struck Kryvyi Rih with an Iskander missile.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday the number of Russian spies in the U.S. remains way too big despite recent efforts to root them out.

The Russian traditional counterintelligence threat continues to loom large, Wray said at an event at the International Spy Museum.

The Russian intelligence footprint  and by that, I mean Russian intelligence officers  is still way too big in the United States, he added. And its something that were constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we can.

While Wray emphasized the U.S. has made very positive, significant strides on the issue in recent years, he also said they remain mindful of Moscows disproportionately large footprint in the U.S., and the interests those individuals are advancing.

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If anybody needs a reminder of what Russias interests are, you can just look at whats going on in Ukraine, he said. And so, we never lose sight of the fact that these are the same people that are involved in unconscionable activity and aggression in Ukraine.

He noted Russia is also now using cut-outs, or individuals who act as intermediaries between agents, as part of its intelligence operations. Wray pointed to the case of Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican national who was arrested by U.S. authorities in 2020 for spying on behalf of Moscow.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia police officer seen on body camera videos fatally shooting 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry last month is charged with murder, aggravated assault and other offenses, District Attorney Larry Krasner said Friday.

Mark Dial turned himself into the police South Detectives division Friday morning, hours before Krasner and Assistant District Attorneys Lyandra Retacco and Karima Yelverton played body camera videos from Dial and his partner that showed Irizarry's final moments.

Dial is facing five charges including murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and official oppression.

The graphic videos show Dial and his partner pull up in a police vehicle next to Irizarry, who had parked on the 100 block of East Willard Street in Kensington on Aug. 14. Dial is seen exiting the police cruiser before shouting at Irizarry to "show your hands" and adding "I will F-ing shoot you."

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He then fires multiple shots at Irizarry as he sat in the driver's seat.

Irizarry's family, who intend to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Dial, were shown the videos at the DA's office last week.

Krasner said the family wanted the videos made public.



"What they said to us was that they wanted the videos played in their entirety, they wanted no portion of these videos blurred," Krasner said.

The videos are "extremely difficult to watch," Krasner warned.

"There is always some level of trauma, especially for family members associated with watching something that is extremely violent," Krasner said. "Regardless of the warnings, they wanted to see it, which we all understand, and we saw it."

After the shots were fired, you can hear Dial's partner saying "Mark, hold on. Mark, stop." Bodycam footage shows Dial holding a gun at Irizarry as he lay still in the driver's seat.

The partner tells Dial to move the police vehicle.

Then the video shows the officers pulling a bloody Irizarry out of the Toyota and loading him into the backseat of a marked police vehicle. Dial then gets in and drives away to a hospital.

Footage from Officer Mark Dial's body camera shows him pointing a gun at Eddie Irizarry as he sits in his car. / Credit: Philadelphia District Attorney's Office

The release of the body camera footage comes after Shaka Johnson and Kevin O'Brien, attorneys for the Irizarry family, played surveillance video at an Aug. 23 news conference that contradicted the initial police account that Irizarry was outside of his car and "lunged" at officers. Police changed their account of the shooting a day after reviewing body camera footage.

Dial was suspended for 30 days with the intent to terminate his employment for insubordination. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Dial refused to obey a superior officer's orders and failed to cooperate with the department's investigation.

Dial's lawyers claimed Friday that Dial and his partner thought they saw a gun. They also claimed Irizarry made an illegal turn in his car moments before the fatal interaction with police.

"Fearing that he was going to be the next police officer killed in the streets of Philadelphia, he fired. What's telling in the video is that as Officer Dial is firing, he's taking retreat," attorney Brian McMonagle said. "He's trying to retreat and trying to find cover because he believes the individual has a gun. In no world, in no world is those facts murder. And we intend to right this wrong. This decision today puts police officers in peril at a time when they're dealing with the most violent time in our city's history. We intend to right this wrong and bring this young man home."

Police data shows the city's homicide total is 21% lower than at this time last year.

Irizarry had two knives inside his car at the time and no gun, according to police.

Dial was arraigned Friday afternoon and bail was set at $500,000. Dial posted bond later Friday.

BREAKING: Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial arrives at officer-involved shooting unit in South Philly. Attorneys for Dial say Dial will be charged with murder in Eddie Irizarry shooting. DA slated to release police worm body camera video today. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/R1cNHGQ1jd  Dan Snyder (@DanSnyderTV) September 8, 2023

It's still unclear from the body cam video how that original story of Irizarry getting out of the car with a knife got started.

Both DA Krasner and Dial's defense team spoke specifically to the murder charge.

"The jury instructions support it, that the law supports it, and frankly, in my opinion, it's not even really a discussion," Krasner said.

"This individual decided to produce a weapon and that unfortunately and tragically is why he died," McMonagle said. "And to put these officers, this officer, in harm's way like this is appalling."

Mayor Jim Kenney and Outlaw released statements on the charges and body camera videos Friday.

"I have watched the footage and I understand that it may provoke anger and upset in our communities. We ask that the public remain peaceful in demonstrations and calls for accountability as we continue to process this tragedy as a city," Kenney's statement said.

Krasner also said the family does not want Irizarry's death to result in any looting or criminal unrest in the city.

"The family repeatedly said to me, and the family's counsel repeatedly said to me, that they do not want any criminal unrest, they do not want any rioting, they do not want any looting, they do not want anyone to claim that what this video depicts or the nature of the case or the event itself justifies any criminal behavior," Krasner said. "That that would be a violation of their respect, their love and their reverence for young Eddie Irizarry."

He asked for the public to be patient as the police Internal Affairs Bureau completes its investigation.

Outlaw pledged the internal investigation would be conducted in a "fair, equitable and transparent manner."

"We will conclude our administrative investigation as soon as possible to ensure justice and closure is attained for all affected by the death of Mr. Irizarry," Outlaw said.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which represents Philadelphia officers, released a statement on the charges against Dial.

Officer Mark Dial has the full support of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 as our attorneys continue to gather all the facts surrounding this tragic incident. We ask the public to reserve judgement until all the evidence is presented during trial. Like any other individual facing allegations, Officer Dial is presumed innocent and looks forward to helping his attorneys prepare a vigorous defense against these serious criminal charges.

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By some accounts, as many as 5 million POW/MIA bracelets were produced during the Vietnam War. Each was inscribed with the name of a member of the armed forces who was a prisoner of war or missing in action.

The bracelets were a way for Americans to show support for POWs and MIAs, regardless of how they felt about the war.

Marion Stanford started wearing one in 1970.

Her half-inch metal bracelet was inscribed with the name of Lt. Bradley Smith.

Even though so many of us hated the war, we had loved ones who served, she said from her home in Tennessee during a phone interview with the Bradenton Herald.

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Her boyfriend, Dan Smith, had been killed during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Now she was wearing a bracelet for another Smith.

She knew nothing about Brad Smith, not even whether he was alive or dead.

The POW bracelet can be seen on Marion Stanfords wrist. She is shown with one of her children, possibly in the 1980s.

As it turned out, Brad Smith was very much alive, although living a miserable existence with other American POWs.

The Navy fighter pilot had been forced to eject over North Vietnam, after the tail on his A-4 Skyhawk was shot off March 25, 1966. He was flying his 77th combat mission over North Vietnam.

He was held prisoner in North Vietnam for 2,516 days, enduring frequent beatings and scavenging whatever he could eat.

When captured, Smith weighed 170 pounds. At the end of the first year, he estimates he had lost 60 pounds, he told a Bradenton crowd in March.

Smith, a Bradenton resident since his retirement from the Navy, made his remarks during a ceremony in Bradenton in March, marking the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, which ended Americas combat role in the Vietnam War.

The Peace Accord allowed Smith and 590 other American POWs to be released and come home.

How do you survive? All you have is the rags on your back and your brain. You are going to eat anything in front of you, no matter how disgusting. You exercise, even if you can only lift an arm or a leg, and you walk. You set goals. You get tougher than rawhide, Smith said in March.

A revelation

Marion Stanford was one of those who read the Bradenton Heralds story online about Brad Smith and the release of the prisoners of war.

Oh, my God. He made it, Stanford said.

For years Ive wondered what became of Lt. Bradley Smith. I was assigned his POW/MIA bracelet more than 50 years ago and wore it for many, many years  long after the war was over. Ive had many opportunities to dispose of the bracelet  at memorials, etc. I just couldnt. I wasnt certain what had become of him and I felt responsible for keeping him alive. I often thought of trying to find out whether he made it home, but research wasnt as easy then, as now. Recently, I ran across your article in one of my routine searches and Im certain the commander is my POW, she said.

She decided to send the bracelet to Smith, in part, to let him know somebody loved him, whether he knew it or not.

Dan Smith and Marion Stanford are shown in 1964 for his high-school graduation. Dan Smith was killed during the Vietnam War. At first he was a big brother then a dear friend. I miss him still, she said..

Its something of a miracle that she had still had the bracelet after so many years.

Even after the American POWs came home from Vietnam, she continued to wear the bracelet.

I took a little teasing for it. People would ask me, Are you going to wear it forever? she said.

By the early 1980s, she was married and had three children. Eventually, the bracelet ended up in the childrens toy box and some of her babies teethed on it. It also spent time in her jewelry box.

Those of us now in our 70s and 80s lived in a different time, Stanford said of the Vietnam War and its effect on a generation.

Meaning to an ex-POW

Brad Smith was released during Operation Homecoming on Feb. 12, 1973. The first stop for the U.S. Air Force aircraft bringing him and other POWs from Hanoi was at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.

It was there that Smith received his first POW bracelet with his name inscribed on it. The bracelet was a gift from an airman who had been wearing it.

Smith promptly put the bracelet on his wrist and wore it home to Jacksonville, Fla.

He estimates that over the years, people have given him about 100 of the bracelets. He treasures each and every one of them. The most recent addition to his collection is the one from Marion Stanford.

Marion Stanford held onto Bradley Smiths POW bracelet for more than 50 years and recently mailed it to him.

It means the American people supported the POWs and were trying to get us out of there. I thank them, Smith said. The American people were extremely supportive of us.

For more information about the history of the POW/MIA bracelets, visit the National League of POW/MIA Families webpage.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day

National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter. Since then, each subsequent president has issued an annual proclamation commemorating the third Friday in September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

This year, National POW/MIA Recognition Day falls on Friday, Sept. 15.
A longtime attorney who specializes in estate planning, probate and guardianship cases is being investigated by Ohio's Office of Disciplinary Counsel for including himself and a relative as beneficiaries in the wills of his elderly and legally incompetent clients.

The disciplinary counsel, a branch of the Ohio Supreme Court that investigates, and prosecutes attorneys and judicial officers who are accused of ethical misconduct, is not permitted to comment on specific cases before formal charges are filed. But at least two grievances have been filed against John B. Mashburn, a long-time Groveport attorney, according to the woman who filed one of them.

Donna Harlow, a retired government worker from Warren County in southwestern Ohio, learned about a Mashburn will involving her mother's cousin, Marjorie Chester.

Marjorie Chester died in April, six years after being declared incompetent and assigned attorney John Mashburn as her guardian. Mashburn in 2018 was named a beneficiary in her estate valued at more than $1 million. The case is still open in Franklin County Probate Court.

Chester was declared a ward of Mashburn in 2017. As guardian, Mashburn was ethically bound to look after Chester's physical and emotional well-being, for which he was compensated in regular payments from her estate. Mashburn's billing rate at the time was $250 per hour, according to court records.

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In May, 2017, Dr. David E. Whitt, Chester's physician, wrote in a Franklin County Probate Court filing that Chester was "declining physically and mentally" and was "incapable of handling her own affairs, including financial and health decisions."

But a year after that agreement, Mashburn had a will written for Chester. And Harlow, who was familiar with legal documents and working with attorneys, was shocked to see that Mashburn was named as a beneficiary. Worse still, Mary Mashburn, the attorney's spouse and a paralegal for her husband, was also listed in the will. Each were to receive 5% of an estate worth more than $1 million, upon Chester's death, Harlow said.

Chester died on April 15 at age 97. The will is still open and now being contested by Harlow and others.

"We kind of feel he's weeding out the vulnerable and wealthy, those with no family and under guardianship," Harlow told The Dispatch recently. "We just feel like she (Chester) has been taken advantage of."

While Harlow, her sister and her mother stand to gain financially, her quest is about justice, not money, she said.

She continued searching probate court records including Mashburn and found another will in which Mashburn, as legal guardian, names himself and his wife as beneficiaries of his ward's estate.

"If I found these cases, how many others are there out there?" Harlow asked. "He has hundreds of wards and I just wonder how many others he's taking advantage of."

Mashburn doesn't dispute the veracity of the wills. But he said that an unrelated attorney prepared and executed them for him.

Alvin Mathews, Mashburn's attorney said that Harlow and others are "ignoring a significant fact that makes the situation appropriate," specifically that Mashburn had another attorney involved.

In addition to filing her grievance with the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel, Harlow's also reported the situation to the Ohio Attorney General, Columbus Bar Association, Franklin County Guardianship Service Board and Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, among others.

So far, Harlow received just one response, from a Franklin County Probate Court magistrate saying that her complaint had been dismissed because of Chester's death. She was encourage to seek additional advice from a private attorney.

After The Dispatch asked about Mashburn, Gabrielle Wonnell, the court's chief deputy clerk emailed this response: "Upon receiving information from outside sources about possible impropriety, the court did an internal audit of attorney Mashburns cases and did not find any pattern that would indicate a widespread issue (of misconduct)."

Should guardianship attorneys be included in their clients' wills?

The Dispatch has asked several attorneys if it is ethical to name yourself as a beneficiary in a will that is written on behalf of your client.

Without hesitation, they all said that they would never do it.

"Even if the client insists, the law would generally say no, because I represent you," said attorney Jay Michael, who specializes in such cases. One solution would be for the attorney to withdraw from the case and (have the ward) seek independent counsel to process the will.

"The reason we've appointed a guardian is because we've ruled that the person is incompetent," said Delaware County Juvenile Court Judge David Hejmanowski, who also handles probate cases. Having yourself included in a will "creates the impression that you are inappropriately influencing the person you represent."

The Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct that governs attorney actions agrees:

"A lawyer shall not solicit any substantial gift from a client. A lawyer shall not prepare on behalf of a client an instrument giving the lawyer, the lawyers partner, associate, paralegal, law clerk, or other employee of the lawyers firm, a lawyer acting of counsel in the lawyers firm, or a person related to the lawyer any gift unless the lawyer or other recipient of the gift is related to the client."

In each of the Mashburn wills, there is no evidence that he is related to any of his clients.

Paul Pfeifer, executive director of the Ohio Judicial Conference, said the answer may be "wrapped up" in the relationship between the ward and guardian.

"I would suspect that it's highly unusual," he said. "God help us if that's the norm."

If there is reason to include the guardian as beneficiary, Pfeifer said "the will should articulate the very special relationship that goes above and beyond the guardian that justifies that."

Joe Caligiuri, Ohio disciplinary counsel, is not permitted to discuss the Mashburn cases or even acknowledge that investigations are ongoing. He did comment about including yourself in wills, noting that "there could be some situations where that might be OK" But, he said, "generally speaking, that would be a no-no."

If an attorney is charged with misconduct, the Ohio Supreme Court has the authority to determine a range of punishment, from reprimand to losing your license to practice in Ohio.

Who is John Mashburn?

At 74, Mashburn is nearing retirement after more than 50 years practicing law in Ohio. He has had a long and trouble-free relationship with colleagues and those in Franklin County Probate Court, those who know him say. The Ohio Supreme Court's attorney directory states that he has had no previous investigations or sanctions.

He is perhaps best known for inheriting the cases of now deceased attorney Paul S. Kormanik, who in 2014 was investigated for the excessive billing of his elderly, disabled and incompetent clients for mundane work such as house cleaning, opening mail and buying Christmas presents with clients' own money.

Former court-appointed guardian Paul Kormanik, middle, consults with his attorney Richard Cline before pleading guilty to 10 charges related to mistreating his wards in front of Judge Michael Holbrook in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Aug. 4, 2015. Kormanik was also represented by defense attorney S. Michael Miller, left. (Adam Cairns / The Columbus Dispatch)

In 2014, Mashburn told The Dispatch that he and Kormanik had so many cases that retired Franklin County Probate Court Judge Robert G. Montgomery told the attorneys that if something bad happened to one or both that Montgomery would have to shut down the court's normal operations and immediately scramble to find guardians for their wards.

A year after the investigation, Kormanik pleaded guilty to four counts of stealing from people for whom he was a court-appointed guardian, and to other charges connected to taking taxpayers money and falsifying records. Within days of his court appearance, Kormanik was found dead by suicide in his Upper Arlington home.

Read More: Convicted guardianship lawyer died of suicide

Since then, Mashburn has been admired for his longevity and character, said his former partner Steve McGann, who still works in the Groveport office they shared since 2017.

He describes Mashburn as "a typical country lawyer  he'd get up early and get his work done. He really did a lot of good."

"He's done a great job for a lot of people," said McGann, when asked about the ethical issues Mashburn faces. "But sometimes the lines get blurred."

"I sincerely think that John didn't think he was doing anything wrong," McGann said.

After their partnership ended after five years in 2022, McGann was cleaning up some of Mashburn's belongings and found a will and hand-written notes listing Mashburn and his wife among the beneficiaries. The will, he said, was written by Mary Mashburn, a paralegal who works for her husband.

He collected the information and notified Franklin County Probate Court officials. But he didn't hear back.

He wondered if he should do more to help protect the reputation of guardianship attorneys.

"I wrestled with it for several months," McGann said. "If I don't bring this up and it comes up later, it's going to look like I let John off the hook ... or the reputation of probate attorneys in general was being questioned," McGann recalled thinking.

"I called a couple of my friends to ask what my responsibility is to the bar," McGann said, who said he eventually sent a detailed chronology and exhibits to the Ohio Disciplinary Council, including the decision from a 2022 case: "Toledo Bar Association versus Cook" which states "There are no circumstances under which an attorney may prepare a will or trust in which the attorney, the attorneys family, or the attorneys affiliates are named beneficiaries, unless the beneficiary is related to the client."

He eventually called Mashburn, telling him "Hopefully, I'm doing you a favor."

What Mashburn says

Contacted at his Dublin home, Mashburn declined to answer specific questions related to the wills, except to say another attorney had dealt with them and that maybe his wife had typed up the documents.

He said that McGann was likely upset about their partnership ending in November and chose to file complaints against him.

He said that many of his colleagues already know about the investigations and that reporting it in the news won't help, but added, "I understand what you have to do."

"I tried to retire four years ago and then this comes up," he said. A Facebook page, "John Mashburn's Retirement Party" was set up in 2019.

Most of Mashburn's final cases are for indigent wards, he said

"Do you know how much we're paid for those ... $420 a year," Mashburn said after looking to verify.

"I've never known him to be unethical," said attorney Jay Michael, who has known Mashburn for years. "I'm surprised. This is somewhat of an outlier. I've always found him to be honorable."

Meanwhile, Donna Harlow said she just wants answers from authorities who can prevent similar problems happening to others.

"Why does it take some nosy person like me? If I can dig this stuff up,why can't they do it? Why are they letting other attorneys do this."

She would also like some form of justice for Chester, and a message sent to others who might take advantage of the elderly or incompetent.

"She had no kids or siblings that are alive. If that was me," Harlow said, pausing to collect herself, "I would hope that someone would stick up for me at 97."

dnarciso@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio attorney John Mashburn named as beneficiary in clients' wills
Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

JAKARTA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Friday that China is ready to work with Indonesia to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state, further enhance the synergy of development strategies, promote the common development of the two countries, and inject lasting impetus to regional stability and prosperity.

In talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Li first conveyed to him the cordial greetings from President Xi Jinping. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, bilateral relations have maintained a strong momentum of development, Li said.

Li noted that over a month ago, the two presidents met in Chengdu, and reached a new important consensus on the "reality map" of building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future.

The Chinese premier said firstly, the two sides should continue to deepen strategic mutual trust, and build a solid political foundation for jointly building a community with a shared future.

China and Indonesia should grasp their own fundamental and long-term interests, boost mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, jointly respond to various risks and challenges, continue to expand exchanges at all levels, make good use of mechanisms such as bilateral high-level dialogue and cooperation, and learn from each other, promote each other, and go forward hand in hand in the process of modernization in their respective countries.

The premier said secondly, the two sides should continue to expand practical cooperation and tighten the bond of interest for jointly building a community with a shared future.

China, Li said, is ready to work with Indonesia to make full preparations for the official operation of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR).

Li said China will work with Indonesia to make the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" new flagship projects of Belt and Road cooperation.

China stands ready to work with Indonesia for high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), expand imports of bulk commodities and quality agricultural and fishery products from Indonesia, and encourage Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Indonesia, he said.

China supports the construction of Indonesia's new capital, and stands ready to work with Indonesia to foster "new engines" for cooperation such as digital economy and green development, and further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals and health, youth, education, culture, and tourism, Li added.

Thirdly, Li called for closer multilateral cooperation and enriching the connotation of building the China-Indonesia community with a shared future.

The two sides should continue to carry forward the Bandung Spirit, uphold true multilateralism, and make global governance more just and equitable, he said.

China stands ready to work with Indonesia to actively implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

The Indonesian president, for his part, asked Li to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese president, saying that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Indonesia and China has yielded fruitful results in recent years.

He said Indonesia appreciates China's firm support for Indonesia's role as the rotating ASEAN chair and its support for maintaining ASEAN centrality.

Noting that Indonesia adheres to the one-China principle, he said Indonesia is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture and fishery, infrastructure, digital economy, new energy, tourism and health care, and push forward strategic cooperation projects such as the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" to lift bilateral relations to a new level.

The Indonesian president said his country will continue to carry forward the Bandung Spirit and stands ready to work with China to promote regional cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity.

During the visit, the two sides signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents on industry, agriculture, fishery, e-commerce, and scientific and technological innovation.

Ahead of the talks, the Indonesian president held a grand welcoming ceremony for the Chinese premier at Merdeka Palace.

Wu Zhenglong, among others, was present at the above events. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends a welcoming ceremony held by Indonesian President Joko Widodo before their talks in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
Ohio law enforcement and safety leaders, including one from the Miami Valley, are headed to Capitol Hill.

They plan to tell Congress they do not want bigger and more dangerous trucks on local roads.

A push has been made for federal legislation that would test heavier and longer semi-trucks on our nations roads  but some say this will endanger motorists.

>> Family of inmate litter crew worker hit, killed on I-75 files wrongful death lawsuit

In my experience analyzing fatal crashes, bigger trucks would be a disaster for public safety, Vandalia Police Chief Kurt Althouse said. Its simple physics. More weight means more force, turning what could have been a fender bender into a fatal crash.

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Althouse said truck crashes are at a crisis level in Ohio and recent data shows 2021 to be the worst year in recent history.

According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data, there were 199 crashes involving commercial trucks in Montgomery County in 2021, resulting in nine deaths.












The Rev. David Wheeler is seen on Sept. 7 at the New Covenant Church in Oklahoma City.

Anti-transgender legislation and Christian nationalism.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada recently expressed its views on these hot button issues at the denomination's recent General Assembly, approving a statement opposing legislation "harmful" to transgender and "gender-diverse" individuals, while also supporting a statement voicing objections to Christian nationalism.

The Rev. David Wheeler, of Oklahoma City, helped draft a resolution titled "Invitation To Oppose Anti-Trans Legislation and Affirm the Dignity of Transgender and Gender-Diverse people." He said Christian denominations have different interpretations on various issues, but he felt it was "a Christian responsibility" to stand up for a group he feels has been singled out for discrimination through anti-transgender legislation passed by numerous state legislatures, including Oklahoma's.

"I see Jesus as the ultimate 'includer,' and that was always the movement of the Church. In fact, Christianity includes much of Jewish faith and tradition and Scripture," said Wheeler, senior minister of New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 12000 N Rockwell.

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More: Pro-LGBTQ+ Free Mom Hugs Conference will debut in Oklahoma City

"That's always been, to me, the trajectory of the Christian faith  to draw the circle wide, and not to narrow it."

The Rev. Don Heath, co-pastor of Edmond Trinity Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 1400 NW 178, was particularly enthusiastic about his denomination's resolution opposing Christian nationalism.

In its statement, the denomination defined Christian nationalism as "a cultural framework that fuses a radically exclusionary form of Christian supremacist identity with the political and civic participation of a nations citizens through the appropriation of Christian language and imagery to amass political power."

"It's not really Christianity, and it's not really patriotism," said Heath, whose church held a forum in July that addressed the issue. "It's really more of a secular movement to attach the Christian name to a right-wing ideology."

Don Heath

Heath said the Disciples of Christ General Assembly resolution regarding transgender and gender-diverse individuals was brought up for an emergency vote, meaning it was allowed to be considered even though it came up after the time period for the 2023 proposed resolutions had passed. Heath said he thought Disciples of Christ were alarmed at the numerous anti-trans laws that passed in recent legislative sessions and that's why there was a consensus that the topic needed to be addressed immediately.

More: Anti-trans legislation creates more recognition, support for trans Oklahomans

In part, the resolution encourages Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada to "uplift religious texts and stand in solidarity with transgender and gender-diverse individuals against harm being done against them often with the misuse of religious texts and symbols."

The resolution also called on Disciples of Christ to designate themselves and their spaces as "safe spaces" for transgender and gender-diverse people, and encouraged members of the faith group to educate themselves on pronoun usage and to write their legislatures in support of the transgender and gender-diverse community.

The Rev. David Wheeler is seen on Sept. 7 at the New Covenant Church in Oklahoma City.

Views differ between Oklahoma groups

The faith group was among other denominations who shared views on this topic and other issues through resolutions and statements during meetings held during the summer months.

The Disciples of Christs' stance of support for transgender rights is in stark contrast to a resolution approved at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in June. Delegates, called messengers, gathered for the annual meeting of the the nation's largest Protestant faith group where they approved a resolution "Opposing Gender Transitions."

The statement did not generate much buzz, perhaps because attention at the time was primarily focused on the denomination's face off with the Rev. Rick Warren over female pastors, along with a task force's report on sex abuse reforms. Also, Southern Baptists have made statements on gender identity and gender transition in the past, notably with a resolution in 2014 and in the denomination's Baptist Faith & Message.

While the Southern Baptist Convention's most recent resolution extended the love of Christ and compassion to individuals "experiencing identity or body-related distress and/or those undergoing or who have undergone gender transition interventions," the statement condemned "gender-affirming care and all forms of "gender transition" interventions.

"We oppose 'gender transition' interventions as a futile quest to change ones sex and as a direct assault on Gods created order," the resolution stated, while calling on legislatures to reverse laws and policies that support such interventions, undermine parental rights or create "supposed sanctuary jurisdictions" that facilitate those interventions to minors.

The Rev. Blake Gideon, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Edmond, said he supported the resolution.

"The Bible is clear  we are created either male or female. To doubt this is to doubt Gods revealed will," Gideon said.

"People who struggle with their identity must look to Christ. He created them, specifically as they are, for His glory. Transgenderism is not only against God, but against the true wellbeing of people. It perverts the family and adds to the moral downgrade of society. Transgenderism is a lie against Gods creative purpose. However, there is tremendous hope in Christ for all who are willing to repent and believe."

The Rev. David Wheeler is seen Sept. 7 at the New Covenant Church in Oklahoma City.

More: What happened at a church forum that focused on white Christian nationalism?

Southern Baptist Convention resolutions, according to the denomination's official website, have "traditionally been defined as an expression of opinion or concern" and is not used to direct an entity of the denomination to specific action "other than to communicate the opinion or concern expressed." The denomination is Oklahoma's largest faith group, with more than 1,700 churches across the state.

Similarly, the Rev. Pamela Holt, regional minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma, said resolutions approved by delegates at the denomination's recent General Assembly meeting are not binding  they are not "edicts" and not every Disciples of Christ church in the state (there are 121 Disciples of Christ houses of worship in Oklahoma) may support these stances. But, she said Disciples of Christ are from diverse backgrounds and they hold that diversity together carefully, with "honesty and transparency and care for everybody on their journey."

"So, our General Assembly does not dictate how a church should believe or act but we have overarching suggestions that we try to live into," Holt said.

Holt said the resolution opposing Christian nationalism showed that Disciples of Christ know about this issue.

"I am super proud of our larger body of church that is aware of and very attentive to the issues surrounding Christian nationalism," she said.

Christian national ideology should be called out as heresy, pastor says

Heath said a couple of people spoke against the Christian nationalism statement, but when the Disciples of Christ took a voice vote there were only a few scattered "no" votes.

In part, the resolution called for the denomination's leaders and members to speak out "boldly" against Christian nationalism "which has taken on more aggressive and overt form" in the U.S. and Canada.

"Christian Nationalism promotes, with violent rhetoric and authoritarian approaches to civic life and public policy, an extremist ideology of social hierarchy, including white supremacy, antisemitism (and other forms of religious bigotry), xenophobia, persecution and scapegoating of LGBTQ+ persons, misogyny, and ableism; and ... appropriates the name of Jesus Christ and the language and imagery of scripture to promote this ideology, in direct contradiction to the gospel Jesus preached, a liberative and loving gospel that the Christian Church 26 (Disciples of Christ) cherishes," the statement read.

Heath said he felt it was important that his denomination speak out against Christian nationalism ideology because he thinks it may be found in many churches across the country and should be called out as heresy.

He said there was a general sense that the resolution would be approved because the recent General Assembly meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, included workshops on identifying Christian nationalism, how to resist and confront it. Also, a dinner at the gathering featuring an author who has written books on the topic, quickly sold out.

"There was also lot of interest in it because it's popping up in legislation in the states," he said.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, senior minister of East Sixth Street (Disciples of Christ), 1139 NE 6, also called the ideology heresy. He said it is often difficult to get a resolution before the General Assembly for a vote so he was pleased to see the Christian nationalism statement come up for a vote.

"I was glad to see my church church stand up and say this is who we are," he said. "We don't have to hide that or be ashamed  we need it on the record that this is who we are and we stand against this."

Jackson said he remembered earlier this year, there was a movement to get Disciples of Christ ministers to discuss the Christian issue of Christian nationalism on a Sunday at their churches so that people would be able to "address it as a heresy." Jackson said he had already been talking about the topic.

"I was like 'Dude, I just preached about this last week,'" he said.

"I mean, this is not a right or left (political) issue. This is a heresy because you are twisting and bending and perverting the Gospel."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) votes to support transgender rights
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Back in May, just weeks after State Superintendent Ryan Walters called teachers unions terrorist organizations, the Oklahoma Department of Education released a Public Awareness Campaign video railing against the National Education Association and Oklahoma Education Association.

Within a day of the videos publication, KFORs Kaylee Olivas filed an Open Records Request to find out how much it cost state tax payers.

Oklahoma Ethics Commission investigating several campaign finance violations by Supt. Walters

Now, 107 days after the formal request, News 4 has received the quote for services, the purchase order and the requisition  showing the state has paid out $22,500 to a Houston-based company for 30 minutes of produced video.

According to the requisition, OSDE used state funds to hire Precision Outreach LLC, who registered as an Oklahoma City business less than two weeks before the teachers union video was published online, to create promotional video for the department through May 21, 2024.

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This vendor was selected due to the expedited time constraints needed for production of the video. OSDE Requisition

Oklahoma County Jail fails another inspection

According to Precision Outreach LLCs quote issued May 24, one day before the first video was published, each minute of produced video costs the state $750  meaning the teachers union video, coming in at just over five minutes, cost about $3,750.

It is unclear how many of the OSDEs videos already published on its YouTube page are made by Precision Outreach.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  A man from Olathe who was associated with the Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty to a felony charge for obstructing police in the Capitol Crypt during the January 6 Capitol riot.

The U.S. Attorneys Office of the District of Columbia says Christopher Kuehne, 50, pleaded guilty to obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Hell be sentenced on February 23, 2024.

Missouri, Kansas attractions land on Top 100 biggest tourist traps

Court documents say Kuehne conspired with other Proud Boys to disrupt the electoral college count for the 2020 presidential election, and was prepared for a confrontation with Black Lives Matter and Antifa groups.

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Be prepared not only to beat down but when you do action of violence so utterly massive that we send a message, Kuehne said to other Proud Boys before attending a rally that preceded the Capitol riot.

During a group meeting on January 5, someone asked, do we have patriots here willing to take it by force?

A court document says Kuehne responded by saying he had guns with him and was ready to go.

Kuehne was outfitted in a ballistic helmet and protective gloves when he and others with his group went to the west side of the Capitol. He ignored law enforcement orders to leave after the riot started, and eventually reached the upper west terrace by climbing a wall, and went into the building through a Senate Wing door.

The U.S. Attorneys Office says Kuehne and others entered the crypt and moved a lectern to block officers from closing a a large metal door that would have impeded their progress further into the building.

Photos from criminal complaint and arrest warrant.

Photos from criminal complaint and arrest warrant.

Investigators say he deleted content from his phone related to the riot and encouraged others to do the same.

With his guilty plea to the felony count, Kuehne faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, supervised release not to exceed three years, and restitution in the amount of $2,000 to the Capitol architect.

His plea agreement says as of estimates given last October, the riots caused close to $2.9 million in damages to the Capitol.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Ukraine has managed to return nine more children deported or illegally held by Russia, including in the occupied territories, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Sept. 8.

Among the returned children is a boy who was accused of blowing up a bridge and spent a month in prison being interrogated by Russian forces, according to Lubinets.

He went through all the circles of hell, including filtration. But now he is with his mother in Ukraine, added the official.

For security reasons, Lubinets couldn't disclose further details of the operation.

Read also: Explainer: What we know about Russias deportation of Ukrainian children

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In the previous mission, the NGO Save Ukraine arranged the return of 11 children forcibly deported to Russia and occupied territories.

More than 19,500 children have been identified by the Ukrainian government as having been deported. Almost 400 of them have been brought back to Ukraine.

Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova claimed on July 31 that 700,000 Ukrainian children had been brought to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion in a mass deportation of Ukrainian children.

She said about 4.8 million Ukrainians have been "accepted" into Russia and claimed most children arrived with relatives. The numbers include 1,500 children who lived in orphanages or state institutions.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their involvement in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Note: This article corrects the age of the child who was killed.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A five-year-old girl was killed in a duplex fire Thursday night on Mallory Avenue in South Memphis.

Dominique Adair and Terrance Doyle identified the girl as their five-year-old daughter Destiny. Destiny had just started kindergarten.

And it hurt me so bad that shes gone cause it seems like its a dream to me, Adair said. It seems like its still fake.

Adair says she was on the way home from Le Bonheur with one of her children and saw fire engines near her home. She called her landlord who lives on the other side of the duplex.

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I asked her what was going on and she told us to hurry up and get to the house cause my baby was stuck in a fire, Adair said.

Woman shot in downtown Memphis: MFD

Seven-year-old Terraniah was also in the home and was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Three other children were treated for non-critical injuries.

The call came in around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night.

(Photo by: WREGs Mike Suriani)

(Photo by: WREGs Mike Suriani)

(Photo by: WREGs Mike Suriani)

(Photo by: WREGs Mike Suriani)

The Memphis Fire Department said when crews arrived, three children ages 4, 9, and 10, and their grandmother were outside the home in the 600 block of Mallory. They told firefighters Destiny and Terraniah were trapped inside.

The landlord told WREG she tried her best to help.

I could not go fully in there, said Kamrin Nelms. I tried twice but the smoke pushed me back out. In the midst of that, I heard the kids screaming. I heard the grandma, she was already on the floor passed out almost.

Firefighters rescued the children but were not able to revive Destiny. Terraniah was taken to the hospital with her mother.

600 block of Mallory in South Memphis



The fire department determined that the fire was accidental, caused by an electrical problem, but duplex owners deny any electrical issues.

No, theres never been no complaints about the electrical, Nelms said.

The Red Cross is now assisting the family. The family is temporarily staying at FedEx Family House while Terraniah remains hospitalized.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Paqui, the maker of extremely spicy tortilla chips marketed as the One Chip Challenge, is voluntarily pulling the product from shelves after a woman said her teenage son died of complications from consuming a single chip.

The chips were sold individually, and their seasoning included two of the hottest peppers in the world: the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper.

Each chip was packaged in a coffin-shaped container with a skull on the front.

Lois Wolobah told NBC Boston that her 14-year-old son, Harris Wolobah, ate the chip Friday, then went to the school nurse with a stomachache. Wolobah said Harris  a sophomore at Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester, Massachusetts  passed out at home that afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day, she said.

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An autopsy has not yet revealed his cause of death.

A spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that Paqui was deeply saddened by the death of Harris Wolobah and express our condolences to the family.

While the Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, we have seen an increase in teen usage of the product. We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves, the spokesperson said. We are actively working with our retailers and are offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve one chip challenge product.

Until sales of the product were suspended, Paqui's marketing dared people to participate in the challenge by eating a chip, posting pictures of their tongues on social media after the chip turned it blue and then waiting as long as possible to relieve the burn with water or other food.

The challenge has existed in some form since 2016.

"Only the bravest will be able to prove they faced the Reaper when they show off their blue tongue after completing the challenge," Paqui's former senior brand manager, Brandon Kieffer, said in a news release last year.

The product's label warned that children, pregnant people, those with underlying health issues, people sensitive to spicy foods and people who are allergic to peppers, nightshades or capsaicin (the component of chili peppers that makes them spicy) should avoid the chip. People should seek medical assistance if they experience difficulty breathing, fainting or extended nausea after having eaten the chip, the warning said.

The Paqui chip. (Sarah Dussault / The Mercury News via Getty Images file)

The label also recommended that people who touched the chip wash their hands with soap and avoid touching their eyes or other sensitive areas.

The spiciness of chili peppers is measured on the Scoville scale, which calculates the heat units in a given pepper. Carolina Reapers score around 1.7 million Scoville heat units and Naga Viper peppers around 1.4 million. A jalapeno pepper, by contrast, rates up to 8,500 Scoville heat units.

The main health risks of eating a Carolina Reaper involve vomiting or burning or numbness in the mouth, according to a 2020 study. Studies have also documented severe headaches from consuming extremely spicy peppers, as well as one case in which a man vomited so much from eating ghost peppers that he tore a hole in his esophagus.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said Wednesday in a post on X that hospitalizations from the One Chip Challenge have been reported across the country, including among teens. Last fall, the Dublin Unified School District in Northern California told NBC Bay Area that several of its students were sent home because of adverse reactions to the product.

"While the investigation into the cause of the teenagers death in Worcester continues, the Worcester County District Attorneys Office would like to remind parents to research and discuss with your children about the one-chip challenge," Early wrote.

Parents, he added, should advise their kids "not to partake in this activity."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
One dead, 54 injured  including 9 police officers  as search ends after devastating Russian blast in Kryvyi Rih

One police officer was killed and 54 people were injured in a devastating Russian missile attack on an administrative building in Kryvyi Rih city center, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported by telegram on Sept. 8.

Nine other police officers are among the wounded.

Three remain in hospital in serious condition.

"Additional police groups from neighboring regions have arrived to reinforce the citys police force," he reported.

Read also:

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The attack damaged 14 administrative buildings, including a police station, 17 apartment buildings and four private residences, as well as 40 vehicles.

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
Veterans constitutional rights continue to be violated in two of New Jerseys state-run veterans nursing homes after a lack of basic hygiene and infection control in the facilities allowed Covid-19 to spread virtually unchecked in the pandemics early days, according to a Justice Department report released Thursday.

The Justice Department began to investigate the Paramus and Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Homes in October 2020 after Covid-19 ravaged the facilities populations, with the highest and fouth-highest reported death tolls in the states long-term care facilities, the report says.

By July 2020, the facilities had reported a combined total of 146 resident deaths  and federal investigators believe the true toll is likely much higher, the report states.

One worker at the Paramus facility described the conditions as pure hell, while a Menlo Park staff member called their facility a battlefield, the report states.

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As Covid-19 spread through the nursing homes, staff failed to properly wash their hands, isolate infected residents and disinfect common areas and bedrooms, among other poor practices, the report says. In Menlo Park, Veterans Affairs staff noted dirty nursing stations and bugs everywhere.

Investigators say the substandard care and significant leadership failures are still ongoing, violating residents 14th Amendment right to reasonable care and safety.

The report accuses the facilities of still failing to properly train their staff or comply with basic infection control protocols, such as testing, contact tracing and isolation of sick residents.

The failures extend beyond infection control, the report says, noting staff are not performing proper wound prevention and care or implementing policies to prevent or respond to residents falling, which is a leading cause of death in nursing homes.

Those who served to protect this nation and their families are entitled to appropriate care when they reside at a veterans home, US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey said in a statement Thursday.

These conditions must swiftly be addressed to ensure that our veterans and their families at these facilities receive the care they so richly deserve. We will not stop working until they do, Sellinger added.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement his administration has made steps to improve the nursing home conditions, including hiring private management to assist the facilities.

The report acknowledged the hiring of outside contractors but noted it does not appear as though those outside vendors have begun their work.  The decision underscores the lack of internal capacity for change.

Murphy said the report is a deeply disturbing reminder that the treatment received by our heroic veterans is unacceptable and, quite frankly, appalling.

However, it is clear that we have significantly more work to do and we are open to exploring all options to deliver for our veterans the high level of care they deserve and are entitled to under the law, the governor said.

The New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs referred to Murphys office for comment.

CNNs Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.

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YANGON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar saw its export of manufactured products earned over 4.08 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months of the fiscal year 2023-24, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

Ministry figures showed a decrease of over 962 million dollars during the April-August period from a year earlier.

The manufactured goods sector topped the country's export list with the most export value, followed by agriculture and fishery sectors, according to the ministry data.

Myanmar mainly exports agricultural, animal and marine products, minerals, forest products and manufactured goods to its foreign trade partners, including China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India.

By September of the current fiscal year through next March, the Southeast Asian country's exports totaled over 6.48 billion dollars. 
A European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) member, goes down into the Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. Turkish and international cave rescue experts are working to save an American speleologist trapped at a depth of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in a cave in southern Turkey after he became ill. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

TASELI PLATEAU, Turkey (AP)  Rescue crews were waiting for doctors to give the go-ahead Friday for an operation to move out an American researcher who fell ill almost 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) below the entrance of a cave in Turke y, officials said. The effort could last up to 10 days.

Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver, suddenly became ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkeys Taurus Mountains. Rescuers from across Europe have rushed there to help Dickey and to extract him, including doctors who have treated him inside the cave. The cause of his illness remains unclear.

The moment we get the go-ahead from the medical team, we will start the evacuation, Recep Salci, who heads the search and rescue department at Turkeys disaster relief agency, AFAD, told The Associated Press.

Tulga Sener, a doctor and the medical coordinator of the rescue, said preparations are complete, and that rescue teams had established small medical camps at various levels along the shaft as well as a mini laboratory to monitor Dickey's condition.

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Doctors would assist him all the way up the cave, Sener told the AP. If the doctor down there gives approval, the transportation process will begin as soon as possible."

Rescuers believe Dickey would have to stop and rest frequently at various points along the way up.

Salci said the duration of the rescue would depend on whether Dickey can come out on his own strength with the assistance of rescuers, or  if his condition worsens  on a stretcher.

"If he comes up on a stretcher it could last 10 days. If he is assisted up, then we plan to bring him up in four or five days, Salci said.

The European Cave Rescue Association said on its website Friday that the cave had been divided into seven sections, with various rescue teams taking responsibility for each of the levels down the cave. Communication lines inside the cave had also been improved, it said.

The cave is one of the deepest in world, according to Federico Catania, a spokesman in Rome for Italys National Alpine and Speological Rescue, who said he thought Dickey would need to be carried up on a stretcher.

The cave is made up of many vertical shafts, so many sections that are extremely vertical with few horizontal sections, where rescuers are setting up temporary camps, he said.

Giuseppe Conti, a coordinator for the Italian rescue group, told the AP near the entrance to Morca that the cave is very complex," and that doctors must stabilize Dickey's condition in order to allow a rapid rescue.

Doctors have given Dickey IV fluids and 4 liters of blood inside the cave, officials said. Teams comprised of a doctor and three or four others take turns staying with the American at all times.

More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation. Rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey are part of the efforts.

The Italian organization said six of their rescuers, including a doctor and nurse, reached Dickey during the night. The team planned to work to keep him stable for 15-20 hours before being replaced by another team. Small camps set up at different levels inside the cave gave doctors, nurses and technicians a place to rest, the group said.

Turkish authorities made a video message available that showed Dickey standing and moving around on Thursday. While alert and talking, he said he was not healed on the inside and needed a lot of help to get out of the cave.

He thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts to rescue him.

The caving world is a really tight-knit group, and its amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface, Dickey said in the video. I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge.

The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach but had stopped vomiting and ate for the first time in days.

Dickey was described by the European Association of Cave Rescuers as a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the associations medical committee.

The researcher was on an expedition mapping the 1,276-meter (4,186-foot) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association when he ran into trouble about 1,000 meters down, according to Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey. He initially became ill on Sept. 2, but it took until the morning of Sept. 3 to notify others who were above ground.

___

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Robert Badendieck and Ayse Wieting in Istanbul; Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey; Darko Bandic in Zagreb, Croatia; Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary; Aritz Parra in Madrid; Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland; Patricia Thomas in Rome and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
Editors Note: Terri Gerstein is the director of the State and Local Enforcement Project at the Harvard Center for Labor and a Just Economy, and is a senior fellow at the Economic Policy Institute. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.

Theres been a surge of labor action in the past year, with high-profile strikes and threatened strikes among Hollywood writers and actors, Starbucks baristas, truck drivers, auto workers and more. Workers are pushing back in other ways, too: Many are trading up for better jobs, while others (like some women with caregiving responsibilities and some older workers) are simply leaving the workforce. Clearly, theres a widespread desire for more voice and better treatment on the job.

Terri Gerstein - courtesy Terri Gerstein

In the midst of this rising thrum of worker activism, what are many of Americas business leaders doing? In high-profile corporations like Amazon and Goldman Sachs, theyre demanding that workers get back to their desks. Leaders of multiple massive corporations, many in tech and finance, are emphasizing that theyre getting tough about return-to-office this time: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told workers that if they didnt get on board, they should consider working elsewhere, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in July said he understood why people didnt want to commute an hour and a half each day, but it doesnt mean they have to have a job here either.

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Theres long been a great disparity of power between employers and workers, and this years activism, combined with the tight labor market, suggests that the imbalance has shifted at least somewhat. But some employers dont seem to understand that things are changing. The desire to have employees planted in their office chairs every day perhaps stems from a tired, unconstructive desire for things to be the way they were and a desire for control.

While some jobs, by definition, must be done in person  like nurses or bus drivers or farmworkers  thats not the case for many traditional office jobs. Countless people have effectively worked from home for more than three years.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon (left) and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy (right) have spoken about their companies' return-to-office policies. - Jacquelyn Martin/AP/David Ryder/Bloomberg/Getty Images

We all know by now how working from home benefits many workers: the ability to manage caregiving responsibilities, avoid considerable commuting time and expenses and achieve greater work-life balance. Plus, there are environmental and traffic-reducing benefits to society as a whole.

But there are benefits for employers, too: A shrunken office footprint reduces real estate, heating and cooling costs. Work-from-home lessens spread of illness in the workplace, lowering absenteeism. It also allows companies to draw upon a broader pool of applicants, including people with disabilities, people with child or elder care responsibilities (disproportionately women, alas), people who are neurodivergent and those living in more geographically remote areas outside of metropolitan regions.

Having a diverse workforce is important not just for ideological reasons; it also enables access to better qualified workers. How can companies exclude a whole chunk of the population and believe theyre hiring the very best? Perhaps most compelling to employers: Offering flexibility will provide a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent.

The big challenge of work-from-home for employers is, of course, how to ensure that people are actually doing their jobs. But this is true regardless of where employees work: Being present on site doesnt mean that high-quality work is happening; it just means that a person is  present on site. There are workers who excel in the office or at home, those who underperform in either place and lots of people in between. Helping workers be their most productive and effective requires active, supportive management with a focus on work product and results, not just face time.

To be sure, there is value in colleagues coming together and being physically in the same place. But forcing people into the office every day five days a week is not the only way to build a team, or to enable unexpected insights or cross-pollination. This is where employers can actually do some innovative and collaborative thinking: They can involve workers directly in conversations about where work will happen, and of course, where theres a union, they must bargain over these questions. Many employees appreciate the option of working from home, but also would like to be in the office sometimes. Workers themselves are in many cases the most able to assess what kind of new setup could be a win-win for them and their employer. To figure out a path forward, executives should do more than simply talking with other executives.

Rather than lapsing into default mode, businesses should be intentional about when, why and how workers will be back in the office. In some cases, the best solution might be a hybrid schedule with limited fixed days in the office. In other cases, the answer could be one week a month on site, or group retreats with specific goals or some other configuration. Its an opportunity to innovate.

Some employers say theyre embracing flexibility in various ways. For example, J.M. Smucker is requiring workers to come to the office during certain core weeks each year. As business consultant Gleb Tsipursky recently wrote in Fortune, employers can also take a differentiated approach based on factors like someones actual job or tenure at the company.

Businesses that demand an all-out full-time return to the office no matter what are failing to meet the moment and engaging in throwback thinking. They may be waiting it out: As the economy cools and the labor market becomes less tight, will workers still enjoy the same ability theyve had of late to move to a company with better conditions? Will currently flexible companies roll back their promises and demand a return to the office?

The answer to those questions is still uncertain. But even though weve seen the end of what some have called a hot labor summer, strict return-to-office mandates are likely to be one more element contributing to ongoing activism among Americas working people.

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A North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. This endangered species is moving into cooler waters in Canada. (Michael Dwyer / Associated Press)

Its been a hot summer. The ocean has been hot too. Marine heat waves, or patches of warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures, are making headlines because weve never seen anything quite like whats going on in the ocean right now.

These heat waves will cause marine species to disappear in some areas and appear in others. Previous scientific research found that mobile marine species  including tuna, penguins and sharks  will shift toward the poles during heat wave events. But a new study published this week shows a much more complicated story of how mobile animals respond to marine heat waves and the costs and responsibilities this movement will carry for countries receiving these species.

An influx of leatherback turtles into a countrys waters may require shutting down or relocating fisheries to avoid entanglement in fishing gear; an influx of blue whales could necessitate speed reductions for cargo vessels to avoid ships striking the animals. When valuable species such as tunas cross borders, the influx nation may need to increase processing plant capacity, while the outflow nation may need to compensate their fishermen for lost revenue.

Read more: Op-Ed: The technology to fight climate change that we're not using nearly enough

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Waters around the world are seeing these elevated temperatures. A record-breaking marine heat wave is occurring in the North Atlantic, producing the warmest waters seen in the last 170 years. In the Gulf of Mexico, water temperatures off the coast of Florida have surpassed 100 degrees; off Baja California, an unprecedentedly warm ocean generated the first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles in 84 years. Normally, around 10% of the ocean surface is expected to be in a marine heat wave state, but the latest forecast predicts that up to 50% of the ocean surface will experience marine heat wave conditions by this fall.

For the report, my colleagues and I studied the effect of four major marine heat waves from recent years on 14 mobile marine species in the Northeast Pacific (bounded by Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast of North America). We found evidence of species shifting their habitats in all four cardinal directions.

For example, bluefin tuna habitat relocated about 375 miles north along the coast of California during a 2015 heat wave, but shifted about 110 miles south during the 2019 heat wave. Endangered leatherback turtle habitat shifted about 55 miles to the west during a 2014 heat wave and nearly 250 miles to the northeast in 2019.

Read more: Worried about climate change? You can make a difference  here's how

Other ocean properties important to marine life, such as chlorophyll found in algae that some animals feed on, and oxygen concentration that can affect animals metabolic rates, varied among heat waves too. These physical differences translated to ecological differences: Each heat wave had distinct effects on species habitats, even when the heat waves occurred in the same area of the ocean.

These marine heat waves often moved species habitats across geopolitical borders. During one heat wave, albacore tuna habitat shifted into U.S. waters from Mexican waters. When one countrys fish ends up in another countrys waters, it may cause commercial conflict. About a decade ago, there was the Northeast Atlantic mackerel war when warming waters shifted mackerel into Icelandic waters, leading to tensions with European nations over fishing quotas.

Meanwhile, endangered species shifting across borders are exposed to new threats. North Atlantic right whales are moving away from warming waters in the Gulf of Maine and into the cooler waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada, where they face increasing risk of ship strike and entanglement in fishing gear.

Countries will need flexible management to respond to influxes or outflows of species from their waters. Although the changing locations of marine species can now be tracked in real time during marine heat waves, adjusting management plans  such as relocating fishing grounds or increasing fish processing capacity  requires advanced warning to organize and implement.

Forecasts are readily available for physical phenomena such as weather and floods. But forecasts for ecological phenomena, such as where species will go in the near future, are still in their infancy, though they are becoming more common. In fact, forecasts of changing lobster distributions during heat waves are already used in the Gulf of Maine to support the lobster fishery.

Read more: The Ocean Game: The sea is rising. Can you save your town?

Well soon need more ecological forecasts for other ocean regions. A large marine heat wave is currently forming in the Northeastern Pacific and El Nino conditions were declared in June. This year is setting up to look a lot like 2015, when a record-breaking mass of warm water emerged in the Northeast Pacific, which caused cod to disappear from Alaskan waters, an increase in humpback whale entanglements in fishing gear and the largest mass seabird die-off in recorded history.

We dont know yet whether this years heat wave will be as severe for marine species as the one in 2015. But the need to develop timely responses to heat waves and species on the move will become ever more crucial as our climate continues to change.

Heather Welch is a marine spatial ecologist at UC Santa Cruz who develops climate-ready tools to manage biodiversity and fisheries.

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.
Editors Note: Patricia Grisafi, PhD, is a freelance writer whose work has been featured in The Guardian, Salon, NBC, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Mary Sue, The Daily Dot and elsewhere. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

America loves to punish a bad mother  and there is a long history of using prominent celebrities as cautionary figures of abominable motherhood. So when news broke that 34-year-old musician Joe Jonas filed for divorce from 27-year-old actor Sophie Turner , it wasnt surprising that the media narrative was that Turner wanted to go out at night while Jonas wanted to parent.

Gossip sites like TMZ and Page Six framed their different lifestyles  Turner as a party girl and Jonas as a homebody trying to look out for his daughters.

Patricia Grisafi - Courtesy of Patricia Grisafi

For media literacy analysts, this feels like a tactic from Celebrity Image Control 101, leaning on tropes of the bad mother and self-sacrificing father.

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American society is primed to gobble up such narratives, given how eager we all are to give fathers awards for simplyparenting. Ive seen this firsthand. My husband and I were out to lunch in Brooklyn with friends one time. I was wrestling with my sandwich, my six-month-old and yes, a glass of wine. My husband saw that I was struggling, and he scooped up the baby and took him outside to give me a break.

When he came back in, he reported that at least two older women had stopped to compliment him on how well he was holding the baby. We laughed at how low the bar for fathering was. But I was secretly resentful. Just that morning, a woman had stopped to scold me for neglecting to put a hat on my son.

This narrative  whether used to valorize dads or demonize moms  is a well-worn, misogynistic dig at women who dont publicly present themselves as traditional caregivers or who are caught making some kind of parenting mistake on camera.

Britney Spears most specifically comes to mind as a victim of this kind of rhetoric. Spears was branded as a bad mother in the early 2000s and continues to unfortunately be labeled so today despite all we now know about her abusive conservatorship and fight for autonomy and self-expression.

But theres a little bit of hope in this story yet. In the past, efforts to paint women as bad mothers during a divorce would have worked. But thats not what is happening with the Jonas and Turner situation so far.

On social media, users were immediately skeptical of Jonas claims. Many commented on their seven-year age difference, the fact that Turner was 19 when the two began dating and that she became a mother at age 24. They noted Turners public expressions of homesickness for her native England, including a desperate comment that she missed her family and friends: I miss England so much, she told Elle UK in May 2022. The people, the attitude, everything. Im slowly dragging my husband back.

Why does any of this matter? In many ways, celebrities help us identify and define our experiences and clarify our own anxieties. We look to see how the world reacts to their lives. And in this particular instance, were looking to see how our culture treats women who are implied or judged to be bad mothers.

These voices are joining what appears to be a growing chorus of pushback against the tired tropes of the past. For every person criticizing Cardi B for being too sexual, there is someone defending a mothers prerogative to maintain and feel good about her sexuality. For the people who accused Emily Ratajkowski and Meghan Markle for holding their babies incorrectly, there are just as many rolling their eyes at such sexist judgment. And while people debate Julia Foxs parenting advice, others praise her candid comments and realness when it comes to being a single mom.

The Covid-19 pandemic opened peoples eyes as to just how much physical and emotional labor mothers perform on a daily basis  and how fathers are capable of equal parenting responsibilities. No one is special; everyone is trying their best. Dads shouldnt get awards for looking after their children while mom is working. Moms shouldnt be burned at the stake for going out with their friends. Youre gonna shame me for not putting a hat on my child? Mind your own business, were trying to stay sane and alive here.

In their official joint statement, Jonas and Turner shared the following post to their respective Instagram accounts: After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.

We dont know whats happening behind the scenes with these two people. But that isnt really the point. These tabloid narratives are opportunities to take the cultural temperature, to gauge shifts in our cultural attitudes. Most importantly, though, they are opportunities to look less voyeuristically at whats going wrong in others lives and more critically at how challenging gendered parenting stereotypes even in small ways can have big-picture payoffs.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration points to a lack of safety gear after an 18-year-old Missouri worker died.

OSHA investigators said the 18-year-old was working for Troyer Roofing & Coatings on March 27. He was applying sealant at a commercial building when he fell over 22 feet.

Kansas City will build its own jail instead of partnering with Jackson County

The teen went into a coma for five days before he died.

The agency said after the teens fall, Troyer allowed a foreman and another worker to keep working without fall protection.

OSHA said the Daviess County-based company had the safety equipment available, but let workers decide if they wanted to use it. OSHA investigators said the contractor also didnt train employees on how to use it.

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Troyer Roofing & Coatings could have prevented this young workers death by requiring their employees to use fall protection equipment, OSHA Area Director Karena Lorek said in a statement.

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Disturbingly, the employer allowed other workers to go back to work on the same roof without fall protection.

The agency cited Troyer for five violations and proposed over $200,000 in penalties. OSHA said Troyer was also cited for similar violations in 2015.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
WASHINGTON, DC.  A Haddonfield man has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the January 2021 Capitol riot.

Patrick Stedman, a 35-year-old dating and relationship coach for men, also must pay a $20,000 fine, as well as $2,000 in restitution for Capitol damage caused by the riot.

The prison term is the longest to be given to an insurrection defendant from South Jersey.

At 48 months, it falls well below the sentencing range of 70 to 87 months that had been proposed by the Justice Department.

But the terms substantially above a sentencing range proposed by the defense of eight to 14 months.

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A prosecutor had requested a 6-year prison term for Stedman, saying he encouraged other rioters to smash the main door of the House Chamber and threatened police officers during his 40 minutes inside the Capitol.

Patrick Stedman accused of spreading election lies

The Justice Department also said Stedman spread misinformation about the 2020 presidential election and recruited rioters from among his more than 25,000 followers on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter.

In a recent court filing, defense attorney Rocco Cipparone described Stedmans actions at the Capitol as a clear aberration.

Haddonfield suspect said 'NOW WE FIGHT!' Sentencing judge was given two views of Capitol-riot defendant Patrick Stedman

The Mullica Hill attorney said Stedman did not engage in violence or vandalism, and asserted his alleged threat to police was a misinterpretation of his clients words.

Cipparone said Howell chopped 30 months off the prosecutions sentencing request, a pleasant surprise to the defense.

Of course, Im pleased that the court saw fit to see our mitigation as a reason to go below the guidelines, Cipparone said. And my clients going to assess his options from here. But hes moving forward in his life and trying to put this behind him as best he can."

Prior to Fridays hearing, Stedman wrote to his sentencing judge that he was "actually grateful for the experience of being indicted and even convicted."

Patrick Stedman told judge he learned from his arrest for Capitol riot role

His trial was a form of "self-confrontation," Stedman wrote to U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell.

"And what I saw when I was looking in the mirror was ugly," Stedman wrote to Howell. "I was arrogant and vain, and desperate for attention."

"I wanted to be seen as strong and tough," Stedman's letter said. "But most of all, I wanted acknowledgement - I wanted to be heard."

"I was not thinking about the legal implications of my desire to showcase myself on social media, or how my cocky videos might be construed, wrote Stedman, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Haddonfield Memorial High School.

I was a fool, and like all fools I have suffered the consequences of my myopia."

Patrick Stedman of Haddonfield, shown inside the Capitol during the January 2021 insurrection, was sentenced on Sept. 8.

Stedmans letter claimed empathy for the police officers and elected officials in the Capitol during the riot, as well as for the nation.

Stedman's experience since being arrested in January 2021 has made me a better man and I am grateful for it."

Howell also received letters from Stedmans parents, both retired teachers, as well as other family members and friends. All sought leniency for the married father of two young children.

Stedman in May rejected a deal that would have recommended a sentencing range of 41 to 51 months in exchange for a guilty plea to a felony offense, interfering with an official act of Congress.

The prosecution would have requested dismissal of four misdemeanor charges under the proposed deal.

Stedman instead went to trial in June, where a jury found him guilty on all charges.

The other components of the sentence are a provision for three years of supervision after Stedman is free, a $20,000 fine, a $2,000 reimbursement requirement, and the standard list of special court assessments.

The court also agreed to recommend to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons that it assign Stedman to its facility at Fort Dix so he can be close to his family. The bureau also will decide when Stedman must surrender.

In announcing the sentence, the Justice Department said "numerous videos and photos documented Stedman's offenses inside the Capitol building, including footage from police body-worn camera, open-source video, surveillance footage from inside the Capitol, and texts and messages he posted to social media."

Cipparone said he expects to file an appeal but that remains a conversation to be had first with his client.

Stedman is among about 17 South Jersey residents charged in connection with the riot by supporters of then President Donald Trump.

Thirteen have now admitted guilt or been sentenced.

A defendant with Atlantic City and Philadelphia addresses, James Rahm Jr., previously received the longest term - incarceration for one year. Rahm is appealing that sentence.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Prison for Patrick Stedman, Capitol riot suspect from Haddonfield
Former Texas Ranger David Maxwell testifies during day four of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial in the Texas Senate on Friday. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune

Editors note: Todays impeachment proceedings have ended and this post will no longer be updated. You can find new articles reporting the latest from Ken Paxtons trial here.

The historic impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton is underway in the Texas Senate. He faces 16 articles of impeachment that accuse him of misusing the powers of the attorney generals office to help his friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor who was under federal investigation. Paxton pleaded not guilty to all impeachment articles on the trials first day. His defense attorneys have vowed to disprove the accusations and said they will present evidence showing they are based on assumptions, not facts.

AGs former top cop: Pauls request would have amounted to crimes

Sept. 8, 2023 at 4:56 p.m.

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During cross-examination, Ken Paxtons defense attorney, Dan Cogdell, repeatedly pressed Maxwell on how and why he decided that Pauls claims were baseless and potentially criminal. He also asked numerous times for Maxwell to specify what crimes Paul had committed by asking for the attorney generals office to investigate his allegations that he had been unfairly targeted.

Maxwell often responded by saying that Paul did not explicitly ask for him to break the law  but that the request, if fulfilled, would have created a map for a crime.

To create this investigation and follow through with it would be obstruction of justice and interfering with a federal investigation, Maxwell responded.

Maxwell also said that he never had any intention of investigating Pauls claims, one of which was that a search warrant for his businesses was fraudulent. After a testy exchange with Cogdell, Maxwell testified that he decided Pauls claims werent serious after looking at the search warrant and deeming that it was indeed, lawful.

There was no investigation to be done, he said.

 Robert Downen

AGs former top cop says he warned Paxton about criminal Paul

Sept. 8, 2023 at 2:42 p.m.

Attorney General Ken Paxtons former top cop testified Friday that Paxton repeatedly pressured him to investigate Nate Pauls conspiracy theories, even after law enforcement experts found them to be ludicrous and debunked them through forensics and other means.

David Maxwell, a veteran law enforcement officer who served as the attorney generals director of law enforcement, said he repeatedly told Paxton that Paul was a criminal  potentially of historic proportions.

I told him Nate Paul was a criminal, Maxwell said. That he was running a Ponzi scheme that would rival Billie Sol Estes, the infamous Texas conman who was convicted of stealing millions of dollars in federal crop subsidies in the 1960s.

Rather than heed the warnings by Maxwell  who served more than three decades as a Texas Ranger  Paxton threatened to fire him after he said that he would not investigate Pauls bizarre claims. The threat, Maxwell said, came during a meeting with a heated Paul that Paxton attended but requested not be recorded.

I knew then what his commitment was to Nate Paul and that he was not going to be deterred, Maxwell said. He was angry with me because I was not buying into the big conspiracy theory."

Maxwell was one of the whistleblowers who sued after they were fired by Paxton after reporting him to law enforcement, and said Paxton ended my career in a very unjust manner.

I did nothing wrong by standing up for right, he added.

 Robert Downen

House attorney team gets whistleblower to clarify took no evidence statement

Sept. 8, 2023 at 2:08 p.m.

A whistleblowers comment that he and his associates took no evidence when they reported Ken Paxton to the FBI in 2020 has become an early flashpoint in the suspended attorney generals impeachment trial.

While the comment Thursday from Ryan Vassar, the former deputy attorney general for legal counsel, set off jubilation among Paxton supporters, it also prompted a House lawyer, Rusty Hardin, to coach Vassar through a clarification Friday. Vassar testified he meant physical evidence, and Hardin asserted that Vassar going to the FBI was inherently a form of evidence because he was a witness to a potential crime.

Vassar was among the top Paxton aides who went to the FBI three years ago to share concerns that Paxton was abusing his office to help Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor and Paxton campaign donor. The articles of impeachment accuse Paxton of going to extraordinary lengths to help Paul investigate his perceived enemies as his businesses were floundering. Read more here.

 Patrick Svitek

Whistleblowers reveal attorney generals office kept reporter blacklist

Sept. 8, 2023 at 11:42 a.m.

Former deputy attorney general for legal counsel Ryan Vassar answers questions during cross examination at the start of the fourth day in suspended Attorney General Ken Paxtons impeachment trial on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 in Austin. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

Whistleblower Ryan Vassar revealed during testimony Friday morning that the attorney generals office kept a blacklist of reporters whom they handled differently than other reporters. Vassar testified that Dallas Morning News reporter Lauren McGaughy, who has covered the attorney generals office for a decade, was on that list.

The revelation came during the cross examination of Vassar, the former deputy attorney general for legal counsel, continued into a second day on Friday. Paxton defense attorney Mitch Little directed the witness to specific group text messages where they discussed McGaughys coverage of the office as they reported Paxtons activity to the FBI. The group text also included messages that criticized new lawyers in the office who were hired as the whistleblowers were fired or resigned after they reported Paxtons allegedly illegal activity to the FBI.

 Kate McGee

Paxtons lawyer focuses on whistleblower texts

Sept. 8, 2023 at 9:57 a.m.

Day 4 of Ken Paxtons impeachment trial resumed Friday with Paxtons attorney again trying to paint whistleblowers as rogue employees who went behind Paxtons back and deserved to be fired.

During cross examination, Paxton lawyer Mitch Little grilled Ryan Vassar, the former deputy attorney general for legal counsel, about text messages he sent that disparaged the intelligence of new lawyers in the office by suggesting legal briefs needed to use smaller words or buying a coloring book to keep them entertained.

Vassar downplayed the texts as jokes among friends who worked at the agency and said he did not have any professional experience with the new lawyers. He also sought to contrast his private texts with the public statement in which Paxton called him and other whistleblowers rogue employees.

It was lighthearted, he said. It was among friends. It was not a public [statement] to millions of people.  It was a conversation among friends. But I wouldn't say that any of us are concerned that it's being discussed here today.

In another text message, one of the whistleblowers also feared that the attorney generals office is going to fall apart and thats one persons fault, and one person only: [Ken Paxton].

A half-hour into Vassars testimony, Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, approached Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick  who is presiding over the trial  and whispered in his ear before exiting the Senate floor. Patrick announced the proceedings would pause for 30 minutes.

A spokesperson for Miles office said the senator had to leave to take care of a personal matter but that everything is fine and he is back at the Capitol. All senators are required to be present for the trial.

 Robert Downen and Kate McGee

Whistleblower Ryan Vassar to resume testimony Friday morning

Sept. 8, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

On day 4 of Ken Paxtons impeachment trial, Ryan Vassar, former Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, is expected to resume testimony.

Vassar, one of the whistleblowers who reported Paxton to the FBI, choked up on the stand on Wednesday when he was questioned about his loyalty to his boss.

It was hurtful, Vassar said, when asked about his response to Paxtons public criticism that the whistleblowers were rogue employees. The statement of being rogue is contrary to the years that I dedicated my life to the state.

During cross examination, Paxtons attorney Mitch Little grilled Vassar on whether he had physical evidence he presented to the FBI when he and others reported Paxton.

"We had no evidence that we could point to but we had reasonable conclusions that we could draw," Vassar said. Vassar added that it was law enforcement's responsibility to investigate and collect evidence.

The Senate is expected to begin at 9 a.m. as the cross examination continues.

 Rebekah Allen

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Nancy Pelosi isnt done yet.

The San Francisco Democrat and first female speaker of the House told volunteers on Friday that she would seek reelection in 2024, extending a 36-year House career and freezing her would-be California successors in a long-standing holding pattern.

"Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote," Pelosi posted shortly after on Friday.

Shortly before announcing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Pelosi told volunteers she would run again at a breakfast for them near downtown San Francisco, at the lodge of a local union for plumbers and pipefitters. She chose that venue because she wanted to tell her "closest supporters" in labor first, according to a close adviser who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. She has no other public events planned today, the person added.

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Pelosis decision demonstrates her continued influence even after stepping aside from her Democratic leadership post. Many political observers believed she would vacate her seat when Democrats lost the House in 2022.

But Pelosi, 83, stayed on after the party posted a better-than-expected showing in November. She navigated the shift out of leadership while coping with the aftermath of a brutal attack on her husband, Paul, by an assailant who broke into the couples San Francisco home last October. The suspect, David DePape, was looking for the congresswoman, who was in Washington at the time. He faces a slew of state and federal charges, including an attempt to kidnap a federal official.

Pelosis top lieutenants, Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), similarly stepped down from their top leadership roles but have remained circumspect about their future plans. A Clyburn spokesperson said no decisions had been made yet on his reelection. A Hoyer spokesperson said there were no updates on his plans either.

One of the most prominent antagonists of former President Donald Trump, Pelosi will retain her public platform as Trump is favored to again secure the Republican presidential nomination. Her decision to stay on contrasts sharply with the impending exit of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), another long-serving California icon who is declining to seek another term amid persistent concerns about her mental acuity.

The question of Pelosis retirement timeline has for years animated political players in San Francisco, a resolutely progressive and politics-obsessed city that has produced a stream of national Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The eventual departure of one of the nations most recognizable Democrats, who was first elected to Congress in a 1987 special election, would mark the end of an era. It would also set off a cascade of campaign moves as Democrats seize on the once-in-a-generation opportunity of an open House seat. Her seat carries symbolic significance as an anchor of progressive politics, and the jockeying will be fierce in a city defined by internecine Democratic clashes.

State Sen. Scott Wiener has effectively launched a campaign-in-waiting, and Pelosis daughter Christine is seen as a contender who could tap into her mothers network of supporters and donors. Christine has not said whether shed follow in her mothers path. A Wiener run could trigger multiple races to represent San Francisco in the state Legislature.

Speaker Emerita Pelosi is one of the most talented and transformational leaders of our lifetime, and its a good thing for San Francisco and the nation that she will continue to serve our community. Right now, Im focused like a laser on the end of our legislative session in Sacramento," Wiener said in a statement.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacts during the celebration of the 201st anniversary of Brazil's Independence in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)

BRASILIA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders.

Lula arrived at the Esplanade of Ministries in the capital Brasilia standing in an open convertible and wearing the presidential sash across his chest, accompanied by First Lady Rosangela da Silva.

The couple greeted the public as they made their way towards the grandstand, which had seating for about 200 officials. No speeches were made.

The parade presented four themes: peace and sovereignty, science and technology, health and vaccination, and the defense of the Amazon.

The first Independence Day commemoration of the Lula administration taking power on Jan. 1 was designed to highlight national unity, democracy, and the institutional relationship between civil power and the Armed Forces.

In a speech broadcast on national radio and television on Wednesday night, Lula said that Sept. 7 would be a day "not of hate nor of fear, but of unity."

The president also stressed that the celebration of independence should serve to remember that there is "only one" Brazil. 

Soldiers parade in celebration of the 201st anniversary of Brazil's Independence in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)

An airshow is held in celebration of the 201st anniversary of Brazil's Independence in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)

Soldiers parade in celebration of the 201st anniversary of Brazil's Independence in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)

Soldiers parade in celebration of the 201st anniversary of Brazil's Independence in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)

An airshow is held in celebration of the 201st anniversary of Brazil's Independence in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday took part in celebrations of the country's independence on Sept. 7, 1822, presiding over a military and civic parade flanked by military commanders. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)
Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that former President Trump was wrong to blame Republican losses in the 2022 midterm elections on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed the federal right to an abortion.

The former president actually suggested that we lost elections in the midterms because we overturned Roe v. Wade, Pence said in an interview on Newsmax. I dont believe that for a second.

Pence said he thought Republicans could still win on the issue of abortion, as long as you stand on the right to life, and you stand with principle and compassion and demonstrate a willingness to put our arms, not just around the unborn, but around newborns, around women in crisis pregnancies.

Pence, a GOP 2024 presidential candidate, has touted his untarnished anti-abortion record on the campaign trail, seizing the opportunity to fill the void left by other candidates who have been reluctant to embrace any position on abortion that moderate voters might find too extreme.

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Pence, on Thursday, was invoking comments that Trump, the leading 2024 GOP candidate for president, made after Republicans performed worse than expected in House races.

Trump had argued that Republicans who supported strict anti-abortion positions without exceptions for rape or life of the mother are to blame for poor performances in 2022. He also sought to push back against claims that he was to blame for losses.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
[Source]

Two Pennsylvania state senators introduced on Thursday a bill that incorporates Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) instruction in K-12 schools.

About the bill: Senate Bill 839, introduced by State Sens. Maria Collett and Nikil Saval , will require the Department of Education to create an integrated curriculum that includes AAPI persons, history and contributions to American society and provide AAPI-related materials to schools.

Additionally, it will commission the State Board of Education to study how school districts are teaching the AAPI curriculum and ensure that students are receiving robust instruction on AAPI history and social contributions.

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The legislation will serve as a companion to House Bill 779, which was introduced by State Rep. Patty Kim.

More from NextShark: Man Charged With Hate Crime for Punching Asian Woman in NYCs Chinatown Has 40 Prior Arrests

Why this matters: The bill was conceived to help fight anti-Asian hate crimes. The latest Stop AAPI Hate national report ranked Pennsylvania as the state with the seventh largest number of hate incident reports.

For one, a University of Pennsylvania student research found that more than three-quarters of the 224 Asian students it surveyed had been victims of or witnesses to anti-Asian racism in campus, the city or elsewhere during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What the senators are saying: Collett and Saval highlighted the importance of passing the legislation in a news release. Collett said she has received many concerned messages since the rise in anti-Asian attacks, all calling for education to address these prejudices before they take root.

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This bill is an important first step to make sure our education system reflects all of our peoples histories, she said.

Meanwhile, Saval, who is Indian American, said every student deserves the chance to see their heritage honored as part of the broad fabric of the American experience.

When we are granted occasion to learn about each others lives, families, and histories, we begin to see how much we share, and how deep our stake is in a world that supports all of us, he said. It is only then that we can stand together, in solidarity and work to build that world.

More from NextShark: Hong Kong drops major COVID restrictions amid push for tourism

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Suspect in Japan's Deadly Anime Studio Fire Arrested After Recovering 10 Months Later
Escambia County Sheriff's deputies arrested a Pensacola man Thursday night after he allegedly shot a 20-year-old man on Fields Lane.

Deputies responded to Fields Lane overnight after a reported shooting.

"We found a 20-year-old with a gunshot wound to the chest who was transported to a local hospital," ECSO spokesperson Morgan Lewis told the News Journal.

In case you missed it: Marine Corps lieutenant colonel from Parris Island arrested in Gulf Breeze for child abuse

Lewis said deputies arrested 23-year-old Charles Jordan for the shooting and booked him into Escambia County Jail. According to jail records, he is charged with aggravated battery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

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The condition of the victim is unknown; however, Jordan's charges indicate the victim's wound likely was not immediately fatal.

Jordan is held in Escambia County Jail without bond.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Florida man Chares Jordan arrested in Fields Lane shooting
The 22-year-old charged in a shooting near O'Riley's Uptown Tavern pleaded not guilty after waiving his arraignment Friday.

Trevoir Vanderhall submitted a written plea of not guilty and demanded a jury trial, according to court records, for charges of first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault with the intent to commit a felony. Vanderhall is accused of killing someone on Creighton Road July 20.

Vanderhall allegedly fatally shot a male victim in July, which caused O'Riley's to close briefly while Pensacola police investigated the incident.

It took nearly a week for law enforcement to arrest the 22-year-old in a different state.

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Vanderhall arrested: PPD: Pensacola man arrested in Georgia for fatal shooting on Creighton Road

"Vanderhall was stopped by law enforcement for speeding in Coweta County Georgia," a PPD news release said after his arrest. "The officer ran a routine check on Vanderhall and discovered he was wanted for first-degree premeditated homicide in Pensacola."

Georgia law enforcement took him into custody without incident and he was extradited back to Pensacola.

Vanderhall remains in Escambia County Jail without bond, and his next court date has not been announced.

What could be Trevoir Vanderhall's possible sentence if convicted?

Vanderhall's aggravated assault charge is a third-degree felony, and under Florida law carries a 5-year prison sentence if convicted. However, if it is charged under Florida's "10-20-LIFE statute," then the sentence could change to a minimum of 25 years.

Under the statute, if someone commits a certain felony, which includes aggravated assualt, and fires a firearm that kills someone, then a judge could sentence a convicted suspect to anywhere from 25 years to life in prison.

Vanderhall's murder charge is a capital felony, and if convicted Florida law require would require a judge to sentence him to a minimum of life in prison without parole.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man pleads not guilty in death near O'Riley's Uptown Tavern
Almost 200 Ukrainian soldiers will spend a few more weeks improving their skills in operating and maintaining US Abrams tanks before the main course of the combined exercise is completed.

Source: Martin O'Donnell, Spokesman for the US Army Europe and Africa Command, in an interview with Voice of America, as reported by European Pravda

Details: He said the exercise had been extended at the request of the Ukrainian side while 31 US tanks were being re-equipped and prepared to be sent to Ukraine.

"At the request of Ukraine, the soldiers are maintaining their operator and maintenance proficiency until the 31 tanks the U.S. committed to refurbish and to deliver to Ukraine by the fall are ready," O'Donnell said, adding that the training "is expected to occur over a weekslong period".

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The training takes place at a US base in Germany.

Background:

The US plans to provide Ukraine with a total of 31 Abrams tanks. In August, the first Abrams tanks were reportedly ready to be shipped to Ukraine.

One of the latest aid packages contains depleted uranium shells for Abrams.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Lyz Evans, an Australian physiotherapist, holds her baby immediately following birth, while the medical team completes the surgery.

When you picture the moments after birth, you imagine a baby being placed on the mothers chest. Occasionally, birthing people even reach down and grab their babies themselves, as Kourtney Kardashian famously did when delivering daughter Penelope in 2012.

I remember always seeing scenes of women giving birth and feeling terrified, so when I had my birth experience, and it was so incredible and amazing, I just remember wanting to share that to help other women maybe not feel terrified or have that perspective, Kardashian told Variety last year when reflecting on the experience, which was aired on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Even in the bare-it-all reality genre, the images of Kardashian catching her babies were unusual. We arent accustomed to seeing a real newborn, slick with blood and waxy vernix, at the moment they emerge. We also arent used to seeing a mother actively participate in her own birth in this way.

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If we do hear about a person delivering their own baby, its sometimes because they accidentally ended up giving birth in their car, or perhaps as part of a planned home birth.

But what if an experience like that was made available to more birthing people, even those who deliver via c-section  as almost one-third (32.2%) do? The idea of a woman participating in her own surgery might sound far-fetched, but proponents of the practice, known as maternal-assisted caesarean, say that it is not only possible but of benefit to the mothers who choose it.

What is a maternal-assisted caesarean?

A maternal-assisted caesarean involves the same instinctual move that Kardashian made in her deliveries, only instead of reaching down between her legs to lift the baby to her chest, the woman reaches toward the incision in her lower abdomen. (Note that she doesnt reach into the incision, but takes hold of the baby after a doctor has gotten out the head and shoulders.)

This changes the way the surgery looks, primarily by removing the drape that generally separates the patients head and chest from the lower half of her body. In addition to lifting her baby to her chest, she has a full view of the surgery itself.

This means that a woman scrubs into the surgery alongside her doctor, thoroughly washing her hands and forearms, using a nail brush, before donning a pair of sterile surgical gloves that she will wear when she reaches for her baby. Because such preparations are necessary to prevent the chance of infection, only planned c-sections, not emergency ones, can be maternally-assisted. (Note that emergency here means the c-section was unplanned, not necessarily that anyones life was in danger.)

Maternal-assisted caesareans are not common, and not all doctors will agree to participate in one, but women who have had this type of c-section say that being able to take an active role in their delivery made all the discussion, planning and preparation well worth it.

What are the benefits?

For a woman hoping for a vaginal birth, and a level of control over her birth experience, learning that she will need a c-section may cause frustration or disappointment. Choosing a maternal-assisted caesarean can, for some mothers, make the birth experience more satisfying and meaningful.

I had experienced a vaginal delivery for my first birth and a c-section birth for my second birth, Lyz Evans, an Australian physiotherapist (the term physical therapist is more common in the U.S.) told HuffPost.

Evans, who co-founded an exercise program called Empowered Motherhood, used the words clinical and disconnected to describe her first c-section experience. You are numb from the chest down, lying flat on your back and have a drape separating you from the birthing team and the surgery, she said.

In a maternal-assisted caesarean, however, the drape is removed so you can watch the procedure, and because you are able to reach down and pull your baby out of your stomach yourself, you feel like you are really involved in the process, and that can be so empowering and incredible, Evans said.

Evans had first heard of maternal-assisted caesareans on South American social media, and wondered why the procedure wasnt offered more widely. When she was preparing for her third birth, she thought of this option and how it would help her play an active role.

The hard part, she said, was convincing her doctor, who had never performed a caesarean in this way before, to do the procedure, and the hospital to allow it.

What are the safety considerations?

The chief safety concern is the risk of contaminating the sterile field where the surgery is taking place, Dr. Josie Urbina, an OB-GYN at the University of California San Francisco, told HuffPost. Urbina performs traditional c-sections and explained that usually patients are behind a non-sterile curtain accompanied by their partners, doulas and the anesthesia team.

Removal of the curtain so that the patient can reach down for her baby would make it difficult to maintain a sterile operating field, Urbina said. The team would have to get creative: If theres a way to make the patient sterile to help receive their baby, then that may decrease the risk of contamination, and as a result, decrease risk of infection of their incision and/or uterus after c-section.

An infection, she said, would delay wound healing and cause increased pain. Such infections can also become serious.

The procedure is only possible for planned c-sections, and for low-risk pregnancies. Your doctor would need to consider your individual risk before agreeing to perform the surgery.

Despite these risks and caveats, there are advantages to the procedure. One of these, Urbina said, is helping make sure the patient feels involved and in control of their own birth experience.

Assisting a patient with the delivery of their own baby through c-section can be a very satisfying and memorable experience for someone who had initially envisioned a vaginal birth, she said.

What does preparation look like?

Evans rehearses for her maternal-assisted caesarean.

Evans rehearses for her maternal-assisted caesarean.

Evans says her doctor, Lynn Townsend, researched the procedure, considered the risks, and agreed to perform the surgery. She then went to bat for Evans with the hospital board, eventually securing their approval for the surgery to take place.

In the weeks preceding the birth, Evans said she and Townsend discussed the logistics of the birth, and the importance of ensuring a sterile environment, and practiced the steps involved.

These included having Evans perform a surgical hand-wash, and putting on a gown and sterile gloves while she was lying on her back.

We rehearsed the timing of when I would reach down to deliver my baby from the abdomen, and the speed at which I would lift her to my chest to ensure Dr. Townsend had enough time to check that the cord had enough length, Evans said.

In addition to discussing the usual risks of a caesarean, Townsend explained to Evans that if the baby was in distress, or if her labor began spontaneously, they would not be able to proceed with their plan.

Neither of those scenarios came to pass, and when the day of the planned c-section came, Evans experienced something very different from her previous births.

Compared with my first cesarean section, it felt far less clinical, and I felt far more connected to the procedure as well as everyone else in the room. I was informed of every step along the way which really helped me to feel a part of the team, she said.

Evans brings her child to her chest during her c-section.

Evans brings her child to her chest during her c-section.

I had watched every step of the surgery, so by the time it came to the point where I reached down to lift her out, I was so emotional with the build-up to this moment. She cried as soon as she came out of the uterus, and then, like magic, as soon as I placed her on to my chest over my beating heart she settled straight away, Evans said.

Evans noted that the immediate skin-to-skin contact she described can also happen during a standard c-section, and that patients should ask their doctors about this possibility. More hospitals are now offering this option.

It was one of the most incredible moments of my life and made it all worth it, she said.

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People are not pollution: Newsom signs bill to clear way for universities to build more student housing

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that makes it easier for universities to build housing for students in a win for housing advocates.

Assembly Bill 1307 was signed into law Thursday after it landed on the governors desk after receiving widespread support in the state legislature.

Authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), AB 1037 was drafted in response to a February court ruling that blocked a new housing project by the University of California, Berkeley.

The U.C. Berkeley campus pictured on July 22, 2020 in Berkeley, California. (Getty Images)

The proposed housing project, located at Peoples Park adjacent to campus, was challenged on the basis that noise from the eventual new residents would have an impact on the environment.

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The housing project was previously supported by the State Legislature and Gov. Newsom and had received a $100 million investment in the 2022-23 state budget.

In response, Newsom voiced his support for the project by filing an amicus briefing, and called on the California Supreme Court to overturn the decision. The California Supreme Court ultimately agreed to hear the case.

But before it got to Californias highest court, Wicks wrote new legislation that officially kills the ability for a housing project to be stalled due to noise from its residents under the pretense of environmental concerns.

Newsoms office decried the initial court ruling as a clear case of the misuse of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), an environmental protection law that is meant to protect the state from development that has a negative impact on the local environment. In recent years, housing advocates have argued that CEQA was being abused in a deliberate attempt to cause unnecessary hurdles for developers looking to build new housing units, which state officials say are desperately needed.

The governor called the blocking of the Berkeley housing project an example of NIMBYism, an acronym used by housing advocates that plays off the expression, Not In My Backyard.

California rolls out AI guidelines in Newsoms latest executive order

He thanked Wicks and other legislative leaders for taking the time to draft the legislation needed to counteract the court ruling and other CEQA abuses, which he says have blocked critically needed housing for years and even decades.

In a statement released Thursday, Wicks said the new law affirms that people are not pollution, which she says reestablishes 50 years of CEQA precedent.

This will help UC Berkeley move forward with more than 1,200 units of housing, including 160 units for formerly homeless individuals, Wicks said. Just as importantly, AB 1307 provides more certainty for housing projects across the state, instead of more red tape and higher construction costs.

The bill also eliminates a second requirement that called for public universities to consider alternative locations for their housing projects, even if specified requirements have already been met.

Los Angeles Population Growth

California officials say the state has invested and planned for around $4 billion in grants to fund new affordable student housing at below-market rates at the states public colleges and universities.

Student housing is an oft-cited contributing factor in the states housing shortage, as many schools admit more students than they can house, leaving surrounding towns with the burden of housing them.

UC Santa Barbara, a university nestled in one of the most expensive counties in the state with some of the lowest density housing, is facing legal threats from the neighboring city of Goleta and Santa Barbara County for allegedly not holding up its end of an agreement to build more student housing on campus.

More Californians are searching for out-of-state homes, Redfin study says

The housing crisis in California has become one of the main points of emphasis for the governors administration.

Since taking office, Newsom has signed more than 70 bills aimed at kick starting housing development and streamlining the building process, including more than 20 bills that reform and clarify the language of CEQA, which opponents argue has too much broad power on the states infrastructure and housing projects.

In the last several weeks, California has announced more than $1 billion in grants awarded to organizations that want to build environmentally friendly housing and green transit projects in jobs-rich areas, as well as accelerating the process of building climate-friendly homes by covering some of the expensive upfront costs of building out the infrastructure required as part of the pre-development process.

California has set ambitious goals to build 2.5 million new homes over the next several years, including 1 million specifically designated as affordable.

But the state continues to face massive challenges to reach that goal. Last month, the California Association of Realtors announced that housing affordability in the Golden State hit a 16-year low.

In response to rising home prices and stalling development, Newsom has indicated he plans to cut red tape in order to build more green energy projects, particularly in the housing sector, to meet his lofty expectations

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
In Sumy, two victims were buried under the rubble of a residential building

Three people were injured and a two-story building was reduced to rubble after Russia launched attacks on several Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Sept. 8, reported the Sumy Oblast Military Administration.

Cities in Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa oblasts were targeted.

Over 20 buildings and eight vehicles sustained damages, and a fire broke out due to the attacks in Sumy Oblast.

Read also: Horrific scenes as Russia ballistic missile batters busy market in daytime attack on Kostyantynivka, 16 dead

Thanks to the tireless effort of rescue workers, two people were saved that had initially been trapped under the debris.

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Firefighters managed to extinguish the ensuing blaze.

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Read also: Russia loses 640 soldiers in a day, total war losses exceed 267,000

In Zaporizhzhya, the Russian militarys assault resulted in at least one casualty, said acting mayor Anatoliy Kurtev.

The resulting shockwaves caused windows in multiple high-rise residential and educational buildings to shatter.

Windows were shattered in 30 high-rise buildings and three educational institutions, he later pointed out.

Several regions in Ukraine were under an air raid alert overnight following the launch of Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones by Russian forces.

In addition to Sumy, reports of explosions were heard in Odesa Oblast. Ukrainian air defense managed to intercept 16 out of the 20 attack drones.

The situation remains tense as the attacks continue to exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in the area.

Read also:

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
For all the handwringing about the fact that Donald Trump is the first president to face prosecution upon leaving office, most everybody who is aware of the facts, and even has the pretense of being intellectually honest, knows that Trump is guilty of crimes. Instead, what we are really arguing about right now is the politics of prosecuting Trump.

To be sure, there may be legal haggling over whether Alvin Braggs bootstrapping of a misdemeanor into a felony should pass muster (I tend to think not), or if Fani Willis use of RICO is appropriate, or if Trumps attempts to overturn the election are a criminal scheme in the way the Department of Justice claims. He may not be guilty of each thing hes charged with.

But at the end of the day, few people are seriously suggesting that Trump and his associates committed no crimes. The stolen classified documents case (and the related obstruction of justice charge) alone is almost a slam dunk, according to Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a red-state Republican. Former Trump Department of Justice official Sarah Isgur called it a textbook indictment. Prominent legal experts are even more strongly convinced.

What most Republican defenders of the former president are really arguing is not that hes innocent, but that prosecuting Trump sets a precedent that will be used against others.

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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who Ive long been a fan of, gives the most straightforward version of this argument, saying on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Those who decided to start using indictments, prosecutors and even mug shots as weapons in a political campaign have unleashed a destructive new era in American politics.

Those who decided to start using indictments, prosecutors & even mug shots as weapons in a political campaign have unleashed a destructive new era in American politics.



Now, for years to come our criminal justice system will be used to target candidates in both parties & the  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 24, 2023

Its not a frivolous argument. As Ive argued before, downward spirals in politics, particularly when they involve partisanship, are not only possible, but common and destructive.

The problem with this argument is twofold. One, Trump, not those prosecuting him, unleashed a new era. And two, the fact that such powers might get used against other lawbreaking politicians is not a bad thing.

Who is responsible?

Lets dispatch with the first argument quickly. Trumps decision to become the first president to mount an extrajudicial challenge to his defeat in 2020 is, by any reasonable measure, one of the most toxic things done in American politics in the post-Civil War era.

Trumps team knew how dangerous it was. They floated plans to use the military to put down the inevitable violence should he remain in office under flimsy (and Id say fraudulent) legal pretexts. In essence, they were risking a form of new civil war. Had it not been for Mike Pences heroism, wed almost certainly have had at least some version of these violent events play out.

Similarly, his decision to hide extraordinarily sensitive, top-secret documents at his personal estate and engage in obviously bad-faith negotiations with the Department of Justice over these documents, is also unprecedented, dangerous and inexcusable. If this isnt prosecutable, classified information becomes almost a pure fiction.

A former president that does such things, not only for the sake of politics but for his own personal advancement, under the implied threat that any reprisals will create a political backlash, is the one responsible for such political degradation, not the ones that take the obvious step and enforce the law.

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Reprisal prosecutions

The second argument is more complicated. Bragg and Willis are obviously politically benefiting from prosecuting Trump. Prosecution is popular with their party and their constituencies. The political calculations of Bidens Justice Department are more complicated, but it does seem to be unlikely that these prosecutions coming down just as the election season heats up is a pure coincidence.

Whether their goal is to make Trump, who they believe to be their easiest opponent in 2024, a martyr, and thus the Republican nominee, or just to placate their base, doesnt really matter. There is no doubt that this will create a huge incentive for Republicans to conduct reprisal prosecutions against Democrats and gone will be the argument that taking such actions are unprecedented. Indeed, prominent Republicans are already floating the idea.

But would this really be a bad thing?

Prosecutors cases, after all, arent run by the media or elections. They are tried by judges and juries. While it is certainly true that judges and juries can act in political ways, there are all kinds of safeguards and procedures to minimize politics. America is not a Third-World country, our courts are not kangaroo courts, and they dont answer to presidents, Republicans or Democrats. While there is no perfect way to stop lawbreaking, the combination of a judge, a jury and the law is a far more reliable way to prevent lawlessness than politics.

Many of the real and perceived abuses of prosecution come from powerful prosecutors offices against underprivileged people. Any powerful politician will easily have the resources to fight back. Donald Trump, ostensibly a billionaire who could afford his own defense, is raising massive amounts of money off his prosecution and using PAC funds to pay for his legal defense. Frivolous prosecutions may happen, but theres plenty of recourse if they do, and lots of reasons to think they wont be successful, in court or in public opinion.

But her emails

In 2016, the shoe was on the other foot. Then-candidate Hillary Clintons blatantly illegal homebrew server violated more national security and transparency laws than you can shake a stick at.

From the Department of Justice refusing to call the investigation anything but a matter, James Comeys now-infamous press conference where he announced Hillary wouldnt be charged (after Bill Clintons likely interference), to the political fireball of reopening the investigation due to emails found on former Congressman Anthony Weiners laptop, the decision not to charge Clinton was handled in a blatantly political manner. It was Trump and his supporters that were famously chanting lock her up.

Demagoguery aside, they were right. Hillary Clinton clearly broke numerous laws, and she was not prosecuted because of politics. It backfired quickly, and Trump won anyway. In fact, he may well have won precisely because she wasnt prosecuted. The double standard, rightly, enraged Hillary Clintons critics.

So the question is, would we really have been worse off having Clinton face prosecution for her malfeasance? Would we really be worse off if Joe Biden faced the same, should the worst be shown of his dealings with his son as vice president?

In fact, if Bill Clinton had been prosecuted for perjury and obstruction of justice after leaving office, it is likely that Hillary Clinton and Trump would have thought twice about some of their actions. At minimum, wed have truly proven Teddy Roosevelts maxim that No man is above the law, and no man is below it.

Prosecuting our crooked politicians is not a problem. Failing to have accountability for lawbreaking, on the other hand, is a problem, a serious one. And if one act of civic hygiene leads to another, thats a good thing, not a bad thing.

So when people claim that Trumps prosecution will lead to more prosecution of crooked politicians on both sides, the right response is to simply to lean over and say, Yes, your terms are acceptable.

Cliff Smith is a lawyer and a former congressional staffer. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he works on national security related issues.
CANBERRA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Researchers have discovered the remains of a new species of prehistoric koala dating back 25 million years in the Australian outback.

In a study published by Flinders University on Thursday, PhD student and lead author Arthur Crichton detailed the discovery of fossil teeth at a site 100 km south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory (NT) outback.

Analysis of the remains found they were approximately 25 million years old and belonged to a previously unknown species, which has been named Lumakoala blackae.

Crichton said in a media release on Thursday that the new species weighed about 2.5 kg, compared to up to 15 kg for a fully-grown modern koala, and mostly ate soft leaves.

He said the discovery helps fill a 30-million year gap in the evolution of Australia's iconic marsupials.

"Our computer analysis of its evolutionary relationships indicates that Lumakoala is a member of the koala family or a close relative, but it also resembles several much older fossil marsupials called Thylacotinga and Chulpasia from the 55 million-year-old Tingamarra site in northeastern Australia," Crichton said.

"In the past, it was suggested the enigmatic Thylacotinga and Chulpasia may have been closely related to marsupials from South America.

"However, the discovery of Lumakoala suggests that Thylacotinga and Chulpasia could actually be early relatives of Australian herbivorous marsupials such as koalas, wombats, kangaroos and possums."

The teeth were discovered with fossils of two other koala species, the Madakoala and Nimiokoala, that lived in the same time period.

Gavin Prideaux, director of the Palaeontology Laboratory at Flinders University, said in Thursday's release that the discoveries were the first record of koalas ever being in the NT. 
Mark Dial, a police officer in Philadelphia, was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Eddie Irizarry.

Mark Dial, a police officer in Philadelphia, was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Eddie Irizarry.

Philadelphias district attorney has charged a police officer with murder in the death of a man he shot multiple times during a traffic stop last month.

District Attorney Larry Krasner on Friday announced various charges against Philadelphia Police Departments Mark Dial, accusing him of not only murder but aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and official oppression. Dial surrendered to authorities.

This came as the DAs office released unedited body camera footage of the shooting incident. Though police had previously claimed that 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry lunged at them with a weapon, the video shows Irizarry holding a small knife near his thigh while in his car with the window up, and he does not lunge at officers.

Dial also faces allegations of aggravated assault and simple assault, among others.

Dial also faces allegations of aggravated assault and simple assault, among others.

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On Aug. 14, Irizarry pulled into a parking spot in Philadelphias Kensington neighborhood. He was followed by Dial and his partner after the officers saw Irizarry driving erratically.

In the bodycam footage, Dial is shown getting out of his police vehicle and quickly approaching Irizarrys car. Dials partner grabs a door on Irizarrys car and shouts for the man to show his hands.

Dial then gets close to the car with his gun drawn.

Show that fucking hand. I will fucking shoot you, Dial shouts.

About five seconds after that warning, Dial fires six shots at close range into the vehicle.

Dials partner can be heard on the footage telling Dial to stop. Mark, hold up, stop, he says.

Irizarry appears to grimace in pain, but Dial continues shouting at him with his gun drawn.

Fuck, Mark, move the car, the partner says after looking at Irizarrys bloodied body in the drivers seat.

Both officers then drag Irizarrys body, seemingly lifeless, out of the vehicle.

Nearby residents soon descend on the scene.

Why did yall kill him? one resident can be heard saying in the footage.

Dial was placed on a 30-day suspension from the department after the shooting. Outgoing Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, who announced earlier this week that she is resigning, said she intended to fire him at the end of the suspension.

Dial refusedto cooperate with an internal police investigation into the shooting, authorities said.

Outlaw indicated last month that Dial violated department policies and initially gave a false narrative of the fatal encounter.

Surveillance footage capturing the incident was released at that time, and it similarly showed that officers provided reporters with a narrative differing from what actually occurred. Officers originally claimed Irizarry was outside of his car and had been given multiple commands to drop a weapon before they fired, but the surveillance video showed Irizarry inside his vehicle.

The allegations brought against defendant Mark Dial today are among the most serious in our criminal legal system and are the culmination of weeks of investigative work by the PPD Officer Involved Shooting Investigation team, PPD Internal Affairs, and the independent review of the dedicated public corruption prosecutors in the DAs Office, Krasner said in a statement.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney on Friday also released a statementon the shooting.

My heart is with the loved ones of Eddie Irizarry as they continue to grieve the loss of his life, Kenney said.

I recognize that no action that we take as a City can bring him back, but I am confident that the District Attorneys Office is working toward justice for Mr. Irizarry and his family.

I have watched the footage and I understand that it may provoke anger and upset in our communities. We ask that the public remain peaceful in demonstrations and calls for accountability as we continue to process this tragedy as a city.

A judge set Dials bail at $500,000 after he was arraigned Friday morning.
TechCrunch

The Chevy Equinox EV, an all-electric compact SUV that General Motors has aimed squarely at the mass market, will arrive in dealerships in 2024 with a battery range and sticker price that could propel its EV sales and even compete with Tesla. The Chevy Equinox EV base model will be priced at $34,995  higher than the targeted $30,000  and will come with a 319-mile range that beat out the company's original estimates. The base price model includes the destination fee.
(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines said it successfully resupplied a stranded ship in a shoal in the South China Sea on Friday despite dangerous maneuvers carried out by Chinas Coast Guard vessels and militia.

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The unprofessional act and dangerous maneuvers conducted by the China Coast Guard and its maritime militia will never prevail over our conduct of legal and legitimate operations that support rules-based international order, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Medel Aguilar said in a statement.

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This marks the Philippines second successful resupply mission since China thwarted last month a similar operation in Second Thomas Shoal, where the grounded ship BRP Sierra Madre serves as Manilas outpost in the disputed sea. The Southeast Asian nation has stepped up efforts to pressure Beijing to change its ways by releasing videos and images of their persistent confrontations.

China on Friday issued a stern warning to two Philippine supply boats and two coast guard vessels entering the sea near the Nansha Islands without approval, according to a statement on the official Weibo account of Chinas coast guard. Nansha Islands is how Beijing calls Spratly Islands in the South China Sea thats also being claimed by Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The Philippines said a Chinese coast guard ship blocked and fired water cannons on a supply vessel on Aug. 5, which prompted Manila to issue a diplomatic note. Manila said it was able to deliver supplies to the military outpost over two weeks later despite what it described as attempts from China to block, harass and interfere.

The two nations have been locked in a territorial dispute in the resource-rich waters, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ramping up protests over Chinas actions since he took power last year. He discussed maritime security in the South China Sea with US Vice President Kamala Harris on the fringes of the Asean summit in Jakarta this week.

--With assistance from Felix Tam.

(Updates with more details throughout.)

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Days after Phoenix leaders voted to legalize backyard guesthouses citywide, a handful of other Valley cities say they may consider broadening their own zoning rules on casitas.

Most already allow guesthouses, also known as accessory dwelling units or ADUs, on larger residential lots with setbacks, height limitations and other restrictions.

But Francisco Heredia, vice mayor of Mesa, said he wants his city to create more flexible policies for ADUs in the wake of Phoenix embracing casitas.

He proposes increasing size restrictions on the buildings and streamlining the permitting process for residents, saying there's an "opportunity" to make it easier for residents to build guesthouses. He anticipates that council members will take on discussions about ADUs later this fall, he said.

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In the West Valley, Peoria Planning Director Chris Jacques said that the city could be open to broadening its ADU policy "as part of local discussion on how to best address housing affordability." Still, formal consideration of the idea requires additional policy discussions with city council members and other stakeholders, he said.

The cities' interest comes amid a region-wide affordable housing crisis. The Valley's housing affordability dropped to a new low last year, despite dips in home prices and rents. Arizona also saw a 23% increase in its unhoused population between 2020 and 2022, according to federal data, and experts estimate that the Phoenix metro area is short about 150,000 to 250,000 homes.

At the moment, solving the problem lies largely in the hands of city governments. Each municipality has its own zoning laws that regulate what types of construction can be built on specific pieces of property, creating a patchwork of rules for housing creation across the Valley.

Maricopa County controls zoning in unincorporated areas of the region, but those areas are largely found on the outskirts of the metro area and tend to be more rural. Meanwhile, a series of bills that would have overhauled municipal zoning in an effort to address affordable housing challenges failed in the state Legislature earlier this year.

Phoenix officials said they see guesthouses as a tool to attack that problem, although council members said they don't expect their new policy on the guesthouses will serve as a fix-all.

As Valley cities think about possible solutions to the region's housing issues, here, from A to Z is where each one currently stands on ADUs.

Avondale

Avondales city code allows guesthouses in some residential zoning districts. They cannot be leased separately from the property's primary house or have a different utility service.

The floor area of an ADU cannot exceed 50% of the floor area of the main house.

Guesthouses must also have a similar architectural style and color as a property's main home and cannot exceed 15 feet in height.

Buckeye

Buckeyes city code allows for ADUs in rural residential, planned residential, and for any single-family lot that is at least 3,000 square feet.

The difference between each single-family residential district comes down to the size of the lot as well as density.

Several stipulations come with the ordinance. ADUs cannot be located within 10 feet of the property's primary house and cannot take up more than 50% of the rear setback. It cant be larger than 33% of the main houses total floor area. Guesthouses also cant have a separate utility service and cant be taller than the primary house.

Chandler

A Minimal Living Concepts worker talks with a client about a backyard casita built in her backyard.

Chandlers rules allow for one casita per residential lot, although the guest house cant have a stove or any cooking facilities.

The casita also cannot be in front of the property's main house, take up more than 30% of the yard or be more than 15 feet tall. Its design has to match that of the primary home and it must be connected to normal utilities, like water.

Gilbert

Gilberts land development code allows for a secondary dwelling unit on one lot in most single-family residential zoning districts.

The code allows it to have full kitchen and a front door that cant be visible from a public or private street. Rentals of the secondary dwelling are permitted by the code. The second unit must use the same utility services as the primary residence and one off-street parking space must be provided in conformance with parking regulations. The design of the unit must be compatible with the primary home.

Gilbert does not have any size restrictions for the secondary dwelling unit.

Glendale

Glendale allows ADUs in agricultural, rural and suburban zoning districts, but permitting for the units depends whether they are occupied long-term or temporarily. If the dwelling unit is occupied less than 90 days per year, the unit is subject to administrative review. If the unit is occupied 90 days or more, a conditional use permit is required.

ADUs are not allowed in urban residential districts in Glendale.

Goodyear

According to Goodyears city code, guesthouses are permitted in residential districts as long as the lots are at least 15,000 square feet. The floor area of a guesthouse cannot exceed 50% of the total area of the property's main house, and both buildings cant exceed 60% of the total area of the lot.

Guesthouses also cannot be leased or rented or have a separate utility service. They must be under 20 feet in height and have a similar color and architectural style to the main house.

Litchfield Park

Litchfield Parks city code allows for habitable accessory buildings in single-family residential districts. The building can only be used by family, domestic help or temporary guests.

They can also be used for noncommercial workshops or pool cabanas. They cannot have cooking facilities or a separate utility service and cannot be leased separately.

Guesthouses cannot be more than 15 feet in height or exceed the height of a property's main house. They must also have a similar color and architectural style to the main house. A building permit is required.

Mesa

Mesa's city code has allowed for one accessory dwelling unit within all single-family residential areas since 1939. Through the years, that policy has gone through various restrictions and approval requirements, and in 2018, the city updated its policies to relax some of its more restrictive permit rules.

Casitas can be detached or attached from the primary home with electric service and may function independently of the primary dwelling by means of separate access. The city requires ADUs to not be visible from the public right-of-way and they must comply to setback, height and lot rules according to zoning district requirements.

Guesthouses also shall not exceed 30% of the roof area of the property's primary unit, except within the town center redevelopment area or within an infill district that allows up to 50% of the roof area. ADUs must be served by the same water service as the primary residence.

While city code allows for casitas, home association rules supersede the zoning code, which may prevent some residents from building guesthouses, a city spokesperson said.

Peoria

Peoria does not permit ADUs on a citywide level, but does allow guesthouses in agricultural and single-family residential districts where the lot size exceeds 18,000 square feet.

Those units can be as tall as 25 feet. ADUs that exceed nine feet in height or 300 square feet in area must meet the required setbacks of their respective zoning district and must conform to the city's design standards.

Phoenix

Casita in the backyard of the Midcentury Modern home in Phoenix on March 25, 2016.

Phoenix officials approved zoning rule changes on Sept. 6 and the city now allows casitas in the backyards of all single-family homes. Previously, the city only allowed guesthouses on large residential lots.

Casitas are subject to size restrictions. They can't be more than 75% of the size of the property's primary house. On a 10,000-square-foot lot, an ADU can be a maximum 1,000 square feet. On lots larger than 10,000 square feet, an ADU cannot be bigger than 3,000 square feet or 10% of the lot size, whichever is smaller.

Homeowners' associations can still ban casitas and historic properties are still subject to design regulations from the Historic Preservation Commission.

Casitas cannot be used for short-term rentals.

More: Phoenix just legalized guesthouses citywide to combat affordable housing crisis

Queen Creek

Queen Creeks zoning code allows one detached accessory dwelling unit per lot in all the towns residential and agritainment zoning districts.

The total square footage of ADUs cannot exceed 50% of the roof square footage of the property's primary dwelling.

The town defines an ADU as a unit that provides complete independent living facilities for one or more people and includes provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation. Parking for ADU residents must be located on the property of the primary home.

The town last updated its ADU regulations in 2017.

Scottsdale

Guesthouses are allowed in Scottsdale as long as they are less than half the square footage of the main home. In most instances, guesthouses have to be at least 10 feet away from the main house, and they also cant take up more than 30% of the yard.

Residents cant rent out their guesthouse without renting out the main home as well.

Surprise

Surprise allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in some zoning districts, including residential rural, residential low-density sites, as well as in heritage districts and traditional neighborhood development districts. The city does not allow new ADUs to be built close enough to Luke Air Force Base that average sound levels exceed 65 decibels.

An ADU must be on the same lot as the primary dwelling unit and cannot be sold or conveyed separately. An ADU cannot exceed 50% of the habitable space in the primary home, or more than 800 square feet of space, whichever is less.

Tempe

One guest home is allowed per single-family lot in Tempe when the entire property is at least 8,000 square feet. A guesthouse cant be more than half the square footage of the main home.

Tolleson

Guesthouses are allowed in single-family residential districts, according to Tollesons city code. Guesthouses cannot have a kitchen or cooking facilities. Guesthouses cannot be used for compensation and must be approved with a permit by the Tolleson City Council.

Unincorporated areas of Maricopa County

Maricopa County zoning laws allow ADUs in some residential and rural zoned areas.

Those units are only allowed when a single-family home exists on the property, and they must share an address with that building. They cannot be rented or leased separately from the property's primary structure, per county ordinances.

ADUs aren't permitted to be taller than the property's primary building. They cannot occupy more than 30% of the yard and cannot be within three feet of a property line. For corner lots, accessory buildings must be set back from the street at a distance equal to half the depth of the front lawn.

Arizona Republic reporters Alexandra Hardle, Corina Vanek, Sam Kmack and Taylor Seely contributed to this article.

Sasha Hupka covers Maricopa County, Pinal County and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Can I build a guest house on my property? A Phoenix-area guide
A photo surfaced online showing a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber covered in tires.

The photo appeared just days after satellite images showed Russian bombers also covered in tires.

While it's unclear why, the strategy could be aimed at defending against drone and missile attacks.

Just days after satellite images showed Russian bombers covered in rows of car tires, a photo has emerged online of a Su-34 fighter-bomber getting the same treatment.

The theories surrounding this apparent defensive strategy are abundant, especially as it seemingly spreads to more aircraft across the Russian Air Force. The approach comes after drone strikes have bombarded Russian air bases, costing the country both bombers and airlift planes.

The photo of the Su-34 began making rounds Friday, although when and where it was taken aren't immediately clear. It appears to have been originally been published on the Russian social media VK page of the FighterBomber Telegram channel, but it has been shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well.

In the photo, which Insider has been unable to independently verify, the Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber, known to NATO as the Fullback, looks to be exposed in the open but is partially wrapped in a canopy. And its top is covered in thick car tires. The image of the Su-34 is similar to satellite images of Tu-95 bombers and Tu-160 heavy bombers shared online last week.

While the reasoning for the tire coverage in both cases is unclear, The War Zone first reported that close-up analysis of the Tu-95 and Tu-160 indicated the individual car tires were likely meant to break up the planes' infrared signatures, which would confuse incoming Ukrainian missiles, such as the R-360 Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles that Ukraine has modified to hit land targets.

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Other theories have hinted at shielding, though not all the aircraft were intact, leading some to suspect some kind of decoy. It is unlikely the tires would provide a sufficient buffer from a missile or drone strike, but they could possibly confuse an incoming weapon depending on the targeting method. In that case, such a solution, though simple and makeshift, could be what Russia is looking for after recent attacks on its bases. Still, there are a lot of unknowns here.

In late August, a drone strike on a supersonic Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber far from the front lines showed just how poor Russia's force protection efforts continue to be 18 months into the war. It was, as Western intelligence said, "at least the third successful attack on [Long Range Aviation] LRA airfields, again raising questions about Russia's ability to protect strategic locations deep inside the country."

And just last week, Russia's Pskov airbase was hit by drones, leaving several Ilyushin Il-76s  Soviet-era airlift planes that transport cargo and personnel  damaged and destroyed.

The attack was more than 400 miles from Russia's border with Ukraine, and the chief of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence told The War Zone in an exclusive interview that the attack came from inside Russian territory, highlighting vulnerabilities in Russian domestic security.

While the exact timeline for when Russia began putting tires on its air assets isn't crystal clear, it does coincide with the strikes. This suspected defensive practice seems to be the latest jury-rigged defense response to increasingly devastating Ukrainian attacks on Russian-controlled territory.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photographer Julian Calder said he once asked Prince Philip to remove a sex book during a shoot.

Speaking on "A Right Royal Podcast," Calder said the prince laughed when he mentioned it.

Calder added that it would have looked "stupid" if nobody had spotted the book.

Photographer Julian Calder said he once had to ask the late Duke of Edinburgh to remove a book about sex so it wouldn't be in the shot.

Calder, a portrait photographer who has captured the royal family through the years, reflected on his time working with Prince Philip on the latest episode of Hello Magazine's "A Right Royal Podcast," which aired on Wednesday.

"I once did a portrait of Prince Phillip in his office. And he was standing there, and I was quite young at the time," Calder said.

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"And I'm looking through the lens, and I thought 'God just behind his right ear is a book, 'The Joy of Sex,' and I had to say, 'Prince Philip, should we move that?' And he laughed, and he got his equerry to come and move it," he said.

Calder added that it would have looked "stupid" if nobody had spotted the book during the photo shoot.

Philip's reaction will be no surprise to those who knew the royal for his famous sense of humor. While the duke's role was filled with formalities, he was often heard cracking jokes during various royal engagements.

The royal's friend, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, described Philip as "straight to the point" and as having a "wicked sense of humor" during an interview with BBC Breakfast after his death in April 2021, The Independent reported at the time.

"The Joy of Sex" by Alex Comfort sold more than 12 million copies after it was first published in 1972, according to the author's obituary published by The Washington Post on March 29, 2000. The book, which featured illustrations of sexual acts, was structured as a traditional cookbook and had three sections: "Starters," "Main Courses," and "Sauces and Pickles," according to The Washington Post.

The original cover showed an illustration of a naked man kissing his female partner, with the tagline: "A Gourmet Guide to Lovemaking."

The book was updated by sex expert and relationship psychologist Susan Quilliam in 2011.

Philip was married to the late Queen Elizabeth for 73 years before he died at the age of 99 on April 9, 2021. The duke was the longest-serving consort in British history.

The couple kept their relationship private and rarely showed public displays of affection during their marriage.

Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96.

Read the original article on Insider
US-provided Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have proven to be valuable assets for the Ukrainians.

Kyiv's troops have praised the heavy armor for keeping them alive in combat missions.

New photos show the Bradley's up close and what it looks like on the inside.

Facing incoming Russian fire, minefields, and other hazards, US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have helped keep Ukrainian forces alive as they continue to battle Moscow's troops amid their grinding counteroffensive.

Washington first announced its intent to supply Ukraine with these vehicles earlier this year as part of a massive effort by the West to arm Kyiv with advanced heavy armor. M2A2 Bradleys eventually reached the battlefield in April, just weeks ahead of the much-anticipated offensive, and they have proven to be a valuable asset in the months since.

Ukrainian soldiers have credited the Bradleys with saving their lives in combat, arguing that they would likely be dead had they been riding in a less-advanced Soviet-era vehicle. Bradleys have even been used to help rescue endangered civilians under heavy fire. That said, these vehicles are not indestructible, and they have still fallen victim to Russia's defenses and artillery.

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The US has provided a total of 186 Bradleys to Ukraine, according to the latest Pentagon data. But 53 of these have been destroyed, damaged, or abandoned, according to open-source intelligence collected by Oryx. Though it's a possibility, none appear to have been captured by the Russians yet.

Recent photos offer a look inside a Bradley operated by Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

Gunner 'Molfar', 39, a Bradley IFV crew member of the 47th Magura Mechanized Brigade who took part in the fighting to liberate Robotyne village from Russian invaders, stands in the hatch of the vehicle. Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Gunner 'Molfar' stands in the hatch of the Bradley. Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

The Bradley is a highly maneuverable and quick-moving armored vehicle capable of transporting troops to and from the battlefield, providing them with fire support, and carrying out reconnaissance missions.

Designed and manufactured by BAE Systems as a response to Soviet infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley entered service in the 1980s. It was deployed to the Gulf War in the 1990s and then again sent to Iraq the following decade.

Gunner 'Molfar' is pictured inside the Bradley. Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Gunner 'Molfar' is pictured inside the Bradley. Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

The Bradly is a tracked vehicle, so it is sometimes misidentified as a tank. In early January, when it was announced that the US would send Bradleys to Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder was asked by reporters at a briefing to describe how the vehicle is different from a tank.

"It's not a tank, but it's a tank killer. A Bradley is an armored vehicle that has a firepower capability that can deliver troops into combat," he explained. "It will provide a significant boost to Ukraine's already impressive armor capabilities. And we're confident that it will aid them on the battlefield."

Gunner 'Molfar' is pictured inside the Bradley. Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Gunner 'Molfar' carries a belt of munitions. Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Bradleys are operated by a three-person crew that includes a commander, a driver, a gunner and can carry up to six fully equipped soldiers. The vehicle can travel at speeds of just over 40 mph and has an operational range of around 300 miles.

They are armed with a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, and Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, which can hit armor in the distance. A 1992 Government Accountability Office report on the Bradley's Gulf War performance praised the vehicle, noting that it "proved to be lethal" and its weapons were "effective against a variety of targets."

Gunner 'Molfar' is seen inside the vehicle. Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Gunner 'Molfar' is seen inside the Bradley. Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

According to the Pentagon's inventory of security assistance to Ukraine, which was updated this week, the US has sent over 7,000 TOW missiles and more than 1.8 million rounds of 25 mm ammunition.

This weaponry is just a small component of the nearly $44 billion in military aid Washington has provided since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Biden administration has also sent nearly 500 Stryker and M113 armored personnel carriers, as well as drones, artillery, air-defense capabilities, and advanced rocket systems.

Gunner 'Molfar' is pictured inside the Bradley. Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Gunner 'Molfar' (R) and mechanic and driver 'Revo.' Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

In the Zaporizhzhia region, where these photos were taken, Ukrainian forces have started gaining momentum against Russia's formidable defensive lines and fortifications. There, Kyiv's troops have managed to carve out a small pocket of liberated territory south of Orikhiv, battling through minefields, anti-tank ditches, and dragon's teeth obstacles.

Though Ukraine launched offensives in multiple directions along the sprawling front line, Kyiv's goal for this particular axis of attack seems to be to fight its way down to the Sea of Azov, where it ultimately hopes to divide Russian-held land and sever the link between occupied regions in the east and south.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The claim: Pilots holding 'ready to strike' signs at LAX due to potential COVID-19 mandates

A Sept. 1 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features two pictures of numerous men lined up beside the road holding signs that say, "READY TO STRIKE."

"Way to go LAX Pilots!!" reads part of the post's caption. "They know the mask mandate lockdown ... is about to happen again. They are not having it."

Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The demonstration was unrelated to COVID-19 mandates, according to a spokesperson for the group in the video. It was held to show Southwest pilots' frustration at not having a new contract.

Picket linked to contract disagreements, not COVID-19 mandates

The images show members of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association picketing at Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 31 "to demonstrate the pilots' frustration at still not having a contract after three-and-a-half years of negotiations," according to a press release from the group.

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Fact check: Post falsely claims change in FAA guidelines linked to COVID-19 vaccine

Mike Panebianco, a spokesperson for the organization, told USA TODAY there's no relationship between the demonstration held at LAX and COVID-19 mask mandates.

"Our pickets were a show of unity and frustration with the pace of negotiations with Southwest management," said Panebianco in an email.

The association voted to strike in May, but this does not necessarily mean a strike will occur, as USA TODAY previously reported.

The pilots' association published pictures and videos of the pilots holding the signs on its X account and in several of its press releases.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No link between LAX pilot picket and COVID-19 mandates | Fact check
The Fayetteville City Council, in a work session on Tuesday that at times became heated, discussed a curfew to curb the citys escalating youth violence.

Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden proposed the curfew, which would prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds from gathering in a public space between midnight and 5 a.m. on weeknights or between 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends. For minors under 16, the curfew hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Murders were up 24% between January and June compared to the same time period last year, according to a presentation Braden made during an August meeting. The city lost 44 people to murder in 2022.

Violent weekends in Fayetteville: Fayetteville has consecutive violent weekends. Here are the proposed solutions.

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At one point in Tuesdays work session, Council Member Mario Benavente asked Police Department lawyer Michael Whyte if she could provide evidence from other cities that youth curfews work.

In short, she could not.

I also cannot find strong evidence that youth curfews reduce gun violence.

Fayetteville City Council Member Mario Benavente asks questions during a special meeting, called on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 to address youth gun violence.

Do teen curfews actually reduce gun violence?

To the contrary, gun violence increased during curfew times in poor neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., in an oft-cited 2014 working paper by professors Jillian B. Carr of Purdue University and Jennifer L. Doleac of the University of Virginia. Interestingly, the study is based on research using data from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system now called SoundThinking, that the Fayetteville council approved last year to help police solve crimes and reduce violence.

Doleac said in an interview that when the youth curfew in D.C. switched on at 11 p.m., shootings reliably increased. In essence, she said, law-abiding young people went home and troublemakers remained out after curfew to cause trouble  with fewer eyewitnesses to see it.

Having people around helps deter crime by increasing the likelihood that an offender will get caught, she said. Also, enforcing the curfew distracts police from doing other things. If those things were effective, then switching police attention to curfew enforcement will increase crime.

Will Fayetteville enact a teen curfew? Here's what the Council says

Juvenile curfews are ineffective at reducing crime and victimization a 2016 summary of 12 studies concluded that was sponsored by the Campbell Collaboration, a global social science research network. The review was mentioned in a USA TODAY story from earlier this month that discussed the zeal of cities adding juvenile curfews  now 400 and counting. Yet, the summary review found curfews led to a slight increase in crime during curfew hours and no impact in non-curfew hours.

The Fayetteville council voted 7-2 to continue talks on the curfew this coming Monday. Benavente of District 3 and Council Member Deno Hondros in District 9 voted in opposition.

Fayetteville Police Chief Kem Braden gives a report to the Fayetteville City Council about what the department is doing to reduce gun violence. The special meeting was called on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 to address youth gun violence.

I get that council members may be desperate for solutions. We all are.

I get also that this is an election year for the City Council. The mayor and six council members are being challenged. We must have our eyes wide open about that.

But the data on curfews are a red flag that maybe council members should hold off on them.

If police could institute curfews for young people with no bad effects, I might be inclined to support the idea on the premise that they cannot hurt.

Problem is, they can hurt.

Myron B. Pitts

The potential for over-policing required to enforce a curfew could ratchet up tension in Black neighborhoods where Fayetteville Police have labored sincerely, for years, to build relations. Recall that this department under a prior chief invited the U.S. Justice Department in to do a thorough examination of police policies and practices, as it dealt with fallout related to driving while Black  where officers were subjecting Black motorists to a disproportionate number of consent searches compared to white drivers.

No one wants to see that work undone. Especially in pursuit of a solution that data shows likely will not work.

Lets hope council members at this Mondays meeting will consider other options that are community forward, not enforcement first.

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

Note: A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of the Police Department attorney.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville curfew will increase police tensions. It won't stop crime
People attend an international potato festival in the village of Xylofagou, Cyprus, on Sept. 7, 2023. An international potato festival kicked off on Thursday in the village of Xylofagou, which is renowned for its potato production. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

A woman holds a potato skewer during an international potato festival in the village of Xylofagou, Cyprus, on Sept. 7, 2023. An international potato festival kicked off on Thursday in the village of Xylofagou, which is renowned for its potato production. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

People attend an international potato festival in the village of Xylofagou, Cyprus, on Sept. 7, 2023. An international potato festival kicked off on Thursday in the village of Xylofagou, which is renowned for its potato production. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

People cook potato chips during an international potato festival in the village of Xylofagou, Cyprus, on Sept. 7, 2023. An international potato festival kicked off on Thursday in the village of Xylofagou, which is renowned for its potato production. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

People attend an international potato festival in the village of Xylofagou, Cyprus, on Sept. 7, 2023. An international potato festival kicked off on Thursday in the village of Xylofagou, which is renowned for its potato production. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

A sculpture of a giant potato is seen in the village of Xylofagou, Cyprus, on Sept. 7, 2023. An international potato festival kicked off on Thursday in the village of Xylofagou, which is renowned for its potato production. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
A committee charged with adding between 2,700 to 5,000 acres to Fayette Countys growth boundary has identified multiple areas where development could occur. A public hearing is set for Sept. 12, 2023. (LFUCG)

First, lets talk about what Tuesday nights meeting on Lexingtons expansion plan will not be.

It will not be another discussion about whether to open the Urban Service Boundary.

Lexington is expanding, thanks to an overwhelming vote by the Urban County Council, some of whom wanted more space for affordable housing, some who wanted to serve the development community, which has been champing at the bit for years. Back in June, I called it a debacle, and Ive seen nothing so far that would change my mind.

As I said back then: Farmland is finite, important and protects Lexingtons unique brand and economic engine of horses and agriculture. Thats not to say it should never be developed; it should only be developed when it meets our most pressing need: housing. And right now, thanks to a recent vote, the council has allowed the Urban Service Boundary to open between 2,700 and 5,000 acres without anything in place that would ensure those housing needs are met. Despite this being an urgent issue for years, Lexington still has no rules that require developers to set aside some portion of their projects for affordable housing.

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What Tuesday nights meeting will be is a chance for the public to weigh in and help the Urban Growth Master Plan Advisory Committee decide how to make the best of a hasty, poorly designed process that the council set up in an arbitrary rush to develop land.

A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council chambers at 200 E. Main Street.

As of this past Tuesday, the task force had made the best of a bad job, agreeing to open the minimum, not the maximum amount of land allotted by council  2,700-5,000 acres. They have tentatively voted to open about 3,000 acres between Winchester Road and Interstate 64. The other two choices are between Richmond Road and Intersate 75, and near the airport around Parkers Mill.

As committee member and Vice Mayor Dan Wu pointed out, Why are we rushing into 5,000 acres? This is not the last bite of this apple well ever take.

He favors a more incremental approach that uses a data-driven process as part of the comprehensive plan, not this arbitrary, close your eyes and throw the dart approach.

In my opinion, the best place to open up would be the Richmond Road land, which is not actively farmed and is close to other subdivisions and a new school, Brenda Cowan Elementary. But that wouldnt meet the minimum 2,700 acres required by council.

Even that is not not enough acreage for the development community, which is represented on the task force by Commerce Lex and the Building Industry Association of Central Kentucky. Todd Johnson, who represents the latter group, also recommended adding another bit of land on the other side of I-75 below Todds Road.

There are already calls to include all 5,000 acres, and the committee still has two more weeks of meetings before they make any final decisions.Yes, Lexington needs more housing, but nothing in this process guarantees affordable housing or even accessibly-priced housing. All the council has is an earnest desire to see more of it. And judging by the fact that its difficult and hard to profit from affordable housing, its safe to say that its more likely well see more Hartland-style suburbs and strip malls than actual accessibly-priced houses for first-time buyers.

In some ways, the Urban Service Boundary is now a victim of its own success. Advocates held the line, literally, for so many years without realizing (or caring) how much it would strangle Lexingtons housing market. The Fayette Alliance, which represents agricultural interests while advocating for smart growth, has filed a lawsuit to stop the whole process.

What makes this rush even more of a shame is that the city is pondering a new set of zoning regulations that could finally improve our infill and redevelopment regulations. As ever in government, the pace is glacial until its not.

Council should have stuck to its comprehensive plan, which still calls for a data driven process to decide growth, not this arbitrary pick. It should have made a clear process to create affordable and accessible housing instead of leaving it open for McMansions and strip malls.

But now we need the publics help in sorting it out. Come out on Tuesday night to tell the task force what you think. Where exactly should we open up? Should it be the minimum or maximum acreage? These issues are mind-numbingly complicated but they are incredibly important to Lexingtons future.
Polish Minister of EU Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek has called Ukraine's possible complaint to the World Trade Organization due to the situation with the grain import ban an element of pressure that will not be effective.

Source: European Pravda, citing RMF FM

Quote: "This is a threat, another element of pressure from the Ukrainian side. These elements sometimes go beyond certain limits of classical diplomacy on the part of Ukraine. It uses diplomatic pressure tools, sometimes very non-standard, and goes beyond certain limits."

Details: Szynkowski vel Sek says that the Polish side is not impressed by this because its priority is the protection of Polish farmers and Polish citizens.

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"We are not affected by such gestures or threats, it is simply an element of pressure, but pressure that will not be effective," Szynkowski vel Sek said.

He also repeated what Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc ["Law and Justice"] partys politicians have been saying for several weeks: the embargo on Ukrainian goods will not be lifted after 15 September.

Quote: "Sometimes we have to use, if there is not enough action at the EU level, elements of national action, but we are fighting for decisions to be made at the EU level.

We have strong arguments. They are presented by both the Minister of Agriculture and Commissioner Wojciechowski at the level of the European Commission to continue this decision [on maintaining the blockade of agricultural imports from Ukraine]".

Background:

The EU countries continue to search for a solution that would satisfy Ukraine's neighbouring countries and allow them to continue to help Ukraine export grain in the face of the Black Sea blockade.

On 15 September, the European Commission is expected to lift its moratorium on imports of Ukrainian corn, wheat, rapeseed and sunflower seeds to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. However, at least two countries, Poland and Hungary, intend to unilaterally extend the ban.

Ukraine insists that a unilateral extension of the ban would violate the rules of the common market and the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

According to media reports, most EU countries are against the extension of the ban on agricultural imports from Ukraine.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Poland will start to produce missiles for US Javelin MANPADS.

Source: European Pravda with reference to PAP

Details: The Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) and Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) companies have signed an agreement on the production of MANPADS in Poland. Mesko SA is responsible for the project implementation.

Przemysaw Kowalczuk, a member of the Mesko SA Development Board, said it is not the launcher or its components that will be developed in Poland, but missiles for this system.

"Mesko will be the main contractor, and we will be supported by Polish Armaments Group plants and companies that already produce components and participate in the supply chain of American partners for some parts," he said.

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Kowalczuk assured that this agreement does not mean the joint Polish-Ukrainian production of Pirat missiles will be abandoned. He clarified that Pirat is undergoing a certification process and is intended to fill a different gap in the market than Javelin.

Background: Earlier, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki signed a letter of intent to finance the construction of a second Krab howitzer production line.

Prior to that, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Baszczak announced his intention to produce South Korean military equipment in the country.

In addition, Poland is setting up production of components for US F-16 fighters.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






Police are asking for the public's help searching for a Jersey City woman missing for nearly a week.

Gemika Gladys Ross, 31, was last seen Sept. 2 walking a dog at Baldwin and Beacon avenues around 11 a.m. in Jersey City.

Ross suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and does not have her medication, according to New Jersey State Police.

She has brown eyes, black braided hair and was last seen wearing a white pajama shirt with unknown designs, black sweatpants, and black sneakers. She may have traveled to the Paterson area, police said.

***PLEASE SHARE***



***MISSING ENDANGERED PERSON***



The New Jersey State Police Missing Persons & Human Trafficking Unit and the Jersey City Police Department are seeking the publics assistance with locating Gemika Gladys Ross, 31, from Jersey City, N.J. pic.twitter.com/8iKxQ0iIwg  NJSP - State Police (@NJSP) September 3, 2023

New Jersey State Police posted an alert asking for help finding her. The Jersey City Police Department and state Human Trafficking Unit are assisting.

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Anyone with information about Ross can contact Detective Heba Alateek from the Jersey City Police Department at 201-547-5477.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jersey City NJ: Search for missing person Gemika Gladys Ross
MANALAPAN - Township Patrolman Kevin Ruditsky used the social media platform Snapchat to send messages to a 16-year-old girl that included a photo of himself with his hand down his pants and the caption that he was sexually aroused thinking about her, according to a copy of the criminal complaint against him.

Other messages sent to the underage teen from the 46-year-old police officer were about his desire to kiss her so bad and an admonishment to please not tell anyone; that he missed her lips, which came with a photo of himself in uniform; and that he promised to give her a Police Benevolent Association card when she turned 17, reads the affidavit of probable cause.

Ruditskys week-long infatuation with the teen eventually drove him to pull over a car she was traveling in with friends as they left a local Wendys restaurant. He asked her to step out of the vehicle and then placed her in his handcuffs and tried to kiss her, the charging document said.

After the teen refused to disclose where she lived, Ruditsky accessed her personal information through his departments law enforcement database and keyed up her home address. A day after the incident with the vehicle stop and handcuffs, the officer drove several miles into neighboring Marlboro in his marked patrol vehicle and sat outside the house where she lives, according to the complaint.

Manalapan Patrolman Kevin Ruditskys drivers license photo.

Cop committing crimes: 20-year Sea Bright police veteran pleads guilty to stalking ex, slashing her tires

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Ruditsky, who has been a police officer since 1999, was suspended without pay from his $133,768-a-year position with the Manalapan Police Department following his Aug. 30 arrest. He is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree official misconduct, third-degree computer theft, third-degree hindering apprehension, fourth-degree stalking and false imprisonment; the last charge is a disorderly persons offense.

The charges related to computer theft and hindering apprehension were filed because he is alleged to have accessed official government records for personal use and turned off all his cameras and recording equipment when he unlawfully detained the teen, according to the complaint.

Cop facing charges: Island Heights NJ police detective indicted on charges of filing false report

Manalapan Police Chief Edward Niesz has said the department is deeply saddened and disturbed that this victim had her trust betrayed by a man wearing one of our uniforms.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, whose office is pursuing convictions against Ruditsky, called the alleged misconduct unconscionable, and promised swift action in the matter.

Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen did not respond to a request for comment.

Cop facing trial: Not guilty' pleas for Pt. Pleasant detective accused of shoplifting

Ruditsky appears to have met the victim during Manalapans National Night Out event on Aug. 1. The annual community outreach campaign, which Ruditsky had helped organize for the department in the past, is intended to be an opportunity for police officers to connect with those in the community that they protect and serve.

That evening, Ruditsky allowed the teen to sit in his patrol car after she complained of being hot, according to the affidavit.

While they sat together in the car, the officer eventually exchanged their contact information on Snapchat and Ruditsky began messaging her later that night, expressing his desire to kiss her, the complaint said.

Over 100 images: Part-time Brick police officer arrested on child porn charges, cops say

The incident in which he pulled over took place on Aug. 5, in front of the Best Buy on Route 9. The next day, he traveled to her home in Marlboro where he was confronted by a Marlboro police officer on patrol who asked the officer why he was outside his jurisdiction. Ruditsky answered that he was visiting a friend, according to the complaint.

If convicted, Ruditsky could spend more than 30 years in state prison. He was no longer listed as an inmate at the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold Township, where he had been taken after his arrest last week.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Manalapan NJ cop sent teen photo with hand down pants, police say
The police officer who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop last month was charged with murder, the Philadelphia district attorney said Friday after releasing body camera footage of theextremely violent encounter.

The unedited footage shows Officer Mark Dial firing into Irizarrys car through the rolled up drivers side window roughly five seconds after exiting a police car.

Immediately before the officer fires six shots, an unidentified voice from outside the car is heard saying, I will f**king shoot you!

Irizarry, bloodied and unresponsive, was pulled out of the car by an officer and then carried to the back of a patrol vehicle in which he was rushed to a hospital, according to the video.

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District Attorney Larry Krasner said Irizarrys family saw the footage and asked that it be released in its entirety.

These body-worn camera videos will be introduced into evidence, most likely at both the preliminary hearing and a trial, Krasner said after releasing the footage. They are crucial evidence in the case and in many ways, they speak for themselves.

Dial, who turned himself in Friday morning, also faces charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering of another person, and official oppression. Dials bail was set at $500,000 at arraignment, according to the district attorneys office. He did not enter a plea. He later posted bail and a preliminary hearing was set for September 26, according to court documents.

We intend to vigorously defend him against the charges, defense attorney Fortunato Perri Jr. said in a statement. Despite what has been portrayed to the media, the facts will unmistakably show that Officer Mark Dial was legally justified in discharging his weapon while fearing for his life.

Brian McMonagle, another attorney representing Dial, said Friday his client believed Irizarry was pointing a gun at him.

Video evidence in this case which weve uncovered demonstrates completely that officer Dial got out of his car, ordered (Irizarry) to show his hands, and then heard gun, McMonagle said.

Krasner would not comment on whether an officer is heard in the audio saying Irizarry had a gun.

Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial, center, enters the 1st District Police station in Philadelphia, on Friday, September 8, 2023. - Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP

Just before he was shot, Irizarry was observed holding a small, open folding knife against his thigh. He then rolled up the drivers side window, prosecutors said in a news release.

Dials gunshots shattered the drivers side glass and repeatedly struck Irizarry, prosecutors said.

I dont think were saying anything more than the obvious when we say that firing six consecutive (shots) at close range at a vital part of the body of a person under the law is strongly supportive, together with other evidence, of all of these charges, Krasner said.

Shaka Johnson, an attorney representing Irizarrys family, said the video proved deadly force was not necessary.

This was, quite frankly, a murder, is what we saw take place, Johnson told CNNs Abby Phillip on Friday.

Zoraida Garcia, Irizarrys aunt, told CNN that he wasnt a threat to officers.

I feel very hurt but at the same time, I just wanted the world to see what this officer did to my nephew, Garcia said of the police bodycam footage released Friday. My family is very frustrated.

Garcia also posted about the shooting on social media, saying Dial killed a innocent young man.

We love you Eddie and we will continue to fight to show the world how innocent you was, she continued.

Police union expresses full support for officer

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, in a statement, asked that the public remain peaceful in demonstrations and calls for accountability and urged patience as a full and thorough investigation is being conducted.

My heart is with the loved ones of Eddie Irizarry as they continue to grieve the loss of his life, he said. I recognize that no action that we take as a City can bring him back, but I am confident that the District Attorneys Office is working toward justice for Mr. Irizarry and his family.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the police department remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the communities we serve, as well as upholding the integrity of the administrative investigation in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner.

The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank and file officers, in a statement expressed its full support for Dial.

We ask the public to reserve (judgment) until all the evidence is presented during trial, Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 President John McNesby said.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announces charges against Mark Dial. - WPVI

Dial, 27, a five-year veteran of the department, was placed on restricted leave following the August 14 shooting and Outlaw said she intended to fire him at the end of a 30-day suspension period.

The shooting has been the subject of increased scrutiny since Outlaw announced two days after the deadly encounter that the initial police narrative was wrong.

Shortly after the shooting, a police corporal told reporters that officers gave commands for Irizarry to drop a weapon while he was outside of his vehicle.

Irizarry lunged at the officers; one of the officers discharged his weapon multiple times, the corporal initially said of the encounter.

But Outlaw later announced Irizarry was inside the vehicle when he was shot.

The body-worn camera footage made it very clear what we initially reported was not actually what happened, Outlaw said during a news conference last month.

On Friday, Krasner said: We try our very best to be fair and to be even handed but we will not cover for power. We will not cover up for insiderism. And we will not cover up for politics.

Surveillance video shows the shooting

Demonstrators in Philadelphia demand police accountability and justice for Eddie Irizarry on August 31. - Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto/AP

In an updated news release on the shooting last month, police said the incident began around noon, when two officers saw a man driving erratically and going the wrong way down a one-way street.

When the man pulled into a parking spot, two officers approached the vehicle, Outlaw said.

One officer warned the other the man had a weapon, then the other officer shot multiple times into the car, according to the release.

Surveillance video from a nearby restaurant and released by an attorney for Irizarrys family gave a birds-eye view of the encounter.

In the video  which is separate from the footage released Friday  Irizarry is seen pulling into a parking spot on a narrow residential street and running over orange cones in the process. A police vehicle pulls up to the passenger side of his car a few seconds later.

An officer exits the passenger side of the patrol vehicle and pulls out a firearm from his belt as he crosses the front of the patrol vehicle and heads toward Irizarrys car yelling what sounds like, Show us your hands! and then Show me your hands two times, the video shows.

Approximately five seconds elapse between the time that the officer gets out of his patrol car, runs over to the drivers side of Irizarrys vehicle, and fires his gun what appears to be six times with at least one shot striking Irizarrys front windshield. While firing his weapon, the officer is heard shouting what sounds like, Drop the knife!

As the officer runs over toward Irizarry, whos seated in the drivers seat, Irizarry is seen pulling up the drivers side window before the officer shoots inside his vehicle.

The video shows the officer appearing to recoil and run back toward his patrol car as hes shooting at Irizarry.

Both officers then appear to try to get into Irizarrys vehicle but the doors are locked. The officers are then able to open Irizarrys car and pull him out of the vehicle and place him into the patrol car.

No gun seen in body cam, analysis shows

Despite claims by Dials attorney that his client heard someone saying gun, the publicly released police body camera videos of the shooting do not appear to show Irizarry with a gun, according to CNNs review of the two videos released by the Philadelphia District Attorney on Friday.

One of the videos was taken from the unedited body camera footage of Dial, according to the district attorney. The other video is taken from the perspective of the second officer on scene who has not been publicly named or charged.

The word gun is not readily audible in either of the body camera videos provided by the district attorney, according to CNNs review. The only guns visible in the videos are those held by police officers.

Prosecutors said Irizarry was holding a small, open folding knife against his thigh, however, a knife is not clearly visible in the body camera video reviewed by CNN. The windows of Irizarrys car are closed during the encounter. At one point, Irizarry is seen with something in his hand, but its not clear in the video what he is holding.

Both body camera videos show the two officers put Irizarry into the back seat of their patrol car after he is shot. Irizarry is not holding anything in his hands then.

Dial takes Irizarry to the hospital in the patrol car, while the other officer remains with Irizarrys car at the scene.

Moments later, more police arrive and begin to secure the scene.

The officer, who has not been publicly named or charged, tells other police on scene, As I pull up he starts freaking out, we get out, Mark comes on the drivers side and Im over here, I try to get in the door open, but I cant, he pulls out a knife, Im talking like  Mark, Mark, hes got a knife, hes got a knife. And I guess he like  I couldnt really see  cause I looked up at Mark  I saw his body come up like this and then Mark fired.

CNNs Nicki Brown, Artemis Moshtaghian, Jessica Xing, Omar Jimenez and Rob Frehse contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
A human skull was discovered in a box of donations to a Goodwill store in Arizona (Screengrab/ KTVB)

A human skull was found in a donation box at a Goodwill store in Arizona, prompting local authorities to open an investigation into the "unusual" contribution.

The skull with a fake eye and several teeth still attached was discovered by an employee on Tuesday who informed the authorities as they feared it was related to a crime.

Police said officers responded to the reports of skull discovery and took possession of what was believed to be an actual human skull.

The box was dropped off at some point over the weekend, Goodyear Police spokesperson Lisa Berry said. It did not ever make it to the floor. It was in the donation box, again, with other taxidermy items, Ms Berry told ABC15.

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"This is an unusual one," she added.

A Goodwill spokesperson said the employee followed protocol by calling the police immediately after discovering the skill. Goodwill is cooperating with the appropriate authorities, the spokesperson said in a statement.

The box was placed into a stores bin without a return address, according to authorities.

The skeletal remains were sent to the Maricopa County medical examiners office where the officials found the skull to be of "historic origin" dismissing any possibility of foul play.

"It appears to be historic, ancient and does not appear to have any forensic value at all, said Ms Berry. And what that means is that no crime is attached to this skull.

She praised the employees who alerted authorities, saying: "Goodwill did do the right thing. Anything suspicious should always be reported."

Sydney Steele, a Goodwill shopper, KPHO-TV that they were shocked to hear about the news of the skull discovery.

Ive never heard of anything donated like this, especially here, she said. I come to this Goodwill all the time and Ive never heard of anything that crazy being donated.
The Philadelphia police union is standing behind an officer who was been charged with murder.

Officer Mark Dial is accused of unjustly killing Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop in August.

The union said in a statement that Dial, who turned himself in on Friday, has its "full support."

The union that represents Philadelphia police is standing by an officer who was charged with murder on Friday, despite the release of a video that flatly contradicts initial claims that the killing took place only after the deceased charged at law enforcement with a knife.

During an August 14 traffic stop in the Kensington neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial shot and killed the 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry, just seconds after getting out of his police cruiser, according to bodycam footage released Friday by District Attorney Larry Krasner, who announced that Dial will face charges including murder, voluntary manslaughter, and aggravated assault.

"The allegations brought against defendant Mark Dial today are among the most serious in our criminal legal system and are the culmination of weeks of investigative work" by police, Krasner said Friday.

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One of the country's most progressive prosecutors, Krasner said his office stands for "even-handed justice, regardless of pressure to favor members of any group." (He has charged a number of officers with wrongdoing, previously telling Insider that "Legit cops hate dirty cops.")

When the shooting first took place, police claimed that Irizarry  pulled over, police say, after driving the wrong way down a street  was killed after he had ignored "multiple commands" to drop a knife and "lunged" at officers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. But that story was soon walked back after police reviewed a video showing that Irizarry never left his vehicle.

This screen grab taken from the body cam video shows Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial with his weapon drawn at Eddie Irizarry on Aug. 14, 2023 in Philadelphia. Dial, who shot and killed Irizarry, turned himself in Friday, Aug. 8, and was charged with murder in the man's death as prosecutors released graphic bodycam footage of the fatal confrontation. Philadelphia Police Department via AP

Last month, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said that Dial would be fired after refusing to cooperate with her own department's investigation. But the president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, John McNesby, said Friday that his union is standing behind Dial.

"Officer Mark Dial has the full support of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 as our attorneys continue to gather all the facts surrounding this tragic incident," he said in a statement provided to Insider. He asked for the public to "reserve judgment" until all facts are presented at trial. "Like any other individual facing allegations, Officer Dial is presumed innocent and looks forward to helping his attorneys prepare a vigorous defense against these serious criminal charges."

Earlier on Friday, one of Dial's lawyers, Brian McMonagle, told reporters that his client acted in self-defense when fired less than six seconds after exiting his cruiser, falsely believing that Irizarry was holding a gun.

Although it is still rare for a police officer to be charged with murder for their actions on the job, several officers have been prosecuted for on-duty killings in Philadelphia since Krasner was first elected in 2017. One has been convicted.

Three years ago, former Philadelphia Police Officer Erich Ruch Jr. was charged with murder over the killing of an unarmed Black man, Dennis Plowden, who was shot in the head after a high-speed car chase. He was ultimately found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and, despite prosecutors seeking a multi-year sentence, released from prison this summer after serving less than 12 months behind bars.

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A special commission within Polands Senate concluded that the government's use of spyware, like the one made by NSO Group, is illegal.

The commission announced on Thursday the conclusion of its 18-month investigation into allegations that the Polish government used NSOs spyware, known as Pegasus, to spy on an opposition politician and other politicians around the time of the countrys 2019 elections.

Pegasus cannot be used under Polish law, the report read, according to a machine translation. This is because the Polish legal system does not allow the use of programs in which acquired operational data is transferred through transmission channels uncontrolled by the relevant services, as this creates the risk of violating its integrity and does not ensure its confidentiality, as required by law.

In other words, NSOs spyware is not designed in a way that respects Polish law, collects too much information and cannot guarantee that that information is secured properly, according to the report.

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The commission also concluded that the Polish government used Pegasus to retaliate against opposition figures, and that these surveillance operations negatively influenced the 2019 elections in the country. The commission compared these abuses with Russian government hacker activities in the 2016 elections in the United States.

Deputy Speaker of the Senate Micha Kaminski is quoted in a press release as saying that Pegasus was used to spy on politicians in the opposition, including Polish senator Krzysztof Brejza, and to influence the political process.

It turns out that huge amounts of money, Kaminski said, according to a machine translation, are not spent in order to catch Russian agents, but in order to be interested in the life and views of Polish opposition politicians and influence the political process in Poland. This monstrous weapon was not used to protect citizens, but as our committee proved, it was used to persecute people who did not like the authorities.

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the internet watchdog Citizen Lab who has been investigating NSO and its customers abuses for years, said the fact that a European countrys government body reached these conclusions is significant because it shows there are serious problems with the use of government spyware in democratic countries too, and not just repressive regimes.

A lot of people when they think about Pegasus they think about dictators using spyware. And of course, it's true. But what this report basically says is, look, when Pegasus is sold to democracies, it can cause great harm to core democratic processes like elections, Scott-Railton told TechCrunch.

Since 2016, Citizen Lab and Amnesty International have published multiple reports highlighting the abuse of NSOs hacking tools in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, among many others. In the last few years, however, researchers have also found cases of abuse in European Union countries such as Poland, Hungary and Spain.

From NSOs perspective, according to Scott-Railton, Europe has always been a good market because the company could point to it and say their tools are not abused there, given those countries' reputations. But, as evidenced by the Polish investigation, that hasnt always been the case. Scott-Railton said the report puts pressure on other countries in Europe and elsewhere in the West that cant justify the use of tools like NSOs anymore.

It raises all these questions about countries like Germany, that are apparently continued users, and think that their use is not going to be harmful elsewhere, Scott-Railton said. No, their use is harmful because it legitimizes NSO and keeps them buoyed with revenue. You can't do business with NSO and not contribute to the harm that it causes.

A spokesperson for NSO did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Lukasz Olejnik, a Polish independent researcher and consultant, told TechCrunch that regulations on the use of surveillance technologies in Poland are rather generic, if non-existent, according to some. Olejnik also highlighted that the report considers all kinds of spyware like Pegasus to be illegal in Poland.

The report adopts an interesting line of argumentation, claiming that it would be illegal to use any system that would operate in ways so the collected data (or the target details) left Polish jurisdiction (i.e. border), as well as any systems whose design or source code cannot be inspected and accredited, Olejnik said.

That means, according to Olejnik, this conclusion could extend to Polands use of spyware made by other companies such as Hacking Team, a now-defunct spyware maker that sold its wares to the country from 2012 to 2015.

Dzia Prasowy, a spokesperson for the Polish Senate, confirmed in a statement that "all spyware like Pegasus is illegal in Poland unless it has been accredited" by the country's Internal Security Agency (ABW) or the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW).

Do you have more information about NSO Group or another surveillance tech provider? Or information about similar hacks? Wed love to hear from you. You can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Wickr, Telegram and Wire @lorenzofb, or email lorenzo@techcrunch.com. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop.

Updated on September 11 with comment from Poland's Senate.
Heat rises from freshly paved asphalt as a worker carries an umbrella to ward off the sun in July, in Woodland Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

As California endures the increasing likelihood of record heat waves driven by climate change, voters are questioning government's response to sweltering conditions and say they would welcome stronger policies to help minimize heat's impact.

More than three-fourths of California voters  77%  said they have recently experienced periods of extreme heat in their area, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Voters living in the Inland Empire, the Central Valley and Los Angeles County reported the greatest impact on themselves and members of their immediate families.

By a large margin  67% to 22%  voters supported the idea of the state establishing cooling standards for residential properties, similar to the heating standards currently in place. The standards would require air conditioners or other measures to keep indoor temperatures from rising to unsafe levels, a step that could be expensive for building owners, but potentially save many lives, according to health officials.

As the mercury rises, Californians offered mixed assessments of how their communities have responded with cooling centers and other opportunities for relief. Twenty-six percent of voters in affected areas rated their community as doing an excellent or good job; 23% fair and 23% poor or very poor.

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The findings underscore a growing disquiet about the state's climate future at a time when most experts say hotter, drier conditions are likely in the years and decades ahead. In July, global average temperatures increased 2.02 degrees above average, marking the planet's hottest-ever month in at least 174 years of record keeping, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

That month, a stifling heat dome settled over the Southwest and pushed temperatures in Phoenix to 110 degrees or hotter for a record 31 days straight. Death Valley soared to 128 degrees, while several areas in the Central Valley broke daily temperature records, including 113 degrees in Redding, 110 degrees in Bakersfield, and 109 degrees in Fresno, Madera, Hanford and Merced.

Read more: July was the planet's hottest month on record  so far

The fact that 77% of voters said they've recently experienced extreme heat was an important finding, said Mark DiCamillo, director of the IGS poll.

"I knew it would be a chunk of people, probably a majority, but 77% seems pretty high," he said, noting the greatest impact has been on inland parts of the state.

Inland areas, as well as poor neighborhoods and communities of color, often bear the brunt of extreme heat events.

The idea of cooling standards for buildings, which the poll asked about, is under consideration in Los Angeles, where officials are studying the feasibility of a cooling mandate for rental units citywide.

A bill in the state Legislature, Assembly Bill 2597, similarly sought to require residential units to maintain adequate cooling but stalled in the Senate. A budget trailer bill adopted last year, Assembly Bill 209, kept the idea alive, however, and charged the Department of Housing and Community Development with studying the concept and submitting recommendations to the Legislature.

Mandatory cooling standards could pose challenges: More air conditioning would increase energy consumption, and the logistics of retrofitting old buildings could be complex, said Louis Blumberg, a climate policy advisor with the nonprofit group Climate Resolve. But it is also undoubtedly "the right thing to do."

"There is a policy rationale for that and a moral one as well," Blumberg said. "We require our dwellings to be safe. We do it for heat  you have to be able to keep the house from getting too cold. And in an era of warming temperatures, why would that not apply to keeping the house from getting too hot?"

A majority of voters, 70%, also supported a proposal in Congress to broaden federal disaster relief laws to include extreme heat as a form of natural disaster along with hurricanes, fires, landslides, drought and floods.

The Extreme Heat Emergency Act, introduced in June by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), would give the Federal Emergency Management Administration, or FEMA, authority to provide support to local governments during extreme heat events.

Blumberg said heat was historically not included in disaster declarations because people tend to think of disasters in terms of property damage.

"Extreme heat does cause some property damage, but the biggest damage it causes is to health and to individuals," he said. "So I think the next big policy shift is to understand that heat is a public-health crisis, and it causes significant negative impacts to people, including death."

DiCamillo said he wasn't surprised to see broad-based support for the policy questions.

"At a time when people are experiencing this extreme heat, you would expect there to be support for some kind of government action to minimize the impact, and we're seeing that," he said.

Previous Berkeley IGS polls  including a May poll about worsening weather swings  delivered more geographically and politically divided results. Support for both heat proposals received majority support among voters across all major regions of the state, DiCamillo noted.

Results were also more consistent across party lines, although Democrats tended to show more unanimous support for the policy proposals than did Republicans.

Read more: The L.A. Times investigation into extreme heat's deadly toll

The poll comes as California continues to receive scrutiny for its response to extreme heat. A 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation found that heat probably caused about 3,900 deaths in the state over the previous decade  six times the official tally.

Another heat wave last year pushed the state's electric grid to the brink, prompting officials to send an emergency text alert to millions of residents asking them to immediately reduce their usage. Load on the grid went down by approximately 2,000 megawatts within half an hour of the alert, narrowly avoiding a blackout.

A full 50% of voters said they lack confidence in California's ability to provide steady, reliable electric power during extended heat waves, the poll found.

"It's consistent with the mixed views on how their communities are doing," DiCamillo said. "Whether the state can actually follow through on delivering reliable power  half of the people say yes, half of the people say no."

Despite high temperatures this summer, the state has so far been able to avoid a repeat of last year's grid strain  something officials credited primarily to increased battery power and increased hydropower from historic winter storms.

But the effects of the 2022 heat wave still linger. Despite criticism, officials were not able to immediately provide data about how many people died during the record-breaking, 10-day heat wave. It was only this summer that state health officials reported an estimated 395 deaths from the event.

Experts say that's still too slow, particularly since other states like Oregon and Washington already have the capability to conduct rapid assessments. But Blumberg said there has been some progress on that front, including $10 million toward an upcoming statewide heat surveillance system in California.

Read more: Editorial: The 2022 heat wave killed 395 Californians. It shouldn't have taken so long to find out

Progress has also been made on a heat wave ranking system, which would categorize heat waves like hurricanes and other disasters to help raise awareness. The item, Assembly Bill 2238, passed last year, and officials are moving forward with the plan, Blumberg said.

Another awareness push, Gov. Gavin Newsom's $20-million "Heat Ready CA" campaign, launched this summer and seeks to inform and warn residents about the dangers of extreme heat.

However, less progress has been made toward another important goal  heat standards for indoor workers. In places such as the Inland Empire, temperatures in warehouses can climb to 90 degrees or higher . Although state agencies are working toward a final regulation, progress has been "frustratingly slow," Blumberg said.

He noted that extreme heat is the deadliest of all natural disasters, killing more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather hazards, according to NOAA.

"We need to look at climate impacts from a people standpoint, and not only a property standpoint," Blumberg said.

The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies' poll surveyed 6,030 registered California voters online in English and Spanish, Aug. 24-29.

Because the survey results are weighted to match census and voter registration benchmarks, estimates of the margin of error may be imprecise; however, the results are estimated to have a margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction for the full sample.

Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
SINGAPORE, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.31 million visitors arrived in Singapore in August, the second-largest figure this year, according to the latest statistic released by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The Chinese mainland maintained the top visitor source to Singapore, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Australia. Nearly 214,500 tourists from the Chinese mainland arrived in the city-state last month.

By the end of August, Singapore had received over 9 million visitors in total this year, according to the STB. 
When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first set out to deepen PortMiami to make room for bigger and more ships in 2013, it estimated all that work would kill about 3.3 acres of corals.

A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the toll was exponentially greater  278 acres of coral reef gone forever.

The report, released last week, confirms suspicions that were raised even before the Corps started chopping away at the rock underbelly of the busiest cruise port in the world. All that activity raised clouds of sand and dirt that smothered corals  and may have led to or exacerbated the outbreak of a terrible disease thats since killed corals all over the Caribbean.

And yet, eight years after the project officially finished, no agency has been held accountable for destroying nearly 300 acres of coral, although Miami-Dade County could be on the hook for it. And more South Florida dredging is on the way.

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PortMiami is gearing up for the next phase of its dredging project, one that could cover even more ground than the 2013 project. And Port Everglades, in Broward County, is well underway on its own dredging project, which it now estimates could also kill a similar number of corals.

A coral buried in sediment near PortMiami, likely as a result of the dredging activity.

At this point, I think its safe to say that more money has been spent planning the next dredging project than fixing the last one, said Rachel Silverstein, head of Miami Waterkeeper and a longtime foe of PortMiami dredging.

She and her organization sued over the project and successfully got 10,000 corals replanted to replace the million or more she estimated were killed by the dredging.

Thats a drop in the bucket in terms of the total scale of the impact that was done, Silverstein said. This gaping wound in the reef has been sitting unanswered for almost a decade. It is beyond time we fix it.

Apocalyptic: Scientists rush to rescue corals withering in Floridas record-hot waters

Who pays for it?

The NOAA reports record of the damage from the dredging project is more than just an accounting of the environmental losses from economic expansion, it could also mean a financial penalty to the taxpayers of Miami-Dade.

The Army Corps of Engineers was in charge of the dredging project, but its local sponsor was Miami-Dade County. So while the Corps was the one who hired the company to dredge  and monitor the corals  Miami-Dade signed a 2012 local sponsor agreement to handle the additional coral monitoring required by law after the project finished.

The document states Miami-Dade is responsible for meeting the mitigation success criteria or any associated additional mitigation that may be necessary.

An aerial image from April 24, 2014 shows a plume of sediment from the Port of Miami while companies dredged the channel.

Silverstein said that, according to the countys permit, anything that remains damaged a year after a project is completed is considered permanent damage, and state and federal rules require someone to fix it, usually by paying for mitigation.

The NOAA report does conclude that compensatory mitigation is essential to jump-start recovery of this invaluable ecosystem.

But NOAA isnt in charge of determining whats permanently damaged, Floridas Department of Environmental Protection is. And DEP has yet to complete its survey of the damage.

DEP did not respond to the Heralds questions of why it hasnt finished the survey work after nearly a decade, whether it would come after Miami-Dade to fix the problem or how much it would consider charging for the damage. But last June, in a meeting with several agencies including the county and Waterkeeper, DEP said its preliminary estimate showed 213 acres of corals smothered by sediment.

The price tag for fixing that much damage could be high.

NOAA report on Port Miami dredging impact on corals by Miami Herald on Scribd

This embedded content is not available in your region.

One estimate, used by the Army Corps for mitigation costs in Port Everglades in 2016, pegged the cost of replacing an acre of reef at about a million dollars, using an arguably less effective method of replacing reefs. With NOAAs estimate, or even the states early findings, that could potentially leave Miami-Dade on the hook for more than $200 million  or more.

Miami-Dade declined to comment on its legal or financial responsibility for the damage, and instead sent a statement from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who said she advocated for increased monitoring during her time as a commissioner, while the project was ongoing.

My priority is and will continue to be safeguarding our environment  which is inextricably linked to our economy and future prosperity  and ensuring sustainable growth for our community, she said. Im deeply concerned about the damage of coral colonies and committed to learning everything we can about what took place and where we go from here.

Levine Cava said her staff is reviewing the report and speaking with DEP about next steps.

The dredger Terrapin Island sits in the center where it will deepen PortMiami in order to accommodate Super Tankers in the future in this Dec 6, 2013, file photo.

But it isnt guaranteed that DEP will come after Miami-Dade for a hefty check. In some cases, like in Fort Lauderdale after its dilapidated and saltwater corroded sewage pipes burst and spewed filth into local waterways, the state turned the mandatory fines for the city into a demand for a list of projects to fix the problem.

Silverstein said shed like to see the same thing in this situation. She sees this amount of funding as a potentially transformative source of money to ramp up coral reef restoration in South Florida.

Rather than a penalty or an enforcement action, we want to see something truly positive out of this and see funding go toward helping the coral restoration community, she said. We need to be able to restore millions, if not tens of millions or hundreds of millions, of coral in a year.

The time has come to scale it to industrial levels.

Future dredging

The NOAA report noted that lessons learned from the 2015 PortMiami dredging project are already being worked into other dredge projects, like PortMiamis and Port Everglades latest expansions.

The development of additional lessons learned and translation to dredging project best practices near coral reefs or other sensitive habitats is warranted, the report said. Future port expansions cannot further contribute to the downward trajectory of the condition of Floridas coral reef and must be in the public interest.

Phase IV of PortMiamis dredging project has only just begun and is in the planning stage. Officials dont yet have an estimate for how many corals could be hurt by the project, which has four times the footprint of the Phase III project.

Port Everglades project is much further along. Earlier this year, the Corps said in a presentation that it expects the Port Everglades dredging project to directly kill about 449,000 corals. That includes about 26 acres of coral habitat directly killed by digging and anywhere from 124 to 177 acres smothered by sediment.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to deepen Port Everglades by about six to 13 feet and widen parts by 300 feet. The expansion, which follows last years dredging of PortMiami, is part of an effort to prepare aging ports along the East Coast to bigger ships sailing through the Panama Canal.

The Corps told restoration companies it would likely need to replant anywhere from 498,000 to 720,000 corals  with 100,000 to 500,000 coming from the coral nurseries dotting South Floridas coast.

That might be a tall order for Floridas nascent coral nursery market, especially after a summer of apocalyptic bleaching and death.

The biggest producer in South Florida, Coral Restoration Foundation, said it makes 45,000-50,000 reef-ready corals every year, each about the size of a hand. University of Miamis Rescue A Reef program said it can produce about 5,000 corals a year, but that can be scaled up with additional funding.

No one in the field right now can handle coral restoration of that size, Silverstein said. And if we dont have the ability to phase up coral restoration to meet the mitigation needs for these projects, there will be a dredging moratorium.
SAN DIEGO  The San Diego County Registrar of Voters has sent informational postcard out to registered voters in San Diegos Fourth Supervisorial District, Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District.

The postcards will list the voting options for the Nov. 7 special elections. Only voters who live in each respective district can vote.

For San Diego Countys District 4 residents, the postcards they receive will be for the runoff election to fill the seat vacated by former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. The remainder of the term runs until Jan. 2027.

San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe and Reopen San Diego founder Amy Reichert were the top vote-getters in Augusts primary election.

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Voters who live in the jurisdictions of the Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District will vote on a ballot measure to decide if the water districts will separate from the San Diego Water Authority.

Voters in each district will receive their ballot in the mail on the week of Oct. 8, with early voting beginning on Oct. 9 at the Registrar of Voters Office in Kearny Mesa.

The Registrar recommends that voters take advantage of mail-in voting to avoid having to drive or wait in line. Drop boxes will be available around the county from Oct. 10 through Nov. 7, the final day of voting.

Voters can track their mail-in ballots sent through the U.S. Postal Service by signing up for the Wheres My Ballot? program.

Voting centers for the special elections will open on Saturday, Oct. 28 and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 6. On Nov. 7, the voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  Migrants who identify as members of the LBGTQ+ community arent fleeing their countries only due to persecution over their sexual orientation, but other over-riding factors as well.

Macarena Williamson, a Brazilian social science professor and researcher now in Mexico, says her research shows most LBGTQ+ migrants have faced discrimination due to their sexual leanings but the overriding reason for leaving their hometowns is the lack of job opportunities, poverty and violence.

For LBGTQ+ migrants there are many reasons why they are fleeing their countries of origin, their gender identity is just one of them, said Williamson. Some of the motives include the violation of their human rights, their precarious living conditions and brushes with violence.

Because of Mexicos place on the map, many LBGTQ+ members are coming through this country and must be supported and helped, Williamson said.

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Biden asylum travel ban placing LGBTQ migrants in harms way, advocates say

Mexico needs to strengthen its resources and create a network to meet the needs of the LBGTQ+ community and work with international organizations as a way to provide better services, she said. It needs to create safer and dignified pathways for them as they head to the United States.

On the other hand, Williamson said its becoming more difficult for LBGTQ+ migrants to seek help from government agencies in countries they are passing through.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

Along their journey, they see different types of violence from different actors, I mean to say military police officers, she said.

Williamson released her findings during the first day of a cultural conference at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte, a university in Tijuana and think tank for immigration.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in the state of Georgia Thursday and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Idalia.

The presidents action makes federal funding available to residents of Cook, Glynn, and Lowndes counties, who were impacted by the hurricane.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal in Cook, Glynn, and Lowndes counties.

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Federal funding for hazard mitigation measures is available statewide.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DiasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App.

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Prince Harry dramatically upped the ante in his war with the royal family Friday as he upstaged his estranged brother Prince William by making a shock visit to the late Queen Elizabeths grave on the one-year anniversary of her death.

He was snapped by a member of the public emerging from St. Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle, where the queen is buried, just minutes before William and Kate were due to attend a service in her memory.

The extraordinary decision by Harry to show up unannounced seemed designed to undermine his brothers carefully scheduled appearance in Wales, some 230 miles away, which began shortly after social media was flooded with pictures of Harry leaving the chapel.

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The chapel is open to the public and it is thought Harry simply walked in.

It was the latest sign of the parlous low to which relations between Harry and the royals have sunk.

@BBCNews Harry leaving Windsor Castle this morning pic.twitter.com/kIckQLBLnA   Amy GB TT Giles (@amygiles0188) September 8, 2023

A spokesperson for the king, who has been keen not to escalate the conflict with Harry, declined to comment, but palace sources sought to transmit a sense of insouciance, saying that members of the royal family had found ways to pay tribute at the chapel privately and individually and implying the king had no issue with this.

Privately, of course, palace planners are likely to be rolling their eyes at what seems like a calculated attempt by Harry to upset the careful choreography of the days events. These saw the king issue a statement and audio message praising his mother on the stroke of midnight and then attend a church service Friday morning at Balmoral in Scotland, where he and Camilla greeted members of the local community.

William, however, is unlikely to be so relaxed or to miss the significance of his brothers actions. Relations between the two brothers were strained by Harrys departure from the family but descended to rock bottom after Harry published his memoir, Spare, in which he accused William of physically attacking him and belittling him, and also revealed private and intimate details about his wife, Kate.

Harry now lives in California with his wife, Meghan, but is in the U.K. for a series of charity events.

Thursday evening saw him at the WellChild Awards in London where he said, As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away. As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and thats precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we are together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

Immediately after his visit to his late grandmothers resting place, the Daily Mail reported that Harry traveled to Heathrow airport and took a flight to Dusseldorf, where the Invictus Games open on Saturday.

The Mail reported that upon landing, he headed to the five-star Hyatt hotel, where he checked into the presidential suite.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Two criminal cases were resolved with plea deals recently at the Marion County Judicial Center. Here's what we know about the outcomes:

Ocala Hilton arson

Charges: Arson/occupied structure and criminal mischief greater than $1,000.

Defendant's age: 17. The Star-Banner is not publishing the teen's name due to her age.

Resolution: Last month, the teen was adjudicated guilty and placed on probation, prosecutors said. She was not charged as an adult. Before she can be released from probation, the Department of Juvenile Justice must review her progress and report back to the court.

A few days after the girl's arrest, her lawyer asked the court to allow her client to return home to Illinois with her parents, but that request was denied. The judge ordered the teen to stay in secure detention in Marion County.

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Special conditions: Prosecutors said the teen must finish an in-treatment program, counseling and community service. The teen is fulfilling her requirements in Marion County, officials said. Upon completion of her time here, she will be eligible to return to her home state to finish her program, authorities said. She also must pay restitution of $25,000.

About the case: Ocala police officers took the minor in custody on July 25 when she admitted to lighting a pillow on fire on the Ocala Hilton's first floor. The flames spread to a couch, forcing 320 people to evacuate. The blaze was contained downstairs.

Police said the juvenile told a 911 dispatcher she set the fire because she and her mother were arguing and her mother would not answer her texts or phone calls.

State v. Jeremy Robert Merritt

Charges: Travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child and transmission of harmful material to minor. Two other offenses, use computer to seduce/solicit/lure child and unlawful use of two-way communications device to facilitate felony, were not pursued by prosecutors.

Judge: Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon.

Plea: No contest.

Sentence: 44.1 months in prison, with 175 days of credit for time already served at the county jail. The 43-year-old man had other charges  two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count each of possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl  that were included in his plea agreement.

Special conditions: Merritt must register as a sexual offender.

About the case: Several months ago, law enforcement officials arrested 20 men, ages 22 to 79, and accused them of trying to meet juveniles online and arrange sexual encounters. Merritt was among those taken into custody in Operation "MAP Mirage," with MAP standing for Minor Attracted Persons.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala courts: Teen sentenced to probation for Ocala Hilton fire
After the Branch County Commission committed last week to fund six new deputies in the countys 2024 budget, Prosecutor Zack Stempien wanted commissioners to commit between $100,000 and $150,000 more for his overwhelmed office.

Stempien said of the sheriffs request, He needed more staff to do his job. I agree with that. I need more staff to do my job. Thats what Im asking for.

Chairman Tim Stoll told Stempien he understood the need, but there was a difference. We did have a committee that came back with funding recommendations. We dont currently have that recommendation for a funding mechanism for this.

Having more deputies and protecting the public doesnt go anywhere if I dont have staff to prosecute, Stempien said.

Branch County

The prosecutor again presented the statistics. In 2022, the three attorneys prosecuted 111 cases per person, the second-highest caseload in the state. Van Buren prosecuted 115 per attorney and St. Joseph 90. The statewide average per attorney is 46.

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Statistically speaking, we handle the most felonies or second most felonies per attorney in the entire state of Michigan, Stempien said. I think thats important because as we put more road deputies on, its only going to grow.

Stempien said the public needs to understand the other duties required case review and issuance of warrants, appeal litigation, death review at the prison, elder abuse, neglect and abuse with other juvenile cases, drivers license appeals, personal protection orders, and motions to set aside convictions. With the states Clean Slate law, those increased from one or two a year to four a month.

The prosecutor can move those duties to other attorneys, but the county would pay or lose revenue. I dont think that people of Branch County elected me to send my work to somebody else, he said.

The prosecutor must advise police agencies and consult with them and prosecutors are supposed to attend interviews at the new Child Advocacy Center. Stempiens office has not in months because of a lack of time for the three attorneys.

Not required by law, since early this year, prosecutors have attended probation violation hearings.

From just one violator sent to prison in three years, Weve sent over a dozen people to prison on probation violations. I think overall, its had a net effect on this community to clean things up," Stampien said.

Tim Stoll

Stoll told Stempien, with no way to fund his request, I can appreciate the challenge. But I think we would handle through the budget process.

The commission voted 4-1 to not approve the funding, with Commissioner Jon Houtz the only yes vote.

County Administrator Bud Norman told commissioners that there was a $2 million shift for the current fiscal year with the loss of jail operation millage in 2021 of $900,000 and the end of the two-tier pay scale costing just over $500,000.

Norman balanced the 2023 budget by taking $1.1 million from the countys fund balance reserves.

The county will face the same issue in 2024.

---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Prosecutor seeks more funding as county approves more deputies
Protesters on Thursday interrupted Peter Navarro , a former Trump economic adviser, as he sought to address the press outside a Washington, D.C., courthouse, where he had just been convicted of contempt of Congress for his failure to cooperate with the House Jan. 6 select committee.

Here we are, with one of the most important constitutional separation-of-powers issues, and people will not let me speak, Navarro said at a podium against a backdrop of loud protesters gathered outside the building.

This is my First Amendment right. This is free speech, one protester said.

As Navarro tried to speak over the crowd, a tense scene erupted behind him, where a woman carrying a sign accused a man with a flagpole of assaulting her, and a law enforcement officer, who appeared to be a marshal, intervened in the confrontation.

Protesters interrupt ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro after guilty verdict pic.twitter.com/lyLojgwP4W  The Hill (@thehill) September 7, 2023

The marshal just saw you; youre in trouble, the protester said to the man carrying a flagpole, as the court marshal approached and signaled to him to back away. Youre in trouble. You just assaulted me.

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The protester then pivoted to face Navarros audience, which had become mostly silent since Navarro was forced to pause his remarks as the situation unfolded. The protester was still holding her sign, which read, Bro, shouldve plead the 5th, followed by, Peter 4 Prison!

That man just assaulted me. He stuck a flagpole in between my legs, the protester said to the crowd.

For about 30 seconds, Navarro stood at the podium without saying anything, as protesters shouted about democracy and made other unintelligible comments. The scene involving the man with the flagpole continued to unfold, out of earshot.

This is a sad day for America. Not because they were guilty verdicts, because I cant come out and have an honest decent conversation with the people of America, Navarro eventually said to the crowd, resuming his remarks.

The people of America, I want you to understand that this is the problem we have right here, this kind of divide in our country between the woke, Marxist left and everybody else here, and this is nuts, Navarro continued, before resuming his commentary on the case.

Earlier Thursday afternoon, a jury arrived at a guilty verdict for Navarro after deliberating for nearly five hours. He faced two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena. One count related to his failure to produce documents and another related to his failure to show up for a deposition.

After the verdict was read, Navarros attorney, Stan Woodward, called for a mistrial. He claimed jurors were exposed to protesters holding signs related to the case while they took their break outside. Prosecutors denied seeing protesters at the exit that Woodward claimed the jurors used. The court would not rule on the matter until the defense provided a video of the situation.

Ella Lee contributed reporting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Patrick Brown, the co-director of climate and energy at the Breakthrough Institute in California, has blown the whistle on an open secret about climate science: its biased in favour of alarmism. He published a paper in Nature magazine on the effect of climate change on wildfires. In it he told the truth: there was an effect. But not the whole truth: other factors play a big role in fires too. On Maui, the failure of the electric utility to manage vegetation along power lines was a probable cause of the devastating recent fires, but climate change proved a convenient excuse.

Editors at journals such as Nature seem to prefer publishing simplistic, negative news and speculation about climate change. It is standard practice to calculate impacts for scary hypothetical future warming scenarios that strain credibility, wrote Brown. So, after learning this lesson the hard way when his nuanced papers were rejected, he adapted his latest to suit their apparent prejudices  and it was published. Natures editor, Magdalena Skipper, responded by trying to shoot the messenger, criticising Browns deception as poor research practices.

We have known for years that distinguished scientists who think that global warming is a problem but not a crisis get ostracised, cancelled or rejected by peer reviewers. Meanwhile, even the most trivial study that comes to an alarmist conclusion  such as a notorious one that found fish behaviour to be affected by carbon dioxide  gets rushed into print and celebrated in the media. Junior scientists notice and tailor their texts accordingly.

One of the biggest measurable impacts of increased carbon dioxide is global greening  the recent increase in green vegetation on the planet, equivalent to twice the area of the United States and counting. But as I discovered when I broke a story on this in 2015, pointing this out brings a hail of professorial hate down on your head. I was even singled out for abuse in a Boston University press release for daring to suggest that more green vegetation might not be bad news.

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Brown says that there is a taboo against studying or even mentioning successes since they are thought to undermine the motivation for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The problem is all solutions are taboo. If I waved a magic wand and gave the world unlimited clean and cheap energy tomorrow, I expect many climate scientists would be horrified: they would be out of a job.

Those who argue that climate change is real and a problem, but that other environmental issues are more urgent  overfishing of the oceans, invasive alien species, reliance of poor Africans on bushmeat and charcoal, to name three  are treated as heretics to be persecuted.

Its not just climate change. The main science journals have been quick to accept the Chinese regimes insistence that a lab leak could not have caused the pandemic, refusing to publish several papers that argued otherwise and to investigate the issue, while rushing into print half-baked studies that seemed to implicate the seafood market in Wuhan. One such study purported to have found possible evidence that raccoon dogs were infected and was hyped. The total debunking of that study last month by Professor Jesse Bloom was ignored.

Taxpayer, you are not hearing the whole truth from the academics you fund.

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.
China establishes global mangrove center in Shenzhen

Xinhua) 10:00, September 08, 2023

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's proposal of establishing an international mangrove center has been approved by the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention, the country's forestry ministry said Thursday.

The international mangrove center will be set up in southern China's Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).

China pledged to intensify international cooperation on wetland protection and establish the international mangrove center last year when attending the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

For the next step, the center will put in place an international cooperation mechanism to intensify global efforts in mangrove conservation, restoration, and utilization, the NFGA said.

China has stepped up mangrove conservation in recent years. It has included provisions related to mangroves in the law on wetland protection and implemented a 5-year action plan to conserve and restore mangroves.

Data showed that the area of mangroves in China increased by more than 7,200 hectares compared with the beginning of this century.

The Ramsar Convention, named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed in 1971, is an intergovernmental agreement dedicated to the conservation and rational use of wetland ecosystems.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
BEIRUT, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- As armed clashes broke again at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, a UN official on Friday urged rival groups to stop the fighting and withdraw from schools they occupied in the area.

"The continuing clashes in the Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian Refugee Camp, along with the ongoing takeover of eight UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) schools, are preventing the access of nearly 6,000 children who are about to begin their school year," said the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza.

"Education institutions must be safe and neutral spaces, critical for children's learning, well-being, and growth," he said in a statement.

Riza also called for facilitating the work of humanitarian organizations to provide much-needed protection and assistance to families in need in the camp.

The armed clashes broke out in the camp Thursday evening after Islamic militants carried out a surprise attack on the Fatah Movement centers. According to Elnashra news website, over 20 injuries resulted from the armed clashes.

Clashes between rival groups often occur in the Ain Al-Helweh camp, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp.

Between July 29 and Aug. 3, clashes between the two groups in the camp killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others. 
A pursuit suspect died Thursday afternoon after they drove off a cliff while evading law enforcement in Azusa.

The crash happened in the Angeles Forest in the hills above Azusa near Morris Reservoir.

The incident began when Azusa police were called for a welfare check at an undisclosed location. At some point, that welfare check evolved into a short pursuit.

Police said the driver of the involved vehicle went off a cliff in an area near Highway 39 and Glendora Mountain Road.

The suspect of a pursuit died after driving off a cliff in Azusa on Sept. 7, 2023. (KTLA)

First responders from the Los Angeles County Fire Department Search and Rescue team and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Mountain Rescue Team were called to assist with the rescue.

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Emergency crews were checking to see whether or not the driver was alive, but the persons condition was not immediately released.

KTLAs Gil Leyvas, who was overhead in Sky5, reported that the driver was dead and a gruesome scene was visible from the air. The rescue operation has since shifted to a body recovery.

Highway 39 was closed at the information booth located in the area of the crash, but Glendora Mountain Road remained open, Azusa police said.



For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
The News

Kim Jong Un may be about to become one of Russias favorite weapons suppliers.

The Kremlin and North Korea are drawing close to a deal that would send munitions and artillery to Moscow, in return for Russian food aid and support for Pyongyangs missile and submarine programs, White House national Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters this week. Those discussions are actively advancing, he said.

Jays view

The deal, if it comes through, would add North Korea firmly to the growing column of Russian partners that have complicated Ukraines defense, while also creating the foundations of a new anti-Western military axis.

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Major wars historically have ushered in new geopolitical alliances and eras. World War II birthed NATO to contain the Soviet Union. The attacks on September 11, 2001, created the U.S.s Global War on Terrorism partnership system, largely aimed at combating Islamist extremism. The war in Ukraine is no different.

The Biden administration seized on Putin s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine to successfully rally NATO and Eastern Europe behind Kyiv, transferring billions of dollars of high-tech weaponry to Ukraines military. But Putin has proven adept as well at forging and strengthening his own partnerships over the past 18 months.

Along with China, Russia has leaned heavily on Belarus and Iran. Tehran has been supplying more advanced kamikaze drones to Russia, while Belarus has been hosting Russian arms depots and soldiers on its border with Ukraine. Russias partners have helped it diversify and extend its supply chains in recent months, according to U.S. officials, making them harder  and potentially impossible  to interrupt.

A recent defense agreement forged between Minsk and Tehran, according to Western intelligence officials, includes plans for Iran to build a new drone production facility on Belarusian territory. This could provide Moscow with another front from which to launch drone strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and military positions.

Moscows informal alliances have proven critical, as well. Support for Moscow also extends to former Soviet states and Persian Gulf countries who have proven willing to turn a blind eye to the shipments of semiconductors and other electronics to Russia.

Putin has also rallied many non-European democratic nations  such as Brazil, South Africa, and India  to remain at least neutral on the Ukraine war. And U.S. officials say a number of strong American defense partners, including the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, have served as founts for transhipments of Western technology to the Russian military. American, British, and European officials visited the UAE this week to try and press Abu Dhabi to cut off this flow.

Russia has already proven the effectiveness of its alliance system in the Middle East, where its partnered with Iran and the Tehran-backed militia, Hezbollah, to successfully protect Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, Moscow and Beijing have been growing their support for American adversaries in the Western Hemisphere  particularly Cuba and Venezuela.

But Pentagon strategists are now gauging whether Russia and China will seek to utilize their military axis in other global theaters, particularly Asia. U.S. defense officials have been alarmed in recent months by the growing number of joint-military exercises Moscow and Beijing have been staging in the Pacific, even close to American territorial waters off Alaska.

China could potentially enlist Russias support, and North Koreas too, in any conflict over Taiwan or disputed waters in the East and South China Seas  bolstered by both countries nuclear arsenals and ballistic missile systems. South Korean intelligence believes Russia has proposed to Kim Jong Un that Moscow, Pyongyang and Beijing begin staging three-way naval exercises later this year.

Room for Disagreement

The Biden White House argues that Putins emerging axis is a sign of the Kremlins military weakness, rather than its strength. Jake Sullivan said on Monday that all of Moscows allies, absent China, are pariah states that lack the technology and resources to compete with the weapons systems the West is supplying Ukraine.

The reason why that there was such an intense effort on the part of Moscow to generate this kind of support from North Korea is that we have continued to squeeze Russias defense industrial base, he said. They are now going about looking to whatever source they can find for things like artillery ammunition.

Notable

Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte write in Foreign Affairs this month about how Vladimir Putin successfully sold his Ukraine war to the non-Western world as being about a corrupted global order, not Moscows territorial gains.

Russias support for North Korea could extend to advanced technology for satellites, nuclear-powered submarines, and ballistic missiles, CSIS writes this week.
The US announced it would transfer $5.4 million in seized Russian oligarch assets to Ukraine. Photo by George Frey/Getty Images and Photo by Contributor/Getty Images

The US announced plans to send $5.4 million in seized Russian oligarch assets to Ukraine.

The Kremlin responded with shock and legal threats.

The Justice Department has unleashed a barrage of sanctions on Russian oligarchs.

The Kremlin cried foul this week after the US announced plans to give millions of dollars in seized Russian oligarch assets to Ukrainian military veterans.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the venture during his visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, saying the US would transfer to Ukraine $5.4 million in assets that once belonged to Russia's powerful oligarchs.

"Those who have enabled Putin 's war of aggression should pay for it," Blinken said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

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Russia responded to the assertion with outrage and threats. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said such a transfer would be unlawful, Russian state media outlet TASS reported.

"We consider all cases tied to the blocking, seizure, or other retention of any funds related to state, private, or mixed property of the Russian Federation abroad to be illegal acts," Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

The longtime mouthpiece of Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed future litigation on the matter, saying "not a single case of such illegal retention will be left unattended."

The US State Department did not offer specific details about whose assets would be transferred to Ukraine, but the $5.4 million figure is the exact amount that a US judge ordered seized from Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev earlier this year, The Daily Beast reported.

Malofeyev, who founded the pro-Putin television channel Tsargrad TV, was first sanctioned by the US in 2014 on accusations he was "threatening Ukraine" and financially supporting a Moscow-backed separatist group in Crimea, a claim which he denied.

US Authorities also alleged Malofeyev illegally conspired with former Fox News director Jack Hanick to transfer a $10 million Texas-based bank investment to his associate in Greece. Hanick was arrested in London in February 2022 and later charged with violating US sanctions.

The Justice Department charged Malofeyev with sanctions evasion in April 2022  the first of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine  and a US judge ruled in February 2023 that US prosecutors could confiscate $5.4 million belonging to Malofeyev as a first step to transferring those funds to Ukraine.

The Justice Department unleashed a barrage of sanctions on Russian oligarchs in the aftermath of the invasion, with some financial experts initially suggesting Washington's efforts were a symbolic exercise in public relations.

The US and other Western allies have frozen at least $58 billion worth of Russian oligarch-owned assets since the war began.

The news that millions of dollars would be headed to Ukraine's military veterans came alongside Blinken's pledge of $665.5 million in new military and civilian aid to Ukraine this week.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 on September 8, 2022.

Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in world history.

Prince Philip, who she met in 1934, was by her side until his death in 2021.

1934: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip met when they were children, at a wedding.

Elizabeth and Philip's official engagement photo. She was 21, he was 26. AP

The pair met for the first time when Princess Elizabeth was 8 years old and Philip was 13.

Philip was born into the Greek and Danish royal families and is a distant cousin of Elizabeth's. They both descend from the Victoria royal line.

1939: It's been said that Princess Elizabeth truly fell in love with Prince Philip when they met again a few years later.

The couple on their wedding day, November 20, 1947. AP

When Elizabeth was 13, the royal family made a visit to the Royal Naval College, where Philip was a cadet in training, the BBC reported. They met again and shortly began exchanging letters back and forth.

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In the press, Philip was described favorably, as "a blond Greek Apollo," "a Viking," and "handsome as any film star," Town & Country reported.

It was announced that the two were engaged in 1947, shortly following Elizabeth's 21st birthday.

1947: The wedding ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey.

Queen Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947. AP

The wedding took place after World War II, which was reflected in the grandeur of the ceremony and celebrations.

The British government awarded Princess Elizabeth an extra 200 clothing coupons for her to purchase her wedding gown, and 2,500 guests attended the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Town & Country reported.

For the next few years, the couple lived in Malta, where Prince Philip was stationed with the Royal Navy.

Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and a young Prince Charles. AP Photo

There, in 1949, they had their first son, Prince Charles, according to The Royal Family's website.

1950: The pair welcomed their first and only daughter, Princess Anne.

Prince Charles and Princess Anne with their parents in 1951. AP

At the time of Princess Anne's birth, Princess Elizabeth was 24 years old and Prince Philip was 29.

1953: Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth, directly following her father's death.

Newly coronated Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. AP/Leslie Priest

She was 25 years old at the time. At her coronation, Prince Philip offered her his undying loyalty, kneeling before her and pledging to be her "liegeman," or faithful servant, the Washington Post reported.

1960: Their third child, Prince Andrew , was born.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip with their children. AP

You can see him in the photo above nestled in Prince Philip's lap.

1961: The queen and her husband visited and hosted countless world leaders, including President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

The Kennedys, the Queen, and Prince Philip in 1961. AP

During most royal engagements and tours, Prince Philip acted as the young Queen's constant companion and support system.

1964: The couple welcomed their final child, Prince Edward, and broke with royal tradition.

The royal family in 1965. AP

It was the first birth that Prince Phillip had attended by his wife's side, and the first royal birth in modern history attended by the father of the child.

"The Duke of Edinburgh was actually holding his wife's hand as their youngest was born," royal biographer Ingrid Seward wrote in "My Husband and I: The Inside Story Of 70 Years Of Royal Marriage."

"The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there; she'd been keenly reading women's magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become fascinated by the idea," she wrote. "Thus Philip became the first royal father in modern history to witness the arrival of one of his children."

1972: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrate their 25th silver wedding anniversary in 1972. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

"If I am asked what I think about family life after 25 years of marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction, I am for it," Queen Elizabeth said at their anniversary celebration, Town & Country reported.

1977: The Queen's reign reached its 25th milestone.

The royal couple attends a service during celebrations for the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977. AP/Pool

Above, the royal couple attended a service during celebrations for the Queen's silver jubilee.

1980s: And as the years went by, they continued to execute royal duties side by side.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip address Parliament. AP

Here, the Queen was addressing the British Parliament in 1986, with Philip seated beside her.

1997: The pair has faced plenty of dark days, too, like the untimely death of their former daughter-in-law, Princess Diana.

The couple looks over a flower memorial for Princess Diana. AP/John Stillwell

The pair were photographed visiting a makeshift memorial for the beloved "people's princess" in 1997, shortly after her death.

Prince Philip also walked alongside his grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as Charles Spencer (Diana's brother) and his son Prince Charles, as they followed the procession of Princess Diana's coffin.

Months later, as the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, Queen Elizabeth described the Duke of Edinburgh as her "strength and stay all these years," Time reported.

"I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know," she continued.

2002: Just a few years later, Queen Elizabeth lost her mother and only sister within the span of just two months.

Queen Elizabeth wipes her eyes after her sister Princess Margaret's funeral in 2002. AP/Fiona Hanson

Through yet another heartbreak, Prince Philip was by her side.

2002: But later that year, the whole kingdom celebrated the Queen's Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrate the Queen's Jubilee in 2002. AP/MJ Kim

Prince Philip appeared next to Queen Elizabeth to wave to well-wishers.

And even after all this time and travel together, the Queen and her husband still share sweet moments in public.

Prince Philip holds up an umbrella for his wife during her state visit to Malta. AP/Matt Dunham

During an official state visit to Malta, where the pair lived during the early years of their marriage, Prince Philip held up an umbrella for his wife.

2007: They attended a service to commemorate their 60th wedding anniversary to much fanfare.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2007. AP/Shaun Curry

By then, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had reached another important milestone  they were the longest-married couple in the history of the royal family.

2011: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the wedding of their grandson, Prince William.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attend the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. AP/Pool

They smiled at each other during the marriage of their grandson, Prince William, to his wife Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, on April 29 that year.

2015: Even in their old age, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were publicly seen being sweet to each other.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attend the Highland Games in Scotland in 2015. AP/KGC-42/STAR MAX/IPx

They cozied up under the same blanket while watching the Highland Games in Scotland.

2016: They made memories with their ever-expanding family, including adorable great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The royal family in 2016. AP/Tim Ireland

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, two of which were named after Prince Philip.

2017: The couple celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary.

Two lovebirds after 70 years of marriage. The Royal Family/Facebook

"I don't know that anyone had invented the term 'platinum' for a 70th wedding anniversary when I was born. You weren't expected to be around that long," Queen Elizabeth said in her annual Christmas address.

2017: Prince Philip stepped down from his royal duties, at the age of 96.

Prince Philip in 2017. Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The New York Times reported in 2017 that since Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the throne in 1952, Philip had taken part in 22,219 solo engagements, given 5,496 speeches, and written 14 books.

"Even Prince Philip has decided it's time to slow down a little  having, as he economically put it, 'done his bit'," the Queen said in a statement. "But I know his support and unique sense of humor will remain as strong as ever."

2019: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's fourth grandchild, Archie, is born.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photocall on May 8, 2019. Dominic Lipinski/WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Queen and Prince Philip met Archie alongside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on May 8, 2019, two days after he was born.

2020: They marked their 73rd wedding anniversary, which would inevitably be their final celebration.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in January 2020. Steve Parsons/PA Images/Getty Images

"Thank you to everyone for your kind wishes for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh on their 73rd Wedding Anniversary," their official Instagram account wrote.

February 2021: Prince Philip was admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital in London in what the palace described as a "precautionary measure."

Prince Philip is photographed leaving the hospital on March 16. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images

On February 23, a representative for the Duke said in a statement that he was being treated for an infection and was "comfortable and responding to treatment."

Prince Philip was later transferred to St Bartholomew's Hospital, a specialist cardiovascular hospital in London, on March 1.

The palace said Philip underwent a "successful procedure" for a preexisting heart condition on March 3, and he returned to Windsor Castle on March 16.

February 2021: Prince Harry said in an interview with James Corden that he and Meghan had video-chatted with the Queen and his grandfather "a few times."

James Corden and Prince Harry. The Late Late Show/CBS

Following the couple's exit from the royal family and subsequent move to the United States, there's been undeniable tension between the family members.

However, that doesn't seem to have affected Prince Harry or Meghan Markle's relationship with the Queen and Prince Philip.

Prince Harry said in his interview segment with James Corden on "The Late Late Show" on February 25 that he and Meghan had video chatted with the Queen and his grandfather "a few times" and that he'd seen "Archie running around."

He also jokingly noted that Prince Philip had a habit of slamming his laptop shut to end calls, rather than officially hanging up.

March 2021: Things also appeared to be relatively friendly between the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle prior to their Oprah Winfrey interview.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Oprah interview (left) and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. CBS/Steve Parsons/PA Images/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not reveal much in their bombshell Oprah interview in March 2021 about their relationship with Prince Philip, but they did speak about their positive rapport with the Queen.

"I've spoken more to my grandmother in the last year than I have done for many, many years," Harry said, while Markle said the Queen "has always been wonderful to me."

Following the interview, the palace released a statement that the Queen would be addressing issues brought up during the interview, especially allegations of racism against a senior member of the royal family, in private.

April 9, 2021: Prince Philip died at the age of 99.

Prince Philip. Max Mumby/Getty Images

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," the palace said in a statement obtained by Insider at the time. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."

Prince Philip was the longest-serving British consort in history.

September 8, 2022: Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she arrives in Scotland in 2015. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Her eldest son, King Charles III, immediately ascended to the throne following her death.

"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms, and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world," Charles said in a statement at the time. "During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held."

Read the original article on Insider
A former employee of the late Queen Elizabeth II has claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ignored the monarchs invitation to celebrate Princess Lilibets first birthday with her.

Paul Burrell, who once served as footman at Buckingham Palace, claimed the royal couple snubbed the Queen when she wanted to celebrate their daughters first birthday in June 2022, amid her Platinum Jubilee festivities.

Even on Lilibets first birthday the Queen didnt see her, Burrell told The Mirror on 8 September, the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeths passing. She saw her the day before. But on her birthday, the Queen had a birthday cake made with one candle in it. And they never turned up. That candle was never lit.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle travelled to the UK last year with their two children to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee, which marked her 70 years on the throne. It was then that Harry reportedly introduced his daughter to her great-grandmother on the Thursday before her first birthday party, which took place at Frogmore Cottage on Saturday 4 June.

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The Queen was set to attend the Epsom Derby in Surrey that day, as part of the jubilee celebrations, but was forced to cancel due to her ongoing mobility issues. Now, Burrell has claimed that the monarch invited Harry and Markle to celebrate Lilibets birthday instead, but was snubbed by the couple.

The next day she asked if maybe theyd like to come up for tea again and was told theyve gone, Burrell alleged. What do you mean theyve gone? she said. Theyve gone back to America. Oh no, they never said goodbye.

He claimed the Queen was confused by the slight and the familys decision to leave the UK so quickly, adding: How could you offend our Queen?

Well, I dont understand anyone that could do that. Not her family, why would you want to? he continued. She was devoid of jealousy, anger, envy ... She was just a very simple soul. I wish the world could have known her the way I knew her.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on 3 June 2022 (Getty Images)

However, a source recently told Page Six that there is no truth to Burrells claims. They did see the Queen to celebrate Lilis birthday, they said.

Paul Burrell began serving as a footman at Buckingham Palace when he was 18, and became the personal footman to the late Queen Elizabeth II one year later. He soon developed a close relationship with the late Princess Diana, acting as butler to the princess until her death in August 1997. Burrell has previously said that Diana described him as her rock and the only man she ever trusted in subsequent memoirs written by Burrell.

However, the ex-butler came under fire in 2008 during an inquest into Dianas death, when it was revealed that he secretly copied letters between her and other members of the royal family. Burrell has also been criticised for disclosing private aspects of Dianas personal life, which he was told in confidence, in his books.

British royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour in June 2022 (Getty Images)

Harry, 38, and Meghan, 42, reportedly celebrated Lilibets first birthday surrounded by close friends at their former home - Frogmore Cottage - in Windsor. Her parents later said that they were incredibly touched by the many birthday wishes they received for their youngest child.

The couple also released a portrait of Lilibet, taken on her birthday by family friend Misan Harriman. The photo showed Lilibet in a pale blue dress, as she sat on the grass and smiled for the camera.

Lilibet Diana was born on 4 June 2021 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, and was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and her late grandmother, Princess Diana.

Portrait of Lilibet Diana on her first birthday (PA)

While the royal family sent their well wishes for Lilibet on her first birthday, it appeared that she was snubbed by members of the royal family on her second birthday. The official Twitter accounts for the royal family - including King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales - all wished Lilibet a happy first birthday last year. But in June, neither of the official accounts publicly sent birthday wishes to the young royal.

The Independent has contacted representatives for the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace for comment.
GOP lawmakers in Alabama tried to strip $5 million from the Alabama Department of Archives and History after it hosted an LGBTQ+ lecture during Pride Month  and the politicians' retributive actions continue.

This summer, State Sen. Chris Elliot introduced an amendment to the states education appropriations bill to yank the money from the archive and instead send it to the University of South Alabama. In the Alabama House of Representatives, state Rep. Ernie Yarbrough introduced similar legislation. In his amendment to the spending bill, he proposed to send the $5 million to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. While the amendments didn't receive consideration in the full Senate, Elliot vowed to further scrutinize the Archives Department.

The program that prompted the proposed diversion of funds was Invisible No More: Alabamas LGBTQ History, held on June 15 as part of the archives Food for Thought series. That series has been organized by the archives for over 30 years. The event had been scheduled months in advance and had been advertised since January.

At one instance they were talking about preserving primary documents, original documents dealing with the history of gay bars and the history of drag in Alabama, and I just dont know thats where we need to be focused at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Elliot said, according to the local CBS affiliate.

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Steve Murray, the director of the archives, wrote to legislators in mid-July, explaining the archives programming, including the queer lecture.

The lecture highlighted the contributions of a few LGBTQ Alabamians in their chosen pursuits and examined the early histories of LGBTQ organizations in Alabama through the records created by groups in Auburn, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham starting in the early 1970s, Murray wrote. It examined primary source documents to find what they reveal about the interests and motivations of groups that were active decades ago, and it discussed the limitations of historical evidence for understanding the lives of people in the past. This approach used basic tools of historical inquiry that can be applied to any topic, and which are routinely applied in Food for Thought presentations.

Murray wrote that the imperiled funding would help create a military gallery, a new childrens gallery, and redesign the current Native American content. The money would also go to supporting the digitization of its collections and help house its growing collection.

Maigen Sullivan, the queer co-founder and director of research and development for the Invisible Histories Project, gave the lecture in June. The Invisible Histories Project locates, preserves, and creates accessible archival collections on LGBTQ+ life in the South. She said her lecture involved sexually-fluid Alabama entertainers like Ma Rainey and Nell Carter, along with Pete Smith, a trans man involved in the civil rights movement. Sullivan, who has a doctorate in history, says the event wasnt even funded by taxpayers, but rather a grant from the Alabama Humanities Association.

She describes what Alabama lawmakers are trying to do to the archives as fascism. Its such a blatant erasure, Sullivan says. Its like We want to hurt you now and erase any trace of you.
Coffee table books were a foundational part of my automotive enthusiasm. Even before I could read, I often spent time flipping through the pages of those large format books, admiring (and occasionally modifying) the photos throughout. When I was old enough to understand the text found on each page, I was enthralled by the cars and the places behind them. By ten years old, I was eager to regurgitate information about Ed Cole, Enzo Ferrari and Butzi Porsche to anyone whod listen.

Toyota, Honda and other Japanese brands werent prominently featured on the pages of my fathers book collection, however. To the mind of a child, it seemed that those brands didnt have any history or cars worth commemorating on those expensive, glossy pages. Publishers were still putting Hispano-Suizas and Delahayes in books, after all.

Courtesy of Myron Vernis / Mark Brinker

Of course the assumption from my youth couldnt have been more wrong. Japan's influence and impact on the automotive world was never limited, it just hadnt been celebrated. Japanese cars and the culture that surrounds them have exploded in popularity over the past few decades, with fanbases much younger (and more alive) than the likes of De Soto and Packard. In fact, it was the excitement among young people at the annual Japanese Classic Car Show in Los Angeles that inspired Myron Vernis to start this project in the first place. A project aimed at ensuring a continued passion for these historically overlooked cars.

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It has taken a long time for Japanese car brands and their dedicated fans to receive the same level of appreciation as their partners from Europe and the United States. While you can buy any number of encyclopedia lengths takes on Ferrari or the American auto industry, there hasnt been anything similar for the JDM fans among us. Thats no longer the case, as Myron Vernis and Mark Brinkers A Quiet Greatness brings a 1395-pages of Japanese automotive excellence into your hands.

Vernis is a lifelong automotive enthusiast, and in his sixties, hes not your stereotypical JDM fanboy. That said, Vernis collection has become littered with a number of obscure and tantalizing cars from Japan, which hes likely introduced many of you to by way of his social media accounts. Frustrated by the lack of an easy resource to research cars like his own, Vernis reached out to fellow enthusiast and collector Mark Brinker with an idea.

Courtesy of Myron Vernis / Mark Brinker

The goal was to research and write a coffee table book about the Japanese automotive industry, which Vernis told R&T was initially supposed to be around 300 pages. Things quickly spiraled once the research process began however, as the pair realized how many vehicles deserved a spot on the page. The end result is a four-and-a-half volume collection that spans nearly 1400 pages, which contain some 2200 photos. The volumes themselves are split up by automaker, though this is not a complete encyclopedia of every car from post war Japan. Each car that is featured is well represented, with information ranging from technical specs to development stories and trivia. The visual layout of the book is striking, ranking higher than most of the books in my collection. The cover of each volume is a beautiful piece worth displaying on its own. Of course I might be the ideal target for the design work, as Road & Tracks former art director Richard Baron was responsible for the layout.

Ferrari was the brand that captured my interest as a child, thanks to those aforementioned glossy book pages. If A Quiet Greatness had been on my desk as a young car fanatic, I might very well be yearning for a Suzuki Alto in place of a 275 S. The collection is truly a wealth of information, full of plenty of vehicles youve likely never heard of or seen before. As Vernis explained to R&T, the Japanese kept their best cars to themselves, much like France is known to do with its wine. While I can't speak to their wine consumption, the two authors did collectively purchase over a dozen JDM cars during the writing process. Good stuff, indeed.

Courtesy of Myron Vernis / Mark Brinker

Vernis and Brinker struggled to find a large publisher willing to commit to a book about the Japanese collector car world, as the companies feared there would be a limited number of customers for such a niche product. As such, the pair went ahead and self-published the book, which is no small financial feat. While the $395 is nothing to scoff at, you simply wont find a better book for the Japanese car fan in your life. There are currently no plans to release the book once supplies are gone, with an extremely limited number remaining. Don't expect me to give up my copy any time soon.

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UK Royal Air Force aircraft are guarding cargo ships transporting Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea from potential Russian attacks, UK newspaper The Telegraph reported on Sept. 8.

In recent weeks, UK planes have been patrolling the Black Sea to deter Moscow from striking at civilian vessels. Grain transported across the Black Sea region is considered crucial in preventing famine in low-income countries.

Read also: Cargo ships with Ukrainian metallurgical products breach Russias Black Sea blockade

We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, the report quotes a statement from Downing Street.

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Read also: EU pressuring Ukraines neighbors to drop politically motivated grain export ban extension

As part of these surveillance operations, RAF aircraft are conducting flights over the area to deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain.

On July 17, the UN Secretary-General expressed his regret over Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and penned a letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, asking him to reconsider pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

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 worker clears water on a flooded street following heavy rainstorms in Hong Kong, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. Rain pouring onto Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, halting transportation and forcing schools to close Friday. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

HONG KONG (AP)  Heavy rain in Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, with hundreds evacuated and two deaths reported in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong authorities said during a joint news conference Friday that the extreme weather was expected to last until at least midnight, with widespread flooding and heavy disruptions to public transport in multiple districts.

An official from the Hong Kong observatory said the city had recorded over 600mm of rain so far  a quarter of the citys average annual rainfall. The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 millimeters (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording for a single hour since records began in 1884.

Hong Kong police said that two bodies were found floating in waters in different parts of the city. The city's fire services department said it had evacuated 110 people and assisted 20 injured people.

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The city's response to the rain and floods has drawn criticism from residents online, who questioned the authorities' preparedness for such an emergency.

Hong Kong's No. 2 official, Eric Chan, said that the predictability of rainfall cannot be compared with that of a typhoon. He said that various departments in Hong Kong had been working overnight to tackle the situation.

Videos circulating on social media show flooded streets in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong province, with vehicles driving through the water and rescue teams using rafts to navigate the streets.

Water rushed down the stairs and escalators of a flooded subway station in Hong Kong, and cars were caught in muddy water on flooded streets, including in the cross-harbor tunnel that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon.

The heavy downpours led Hong Kong and the mainland city of Shenzhen to close schools, and nonessential workers in Hong Kong were urged to stay home Friday. Most bus services in Hong Kong were halted.

The Hong Kong stock exchange also did not open Friday.

On the mainland, more than 11,000 people were evacuated from water-logged areas in Meizhou, a city in Guangdong province, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Trains and flights were suspended in Guangdong and several landslides blocked roads the report said.

Shenzhen's total rainfall was 469 millimeters (18.4 inches)  the heaviest rainfall since Shenzhen started meteorological records in 1952, CCTV said.

Beijing issued a flood disaster warning for several districts of the Chinese capital, forecasting heavy rainfall through Saturday night.

The city observatory attributed Fridays rain to a trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of a recent typhoon.

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Find more AP coverage of the Asia-Pacific region at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
Los Angeles Angels' Kyren Paris (19) steals second base ahead of a tag by Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias, left, during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)  Randal Grichuk was looking forward to getting Thursday off for physical recovery and mental recalibration after the Los Angeles Angels put him on waivers for the second time in two weeks.

The worn-out outfielder was forced into action anyway in the first inning after teammate Luis Rengifo hurt himself with a swing in the on-deck circle  maybe the most freakish version yet of the steady misfortune that has pelted the struggling Angels all summer.

About three hours later, Grichuk got a hit that reminded him and the Halos just how much fun baseball can be.

Grichuk delivered a two-out, walk-off single with the bases loaded, and the Angels snapped their six-game skid with a 3-2 comeback victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

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Kyren Paris tied the score with his first career RBI before scoring the winning run for the Angels, who rallied in the ninth against Emmanuel Clase (2-8) for only their second win in 11 games. A lengthy rally came down to Grichuk, and he drilled a 1-2 cutter to center for his sixth career walk-off hit.

It's definitely big to get a win, Grichuk said. It's been tough. Am I moving? Am I not moving? But I'm still here. Happy to be here.

Clase gave up Chad Wallachs one-out double and Phillips single before Paris hit a short drive to right for his second career hit. Phillips got forced out at home on Brandon Drury's bases-loaded grounder for the second out, but Grichuk delivered.

That was an impressive inning (against an) elite arm, Grichuk said. We were able to string a bunch of good at-bats together.

Clase blew a save for the 10th time in 48 chances.

He's had his moments this year, Cleveland manager Terry Francona said about Clase. That's the way the game goes. He's been good this year. They're humans.

Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez had three hits apiece for the Guardians, who opened a seven-game California trip with their fourth loss in five games and fell 6 1/2 games behind AL Central-leading Minnesota.

Jose Soriano (3-2) pitched the ninth for Los Angeles.

Cal Quantrill excelled for Cleveland in his second start back from a two-month absence with a shoulder injury, throwing six scoreless innings of three-hit ball. The right-hander struck out six and allowed no Angels to reach third base, but the Halos late rally deprived him of his first victory since May 7.

The teams traded six scoreless innings before Cleveland got three consecutive one-out singles and an RBI groundout off Aaron Loup . Phillips had an RBI single in the seventh for the Angels.

Shohei Ohtani missed his fourth consecutive game for the Angels with a right oblique injury, but manager Phil Nevin indicated the AL MVP front-runner could be back in the lineup soon.

A rare bit of good injury news for the Angels was naturally followed up by another setback, however: Rengifo left after he strained his left biceps while taking a practice swing with the heavy bat, and Nevin said the injury doesn't look good.

I'm never going to say I've seen it all, as far as these things go, Nevin said. But I'm getting there.

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Jhonathan Diaz started and got five outs in his season debut for the Angels, and Davis Daniel followed in the fourth with three scoreless innings in his major league debut for Los Angeles. Diaz and Daniel are the major league-leading 63rd and 64th players to play this season for the Halos, who set the franchise record last season by using 66 players.

UNSTOPPABLE ROOKIE

Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who was drafted just 60 days earlier, set a franchise record when he reached base for the 16th consecutive game to begin his career with a seventh-inning single. Schanuel surpassed the mark set by Darin Erstad in 1996.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians: Orange County native Shane Bieber threw to hitters Thursday in Cleveland for the first time since going on the injured list in mid-July. Francona said the team will see how the 2020 AL Cy Young winner responds to the work before determining the next step in his return from elbow inflammation.

Angels: CF Mickey Moniak was scratched shortly before first pitch due to back tightness. ... RHP Jaime Barria went on the injured list with right hamstring tightness. He felt the injury Wednesday when he covered a base while throwing three innings of relief.

UP NEXT

Logan Allen (6-7, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound for Cleveland on Friday against Los Angeles' Griffin Canning (7-5, 4.30) in the second meeting of the four-game series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
TEHRAN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has called on members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to adopt a practical approach toward Iran, instead of making "unreal" claims, so as to prepare the ground for improving and deepening intra-regional relations.

He made the remarks in a statement released by his ministry on Friday, reacting to Iran-related claims in a communique at the end of the 157th Session of GCC Ministerial Council in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Thursday.

Kanaani stressed that all sides should protect the "positive atmosphere" pervading the regional relations, highlighting the necessity to contribute to the promotion of synergy and convergence in the region in line with safeguarding the regional nations' common interests.

Turning to the GCC statement's claims about Iran's nuclear program, he said, "Iran will continue, in a constructive way, proceeding with its peaceful nuclear program and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the safeguards agreements and will not be impacted by political interferences and pressures and propaganda."

In its statement, the GCC Ministerial Council stressed the importance of "Iran's commitment to not exceeding the rate of uranium enrichment required for peaceful uses, and fulfilling its obligations and fully cooperating with the IAEA."

In response to the GCC's affirmation that the Al-Durra gas field, known as Arash in Iran, solely belongs to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Kanaani said that based on its negotiations with Kuwait, Iran has stressed the importance of "friendly and constructive cooperation" in the area of energy resources, including those in the Arash field.

The two countries and Iran have a long-lasting dispute over the ownership of the offshore Al-Durra gas field. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait signed an agreement on jointly developing the gas field in March last year. Iran denounced the agreement as "illegal," saying it ran contrary to what had been previously negotiated.

Iran and Kuwait have held talks for many years over their disputed maritime border area, which is rich in natural gas, but failed to map border demarcation and end disputes. 
A Nevada rapper was arrested on a murder charge after Las Vegas police said he confessed to the murder in his (song) lyrics.

Kenjuan McDaniel was arrested August 29 on a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon, a news release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. His bail was set Thursday at $1 million with electronic monitoring, according to court records.

CNN has reached out to McDaniels attorney for comment but has not heard back.

McDaniel had been considered a person of interest in the death of Randall Wallace on September 18, 2021, in part due to his connection to a vehicle that matched the description of one used during the crime, according to a redacted arrest warrant.

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In July, a detective noticed a music video posted by McDaniel on YouTube and reviewed the lyrics and video, the warrant said.

Detectives noted the music video bore a sufficient level of similarity to the details of the murder. This includes the fact, that Kenjuan confessed to the murder in his lyrics.  Details provided by Kenjuan in his music video were not released to the public and would not be common knowledge, the warrant said.

One lyric included in the warrant is, Parked the car, double back on feet, the smartest way to slide, drove in, double lock yo man, make sure you get yo bod, which the warrant states includes details of the killing that were not released to the public. In addition, it states that while McDaniel rapped in the video, he reenacted elements of the killing that were consistent with evidence at the scene.

The facts gathered during the investigation were obtained separately from the music video. The music video further validated the results of the investigation, it added.

McDaniel has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday.

CNNs Mitchell McCluskey contributed to this report.

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While theyre only about eight months into their combined 19-year sentences, it appears Todd and Julie Chrisley may be getting out of federal prison a little early.

The Chrisleys, mostly known for their reality TV series Chrisley Knows Best, were found guilty last year of conspiring to defraud banks and the IRS out of millions of dollars.

In November, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus 36 months of supervised release. Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years in prison, plus 36 months of supervised release.

According to prison records, Todd Chrisleys release date from FPC Pensacola is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2033. Thats about two years short of his 12-year sentence.

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Julie Chrisleys expected release date from FMC Lexington is now, Octo. 19, 2028, which is just over a year early.

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Without a doubt, Todd and Julie are model incarcerated individuals who received exorbitant sentences, the couples attorney, Jay Surgent, told Business Insider. I believe Todd is down to 10 years and Julie is now at five years.

Surgent told Insider that he believes their sentence would be reduced even further once new sentencing guidelines are implemented in November.

The couple are in the process of appealing their conviction.

Channel 2 Action News first started investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, when we learned that Todd Chrisley had likely evaded paying Georgia state income taxes for several years.

Court documents obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed that by 2018, the Chrisleys owed the state nearly $800,000 in liens.

The couple eventually went to trial and a federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion in June 2022.

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While theyre only about eight months into their combined 19-year sentences, it appears Todd and Julie Chrisley may be getting out of federal prison a little early, Action News Jax sister station WSB in Atlanta reports.

The Chrisleys, mostly known for their reality TV series  Chrisley Knows Best , were found guilty last year of conspiring to defraud banks and the IRS out of millions of dollars.

In November, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus 36 months of supervised release. Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years in prison, plus 36 months of supervised release.

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According to prison records, Todd Chrisleys release date from FPC Pensacola is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2033. Thats about two years short of his 12-year sentence.

Julie Chrisleys expected release date from FMC Lexington is now, Oct. 19, 2028, which is just over a year early.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Without a doubt, Todd and Julie are model incarcerated individuals who received exorbitant sentences, the couples attorney, Jay Surgent, told Business Insider. I believe Todd is down to 10 years and Julie is now at five years.

Surgent told Insider that he believes their sentence would be reduced even further once new sentencing guidelines are implemented in November.

The couple are in the process of appealing their conviction.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

WSB first started investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, when they learned that Todd Chrisley had likely evaded paying Georgia state income taxes for several years.

Court documents obtained by WSB showed that by 2018, the Chrisleys owed the state nearly $800,000 in liens.

The couple eventually went to trial and a federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion in June 2022.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Rep. Bob Young, left, and his attorney John Greven listen as Judge Edward OFarrell speaks during his arraignment hearing on Aug. 4.

State Rep. Bob Young announced his resignation from the Ohio House on Friday as he faces allegations of domestic violence and violating a restraining order.

In a letter to House Speaker Jason Stephens, the Republican from Green said the charges against him have become a distraction. Young, who first took office in January 2021, said he won't continue serving "while these matters are pending" and asked that his family's privacy be respected.

His resignation is effective Oct. 2. A spokesman for Young said he chose that date to "allow the replacement process to play out calmly" and ensure residents of the 32nd House District have a representative in the interim.

"I will be vigorously defending myself, and I'm looking forward to personal and legal vindication as the court process plays out," Young wrote. "I was hopeful that this matter could be resolved before this point, but I can no longer deny the distraction that this matter has caused the Ohio House of Representatives as an institution, as well as my colleagues, with whom I serve."

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A spokesman for Stephens did not immediately respond to questions about appointing Young's replacement. The House is scheduled to reconvene later this month after breaking for summer.

Young was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and assault in July. He is accused of slapping his wife during a private party at his home following a GOP fundraiser. Several hours later, police say, Young charged a family member to gain entry into a home where his wife and child fled. Young pleaded not guilty.

Weeks later, Young was arrested a second time and accused of violating a protection order that prevents him from contacting family members. A judge ordered him to wear a GPS monitor as a condition of his release from jail.

Stephens, who attended the July party, called on Young to resign soon after the allegations surfaced. Thirty-four House Republicans signed a letter this week echoing that call.

This is a matter, obviously, that is up to the General Assembly," Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday. "But these are some serious charges. Its not a good situation. So I think he should resign."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rep. Bob Young resigns from Ohio House amid domestic violence case
WASHINGTON  Rep. Nancy Pelosi , the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, will seek re-election to her San Francisco-based House seat, she announced on Friday.

"Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery," she wrote Friday on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. "Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote."

Pelosi, 83, who was first elected to Congress in 1987, has twice served as speaker, but after control of the chamber was taken by Republicans last year, she stepped aside from her leadership role.

Nancy Pelosi at her campaign headquarters in San Francisco on April 7, 1987. (Paul Sakuma / AP file)

Her decision to relinquish the top Democratic job fueled speculation that she would ultimately opt to retire from Congress. But she told a group of volunteers at a breakfast on Friday that she will seek another term, a source familiar with her plans told NBC News.

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In October, her husband Paul Pelosi was attacked in his home by a man with a hammer who said was looking for the former speaker and wanted to kill her. Paul Pelosi was struck in the head, a harrowing attack that happened as police arrived at the home and was captured on a body camera. She said in November that the attack would affect her decision on whether to retire or not.

As speaker, Pelosi developed a reputation as an expert at building coalitions to back difficult votes and wrangled passage of historic legislation, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2008 and the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

Surrounded by staff, security and journalists, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walks out of the House Chamber after announcing she would not be the Democratic leader in the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 17, 2022. (Frank Thorp V / NBC News)

She served as the speaker from 2007, after Democrats took control of the chamber at the end of the George W. Bush administration, and until 2011. She returned to the top position in the House again in 2019, where she remained until January of this year.

After Democrats lost control of the House in 2022, Pelosi announced that she would not seek another term as the Democratic leader but remained in Congress.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Officials hope to complete the repair of roads damaged in August floods by early October, a news release said Friday.

According to the release from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), crews hope to complete work on flood-damaged roadways by early October with the repair of State Route 157 and State Route 156 in Spring Mountains, which were damaged during floods related to storms that caused damage near Mount Charleston in August.

Crews are working sun-up to sun-down, seven days per week with the ambitious goal of completing emergency repairs by early October, the release said.

Five miles of state roads were damaged, the release said, the longest section being 856 feet of State Route 157 washed out near Rainbow Canyon. Although a path has been created for residents in the area, NDOT officials warn that many sections are unpaved and hazardous, requiring highways in the Spring Mountains to be limited to Mt. Charleston residents, construction crews, and emergency responders.

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The release notes that a US Forest Service closure order is in effect for developed canyons within the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, including Kyle Canyon, Lee Canyon, and Deer Creek, and that the Spring Mountain Visitor Gateway, Lee Canyon Ski Resort, and all trails, picnic areas, and campgrounds remain closed.

NDOT would like to express its profound gratitude for the outstanding inter-agency coordination and cooperation maintained during ongoing recovery efforts, the release said. We extend our appreciation to Mt. Charleston residents and our community partners for their patience and support as we respond to the challenges posed by these extreme weather events.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Crystal Rogers, 35, is seen in this file photo. She disappeared from Bardstown, Ky., in July 2015. (Photo via FBI)

A Nelson County man has been charged in connection to the disappearance and presumed death of Bardstown mom Crystal Rogers, according to WDRB and court records.

Joseph Lawson, 32, faces charges of conspiracy to murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. Lawsons attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed to WDRB that the charges are related to Rogers case.

When asked for more information Friday, Lawson said he has no further comment beyond what has already been reported.

Lawson was indicted on the complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge in June. The indictment for the conspiracy to murder charge came approximately one month later, according to court records. Lawson pleaded not guilty to both charges during an arraignment Thursday.

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Lawsons indictment says he agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commissions of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime, when he, and/or a co-conspirator, intentionally caused the death of another.

The indictment doesnt mention Rogers name but says the crime happened on July 3 and/or July 4, 2015 in Nelson County. Rogers was reported missing by her mother on July 5, 2015.

The indictment also says Lawson destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed, or altered physical evidence with the intent to impair its verity or availability in the official proceeding.

Shane Young, the commonwealths attorney in Hardin County, has been appointed as a special prosecutor in the case, according to online court records. An FBI agent and a Kentucky State Police detective have been listed as complaining witnesses in Lawsons court files.

A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on Lawsons indictment and didnt elaborate on whether investigators have arrested any other suspects.

Lawsons bond is set at $500,000 for the conspiracy to murder charge and $50,000 for the complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge, according to court records. He is due back in court in October.

The FBI, along with other law enforcement agencies in Kentucky, have conducted several searches for evidence in Rogers disappearance.

The latest search took place in October when FBI officials searched a farm belonging to the Houck family. The search lasted multiple days and evidence was collected, the FBI said.

Brooks Houck, Rogers boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, is believed to be the last person who saw her. Law enforcement named him a suspect early in the case, but he has never been charged with anything in connection to Rogers disappearance.

Authorities previously searched the Houck farm before in August 2020. Local law enforcement also searched the property two months after Rogers was reported missing.

In addition to an investigation into Rogers disappearance, the FBI is also investigating the death of Rogers father, Tommy Ballard. Ballard was shot and killed by an unknown subject while hunting with his grandson in 2016, according to law enforcement.

He had been trying to get answers regarding his daughters disappearance and created Team Crystal, a group of community members dedicated to finding his daughter, according to the FBI.

Till Ballard, Tommy Ballards father, told the Herald-Leader Friday he hopes this arrest provides breakthroughs in both cases.

The Facebook page for Team Crystal posted to social media asking people to pray for the Ballards and thanking people for their support.
According to new, unclassified reports from the British Ministry of Defence, Russia instituted a new curriculum. In schools across Russia, students now learn Russian theories of Crimean reunification and other pro-war propaganda. And one class aimed at high school seniors is straight-up Russian military training .

The report

The Defence Intelligence updates from the MoD give a clear and often frank assessment of the war in Ukraine. In one September 6 update on Twitter , Defense Intelligence shared details of a new Russian school curriculum that Vladimir Putin himself helped teach.

The intelligence update featured four major bullets about the new classes. Emphasis ours:

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Russias new school year has begun with a new curriculum incorporating both military skills and the Kremlins view of the history of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally held an open lesson with 30 schoolchildren on the first day of term. Topics in the updated national history exam include Crimean reunification with Russia and the Special Military Operation in Ukraine. Russias parliament approved the curriculum last year. One element, the "Basics of Life Safety", is aimed towards senior students and includes a basic military training module. This will include handling Kalashnikovs, the use of hand grenades, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) operations, and battlefield first aid. Pupils may also be visited by Ukraine veterans. The new curriculum serves three objectives: to indoctrinate students with the Kremlin rationale for the Special Military Operation, instil [sic] students with a martial mindset, and reduce training timelines for onwards mobilisation and deployment. The introduction of UAV operations indicates their evolving importance on the battlefield and the lessons learnt about these systems directly from the conflict in Ukraine. British Defense Intelligence

What this means

Russia is facing a critical shortage of people . Obviously, Putin feels the pain on the frontlines. He's already doubled pay , extended the conscription and volunteer ages , and gone shopping overseas for talent. But the economic sectors struggle for people, too.

If Russia is training schoolchildren for combat, then Putin likely thinks he can drag the war out a little longer and that his best use of graduates entering military age is to try to deploy them. Ukraine obviously prefers for Putin to give in much sooner than that. But absent that, signs that Russia's manning crisis is continuously getting worse is sure to lift some Ukrainian spirits.

And, as Putin scrapes the barrel, that leaves even less people to turn around the Russian economy. And the Russian economy desperately needs the boost. Already, Putin has faced a coup that may have been linked to the changing fortunes in Russia . Russia pays grossly more money for some weapon parts to get around sanctions . And a top Ukrainian spy says Russia is at risk of a collapse into civil war.

Russian military cadets wait for an excursion at Manezhnaya Square just outside the Kremlin in Moscow on September 26, 2022. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Possible fallout of Russian military training in schools

It remains to be seen how good the next batch of conscripts or trainees are. A little training of soldiers before they arrive at basic is great for the Russians, bad for everyone else. Increased Russian competence could make line soldiers more dangerous.

But if Russian families protest their children being sacrificed for Putin's war, it may help with the drip drip drip of recruiting as an issue. And, as Ukrainian attacks bring the war home to Russians , families may feel themselves besieged. Putin's special military operation was supposed to have little impact on the average Russian, but damage in the streets , military lessons in schools, and a crippled economy put the lie to Putin's competence.

But there's no certainty when it comes to Russia. Some social media posts from there seem to show Russian people actually confused why the international community wasn't rushing to their aid when drones reached their neighborhoods.
These Republicans are dead set on pushing a Trump-era agenda, Democratic Strategist Ameshia Cross told theGrio.

As the political environment in Washington steadily intensifies amid a federal criminal case against President Joe Biden s son, a small yet consistent chorus of Republicans are calling for the president to face impeachment.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., dared Republicans earlier this week to impeach Biden. The junior U.S. senator said if they do take such a path, they would lose.

FILE  Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman visits with people attending a Democratic Party event for candidates to meet and collect signatures for ballot petitions for the upcoming Pennsylvania primary election, at the Steamfitters Technology Center in Harmony, Pa., March 4, 2022. The fate of the Democratic Party is intertwined in a pair of Pennsylvania elections thatll be closely watched this year. John Fetterman could help the party keep control of the Senate. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

Fetterman is smart in calling this out for what it is, Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross told theGrio of the former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor. Its a Republican tricktalking about impeaching Biden is basically a get back to Donald Trump .

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While speaking with reporters outside of his Capitol Hill office on Wednesday, Fetterman told his GOP colleagues, Go ahead. Do it, I dare you.

He added, If you can find the votes, go ahead because youre going to lose.

House Republicans are attempting to impeach Biden over allegations that while he served as vice president, he used his authority to help his son, Hunter Biden, land international business deals with Chinese and Ukrainian nationals.

There is no evidence to impeach, declared Cross. If you call for a vote leading to impeachment, there should be evidence leading to an impeachable offense.

They are chasing conspiracy theories and trying to find a crime where there is none, she added.

Although there is no evidence to support the allegations, House Republicans may move forward with an impeachment inquiry in the coming weeks, according to The Hill. Some House GOP lawmakers are hoping that calls for Bidens impeachment will hinder his run for re-election.

On the contrary, Fetterman believes an impeachment inquiry into Biden by House Republicans wont have any impact on his 2024 re-election campaign.

Everybody would know its bulls**t, including them, you know? he told reporters.

[Donald] Trump has a mug shot, and hes been impeached twice. It really would diminish what impeachment means if they try it. They must really want to lose, said Fetterman.

WASHINGTON, DC  JUNE 30: U.S. President Joe Biden 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 in Washington, DC. In a 6-to-3 decision, the court ruled the loan forgiveness program  which was projected to help 40 million people and cost $400 billion  was unconstitutional. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Cross told theGrio that if House Republicans move forward with impeaching Biden, its going to be in the exact same way that weve seen it before in the past with other presidents.

The political analyst also noted that impeachments have not exactly politically damaged former presidents.

She explained, Former President Clinton actually increased his approval rating and both impeachments did not hurt Donald Trumps ratings either. In fact, it made him stronger within his base.

Cross argued that launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden could be detrimental to the Republican Party. She said House Republicans should instead focus their attention on doing their jobs as legislators.

The American people want them to get to workto make sure there is a budget thats passed that helps us to avoid having a fiscal crisis so that the government can actually function, said Cross. None of those things matter to House Republicans.

These Republicans are dead set on pushing a Trump-era agenda. Even though Trump lost in 2020, she continued. He lost the midterms for the Republicans just a couple of years later, and right now, hes running from court case after court case.

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The post Will Republicans actually impeach President Biden? appeared first on TheGrio.
NAIROBI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Friday launched a strategy to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2027.

Susan Nakhumicha, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the strategy, dubbed "End AIDS in Children by 2027," would help tackle mother-to-child HIV transmission.

"This plan would be implemented in the next four years, and we are optimistic that we would achieve our target," Nakhumicha said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

According to Kenya's Ministry of Health, at least 4,000 children are infected with HIV annually by their mothers at birth.

Nakhumicha said Kenya has made progress in the past decade in fighting HIV/AIDS, with a 57 percent reduction in new infections and a 68 percent decrease in AIDS-related deaths.

While treatment coverage for children living with HIV stands at 85 percent, only about 74 percent of them achieve viral suppression. "This performance gap underscores the need for urgent action," Nakhumicha said.

The strategy is expected to deepen efforts to fight the spread of HIV in children and reduce infant mortality in the East African country. 
In this screen grab from video, American caver Mark Dickey, 40, talks to camera next to a colleague inside the Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Turkish and international cave rescue experts are working to save an American speleologist trapped at a depth of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in a cave in southern Turkey after he became ill. (Turkish Government Directorate of Communications via AP)

ISTANBUL (AP)  Rescuers from across Europe rushed to a cave in Turkey on Thursday, launching an operation to save an American researcher who became trapped almost 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below the cave's entrance after suffering stomach bleeding.

Experienced caver Mark Dickey, 40, suddenly became ill during an expedition with a handful of others, including three other Americans, in the Morca cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains, the European Association of Cave Rescuers said.

While rescuers, including a Hungarian doctor, have reached and treated Dickey, it could be days and possibly weeks before they are able to get him out of the cave, which is too narrow in places for a stretcher to pass through.

In a video message from inside the cave and made available Thursday by Turkeys communications directorate, Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.

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The caving world is a really tight-knit group and its amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," said Dickey.  ... I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge.

Dickey, who is seen standing and moving around in the video, said that while he is alert and talking, he is not healed on the inside and will need a lot of help to get out of the cave. Doctors will decide whether he will need to leave the cave on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power.

Dickey, who had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, has stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days, according to a New Jersey-based cave rescue group hes affiliated with. Its unclear what caused his medical issue.

The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and constant medical care. The group says the cave is also quite cold  about 4-6 C (39-42 F).

Communication with Dickey takes about five to seven hours and is carried out by runners, who go from Dickey to the camp below the surface where a telephone line to speak with the surface has been set up.

Experts said it will be a challenge to successfully rescue Dickey.

Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey said that one of the most difficult tasks of cave rescue operations is widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass through at low depths.

Stretcher lines are labor intensive and require experienced cave rescuers working long hours, Ogrenecek said. He added that other difficult factors range from navigating through mud and water at low temperatures to the psychological toll of staying inside a cave for long periods of time.

Marton Kovacs of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said that the cave is being prepared for Dickey's safe extraction. Passages are being widened and the danger of falling rocks is also being addressed.

Turkish disaster relief agency AFAD and rescue team UMKE are working with Turkish and international cavers on the plan to hoist Dickey out of the cave system, the European Cave Rescue Association said.

The rescue effort currently involves more than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics who are tending to Dickey and experienced cavers, Ogrenecek said, adding that the rescue operation could take up to two to three weeks.

The operation includes rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey.

Dickey was described by the association as a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the associations medical committee.

Dickey was on an expedition mapping the 1,276-meter (4,186-feet) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association (ASPEG) when he ran into trouble about 1,000 meters down, according to Ogrenecek. He initially became ill on Sept. 2, but it took until the morning of Sept. 3 to notify others who were above ground.

Justin Hanley, a 28-year-old firefighter from near Dallas, Texas, said he met Dickey a few months ago when he took a cave rescue course Dickey taught in Hungary and Croatia. He described Dickey as upbeat and as someone who sees the good in everyone.

Mark is the guy that should be on that rescue mission thats leading and consulting and for him to be the one that needs to be rescued is kind of a tragedy in and of itself, he said.

A team of rescuers from Italys National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team will be flying to Turkey on Thursday night. A total of around 50 rescuers will be at the entrance of the cave early Friday ready to participate in the operation directed by Turkish authorities.

The rescue teams hope that the extraction can begin on Saturday or Sunday. Kovacs said that lifting Dickey will likely take several days, and that several bivouac points are being prepared along the way so that Dickey and rescue teams can rest.

The cave has been divided into several sections, with each countrys rescue team being responsible for one section.

The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, made up of volunteer rescuers, was the first to arrive at Dickeys location and provided emergency blood transfusions to stabilize his condition.

___

Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, Darko Bandic in Zagreb, Croatia, Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland, Patricia Thomas in Rome, and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
More than 150 rescuers are racing to reach an American stranded deep inside a cave in Turkey after he became ill.

Mark Dickey, 40, is suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding  but he has been stuck several thousand feet below the ground inside the vast Morca cave since Saturday.

The Turkish Caving Federation, which is assisting in the rescue, said Dickey was at a campsite 3,400 feet from the entrance to the 4,100-foot cave, the third-deepest in the country.

The federation said Wednesday that his condition was stabilizing and that the bleeding had stopped. He can walk with assistance, but needs a stretcher to be removed from the cave, it said in a statement.

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The operation is logistically and technically one of the largest cave rescues in the world, said the caving federation, which is working with the Turkish government.

Mark Dickey. (via Facebook)

A friend of Dickeys and a fellow caving enthusiast told NBC News on Thursday that Dickey has told rescuers he intends to climb out of the cave himself  but he warned that to do so is the underground equivalent of climbing Mount Everest.

You cant say strenuous enough. Mark is an elite caver, theres only a couple thousand people of his caliber in the world who are doing really deep systems like this with the technical rope skills and the physical ability, said Carl Heitmeyer, public information officer for the New Jersey Initial Response Team.

It could be another week until Dickey makes it to the surface, he estimated.

Heitmeyer explained that Dickey started to feel ill Saturday, began to cough and found blood in his stools. Dickey was unable to eat and was semiconscious for three days, he said.

Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, part of the Interior Ministry, said it had teams on standby and was working in coordination with the Turkish Caving Federation.

Rescuers were setting up rope lines Wednesday as part of the rescue effort. The National Cave Rescue Commission, based in Alabama, said on Facebook early Thursday that multiple rescue teams are working at the site.

More cave rescue teams are arriving, and they are dividing the cave up into sections. Different teams are helping to rig those sections, the group said.

Dickey was with his fiancee, Jessica, also a caver, but Heitmeyer said Thursday that she was going to exit the cave ahead of Dickeys rescue.

Dickey is an instructor with the National Cave Rescue Commission, and he has been for 10 years, said Gretchen Baker, the groups national coordinator. He was co-leading an expedition to find and map a new passage in the cave, she said.

He fell ill at a depth of around 3,674 feet, the Turkish Caving Federation said, before being moved to the groups base camp at around 3,412 feet.

Dickey is being cared for by doctors, his parents, Andrew and Deborah Ann Dickey, said in a statement. They declined to be interviewed.

Mark is strong, but he needed his fellow cavers, including, of course, the doctors, to allow a devastatingly scary situation to turn positive, they said.

Our prayers are being answered and we cannot express how much that means, and will always mean, to us, they added.

US man rescued from Turkey cave (tumaf.org)

Units of blood were delivered to Dickey this week, according to the Turkish Caving Federation. It said the operation to remove him and the stretcher was expected to be complex and lengthy, adding that it takes around 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface in ideal conditions.

Its still expected to take quite a few days to get him all the way out of the cave, as its such a difficult and technical cave and he is so far deep in it right now, Baker said in an email Wednesday evening.

Heitmeyer said that the process of getting in and out of the cave  which is in the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey  was a challenge to even experienced cavers at the best of times.

The cave is mostly vertical, but it doesnt go straight down, there are turns in the rope and that complicates things. It makes the climbing more difficult and it just takes time, he said.

Theres water in-feeding from two points near the top of the cave and some of the passages are filled with water, and there are tight squeezes and corkscrews where you have to turn your body in certain way.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Ingenuity for a low-cost and effective way to prevent snow accumulation on solar panels is heating up.

A team of researchers from the University of Toledo is in the running as a finalist for hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from the U.S. Energy Departments American-Made Solar Prize initiative.

If successful, the project could unlock solar power in areas of the country where heavy snowfall affects a homes efficiency.

Sun-blocking snow cover results in 1% to 12% of solar energy losses each year. If the snowfall is heavy and long-lasting, it could negate power production for an entire month, according to Sandia National Laboratories.

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The team of UT researchers answer is called Snow-Free Solar.

The idea involves a durable strip of material being placed on the lower edge of solar panels to help shed snow, according to an Energy Department description of the concept.

This is something weve been working on for a while, Hossein Sojoudi, who is leading the research team, told The Blade. He didnt provide a lot of technical specs in that report because of the ongoing competition for funding.

A YouTube video posted by Sojoudi provides a little more detail. In the clip, he said that current methods to remove snow from solar panels are costly and can damage the solar technology.

The video shows a person scraping snow off a panel system with a long pole.

The UT teams solution is a thin strip of material  it looks about the size of a strip of masking tape  applied to a panels bottom edge. Sojoudi said it doesnt interfere with solar power generation.

The clip shows two groups of panels, one with the Snow-Free material and one without. The snow slides off the panels with the strip but stays on the control group.

Our solution is a game-changing technology, business adviser Dan Vining said in the video.

U.S. solar power accounts for about 2.8% of U.S. electricity. Renewable energy in total, including wind, hydro, and other sources, creates about 20%, according to the Energy Department.

The American-Made Solar Prize, a multimillion-dollar innovation contest in the solar sector, encourages quick progress and the fruition of ideas, according to the competitions website.

The Snow-Free project is one of several that UT has in progress in the solar sector. Researchers are also working with the U.S. Air Force on flexible photovoltaic energy sheets geared to take advantage of the 37% stronger sunlight above the atmosphere.

As for the Snow-Free work, researchers will be leveraging as much funding from the Energy Departments competition as they can win. The program has already provided more than $15 million to unique solar projects since 2018, according to The Blade. The UT team members will find out if they won a half-million dollars more in September.

A Snow-Free future for solar panels would be welcome news to many who are already tapping the suns power. It could also open up new opportunities in Americas snow belts.

I am a [homeowner] in Utah with only 48 total panels  I would be interested in trying, a YouTube viewer commented on Sojoudis video.

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Anyone whos been fortunate enough to see a sea turtle in person knows what majestic creatures they are and will be happy to hear some good news out of Florida. According to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, researchers have found a record number of sea turtle nests in northern Palm Beach County, reported The Palm Beach Post.

As of July 30, 21,872 nests had been recorded. Thats great news, considering the nesting season runs through the end of October. Dr. Justin Perrault, LMC vice president of research, said in a broadcast posted by WPBF 25 News that the researchers expected at least a few thousand more nests to be laid. That eclipses last years total of 18,132 nests.

The state of Florida started keeping track of sea turtle nests in 1979, but it was steps taken in the 90s and early 2000s that Perrault credits with the consistent increase. In the 90s, Florida passed fishing regulations to protect the sea turtles, and many cities adopted laws aimed at reducing light pollution on beaches at night because sea turtles refuse to nest on beaches that are too well lit.

Thats actually the reason were seeing these kinds of increases now, Perrault told WPBF 25 News. So decades of conservation efforts are now paying off in the 2020s. Its crazy.

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Unfortunately, Florida is also dealing with an excessively hot summer, and extreme heat can adversely affect nesting.

If the sand gets too hot and too dry, the nesting females cant build a good egg chamber, so theyll come up on the beach and leave, Perrault said. And then additionally, if the nests get too hot, that can become lethal for the sea turtles.

The LMC is monitoring the nests to watch for issues caused by the heat.

Sea turtles are incredibly important to the environment and the local economy. They graze on seagrass, which stores carbon and keeps it from reentering and heating the atmosphere. Sea turtles help the economy by providing jobs through turtle watching or diving tours.

Perrault hopes to see more nesting records broken.

We are so excited to break this all-time nesting record and cant wait to see if each sea turtle species breaks its individual record, Perrault said.

And Perrault had a few words of advice in his TV interview for beachgoers who happen upon a turtle nest: Leave everything alone.

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Ukraine is preparing its air defenses with upgraded weapons systems to combat Russian assaults on the power grid during winter, Reuters reported on Sept. 7.

"We had fewer (systems) last winter. Now we have been given more, and the effectiveness will be better," Joint Forces Commander Serhii Naiev told Reuters during an interview in Zhytomyr.

Ukrainian air defense can now take advantage of German-made Gepard systems and U.S.-made M2 Browning machine guns.

The Gepard system has successfully shot down five Shahed drones since August, which the Ukrainian military labeled "a 100% success rate."

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Reuters spoke to an air defense crewman, identified as Anton, who helped shoot down two drones using the Gepard.

"Adrenaline, emotional overload... you can't convey it with words," he said. "We are not frightened. It drives us on to work and destroy targets in the Ukrainian sky."

Last winter, Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure destroyed nearly half of the country's energy systems. Russian strikes deliberately targeted power plants and critical infrastructure, forcing Ukrainians to face a winter of emergency shutdowns and power shortages.

Most of the damaged facilities have now been repaired, and with the new weapons systems Ukraine is in a better position to defend the state grid against Russia's winter offensive.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
PROVIDENCE  As soon as Nourjannah Hendi read the facts of Terrel Barros case, she became convinced of his innocence.

It was astonishing when you read the case. There is not a doubt in your mind that hes innocent, said Hendi, who was a senior at Georgetown University in the spring semester of 2020.

She and two other undergraduate students who were enrolled in the schools Making An Exoneree program soon began reinvestigating Barros conviction for the shooting death of Jamal Cruz and the wounding of Rokiem Henley outside Monet Lounge in Providence early on Aug. 26, 2012.

They inspected the case file and trial briefings; spoke with Barros post-conviction lawyer, Robert Kando; and studiously began filling in what they viewed as gaps in the case. They hired experts in DNA and gunshot residue and interviewed Barros friends and family, as well as a juror.

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They put their findings together in a nine-minute documentary highlighting what they believe are injustices and inconsistencies in a case that they insist points to another killer: Stephen Bodden, who accompanied Barros to the club that night and was found with the gun in his hand. Bodden told officers at the scene, Yo. Its me. Its all me. Its all mine.

Last month, those revelations proved crucial in Superior Court Judge Luis Matos ruling overturning Barros conviction.

While still in prison, Terrel Barros, left, meets with then-undergraduates Leonardo Teixeira, Caroline Porterfield and Nourjannah Hendi of Georgetown University's Making An Exoneree program.

Misleading evidence, new statement

Matos found that the prosecutors in the case  Stacey Veroni Erickson and Peter Roklan  elicited testimony that misled jurors about DNA evidence that excluded Barros from handling the weapon.

Matos ruled, too, that a statement by Boddens close cousin, Gloria Parajon, could be admitted as new evidence. According to Parajon, Bodden immediately confessed to her upon his release from the Adult Correctional Institutions. She didnt disclose his admissions until after seeing the documentary, years after Bodden was murdered in 2017.

Unencumbered by the threat of Boddens presumed retaliation, his associates and family now freely profess his guilt, Matos wrote.

Noting that both Parajons statement and the DNA evidence could prove pivotal to jurors considerations, Matos agreed to release Barros on home confinement as he awaits a new trial.

Upon learning of Matos ruling, Hendi, who was visiting family in Palestine, recalled screaming into the phone to Barros mother, Kym Mulroy.

I said, 'Kym, we did it! Terrels coming home! Hendi said. It was a moment of extreme happiness and disbelief at the same time. The fight is not over.

Barros, 34, who was serving two life terms plus 30 years, is the seventh person to be freed after their case was reexamined by students enrolled in the Making An Exoneree program. He walked out of prison on Aug. 15 after serving 11 years and declaring his innocence the whole way.

Will there be a new trial or an appeal?

Hendi believes that it was Bodden, not Barros, who fired the gun after a night of revelry and a brief beef after someone tapped off a hat. She points to Boddens confession at the scene and to others in the years that followed, the gun residue found on his clothing, and evidence from a parking lot attendant about the shooting that she says eliminates Barros as a suspect.

Given the new information, we highly encourage the prosecution to drop the case, Hendi said.

For us it was very clear Stephen Bodden committed the murder, said Marc Howard, the founding director of the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University, who co-teaches Making An Exoneree. I just hope the state will show some common sense and come to the conclusion that it doesnt make sense to try him."

Marc Howard, left, founding director of the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University, and Terrel Barros, shortly after Barros was released from prison.

Brian Hodge, spokesman for Attorney General Peter F. Neronhas office, said they are reviewing Matos decision and have until Oct. 9 to seek a state Supreme Court review. He declined further comment because the case remains pending.

Seven freed due to Making An Exoneree

Since 2018, Howard has co-taught Making An Exoneree each spring with his childhood friend, Marty Tankleff, who was wrongfully imprisoned for almost 18 years after being falsely implicated in the stabbing deaths of his parents in 1988.

At the time of his arrest, Tankleff was 17 years old and starting his senior year in high school. He was sentenced to 50 years to life but filed an appeal based on new evidence from about two dozen witnesses.

More: Kids as translators? Non-English speakers lack trained interpreters in RI's local courts

Tankleff was released on Dec. 27, 2007, with the charges dismissed a year later. His parents murders remain unsolved.

The highly selective seminar class features 15 students working on five potential wrongful conviction cases. They create documentaries and social media campaigns that suggest innocence based on their investigations.

Men and women claiming innocence apply to have the students take up their cases. Each is vetted by Howard, Tankleff and others before being presented to the students.

When the class began, a few dozen cases came in. Today, the Prisons and Justice Initiative team is fielding more than 400, Howard said.

They just keep coming in, Howard said.

During the semester, the students transform into investigative journalists, documentarians and social justice activists as they examine cases that have often been overlooked by other innocence organizations. They travel to visit their clients as they reinvestigate the crime and conviction and try to unearth new leads and evidence. Their task is to explore the main issues, challenges, injustices and human stories involved, according to the program.

According to the program, the students work has contributed to the exonerations and releases of Valentino Dixon, Eric Riddick, Keith Washington and Arlando Tray Jones III, who collectively served more than 103 combined years in prison. Princeton University has also launched a Making An Exoneree program and is responsible for one of the six people who have been freed, Howard said.

Barros case wends its way to Georgetown

Howard said Barros case was brought to his attention by Analicia Chaves, of New Bedford, a social media influencer who goes by Ana Montana and boasts 3.3 million followers.

Chaves, who did not respond to messages, praised Barros in the documentary as a loyal friend with strong morals and integrity.

The Barros case rose to the top, Howard said.

They found some things that hadnt been widely known and hadnt been introduced in court that very strongly suggested innocence, Howard said.

Drawn to revisit Barros case

Hendi, whose parents are Palestinian, said Barros case resonated with her, based on her familys background.

Its very normal for Palestinians to be imprisoned unjustly, Hendi, 25, said.

Over the last three years, Hendi said she has spoken with Barros and his mother almost daily.

'Dark cloud' over District Court: Ex admin alleges coverups, dysfunction and retaliation

I really feel like hes my brother and shes a second mom to me, said Hendi, who now lives in Jordan.

She describes Barros as an incredible and passionate person of immense conviction.

The DNA evidence was shocking to me, Hendi said. Forget all of that. Stephen confessed at the scene of the crime. Stephen had the gun in his hand.

Terrel Barros, center, confers with his lawyers during his trial for fatally shooting Jamal Cruz and wounding Rokiem Henley outside Providence's Monet Lounge in 2012.

Matos faulted the prosecutors for misleading jurors, writing, "it appears that the prosecution specifically elicited the testimony to create a false impression that Barross DNA was on the gun.

Hendi and Howard also disputed a statement by the police that Cruz nodded that Barros was the shooter as he told officers, "I'm fading, I'm fading.

That is about the weakest identification Ive ever heard of, Howard said.

Hendi created an Instagram page, online petition and fundraiser to support Barros reentry with fellow students Caroline Porterfield and Leonardo Teixeira, who joined her in reinvestigating the case.

They look to lyrics written by Bodden in Letter to Terrel in which he sings of his remorse that he Got my [expletive] in a cell.

Its basically an ode to Terrel, Howard said.

A night of partying turns deadly

Cruz, a 38-year-old Massachusetts father of twin boys, and Rokiem Henley had traveled from Brockton, Massachusetts, hours before the shooting to attend a birthday celebration at the Monet Lounge.

Henley, who was shot in the leg, identified Barros as one of the men with whom Cruz had argued inside the club shortly before closing, with tensions spilling out into the parking lot.

The police testified that Cruz nodded that Barros was the shooter as he was about to die. A lawyer for Barros insisted it was Bodden, Barros' companion, who shot the gun that night. The late Thomas Connors, who with Joseph Voccola represented Barros, told jurors that police found Bodden jamming the gun into the passenger-side door after the shooting and that Bodden's DNA, not Barros', was on the gun.

Barros, who could not be reached for comment, was found guilty on six counts. Superior Court Judge Robert D. Krause sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences plus three consecutive 10-year terms for the shootings of Cruz and Henley. (Matos oversaw Barros' effort to overturn his conviction, because Krause had made a previous adverse ruling involving the case, Kando said.)

Bodden pleaded guilty to charges of carrying a pistol without a license and common law felony. He was sentenced to 10 years at the ACI, with four to serve.

Hendi said she tried to remain upbeat throughout their journey, assuring Barros, Weve got this.

"In the back of my mind, I was afraid that I may have been giving Terrel false hope. Not because of what we were doing but because we were fighting the same system that convicted him in the first place, Hendi said. Honestly, the man has had enough.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Man has RI murder conviction overturned, thanks to Georgetown students
Fears of an invasion dont justify Texass usurpation of federal authority on border enforcement, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge David Ezra of the Western District of Texas concluded that the state must move rows of floating barriers in the Rio Grande  whether or not it thinks an invasion is underway.

The legal decision represents a significant defeat to the major legal and rhetorical justification that Texas state officials including Gov. Greg Abbott (R) have used to cross into border enforcement, a territory traditionally occupied by the federal government.

Abbott issued a statement Wednesday lambasting the decision and doubling down on Operation Lone Star, the states migrant deterrence policy.

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We will continue to utilize every strategy to secure the border, including deploying Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers and installing strategic barriers. Our battle to defend Texas sovereign authority to protect lives from the chaos caused by President Bidens open border policies has only begun. Texas is prepared to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, said Abbott.

For years, the governor has pushed state agencies to fight against the invasion at our border, as he instructed the head of the Texas state police in 2022.

Thats a power that Texas conservatives have argued is guaranteed under the Constitution  in particular Article I, Section 10, which bars states from military action unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Under Operation Lone Star, the Texas government has used this as the justification to move soldiers to the border; arrest and jail migrants for trespassing, as most illicit border crossings are not a crime under federal law; and repel people from crossing.

These actions are all land grabs of long-established federal prerogatives, Denise Gilman of the University of Texas Law School told The Hill.

The floating barrier is just a little piece of a larger operation by the state of Texas to get involved in immigration enforcement in ways that are deeply problematic and almost certainly unlawful, Gilman said.

The state Republican party has based its case on a dark vision that conflates migration with the activities of drug cartels  which Texas often implies are identical to the Mexican state.

Ezra, the judge in the case, did not contest whether Texas was under invasion by foreign forces. Instead, he argued that it wasnt up to the state to make that call.

Whether Texass claim of invasion is legitimate is a non-justiciable political question demonstrably committed to the federal political branches, he said.

Translation: Its up to the president and Congress to decide if the state is under invasion at all.

Still, Ezras injunction is already spurring advocates into further legal action.

We initiated the complaint against the buoys with the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney filed a lawsuit. Were looking forward to dismantling the remainder of this bogus wall wasting Texas taxpayer dollars for political stunts that have done zero to stop immigration into the United States, said Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Operation Lone Star is a colossal failure  politically, on a humanitarian basis and just on a moral basis.

Though the language of the injunction is deliberately narrow, it opened larger questions, particularly regarding border crossings, according to Robert Barsky , a professor of law at Vanderbilt University who researches the intersection of humanities and law.

What the judge is doing is what judges do. Which is, as narrowly as possible, stick to the statute, stick to the law, stick to the Constitution, so that it doesnt get shot down on appeal, Barsky said.

He added that the decision should be seen as a proxy for broader questions: for example, what are our obligations to vulnerable migrants?

Barsky noted that any actions to deter people from entering the country to seek asylum  whether their case stands up or not  violate U.S. treaty obligations.

The ruling makes strong reference to state interdiction on federal ground. But I think theres really a much broader question here of why it is that we are part of the international refugee law regime, and what kind of statement the governor is making about human life when he jeopardizes it so dramatically with the razor wire and with these barriers, Barsky said.

Ezras terse approach to the broader question of invasion rhetoric reaffirmed the Supreme Courts 2012 conclusion in Arizona v. United States, which says that immigration, enforcement immigration actions are all within the federal governments purview, Gilman said.

In that case, the Obama administration had sued Arizona for laws allowing deputies to check the immigration status of detainees  a right that the court ruled stepped on federal authority.

Though the Supreme Court had a 5-4 conservative majority at the time, Chief Justice John Roberts and then-Justice Anthony Kennedy  who wrote the majority decision  sided with three of the courts liberals to find against Arizona.

But the Abbott camp finds support in then-Justice Antonin Scalias dissent in that decision, in which he argued that the Constitution doesnt deny states the power to exclude from the sovereigns territory people who have no right to be there.

Texas is asserting the states right described by Scalia, said Carine Martinez of the right-wing Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF).

The state can defend itself in the case of a sudden or imminent invasion, Martinez, herself an immigrant from France, told The Hill.

She argued that the buoys  which include sharp anti-personnel disks similar to circular saw blades  are necessary to both protect the state and also to protect migrants from drug dealers.

She also cast the need to close off the river as a safety measure to deter people from dangerous crossings. Migrants were drowning, because they were trying to cross the river, she said. Its very, very dangerous.

But civil rights advocates say the opposite is true.

Our concern with those buoys and even the razor wire is the loss of life. Crossing the border illegally is really a civil misdemeanor offense, said Lydia Guzman, national immigration committee chair at LULAC.

And when it comes down to it, that shouldnt be punishable by death.

The state isnt just moving into federal territory, Gilman argued: Its changing the idea of immigration enforcement from a civil one to a highly punitive one.

Its a question of how do you manage sort of a situation with higher numbers at the border  and theyre conveying an image that this is all criminal threatening behavior, she said.

And then theyre taking approaches that are discriminatory and punitive and lacking in due process to respond, she added.

Other activists argued that the invasion rhetoric employed by the right was dangerous in its own right.

Guzman pointed to the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting, where a gunman who expressed anti-Mexican xenophobic and racist motivation killed 23 people and injured 22 others.

Thats the type of consequences that this extreme rhetoric will do she said. And when you have crazy folks like that acting, and now you have a governor who should be acting responsibly.

Instead, she said, hes doing this.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An unruly group of 40 to 50 people wreaked havoc outside the Thurston County Jail in Tumwater Thursday night, prompting a response from deputies and police officers.

The rioters set off fireworks, blocked the road, pulled small trees out of the ground, and lit grass around the jail on fire, according to Thurston County deputies.

Deputies and officers from Tumwater and Olympia arrived and began preparing less-lethal devices to break up the crowd. Thats when the rioters ran away, leaving behind a sign that said, FIRE TO THE PRISONS, EVERYONE GOES FREE.

For the record, Thurston County Jail is actually a jail, not a prison. It says JAIL on the front of the building, the Thurston County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post.

An arson investigation is in progress.
A Sarasota judge approved the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office petition for a risk protection order against the Sarasota Middle School student who made alleged threats against a local elementary school.

Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Charles E. Williams ruled the Sheriff's Office presented clear and convincing evidence that the risk protection order should remain in effect and ordered that the student should not be able to readily access firearms.

Williams also determined that since the student was examined by a neurophysiologist the day before the hearing, the child wouldn't require another mental health examination.

Due to the age of the minor, The Herald-Tribune will not publish the names of the student or their family members for safety reasons.

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Previous reporting: Sarasota middle school student suspended, held for alleged threat to local elementary school

In other court news: Osprey man sentenced to 15 years in prison for hit-and-run that killed Pine View student

During Friday's hearing, the student and his parents sat before the judge with their attorney, Justin Drach, calling in via teleconference for the hearing. Drach argued the student was illegally held under the Baker Act as he doesn't suffer from any mental illnesses but is just a 12-year-old boy with ADHD, and he doesn't pose a threat to himself or others, according to testimony by an adult and pediatric neuropsychologist.

General Counsel for SCSO Alyssa Claseman said the risk protection order should be approved, pointing towards testimony from a school police officer who said the student has had troubling behavior in the past, including having to have aids assigned to him to separate him from big crowds of students and previously bringing a homemade wooden shank to school, as well as the detailed maps that were discovered.

In August, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was called to perform an evaluation of the 12-year-old student by Sarasota County School Police following the student's suspension for repeated behavioral problems.

While searching the student's home, with the permission of his parents, deputies found two hand-drawn maps of Lakeview Elementary School which supposedly noted the location of security cameras, and the classrooms of two teachers and included the words "destroy" and "eliminate" next to the teachers' names, according to previous Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporting and court documents.

The student was taken to Bayside Center for Behavior Health for treatment under Florida's Baker Act. The act gives police and doctors the power to place an individual into involuntary mental health treatment for up to 72 hours as a way to protect the person from harming themselves or others.

Read more about the Baker Act: Police cant diagnose mental illness. So when does the Baker Act come in?

A motion was filed on Aug. 18 and granted by a Sarasota judge, ordering all firearms and ammunition in the home be surrendered to law enforcement.

Community members raised concerns over gun safety and school safety at a Sarasota County School Board meeting Tuesday in which the Board approved a new communication plan and discussed the threat made to the elementary school.

Transcript of detectives' interview reveal student made maps as "prank"

In a motion filed on behalf of the student on Wednesday, Drach included a transcript of the interview that sheriff's detectives conducted with the student when they initially spoke to him on Aug. 17.

In the transcript, the student tells detectives that the maps they found were for pranks he and another individual had made when they were "messing around," and that they had planned on bringing a fart machine and fart spray into the school. However, the student said his father made him get rid of both items.

The teen also said that he'd drawn different colored zones on one of the maps, indicating where he and the second individual had to walk quietly or where the playground was, and that it didn't have anything to do with cameras or pranks.

In a section of the interview highlighted red, the detectives pressed the student about what he meant when he wrote "destroy" and "eliminate" on the maps he'd drawn, with the teen repeating he wanted to prank the teachers, and that he used the language because he had heard the terms used in video games he plays.

"By destroy or eliminate, I don't mean anything like hurt. I mean, like, prank," the student said in the interview.

The student told detectives in the interview that both teachers were really nice. When further questioned to share how he felt about the teachers, the student said at the beginning of fourth grade, he had to miss school for a few weeks since he was sick and his father later had COVID-19, which caused him to fall behind in class.

The student claimed his teacher didn't help him when he returned, and that was the reason his grades began to slip.

"(I) didn't mean anyone any harm," the student said. "They're all in all really nice teachers."

SCSO Detective Hayden Gallof, who investigated the case, said on the stand Friday that based on the accumulation of the maps and the student's knowledge of where the firearms were in the house, he believed a risk protection order needed to be filed.

Gallof said it was deemed that without treatment, the student would cause harm to others based on the maps and unsecured weapons that were found in the home.

However, Gallof was adamant he was not an expert on mental illness and that the student was placed under the Baker Act because it was believed by the detective that he was a danger to himself or others based on speaking with the parents, the interview with the student, the maps and the access to firearms.

Pediatric neuropsychologist testifies student has ADHD

Dr. Gesenia Sloan-Pena, an adult and pediatric neuropsychologist, was called to testify by Drach on behalf of the student, believes he is not a threat to himself or others. While the 12-year-old does have poor judgment and decision-making skills and has difficulty identifying that his actions have consequences, he doesnt have depression, suicidal ideations or homicidal ideations, she concluded.

"What he needs is psychotherapy and medication to help him learn to stop and think about his actions and ask himself, Is this a smart idea? Sloan-Pena said.

He is not a threat to himself or anyone else, Sloan-Pena said. When further asked if the student should be given access to firearms, Sloan-Pena said she doesnt think any child should be given access to firearms.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota judge extends risk protection order for middle school student
SYDNEY, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Workers of Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Australia went on strike on Friday, after last-minute talks between the energy giant and labor unions broke down.

Offshore Alliance, a partnership between the Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Workers Union (AWU) representing oil and gas employers, said on social media that the protected industrial action is scheduled to start from 1:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Friday.

"Chevron are demanding they be given special concessions in bargaining - a demand which we have put through the shredding machine. Their bargaining performance has been the most inept effort of any employer the Union has dealt with in the past five years and our members have had enough," said the union.

As per notices posted by the union, workers at all three of Chevron's west coast facilities would participate in rolling stoppages, bans, and limitations. From Sept. 14, the action could be escalated to full-blown 24-hour strikes each day for two weeks.

"Our members want some say over rosters to ensure they are family-friendly, job security, so they can't be replaced by temporary labor hire employees and to reach agreement on other matters relating to overcycle, training standards, travel arrangements and rates of pay," Offshore Alliance Spokesperson and AWU Western Australia Secretary Brad Gandy said earlier.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Chevron Australia confirmed in a statement that the conciliation sessions with the Fair Work Commission ended on Friday without agreement.

According to the statement, the company bargained and sought to reach a deal that "achieves a market competitive outcome."

"Unfortunately, following numerous meetings and conciliation sessions before the Fair Work Commission, we remain apart on key terms. The unions continue to seek terms that are above and beyond equivalent terms with others in the industry, including in agreements recently reached," said the spokesperson.

"We have been advised that industrial action will commence today. We will continue to take steps to maintain safe and reliable operations in the event of disruption at our facilities."

Chevron is currently leading a combined investment of over 80 billion Australian dollars (about 51 billion U.S. dollars) in the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas projects in Western Australia. Gorgon and Wheatstone, together, have the capacity to produce 24.5 million tons of LNG each year.

Data from Geoscience Australia suggested that in 2021, Australia's LNG exports reached a record high of 81.2 million tons, making the country the world's largest LNG exporter.

In the estimate of the Australian Financial Review, the strikes could threaten about 7 percent of the global LNG supply and 47 percent of Western Australia's domestic gas. 
Fans have been looking forward to the long-awaited marriage ceremony between Robin Roberts and fiancee, Amber Laign. The Good Morning America host announced earlier in the week that the wedding will be in one week, confirming that the day of her nuptials will be September 8. The two have even picked up their marriage license, which they posted on the eve of their wedding. Wedding bells are ringing and it seems that everyone is excited to celebrate their union!

T-Minus 1 week till the big dayof course I still find time to say #RabbitRabbit Blessings to all this month & always.  Robin Roberts (@RobinRoberts) September 1, 2023

Leading up to the wedding, GMA invited planner JoAnn Gregoli from Elegant Occasions by JoAnn Gregoli to share insight on the lavish plans of the wedding. According to her, the wedding will be dreamy and romantic. She explained an aesthetic of a floral wonderland with pink and cream flower walls, gold candles and pink and peach roses throughout the venue. The wedding and its celebration is set to be a spectacle of opulence.

While fans gear up for couples impending nuptials, 21Ninety wanted to take a trip down memory lane with a round up of other lavish celeb weddings that had everyone in awe this year!

Lavish Celebrity Weddings of 2023

The most recent wedding that everyone cant stop talking about is the union between actors KJ Smith and Skyh Black. Black is known for her role on BETs Sistas. The two wed in Malibu, where they had their first date. Some names that joined them on their big day include Tyler Perry, Eva Marcille, Lil Rel Howry as well as Devale and Khadeen Ellis.

Slutty Vegan founder, Pinky Cole married her longtime partner, Derrick Hayes in Atlanta this year. The holy matrimony was officiated by the This Is How We Do It artist, Montell Jordan. The night was full of lavish decor and experiences but one of the most eye-catching aspects of the event was Coles dress. Her custom made Milano Di Rouge gown was a first for the luxury apparel brands owner, Milano Harris

Simone Biles had not one but two wedding ceremonies this year. She first married her new hubby, Jonathan Owens, at an intimate ceremony inside a Texas courthouse in April. The two then turned things up a few notches by having a luxurious ceremony with a much larger guest list in Cabo San Lucas just a month later. A live cellist performed as she walked down the aisle. Biles also recalled that the most magical moment was when there were whales jumping out of the water as the ceremony started.

The post Robin Roberts Is Set To Say I Do! A Look at Other Luxe Celebrity Weddings We Love appeared first on 21Ninety.
The Romanian National Committee for Emergency Situations has decided to step up protection measures in areas near Ukrainian cities that are under fire from Russia.

Source: Digi24, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The committee's decision authorises the Ministry of National Defence to identify areas on the Romanian side of the Danube, opposite the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail, that are being bombed by Russians. Protection measures are to be introduced in these areas.

These measures include sending out Ro-Alert messages in areas where there is a risk of "elements belonging to the means of warfare used in the conflict" falling.

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In addition to alerting the population with Ro-Alert messages, county emergency inspectorates will instruct local residents on how to act in threatening situations.

Shelters will be built in Plauru and Ceatalchioi, as well as in other settlements.

Background:

On 4 September, Ukraine reported that two Shahed attack drones had crashed in Romania during a Russian attack on Izmail and Reni.

At first, the Romanian side categorically denied the incident. However, on 6 September, the Minister of Defence confirmed that fragments similar to drone wreckage had been found near the banks of the Danube on the Romanian side and submitted for examination.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis then said that an urgent investigation was needed and that if it was confirmed that these were fragments of a Shahed drone, Romania would consider the situation "absolutely unacceptable".

The country has also begun discussing the evacuation of residents of villages across the Danube opposite Ukrainian ports.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Romania will introduce new security measures to protect the civilian population near the Danube River in response to Russian strikes against Ukrainian ports, based on a document issued on Sept. 7 by Romania's National Committee for Emergency Situations.

These steps will include identifying areas at risk of falling "elements of the means of combat," issuing warnings through the Ro-Alert emergency system, and building shelters in the settlements on the Romanian side of the Danube River, namely in Plauru and Ceatalchioi.

The authorities will also select existing structures that can be used as shelters and will instruct the population in the area on what to do in dangerous situations.

Identifying the areas that are at heightened risk of falling debris will be carried out by Romania's Defense Ministry.

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According to the document, the decision was taken due to the "recent and repeated attacks carried out on the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail, as well as the response of the Ukrainian air defense that caused the dispersion of the projectiles over large areas."

Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian ports on the Danube River, lying not far from the Romanian border, after Moscow's unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Following a drone attack overnight on Sept. 4, Ukraine said that some of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had fallen and detonated on Romanian soil.

Bucharest initially denied the report, only to change their statement on Sept. 6 when Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar confirmed that what appears to be drone fragments had been found on Romania's side of the Danube River.

According to NATO, there was no indication that the fragments were a result of a deliberate Russian attack against the Alliance member Romania.

Read also: Stoltenberg: NATO sees no indication of deliberate Russian attack against Romania

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's government will approve on Friday a plan to upgrade road infrastructure in the Black Sea port of Constanta, part of wider investments in the port which could help more Ukrainian grain to transit.

Constanta is Ukraine's largest alternative export route, with grains arriving by road, rail or barge on the Danube.

Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters and Romanian government officials have said they aimed to double the monthly transit capacity of Ukrainian grain to Constanta to 4 million tonnes in the coming months.

The government has upgraded dozens of railroad lines connecting it to Ukraine, and works are under way on the Danube to enable more barges to pass, including by hiring more pilots and making navigation possible at night.

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In Constanta Port, the transport ministry will use European Union funds to repair or reinforce existing infrastructure, build new roads, access ramps and roundabouts, as well as launch a digitized traffic management system, the draft project showed.

"This is clear proof Romania is making serious efforts to support Ukraine by enabling grain transit, but also to interconnect the region," Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told a government meeting.

Works in the port, which will cost 721.3 million lei ($155.67 million), are estimated to take 36 months.

Since July, when Moscow abandoned a deal that lifted a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, it has repeatedly struck Ukrainian river ports that lie across the Danube from Romania.

Ukraine shipped 8.1 million tonnes of grain through the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta in the first seven months.

Exports through the port could increase to 35 million metric tons per season if certain changes are made to operations, the head of the Ukrainian grain traders union UGA said.

($1 = 4.6336 lei)

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie, editing by Angus MacSwan)
The Romanian and US navies are organising Sea Breeze 23.3, a multinational exercise that will take place from 11 to 15 September in the Black Sea and Danube Delta.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the press service of the Romanian Navy

Details: Military personnel from Bulgaria, France, the United Kingdom, Turkiye and Ukraine will also take part in the exercise.

The main purpose of the exercise is to develop interoperability and tactical compatibility between the participating countries in the field of countering explosive ordnance, in particular sea mines, in order to ensure freedom of navigation.

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The Romanian Navy will be represented by the Sublocotenent Alexandru Axente vessel, the Venus fast diving ship, the Posada armoured personnel carrier, three amphibious armoured personnel carriers, assault boats and other vessels, as well as explosive ordnance disposal specialists, marines and staff officers.

The United States will be represented by a Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, demining divers with boats and special equipment. Other participating countries will send divers, explosive ordnance disposal specialists and staff officers.

The situation in the Black Sea and on the Danube remains tense due to Russian provocations. Russian troops are systematically attacking Ukrainian ports on the Danube and blocking navigation in the Black Sea.

Background:

On 4 September, Ukraine reported that two Shahed attack drones had crashed in Romania during a Russian attack on Izmail and Reni.

At first, the Romanian side categorically denied the incident. However, on 6 September, the Minister of Defence confirmed that fragments similar to drone wreckage had been found near the banks of the Danube on the Romanian side and submitted for examination.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis then said that an urgent investigation was needed and that if it was confirmed that these were fragments of a Shahed drone, Romania would consider the situation "absolutely unacceptable".

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






The room where Obama watched the Bin Laden raid was stripped out of the White House will not be rebuilt at his Chicago library

White House photographer Pete Souza's iconic photo of President Barack Obama and top officials watching the raid that eventually killed Osama Bin Laden. Pete Souza/The White House via AP

Multiple outlets reported small conference room where Obama watched the Bin Laden room has been preserved.

But the reports about sending it in its entirety to Obama's library in Chicago aren't true, according to an Obama spokesperson.

The removal came amid a massive $50 million renovation of the White House Situation Room complex.

Correction: September 8, 2023  After this story's publication, a spokesperson for the Obama Foundation sent a statement refuting PBS's reporting. "There are no plans for the Situation Room to be rebuilt at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago," Courtney D. Williams, the communications director for the Obama Foundation, said in an email. The original story is below.

The small, secured conference room where President Barack Obama watched history unfold as US forces hunted down Osama Bin Laden will be reassembled in Chicago at his presidential center after it was stripped out of the White House earlier this summer, according to multiple reports.

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According to PBS, the room was preserved in its entirety and was sent to Chicago. The decision will easily guarantee that the room will join the list of major and weird inclusions at the sites dedicated to immortalizing modern presidents. For example, Reagan's presidential library includes the Air Force One plane that served him and his successors all the way through President George W. Bush.

Obama White House photographer Pete Souza's photo of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton watching the May 1, 2011 raid is one of the most famous photos of Obama's presidency. Souza's shot was also a rare public look into the Situation Room complex.

The preservation of the room came amid reports about the future of the Situation Room. First started after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Situation Room is actually a series of secured conference rooms where presidents and their top military advisors and aides can discuss classified national security information. Over the summer, the entire complex was shut down as workers completed a massive $50 million renovation of the entire complex. Reporters from multiple outlets were allowed a rare tour of the classified space.

Obama's presidential library previously made waves by moving to exclude the actual "library" part of the presidential center. Unlike the 13 other presidential libraries operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, the Obama Library aims to be a fully digital facility, meaning there will not be a reading room to examine records on the complex's grounds. It's unclear what the plans are for former President Donald Trump's library given that he is still seeking a second term in office.

Traditionally, taxpayers are only responsible for the library portion of what have become massive presidential centers. A former president's foundation, in this case, the Obama Foundation, runs and operates the museum portion that is filled with artifacts loaned to it by the National Archives.

Obama himself has said that he does not want his center to be an "ego" trip focused solely on the past.

"When Michelle and I started talking about the Presidential Center, we were really firm that what we want to do was create something for the future," he said during a 2017 interview after plans for his center were unveiled.

Read the original article on Business Insider
"There's a rot in the GOP and Tommy Tuberville is a perfect example of it."

On Thursday, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican member of Congress, slammed GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who complained about "wokeness" in the military amid his months-long military promotion stoppage protesting the president's military abortion policy.

Tuberville told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Wednesday that the armed forces are losing recruits because of so-called wokeness, Mediaite reports. After accusing the Biden administration of wanting to make everything "about equity" with its military policies, the Republican senator called on Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who co-authored a scathing op-ed accusing Tuberville of "aiding and abetting communists" by carrying out the hold, to "get wokeness out of our navy."

"We've got people doing poems on aircraft carriers over the loudspeaker. It is absolutely insane the direction that we're heading in our military and we're heading downhill, not uphill," Tuberville said, adding later that "we're running Russia into China" after responding "no" when Ingraham asked if the U.S. military could confidently take on the country.

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The Alabama Republican's recent comments about the military drew rebuke from Scarborough, who during his Thursday morning segment sharply condemned Tuberville's admission that he doesn't know what Pentagon officials "do every day."

"What an idiot!" Scarborough said, after playing a clip of Tuberville's remark. "What an idiot. Let me just say it again. What an idiot! What!? What? You don't know what our military leaders do in the Pentagon every day."

Scarborough went on to chastise Tuberville, explaining that the Pentagon protects the nation from enemies and freedom from tyranny and "idiocy like that guy." He ended his admonishment of the senator by acknowledging the "honorable Americans" who serve the country despite the sacrifices that come with doing so. "And those are the people that Tommy Tuberville is hurting every single day. It's disgusting," Scarborough concluded.

Watch below via MSNBC:
Queen Elizabeth II died one year ago on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle.

To honor the occasion, the royal family released a never-before-released photo of the late monarch.

King Charles III selected the photo himself, according to a press release from Buckingham Palace.

Friday marks one year since Queen Elizabeth II died.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time that Her Majesty "died peacefully at Balmoral," her beloved castle in Scotland.

She was 96 years old at the time of her death, and she remains the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

To honor the anniversary of her death, the royal family shared a never-before-released photo of the late queen.

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King Charles III, who became the British monarch the moment his mother died, selected the picture himself, as Buckingham Palace said in a press release that was shared with Insider.

Queen Elizabeth II is photographed by Cecil Beaton on October 16, 1968. Cecil Beaton, issued by the Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023 via Reuters

The photograph shows the late Queen dressed in royal attire, including the Garter robes and the Grand Duchess Vladimir's Tiara, which was created from 15 interwoven diamonds in the shape of circles, according to ITV.

According to the press release, famed photographer Cecil Beaton snapped the image on October 16, 1968, during an official sitting with Queen Elizabeth.

Beaton took photos of Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family throughout his career, first photographing the late monarch in 1942.

The photo released today was taken during Beaton's last sitting with the late monarch, according to the same press release.

Although the royal family had not released the photo before Friday, it was previously part of the exhibition "Beaton Portraits 1928-68" at the National Portrait Gallery from November 1968 to March 1969, the press release also noted.

In addition to the photo, King Charles released a statement reflecting on his mother's legacy on Friday.

King Charles released a statement about his mother a year after her death. WPA Pool / Getty Images

"In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us," he said. "I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."

He signed the message "Charles R.," which also showed the connection between them.

Queen Elizabeth's official signature as monarch was "Elizabeth R.," and the king appears to have followed in her footsteps.

The United Kingdom was in mourning following Queen Elizabeth's death, with thousands flocking to pay their respects to her. Over 2,000 people attended her funeral on September 19.

The royal family shared a second image of the Queen on its social media accounts on Friday.

The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2023

The image, which shows the late monarch wearing a purple dress and pearl necklaces and smiling for the camera, was accompanied by the caption: "In loving and everlasting memory. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 21st April 1926  8th September 2022."

Read the original article on Insider
RuPublicans billboard that reads Mind your wigs not our gigs, Greg!





www.instagram.com

Craig DeForest and his husband have been traveling the country in their Airstream camper, living the nomad life. In that time, they have grounded themselves by creating incredible artificial intelligence-created political commentary art with the wildly popular Instagram account RuPublicans, which they started in April.

The account has quickly gained a loyal following as the creators prompt the AI software to generate elaborate images of prominent Republican politicos dressed in drag.

www.instagram.com

As right-wing politics has continued to target the LGBTQ+ community, mainly through attacks on transgender people and drag queens, RuPublicans have taken conservative male politicians and activists to task by painting them with makeup and dresses to comment on the political moment the country finds itself in.

www.instagram.com

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The pair has successfully sourced funds for and developed a monthlong advertising buy in Texas, where RuPublicans have posted a billboard.

Mind your wigs, not our gigs, Greg! the billboard on I-35 South in Austin says, directly addressing the states Republican anti-LGBTQ+ governor, Greg Abbott.

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DeForest spoke with The Advocate from his camper as he and his partner stayed in Provincetown, Mass.

He explained that with the success of the RuPublicans came the opportunity to engage in targeted activism.

There have been many times where weve done posts of various political folks in drag. There have been requests from people in the comments saying theyd love to see a billboard of this.

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So, because of his awareness of recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation nationwide, DeForest said RuPublicans decided to target Texas due to its implementation on September 1 of Senate Bill 12, a law that restricts drag performance, which a Texas federal judge has put on hold.

That law could have a lot of effects on other types of performances too, because its so vague, DeForest said. So I thought it was a good opportunity to do something, and the time felt right.

He said that after a previously successful fundraising effort resulted in RuPublcans raising more than $21,000 for the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana Foundation, it became clear that something more could be done.

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He said that knowing that the ban was set to go into effect and that there was litigation surrounding it, a billboard seemed like a good idea.

And within three days, we raised the funds, he said, adding, The campaign launched on GoFundMe on a Friday, and by Monday morning, we had over $16,000.

The slogan, 'Mind your wigs, not our gigs, Greg' is meant to be kind of a fun play on words, he explained.

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Im not necessarily expecting to change a bunch of hearts and minds with it, he said. I think its more about showing support.

He continued, The other part of this campaign that was exciting is the ability to raise so much in funds that we could give money to other organizations.

He said the RuPublicans could donate $2,000 each to Equality Texas, Out Youth, Transgender Education Network of Texas, and the Resource Center, a Dallas-based nonprofit.

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They all support the community in different ways, and we were able to give them over $2,000 each, DeForest said.

He added that with almost 300,000 followers on the RuPublicans Instagram, the billboard is hopefully just the beginning.

The billboard will be up for the entire month of September.

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ANKARA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces have killed a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said on Friday.

The senior PKK member Ferit Yuksel, code-named Serzan Meva, was "neutralized" in Turkiye's cross-border Operation Claw-Lock zone, the military said in a statement.

He was responsible for the group's operations in the Zagros Mountains of northern Iraq, it added.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" in their statements to imply "terrorists" in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

In April 2022, Turkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq, targeting the PKK's hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. 
(Reuters) - Russia summoned the Armenian ambassador on Friday to present a protest about what it deemed "unfriendly steps" as tension in the South Caucasus surged over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Within hours, Armenia's foreign ministry issued a statement expressing willingness to resolve disputes with Azerbaijan over the territory, focal point of two wars in the past 30 years.

It made no reference to the Russian complaints.

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry, in a series of statements, said it was Armenia which was posing a threat to regional stability by abetting separatism in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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"Armenia pursues one goal: to sustain separatism in the territory of Azerbaijan through all possible ideological, political, military, financial and other means," the Azeri Foreign Ministry said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border.

Russia on Friday made a "harsh representation" to Armenia's ambassador for signing up to the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

It was also displeased with Armenia agreeing to host a military exercise with the United States and for a humanitarian visit to Ukraine by the Armenian prime minister's wife.

Armenia hosts a Russian military base and relies almost entirely on Russia for defence supplies.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview published this week that Armenia's policy of relying solely on Russia to guarantee its security was a strategic mistake.

He said Moscow, distracted by its war with Ukraine, had been unable to deliver and was winding down its role in the South Caucasus.

Karabakh, long recognised as part of Azerbaijan, is populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

Armenian forces captured territory around Karabakh as the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, but Azerbaijan retook the areas in a six-week 2020 conflict ended by a Russian-brokered truce. Talks have so far failed to clinch a long-term peace.

Armenia complains that Russian peacekeepers overseeing the 2020 truce have failed to end an Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. It has also openly questioned whether to remain in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led military alliance of six former Soviet republics.

Moscow insists that it intends to remain the principal guarantor of security in the Caucasus.

A foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told Reuters his country was ready to allow Red Cross aid from Armenia into Nagorno-Karabakh if Red Crescent aid from Azerbaijan was let in at the same time.

(Reporting by Reuters; writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Ron Popeski and Richard Chang)
Russia lost 640 troops in the past 24 hours, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Sept. 8. Russian losses have now exceeded 267,000 military personnel since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Read also: Most of Ukraines donated Western armor remains undamaged  report

According to Ukraines General Staff, Russian losses as of Sept. 8 include:

Personnel: 267,540 (+640),

Tanks: 4,529 (+23),

Armored combat vehicles: 8,726 (+23),

Artillery Systems: 5,753 (+31),

Multiple Launch Rocket Systems: 754 (+1),

Anti-aircraft missile systems: 507 (+1),

Aircraft: 315 (+0),

Helicopters: 316 (+0),

Tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): 4,570 (+29),

Cruise Missiles: 1,455 (+0),

Ships / Boats: 19 (+0),

Automotive equipment and tanks: 8,264 (+47),

Specialized equipment: 860 (+1).

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Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. During the first year of the conflict, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated almost the entirety of Kharkiv Oblast in eastern Ukraine and the right bank of Kherson Oblast in the south, including the administrative center of Kherson city itself.

Read also: Ukraines counter-offensive is an active, dynamic, but very long process  Malyar

The Ukrainian military initiated a counteroffensive in the south and east of Ukraine in June 2023, progressively liberating occupied territories and establishing positions along reclaimed frontlines.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russia withdrew all of its aircraft from Belarus in August, except for one Su-25 attack aircraft.

Source: Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet

Details: The monitoring group reports that the entire Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft group was withdrawn on 5 August.

Quote: "11 helicopters (four Mi-8s and seven Mi-24s) of the Russian Aerospace Forces left Machulishchy [airbase in Belarus] for Seshcha airfield (Russia's Bryansk Oblast). Nine Su-34 and Su-30SM Russian Aerospace Forces fighter jets flew from the Baranavicy airfield [Belarus] to the Russian Federation.

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Most of the helicopters and planes that left had been in Belarus since early January 2023. Thus, the aircraft element of the Regional Military Grouping (RMG) in Belarus has ceased to exist."

More details: As of 1 September, only one Su-25 attack aircraft was left in Belarus, which landed at Machulishchy on 25 July and moved to Lida airfield on 31 August.

White indicates the withdrawn aircraft, whereas red  what remains. infographic: Belaruski Hajun.

Meanwhile, as Hajun reports, about 2,100 Russian Armed Forces troops remain in the country.

Quote: "We may state that a significant reduction in the number of Russian troops stationed in Belarus occurred in July and August. The field camps of the Russian Armed Forces at the following training grounds were shut down: "Abuz-Liasnouski, Liepielski and Asipovicy, and the troops stationed there and belonging to the RMG left for the Russian Federation, and it was not a rotation."

Background: In mid-July, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported the withdrawal of almost all Russian troops from Belarus.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Ukrainian hackers have leaked documents showing the Russian military was behind recent efforts to recruit about 200 Cuban mercenaries, mainly coming from the island, to join Russian forces invading Ukraine.

Hacker group Cyber Resistance infiltrated the email account of Maj. Anton Valentinovich Perevozchikov, a Russian officer in the Western Military District in Tula, 120 miles south of Moscow, who was involved in recruiting Cubans.

The cache of documents, many published by the citizen journalism website InformNapalm and also reviewed by The Intercept, includes the names, birth and photos of the passports of 199 Cubans. The oldest recruit on the list was a 69-year-old man from Havana. The youngest turned just 18 in March.

Most men were originally from Havana, though the documents show Cubans were recruited all over the country and traveled to Russia in July and August. A majority entered Russia directly from Cuba to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow in groups of 10 to 30 people, but at least five entered from neighboring Belarus on July 1. In late May, Valery Revenko, a deputy defense minister in Belarus, had discussed the training of Cuban military personnel in Belarus with Cuban officials, including Cubas military attache in Russia and Belarus, Col. Monica Milian Gomez.

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Among the documents published by InformNapalm are several photos of Cuban passports next to Russian migration cards stating the reason for visiting the country as tourism.Cubans do not require visas to enter Russia.

Several photos and stories published on social media by some of the men confirm they have joined the Russian military. Pedro Soto Hernandez, 59, from Granma province in eastern Cuba, published a photo wearing the Russian army uniform on Aug. 7, with the caption For the motherland.

From Moscow, the men traveled to Tula, where Perevozchikov coordinated the translation of their passports and handed them the contracts, InformNapalm said. The leaked documents do not include signed contracts but show templates translated into Spanish showing the men are promised the same benefits offered to Russians enrolled in the army, including monthly payments equivalent to $2,000 and a one-time $2,000 payment.

The new revelations come after two young Cubans denounced they were scammed into believing they were traveling to Russia for construction work but ended up forcibly recruited as mercenaries in the city of Ryazan, in central Russia, alarming activists who speculated that Cuba and Russia, close political and military allies, might be behind the effort.

The Cuban government, which denies any participation, said Thursday that it had detained 17 people involved in these activities, including three that authorities believed were the organizers of a ring recruiting Cubans to send them to Russia as mercenaries. The rest are Cubans who confessed to having joined the operation by individual and voluntary decision, in exchange for residence in the Eurasian country and a substantial monetary remuneration, Cubas official news site Cubadebate said.

In an earlier statement, the Cuban government said that its Interior Ministry had uncovered the ring and that Cuba was acting firmly against those who within the national territory participate in any form of human trafficking for mercenary purposes or recruitment purposes so that Cuban citizens may raise weapons against any country.

Jose Luis Reyes Blanco, a top official at Cubas Attorney Generals office, said in a video on state television on Thursday evening that it was yet unclear what charges those arrested will face.

Major Anton Valentinovich Perevozchikov is a Russian military official in the city of Tula in charge of recruiting Cuban mercenaries, leaked documents show.

Cuba is going through one of the worst economic crises in decades, with shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies and a crumbling infrastructure that cannot meet housing needs or maintain services like running water, electricity or trash removal. About 300,000 Cubans left the island for the United States in the past year. Many still living in the country want to emigrate, a desire likely exploited by the Russian and Cuban recruiters. InformNapalm perused the social media accounts of several Cuban mercenaries and said they seemed to have one thing in common: poverty.

Cuban Interior Ministry Col. Cesar Rodriguez provided a different description of the men, calling them people with antisocial behavior and criminal records on state television.

Some Ukrainian politicians cast doubt that Cuban authorities did not support such a broad recruitment operation.

The Cuban communist regime pretends that it has nothing to do with this human trafficking, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliaments committee on foreign relations, Oleksandr Merezhko, said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. In reality, this totalitarian regime is on the side of the aggressor.

Thirty members of the Ukrainian parliament, including Merezhko and Olena Shulyak, the leader of the Servant of the People party currently in power, issued a statement to the Assembly of the Resistance, a coalition of Cuban exile organizations based in Miami, expressing deep concern about the presence and participation of forces and mercenaries loyal to the dictatorship in the Republic of Cuba in the genocidal invasion of the territory of Ukraine.

We are watching how the regime in Havana supports Russian aggression in the international diplomatic arena, they said. The military component of the cooperation of the Republic of Cuba with the [Vladimir] Putin regime is a clear signal to the free world about the threat posed by the regime in Havana today.

In a video published by the Assembly of the Resistance with Spanish subtitles, a group of Ukrainian soldiers holding their weapons urged Cubans not to fight on the Russian side. Orlando Gutierrez, the assemblys coordinator, said the video was recorded by Ukrainian military forces in the Donbas region on Wednesday.

Cubans, do not let yourselves be fooled as in the Soviet era, a soldier says in the video. Do not allow them to make you part of the war and genocide against Ukraine.

Cuban people, remember this a woman said at the end of the message. It is better to die with dignity for the freedom of Cuba than to die as an invader of Ukrainian land.
As millions of Russians go to the polls for regional elections that wrap up on Sept. 10, there is little doubt that President Vladimir Putin s party, United Russia, will win the vast majority of contests. But the tightly controlled vote will still be interpreted as a test of confidence for the beleaguered strongman, who in late June survived the biggest challenge to his 23 years in power during the Wagner rebellion.

Pressure has been building up on the Kremlin since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has upended the Russian economy, not to mention causing the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers. U.S. officials have estimated that Russias military casualties are approaching 300,000. The war in Ukraine is also increasingly coming home to Russia, including Moscow, with at least 190 suspected drone attacks hitting the country and Russian-occupied Crimea.

In recent years, and especially following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the countrys remaining opposition figures have largely been cowed, exiled, or jailed. Critical media have packed up or been shut down by the Kremlin, and human rights organizations have been disbanded.

There likely wont be the surprises seen in the last round of local elections, in 2018, that saw United Russia lose four gubernatorial races. Even so, the vote remain an important moment for both Putin, who is hoping to shore up his legitimacy within Russia, and for Russias opposition, which is hoping to retain their last toeholds in Russian politics.

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The Kremlin is very worried about the outcome of these elections, says Regina Smyth, a professor at Indiana University whose research focuses on Russia.

Below, what to know about the vote.

Whats at stake?

The elections will take place in about half of Russia, plus the four occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as well as Russian-annexed Crimea. Over 4,000 contests are being held for a range of positions including governors, mayors, and deputies to the State Duma, the lower house of Russias parliament.

Voters gather to cast their ballots in a street near their apartment building during local elections in Donetsk, the capital of Russian-occupied Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine, on Sept. 6. AP

Since Putin became President in 2000, he has increasingly stacked the electoral odds in his favor. Election rules have been changed. Increasingly stringent rules for registering candidates mean that many opposition figures are disqualified from even running for office. The opposition maintains that voter fraud is widespread. Freedom House downgraded Russias rating from Partly Free to Not Free in 2004, a ranking the country has held continuously since then.

The Kremlin will be hoping that Russians who still have faith in the election will learn from the elections that even when you give people a choice, Putin still wins, says Smyth.

Elections are very important for the regimes legitimacy, but any scandals around it, and any thoughts that things are wrong harm this legitimacy, says Stanislav Andreichuk, the co-chair of Golos, an independent Russian vote-monitoring organization that the Kremlin has designated as a foreign agent." On Sept. 8, the first day of voting in Russia, Golos documented over 600 reports of voting irregularities, including vote buying, threats of violence, and blocking people from voting.

Dont mention the war

While the invasion of Ukraine has dramatically reshaped Russia over the past 18 months, it has rarely been mentioned explicitly on the campaign trail. It is everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Voters walk toward members of an electoral commission to receive their ballots at a polling station during local elections held by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, on Sept. 8. Alexander ErmochenkoReuters

The Kremlins party, United Russia, has advised its candidates to stop talking about the war," says Smyth. She notes that several Kremlin-backed candidates who have closely tied themselves to Russias war efforts have toned down their war rhetoric. For example, Vitaly Khotsenko, the former Prime Minister of the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk who is running as an incumbent for the governorship of Omsk, has largely exchanged extolling the war for talking about education and other local issues.

But experts say that when the war is inextricably tied to some of Russias biggest problems, it is hard to avoid altogether. According to Andras Toth-Czifra, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, veterans issues have been one of the few ways in which the war comes up explicitly.

In a country where you cannot call a war a war, its difficult to talk about it in a political campaign, says Toth-Czifra.

Andreichuk says that politicians who support the war have little to gain by talking about the countrys most divisive issue, while anti-war politicians must avoid voicing their opposition too obviously.

Russias opposition hopes to spoil the party

A few pockets of resistance may prevent Putins United Russia from winning a clean sweep in the elections.

The most competitive contest is likely to be for the governorship of Khakassia, a remote Siberian region known for its sweeping steppes and many lakes. Here, the incumbent Communist Partys Valentin Konovalov may win reelection after his Kremlin-backed opponent, Sergei Sokol, dropped out of the race. Sokol announced on Telegram that he was too ill to stand. But Russias opposition largely believes he stood little chance against Konovalov. He was scared to lose the campaign, says Andreichuk.

This shows that there are definite limits to even the Kremlins power in Russia today, says Smyth, especially in regions such as Khakassia that have long been a site of protest.

Yabloko, a long-standing liberal opposition party, is running 216 candidates under the slogan For Peace! across a range of offices. Nikolay Rybakov, Yablokos chairman, said in a statement to TIME that, There are several dozen parties in Russia that support the policies of President Putin. And there is only one partyYablokowhich opposes his policies. During this election cycle, Yablokos candidates have been threatened with violence, had their offices searched by the authorities, and had election materials seized.

Andreichuk, the co-chair of Golos, says that Yabloko candidates rarely go as far as criticizing Russias war effort directly to avoid running afoul of Russias laws about discrediting the military. Such statements would risk up to five years of imprisonment. But running on a pro-peace platform is absolutely incredible for todays Russia, he says.

Russias opposition has encouraged independent-minded Russians to vote for any party but United Russia. Alena Popova, a Russian opposition politician in exile and currently a Public Policy Fellow at the Wilson Center, says, I refuse to use the word election because we have a dictatorship. Even so, she says it is crucial for Russians to vote: Maybe in a few years we will have real elections, but we need to have this habit to vote."

Ukraine decries sham elections in occupied territories

The elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine and in Russian-annexed Crimea are taking place as many of Russias ordinary voting procedures have been suspended and the Kremlins candidates are running virtually unopposed. These areas remain the site of intense fighting as Ukraine seeks to break through Russias defenses.

The Ukrainian government and its Western allies have strongly denounced the elections as illegitimate. Even Russias supporters understand that these are sham elections, and they will not be accepted by any democratic country, says Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

Ukraine has used drones to drop leaflets over occupied towns telling people to refrain from voting. The elections are held to prove to Russian people that Russia will not give up on these territories, says Rudik, who is also leader of the political party Golos, which is unrelated to the election-monitoring group of the same name.

People are forced to go to the voting booth, they are forced to vote, and no matter what happens Russia will still produce an overwhelming victory for Putin, says Rudik. She has a simple message for Ukrainian citizens in the occupied territories: Do whatever is needed to save your life and those of your loved ones. Buy yourself time until the Ukrainian army comes and liberates you.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Local elections held by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk region

Local elections held by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk region

(Reuters) - The Russian embassy in the U.S. said on Friday that Washington was meddling in Russia's internal affairs by calling elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine that Moscow now considers Russian "illegitimate", the RIA news agency reported.

Russia is holding regional elections this week, including in the four Ukrainian regions it partly controls.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday: "Russia's sham elections in occupied areas of Ukraine are illegitimate".

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Jamie Freed)
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting on the development program for Far Eastern cities, via video link in Sochi

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had repelled numerous Ukrainian attacks along the front line and inflicted hundreds of losses on enemy forces, challenging Kyiv's assertion that Ukraine was making slow but steady progress in a counteroffensive.

Russia controls about 18% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea which it annexed in 2014 and a swathe of eastern and southern Ukraine which it took control of in 2022.

For several months, Ukraine has been battling to try to regain some of that territory and has retaken some villages but not yet made significant territorial breakthroughs against heavily fortified Russian lines which are strewn with thousands of landmines.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday singled out military units in the east and south for their fighting and military officials reported some breakthroughs in Bakhmut and near the village of Robotyne.

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Moscow said its forces had stood their ground though.

"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern grouping of troops, in cooperation with aviation and artillery, repelled 12 attacks," the Russian defence ministry said.

"In the Zaporizhzhia direction, units of the Russian group of troops during the day repelled five attacks," it added.

Russia said Ukrainian losses totalled nearly 1,000 men over 24 hours in the battles. Reuters is unable to verify battlefield reports by either side.

Ukraine has been trying to pierce Russian lines just south of the city of Orikhiv in an attempt to divide Russian forces and put its main supply lines under threat.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Russia appears to be rejoining the world trade despite sweeping sanctions, a German think tank said.

The volume of goods unloaded at Russia's three largest container ports in August approached pre-Ukraine war highs.

Official data from China also showed the country's imports from Russia rising by the most ever in August.

Russia's trade activity picked up in August, despite sweeping sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, according to a German think tank.

"In Russia's ports, the number of container ships arriving is surging and, despite sanctions and a weak ruble, is almost at the level seen before the outbreak of the war," the Kiel Institute for the World Economy wrote in a Thursday report.

The institute's calculations are based on the volume of goods unloaded at Russia's three largest container ports  St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, and Novorossiysk  per data compiled by FleetMon, a German shipping data service.

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The institute said it's unclear where the goods were coming from, but the activity at the country's ports appeared "surprisingly high."

"This occurs despite sanctions imposed by Western nations and the falling value of the ruble, which is disappointing," Vincent Stamer, the head of the institute's Kiel Trade Indicator, said in the report.

"Russia seems to be rejoining the world trade," he added.

The institute did not provide a breakdown of the volume of containers that passed through Russia's three largest ports in August. However, the report attached a graph that shows the year-on-year percentage change in container load arrivals to the three major Russian ports.

Kiel Trade Indicator August 2023.

A Kiel Institute for the World Economy graph shows the year-on-year percentage change in container load arrivals to the three major Russian ports.Kiel Institute for the World Economy

The report from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy came after data from Beijing on Thursday showed China's imports from Russia rose by the most ever in dollar terms in August, according to Bloomberg records.

In August, China bought $11.5 billion of Russian goods  including energy products and commodities  following a surge in trade between the two countries since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Total trade between China and Russia has already reached $155 billion in the first eight months of the year.

Mikhail Mishustin, the Russian prime minister, said in May that his country's trade with China is expected to rise to $200 billion this year, surpassing the previous record of $190 billion reached in 2022.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Russian missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky s hometown in Central Ukraine on Thursday night killed one person and injured at least 54, Ukrainian officials said.

Missile strikes damaged 10 buildings in Kryvyi Rih, and many of the injured are in serious condition, Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Video he shared on Telegram of the aftermath showed what appeared to be an apartment building on fire.

The fatality was a police officer, as were nine of the injured, Klymenko said.

Three people were also killed in a missile strike in the Kherson region, in southern Ukraine, overnight.

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Russias strike on Kryvyi Rih comes as the country organizes elections in occupied Ukrainian territories. The U.S. has denounced the elctions as a sham, and others have called out Russia for pushing forth pro-Kremlin candidates in races where they are often unopposed.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Ukraine this week, leaving Thursday after meeting with Zelensky and other Ukrainian leaders. He announced an additional $1 billion in U.S. aid for the country.

During his visit, a Russian strike on a market in eastern Ukraine killed 16 people and injured 33 others.

The strikes follow reported advancement by the Ukrainian military in the countrys southeast, potentially signaling a breakthrough in the countrys long-awaited and slow-advancing counteroffensive.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Russian multi-weapon attacks against Ukraine killed two civilians and wounded another eight on Sept. 7 and overnight, reported regional authorities.

A total of 10 Ukrainian oblasts were targeted during this period  Odesa, Sumy, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv. Casualties were reported only in the last five regions.

Overnight on Sept. 8, Russia launched 20 Shahed drones at Ukraine, 16 of which were shot down over Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts, according to the Air Force.

A non-residential building was damaged, and a fire occurred as a result of drone debris falling in Odesa Oblast, said Governor Oleh Kiper. No casualties were reported in the fifth Russian attack on the southern region in a week.

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The same night, Russian troops hit the village of Petropavlivka near Kharkiv Oblasts Kupiansk, injuring a 68-year-old man, Governor Oleh Synehuibov reported. Earlier, Russian attacks in the region wounded a 77-year-old woman as well as damaged two houses and a cafe, according to the official.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says

On Sept. 7, Russian forces struck Kherson Oblast 62 times, firing 281 projectiles from various weapons, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. One person was killed, and two more people were wounded, said Prokudin.

Russias military targeted 29 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, damaging 40 homes and civilian infrastructure facilities, the regional administration said on Facebook. A 54-year-old woman was reportedly killed in the village of Prymorske.

Russian attacks also wounded two civilians in Ukraines eastern Donetsk Oblast, according to the regional administration. Russia hit at least 16 settlements in the region, destroying or damaging over 30 houses, an agricultural building, and an industrial building, the authorities wrote.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian shelling of the Nikopol district injured two residents aged 52 and 57, Governor Serhii Lysak said. Eight homes, five farm buildings, cars, and power lines were damaged, he added.

Read also: Ukraine imposes sanctions on petty pro-Russian politicians, yet ignores most high-profile ones

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
VENICE, Italy, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- As film adaptations are becoming increasingly popular, the Book Adaptation Rights Market in Venice is an important forum for international publishers, film producers and streamers, the chief of the market and industry section of the Venice film festival has said.

Pascal Diot, head of the Venice Production Bridge, shared his view on the topic with Xinhua on Thursday at the ongoing 80th edition of the world's oldest film festival at Venice Lido.

Graphic novels, manga, essays and webtoons provide rich choices for film and television producers to bring stories from page to the screen, Diot said, adding that webtoons are booming and attracting young people in Europe and around the world.

The Book Adaptation Rights Market functions as an important forum for publishers after the Frankfurt Book Fair, facilitating the purchase of intellectual properties in order to produce television series and films, he noted.

A regular strand of the Venice Production Bridge, the Book Adaptation Rights Market is in its 8th edition this year, gathering 40 publishing houses and literary agencies and organizing hundreds of one-on-one meetings among international producers, streamers and publishers.

The Venice Production Bridge, an integral part of the Venice film festival, is a specialized hub for film professionals to advance and finalize their projects. 
Russian forces fired 18 times at communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Sept. 7, the local military administration reported via Telegram.

The attacks damaged a kindergarten, grocery store, adminstrative building, private home, motorcycle, garage, and two power lines in the Krasnopillia settlement.

Shelling in Miropillia struck a cell phone tower.

In Shalyhyne, shelling damaged a home.

The communities of Velyka Pysarivka, Khotin, Putyvl, and Bilopillia were also targeted.

Over the course of the day, the Russian military attacked the border with artillery, cannon, and mortar shelling. The Sumy administration also reported mine attacks, explosions from tanks, rockets launched from helicopters, and a missile strike.

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Multi-weapon attacks against the northeastern settlements of Sumy Oblast are a daily occurrence for the residents of these communities. Russian forces fire from across the border throughout the day, causing up to hundreds of explosions.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, people work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A Russian missile attack Friday on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys hometown killed one policeman and wounded at least 73 people, including nine policemen, Ukrainian officials said. Another attack in the southern Kherson region killed three people.

The strikes were among multiple Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said. Meanwhile, Moscow is trying to strengthen its position politically with local elections in the four regions it illegally annexed last year, even though it doesn't fully control any of the four. Ukraines Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it does not recognize the fake elections.

The strikes came days after 16 people were killed in a Russian attack on a market in eastern Ukraine and drone debris was found in Romania. That sparked fears among local residents that the war could spread into the NATO-member country bordering Ukraine.

Ten buildings were damaged in the attack on Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on Friday. Nine policemen were among those wounded, according to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraines Interior Minister. Photos posted by Klymenko on Telegram showed a building on fire, burnt timbers and emergency services evacuating the wounded. By evening, the number of wounded rose to 73, according to the Interior Ministry.

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Three people were also killed on Friday after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, Klymenko said.

Also on Friday, a funeral was held for an 18-year-old who was among 16 people killed Wednesday in a Russian attack on a market in Kostiantynivka in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region. The attack, which also wounded 33, turned the market into a fiery, blackened ruin and overshadowed a two-day visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed at assessing Ukraines three-month-old counteroffensive.

Blinken's visit signaled ongoing U.S. support with the announcement of an additional $1 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia is holding local elections in the part of the Kherson region it controls. Local elections are also being held in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Voting for federal and local legislators is also underway in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

In Kherson, local residents and Ukrainian activists say election poll workers have made house calls accompanied by armed soldiers.

Ukraine has dismissed the elections, calling on its allies to condemn Russias actions and urging them not to recognize any administration created as a result of the votes.

The war continued to raise difficult questions for other nations trying to manage the war's fallout on food security, inflation and other matters.

Britain announced Friday it will host a global food security summit in November in response to Russias withdrawal from a Black Sea grain deal and attacks on Ukraines grain supply.

The announcement came as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in India for a Group of 20 summit, where he hopes to marshal international resources to counteract the war's impact on the global food supply.

Sunaks government said Royal Air Force aircraft will fly over the Black Sea as part of efforts to deter Russia from striking cargo ships transporting grain from Ukraine.

We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, call out Russia if we see warning signs that they are preparing attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea, and attribute attacks to prevent false-flag claims that seek to deflect blame from Russia, the U.K. government said.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson in the meantime visited Ukraine on Friday and attended the Yalta European Strategy forum. In a video posted in Zelenskyy's Telegram channel, Johnson was seen listening to the Ukraine leader's speech along with Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, who now leads an international working group on sanctions against Moscow together with Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Zelenskyy in his speech said that for many in the world, Ukraine is not just a country in Europe that is defending itself against Russian aggression"  it is now a personal moral choice and a symbol of a standard of freedom in which people from different countries recognise their own standards.

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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Editor's note: This story is being updated as Ukrainian authorities publish new information on casualties and other consequences of the missile attacks.

Russian troops launched missile attacks against the cities of Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy on the morning of Sept. 8, killing one person and wounding at least 64 people.

Russia hit a police station in Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts Kryvyi Rih, damaging nearby residential buildings as well, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

One police officer has been confirmed killed, and nine more employees injured as of 1:30 p.m. local time, according to Klymenko.

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It is known that a total of 60 people were injured in the Kryvyi Rih missile strike as of 3 p.m., reported the Interior Ministry. The rescue operation is finished.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak said that the attack had damaged 14 administrative buildings, a religious facility, 17 apartment buildings, and four private households.

"Those who were at the epicenter of the events are provided with psychological help. More than 70 people have requested it," added Lysak.

According to Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city military administration, the administrative building where the police were stationed also hosted several offices.

In northeastern Sumy, a Russian missile hit a two-story apartment building, causing a large-scale fire and damaging over 20 houses and eight vehicles, the State Emergency Services regional department reported.

A dog was rescued at the site of Russias missile strike in Sumy in the early morning of Sept. 8, the Emergency Service of Ukraine reported. Every life matters, the agency wrote. pic.twitter.com/RPHoNUvDZA  The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 8, 2023

There were four victims in the attack, including one person hospitalized in critical condition and three people who received medical assistance on the spot, according to the latest information shared by the city council.

Earlier, the Sumy Oblast police said that an elderly couple was rescued from the rubble.

The morning attack injured another man in Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine, according to preliminary information published by the city's acting mayor, Anatolii Kurtiev.

The blast wave shattered windows in 30 apartment buildings and three educational institutions, Kurtiev later said on Telegram.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says

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The Russians launched an attack on the settlement of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast, injuring two teenagers and their parents.

Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutors Office

Details: At 12:20 on 8 September, the Russians launched attacks on the settlement of Pivnichne on the outskirts of the town of Toretsk. According to preliminary reports, the Russian forces attacked the settlement from artillery.

A Russian projectile has struck a private house with a family inside, injuring two brothers aged 14 and 15, their 37-year old mother and 43-year old father.

The victims received qualified medical treatment.

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A criminal proceeding for violating laws and customs of war has been initiated.

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One person was killed and at least 44 injured in a Russian attack on the police administrative building and offices in Kryvyi Rih on the morning of 8 September. The search and rescue operation is now complete.

Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipro Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; Oleksandr Vilkul , Head of the Defence Council of Kryvyi Rih, on Telegram; Ihor Klymenko, Minister for Internal Affairs, on Telegram; Ukrainian State Emergency Service (SES)

Quote from Klymenko: Kryvyi Rih. Attack in the centre of the city. One of the police administrative buildings has been destroyed. A policeman was killed in the Russian strike. The three people who were rescued from the rubble are rescue workers from the State Emergency Service. They are in a serious condition. Six employees have sustained injuries of varying severity."

PHOTO: IHOR KLYMENKO'S TELEGRAM CHANNEL

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Details: The State Emergency Service reported that 52 people were injured as of 12:30.

Vilkul says that 19 people are in hospital. Three of them have multiple injuries and are in the operating room.

Ivan Vyhivskyi, Head of the National Police, has clarified that another act of Russian terror "took the life of a freelance employee of the security police."

PHOTO: PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

He said 3 administrative buildings and 7 residential buildings, including a multi-storey building, had been damaged. The fire that started at some garages has now been contained. An inspection of the area is ongoing.

PHOTO: LYSAK'S TELEGRAM CHANNEL

Earlier, Vilkul said that a Russian missile hit an administrative building with several offices, including the office of the Ukrainian Perspective Foundation which he founded.

The official added that five casualties had been taken to hospital.

PHOTO: IHOR KLYMENKO'S TELEGRAM CHANNEL

"We are setting up a headquarters to help people at the School of Arts (former Central City District Committee) behind the monument to St Nicholas. People will be provided with building materials, applications for assistance from city funds for damaged property, etc.," Vilkul said.

The police are currently conducting door-to-door visits to check on the condition of the residents. Rescue operations are in progress.

PHOTO: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine urges residents not to approach the emergency services for safety reasons.

PHOTO: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE

Rescue workers have also set up an emergency psychological assistance centre.

Update: Yevhen Sytnychenko, Head of the Kryvyi Rih District Military Administration, reported at 11:46 that the search and rescue operation in Kryvyi Rih was complete. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has finished searches, there is no one else under the rubble.

Currently, municipal workers continue to deal with the aftermath of the attack on site.

Background:

On the morning of 8 September, Ukrainian authorities issued an air-raid warning in most of the oblast due to the threat of missile attacks.

At 09:03, Oleksandr Vilkul, Head of Kryvyi Rih City Council, reported that an explosion had rung out in the city.

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An air-raid warning was issued at Sumy Oblast on the night of 7-8 September and air defence systems were responding in the city.

Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration; Ukrainian Air Force

Quote: "An air defence system is responding in the city of Sumy. Stay in shelters until the all-clear is given."

Details: The all-clear was given at 05:56.

Later it became known that Russian terrorists had launched a missile attack on a residential area. A private residential building was destroyed.

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The Russians have dropped an aerial bomb on the settlement of Odradokamianka in Kherson Oblast. Three people were killed and four injured in the attack.

Source: Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on Telegram

Quote: "A Russian aerial bomb killed three civilians in Odradokamianka, 2 women and a man. Four residents were injured."

Details: Klymenko said that investigative and operative groups, forensic experts, rescuers and volunteers are working on the scene.

Background:

On Thursday, one civilian was killed in Odradokamianka due to Russian shelling.

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The Ukrainian Air Force detected several groups of Russian Shahed combat drones at about 22:00 on 7 September.

Source: Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram

Details: The Russians launched Shahed drones from Chauda in Crimea and the settlement of Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Kuban in Russia.

At about midnight it was revealed that the drones were approaching the mouth of the Danube river.

At 01:05 (Kyiv time), the Air Force reported that a group of attack UAVs was approaching Odesa. An air-rad alert was issued only in Odesa Oblast.

At 01:28 (Kyiv time), the threat of attack UAVs was announced in Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts.

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The military reported that a group of Shaheds had been spotted in the north of Kherson Oblast and was moving westwards.

At 02.14 (Kyiv time), it was reported that another group of attack UAVs was moving towards Odesa from the Black Sea.

Background: A grain elevator and an administrative building were damaged and a truck driver sustained a minor leg injury during the night on 6 September as a result of an attack by Russian Shahed drones on civil and port infrastructure facilities in Odesa Oblast in the south of Ukraine.

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Sacramentos city attorney has responded to District Attorney Thien Hos demand last month that the city bolster its enforcement of homeless camps within 30 days, essentially telling Ho that the city already is doing plenty and that his office could be doing more to help.

The Wednesday letter from City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood comes as Hos 30-day deadline for compliance has passed and opens the possibility that the DA will follow through on his promise to seek civil or criminal action against city officials if more is not done to address homeless issues.

The DA has taken no such action thus far, and Ho said in a statement Thursday he was studying the citys letter.

We are in receipt of the City Attorneys response to our August 7, 2023, letter, Ho said. We are currently evaluating the merits of the Citys response to our proposals to deal with the unhoused crisis affecting the entire city.

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A final decision on future litigation is forthcoming but will only be made after a thorough analysis of the facts, the law, and a review of the Citys efforts, or lack thereof, to effectuate meaningful change.

The six-page letter from the city attorney comes as both sides have been engaged in accusations over how best to address the issue of homeless camps that have sprung up throughout downtown and midtown Sacramento.

The issue also has been complicated by a homeless advocacy groups legal filings that resulted in a federal court order temporarily forbidding the city from clearing any homeless camps.

In her letter, Alcala Wood thanked Ho for a very productive July meeting with two officials from his office in which they discussed re-invigorating the collaborative approach our two offices have historically employed and agreeing on joint training for law enforcement regarding encampment enforcement at both the state and city level.

But she contended that some of what Ho is demanding is already being done, and wrote that the city and the DAs office both have the authority to prosecute violations of city codes, something the two offices agreed to as far back as 2006.

Responding to Hos Aug. 7 letter in a point-by-point fashion and quoting from it, she also pushed back on his contention that the city must prosecute violations of its codes for violations such as blocking sidewalks with tents.

I think now that I have made you more aware of our long history of collaboration stretching as far back as 2001, and the fact that you in fact do have jurisdiction to prosecute Sacramento City code violations - including unlawful camping violations - in the downtown core, that moving forward we will be in a much better position to equitably share responsibility for prosecuting violations of the City Code in order to improve the quality of life in city neighborhoods, she wrote.

Ho has said he wants 16 homeless camps cleared, but Alcala Wood wrote that more information is needed from (Ho) before a response is possible.

Was there a list of 16 encampments your office prepared? she wrote. If so, you have not yet provided it despite our requests and so no specific response about such encampments can be provided.

In any event, as you know, the city of Sacramento was prohibited from clearing or moving any encampments in the City by (U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunleys) order dated August 3, 2023, for a majority of your 30-day time period, she wrote.

Nunleys order has since expired, but the Sacramento Homeless Union is asking the judge to extend it through the third week of September. The group also has sent a letter to the State Bar of California accusing Ho of abusing his position in the dispute with the city.

Alcala Wood added that when the city learned of the homeless unions efforts to obtain a restraining order barring the clearing of camps, my office reached out to your office approximately 4 times for assistance.

Instead of providing a written declaration that could be presented to the judge, Alcala Wood wrote, Hos office declined to get involved.

She took a shot at Hos demand that the city create protocols for outreach, camp management and cleanup and the use of police and non-law enforcement to enforce state law and city codes.

Given your recent focus on homelessness, I am candidly surprised that you are unaware that the City has a formal policy on outreach, camp management/cleanup, and enforcement of state law and City Code violations through its Citywide Protocols, she wrote.

She also noted Hos aggressive public stance in the dispute, something that led Mayor Darrell Steinberg last month to accuse the DA of politicizing the issue.

The City is well represented by its legal office and efforts to undermine its effectiveness by making spurious comments to the media only serve to throw blame around rather than actually partner with my office to solve the issues our community demands of us, Alcala Wood wrote.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  The number of Filipinos without work in July reached 2.27 million, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed Friday.

The latest figure was down from June's 2.33 million.

This translates to a national unemployment rate of 4.8%.

However, during a briefing, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the labor force participation rate dropped to 60.1% from 65.2% a year ago, translating to 46.9 million Filipinos who were either employed or looking for jobs  a plunge by 3 million from a year prior.

The employment situation improved by a notch to 95.2% compared to the 94.8% in July 2022.

Underemployed persons, or those who have jobs but desire to have additional working hours or income stream, reached 7.10 million for the month.

Mapa attributed the drop in labor force participation to Filipinos "shifting to household duties."

"Pwedeng nagaalaga ng pamilya, household chores (They could be tending to their family members, household chores)," he said.

The official likewise said that the recent typhoons could have a link to the labor force participation, especially in the agriculture sector which saw a decline of 1.58 million year-on-year.

Aside from agriculture and forestry, the major industries that recorded the biggest drop in employed persons were the following:

- Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

- Public administration and defense; compulsory social security

- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- Real estate activities

The sectors with the largest gain in employment, meanwhile, were the following:

- Transportation and storage

- Administrative and support service activities

- Professional, scientific and technical activities

- Information and communication

- Manufacturing
Law enforcement officials on Friday warned residents about so-called sideshows planned to occur this weekend in Sacramento, the surrounding county and other parts of California, with local police promising maximum enforcement on both participants and spectators.

The Sacramento Police Department, along with other regional law enforcement agencies, are dedicating extra resources to respond to any sideshows that pop up over the weekend, according to a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Sideshows are gatherings in which groups of drivers illegally take over intersections, city streets, stretches of busy freeways and parking lots to do tricks with their cars, including burnouts and doughnuts.

The Police Department told The Sacramento Bee that sideshows dubbed LA to the Bay and CALI vs EVERYONE are planned for this weekend. Police said these sideshows create dangers for residents and drivers using these roads.

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The Sacramento Police Department is once again preparing to address the illegal and dangerous sideshow activities that are planned to occur in our city and county this weekend, the department said Friday in the social media post. Individuals participating in or spectating these events could be subject to arrest, have their vehicle towed, receive a citation or face fines.

Police officials told The Bee that they will be working with law enforcement agencies in the region, including the California Highway Patrol, to respond to any sideshows.

It appears law enforcement officials believe these sideshows have been planned to take place in other areas of the region.

The CHP Stockton office also issued a warning about the same LA to the Bay or CALI vs EVERYONE sideshows. In a Facebook post on Thursday, CHP officials warned they have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to sideshow activity in San Joaquin County.

If you choose to participate in this illegal and dangerous activity you are at risk of hurting or killing yourself or someone else, the CHP said in the Facebook post.

CHP officials in Stockton said they, along with the San Joaquin County Street Racing Task Force, will be out this weekend with dozens of additional officers on duty to target any sideshow activity.

Sacramento police asked residents to continue reporting sideshows by calling the dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357.
Justice Samuel Alito, part of the U.S. Supreme Courts six-judge conservative majority, said Friday he had no intention of stepping back from considering a case involving a lawyer with whom he had spent several hours in interviews earlier this year and who had written two articles in defense and praise of Alito.

There is no valid reason for my recusal in this case, Alito wrote in a statement released Friday with the courts periodic listing of cases it will take up or reject considering.

The lawyer, David Rivkin, works for Baker Hostetler LLP, a major law firm with more than 1,000 attorneys and offices in 17 cities in the U.S. He is one of the members of a team of lawyers representing the plaintiff in the case, Moore v. United States, which involves a challenge to the 2017 tax cut law pushed through Congress by Republicans.

As part of the laws overhaul of the corporate tax system, it required companies with profits held overseas to make a one-time repatriation, which was then taxed.

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Rivkin was also a co-author for two articles appearing in the Wall Street Journals op-ed section in April and July. The latter caused a stir because in it Alito said Congress had no constitutional grounds to impose ethics rules on the court.

In an Aug. 3 letter to Chief Justice John Roberts seeking Alitos recusal, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Alitos actions created at least the appearance of impropriety.

Mr. Rivkins access to Justice Alito and efforts to help Justice Alito air his personal grievances could cast doubt on Justice Alitos ability to fairly discharge his duties in a case in which Mr. Rivkin represents one of the parties, Durbin wrote.

Alito called the request, from Durbin and nine other Democratic senators, unsound.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) speaks during the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing May 11.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) speaks during the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing May 11.

When Mr. Rivkin participated in the interviews and co-authored the articles, he did so as a journalist, not an advocate. The case in which he is involved was never mentioned; nor did we discuss any issue in that case either directly or indirectly. His involvement in the case was disclosed in the second article, and therefore readers could take that into account, Alito wrote.

Durbin also said Rivkin represented Leonard Leo, co-chairman of the libertarian Federalist Society and a key player in the GOPs judicial nomination process. Durbin said his panel is looking into Leos role in helping Alito get free travel and lodging for a trip in 2008. Alito came under fire for not reporting the travel in his financial disclosure forms.

Alito said his acceptance of the trip was not improper and reporting it was not required under a personal hospitality exception. But the story, along with disclosures fellow justice Clarence Thomas had similarly failed to report travel and gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow, led Senate Democrats to push for tightening the courts ethics rules.

Alitos statement did not address Durbins objections related to Leo but said if there were recusals in all the cases involving former colleagues, clerks or acquaintances of justices, the courts work would be disrupted.

In all the instances mentioned above, we are required to put favorable or unfavorable comments and any personal connections with an attorney out of our minds and judge the cases based solely on the law and the facts. And that is what we do, Alito wrote.

When Mr. Rivkin participated in the interviews and co-authored the articles, he did so as a journalist, not an advocate.U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito

A request for comment from Rivkin was not immediately answered.

In the July article, Rivkin and his co-author James Taranto wrote Alito sat for a combined four hours of interviews, including one in Alitos Supreme Court office, and that he answered questions with a candor that is refreshing and can be startling.

The pair wrote the courts critics werent interested in more transparency, as they claimed.

Their hostile reactions to our April interview and his June op-ed suggest  no surprise  that theyre really after ideologically congenial rulings, not to mention conformist press coverage, Rivkin and Taranto wrote.
Location of the lyceum in the temporarily occupied Berdiansk

Ukraines SBU security service was behind the two explosions at a so-called polling station in occupied Berdyansk on Sept. 8, sources within the SBU told NV.

According to our source, the sham vote was supposed to begin later that day, at a local school repurposed as a polling station. The explosions rendered the site unusable.

Read also: Loud explosions reported in Mariupol

In the aftermath, Russian occupiers are frantically looking for ways to protect the area from further Ukrainian attacks, the source adds.

Read also: Ukraine confirms force landing across Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast

NV obtained an audio recording in which the head of the local occupation internal affairs ministry is issuing instructions to his subordinates on how to avoid potential future explosions.

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On Sept. 7, sources told NV that the SBU has blown up a car with Russias FSB personnel in Kherson Oblasts. The attack killed one FSB agent and injured the other three.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a Russian woman for helping Russia adjust its targeting in the Sept. 7 night strike on Sumy, said the agency's Sept. 8 press release of Sept. 8.

She had a Ukrainian residence permit and had been living in Sumy for a long time.

Read also: SBU catches FSB agent red-handed preparing missile attack on Ukrainian Railways

The woman began to remotely cooperate with the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff (GRU) after Russia's full-scale invasion began. She gathered information on sites where she believed Ukrainian military personnel might be placed, walked around Sumy, and quizzed her acquaintances in the hopes that they might unwittingly provide some intel. The woman also created her own network of like-minded people in the city, whom she offered to cooperate with Russia in the war against Ukraine.

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Read also: Heartbreaking video shows frightened puppy rescued from rubble in Sumy after Russian attack

The suspect was charged under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

 27.4, 111.2 (incitement to to treason under martial law)

 114-2.3 (unauthorized dissemination of information on transfer or deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other lawful military formations, committed under martial law with the aim of providing such information to representatives of the state conducting armed aggression against Ukraine, if it caused grave consequences).

The court is to yet to decide if she will remain in custody. The suspect is facing life in prison.

Russia attacked Sumy with missiles and kamikaze drones on the night of Sept. 7. An enemy drone hit a residential area in the city.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Gov. Henry McMaster says lockdowns and mask mandates wont return to South Carolina, despite a recent statewide surge in COVID hospitalizations.

McMaster vowed Wednesday to block mask mandates, school closures and government lockdowns in response to a rise in COVID infections throughout the state.

In a video posted to the social media platform X, McMaster said lockdowns imposed during the height of the COVID pandemic were a mistake, made in reliance on expert sources that were in error.

As talks of mask mandates and closures kick up across the country, I can assure the people of South Carolina we will not have mask mandates, we will not close schools, and we will not lock down. pic.twitter.com/GlKgy8AhMi  Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) September 7, 2023

I can assure the people of South Carolina that were not going to have mandates requiring masks, were not going to close down schools, were not going to do a lot of the foolish things that were done in other states and were limited to a great degree here in South Carolina, McMaster said in the video.

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On June 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 56 COVID hospitalizations in South Carolina. That number ballooned to 316 on Aug. 26, the most recent available data.

Citing talks of mask mandates and school closures nationally, McMaster emphasized the importance of keeping schools open so that the young people of South Carolina can get the best education available. Some schools across the country have already temporarily closed or required masks as hospitalizations from the virus have increased.

But doctors say its normal for respiratory infections such as COVID, the flu and RSV to surge during this time of year as students return to school.

School has started, and kids go back to school sharing all sorts of germs that begin to go around, said Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch, division director of pediatric infectious diseases at Prisma Health Childrens Hospital in the Midlands. Its a pretty common phenomenon that we see in general, with respiratory viruses.

Burch said she isnt on the ground seeing patients everyday like some of her colleagues who practice general pediatrics. But because shes in constant communication with those general practitioners, she confirmed COVID is on the rise, albeit not as much for children compared to adults.

Yes, we are seeing increased numbers of COVID that are coming through our general outpatient pediatrics facility, Burch said. But from a pediatric standpoint, we really havent seen that many hospitalizations due to COVID.

Lexington Medical Center has 28 hospitalized patients with COVID as of Thursday. In May and June, they were averaging about five patients a month, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Wilson. In August, the average increased to 10 patients.

Prisma Health reported a total of 61 COVID patients across all of its facilities of Sept. 7. Thats 33 more than last month.

Following the height of the pandemic  and changes to reporting requirements and testing methods  the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control discontinued use of its COVID dashboard, which tracked the number of infections and hospitalizations across the state.

With the increase in at-home testing, the number of tests was the most underreported data point in the states weekly update, said DHEC spokesman Casey White. We continue to monitor the virus and its effects, as we do for other respiratory viruses such as the flu, as the global health threat from COVID-19 has not been eliminated.

Dr. Jonathan Knoche, a medical consultant for DHECs Immunization and Acute Disease Epidemiology divisions, said COVID infections are increasing, but returning to the level of infections seen in 2020 and 2021 is unlikely.

Id be surprised if that happened, Knoche said, referring to massive lockdowns, mask mandates and a surge in COVID-related deaths. I think its certainly up to individuals to make a decision for themselves and what they want to do to protect themselves and their health, whether thats getting a vaccine, or wearing face masks, and practicing good hygiene habits.

But I think were seeing COVID circulating the community at generally lower levels with some intermittent peaks or waves of illness that are sometimes related to human activity, like people traveling or returning to school, Knoche continued. Those sorts of things contribute to these fluctuations and are not surprising.
Three babies were given up for adoption in South Carolina under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act recently, bringing the total for the year so far to match the most in any previous year.

Three babies were surrendered from Aug. 28-Sept. 6, an unusually high number in a short period of time, bringing the total to date at seven.

The most recent was a Black girl, who was born Sept. 5 at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence. She weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20.75 inches long.

Marion County DSS took custody of the baby and placed her in a licensed foster home.

In a news release, DSS said anyone asserting parental rights must do so at the Permanency Planning Hearing 11 a.m. Oct. 25 at the Mary E. Buchanan Marion County Family Court Center, 2515 US-76, Marion.

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Also surrendered was a biracial boy who was born Sept. 2 at Summerville Medical Center. He weighed 8 pounds and was 19.2 inches long.

Dorchester County DSS took custody of him to place him in a licensed foster home.

DSS said anyone asserting parental rights must do so at the Permanency Planning Hearing, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Dorchester County Family Court, 212 Deming Way, Summerville.

A white boy, born Aug. 27, was surrendered at Moncks Corner Fire Department the next day. He weighed 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches long when he was surrendered.

Berkeley County DSS took custody and placed him in a licensed foster home.

The Permanency Planning Hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 24 at the Berkeley County Family Court, 300 B California Ave., Moncks Corner. Anyone wishing to assert parental rights must do so then.

The seven babies placed for adoption this year equals the number from 2022.

The most in one year previously was six in 2016 and 2019.

Daniels Law, the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, was named for an infant who survived being buried in a landfill in Allendale County. Nurses named him Daniel.

Children younger than 60 days can be surrendered in certain places such as hospitals or fire departments and no action is taken against the parents as long as the child is not injured.

Since the law was passed, 63 children have been surrendered.

A 2001 story in The State reported that Daniels mother did not tell her parents she was pregnant, never sought prenatal care and gave birth in the bathroom of her Allendale County home. She buried him in the old city dump nearby.

The child was found after she sought care in a local hospital.

He was covered with a lime substance and fire ants and he was screaming his head off. Rescue workers could make out ant bites on his chest, face and the web between his fingers. But the rest of his body was caked with the lime, the story said.

One rescue worker was quoted as saying, That baby was just not meant to die. Its an unbelievable story that this child lived through all that. God has a plan for his life.
(FOX40.COM)  A new poll from the University of California Berkeley shows Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) with a slight edge over Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) in Californias 2024 Senate election.

Around 20% of respondents said Schiff was their preferred candidate in the race to succeed retiring Senator Dianne Feinstein. Another 17% said Porter was their choice.

The Berkeley IGS Poll surveyed 6,030 registered California voters and was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 24 to 29. The polls margin of error was estimated to be approximately +/- 2.5%.

With the primary seven months away, 32% of voters said they were undecided.

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Porter says government, unions are key to protecting public from corporations

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), Veteran and entrepreneur James P. Bradley (R), and former MLB player Steve Garvey (R), who has not announced he is running, each garnered around 7% of respondents hypothetical votes.

Schiffs strongest lead among likely voters was among those aged 65 or older, where 29% said he was their first choice, while Porter came in second place among those same voters, receiving 12%.

Porter was the preferred candidate among participants who identified as strongly liberal, those who identified as LGBTQ, and those between the ages 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49.

California U.S. Senate candidates rally for unions on Labor Day

Newsom Appointee Question

The poll also questioned respondents on what action they think California Gov. Gavin Newsom should take if Senator Feinstein were unable to finish her term.

Fifty-one percent of those polled said he should appoint someone who was prepared to run again in 2024. Another 25% said Newsom should choose an interim appointee, or caretaker, who wont run in 2024.

Answers to the question varied greatly depending on respondents political party registration.

Those who are registered as Democrats favored having Newsom appoint someone who would run in 2024 by 64%, to 16% saying it should be a caretaker.

Registered Republicans favored a caretaker who would not run in 2024 by 54%, to 31% saying the appointee could run.

San Diego Supervisor Nora Vargas endorses Barbara Lee for US Senate

Position on Ukraine

The poll also asked participants what position they would prefer a senator take on the war in Ukraine.

Around 53% of respondents said they want a senator who would prioritize Helping Ukraine achieve victory over Russia, even if it means a longer war.

Thirty percent said they would prefer a senator who would support bringing an end to the war, even if it means Ukraine giving up some territory to Russia.

Schiff says 14th Amendment disqualification fits Donald Trump to a T

Answers to this question similarly depended on respondents political party registration.

Those who are registered as Democrats favored helping Ukraine 65%-16%. Republicans favored ending the war with concessions 41%-34%.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
This article was originally published in EducationNC.

As most K-12 schools and community colleges took their summer breaks, and the budget-making process stretched over the summer months, most early childhood programs kept going.

Summertime  and this summer in particular  represents two truths about the states early care and education programs: They are especially fragile. They are especially needed.

Eager to see how providers and communities were navigating these truths, I decided to hit the road.

In all 100 counties, including the seven I visited in July and August, programs are facing a financial cliff that will lead to closures without help from the government. A Century Foundation report projects 1,778 of North Carolinas programs will close as federal relief funds run out, and 155,539 children and families will lose access.

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Advocates and legislators in the early childhood caucus have requested $300 million to avoid the cliff in this years budget, but the money has not shown up in the House and Senate proposals. The final budget negotiations are still under way. The grants run out at the end of this year.

Many programs, including the 15 facilities I visited, do not see a path forward for child care without a change in its financial structure. Several said they do not see a path forward in the next year.

And yet communities need these programs  and they need many more of them. In Wilkes County, which completed a study this summer to try to put a number on that need, they determined they need 836 additional child care slots (almost double what they have).

Summertime adds another layer of community need. K-12 summer closures mean families are crunched for care for school-age children as well. Programs shift to accommodate those needs, operating summer camps and often caring all day for the children they usually serve before and after school.

Owners and directors at all 15 facilities I visited operate waitlists. They field calls from desperate parents weekly. They do not know how to help.

Theres just nowhere for them to go, said Emily Leonhardt, assistant director of Calling Kids Development Center in Hiddenite. There are other child care facilities, but they dont have open spots.

I visited a handful of counties (Wilkes, Ashe, Alexander, Iredell, Warren, Robeson, and Pitt), spending as much as time as possible in programs serving young children. I visited 15 child care facilities (centers, homes, church-backed programs, nonprofits, for-profits, Early Head Start programs, programs that serve children with special needs, a program attached to an adult day home, a program whose roof caved in, a program that was flooded, a program that just opened, several programs that might close soon, programs rated five stars, one star, and everything in between). Its worth noting that there are other early childhood programs that do indeed close in the summer: programs attached to public schools and Head Start programs. Because these programs have consistent public funding streams, they did not receive the stabilization funds that are running out.

A classroom in PlayWorks. (Liz Bell/EducationNC)

I spoke with 102 educators, administrators, parents, Smart Start personnel, business leaders, other local advocates, and one reporter from The Taylorsville Times. I asked them about the importance of child care in their lives. I asked them about how the looming financial cliff is affecting their day-to-day operations and their communities as a whole.

I played a lot.

I wrote along the way  about Wilkes Countys locally driven solutions, Ashe Countys vision through a partnership between early childhood leaders and the school district, Alexander Countys dwindling access and its remaining providers grit and passion, a regional nonprofit child care chain opening a new Pitt County location and convening cross-sector leaders to push for change, and the unique role family child care homes play in communities like Iredell, Warren, and Robeson counties.

Heres what else I learned.

Higher prices, less space soon

Parents soon will have an even harder time finding and paying for child care. The quality of that care, in terms of class sizes and staff experience, probably will be lower.

Thats what a survey in April of 2,518 child care providers found.

And thats what the providers echoed during my visits. They told me they will have to increase tuition rates and staff-to-child ratios, and will struggle to recruit the right folks for the job.

No decision feels right in the current financial model, providers said.

We dont want to stretch our families so that we lose our enrollment numbers if we do increase prices, but we dont want to underpay our staff and potentially have them wanting to find other means of employment, said Jade Deese-Jones, director of Tiny Steps Learning Center in Lumberton.

Pockets of momentum

There are initiatives across the state aimed at expanding communities awareness of child cares challenges and advocating for increased funding, business supports for owners, teacher pipeline-building efforts, and increased access to quality care.

In many communities I visited, leaders had recently signed on with Building Bright Futures, an apprenticeship effort out of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education. In Ashe County, for example, all centers were signed up to send teachers back to school while they worked. Building Bright Futures is connecting early childhood programs to ApprenticeNC and providing funds for tuition and wages for providers.

Thats how Rebecca Rash, director of Ashe Developmental Day School, said she was going to sustain the increased wages she established through stabilization funds as they run out.

There is also a new family child care project from Southwest Child Development Commission, funded by the state Division for Child Development and Early Education, which is aimed at addressing many of the problems family child care providers shared with me.

In many places, local cross-sector relationships are forming.

At the open house I attended for the new Care-O-World Early Learning Center in Ayden, for example, the providers are on a mission to act as a community convener. They extended invitations to tour their new facility and learn about the fields challenges to business owners, local and statewide politicians, early childhood faculty at Pitt Community College, their chamber of commerce, and other local leaders. And people showed up, intrigued and eager to learn. Many had not set foot in a child care center in decades, if ever. But many attendees told me they knew something needed to change because of labor shortages across industries.

Cindy Goff, a commissioner for the town of Ayden, told me shes been hearing from frustrated employers unable to hire people. Child care is needed for families to work  and for communities to continue existing, she said.

Its economic development and its residential development, Goff said. And then its also about keeping your educated young people in the community to continue to enhance the community. Its all cyclical.

The business community was at the center of efforts in Wilkes and Ashe counties. The Wilkes Economic Development Corporation hosted a child care task force pushing for solutions. Kitty Honeycutt, director of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, is one of the leaders behind the child care model for which the county is requesting legislative funds.

Philanthropic organizations are also playing a role in local efforts. Dogwood Health Trust is funding early childhood workforce initiatives in the western region. The Leonard G. Herring Family Foundation funded the study in Wilkes County.

Those efforts can only go so far, said Johanna Anderson, a consultant working with the foundation in Wilkes.

Child care is not a privately funded solution solely, Anderson said. We can spark ideas, we can do some research, we can do some seed funding. But to really move the needle on child care, its going to have to include public resources, both existing and new.

Relationships matter

These cross-sector relationships are further along in some communities than others. I heard of tense relationships between school districts and Smart Start partnerships. I heard of some chambers of commerce that were simply focused on other issues.

In Alexander County, Smart Start executive director Paula Cline told me the lack of institutions housed within the county was a barrier to forming alliances she sees in other places.

We dont have a chamber of commerce here, Cline said. We dont have a hospital. We dont have pediatricians in this county. We have such high needs and  a lot of our services come from adjoining larger counties.

In Robeson County, Christopher Locklear, a realtor and board member of the Robeson County Partnership for Children, said his eyes have been opened in the last couple of years to the problems families and child care providers face. Hes connected to local chambers of commerce and has spoken with legislators to advocate for support. But he said he feels there is still a lack of understanding within the older generation that often holds positions of power.

Sometimes it may not come up because of the demographics of that board, Locklear said. If theyre older, they may have grandchildren or great grandchildren, but that doesnt impact your life as much as having young kids. Im wondering, how many of our state legislators have children at a young age right now?

Staffing is everyones biggest challenge

Cline, from Alexander Countys Smart Start partnership, started in child care with her own home-based program. Now she advocates for the field she had to leave.

The circumstances can force you, no matter how much passion you have for it, to have to go somewhere where you dont want to go, but you have to because of your familys circumstances.

Cline is worried that more and more teachers will make that decision as some owners and directors will be unable to pay competitive wages as stabilization funds end. Providers across communities said the same.

Towana Neal, owner and director of WanaPooh Daycare in Orrum, said she does not know how she will survive when the funds stop. Shes using the funds to pay her one other teacher.

The other most common challenge that providers described was mental, social, and emotional challenges of children, families, and teachers.

The stress and isolation of the pandemic are still very much rippling through classrooms. Kimberly Long, assistant director at New Beginnings Child Enrichment Center in Stony Point, said shes seen a spike in the number of children per classroom experiencing developmental delays.

That makes staffing even harder, Long said.

(In) every classroom, at least half the kids have a developmental delay that were having to work with, understand, move forward with  with the whole classroom and then with that child independently, she said. Then these people come in, and they want to work here. And then they see this and theyre like, This is too much for me. How do yall do that? Theyll leave on their lunch break and not come back.

These truths of this summer  the fragility and necessity of early childhood programs  reminded me of the pandemic, when programs were also fragile  taking on health risks and additional costs  and needed  deemed essential for front-line workers children and taking in children who needed a safe place during K-12 closures and remote learning.

Eager to move on from the pandemic, we forget the extent to which people who kept our communities running are still recovering.

We did feel a sense of relief whenever the grants started, because we felt like, OK, finally, were going to get the help that we need, and our employees arent going to feel like theyre underappreciated,' said Deese-Jones, the center director in Lumberton.

When asked what she would hope people in power understand about her facilitys challenges, Deese-Jones said:

I do hope that they see what a tremendous help this has been for child care facilities, and I hope that no more of our facilities have to close, because the need is there, she said. The demand is there. We just cant keep up with it.

This article first appeared on EducationNC and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
(CNN)  People keep saying it, but we need to hear it from Keanu Reeves.

John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski said in a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast that star Keanu Reeves is on board to do another film in the franchise.

Host Josh Horowitz pointed out how highly successful the latest film has been, noting, Im sure the studio wants another one.

Have you had the drink with Keanu? he asked Stahelski about the two discussing a possible fifth installment in the franchise.

Yeah, Keanu and I have talked, Stahelski said. Keanu, if you ask him right now, Would you do John Wick 5? Hed be, F**k yeah! But then hed look and go, Well, what is it? I have no f**king idea.

The director said theres no rush because they have a lot of set pieces, as well as some things that they didnt get around to doing in other films. Stahelski said that if he came up with an idea for a fifth film within 30 seconds Id be on the phone to Keanu and wed be riffing.

I have no doubt that we would come up with a lot of great pieces, Stahelski said. Its just whats the main thread?

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake told Deadline back in March that the studio was not ready to let go of Reeves as the popular action hero - despite some indications that his time might be winding up.

Were not ready to say goodbye to Keanu with this franchise, Drake said. Its what alternative there will be.

John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk later told Deadline that more would be known in Septembe, citing that Stahelski and Reeves were scheduled to take a trip to Japan this month and would be able to discuss it over some whiskey,

Once they get through their hangovers, if Keanu and Chad have figured out something cool, if theyve an organic way back in that doesnt feel like bulls**t, then there will be a John Wick 5, Iwanyk told the publication. That trip to Japan, its like waiting for a boat to emerge out of the smoke, but thats the impetus.

In the meantime, franchise fans can look forward to the spinoff Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas in which Reeves is set to appear.

CNN has reached out to a representative for Reeves for comment.
The heat and humidity on Friday is forcing some school districts to send students home early.

Andover, Haverhill, Lynn, Woburn, and Worcester Public Schools all have early dismissals Friday.

School is closed in Lowell and Wilmington.

District leaders in Lowell said none of the citys 28 schools have air conditioning, so closing school on Thursday and Friday was necessary for the health and safety of students and staff.

In some cities, like Boston and Lynn, cooling centers will be open all day to accommodate anyone who does not have air conditioning at home.

Splash pads and public pools are also expected to be busy.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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An artists illustration of the 25 million year old Ditjimanka Lumakoala blackae, featuring (left to right) the wallaby-sized herbivore Muramura williamsi, an extinct koala relative named Madakoala devis,i and the calf-size lizard called Ilaria lawsone.

Australia is currently home to the only living species of their endangered and iconic koalas, but there once were multiple species spread across the continent. Now, the discovery of another marsupial ancient relative is helping scientists fill in a 30 million year evolutionary gap. The findings are detailed in a study published September 4 in the journal Scientific Reports.

[Related: With bulging eyes and a killer smile, this sabertooth was an absolute nightmare.]

In 2014 and 2020, study co-author Arthur Crichton, a PhD student at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, found fossil teeth of the new species, named Lumakoala blackae, at the Pwerte Marnte Marnte fossil site in central Australia. The teeth are believed to be roughly 25 million years old.

Our computer analysis of its evolutionary relationships indicates that Lumakoala is a member of the koala family (Phascolarctidae) or a close relative, but it also resembles several much older fossil marsupials called Thylacotinga and Chulpasia from the 55 million-year-old Tingamarra site in northeastern Australia, Crichton said in a statement.

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According to Chrichton, it was previously suggested that the enigmatic Thylacotinga and Chulpasia may have been more closely related to marsupials from South America. This new discovery of Lumakoala suggests that they could actually be early relatives of herbivorous Australian marsupials including possums, kangaroos, koalas, and wombats.

This group (Diprotodontia) is extremely diverse today, but nothing is known about the first half of their evolution due to a long gap in the fossil record, said Crichton.

If the studys hypothesis is correct, the diprotodontian fossil record would be aged back by another 30 million years. Additionally, wombats, kangaroos, koalas and possums split off from other marsupials between roughly 65 million and 50 million years ago.

Comparison of upper molar morphology between Chulpasia jimthorselli, Lumakoala blackae, and the modern koala. CREDIT: A. Crichton (Flinders University)

These Tingamarran marsupials are less mysterious than we thought, and now appear to be ancient relatives of younger, more familiar groups like koalas, Robin Beck, study co-author and evolutionary biologist at the University of Salford in England, said in a statement. It shows how finding new fossils like Lumakoala, even if only a few teeth, can revolutionize our understanding of the history of life on Earth.

The study also raises some new questions, including whether these relatives of herbivorous marsupials in Australia once lived in Antarctica and South America. According to Beck, some South American fossils look very similar to the marsupials found at the Tingamarra site.

[Related: This 500-pound Australian marsupial had feet made for walkin.]

It also reports that two other types of koala called Madakoala and Nimiokoala lived alongside Lumakoala and filled in different ecological niches in the forests that flourished in central Australia about 25 million years ago. The late Oligocene (about 2325 million years ago) was kind of the koala heyday, according to the Flinders University paleontologist and study co-author Gavin Prideaux.

Until now, theres been no record of koalas ever being in the Northern Territory; now there are three different species from a single fossil site, Prideaux said in a statement. While we have only one koala species today, we now know there were at least seven from the late Oligocene  along with giant koala-like marsupials called ilariids.

At this time, iliariids were the largest marsupials living in Australia, weighing in at up to 440 pounds. Iliariids lived alongside a strong-toothed wombat relative named Mukupirna fortidentata and a strange possum named Chunia pledgei.
The worlds tiniest marine mammal is making a big splash, and for good reason.

The Guardian has recently reported on a startling trend that is leading to action in species conservation.

Whats happening?

For the first time in its history, the International Whaling Commission issued an extinction alert to show the danger the vaquita  a small porpoise and the worlds smallest marine mammal at only about 5 feet long and 120 pounds  faces.

The vaquita is only found in the Gulf of California in Mexico, and a recent study revealed that there are only about 10 of them left. This figure is down from a population of 567 just a decade ago.

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Its decline is due to illegal fishing nets used by poachers called gillnets that entangle and kill them.

Gillnets were made illegal in the region because of the devastation they cause to populations that are not their intended target, but fishermen continue to use them, the Guardian reported.

In a news release, the scientific committee that led the IWC report said: The extinction of the vaquita is inevitable unless 100% of gillnets are substituted immediately with alternative fishing gears that protect the vaquita and the livelihoods of fishers. If this doesnt happen now, it will be too late.

Dr. Lindsay Porter, the vice chair of the IWCs scientific committee, told the Guardian: We wanted, with the extinction alert, to send the message to a wider audience and for everyone to understand how serious this is.

Why is this extinction alert critical?

The alert brings the issue of the vaquita population decline and the disconcerting reason behind it to a larger audience, but it also points to a more significant problem.

Saving the vaquita from extinction is crucial not only for the species itself, but also for the planet as a whole.

An ecosystems biodiversity allows it and the people who rely on it to survive. The disappearance of one species can have a far-reaching impact on the food chain, as a news article by the European Parliament stated.

Stopping the vaquitas decline now is especially crucial while it has a fighting chance at a comeback.

There is at least one brand new baby vaquita, Porter told the Guardian. They havent stopped breeding. If we can take away this one pressure [gillnets], the population may recover. We cant stop now.

Whats being done to protect the vaquita?

Last year, government agencies collaborated with the Mexican navy, the Guardian reported. They put concrete blocks in an area known as the zero-tolerance area and increased enforcement to deter illegal gillnet fishing and protect the vaquita.

The IWC committee said the effect of the deterrent looked promising but would need monitoring to remain effective.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
As a result of the Russian attack on the administrative building of the police in Kryvyi Rih, one person has been killed and 60 people have been injured.

Source: Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on Telegram; the press service of Ukraine's State Emergency Service

Quote: "Search and rescue operation has been completed in Kryvyi Rih. As of 13:30, 55 casualties are known: 1 killed and 54 injured.

There are nine police officers among the injured."

Details: Klymenko reported that additional police teams from neighbouring regions had arrived in the city to reinforce security. Tents where specialists provide psychological assistance and mobile stations for receiving applications from affected people have been set up near the site of the shelling.

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Updated: Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that as of 15:00, 60 people were injured and one was killed in Kryvyi Rih.

Background:

On the morning of 8 September, Ukrainian authorities issued an air-raid warning in most of the oblasts due to the threat of missile attacks.

At 09:03, Oleksandr Vilkul, Head of Kryvyi Rih City Council, reported that an explosion had rung out in the city.

One of the police administrative buildings in the city has been destroyed as a result of a missile attack.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Detectives have arrested the second hit-and-run driver who killed a father of six on a Manhattan highway, cops said Friday.

Marcos Vega-Pagan, 24, was taken into custody Thursday for the Aug. 3 crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway near W. 145th St., cops said.

Detectives charged Vega-Pagan with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and insurance fraud, cops said.

Police say he was driving a speeding grey BMW that rammed motorcyclist Joel Quintana, 42, from behind at 10:57 p.m.

Quintana was knocked off his Honda Grom sport motorcycle and landed in the center lane of the highway, only to be run over by a speeding black Mercedes-Benz a few seconds after Vega-Pagan hit him, cops said.

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Police suspected that the two cars were racing when they rammed into Quintana.

Not one of them had the remorse to stay behind, the victims sister Carolina Rodriguez said in a tearful interview with the Daily News shortly after his death.

Cops identified Cary Brown, 28, as the driver of the Mercedes. He was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident, cops said.

Vega-Pagans arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was pending Friday.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, foreground, attends a launching ceremony of what is reportedly a new nuclear attack submarine, named Hero Kim Kun Ok, in the country North Korea on Sept. 6, 2023. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, second left, looks at what is said to be a new nuclear attack submarine. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

The North Korean port of Sinpo is seen Sept. 7, 2023, with a submarine in the lower left-hand corner. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

North Korea's new nuclear attack submarine is named Hero Kim Kun Ok. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea's new nuclear attack submarine is named Hero Kim Kun Ok. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia  North Korea has launched a new ballistic missile submarine believed to be capable of firing both ballistic and cruise missiles.

State media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Sept. 6 launch ceremony for the submarine named Hero Kim Gun-ok. The event took place at the Pongdae Submarine Factory located at North Koreas Sinpo shipyard.

The government has described the boat as a tactical nuclear attack submarine.North Korean state media quoted Kim as saying at the ceremony that the country will accelerate the nuclear armament of the Navy without letup while also pushing forward a plan for building nuclear submarines.

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He also reportedly said in his speech that the submarine will be ready to carry out both preemptive and retaliatory strikes and is intended to counter U.S. and South Korean invasion fleets.

Analysts believe the boat is a rebuilt and modernized Soviet-designed Romeo-class diesel-electric submarine. Joseph Dempsey, a research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said the photos released by North Korean had censored the subs propeller area, possibly in a bid to conceal its origins.

Dempsey also believed the newly launched submarine is the same one North Korea showed off during a 2019 visit by Kim to Sinpo. High-resolution imagery released by the government showed a large missile compartment was added to the sail of the submarine, with 10 hatches believed to be for the vertical-launch missile tubes that are visible. The hatches are laid out in two rows of five, with the front four appearing larger than the remaining six.

The former is believed to be for housing submarine-launched ballistic missiles, while the latter are likely to house launch tubes for submarine-launched cruise missiles.

North Korea has previously tested its Pukguksong-1/KN-11 sub-launched ballistic missile. And the countrys naval force is believed to have operated up to 20 Romeo-class boats, although the current state of the rest of the fleet is unknown.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton s impeachment trial ended its first week with more digging into why whistleblowers reported their embattled leader to federal law enforcement.

Paxton attorney Mitch Little gave a fiery cross examination of Ryan Vassar, a former deputy attorney general who was the first of the whistleblowers who sued for retaliation to testify. Others who didnt sue testified earlier in the week.

Little has tried to raise questions about the whistleblowers motives and blame news media for Paxtons troubles.

A self-licking ice cream cone is when a bunch of employees at the Attorney Generals Office begin to suspect their boss, Little said Thursday. They read it in the media. They believe what the media says. They report it to the FBI and then the media reports that you went to the FBI.

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Paxton is accused of misusing his office to benefit Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor and political donor, and then retaliating against employees who reported him to the FBI in 2020. Paxton gave Paul special legal attention and help while accepting home renovations and a job for a women with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

Little on Thursday pressed Vassar about whether they had evidence that Paxton committed a crime when he and other former deputies went to the FBI.

Vassar said the whistleblowers had formed a belief in good faith that the attorney general was involved in criminal activity.

Little countered that they didnt know Paxton was engaged in illegal activity.

Thats the point of the good faith belief, is we had no evidence that we could point to, but we had reasonable conclusions that we could draw, Vassar said.

Little continued to press that they went to the FBI without any evidence.

Thats right, we took no evidence, Vassar said.

As the back-and-forth continued, Vassar again stressed they had a good faith belief a crime had occurred. He said they went to the FBI as witnesses, not as investigators to collect evidence.

Vassar, who now works as general counsel at the Cicero Institute, clarified his remarks while on the stand Friday. He testified hed taken evidence as meaning documents, which he hadnt taken to federal authorities.

My opinion was that our experiences were evidence, but we did not conduct our own investigation to provide documentary evidence of what we had come to learn, Vassar said.

He later added, I believe that I was a witness to criminal activity that had occurred by General Paxton.

Vassar was also asked whether he wished hed called Paxton to give him a heads up before going to federal authorities.

I wouldnt do anything else differently, Vassar said.

Much of the questioning centered on an informal opinion issued by the Attorney Generals Office related to foreclosures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the retention of outside counsel to investigate claims by Paul.

Paxtons attorney asked Vassar about group text messages among the whistleblowers. The messages included a text that called Paxton a pathological liar and another where Vassar wrote that employees in the office would need to start using smaller words in their pleadings. Vassar said it was a group thread between friends.

At one point during his testimony, Vassar revealed that the office had a blacklist of reporters who were handled differently than other reporters.

David Maxwell, the attorney generals former director of law enforcement, was taking the stand Friday afternoon. He is among the former staff to file the whistleblower lawsuit.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections is speaking out about the racism he claims he has faced since he was first appointed by Governor DeSantis in 2019.

Christopher Anderson took it to social media recently, posting a video after a recent trip to a big box store, calling out the racism he experienced.

This is excessive; why are you scanning everything in my basket? To where, you know, its holding up the line, you know, even other people are noticing it. Anderson said of the incident at the store.

It led to him calling out to the county commissioners, the sheriff, even his own party.

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Day two in office, I was told by a group of white men, Republicans, white people consider you as a black person, dumb, stupid, and youre going to mess something up, Anderson told Eyewitness News. It was my second day on the job; I had just been appointed-- Ive tried everything I can to prove them wrong.

WATCH: Gov. DeSantis addresses states stance on COVID-19 mandates

Anderson said hes done that-- becoming the first African American elected to a county office and winning national awards for his offices work with elections.

But, he said his colleagues seem to always require more from him than his white counterparts.

During a May budget hearing this year, he provided more information than what was provided in the past.

The Committee Chairman says, hey, look, were not asking you for anything we havent asked anyone else, he said. Well, Andria Herr steps up and says, Oh no, to be clear, I am asking him for more.

Read: Multiple Orange County students treated after feeling unwell from school bus odor

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Commissioner Andria Herr said that when Anderson asked for in excess of a 25% increase to his budget, questions were asked.

Since the Supervisor of Elections took office in 2019, his budget has almost doubled, Herr said on the statement. I plan to continue to question budget submissions from county staff and Seminole County Constitutional Officers consistent with the legal requirements of my office because not doing so would be a dereliction of office.

According to the county, Anderson received all but $200,000.

The County Clerk of Courts had his budget request slashed by a million dollars.

Read: At-capacity roads in Oviedo prompt Seminole County to look at extending Slavia Road

Amy Lockhart, Chair of the County Commissioners for Seminole County, told Eyewitness News in a statement that the board takes accusations of racism very seriously.

We welcome the public and the media to watch for themselves the interactions referenced by the Supervisor of Elections, as these occurred during our public meetings. Lockhart said.

Anderson was a Seminole County deputy before he got into politics.

He called out his former boss, Sheriff Dennis Lemma, over a brief encounter between Andersons wife and a deputy in a Lake Mary parking lot last year.

Anderson claims the deputy racially profiled his wife.

Shes on the phone-- she can feel this intense, unwarranted stare coming from a Deputy Sheriff she doesnt understand, Anderson said.

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Anderson said after his wife got out of her car, so did the deputy.

 The deputy stopped her and said I thought you dropped something -- she didnt drop anything, and he knew she hadnt dropped anything, he said.

According to Anderson, he reported the incident to the sheriff and remembers being told the deputys version of events that day.

He was told that the deputy said his wife was suspicious for going in a purse.

Read: Bunnell Elementary School principal resigns after assembly that singled out Black students

In a statement, the sheriff said the encounter was brief.

Initially, a preliminary review determined that the deputy noticed a piece of paper on the ground near where Andersons wife parked, and the deputy asked her if she dropped something, which she indicated she had not, and then each party positively parted ways.

The Andersons never filed a formal complaint against the deputy.

Video: Monique Worrell says her suspension as state attorney is unconstitutional

According to the sheriffs statement, Sheriff Lemma personally met with Supervisor Anderson on two occasions to discuss the incident and their concerns.

Anderson said the sheriffs answer was different from what he expected. You could have done something--As a matter of fact, one of the things we were told working there is we never tell someone; theres nothing we can do. Thats exactly what was told to me-- So Im helpless at this point. Anderson said.

SCSO Executive Command Staff members said they attempted to contact Supervisor Anderson to walk him through the complaint process, and neither the Supervisor nor Mrs. Anderson pursued further action.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  Mark your calendars! South Korean superstar Park Seo-joon is returning to Manila for a fan meeting on Oct. 14.

Event organizer Wilbros Live announced that the event will be held at the Araneta Coliseum and will be brought by local health brand IAM Worldwide, which recently unveiled the K-drama actor as its latest ambassador.

Special IAM Worldwide AMAZING packages with tickets to the show will be available starting Sept 17 via TicketNet.com.ph and TicketNet outlets nationwide, Wilbros Live wrote on Friday.

Ticket prices have yet to be announced.

Park starred in several hit Korean television series, including Itaewon Class, Fight for My Way, "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, and "She Was Pretty."

He is also known for his lead roles in films, such as The Divine Fury, Midnight Runners, and the recently released Dream and "Concrete Utopia."

The actor also held a fan meeting in Manila in 2019 to endorse a clothing brand.
RYE  Standing before Republican voters and Gov. Chris Sununu , U.S. Sen. Tim Scott , a South Carolina Republican seeking the partys 2024 presidential nomination, pledged Thursday to secure the northern border with Canada to curb illegal immigration into the United States.

The question came at a Rye campaign stop for the GOP contender hosted by Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts U.S. senator and Trump administration ambassador to New Zealand. The former senator and his wife, former New Hampshire Republican congressional candidate and journalist Gail Huff Brown, hosted Scott as part of their public No BS BBQ presidential candidate series.

South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, made a campaign stop in Rye on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 hosted by former U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his wife, Gail Huff Brown.

In an August letter to the states congressional delegation, Sununu urged the elected officials to address a surge in northern border activity, writing: Illegal border crossings, drug trafficking, and other crimes are increasing in frequency, and a stronger response from the federal government is necessary to keep Granite Staters from becoming victims to these bad actors.

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Scotts stump speech on Wednesday afternoon included his vow to close both the northern border and the nation's southern border with Mexico to put an end to narcotic trafficking, specifically the flow of fentanyl, and human trafficking, among other policy positions.

The governor and I were talking about folks from the (Biden) administration that made promises to your governor, and they could not be found to fulfill those promises, Scott stated. I operate on (the premise that) a promise made is a promise kept.

Following a quick trip to the towns iconic Lagos Ice Cream alongside Sununu, the Palmetto State candidate gave his pitch to voters young and old seated in stadium chairs and standing around the Central Road barn where the barbecue forum was held.

South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, made a stop at Lago's Ice Cream in Rye with Gov. Chris Sununu on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 ahead of a campaign event in town.

If elected, Scott said he would seek to protect law enforcement by identifying federal funding to support local agencies, finish the construction of the Mexican border wall, stand toe to toe with Chinese president Xi Jinping and bolster educational options for families around the country.

I am so proud to be an American. I hope you all are really proud to be an American. Im running for president because I know America can do for anyone what its done for me, he said. Im focusing on restoring hope, creating opportunities, and protecting the America we all love.

Scott said he is a son of a single mother, who worked 16-hour days as a nurses aide and reprimanded him for poor grades in school. He noted he lived in poverty during his upbringing. He touted his 12-step Empower Parents Plan to protect children, with ideas to require technology giants to keep children safe online and enact nationwide school choice for families.

South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, made a campaign stop in Rye on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 hosted by former U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his wife, Gail Huff Brown.

I believe we have to put parents back in charge of education. Parents need to have access to the curriculum that their kids are being taught, he said. We need our kids to be educated, not indoctrinated.

Scott received applause for his response to a question regarding racial tensions in the country.

There is no such thing as Black poverty or white poverty, theres just poverty. Theres not Black kids issues or white kids issues, theres just kids issues, he said. Our system of free markets work for everybody. This is why my candidacy is so dangerous to the radical left. The truth of my life disproves their lies. I was not born with a silver spoon. Mine was plastic. Growing up in poverty  going to work 30 hours a week while I was in high school taught me valuable lessons of hard work and grit.

South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, made a campaign stop in Rye on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 hosted by former U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his wife, Gail Huff Brown.

He added his views that sanctuary cities housing illegal immigrants should be eliminated, legislation should be written to increase trade apprenticeship programs and using more nuclear energy to reduce harmful emissions.

Sununu praises Scott's campaign, calls on Republicans to move on from Trump

Sununu opened the event by praising presidential candidates traveling to New Hampshire and hearing the issues that matter most to voters. The governor additionally commended the Browns for creating a candidate series that attracts not only New Hampshire voters, but residents of other nearby states with less access to presidential hopefuls.

Senator Scott, hes just incredible, Sununu continued. We met a couple years ago. Its been a great relationship. This is what I love: Hes pounding the pavement. Hes doing it right. Hes going county to county, town to town, event to event.

South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, jostles with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu ahead of Scott's campaign stop in Rye on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. To the right is former U.S. Senator Scott Brown, who along with his wife hosted Scott on Thursday as part of their presidential candidate forum series.

In his remarks, Sununu referenced Trump , saying that Republicans have to move forward in the 2024 race.

In America, we dont go backwards, he said. We dont get the new iPhone and say, I guess I want three generations ago. We want the new 2.0, the new idea, the new generation. That is what America was founded on.

Traveling more than an hour to the event from Mason, Jonie and Jeff Anderson believe that Scott is the best candidate to handle race relations in the United States.

Its very early in the process, but he interests us because hes very even-keeled. Hes very well-spoken, Jonie Anderson said. Hes very empathetic and calm. Theres too much tension right now.

Gary Misiaszek will not support Trump in the primary but would vote for him if he receives the Republican presidential nomination. The Rye resident, an attendee of numerous candidate events held by the Browns, is undecided on who to support in the Republican primary but currently first supports Ramaswamy and then Haley before Scott.

In the upcoming election, the issues that matter most to Misiaszek include immigration policies and national security, ensuring a fair election and protection of First Amendment rights.

I just want to show my support, number one, and get a feeling for the people who are running for the nomination, he said of his attendance on Thursday. I want to get a feeling of how passionate they are about it.

Where Scott stands in the polls

Emerson Colleges latest national poll of voters ahead of the Democratic and Republican primaries shows 5% of voters would support Scott among all the GOP candidates on the Milwaukee debate stage last month. His Real Clear Politics polling average is 10.2% in Iowa and 7.5% in New Hampshire, placing him third and fourth respectively in the crucial early caucus and primary.

Former President Donald Trump still leads the way among the Republican presidential contenders, with 50% of voters noting theyd support the twice-impeached former leader, his lowest support percentage to date among all of Emersons national polls.

After a steep drop, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sits in second in the Emerson poll at 12%, followed by former biotech executive and author Vivek Ramaswamy at 9%, Trumps old vice president Mike Pence at 7%, and former South Carolina governor and Trump-era ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also at 7%.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Republican Sen. Tim Scott vows to secure borders at Rye campaign stop
House conservatives threats of a government shutdown are getting a chilly reception from Senate Republicans as they try to temper expectations for what GOP priorities they can achieve amid a looming deadline.

The House has just 11 legislative days to pass a stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown, but some hardline conservatives have been embracing the prospect as they look to dial up pressure in spending talks  prompting pushback from Republicans in the upper chamber.

I think its better to figure this out before the end of the fiscal year and rather than engage in that sort of self destructive behavior, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said this week, telling reporters nobody wants to shut down.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) questioned the strategy on Wednesday, saying: The question should be what comes after you shut down the government?

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And the answer has always been Well, well reopen it again, Romney told The Hill. And of course, we reopen it at great expense, great inconvenience for the American people, and have accomplished nothing other than making a big noise.

The last government shutdown happened roughly four years ago amid a nasty fight between the Trump administration and a Democratic-led House over funding for the then-presidents proposed border wall.

The month-long funding lapse went down as the longest in modern history, impacting hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

Senate Republicans have downplayed the chances of a repeat when funding is scheduled to run out on Sept. 30.

And Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters last month that I dont think anybody wants a government shutdown.

But some in the Senate are worried about where spending talks could lead in the coming weeks as a handful of hardline conservatives in the House are using the prospect of a shutdown as a bargaining chip for policy changes in areas like border security and the Department of Justice.

Eighty-five percent or so of the government continues to operate, and most Americans wont even miss it, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) told The Hill last month.

And if thats the leverage that we need to utilize to force the Democrats to accept spending cuts and an end to the harmful policies that are, again, crushing the American people  I mean, then we need to do that, he added.

Some Republicans in the Senate beg to differ, however.

The last time we had a significant shutdown, we couldnt get the crab fishermen out into the waters because their permits needed to be issued by a federal agency, Sen. Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska) told reporters on Thursday.

Their season didnt start until Oct. 1, but what happened Sept. 30? Things shut down, she said. You didnt have a crab fisherman that was able to get out in the water. Its real life.

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Lawmakers have little more than three weeks before funding is set to lapse again. But both chambers have a ways ahead of them before they can strike a larger deal on how the government should be funded in fiscal year 2024.

In the Senate, negotiators passed all 12 annual funding bills out of committee before leaving for the August recess, and are set to vote on their first batch of spending legislation next week. That includes dollars for Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration.

Members are hoping to see full floor votes on all 12 bills, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in committee. But there is uncertainty around timing for floor consideration for tougher areas of proposed funding.

Asked whether she expects to see a vote on her subcommittees bill, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), top Republican on the subpanel that oversees funding for the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, said its possible.

I dont know. I would like that, she said, but she noted the bill, which touches on thorny areas like abortion, is always one of the more difficult ones.

So, well see what happens in the next two weeks with the first three, and then I think we can make a judgment, she said.

House GOP negotiators have passed 10 of their 12 annual funding bills out of committee so far, while the full chamber approved its first appropriations bill, allocating funding for military construction and the VA, along party lines. However, Republicans scrapped plans to pass their agricultural funding bill shortly before leaving town for summer recess amid intraparty disagreements.

None of the spending legislation crafted in the GOP-led House is expected to get any Democratic support. House Republicans marked up their appropriations bills at lower spending levels than those agreed to by President Biden and McCarthy earlier this year.

Without stating an opinion about that, thats not going to be replicated in the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said last month, while reiterating support for the budget caps deal brokered between the president and McCarthy.

But the House GOPs go-it-alone strategy also tightens the margins leadership has to navigate in the lower chamber, where it takes only a handful of Republicans to tank partisan bills with the partys slim majority.

As the clock runs, leaders on both sides signal a short-term funding patch, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), is likely in lieu of a larger spending deal.

The House Freedom Caucus has already threatened to oppose any stopgap bill that doesnt pursue changes to border policy, what they describe as the weaponization of the Justice Department, and woke policies in the Pentagon.

While many Senate Republicans have supported the bipartisan government funding bills crafted in committee, those issues have also found support in the Senate GOP, as some also seek to pin blame on Democrats for a potential shutdown.

I think Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden want to force a shutdown. I think thats the mistake if they did it, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) also commended House conservatives for looking for the best option to put the best package forward for America.

But we still got to work with the other side, unfortunately, this time. So, the worst thing we do is go into shutdown, Mullin said. So, were going to do everything we can to avoid it.

Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  As Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., keeps hundreds of military promotions in limbo for a sixth straight month, his Republican colleagues are trying to deflect criticism by pointing the finger at a familiar GOP foe: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer .

I think the majority leader should take the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff nomination to the floor as we do our top Cabinet officials, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said in an interview.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, likewise said that this is entirely within Sen. Schumers control.

He filed five cloture petitions, I think, on nominations this week. He could do that on these military nominations, and it would break the logjam and, I think, begin to get us to a solution, Cornyn said.

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Cornyn and his fellow Republicans are referring to a procedure that would allow the Senate to consider the nominees, albeit in a delayed fashion. Tubervilles hold applies only to quickly approving military promotions, which the Senate normally approves without delay in large batches because all 100 senators agree, whereas his fellow Republicans now say the chamber should consider the promotions one by one.

Schumer, D-N.Y., deflected this week when he was asked whether he would bring Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr.s nomination to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs up for a standalone vote, before Tuberville lifts his hold on all nominees, particularly because the current chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, is scheduled to leave by the end of the month.

The bottom line is this is a problem created by Republicans, and its up to them to solve, Schumer told reporters, Sen. McConnell, Sen. Thune have said they disagree with Tuberville. Its now up to the Republican Party to get him in line. Were not going to shift the burden to Democrats when this is a Republican-caused problem.

Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is the Senate minority leader. John Thune, R-S.D., is the minority whip.

Many Senate Democrats agree, seeing the prospects of approving promotions as an all-or-nothing proposition.

Bringing up one or three or five does not solve the problem, said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Sen. Tuberville has created a problem that pervades our entire military, and trying to glue one hole closed does not fix that problem."

In blocking the military appointments, Tuberville has cited his objection to a Defense Department policy that provides paid time off and reimburses travel costs for service members and dependents seeking abortions.

As he digs in on his tactic, the number of promotions that have not been approved by the Senate only grows. Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., said that 650 of them will need to pass through the Senate for promotion or [be] reassigned by the end of this year.

The growing number of promotions and vacancies in the top ranks of the military is increasing pressure for some kind of action.

I think for the sake of our nation, were going to have to eventually, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said of approving the highest-ranking promotions one by one. But also I think that Sen. Tuberville needs to be heard, and Im all for getting votes and doing whatever he would want to do on this floor, like any of us.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said the Senate needs to vote on the promotions, but he did not specify how.

I do think were going to have to start voting here sometime soon, Hawley said. Because I just dont see the dam breaking on this any other way. So, I mean, I would say lets, lets start voting.

Tuberville has said a simple vote to undo the Pentagons abortion policy would not be enough for him to release his holds, saying instead that he wants the Defense Department to undo the policy and have the Senate subsequently vote to reinstate it. Both those votes would be likely to fail in the Senate, where legislation of that kind requires 60 votes to pass.

The impasse has left Republicans searching for a solution, with Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah floating a middle ground whereby the Pentagon would say it would stop paying for travel for abortion services for those beyond 16 weeks of gestation.

Id look for some kind of compromise, Romney said. The idea that one side or the other is going to give, thats not how Washington works. There has to be something towards the middle.

But Tuberville, who says he has not had additional conversations with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin since their call in July, was dismissive of that potential compromise, saying he would probably not support it.

Im willing to talk, but seems like theres nobody who wants to have [a] conversation, Tuberville said. Its their way [or] the highway.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and other lawmakers examined the potential dangers from artificial intelligence across the globe and at home Thursday.

I think were in unchartered waters to a certain extent, Manchin said. Those of you ahead of the curve right now can help us from falling into the deep end.

Manchin said a recent M.I.T. study showed some of the risks when an AI chatbot gave a group of students information on how to cause another pandemic.

And these were non-scientist students? How can we put the cat back in the box, Manchin said.

I dont think we can put it back in the box, said Rick L. Stevens, Argonne National Labs associate laboratory director. I think were going to need  we have to get smarter about how we manage the risks associated with advanced AI systems.

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Both lawmakers and experts agreed the U.S. needs to be the world leader on AI. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) fears China could try to copy the U.S. advancements.

Are the national labs really able to protect themselves, Hoeven said, not only in terms of the information they have, but also as they hire people.

We need to be very aware and we need to have a layered strategy to deal with these security challenges, said Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk.

But there are positives.

The Department of Energy said it uses some of the worlds fastest supercomputers with AI for new innovations, scientific advancement and risk assessment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com.
A nurse and regular lottery player used his trusty set of lucky numbers in the Maryland lottery and took home a big prize  for the second time.

The anonymous player, who gave lottery officials the alias Mr. Happy to tell the story of his win, bought his winning ticket while on a break from work Aug. 16, lottery officials said in a Sept. 7 news release.

The 58-year-old grandfather picked up coffee and some snacks along with a $6 Bonus Match 5 ticket for that nights drawing from the State Line Market in Silver Spring, just north of Washington D.C., officials said.

He checked the ticket that night after work and found out hed won the top $50,000 prize, officials said. It was the 23rd top-prize ticket sold in the Bonus Match 5 game this year.

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I scanned the ticket on the Lottery app before heading in the house, he said in the news release. When it read See Lottery, I knew I won big because thats what it read the last time I won.

He claimed his prize at the Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore, where he told officials hell use his winnings to pay for his sons tuition, his mortgage and other bills.

Lottery players September luck continues with six-figure jackpot prize in Nebraska

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Copyright activists have set their sights on many pirated books used to train generative artificial intelligence tech. The Rights Alliance, a Danish anti-piracy group, has taken "a multifaceted approach to its quest to obliterate" the Books3 dataset, created by researcher Shawn Presser in 2020, Wired reported. The group has successfully gotten a few sites to stop hosting the dataset, but its plans don't end there. Despite being a relatively small group, they have made "a surprising amount of progress," the outlet added.

The war between creatives and Big Tech companies over the use of copyrighted materials is being fought on multiple fronts, and Books3 is present in many of the conflicts. Presser saw his project "as aligned with the open source movement" and created it as "a way to democratize access to the kind of data sets OpenAI was already using," Wired noted. If activists scrub it from the internet, the move might effectively gatekeep access to the burgeoning industry.

Books3 began as a "passion project" that leveled the playing field

There isn't much information about what is inside OpenAI's training data sets. Still, Presser suspected the company sourced their data from a digital "shadow library," which hosts thousands of pirated texts. He and a few colleagues decided to try to create an open-access version of what OpenAI was likely using. "We were like, OK, there's actually not that much standing in the way of us doing this ourselves," Presser told Wired.

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Presser found what he was looking for at The Eye, a data archiving group hosting links to books from the shadow library, Bibliotik. "I was like, jackpot," he mused. He was able to scrape and convert a library of around 196,000 books. The data set includes work by Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, and Zadie Smith, per a recent analysis by The Atlantic. He named it after OpenAI's enigmatic Books1 and Books2 sets. He contacted The Eye to host it, and Books3 went online in October 2020. Some of his collaborators founded EleutherAI, a non-profit AI collective that offered Books3 in a more extensive open-access data set, Wired reported.

The project started as "a passion project by a Midwestern guy going through a weird time," the outlet noted. "I poured my soul into the work," Presser told Wired. He saw his creation as "aligned with the open source movement" and "a way to democratize access to the kind of data sets OpenAI was already using," Wired summarized.

Now, the data set is central to the tension between artists' rights and AI innovation

Despite his best intentions, for his critics, the open source data set "isn't a boon to societyinstead, it's emblematic of everything wrong with generative AI," Wired added. Copyright owners have been on edge about their content being scraped without their consent, and the existence of Books3 confirms those fears.

The Rights Alliance filed Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices against The Eye and other sites hosting Books3, resulting in it being taken down. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist anywhere else on the internet. The group also reached out to Meta and Bloomberg about their use of the pilfered data set, and the latter said it wouldn't be using Books3 to train BloombergGPT, its LLM, in the future.

There are multiple pending lawsuits against companies that used Books3 or similar data sets to train their large language models. Comedian and author Sarah Silverman and two other writers filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging that it violated copyright laws by using pirated work from Books3 to train LLaMA, the company's large language model. Legal experts expect the company to argue that the content falls under fair use, but the authors disagree.

Still, Presser stood behind his decision to make an open-access data set and argued that it was the only way to replicate programs like ChatGPT. He told Gizmodo that "every for-profit company does this secretly, without releasing the datasets to the public." If Books3 is eliminated, we would "live in a world where nobody except OpenAI and other billion-dollar companies have access to those books," meaning no one could make their own generative AI programs. "Only billion-dollar companies would have the resources to do that."

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The Virginia Attorney General's office is settling a lawsuit it filed against the Town of Windsor after a Black and Latino soldier was pepper-sprayed and forced to the ground during a traffic stop, officials announced Thursday.

Body camera footage released from the December 2020 incident showed Windsor Police Department officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker with guns drawn, demanding U.S. Army Lt. Caron Nazario get out of his black SUV. Nazario pled for the reason he was being pulled over before the officers pepper sprayed him while he was in his car.

His eyes shut in pain as he resisted the impulse to wipe them, Nazario told the officers: I dont even want to reach for my seatbelt  can you please. My hands are out, can you please  look, this is really messed up.

The officers later forced him to the ground and handcuffed him.

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The former attorney general of Virginia, Mark Herring, filed a lawsuit against the Town of Windsor in 2021, alleging that its law enforcement officers engaged in discriminatory policing practices. The suit was made following a months-long investigation into Windsor police traffic stops.

The town of Windsor also agreed to more officer training as part of a settlement agreement signed Thursday. In exchange, the state Attorney Generals Office will drop its argument that Windsor police broke a new law by depriving Nazario of his rights.

Miyares settles lawsuit on basis of accreditation, third-party reviews of misconduct allegations

On Thursday, the current state attorney general, Jason Miyares, announced the end of the legal battle on the basis that Windsor would obtain accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission. The process requires the Windsor Police Department to raise the bar on its internal investigation processes and officer training, the state Attorney General's Office said.

The police department will also be required to submit to independent third-party reviews for complaints involving serious misconduct or use of force, the state Attorney General's Office said.

Miyares said the 2020 incident demonstrated an egregious and unjust use of power.

Police are the only government entity that has a monopoly on the use of force in American society, so its important that they be good stewards of that responsibility and strive for excellence in the administration of justice. Excessive use of force and violations of constitutional liberties will not be tolerated in Virginia, Miyares said.

Nazario sued the two police officers for the assault during the traffic stop incident and requested $1.5 million in damages. The federal jury sided with Nazario but only ordered the officers pay $3,685 to compensate Nazario for the injuries he suffered.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawsuit over cop pepper-spraying Black and Latino soldier to end
The National Anti-corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have seized the assets and property of oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi for two days. On 7 September, Kolomoiskyi was served with a notice of suspicion for misappropriating 9.2 billion hryvnias [roughly US$247 million] from Privatbank [a large Ukrainian bank co-founded by Kolomoiskyi  ed.].

Source: press service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau

Details: As explained by the Bureau, this step is due to the need to ensure the possible confiscation or special confiscation of the property in the criminal proceedings on the misappropriation of Privatbank funds on a particularly large scale, money laundering and forgery.

Based on a resolution of the NABU Director, approved by the Head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the following were arrested for a period of 48 hours:

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stakes in the authorised capital of companies owned directly or indirectly by Kolomoiskyi in 307 legal entities, including joint-stock companies, worth more than 3 billion hryvnias [roughly US$80.5 million];

almost 1,000 real estate facilities;

more than 1,600 vehicles and vessels.

Law enforcement officers filed a request to seize the property with the High Anti-Corruption Court.

Background:

On 7 September, NABU investigators, with the approval of the SAPO, served the ultimate beneficial owner of PrivatBank and five members of a group organised by him with a notice of suspicion of embezzlement of bank funds in the amount of more than UAH 9.2 billion.

On 2 September, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the Bureau of Economic Security and the Prosecutor General's Office served oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi with a notice of suspicion under Articles 190 and 209 of the Criminal Code: fraud and legalisation (laundering) of the proceeds of crime.

The pre-trial restraint chosen by Kyivs Shevchenkivskyi District Court for the oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi is 60 days of detention with the option to pay bail of UAH 510 million [approximately US$13 million  ed.].

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Nadine Young holds a childhood photograph of her granddaughter, TaKiya Young, pictured right, with a younger cousin, at the law offices of the family attorney in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.



Nadine Young holds a childhood photograph of her granddaughter, TaKiya Young, pictured right, with a younger cousin, at the law offices of the family attorney in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.

The family of TaKiya Young, a pregnant Black mother who was shot and killed by an Ohio police officer, is renewing its call for justice amidst the release of new details in the case. At a press conference on Wednesday, Nadine Young, the grandmother of TaKiya Young, accused the police officer who shot her granddaughter of violating department policy. She and her attorney also called for the officers arrest.



She was murdered  her and her baby, said Nadine Young at a Wednesday news conference, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

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When feasible, officers should take reasonable steps to move out of the path of an approaching vehicle or any of its occupants, said Walton, reading from the manual, according to the Columbus Dispatch. An officer should only discharge a firearm at a moving vehicle or its occupants when the officer reasonably believes there are not other reasonable means available to avert the imminent threat of the vehicle, or if deadly force other than the vehicle is directed tat the officer or others.

Walton pointed out that Young was only accused of shoplifting. Its a petty theft. There is no reasonable officer in this country who should pull their gun out for a petty theft in that scenario, he said.

Despite the out-cry, the Fraternal Order of Police is still sticking beside Youngs killer. Brian Steel, Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9 Executive Vice President, said based on his training, he could understand why the shooting was justified.

The case is still under investigation, and the officer who shot young is on paid-leave.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  Starting Saturday, the government will begin distributing the 15,000 cash assistance to small rice retailers in Metro Manila who stand to lose from the price ceiling.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Friday said the payout will kick off in public markets in Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, and San Juan.

The agency said retailers do not need to apply to receive aid, adding DSWD personnel will look for ways to reach them.

"The payout will be on the ground, meaning the DSWD paymasters will go to the marketplace where the rice retailers are, Social Welfare Sec. Rex Gatchalian said in a statement on Friday.

Citing the Department of Trade and Industry, the DSWD said the 15,000 cash assistance is sufficient to help rice retailers for at least seven days since the effectivity of Executive Order 39, which imposed a price ceiling for regular milled rice at 41 per kilogram (kg) and well-milled rice at 45/kg.

Retailers earlier appealed to suspend the order since most of them will sell the staple at a loss.

The DSWD said sari-sari or mom-and-pop stores outside of wet and public markets will be eligible for a 5,000 subsidy, which will be sourced through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

Unlicensed rice retailers and sari-sari store owners selling rice are also included in the SLP payout which is in line with the presidents directive that the list of beneficiaries should be inclusive, Gatchalian said.

The department said supermarket and convenience stores are excluded from the cash subsidy.
FILE - President Donald Trump appears with Gov. Kristi Noem in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sept. 7, 2018. As his rivals spend the day holding town halls and meet-and-greets in early-voting states, Donald Trump is heading to South Dakota on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, for a party fundraiser that will double as an opportunity for the state's governor, Kristi Noem, to showcase herself as a potential vice presidential pick. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Not long ago, it looked like Kristi Noem s star was flaming out. Following a turbulent first term, the South Dakota governor elected not to run for president, and the media turned its focus elsewhere.

But if the 2024 primary is in part a tryout to be former President Donald Trump s next running mate, Noems national standing appears to have been rekindled. Shes suddenly front and center in the veepstakes.

Noem is running a $5 million national ad blitz  a taxpayer-funded effort backed by Covid aid designed to lure more workers to South Dakota, but with the benefit of increasing her profile. She is doing regular hits on Fox News. And, perhaps most important, she is avoiding any of the pitfalls of a presidential run of her own  no hardball questions about Jan. 6 or Trumps indictments and no pressure to perform in a debate.

Instead, at a sold-out GOP fundraiser in Rapid City, S.D., on Friday, the governor will stand beside Trump as she introduces him in her home state. A person familiar with the plans told POLITICO on Thursday night that she would use the occasion to endorse the former president, as CNN first reported.

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Shes played her cards right, said Dave Carney, a veteran Republican strategist based in New Hampshire. Shes articulate. She has a lot of energy, and she might make an attractive ticket for the president.

Noem is all but hanging her running mate shingle on her door. Asked last month about a possible spot on a Trump ticket, she told Fox News of course, I would consider it. Her taxpayer-funded ads arent just airing in D.C. markets, theyve landed her on television screens in GOP voters homes last month during the first primary debate in Milwaukee.





Noem has a warm relationship with the former president, not to mention a direct line to him. Corey Lewandowksi, Trumps first campaign manager who has had an on-again, off-again role in advising Noem, will be on the plane to Rapid City with Trump on Friday at the former presidents request, he told POLITICO. Noem fired Lewandowski from a consulting role after accusations he made unwanted sexual advances toward a woman at a charity event in 2021. He cut a deal with Las Vegas prosecutors after he was charged with misdemeanor battery, in which he did not have to admit guilt.

At the time, a Noem spokesperson said Lewandowski would not be advising the governor in regard to the campaign or official office. But he was spotted with Noem at a Republican Governors Association confab in Nashville last year. (A Trump spokesperson didnt immediately respond to a POLITICO inquiry on Lewandowski traveling with Trump on Friday; a Noem spokesperson declined to comment on her political advisers.)

Noem, who became a sensation in the GOP by keeping her state open during the pandemic, for months has been overshadowed by another conservative Covid star governor, Ron DeSantis of Florida. But whereas DeSantis made a bet that Trump could be defeated, Noem determined that patience was the prudent path.

The fact is, none of them can win as long as Trumps in the race, Noem said of the current field recently on Fox News. And thats just the facts. So why run if you cant win.

Months later, DeSantis standing in GOP circles has eroded, along with his primary chances. And Noem, Lewandowski argues, finds herself in an enviable position. I think it shows an enormous level of sophistication, Lewandowski, who calls himself an overzealous volunteer for Noem, told POLITICO.

Noems moves havent gone unnoticed in her home state, where her allies and detractors alike have long viewed her as a politician with aspirations outside South Dakota.



Its clear that she's positioning herself to get to be selected as vice president or, in the alternative, if something happens where President Trump starts to falter, or doesn't receive the nomination, to run for president to pick up the MAGA flag and carry the banner, said one South Dakota-based Noem donor, granted anonymity to assess her strategy.

Everybody assumes shes running, the donor continued. Its very obvious. Not a week goes by where shes not on Fox News. Its a national strategy.

At the heart of that strategy is the likelihood of Trump not just winning the nomination, but looking beyond his current competition for a running mate. Trump, who did not participate in the first GOP debate, has cast his lower polling competitors as potential vice presidential picks. Let them debate so I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President! Trump posted on Truth Social this summer.

But Noem has also sought to make her own inroads with Trump. In 2020, she gave him a $1,000 replica of Mt. Rushmore with his face chiseled into it, commemorating a July Fourth campaign speech he made there at the time. She also held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago ahead of her 2022 reelection bid, at which Donald Trump Jr. and girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle appeared.

If she's asked to [be vice president], she would have to consider it, Ian Fury, Noems official spokesperson, told POLITICO.

Carney cautioned there would be one downside for Trump in selecting Noem: Its South Dakota with three electoral votes, he said. It doesnt bring in any Republicans.

Still, Noem shouldnt be underestimated, he said.

You cant run for vice president, Carney said, but Noem has done a good job.
An Alabama sheriffs office dispatcher was fatally shot by her deputy boyfriend in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.

Lexi White, a 911 dispatcher for the Cullman County Sheriffs Office, was found dead on Thursday alongside boyfriend Kenneth Booth, a deputy for the same office. He shot her, then himself, the Cullman County Sheriffs Office said in a press release.

Kevin Booth and Lexi White.

Kevin Booth and Lexi White.

Authorities said White and Booth were dating, and they believed the two had an argument that escalated to the point where Booth pulled out his gun and shot her.

White was 23, the Cullman Tribune reported. According to authorities, she had been a member of the Cullman County Sheriffs Office since she was 16, beginning as a charter member of its Youth Leadership Academy.

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Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said the office is devastated by the lost of their dispatcher.

There are not enough words to express what she and her family mean to me. I am literally heartbroken. I feel like Lexi is one of my own kids, he said in the press release.

According to data by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 72% of all murder-suicides involved an intimate partner, and 94% of the victims are women or girls.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Related...
A Shiprock man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with a 2021 fatal car crash.

Keanu Marcel Upshaw, 22, was sentenced to a prison term of three years and one month after pleading guilty in federal court on April 6, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico. Upshaw, a member of the Navajo Nation, will face three years of supervised release upon the completion of his sentence.

On Sept. 16, 2021, Upshaw, who had been drinking heavily, according to court documents, lost control of the vehicle he was driving, leading to a crash on Navajo Route 36 northwest of Shiprock. Both Upshaw and his passenger were ejected, with the passenger dying from injuries.

Court documents show that when a sample of Upshaws blood was taken approximately two hours after the incident, his blood alcohol concentrate was 0.18, more than twice the legal limit in New Mexico for operating a motor vehicle. An accident reconstruction effort revealed that the vehicle driven by Upshaw was traveling between 69 and 80 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone at the time of the accident, the release states.

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The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Keanu Marcel Upshaw sentenced to three years for manslaughter charge
A would-be smash-and-grab suspect who got more than he bargained for when he attempted to rob a family-owned jewelry store in the San Gabriel Valley last week, has been identified, authorities announced on Thursday.

Surveillance cameras captured the suspect, now identified as 36-year-old Joshua Lee Simmons, as he was walking down Main Street in El Monte on Sept. 2 dressed in all black with a face mask and a cardboard box in hand.

As the 36-year-old approaches Mezas Jewelry store, hes seen spraying bear repellent in the face of a 70-year-old man, one of the stores owners, who was sitting just outside the shop.

That didnt stop the 70-year-old from running inside his familys jewelry store to fight back, his brother, niece and nephews all coming to his defense, struggling to restrain the intruder as he smashed the display case and attempted to grab whatever precious merchandise he could get his hands on.

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Jewelry store owners speak out after wild smash-and-grab robbery attempt

Another co-owner of Mezas can be seen in the video hitting Simmons with a stick, forcing him to run out of the store empty handed, shirtless and pulling up his pants while several other employees chased him down the sidewalk.

Joshua Lee Simmons, 36, was captured on surveillance cameras during an alleged smash-and-grab robbery attempt at Mezas Jewelry in El Monte on Sept. 2, 2023. (El Monte PD)

Things took a turn when the employees engaged the suspect according to El Monte police, and a struggle ensued. (Instagram/@SGV)

Things took a turn when the employees engaged the suspect according to El Monte police, and a struggle ensued. (Instagram/@SGV)

Things took a turn when the employees engaged the suspect according to El Monte police, and a struggle ensued. (Instagram/@SGV)

Things took a turn when the employees engaged the suspect according to El Monte police, and a struggle ensued. (Instagram/@SGV)

Things took a turn when the employees engaged the suspect according to El Monte police, and a struggle ensued. (Instagram/@SGV)

A jewelry store employee who appears to have been pepper sprayed outside of Mezas Jewelry on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. (Instagram/@SGV)

Officers with the El Monte Police Department responded to the scene on reports of a robbery in progress, according to a department news release. Authorities said the suspect had already fled the scene, getting away in a gray Dodge Charger with California license plate #8MVU075, when officers arrived.

Simmons is described as an African-American male, standing approximately 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 300 pounds.

Anyone with information about the attempted smash-and-grab or Simmons whereabouts is encouraged to call the El Monte Police Department at 626-580-2100.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
The Scene

Next Wednesdays artificial intelligence summit will open to low political expectations in Washington and indifference in Silicon Valley, despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer s success in bringing Elon Musk , Sam Altman , and Mark Zuckerberg to the Capitol.

Some of the invited attendees arent envisioning big results and havent received many details, according to people familiar with the gathering, making it possibly more of a show than a meeting that produces any substantive outcomes.

All senators are invited to attend the closed-door meeting to hear from AI tech leaders like Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Hugging Face CEO Clement Delangue. The morning session with top executives will be moderated by Schumer and Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota.

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Leaders of the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, a top civil rights group, and the Motion Picture Association have also been invited in what will be the first of nine such forums.

Im hoping that we will see additional experts and leaders added to ensure that, in addition to the technology leaders, we also have sufficient balance with folks who are outside of the industry, said Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. For us, the issues that are posed by AI are civil rights issues.

In June, Schumer announced that he would be hosting AI Insight forums with tech leaders, AI critics, and others as he pushes to speed up Congress work on legislation to set up guardrails around the rapidly advancing technology.

Kadias view

While tech companies are scrambling to one-up each other on AI feats, theres another AI race taking place at the Capitol: The Senate and House are both sprinting to understand AI, even if theyre not working together, yet.

Months before Schumer announced the Sept. 13 forum, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries hosted Altman in the Capitol, where he briefed members on the technology. Musk visited House GOP leaders weeks after McCarthy was sworn in as speaker and months before meeting with Schumer.

When Schumer unexpectedly dropped his AI framework earlier this year, members on the House AI Caucus were scrambling to get more details about it. House members werent invited to next weeks forum and senators werent at House briefings on AI earlier this year. Each chamber has created separate bipartisan working groups.

Congress isnt known for its speed when it comes to regulating technology  see the internet, and whatever happened to crypto regulation? So, these grand gestures in the form of Big Tech names gracing the halls of the Capitol are possibly the goal in it of themselves. As one House aide told Semafor about the upcoming meeting, media attention is very much the point of some of whats going on with AI right now.

Reeds view

Almost every leader of a significant AI company has been through Washington at least once already. And each meeting between lawmakers and tech executives gets a little less exciting. Even in its home state, Silicon Valley barely noticed when Californias governor signed an executive order on AI earlier this week.

Part of the reason is that its so unlikely well see some kind of comprehensive AI legislation that addresses the latest wave of the technology.

Nobody is quite sure how generative AI is going to affect the world. Some people out here are convinced its mostly hype and that the promised consumer use cases, like intelligent virtual assistants, arent going to arrive any time soon.

If Silicon Valley isnt totally sure where this is all headed, how are people in D.C. supposed to create new laws that govern it?

Its also important to separate the debate on generative AI from the discussions about automation software that can lead to discrimination and bias. The Biden administrations blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights has already addressed these issues surrounding a technology that has been used in full force for years now.

Room for Disagreement

Regulation is coming  and figures like Altman say they welcome it. Even the libertarian-leaning Musk has warned about the dangers of killer AI. In fact, the field is one of the rare cases where tech companies were calling for rules even before lawmakers. Whether that results in a better chance for legislation is unclear.

Notable

For more details on Schumers efforts, check out his June speech where he laid out his framework and vision for the AI forums.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Silver Alert for a 68-year-old woman missing from Murfreesboro.

Marilyn Lewis was last seen on Friday, Sept. 8 in the area of Memorial Boulevard. Investigators said Lewis has a medical condition that may impair her ability to return home safely on her own.

Unsolved cases: 18 missing people who disappeared from Nashville

She is 51 tall, weighs about 97 pounds and has gray hair. When she was last seen, the TBI said Lewis was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. She also had a purse with her.

Anyone who has seen Lewis or has any information is asked to contact the Murfreesboro Police Department at 6158931311 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Correction: A previous version of this story erroneously described a commemorative patch. It did not include imagery of a Display and Sight Helmet system.

MELBOURNE, Australia  Singapores upgraded F-16 fighter jets can now fire the Python-5 air-to-air missile, the country has confirmed.

An information board showcasing the upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons for the Republic of Singapore Air Forces open house event lists the Python-5, made by Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, among the weapons the aircraft can use.

The list also includes satellite-guided and laser-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition variants. Singapore had asked to integrate the two weapons in its Foreign Military Sales request to the U.S. as part of an F-16 upgrade package. The 2014 request to upgrade 60 Singaporean F-16s also sought integration of the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and the CBU-105 (D-4)/B sensor fused weapon.

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The Air Forces F-16 upgrade program also included the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, new mission computers, and identification friend or foe technology.

The Python-5 is a fifth-generation air-to-air and ground-based air defense missile. (Rafael USA)

Singapores 20 F-16D Block 52+ aircraft receiving upgrades first. The country also operates 40 older Block 52 aircraft delivered from 1998 onward.

A commemorative unit patch for the Singaporean F-16 upgrade program had shown a Python missile, hinting at its eventual integration with the jet. The U.S. Air Forces 416th Flight Test Squadron, based at Edwards Air Force Base in California, issued the patch. The squadron is also supporting South Koreas ongoing F-16 upgrade program.

The patch also showed what appears to be the ELL-8212 self-protection jamming pod, which was in use with Singapores F-16s prior to upgrade efforts. Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, makes the pod.

Singapores F-16 pilots also use the Display and Sight Helmet system, made by Israeli firm Elbit Systems, that allows pilots to aim weapons by looking at a target.

The integration of the Python-5 will enable the service greater commonality in its munitions inventory. Singapore is already operating the Rafael-made Spyder ground-based air defense system, which uses the Python-5 and Derby medium-range missile, also produced by Rafael.

The company describes the Python-5 as a fifth-generation air-to-air missile and says it provides the pilot with a full-sphere launch capability, enabling engagements against targets from short to beyond-visual range at any point of the compass around the launch aircraft, with the missile locking onto a target after its fired.

The missile incorporates a dual-band imaging infrared seeker that enables it to engage small, low-signature targets in look down, adverse background and cloudy environments, the company says.

Singapore and Israel have had a close defense relationship since the formers independence from Malaysia in 1965, with Israel proving instrumental in helping set up Singapores military.
A Santa Margarita teenager was arrested on suspicion of robbery Thursday in Atascadero after police say he used a pellet gun in an attempt to steal a bicycle before leading officers on foot pursuit.

The chase caused two nearby high schools to go on lockdown.

At around 3:20 p.m., officers responded to a report that suspect tried to steal a bicycle while brandishing a gun in the 6700 block of El Camino Real.

The suspect fled the scene on foot, police said, and was last seen in the creek near the pedestrian tunnel heading toward Atascadero High School.

The high school and nearby North County Christian School were both placed on lockdown out of an overabundance of caution, police said.

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The California Highway Patrols helicopter helped officers with the search.

Then, a juvenile matching the description of the suspect jumped over a fence in the 6400 block of Nacimiento Avenue directly in front of an officer.

The suspect was detained and identified by the victim.

A California Department of Fish and Wildlife K-9 helped locate the weapon, which was believed to be discarded during the pursuit.

It was a pellet gun, found wrapped in a black beanie near the suspects backpack.

The suspect  a 15-year-old Santa Margarita resident  was arrested and booked into the San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Services Center on suspicion of robbery.
Ms Sturgeon was cleared of breaking the ministerial code by an ethics body over allegations made against Mr Salmond - Russell Cheyne/REUTERS

Ministers belonging to the SNP have launched a court bid to block the release of evidence that could show how much Nicola Sturgeon knew about the Alex Salmond scandal.

In a highly unusual move, the Scottish Government is taking legal action in an attempt to overturn a ruling by Scotlands transparency tsar, who found information gathered as part of an inquiry into whether Ms Sturgeon lied to Parliament was subject to right-to-know legislation.

Should the Court of Session back Darren Fitzhenry, the Scottish Information Commissioner, it would pave the way for members of the public to seek the release of evidence obtained in an investigation by James Hamilton, a former Irish prosecutor.

While Mr Hamilton cleared Ms Sturgeon of breaking the ministerial code, he expressed frustration that heavy redactions to his published report, made for legal reasons, meant it had given an incomplete and even at times misleading version of events.

The crucial issue in Mr Hamiltons enquiry was whether Ms Sturgeon had lied to MSPs over when she became aware of sexual harassment allegations against Mr Salmond.

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He found that while she had set out an incomplete narrative of events to MSPs, this had not been deliberate.

The finding allowed her to remain in post, even though a separate parliamentary inquiry ruled that Ms Sturgeon had misled Parliament.

Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Tory MSP, said: The public will be wondering what on Earth the SNP Government have to hide if they are taking action against a ruling from the independent commissioner.

It will evoke memories of their actions during the investigation into the former first minister, when they put a block on that scrutiny expanding.

Given all the huge challenges facing Scotland right now, this court appeal represents another waste of taxpayers money by this secretive SNP Government.

Case to be heard on Dec 6

A case at the Court of Session is due to be heard place on Dec 6, before a panel chaired by Lord Carloway, the countrys most senior judge.

Cases can only succeed if an authority can successfully argue that the commissioner has not applied the law correctly, not because it disagrees with a decision.

Mr Fitzhenry said that he cannot accept the argument from ministers that they did not hold the evidence gathered by Mr Hamilton, and that it is therefore not subject to Freedom of Information laws.

He said that the investigation had been subject to ministerial oversight, had been supported by Scottish Government civil servants and that ministers, rather than Mr Hamilton, had decided what would be redacted from the published version of his findings.

If the court rules against the Scottish Government, it would not automatically mean that all the evidence given to Mr Hamilton would be released.

However, some of it could be made public, should the commissioner decide that it is in the public interest to do so. It is unlikely that all of the evidence would be released in full, given legal restrictions that protect the anonymity of complainants.

Tainted by apparent bias

The findings of a Scottish Government probe into allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr Salmond, while he was first minister, were quashed after a court ruled it had been unlawful and tainted by apparent bias.

He was later cleared of all charges in a subsequent criminal case. The scandal over Ms Sturgeons handling of the allegations almost forced her resignation, roughly two years before she eventually stood down.

She has since been arrested, along with Peter Murrell, her husband and the SNPs former chief executive, as part of a separate police investigation into her partys finances. Ms Sturgeon has strongly denied any wrongdoing and both she and Mr Murrell were released without charge.

Referring to the Court of Session case against the information commissioner, a Scottish Government spokesman said: We are committed to openness and transparency and recognise that scrutiny is essential for effective governance.

As this case is now before the court, we will not comment on live legal proceedings.

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The cafe, which is located in the United Kingdom, said it was actually just students meditating in a yoga class (not pictured). fizkes via Getty Images

Someone rang up the cops after mistaking a bunch of meditating yoga students for murder victims.

An English cafe said on their Facebook page that their building frequently organizes yoga classes.

"We are not part of any mad cult or crazy clubs," the cafe said.

Someone mistook a group of meditating yoga students as the victims of a "mass killing" and made a police report.

The Seascape Cafe in Lincolnshire, England, said in a statement that the police rushed to their building on Wednesday night after receiving a report of a mass killing.

"If anyone heard the mass of police sirens in Chapel St Leonard's at 9:30 pm last night, then please be reassured," said the statement, which was published Thursday.

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"They were on their way to the Observatory after someone had reported a mass killing in our building. Having seen several people laying on the floor.Which actually turned out to be the Yoga Class in meditation," the cafe said in the statement.

Seascape Cafe is located in Lincolnshire's North Sea Observatory. The marine observatory opened in 2018 and hosts exhibitions in the local area, per the Lincolnshire County Council's website.

Seascape Cafe's statement added that the observatory "has lots of Yoga classes happening in the evenings" and asked visitors to be mindful of this.

"We are not part of any mad cult or crazy clubs," the statement continued.

Yoga instructor Millie Laws told the BBC that she was teaching seven students at Seascape Cafe on Wednesday evening. Laws noticed two people with dogs looking through the cafe's windows but didn't think too much about it at first.

"I didn't know until after we left that these people phoned in saying that there was a mass murderer; they were wearing a robe, and they were walking over all of the people, and it looked like some kind of ritual, and that the people on the floor were actually dead," Laws said.

A spokesperson for the Lincolnshire Police told Insider that the report was made "with good intentions."

"A call was made following concerns for the occupants of the North Sea Observatory, at Chapel St Leonards," the spokesperson said. "Officers attended, we're happy to report everyone was safe and well."

"I feel really bad for whoever the person was, who that would, of course, have been terrifying. So I do feel for them," Laws told the BBC.

"But at the same time, you've got to see the lighter side of it," she added.

Representatives for Seascape Cafe did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Editor's note: September 8, 2023  This story has been updated with comments from a Lincolnshire Police spokesperson.

Read the original article on Insider
Chinese TV productions welcomed in Bangladesh

Xinhua) 10:34, September 08, 2023

DHAKA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- "Today's event has made me deeply feel the charm of China-Bangladesh cultural exchanges, brought me a new cultural experience, and made me love Chinese culture more," Bangladeshi youth Fateha Bhuyain told Xinhua.

The event, mentioned by Fateha Bhuyain, titled "China Festival on the TV Screen," was held in Dhaka on Tuesday, which played clips of Chinese TV dramas co-translated and produced by China and Bangladeshi TV stations and introduced traditional Chinese culture through the documentaries about famous Chinese paintings. In the event, Bangladeshi dubbing actors also demonstrated the dubbing process.

Noting this is a memorable experience, Fateha Bhuyain said that in the future, it is expected that China-Bangladesh film and television cultural exchanges can become the medium of cultural exchanges between the two countries and promote deeper cultural understanding and cooperation between the two sides.

Fahim Ashab Asif, a Bangladeshi student who have been learning Chinese for four months in Confucius Institute at University of Dhaka, said that it was the first time for him to watch Chinese TV series dubbed in Bengali. "It was very interesting, I believe it will become better and better in the future."

Organized by China Media Group (CMG), the program was attended by more than 200 guests, including State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and Charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh Yan Hualong.

When delivering a speech, Khalid said that long before Bangladesh's independence, China had close cultural and commercial contacts with the region. Today, China-Bangladesh relations are thriving with close people-to-people exchanges, and China's development achievements have attracted worldwide attention.

Khalid expressed hope that the two countries will strengthen cultural exchanges so that the Bangladeshi people can learn more about China and Chinese culture through various ways.

For his part, Yan said that for thousands of years, the two countries have enjoyed continuous cultural and commercial exchanges. It is hoped that the younger generations of China and Bangladesh will strengthen exchanges and mutual learning and make new contributions to the development of bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  Dr. Tony Leachon has been reverted to a volunteer consultant of the Department of Health after his appointment as a paid special adviser for non-communicable diseases drew flak from a lawmaker, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa disclosed on Friday.

Ive talked to Dr. Leachon and he said Im willing to be a volunteer consultant, nandoon sa statement na yon [its in the statement]," Herbosa told reporters.

"He reverted back to a volunteer consultant without pay so tumutulong lang siya sa pamahalaan [so hell help the government] with whatever expertise he has, the DOH chief added.

So to me, tinanggap ko yon, pinabago ko na yung kontrata niya as per recommendation of Congresswoman [Janette] Garin na dapat dumaan sa proseso if youre going to hire a consultant and use government funds, he continued.

[Translation: So I accepted it, I revised his contract following Congresswoman Garins recommendation that the DOH must follow the process]

Herbosa was referring to Garins comments during the DOHs budget hearing on Thursday, when she questioned Leachon's expertise and described him as a person whose statements were always skewed and malicious.

READ: Ex-DOH chief says Tony Leachon 'not a public health expert'

Garin, who previously headed the DOH, asked if it was fair to pay Leachon using government funds.

Addressing this, Herbosa said Wala tayong government funds na ibibigay kay Dr. Leachon at yung volunteer basis ay yung tulong niya sa akin bilang [We will not give Leachon government funds and his volunteer basis will be his assistance to me as] Secretary of Health to helping in non-communicable disease.

Asked if the DOH would acquire more consultants to help the agency, Herbosa said he was open to it  particularly for the nursing sector.

Nag-iisip ako sa nursing kailangan din natin ng consultant kasi isa sa malaking crisis yan so mga nursing expert," he said. "Although nag-create na ako ng National Nursing advisory group of technical experts."

[Translation: Ive been thinking that the agency needs nursing experts to act as consultants because it is a major crisis. Although I already created the National Nursing Advisor Group of Technical Experts.]
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and his wife Kim Keon Hee, rear left, walk with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana upon arrival for their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo , on Friday seeking to deepen economic ties and defense cooperation at a time of heightened global geopolitical tensions.

Yoon has been in Indonesias capital, Jakarta, since Tuesday attending the the three-day summit by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with Asian and Western counterparts. That meeting spotlighted major conflicts in Asia, with calls for peaceful resolutions and restraint.

Widodo and his wife, Iriana, hosted Yoon and South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee at a ceremony in the colonial-style Merdeka palace in Jakarta.

During their meeting, the two leaders agreed to deepen their strategic partnership in the security and defense industries and to expand cooperation in future-looking industries such as electric vehicles, batteries and smart cities.

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Indonesias foreign affairs minister, Retno Marsudi, told reporters after the meeting that Widodo welcomed commitments made by South Korean company LG and its partners in Indonesia to accelerate the realization of a grand investment package worth $9.8 billion for the construction of a cathode factory on Indonesias Batam island, next to Singapore.

She added that factory construction is expected to start this year, involving Indonesias state-owned companies and regional businesses. Cathodes are key components in global battery production for electric vehicles.

Indonesia, Southeast Asias largest economy, has imported a total of $4.3 billion in South Korean arms, according to government data, making it the countrys largest export destination among ASEAN countries.

Indonesia is the only country to have imported a Korean submarine and also the first country to import Koreas KT-1 and T-50 training aircraft. Indonesia is participating as a partner to shoulder 20% of a $6 billion deal to build Koreas first domestically developed advanced fighter jet by 2026. The project began in 2015.

The two leaders on Friday took part in the signing of agreements on agriculture, infrastructure, electrical vehicle ecosystems and food exports, and discussed possible Korean investment in a new capital city. Indonesia plans to move its capital from the congested and polluted city of Jakarta on the main island of Java to Nusantara on Borneo island next year.

They also discussed regional issues, including Southeast Asias strategy to safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

In talks with Southeast Asian leaders, China and Japan, in Jakarta on Wednesday, Yoon raised concerns about North Koreas nuclear and missile provocations and underscored the need for a firm and united response from the international community.

Widodo, who turned over the leadership of the regional group to Laos during the Jakarta meetings, characterized ASEAN as a regional peacemaker that the world sorely needs.

Indonesia and South Korea are members of the Group of 20 major developed and emerging economies. The two leaders were scheduled to leave Jakarta on Friday afternoon for New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 22 @Starlink satellites to orbit https://t.co/y7dNDWEeS5  SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 9, 2023

Update: Liftoff of Falcon 9 with 22 Starlink satellites at 11:12 p.m. EDT Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with a drone ship booster landing a short while later. Read our full post-launch story here.

SpaceX teams are on track to launch a Falcon 9 rocket Friday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with another batch of the company's Starlink internet satellites.

Liftoff of the Starlink 6-14 mission is slated to happen at 11:12 p.m. EDT.

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Iffy weather conditions around the spaceport are expected at the opening of the launch window but should improve throughout the night.

SpaceX Starlink 6-14 liftoff

The Falcon 9 has landed:

11:21 p.m. EDT: The Falcon 9 first stage has landed aboard SpaceX's Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship, completing its seventh mission.

Falcon 9s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship pic.twitter.com/aNWmflqvNi  SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 9, 2023

 Jamie Groh

Liftoff!

11:12 p.m. EDT: SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with 22 Starlinks satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This marks the 47th launch from Florida's Space Coast this year. The drone ship landing of the first stage booster should be coming up in about eight minutes.

 Jamie Groh

T-minus ten minutes to liftoff SpaceX rocket launch tonight:

11:07 p.m. EDT: At T-minus five minutes, everything is continuing as planned toward liftoff of the Space Coast's 47th mission of the year.

 Jamie Groh

SpaceX Falcon 9 Fueling underway:

10:43 p.m. EDT: SpaceX reports that all systems are good for liftoff and weather conditions have improved to 90% "go."

Here's a look at the countdown timeline:

T-minus:

00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks00:01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff

 Jamie Groh

One hour until liftoff of SpaceX rocket launch tonight:

10:12 p.m. EDT: SpaceX seemingly is still progressing toward a liftoff of the Falcon 9 with 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The weather conditions remain "go" for an attempt this evening. If SpaceX is indeed sticking to liftoff at 11:12 p.m. EDT, the launch director should be giving the "go" to proceed with fueling the Falcon 9 in 22 minutes.

A quick reminder that the launch window tonight is open until 11:30 p.m. EDT. Stay tuned.

 Jamie Groh

Ninety minutes until liftoff of SpaceX rocket launch:

9:41 p.m. EDT: After liftoff from Launch Complex 40 at 11:12 p.m. EDT, the Falcon 9 booster flying tonight's Starlink mission will fly along a southeastern trajectory with a booster landing targeted for a drone ship stationed at sea about eight minutes later. This will mark the seventh flight of the first stage booster. Weather around the spaceport is still looking good. Stay tuned.

 Jamie Groh

Weather improving for SpaceX Falcon 9 launch:

8:45 p.m. EDT: While we wait through the countdown tonight for a liftoff now slated for 11:12 p.m. EDT, a quick check of the weather around the spaceport shows that conditions are now "go" for a launch attempt. Rain and lightning that was present a few hours ago have moved out of the area. Some thick clouds remain, but there should be enough time in tonight's launch window for that to clear out as well. Stay tuned.

 Jamie Groh

New SpaceX launch time:

6:40 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is now targeting 11:12 p.m. EDT for liftoff of the Starlink 6-14 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Stay tuned for more frequent updates as we progress through the countdown tonight.

 Jamie Groh

Welcome to live coverage:

6:05 p.m. EDT: Welcome to our Space Team live coverage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 Starlink 6-14 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Launch teams are currently working toward liftoff at 7:56 p.m. EDT, but are continuing to monitor weather conditions around the spaceport. A quick check shows that conditions are currently "no go" for launch because of lightning and rain.

Teams have two other opportunities for liftoff throughout tonight's nearly four-hour launch window at 11:12 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EDT. Stay tuned for more frequent updates as the start of fueling procedures gets closer. That should be about 38 minutes before liftoff.

 Jamie Groh

What to know about SpaceX's Starlink 6-14 mission:

Liftoff of the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket is tentatively set to happen at 7:56 p.m. EDT, with a nearly four-hour launch window that extends until 11:30 p.m. EDT.

Teams have two backup opportunities available at 11:12 p.m. ET (03:12 UTC on September 9) and 11:30 p.m. EDT if needed. This will mark the seventh flight of the Falcon 9's first stage booster.

If schedules hold, this would become the Space Coast's 47th launch this year.

'Asteroid Autumn': NASA's Psyche mission to orbit and study rare metallic asteroid

What is the weather outlook for the Falcon 9 launch:

Because of a lingering chance of thunderstorms and lightning expected for Friday evening, forecasters with the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron predicted conditions to be 60% "go" at the opening of the launch window. Throughout the night, however, launch weather conditions are projected to improve to 85% "go" by the end of the window.

Recovery conditions for a first stage booster landing at sea aboard a drone ship were listed as "low risk."

According to Space Force forecasters, "similar conditions are expected for the backup day (Saturday), with diurnal thunderstorm potential in the afternoon and more favorable conditions towards the evening."

Here's everything else you need to know:

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40 will host.

The payload is the company's next batch of Starlink internet-beaming satellites.

The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory threading between Florida and the Bahamas.

Rocket launch schedule: Upcoming Florida launches and landings

Department of Defense: Hypersonic missile weapons test scrubbed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

If it launches on time, it will mark the Space Coast's 47th launch this year.

No local sonic booms with this mission.

The 130-foot first-stage booster will target a drone ship landing about eight minutes after liftoff.

When's the next launch from Florida's Space Coast?

The next launch from the Cape is slated for Saturday morning.

United Launch Alliance teams are targeting 8:51 a.m. EDT for liftoff of a 196-foot Atlas V rocket, outfitted with five side-mounted solid rocket boosters from Launch Complex 41.

The NROL-107 mission is a joint effort between the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.

It will send secretive payloads that are part of the Space Force's Silent Barker satellite constellation network directly to geosynchronous orbit about 24,000 miles above the Earth to provide space situational awareness, orbital surveillance, and tracking.

Follow FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team live launch coverage of that mission beginning 90 minutes before liftoff.

Beyond that, more SpaceX Starlink missions are expected to be launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station next week, but the company hasn't yet announced when the next mission is targeted to liftoff.

For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on X at @AlteredJamie.

Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Updates: SpaceX's latest Starlink mission Friday from the Cape
Among the nearly three dozen people who a special grand said should have been indicted in the Georgia election interference case was South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham .

A Fulton County judge released the full final report Friday of the special purpose grand jury that wrapped up its investigation in January.

The report led to the indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 others who are accused in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election here in Georgia.

Graham did not want to testify before the Fulton County special purpose grand jury last summer.

[TIMELINE: Fulton County investigation into potential interference in Georgia elections]

He didnt want to talk about a phone call he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him about tossing out certain absentee ballots from certain Democratic-leading counties in a way that would favor then-President Donald Trump.

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Graham insisted the call was merely a fact-finding mission trying to find out more about the election in Georgia before he cast his vote to certify the election, which he did on Jan. 6.

We will be going to court to contest the subpoena. Stay tuned. Our lawyers are involved, and well keep you updated, Graham said.

Graham tried multiple times to keep from testifying, prompting a filing from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis comparing Grahams phone call to Trumps now infamous call with Raffensperger where he asked the secretary to find 11,780 votes.

RELATED STORIES:

(Grahams) actions certainly appear interconnected with former President Trumps similar efforts to pressure Georgia elections officials into finding 11,780 votes and to spread election fraud disinformation.

Channel 2 Action News was outside the Atlanta federal courthouse when Grahams attorneys argued unsuccessfully that the senators calls were simply a protected legislative act.

Are yall here for Sen. Graham? Channel 2s Richard Elliot asked Grahams attorney and former White House counsel Don McGahn.

We are here, McGahn answered.

A judge eventually disagreed and ordered Graham to testify.

The special purpose grand jury report said it believed a number of witnesses lied to them and should be charged with perjury.

In the report, jurors were split, the majority of them said Graham should be indicted on charges tied to the effort in seven swing states to overturn the election on a national level.

When asked by reporters in Washington, DC, earlier this year, Graham insisted hed been truthful with them the entire time.

Whats your reaction to the grand jurys recommendation that perjury charges should be pursued? a reporter asked.

I have no idea, Graham told the gaggle of reporters at the time. Ask them, ask them.

So, youre confident youre not one of the people that perjured themselves? a reporter asked Graham.

Im confident that I testified openly and honestly, Graham said.

Graham sent us a statement Friday, saying:

As the then-Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I had to decide whether to hold a hearing regarding the allegations of election misconduct in Georgia and other locations, as well as whether to certify the election results.

I had questions, as did many others, about how the mail ballot process worked in Georgia and other locations. I did my due diligence. At the end of the day, I voted to certify the election results from every state including Georgia.

It should never be a crime for a federal elected official, particularly the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will have to vote to certify a presidential election, to question and ensure the integrity of that election.

RELATED NEWS:
Hasidim on Uman Street near the grave of Tzadik Nachman, September 25, 2012

Ukraines Uman in Cherkasy Oblast, being a major Jewish pilgrimage site, will introduce a special travel regime from September 11 to 21, when Hasidic pilgrims are expected to visit the city to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, city mayor Iryna Pletnova said in a Facebook post on Sept. 8.

The mayor reminded that the special regime pertains to entering and leaving the city, as well as movement across key streets in Uman.

Read also: Stop humiliating Ukrainians or well cancel visa waivers, Uman pilgrimage for Israelis, says ambassador

"Vehicle movement will face an enhanced checkpoint regime from the M-05 Kyiv-Odesa highway to Uman and on Vyzvolyteliv Street, for entry of Hassidic pilgrims only," said Pletnova.

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The mayor is asking residents to be respectful and understating towards the visitors and the need to accommodate their pilgrimage.

Read also: Israel increasingly denying entry to Ukrainians, situation escalating, say diplomats

In 2022, despite the ongoing war, over 23,000 pilgrims came to Uman.

Read also: Ukraine intel says Russians targeting Uman with Iranian drones to attack Hasidic Jews

In light of reports about a possible suspension of the visa-free regime with Israel, Ukraine's ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk earlier said it will be difficult to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews from Russian attacks due to a lack of air defense systems.

The grave of Nachman of Breslov at the Jewish cemetery in Uman is a pilgrimage site for Hasidic Jews from around the world. Every year they gather there to celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, numbering as high as 40,000 in pre-war years.

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
Butterflies fluttered among the sassafras leaves near President Andrew Jacksons grave at The Hermitage on Thursday, as a group of foreign dignitaries who traveled from more than 6,500 miles away listened to Mayor John Cooper give a history lesson.

Gov. Omed Xoshnaw of Erbil in the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq led a delegation of Iraqi officials to visit Nashville this week, to formalize a sister city relationship between Music City and one of the worlds oldest cities.

Years in the making, the partnership is aimed at facilitating exchanges in culture, education, commerce, and tourism.

We are a region different from the regions around us. The people living around us are not accepting us because democracy in their areas isnt working, Xoshnaw told The Tennessean in an interview through a translator. This relationship with Nashville will be another push fortifying our efforts for peaceful coexistence and spreading the principles of democracy in the region.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper, left, and Erbil, Iraq Governor Omed Xoshnaw visit the tomb of Andrew Jackson at The Hermitage during a tour of The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's home in Nashville Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Nashville has one of the largest Kurdish immigrant populations in the U.S. and the city is starting a sister cities program with Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq.

Erbil will be Nashvilles first sister city in the Middle East. Nashville already has sister city relationships with nine other cities, including Mendoza, Australia, Edmonton, Canada, and multiple European and Asian cities.

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A signing ceremony to formalize the partnership will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Downtown Library. The public is invited to attend.

'Modernity and ancient history'

Erbil is the capital city of the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, and has a population of about 1.6 million. Civilization in the citadel of Erbil, the citys historic city center, is documented back to at least 2,300 BC.

Life has been continually in the citadel for over 6,000 years, while around it is a place for a modern city thats growing, Xoshnaw said. So you can see modernity and ancient history all at once.

The citadel has survived conquest by some of the worlds oldest empires: Assyrian, Mongol, and Ottoman. But more recently, the city has faced security threats from a different foe: the militant Islamic State group.

In the last 10 years, terrorist groups came to our area: Daesh, also called ISIS. We faced a lot of damages to our way of life, Xoshnaw said. But through the resilience of the people and our Peshmerga fighters  and the support from the international communities and from our allies  we won the fight, and the terrorists lost.

Today, Xoshnaw said, Erbils culture of peaceful religious coexistence, opposition to terrorism, and commitments to human rights and democracy stands out amid the instability of the region.

This historic and ancient city is very proud that the sister city relationship with Nashville is getting to the formal stage, Xoshnaw said. This is a great privilege for us to become the first city in the Middle East to formalize our relationship with Nashville.

50 years in the making

Nashville is home to the largest diasporic Kurdish community in the U.S. The first Kurds arrived in Nashville in the mid-1970s, and have since grown to a population of about 20,000.

This is 50 years in the making, Cooper said. I don't think anybody would have predicted 50 years ago that we would be called Little Kurdistan all over the Middle East.

The Salahadeen Center supported a formal sister city relationship more than a decade ago  during the administration of Mayor Bill Purcell.

This is a project we have been working on for a long time, Mina Johnson, board president of Sister Cities of Nashville, said in a statement. We are so looking forward to being able to share an even deeper connection with our Kurdish neighbors both here and in Erbil.

Work on this weeks formal signing began three years ago, and involved visits to both cities and a Metro Council resolution. The partnership is supported by the Kurdish American Cultural Institute, the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil, and the U.S. State Department.

Last year, a Kurdish delegation from Erbil visited Nashville for the first time. In May, Cooper led a delegation from Nashville to Erbil for a week-long visit to the city and surrounding countryside. The group met with Kurdish dignitaries, and visited the Citadel and bazaar,

They were incredibly hospitable, Cooper said.

The City of Music

Nashvilles partnership with Erbil will center on cultural and educational exchange.

Throughout their visit this week, the delegation visited sites of Nashvilles diverse cultural heritage, including the National Museum of African American Music, Ft. Negley, the Grand Ole Opry, the Salahadeen Center, the Nashville Sounds and Princes Hot Chicken, along with The Hermitage.

On Friday morning, the delegation toured John Overton High School, and met with Metro Schools Director Adrienne Battle and school board members Rachel Elrod and Freda Player-Peters.

In one classroom, a student greeted Erbil City Mayor Nabaz Abdulhamid and others in the group in Kurdish  to much enthusiasm from the group. There are more than 3,000 Kurdish students at Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Dignitaries also learned about the career prep tracks the school offers. Student ambassadors shared their own paths toward post-graduation employment opportunities, including how the school helps students obtain OSHA workplace safety certifications, and professional certifications in Adobe graphic design platforms and as a nurses aide, allowing certified graduates to work in a hospital immediately after graduation.

The group also stopped briefly in the schools auditorium, where students were rehearsing vocals and vibrant choreography for All That Jazz from their upcoming performance of the musical Chicago this December.

The sister cities announcement honors  this remarkable ally for America and the Middle East, which values diversity and democracy," Cooper said, "but it also recognizes Nashville's journey to being a diverse and welcoming city, ourselves."

Reach reporter Vivian Jones at vjones@tennessean.com or on X and Threads at @Vivian_E_Jones.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Kurdish residents: Sister City partnership formed with Erbil
Spring Hill City Hall is located at 199 Town Center Parkway. The building houses local government offices, including the local police department and holds government meetings.

The City of Spring Hill is lifting irrigation restrictions, which were put into place earlier this week, following a widespread power outage on Aug. 31 caused by a power failure at a Columbia substation and a "tripped" TVA line.

On Tuesday, the necessary repairs to a mechanical issue were made within the Columbia Power and Water Systems water distribution system in Spring Hill. The Spring Hill irrigation systems were previously shut off to allow for the municipal water system to recover, officials say.

Spring Hill City Administrator Pam Caskie said the water mechanical issue was likely caused due to the widespread power outages that affected many parts of Spring Hill and Columbia a week ago, which required a temporary shutdown of the irrigation water system for several days.

According to Tennessee Valley Authority communications representative Adam May, a tripped TVA line and Columbia substation caused the outage last Thursday.

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"The outage was started when a lightning arrester failed on the north Columbia substation, which is not owned by TVA," May said.

"When it failed, it tripped a TVA line that goes from the Maury Substation to the Saturn substation. TVA responded and had that line re-energized within 55 minutes. When the initial incident happened, it tripped off the TVA Substation at Mt. Pleasant. That issue was fixed within 35 minutes.

"TVA has an ongoing program to replace aging equipment, and we routinely perform preventative maintenance."

Rather than shutting down resources like emergency response, such as water in Spring Hill used by the fire department, cutting off the city's irrigation system was, while inconvenient, the best option, Caskie said.

The previous power outage led to a blackout of the Spring Hill business district at Spring Hill Crossings and Main Street, causing traffic congestion and businesses being forced to shut down for over an hour.

After several days, the water system has rebounded, and thus, the restrictions were lifted, a week after the power outages.

City staff, along with Mayor Jim Hagaman and Caskie, addressed the situation following the repairs during the Board of Mayor and Aldermen's work session Tuesday.

"We had a major mechanical failure in our system that caused a lot of issues, and as a result of that many of us on staff came together to solve the issue," Hagaman said. "This was a crisis that was mitigated more quickly than anything I've ever seen in my life, and it happened because people are willing, have the expertise and competency and desire to serve the citizens holistically."

More: As water use reaches peak season, Spring Hill requiring citizens to curb nonessential water use

Hagaman also thanked each individual department member for their swift work in restoring the water system, which ranged from communications staff to development services, public works and multiple first-response teams.

"And I want to say a very special thanks to the entire staff at Columbia Power and Water Systems who worked tirelessly through the night to fix repairs and restore service, because remember this happened [on Monday], which was also a holiday," Hagaman said.

The City of Spring Hill is discussing a new water tank at the upcoming June Lake mixed-use development.

On Monday, the mechanical issue was identified, and irrigation restrictions were put into place by Spring Hill officials. At the time, Spring Hill residents were asked to participate in a voluntary shutoff of irrigation systems, while large commercial properties in Spring Hill were placed under a mandatory shutoff, the press release states.

The tank levels, as of 6 p.m. [Tuesday] were at 58%, which was a 17% increase from where we were Monday afternoon, Water Superintendent Jeremy Vanderford said.

"We are looking in good shape."

More: Spring Hill replenishes water reserves following 7-day moratorium for nonessential use

"We are graced with a good partnership with CPWS," Caskie said. "And in the middle of peak watering issues, and on a holiday weekend ... and you have a mechanical failure, which was probably brought about by the [Tennessee Valley Authority] substation loss from last Thursday's power failure. I know this was inconvenient and a lot of people don't like it, but it was definitely the lesser of all the options."

More: TVA power station failure leads to widespread outage in Spring Hill, Columbia

The city also expressed its gratitude to residents for their understanding and cooperation throughout this process. If you have any questions or additional information can be addressed by contacting Spring Hill communications staff at commdept@springhilltn.org.

Jay Powell is a general reporter for The Daily Herald. Get up-to-date news in your inbox by subscribing to The Daily Herald newsletter at www.ColumbiaDailyHerald.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Spring Hill and CPWS restore irrigation shutoffs following TVA outages
A pair of fatal shootings at a downtown Des Moines alternative school in January was only one link of a long chain of gang-related violence, a police detective testified this week.

Preston Walls is being tried on two counts of murder and other offenses in the Jan. 23 slayings at the Starts Right Here program on Southwest Fifth Street. Rashad Carr, 16, and Gionni Dameron, 18, were killed, and program founder William Holmes, also known as Will Keeps, was seriously wounded.

On Thursday, nearing the end of the trial's second week, the jury heard from Detective Jeffrey George, the lead investigator in the case and a trained gang violence investigator. George said that in the months leading to the Starts Right Here attack, dozens of shootings around the Des Moines metro were attributed to hostility between two rival gang factions: Only My Brothers, or OMB, and the other known as Strap or OTR, meaning Only The Real.

"As it stands right now, theres been over 99 different shooting leads between these groups," George testified. "Theres been numerous drug cases, robberies, fights, other violence in the community between these groups, so theyre very active, particularly in 2022."

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Walls and his codefendant and accused getaway driver Bravon Tukes are members of the OTR faction, George said. Prosecutors presented numerous social media posts, photos and videos showing Walls and other OTR members making gang signs, displaying guns, and talking about being in a gang together.

Carr and Dameron were part of Only My Brothers, George said, and although their families deny the two were involved in gangs, the jury saw additional social media evidence connecting them with guns and gang signs. In particular, Carr was known as the OMB group's rapper.

The jury watched a video, posted online just a week before the shooting, in which he and other OMB members mocked OTR and trash-talked specific past and current members  including a reference to Trevontay Jenkins, Tukes' brother, an OTR member who had been shot and killed by Des Moines police several weeks earlier.

Previously: Starts Right Here shooting linked to teen's killing by Des Moines police, court records say

George also walked the jury through phone and text message records showing Walls, Tukes and other OTR members communicating in the hours leading up to the shooting, including one exchange where Walls appears to confirm to Tukes that both Dameron and Carr were present at the school, and surveillance footage showing Walls fleeing from Starts Right Here after the shootings and running to Tukes' car parked across the Raccoon River. Police arrested them a short time later.

Numerous members of both OTR and OMB are facing charges or serving time for gang-related activity, George said. Prosecutors specifically pointed to a May 2023 shooting that injured three people at an after-prom party for Roosevelt High students. The two shooters charged in that incident, Jaren Rhoden and Terrance Johnson-Rawls, are both OTR members, George said.

A second mistrial motion is denied

Walls' attorneys concede he shot Dameron and Carr, but they contend he feared for his life and acted in self-defense.

Earlier in the week, they had asked for a mistrial after a Des Moines police officer in testimony about Walls' arrest referred to him as the "bad guy." Judge Lawrence McLellan denied the motion, but on Thursday, the defense renewed its request after George twice called the shootings "murders."

"Some things are so obvious that a witness shouldnt say," attorney Glen Downey said. "The witness doesnt get to characterize our client as a murderer."

McLellan again denied the request, noting that George had not directly referred to Walls as a "murderer." That wasn't the end of the matter, though, as George later described the shooting as a murder a third time, resulting in another mistrial motion and another denial.

With prosecutors finished questioning George, Friday will see the defense take its turn. Walls' attorneys have indicated they plan to press George to confirm that Dameron and Carr were known to frequently carry guns  Dameron had one when he was killed  to bolster their argument that Walls shot them in justifiable self-defense.

Walls also is expected to testify after the state finishes its case. His codefendant, Tukes, is scheduled to stand trial in October.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Starts Right Here shooting linked to ongoing gang war, police testify
On Sept. 8, 1966, TV viewers were transfixed by the appearance on screen of a green-hued, pointy-eared alien called Spock. But beneath the makeup, actor Leonard Nimoy fretted that this would be the end of his promising career.

How can I play a character without emotion? he asked his boss, Gene Roddenberry . Im going to be on one note throughout the entire series.

Nimoy thought he looked silly wearing the prosthetics that turned him into a Vulcan, at one point issuing an ultimatum: Its me or the ears.

Nimoys misgivings were just one of many problems the writers, producers and cast faced during Star Treks troubled journey to the screen. Culled from their recollections, this is the story of how Star Treks mission to explore strange new worlds was almost over before it began.

Seeds of inspiration

The ingredients of Star Trek had been slow-cooking in creator Gene Roddenberrys brain for years. At first he wanted to write a show about a 19th-century blimp that journeyed from place to place, making contact with distant peoples.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the early 1960s. Mutual of New York (MONY)/Wikimedia Commons

Deciding instead to set the show in the future, Roddenberry drew upon his youthful immersion in science fiction magazines like Astounding Stories. Also important was his experience as a World War II bomber pilot, which caused him to ruminate on human nature: Would we ever outgrow our obsession with violence? And from C.S. Foresters Horatio Hornblower novels, Roddenberry borrowed the idea of a courageous captain burdened by the duties of command.

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With tiny Desilu Studios interested in making the show, Roddenberry pitched Star Trek to the networks. CBS passed after Roddenberry botched the pitch. But NBC bit and ordered a pilot episode, which was eventually titled The Cage.

NBC responds to the pilot

Watching The Cage now is a disorientating experience. In the captains chair is a sullen man called Pike, played by star Jeff Hunter. There is no sign of future series regulars McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, Checkov. Spock is there, but not quite the inscrutable Spock we would come to know. He shouts and, more than once, breaks into a wide grin.

The role of chilly logician and second in command is instead taken by Number One, a character played by actress Majel Barrett.

Number One wouldnt make it past this trial run. In tests, some men and a surprisingly large number of women objected to her stridency, which was out of touch with the gender norms of the time. NBC doubted that Barrett could carry such a prominent role (and even thought Roddenberry had cast her because she was his mistress).

The Cage  a complicated story about alien mind-control  was an ambitious pilot. When Roddenberry presented it to NBC, the programming executives were blown away. But the sales and marketing department wasnt convinced. Not enough action, they thought. It would be hard to promote. Pass.

Star Trek, it seemed, was dead.

Striking gold with Shatner

Roddenberry pleaded with NBC for another chance. He assured them he could make it action-driven, that it didnt need to be high concept. A television miracle happened when NBC commissioned that rarest of things: a second pilot.

Roddenberry wanted Jeff Hunter to return as Captain Pike, and arranged to screen The Cage for him, reserving Desilus projection room for March 25, 1965. But Hunter was a no-show, sending his wife in his stead. This is not the kind of show Jeff wants to do, she told Roddenberry. Jeff Hunter is a movie star. Pike relinquished command.

The ebullient Canadian actor William Shatner was hired to play the ships captain, now named James R. (later James T.) Kirk. For Leonard Nimoy, the casting of Shatner, a stage actor accustomed to playing scenes big and loud, was the key to unlocking Spock.

Jeff [Hunter] was playing Captain Pike as a very thoughtful, kind of worried, kind of angst-ridden nice guy, Nimoy later told Shatner, in an interview for Shatners book Star Trek Memories. Pike didnt have the clarity or precision of character against which you could measure yourself.

Shatners clear-cut performance carved out space for Nimoy to shape his saturnine Spock. For lack of a better metaphor, on a bright sunny day, the shadows get very clear.

The second pilot, bolstered by the Shatner/Nimoy tandem, was a winner. Where No Man Has Gone Before was a rollicking story about crew members irradiated in deep space and acquiring godlike powers. NBC liked it and commissioned a full season of Star Trek.

Righting the ship after a stormy start

Triumph quickly turned to panic for Roddenberry and for Desilu studios. Roddenberry needed scripts for the series  fast. He solicited stories from veteran TV writers, from sci-fi magazine and novel authors, and even from his office staff. His secretary Dorothy Fontana went on to become perhaps the most celebrated and prolific writer for the show.

But script problems would dog the young series. Veteran TV writers, unused to sci-fi, struggled to work within the universe Roddenberry had created. Sci-fi luminaries had boundless imaginations but little grasp of the practicalities of writing for television. Their scripts often called for casting and staging that would consume the budget for a feature film, let alone a fledgling TV series.

Roddenberry also wasnt the best at managing the fragile egos of his writers. He took it upon himself to rewrite every script that made it on-screen, and his pages were often slow to arrive on set. Scripting was a constant source of tension and delay.

For Desilu, the elation of getting Star Trek picked up was dampened by the financial reality of producing the show. Network policy was to pay a set amount for each episode, calculated at something like 80 percent of the cost of production. For a small outfit like Desilu, deficit-financing both Star Trek and their other new show, Mission Impossible, required some accounting wizardry. Both were budgeted at US0,000 per episode, with NBC kicking in 0,000. Any over-budget costs were born by the studio alone.

Tiny Desilu kept its head above water into the second season of Star Trek before finally drowning in debt. Studio owner and I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball was forced to sell to Paramount. Had she been able to hold on a few months more, she would have seen Star Trek picked up in 60 countries. Had she retained the rights long-term, Desilu would have benefited financially from endless reruns of the shows 79 episodes. Network-friendly deals also ensured it would be many years before the cast would gain financial security from their iconic roles.

With the premiere date rapidly approaching, NBC chose an episode titled The Man Trap to be the first to air. It is, in truth, a run-of-the-mill Star Trek episode. The network liked that it featured a creature  a shape-shifting, salt-guzzling monster  with which the shows heroes could do battle.

Although NBCs marketing team had not initially seen the potential of Star Trek, by the time The Man Trap aired, they were able to trumpet the show in a glossy, multipage promotional brochure:

As the Apollo moon shot moves steadily from the drawing board to the launching pad, STAR TREK takes TV viewers beyond our time and solar system to the unexplored interstellar deeps  the STAR TREK storylines will stimulate the imagination without bypassing the intellect. While speculating in a fascinating way about the future, the series also will have much to say that is meaningful to us today.

A half-century later, we are on the cusp of a new CBS series set in the universe Roddenberry created. (CBS acquired the rights to Star Trek some years ago following a complicated series of corporate maneuverings.) Titled Star Trek: Discovery and scheduled for release in January 2017, the new series has no doubt had to contend with its own casting controversies, script problems and budget constraints.

The writers of the new show certainly know enough about Treks turbulent beginnings to temper expectations: If you go in with open minds and open hearts, you may be rewarded, they told a crowd eager for news at the Star Trek: Mission New York convention held over Labor Day weekend. Whereas if you go with a set of impossible-to-realize expectations, which even you cannot specifically define, then were bound to fail.

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: Stephen Benedict Dyson, University of Connecticut.

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Stephen Benedict Dyson 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.
American billionaire Elon Musk , the founder of Tesla, SpaceX and the owner of Twitter (X), gave his biographer access to private messages from Mykhailo Fedorov , Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, without asking for permission.

Source: Financial Times

Fedorov told the FT that he was not aware that Walter Isaacson had received and published the messages in the biography.

Quote: "It's not very pretty. Ive never shown or talked about our correspondence publicly," Fedorov said.

In his book, Isaacson describes how Musk intervened to block Ukrainian military access to Starlink on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The intervention prevented a secret attack by Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) on the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea.

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Isaacson's biography and related column in the Washington Post on Friday include a text message exchange in which Fedorov pleads with Musk to reconnect Starlink with Ukrainian forces.

Fedorov was shocked when the FT showed the WP article, but said that since the messages were a year old, their publication was unlikely to have any operational consequences.

After media reports in October last year about disruptions in the operation of Starlink in Ukraine, Musk agreed to restore the work of Ukrainian forces operating near Russian ones.

Fedorov said Musk himself told him he had turned off Starlink service on the front lines in southeastern Ukraine when Fedorov asked him to actually turn on communications in Crimea and to the borders of 1991.

Quote: "When he turned it on, he wrote that he had turned it back on," Fedorov added.

Fedorov, who has repeatedly publicly thanked Musk for providing the Starlink service, repeated his gratitude.

Quote: "I think that if he hadnt done it, it would have been a disaster, we just wouldnt be able to fight like this if he hadnt done it," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Fedorov acknowledged long and frequent text conversations with Musk after Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that after Musk posted a message on Twitter, which Fedorov perceived as pro-Russian, he wrote a text message to the billionaire.

Quote: "I explained to him that he was wrong, that we were, like, fighting for our independence there," Fedorov added.

The newspaper notes that the temporary shutdown of Starlink took place at a crucial moment in Ukraine's counteroffensive last autumn, after the full restoration of control over the territory occupied by Russia in Kharkiv Oblast and the recapture of lands on the Crimea front.

Updated: Later, Mykhailo Fedorov agreed to publish his correspondence with Musk in the businessman's biography.

"I officially give my permission to publish my text message history with Elon Musk in a new book about him. To be honest, I'm looking forward to the book," he wrote on his Twitter account.

I officially give permission to publish my texting history with @elonmusk in a new book about him  Honestly, Im looking forward to the book.  Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) September 8, 2023

For reference: Elon Musk responded to reports that he allegedly secretly ordered the Starlink satellite connection near the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea to be shut down to disrupt Ukraine's attack on the Russian Navy in Sevastopol. The billionaire said that he did not deactivate Starlink satellite communication for drones, but when Ukraine requested that the system be enabled, he refused.

Earlier, CNN, which received an excerpt of Musk's biography written by American journalist and writer Walter Isaacson, reported that in 2022, Musk allegedly secretly ordered the Starlink connection to be shut down near the coast of Crimea in order to disrupt Ukraine's attack on the Russian navy in Sevastopol.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  The leaders of the Philippines and Australia on Friday signed a new strategic partnership" to elevate bilateral ties  a framework which they said would contribute to the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed Australian PM Anthony Albanese in Malacanang to discuss plans to turn their countries' friendship into a more strategic partnership.

The partnership deal includes several sectors, including security and defense.

We discussed strengthening our cooperation on regional and national security. We agreed to formalise an annual defense ministers meeting, Albanese said in a joint statement with Marcos.

Australia also assured Marcos that the country will offer consistent support in upholding international law and standing against the recent issues surrounding the South China Sea.

We also have important security issues where we have common views about the need to uphold international law, said Albanese, the first Australian leader to visit the country in two decades.

Australias position on that will continue to be consistent as we have always been, including recently over issues relating to the South China Sea, he added.

The Philippines and Australia recently held joint military exercises as tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea.

READ: PH rejects, protests Chinas expanded 10-dash line in South China Sea

Marcos thanked the PM after the latter assured that he would support moves to maintain stability and open trade in the region.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is warning community members in both Davidson County and Cheatham County to avoid or limit consumption of Cheatham Reservoir catfish.

According to TDEC, a routine check discovered high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the catfish species. These chemical compounds are commonly used in industrial applications and can pose a threat to everyone, especially certain groups.

PREVIOUS: Catfish consumption advisory extended in Davidson, Cheatham counties

TDEC advises all pregnant women, nursing mothers and children to not eat the fish. All others should only consume it once a month.

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Researchers said PCBs will affect the fish for decades, but it is safe to participate in recreational activities like catch-and-release fishing, swimming, kayaking, and boating.

There was no reason why we were thinking this would be there, but we just found it in the fish, TDEC Environmental Manager Richard Cochran said. They were the perfect lubricant to put in industrial devices because they dont break down.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Cochran added that PCBs are devastating for the environment.

TDEC is posting signs at primary public access points and advises everyone to avoid or limit eating the fish found in the Cheatham Reservoir. To learn more about the advisory, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Pine Mountain

My question about the Pine Mountain Settlement chapel is whether it is still used as a chapel. Nothing I have read informs me. If it is still used as a Christian chapel, then the caretakers should have refused the Waymakers permission to use it as they did. If it is no longer used as a Christian chapel, then it is no more than a building that was previously a chapel. Former churches are not an uncommon sight throughout this country, in fact many of them have been converted to other uses. Some are just abandoned buildings.

I can understand why someone descended from the founder could be unhappy; however, being connected by family ties to some structure does not bestow any authority  period. Unless he supports the Settlement with his funds and/or time, he assumes a totally unwarranted right.

More clarity from Mr. Prather and Beth Howard about the present status of the building would have been useful. Is it an active chapel or not?

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Bennie G. Patton, Berea, Ky

Trump co-defendants

OMG!!!! Is Mark Meadows so afraid of the supporters of former President Donald Trump that he is willing to commit perjury? For a man who would run over him with a steam roller, then back over him again to make sure he was dead if it served his purposes? Are all of these people who are about to lose everything really that afraid of Trump and his supporters? They are going to prison as it is! If they dont start turning some gymnastic-style flips on their former boss they are going to get sentenced to a bunch of years! Do all of those co-defendants think they are going to skip going to jail? If they were black they definitely wouldnt be thinking like that.

Yolanda Averette, Lexington

Mark Meadows

Texas libraries

Houston Texas Independent School District is closing the school libraries in 28 of its schools and turning them into detention centers as kids in those schools have high rates of discipline problems. Of course the books will still be there. You just have to come early or stay late to access them. Not during school hours. I always thought libraries were safe havens for all students.

Texas is becoming a very unique state. Just ask Gov. Greg Abbott.

Bob Sutton, Springfield

Climate change

Sophia Tareens recent article Schools dismiss early, teach online as blast of heat hits northeastern US, is an indicator that the way we live, learn, and prepare the next generation is in jeopardy due to the climate crisis.

A tool called the Climate Shift Index shows how likely temperatures are due to human-caused climate change.

The article says Only 20% of public schools in Detroit have air conditioning. The district dismissed its roughly 54,000 students three hours early Wednesday for the second consecutive day. Families had to scramble to make arrangements, with some parents having to choose between bringing their children to work or missing work, making this a socioeconomic issue as well. Additionally, a district spokeswoman in Philadelphia said, Were in an old city... Most of our buildings are old facilities. Were making adjustments as necessary, pointing to the need to invest more in public education, especially in areas that are predominantly low income and/or non-white.

After the hottest August on record, it is obvious climate change is to blame for the stress families and school districts are facing. We need to rapidly phase out carbon pollution. This will require far-reaching and immediate action from U.S. and global leaders. Congress must implement solutions to protect us from the ravages of global warming.

Emily Johnson, Paris

Chinese hacking

Once again, U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) is fighting for answers in Washington. I commend his efforts on the recent Chinese cyberattack on the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce. Hes highlighting the urgency to safeguard our national cyber security from our foreign adversaries.

U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) speaks at the Graves County Republican Party Breakfast at WK&T Technology Park in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023.

In a letter, Comer, along with other lawmakers, requested a briefing to understand the extent and ramifications of the breach by Chinese hackers.

Chinas escalating cyber threats and brazen espionage campaigns threaten our national security, Kentucky values and our way of life. An even more robust cyber defense is needed to ensure the safety of sensitive information. Strengthening our technological capabilities by leveraging our own domestic technology sector is vital to countering China.

China is working to undermine our national security and replace the United States as the worlds leading superpower. Comers leadership on these issues and desire to hold China accountable emphasizes his commitment to protecting Kentuckians, Americans, and our overall national security. I hope others in Congress will follow his lead, take a strong stance on China and do everything they can to strengthen the technologies that keep us safe.

Brian Staed, Danville

Compiled by Liz Carey
STAUNTON  A 19-year-old Staunton man who convinced a young girl from Texas to send him nude photographs, and then tried extorting her in an effort to get her to send more, was sentenced to three years in prison last week after pleading guilty to three felony charges.

Charles McCauley III was initially facing 23 felony charges following his arrest in April, but in a plea agreement with the Staunton Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, the charges were whittled down to possession of child pornography, attempted extortion, and child solicitation.

In Staunton Circuit Court on Aug. 31, Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph Perry said near the end of 2022 that the Staunton Police Department, with help from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), got a tip concerning a sexualized online conversation involving a young girl in Texas who was being coerced. The victim was under the age of 14, Perry said.

An investigation led to McCauley, who Perry said convinced the girl to send topless photos. After the photos were sent, he demanded she show more, threatening to leak her previous photos if she didn't comply, Perry said. The victim, who told McCauley her age, even tried to send him a random screenshot she found on the internet in an effort to appease him. Perry said McCauley, who claimed he was 15 when communicating with the girl, threatened to reveal the previous photos "to all of her followers" if she didn't send him more.

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McCauley didn't follow through on the threat, but Staunton police caught up to him in April. He initially told them he couldn't remember the girl or her age, and said he deleted the conversation and photos from his cell phone, Perry said.

Law enforcement in Texas also spoke with the victim, who said she met McCauley online through a random friend request. The girl said she eventually blocked him after sending the photos.

During a second police interview, Perry said McCauley acknowledged the conversation with the girl was inappropriate "considering her age." Police charged him in April, and he has been held at Middle River Regional jail since his arrest.

McCauley was sentenced to 17 years in prison with 14 years suspended, giving him three years to serve. He was also placed on five years of supervised probation once he is released from prison and will be listed as a sex offender.

River City Bread Basket offers distribution with dignity for families in need of food assistance

Appeals Court orders woman, sentenced to 30 years, be retried in Augusta County

In a hoop house on a Middlebrook farm, grows an heirloom tomato called Peg O' My Heart

Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton man headed to prison after trying to extort Texas girl
Its part of Fast-Food Week. Its hip-hop history. Its a combination fast-food week/rap history.

Its been 15 years since the semi-satirical, pseudo-conceptuallets just go with unconventionalrap group Das Racist released its breakout hit, Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, a four-minute saga about being at a Pizza Hut, being at a Taco Bell, and being at a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Nothing more, nothing less. It was an instant knockout.

Released on Nov. 1, 2008, as a free download by a trio of mostly unknown college-educated stoners who named their group after a Wonder Showzeninspired meme, the track arrived at a disruptive moment in the zeitgeist: the Great Recession, the election of Barack Obama, the peak of MySpace, the waning days of the blogosphere. Speculative capitalism was eating itself, fueling the type of anti-corporate disillusionment and anger that would power movements like Occupy Wall Street. Heretofore-ignored voices were capturing attention, allowing a brash musical group consisting of two South Asian American rappers and an Afro-Cuban Californian rocker to emerge and thrive. And the mainstream music industry was still adjusting to cyberspace and its freewheeling modes of virtual creation and distribution, allowing a parallel mediasphere to platform and distribute weird, daring music that may not have passed muster with prior gatekeepers.

At the center of these whirlwinds was a Pizza Hut where there was also a Taco Bell. The riff on this peculiar institution spotlighted the talents of Das Racists membersHimanshu Heems Suri, Ashok Dapwell Kondabolu, and Victor Kool A.D. Vazquezand would help launch the careers of a dozen or so artists and inject an indelible new phrase into the lexicon.* Its a hip-hop classic and, in its way, a fast-food classic.

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The long tail of the song is complicated. Though the group would go on to success with its playful, cerebral hip-hop, they were often pigeonholed as the Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell dudes; Das Racist didnt last long as a unit, and each of its members pursued individual creative ventures afterward. Their legacy also includes multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Vazquez, which were reported by Pitchfork in 2018. (Part of Vazquezs response to the accusations read: I am learning to confront myself now so that I may transform my toxic patterns for the sake of my daughter, my family and friends, my girlfriend, my community and myself. I want to utilize whatever is left of my marginal celebrity to help foster more healthy ideas of masculinity.) Vazquez no longer performs much but releases solo works on his Bandcamp page; Suri, meanwhile, has gotten involved in artist development, and Kondabolu recently worked on an HBO reality series with the Safdie brothers.

Still, Combination long ago took on a life of its own, finding continual rebirth as a meme, parody template, and framework for worldly understanding. You can hardly imagine having a Fast-Food Week without it. So I recently got in touch with the members of Das Racist, the artists and producers who helped make the track, and the people who chronicled its moment in order to tell the complete story of how this Combination came to be.

Before there was the song, there was the place. Whats a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell? The two chains are owned by Yum Brands, the largest fast-food conglomerate in the world, which began opening multibranding outposts in the early 1990s as a way to build newer or lesser-known brands and increase revenue, as the New York Times wrote in 2005, as well as to save money by sharing real estate, labor, and equipment.

Victor Kool A.D. Vazquez: As a kid, I lived by a KFC in Hunters Point [San Francisco] that turned into a combination Taco BellKFC, I think, first, and then a combination Pizza HutTaco BellKFC after that, and I had always kind of tripped off it. It was kinda funny and bleak, like this manic, weirdly desperate-feeling late-capitalist lumping of brands, like a NASCAR logo collage vibethat classic hollow American illusion of choice camouflaging a bland, toxic, junky, monolithic corporatism, a kind of P.T. Barnum snake-oil vibe, like, Whatchu need, we got pizza we got tacos, and finding yourself there in that no mans land of empty promises, being stuck there, and kind of throwing up your hands like Fuck itwe out here, I guess.

Adam Chandler, author of Drive-Thru Dreams and Slate contributor: The trend of multibranded restaurants really took off in the early aughts. If you look at where a lot of these combination places are (and there are many fewer today than a decade ago), they are often in either high-traffic areas (train stations, highway service stations, dense urban centers) or more remote areas with limited options. And in some places, Taco Bell is thought of as lunch and Pizza Hut is thought of as dinner. So they do serve a function, just not one that many people are willing to concede is useful.

While studying at Wesleyan University in the mid-2000s, Vazquez began uploading his music to MySpace. One song was I Zimbra, a spare, percussive rap track inspired by subway drummers and Gadji Beri Bimba,  the 1916 poem by German Dadaist Hugo Ball that also inspired a 1979 Talking Heads single.

Kool A.D.: I Zimbra was off my self-produced 2006 debut album called The Electric Kool A.D. Acid Test. It was all really stream of consciousness, as most of my stuff is, but a specific line just kind of popped in my head as one of many images/ideas at the time of making that song: Im at the Pizza Hut, Im at the Taco Bell/ Im at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell/ Ive got that taco smell, that pescado smell/ I got a lot of smells, Ive rolled a lot of Ls  

Christopher Edley, director of the 2009 I Zimbra video and longtime collaborator with Kool A.D.: That song was exciting. Its dirty, its raw, and its very much Victors rapping stylefunny, lots of good wordplay, and a lot of who he is.

During the mid-2000s, Wesleyan became known as a launchpad for up-and-coming indie rock acts. Students who would later become known as members of acts like MGMT, Francis and the Lights, and Bear Hands all met at Wesleyan and began performing together on campus; Kool A.D. formed a rock group called Boy Crisis. As a resident adviser in the Students of Color for Social Justice dorm, he would befriend Himanshu Suri, a Queens-born economics major focusing on South Asian art and literature. Suri was also an enthusiastic part of Eclectic, which he described to me as a coed society at Wesleyan that KalifaKhalif Libasse Diouf, later well known as the rapper Le1fand I belonged to along with other creative folks like MGMT.

Kool A.D.: Hima was a fan of Boy Crisis and front row at almost every show, but he also dug my weirdo abrasive lo-fi experimental punk rap shit I had dropped on the side.

Himanshu Heems Suri: Credit goes to Dylan Rau of the band Bear Hands, my roommate out of Wesleyan. This was the MySpace days, and he heard [I Zimbra] and highlighted its brilliance.

After graduation, Heems moved back to New York to work on Wall Street. Vazquez headed to Brooklyn, too, hoping to make it with Boy Crisis. The two became closer and soon linked up with Suris childhood friend, Ashok Dapwell Kondabolu.

Dapwell on Bullseye With Jesse Thorn, 2011: Its never come across in interviews, how kind of incidental and random and quickly this group became a thing. It was never a decision.

Heems and Kool A.D. found they enjoyed rapping and riffing together, naming their collective Das Racist, in the style of a Thats racist! exclamation. They served as the lead MCs, while Dapwell acted as the hype man. Thanks to Wesleyan connections, they were able to land gigs pretty quickly.

Kool A.D.: We were living in Brooklyn but doing a show up at Wesleyan with Kalifa, who still went there. It was one of our first ones and we had only recorded like two songs together at that point. So we each just kicked old verses we had on deck or else freestyled over whatever. But at that show, I was doing the I Zimbra verse, got to that line, noticed a reaction to it, so I just kept repeating that line, and Hima caught on immediately and did the same, and soon everybody was singing along, so we figured we should record it.

Heems: I suggested we do the call-and-response at our show. That was a Heems show, one of my first, back at Wesleyan. Victor wanted to join me, so I brought him along, and it was co-billed with my friend Jeremy Louis-Arlet, who I was working and living with at the time. So during my show, we went into the call-and-response and it hit really well with the audience. Thats when I decided it should be its own song.

I loved Kalifas work as an artist and producer, and eventually would go on to manage him and release some of his mixtapes on my label Greedhead. I had a folder of his beats and the one we went on to choose was called Ha! I think, featuring a sample from Masters at Works The Ha Dance (Pumpin Dubb), which was legendary in the Black and Latino LGBTQ+ ballroom scene. I thought the concept of Combination was so silly that I wanted what I thought was the best beat in the folder to carry it.

Kalifa to Spin, 2012: I was kind of trollingits just hilarious to give them a vogue beat! I think [Heems] kind of knew it was a vogue beat, but did he really know? He tried to pretend he knew, like, a year later, but never said anything about it.

Heems: We recorded the song with Patrick Wimberly, who was in Chairlift at the time, in his home studio in the basement of an apartment in Bushwick.

Chairlift was formed in 2005 by Caroline Polachek and two of her University of Colorado classmates. After the band decamped for Brooklyn in early 2007, fellow University of Colorado alum Patrick Wimberly replaced a departing original member, and the trio overlapped with Das Racists circle.

Patrick Wimberly: I saw them play a show at Galapagos in WilliamsburgI think in 2008.

There were like 12 people there. When I saw them perform PHTB, I was blown away. Genius. I invited them to my Bushwick studio that weekend. Thats when I decided I wanted to be a producer. I had to record this song.

They brought the beats. I had one microphone. We recorded that one in one take with both of them around that one microphone. And then recorded a bunch more. The sun was up when we finished.

Kool A.D.: We did like four or five joints that night, including, I think, Chicken and Meat and Rainbow in the Dark. We did PHTB in one take together, sharing one mic. People we played it for dug all of the joints from that session, but PHTB was definitely a favorite for a lot of folks.

Heems: The amount of time it takes to listen to the song is the amount of time it took to record it. We listened back, and I cant recall if we felt like we had something there that would go on to be what it was, but we felt good enough about it to release it. Back then wed upload songs to our MySpace immediately, mostly rough mixes, and not get too caught up about the mixing and mastering, etc., but were definitely in good hands with Patrick.

Wimberly: I handed them some rough mixes that night and asked them not to share because I wanted to clean up the mix a bit the next day after some sleep. Ha! It was never polished. They put it on MySpace immediately and by Monday it was already getting loads of plays.

Himanshu Heems Suri and Victor Kool A.D. Vazquez of Das Racist perform at Sasquatch! Music Festival on May 29, 2011, in George, Washington. Photo by Noel Vazquez/Getty Images

As famed critic Robert Christgau noted in the Barnes & Noble Review:  Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell got noticed right away even though its lyricunderpinned by a skinny laptop beat and augmented by some interjections, a few laugh lines, and many well-placed What?scomprises 20 repetitions of Im at the Pizza Hut/ Im at the Taco Bell/ Im at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Many in the indie world hated it, but more loved it.

Leonard Pierce, writer and former music critic: It was one of the first big viral hits of the social media era. It was pre-Twitter, but it was in that period when a lot of unexpected stuff bubbled up because of YouTube. Someone, probably some music-wise critic friend, pointed me to it and I ended up being one of the first million or so people to hear it. It wasnt an incredibly groundbreaking piece of recorded art or anything, but it had a solid beat, those fun honking horns to carry the track along, and a funny, sing-along-able vocal that you wanted to listen to over and over. It was hooky and smart but light.

Chandler: As a fast-food obsessive and an American, I fondly remember when Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell took the nation by storm. I think it resonated because multibrand restaurants are such a bizarro feature of the American consumer landscape. Beyond it being catchy as hell, theres really not much else to say about it other than these restaurants exist, which is basically the whole arc of the song. Also, purely from a craft standpoint, I think its critical that Taco Bell and Pizza Hut have the same number of syllables. If the song took place at a combination Taco Bell and Long John Silvers, it would never work.

Chairlift hit it big when its song Bruises got featured in an iPod Nano commercial in September 2008; Das Racist would then perform at the release party for the bands debut album. That November, the Guardian recommended both Chairlift and Das Racist as two Brooklyn bands worth checking out at the bottom of a profile of Boy Crisis. Going into the next year, Das Racist released more work, including the loosies Shorty Said and Ring Tone, the Greedheadz EP, and a video for Chicken and Meat. But Combination would reach even greater heights. In a March 2009 XLR8R interview, composer Dan Deacon included it as part of his 10 Poorly Juxtaposed Pieces Mixtape, referring to Combination as a track that will last the ages. Two months later, YouTuber LetMeRave uploaded it, calling it a shit song. I absolutely hate it. That didnt stop it from rapidly garnering tens of thousands of plays.

Heems: Later it would be remixed by Wallpaper, who is of course now the successful pop producer Ricky Reed, known for breaking Lizzo.

Jennifer Maerz, writer and former music critic: The Bay Area producer Wallpaper took a really fun joke song and made it something youd want to mosh to at a dance club. I was the music editor at SF Weekly, and I did a cover story about Wallpaper that mentioned his work on the remix. I thought the song was absurd, hilarious, and ridiculously catchy.

Throughout the summer, the songs remix got even more coverage, including a Best New Music designation from Pitchfork, YouTube riffs, a PerezHilton.com post headlined This Song Is So Stoopid, but We Kinda Love It! and a write-up from the New Yorkers Farley Katz, then a staff cartoonist for the magazine who subsequently engaged in a cartoon-off with Kool A.D. Other critics hopped on board.

Heems: Rob Harvilla at the Village Voice was an early proponent of the song.

Rob Harvilla, senior staff writer at the Ringer: The first time you hear it, it doesnt require a lot of work to wrap your head around it. It was very appealing to me in a sophomoric sort of way. So I was like, I should talk to these guys. I got in touch with Heems, if I recall correctly. It was not super hard to find them and get them to talk. I guess this was a pretty early interview for them.

Kool A.D.: I remember being on tour in the U.K. with Boy Crisis answering emailed interview questions from the Village Voice about Das Racist.

Harvilla: An email interview is not the first thing I would jump to, but Im glad we did it this way. Its clear that thing of me underestimating them is palpable. Theyre already taking this way more seriously than I am, almost. The format was semi-dumb questions with really smart, great answers. And thats what I was hoping would happen.

It turned out, the very things that made Combination such a hitthe repetitiveness, the simplicity, the corporate synergyalso boxed Das Racist in when it came to their public perception. Plenty of critics accused the group of using hip-hop as a joke, and as a means to a corporate end instead of something riffing on the very concept.

Edley: Its hard to follow viral success, and they were both serious about rapping. Im sure that put them in a pretty frustrating position.

Heems: I think it was more the clothing we wore, or this one thrift-shop sweater that Victor wore, that tainted peoples opinions of us as hipsters or outsiders to the culture rather than students of it. This was also a time when Danny Brown allegedly didnt get a record deal at G-Unit because his jeans were too tight. We followed in the footsteps of artists we were fans of like MF Doom, Beastie Boys, and De La Soul. A lot of journalists didnt get it, but many saw the throughline. I think the first time I came across the word meme was when someone used it to contextualize Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

Combination would close out 2009 mostly beloved by critics, placing No. 31 in the Village Voices Pazz and Jop critics poll of the best singles of the year. By that point, however, even Das Racist was ready to move on.

Maerz: I was a big fan of the brash, high-energy party anthems that were coming out in that era. Artists like Andrew W.K. and Mickey Avalon on the more punk/rock side, and Wallpaper, the Saturday Knights, and Das Racist on the hip-hop side injected the music world with much-needed levity. The trick was these guys werent just slapping sounds together. They had a real talent for crafting pop-leaning earworms.

Heems: We had other songs we were working on, and it didnt necessarily feel like that one was any more special.

Kool A.D.: I was splitting my time between recording and playing shows with both Das Racist and Boy Crisisoccasionally together, even. PHTB started blowing up during a period of time when I had already been wined and dined a lot by various labels and prospective agents and managers, etc. Experiencing that level of hype around two different projects simultaneously was definitely hella surreal.

Eventually, after a lot of back-and-forth with the label and general bag-fumbling across the board, B-Unique had all but shelved the Boy Crisis album, and as the band kind of treaded water, Das Racist continued to gain momentum and a time came when I had to leave Boy Crisis and focus on Das Racist.

As Das Racist solidified itself as a group, it got serious about official releases. Just after performing at South by Southwest in March 2010, the group dropped its first free mixtape, Shut Up, Dude. The tape included both known tracks (Combination) and more than a dozen new ones (Ek Shaneesh, Whos That? Brooown!). The trio then followed up that critically acclaimed project in September with Sit Down, Manalso a free tape, but a much more substantial one, with featured verses and beats from rap heavy-hitters like Boi-1da, Roc Marciano, and El-P. The two projects established Das Racist on the scene, elevating them to appearances with Anthony Bourdain and landing them on several best-of-2010 listsmaking it clear the group wasnt a gimmick.

Pierce: I got their two albums when they came out. I thought they were pretty good, although if you thought theyd be like Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, youd be pretty disappointed. Similar sonic palette but really different styles, lyrics.

Edley: PHTB and a song like You Can Sell Anything [from Sit Down, Man] are two identical sides of the same coin: about how dumb we all are, and how clever we all are, at the same time.

2011s Relax would be Das Racists first and final album, as the group split up the following year. Suri released solo work and joined with producer Redinho and actor Riz Ahmed to form the group Swet Shop Boys; he also went on to work at companies like Spotify, Audiomack, and ONErpm, and this year, he founded a new India-themed media venture titled Veena. Vazquez kept putting out massive amounts of music, both solo and in other groups, while branching out into other creative ventures like visual artistry and writing.

However, both Das Racist and Combination remained a fond memory for critics and listeners alike. Stereogums Tom Breihan noted in 2012 that the group carved out for themselves a new place on the rap landscape, existing at the center of an ever-expanding circle of sharp and distinctive rap voices, like El-P, Danny Brown, Roc Marciano, Action Bronson, Despot, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Young L, Childish Gambino, Le1f, Lakutis. In 2016, Pitchfork ranked Sit Down, Man as one of The 50 Best Rap Mixtapes of the Millennium.

I asked everyone I spoke with what they thought the legacy of Das Racist and Combination was.

Heems: Das Racist probably stands in the annals of blog rap history and Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell stands in the annals of meme history.

Kool A.D.: I think [Das Racist] existed in a time when the internet was transforming the music industry and culture at large and so everything about the project reflects that environment and is very much of that time. Older models were being disrupted and ideas around genre and marketability and what works and what was allowed and what was possible were all dissolving and mutating and we thrived in that chaos.

Edley: Back then, politics had such a strange feeling. There was a possible feeling of forward momentum after Bush, but during the financial crisis, nobody felt like they were going to make any real money. Still, culture felt very rich, so you kinda lived for culture. This song was more a response to that than a symptom. We didnt have any sane reference point to measure absurdity against. There was this feeling of freedom and hopelessness, and here was a stupid song about something so stupid. Yet in its really stupid way, its incisive. Its a fantastic and absurd critique, and thats why it has staying power.

Maerz: Music conceived at a party, created for people who also like to party, that also makes you laugh is a win-win-win. I listen to that song now and can still picture the dive-bar dance floors packed with sweaty revelers singing alongand the echoing a cappella versions that rang out whenever we rounded the corner of a Pizza HutTaco Bell.

Heems: I spoke with a former manager of Lizzo recently whose only familiarity with Ricky Reed when they all started working together was Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and he mentioned the song as an entry point for him to greenlight their collaboration.

Wimberly: [Combination] was the beginning of my entire production career. It was the moment I realized I wanted to help artists make records that I believe are magnificent and unique. I moved from engineering to producing/writing. Since then, Ive worked with MGMT, Solange, Joji, Beyonce, Lil Yachty, Blood Orange, and many others. [Das Racist] were the first ones to give me a chance.

Kool A.D.: The song has been compared to the Beastie Boys Cooky Puss: an unassuming joke song that was career-launching, that still hits on, like, a sort of art level, and worked as like a brick through the window or like a grappling hook onto the ivory tower of industry success that afforded an opportunity to make interesting, kinda left-of-center music with higher visibility.

Chandler: I think were in the greasy aftermath of the traditional dual restaurant trend; they absolutely still exist, but a combination of rising trends like delivery, digital ordering, customization, and ghost kitchens have made fast-food companies look at efficiency differently.

Heems: I genuinely like Taco Bell and Pizza Hut and it took me a while to be OK with that again after the song. I cant really hear the word combination anymore without cringing. I probably get recognized as Heems now more than the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell guy since I do a lot of other shit and have made a lot more music since then.

Kool A.D.: Havent had that shit in years, and I barely even ate it back then, it was just something I vibed on in the abstract, ha. You would be hard-pressed to find me at a Pizza Hut or a Taco Bell or a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, but I still get recognized here and there. Its not just PHTB that comes up, a lot of the time people will mention other Das Racist joints like You Oughta Know or Rainbow in the Dark or Amazing or The Last Huzzah, and a lot of people bring up Kool A.D. joints like Manny Pacquiao, Moneyball, or Dum Diary, often any number of even deeper cuts. I got like 90-something albums, so I have a small but strong cadre of lunatic weirdos who fuck with me heavy (shout to them, much love).

Even though I dont do too many shows nowadays, when I do, Ill often do I Zimbra live and loop the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell part for the people. There was something kind of ineffably real there. And maybe thats what people were connecting to and why its had the long tail its had.

Indeed, Combination has had a long tail, surfacing and resurfacing in Tumblr memes, news media headlines, and even a TikTok template that spread across the platform in late 2020 and early 2021.

Wimberly: I feel like its gone viral like five or six times since its release. Its hard to keep up. I am never surprised when it resurfaces.

Lyric Gray, TikTok creator who made a popular Combination riff: I had never heard of it before TikTok. I believe I originally saw it in a video about having ADHD as well as depression and them canceling each other out in some way. The song got stuck in my head immediately. I actually only recorded a video with it because it was all I could think of when browsing sounds to use.

I thought of the parents passing down disorders joke because I had a conversation about genetic mental illnesses with friends a few hours before I recorded it, but Im in no way taking credit for that becoming a repetitive theme, because I think thats where a lot of peoples minds went with the trend. It was actually my first video to really blow up and get my account on the For You page. Kinda owe a lot to that video and the sound.

I think it blew up because it was catchy and extremely flexible with the range of niches it could be used with. It shows for itself with the thousands of types of creators using it. I still see content using it to this day, and Im on a completely different side of TikTok now than I was when it originally gained traction on the platform.

Heems: It was cool the song has its own legacy and continues to be a language for others. I also appreciated the little bump in royalties I saw.

Das Racist and Combination remain beloved even up through 2023. Open Mike Eagle shouted out both Heems and Kool A.D. on his most recent album, and Twitter/X revived collective memory of the track when a rare tropical storm approached Los Angeles in August, possibly to be accompanied by an earthquake.

Im at the tropical storm

Im at the earthquake

Im at the combination tropical storm earthquake  Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) August 20, 2023

Edley: [Combination] is referenced as a form to this day. You see that meme form, essentially, on Twitter all the timeusually about other stuff, yet everybody knows what youre talking about.

Wimberly: I dont think weve seen the last time that that song will go crazy viral.

On a recent summer evening, I biked from my Brooklyn neighborhood to Jamaica, Queens, to visit the neighborhoods famous combination Pizza HutTaco Bell, marked on Google Maps as a place of worship. After about an hour, I got there, and it was glorious, small Pizza Hut and Taco Bell logos located outside, although the latters branding carried the day both inside and out. Incidentally, it sits across from a Chipotle whose building just happens to overlap with that of a Panda Express.

Nitish Pahwa

When I entered the buzzing, messy spot, I thought Id order a sufficiently Taco BellPizza Hut fusion order and then make a little joke to the cashier about, you know, that whole thing. There was one issue, however.

Nitish Pahwa: Could I order a Fiesta Veggie Burrito and, hmm, some breadsticks, please?

Cashier: Pizza is not open.

Pahwa: Oh wait, is this closed?

Cashier: No, just closed for the day today.

Pahwa: How come?

Cashier: Im not sure, I think the pizza machine is broken or something, I dont know. You can still order from this side, though.

She pointed to the Taco Bell menu up above, and I settled for my burrito and a blue raspberry Freeze. In spite of the disappointment, I felt just fine. Because I was at the Pizza Hut. I was at the Taco Bell. I was at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
A student was detained by Phoenix police after officials say he brought a handgun to Maryvale High School on Thursday.

Sgt. Brian Bower, a Phoenix Police Department spokesman, said officers approached the boy after school staff told them about the gun and chased him on foot for a short distance before detaining him and confirming he possessed a gun.

Bower said as officers detained the student, the department received multiple 911 calls mentioning someone actively shooting at the school, but this was not the case. He added that one student not related to the incident was taken to the hospital as a precaution for an undisclosed reason.

Bower didn't say whether officers arrested the student or whether he faced any criminal charges.

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"Phoenix police are currently working closely with staff and administrators of Maryvale High School to ensure the continued safety of students, staff and community," Bower said.

The Phoenix Union High School District did not respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Student detained, accused of bringing handgun to Phoenix high school
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Renowned filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, the creative genius behind Studio Ghibli's most iconic films, may not be hanging up his director's hat just yet, despite earlier indications that " The Boy and the Heron " would be his final masterpiece.

Deja vu: Miyazaki's history of retirement is a complex one. He initially stepped away in the late 1990s, but then returned to direct the 2002 Oscar-winning "Spirited Away."

While "The Wind Rises" in 2013 was believed to be his swan song, "The Boy and the Heron" took on that mantle more recently. Yet, if current hints are any indication, Miyazaki might just be defying expectations once again.

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How we know: Studio Ghibli's VP, Junichi Nishioka, let it slip during the Toronto International Film Festival, which Miyazakis new movie opened. While discussing "The Boy and the Heron," he mentioned Miyazaki's frequent visits to the office armed with fresh ideas.

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"Other people say that this might be his last film, but he doesn't feel that way at all," said Nishioka through a translator, according to CBC.

"He is currently working on ideas for a new film. He comes into his office every day and does that. This time, he's not going to announce his retirement at all. He's continuing working just as he has always done."

About the film: "The Boy and the Heron" revolves around a young boy's enchanting encounter in an old building, where he discovers a magical heron.

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It's set to debut in North American theaters on December 8, after a successful premiere in Japan.

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Trailer for Wes Anderson sci-fi comedy 'Asteroid City' features all-star cast, aliens

Vietnamese Dramedy 'Bo Gia' Crushes Specialty Box Offices Grossing at $350K
Research from the University of Nebraska has resulted in clear advice: Dont nuke plastics.

Our just pop it in the microwave mentality is unleashing hordes of tiny plastic particles  more than 2 billion nanoplastics and 4 million microplastics per square centimeter (almost one-sixth of a square inch), in some cases  the experts found.

Alarmingly, they dont yet know for sure how these synthetic materials are impacting our bodies.

Even this one study should be a wake-up call  not just to new parents but to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], Judith Enck, a former EPA administrator who is president of advocacy group Beyond Plastics, told Wired.

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They need to be far more proactive.

What was studied?

Nebraska researcher Kazi Albab Hussain and his team microwaved FDA-approved plastic baby bottles as part of a study that began in 2021. They were filled with water and other liquids simulating food and zapped for three minutes.

The results showed that the children would be ingesting microplastics as a result.

For my baby, I was unable to completely avoid the use of plastic, Hussain said. He became a new dad during the time of the study. But I was able to avoid those [scenarios], which were causing more of the release of micro- and nanoplastics. People also deserve to know those, and they should choose wisely.

What are microplastics?

They are minuscule plastic particles that have been found on the Earths highest peaks and deepest oceans. Henry Ford Health reports that 77% of people tested in one study had microplastics in their blood.

Some microplastics are made from PFAS, commonly called forever chemicals, because they take a long time to degrade. The government estimates PFAS to be in the blood of up to 97% of Americans.

Whats the health impact?

The experts are still studying how microplastics and PFAS impact the body, but common sense suggests it cant be good.

Many studies, including ours, are demonstrating that the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics is highly linked to the level of exposure, Hussain said in the study.

The experts exposed kidney cells to the microplastics released during their bottle-microwaving experiment. They said about 75% of the cells were killed  a possible link to how microplastics might be harming our kidneys.

How to avoid microplastics

First, dont microwave plastics. Hussain is hoping a better plastic is made that releases fewer particles.

I am hopeful that a day will come when these products display labels that read microplastics-free or nanoplastics-free, he said.

For now, edible plastic-free food wraps, compostable coffee pods and tea bags, and glass baby bottles are some products that provide the same service, without the tiny plastic infiltrators.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
(Bloomberg) -- US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito rejected Democratic demands that he recuse from a pending tax case after he gave two interviews to one of the participating lawyers for use in a Wall Street Journal article.

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In a unusual four-page statement released by the court, the conservative said that there was nothing out of the ordinary about the interviews in question.

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The statement was the latest sign of brewing discord over the courts ethics controversies, limited transparency and far-reaching rulings. Alito, who wrote last years decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion, has been at flashpoint, in part because of his pointed rebuttals to outside criticism.

The articles, co-written by conservative lawyer David Rivkin and Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto, included blunt comments from Alito about the leak of the courts abortion 2022 opinion and calls for stronger ethics rules.

A July 28 article quoted Alito as saying Congress lacks the constitutional power to impose an ethics code on the court. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court  period, Alito said in the article.

Rivkin is involved in a tax case involving foreign earnings, likely to be argued late this year. A group of Democrats led by Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Durbin called for Alitos recusal in an Aug. 3 letter to Chief Justice John Roberts.

Alito surprises no one by sitting on a case involving a lawyer who honored him with a puff piece in the Wall Street Journal, Durbin said in an emailed statement Friday. Why do these justices continue to take a wrecking ball to the reputation of the highest court in the land?

Alito said that Rivkin participated in the interviews as a journalist not an advocate and that they didnt discuss the tax case either directly or indirectly.

Alitos statement listed a number of interviews other justices have given over the years, along with cases in which they later participated involving those news organizations.

--With assistance from Laura Litvan.

(Updates with reaction from Durbin in seventh paragraph. An earlier version misspelled Rivkins name.)

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The fate of mifepristone, the abortion drug used widely for over two decades across the United States, may rest in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court if its members decide to take up requests from the drugs manufacturer and the Justice Department.

Both Danco Laboratories and the Biden administration have asked the high court to overturn a lower courts ruling that would limit access to the medication nationwide. That ruling is currently on hold.

If the Supreme Court takes up the case as part of its fall docket, it will mean a decision would likely come down in 2024, with months left before the next presidential election. The courts decision to ax the nationwide right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade last year was widely credited for fueling strong voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections.

Setting aside evidence of mifepristones safety and efficacy, lower federal courts have sided with an ultraconservative coalition challenging the Food and Drug Administrations decision to approve the drug.

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The FDA first cleared mifepristone for use back in 2000 through a lengthy and expert-led approval process; in 2016 and 2021, the agency removed certain barriers to access so that pregnant patients could obtain the drug through a telehealth appointment, if desired. Mifepristone is generally prescribed as part of a two-drug regimen to end a pregnancy; the other drug is misoprostol.

In April, however, a federal judge in Texas sided with abortion opponents who had filed suit against the FDA over its mifepristone approval. U.S. District Judge Matt Kacsmaryk ruled that the agency had manipulated and misconstrued the drug approval process to greenlight elective chemical abortions on a wide scale, mimicking language used by the anti-abortion activists.

The case was appealed. Based on where it was initially filed, the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit was tasked with reviewing it. A panel of three judges, two of whom were nominated by former President Donald Trump, came down against the FDA  in part.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito authored the controversial opinion that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in the court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito authored the controversial opinion that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in the court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

Whereas Kacsmaryk thought the FDAs stamp of approval was wrong from the start, the 5th Circuit thought only that its actions in 2016 and 2021 were wrong, meaning that if their ruling is upheld, access to mifepristone will be rolled back to pre-2016 guidelines.

That would make it harder for pregnant patients to access the pill, requiring them to schedule multiple in-person doctors appointments and limiting the window in which the medicine could be prescribed.

Danco is now asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on whether the anti-abortion coalition even had standing to bring its lawsuit and whether the 5th Circuit erred in its judgment. The Justice Department filed a similar petition, with an additional question centering on the district courts behavior.

While two out of the three 5th Circuit judges on the panel favored rolling back mifepristone access to pre-2016 guidelines, Judge James Ho said he would go further and strip the drug of FDA approval, much as Kacsmaryk called for.

(Ho and Kacsmaryk appeared on a panel discussion hosted by the Federalist Society in Texas this summer.)

Ho, who was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at the home of Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow, claimed that doctors experience an aesthetic injury when a patient terminates their pregnancy because unborn babies are a source of profound joy for those who view them.

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(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration asked the US Supreme Court to uphold broad access to a widely used abortion pill, seeking a review of a ruling that would bar mail-order prescriptions and require in-person doctor visits.

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The appeal, along with a similar petition filed Friday by the drugs manufacturer, could draw the high court back into one of the nations most bitterly contested and politically potent issues, setting up a ruling next year in the middle of the presidential campaign.

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Under its normal schedule, the court could say by the end of the year whether it will hear the case. It would be the courts first full review in an abortion case since 2022 when it overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade opinion.

The justices in April issued an emergency order keeping mifepristone, as the pill is known, fully available while a lawsuit pressed by anti-abortion organizations and doctors went forward. The court gave no explanation for that order, though two justices publicly dissented.

A US appeals court last month backed new limits on mifepristone. The 2-1 ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals partially upheld a federal trial judges decision that would have effectively banned the sale of the drug.

The 5th Circuit said Food and Drug Administration decisions made starting in 2016 were likely unlawful and should be rolled back. The panel said the FDA failed to adequately address safety concerns.

Those changes included an extension of mifepristones approval to the 10th week of pregnancy  three weeks longer than was the case previously.

US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in court papers that the 5th Circuit had imposed novel requirements that have no basis in federal law.

FDAs actions were supported by an exhaustive review of a record including dozens of scientific studies and decades of safe use of mifepristone by millions of women in the United States and around the world, argued Prelogar, the Biden administrations top Supreme Court lawyer.

Pill-based abortion has become the most popular method for terminating a pregnancy in the US and has emerged as a key target for anti-abortion advocates in the aftermath of last years ruling. Mifepristone is used as part of a two-pill regimen to end pregnancies and treat miscarriages. It is followed by misoprostol, which can also be used on its own to terminate a pregnancy.

For the women and teenage girls, health care providers, and states that depend on FDAs actions to ensure safe and effective reproductive health care is available, this case matters tremendously, the drugs manufacturer, Danco Laboratories LLC, said in its appeal. And for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, permitting judicial second-guessing of FDAs scientific evaluations of data will have a wildly destabilizing effect.

The lawsuit is being pressed by Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy group that has been involved in many of the courts highest-profile cases in recent years.

By repeatedly and unlawfully removing critical safeguards in the chemical abortion regimen, the FDA has failed to protect the safety of women and girls, ADF Senior Counsel Erik Baptist said in an emailed statement. Two courts have now held the FDA accountable for the damage it has done to the rule of law and the harm it has caused to countless girls and women.

--With assistance from Madlin Mekelburg and Fiona Rutherford.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  The Philippines successfully conducted a new resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal on Friday, but not without another attempt by China to block the trip, the government said.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reported that the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command, assisted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), completed the operations in the morning, over two weeks since the previous resupply mission on Aug. 22.

It was also the third such trip since the unsuccessful Aug. 5 attempt, where the China Coast Guard (CCG) blocked and fired a water cannon at Philippine vessels.

According to the NTF-WPS, the CCG and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships continued to harass the Philippine vessels on Friday, conducting dangerous maneuvers and exhibiting aggressive conduct, even as the trip was within the Philippines exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Task Force strongly deplores and condemns the continued illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct of the CCG and the CMM within our nation's EEZ, the NTF-WPS wrote in a statement.

It stressed that the resupply trip is a legitimate exercise of the governments administrative functions and jurisdiction over the WPS, firmly anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award.

China, meanwhile, insisted on its claims to Ayungin, which it refers to as Ren'ai Reef.

In a statement, the CCG said two replenishment ships and two coast guard vessels of the Philippines entered the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Reef in China's Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government.

Beijing again accused Manila of illegally transporting construction materials to the BRP Sierra Madre, which is a navy ship the latter intentionally grounded on the shoal to enforce its claim.

The CCG said after warning the Philippines, it tracked and monitored the vessels all the way, further claiming that it effectively regulated them.

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs stressed that no foreign country can dictate on how Manila exercises its rights in its own waters. This came after Beijing claimed that the Philippines can only deliver humanitarian supplies to troops at the BRP Sierra Madre, and not large-scale building materials.
FILE - A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 12, 2022. The Supreme Court is being asked to reverse an appellate ruling that would cut off mail-order access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the United States. In an appeal filed Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, argued that federal judges should not second-guess the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the drug or the conditions under which it is dispensed. The Biden administration also was expected to file an appeal. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is being asked to reverse an appellate ruling that would cut off mail-order access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the United States.

The case would be the first major abortion dispute decided by the Supreme Court since it overturned Roe v. Wade last year. That ruling has led to bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy in 15 states, with some exceptions, and once cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks, in two others.

In appeals filed Friday, the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, argued that federal judges should not second-guess the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the drug or the conditions under which it is dispensed.

A federal appeals court ruling in August would revoke approval for sending the drug through the mail and would shorten, from the current 10 weeks to seven weeks, the time during which mifepristone can be used in pregnancy.

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The justices previously intervened in the case in April to assure the availability of mifepristone while a challenge proceeds in the federal courts. The Supreme Court is widely expected to agree to hear the case and have the final word, probably by early summer 2024 and in the middle of presidential and congressional campaigns.

In urging the justices to reverse the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, lawyers for Danco wrote, For the women and teenage girls, health care providers, and States that depend on FDAs actions to ensure safe and effective reproductive health care is available, this case matters tremendously.

The Justice Department said the appeals court ignored a scientific judgment about mifepristone's safety and effectivness since its approval in 2000.

To the governments knowledge, the decisions below mark the first time any court has restricted access to an FDA-approved drug based on disagreement with FDAs expert judgment about the conditions required to assure that drugs safe use  much less done so after those conditions had been in effect for years, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, wrote.

Abortion opponents filed their challenge to mifepristone in November and initially won a sweeping ruling in April revoking the drug's approval entirely. The appeals court left intact the FDA's initial approval of mifepristone. But it would reverse changes regulators made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.

When the high court voted in April to block any changes until a final decision, Justices Samuel Alito, the author of last year's decision overturning Roe, and Clarence Thomas said they would have allowed some restrictions to take effect while appeals played out.

Women seeking to end their pregnancies in the first 10 weeks without more invasive surgical abortion can take mifepristone, along with a second drug, misoprostol. The pills are now used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S.

Misoprostol also is used to treat other medical conditions. Health care providers have said they could switch to misoprostol if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain. Misoprostol is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.

The FDA has eased the terms of mifepristones use over the years, including allowing it to be sent through the mail in states that allow access and reducing the dosage that is needed to end a pregnancy.
Public officials in Dallas County, Alabama have issued a new mask mandate for county buildings that deal with the public, according to local outlet WAKA 8, becoming the first Republican state to introduce new restrictions.

The new mandate comes as COVID cases have risen in Alabama and across the United States probate Judge Jimmy Nunn told the outlet. Hospitalizations for COVID have more than doubled over the last three months, according to CDC data.

Nunn said there had only been some isolated cases of COVID at buildings open to the public, but that the mask mandate was a precautionary measure to protect workers. It will remain in effect as long as cases continue to climb, Nunn told WAKA 8.

Nunn did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.

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Elsewhere in Alabama, Kinterbish Junior High School in Cuba posted on Facebook that due to the slow raise of Covid cases students, employees, and visitors were asked to wear masks from Aug. 22.

Alabamas statewide mask mandate expired on April 9, 2021 but the states Department of Public Health recommends face-covering in public as part of its COVID-19 safety guidance.

Dallas Countys new mask mandate appears at odds with Alabama Senator Katie Britt, who is one of the co-signers of the Freedom To Breathe Act, which aims to prevent the federal government or commercial airlines from introducing mask requirements.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, draconian shutdowns and mask mandates inflicted immense damage across our nation, Britt said in statement on Thursday. Enough is enough. More than three years later, its clear we need to embrace individual liberty and facts rather than a society gripped by fear.

That bid stalled on Thursday after it failed to garner unanimous support to vote on the legislation, leaving the bill languishing in the upper chamber.

Sen. Britt did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.

John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, told The Daily Beast while local mask mandates were currently up to county officials to decide he expected new legislation to be introduced statewide addressing medical freedom, including the rights of individuals to choose whether to mask or be vaccinated.

I would be very disappointed to see widespread mask mandates come back to Alabama, he said. At this point, forcing people to wear masks against their will is not good government.

Governors and local lawmakers in other some other red states have been campaigning against any further COVID restrictions in recent days.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster posted a video on social media Thursday announcing that he would block any new restrictions despite rising cases, describing the measures as foolish.

I can assure the people of South Carolina we will not have mask mandates. We will not close schools, and we will not lock down, he said.

Presidential hopeful Gov. Ron De Santis of Florida pledged to bring about a reckoning for those who devised the failed and destructive biomedical policies that caused damage throughout our country, in a tweet on Wednesday.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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SAULT STE. MARIE  A 39-year-old man from Florida was arrested on Thursday after a two-day manhunt led officers to a residence on Riverside Drive in Sault Ste. Marie.

The manhunt first began Wednesday morning after a man driving a white Honda CRV was seen on security footage entering the parking lot of the Michigan State Police Post on Ashmun Street. After exiting his vehicle, the man was seen dousing several state police cars in gasoline, lighting them on fire, and then shooting the cars from a distance with a rifle. He then fled the scene in his car.

A suspect was arrested on Thursday after he was seen on security cameras setting several Michigan State Police vehicles on fire and shooting at them with a rifle.

As officers hunted for the suspect, local businesses and homeowners were asked to check their own security footage and report anything suspicious. Sault Area Schools kept their doors locked but proceeded with classes as normal on Wednesday.

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The manhunt ended on Thursday afternoon, after an extensive investigation and multiple tips from the public led officers to a home on Riverside Drive in Sault Ste. Marie.

At approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday, the Michigan State Police Emergency Support team executed a search warrant on the house. During the execution of the warrant, the suspect opened fire at police officers with a gun, and officers returned fire.

The suspect sustained a gunshot injury, and was taken to MyMichigan Medical Center Sault for treatment. No officers were injured in the incident.

A suspect wearing camo is seen dousing Michigan State Police cars in gas early Wednesday morning.

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Officials said the suspect is a 39-year-old man originally from Florida. No further details have been released at this time.

Maximum charges are being sought, but the investigation is still active and the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

 Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Suspect arrested in state police arson case following Thursday shootout
FOND DU LAC  A suspect in the May 7 fatal shooting of Tatyanna Zech, 20, at Maplewood Commons apartment complex in Fond du Lac has been arrested.

Fond du Lac Police Department said in a news release that Antonio K. Johnston, 17, was apprehended without incident in Chicago Sept. 8 while he was at a friends house. The arrest was made with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Police said Johnston is in custody in Chicago and will be awaiting extradition back to Wisconsin. The department said no further details would be immediately released.

The May 7 shooting also injured a 49-year-old man and his 18-year-old son. The other suspect in the case, Parise E. Larry Jr., 14, turned himself in to police and is being held at Fond du Lac County Jail on a $1 million cash bond.

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Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toneys office had requested a nationwide warrant for Johnston.

Fond du Lac food trucks: From tacos and sandwiches to poffertjes and crepes, here are 8 food trucks to look out for in Fond du Lac

According to a criminal complaint in the case, surveillance footage captured images of Larry and Johnston shooting at a group of at least five people in the parking lot at the apartment complex near Martin Avenue and East Pioneer Road. One member of the second group pulled out a gun and shot one round back, the complaint said.

Police found spent 9mm casings in and around the complex and two guns in a nearby dumpster. One unidentified eyewitness said they were aware of a conflict between Larry and Johnston and members of the other group, according to the criminal complaint.

Larry and Johnston have been charged with eight felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless injury. If convicted, they could face life in prison.

May 7 shooting was followed by suspected May 23 retaliation shooting

The May 7 fatal shooting was followed by a May 23 shooting that was suspected retaliation for the May 7 incident.

Two Fond du Lac teens  Lamarion J. Moore, 19, and Adamite Willey, 17  were charged with attempted first-degree homicide as a party to a crime with a dangerous weapon after the May 23 shooting. The DAs Office said Moore also faces a repeater enhancer and additional bail jumping charges. Bail was set at $1 million cash for both Moore and Willey.

A news release from Fond du Lac Police Department said officers responded to the area of South Main Street and East Pioneer Road at around 9 p.m. May 23 for the report of possible gunshots coming from the area. The release said officers searched the area and did not locate any potential witnesses and no injuries or property damage had been reported.

Later that night, the police department received a call that led to canvassing the area directly around the Pioneer Pit Stop BP, 20 E. Pioneer Road, where officers found nine spent handgun casings.

Tucker's turns 60: Tucker's Hamburgers celebrates 60 years this fall with a throwback to 'Tucker's Toofers'

According to a criminal complaint, a witness told police people thought the vehicle that was shot at the gas station, a white sedan that was later driven to Maplewood Commons and was found to have bullet holes in it, was involved in helping the suspects from the May 7 fatal shooting flee the scene in that incident. Police later processed the white sedan for evidence and determined it had been struck by seven bullets.

The criminal complaint said detectives investigated a potential link between the May 23 shooting and the May 7 fatal shooting. During that investigation, the criminal complaint said it was believed two gangs are operating in the city: Born to Kill (BTK) and Crenshaw Mafia Gang (CMG). The complaint said it is believed the suspects in the May 7 fatal shooting are members of the BTK gang and an alleged victim of the May 7 shooting is a member of the CMG gang.

Rebecca Loroff contributed to this report.

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac murder suspect Antonio Johnston arrested in Chicago
Five people used two stolen cars to burgle a marijuana dispensary in Mukilteo Thursday morning.

The surveillance video shows one suspect using a white car to ram the Kush Pointe storefront on the Mukilteo Speedway according to the owner.

After the door was broken down, four others jumped out of a maroon SUV and ran into the shop along with the driver who had smashed into the store.

The robbers grabbed as many products as they could before leaving in the SUV.

By the time police arrived a few minutes later, the suspects were gone. Police say they are still searching for them.

The co-owner told KIRO 7 that she is especially frustrated because even if the police had gotten there in time, they wouldnt be able to chase the suspects because of Washingtons current pursuit laws.












Michigan, home to one of the most MAGA-crazed GOP bases in the country, is set to host the premier Senate showdown between loyalists to former President Donald Trump and establishment Republicans focused on electability above all else.

At stake is whether Republicans can successfully expand the Senate map to Michigan, where Democrats have mostly coalesced behind Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Establishment Republicans in Washington, D.C., and in Michigan think theyve found the candidate  former House Intelligence Committee chairman and Trump skeptic Mike Rogers  to turn the blue-tinted swing state into a battleground.

The question facing Rogers, and the GOP more broadly, is whether the partys voters have learned from their mistakes in 2022, when they nominated hardcore MAGA candidates in several battleground states who couldnt win a general election. The lesson should be particularly acute in Michigan, where Democrats last year easily defended their statewide trifecta after Republicans went full MAGA with their nominees.

Establishment Republicans see Rogers as a solid choice for Michigans purple electorate, giving the party perhaps its best shot at flipping a critical seat. The partys base, however, could prefer two more explicitly Make America Great Again-aligned candidates, including a former Detroit police chief who seems all but certain to run and to court Trumps support.

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Rogers, a former CNN intelligence analyst, opened his campaign with a shot at both parties, aiming directly for the center of the electorate.

Families are struggling, but politicians are fighting over banning gas stoves while Chinas stealing our intellectual property and our jobs, and Biden is letting them do it, Rogers says in his launch video, interspersed with B-roll of Detroits auto industry.

Rogers has to hope his rhetoric is enough to get Trump supporters to overlook some very clear baggage: Floating a possible 2024 presidential bid late last year, Rogers called Trumps tactics clearly destructive and said the former presidents time has passed. Ahead of Trumps first indictment on charges including paying for the silence of a porn actor right before the 2016 election, Rogers suggested that Trump has too much going on legally to be running for president.

[Trump] has lots of issues to worry about and this might be a really good time for him to stop and focus on those issues and get all of that taken care of, he told Fox News Digital in March.

Mike Rogers last week became the first major Republican to mount a U.S. Senate campaign in Michigan.

Mike Rogers last week became the first major Republican to mount a U.S. Senate campaign in Michigan.

That Rogers, a former FBI agent who spent a decade in the House, is anything but a shoo-in for the Republican nod speaks volumes about how the GOP electorate has changed since Rogers left office in 2016, said Jeff Timmer, an adviser to The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump political action committee.

Its not going to take a marquee candidate to beat Mike Rogers, said Timmer, a former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, suggesting that Rogers could even lose to little-known Michigan state board of education member Nikki Snyder, a Republican mounting a campaign focused on parental rights. Thats how much the party has changed. Not long ago he would have been a marquee recruit. But his background, the things that made him stand out to Republican voters those are kryptonite now in the GOP.

In an alternate reality, someone like Mike Rogers would be an A-list candidate, said Michigan GOP political consultant Dennis Lennox. This is why no credible Republican has wanted to enter the race, which has all but guaranteed the election of [Slotkin] absent Michigan somehow becoming a presidential battleground.

The biggest threat to Rogers in the GOP would likely be former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who told HuffPost last week that hes 99% certain hes launching a campaign in the coming weeks.

Craig was considered the presumptive GOP nominee for Michigan governor in 2022 before losing ballot access due to a fraudulent signature collector. Political commentator Tudor Dixon ultimately won the Republican nomination and lost to incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by more than 10 percentage points.

But Craig is looking for another opportunity to run statewide, and his remarks to HuffPost suggest hes open to becoming the MAGA torchbearer. Craig last week also published an opinion article in the conservative Daily Caller praising Trumps leadership, earning himself a retweet from top Trump aide Jason Miller.

Right now [Trumps] the leading candidate on the GOP side by a pretty substantial margin, Craig said. I understand the indictments, but thats what they are  theyre indictments. Thats what they are. He is innocent until proven guilty, and I firmly believe in that.

Craig said he doesnt believe fraud compromised the 2020 election in Michigan but noted that he called for a forensic audit of the results when he was running for governor. Im not seeing anything that suggests the election was stolen. However, do I think its important that we have election integrity? Absolutely. Do I think there are problems? Absolutely. But Im not going to say the election was stolen.

Asked about cooperation from the Michigan Republican Party, led by election denier and former secretary of state nominee Kristina Karamo, Craig called the Michigan GOP rudderless but added: Its not going to weigh on me as to whether I take this leap. Im going to run my race.

Republicans might also get John Tuttle, vice president of the New York Stock Exchange and an alum of George W. Bushs presidential administration. In May, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called the political novice a strong potential recruit. But Tuttle hasnt said if hes still weighing a campaign, and the NRSC has since found its preferred candidate in Rogers.

Its not going to take a marquee candidate to beat Mike Rogers.Jeff Timmer, an adviser to the anti-Trump group, The Lincoln Project

Its not clear if Rogers will even have the Trump skeptic lane to himself: Former Rep. Peter Meijer last week announced the launch of a Senate exploratory committee, putting him a step closer to joining the race. But Meijer, who was primaried out of office in 2022 after one term for voting to impeach Trump, could be little more than a protest candidate to a GOP electorate that still largely supports Trump amid his four criminal indictments.

Democrats already have a crowded field vying to replace Stabenow. Slotkin, a rising star representing a central Michigan swing district, argues shes uniquely capable of wooing Republicans and has begun to consolidate institutional support. Actor Hill Harper is running as a progressive activist with ties to Detroit, the wellspring of Michigans Democratic votes, and its Black voter base.

Even with Rogers in the mix, national Republicans do not view Michigan, the only swing state with an open Senate seat, as a top target when Montana, Ohio and West Virginia  states Trump won by much bigger margins in both elections  all have vulnerable Democratic senators up for reelection next year. Compared to Michigan, Republicans see more promise in Pennsylvania, where Trump lost by one 1 percentage point and where theyre nudging former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick to mount a re-do of his 2022 Senate campaign.

Michigan is gonna be a race, a D.C. Republican involved in Senate campaigns said, but its not going to be in the top three or four, quite frankly.

Facing an extremely challenging map overall, Democrats are bullish about their chances in Michigan, coming off a string of wins that includes not only defending their top elected offices but also codifying abortion rights.

Michigan voters have repeatedly rejected Republicans dangerous agenda to deny a womans right to choose and give tax handouts to corporations instead of hardworking families, and 2024 will be no different, said Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Sarah Guggenheim. Mitch McConnell and national Republicans are flailing as they reckon with their upcoming clown car primary full of C-list candidates whose views are as extreme as their ties to the state are weak.

Related...
Lobbyists for the tech industry are hedging their bets as Washington gears up to consider new AI laws this fall  not just pressuring Congress, but also fanning out to state capitals to stave off more serious restrictions nationwide.

In California, lobbyists for the software industry are helping shape the states main AI bill. In Connecticut, theyre in frequent contact with the senator now prepping a major push on AI. Lobbyists are also already in talks with interested legislators in New York, Massachusetts and Illinois, working to influence the conversation before AI bills are even introduced.

The new lobbying campaigns are driven by concern that states often act faster than Washington on tech issues, and can sometimes impose far tougher rules on companies.

If theyre successful, tech lobbyists could nip tough AI regulations in the bud and neutralize the threat of new rules from state capitols  regardless of where Washington ends up.

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This has raised concerns for consumer advocates, who see states like California and New York as places to do model policy on AI.

Generally, we are nervous that industry will be the dominant voice in this discussion. We don't want that to happen, said Samantha Gordon, chief programs officer at the California-based Tech Equity Collaborative, a progressive tech group.

For the industry, its a way to stave off a nationwide patchwork of inconsistent laws  a particular risk if Washington doesnt manage to pass a comprehensive AI law in the near term.

The privacy playbook

Jordan Crenshaw, head of the Technology Engagement Center at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said key sectors of the tech industry have learned to be proactive after a recent flood of state data-privacy laws created an inconsistent state-by-state legal landscape.

We wanted to make sure that industry came to the table with a set of solutions before the laws were written for us, said Crenshaw, who pointed to the Chambers recent report on AI rules as a model for the light-touch approach that industry hopes to usher in.

The tech industrys state AI playbook has been shaped largely by recent fights over state privacy laws, which numerous states have now enacted in the absence of any regulation from Washington. After California passed a tough privacy law in 2018, the lobby swung into action and successfully watered down many of its successors.

One tech lobbyist says he sees close parallels between the current flurry of AI activity on Capitol Hill and Congresss prior efforts to pass a national data privacy bill, which began with a bang more than five years ago but soon bogged down.

Weve seen this movie before, said Chandler Morse, vice president of corporate affairs at Workday, the California-based software giant now at the forefront of industry efforts to influence early-stage state AI bills. In the absence of federal action, data privacy laws spread across the states like wildfire, he said.

California is now preparing a major push on AI. Lobbyists from Workday and other sectors of the tech industry are drilling down on AB 331, a bill from California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan that would mandate impact assessments and notification requirements for AI systems used in consequential decisions.

The states don't care what's going on in D.C., said Craig Albright, head of U.S. government relations at BSA  The Software Alliance. They feel that they have a responsibility to take action, and they're moving.

So is the tech industry. Across the country, state lawmakers in the early stages of crafting AI bills are being met by lobbyists eager to offer suggestions. And often, both sides already know each other: Many of the lawmakers now looking at AI had previously led the charge on state privacy rules.

Matthew Lenz, senior director of state advocacy at BSA, said the state legislators most interested in drafting AI bills are usually folks that weve talked to and weve established some good working relationships with. He said BSA is already talking to James Maroney, the Connecticut state senator whos now turning to AI after his privacy bill was signed into law last year. The tech industrys state-level work on privacy has proven a good investment, with Big Tech racking up a slew of privacy wins in statehouses across the country.

Lobbyists are quick to note that their early focus on the states shouldnt be seen as a preference for state-level AI rules over a single federal law. As with privacy, tech companies fear a possible patchwork of contradictory state AI laws, which they claim would slow innovation and cause an avalanche of compliance costs. In their ideal world, Congress would act quickly to set nationwide rules on automated systems.

But Capitol Hills historic paralysis on tech issues has inspired the industry to look beyond Washington, and lobbyists believe the states will move on AI with or without Congress. As we've seen with privacy, I don't think it's a question of whether [states] act, said Morse. I think it's a question of what's the timing on their action.

California in the drivers seat

Industrys early focus on state AI bills is already paying off  particularly in California, which is once again at the forefront of state efforts to rein in the tech sector.

Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat, is understandably wary of tech industry efforts to influence her AI bill. Their role, obviously, is to create this [technology] and in most cases, to maximize their bottom line, she said. Thats their job.

But Bauer-Kahan says she does find the lobbyists useful, especially when it comes to comprehending a fast-moving technology that few people outside of the tech industry understand. She said lobbyists from the enterprise software industry  including Workday and BSA  have been particularly helpful as shes sought to refine AB 331 and strike these definitions in the right place, where we're really getting at the intended consequences and not gobbling up the things we're not concerned about.

Not all tech lobbyists are playing ball. While Bauer-Kahan praised the software lobby  which stands to gain much from increased consumer confidence in AI systems  she singled out Meta as one company whose representatives have refused to engage on her bill. They try to take this position that they're really pro-regulation, [but] it's not been my experience at the state level, the California legislator said.

A Meta spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

While the software industry is largely supportive of Californias AB 331, there are still thorny disagreements  particularly over the inclusion of a private right of action, which would let Californians directly sue AI companies over violations.

Its a callback to the long-running fight between legislators and lobbyists over similar private right of actions in state privacy bills  a fight that the tech lobbyists are so far winning. Bauer-Kahan said shes still negotiating with lobbyists on that specific provision in her AI bill, and is open to alternative methods of enforcement.

Bauer-Kahans AI bill is expected to be reintroduced by December of this year, which could put it on a glide path to passage. If that happens, lobbyists believe other states will follow Californias lead  regardless of what happens in Washington.

I think you're going to see a lot of states next year focus on AI, said Albright.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  The legal team of former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves on Friday said it is confident that the congressman's innocence will be proven once everything is settled in court, emphasizing its full faith in the judiciary.

A Manila court earlier issued a warrant of arrest against Teves for the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others last March 4 in the local official's home in Pamplona town.

READ: Manila court issues arrest warrant vs. Teves over Pamplona massacre

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Teves head legal counsel, said: A part of me welcomes the fact that the case is already going to trial sapagkat makikita natin yung bankruptcy nung legal position ng [because we will see the bankruptcy of the legal position of the] DOJ (Department of Justice), but that is a matter for the court to decide.

We still have full faith in the judiciary. Im confident that when everything is settled lalabas na inosente si Teves [it will be revealed that Teves is innocent], he added.

Topacio also maintained that they are seriously considering legal options, such as questioning the warrant before the Court of Appeals for grave abuse of discretion.

The former congressmans legal team is looking to challenge the finding of probable cause at the prosecutors level by filing a petition for review before the justice secretary.

Which may be futile sapagkat ipinakita naman po ng DOJ ang kanilang bias and partiality against Congressman Teves. So kanino kami a-appeal? Doon sa secretary [Jesus Remulla] na from day one na nagsasabing guilty si Teves? Topacio explained.

[Translation: Which may be futile because the DOJ has shown its bias and partiality against Teves. So who will we appeal to? With Remulla, who said Teves was guilty from day one?]

He disclosed that he and his client have not yet received the DOJs resolution or arrest warrant.

Topacio also shared that he advised Teves  who is very active on his Facebook page  to take a social media break to avoid commenting on the case which is now in court.

The lawyer revealed too that Teves would not return to the Philippines in the foreseeable future to face the charges.

Meanwhile, Teves legal team plans to appeal the congressmans expulsion last month from the House of Representatives for disorderly behavior and for violation of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives.

READ: Rep. Teves expelled from House

CNN Philippines' senior correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.
Most startups never get past the pitch deck stage, so getting an investor to say yes can become a founder's all-encompassing desire.

Getting into an accelerator like Y Combinator can open countless doors, but this year, some investors are saying that the higher valuations these startups obtain today will make fundraising more difficult later.

In a TC+ article that examines four different seed investor models, Work-Bench general partner Jonathan Lehr examines "the underlying incentives and biases of different investor archetypes, ranging from YC to seed firms to multistage firms."

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members.

Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription.

The Notorious B.I.G. wasn't referring to high-valuation startups when he wrote, "It's like the more money we come across, the more problems we see," but it's relevant here.

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"Most Series A investors would look to at least 2x the valuation of the seed raise," says Lehr.

"Consider the milestones that would be sought out in a scenario to justify a $20 million valuation doubling to $40 million, compared to a $12 million doubling to $24 million."

Food for thought,

Walter Thompson

Editorial Manager, TechCrunch+

Our favorite startups from YCs Summer 2023 Demo Day, Day 1

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

For YCs first day of cohort presentations, Dominic-Madori Davis, Christine Hall, Alex Wilhelm, Rebecca Szkutak, Tim De Chant, and Anna Heim selected a bakers dozen of their favorite startups:

Constructable

Coba

Chow Central

Leafpress

Langfuse

Osium AI

Line.Build

Glade

Slingshot

Guac

Vendors

Cheq

CatX

Our favorite startups from YCs Summer 2023 Demo Day, Day 2

Large white "Y" overlaid on an orange-tinted skyline of San Francisco

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

YCs Summer 2023 cohort is slightly smaller than it has been in recent years, which means theres less chaff for the TC+ team to sort through.

Yesterday, Alex Wilhelm, Christine Hall and Anna Heim identified their eight preferred startups from the summer batchs final day:

Envelope

Flint

Dili

Silicate

Parea AI

Magic Loops

Flex

Pure

Get the TechCrunch+ Roundup newsletter in your inbox!

sign up for the TechCrunch+ roundup newsletter

To receive the TechCrunch+ Roundup as an email each Tuesday and Friday, scroll down to find the sign up for newsletters section on this page, select TechCrunch+ Roundup, enter your email, and click subscribe.

Blockchain tech needs a ChatGPT moment to scale enterprise adoption

folded paper (origami) depicting a swan, bird and a plane, signifying transformation

Image Credits: wildpixel (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

What's going to vault blockchain technology into the fore when it comes to enterprise software?

"I havent seen any killer use case yet, said Gary Liu, co-founder and CEO of Terminal 3. "I think were really, really early in enterprise adoption."

At Korea Blockchain Week, Jacquelyn Melinek interviewed founders and investors about the headwinds the industry faces as it searches for ways to service blue-chip businesses.

"The use case needs to be nonexistent today," said Yue Hong Zhang, managing director and partner of Boston Consulting Group. "This is how you bring in a new wave of users."

Heres why some investors are sitting out of YC Demo Day

YC Demo Day 2022 image

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

Y Combinators Summer 2023 cohort took part in Demo Days this week, but seven investors Rebecca Szkutak interviewed said they were taking a pass.

Demo Day is not really all that useful for pre-seed, seed investors at this point, as most of the companies are already funded, said Ameet Shah, general partner at Golden Ventures.

Its useful for the larger funds that want to track companies/founders. Most of the work pre-seed/seed firms have to do [is] before demo day.

Ask Sophie: How do I move my startup to the US while my co-founders remain in India?

lone figure at entrance to maze hedge that has an American flag at the center

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Dear Sophie,

I am an entrepreneur with a company based in India.

Down the road, I want to move to the U.S. to seek venture capital funding to expand my company while my co-founders remain in India.

How can I come to the U.S. to set up my company and have my operation in India linked to it?

 Expanding Entrepreneur
Ukraine managed to bring back nine children from temporarily occupied territories.

The Russians accused one teenager of blowing up the bridge and interrogated him in prison for a whole month, said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraines Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights.

"The stories of these children are striking. I have repeatedly stressed that every homecoming is like a special operation. After all, the fates of children are different, but each of them had to go through many obstacles," writes the Ombudsman.

For security reasons, the details of how the children were brought back were not disclosed.

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It was revealed that two children had been in the occupation for a long time, and now they have finally been brought back to their parents.

"We also managed to bring back to our homeland a boy whom the Russians accused of destroying the bridge, kept him in prison for a month, and interrogated him. He went through all the circles of hell, including filtration. But now he is with his mother in Ukraine," says Lubinets.

Earlier, Ukraine managed to bring back 11-year-old Davyd from Donetsk Oblast, who first ended up in the occupied territory and then was taken to Moscow.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Des Moines police say two shootings late Wednesday that left one teenager seriously injured may be connected.

"(In) 73 minutesone person shot, two juveniles taken into custody, three handguns seized, and over 30 rounds fired in our neighborhoods," a DMPD post on Facebook said.

The first happened at about 10 p.m. in the 1300 block of Clark Street when an officer on patrol heard more than two dozen gunshots, according to the post.

Officers found a 17-year-old with a gunshot injury to the torso. They also found a handgun reported stolen out of Mississippi and arrested another 17-year-old who had a weapon.

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The victim remains hospitalized in serious condition, police said.

A little more than a hour later, officers responded to another shooting in the 1300 block of East 17th Court about 3 miles away. There were no injuries, but a home and vehicle were hit with gunfire, police said.

A 16-year-old who had a weapon was arrested and two others ran away.

Police ask for anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at www.crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Teenager seriously injured in shooting on Des Moines' north side
[Source]

A report by the Mozilla Foundation has raised concerns about the extent of personal data collection by car manufacturers.

About the report: Mozillas Privacy Not Included report is a buyer's guide launched in 2017 that focuses on reviewing users privacy.

In their latest report, researchers assessed 25 automobile brands and concluded that every single one of them fell short in terms of consumer privacy. The report underscores the lack of control users have over their personal data, a concern amplified as cars become increasingly connected to the internet.

Monetizing your data: Based on their findings, 84% of the car companies assessed admit to sharing or selling the data they collect, effectively monetizing users' personal information without their explicit consent. The data gathered ranges from sensitive medical and genetic information to other details like driving speed, locations visited and even the music drivers listen to.

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More from NextShark: Car Strikes Elderly Vietnamese Family of Five, Kills One in Florida

How data is collected: Modern vehicle models are now equipped to collect data automatically, including GPS location and driver habits. The report notes that low public awareness and lax data privacy laws in the U.S. are enabling manufacturers to collect as much data as they can.

Privacy rankings: European brands Renault and Dacia ranked first and second, respectively, in the assessment, mainly due to the more stringent General Data Protection Regulation governing data privacy in Europe. Tesla, which ranked at the bottom, received "Privacy Not Included" warnings in every privacy category of the report.

Researchers highlighted previous concerns that arose from the company's outward-facing cameras, which reportedly shared videos and images recorded by the cameras in customers' cars over internal chat systems within the company. Its AI-powered autopilot was also highlighted as untrustworthy due to the number of crashes and fatalities it was involved in.

More from NextShark: Colorado city councilmember faces backlash over ads mocking minorities

Meanwhile, Nissan and Kia were notable for explicitly mentioning that they collect information related to users' sexual activity in their privacy policies.

More from NextShark: Man charged for beating daughter says its acceptable in China

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Liquor Store Owners Busted for Human Trafficking After Enslaving Man From India
Animals in cages at City of Eagle Pass Vector Control, Eagle Pass, TX, Monday, May 27, 2013. Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune

Texas lawmakers are making it harder for those convicted of animal cruelty to own any animals  at least for the next five years after their initial offense.

The animal possession ban or House Bill 598, authored by state Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, applies to people convicted of being involved in dogfighting operations, but also those who hurt an assistance animal or are found to be cruel to a non-livestock animal under Texas penal code or similar penal codes in other states and at the federal level.

Offenders are still able to live in the same household as animals. Shaheen said there is no exemption for offenders to own assistance animals during that five-year period nor would he support it.

We need to make sure that our animals are taken care of, Shaheen said. We're not going to tolerate any type of animal abuse.

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If an offender is found to have an animal during those five years, they could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, or as much as a $500 fine. If the offender is repeatedly in possession of an animal, the charge is raised to a Class B misdemeanor, increasing the possible fine to $2,000 and adding the possibility of up to 180 days in jail.

Shaheen failed to pass a similar animal cruelty prevention bill during the 2021 legislative session, but he said he reintroduced the bill because of calls from his constituents, who were largely surprised a possession ban didnt already exist.

The law went into effect Friday, one of 774 bills passed by the Texas Legislature this session.

Even though animal cruelty is a very rare problem, Shaheen said its important to identify offenders to prevent future violence.

In many cases of animal cruelty, perpetrators are likely to recommit an offense, sometimes immediately after their last criminal cases conclusion, said Shelby Bobosky, executive director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, who is also an adjunct professor of animal law and wildlife law at Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law.

Possession bans are one of the most effective ways to ensure that a person convicted of animal cruelty does not reoffend, Bobosky said.

Wayne Pacelle, founder and president of Washington D.C.-based Animal Wellness Action, said acts of cruelty such as animal abuse are an indicator of a broader loss of empathy for others and creates a need for post-conviction attention from law enforcement.

Possessing a pet or other animal in the household or on their property is a privilege and not a right, Pacelle said in an email.

Bobosky said violence against animals can also be a warning sign of intent to harm people. She notes that in the case of the Uvalde school shooter, he had posted himself committing animal abuse to social media. By increasing convictions of animal cruelty, she said theres hope that other instances of violence can be prevented.

Along with psychological evaluation and some sort of treatment, these sentencing measures can ensure that the root of these issues is addressed, Bobosky said. Any way to cause that interruption is incredibly important from our standpoint.

Disclosure: Southern Methodist University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The full program is now LIVE for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 21-23 in Austin. Explore the program featuring more than 100 unforgettable conversations coming to TribFest. Panel topics include the biggest 2024 races and whats ahead, how big cities in Texas and around the country are changing, the integrity of upcoming elections and so much more. See the full program.
By Scott DiSavino

(Reuters) -Power prices in Texas soared on Friday with electric use expected to hit a record high as homes and businesses blasted their air conditioners to escape another sweltering heat wave.

So far this week, the state's electric grid operator has passed several reliability tests after urging homes and businesses to conserve energy for a second day in a row on Thursday.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers, said it expected to have more power available on Friday than Thursday even though hotter weather could boost Friday's demand to a record high.

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Texas residents have been especially concerned about extreme weather since a deadly storm in February 2021 left millions without power, water and heat for days as ERCOT struggled to prevent a grid collapse after the closure of an unusually large amount of generation.

Earlier in the week, ERCOT warned that rotating outages were possible, but there were no power outages caused by ERCOT's actions. That was due in part to the grid's efforts to increase supplies and reduce demand.

Real-time power prices, however, jumped to over $4,000 per megawatt hour (MWh) for more than an hour Thursday evening after hitting the grid's $5,000 price cap for about an hour Wednesday night.

Next-day power prices at the ERCOT North hub, which includes Dallas, jumped to a two-week high of $611 per MWh for Friday from $537 for Thursday. That compares with an average of $101 so far this year, $78 in 2022 and a 2018-2022 average of $66 per MWh.

And the Texas scorcher is not over yet.

Meteorologists forecast high temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, will reach 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 Celsius) on Friday, breaking the day's record of 97 F set in 1999, according to AccuWeather. That compares with a normal high of 91 F for this time of year.

ERCOT expects power use to peak at 85,890 megawatts (MW) on Friday, which would break the grid's all-time high of 85,435 MW on Aug. 10.

ERCOT expects supplies to exceed demand by almost 2,500 MW at the peak hour on Friday. At one point on Thursday, the grid forecast demand would exceed supplies by almost 200 MW.

One megawatt can power about 200 homes on a hot summer day in Texas.

With forecasts for less hot weather over the weekend and the usual shutdown of many businesses, ERCOT forecast demand would decline on Saturday and Sunday.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Aurora EllisEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Aurora Ellis)
A jewelry store is dealing with a smash-and-grab for a second time.

For the second time, Rivier jewels in Tucker got broken into, and this time the thieves stole the safe with the jewelry inside.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Channel 2s Wendy Corona spoke with the owners son who handled the aftermath of this latest break-in and said his parents are at their breaking point.

Video shows the thieves trying to smash their way into Rivier Jewels in Tucker  the reinforced door didnt shatter, but the side glass did  giving them a way in to steal thousands of dollars in jewelry again!

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It cost them a lot to open this jewelry store. This has been a dream of theirs for many years, said Sam Garcia, the owners son.

But that dream is becoming a nightmare for Yerald Rivera and Nancy Paredes.

To have this happen two times in the course of two to three months, they feel like theyre being targeted, they said.

This is a video of the first break-in in June. The thieves came right through the door.

This latest time, a reinforced front door and jewelry locked away in a safe made it harder for thieves, but they still got away with thousands in jewelryand they also stole the Riveras sense of security.

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This latest break-in occurred at 4:35 a.m. on Labor Day.

The alarm company alerted the owners, and when Sam arrived, he found a Dekalb County Police report where their arrival was marked more than two hours later.

The Riveras have not re-opened the business since the break-in and dont think they will.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
It may seem like there's been an uptick in gross flight experiences, but the incidents aren't new.

The summer has seen passengers shocked by blood and feces in plane carpets and vomit on seats.

In 1975, though, 197 people onboard a flight got food poisoning at once.

In-flight disasters are flooding headlines these days as the post-pandemic era prompts a mass return to travel.

In recent months, an Air France passenger said the floor in front of him was soaked in blood and feces; two Air Canada passengers found their seats covered in vomit; and one man was subjected to another passenger's "smelly feet."

And of course, there is the case of the now-viral "diarrhea flight," which saw a Delta plane forced to turn around halfway through its transatlantic journey after a passenger experienced a medical issue that made them sick throughout the cabin.

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But mile-high icks are, in reality, nothing new. Gross-out incidents have been a risk of air travel for decades.

One of the worst happened in 1975 when almost 200 people onboard a Japan Air Lines flight got severely sick in a case of mass food poisoning.

More than half the passengers onboard a February 3, 1975, flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Copenhagen, Denmark, were seized by a gastrointestinal illness and symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea, according to a 1975 study in the medical journal The Lancet.

Chaos broke out soon after a ham and omelet breakfast was served to passengers onboard the plane. The outbreak is believed to have been caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that was spread by a cook's blistered fingers as he prepared the Danish canned ham, The New York Times reported at the time.

Eighty-six percent of people who ate the meals prepared in some way by the cook became severely ill, according to The Lancet, affecting 197 people in total. One hundred and forty-four affected passengers had to be hospitalized when the plane landed.

A spokesman for Japan Air Lines told The Times in 1975 that the food had been prepared by a catering company that is partly owned by the airline.

In response to the incident, the medical journal recommended cockpit members forgo eating the same meals as one another, lest an entire flight crew become ill.

The story turned tragic when an executive at the catering company that had prepared the meals died by suicide days after the incident.

The nightmare flight lives on in infamy today as a reminder that no era has a monopoly on disgusting in-flight experiences.

Read the original article on Insider
SUNRISE  Thousands gathered Friday morning to honor the life of Battalion Chief Terryson Jackson, 50, who died in the line of duty on Aug. 28 when a Broward Sheriffs Office helicopter crashed into an apartment building in Pompano Beach.

Officers, firefighters, paramedics and command staff from nearly every city in Broward and as far as Orlando and Monroe County watched as the coffin with Jacksons body, draped in an American flag, was carried down from a Fire Rescue 85 truck outside of the Faith Center church in Sunrise. Above them, two technical rescue aerial ladders crossed each other in the sky, another flag hung between them.

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony walked ahead of the procession, followed by Jacksons family members, including his parents, siblings, daughter and son.

Terry loved what he did; he knew the risk but yet he did it anyhow, which makes him true hero, said Jacksons brother, Broward Sheriffs Office Sgt. Cleavone Brooks, who was joined on stage by Jacksons son, Jalen. But before he was a hero he was just my big brother.

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Jackson, Brooks, and their mother, Dorothy Jno-Finn, emigrated to the U.S from Dominica, Brooks said. Jno-Finn also attended the service but didnt speak.

Over 3,000 people filled the the auditorium, officials estimated.

Jackson worked for the Sheriffs Office for 19 years. He died as a Fire Rescue captain, but Tony promoted him to Battalion Chief after his death.

The helicopter was responding to a car crash when the pilot, Daron Roche, reported an engine fire and a left engine failure, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The helicopters tail began to break off in the sky, video footage showed, and it crashed into the apartment building soon after.

Roche and the paramedic, Mike Chaguaseda, survived with injuries. But Jackson didnt make it out, Tony said. A woman living in the apartment, Lurean Wheaton, was also killed. The Broward Sheriffs Office has offered to pay for her funeral in addition to Jacksons. Four others were injured.

Friends, family and fellow first responders remembered Jackson Friday as a man who loved his job and his fellow fire rescue officers like family, putting them above everything else, even in the seconds before his own death.

On Christmases and Thanksgivings, his first cousin, Earl Carlton Dangleben said, Jackson couldnt visit him in Houston because, if he were to get called, someone else would have to show up for work instead.

He didnt even let his family celebrate his 50th birthday, his sister, Dr. Sanjie Jackson said, telling them he wanted to work.

She was never able to give her brother the present she had planned. Her last conversation with him was trying to organize getting him a wristlet.

Jackson was also a devoted father, his father, Oliver, said, meticulous in taking care of his young daughter, Mikayla.

The attention he paid to her was so immense, he said.

And Jackson was so doting on Brooks daughter, his little brother said, that he would respond instead when she called for her father.

I was waiting for a grand time like his wedding to say all these awesome things about him, Brooks said. But this has taught me that I cannot wait to give people their flowers.

Those who served with and under Jackson did not just lose a coworker or a role model, but a brother.

For Broward Fire Rescue Captain Jeffrey Guillaume, Jackson was both a peer and a leader; Jackson later was promoted and became his boss. He had a unique bond with every person he took in, Guillaume said. He made everyone feel wanted.

When Jackson made driver and was asked to cook for the crew, Guillaume said, he told everyone, Im not cooking because its my day off!'

Its your day off, my friend, he said. Rest easy, because weve got it from here.

It remains unclear what caused the crash that took Jacksons life. The Broward Sheriffs Office had long spoken about the need for new Air Rescue helicopters, Tony said in the days following the crash. The helicopter that crashed that day was built in 1999 and purchased by the Sheriffs Office in 2010. After Jacksons death, the Sheriffs Office grounded all of its remaining helicopters for inspections. Meanwhile, Broward County added $15 million to the Sheriffs Office budget for a new helicopter.

In closing remarks Friday, Tony said that the Aviation Unit has a great burden on our shoulders right now.

You can choose to second guess, or pull out yourselves, about what you couldve done differently, he said. Quite frankly, theres nothing that couldve been done.

The day of the crash, Tony said, he visited Roche, the pilot, in the hospital. When he entered the room, Roche began to recite all the things he could have done to try to maintain the helicopter

In the auditorium Friday, Tony asked Roche, who was in the audience, to stand up. As the pilot held his face in his hands and cried, Tony told him to put down the burden he knew he was carrying, the burden that comes with trying to do everything you can, not to control and recover an aircraft, but to save your own friends.

Tragedy either tears families apart or brings them together, Tony said. The same is true of the Aviation Unit.

We are not going to pull each other apart, he said. We are going to bond, we are going to be closer than ever.

Outside of the church after the ceremony, officials fired rifle shots into the air. Five helicopters flew overhead.

Fire Rescue Captain Brion Poitier knew Jackson for over 20 years. He did not die in vain, he said.

When the helicopter was going down that day, Poitier recalled, Jackson looked back at Mike, the paramedic.

He said, Were gonna be okay,' he said. Even in that moment, not knowing if they were going to survive, he reassured his friend.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Consequences of the attack of the Russian Federation

Three people have been killed in a Russian air raid on Kherson Oblast, Ukraines Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported on Sep. 8.

"A Russian aerial bomb killed three civilians  two women and a man  in Odradokamyanka, Beryslav District. Four local residents were also injured," Klymenko said.

"A search and rescue operation remains ongoing."

Kherson Oblast is frequently targeted by the Russian military. On Sep. 5, a 65-year-old man was injured in an artillery strike on Tokarivka, Kherson Oblasts Bilozerka district.

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
(CNN)  Former Donald Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro has been convicted of contempt of Congress for not complying to a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Navarro is the second ex-aide to former President Donald Trump to be prosecuted for his lack of cooperation with the committee. Steve Bannon was convicted last year on two contempt counts. Bannons case is currently on appeal.

After the verdict was read, Navarros lawyers sought a mistrial, raising concerns about any influence alleged protestors may have had when jurors took a break outdoors Thursday afternoon. US District Judge Amit Mehta did not immediately rule on the motion.

The judge scheduled Navarros sentencing for January 12, 2024.

Prosecutors told the jury during closing arguments Thursday that Navarro made a choice not to comply with a February 2022 subpoena.

Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Aloi said that government only works if people play by the rules and are held accountable if they dont.

The subpoena  it is not hard to understand, she said, adding that Navarro knew what he was required to do and when he was required to do it.

Navarros attorney Stanley Woodward contested the idea that the subpoena was simple, staying that the subpoena did not specify where in the Capitol complex Navarro was supposed to show up for his deposition.

He also said that prosecutors failed to prove that Navarro was willful in his failure to comply with the subpoena, arguing that prosecutors hadnt established that his non-compliance with the demand for testimony was not the result of a mistake or accident.

Why didnt the government present evidence to you about where Dr. Navarro was or what he was doing on the day of the scheduled deposition, Woodward asked the jury. Something stinks.

Prosecutor John Crabb responded: Who cares where he was. What matters is where he wasnt.

Crabb repeatedly referred to Navarro as that man while pointing to him, telling the jury at one point, that man thinks he is above the law.

The gestures elicited strong reactions from Navarro, who at times threw up his hand, shook his head or laughed. Woodward eventually jumped up and whispered to his client, and the two stood quietly together for the remainder of the proceeding.

The jury was attentive during closing arguments, watching carefully as lawyers presented their final case. Navarro stood directly across the room with his hands clasped and stared at jurors intently.

Navarro lawyers seek mistrial after juror break

After the jury was dismissed, Woodward told the judge that the defense was seeking a mistrial because they had learned the jury had taken an outdoor break shortly before rendering the verdict and that during that break, they were around a number of January 6-related protestors demonstrating and chanting outside of the court.

Its obvious the jury would have heard those protestors, Woodward said. Its impossible for us to know what influence that would have on their verdict.

Crabb challenged the idea that there were protestors in the park next to the courthouse where the jurors took their break. Woodward countered that Navarro himself had been accosted earlier in the day by a protestor when he was coming through that park.

Mehta said he knew that jurors had asked to take their break outside, where they were accompanied by a court security officer, but that he was not aware that protestors were in the park. He told Woodward that he was not going to rule on the mistrial request without receiving more briefing and evidence.

Quick moving trial with limited defense

Navarro joined the Trump White House to advise on trade and became a well-known face of the Trump administration, while earning a reputation for sparring behind the scenes with his White House colleagues.

He played a prominent role in the administrations Covid-19 response as well. He led some of the efforts to speed up the deployment of medical supplies and also was a defender of fringe Trump views about the virus, including the former presidents advocacy of the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine.

Navarro was still working at the White House in the period after the 2020 election and lost a pre-trial fight to argue to the jury that Trump asserted an executive privilege that shielded him from the subpoena, and he and his attorneys have signaled that, if convicted, he will raise that and other legal issues on appeal.

So todays Judgment Day, Navarro told reporters as he walked into the courthouse Thursday.

I have been stripped, stripped of virtually every defense by the court and yet there is some defense left and the reality here is the government has not proved his case, he said. Please understand that the Biden-weaponized Department of Justice is the biggest law firm in the world. Thats what Im fighting against.

The trial itself moved forward this week with notable speed and simplicity. It took less than a day for the jury to hear all the evidence in the case.

Prosecutors put just three witnesses on the stand, all former staff members of the House January 6 committee. The Justice Department used their testimony to make the case that the committee had good reason to subpoena Navarro and that he was informed repeatedly of its demands.

In her closing argument, prosecutor Aloi told the jury that Navarro had knowledge about a plan to delay the activities of Congress on January 6.

The defendant was more than happy to share that knowledge in television interviews and in other public remarks, Aloi said, except to the congressional committee that could do something about preventing a future attack.

Woodward sought to paint the mention about the attack on the Capitol and the disruption of the peaceful transfer of power as a distraction.

This case is not about what happened on January 6, Woodward said in his closing argument.

Navarros defense team engaged in only brief cross examination, questioning just one of the governments witnesses. His lawyers were focused on the element of the charge that requires a showing that Navarro was willful and deliberate in his decision not to comply with the subpoena  meaning that his lack of compliance was not the result of an inadvertent mistake or accident.

The defense did not put on any witnesses of their own, having abandoned a plan to call an FBI agent who worked on the Justice Department probe into Navarro for questioning on the lack of DOJ investigating into Navarros whereabouts on the day his committee deposition was scheduled.

Multiple sources of legal trouble for the former Trump aide

Navarros service as a Trump White House aide has generated continuing legal troubles for the former trade adviser  troubles that go beyond the criminal case.

The Justice Department brought a civil lawsuit against him to obtain government records from Navarros personal email account that were withheld from the National Archives upon his departure from government. He has appealed the ruling against him in that case.
As the third day of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton 's impeachment trial closes Thursday, here are a few takeaways from the Senate chamber in a day that saw two witnesses field questions from prosecutors and the defense team.

Whistleblower or rogue employee in Texas attorney general's office?

It was upsetting to Ryan Vassar, a former attorney general's aide, to hear his boss call him and other office workers "rogue employees" after they complained in 2020 to federal authorities about Paxton's relationship with Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer and campaign donor.

"The statement of being called a rogue employee is contrary to the years of my life I dedicated to the state," he said, wiping tears away.

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Vassar remained on the stand until the trial session ended shortly before 7 p.m., being grilled for several hours by Mitch Little, who made his defense debut Thursday afternoon by trying to show that Vassar lacked knowledge of Paxton's actions and had inadequate evidence when he and others approached the FBI.

When the trial resumes at 9 a.m. Friday, Vassar will again be on the witness stand.

Tony Buzbee lays low

During the first two days of Paxton's impeachment trial, it was abundantly clear where Tony Buzbee was on the Senate floor and what was on his mind.

Opening the proceeding for the defense team with impassioned and confrontational accusations that the impeachment charges against Paxton are bogus, Buzbee sat quietly through the whole session Thursday.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (center) sits with his lawyers Tony Buzbee (left) and Dan Cogdell (right) at the beginning of the first day of Paxtons impeachment trial in the Texas Senate chambers at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. The Texas House, including a majority of its GOP members, voted to impeach Paxton for alleged corruption in May. (Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News)

In his place, Anthony Osso made the defense's motions to object to questions from prosecutor Rusty Hardin and challenged evidence the prosecution discussed. Like Buzbee, Osso, who was licensed with the State Bar of Texas in 2019, objected early and often throughout the morning and into the afternoon.

Later in the day, Mitch Little took over questioning Vassar, continuing on a confrontational path previously laid by Buzbee and Osso.

Though Buzbee was quiet in the Senate chamber Thursday, he did continue his crusade against what he views as bias in the media, accusing news outlets in an Instagram post Thursday of doctoring photos of his tan.

More: 'Signing our professional death warrants': Ex-Paxton aide says he understood gravity of complaining to FBI

"Here are two pics from two different reputable news organizations, taken on the same day, within minutes of the other," Buzbee's post read. "I am out in the sun a lot, but I dont think my skin has ever been that 'tan.'"

Some in the news media responded by saying that the photo exaggerating Buzbee's tan came from the Senate's livestream camera, while the more natural photo of his tan came from a professional photographer with better quality equipment.

"Why would they doctor my pic? Im sure you could take a guess," Buzbee continued. "So you think the news isnt bias? Think again."

Ken Paxton isn't present at his trial

After pleading not guilty on Tuesday through his attorney, Buzbee, Paxton has not returned to the chamber in the east wing of the Capitol for his impeachment proceeding.

His absence drew criticism from Hardin on Thursday, who quipped while questioning Ryan Bangert, a former first assistant in the attorney general's office, that Paxton hasn't "graced us with his appearance" in the latter part of the week.

Opposing lawyers Dan Cogdell, left, and Rusty Hardin talk during a break at the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Capitol on Thursday September 7, 2023.

"Have you noticed that he's not here today?" Hardin asked Bangert, immediately receiving an objection from Paxton's legal team.

Some trial observers, both in the Capitol and on social media, have wondered how the 31 senators  including Paxton's wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, who sits without the ability to vote on the trial's outcome  feel about spending roughly 9 hours a day examining evidence and testimony in the case as Paxton stays away.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the proceeding, earlier this week confirmed before the court that there is not a trial rule requiring Paxton's presence in the chamber.

(From left) Paxton's attorney Tony Buzbee stands with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as Texas Sen. Phil King (not pictured) says the prayer at the beginning of the first day of Paxtons impeachment trial in the Texas Senate chambers at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. The Texas House, including a majority of its GOP members, voted to impeach Paxton for alleged corruption in May. (Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News)

However, Paxton has not remained silent about the proceeding. He sent a campaign email to supporters Wednesday asking for political contributions, saying that with their help he "can be back in office by the end of the month."

Paxton is asking supporters to "rush" him contributions ranging from $25 to $500, according to the fundraising email.

More: Ken Paxton impeachment trial live updates: Third AG whistleblower still on stand as Day 3 ends.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ken Paxton impeachment trial: Three takeaways from Day 3
Many companies announced they were exiting Russia following the invasion, but just 535 have made a clean break since February 2022.

The Kremlin has been making it more difficult for companies to exit the Russian market.

Here's a timeline of the major hurdles companies face when trying to leave the heavily sanctioned country.

Russia is making it really difficult for international companies wanting to exit its market.

Despite 1,000 companies announcing they were voluntarily cutting back on operations merely two months after the Ukraine war started in February 2022, just 535 foreign companies have made a clean break with the country 18 months on, an ongoing study from Yale University last updated on September 6 found.

Not only do the companies have their internal struggles, but Russian authorities have also steadily increased the hurdles  such as regulatory approvals and financial penalties  for Western companies that are taking longer to leave the market.

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The pace of such measures appeared to have kicked into high gear from December 2022.

Even London-based law firm Linklaters said in a March 2023 blog post that "the legal situation for multinational companies operating in Russia continues to become more precarious by the day."

The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Here's a timeline of five major hurdles Russia has imposed on companies looking to flee its heavily sanctioned economy since the Ukraine war broke out. This list is not exhaustive as Russian corporate laws and regulations have been changing rapidly since the war started.

December 2022: Russia started demanding steep discounts on assets up for sale

Russia introduced new measures demanding a 50% discount on the assets of companies that want to exit its market.

The move seems to have benefited Russian businessmen who bought the assets of 110 Western companies "that have fully or partially left Russia" at bargain-bin prices, per independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Some companies trying to exit Russia recently are facing demands of even steeper discounts, Reuters reported on August 25, citing three persons familiar with exit processes for foreign companies.

Companies' exit plans also need to be approved by a government commission. Those operating in strategically important sectors  such as energy and resources  also need President Vladimir Putin's seal of approval.

March 2023: The Kremlin told exiting companies to donate to the country

Investors who are selling their businesses and are from "unfriendly countries"  those that have imposed sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine  must donate at least 10% of the sale proceeds to the Russian budget, according to the country's finance ministry.

It's unclear how many companies have paid the donations so far.

April and July 2023: Russia seized the operations of Western firms, including Danone and Carlsberg

Days before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia approved measures that could lead to the nationalization of foreign firms suspending their operations or leaving the market.

In April this year, that possibility got real for companies when Moscow took control of the Russian subsidiaries of two energy firms  Germany's Uniper and Finland's Fortum  after Putin signed a decree ordering the move.

Both firms had been trying to exit Russia for months before the seizures, before the sudden takeover.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at the time that the seizes were in retaliation to what he said were similar moves from Western nations, which blocked or seized $58 billion of assets controlled by Russia in the one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

In July, Moscow targeted the Russian assets of food and beverage giants Danone and Carlsberg for seizures. Russia did not give any specific reasons for the seizures, but they happened after people close to Putin's regime expressed interest in the assets, the Financial Times reported in July.

July 2023: Moscow is imposing a new rule giving it priority rights to acquire shares from exiting companies

Russia was looking to approve a new rule that allows the Kremlin to have "super priority rights" to acquire the shares of strategic companies whose foreign shareholders are leaving the country, Interfax news agency reported in July.

The rule could even supersede the rights of others who may also be entitled to the shares of the exiting foreign shareholders.

August and September 2023: Russia said it would not let banks exit the country unless it fulfilled one condition

Russia now appears to be targeting banks that want to flee its market.

In August, a Moscow court banned two major Swiss banks  UBS and Credit Suisse  from trying to exit the market after Moscow-based Zenit Bank requested the ban, citing concerns about losing money should the two Swiss banks leave.

A month later, in September, Russia demanded foreign banks unfreeze Russian assets if they wanted to exit the market.

"We have stated our position, and it stands  we will be tough in letting foreign banks go, it will depend on the decision to unfreeze Russian assets," Alexei Moiseev, Russia's deputy finance minister, said at a forum on Friday, Reuters reported.

Western banks still operating in Russia appear to be stuck between Moscow's demands and the European Union's pressure to get out of the market as soon as possible.

Raiffeisen Bank is the largest Western bank still operating in Russia. It is working on a sale or spin-off of its local business and said in its half-year report that "the local and international laws and regulations governing the sale of businesses in Russia are subject to constant change."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A top leader of the extremist group the Proud Boys received the longest prison sentence yet handed out for the Jan. 6 insurrection, and five other Proud Boys were also given long sentences. Meanwhile, a small group of neo-Nazis gathered in Orlando over Labor Day weekend to shout and wave swastika flags. And a spat between the Anti-Defamation League and Twitter/X owner Elon Musk blows up on Twitter/X.

Its the week in extremism.

Enrique Tarrio flashes the "OK" sign, sometimes used as a symbol of white supremacy, as hundreds gather during a Proud Boys rally at Delta Park in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 26, 2020, to show support for President Donald Trump and condemn violence during Black Lives Matter and antifa protests.

More: Two years since the Jan. 6 insurrection, extremist groups are fragmented, but live on

Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years

The big news in extremism this week was the sentencing of Henry Enrique Tarrio and his fellow Proud Boys Ethan Nordean , Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the Jan. 6 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

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Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison  the longest prison term handed out to any of the more than 1,100 people so far prosecuted for the insurrection.

Nordean was sentenced to 18 years, equaling the sentence given to Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers. Biggs received a 17-year sentence and Rehl a 15-year sentence. Pezzola, who was the first person to break into the Capitol, received a 10-year sentence.

Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were all found guilty of seditious conspiracy in May. While Tarrio wasnt in Washington that day, the judge in his case concluded the Miami Proud Boy, who called himself the chairman of the group, was a crucial organizer of the attack.

Here at USA TODAY in January, we analyzed the status of various extremist groups two years after the insurrection. Experts this week agreed the Proud Boys remain in a similar position now: The group has moved away from national organizing but individual chapters around the country continue to meet and protest. Particularly, they rally around anti-LGBTQ causes.

Reached by email, a member of the North Carolina chapter of the group wrote to USA TODAY: We are not surviving  we are thriving, and we will continue to do so. This fraternity is bigger than Joe and Enrique and Zach and Dominic and Gavin. (Gavin McInnes founded the Proud Boys).

Last week in extremism: Local prosecutor promised to bring charges against drag performers

Neo Nazis march outside Disney World in Orlando

On Saturday, a group of roughly three dozen neo-Nazis  members of groups called the Goyim Defense League and Blood Tribe  gathered in Orlando where they marched, shouted racial epithets at passers-by, and waved swastika flags.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, speaks during a South by Southwest panel in Austin in 2018. SpaceX is planning a rocket engine production facility near Waco, Musk said on social media Saturday.

The ADL and Elon Musks war (of words)

The last couple of weeks have seen an expanding spat between the civil rights and research organization the Anti-Defamation League and Elon Musk, who bought Twitter last year. The ADL has criticized Musks management of Twitter and called on companies to pause advertising on the platform. Musk has responded by threatening to sue the organization.

Claiming that antisemitism has spiked on Twitter, the ADL launched a campaign in November asking companies to cease advertising on Twitter until it becomes clear whether Twitter remains committed to being a safe place for advertisers as well as society overall.

The ADL also released a report in May claiming that dozens of accounts reinstated after Musks takeover of Twitter were spreading antisemitic tropes and veiled attacks.

A hashtag taking aim at the ADL trended on Twitter over the weekend, attracting tweets sharing antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories.

On Monday, Musk threatened to sue the ADL in a post on X. In another post, he wrote that he is pro free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind. Musk has since tweeted dozens of times about the ADL. Forward, a Jewish publication, is maintaining a running list of Musks disturbing comments about Jews.

Statistic of the week: 11

Thats the length of the prison sentence  in years  that prosecutors offered Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader, in a plea deal. He rejected the offer and found the judge believed he deserved twice that long in prison  22 years.

Other Jan. 6 Proud Boy defendants tried alongside Tarrio were offered similar deals that would have halved their sentences. None took them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Enrique Tarrio, Proud Boys sentenced: Here's what won't change
TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto International Film Festival opened on Thursday with "The Boy and the Heron" by famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, the first time an animated feature has taken the coveted spot.

Although there was a dearth of star power on the red carpet due to the Hollywood actors strike, festival goers can look forward to some 50 films over 11 days, including Craig Gillespie's "Dumb Money," "Lee" which stars Kate Winslet and Taika Waititi's "Next Goal Wins".

The festival will also include directorial debuts for Patricia Arquette with "Gonzo Girl" and for Kristin Scott Thomas with "North Star".

Studio Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka said it was an honour for "The Boy and the Heron" to have been chosen as the opener for the festival.

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"It shows that animation and live-action films dont need to be differentiated anymore," he said.

The film, a semi-autobiographical story of a young boy struggling with the death of his mother, is expected to Miyazaki's swan song. The 82-year-old director, known for works such as "Spirited Away" and "My Neighbor Totoro", did not attend the opening.

The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have been on strike since May over pay and the use of artificial intelligence.

"Gonzo Girl" stars Arquette, Camila Morrone and William Dafoe were among the few actors gaining union approval to promote their films.

"I am lucky to be here, but a lot of people are unable to attend the festival," Morrone told Reuters, calling the strike "essential" and stressing that it was important to be resolved.

Over 150,000 actors and 65,000 writers across the United States have refused to resume shooting or promote films. The 2023 Emmy Awards have also been postponed to January next year due to the strike.

"We will get back to the bargaining table at some point. I hope its tomorrow but it may be a little longer than that. And once we do, I'm confident that we will be able to hold the line and make sure that whatever agreement we end up with, is fair, equitable and respectful for our members," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director of SAG-AFTRA.

(Reporting by Divya Rajagopal, Nivedita Balu and Jenna Zucker; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Travel abroad from Ukraine will be restricted only for mobilized women, not all women under military registration, said Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence and the presidents representative in the Verkhovna Rada, as reported by RBK-Ukraine on Sept. 8.

Read also: Military official explains mobilization priorities, training before deployment to front

When it comes to travel abroad restrictions for women subject to military service, these restrictions will apply exclusively to women who have already been mobilized in accordance with various mobilization tasks. This is because, upon acquiring the status of military personnel, these women gain corresponding rights and limitations, he stated.

Read also: Conscripts and mobilized soldiers  key points from new draft laws

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The travel restrictions will not apply to women who are yet to be placed under military registration, making it clear that this issue is not currently under consideration.

While there are women currently under military registration, no restrictions on their foreign travel have been implemented.

Earlier, Venislavsky announced that women with medical or pharmaceutical education who will be registered in the military from Oct. 1, 2023 will be classified as military personnel subject to travel restrictions abroad.

Ukraines State Border Guard Service confirmed that there has not yet been any changes to border crossing rules for women.

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
A 22-year-old popular social media influencer was found dead near the site where her vehicle was engulfed in flames in suburban Atlanta.

Local officials responded to a fire just before 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 near Jerkins Boulevard and Launders Street, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. When the firefighters arrived, they discovered the car and extinguished it before sending it to a wrecker yard.

Police found the body of 22-year-old Beauty Couch of Austell, Georgia, earlier this week. (Instagram/@beautykatera)

According to the report, when law enforcement went to the address where the vehicle was registered, they found out a woman, identified as Beauty Couch of Austell, had not been seen for about 24 hours. Couch frequently drives the car and is reportedly the owners daughter.

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Related: If You Just Change the Color of the People: Attorney for Woman Acquitted of Murder for Killing Carjacker Says She Was Charged Because She Is Black and He Was White

Police said officers returned to the location where the car was originally found and discovered a body in the woods that matched her description, the AJC reported.

Per reports, police suspected foul play.

The victims mother, Kimberly Couch, expressed her emotions during an interview with WAGA-TV FOX5 Atlanta, describing her daughter as a sweet girl and a college student.

She never bothered nobody. She never bothered nobody. She was a friend to everybody, Kimberly said, per the outlet. They burned my babys car up. They burned her car up. They treated her like she was a dog. I dont like that.

Couch, known as @beautykatera on Instagram, has more than 150,000 followers on the social media platform. A glance at her page shows that she regularly posted roller skating content and was offering in-person and as well as virtual lessons.

The comments are filled with her supporters calling for justice and offering their condolences. Roll in power queen you will be missed, one person said.

Authorities arrested a man allegedly linked to Couchs death, identified as 21-year-old Eugene Louis-Jacques of Florida. The suspect, who was reportedly her boyfriend, was taken into custody on Aug. 25 on charges of aggravated assault, arson and murder, per several outlets.

According to Couchs online obituary, she was just one semester away from earning her bachelors degree in psychology at Clayton State University. After graduating college, Couch planned to start a career in child psychology.

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FILE - Marilyn Mosby, Maryland State Attorney for Baltimore City, speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in Baltimore. Mosby will be tried on federal perjury and mortgage fraud charges in Greenbelt, Maryland, after a judge ruled Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, that extensive media coverage of the case could have created bias among potential jurors in the Baltimore area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BALTIMORE (AP)  Baltimores former top prosecutor, who was charged last year with perjury and mortgage fraud, will be tried outside the city because potential jurors may have been biased by extensive media coverage of the case, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Over two terms as Baltimore states attorney, Marylin Mosby gained national recognition for her progressive policies and several high-profile decisions, such as bringing charges against the police officers involved in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray.

But she was defeated in a Democratic primary last year after federal prosecutors accused her of lying about experiencing pandemic-related financial hardship in order to make early withdrawals from her retirement account. She used the money to buy two Florida vacation properties.

With an early November trial date looming, U.S. District Court Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby granted a motion from Mosbys defense team to move the case out of Baltimore  an unusual occurrence as defense attorneys in even more widely publicized cases have failed to secure such accommodations. Prosecutors said they werent aware of any other federal case in Maryland being moved to a different courthouse.

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Griggsby said the law sets a relatively low bar for such decisions. She also acknowledged how much attention the case has already received locally.

Some of that pretrial publicity has certainly cast the defendant in a negative light, she said during a hearing in Baltimore federal court Friday.

Mosbys trial will now be held in Greenbelt, a suburb of Washington, D.C., and jurors will be pulled from that part of Maryland.

The judge also agreed to split the case into two trials, one for perjury and one for fraud. Mosbys attorneys requested separate trials because she may choose to testify in one but not the other.

According to an indictment filed in January 2022, Mosby submitted requests for one-time withdrawals of $40,000 and $50,000, respectively, from Baltimores deferred compensation plans in 2020, claiming she experienced financial hardship because of the coronavirus. But she actually received her nearly $250,000 salary that year.

The indictment also says Mosby made false statements in applications for a $490,500 mortgage to purchase a home near Disney World in Kissimmee, Florida, and a $428,400 mortgage to purchase a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida. She failed to disclose federal tax debt and misled lenders about her intentions for the property near Disney World, saying it would serve as a second home when she actually was making arrangements to rent it out, according to the indictment.

Mosbys attorneys have argued that COVID-19 had an impact on both financial markets and her personal travel and consulting businesses.

Mired in delays and drama, the case has dragged on more than a year after Mosby lost her reelection bid.

Her previous defense team, which tried unsuccessfully to move the trial to Greenbelt, withdrew from the case after Griggsby accused them of violating court rules. The Office of the Federal Public Defender for Maryland, which is now representing Mosby, filed a renewed motion to have the trial moved.

The judge noted Friday that she has already demonstrated her commitment to combatting the potential for bias within the jury pool and bolstering a positive perception of the justice system in this case.

Mosby, who didnt appear in court Friday due to a personal matter, has largely kept a low profile since leaving office in January.
A number of Donald Trumps allies are growing concerned that his lead in Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses isnt built to last.

Trump supporters are trying to beef up the campaigns lean Iowa operation with more experienced hires. They are scrambling to fill roles handling regional political work around the state  jobs that should have been filled six to eight months ago, according to one Republican operative based in Iowa.

And they are preparing for months of battle against Republican presidential opponents who trail badly in the polls but have built better machinery to find and secure votes, according to interviews with a dozen sources including longtime Trump campaign allies, state and local officials in Iowa and GOP strategists.

The fretting extends even to Trumps own family members. One Trump-supporting source who has worked in Iowa, who spoke out in an effort to spur change in the campaign, described a phone call with the former presidents son Donald Trump Jr. in which he worried about a lack of experience on the campaigns Iowa team and said multiple times that they need an adult in the room.

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Trump Jr. was concerned that they were running from behind in getting things going, and that there was concern about that at the highest levels, the source said, adding that they were giving [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis too many opportunities.

In response, Trump Jr. told NBC News, As usual, this is 100% fake news, in what is likely the last breath from the dying Ron DeSanctimonious campaign.

The stakes in Iowa are clear. If Trump wins the first contest of 2024, where he starts with a strong polling lead in what was one of his weaker states in 2016, his rivals may not be able to stop him steamrolling through the rest of the nominating process. But demonstrating Trumps vulnerability early could open a window to defeating him  which is among the big reasons DeSantis, still Trumps closest rival in polls, is digging into Iowa while cutting back operations elsewhere.

Both men are converging on the same spot in Iowa this weekend: Saturdays football game between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. Its a marquee event for both football fans and candidates seeking their support  and it puts the spotlight on a pair of contrasting caucus campaigns.

President Trump is making the strongest play for Iowa of all the candidates, and its reflected in the polling where he consistently leads by nearly 30 points, Trump spokesperson Jason Miller said, also referencing polling from a pro-DeSantis group showing Trump well ahead.

Trumps diminished presence

The 2024 version of Trump has advantages the 2016 version did not, coming into this race as a former president with rabid support among a large portion of his party, instead of starting from scratch as a self-funding outsider.

But the data also show a stark difference between Trumps 2016 and 2024 campaigns in Iowa.

In the 2016 primary, he called this stretch of the campaign the summer of Trump in Iowa. He had visited the state at least 10 times, traveling to Des Moines for his first rally hours after unveiling his campaign at Trump Tower. He returned to the state for a second rally weeks later, stopping in Oskaloosa.

This time around, he has visited just six times, two of those visits being town halls with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Instead, Trump has left it to his campaign to establish a physical presence in the state  and it has been lacking.

Theyre not laying the groundwork well enough to feel secure going into the end of December, as Trump deals with scheduled trials and other legal issues as well as the Jan. 15 caucuses approaching, a source familiar with the campaign said. A trial date for the civil fraud lawsuit against Trump in New York is set for October, while the defamation case involving E. Jean Carroll is also set to begin Jan. 15, 2024. It's currently unclear when the criminal case against Trump in Georgia will go to trial, while the other criminal trials involving Trump are currently scheduled for later in 2024.

I know theres an operation. Im hearing that theres something going on. But its hard to see it, said a former Trump adviser in Iowa, who added the campaigns current efforts were cause for concern and may lead to problems down the line. They have not settled on an approach that works. What will happen is somebody is going to get surprised.

Former President Donald Trump speaks with the press at the Iowa Pork Producers booth during the 2023 Iowa State Fair at the Iowa State Fair Grounds on Aug. 12, 2023. (Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via Getty Images file)

Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun, a Trump campaign co-chair in the state, said he thought the campaign was set up well, with a lot of momentum and personnel to build on it.

It comes down to the ground game, and I was really impressed with all the people we got signed up by the Iowa State Fair that are helping out, he said. The goal, he said, is to sign up a Trump supporter in every precinct in Iowa to speak for the president at each individual precinct caucus, and I know were having a lot of success there.

Yet, Iowa veterans familiar with Trumps efforts there said they were taken aback by what they perceived as a lackadaisical approach by the campaign leadership in the state.

Two people who spoke to NBC News said they had not heard from Trumps 2024 Iowa staff despite their past experience working with him there.

A third early Iowa adviser said, There were a lot of people who were part of 16, never got a call in 20. This person said fewer still received calls this cycle: Maybe one or two.

Tana Goertz, who served as co-chair of Trumps Iowa caucus campaign in 2016, said the state of the 2024 operation there made it look like the people in charge did not care whether the former president wins or loses.

Ive been doing this a long time. I think were way ahead of any campaign that Ive seen before, Zaun said.

Brett Barker, the Story County Republican Party chair and mayor of Nevada, Iowa, is neutral in the 2024 race and has been involved in Iowas GOP caucuses since 2008. He said Trump has long differed from the model followed by past successful campaigns there.

Historically, he hasnt come in and done a lot of the retail campaigning, Barker said. So hes going to have the disadvantage of not being able to be face to face with as many voters. But he also is far more known. And as a former president, you have a lot of advantages being in that role, too. So it is an unusual dynamic this time.

Meanwhile, door-knocking efforts have found large numbers of undecided voters across the state, said two sources familiar with the Trump campaign's on-the-ground outreach in Iowa. And Trump canvassers are outnumbered by rival efforts making the case to these people at their front doors, leaving voters described as soft Trump supporters open to persuasion.

But Trump, despite his long stretches of absence from the state, has personally rebuffed concerns about Iowa, saying it will get adequate attention, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

And the campaign is moving to sign up Trump volunteers and precinct leaders across the state, said one veteran of Iowa political campaigns familiar with Trumps on the ground efforts, who described the current campaign as going beyond what the Trump team had done by this point in 2016.

Still, the possibility of a disappointing showing could open the door for the former presidents rivals to gain momentum in the primary races that follow Iowa next year.

What DeSantis has built

While Trump has the big polling lead and less visible organization to speak of in Iowa, DeSantis is in the opposite situation  investing major resources and efforts in a state thats looking more and more like a must-win for him as the campaign goes on.

The Florida governor has recruited organizing chairs in all 99 counties, which Iowa state Senate President Amy Sinclair, a DeSantis supporter, says will be a force multiplier in the latter stages of the campaign.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images file)

These are people willing to step up and say, Im going to go and talk about Gov. DeSantis with people I know, with people I work with, the people I go to church with, Sinclair said.

I think that former President Trump is not coming and mobilizing the people who support him. Will they even show up to a caucus? I think hes making a bad choice, she continued.

Barker, the Story County GOP chair, says the DeSantis teams early activity has been notable.

I dont recall anyone being on the doors as early as they were, they were on the doors in the spring, and even hit my door, hit everybody in my town, he said. I think what it shows to me is they have an organization capable of doing get-out-the-vote. And thats going to become critical down the stretch.

The build-up in Iowa comes as the DeSantis operation downsizes elsewhere. While he started the year with lofty goals of organizing far beyond the earliest states throughout 2023, the super PAC recently cut its vaunted door-knocking program in not only Super Tuesday states, but also the early state of Nevada, NBC News reported last week. New Hampshire has never been as strong a state as others for DeSantis polling numbers, and in South Carolina, two home-state Republicans  Nikki Haley and Tim Scott  are also jostling to be Trumps main rival.

That leaves Iowa as the early state in which DeSantis has to make an impact to boost his campaign into real contention with Trump for the GOP nomination.

DeSantis, often with his family in tow, has been to 53 Iowa counties so far, with the goal of making it to all 99 counties. The campaign also points to dozens of local endorsements and more than 12,000 signed commit-to-caucus cards from voters as positive signs of its early buildup.

Theres going to be very few Iowans that will be able to say they didnt have the chance to shake hands with or ask a question of Ron DeSantis, said DeSantis deputy campaign manager David Polyansky, a veteran of multiple winning Iowa caucus campaigns.

Trumps visits this year total up to four counties over the course of six trips to Iowa so far.

DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC is also outspending Trumps super PAC, MAGA Inc., on the airwaves in Iowa, $5.9 million to $2.2 million.

And its not just DeSantis. Trump has effectively ceded the airwaves to the rest of the field.

Scotts campaign has already spent $4.9 million, with another $3.6 million in support from a pro-Scott super PAC. The super PAC supporting Haley has spent $3.6 million. Best of America, the super PAC supporting Doug Burgum, spent $2.7 million, and his campaign itself spent $2.6 million.

None of that spending has eroded Trumps support in public polling yet. But if theres a chance for a late move against the former president, Never Back Downs Kristin Davison said, the DeSantis team has built the foundation for it. In that case, it would make Iowa a launchpad for the rest of the 2024 nominating contest.

They have totally signed away the first state, she said, and they dont show any signs of showing that theyre going to try to get it back.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
(CNN)  During this summer of dangerous, record-shattering heat almost no one on Earth escaped climate change-fueled temperatures, a new analysis has found.

Researchers from climate research group Climate Central mapped the influence of climate change on temperatures in more than 200 countries and territories.

They found that between June and August, 98% of the global population  7.95 billion people  experienced high temperatures made at least twice as likely by climate change.

In every country we could analyze, including the Southern Hemisphere where this is the coolest time of year, we saw temperatures that would be difficult  and in some cases nearly impossible  without human-caused climate change, Andrew Pershing, lead author of the report and vice president of science for Climate Central, said in a statement.

Nearly half of humanity, around 3.9 billion people, experienced 30 days or more of heat made at least three times more likely by planet-warming pollution, according to the report. This included the US states of Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

But the impacts were much starker in poorer countries.

Those that produce the lowest amounts of planet-heating pollution experienced between three to four times more summer days with very strong climate fingerprints than the worlds largest economies, the report found.

The report findings help show the impacts of climate change on human lives, Pershing told CNN.

There has always been a big gap between the global statistics that scientists use to track climate change and the daily experience of people around the world, he said.

One of the big lessons from this summer is that theres nowhere to hide from the heat, he added.

Theres no break and theres no escape. You look around, there really is not a place in the world that is safe from climate change. I think wed all like to imagine that we could move somewhere and everything would be great, but every place is feeling that impact.

The report comes on the heels of new data released Wednesday by the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service which found that this summer was the planets hottest on record by a significant margin.

June, July and August all broke global records for the hottest such months.

Both July and August were 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, according Copernicus  marking the breach, albeit temporary, of a key threshold scientists have long warned the world must stay under to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

While scientists are more focused on long-term global temperature trends, these temporary breaches provide an alarming preview of what the world can expect summers to be like at 1.5 degrees of warming.

Humanitys exposure to heat will only increase unless planet-warming pollution is cut to zero, Pershing said.

While this summer is shocking, it isnt surprising. We knew it was coming. And we know that as long as we keep burning coal, oil, and natural gas, our chance of encountering unusually hot conditions will continue to grow.
Former President Trump lashed out Friday after his former economic adviser Peter Navarro was found guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol.

I cant believe that these Fascist Monsters have so viciously gone after the great Peter Navarro for defying the totally partisan January 6th Unselect Committee of political Hacks and Thugs, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The former president repeated the false claim that the House panel that investigated the riots deleted and destroyed its findings, suggesting Navarros testimony would not have mattered.

They should be the ones who are prosecuted, not Peter Navarro who, by the way, was single greatest trade negotiator against China, who paid the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars during the Trump Administration (never paid ten cents before us!). Only China is celebrating the Navarro conviction! he wrote.

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A jury Thursday found Navarro guilty following deliberations that lasted nearly five hours.

Navarro faced two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a subpoena served by the House Jan. 6 committee. The first charge pertained to his failure to produce documents and the second was for failing to appear for a deposition.

After his conviction, Navarro made comments outside the D.C. federal courthouse, swarmed by a handful of protesters speaking over him and attempting to block him with signs. He told reporters he was convicted because of association with J6, not for contempt of Congress, the charges lodged against him.

He also told reporters that he expects his case to reach the Supreme Court because of the questions it raises about executive privilege for high-ranking White House staff.

Navarro served in Trumps White House and was one of the most outspoken critics of China, pushing Trump to escalate a trade war with Beijing, and he was an influential voice in Trumps ear during the COVID-19 pandemic response. He also clashed frequently with other White House aides behind the scenes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Nathan Layne

(Reuters) -South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem endorsed Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Friday, potentially boosting the former president's lead in the Republican Party's 2024 presidential primary race.

A rising star in the party, Noem has long been mentioned as a possible running mate for Trump should he win the nomination. Her endorsement will likely add fuel to that speculation.

Noem announced her "full and complete endorsement" of Trump at an evening rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, attended by thousands of the former president's supporters.

"He is the leader, the fighter that our country needs," said Noem, who used a joke to nod at speculation that she could be his running mate but did not directly address the issue. "I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country."

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With the first nominating contest in Iowa still months away, only a handful of Republican governors have officially endorsed candidates in the crowded primary.

Republican strategist Matt Dole said Noem's move to endorse at this early stage suggests she is increasingly confident that Trump, who is far ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other rivals in national polls, will win the primary.

"It is a sign that he is solidifying the base behind his candidacy," said Dole, who has advised gubernatorial and congressional candidates. "Governor Noem has a backing in the Republican Party who like her style and have followed her career. I think she brings folks to the table with her."

Noem, 51, raised her national profile during the COVID-19 pandemic when she pushed back on restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. She has been a staunch Trump supporter, winning her a measure of popularity among his base of voters.

Trump called Noem one of the most successful governors, citing her record resisting pandemic lockdowns and strong economic growth in her state.

"I get endorsements, some dont mean anything. Hers means a lot," Trump said.

Trump spent most of his nearly two-hour speech railing against the policies of President Joe Biden , a Democrat who defeated him in the 2020 election. The two appear to be on track for a rematch in 2024, with Republican primary voters rallying to Trump's side even as he faces four criminal indictments.

He reiterated plans to dismantle tax incentives for electric vehicles, one of Biden's signature policies, and vowed to implement a mass deportation of immigrants and fire scores of government workers in an effort to "obliterate the Deep State."

Trump painted the economic outlook in hyperbolic terms, underscoring his attempt to capitalize on polls showing that most voters don't approve of Biden's handling of the economy, despite easing inflation and low unemployment.

"The fact is we are probably heading into a Great Depression," Trump said. "The only question is whether or not it will be during the remaining months of the Biden administration. If it's going to happen, let it happen then."

Trump also called on Republicans in Congress to try to use an upcoming government funding deadline of Sept. 30 as leverage to ban the Biden administration from using taxpayer funds for resettling immigrants within the United States.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Daniel Wallis and Michael Perry)
Former President Donald Trump is hosting a fundraiser Thursday night to pump money into a legal defense fund for Georgia co-defendant Rudy Giuliani , according to two sources close to the former New York City mayor.

Trump is holding the fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, after Giuliani was indicted alongside him for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia and he was found liable for defaming two election workers in promoting Trump's stolen election claims.

Giuliani's son, Andrew Giuliani , who worked in the Trump White House, touted the fundraiser in an interview on WABC radio of New York City earlier in the day.

I am happy to say  weve raised over $1 million for this event alone, Andrew Giuliani said, adding that the amount won't be enough to get through this.

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He said Trump had also committed to hold another fundraiser for his father in the fall or early winter at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

A Trump campaign spokesman referred questions about the event to Giulianis team.

Image: Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani (Carolyn Kaster / AP file)

Thursday's fundraiser came about after appeals for direct financial assistance from Trump failed, according to The New York Times, which first reported plans for the event.

Andrew Giuliani said in Thursdays radio interview that his father and Trump had lunch together this week and that there is no wedge between the two.

The big-spending Giuliani was having financial problems even before he was hit with 13 counts in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' racketeering indictment, which alleged Trump, Giuliani and 17 other people schemed to illegally overturn Joe Biden's election victory in Georgia.

Giuliani was Trump's main lawyer in his charge to reverse the election outcome in numerous states, and he repeatedly touted and promoted conspiracy theories and debunked stolen election claims in the media and at hearings in various battleground states.

His efforts on Trump's behalf have come at a professional cost  his law license has been suspended, he has been investigated by the FBI and named in numerous lawsuits, and he faces disciplinary proceedings.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., last week found Giuliani liable for defaming Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Shaye Moss after he'd failed to turn over documents and information he'd been ordered to provide to them.

In court filings, Giuliani said one issue was he couldn't afford to pay for a service that does electronic document checks. The judge has said there will be a trial early next year to determine how much he owes Freeman and Moss in money damages for falsely accusing them of fraud.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
President Donald Trump makes his way to his limousine at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City on Dec. 4, 2017. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

In 2016, Donald Trumps support among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  typically a strong Republican voting bloc  was historically poor. In 2020, his performance improved, though he still trailed previous GOP nominees.

In 2024, as the former president seeks a second term, does Trump still have a problem with Latter-day Saint voters?

A new study from the conservative American Enterprise Institute suggests that he does.

A recent poll conducted by the Survey Center on American Life, a project of AEI, shows that Trumps support among Latter-day Saints is deteriorating, says Daniel A. Cox, the Survey Centers director.

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It would be difficult to design a Republican candidate less appealing to Latter-day Saint voters than Donald Trump, Cox writes.

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In the AEI poll, a majority of Latter-day Saints express a negative view of Trump, with 51% saying they have a somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable view of him. Twice as many Latter-day Saints view him very unfavorably (40%) as those who view him very favorably (19%).

Thats a big contrast from White Evangelical Protestants, with whom Latter-day Saints often appear similar to in public opinion polling dealing with various social issues. Among White Evangelical Protestants, 67% have a favorable view of Trump, and only 19% have a very unfavorable view of him  half of the share of Latter-day Saints.

In all the ink thats been spilled trying to figure out what happened to Evangelicals  a constituency that cared so much about candidate character ... that suddenly just flipped when it came to Donald Trump  you didnt see that same pattern among LDS voters, Cox told the Deseret News. They were fairly consistent on the issues that they care about and the way that they evaluated candidates. Thats been a really important story.

While some younger Latter-day Saints appear to be drifting away from the Republican Party  one demographer called it a seismic political shift, among Gen Z and millennial members of the church compared to older ones  the AEI study suggests Latter-day Saints, collectively, still maintain conservative views.

A majority of Latter-day Saints say national news organizations (72%), business and corporations (72%) and colleges and universities (80%) have become more liberal in recent years. Only 26% of Latter-day Saints have a favorable view of the Democratic Party.

But it was the Trump-related questions  or the topics that had bearing on potential support for Trumps reelection  that showed the sharpest deviations for Latter-day Saints from other conservative demographic groups.

While many conservative Christians link their support for Trump to his positions on abortion and other social issues, Latter-day Saints may take a different approach. When asked if a consistently conservative voting record or an ability to appeal to moderate voters is more important in picking a GOP presidential nominee, the vast majority of Latter-day Saints (73%) chose the latter.

If theres a candidate who seems like they can win against Biden ... I think LDS voters are going to give them a real serious look, just because the views of Trump are not all that positive, Cox said.

Pockets of Latter-day Saints were notably critical of Trump in both 2016 and 2020, though a larger share supported him the second time. Much of this shift can be attributed to Evan McMullins independent candidacy in 2016, says David Campbell, the founding director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame.

In 2024, if there is not a viable third-party candidate on the ballot, it probably means that 2024 will look a lot like 2020, at least in the general election, Campbell said.

Campbell points to Trumps coarseness and scandal-ridden past, as well as his harsh rhetoric toward immigrants and religious minorities, as things that may have dissuaded Latter-day Saints.

Cox also noted Trump is often most popular in areas with low social capital, including involvement in religious and civic communities. American Latter-day Saints, however, tend to be folks with very high social capital, Cox said. They dont see this real negative view that Trumps trying to portray  that America is in decline, that its one election way from disintegrating.

The Latter-day Saint vote may become a key voter bloc in the 2024 primary. Both Nevada and Arizona  two states with significant Latter-day Saint populations among Republican voters  are considered swing states. And while the Utah electorate goes well beyond Latter-day Saints, most Republican voters in the state identify as church members.

But in Utah, there is a significant shift based on religious activity: self-described very active Latter-day Saints are split on Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (both at 23% support), while somewhat or not active Latter-day Saints overwhelmingly back Trump (49%) over DeSantis (19%) or any other candidate, according to the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll.

Trumps support within the Utah Republican Party took a hit in the aftermath of the 2020 election. His Utah campaign director jumped ship. Many of his office-holding supporters  both state lawmakers and county chairs  began filing behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. His indictments kept piling up, even as Utahns said moral character was what they wanted most in a leader.

A new lawsuit in Utah, filed this week, attempts to bar Trump from appearing on the 2024 primary and general election ballots.

Even so, the former president continues to dominate the polls nationally, and in Utah, he maintains a lead among his Republican challengers. National polls show him nearly 40 percentage points ahead of DeSantis. In Utah, he has steadily gained ground, from an 11-percentage point deficit in December to an eight-percentage point lead in the August Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll.

The latest Trump indictment could pull voters either way. His first two indictments this year gave him a boost in the polls. However, over half of Republicans say they would not vote for Trump if he ends up convicted.

How does this affect Utahns? If they view Trumps indictments as a stain on his character, it could spell trouble for Trump. Last months Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll asked Utah registered voters what qualities they most want in a leader. Moral character was the first choice, with 33% of respondents. The second was trustworthiness, at 17%.

Although Trump is slowly building a lead among Utah Republicans, polls show he is dramatically less popular in Utah than in any other state that voted for him in 2020. He currently sits at 27% among Utah Republicans; of the states that voted red in 2020 with available polling from the past three months, Trumps next-lowest showing is in Iowa, where he polls in the low 40s.

It is still early in the election cycle. Utah has yet to become a focus for most GOP candidates  only DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence have visited the state recently. But with six months until Super Tuesday, Trumps Utah problem  and perhaps a Latter-day Saint problem, too  appears to be resurfacing for a third-consecutive presidential election cycle.

There is no reason to think that members of the LDS Church would be more supportive of Trump now or in 2024 than they have in the past, Campbell said.

Campbell pointed to Trumps consistency  in his policy positions, and in his rhetoric and in his approach to politics.

If that doesnt change, I wouldnt expect a lot of attitudes toward him to change, Campbell said.
Former President Donald Trump headed to South Dakota Friday for a fundraiser with Gov. Kristi Noem in a visit that puts a fresh spotlight on the possible vice presidential candidate and others who might be on the short list to join his ticket.

With Trump maintaining a commanding lead in the Republican presidential primary, GOP insiders are starting to focus on his potential choice for a 2024 running mate and Noem checks some of the most important boxes.

Although little known nationally, Noem is a staunch MAGA conservative, a female heartland governor and an effective, youthful campaigner.

Noem has also built a strong personal bond with Trump, including hosting a rally in the shadow of the states famed Mount Rushmore. She later gave him an imitation model of the landmark with his own visage appearing alongside other iconic presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

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Matthew Dowd, who served as the main reelection campaign strategist for President George W. Bush, compared her to another little known small state governor with very conservative views.

She's sort of the South Dakota version of Sarah Palin , Dowd said on MSNBC.

Noem is just one of a handful of people regularly mentioned as potential running mates for Trump.

Trump himself has called the Republican presidential debates, which he has so far vowed to skip, as de facto auditions for the No. 2 spot on his ticket.

Many of the possible veeps are women or people of color, a nod to the fact that Trump might want to use the vice presidential pick to widen his appeal beyond his MAGA base of white working class voters.

Vivek Ramaswamy  an Ohio-born Republican of Indian Hindu descent  caught the eye of Trump with his outspoken performance at the debate in which he staked out a claim as the most fervent supporter of the former president.

The biotech entrepreneur millionaire also showed impressive attack dog chops, a key attribute for any would-be vice presidential candidate.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, both of whom are running against Trump in the presidential primary race, have long been considered on Trumps potential VP short list.

Haley made some waves at the recent presidential debate when she branded Trump as the most unpopular political leader in the country. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, would bring diversity to the ticket. He is also an evangelical Christian conservative and staunch opponent of abortion rights.

In some ways, Scott would play a similar role on a Trump ticket as ex-Vice President Mike Pence did: a validator for the controversial ex-president to key right wing GOP constituencies.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also makes no secret of her ambitions.

The sharp-elbowed MAGA stalwart is reportedly jostling for Trumps eye with Kari Lake, the losing Arizona gubernatorial candidate.

Lake is a telegenic former news reporter adept at brushing off criticism.

MTG and Lake hail from key battleground states. But they are also not particularly popular in those states so its not at all clear whether they would help or hurt Trump.

GOP analysts concede most of the Trump veepstakes chatter is pure speculation and Trumps own feelings about potential candidates will loom large.

Maybe there is still enough time for Trump to pull a switcheroo and embrace Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. After all, the two were staunch allies until Trump began criticizing DeSantis after his rival emerged the most-serious threat to his comeback presidential bid from inside the GOP.
Former President Trump is set to headline a rally in South Dakota on Friday alongside the states Gov. Kristi Noem (R), fueling speculation he could be courting her to be his running mate.

Noem has been a vocal ally of the former president for years and even took herself out of the running for the GOP nomination, citing Trumps dominance in the party.

But Noem said last month she would consider being Trumps running mate if he gets the nomination, making his upcoming visit to the reliably red state more interesting.

The obvious question people had is what is Donald Trump doing coming to South Dakota? said Jon Schaff, a political science professor at Northern State University in South Dakota.

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One would have to think that a plausible explanation as to why he would come to South Dakota for such a rally is because he thinks well of Kristi Noem and hes probably considering her for a vice presidential slot, he said.

Trump and Noem will appear at the Monumental Leaders Rally in Rapid City, S.D., on Friday evening. Multiple outlets reported Noem will endorse the former president at the rally.

Republicans note Noems status as a rising star within the GOP and her growing national profile has helped elevate her to the position of at least being floated as a possible running mate for Trump. Noem has notably run several ads on Fox News, including during the first GOP primary debate, in which she comedically portrays herself as a plumber and dentist in a bid to promote South Dakota.

Theres no question that shes in the conversation, said Ford OConnell, a Republican strategist. Noem can drive a message. She has a great record as a chief executive and frankly, for the GOP in many ways, shes straight out of central casting.

Noem has set herself apart from other rising stars in the GOP by showing loyalty to the former president.

Loyalty to the former president is of critical importance, said Brian Seitchik, a Republican strategist and Trump campaign alum.

Last month, Noem notably reaffirmed her decision not to run for the GOP presidential nomination despite speculation she would jump into the field, nothing Trumps dominance within the party.

The fact is, none of them can win as long as Trumps in the race. And thats just the facts. So why run if you cant win? Noem said in an interview with Fox & Friends.

The governor went on to cite another quality the former president has said he likes: winning.

Ive probably run 10 statewide races. Ive won them all. Ive never lost. If I get into a race, Im gonna win. So thats just how we do it, Noem said. And President Trump did some great things for our state and for our country. As governor  and everybody should be grateful for this  he let me do my job. When he was president, he let me do my job, and I appreciate that.

One potential hurdle a Trump-Noem ticket could face is the fact she comes from an already reliably red state, which may not help with winning in the all-important swing states. South Dakotas relatively small population only boasts three Electoral College votes, and the state is in the pocket of the GOP. Former President Lyndon Johnson was the last Democrat to win the state in 1964. In terms of the Republican presidential primary, the states late primary date of June 4 likely precludes the state from having a major say in who the GOP nominee will be.

At the same time, many observers note South Dakota was home to one of the more major moments of his second presidential campaign in 2020. On the eve of the July 4 holiday, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Trump held a rally at the foot of Mount Rushmore alongside Noem.

I think that went very well, Schaff said. Considering it was the middle of COVID and it was Donald Trump, I think it was about as normal of a political event as you could get.

The governor later said she gifted Trump a statue of the landmark with Trumps face beside former Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.

Still, the eventual Republican nominees running mate will have to play a role in bringing purple battleground states back into the partys fold.

How do they help him win some combination of Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin or Pennsylvania? Seitchik said, referring to if Trump is the nominee. And I think to do that, the president needs to bring back those college-educated, suburban women who were with the campaign in 2016 and left in 2020.

Critically, the question they have to answer is does she bring back three of those five states?

Seitchik cited the nature of the national media in arguing that a running mate doesnt necessarily have to be from a particular swing state to benefit a ticket.

Its finding someone who appeals to the swing voters in that state, he said. And while Gov. Noem is the governor of a relatively smaller state, she has developed a national profile, specifically among Republicans.

And past successful presidential tickets have included running mates from non-swing states. Biden was a longtime senator from Delaware when he ran with former President Obama in 2008 and 2012, while former Vice President Mike Pence was governor of Indiana when he was picked by Trump in 2016. And most recently, Vice President Harris was a senator from California when she joined Biden on his ticket in 2020.

Like Harris, Noem would bring a fresh perspective to the ticket as a woman. However, unlike Harris, Noem comes from a political party that has struggled to garner a majority of female voters. On top of that, Republicans have lost their grip on suburban female voters, a critical swing voter group, over the past three election cycles.

The Democrats plan is to drive down Trumps likeability even further through indictments and to play up abortion and any sort of equity as much as they can, OConnell said And in this case, having Kristi Noem there helps diffuse their attempts to play up the abortion issue or to say Youre a man, you dont speak for women.

But having a woman on the ticket doesnt necessarily translate to winning over women voters.

We know from history, certainly looking at someone like [former Alaska Gov.] Sarah Palin [R] when she ran as the VP candidate, theres no indication that that choice helped, said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. Women dont vote for women just because theres a woman on the ticket. Party is the cue and where that woman stands on issues will also be far more important to women voters.

Seitchik echoed this point, invoking the need for the ticket to win a combination of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.

A minority for the sake of a minority is not going to help the president win one of those key swing states, Seitchik said. Its got to be somebody that appeals to those voters that have left us and that weve got to bring back or at least someone who speaks to the presidents successes directly to that group.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former president Donald Trump, who was recently found liable for the second time for defaming E Jean Carroll over his sexual assault of her, shared an article that called him un-Christian for his attack on her and his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Truth Social, Mr Trump shared a Milwaukee Independent article called A MAGA Idol: Why Trumps Un-Christian Behavior Makes Him A Hero To Conservative Christians.

The article features an image of the former president holding a Bible in front of St Johns Parish House with his eyes closed.

For eight years, Donald Trump has managed to secure the support of many evangelical and conservative Christians despite behavior that often seemed at odds with teachings espoused by Christ in the Gospels, the article began.

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The piece noted that he is the 2024 GOP frontrunner even after he recently was found liable for sexually abusing a New York woman in 1996 and was indicted in a criminal case related to hush money payments to a porn actress.

Mr Trump was found liable  again  for defaming the former Elle columnist; he is also awaiting trial in the Manhattan case connected to hush money payments made to Ms Daniels during his 2016 campaign, which is set to start in March.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of an evangelical megachurch in Dallas, told the outlet that he has been a supporter of Mr Trump since his 2016 campaign. He weighed in on why fellow conservative Christians continue to support the former president  in spite of his aforementioned un-Christian behaviour.

Trump was pictured with a Bible outside St Johns Parish House in 2020 in what many observers condemned as a stunt (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Conservative Christians continue to overwhelmingly support Donald Trump because of his biblical policies, not his personal piety, Mr Jeffress said. They are smart enough to know the difference between choosing a president and choosing a pastor.

In many ways, Christians feel like they are in an existential cultural war between good and evil, and they want a warrior like Donald Trump who can win, the Dallas pastor added.

Others have taken a different approach, separating the values the president touts politically and the ones has exhibited personally. President Trump has stood up for the values that we hold dear, Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, Iowa, told the Associated Press in April. Then we need to pray for him that his personal life comes in line with that.

The article  again, which Mr Trump shared  also pointed out that a number of Christian conservatives are looking for alternatives to the former president in the upcoming election. Rev Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary who supported Mr Trump in the last election, according to the Michigan Independent, is now looking to support other candidates.

Christians begin with the clear biblical truth that no sinful human being has a perfect character, but even as we grade presidents on something of a curve, some stand out as particularly lacking in character, Rev Mohler said. Donald J. Trump is certainly one of those presidents.

I do not want Donald J. Trump to be the 2024 Republican nominee, he continued. There is simply too much baggage  A statesman would realize that fact and make way for someone else to lead. That does not appear likely.
Anthony Alfred Griffith Sr. is shown in a red circle inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in this government photo admitted at his trial in March in federal court in Washington, D.C.

An electrical contractor from Fort Gibson has been ordered to spend six months in prison for going inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

Anthony Alfred Griffith Sr. had sought home confinement. Prosecutors had wanted him locked up for 13 months.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly chose his punishment last week in the misdemeanor case. He also must pay $500 in restitution.

He is the seventh Oklahoman to be sentenced over the riot. Only one has received more time. His former apprentice, Jerry Ryals, was ordered to prison last year for nine months for civil disorder, a felony.

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We definitely have enough people to overthrow this (expletive). They dont stand a (expletive) chance," Ryals said in a video before entering the Capitol.

In a photo that became evidence in his criminal case, Jerry Edward Ryals is seen inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6. 2021, riot.

Guilty verdict in only Jan. 6 trial for an Oklahoman so far

Griffith, 59, is the only Oklahoman so far to have a trial. He chose to have a judge, rather than a jury, decide whether he was guilty. He claimed he was following God's will and praying for the unborn at the Capitol, not protesting.

The judge rejected his defense and found him guilty in May of four misdemeanors "for his participation and actions at the insurrection."

More: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years, harshest Jan. 6 penalty yet

"In general, Defendant maintained in his testimony that he thought it was lawful to enter and remain in the Capitol and its grounds until instructed otherwise. The Court does not find this testimony credible," the judge wrote in an explanation of her verdict.

The judge also wrote the video and photographic evidence clearly speak "to his intent to engage in political demonstrations in concert with the mob around him." She found Griffith can be seen at one point yelling at a police officer through a broken window to open the door.

Jerry Ryals, left, and Anthony Griffith Sr. are seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in this photo used as evidence at Griffith's trial.

Griffith was charged in February 2021. His trial was held in March in federal court in Washington, D.C. He was sentenced Sept. 1 via Zoom.

Griffith acknowledged at the trial that he was a supporter of Donald Trump. He said he heard the then-president speak at the "Stop the Steal" rally before going to the Capitol.

"Altogether, Griffith remained in the U.S. Capitol Building for approximately 45 minutes on January 6," prosecutors told the judge in a sentencing memo.

"He entered the building not once but twice. While members of Congress and their staff evacuated the building or hid in fear, while police officers tried to maintain control despite being overwhelmed, and as the Capitol was in a state of lockdown, Griffith roamed the hallways."

Prosecutors also said he never showed remorse and even testified at trial "I didn't know it was going to be this hard, but it was worth it."

Anthony Alfred Griffith Sr. was a 'normie' protestor, defense said

His defense attorneys told the judge in a sentencing memo that Griffith committed no violence, never bragged about being inside the Capitol and strongly believed there had been irregularities in the presidential election.

"He supported Trump and he felt that America was on a better path with Trump as president," they wrote.

Defense attorneys described him as a "normie" protester.

"The 'normies' were used as unwitting pawns in the plans of the Proud Boys and others that day," they wrote.

More: 'The revolution had failed': Ex-Proud Boy testifies of Jan. 6, group's desperation after lost election

"The plan depended on creating chaos and whipping up the 'normies' into a patriotic frenzy. The Proud Boys intended to use the large crowd to distract and overwhelm as they went to the work of breaking into the Capitol.

"How could Mr. Griffith, or any 'normie' that day have known what was to happen? He came to the Capitol with no intent to do anything but add his voice in support for President Trump and to pray for the lives of the unborn as was his passion and a mission he felt called to do."

More than 1,100 people have been charged so far with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Ten have been from Oklahoma.

The riot delayed the formal counting of the Electoral College votes that had Joe Biden winning the presidential election.

Ryals, 29, was released from prison in July.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Seventh Oklahoman sentenced for breaching US Capitol in Jan. 6 riot
As vice president, Joe Biden sent some 5,000 emails  many to his son, Hunter  using secret pseudonyms. However, without knowing exactly what these pseudonyms were, nobody could request the emails under the Freedom of Information Act. As of this week, thats no longer the case: congressional investigators have discovered at least three pseudonyms and requested the documents.

Unfortunately, theyve been met with a stonewall  the same one that has met all their requests for information from the administration. We still dont know what the emails said, who replied to them, and who else was copied in. That means we do not know whether Hunter Biden forwarded them to business partners either to share inside information or to demonstrate powerful connections.

Despite the official blackout, we can reasonably infer that these emails pose a real danger to President Biden, or at least that he perceives that they one day might. The documents are stored at the National Archives, and Biden need only ask to get them released. That he has refused to do so raises some uncomfortable questions. This is, after all, the very same man who promised to provide transparency on his first day in office.

Republicans, perhaps predictably, believe that the secret emails will prove that the former vice president was deeply involved in his son Hunters lucrative influence peddling. Peeling back this veil of secrecy would be one advantage of a formal impeachment investigation, which the House of Representatives is expected to launch soon.

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Three House committees  Judiciary, Oversight, and Ways and Means  are currently investigating alleged corruption within the Biden family. While all have the power to subpoena, they face a major limitation in regards to enforcement. Lets say one of those committees requests testimony or documents from the Secret Service. If they dont receive them, all the committees can do is ask Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to go to court and force compliance. But Garland, desperate to protect his boss, is highly unlikely to sign-off on their request.

That said, if the House launches an impeachment investigation the Department of Justice will lose that blocking power. The committee can then go to court directly and demand compliance. It doesnt have crawl on bended knees to President Bidens appointees and ask, in vain, for help.

What are House Republicans really looking for in those emails? Mainly, they want proof the vice president discussed US policy with his son, who then shared that information with his business partners. If the vice president indicated he was helping his son, that would be far worse  and if any classified information was leaked, that would be a crime in its own right.

House impeachment investigators wont stop with the emails. They want a full range of information from the White House, Executive Branch agencies, Biden family members, their business partners, and the banks through which the family allegedly funnelled foreign income. The banks in question generated hundreds of suspicious activity reports on these foreign transfers, which then disappeared into a web of Biden family LLCs  a web investigators will be keen to unravel.

In tracing these transactions, the committee will be looking out for two kinds of possible corruption. The first and most important involves any direct involvement by Joe Biden himself. His family members matter only if their income hinged on Joes position and actions. Hunter and Joes brothers, James and Frank, made a lot of money trading on Joes name and his powerful position  but thats not necessarily illegal. Nor is it illegal if Joe himself knew what they were doing and lied about it. What is illegal is if Joe knowingly aided these family efforts.

The second involves any attempted cover up. We know that the Biden White House and multiple agencies seem to have obstructed any harmful disclosures. Thats also not inherently illegal  though it may be politically damaging if the obstruction is publicised  but any official involvement from administration officials on behalf of the president and his aides would be.

The president has strenuously denied knowledge of his sons business activities. As more damning information became publicly available, however, the White House quietly modified the content of those denials. For years, Joe Biden stuck to the line that he knew nothing at all about the seemingly shady deals. Recently, though, his White House press secretary has switched to saying he wasnt in business with his son. The shift was obvious, but not acknowledged.

An impeachment investigation does not necessarily mean a full House vote on the matter. Republicans will take the next step only if the investigation turns up lots of evidence  and theyll need far more to convince the Democrats to remove the president after a Senate trial. But if they have it, the consequences for Bidens re-election campaign will be catastrophic. Its little wonder that the Democrats are keen to minimalise this story: theyve tied themselves to an aging, infirm and unpopular leader. Adding on a corruption charge may prove fatal.

Charles Lipson is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he founded the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security

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Former President Donald Trump's recent comments claiming that he has the authority to do "whatever" he wants with classified documents because the Presidential Records Act protects him are "totally inane and upside-down," and can be used against him court, legal experts warn.

Trump justified his handling of classified documents in an interview Wednesday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, misrepresenting the Presidential Records Act and claiming that it protected him from doing whatever he pleases.

"I don't talk about anything," Trump said. "You know why? Because I'm allowed to do whatever I want. I come under the Presidential Records Act I'm not telling you. You know, every time I talk to you, 'Oh, I have a breaking story.' You don't have any story. I come under the Presidential Records Act. I'm allowed to do everything I did."

But Trump's claims that his retention of dozens of classified documents after leaving the White House were covered under the Presidential Records Act "is a mischaracterization of that authority," Javed Ali, former senior counterterrorism official at the Department of Homeland Security, told Salon.

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"Had President Trump or his team submitted official requests through the NSC or National Archives to declassify those documents after he left office then that would have been a proper utilization of the existing process," Ali said. "The failure to submit such requests and then willful retention of classified documents is one of the reasons Special Counsel Jack's Smith team was able to [bring] criminal charges against President Trump."

Smith's investigation into the Mar-a-Lago documents case exposed evidence that Trump had retained more than 300 classified documents, including some labeled "top secret," at his Florida estate. After leaving office, the former president reportedly took classified materials with him containing intelligence on nuclear weapons programs and information on the nation's defense capabilities.

"At a minimum, they help establish his criminal state of mind with respect to the documents he withheld and his obstruction of justice regarding the retention of those documents"

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the matter and instead made baseless claims that the Biden administration has "weaponized" the FBI and Department of Justice in an attempt to undermine his 2024 presidential campaign.

He has also continued to defend his actions by inaccurately claiming that he is protected under the Presidential Records Act  a reading of the law that legal experts disagree with.

In a Fox interview that took place earlier this year, Trump criticized the FBI for conducting a search of presidential documents at his Mar-a-Lago. He argued that "he should have been allowed to engage in further discussions with the government over these records saying the 'very specific' Presidential Records Act actually requires extended talks with the National Archives and Records Administration," CNN reported.

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But legal experts argue that once a President's term of office concludes, the presidential records become public records, under the PRA.

"The Presidential Records Act was passed by Congress precisely to prevent the kind of thing Nixon tried to do with his White House records by making clear that those records, with the exception of purely personal items, all belong to the American people and are to go to the National Archives, not to an ex-president's mansion and country club like Mar-a-Lago," longtime Harvard Constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe told Salon.

The PRA makes clear that the moment Trump's presidency ended, his authority with respect to the highly sensitive documents he "absconded" with to his Florida resort came to an end, Tribe added.

"He has things upside-down when he invokes that Act, which isn't a criminal statute and confers no immunity from criminal prosecution, to defend his conduct," Tribe said. "If anything, the details of that Act help defeat all his claims with respect to being entitled to withhold top secret documents and national defense documents from the Federal Government."

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Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani agreed and said that the Presidential Records Act "specifically" applies to presidents. It requires them to transfer records to the archives as soon as they leave office.

"Trump's belief that he 'can do whatever he wants' is dangerous and how autocrats rule," Rahmani said.

Even as the government pressed Trump to return all materials taken to Mar-a-Lago, he ignored the subpoena and engaged in repeated efforts to obstruct the investigators' efforts to retrieve the documents, according to this indictment.

Now, his most recent comments on Hewitt's show can be used against him in the court of law, legal experts said.

"His statements can be presented in court as evidence that he doesn't think the law applies to him," Rahmani said. "Trump lawyers have probably advised him to keep his mouth shut, but Trump is notorious for ignoring his lawyers' advice, which is why he's in this mess."

Tribe added that Trump's comments to Hewitt "constitute virtual confessions" rather than sources of any kind of defense.

"At a minimum, they help establish his criminal state of mind with respect to the documents he withheld and his obstruction of justice regarding the retention of those documents," Tribe said.

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) logo is seen while people attend the opening of the TSMC global R&D center in Hsinchu

By Brenda Goh and Ben Blanchard

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China's widening curbs on iPhone use by government staff intensified a sell-off in global tech stocks on Friday on fears Apple and its suppliers could take a hit from rising Sino-U.S. tensions and growing competition from Huawei.

Apple shares tumbled 6.4% in the previous two days, wiping $190 billion from its market capitalisation, following news Beijing ordered some central government employees in recent weeks to stop using iPhones at work.

Several Wall Street analysts on Friday said the selloff was overdone, claiming that any revenue hit for Apple would likely be small due to the phone's popularity in China. After two days of declines, Apple shares rebounded in Friday trading, up 1.3%.

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Apple is facing stepped-up competition from China's Huawei, which launched two new smartphones - the foldable Mate X5 and the Mate 60 Pro+ - that drew global attention for showcasing resilience to U.S. sanctions.

Some analysts believe Huawei's moves could be a first step in comeback efforts by China's "national champion" to rival Apple after it took some market share following U.S. sanctions rolled out four years ago. Apple is set to roll out a new iPhone on Tuesday following a weak quarter for sales of its flagship product.

"We believe Huawei's activity this time was well prepared and not sudden," said Ivan Lam, an analyst at Counterpoint, whose outlook for the new products exceeds previous estimation. "It can manage the psychological expectations of the target consumer group before Apple's press conference."

China has been a bright spot for Apple, its third-largest market behind the Americas and Europe, in an otherwise tough period for iPhone sales. Huawei's smartphone business was decimated after the United States curbed tech exports to it in 2019.

Apple's sales in China this year have been helped by rare deals launched by its third-party retailers in February that offered discounts on its iPhone 14 Pro by as much as 10%. However, analysts told Reuters that those discounts could end up undermining sales of Apple's new products set to launch in the coming days.

In Taipei, Apple supplier Largan Precision, which makes camera lenses, dropped more than 4%, while contract chipmaker TSMC fell 0.6% on Friday. China's Luxshare Precision Industry, owner of factories capable of making iPhones, fell 2%.

Shares of U.S.-based Apple suppliers were little changed on Friday, with Qualcomm up 0.1% and Broadcom down 0.4%.

Huawei suppliers extended recent gains. Shares in Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), which is believed to have made the advanced chip in Huawei's new smartphone, rose 0.7%.

SCOPE OF CURBS UNCLEAR

It was not immediately clear how wide China's iPhone curbs are, but one employee at an affected state-owned enterprise (SOE) in the capital said they extended to visitors.

"Anyone, including business visitors, who enters our work area cannot bring in their iPhones," said the source, one of two SOE employees who said they were told of the ban in recent weeks.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the company was giving employees a subsidy of 100-200 yuan ($13-$26) to switch to local brands. Some staff at other SOEs, however, told Reuters they had not been banned from using iPhones.

While the number of central government employees is not public, Bank of America estimated that such a ban could cut iPhone sales by 5 million-10 million units a year from China's annual total of up to 50 million.

Huawei's smartphone sales driven by the new Mate 60 Pro could jump 65% this year to 38 million in the absence of some "non-commercial risks," said Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities.

However, Canalys analyst Nicole Peng said Huawei could present a greater threat to domestic peers, and Morgan Stanley's Erik Woodring on Friday said, "Apple's ecosystem in China remains very strong," with the average iPhone owner in China owning 2.5 Apple devices.

Several Wall Street analysts said the curbs showed that even a company with a large presence in China and good ties to the government is not immune to rising tension between the two nations. Apple has shifted some production out of China in the aftermath of the country's strict COVID-19 restrictions.

"The only way Apple could draw the ire of Beijing is moving supply chains out of China at a pace or to a degree Beijing feels uncomfortable with," Evercore ISI strategist Neo Wang said in a note.

"If that is the case, it shouldnt be a surprise for Beijing to punish Apple by playing the security card excessively. It is unclear whether what we are seeing now is part of this," Wang said.

Washington is trying to limit China's access to key advances, including cutting-edge chip technology, and Beijing wants to cut reliance on American tech.

A teardown by research firm TechInsights showed more China-made chip components in the Mate 60 Pro than previous models, a sign of Beijing's progress.

The U.S. Commerce Department is seeking more information on the "character and composition" of the new Huawei chip that may violate trade curbs, it said on Thursday.

($1=7.3482 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Additional reporting by Shanghai Newsroom, Jeanny Kao in Taipei, David Kirton in Shenzhen, Jason Xue in Shanghai, Yelin Mo and Ellen Zhang in Beijing and Sam Nussey in Tokyo; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Porter)
Between the reshuffling of royal titles, two globally broadcast events, and a few public embarrassments, Britains monarchy has had an eventful year since the death of Queen Elizabeth II last Sept. 8.

When the head of state died at the age of 96, bringing her 70-year reign to close, it triggered a number of changesboth large and smallin the royal family and in the nation. Not least, King Charles automatically ascended the throne after more than seven decades of waiting.

In the weeks that followed, the British public paid their respects in masses, queuing for as long as 24 hours to attend the Queens lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. World leaders and global royals flew to London to stand alongside British politicians at the monarchs funeral viewed by more than 29 million viewers in the U.K. and estimated billions more across the globe.

In May, Charles was crowned in a widely televised coronation ceremony branded as inclusive and pared back. But in the midst of a cost of living crisis in the U.K., Charles' big day came with a hefty price tag of between 50 million-100 million ($63-$125 million), particularly compared to his mothers coronation in 1953, which cost the present-day equivalent of 20.5 million. With the transfer of power, U.K. institutions underwent a rebrand, swapping in Charles face and title across its institutions, products, and currency (which will be in circulation next year). The Queens death also renewed discussions about the future of the monarchy at home and in the Commonwealth nations.

More From TIME

Read More: Charles Was Crowned King. Here Are the Highlights From His Coronation

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Ahead of Friday, Charles paid tribute to his late mother with a statement issued via Buckingham Palace. In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us, the statement read. I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The 74-year-old King will spend the day reflecting in private at the Balmoral Estate in Scotland, where his mother died. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Kate and William, are set to lead their own tributes during a small service in Wales.

As the royal family observes the one-year anniversary of the Queens death, heres everything that has changed for them since.

His Majesty King Charles III

For 70 years, the Queen was stitched into the fabric of the U.K. Her face was on coins, banknotes, and stamps, while her title Her Majesty was emblazoned on everything from prisons to postboxes. Now, Charles image is ever-present and the official language of government has switched to His Majesty. For example, the senior lawyers working in the U.K. are now referred to as Kings Counsel, as opposed to Queens counsel.

The British national anthem, which dates back to the 19th century, has also changed its lyrics from God Save the Queen to God Save the King.

With a year under his belt, royal watchers say Charles is holding his own in the new role. "The Royal Family has found new energy. The general feeling over here is that the King has done a good job in the first year, royal biographer Hugo Vickers tells TIME. He adds that the Kings dedication to inclusivitywhich was demonstrated at his tradition-breaking multi-faith coronationis faring particularly well. "People were afraid he would not adapt but he did so at once. He was well prepared for the role, Vickers adds.

Charles has hosted a number of high profile state visitors, including the President of the Republic of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and U.S. President Joe Biden. He also oversaw the appointment of U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who took on a new role of his own when replaced Liz Truss in October.

Royal line of succession and titles

Charles' ascension had a knock-on effect for the line of succession in the royal family. The monarch's long-held title of Prince of Wales and heir-apparent passed to William, thereby making Kate the Princess of Wales. The line of succession currently features 23 members of the royal family, ending with Master Lucas Tindall, aged 2, one of the Queens great-grandchildren. William is followed by his eldest son Prince George, his only daughter Princess Charlotte, and his youngest son Prince Louis, with Prince Harry fifth in line.

Meanwhile, Camilla has benefited enormously from the title of Queen, which helped legitimize her reign, says Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.

Charles ascension was also lucrative. Forbes estimates that he inherited $500 million upon the death of the queen, across her private estates and her personal investments. He has also inherited a large portfolio of land and property that are technically owned by the U.K. government, estimated by Forbes at $24 billion. William is also a billionaire, at least on paper. The heir-apparent inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, approximately 130,00 acres of land in southwest England worth around $1.2 billion.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles controversies

While the royal family has tried to project an image of stability during the last year, Prince Harry has made the task difficult for them. Charles younger son secured a number of high-profile collaborations that revealed disputes in the royal family.

In December, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle released a six-part Netflix docuseries which told the story of their courtship and departure from royal life in the U.K. and the racism Markle faced there. Bigger bombshell came in Harrys memoir, Spare, which became an instant bestseller when it was published in January. The book covered his history of drug use, the loss of his virginity to an older woman, his killing of 25 people in Afghanistan while serving in the military, and being physically assaulted by his brother.

Read More: Spare Is Surprisingly Well WrittenDespite the Drama Around It

The future of the Commonwealth

While the U.K. easily transitioned to a new King, some of its former colonies took the change as an opportunity to reconsider the role of the monarchy in their governments. "It is thought several of the 14 Commonwealth realms may become republics, but there is no timetable for this, says Fitzwilliams. Yet rather than shrinking, the Commonwealth expanded when Gabon and Togo, neither former British colonies, joined in June 2022, he adds.

But in November 2021, Barbados transitioned into a parliamentary republic, with an elected president as the head of state. During William and Kates March 2022 Caribbean tour, leaders of the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Belize expressed their desire to break away from the British monarchy. The couple were met with waves of protest and calls for the slavery reparations. William has expressed profound sorrow for the slave trade, but fell short of a formal apology for his familys role in it.

The Queens death caused further nations to reconsider its future ties with the monarchy, with Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines rethinking the relationship.

Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com.
FILE - Former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn speaks during an interview in Beirut, Lebanon on June 23, 2023. Ghosn, the former rock star businessman who fell from grace, is the subject of a multi-part documentary series, Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn," premiering globally on Apple TV+, Friday, Aug. 25. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

BEIRUT (AP)  Lebanese judicial authorities have questioned two people at the request of Turkey on suspicion of being involved in the 2019 escape of auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn from Japan to Lebanon via Istanbul, officials said Friday.

The news came a week before a hearing in Lebanon as part of a $1 billion lawsuit that Ghosn, formerly the president of Nissan, filed against the company and about a dozen people in Beirut over his imprisonment in Japan and what he says was misinformation spread against him.

Ghosn was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of breach of trust, misusing company assets for personal gain and violating securities laws by not fully disclosing his compensation. Before he could stand trial, however, he escaped to Lebanon, via Turkey, apparently hidden in a box on a private plane.

Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan and does not extradite its citizens. Ghosn has French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship.

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Turkey is investigating whether the two men committed an offense while on its territory. In 2021, a Turkish court convicted an official from a private airline and two pilots for involvement in Ghosns escape from Japan, and sentenced them each to four years and two months in prison.

The officials said one of the two men questioned is a Lebanese pilot who was at the airport in Istanbul when the plane carrying Ghosn from Japan landed. The pilot, officials said, denied that he got paid to help Ghosn escape to Beirut. The Associated Press agreed to withhold the pilot's name at the request of officials.

The AP has previously reported on the other man questioned, George-Antoine Zayek. He is believed to have helped a third man, former Green Beret Michael Taylor, hide Ghosn in a large black box supposedly containing audio equipment.

A Tokyo court handed down prison terms in 2021 for Taylor and his son Peter after they were accused of helping Ghosn escape.

Zayek told Lebanese judicial officials that he did not know Ghosn before the escape, adding that he met Taylor in Dubai and they flew to Japan to attend a concert, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

They quoted Zayek as saying that Taylor then said that they should head to Lebanon and they boarded a plane where he saw two large boxes. They flew to Turkey and then to Beirut.

Zayek said after arriving in Lebanon he learned from media reports that Ghosn was on the plane, the officials said.

Ghosn is wanted in Japan and France. Since he fled to Lebanon, Beirut has received three notices from Interpol based on arrest warrants for him from those countries. In France, he is facing a number of legal challenges, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
Low-riders will gather Friday evening in the parking lot behind the Velvet Grill & Creamery to listen to music, socialize, get something to eat and cruise up and down McHenry Avenue.

The event could draw several dozen cars over its four hours, said Nasson Sanchez, who organized the event. He said it also is an early start to National Hispanic Heritage Month, which officially begins Sept. 15.

Its been about two months since Modesto lifted its 1990 ban on cruising. The ban came about after police reported shootings, assaults, substance abuse and other crimes. They said as many as 5,000 cars clogged McHenry on some nights, many of them from other cities.

The ban had drawn international media attention because of the citys notable place in cruising lore. Modesto native George Lucas based his 1973 film, American Graffiti, on his memories of cruising 10th and 11th streets in the early 1960s.

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Times have changed since the 1990 ban. Cruising is more low-key and family-friendly, with older cruisers taking their grandkids out.

Modesto Police Department, represented by Assistant Chief Ivan Valencia, the Modesto Cruiser Council and Modesto City Staff removed the last no cruising sign in downtown Modesto, Calif., Saturday, July 15, 2023. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to repeal the 1990 cruising ban, ending it effective immediately.

Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said in a text there have been no reports of problems or need for additional police resources. She added the police continue to meet with car club representatives.

Sanchez, 42, said Fridays event is about the sixth organized cruise hes aware of since the City Council repealed Modestos ban.

He said the event will include a disc jockey playing 45 rpm records of classic rock n roll, as well as a mariachi band. Sanchez and his wife and teenage son will be there in his 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster. He expects primarily low-riders will show up but hot-rodders are welcome.

Were just trying to promote the culture we used to have before it developed a bad reputation, said Mike Feurstein, one of the Velvet Grill owners. We just want to bring back the positive vibe.

Tina Tateo, 60, with the Cruising Culture of Modesto group, was among the dozens of cruisers who lobbied the city for over a year to allow cruising. She said bringing it back has not brought in outsiders because other nearby cities, including San Jose and Sacramento, have lifted their own bans.

She said she is not sure whether she will stop by the Velvet Grill or hang out with the Pharoahs car club in her 1973 Chevy stepside C10 pickup. Club members gather Friday evenings in the parking lot next to the Valero gas station at McHenry and Bowen avenues. They socialize, get something to eat from the nearby taco truck or snacks from the gas station.

Its going fantastic, club president Wyatt Bowman said about cruisings return. He does his in a 1951 two-door Ford Victoria painted fire engine red. If it keeps going like this, were going to be alright.

Bowman, 67, said that, typically, about 60 cars will gather in the parking lot on a Friday evening. He said club members continued to gather to socialize after the 1990 ban but now they take a 20- to 25-minute spin down McHenry.
By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration wrapped up a technical investigation into SpaceX's April test launch of its giant Starship rocket, saying in a Friday statement that the company must implement dozens of corrective measures before flying the vehicle again.

The April 20 launch of SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket from Texas pulverized its launchpad upon successful liftoff and ascended 25 miles (40.23 km) before exploding roughly four minutes into its flight, as it was attempting a crucial demonstration to reach space for the first time.

The FAA, which regulates launch site safety and oversees company-led mishap investigations, closed its review on Thursday of SpaceX's investigation into the launch mishap, according to an FAA safety official's letter sent to SpaceX that day.

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The letter and the FAA statement on Friday cited "multiple root causes" of the Starship failure and 63 corrective actions to take before launching the rocket again. It summarized some of those tasks as hardware changes to prevent leaks and fires and reinforcing the rocket's launchpad to prevent a storm of kicked up debris and sand.

"The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica," the agency said, referring to SpaceX's sprawling Starship launch site in south Texas.

The FAA probe's closure puts SpaceX one step closer to getting Starship in space for the first time - a major, long-sought testing milestone before the company can use the reusable rocket for commercial satellite missions and human landings on the moon for NASA.

It was unclear how many of the corrective actions SpaceX has already implemented, which will impact Starship's next launch timeline.

Later on Friday, SpaceX's CEO and founder Elon Musk asked the FAA "what are the 63 corrective actions?" in a post responding to the agency's statement on X, the social media site previously known as Twitter that Musk also owns.

In line with FAA regulations, Musk's space company led the Starship investigation and largely created the list of 63 corrective actions for the FAA to approve. The agency requires SpaceX complete those actions before it can obtain a new Starship launch license.

The FAA did not publicly release the mishap report detailing the corrective actions.

In the weeks after the test launch, Musk said an internal fire during Starship's ascent damaged its engines and computers, causing it to uncontrollably stray from its planned trajectory, and that a destruct command was triggered some 40 seconds later than it should have to blow up the rocket.

That automated destruct command is one of multiple "safety critical systems" that SpaceX must upgrade before attempting another launch, the FAA official wrote in the letter.

In a Friday blog post on its website, SpaceX said it has made numerous corrections and upgrades to Starship and its launchpad, including an "enhanced and requalified" flight termination system and an expanded fire suppression apparatus onboard.

Though the probe is done, SpaceX must obtain a modified FAA license to launch, which entails a sometimes-lengthy review of the Starship's flight trajectory, accident probabilities and other factors affecting nearby public safety.

"Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval," Musk wrote in a Tuesday post on X.

Debris and giant chunks of concrete blasted into the air by Starship's powerful liftoff sparked fresh environmental concerns over SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site, which in May became the center of a lawsuit from environmental groups accusing the FAA of inadequately reviewing the site's impact to nearby nature preserves.

SpaceX has vowed to install a large metal plate on the launchpad for its protection and to mitigate the debris field from Starship's liftoff, which left a gaping crater in the ground beneath its launch mount.

Calling that destruction a "pad foundation failure," SpaceX said in the blog post it reinforced the Starship pad and added a flame deflector to withstand the rocket's fiery forces.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Porter, Josie Kao and David Gregorio)
The dramatic escape from a British prison by Daniel Khalife has been called "pre-planned" by London's police chief as a wide-scale manhunt to find the terror suspect enters its third day.

Mark Rowley, the commissioner for London's Metropolitan police, told U.K. radio station LBC on Friday that police authorities were not ruling out the possibility that Khalife had assistance from others, including those working in the prison.

Prisoner Daniel Abed Khalife (pictured) was reported missing at 7:50 a.m. local time on Wednesday, U.K. police officials said. / Credit: London Metropolitan Police

"To work out a prison escape, and how you are going to do the logistics of it, get the right equipment and how you are going to do it, it's unlikely that you would do that in the spur of the moment," Rowley said.

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The 21-year-old former British soldier, who had been awaiting trial at a south London prison on terrorism related charges accusing him of planting fake bombs at an army base, escaped a London prison Wednesday by clinging to the underside of a delivery truck.

Khalife also faced charges of allegedly working for Iran and eliciting personal information from a U.K. Ministry of Defence database, according to CBS News partners at the BBC.

The search for Khalife narrowed on Friday as authorities honed their search in on Richmond park in southwest London  the largest urban park in Europe, spanning an area of 2,500 acres.

View of the London skyline seen from Richmond Park against a cloudy sky. Richmond Park is the largest urban park in Europe, spanning an area of 2,500 acres. / Credit: Wirestock

About 150 counter-terrorism officers are involved in the search effort, the Metropolitan police have said.

Police helicopters were seen circling the park overnight and vans were seen driving through the park on Friday morning.

There have been no publicly confirmed sightings of Khalife, and police have warned that the terror suspect may be more skilled at avoiding being caught due to his military background.

Investigators say that Khalife was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red and white checkered trousers and brown steel- toe cap boots, and they believe he is still wearing a prison chef's uniform as he had worked in the prison kitchen while incarcerated.

Questions have been raised over whether Khalife should have been held in a more secure facility, considering the nature of the charges against him. London's Wandsworth prison where Khalife was held is a "Category B" prison, which holds high security prisoners but is not considered as secure as a "Category A" prison, the highest security ranking for prisons in the U.K.

Dominic Murphy, counter-terrorism commander for London's Met police, had confirmed that the vehicle Khalife used to escape had been stopped in southwest London less than an hour after he was declared missing, but Khalife had not been found at that time.

Murphy said on Thursday that despite over 50 calls from the public offering "valuable lines of inquiry," it was "a little unusual and perhaps a testament to [Mr Khalife's] ingenuity" that he has yet to be found.

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Protesters hold a giant Armenian flag as they attend a rally in Stepanakert, capital of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, on Dec. 25, 2022. Thousands rallied to protest the blockade of the only land link to Armenia. Credit - Davit GhahramanyanAFP/Getty Images

Toward the end of the Cold War, no corner of the Soviet Union was bloodier than the South Caucasus, and, today, its on the verge of exploding again. A starvation through siege campaign by Azerbaijan in the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh amid a power vacuum in the wider region presents a dilemma for Washington: Should the U.S. cooperate with Vladimir Putins Russia to release a humanitarian chokehold and defuse a political powder keg?

That is the current reality in Nagorno-Karabakh, which thanks in part to Bolshevik Moscows skullduggery, ended up under Azerbaijans internationally-recognized borders. In the aftermath of an early 1990s post-Soviet war, the disputed territory was locked behind defensive positions and only accessible through Armeniauntil Azerbaijan launched a campaign in 2020 that saw it capture considerable territory. Then, authoritarian Azerbaijan began blockading the self-ruling enclave nine months ago, by closing the Lachin Corridorthe sole lifeline road to Armenia and the rest of the worldand shutting off energy supplies and internet infrastructure.

Azerbaijans blockade has turned the mountainous treasure into a gloomy outdoor prison, even refusing the Red Crosss humanitarian supplies for the regions 120,000 people. The result, as human rights organizations and local journalists have noted, are devastating: massive unemployment; shortages of survival musts, from basic food to medical supplies to vehicle fuel; and deaths among vulnerable populations, including toddlers and unborn children. On Sept. 6, the inaugural International Criminal Court prosecutor testified at the U.S. Congressional Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, arguing that the siege amounts to genocide. Earlier, on Aug. 16, the blockade was discussed at the U.N. Security Council.

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What happens nextpreferably, an enforceable U.N. Security Council resolutiondepends on whether two key foes can decide to work together.

Russia and the U.S., along with France, have co-chaired the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europes Minsk Grouptasked with mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakhfor decades. Following Russias invasion of Ukraine, the group effectively stopped functioning. That changed in July, when the co-chairs met in Geneva, during an unpublicized gathering revealed in an interview by a well-informed Armenian analyst, to discuss the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

U.S. engagement with Russia is vital due to the latters importance and impotence alike. Following Azerbaijans 2020 war against Nagorno-Karabakhwhich saw a combined 7,000 soldiers die, and nearly a third of the native Armenian population fleeRussia deployed troops to reinforce its own regional interests and to manage the Lachin Corridor. But today Russia seems unable, or unwilling, or both, to keep the corridor open.

Read More: The Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh Highlights Russias Waning Global Influence

Given Russias Ukrainian preoccupation, Azerbaijan is using the blockade to finish off the lingering ethnoterritorial conflict by driving out the regions Armenians for good. Its a goal entirely within Azerbaijans reach as a distracted world is impassively looking away. Even the Azerbaijani parliaments recent branding of Armenians as a cancerous tumor of Europe provoked little to no outrage.

The three actors trying to mediate the conflict are the U.S., Russia, and, to a lesser degree, the European Union. But the U.S. is the only one that has the toolsranging from enforcing the statutory Section 907 to introducing executive sanctionsthat could end the blockade. Azerbaijans belligerent dynasty worships the lavish lifestyleincluding a real estate empire in Londonthat could be a prime target of such actions.

But an enduring solution to the wider Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict that creates lasting security mechanisms can only come with the U.S. and Russiaand only if they cooperate. Overconfident Azerbaijan, which leverages its energy riches with Russia and the West alike, is less likely to successfully resist this unlikely union of geopolitical foes.

A protester wearing the Armenian national flag stands in front of Russian peacekeepers blocking the road outside Stepanakert, in Nagorno-Karabakh, on Dec. 24, 2022. Davit GhahramanyanAFP/Getty Images

The need for such a solution is high not only for humanitarian reasons. Azerbaijans siege of Nagorno-Karabakh could morph into an unmanageable war, attracting powerful players. Azerbaijans ethnolinguistic patron Turkey eyes southern Armenia for an unrealized objective of the WWI-era Armenian Genocide: a sovereign Pan-Turkic connection. This troubles the Turks historical rival, Iran, which says it wont tolerate losing its ancient border with Armenia. This alarming scenario nearly materialized last year, when Azerbaijan launched an invasion of southern Armenia in September 2022, occupying sovereign Armenian territory. The danger of war still looms.

Read More: Column: Dont Just Remember the Armenian Genocide. Prevent It From Happening Again

The hopeful news is that Russia and the U.S. already agree on somethingthat Nagorno-Karabakhs 2,500-year-old Armenian presence must endure. But words alone wont deter Azerbaijan, which is deliberately inflicting conditions that are aimed at doing the opposite. It holds an airtight siege not only on food imports or civilian movement (the few allowed to leave are periodically abducted), but also through its border guards, who have reportedly shot at farmers and keep targeting them.

Still, U.S.-Russian cooperation would not automatically guarantee a fair peace, especially if a deal is made behind closed doors. The two powers could be tempted by the prospects of a seemingly easy solutionpressuring Nagorno-Karabakh to agree to Azerbaijans every demand, including capitulating to a food-for-subjugation arrangement that would reward the siege and reinforce the regions isolation. Yet a lack of U.S.-Russia cooperation would have a similar, if not worse, impact.

Washington has many problems, but on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict it really needs to do one thing: make up its mind. A durable and dignified regional peace, to borrow the U.S. State Departments words, requires Washington to decide how to treat a tyrant. In this case, the U.S. must either sanction one or work with the other. If President Joe Biden wont keep his promise of sanctioning the Azerbaijani tyranny thats strangling 120,000 people, then he must cooperate with the Russian pariah.

U.S. inaction on Nagorno-Karabakh wont punish Russia but, instead, handhold it in greenlighting a genocide.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell is scheduled to be in Athens in November.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell , a key Republican in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to be in Athens as one of two guest speakers at a special event to honor the late U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson .

The program is hosted by the University of Georgias School of Public and International Affairs.

The inaugural Isakson Symposium on Political Civility will beheld 10 a.m. Nov. 10 in the UGA Chapel on north campus.

Besides McConnell, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin , a democrat from West Virginia, is also scheduled for the program.

Senator Isakson represented the very best of public service during his more than 40 years in elected office, and a hallmark of his career was his ability to get results by reaching across the aisle and engaging in civil discourse, UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement released with the announcement.

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McConnell and Manchin were selected as speakers due to the many years of service to the nation, their friendship with Isakson and their ability to navigate a polarized political landscape at the highest levels of government," according to UGA.

I cannot think of a better way to carry on our dear friends legacy than by promoting discussion on this important topic, McConnell said.

Isakson was a graduate of UGA who served in political life for more than four decades.

Politics: Georgia grand jury recommended charges against 3 US senators who are allies to Donald Trump

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Isakson Symposium in Athens to feature Senators McConnell, Manchin
The U.S. military is preparing to cut its presence in Niger nearly in half in the next few weeks, as troops move out of the capital of Niamey amid widespread protests, according to two Defense Department officials with direct knowledge of the move.

DOD recently began repositioning a number of forces away from the airport at Niamey to a second, smaller base at Agadez, some 500 miles away, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday. As a result, the overall number of troops in Niger could drop from 1,200 before the July 26 coup to somewhere right in the middle of 500 to 1,000 in the next few weeks, said one of the DOD officials, who like others interviewed for this story was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive plans.

This would be the first significant movement of U.S. troops out of Niger since a military junta seized power in late July. The Biden administration has yet to officially call the incident a coup, a label that would require ending military and other aid to the country. However, the Pentagon has suspended training operations with Nigerien forces. Meanwhile, flights out of Agadez, a U.S.-funded drone base key to hunting militants in the region, have been sporadic.

Any major reduction in U.S. military presence in Niger would be a blow to the counterterrorism fight in the Sahel. The French military, which also has a major presence in Niger, is reportedly in talks with the military junta to withdraw its forces.

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The DOD officials cautioned that no final decision has been made on the exact number of U.S. troops that remain in Niger after the repositioning. That figure depends on how many can be accommodated at Agadez and how many Pentagon leaders decide are needed to continue the counterterrorism mission, said the officials.

Its about matching the right people to the right mission, said the second DOD official. The number is not as important to us as the function they are performing.

The situation in Niger is relatively stable and there is no specific threat to U.S. troops, Singh said. The U.S. military will still maintain a small presence at the airport in Niamey, while most of the troops will move to Agadez, she said.

The decision to move from Niamey was taken out of an abundance of caution, particularly after protests erupted this week outside a French military base in the city, said the first DOD official.

We are trying to reduce the footprint in Niamey but still maintain our ability to conduct counterterrorism operations, the first official said.
Following Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain infrastructure, UK Royal Air Force warplanes have recently been protecting cargo ships carrying grain from Ukraine.

Source: The Telegraph

Details: The UK Ministry of Defence stepped up its activities after Russia started targeting Ukraines grain infrastructure in July, following the halt of the grain deal.

"We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea  As part of these surveillance operations, RAF aircraft are conducting flights over the area to deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain," the newspaper quotes information from Downing Street.

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The information came to light after the UK government announced an international summit on food security in November "to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition".

Background: European Council President Charles Michel said Russia must end its blockade and bombardments of Ukrainian ports, as blocking Ukrainian grain exports threatens the lives of about 250 million people in developing countries.

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk has come under fire from Ukraine after it emerged he thwarted a major attack on the Russian navy.

According to excerpts published by CNN, a soon-to-be-released biography of the SpaceX CEO claims that Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his Starlink satellite network over Russian-occupied Crimea last year in order to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on Russias naval fleet.

Musk was worried that the planned attack on the Kremlins Black Sea fleet, which occurred early in the war, could escalate tensions and potentially lead to nuclear conflict, according to the extract from historian Walter Isaacsons upcoming book.

The claim was immediately met with criticism from Kyiv.

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Mykhailo Podolyak , an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blasted the tech billionaire on X, formerly Twitter, which Musk owns.

Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake, Podolyak wrote.

By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via #Starlink interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities, he added.

Russia is known to have used its naval ships in the Black Sea to strike deep into Ukrainian territory and impose an effective blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea coast, which is crucial to global grain shipments.

As a result, civilians, children are being killed, Podolyak said. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego. However, the question still remains: why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realize that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?

Musk responded to the report, denying that he turned off the service but accepting he had chosen not to enable the attack as he did not want to become directly involved in the war.

The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything, Musk said in a response to a thread on X about the new books claims.

There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol, he said in another response, referring to a key port city in Crimea that is home to Russias Black Sea Fleet.

The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor, Musk added. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.

According to the excerpts from the new biography, it meant that Ukrainian submarine drones packed with explosives lost connectivity as they approached the Russian ships, and saw them washed ashore harmlessly.

The book also delves into how Musks decision played out, alleging Musk spoke with top U.S. officials along with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.

NBC News has reached out to SpaceX and Zelenskyys office for comment.

Elon Musk at Tesla's design studio in Hawthorne, Calif., on March 14, 2019. (Jae C. Hong / AP file)

Although drone strikes on Russian territory and Crimea have now become a nearly daily occurrence, it was not the case late last year. Moscow painted the peninsula, annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as a red line and threatened nuclear repercussions should it be attacked.

In the early months of the war, Musks Starlink satellite internet service became a lifeline to war-torn parts of Ukraine that lost connectivity due to heavy bombardment.

But the alleged use of the technology in combat operations appears to have changed that relationship.

Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars, Musk told Isaacson, according to one of the released book excerpts. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.

Starlink bills itself as the worlds first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more. It also says that it can provide connectivity to the vast majority of the Earths oceans and seas.

This is not the first time Musks actions have raised the ire of Ukraine and its supporters.

Last October, Musk asked the U.S. government to take over funding his Starlink satellite network in the country, saying it has cost SpaceX $80 million and will exceed 100 million by year end. But following criticism, the tech mogul backtracked and said he would continue to fund the service for free.

In June, the Pentagon agreed to purchase Starlink satellite internet terminals from Musk for use in Ukraine.

Musk also triggered a wave of condemnation when he suggested in a Twitter poll last year that Ukraine should cede Crimea to Russia and make other concessions as part of a peace deal.

His view that the warring sides should settle for a truce has angered many in Ukraine, but has been welcomed by the Kremlin. Moscow has pushed for peace negotiations on its own terms, but Zelenskyys government has refused to engage politically with Russia as long as President Vladimir Putin remains in power.

Former president and deputy secretary of Russias Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, praised Musks decision not to allow Ukraine to use Starlink for the attack last year.

If what Isaacson has written in his book is true, then it looks like Musk is the last adequate mind in North America, Medvedevv, who has been one of the loudest pro-war voices in Russia, wrote on X.

Or, at the very least, in gender-neutral America, he is the one with the balls, Medvedev added.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Ukraine officials are harshly criticizing Elon Musk for his decision to withhold internet access from the Ukrainian military through his Starlink company as Ukraine sought to conduct a strike on Russia in the Crimea peninsula last year.

By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military fleet via Starlink interference, Elon Musk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities, said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. As a result, civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego.

Musk cut off the access through Starlink, a part of SpaceX that is critical to the Ukraine militarys communication, saying he did so not to be complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.

While the decision was criticized by Ukraine, Musk was praised by some leaders connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his decision.

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Former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Musk may be the last adequate mind in North America, and is the one with the balls.

An upcoming Musk biography details the tech billionaires refusal to allow the Ukrainian military to use Starlink internet service for a raid on the Russian navy last year. He confirmed the account Thursday.

The book claims Musk was concerned Russia would respond to an attack on their warships with a nuclear strike. Ukrainian officials begged him to turn the service on, but he refused, it says.

It includes text exchanges between Musk and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov about the systems. Fedorov told The Financial Times he did not consent to his messages being shared.

Its not very pretty, Fedorov told the outlet. Ive never shown or talked about our correspondence publicly.

Despite the cuts during a crucial offensive, Federov still praised Musk for making Starlink available.

I think that if he hadnt done it, it would have been a disaster, we just wouldnt be able to fight like this if he hadnt done it, he said.

Musks influence on the war in Ukraine via Starlink has been palpable. The internet system has been credited for assisting Ukraines advances, though they have been limited by Musks insistence that it not be used on offensive operations into Russia and threats the program would be shut down.

Journalist Kara Swisher said Friday that several Ukrainian officials reached out to her for advice on how best to handle Musk. She interviewed Musk multiple times since before his rise as a billionaire.

I was absolutely gobsmacked that petting a billionaire was what they had to do in the midst of war, she said.

The Musk biography, by biographer and journalist Walter Isaacson, is set to be released Sept. 12.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Russian Federation has announced plans to hold what they call elections from Sept. 8 to 10, 2023, for local occupation administrations in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine, as well as in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

In a stern rebuke issued on Sept. 8, Ukraines Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the illicit elections held in regions temporarily under Russian occupation, declaring unequivocally that these elections hold no legal validity.

Read also: Russians plan to intensify mobilization in Crimea after sham elections  Atesh

Russias actions in organizing these so-called elections blatantly violate Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Ukrainian legislation and international law, including the United Nations Charter, the ministry stated in an official statement published on its website.

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Read also: SBU drone attack on Russian polling station in Kamianka-Dniprovska results in numerous casualties

Russias pseudo-elections in the temporarily occupied territories lack any legal ground and will not result in any change to the status of Ukrainian territories currently under Russian occupation.

Read also: Russia brings observers to monitor sham elections in occupied territories of Ukraine

By organizing these fake elections in Ukrainian regions and Crimea, the Kremlin continues to undermine the legitimacy of Russias legal system, the ministry added.

Ukraines Foreign Ministry called upon international partners to condemn Russias baseless and arbitrary actions and to withhold recognition of the legitimacy of any administration formed as a result of these illegal elections, along with any decisions they may make.

Individuals involved in the organization of these pseudo-elections, including the leadership of the Russian Federation, representatives of occupation administrations, and electoral bodies, must be held accountable. We also propose imposing new international sanctions on them, the ministrys statement said.

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KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies on Friday froze more than $80 million in assets belonging to tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky for 48 hours as part of an embezzlement investigation, Ukrainian media outlets reported.

Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's richest men and a so-called oligarch, was ordered into custody on suspicion of money laundering last week, and, according to media reports, is being treated as a suspect in an embezzlement case.

A lawyer for Kolomoisky did not immediately respond to written requests for comment about asset seizures. The tycoon's lawyers have not commented on the embezzlement case. Kolomoisky has denied wrongdoing in the past.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said it had frozen more than 3 billion hryvnia in assets in addition to nearly 1,000 properties and more than 1,600 vehicles and vessels from the former owner of lender PrivatBank.

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The NABU statement did not name Kolomoisky.

Kolomoisky is a former owner of PrivatBank, which was nationalised in late 2016 as part of a clean-up of the Ukrainian banking system.

He is among the tycoons who built their fortunes in the ashes of the Soviet Union and amassed political power in Ukraine's fragile post-Soviet democracy.

The moves against him come as Kyiv is trying to signal progress during a wartime crackdown on corruption that is important to its hopes of joining the European Union.

Ukrainian officials have also said that "de-oligarchisation" is an important step to building a stronger state after the war with Russia.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Dan Peleschuk; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy Heritage and Mark Heinrich)
We are at risk of being compared to instances of U.S. policy failures: Afghanistan and Iraq.

The perception in the West is that there is corruption in Ukraine, and it is getting worse. I looked through a couple of dozen publications about the change of the Minister of Defense. Some of them talk about personal matters, some about non-personal matters. But in every single one of them, and I've probably looked at 50, it's only about corruption in the Defense Ministry. In many of them, they say eggs for 17 UAH a piece, winter jackets, summer jackets. When this shows up and when people read it, I, for one, feel quite sad.

Read also:

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We are thus walking into a minefield. I deliberately make such comparisons, realizing that our soldiers are now walking through minefields. But we have a political minefield. We recognize that there is an inevitable fatigue in many societies. We see signs of fatigue in polls; we see it in personal communication. When we have the topic of corruption, which is superimposed on fatigue, it is a political minefield among our friends. When we are discussing the strategy for the winter, for the next year, the strategy of financial, military, whatever kind of assistance, we are, of course, creating problems for ourselves, but also for those who are helping us very sincerely, not only from the mind, but from the heart. Therefore, finding the right solution and walking on the edge is a public demand and, in fact, a demand from our friends. We have to pay attention to the requests of our friends, even though this is our story, because we are fighting together with them and with the help of what they give us in assistance. True, not as much as we would have liked, or on time, but it is still critical for us. That is why the story is very serious.

In the West, they sometimes see us in a very simplistic way, according to some kind of mold.

That is, our enemies will use all these stories.

For example, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken came to Kyiv. I have known him for many years. He is definitely a friend of Ukraine. I'll say maybe more than I need to: even in the American administration, he is one of our most consistent and best friends. I don't want to show who is better or not better there. Friends are always friends. I'm absolutely sure that he will talk about strategy; he will speak about Volodymyr Zelenskyy's upcoming visit to the United States, about weapons, and financial assistance. He will talk about the upcoming election campaign in the United States  how it will affect the discussion on weapons or financing. He will talk about what we are doing inside the country. Any of these perceptions and emotional outbursts around corruption or whatever will affect the administration's efforts. The Republicans in Congress, and we know that many say, "Let's put some conditions on it; let's talk first," they will say, "We already need to control all this aid; it's billions that could go to Americans." But here, we don't see 100% that it's concrete. This is, of course, manipulation, pure manipulation. Nevertheless, we are opening a window for these manipulations without clear communication.

American journalists have been pestering us for the last few days, asking us how the fight against corruption will affect our campaign. They have now come up with a story that Mr. Kolomoisky, who has been indicted, may somehow be connected to the stories around the Republicans. And how this, in turn, can come out during the campaign. I would really like us to avoid such talk. If we are a controversial issue during the presidential campaign, it will affect how Americans will work with us. Here, we have to be not just excellent students but get a grade that doesn't exist. Of course, we can argue or whine about this, but we have to be perfect here. Perfect, because Russia and those who want to leave will deliberately promote this whole internal story. In Europe, I already see people who want to go and say, "Well, you know, you have corruption here, and it's complicated here, but let's talk some more." That is, our enemies will use all these stories.

The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, also said that Ukraine's corruption greatly influences Western countries when they make decisions about supplying weapons to Kyiv. He said this quite deliberately. What he said (and he is a true friend of Ukraine) should be seen as a signal that is very clear to all of us. I don't know how this perception of these conversations will directly affect the supply of weapons. I don't see how it will affect, for example, the discussion in Ramstein in a week. But politically, we know these discussions are taking place.

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Look at the situation in Germany. There, the right-wing party, which is being pulled by the collar by the Russians, is at 20%. In some federal states, the latest polls say 29%. That is the first batch. Not just the second place, but the first in some federal states. They will certainly raise these issues in the Bundestag. In other countries, as well. This is not the actual scale of corruption in Ukraine; it is a deliberate manipulation that will take place during elections in other countries. We always talk about the United States. But next year, we have tough elections to the European Parliament, where the right-wing will try to jump, regardless of their ratings. By the way, this month, on the 30th, we have elections in Slovakia, where those much more friendly to Russia may come to power. We have Polish elections. We have a lot going on. We must not give our enemies any reason to spin these issues.

Again, we will end up in a political minefield where psychological fatigue is absolutely normal. There may be psychological fatigue, and we can talk to our friends, to the people. But if it is superimposed on the fact that "why are we helping these Ukrainians? They are still corrupt. They are like everyone else. Of course, they need help, but not in the same way we have been helping for the past year and a half."

Such conversations will begin this fall, first more quietly, then more loudly. We have to be ready for them. The high-level visits and Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the United States are also crucial in this sense. We should not give any reason to suspect us of being non-transparent, dishonest, hiding something, beating around the bush, or manipulating. Every moment will be used for sure. That is, a different political reality will begin this fall. In this political reality, we have to show that we are the best; we are more remarkable than the most excellent students. I don't even know how else to say it.

I will return to the thesis about the Lithuanian president, and this is a crucial point. We also face the threat that we will be compared to the stories of defeat for the United States: Afghanistan, Iraq. They are considered stories where, yes, the Americans lost a lot of money. Then, look, these are all corrupt, corrupt projects that failed. From the Taliban, it came in a matter of weeks. Part of the reason is that the Taliban is considered incorruptible by the people of Afghanistan. This whole story, which the Americans supported, is also true in Iraq. Ukraine has to be different here. This is the key to ensuring that we will be sympathized with, inspire, and be helped. The West will help us only when we become a success story. It will be challenging to become a success story when there are doubts. This is our chance to say that we are entirely different. Helping us means helping yourself and helping those who share your values. If we share values, we have to be almost perfect. More perfect than they are, if you will. No matter how we perceive it.

Given the mentality of the West, it will be difficult for us to get security guarantees during the war today. A significant number of Western countries are, unfortunately, very skeptical. They say that providing security guarantees in times of war leads them to direct conflict with Russia as a nuclear power. Commitments, or whatever you want to call it, in the area of military and financial assistance are fundamental. The critical story is that, first of all, they should be based on clear criteria. Ideally, it's not what we want, but we don't get that. However, it should not be something the West can give and wants to provide at a particular time. Based on clear criteria and our commitment to a common strategy of deterring and weakening Russia, there should be a clearly agreed logic of what and when. Just as in the case of Israel, there are clear indicators of what it means to have a qualitative military advantage over those around Israel. So, in our case, this should be agreed upon and spelled out with our key allies.

The second point is the certainty that some other American administration may see things differently. Therefore, it is difficult to get legal approval. There are challenging discussions around this now; spears are being broken. But then the obligations have to be guaranteed in some other way, in a different way.

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The third point is that this should be done in such a way that it is part of our path to NATO, even while we do not have membership. I have my own ideas about security guarantees. They are not easy, first of all, for our allies, but so far, we are discussing the commitment of military and financial assistance. These are different from the classic security guarantees that Japan and South Korea, for example, have, that other countries have, including the United States.

Suppose NATO does not want to show that it is not a party to the conflict with Russia, even if it is not explicitly or indirectly. In that case, guarantees can be made with the help of several countries united in a group. I recall that once upon a time, West Berlin was protected and given security guarantees by the Americans, the British, and the French without the involvement of NATO. That is, there is a legal and political example. I could give you several more examples of this. For me, this is our main story. This is the number one priority. This is a security model for Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine to establish special court for foreign investors claims

I have talked to many Western companies and potential investors. They say a straightforward thing: Until there is security, there will be no systematic investment in Ukraine. This guarantees our future  that private investors will come to us and see our potential. This is a shared story  ours and theirs.

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Ukraine has been preparing for Russian winter attacks on its energy systems and is relying on German-made Gepard air defence systems and large-calibre machine guns such as the American M2 Browning to defend its skies.

Source: Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine; Samuel Bendett, Senior Adjunct Fellow at the Centre for a New American Security, in an interview with Reuters

Details: Naiev said that German Gepard air defence systems are defending Ukrainian skies, being able to reach a target within a radius of 12 km. This is not enough to cover the entire territory of the country, so the gaps are filled by large-calibre machine guns, such as the American-made M2 Brownings.

Naiev said Russia has not abandoned its criminal intentions to attack critical infrastructure facilities, harming Ukraine and its economy. Last winter Ukraine had fewer air defence systems. Now more systems have been supplied to the military, so their effectiveness will be better.

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Skibytskyi said last week that Moscow may start using more Shahed drones together with missiles in the same waves of attacks to confuse Ukrainian air defence systems.

He added that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure facilities may begin in late September or early October.

Bendett said Ukraine has prepared well for new drone strikes. But a problem may arise as the number of drones is constantly growing. He believes that Russia will launch more drones, but not much more, as "Russia is still a long way from its intended goal to manufacture thousands of these drones".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia launched almost 2,000 Shahed drones last month.

Military analysts estimated that the Shahed drones cost about $20,000 a piece, while the West-supplied air defence missiles Kyiv used last winter cost many times more. Naiev said that one round from a Gepard anti-aircraft artillery system costs less than $1,000, making them more cost-effective.

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Lubinets told the stories of some children who managed to be returned from the Russian Federation

Ukraine successfully repatriated nine Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russian occupiers following their full-scale invasion, announced Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Sept. 8.

He shared heartwarming photos of parents reuniting with their children shared on his Telegram channel.

Read also: Russia plans to deport 10,000 abducted Ukrainian children to camps

Each childs return was a special operation, and he went on to recount a few stories of successful repatriations. Remarkably, two of the children had resided for an extended period in temporarily occupied territories.

Read also: Ukraine returns 11 more children deported by Russia, tens of thousands still await repatriation

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Additionally, Ukraine successfully brought back a young boy who had been accused by the Russians of attempting to sabotage a bridge. He endured a month in detention and underwent rigorous interrogation. Lubinets summarized the ordeal, stating, He endured all the circles of hell, including filtration. But now, he is back with his mother in Ukraine.

Dmytro Lubynets/Telegram

Deportation of Ukrainian children  what is known

The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant on March 17 for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for war crimes in connection with the deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation.

Read also: Ukraine returns ten children deported by Moscow

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on April 27 recognizing the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia as genocide.

According to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Russians have taken almost 20,000 children from the territories of Ukraine they occupy, and approximately 6,000 are being held in re-education camps.

Read also: Russian Emergency Ministers wife involved in abducting Ukrainian children, investigation shows

The number of Ukrainian children illegally deported to Russia may have reached as many as 300,000, said the European Parliament. MEPs believe that the Russians started abducting Ukrainian children in 2014, ever since the occupation of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

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Ukraine continues to expand the salient it has created in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, pushing closer toward the small town of Verbove, the Institute for the Study of War says in its latest assessment .

Geolocated footage posted Sept. 7 shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced northwest of Verbove and appear to be expanding their salient to the north of the settlement, ISW reported.

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1699808003061338578

The movement more than three months into the counteroffensive is significant in that it shows Ukrainian troops have crossed at least the first of three Russian defensive lines and are at or near the second line.

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"The Ukrainians are gradually gaining ground and it proves the importance of our support and also our ability and willingness to continue the support, because this is heavy fighting, difficult fighting, but they have been able to breach the defensive lines of the Russian forces and they are moving forward," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday .

https://youtu.be/2Jy11bVdo2c

Though the counteroffensives progress has been heavily criticized in the West and even noted by Ukrainian officials , the ISW assessment also lines up with a more optimistic view painted recently by a U.S. intelligence official.

In a rare on-the-record statement, a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official says Ukraines breakthrough on that second defensive belt near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast is actually pretty considerable.

Had we had this conversation two weeks ago, I would have been slightly more pessimistic, Trent Maul, the DIAs director of analysis, told The Economist in an exclusive story published Wednesday.

As The Economist explains, Mauls agency is tasked with trying to answer questions like: Can Ukraine breach the second defensive line and the third one behind it before artillery ammunition becomes harder to find and winter weather sets in making any progress more difficult?

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1699760991762792808

To answer that, the DIA will look for signs that Russia can keep providing its front-line units with artillery and maintain leadership at the unit level.

Past analyses, he admitted, have not been spot on.

Maul conceded that American and Ukrainian officials failed to appreciate the depth of Russias defenses and how difficult it would be for Ukraine to smash through them with armor. Despite a report by the Guardian newspaper that 80% of Russias effort went into building its first and second lines, Maul warned that the bulk of Russias reinforcements remain at the third.

The DIA will also be monitoring Ukraines ammunition stockpiles as well as the weather, which will become wetter in the autumn, adding thick, oozing mud to any maneuver calculus.

A serviceman poses for a photo with a 152mm shell as the artillery unit of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade serves in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. (Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Maul offered The Economist a less gloomy take on Ukraines chances of success than some unnamed Biden administration officials, one of whom estimated that Ukraine has about six to seven weeks of combat left before its counteroffensive culminates.

Ukraines recent successes are significant and give its forces a realistic possibility of breaking the remaining Russian lines by the end of the year, the publication reported, adding that Mauls comment was intel-speak for 40-50% probability.

Still, Maul did offer a caveat.

Limited ammunition and worsening weather will make this very difficult.

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry hasn't outright denied that Ukraine has advanced to its defensive lines. Instead, it claimed on its Telegram channel Thursday that "units of the Russian grouping of troops, aviation and artillery, have repelled 14 [Armed Forces of Ukraine] attacks close to Verbove and Robotyne."

The coming weeks will show the level of progress Ukraine is really making in its drive toward cities like Tokmak and Melitopol as it seeks to either reach Crimea or cut off the so-called land bridge through Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

But as Maul, the DIA official told The Economist, attention is already turning to next year.

Even without a breakthrough this year, the DIA is moderately confident that if Ukraine can widen the salient around Robotyne, hold its positions and keep ammo flowing in, it will be well placed for a fresh push in 2024, he said.

Before we head into the latest news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here .

The Latest

The Pentagon is pushing back on Russian complaints that depleted uranium (DU) tank rounds being given to Ukraine for use in soon-to-arrive Abrams main battle tanks pose grave health risks.

In response to the announcement yesterday that the U.S. was providing an unspecified number of these rounds, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov on Thursday said they increase cancer rates in areas theyve been used in the past.

Hours later, Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon spokesperson, countered that assertion, saying several studies have indicated that there are no health concerns from the armor-piercing rounds. A by-product of fuel produced for nuclear reactors that has greatly reduced radioactivity, DU is an incredibly dense metal. DU munitions on impact become a semi-molten projectile that burn through armor, with any fragments (also known as spall) that break off inside causing extreme damage to the interior and its occupants.

The video below offers a general overview of how the dart-like armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) round, works.

https://youtu.be/coWJDfcdR60?t=99

And, while Singh said the Pentagon hopes those rounds will arrive in Ukraine at about the same time the promised Abrams tanks, similar DU munitions have already been promised by the U.K . for use in the Challenger 2 tanks it donated to Ukraine. You can read more about those rounds and how they work in our story here .

The DU rounds were included in one of two tranches of aid to Ukraine the Pentagon has announced over the past two days.

On Thursday the DoD announced an aid package, valued up to $600 million, through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that contracts out for items as opposed to taking them out of existing U.S. stocks.

The capabilities in the package include:

Equipment to sustain and integrate Ukraine's air defense systems;

Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

105mm artillery rounds;

Electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare equipment;

Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing;

Mine clearing equipment; and

Support and equipment for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.

EASTERN UKRAINE , UKRAINE - JULY 1: Kuzia, the commander of the unit, shows the rockets on HIMARS vehicle in Eastern Ukraine on July 1, 2022. (Photo by Anastasia Vlasova for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Singh declined to offer any details about what kinds of electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare equipment that package will include.

That package follows one announced Wednesday, valued at up to $175 million, which included the DU rounds. That items will be delivered via the 46th Presidential Drawdown Authority package, which provides items from existing stocks.

In addition to the DU rounds, the capabilities in this package include:

Equipment to support Ukraine's air defense systems;

Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;

81mm mortars systems and rounds;

Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;

Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;

Over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition;

Tactical air navigation systems;

Tactical secure communications systems and support equipment;

Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and

Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.

The Javelins anti-armor systems provided to Ukraine have been so helpful that it resulted in the creation of St. Javelin to honor it. (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Speaking of Javelins, Poland may one day produce the weapons locally under newly signed contracts.

According to Defense News , Polands state-run defense group PGZ has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), a partnership between Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, to jointly produce Javelin anti-tank weapons.

Together with PGZ, we are exploring a number of opportunities to leverage the resident skills and expertise of Polish industry for Javelin co-production, Andy Amaro, the president of the JJV and RTXs Javelin program director, was quoted in a statement.

The team-up with U.S. industry players will allow the partners to evaluate the possibility to set up a final assembly plant and produce components in Poland, PGZ said in its statement, the publication reported.

In addition, JJV representatives submitted an offer to the Polish group to have parts of Javelin weapons produced at PGZs subsidiary Mesko, according to the statement.

https://twitter.com/defense_news/status/1699707399601283145?s=20

A drone attack caused an explosion near Russias military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday.

Social media videos geolocated by CNN showed the attack in the vicinity of the military base. In a Telegram post earlier, Rostov regional governor Vasily Golubev said one person was injured and several cars were damaged after Russian air defenses intercepted two drones over the city.

An emergency mode was enacted around the crash site and 99 residents were offered alternative temporary accommodation, Golubev said, adding that no one was killed in the incident.

"Facades were damaged and windows of three buildings were broken, several cars were damaged. Only one person sought medical help, with incised leg wounds, he refused hospitalization," Golubev claimed.

Ukrainian officials did not make any immediate comment.

Rostov-on-Don is in southern Russia, not far from the Ukrainian border. It was briefly occupied by Wagner troops during the private military groups brief rebellion against the Kremlin earlier this year.

https://twitter.com/kromark/status/1699662392848699825 https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1699618900873511282

There was also an unconfirmed Ukrainian drone attack on a major Russian microelectronics plant in Bryansk Oblast.

"A powerful explosion rocked Kremny El plant in Bryansk (western Russia), Russian media reported ," according to the Ukrainian Euromaidan Press media outlet .

The governor of the Bryansk region, Aleksander Bogomaz, confirmed on his Telegram channel that there was an attack on an industrial facility there.

A Ukrainian drone attack "was made on an industrial facility in the city of Bryansk," he wrote. "As a result, the administrative building caught fire. There were no casualties. Fire brigades, operational and emergency services are on the scene."

Bogomaz did not specify which facility was hit.

Kremny EL is "the second largest producer of microelectronics in the Russian federation," according to the Ukrainian Defense Express media outlet.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1699878863109607822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1699878863109607822%7Ctwgr%5Ebccbbd95314b3a48d77acf26599505dafc1bc5e7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feuromaidanpress.com%2F2023%2F09%2F07%2Fkamikaze-drones-attack-microelectronics-plant-in-russias-bryansk-video%2F

A Ukrainian plan to attack the Russian fleet in Crimea last year with submarine drones was foiled not by the Russians, but by billionaire Elon Musks decision to turn off his companys Starlink satellite communications network, a new book says according to CNN .

The news outlet published an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacsons new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled Elon Musk. It said the SpaceX owner issued a secret order to his engineers to turn off the network near the Crimean coast to disrupt the attack.

Musk did so concerned that a mini-Pearl Harbor as he put it would cause the Russians to respond with nuclear weapons. It was a fear, Isaacson wrote in his book, that was driven home by Musks conversations with senior Russian officials.

As a result of Musks move, Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly, Isaacson wrote.

While the CNN article does not offer a specific timeline, Isaacsons account lines up with our reporting from Sept. 21, 2022 about a mysterious drone boat, likely laden with explosives, washed up on the shore near Sevastopol, home of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

https://twitter.com/UKikaski/status/1572617974586183680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1572617974586183680%7Ctwgr%5E8dbc9bbf47d2fabbb3f85bdc36a78dd4b61e86bb%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fmystery-drone-boat-washes-up-near-home-of-russias-black-sea-fleet

A little more than a month later, Ukraine launched the first of an escalating series of uncrewed surface vessel (USV) attacks on Crimea. They were followed by USV attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea and in July on the Kerch Bridge . None of those, obviously, sparked a Russian nuclear response.

https://twitter.com/GloOouD/status/1680832544827138048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1680832616864399367%7Ctwgr%5Ec3a78dbcfdf99c77b9d4c32a7991d58a80c63aeb%7Ctwcon%5Es2_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fdrone-boats-used-in-kerch-bridge-strike-reports

Musks involvement with Ukraine stemmed from apparent humanitarian interests, providing the besieged nation with millions of dollars in his companys satellite terminals. That allowed Ukraine to stay connected as it continued to fight despite Russian efforts to degrade cellular and internet communications.

But once Ukraine began to use Starlink terminals for offensive attacks against Russia, Musk started to second-guess that decision, according to the CNN book excerpt.

How am I in this war? Musk asked Isaacson. Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.

Musk was soon on the phone with President Joe Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, the chairman of the joint chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley, and the Russian ambassador to the US to address anxieties from Washington, DC, to Moscow, writes Isaacson, according to CNN.

In June, Starlink signed a contract with the Pentagon to provide service to Ukraine, but no details on the price have been released.

As you know, satellite communication is an important aspect of the fight that's occurring in Ukraine right now and we are working with Starlink and others of course on that front, but I'm not going to be able to provide any details, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagons top spokesman, told reporters at an Aug. 22 press conference.

https://twitter.com/CNNSotu/status/1699739634362618347

Russian drones attacked Ukraines Danube River port city of Izmail and elsewhere in the area for the fourth time in five days Thursday, Oleh Kiper chief of the Odesa region military administration, said on his Telegram channel.

The attack injured one person and damaged port and grain infrastructure, he said. A day earlier, he described a strike that killed one person and also destroyed port and grain infrastructure.

These ports have become even more critical as Russia issued a de-facto blockade on shipping in the Black Sea.

https://twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1699696250264715567

Meanwhile, after vigorous denials, Romanian authorities on Wednesday acknowledged that they may have found debris from a Russian drone in their territory, which is less than a half-mile across the Danube. The finding did not sit well with Romanias president. That's even though he was one of those who brushed off the initial claims - made by a Ukrainian official as well as open-source investigators - that a Russian drone had crossed into and landed on a NATO members territory.

If it is confirmed that these elements come from a Russian drone, such a situation would be completely unacceptable and a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania, a NATO allied state, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said Wednesday on his Facebook page . As I said before, these attacks on Ukrainian civil infrastructure, which are war crimes, take place at a very short distance from the Romanian border. However, we are alert and in permanent contact with the other NATO allies.

Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar on Wednesday confirmed that Russian drone wreckage may have been found in his country and said "that additional measures will be taken to strengthen the monitoring and security capabilities of Romania's airspace at its borders, according to the Romanian MoD .

https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1699539312218341722

On Thursday, Stoltenberg said it does not appear that Russia is deliberately trying to attack Romania.

"We don't have any information indicating an intentional attack by Russia, and we are awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigation," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told EU lawmakers, according to Reuters .

Stoltenberg stressed the risks Russian air strikes in such close vicinity to the alliance's territory posed.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1699766969640042926

Beyond the death and destruction and continuing loss of badly needed grain in these attacks, the visit by Romanian officials to a suspected Russian drone crash site on Wednesday shows an increasing level of concern by a NATO ally over these attacks.

Russia began hitting Ukraines Danube River ports on July 24, with an attack on Reni . That came after Moscow's withdrawal last week from the Black Sea Grain Initiative . That followed a suspected July 17 Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessel (USV) attack on the Kerch Bridge , though Russia claims no link.

https://twitter.com/revishvilig/status/1680806685848268800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1680806685848268800%7Ctwgr%5Ef593e52a510a05b86641767789a577f29aa0c227%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Frussias-kerch-strait-bridge-closed-after-major-incident

Two days ago, we told you about the press conference former Russian Mi-8AMTSh Hip combat transport helicopter pilot Maxim Kuzminov held to discuss his Aug. 9 defection, with the aircraft, to Ukraine. Today, an image emerged on social media of two key players in front of that aircraft: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) whose agency engineered the defection.

https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/status/1699812829493149857?s=20

Russia's efforts in Ukraine may be having an effect not just there and at home, but also on Moscow's in Armenia, across the Caspian Sea.

Russian officials are alarmed at plans between Armenia and the U.S. to hold military exercises starting next week. Armenian officials yesterday announced the exercise it says are aimed at preparing units for international peacekeeping operations, according to The Associated Press .

As regards the exercise, certainly, the news raises alarm, especially in todays circumstances, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after the announcement.

Armenia has long-standing ties with both the U.S. and Russia. However, Armenia has become increasingly disillusioned with Russia since the 2020 war with Azerbaijan and again after the September 2022 conflict between those two nations . That's when the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) refused to intervene or even criticize Azerbaijani troops' incursion into Armenian territory in September 2022.

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1699528911158231383?s=20

The first reported recording of the use of a Ukrainian-developed Kombat anti-tank guided missile used in a T-64BM2 tank is seen in this video below being placed into the barrel by the tank's autoloader.

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1699828694099918861

An image of a Ukrainian-made UJ-23 Topaz jet-powered drone emerged on social media Wednesday. The Topaz is made by UKRJET, which also makes the UJ-22, a propeller-driven drone that looks a bit like a Cessna, one of which was found, with explosives, on the ground a short distance from Moscow in April .

According to UKRJET, the Topaz "is a multi-purpose unmanned aircraft system with jet UAV that is able to be used at any time of day and season, in visual and adverse weather conditions and under electronic countermeasures."

The company's specification say it has a cruising speed of 600 km/hour, a maximum speed of 800 km/hour a controlled flight radius of 100 kilometers and can reach a maximum altitude of six kilometers.

It is unclear if the Topaz has gone into production or is being fielded yet, and what its true capabilities are. Clearly reduced radar cross-section was an intended feature, as well. We reached out to the company for more details.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1699398651401953296?s=20

The Russian ZSU Hunter 2.0 Telegram channel on Wednesday posted images and video it says show the wreckages of U.K.-donated Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and U.S.-donated AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles , or HARMs.

"In the Zaporizhzhia direction, the Russian Armed Forces regularly intercept or shoot down expensive Storm Shadow cruise missiles and AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles," ZSU Hunter 2.0 claimed Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1699417989676728649

Russians have routinely claimed without proof to have constantly downed these weapons. However, images of the remains of Storm Shadow and HARM missiles recovered by Russia have emerged on social media.

Back in July we reported that Russia did recover at least one Storm Shadow that was in a partially intact state. It was unknown if the missile was shot down or malfunctioned, but it appeared to be the first public documentation of the weapon since they hit the battlefield in May. You can read more about that in our story here .

In August of 2022, images emerged on social media showing what appeared to be a portion of the rear body and a tail fin from an AGM-88 missile, which were said to have been recovered after they hit a house in Ukraine's southeastern Kherson region. As with the Storm Shadow, it was unclear if the HARM was shot down or malfunctioned. It was one of two HARMs recovered in the span of a few days. You can read more about that in our story here .

https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1557764847697383431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1557764847697383431%7Ctwgr%5Ee4303890e1ba601d0d1767b3f21dd870450c328d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fnew-evidence-of-agm-88-anti-radiation-missile-use-by-ukraine-emerge

So much of what's taking place in the war is encapsulated in the video below of a Ukrainian strike on a Russian ammunition delivery in progress.

The video shows a strike by a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) munitions fired by the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS and the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). It's reported to take place on Russian troops transporting 9M127 Vikhr laser-guided anti-tank missiles, which are used on Ka-52 Alligator helicopters that are playing a role in defending against the ongoing counteroffensive, which you can read more about here . And it captures troops going about their business in the moments before they are , the kind of vivid detail that has been a hallmark of this conflict.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1699460839562989628?s=20

Ukraine has brought a lot of innovation to the battlefield during this conflict, but not everything it has tried has worked, as this video below highlights.

An apparent effort to create a DIY multiple launch rocket system is seen failing in spectacular fashion. A rocket fails to launch and the thrust from the exhaust pushes the vehicle still attached to to it forward until it topples over. We don't know if there was anyone hurt.

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1699459793985888578?s=20

And finally, even before Russia launched its full-on invasion of Ukraine, the commander of that nation's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) has managed to irk officials in Moscow. On Thursday, the Day of Military Intelligence in Ukraine, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov took his trolling to a new level.

https://twitter.com/gerashchenko_en/status/1699803189950939363?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A

That's it for now. We'll update this story when there's more news to report about Ukraine.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Key development on Sept. 8:

Ukrainian forces take control of more than half of Klishchiivka south of Bakhmut

Military: Russia prepares strike force near Novoiehorivka in Lyman direction

Russian missiles hit 3 Ukrainian cities, killing 1, injuring more than 70

Musk denied Kyiv's request to turn on Starlink in Crimea to disrupt attack on Russia's fleet

Romania to set up shelters near area of Russian Danube strikes

Ukrainian forces have taken control of more than half of the village of Klishchiivka, located south of Bakhmut, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade Maksym Zhorin told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Sept. 8.

"There is still a small part (of the village), maybe a street and a half, that the enemy is trying to partially control, but they are not succeeding," Zhorin said of the situation in the embattled Donetsk Oblast settlement.

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"We have created such conditions in this direction that Russian forces are unable to properly use their equipment."

According to the officer, Ukrainian forces have destroyed almost all Russian equipment in this sector, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. He added that Russian vehicles that remain are not used or utilized only for transport or logistical purposes.

However, Zhorin stressed that air strikes remain a serious problem for Ukrainian troops, including drones, aircraft, and guided aerial bombs. Electronic warfare systems also pose challenges to Ukrainian soldiers.

In close combat, Russian troops are unable to hold out and are forced to retreat, the officer said.

The deputy commander also noted that Russian forces suffer heavy losses daily along the line of the villages of Klischchiivka, Andriivka, and Kurdiumivka, forcing them to withdraw from their positions.

Read also: Inching forward in Bakhmut counteroffensive, Ukraines hardened units look ahead to long, grim war

At the same time, Russian troops are attempting to create new footholds. As a result of the fighting, all three villages have been completely destroyed in recent months, Zhorin revealed.

The area around Bakhmut is one of the main sectors of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive. Kyiv has reported moderate but steady advances along the flanks of the occupied city.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on Sept. 4 that Ukraine had made gains near Klishchiivka, while Russian forces carried out unsuccessful attempts to take back lost positions near said village, as well as around Kurdiumivka and Ozarianivka as they attempted to restrain the advance of Ukrainian troops toward Bakhmut.

Ukrainian counteroffensive forces made gains in two sectors of the front, advancing in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and south of Bakhmut, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Sept. 7 report.

"Ukrainian forces are making tactical gains and successfully attriting defending Russian forces," the ISW said.

Citing geolocated footage and Russian military commentators, the ISW said that Ukrainian troops advanced north of Verbove, reaching the northwestern outskirts of the settlement.

Verbove is located in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, about 10 kilometers east of the recently-liberated village of Robotyne.

The ISW also said counteroffensive units made gains southwest of Bakhmut.

As Ukrainian forces begin to breach Russia's outer lines of defense, expectations for the next stage of the counteroffensive are changing. On Sept. 7, U.S. intelligence official Trent Maul said there was a "realistic possibility" that Ukraine would break through Russia's second and third defensive lines by the end of the year.

Read also: New brigade bears heavy brunt of Russias onslaught in Kharkiv Oblast

The ISW also cited a Ukrainian official, former Aidar Battalion Commander Yevhen Dykyi, who said on Sept. 4 that Russia's next defensive layers are not as heavily mined as previous ones.

"The subsequent series of Russian defensive positions may be weaker, less mined, and less manned than the defensive layer that Ukrainian forces have breached," the ISW said.

The ISW also injected a note of caution. While "Ukraines counteroffensive may achieve operational successes in 2023," the ISW said it was important to note that Russian defenses "are not uniform."

Moreover, Ukraine's southern front faces an additional challenge. The National Guard reported on Sept. 7 that Russia is relocating troops from other sectors of the front to positions in the south.

"Subsequent series of Russian defensive positions still pose significant challenges for Ukrainian forces and may in sections be strongly held," the ISW said.

Read also: As counteroffensive presses forward in southeast, every meter costs a life

Military: Russia prepares strike force near Novoiehorivka in Lyman direction

Russia is accumulating its forces near the Luhansk Oblast village of Novoiehorivka in the Lyman direction, one of the epicenters of fighting on the eastern front, Eastern Force Grouping spokesperson Illia Yevlash said on Sept. 8.

"Now the enemy is accumulating all their forces there. They have prepared a strike force in that direction," Yevlash said on television.

According to the spokesperson, Ukrainian forces are holding back a heavy onslaught by Russian invaders, with tens of thousands of ammunition rounds fired at them every day.

Russia is reportedly consolidating forces from broken units, sending all military personnel, including signalers, into combat.

Since July, the Ukrainian military has warned that Russia began accumulating a significant force around Lyman and Kupiansk. In late August, Yevlash reported that Russia had concentrated over 100,000 troops in the Kupiansk-Lyman direction in Kharkiv Oblast and Luhansk Oblast.

According to the U.K. Defense Intelligence, this is likely part of a Russian strategy to seize the initiative from Ukrainian forces, who are advancing on the southern front and around Bakhmut.

Read also: Just hold on: Front-line medics race against time to save wounded soldiers

Russian missiles hit 3 Ukrainian cities, killing 1, injuring more than 70

Russian troops launched missile attacks against the cities of Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy on the morning of Sept. 8, killing one person and wounding more than 70 people.

Russia hit a police station in Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts Kryvyi Rih, damaging nearby residential buildings as well, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

The administrative building where the police were stationed also hosted several offices, according to head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration Oleksandr Vilkul.

At least 73 were injured in the attack on Kryvyi Rih, Governor Serhii Lysak reported later in the day on Sept. 8.

Some 35 of the wounded have been hospitalized; two men aged 34 and 28 are in serious condition, the governor said. One person - a policeman - was killed in the attack.

The strike reportedly damaged 62 apartment buildings, seven houses, and over 50 cars.

"Those who were at the epicenter of the events are provided with psychological help. More than 70 people requested it," Lysak said following the attack.

In northeastern Sumy, a Russian missile hit a two-story apartment building, causing a large-scale fire and damaging over 20 houses and eight vehicles, the State Emergency Services regional department reported.

Three people were injured in the attack, including an elderly couple rescued from the rubble, according to the Sumy Oblast police.

The morning attack also injured a man in Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine, according to preliminary information published by the city's acting mayor, Anatolii Kurtiev.

The blast wave shattered windows in several high-rises and educational institutions, Kurtiev said on Telegram.

Read also: Escape from Kupiansk: How one cop tricked the Russians

Musk says he denied Kyiv's request to turn on Starlink in Crimea to disrupt attack on Russia's fleet

Elon Musk denied that he had Starlink satellite communications deactivated near Crimea last year to disrupt a Ukrainian drone attack against Russian military ships, saying that they had not been active in this region in the first place.

Musk also said, however, that he had received a request "from government authorities" to activate Starlink, operated by his spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, "all the way to Sevastopol."

He didn't specify who exactly had sent the request.

"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," the billionaire claimed on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Musk also called on Russia and Ukraine "to agree to a truce," equating Ukraine's fight to liberate the occupied territories to Russia's unprovoked and brutal assaults.

"Every day that passes, more Ukrainian and Russian youth die to gain and lose small pieces of land, with borders barely changing. This is not worth their lives," he added.

Musk's statement comes a day after CNN cited an excerpt from an upcoming book by Walter Isaacson, saying that Musk had ordered his engineers to turn off Starlink near the occupied peninsula to prevent Ukrainian submarine drones from hitting Russia's Black Sea fleet.

According to the author, Musk's decision was driven by fear of Moscow's nuclear retaliation, sparked by the billionaire's conversations with senior Russian officials.

SpaceX began providing Ukraine with the Starlink satellite internet system shortly after the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022. The system has been crucial for providing communications for the Ukrainian military, as well as for energy, telecommunications, healthcare, and agricultural facilities in Ukraine.

In October 2022, Musk said he could no longer keep Starlink in Ukraine operational due to high upkeep costs and requested funding from the Pentagon. The billionaire later changed his statement and said Starlink will stay online regardless of the Pentagon's support.

According to an article by The New Yorker published on Aug. 21, Musk held conversations with Vladimir Putin  though the billionaire denied talking to the Russian president  which affected Musk's change of position regarding Ukraine.



Read also: How Elon Musks Starlink satellite internet keeps Ukraine online

Romania to set up shelters near area of Russian Danube strikes

Romania will introduce new security measures to protect the civilian population near the Danube River in response to Russian strikes against Ukrainian ports, based on a document issued on Sept. 7 by Romania's National Committee for Emergency Situations.

These steps will include identifying areas at risk of falling "elements of the means of combat," issuing warnings through the Ro-Alert emergency system, and building shelters in the settlements on the Romanian side of the Danube River, namely in Plauru and Ceatalchioi.

The authorities will also select existing structures that can be used as shelters and will instruct the population in the area on what to do in dangerous situations.

Identifying the areas that are at heightened risk of falling debris will be carried out by Romania's Defense Ministry.

According to the document, the decision was taken due to the "recent and repeated attacks carried out on the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail, as well as the response of the Ukrainian air defense that caused the dispersion of the projectiles over large areas."

Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian ports on the Danube River, lying not far from the Romanian border, after Moscow's unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Following a drone attack overnight on Sept. 4, Ukraine said that some of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had fallen and detonated on Romanian soil.

Bucharest initially denied the report, only to change their statement on Sept. 6 when Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar confirmed that what appeared to be drone fragments had been found on Romania's side of the Danube River.

According to NATO, there was no indication that the fragments resulted from a deliberate Russian attack against the Alliance member Romania.

Read also: Stoltenberg: NATO sees no indication of deliberate Russian attack against Romania

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Russia attacked Ukraine with 20 Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones on the night of 7-8 September, and Ukraines Air Force destroyed 16 of them.

Source: Air Force Command on Facebook; Defence Forces of Ukraines South on Telegram

Quote: "In total, we recorded 20 Shahed drones launched toward Odesa. 16 Shahed-136/131 drones were destroyed in combat within Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts."

Details: Air Force Command reported that the Russian occupiers had launched kamikaze drones from the southeast and south (Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia and Cape Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea).

Anti-aircraft missile units, fighter aircraft, mobile fire group units from the Ukrainian Air Force and air defence forces from other components of Ukraines Defence Forces were engaged in repelling the Russian UAV attacks.

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The Defence Forces of Ukraines south specified that two Shahed drones were downed in Mykolaiv Oblast and 14 more in Odesa Oblast.

Background:

The Ukrainian Air Force detected several groups of Russian Shahed combat drones at about 22:00 on 7 September.

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Ukrainian troops continued their offensive actions near the city of Bakhmut and in the western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 7 September and they had gains on both frontlines.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: Geolocation footage published on 7 September shows that Ukrainian forces had some gains northwest of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces had achieved success south of Bakhmut and near the settlements of Robotyne and Verbove in the west of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

In addition, the geolocation published on 7 September indicates the further advance of Ukrainian troops to the northwest of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia Oblasts western part.

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A well-known Russian milblogger also claimed that Ukrainian forces continued to advance in the area.

To quote the ISW's Takeaways for 7 September:

Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 7 September and made further gains on both sectors of the front.

US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director of Analysis Trent Maul stated that there is a "realistic possibility" that Ukrainian forces will break through the entire Russian defence in southern Ukraine by the end of 2023, while a Ukrainian source suggested that upcoming Russian defensive positions are weaker than those Ukrainian forces have previously breached.

Ukrainian forces are making tactical gains and successfully attriting defending Russian forces and ISW continues to assess Ukraines counteroffensive may achieve operational successes in 2023, but subsequent series of Russian defensive positions still pose significant challenges for Ukrainian forces and may in sections be strongly held.

Russian forces conducted another large-scale Shahed-136/131 drone attack against Sumy and Odesa oblasts overnight on 6-7 September.

Moscow Oblast authorities detained the commander of the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defence Army on bribery and corruption charges amidst continued and escalating drone attacks on Moscow.

Russian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, in the Bakhmut direction, along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line, and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Oblast border area but did not make any confirmed advances on 7 September.

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Ukraines Foreign Ministry initiates new international sanctions due to the so-called "elections" of Russia in the occupied territories and also calls on the world not to recognise their "results".

Source: Press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

Quote: "These actions of the Russian Federation (conducting elections in the occupied territories - ed.) brutally violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Ukrainian legislation as well as norms and principles of the international law, namely the United Nations Charter.

Russia's sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void. They will have no legal consequences and will not bring any changes in the international status of Ukrainian territories seized by Russian military forces."

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... The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls upon international partners to condemn worthless and self-willed actions of the Russian Federation and not to recognise the legitimacy of any administration created by these illegal elections, as well as any decisions that will taken by them."

Details: The ministry stressed that those involved in the conduct of these sham elections, including the leadership of the Russian Federation, representatives of the occupation administrations and election structures, should be brought to justice.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also initiates the imposition of new international sanctions on them.

Background:

Russia has announced that sham elections to local fake administrations will be held on 8-10 September 2023, in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine and in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

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Ukraine's former Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has called on defence ministers of other countries to support his successor, Rustem Umierov, and accelerate the moment of victory together.

Source: Reznikov in an article for The Guardian

Quote: "How long is 671 days? In the context of modern history, it is perhaps the equivalent of a few seconds. But for me, it accounts for a period of time during which more has happened to Ukraine than many countries go through in a century.

As defence minister, I was always thinking about what Ukraines armed forces would need tomorrow, not today. This led to the vital acquisition of Javelins, NLAWs and Stingers; later on we acquired the M777 howitzer, the Patriot missile system and are now preparing to deploy F-16 fighter jets.

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I would like to thank my fellow ministers of defence: you are the people writing a new page of the worlds history. It is thanks to you that Ukrainians are able to face Russian aggression with dignity. We will never forget those who lent a hand in the most terrible time of our history."

Details: At the same time, Reznikov emphasised several aspects that are worth paying attention to.

Russia's impunity for its invasion of Georgia, occupation of Crimea and Donbas, and intervention in Syria led to a full-scale war against Ukraine.

"You have to realise that you are responsible for the entire future of humanity; that is why it is vital that you act decisively," Reznikov said.

Reznikov stressed that Russia would not be deterred by a freezing of the conflict, a truce or concessions.

Quote: "Russia demands the recognition of the occupied territories of Ukraine as its territory in exchange for the end of the war.

However, this is obviously for the sake of one thing only  to buy some time, regroup and finally solve the Ukrainian issue, using new resources.

Russia does not recognise the existence of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people; its goal is the destruction of Ukrainian statehood and the assimilation of Ukrainians."

More details: Reznikov also stressed that Russia has consistently withdrawn from most key international agreements on nuclear weapons. Russia and Belarus signed a document on the deployment of nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.

Quote: "While the war continues, an international strategy for minimising the risks of engagement of Russian nuclear weapons and the proliferation of Russian nuclear weapons technologies to other countries should be developed and approved as soon as possible. This should contain components of military strategy and sanctions as pressure mechanisms, as well as the future architecture of international treaties regarding Russian nuclear weapons."

More details: Reznikov also emphasised that the sooner an international tribunal is established for Russia's crimes in Ukraine, the sooner the war will end.

He added that victory for Ukraine is not a dream, but a tangible reality. In his opinion, Ukraine's victory will be a triumph of international law over the arbitrariness of a powerful country. It will demonstrate the inadmissibility of changing internationally recognised borders through military aggression. It will be the unity of the free world against the tyranny of slavery.

Quote: "Dear colleagues, ministers of defence, I trust in your virtues and desire to make this world better. Therefore I urge unity, bravery and consolidated action  that is the only way for us to save this world from the catastrophe of a third world war.

Finally I would like to ask you to be even more responsive and supportive to my successor. Rustem Umerov is a competent and professional person capable of continuing the initiatives we have launched. Together, you will accelerate the moment of Ukraines victory.

It was my honour to serve my country and work with you. Glory to Ukraine!"

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(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that his country's allies had eased sanctions on Russia and called for a renewed drive to impose further punitive measures on Moscow.

"At this time, we see too long a pause by our partners in terms of sanctions," he said in his nightly video address. "And very active Russian attempts to evade sanctions."

Zelenskiy said keeping the pressure on Moscow should focus on Russia's energy sector, its access to microelectronics and its financial sector.

"There are three priorities: further sanctions against Russia's energy sector, real restrictions on the supplies going to the terrorists of chips and microelectronics in general and continued blocking of Russia's financial sector," he said.

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"The world's sanctions offensive must resume."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko had earlier said Ukraine rejected any suggestion of easing sanctions against Russia as part of efforts to restore the U.N.-backed agreement to ship grain through the Black Sea.

"Easing part of the sanctions regime against Russia in exchange for the resumption of the grain agreement would be a victory for Russian food blackmail and an invitation to Moscow for new waves of blackmail," Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

(Reporting by Oleksander Kozhukhar and Ron Popeski; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
By Dan Peleschuk

KYIV (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to send back legislation critics believe hampers an effort to hold officials accountable by delaying a requirement to publicly declare their assets.

Parliament voted on Tuesday to restore the declaration rule, which was suspended after Russia's 2022 invasion as a security precaution, but - in a key loophole - to keep the disclosures closed to the public for another year.

Anti-graft campaigners and opposition lawmakers among others believe that defeats the primary purpose of the measure, which was first introduced as a showcase, pro-transparency reform after the 2014 Maidan Revolution that ousted a pro-Russian president.

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A public petition asking Zelenskiy to veto the amended measure had collected more than 83,000 signatures by Friday - well beyond the 25,000 needed for presidential consideration.

Corruption remains a top concern among Ukrainians, who have traditionally harboured deep distrust of most public officials.

On Thursday, investigative outlet BIHUS Info published a report revealing a slew of flashy cars allegedly acquired by lawmakers during Russia's invasion. Ukrainians have dug into their own pockets to support the war effort.

"Now it's clear why deputies hide the fortunes they have made during the war," the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, a leading Ukrainian NGO, posted on X on Friday in response to the report.

The International Monetary Fund had singled out the return of mandatory asset declarations as one of several benchmarks for paying out part of a $15.6 billion IMF assistance package.

Fighting graft is also a requirement for Ukrainian accession to the European Union, and Zelenskiy's government has declared it a priority alongside repelling Russia's invasion.

Observers including Transparency International Ukraine have suggested the IMF would not approve of Tuesday's legislation. The global lender has not yet publicly commented on the matter.

Zelenskiy said this week that he would consult with his deputy prime minister for European integration before signing the legislation.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, deputy head of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, said he is optimistic that pressure from civil society and Kyiv's international partners could push Zelenskiy to send the legislation back for revisions.

"This is the only effective method to make ambitious changes in Ukraine, and it works," he said.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Ukrainian defenders are succeeding south of Bakhmut and south of Robotyne, driving Russians out of their positions and consolidating their positions.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, information as of 06:00 on 8 September

Details: Thirty-nine combat clashes took place over the past 24 hours. Russia launched seven missile attacks, 74 air strikes, and 46 multiple-launch missile attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

The Russian Federation launched another missile and air strike overnight on 7-8 September on Ukraine. Information about the aftermath of this is being updated.

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The operational situation in Ukraine's east and south remains difficult.

On the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, Russia launched air strikes in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. More than 25 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Kupiank front, Ukrainian defence forces repelled Russian attacks on Synkivka. More than 15 settlements of Kharkiv Oblast came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Lyman front, Ukrainian defenders repelled Russian attacks in Novoiehorivka in Luhansk Oblast. Russia launched air strikes near Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast, and west of Dibrova and Spirne in Donetsk Oblast. More than 15 settlements in Donetsk Oblast came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Bakhmut front, Ukrainian soldiers repelled Russian attacks in Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Klishchiivka and Andriivka in Donetsk Oblast. Russia launched an airstrike near Maiorske in Donetsk Oblast. More than 15 settlements in Donetsk Oblast came under artillery and mortar attacks. In turn, thanks to their assault actions, the Ukrainian Defence Forces have had partial success south of Bakhmut, driving Russians out of their lines and consolidating their own positions.

On the Avdiivka front, Russia unsuccessfully attacked the areas of Keramik and Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast. Russia launched an airstrike near Avdiivka. More than ten settlements in Donetsk Oblast came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Marinka front, the Defence Forces continue to restrain the offensive of Russian troops in the areas of Marinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast. So, our soldiers have repelled more than 10 Russian attacks here over the past day. Russia launched an air strike in the area of Krasnohorivka. About 15 settlements in Donetsk Oblast came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Shakhtarsk front, the defence forces repelled Russian attacks south of Prechystivka. Russia also launched an airstrike near Urozhaine. About ten settlements came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Zaporizhzhia front, Russia launched air strikes in Mala Tokmachka, Zolota Nyva, Robotyne, Novodanylivka and Omelnyk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. More than 20 settlements came under artillery and mortar attacks.

On the Kherson front, Russia launched an air strike near Kozatsk. Antonivka, Kherson, Veletenske and Tomyna Balka in Kherson Oblast came under artillery and mortar attacks.

At the same time, the defence forces of Ukraine continue to conduct an offensive operation on the Melitopol front, killing Russians and liberating the occupied territories step by step; they are experiencing success in the area south of Robotyne, consolidating their positions.

Over the past day, Ukrainian combat aircraft carried out ten strikes on areas where personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated, and on the positions of Russian anti-aircraft missile systems.

Units from Rocket Forces and Artillery hit one ammunition depot, six artillery systems, two command posts and two anti-aircraft missile systems.

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Valerii Zaluzhnyi , Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has had a telephone conversation with General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of the United States Army in Europe.

Source: Zaluzhnyi on Telegram

Quote: "We primarily discussed issues related to the contact line. I briefed General Cavoli on the situation on the battlefield, including details of our defensive and offensive operations.

Regardless of the enemy's fierce resistance, our soldiers keep moving forward. We exchanged views on possible enemy plans and discussed the defence needs of the Ukrainian army."

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Background:

In mid-August, Zaluzhnyi met with senior NATO officials at the Polish-Ukrainian border to discuss Ukraine's counteroffensive strategy.

On Thursday, 7 September, Zaluzhnyi discussed the needs of the Ukrainian army, the training of Ukrainian soldiers and the situation at the front with Thierry Burkhard, Chief of the Defence Staff of the French Armed Forces.

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Yaroslav Zheleznyak , Ukrainian MP and First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Finance Committee, explained in an interview with NV Radio on Sept. 7 why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must veto the controversial bill on online asset declarations for officials.

NV: While we were running ads, another 100 signatures were added [to the petition to veto the bill]. Have you ever seen petitions gain votes this quickly?

Zheleznyak: No, this is a record. We gained 25,000 signatures in just two hours yesterday. Its very surprising, about 8,000 or 9,000 signatures were added overnight. There are currently 59,284 votes. Yesterday, as of 1 p.m., this petition was so actively promoted that a server in the Presidents Office went down, and they had to fix it.

NV: Do you have an explanation why your colleagues in the parliament didnt want to vote for the amendment on the immediate disclosure of the declarations register?

Zheleznyak: Probably, I have. Honestly, it consists of a quite abstract explanation that there is collective irresponsibility. You know the phrase just to spite grandma, Ill freeze my ears off. It was almost the same. I wont say there was a specific person or group of people, some group of [Ukrainian businessmen Ihor] Kolomoisky, [Illia] Pavlyuk, or [Rinat] Akhmetov, who directly actively worked in the parliament to prevent [the amendment from being passed]. Everyone knew about this amendment, everyone posted it, discussed, to be honest, there is no logic in closing the declarations down for a year.

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Read also: Zelenskyy proposes single business inspection body to meet IMF, EC standards

Even for MPs who dont want to show their wealth, how many days do you think after the law with closed declarations comes into force, you, dear media and activists, will dust off a MP who wont open his declaration on his own?

Why didnt they vote? I think it was against some logic. I immediately warned all my colleagues that the IMF will not accept the bill as is. Therefore, its obvious that the president will use his veto. And the petition, lets be honest, is a flimsy tool in terms of effectiveness, but the very fact of such speed, such a number of signatures shows two things.

The first is that no one likes the lawmakers, which is quite obvious, and the second is a huge public demand that the president make the only correct decision, namely veto this bill No. 9534 with technical proposals. And there is another bill on amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses on liability for mistakes or false data in declarations. I think it should also be vetoed.

NV: Do you think the president will definitely impose a veto on this bill?

Zheleznyak: I think he doesnt have many other chances to do something. It would be strange for me [if he doesnt]. Explain the logic to me, you are the president of the country, there is a problem with constant corruption scandals. Once again, you will be well and truly beaten by all media if you choose to sign it into law. What is the point for you as the president, as the political leader of the country, to cover up some no-name lawmakers who dont want to show their wealth or where their children are abroad or something else? Just whats the point? How quickly do you think someone will accidentally leak all these closed declarations to the media?

Read also: Defense Ministry purchased one million low quality military rations, prosecutors say

I bet it wont last a month. There is no logic for the president to take this negativity. Its nonsense. And in principle, there was no logic in not voting for this amendment. Once again, I havent heard a single argument from the non-voters that would convince me. All didnt vote either because they stepped out during that time, unfortunately, there are also such examples, particularly among well-known legislators. True, I dont see any malicious intent, they should have sat and voted, but probably, if they were in the [parliamentary] session hall, they would have voted.

NV: Recently, media reports about Ukrainian corruption have become more frequent, and the Lithuanian presidents statement caused a splash. He said that corruption in Ukraine has a significant influence on Western countries when making decisions on the supply of weapons to Kyiv. Would we really have more weapons if we had less corruption?

Zheleznyak: I dont think its a direct correlation. But of course, in a country where there is no corruption, which is trusted and where there is no risk that you have helped at the expense of taxpayers of the United States, the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom, other such countries, that tomorrow you wont see the headline of The Economist, The Telegraph, The Washington Post about another military procurement scandal.

Read also: Baltic states join G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine

Therefore, of course, if you are a politician, for example, the president of the United States, the prime minister of Japan, or the United Kingdom, you will make decisions much faster about any assistance, both financial and military, if the risk of corruption scandals is almost zero. When I meet with various representatives of the G7 embassies as the head of the temporary investigative commission for financial crimes, I tell them a very simple phrase: do something about the law enforcement system.

The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESB), the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the SBU security service, etc. Because if you dont do it, now theyre stealing our money, and in a few months, there will be the first corruption scandal with your money, your taxpayers money. And then it will be a general problem both for Ukraine, which risks losing part of its support, and for you since you will have a political scandal.

What is the institutional problem? Foreign money comes in, which bodies should monitor this money? The first is the ESB. The Accounting Chamber, which has been without a head for six months or so, is understaffed, and yesterday the parliament again failed the competition for the appointment of new members. The State Audit Service of Ukraine, is also, to put it mildly, sub-par.

The Antimonopoly Committee, yesterday [the parliament] voted for Pavlo Kyrylenko as its new head. He is a military man, a former prosecutor, how does he relate to the Antimonopoly Committee besides the fact that hes a person from the Presidents Office? I hardly understand this.

All these should be institutions that control the distribution of foreign money, so that there is no scandal that appears in our headlines, automatically appears in foreign media headlines, and then turns into a political crisis.

Your colleagues, including the editor-in-chief of The Economist, have recently come to me and conducted an investigation into these Defense Ministrys winter jackets, in particular, on the materials of the work of our temporary investigative commission, and the publication of Mr. Yuriy Nikolov. Its difficult to comment to the foreign press. We tried to somehow explain that there was a scandal, but everything has been fixed, there will be a new system, that minister has been dismissed and another one will be appointed, and Rustem Umerov was yet to be appointed at that time.

Read also: European Commission advances efforts to redirect frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine

And here is Arsen Zhumadilov. This becomes a problem. There is an indirect correlation here, but its obvious. And as far as I know, our international partners directly signal to the Presidents Office and the president not only the problems systemic nature, but also the fact that each corruption problem somehow leads to a small list of names and they are all known. That is, our problem has a name and a surname.

And finally, they, like us, want to see some adequate reaction to corruption scandals. There was a story about eggs for UAH 17, everyone was silent until it became a problem. The jacket story appeared, they were also silent, trying to smother up the scandal until it became a problem. Bihus.Info journalists released an investigation into the deputy head of the Presidents Office, Rostyslav Shurma, and his brothers solar power plants in the occupied territories. He was silent for 17 days, but then, it would be better for him to remain silent, he appeared and said in particular on your broadcast that it was a hit piece by oligarchs or reptilians, to be honest, I didnt understand this nonsense.

The unified state automated passport system (EDAPS), the purchases by [nuclear operator] Energoatom. I can remember these corruption scandals. Reconstruction in Kyiv Oblast, which was released recently. All these scandals are connected by a series of sequences. There is a scandal, we as a society are indignant, we as politicians are also indignant, but there is no reaction, absolutely none.

Rostyslav still talks about [restoration], that theyre rebuilding the region, while the Polygraph Combine Ukraine and EDAPS continue to cooperate well. And Energoatom also constantly makes purchases with the same network. This becomes a problem, because foreigners see it, make certain decisions, in particular those that will affect Ukraines personnel policy.

NV: Regarding Ukraines personnel policy, you mentioned the appointment of the new Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and what is interesting is that to appoint him to this position, it was necessary to find someone to head the State Property Fund.

Its still not clear whether Olha Pishchanska, who headed the Antimonopoly Committee, has agreed to this. Finally, Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko was appointed the head of the Antimonopoly Committee. How do you explain such a simultaneous reshuffle of heads of departments?

Zheleznyak: I explain this by the fact that we lack some logic in personnel policy. Lets discuss the issue of the defense minister separately. I really believe that Rustem Umerov is an ideal candidate for the defense minister, not because he is my former colleague and we have really quite good personal relations. But Rustem is one of the strongest negotiators and definitely a good manager.

We have a slightly distorted view of this term [good manager], but during the year of working at the State Property Fund, with 1,200 enterprises and where the situation was simply terrible, he showed excellent results and no corruption scandals. Two ideal components for a defense minister. It was necessary to replace [former Defense Minister Oleksii] Reznikov as it was already difficult to work with the Defense Ministrys reputation.

Regarding the State Property Fund. I dont consider Olha Pishchanska, who is a lawyer, and to be honest, I didnt see her great economic work at the Antimonopoly Committee, a person who will cope with the challenges facing the State Property Fund. And this is to manage 1,200 enterprises, to continue privatization, and to properly manage the land that was involved in the National Academy of Sciences corruption schemes.

Read also: Zelenskyy explains why he vetoed draft law allocating funds to finish Holodomor museum

To launch a sovereign fund, manage the sale of seized Russian assets. To put it mildly, nothing in her biography so far suggests that she will be up to these challenges. And the fact that she somehow knows the families of top politicians, Im sorry, this is not a profession. Im glad that they have good human relations but its possible not to transfer them to state relations.

I asked Olha a direct question during her dismissal whether its true that she was offered this position and whether she accepted it. She basically pivoted. She told a lot of different things but didnt explain to me why she was leaving the Antimonopoly Committee. Accordingly, we know that it was simply necessary to put another person there.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, I heard a lot of positive things about him as a military man. But, Im sorry, this does not make a person an ideal candidate for a very complex and very powerful political and economic body  the Antimonopoly Committee. Again, during his appointment, I asked Pavlo several technical questions so as not to embarrass him on the air, but he didnt answer all of them correctly. In general, he didnt answer all of them.

Again, that doesnt make him a bad person in any way, but it certainly doesnt make him the most qualified candidate for the Antimonopoly Committee, either. And this is where the problem arises, about which we are signaled, in particular by the president of the wonderful country that you mentioned. If we dont have institutions, its difficult to entrust sometimes redundant or additional resources, because we really wont be able to control that they dont fall into the hands of bribers and criminals.

The last thing in my long speech is what foreigners are afraid of and they signal it clearly enough behind closed doors in various formats. They understand that we now have an oligarchy with minimal influence, which is good.

Read also: Ukraine used 3% of US defense budget to destroy half of Russian army  Lindsey Graham

But given that the countrys budget has received $60 billion, even more, since the beginning of the war, theyre afraid to create with their own hands these new power oligarchs who can dishonestly and illegally make great fortunes with this money. And institutions must work for this not to happen. So far, only the National Bank of Ukraine, the Finance Ministry, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO), the National Anti-Corruption Bloc of Ukraine NGO, and the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine are among such institutions.

NV: Do you understand what the problem is in appointing a professional person who will meet his position? Are there no such people in our country?

Zheleznyak: We have many such people, the problem is that these people were either not born in Kryvyi Rih, or arent friends of the presidents family, or dont have close ties with the vice president, i.e., the head of the Presidents Office [Andriy Yermak]. That is, the problem is loyalty. When we appoint disloyal professional people, we get SAPO, NABU, and they dont listen to anyone, as institutions should do. But I think the Presidents Office doesnt really support this approach.

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International sanctions against Russia imposed over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine will not be lifted, UN Secretary General's spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a press briefing on Sept. 8.

Denying recent media reports that the UN offered to lift sanctions from Russia in exchange for Moscow returning to the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), Haq emphasized that if this were the case, then Russia would have already reacted positively.

Read also: RussiaNorth Korea talks prove Western sanctions work  White House

This isnt about lifting sanctions, German newspaper Bild quotes Haq.

Read also: UN chief Guterres horrified by video of beheading of Ukrainian soldier

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Its important to remember Russian food & fertilizers are exempt from sanctions; if that were the case honestly, youd probably expect that therell be a positive statement coming out of Russias Foreign Ministry.

Earlier on Sept. 8, Bild reported that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, stating readiness to lift some sanctions against Moscow in exchange for its return to the Black Sea grain deal, which the Kremlin unilaterally abandoned on July 17.

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The UN is currently conducting secret negotiations with the Russian Federation to reach a deal in which the key sanctions imposed after the beginning of its large-scale invasion of Ukraine will be lifted from Vladimir Putin s terrorist regime in exchange for reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Source: This was reported by Bild, which has obtained a secret letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov , dated 28 August.

Quote: "A secret letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shows how far the UN is ready to go to restore the grain deal with the warmonger Putin," the newspaper writes.

The letter from Guterres, which Bild calls "explosive", proposes "four specific cornerstones of the agreement between the UN Secretariat and the Russian Federation", which should "lead to the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative".

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"All four points are important, since their implementation would meet all the requirements of Vladimir Putins terrorist regime and reward his missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets," Bild writes.

Guterres' proposals are as follows:

A Russian state-owned bank is to be reconnected to SWIFT

To circumvent the sanctions, the UN Secretary-General proposes to use a specially founded subsidiary of a sanctioned Russian bank, RSHB Capital SA.

This will allow the Kremlin-controlled company to "take on the role of an interface and provide technical services for payment transactions without playing the role of a bank, so it does not need a banking licence under Luxembourg law."

"Simply put: the head of the UN wants to activate a fake bank that will bypass EU sanctions against Russian banks," writes Bild.

Moreover, the UN has EU support for these plans.

Bild contacted the European Commission, which is responsible for the implementation of sanctions, and an EC representative confirmed that "the EU has expressed to Russia, through the UN, its openness to seeking a more permanent, constructive solution through the designated subsidiary of the Russian Agricultural Bank, which allows SWIFT payments in accordance with EU sanctions on agricultural transactions."

Financial services provider SWIFT also indirectly confirmed this in response to Bild's enquiry: "We are aware of the high-level discussions currently taking place around the Black Sea Grain Initiative and are closely monitoring developments."

"So the UN and the EU are working on a legal way to bypass the sanctions with respect to SWIFT for the sanctioned Russian Agricultural Bank," the newspaper writes.

The UN is willing to insure Russian ships against Ukrainian attacks

Within this point, Guterres is seriously proposing to Lavrov that Russian ships should be insured against Ukrainian attacks in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

He writes: "A UN-funded insurance company for Russian exports of food and fertilisers would be working with Lloyd's within 4-6 weeks."

As well as "cargo insurance for Russian exports of food and fertilisers", the UN head is also offering Casco and P&I insurance.

Casco insurance is comprehensive insurance against external factors affecting ships used for transportation, while P&I is comprehensive insurance of liability for losses caused to third parties.

Guterres promises the Russian foreign minister that "the United Nations will support insurance to emphasise the importance of Russian exports to global food security and increase the number of market participants with the ultimate goal of reducing insurance costs for Russian exporters."

Bild contacted the British ship insurer Lloyd's, but they replied: "No comment."

Frozen funds must be given back to Russia

Under this point, Guterres is sending Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov an offer to help the Putin regime recover assets in the EU that have been frozen by the sanctions.

He writes: "The United Nations may continue to help unfreeze the frozen assets of Russian fertiliser companies in the European Union."

Like a kind of guide to sanctions evasion, the UN head tells Russia's chief propagandist that he should "provide a list of specific accounts or assets", and that "Russian fertiliser companies should apply to the relevant national authorities of the EU for the appropriate exemptions".

Guterres promises that "the United Nations will work with the relevant national authorities and EU bodies to address these requests".

Permission for Russian ships to dock in countries such as Germany to be reinstated

Finally, in the last point, Guterres proposes to "ensure effective access for Russian ships carrying food and fertilisers to EU ports through fast-track port permits".

The UN chief notes: "The United Nations stands ready to explore further options to facilitate access for Russian ships to EU ports for agricultural trade, including simplified procedures for issuing relevant permits, particularly before departure for Russian ports."

To this end, UN Secretary-General Guterres has "held discussions with the European Commission and selected port authorities (Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands)".

Bild asked Germanys Federal Foreign Office in Berlin whether it was working with the UN to facilitate Russian ships entering German ports.

Responding to a question from Bild, the EU Commission in Brussels ambiguously stated that EU sanctions provide for "targeted exemptions to allow Russian ships access to EU ports as required for the purchase, import or transport of agricultural products and food, including wheat and fertilisers".

On 5 September, Bild asked the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about his outrageous letter to the Russian Foreign Minister.

There has been no response.

Bild says Russia's leadership is now carefully studying the UN proposals and has not yet agreed to them, as the Kremlin considers them "too good to be true" and has doubts about the "technical feasibility" of the concessions offered.

Ukrainian government circles say that Guterres' proposals are an "incredible insult" and a "reward for Russia's aggressive behaviour" from the UN.

A senior government official stated that "under no circumstances" would the Ukrainian government resume the grain deal with Russia under these conditions, nor would it give up its "right under international law" to monitor Russian naval vessels and illegally built structures such as the Crimean Bridge in order to pursue the offensive.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  A U.N. envoy urged Ecuador's leaders Friday to boost enforcement of labor laws and end popular fuel subsidies as part of key policy changes needed alongside their continuing efforts to combat the drug-related crime that has undermined the country's peaceful image.

The report issued Friday by the U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights faulted the government for failing to crack down on slavery-like bonded labor, especially among minorities, and pointed to a lack of economic opportunity that has allowed criminal gangs to recruit members. It said money that goes to fuel subsidies should instead be spent on social programs.

My message to the government is we need to treat insecurity as a problem of poverty and lack of economic opportunities, Olivier De Schutter, the special rapporteur, told The Associated Press ahead of the reports release. The answer cannot be just law enforcement.

De Schutters report stressed that about 34% of Ecuador's people between the ages 15 and 24 live in poverty. He told the AP that many of the youth who dropped out of school during the Covid-19 pandemic never returned to classrooms and have become easy recruits for the gangs."

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The report came nearly a month after Ecuador was rattled by the assassination in broad daylight of presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio . The Aug. 9 killing laid bare the fragile state of the countrys security. Villavicencio was fatally shot despite having a security detail that included police and bodyguards.

At least two other political leaders have been killed since Villavicencios assassination, and last week, four car bombs and other explosive devices went off in different cities, including Quito, the capital.

Ecuadorian authorities attribute the countrys spike in violence over the past three years to a power vacuum triggered by the killing in 2020 of Jorge Zambrano, alias Rasquina or JL, the leader of the local Los Choneros gang. Members carry out contract killings, run extortion operations, move and sell drugs, and rule prisons.

De Schutter met with President Guillermo Lasso, representatives of his administration, members of the Afro-Ecuadorian community and indigenous groups, among others.

The report is critical of what it describes as the underenforcement of labor laws, noting that the country only has 140 inspectors, according to government figures. De Schutter said that number is insufficient, and that the inspectors are too poorly resourced to protect people from working under forms of modern slavery.

The report said some Afro-Ecuadorian families, including children as young as 12, were doing work remunerated significantly below the minimum wage in a form of debt bondage.

De Schutter said that Lasso and Henry Valencia, the vice minister of labor and employment, had made a commitment to send labor inspectors to three large plantations "to basically rescue about 170 families all together from bonded labor conditions.

Lassos presidency will end in December. The report urges his successor to implement a gradual fiscal reform that redirects spending destined for fuel subsidies, which last year reached $4.5 billion, to social programs that meet the needs of indigenous people and Afro-Ecuadorians.

That amount is about the same as the budget of the Education Ministry and four times the spending allocated to social assistance.

Any such change faces a steep uphill battle.

In 2019, an austerity package that cut fuel subsidies plunged Ecuador into upheaval, triggering deadly protests, looting, vandalism, clashes with security forces, the blocking of highways and the suspension of parts of its vital oil industry. The unrest led by indigenous communities forced then-President Lenin Moreno to withdraw the measure.'

A gradual phase-out of fuel subsidies, "combined with a significant increase of the levels of social assistance and investments in health and education serving the poorest communities, would be in the interest both of these communities and of the country as a whole, the report states.
FILE - Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, carries a panel as he and Brian Hoeppner, right, install a solar array on the roof of a home in Frankfort, Ky., July 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

With the world far off track on its 2015 pledge to curb global warming, a new United Nations report central to upcoming climate negotiations details how quickly and deeply energy and financial systems must change to get back on a safer path.

The window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all is rapidly closing, Friday's report warned.

The globe has to cut its emissions of heat-trapping gases by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and 60% by 2035, the report said. To get there, the report said, the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels is required, using a phrase international climate negotiators have shied away from before. It also said phasing out the internal combustion engine would be a huge help.

And the way money flows  such as investments, subsidies, loans, grants and payments for people and places hurt by warmings extreme weather  also has to change, the report recommended. It said countries need to stop $450 billion in annual subsidies for coal, oil and natural gas.

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Halting and reversing deforestation and adopting better crop-growing practices are critical to fighting climate change, the report said. It noted that about 95% of deforestation is in the tropics, but global consumers drive the tree loss.

We must urgently disrupt business as usual and unite like never before to move from ambition to action and from rhetoric to real results, upcoming international climate negotiations president Sultan Al Jaber said in a statement.

The first of its kind report, called the global stocktake on climate-fighting efforts, put such an emphasis on change that it used variations of the word transform more than 50 times in 47 pages.

The report really puts a spotlight on that kind of transformation of systems that needs to take place, said David Waskow, international climate initiative director at the World Resources Institute. Were past the point of incremental type of change if were going to take seriously what needs to be done.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said on social media, This latest report shows that we are failing, not because we don't know the answers  but because we aren't doing our homework.

This comes as leaders of the top 20 economies, responsible for 80% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, meet in India. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told them to act quickly on warming because the climate crisis is worsening dramatically.

In 2015, as part of the landmark Paris Agreement, the countries of the world agreed to try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) or at least 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. Its already warmed about 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-1800s.

Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is another window of opportunity that is rapidly closing, the report said. Earlier this year, the World Meteorological Organization said there's a two-out-of-three chance that in the next five years, Earth will exceed that threshold for a year.

The report feels like a final warning, said Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare, a climate scientist. 'If you guys don't get your act together, we're going to cook.'

The world just baked through the hottest summer ever recorded, and ocean temperatures keep smashing records.

The way the Paris agreement works is that every country makes its own carbon pollution pledges and efforts  and every five years they are supposed to ratchet them up. Key is that between those five years, climate negotiators come up with whats like a midterm grade for the worlds efforts and a roadmap for preventing more dangerous warming.

Thats the global stocktake released Friday. After three years of work by scientists, government officials and others, the United Nations climate agency came up with a technical report that is supposed to lead to something bigger this December when world leaders and climate negotiators convene in Dubai.

Negotiators plan to use this report and discussions later this year to figure out what nations and the world as a whole will do next to fight climate change.

This global stocktake report provides clear direction on how we can meet the expectations of the Paris agreement by taking decisive action in this critical decade, said Al Jaber, an oil executive. To keep 1.5 within reach we must act with ambition and urgency to reduce emissions 43% by 2030.

Two years ago, climate negotiators battled over adopting language calling for an end or phase-out of unabated coal use  where emissions are not captured and stored  and instead opted for weaker phase down language. Then, last year, a proposal to phase out or down all fossil fuels was made, but never was put on the agenda or officially debated.

There's no question that the phase out language is an important marker, said Waskow of the World Resources Institute.

The report does highlight progress made on renewable energy and other efforts to combat warming. But the progress isn't enough, said Tom Evans, a senior policy advisor at the European think tank E3G. We're off track. We are nowhere near where we need to be.

The takeaway from the report shouldn't just be that we're off track, Evans said. The takeaway from this report needs to be: This is what we can do about this."

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Follow APs climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz speaks about Mondays campus shooting during a press conference held at the Carolina Inn on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Leaders at UNC-Chapel Hill are soliciting feedback on the universitys response to the August on-campus shooting that left a professor dead, including assessing whether training for active shooter situations should be required more broadly at the university, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz told faculty Friday.

Guskiewicz addressed the shooting at the first meeting of the academic year for the universitys faculty council, largely praising the universitys response to the event  while also acknowledging that no response to such situations is perfect, and fielding questions from faculty largely related to the universitys communications during and after the event.

I know that not everyone felt as prepared as they may have wanted to, and no system and no response is perfect, Guskiewicz said. And Ive said that repeatedly over the past several days.

The News & Observer previously reported that there is no required emergency training for faculty at the university, according to information provided by the UNC media relations office. Some students recounted to The N&O in the days following the shooting that they felt their professors were not prepared for the emergency, and some faculty continued to teach during the three-hour lockdown.

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Guskiewicz said at Fridays meeting that active shooter training is required for many of the new members to our campus community, and other faculty are regularly encouraged to participate in training. After the shooting, the chancellor said, the university will assess whether more required trainings should be considered, with input from faculty and others.

An online portal for campus members to provide additional feedback on the universitys response to the shooting should be available sometime next week, he announced.

Also at Fridays meeting, the faculty council unanimously adopted a resolution in honor of Zijie Yan, the applied physical sciences professor who was killed in the shooting.

We mourn the death of Professor Zijie Yan and extend our deepest sympathy to his family, his students, his colleagues, and other loved ones, the resolution, which is written in both English and Mandarin, states. His legacy will live on through all of us, the scholarship of his students and his significant contributions to science.

Concerns about communication

Much of the feedback faculty provided to the chancellor and provost, Chris Clemens, Friday centered around how the university communicated with the campus community about the threat throughout the three-hour lockdown.

The first Alert Carolina message was sent around 1 p.m. on Aug. 28, indicating there was an armed and dangerous person on or near campus and urging people to go inside and take shelter.

One faculty member, Kevin Stewart, said he wished the initial alert provided more precise information regarding the threat  suggesting that the term active shooter would have been more accurate and conveyed the nature of the threat better  and where the threat was unfolding.

Stewart cited the common practice of urging people near active shooters to run, hide or fight, but said it is difficult to know what choice offers the most safety if you do not know where you are in relation to the location of the threat.

I think, hopefully this wont happen again, but if it is an active shooter, that would be good to know and the location would be good to know, Stewart said.

Guskiewicz said the universitys alert messages were crafted using widely held best practices for emergency situations, but didnt rule out adjusting the alerts in some way.

Theres some danger in providing too much information in these situations, the chancellor said.

Other faculty members also commented on how the alerts were sent out, saying they experienced the Alert Carolina website or phone alerts not updating as often as the alerts went out on social platforms, such as X, formerly known as Twitter. Some faculty noted that many people, including faculty and students, do not use X.

Clemens, the provost, said phone alerts were limited to changes in status of the threat, while more frequent alerts were pushed out to X to avoid having phone ringtones sound, which could have called attention to where students and faculty were sheltering, had the threat been widespread across campus.

Clemens said the universitys messaging protocol will all get reviewed.

Other faculty said that they would like to see the alerts issued in multiple languages, especially Spanish, for campus employees and students whose first language is not English.

We are working on it, Guskiewicz said in response to a question about offering the alerts in Spanish. Weve learned a lot over the past 10 days.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Air Forces plan to field a next-generation refueling tanker by the mid-2030s could be in jeopardy if the service has to operate under lengthy continuing resolutions, a top service official said Tuesday.

Andrew Hunter, the assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in an interview with Defense News at the Pentagon that a lengthy continuing resolution in fiscal 2024, and possibly the following year, could hinder how quickly the service begins work on the next-generation aerial refueling system, or NGAS, program, thus leading to problems down the road.

The longer you take to get started, obviously, that has back-end consequences, Hunter said.

When asked if those consequences could affect the mid-2030s goal, Hunter replied: Correct.

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The Air Force still plans to launch a formal analysis of alternatives for NGAS in early fiscal 2024, Hunter said, adding that hopefully well get an FY24 budget sometime soon.

That analysis is expected to produce recommendations on what a future NGAS tanker would need to meet the Air Forces goals.

If Congress cannot pass a formal budget on time and the Air Force has to operate under a continuing resolution, Hunter said, the service will be able to continue its preparatory work on the analysis now underway. The NGAS analysis doesnt require a lot of money, he explained, which makes it easier to reallocate funds to keep it going under a continuing resolution.

But once NGAS moves beyond the analysis and to the stage of really wanting to work directly with industry  establish vendor pools, those kinds of things that weve talked about for NGAS  were going to need a real budget to do that, Hunter said.

And other, larger new programs  meant to address operational imperatives Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall believes are necessary to transform and counter a potential threat from China  will also require more money in an FY24 budget to get started, Hunter said.

The longer we wait on 24, the further we will fall behind on addressing our operational imperatives, Hunter said.

The Air Force earlier this year shifted course on the two tanker recapitalization stages that will follow the ongoing KC-46 acquisition. Originally the service envisioned following up with KC-Y, a so-called bridge tanker acquisition of roughly 150 refueling planes, and then a next-generation KC-Z in the 2040s.

But Chinas rapidly developing air capabilities prompted the service to move up the next-gen tanker it now refers to as NGAS to the mid-2030s, and scale back its interim KC-135 recapitalization to roughly 75.

Hunter also said the Air Force hopes its revamped strategy for its next refueling tanker, in between the current KC-46 purchase and NGAS, will allow it to proceed with a less extensive engineering and manufacturing development phase than the previous KC-Y approach would have required.

Hunter said the service still plans to finish the KC-135 recapitalizations joint capabilities integration and development system, or JCIDS, process and release a request for information later this month. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are expected to compete for the next tanker, with the former likely to offer a slightly modified KC-46, and the latter pitching its LMXT tanker.

An artists rendering shows the potential LMXT tanker refueling a Next Generation Air Dominance fighter. (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

Hunter said this RFI will ask industry to detail what it could provide that is more aligned with the KC-X [or KC-46] requirement than with the KC-Y requirement that we had originally talked to them about.

We wanted to make sure that we went back to industry to give them an opportunity to offer information relevant to that [new] requirement, which is most of the way through the JCIDS process, Hunter said. Its gotten very firm.

The Air Force also wants to better understand how industry sees the timing of how quickly they could deliver a follow-on tanker to replace KC-135s, Hunter said. The length of time it might take for industry to deliver a KC-Y tanker was one factor that prompted the Air Force to rethink its strategy to accelerate NGAS and scale back its interim tanker purchase.

When Hunter announced the new tanker strategy in March, he predicted Boeing would be able to deliver modified KC-46s in 2032, and Lockheeds LMXT tanker, if chosen, would likely come in 2034.

Lockheed Martin and Airbus, partners on LMXT, disagreed that delivery of its tanker would take that long. Hunter later said industry asked the Air Force to explain in greater detail its concerns about timing.

They were not understanding how we saw things folding out, Hunter said. Now weve had much more opportunity to give them information about how we see deliveries happening, and for them to then take that and come back and say: This is what we think we can really deliver on. 

The Air Forces current strategy is focused on how important it is to deliver the next iteration of tankers as quickly as possible after the end of the current KC-46 contract, without a significant gap. The service now plans to buy 179 KC-46s, and expects to receive the final KC-46 tankers in 2029.

Hunter said the greatest difference between how the Air Force saw the KC-Y procurement proceeding and how industry saw it was on the need for an engineering and manufacturing development, or EMD, program. Industry felt it could meet the KC-Y requirement using existing, off-the-shelf technologies, he added.

But, Hunter noted, it wouldnt have been that simple; the individual technologies might have been off-the-shelf, but they had never been integrated into the kind of system that KC-Y would have needed. That would have required conducting risk reduction through an EMD program to demonstrate the proposed design would work, and then take it into production, he explained.

What was different about how we were seeing the schedule, versus how industry was seeing the schedule is, they were just seeing it as: You start a program, and then after 2, 3, 4 years we start building and delivering aircraft, Hunter said. They were leaving out, I think, the time frame for an EMD program.

Hunter said the Air Force also might not have had the money in its budget to begin and rapidly progress an EMD program for KC-Y.

That was some of the disconnect, Hunter said. They had very favorable  for themselves  assumptions about: Hey, we can go very rapidly towards aircraft production without doing much of an EMD effort. And to the extent that any EMD would be required, you could start it right away, and you could proceed very quickly. And you just have to bump that up against [the] reality of, what does the Air Force budget actually look like?

We have generally higher expectations than industry sometimes does about how much we want to know in an EMD program before we initiate production, he added.

The Air Force hopes its new strategy of a more limited purchase of tankers not far off from the previous KC-X requirements will be simpler and proceed more quickly, Hunter said.

Our hope is that there would be very modest, if any, new technology integration required [for the] KC-135 replacement, he noted. Because we have effectively done that with the [KC-46] aircraft that are out in the world flying today. So that does lend itself to the possibility that you could proceed to production significantly faster under this approach.

When asked if he saw Lockheed and Airbuss proposed LMXT tanker as still having a shot, Hunter responded: Absolutely.

Im assuming Lockheed will include that in their RFI, he said. So that would that mean that it would still be under consideration.

Hunter explained that the main change to the requirements for the next tanker are coming in its communications architecture. The requirements for the KC-46 were set nearly 14 years ago, he said, and communications requirements have evolved considerably since then.

The next aerial refueling fleet will also need much more ability to connect to and communicate with other aircraft or systems in a future war, he added, but those changes should not present a great challenge for industry.

Were not seeing that as things that industry fundamentally doesnt know how to do, or that theyve never had to integrate before.
STUTTGART, Germany  European nations will need a new security architecture on their continent once the war in Ukraine ends, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe should help lead the way, the U.S. envoy to the group said.

We are left in a space where its very difficult to see the way forward other than  at some point after a Ukrainian victory in this war  were going to have to reconstitute the basis of a new European security architecture, Michael Carpenter told Defense News in an exclusive interview.

By a new architecture, he means a set of institutions that makes OSCEs participating states more secure and war less likely, Carpenter noted. That would mean restoring conventional military deterrence and, eventually, a new regime of transparency and confidence building, including through arms control.

Needless to say, a new European security order will take a long time to build given how badly Russia has undermined the institutions that were built up over the last two decades, Carpenter said.

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When that occurs, OSCE will be front and center in discussions about what that security architecture should look like.

The organization is positioned for that job because of its unique membership of 57 nations, which includes all members of NATO and the European Union as well as every post-Soviet state, he argued.

It is the right place in which to build a new European security architecture, he said.

Michael Carpenter is the permanent U.S. representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. (U.S. State Dept. photo)

The organization is focused on countering Russian narratives regarding its invasion of Ukraine, while also supporting Kyiv diplomatically and on the ground.

While Ukraines backers across the globe are coordinating military support via the regularly held Ukraine Defense Contact Group  also known as the Ramstein Group, as the inaugural meeting was held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany  OSCE is trying to counter Russian disinformation and documenting its war crimes, which will diplomatically isolate Moscow, Carpenter said.

At the moment, there is not a single other participating state in the OSCE that supports Russias war, Carpenter added. By exposing Russias actions each and every week, we ... provide a historical record for future accountability efforts.

Russia has remained the only participating state to defend its invasion of Ukraine to the rest of the members since February 2022, the organization confirmed in an Aug. 11 email. Belarus, another participating state, continues to aid Russia with active logistical support and by hosting training sites for Russian forces.

However, at OSCE, Belarus refrains from speaking in support of Russias attack on Ukraine, a spokesperson said.

The organization was already on a downward slope with Russia for many years, which was not living up to the letter or spirit of OSCEs Vienna Document, said Carpenter, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia and conventional arms control from 2015 to 2017.

In the Vienna Document, OSCEs participating states commit to sharing detailed information on their armed forces and major weapon systems on an annual basis, along with data about their military budgets, defense and armed forces planning, and scheduled maneuvers.

Moscow announced in 2007 that it was suspending its participation from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The government of President Vladimir Putin also positioned troops in the Transnistria region of Moldova, in Georgia, and in Ukraine  moves that each respective government has declared illegitimate.

In recent years, Russia also withdrew from the Open Skies Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty; the United States also withdrew from those under former President Donald Trump.
City walk helps boost consumption in China

People's Daily Online) 11:07, September 08, 2023

"City walk," which means walking freely through urban landscapes, has been all the rage this summer in China, allowing people to experience local culture and lifestyle while boosting consumption.

City walk is trending on China's social media and short-video platforms, where one can easily find relevant content. City walk lovers usually go on a tour in a relaxed and unhurried manner, meandering through landmarks, tourist attractions, restaurants and shops.

People visit the Qianmen street in Beijing, capital of China, July 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Zhu Xing, who works in Beijing, and his friends went on such a tour on a Saturday in August. Starting from the Beijing Lu Xun Museum, a museum themed on the renowned Chinese writer Lu Xun, they traveled to tourist attractions such as Miaoying Temple, also called Baita Temple, and then called it a day at the Guangji Temple.

Zhu bought a refrigerator magnet in a shop selling cultural and creative products in Miaoying Temple, a popular city walk choice this summer, mailed some postcards to friends outside Beijing, bought coffee at the Beijing Lu Xun Museum, and had lunch at a restaurant along the way. The group spent an average of over 200 yuan ($27.50) per person. "It is said city walk gives you pleasure without costing you money. But in my case, I'm willing to pay when I find something attractive along the way," Zhu said.

Compared to traditional tourism, consumption during city walks is more free and casual, with more choices. One can stop by some coffee shops and snack stores along the way.

As the popularity of city walk has kept growing, the bureaus of culture and tourism of many places of the country, such as Beijing, Jinan in east China's Shandong Province, and northwest China's Shaanxi Province have introduced some routes for city walk, with many being free of charge.

Tourism service providers have rolled out many related tourism products. Priced at from less than 100 yuan to less than 1,000 yuan, a city walk tour group usually consists of less than 20 tourists.

City walk routes with the theme of exhibitions and historical and cultural architecture, for instance, always include professional guides to provide high-quality explanation. Unlike walking the city alone, traveling in groups offers an opportunity of socializing with people. And like-minded people may team up for the next tour.

Some city walk service providers have launched extra services such as photography and in-depth explanations of tourist attractions, which also gained favor among consumers.

Some experts suggested continuously innovating city walk to meet the diverse needs of consumers, so that city walk can truly become a force for greater consumption, rather than just a fleeting trend.

City walk can be seen as a social activity during which tourists explore and spread urban culture. Basic services should be provided to help them enjoy the beauty of the cities. Cities need to make efforts to boost the recovery of consumer market and growth of cultural tourism through city walk, said Lu Fengping, an associate professor at the Nanjing Institute of Tourism and Hospitality.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
New US intelligence assessments suggest that is unlikely al Qaeda will revive in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that counterterrorism operations by the Taliban in Afghanistan have degraded the Islamic States presence there, two senior US officials said on Friday.

The assessments described by the officials in a briefing to reporters paints an optimistic picture of the overall terrorist presence in Afghanistan, suggesting it has been waning despite the US militarys withdrawal from the country in 2021.

Since the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan  and as the US has shifted intelligence resources away from counterterrorism priorities to focus on China and Russia  the Biden administration has been at pains to emphasize that it retains over the horizon capabilities to track terrorism threats emanating from South Asia.

Still, some US officials have privately raised concerns that as the US has transitioned intelligence assets away from the Middle East and South Asia, the Biden administration may struggle to track the threat posed by ISIS, which continues to operate in ungovernable areas in Syria and elsewhere.

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ISIS-Khorasan, the Afghanistan affiliate of ISIS, has continued to attack high-profile targets inside Afghanistan. ISIS-K attacks have killed and wounded dozens of civilians since the Taliban took over in 2021, part of an attempt to undermine the Talibans rule and erode public confidence in its assurances of security.

ISIS-K carried out the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 US servicemembers in 2021  the last to die in Americas longest war. Between late 2022 and early 2023, the group attacked the Pakistani and Russian embassies, hit a hotel where Chinese business representatives were staying and carried out an explosion at an air force compound, CNN has reported.

ISIS-K is a threat that we are certainly concerned about, from an external operations perspective, one of the officials said. But its a fundamentally different kind of threat than what we saw from al Qaeda on 9/11.

The officials added that intelligence shows ISIS-K has been under increasing pressure from the Taliban and many of its key leaders have fled the country in recent months, the officials said.

ISIS Khorasan members involved in media, facilitation and recruitment in support of external operations are increasingly moving to neighboring countries to evade the Taliban [counterterrorism] campaign, the official said.

The officials said that the threat from al Qaeda, meanwhile, is at its lowest point in decades.

Al Qaeda is at its historical nadir in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely, one of the senior officials told reporters in a briefing, adding that the groups ability to threaten the United States from Afghanistan or Pakistan is probably at its lowest point in decades.

That is at least partly because al Qaeda has lost one of its primary targets: US troops, the official said. The US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, leaving al Qaeda without a proving ground to train fighters and operatives.

After a US drone strike killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in August 2022, the group was left without leadership talent and strategic guidance, the official added. The Taliban claimed at the time that they did not know Zawahiri was residing in the Afghan capital of Kabul when the US targeted him.

Notably, the US assessments downplaying a terrorist resurgence appear to contrast with a report released in June by the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Team, which assessed that al Qaeda is in a reorganization phase, and had been establishing new training facilities in Afghanistans Kunar and Nuristan provinces.

The report also said that ISIS-K continues to pose a significant threat within Afghanistan, and Member States are concerned about its potential to develop external operations capability and to project a threat into the region and beyond.

Asked about the contrast between the US and UN assessments, one of the senior officials said the UN report was wildly out of whack with intelligence collected by the US and its partners.

We have tried to engage with those who produced the report to understand where it comes from better and ideally, educate them back, the official said. The bottom line is, that report is an outlier within the UN system.

CNNs Oren Liebermann contributed reporting.

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The U.S. military is moving some of its forces from a base near Nigers capital Niamey to another in the Agadez area following a July coup in the city, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

The United States is repositioning some of our personnel and some of our assets from Air Base 101 in Niamey to Air Base 201 in Agadez, Sabrina Singh , deputy press secretary for the Pentagon, told reporters.

There is no perceived threat to  U.S. troops and no threat of violence on the ground, Singh said. This is simply a precautionary measure.

She added that the U.S. force posture has not changed in the country and that a small presence remains at Air Base 101 following the move, which is ongoing.

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She also said some nonessential personnel and contractors have left the country.

Niger has been a key Washington ally and hosts 1,100 U.S. troops largely deployed for counterterrorism efforts and training the countrys forces.

But after a military coup in late July  when junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani toppled Niger President Mohamed Bazoum  the Defense Department paused military activity and training in Niger. Washington has said its pushing for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, stressing that there is no planned withdrawal from the country.

The United States does not want to abandon Nigerians that weve partnered with, Singh said in August.

The U.S. has so far refused to call the events a coup, and has expressed hope that Western diplomats can resolve the crisis peacefully.

France also has troops on the ground in Niger, but French media earlier this week reported that Paris is in talks with Nigers military about a possible withdrawal of those forces.

Asked about the development, Singh said there is no tie between the U.S. troop movement and what the French military is doing right now.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.S. and the U.K. imposed sanctions on 11 members of the Russian cybercrime group Trickbot in a coordinated effort, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Sept. 7.

"Todays targets include key actors involved in management and procurement for the Trickbot group, which has ties to Russian intelligence services," the announcement said.

Trickbot is a Russian-based group that targets non-Russian entities, including financial institutions and hospitals, with ransomware campaigns. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the group's aims are aligned with the Russian government.

The U.K. National Crime Agency (NAC) issued a similar statement, saying that Trickbot "also threatened those who oppose the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine."

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The NAC said that Trickbot receives instructions from Russian intelligence, and that the group "was one of the first to offer support" when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The sanctions involve travel bans and asset freezes, along with publicizing the identities of the cybercriminals, who are all Russian nationals.

The 11 sanctioned individuals are Andrey Zhuykov, Maksim Galochkin, Maksim Rudenskiy, Mikhail Tsarev, Dmitry Putilin, Maksim Khaliullin, Sergey Loguntsov, Vadym Valiakhmetov, Artem Kurov, Mikhail Chernov, and Alexander Mozhaev.

Zhuykov, Galochkin, Redenskiy, and Tsarev were identified as leaders with administrative or management roles within the group.

"Our sanctions show they cannot act with impunity," U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said. "We know who they are and what they are doing."

Read also: Ukraine may be winning worlds first cyberwar

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The U.S. Defense Department announced a new defense assistance package for Ukraine worth $600 million on Sept. 7.

The package includes air defense equipment, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and an unspecified number of 105 mm artillery rounds.

Washington will also supply Ukraine with electronic warfare and mine-clearing equipment, demolition munitions, training, and maintenance support.

The aid package is provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which means the U.S. procures the equipment from the industry or partners rather than using its stocks.

This USAI package highlights the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine's pressing requirements by committing critical near-term capabilities while also building the enduring capacity of Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the mid and long term, the Pentagon wrote.

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As U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Sept. 6, the Biden Administration announced it would send Ukraine more air defense, artillery, and anti-tank weapons from the U.S. inventories.

The $175 million aid package included depleted uranium rounds for Abrams tanks, which will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Read also: Blinken arrives in Kyiv to discuss counteroffensive, reconstruction with Ukrainian leadership

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The guided-missile cruiser Shiloh departed Yokosuka, Japan, this week to head to its new homeport in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The ships transfer falls under a planned rotation of forces in the Pacific, and coincides with the Navys FY24 budget request proposal to decommission Shiloh as outlined in the Navys FY23 shipbuilding plan, according to Naval Surface Forces officials.

For nearly two decades, USS Shiloh provided our forward-deployed naval forces the agility and firepower to support our carrier operations, protect sea lanes, deter aggression and reassure allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific, said Capt. Adam Cheatham, commanding officer of the Shiloh, in a news release.

Weve built long-lasting personal and professional relationships here in Japan that will stay with us forever, Cheatham said. Shilohs contributions were significant, reinforcing valuable connections over shared visions of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

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The cruiser first arrived in Yokosuka in 2006 to support operations in the 7th Fleet and the U.S.-Japanese ballistic missile defense program.

As part of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, the cruiser entered the South China Sea in June to conduct maritime security operations, including strike exercises and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units.

The training operations marked the first time the carrier had entered the South China Sea since its 2021 deployment.

The cruiser also participated in Exercise Pacific Griffin 2023 in the Philippine Sea in June, which aimed to facilitate maritime proficiency between the U.S. and the Republic of Singapore.

Shiloh departed Yokosuka for Pearl Harbor on Sept. 5.
(Bloomberg) -- Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro arrived in China on Friday as he tries to secure financial support from President Xi Jinpings government before a presidential election.

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Maduro will pay a state visit from Sept. 8-14, Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement. His visit comes as Xi skips the Group of Twenty leaders summit in India this weekend for the first time since coming to power.

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A meeting between Maduro and Xi would represent their first sit down in five years.

Here we are in China again, Maduro said in a video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, as he arrived in Shenzhen for what he called a historical visit.

Venezuela and China are re-establishing connections after years of cooling ties, and against a backdrop of intensifying Washington-Beijing rivalry. President Joe Biden is also seeking to engage Venezuelan officials in talks to lift sanctions in exchange for allowing fair elections next year.

A delegation from Venezuela, led by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and Oil Minister Pedro Tellechea, arrived in Shanghai early this week, the most senior group from the country to visit China in five years. The pair are discussing potential joint ventures between China and state-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The delegation has met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank, headquartered in Shanghai and launched by BRICS members. They have also visited Shanghais Oil and Gas Exchange.

Maduros government is seeking to raise more money from Venezuelas massive oil wealth before his expected bid for a third presidential term. Venezuela has the worlds largest crude reserves, and oil accounts for about 95% of its overseas revenue. Those cash inflows have been hit in recent years by mismanagement, corruption and US sanctions.

Venezuelas oil ministry has been working closely with China National Petroleum Corp. officials on a renewed conduit that would cut out middlemen and allow them to ship crude directly, Tellechea said in May. CNPC is currently producing 80,000 barrels a day, half of what it used to pump in 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

China became a key lender to Venezuela in 2007, when it first provided funds for infrastructure and oil projects under late President Hugo Chavez. Public data indicate that Beijing lent upwards of $60 billion in oil-backed loans through state-run banks through 2015, reaching a level of diplomatic and financial investment unmatched elsewhere in Latin America.

--With assistance from Fran Wang and Colum Murphy.

(Adds details of Maduros arrival in first and fourth paragraphs.)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
By Andrew Hayley, Vivian Sequera and Marianna Parraga

BEIJING/CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro arrived in China on Friday, his first visit in five years, to renew engagement between the two countries as China's ties sour with the West and the South American country seeks fresh financing.

China, the world's largest oil importer, is Venezuela's largest creditor and a key customer and player in the OPEC member's energy industry, which has the world's largest proven crude reserves.

Energy trade, debt repayment and new financing likely are the main focus of the Sept. 8-14 visit, officials and sources said. Venezuela owes over $10 billion to China, according to independent data.

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Since the U.S. imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela in 2019, Caracas' debt repayment to China has slowed and state oil company PDVSA is no longer shipping crude directly to its Chinese partners, state-owned China National Petroleum Corp and PetroChina.

Maduro's arrival follows meetings between a Venezuelan delegation, including the vice president and oil minister, and Chinese officials including Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing and Shanghai earlier this weekaccording to China's foreign ministry.

The two countries "closely coordinate and cooperate in international and regional affairs, firmly support each other, and jointly oppose hegemonism and unilateralism," Han told the Venezuelan delegation, according to a report from Chinese state media outlet CCTV on Friday.

Venezuelan Oil Minister Pedro Tellechea said in a post on X on Friday that the Venezuelan delegation met executives from the Shanghai International Energy Exchange and the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange.

China wants to use the Shanghai exchanges for yuan energy deals with oil producers. "They are key for energy trade and contract formulation for futures in Asia," Tellechea said.

Beijing's decision to host Maduro coincides with a G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend. Maduro last visited China in 2018, when he met with Xi.

OIL AND DEBT

Venezuela remains heavily indebted to China following $50 billion granted through credit lines and oil-for-loan deals dating back to 2007 under the late President Hugo Chavez's administration.

A rout in oil prices and falling output at Venezuelan fields meant that the cash-strapped government was forced to ask for grace periods on debt owed to China in 2016.

In 2020, the Maduro administration and Chinese banks again agreed to a grace period on some $19 billion of Chinese debt, according to Reuters reporting.

Maduro's officials are now in talks with China for debt repayment and a fresh credit line for infrastructure projects to be built by Chinese firms in Venezuela, sources with knowledge of the negotiations said.

Previous attempts to get financing from China have failed over Venezuela's repayment capacity. But since U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has eased some sanctions on Venezuela and could continue to do so if Maduro agrees to a presidential election, PDVSA is working to boost proceeds from oil exports.

Despite sanctions on Venezuela, China imported around 390,000 barrels per day of crude from the country between January and August this year, totalling roughly 12.9 million metric tons, data from commodities consultancy Vortexa showed.

Most Venezuelan cargoes are transferred via third countries such as Malaysia. China reported no direct crude imports from Venezuela in official customs data last year or thus far this year, but Venezuelan officials have said they want to cut middlemen to China.

CNPC holds a 40% stake in the Petrolera Sinovensa project in the vast Orinoco Belt alongside PDVSA. CNPC stopped lifting Venezuelan oil in mid-2019 after former U.S. President Donald Trump tightened sanctions against the South American exporter, though other Chinese entities have continued to make shipments.

(Reporting by Andrew Hayley, Liz Lee, Joe Cash and Shanghai newsroom; Vivian Seuqera and Mayela Armas in Caracas; and Marianna Parraga in HoustonEditing by Christopher Cushing, Frances Kerry and Marguerita Choy)
Craig Edelson and wife Sylvie head back to their vehicle as a motorist grapples with an angled parking space on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

2:41 p.m. Sept. 8, 2023: A previous version of this article misspelled Tara Barkers surname as Barkley.



New angled back-in-only parking spots on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills have their foes and their champions. They also have a learning curve, as a recent visit showed.

Late last week, several customers who frequent the primarily mom-and-pop shops on the stretch of Ventura were struggling to adapt. Some stopped traffic as they tried to reverse in. Others circled the block multiple times before attempting to park.

Glenn Hayden, brow furrowed, was driving east along the thoroughfare en route to Woodland Hills' Business Machines Center to drop off a typewriter for repair.

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Read more: These are the parts of L.A. that get the most parking tickets. Our guide to avoiding them

The 85-year-old attorney idled for 10 seconds in traffic outside the shop as his eyes bounced between his rearview mirror and the slots ahead of him. Finally, he pulled forward across four vacant parking spaces with his 2007 Lexus ES 350 before turning 90 degrees and reversing into a spot.

Im just happy there were no other cars around," he said.

Alongside the freshly painted angled lines are parking signs informing drivers that they must back into these spots.

The switch to reverse diagonal parking  the first such type of parking in the city of Los Angeles, according to Councilmember Bob Blumenfield  created several new spots for customers.

It's only one corner of Los Angeles. But in a city where parking is both a competitive sport and a political flashpoint, even this small change is generating debate. It's long been a hot-button subject, from the spread of restrictive permits and confusing, mock-worthy signage to rising citation prices and apron and parkway parking battles.

One block away from Business Machines Center, salon owner Tara Barker, 33, said she was happy about the new spaces. Now she could park across the street from her shop, Mane Idol.



That Friday, there were six clients and five employees in her 3,000-square-foot studio, which provides a back lot with five spots.

This is a great idea because it opens up valuable spots for everyone, the Woodland Hills native said. The problem is the reversing, I guess; it makes sense for safety, but weve had our share of clients who complained.

The issue is a divisive one, with opinions split among customers, store owners and community advocates since the installation of the back-in angled spots on Aug. 14 along a half-mile stretch of Ventura Boulevard  Woodlands Hills main corridor.

Steve Dozier, manager at Wheel World in Woodland Hills, stands on the edge of a new parking space that he says makes it tough for cars to enter his Ventura Boulevard bike shop. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Some business owners are excited to welcome more parking, while others say clients have expressed frustration and threatened to take their business elsewhere.

The new diagonal spots are on the north side of Ventura Boulevard between Ponce and Fallbrook avenues. On the south side, the new spaces are between Royer Avenue and Rigoletto Street and Fallbrook and Ponce. Parking meters removed for the renovation are being reinstalled.

Bookstore owner David Kaye says he has witnessed a steady stream of follies these last few weeks while peering through the brown venetian blinds at the front of his shop.

There was one girl who looked so confused and she circled the block something like six times before just quitting and driving away, Kaye said.

He says hes fortunate because most of his clients call in advance for an appointment and know to park in his stores back lot.

Kaye said he was aware of the changes along Ventura Boulevard since hes active in city politics but believed many other store owners were not.

"For most," he said, "the change came as a surprise.

Half a dozen business owners and managers along Ventura Boulevard told The Times they were blindsided by the change.

Read more: Towing a car can be financially ruinous. Should California cities do it anyway?

The biggest problem is that people are uninformed and feel like they should have received notice, Barker said. I remember receiving something in the mail about repaving but nothing about parking changes.

The move toward reverse diagonal parking is not recent, however.

Scott Silverstein, a former longtime Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council member, said the seeds of the idea were planted in 2015.

He drove through Lancaster's 0.6-mile-long The BLVD district , which is lined with shops, museums, restaurants, a bowling alley, and diagonal parking, although in this case nonreverse.

It was beautiful, and there was tons of parking, Silverstein said. It was in many ways what many of us had wanted for Ventura Boulevard, not just the parking, but the revitalization of the area.

Silverstein met with longtime Woodland Hills resident Dennis DiBiase, then-vice president of the neighborhood council and an architect. The two devised a plan that called for reverse diagonal parking and refurbishment of the area.

This type of parking, according to both men, allows for safer bicycle lanes since drivers aren't opening their doors into cyclists' path. Drivers also aren't stepping out of their cars into traffic, as is the case with straight parking, while pulling into traffic is "much easier," DiBiase said.

The duo presented their idea at the April 2015 neighborhood council meeting, with DiBiase introducing the topic in a print newsletter mailed to businesses and published digitally that July.

DiBiase and Silverstein presented their proposal to Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents Woodland Hills and parts of the San Fernando Valley.

A sign on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills alerts drivers to the new parking rules. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Initially, Blumenfield balked at the plan before organizing a community gathering in November 2016.

Within two months, the City Council member, the neighborhood council and other groups became involved in workshops, including three in 2017. A Phase I report was released in 2018 that called for increasing the 97 parallel parking spots on Ventura Boulevard to 121 spots that were primarily reverse angle.

Blumenfield secured $1.5 million via a City Council vote for the first phase of the project in April 2021, five years into a process of meetings and planning. The parking change is the first move in a two-part revitalization project known as the Reimagine Ventura Boulevard plan.

The goal is to create a small town Main Street for Woodland Hills along Ventura Boulevard, mirroring similar projects completed by neighboring communities Sherman Oaks and Tarzana, according to Blumenfield. Along with the parking, trees will be planted and landscaping added, with enhanced crosswalks that feature curb extensions, flashing lights and new painted lines at major intersections.

Blumenfield said he didn't understand the criticism over the lack of community input.

The councilman said he conducted door-to-door business outreach in 2019 on the upcoming changes to solicit suggestions, organized a community bike ride that year to spread the word on the plan, and in 2021 and 2022 hosted a series of virtual town halls. He also sent out letters to business owners over three consecutive years, with the last hitting mailboxes in July.

There's been a very robust engagement process for this project," Blumenfield said, "probably more so than most projects receive.

Steve Dozier, who's managed Woodland Hills Wheel World for more than 30 years, said he was still waiting to be advised.

Nobody has come into this store and spoken to me about changes, said Dozier, 67. Because if they had, I would have told them how this has created a huge headache.

Dozier said the elimination of a center turn lane along Ventura Boulevard had cut off his and his employees ability to head west on the thoroughfare.

Read more: 13 parking hacks every L.A. driver should know

Now we have to exit right," Dozier said, "and do this big U-turn a quarter-mile down the road for no reason.

Dozier and employee Noah Barbush, 21, said they suspected business had slowed because of the change.

Its a lot more difficult to turn into our parking lot now without a turning lane," Barbush said, "and because the [parking] spots are now really close to the entrance."

Ray Wargnier, owner of Business Machines Center, said that, although there had always been issues with parking along Ventura Boulevard, he believed the last few weeks had included more close calls than normal.

Ive seen accidents with [the previous] parking before, said Wargnier, whose business has been on Ventura Boulevard for seven years. Whats new is youre seeing people [driving across] double yellow lines to try to get to businesses on the other side, which is really dangerous.

Wargnier, who received a letter from Blumenfield in July, said he had yet to lose business but was not short on customer complaints.

I have some who pull in headfirst because they dont understand whats going on, he said. Others have said this is making their drives more difficult.

Silverstein said he was "disappointed" to hear about the parking struggles.

If you try it a couple of times, it will become natural, he said. I dont want to be mean, but if you cant back a car between a couple lines, perhaps you shouldnt be driving.

DiBiase says the neighborhood council has a wait-and-see attitude, although the preference would be to keep the reverse diagonal parking.

The lines are made of paint and not concrete, and were going to try this for a while and see if it works, DiBaise said. If it doesnt work, we can always go back, but I really do believe this will work.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.




On Tuesday, a Virginia mother gave an impassioned speech criticizing local leaders for entertaining a demand from a local conservative religious group to take over the towns library to appoint board members who will direct the library to remove LGBTQ+ books from its circulation at a public meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

As conservatives have targeted LGBTQ+ books in libraries nationwide, libraries in Iowa and Michigan have fallen victim to attacks, having to shutter their doors.

In Front Royal, Va., this is also an ongoing controversy.

Clean Up Samuels, the local group behind the outrage, takes issue with LGBTQ+ books specifically being available for young people to check out, claiming they are akin to giving children pornography.

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At the evening meeting, speakers complained that a non-profit organization ran the library as part of a public-private partnership, and those opposed to LGBTQ+ titles or authors being available had no control over the board, which amounted to taxation without representation.

After more than 40 minutes of speakers who claimed that the Samuels Public Library was making pornography available to children, Stevi Hubbard had heard enough.

The 44-year-old mother of two and long-time Front Royal resident who works as a local real estate agent and previously ran local Habitat for Humanity projects got up and addressed the elected officials, many of them by name.

Hubbard told The Advocate that she knows the members of the board of supervisors personally. She doesnt think most of them would insult an LGBTQ+ member directly to their face.

Why, then, would they consider doing it to the LGBTQ+ community as a group? she asked, noting, Because many of them dont know any transgender people and because trans people have felt more comfortable living their lives, theres this fear among them, but I promise you, nobody will make you trans just like nobody will make you gay.

Hubbard said it wasnt the first time she addressed community gatherings. She said this is because she is often the loudest voice in the room, called upon to speak by those who need support.

She shared that she initially didnt think the board of supervisors would actually consider holding back funds from the Samuels Library.

Weve got so much craziness going on right now [in Front Royal], Hubbard explained. The library is kind of like the tip of the iceberg. I thought they were just pandering to these folks opposed to LGBTQ+ books in the library. I was not too concerned because I knew eventually, theyd give out the funding. However, when I saw the [memorandum of agreement], I started to think maybe they finally got them crazy enough to do this.

Recently, the board submitted a memorandum of agreement to the library that outlined a new arrangement for the relationship between the public-private partnership of the library

She said that in addition to the library fight, a school board problem has presented itself in the area where a far-right-wing extremist takeover is afoot.

So its been a crazy couple of weeks, she chuckled.

During her fiery three-minute speech, which she said she didnt prepare, she called out the bigotry and fiscal irresponsibility the county was endorsing if it were to insist on removing the books to fund the institution.

She started by confronting the elected board with a petition of about 5,000 names. She verified about 2,000 residents of the county who support the Save Samuels initiative that opposes the removal of LGBTQ+ books.

These are your constituents, she said, unfurling the taped-together pieces of paper. These are the people that voted you in. These are the people that are from here. These are the apathetic people that dont vote as much!

In her interview with The Advocate, she laughed as she explained that she wanted a [California Rep.] Katy Porter moment, which didnt land as big as I had hoped.

Porter is known to give effective presentations during congressional hearings where she uses effective visual aids to support her arguments.

During her public comment, Hubbard pointed out that LGBTQ+ people in the county deserve books in the library that reflect their experiences.

What about my representation in the library? What about what I want my children to read? What about the four percent of LGBTQ members in your community that you represent that only get 1 percent of the books? Are they not being represented fairly with their tax dollars? she said, adding, The fight is ridiculous, and these people are disingenuous.

As her time ended, Hubbard made one more point and addressed fiscally conservative values.

If you take this library public and you try to remove those LGBTQ books, its fiscally irresponsible. You will be sued over and over again, and you will be playing with our money once again. How much are you willing to pay for their bigotry? How much are you willing to pay? she challenged the board.
Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy continues to skirt away from his past criticism of Donald Trump as he seeks to win the 2024 GOP nomination with Mr Trump leading the race.

Mr Ramaswamy appeared on MSNBC to answer questions from Medhi Hasan, who peppered the entrepreneur and surging political newcomer with questions about remarks he had made about Donald Trump in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 assault on Congress.

At the time, Mr Ramaswamy had tweeted, alongside the publication of an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, that what Trump did last week was wrong. Downright abhorrent.

But on Wednesday, Mr Ramaswamy was repeatedly unwilling to explain what he meant by that.

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The two went back and forth several times, as Mr Ramawamy evaded answering what Mr Trump had specifically done that was abhorrent  instead, he offered what he would have done instead, what Mr Trump should have said in his now-famous address to the rioters, and other quips.

Thats not what I asked, Vivek, an exasperated Hasan repeated.

Mr Ramaswamy would offer again: What did I think was reprehensible about what happened that day? Look, I think that the way a true leader should have handled that situation should have been to actually say- before he was cut off for dodging the question once more.

I understand, you keep saying what you would have done, I just want to hear from your mouth, unless youre scared of him. Why wont you say what he did that was downright abhorrent?

Mr Ramaswamy directly refused  Im not going to.

Vivek Ramawamy and Donald Trump (AP)

His strongest criticism of Mr Trump was to point out the staggeringly obvious  that Mr Trump had failed to unite the country.

I believe that failing to unite this country falls short of what a true leader ought to do. That is why Im in this race, is to do things differently than any prior president has done them. Thats the hard truth, he said.

Few people were expecting Donald Trump to unite the country on January 6, as his supporters stormed the seat of US democracy and hunted lawmakers (and Mr Trumps own vice president) through the halls. Many, however, expected (or at least hoped) that he would call in the DC National Guard, which is the only such division of the Guard to report directly to the president.

The call for backup came four hours before National Guard troops finally arrived on the scene during the attack.

Mr Ramaswamy continues to battle for second place in the ongoing Republican primary, while Mr Trump remains the partys de facto leader and the clear frontrunner for the 2024 nomination.

A number of candidates in the race, and in particular Mr Ramaswamy, have been accused of angling for Cabinet positions under a second Trump presidency as they by and large avoid any serious criticism of their supposed rival.
The flags of Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan near a polling station during state elections in Selangor, Malaysia, Aug. 12, 2023. Credit - Samsul SaidBloomberg/Getty Images

Nearly a decade ago, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysias sovereign wealth fund, was found to have been embezzled of billions of dollars in a yearslong kleptocratic operation that spanned the cabinet of Malaysia to global financial institutions and Hollywood. It was one of the biggest financial scandals the world had ever seen, and the jailing of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak last year was supposed to put an end to the sagabut in Malaysia, the legacy of 1MDB lives on.

While 1MDB triggered nationwide discussions about corruption, since then, politicians left and right have lobbed corruption charges against each other while seemingly everyone across the political spectrum has campaigned on anti-corruption. At the same time, few convictions have come to pass, with cases appearing to drop depending on which way the political winds blow. All this has produced a jaded populace that has become largely resigned to corruption pervading the ranks of government and that has started to trend back toward Malaysias historically divisive identity politics.

Read More: U.S. Politicians Are Rarely Sued for Defamation. In Malaysia, Its a Regular Occurrence

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With Malays and indigenous communities making up 70% of Malaysias population while Chinese and Indian ethnicities take up less than 30%, racial and religious populism has long been a defining feature of Malaysian politics. A rare consensus on corruption was forged among the electorate across the racial divide post-1MDB, but experts say that the resurgence of identity politics in recent years comes as voters grow cynical about the governments ability to effectively tackle Malaysias corruption problem.

When 1MDB first came out, there was a hope of change. People back then, regardless of Malays or non-Malays, they could both agree on getting rid of corruption and the need for change, Kevin Zhang, a senior research officer in the Malaysian studies program at Singapores ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, tells TIME.

But, he adds, developments since then have only created disillusionment on the ground and fundamentally altered the political discourse in Malaysia.

Anti-corruption was one of the top priorities of Malaysias leaders who picked up the pieces after Najib. A watershed general election in 2018, held at a time when 1MDB loomed large over public consciousness, saw the ousting of the Barisan Nasional coalition, which had ruled the country for over six decades. Taking their place was Pakatan Harapan, a coalition that campaigned heavily on a platform of eliminating corruption.

Since then, anti-corruption rhetoric has continued to dominate Malaysian politics. Last years general election saw prime ministerial candidate Anwar Ibrahim present himself as the countrys lifeline towards clean politics. Who can deny that the political elite have collected wealth for themselves at the expense of the people? he said at a rally before the election, urging people to reject corrupt leaders.

Anwar Ibrahim speaks at a campaign rally for the Pakatan Harapan coalition in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 17, 2022. Mat ZainNurPhoto via Getty Images

When Anwar took the reins of a Unity Governmentan alliance that includes both the coalitions Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasionallast November, tackling corruption was at the top of his reformist agenda. In one of his first initiatives as Prime Minister, Anwar ordered a review of government projects approved by past administrations, describing the earlier decision processes as improper.

But the yearslong anti-corruption drive promised by different leaders has thus far resulted in many charges and few convictions.

This week, the Malaysian High Court agreed to drop 47 graft charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid, whos also the president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO)the same party that Najib had led until 2018. Zahid had been accused of criminal breach of trust, bribery, and money laundering related to a charity foundation he founded, and was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on Monday upon an unexpected request from prosecutors.

The court said that the discharge was given, among numerous other reasons, so the prosecution could further investigate the chargesan explanation that has only sparked further outcry in civil society and among politicians both within and outside of Anwars Unity Government.

Zahid is just the latest in a string of politicians who have recently received favorable court decisions on corruption charges. Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who led the country from 2020 to 2021 and is now the chairman of the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional, was charged with corruption in March, only to be similarly acquitted in August. And Najib himself was acquitted of tampering with a 1MDB audit report in March, though he is still serving a 12-year prison sentence for earlier graft convictions.

The recent dropping of charges against Zahid, in particular, has cast doubt on Anwars fervent anti-corruption rhetoric, along with speculations of political collusion. (Zahid is believed to have been pivotal in harnessing support for Anwars ascension to the premiership last year).

All that anti-corruption and good government baloney was for the gullible people out there who still believe in reformasi, former ambassador Dennis Ignatius wrote in a post on social media on Monday, after Ahmad Zahids discharge.

The discharge is a minus for the Anwar government's standing, says Ariel Tan, a senior fellow at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the coordinator of its Malaysia program. Anwars Pakatan Harapan has already faced criticisms for partnering in its Unity Government with UMNO, which has struggled to shake off its association with the 1MDB scandal and corrupt reputation.

By working with UMNO, Pakatan had lost the moral high ground on corruption, and it had not been able to connect with the younger voters either via its leadership or messaging, she adds, pointing to Pakatan Harapans struggle to win support from younger voters at the state election in August.

Read More: Syed Saddiq Wants Young People to Have a Say in Malaysias Future

Malaysian youth are increasingly gravitating toward the opposition Perikatan Nasional, a nationalist coalition known for championing Islamic and Malay values. At the same time, despite the Unity Governments calls for its opponents to stop playing the race card, some of its members have also been observed to fan racial anxieties, warning ethnic minorities of a trend of Islamization.

Politics now has shifted away from corruption.  It has regressed back into racial and religious politics, says Zhang.

Political analysts have voiced concerns about identity politics taking center stage in multi-racial Malaysia, and Malaysias King has warned that such polarization will create large-scale disharmony in society. But voters have simply become jaded with the neverending political drama.

How the legacy of 1MDB lingers is almost a resignation among Malaysian massesthat it doesn't matter who you choose, says Zhang. Of course, it has brought down Barisan Nasional. But what more can you [do to] galvanize people, if people don't believe that there is any hope for change?

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Funds annual Gun Sense University conference at McCormick Place in Chicago on Aug. 11, 2021. | Mark Black, Associated Press

As students go back to school this fall, Vice President Kamala Harris readies for a monthlong tour of American universities to win support from college-educated Gen Z voters.

During this Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour, where she will visit roughly a dozen campuses, mostly in battleground states, Harris is expected to talk about abortion, gun reform, climate action, gender and sexuality issues, and book bans. And her position on this range of culture war issues is the opposite of the anti-woke stance of her 2024 GOP challengers, including businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The long list of colleges she will visit includes at least three historically black colleges and universities  Hampton University, North Carolina A&T and Morehouse College, signifying a homecoming of sorts for Harris, who graduated from Howard University, another historically black college.

Starting Sept. 14, she will also visit community colleges, apprenticeship programs and state schools in swing states  including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Southern Nevada and Northern Arizona University  to talk about issues the White House says disproportionately impact young people.

The youth voter bloc

College-educated Gen Z and millennial voters could be key to the Democratic Partys future success. Together, the two generations will make up at least 48% of the population by 2024, according to expert predictions, which could explain why Harris is embarking on this tour.

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Democrats have, election cycle after election cycle, touted the support they receive from younger voters  and that remains true to an extent.

In purple states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania in the 2020 election, young voters preferred Biden by a 25 point margin. They also played a critical role in the 2022 midterms when they helped break voter turnout records in heavily contested states following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as the Los Angeles Times reported.

But since then, President Joe Bidens popularity among young adults has dropped.

If your own activists, the people who are supposed to be convincing other people, are wondering, Are we convinced at all whether hes doing a great job or not? then how are we supposed to go out and convince other people? Noah Lumbantobing, from the anti-gun violence group March for Our Lives, told CNN.

Biden has done good things. He hasnt done enough in terms of using his bully pulpit, he said.

In the White House press release about the tour, Harris is quoted as saying, My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything.

It is young leaders throughout America who know what the solutions look like and are organizing in their communities to make them a reality, she says.

Harris, who is currently representing the U.S. at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia, is seeing her role in the Biden-Harris reelection campaign elevated. Bidens reelection campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in an August memo that Harris is uniquely popular among several groups of voters that are key to our victory in 2024.

Still, Harris doesnt enjoy a high approval rating and her net favorability is lower than that of the past four vice presidents, including Mike Pence, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Biden, according to the Deseret News.

Harris vs. DeSantis

Regardless of her lack of popularity, Harris has shown she is willing to engage in partisan battles on behalf of the administration. After DeSantis defended his states African American studies curriculum, and said he is fighting woke indoctrination in schools, Harris flew to Orlando to make a statement.

Im here in Florida, Harris said to an audience at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in August, per The Associated Press. And I will tell you there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: There were no redeeming qualities of slavery.

Harris is the first African American and first South Asian, as well as the first woman, to occupy the office of vice president.

She also visited Jacksonville, Florida, where she denounced a new guideline in the states curriculum that slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.

DeSantis quickly responded: Democrats like Kamala Harris have to lie about Floridas educational standards to cover for their agenda of indoctrinating students and pushing sexual topics onto children. Florida stands in their way, and we will continue to expose their agenda and their lies, he said.

Although Harris has recently been fighting battles on the presidents behalf, she has also had to defend herself against attacks, like when she earned criticism for her handling of challenges at the southern border.

In 2021, DeSantis criticized Harris for her delayed visit to the U.S.-Mexico border because her administration realized its a disaster.

If she goes, its going to highlight it even more, he told Fox and Friends at the time.

DeSantis isnt the only one fighting the woke mind virus, which, he says, goes against truth.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has written a book called Woke Inc., and waged war against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental, social and corporate governance practices.

We have obsessed so much over our diversity and our difference that we forgot all the ways were really just the same as Americans, Ramaswamy, a businessman, said in his campaign launch.
As residents keep a wary eye on the Hurricane Lee, regularly calling up spaghetti models and forecast paths, another group of people are getting up close and personal with the powerful storm that hit Category 5 status overnight.

They're known as the Hurricane Hunters.

Earlier this morning, they tweeted video and photos from their flight into the eye of what was then a Category 5 hurricane.

 Track all active storms

Will Hurricane Lee impact Florida? See spaghetti models, track path and storm activity

The Hurricane Hunters have been busy. They were flying around the clock the end of August, "flying Tropical Storm Hilary in the Pacific and Hurricanes Franklin and Idalia in the Atlantic and the Caribbean to improve National Hurricane Center forecasts."

Who are the Hurricane Hunters?

View from the cockpit of the Hurricane Hunters.

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, a component of the 403rd Wing, make up the Hurricane Hunters.

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It's a "one-of-a-kind organization," and "is the only operational unit in the world flying weather reconnaissance on a routine basis," according to their website.

They're based out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

What is the mission of the Hurricane Hunters?

"The mission of the Hurricane Hunters is to recruit, organize and train assigned personnel to perform aerial weather reconnaissance.

"They provide surveillance of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the central Pacific Ocean for the National Hurricane Center in Miami."

Hurricanes aren't the only storms the team flies. They also fly winter storm missions off both coasts of the United States.

Who makes up a crew on a Hurricane Hunter flight?

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is made up of 20 air crews. Fifty-nine hold air reserve technician positions. The rest of the squadron is made up of Air Force Reservists.

Each flight carries a basic crew of five: pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight meteorologist and weather reconnaissance loadmaster.

The pilot, who serves as the aircraft commander, and the co-pilot man the flight controls.

The navigator keeps track of the aircraft's position and movement and monitors radar to avoid tornadic activity.

The flight meteorologist acts as flight director and observes and records meteorological data at flight level using a computer that encodes weather data every 30 seconds.

The weather reconnaissance loadmaster collects and records vertical meteorological data using a parachute-borne sensor known as a dropsonde.

What kind of plane do the Hurricane Hunters use?

The Hurricane Hunters fly the WC-130J Weatherbird into storms.

The WC-130J Weatherbird.

Lockheed Martin describes the WC-130J as the worlds most powerful meteorologist.

"The WC-130J is configured with palletized weather instrumentation for penetration of tropical disturbances and storms, hurricanes and winter storms to obtain data on movement, size and intensity," according to Lockheed Martin.

"There are only minor differences between the Hurricane Hunter aircraft and any other C-130J. Operated by U. S. Air Force Reserve Command, the WC-130J usually penetrates hurricanes at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet to collect meteorological data in the vortex, or eye, of the storm. The data collected by the WC-130J makes the advance warning of hurricanes possible and increases the accuracy of hurricane predictions and warnings by as much as 30 percent."

Details of the WC-130J Speed : 417 mph Range : 1,841 miles with payload



National Hurricane Center: Forecast path and maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Lee

Special note on the NHC cone: The forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.

Latest spaghetti models for Hurricane Lee

Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.

Satellite photos of Hurricane Lee, views from Hurricane Hunters

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Hurricane Hunters: Who are they, why do they fly into storms? Video
A new specialty plate supporting Floridas gopher tortoise is now available for purchase, and it is for a good cause.

Wildlands Conservation unveiled the design of the gopher tortoise license plate, and the goal is to support conservation, education, and habitat management.

The gopher tortoise is a threatened species in our state because they are losing their upland habitat.

Funds from the specialty license plate will help preserve the gopher tortoise habitat and conduct research to find alternative ways to protect the species.

Read: SpaceX set to launch Falcon 9 rocket Friday night from Space Coast

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You can now purchase the pre-sale vouchers for $33.

From that amount, $25 will go directly towards gopher tortoise conservation.

The specialty plates will be produced after 3,000 vouchers are bought.

Read: Wendys to release new pumpkin spice frosty

Anyone with a valid Florida Drivers License can purchase a voucher.

For more information and to purchase the specialty license plate, click here.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
A Connecticut mother alleges that her Black son was subjected to racially offensive language from his teacher during class, and now the West Hartford School District is investigating the claims just one week into the new school year.

CheLaMora Hardy, the childs mother, not only claims that the teachers use of the N-word deeply offended her 13-year-old son but also believes that he was unfairly singled out in front of his peers. She feels her son is no longer safe.

CheLaMora Hardy says her son was racially profiled at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, Connecticut. (Photos: GoFundMe/Google Reviews)

The incident occurred on Friday, Sept. 1, and left the young student feeling distraught and confused. According to the mother, her sons teacher transitioned from reviewing the class policy on inappropriate language to using it.

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As the teacher went through the lesson, Hardys son said, We dont curse, we dont use profanity.

His teacher allegedly responded, Even if you dont curse, you guys use other types of words that you shouldnt be using.

When the teen asked what she meant, the teacher said the N-word. To demonstrate its use, the teacher pronounced the slur with the hard r and in its slang version with the short a sound.

You guys say [N-word] too. And you dont even know what that means, the teacher is quoted as saying before explaining to the class the word meant my slave.

The child told his parent the teacher said teachers could use it, but students could not.

That is different from the school districts policy on using the word.

We have had a policy in the district, and provided training in the past, that racial slurs, charged language, and other things of this sort are never to be given voice by anyone in our schools, not by our teachers, not by our students, not by our volunteers, Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus explained in a statement, according to the Hartford Courant. Theres absolutely no place for it.

Vicinus also said the district is taking the matter extremely seriously, and he and the schools administration are Gravely disturbed, gravely concerned.

The mother said the probe is already underway, with the district interviewing students in the class and their parents about the incident.

She wants the teacher fired and claims that her child was profiled.

She just automatically assumed because hes a Black kid, thats the word that he uses. You dont get to racially profile my kid like that and then actually use the word, said Hardy. I dont want my kid to have to experience this again, and I want the teacher to be removed because she has proven herself to be an unsafe adult.

The West Hartford Education Association will represent the teacher in the investigation. WHEA President Brian Putkonen has declined to comment on the accusations validity.

Hardys son is a new transfer from King Philip Middle School and had only been on campus of his new school for three days before the incident.

I had already been preparing him all summer for a good year, Its going to be a good year. Its a new beginning I couldnt have prepared him for something like this. Hardy said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
WATCH: Several arrests made as state, local police clampdown on illegal dirt bikes in Lawrence

Numerous police departments took part in a joint operation Thursday to crack down on illegal off-road vehicles on the streets of Lawrence.

7 arrests were made, 10 other suspects were summonsed to face criminal charges, 18 vehicles were seized and 50 citations were issued, according to State Police. One stolen car was also located.

The joint operation comes on the heels of other enforcement efforts by state and local police in both Springfield and Lawrence in 2021 and Brockton earlier this year.

Video shows the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing assisting several police agencies with tracking the off-road vehicles, which can be seen swerving through busy intersections and onto sidewalks.

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Of the suspects apprehended, several were charged with unlicensed operation, reckless operation, and receiving stolen property.

The operation of off-road vehicles on city streets, often driven recklessly, causes a significant safety threat to motorists and pedestrians, State Police wrote. Complaints of dirt bike and ATV operation on Lawrence streets have increased in recent years. Many times, the operators of the dirt bikes were driving throughout the city at high speeds and with no regard for traffic laws.

Authorities say earlier in the week, an MSP Gang Unit Trooper was injured by a male suspect while he was assisting in patrols related to an off-road vehicle complaint in Lawrence.

Police departments from Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, North Andover, the Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the Essex County Sheriffs Department all took part in the operation.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs may have mistakenly paid out more than $5 million in benefits to veterans claiming to suffer from Gulf War Syndrome, according to an inspector general report published Thursday.

The report asserts that the agency failed to appropriately assess whether claimants met the requirements for receiving compensation before issuing the payments. Investigators estimate that the Veterans Benefits Administration prematurely approved around a quarter of the 13,800 Gulf War Syndrome claims filed between Oct. 1, 2021, and Mar. 31, 2022. The reports authors note, however, that the under-examined applicants may have been eligible for the benefits they received, even if their claims were mistakenly approved.

The errors could complicate treatment for an illness already clouded in ambiguity. Gulf War Syndrome encompasses a medley of unexplained chronic afflictions found in tens of thousands of veterans who served in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Common symptoms include diarrhea, fatigue, rashes, joint pain and cognitive issues, though experts have struggled to pinpoint an exact cause for any of them. The VA announced in April that it would conduct a five-year study into the illness origins and impacts.

The VA first authorized disability checks for victims of Gulf War Syndrome in 1995. Gradual regulatory tweaks over the ensuing decades attempted to refine definitions for unexplained illnesses and the pathways to receive benefits for them. A 2003 rule change established the working definition of a medically unexplained illness as a diagnosed ailment lacking a clear cause and characterized by overlapping symptoms and signs, including fatigue, pain, and other disabilities.

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The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, signed into law in 2022, expanded welfare provisions for maladies connected to toxin exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan, Vietnam, and nuclear testing sites.

Investigators say the questionnaires used by agency adjudicators to evaluate claims for Gulf War Syndrome and other mysterious ailments dont collect enough information to reliably determine who deserves benefits.

(Veterans Benefits Administration) lacked evidence needed to decide the claims because its examination requests and disability benefits questionnaires do not elicit the information needed by claims processors to determine whether a veteran is eligible for benefits under the regulation, they wrote.

The inspector general report also faulted confusing and inconsistent guidelines on how and when claims processors should seek out more information to fill those gaps. These oversights, it warned, could result in around $25.6 million in undue payments between fiscal year 2022 and September 2024.

Simple fixes, such as updating questionnaires and instructions for examiners with the full, latest definitions for medically unexplained illnesses, could save millions, investigators stressed.

The VA accepted the inspector generals recommendations and is expected to implement the suggested reforms by the end of September.
A large, non-native species of snake was found dangling from the engine of a parked vehicle north of Charlotte, North Carolina, and it took a determined city cop to tug it out.

The incident was reported Thursday, Sept. 7, in Kannapolis, according to a Kannapolis Fire and Police.

Photos shared on Facebook show the snake was found hanging over the cars front bumper.

Just add snake wrangler to our list of duties! This little guy hitched a ride from Mooresville to Kannapolis and didnt want to leave, police said in the post.

Kannapolis Police Department urges everyone to be careful when giving rides to strangers, especially the slithery kind.

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Details of how the officer removed the snake were not released, but nobody got hurt.

Commenters identified the reptile as a ball python that was likely an escaped pet. The species is native to Sub-Saharan Africa that and can reach 5 feet in length, experts say.

It was not released. We found a person to care for it, police said.

News of the discovery has gotten hundreds of reactions and comments on social media, many from people noting the snakes are harmless. However, the idea of finding one in a car did not sit well with many people.

My car would have been left somewhere with the front end crashed into something, one woman posted.

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New Jersey politicians may have balked at the idea of accepting more Latin American migrants. But on the ground, advocates say they have already been helping hundreds of them to settle in the Garden State.

Rather than "immigrant-bashing," the state would do more good by helping them ease the immigrants into their new lives, those advocates say.

"Last year, there were some families from Nicaragua that we were able to house and provide the basics and then help them learn the system and navigate the system as far as registering kids for school, going to food pantries and get driver licenses," said Carlos Castenada, an organizer with Cosecha NJ, an immigrants rights group.

Castenada and the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, co-pastor at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, spoke with North Jersey.com of their organizations' efforts to help refugees and asylum seekers. Days earlier, Gov. Phil Murphy and other officials had shot down a federal suggestion that the Atlantic City International Airport could house some of the migrants that have filled tent cities, churches and other facilities to overflow in New York City.

Hundreds of migrants sleep in line early on Aug. 1, 2023, outside New York City's Roosevelt Hotel, which has been turned into a migrant reception center, to try to secure temporary housing.

While decrying some of the rhetoric of New Jersey officials, they also took a dim view of the Biden administration's proposal.

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"I do not think airplane bases make any sense for proper treatment of asylum seekers in this country," Kaper-Dale said.

Atlantic City plan panned

Bloomberg News reported last week that the Atlantic City airport, located 9 miles northwest of the city, was one of 11 federally owned facilities on a list that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security submitted to New York City of where asylum seekers could be relocated. New York Mayor Eric Adams has been trying to move migrants out of the city, where an estimated 100,000 have come since spring 2022, according to a USA Today report.

Murphy, asked about the idea during a News 12 New Jersey appearance, said he did not see "any scenario" where the relocation could happen in Atlantic City or anywhere else in the state. He said he had not been informed by Biden Administration officials about the proposal and that the state would need enormous federal support for it to happen.

Democratic and Republican officials from the Atlantic City area were even less measured in their pushback during a press conference last Friday.

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, a Democrat, complained that other municipalities continuously dump their less fortunate on the great city of Atlantic City." U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican who represents New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District, said the proposal was an example of the Biden Administration transporting asylum seekers "by bus, by air, by train, by any means possible" across the country.

"I guarantee you  I will put my name upon it  that there will be individuals who are criminals," he added, according to a report in The Press of Atlantic City.

ICE lawsuit: Murphy appeals court ruling allowing last immigrant detention center in NJ to stay open

Immigrant rights groups, including Cosecha NJ, held a counter-protest on Tuesday in Atlantic City, where they called the comments from politicians "xenophobic" and "anti-immigrant."

Castaneda, who was at the Tuesday press conference, said he and his fellow activists were disappointed but not surprised by the backlash.

"There are very few times that Democrats and Republicans in South Jersey get together," Castaneda said. "Instead of doing something productive, they hide behind the narrative of lack of resources to really do immigrant bashing."

Of Murphy's initial response, Castaneda said the governor "could have said a lot of other things" that would have been more productive. But he also faulted the Biden administration for what he considered a poorly thought-out proposal.

Castenada said the state should work with community organizations as it has done in the past to figure out how to help people coming to New Jersey. He said that involves working with a group like Cosecha NJ, which has aided immigrant families coming from New York and the country's southern border to settle in communities across the state.

"Governor Murphy could have said something like, 'Hey, if they're planning to relocate migrants to New Jersey, the best thing to do is to sit down and think it through as a community,' rather than saying, 'No, we can't afford it now'," Castenada said. "We also understand that it's not the state that is responsible for it; it's the federal government that's been dragging [immigration reform] for years."

Murphy defends his record on immigration

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Murphy defended the state's track record on dealing with immigrants, saying, "No state has done more for our immigrant population in the past six years than New Jersey." He cited laws allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver licenses and granting eligible undocumented students access to state financial aid.

Kaper-Dale has also been helping immigrants across the state. He founded DIRE, a grassroots emergency response immigrant support team. This year, it has helped over 300 immigrant families settle in New Jersey, he said.

The pastor, who ran against Murphy as a Green Party candidate in 2017, said the governor has "done right by immigrants and asylum seekers" during his time in office with various policies.

He took issue with New York Mayor Adams, saying he has turned what had been normal practice of urban areas receiving immigrants into a complicated matter. And he criticized the Biden administration's proposal of relocation sites.

"I think the Biden administration is foolish to say, 'Why don't we come up with all of these set-apart places where we can create set-apart systems of poverty and disconnect'," Kaper-Dale said. "I don't ever like things like this. Immigrants find their way in America when they are given the dignity of being able to move into communities, live with their relatives, make connections, and climb their way up."

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ immigrant advocates protest as state blocks plan for asylum seekers
FILE PHOTO: Aircraft approaches to land in San Diego as 5G talks continue with telcoms

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Friday announced $26 million in new funding to improve U.S. aviation safety after a series of potentially catastrophic near-miss incidents and is pressing Congress for more funding.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will spend $10 million to improve controller situational awareness and reduce runway close calls by deploying surface surveillance systems to additional airports, the White House announced.

Reuters first reported the planned investments.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating seven runway incursion events since January.

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The White House said the FAA will also spend $8 million to expand its terminal automation system to prevent incorrect runway landings that can result in close calls.

The FAA is also spending another $8 million to deploy a runway incursion memory aid device used by controllers for occupied and closed runways to 72 additional airports. The device provides alerts to remind controllers to check runways before issuing clearances.

The White House on Friday also called on Congress for new money for aviation safety. The current FAA authorization expires on Sept. 30.

"Without sufficient funding levels and continued investment in safety, the current standard Americans expect could be jeopardized in the future," the White House said.

Separately, the FAA on Friday said it was seeking recommendations on how it could require cockpit-alerting technologies designed to reduce runway safety events.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy in May said the United States needed to invest more in aviation safety technology solutions after a series of close-call incidents this year. There was a near collision just last month between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet in San Diego.

Technology systems that help detect aircraft and ground vehicles at airports to prevent runway incursion are currently used at 43 U.S. airports. That technology needs to be upgraded and extended to all other commercial airports she said. The United States has about 500 commercial airports.

A computer system outage of a pilot alerting database in January prompted the FAA to halt departing flights for about two hours, the first nationwide ground stop since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, disrupting more than 11,000 U.S. flights.

The FAA is also facing a shortage of air traffic controllers and last month cited the issue in agreeing to extend temporary cuts to minimum flight requirements at some congested airports.

On Thursday, the White House nominated Michael Whitaker, a former deputy FAA administrator, to serve as the head of the FAA. The department has been without a permanent administrator since April 2022.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Porter)
The White House called former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , who was helping evacuate Afghan women amid the chaotic withdrawal, to scold her for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys office to ask for help, according to a newly released book.

Atlantic staff writer Franklin Foer s The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden s White House and the Struggle for Americas Future outlined that during the August 2021 withdrawal, Clinton had a Kill List of women in Afghanistan who could be targets of the Taliban once the United States left the country.

They were called white scarves, Foer writes, because they were told by Clintons team to wear white scarves so they were identifiable.

The former secretary called the emir of Qatar to ask him to accompany buses carrying the women through Taliban checkpoints, according to Foer, and she called Zelenskys office to provide military transport from the airport.

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Clinton called an aide to Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky, asking if she could board refugees on a military transport plane destined for Kyiv. Her efforts earned her a reprimand, Foer wrote.

What are you doing calling the Ukrainian government, Jake Sullivan asked her, Foer wrote, referring to President Bidens national security adviser.

Well, she responded. I wouldnt have to call, if you guys would,' Foer wrote.

Clinton then assured Sullivan she would coordinate with the Biden administration, though she had already made contact with other world leaders.

She had also called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a favor, but she wasnt advocating on behalf of the U.S. government, Foer said.

Clinton also called Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who revered former President Clinton for protecting Albanians in Kosovo in 1999, to ask to help house Afghan women.

The Kill List of 1,5000 Afghan woman and their families was compiled by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, which was run by Clintons former chief of staff Melanne Verveer. The former first lady was able to get more than 1,000 people out of Afghanistan.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and Clinton for comment.

Foers book is an insider account of Bidens first two years in office and was released Tuesday. It comprises almost 300 interviews between November 2020 and February 2023.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Officers routinely conduct DUI checkpoints across California, but disclosing when and where theyll be posted has left many questioning the effectiveness of it all.

Reader Lynn Belzer asked the Bees service journalism team this question: Why are DUI checkpoints publicized prior to the dates of the events? Doesnt this defeat their purpose?

We consulted the Sacramento Police Department to understand the reasoning behind announcing sobriety checkpoints instead of catching impaired drivers in the act.

Heres what we found.

Why are DUI checkpoints publicized in California?

Its required by law, said Officer Cody Tapley, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. In a phone interview with The Sacramento Bee, he said there are several requirements outlining why we have to do it that way.

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The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired, the department wrote in an email to The Bee.

Sacramento Police Department Holding DUI Checkpoint September 1st



The Sacramento Police Department will hold a DUI Checkpoint on September 1st in the area of Folsom Blvd and Hornet Dr between 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.



Checkpoint locations are chosen based on a history of DUI pic.twitter.com/mNMorj1HhN  Sacramento Police Department (@SacPolice) August 31, 2023

Sacramento police denied an email request Friday morning for statistics on how many arrests have been made at their DUI checkpoints within the last year. The Bee then filed a California Public Records Act request, which requires an agency response within 10 business days.

Law enforcement agencies across California must adhere to the following federal and state guidelines when conducting DUI checkpoints, according to an email from Sacramento police:

Checkpoints are established by supervising officers.

Drivers are stopped using a formula.

Proper lighting, signs, official cars and officers are used.

Checkpoints are fair and made by a government official.

The time and duration of the checkpoint was conducted in good judgment.

Official signs are stationed at the checkpoint.

Decrease the average time drivers are stopped.

The checkpoint is publicized prior to the event.

In 2021, more than 13,000 people died in drunk driving car crashes in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That represents a 14% increase from 2020.

Checkpoints are chosen based on both previous DUI-related crashes and arrests, according to an Aug. 31 news release from Sacramento police. Motorists typically get a heads-up one day before the event on the exact or approximate location of the stop.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
In this undated photo provided on Monday, 21 August 2023, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, centre, visits a navy flotilla in North Korea (AP)

North Korea announced on Friday that its newly developed missile submarine possesses the capability for nuclear attacks.

The submarine project has been in development for several years, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has previously also emphasised its critical role in establishing a nuclear-armed naval force as a means to counter the United States and its allies.

The newly unveiled vessel  named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a prominent North Korean historical figure  has been designed with the capability to launch tactical nuclear weapons from beneath the water, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

It did not, however, provide specific details regarding the number of missiles it can carry and deploy.

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In the past year, North Korea has taken steps to enhance its naval capabilities by introducing new nuclear weapons systems. These include an underwater drone, the development of warships, and now the first operational missile submarine.

In recent weeks, Mr Kim has also been placing significant emphasis on the imperative to bolster North Koreas navy. Some analysts speculate that this heightened focus may be driven by a desire to enhance military collaboration with Russia, as Russia has hinted at the potential for joint military exercises between the two nations.

It was recently reported that South Korean officials indicated that North Korea is likely to have received an invitation to participate in trilateral naval exercises alongside Russia and China for the first time.

According to South Korean lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, it is believed that Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu proposed the idea of joint naval drills during his visit to Pyongyang in July.

China and Russia have conducted annual joint naval exercises for over a decade. However, this is the first time that North Korea has been invited to participate in these joint naval exercises. Experts believe that amid escalating nuclear tensions involving Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo, Mr Kim has been making efforts to enhance the visibility of his alliances with Moscow and Beijing.

The reports about the trilateral naval drills emerged shortly before Mr Kims anticipated trip to Russias far eastern port city of Vladivostok for the 10 September to 13 September Eastern Economic Forum.

Last month, North Korean state media published photos showing Mr Kim conducting an inspection of a missile test just days after the commencement of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

KCNA reported that the leader was on site to monitor the launch of strategic cruise missiles fired from a patrol ship, belonging to the North Korean Navys East Sea Fleet.

Mr Kim reportedly inspected the patrol ships weapons and combat preparedness and highly praised the ship for maintaining high mobility and mighty striking power and constant preparedness for combat to cope with sudden situation, according to KCNA.

David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, told VOA that members of the Moscow-Beijing-Pyongyang authoritarian axis may also feel a need to counter other US-led security alliances, including AUKUS (Australia, the UK and the US), the QUAD (Australia, India, Japan and the US) and Nato, besides Japan, South Korea and the US security arrangement.

According to state media reports, the newly unveiled submarine on Friday is seen as a significant enhancement to North Koreas nuclear deterrent capabilities and state media said the submarine will strengthen it by leaps and bounds.

Until quite recently, Kim has largely appeared to neglect naval nuclear programmes. The recent refocus on naval nuclear capabilities has likely been welcomed by the Korean Peoples Navy, Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters news agency.

After analysing the photos of the new submarine, Hero Kim Kun Ok, experts suggest it can silently transport and launch 10 Pukguksong-3 missiles while still submerged.

This is pretty new, Robert Kelly, a professor of international relations, at Pusan University in South Korea told Al Jazeera. The core issue is the propulsion system; the louder it is, the easier it is to find. Its not really clear if North Koreas long-range missiles have good guidance to land at a specific target so the submarine would probably not be able to go that far away.

Analysts have suggested that, similar to the nuclear drone, the utility of this new submarine in a wartime context may be restricted when compared with North Koreas more formidable land-based missile systems.

Their submarines just arent going to be able to be as survivable as their land-based forces, Vann Van Diepen, a former US government weapons expert said. And theyll have a hard time deploying enough missiles at sea to make a big difference.

As per the 2022 Defense White Paper from the South Korean military, the Korean Peoples Army Naval Force maintains approximately 470 surface vessels in its fleet. These vessels include various types, such as guided missile ships, torpedo boats, small patrol vessels, and fire support boats. It also has about 70 submarines, including Romeo-class vessels of Soviet-era design, and midget submarines.

The navy also has about 40 support craft and 250 landing craft.

According to the White Paper, the Korean Peoples Army Naval Force is organised into two fleet commands, which oversee operations along the countrys east and west coasts. The document reveals that roughly 60 per cent of the naval force is stationed to the south of Pyongyang.

The North Korean Naval Force possesses the capacity to carry out a surprise attack any time, the paper said. However, its capacity for deep-sea operations is limited because its force primarily consists of small, high-speed vessels.

Meanwhile, South Korea has condemned the launch of North Koreas missile submarine and said that Pyongyang might be exaggerating its capabilities. Japan also expressed hesitation.

Earlier this year in March and April, North Korea claimed that it tested a nuclear-capable unmanned underwater attack weapon. KCNA said at the time that the submarine travelled underwater for over 59 hours before reaching its target where its test warhead  not an actual nuclear device  was detonated underwater.

North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests since 2016 as per its state media but it is difficult to verify the claims. North Korea asserts that it possesses nuclear warheads compact and lightweight enough to be affixed to drones, as well as cruise and short-range missiles.

(Additional reporting by agencies)
Georgia prosecutors on Thursday took aim at a long-running claim by Republicans loyal to former President Donald Trump : that the GOP activists who falsely posed as presidential electors in 2020 were mimicking a Democratic tactic deployed in 1960.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis argued in court papers that the efforts by Trump loyalists in 2020 are so readily distinguishable from the events of 1960 as to make the comparison meaningless.

Willis arguments were part of an effort to defuse a bid by three Trump allies, charged alongside Trump in an alleged conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election, to transfer their cases to federal court. All three  David Shafer, Shawn Still and Cathleen Latham  were among dozens of Trump allies in seven states won by President Joe Biden who gathered on Dec. 14, 2020, and signed certificates claiming to be their states legitimate presidential electors. Willis has charged them with impersonating federal officials and forgery, among other charges.

All three have also argued that their actions were meant to mirror the efforts of three Hawaii Democrats after the 1960 election. Back then, Richard Nixon appeared to narrowly prevail in the state, and the governor certified his victory by just 150 votes. But a subsequent recount showed Democrats likely to gain ground. That recount was underway on Dec. 19, 1960, when presidential electors across the nation were required to meet and cast ballots. Lawyers advising Hawaii Democrats encouraged John F. Kennedys three electors to gather and sign certificates as though they had prevailed  a move the attorneys said would ensure that their votes would be counted by Congress if the recount reversed the results. Ultimately, Kennedy pulled ahead by an eyelash, a state court affirmed his victory and a new governor certified the Democratic electors as Hawaiis legitimate slate.

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When Congress met on Jan. 6, 1961, to count electoral votes, Nixon  who presided over the count as the sitting vice president  acknowledged receiving three sets of electors from Hawaii: the originally certified Republican slate, the uncertified slate of Democratic electors cast prior to Kennedys recount victory, and the slate of Democratic electors certified after Kennedy had formally prevailed. Nixon received unanimous agreement from lawmakers to count the third set.

Trumps elector nominees have compared their efforts to Hawaiis, claiming they convened and signed certificates based on the advice of campaign lawyers who said the efforts were necessary to preserve Trumps chances of prevailing in his ongoing litigation. But federal and state investigators viewed the effort as a pretext that would later be weaponized to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to block Bidens victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump and allies like attorney John Eastman  who is also charged in the alleged racketeering  pressed Pence to acknowledge the false-elector slates and use them to demand a delay in the transfer of power.

Willis fiercely rejected the comparisons between 2020 and 1960. She noted that in 2020, Georgia had already undertaken two recounts that affirmed Bidens win by the time electors gathered to finalize the results.

There is no guiding precedent here, Willis team argued.

Shafer, Still and Latham arent the only false electors facing potential criminal consequences. All 16 Michigan Republicans who signed similar false documents have been charged with state-level felonies.

The House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol also unearthed evidence  cited both in Georgia and Washington, D.C., criminal cases against Trump  that Trump took a direct interest in the effort, urging national Republican leaders to ensure that slates of his alternate electors convened on Dec. 14.

His former chief of staff Mark Meadows testified last monththat he helped coordinate elector efforts in part because he was trying to avoid Trumps anger.
State Public Defender Kelli Thompson.

There are three things to know in the wake of Kelli Thompson's recent announcement that she's stepping down as State Public Defender.

She hasn't gone out and lined up another job.

Her health is great.

And even though her father, Tommy Thompson , was elected to four terms as Wisconsin governor, she's not running for public office.

"It's the right thing. It's the right decision," she said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel as she reflected on her 12 years of leading the agency that provides legal representation to the indigent throughout the state in criminal cases.

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But that doesn't mean it was an easy choice.

"I have to tell you, I have cried more over this decision than anything else," she said.

Thompson revealed she'll resign effective Oct. 9 in as low-key a way as possible. There was a press announcement and letter released Sept. 1, before the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Thompson will be succeeded as acting State Public Defender by a deputy, Katie York, with the board conducting a search to fill the position on a full-time basis.

She'll leave office after a successful budget season that saw pay increases to public defenders (assistant district attorneys also received a significant boost). The rate for private attorneys hired by the public defender's office also increased from $70 to $100 an hour.

The agency, which employs around 700 people including 375 attorneys, has an annual budget of $133 million. It handled a little more than 115,000 cases last year but faces a significant backlog.

In August 2022, a suit filed in Green Bay against Gov. Tony Evers and the state Public Defender Board accused Wisconsin of violating the constitutional rights of thousands of indigent criminal defendants who have waited weeks and months for an appointed lawyer.

The case is before Circuit Court Judge Tom Walsh who is anticipated to make a decision regarding the defendants' motion to dismiss and the plaintiffs' motion for class certification.

Two state Supreme Court justices lauded Thompson's work with the agency.

Chief Justice Annette Ziegler called Thompson "a long-serving, dedicated public servant in the justice system."

"For many people, the State Public Defenders office is the only means by which they receive access to justice," Ziegler said in a statement. "Kelli not only effectively advocated for the public defenders office, but she has been a steadfast defender of constitutional rights for those in need of legal services. Job well done, Kelli!"

Justice Rebecca Dallet said Thompson has given "her heart and soul" to her clients and her agency and "advocated on behalf of all of us for a better criminal justice system."

"I think she loves her job but I also know that Kelli has done the work of training the next generation and has ensured it will be in good hands when she leaves," Dallet said in an interview.

Mary Triggiano, the former Milwaukee County chief judge and current director of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice, said: "I've not seen anyone work as tirelessly and as hard as she has over the years for her clients and the state of Wisconsin."

"She's a dear friend," Triggiano said. "We've brainstormed the pandemic and backlogs together. It's going to be an incredible loss for that office and it will be interesting to see what she does next. She has a big heart."

In her resignation letter, Thompson wrote about the challenges facing Wisconsin's criminal legal system that "has been asked to do too much with too little."

"It is the most expensive and least effective way to protect the public," she wrote. "We continue to criminalize issues better left addressed through the mental health, substance abuse treatment, and educational system than the court system. In continuing to do so, we perpetuate generational harm, particularly in our Black and Native American communities, all while not making our state safer."

"Prison should be the last resort," she told the Journal Sentinel.

She said she wants her tenure to be remembered "as someone who was committed to indigent defense, committed to my clients, committed to my staff, committed to the people I sit with and work with every single day."

She said it is a privilege to "work alongside people who are fighting for other individuals but also to work with these individuals whose voices are oftentimes not heard."

Real people, she said, are in the criminal justice system. And they deserve the best defense.

"Truly, I love the public defender's office," she said. "I'm leaving with a heavy heart."

Journal Sentinel reporter Ashley Luthern contributed to this article.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Public Defender Kelli Thompson reflects on 12 years overseeing agency
Dr. Erin O'Donnell, assistant professor of pediatric emergency medicine at Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee, says in recent years, 60% more young people are attempting suicide and being treated at Children's Wisconsin.

2021 and 2022 have been some of the deadliest years for suicide numbers in Wisconsin in at least two decades, and it's the first time the state has seen such high numbers two years in a row.

This rise in deaths by suicide is a grim trend across the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide deaths have increased by about 36% between 2000 and 2021, with more than 48,000 people in the U.S. taking their lives and another 1.7 million attempting suicide in 2021.

That's part of why the CDC is funding 24 jurisdictions, including Wisconsin, through its comprehensive suicide prevention program, with the goal of reducing the nation's suicide numbers by 20% by 2025. On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers announced that his office and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services were joining the effort to reduce suicide among two at-risk populations by 10% over the next five years.

Those at-risk populations in Wisconsin  rural men over 25 years old and adolescents between 10 and 19 years old  require very different strategies, which the Wisconsin branch of Mental Health America has helped identify and implement.

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I declared 2023 the Year of Mental Health because we cannot overstate the profound impact the past few years have had on our kids, families, and communities, and we know that Wisconsinites across our state are struggling perhaps now more than ever, Evers said in Wednesday's press release. "Its so important that we raise awareness and continue talking about this important issue so that folks know they are not alone and that help and support are available."

RELATED: Tony Evers declares 2023 'the year of mental health' in his State of the State address

What do the numbers tell us?

In 2021, 905 Wisconsinites died by suicide and it's estimated that 912 people died by suicide in 2022, based on preliminary data from DHS. As in every year since 2004, suicide deaths by firearm made up the majority of lethal means, by more than half in both 2021 and 2022.

RELATED: Suicides rise in Wisconsin, led by more than 500 gun deaths in 2022

Christine Niemuth, the behavioral health section manager within the division of public health at DHS, said rural men 25 and older "carry the most burden of suicide," a result of social isolation, financial stress and job loss, among other factors. In 2021, nearly 200 rural men in Wisconsin died by suicide, two-thirds of whom used firearms as their method. A quarter of the state's rural men who died by suicide had military experience.

And Wisconsin adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19, Niemuth said, are self-harming at an alarming rate, which can be seen as a risk factor for suicide. In 2021, 1,340 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 visited the emergency department across the state for self-harm-related injuries, with or without suicidal intent. Almost two-thirds of the girls who showed up at hospitals for self-harm in Wisconsin used drugs  whether prescription, legal or illegal  as a method of self-harm.

Black and Indigenous girls in Wisconsin are increasingly self-harming themselves at disproportionate rates.

These numbers show too many of our fellow Wisconsinites are in pain, and we must call attention to available suicide prevention resources, said DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson in the Wednesday press release.

How much money is the state getting?

Over the course of five years, the state will receive $4.3 million, which breaks down to about $680,000 per year, according to Paula Tran, administrator for the division of public health within DHS and state health officer.

All told, the CDC is dedicating about $21 million per year across its 24 jurisdictions. That's a small price to pay if you consider that, in 2020, suicide and suicide attempts cost the U.S. more than $500 billion, according to the CDC.

Where is the money going?

Because a majority of suicides are the result of access to firearms, some of the CDC funding will go toward the Gun Shop Project, a suicide prevention strategy that focuses on educating firearm retailers and range owners. Part of that education is helping retailers and range owners recognize a suicidal customer or else a customer in crisis and provide safe options for them.

RELATED: A record 530 people died by firearm suicide in Wisconsin last year. These gun stores hope to change that.

Niemuth said funding will go toward posters, brochures and tipsheets on proper handling and storage of firearms.

So far, nearly 40 gun shops across Wisconsin are participating in the effort.

A similar program getting CDC funding, called Counseling on Access to Lethal Means, or CALM, is a program often implemented at hospitals and emergency departments when people either have attempted suicide or present with suicidal ideation. The program puts time and distance between at-risk individuals and common lethal means of suicide, particularly firearms, through training.

When approaching the needs of young people, Sources of Strength is another funded program that puts suicide prevention education into schools, providing peer-based support, healthy coping skills and a sense of belonging.

And Strengthening Families, also being funded, works to connect families and children on best practices for parenting and coping skills.

How will state agencies be monitoring suicide numbers?

When it became clear that COVID-19 would spread to the United States, many people got used to checking dashboards on infection rates in their area. Similarly, Niemuth said, DHS is working on dashboards for public consumption that look at two crucial numbers: suicide and self-harm numbers.

DHS will work with the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System, which takes information from coroners and medical examiners, to extract information about the circumstances of violent deaths related to suicide.

Niemuth said sharing this information with partners will enable them to do their own local planning on suicide prevention efforts.

These dashboards will be available in the coming years, Niemuth said.

"Because of the complexity of suicide, it presents a lot of opportunities for lots of different kinds of partners and people and agencies to be involved," Tran said. "They can't do this work just as the state health department, and it can't just come from the state. There's need for local investments and leadership."

How can I support someone who's suicidal or in crisis?

According to #Bethe1To, a campaign created by the 988 Suicide and Crisis Line, anyone can take the following five action steps for communicating to someone who is suicidal or in crisis:

Asking the question, Are you thinking about suicide? communicates an openness to speak about suicide in a supportive way that is, importantly, nonjudgmental.

Be there. You may be physically present for someone, or call them on the phone, or else show support in other ways for the person at risk. Your role here is to listen and learn what the individual is going through.

Keep them safe. If a suicidal person has access to highly lethal items like firearms or prescription drugs, it's important to find a way to reduce that person's access. This may not be easy to do, but asking if the person has a plan and removing or disabling the lethal means can make a difference. If they plan to take action immediately, call 911.

Help them connect. Connecting someone with thoughts of suicide to ongoing supports can create a safety net for those times they find themselves in crisis. Supports could look like a family member, friend, spiritual adviser or mental health professional.

Follow-up. After your initial contact with a person experiencing suicidal thoughts, in which you're also connecting them with resources and other supportive means, make sure to follow up with them to see how theyre doing.

Anyone in need of support can call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at all hours of the day or night to talk with a trained counselor about any challenge or concern. It's free and confidential.Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Click here to subscribe to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin site today and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Gov. Tony Evers plans to reduce suicide numbers by 10% over 5 years
Months after a nest was found on a perilous perch, the chicks were released back to the wild, according to an Arizona energy company.

Power line workers in Buckeye noticed the red-tailed hawk nest sitting atop of electrical equipment in March, Arizona Public Service said in a Sept. 1 news release.

Inside the nest were four eggs about to hatch, the company said.

The nests location, however, posed a hazard to the birds and equipment, according to the company.

The company said it partnered with Liberty Wildlife, a nonprofit, to relocate the nest to a nearby nesting platform, specially built to host the nest in a safer spot.

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In the days following, when the hawks parents didnt return, the company said, Liberty Wildlife took the nest and eggs to its facility.

There, staff cared for the hawks after they hatched, the company said.

They were placed with foster hawk parents who taught them how to fly and hunt, the company said in a Sept. 4 Facebook post.

In late August, the company said the four little guys were released one-by-one to the wild near where their nest was originally rescued.

Each hawk flew out and quickly adapted to their home, the company said.

Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawks found in North America, according to the National Audubon Society.

They have a year-round range in the entire state of Arizona and can commonly be seen soaring overhead or perched high up on telephone wires and high in trees, according to Bird Feeder Hub.

Buckeye is about 35 miles southwest of Phoenix.

A baby hawk fell 90 feet from a tree. So Central Coast community began Operation: Re-nest

Fierce hawk had a broken wing. See its flight back into the Colorado wilderness

Baby manatee found alone after hurricane hits Florida. Watch her second chance
DAKAR (Reuters) - The World Bank on Friday announced $340 million in new financing to help Chad address several crises, including $90 million to respond to the influx of refugees fleeing conflict in neighbouring Sudan, it said in a statement.

The funding comes on top of more than $235 million in ongoing financing to support refugees and host communities in Chad.

More than more than 400,000 Sudanese and Chadian nationals from Darfur have fled to eastern Chad since the war broke out in April, the World Bank said.

The arrivals have intensified the need for humanitarian assistance in one of the world's poorest countries and put pressure on natural resources.

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"The influx of refugees, coupled with weak harvest and the compounding effects of climate change will drive up food insecurity in the coming months," the statement said.

Chad was already hosting close to 600,000 refugees before conflict broke out in Sudan in April.

The United Nations on Monday said it expected over 1.8 million people from Sudan to arrive in five neighbouring countries by the end of the year and appealed for $1 billion to help them amid reports of rising disease and death rates.

(Reporting by Edward McAllister; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by William Maclean and Alison Williams)
In the eight years since the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, the worlds nations have not done enough to cut pollution and avert catastrophic levels of warming, according to the first United Nations scorecard since Paris, released on Friday.

As the worlds nations gather for COP28 in Dubai in late November to measure how much progress has been made on bringing down global emissions since Paris, Fridays assessment by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change shows the world is still seriously off-track.

One of the key facets of COP28 will be whats known as a global stocktake, measuring how quickly the worlds nations are meeting the emissions goals set out in Paris, to help bring down the temperature of a rapidly warming globe.

The report warns there is a rapidly narrowing window to raise ambition and implement existing commitments, but the world is currently not in line with the temperature targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally below the critical warming threshold of 1.5 degrees.

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The planet has already warmed about 1.2 degrees above preindustrial levels; during this years summer of record heat, it hit 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels.

This years sweltering summer broke global temperature records. June to August was the planets warmest such period since records began in 1940, according to data from the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service.

While the UN report finds the Paris Agreement has driven near-universal climate action from each country and put a major focus on lowering emissions, the actions themselves from countries arent matching up to the crisis.

Against forecasts made prior to its adoption, the Paris Agreement has led to contributions that significantly reduce forecasts of future warming, yet the world is not on track to meet the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement, the UN authors wrote.

In a statement, COP28 president designate Dr. Sultan Al Jaber called on governments and businesses to deliver real and actionable commitments to address climate change.

Todays global stocktake provides clear direction on how we can meet the expectations of the Paris Agreement by taking decisive action in this critical decade, Al Jaber said in the statement.

Experts said COP28 represents a pivotal moment for the globe to collectively rise to the occasion, as climate-driven extreme weather and deadly heat has battered countries all over the world.

The UN report is a call for radical and immediate action, Tom Evans, policy adviser on climate diplomacy and geopolitics at think tank E3G, said in a statement. Agreeing on a global rapid response plan at COP28 can turn the tide on climate action.

Evans called for countries to scale up renewable energy and phase out fossil fuels. But getting the worlds nations to agree on language phasing out all fossil fuels has proved extremely difficult in the past and could run into challenges at this years summit  hosted by oil and gas-rich nation the United Arab Emirates.

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The G20 talks kicking off in India this weekend will take place during what may well be the worlds hottest year ever. New Delhi, the city where talks are happening, is still recovering from devastating floods. The meetingof the worlds 19 wealthiest countries and the European Union, together responsible for nearly 80 percent of global power-sector emissionscomes at the outset of a summer marked by record heat, ongoing extreme floods, and deadly wildfires. Those climate-fueled events have hit rich and poor countries alike, and brought far more destruction to those with fewer resources to deal with them.

Headlines about the G20, meanwhile, have focused on the geopolitical tensions plaguing the talks, from divisions over the war in Ukraine to Chinese President Xi Jing Pings reported decision not to attend. Those divisions may now threaten the main prize of this and other G20 gatherings: its traditional joint communique summarizing new pledges and points of unity around which the bloc has reached a consensus.

When it comes to the climate crisis, the G20 will hash out a couple old chestnuts: potential commitments to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, the ongoing efforts to phase out fossil fuelscoal, especiallyand provide more financing for developing countries to decarbonize and adapt to climate change. Many of these issues are continuations of contentious, complex conversations that have been dragging on for years in the climate policy realm. But if theres one thing G20 countries are united around, its an acknowledgment that were off course from meeting the core goal of the Paris climate agreement, to limit global temperature rise by well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The elephant in the room at meetings like these is that, obviously, the wealthiest and most powerful countries are also the most prolific emitters. A new study commissioned by Oxfam finds that climate pledges made by G20 nations would keep per-capita greenhouse gas emissions roughly steady through 2030. Per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, those would need to decrease by 45 percent worldwide through 2030 to cap warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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The tensions among G20 members on climate policy are largely about who still gets to emit what as the world gets hotter. China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia all oppose proposals on the table to triple renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade and slash greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent five years after that. The United States and Europe, meanwhile, have repeatedly chided prolific coal use in India, China, and poorer developing countries. Since 2015, there has indeed been a troubling rise in coal emissions across the G20, led by India, Indonesia, and China. At the same time, the bloc has failed to deliver on its long-held pledge to provide $100 billion per year for climate mitigation and adaptationsomething that would help countries ditch coal. Neither has there been a plan to deliver comprehensive debt relief for nations struggling to pay back loans.

Since the start of the year, meanwhile, the nonprofit Oil Change International finds that the U.S. has approved more fossil fuel financing than any other country, furnishing $1.5 billion to four projects. Germany came in second. Both were among the 38 countries signed on to the Glasgow Statement unveiled at the U.N. climate talks held in Scotland in 2021, pledging to end new direct public financing for overseas fossil fuel projects by the end of last year.

The watchword in elite climate policymaking circles has long been that widespread prosperitymeasured in growth in gross domestic productwould trickle down into emissions reductions as countries develop the capacity to get off fossil fuels or even eliminate emissions from them. Key to that belief was the idea of decoupling emissions from growth: that countries could continue to grow their GDP while releasing fewer greenhouse gasesso-called green growth. While decoupling is indeed happening, researchers Jefim Vogel and Jason Hickel found in a Lancet Planetary Health paper published this week that current rates of decoupling in the wealthier countries they analyzed would take 220 years to reduce those states emissions by 95 percent.

Whatever effect ever-growing GDP is meant to have on carbon emissions, it has not made the worlds richest countries more amendable to helping others decarbonize. Economic indicators are not, after all, sentient. Politicians want to grow their favorite sectors as fast as they please. The preoccupation of U.S. domestic climate policy has been to supercharge power-sector decarbonization here with generous incentives for renewable energy, alongside modest tax breaks for other green industries. But growth in one sector wont de-grow another: As the U.S. nurtures green industry, its likely to continue breaking records for domestic oil production. More than likely, that feat will be cheered on by the same administration demanding other countries cut fossil fuels.

World governments remain dangerously off track from meeting the goals they set for themselves on climate. Whether they produce a communique or not, G20 talks arent likely to change that.
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited areas of northern China that were hit by deadly floods earlier this summer for the first time  a journey that comes as the southern tech hub of Shenzhen recorded the most rain in more than 70 years.

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Xi traveled on Thursday to Shangzhi, a farming hub in Heilongjiang, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a brief article. He visited rice fields and reviewed repairs on homes and infrastructure, following earlier reports that some crops in the area were severely damaged.

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I am concerned about the disaster-stricken places, Xi told villagers in a video clip posted on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, by Hu Xijin, former editor of the state-backed Global Times newspaper. In China, when the people encounter difficulties, we want to give play to the superiority of our socialism. That is, when trouble occurs at one spot, help comes from all quarters, and the state gives its full support.

Xi was criticized last month by some people living near the capital who suspected officials diverted floodwaters toward them to protect projects important to the Chinese leader, namely a new airport and city being built near Beijing called Xiongan.

During his trip to Heilongjiang from Wednesday to Friday, Xi also told cadres to boost state firms competitiveness, build a strong commodity grain production base, and play a role in safeguarding aspects of security including national defense, food, ecology, energy and industry. Xi also visited Harbin Engineering University during his trip.

Read More: China Officials Call to Save Xis City Angers Flood Victims

The flooding from heavy rains brought by a typhoon killed at least 80 people and prompted Xi to hold a meeting of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee on Aug. 17 to urge speedy repairs to transport, communications and electricity facilities. Last week, the Peoples Bank of China pledged to step the supply of credit in key areas badly affected by natural disasters to help them recover.

Xis visit to the northeast comes as Hong Kong and the southern province of Guangdong deal with torrential rain. The former British colony suffered its heaviest rainstorm since records began in 1884, bringing much of the city to a standstill and forcing the stock market to scrap trading on Friday.

More: Hong Kong Extends Shutdown After Record Rain Overwhelms City

Guangdong, the biggest Chinese province by GDP, issued its second-highest alert for flooding. It said just after 9 a.m. Friday that the remnants of Typhoon Haikui are expected to linger for about 36 hours.

Shenzhen said it received the most rainfall in a 12-hour period in data going back to 1952, and some train services in the city thats home to Tencent Holdings Ltd. were halted. Officials started discharging water from a reservoir as it approached its limit.

Nearby Guangzhou and Zhuhai also raised alerts for heavy downpours.

--With assistance from Olivia Tam, Hallie Gu and Xiao Zibang.

(Updates with more details from Xis trip to Heilongjiang in fifth paragraph.)

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Protests took place outside the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two affirmative action college admission last October.

Yale University skirted a challenge to its admissions process this week after the same group that persuaded the Supreme Court to strike down affirmative action dropped a similar lawsuit against the school.

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) dismissed its challenge Thursday after the university doubled down on a promise to not consider race as a factor in admissions. The suit was originally filed in February 2021 in federal court in Connecticut.

The litigation was put on hold two years ago while the Supreme Court mulled over the merits of affirmative action policies at other colleges. In late June, the majority-conservative justices issued a long-awaited ruling declaring that the approaches of those selective schools  Harvard and the University of North Carolina, in particular  in considering applicants' races violated the 14th Amendment. The decision dealt a blow to diversity efforts, both on college campuses and in workplaces across the country.

Edward Blum, a longtime affirmative action critic and conservative activist who runs SFFA, said he was pleased with Yales approach to obliging the Supreme Court decision.

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SFFA is satisfied, for now, that Yales new admissions policies comport with the opinion rendered by the Supreme Court in the Harvard and UNC cases, he wrote in a statement to USA TODAY.

Though most colleges and universities in the U.S. already don't consider race as a factor in admissions, Yale is among a significant sliver of the nation's most selective institutions that spent the summer scrambling to figure out how to retrofit their policies to a new normal  what critics have likened to admissions "Armageddon." A groundbreaking study released earlier this summer revealed the extent to which getting into those selective schools dramatically changes childrens life trajectories."

Biden offers colleges tips on diversity after Supreme Court axes affirmative action in admissions

Erasing race from Yale admissions

The changes that appeased SFFA include an update to the universitys training materials, which will now clarify that race wont be used as a factor in admissions decisions. Admissions officers wont be able to check boxes with applicants races either, and the admissions office wont gather aggregated data about the racial composition of admitted students during its review cycle. In court documents, the university also clarified that race wont be a factor in calculating or awarding financial aid.

Jeremiah Quinlan, the dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid, told the Chronicle of Higher Education on Thursday the school has never considered race in calculating financial aid.

We dont look at race at all. We look at students family income and assets. Our formula is completely driven by those, and thats the way it has been for decades, he said.

Race-based scholarships under scrutiny after Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling

The school announced a spate of other reforms, including the incorporation of census-based data that tracks the economic mobility of applicants. A new essay prompt was added, too. Yale's application questions, the university said in a press release, will invite students from all backgrounds to reflect on the experiences that have shaped their character and strengths."

A Yale spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zachary Schermele is a breaking news and education reporter for USA Today. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yale affirmative action lawsuit narrowly avoided by university
After more than five years of waiting to see if Floridas ethics commission would hold former state Sen. Jack Latvala accountable for allegations of sexual harassment, his accusers got their answer on Friday  and it was no.

The Florida Commission on Ethics voted to dismiss the case against Latvala, a former Clearwater Republican who resigned in 2018 at the pinnacle of his political power after allegations that he had sexually harassed a legislative aide and a former lobbyist.

The reason the case was dismissed was not because the two women  Rachel Perrin Rogers, a former legislative aide to now-Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, and Laura McLeod, a former lobbyist and former aide to Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book  recanted their claims.

Both women continue to stand by their allegations that Latvala, one of the most powerful men in state government, had used his positional power over them to grope them, make inappropriate sexual comments and, in McLeods case, make sexual advances.

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But neither wanted to continue with an ethics trial and said they were exhausted by the emotional turmoil and five-year wait for the state to mete out justice.

In the matter of the Commissions handling of Complaint No. 18-180, my comments are as follows: Too little, too late, Rogers wrote in a Nov. 9, 2022 letter sent to the commission from her lawyer, Tiffany Cruz.

Rogers, the former Simpson staffer, then twice refused to show up for depositions this summer after she was subpoenaed to provide testimony under oath about her allegations stemming from a 2017 complaint she lodged against Latvala.

Previous testimony given

Rogers had given detailed testimony as part of a Senate investigation into the matter in 2017. But it wasnt until July 2022 when the lawyer working for the commission, Elizabeth Miller, completed her investigation and found there was probable cause that as a state senator, Latvala violated state ethics law by soliciting and/or accepting sexually oriented favors from a female staff member and a lobbyist.





McLeod, who came forward with her accusations after reading about Rogers claims in a Politico story in November 2017, had also given detailed testimony to the Senate and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

She had agreed to cooperate by giving Latvalas lawyers detailed answers to their questions, but she also told the commission she held out little hope of a positive outcome.

After Latvala resigned, the ethics commission could have conducted a trial through the Division of Administrative Hearings but any public censure of Latvala would still have had to come from the state Senate, which remains filled with his former colleagues.

In a Nov. 10, 2022, letter to her lawyer and forwarded to the commission, McLeod wrote: At this point I see no meaningful outcome or purpose to participate in their [Commission on Ethics] process.

McLeod had rescheduled her deposition in May and was prepared to be questioned in August until the lead lawyer for the ethics commission, Miller, asked to dismiss the case because of Rogers failure to testify and both witnesses reluctance to continue the case.

With their testimony, I believe that we could substantiate the allegations, Miller told the commission on Friday. Without their direct testimony were left with inadmissible hearsay. Thats the evidence we have right now. In light of the circumstances, we regrettably request the complaint be dismissed.

Commissioners comments

The commission made the decision after some discussion.

Commissioner William Cervone, a former Alachua County state attorney, noted that prosecutors deal with reluctant witnesses all the time. He moved to reject the motion to dismiss and urge Miller to find a way to compel Rogers and McLeod to testify, or find other corroborating evidence.

The behavior in questions is, to me, extraordinarily egregious, he said. Latvala is well known in the state and his community and passage of time alone and, unfortunately in my view, should not entitle somebody to escape judgment for these allegations and I think we would be remiss if we allow that to happen.

But his motion died for lack of a second.

Commissioner Wengay Newton, a Democratic state legislator from St. Petersburg, said that the only way to get Rogers to testify after she had been subpoenaed was to hold her in contempt.

These women have already been victimized, he said. So the only tool we have, if they dont want to testify, is to victimize them again.

Miller said McLeod had not been subpoenaed and would have appeared if she had been but through her lawyer, she asked not to participate.

In an Aug. 4 letter to the commission, McLeods lawyer, Henry Coxe, confirmed that McLeods statement implied simply that she believed that the Commissions process would not benefit the public nor herself. It does not imply that she would refuse to comply with a judicial directive, he wrote.

Settlement reached but rejected

In July 2022, Miller reached a settlement agreement with Latvala that would avoid an ethics trial but potentially subject the Senates former top budget chairman and one-time candidate for governor to public censure and reprimand by the full Senate.

The commission rejected the settlement, and sent the matter to the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, where Miller was unable to proceed without the testimony of Perrin Rogers and the reluctance of McLeod. Miller told the commission she was not recommending they pursue the case further.

Due to the facts of this case  the sensitive nature of it  if the witnesses did not want to appear even under subpoena, I was reluctant to move for contempt, she said.

The complaint was filed in December 2017 by Pinellas County resident Thomas Rask, who explained in a July 2023 letter to the commission that he originally filed the complaint because he did not want the Florida Senate to get away with burying this matter.

But now, so much time has passed that the Complaint no longer serves that public purpose, he said in his July letter and he too wanted the case dismissed.

The Respondent [Latvala] is retired, he wrote. No complaint should take that long to resolve because it isnt fair to the Respondent to have a cloud of suspicion hanging over them that long.

Lengthy timeline

Why did it take so long?

That was the question newly-appointed member of the commission, Tina Descovich asked. The former Brevard County school board member is a Moms for Liberty organizer who Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the commission this week.

Commission Executive Director Kerrie Stillman explained that the commission wanted to wait until other investigations were completed and they hoped that other Latvala victims, including six anonymous women who spoke to Politico in November 2017, would come forward. Then, the pandemic happened, so there were a number of delays, unfortunately, she said.

Millers July 2022 findings confirmed those of the special master hired by the Senate in 2017 to conduct an investigation and make recommendations. The Senate hired Gail Golman Holtzman, a Tampa lawyer who attempted to encourage anonymous accusers to come forward with their complaints against Latvala by allowing them to remain confidential.

Holtzman conducted 54 interviews with legislators, staff and lobbyists, including women who detailed numerous examples in which Latvalas actions made them feel harassed and uncomfortable. Many also said they feared retaliation from Latvala and his supporters in Tallahassee and chose to keep their names confidential.

Special master and retired judge Ronald Swansons report concluded that McLeod provided corroborating evidence for him to find probable cause that Latvala had violated Senate misconduct rules and sexually harassed Perrin Rogers.

Swanson also said that Latvala may have violated state corruption laws by seeking sexual intimacy with McLeod in exchange for legislative favors. The Senate referred Swansons findings to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which in 2018 found no evidence a crime occurred.

Since then, both the two women and Latvala have waited for the Ethics Commission to complete its probe.

Financial settlement for Perrin Rogers

Perrin Rogers, who filed a federal employment complaint alleging workplace harassment and retaliation after she lodged her complaint against Latvala, wanted wants lawmakers, staffers and insiders to testify. She won a $900,000 legal settlement against the Florida Senate on Dec. 19, 2018, and resigned weeks later. The Senate continues to pay her attorneys fees.

Judge Swansons investigation included hundreds of hours of sworn testimony, and proved Latvalas disgusting actions against me and other women, Perrin Rogers said in a statement Friday. The Ethics Commission allowed the complaint against Jack to lay dormant for years and then once it was brought up, it was clear that most commissioners never even read the existing evidence. My letter to the commission last year made my position clear, and in spite of that, thousands of taxpayer dollars were wasted by the commission in this endeavor. 

The delay has been traumatizing, McLeod told investigators, and the stress contributed to several physical maladies and years of health problems.

McLeod, 66, told the Herald/Times in 2017 that she resisted coming forward to make her claims against Latvala because she considered herself a flawed messenger.

Twenty years earlier she said, she and Latvala had a consensual, sexual affair, when he was in his first eight-year tenure in the Senate. They were both married, and she was in the midst of a difficult divorce. The affair ended after about three years, and they remained friends, but the relationship did not continue for 20 years  as both Latvala and the FDLE report both claim.

She said she was rarely in touch with Latvala for many of those years and, only when he chaired Senate committees that held power over McLeods clients, from January 2015 to April 2017, did he resume his sexual overtures to her, she said.

Latvalas attorneys did not respond to a request for comment. Book, the Democratic leader who filed the Senate complaint against Latvala in 2017, has also not commented. And Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, remained silent.

Legislature called for reforms, didnt deliver

Meanwhile, the issue has raised new questions about how well the state polices the behavior of its highest elected officials.

After Latvalas resignation, the Florida Legislature was so rattled by the charges and the special masters conclusion that lawmakers proposed legislation to put the brakes on what the judge called an abusive capital culture. Lawmakers proposed legislation to make sexual harassment in government offices a crime and called the proposal transformative.

But as the spotlight moved in Tallahassee away from the #MeToo movement, momentum for any reforms died.

Rask, who filed the 2017 complaint, said in an interview this week that he has concluded now that the process is broken.

It shouldnt take a private citizen to file a complaint before the ethics commission investigates and, he said the investigation should not take six years.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@miamiherald.com and @MaryEllenKlas
(Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pledged more US financial assistance for Ukraine, saying shes confident the effort will win congressional support despite a looming partisan showdown.

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Speaking Friday at a press conference in New Delhi ahead of the G-20 summit, Yellen also said shes been surprised by the strength of global growth and how resilient the global economy has proven to be. She was less upbeat on Chinas outlook, saying she sees the worlds No. 2 economy slowing over time, but noted that Beijing has quite a bit of policy space to address these challenges.

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Yellen noted that reaching agreement within the Group of Twenty on language about Russias invasion of Ukraine remains challenging.

We also remain committed to support for Ukraine and recently put forward a supplemental funding request, Yellen said. Im pleased that there has been bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, for Ukraine, and I feel confident that well be able to make sure that we have funding.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy doesnt plan to include President Joe Bidens request for $24 billion in emergency funds for Ukraine in a must-pass bill needed to fund US government operations past Oct. 1 unless Democrats back immigration and asylum policies they strongly oppose.

US Priorities

At the New Delhi summit this weekend, US goals include efforts to move forward with debt-relief plans for heavily indebted poor countries, reforms at the World Bank and a plan to increase resources at the International Monetary Fund.

Boosting concessional finance to address global challenges and for crisis response is a key priority for the Biden administration, which has asked Congress for an additional $2.25 billion to boost such funding from the World Bank.

The US expects this could yield as much as $27 billion in concessional finance from the World Bank and hopes its commitment to boosting such resources could help rally peers to also consider similar contributions, a senior Treasury official said.

Read More: What to Look For as Modi Hosts G-20 Summit in India: QuickTake

Chinese President Xi Jinpings decision to skip the Delhi summit provided an opening that Yellen seized upon in her remarks, without mentioning his absence.

With the Biden administration seeking to limit the influence of China across the developing world, Yellen noted that she has visited India four times in 11 months and Biden, in addition to attending the summit, hosted Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington earlier this year.

Continuing to advance the US-India relationship will be a priority this week, she said. Expanding our bilateral economic ties and our cooperation on global challenges is crucially important to us.

Yellen will join Biden in a meeting with Modi later Friday, the Treasury said. She is also expected to meet with the Italian and Spanish finance ministers.

--With assistance from Akayla Gardner.

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Yellowstone spin-off series Lawmen: Bass Reeves has confirmed a release date on Paramount+.

The new anthology show sees David Oyelowo take on the role of the titular historical figure, who rose from being a slave to becoming the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi.

It has now been confirmed that the series will premiere on the streaming platform on Sunday, November 5 in the UK and internationally with two episodes.

Paramount+

Related: Yellowstone spin-off Lawmen: Bass Reeves shares first look at David Oyelowo

A new teaser for the series has also been released, promising plenty of action to come across its run.

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As well as Oyelowo, Bass Reeves packs an impressive cast including City on a Hill's Lauren E Banks, Perry Mason's Shea Whigham, Goliath's Dennis Quaid and The Hunger Games' Donald Sutherland.

Also on board are The Walking Dead's Margot Bingham, True Blood's Dale Dickey, Yellowstone's Mo Brings Plenty, The Chi's Tosin Morohunfola, Forrest Goodluck, Barry Pepper and King Richard's Demi Singleton.

Paramount+

Related: Yellowstone's Western depiction is "deplorable" says Killers of the Flower Moon star

"Revealing the untold story of the most legendary lawman in the Old West, Lawmen: Bass Reeves follows the journey of Reeves (Oyelowo) and his rise from enslavement to law enforcement as the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi," the synopsis reads.

"Despite arresting over 3,000 outlaws during the course of his career, the weight of the badge was heavy, and he wrestled with its moral and spiritual cost to his beloved family," it adds, with future iterations of the show set to "follow other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have impacted history".

Paramount+

Related: Yellowstone star hints at "crazy bloodbath" in season 5 finale episodes

The series comes from Chad Feehan and also counts Oyelowo and Yellowstone's Taylor Sheridan as executive producers.

The show was originally touted as an offshoot of Yellowstone spin-off 1883, itself a prequel to the main series.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves will premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, November 5.

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FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump to give a deposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state's attorney general on Friday said Donald Trump may have fraudulently inflated his fortune by far more than previously thought, her latest salvo in preparation for trial in her civil lawsuit against the former U.S. president and his family business.

In a filing with a New York state court in Manhattan, Attorney General Letitia James said her valuation and accounting experts believe Trump falsely boosted his net worth by between $1.9 billion and $3.6 billion a year over a decade.

That's higher than the $812 million to $2.23 billion range she estimated last week based on what she called "undisputed" evidence - which Trump disputes.

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James said a "mountain of evidence" shows how Trump and his associates lied about his assets and net worth to obtain better terms on loans and insurance, justifying a ruling even before the Oct. 2 trial that his financial statements were fraudulent.

The attorney general wants a $250 million fine, and to bar Trump and his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from leading their family business, the New York City-based Trump Organization.

Lawyers for Trump, who wants the entire case dismissed, fired back six minutes after James' filing.

They said Trump was "without question, worth many billions of dollars," and had even made "substantial sums of money" for the companies that financed and insured the real estate properties in his "phenomenal corporate empire."

"There was no fraud. There are no victims," the lawyers said.

Trump's lawyers also maintained that statutes of limitations bar most of James' claims, and accused her of having "maligned, demeaned, and libeled President Trump and his entire family via an opportunistic lawsuit filed for political gain."

James is a Democrat, while Trump holds a dominant lead in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

MAR-A-LAGO, TRUMP TOWER

The judge, Arthur Engoron, has scheduled a Sept. 22 hearing on both sides' motions for summary judgment.

His rulings could narrow the scope or, if Trump wins, eliminate the need for a trial, which could run until just before Christmas.

The case is separate from four criminal indictments that Trump faces, including two for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four criminal cases.

James' lawsuit disputes how Trump valued several of his properties, including his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and his penthouse triplex atop Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.

Citing her experts, James said Trump may have inflated his net worth by $3.5 billion to $3.6 billion every year from 2014 to 2019, the last three while Trump was in the White House.

Trump's fortune, as reflected in his financial statements, peaked at $6.1 billion in 2015, 2018 and 2019, James said.

On Wednesday, Engoron rejected Trump's bid to delay the trial until at least three weeks after he ruled on the summary judgment motions.

The New York civil case is New York v Trump et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 452564/2022.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)
Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin  the Russian mercenary leader whose plane crashed weeks after he led a mutiny against Moscows military leadership  shows what happens when people make deals with Russian leader Vladimir Putin .

As Ukraines counteroffensive moves into a fourth month, with only modest gains to show so far, Zelensky told CNNs Fareed Zakaria he rejected suggestions it was time to negotiate peace with the Kremlin.

When you want to have a compromise or a dialogue with somebody, you cannot do it with a liar, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He said when Putin understood that a big part of society supported Prigozhin, he killed him. But before he killed, he gave him promises, the territory of Belorussia (Belarus), gave him new locations, the Africa issues and businesses, a lot of different things.

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The Wagner leaders dramatic death, which followed a short-lived rebellion that threatened the authority of the Russian president, was a warning to be heeded, Zelensky suggested.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Friday. - CNN

While the United States and other key Ukrainian allies continue to supply weapons to Kyiv, and stress that conditions to pursue a just and durable peace are not yet in place, a handful of world leaders, such as Brazils Lula Da Silva, have put the onus on Ukraine to end the war.

As evidence for his position, Zelensky cited other countries which have been attacked by Russian soldiers and continue to be partially occupied by them.

Did you see any compromise from Putin on other issues? With Georgia? With Moldova? Zelensky asked rhetorically.

Ukraine has made incremental gains in the south amid fierce fighting with Russian troops, accounts from the front lines suggest.

Geolocated videos on Friday showed a wasteland of shell holes, abandoned trenches and wrecked military hardware in the area between Robotyne, Verbove and Novoprokopivka  a triangle of villages that hold the key for Ukrainians to getting closer to Tokmak, an important hub for Russian defenses.

The result we need, we have to get our land, said Zelensky. And its also not about the land, its about the people because the frozen war is not the peace.

Putin  he wants to take all our country, to destroy all our families, houses. Because if he understands  why he destroy? He understands that Ukraine will never go back, go away from our land. Well never do it. Thats why he has to kill us, he added.

He added that his children are in Ukraine and that they are very Ukrainian and he is happy they are there, before going on to suggest he looks at the future of Ukraine optimistically.

Zelensky contrasted the youthful energy of his wife and children with his own aging: This generation will make Ukraine, I think, great because they  they are very strong with all their positions, with all their values, with all  you know, theyre very free. And Im so happy. Then I  look, like I said, Im looking into the mirror. I see another person, older, he said.

My wife Shes nice. Shes so strong. Shes  day by day, she is stronger and nicer and younger. She has a lot of energy, he added.

Andrew Carey reported from Kyiv and Amarachi Orie contributed from London.

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Ukrainian counteroffensive is probably progressing faster than Kyiv's partners launch new sanctions packages, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 8 at the 18th Yalta European Strategy meeting "The Future is Decided in Ukraine."

"When some partners say, 'So what about the counteroffensive, when will the next step be?' My answer is that today our steps are probably faster than new sanctions packages," the president said during a panel discussion.

Zelensky stressed that the sooner Ukraine receives long-range weapons, the faster the counteroffensive will be at liberating territories occupied by Russia.

Read also: German MP: Scholz is blocking Taurus missiles transfer to Ukraine

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He also said that while he understands the desire of the people to liberate the country as quickly as possible, the war is complex and many processes are moving slower than before.

"The war is slowing down. We recognize this fact. All processes are becoming more complicated and slower: from sanctions to the provision of weapons," he noted.

Zelensky reminded that Ukraine needs specific equipment, mainly modern fighter jets, to accelerate the military's advance.

Until recently, Western observers have criticized Ukraine's counteroffensive for its relatively slow pace and limited gains, though some admitted that it made "notable progress" in Zaporizhziha Oblast in the past few days.

In June, the Ukrainian armed forces' commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi rejected the criticism in an interview with the Washington Post, pointing out that even though NATO military doctrine relies on air superiority, Western partners expect quick results from Ukraine while being slow to deliver their jets.

So far, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have pledged to provide dozens of their own F-16s to bolster the Ukrainian Air Force.

According to Zelensky, Kyiv has agreed with its partners on the provision of 50-60 F-16s, but around 160 are needed to prevent Russia from dominating the air space.

Read also: US sanctions officials, organizations complicit in Russias deportation of Ukrainian children

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Elon Musk over a recent report.

Musk reportedly thwarted a Ukrainian attack on a Russian naval fleet by shutting off his Starlink network.

"Why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals," the Ukrainian advisor asked.

A top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Elon Musk over a report that the SpaceX founder personally ordered his engineers to shut off his Starlink satellites over Crimea, thwarting a Ukrainian attack on a Russian naval fleet last year.

"Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake," Zelenskyy advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"As a result, civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego. However, the question still remains: Why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realize that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?" Podolyak asked.

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Musk acknowledged the matter on his social media site on Thursday, saying that the "Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything."

Musk explained there was an "emergency request" from Ukrainian government authorities "to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol," a major city and port on the Crimean peninsula.

"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor," Musk continued. "If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

Musk's decision to not engage his Starlink satellites was first reported by journalist Walter Isaacson in his upcoming biography of the tech billionaire. CNN published an excerpt of that biography on Thursday. Isaacson, who interviewed Musk for the book, says he worried an attack on the Russian fleet would trigger a "mini-Pearl Harbor" and a possible nuclear retaliation by Russia.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised that the sooner Ukraine receives more powerful long-range weapons, the sooner its counteroffensive will be and the sooner it will liberate Ukrainian lands from Russian occupiers.

Source: Zelenskyy answering questions during a panel discussion at the 18th meeting of the Yalta European Strategy, reported by the Office of the President

Details: The President noted that he understands the peoples desire to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine as soon as possible, because ultimately, peace in our country and throughout Europe and the world will only be achieved when Ukraine regains all its territories. At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that the war waged by Russia on the territory of Ukraine is complex, and many processes have been slowing down.

Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine needs specific equipment, including modern fighter jets, to accelerate its counteroffensive.

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Quote: "The war is slowing down. We recognize this fact. All processes are becoming more complicated and slower: from sanctions to the provision of weapons

When some partners say, 'So what about the counteroffensive, when will the next step be?' My answer is that today our steps are probably faster than new sanctions packages

There are specific square kilometers of our land, and each liberated meter is a human life... The longer it takes, the more people suffer. What is the impact of weapons? Concrete and direct, without abstractions and rhetoric. There is a specific impact of a specific weapon. The more powerful and long-range it is, the faster the counteroffensive is. The faster the restoration of our territory is. If we are not in the sky and Russia is, they stop us from the sky. They stop our counteroffensive."

Details: Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to all Ukrainian partners, led by the United States, who provide defence assistance and strengthen the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considers Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin , founder of the Wagner Group.

Source: BBC News Russian Service, citing the president's statement in Kyiv

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Putin is down  as a person and as a politician. He killed Prigozhin; at least we have this information."

Details: Zelenskyy said that for Ukraine, this is simply "one less terrorist".

Zelenskyy also added that the morale of the Russians had fallen because they were hiding behind Wagnerites  "they were thrown forward; they were not allowed to go back".

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"I think that this protection, which is covered by the lives of mercenaries, Wagnerites, has been lost. This is definitely an advantage for us," the Ukrainian president concluded.

Background:

On the evening of 23 August, a small plane crashed in Tver Oblast, Russia, and Rosaviatsiya claimed that the passengers included Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Grey Zone Telegram channel, which is close to the Wagner Group, claimed that Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane was shot down by air defence fire . It was also written that a terrorist attack on board was being considered as a line of enquiry into the crash of Prigozhin's plane.

Rosaviatsia shared a full list of passengers on the plane that crashed in Tver Oblast on the evening of 23 August, including Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Russian media saw some symbolism in the fact that the plane crash occurred on 23 August, exactly two months after the Wagner Groups mutiny [Prigozhin announced his "justice march" on the evening of 23 June  ed.].

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) were of the opinion that Vladimir Putin took revenge for the humiliation of the mutiny and ordered the destruction of the Wagner Groups leadership.

US President Joe Biden suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be behind the plane crash.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy , President of Ukraine, has installed newly appointed Defence Minister Rustem Umierov as a member of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the National Security and Defence Council. He has also withdrawn ex-minister Oleksii Reznikov from those bodies.

Source: presidential decrees on the website of the Presidents Office

Details: By decree No. 572, Zelenskyy made the new Minister of Defence a member of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and dismissed his predecessor Oleksii Reznikov.

By the second decree, the president introduced the new Defence Minister to the National Defence and Security Council and withdrew Reznikov as a member.

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Background:

On 6 September, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraines parliament) approved the appointment of Rustem Umierov, the former head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, as the Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

Amongst the top priorities for the new Defence Minister is an audit of all areas and Ukrainian defence production.

Read more: Zelenskyys fourth defence minister: why the president is replacing Oleksii Rezikov with Rustem Umierov

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






A mother-son duo convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 among a violent mob bent on reversing Donald Trumps unsuccessful re-election bid were sentenced on Friday to a combined 7.25 years in federal prison.

Registered nurse Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, will serve 2.5 years behind bars after being found guilty in April of conspiracy to commit obstruction and obstruction of an official proceeding, both felonies, and five related misdemeanors. Her son, a 32-year-old sometime bartender Eric Gavelek Munchel, will be incarcerated for four years and nine months on five felony chargestwo of them weapons-relatedand three misdemeanors.

Eisenhart, who lives in Georgia, had expressed worries that prison time would mean an effective end to her career in healthcare, according to a sentencing memo filed Aug. 31 by her defense attorney. And Munchel, a newlywed living in Tennessee, has expressed concern that a long sentence would make it harder for him to provide for the baby he and his wife are expecting, his defense team said in a separate filing. (Lawyers representing Munchel and Eisenhart didnt respond to The Daily Beasts requests for comment on Friday.)

Munchel became known as Zip-Tie Guy after a photo of him cavorting about the Senate chamber in a tactical vest emblazoned with the Punisher logo, holding a fistful of flexible plastic handcuffs he stole from a utility closet in the Capitol, went viral. In the complaint charging the pair, prosecutors also included a snapshot of Eisenhart on Capitol grounds, wearing a tactical vest of her own, and a MAGA hat. Munchel carried a Taser on his hip while inside the Capitol, which prosecutors said clearly indicated his willingness to fight.

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Munchels attorneys pleaded with the court for leniency, arguing in a sentencing memo that their client was at the Capitol to protest peacefully, and that outfitting himself from head-to-toe in military-style tactical attire [was] evidence of nothing, save a certain fashion taste. Further, they claimed Munchel only brought a Taser because he was convinced that ANTIFA would be present to incite violencea far-right fever dream that was fabricated by the MAGA crowd. Beyond that, the defense said Munchel has demonstrated his commitment to putting this era of his life behind him by committing to a relationship and fathering a child.

Far from being there for peaceful purposes, prosecutors said in their sentencing memo, Munchels getup intentionally communicated to anyone looking at [him] that he was prepared for violence. Further, as laid out in charging documents, he was heard pushing his way into the Capitol while shouting such slogans as, We aint playing fucking nice no goddamn more, and Were fucking ready to fuck shit up.

As for his supportive family relationships, prosecutors said, this should give the Court concern, not comfort. He participated in the riot alongside his mom, a GiveSendGo fundraising appeal apparently written by his wife simply minimizes and excuses his conduct, and the two appear more likely to reinforce the beliefs and behaviors that led Munchel to commit his crimes than to help rehabilitate him. Taken together with Munchels past arrests for battery and low-level drug crimes, it all underscored the need for a hefty sentence, the government argued.

In certain instances, it was hard to put the figurative toothpaste back in the tube. After the Capitol riot but prior to her arrest, Eisenhart gave an interview to The Times of London, in which she said, This country was founded on revolution... Id rather die as a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression. Id rather die and would rather fight.

New Jersey Dating Coach Gets 4 Years for Capitol Riots

A felony conviction for Eisenharther first ever, according to her lawyersis almost certain to jeopardize her 30-year nursing certification and livelihood, her sentencing memo said. But, prosecutors argued, Despite a relatively clean record and steady employment in a valued profession, Eisenhart decided to throw it all away on January 6, 2021 in spectacular fashion, attacking her own government to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power, it said. Eisenharts behavior on January 6 weighs in favor of incarceration.

The pairs conduct on Jan. 6 was the epitome of disrespect for the law, according to prosecutors.

With the 2024 presidential election approaching, a rematch on the horizon, and many loud voices in the media and online continuing to sow discord and distrust, the potential for a repeat of January 6 looms ominously, they wrote in their sentencing memo. The Court must sentence Munchel and Eisenhart in a manner sufficient to deter them specifically, and others generally, from going down that road again.

The sentence handed down to Munchel by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth was exactly in line with what prosecutors were seeking. Eisenharts sentence is significantly shorter than the three years and 10 months the prosecution asked for.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Nashville man called Zip Tie Guy and his mother are scheduled to be sentenced Friday for their roles in the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Lisa Eisenhart and her son, Eric Munchel, were both seen inside the Capitol on January 2021 and found guilty of several charges earlier this year. Prosecutors shared photos in documents filed this week showing the mom and son at the Capitol. Munchel was photographed carrying flexible plastic handcuffs in the Senate chamber while armed with a stun gun.

Munchel was found guilty of five felonies and three misdemeanors. Eisenhart was guilty of two felonies and five misdemeanors, including conspiracy to commit obstruction.

Zip Tie Guy, mother found guilty on all charges related to Capitol insurrection

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Image 1: CCTV still photograph showing Munchel and Eisenhart at their hotel, both wearing tactical vests (Exhibit 102)

Image 2: photo showing Munchel and Eisenhart wearing tactical vests on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, with Munchels Taser circled in yellow (Exhibit 401)

Image 3: Still from Munchels cell phone camera video (Exhibit 301 at 11:36) showing Munchel and Eisenhart walking, in stack formation, through the crowd on the west lawn towards the Capitol

Images 4 and 5: Side-by-side stills from Munchels cell phone camera video (Exhibit 301 at 12:00 and 12:02, respectively) capturing the Oath Keepers interactions with Eisenhart and Munchels fist bump with one of them

Images 4 and 5: Side-by-side stills from Munchels cell phone camera video (Exhibit 301 at 12:00 and 12:02, respectively) capturing the Oath Keepers interactions with Eisenhart and Munchels fist bump with one of them

Image 5: Still from Munchels cell phone camera video (Exhibit 301 at 21:45) showing the packed northwest lawn and stage

Image 6: Still from CCTV (Exhibit 501.2) showing Munchel and Eisenhart (yellow square) entering the Capitol at 2:37:38 p.m.

Image 7: Still from CCTV showing Munchel and Eisenhart (yellow square) in the Rotunda (Exhibit 503.2)

Image 8: Still from CCTV showing Munchel and Eisenhart walking the third-floor hallways with the zip ties in hand (Exhibit 506.2)

Image 9: Still from CSPAN showing Munchel and Eisenhart in the Senate gallery at 2:45:55 p.m. (Exhibit 507.3)

Image 10: Iconic photograph (Exhibit 402) of Munchel climbing over a banister in the Senate Gallery.

Image 11: Still from CCTV capturing Munchel and Eisenharts exit via the Senate Carriage doors (Exhibit 510.2)

Image 12: Photo found on Munchels cell phone capturing riot gear-clad USCP officers standing on the Lower West Terrace with what appears to be blood on the ground (Exhibit 302)

Image 13: Photo found on Munchels cell phone showing a fake newspaper front page suggesting that the certification of Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election had been prevented (Exhibit 304)

Image 14: Photograph of zip tie handcuffs found within Munchels residence (Exhibit 701)

Prosecutors are requesting Munchel be sentenced to four years and nine months in prison along with three years of supervised release. They said his mother should be sentenced to three years and 10 months incarceration with three years supervised release.

Vanderbilt University Distinguished Professor of Law and Political Science Dr. Edward Rubin explained one thought a judge might weigh in their sentencing.

This was planned activity, said Dr. Rubin. Everybody in Nashville knows whats involved in traveling from Nashville to Washington, DC, you dont just do that casually. And it was planned and coordinated, coming from superior forces of various kinds, and instructing them what to do and what they did. And this is also important, has tried to intervene in one of those ceremonial events of democracy.

This week a federal judge sentenced former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio to 22 years in prison for the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Despite the fact that Tarrio wasnt present in Washington the day of the attack, prosecutors said he used his influence over hundreds of followers to orchestrate an assault on democracy.

Court Document: 15 firearms, tactical gear found in home of Zip Tie Guy

Prosecutors stated in court documents that this was a a violent attack that forced an interruption of the certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote count, threatened the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 Presidential election, injured more than one hundred police officers, and resulted in more than 2.9 million dollars in losses.

Munchel was a 32 year-old then-bartender from the Nashville area. His mother, Lisa Eisenhart, was 59-year-old nurse from Woodstock, Georgia, which is a suburb of Atlanta.

According to their defense the riot has been cast as a threat to democracy and other descriptions they call fearmongering .

To speak of those events in this manner particularly when discussing an individual defendant is unjust and misleading, stated Munchels defense attorney Joseph W. Allen in the sentencing memorandum. From 1776 to the present, Americans have always undertaken to voice their freedom of self-rule in a boisterous manner.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Dr. Rubin explained why other legal experts feel differently.

The revolution of 1776 was an effort to oppose oppression by a foreign power. What happened on January 6 was an effort to impose oppression by violence against the U.S. government, said Dr. Rubin. Those are two very different uses of violence. And I dont even think the second one marriage the term revolution, certainly not as we use it in our history books.

Munchels attorney says hes remorseful and has accepted responsibility for his actions at the capitol and should therefore be sentenced to a year incarceration. The sentencing is scheduled for around midday Friday in federal court.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
The Alzheimers Association has decided not to renew the lease on office space in Lynchburg, effective July 31, a news release states.

The decision to leave our office space is based on our commitment to being fiscally responsible and to best use donor dollars to support the mission of the Alzheimers Association, Jeanne Snyder, community executive of the Alzheimers Association Central and Western Virginia chapter, said in the release. This cost saving will allow more donor dollars to go into care, support and research.

As a longtime supporter of the Alzheimers Association, I know that chapter staff and volunteers are still very committed to the Greater Lynchburg region and will continue to provide services such as education programs and support groups, Vickie Runk, vice president and owner of Runk & Pratt Companies, said in the release. And of course, Lynchburg residents can call the Associations 24/hour Helpline or visit their award-winning website, alz.org. The Alzheimers Associations community presence goes well beyond the physical location.

On Oct. 28, Walk to End Alzheimers Lynchburg will take place at the flagpole in the Wyndhurst community. Registration is at 9 a.m.; opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and the walk begins immediately following. For more information, go to alz.org/lynchburgwalk.
Thirteen people died in 10 traffic crashes over the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend in Virginia, according to preliminary reports from the state police.

Half of the traffic crashes involved motorcycles, in which seven motorcycle operators and passengers lost their lives, according to state police news release. A total of 12 individuals died in traffic crashes during the 2022 Labor Day four-day statistical counting period, compared to 10 deaths in 2021, according to the release. The 2023 Labor Day statistical counting period began at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1, and concluded at midnight on Sept. 4

The 10 fatal traffic crashes occurred in the city of Virginia Beach and Campbell, Hanover, James City, Montgomery, Nelson, Pittsylvania, Rockbridge, Scott and Wythe counties. The crashes in Campbell, Pittsylvania and Scott County each involved two fatalities. The fatal motorcycle crashes occurred in Virginia Beach and Hanover, Nelson, Scott and Wythe counties.

To have lost this many lives to traffic crashes, especially motorcycle riders, in just four days is both disheartening and alarming, said Col. Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police superintendent, in the release. As demonstrated by the enforcement statistics from the holiday weekend, Virginias state troopers were on patrol doing everything we could to prevent crashes and encourage compliance with Virginia traffic laws. As we look to these final months of 2023, I cannot impress enough the importance for all Virginians to take traffic safety seriously and commit to saving lives on our highways.

Settle also encourages Virginians to take advantage of the free motorcycle assessment courses being offered in the coming weeks by Virginia State Police Motorcycle Troopers. Registration is currently open for Ride 2 Save Lives training courses until October at numerous locations throughout the state, including Salem and Wytheville.

For more information and to register online, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/virginia-state-police-16981406541.

During the four-day statistical counting period for the 2023 Labor Day weekend, Virginia State Police participated in both the annual Operation C.A.R.E.  the Crash Awareness Reduction Effort  as well as the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI prevention campaign. State police enforcement efforts resulted in 73 DUI arrests, as well as 279 drivers being cited for violating Virginias hands free law. Operation CARE is a nationwide, state-sponsored initiative that aims to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by speeding and a failure to use occupant restraints.

In addition, Virginia State Police stopped 4,475 speeders and 1,945 reckless drivers. State troopers also cited 491 seat belt violations and 150 child restraint violations.

Funds generated from summonses issued by Virginia State Police go directly to court fees and the states Literary Fund, which benefits public school construction, technology funding and teacher retirement.
A Bellevue man recently placed a lunch order  about a dozen sandwiches and some side dishes  with a local restaurant to be picked up the next day.

The only problem? It wasn't a local order.

You see, the man placing the online order lives in Bellevue, Washington, but somehow got the address of The Banh Mi Shop on Galvin Road in Bellevue, Nebraska.

This is the first time Ive seen anything like this, said Sky Lambrecht, a restaurant employee. Weve had some orders canceled before, but I dont think weve ever had one canceled because of a different citys name.

The mix-up, though, is not a rare occurrence.

It happens more often than people think, said Diane Bruce, president of the Bellevue (Nebraska) Chamber of Commerce.

In her few months running the resurrected chamber, there have been at least two cases of mistaken identity, and other chamber employees recalled several more errant inquiries in recent times.

Usually, it takes only a few minutes for the chamber to inform these callers that the information they are seeking, like points of interest, are not found around here, but more than likely in Bellevue, Washington, Bruce said.

She thinks people looking for Bellevue information on social media may see the city name, but not the states name. That's certainly what happens on occasion when you enter "Bellevue" into Google Maps or similar online services without specifying exactly which Bellevue is intended.

Meanwhile, it was around 9 a.m. in Bellevue, Washington, which is 11 a.m. in Bellevue, Nebraska, on the day of the pickup that the man called the restaurant realizing he had made a mistake, said Chloe Tran-Thompson, restaurant owner.

Though she didnt directly talk to that man, he seemed apologetic, according to another employee, Tran-Thompson said.

She said the confusion may have occurred because banh mi refers to a type of sandwich. The man also paid the order, she said.

Since the order was already prepared, the restaurant decided to offer its online followers the prepared food at discount prices, which drew strong support from the local community.

They were gone in about 25 minutes, Lambrecht said.

Tran-Thompson recalled another time when employees made 100 sandwiches only to have the order canceled at the last moment. With all that food, the restaurant decided to advertise it online at discounted prices. They were gone within an hour, she said.

They would support us without hesitation, Tran-Thompson said.

We thought it was funny, Lambrecht said of the mix-up. It was hard work, but it brought in a lot of business.
The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District Board of Directors met on Thursday night for its regularly scheduled session. All board members were present, with the exception of Mike Fleer. Seven members of the public and five NRD staff members were also present for the meeting, which lasted 
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Beninese police have arrested and detained Nigerian journalist Damilola Ayeni, the editor of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism and Social Justice (FIJ), who is likely to face terrorism charges, the Nigerian non-profit organization reports.

The journalist was detained August 31 in Parakou, a northern Benin city.

The FIJ said its editor was on a trip to Benin for the second leg of fieldwork on a Nigeria-Benin environmental journalism report but the police have labelled him a jihadist and is set to appear this Friday September 8 in a court in Porto Novo for terrorism charges.

He was, according to Benin authorities, arrested in Penjari [sic] Park in northern Benin and risks 10 to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Benin has been struggling with terrorism activities in its northern regions. The attacks have claimed lives of dozens of people including security forces.

The FIJ also claims the police requested a bribe of 800,000 CFA ($1,300) to release Damilola Ayeni.
The Arab League Council of Foreign Ministers endorsed on Thursday September 7 Egypts former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled Enany as the Pan-Arab candidate for the post of Director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Ahram Online reports.

The election is set for the last quarter of 2025. The winner will head the Paris-based organization for four years until 2029. Egypt unveiled Enany as its candidate for the positon in April this year.

Words fail to express my pride in being chosen as a candidate for the post of UNESCO Director-General, and my gratitude to the Egyptian state for giving me its precious confidence in being nominated for this prestigious post, he said during a press conference.

I saw the nomination as a responsibility, especially in light of the role that UNESCO has at this very moment in human history, in which it faces unprecedented challenges, tens of millions of children around the world still do not receive education, material cultural heritage as well as natural heritage have many challenges, old and new in climate change, as well as least developed countries not benefiting from the massive leap in technology and innovation around the world, he added.

Enany who holds a PHD in Egyptology, UPV, Montpellier III University in 2001, was the countrys Tourism and Antiquities minister from December 2019 to August 2022. He also served as the Minister of Antiquities from March 2016, to December 2019. He has been a Professor of Egyptology at Helwan Universitys College of Tourism and Hotel Management (FTH) since 1993.

The current Chief of the organization Audrey Azoulay was first elected in 2017 and her tenure was extended following an overwhelming re-election in 2021.
Gabons former President Ali Bongo, before being deposed on August 30, had given China the authorization to establish a military base on Mandji island, in the delta of the Ogooue river, in the Gulf of Guinea, Paris-based media Africa Intelligence and local media Gabon Review report.

African Intelligence notes that Ali Bongo gave the verbal permission to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the strategic project.

The project whose details have not been provided, if it goes ahead, would be Chinas first military base in the Atlantic Ocean and the second on the African continent after that of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden.

The project irked France, the former colonial power and the U.S.A., the media notes. France already has close to 1,000 troops stationed in the central African country. In July 2023, President Emmanuel Macron dispatched Pierre Vandier, the commander of French naval forces to Gabon to convince Bongo to abandon the agreement with China.

One month after, Bongo was deposed by the Chief of his guards Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema on August 30, four days after presidential elections which the countrys independent Electoral body said he won.

Frances ambassador to Gabon Alexis Lamek during a meeting with Nguema reportedly raised the issue and stressed Pariss opposition to the initiative.

The U.S.A. also hit the ceiling after getting wind of the verbal agreement. Stephen J. Townsend, Commander of the United States Africa Command from 26 July 2019 to 8 August 2022, reportedly warned the U.S. Congress against Chinese military presence in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.

Ali Bongo met with Xi in April during a state visit to Beijing. Chinese authorities branded the visit an opportunity to provide new impetus for the comprehensive and deep-ongoing growth of China-Gabon relations, and generate new outcomes in the friendly cooperation between the two countries.

China, since the coup in Gabon, has maintained a low profile. Beijing called on the transitional power to guarantee the safety of the man that Xi qualified during the April visit as an old friend.
More than 2,000 representatives from Global Geoparks, senior UNESCO officials, scientists, policy makers and government officials from around the world are taking part in the 10th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks convening in Marrakesh from Sept. 7 to 11.

The event, organized every two years, is the most important international gathering of Geoparks to share experience and knowledge on the construction and operation of Geoparks.

It is attended by scientists, geologists, Professors, companies and all those interested in nature and tangible and intangible heritage. The conference agenda features debates and presentations on geodiversity and biodiversity management, conservation and valorization of geological heritage sites, sustainable tourism and local development.

Participants will also discuss geoparks & the implementation of sustainable development goals, climate change, combating desertification and natural disasters.

During the opening ceremony, Moroccos permanent representative to UNESCO Samir Addahre said the North African Kingdom looks forward to developing the concept of Geoparks in Africa and the Arab world, regions with great potential but under-represented at the UNESCO Global Geoparks, an agency of the UNESCO.

Chief of the Global Geoparks Networks (GGN), Nickolas Zouros, said the MGoun UNESCO Geopark, the first geopark in Morocco, Africa and the Arab world, sets the example for others to follow.

The MGoum geopark is located in the middle of the central chain of the high atlas between Beni Mellal in the north and the crest of the lghil M Goun to the south. It is a protected territory that includes a number of geosites of exceptional interest, but also places of ecological, archaeological, historical and cultural value.

Taking the floor during the Marrakesh conference, Moroccan education minister Chakib Benmoussa said the countrys government attaches great importance to the preservation of the Kingdoms natural and geological heritage.

Prior to the conference, the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council, which held a meeting in Marrakesh Sept.4-5, accepted 16 Geoparks applications from Europe and China. These applications were endorsed for UNESCO nomination in 2024.

The UNESCO Global Geoparks Council plays a crucial role in evaluating new and renewed UNESCO Global Geopark nominations. Its members meet annually to determine whether new applications meet the required standards and can be forwarded the Executive Board of UNESCO for endorsement.
Photo: JP Yimcan Foundation/Getty Images for The Asian Ameri

Over Labor Day weekend, Elon Musk made a new entry in his ongoing list of unnecessary, counterproductive spats. The owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, posted a tirade about how the Anti-Defamation League had supposedly caused the companys advertising revenue to plummet. The group devoted to battling antisemitism is trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic, Musk charged. Though all evidence points to the reality that he is the sole entity devoted to destroying Twitter, Musk vowed to file a defamation lawsuit against the league. Though Musk often fails to follow through on his promises, ADL national director Jonathan Greenblatt joined the latest Pivot podcast with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway to discuss the haymakers coming from the richest man in the world.

Kara Swisher: I know you cant get into the specifics of legal activity or what youve called the threat of a frivolous lawsuit  which billionaires tend to like to do. But give us your overall thoughts on whats happening here.

Jonathan Greenblatt: Well, look, I think we need to just understand the context as we consider what this action means. Were living in a moment right now where antisemitism has reached literally record levels since ADL started tracking antisemitic acts of harassment, vandalism, and violence 40 some odd years ago.

And over the last month, weve seen a wave of swatting attacks against synagogues, bomb threats against Jewish institutions, and propaganda distributions all over the country. We literally had neo-Nazis marching out in the open last weekend in Florida in a scene that was reminiscent of Charlottesville. So in all of this, this hashtag that was launched on Twitter last week  #BantheADL  that was literally created by white supremacists. When I see the management of Twitter engaging with it, elevating it, amplifying it, Im not just disturbed and disappointed. Its dangerous for the Jewish community. Thats what Im really focused on.

Swisher: You met with the CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino. We can call it Twitter. What can you tell us about the meeting? I dont know whats happened since she got there, but she can be a reasonable person and then he keeps tweeting white supremacists. He keeps tweeting, basically blaming the Jews. Thats what most people think.

Greenblatt: Linda and I finally connected on Zoom. It was the first time weve met, but we have a number of mutual friends in common. She has a very good reputation as youre sort of alluding to. And it was a positive, constructive discussion. A better, healthier, safer Twitter, thats good for the Jewish community, thats good for their advertisers, its good for the world. And she seems to share that sentiment.

Swisher: And was she angry about your studies? Because thats what theyre thinking of suing you over.

Greenblatt: We did not talk about any of those.

Swisher: She did not have an issue or beef with you all. She did not blame you for advertising fall-off.

Greenblatt: Linda did not blame us for advertising fall-off. The issue of our studies did not come up in the conversation.

Swisher: And these studies? Explain.

Greenblatt: None of these social-media companies are great on any of this stuff. Lets be clear about that. And Twitter was really bad before, let alone now. So lets also be clear about that. However, what we do at ADL is we work with the data that we have and we do these fact-based analyses. Now, Elon and others may say, well, you dont have all the data. Well then share it with us. Id like nothing more than transparency so we fully understand the numerator and the denominator. But what weve seen over the past not just nine months, really nine years, has been white supremacists, QAnon enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists running amuck.

Swisher: And hes let them back on. Hes brought them back.

Greenblatt: A number of people are back on the platform who had been removed for violations of the terms of service. They continue to say things, post things, publish things that are not questionable. They are absolutely, unambiguously hostile. And theyre feeding the fire of this environment where again, Jews and other minorities feel a degree of vulnerability. And I am flying out tomorrow or today to attend the funerals tomorrow in Jacksonville of the people who were killed in that hate crime. The fact of the matter is, radicalizing people online has real-world implications and normalizing antisemitism and weaponizing hate is bad for the world.

Galloway: So I think a more difficult problem  and I think you guys do your best to establish the nuance here  is the line between free speech and when something becomes hate speech, right?

Greenblatt: Right.

Galloway: When is it discourse thats uncomfortable, but its true discourse? And then when it turns into hate. What is in my opinion, less opaque is that the go-to, the playbook in the emergence of Nazi Germany was, I know, lets blame the Jews. And what we have here is the wealthiest man in the world, arguably the most powerful man in the world who is blaming the Jews full stop. It strikes me as very strategic that he chose your organization to blame for their decline in revenue. But isnt this how it all starts? Generally speaking, the most powerful, wealthiest American should not start with blaming the Jews.

Greenblatt: Short answer is yes. The longer answer is demagoguery isnt anything new. Blaming the Jews is as old as the hills. Last November, after the trust and safety team was fired, after a bunch of these extremists were re-platformed, ADL was one of about 60 organizations, this coalition that called for a pause in advertising until these issues were kind of clarified and cleaned up.

But the only group that Elon is talking about right now is the Jewish one. Now look, I have spoken to Elon Musk. I didnt think he was an antisemite, and still, I will take him at his word. The problem is when he elevates, when he engages with, when he casts blame, it creates the conditions in which antisemitism is raging right now on the platform.

Swisher: What does he say to you? What is he when you spoke to him? Not this

Greenblatt: Well, I havent spoken to him in the last week, but look, I think he understands, Elon appreciates that dialing back extremism and hate is better for the world. And he wants to do that. He has many Jewish friends, as hes told me.

Swisher: Thats an old one.

Greenblatt: I know. Weve heard some of my best friends are fill in the blank.

Galloway: Jonathan, I just want to press pause there. Sure. I think youre being generous and incorrect. I see no evidence he wants to dial it back. I see a ton of evidence he wants to dial it up to enrage

Greenblatt: Well, that was what he told me before. Now, flash forward to today, Scott. What Im grappling with, struggling with is, again, this is a person who Ive engaged with whos told me that. And yet right now, we see antisemites and extremists, yes, being riled up and they feel emboldened. We know they feel emboldened because at ADL we follow them. And this is what theyre saying: We feel emboldened.

Theres a Christian nationalist who runs Gab, and I think weve talked about him, Kara. His name is Andrew Torba. Hes a real piece of work. Hes a raging antisemite. And he has basically said, We, the white supremacists, have the richest man in the world on our side. Were winning. And that sentiment is out there. And so let me be crystal clear about this: Were two weeks away from the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, et cetera. Jews will all be convening in synagogue. All over the world in the past week, they were already on edge. And this has just pushed people to the point of no return.

Swisher: Two things. Earlier this summer, Twitter sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit group that criticized the companys handling of hate speech. Does it chill you to this threat of a lawsuit? Is there a lawsuit? And then secondly, have you actually spoken with any Twitter/X advertisers to stop? Theyre blaming you for doing that. I actually dont care if you did, but did you?

Greenblatt: To the question of has ADL spoken to advertisers, the answer is an unequivocal no. Thats why this is a frivolous claim. We literally havent called them an antisemite. We havent called Twitter antisemitic. Were not running some active campaign of any sort. So on the facts, Elon and these other people are flat-out wrong.

Swisher: Is it happening? Has it been filed?

Greenblatt: I dont know. I only know, like you, what Elon is tweeting.

Swisher: Well, he was going to do a cage match with Mark Zuckerberg and he did have the Coliseum. Have you talked to Linda this week post that?

Greenblatt: We have not had a verbal conversation.

Swisher: And what does your text conversation say?

Greenblatt: I basically said, I dont know what just happened, but I thought we were going to try to work together to make Twitter a better Twitter, a healthier Twitter shift, better for the world, and well see where it goes.

Galloway: When you try and diagnose this, do you have any sort of ability when you see a company behaving this way, is it generally theyre trying to embolden and cement relationship with a part of their customer base that likes this provocative or likes this type of content? Is it someone who themselves has suffered trauma and is acting out in hateful ways?

When you come across antisemitism and corporations and with individuals, are you able to see patterns around? I cant figure this one out. Its bad for business, its bad for him, its bad for the country. I see very little upside here. Other than inflaming a small group of people that dont have a hell of a lot of money or influence, or maybe they do. Whats going on here?

Greenblatt: Well, I think so. I could talk to you about patterns, Scott. So when I see antisemitism and corporations get caught up in this. Brands, sometimes. Number one, its a kind of negligence. They dont realize they have a problem. Theyre not paying close enough attention. Exhibit A: Adidas. Where they were having a CEO transition, theyre off in Germany. They really did not appreciate the lunacy of Kanye Wests derangement. So you have that.

Galloway: Well, let me just press pause there because I would argue that Adidas actually handled that. I would argue that they responded swiftly and correctly.

Greenblatt: Well, I would definitely say not swiftly enough, because I was talking to the chairman of the board and said, If you dont deal with this, were going to have some things to do publicly. But in the end, they did, Scott, entirely.

So with Adidas, we called them out when they were slow, and then we embrace them when they move quickly. And were finding ways to work together. Thats better for the world. So number one, sometimes the companies dont get it. Secondly, sometimes there are weird ideologies at work. Like Gab is a good example of some twisted, demented platform. And Im hard-pressed to think of another one of those. There arent too many. The real issue is that sometimes these people get caught up in the moment. And thats what I think is happening here with Elon.

Swisher: Musk gets caught up in a lot of moments, Jon.

Greenblatt: That may be the case.

Swisher: With trans people, with women.

Greenblatt: This is a good example where I think we would all be well-served if he could figure out how to dial it down, how to pull back, how to hit the pause button himself and work with an organization like mine. At the end of the day, thats all we want.

Swisher: Sure, Jon, sure. Dont agree to a cage match.
Photo: Sha Hanting/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images/China News Service via Getty Ima

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade over a year ago, the right celebrated. But the postRoe world is not all they imagined it would be. Abortion rights are popular; anti-abortion conservatives, less so. The issue is mobilizing liberals everywhere: In Wisconsin, for example, voters elected Janet Protasiewicz to the state Supreme Court over her anti-abortion opponent. But the issue doesnt just resonate with liberals. Abortion wins wherever and whenever it is on the ballot: evidence that Republican voters diverge from their own party on the issue. See Ohio, where voters just rejected a measure that would have made it more difficult to pass an abortion rights amendment this fall.

Now, to stave off further electoral losses, the GOP requires new tactics. Perhaps a new label would help? NBC News reported on Thursday that a super PAC closely aligned with Senator Mitch McConnell presented poll results that suggested voters are reacting differently to commonly used terms like pro-life and pro-choice now that Roe is no more. What intrigued me the most about the results was that pro-choice and pro-life means something different now, that people see being pro-life as being against all abortions  at all levels, said Senator Kevin Cramer.

Senator Todd Young had a suggestion: Instead of pro-life, he likes pro-baby. The phrase was just a term of my creation to demonstrate my concern for babies, he said. Maybe Young thinks people are stupid. Indications suggest they are not. Americans have gotten a taste of life without Roe, and they dont like it. A new label will likely not distract them from reality. Republicans cant outrun their abortion politics, whatever strategies they employ.

Conservatives like to play language games. In doing so they are able to obscure the facts. Gender-affirming surgery is genital mutilation, welfare is government dependance, and, of course, abortion is murder. The pro-life label is just as deceptive, and it functions as a shield. Behind it waits the bloody truth. After Roe, the shield slipped, and the truth came out, and voters arent as dumb or forgetful as Republicans might like them to be. If they believe pro-life Republicans want to ban all abortions, its with reason.

Consider the 15-week national ban, proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham as a consensus point. Abortion restrictions would certainly not stop with a 15-week ban. Many anti-abortion activists and politicians would like to go further and ban abortions after cardiac activity is supposedly detected in the fetus, well before most women know they are pregnant. Then there are the much-vaunted exceptions to the abortion restrictions already on the books in many Republican states. Exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother allow anti-abortion Republicans to applaud themselves for protecting women from harm. In practice, though, these exceptions amount to talking points. The New York Times has reported that states have granted very few exceptions. Thats by design. About a quarter of states that prohibit abortions include allowances for rape and incest victims, and nearly all of those, including Mississippi, require proof of an assault from a police report or a doctors note, the Times said. Most sexual-assault victims dont report to law enforcement, which means they cant qualify for the exception.

Over a dozen Texas women recently sued the state because it so rarely permits exceptions for complicated pregnancies. One woman told The Intercept that she had to give birth to a baby missing part of her brain and skull. She watched her daughter gasp for air, and turn purple, and bleed from her eyeballs. I watched my baby suffer for four hours, she said. I told her, I am so sorry I couldnt release you to heaven sooner  There was no mercy for her.

A party that shows no mercy should expect to be treated in kind. Republicans have unleashed great suffering in order to force women into pregnancy. That is a material reality, and it cannot be undone with a simple turn of phrase. Women are living with the consequences of their actions, and now so must they.
Why, Leon? Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Leon Black, the billionaire co-founder of private-equity giant Apollo Global Management and close personal associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has never been charged with or convicted of a crime. He has, however, been accused of things that are potentially criminal. Since 2021, the year that he stepped down from Apollo, three women have accused him of rape stemming from his relationship with Epstein. (One of those suits was dismissed with prejudice in May after it came out that, among other things, flight logs showed that her trafficking accusations were impossible. Black denies the allegations from the two other women, and has raised serious questions about their validity.) What we know about what actually happened is far murkier. Black has said that Epstein gave him tax and estate-planning advice, for which he was paid $158 million from 2012 to 2018, according to an audit  far above what those services are typically worth. Black traveled with Epstein a few times, including once taking his family to the dead child traffickers private island. In August, the U.S. Virgin Islands  which is suing JPMorgan Chase over its role in facilitating Epsteins trafficking operations  settled with Black for $62.5 million in cash, raising the possibility that whatever actually happened between the two men would never be publicly aired.

There is, however, at least one other prominent investigation by the Senate Committee on Finance, which has been looking into their financial relationship. In July, the committee sent Black a 16-page letter asking pointed questions about what Epstein did. Despite not being a certified public accountant or licensed tax attorney, Epstein was paid amounts that far exceeded what you paid other professional advisors, including some of the most high-priced legal counsel in the nation, wrote the committees chair, Senator Ron Wyden. The details are bizarre: Not only did Epstein give relatively standard advice on tax avoidance, but he apparently took credit for the ideas of other people who actually worked for Black. Much of his advice had to be vetted by Blacks own tax and legal teams  people who actually did this stuff for a living  and a portion of it was rejected for being wrong.

The committee had demanded that Black provide more information by September 1. On Thursday, New York Times reporter Matthew Goldstein tweeted out an update, saying that no such information had come through.

Update: Leon Black's lawyers "again refused to provide satisfactory answers on highly questionable financial dealings" with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Senate Finance Committee aide.The committee is investigating the $158 million Black paid Epstein for tax & estate planning.  Matthew Goldstein (@MattGoldstein26) September 7, 2023

Strange, isnt it? Its clear that Epstein was being compensated so much for something. While Black has, in the past, downplayed how close he was to Epstein, subsequent lawsuits and reporting show that they were deeply involved with each other, spending time on yachts and vacationing together. (He now says he regrets the relationship.) Epstein even pulled some strings at JPMorgan to help Black buy Edvard Munchs The Scream for a record $119.9 million.

Wyden claims in his July letter to Black that his committee is interested in investigating tax-avoidance schemes from the ultrarich. While thats undeniably true, it also smacks of being not quite the whole story. The committee is, in fact, in possession of the details of the tax-avoidance scheme, which apparently saved Black billions of dollars, thanks to the audit by Apollo. But what they really want to know is why Epstein was worth so much to him. (According to the audit report, Black apparently believed he could deduct Epsteins pay from his taxes, though later realized he couldnt. Its unclear why Black believed that, if anyone else had told him that was true, and if he was deducting the rest of his legal and tax services.)

Black, for his part, doesnt really have much to say about all this. Mr. Black has cooperated extensively with the committee, providing detailed information about the matters under review, his spokesman, Whit Clay, told me. The transactions referenced in the committees letter were lawful in all respects, were conceived of, vetted, and implemented by reputable law firms and tax and other advisers, and Mr. Black has fully paid all taxes owed to the government. After this story first ran, a spokesman for the committee confirmed to me that, while Blacks attorneys provided some information, they didnt find it to be satisfactory. The response also appears to dodge serious questions regarding tax schemes involving billions of dollars in trusts, but committee staff are continuing to review the material, according to the statement.

There has to be some explanation for these overpayments  whether it can be a reasonable explanation is up to the committee  but Blacks resistance to explaining why he paid Epstein so much isnt going to make the question go away. There are a lot of people who apparently have pointed things to say about the former private-equity CEO  Black once sued Josh Harris, another Apollo co-founder, for allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign against him. (He lost that suit, and it was thrown out for being baseless.) Epstein clearly had a lot of power over a lot of people  he even allegedly blackmailed Bill Gates. If were ever going to find out, it might be by following the money.

Update: A spokesman for the Senate Committee on Finance provided an official statement after this story first ran, and was updated to include it.
I had never imagined we would see the day this would have any official confirmation. It felt like it would always be treated as a rumor. I feel so sorry for all the victims.

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Same and when the bbc doc came out I thought it was really poorly done and would lead to nothing, happy to be wrong.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Kitagawa#Sexual_abuse_by_Kitagawa It's such a revolting story. Sex abusers should all diaf.

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An independent probe established by Johnny & Associates reported the findings of their investigation on August 29, 2023, saying that Kitagawa repeatedly committed sexual abuse from the early 1970s until the mid-2010s.

jesus christ this is fucking horrific

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This story is so massive and I'm honestly so shocked it hasn't gotten more major international media attention.



Edited at 2023-09-08 02:09 am (UTC)

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It's about time this happened. Although I was never a fan of any of the Johnnys bands, I did live in Japan for a few years and those bands were literally everywhere. So many boys went through that company and the stranglehold it had on entertainment was insane. I just wish everything had properly blown up when Johnny was still alive so he could have seen it all crash down.

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Too little too late. The old man is dead.

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Wait, a woman in power has to step down as reparations for the abuse inflicted by a relative who is now dead and faced zero repercussions? And now a man who was aware of the rumors when the abuse was happening was promoted to president? Am I reading this right?

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To be fair, it's not written in the post but a bit of context/nuance is missing and not just "woman faces repurcussions for relative while man gets elevated". The investigation found that Julie (the resigning president) actively covered Johnny's sexual abuse, thus should not stay in her position given her role in not only allowing the abuse to happen but also hiding it while it was ongoing

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thank you for clarifying. i was annoyed that a woman was losing her job over a man's crimes, but it's what she deserves if she was complicit. i hope everyone involved gets sued into oblivion.

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This is what I wondered, if she helped cover it up then she should burn tbh. Yeah he's dead so he can't face consequences but she helped cover it up and is still here so maybe if she gets punished then other people will think twice of helping cover it up.

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She was complicit. Julie is a bully who connived with broadcast networks and newspapers to get stories about her uncle buried. She and her mother - who I hope is now rotting in hell with her brother - also used their talents as leverage to get former j&a talents who dared leave the company blacklisted from TV.



Edited at 2023-09-08 08:37 am (UTC)

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Little fucking late for that. I remember waay back like 15 years ago when I was HEAVILY into jpop...like NEWS, KATTUN, HeySay, Kanjani8,Kissmyft or whatever-I was REALLY into johnnies, and then I started hearing all the crazy rumors about what may or may not have happened and just like that I dropped everything lol. I took down my posters, I stored away my magazines, I stopped watching the music shows, the jdramas they were shoehorned into-everything. Just made me feel too weird. Like how could you still enjoy it knowing what was probably going on??? Whole thing just felt pedophilic. Just wish they did something back then instead of now. I mean anytime is better than no time, to stop the abuse..but even so..

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I know, it was like an open secret/rumor/even a "joke" like "haha we all know he's a perv but he's our perv" which is disgusting. I only followed JE guys through jdramas but I always got a skeevy feeling about the company/system.

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I can't believe he was abusing kids until the 2000s, I know it's not good either way but I thought at least newer generations like KAT-TUN were safe. I don't really follow anybody now except Yamapi, and the thought he might have been abused by that horrible man makes me sick.

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I kind of feel bad for the niece who has had to clean up her uncle's mess and I don't really know how much she could have done when Johnny was still alive. Still, she benefitted from the pain of all those men/boys and didn't immediately address this as soon as she inherited the company, so her resignation is justified. Her apology and resignation must bring a bit of comfort to the victims, however little it is. They deserve more in reparations.



Idk how to feel about the new ex-idol president, but if the current and former talents are ok with him, then it should be fine.

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She's a manipulative asshole whose been covering his crimes for years and pressuring victims



Why on earth would you feel sorry for her?

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Well sorry, I didn't know that much, I was just going with what the article said. Fuck her then, this is the barest minimum she could do.

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kitagawa repeatedly committed sexual abuse from the early 1970s until the mid-2010s



It's been so long since ive been into jpop I can't remember if I heard rumors about this. But I'm very sad to hear this went on for 40+ years :( it makes me think of Jimmy Saville



I hope the acknowledgment helps the former/current Johnny's members in some way.



I wonder if they will change the company name

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The latest news I've read says they don't plan to change it. I get why, but it's still frustrating.

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here's the video of it, with reporter also bringing up "Stalin Kabushiki Gaisha." Japanese journalism...a study in contrasts.... https://t.co/Pv8ixGWEa3  Patrick St. Michel (@mbmelodies) September 7, 2023 A reporter actually said in the press conference that keeping the name is like having a company called Hitler or Stalin Co. Ltd. And Higashiyama just deflected.

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This was a long time coming for sure and a VERY big deal. I wish it had arrived sooner for all of those harmed. I had been into a few Johnnys groups (SMAP included, I was so young getting into J-pop, basically a kid on dial-up internet taking in everything anime and Japanese music related), but I moved away from them as I grew older and learned what was going on.

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I remember hearing about a different Japanese idol company but the CEO would target young girls as trainees, commit SA and encourage the boy idols in his company to do the same. This was like years ago. So much evil in this world.

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Wait, was that a Japanese company? That sounds so much like the Open World Entertainment scandal in K-pop. It's horrifying to think something like that could've happened twice.

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yeh I think you're right and they mean that scandal. It's insane that we STILL don't know which 3 idols were involved, the police only confirmed who wasn't.

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god so he basically assaulted the boys too by proxy...

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We all knew, I know so many fans who have been boycotting JE because of this



I honestly didn't think we'd see the day

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It's been going on for decades ;___;

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I didn't know that much and have any idea how long she was working in the company, I'm sorry. The article only said that she avoided admitting to the sexual abuse even after she took over.

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not your fault, the article is not very clear as far as i can see from the comments here!

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well past time. and julie needs to sell her shares and get completely out of the business, once JE's paid restitution for the victims. i feel like higashiyama and inohara are being set up to be the fall guys, but we'll wait and see. there's a lot of change happening right now. it's almost dizzying. i hate that already some companies are pulling back on their sponsorships, which impacts current idols. it feels hypocritical and it feels like undue punishment*. these rumors have been around for decades, victims have been coming forward for decades, but now that you finally see the writing on the wall, you want to explore other options and put CMs and endorsements on hold? nah. *edit: i say undue punishment because these companies were happy to work with JE while kitagawa was up to his shit. and the current idols are also victims in themselves. not to the level of those who were abused by kitagawa, of course, but this is a mark that they carry. of course, some could argue that they're complicit but from the looks of it, much of the abuse happened when the current sempai idols were children and teens...



Edited at 2023-09-08 05:39 am (UTC)

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Johnnys got to the point they are now because of the intimidation tactics they used to pressure companies in to using their talents and not talents from agencies they considered direct competitors so actually I hope they lose all their sponsorships (they wont) and a ton of acting gigs too (they wont). Im tired of the Its not the idols fault, they shouldnt be punished attitude, its one of the things that allowed the company to run like this for so long. Its not punishment for them to have to compete on a more equal level with guys from other agencies.

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Take 5 Car Wash Faces $256,707 in Penalties for Electrical, Other Hazards

Reports of electrical shocks spanned more than a year.

A Take 5 Car Wash located in Beachwood, Ohio, is facing $256,707 in penalties following an OSHA investigation.

In a release dated September 7, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that OSHA determined that the company overlooked employee reports of electrical shocks for 14 months. Following a complaint in March 2023, OSHA launched its investigation, which revealed employees had been cleaning near electrical equipment with high-pressure water. Notably, this activity took place near a deteriorating 480-volt electrical panel.

Our investigation found that Take 5 Car Washs management knew that live electrical hazards existed throughout the facility, and that employees suffered electrical shocks repeatedly, yet allowed them to continue working in these conditions and took several weeks to make repairs after a worker suffered electrical shock, OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland said in a statement. It is unsettling that a company with such vast resources would expose employees to the potentially deadly risks of electrical shock.

OSHA inspectors also uncovered several other violations, including failure to enforce lockout procedures for potential hazards, use lockout/tagout kits, educate workers on energy control, ensure regular machine safety checks, maintain adequate workspace around electrical equipment and train staff on electrical safety and provide essential protective gear.

In the end, OSHA cited Take 5 Car Washs parent company, Driven Brands, with one willful and 12 serious safety violations. The company now has 15 business days to comply, request an informal OSHA discussion, or challenge the findings.
Wisconsin Sawmill Adheres to Child Labor Laws After Teen Worker's Death

The company settled with $190,696 in penalties.

Florence Hardwoods LLCa sawmill operator based in Florence, Wisconsinhas reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) following the death of a 16-year-old employee.

In a release dated September 7, the DOL announced it has secured a federal consent order against Florence Hardwoods, and the company agreed to comply with federal child labor laws. The order follows an incident in June 2023 in which a teen worker suffered fatal injuries, leading the DOLs Wage and Hour Division to launch an investigation into Florence Hardwoods.

In addition to adhering to child labor regulations now and in the future, the order requires the company to pay $190,696 in penalties. It will prominently display labels and signs barring minors from using dangerous machinery or even entering the companys sawmill and planer buildings. It has also agreed not to hire workers under the age of 16 and inform the DOL before hiring any minors.

This tragic case illustrates just how vital and urgent it is that the Department of Labor uses every tool at our disposal to combat child labor, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a statement. Any death of a child is too many. Thats why our Wage and Hour Division and Solicitors Office took immediate steps to prevent the sale of hot goods and to hold the company accountable for allowing children to perform hazardous and, in this case, deadly jobs. Illegal child labor is a stain on this country and will not be tolerated by this administration or this department.

This investigation also uncovered revealed the company had employed nine underage children to illegally operate hazardous machinery and seven 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside legal hours. Three workers ages 15 and 16 sustained injuries between November 2021 and March 2023, with one injured twice. Following the workers death, the company promptly terminated all employees under the age of 18.
In a mere four years, Guyana went from first discovery to first oil, a rapid timeframe in an industry where it can take years to bring major energy projects online. The former British colony is now a major South American oil producer and global petroleum exporter. As a result, Guyana is benefiting from a tremendous economic windfall, with the country emerging as the worlds fastest-growing economy with 2022 gross domestic product (GDP) expanding by a stunning 62%. Industry consultancies and the government in Georgetown expect Guyana to be pumping 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day by 2027, a figure greater than many OPEC members. Exxons commitment to developing the offshore 6.6-million-acre Stabroek Block indicates oil output could soar even higher. This has the potential to alter global energy market dynamics and challenge the price-making power of the OPEC Plus consortium.

Data from Guyanas Ministry of Natural Resources shows the country of less than one million was lifting 351,600 barrels of oil per day at the end of July 2023. That production volume pumped by the Liza Destiny and Unity floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) is greater than their combined nameplate capacity of 340,000 barrels per day. Exxon, which holds a 45% stake in the Stabroek Block and is the operator, prioritized development of the block in late-2020 due to the Liza oilfields low breakeven price of $25 per barrel to $35 per barrel and high-quality light sweet crude oil. That saw the global energy supermajor ramp up activity with a large exploration drilling campaign that eventually yielded over 30 discoveries and more than 11 billion barrels of oil resources in the Stabroek Block.

Since the first oil discovery in the Stabroek Block was made in 2015, the Exxon-led consortium comprised of Hess, with a 30% interest, and CNOOC, holding a 25% stake, have approved six projects with the initial Liza phase-1 and 2 developments complete. There are four more operations being developed, which, on start-up, will significantly lift oil production to at least 1.2 million barrels per day, and perhaps more. These include the 220,000 barrel per day Payara operation, with the first oil slated for late 2023 and the 250,000 barrels per day Yellowtail project, which will commence operations in 2025. Earlier this year, the consortium approved the $12.7 billion 250,000 barrel-per-day Uaru project, which is expected to start production during 2026. In the latest news, Exxon and its partners in the prolific Stabroek Block announced they will proceed with the sixth development, the nearly $13 billion Whiptail project. This facility will consist of 72 wells with a nameplate production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day and commence operations in late 2027.

Once all of those assets are operational, Exxon will have the capacity to lift just over 1.3 million barrels per day from the Stabroek Block. Each of those operations, like the functioning Liza Phase-1 and Phase-2 FPSOs, possesses the potential to pump more petroleum than the designated capacity. For this reason, oil output from the Stabroek Block could easily surpass the 1.3 million barrels expected. By 2027, Guyanas petroleum output could very well surpass the forecast of 1.2 million barrels daily, which will see the country exceed the petroleum output of many OPEC members and become the world's 16th largest oil producer.

The immense international interest in Guyana is being driven by a high exploration success rate and substantial offshore petroleum potential, which appears to exceed that estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey. The light sweet oil being discovered, with the Liza grade possessing an API gravity of 32 degrees and 0.58% sulfur content, is easier and cheaper for refineries to process into high-quality fuels further adding to offshore Guyanas popularity. According to Rystad Energy, the carbon intensity of the oil being extracted is among some of the lowest globally. That is an extremely attractive attribute for foreign energy companies at a time when big oil is being pressured to sharply reduce emissions and become carbon neutral. Industry low breakeven prices, estimated by Rystad to average $28 per barrel, make operating in offshore Guyana highly profitable, especially with Brent selling for around $90 a barrel.

For those reasons, Guyanas rising petroleum output will not stop at 1.2 million or 1.3 million barrels per day, nor will discovered oil resources remain at around 11 billion barrels, both will expand at a solid clip. Earlier this year, Guyanas Environmental Protection Agency greenlighted Exxons 35-well drilling campaign for the Stabroek Block, which will lead to further oil discoveries based on the supermajors success rate. Other foreign energy companies are investing in exploration assets and drilling activities in offshore Guyana. Georgetowns pending first-time oil auction, which has been delayed multiple times since December 2022, captured considerable interest. Reportedly, Brazils national oil company Petrobras is eyeing investing in Guyana while French supermajor TotalEnergies, which made five commercial discoveries in nearby Block 58 offshore Suriname, has interests in Guyanas Canje and Kanuku Blocks.

Guyanas growing production and discovered oil resources will boost global supply at a crucial time, which will diminish the influence of the OPEC Plus cartel. In recognition of this and Guyanas tremendous petroleum potential, OPEC is attempting to woo the former British colony to join its ranks. The cartel has invited representatives from Guyana to participate in its meetings in Europe but has yet to officially invite the country to join the cartel. Regardless, Georgetown appears reticent to join OPEC, especially with membership requiring Guyana to comply with various rules and regulations. Indeed, such a move would place limitations on Guyanas oil industry by requiring compliance with OPEC Plus production quotas, a key reason regional neighbor Ecuador exited the cartel in 2020.

Guyanas explosive arrival as a serious global oil producer, going from first discovery to first oil in a mere four years, will challenge OPECs dominance. When coupled with Brazils plans to become the worlds fourth largest producer, South America will reemerge as a major petroleum-producing region with the capability to challenge OPEC Pluss role as a global price maker. These are all significant developments for the worlds largest oil consumer, the U.S., where Gulf Coast refineries, since 2019 when President Donald Trump ratcheted up sanctions against Venezuelan oil have been seeking alternate sources of supply. It will also blunt the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias at times antagonistic attitude toward the U.S., which is responsible for higher oil prices.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Over the past year, the signs have been everywhere that Middle East alliances are truly shifting, and the very tricky game of normalization of ties with Israel is happening on multiple fronts. First and foremost, this is because Israels major natural gas discoveries and first-time production have given it much more regional clout, and plenty of soft-power leverage over neighbors, particularly those who need gas. Setting the stage in 2020, we saw the UAE normalize ties with Israel, followed by a series of energy deals. The Saudis have not jumped on this slow-moving train, first re-establishing ties earlier this year with arch-enemy Iran, which is also Israels arch-enemy. This week, Saudi Arabia and Iran formally finalized rapprochement by installing their respective ambassadors in Riyadh and Tehran, while the Biden administration reversed a Trump-era move to grant Israel the Golan Heights. Likewise, as we noted last week, Washingtons schemes to get Libya to normalize with Israel have led to dangerous protests and the fleeing of the countrys foreign minister (the scapegoat); yet, it has more recently emerged that PM Dbeibah has also met with Israels Mossad chief in Jordan, with normalization on the secret agenda. The big question now is, what will normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel cost? Saudi Arabia wants a new security deal with the U.S., while Palestinian Authorities want hundreds of

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

Over the past year, the signs have been everywhere that Middle East alliances are truly shifting, and the very tricky game of normalization of ties with Israel is happening on multiple fronts. First and foremost, this is because Israels major natural gas discoveries and first-time production have given it much more regional clout, and plenty of soft-power leverage over neighbors, particularly those who need gas. Setting the stage in 2020, we saw the UAE normalize ties with Israel, followed by a series of energy deals. The Saudis have not jumped on this slow-moving train, first re-establishing ties earlier this year with arch-enemy Iran, which is also Israels arch-enemy. This week, Saudi Arabia and Iran formally finalized rapprochement by installing their respective ambassadors in Riyadh and Tehran, while the Biden administration reversed a Trump-era move to grant Israel the Golan Heights. Likewise, as we noted last week, Washingtons schemes to get Libya to normalize with Israel have led to dangerous protests and the fleeing of the countrys foreign minister (the scapegoat); yet, it has more recently emerged that PM Dbeibah has also met with Israels Mossad chief in Jordan, with normalization on the secret agenda. The big question now is, what will normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel cost? Saudi Arabia wants a new security deal with the U.S., while Palestinian Authorities want hundreds of millions of dollars and more control of land in the West Bank. This will be one to watch in the coming weeks.

The Biden administration this week canceled all seven oil and gas leases (all that remained) in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The leases were granted under Trump. This is being viewed as a nod to critics of Bidens earlier move to approve the Willow oil project (ConocoPhillips Alaska) on the North Slope. Alaskas Republican government has threatened to sue the administration over the cancellation on Wednesday of the Arctic leases.

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Eni is gearing up to sell its Nigerian E&P subsidiary, Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), to Nigerias Oando. NAOC currently holds stakes in two onshore exploration leases, four onshore blocks, and two power plants. The deal wont include NAOCs stake in Shells PDC JV, which will stay with Eni. That leaves Eni with its Nigerian Agip Exploration and Agip Energy and Natural Resources ventures in Nigeria, which focus mainly on offshore projects. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval. NNPC Ltd said that Eni did not obtain its permission before announcing the deal in what some say could be seen as a breach of terms.

Shell and Trinidad and Tobagos National Gas Company could agree to credit PDVSA for its $1B investment in an offshore gasfield that the trio intends to develop, reviving the Dragon project, which had been put on the back burner as the U.S. prohibited PDVSA from receiving cash payments from the project. The group received authorization earlier this year to revive the project, but the Biden Administration has been asked to reconsider the payments to Venezuela.

ORLEN Groups subsidiary PGNiG Upstream Norway signed a letter of intent with Horisont Energi to join the operations of the Polaris carbon storage project in the Norwegian Barents Sea, with PGNiG Upstream Norway serving as operator with a 50% stake. The deal should be complete by December. This is ORLENs first Co2 storage license.

Diamondback Energys subsidiary Viper Energy Partners agreed to acquire mineral and royalty interests from affiliates of Warwick Capital Partners and GRP Energy Capital in a billion-dollar deal. The deal expands VIpers already-strong Permian presence and will bring its expected full-year production to 8,500 boepd by next year.

Chevron snapped up 77 acres in Cypress, Texas, just outside Houston, in what some think is a new R&D campus. Chevron said its existing California headquarters and Houston office complex will remain.

Daimler, Paccar, Chinas EVE Energy, and Cummins will team up to build a lithium-iron-phosphate battery plant for trucks. Cummins, Diamler, and Paccar will invest between $2B-$3B in the JV factory, with all three firms owning a 30% stake. The Chinese company, Eve Energy, will hold a 10% stake. The factory is expected to start making batteries in 2027.

Lukoils trading unit, Litasco SA, is starting an operation in Mexico as the company struggles to find buyers for its products in the wake of sanctions. Oil products trader Yuri Carreno has been hired to head up the operations. The move could see some of Mexicos US oil products imports swing to Russian-sourced products.
Russian regional elections begin this weekend in 49 of its 83 regions, including Crimea and occupied areas of Ukraine. In occupied Ukraine, the elections (which are inherently rigged) are meant to serve as recognition that this is now Russian territory, definitively.

Back at home, in Russias own regions, there is a different scenario playing out, and stability remains in question. This is the first litmus test before the final one, with presidential elections next year. Times are very different now. Even then, it wasnt a cakewalk for the Kremlin and there were some regional electoral losses for Putin. Now, the situation is more uncertain.

Much of the battle for controlling regional election results happens far before voting day and includes making sure the wrong candidates dont make the list in the first place (just like Navalny has been imprisoned to ensure he can never run for president against Putin). But its a massive country to silence, and the regions further away from Moscow are more difficult to control, even when the Kremlin controls new online voting procedures.

But now, it is not the opposition Putin must fear, but the radical nationalists whom he grew from within his own ranks. Pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin has announced he will run for president, even though he is imprisoned. Girkin (aka Shooter) is a notorious nationalist, a convicted murderer (by a Dutch court) for his involvement in the 2014
- Total zinc imports into China came in at 76,800 metric tonnes in July, in just one month equalling the entire annual tally of 2022 as traders are betting on policy support from Beijing.

- Chinese imports of zinc have recovered to levels not seen since April 2019, bolstering hopes that the Asian countrys economic growth might be on an upward trajectory in the second half of 2023.

- Saudi Arabia currently accounts for 16% of the Chinese crude market, down from 17.2% this time last year, but these new volumes should help Aramco regain lost territory in a country where most refineries are configured to run on Saudi crude.

- Saudi growth will be led by the 800,000 b/d Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical refinery which started to load crude under its huge 480,000 b/d supply deal with Aramco in September, whilst the 400,000 b/d Yulong refinery in Shandong is set to start importing Arab crude next year.

- Russia has become the top crude supplier to China with 2.1 million b/d exported in January-July, some 300,000 b/d higher than Saudi Arabias exports with Iraq coming in at third place with 1.2 million b/d.

- As Saudi Arabia is finalizing its 2024 term contracts, to be done by the end of October, the Middle Eastern kingdom is set to increase its crude supplies to China as new refining capacity lifts offtake.

1. Saudi Arabia Seeks to Regain Market Share in China

- As Saudi Arabia is finalizing its 2024 term contracts, to be done by the end of October, the Middle Eastern kingdom is set to increase its crude supplies to China as new refining capacity lifts offtake.

- Russia has become the top crude supplier to China with 2.1 million b/d exported in January-July, some 300,000 b/d higher than Saudi Arabias exports with Iraq coming in at third place with 1.2 million b/d.

- Saudi growth will be led by the 800,000 b/d Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical refinery which started to load crude under its huge 480,000 b/d supply deal with Aramco in September, whilst the 400,000 b/d Yulong refinery in Shandong is set to start importing Arab crude next year.

- Saudi Arabia currently accounts for 16% of the Chinese crude market, down from 17.2% this time last year, but these new volumes should help Aramco regain lost territory in a country where most refineries are configured to run on Saudi crude.

2. Chinas Huge Zinc Imports Rekindle Hopes of Growth

- Chinese imports of zinc have recovered to levels not seen since April 2019, bolstering hopes that the Asian countrys economic growth might be on an upward trajectory in the second half of 2023.

- Total zinc imports into China came in at 76,800 metric tonnes in July, in just one month equalling the entire annual tally of 2022 as traders are betting on policy support from Beijing.

- The LME three-month zinc contract currently trades at $2,450 metric tonnes, still some $500/mt below prices in early 2023, even though registered stocks in the Singapore exchange remain very low, slightly above 43,000 metric tonnes.

- The demand boost for zinc comes from increased Chinese smelting of the metal, leaving behind the power curbs and production mandates of 2022, cumulative zinc smelting was up 10% year-on-year at 3.78 million tonnes in the first seven months of the year.

3. Chilean Lithium Exports Rebound Amidst Weakening Outlook

- Chiles lithium production rebounded in August after months of stagnant supply, with government revenue moving up 18% month-on-month to 525 million despite slumping prices.

- The outlook for lithium prices remains highly bearish as the average selling price of EV cells fell below 0.6 per Wh, reflecting a wider 10% month-on-month drop in prices in August, indicating weak supply from battery producers.

- For Chiles embattled lithium industry, an emerging deal between SQM and Codelco which should de-risk supply from 75% of the countrys salt flat acreage and revamp a long-term deal that would have otherwise run out in 2030, should be a moderately positive sign of change.

- Investor interest has generally avoided Chile so far in 2023, with early-stage deals in Australia becoming the preferred way for production giants like Albemarle to expand inorganically.

4. UK Tries to Catch Up with North Sea Investment Boom

- Investments into Norways oil and gas industry are set to reach an all-time high of 21 billion in 2023, mostly driven by the countrys temporary tax incentives introduced in 2020-2022 to avoid a COVID-driven investment slump.

- The United Kingdom is a hefty 75% down compared to its investment peak of 23 billion in 2013 as windfall taxes and weak government support hampering the appetite of investors.

- An increasingly pro-oil stance of the Sunak administration in the UK might trigger a surge in new FIDs in 2024, with Rystad Energy expecting 14 new oil and gas fields to be approved, amongst them Rosebank, Cambo, and Clair 3.

- The UK still has a lot of catching up when it comes to exploration activity as Norway continues to drill 35-36 wells per year, whilst wells spudded in British waters still come in single digits.

5. Wind Weakness Drags Down Europes Renewable Complex

- The aggregate index of European renewable energy stocks plunged to its lowest level since July 2020, shedding almost 30% since the beginning of 2023, driven by structural weakness in wind power.

- As Denmarks Orsted announced it could relinquish its US offshore wind projects and take on huge impairments, the stock plunged almost into double-digit losses in just one day of trading.

- Another key wind developer Vestas (CPH:VWS) saw its outlook sour significantly after Barclays downgraded it to underweight and suggested its target price is 37% lower than its last close, at 20 per share.

- Danish companies play an oversized role in wind energy projects, largely thanks to Denmarks early start in wind that led it to a 55% market share in power generation, and their problems will impact the future of US projects - with eight of the 16 offshore wind projects currently developed in the US being managed by Orsted.

6. Strong Indian Demand Moves Australian Coking Coal Out of Chinas Reach

- Coking coal prices continue to diverge in the Asian region as Chinese CFR import prices soared above FOB Australian quotes, with China already buying 25 million tonnes of coking coal this year, roughly equivalent to the 2022 annual tally.

- Australian coking coal prices have been trending around $270-275 per metric tonne recently, some $30/mt higher than CFR Chinese prices, as strong Indian demand is limiting volumes available for exports elsewhere.

- Consequently, increasing Chinese imports are mostly coming from higher Russian and Mongolian imports, in turn eliminating previously existing discounts on Russian met coal.

- Indias imports of Australian coking coal soared to the highest level since November 2021 in July, at 4.5 million tonnes, with Australian exporters expected to surpass last years export tally of 158 million tonnes thanks to strong demand from Japan and India.

7. Europes Hydrogen Boom Gives Legacy Ports New Meaning

- Boosted by the European Unions 17 billion investment package, ports across Europe are now racing to develop hydrogen production and transmission capacities that could feed inland sources of consumption.

- As part of the RePowerEU strategy, the 27 members of the EU pledged to produce at least 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 and concurrently import another 10 million tonnes from abroad.

- The port of Rotterdam alone plans to provide Northwest Europe with at least 4.6 mtpa of hydrogen, accounting for roughly a quarter of the overall EU goal, triggering fierce competition for eligible EU funds as Brussels also set aside 5 billion for cross-border links.

- Northern coastal areas might be enjoying a long-term competitive edge due to stronger winds and sophisticated port infrastructures that would be easier to refurbish, with Antwerp-Bruges as well as German ports planning large-scale capacity expansions.
The Canadian province of Alberta has just entered the global race for lithium extraction after a Canadian lithium extraction start-up launched its Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) field pilot plant, the first in the oil-rich province.

E3 Lithium received earlier this year a license from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) to construct and operate the necessary equipment to run a direct lithium extraction pilot, planned to begin operations in the third quarter of 2023.

We are incredibly excited to be field testing ion exchange technology for direct lithium extraction in real-world operating conditions this year, Chris Doornbos, President and CEO of E3 Lithium, said at the time.

At the pilot project site, Doornbos told Bloomberg this week,

The opportunity to be a global leader, and to make Alberta a lithium jurisdiction, is really and truly here.

A full-scale commercial plant at the pilot project site could be up and running in 2026 and process up to 150,000 tons of battery-grade lithium product annually, Doornbos told Bloomberg.

DLE could create a new supply source for the crucial mineral. Demand for lithium is expected to surge as the energy transition progresses, while the West is looking to diversify supply chains away from Chinas lithium processing.

Direct lithium extraction (DLE) and direct lithium to product (DLP) can be the driving forces behind the industrys ability to respond more swiftly to soaring demand, McKinsey & Company said in a report last year.

Bank UBS expects China to end up controlling nearly one-third of the global lithium supply by 2025. Mines controlled by Beijing, not only in China but also in Africa, will see their total lithium output jump more than threefold in just three yearsfrom 194,000 tons in 2022 to 705,000 tons by 2025, UBS said in a note earlier this year, carried by Bloomberg.

This surge in supply would raise the Chinese share of global lithium supply to 32% in 2025, up from 24% in 2022, the bank said.

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Alberta, for its part, could hold great opportunities in its untapped lithium brines, Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR) said in a report this week.

Rising demand for lithium, a key metal in the transition of energy sources to lower-carbon alternatives, is sparking a land grab in Alberta and a renaissance in prospecting, this time for lithium rather than oil, said Graham Bain, report author and a vice president at EIR.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Workers at the Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas projects offshore Australia will begin striking today after talks with the projects operator, Chevron fell through.

Talks have been going on for a couple of weeks now, eventually moving to mediation with the participation of the Australian Fair Work Commission.

The trade union alliance representing the workers, the Offshore Alliance, has repeatedly warned that it will cost Chevron billions if it rejects the workers demand.

"Despite the Offshore Alliance giving Chevron plenty of opportunity to sort out (bargaining agreements) ... they will finally be facing their day of reckoning," the trade union said earlier today.

Work stoppages at the Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities began at 5 a.m. GMT today and could last for up to 11 hours daily. The industrial action is scheduled to continue until September 14.

Reuters noted in a report that as the strikes begin, the two LNG facilities may need to be shut down, "if there are not competent personnel to undertake handovers during work stoppages," per the OA.

The two projects together account for about 5% of global LNG supply. While Chevron failed to reach a deal with the workers, sector player Woodside, the operator of Australias largest LNG facility, the North West Shelf, managed to strike a deal and avert a strike.

The three LNG facilitiesthe North West Shelf, Gorgon, and Wheatstonerepresent a tenth of global LNG supply. The threat of strikes there lifted gas prices considerably and put Europeans on high alert ahead of the coming winter.

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Australia, the worlds biggest LNG exporter currently, does not export directly to Europe but due to its size, any disruption in supply there reverberates across the global LNG market. This week prices have been on the rise again, on the news about Chevron. As industrial action begins, they will likely move higher still.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Turkeys Karpowership has switched off electricity supply to Sierra Leones capital city Freetown over an outstanding debt of some $40 million, the energy minister of the West African country told Reuters on Friday.

Karpowership has 36 powerships with a total of 6,000 MW of installed capacity, and powers towns and communities in more than 20 countries.

Sierra Leones debt was accrued over time because the government subsidises more than half the cost the ship charges per kilowatt hour, Kanja Sesay told Reuters.

The government is spending a lot of money on subsidies because consumers pay for power in the local currency, the Leone, which is one of the worst-performing currencies globally against the U.S. dollar. Sierra Leone, however, pays to Karpowership for the electricity in dollars.

Karpowership is one of the three power sources for Sierra Leones capital. The other two are a hydropower dam and electricity from an interconnection with the Ivory Coast. The interconnection also supplies power to neighboring West African countries Guinea and Liberia.

Energy consumption in the country is largely dominated by biomass sourced from fuelwood and accounts for around 80% of the energy used, according to the U.S. government. The country imports petroleum products for power generation which account for 13% of energy consumption.

As of 2021, only 15% of the total population in Sierra Leone and about 2.5% of the rural population had access to electricity.

The West African countrys power sector is small, with less than 150 megawatts (MW) of energy capacity connecting fewer than 150,000 customers, while the cost for electricity is heavily subsidized. The entire country lacks a stable and reliable public power supply and domestic demand remains significantly unmet.

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Although Sierra Leone is endowed with energy potential in various forms including biomass from agricultural wastes, hydro and solar power, it remains underutilized, the International Trade Administration says.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Amid refinery maintenance and rising domestic fuel prices, Russia is set to cut its diesel exports from its ports on the Baltic and Black Seas by nearly 25% in September compared to the export plans for August, Bloomberg reported on Friday, quoting industry data it had seen.

The shipments of diesel out of Russias western ports, including some exports from Belarus, are planned at 1.874 million tons in September, or 466,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from about 600,000 bpd planned for August exports, according to Bloombergs calculations.

The plan for diesel exports in September lays out the lowest shipments since May this year when spring refinery maintenance was in place.

Now the autumn refinery maintenance is also slashing diesel exports out of Russia.

The primary oil refining capacity that will be offline in Russia is set to soar by 44% in September compared to August amid seasonal maintenance, according to Reuters estimates based on data from industry sources.

As much as 4.635 million metric tons of Russias refining capacity is expected to be offline this month, industry sources have told Reuters.

Russias authorities are also recommending refineries curb exports and sell more fuel domestically to meet local demand, but the recommendation is not legally binding, according to Bloomberg.

Lower diesel shipments overseas would mean lower export revenues for Russia, which continues to earn billions of U.S. dollars each month from exports of crude and products.

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Russias crude oil and refined products exports remained steady at some 7.3 million bpd in July, while higher oil prices and narrower price differentials for Russian crude pushed Moscows revenues higher compared to June, according to estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its market report in August. Russias export revenues, at $15.3 billion in July, rose by $2.5 billion from June, but they were $4.1 billion lower compared to July 2022, the agencys estimates showed.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Creighton University this week unveiled a new institute focused on improving health outcomes in Nebraska, with specific goals of improving access to health care and helping to address health inequities in the community.

The Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, Creightons president, announced the creation of the Institute for Population Health in an address Tuesday on the universitys Omaha campus and in another Thursday on its Phoenix, Arizona, campus.

The Institute for Population Health embodies our mission of service and justice, bringing together our Creighton community with our partners to identify concrete solutions that enhance individual well-being and eliminate systemic barriers to health equity broadly, Hendrickson said in a statement.

Dr. Scott Shipman, a Lincoln native who earned his medical degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, serves as executive director of the new institute. He returned to Nebraska last fall after serving as director of clinical innovations and primary care initiatives with the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C.

In that position, he said, he worked with large academic health systems to think about ways to redesign clinical models to root out inefficiencies and improve communication and coordination among providers.

Driving the creation of the institute is the high cost of health care in the United States, which despite that investment has the lowest life expectancy among other, lower-spending wealthy nations. The U.S. spent more than $4.3 trillion on health care in 2021, which represents 18.3% of the nations gross domestic product.

Shipman said one focus of the institute is promoting high-value care. That is generally considered to be preventive care such as childhood immunizations and certain cancer screenings that can head off more serious and costly problems later on but that often is underused by people with multiple chronic health conditions and low-income and minority groups.

The new institute is going to focus a significant part of its attention on how we can make the delivery of health care better, improve access and root out waste and inefficiency, he said.

The institute also will focus on health disparities created by the health care system, including barriers to access for certain populations and implicit biases in health care, Shipman said.

Accessing health care is a challenge for many in the U.S. and is a particular challenge in rural areas. Some 35% of Nebraskans live in rural areas, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, more than double the national average.

Rural access to surgical care was the focus of the inaugural Creighton-CHI Health Equity in Rural Surgery Symposium Friday in Omaha. Shipman hosted the symposium with Dr. Waddah Al-Refaie, the new chairman of the Creighton School of Medicines surgery department.

But while the health care system will be one focus, Shipman said, the institute also recognizes that 80% of the factors that determine health outcomes are not medical. They include individuals health behaviors and the conditions in which they are born, live and work, such as access to affordable food and housing.

Given that, he said, the institute will focus on supporting population health at the community level by working with community-based organizations, those that already have established, trusted relationships in the community, to help them do even better at what they do. That could mean bringing the universitys resources to bear to help such groups build capacity and skills, as well as supporting their evaluation of interventions in the community.

The institute, he said, will be building an approach known as implementation science, which he used in his previous position. It involves applying best practices, turning ideas into successfully executed interventions and evaluating those interventions along the way to find out whether theyre working. Those that are can be scaled up in ways that will be sustainable.

Its building on that experience that I want to bring here, said Shipman, who also trained in pediatrics at Dartmouth College and earned a masters degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University.

In addition to partnering with community groups, another key to the institutes work will be leveraging data to raise awareness about needs in the community and to drive action. Shipman will work in partnership with CHI Health, Creightons clinical partner, and CyncHealth, which provides health care data to providers throughout Nebraska.

A second symposium Oct. 23-24, which will be open to the public, will focus on using population health to build healthier communities. The symposium, Building Bridges for Healthier Communities, will include national experts on population health and breakout sessions with Creighton faculty and community leaders. Registration and additional information are available at https://www.creighton.edu/events/university-symposium-population-health-building-bridges-healthier-communities.
A Minnesota man who almost hit an occupied Omaha police car and then deliberately crashed into another occupied vehicle in March will serve at least six years in prison.

The sentence for Cody Trautman, 36, came nearly two months after he pleaded no contest to three felonies: attempted assault on an officer, second-degree assault, and driving under the influence and causing serious bodily injury. As part of Trautmans plea agreement, prosecutors dropped one felony charge of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony.

The sentences, which were imposed by Douglas County District Court Judge Todd Engleman on Thursday, range from one to two years for attempted assault on an officer to 12 to 16 years for second-degree assault. The third charge, for driving under the influence, carries a prison sentence of two to three years.

Trautmans sentences will run concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after serving six years in prison. He has been credited with having served 168 days in jail.

Trautmans conviction stems from a pair of incidents in the early morning hours on March 20. Around 3:30 a.m., Trautman deliberately crashed his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck into a Nissan Pathfinder SUV driven by 27-year-old Gerald Pridie at North 65th Street and Military Avenue near the entrance to the Dill Softball Complex.

Pridie sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash, while another passenger in the Pathfinder, Nathan Dougall, suffered a broken arm. Although Pridie has recovered to some extent, he has been unable to work since the crash, said Douglas County Deputy Attorney Ryan Lindberg. Pridie was on crutches at Trautmans sentencing hearing.

According to police, Trautman said he thought he knew the occupants of the Pathfinder. In reality, Trautman and Pridie did not know each other.

Lindberg said Trautman was high at the time of the crash and was a danger to everybody around him, but Pridie, along with his family, happened to be the one to suffer the consequences of Trautmans actions.

Three hours before the collision with Pridie and Dougall, a police officer said, a man, whom the officer later identified as Trautman, pulled up next to the officer in the Silverado on North 72nd Street near Pinkney Street.

The officer said Trautman sped up and slowed down repeatedly as if trying to race the officer. The officer said Trautman almost hit the police cruiser, but the officer swerved to avoid the collision while Trautman sped away.

Lindberg said Trautman had been fired from his job in Minnesota for drinking. Trautman lived in Big Lake, Minnesota, which is about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Trautman, Lindberg said, then came to Nebraska with no real connections.

Trautman and his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jami Jacobs, said he takes full responsibility for his actions. Trautman also apologized to Pridie and Pridies family.

Trautman acknowledged he has a long history of depression. Jacobs said bipolar disorder and schizophrenia also could have played roles in Trautmans actions.

Trautman said the fallout from his actions allowed him to begin addressing his issues.

This whole thing is probably the best thing that could have happened to me, he said, adding hes in the best shape of my life.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of September 2023
A teenager accused of killing a 43-year-old man outside an apartment complex in west Omaha last week was ordered to be held without bail during his first court appearance Friday.

Juan Velasquez, 17, has been charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Velasquez will be tried as an adult.

The charges against Velasquez stem from the killing of Juan Carlos Tobar-Abarca in the early-morning hours of Aug. 31. Police found Tobar-Abarcas body in the parking lot of the Bel Apartments at 12107 Arbor St.

Douglas County Deputy Attorney Zachary Severson said in court that security camera footage showed Velasquez, who lived at the apartment complex with his parents and siblings, and Tobar-Abarca walking toward a vehicle. Tobar-Abarca was outside the vehicle while Velasquez got into the drivers seat.

Then Velasquez backed the vehicle up at a high rate of speed, accelerated and ran over Tobar-Abarca, Severson said. Tobar-Abarca was dragged to a grass embankment. The prosecutor said Velasquez then reversed the vehicle and ran over Tobar-Abarca a second time.

Tobar-Abarca was alive after the first hit and was still moving even after he had been run over the second time, Severson said. He ultimately died from his injuries.

After running over Tobar-Abarca the second time, Velasquez fled in the vehicle, wiped the vehicle down and changed his clothes, Severson said. Velasquez then went to Council Bluffs. Police tracked the car to the Lake Manawa area. An Omaha police helicopter and K-9 unit helped find Velasquez and bring him into custody.

Velasquez, who is from Guatemala, has been living in Omaha for more than one year. He is being represented by the Douglas County Public Defenders Office.

Tobar-Abarca was from El Salvador. Tobar-Abarcas sister, Orbelina Tobar of Los Angeles, is continuing to raise funds through a GoFundMe campaign to send his body back to El Salvador for burial.

Velasquezs next scheduled court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16.
The two letters from the Omaha Public Schools arrived roughly a week before school began last month, upsetting what Maria Bolivar had expected to happen this year with her childrens education.

Bolivar has three children attending Walnut Hill Elementary in northeast Omaha. The first letter told her that two of the three would have to leave Walnut Hill and move to a different building because their school had no special education teachers to serve them.

The second letter said one of those two children, fifth grader Adrian, will receive speech therapy online instead of in person.

Adrian, who has autism and ADHD, became one of roughly 1,200 students who will now have to receive virtual speech therapy because there arent enough speech language pathologists at OPS.

On Thursday, the school board approved a $2.27 million contract with TeleTeachers, a Chicago-based online special education company, to provide the virtual services.

Parents of affected children had received a letter and email Aug. 7 explaining the change in services.

We have worked with a number of agencies in Omaha and across the country to recruit SLPs (speech language pathologists), but are still not able to fill all of our positions, Susan Christopherson, chief academic officer, wrote in the letter. Your child will still receive those services at school. We are confident students will still receive high-quality services virtually.

The change is because of the districts special education staff shortage, an issue that has only worsened in the years since the pandemic began.

Bolivar said Adrian began receiving speech therapy from OPS before he entered kindergarten. He even had a pathologist that followed him from Martin Luther King Elementary to Walnut Hill to help him.

The special education services up until COVID were phenomenal, Bolivar said. It was ensured that he received the exact same education as everybody else.

But once COVID hit, the resource teachers were getting too much put on them. They had 40-kid case loads and I cant even be upset with the three phenomenal resource professionals that we lost (at Walnut Hill) because of just being overworked and underpaid.

OPS started the school year with a shortage of 160 special education teachers. Thats an increase from last years shortfall of 129.

The lack of teachers has caused higher caseloads for remaining staff and increases the difficulty for students to get the services they deserve.

During the 2022-23 school year, OPS had to begin corrective action after an investigation from the Nebraska Department of Education found that the district had systemic noncompliance in meeting evaluation timelines and complying with ChildFind, a regulation that requires schools to timely identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities in Nebraska to provide services.

A week before school began this year, district officials said they would move students who received special education at three North Omaha elementary schools, including Walnut Hill, to different buildings because there were no teachers to serve them. Bolivar decided to keep all three children at Walnut Hill anyway.

Bolivar said shes concerned about the shift to virtual speech therapy, partly because of the delayed start of services. In the letter, the district says that it anticipates the virtual services will be completely implemented by the end of September, meaning some students will miss out on therapy.

The Special Education office is tracking all service minutes missed and, once virtual services are implemented across the District, we will provide your student with compensatory services to make up for any missed minutes, Christopherson said in the letter. We are focused on immediate and long-term solutions. ... Our staff are parents, too. We understand that any change to how we deliver services may bring a range of emotions and questions. We are committed to ongoing communication with families.

Bolivar said Adrian already has a backlog of hundreds of hours of compensatory speech services due to him from OPS.

(Adrian) cannot read due to all the inconsistencies in services, Bolivar said.

District officials said that staff work with families to create a plan to make up the hours owed.

The special education shortage at OPS has prompted the Nebraska Legislatures education committee to hold a special session to discuss the problem Friday. Senators will convene at 1 p.m. in Room 1525 at the Capitol building.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of September 2023
An updated way of running classes at Omaha Westside High School is making its full debut after more than a year of planning with a pilot program.

Westside, which has roughly 2,100 students, has shifted its one-of-a-kind class schedule to different software in order to keep it up to date. Westside is the only public high school in Nebraska to operate on a modular schedule, which has been in place since 1967, said Principal Jay Dostal.

At Westside, the foundation of our district has always been to be innovative and also provide our students with a ton of educational opportunities, he said. We feel that modular scheduling at its core allows us to do that for students.

The high schools modular schedule consists of 10 mods, which are class periods that are each 37 minutes long. Other Omaha schools use the traditional six- or seven-period day or block scheduling.

Westsides schedule used to be managed by software from the 1990s, operating on a single computer, Dostal said. Only a handful of people in the U.S. know how to work the old system.

There were a couple times throughout history where we almost lost (everything), Dostal said about the old computer software.

The district has since switched to PowerSchool, a common student information system, to create the schedule. A group of teachers traveled to River Bluff High School in South Carolina, another modular schedule high school, in September 2022 to learn how those administrators utilized PowerSchool in conjunction with a separate scheduling system. Based on that information, Westside wound up building its own scheduling system completely within PowerSchool.

Westside High was already using PowerSchool to manage student information, so there was no added cost to include modular scheduling, according to the district.

Now administrators are working out technological kinks as Westside High uses PowerSchool for the first full school year.

The changes to the modular schedule have not gone seamlessly, says a school board report released in August. Westside High School appears to be the only school in the country that has successfully built the schedule in PowerSchool, so there are no experts to provide guidance because it hasnt been done before.

Modular schedules  sometimes referred to as flexible scheduling  is often compared to the typical college schedule. Each day of the week, a students schedule is different.

In a traditional schedule, algebra on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday would be all at the same time, Dostal said. Whereas in a modular schedule, algebra may be in the first mod one day, seventh mod the next day, fourth mod the third day, and so forth. It just kind of moves around.

A students schedule is the same week to week, he said. The shorter classes also allow for students to take more electives.

Students can meet in small groups with about 20 to 25 of their peers, or in large groups, which can consist of several classes together.

For example, we might have four meetings of honors biology throughout the week in different small groups, so on large group days all of the students enrolled in honors biology will come together, Dostal said. They will do a lecture-style (class).

Specific mods also can be set aside for instructional help, so students can go see teachers for assistance during the school day instead of before or after school.

If kids need assistance during the day, they can actually find their teacher that has a common open mod with them and actually get that assistance in either a small group or one-on-one, Dostal said. So we can build on interventions for our kids during the school day.

Students who receive special education services also can move around more freely to visit teachers throughout the day, rather than heading to the same resource classroom that is found in a traditional school, Dostal said.

Dostal said he doesnt think modular scheduling is more work for Westside High teachers. Instead, he said, its just a different mindset  one that has been part of the schools operations for nearly 60 years.

Lowerclassmen have to stay on campus the entire school day, but upperclassmen get even more freedom with their schedules. Depending on the classes they still need or want to take, they can come to school late, leave early or leave during the day when they dont have class.

Dostal, who is entering his second year as principal, is a Westside High alum and has taught at schools that used traditional and block scheduling. He also studied various school schedules as part of his dissertation during college.

My experience as a student is still very similar to the experiences of our schedules today  that modular scheduling really allows students to learn about time management and collaborating with their teachers and their peers, Dostal said.

Parents might wonder why Westside is the only high school in Nebraska to use a modular schedule if it has a variety of benefits.

Dostal said its because keeping up a modular schedule is extremely complicated. Communities also stick to what they know  a school district with a seven-period day has usually found its own success with that schedule, Dostal said.

It requires a lot of time, energy and resources in order to build it, Dostal said. Most schools use a traditional model or block schedule because there are systems designed to build those in a very efficient manner that dont require a ton of effort.

Current issues in education such as staffing shortages also pose a challenge for schools thinking about switching to a modular approach. In 2017, a Wisconsin high school had to go back to a traditional schedule after using a modular schedule for nine years because it didnt have enough staff to manage it.

Rethinking school schedules has been a recent trend in districts trying to adopt more personalized learning, according to a report from the Center for American Progress, a national public policy research organization. Researchers said that constraints of traditional bell schedules can tend to get in the way of learning, according to the report.

As schools across the country reimagine their school-day schedules, they will be most successful if they customize the use of time to meet content needs rather than adapting content to fit a fixed schedule, the report said.

There isnt much research available about the impacts of various student schedules. One study from Education Partnerships, an online research library, said theres limited evidence that any particular schedule has a greater impact on student learning and schedules should be dictated by each school districts goals.

Dostal said he doesnt think modular scheduling influences academic success, but its something Westside is going to follow for years to come.

There are some school communities that say, We are a seven-period traditional day school because thats what we went through in high school and thats what my kids are going to go through, Dostal said. We have other schools that are four-by-four block. Westside is a modular schedule district, has been since the 60s and will continue to be so for the future because that is the culture of our community.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2023
Funerals got underway Friday for three Black people killed by a racist gunman at a Florida discount store, with friends and relatives sharing warm memories while ministers and activists called for action against rising hate crimes and gun violence.

Mourners at the funeral service for Angela Michelle Carr applauded the Rev. Al Sharpton as he criticized laws that allowed the gunman to buy an assault-style rifle years after he was involuntarily committed for a mental health examination. He also denounced white supremacists who demonstrated outside Disney World a week after the Aug. 26 killings in Jacksonville.

"How many people have to die before you get up  whether you're a Republican or a Democrat  and say we've got to stop this and we've got to bring some sanity back in this country?" Sharpton said. "Have we gotten so out of bounds that we've normalized this stuff happening?"

Carr, 52, worked as an Uber driver and was sitting in her idling car outside a Dollar General store when she was shot multiple times. The gunman then went inside and killed A.J. Laguerre, a 19-year-old store employee, as he tried to flee. The gunman also fatally shot Jerrald Gallion, 29, after Gallion walked through the front door with his girlfriend, who escaped.

The shooter, Ryan Palmeter, killed himself. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said 21-year-old Palmeter targeted his victims because they were Black and left behind white supremacist ramblings that read like "the diary of a madman."

On Friday, Gallion's 4-year-old daughter sat with her maternal grandmother in the pews at Carr's funeral. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan also attended the service at The Bethel Church, where the pastor thanked Jacksonville's sheriff for providing extra security.

"We gather together as a hurting community because this was not just an attack on the Carr family and our other two families who lost their loved ones," said the Rev. David Green Sr., Carr's pastor at St. Stephens AME Church. "This was an attack on our entire community."

Carr was remembered during the church service as a devoted mother of three grown children who was loving but also fiercely tough.

Carr's son, Chayvaughn Payne, called her "my strong, beautiful queen."

"She was a hardworking woman," Payne said. "I watched her do everything as a child. We talked every day no matter what  mad, sad, happy, it didn't matter."

Tommy Dixon said he met Carr nearly 30 years ago, when he bought a house next door to her brother. Carr, Dixon said, would defiantly park her car in his yard. They ended up becoming close friends.

"What that guy took when he took her, he made an earth angel," Dixon said. "A lot of people never knew who Angela was. Now the world knows."

While they insisted the focus should be on Carr's life, ministers speaking at her funeral repeatedly criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate who made a "war on woke" a central issue of his campaign while downplaying racism.

"Rhetoric and other policies and governors have made it comfortable for people to come out of the closet with their hatred of those of us whose skin has been kissed by nature's sun," Bishop Rudolph McKissick Jr., Bethel Church's senior pastor, said during Carr's funeral.

DeSantis' campaign dismissed those who say he emboldened white supremacists. The governor attended a Jacksonville prayer vigil the day after the shootings and told the crowd: "We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race."

The funeral service for Laguerre also was held Friday at a different Jacksonville church.

Laguerre graduated from high school last year and worked at Dollar General to help support the grandmother who raised him and his four siblings after their mother died in 2009.

His older brother, Quan Laguerre, previously told The Associated Press that A.J. Laguerre spent his downtime trying to build an online following by playing video games on the streaming platform Twitch.

Gallion's funeral was scheduled for Saturday. His family called him a doting father who worked two to three jobs, including as a restaurant manager, to provide for his young daughter, Je Asia Gallion. Gallion and his family were planning the girl's fifth birthday party when he was slain.

"I don't feel like I should have to say goodbye," Jasmine Mable, a cousin of Gallion, told WJAX-TV. "I don't feel like we should be having to part ways just because of the color of his skin. He didn't deserve that."

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
ATLANTA  The Georgia prosecutor who brought charges accusing former President Donald Trump and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state asked the judge in the case this week to take steps to protect jurors.

The preemptory step by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis comes after the grand jurors who returned the 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 others were subjected to harassment when their information was posted online. It's a reflection of the highly polarized feelings surrounding the criminal cases against the former president.

Willis wrote in a motion filed Wednesday that the grand jurors' information was posted "with the intent to harass and intimidate them."

Additionally, the motion said, the personal information of Willis, a Black woman, and that of her family and staff was posted online "intertwined with derogatory and racist remarks."

News cameras are frequently allowed in the courtroom for trial proceedings in Georgia, but video and still photographers are regularly instructed not to show images of the jury. During the jury selection process, the prospective jurors are typically referred to by number rather than by name.

Willis asked Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to prohibit defendants, the news media or anyone else from creating or publishing images  including video, photos and drawings  of jurors or prospective jurors. She also asked that the judge prohibit the publication of any information that would help identify them, "specifically physical descriptions, telephone numbers, addresses, employer names and membership affiliations."

Legal experts said it's standard for indictments in Georgia to include the names of the grand jurors, in part because it provides defendants the opportunity to challenge the composition of the grand jury. So the names of the 23 grand jurors who heard the district attorney's evidence and voted to approve charges were included on the indictment.

They immediately became the victims of "doxxing," which is short for "dropping dox" or documents, and refers to the online posting of information about someone, generally in an attempt to harass, threaten, shame or exact revenge.

It is "clearly foreseeable" that would happen to trial jurors if their names were made public, and that could jeopardize their "ability to decide the issues before them impartially and without outside influence," affecting the defendants' right to a fair and impartial jury, Willis argued.

Attached to Willis' motion were sworn statements from Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and an investigator in Willis' office.

Schierbaum said that listings of the grand jurors' information "called for harassment and violence against the grand jurors" and that his department worked with the Fulton County Sheriff's Office and other local law enforcement agencies to ensure safety measures were put in place to protect them.

Those efforts "require a significant devotion of our capacity and represent a strain on law enforcement resources to allow them to complete their civic duty without being subjected to unnecessary danger."

Information about Willis and the grand jurors was posted on the dark web, a part of the internet hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only through specialized tools that provide anonymity, district attorney's investigator Gerald Walsh wrote.

The site where the information was posted is hosted in Russia and is known by federal authorities to be "uncooperative with law enforcement." Users who post on that site have made similar posts about other prosecutors, judges, federal employees and their families in other states as well, Walsh wrote.
WASHINGTON  Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the country's bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs.

The statement released Thursday, the first time the libraries have joined to make such a public declaration, said Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and human rights around the world because "free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home."

"But that interest," it said, "is undermined when others see our own house in disarray."

The joint message from presidential centers, foundations and institutes emphasized the need for compassion, tolerance and pluralism while urging Americans to respect democratic institutions and uphold secure and accessible elections.

The statement noted that "debate and disagreement" are central to democracy but also alluded to the coarsening of dialogue in the public arena during an era when officials and their families are receiving death threats.

"Civility and respect in political discourse, whether in an election year or otherwise, are essential," it said.

Most living former presidents have been sparing in giving their public opinions about the state of the nation as polls show that large swaths of Republicans still believe the lies perpetuated by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Trump, a Republican, also has lashed out at the justice system as he faces indictments in four criminal cases, including two related to his efforts to overturn the results of his reelection loss to Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Thursday's statement stopped short of calling out individuals, but it still marked one of the most substantive acknowledgments that people associated with the nation's former presidents are worried about the country's trajectory.

"I think there's great concern about the state of our democracy at this time," said Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, which supports the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. "We don't have to go much farther than January 6 to realize that we are in a perilous state."

Efforts to suppress or weaken voter turnout are of special interest to the LBJ Foundation, Updegrove said, given that President Lyndon Johnson considered his signing of the Voting Rights Act his "proudest legislative accomplishment."

The bipartisan statement was signed by the Hoover Presidential Foundation, the Roosevelt Institute, the Truman Library Institute, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the LBJ Foundation, the Richard Nixon Foundation, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, the Carter Center, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, the Clinton Foundation, the George W. Bush Presidential Center and the Obama Foundation.

Those organizations all support presidential libraries created under the Presidential Library Act of 1955, along with the Eisenhower Foundation.

The Eisenhower Foundation chose not to sign, and it said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press: "The Eisenhower Foundation has respectfully declined to sign this statement. It would be the first common statement that the presidential centers and foundations have ever issued as a group, but we have had no collective discussion about it, only an invitation to sign."

The foundation said each presidential entity had its own programs related to democracy.

The push for the joint statement was spearheaded by David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute. Kramer said the former president "did see and signed off on this statement."

He said the effort was intended to send "a positive message reminding us of who we are and also reminding us that when we are in disarray, when we're at loggerheads, people overseas are also looking at us and wondering what's going on." He also said it was necessary to remind Americans that their democracy cannot be taken for granted.

He said the Bush Institute hosted several events on elections, including one as part of a joint initiative with the other groups called More Perfect that featured Bill Gates, a member of the board of supervisors in Arizona's Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. The county, its supervisors and its elections staff have been targeted repeatedly by election conspiracy theorists in recent years.

Gates and his family have been threatened by people who believe false allegations of election fraud.

"We wanted to remind people that those who oversee our elections are our fellow citizens," Kramer said. "Some of them told stories that are almost heartbreaking about the threats they faced."

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama who is now CEO of the Obama Foundation, said the former president supported the statement.

"I think part of it is recognizing that we are very fragile right now," Jarrett said, citing the fact that "we didn't have a smooth orderly transition of power in the last election" along with people's mistrust of the court system and elected officials.

"The wheels on our democracy bus," she said, "feel a little wobbly right now."
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California could soon require judges to consider whether a parent affirms their childs gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions under a bill that cleared the state Senate.

The vote Wednesday was split almost entirely along party lines, with Democrats arguing the legislation would help to protect the well-being of LGBTQ+ children whose parents are going through a divorce. Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, said the bill was a proactive measure.

This is about not having to get involved after a child has been beaten and had their arm broken, or after theyve been kicked out, Wiener said. This is about trying to make sure that something terrible does not happen to them.

Every Republican in the state Senate voted against the bill, with state Sen. Kelly Seyarto, who represents Murrieta in Southern California, arguing that lawmakers were interfering too much with how parents choose to raise their children.

Inserting this into the mix is going to pit one parent against the other and make things worse, Seyarto said.

The vote comes amid intense political battles across the country over transgender rights, including efforts to impose bans on gender-affirming care, bar trans athletes from girls and women's sports, and require schools to notify parents if their children ask to use different pronouns or changes their gender identity.

The California bill would make gender affirmation one factor among many that courts already have to consider in custody proceedings, including whether a parent has been abusive and how much contact the child has with the parents. If the state Assembly agrees to amendments made to the bill, it would still have to be signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to become law.

The bill would not require judges to prioritize whether a parent affirms their child's gender identity over other factors. What affirmation looks like varies depending on the particular child and their age, said Assemblymember Lori Wilson, a Democrat who introduced the bill. She has an adult son who came out as transgender when he was a teenager.

Wilson said gender affirmation could include letting children play with toys associated with their gender identity, getting their nails painted or wearing their hair at a length that feels comfortable. The bill does not lay out specific requirements related to gender-affirming surgeries, which minors in California cannot undergo without a parents consent.

A child whose parents are going through a divorce is going through probably one of the worst and most challenging experiences of their life (up) to that point, said Alexis Sanchez, an advocate with the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. The bill could lead to better outcomes for those children in the future, Sanchez said.

It was one of several bills that lawmakers introduced this year aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ children. The state Senate also approved legislation Wednesday to keep documents related to a gender change petition for a minor out of the public record.

California lawmakers have fewer than two weeks to vote on hundreds of bills before adjourning for the year.

In other legislation, one of the longest debates of the day was over a resolution asking the Congress to change the U.S. Constitution to restrict how people can buy guns. Newsom is pushing for a 28th amendment to the Constitution to require universal background checks, and to ban assault weapons, as well as guns to anyone under 21, and to impose a waiting period on all gun purchases.

California could also become the next state to decriminalize the possession and use of magic mushrooms and other plant-based psychedelics for adults over 21 under legislation approved by the state Assembly Wednesday. Oregon and Colorado have already approved similar measures.
TASELI PLATEAU, Turkey  An American researcher who fell ill more than 3,000 feet below the entrance of a cave in Turkey has recovered sufficiently for rescue teams to start the process of moving him out, an operation that could last three or four days, a Turkish official was quoted as saying on Friday.

Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver, suddenly became ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains. Rescuers from across Europe have rushed there to help treat Dickey and to extract him from the cave.

"The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating him," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey's disaster relief agency, AFAD, told the IHA news agency. "We are now in a position to evacuate him."

"This is a difficult operation. It would take a (healthy) person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days," Yildiz said. "Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger.

Another Turkish official said rescuers were waiting for doctors to give the go-ahead for the difficult operation to begin.

Recep Salci, the head of AFAD's search and rescue department, told HaberTurk TV that the plan was to lift Dickey on a stretcher but to use a "security belt" system to lift him through the cave's narrow openings.

"We are trying to expand the narrow areas by making small explosions, by breaking some areas," Salci said.

Doctors gave Dickey IV fluids and 4 liters of blood inside the cave, he said. More than 30 rescuers were inside the cave on Friday afternoon, and teams comprised of a doctor and three or four others take turns staying with the American at all times, Salci said.

"Our aim is to bring him out and to have him hospitalized as soon as possible," he said.

More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.

Members of Italy's National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team joined rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey late Thursday. A Turkish helicopter was on standby near the entrance of the cave, Turkish media reports said.

The Italian organization said six of their rescuers, including a doctor and nurse, reached Dickey during the night. The team planned to work to keep him stable for 15-20 hours before being replaced by another team.

Small camps set up at different levels inside the cave gave doctors, nurses and technicians a place to rest, the group said.

Turkish authorities made a video message available that showed Dickey standing and moving around on Thursday. While alert and talking, he said he was not "healed on the inside" and needed a lot of help to get out of the cave.

He thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts to rescue him.

"The caving world is a really tight-knit group ,and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," Dickey said in the video. "I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge."

The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach but had stopped vomiting and ate for the first time in days. It was not clear what caused the medical issue.

Doctors were expected to decide whether he would need to be taken out on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power. The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and Dickey will need constant medical attention inside the cave, which is also quite cold.

Dickey was described by the European Association of Cave Rescuers as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association's medical committee.

The researcher was on an expedition mapping the 1,276-meter (4,186-foot) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association when he ran into trouble about 1,000 meters down, according to Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey. He initially became ill on Sept. 2, but it took until the morning of Sept. 3 to notify others who were above ground.

Family travel 5: Explore underground at these amazing caves and caverns 2. Luray Caverns, Luray, Virginia 5. Castleguard Cave, Banff, Alberta, Canada
BLOOMINGTON  After serving with the Bloomington Fire Department for the last 32 years, Fire Chief Eric West announced his retirement Friday, effective Dec. 7.

In a statement from the city, West thanked the fire department and all of its members, as well City Manager Tim Gleason, for giving him the opportunity to lead the department over the last two years.

It has been fun to watch this department grow and continue to improve over the past 30-plus years, West said in a news release. There is no better department than BFD.

West was named interim fire chief following the retirement of former Chief Brian Mohr in November 2020. He was later appointed the departments full-time chief after a national search of more than 40 other candidates.

During his tenure, West was part of the second group of firefighters who responded to and offered assistance during Hurricane Katrina. He also led the hazmat training committee and was vice president of the Illinois Association of Firefighters Local 49 for several years.

Gleason commended West for all his service to the city of Bloomington.

Chief West has been a trusted leader and a friend to all, Gleason said. His legacy of dedication and commitment to public safety will continue to benefit Bloomington long into the future.

Gleason is expected to make decisions on the next steps on the process for selecting Wests replacement in the near future, according to the release.

Photos: On the job with the Bloomington Fire Department 031322-blm-loc-2ridealong 031322-blm-loc-1ridealong 031322-blm-loc-3ridealong 031322-blm-loc-4ridealong 031322-blm-loc-5ridealong 031322-blm-loc-7ridealong 031322-blm-loc-8ridealong 031322-blm-loc-9ridealong
BLOOMINGTON  A Bloomington man was sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty Friday to weapon and drug charges.

Brandon A. Hutson, 32, pleaded guilty to the Class 3 felony of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon after he was accused of delivering a firearm to the Illinois State Police Task Force Six in November 2022. The remaining charges in that case were dismissed as part of a negotiated plea agreement.

In a separate case, Hutson pleaded guilty to the Class X felony of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Prosecutors said in September 2022, police reported to have discovered more than 200 grams of a substance containing psilocyn, a psychoactive compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, in a bag believed to be in Hutson's possession.

Additional drug charges in this case were dismissed.

Judge Jason Chambers sentenced Hutson to nine years in prison on each case. However, the sentences will run concurrently, to be followed by one year of mandatory supervised release.

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 Brittany N. Greiner
NORMAL  Redbird hatchlings spawned in even greater numbers this fall semester at Illinois State University, which has released figures showing continued growth in both its freshman and total student bodies.

As of the 10th day of classes at ISU, the school confirmed 4,147 freshmen were enrolled for the 2023-24 school year, bringing the entire student body to 20,989. That accounts for a 1.5% increase from last years total enrollment number, a rate of expansion that fell only half a percentage point from 2022.

While enrollment had dipped down to 20,233 in 2021, the fall semesters in both 2022 and 2023 arrived with greater, record-setting influxes of freshmen. The school noted that 2023s freshman class is the biggest in 36 years, a statement almost mirroring 2022s enrollment announcement. In 2022, the freshman class was 3,983, a number that increased by 4% in 2023.

Student body diversity also continues to climb. ISU summed 41% of the freshman class being from traditionally underrepresented groups, a four-point increase from last year. Almost two-thirds (32%) of the total student body this year is marked as coming from those underrepresented groups, which is two points higher than last year.

Interim President Aondover Tarhule said in a Thursday statement that continued trends demonstrate the high quality of ISUs academic programs, individualized attention and commitment to student success. He said he is proud of how dedicated faculty and staff are advancing the schools reputation as excellent and welcoming.

Students and their families recognize these elements combine to make a first-rate college experience, Tarhule said.

In the statement, Jana Albrecht, vice president for enrollment management at ISU, said she was thrilled by the many students who have made ISU their second home, and for their future successes.

In a phone interview, Albrecht told The Pantagraph that total student numbers have remained relatively stable over at least the past two decades, ranging from 20,000 to 21,000.

Even with current statistics approaching the higher end of that range, she noted theyre staying alert for a potential enrollment cliff seen in long-term projections of how many Illinois high school students will graduate in the future.

Albrecht sourced those forecasts from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Data from the latter organization plots a relatively level number of graduates for the school years of 2023-24 and 2024-25. However, for the 2025-26 school year, she said a decline of 2,500 to 3,000 students is projected.

When asked what strategies ISU is adopting to maintain the student body, Albrecht listed the new engineering college program set to begin in fall 2025 and the expanded nursing program that extended facilities into Springfield last month.

She said ISU is trying to ensure theyll keep enrollment stable through years when they may have fewer students in their application pools. While that could be a few more years out, she said theyre seeking new routes to combat that potential loss of student population by looking at majors and programs that can address demands in the workforce.

By the feathers

Another demographic that jumped this year is the total number of students from McLean County. Since last year, Albrecht said thats up by 37 to 215.

She also said 96% of all students are attending as Illinois residents, which was the same rate released in 2022.

Other numbers released Thursday graphed transfer student levels at nominal levels this year, compared to previous years. That number is 1,814, an increase of 41 from 2022. Enrollment of international students in the whole student body inched up by five students from last year to 741.

The student body of 20,989 breaks down into 18,450 undergraduates and 2,539 graduate students.

New freshmen this year are also scoring the same high school grades as the 2022 freshman class, with the average GPA staying at 3.64 on a 4.0 scale. The number of freshmen in the Honors Program dropped in the past year from 440 in 2022 to 398 in 2023.

Albrecht said ISU received 12.3% more applications for potential freshmen for 2023, tallying in at 23,267. Transfer student applications increased by 0.8%. The schools acceptance rate is about 78%, she said, which is off slightly from last years estimate of 80%. She said ISU didnt change its admissions criteria substantially in any way in the past year.

When asked about other ways ISU is connecting with prospective students, Albrecht said they have an awful lot of alumni bringing family members back. She said they ask alumni to stand up at all open house events.

Additionally, she said there are many high school teachers who tell their own students how they loved studying at ISU and that they should check the Normal campus out.

In both of those areas, we have some good external recruiters that we are very thankful for, said Albrecht.
EL PASO  As the long days of summer wind down and the crisp chill of autumn starts to peek around the corner, many families seek one last hurrah before the long school year.

Thats exactly what the El Paso Corn Festival is.

The downtown hoopla, which kicked off Thursday and runs through Saturday, features barbecue stands and pork tenderloin sandwiches, shaved ice and ice cream, corn dogs and carousels  and one of the largest parades in Central Illinois, according to festival chair Lenette Trantina.

The parade goes off at noon (Saturday), she said. It is about 13 blocks altogether. It usually takes a good hour, hour and a half for everyone to see it. Were always really excited. Its one of the big things in our festival.

In a rather uncommon fashion, Trantina, who has helmed the fest for eight years, said participants in the parade do not have to register in advance.

Lineup starts at 10 (a.m.). You do not have to be registered to be in the parade. You can just show up (and register then), she said.

The festival started 76 years ago as a general harvest celebration for the community, Trantina said.

Johannes Steber was at the fest Thursday with his two sons, 1 and 4 years old, and his mother, Cheryl Prairie-Steber.

Steber said he has always liked the Corn Festival: Its good for kids and families.

His mother, though, who has been a teacher in El Paso for 21 years, has started going to the fest only recently, Just since Ive had grandbabies, she said. Its a nice community get-together, basically. The kids are excited about it.

Trantina echoed Prairie-Steber, saying, It brings everybody out of the woodwork. Its kind of a reunion, you might say.

She said class or family reunions often coincide with the weekend fest.

Its just great local support, Trantina said. Its good for marketing in our small community and small businesses. ... Theres so many things that go off on this weekend.

One of the long-standing traditions at the Corn Festival is the Big Wheel Race, where youngsters are given front-pedaled tricycles that they race up and down the street a handful of times.

Jara Hendren is an administrator for McLean County Unit School District 5 and grew up in El Paso. Her 3-year-old son, Jase, won his age groups Big Wheel Race.

Its funny to see my son here, she said, because she remembers racing on the Big Wheels herself. The kids have fun. They dont know its a big competition, which is nice.

While there are winners of the Big Wheel Race, there are no losers, per se, Hendren said.

I think its important that they can do a race and someone does win, but then they can congratulate the others, she said. And you can teach that skill so that they can do that when they grow up into the real world as well. Its important that they can do that.

Another main attraction are the pork tenderloin sandwiches, cooked on premises by the El Paso Fire Protection District.

Fire Chief Neil Gauger has been helping out with the fest for 21 years, his entire career with the department.

Community support for the fire protection district has always been great, he said.

Everybodys been good to us for all the years that I can remember. The tables are always full, he said, tending to the pork cutlets in the deep fryer. Theres always a line at 5 oclock. At 4:30, people are waiting for dinner.

It wasnt always crispy pork sandwiches, Gauger said: We did steaks beforehand.

There were a few problems, though.

Everybody likes their steak cooked differently, so we switched to something that you only had to cook to one temperature, he said. So its a lot easier, it makes people happy. And its a lot cheaper for families to eat. Its only $7 as opposed to $12 or $14 for steak.

That money helps the district purchase necessary and specialty equipment, like thermal imaging cameras.

Each one of our engines has a thermal imaging camera for every guy in the seat, the fire chief said. Most departments arent lucky enough to have that ability. The little extras that we can do for our people to make it safer for them every day, thats what were trying to do here.

IF YOU GO

El Paso Corn Festival  Friday, Sept. 8

9 a.m.-7 p.m.  Library book sale

4:30 p.m.  Kiddie tractor pull

4:30 p.m.  Kiwanis spaghetti supper

4:30-6:30 p.m.  River Road Trio

6 to 10 p.m.  Carnival armbands

7 to 9 p.m.  Elliott Sedgewick and the Moonshine Pioneers

Saturday, Sept. 9

8 a.m.  Bobbie Talbert Memorial Helath Walk (signups at 7:30 a.m.)

10 a.m.-5 p.m.  Library book sale (except during parade)

Noon  Parade (lineup starts at 10 a.m.)

2-7 p.m.  Carnival armbands

3-4 p.m.  El Paso Fire Department 60th anniversary event

4:30-6:30 p.m.  Jim & Tommy Acoustic Rock

5-7 p.m.  Community Well Chicken Dinner

7-9 p.m.  Kelly & Sarah

Close Linden Bennett, grade 5, Calvary Emma Deti, grade 5, Calvary Brigham Kruger, grade 5, Calvary Haleigh Stolzenback, grade 5, Calvary Edison Barr, grade 4, Fairview Felicity Bussan, grade 1, Epiphany Kyndal Beymer, grade 1, Epiphany Kamryn Beymerist, grade 1, Epiphany Adrianna Buenrostro, grade 1, Epiphany Brady Falkner, grade 1, Epiphany Millie Fuller, grade 1, Epiphany Hannah Harkins, grade 1, Epiphany Noah Herman, grade 1, Epiphany Josephine Hicks, grade 1, Epiphany Abigail Highland, grade 1, Epiphany Cruze Hilgenbrinck, grade 1, Epiphany Beatrice Kostelnick, grade 1, Epiphany Ella Lauritson, grade 1, Epiphany Molly Murray, grade 1, Epiphany Brendan O'Kelly, grade 1, Epiphany Peton Petersen, grade 1, Epiphany Addy Talley, grade 1, Epiphany Stormy Cocrell, grade 4, Fairview Ryker Crackel, grade 4, Fairview Noah Dias, grade 4, Fairview Carmyn Fuchs, grade 4, Fairview Gabrielle Gardner, grade 4, Fairview Violet Harrington, grade 4, Fairview Sheelah Higgins, grade 4, Fairview Amelia Matheny, grade 4, Fairview Faith Mbailu, grade 4, Fairview Dillan Mousty, grade 4, Fairview Jazzmyne Muhammad, grade 4, Fairview Mila Nidiw, grade 4, Fairview Harper Rackauskas, grade 4, Fairview Andrea Rimmer, grade 4, Fairview Aubrey Salamay, grade 4, Fairview Zoey Santana, grade 4, Fairview Kyra Schlink, grade 4, Fairview Lucy Thomas, grade 4, Fairview Ethan Weech, grade 4, Fairview Kylee West, grade 4, Fairview Norah Robertson, grade 3, Grove Emily Bingaman, grade 3, Grove William Fairchild, grade 3, Grove Kyle McCully, grade 3, Grove Landon Smith, grade 3, Grove Brock, grade 2, Stevenson Adam, grade 3, Stevenson Austin, grade 3, Stevenson Giovani Casas, grade 3, Stevenson Francezz Marine, grade 3, Stevenson Juan Antonio, grade 3, Stevenson Kaden Buss, grade 3, Stevenson Masiyah Childress, grade 3, Stevenson Logan Fincham, grade 3, Stevenson Max Guzman, grade 3, Stevenson Max Guzman, grade 3, Stevenson Lebron, grade 3, Stevenson Lilly, grade 2, Stevenson Elijah Pablo, grade 43, Stevenson Nevaeh Daniels, grade 3, Stevenson Samantha Bucio, grade 3, Stevenson Tae'veyn, grade 3, Stevenson Tristan, grade 3, Stevenson Will Nicholson, grade 2, Stevenson Flying Horse: What I did this summer Linden Bennett, grade 5, Calvary Emma Deti, grade 5, Calvary Brigham Kruger, grade 5, Calvary Haleigh Stolzenback, grade 5, Calvary Edison Barr, grade 4, Fairview Felicity Bussan, grade 1, Epiphany Kyndal Beymer, grade 1, Epiphany Kamryn Beymerist, grade 1, Epiphany Adrianna Buenrostro, grade 1, Epiphany Brady Falkner, grade 1, Epiphany Millie Fuller, grade 1, Epiphany Hannah Harkins, grade 1, Epiphany Noah Herman, grade 1, Epiphany Josephine Hicks, grade 1, Epiphany Abigail Highland, grade 1, Epiphany Cruze Hilgenbrinck, grade 1, Epiphany Beatrice Kostelnick, grade 1, Epiphany Ella Lauritson, grade 1, Epiphany Molly Murray, grade 1, Epiphany Brendan O'Kelly, grade 1, Epiphany Peton Petersen, grade 1, Epiphany Addy Talley, grade 1, Epiphany Stormy Cocrell, grade 4, Fairview Ryker Crackel, grade 4, Fairview Noah Dias, grade 4, Fairview Carmyn Fuchs, grade 4, Fairview Gabrielle Gardner, grade 4, Fairview Violet Harrington, grade 4, Fairview Sheelah Higgins, grade 4, Fairview Amelia Matheny, grade 4, Fairview Faith Mbailu, grade 4, Fairview Dillan Mousty, grade 4, Fairview Jazzmyne Muhammad, grade 4, Fairview Mila Nidiw, grade 4, Fairview Harper Rackauskas, grade 4, Fairview Andrea Rimmer, grade 4, Fairview Aubrey Salamay, grade 4, Fairview Zoey Santana, grade 4, Fairview Kyra Schlink, grade 4, Fairview Lucy Thomas, grade 4, Fairview Ethan Weech, grade 4, Fairview Kylee West, grade 4, Fairview Norah Robertson, grade 3, Grove Emily Bingaman, grade 3, Grove William Fairchild, grade 3, Grove Kyle McCully, grade 3, Grove Landon Smith, grade 3, Grove Brock, grade 2, Stevenson Adam, grade 3, Stevenson Austin, grade 3, Stevenson Giovani Casas, grade 3, Stevenson Francezz Marine, grade 3, Stevenson Juan Antonio, grade 3, Stevenson Kaden Buss, grade 3, Stevenson Masiyah Childress, grade 3, Stevenson Logan Fincham, grade 3, Stevenson Max Guzman, grade 3, Stevenson Max Guzman, grade 3, Stevenson Lebron, grade 3, Stevenson Lilly, grade 2, Stevenson Elijah Pablo, grade 43, Stevenson Nevaeh Daniels, grade 3, Stevenson Samantha Bucio, grade 3, Stevenson Tae'veyn, grade 3, Stevenson Tristan, grade 3, Stevenson Will Nicholson, grade 2, Stevenson
CHICAGO  Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday offered a peek at his plans to establish camps for migrants throughout the city and move nearly 1,600 currently living inside Chicago police stations into large tents before winter  his administrations boldest effort yet to get a handle on a humanitarian crisis that has left local officials vexed.

The mayor said he will move with expediency to transition asylum-seekers into more suitable base camps as migrants wait for spots in city-run shelters. As of a week ago, 1,576 migrants were living in Chicago police stations and another 418 were sleeping inside OHare International Airport, according to city data.

Weve identified multiple locations around the city that can be suitable to treat the families of individuals, who by law are seeking asylum constitutionally legally, to have a place that recognizes their dignity, Johnson said.

The new effort, first reported by the Sun-Times, suggested a renewed urgency by the Johnson administration to remove migrants from living for days or weeks inside Chicago police stations lobbies. The crowded floors have become a symbol of the new arrivals plight upon arriving in the nations third-largest city that professes to welcome all.

The mayor has yet to reveal details about the cost, timeline or locations of the camps; some aldermen are expected to be briefed by Johnson administration officials on Friday. In addition to those asylum-seekers currently living in police stations and the airport, newer arrivals also would be expected to be directed to the tent cities.

Though he didnt offer specifics, Johnson did also not rule out new or increased levies to pay for the services, either.

So the sacrifices that will be required in this moment will be necessary from all of us, every single level of government, Johnson said at an unrelated news conference when asked about whether additional revenue will be needed.

Look, I can tell you that the cost of inaction will be far more substantial, he said. The point here is: Police stations being used as landing zones, thats what I inherited. And Ive said that from the very beginning that this is not dignified. So my plan is to move, with expediency, families out of police stations into housing and shelter thats more suitable.

But Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, who joined the mayor at the news conference in his Far South Side ward announcing federal funding for an extension of the CTAs Red Line, told reporters afterward that he thinks tent encampments are not the right thing to be doing.

And he said he would be hard-pressed to ask taxpayer funds to continue making sacrifices.

We have to be compassionate.  At the same time, at some point we have to stop people from coming to Chicago because we cannot continue to absorb people coming and supporting them like this every single day, Beale said. Asked about alternative solutions, the alderman said, Well, you can turn the buses back around and send them back where they came from.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who also was present at the CTA announcement, defended Johnsons leadership and said he and other Democrats in Congress have a comprehensive immigration bill ready but the migrant crisis has been manipulated for political purposes at the expense of these poor people.

(The mayor) is trying to make the best of a very challenging situation, Durbin said during the news conference. The bottom line is this: We are in this predicament today because of the failure of the United States Congress and the president over 30 years to pass immigration reform in Washington. Thats why we face these extreme situations.

Photos: Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2023 Brandon Johnson - 2023 Brandon Johnson - File Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022
An exercise to partially decommission the tollbooth structures on the Accra-Tema Motorway has been started by the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA).



The exercise, estimated at GH1 million, will see the main booths, two each, situated on the main motorway inner lane demolished.



The booths outside the main two lanes, will not be touched. These are the additional booths that were part of the extension project at the tollbooths to help ease traffic congestion when the toll was operational.



All the concrete slabs on which the tollbooths were sitting will be pulled down, the Ghana Highways Authority has told Graphic Online.



The abandoned tollbooths have become a spot for accidents in recent times, with a recent accident last Sunday killing one person.



There have been public complaints about the abandoned tollbooth structures on the Motorway.



In May 2022, a tipper truck crashed into two of the booths leaving two persons injured.



Motorists have also complained that the tollbooths are not visible especially at night as there are no lights at the spots or the reflectors are defective.



Decommissioning programme



The Director of Road Safety and Environment at the GHA, Joseph Atsu Amedzake, told Graphic Onlines Della Russel Ocloo that arrangements have been finalised for the partial removal of the tollbooths to make traveling much easier for commuters.



We are presently mobilising resources, equipment and personnel to enable us commence work immediately he said.



As part of the exercise, three lanes on which the booths are sitting, earmarked for removal have been cordoned off.



When Graphic Online visited the Accra end of the tollbooth at about 2:50 pm on Thursday [Sept 7, 2023], it was observed that reflective cones had been placed within the cordoned area to warn motorists about the blockade of some of the lanes.



That, Mr Amedzake said was a safety measure to prevent accidents and to ensure that motorists are aware of the situation around the tollbooths.



In the interim, we are also mobilising to install solar-powered streetlights at the Tema and Accra ends of the tollbooths to address the safety concerns while we look for a permanent solution of lighting the entire motorway.



Potholes



Mr Amedzake also said that patching works of the depressed areas along the motorway which continue to pose danger to commuters will soon begin to address the safety concerns.



The potholes have also become a major cause of traffic congestion along the stretch which previously was the most preferred fastest route for many commuters travelling in and out of Accra to Tema and other parts of the country.



Mr Amedzake appealed to motorists and commuters to exercise caution when using the affected sections of the motorway, while also encouraging them to obey the speed limit so as to help prevent accidents.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Ugandas National Drug Authority has admitted it knew HIV medicine was being used to fatten up animals in 2014 but did not warn the public.



The regulators senior drugs inspector Amos Atumanya told parliament it became aware anti-retrovirals were being given to pigs and chickens to treat them.



Mr Atumanya said that for humans, consuming small quantities of the drugs in food could be dangerous.



But the NDA has since tried to downplay his comments.



A spokesman said that if there was a health risk it would have warned the public, while the NDAs job was to regulate drugs not food or animal feed.



A recent report by the prestigious Makerere University found that more than a third of chicken and 50% of pork it tested contained traces of anti-retroviral drugs. The meat was sourced from markets in the capital, Kampala, and the northern city of Lira.



Appearing before Ugandas House Committee on HIV/Aids, Mr Atumanya said the National Drug Authority had carried out an investigation in 2014 into the use of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) in animal farming. However, while a report was published, it did not issue a public warning for fear of hurting the countrys food exports if we blow it out of proportion.



So we were trying to find other means in which we could manage that situation, he said.



One respondent to the study by Makerere Universitys College of Health Sciences, said pigs that were given anti-retroviral drugs grow faster and fatter and are sold off quickly.



But Mr Atumanya said this could cause serious problems for humans who ate the meat and became infected with HIV.



You are likely to develop resistance to these ARVs, he said. In the future if you need them, then youll find this ARV is not working for some.



Around 1.4 million people in Uganda are living with HIV/Aids, according to the United Nations.



The NDAs report back in 2014, found that antiretrovirals were mainly used to treat African swine fever which is also known as Pig Ebola and currently has no cure. It also verified claims that ARVs were being used to treat Newcastle disease in chicken.



Following Mr Atumanyas remarks, however, a spokesman for the NDA defended its decision to not publicise its findings.



The NDA is mandated to regulate the drugs, not food or animal feeds, he said.



If there was any public health threat concerning the drugs under the use, NDA will be the first one to come out and warn the public as we always do.



The NDA remains vigilant and committed to ensuring that Ugandans have access to safe, efficacious and quality medicines.



He added that the regulator had launched several actions to stop the misuse of drugs, which led to several arrests and prosecution.

Source: BBC









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Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah has bemoaned the allegations leveled against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare by some senior officers of the Police Service.



COP Alex Mensah and Supt. George Asare are currently facing a parliamentary probe over a leaked audio recording that was done by Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), when the three met to plot against the IGP.



The officers seek the removal of Dr. Akuffo Dampare from office on grounds of nepotism and mistreatment of Police officers.



The IGP is also accused of working against the governing New Patriotic Party to lose the 2024 elections.



During the parliamentary probe, COP Alex Mensah described the IGP as the worst the Service has had, stressing he is "not correct".



Dr. Otchere-Ankrah, a lecturer at the Central University, has condemned COP Mensah over his choice of words regarding the IGP.



He stated emphatically that it is not true that Dr. Dampare is the worst Inspector General of Police.



To him, these things are said of the IGP because his accusers cannot accept the changes he (Dampare) is making in the Service.



"Who can say when there is a change, he will get 100% acceptance. There is none; there is always resistance...there are some people who won't have things their way because of the changes, so they will stand against it," he rebuked the officers.



He also slammed COP Mensah over his wild allegations against the IGP, replying "you know the statements you made are not right and at your level, it shouldn't have come from your mouth. You know it but you said it".



Dr. Otchere-Ankrah applauded Dr. Dampare for the massive transformation in the Service under his leadership, asserting that "from what we know and what we see, this IGP has really performed and is still performing" and also advised him to "bear in mind that not everybody will like him".



He made these comments during Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo".







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Atik Mohammed has reprimanded Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), for secretly recording COP Alex Mensah and Supt. George Asare who had met him in his office to plot against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.



The officers, who are said to have conspired to remove the IGP, found their voices on a secret tape leaked to the public.



They have been summoned before a Parliamentary Committee probing their allegations.



Reacting to the issue on a "Kokrokoo" panel discussion programme on Peace FM, Atik Mohammed questioned the logic in Bugri Naabu's recording of the officers.



To him, there is no way the NPP former Chairman knew what the officers wanted to discuss with him when they arranged the meeting, stating his "recording was malicious".



He noted that Bugri Naabu's intent for secretly taping the officers wasn't to help Ghana and described him a threat to the nation.



"I think it is about time we told ourselves the danger this guy is posing to this Republic . . . All these controversies come from him. He did the recording and he did it with malice. He didn't record because he wanted to help Ghana; he did it out of malice," he told host Nana Yaw Kesseh.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Atik Mohammed has urged the Police officers in connection with an audio tape recording regarding the Inspector General of Police to commence a legal action against Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.



The tape, which was secretly recorded by Bugri Naabu who they had met in his office and discussed the IGP, is a subject matter before a Parliamentary Committee.



COP Alex Mensah and Supt. George Asare have been summoned before the Committee probing the audio tape on which they accuse the IGP of wrongdoings and want him removed from office.



In view of this, the officers together with Supt. Mr. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi have been interdicted by the Ghana Police Service.



According to a statement from the Service, "the action was to make way for disciplinary proceedings into their conduct in line with Police Service regulations".



Speaking during Peace FM's Thursday edition of "Kokrokoo", Atik Mohammed insisted that the officers should send the NPP bigwig to court for invading their privacy which is a contravention of the 1992 constitution.



"They must sue Bugri Naabu", he interjected.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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NPP Member of Parliament(MP) of Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro, Sylvester Tetteh has called for unity within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as they gear up for the 2024 elections.



Hon. Sylvester Tetteh, an ardent supporter of Alan Kyerematen who has bowed out of the NPP November 4 presidential election, advised the members and supporters of the party to unite with a common goal of clinching victory in the next general election.



He noted that though his allegiances are with Alan Kyerematen, the NPP comes first and his candidate exiting the race doesn't mean he will not support the candidate that the delegates elect in November to be their flagbearer.



"The interest of the party should be paramount and we should rally around the flag for the good of our party," he said during Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' show Friday morning.





Alan Kyerematen, on Tuesday, September 5, announced his decision to withdraw from the election accusing the party of disregarding the pockets of violence and intimidation that characterized their Special Delegates Conference on Saturday, August 26."After having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant. The pronouncements made by some leading Members of our Party both before and after the elections, also lend weight to my observations," he said in a press statement.He noted, "the level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen regions, is unprecedented in the history of our Party"." . . the fact that my Polling Agent in the North East region has suffered severe damage to his eye sight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will forever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the Party. This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other Voting Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable," he added and in view of this, stated "I wish to confirm that I am honourably withdrawing from the process that will lead to the Presidential Primaries to be held on the 4th of November 2023".

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Sylvester Tetteh, the Member of Parliament of Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro constituency, has dispelled speculations that the former Trade Minister and presidential aspirant, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has left the New Patriotic Party or contemplating forming his own political party.



Speaking to Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, he noted that social media is flooded with posters of Alan Kyerematen suggesting he has splintered from the NPP to run for President on his own, but stated emphatically these are false.



According to him, Alan's silence after withdrawing from the NPP's upcoming presidential race is not indicative of his readiness to contest the 2024 election whether as independent candidate or by forming his own party.



"As I speak to you, Alan Kyerematen remains a member of the NPP. He hasn't spoken; he is silent. People must allow sleeping dogs to lie," he intimated.





Alan Kyerematen, on Tuesday, withdrawn from the upcoming presidential election of the New Patriotic Party despite coming third on the list of the top five candidates to contest the flagbearership on November 4th.He said in a press statement that "after having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant", adding "the level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen regions, is unprecedented in the history of our Party".He added; "The fact that my Polling Agent in the North East region has suffered severe damage to his eye sight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will forever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the Party. This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other Voting Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable."He therefore emphasized he is "honourably withdrawing from the process that will lead to the Presidential Primaries to be held on the 4th of November 2023".

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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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:

Erlend Bore poses with the gold treasure he discovered with a metal detector on the island of Rennesoey in Stavanger, Norway, Thursday Sept. 7, 2023. Bore found nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls on a southern island in what was described as the gold find of the century in Norway. Credit: Anniken Celine Berger/Archaeological Museum, UiS via NTB via AP

At first, the Norwegian man thought his metal detector reacted to chocolate money buried in the soil. It turned out to be nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls someone might have worn as showy jewelry 1,500 years ago.

The rare find was made this summer by 51-year-old Erlend Bore on the southern island of Rennesoey, near the city of Stavanger. Bore had bought his first metal detector earlier this year to have a hobby after his doctor ordered him to get out instead of sitting on the couch.

Ole Madsen, director at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, said that to find "so much gold at the same time is extremely unusual."

In August, Bore began walking around the mountainous island with his metal detector. A statement issued by the university said he first found some scrap, but later uncovered something that was "completely unreal"the treasure weighing a little more than 100 grams (3.5 oz).

Under Norwegian law, objects from before 1537, and coins older than 1650, are considered state property and must be handed in.

Associate professor Hakon Reiersen with the museum said the gold pendantsflat, thin, single-sided gold medals called bracteatesdate from around A.D. 500, the so-called Migration Period in Norway, which runs between 400 and about 550, when there were widespread migrations in Europe.

Gold treasure discovered by Erlend Bore with a metal detector on the island of Rennesoey in Stavanger, Norway, Thursday Sept. 7, 2023. Bore found nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls on a southern island in what was described as the gold find of the century in Norway. Credit: Anniken Celine Berger/Archaeological Museum, UiS via NTB via AP

The pendants and gold pearls were part of "a very showy necklace" that had been made by skilled jewelers and was worn by society's most powerful, said Reiersen. He added that "in Norway, no similar discovery has been made since the 19th century, and it is also a very unusual discovery in a Scandinavian context."

An expert on such pendants, professor Sigmund Oehrl with the same museum, said that about 1,000 golden bracteates have so far been found in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Conservator Hege Hollund at the Archaeological Museum, University of Stavanger looks at the gold found by Erlend Bore with a metal detector on the island of Rennesoey in Stavanger, Norway, Thursday Sept. 7, 2023. Bore found nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls on a southern island in what was described as the gold find of the century in Norway. Credit: Anniken Celine Berger/Archaeological Museum, UiS via NTB via AP

He said symbols on the pendants usually show the Norse god Odin healing the sick horse of his son. On the Rennesoey ones, the horse's tongue hangs out on the gold pendants, and "its slumped posture and twisted legs show that it is injured," Oehrl said.

Professor Sigmund Oehrl at the Archaeological Museum, University of Stavanger looks at the gold found by Erlend Bore with a metal detector on the island of Rennesoey in Stavanger, Norway, Thursday Sept. 7, 2023. Bore found nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls on a southern island in what was described as the gold find of the century in Norway. Credit: Anniken Celine Berger/Archaeological Museum, UiS via NTB via AP

"The horse symbol represented illness and distress, but at the same time hope for healing and new life," he added.

The plan is to exhibit the find at the Archaeological Museum in Stavanger, about 300 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Oslo.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The world saw another year full of extreme weather events resulting from climate change in 2022, from intense storms to soaring temperatures and rising sea levels. Antarctica was no exception, according to new research published this week.

In the 33rd annual State of the Climate report, an international assessment of the global climate published Wednesday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, CU Boulder researchers report that the planet's coldest and driest continent experienced both an unprecedented heat wave and extreme precipitation last year.

"My hope is that the public starts to see both the fragility and complexity of these polar regions," said Rajashree Tri Datta, a research associate in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences who contributed to sections of the report related to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

While Antarctica may seem isolated from the rest of the world, changes to the icy continent could significantly impact the rest of the world.

"Most of the planet's fresh water is held on the ice sheet of Antarctica. What happens there ends up affecting coasts across the world, and what affects coasts across the world impacts everything from agriculture to migration patterns," Datta said.

In recent years, scientists have observed rapid sea ice decline and enhanced warming there. Regions of Antarctica, such as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, have started to lose ice rapidly, contributing to sea level rise.

Datta and her team report that for six days last March, a large region of East Antarctica experienced temperatures exceeding 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) above the historic March average from 1991 to 2020. The temperature recorded at a weather station in the interior of East Antarctica reached a record-breaking 14.7 F (-9.6C) on March 16, 2022, more than 79 F (44 C) higher than the average March temperature at that location.

Normally, March marks the transition from summer to winter in Antarctica, and the temperature drops rapidly. Following the heat wave, the Conger Ice shelf, a floating tongue of ice the size of Rome, collapsed in East Antarctica. This ice shelf had become increasingly vulnerable over the years. The collapse of floating ice shelves can often hasten the loss of upstream glaciers, resulting in ice loss and sea level rise.

As people around the world also experienced more frequent and intense heat waves in 2022, Datta said the team's research provides an opportunity to communicate with the public about climate change in Antarctica in a way that resonates with them.

"They know what a heat wave means. They experience it in their daily lives, and it is impacting Antarctica as well, although in very different ways" Datta said.

Geographical distribution of selected notable climate anomalies and events in 2022. Credit: STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN 2022 (2023).

Unprecedented snowfall too

East Antarctica also saw an unprecedented amount of snowfall last March, tripling the month's mean precipitation in some locations compared with the March average between 1991 and 2020. As a result, the annual balance of snow and ice retained on the surface of the ice sheet reached the highest value in the 40 years since the observational data became available.

"The strong precipitation this year is very interesting, because it offsets the ice loss around the margins of Antarctica," Datta said. "The snowfall this year actually protected the world against sea level rise."

Weather phenomena called atmospheric riversmuch like those that fueled record flooding in California this yearcontributed to both the heat wave and the record precipitation, Datta said. These storms pull moisture from lower latitudes and delivered warm air and a large amount of precipitation to Antarctica in 2022.

While precipitation in Antarctica typically takes the form of snow, changes in these atmospheric rivers could bring enough heat to contribute to more surface melt or bring rain instead in the future, driving sea levels higher and impacting billions of people around the world, she said. Greenland, which is much warmer than Antarctica, is already experiencing many of these impacts.

The State of the Climate report, a collaboration of more than 570 international scientists, also reported that Earth's greenhouse gas concentrations reached a new record last year. The global annual average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was 50% greater than the pre-industrial level, the highest measured amount in modern observational records. The amount of heat stored in the ocean continued to increase, as did global sea levels, reaching about 4 inches on average above the 1993 mean.

In another section of the report, Twila Moon, the deputy lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at CU Boulder, reported that weather pattern shifts are also affecting the planet's other pole.

"Observations over the past forty-plus years show a transition to a wetter Arctic, with seasonal shifts and widespread disturbances influencing the flora, fauna, physical systems, and peoples of the Arctic," Moon and her team wrote.

"The report adds pieces to the larger puzzle of how climate change can impact Antarctica," Datta said. "Many of these dramatic events in 2022, and further research into their causes and effects, can arm us with a better understanding of our potential future."
Saline-alkaline land turns into fertile soil in Yancheng, E China's Jiangsu

People's Daily Online) 13:10, September 08, 2023

Yancheng, a coastal city in east China's Jiangsu Province, has utilized the saline-alkaline land according to local conditions, which has improved the ecological environment and brought wealth to farmers, generating significant economic, social and ecological benefits.

As a major agricultural city, Yancheng is home to 11.6 million mu (773,333 hectares) of farmland, including nearly 5 million mu transformed from saline-alkaline land.

Photo shows the experiment base for varieties of salt-resistant crops of the Jiangsu Coastal Area Institute of Agricultural Sciences. (Photo/Xian Xueming)

In early September, rice grows well in over 8,000 mu of fields transformed from saline-alkaline land in Tinghu district, Yancheng. According to a local grain grower, rice and wheat are now grown in one season per year in the once-barren saline-alkaline farmland, and the average yield per mu can reach 700 kilograms and 550 kilograms, respectively.

To ameliorate and utilize saline-alkaline land, the Xinyang Agricultural Experiment Station was established in Yancheng in 1952, which was later affiliated with the Jiangsu Coastal Area Institute of Agricultural Sciences and began to explore the path for the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkaline land in Tinghu district.

Back then, the experiment station dug ditches to wash away salt with rainwater, said Hong Lizhou, head of the experiment station.

With the continuous improvement in watercourses and farmland water conservancy projects in the 1990s, irrigation water was used to wash away salt. By 2000, the average salt content in the soil of the 8,000-plus mu of fields was lowered to less than 0.2 percent, Hong added. Chemical amendments were used to reduce the alkalinity and improve the fertility of the soil. Chemical amendments could cut the pH value of the land from 8.5 to 8.0, providing the necessary conditions for crop growth.

The Tiaozini demonstration planting base that covers an area of 101,200 mu of the Jiangsu Coast Development Group Co., Ltd. in Dongtai, a county-level city under the administration of Yancheng, is another example of ameliorating saline-alkaline land.

"We wash away salt with water conveyed through pipes," said Shang Hui, manager of the production department of Jiangsu Coast Development Group (Dongtai) Co., Ltd., adding that the method also increases the utilization rate of land and reduces non-point agricultural source pollution. Meanwhile, Suaeda salsa, a plant that can reduce soil salt content, and Sesbania cannabina, a plant that can fertilize the soil, are planted at the demonstration planting base as they can survive in highly alkaline soil.

Staff members of the Jiangsu Coastal Area Institute of Agricultural Sciences, who are responsible for the selection of varieties of salt-resistant crops, work in a field. (Photo/He Tingting)

Cultivating saline-alkaline tolerant varieties is also necessary. So far, Yancheng has cultivated more than 30 new varieties of salt-resistant and high-yielding crops and plants, including rice and soybean, said Xing Jincheng, director of a research office of the Jiangsu Coastal Area Institute of Agricultural Sciences.

Thanks to these efforts, the saline-alkaline land at the Tiaozini demonstration planting base is turning into fertile soil.

Every year, the yield of crops, including rice, soybean and corn, in 12,000 mu of land for organic farming reaches 8,300 tonnes, while the annual output of aquatic products such as swimming crabs and shrimps at an aquatic farm covering 26,000 mu hits 20,000 tonnes, said Lin Sixin, deputy general manager of the Jiangsu Coast Development Group (Dongtai) Co., Ltd.

Lin added that the total annual output of agricultural products under the brand of "Tiaozini" is worth 600 million yuan ($82.6 million).

The demonstration planting base helps over 30 local farmers find jobs near their homes. It also hires over 3,000 seasonal workers every year for its planting business, and its aquatic business has helped nearly 10,000 farmers increase their incomes.

Lu Jihua, 58, is a farmer in Dongtai. In 2018, he was hired by the company, leading 36 farmers to plant crops on the 12,000 mu of farmland, with their annual per capita income exceeding 100,000 yuan.

A stopover site with an area of 720 mu for migratory birds was also created during the utilization of saline-alkaline land.

"When we reclaimed the saline-alkaline land, we allocated 40,000 mu of land for ecological purposes. In 2020, we gave up 720 mu of aquaculture area, which was later turned into a stopover site for migratory birds," said Lin.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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El Cerrejon is the largest open-pit coal mine in Latin America, stretching over 69,000 hectares across a harsh landscape that is also home to the semi-nomadic Wayuu tribe, who live in huts and survive off ranching, small-scale agriculture, and fishing.

Colombia's massive El Cerrejon coal mine has landed in the crosshairs of President Gustavo Petro, who has blamed the open-pit operation for plunging the local Indigenous community into a severe water crisis.

Gigantic black craters scar the earth in La Guajira, northern Colombia, after four decades of coal extraction that has sucked up large quantities of water in an already-arid region hit by a wave of extreme droughts.

The leftist leader Petro, who has championed environmental concerns, in July declared an "economic, social and ecological emergency" in La Guajira, where poverty levels are at 67 percent, and dozens of children die every year from malnutrition.

In August, during a visit by Switzerland's president, Petro said he was looking for a "coordinated exit" by Glencore, the Swiss commodities giant which owns the mine.

El Cerrejon is the largest open-pit coal mine in Latin America, stretching over 69,000 hectares (170,000 acres) across a harsh landscape that is also home to the semi-nomadic Wayuu tribe, who live in huts and survive off ranching, small-scale agriculture, and fishing.

Traditionally, they capture and store water in reservoirs known as "jagueyes."

Petro has said that much of the region's scarce water supplies are now being monopolized by the "agriculture, energy, and coal" industries.

His state of emergency in the region forbids the extension of mining contracts or the expansion of any existing projects.

In 2022 a United Nations report listed El Cerrejon as among the 50 most polluted places in the world, saying the mine has had "devastating" consequences for the Wayuu, and that residents living near it have "high levels of toxic substances in their blood."

Last month, the mine published on its website a rejection of the accusations in the report, underlining its investment in social and environmental projects.

The company has also highlighted its efforts to improve water supply, including distributing water and building infrastructure for communities.

Economic blow

Experts say that shutting the mine, which produces 80,000 tons of coal per day and employs more than 12,000 workersmany of them from La Guajiracould deal a great economic blow to the community and the country.

The coal mine brings in 43 percent of La Guajira's gross domestic product, and 0.7 percent to Colombia as a whole, according to the Fedesarrollo investigations center.

The company shelled out some nine billion dollars to the state in 2022 in taxes and royalties.

These funds are "essential to support vital sectors such as health, water, education and roads," the region's governor Diala Wilches, told a local radio station.

"If the extraction of coal from the El Cerrejon mine is limited or suddenly stopped, there will be a fiscal crisis ... which will have to be compensated by government transfers," said Sergio Cabrales, a professor at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota.

A solution to the dilemma could lie in the energy transition.

La Guajira boasts high wind speeds and solar radiation, however projects to harness them as energy have limped along, hampered by territorial conflicts with the local community.

Cabrales says an alternative to the coal industry lies in "boosting tourism ... and power generation from renewable sources." But this requires "time, national and international investment, as well as better leadership."

Officials from El Cerrejon told AFP the company was "committed to continue operating in a responsible manner" until the end of its contract in 2034.

 2023 AFP
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

You've seen it online: crowdfunding for just about any purpose you can imagine. From artists trying to fund a project to individuals trying to pay a difficult health care bill, thousands have used sites like Go Fund Me to reach a financial goal. Globally, crowdfunding is $1.1 billion dollar market, with average campaigns reaching $8K USD. In the case of social entrepreneurs, however, crowdfunding projects that address a social issue take longer to reach their financial target.

In research, published in Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, a team, including USC Marshall School of Business Professor Jill Kickul, identified strategies to incentivize individuals to more readily contribute to social impact projects through crowdfunding.

As part of this work, the team sought to better understand what motivates individuals to contribute to social impact work in the first place, e.g., promoting natural rewards such as joy, honor or prestige. "Natural rewards help contributors achieve a positive emotional state," Kickul, who is also holds the Narayan Research Directorship in Social Entrepreneurship at the USC Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab, said.

Studies have shown that material rewards and incentivessuch as money, perks or giftsmight not work for activities such as donating or volunteering for charitable causes. But the emotional state achieved by contributing to a project that helps others is paramount. As important is a state of mind called prosocial motivationessentially the more empathetic a person feels, the more likely they are to contribute to the well-being or benefit of others, the researchers said.

So how do you appeal to such motivations and internal rewards in a broad audience? Kickul and her team say communication and marketing should focus on prosocial narratives, emotional tones and speech that affirms a positive emotional state. For example, say you are want to encourage your target audience to donate to preservation wildlife habitat preservation. Offering a free gift with a donation is less likely to produce a response than telling the story of one elephant named Marnie who lost her home and struggled to find food and shelter as she wandered for new spaces.

While material rewards won't be a primary motivator in these situations, the researchers say inexpensive rewards like thank you gifts that align with a social or environmental cause (e.g., a bio-degradable pouch) could be valued by specific contributors. Other types of material rewards might repel those who find the rewards as unaligned in values or too expensive to come from a charitable donation.

Overall, crowdfunding is an excellent source of funds, but strategies for social and environmental impact projects need to target the emotional elements and tap into the internal motivation of contributors to support a solution. In short, if crowdfunding is going to have as much of an impact for social change initiatives as it does for other types of projects, organizers of those campaigns need to make target audiences careand feel something.

More information: Paulami Mitra et al, Social entrepreneurial crowdfunding: Influence of the type of rewards and of prosocial motivation on the crowds' willingness to contribute, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development (2022). DOI: 10.1080/08985626.2022.2108904
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More than 10,500 people were forced to leave their homes in 83 municipalities hit by the cyclone in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Brazil is bracing for new storms just days after a devastating cyclone killed at least 41 people in the country's south, officials said Thursday.

Twenty-five people remain missing after an extratropical cyclone this week hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is also the target of the new weather system.

Late Thursday, "a cold front will advance along the border with Uruguay and will reinforce instabilities in the southern regions of the state, expanding to northern areas between Thursday night and early Friday," according to a warning from the state government, citing a meteorologist.

Flooding from the earlier storm submerged whole neighborhoods in Rio Grande do Sol, forcing many people to climb onto roofs while awaiting rescue.

More than 10,500 people were forced to leave their homes in 83 municipalities hit by the cyclone.

Almost a thousand rescuers and a dozen helicopters were involved in rescue efforts that continued Thursday, complicated by the destruction of two bridges and 16 roads fully or partially blocked, officials said.

In the hard-hit town of Roca Sales, residents with picks and shovels were trying to recover whatever possessions they could from destroyed homes.

"Everything fell apart. I never saw anything like it here. It was crazy," resident Nelson Noll told AFP, pointing to a now-empty space where three houses previously stood.

"This was no flood, it was a tsunami, a cyclone, which passed through here and took everything. There is nothing left," said the 75-year-old.

Brazil is not used to cyclones, but it is becoming "more and more frequent" for them to make landfall in the country, according to Francis Lacerda, a researcher at the Pernambuco State Agronomy Institute's Climate Change Laboratory.

Unchecked urbanization and irregular housing built on hillsides are also making weather disasters deadlier in Brazil, experts say.

In June, another cyclone left 13 dead in Rio Grande do Sul and forced thousands of people from their homes.

And in February, 65 people died in landslides caused by record flooding in the southeastern resort town of Sao Sebastiao, on the coast of Sao Paulo state.

An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil's 203 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding or landslides.

 2023 AFP
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From the study "Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap" compares the estimated gender differences in propensity to negotiate salaries with the actual differences. Credit: Academy of Management Discoveries (2023). DOI: 10.5465/amd.2022.0021

For nearly two decades, the negotiation skills of working women have frequently been blamed for the gender pay gap. New research by Vanderbilt Professor Jessica A. Kennedy finds the gender difference in tendency to negotiate has now reversed, and the widespread narrative that women don't ask is outdated. While other measures are necessary to completely close the gender pay gap, the study also discusses how people who believe and adhere to the notion that "women don't ask" hinder progress.

"Our research shows that women are willing to do their part to close the gender pay gap. Unfortunately, negotiating well isn't enough to close the gender pay gap. It's not the source of the problem," says Kennedy.

What is the gender pay gap?

Working men make more than working women at every wage level. At higher income levels, the gender pay gap is wider. As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women's median earnings were 83% of men's in full-time wage and salary roles in 2021.

After completing MBA degrees, women typically make 88% of what men earn, and the gap widens to 63% ten years later. Notably, women of color experience more significant pay discrepancies than other women.

"Sometimes I have concerns that comparing men and women fuels an unproductive gender war instead of illuminating the real issue, but the point is that employers should be paying in justifiable, transparent ways with equal pay for equal responsibilities," says Kennedy. "A pay gap by itself doesn't necessarily indicate unfairness, but too often, it causes people to invent false narratives about people who command fewer resources, and that's a real problem. We can't deal with a problem we don't see accurately."

To challenge one of these false narratives, Kennedy co-authored a new publication titled "Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap," in the Academy of Management Discoveries.

The findings from this set of studies debunk the widespread belief that a critical explanation for the pay gap is gender differences in the tendency to negotiate. Kennedy conducted this research with Professor Laura Kray and Post-Doctoral Scholar Margaret Lee at UC Berkeley.

Now, women do ask

With a nationally representative sample, the authors first established that people believe men negotiate their salaries more often than women do. As an incentive for accurate estimates, study participants were paid more for estimates approximating actual salary figures. Generally, people estimated that 64% of men and 47% of women negotiated job offers. Next, the authors compared these percentages to the real figures using three different datasets.

"It was interesting and refreshing to see the nuance in people's beliefs about gender. People believed women were negotiating less often than men, but they also believed women faced discrimination too," says Kennedy. "People thought women were less likely to get what they asked for, recognizing asking as an imperfect solution."

How was this uncovered?

Two studies utilized data from graduating MBA students and alumni from a top U.S. business school. In both studies, women reported negotiating their job offers more (not less) often than men. The authors then re-analyzed data from prior studies with a broader sample, corroborating the results with a greater scope. Finally, they examined the downstream consequences of believing women negotiate less often than men.

In one study, 990 participants who graduated from business school between 2015 and 2019 were asked a series of questions about their job search, the essential one being, "Did you negotiate your job offer?" A total of 54% of women reported negotiating offers compared to 44% of men, contradicting the idea that women don't ask.

In a second study, nearly 2,000 business school alumni respondents provided details about their compensation and negotiation behaviors, including successful and unsuccessful attempts. In this study, the gender pay gap was 22%.

The study revealed that 64% of women and 59% of men reported trying to negotiate for promotions or better compensation. Again, this contradicted the idea that women don't ask. In addition, the study found a slight difference whereby 4% of men and 7% of women reported unsuccessful attempts to negotiate raises. Generally, negotiating worked; more attempts to ask were associated with better compensation.

To examine the generality of these findings, the authors then re-analyzed data collected from a variety of different samples between 1982 and 2015.

In this study with 5,108 people, the researchers found no evidence of a gender difference in negotiating propensity. Men and women were initiating salary negotiations at similar rates. Examining the trend over time, the gender difference in negotiating rates declined. While it may have once been true that women negotiated their salaries less often than men, the trend no longer holds and may have reversed, at least in some populations.

Why does this matter? Outdated beliefs have consequences

Two later studies explored the consequences of negotiation-based explanations for the gender pay gap. Study 3 focused on support for legislation designed to support pay equity. First, Kennedy and her co-authors asked participants what percentage (from 0% to 100%) of the gender pay gap they believed was attributable to three different types of explanations. One type of explanation pointed to women's and men's negotiation abilities. Another type pointed to women's choices, such as number of hours worked; a third type pointed to issues of fairness.

When people attributed the gender pay gap to women's negotiation abilities, they were less inclined to support legislation that renders it illegal to consider a candidate's salary history when setting the current salary for a position. They were also more likely to endorse statements like, "Society is set up so that men and women usually get what they deserve." Results suggest that people who believe women negotiate less are less inclined to support policies to reduce the gender pay gap.

In Study 4, the researchers explored the consequences of negotiation-based explanations for broader gender stereotypes. Participants were exposed to a passage from a book that conveyed the "women don't ask" message or to a passage about the importance of negotiation. Exposure to the "women don't ask" message promoted endorsement of gender stereotypes along other dimensions, such as believing women are more nurturing and men are competitive. In addition, it increased belief in personal choices as justifications for the gender pay gap.

"Men and women have actually become more similar over time, as their roles have converged, so viewing them as very different is a problem," says Kennedy.

What next?

Since the pay gap still exists despite women's strong negotiating skills, it's time to stop blaming working women for not doing their part. The researchers behind the study call for an update on beliefs about gender and the propensity to negotiate for higher pay.

"It's time for employers to take a clear look at how they pay people. Let's be sure we fix the system and get over the idea of fixing the women. The women don't need fixing," says Kennedy.

More information: Laura Kray et al, Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap, Academy of Management Discoveries (2023). DOI: 10.5465/amd.2022.0021
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Positions of the Fz and Cz electrodes relative to the three-dimensional model and endocranial cast of the skull of a pointer dog (with yellow showing the brain's morphology), (A) superior (B) anterior and (C) lateral views. (D) Photograph showing a dog during the measurement. Credit: Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40851-w

Most dogs respond in specific ways to certain vocalizations, such as another dog barking or humans using certain tones of voice. Of course, this all happens while the dogs are awake.

Now, a new study suggests that they can also process vocalizations during sleep. The work, titled "Event-related potentials indicate differential neural reactivity to species and valence information in vocal stimuli in sleeping dogs," was published in Scientific Reports.

A team of researchers from ELTE Eotvos Lorand University; ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group; and the Research Center for Natural Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, all in Budapest, Hungary, conducted a small explorative study in which they measured the event-related potentials (ERPs, a term for measurable neural responses) in family dogs to vocalizations from human family members and other dogs while the subjects were asleep.

Existing research on dog behavior supports the use of dogs as good models for studies in comparative neurobiology.

Studies have shown that much like humans, dogs in wakeful states respond with differing behaviors depending on the valence (levels of positivity and negativity) of vocalizations they hear. They can correlate vocalizations of both dogs and humans with respective facial expressions, and with appropriate pictures. Moreover, in dogs and in humans, sleep has been shown to be important for emotional processing and memory consolidation.

In this study, the researchers wanted to know whether dogs in various sleep stages would show different responses to stimuli of differing valences from different speciesin this case, humans and other dogs. They hypothesized that the research subjects would show sensitivity to both, and recruited owners and dogs (sample size = 13) from the database of the Family Dog Project at Eotvos Lorand University's Department of Ethology.

The research team measured the dogs' neural responses only with surface electrodes, a painless and non-invasive EEG method. To place the electrodes, they gained the dogs' cooperation via positive reinforcement (praise and treats). Each dog was tested individually, and just before the testing began, the dog settled down for its daily nap with its owner sitting at its side.

From another room, while the dog was in states of wakefulness, drowsiness, and non-REM sleep, a research team member played recordings of non-verbal vocalizations from humans and dogs, each of which had been previously rated as having positive or neutral valence. To avoid startling or waking the dogs, no sounds of extremely negative valence were included. Each sound file lasted one second, and each was played at the same volume.

ERPs recorded at Fz (A) and Cz (B) during wake (blue), drowsiness (red) and non-REM (green) from 200 ms before to 1000 ms after stimulus onset (0 point on the x-axis). Credit: Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40851-w

Positive vocalizations from dogs included growls, grunts, moans, pants, and whines; while neutral vocalizations included barks, grunts, moans, and yelps. From humans, positive vocalizations included general and laughing sounds; neutral included coughs, general sounds, moans, sighs, and yawns. No human verbal vocalizations were included, nor were any sounds with sexual undertones, such as sexual moans.

The intensity of the dogs' responses was recorded in milliseconds, and each testing session lasted approximately three hours. The dogs produced neural responses to each stimulus while they were awake, while they were drowsy, and during non-REM sleep, with varying intensities and slightly longer response times at each successive stage.

Despite limitations including the small study size, incomplete collection of data from some of the subjects, and a number of artifacts that did not support direct comparisons of sleep stages, the findings show clearly that ERPs can occur in dogs during states of drowsiness and non-REM sleep, and that the dogs' brains are able to process them according to species and valence factors, similar to the way humans can process certain sounds as they sleep.

"This finding is significant," the research states, "insofar as it is the first evidence of complex auditory processing during sleep in dogs."

Indeed, these results expand our knowledge of dogs' neural processing abilities and provide a basis for further studies in this area.

More information: Huba Eleod et al, Event-related potentials indicate differential neural reactivity to species and valence information in vocal stimuli in sleeping dogs, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40851-w Journal information: Scientific Reports

 2023 Science X Network
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Map of 195 selected cities included in the analyses, spanning a range of social and ecological conditions. New Haven (Connecticut), Los Angeles (California) and Detroit (Michigan) show how formerly D-graded (or redlined) areas have far lower citizen-science sampling density for birds. Credit: Nature Human Behaviour (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01688-5

A trio of ecologists and environmental scientists from Yale University, the University of California, Berkeley and the USDA Forest Service, respectively, has found that parts of the United States that have been intentionally segregated over the past decades have less bird data available for study by ecologists.

In their paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, Diego Ellis-Soto, Melissa Chapman and Dexter Locke, describe how they analyzed bird sighting data in 9,000 neighborhoods across the U.S, and what they found by doing so.

Back in the 1930s, the U.S. government promoted a policy that has come to be known as "redlining," where parts of major cities were labeled as either red or greengreen meant less investment risk. Such labels were based primarily on income levels and race.

Over time the policy led to the decline of red areas, leaving those people (primarily minorities) residing in such neighborhoods living in poverty. Redlining was eventually abolished but its impact remains. Many of the worst parts of cities in the U.S. today now exist in what were once redlined districts and remain mostly populated by minorities. In this new effort, the researchers have found that bird data collected by amateur birdwatchers in cities across the U.S. is far more sparse in formerly redlined districts.

As scientists around the world continue to grapple with the reality of global warming, many are attempting to understand what will happen to animals that do not have the luxury of living in air-conditioned environments. In this new effort, the researchers wondered what might happen to the birds that live across the United States.

To find out, they sought to learn more about their population numbersdata for which is typically available courtesy of amateur birdwatchers who report what they see in their local environment to ecology groups. But as they were analyzing their data they noticed some discrepanciesthere was far less data available for historically segregated neighborhoodsgoing back decades.

In taking a closer look, the research team found that these areas with little bird data included the very same neighborhoods that had once been redlined. They have concluded that their study is one of the first to show how systemic racial segregation has resulted in playing a role in study of the ecological process in a given regionor in this case, an entire country.

More information: Diego Ellis-Soto et al, Historical redlining is associated with increasing geographical disparities in bird biodiversity sampling in the United States, Nature Human Behaviour (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01688-5 Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour

 2023 Science X Network
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Rape myths are stereotypes and false beliefs associated with all forms of sexual assault. Popular rape myths include "she was asking for it," "good guys don't commit rape," and "women lie about being raped to ruin men's reputations."

Recent research on sexual assault trials in Australia found that defense lawyers rely on, and reproduce, rape myths. But until now, it wasn't clear if some rape myths are unique to sexual violence in the military.

Identifying military rape myths is essential to help reduce sexual violence committed by service members against their fellow soldiers.

Research focused on civilian rape myths has revealed that when rape myths are accepted, there are increased negative perceptions of rape survivors, lower conviction rates, shorter sentences for perpetrators and more police reports that reproduce rape myths.

It makes sense that there might be rape myths unique to the military. Sexual violence perpetrated internally in the military is distinct from civilian sexual violence in terms of how often it happens, how it can impact victims' careers, the military justice system and public trust ofeven reverence formilitary institutions.

The scourge of military sexual assault

Sexual violence within most western military forces has been increasing despite increased attention and resources devoted to the problem.

In Australia, female service members have a one in four chance of being harassed or assaulted over the course of their careers. The United States Army saw a 26% increase in sexual assaults between 2020 and 2021.

The Canadian government recently extended the deadline for submitting claims to a sexual misconduct class-action lawsuit worth almost $1 billion after more than 19,000 victims came forward with claims.

There is strong evidence that available data on military sexual violence is merely the tip of the iceberg. Research from several countries indicates that more than 80% of victims do not report their assault.

Three military rape myths

To better understand if there are specific rape myths associated with public conversations about military sexual violence, I studied 30 years of media coverage of the problem in three countries: the U.S., Canada and Australia.

I published the results of this work in a recent book, "Good Soldiers Don't Rape: The Stories We Tell About Military Sexual Violence. "

One of my biggest findings is that there are distinct military rape myths that pervade international media coverage. Here are three of the biggest ones:

Sexual violence is a natural, if unfortunate, by-product of a military culture that requires tough, combat-ready "good" warriors. Women who choose to join the military should know that sexual violence is a risk because men can't be expected to control their urges, particularly in high-pressure situations. Only military leaders know how to handle the problem of sexual violence. The public often misunderstands or overreacts to the unique nature of sexual violence within defense forces.

To be clear, this isn't merely a media coverage problem. The media coverage reflects public conversations, including statements by military leaders and opinion pieces by prominent figures.

'Men will be men' justification

An example was in 2015, when Gen. Tom Lawson, then the Canadian chief of the defense staff, suggested sexual violence would naturally be present in any institution dominated by men.

He claimed that male soldiers are "biologically wired in a certain way  (to) believe it is a reasonable thing to press themselves and their desires on others."

Another example was in 2012 in Australia, when a former Air Force pilot claimed that you cannot expect "testosterone to remain dormant" when men and women are "at the peak of their sexuality, then training them to be warriors  and putting them together in a semi-cloistered environment."

Military rape myths are similar to the rape myths associated with civilian sexual assault. Both sets of rape myths create a series of excuses that remove institutional accountability, evade the acknowledgement of a systemic and persistent institutional problem and diffuse or weaken efforts to address the problem.

Gaslighting victims

They also shift the blame of the problem away from perpetrators and military institutions and gaslight victims and the public.

They send a message that internal military sexual violence should be expected and that women's presence in the institution is the problem, not perpetrators. Military rape myths also call into question issues raised by victims and the public by portraying concerns about military sexual violence as poorly informed or overreactions.

Identifying rape myths is a first step towards unraveling them and encouraging public conversations that avoid perpetuating stereotypes that let military forces and perpetrators off the hook.

Dispelling rape myths should be a top priority for all national armed forces, especially like those in the U.S., Canada and Australia that claim to be implementing cultural reform aimed at addressing systemic forms of discrimination.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Damage from the cyclone has affected more than 135,000 people across the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Brazilian rescue workers were on Friday searching for almost 50 people still missing after a devastating cyclone unleashed torrential rain and flooding in the south of the country.

Five days after the cyclone, which left 41 dead, the country is taking stock of a rising toll, with at least 223 people injured and 11,000 forced from their homes, according to official statements.

More than 147,000 people were affected across the state of Rio Grande do Sul, civil defense authorities said in a statement.

It added that the number of missing had gone from 25 to 46.

Nearly a thousand emergency workers and a dozen helicopters have been deployed in the rescue efforts, which have been complicated by the destruction of two bridges and blocked roads.

Eight military aircraft and hundreds of soldiers are also taking part in search and rescue.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in India for the G20 summit, is sending Vice President Geraldo Alckmin to the region, where he will arrive Sunday with a ministerial delegation.

"We are acting on all fronts," Lula wrote on social media.

Alckmin announced at a press conference in Brasilia that the federal government would send 20,000 food baskets and medicine kits for 15,000 people in Rio Grande do Sul, where authorities have declared a state of emergency.

In addition, the more than 3,000 people who lost their homes will receive 800 reais ($167), he said.

The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, has estimated rebuilding road infrastructure will cost about 100 million reais ($20 million).

Brazil is not used to cyclones, but it is becoming "more and more frequent" for them to make landfall in the country, according to Francis Lacerda, a researcher at the Pernambuco State Agronomy Institute's Climate Change Laboratory.

"This is all a result of climate change," Alckmin said.

Unchecked urbanization and irregular housing built on hillsides are also making weather disasters deadlier in Brazil, experts say.

In June, another cyclone left 13 dead in Rio Grande do Sul and forced thousands of people from their homes.

In February, 65 people died in landslides caused by record flooding in the southeastern resort town of Sao Sebastiao, on the coast of Sao Paulo state.

An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil's 203 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding or landslides.

 2023 AFP
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Effects of the Au nanoparticle size on the synthesis of the coreshell Au@NPs. (a) Using 12 nm Au particles as the core for Au@NPs synthesis. (b) Using 18 nm Au particles as the core for Au@NPs synthesis. (c) The synthesized Au@NPs (using 24 nm Au particles as the core) before purification. (d) The synthesized Au@NPs (using 24 nm Au particles as the core) after purification. Credit: Analytical Chemistry (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01666

Nanoplastics (NPs) can cause a variety of adverse effects in humans, including physical damage, oxidative stress, impaired cell signaling, and developmental defects. The monitoring of NPs in the environment still remains a challenge due to their small particle sizes, different shapes and chemical compositions, easy aggregation and sedimentation.

In addition to environmental monitoring, studies of NPs in the laboratory and controlled fields could provide reliable and quantitative data for the toxicity, distribution, and bioaccumulation of NPs. To this end, labeling NPs with a tracer represents an effective way to track or quantify NPs in complex environments.

A research team led by Prof. Guo Rongbo and Prof. Fu Shanfei at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Process Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has developed a method for size- and surface chargetunable core-shell Au@Nanoplastics (Au@NPs) synthesis, which can be used to study the environmental fate of NPs in an artificial freshwater system. Their study was published in Analytical Chemistry on Aug. 11.

The core-shell Au@NPs was synthesized through a three-step process that included synthesis of the Au core, prepolymerization of styrene, and polymerization. The Au core enables quantitative detection of NPs, while the polystyrene shell exhibits NP properties. The size of the core-shell Au@NPs could be well controlled by adjusting the polymerization reaction time, as well as the amount of styrene used.

The Au@NPs showed excellent resistance to environmental factors (e.g., 1% hydrogen peroxide solution, simulating gastric fluid, acids, and alkalis) and high recovery rates (>80%) from seawater, lake water, sewage, waste sludge, soil, and sediment, making them ideal for environmental fate and behavior studies of NPs in a variety of complex environmental systems.

More information: Shan-Fei Fu et al, CoreShell Au@Nanoplastics as a Quantitative Tracer to Investigate the Bioaccumulation of Nanoplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems, Analytical Chemistry (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01666 Journal information: Analytical Chemistry
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Brazil's jacu birds were originally seen as hungry pests feeding on precious coffee crops -- until farmers realized they instinctively eat the best coffee cherries, and thus leave behind the best beans.

In Brazil, the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg is in reality something closer to a pheasant that excretes coffee beans.

At the Camocim coffee farm, deep in the bucolic hills of Espirito Santo state in Brazil's southeast, jacusa type of pheasant native to tropical forests thereare considered some of the most astute pickers (or rather, eaters) of coffee cherries.

"He chooses the best fruits, the ripest," said worker Agnael Costa, 23, delicately scooping up droppings left behind by one of the birds between two tree trunks.

What goes in as ripe cherries comes out as beans, which can go on to be sold as some of the most deliciousand expensivecoffee in the world.

The coffee at Camocim grows in the middle of the lush forest, and the jacus here are wild, eating (and defecating) at their own pace.

"It was this agroforestry system that created the necessary conditions for this exotic coffee to exist here," farm owner Henrique Sloper tells AFP.

Domestically, jacu coffee can sell for 1,118 reais per kilogram (or around $100 a pound)a price that can rise significantly upon export. Foreign distributors include British department store Harrods, among others.

Jacu coffee can sell in Brazil for 1,118 reais per kilogram (or around $100 a pound) -- a price that can rise significantly upon export.

From enemies to allies

The jacu, with its black feathers and red throat, wasn't always welcome at the farm. It was originally seen as a hungry pest feeding off precious crops.

But when Sloper discovered "kopi luwak," an expensive Indonesian coffee made with beans from civet excrement, he figured jacus might make good allies in the quest to make a better brew.

Kopi luwak sometimes has a bad reputation, with farmers accused of pressing civetssmall mammals similar to weaselsinto captivity to boost production.

The wild jacus at Camocim, meanwhile, roam, eat and poop at their leisure.

"It's 100 percent natural," said farm production supervisor Rogerio Lemke. "The jacu is within its own natural habitat," in Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

Linking production to the whims of a jacu's appetite is just one of the reasons it fetches such a high price.

Jacu droppings look a bit like a cereal bar, with beige grains protruding from a blackish, pasty mess. Once collected and dried, the beans are carefully sorted and hulled, and put into a chilled room.

Rogerio Lemke, a supervisor at the Camocim coffee plantation, inspects dried droppings from the jacu bird containing coffee beans in Domingos Martins, Espirito Santo state, Brazil.

"It is naturally expensive. There is no way to make a jacu coffee at a low cost," says Sloper.

All told, jacu coffee represents less than 2 percent of the estate's production.

The bird also carries other advantages, both for farmers and those seeking a cheaperif less intestinally intimatecup of Joe.

"It serves not only as a selector (of the best beans), but also as a harvest alarm" says Sloper. "Where it eats, the coffee is ripe."

'Delicious'

While jacus help select the best coffee, there's nothing in particular about their digestive system that imparts a different taste on the beans.

"The birds have an extremely short intestinal transit time," Ensei Neto, a coffee specialist, tells AFP. "So there is not exactly any kind of biochemical process, there is no time."

Their digestive process is much faster than civets or elephantsanother animal whose dung is used, in Thailand, to produce specialty coffee.

Workers pack Jacu bird coffee, which is often bought by customers seeking a unique brew or those who value sustainable agroforestry.

Some think the fermentation process stemming from those animals' longer digestion times imparts a better flavor on the resulting beans.

The jacu "only goes for the ripe fruits," says Neto, producing a coffee with "sweet notes, with good acidity."

"It doesn't add anything else. But the story is good."

The jacus have found a fan in Poliana Cristiana Prego, 37, a Brazilian tourist who has come to visit Camocim.

"It's a delicious coffee and the story behind its production is very original. It's a new experience for us," she says.

"Our customers are lovers of exotic products, but also those who value the idea of sustainable development," says Sloper.

For him, "the future of coffee will come from Brazil," already the world's top producer.

Whether it comes from jacus or otherwise, Brazilian coffee "is showing the world that we really are able to do what nobody else can."

 2023 AFP
The Village of South Glens Falls will find itself without legal representation in less than 30 days unless officials can find a way to smooth things over with the firm it hired  Miller, Mannix, Schachner & Hafner, LLC, out of Glens Falls.

Our attorney has requested that we modify the terms of our agreement with them and that theyre no longer required to attend our village board meetings, reported village Mayor Nicholas Bodkin during Wednesdays board meeting.

The request came in an Aug. 21 letter to the village board following its Aug. 16 meeting, which was attended by Mary Elizabeth Kissane, an associate attorney with the firm.

Our treatment by certain Trustees has become unacceptable and we are not prepared to tolerate it any further, the letter reads. All of the other municipalities we represent treat us with the utmost respect and professional courtesy and we have no interest in continuing attendance at Village Board meetings at which that is not the case.

Prior to receiving that letter, Bodkin issued a memo to the board on Aug. 17, addressing his concern for how counsel had been treated.

I have to say following last nights meeting and executive session, I feel as though the line has been clearly crossed yet again, Bodkins memo reads. I feel strongly that our attorney is owed an apology for how she was treated. There may be other staff members that need the same.

In a statement to The Post-Star, Bodkin said he wrote the memo, and released it as public comment on the Sept. 6 meetings agenda, to address what he views as a pattern of ill-behavior among the board.

There have been many times where voices have been raised, personal attacks have been made, and decorum has been lost. It is disheartening to see this occur, Bodkin said via email. I have addressed this concern in a previous internal memo to the board.Receiving the letter from our attorneys only affirms the need to properly address this issue. Our reputation and credibility are on the line and we owe it to our community to be better.

Neither correspondence mentioned any specific incident or board member by name, so the impetus for the letter from the law firm remains unclear. When called for comment, Kissane referred The Post-Star to leadership in the firm. We did not receive a response in time for publication.

However, trustee Harry Gutheil requested that the board discuss Bodkins memo in executive session to address his accusations. Gutheil has openly challenged Kissane's advice in the past.

In its letter to the board, the firm said that it would be willing to continue working with the village, but only if it agreed not to require a representative attend its meetings.

While possibly not ideal, we are aware of similar arrangements elsewhere which have been successful, the letter states.

If the board did not agree to this term, the letter would act as the firms 30 day notice of intend to resign as legal counsel for the village.

Youre suggesting and asking for a motion that we have legal counsel and they dont be at our meetings, is that correct, Gutheil posed to Bodkin.

That is correct, that it their request, Bodkin answered.

And you feel that will service the board properly, Gutheil further pressed.

Bodkin explained that with no legal counsel present at meetings, the board would need to coordinate its legal questions prior to the meeting in order to obtain a legal opinion.

I dont think its a good resolution either, but its a step that we have to take to get the counsels opinions  any counsels opinions right now, Trustee Tim Carota said.

Bodkin then called for a vote to accept the firms terms. He and Carota voted yes, Gutheil voted no, and Trustee Tony Girard abstained leaving the board to accept the firms resignation.

Motion fails, two yess. one, no, one abstention, Bodkin stated. Counsels notice of 30 days to terminate service is recognized. Hopefully we can reach terms prior to the termination of that agreement.
Washington County

"Various areas of Washington County were impacted by severe thunderstorms that moved through our area this evening (and seem to be hanging on a bit)," Tim Hardy wrote The Post-Star at about 10:30 Sept. 7. Hardy is the communications director for the county. "Our 911 Communications Center team members received a number of storm related calls and our First Responder, Highway and Utility partners have been busy responding to and tending to those calls."

At this hour, 4:30 a.m. Sept. 8, southern Washington County looks to be the most affected by power outages. As many as a couple hundred people from Greenwich to Cambridge and along Route 313 to the Vermont border are without power according to the National Grid power outage map. Just over 1,000 customers are without power in Washington County, according to the National Grid map.

At 10:30 Sept. 7, roads impacted by downed trees, power lines or similar:

Lake Nebo Rd, Fort Ann (approx 1 mile in from Copeland Pond)

Niles Rd, White Creek (between Meeting House / Gannon Rd)

County Route 68, White Creek (between State Line Rd / Niles Rd)

Sutherland Rd, Jackson (between County Route 61 / Dobbin Hill)

Warren County

In Warren County, 2,366 customers are without power at this hour, 4:45 a.m., according to the National Grid power outage map.

Hardest hit appears to be northern Queensbury in the are of Assembly Point on Lake George. 1,243 customers are without power there.

Up county in the Johnsburg, Wevertown area, 1,222 customers are without power.

Throughout the region, National Grid has the outages listed as "assessing conditions" and does not list an estimated return to service. In their notes, they write that they use "assessing conditions" when "safety hazards, such as trees, tree limbs, and downed wires must be cleared away so that infrastructure damage can be assessed and restoration plans can be executed."
TASELI PLATEAU, Turkey  An American researcher who fell ill more than 3,000 feet below the entrance of a cave in Turkey has recovered sufficiently for rescue teams to start the process of moving him out, an operation that could last three or four days, a Turkish official was quoted as saying on Friday.

Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver, suddenly became ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains. Rescuers from across Europe have rushed there to help treat Dickey and to extract him from the cave.

"The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating him," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey's disaster relief agency, AFAD, told the IHA news agency. "We are now in a position to evacuate him."

"This is a difficult operation. It would take a (healthy) person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days," Yildiz said. "Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger.

Another Turkish official said rescuers were waiting for doctors to give the go-ahead for the difficult operation to begin.

Recep Salci, the head of AFAD's search and rescue department, told HaberTurk TV that the plan was to lift Dickey on a stretcher but to use a "security belt" system to lift him through the cave's narrow openings.

"We are trying to expand the narrow areas by making small explosions, by breaking some areas," Salci said.

Doctors gave Dickey IV fluids and 4 liters of blood inside the cave, he said. More than 30 rescuers were inside the cave on Friday afternoon, and teams comprised of a doctor and three or four others take turns staying with the American at all times, Salci said.

"Our aim is to bring him out and to have him hospitalized as soon as possible," he said.

More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.

Members of Italy's National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team joined rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey late Thursday. A Turkish helicopter was on standby near the entrance of the cave, Turkish media reports said.

The Italian organization said six of their rescuers, including a doctor and nurse, reached Dickey during the night. The team planned to work to keep him stable for 15-20 hours before being replaced by another team.

Small camps set up at different levels inside the cave gave doctors, nurses and technicians a place to rest, the group said.

Turkish authorities made a video message available that showed Dickey standing and moving around on Thursday. While alert and talking, he said he was not "healed on the inside" and needed a lot of help to get out of the cave.

He thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts to rescue him.

"The caving world is a really tight-knit group ,and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," Dickey said in the video. "I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge."

The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach but had stopped vomiting and ate for the first time in days. It was not clear what caused the medical issue.

Doctors were expected to decide whether he would need to be taken out on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power. The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and Dickey will need constant medical attention inside the cave, which is also quite cold.

Dickey was described by the European Association of Cave Rescuers as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association's medical committee.

The researcher was on an expedition mapping the 1,276-meter (4,186-foot) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association when he ran into trouble about 1,000 meters down, according to Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey. He initially became ill on Sept. 2, but it took until the morning of Sept. 3 to notify others who were above ground.

Family travel 5: Explore underground at these amazing caves and caverns 1. Kartchner Caverns, Benson, Arizona 2. Luray Caverns, Luray, Virginia 5. Castleguard Cave, Banff, Alberta, Canada
ATLANTIC CITY  Two weeks after the new Atlantic City Housing Authority executive director slammed the agency for its procurement practices, the authority board is now preparing to remove Matthew Doherty from his leadership role  just four months after he began.

In a special meeting of the board, member Geoff Dorsey introduced a motion to terminate the contract for convenience, and board Chair Stephanie Marshall seconded the motion. Charmaine Hall, who joined the board earlier this summer, was the sole no vote. Along with Dorsey and Marshall, board members Natalie Devonish and Rosetta Johnson approved the motion. Board member Eli Gbayee joined the meeting, which took place over Zoom, after the vote had taken place.

There was no discussion of the matter, despite questions from Hall.

I want to know, what are their motives? she asked. Marshall quickly shut down Halls efforts. At least two Housing Authority employees asked to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting, but Marshall denied them.

If any employees have any concerns, they can reach out to counsel, she said.

The meeting lasted just 25 minutes.

At least one city official criticized the board for its actions.

This board needs to be dissolved, whether it goes into receivership with the federal government or another housing authority takes over, Councilman Bruce Weekes said after the meeting. Theyve demonstrated they cannot run this thing properly. ...They can fire a guy and all this other stuff, but they cant make sure the residents are okay.

For years there was bad management and the board was quiet about it, he said, then you bring someone in and get rid of him a few months later?  How are you going to attract talent? You are going to scare people off.

Atlantic City Housing Authority consultant exits New Brunswick job John Clarke, who has been an interim part-time executive director and consultant for the Atlantic City Housing Authority, has retired from his job leading New Brunswick's housing authority, he said Thursday.

Doherty said the boards action was retaliation, following his scathing statement comments at the Aug. 24 board meeting.

What happened today was clearly retribution against me for bringing to light the dysfunction of the Housing Authority, and how that dysfunction is negatively impacting the residents that we serve, Doherty said after the meeting. He was particularly concerned with what he called financial wrongdoing in procurement.

During the previous board meeting Aug. 24, Doherty blamed Jerry Volpe, a consultant who has served as the agencys qualified purchasing agent since August 2022, for the poor conditions at the roughly 420-unit Stanley Holmes Village off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. At that time, Doherty said Volpe failed to put bids out for repairs to the heat and hot water system.

Volpe declined to comment at the meeting, but Marshall defended him and said he helped the agency through dark times. Billing invoices obtained via public records request show the Housing Authority paid Volpes firm at least $402,000 in the past year, as well as additional funds to reimburse his company for fees and expenses.

Although Doherty received a RICE notice ahead of the meeting, he said he expected a discussion on the scope of his responsibilities, not termination.

Im going to work tomorrow, Doherty said. We have have an important meeting tomorrow regarding the heat and hot water at Stanley Holmes Village.

Doherty was championed in getting the job by Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who died last month.

The lieutenant governor was a mentor to me. We talked about the Housing Authority and its problems back in December, when this job was posted, Doherty said. She encouraged me to apply. She was a tremendous, great woman.

He joined the Housing Authority in May, replacing John Clarke, who had been serving as interim executive director since August 2022. A month after Doherty took over, HUD forced a work stoppage when it canceled the local agencys most recent emergency contracts, saying it had failed to follow proper procurement practices. It halted the repairs already underway at Stanley Holmes. Since workers walked off the job in early June, Stanley Holmes residents have continued to report interruptions to their hot water, and at least one tenant has been without a functioning shower and sink in her home. And residents continued to express worries over the potential for gas leaks  concerns that proved true last week as more were uncovered.

Atlantic City Housing Authority spent nearly $500K on leadership consultants The Atlantic City Housing Authority spent nearly a half-million dollars on two administrative consultants over the past year and continued to keep them on the payroll through the summer despite the addition of new permanent staff in the same roles.

In the roughly nine months that Clarke served as the interim executive director in Atlantic City, he worked fewer than 20 hours per week in 31 out of 38 weeks on the job. His proposal said he would dedicate at least 20 hours per week to the agency. While heading Atlantic Citys agency, he also led two other public housing authorities. He resigned from his full-time executive director position at the New Brunswick Housing Authority earlier this month, though he continues to serve as the interim executive director of the Princeton Housing Authority, where he is under agreement through March 1, 2024.

Clarke had taken over in Atlantic City from Denise Gordy, who had also served as an interim leader for about a year. She left the agency earlier this year and subsequently sued the Housing Authority. In the whistleblower lawsuit, she claimed she was demoted last year after raising concerns about improper billing and procurement practices at the agency. Court documents also said the Housing Authority is under investigation for fraud.

The step to remove Doherty comes as the authority continues to face a myriad of issues, including periodic disruptions to the heat and hot water system, and gas leaks at Stanley Holmes. Nearly 90 Stanley Holmes residents filed a lawsuit against their landlord late last year over what they described as unsafe and unsanitary conditions in their homes. After months of delays, the authority late last week submitted its preliminary plan for repairs at Stanley Holmes to the Atlantic County Superior Court.
ATLANTIC CITY  An attorney representing the resort and Mayor Marty Small Sr. has filed a motion to have both removed as defendants in a pair of lawsuits accusing a city employee of sexual harassment.

Attorney Tracy L. Riley filed the motion in Atlantic County Superior Court.

Virginia Coley and Tyyona Robinson were allegedly subject to sexual harassment by Floyd Tally while they were city employees, allegations brought by local attorney David Castellani in late June. At the time of his alleged actions, Tally was director of the city's Stop the Violence Initiative.

Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Sarah B. Johnson is expected to rule on Small's dismissal motion Oct. 6, according to state court records.

The lawsuits say the city failed to intervene and that it was obligated to do so under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. They both accuse Small of not intervening.

Atlantic City anti-violence leader named in sexual harassment suits Two women allege in separate lawsuits filed by the same lawyer that they were subject to sexual harassment by an Atlantic City employee known for his role in a blackmailing scheme against a former politician.

Riley, however, said in court filings last week that the claims against Small must be dismissed because the women did not bring forth allegations that he "knowingly gave substantial assistance or encouragement to the unlawful conduct."

The city also denies wrongdoing in both cases, seeking a judgment dismissing it from the lawsuits, according to a separate filing from Riley.

The city is demanding the women preserve electronic information pertaining to their cause of action.

Robinson alleges harassment against Tally went as far as forced sexual intercourse. She allegedly was subject to a hostile working environment from November until March. Coley accuses Tally of making sexual advances against her, criticizing her job performance and threatening to end her employment.
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Two alleged scammers were arrested after authorities said they coerced a victim into handing over money and purchasing gold through a telephone scam.

Syed Sofianuddin, 25, of Georgia, and Mohammad Khaja Faraz Uddin, 27, with no known address, used a telephone scam to act as representatives of Amazon Customer Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said Friday in a news release.

Both were arrested Thursday. They each were charged with theft by deception, attempt to commit theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception. Sofianuddin additionally was charged with eluding.

They are being held in the Cape May County jail.

Sofianuddin and Uddin persuaded their victim to remove money from the bank and purchase gold bars, claiming first that an Amazon purchase had gone wrong, the Prosecutor's Office said.

After the false Amazon call, the victim was transferred to a fake DEA employee, who claimed multiple bank accounts were opened in their name and used for drug sales, adding a warrant was issued for their arrest.

Sofianuddin and Uddin then instructed the victim to remove an undisclosed sum of money from their bank account for the U.S. Department of Treasury's possession to clear up the warrant issues, the Prosecutor's Office said.

The victim complied, handing over the requested funds. Authorities did not disclose a monetary amount.

More money was requested from the victim, the Prosecutor's Office said. Afterward, the victim was ordered to purchase gold bars from a local jeweler or website.

Law enforcement intervened once the gold was bought, the Prosecutor's Office said.

The investigation remains active, the Prosecutor's Office said. More arrest warrants could be issued through the probe.

The Prosecutor's Office cautioned the public to be vigilant and report suspected phone scams.
ATLANTIC CITY  Back when the Miss America pageant was held in the resort, thousands of people came to the island not only to see the state titleholders compete, but to make a fun weekend out of the event by visiting casinos, bars, restaurants and other businesses that support the citys economy after Labor Day.

And while Miss America has long since left the state, the Missd America Pageant  a drag contest that has been an Atlantic City staple since the 1990s  is adding events in an effort to increase the pageants impact by not only spreading its message of diversity, equality and inclusivity, but promoting the citys economy and tourism.

In addition to the competition Saturday night at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, the Missd America Pageant Organization hosts a variety of pre- and post-pageant events to facilitate the citys cultural and economic growth.

We also bring a large group of meeting planners into the city for the weekend to not only showcase the pageant, but to showcase the city in hopes that they will consider Atlantic City as a location to bring their meetings or their conventions to, said Larry Sieg, president and CEO of Visit Atlantic City, one of Missd Americas major sponsors. One of the problems is that, you know, Atlantic City always has a perception issue. So to be able to have events like this are important, where you can bring in a specific target market and showcase the city. It very easily changes their perception of Atlantic City ... and nobody throws a party better than we do.

Before 2010, Missd America weekend consisted of the pageant and a VIP brunch that was started by Gary Hill and his partner, John Schultz, the co-creators of the pageant.

Now, the organization hosts drag bingo Friday at Hard Rock, followed by a post-pageant party Saturday.

In addition, other organizations have started to host a variety of LGBTQ-centered events, like the Pride Run Series 5K and 10K races happening Saturday on the Boardwalk.

Hill and Schultz created the Missd America Pageant as a spoof of Miss America that could include the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

The two hosted their first Missd America Pageant at Studio Six, one of Atlantic Citys gay bars, in the 90s, and since then, the competition has outgrown the bar scene, Hill said.

The annual drag competition has stayed true to its fun, diverse and inclusive roots, while also becoming the biggest LGBTQ event the city hosts, said Richard Helfant, executive producer of the pageant.

And it sort of tells the world that Atlantic City is open, Atlantic City does not discriminate and that Atlantic City welcomes everybody, no matter who or what you are, or who you love, said Helfant.

This year, about 1,200 people are expected to fill the Hard Rocks Seminole Ballroom for a sold-out show. Helfant said the show, which has been hosted at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, where Miss America once was held, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and other prime locations in the city, sells out every year.

The queens will show their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent in four categories  swimsuit, evening wear, talent and a question-and-answer segment.

Hill said the question-and-answer segment was important because the winner will represent not only Atlantic City but the areas LGBTQ community.

Crowning a queen who is well-spoken and well-informed that can answer off the fly is important, Hill said.

The winner of Missd America is looked at as an activist who helps better the relationship between people and the LGBTQ community while representing the Missd America Pageant Organization.

Hill said the drag competition supports LGBTQ charities. Since its founding, the pageant has donated about $530,000 to the South Jersey AIDS Alliance, the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS organizations in New York, the Human Rights Campaign and others.

Even if there wasnt a Miss America pageant this year, there will always be a Missd America Pageant, Hill said.

GALLERY 2021 Miss'd America Pageant in Atlantic City
The Hinjawadi police nabbed two people from Rajasthan for smuggling opium and mephedrone (MD) into the Hinjawadi IT Park and seized 61 gm of mephedrone and 1.705 kg of opium powder worth Rs 3.39 lakh from their possession.

The arrested accused have been identified as Raviprakash Sukhram Bishnoi and Suresh Kumar Sairam Bishnoi, both from Phalodi in Rajasthan. Sonu Jalora and Jaiprakash Bishnoi, partners from Rajasthan and Hinjewadi, respectively, who are accused of providing the narcotics to the detained people, have also been named in the complaint filed at the Hinjawadi police station.

Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey has appealed to the public to be on guard in the wake of these incidents and to spread awareness, especially among young people employed at the IT Park, to keep them from falling into the trap of addiction, which is frequently fueled by stress from the workplace.

The crime branchs anti-narcotics squad received a tip-off of the drug trade occurring in Bavdhan, close to the Mumbai-Bangalore highway.
Rock Island Coroner Brian Gustafson has released the name of the 62-year-old man who died early Wednesday while in the custody of East Moline Police.

Louis Bradley Griffin, of Silvis, died of significant coronary issues, Gustafson said Thursday. There is no evidence of trauma or foul play.

East Moline Police Chief Jeffrey Ramsey and the Rock Island County Integrity Task Force said officers detained the man during a burglary investigation that began just before 1 a.m. in the 400 block of 17th Avenue.

The task force, a joint law enforcement unit that investigates incidents involving police, said the man became unresponsive and the East Moline officers called an ambulance and began life-saving measures. The man later died at a hospital.

The initial call was for a burglary in progress, according to the task force. The person who called police had video of someone on the property.

Around 1:23 a.m., an officer located a man on a bicycle near 17th Avenue and 6th Street who matched the suspect description, the task force states. The man fled but police stopped him not long after at 5th Street and 15th Avenue.

The task force is comprised of investigators from the Illinois State Police and law enforcement agencies based in Rock Island County. Incidents it investigates includes shootings by police.

The agency involved in an incident does not contribute any investigators to the task force team conducting the inquiry.

Once the task force completes an investigation, it presents the gathered evidence to the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office, which then determines whether the officers involved in the incident acted appropriately.

East Moline officers are equipped with body cameras, the task force said.

Reporter Anthony Watt contributed to this report.
The Davenport Hotel has a long history of maintenance and structural issues. A 113-page preliminary investigative report conducted by White Birch Group and SOCOTEC Engineering released Thursday morning analyzes the ongoing issues over the years and the lead up to the partial building collapse in May 2023.

Key findings

The report cited two root causes of the collapse at 324 Main St. including the inadequate capacity of the wall system and inadequate shoring. The authors of the report cite Select Structural Engineering reports as containing multiple contradictions, questions and improper assumptions regarding the composition of the subject buildings structural system" and had provided "minimal oversight" to repair projects.

The report said if members of Select Structural Engineering visited the site in late May 2023, they possibly would have found that the temporary shoring protocol they indicated in their February 2023 sketch was not being implemented in the field and required the contractor to make the necessary modifications.

Video in the days immediately prior to the collapse on May 28, 2023, displays the contractor prying large sections of masonry off the wall. More frequent oversight may have allowed Select Structural to be alerted to this condition and adjust the repair protocol accordingly, stated in the investigative report.

The timeline below details new elements highlighted by the report and was created by Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus and Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team.

August 2020

Townsend Engineering performed a site visit at the building due to an incident of falling brick (in response to this: Fire Marshal Jim Morris flagged that bricks were falling from the building onto the sidewalk at the east-facing side of the building, according to inspection logs. The city blocked off sidewalks and closed traffic lanes on West 4th and Main streets. Loose blocks were removed and the wall secured with lumber, a city inspector noted.

Aug. 18: Townsend sent a follow up email to city officials with a memo addressing the north, south and east elevations of the building. The email did not discuss the need for any repairs to the west elevation. (pg 12)

Aug. 20: City issued an Official Notice and Order citing numerous code violations through the building, including several instances of interior walls deteriorating and structurally unsound brick exterior walls.

The notice also required that a professional structural engineer registered with the state of Iowa attest to the buildings structural stability or deficiencies and provide the city with the report

October 2020

Oct. 23: Davenport Neighborhood Services issued a Final Official Notice citing many of the same concerns as the Aug. 26, 2020 notice and included the same requirement for a structural engineers report regarding the condition of the exterior walls

January 2021

Jan. 11: An inspection was performed and photographs of the west wall were attached to the city report despite the fact that the permit did not include any work completed on that side, the investigative report stated.

It is interpreted that the (city) note deteriorated bricks in the lower south-west portion has been removed and replaced refers to work completed as indicatedreport also states there were some masonry joints/spalled bricks above this area that would be addressed once the temperatures rise,'" the report released Thursday said.

February 2021

Feb. 16: Davenport Neighborhood Services issued a follow-up notice granting an extension to allow for extra time for the building owner to correct code violations, with repairs required to start before the May 14, 2021 reinspection date.

Photographs indicated numerous incidents of missing, loose and delaminated brick on the west wall and the location of a crack in the wall.

May 2021

May 26: Another final notice was issued by the Davenport Neighborhood Services and again cited the exterior wall repair work was in violation.

October 2021

Oct. 21: A letter was issued stating the owner failed to provide access to the property for inspection and that a follow-up inspection would be performed on Nov. 1, 2021

December 2021

Dec. 9: Davenport Neighborhood Services issued an Official Notice to Vacate for unit 105 due the code violations not being met by its deadline.

February 2023

Feb. 2: Chief Building Official Trishna Pradhan noted, part of the southwest wall has been gradually failing. This is seen to continue on the inside wythes of brick masonry as well. There is visible crumbling of this exterior load bearing wall under the support beam. The exterior brick veneer has separated allowing rain/ice to build up causing further damage.

Emergency vacate orders will be posted on the building if the failing masonry area is not secured per this letter, she wrote.

Select Structural Engineering conducted an emergency visit and concluded the building is not an imminent threat.

The preliminary investigative report states the following: "Further, the reports and letters produced by SSE contain multiple contradictions, question and improper assumptions regarding the composition of the subject buildings structural system:

February 2, 2023: It is unclear whether it bears on the brick wall directly or rather on a steel column encased in brick.

February 8, 2023: The clay brick wall appears to be three or four wythes thick.

February 8, 2023: It is unknown if there is a north south steel beam inside the wall at the second floor level, or if there is a steel post encased in the brick

February 8, 2023: It will therefore be conservatively assumed that the east-west beams bear directly on the brick wall to be replaced.

February 28, 2023: This will soon cause a large panel of facade to also collapse, creating a safety problem and potentially destabilizing the upper areas of brick facade.

Feb. 8: SSE sends a letter outlining work to be done on the building, but according to the preliminary report, the memo contains incomplete shoring and stabilization information. Bi-State Masonry was slated to perform the work at the building.

Feb. 28: SSE sends the city an email detailing a follow-up visit to the property performed on Feb. 23. At the meeting, the mason pointed out that the area immediately to the north of the work area has a large and potentially dangerous void beneath the facade of clay brick.

It was also stated in this letter that a new finding came to the surface. What has recently come (to) the attention of the team is that this area has a large void space, roughly 12-14 wide, between the clay brick facade and CMU layer. This void appears to have been caused by the collapse of some mass of clay brick between the facade and CMU. This collapsed mass is now settled and piling up against the inside face of the facade, pushing it potentially destabilizing the upper areas of the brick facade. This condition was not visible in the early inspection(s) and did not become apparent until repairs were under way and an opening was made by a smaller area of failing facade.

March 2023

Trishna Pradhan, chief building official at the time, emailed Justin Smith from Bi-State Masonry and David Valliere from Select Structural asking whether SSE has been on-site to ensure the work outlined in his Feb. 9 designs was being done. Valliere replied, I am not on-site regularly, but I was there last week on Feb. 23 and saw that the work is being done per my design. I was able to meet with Justin, and Bi-State Masonry is doing a good job from what I can see.

May 2023

The preliminary report states that Select Structural specified a limited repair scope but did not address other areas of distress that appeared to be in need of repair on the building. Other deficiencies found included:

May 1: The building was exhibiting cracks and displacement that indicated vertical movement of the facade beginning to come loose

May 24: Safety hazard identified as ...several large patches appear of clay brick facade which are separating from the substrate. These large patches appear ready to fall imminently, which may create a safety hazard to cars or passersbythe brick facade above the windows should be secured. This is to keep the entire face of the building from falling away when the bottom area(s) come loose.

Diagonal cracks located beneath apartment windows started appearing, suggesting a downward movement of the wall

Found in SSES report, photographs showed that interior finishes in Unit 105 indicated significant downward deformation and deflection, indicting movement of the masonry substrate that the finishes were anchored to.

SSEs letter also specified the removal of several sections of wythes, or bricks or other masonry, south of the Unit 105 doorway on the west side elevation of the building and the exterior facade starting separating from the interior, making the wall visibly bowed

Photos: One week after the partial collapse of The Davenport
A former bus driver with the Clinton MTA Para-Transit has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing one of the female riders whom police said does not have the intellectual capacity to consent to a sexual act.

Douglas James Wing, 41, is charged in Clinton County District Court with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse-mental defect. Each of the charges is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 10 years.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Clinton Police Detective Rodney Livesay, at about 10:30 p.m. Aug. 29, Clinton Police were sent to MercyOne Clinton Medical Center to investigate the report of a sexual assault.

The woman told police that Wing had sex with her on two occasions.

Police said the woman has the mental functioning of an 11-year-old and does not have the intellectual capacity to consent to a sexual act.

During a post-Miranda interview with police, Wing admitted to having sex with the woman at his address.

According to the arrest affidavits, the abuse took place on days around Aug. 25.

MTA buses have video and audio recordings which operate while the vehicle is running, according to the affidavit.

A recording caught Wing telling the woman that she must not tell anyone of their relationship. The audio also picks up Wing making a lewd suggestion to the woman.

The video shows the MTA Para-Transit bus pulling up to Wing's address. The two can be seen exiting the bus and entering Wings residence through the attached garage.

Wing was arrested Tuesday.

During a first appearance on the charges Wednesday in Clinton County District Court, District Associate Judge Kimberly Shepherd scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Sept. 15.

Wing was being held Thursday night in the Clinton County Jail on a $20,000 cash-only bond.
In its first board meeting after the start of the 2023-24 school year Tuesday, the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education approved 26 proposed consent items and only pulled one for discussion.

After passing the other 25 items, board members talked about a request by the Performing Arts Center under the districts Policies KG and KG-P, which govern community use of facilities.

The leadership of the Performing Arts Center requested authority from the board to seek a licensing with the City of Rapid City to sell alcohol at events. They said alcohol might be in the Rapid City Alternative Academy from about two hours before each event to about two hours after and that they will seek licensing for nearly 30 events between Sept. 5 and Dec. 31.

Discussion on the topic centered on figuring out if the board had to approve the item because the agreement they have in place with the Performing Arts Center already includes the exception of alcoholic beverages during its events.

I thought at one point in time, because of the contracts that we have with them, we wouldn't need to have this on as a request each and every single time," RCAS Board Member Kate Thomas said. "Because we wouldnt have a contract with them if we didn't allow them to have the alcohol."

Superintendent Nicole Swigart said her understanding is previous members brought it forward to voice concerns about the agreement, and if the school district doesnt abide, they would be in violation of the agreement they already have in place with the center.

Board member Michael Birkeland said he believes the districts own policy through KG-P states the board still needs to vote on it despite the agreement.

The KG policy, which allows community use of district facilities, strictly prohibits the use, storage or distribution of alcoholic beverages on school properties unless approved by the RCAS Board of Education.

The KG-P policy says exceptions to the prohibition of alcoholic beverages are restricted to Western Dakota Technical and the Rapid City High School/Performing Arts Center but it doesnt explicitly state if the board has to provide annual approval.

Following this, the policy said events must be scheduled and approved by the RCAS Board of Education and/or the superintendent a month before the date, temporary on-sale licensing must be obtained through the City of Rapid City before the event, and the sponsoring organization has the responsibility to ensure they comply with the RCAS use policies and all legal requirements before, during and after the event.

The policy also requires events to be outside of school hours and no alcohol may be stored on school property.

Christine Stephenson, second vice-president of the RCAS Board of Education, said the board might want to approve the item because the first Performing Arts Center event is scheduled for Sunday.

I think we can approve this and send it to the policy committee next time, Stephenson said. We don't want any ambiguity for the Performing Arts Center.

Board President Troy Carr first made a subsidiary motion to move the item to the policy committee to look things over and bring it back to the board with a better understanding as to whether they have to take action on it. But because of how close it is to the centers first event, the motion was killed with an even 3-3 vote.

Birkeland said they can approve the item this time and get more clarity on it between now and December.

The board passed the item with four in favor and two opposed.

Whatever information you would or would not like, we will make sure we get you it, Coy Sasse, CFO and operations officer/business manager of RCAS, said. If you'd like it more as an informational item, as opposed to an action item, which I would agree it does not make sense as an action item because technically there's no action necessary, we can make that look however you want.

Other consent items passed Tuesday

The board authorized the district to hire and enter into a memorandum of understanding with a student teacher, Halie Helgeson, a student at Black Hills State University.

The newly adopted South Dakota Administrative Rules allow school districts to hire and compensate student teachers to act as a teacher after obtaining an Advanced Student Teacher Permit. The permits last one year and are non-renewable.

The district must document that they attempted to but were unable to hire a teacher with a professional or advanced teaching certificate prior to hiring the student teacher. The district also needs board approval to hire the student teacher, provide the student teacher with an assigned cooperating teacher for management support, and provide regular observation, guidance and evaluation of the position.

Jennifer Roberts, principal at Rapid City Alternative Academy, posted the position for English 10. Helgeson was the only applicant and she has since applied for the Advanced Student Teacher Permit. Helgeson is on track to graduate from BHSU in December and the district can then offer her employment as a full-time, certified teacher.

Jamie Clapham, first vice-president of the RCAS Board of Education, said she's excited to have a student teacher.

Were using all the creative ways to help with our teacher shortage, and I just wanted to say that I appreciate the district is using these new ways, Clapham said. I'm excited to have a student teacher that hopefully well get to keep.

The board carried out an easement requested by Remembering The Children.

Remembering the Children is a facility and memorial that will be constructed as a part of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School Lands Project. The memorial will include an interpretive park, a gathering space, and a public art place to honor, maintain, protect and memorialize the Indigenous children who died at the Rapid City Indian Boarding School in the early 20th century.

The memorial will be built on land held in trust by the United States Secretary of the Interior for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. The land is located near Canyon Lake United Methodist Church, off Canyon Lake Drive, and the district owns certain properties located off the road.

The board previously granted an access easement to the church in 2016, allowing Canyon Lake United Methodist Church to construct a road between Canyon Lake Drive and the church and use the road as an access for the church. RTC requested the same road be used for the public to access the to-be-constructed memorial, but to additionally post signage on the same road. Canyon Lake United Methodist Church approved the use of the road for public access before Tuesday.

The board also approved a change order for Wilson Elementarys kitchen remodel project. The order was prompted by the discovery of mold growth concealed behind the wall during construction. The change order includes costs for mold remediation and subsequent drywall repairs that were outside the base contract, increasing the contract by $1,454.13 for a new contract total of $79,041.13.
A South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper and an off-duty out-of-state deputy were justified in shooting and wounding a wanted man during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to a summary report released Friday by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office.

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation  an arm of the AG's office  investigated the Aug. 9 shooting that left Wyatt James Fluty injured.

According to the report, the Rawling, Wyoming Police Department identified Fluty at the end of July as the suspect in the theft of a red Chevy pickup and four guns.

On Aug. 7, Fluty became a suspect in a Pennington County armed robbery.

He allegedly pointed the handgun at the driver and passenger of a vehicle stopped on the side of a county road and demanded their money and phones. The passenger gave him money, a phone, and other items, including a black backpack. Fluty fired his gun, and the vehicle sped away as Fluty continued to shoot. The victims said the perpetrator was driving a red pickup.

The next day, Aug. 8, a highway patrolman saw a vehicle parked on Vanocker Canyon Road that looked like it had mechanical issues.

Fluty became confrontational and had knives and a black backpack, according to the trooper. He told Fluty to put his weapons inside his vehicle, but he accused the trooper of harassing him and walked away from the scene.

Initially, the trooper felt no reason to detain him, according to the report, but after discovering Fluty was wanted for the stolen vehicle out of Wyoming and the Pennington County incident, a search was launched.

The next day, Aug. 9, the same trooper was driving east on Dickson Drive in Sturgis.

When he came up to Junction Avenue, he saw Fluty walking south. The trooper stopped, got out, drew his gun and "gave verbal commands," but Fluty refused to comply. Instead, he turned away and started running. The trooper holstered his gun and pulled out his taser. He deployed the taser, but it failed and Fluty continued to run into the ditch.

Fluty allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband and turned towards the trooper and fired. The trooper fell to the ground and told himself "I'm not going to die," according to a summary of DCI's interview with him.

He drew his gun and returned fire. Fluty ran toward the trooper's patrol vehicle, and the trooper followed, taking cover behind a transformer. Fluty got into the patrol car and continued to shoot at the trooper, who continued to return fire.

During the exchange, an off-duty deputy attending the rally with friends was at the Big D convenience store. He saw a law enforcement officer in a tan uniform with their gun pointed at someone standing in the ditch, DCI said. He saw Fluty pull out a gun and then heard gunshots. He thought the trooper on the ground had been shot.

After he got his gun, the off-duty deputy saw the trooper had moved behind a green electrical box. He joined the trooper, who said Fluty was shooting at him. After hearing gunshots again, the off-duty deputy shot his gun, emptying his magazine.

At that point, the trooper said Fluty had thrown his gun. The two law enforcement officers approached the patrol car and started to render aid to an injured Fluty, according to the report.

Investigators found three shell casings that were fired from the 9mm Taurus handgun Fluty had been carrying, 32 casings from the trooper's gun, and seven casings from the off-duty deputy's gun.

Neither the trooper or the deputy had alcohol or drugs in their system. Fluty had methamphetamine in his system but no alcohol, according to the report.

DCI attempted to interview Fluty at Monument Health in Rapid City on Aug. 10, but he asked for a lawyer.

This was a tense incident where the suspect, who had a criminal background of violent behavior, fired a gun at the Trooper and then tried to flee in the Troopers Patrol vehicle, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a statement. Evidence collected at the scene, witness statements, and a review of the video compiled from several sources indicate that the Trooper was justified in using lethal force.
A Stevensville man has been sentenced to 30 years in state custody after admitting to neglecting his mothers medical care following her release from a skilled nursing facility, allowing her to deteriorate and die, and then concealing her body in the home he shared with her for an extended period of time while living off her retirement funds.

Judge Jennifer Lint sentenced Ronan Elias Sterling-Shanahan, aka Justin Whitfield, to 20 years in state custody for the negligent homicide death of his mother, Eda Lyn Karr, with an additional 10-year sentence to be served consecutively for tampering with evidence, on Thursday, Sept. 6 in Ravalli County District Court. The maximum penalty for the two felony offenses is 30 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

Judge Lint wasted no time in handing down her opinion after lawyers for both sides gave closing remarks on Wednesday, following a two-day sentencing hearing that involved testimony from family members and witnesses, including Sterling-Shanahan, as well as the presentation of evidence gathered during the course of the investigation.

In her statements to Sterling-Shanahan at sentencing, Lint acknowledged his mental health issues, which include diagnosis for depression, PTSD, and paranoid and antisocial personality disorders, but stated that he was still capable of decision-making and had multiple opportunities to receive help for Karrs care.

We've had a lot of information, sir, about your mental health issues, Lint said. And your antisocial personality disorder certainly is a major aspect of your functioning. However, you still have the capacity for free will and cogent decision-making. I think the state is correct. Your overarching decision was that you wanted to keep the money. In order to achieve that end, you managed to engage in some of the most depraved behavior I have ever seen.

Lint said that Sterling-Shanahans history shows a willingness to abuse those who are reliant upon him, engage in unacceptable, amoral and criminal behavior, and then expansively lie about it.

Today you ask for forgiveness, she said. That's a selfish request and it's not mine to give. You acknowledge that you're the cause of Eda's death. However, I don't feel that you have internalized that. I believe that you left her downstairs in that bedroom, closed the door and just waited for her to die. That is arguably more cruel than if you had laid your hands upon her and caused her death.

Sterling-Shanahan showed little reaction to the verdict when it was read, and was escorted out of the room in handcuffs after the proceeding ended.

A small group of family members gathered outside the courtroom after the sentence was handed down.

The family would like to thank that Ravalli County Sheriff's Department and the district attorney for the amazing and diligent job they did, Karr's sister, Raylene Saur, said following the sentencing. Without it, we would not have known what happened to her, and to bring closure for the family.

Karr, born in Idaho to Raymond and Jane Karr, grew up in western Montana and graduated from Sentinel High School. She went on to graduate from California State University with a masters degree and retired from the California Teachers Union after years as a special education teacher, for which she received a monthly pension. She had lived in Stevensville for more than 15 years, where she operated a preschool for a few years with her mother.

Karr suffered from multiple health issues, both mental and physical, that were managed through regular care. In her later years, her mental health took a downward turn after she began exhibiting symptoms of Parkinsons disease. Karr suffered a series of falls and was hospitalized on Jan. 25, 2020, for repair of a broken hip. She had previously fractured her arm in a different fall earlier in the month. Karr was admitted to Village Health & Rehabilitation in Missoula for rehab following the surgery.

Karr was released from Village Health & Rehabilitation to her sons care on May 29, 2020. At the time of her release a social worker noted that Karr had described safety concerns but chose to return home. Reports from the nursing facility and Adult Protective Services show that Karr lost her Medicaid coverage during her stay at Village Health & Rehabilitation. Sterling-Shanahan was counseled multiple times on the steps that needed to be taken in order to get Karrs Medicaid reinstated. Documents indicate those steps were not taken.

After Karrs discharge from the nursing facility, Sterling-Shanahan cut off all contact with Karrs health care providers and failed to take her to scheduled appointments, allowing a prescription for one of her conditions to subsequently lapse. An Adult Protective Services investigator made a visit to the home on Aug. 14, 2020. It was the last time the retired teacher was seen alive by any person other than Sterling-Shanahan.

Karrs mummified remains were found on Oct. 18, 2022, wrapped in plastic, under a large amount of trash in the back corner of a detached garage during a search of the residence she shared with her son on South Burnt Fork Road after Sterling-Shanahan confessed to investigators and told them where he had hidden his mothers body. Sterling-Shanahan admitted that Karrs body had been left for months in the room where she died before he moved her remains into the attached garage of the residence, and then to the detached garage on the property where she was later found. Cadaver dogs brought in over the course of the investigation also hit on areas in the unfinished basement of the house. Karr had been the subject of a missing person investigation and was 63 at the time of her disappearance.

Sterling-Shanahan was initially arrested on Oct. 16, 2022, on charges of theft, exploitation of an older person and exploitation of an incapacitated person, all felonies. He was charged in Ravalli County District Court on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, with deliberate homicide, theft, exploitation of an incapacitated person and tampering with physical evidence, all felonies. He pleaded not guilty to all of the initial charges on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, later pleading guilty to the lesser charge of negligent homicide as well as tampering with evidence by way of an Alford plea on Thursday, July 6, 2023. An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea in which the defendant does not admit to committing the crime but agrees that the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction. Under the plea agreement Sterling-Shanahan waives his right to any future appeal.

Ravalli County attorney Bill Fulbright said after the sentencing that he approved of the ruling.

Im really pleased that the judge saw the depth and depravity of the defendant's conduct and sentenced him as we asked," he said. "The family was wonderfully supportive throughout this investigation. I'm proud to be part of the team, led by Deputy Hackenberger, that put this all together. It was a just result.
The incident occurred on a ranch just west of Trader Brothers, near McClain Creek between the communities of Lolo and Florence, sometime between late Friday, Sept. 1 and early Saturday, Sept. 2. The elk was shot with a rifle and left to waste.

FWP game wardens say that wildlife crimes like this one are often solved because of leads from the public and encourage anyone with information to make a report. To provide information about this case or other crimes involving fish, wildlife, or park regulations, visit myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont or call the FWP violation reporting hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). Callers may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday announced a new plan to address issues with Virginias K-12 education system, namely pandemic-related learning loss and chronic absenteeism.

Youngkin and members of his administration blamed the previous administration of Gov. Ralph Northam for keeping schools closed during the pandemic longer than most other states and, for what they termed, lowering standards for student learning.

The Virginia Department of Education on Thursday released official results from annual state accountability tests, which show that Virginia students academic achievement has remained largely stagnant since last school year.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch published statewide scores last week after the Department of Education delayed the release. It is the first time in at least 19 years that the state education department has published the results after August.

Among the Richmond-areas largest localities, the citys scores showed the largest growth year over year.

Virginia was 44th in the nation in getting our students back in the classroom. It not only materially impacted students, but that learning loss is incredibly hard to recover, Youngkin said at the Patrick Henry building in Richmond. And in fact, our youngest students, the third through eighth graders, who never had the opportunity to truly learn the foundations of building blocks for the rest of life, they do not rebound (at) the flip of a switch.

Last school year, nearly one in five Virginia students were chronically absent, which means missing at least 10% of the school year. Between the 2018-2019 school year and last school year, the states absenteeism rate for grades three to eight increased from 9% to 17%.

Weve learned that our children and our families were taught not to be in the classroom. And they were taught that it was OK. Let me be clear. It is not OK, Youngkin said.

The administration announced an attendance task force of teachers, transportation and health experts, community partners, and families. The administration will task the group with quickly developing recommendations for school divisions to reduce health and transportation barriers that contribute to chronic absenteeism.

Youngkins new plan also includes an intensive statewide tutoring initiative in which students will receive three to five hours of tutoring per week. Students who are considered low proficient based on this years test scores will receive tutoring for 18 weeks, while students who are not proficient receive tutoring for up to 36 weeks, according to the plan.

Youngkin challenged school divisions to get the high-intensity tutoring programs up and running Oct. 16.

Division superintendents for the past three years have struggled to find tutors to hire and open positions for tutors remain at school divisions across the state.

I know you know how to do it, Youngkin said. Our children cant wait. Lets get going.

The governor noted that the bipartisan state budget agreement which lawmakers passed this week provides $418 million to combat student learning loss. The Youngkin administration said that school divisions should put 70% of that allocation toward the high-intensity tutoring, 20% toward new resources accelerating the Virginia Literacy Act and 10% to address chronic absenteeism.

SOL scores

The scores from the states annual accountability tests known as the Standards of Learning assessments, which are given in the spring of each school year to measure student achievement for various subjects in grades 3 through 8, show that students have not recovered from pandemic-related learning loss.

Across all grade levels statewide, there is no change in overall reading and writing scores, a slight dip in history scores, and there is meager improvement in science and math compared with last years results. Student groups that lost the most ground during the COVID-19 pandemic remain behind pre-pandemic pass levels.

Across all grade levels, 73% of Virginia students passed the reading exam, the same rate as last year. Writing results also remained stagnant from 2022 to 2023, with 65% of students statewide passing both years.

Mathematics and science saw slight increases: 3 percentage points and 2 percentage points, respectively, with this years mathematics pass rate at 69% and the science pass rate at 67%.

History and social sciences scores fell by 1 percentage point to a 65% pass rate this year.

Richmond-area school divisions

Richmond Public Schools saw increases in most subjects, except for reading which stayed at a 47% pass rate.

RPS saw a 39% pass rate for writing this year, compared with 36% last year; a 44% pass rate for math compared with a 37% pass rate last year; a 35% pass rate in science compared with a 32% pass rate last year; and a 39% pass rate for history, up from a 34% pass rate last year.

Henrico County Public Schools saw decreases in a couple of subjects. The pass rate for reading was 69% this year compared with 70% last year, and the pass rate for history assessments fell from 64% last year to 56% this year.

Henrico saw improvement in math with a 65% pass rate this year, up from a 61% pass rate last year; an increase in science from a 65% pass rate last year to a 68% pass rate this year; and an increase in writing from a 61% pass rate to a 65% pass rate this year.

Hanover County Public Schools saw slight decreases in reading and history scores. Its reading test pass rate dropped from 81% last year to 80% this year, and for history the pass rate dropped from 79% to 78%.

Scores for Hanover increased in science from 74% to 77%; in math from 80% to 83%; and in writing from 61% to 66%.

Chesterfield County Public Schools remained stagnant in three subjects this year. History remained at a 64% pass rate, writing remained at a 63% pass rate, and reading scores stayed at a 71% pass rate. Chesterfield increased its math pass rate from 62% last year to 65% this year, and its science pass rate from 64% last year to 65% this year.

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A Wednesday morning raid in Charlottesvilles Frys Spring neighborhood was one of many that day in Central Virginia, the conclusion of a monthslong federal investigation into a local drug ring with ties to Mexican cartels.

Operation Rock Bottom resulted in the execution of nine search warrants and the arrest of 17 individuals who now face federal charges, according to Christopher Kavanaugh, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

Those search warrants resulted in the seizure of 20 firearms, which included sawed off shotguns and assault rifles, 1.7 kilograms of powered fentanyl, 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, a pound of meth, 5,000 press fentanyl pills and over $70,000 in cash, Kavanaugh said at a press conference at the federal courthouse in downtown Charlottesville Thursday. Thats a Wednesday.

The extensive drug ring, he said, operated almost exclusively in the city of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County.

Twelve different agencies were involved in the investigation that began last March, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police, the Albemarle County Police Department and the Charlottesville Police Department.

There have been 17 individuals charged with federal crimes, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday morning. Those charges include the illegal possession of firearms and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.

The search warrants executed Wednesday uncovered additional evidence against two additional co-conspirators, Kavanaugh said, including one who is believed to be a ringleader in the drug ring. Those two additional individuals bring the total number of conspirators to 19.

However, those two were still at large as of Thursday afternoon.

Kavanaugh said he expects them to be in custody very soon.

The operation is evidence that the DEA, in tandem with state and local law enforcement partners, is working hard to systematically dismantle street gangs and drug trafficking networks that cause violent crime and death, said Jared Forget, the DEA special agent in charge.

As part of the operation, over the course of several months, investigators purchased more than 30 pounds of narcotics from the drug ring, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine.

And thats just what we purchased, Kavanaugh said. That doesnt include other wholesale sales and distributions that we know about.

The 1.7 kilograms of powdered fentanyl translates to 850,000 lethal doses, enough to kill the entire population of Charlottesville and Albemarle County five times over, Kavanaugh said.

Fentanyl caused or contributed to 74% of all fatal overdoses in Virginia in 2021, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The operation was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, a joint mission between local and federal authorities to rid communities of illegal narcotics. Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis announced the city had joined the program earlier this summer.

I think that Operation Rock Bottom is precisely the type of case that we had envisioned when we formed this partnership, Kavanaugh said.

Virginia State Police Superintendent Gary Settle hinted that their work is not done.

We know that these 17 arrests and indictments cant fix all the problems. But we do know that Operation Rock Bottom has removed from the local streets multiple violent criminals, illegal firearms and substantial amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other illicit narcotics, Settle said. The success and impact of Operation Rock Bottom is just beginning.

The indictment unsealed Thursday provided an incomplete picture of who has been charged and who remains at large. There were 15 names provided in the indictment, with some ages and residences not included, with two names redacted. Those included were:

DuShaun Lamont Gregory, 36, Henrico County.

Tyquane Pertell Gregory, 27.

Fields Devon Landon, 29, Charlottesville.

Bobby Eugene Christmas, 36, Charlottesville.

Michael Edward Cornett, 29, Charlottesville.

Antone Laron Harris, 41, Charlottesville.

Brooks Lorenzo Woodfolk, 41, Charlottesville.

Ashlee Renee Morris, 37.

Shaheim Taishaun Michie, 18, Arlington.

John Ellis Turner III, 42.

Gary Wayne Woodson, 66, Crozet.

Caleb Andrew Herndon, 26.

Dashard Brown, 29.

Cedric Trent, 25.

Dustin Lee Welch.
Wendy Little says she has been fighting for over a year to get Chesterfield County Public Schools to approve an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, for her 15-year-old son with autism, while facing constant pushback from school staff.

The school system has proposed cutting needed services to his education, placing him at the wrong school and reducing service hours with a special education teacher without so much as a conversation, Little said. The disagreement over this IEP document resulted in Littles son, Eryn, being unenrolled for the entire 2022 school year with nowhere else to go.

Going a whole year without education, hes become extremely reclusive, Little said. I can barely get him to leave the house for anything, and theres been a lot of psychological damage in addition to educational damage.

Parents and advocates have faulted Virginias system of teaching special education for years  through multiple governors administrations  asserting that when parents buck local school divisions plans for their childrens education, parents rarely prevail. Parents concerns have sparked civil suits, federal scrutiny and a 2020 state watchdog agencys report that found the state education department does not adequately meet the needs of students with disabilities.

At a June meeting of the Virginia State Board of Education, board member Bill Hansen called the special education system fundamentally broken.

Chesterfield County Public Schools did not respond to questions for this story. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons, who assumed the post in April, was not available for an interview at the time of publication, and the state Department of Education declined to comment.

Little is one of many Virginia parents who say they have had trouble meeting the educational needs of their special needs children in public schools.

In Northern Virginia, a group of parents filed a federal complaint against Fairfax County Public Schools and the VDOE alleging that the state oversees a systemically defective system designed to obstruct, delay and ultimately prevent families with disabled children from getting educational rights guaranteed by law.

That complaint challenged the state over its implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. IDEA puts two responsibilities on public schools. Children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education, and the children should receive that education in traditional classrooms as much as possible, in the least restrictive environment.

That Fairfax suit challenged the state over the implementation of IDEA, asserting that hearing officers rarely side with parents who challenge school plans for how to educate their children. (A judge dismissed the suit on procedural grounds without hearing arguments on the substance.)

If parents call into question services offered for their child, they can file a complaint and go before a judge. The due-process hearing is where the families and the school systems present their sides in a formal legal setting.

Data the plaintiffs acquired in that suit found that between 2010 and 2021, due-process hearing officers rarely sided in favor of parents. Only 25 of 1,391 cases, or 1.8%, went in favor of parents.

A separate complaint filed by a consortium of Virginia parents alleges that the Virginia Department of Education discriminated against students with special needs.

Part of that complaint was picked up by the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights, which is investigating whether the state education departments guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic led to school divisions denying appropriate educational services to students with disabilities.

During the pandemic, then-U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said local school districts were still required to serve students with disabilities, even though schools were largely shut down. But the Virginia Department of Educations guidance to school divisions said they should acknowledge service delivery limitations and make reasonable efforts to follow a students Individual Education Program after schools reopened.

School divisions across the state said some services for students with disabilities would be functionally unavailable due to the restrictions caused by school closures.

The investigation, opened in June, does not imply that the Office for Civil Rights has made a determination on the merits of the complaint.

Michigan is the only other state that the U.S. Department of Education is investigating regarding whether during the pandemic, it denied disabled students the services to which they are entitled to under federal law. The Office for Civil Rights had investigated Indiana, but dropped the case in 2021 saying there was no proof.

In March, the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold funding for Virginias special education programs unless it came into compliance, saying that the commonwealths education department was out of compliance for a number of years.

Two years behind

Eryn Little lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder, emotional disability and physical health impairment. Little said her sons disabilities are not visually apparent outside of a slight lack of eye contact. She said his conditions, however, render him prone to lashing out verbally or occasional meltdowns when he is triggered by small stimuli in his environment.

Shes spoken at school board and board of supervisors meetings, trying to call attention to her sons situation. Little says she feels forgotten and overlooked when it comes to getting her son an effective IEP.

An IEP is a federal document enforced by states. It serves as a blueprint for a student with special needs education, itemizing things like goals for the upcoming year and added supports that the student needs, such as physical therapy or social skills training. Parents and schools meet annually to develop and sign off on those documents.

Little says the most significant breakdown in her conversations with the Chesterfield school division was that the IEP team continually refused to add an aide to her sons list of needs. The nature of his compounding disabilities means that he needs assistance with daily hygienic activities  necessitating an aide every single day.

Meetings to have the IEP corrected became heated and confrontational. Little said the school system continually advocated against her sons needs.

You basically have to be an attorney instead of a ... parent advocating for your disabled child. If you cant cite federal or state code, theyre not going to give you what you want and make any excuse not to do it, Little said. A parent is supposed to navigate the system easily for your child to have what they need.

Documents obtained by The Times-Dispatch show that Little was first notified that her sons bus transportation had been canceled a day before schools opened to students. He was also barred from being enrolled due to disagreements over his documents. The school system previously agreed to transport and enroll Eryn Little while conversations about his IEP continued.

The Virginia Department of Education found on three occasions that Chesterfields public schools had violated special education laws related to Eryn Littles IEP. The state said Chesterfield schools was in violation of IDEA and failed to provide a free and appropriate education. The state ordered Chesterfield to work with the Little family to reach a compromise on an IEP as part of remedying the situation.

As of this storys publication, Little said the Chesterfield school division has not yet approved an IEP that meets her sons needs.

Further challenges in Chesterfield

A second Chesterfield family said it had similar problems getting their childs IEP approved by the countys school division.

Allyson Korb said her sons special education supports were drastically reduced when they moved to the county from Denver two years ago. Her son, Hendryx Korb, 9, has a neurodevelopmental delay, meaning he can learn in a typical classroom setting with the help of specific supports. He needs more time to process instructions, the accompaniment of an aide and some therapies.

Immediately upon his entering the school system, Korb said, her sons physical therapy and psychological services for behavior control were removed from his IEP. The help of an aide was still included.

We thought that if we could focus our efforts on the aide ... that as long as the aide did what they were supposed to do, then I feel like its worth keeping him in school, Korb said.

Korb said her sons aide kept being pulled away from him without warning to go teach in separated special education classrooms. As a stopgap, she volunteered to substitute teach at her sons school during the height of the pandemic when teacher shortages were hitting schools statewide.

They kept trying to pull the aide so I became a substitute. Im very invested in my childs education, and I empathize with what teachers have to go through, Korb said. But at the end of the day youre supposed to be serving my child and youre not, so let me help as much as I can.

Then in the spring of 2023, Korb said, the school completely removed an aide from her sons IEP.

Korb and her husband have chosen to remove their son from Chesterfield schools entirely and finance his education on their own by hiring tutors and support staff.

Faulting the state

Cheryl Poe is the executive director of Advocating 4 Kids, a nonprofit specializing in advocacy for special education. She helped file the complaint that was picked up, in part, by the Office for Civil Rights. Poe says she has also worked with countless families with special needs children in the state.

Within the system it is structurally screwed up at the state level, Poe said. There is no incentive for local superintendents to fully implement IDEA as it should be implemented. VDOE lacks leadership, monitoring what our [IEP teams] are doing to children even when attorneys reach out to them, advocates reach out to them, parents reach out to them.

I wholly believe when districts are doing well its because someone in leadership has empathy for children. Theyre willing to buck how the system traditionally does stuff in order to ensure the needs of the student are more important.

The state Department of Education is operating under its third leader since the pandemic began, when James Lane was the state superintendent. He left with the governorship transition. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who began his tenure in January 2022, appointed Jillian Balow to the post. She suddenly resigned just 14 months into her tenure after the state education department came under fire for several high-profile errors. Youngkin then appointed Coons, who had served as chief academic officer of the Tennessee Department of Education.

According to the 2020 report by the Virginia legislatures state watchdog agency, after its researchers reviewed a sample of about 100 complaints, the report concluded the state Department of Education does not ensure that problems are resolved or that noncompliance is corrected.

When parents file complaints alleging that a school has failed to provide appropriate services, the corrections that are required by federal law happen, the report said. Instead, the VDOE usually instructs the district to hold another IEP meeting with the parent, the report found.

As of December 2022, the state Department of Education had completed all of the 27 JLARC recommendations.

I would really like to just figure out if theres a way that we can come up with a better design, a better framework, a better system, Hansen, the member of the State Board of Education, said in June. Thats really where I would like to focus, is how do we fundamentally look at a system that is more student-focused, more parent-focused, less  protecting the system.

What education looks like for special needs students

Special education expert Pete Wright first started representing children with special needs as a lawyer in 1978. He says that over the decades he has represented countless Virginia parents in legal proceedings involving their childrens education. Now retired, he continues teaching law classes to professionals around the country.

Wright grew up with dyslexia and says he saw firsthand how effectively a proper focus on specific areas of education could impact a student with special needs.

Having been essentially abandoned by the Washington D.C. public school system in the 1950s, reading two levels below his grade, he says his parents hired a private tutor who focused on teaching to his disability. Within a year he was reading on grade level.

Wright said that helping students with the essential skill of reading drastically increases their agency, productivity and keeps them from having behavioral issues.

When parents were consulting with me, and I could see that the school was getting ready to say there was a behavior problem or a disorder, but they had low reading scores and a decent IQ, I knew if we got them reading, within a years time, the behavior stuff would fall by the wayside, Wright said. It always did. Always.

Special education students come with a variety of abilities. Some can expect to graduate from college and go into a career. Others might set their sights on a retail or laundromat job where they can participate in society.

Teaching social and emotional learning becomes critical for those with severe intellectual disabilities to get them ready for life after school, Wright said.

Virginia isnt alone in troubles with special education standards, he added. Though within the state, special education standards can vary from system to system, school to school or even teacher to teacher.

In teaching specific skills, [educators should] be able to understand that you have to teach one way to one kid and maybe quite a different way to another kid he said. Because the learning method for one is not the same as the learning method for another.

Top 5 weekend events: Armenian Food Festival, Gladys Knight & Virginia Spirits Expo Armenian Food Festival Gladys Knight and the Richmond Symphony Virginia Spirits Expo Festival of India 43rd St. Festival of Arts
Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday announced a multi-state settlement with Kroger that will require the grocery store chain to pay up $1.37 billion to state and local governments for its role in the national opioid crisis.

With about $28 million of that expected to come to Virginia in installments over the next 11 years, it brings the states total in settlements with pharmaceutical companies and other retailers to over $1 billion so far.

The opioid crisis has tragically claimed the lives of countless innocent Virginians, and this significant settlement is another important step in the battle against this epidemic, offering aid and recovery services to those who urgently need it, Miyares said in a statement.

This crisis has left a profound impact on so many families, and at the Office of Attorney General, we are focused on fighting this crisis in every corner of the Commonwealth.

As well as the financial terms, a final settlement will be contingent on agreement on critical business practice changes, the statement said.

Attorneys general from North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, California, Colorado, Illinois and Virginia led the negotiations.

Over the past year, Miyares has also announced other settlements in ongoing legal battles attorneys general of many states have undertaken with various companies  such as a $9 million settlement with Endo International and a $67 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson. The funding has gone toward Virginias Opioid Abatement Authority and localities.

The nations opioid crisis can largely be traced to rural communities from Maine to Ohio and central Appalachiaincluding Southwest Virginia  where opioid-producing company Purdue Pharma first marketed OxyContin in the 1990s. It led to widespread opioid addiction and the company reached a $6 billion settlement with several states last year.

Author and journalist Beth Macy, a former Roanoke Times reporter, chronicled the roots of opioid issues in Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America. The New York Times-bestselling book was also adapted to a series on Hulu.

Photos: Tranq, the new fentanyl additive worsening Americas opioid epidemic
Scott Booth will be Roanokes next police chief, effective Oct. 31, the city announced Thursday

Booth, the police chief in Danville, was the finalist for the job after a national search and met with the Roanoke community last week.

The city paid GovHR $24,705 to assist with the search for a new police chief.

Accomplishments during Booths tenure in Danville include transitioning from the highest per capita violent crime rate in 2017 to a 35-year low in all crime in 2020, according to a Roanoke Police Department news release.

I believe that what works is community policing and creating an environment that is reflective of the city of Roanoke, Booth said in the release. Focused policing, specifically on violent offenders, and accountability at all levels of the organization is what is needed to reduce crime and build trust.

Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell said in the release the residents and business owners in Roanoke made it clear that the city needed a police chief with a proven record of community engagement, strong leadership and crime reduction.

With more than 27 years of law enforcement experience, Booth was also chief of police for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority; a police major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, a Richmond city officer and a sergeant in the U.S. Army, according to the city release.

Booth holds a bachelors degree in human resources management and leadership studies from the University of Richmond, a masters degree in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a doctorate in criminal justice from Pennsylvania Western University, according to the release.

He earned the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Leadership in Law Enforcement from the National Center for Gang Crime Research; the Innovation in Government Award from the Virginia Commonwealth University Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs; and the Excellence in Policing Award from the Radford University Center for Police, Practice, Policy, and Research, according to the release.

Booth met with some members of the Roanoke community during a meeting at the Berglund Center last week, where city leaders were open that they believed he was the person for the job.

Booths starting salary with the city is $200,000, Communications & Community Engagement Specialist Tracy Lauder wrote in a Thursday morning email to The Roanoke Times.

Sam Roman, the previous police chief, was making $148,594. He left the chief position over the summer for an assistant city manager position with a starting salary of $153,479.

Collection: Newly named Richmond police Chief Rick Edwards
OCBC Bank has officially launched its new OCBC 90N Visa Card, a travel card aimed primarily at rewarding travellers with points earning on their daily expenses that you can redeem as cashback for any spending on OCBC 90N Visa Card, complimentary travel insurance, and a unique lounge access feature that allows cardholders to bring a guest.

Cardholders will earn rewards points on their transactions, known as Travel$, at a rate of 1 Travel$ for every RM1 spent locally, and 5 Travel$ for every RM1 of overseas spend. These points can then be conveniently viewed and redeemed as cashback on anything via the OCBC Internet Banking website or OCBC Malaysia Mobile Banking app. Cardholders can redeem cashback, provided they have a minimum of 5,000 Travel$ (equivalent to RM10 cashback) and have made at least one travel-related spend (such as airline tickets, accommodations, travel agencies and tour operators, as well as tourist attractions) in the past 12 months.

In its FAQ, OCBC Bank states that there is no limit to the amount of Travel$ that you can earn. In addition, all Travel$ have a validity period of five years  which is longer than the industry norm of three years.

Besides that, the new card will also offer 2x complimentary Plaza Premium Lounge (PPL) access at KLIA and KLIA2 for the first year, which you can share with an accompanying guest as well  a unique perk as most credit cards in the market restrict lounge access only to the cardholder. Cardmembers can continue to enjoy this benefit for subsequent years upon a minimum total retail spend of RM30,000 p.a. in the current year.

Lastly, OCBC 90N Visa cardholders enjoy travel insurance coverage of up to RM1 million, inclusive of death and permanent disablement benefits, when they pay for their travel arrangements with the OCBC 90N Visa Card.

The OCBC 90N Visa Card has an annual fee of RM288 for principal cards (and RM88 for every supplementary card), which is waived for the first year for first-time OCBC credit cardholders or those who have not held any cards with the bank in the past 12 months. The minimum annual income requirement is RM60,000 (or RM5,000 a month).

Managing Director & Head of Consumer Financial Services of OCBC Bank, Anne Leh said that the launch of this card is particularly timely as travel and tourism is once again rebounding after the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Global Travel Insight report from Visa, a full recovery is expected for the global travel and tourism industry three years after the pandemic. Asia Pacific monthly outbound travel was forecasted to match its 2019 levels as early as July 2023, the report states, which is about now. Overall, overseas credit card expenditure amongst our cardmembers has also exceeded the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, and we continue to see strong growth in this category, said Leh, adding that the OCBC 90N Visa Card is well poised to tap into this trend.

Leh also highlighted that the new card has been designed specifically to address existing pain points that many cardmembers currently face. These include having difficulty in keeping track of points balances, a tedious redemption process  which is also limited to travel-related rewards  as well as a restrictive airport lounge access policy.

Ng Kong Boon, Country Manager for Visa Malaysia, said It is exciting to see global tourism rebounding and Malaysian travellers preparing to resume their ventures abroad. Based on our latest insights on post-pandemic travel preferences, almost one in three Malaysians (30%) are eager to travel overseas for both leisure and work in 2023. In addition, more than two in five of Malaysians (41%) consider discounts and promotions a key driver in taking international trips. That is why we believe the launch of OCBC 90N Visa credit card comes at the right time and will help Malaysian cardholders enjoy a seamless and secure payment experience when they pay and travel with Visa.

In conjunction with the launch of the OCBC 90N Visa Card, OCBC Bank is currently providing limited-time-only welcome offers to first-time OCBC credit card customers  from today until 31 October 2023. For instance, the first 3,000 successful applicants will be given an exclusive LED edition of the card which lights up whenever you make contactless payments. First-time OCBC credit card customers will also receive up to RM300 in travel rewards, including bonus Travel$, GrabGifts vouchers, and discounts on bookings on Klook (upon spending a minimum of RM1,500 on their new card within 60 days). Terms and conditions apply.

(Source: OCBC Bank [1, 2])

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Cancun judge hands down three sentences for murder of Isla Mujeres police officer

Cancun, Q.R.  The State Attorney Generals Office announced that after an oral trial hearing, a man accused of killing an Isla Mujeres municipal police officer was sentenced to 50 years. On Thursday, a Cancun judge sentenced David N to 50 years in prison for qualified homicide, the equivalent of first degree murder.

The same judge also sentenced his two accompliaces, Rogelio N and Israel N, each to 25 years for their participation in the crime of qualified homicide.

According to Article 315 of Mexicos Federal Penal Code, a homicide is deemed qualified if it was premeditated (intentional) and the perpetrator had an advantage over the victim before they died.

The three men were prosecuted for the murder that occurred on April 9, 2019, when the three subjects were driving a car on Jose Lopez Portillo Avenue in SM 85 in the Puerto Juarez neighborhood of Isla Mujeres.

The Isla Mujeres officer was shot to death in broad daylight while standing on a sidewalk. Photos: April 9, 2019.

In a moment, they stopped the vehicle from which David N got out to go to the sidewalk where the uniformed Public Security element was located. He positioned himself behind the victim and took out a firearm with which he shot him several times, depriving him of his life, the FGE detailed in a statement.

After this, the subject ran down the sidewalk until he reached the vehicle where his accomplices were waiting for him to flee the scene, the agency added.
National Defense to hold weapons for cash exchange across state

Costa Maya, Q.R.  A weapons for cash exchange is being hosted by Sedena in the Costa Maya region of the state. The guns for cash is a campaign by the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) to remove weapons from the streets.

The campaign will begin its arms exchange program in the municipalities of Othon P. Blanco and Bacalar and include rural communities. From there, authorities will extend the program to other municipalities.

Cavalry Regiment Colonel Narciso Valadez Najera says an agreement with the Executive Secretariat of the State Public Security has been signed to offer cash for guns and bullets, which are also illegal for civilians to possess.

He says people with weapons will receive 2 pesos for a 0.22 caliber cartridge up to 24,300 pesos for a large-caliber machine gun, admitting that this type of weapon has only been exchanged in the north of Mexico.

He said that normally in the southern zone of Quintana Roo, the exchange of weapons has been for pistols and shotguns. Valadez Najera commented that the entire process of exchanging weapons is carried out anonymously and without investigations.

The campaign will start in the states capital city of Chetumal before moving to La Union and Alvaro Obregon on the banks of the Hondo River, and then on to Bacalar, to later continue in the other municipalities.

The goal, he explained, is to reduce the number of weapons on state streets and prevent their illegal possession, carrying and use. Everything collected will be catalogued then destroyed, he said.
Nearly 400 state farmers utilizing sargassum turned fertilizer

Costa Maya, Q.R.  Nearly 400 farmers in the south of Quintana Roo are utilizing the states unwanted sargassum turned fertilizer. Mexico company Dinaco says around 400 corn farmers are using the biostimulant (biologically derived fertilizer) made from collected sargassum.

Hector Romero, Co-Founder of Dianco Mexico, a concessionary company that works with macroalgae, explained that the fertilizer, which is delivered to farmers by the Ministry of Agricultural, Rural and Fisheries Development (Sedarpe), has more balanced properties than others being distributed globally.

We have comparisons of performance, of efficiencies, he said. By removing the salt and other elements, the action of fertilizers is potentiated and nourishes the soil, improving the harvest.

We remove sand, salts, heavy metals from the sargassum and extract the main micronutrients and from there we have the success of this product because we are left with the best of the sea, so to speak.

He said that this product had already been delivered to the Union of Cane Growers of Quintana Roo producing excellent results in their crops. The state government has acquired the product to support corn producers in the municipality of Othon P. Blanco as part of the self-consumption support program.

It makes us proud because they are supporting us with the product that they have already verified to be a verifiable success, even recommended by the states sugarcane growers and chili producers themselves.

Hector Romero said that the delivery of this biostimulant is the product of work that began seven years ago.

The first step was to agree to obtain the sargassum collected in the municipalities of Benito Juarez (Cancun), Puerto Morelos and Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen) and later, the development of the product that farmers are using now.

Due to its properties, Romero says sargassum can also be used to improve substrate-type soils and is also used to extract alchemical acid and as a supplement to livestock feed. This means that the sargassum is used 100 percent, he said.
Texas judge orders U.S.-Mexico border buoy barrier moved from Rio Grande

Mexico City, Mexico  A judge has ordered the state of Texas to move a buoy barrier that was installed along the U.S.-Mexico border in July. On Wednesday, the Austin Judge ordered the state to move the floating border barrier that was placed in the Rio Grande to deter migrants.

The placement of the buoy was approved by Republican Governor Greg Abbott and installed July 18 at Eagle Pass. Senior U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra said he found the buoys to obstruct free navigation in the Rio Grande, which violates federal law.

He explained that permission to place the barriers is required from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency. Rather than completely remove them, Judge Ezra ordered the state to move them to the riverbank on the U.S. side.

The order to move the buoys was the result of a lawsuit filed by the Biden Administration who said the barrier impeded Border Patrol agents from patrolling the border, endangered migrants and hurt U.S.-Mexico relations.

The state of Texas has until September 15th to move the buoys. The move will be at the states expense.
A Covington man on Thursday became the 10th person from Western Virginia charged with joining the hundreds of rioters who invaded the U.S. Capitol over a disputed election.

Levi Plumley, 26, appeared in Roanokes federal court on four misdemeanor charges and was released on a $10,000 bond.

Plumley spent about half an hour inside the Capitol the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, as part of an unruly crowd that forced its way through the East Rotunda door, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

A video taken at the time showed Plumley shortly after he was doused with pepper spray as police officers tried to hold the mob at bay. The complaint quotes him as saying hes never been famous for anything, but I guess now Im the pepper spray guy.

Plumley mentions then-President Donald Trump  who had earlier that day urged his supporters to fight like hell against an election that he claimed was stolen  and says the rioters broke into the building to take our country back, court records state.

In May 2021, federal authorities used a search warrant to seize a black smartphone from the defendant that contained Google searches described by U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou as troubling. At the time, Plumley admitted to being inside the Capitol, the complaint states.

He is accused of entering restricted grounds, demonstrating or picketing in the area, and two counts of disorderly conduct. The charges come as federal authorities continue an investigation that has already led to the arrests of more than 1,150 people from across the country.

Nine others from Western Virginia, including two Roanoke men arrested last week, have either been convicted or are awaiting trial.

Plumley, a truck driver who previously served in the U.S. Navy, appeared in court wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. He did not testify, and spoke only briefly to answer routine questions from Ballou.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff did not ask that Plumley be detained while awaiting trial in Washington, D.C. But the prosecutor sought strict conditions for his release, including the use of GPS monitoring needed to track his movements.

Scheff cited what he called a relatively threatening message Plumley left on the office voicemail of a congresswomen who was not identified in court or in documents filed Thursday.

Saying that he was calling as a concerned citizen, an angry Plumley derided the lawmaker over comments she had made in support of gun control and hinted that he might take physical action.

So please, go ahead and try to take our guns away from us, he said in a recording of the call that was played in court. But you will only get them from our cold, dead hands.

While conceding that the obscenity ridden call did not meet the legal definition of a threat, Scheff argued that it and other evidence found on Plumleys phone were grounds for GPS monitoring as a condition of bond.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Dustin Franklin countered that the call  made about two and a half years ago  and other evidence that was equally dated did not show that his client poses a risk today.

In society, there is a certain level of vitriol a public official gets on both sides of the aisle, Franklin said. While the language might have been distasteful, he argued, Plumley was well within his rights to call an elected official.

In addition to playing the voicemail, prosecutors introduced a written summary of Google searches from Plumleys phone  including an inquiry made one day before the riots about metal detectors at the Capitol. That implied that Plumley was considering bringing a gun with him, Scheff said.

Although Ballou did not require GPS monitoring, he set a number of other conditions to address things I find troubling, albeit two and a half years old.

Plumley, who works as a firearms instructor in his spare time, has 38 guns in his home, the judge was told. Ballou ordered that all of them be removed by 9 a.m. Monday.
CHRISTIANSBURG  Five of the seven candidates running for seats on the Montgomery County School Board provided their views and stances Thursday night on a number of issues, including some that have over the past few years become the cause of major division among parents and communities across both the state and country.

The candidates took part in one of a number of forums that have been organized by the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County NAACP.

The candidates who took part were incumbent Penny Franklin, former Montgomery County schools Superintendent Mark Miear, Derek Rountree, Laura Purcell and Ed Gitre.

Franklin and Miear are running against each other in District B, an area that includes the town of Christiansburg.

Purcell is running unopposed in District F, an area that includes Blacksburg. Rountree and Gitre each have an opponent, but the other two candidates did not attend the forum.

Rountree is running against Lindsay Rich in District E, which covers western Montgomery County and includes a small portion of Blacksburg. Gitre faces Jason Massie in District G, another area that includes Blacksburg.

Each candidate Thursday night responded to a series of questions covering a variety of ongoing school issues. Topic broached included book banning, use of tax dollars for school vouchers, rights of LGBTQ+ students, school funding and support for teachers and staff.

Franklin was among the current school board members who unanimously voted last year to dismiss Miear as superintendent.

Miear was at odds with the other candidates on a number of the topics brought up Thursday.

Below are some of the topics discussed at the forum and each candidates views on the subjects.

Banning books

in librariesMontgomery County Public Schools hasnt experienced this issue in the exact same way as other divisions, particularly neighboring Roanoke County Public Schools, where controversy arose over their library policy.

Some of the Montgomery County candidates spoke about how MCPS has measures in place to provide alternatives to parents who want to opt their children out of certain material and assignments. Other candidates voiced their trust in librarians, whom they argued arent trying to corrupt students.

Gitre, whos a history professor at Virginia Tech, pointed to the districts policy, which he said is in place for parents with concerns. But he said he trusts the work of librarians.

I trust librarians, I trust teachers, he said. Their goal is not to scandalize [the] children, that is not their intention.

Purcell, who teaches in Techs School of Communication, said individual parents with concerns can deal with their school about a specific issue but that they should absolutely not be able to restrict access to books by other students and educators. She described librarians as professionals who undergo many years of training to be able to build collections that are age appropriate for all students.

Purcell said she trusts librarians and teachers to bring kids to books that will improve their literacy and engage them and help them think critically.

Franklin, who also pointed to district policy, said book banning shouldnt occur across the board just because a handful of parents are asking for it.

Again this goes to statement of Are we going backwards? She said. This is a global society now. Our students go everywhere in this world and they need to be prepared.

Miear was another who pointed to the policy, but emphasized hes a firm believer in parental rights. He recalled how in the past parents had opted their students out of certain assignments and were instead provided with alternative assignments.

Im not a book banner by no means, but we need to make sure parents know what their kids have access to, he said.

Rountree, whos a research scientist, echoed the comment about librarians being professionals and the points about the policy allowing for alternative assignments.

Additionally, the Virginia Department of Education approves the books for use in the school systems, he said.

Facilitating better outcomes on

LGTBQ+ issuesMiear said he supports all students and the choices families make as long as it doesnt infringe on the rights of other students and staff. He further took aim at the boards narrow adoption a couple years ago  when he was still superintendent  of model policies, which he said the elected body had been legally advised against.

Miear then voiced support for Gov. Glenn Youngkins model policies, which the former MCPS superintendent said he believes are very reasonable. Miear called the districts current policies unfair.

I believe our female athletes should not compete against biological males, he said.

Miear was the only candidate at the forum who voiced support for Youngkins measures.

In addition to supporting the districts current policies, Franklin drew a parallel between what African-American students experienced during integration and whats currently being experienced by students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

It was not fun, it didnt make you feel good, said Franklin, who added that she would not support Youngkins recommended whatever.

Rountree said Youngkins current measures go against state and federal laws and voiced fears about the district being embroiled in a costly court battle in the future.

The target of Youngkins model policies is to have school districts go against federal and state laws and court rulings, said Rountree, who voiced additional concerns about legal fees bankrupting the district. This is what Gov. Youngkins policies will do if the school [district] goes to implement them.

Purcell recalled graduating high school in 1994, a period when many queer students were afraid to come out.

We should not be creating an atmosphere in MCPS thats making it uncomfortable for any students to be themselves, and keeping them from learning, she said, adding that the districts current policies comply with the law.

Gitre echoed some of the legal concerns over Youngkins policies.

Equality is baked into our foundational documents and our government, Gitre said. [LGBTQ+] students have rights. We are obligated to provide them equal access, so we have a choice to make. Are we going to work toward a more perfect union or not?

School vouchersThis subject has been an occasional point of debate in Montgomery County, where much of the localitys conservative base has over the past few years gone before elected officials to push for taxpayer-backed school vouchers.

Although the issue is legally out of their hands, the 4-3 GOP majority on the countys Board of Supervisors has voiced support for vouchers and even included the adoption of them in their annual legislative priorities  a list of items they send to the General Assembly each year in hopes of eventual adoption.

Vouchers have been a controversial subject. Supporters said they address the concerns of parents who are convinced public schools no longer reflect their values and effectively harm their children. Opponents have voiced fears they would take away more money from already under-funded schools and that fewer students wont necessarily translate to fewer expenses for districts.

Most of the candidates took a clear stance against vouchers, with Purcell and Franklin, respectively, saying no and big no when they each answered the question.

Im here because I support public schools. I attended public schools, my children attended public schools, Purcell said. I believe in public schools and public education.

Rountree said public dollars should go to public schools and echoed the concerns about vouchers depleting districts of necessary resources. He said public schools provide students with an exposure to a diverse community and he recalled growing up in Louisiana where he went to a school he described as almost equally split both racially and economically.

I was exposed to what it means to be poor, although my family was not, he said.

Franklin again drew parallels between the recent calls for vouchers and what occurred during integration decades ago. She said white parents opposition to integration due to simply not wanting their children to be in class with Black students led to school districts being shut down.

Parents are welcomed to take their children out of public schools and there are ways to do that, but thats on you, Franklin said.

It really doesnt matter what I believe about vouchers because its not a school board issue, Miear said. Its a state issue, even if our local body [supervisors] has tried to affirm it.

Miear said parents should be able to school their children the way they want to and brought up other problems he described as underlying. He questioned why a district initiative that allowed homeschool access to Virtual Virginia was stopped and why division enrollment has dropped but gone up among home-schooled children.

Gitre said the privatization of education truly took off after the landmark Brown vs Board of Education ruling. He said he supports public education, which he added exists to educate every child and youth in Montgomery County.
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
" " A stroll through a forest in the fall shows a variety of colors in the leaves. But why is that? Jacobs Stock Photography Ltd/Getty Images

Enthusiastic snowball fights in winter or lazy summer days at the beach notwithstanding, autumn might be the most beloved season of them all. Every year, people watch in awe as the trees begin their magical transformation from green powerhouses to veritable smorgasbords of color. In the northeastern United States, millions of "leaf peepers" come from all over the world to observe nature's fine art gallery [source: Haberman].

New England doesn't have a monopoly on the color-changing business, and those leaf peepers are far from alone in their wonderment. From Europe to Alaska, people revel in nature's annual opportunity to mix up the palette. Pity those who live in areas that get cheated out of these glorious displays of color; the lucky ones are left debating which hue they most favor -- brilliant yellows, fiery oranges or vibrant reds?

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If you're partial to crimson, you might wonder why nature seems to go overboard with the red some years and forget it entirely during others. Native American lore explained the appearance of the magnificent colors as coming from above: After hunters killed the Great Bear in the sky, the story goes, its blood splashed down and turned the leaves red. And the yellow leaves? They get their tint from the bear's fat splashing out of the pot that it was being cooked in.

If this explanation doesn't quite satisfy your puzzlement of why leaves change color, scientists have one of their own. Instead of hunters, bears and lard, theirs involves photosynthesis, pigments and sunlight. To fully understand the chemistry behind the color show, we'll need to revisit first-grade science class.
" " Petri dishes containing sprouting embryos of an agricultural plant called camelina sativa that have received spliced genetic material via the CRISPR-Cas9 process are displayed at the Leibnitz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben, Germany. These samples will be used for breeding biodiverse hybrids suited to modeled environmental scenarios of the future. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

There's been a lot of buzz about mosquitoes; specifically, the genetically engineered variety. In the summer of 2021, a team of scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Washington pioneered a method for messing with mosquito vision, making it very difficult for them to find human targets.

How did they accomplish such a feat? Using a genetic engineering tool known as CRISPR.

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"CRISPR was originally a way that bacteria developed to fight viruses," said Raphael Ferreira, a genomics engineer at Harvard Medical School when we spoke to him in 2021. Often compared to a pair of "molecular scissors," CRISPR uses specialized proteins called Cas  short for CRISPR-associated enzymes to cut strands of DNA or RNA at a precise, preprogrammed location. Then, the system can insert or remove the desired gene at that site, and viola: gene-edited organism.

CRISPR opens up a world of possibilities, including many  such as blinding mosquitoes  in the realm of human health. But that's not all it's being used for. "We have so many variants of that technology, it has allowed us to do any type of genetic engineering possible," said Ferreira.

Here are some of the wildest ways scientists are applying CRISPR inside (and potentially outside) the lab.
New research that will develop technologies to detect and process radioactive waste has been awarded funding by the UK in partnership with the Japanese government.

The research will support work to decommission Sellafield Nuclear Plant in the UK and remove radioactive debris from the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.

Two projects have been awarded a share of 1 million, delivered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, to address challenges in:

radioactive waste treatment, packaging, and storage;

remote handling, robotic, and autonomous systems in decommissioning;

environmental behaviour of radionuclide release and management of risk and degraded infrastructure.

The UK-Japan Civil Nuclear Research programme is a partnership between UK Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

This is the first UKRI award through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) which was launched by Science Minister George Freeman in Japan in December.

The ISPF supports collaborations between UK researchers and innovators and their peers from around the world to address global challenges, build knowledge and develop the technologies of tomorrow on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech and talent.

George Freeman MP, UK Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said,

"After I launched the International Science Partnerships Fund in Japan, last year, it is only fitting that our first UKRI award from the Fund, is in partnership with Japan too.

"Processing nuclear waste is an enormous challenge for human civilisation. Bringing together the UK and Japan's brightest minds, to focus our shared expertise in sensing, data, chemistry and more, cuts to the core of what this Fund and our science superpower mission is all aboutharnessing UK scientific leadership through deeper international collaboration for global good, to tackle the most pressing needs facing humanity."

The research projects are being led by academics at the universities of Strathclyde and Sheffield.

Dr. Paul Murray from the University of Strathclyde will lead research to improve the detection, safeguarding, retrieval and disposal of radioactive debris. Bringing together a team of researchers and industrialists from the UK and Japan, including: Lancaster University, the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), Osaka University, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Nippon Nuclear Fuel Development, the project will develop new inspection technologies using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) along with other sensor technologies, signal processing and data fusion.

Dr. Brant Walkley, from the University of Sheffield, will lead a study to use calcined clays as natural resources to engineer 'geopolymer binders'. The binders will safely cement solid radioactive fuel debris from molten core concrete comprising metallic alloys, oxides, and silicates, and slurries and sediments.

Professor Christopher Smith, International Champion at UKRI, said,

"International partnerships are crucial to ensuring we learn from each other and harness the extraordinary potential of research and innovation to overcome challenges and future proof our safety and wellbeing in the UK and around the world. These new investments are an example of this.

"Experts from across the UK and Japan will work together to find innovative solutions to safely detect and dispose of radioactive nuclear debris to protect and safeguard local environments now and for future generations."

Provided by UK Research and Innovation
GEORGETOWN, S.C.  A Florence County juvenile has been charged with making a bomb threat Friday against Andrews High School.

Georgetown County Sheriffs Office investigators were able to trace the call to the teen who made it, who confessed when interviewed about it, according to the Georgetown County Sheriffs Office.

The juvenile will be charged with three counts of disturbing schools and three counts of conveying false information regarding attempted use of a destructive device, according to the sheriffs office.

The juvenile will be turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice and taken to Columbia pending an initial hearing.
FLORENCE, S.C. -- Francis Marion University Board of Trustees Thursday named four classrooms and an auditorium to honor longtime faculty members.

Meeting at FMU Freshwater Ecology Conference Center the board singled out FMU faculty who have had a profound impact on thousands of students in the Schools of Education and Business.

The Dr. Ben L. Kyer Classroom is named after Benjamin Wall Ingram III Professor of Economics, Ben Kyer. Kyer has been a member of FMUs faculty since 1989. During his time at the university, Kyer served as director of the MBA program for 13 years, was named a 2015-2016 FMU Trustee Research Scholar, and was the 1993 FMU Distinguished Professor.

The Dr. Kay Lawrimore-Belanger Classroom is named in honor of FMU alum and N.B. Baroody Professor of Marketing, Kay Lawrimore-Belanger. Lawrimore-Belanger joined the faculty of FMU in 1987. She is currently the director of the MBA program as well as the coordinator of the marketing program. In 1988, she was named the Distinguished Alumni by the FMU Alumni Association and in 2009, received the Outstanding Alumnus award from the FMU School of Business. In 2013, she was recognized as the FMU Distinguished Professor.

The Dr. Dorothy M. Harris Auditorium is named in honor of Faculty Emeriti Dorothy Harris who served as a professor of education from 1985 until her retirement in 2011. During her time at FMU, she was coordinator of the Early Childhood Education program where she provided instruction, field placement supervision, and preparation for future teachers. The Dorothy Harris Graduate Student Scholarship sponsored by the FMU African American Faculty-Staff Coalition is also named in her honor.

Shirley Carr Bausmith, who served as professor of Education from 2003 until her retirement in 2017, will have the Dr. Shirley Carr Bausmith Classroom named in her honor. Bausmith, also an FMU alum, served as director of graduate studies for the College of Education and later, became the dean of the School of Education. Under her leadership, the Project Create program benefited hundreds of students to further their training as teachers and was recognized as one of the most successful in the state. Upon her retirement, she was recognized as faculty emerita.

The Dr. Stephen E. Taylor Classroom is named in honor of Stephen Taylor who served as professor of Education from 1991 until 2022. Taylor, who earned his M.Ed. from FMU, joined the faculty of the university after serving as a practitioner and administrator. During his time at the university, he served as Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Education and was program head for divergent learning and learning disabilities.

Our fine faculty is the foundation upon which this university is built. I am delighted that the Board of Trustees has honored five legendary scholars from the business and education disciplines, said FMU President Fred Carter. How very fitting that they will receive permanent recognition in this new building which will serve students from those two schools.
Felicia Frazar is the managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can reach her at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com
Nicolas Pepe to undergo Trabzonspor medical as Arsenal exit beckons for 72m flop

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe has travelled to Turkey as he closes in on a move to Trabzonspor.

The two clubs were on Friday morning finalising the terms of a deal as Pepes disappointing spell in north London comes to an end.

The Ivory Coast international has one year left on his contract at Arsenal and is not part of manager Mikel Artetas plans.

Pepe spent last season on loan at French club Nice and the Gunners have been looking to offload him all summer.

He was unable to find a move before the transfer window shut across much of Europe on September 1, but has been given a lifeline by the Turkish window remaining open until next week.

Pepe has now flown out to Trabzon and filmed a video during the flight wearing the clubs shirt.

I came here to become a champion and achieve success, he said.

Bordo-Mavi formasyla Nicolas Pepe geliyor  pic.twitter.com/CG5Q3nhvUG  Trabzonspor (@Trabzonspor) September 7, 2023

Pepe, who joined Arsenal from Lille in 2019 for a then club-record fee of 72million, is due to undergo a medical with Trabzonspor on Friday.

The player made 112 total appearances for the Gunners in four years across all competitions, scoring 27 goals.
Mahnoor, who has set a new record in the secondary education examination as a private candidate in Year 10, also thanked the two leaders for meeting her (Screengrab: Shahbaz Sharif/ Twitter)

A British-Pakistani teenager who scored a record 34 A stars in her GCSE exams has received appreciation from Pakistans prime minister Shahbaz Sharif for giving the country an exceptional success story.

Mahnoor Cheema, 16, met Mr Sharif and former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Stanhope House alongside her family after her results were announced.

It is always very uplifting to meet bright young minds like Mahnoor Cheema. By securing A* in a wide range of subjects from Maths and Astronomy to French and Latin, Mahnoor has not only made all of us proud but also has also set a great example for our children, Mr Sharif said in a social media post, likening her to activist Malala Yousafzai.

He added: During the past one decade, I have come across a number of brilliant and resilient students  from Inam Ullah  Danish School  to Malala, who are the source of great inspiration for students from different backgrounds. These exceptional success stories will definitely inspire more Pakistanis to shine and achieve their dreams, he said, sharing a video of meeting her in London.

In the three-minute video, the two leaders were seen gifting Mahnoor a laptop and praising her. Were very proud of you, they said. The laptop has been gifted on behalf of the ruling political party Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the leaders said.

Mahnoor, who has set a new record in the secondary education examination as a private candidate in Year 10, also thanked the two leaders for meeting her.

I am proud to have received this gift from and very kind words from the two people (Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif) who have pulled Pakistan out of the economic despair and brought so much progress to our nation, she said.

It is always very uplifting to meet bright young minds like Mahnoor Cheema. By securing A* in a wide range of subjects from Maths and Astronomy to French and Latin, Mahnoor has not only made all of us proud but also has also set a great example for our children. During the past pic.twitter.com/ZAc3WCFL8k  Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 4, 2023

Mahnoor said she was truly honoured that the two prominent leaders invited her and talked to her. They gave me a wonderful gift and I am honoured that I spoke to Quaid-e-Mohtrem and Shehbaz Sharif. They are truly inspirational leaders for Pakistan. I am thankful to them for taking the time out to meet me," she said.

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Her father, Barrister Usman Cheema, was also overjoyed on getting a visit from his home nations top leaders, he said.

I am over the moon that my leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif have acknowledged the achievement of my daughter. They are our inspiration. They have blessed us today. This is the quality of our leadership that they give respect and honour to others. This encourages children, he said.

The Pakistan PM joked that while Mahnoor said that she is his fan, but that is only because of my elder brother Nawaz who served as the PM between 2013 to 2017.
SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man has sued a Woodbury County Sheriff's deputy and two Iowa State Patrol troopers he says illegally entered his home and arrested him.

In his lawsuit, Douglas Wheelock says he denied troopers Andrew Nitzschke and Conner Roos and sheriff's deputy Daniel Luesebrink entry into his home because they didn't have a warrant, but they followed him inside anyway, handcuffed him and arrested him for interference with official acts, a charge that was later dropped.

Wheelock said his shoulders were injured during the arrest and he incurred legal expenses to defend himself against the criminal charge. The lawsuit alleges the law enforcement officers violated his Fourth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution protecting him against unreasonable search and seizure. He also accuses Luesebrink of false arrest and abuse of process, saying there was no probable cause to arrest him.

"Luesebrink primarily arrested Wheelock because Wheelock was asserting his Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, which is impermissible and illegal," Wheelock said in the lawsuit, filed Aug. 29 in Woodbury County District Court.

Wheelock also sued Woodbury County, saying it's liable for Luesebrink's actions because he's a county employee.

Wheelock is seeking punitive damages for being deprived of his rights and as compensation for the humiliation, degradation, public ridicule, loss of reputation and emotional distress he said resulted from the incident.

Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan said he was aware of the incident that led to the lawsuit but could not comment on pending litigation.

"We will be prepared to defend the action taken," Sheehan said of his deputy's alleged conduct.

A request for comment from the Iowa State Patrol was referred to the Iowa Attorney General's Office. An AG spokeswoman said the office has not been served with a copy of the lawsuit and, therefore, has no comment.

Wheelock said in the suit Nitzschke and Luesebrink came to his home on May 30, 2022, investigating a reckless driving incident. Wheelock said he walked out of his garage to meet them and they followed him back into his garage and demanded entry into his house to speak with Wheelock's wife. Wheelock refused, telling them they needed a warrant, and Nitzschke confirmed they needed a warrant.

Wheelock then entered his house, and Luesebrink and Nitzschke "followed aggressively," grabbing Wheelock, handcuffing him and arresting him. The lawsuit did not say when Roos arrived, but Wheelock said that after he was handcuffed, Roos, along with Nitzschke and Luesebrink forced him to take them to his wife, who was asleep in a bedroom.

Wheelock said the three officers violated his rights by entering his home without a warrant, probable cause or reasonable suspicion.

The interference with official acts charge was dismissed Nov. 7. No complaint or citation pertaining to the arrest could be found in a search of online court records. Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis, who was elected in November, said he was aware Wheelock's case was reviewed by the county attorney's office but did not know why it was dismissed.

Online court records also did not list any citations as a result of the reckless driving investigation that led officers to Wheelock's home.
PRIMGHAR, Iowa  A Rock Rapids, Iowa, man has agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally shooting his mother.

Nathaniel Kassel entered a written no contest plea Thursday in O'Brien County District Court to first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 18.

In his written plea, Kassel, 42, admitted no guilt, but agreed that a jury could find him guilty of the March 22 shooting death of Jody Duskin, 62, in her Sheldon, Iowa, home. Though Kassel did not plead guilty, a judgment of guilty will be entered into the court record.

Kassel entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors and, though the agreement has yet to be posted in online court filings, his written plea document referenced that he will also pay $150,000 in restitution to his mother's estate, another mandatory term of sentencing in a first-degree murder case. Kassel voluntarily gave up his right to a jury trial. The plea agreement has yet to be approved by a judge.

Prior to his plea, Kassel had been scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 17, but on Sept. 1, District Judge John Sandy filed an order scheduling the Sept. 18 plea and sentencing hearing and referenced the plea agreement.

Kessel was arrested in South Dakota two days after Duskin's body was found. He was in possession of her car and two guns believed to be stolen from her home. A complaint filed in the case said Kassel was living with Duskin, but listed a Rock Rapids home for his address.

According to court documents, Kassel had sent a message to family members the day before her body was found, telling them, "I'm killing Jody." Hours later, he was overheard having a phone conversation in which he said he "made a mistake and hurt someone."

On March 23, Kassel informed others Duskin was sick and could not make it to work. Another family member found Duskin's body that afternoon. Police found a .45-caliber shell casing and bullet at the scene. According to court documents, Duskin had a gunshot wound to her head.

Kassel had initially faced an additional charge of operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent, but it was later dismissed.
SIOUX CITY  A Sioux City house has been red-tagged after a fire early Friday.

Sioux City Fire Rescue was dispatched to 1822 W. Sixth St. at 4:26 a.m. Smoke was visible from the two-story house when firefighters arrived, and upon entering, they found heavy smoke and flames in the first-floor laundry room.

The home's eight occupants and several pets were able to exit the house without injury. A pet rabbit did not survive.

The house sustained moderate damage, and city inspectors have red-tagged the house, which had working smoke alarms, as being uninhabitable.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
WASHINGTON  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday she will seek reelection to Congress in 2024 as Democrats try to win back the majority, saying "democracy is at stake."

Pelosi, 83, made the announcement before volunteers and labor allies in the San Francisco area district she has represented for more than 35 years.

"Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery," Pelosi said in a tweet. "Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote."

Republicans now control the House, but just narrowly, with a 222-212 majority and one vacancy. Democrats believe they have a chance to regain power as President Joe Biden runs for a second term.

Pelosi's announcement quells any talk of retirement for the long-serving leader, who, with the honorific title of speaker emeritus, remains an influential lawmaker, pivotal party figure and strong fundraiser for Democrats.

It also unfolds as Washington is grappling with the sunset of a political era as an older generation of leaders, including Biden, 80, face questions about their age.

This week, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, 81, said he would finish his term as leader and senator despite concerns about his recent health episodes. One of California's long-serving leaders, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, has announced she will not seek another term.

In her remarks, Pelosi said others had asked her to say longer, and she said she is also working to ensure a second term for Biden at the White House.

"We have a challenge in our country. Our Democracy is at stake," she said, according to excerpts released of her remarks.

First elected to Congress in 1987, Pelosi made history by becoming the first female speaker in 2007, and in 2019 she regained the speaker's gavel.

Pelosi led the party through substantial legislative achievements, including passage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as turbulent times with two impeachments of Republican President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Her announcement comes as House Republicans prepare to launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter.

Pelosi stepped away from the day-to-day political limelight after a younger generation of Democrats led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took charge in 2023, but she remains a political force and keeps a robust schedule of public and private events.

According to a person familiar with Pelosi's thinking about her 2024 decision, Pelosi believes democracy hangs in the balance in the upcoming election as she works to reelect Biden and make Jeffries the next House speaker.

Pelosi is among the party's most prolific fundraisers for the House and key political strategists. She has said she does not intend to hover over the new Democratic House leadership team, but she and Jeffries are often seen huddling quietly on the House floor.

It's rare, but not unprecedented, for former party leaders to continue in Congress as members.

Back in California, Pelosi's decision to seek another term is sure to disappoint other Democrats who want a run for the congressional seat.

But Pelosi has priorities she is trying to secure for her home state and especially San Francisco as the city works to recover from the coronavirus pandemic-era closures that also dimmed other metro downtowns.

San Francisco faces a delicate moment, Pelosi believes, and needs federal resources to continue its recovery, said the person familiar with her thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Last year, Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was seriously injured when an attacker broke into the family's San Francisco home, seeking the Democratic leader at a highly divisive time in American politics. A trial is expected.

The suspect said there was evil in Washington and he wanted to harm Rep. Pelosi because she was second in line for the presidency, a San Francisco police investigator testified.

Instead, the suspect severely beat her husband with a hammer in an attack that was witnessed by two police officers.
(Photo : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Getty Images)

United States President Joe Biden's administration announced the cancellation of leases that allowed drilling for oil across millions of acres in Alaska issued under the former administration.

United States President Joe Biden's administration is set to cancel the drilling leases that would allow for the search of oil across millions of acres in Alaska that were issued under Donald Trump's leadership.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Interior Department announced that it would cancel oil and gas leases in a federal wildlife refuge that an Alaska state development agency bought during the final days of former United States President Donald Trump's term.

Cancelation of Alaska Drilling Leases

The situation comes as Biden has pledged to protect the roughly 19.6 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for polar bears and caribou. In a statement, the Democratic president said that the climate crisis is heating the Arctic more than twice as fast as other parts of the world.

The former administration issued the Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority (AIDEA) seven leases in relation to the region only days before Biden's official inauguration. While environmentalists have praised the Biden administration's decision, a Republican senator from Alaska criticized it, as per Reuters.

The area is home to officials who have sought to open up drilling in the reserve to secure jobs and revenues for the state. Additionally, the government said it would bar new leasing on more than 10 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, located on the North Slope, the largest undisturbed public land in the United States.

The development is the latest action by the Biden administration to curb oil and gas activities on public lands as part of a broader effort to fight against climate change. The Democratic president, preparing for a re-election campaign in 2024, also faced mounting pressure to boost domestic fuel supplies to keep pump prices low.

The American government earlier this year approved a $7 billion ConocoPhillips drilling project in Alaska that immediately drew criticism from the United Nations. The latter has urged member states to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels that are exacerbating the climate crisis.

Read Also: Biden Unveils G20 Summit Agenda, Including World Bank Reform, New Funding

Exacerbating the Climate Crisis

Climate activists criticized the Biden administration after allowing the Willow project to be continued in March. They called it a "carbon bomb," and many said it represented a betrayal of the Democratic president's campaign promise of "no new drilling, period" on federal lands and waters, according to the New York Times.

But since then, the Biden administration has gone to great lengths to emphasize its efforts to reduce carbon emissions from burning oil and gas. The president previously said that efforts to cancel all remaining oil and gas leases issued under the former administration would help preserve the country's Arctic lands and wildlife.

While the Biden administration's efforts do not include stopping the Willow project, they would ensure long-term protections for areas that provide vital wildlife habitat. The president of the conservation group Trout Unlimited, Chris Wood, estimated that the federal government has not set aside so many acres of land for conservation since the early 2000s, said the Washington Post.

Related Article: FTC Anti-Trust Suit Against Amazon Expected To More Forward This Month

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DES MOINES  The company behind Iowas massive education savings account (ESA) program has placed a high value on convenience and user experience as it manages education expenses for thousands of Iowa private school students.

Odyssey, a startup founded in 2021 and focused on administering school choice programs like Iowas, was selected in a bidding process in February to run the program that has made $7,600 in taxpayer funds available to families across the state to pay for private school education.

A separate program the company runs in Idaho has been the focus of an investigation over ineligible purchases, but the companys CEO said Iowas program is set up with a high level of state involvement to prevent fraudulent purchases.

Around 18,600 Iowa students received ESAs for the current school year from the program, which was passed by Republican lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier this year.

Odyssey CEO Joseph Connor said in an interview the company has focused on creating an easy to use platform for parents who take part in the program and bringing convenience to government programs, which are often seen as confusing and cumbersome.

We created this company with the idea that we want to make sure its as easy to access a government program as it is, say, Amazon, he said. ...We want this to feel more like a consumer process that parents and families are used to, and not necessarily something like going to the DMV.

Connor, a former teacher and lawyer, also founded SchoolHouse, a company that connects families with educators to form at-home learning pods. He said Odysseys employees include people who have experience at major e-commerce companies like Gilt and Stitch Fix, who work on bringing the features of those sites to government programs.

To get the program going in a short window before this school year, the company built a tool to automate approval of the education savings accounts applications, Connor said. When parents put in their required information, the application checked their identity against state records to ensure they met all the qualifications for the program, providing approval in a few seconds rather than days or weeks.

As the school year has begun and the company has worked through the process of transferring millions of dollars from state-funded ESAs to private schools, Connor said it has not run into any significant challenges or disruptions.

Connor did not say how many students who received the funds are actively attending private schools this year because enrollment will not be finalized until the end of September. Some students who received the money may not end up attending a private school due to space limitations. Unspent funds will be returned to the states general fund.

The education savings account program is expected to cost $345 million each year once it is fully implemented. This year, all students previously enrolled in public schools, and private school students whose families made less than 400% of the federal poverty line, were eligible for the state funds. By the 2025-26, all private and public school students, regardless of income, will be able to use the money.

The program, a chief priority for Reynolds during this year's legislative session, passed with only Republican support. Democrats and public school advocates warned it would take money away from struggling public schools and transfer it to private schools with less accountability and the ability to turn away students with disabilities.

Reynolds and Republicans said the program would provide families with a choice to find the school that works best for their children, regardless of their income.

Company administers Idaho program with ineligible purchases

Before being selected to run Iowas ESA program, Odyssey was chosen in 2022 to administer Idahos Empowering Parents program, which gives grants to families for at-home education costs and supplies.

Idahos program is under investigation after the state found thousands of dollars in ineligible purchases, approved by Odyssey under guidance of the state Board of Education, had been made on the states marketplace. Those purchases included TVs and sewing machines, according to Idaho EdNews, and accounted for less than 1% of the purchases in the program.

Iowa's program has a similar online marketplace run by Odyssey, where approved vendors list products and services that families can purchase with the ESA dollars. Eligible expenses include laptops, software, tutoring, speech therapy and standardized tests.

When it comes to ensuring Odyssey is approving legal purchases with the state funds under Iowa's program, Connor said the law is more clear about which types of products and services are eligible for the state funds than the program in Idaho. The state Department of Education makes the final call in verifying vendors that appear on Odysseys marketplace.

In Iowa, the state has been a fantastic partner in being very clear about what is and is not allowed in the marketplace, and so that is the major difference, he said.

When a vendor applies to provide services or products on the marketplace, Connor said Odyssey does initial verification and the Department of Education makes the final call before those services are available to parents.

The vendors include state and national businesses, Connor said.

Connor also noted in Iowas program, families are required to pay a students entire tuition with the ESA dollars before they are eligible to make purchases on the marketplace, meaning the majority of the ESA dollars will go to the private schools.

The Idaho investigation also found Odyssey was holding the taxpayer funds in an interest-bearing account and had collected more than $475,000 in interest, according to Idaho EdNews.

The Idaho State Board of Education said in a press release that "while the state's contract with Odyssey did not contain any condition related to the accrual of interest on Empowering Parents grant funds, Odyssey will work with the State of Idaho to resolve the matter and stands ready to refund the interest earned."

For the Iowa program, Connor said the funds are held by the state treasurer, not Odyssey, and sent directly to a school or vendor once a purchase is approved.

Connor said the company is speaking with parents and schools about what parts of the process worked this year, and which parts need to be improved for the coming years as more students are likely to enroll in the program.

The rollout went very well, but it was also an expedited rollout, because the law had passed, there had to be all of those processes that were in place, he said. So I think were all looking forward to next year when there will be a longer period, there will be more of a chance for outreach to families across the state.

27 senators are up for reelectionwhich, if any, are 'progressive' relative to the political lean of their states? Intro #27. Pete Ricketts, Nebraska (R) #26. Deb Fischer, Nebraska (R) #25. Rick Scott, Florida (R) #24. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota (R) #23. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee (R) #22. John Barrasso, Wyoming (R) #21. Roger Wicker, Mississippi (R) #20. Josh Hawley, Missouri (R) #19. Ted Cruz, Texas (R) #18. Mitt Romney, Utah (R) #17. Tom Carper, Delaware (D) #16. Joe Manchin, West Virginia (D) #15. Angus King, Maine (I) #14. Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona (I) #13. Tim Kaine, Virginia (D) #12. Maria Cantwell, Washington (D) #11. Jon Tester, Montana (D) #10. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota (D) #9. Ben Cardin, Maryland (D) #8. Jacky Rosen, Nevada (D) #7. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island (D) #6. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York (D) #5. Martin Heinrich, New Mexico (D) #4. Mazie Hirono, Hawaii (D) #3. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts (D) #2. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin (D) #1. Sherrod Brown, Ohio (D)
Each week in the Wednesday column, Prudence asks readers for their thoughts on a question that has her stumped. Shell post her final thoughts on the matter on Fridays.

Heres this weeks dilemma and answer; thanks to Been There Done That, RB, Liz From Sacto, AM for their ideas!

Dear Prudence,

My girlfriend and I have been together for four years. We met soon after college. Neither of us is particularly great at social interaction, and we are really lucky to have each other. My girlfriend is Indian-American-ish (she was born in India but moved here when she was 7). Most of our friend circle is IndiansIm the token white guy. Were both pretty shy people, so our friend circle is mostly people who we met through either her brother or my friends from college, who all happen to be Indian. Im white, and so are my parents. My dad is no longer with us, but my mom has met my girlfriend and really likes her. Shes supportive, but shes been living in the same small town since she was born. The town is mostly white, with a neighboring town being mostly Black, and my mother very rarely ventures out of a few neighboring towns, so shes had very little exposure to Indian culture. My girlfriend gets kind of uncomfortable about the way that my mom treats her.

My girlfriend is vegetarian (I dont cook meat in the house but I still eat meat outside the house). My mom wanted to accommodate her and spent so much time agonizing about the meals she could cook, even though she regularly makes lasagna and it isnt difficult to make lasagna vegetarian. Every single time my mom talks to my girlfriend, its about my girlfriend being Indian. Conversations include asking my girlfriend to show pictures of more of those pretty Indian dresses, asking her to pronounce random Ethiopian and Nigerian names (you know, since Nigeria and India are practically the same place/s), asking my girlfriend to speak in Indian (shes fluent in Tamil, conversational in Telugu, and has a passing knowledge of Hindi and Malayalam), asking if its true that all Hindus are cannibals and if all Indians have awful eyesight and wear glasses. Ive heard my mom bragging about my girlfriend to other people, exclusively referring to her as my Indian girlfriend. My mom makes my girlfriend very uncomfortable but my girlfriend also acknowledges that being that my mom is from an insular small town in a red state, her attitude could be a lot worse. We both agree that it is worth having a conversation with my mom aboutwere talking about getting married, and we definitely want to have kids someday, and we want to get this sorted out before we bring mixed-race kids into the world. Im not really sure how to phrase this. Im worried my mom might take it the wrong wayher heart is in the right place, she just needs to stop treating her like my Indian girlfriend and instead just treat her like my girlfriend.

Making Mom Less Racist

Dear Less Racist,

Most of the responses I received when I shared your letter with Prudie readers affirmed that your moms heart seems to be in the right place. I skipped the ones that argued this is all that matters. I mean, sure, it could be worse! She could be hateful, or openly racist, or against the relationship. But whats in your heart doesnt change your girlfriends experience, and it doesnt make it any easier to be treated like her heritage is the only thing about her that matters.

I wish Id heard from someone in your wifes position, because I think her experience and preferences should really be at the center of what you do. I didnt, so the next best thing was hearing from white people who could relate to what youre going through because they have moms a little bit like yours. Heres some of what they had to say.

First, you should take responsibility for being a facilitator of the relationship between your girlfriend and mom, creating conversations and situations in which your mom can retrain her brain to see that your girlfriend has an identity beyond her Indian heritage:

I have some experience in this regard. I, too, am white and met my Indian-Americanish (to quote the letter writer) wife (she moved to the U.S. when she was 5) in college. Weve been married over 25 years and have two wonderful children, and my mother (as well as by siblings and my father when he was still alive) were much more open-minded than the LWs mother appears to be. However, that didnt mean there werent cultural differences and misunderstandings, and an over-focus, in my view, on my familys part about my wife being Indian. At least early on. What I learned pretty quickly was I was in the best position to act as a sort of a liaison/cultural translator and viewed it as my responsibility to do so, in both directions. For example, the LW could be the one to suggest to his mom to make the lasagna vegetarian, or to provide her with some suggestions he knows his GF will be ok with and that his mom would be willing to make.

Also, he should try to find a topic that his mom and GF have in common and try to get them to connect with that. Once they have one topic in common they can branch out from there. That may help his mom to see his GF as a three-dimensional person so she can see beyond her simply being Indian. Finally, this may make the LW most uncomfortablehe is going to have to have a conversation with his mom. I think he should focus on some of his moms least defensible behavior and explain how it may come across. He can soft-peddle it by saying he believes its coming from a good place and that he realizes his mom is making an effort to connect. But, he should implore her to treat his GF like anyone elsesomeone who has many interests and things to talk about and to meet her in those places. And, he should let his mom know how her behavior is making him feel. There is a path through all of this. Good luck!

Been There Done That

Second, you will have to talk to your mom, and a key part of that talk will be providing context. India is huge and diverse! How would she feel if someone obsessed over her whiteness? How would she feel if someone only talked about the first seven years of your life? Or if people from other places in the U.S. fixated on her geographic origin?

There is a fine line between being curious/interested and being obnoxious/intrusive. The problem arises when a person views someone from the sub-continent as Indian-American rather than an American of Indian origin. This switch in viewpoints takes time and exposure. My suggestion is continue to give the mom some leeway while at the same time educating her about all the wonderful, American things that your GF does and is interested in. E.g., if a co-worker would ask if I know some random person from India, my response is to give them some idea of the population (1.4 billion!) and the diversity in India. Often, I would compare India to Europe being a single nation to help them contextualize this fact. Mostly, I get positive responses but once-in-a-while, the questioner thinks I am being snarky. In your case, with luck, continuous low-level exposure and education will help your mom see your GF as a person who happens to be brown than as a brown person. She seems to mean well and being snarky now might just ruin any possibility of a lovely relationship.

RB

This letter spoke to me! My husband was born in Japan to Japanese parents but has lived in California since he was three. I am white. We have been married for over 35 years, and I have encountered a lot of people like the letter writers mother. First of all, it sounds like the mother is coming from a place of love, and thats everything! There is a lot of hope there. Her son definitely needs to have a good talk with her and redirect her energies. The central problem is that the mother doesnt see beyond what she sees as the girlfriends otherness and fixates on this in all their interactions. When white people do this to my husband, we call them (not to their faces) Japanese fetishists. When they fail to see him as a full human rather than an exotic foreigner, it is dehumanizing and insulting. The son should ask his mother how she would feel if the script was flipped. What if her whiteness was the sole part of her identity that was acknowledged? He needs to encourage his mother to get to know his girlfriend as an individual  what are her hobbies, what books or movies does she like, etc. We all want to be seen and to be included: treating the girlfriend as the other is just the opposite of that.

Liz From Sacto

FWIW Im a white man who grew up in a small town in the South, and Ive been married to a woman from the Indian subcontinent for over 20 years. Im guessing a lot of writers will want you cut your mom off, or read her the riot act, for being unenlightened. Dont do that, except maybe as a last resort; it wont make things any better. Talk to your mom when your girlfriend isnt around. Remind her that a strength of America is that anybody who comes here can become an American, and that your girlfriend is much more American than she is Indian. Tell your mom that your experiences from the first seven years of your own life are important, but that the rest of the time since age 7 is a much bigger part of who you are; the same is true for your girlfriend also. Ask your mom (gently) to imagine how she would feel if she went to New York or LA and people referred to her as the country woman, asked her to do the accent, and only talked to her about square dancing and NASCAR. She would probably feel uncomfortable! Where shes from is part of who she is, but its not *ALL* of who she is. Ask her to set the goal of spending an evening with you and your girlfriend without saying anything she wouldnt say to a white girlfriend. (Not that she can never ask about India again, but she should be able to put that aside.) You said most of your friends are ethnically Indian; could you invite your mom to a gathering of your friends, or to meet your girlfriends family? Shed probably need a few instructions on how not to act out, but it might help her to see the Indian-American community not only through the lens of your girlfriend. Make sure your girlfriend knows how much you appreciate her forbearance with your mom, and also that youre committed to making the situation better. It seems like your mom wants to do the right thing. Help her see what the right thing is. Good luck!

AM

I love the idea in that last comment about a one-evening-without-Indian-commentary challenge. Your mom has all the excitement and good intentions you could ever ask for when a parent engages with a significant other. With some guidance from you, she can also work on the important pieces shes missing: Not just better manners and sensitivity, but also the ability to sincerely see your girlfriend for who she is.
To get this out of the way: I am still using the site formerly known as Twitter.

I have been posting regularly on what is now known as X since December 2011. The site brought me many things over the yearsclose friendships, news from around the world, a husbandbut these days I mostly use it for one reason. That reason is that I am a freelance journalist, and Twitterexcuse me, Xis still the most useful place to share and get work. In other words, it helps me get paid.

But there is a certain tension in this. I regularly write on Jewish history and politics. This includes politics around antisemitism, and the threat posed by antisemitism. Increasingly, that means that in order to potentially have the professional opportunity to cover the threat of antisemitism, I use a social media platform owned by someone who, I would argue, is using the same platform to make the threat of antisemitism actively worse.

Twitter has long had its issues, but Elon Musk, since taking over late last year, has made existing problems more pronouncedfor example, in allowing accounts that had been previously suspended for hate speech to come backand has invented problems that didnt need to exist, including by getting rid of check marks that verified identity (and also firing thousands of staff). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, top advertisers have left the platform and ad sales have reportedly fallen dramatically.

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But Musk has found someone other than himself to blame: the Anti-Defamation League, which he has now threatened to sue.

Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (thats what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter! Musk posted on Monday. He added, If this continues, we will have no choice but to file a defamation suit against, ironically, the Anti-Defamation League.

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The Anti-Defamation League dates back to the 1910s, and per its founder, attorney Sigmund Livingston, exists to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today, the organization tracks hate-crime laws in the United States and provides legal services, such as serving as co-counsel in a federal lawsuit against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for their role in attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

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That doesnt mean the ADL is above reproach. Increasingly, it has come under criticism from the left for putting the fight against antisemitism and for civil rights second to the desire to defend Israel and Zionism. In 2021, progressive outlet Jewish Currents published a report based on interviews with former staffers that charged that CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has repeatedly chosen to support crackdowns on criticism of Israel over protecting civil liberties, putting him in conflict with his own civil rights office. Earlier this year, the New Republic ran a piece that took Greenblatt to task for not doing enough to tackle white supremacy, noting that his keynote speech at the ADLs annual leadership summit this year had virtually nothing to say about the rise of white Christian nationalism.  Instead, he focused his ire on what the ADL calls hostile anti-Zionist activists groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, which loudly criticize and protest against Israel on Americas college campuses, calling them the photo inverse of the extreme right.  Ironically, Greenblatt faced backlash last year when, on television, he said, Elon Musk is an amazing entrepreneur and extraordinary innovator. Hes the Henry Ford of our time.

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But one does not need to think that Greenblatt is good at his job, or even to think that the ADL has any credibility as an institution, to be concerned that Musk appears to share with Henry Ford not only ownership of an automobile company, but also a penchant for blaming Jews. In looking for someone to blame for his troubles, Musk is lashing out at a Jewish institution that, at least in theory, exists to push back against antisemitism.

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This encourages others to join in: Right-wing figure Charlie Kirk, who days earlier had posted that the ADL today is a hate group that dons a religious mask to justify stoking hatred of the lefts enemies, tweeted out a video of Greenblatt on MSNBC that Kirk said showed Greenblatt bragging about how the group extorts every single tech company in Silicon Valley to censor Americans and ban hate speech. Stephen Miller, the former senior adviser in the Trump White House who was called an immigration hypocrite by his uncle, also chimed in, offering: Speaking as a Jew: ADL is NOT a Jewish organization, which was then reposted thousands of times. The idea that a person (or, in this case, institution) can be deemed not really Jewish and thus fair game for an antisemitic smear is a not uncommon one.

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But that doesnt make it any easier to see over and over again. It is true that most American Jews, fortunately, have not been targets of physical antisemitic attacks. But the threat of antisemitism is on the rise in the country, and the idea of the all-powerful role of Jews in society shows up in extremists manifestos, including where Jews are not the target; this was the case for the shooter who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York, last spring. The antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews are responsible for all ills is not going away, particularly for those who are extremely online: According to an August report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, 54 percent of teenagers who are heavy social media users agreed with the statement Jewish people have a disproportionate amount of control over the media, politics and the economy, compared to 43 percent of teenagers overall.

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Musk himself has not only made it easier for antisemitic posts to be published, but has published them himself.

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Im not sure where that leaves Jewish media outlets or institutions on X, or individual Jewish journalists who still use the platform, just as Im not sure where it leaves other X users made more vulnerable by Musk. Im not sure where it leaves me. Ill almost certainly post a link to this piece to Twitter. Ill hope that someone will read it there, amid all the other mini missives. But Ill also know that whatever good it does will be so small compared to whats written by the owner of the site where Ill hit post.
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Understanding the craft of a copywriter and the importance of a well-articulated job description can be crucial for a small business. This article covers the essentials about a copywriter job description and the pivotal role it plays in marketing and brand development.

Copywriter Role Overview

A copywriter is a creative professional who specializes in writing compelling and persuasive text, often known as copy, for marketing materials, blog posts, social media accounts, and more. Their primary function is to engage the target audience and influence them to take a specific actionpurchase a product, sign up for a service, or adopt a particular viewpoint.

Key responsibilities of a copywriter encompass a broad range of writing styles, from crafting engaging email campaigns to creating effective sales copy for products or services. Copywriters play a significant role in defining a brands voice and conveying key messages that resonate with target audiences.

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Key Skills and Qualifications for a Copywriter

A good copywriter is expected to have excellent writing and communication skills. They are often required to have a bachelors degree, preferably in communication studies, marketing, or a related field. Experience in SEO copywriting, knowledge of keyword research, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously are other skills that make a copywriter effective in their role.

The successful candidate often exhibits a high level of creative writing ability and has a knack for writing persuasively. They need to be adept at conducting thorough research to understand the product, market, and audience.

Skill/Qualification Description Excellent Writing Skills A good copywriter possesses exceptional writing skills, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling. They have a strong command of language and can craft engaging, concise, and persuasive content. Their writing is clear, concise, and tailored to the target audience. Strong Communication Skills Effective communication is crucial for a copywriter. They should be able to understand client requirements, collaborate with team members, and convey ideas and concepts effectively. They can effectively translate complex information into accessible language and adapt their writing style for different platforms and audiences. Bachelor's Degree Most copywriting positions require a bachelor's degree, preferably in communication studies, marketing, English, or a related field. This formal education provides a foundation in writing, marketing principles, communication strategies, and critical thinking skills. SEO Copywriting Knowledge Knowledge of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) copywriting techniques is valuable. Understanding how to incorporate keywords strategically, optimize content for search engines, and improve website visibility are essential skills for a copywriter to attract organic traffic and improve search engine rankings. Keyword Research A copywriter should be familiar with conducting keyword research to identify relevant and high-performing keywords for content creation. They can use keyword research tools and analyze search trends to ensure their content aligns with user search intent and increases visibility in search engine results. Project Management Skills Copywriters often handle multiple projects simultaneously, so strong project management skills are crucial. They can prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and manage their workload effectively. They are adept at coordinating with clients, designers, and other team members to ensure smooth workflow and timely delivery of content. Creative Writing Ability A successful copywriter demonstrates a high level of creativity in their writing. They can think outside the box, develop unique ideas, and present information in an engaging and memorable way. Their creative approach helps them craft compelling and persuasive copy that resonates with the target audience and achieves marketing objectives. Research Skills Copywriters are skilled researchers. They can conduct thorough research to understand the product or service, target audience, market trends, and competitors. This enables them to create content that is accurate, credible, and tailored to the needs and interests of the target audience. Adaptability and Flexibility Copywriters need to be adaptable and flexible in their approach. They can adapt their writing style and tone to match different brands, industries, and target audiences. They are open to feedback and can revise their work based on client or team input. They can also quickly learn about new industries or topics and write authoritatively on them. Attention to Detail A copywriter pays close attention to detail, ensuring that their work is error-free and meets quality standards. They carefully proofread and edit their content to eliminate grammatical errors, typos, and inconsistencies. They also ensure that their writing aligns with brand guidelines and follows established style guides and best practices. Collaboration and Teamwork Skills Copywriters often collaborate with designers, marketers, and other team members. They can work effectively in a team environment, communicate ideas clearly, and contribute to the creative process. They are receptive to feedback, can integrate suggestions into their work, and maintain positive working relationships with colleagues. Marketing and Consumer Behavior A strong understanding of marketing principles and consumer behavior is valuable for a copywriter. They grasp the fundamentals of marketing strategies, target audience segmentation, and persuasive messaging techniques. They can create content that aligns with marketing objectives, addresses consumer pain points, and drives desired actions.

Crafting a Stellar Copywriter Job Description

An engaging and precise job description can attract talented and qualified copywriters to your organization. Heres how to craft a copywriter job description that covers all the essential aspects.

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Essential Components of a Copywriter Job Description

A well-structured job description should give potential candidates a clear idea of their role and responsibilities. It should provide a brief overview of your business, the tasks they would be expected to carry out, and the skills and qualifications needed for the role.

For a copywriter job description, the primary duties include creating engaging content for a variety of media platforms, conducting keyword research, understanding the target audience, and working closely with the creative team.

Its also beneficial to state the type of employment  whether the role is full-time, part-time, or on a freelance basis.

Tips for Writing Effective Job Descriptions

The job description should be clear, concise, and well-structured. Avoid using jargon, and make sure to emphasize the skills and qualifications required for the role. Remember to include details about the work environment and any benefits that come with the role.

Copywriter Job Description: Templates for Hiring at Your Business

Job Template 1:

The Copywriter position is a full-time role based on-site. The selected candidate will be responsible for developing creative and persuasive copy for a variety of marketing materials. This role requires a bachelors degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field, along with proven experience as a copywriter or in a similar role.

Job Title: Copywriter

Job Type: Full-time

Location: [Small Business Name], [City], [State]

Job Description: We are seeking a talented and creative Copywriter to join our small business team. As a Copywriter, you will be responsible for crafting compelling and engaging content for various marketing and advertising materials. Your words will play a crucial role in shaping our brand identity and driving customer engagement.

Responsibilities:

Develop creative and persuasive copy for print and digital marketing campaigns, including websites, social media, emails, brochures, and advertisements. Conduct thorough research on industry trends and target audience to produce targeted and relevant content. Collaborate with the marketing team to brainstorm and develop ideas for marketing campaigns and initiatives. Edit and proofread all written materials to ensure accuracy, consistency, and adherence to brand guidelines. Stay updated on industry best practices and emerging trends in copywriting and apply them to enhance our marketing efforts. Work closely with designers, marketers, and other team members to ensure cohesive messaging and a unified brand voice. Meet deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining high-quality standards.



Qualifications:

Bachelors degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field. Proven experience as a copywriter or in a similar role, preferably in an agency or small business setting. Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills with a strong command of grammar and style. Ability to understand and communicate complex ideas in a concise and engaging manner. Familiarity with SEO principles and keyword research. Proficiency in using content management systems and other digital tools. Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently as well as in a team environment. A portfolio showcasing a range of writing samples across various marketing channels is highly desirable.



Benefits:

Competitive salary and benefits package Opportunity to work on diverse and engaging projects Collaborative and creative work environment Chance to shape the brand identity of a small business Professional growth and development opportunities



To Apply: Join our dynamic team and contribute your exceptional writing skills to help us achieve our business goals. Apply today with your resume, cover letter, and writing samples.

[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Template 2:

This is an entry-level, full-time position that offers an opportunity for aspiring copywriters to kick-start their career. The role involves assisting in creating compelling and persuasive copy for marketing materials while collaborating with the team. Candidates should have a bachelors degree in English, Marketing, Communications, or a related field, along with strong communication and creativity skills.

Job Title: Copywriter (Entry-level)

Job Type: Full-time

Location: [Small Business Name], [City], [State]

Job Description: Are you a talented wordsmith with a passion for marketing and storytelling? We are looking for an entry-level Copywriter to join our small business team. In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your skills and gain hands-on experience in crafting persuasive copy for various marketing materials. You will work closely with our experienced copywriters and marketing professionals to create impactful content that drives engagement and supports our business objectives.

Responsibilities:

Assist in the creation of compelling and persuasive copy for marketing materials, such as social media posts, blog articles, website content, and email campaigns. Conduct research on industry trends, target audience, and competitors to ensure content relevance and effectiveness. Collaborate with the marketing team to brainstorm and develop creative concepts for marketing campaigns. Proofread and edit written materials to ensure accuracy, grammar, and adherence to brand guidelines. Learn and apply SEO principles and best practices to optimize content for search engines. Assist in managing content calendars and deadlines for various projects. Stay updated on emerging trends and innovations in copywriting and digital marketing.



Qualifications:

Bachelors degree in English, Marketing, Communications, or a related field. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated creativity and ability to think outside the box. Attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality work. Proficiency in using digital tools and platforms. Basic knowledge of SEO concepts and content optimization. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. A strong portfolio or writing samples showcasing your creativity and ability to adapt writing style for different platforms is a plus.



Benefits:

Hands-on experience and mentorship from experienced copywriters and marketing professionals Opportunity to develop and refine copywriting skills Exposure to various marketing channels and strategies Chance to contribute ideas and creativity to marketing campaigns Potential for growth within the company



To Apply: If you are passionate about writing and eager to kick-start your career as a copywriter, we invite you to apply. Please submit your resume, cover letter, and a few writing samples that demonstrate your abilities.

[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Template 3:

The Content Copywriter role is a part-time position located on-site. The selected candidate will be responsible for producing engaging and informative content for various marketing channels, such as blog articles, whitepapers, case studies, and website copy. A bachelors degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field, along with experience as a content writer or in a similar role, is required.

Job Title: Content Copywriter

Job Type: Part-time (20-25 hours per week)

Location: [Small Business Name], [City], [State]

Job Description: We are seeking a skilled and versatile Content Copywriter to support our small business in creating engaging and informative content. As a Content Copywriter, you will be responsible for producing written materials such as blog articles, whitepapers, case studies, and website copy. Your ability to captivate our audience through compelling storytelling and effective communication will be instrumental in strengthening our brand presence and driving customer engagement.

Responsibilities:

Write engaging and informative content for various marketing channels, including blog articles, whitepapers, case studies, and website copy. Conduct in-depth research on industry topics and trends to create valuable and insightful content. Collaborate with the marketing team to develop content strategies that align with our business goals. Edit and proofread all written materials to ensure accuracy, consistency, and clarity. Optimize content for SEO by incorporating relevant keywords and following best practices. Stay updated on industry trends and content marketing innovations. Work closely with subject matter experts and stakeholders to gather information and insights for content creation. Manage content calendars and meet deadlines for assigned projects.



Qualifications:

Bachelors degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field. Proven experience as a content writer, copywriter, or in a similar role. Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills with a strong command of grammar and style. Ability to research and understand complex topics and transform them into engaging and digestible content. Familiarity with SEO principles and content optimization techniques. Proficiency in using content management systems and other digital tools. Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks effectively. A portfolio showcasing your ability to create engaging and informative content is highly desirable.



Benefits:

Flexible part-time schedule Opportunity to showcase creativity and writing skills through informative and engaging content Exposure to different industries and subject matters Collaborative work environment with the marketing team Chance to build a strong portfolio of diverse writing samples



To Apply: Join our team and contribute your exceptional writing skills to help us create valuable content that resonates with our audience. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and a few writing samples.

[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Template 4:

The Freelance Copywriter position offers flexibility as it is a contract/freelance role that can be performed remotely. The selected candidate will be responsible for writing persuasive copy for marketing materials, adapting to different brand voices, and meeting project deadlines. Proven experience as a freelance copywriter, a strong portfolio showcasing diverse writing samples, and the ability to manage multiple projects are key qualifications for this role.

Job Title: Freelance Copywriter

Job Type: Contract/Freelance

Location: Remote

Job Description: We are looking for a talented and experienced Freelance Copywriter to collaborate with our small business on various projects. As a Freelance Copywriter, you will work remotely and be responsible for creating compelling and persuasive copy for our marketing and advertising materials. Your ability to deliver high-quality work within specified timelines and adapt to different brand voices will be critical to our success.

Responsibilities:

Write persuasive and engaging copy for various marketing materials, including website content, social media posts, email campaigns, and advertisements. Understand and adhere to brand guidelines to maintain consistency in messaging and voice. Conduct research on industry trends, target audience, and competitors to develop effective and relevant content. Collaborate with the marketing team and other stakeholders to gather project requirements and ensure client satisfaction. Edit and proofread all written materials to ensure accuracy, grammar, and style. Adapt writing style to suit different industries and brand personalities. Meet project deadlines and deliver high-quality work within agreed-upon timelines. Communicate effectively with clients and project managers to ensure clarity and alignment.



Qualifications:

Proven experience as a freelance copywriter or in a similar role. Strong portfolio showcasing a diverse range of writing samples across different industries and marketing channels. Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills with a keen eye for detail. Ability to understand and adapt to different brand voices and guidelines. Self-motivated and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Proficiency in using digital tools and content management systems. Strong communication and time management skills. Availability to work on a project-by-project basis.



Benefits:

Flexibility to work remotely and manage your own schedule Exposure to a variety of clients and industries Opportunity to work on different types of projects and develop versatile copywriting skills Potential for a higher earning potential with project-based compensation Independence and autonomy in managing projects and deliverables



To Apply: If you are a talented freelance copywriter looking for exciting projects and opportunities, we would love to hear from you. Please submit your resume, cover letter, and portfolio samples showcasing your versatility and creativity in copywriting.

[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Template Job Type Location Responsibilities Qualifications Copywriter Full-time On-site - Develop creative and persuasive copy for various marketing materials. - Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field.- Proven experience as a copywriter or similar role. (Entry-level) Full-time On-site - Assist in creating compelling and persuasive copy for marketing materials.- Collaborate with the team. - Bachelor's degree in English, Marketing, Communications, or related field.- Strong communication and creativity skills. Content Copywriter Part-time On-site - Produce engaging and informative content for marketing channels.- Collaborate on content strategies. - Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, or related field.- Experience as a content writer or similar role. Freelance Copywriter Contract/Freelance Remote - Write persuasive copy for marketing materials.- Adapt to different brand voices.- Meet deadlines. - Proven experience as a freelance copywriter.- Strong portfolio showcasing diverse writing samples.- Ability to manage multiple projects.

Interview Process and Selection

Once you have a pool of applicants, the interview process begins. The questions should be designed to assess the candidates understanding of the role, their experience in copywriting, and their ability to handle the jobs responsibilities.

Candidates should also be assessed for their cultural fit within your organization and their capacity to work under tight deadlines.

Onboarding and Training

A warm welcome can set the tone for a new copywriters journey in your organization. Be sure to provide them with the necessary resources and support they need to succeed. Establish goals and expectations early on to ensure smooth communication and understanding.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the average salary for a copywriter?

The average salary for a copywriter varies widely based on factors like experience and location. In the United States, it typically falls between $50,000 to $70,000 annually. However, these figures fluctuate based on location, with major metropolitan areas often offering higher salaries. Its essential for organizations to offer competitive compensation packages to attract top-notch copywriting talent. This includes not only base salaries but also bonuses, commissions, and incentives, ensuring the recruitment and retention of skilled professionals

How important are a copywriters writing and editing skills?

A copywriters success hinges on impeccable writing and editing skills. They must create clear, concise, and error-free content while adapting their style to different audiences and platforms. These skills are critical for maintaining credibility and achieving marketing objectives. Crafting compelling and persuasive copy requires mastery of language, and a strong editing eye ensures the content meets its intended goals.

Whats the difference between a copywriter and a content writer?

Copywriters focus on persuading and selling products or services through persuasive language. Content writers, on the other hand, aim to inform and engage audiences with valuable, educational content. Copywriters use emotional appeals, while content writers maintain an informative, objective tone. These distinctions in goals and writing styles are key to understanding the difference between the two roles.

What are the key components of a copywriter job description?

A copywriter job description should encompass role responsibilities, required skills, company information, compensation details, work location, reporting structure, application instructions, and an equal opportunity statement. Crafting a comprehensive job description helps attract qualified candidates while providing clarity about the roles expectations and the organizations values. What qualities make a good copywriter? Good copywriters possess creativity, versatility, and excellent writing skills. They write persuasively, conduct thorough research, and understand their target audiences needs. These qualities enable them to create compelling content that drives action and effectively communicates a brands message.

What qualities make a good copywriter?

A good copywriter is creative, versatile, and has excellent writing skills. They should be able to write persuasively, conduct thorough research, and understand the target audiences needs.
Marked by consumer unpredictability and looming concerns over a potential recession, small businesses are adopting an increasingly diverse range of strategies to remain competitive. The trend of multi-hyphenate businessesthose that combine various revenue streams under one roofis on the rise, according to Square.

Traditional business models are getting a revamp, with wineries merging with tasting rooms, bookshops setting up cozy cafes within their premises, and beauty salons expanding into the retail domain. Such businesses are adapting to the changing economic tides and setting a precedent for future resilience.

Squares analysis of millions of transactions from a myriad of sellers across sectors like food, retail, and beauty brings to light the increasing significance of subscriptions. As a method to consistently engage their clientele, businesses are offering an array of subscription services. For instance, restaurants are introducing bottled versions of their signature sauces, wine shops are curating quarterly shipments, and beauty parlors are coming up with monthly service subscriptions.

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Such initiatives have shown a significant uptick. A staggering 74% more sellers have embraced the subscription model than the previous year. The revenue from subscriptions has surged by 136%, a testament to its effectiveness as a sales catalyst. By the second quarter of 2023, businesses leveraging subscriptions witnessed a 22% contribution to their revenue from this particular channel.

Ashleigh Ratchford, who owns Ashleigh Bakes Daily in Durham, NC, spoke on her success with introducing a monthly subscription box, highlighting how it elevated sales and boosted customer satisfaction.

Subscriptions arent just a passing trend. They have proven to be a dependable source of income, with over half of the subscribers maintaining their subscriptions past the six-month mark. This data reflects a strong consumer inclination towards this new approach to business, irrespective of the industry.

Retailers are also enhancing their in-store experience, with many offering mixed-use retail experiences. For instance, theres been a 68% YoY increase in retailers integrating Squares restaurant software to provide food and beverage services in-store. Besides, retailers are organizing events and workshops, giving customers more reasons to visit. By the end of 2022, the number of retailers using Square Appointments saw a 16% YoY increase, facilitating customers to book these unique experiences.

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The beauty and personal care sector, which underwent a transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also diversifying its offerings. Theyre launching branded merchandise, with 84% more sellers doing so between Q2 2019 and Q2 2023. The Beer Spa in Denver is one such establishment that launched its own product line to provide customers with a unique in-house experience.

The restaurant industry is no exception. Apart from conventional dine-in and takeout services, a 10% rise in restaurants diversifying into catering services was observed. Moreover, theres a growing trend among restaurants to offer cooking classes, workshops, and events.

To further assist sellers in their journey towards diversification, Square is collaborating with Printful. This partnership will empower Square users to launch merchandise through Printfuls platform, thus expanding their business horizons.

In this ever-evolving market, businesses are recognizing the importance of adaptability. By exploring diverse revenue streams, they are safeguarding their enterprises against potential economic downturns and ensuring steady growth in a competitive landscape.
From local communities to national and even international organizations, grants are available for grabs for small business owners. These grants are being offered to address a range of issues, including construction, business development, cover operating costs, technical assistance and much more.

There are also a number of grants with a September deadline. This means you must apply during or before the month ends to qualify. Missing a deadline will disqualify your application, so make sure you turn in your grant application as soon as possible.

Small business grants not only assist business owners but also significantly impact whole communities economically. This week, a state introduced a range of grants focused on aiding Tribal businesses and communities in expanding their operations and establishing prosperous economies.

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Xero is ushering in a fresh era of business assistance through the introduction of its Xero Beautiful Business Funda golden opportunity for small businesses globally to compete for a share of NZ$750,000 in allocated funds. This innovative program is designed to honor the essence of small businesses, propelling them to success and accelerating their growth trajectory.

The grant programs with deadlines throughout September address startups, pandemic-related issues, helping women-owned businesses, and more.

Small Business News September 8, 2023

This week, the news round-up includes the announcement from the SBA to support small businesses affected by Hurricane Idalia in Florida and Georgia. There is also news from the IRS that mandates businesses must electronically file (e-file) Form 8300 for reporting cash payments exceeding $10,000. For that and more, read the rest of the news round-up.

A Kansas construction business owner has pleaded guilty to an employment tax scheme that failed to pay the IRS over $2.2 million in due taxes. Sheryl Clanton, from Bucyrus, Kansas, who owned and managed multiple construction firms, admitted in court to her deliberate neglect in accounting for and paying employment taxes to the IRS. McCorkendale Construction Inc.

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Amazon just announced the Buy with Prime app integration for Shopify merchants. The goal is to bridge the gap between Amazon Primes vast customer base and Shopifys growing merchant community. Its a move that showcases not just Amazons progressive approach to e-commerce but also its recognition of the power that small businesses have in the digital marketplace.

Robert Kohnle, the head of an Oregon-based payroll services company, pleaded guilty to deliberately neglecting to remit over $24 million in payroll taxes due to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Kohnle, hailing from Lake Oswego, operated as the president, secretary, and chief executive officer of Real Benefits Group Inc., which did business as Aliat.

Watsonx, a next-generation enterprise-focused AI and data platform, has been unveiled by IBM. This comes as global business leaders look to leverage Artificial Intelligences transformative potential. Launched in Armonk, N.Y., IBMs pioneering ad campaign aims to clarify the perplexing realm of AIs real-world business applications.

Beginning January 1, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has mandated that businesses must electronically file (e-file) Form 8300 for reporting cash payments exceeding $10,000, replacing the previous paper filing method. 1. Why Form 8300? When businesses receive cash transactions over $10,000, they are legally required to report them.

WhatsApp has unveiled a game-changer for Mac users with a revamped WhatsApp app for Mac, enabling users to make group calls straight from their desktop. This move aims to provide seamless communication, especially for businesses that rely on collaborative tools and platforms.

In a recent verdict with significant implications for intellectual property rights, DC District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that creations generated by artificial intelligence (AI) without human intervention are not eligible for copyright protection. Micha Kaufman, CEO of the global freelance platform Fiverr International Ltd.

Zoho announced it has reached 100 million users across its suite of more than 55 business applications, making it the first bootstrapped software-as-a-service (SaaS) company to hit this milestone. Zoho saw rapid growth over the past 15 years to reach the 100 million mark, with over 50 million users added in just the past 5 years. And its the second major milestone in as many years.

In the wake of Hurricane Idalia, small business owners in several Florida and Georgia counties may find some solace in the assistance provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA). For those who have experienced damage to their assets or a hit to their revenue, the SBA is offering disaster loans to aid in recovery.

Lots of small business owners have the goal of selling their company sometime soon, but few plan for it. How do you maximize your return when the time comes? How do you get from initial interest to term sheet to getting paid on closing day? Who can help you? On The Small Business Radio Show this week, I talked to Mark Achler who is Managing Director of MATH Venture Partners.

Having a catchy, memorable domain is more crucial than ever. This can be the difference for small business owners between a potential client clicking on your website or passing it over. Understanding this significance, WordPress.com has unveiled a new feature: domain forwarding. Just think about the times youve mistyped a website name only to be directed to the right place. WordPress.

Dropbox, a cloud storage stalwart, recently announced alterations to the storage policy for its Advanced plan. If youre a small business owner relying on this solution, you might wonder what these changes entail and how they could impact your operations. Lets dive into the specifics.

Twilio has taken a quantum leap in the realm of customer engagement by launching its revolutionary platform, CustomerAI. This powerhouse brings artificial intelligence to the forefront, offering businesses a comprehensive suite of predictive and generative AI tools and an AI-ready Customer Data Platform (CDP).

Zoom has just announced major enhancements to its Events portfolio, aiming to make the production of virtual events simpler, more professional, and more accessible than ever before. This update could translate to cost savings, increased engagement, and an overall improved event experience for small business owners. Heres a comprehensive breakdown.
Vivian Yebens Nauser of Neeld's Estate passed away peacefully at Washington Hospital Center as the sun rose on Sunday, September 3, 2023. She was surrounded by her three daughters and said goodbye to her husband and son before she left this world behind.

Vivian is survived by her husband of 65 years, Don Ray Nauser, her children Donald Nauser Jr. and his wife Dianne of Poplar Bluff, MO, daughters Laura Antonelli and her husband J.P. of Annapolis, Leslie Schrader and her husband Chris of Chevy Chase and Leigh-Ann Haas and her husband Raymond of of Edgewater, 13 cherished grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Vivian was born on May 15, 1938 in Washington DC. She grew up in Washington with her parents Irene Agnes (Daly) and Walter Joseph Yebens and older sister Barbara. Vivian spent her summers visiting a cottage along the coast of Maryland where she later brought her own children and eventually her grandchildren. Vivian embodied love and honesty. She was feisty, thoughtful and always told you exactly how she felt. Vivian was unfailingly quick with a joke. Her positive attitude, resilience and faith never wavered despite her many health battles during the past few years.

Vivian was a devoted mother and an adored grandmother. We were captivated by her lovely spirit, infectious laughter and undeniable strength. She always sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her grandchildren but she is our sunshine. Vivian was happiest at the Chesapeake Bay surrounded by family. Vivian's presence can be felt in the salt air and warm summer nights on the beach. She will be missed deeply and loved eternally.

We will celebrate her life with a memorial mass on Friday, September 8 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in North Beach. For those who can join us, we ask that you wear bright colors to reflect Vivian's love for the beach. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider a donation to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to protect her favorite place on earth.





Visitation



Services



Memorial Mass



Friday, September 8, 2023

11:00 A.M.



St. Anthony's Catholic Church



8816 Chesapeake Avenue

North Beach, MD 20714





Interment



Private



Contributions



Chesapeake Bay Foundation



6 Herndon Avenue

Annapolis, MD 21403



Link:

https://www.cbf.org/


A driver can be fined 78.

Such parking will be prohibited as of October 1. (Source: SME - Marko Erd)

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Bratislava - and municipalities across Slovakia - is readying a ban on pavement parking outside designated parking spaces. As of October 1, it will no longer be enough for drivers to leave a 1.5-metre gap on a pavement for pedestrians, the parking space will have to be marked as official.

Otherwise the drivers will face a fine of 52-78.

The ban does not apply to bicycles, motorcycles and scooters, but they must be parked on the pavement in such a way as to leave a 1.5 m width for pedestrians.

The effectiveness of the new legislation, which originally came into force on March 1, 2022, was postponed for a year and a half to give municipalities time to prepare.

Related article

Related article Rules of parking on pavements are changing. Bratislava has lost 2,500 parking places Read more

Bratislava

Bratislava has identified pavements where parking spaces can be marked to allow legal parking without restricting pedestrian passing even after the amendment takes effect. It intends to leave such a solution in place at least until the PAAS city-wide parking policy is introduced in the given area.

Legalised parking is proposed only where the width of the pavement allows, said Peter Bubla, Bratislava spokesperson as cited by the TASR newswire, adding that the city along with the boroughs is continuously working on expanding the PAAS regulated parking zones.

The city has identified all the streets under its administration and evaluated where it will be possible to legalise parking, including pavements adjacent to the roads under its administration. For this purpose, the city worked out basic criteria, such as the width of the pavements, proximity to institutions such as primary schools or hospitals, the number of residents in a given zone or traffic risks.

In the zones where the PAAS city-wide parking policy has been already installed or is being prepared, the city considers the parking problem to be solved.

Plans to legalise pavement parking along local roads managed by the city are also being communicated by the city with the individual boroughs.

In case of a borough's interest, we consult and modify the list, said Bubla, specifying that third and fourth category local roads and adjacent pavements are managed by the boroughs. Thus, the proposal for parking on the associated pavements adjacent to these roads is dealt with by the respective administrator, in this case the borough.

Earlier in September, Bratislava also launched a campaign to remind drivers that the ban on pavement parking would come into effect in October. In selected locations, the municipal police left drivers a yellow sticker on the car window.

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(Photo : Lucy Nicholson - Pool/Getty Images)

Danny Masterson, an actor who was on the popular sitcom "That '70s Show," was found guilty of rape in May and has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Danny Masterson, an actor that starred in the hit TV series "That '70s Show" as Steven Hyde, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty in May of raping two women more than two decades ago.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo gave the sentencing on Thursday. The 47-year-old displayed no visible emotion at the time as the judge threw the book at him.

Danny Masterson Convicted to 30 Years in Prison

In a statement, Olmedo said that Masterson may believe he was sitting there steadfast amid his claims of innocence with no double belief that he is the victim of the justice system. However, the judge noted that he was not the victim.

The defendant's wife, Bijou Phillips, a model and actress who constantly attended her husband's trials, immediately wore a pair of sunglasses following the judge's announcement of the sentence. As per NBC News, she left the Los Angeles courtroom without saying a word.

The sentencing of Masterson comes four months after he was found guilty of two of the three rape counts he faced during his retrial in Los Angeles. The disgraced actor was previously charged with the rape of three women, identified at trial as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2, and Jane Doe #3, between 2001 and 2003.

The defendant, a once popular sitcom star, did not take the stand at either of his trials in the case and, via his lawyers, repeatedly denied sexually assaulting the supposed victims. Additionally, Masterson did not make any statement at his sentencing and simply sat across the two women he was convicted of raping silently.

In court, Jane Doe #2 said that when Masterson raped her, he stole from her, adding that the crime was a "theft of the spirit." She added that the defendant is pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent. The accuser said the world would be better off if the actor were in prison.

Read Also: Florida Man's Bid to Run Across Atlantic in Hamster Wheel Ends in Arrest

Allegations of Rape

During the final trial, prosecutors in Masterson's case argued that the actor, a prominent Scientologist, used his role in the church to avoid accountability for the alleged attacks. The other woman that the actor is accused o raping said that he did not show even an ounce of remorse for the pain that he caused the victims, according to The Guardian.

The women who testified and helped in Masterson's conviction said that the actor gave them drinks, making them feel woozy. They then passed out, and that was when the defendant violently raped them.

In a statement, District Attorney George Gascon said that this has been a long and arduous road for the victims of the disgraced actor. He noted that not only did they survive the abuse, but they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims.

Last year, a deadlocked jury led to a mistrial, and prosecutors retried Masterson in May, successfully having him convicted of two counts of rape. The church the actor belongs to was also accused of trying to silence the women to prevent them from saying anything against the actor, said NPR.

Related Article: Remains of Yohanes Kidane Found in San Francisco Bay 2 Weeks After Disappearance

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/after-retiring-from-leadership-nancy-pelosi-announces-2024-reelection-campaign-1113215333.html

After Retiring From Leadership, Nancy Pelosi Announces 2024 Reelection Campaign

After Retiring From Leadership, Nancy Pelosi Announces 2024 Reelection Campaign

The average age of a US federal lawmaker is 58 and several dozen are over 70, with 2 being 89. While the US population is continuing to age, younger Americans have begun using the term gerontocracy to describe their government.

2023-09-08T18:36+0000

2023-09-08T18:36+0000

2023-09-08T18:36+0000

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US Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has announced she will seek another term in office. The 19-term congresswoman retired from Democratic Party leadership last year, but has dismissed questions about leaving political life.Pelosi has represented constituents in the San Francisco Bay area in Congress since 1987 and spent much of that time in party leadership on Capitol Hill, including serving as Party Whip, leader of the Democratic caucus in the US House of Representatives, Minority Leader and two terms as House Speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 until 2023. As Speaker, she was third in the line of presidential succession after the president and vice president.However, after the Democrats lost control of the House in the November 2022 elections, instead of returning to her role as Minority Leader, the 82-year-old lawmaker decided to step aside, as per a 2019 agreement, and let a younger generation take the reins.Pelosi was reelected to her House seat, though, and shut down any questions about whether she was about to retire from political office.However, the Italian-American politician has made clear that one of her daughters, Christine Pelosi, might look to replace her when she does retire. If she dies while in office, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, will be tasked with appointing a replacement to serve the rest of her term.At 83, Pelosi is far from the oldest lawmaker in Congress: nine lawmakers across both chambers are older, although several dozen are age 70 or above.Her decision comes after a colleague in the Senate, US Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is two years younger than her, had a second freeze-up situation during a press conference. The Kentucky Republican has been cleared for service by the attending physician at Congress, although the pair of public incidents, along with some clueless moments by 89-year-old Rep. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), have helped revive popular interest in the term gerontocracy, meaning rule by elders.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230622/pelosi-gop-has-turned-house-into-puppet-show-with-schiff-censure-vote-1111377982.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/beijing-confirms-state-council-vice-premiers-participation-in-eastern-economic-forum-1113204056.html

Chinese Vice Premier to Attend Eastern Economic Forum in Move to Boost Russia Ties

Chinese Vice Premier to Attend Eastern Economic Forum in Move to Boost Russia Ties

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed on Friday the participation of China's State Council Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

2023-09-08T12:44+0000

2023-09-08T12:44+0000

2023-09-09T14:42+0000

world

eastern economic forum

russia

vladivostok

china

russian economy under sanctions

2023 eastern economic forum

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"At the invitation of the government of the Russian Federation, Zhang Guoqing, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, will attend the eighth Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia from September 10 to 12," Mao told a briefing.Zhang will head the country's delegation to the forum and will be accompanied by representatives of the Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang and Liaoning, the government of Russia's Primorsky Territory revealed earlier in the day.The spokeswoman added that China hopes to deepen regional cooperation with Russia."Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will take part in events within the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum, and will also meet with the Russian leadership. China hopes that through this visit, the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries will be implemented, as well as cooperation between the Russian Far East and China's northeast regions will be deepened, and the parties will jointly promote regional development," Mao said at a briefing.The diplomat also noted that the Eastern Economic Forum is an important platform for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss and find solutions to cooperation issues. She also pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping had attended the forum twice before, in 2018 and 2021.The EEF was established in 2015 as an international platform to facilitate business cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and stimulate investment in Russia's easternmost regions. The eighth Eastern Economic Forum will run from September 10 to 13 in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Sputnik is the official media partner of the high-level event.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230902/alexander-dugin-global-liberalism-in-crisis-1113066555.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230824/how-brics-summit-2023-spelled-end-to-western-centric-world-order-1112861182.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/biden-impeachment-vote-could-take-place-in-mid-september---us-lawmaker-1113195537.html

Biden Impeachment Vote Could Take Place in Mid-September - US Lawmaker

Biden Impeachment Vote Could Take Place in Mid-September - US Lawmaker

The US House of Representatives could vote to impeach President Joe Biden as early as mid-September, James Comer, the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said.

2023-09-08T07:01+0000

2023-09-08T07:01+0000

2023-09-08T10:29+0000

americas

us

2024 us presidential election

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kevin mccarthy

internal revenue service (irs)

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Earlier in the week, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said a majority of House members support investigating Biden in order to move forward with impeachment proceedings. "I think the House will vote in September. And this is all up to [House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy ... but he and I have had several conversations ... I would predict that in the middle of September, we have a vote. I would predict that it passes," Comer said in an interview with the news broadcaster. The lawmaker also said that the official inquiry could be useful in obtaining information from the National Archives and Records Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, which have allegedly slow-walked the investigation by postponing providing requested bank records of the Biden family. Biden's possible use of a pseudonym to communicate with his son, Hunter about foreign business dealings may have been precisely what prompted representatives to move forward with the investigation, Comer added. US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had earlier expressed support for a vote to launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden, amid reports that it could be launched without a proper vote. He said that the information gathered by the Republican Party allows the question of Biden's impeachment to be raised. He said that the family of the US president was involved in a "culture of corruption". McCarthy also stated that the investigation into the alleged involvement of the US president and his son in corrupt activities dictates the need to initiate the impeachment process. As the high-ranking congressman noted, such a procedure would expand the ability of the US legislature to gather information necessary for the investigation into the presidency.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/majority-of-americans-believe-biden-involved-in-sons-business-dealings--poll-1113177165.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/blinkens-remarks-on-success-of-kievs-counteroffensive-fiction---zaporozhye-official-1113196114.html

Blinkens Remarks on Success of Kiev's Counteroffensive 'Fiction' - Zaporozhye Official

Blinkens Remarks on Success of Kiev's Counteroffensive 'Fiction' - Zaporozhye Official

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's remarks about the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive are nothing but false claims, while Kiev is succeeding only in wasting the lives of its citizens, Vladimir Rogov, a senior official of the Zaporozhye regional administration, told Sputnik on Friday.

2023-09-08T08:23+0000

2023-09-08T08:23+0000

2023-09-08T08:23+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

ukrainian counteroffensive attempt

antony blinken

sergei rogov

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On Wednesday, Blinken said that Washington had noticed "good progress" in Kievs counteroffensive. He noted that Ukraine has become a gray zone into which billions of dollars are poured and where Western elites are making money. "The West and the leaders of the gang of drug addicts and Nazis [Ukrainian government] are doing business on the death of the people of the post-Ukrainian space," Rogov added. The Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4. Kiev has thrown into battle brigades trained by NATO instructors and armed with Western equipment, including Leopard and Challenger tanks. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed. Since the start of the counteroffensive attempt, Ukrainian forces have only managed to penetrate Russian defenses near the village of Rabotino in Zaporozhye, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. On Tuesday, he noted that Kiev had lost more than 66,000 troops and 7,600 pieces of military equipment since the beginning of the counteroffensive.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230904/russia-will-be-reliable-supplier-of-gas-and-continue-providing-gas-to-turkiye---putin-1113111521.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230905/ukraine-fails-to-achieve-its-goals-in-three-months-of-counteroffensive--shoigu-1113129812.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/check-out-what-remains-of-this-top-notch-czech-drone-downed-by-russian-volunteers-1113195255.html

Check Out What Remains of This 'Top-Notch' Czech Drone Downed by Russian Volunteers

Check Out What Remains of This 'Top-Notch' Czech Drone Downed by Russian Volunteers

The Czech-made UAV will be studied by engineers and their discoveries will likely used to further enhance Russian defense capabilities.

2023-09-08T09:17+0000

2023-09-08T09:17+0000

2023-09-08T09:17+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

ukrainian drone attacks on russia

luxembourg

drone warfare

video

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Russian volunteers from the Bars-10 detachment shot down this Czech-made drone using a portable air-defense system. The video shows the remains of the UAV in question, a Primoco One drone, which is used mainly for reconnaissance. According to the soldiers from Bars-10, this unmanned aircraft was heading towards the Russian city of Energodar in the Zaporozhye Region.The remains of the downed drone have already been handed over to military experts, who will meticulously study it and ferret out all useful information. The unmanned aircraft is a costly vehicle  its price tag exceeds 500,000 euros. Last November, Luxembourg supplied Kiev with six of these UAV models.

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Soldiers from Bars-10, a Russian volunteer detachment, using a man-portable air-defense system, downed an airborne Czech-made Primoco One drone bound for the city of Energodar Soldiers from Bars-10, a Russian volunteer detachment, using a man-portable air-defense system, downed an airborne Czech-made Primoco One drone bound for the city of Energodar 2023-09-08T09:17+0000 true PT0M26S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/claims-china-uses-ai-to-interfere-in-us-politics-nothing-but-malicious-speculation---embassy-1113192908.html

Chinese Embassy Hits Out at Allegations of AI Meddling in US Politics

Chinese Embassy Hits Out at Allegations of AI Meddling in US Politics

Western claims that China is using AI to create fake social media accounts to interfere in US politics "full of prejudice and malicious speculation," Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement to Sputnik.

2023-09-08T02:52+0000

2023-09-08T02:52+0000

2023-09-08T06:56+0000

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china

microsoft

artificial intelligence (ai)

chinese embassy in the us

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According to media reports, citing Microsoft, China is alleged to have established a network of fake social media accounts with the aim of influencing US voters through artificial intelligence. "In recent years, some western media and think tanks have accused China of using artificial intelligence to create fake social media accounts to interfere in US politics," Liu said on Thursday. Liu added that the PRC actively favors using artificial intelligence in a safe, reliable and controlled manner. The social media platforms apparently affected by the Chinese operation appear to be Facebook* and X, formerly known as Twitter, media reported.* Meta and Facebook are banned in Russia over extremist activities

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230906/pentagon-offers-new-details-on-ai-powered-programs-intended-to-counter-china-1113162301.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/democracy-for-me-but-not-for-thee-1113191884.html

Democracy for Me But Not for Thee

Democracy for Me But Not for Thee

The joint statement is not only a warning about the state of US democracy, but a reminder to Americans to recommit themselves to the country's bedrock principles.

2023-09-08T01:02+0000

2023-09-08T01:02+0000

2023-09-08T01:00+0000

us politics

us politics

america

presidential election

clinton presidential library

george w. bush presidential library and museum

americas

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Officials from the libraries said the joint statement was a reminder that called for a recommitment to the countrys founding principles, including the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as a call to respecting a diversity of beliefs and backgrounds.Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and respect for human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home, the statement says in part. The statement has been co-signed by several libraries for past presidents including: Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George & Barbara Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. The library for Donald J. Trump was not included in the signatures as his library does yet formally exist.While the statement did not explicitly name Trump as a culprit for the dire situation of American democracy, a recent poll revealed 48% of Republicans lack confidence in the Justice Department. The poll was conducted at the beginning of August, before Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted in Georgia over attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.I think theres great concern about the state of our democracy at this time, said Mark Updegrove, CEO of the LBJ Foundation, which supports the Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. We dont have to go much farther than January 6 to realize that we are in a perilous state.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/forces-seeking-to-harm-armenia-russia-ties-behind-sputnik-armenia-columnist-arrest--moscow-1113195010.html

Moscow Blasts Arrest of Sputnik Armenia Reporter as Aimed at Harming Russia-Armenia Ties

Moscow Blasts Arrest of Sputnik Armenia Reporter as Aimed at Harming Russia-Armenia Ties

Forces that are interested in sowing hatred and fear between Armenia and Russia are behind the provocation involving the detention of Sputnik Armenia columnist Ashot Gevorgyan, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

2023-09-08T06:28+0000

2023-09-08T06:28+0000

2023-09-08T12:11+0000

world

russia

armenia

rossotrudnichestvo

freedom of speech

media

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On Thursday, the head of Russian cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo, Yevgeny Primakov, said that pro-Russian blogger Mikael Badalyan had gone missing in the Armenian city of Goris. Later, Sputnik Armenia reported that the blogger was detained together with the agency's columnist Ashot Gevorkyan by the Armenian Investigative Committee. Later, the Armenian Investigative Committee said that Badalyan and Gevorkyan were detained in the south of Armenia as part of a case of illegal firearms trafficking. "It is obvious that behind this provocation are the very forces that are not interested in bringing our countries and their peoples closer together, they are interested in the opposite  in alienating people, in sowing hatred, fear, mistrust," Zakharov said to the participants of the Russian-Armenian media forum that has kicked off in Yerevan. Moscow is concerned about the growing number of pro-Western media structures in Armenia aimed at discrediting Russia, the diplomat said, adding that the tendency to spread "one-sided and negative information about Russia and Russian-Armenian relations" has recently prevailed in the information space of Armenia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/another-provocation-to-spoil-relations-zakharova-on-pro-russian-bloggers-detention-1113182947.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/gas-futures-in-europe-up-by-86-nearing-400-per-1000-cubic-meters-1113195152.html

Gas Futures in Europe Up by 8.6%, Nearing $400 Per 1,000 Cubic Meters

Gas Futures in Europe Up by 8.6%, Nearing $400 Per 1,000 Cubic Meters

Gas futures in Europe increased by 8.6%, approaching $400 per 1,000 cubic meters after media reports about the start of strikes at Chevron's LNG plants in Australia, according to data from the London-based ICE exchange on Friday.

2023-09-08T06:52+0000

2023-09-08T06:52+0000

2023-09-08T08:00+0000

energy crisis in europe

chevron

liquefied natural gas (lng)

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October futures on the TTF index  Europe's largest hub  opened at $393.6 per 1,000 cubic meters (+8.6%). As of 06:10 GMT, they were trading at $389.4 (+7.4%). On Thursday, Chevron told Sputnik that strikes will begin on September 8 at 05:00 GMT. British media, in turn, reported, citing a company representatives, that negotiations between Chevron and Australian LNG unions ended without agreement, adding that strikes will start as scheduled.The strike is occurring at the Chevron-operated Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas facilities, which contributed roughly 7% to global LNG supplies last year. The Offshore Alliance, the union behind the industrial action, alleges that Chevron would ultimately agree to raise wages  but only after suffering billions of dollars in revenue losses.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230904/eu-to-face-electricity-shortage-in-winter-1113116545.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/german-foreign-minister-says-taurus-missile-deliveries-to-kiev-challenging-1113215212.html

German Foreign Minister Says Taurus Missile Deliveries to Kiev Challenging

German Foreign Minister Says Taurus Missile Deliveries to Kiev Challenging

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday that the supply of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is challenging as it takes time to agree on every detail.

2023-09-08T17:39+0000

2023-09-08T17:39+0000

2023-09-08T18:29+0000

military

annalena baerbock

ukraine

germany

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"This is not something that can be done quickly as it was with Leopard tanks or IRIS-T air defense systems. Every detail needs to be clarified first," Baerbock said in an interview with German media group Funke. The foreign minister noted that Kiev's request for the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles is "more than understandable," although she declined to answer whether she considers it necessary to limit their strike range. In late August, the leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, said that he was in favor of giving Taurus missiles to Ukraine. However, he stressed that the strike range of the missiles should be limited to make them a purely defensive weapon. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in August that he was not rushing to approve cruise missile deliveries to Ukraine for fear of dragging NATO into a war with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pressing Germany for Taurus missiles, which have a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles) and can strike deep inside the Russian territory.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230820/scholz-says-germany-reluctant-to-drag-nato-into-conflict-as-ukraine-awaits-taurus-missiles-1112743938.html

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(Photo : Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Senators confirmed in a vote Anna Gomez, United States President Joe Biden's nominee for the Federal Communications Commission, to end a years-long deadlock.

The Senate confirmed on Thursday United States President Joe Biden's pick for the nominee for the Federal Communications Commission, ending a years-long deadlock and giving Democrats the power to carry out major agenda items.

Senators held a vote that resulted in 55-43 in support of confirming Gomez, an FCC veteran and communications policy adviser for the State Department. With the confirmation, Gomez will take the third Democratic seat on the five-member commission responsible for overseeing broadband and communications regulation.

Anna Gomez Confirmation

The decision to choose Gomez returns the agency to full strength for the first time under Biden's administration. The Democratic president's initial pick for the FCC was Gigi Sohn, who withdrew after a contentious 16-month confirmation battle.

The impasse had left the FCC without a Democratic majority for the entirety of Biden's administration until now. Additionally, consumer advocates argued that a two-and-a-half-year delay hurt the agency's ability to carry out critical tasks that sought to protect Americans from potential abuse by the telecom giants, as per the Washington Post.

These actions include reinstating the Obama-era net neutrality regulations, which prohibited internet service providers from blocking or throttling content online. Additionally, Gomez's confirmation could allow the agency to oversee the telecommunications sector more aggressively.

This is something that President Biden has called for in a 2021 executive order, which includes potentially imposing more stringent utility-style regulation under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.

When Biden nominated Sohn, an FCC alumna and a longtime consumer advocate, Senate Republicans sharply criticized him. They called him "partisan," citing her past remarks and social media activity on political matters. Furthermore, conservative groups mounted a campaign to tank Sohn's nomination.

Gomez has kept a low profile for much of her career and is now poised to help Chair Jessica Rosenworcel pass parts of the Biden administration's agenda without needing support from Republican commissioners, according to The Verge.

Read Also: UK Denies Backing Down on Plans to Scan Encrypted Messages for Harmful Content

Full FCC Roster

Various advocacy groups, including Public Knowledge and Free Press that support expanded internet access and net neutrality praised the nomination of Gomez. In a statement, Jessica Gonzalez, the co-CEO of Free Press, said they waited far too long for a fully functional FCC.

On the other hand, Public Knowledge president and CEO Chris Lewis said that the recently confirmed FCC commissioner is "publicly committed to supporting FCC authority over broadband to preserve an open internet and close the digital divide."

Additionally, Gomez earned praise from telecoms, such as Verizon, whose senior vice president of federal regulatory and legal affairs, Will Johnson, said she has vast experience in telecommunications policy and a significant record of public service.

Rosenworcel led the agency following the unpopular tenure of Ajit Pai during the former administration's rule. The former focused on improving broadband access and updating space-related rules.

However, the lack of a complete roster of commissioners meant the agency was limited in what it could accomplish. Techcrunch said any issue with political points, such as net neutrality, would be expected to face a 2:2 deadlock.

Related Article: Google Issues New Guidelines for AI-Generated 2024 US Election Ads

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/hunter-becomes-the-hunted-biden-indictment-may-be-ruse-to-prolong-cover-up-1113204804.html

Hunter Becomes the Hunted? Biden Indictment May be Ruse to Prolong Cover-Up

Hunter Becomes the Hunted? Biden Indictment May be Ruse to Prolong Cover-Up

Carter Clews, the president of Constitutional Rights PAC, Rory Riley Topping, a legal analyst at SpectrumNews 1 and opinion contributor at The Hill discusses... 08.09.2023, Sputnik International

2023-09-08T16:38+0000

2023-09-08T16:38+0000

2023-09-18T19:49+0000

americas

hunter biden

joe biden

plea deals

indictment

dan lazare

the new york post

hunter biden charges

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Looming charges against Joe Biden's son Hunter may paradoxically be part of the long game of covering up his wrongdoing to save his father's career, pundits have suggested.US media reported this week that special counsel David Weiss was planning to indict Hunter on illegal firearms possession charges before the end of the month.Carter Clews told Sputnik the indictment was an elaborate deception, but that "the American people aren't that stupid."He pointed out that a New York Post editorial column had already exposed how Weiss had "run interference" for Hunter Biden for five years."If he wanted to indict Hunter Biden, he could have done it at any point during those five years," Clews said. "All of the transgressions were there, all of the lawbreaking."But by laying formal charges against the scion of the political family, the special counsel can declare all evidence sub judice and off-limits to journalists."This will enable Weiss to refuse to turn over any more documents, to refuse to answer any questions: 'well, you know, we have an indictment. There's a very thorough, ongoing investigation'  which will amount to nothing," Clews argued.He said the proceedings were a "three-part deception"Another aim may simply be to "dupe the American people once again... to deepen the cover-up, as I just said, to be able to say: 'oh, no, we can't comment. We can't give you any information over this'. They have blocked every request from [Congress representative James] Comer, the Oversight Committee chairman for documents. And this will enable them to continue doing it and they will do it even more so."Legal analyst Rory Riley-Topping told Sputnik that many US citizens had wanted a "more expeditious process" of indicting the president's son.But she argued the Biden administration had left a timebomb for itself by obstructing and delaying the investigation."But in a wonderful twist of irony, this is potentially going to trial during the campaign season. I think that's something that the Biden administration certainly wanted to avoid" Riley -Topping said. "So in some sense, their strategy to drag this out and hope it went away ultimately backfired."Investigative journalist Dan Lazare told Sputnik the Hunter Biden case was "getting messier and messier, bigger and bigger."He warned that the ongoing cover-up of the evidence in Hunter Biden's abandoned Laptop from Hell had undermined public trust in legal authorities."The American people, or a substantial portion of the public, believe that the Department of Justice and the entire criminal justice system has been hopelessly politicized," Lazare said. "It's been weaponized, to use the Republican term.""This is extremely dangerous. But when you look back and see how those prosecutors behaved during Russiagate, that strange episode that dominated American politics between 2017 and 2020, then the deep state behavior was so extraordinary that you can understand why much of the public is so suspicious of what they come up with."For more in-depth commentary on the top news stories, check out our Sputnik Radio shows.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/us-house-panel-seeks-evidence-of-collusion-between-joe-biden-and-hunters-business-partners-1113173220.html

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hunter biden, joe biden, plea deals, indictment, dan lazare, the new york post, hunter biden charges
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/hunter-biden-facing-new-charges-biden-empowers-the-warmongers-nazis-love-biden-1113191281.html

Hunter Biden Facing New Charges; Biden Empowers the Warmongers; Nazis Love Biden

Hunter Biden Facing New Charges; Biden Empowers the Warmongers; Nazis Love Biden

A Delaware-based prosecutor is likely to charge Hunter Biden with a gun-related crime that was overlooked in recent court actions.

2023-09-08T04:02+0000

2023-09-08T04:02+0000

2023-09-08T10:44+0000

the critical hour

radio

hunter biden

philippines

ukraine

iran

us healthcare crisis

palestine

joe biden

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Hunter Biden Facing New Charges; Biden Empowers the Warmongers; Nazis Love Biden A Delaware-based prosecutor is likely to charge Hunter Biden with a gun-related crime that was overlooked in recent court actions.

Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War, joins us to discuss Hunter Biden. A Delaware-based prosecutor is likely to charge Hunter Biden with a gun-related crime that was overlooked in recent court actions. Dan Lazare says that this is getting bigger and bigger. The latest CNN polls show him trailing several GOP candidates.Dr. Ken Hammond, writer and professor of East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University, joins us to discuss Asia. Japan has released irradiated water from Fukushima into the Ocean. Dr. Ken Hammond says that the crisis in Fukushima is not over or contained and that China is protecting its market from health danger by banning seafood from the areas hit by the release. He says that the US will not impose a ban because our leaders want to keep Japan as a weapon against China.Elijah Magnier, veteran Middle East War correspondent, joins us to discuss Foreign Policy. Iran's induction into BRICS is a masterstroke according to Pepe Escobar. Elijah Magnier argues that this will undermine the 43 years of US sanctions by shifting away from the US dollar in commercial transactions. Also, this will open different markets free Iran and other sanctioned nations. The Global South is gathering to offer a different economic model.Netfa Freeman, Host of Voices with Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pan-Africanist, and internationalist organizer, joins us to discuss the Global South. Pepe Escobar says that there is no respite for France as New Africa rises. Netfa Freeman argues that the foundation of this was the nonalignment movement of the 1950's. He says that we are seeing the emergence of new regional bodies that are not controlled by the West.Laith Marouf, broadcaster, and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Antony Blinken has spoken with Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas amid a push for the Saudis to normalize their relationship with Israel. Laith Marouf says that the US is trying to have a foreign affairs success. He says that the Palestinian people do not see Abbas as a President but the Israelis will need his support to get a finalized deal.Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents joins us to discuss the Black Agenda Report. Congressman Jamaal Bowman has taken to mocking Republicans in a clownish attempt at enhancing the rhetoric of his party. Margaret Kimberly says that Bowman "has gotten a lot of attention for doing things that are foolish." She says that the Democrats use a GOP boogeyman to evade responsibility for their inaction. Margaret questions if the Democrats actually oppose the GOP other than in hollow rhetoric.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss US Neocons. The over-the-top warmongering by Linsey Graham demonstrates the irrationality of US foreign policy. Ray McGovern says that "Insane is far too gentle a word for Linsey Graham." He says that it is a sign of the times that he is able to lecture generals. Ray believes that Joe Biden has limited influence on foreign policy and Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken are "ruling the roost."Dr. Margaret Flowers, activist, and editor of "Popular Resistance.org, " joins us to discuss US healthcare. A recent article in Popular Resistance says that states across the US must take direct action and challenge pharmaceutical giants. Dr. Margaret Flowers argues that growing shortages of medicines are due to a healthcare system that is based on profits instead of health. Also, she says that the current government bargaining for medication prices is a ruse.The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comCatch us at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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the critical hour, hunter biden's gun-related crime, the crisis in fukushima, linsey graham's warmongering, us healthcare
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/natos-uranium-rounds-are-perfect-storm-of-toxic-pollution-in-breadbasket-ukraine-1113199140.html

NATO's Uranium Rounds are 'Perfect Storm' of Toxic Pollution in 'Breadbasket' Ukraine

NATO's Uranium Rounds are 'Perfect Storm' of Toxic Pollution in 'Breadbasket' Ukraine

Faced with the failure of Ukraine's summer counter-offensive, the US has taken the dubious step of giving the Kiev regime depleted uranium munitions. Kevin Kamps warned of the multiple risks of the radioactive material.

2023-09-08T13:02+0000

2023-09-08T13:02+0000

2023-09-08T13:02+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

depleted uranium

ukraine

us

united kingdom (uk)

nato

m1 abrams tank

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NATO-supplied depleted uranium (DU) rounds will contaminate Ukraine's 'breadbasket' grain-growing regions with radioactive waste, a nuclear watchdog has warned.This week the US followed the UK in announcing the supply of the controversial armor-piercing rounds for the M1 Abrams tanks it is supplying to the Kiev regime. British Challenger 2 tanks equipped with DU penetrators have already seen action in the Zaporozye region  with at least one meeting a fiery end.Depleted uranium is the left-over material from the enrichment process used to make fuel rods for nuclear power reactors and  at higher levels  elements of nuclear weapons.The concentration of fissile uranium-235 isotope in depleted uranium is about 0.3 percent, 40 percent of the level of element in its unenriched state, but it still emits around 60 percent as much atomic radiation as natural uranium. Most of that is in the form of alpha particles from U-238 and U-234  the most harmful form of radiation if ingested into the body  with beta particles given out by decay products that form within a few weeks.Watchdog Kevin Kamps told Sputnik that US national security spokesman John Kirby's claim that DU penetrator rods were not radioactive or carcinogenic was simply not true."Depleted uranium munitions are really intended to be armor piercing. They can bust tanks, they can penetrate through concrete," Kamps explained. "It's because they're so dense. Uranium is the densest isotope an element on the periodic table." The harmful nature of DU is well understood, the expert pointed out.He added that DU is often mixed with radioactive waste from nuclear power plants."In both the United States, where this depleted uranium munitions is coming from, but also in other countries, there's a mixing of uranium waste streams off of the enrichment process," Kamps noted. "And what that can often mean is high-level radioactive waste contaminants can be found in uranium waste streams that then get made into depleted uranium."What makes DU even more toxic is its pyrophoric properties  the material ignites on hitting its target, as well as pulverizing into microscopic dust from the near-hypersonic velocity impact. The nuclear waste watchdog said his first thought on hearing the news that the UK and US would give the Kiev regime DU rounds was that "Ukraine is considered the breadbasket of the world, in terms of its grain production." "So now those fields where these battles take place are going to be contaminated with depleted uranium," Kamps said. "The high-level radioactive waste contaminants can include cesium 137, strontium 90. The list goes on and on. And so you really don't want that in your food supply."For more incisive analysis of the top news stories, tune in to our Sputnik News show By Any Means Necessary.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/how-us-media-learned-to-love-depleted-uranium-shells-amid-ukraine-counteroffensive-1113179148.html

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depleted uranium munitions, us supplies du rounds to ukraine, radioactive contamination from depleted uranium rounds
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/norwegian-man-makes-gold-find-of-the-century-using-metal-detector--1113193411.html

Norwegian Man Makes Gold Find of the Century Using Metal Detector

Norwegian Man Makes Gold Find of the Century Using Metal Detector

The man found the treasure while out on his doctor's orders to get more exercise. Using his metal detector, he made the discovery of the century.

2023-09-08T03:46+0000

2023-09-08T03:46+0000

2023-09-08T03:44+0000

beyond politics

archaeology

discovery

gold

gold coin

norway

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A Norwegian man who was out walking on doctors advice stumbled upon a rare discovery: a cache consisting of nine gold medallions and gold pearls that once made up a costly necklace, as well as three gold rings.The medallionsor bracteatesdate back to about 500 AD (during a time known as Norways Migration Period), and weigh a little more than 100 grams. The item also features a type of horse from Norse mythology, a rare design according to archaeologists.Bore, who said he had longed to be an archaeologist as a child, unearthed the treasure on the southern island of Rennesy, near Stavanger, in August after he first bought the metal detector. In fact, he was about to head home for the day after searching when his metal detector alerted him to the discovery.According to professor Sigmund Oehrl, from the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, the symbols on the bracteates feature the Norse god Odin healing his sons sick horse. On the recently discovered coins, the horse's tongue hangs limply out of its mouth while its slumped posture and twisted legs show that it is injured.Oehrl adds that just 1,000 golden bracteates have so far been found across the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.To find this much gold at the same time is highly unusual, said Ole Madsen, director at the same museum where the items will be preserved and displayed. Madsen has emphasized that Bores discovery is the gold find of the century in Norway.Norwegian law dictates that objects from before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property, and that those items must be handed over. However, both Bore and the landowner will receive a reward, of which the amount has yet to be determined.

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gold, gold medallions, history, archaeology, metal detector discovery, norway, scandinavian history, bracteates
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/russian-forces-eliminate-ukrainian-reconnaissance-unit-in-donbass-1113199184.html

Russian Forces Eliminate Ukrainian Reconnaissance Unit in Donbass

Russian Forces Eliminate Ukrainian Reconnaissance Unit in Donbass

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian armed forces have eliminated a Ukrainian reconnaissance unit in the South Donetsk direction, taking one of the enemy soldiers prisoner, spokesman for Russia's Vostok troops grouping Oleg Chekhov told Sputnik

2023-09-08T10:51+0000

2023-09-08T10:51+0000

2023-09-08T10:51+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

ukrainian counteroffensive attempt

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"A reconnaissance group of the Ukrainian armed forces west of Novodonetskoe [rural settlement] was eliminated, an attack by an enemy infantry group north of Priutnoe [village] was repelled, the militants were destroyed, one was captured," Chekhov said. He also said that Russian military prevented an attempt by Ukrainian forces to cross the Shaitanka River near Novodonetskoe. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in February 2023. The latest Ukrainian counteroffensive began this June, mostly in Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive, widely described as slow, had failed.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230904/russia-will-be-reliable-supplier-of-gas-and-continue-providing-gas-to-turkiye---putin-1113111521.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/scott-ritter-ukrainian-counteroffensives-last-desperate-push-1113205046.html

Scott Ritter: Ukrainian Counteroffensives Last, Desperate Push

Scott Ritter: Ukrainian Counteroffensives Last, Desperate Push

Recent Ukrainian attacks in against the villages of Rabotino and Verbovoe will only lead to further attrition of Kievs forces, Scott Ritter, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, told Sputnik's New Rules podcast.

2023-09-08T14:33+0000

2023-09-08T14:33+0000

2023-09-08T14:33+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukraine

russia

opinion

kiev

nato

pentagon

us marine corps

jens stoltenberg

volodymyr zelensky

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Ukraine is gaining ground in its counteroffensive started in June, claimed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday, addressing lawmakers at the European Parliament. Does that mean Ukraine has finally achieved a breakthrough after nearly four months and heavy casualties?"To answer that question, we have to know what the goals and objectives of the current phase of the Ukrainian counteroffensive are," Scott Ritter, a military analyst and former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, told Sputnik.However, these objectives have not been reached so far, per Ritter. Presently, the Ukrainians are claiming that they have put infantry units beyond the so-called "dragon's teeth", the concrete obstacles that constitute the first line of Russia's defenses. In particular, the Kiev regime says its forces managed to take the villages of Verbovoye and Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region.Still, the Russian Ministry of Defense made it clear on September 7 and 8 that the Russian forces are continuing to successfully repel attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements. As Russian military blogger Rybar remarked on his Telegram account: it's the best way "to turn Rabotino into a continuous conveyor of death for Ukrainian units."What's Russia's New Defensive Doctrine?What's actually going on in Rabotino and Verbovoe is part of a new Russian defensive doctrine, explains the former Marine intelligence officer.In accordance with the doctrine, "the purpose of the forward defensive zone is to receive an enemy attack to help break it up, to use defensive belts, minefields, obstacles, what they call, 'fire cauldrons' or 'sacks' where you want to force the enemy to come in so you can hit them with artillery, to break up the attack, but not to hold and die," explained Ritter.Once Ukrainians achieve localized superiority, Russians will withdraw and continue to grind the enemy forces further. The irony of the situation, according to Ritter, is that the first line of defense is meant to be broken by the Ukrainians, at a time and place, determined not by the Ukrainians, but by the Russians who've been shaping the battlefield from the outset of Kiev's botched counteroffensive."Even if the Ukrainians have succeeded in penetrating the first line of Russia's defense, this is done by design. This is not the final battle. They would still need to exploit this breach. Move on to the second line of defense where they'll come under even increasing intensity of attack."That is, even if the Ukrainian military takes a couple of villages here and there it does not mean any breakthrough, but rather a beginning of the end of Kiev's counteroffensive.Why is Russia's First Line of Defense a Death Trap?Russia has forced the Ukrainian military to burn through their reserves and ammunition while storming the first line of defense, according to Ritter.Exhausted by struggling to overcome Russia's defense lines, the Ukrainians will have no strength left to push on forward, said Ritter. "This is part of Alexander Romanchuck's defensive concept, and it's been executed perfectly by the Russians at Rabotino," he stressed.Why are Ukrainians Pushing Forward Despite Failing to Make Progress?"This is a political question that can only be answered by the Ukrainians," said Ritter.Per the military analyst, Kiev wants to demonstrate to the West that the billions of dollars of assistance have not been given in vain and that if Ukraine asks for military assistance, it will effectively use this military assistance to further not only Ukrainian objectives, but NATO's objectives as well.However, the problem here is that Kiev and NATO's objectives aren't necessarily identical, the US military veteran highlighted.While Ukraine's objectives include the physical reconquest of territory Ukraine believes belongs to it, NATO's goal is not so much about achieving decisive military victory on the battlefield, but to inflict pain on Russia to an extent that there could be a "Moscow Maidan", akin to one that happened in Kiev in 2014, Ritter explained.One should bear in mind that NATO isn't here to help Ukraine achieve a military victory: "NATO's here to use Ukrainian lives as chips in a gambling game designed to hurt the Russians," the military expert emphasized.Who is to Blame for Ukraine's Failing Counteroffensive?While one cannot absolve Ukraine of its responsibility for the unfolding havoc  given that Volodymyr Zelensky could have ended the conflict back in March 2022 following Russo-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul  one cannot absolve NATO, either, according to Ritter.Per the former Marine intelligence officer, the crux of the matter is that the Pentagon and NATO commanders have never conducted "combined arms warfare" in their career, having spent the last 20 years involved in "low-intensity conflict operations" in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere. As a result, American officials, NATO officials, American officers, NATO officers are trying to teach Ukrainians about a doctrine  combined arms warfare  which they themselves are not masters of."The answer is, NATO itself has a paper tiger that for the last 20 years has not been funded properly. They haven't been training properly. They've not been doing the right kind of defense procurement properly. And there's not a single military today that's healthy enough to carry out the kind of combat that's taking place in Ukraine, let alone transfer equipment to the Ukrainian military that could assist them in doing this kind of warfare."Insufficient training, Ukraine's change of military doctrine and style of weaponry "in mid-race", and lack of resources also contributed to Kiev's defeats, according to the military expert.What's the End Game?Ritter noted that Ukraine's botched counteroffensive appears to have brought NATO commanders from their fantasy world  in which Russia is "weak" and its military is "failing"  back to the ground."I think what's happening with this counteroffensive failing right now is that the reality is being changed in the Pentagon. For the first time, you're starting to hear Pentagon officials talk about Russian competence. They're acknowledging grudgingly, but acknowledging that the Russians have prepared a very effective defense. They give most of the credit to mines, trees and shrubs. That's serious. That's what they were saying."The Russians turned out to be very good and this fact disrupted NATO's gambit, according to Ritter. He noted that "there's a whole new reality setting in in the West about the impossibility of achieving their goals and objectives" in Ukraine; and now the West is facing a dilemma of how to mitigate the consequences of the imminent defeat.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230906/what-is-russias-dragon-teeth-defense-1113154028.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/fact-check-have-us-cluster-munitions-proven-effective-amid-ukraine-counteroffensive-1113185683.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230906/why-blinkens-visit-to-ukraine-is-sign-of-trouble-in-washington-1113156789.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230820/scott-ritter-for-nato-and-ukraine-reality-bites-1112738775.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/western-wonder-weapons-wont-turn-the-tide-in-ukraine-1113177634.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230905/uk-made-challenger-2-tank-got-first-taste-of-combat-in-ukraine---and-failed-1113138090.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/watch-russian-ka-52-alligators-snap-at-ukrainian-armored-vehicles-1113202512.html

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ukraine counteroffensive, rabotino, verbovoe, russian ministry of defense, ukraine war, ukraine war map, ukrainian conflict, russian fortifications, russia's first line of defense, dragon's teeth, ukrainian armed forces, us military aid to ukraine, why has ukraine counteroffensive failed, russia's new defensive doctrine, nato training, why is nato training ineffective, ukrainian military tactics, ukraine counteroffensive news
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/some-150-japanese-residents-file-lawsuit-to-halt-fukushima-water-release---reports-1113202832.html

Some 150 Japanese Residents File Lawsuit to Halt Fukushima Water Release - Reports

Some 150 Japanese Residents File Lawsuit to Halt Fukushima Water Release - Reports

About 150 residents of several Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima and Miyagi, filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit on Friday to stop the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP), Japanese media reported.

2023-09-08T11:59+0000

2023-09-08T11:59+0000

2023-09-08T11:59+0000

tokyo electric power company (tepco)

international atomic energy agency (iaea)

fukushima

japan

2011 fukushima disaster

fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant

nuclear disaster

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The lawsuit, filed with the Fukushima District Court against the Japanese government and the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), claims that the release of treated water undermines citizens' right to live safely and threatens the operation of local fisheries, a Japanese news agency reported. According to the document, the release is the "fresh misconduct" by the government and TEPCO after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The plaintiffs also cited documents from 2015 in which the government and the operator promised not to start releasing water from the plant without the approval of all parties involved. The actual release of water broke that promise, as the Japan Fisheries Association officially protested the discharge the day before it was to begin. The suit claims that the provisions of the 2015 document have been violated, and that the government and TEPCO are obligated to solve the problem of radioactive water accumulation at the plant in another way that does not have a significant negative impact on the environment. The plaintiffs also seek to revoke the approval granted by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority in May and July of this year to proceed with the water discharge plan. On August 24, Japan began dumping treated wastewater from the Fukushima NPP into the Pacific Ocean after diluting it with seawater. Tokyo claimed to have cleaned the water of all radionuclides except tritium, which was still within acceptable limits. The water release has drawn strong opposition from China and other countries in the region. Beijing has described the discharged water as "contaminated" and responded by suspending seafood imports from Japan. Tokyo, for its part, has vowed to use tools under World Trade Organization rules to respond to the ban. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that the treated wastewater would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230825/beijing-calls-japans-release-of-treated-water-from-fukushima-npp-irresponsible-behavior-1112880771.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/some-85-us-troops-to-train-with-armenian-forces-in-military-drills-next-week-1113194491.html

Some 85 US Troops to Train With Armenian Forces in Military Drills Next Week

Some 85 US Troops to Train With Armenian Forces in Military Drills Next Week

The US Army said in a press release that some 85 US troops will train with 175 Armenian soldiers next week as part of the Eagle Partner joint military exercise.

2023-09-08T05:18+0000

2023-09-08T05:18+0000

2023-09-08T05:18+0000

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"Approximately 85 US Soldiers will train alongside approximately 175 Armenian soldiers during Eagle Partner, a peacekeeping training exercise in Armenia, from September 11-20," the release said late Thursday. The release detailed that the US soldiers will come from the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and Kansas National Guard, while Armenia troops will be from the 12th Peacekeeping Brigade. The Kansas National Guard has had a state partnership with Armenia since 2003 as part of the Pentagon's state partnership program, the release noted. The military exercise will take place at Zar and Armavir Training Areas near Yerevan, according to the release. The joint military exercise is taking place to prepare Armenian forces for a NATO Operational Capabilities Concept evaluation under the NATO Partnership for Peace program later this year, the release said. On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Armenian-US joint military exercises do not contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region and the strengthening of mutual trust.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230906/how-the-west-drags-armenia-to-its-side-amid-nato-proxy-war-in-ukraine-1113160287.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/uk-vows-to-keep-close-eye-on-russias-black-sea-activity-1113194331.html

UK Vows to Keep Close Eye on Russia's Black Sea Activity

UK Vows to Keep Close Eye on Russia's Black Sea Activity

The United Kingdom will use its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to monitor Russia's activity in the Black Sea and will call out Russia if "warning signs" are seen, the office of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday.

2023-09-08T05:12+0000

2023-09-08T05:12+0000

2023-09-08T06:47+0000

world

ukrainian crisis

black sea

vyacheslav bykov

united kingdom (uk)

rishi sunak

black sea grain deal

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The Russian Ministry of Defense previously warned that after the grain deals expiration, all vessels in Black Sea waters bound for Ukrainian ports would be seen as possible transporters of military equipment for the Kiev regime. As experts previously told Sputnik, this means that Russia has the right to stop any vessel and carry out inspections provided that this Black Sea zone has been declared a "zone of the special military operation" and provided that the grain deal was used as cover for supplying Ukraine with weaponry and munitions. According to Sunaks office, UK military will use "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea" and look for what they dubbed as preparation of attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea.The office added that the UK military aircraft are conducting flights over the waters of the Black Sea in order to prevent Russia from carrying what it described as "illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain."London referred to the incident with Sukru Okan cargo vessel sailing under the flag of Palau.On August 13, a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship, the Vasily Bykov, intercepted the Sukru Okan, a cargo vessel bound for the Ukrainian port of Izmail, after the cargo ship ignored demands from the Russian patrol boat to stop for an inspection. The Palau-flagged vessel halted only after warning shots were fired by the Vasily Bykov, and a team of armed Russian military personnel landed aboard the Sukru Okan from a Ka-29 helicopter to sweep the vessel to ensure that it was not ferrying any prohibited items (such as weapons) to Ukraine. After the inspection, the ship continued on to the port of Izmail.On July 18, the Black Sea Grain Deal expired and Russia decided not to extend it, given that the agreement was never implemented in its entirety by the collective West. In addition to snubbing the provisions of the deal envisaging transfers of Russia's grain and fertilizers, the humanitarian corridor was cynically used for the smuggling of weapons to Ukraine and carrying out terror attacks on Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230814/why-is-russias-navy-forced-to-take-tough-measures-in-the-black-sea-to-ensure-security-1112587954.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/watch-russian-naval-troopers-inspect-foreign-cargo-ship-in-black-sea-1112605947.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/us-hired-gun-eliminated-in-special-op-zone-1113197906.html

US 'Hired Gun' Eliminated in Special Op Zone

US 'Hired Gun' Eliminated in Special Op Zone

Mercenaries depart to special operation zone driven either by Neo-Nazi ideology or for easy money. Yet since the start of operation, almost 5,000 foreign mercs have been decimated. Another 4,900 fled combat areas.

2023-09-08T14:31+0000

2023-09-08T14:31+0000

2023-09-08T14:48+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

mercenaries

ukrainian counteroffensive attempt

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American mercenary Jericho Skye Magallon aka Jericho Walker was killed in the zone of the special military operation. He fought in the ranks of so-called International Legion  a notorious band of 'hired guns' who depict themselves as freedom fighters. Magallon's relatives confirm his death on social media. Apparently, he has left behind one child and parents.According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Kiev ramped up its recruitment of mercenaries in order to hide the heavy losses of Ukrainian troops during the failed summer counteroffensive.Russian officials repeatedly stressed, citing the Geneva Convention, that mercenaries are not combatants and this means that they would be criminally liable. Moreover, the death rate among Ukrainian troops is high and hired guns are not an exclusion. For instance, on July 6, Russian forces wiped out a group of Polish and German mercenaries using a long-range missile strike against the military academy in Lvov, Ukraine's west.Foreign mercenaries who managed to escape from the battlefield say that the worst day in Iraq or Afghanistan pales in comparison with a good day in the special op zone.

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(Photo : Andrej Ivanov / AFP) (ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Canadian officials have announced a public inquiry that will look into the credibility of allegations that claim China and Russia interfered in local elections.

Canadian authorities announced a public inquiry to investigate alleged election interference conducted by China and Russia.

Officials tasked a judge to lead the inquiry, which has been seen as a victory for conservative politicians in the opposition who accused the current government for months of failing to respond to the allegations sufficiently.

Canadian Election Interference

On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government assigned Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josee Hogue to lead the public inquiry. During a news conference, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said that foreign interference in Canadian democratic institutions is "unacceptable."

He added that Justice Hogue will be tasked with examining and assessing alleged interference by China, Russia, and other foreign states and non-state actors. Trudeau's government has come face-to-face with growing criticism over several months.

This comes after various media reports surfaced that alleged that China has tried to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections. Another report accused Beijing of being involved in an intimidation campaign that targeted Conservative Party lawmaker Michael Chong and his family, as per Aljazeera.

The report immediately stoked condemnation and prompted Ottawa to expel a Chinese diplomat in Toronto earlier this year. The situation comes as China has consistently denied having any role in interference in Canada's internal affairs and has called the allegations "groundless."

However, the accusations have raised tensions between Beijing and Ottawa, as the two's relationship has been frosty for several years. This is because of various issues, including human rights, trade, and the arrests of Canadian and Chinese citizens.

Trudeau previously assigned former Governor General David Johnston to investigate the allegations of Chinese interference in March. However, the latter stepped down from that responsibility in June, saying that a "highly partisan atmosphere" made it impossible to complete the task properly.

Read Also: Srettha Thavisin Sworn In as Thailand's New PM

Alleged Involvement of China and Russia

LeBlanc said that China is not the only foreign actor that is believed to be seeking to undermine democratic institutions in Canada or other Western democracies. According to Forbes, he added that this challenge is not unique to Canada.

Despite Trudeau's actions, the Canadian prime minister initially denied the possibility of Canada's elections being interfered with. Earlier this year, he suggested that the country has some of the best and most robust elections worldwide.

Trudeau also said that all Canadians could have total confidence that the results of the elections in 2019 and 2021 were determined by Canadians and Canadians alone at the voting booth. But the leader of Canada's Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, said that his party would not hesitate to call out Trudeau and other members of the Liberal Party for trying to sweep the issue under the rug.

The situation comes as China is known for regularly using threats against family members to intimidate critics in the Chinese diaspora. The incident that caused relations between Ottawa and Beijing to plummet was the detention of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor.

That occurred shortly after Canadian officials decided to arrest the chief financial officer of telecoms giant Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, and the daughter of the company's founder after the U.S. requested the move, accusing the latter of fraud, said the Associated Press.

Related Article: Turkey Seeks To Advance Membership Bid, Demands EU To Take 'Bold Step'

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/what-kinds-of-subs-does-north-koreas-fleet-have-1113209376.html

What Kinds of Subs Does North Korea's Fleet Have?

What Kinds of Subs Does North Korea's Fleet Have?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has laid out a modernization program to bring the country's Cold War-era weaponry up to date for 21st century operations, as the socialist state postures as ready to defend itself at any time.

2023-09-08T17:19+0000

2023-09-08T17:19+0000

2023-09-18T13:37+0000

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The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) unveiled its latest submarine, christened Hero Kim Kun Ok, on Friday. Described as a "tactical nuclear attack submarine," the vessel is a reconstruction of an existing submarine into one capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, according to President Kim Jong-un.Little else is known about the vessel, including its displacement, total armament, or other details. Some Western observers have suggested it could be based on a Soviet-era Project 633 (NATO reporting name Romeo) submarine, but that has not been confirmed by North Korean officials.The Hero Kim Kun Ok joins a Korean Peoples Navy (KPN) with dozens of other submarines in it from four distinct classes:Sinpo-ClassAlso called the Gorae-class (Whale-class) or Pongdae-class, this is the DPRKs newest and largest submarine in service. Just one exists so far: the 8.24 Yongung (August 24 Hero), and its unclear if Pyongyang has plans to build more or to use this submarine as an experimental vessel. Some Western reports suggest as many as six boats are presently under construction.It has been observed firing the Pukguksong-1 submarine-launched ballistic missile and a submarine-launched cruise missile of unknown designation.Sang-O-ClassThe first Sang-O, or shark-class submarine was introduced in 1991 as a small diesel-electric attack submarine, although for indigenously-made North Korean subs it is among the largest.The KPN has 40 Sang-O submarines in service, some of which are of an elongated variety, extending their length to 40 meters.Yono-ClassAnother small KPN boat is the Yono-class (Salmon-class), a 29-meter-long, 130-ton submersible introduced in 1965.The KPN may have five Yono-class submersibles still in service, according to Western observers.Type 033Known by the NATO designation Romeo-class, the Type 033 is based on the Soviet Unions Project 633 submarine first introduced in 1957. Aside from the Sinpo-class, the Type 033 is the KPNs largest submarine class, weighing in at 1,800 tons and 76.6 meters in length.In addition to being the largest, the Type 033s are also the DPRKs fastest and furthest-ranging, capable of operating 3,820 nautical miles under diesel power or 260 nautical miles while submerged and running on batteries. They can reach a speed of 15.3 knots on the surface or 13.18 knots submerged.The Type 033 has six torpedo tubes on the bow and two more on the stern, which can be used to fire traditional torpedoes or horizontally-launched anti-ship missiles. They can also be used to deploy up to 28 naval mines.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/why-australia-philippines-deal-is-part-of-broader-us-effort-to-encircle-china-1113214053.html

Why Australia-Philippines Deal is Part of Broader US Effort to Encircle China

Why Australia-Philippines Deal is Part of Broader US Effort to Encircle China

The two countries strengthened their military and economic ties by inking a strategic partnership deal on Friday. What message does the new pact send to China?

2023-09-08T18:39+0000

2023-09-08T18:39+0000

2023-09-10T09:02+0000

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philippines

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Friday's trip to Manila became the first visit by an Australian premier to the Philippines in 20 years.During the historic visit, Albanese and Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos upgraded the nations' relations to a strategic partnership and agreed to start joint naval patrols in the contested South China Sea to challenge Beijing's influence in the region."In fact, Australia would like to see how more ASEAN countries should support the Indo-Pacific narrative that shares commonality with Australia in strengthening a rules-based order, and the Philippines is a priority country to this effect in Australian strategic thinking."In fact, Australia is representing not only its military interests but also those of its AUKUS allies  the US and the UK  and even more so the interests of Washington, according to Jeff J. Brown, author of The China Trilogy, editor at China Rising Radio Sinoland and co-founder and curator of the Bioweapon Truth Commission.Under Marcos, Manila's relations with Beijing have become strained. Unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who maintained good working relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), Marcos shifted to be more closely aligned with the West.Now, the Philippines has become even more vocal in the maritime dispute over the South China Sea, which parts are also claimed by China and several other countries.During the meeting in Manila, Albanese emphasized Canberra's recognition of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration that invalidated China's territorial claims in the sea on historical grounds. Beijing does not recognize the arbitration.Still, the scope of Australia-Philippines military cooperation might be broader than joint patrols in the contested waters, per Brown."He strongly reoriented Filipino foreign policy, commerce and defense towards Beijing and ASEAN, while slowing down the USs heavy military footprint there. But even Duterte could only do so much with the Philippines military. It is a loyal servant to the Pentagon and derives much of its power in-country from this long-standing relationship. Therefore, any Australian military input will simply be a runt proxy of the United States," Brown believes.Australian-Filipino Pact is Part of Broader Web of AlliancesIt's not the only security agreement struck by Canberra this year. In January, Australia concluded a military cooperation deal with yet another regional player, Japan: the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) came into force last month.International experts interviewed by Sputnik at the time explained that the pact should be seen within the framework of many other treaties and agreements increasingly struck by the US, the UK, and Australia (which, together form the AUKUS pact) with regional players.These also include the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, which was formed between Australia, India, Japan and the US as well as the evolving tripartite format of coordination between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. All these pacts and alliances are intertwined and aimed at deterring China, North Korea and Russia in the region, as Igor Istomin, lead research fellow at the Center for Advanced American Studies, MGIMO University, told Sputnik in mid-August."Given Australia and the Philippines as maritime nations, Albanese's visit might allow Australia to share concerns and discuss in length issues from freedom of navigation to free passage and cooperation in areas such as the blue economy. The Philippines' long-standing concern about China in the South China Sea will undoubtedly be discussed when Australia is building military confidence through an AUKUS-like pact with the US and UK," Panda suggested.How US is Beefing Up Military Presence in the PhilippinesMeanwhile, Washington is steadily increasing its military role in the Philippines. In February, the Marcos administration granted the US military access to four additional Philippine military bases in addition to the five existing sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between Manila and Washington.Some of these sites are located across the sea from Taiwan, which is regarded by Beijing as its inalienable territory and which has been increasingly armed by the Biden administration. Washington claims that the reason for the speeded-up militarization of the island is China's alleged intent to "invade" it, something that has been vehemently denied by Beijing.What's more, the Western press broke on August 30 that the US military is in talks to develop a port in the Filipino remote northwestern Batanes islands. The move could boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan: the Batanes are located less than 200 km (125 miles) from it.Per the press, the US military installation there would give Washington some control over the Bashi Channel which runs between those Filipino islands and Taiwan. The channel is considered a choke point for Chinese vessels moving between the Western Pacific and the South China Sea. In case of a military standoff with China over Taiwan it would be a key waterway, says the Western media.It appears that Washington is setting up a stage for a wide conflict in the region both through its new military bases and a web of security alliances and pacts.

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australia, philippines, australia-philippines strategic partnership, rodrigo duterte, china, south china sea, maritime dispute south china sea, filipino president ferdinand marcos, aukus, quad, fonop, naval patrols south china sea, australia-japan defense pact, biden's indo-pacific strategy, militarization of asia pacific, containment of china, usindopacom, us military bases philippines
Imagine a scenario where, for less than the cost of your daily cup of coffee, Standardbred trainers and owners can secure a Standardbred Canada Registered Groom License for a groom. This isn't just a licensing processit's a pathway to enhanced professionalism, safety and a myriad of benefits that enrich the racing community.

Beneath the technical terminology lies a straightforward concept: a Standardbred Canada Registered Groom License signifies commitment. It embodies a promise to uphold professional standards in the care and management of caretakers. For trainers and owners, it's a mark of recognition for the integral role grooms play in nurturing the performance and well-being of their equine athletes.

Unravelling the Benefits

Beyond the economic perspective, the advantages of a Registered Groom License and SC Membership extend across a wide spectrum.

Accident Insurance Protection: Safety is paramount. The license extends accident insurance protection to grooms, offering peace of mind in the unpredictable world of horse racing.

Safety is paramount. The license extends accident insurance protection to grooms, offering peace of mind in the unpredictable world of horse racing. Monthly TROT Magazine: Stay informed and entertained with a monthly subscription to TROT Magazine, a window into the latest developments, stories and insights in the Standardbred racing world.

Stay informed and entertained with a monthly subscription to TROT Magazine, a window into the latest developments, stories and insights in the Standardbred racing world. Industry Course Development: Access to industry courses empowers grooms to enhance their skills, staying updated with best practices and cutting-edge techniques.

Access to industry courses empowers grooms to enhance their skills, staying updated with best practices and cutting-edge techniques. MVP Program Enrollment: Enjoy exclusive savings and promotional opportunities through the MVP program, further optimizing your racing operation's efficiency and profitability.

Enjoy exclusive savings and promotional opportunities through the MVP program, further optimizing your racing operation's efficiency and profitability. Member Voting Rights: With Standardbred Canada, the national breed registry, a Registered Groom License bestows voting rights, ensuring your voice contributes to shaping the industry.

With Standardbred Canada, the national breed registry, a Registered Groom License bestows voting rights, ensuring your voice contributes to shaping the industry. E-Newsletters and Updates: Stay in the loop with industry developments, insights and updates through Standardbred Canada's newsletters and communications.

Stay in the loop with industry developments, insights and updates through Standardbred Canada's newsletters and communications. Resource Center Access: Gain entry to Standardbred Canada's Resource Centera treasure trove of knowledge, information and resources that nurture your journey in the racing world.

Consider the small indulgence of your daily coffee, a familiar luxury that often consumes only a fraction of your budget. Now, align this with the cost of a Standardbred Canada Registered Groom Licenseit's astonishingly equivalent to or even less than your daily coffee expenditure. By reallocating this modest sum towards a Standardbred Canada Registered Groom License, trainers and owners are making a strategic investment in advancing their racing operation's health and safety standards.

Are you interested in signing your grooms up to have a Standardbred Canada Registered Groom Licence? Click here.

(*Not applicable to Associate Grooms of Standardbred Canada.)
CURTIS, Neb. Nicole Sorensen has completed an agricultural mechanics, animal systems and agriculture business training. The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Ag Teacher Bootcamp training provided curriculum and training to agricultural education teachers. Through a scholarship provided by the Nebraska FFA Foundation and funded by the Patterson Foundation, Sorensen was able to attend Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Ag Teacher Bootcamp.

Attending the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Ag Teacher Bootcamp was a great experience to connect with agriculture educators from all areas of Nebraska, as well as the United States, Sorensen said in a press release.

Teachers from Wyoming, Kansas and North Carolina also attended. We were able to sharpen our welding, electrical, companion animal and livestock genetics skills as we completed hands-on laboratory exercises and curriculum sharing. This provided many new ideas that we could take back to our classroom to enhance our current agricultural education programs.
Local people lined First Avenue with American flags Thursday as 14 veterans traveled through Scottsbluff afternoon on their way to Denver to catch an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

During a stop at the Elks Lodge, the veterans were recognized and thanked by volunteers while they ate lunch before they resumed their journey. Many of the veterans served during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.

Patriot Guard Senior Ride Captain Steve Thomlison said he was pleased with the turnout for the event and was glad that the veterans were able to make it on the trip.

Its always nice to see such a nice turnout, and gentlemen, were so happy that youre here, he said, speaking to the veterans and the crowd at the Elks.

Thomlison introduced the veterans in attendance, including where they served and their branch. He ended his remarks by wishing the veterans a safe trip.

We hope that you have a safe trip and we hope that weve added some memories to your trip, Thomlison said. You know, probably the last time you got a free trip when you got to your destination, it was not really an enjoyable one, so hopefully this will be a lot more pleasant.

Once the veterans arrive in Washington, D.C., they will be able to visit landmarks and memorials throughout the city such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which will be of significance for many of the attendees.

The veterans spoke about their experiences amongst one another as they were greeted and thanked by many of the Patriot Guard members and other attendees.

Former Terrytown Mayor Kent Greenwalt, a Vietnam veteran, is among those traveling for the Honor Flight. He said he was excited for the opportunity to attend the Honor Flight, as it had been a desire of his for some time.

He said that he was excited to see all those big buildings but when asked about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and whether there were any names he might recognize or that he was looking for he said, I hope not, no.

Earlier Thursday, Greenwalt received an additional honor alongside Korean War veteran John Oliver. Both men were presented with Quilts of Valor in honor of their sacrifice and service to their country during ceremonies at the Knights of Columbus.

We know freedom is not free, Panhandle Blocks Chapter member Peggy Maunier said. We are here because of you and the dedication of men and women like you. The quilt is meant to say, Thank you for your sacrifice.

The Panhandle Blocks Chapter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation has presented more than 950 quilts to area veterans in its first five years. More than 350,000 have been awarded by the Quilts of Valor Foundation nationwide.

While some Honor Flight attendees were happy for the opportunity and looked forward to traveling to D.C. and seeing the memorials, some were reflective about the trip.

Bob Betancur, of Morrill, fought in the Vietnam War. While he received thanks from attendees, he was more somber, noting the welcome he had received Thursday was more than he received when he returned from Vietnam.

For him, the trip was an opportunity to remember his experiences in Vietnam and how that affected him.

I am trying to remember the pain of what it was like  19 years old. What did I know? Betancur said. A lot of the pain still comes back.

He spoke about how his experiences in Vietnam are difficult to describe but that he is able to find solace being in the company of so many others who experienced what he did.

Carl Cousin, of Chadron, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, was the youngest of the veterans on the trip and said he was honored to be able to travel with the older veterans.

I get teary eyed because I think about these guys and the stories I hear about when they went to Vietnam and some of the antics that was behind them when they got home, Cousin said. They really didnt get the reception they they deserved.

Cousin also spoke about the support the group had received on their journey coming south from Chadron as they saw flags and people on the street down through Alliance and into Scottsbluff.

Seeing that the community is actually saying thank you for your service, thats a reality check for me, he said.

After leaving the Elks Lodge, the convoy taking the veterans traveled along down through Kimball and Fort Morgan before reaching Denver International Airport.
A roast beef sandwich sent Katie Voelker to the hospital in June 2022.

Six hours after dinner, she woke in the middle of the night with hives, an itchy throat, nausea and dizziness.

I had no idea what was happening to me, the Lincoln resident said. So I had my husband rush me to the hospital, worried my throat was going to close up.

Voelkers mind raced, eventually arriving at a memory of an incident from a month earlier while turkey hunting at nearby Pawnee State Recreation Area. She had been bitten by a tick, but it didn't look like Nebraskas most common blood-feeding arthropod, the American dog tick. Instead of a splotchy white band on its back, it had a single white dot.

Voelker identified it as a lone star tick, a carrier of a syndrome that can cause an allergy to red meat.

I mentioned the lone star bite to a hunting buddy and joked about how ironic it would be if I, a hunting enthusiast, ended up with a meat allergy  Voelker said.

She didnt give the bite another thought  until the sandwich incident a month later.

Until this summer, alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) was a relatively obscure disease known by scientists, researchers and a few doctors.

Then in late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that a five-year study determined up to 450,000 Americans may have been affected by AGS since 2010  nearly the combined populations of Lincoln, Columbus, Kearney and Grand Island.

If testing trends continue alongside the geographic expansion of the lone star tick, researchers wrote, the number of AGS cases in the U.S. will increase.

The syndrome causes a hypersensitivity to a sugar molecule found in most mammals outside primates. Those affected must avoid beef, pork, lamb, venison, rabbit  basically any meat from a mammal.

Experiences vary. Some peoples reactions may be mild and others life-threatening. There is no cure, but mild reactions can be treated with antihistamines.

The first few months were the hardest, said Voelker, who confirmed her infection with a blood test. My sensitivity was highest at that point, and I not only had to cut out all red meat, but dairy and other foods with mammal-derived ingredients as well.

Central to this emerging illness is one of natures most persistent pests. When ticks hop aboard a new host, they find a patch of skin  often behind the knees, the head or ankles  and cut into it with hooks that are just one part of a mouth adapted to parasitic life.

Their saliva can have anesthetic properties, preventing hosts from realizing theyve been bitten.

Its also the vessel for disease, said Jody Green, an educator with Nebraska Extension. And its getting more difficult to avoid tick spit when spending time outdoors.

Nowadays, everywhere you go thats fun is a tick-infested habitat, Green said.

Lone star ticks appear to be on the move. The arachnids historic range went as far north as extreme southern Iowa and as east as New Jersey.

In recent years, though, the tick has migrated to southeast Nebraska.

Research on the lone star tick and others has led some scientists to believe climate change is among the factors driving ticks into higher latitudes and elevations.

Environmental conditions altered by climate change do indeed influence range expansion, said Nebraska state climatologist Martha Durr. There are other factors at play as well. But this will likely be a concern for us locally.

Joseph Fauver, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Public Health, said there are other factors likely contributing to the lone star ticks presence in Nebraska.

Increasing populations of host species, such as small mammals, rodents and white tail deer, give ticks more places to feed. Development on the outskirts of towns brings people closer to the habitats ticks call home.

Were encroaching on wild spaces, he said. Surely some part of that is happening here.

The University of Nebraska and public health officials conduct ongoing tick surveillance efforts in order to monitor potential threats to people and pets. One method, tick flagging, involves dragging a piece of white fabric over grass. Ticks latch to the fabric and are identified at a lab.

Fauver and his colleagues are surveying Nebraska health care providers, physicians and agricultural operators to grasp their level of awareness regarding tick-borne illnesses.

In its announcement, the CDC cited a survey of health care professionals that found nearly half of respondents had not heard of AGS.

Were trying to gauge who knows about this, Fauver said. Are they up to speed?

The public is encouraged to report their findings to a UNL citizen scientist surveillance program, Tick Tag Go. If someone encounters a tick, they can take a photo with their phone and upload it to the site, along with location details. The submissions are then identified by local scientists.

American dog ticks lead the pack with 437 observations, but lone star ticks are not far behind at 113.

Its been great to see what ticks are out there, Green said.

Scientists, educators and public health officials dont want people to be afraid of going outside, Green said. Instead they want to empower people through awareness, and that starts with safety measures.

She tells people to wear light-colored clothing when outside, making it easier to spot ticks before they have a chance to attach. Tucking pants into socks, shirts into pants and long hair up into hats adds another barrier to entry. She also encourages carrying tweezers and a lint roller to remove any ticks found while outside.

Full-body tick checks should be done after spending time outside, and clothes worn during those activities should be tossed into a dryer on high for 30 minutes upon returning home. If you have a dog, she recommends frequent checks and applying tick prevention treatments throughout the year.

Applying insect repellents to the skin is important, but those have limitations, Green said. Among the most effective chemical prevention tools is something called permethrin, which can only be applied to clothes.

If you find a tick, Green encourages submitting an entry to Tick Tag Go for identification. If its attached, remove it with tweezers, pulling it straight out to ensure the head is removed.

Experts discourage using heat to force ticks to detach, as it can cause the parasite to vomit any potential pathogens into your bloodstream. Afterward, pay close attention to your health and any odd developments.

If you have something that cannot be explained, then you need to go to a doctor, Green said.

Fauver, an outdoor enthusiast, said vigilance is key in preventing debilitating vector-borne diseases.

If youre going to be in these spaces, just be really diligent, he said. They are here and we need to do our best to prevent them.

Voelker hasnt let AGS prevent her from hunting or spending time outdoors, but she does take more precautions. She read that people with AGS report more severe attacks after multiple bites.

Permethrin has been a game changer. I can't overstate how grateful I am to have such an effective and relatively simple solution to my tick problem  without it I'd be stuck inside six months out of the year, she said.

And though she still avoids red meat, Voelker reported her reactions to dairy have become less intense.

I was scared to eat out, scared to travel, she said. Things have recently taken a turn for the better though  I tolerate dairy pretty well now. I still have the occasional reaction, but it's worth it to have cheese back in my life.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
Classical pianist Julian Gargiulo became so familiar with the way that many audiences described him  the pianist with the hair  that he has embraced it as his moniker.

Of course, its not a mystery why Gargiulo is referred to as the pianist with the hair. He has a large head of curls that seem to go every which way.

I found that because my last name is a little difficult to pronounce  and also, it doesnt look like what it sounds like  that people would refer to me as the pianist with the hair, the guy with the hair. I heard that a lot, so I thought, maybe I should just be the pianist with the hair.  I thought it was a little funny, and then, I do have the hair.

Looking ahead to if he ever loses his trademark hair, he jokes that he has even reserved the domain name online, the pianist with the wig. Fortunately, genetics will probably ensure he doesnt have to ever use it.

Gargiulo will be performing on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the Midwest Theater. The performance will be held at 7 p.m. and will serve as a special performance to highlight the theaters upcoming performing arts season.

Just like his pathway into being a classical performer  he describes being encouraged by his parents to play piano but not wanting to take lessons until he was 13 when he showed up to audition for conservatory without a planned program  Gargiulos doesnt take the traditional route in his performances.

If youre looking for a staid performance where the pianist sits at the keys throughout the performance, youre not going to find that in Gargiulos performance. He describes his performances in a manner that belies a frenetic show, with a wit that includes telling jokes or stories about his life or experiences. Though hes graced stages like Carnegie Hall and Moscow Conservatory Hall in his world travels, theres no pretention in the way that he talks about his shows, or classical music.

I could really just talk about anything that pops into my head, he says, jokingly, of his performances and interactions on stage. A review cited on his website describes his show as Saturday Night Live meets Carnegie Hall.

The idea is that the music is great, and anybody can enjoy it. But, how are you going to bring them in? Once youve got them in, you keep them engaged and excited, he said.

He enjoys sharing classical music with audiences in a way that is approachable for them, using humor and energy to help introduce new audiences to classical music or share pieces with people who are already fans.

For me, its a big success when somebody comes up to me after the show and is like, You know, I had to drag my husband here, but he really loved it. ... Thats what Im after.

Gargiulo currently lives in Brussels, Belgium, with his wife and children. The couple lived in Paris for 10 years before moving to Brussels, where his wife works. He travels back to the U.S. a couple of times a year for performances, he said. During his visit this month, hell be traveling to Minneapolis and Florida, as well as Scottsbluff. He has been to Nebraska before, he said, however, its been some time so it will be like my first visit.

He has also embraced technology in sharing his works with the world. Gargiulo has his own YouTube channel, where he has began sharing a feature called One Classical Minute, offering high culture in small doses as he performs works from Chopin, Schubert and Schumann, to name just a few.

His interest in online offerings grew out of a competition that he has now been offering for nine years.

I get a tremendous amount of pleasure from helping other people that I think are talented, he said, talking about his Getting to Carnegie competition that adapted due to the COVID pandemic, to an online platform. Today, the competition is called The Worlds Biggest Stage, and has seen some really great talent achieve success. The competition embraces the audience, he said, who help to vote for the winner.

I find that the audience usually votes the way I would, he said, explaining the audience vote comprises of 50% of the vote and previous winners the other 50%.

On becoming a performer like Gargiulo, or the talent that his competition has introduced to the world, he says, Theres no, like, path. Its not, like, you want to become a doctor so you go to medical school.. Its very much, other than the obvious stuff, you need to be good. And you really need to love it. You need to persevere and you need to keep wanting it, to keep pushing. It is as if it is like a door, which is shut, and you have to keep pressure on the door. Then, the moment theres an opening, since youre always pushing, youll get in.

Links to Gargiulos online performances and other offerings are available on his website, pianistwiththehair.com.

Tickets for Gargiulos performance at the Midwest Theater are $15 and available online, midwesttheater.com, or at the Midwest Theater. You can call the theater at 308-632-4311.

Also on Tuesday, the audience will hear about the Midwest Theaters exciting upcoming season. Season tickets will be available for purchase in the lobby of the theater before and after the performance. People purchasing season tickets that evening will receive a discount.
Craftsman obsessed with root carving to build museum in NW China's Xinjiang

People's Daily Online) 13:40, September 08, 2023

Dai Xin, 52, is an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

A technician at a seedling base of the 10th regiment of the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), Dai has been obsessed with root carving for years. Using local forest resources, he has created various kinds of vivid root carving artworks, built a root carving plant, and set up exhibition halls for root carvings.

Photo shows a vivid root carving artwork at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Dai ran an orchard when he was 20. "There were plenty of tree stumps and roots there," he said.

Back then, Dai also searched for tree roots in the Gobi desert, which was a hard job. To find a root that could be used, he often spent the whole day at the edge of the desert, with the possibility that his efforts would turn up nothing. To him, abandoned tree roots with strange shapes are natural artworks.

In addition, Dai looked for tree roots in the homes of his friends, relatives, and colleagues. In August 2015, he found an ideal tree root in his friend's home and bought it for 200 yuan (about $27.40). Dai turned it into a root carving artwork, which he then sold for 15,000 yuan.

Photo shows a root carving artwork at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Dai got to know about root carving by chance. "I saw some vivid root carving artworks in my friend's home and developed a strong interest in the art form," he said.

Dai then consulted books and other materials to learn root carving techniques. When he read a report about a root carving artist in southeast China's Fujian Province, he went there by train to consult the artist. When he returned from Fujian, Dai purchased tools and began honing his root carving skills.

Photo shows root carving artworks at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

"I began devoting myself to root carving in about 2012," Dai said, adding that he creates nearly 100 root carving artworks every year.

Nowadays, Dai's root carving artworks can be seen in the homes of many citizens and hotels in Alar city. His root carvings are also displayed at the citys culture center.

"I really want to build a root carving museum to welcome people from all corners of the country," Dai said.

Photo shows a vivid root carving artwork at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Photo shows root carving artworks at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Photo shows tree roots collected by Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Photo shows a vivid root carving artwork at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Photo shows a vivid root carving artwork at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

Photo shows root carving artworks at an exhibition hall of Dai Xin, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of root carving in Alar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Shi Yujiang)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
(Photo : Damien MEYER / AFP) (DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images)

A heat wave in the United Kingdom is expected to cause 30-degree Celsius temperatures that would last for several days across the region.

The United Kingdom's Met Office warned that there is a possibility that 30-degree Celsius temperatures will last for several days in the region, a record period.

The forecaster added that Thursday was the region's hottest day of the year, with a recorded 32.6-degree Celsius temperature in Wisley, Surrey. The highest temperature before that was set in June and recorded at 32.2 degrees Celsius.

UK Heat Wave

The heat wave in the UK has already broken the record for the most consecutive days, with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in September. Saharan dust generated vivid sunsets and sunrises in the clear conditions within the region.

The temperature recorded on Thursday made it the fourth day it hit above 30 degrees Celsius. It beat the record of three days seen on four previous occasions, most recently in 2016, per the Independent.

In a statement, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said that observing 30 degrees Celsius until Sunday would mark six days of reaching that milestone temperature. He said there were only three days of such temperatures last September.

Partridge noted that while the current temperatures are not yet the hottest conditions observed since September, the period has been twice as long as previously seen. In South Yorkshire, the highest daily temperature in September was recorded as 35.6 degrees Celsius on Sept. 2, 1906.

However, the meteorologist added that there was no chance that the September daily temperature record would be broken in the following days. He noted that it might get warmer over the weekend but would not increase significantly. However, Partridge said it would be the warmest day of the year.

Several other areas in the UK recorded temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius on Thursday. According to BBC, BBC Weather forecaster Gareth Harvey added that the southeast of England could experience 33 degrees Celsius and that the heat is expected to last into Friday and a little bit over the weekend.

Read Also: Hurricane Idalia: Rare Blue Supermoon May Worsen Storm Surge

Rising Temperatures

Harvey said that southeast England could experience 31 degrees Celsius on Sunday, adding that it would be relatively cooler further north. He noted that much of Scotland and Northern Ireland will have temperatures in the low 20s.

The forecaster also said there is a growing possibility of some thundery showers in the north and west this coming weekend. This is because winds switch to a south-westerly direction, pulling in cooler, fresher air from the Atlantic.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said that high pressure was located to the southeast of the UK, creating more settled conditions and temperatures above the average for this time of the year.

He added that while the highest temperatures are expected in the south, heat wave conditions will likely be experienced across much of England and Wales. The situation also comes as the UK Health Security Agency issued an amber warning for heat until Sunday at 9:00 p.m., said Yahoo News.

Related Article: Natural Catastrophes No Longer Covered by Some Home Insurers as Climate Threats Rise

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Iredell Health System, in partnership with the Iredell Physician Network, is welcomed Maria Tletee, MD, to Iredell Internal Medicine.

Tletee is an internal medicine physician who chose her specialty because it fuels her passion for patient care, lifelong learning, and aligns with her desire to make a difference in her patients lives.

I enjoy following each patients journey, starting from the diagnostic challenge, adjusting treatments, and ending with the thrill of seeing a patient improve, said Tletee.

Tletee believes in preventive care, continuous learning, evidence-based treatment, and communication and empathy as components of her approach to medical care.

Every patient is valued, and their wellbeing is important to me. When patients first meet me, they can expect get-to-know-you questions, so I can establish a rapport and create the best healthcare plan for them, she said.

Tletee received her medical degree from Syrian Private University in Syria and completed her medical residency at St. Barnabas Health System in New York. She is a member of the American Medical Association.

Originally from Syria, Tletee has traveled to many different countries before relocating to the United States. Tletee is fluent in English and Arabic. She is married and enjoys socializing, cooking, shopping, and road trips.

Her favorite health tip is to be proactive.

Applying preventive measures will dynamically change your overall health and general wellbeing, she said.

Tletee will practice at Iredell Internal Medicine, located at 757 Bryant St. in Statesville. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tletee, call 704-873-5658.
Theres a good-news, bad-news in the latest phase of COVID-19, infectious diseases experts said this week.

The bad: The three key measuring sticks  emergency department visits, hospital admissions and wastewater samples  are climbing to their highest levels since the national public-health emergency was declared over on May 10.

The good: The severity of COVID-19 infections has diminished greatly during what Dr. Christopher Ohl with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist calls a wavelet of cases since late July.

That makes this phase different and colors how we look at things, Ohl said Thursday in his first COVID-19 briefing since the end of the emergency.

As (COVID) becomes more in an endemic stage and like a (respiratory) virus, the steps to protect ourselves dont have to be as intense for those under age 70 and not immunocompromised.

For a school or a workplace to reintroduce masking for COVID or any respiratory virus, it would really have to be getting in the way of its mission  lots of students or employees sick, a lot of teachers out.

Ohl, along with Novant Health Inc. infectious diseases expert Dr. David Priest, became familiar voices during the pandemic.

Priest advises that the most vulnerable members of our community, including older individuals and those with chronic medical issues, get a second bivalent booster vaccine dose.

We do anticipate, as in most years, we will have several respiratory viruses circulating this fall, Priest said. Those will include, but are not limited to, COVID, influenza and RSV  all of which can be quite serious.

Ohl said he has been getting feedback about why arent we masking again, doing social distancing again with the key metrics rising.

Its because we dont have to, just like we dont pull out a community mask standard with flu season or have a mandate for our schools.

Because we can all protect ourselves, theres not a real reason anymore for the whole community at large to be masking all the time unless a new variant really throws us a left turn, Ohl said.

For those who feel the need for protection, go for it.

Key metrics

DHHS halted its overall weekly COVID-19 dashboard updates on May 10.

Ohl said that while the Atrium doesnt count the COVID-19 case numbers like we did during the actual emergency phase of the pandemic, they are pretty high over the past month or so.

The BA.2.86 subvariant of the original omicron variant that surfaced in early 2022 has received the most attention during the wavelet.

Ohl said it appears to be less prevalent in North Carolina than in other states.

There is hope this subvariant may not be as transmissible, doesnt cause any more severe disease than the other omicron variants and isnt spreading as fast as what would create a lot of concern, Ohl said. It may a little more immune evasive.

Still, statewide COVID-19 hospital admissions reached a near four-month high of 493 last week. Thats up from 484 last week and the highest since 520 for the week that ended March 11.

Meanwhile, 4.1% of all statewide emergency room visits last week were related to COVID-19, up from 3.9% the previous report. Its the highest COVID-19-related level since 4.5% for the week that ended Feb. 11.

Ohl also pointed to wastewater samples finding more COVID-19 presence during the wavelet.

The wastewater monitoring found 36.2 million COVID-19 virus particles statewide, according to Wednesdays update of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard,

Thats up from 28.8 million the previous week and the highest level since the peak of 57.1 million for the week that ended Jan. 4, 2023.

For the Triad, the wastewater samples are as high as they were during the omicron phase, Ohl said.

Why get the booster?

Because the vaccines effectiveness wanes over time, Ohl recommends that individuals consider getting the next COVID-19 booster shot when it becomes available within the next few weeks.

Ohl said getting the next booster shot would serve to top you off immunity-wise within two weeks.

It will have faster than the original vaccinations because were kind of waking up the immune system, Ohl said.

Ohl suggested that with 97% of North Carolinians either having had some COVID-19 vaccine, recovered from a case of COVID-19, or both, that has created a level of community immunity to most of the variants.

We may know of people who have shown symptoms or become ill, but most are not winding up in the hospital and the symptoms tend to be a mild or bad cold and go away after three or four days, Ohl said. Only about 7% to 10% of those getting COVID are losing their sense of smell and taste.

The number of people dying from COVID has become almost trivial compared to what it was during the delta phase  the one that slammed us the hardest.

The number of deaths in our healthcare system is roughly 5% of what it was two years ago ... thats good news.

Dr. Cameron Wolfe, infectious disease specialist with Duke Health, said Wednesday there is concern that individuals will choose not to get the next booster shot because of having to bear the cost since the federal public health emergency expired.

There have been offers put forward by the federal government and the companies who say we dont want anyone left behind in this, financially, Wolfe said.

It remains to be seen how that plays out, and it does bother me that theres a risk here, that the message of vaccination will get to people  but also the access gets restricted.

That doesnt mean people still do not still get long COVID, Wolfe said. That doesnt mean theres no interruptions to work and scheduling and family and all the rest.
In Virginias Halifax County, 5,368 acres are covered by solar panels. Given the countys 841-square-mile size that amounts to just over 1% of the total land mass, but the number of solar projects has given Halifaxs leaders plenty of experience in working with solar developers. One of those leaders is a familiar face to Smyth County.

Scott Simpson, who served as Smyth Countys engineer and then county administrator, assumed the post of Halifax Countys county administrator in early 2019. Hed served Smyth for 15 years.

While Smyth leaders are working with their first solar project proposal, Halifax has OKd 18 projects.

Assistant County Administrator Clegg Williams said officials asked Simpson to share his insights with the Smyth County Board of Supervisors to help its members address unresolved issues and answer questions.

Williams noted that Smyth used Halifax Countys zoning regulations to develop its own earlier this year.

In addition to Halifax Countys projects, Simpson said its neighbor, Pittsylvania County, has approved 22 solar projects, while Charlotte County has given the nod to five, including an 800-megawatt facility that is the largest one of its kind east of the Mississippi River.

In terms of geography, Simpson noted that Halifax County is largely flat land, which is more workable for solar projects and is near to a coal-fired power plant slated for closure.

According to Simpson, Halifax County was among the localities in Virginia that led the charge for legislators to OK revenue sharing and siting ordinances that allow counties to benefit financially from such facilities. This came after recognizing in 2019 that the solar projects were largely exempt from local machinery & tools tax.

We tried to find a way to make it equitable for counties, Simpson said.

Halifax County leaders also worked to protect the land.

That county, Simpson said, allows no more than 5% of land in a 5-mile radius to feature solar panels. It also works to protect the visual landscape. Most of his countys citizens have told leaders that theyre receptive to solar facilities if they cant see them.

While nearly 5,400 acres are covered with solar panels, Simpson said that 9,500 acres around them serve as buffers, wildlife corridors, and pollinator plant zones.

When new projects are proposed, Simpson said, members of Halifaxs board of supervisors and planning commission visit the sites to see firsthand potential impacts.

As it is in Smyth County, Simpson said, protecting prime farmland is a concern. While many leaders didnt want to see ag-producing land lost, he said, farmers also called on the county to allow for generational diversity in their propertys use. Weve tried to balance the concerns, he noted.

At this point, Simpson said, solar sites are projected to bolster revenue by $1.7 million annually, which puts them on track to replace the $2 million of tax revenue that will be lost when the coal-fired plant is shut down.

In Smyth County, concerns have been expressed about storm-water runoff and environmental contamination from chemicals in the panels.

To address those concerns, Simpson said that his county requires developers to provide detailed information about whats in the panels and doesnt allow those with recognizable hazardous materials. Test wells and soil testing are also required in Halifax County. If a private well exists within 2,000 feet of the project, the solar company is also required to test it.

Simpson reminded Smyth leaders that through the special use permit process, which solar facilities are required to obtain, they can put a wide variety of restrictions on projects.

Williams concurred, saying that since Smyth used Halifax Countys ordinance as its model, officials possess all its tools.

Smyth officials currently have one solar project request on the table.

The Florida-based company Clean Footprint now has options to buy about 150 acres off of Cedar Branch Road in the Rich Valley area and is proposing a solar facility anticipated to require about 76 acres. The land is surrounded by agriculture/rural-zoned property. The 10-megawatt array would feature about 22,000 solar panels and is expected to provide energy to Appalachian Power through the three-phase line along Saltville Highway.

As they continue to review the proposal and any restrictions, they might want to place on the projects permit, supervisors voted to again table the permit request. They had initially voted to table the request on Aug. 10.
New Southern Biscuit Breakfast and Lunch Spot in Orlando Alert ! Did you know that the first North Carolina-based Rise Biscuits in Central Florida is now open daily 7am-2pm in Winter Park at Lakeside Crossing, 110 S. Orlando Avenue, next to Bulla Gastrobar and Sixty Vines?

Home of the Best Dang Biscuits since 2012, Rise recently won Best Biscuits in the US by Food and Wine Magazine for their fresh, made-in-house, pillowy, warm-buttered Southern biscuits.

With the recent closing of The Coop and Popeyes nearby, will Rise rise to rule the roost at the top of the Chicken Strip District?

Rise relies on locally-sourced ingredients like North Carolina-milled flour from Renwood Mills, 100% butter (no shortening in these biscuits).

Serving up Southern Biscuits, Righteous Chicken Sandwiches and Donuts, they are having their GRAND OPENING Event on Saturday, September 9th starting at 7am.

Heres what theyve got in store for GRAND OPENING Day:

Free Winter Park exclusive sticker for first 100 customers

Spin the Wheel to win one of several prizes, including free Rise food and merchandise. Everyone is a winner!

Enter to win FREE RISE FOR A YEAR. Visit https://risebiscuitschicken.com/locations/winter-park/ for details

Join Rise Rewards for a free biscuit on your next visit!

Rise will also be donating 10% of sales on Saturday September 9th to Bishop Moore Catholic High School!

For more information on their grand opening festivities and to win free Rise food and drink follow/like Rise on Facebook and Instagram @risebiscuits.

Founded in North Carolina, Rise is taking the country by storm with their fresh take on Southern breakfast and lunch. Rise might be fast and casual, but founder Tom Ferguson was a formally trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America, and has worked for himself and for others in high-end restaurants around the country.

Rise serves breakfast and lunch comfort foods with a playful twistlike the Righteous Chicken Sandwiches topped with anything from crispy bacon to fried green tomatoes.

Their chicken is tenderized, brined in buttermilk, fried to golden-brown perfection and then served on a biscuit, bun or as strips with your choice of toppings and sauces.

Donut flavors range from your standard old-fashioned to Maple Bacon Flavored and Cheerwine donuts.

Sides like cheese grits, fried okra, cheddar tots, and country gravy round out the Southern menu. They also have a fantastic sweet-glazed blueberry biscuit that is a must try!

The Rise ordering and pickup process is streamlined to get customers their orders quickly and efficiently. Orders are placed online via the RISE app and website or via kiosks in the restaurant.

Convenient pickup is available through heated food lockers  just like those automats from NYC back in the day.

They are not stopping at Winter Park, with plans in the works for a second location of Rise in downtown Orlando coming soon.

Rise Biscuits Winter Park

Lakeside Crossing

110 S. Orlando Avenue, #6

Winter Park, FL 32789

https://risebiscuitschicken.com/locations/winter-park/
Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office deputies arrested a man suspected of damaging property and refusing to surrender Wednesday morning.

At about 11:22 a.m., Wednesday, dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a man damaging property at a residence on the 100 block of Owens Road in the unincorporated community of Silver Lake, according to an agency Facebook post.

Deputies later learned the man was allegedly intoxicated and belligerent, the post states.

The suspect, later identified as Daren Ray Barnes, 33, of Silver Lake was told he was under arrest and instructed to exit his residence, but he declined and reportedly challenged deputies to a fight.

Chief Criminal Deputy Troy Brightbill told The Daily News that Barnes blocked a door with chairs and broke furniture, housewares and punched holes in the walls.

Barness wife told authorities she left the residence because of his conduct and not feeling safe in her home, according to the post.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News.

After obtaining a search warrant, deputies used tear gas, Brightbill said, to coax Barnes into leaving the dwelling and surrendering to authorities without further incident.

Barnes was expected to appear in a Cowlitz County Superior courtroom for an arraignment hearing at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 21. As stated in the post, Barnes was transported to the Cowlitz County Jail and booked on second-degree malicious mischief and obstructing a law enforcement officer.
The ferry Wenatchee, one of Washington State Ferries' three largest vessels, was pulled out of service this week to undergo conversion to hybrid-electric power. It will be out of rotation for the next year as workers overhaul the 25-year-old boat into one that will eventually run mostly on rechargeable battery power.

It's the most concrete step toward the state's ambitious $4 billion, nearly 20-year planned makeover of the aging fleet, which burns around 19 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. When finished, emissions are projected to drop by 75%.

The Wenatchee is the first of the three Jumbo Mark II vessels slated for conversion. The goal is to complete the work by late summer 2024, upon which the Tacoma will take its turn, followed by the Puyallup in 2025.

The Wenatchee is currently docked in Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island receiving routine maintenance. Next week, it will sail to Harbor Island in Seattle, where the shipbuilder Vigor will perform the work.

Vigor was awarded the $150 million contract to perform the work last month. That price tag is 25% higher that WSF's original $120 million estimate. As a result, the contract guarantees construction of the first two boats and leaves an option for the third.

When finished, two of the Wenatchee's four diesel engines will be replaced by large  and heavy  batteries. To start, the boat will run like a hybrid car, with the diesel engines charging the batteries, reducing emissions by around a quarter.

When Colman Dock in Seattle is eventually retrofitted with onshore charging equipment, the boat will plug in while cars load and unload, reducing emissions by more than 90%.

By 2040, the state wants to build 16 new hybrid-electric ferries, while converting six others away from diesel. Reaching that target will be a challenge. The Legislature has so far only budgeted $1.3 billion  about a third of the total projected cost  and the price tag is already increasing.

The ferry system had hoped to have its first new boat by 2022, for below $200 million; the earliest arrival date is now 2027 and the state has not yet found a builder.

Losing a Jumbo Mark II boat for each of the next three years presents a challenge to a fleet that's already stretched thin. The current roster of 21 boats leaves no spares during the peak summer seasons, although crew shortages mean the system is already not operating at full capacity.

More immediately, the three boats slated to be pulled each carry 202 cars. The next two largest Jumbo ships carry 188. The Chimacum, which replaced the Wenatchee on the Seattle to Bainbridge Island route carries 144 cars.
In a rare event that has galvanised skywatchers and sent them scooting for their telescopes and binoculars in order to cacth more than just a glimpse of a new comet that has just appeared. In fact, people all over the world are taking amazing pictures of Comet Nishimura as it travels through space. This comet was sighted for the first time in August, 2023 by a sky-watcher named Hideo Nishimura from Kakegawa City, Japan. He used a regular camera with a special lens to spot it. Finding a comet like this with a regular camera is a big deal because most new comets are discovered with fancy telescopes. This comet is especially important because a strange interaction with a solar storm was spotted.

A Celestial Show Approaches

For the past few weeks, folks who love comets and taking pictures of the night sky have been keeping an eye on Comet Nishimura. They've taken some really cool photos of it.

Also read: Catch a glimpse of Comet Nishimura C/2023 P1, it will not return for 400 years

According to Space.com, In the coming weeks, it should be easier to see Comet Nishimura. This icy space rock is getting closer to Earth, and it will be closest on September 12. Then, on September 17, it will come closest to the Sun, which is called perihelion. Right now, you can spot the comet in the Leo constellation before sunrise, in the early morning.

Tips for Stargazers

To see this awesome sight, look to the east in the early morning hours. You might need a stargazing app to find it in the sky. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you'll get an even better view. With binoculars or a smaller telescope, you'll see a blurry, greenish ball. But if you have a strong telescope, you might be able to see the comet's tail.

A comet expert named Michael Jager from Austria has taken many breathtaking photos of Comet Nishimura this month. He even caught the comet losing its tail because of a strong solar storm.

Expert's Observation

Another sky enthusiast, Nick Bull, also known as Stonehenge Dronescapes, shared a photo of the comet over Stonehenge on September 6. It was perfectly framed above the ancient stone monument.

Stuart Atkinson, who enjoys studying the sky as a hobby, captured some colorful pictures of Comet Nishimura on September 5. His photos show a clear split in the comet's tail.
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: AI-generated image

Meet Madison and Jackson, the AI narrators or "digital voices" soon to be reading some of the audiobooks on Apple Books. They sound nothing like Siri or Alexa or the voice telling you about the unexpected item in the bagging area of your supermarket checkout. They sound warm, natural, animated. They sound real.

With their advanced levels of realism, Apple's new AI voices present the genuine possibility that the listener will be unaware of their artificiality. Even the phrase used in Apple's catalogs of digitally-narrated audiobooks"this is an Apple Books audiobook narrated by a digital voice based on a human narrator"is ambiguous. It's not clear from this phrase who or what is doing the narrating.

This ambiguity means that it would be possible for you to download an audiobook voiced by Jackson, start listening and think (if you think about it at all) that the voice you hear is that of a voice actor. But does this matter?

If the listener is wholly unaware that the narrator is digital, this raises some of the many ethical questions (such as that of consent) that arise whenever users are unaware that they are interacting with an AI-driven technology, rather than with a person.

The more complicatedand more interestingproblem, however, arises when we are both aware and unaware of their artificiality. When you listen to an AI narrator, you may know that you are interacting with an artificially intelligent entity. But, as so many of us already do with chatbots, many listeners will partially suspend this awareness and project ideas of personhood onto the digital voice, somewhat as we do for these books' fictional characters.

Disruptor deception

Most worryingly, Apple's marketing language is engaging in its own form of pretense in presenting the "digital voice" technology as harmless. The Apple Books for Authors audiobook information page emphasizes the technology's potential for democratizing audiobook creation and plays down the impact on human actors. Indeed, the website explicitly positions the technology as being on the side of the little guyApple claims to be "empowering indie authors and small publishers".

This pretense ultimately operates by capitalizing on the multiple meanings of the word "heard." Apple claims that "only a fraction of books are converted to audioleaving millions inaccessible to readers who prefer audiobooks, whether by choice or necessity." Apple's statement that "Every book deserves to be heard" is an especially canny choice given its built-in associations with democratic representation and inclusivity.

Apple did not respond to our request for comment before publication.

It's certainly the case that using digital narration means that authors don't shoulder the financial costs or time burden of narrating the books themselves. And, indeed, this means more people can produce audiobooks.

But in potentially eroding the livelihood of another kind of small operator (the voice artist), the new digital narration technology doesn't so much stand up for the little guy as set the interests of two different little guys against each other.

In a further twist, the datasets used to train Apple's digital voices have, in some cases, been reported to include the work of existing voice artists, drawing their considerable indignation.

In presenting itself as disrupting "big audiobook" and favoring small players, Apple's marketing follows a recognizable trope. This involves a technological "disruptor" touting the ability of individual operators to participate in previously closed-off areas of commercial activity without passing on the corporate profits made through such "inclusivity."

What is perhaps unsettling about this new technology, then, is not the unfamiliarity of its powers but the familiar ring of "platform capitalism"when big companies provide the technology for others to operate.

The frequently-sued Uber and the frequently-banned Airbnb have by now lost much of their sheen as engines of accessibility. Their initial identity, however, was grounded in the use of democratic rhetoric, from Uber telling potential drivers "you're in charge", to AirBnB's claim to be founded in "connection and belonging".

So the use of pseudo-altruistic language by tech disruptors is nothing new. What is new is the window onto this seductive fiction offered by the encounter with AI narrators. After all, the self-deception involved in assuming that your narrator is human parallels, in many ways, the self-deception required to believe that Apple's digital voice technology is an altruistic development.

Reflecting on the connection between these acts of imagination is necessary because, so often, it's easier just to believe. It's easier just to believe that your Uber driver is there for the flexibility, that your Airbnb host is just a neighborhood guy rather than a property conglomerate that owns half the street.

It's easier to believe, but it's not always easy to identify and understand the dynamics of this belief. The experience of listening to an artificially-intelligent narrator might help us catch our own brains in the act of self-deceptionincluding the act of buying AI-narrated audiobooks because a marketing website tells us it's the democratic thing to do.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(Photo : Kay Nietfeld / POOL / AFP) (KAY NIETFELD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine and expressed the American government's continued support for Kyiv against Russia's invasion.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine and expressed the White House's plan to provide long-term support for Kyiv.

On Thursday, the American official wrapped up the second day of his visit to the war-torn country, saying he was struck by the horrific human cost of Russia's unprovoked invasion. Blinken toured Yahidne School, formerly an elementary school whose basement held Ukrainian hostages when it was under Russian control.

Antony Blinken Visits Ukraine

Since then, it has been converted into a museum, and Blinken said that he saw the small room where people were tortured, which gave the war's casualty figures a human dimension. During an interview, the Secretary of State said that the situation boils down to the lives and stories of the men, women, and children who were in prison in the basement of the building.

He said that the people detained in the area were held there for a month and locked up inside a room that was not even fit for one person for human habitation. Blinken added that he witnessed the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people who have been quietly rebuilding in Yahidne and wherever else they can, per the Voice of America News.

The American official also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin needed to come to terms with the fact that he had already lost the war and must join other nations at the negotiating table to end the conflict to avoid more loss of lives.

On the other hand, Russia has blamed the United States and NATO for prolonging the war by supporting Ukraine. Blinken also visited a Ukrainian border guard site on Thursday on the outskirts of Kyiv. It was there where he presented four mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles.

They were part of the 190 the US will deliver to Ukraine in the coming months. The Secretary of State also visited a hydroelectric dam and met with a Ukrainian team responsible for clearing unexploded Russian ordinance at a farm where corn was being grown for export.

Read Also: US Announces $175 Million Ukraine Support Package

Additional Military Aid Package

During Blinken's third visit to Ukraine, he also doubled down on US support for Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russia's military forces. He also announced more than a billion dollars of additional US aid to Ukraine.

The Secretary of State also underscored the need for an audience back home of why the US needs to commit billions of dollars more to help Kyiv beat Putin's aggression. He said that the US is "determined to continue to walk side-by-side" with Ukraine, according to CNN.

Blinken's visit to Ukraine comes after the American government announced a new aid package for Kyiv to support its fight against Russia. The package would include $175 million for weapons, bringing the total security assistance of the US to Kyiv to more than $43.2 billion since the beginning of Moscow's war.

In a statement, the Pentagon said that the latest security assistance package would include depleted uranium tank ammunition. These would be used with the stalwart Abrams tanks to bolster Ukraine's military forces, said CNBC.

Related Article: Human Rights Watch Blames Russian Cluster Munitions for Hundreds of Deaths in Ukraine

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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The Apple logo is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich, Germany, on Dec. 16, 2020. Apple Corp. shares have been sliding, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 weighed down by news reports of an iPhone ban for Chinese state employees and a product launch next week overshadowed by slick new phones by rival Huawei. Credit: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File

Apple has lost around $200 billion in market capitalization over several days as tensions between the U.S. and China rise, with several media outlets reporting this week that the iPhone maker is being singled out by Beijing.

Apple shares fell 3% Thursday and are down more than 5% for the week on reports of an iPhone ban for Chinese state employees that is being dictated by Beijing.

The ban was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sources saying China is ordering officials at central government agencies not to use iPhones or other foreign branded phones. The Financial Times cited six unnamed sources at government institutions and state-owned companies, including a nuclear technology company and a hospital, saying they've been told to stop using Apple phones. The ban widens earlier restrictions on using iPhones for work, the outlets said.

"Beijing is looking to reduce its dependence on U.S. technology, but this (ban) acts as a significant headwind to Apple as China is its largest international market and accounts for about 20% of its revenues," said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at interactive investor, a U.K. investment platform.

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.

When asked about the ban at a daily briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning didn't comment directly, saying only that "products and services from any country are welcome to enter the Chinese market as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations."

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising and early last month, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to impose blocks and regulations on U.S. high-tech investment in China, reflecting the intensifying competition between the world's two largest economies.

White House officials said Biden, who departed Thursday evening for New Delhi, will use the annual G20 summit as an opportunity for the U.S. to highlight a proposition for developing and middle-income countries that would increase the lending power of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund by some $200 billion.

Biden seeks to drive home that the United States and its like-minded allies are better economic and security partners than China.

The reported ban on the iPhone comes at a bad time for Apple, which is gearing up for its latest product launch next Tuesday Sept. 12, when it's expected to unveil its latest smartphone, the iPhone 15.

A teaser of the livestream for the event, dubbed "Wonderlust," has been posted on YouTube, revealing no details. Reports are swirling that big changes are in store for the iPhone, including a switch from Apple's Lightning connector to the USB-C plug that rivals are starting to adopt, partly in response to a European Union mandate.

Apple also faces a threat from Chinese tech giant Huawei, which recently launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro.

The phone reportedly has enough power and speed to rival the iPhone and has been selling briskly in China. Huawei has been low key about the device, but its capabilities have raised concerns that China has been able to circumvent U.S. curbs on Huawei that stop it from acquiring high tech components like advanced processor chips that had effectively crippled its smartphone business.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Passenger jets are seen on the tarmac at Logan International Airport, Jan. 11, 2023, in Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration is considering requiring that all planes be equipped with technology designed to prevent close calls around airports, Friday, Sept. 8. Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne, File

The Federal Aviation Administration indicated Friday that it is moving toward requiring that planes be equipped with technology designed to prevent close calls around airports.

Many new airline jets are equipped with some of this technology, but older ones are not, and neither are many private planes.

The FAA asked an internal advisory panel to make recommendations on how to require systems that would alert pilots if they are lined up to land on the wrong runway or a taxiway, or when the runway they have chosen is too short.

The FAA said the move is part of its effort to eliminate "serious close calls." The National Transportation Safety Board has started investigations into seven such incidents since January.

Planes typically have GPS-based systems that warn pilots if they are in danger of hitting the ground or an obstacle. Providers such as Honeywell augment those systems with more information during taxi, takeoffs and landings to reduce the risk of close calls or "runway incursions."

On most airline planes, those systems also alert pilots when they are lined up to land on the wrong runway, but the technology is not currently required, said Douglas Moss, a retired airline pilot who teaches aviation at the University of Southern California.

Newer planes also have flight-management systems that include a wrong-runway alert, Moss said.

Chris Manno, an airline pilot who blogs about aviation, said limits in GPS precision can reduce the ability of the technology to warn pilots about landing on the wrong runwayespecially where parallel runways are close together, as they are at San Francisco International Airport. An Air Canada jet preparing to land there in 2017 nearly crashed into other planes after mistaking a taxiway for the runway.

But being told that the runway is too short or that pilots are landing at the wrong airport "should be feasible and would be a valuable warning," Manno said. He said the FAA move "sounds like a very good idea."

Preliminary reports about close calls this year point to pilot error in some cases and air controller mistakes in others. The NTSB said Thursday that a blocked radio transmission caused a close call in June at San Diego International Airport between Southwest and SkyWest planes.

"When it comes to that most serious type (of close calls), we have seen a noticeable increase in the first part of this year," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told The Associated Press last week. "We're at about 15 so far this year, and typically you would expect that number in about a (whole) calendar year."

Buttigieg pointed to the FAA's "safety summit" of industry officials in March and more spending on airport infrastructure as examples of steps the agency is taking to reduce close calls.

Industry and government officials, including the acting administrator of the FAA who convened the safety summit, have often said that the lack of a fatal crash involving a U.S. airline since 2009 proves that safety is getting better. Buttigieg said those comments don't indicate complacency.

"When you have a year with zero fatal crashes, you have to concentrate your efforts on keeping it that way by turning to anything that could have led to a problem if it hadn't been caught," he said. "We're moving toward anything that could even come close to an incident."

The FAA's associate administrator for safety, David Boulter, said in a letter Friday to the advisory panel on rulemaking that alerting technologies "are only part of the solution" to avoiding close calls. He said more consideration needs to be given to "human factors."

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Learning with light: This is what the dynamics of a light wave employed inside a physical self-learning machine could look like. Crucial are both its irregular shape and that its development is reversed exactly from the time of its greatest extent (red). Credit: Florian Marquardt, MPL

Artificial intelligence not only affords impressive performance, but also creates significant demand for energy. The more demanding the tasks for which it is trained, the more energy it consumes.

Victor Lopez-Pastor and Florian Marquardt, two scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen, Germany, present a method by which artificial intelligence could be trained much more efficiently. Their approach relies on physical processes instead of the digital artificial neural networks currently used. The work is published in the journal Physical Review X.

The amount of energy required to train GPT-3, which makes ChatGPT an eloquent and apparently well-informed Chatbot, has not been revealed by Open AI, the company behind that artificial intelligence (AI). According to the German statistics company Statista, this would require 1,000 megawatt hoursabout as much as 200 German households with three or more people consume annually. While this energy expenditure has allowed GPT-3 to learn whether the word "deep" is more likely to be followed by the word "sea" or "learning" in its data sets, by all accounts it has not understood the underlying meaning of such phrases.

Neural networks on neuromorphic computers

In order to reduce the energy consumption of computers, and particularly AI-applications, in the past few years several research institutions have been investigating an entirely new concept of how computers could process data in the future. The concept is known as neuromorphic computing. Although this sounds similar to artificial neural networks, it in fact has little to do with them as artificial neural networks run on conventional digital computers.

This means that the software, or more precisely the algorithm, is modeled on the brain's way of working, but digital computers serve as the hardware. They perform the calculation steps of the neuronal network in sequence, one after the other, differentiating between processor and memory.

"The data transfer between these two components alone devours large quantities of energy when a neural network trains hundreds of billions of parameters, i.e., synapses, with up to one terabyte of data," says Marquardt, director of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and professor at the University of Erlangen.

The human brain is entirely different and would probably never have been evolutionarily competitive, had it worked with an energy efficiency similar to that of computers with silicon transistors. It would most likely have failed due to overheating.

The brain is characterized by undertaking the numerous steps of a thought process in parallel and not sequentially. The nerve cells, or more precisely the synapses, are both processor and memory combined. Various systems around the world are being treated as possible candidates for the neuromorphic counterparts to our nerve cells, including photonic circuits utilizing light instead of electrons to perform calculations. Their components serve simultaneously as switches and memory cells.

Artificial intelligence as a fusion of pinball and abacus: In this thought experiment, the blue positively charged pinball stands for a set of training data. The ball is launched from one side of the plate to the other. Credit: Florian Marquardt, MPL

A self-learning physical machine optimizes its synapses independently

Together with Lopez-Pastor, a doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Marquardt has now devised an efficient training method for neuromorphic computers. "We have developed the concept of a self-learning physical machine," explains Florian Marquardt. "The core idea is to carry out the training in the form of a physical process, in which the parameters of the machine are optimized by the process itself."

When training conventional artificial neural networks, external feedback is necessary to adjust the strengths of the many billions of synaptic connections. "Not requiring this feedback makes the training much more efficient," says Marquardt. Implementing and training an artificial intelligence on a self-learning physical machine would not only save energy, but also computing time.

"Our method works regardless of which physical process takes place in the self-learning machine, and we do not even need to know the exact process," explains Marquardt. "However, the process must fulfill a few conditions. Most importantly it must be reversible, meaning it must be able to run forwards or backwards with a minimum of energy loss."

"In addition, the physical process must be non-linear, meaning sufficiently complex," says Marquardt. Only non-linear processes can accomplish the complicated transformations between input data and results. A pinball rolling over a plate without colliding with another is a linear action. However, if it is disturbed by another, the situation becomes non-linear.

Practical test in an optical neuromorphic computer

Examples of reversible, non-linear processes can be found in optics. Indeed, Lopez-Pastor and Marquardt are already collaborating with an experimental team developing an optical neuromorphic computer. This machine processes information in the form of superimposed light waves, whereby suitable components regulate the type and strength of the interaction. The researchers' aim is to put the concept of the self-learning physical machine into practice.

"We hope to be able to present the first self-learning physical machine in three years," says Florian Marquardt. By then, there should be neural networks which think with many more synapses and are trained with significantly larger amounts of data than today's.

As a consequence there will likely be an even greater desire to implement neural networks outside conventional digital computers and to replace them with efficiently trained neuromorphic computers. "We are therefore confident that self-learning physical machines have a strong chance of being used in the further development of artificial intelligence," says the physicist.

More information: Victor Lopez-Pastor et al, Self-Learning Machines Based on Hamiltonian Echo Backpropagation, Physical Review X (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.13.031020 Journal information: Physical Review X

Provided by Max-Planck-Institut fur die Physik des Lichts
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The U.S. government has begun an official probe into an advanced made-in-China chip housed within Huawei Technologies Co.'s latest smartphone, as tensions flare between the two superpowers over technological prowess.

The Commerce Department, which enacted a series of restrictions against Huawei and China's chip industry over the past two years, said it's working to get more information on a "purported" 7-nanometer processor discovered within the Mate 60 Pro. The chip was made by China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., which like Huawei is blacklisted by the U.S. and restricted from accessing American technology.

The discovery of the chip set off a debate in Washington about the efficacy of sanctions intended to contain a geopolitical rival and coincided with a move in China to expand a ban on the use of iPhones in government-backed agencies and state companies.

The U.S. has been trying to throttle China's tech sector for years amid concerns in Washington that it will gain a military edge. China, which has bristled at the restrictions, has its own fears about the use of foreign technology in sensitive industries and has been seeking to reduce its reliance on American software and circuitry.

Clamping down on the iPhone threatens to erode Apple Inc.'s position in a market that yields about a fifth of its revenue and where it produces the majority of its star product. Apple has lost about $200 billion of market value in the past two days, adding to a litany of concerns over China weighing on major U.S. indexes. The shares were little changed in premarket trading in New York on Friday.

Huawei's quiet reveal of a mobile phone utilizing technology the U.S. has sought to keep out of Beijing's hands threatens to derail recent efforts of outreach by the Biden administration. The Huawei phone went on sale online while Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was on a trip to China last week, the latest in a series of high-level diplomatic visits to Beijing.

The debate now centers around whether it represents a failure of U.S. effortsled by Raimondo's departmentand has raised questions about whether the main U.S. mechanisms to rein in China, including controls on exports of key materials, tools and knowhow, need to be tightened.

"We are working to obtain more information on the character and composition of the purported 7nm chip," a Commerce spokesperson said in a statement. "Let's be clear: export controls are just one tool in the U.S. government's toolbox to address the national security threats presented by the PRC. The restrictions in place since 2019 have knocked Huawei down and forced it to reinvent itselfat a substantial cost to the PRC government."

Chinese semiconductor equipment makers soared as much as 20% after news of the U.S. probe spurred bets that the sector will enjoy increased state support. That advance was mostly led by companies related to lithography geara weak link in China's chip supply chain and one Beijing is keen to develop. Shanghai Electric Group Co., whose controlling shareholder has a major stake in lithography specialist Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co., rose by its 10% limit.

"We have always opposed politicizing trade and technology issues and overstretching and abusing the concept of national security," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing Friday. "Sanctions will not stop China's development, it will only strengthen China's resolve and capability to seek self-reliance and technology innovation."

The Mate 60 Pro smartphone employs an unusually high proportion of Chinese parts, in addition to its main processor, an ongoing teardown by TechInsights conducted for Bloomberg News revealed, a sign of the country's progress in developing domestic tech capabilities.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said he would withhold comment until the U.S. gets more information.

"There's a number of different methods to try to sort of come to an understanding of what exactly it is that we're dealing with here," Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday. "I can't give you an exact number of days but this is not going to be months down the road. We're going to want to look at this carefully, consult with our partners, get a clearer sense of what we're looking at, and then we'll make decisions accordingly. "

In the meantime, Huawei's new devices have spurred an outpouring of nationalist sentiment on Chinese social media, which portrayed them as a triumph in the face of U.S. sanctions.

On Friday, Huawei debuted an even more powerful smartphonethe Mate 60 Pro+in an online video teaser.

The Pro+ adds a 1-terabyte maximum storage option and 4GB more memory than on the Pro model, which retails at 6,999 yuan. Shares of Huawei suppliers soared as much as their 10% daily limit on Chinese exchanges after that latest offering hit online stores.

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Citigroup Inc. is one of the worlds largest financial institutions. It is the 13th largest bank globally by assets and 8th by market cap with operations in consumer and institutional banking. In the US, Citigroup is the 3rd largest bank by assets and one of the Big Four deemed systemically important and too big to fail.

Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York. The bank was run by Samuel Osgood who led the company with success for many years, even throughout the War of 1812. The bank was later renamed the National City Bank of New York in 1865 and by 1895 is the largest bank in the US. In 1913 it was the first contributor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a few years later it began to expand into overseas territories.

The bank became the First National City Bank of New York after another merger in 1955 and then later, the New York part was dropped off as part of the 150th-anniversary celebration. By 1974 the company is known as Citicorp which is still the operational branch of the business and a global banking powerhouse. A merger with Travelers insurance group in 1998 resulted in the name Citigroup but the joint venture did not last. By 2002 Travelers was publicly traded once again but Citigroup retained the new name.

Today, the company is headquartered in New York, New York but boasts more than 200 million customer accounts in 160 countries worldwide. As of mid-2022, it operated 2,649 branches in the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The company reports nearly 725 branches in the US and 1499 in Mexico with the rest scattered throughout its territory. Total annual revenue topped $75 billion in 2022.

Citigroup is a diversified financial services holding company that owns Citicorp among other assets. The companys mission is to serve as a trusted partner providing responsible financial solutions to its clients. Citigroup provides financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The company operates in two segments, Global Consumer Banking (GCB) and Institutional Clients Group (ICG).

The GCB segment offers traditional banking services including deposit and saving accounts, credit cards, personal loans, home loans, and investment services. This segment operates through local branches and digital means. The ICG segment offers wholesale banking products and services to corporate, institutional, public sector, and high-net-worth clients.
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Hong Kong was paralyzed after experiencing the heaviest downpour in over a century that flooded the streets, forcing authorities to shut down schools and urge workers to stay home temporarily.

The region saw the highest hourly rainfall since records started 140 years ago and had cascades of water tumbling down the city's mountainous terrain. The situation prompted authorities to issue landslide risk warnings.

Hong Kong's Heavy Rains

The heavy rains turned the city's streets into torrents of water as video footage circulated on social media platforms. One clip featured metro workers wading waist-deep in a station as they tried to stem the water flow gushing down from road level.

The Hong Kong Observatory also reported a rainfall of 158.1 millimeters between 11:00 p.m. local time on Thursday and midnight on Friday. The city's weather bureau also issued the highest "black" rainstorm warning and noted more than 200 millimeters of rainfall recorded on the main island, Kowloon, and the northeastern part of the New Territories since Thursday night, as per Reuters.

The trough of low pressure associated with the remnant of Typhoon Haikui resulted in torrential rain on the coast of China's Guangdong since Thursday. Officials expect that extreme conditions will last until at least Friday noon.

The city's stock exchange will not open on Friday morning and remain shut for the afternoon session if the rainstorm warning remains until noon. In a statement, city leader John Lee said he was very concerned about the severe flooding reported in many parts of the region. He also instructed all departments to respond to the situation with "all-out efforts."

The government noted that some passenger and cargo clearance points at two border control points between the city and neighboring Shenzhen were suspended because of the severe flooding.

Read Also: African Leaders Call for Global Taxes, International Finance Reforms To Fund Country's Fight Against Climate Crisis

Flooding of Streets

City officials are expected to make an announcement on Friday morning on whether or not it would be safe for roads and public transport to reopen and whether or not offices and schools will be allowed to open, according to the Washington Post.

The online weather data site OGimet noted that some parts of the densely populated city with a population of roughly 7.5 million experienced nearly 500 millimeters of rainfall in 24 hours. Many of the region's residents were surprised by the extreme conditions a few days after Hong Kong was battered by its strongest typhoon in five years.

Typhoon Saola, initially a super typhoon, eventually weakened to the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane when it reached Hong Kong. However, it was still strong enough to knock down trees and cause hundreds of flight cancellations. The government reported that 86 people were injured because of the weather phenomenon.

The city's Mass Transit Railway also announced that it would suspend its services on one of its lines. The announcement came after a station in the Wong Tai Sin district was flooded, as seen in footage shared widely online featuring water gushing down the stairs, said CNN.

Related Article: Canada Lifts Wildfire Evacuation Order Despite Unhealthy Air Quality for Millions

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
WESTLAKE  Members of the Franklin County Sheriffs Office celebrated the life of a fallen colleague on Wednesday. A memorial service was held for K9 officer Sasha, who died unexpectedly last month.

Sasha, a 5-year-old German shepherd, had been a member of the Franklin County Sheriffs Office since 2018. She specialized in narcotics detection and tracking before dying from an unknown medical condition Aug. 9.

At Wednesdays memorial service held at Westlake Baptist Church, 1st Lt. Terry Dameron praised Sashas skills. He called her the rock star of the departments drug unit.

She had a nose out of this world and it was truly special to watch her work, Dameron said.

Sashas former handler, Deputy Edwin Alejandro, talked about the special bond they had in the years they spent together. Several pictures projected on a screen during the service showed Sasha interacting with Alejandros family and young daughter.

While he admitted saying goodbye to Sasha was difficult, Alejandro said he wouldnt trade his time with her. He said the good she did for not only himself and his family, but also the community outweighed the pain of losing her.

Alejandro had spent the most time as Sashas handler. When he transitioned to part time to work as a school resource officer, Deputy Randall Patterson briefly became Sashas new handler in the weeks before her death.

Patterson praised not only Sashas skills, but also her gentleness. He said Sasha loved interacting with children and letting them pet her whenever they did demonstrations.

She was the sweetest dog Ive ever encountered in my life, Patterson said.

Patterson is continuing on in the departments K9 unit. He will begin K9 training with a new dog later this year.

Sheriff Bill Overton also spoke briefly at Wednesdays memorial, thanking Sasha for her service. He recalled the original training Sasha went through with Alejandro before joining the department and the special bond the two shared.

You could tell at that point in time of the relationship had already been developed over a short period of time, Overton said.

Sashas relationship with not only her handlers, but other officers was evident during Wednesdays service. Several of the officers as well as friends and family in attendance wiped away tears during the service.

Those tears were most evident during a final call that concluded the memorial, a long-held tradition following the death of an officer. Dispatcher Jennifer Gammons issued a final call for Sasha over the police radio, thanking her for her service.

Thank you for always answering the call and keeping us safe, Gammons said over the radio, which echoed through the church and police radios throughout the county. You will be missed by everyone whose heart you touched throughout your years of service. We thank you for keeping your handlers safe and allowing them to always return home to their loved ones. Your loyalty, courage and bravery in the line of duty were unmatched. Thank you for your service K9 Sasha. May you rest in peace.
The U.K. and U.S. governments on Thursday sanctioned 11 individuals who are alleged to be part of the notorious Russia-based TrickBot cybercrime gang.

"Russia has long been a safe haven for cybercriminals, including the TrickBot group," the U.S. Treasury Department said, adding it has "ties to Russian intelligence services and has targeted the U.S. Government and U.S. companies, including hospitals."

The targets of the sanctions are administrators, managers, developers, and coders who are believed to have provided material assistance in its operations. Their names and roles are as follows -

Andrey Zhuykov (aka Adam, Defender, and Dif), senior administrator

Maksim Sergeevich Galochkin (aka Bentley, Crypt, Manuel, Max17, and Volhvb), software development and testing

Maksim Rudenskiy (aka Binman, Buza, and Silver), team lead for coders

Mikhail Tsarev (aka Alexander Grachev, Fr*ances, Ivanov Mixail, Mango, Misha Krutysha, Nikita Andreevich Tsarev, and Super Misha), human resources and finance

Dmitry Putilin (aka Grad and Staff), purchase of TrickBot infrastructure

Maksim Khaliullin (aka Kagas), HR manager

Sergey Loguntsov (aka Begemot, Begemot_Sun, and Zulas), developer

Vadym Valiakhmetov (aka Mentos, Vasm, and Weldon), developer

Artem Kurov (aka Naned), developer

Mikhail Chernov (aka Bullet and m2686), part of the internal utilities group

Alexander Mozhaev (aka Green and Rocco), part of the team responsible for general administrative duties

Evidence gathered by threat intelligence firm Nisos late last month revealed that Galochkin "changed his name from Maksim Sergeevich Sipkin, and that he has significant financial debt as of 2022."

"The individuals, all Russian nationals, operated out of the reach of traditional law enforcement and hid behind online pseudonyms and monikers," the U.K. government said. "Removing their anonymity undermines the integrity of these individuals and their criminal businesses that threaten U.K. security."

The development marks the second time in seven months the two governments have levied similar sanctions against multiple Russian nationals for their affiliation to the TrickBot, Ryuk, and Conti cybercrime syndicates.

It also coincides with the unsealing of indictments against nine defendants in connection with the TrickBot malware and Conti ransomware schemes, counting seven of the newly sanctioned individuals.

Dmitriy Pleshevskiy, one among those sanctioned in February 2023, has since denied any involvement with the TrickBot gang, stating he used the "Iseldor" alias online to do unspecified programming tasks on a freelance basis.

"These tasks did not seem illegal to me, but perhaps that is where my involvement in these attacks comes in," Pleshevskiy was quoted as saying to WIRED, which unmasked Galochkin as one of the key members of TrickBot after a monthslong investigation.

Two other TrickBot developers have been apprehended and indicted in the U.S. to date. Alla Witte, a Latvian national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and was sentenced to 32 months in June 2023. A Russian named Vladimir Dunaev is currently in custody and pending trial.

An evolution of the Dyre banking trojan, TrickBot started off along similar lines in 2016 before evolving into a flexible, modular malware suite that allows threat actors to deploy next-stage payloads such as ransomware.

The e-crime group, which managed to survive a takedown effort in 2020, was absorbed into the Conti ransomware cartel in early 2022, and as evidenced by the roles mentioned above, functioned akin to a legitimate enterprise with a professional management structure.

Conti formally disbanded in May 2022 following a wave of leaks two months earlier that offered unprecedented insight into the group's activities, which, in turn, was triggered by the group's support for Russia in the latter's war against Ukraine.

The anonymous dumps, dubbed ContiLeaks and TrickLeaks, sprang up within days of each other at the start of March 2022, resulting in the release of reams of data on their internal chats and infrastructure online. A prior account named TrickBotLeaks that was created in X (formerly Twitter) was quickly suspended.

"In total, there are approximately 250,000 messages which contain over 2,500 IP addresses, around 500 potential crypto wallet addresses, and thousands of domains and email addresses," Cyjax noted in July 2022, referring to the cache of TrickBot data.

According to the U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA), the group is estimated to have extorted at least $180 million from victims globally, and at least 27m from 149 victims in the U.K.

Despite ongoing efforts to disrupt Russian cybercriminal activity through sanctions and indictments, the threat actors continue to thrive, albeit operating under different names to evade the ban and leveraging shared tactics to infiltrate targets.
Ed Tech Trends

Educators See Potential Uses for Generative AI, Concerned about Losing Tech to Budget Cuts

In a new national survey of more than 1,100 educators, a substantial 64% said they are somewhat or very worried about losing technology resources in the classroom owing to funding cuts.

The top concern over losing those resources was the potential drop in student engagement in the classroom, according to the study, conducted by GoGuardian in July and August. The study spanned all 50 states and included a total of 1,134 responses.

Educators participating in the survey cited engagement as their top priority and challenge in the coming year. "Motivation and engagement" was predicted by 45% of respondents to be the top issue this school year. But 92% said they expected students to be at least as engaged this school year as they were in the last, citing "the distance from the pandemic and continued familiarity with in-classroom learning. Teachers also noted their own professional development and implementation of new engagement strategies will play a role in classrooms' increased engagement," according to GoGuardian.

Said Mariana Aguilar, vice president of education at GoGuardian. "With the tumultuous years of the pandemic behind us, we're encouraged to hear that teachers are optimistic about the current state of student engagement compared to last year."

"As we move further from the effects of the pandemic and remote learning, I've found that student engagement has consistently improved," said Amy Weston, a language arts teacher in Michigan, also in a prepared statement. "Purposeful learning can happen when we help students invest in their own learning. This year, with improved personal responsibility and more established relationships and room for collaboration, I'm hopeful that I will continue to see stronger engagement and ultimately better learning outcomes in my classroom."

The survey also focused on the perception of generative AI tools like ChatGPT.

Thirty-eight percent of educators said the inclusion of AI features would impact their decision to adopt a particular technology tool, though half said it would not. The top applications for AI in the classroom, according to those surveyed, were:

Content creation Interventions Data analysis Lesson planning.

Other findings from the survey included:

45% of teachers predict the biggest classroom challenge will be distraction from students' personal devices;

74% of educators said students are excited about collaboration with one another;

73% of educators said their students are excited about gamification of learning.

The complete report is available as a PDF here. Further information about GoGuardian can be found at goguardian.com.
Nathan Brouwer almost did not become a history professor. In fact, he was originally studying zoology at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Deep into his junior, year he took a required class: History 354, Contemporary American History that altered his career path.

With in the first 10 minutes of the class, well, it changed my life, Brouwer, professor of history at Rend Lake College said. I immediately went to my guidance counselors.

He said he knew almost immediately that he was destined to teach college history, something he had never considered before, because, well, he had never had an instructor who was able to fan the flames of interest in history.

The professor didnt whitewash everything and it was the first time that I was taught history as I always knew it was: the story of the good and the bad about the history of humanity, he recalled. As the semester went on, that choice was solidified as I began to realize that it was not only a way to teach an interesting subject, but also a way to help students enjoy history and education in general and to show them that at the very least one person cared about them and their future.

Not only did Brouwer immediately change his major, he stayed at SIU for both a masters and doctorate degree.

I am an extremely proud graduate of SIU, he boasts. Quite simply, attending SIU changed my life.

A member of the Rend Lake College faculty since 2009, Brouwer strives to impact students the same way he was impacted during his college years.

Too often, history has been taught that as the rote memorization of facts, years, and people. When I realized that I could rethink humanity and help others that sought to do the sameand potentially help make the world a better place in some tiny way  it just became a passion for me, he said.

He said he tries to share with students more than dates and facts, rather looking for the connections between events and people  and making connections with his students.

Without a doubt, my favorite part about teaching is building close connections with my students. It is such an honor to be able to teach them as well as learn about life from them. The first thing I tell any class is that I genuinely care about them and their future success and that no matter how hard their life has been, or currently is, college is one of the few things that can help them achieve their dreams and wholly change their lives. I am certainly living proof, he explained.

Brouwer continued, As far as teaching history specifically, I just love having an endless cast of characters and their stories to draw from in order to tell the story of history. I am constantly reading and rereading books in order to get new material for my classes that the students will relate to.

He said learning history is all about being able to think critically and he said he loves the light bulb moment when students are able to do that.

Thats partly why I love to teach at a community college. With the small class sizes, students don't feel as intimidated to ask question, she said. One of the greatest moments is watching somebody's life completely change from being someone who doesn't really like learning or didn't have the greatest experience in high school; to see that light bulb go off and for them truly lo start to love learning is amazing.

He said he has seen that many, many times and it never fails to remind him of his own college experience.

Being in the classroom with my students is one of my favorite places to be, period, he said.
Two men have been charged in the Easter drive-by shooting that left one person dead and two injured.

Levern Miguel Glover, 18, of 165 Lynx Drive, Williston, and Drevon Malik Owens, 19, of 395 Middle St., Bamberg, are charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count each of murder and criminal conspiracy.

Glovers also charged with three counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

This is truly mindboggling as to why someone would commit such a senseless act, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in a release. You know we are going to find you. We will not give up until you are brought to justice to face your crimes.

Warrants claim that Glover shot and killed 15-year-old Dantavious Dowling, of Denmark, in the parking lot of the Southern Lodge Hotel, located at 3616 St. Matthews Road outside Orangeburg. Dowling died at the scene.

Glovers also accused of shooting two other people.

A 14-year-old boy had a gunshot wound to his back. He was on his stomach and complained he couldnt feel his legs when Orangeburg County deputies arrived.

A 23-year-old man was also shot. He attempted to render aid to the teens.

Owens is accused of driving the vehicle used in the shooting.

A third person was allegedly involved in the April 9 shooting, but that persons name was redacted from warrants against Glover and Owens provided by the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office.

If Owens and Glover are convicted, they face up to life in prison.

The ongoing investigation is being led by Inv. Robert Davis.
For Orangeburg grandmother Onethia Middleton, bringing three of her grandchildren to the Orangeburg Department of Public Safetys National Night Out was a blessing.

From school supplies to books for reading, from grilled hotdogs to camaraderie with law enforcement officers, Middleton said she looks forward to the annual event.

Im just hoping that every parent can take the opportunity to come out here, she said.

Theyre giving away books and everything today, she added.

One of Middletons grandchildren, 15-year-old Carmen Curry of St. Matthews, said, Its fun, exciting and joyful.

She enjoyed getting school supplies and meeting new people.

Kyrionna Guinyard, 9, said shes been to other back-to-school events, but this was her first time visiting Orangeburgs Centennial Park for National Night Out, held on Aug. 24.

Its really fun! she said.

Guinyard enjoyed the music and getting school supplies. She planned to tell her friends about the event.

Im delighted to be here for this occurrence to celebrate National Night Out, Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Chief Charles Austin Sr. said during a brief program at the event.

National Night Out is designed to make us aware of things going around in our community and to let us know that we are embraced and protected by the police and the county (sheriffs office) and all law enforcement, Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said.

Were thankful for the chief and his staff for putting this together, he said.

We wanted to get you out and get you ready to go back to school. Its school time and I want you all to have a wonderful school year, Butler said.

We have a lot of programs, so we need to thank our police department for the safety of Orangeburg, Orangeburg City Councilperson Dr. Kalu Kalu said.

They work so hard to make everything safe for us, for you to be here today, he added.

Orangeburg County Councilperson Latisha Walker, a retired law enforcement officer, served as the keynote speaker.

Walker spoke about community and what it means to be part of one.

Shes proud to live in Orangeburg, she said.

Walker praised Austin and ODPS for their work keeping Orangeburg safe.

For example, Walker said Austins effort to install cameras throughout the city shows that he wants you to know that big brother is watching.

By Chief (Austin) taking that action, hes made so many people feel safe. Those cameras are utilized to help answer questions about traffic accidents  because everybody says, It wasnt my fault  and also to solve a multitude of crimes, she said.

At the close of the program, various local Greek organizations led the crowd in a few chants, step shows and dances.

Many vendors were on hand, giving away school supplies and interacting with those who visited.

National Night Out is an annual community-building event promoting police-community partnerships.
HOLLY HILL  Following two airplane crashes in 18 months, Holly Hill officials have proposed banning ultralight craft from the town-owned airport.

A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers/courtroom of the governmental complex on Old State Road.

After the hearing, the town council will consider second and final reading of an ordinance making it a crime to operate a powered or unpowered vehicle weighing less than 254 pounds with passenger carrying capability at the airport.

Conviction of the misdemeanor carries a jail term or a fine of up to $200.

The council approved first reading of the ordinance during a special called meeting on Monday, Aug. 28, over the objections of several pilots who spoke during the public comment time.

The pilots took the long view, asserting that only four crashes occurred at the airport in the 60 years prior to the two most recent incidents.

Mayor Billy Chavis replied that any crash has the potential to create legal liabilities for the town, and ultralights are particularly worrisome.

Weve had two in a year and six months in the same type of aircraft ... that has no cabin, no protection at all  an ultralight aircraft with an aluminum frame, he said.

The first (pilot) almost died and the second one was OK-ish, he said. The problem is, if someone gets hurt enough, theyre going to sue someone, and theyre going to come after the deepest pockets, Chavis said.

Its not that were trying to run you off. No one is coming to buy the property. None of that is true, the mayor added.

But we dont have anybody thats going to go out there and babysit you guys, and if you guys cant police yourselves ... the easiest way for us to do business is to ban certain types of aircraft  the same type of aircraft that have crashed, Chavis continued.

The ordinance cites state law in asserting that the town council has the authority to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of its citizens.

The ordinance adds that the towns authority extends further to the patrons of the airport.

All were doing is protecting the townspeople. Thats all that matters to us. The Town of Holly Hill is going to protect the Town of Holly Hills property, Chavis said.

Councilman David Barber said, We know that people have a lot of pride in that airport, and contrary to some peoples belief, were not looking to get rid of the airport or sell the airport, aint no way whatsoever, and its never been discussed. Some people want to spread that, but its not happening.

None of us would even entertain trying to write that ordinance. We gave our situation to our attorneys, they researched and consulted with the FAA, and this is what they came back with. Its a first draft, Barber said.

Agreeing, Chavis said the ordinance that received first reading that evening was the first giddy-up with the attorneys and he is willing to hear the pilots suggestions on how to finagle the text of the ordinance before the final vote.

The hammers not thrown down yet, he said.

That was a relief to the pilots and others who told the council they believe the ordinance is flawed. David Tawes urged the officials to learn what youre getting into before passing judgment.

If this ordinance had been in place at the time of these two accidents, it would have had no bearing on them, Dale Williams said.

The ordinance does not cover a single airplane thats in Holly Hill anymore, Ken Mackey said. Nor does it cover either of the aircraft that crashed recently. Thats because they were not ultralights, he explained. They were (categorized as) light sport.

The ordinance specifically bars lightweight planes capable of carrying passengers, but the Federal Aviation Administration defines ultralights as single-occupant craft, one pilot noted.

Dr. Jared Ross introduced himself as the president of Emergency Medical Services, Education & Consulting LLC, which performs safety consulting in both medicine and aviation. He is also a board-certified emergency medicine physician, a licensed paramedic, and a pilot who is familiar with both of the recent crashes at the Holly Hill Airport.

I understand the towns safety concerns, but this (proposed ordinance) doesnt solve the safety problem, Ross said. However, it does jeopardize future state funding for airport maintenance and improvements.

Chavis replied that the town does not get any money from the federal or state governments for the airport.

He added that it seems more logical to ban certain aircraft than to ban certain people.

Ross replied that state legislators dont see it that way. Its legal to ban individuals from an airport, but its a violation of state law to forbid a particular type of aircraft from landing and taking off at a public airport, Ross said.

Chavis replied that the airports status can be changed.... The town can stop public airplanes from coming in.

That is just the first ordinance thats coming down the pike, he said. We have a whole set available to do whats got to be done. How many? As many as we need, the mayor replied.

There are 17 hangars at the airport. The last I checked, you have one pilot out there that actually lives inside the municipality. OK: two, Chavis said.

He was informed that a third resident intends to move his plane here, too.

You guys go get a plan together and bring it to us, the mayor said. Tell us how to help you help us.

After the meeting, one pilot said, We believe he has an agenda.... You restrict this and you restrict that and pretty soon nobodys going to be out there.

In other business:

No one spoke during a public hearing on the towns budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, which begins Sept. 1. The hearing was closed after about one minute. Later, the council voted to give second and final reading to the budget ordinance as presented.

The council voted to promote Shelia Williams, the former assistant town clerk, to the position of town clerk. She succeeds Pam Hyman.

The council authorized the purchase of smart water meters at a total cost of $29,266.

The council voted to enter into a five-year agreement with American Tank Maintenance LLC to maintain the 500,000-gallon elevated water tank on Depot Road. The company will perform periodic interior and exterior maintenance including painting, applying rust inhibitor, and cleaning out a sediment filter. The town will pay $31,789 for the first year and no more than that amount plus 4 percent in subsequent years.

The council passed a resolution to adopt the five-year plan update of Orangeburg Countys Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan for 2023.

The council voted to amend the business license update to the class schedule as required by a state law that the Legislature passed in 2020.

Because of the Labor Day holiday, the Holly Hill Town Councils next monthly meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11. Anyone who wishes to address the council about matters other than the airport ordinance must sign a form upon their arrival before the meeting begins. Contact Town Clerk Shelia Williams at 803-496-3330 for details.
In the face of a barrage of complaints about its frequent flight cancellation, interruptions in schedules and nothing short of poor customer service by travellers using its service in and out of the Argyle International Airport (AIA), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), interCaribbean Airways has added a recently acquired ATR 72 aircraft to its service to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





The EW- 42-500 48-seat aircraft made its inaugural flight into the AIA last Monday evening. The flight originated at Grantley Adams Airport, Barbados.





According to a press release issued in February by the Airline, it had promised then to increase and improve its service to SVG, and other territories in its regional schedule.





One frequent flier within the region commented that, "we had to wait some six months before we saw any improvement. I hope this is not a smoke screen and that our Prime Minister would not have to scold them again.





Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, last month, had expressed his dissatisfaction with interCaribbean Service to SVG. He described the service as "exceedingly subpar.





Meanwhile, Lyndon Gardiner, the founder of InterCaribbean, promised a series of measures to alleviate disruptions and enhance operational efficiency.





A statement issued in this regard read, "interCaribbean continues to build for the future expanding its fleet with several additional ATRs to join the fleet in the coming months as we offer more capacity, frequency, and new routes to come across the Caribbean. We hope to welcome you aboard this aircraft very soon!





About interCaribbean Airways





According to its website, interCaribbean Airways is based at Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The company has been operating for the last 22 years.





It purports to operate an extensive network of flights between the Caribbean Islands, including flying to: Antigua, The Bahamas, The British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Maarten.





To service this "extensive schedule, the Airways is served by 16 aircraft including Embraer EMB120, DHC-6 Twin Otter and Embraer ERJ 145 Jet aircraft.





Plans, according to its founder, are in train to add five more aircraft to the fleet.
David messiah, General Secretary of the Antigua & Barbuda Workers Union has kept the issue of severance pay for dismissed LIAT workers on the front burner, going as far as to take on Antiguas Prime Minister Gaston Browne who has accused the Union of playing politics.

News from Antigua and Barbuda late last week pointed to that countrys government as confirming that arrangements are being negotiated by LIAT (2020) Limited and the court-appointed Administrator of the intra-regional airline, LIAT (1974), regarding the purchase of the assets of the bankrupt airline.





LIAT (2020 Ltd. is the airline established by the government of Antigua and Barbuda to respond in part to the travel void that resulted with the cessation of LIAT (1974) Ltd. flights across the region and its eventual declaration of bankruptcy.





This confirmation came, it is reported, even as the Antigua & Barbuda Workers Union, the legal representative of dismissed LIAT (1974) Ltd. workers, said it wants the Administrator to provide the public with an update on the companys future direction.





It is expected, as per the labour laws throughout the LIAT (!974) Ltd. jurisdiction, that settlement of severance pay for the dismissed workers will be priority as earnings from the sale of assets are apportioned to the airlines creditors.





The unions general secretary revealed that efforts are continuing to secure severance payments for the employees of the airline that entered into administration in July 2020 because of increased debt and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.





The airline is owned by the governments of Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, and St Vincent & The Grenadines.





While the Barbados and St. Lucia governments have made available funds to cover the three-year outstanding debt to the workers in their countries, this has not been the case with employees in the other states.
Left: Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne may well have set a precedent by using a value of $400.00 per pound for marijuana, in her deduction in arriving at a recent sentence. Right: Junior Spirit Cottle of the CRC recognized Chief Magistrate Browne for exercising judicial understanding and discretion in arriving at a sentence in this marijuana case involving Romaul Benn.

"Sometimes we like to beat up on the Magistrate when she is a bit hard on us, and maybe sometimes she deserves it, and perhaps we have a right to, when the condition demands it. But when she makes a judgment that reflects fairness, or advances our cause, I think she ought to be complimented. I salute you Madame Magistrate.





So said Head of the Cannabis Revival Committee (CRC) and Liaison Officer with the Medical Cannabis Authority (MA), Junior Spirit Cottle, as he lauded Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne for her sentencing approach in a marijuana case on Monday (Sept. 4).





And as he singled out Chief Magistrate Browne for praise and recognition, the CRC Chief called on other Magistrates to take a leaf from her book, in exercising judicial understanding and discretion in light of the changes taking place around the world with regard to marijuana.





Cottles praise for the Chief Magistrate came while speaking to THE VINCENTIAN shortly after she fined Green Hill resident Romaul Benn $15,583 for possession of 68 pounds of marijuana with intent to supply. He was ordered to pay $5,000 forthwith or six months in prison and the balance of $10,083 by November 10 or 12 months in prison.





The Magistrate had opted not to impose a custodial sentence after hearing the facts of the case, Junior Cottles evidence to the Court in support of the defenses submissions, a sterling mitigation plea from Benns attorney Grant Connell, and response from prosecutor Renrick Cato.





In sentencing the defendant, she used the value of $400 per pound, perhaps becoming the first Magistrate to go below the $500 per pound value set by then Commissioner of Police Keith Miller several years ago.





Magistrates have over the years been using the value of $500 to $700 per pound for marijuana.





In using $400 per pound, the value of the 68 pounds of marijuana found in Benns possession amounted to $27,200.





However, the Magistrate went down by $4,000, even though the Court has the power to impose a fine of three times the value, after considering that the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating (ones) for the offense, as well as the offender. Benn was also granted a one-third discount for his guilty plea notwithstanding that it was not entered at the first available opportunity.





Step in the right direction





Cottle told THE VINCENTIAN that while the penalty was not a total victory for traditional marijuana growers, it is a step in the right direction, in light of the changes taking place locally, regionally, and internationally in respect of marijuana.





"Thanks to the persuasive arguments of defense attorney Grant Connell, and the continued demand for justice and equality by traditional cultivators, and of course the fairness of the sitting Magistrate, Cottle said.

According to Cottle, "Our struggle for equality and justice still has a far way to go, but the recent decision by the Chief Magistrate is an indication that we are getting there.





Appeal to traditional formers





He took the opportunity to urge traditional (marijuana) cultivators to, "take stock of the way things are unfolding, to pay attention to what the law says, and let this be an encouragement to register with the Medical Cannabis Authority.





He acknowledged, "Things are hard and like everything else we have to struggle to feed our families, and for some of us we depend entirely on weed to do so, but for Gods sake, let us not be reckless. Let us be more calculative, less we find ourselves going down a road that can only bring more pain to ourselves and our families. To prevent this we have to speak with one voice, otherwise crappo (crapaud) smoke we pipe.





The CRC Chief, who has been in the marijuana trenches for decades, is aware that, "the struggle certainly would not give us the same justice and equality which the bigger folks enjoy, but it will make life better for ourselves, and our families within the framework of the system.





He called on the police to become more familiar with the law and to use their discretion when dealing with traditional cultivators.





Connells mitigation





Connell had told the Court, in mitigation, that the 68 pounds of marijuana which was found in taped packages during a police search of Benns home at Green Hill on July 1, was left there in Benns possession by a traditional cultivator, pending collection by the authorities for testing, in preparation for sale to an investor.





He said that in the interim, police raided Benns home, arrested and charged him, even though the defendant explained to them the origin of the marijuana.





The lawyer showed the Court the certificate of a traditional cultivator, purported to be the man who owned the marijuana found in Benns possession. He also called Cottle to the stand, in support of the defenses submissions.





Cottle gave the street value of marijuana as $300 per pound, but noted that this could go down to $200 when there is a glut.
(Photo : Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)

NASA's Space Launch System is facing financial constraints after a report by the Government Accountability Office found that the mega moon rocket is "unaffordable."

NASA's Space Launch System, which is the agency's mega moon rocket, has been hindered by financial constraints as it is considered to be "unaffordable."

The Thursday report that was released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) breaks down the SLS program's expenditures. It made the striking admission that senior NASA officials deemed the rocket to be unsustainable at its current cost levels. It also criticized what the GAO said is a lack of transparency into the program's ongoing costs.

NASA's Space Launch System

A spokesperson at NASA's headquarters did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the newly released report. However, the GAO noted that the space agency "recognizes the need to improve" the project's affordability moving forward.

The GAO's report said that with input from NASA management, the SLS program has already developed a roadmap that outlined short-term and long-term strategies that could result in future cost savings, as per CNN.

The plans include efforts to stabilize the program's flight schedule, increase efficiencies, encourage innovation, and adjust acquisition strategies to reduce cost risk. The issue comes as the SLS rocket is at the heart of the space agency's Artemis program, which is its flagship effort to return humans to the surface of the moon later this decade.

The effort involves various exploratory and science missions that seek to establish a permanent lunar settlement for humans to inhabit. The first test launch of the SLS, which was during a mission known as Artemis I, was conducted on Nov. 16 and was plagued with several delays.

While the mission was behind schedule, it was considered a spectacular success and it was able to set up the space agency to launch its first crewed test mission around the moon that is scheduled for late 2024. That particular mission is expected to be followed by Artemis III, which would be the first attempt to return American astronauts to the lunar surface since the Apollo program.

Read Also: Japan Suspends Launch X-Ray Telescope, Experimental Moon Lander Due to Powerful Winds

Financial Constraints

The GAO noted that another issue with the situation is that NASA's cost estimates did not appear to take into account delays to the Artemis missions. But one NASA official said that the delays would have no cost impacts on the mission, which others considered to be highly improbable, according to Ars Technica.

The report also indicated that the space agency did not regularly update its five-year production cost estimates for the mega moon rocket. It cited various concerns regarding the development costs of future hardware for NASA's program, including the Exploration Upper Stage.

On top of the issues brought up by the GAO, NASA is facing hurdles from a combination of decreasing budgets and increasing. The situation is putting a strain on the space agency's Deep Space Network (DSN).

The DSN will be responsible for providing communications for NASA's upcoming Artemis Moon missions. Furthermore, the space agency is already reliant on it for a number of its science missions.

NASA's DSN is a system made up of antennas that are located in Australia, the United States, and Spain. For several years, the system has successfully been used to communicate with spacecraft that are beyond our planet's orbit, said Interesting Engineering.

Related Article: India Seeks To Observe Sun in New Cosmic Mission Following Historic Moon Landing

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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A Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming employee was fired and barred from all programs and facilities for allegedly sexually abusing a minor, officials said.

Daniel Joseph Uptain, 38, is facing six charges including sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree and sexual exploitation of children, court filing show.

Uptain is facing over 100 years in prison, if found guilty on all charges.

Boys and Girls Club staff, volunteers and youth members are held to the highest standards of ethical behavior and integrity, CEO Ashley Bright said in a statement.

Although it is our understanding that these allegations did not occur on Club premises, crimes of abuse run counter to everything our organization stands for  no harm should come to any child under any circumstance, Bright said.

On July 21, an unidentified person told authorities their child had been placed at a treatment center in Powell, the affidavit in the case states.

The child was allowed a home visit for a few days, so they returned to Casper, the affidavit states.

Shortly after the visit, a counselor at the facility interviewed the child, the affidavit states.

The child allegedly told the counselor that they met up with Uptain, who they had previously met at the Boys and Girls Club, the affidavit states. Uptain worked there.

Uptain allegedly bought a vape pen, and in exchange for the vape pen, the child had sexual intercourse with him in a backyard, the affidavit states.

The child allegedly told authorities they had met up with Uptain four times and had sex with him three times, the affidavit states.

Uptain allegedly met the child in October on a dating application called MeetMe, the affidavit states. The child told authorities they portrayed themselves as 19 years old, but they did not believe [they] looked 19.

Their conversations moved to Facebook, the affidavit states.

Uptain agreed to pay the child $100 for sex, the affidavit states. The childs parent allegedly caught them in bed naked and kicked Uptain out of house.

The childs parent allegedly told Uptain they would shoot him if they saw him again, the affidavit states.

Uptain was allegedly informed on the childs real age shortly after, the affidavit states.

He allegedly responded that traditionally children were married at the age of 15 or 16 and Im a traditional man so no, it doesnt bother me, the affidavit states.

They met up on more than one occasion for sex, and Uptain allegedly would bring marijuana dab pens, alcohol and vape pens, the child told authorities, according to the affidavit. They also smoked meth together, but Uptain allegedly only took one hit because he had to work in the morning.

Uptain was later interviewed by authorities, the affidavit states.

He allegedly told authorities he had used dating apps to meet people multiple times, the child was listed as 28 years old, and the sex was consensual, the affidavit states.

But he allegedly admitted that [the child] did not look anyways close to the age listed on the website, the affidavit states.

Uptain allegedly told authorities he did have sex with the child more than once and did bring substances like vapes and alcohol, the affidavit states.

He also allegedly told authorities he exchanged nude photographs with the child, and there was a strong possibility there were videos exchanges, too, the affidavit states.

Uptain is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 25.

Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in Wyoming, 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 Star-Tribune app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
WORLAND  In 2021, Lt. Ray Krogmans family reaped the benefits of a scientific recovery team that found the remains of Krogman more than 50 years after he disappeared over Laos in 1967.

Next weekend, area residents can view a documentary about one organization committed to bringing service members home who have been killed or missing in action.

Alan Brown of Worland said he watched the documentary about Project Recover, To What Remains, while browsing on YouTube. He said initially he thought about showing the movie to raise funds for American Legion Post 44. He reached out to Project Recover and was informed that they made the movie to raise money for the Project Recover efforts.

So I thought about it; I thought, well, I still think its a good cause. And I still think its something that people in Worland would engage with and possibly support, Brown said.

He reached out to Marc Dykstra, owner of Washakie Cinemas, and Dykstra agreed to show the documentary for free, after Brown purchased it. The documentary will be shown next Friday, Sept. 15, the National POW/ MIA Day, at 4:30 p.m. and again on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 11:30 a.m.

He said people can donate to Project Recover at https://www.projectrecover.org/donate-every-americans-mission/.

Brown said he does have a military history in his family. His grandfather served in the Pacific in the Navy in World War II and his great-uncle was shot down over Europe in WWII and recovered.

I think the main thing that kind of set me running on this was remembering that we had a pretty good turnout and response bringing home Lt. Krogman. I thought our community was appreciative of the efforts that brought him home and theyd be interested in supporting further efforts.

Project Recover

The Foundation of Project Recovers work is rooted in the belief that when a service member swears an oath to the constitution and dons the cloth of our Nation a promise is made to them and their family that should they fall in service every effort will be made to return them to their loved one, said Derek Abbey, Ph.D., Major, USMC (ret), President & CEO of Project Recover. This promise does not have an expiration date. For us, every day is Memorial Day.

'To What Remains'

According to a press release, To What Remains is the story of Project Recover, a small team of accomplished scientists, oceanographers, archaeologists, historians, researchers, and military veterans who have dedicated their lives to scouring the depths of the ocean and the farthest corners of the earth, to search for, recover, and repatriate the remains of the more than 80,000 Americans missing in action since WWII.

In what one MIA family member aptly described as looking for the smallest needle in the largest haystack, Project Recover team members comb through military action reports to identify broad swaths of ocean and land where U.S. servicemen were killed over 75 years ago and execute onsite searches involving a combination of technology (sophisticated underwater drones) and painstaking manual labor (scuba dives and archaeological digs).

The team travels to some of the most beautiful tropical locations in the world, where unimaginable atrocities once occurred.

While the search for a single crash site can require years of effort, the Project Recover team members are fueled by the sense of purpose that comes from identifying the remains of Americans who gave their lives in service, returning those remains to their proper homes, and bringing closure to families who had nothing more than a picture on a mantle, vague memories passed down from prior generations and unanswered questions, the release said.

In breathtaking imagery filmed over several years and intimate interviews with Project Recover team members and MIA families, To What Remains takes viewers inside this emotional journey to honor our fallen servicemen, from the discovery of wreckage on the seafloor in the South Pacific to the living room of a stunned family in middle America, to a well-deserved final resting place at home.
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shot at close range: The body of Emmanuel Parks lies on the Eastern Main Road, Laventille, near the Simpsons funeral home, yesterday, shortly after he had been killed. Photos: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
DEMANDING ANSWERS: Newly-elected councillor in the San Fernando City Corporation John Michael Alibocus, second right, protests yesterday with parents and guardians outside the Holy Cross Anglican School in Marabella, over the delay in opening the new school building. Photo: TREVOR WATSON
(Photo : Photo by Earvin Perias-POOL/Getty Images)

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 8: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shakes hands with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese before the bilateral meeting at the Malacanang palace on September 8, 2023 in Manila, Philippines. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. before traveling to the G20 Leaders Summit in India.

With the signing of a strategic partnership on Friday, the Philippines and Australia strengthened their security and economic alliance to counter China's expanding regional influence.

The agreement was finalized after a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Manila.

Australia Affirms Ties With the Philippines

Albanese's visit, which marks the first bilateral discussions with an Australian prime minister in Manila in 20 years, is the latest in a series of visits by senior members of his administration to the archipelago nation since Marcos assumed the presidency in 2022.

Under the terms of a strategic partnership, the countries will seek to expand cooperation in a variety of areas, including defense, security, climate change, and education.

Australia regards a strategic partnership as the greatest level of bilateral relations. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, despite a judgment by the international community that its position is illegal.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei all stake claim to contiguous portions of it. The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, shifted the country's conventional security alliances away from the United States and toward China. The Marcos administration has attempted to reverse this policy, as per SCMP.

Last month, the Australian and Filipino military conducted a significant joint exercise near the contested waters. Marcos, his defense minister Gilberto Teodoro, and the Australian defense minister Richard Marles observed the event.

Read Also: US Announces $175 Million Ukraine Support Package, Includes Anti-Armor Rounds, Air Defense Equipment

South China Sea Dispute

According to AFP via Yahoo, under the terms of a strategic partnership, the countries will seek to expand cooperation in a variety of areas, including defense, security, climate change, and education.

China's growing assertiveness on Taiwan and the militarization of artificial islands in the contested South China Sea have prompted Canberra and Washington to strengthen defense ties with Manila, a longtime ally.

Marcos thanked Albanese for his "strong support" for the Philippines as it endeavors to defend itself against "not valid" maritime claims, a thinly veiled reference to China.

Albanese referred to the two nations as "great friends" and expressed his desire that his visit would assist in elevating their relationship to "an even higher level."

After a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands was obstructed by China Coast Guard vessels using water cannons on August 5, these exercises ensued, sparking a diplomatic dispute and international indignation.

Friday's negotiations included signing a memorandum of understanding for reciprocal work and holiday visas. The nations also agreed to convene an annual meeting of defense ministers.

Human Rights Watch had urged Albanese to "seriously" debate human rights during his discussions with Marcos, including advocating for an end to Duterte's bloody drug war.

Meanwhile, Australia and China have made progress in resuming "unimpeded trade," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday as he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang at a regional summit in Indonesia. Albanese added that the progress should continue.

Australia's views will not always align with China's, "but we understand dialogue is absolutely critical," Albanese said. Per VOA News, Li said Albanese was welcome to visit China this year, and the Australian leader agreed.

The confirmation of the visit to Beijing, the first by an Australian leader to its largest trading partner since 2016, is a significant step towards the stabilization of relations.

In response to Australia's request for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, China suspended diplomatic exchanges in 2020 by imposing restrictions on a dozen Australian exports.

Since Australia elected a Labor government in 2022, tensions have decreased, and China has recently removed tariffs on Australian barley exports. However, Australia wants restrictions on other exports, such as wine and lobster, to be abolished.

China is Australia's largest export market for iron ore, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated on Wednesday that a downturn in China would contribute to the economic strain on Australia.

Related Article: Watchdog CREW Files Lawsuit to Ban Trump from Colorado's 2024 Ballot

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As we sit in the comfort of our Caribbean homes and look on in horror at the merciless genoc
If you have met Adiba Nelson you know she can be painfully, often hilariously, self-aware.

Im a fat Black woman with a gap in her teeth and nappy hair, she said. I aint no cover girl.

Yet there she is, on the cover of a book, wearing a green dress and trying hard not to look down at the authors name: Adiba Nelson.

Her book, Aint That a Mother, was re-released as a paperback this summer. It might be the most refreshingly frank memoir ever written, told with heart, humor and honesty  and in the same voice as the woman who lived it.

She definitely puts herself out there. Among other things, she reviews two failed marriages, a surprise pregnancy, post-partum depression, her short career with a local burlesque troupe, and learning her daughter had cerebral palsy.

The heading for Chapter 11: Sh** Nobody Talks About.

More than anything, Nelsons memoir is real, and real people have noticed.

She was a presenting author at the Tucson Festival of Books in March.

Next week, she will begin a two-month term as the Writer in Residence at Pima County Public Library, the first Black author ever selected.

Aint That a Mother will become a TV series after the screenwriter and screen actors strike is over.

I was so happy I bought a pink velvet couch to celebrate, Nelson said.

Many Tucsonans knew Nelson as an inspirational speaker before reading her memoir. She did a TEDx talk called Skating Downhill in 2017. A documentary about her, entitled Full Nelson, won an Emmy for Arizona Illustrated in 2018. Before the pandemic, she spoke at a number of local events, often about inclusion.

But the springboard had been the childrens book Nelson wrote for her daughter, Emory. It was entitled Meet ClaraBelle Blue, and featured a young Black girl making the most of life from her wheelchair.

When I started reading books to Emory, I wanted to find books about kids like her, Nelson explained. We went to Barnes & Noble one day and asked if they had some books about disabled children. This was 2011, and they said no. Well, how bout Black girls? Again, no.

Well, I got angry. I went home and wrote my daughter a story in about 10 minutes. It was just a rinky-dink story about a little Black girl in a pink dress and a wheelchair, but to her it was a book.

It was a cousin who encouraged Nelson to make it a real, honest-to-goodness book. She did, but publishers said it was too niche.

They said the world wasnt ready, but I thought, You know what? Were here now. We dont have time to wait for the world to be ready for my kid.

In 2013, Nelson self-published Meet ClaraBelle Blue. The book no publisher wanted is now available in the U.S., Europe, South America and Australia, both in English and Spanish.

Nelsons luck was no better the next time she approached the major publishers, but several said they would be interested in a memoir.

My agent, Jess Regel, asked if this was something Id be interested in doing. I was like, well, the universe is saying I have to.

The universe appears to have been right.

What was wild was that we got a TV deal before we got a book deal, Nelson said. My agent has bigger dreams for me than I do, and she pitched the proposed plotline for my book to some TV producers, too. I had an adaptation contract for the book before I actually wrote the book.

Born in New York City, Nelson moved to Tucson at age 11. The transition did not go smoothly  I spent middle school grounded, she recalls  but it did make her a bookworm.

My moms punishment when I got in trouble was to take away everything I loved to do. She did let me read books, though. I got in a lot of trouble. I read a lot of books.

While at Doolen Middle School, Nelson discovered a love of writing, too. She was the gossip columnist for the school newspaper.

There was a brief flirtation with a possible writing career while at Mesa Community College in Phoenix, but she didnt really get serious until the birth of her daughter.

Writing kind of got me through my postpartum time, she said. I started a blog for moms called Spit-Up is Sexy. I was trying to cope with my problems with humor. I didnt know it, but one of my followers was Denene Millner, the author. She reached out to me one day and I about lost my mind. That gave me the chutzpah to think maybe my writings not so bad.

No, its not.

Nelson is now a professional author, with two novels under way and contracts to produce two childrens books for Macmillan in 2024 and 2026.

For the time being, though, she is enjoying life as the author of Aint That a Mother.

Its not a bestseller, but it has found its way to a lot of people who need it, Nelson said. Ive gotten messages from people who say Ive told their story, that now they feel seen. Theres this beautiful thing  when you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you tap into other peoples humanity. People who need you find you. People who need this book now have it.

FOOTNOTES

The librarys Writer in Residence program enlists local authors to help new writers complete and publish their work. Nelson will be available for individual sessions through Nov. 18. Open-to-all workshop will begin Sept. 29 at Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N. First Ave. To schedule a visit with Nelson or learn more about her workshops, visit library.pima.gov/writer.

Local favorite J.A. Jance will be in Tucson Sept. 21 to discuss and sign her latest mystery, Blessing of the Lost Girls. The program is sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and will begin at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road. For more information, visit tucsonfestivalofbooks.com.

Author Paisley Rekdal, a former poet laureate of Utah, will be at the University of Arizona Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen St., for a reading and discussion on Sept. 21. The program will begin at 7 p.m. For more, visit poetry.arizona.edu.
Blue light, blue light. What do you say?

The Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility is putting a wrinkle in the childrens nursery rhyme explaining how traffic signals work.

The department has started installing blue lights at some Tucson intersections to boost traffic enforcement efforts.

The lights that illuminate when a traffic signal turns red are supposed to make it easier for police to monitor red light runners from afar, according to a news release.

The first intersection blue light was installed Thursday for the left turn lanes at the intersection of East Grant and North Craycroft roads.

The city says it picked the intersection because it is busy and has a high rate of left-turn collisions.

Blue lights have been shown to reduce the frequency of crashes when motorists understand it lets enforcement take place from a distance, the news release said.

The blue lights are not cameras and do not take pictures or video.

On Wednesday, crews from Next Generation Electrical converted the traffic signal heads at the intersection to flashing yellow arrows and replaced the traffic signal mast arms for both eastbound and westbound travel, the release said.
More than 34,000 Arizona state government employees are now eligible to get up to 12 weeks off with pay when they have new children.

The new policy immediately covers those whose newborns, adoptions and foster placements occurred as far back as the first of the year.

Under direction from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, the Department of Administration implemented a pilot project on Thursday creating an exception from existing rules governing the amount of paid leave available, which were based on the number of years of service.

Each new parent will be entitled to up to 12 weeks off for any new baby in the house during a 12-month period.

It doesnt have to all be taken at the time of birth, or in consecutive weeks, as long as the employee works a total of 12 weeks sometime during that 12-month period.

The leave also is structured so that couples who both work for the state each can take up to 12 weeks off, for a total of nearly half a year of paid time off between the two of them.

The move essentially is an extension of benefits available under the federal Family Medical Leave Act. That act provides for up to 12 weeks of leave for specified family and medical purposes  not just involving a new child  without a worker fearing loss of the job. But that leave is unpaid, meaning it effectively is available only to those who can afford to be without income for three months.

More paid sick leave, too

Also changing is the amount of paid sick leave that state workers can accumulate to use not only for personal reasons but also for reasons such as taking a child to a doctor.

That is now capped at 40 hours in any year. The new program boosts it to 480 hours  12 weeks.

Hobbs, in a prepared statement, said the changes fulfill a commitment she made after taking office in January to extend paid family leave benefits. This is about more than helping the affected workers, she said.

I believe that a workplace that supports its working families is one that is best equipped to serve the people of Arizona, the governor said.

That sentiment was echoed by Elizabeth Alvarado-Thorson, Hobbs hand-picked director of the Department of Administration.

These new paid family leave benefits allow more flexibility for state employees and prioritize important bonding time for families, she said in a written statement. It will also strengthen the states retention and recruitment efforts and keep the state competitive for top talent.

No legislative OK needed

Hobbs gets to do this without legislative permission because of state personnel rules.

They specifically allow the Department of Administration to implement a temporary pilot project to improve efficiency, productivity, or accountability in the state personnel system. There appear to be no limits on the kinds of changes that can be put into place.

The project may include an activity or procedure that is not in accordance with these rules, the provision states. About the only restriction is that the pilot program can last no more than two years.

After the two years, if the state wants to continue the program, the Department of Administration will have to craft a permanent change in the rule, said its spokeswoman, Megan Rose. That would have to be approved by the Governors Regulatory Review Council after public hearings are held.

None of this requires legislative approval because lawmakers already gave permission for pilot projects like this, Rose said.

UA employees

Not all state employees will get the new benefits. The change affects only those within the state personnel system.

That excludes those working for the states three universities, the courts and the Legislature. It also excludes the state Department of Public Safety, which has its own personnel system, Rose said.

But documents provided by the Arizona Board of Regents show all three state universities, including the University of Arizona, already offer 12 weeks of paid leave for employees, though the terms for each vary slightly.

Also, DPS is moving to align its family leave policies with what the governor announced, said DPS Sgt. Eric Andrews.

Some restrictions apply

Even among those within the affected state system, paid parental leave will be available only to those who have worked for a state agency for at least 12 months during the past seven years. They also would have had to work a minimum of 1,250 hours during the past year; full-time employment generally is considered 2,080 hours a year.

There are some other conditions  including that this isnt simply an excuse for a new parent to get a vacation. The rules for the pilot project say paid parental leave is available as long as an employee has continuing parental role with the child whose birth was the basis for the leave entitlement.

State workers are also precluded from stacking the new paid benefits with the FMLA leave to give employees 24 weeks away without fear of losing a job: Any paid time off will also reduce the available time for unpaid leave.

The program is not available for workers prior to the birth or placement of a child. Instead, anyone needing time off for medical or legal reasons would instead have to use their regular accumulated paid leave balances or take leave without pay.
Jimmie Tramel Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow Jimmie Tramel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

For reasons that hit close to home, Danny OConnor is throwing support to a talent competition that will benefit the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.

A music artist and Outsiders House Museum founder, OConnor is one of three local celebrities who will judge The Big Show Off, described as the ultimate Oklahoma talent competition.

Zac Hanson of Hanson and former Miss USA Olivia Jordan of Tulsa also will serve as judges of the inaugural contest. On Feb. 3 at Cox Business Convention Center, theyll decide which contestants merit a $10,000 first prize and a $5,000 runner-up prize.

How can you enter? What hurdles must contestants clear before The Big Show?

Keep reading for details. First, lets explain why OConnor consented to judge the inaugural contest and to assist with promotion. Its because the issue of homelessness is personal.

OConnor said his father was murdered while living on the streets. In a 2021 Tulsa World Magazine profile, OConnor said someone poured gasoline on his father and lit him on fire.

He spent a large portion of his life as an alcoholic and he was homeless with, clearly, mental issues as well, OConnor said during an interview this week.

And, during my darkest days as an alcoholic and drug addict myself, I was what I like to say is faux homeless, which was basically living in an abandoned warehouse with running water and power, but not much else. The next step was either jails, institution or death. Ill always have a healthy fear of homelessness. So anything I could do to be a part of this and help with the outreach is what were doing right now.

The descent into faux homelessness came after OConnor ascended to fame as part of the music group House of Pain. Now 18 1/2 years sober, OConnor credits his involvement with the Outsiders House Museum (he is the museums executive director) for giving him purpose.

OConnor, who has resided on both coasts, digs living in Tulsa, but he couldnt help but notice the homeless population here. He wondered what he could do to help, so, while a run-down home at 731 N. Saint Louis Avenue was being converted into the Outsiders House Museum, he initiated a coat drive for the homeless. It went something like this: Donate a coat. Sneak a peek at the museums coming attractions.

It was the least I could do, OConnor said. I just felt the empathy (for the homeless). Its hard to describe. There before the grace of God, it could be me  and it almost was me.

OConnor figured it would be cool if 20 coats and jackets were collected. Instead, more than 200 were donated.

We bagged them up and we ended up bringing them to the Day Center, he said. It was so successful that I think the following month we did another one. We got to the point where we had so many coats it was like, OK, calm down. Thats a testimony to this wonderful community that is so supportive and so strong.

The coat project was responsible for OConnor meeting Monica Martin, the Day Centers director of development. Fast forward to the present: Martin asked OConnor to judge the upcoming talent contest, and he realized he could help with outreach for the event.

Nothing like this has ever been done in Tulsa, Martin said. We havent had this caliber of judges. Weve not ever done anything to this extent. We are over the moon to have that talent judge the talent that we have. We hear that Tulsa has got all of this amazing music talent, so we are looking forward to showcasing it at this event.

Martin wants the contest to attract competitors from all over Oklahoma. She hopes to be flooded with registrations.

Hopefuls can submit audition videos (no more than 90 seconds in length) through Sunday, Oct. 15. To register, go to thebigshowoff.org.

Selected entrants will be eligible to compete in a live semifinal event Nov. 15 at Cains Ballroom. The top participants who emerge from the semifinal event will perform live during the Feb. 3 finale.

The talent show is going to be awesome, OConnor said. Were hoping to see all kinds of new acts and get some familiar faces, as well. But this is all really to get the message out about what Day Center does for Tulsas homeless population. What they do is really necessary. So whatever I can do to be a part of that, Im doing it. Its near and dear to my heart.

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(Photo : INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

Students give final touches to a painting of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden, at an art school in Mumbai on September 7, 2023, ahead of the two-day G20 summit in New Delhi.

The White House announced Thursday evening that reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to India for this week's G20 summit will not be able to pose questions to Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the two leaders meet in New Delhi, despite the administration's repeated requests for greater press access.

This is different from a typical bilateral visit to India, with meetings in the prime minister's office and a full schedule, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.

Press Access Restrictions During Biden-Modi Meeting at G20 Summit in India

The host of the G20 is hosting a significant number of leaders in his home, and he has established the protocols he established.

In a follow-up exchange, Sullivan told reporters, "Of course," the administration pressed for a pool spray of the meeting, as is customary when Biden hosts foreign dignitaries at the White House, joking, "We spend our lives asking for pool sprays and other things" for reporters.

Since assuming power, Modi has rarely taken queries, drawing international criticism from press freedom groups critical of the Indian prime minister's crackdown on independent reporting.

After lengthy and delicate negotiations, Modi consented to participate in a news conference at the White House during a state visit in June. Indian officials initially balked at the White House's insistence at conducting one, two US officials familiar told CNN at the time.

The administration has been eager to emphasize the president's willingness to criticize Modi on press freedom and humanitarian issues while in power. Per Republic World, six Democratic lawmakers boycotted Modi's address to Congress during his June visit, with Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cite India's treatment of its Muslim minorities.

Biden welcomed the Indian prime minister to the White House with a formal state dinner - only the third of his administration - for the controversial Indian leader, citing a shared commitment to democracy between the two nations.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the administration was "doing our darndest, doing our best" to guarantee media access to the president during his summit trip to India.

Numerous officials, including Sullivan, the White House communications director Ben LaBolt, the deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, and the deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell, reportedly contacted their Indian counterparts to argue for greater press access during the visit, but to no avail.

Instead of addressing reporters after the summit's conclusion in New Delhi, President Biden will conduct a news conference in Vietnam, where it will be "easier" for the president to take questions from reporters, according to the White House.

Sullivan stated that, aside from Biden's meeting with Modi, it is unlikely that there will be many formal engagements with foreign leaders during the G20 summit. The restricted press access during the impending G20 summit has raised transparency and accountability concerns, as per Daily Mail.

While the White House has assured the public that efforts have been made to increase media access, it appears that the Indian government's protocols for the summit have taken precedence, preventing reporters from questioning the leaders.

This situation is particularly noteworthy given the ongoing scrutiny of press freedom issues in India under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. Critics argue that an assault on independent reporting has stifled the country's press freedom, making it all the more critical for the international media to have access to leaders and decision-makers during significant events such as the G20 summit.

During Modi's state visit to the United States in June, when President Biden criticized his Indian counterpart on these issues, the Biden administration's commitment to addressing press freedom and humanitarian concerns in India was highlighted. However, the restricted access granted to reporters during the G20 summit may cast doubt on such diplomatic efforts' efficacy in promoting press freedom in India.

The decision to conduct a news conference in Vietnam as opposed to India has also sparked discussions about the logistical difficulties and ramifications of such a move. While the White House argues that it would be "easier" to conduct the conference in Vietnam, some may view this decision as a missed opportunity to address crucial issues concerning India's press freedom and human rights situation on Indian soil.

Read Also: State Secretary Antony Blinken Visits Ukraine, Pledges Long-Term Support for Kyiv

Eyes on Biden-Modi Interactions and Implications for US-India Relations

As the G20 summit unfolds, observers will intently monitor President Biden and Prime Minister Modi's interactions and statements.

Formal bilateral meetings may be limited, but informal discussions and interactions on the sidelines of the summit could shed light on the state of US-India relations and the extent to which press freedom and other human rights issues are being addressed at the highest levels of government.

The limited press access during the G20 summit between President Biden and Prime Minister Modi has raised concerns about transparency and accountability, particularly concerning press freedom issues in India. The decision to conduct a news conference in Vietnam instead of India has sparked discussions regarding this move's logistical and diplomatic implications.

As the summit progresses, the international community will closely observe how these issues are addressed and whether significant progress can be made in advancing press freedom and human rights.

Related Article: Canada Announces Public Inquiry To Investigate Alleged China, Russia Election Interference

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A 16-year-old student was taken into custody after a false threat was reported Thursday at Hale High School.

Hale and two nearby Tulsa Public Schools sites were given the all-clear after a lockdown and law enforcement sweep.

What we found is that there was not an actual active shooter, Capt. Richard Meulenberg said. No injuries were reported, he said, adding there is no reason for panic as police expanded to a floor-by-floor, room-by-room search.

No one was detained during the investigation, Meulenberg said, with the efforts now moving to find the perpetrator of the fake call.

According to a Tulsa Police social media post, investigators found the 911 call came from on campus just after 11 a.m.

Within an hour of the all-clear, police said the suspect  a 16-year-old Hale student  was identified and taken into custody.

The as-yet unnamed individual is expected to face a misdemeanor charge of false alarm, complaint or information.

Its absolutely ridiculous, Meulenberg said while officers in the Mingo Valley Division area were tied up in the response.

This is a tremendous pain, especially for ... a swatting call, he said during the preliminary stages of the investigation. Were not going to treat it as anything other than an active shooter because we should do that, just in case; however, its a drain on our resources.

Swatting is the term for creating a deception to create a large emergency response at a specific address.

In addition to TPD, responding agencies Thursday included Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Tulsa Public Schools Campus Police, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

No children were in harms way, Meulenberg said, barring the stupidity of whoevers calling.

This person who called has created a very dangerous situation because of panic, he said. The consequences of a false emergency call are serious, Meulenberg said.

After the all-clear, police said they were turning the scene back over to Tulsa Public Schools Campus Police and site administrators.

Tulsa Public Schools has a safety hotline staffed 24/7 at 918-480-SAFE. Callers may remain anonymous.

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Kevin Canfield Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Kevin Canfield Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

So much is big and bold about Gathering Place  its cost, its size, its attendance figures, its mission  that five years after the park opened on Sept. 8, 2018, it can be easy to overlook the small moments and lasting memories that make up the magic of the parks success.

But a stroll through the 66.5-acre urban oasis will fix that. There, youre bound to run into people like Laura Hunt, mother to Penelope, 2, and Bessie, 9 months, who with her husband, Tim Hunt, moved to Tulsa from Kansas City about six weeks ago.

We knew about it. ... We have friends here who would always come here, so that was like one of the main reasons we moved here, was the park, Laura Hunt said as she watched Penelope play in the sand at Chapman Adventure Playground. Being a stay-at-home mom, it was nice having something like this to be able to do every day.

Businessman and philanthropist George Kaiser envisioned just such scenarios when, in the early 2000s, he listed the creation of attractive outdoor gathering spots along the Arkansas River as a priority for his foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

It could provide a nostalgic memory in the minds of kids who grew up here, so that when they establish their careers and start to build a family, this is the place they want to come back to, Kaiser said in a 2018 interview with the Tulsa World.

There was more to it. Kaiser saw the park as a vehicle to bring people of diverse backgrounds together who might not otherwise have reason to connect.

The hope, he said at the time, was that visitors would understand better that people who dont have the same background they may have, still have the same interests and dreams and wishes for their kids and their family.

Five years later, the park has far exceeded Kaisers hopes and dreams, said Jeff Stava, executive director and trustee of Tulsas Gathering Place LLC.

Georges vision for the Gathering Place has been a hit in spades, Stava said. I mean, as far as making it a place that all Tulsans feel welcome and all Tulsans feel that its something that is for them, I feel like the citys embraced it in an incredible way.

We have had 11.4 million visitors in our last five years.

Theyve come from every state and several foreign countries, according to park officials, providing an avalanche of free advertising for the city.

Stava said Gathering Place, along with the Philbrook and Gilcrease museums and the citys great restaurants and music scene, are putting Tulsa on the map.

We have a coolness that a lot of people say is kind of like Austin 20 years ago. But I like to say most that Tulsa is unique and different, Stava said. And the Gathering Place is just one part of that.

Theres a lot of things going on in the city that make our city an attractive place for people to want to be here.

Public-private partnership

GKFF dreamed up Gathering Place and was the driving force behind its construction. But Stava and Kaiser are quick to point out that it was a community endeavor.

The foundation contributed more than $200 million, including $50 million in land, to the project. Local corporations and philanthropists pitched in approximately $200 million, and the city invested $65 million in public infrastructure.

Thats $465 million well spent as far as Mayor G.T. Bynum is concerned.

I think the greatest long-term impact of the Gathering Place will be that it raised the bar of expectation for this generation of Tulsans, Bynum said. I remember when I was driving my kids to the groundbreaking years ago, and they were complaining that they didnt want to go listen to a bunch of speeches at some park.

I explained to them that this was going to be the best park in any city in America, and that is exactly what it has turned out to be.

And thats not just his opinion, Bynum said.

Ive hosted everyone from global billionaire philanthropists to toddlers barely able to walk in that park, and every single one of them has been awestruck, he said. There really is something for everyone to love about the Gathering Place.

Whats changed, what hasnt

When it comes to playground equipment and attractions, not much has changed since that overcast Saturday morning when stilt-walkers, bands and dancers mingled with thousands of other Tulsans in a parade along Riverside Drive marking the opening of the park.

The Vista restaurant atop the ONEOK Boathouse is the one notable exception. Originally envisioned as an up-scale dining venue, it has gone through several iterations and now serves as a special events space.

Park officials say the 2019 flooding along the Arkansas River and the onset of COVID-19 the next year kept visitors away from the park and complicated the job market, resulting in a change of plans for the space.

Theres just been a lot of demand for space here by groups, and we are very hesitant of taking the space away in the (Williams) Lodge and stuff like that, said Julio Badin, the parks executive director. And so its a good use of the space.

Whats next

When Williams Crossing  the new pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River  opens in a year, so will 5 acres of Gathering Place property along the rivers eastern bank.

The bumpouts, as they are commonly called, will extend about a quarter of a mile from approximately 30th Street and Riverside Drive to the north entrance of the park at John Williams Way.

Theyre going to get the QuikTrip Lakeview Lawn, which occupies the north bumpout, which will be rigged with electrical and sound, just like the Great Lawn, so that we can do performances on it, Stava said. Itll have a really open area near the waters edge where we can have a stage and do performances.

Itll also have a pathway that runs along the waters edge, so itll allow Tulsans for the very first time to get down to the waters edge and be engaged with the Arkansas River.

Development of the final 37 acres of park space  which will put the total at more than 100  is planned for the east side of Riverside Drive south of Discovery Lab.

The details have yet to be determined, Stava said.

We have begun to inventory the programming that we have at the park and whats really working, what we could use more of, what we can use less of, Stava said. Weve started kind of looking at where we might have gaps in the types of programming for different age groups. ... All of that is kind of in the beginning stages.

A grateful community

One of the things Laura Hunt loves about Gathering Place is theres something different for her children to do every time they visit.

And there is a little baby area for her, Hunt said, nodding at the stroller where Bessie was resting. We can just walk around, too. They usually take naps in the stroller, which is really nice.

Hunt said she and her husband love Tulsa, in part because its smaller and easier to get around than Kansas City. And then theres the park.

We dont have anything like this in Kansas City, Hunt said. Its just so much better than just going to a traditional park where you have like two playgrounds, and no shade.

Badin says he hears similar expressions of gratitude nearly every time he bumps into visitors to the park.

They say thank you. Please tell George thank you for building this park, Badin said.

For a complete list of anniversary events at the park this weekend, go to gatheringplace.org./fiveyears.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  A woman has accused the acting chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board of making unwanted physical contact with her last year.

Edward Konieczny, a retired Episcopalian bishop, was appointed to the board by Gov. Kevin Stitt in January 2022.

Konieczny cannot comment at this time because of church restrictions, his attorney, Bill Cathcart, said Wednesday.

The woman who made the accusation, Ayala Harris of Oklahoma, was elected president last year of the Episcopal Church's House of Deputies.

In a letter to deputies Aug. 30, she wrote she was physically overpowered by a retired bishop on July 9, 2022, shortly after being elected "to serve as your 34th president."

She described the incident in New York as "unwanted and non-consensual physical contact" that also involved "inappropriate verbal statements." She explained she was speaking out because a church attorney had referred the matter after an investigation "for a pastoral response instead of discipline."

"I find this outcome deeply unsettling," she wrote.

She did not identify the retired bishop in her letter. The current bishop of Oklahoma wrote in a letter Tuesday "it has been reported and confirmed" that it was Konieczny.

"Both President Ayala Harris and Bishop Konieczny are part of our Oklahoma diocese, with strong connections to many. And so we feel this pain acutely in Oklahoma," Bishop Poulson Reed wrote.

The accusation already has touched off a furor in the Episcopal Church, but it also could lead to another shakeup at the Pardon and Parole Board.

The last shakeup came last month when two members left. Both already have been replaced.

Any change to the five-member board is significant because it votes on all death row inmate requests for mercy. The governor has the final say but can only act if the board recommends clemency.

The next clemency hearing is set for Nov. 8.

Stitt appointed Konieczny to replace Adam Luck, who was then chairman. "He is an inspiring leader with a servant's heart," Stitt said in announcing his appointment.

Luck stepped down at the governor's request because of their differences over the death penalty. Stitt, a Republican, supports capital punishment. Luck had repeatedly recommended clemency for death row inmates.

Stitt reappointed Konieczny to a full four-year term in January.

Konieczny, now 68, retired as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma in January 2021 after more than 13 years in that role. He also is a former police officer, serving from 1975 to 1992 in California, according to a news release about his 2022 appointment. He is married.

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Pottawatomie County jail officials apparently defied state laws and a judges order when they concealed information on the unexplained deaths of seven vulnerable detainees.

All seven people arrived at the jail with medical and mental health or substance use complications that required care. None of them made it home alive. Most of their families still dont know why.

An Oklahoma Watch investigation found that the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center withheld public records and defied court orders to produce them. It ignored families requests for medical records. And it reported only two of the deaths to state regulators  all under the charge of jail director Breonna Thompson, better known by her middle name, Rochelle.

When you take the least of us and you treat them with this kind of disrespect to the point that it leads to their demise, thats just inhumane, said attorney Ronald Skip Kelly, who is suing the jail on behalf of one of the families. I have never experienced the kind of ruthless disrespect to families that Ive seen from this jail, refusing to give them any information. If there was ever a jail that needs to be under investigation by the U.S. justice department, its that one.

Unexplained bruises, broken ribs

When Shelly Cailler arrived at St. Anthony Hospital in Shawnee on July 10, 2021, her wife, Kellie Wright, was on life support. Wright had five broken ribs and was covered in bruises Cailler had never seen before.

A doctor told Cailler that Wright was brain dead after she went into cardiac arrest three or four times in the ambulance that delivered her from the Pottawatomie County jail. Caillers mind flooded with questions: Why was she in jail? What caused the bruises and broken bones? How could this happen?

Wright was the education chair for the Oklahoma Society of Accountants, which held its annual conference that weekend at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee. Thats where she experienced a mental health emergency that led to her arrest and, ultimately, her death. Wright, 50, had a history of alcohol abuse, hypertension, depression and was treated for an episode of delirium in 2020. The episode was a pandemic thing, Cailler said.

Wright had been stable for nearly a year.

After Wrights death, Cailler pleaded for medical records, video footage, incident reports, anything that would fill the gaps in her wifes final hours. But the jail refused or ignored her calls.

Two years later, Cailler still doesnt have the answers.

In July, Cailler sued the jail in search of information. She alleged in the lawsuit that jailers ignored signs of Wrights mental health crisis and failed to provide treatment or even assess Wrights condition; instead, Cailler said, they let her languish in a cell. A Tulsa judge ordered the jail to release video, medical records and other documentation of Wrights detention by Aug. 5. No records were released. Caillers attorney, Dan Smolen, said its likely the jail will appeal the decision.

We deserve to know what happened to her, Cailler said. She wasnt no one. She was someone to us and were going to make them answer for what happened to her.

Wrights family isnt the only one demanding answers from the Pottawatomie County jail. It took four years and a federal appellate court ruling to pry free the video of jailers beating another detainee, Ronald Given, to death.

Although Givens family members finally have some answers, they still seek justice. No one was charged in his death.

Details about how other detainees died and what role the jail played are scarce. Oklahoma Watch reviewed hundreds of pages of documents from arresting police departments, the state health department and the medical examiner. Findings:

 Stacey Garrett, 39, died at a hospital of a rare stroke in 2018, according to a report by a state medical examiner. The autopsy report listed substance use as a contributing factor and could not determine if her death was natural, accidental or intentional.

 Michael Mortons death was reported to the state health department. Jailers found Morton, 67, not breathing and without a pulse on the floor of a cell in 2018, according to the health department report. He died of a heart attack, according to an autopsy report, which cited a seizure disorder as a contributing factor. Mortons siblings said he struggled with mental illness.

 Ronald Given, 42, had a history of alcohol abuse. He died at a hospital in 2019 one week after an altercation with jailers that began while Given was experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a report by a medical examiner who ruled his death a homicide.

 Kellie Wright, 50, died the day after she was booked into jail in 2021 from a brain injury caused by cardiac arrest, according to a medical examiners report, which cites hypertension and alcohol use as contributing factors.

 Cindy Salazars death was reported to the state health department. Salazar, 39, died at a hospital in 2021 after her cellmates told detention officers she was having seizures, according to the health department report. She was being held for the U.S. Marshals Service.

 Jerry Gage, 78, had trouble breathing, had hypertension and gastrointestinal complications. He died at a hospital after being beaten by his cellmate in 2022, according to a medical examiners report that ruled his death a homicide.

 Carrie Stewart, 48, died at a hospital from infections caused by intravenous drug use in 2022, according to a medical examiners report.

Pottawatomie County prosecutor Adam Panters investigators are reviewing Givens death to determine whether any jailers will be charged, he said. Gages cellmate was charged with murder. He was found incompetent to stand trial and remains incarcerated at the Pottawatomie County jail where he is receiving treatment, according to the jails website and court documents.

This is a safe place

Wright needed care when her mental health crisis began inside a hotel elevator. Instead, she got police.

Mental health and jails People behind bars are disproportionately poor and reliant on social services for medical and mental health care. In November, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a federal investigation to determine whether those services are adequate in Oklahoma. Sheriffs across the state have pointed to their jails as evidence theyre not, calling them de facto mental health hospitals that are underfunded and ill-equipped to care for detainees who often need treatment, not incarceration.

Wright was yelling into the lobby when Citizen Potawatomi Nation police officer Orrin Beckham asked for her identification, Beckhams incident report states. According to court records, Wright refused to provide her identification and said: I have talked to God about this. Im going to die.

Beckham persuaded Wright to exit the elevator and join him in the lobby, but as the elevator began to close, Wright turned and ran toward it. Beckham restrained her on the ground and handcuffed her, court records show. Wright kicked Beckhams left calf six times, according to court records. Wright was still yelling when McLoud police officer Stephanie Nappier arrived, her body camera video shows.

Wright alternated between cursing at officers and begging them not to hurt her as they loaded her into the back of a police truck, video shows. Wright, who lay face down across the seat with her wrists and ankles bound, didnt answer when officers asked what drugs she had taken. It must have been methamphetamine, they said.

The only thing I can get her on right now is public intox, Beckham said in the video.

Seconds later he told Wright she was under arrest for public intoxication. Nappier suggested charging Wright for kicking him. According to Beckhams incident report, he arrested her for assaulting an officer.

Nappiers body camera was still recording at the jail when detention officers carried Wright inside the Pottawatomie County jail with minor visible injuries. Beckham assisted by holding the chain restraining Wrights feet. Wright begged officers not to kill her. Beckham wiped blood off of himself in the video but its source is unclear.

You aint gonna get hurt, Beckham said. This is a safe place.

The following day, Wright was found unresponsive in a cell and died hours later at a hospital, according to an autopsy report. Caillers lawsuit alleges Wrights broken bones and bruises were a result of excessive use of force by jailers or another detainee.

Wrights blood alcohol level was less than half the legal limit, according to the autopsy report. The only drugs found in her system were from prescriptions she was taking at the time.

Deaths not reported

When a detainee dies, jails are required to report the death to the State Health Departments jail division, which triggers a safety inspection. An inspection was not conducted after Wright died because her death wasnt reported. Neither was Garretts, Givens, Gages or Stewarts.

The (health) Department shall be notified no later than the next working day if any of the following incidents occur, the law states. Five incidents are listed, the last of which is death.

State Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, said some argue that jails dont need to report the death of a detainee who dies somewhere outside of a detention facility, such as a hospital. The language needs to be clarified, he said.

Attorneys Kelly and Smolen said jails across the state use medical release bonds to deflect responsibility and medical costs for the sickest and most vulnerable detainees.

Dr. LaTrina Frazier, who runs the health departments quality assurance and regulatory division, said in a July interview that the department was unaware of the unreported detainee deaths at Pottawatomie County jail. Inspectors typically investigate complaints within a year of the alleged violation, but not after. Failure to report is a violation of state law, but a difficult one to enforce because inspectors dont know what they dont know, she said.

The goal is educating and working with jails to improve conditions, Frazier said.

Consequences for violations are rare, placing the burden on lawyers to hold jails accountable, said Kelly, who represents Gages family.

Jails dont feel like they have to answer to anyone because there arent any impacts so why would they change anything? Kelly said. Somebody has to stand up to them or nothing is going to change.

Health department employees found no violations during an annual health inspection on May 25, according to the latest inspection report. No violations have been found at the jail since at least 2018, according to health department records.

The jails oversight authority is ultimately responsible for inmate safety and required to report deaths, Frazier said.

Married couple runs jail

Eva Kopaddy, Givens aunt, is suing the jail trust, jail employees, and police who arrested Given at a hospital where they had taken him for a mental health evaluation. While Given was waiting for a treatment bed to become available, he began hallucinating and pushed an officer. Given was arrested and beaten by jailers.

For four years, the family fought for video footage showing what happened to Given in the jails care. The video of Givens beating was released in January after an appellate court judge affirmed a ruling in favor of online news publication The Frontier, which sued to obtain the video.

The jail has refused to produce similar records of the other six detainees who died. Their families are looking to the courts for help.

Director Rochelle Thompson refused to open the door when an Oklahoma Watch reporter showed up to the jail during business hours Aug. 7 to request public records. The requests were accepted one week later after Thompson consulted an attorney. The jail provided a handwritten receipt stating, We will research and obtain legal advice for the records which meet open records law.

An attorney reportedly told Thompson to decline interviews. Jail employees refused to provide the name of the attorney, and no one at the jail has responded to a recent open records request that would provide the attorneys name.

Oklahoma Watch submitted eight requests for public information in August, including minutes from trustee meetings, booking information, incident reports and video of the detainees. The jail has not responded to the requests.

Thompson began working at the jail as its assistant director in June 2009, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her husband, Capt. Bobby Thompson, was hired as the jails investigator four months later, according to his profile. Rochelle Thompson was promoted to jail director in May 2017. Second in command is her husband, who trains and supervises detention officers and conducts internal investigations when an inmate is injured or dies.

A sergeant who accompanied Given to the hospital after his fatal altercation with jailers told state investigators that Bobby Thompson directed her to exclude bruises and swelling on Givens face from her written report.

Along with the deaths of Morton and Salazar, the jail reported an inmate injury to the health department after Gage was beaten by his cellmate but did not report his death.

State investigators assisted the jail with looking into Gages beating but did not probe the other five deaths, according to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Hunter McGee.

Panter, the countys prosecutor who was elected in November after the deaths occurred, said in an emailed statement that his office will investigate the unreported jail deaths.

Information provided to my office by Oklahoma Watch concerning multiple deaths at the Pottawatomie County Safety Center from 2018-2022 raises obvious concerns, Panter wrote. Due to potential litigation, I cannot comment on the facts of the alleged incidents. But I can affirm that the allegations are taken seriously and will be investigated by the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Jail oversight The Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center is one of 18 jails in the state overseen by appointed trustees instead of elected county sheriffs and commissioners. Five men appointed by county commissioners oversee the jail and the $7.6 million in public funds that last year paid for its operations. Although jail officials have not responded to a request for the names of the trustees, Oklahoma Watch was able to identify them through other sources and confirmed their identities at the trusts monthly meeting on Aug. 23. Chairman Rick Stiles is an automotive paint supply dealer who developed a gun safety device. David Henry is a pastor at Higher Ground church. Bill Torbett served on the Shawnee city council in the 1980s. Bill Horacek is a retired Air Force pilot and horse rancher. Victor Lee is a former Shawnee police officer and state highway patrolman. At the meeting, Stiles, Henry, Horacek and Lee refused to discuss the unreported deaths or respond to questions. Torbett was absent from the meeting and did not respond to calls or messages. The Pottawatomie County Board of Commissioners relinquished its oversight of the jail to the trust in 2002, prompted by efforts to fund and build a new jail and lessen the countys liability when the jail is sued.

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State Rep. Regina Goodwin of Tulsa's District 73 joins Ginnie Graham to discuss the most recent state board of education meeting, where she was allowed to speak during the public comment portion. How can the relationship between state legislators and State Superintendent Ryan Walters improve? "Allowing them access into the board room for a state board meeting would be a start. Returning phone calls would be a start to really having genuine and authentic communication." Plus, Rep. Goodwin talks about the controversial PragerU; and why HB 1775 is a "trash law."
WAR IN UKRAINE

KYIV, Ukraine  A Russian missile tore through an outdoor market in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing 17 people and wounding dozens, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the country with more than $1 billion in new American funding for Ukraine, including military and humanitarian aid.

Blinken's fourth visit to the country was overshadowed by the strike in the city of Kostiantynivka, near the front line in the Donetsk region, that turned the marketplace into an inferno.

It was one of the deadliest bombardments of civilians in the 18-month-old war. In addition to the dead, at least 32 people were wounded.

"Those who know this place are well aware that it is a civilian area," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a news conference with the Danish prime minister in Kyiv. "There aren't any military units nearby. The strike was deliberate."

Blinken's visit was aimed at assessing Ukraine's 3-month-old counteroffensive and signaling continued U.S. support as some Western allies express worries about Kyiv's slow progress against invading Russian forces.

"We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs for the long-term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent," Blinken said.

Meanwhile, members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine.

Their comments came a day before they were scheduled to meet with the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

The ICC in March issued an international arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, told reporters during a visit to The Hague that Putin "tried to erase a culture, a people and a religion, and that is the definition of genocide."

Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, said Putin even before the war denied the existence of Ukraine as a country and a people.

"So I think he himself made the case for genocide and his behavior subsequently has filled in blanks," Connolly said.
Vietnam and the Philippines will soon sign a cooperation agreement on rice trade as a means to ensure food security amid recent developments in global food supply chains, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. announced on Wednesday.

The two leaders reached consensus at a meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Accordingly, the two countries will soon conclude an inter-government agreement on rice trade so that Vietnams rice exports to the Philippines can play a part in ensuring food security in the Philippines, ABS-CBN News cited PM Chinh.

We look forward to having a stable framework of cooperation on rice trade for a period of at least five years, he told the Philippine leader.

Such an agreement will help Vietnam ensure its rice production while facilitating the Philippines import from Vietnam, Chinh commented.

Marcos Jr., who also heads the Philippines Department of Agriculture, noted that food supply is the 'main issue' in the Philippines, and that in Asia, the food supply is very much determined by rice and price.

The Philippine president told Chinh that he was hoping that negotiations on the proposed rice trade would be a success, Manila Bulletin reported.

We are anxious and hope to continue very fruitful arrangements, he added.

The talks of a rice deal between the two countries have been ongoing since August, when Philippine Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban announced that up to 500,000 metric tons of additional rice might be bought by the Philippines from Vietnam at discounted prices, according to Inquirer.

The Philippines is Vietnams largest rice importer.

Vietnam was the worlds third-largest rice exporter last year after India and Thailand.

The two leaders also agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in agriculture, aquaculture, petroleum and gas, digital economy, circular and green economies, and several other areas.

In addition, during their discussion on promoting close cooperation and coordination on maritime issues, President Marcos Jr. affirmed that his country will continue to treat detained Vietnamese fishermen humanely in the spirit of friendship and strategic partnership.

He added he will support Vietnams efforts to remove the yellow card warning imposed by the European Commission over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

Vietnam and the Philippines established diplomatic relations in July 1976 and the two nations entered a strategic partnership in November 2015.

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The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway project in southern Vietnam requires an additional VND3.674 trillion (US$152.9 million) for site clearance, driving up its total investment, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The ministry has reported this cost overrun facing phase one of the expressway project, which will link Dong Nai Province with neighboring Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, to a working delegation of the lawmaking National Assembly.

Of the cost overrun, the first subproject needs an extra VND1.195 trillion ($49.7 million), while the second and third subprojects require over VND1.488 trillion ($61.9 million) and VND989 billion ($41.1 million), respectively.

Therefore, the total investment of the project needs to be revised up, the ministry said.

Work on these subprojects began concurrently on June 18 this year.

Up to now, the handover of cleared land for the third subproject, located in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, has reached some 77 percent of the target, while that for the second one has been a mere 5.82 percent and no cleared land is available for the first one.

The slow site clearance was caused by an inadequate number of personnel in charge of the site clearance work, compensation plans yet to be approved, and the troubled withdrawal of some land lots.

Moreover, some resettlement areas to house people affected by the project have not been built, making site clearance impossible to be done in 2023.

The transport ministry proposed the National Assembly delegation work with the administration of Dong Nai to take measures to remove obstacles hindering the site clearance.

The 53.7km-long Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway project, divided into three components, initially carried a price tag of VND17.829 trillion ($739.7 million).

The route is expected to open to traffic in 2026.

The Dong Nai administration was assigned to take charge of the first component, which measures some 16 kilometers long.

The transport ministry is responsible for the second component, whose total length is roughly 18.2 kilometers, and the provincial administration of Ba Ria - Vung Tau was told to develop the third component.

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China has in recent weeks widened existing curbs on the use of iPhones by state employees, telling staff at some central government agencies to stop using their Apple mobiles at work, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Against a backdrop of tensions between Beijing and Washington, the extension of a ban imposed more than two years ago signals growing challenges for the U.S. company, which relies heavily on China for revenue growth and manufacturing.

Staff in at least three ministries and government bodies were told not to use iPhones at work, said the sources, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.

One of the sources said they had not yet been given a deadline to cease their iPhone use.

Apple shares were down over 3% in early trading on Thursday, after ending 3.6% lower in the previous session when China's move to ban the use of iPhones by certain officials was first reported.

Apple and China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

It was not immediately clear how widely the ban was being enforced, with a third source at one of the three ministries saying he was still using an iPhone and had not yet heard about the restriction.

A fourth source, at a Chinese regulatory body, said they had not been explicitly barred but were told they would be held responsible should any issues emerge with their use of iPhones.

A fifth source at another regulatory body said senior staff had two years ago already been required to swap their iPhones for locally made brands such as Huawei Technologies.

In 2020, state-owned Chinese financial publication Economic Observer reported that some government agencies had implemented rules to ban officials from using iPhones due to Apple's strict privacy rules that make it difficult for anti-corruption officials to access and investigate suspects' phones.

Apple's shares slipped on Wednesday and Thursday after the Wall Street Journal first reported the move, amid fears of tit-for-tat action as Sino-U.S. tension rise.

Bloomberg on Thursday reported that China planned to broaden the ban to state firms and agencies, citing sources.

Strong sales

Citi analysts noted that the news had also weighed on the shares of Apple suppliers and said the market may have "have overreacted to the news flow amidst weak confidence overall," citing how shares in suppliers of U.S. automaker Tesla tumbled but quickly recovered after reports of China restricting its cars from entering military complexes in 2021.

China is one of Apple's biggest markets and generates nearly a fifth of its revenue. Apple together with its suppliers employs thousands of workers in China and CEO Tim Cook stressed its long ties with the country during a March visit to Beijing.

Apple has been enjoying strong sales in China, ranking in third place in overall smartphone shipments in the second quarter according to consultancy Canalys, partly thanks to the hit to Huawei's mobile business from U.S. sanctions, which has left it the main premium smartphone maker in China.

"We believe the restrictions have the potential to slow Apple's sales growth in China," D.A. Davidson analyst Tom Forte said.

"This could provide an additional challenge for the company, as its revenues from China have already been negatively impacted by a challenging macroeconomic environment in that country."

China has increasingly emphasized using locally made tech products, as technology has become a major national security issue for Beijing and Washington.

Government agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in both countries have been the first and most important areas to push forward such a campaign.

A major part of the campaign centred on requiring government departments and SOEs to replace foreign-made products in their IT systems with domestic alternatives.

The replacement effort accelerated this year in China after an order was issued to SOEs by the state asset regulator, which required they complete the replacement tasks by 2027 in critical IT infrastructure such as office software platforms.

Chinese rivals to Apple include Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.

Huawei last week unveiled its latest Mate 60 Pro smartphone that teardown firms say contains a domestically developed advanced chip and could bring it back to rivalling Apple.
In Brazil, the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg is in reality something closer to a pheasant that excretes coffee beans.

At the Camocim coffee farm, deep in the bucolic hills of Espirito Santo state in Brazil's southeast, jacus -- a type of pheasant native to tropical forests there -- are considered some of the most astute pickers (or rather, eaters) of coffee cherries.

"He chooses the best fruits, the ripest," said worker Agnael Costa, 23, delicately scooping up droppings left behind by one of the birds between two tree trunks.

What goes in as ripe cherries comes out as beans, which can go on to be sold as some of the most delicious -- and expensive -- coffee in the world.

The coffee at Camocim grows in the middle of the lush forest, and the jacus here are wild, eating (and defecating) at their own pace.

"It was this agroforestry system that created the necessary conditions for this exotic coffee to exist here," farm owner Henrique Sloper tells AFP.

Domestically, jacu coffee can sell for 1,118 reais per kilogram (or around $100 a pound) -- a price that can rise significantly upon export. Foreign distributors include British department store Harrods, among others.

Jacu coffee can sell in Brazil for 1,118 reais per kilogram (or around $100 a pound) -- a price that can rise significantly upon export. Photo: AFP

From enemies to allies

The jacu, with its black feathers and red throat, wasn't always welcome at the farm. It was originally seen as a hungry pest feeding off precious crops.

But when Sloper discovered "kopi luwak," an expensive Indonesian coffee made with beans from civet excrement, he figured jacus might make good allies in the quest to make a better brew.

Kopi luwak sometimes has a bad reputation, with farmers accused of pressing civets -- small mammals similar to weasels -- into captivity to boost production.

The wild jacus at Camocim, meanwhile, roam, eat and poop at their leisure.

"It's 100 percent natural," said farm production supervisor Rogerio Lemke. "The jacu is within its own natural habitat," in Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

Linking production to the whims of a jacu's appetite is just one of the reasons it fetches such a high price.

Jacu droppings look a bit like a cereal bar, with beige grains protruding from a blackish, pasty mess. Once collected and dried, the beans are carefully sorted and hulled, and put into a chilled room.

"It is naturally expensive. There is no way to make a jacu coffee at a low cost," says Sloper.

All told, jacu coffee represents less than two percent of the estate's production.

The bird also carries other advantages, both for farmers and those seeking a cheaper -- if less intestinally intimate -- cup of Joe.

"It serves not only as a selector (of the best beans), but also as a harvest alarm" says Sloper. "Where it eats, the coffee is ripe."

Rogerio Lemke, a supervisor at the Camocim coffee plantation, inspects dried droppings from the jacu bird containing coffee beans in Domingos Martins, Espirito Santo state, Brazil. Photo: AFP

'Delicious'

While jacus help select the best coffee, there's nothing in particular about their digestive system that imparts a different taste on the beans.

"The birds have an extremely short intestinal transit time," Ensei Neto, a coffee specialist, tells AFP. "So there is not exactly any kind of biochemical process, there is no time."

Their digestive process is much faster than civets or elephants -- another animal whose dung is used, in Thailand, to produce specialty coffee.

Some think the fermentation process stemming from those animals' longer digestion times imparts a better flavor on the resulting beans.

The jacu "only goes for the ripe fruits," says Neto, producing a coffee with "sweet notes, with good acidity."

"It doesn't add anything else. But the story is good."

The jacus have found a fan in Poliana Cristiana Prego, 37, a Brazilian tourist who has come to visit Camocim.

"It's a delicious coffee and the story behind its production is very original. It's a new experience for us," she says.

"Our customers are lovers of exotic products, but also those who value the idea of sustainable development," says Sloper.

For him, "the future of coffee will come from Brazil," already the world's top producer.

Whether it comes from jacus or otherwise, Brazilian coffee "is showing the world that we really are able to do what nobody else can."
(Photo : SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

National Guard troops stand guard near a string of buoys placed on the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on August 24, 2023. The buoys were installed in the river at a popular migrant crossing point in July on the instructions of conservative Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with large razor-wire barriers on shore, sparking a rebuke from both Washington and Mexico City.

A US appellate court has issued a decision with significant ramifications amid the ongoing immigration dispute that has seized Texas.

This ruling has provisionally permitted the controversial Rio Grande Barrier, which consists of floating buoys, to remain in place.

Court's Decision Fuels Immigration Dispute in Texas

Per NY Times, this important order was issued by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit shortly after a federal judge ordered Texas Governor Greg Abbott to demolish the wall. The federal judge's decision was primarily grounded in apprehensions that the barrier presented substantial navigational hazards and posed an imminent threat to human lives.

At the center of this protracted legal dispute is a physical barricade consisting of strategically placed floating buoys along the US banks of the Rio Grande, spanning approximately 1,000 feet.

Texas erected this barrier with the intention of discouraging illegal border crossings into the state. In response to this audacious action, the US Department of Justice initiated legal proceedings in July, claiming that the barrier violated federal law by obstructing navigable waterways without the necessary federal approval.

In court documents filed on Thursday, Governor Abbott and the state of Texas vigorously defended the construction of the barrier. According to CBS News, they argued that the installation of the barrier was a direct response to what they termed a "border security disaster."

They emphasized emphatically that there was no evidence to suggest that these buoyant markers impeded the river's ability to support secure navigation.

In addition, they argued that a provisional suspension of the removal order was not merely desirable but necessary, as it was Texas' constitutional obligation to protect its territory from what they perceived to be an "invasion" of migrants and drug smuggling.

The provisional stay, which went into effect on Thursday, rendered the previous order issued by US District Court Judge David Ezra in Austin null and void. Judge Ezra had issued a preliminary injunction against the barrier's presence, asserting that the federal government was likely to prevail in its legal case against the barrier during a full-fledged trial, Fox News reported.

His decision meticulously evaluated the potential risks associated with the barrier, such as the risk of drowning for those attempting to cross the river, against Texas's paramount interest in asserting immigration control.

The office of Governor Abbott immediately responded to Judge Ezra's ruling. They publicly avowed their intention to pursue an appeal with an unwavering commitment to take the legal battle all the way to the hallowed halls of the US Supreme Court if deemed necessary.

Abbott has repeatedly asserted his state's prerogative to erect defensive barriers along its boundary, citing constitutional provisions pertaining to state authority in situations deemed comparable to an invasion.

Read Also: Greek Shipper Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Sanctioned Iranian Oil

Operation Lone Star Sparks Immigration Policy Debate

This courtroom confrontation is the first direct confrontation between the federal government and Governor Abbott regarding his determined efforts to prevent the entry of migrants into the United States through the audacious Operation Lone Star program, which has a substantial budget.

This head-to-head confrontation highlights the deep divisions within the United States regarding immigration policy and raises fundamental questions regarding the balance between state and federal authority in immigration-related matters.

The ultimate disposition of the Rio Grande barrier by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit remains uncertain as this legal drama continues to unfold.

The outcome of this judicial decision contains the potential for far-reaching implications, reverberating throughout discussions on border security measures, federal-state relations, and the enduring discourse surrounding immigration policies within the United States.

Related Article: Canada Lifts Wildfire Evacuation Order Despite Unhealthy Air Quality for Millions

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday on the occasion of their attendance at the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits, the Vietnam News Agency reported, adding that "PM Chinh and FM Lavrov, who is head of the Russian delegation to the Summit, affirmed the importance of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries."

-- Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a reception in Hanoi on Thursday for a delegation from the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group led by its Chairwoman Catherine Deroche, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Ha Giang Province in northern Vietnam has lately recorded 30 diphtheria cases after nearly 20 years of no known infections. One of the patients, a 15-year-old, died on August 24, according to local health authorities.

Business

-- Vietnam spent US$143 million importing 54,760 tonnes of chilled and frozen pork in January-July, a 21 percent year-on-year increase in value, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

-- Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam will welcome a familiarization trip group from Australia as well as 200 sales agents from Kazakhstan and other former Soviet Union states this month, a promising sign for local tourism.

-- "Vietnam and the Philippines agreed to sign an agreement on rice imports to guarantee food security, Hanoi said Thursday, after prices of the world staple soared to decade highs last month," according to AFP.

-- Vietnam exported $7.78 billion worth of wood and forest products in January-July, down 25.5 percent compared to the same period last year, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said.

Lifestyle

-- Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper will organize the 'Vietnam Pho Festival 2023' in Tokyo, Japan from October 7 to 8 to widely promote the beef noodle soup to the international community.

World News

-- "Torrential rain deluged Hong Kong on Friday leading to widespread flooding across the densely packed city, submerging streets, shopping malls and metro stations, as authorities shut schools and asked workers to stay at home," Reuters reported.

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Ha Giang Province in northern Vietnam has recently recorded one death of diphtheria and more than 30 suspected cases, after nearly 20 years of no known infections, local health authorities reported.

The return of diphtheria has caused worries among people as it is a fast-spreading disease that was the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the 19th and early 20th centuries, according to the health center of Ha Giangs Meo Vac District.

The first patient and also the first fatality in the return of diphtheria was recorded on August 24, when V.M.D., 15 years old, of the Mong ethnic group in the districts Khau Vai commune, tested positive for the disease and died the same day, the center said.

D. was taken to the Meo Vac District General Hospital 10 days earlier with symptoms of diphtheria, and was transferred to the Ha Giang Province General Hospital one day before his death, doctors said.

This is the first case of diphtheria that has been recorded over the past nearly 20 years in the province, according to local health authorities.

Immediately after D. tested positive for diphtheria with unknown cause, Meo Vac District General Hospital conducted tests and detected more than 30 cases  all adults and older children suspected of having diphtheria.

The hospital has set up an isolated ward for treatment of these suspected cases.

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the National Childrens Hospital have sent their experts to the local hospital for support in epidemic prevention and treatment of severe cases.

Previously, Dien Bien Province, also in the northern region, recorded two diphtheria cases with unknown cause from April 20 to May 21, including one death in Pu Nhi Commune, Dien Bien Dong District.

Diphtheria is a respiratory infectious disease that can spread quickly, according to Tran Dac Phu, former director of the Ministry of Healths General Department of Preventive Medicine.

Previously, when the expanded vaccination program did not cover diphtheria, the rates of diphtheria infection were very high, but after the program included the disease, the prevalence decreased considerably, Phu said.

However, diphtheria has appeared again in recent years in the Central Highlands region and most recently in some northern mountainous provinces, with the majority of the affected localities were remote ones, where the inoculation rates were low or the immunization was inconvenient, the expert stated.

Diphtheria is transmitted through the respiratory tract, droplets, and contact with everyday objects, so it is necessary to get full vaccination against the disease as per the instructions of health authorities, Phu advised.

In addition, mask wearing, disinfection, and keeping hygiene are also among measures to prevent diphtheria transmission, he added.

As an acute respiratory infection, diphtheria has an incubation period of about two to five days, during which time patients have no symptoms, before they get a fever and suffer from a sore throat, runny nose, difficulty swallowing, and other symptoms, said Dr. Bui Thu Phuong from the Central Military Hospital 108.

The illness can cause dangerous complications such as airway obstruction, myocarditis, peripheral neuropathy, nephritis, pneumonia, and even death in serious cases.

Patients must be isolated from others and given timely and thorough treatment, Dr. Phuong said, adding that their contacts should get throat cultures and be monitored for seven days while the patients residence must be disinfected carefully.

Healthy carriers should take erythromycin, an antibiotic for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections, for 10 days and get follow-up examinations every day, she advised.

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Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper will organize the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 in Tokyo, Japan on October 7 and 8 with the aim of enhancing the global recognition of Vietnamese culinary culture, particularly the Southeast Asian countrys popular beef noodle soup.

The Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 marks a significant milestone in celebrating the seventh edition of the Day of Pho (December 12), initiated and annually held by Tuoi Tre to honor the world-renowned food since 2017.

The festival also serves as a tangible commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Through the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023, Vietnamese pho artisans are expected to transport, for the first time, the essence of Vietnamese pho from their homeland to Japan.

Scheduled to attend the event are several stars from Vietnams culinary scene, including winners of the Hoa Hoi Vang (Golden Star Anise) award Cao Van Luan and Pham Quang Duy.

The 'Hoa Hoi Vang' award is granted each year during the 'Day of Pho' event to honor pho chefs from across the country.

Restaurants slated to participate in the festival include Pho Dau, Pho Hai Thien, Pho Sam Ngoc Linh, and Pho Thin Bo Ho.

A bowl of 'pho' is served at Hotel Majestic Saigon in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Supplied

Though this is the event's first year going international, Tuoi Tre is excited at the prospect of sharing Vietnams national dish with the Japanese public.

The festival is also expected to create a fresh avenue for the Vietnamese agricultural sector by highlighting the significance of Vietnamese rice grains, the primary ingredient in pho noodles.

According to agriculture experts, as pho gains popularity worldwide, it will unlock prospects for exporting rice-based products, ultimately boosting export values and local incomes.

Miss Intercontinental 2022 Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, this years ambassador for the festival, expressed her profound honor in participating in the event in Japan.

As the reigning Miss Intercontinental, it is my responsibility to connect continents and countries, Ngoc said.

In my endeavor to fulfill this mission, its meaningful for me to promote the homelands pho in countries worldwide because pho is not only a dish but also a representation of an entire art and culinary culture.

A poster of the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023

This years 'Day of Pho' will be co-hosted by Tuoi Tre and Saigontourist Group, with backing from the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association, and Japanese partners.

In addition, Aoyagi Yoichiro, a member of Japans House of Representatives and the head of the Vietnam-Japan Festival organizing committee, along with Mainichi newspaper, have been providing significant support.

The program also enjoys sponsorship from national carrier Vietnam Airlines, Southern Airports Services Joint Stock Company (SASCO), the Ngoc Linh Kontum K5 Ginseng Pho brand, and several other domestic and international companies.

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Vietnam Days Abroad 2023 will take place in South Africa for the first time between September 14 and 15, marking its debut in Africa, 13 years after the fest was launched in 2010, the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told a press briefing held in Hanoi on Friday.

The event is an annual national promotion program chaired by the ministry as per the assignment of the prime minister.

This program is aimed at marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and South Africa.

Hoang Huu Anh, deputy head of the department and head of the organization board of the event, said that the program is meant to introduce Vietnams land, people, and culture to South African people.

A series of workshops and forums on economic  trade  investment promotion will be organized within the framework of Vietnam Days Abroad 2023.

The event will feature various art performances, and cultural exchange programs, with a highlight of a Vietnamese cultural space.

The fest is set to kick off in South Africa to attract tourists and investors there to Vietnam due to the modest number of international arrivals in the latter from the former, said Anh.

Before COVID-19 broke out in early 2020, Vietnam welcomed some 5,000 travelers from South Africa each year.

This nation is among Vietnams key trade partners in Africa.

Vietnam Days Abroad 2023 will also be held in France and Japan in November and December to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the two countries.

Nguyen Thi Yen, director at Dong Do Event and Performance Services JSC, said that art shows within the framework of Vietnam Days Abroad 2023 will delight spectators with a performance of the meo flute, a traditional instrument of the Hmong ethnic minority in northern Vietnam, lotus dances, a fashion show of Nguyen Dynasty costumes, and southern folk music.

The program will treat international friends to pho, a world-renowned Vietnamese dish.

The Vietnamese cultural space will bring together multiple artisans and young cultural practitioners to showcase the Vietnamese crafts of the lacquer art, the Dong Ho folk painting art, and the figurine art.

An array of photos of diplomatic ties as well as Vietnams heritage, land, and people will be on display at the cultural space during the festival.

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On Sunday 60 Minutes looks at the Victorian Parole System and retaliation by Iranian operatives.

Evil Beyond Measure

Should a convicted serial killer ever be released from prison? Its a vexing question. Most people would say no is the only answer, but its still one that Victorian authorities have to address. Its all because of 51-year-old Paul Charles Denyer, an awful man, evil beyond measure. In 1993 he randomly murdered three young women. When he was caught he happily admitted his crimes, taking glee in the act of killing. But thirty years on, he is eligible for parole. Denyer has already applied for his freedom once and been rejected, but as Tara Brown reports, theres nothing to stop him trying again unless the law is changed.

Reporter: Tara Brown

Producers: Garry McNab, Anthony Dowsley

Dark Forces

There are no prizes for knowing spies from many countries are active in Australia. Most of these agents work in the shadows, but theres one group who seemingly dont care about secrecy. Theyre from Iran, and in defiance of Australian laws theyre doing all they can to silence anyone who speaks out about the oppressive regime in Tehran. Put simply, if someone dares criticise Iran, even on Australian soil, they should prepare for payback. Amelia Adams reports that hundreds of people say theyve been targeted by these thug-like operatives, and while our government is fully aware of whats going on, so far theyve done very little to stop it.

Reporter: Amelia Adams

Producers: Tracey Hannaford, Amelia Ballinger

8:35pm Sunday on Nine.
A casting call has gone out for Australian expats as contestants on Wheel of Fortune, to be filmed in London.

Graham Norton is hosting a reboot of the famed game show in the UK for Sony-backed Whisper North.

Norton is expected to host the Australian episodes, also produced by Whisper North for an unnamed Australian braodcaster. In the USA Ryan Seacrest will also succeed longtime host Pat Sajak.

Filming will take place Manchester in late November / early December. Applicants must be aged at least 18 and a legal resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man currently living in the United Kingdom.

Wheel of Fortune screened in Australia from 1981 in various versions until 2008 with hosts Ernie Sigley, John Burgess, Tony Barber, Rob Elliott, Larry Emdur, and Tim Campbell along with the great Adriana Xenides.

Nine has recently produced UK game show episodes of Tipping Point and Jeopardy both with Australian contestants. It isnt clear if they are behind the latest game show revival.

Applications close on November 2nd.
Actor Danny Masterson, who starred in That 70s Show, has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

In May, a jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts after seven days of deliberations. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend. They had voted 8-4 in favor of conviction.

The trial, in which the Church of Scientology repeatedly took centre stage, marked the rare prosecution of a Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Masterson, a prominent scientologist, used his role in the church to avoid accountability for the attacks.

LA superior court judge Charlaine F Olmedo handed down the sentence after hearing statements from the women about the trauma and suffering they experienced.

When you raped me, you stole from me, said one woman whom Masterson was convicted of raping in 2003. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent, she said. The world is better off with you in prison.

The other woman Masterson was found guilty of raping said he has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused. She told the judge, I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and Im so upset. I wish Id reported him sooner to the police.

The women whose testimony led to Mastersons conviction said he gave them drinks and they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them.

The attacks took place in Mastersons Hollywood-area home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on US sitcom That 70s Show. Most recently he had appeared on the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch, but was written off the show when it was revealed in March 2017 that he was under investigation by the Los Angeles police for rape.

Two of his accusers, former members themselves, say the Church of Scientology discouraged them from contacting law enforcement for years. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves and were warned against going to police to report a member of such high standing. One of the women said she was shunned and ostracized for doing so.

The church said in a statement after the verdict that the testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs during the trial were uniformly false.

The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, the statement said.

After the sentencing, Mastersons attorney told reporters outside the courthouse that he plans to appeal his conviction.

The errors which occurred in this case are substantial, and unfortunately led to verdicts which are not supported by evidence, Shawn Holley said to the media.

Shortly before Masterson was sentenced, one of the women said she forgives the actor, but believes he deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life.

I dont have to carry around your shame around with me. Now, you have to carry it. You have to sit in a cell and carry it, she said in the courtroom. Your emptiness and your cowardice will be your true legacy. You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent. The world is safer with you behind bars.

Source: Guardian, Variety.
TV presenters and executives were amongst those attending the Women in Media National Conference yesterday at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

Patron Ita Buttrose reflected on her trailblazing ascendancy in a male-dominated media landscape.

As long as I remained on the womens pages, I dont remember any opposition but I like to climb mountains and when I get to the top, I see another mountain beckoning me and the pull of that mountain is so alluring I have to have a go at it. Dont be afraid to push yourself forward, to recognise how good you are. You wont always be made to feel welcome and that doesnt mean you should give up, she said.

10 presenter Sandra Sully was MC for the event, which discussed innovation, invention, disruption, reinvention and strength in unity.

Natalie Barr interviewed Taryn Brumfitt, the 2023 Australian of the Year.

Paramount ANZ CEO Beverley McGarvey joined Foxtels Amanda Laing in the Business of Media session.

Its about knowing our audiences and where they are. People visit, but it turns out that as audiences have moved to different platforms, we have to get our content in front of them. So in fact, the challenge is the opportunity to get content in front of all of these platforms more and more and we need to be able to monetise the content, said McGarvey.

Also attending were producer Anita Jacoby and Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland.

A second day of panels will take place today with Sarah Abo as MC with speakers Bruna Papandrea, Sally Riley and Leigh Sales.
Jimmy Fallon has apologised to his staff at The Tonight Show following a Rolling Stone report that accused the host and late night talk show of creating a toxic workplace.

Fallon and showrunner Chris Miller held a Zoom meeting on Thursday to address the report, and the host apologised for past behaviour cited in the story. Rolling Stone cited a number of current and former Tonight staffers who detailed incidents of Fallon berating employees on the late night show and giving what one former staffer described as passive-aggressive feedback on their work.

Its embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends, Fallon said during the meeting. I feel so bad I cant even tell you. He also said he never intended to create that type of atmosphere on The Tonight Show.

I want this show to be fun, he said. It should be inclusive for everybody.

Several former staff members spoke to Rolling Stone about what they described as a toxic work environment behind the scenes of the NBC late night program. Some of these staffers said their mental health worsened during their time on the show, where they alleged Fallon could lash out under pressure.

The program has had six different groups of leadership teams in its nine years on TV. In 2014, Josh Lieb started off as showrunner. Mike DiCenzo, Katie Hockmeyer, and Gerard Bradford took over as a trio in 2016. Then Jim Bell had a short stint from 2018 until 2019, followed by Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and Tonight Show veteran Gavin Purcell from 2019 to 2020. Jamie Granet-Bederman and Nedaa Sweiss replaced Purcell in 2020 as co-showrunners until Chris Miller landed the job in March 2022.

I just dont think theyve landed on a leader who can keep it together, one former staffer says.

And thats created a chaotic atmosphere among staffers, many of whom have lost faith in senior leadership.

Nobody told Jimmy, No. Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners, another former employee says. You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit. Look how many showrunners went so quickly. We know they didnt last long.

It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyones day is f***ed, one former employee says. People wouldnt joke around in the office, and they wouldnt stand around and talk to each other. It was very much like, focus on whatever it is that you have to do because Jimmys in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off.

Five employees say they spoke to HR about their experiences behind the scenes of The Tonight Show in their exit interviews when they voluntarily left the show as well as during their time of employment. One longtime employee says they never reported their issues to HR because early on in their tenure at the show, they saw colleagues of theirs attempt to speak to human resources representatives and subsequently get fired from the show.

They dont protect us, the former staffer says. They dont do anything for us.

A spokesperson for NBC defended the program  but, notably, did not mention Fallon himself.

We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority, the spokesperson said. As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon previously screened in Australia on Foxtel but broadcasts concluded several years ago.

Source: Rolling Stone, Variety, Hollywood Reporter
Taskmaster New Zealand is back for its fourth season hosted by Jeremy Wells and his assistant Paul Williams.

Taskmaster (UK) also screens S16.

Season 4 sees our comedian panel of Bubbah, Dai Henwood, Karen OLeary, Melanie Bracewell and Ray OLeary attempt a series of tasks at the Taskmaster ranch that will test their mental fortitude, physical prowess, and how good they are at reading. This season sees tasks that include singing duets with themselves, finding bowls of glitter, and becoming British to name but a few.

The omniscient, omnipotent and omnivorous Taskmaster Greg Davies and his stunningly efficient assistant Alex Horne are back on their respective thrones in the award-winning sixteenth season of Taskmaster UK.

Ready to test the mettle of a brand-new set of comics sat before them on much smaller chairs, the quivering quintet who have willingly placed their careers in Gregs soft hands are: Julian Clary, comedy actor, writer and stand-up Lucy Beaumont, presenter, writer and comedian Sue Perkins, and actor, writer and director Susan Wokoma.

The new season also features Australian multi-award winning stand-up Sam Campbell.

BAFTA and National Comedy Award winning and International Emmy nominated format, hosted by critically-acclaimed comic Greg Davies as The Taskmaster, was created by British comedian Alex Horne, who also stars as the Taskmasters Assistant, and originally produced by Avalon. Taskmaster New Zealand is being co-produced by Kevin & Co and Avalon with support from NZ On Air.

Taskmaster NZ: Wednesday September 13 on Binge / 8:30pm Sunday September 17 on FOX8

Taskmaster UK: Friday September 22 on Binge / 7:30pm on FOX8
Jimmy Fallon, the charismatic presenter of 'The Tonight Show,' has issued an apology to show staffers in response to a scathing report, which has sparked controversy on late-night television.

The information illuminates a toxic work environment that has left current and former employees sad and terrified. Amid escalating allegations, Fallon has issued an apology, further complicating his public image.

Jimmy Fallon's Apology in the Wake of Controversy

During a recent Zoom call with 'Tonight Show' staff, Fallon expressed regret, stating, "It's humiliating, and I feel terrible. I apologize if I embarrassed you or your loved ones. I am so miserable I cannot even express it... This show should be entertaining, all-inclusive, humorous, and the best show with the best individuals."

Despite this apology, the allegations portray a troubling picture of Fallon's behind-the-scenes behavior. Two current employees and fourteen former employees who feared retaliation chose to remain anonymous in the Rolling Stone report. These employees have recounted their memories of "good Jimmy days" and "bad Jimmy days." On the latter, Fallon's demeanor reportedly takes an abrupt turn, resulting in what some have termed "erratic outbursts."

During these outbursts, Fallon is rumored to berate crew members and staff for trivial inconveniences, creating a tense work environment. According to employees, when Fallon was in a bad mood, the entire work environment would deteriorate.

These allegations paint a bleak picture of the host's behavior, making it obvious that the workplace is far from the jovial image portrayed on television. One example cited by employees involved a confrontation with a crew member in control of cue cards during a taping with Jerry Seinfeld.

While others described the interaction as awkward, Seinfeld characterized it as innocuous. Another incident from 2017 raised concerns about Fallon's behavior when he allegedly appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and disoriented during a rehearsal.

Moreover, two employees claimed alcohol use in 2019 and 2020, raising concerns about Fallon's behavior behind the scenes. Despite human resources receiving employee complaints, the issues reportedly remain unresolved, leaving employees feeling helpless.

Per Daily Mail, the impact of Fallon's behavior on the mental health of his staff is evident, with some employees reporting hearing coworkers express suicidal thoughts on the set. Several employees disclosed that they had sought rehabilitation as a result of their experiences, while others disclosed that they had considered suicide due to their working conditions.

It appears that the culture of reluctance in the workplace has contributed to the enduring nature of these problems. Employees reported feeling pressure to remain silent and appreciative of their positions despite maltreatment.

Representatives for Fallon have not yet commented on the matter, and NBC's statement did not mention the host by name. This is not the first time Fallon has been the subject of controversy. In 2020, a twenty-year-old video resurfaced depicting Fallon in blackface while impersonating comedian Chris Rock on Saturday Night Live.

While Fallon issued a public apology, the report indicates he did not address the incident with his own staff, leaving some employees feeling unheard and marginalized.

Read Also: Wolverine in the UK! Hugh Jackman Spotted in Yorkshire

Challenges in Workplace Culture at 'The Tonight Show'

In addition, the report discloses that efforts to address workplace culture, including diversity and culture meetings initiated by showrunner Gavin Purcell, were unsuccessful.

Employees asserted that when new showrunners Jamie Granet-Bederman and Nedaa Sweiss took over in 2020, allegations of bullying and maltreatment continued to surface.

Since the writer's strike began in May, The Tonight Show has not aired. Employees hope that Fallon and NBC will be held accountable for the alleged maltreatment of employees in the past and present as the show prepares to return to television.

Certainly, the revelations have cast a shadow over the beloved late-night program, raising concerns about the behind-the-scenes dynamics that viewers rarely witness, as per Newsweek.

Related Article: Woody Allen Dismisses Cancel Culture, Attends Venice Film Festival Despite Controversial Reception

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Women who live in cities and are therefore exposed to more air pollution tend to give birth to smaller babies than women living in the countryside, new research has suggested. Credit: Getty Images

Women who live in cities and are therefore exposed to more air pollution tend to give birth to smaller babies than women living in the countryside, new research has suggested.

Scientists looked at 4,286 children living in five countries across Europe - Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway and Sweden - and measured the levels of air pollution in the areas where their mothers lived while pregnant.

Results showed that women living in places with a higher concentration of pollutants known as PM2.5, which are released by traffic fumes and emissions, gave birth to babies that were 56g lighter than those in areas of with a lower concentration of pollutants. Meanwhile, women who lived in the countryside, or in areas with green spaces such as parks or fields, had babies with slightly higher birth weights - 27g heavier on average.

It follows research in the past which has shown that air pollution can impair normal foetal development, increasing the risks of miscarriage, premature births, and low birth weight. Scientists have also previously found a relationship between birthweight and lung health, with children who are lighter when they are first born facing a higher risk of asthma an chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).

The lead author of the study, Robin Mzati Sinsamala from the University of Bergen in Norway, explained: The time when babies are growing in the womb is critical for lung development. We know that babies with a lower birth weight are susceptible to chest infections, and that this can lead to problems such as asthma and COPD later on.

On why living in areas with higher levels of greeness can help combat this effect, Mr Sinsamala added: It could be that green areas have lower traffic [and so less emissions], or that plants help to clear the air of pollution, or green areas may mean its easier for pregnant women to be physically active.

The new research, which will be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy, is part of a wider program of research called Life-GAP that is investigating the effects of air pollution and greenness on lung health in generations of Europeans.

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Professor Arzu Yorgancioglu, from the European Respiratory Society, commented: This study adds to a growing body of evidence on the damage that air pollution is having on our health, especially in vulnerable babies and young children. Women who are pregnant will want to protect their babies from potential harm.

However, Professor Yorgancioglu pointed out how difficult it can be for individuals to reduce their exposure to pollution, or make their homes and neighbourhoods greener. [So], as doctors and researchers who care about childrens health, we need to put pressure on governments and policymakers to lower the levels of pollution in the air we breathe, she said.

This can include simply adding more parks or green spaces to cities and urban areas, she explained, given the fact that not everyone can just move away to the countryside.

Dr Meenakshi Choudhary, a senior consultant in reproductive medicine at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, also called for urgent action from global policymakers and governments as a result of the study, calling on them to address air pollution and its health consequences.

However, she also sought to reassure potentially anxious mothers, remarking: Its essential to approach these findings with measured consideration, as the observed difference in birth weight, while notable, was relatively small.

The study comes at a time when pollution has been a focal point in politics, particularly in the UK, with capital city London facing controversy over Mayor Sadiq Khans Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). The scheme was recently expanded to include Greater London, prompting critics to lash out over the 12.50 per day charge that will be imposed on any vehicle entering the zone which doesnt meet its emission standards.

However, Khan has stood firm on ULEZ - insisting both that most cars and vehicles meet the requirements, and that the change is good for Londoners. He previously told NationalWorld: The reality is that air pollution is a matter of life and death. I believe breathing clean air should be a human right rather than a privilege. Londons policies are world-leading in this regard.

Research shows that between 29,000 to 43,000 people in the UK die each year because of air pollution. According to the World Health Organisation, the combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths worldwide each year.
STELLANTIS N.V

Stellantis Celebrates Opening of Its First Battery Technology Center in Italy

State-of-the-art , 40 million Battery Technology Center at Mir a fiori complex in Turin, Italy, enables in-house testing and development of EV battery packs for upcoming Stellantis brand products

With 8,000 square meters and 32 climatic test cells , it is the largest Battery Technology Center in Italy and one of the largest in Europe

Vertically integrating the c apability to develop, test and manufacture battery packs and manage software is a key element of the Stellantis strategy to produce class-leading BEVs with customer-focused performance and lower costs

Stellantis is transforming engineering and manufacturing facilities around the world both to cope with the electrification shift and to meet the bold commitments of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan

TURIN, ITALY, September 8, 2023  Stellantis today celebrated the grand opening of its first Battery Technology Center, at the Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy.

The 40 million investment to develop this state-of-the-art center enhances Stellantis capabilities to design, develop and test battery packs, modules, high-voltage cells and software that will power upcoming Stellantis brand vehicles. The center is the biggest in Italy and among the largest in Europe.

More than 100 employees at the Mirafiori Battery Technology Center, most of them upskilled Stellantis workers, will perform and oversee climatic stress tests, lifespan durability testing, battery management system (BMS) software development and calibration, and tear downs of packs and cells for analysis and benchmarking.

Stellantis is also building a Battery Technology Center for North America, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, as part of a global battery development and manufacturing network that will include six gigafactories.

We are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine mobility, providing smart and sustainable solutions for our customers, said Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer. Our new Battery Technology Center at Mirafiori brings together the tools and talented people we need to design, test, verify and produce class-leading products that will meet our customers needs and accelerate bringing class-leading electric vehicles to customers around the world.

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The opening of the Mirafiori Battery Technology Center reinforces the Stellantis commitment to Italy and its workforce there.

Vertical integration of the key milestones for electric vehicle battery packs  from design, to development and testing, to production  form the heart of the Stellantis strategy to produce class-leading BEVs with customer-focused performance. As detailed in the EV Day 2021 presentation , the Stellantis battery plan includes a dual chemistry strategy to serve all customers, design efficiency in battery cells and modules, and housing and pack assembly, for cost competitiveness.

The Mirafiori Battery Technology Center covers 8,000 square meters (86,111 square feet), spread over three levels. The heart of the center is 32 climatic test chambers  24 walk-in chambers for testing battery packs and eight chambers for testing cells.

The climate in the 24 walk-in chambers can be controlled for humidity and temperature, with a range from -40 to 60 degrees Celsius (-40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) and a maximum change of 20 degrees per minute. The center can test up to 47 battery packs in parallel.

Designed for future growth, the technology centers power system can manage up to 1.2 kilovolts (kV) and 2.2 megawatts (MW) per test cell.

The eight cell chambers are capable of testing 96 cells in parallel. This part of the technology center will be devoted mainly to screening innovative battery chemistry and cell behavior characterization for future development.

As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching a 100% passenger car BEV sales mix in Europe and 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. To achieve these sales targets, the Company is securing approximately 400 GWh of battery capacity, to be supported by six battery manufacturing plants in North America and Europe. Stellantis is on track to become a carbon net zero corporation by 2038, all scopes included, with single-digit percentage compensation of remaining emissions.

# # #

About Stellantis

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is one of the worlds leading automakers and a mobility provider. Its storied and iconic brands embody the passion of their visionary founders and todays customers in their innovative products and services, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. Powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves  aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.

@Stellantis Stellantis Stellantis Stellantis



For more information, contact:



Fernao SILVEIRA +31 6 43 25 43 41  fernao.silveira@stellantis.com



Nathalie ROUSSEL +33 6 87 77 41 82  nathalie.roussel@stellantis.com







communications@stellantis.com

www.stellantis.com

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(Reuters) - The British government has signed a partnership with Singapore to grow its economy and enhance shared security, Downing Street said on Friday, adding it was the UK's first treaty since leaving the European Union.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong at the G20 Summit in India to sign the partnership and work to conclude a bilateral investment treaty, Downing Street said.

They said the partnership will give Singaporean companies more confidence to invest in Britain and vice-versa, while also creating jobs.

The British government added that the partnership will strengthen security cooperation, science and technology innovation, and research and development, including countering cyber threats, through a partnership between Singapore's Digital and Intelligence Service and Britain.

"This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners," Rishi Sunak said.

The leaders are in New Delhi to attend the G20 summit this weekend. This is Sunak's first official trip to India since taking office last October.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Josie Kao)
American Man Stranded in Turkish Cave After Becoming Ill Says He Needs 'a Lot of Help as Rescue Begins

As you can see Im up, Im alert and talking, but Im not healed on the inside yet, American caver Mark Dickey said in a video

An American man who became ill in the depths of a Turkish cave and this week said he will "need a lot of help" is set to be rescued in the next few days.

Experienced caver Mark Dickey had set out on an expedition into the Morca cave in Turkeys Taurus Mountains, with the intention of mapping out a new passage of the cave. However, he fell ill last weekend while at a depth of about 3,675 feet due and was brought to a base camp at 3,412 feet, per CNN.

According to European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) news release, the ECRA received a call last Saturday detailing that an individual had fallen ill in the cave and had "severe gastric pain." They said that Dickey's team members had asked for advice on medication, as they hoped he would be able to leave the cave by himself, but by Sunday the "rising destabilization of the circulation of the patient" meant that assistance was required.

Turkish Government Directorate of Communications via AP

Doctors at the cave base camp said that it was not possible for him to climb out on his own, and it would take 15 hours in ideal conditions to get from the base camp back to the entrance of the cave due to narrow winding passages and several rappels, per posts on the Turkish Caving Federation's account on Twitter (formerly known as X) on Tuesday.

The ECRA release detailed that as well as Turkish organizations including the Turkish Cave Rescue Service, between Sunday and Wednesday rescue teams from the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service and Bulgarian Cave Rescue had arrived on the scene, with Italian, Croatian and Polish teams detailed on Wednesday as being "on their way."

Turkish Government Directorate of Communications via AP American caver Mark Dickey, left, 40, talks to a colleague inside the Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.

A Friday report from the Washington Post said that around 200 caving experts have flown in to help Dickey, 40, in his ascent back to the surface. According to NBC News, the added assistance means the American caver is likely to be rescued on Friday or soon after.



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With this good news, with doctors saying you can take him out now, slowly, tomorrow or the next day at the latest, we will start his rescue, Recep Salc, head of search and rescue for Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Authority told NBC News Friday.



Related: Rescuers Race to Save American Man Who Fell Ill While Thousands of Feet Deep Inside Turkish Cave

Dr. Tulga Sener, medical coordinator at the rescue commission of Turkeys caving federation told NBC News that Dickey had been vomiting and bleeding, but that his condition had improved. The Turkish Caving Federation also said earlier this week on X that it had sent down six units of blood to Dickey on Tuesday to help stabilize his condition.

In a video of the American caver shared by Turkeys communications directorate on Thursday and obtained by the Associated Press and BBC, he thanked the Turkish government and the caving community for their response in helping him get to safety.

Related: 'Devoted' Dad, 49, Dies from Injuries 8 Days After Getting Stuck in Cave at Indoor Rock Climbing Center

The American researcher trapped in a cave in southern Turkey spoke on Wednesday about his experience as rescue efforts continued to help, saying he is alert even though he has not fully healed after failing ill in the cave. pic.twitter.com/C9S9h6zex2  The Associated Press (@AP) September 8, 2023

I don't quite know whats happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion, saved my life, said Dickey, who appeared to be standing up in front of a purple tarp, in the video. I was very close to the edge.

As you can see Im up, Im alert and talking, but Im not healed on the inside yet, he added. So, Im gonna need a lot of help to get out of here.

Huseyin Yildiz/IHA via AP European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) members work next to the entrance of Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.

However, due to Dickeys condition, Gretchen Baker, from National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) told CNN on Thursday that they are anticipating that it will take days to get him out of the cave.



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The team on the ground is very happy that Marks condition seems to be improving, so that it looks like that he will not have to be in a [rescue] litter the entire way out, she said, adding, The more he can help, the faster the rescue can go.



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Rishi Sunak received a colourful welcome as he arrived in India to attend the G20 leaders summit.

The Prime Minister and his wife Akshata Murty, daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from RAF Voyager at Indira Gandhi Airport on Friday.

They spoke with Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey before visiting the British Council in New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters on the flight from London to the Indian capital, the Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, spoke about how special it was to return to a country that is very near and dear to him.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy board the plane on their way to the G20 2023 Summit (Dan Kitwood/PA)

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: It is obviously special.

I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.

Im excited to be back.

It is nice to have Akshata with me as well.

The G20 summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with Mr Sunak expected to speak on the topics of migration, the global economy, the Ukraine conflict and climate change.

He is scheduled to meet Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks on the fringes of the summit, with officials not ruling out the premiers discussing progress on a UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).

Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that  Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine. https://t.co/tLG19ILDLr  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

Boris Johnson, when he was in Downing Street, targeted October 2022 to sign off on a post-Brexit trade pact, in a move designed to coincide with celebrations of the Hindu festival of Diwali.

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His successor Liz Truss made the same commitment during her brief stint as prime minister.

But that original target has been missed by almost a year and Mr Sunak has been reluctant to set out a time frame for doing a deal with the country of 1.4 billion people.

There has been speculation that one of the hold-ups to a trade pact is Indias push for more visas to be granted for its people to work in Britain  a request Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly holds concerns about.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a huddle press conference (Dan Kitwood/PA)

No 10 on Thursday ruled out any change to UK immigration policy to accommodate an FTA with New Delhi.

But the Prime Ministers official spokesman indicated an expansion of business visas would potentially be considered.

The Indian government is also said to want to see the UK ratify a social security agreement, putting a stop to some temporary Indian workers in Britain effectively having to pay national insurance twice, both in the UK and in India.

The Commonwealth nation already has similar agreements with the likes of France and Canada.

The summit in India marks the gathering of leaders from the worlds 20 largest economies.

Leaders of the G20, which includes the European Union and the likes of China, the US, Brazil and Russia, began holding summits following the 2008 global financial crisis, creating a top-level forum to discuss international challenges.

Mr Sunak said he is preparing to use the sessions in New Delhi to call out Russia for the suffering it is causing with its invasion of Ukraine and its blockade of grain out of the war-torn country.

Russian president Vladimir Putin collapsed the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed ships carrying grain to leave southern Ukrainian ports without fear of attack, in July.

Mr Putin has said the deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, will not be restored until the West meets Moscows demands on its own agricultural exports.

The pact, first signed in July 2022 and extended every three months for a year, led to 33 million tonnes of grain and food exports leaving Ukraine, with the majority going to developing nations struggling for food supplies, according to the UN.

Mr Sunak said: It is causing suffering in Ukraine, but it is also causing suffering to millions of people in very vulnerable countries around the world.

And I want to do everything I can to hold them to account for that and to call out that behaviour.

Mr Putin has opted not to attend the New Delhi gathering in person but his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to attend.

Mr Sunak said the Russian leader was steering clear of confrontation with the West following his invasion of Ukraine because he doesnt want to be held accountable.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said there was no set moment for the British leader and Mr Lavrov to meet.

There are no set plans either for the UK leader to meet with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is representing Beijing at the summit in president Xi Jinpings absence, but No 10 has not shut down the possibility of a short interaction between the pair.

The weekend itinerary for Mr Sunak will see him visit important Indian cultural and religious sites, with a trip to a Hindu temple planned during his stay.
Bolton woman to return home after horror crash left her fighting for her life (Image: Public)

A young woman from Bolton will finally be coming home after a horror crash left her in a coma during an adventure of a lifetime in Cyprus.

Ellie Horrocks, 22, from Westhoughton was involved in a major accident on June 26, where she was then taken to the intensive care unit at Nicosia Hospital.

Following a trip on a buggy to see the sunset, Ellie suffered a serious head injury, and a fractured spinal cord and collarbone.

After returning to the UK in July her mum Leanne Horrocks shared her joy over Ellie returning home, describing Ellie as a 'true miracle'.

The Bolton News: She has been left with a serious head injury and a fractured spine and collarbone

Her mum says it has been 'heartbreaking' to see her daughter like that, but that she continues to blow them away with the progress she is making.

Leanne said: After what seems like an absolute lifetime, but only 10 and a half weeks, my baby is finally coming home.

Being diagnosed with a brain injury at such a young age is heartbreaking but her progress has blown us all away.

She has taken everything in her stride and is a true miracle.

An emotional roller coaster for us all but she has been so strong and determined with her recovery.

The Bolton News:

Leanne previously set up a GoFundMe in a desperate bid to bring her daughter home to take her to a specialist neurology hospital in the UK.

And through peoples generosity, the family managed to raise more than 70k, which helped bring Ellie home.

Leanne says that there is still lots of hard work to be put in with physio and occupational therapy, but that thanks to everyones generosity, they are able to fund these privately without being on a waiting list.

She added: The staff at Salford Royal have been fantastic and we will be forever grateful to them.

Thank you once again to everybody who shared and donated to enable us to get Ellie home as quick as we could.

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Ellie was totally overwhelmed when I explained what we needed to do, and she is so thankful to everyone.

Ellie Horrocks you are my absolute world, and I couldnt be any more prouder of you.

The discharge procedures are now in place, and when Ellie can return home is dependent on how long this takes.

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.
When you say a ransomware breach in business, many people tend to think about cyber attacks against Google and other giant companies.

But, the truth is ransomware attacks are also targeting SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises).

ATTENTION: Even SMEs are Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks

In 2022, Forbes reported that SMEs are more likely to be targeted by ransomware breaches compared to larger businesses. This was revealed by the Barracuda Networks, a cloud security firm.

Researchers at the Barracuda Networks analyzed millions of emails across multiple companies between January 2021 and December 2021.

They discovered that a staff of an SME with less than 100 workers is likely to experience over 300% more social engineering attacks compared to an employee of a larger company.

Read Also: Bank of Ireland App Bug Gives Zero-Balance Clients Free Cash, Prompting Long Lines at ATMs

Cyber Attacks Commonly Attacking SMEs

American enterprise software company Jumpcloud said that ransomware is the most common cyber attack in SMEs. Security researchers said that up to 70% of ransomware attacks are aimed at smaller businesses.

Aside from ransomware, here are other malicious campaigns that are usually attacking SMEs:

Phishing

Supply-Chain Breaches

Software Vulnerability Exploits

Attack Takeovers

Advanced Persistent Threats

How SMEs Can Protect Themselves

ComputerWeekly reported that SMEs can protect themselves by establishing their DR (disaster recovery).

This is why DR planning is very critical for smaller businesses, especially since cyber attacks are becoming more frequent.

Here are the things that SMEs need to consider when establishing their DR:

SMEs must check if investing in infrastructure (physical resources) is worth it when it comes to protecting their systems from cyber-attacks.

The best option for smaller companies is to rely on cloud DR since it is cheaper and more practical. But, SMEs need to remember that sending data to the cloud can be costly.

Although in-house DR is not usually affordable, it is still a great option to protect SMEs from malicious campaigns.

SMEs need to know the most suitable DR providers for their businesses. Top DR providers include Google Cloud Platform, Azure, and AWS.

These are just some of the important details that smaller businesses need to know when it comes to establishing their direct response.

If you own a small business or work for small businesses, you can click this link to learn more about the importance of DR to your company.

Related Article: This Ransomware Gang Claims It Breached Sabre's Data

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Alderman Martin Gregg calls for DNA testing to tackle dog fouling. Pic credit: Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council

Over 18,000 licensed dogs could be set for DNA testing as a Northern Ireland council looks to tackle a major dog fouling problem, with only one pet owner fined in a three month period.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) has been urged by its elected members to review the possibility of biological testing to identify pets and their owners for leaving dog mess in public areas.

Councillors reacted after being shocked at new quarter year statistics, showing only one dog fouling fine handed out from April to June, whilst just under 3,000 licences were approved in the same period.

Cllr Sharon Skillen says drastic action must be taken to tackle the problem of dog fouling. Pic credit: Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council

Castlereagh East Alliance councillor, Martin Gregg said: Dog fouling is the single biggest issue across the board.

There has only been one person fined for dog fouling. Our dog wardens cant be everywhere to catch offenders.

I think it is time to revisit the possibility of using DNA testing. The costs of which could be proportionate with fines.

A previous DNA proposal was rejected by the council in 2021 as it emerged it would cost 766,000 to create the database and an additional 28,000 for operating costs.

DUP Alderman, Sharon Skillen added: This is a massive issue for constituents. It is frustrating and disgusting.

Where I live this can happen at late times of the night and then there can be dog poo outside pre-school areas for the next morning.

We need to do something drastic to tackle this issue. This is always going to be a problem, but we should be doing what we can to make it less of a problem.

A council officer responded: There are 18,000 plus dogs licensed in the district and we have two dog wardens. We are short staffed.

Though, it is hard to say if an increase in staff would provide better results.

The environment committee approved a proposal to review DNA testing with a report due to be brought back to the chamber.

In July it was reported that a DNA dog dirt testing scheme is to be trialled in the southern French town of Beziers.
Kim Kardashian pleads with President Biden to prevent Armenian genocide credit:Bang Showbiz

Kim Kardashian has pleaded with US President Joe Biden to prevent another Armenian genocide.

The 42-year-old reality TV star - who is of Armenian descent - has co-written an article with Dr Eric Esrailian for Rolling Stone, in which they plead with Biden to take action to protect Armenians from Azerbaijan.

Kim shared a link to the article on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: "My Plea to President Joe Biden to Stop Another Armenian Genocide. Its time for America (and the world) to take action to protect Armenians from Azerbaijan."

Kim wrote that she and countless others are "descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors" and went on to detail how Azerbaijan's actions have affected those living in Armenia.

She wrote: "Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh" and the rest of the world.

Adding that the war in Ukraine has meant some countries have come to rely on Azerbaijan for oil, she wrote that Azerbaijan in using "starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region".

Kim is asking President Biden to cut off foreign aid to Azerbaijan and boycott international events happening in the country.

The star - whose late father Robert Kardashian was Armenian - donated $1 million to the Armenia Fund three years ago.

She wrote on Instagram at the time: "Ive been speaking out about the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh and having conversations with so many others to bring further awareness to the crisis that we cannot allow to advance. My thoughts and prayers are with the brave men, women and children. I want everyone to remember that despite the distance that separates us, we are not limited by borders and we are one global Armenian nation together.

She explained that donations to the Armenia Fund go toward helping civilians who have been impacted or displaced by the conflict, through food, shelter, medical care and other supplies.
Paris Fury has pulled her eldest out of school credit:Bang Showbiz

Paris Fury has pulled her eldest children out of school.

The 33-year-old reality star is mother to Venezuela, 13, and Prince John James, 11, Prince Tyson II, seven, Valencia, five,Prince Adonis Amaziah, four, Prince Adonis Amaziah, two and is expecting her seventh baby with husband Tyson Fury but took to social media on Thursday (07.09.23) to explain that Friday would be the first day her youngest would be in school whilst her eldest two will now be homeschooled.

She wrote on Instagram: "Tomorrow will be the first day all four little ones are in school/nursery and the big two with a tutor for homeschool. Roll on Friday."

The former 'Loose Women' panellist previously explained that it is the "traditional Traveller way" for children to finish school at the end of primary school at the age of 11 so they can take up such a way of life.

She told The Mirror: "We finish school at primary age, which is the traditional Traveller way. We've just brought the tradition into the 21st century. Venezuela wanted to leave school and all her [Traveller] friends were leaving. Venezuela wanted to leave school and all her friends were leaving. Her tutor is going to keep her up to date with all of her tests. She will also be having piano lessons."

The 'At Home With the Furys' star previously joked that the summer holidays had left her "done in" as a mother-of-six but later admitted that she "enjoyed" the time with her kids and hoped they would be "settled in" for ready for the new arrival.

She wrote on Instagram: "Enjoyed it all and excited to see all the kids start their new years at school nursery. Hopefully all will be settled in lovely just in time for my new one to come along."
From left to right: Paddy Lane, Joe Morrell and Terry Devlin are on international duty for their countries. (Photo: The News)

Joe Morrell, Terry Devlin and Paddy Lane answered calls from their countries - leading to this weekends scheduled trip to Barnsley being postponed.

It was far from plain sailing, however, following their first round of fixtures last night.

Morrell did get some minutes for Wales, as they played out a 0-0 draw with South Korea at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Blues midfielder was introduced at the break in place and produced a typically composed display against Son Heung-Min & Co.

Morrell is suspended, however, for his countrys crucial Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia - with victory needed to keep their hopes of qualification alive.

Elsewhere, however, there was frustration for the other pair of members from John Mousinhos squad away.

Paddy Lane was called up to Michael ONeills Northern Ireland squad, after an injury to his Pompey team-mate Gavin Whyte forced his withdrawal from qualifiers against Slovenia and Kazakhstan.

Their hopes of making it Germany next summer were all but extinguished, however, after a 4-2 reverse against Slovenia in Ljubljana.

To compound his woe Lane wasnt part of the squad, with the trek to Kazakhstan to follow on Sunday.

And there was similar angst for Terry Devlin as Northern Irelands under-21 side were turned over 1-0 at home by minnows Luxembourg.

And Devlin was forced to look on from the bench as James Rodriguezs 13th-minute goal decided it in Lurgan, before a 13-minute cameo in a nightmare Euro under-21 qualifying opener for Tommy Wrights side.

They now travel to Euro under-21 semi-finalists Ukraine in a testing assignment after their opening disappointment.

READ MORE: Maybe, just maybe, readers have delivered the side to finally get Pompey out of League One.
StopWatt was not created or endorsed by Elon Musk and the electricity-saving box device is a scam. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Editor's note: This article has been expanded to include Musk's remarks at the All-In Summit on Sept. 11, 2023, pertaining to Starlink, Crimea and the role he says U.S. sanctions against Russia played in his decision-making.

In September 2023, allegations spread online that Elon Musk secretly shut down access to Starlink  a satellite internet system operated by Musk's aerospace company SpaceX  in Crimea, Ukraine, the previous year, supposedly to prevent a surprise attack by the Ukrainian military on Russian forces. Musk later responded to the allegations in a thread on X (formally Twitter) and, eventually, at a technology conference.

The claims stemmed from a CNN article published on Sept. 7, 2023, citing an excerpt from a yet-to-be-released book about Musk by author Walter Isaacson.

That same day, The Washington Post published a column written by Isaacson himself containing details similar to the CNN article. Various other reputable news outlets, including The Guardian and The New York Times, then published their own headlines about Musk allegedly telling engineers "to turn off communications network to hobble Ukraine drone attack on Russian warships."

The New York Times described Starlink as "a digital lifeline in Ukraine since the early days of the war for both civilians and soldiers in areas where digital infrastructure has been wiped out."

The CNN Article and Musk's Response

Here's an excerpt from CNN's article, which was titled, "CNN Exclusive: 'How am I in this war?': New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire's Ukraine dilemma":

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Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company's Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet, according to an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacson's new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled "Elon Musk." As Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly," Isaacson writes. Musk's decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, a fear driven home by Musk's conversations with senior Russian officials, according to Isaacson, whose new book is set to be released by Simon & Schuster on September 12. Musk's concerns over a "mini-Pearl Harbor" as he put it, did not come to pass in Crimea. But the episode reveals the unique position Musk found himself in as the war in Ukraine unfolded. Whether intended or not, he had become a power broker US officials couldn't ignore. [...] After Russia disrupted Ukraine's communications systems just before its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Musk agreed to provide Ukraine with millions of dollars of SpaceX-made Starlink satellite terminals, which became crucial to Ukraine's military operations. Even as cellular phone and internet networks had been destroyed, the Starlink terminals allowed Ukraine to fight and stay connected.

Musk did not respond to CNN's request for comment, according to the article.

After the allegations about Musk shutting off Starlink in Crimea took off online, however, he responded on X (formally Twitter). In a series of messages, he claimed the following: (1) Starlink was never activated in the region in the first place, and therefore he never deactivated it, and (2) the Ukrainian government had asked him to activate Starlink "all the way to Sevastopol," the largest city in Crimea, and he refused to do that to avoid escalating the conflict.

(@elonmusk on X)

(@elonmusk on X)

The New York Times interpreted Musk's clarifications as a tacit acknowledgment of his intent (emphasis ours):

[...] Mr. Musk responded on his social media platform to say that he hadn't disabled the service but had rather refused to comply with an emergency request from Ukrainian officials to enable Starlink connections to Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean peninsula. That was in effect an acknowledgment that he had made the decision to prevent a Ukrainian attack.

After Musk's tweets, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, tagged the billionaire in a post on X that claimed "civilians, children are being killed" because of the unavailability of Starlink's services.

Isaacson, whose book excerpt was the basis of CNN's initial report, issued his own clarification on Sept. 8, acknowledging that Starlink had not been enabled in Crimea in the first place:

To clarify on the Starlink issue: the Ukrainians THOUGHT coverage was enabled all the way to Crimea, but it was not. They asked Musk to enable it for their drone sub attack on the Russian fleet. Musk did not enable it, because he thought, probably correctly, that would cause a major war.

Then, during the All-In Summit that took place on Sept. 10-12, 2023, Musk again addressed the topic of Starlink access in Crimea. The recording from Musk's speech at the conference was shared on Sept. 13, 2023, on the All-In Podcast YouTube channel:

Musk now claimed that at the time of the in-question situation, Starlink access around Crimea was not turned on. The reason was because the U.S. had imposed sanctions on Russia, and SpaceX was not allowed to turn on connectivity in Crimea without explicit government approval. Moreover, Musk said, Ukraine didn't give SpaceX any "advance warning or heads up." He said he got urgent calls from the Ukrainian government in the middle of the night saying that he needed to turn on Starlink access in Crimea.

Comparing the situation to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Musk claimed that the Ukrainian government was asking SpaceX to "proactively take part in a major act of war." He said that SpaceX was supporting Ukraine, but the Ukrainian government was not in charge of U.S people or companies, adding "that's not how it works." He added that although he's not U.S. President Joe Biden's biggest fan, if he had received a presidential directive to turn on Starlink connectivity in Crimea, he would have done so, because he does "regard the president as the chief executive officer of the country." But no such requests came through, he said.

We have reached out to the U.S. Department of Treasury for confirmation that the existing U.S. sanctions would prohibit activating Starlink access in Crimea, but as of this writing, we have not received a reply. Moreover, we contacted Mykhailo Fedorov, deputy prime minister for innovation, education, science and technology development and minister of digital transformation of Ukraine, and we will update this article if or when we receive a response.

The Book That Prompted CNN's Article

This is the description of "Elon Musk" by Walter Isaacson on publisher Simon & Schuster's website:

From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our eraa rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter.

The biography, as the description continued, documents two years of encounters between Isaacson and Musk:

For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

Snopes reached out to Isaacson for more details about Musk, Starlink and Crimea, but we have not received a reply.

Sources:

Amazon.Com. https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1982181281. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.

Borger, Julian. "Elon Musk Ordered Starlink to Be Turned off during Ukraine Offensive, Book Says." The Guardian, 7 Sept. 2023. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/07/elon-musk-ordered-starlink-turned-off-ukraine-offensive-biography.

Davenport, Christian, and Joseph Menn. "Musk Cut Internet to Ukraine's Military as It Was Attacking Russian Fleet." Washington Post, 8 Sept. 2023. www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/07/ukraine-starlink-musk-biography/.

Elon Musk. 2023. www.simonandschuster.com, https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Elon-Musk/Walter-Isaacson/9781982181284.

Lyngaas, Sean. "CNN Exclusive: 'How Am I in This War?': New Musk Biography Offers Fresh Details about the Billionaire's Ukraine Dilemma | CNN Politics." CNN, 7 Sept. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/elon-musk-biography-walter-isaacson-ukraine-starlink/index.html.

"Opinion | 'How Am I in This War?': The Untold Story of Elon Musk's Support for Ukraine." Washington Post, 7 Sept. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/07/elon-musk-starlink-ukraine-russia-invasion/.

Updates:

Sept. 9, 2023: This article was updated with a clarifying tweet from Walter Isaacson.

Sept. 13, 2023: This article was updated with Elon Musk's statements regarding Starlink access in Crimea from the All-In Summit.
Rishi Sunak hailed the enormous progress made on moving towards a free trade agreement with India as he prepares to meet Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister has confirmed he plans to check in with Mr Modi about the trade negotiations when they meet on the fringes of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Saturday.

But Mr Sunak has refused to put an artificial deadline on when he wants to see a deal signed off.

He is said to think that his predecessors habit of setting target dates for ratifying post-Brexit trade terms was damaging to the UKs negotiating position.

Former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss both expressed a desire to have a pact with the emerging global powerhouse wrapped up by October 2022 to coincide with the Hindu celebration of Diwali.

Mr Sunak said he and Mr Modi agreed that there is a good deal to be done.

Speaking to Asian News International (ANI) on Friday ahead of his bilateral meeting with Mr Modi, he said: Both Modi and I are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between our two countries.

Both of us think that there is a good deal to be done. But trade deals always take time. They need to work for both countries.

And although weve made enormous progress, there is still hard work to go.

The comments appeared more positive than when he told the UK press pack only hours earlier that a free trade agreement with India was not a given.

The Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, said the summit was not the forum to hold in-depth discussions about the hurdles holding up a trade agreement.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty will attend a G20 leaders dinner on Saturday in New Delhi (Dan Kitwood/PA)

However, he confirmed he would touch on the negotiations with the Hindu nationalist leader on Saturday.

The deal is reportedly being held up by a number of issues, including a disagreement over the number of visas for Indians to work in the UK and differences over the level of access British car manufacturers should be given to Indias market of 1.4 billion people.

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A crucial difference between London and New Delhi has been on their stance on Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Sunak has been outspoken in condemning Russian president Vladimir Putins 19-month assault on Kyiv while India has kept ties open with the Kremlin since Moscows forces crossed the Ukrainian border in February 2022.

The Prime Minister suggested he would not be pressing Mr Modi to go further in supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

Before meeting the world leaders of today Ive been meeting with the world leaders of tomorrow. Its been fantastic to visit students and staff here at @inBritish  a reflection of the living bridge that exists between the UK and India. pic.twitter.com/mYc2uZP7kc  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

Asked for his view on the Indian position on the conflict, he told ANI: Well, its not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues, but I know India rightly cares about the international rule of law, the UN charter and respect for territorial integrity.

I think those are things that are universal values that we all share. Those are things that I believe, and India, I know, believes in those things too.

Mr Modi has been placed front-and-centre of the two-day G20 summit being held at Bharat Mandapam, with his face displayed on thousands of posters around the city advertising the gathering.

Indian authorities are looking to use the opportunity to bolster the countrys worldwide reputation, with US president Joe Biden among the leaders flying in.

Narendra Modi has been at the centre of advertising for the G20 in India (Manish Swarup/AP)

But a lockdown in place around the summit venue has made it difficult to travel around the Indian capital and press access has been heavily restricted.

On Saturday, Mr Sunak will hold separate meetings with Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth on the fringes of the summit.

In the evening, the Prime Minister and his wife Akshata Murty will join leaders for a dinner hosted by Mr Modi. Ms Murty is the daughter of NR Narayana Murty, the billionaire co-founder of Indian IT giant Infosys.

Ahead of the Singapore bilateral, Downing Street announced a new strategic partnership with the Asian Commonwealth nation.

It involves enhanced shared security between the two, along with efforts to harness the UK and Singapores expertise in new technologies like cyber and artificial intelligence to create jobs in both countries, No 10 said.

Mr Sunak said: This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners.
A robotic "dog" named Spot was recently used to carry out surveys of two off-limits buildings at the Cold War weapons facility at Orford Ness. The National Trust said the survey of the Cold War-era site under its care was the first of its kind.

Spot is a robot developed by Boston Dynamics and operated by BAM Nuttall, with the latter's innovations and technical lead Colin Evison saying the aim of the operation was to capture the buildings' "size and geometry."

The structures on the site, which previously tested out the capabilities of nuclear weapons without the actual use of nuclear material in the 1960s until its decommissioning and custodial transfer to the National Trust in 1993, have been closed to the public and its own staff for safety reasons.

National Trust general manager for Suffolk and Essex Russel Clement was also quoted by the BBC, saying that accessing the area was "a bit of a head-scratcher" since they would like to have the site mapped out using modern technology before it gets washed and reclaimed by the sea.

"These buildings are completely inaccessible but really really important," he added. "They're going to be lost to the sea eventually."

Aside from Spot, aerial drones built by Boston Dynamics were also used to conduct a study on the site.

Read Also: Will AI Soon Replace Pets? Expert Voices Concern

Safe Surveying

The survey conducted at Orford Ness was the first stage of a long-term project by BAM Nuttall, in collaboration with Historic England and University College London (UCL).

Evison said BAM Nuttall was tapped for the project after the National Trust spotted its work in the Shetlands.

"We can survey buildings too hazardous to put people in so we can get a detailed survey without putting people in harm's way," he added. "We want to capture the size and the geometry of the building because they are under managed decay at the moment, but we also wanted to create some content so visitors can have a look inside - there's no other means we can do that."

Clement also stated the project was commissioned to accurately detail the subject buildings, and at the same time, allow people to access them without having to risk getting injured due to its decaying concrete.

"With the data, we'll be able to recreate them virtually and people will be able to experience the interiors of these incredible buildings," he added.

Related Article: US Army to Weaponize Robot Dogs by Mounting Rifles, LMGs; Integrating AI Capabilities Part of Plan

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The University of North Georgia (UNG) tradition of excellence continued at Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, as 94 cadets completed the summer training.

Advanced Camp is a mandatory training event for rising seniors within the Corps of Cadets who plan to commission. They demonstrate their proficiency in military and leadership skills tested over one month under the direction of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

"The fundamentals of developing leaders of character requires consistent focus, innovation and teamwork that can provide challenges to our cadets that build courage, resiliency and commitment to service," Col. Bryan Kirk, UNG professor of military science, said. "UNG's track record of producing quality officers who lead in the Army's most demanding and exceptional units is a testament to our success. Our focus on developing Army officers through a culture of academic, physical and leadership excellence strives to emulate the success and prestige of the U.S. Military Academy."

Cadet Adrian Delgado received the ARNG Minuteman Award, and Cadet Sawyer C. Davis was the recipient of the USAA Warrior Spirit Award.

"UNG cadets consistently perform well at Advanced Camp due to the dedication and professionalism of our ROTC cadre, our cadet leadership and amazing support by our UNG faculty and staff," Kirk said.

Twenty cadets received the Recondo badge, which is awarded to cadets who display superior skills at camp. They must exceed the standards in seven events: Army Combat Fitness Test; confidence courses; land navigation; marksmanship; first aid; a 12-mile foot march; and chemical, biological, radiological. and nuclear training.
HA NOI  Viet Nam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank) has just announced an increase of foreign ownership ratio to a maximum of 30 per cent of the bank's charter capital.

The lender said that the official adjustment time will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of law, ensuring the implementation of the private placement plan for foreign investors.

As of September 5, VPBank's foreign room is 16 per cent, while the available ratio is 3.35 per cent. After the adjustment, the foreign ownership ratio at the bank will raise to the maximum level.

Previously, at the 2023 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, VPBank shareholders approved a private offering plan to foreign strategic investors to increase charter capital, bringing the total foreign ownership ratio to a maximum of 30 per cent of charter capital.

VPBank has offered to sell nearly 1.2 billion of its shares, equivalent to 15 per cent of capital, to strategic investor Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC).

In the first six months of the year, the total revenue of its parent bank declined by 24.1 per cent year-on-year to nearly VN17.5 trillion (US$726.7 million). The parent bank's net profit was VN6.3 trillion, down 48 per cent over last year.

Despite a positive growth in credit, VPBank's bad debt increased sharply. As of June 30, the bad debt ratio of the parent bank was at 3.87 per cent, up from 2.8 per cent at the end of 2022. Of which, the parent bank's bad debt group 3 and group 4 were 3 and 2 times higher, respectively, compared to the beginning of the year.

On the stock market, the lender's shares are traded on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) with a ticker symbol of VPB. They traded at VN21,800 a share on Wednesday, an increase of 3.81 per cent.

After a sharp decline in mid-August, VPB shares have recovered by nearly 22 per cent over the beginning of the year.  VNS
HA NOI  Foreign investment has proven itself as a dynamic economic sector, with significant contributions to the growth of the national economy as well as its integration into the world, heard a recent workshop in Ha Noi.

The event was jointly held by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to mark 35 years of Viet Nams foreign investment attraction.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy ong highlighted foreign investments positive impacts on the reform of economic institutions and the improvement of the domestic business environment, the State apparatus, and Viet Nams reputation and position in the international arena.

The official cited statistics as showing that Viet Nam has so far counted 38,084 valid foreign-invested projects with a total registered capital of US$453.26 billion, of which nearly $287.1 billion has been disbursed.

In the first eight months of this year, the country attracted 1,924 new projects, while 830 others registered to adjust their investment capital, and 22,268 transactions of capital contribution for share purchases were recorded in the period with a combined value of nearly $18.15 billion.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan inh called foreign investment a bright spot since Viet Nam started to embark on reforms in 1986, adding that the source of capital contributed to sharpening the national economys competitiveness, generating jobs and raising the State budget collection.

The official noted a string of policies adopted by the Party and the State to boost foreign direct investment (FDI) and improve its efficiency.

Viet Nam regarded science-technology and innovation as one of the most important strategic breakthroughs, ong said, pointing to positive outcomes the country has recorded in luring foreign investment in this regard, with the presence of such tech giants as Intel and Samsung.

However, limitations still remain in technology transfer, said ang inh Tung, deputy head of the MoSTs Department of Technology Appraisal, Examination and Assessment, elaborating that although there were 400 technology transfer agreements by FDI firms recorded in Viet Nam between July 2018 and the end of 2022, they were only in the parent-subsidiary relationship, with no effects on others.

According to the MoST, among the more than 100 multi-national groups investing in the Southeast Asian nation, only Samsung and LG of the Republic of Korea (RoK) have built their research and development (R&D) centres in Ha Noi.

ong stressed that the competition pressure from FDI firms had prompted domestic businesses to raise their productivity and revamp technology, thus better adapting to globalisation.

However, Vietnamese enterprises had not been able to absorb technologies from FDI firms yet, he said, proposing policies and mechanisms to link domestic and foreign enterprises, covering support industry development, and connectivity in product supply chains.

At the same time, domestic businesses needed to proactively seek technology transfer channels, he said.  VNS
POLAND  Viettel High Tech, the R&D division of Viettel Group has announced a strategic signing with WB Group  Polands largest technology group at the International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) which is being held from September 5-8 in Kielce, Poland.

This partnership aims to help the two leading groups of Viet Nam and Poland leverage mutual strengths and explore business opportunities in the global markets.

Under the co-operation, Viettel High Tech will play a pivotal role in promoting WB Group's cutting-edge products across Viet Nam, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. These regions have become strongholds for Viettel, and the company has firmly established its brand in the field. In return, WB Electronics, a subsidiary of WB Group, will serve as Viettel High Tech's gateway for business expansion in Poland, Europe, and the global high-tech equipment supply chain.

The collaboration between Viettel High Tech and WB Group is geared towards fostering a synergistic ecosystem of products, enabling the promotion of each other's offerings in diverse potential markets and distribution channels.

Viettel, with its extensive expertise in research, design, production, and distribution of leading technology solutions, will further strengthen its operations in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Having already achieved remarkable success in 11 countries, Viettel is well-positioned to leverage its credibility and expand its presence even further. Meanwhile, WB Group holds a leading position in the Polish high-tech market, providing the most technologically advanced military systems in the global market.

Nguyen Vu Ha, General Director of Viettel High Tech said: The two-way cooperation in the win-win spirit between Viettel and WB Group will help expand our global business network, unlocking new opportunities in the defence industry. In the coming time, we will continue to promote international cooperation activities which will play a crucial role in accelerating Viettel's research and product development processes.  VNS
Tenth batch of Chinese medical team honored in South Sudan

Xinhua) 13:56, September 08, 2023

JUBA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan and the Chinese Embassy on Thursday awarded certificates to the outgoing tenth batch of the Chinese medical team, recognizing their excellent medical services to the local people in the youngest nation of the world.

During the awarding ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Atem Nathan Nyuon, acting undersecretary in the Ministry of Health, commended successive Chinese medical teams for their positive contribution to transforming the health sector of the country since 2012.

"China medical teams chose to stand with South Sudanese together to face the difficulties, and the modernization of Juba Teaching Hospital is robust evidence showing China's strong support to the development of our health sector. China medical teams come here not only to treat our patients but to give us a better understanding of modern medicine through various training sessions for our young doctors," Nyuon said.

Anthony Lupai Simon, director-general of Juba Teaching Hospital, said the Chinese medical teams have not only been stationed in Juba Teaching Hospital but also been working in remote and hard-to-reach areas such as Paloch, Panyagor and Rumbek.

"It is not only medical service that they do, clinical practice but there is also training that they have been conducting from time to time. We had the tenth batch help us by training our cadres locally here and also some were sent for training in China," Lupai said. "As we speak we have a good number of people who are currently undergoing training in China because the hospital is expanding and we need a good capacity of people who are going to cater to the expanded hospital."

Xu Zhangwei, team leader of the tenth batch of the Chinese medical team, said their infectious diseases department and laboratory department launched a series of theoretical and practical training regularly, which has effectively improved local doctors' ability to diagnose and treat common infectious diseases.

"Under our tireless effort, a full-new pathology department, a telediagnosis center and an infectious disease laboratory with equipment and medical supplies of nearly 1 million U.S. dollars are going to be handed over this year," Xu said.

Chen Si, team leader of the incoming 11th batch of the Chinese medical team in South Sudan, said his team is honored to follow in the footsteps of the 10th batch of the Chinese medical team and continue their commendable work in providing healthcare assistance to the people of South Sudan. "The dedication and efforts of the previous team have set a high standard for us, and we are committed to upholding and surpassing their achievements," Chen said.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of Chinese medical teams all over the world. In 1963, China dispatched the first medical team to Algeria. Over the six decades, China has sent 30,000 medical personnel to 76 countries all over the world and treated 290 million patients.

The first batch of Chinese medical team arrived in South Sudan in 2012. The China medical teams have set up an electronic gastroscopy department, and a cervical screening center in Juba Teaching Hospital and also supported four batches of 33 South Sudanese medical staff in studying and training in China.

Over the past 11 years since the first batch of the Chinese medical team to South Sudan arrived in Juba in 2012, 149 Chinese medical workers have come to work in the East African country successively, having treated 64,409 outpatients, performed 1,206 operations of various types, carried out gastroscopy examinations for 1,199 people, and conducted 19 free medical camps in outreach regions of the country, which have served 30,245 patients in total.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Microsoft stated in a threat analysis study on Thursday that more sophisticated Chinese state-aligned influence and misinformation campaigns are mimicking American voters and focusing on political candidates on multiple social media platforms.

The report, which concentrated on the rise in "digital threats from East Asia," stated that "covert influence operations have now begun to successfully engage with target audiences on social media to a greater extent than previously observed," according to NBC News.

The Microsoft report also issued a warning about the trend, which the company claimed started around March, of some Chinese influence campaigns now leveraging generative artificial intelligence to produce visual material that has "already drawn higher levels of engagement from authentic" users.

An Improvement in Chinese Influence

Chinese influence campaigns have always had difficulty connecting with their intended audiences, in this case, U.S. citizens and voters. However, Microsoft cautioned that those tactics have improved after the 2022 midterm elections.

(Photo: by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) The Microsoft logo is displayed on an office building in Washington, DC, on February 15, 2023. - Retail sales in the United States rebounded in January, government data showed Wednesday, logging the biggest gain since early 2021 as policymakers watch for signs that consumer spending is cooling in the longer run.

Concern over foreign influence operations on social media platforms, particularly on X, formerly known as Twitter, has been voiced by industry professionals and policymakers.

Three Democratic House members requested information from X's owner Elon Musk concerning manipulation attempts on the site in December.

Read also: China Closes 100,000 Social Media Accounts as Beijing Ramps up Crackdown on Fake News

Chinese Influence Campaigns Spreading Disinformation

Microsoft discovered content from Chinese influence campaigns on a number of apps, including X, LinkedIn, Meta's Facebook, and Instagram. The parent company of Facebook, Meta, revealed in August that it had stopped the biggest disinformation effort ever and connected it to people with ties to the Chinese government.

Screenshots of two distinct X postings from April that were recognized as CCP-connected misinformation were provided in Microsoft's assessment. Both featured the same graphic and discussed the Black Lives Matter movement. The first was generated via a computerized CCP-connected account. Microsoft claimed that the second was uploaded seven hours later by an account pretending to be a conservative American voter.

According to Microsoft, the activities that were identified had characteristics in common with one that was reportedly operated by a select group within China's national security apparatus.

The Justice Department named this groupthe 912 Special Working Groupin April as the source of a nationwide harassment operation against Chinese citizens. 44 individuals, including 34 officers from China's Ministry of Public Security, were charged by the government.

In its operations for influence, China is joined by Russia and even pro-American groups. actors who have previously been caught doing the same. A vast network of accounts involved in a clandestine pro-American campaign was destroyed by X and Meta last year. propaganda offensive with a Middle Eastern and Central Asian focus. Whether the network was associated with American intelligence is unknown.

Related article: CISA Director Claims China Cyberattacks are 'Epoch-Defining Threat'; US Official Explains Why

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
HCM CITY  How to transform economic models towards green growth to achieve net zero emissions will top the agenda of the fourth HCM City Economic Forum to take place next week.

Themed Green Growth - The Journey to Zero Emissions, the international event will take place from September 13-17.

Speaking at a press conference introducing the event on Thursday, Vo Van Hoan, vice chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, said green growth is an inevitable choice for countries around the world, including Viet Nam.

In Viet Nam, green growth is a long-term instrument for achieving the dual targets of net-zero carbon emissions and fast economic growth, he said.

These targets are on Viet Nams agenda as the country made its net-zero commitments at COP26 in 2021 in the UK, he added.

However, the path to green growth remains challenging for a developing country like Viet Nam as the awareness of the business community towards environmental protection is at an early stage.

Green growth should be based on science and innovation, taking advantage of new technologies, protecting the environment, and responding to climate change, he said.

Key discussion topics at the forum will include trends in green growth and circular economy for megacities like HCM City, the establishment of circular economy ecosystems to reduce emissions to zero, policies for green growth, and lessons from international experiences.

During the event, the city Peoples Committee will present Green Enterprise awards to honour businesses that have been actively adopting green and sustainable growth models.

There will be a meeting among city leaders and 100 leading CEOs at home and abroad to discuss solutions to promote green growth in HCM City.

Philipp Rosler, former deputy Prime Minister of Germany and Honorary Consul of Viet Nam in Switzerland, will engage in discussions with students and businesses on the topic of green economy and sustainable development.

The event will be attended by 1,500 delegates, including leaders of the Government, international financial institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, World Economic Forum (WEF), and local and foreign businesses.

The WEF delegation, led by Jeremy Jurgens, executive director of WEF, will attend the forum to announce a Joint Statement on cooperation between HCM City and WEF.

The HCM City Economic Forum will also feature trade and investment promotion exhibitions, as well as business connection activities at Nguyen Hue Walking Street from September 13 to 17.

To ensure public engagement, special art performances will be held every night.

Viet Nam has issued the National Green Growth Strategy for the period of 2021-30 with a vision to 2050.

It has also issued a national action plan on green growth for the period 2021-30 and a circular economy development scheme to effectively use natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to climate change.

HCM City has approved a green growth strategy towards sustainable development by 2030.

The first HCM City Economic Forum was held in 2018.  VNS
By Mai Huong

HA NOI  The Vietnam Innovation Award 2023 held in Ha Noi on Friday celebrated 12 outstanding innovative solutions across various award categories, driving the digital transformation of businesses.

This event is a part of the Vietnam Innovation Challenge (VIC), a programme aligned with the Vietnam Innovation Initiative (InnovateVN), under the Ministry of Planning and Investment's guidance, and in partnership with the National Innovation Centre (NIC) and Meta Corporation. VIC aims to source innovative solutions globally, addressing critical national challenges for a prosperous and sustainable Viet Nam.

The inaugural year of VIC, themed "Innovation with Businesses in Digital Transformation for Joining the Global Value Chain" in 2023, focused on digital transformation solutions and products geared toward enhancing the capabilities of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This initiative aimed to attract sustainable investment into Viet Nam while fostering favourable conditions for domestic businesses to engage in the global value chain.

Launched in October 2022, the programme generated substantial interest, with over 758 applications from more than 10 countries and territories. These innovative solutions catered to three key target groups: large corporations, innovative SMEs and startups, demonstrating a sustainable and problem-solving approach.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung praised these solutions for their comprehensive outlook, risk minimisation and long-term implementation roadmaps, and potential for replication in Viet Nam and beyond.

"I firmly believe that this marks a promising stride toward uniting the public sector, private sector, and other socio-economic segments to formulate, test and execute innovative initiatives. Such innovation initiatives are poised to enhance business productivity and advance the sustainable development of Viet Nam's economy," Minister Dung said.

The Selection Council commended four notable solutions, two of them  VNPT's "Digital Transformation Platform - oneSME" and FPT Information System (FIS)s "Process Automation with Virtual Robot Assistant (RPA) - FPT akaBot. Both solutions gained significant market traction and generated substantial revenue for their respective businesses.

Sharing on the sideline of the event, FIS chairman Tran ang Hoa highlighted two key challenges facing SMEs: a mindset that views creativity and digital transformation as costs, and the need for increased awareness and training in digital transformation.

"I want to emphasise that creativity and digital transformation yield profits; their application leads to the generation of fresh benefits. As for resources, we hope to see increased training activities to raise awareness about digital transformation. When everyone is well-informed, and both sides collaborate, operations will run more smoothly," Hoa said.

He added FPT actively engages with young creative businesses through programmes like the Vietnam Innovative Startup Accelerator (VIISA) fund, providing guidance and investment opportunities. With an ecosystem of over 50 million users, FPT offers an expansive customer base for businesses to leverage in their developmental efforts.

The Selection Council also recognised the unified enterprise management platform - MISA AMIS, developed by MISA Joint Stock Company, as the standout innovation for SMEs. In the Project and Startup category, "Energy Saving Solution - BenKon" from BenKon Joint Stock Company secured the top spot.

The winning solutions will receive comprehensive support packages and partake in a series of activities, piloting solutions across different cities and provinces in Viet Nam.

"After announcing the 12 innovative solutions today, our plan is to collaborate with businesses and localities to introduce these products, emphasising their cost-effectiveness and replicability. Our goal is to support supply chain management and innovation and facilitate business access to international markets through global innovation networks in countries like the United States, Europe, South Korea and Japan," Deputy Director of the National Innovation Centre, Vo Xuan Hoai, said.

Simon Milner, the Vice President of Public Policy for APAC at Meta, is also very positive about the digital ecosystem in Viet Nam and affirmed Metas long-term commitment to supporting innovation in Viet Nams digital economy.

Viet Nam has many favourable factors to shift from assembly and outsourcing to run with strong labour capabilities to product creation and design in line with Viet Nams strategy, Milner said. He highlighted Viet Nam's openness, its entrepreneurial and creative young population, highly motivated and resilient workforce, as well as supportive government policies are poised to generate momentum towards achieving the 2030 goal, where innovation is expected to contribute to 40 per cent of Viet Nam's economic growth.

At the event, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung officially launched the Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2024 programme, themed "Innovation with Businesses to Promote the Semiconductor Industry and Smart Manufacturing to Go Global". The programme encourages collaboration and fresh ideas, leveraging the semiconductor industry and smart manufacturing's potential for outstanding success, contributing to the country's sustainable development.  VNS
HA NOI  The Automotive World China 2023, slated to be held October 11-13 in Chinese Shenzhen City, would provide Vietnamese businesses with opportunities to discover innovative applications, accelerate smart automation upgrading in auto manufacturing, optimise the supply chain and build new energy vehicle (NEV) and intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) products in the fast-evolving market.

Phan Quang Vinh, Marketing Manager of RX Tradex Vietnam delivered this message during a press conference in the capital city on Thursday.

Co-hosted by the Shenzhen Government and Reed Exhibitions China, the upcoming exhibition would focus on technologies and solutions for NEV, ICV and automotive engineering, Vinh said.

Covering 160,000sq.m at Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Centre, the mega event would host 3,000 exhibitors, of which 900 global brands would bring a number of product launches.

Up to 2,000 match-making sessions, over 50 conferences and factory visits would be held on the sideline of the event, he added.

China is the largest automotive manufacturing country and automotive market for 14 consecutive years. It is also the world's largest new energy vehicle manufacturing country and new energy vehicle market for eight consecutive years.

In the first quarter of 2023, China became the world's largest auto exporting country.  VNS
QUANG BINH  Authorities of the central province of Quang Binh are embarking on activities to save Saola, one of the rarest and most threatened mammals on the planet, from the brink of extinction.

The activities are part of a project on sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation in Quang Binh.

The Saola, scientifically known as Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, inhabits the Truong Son mountain range in Viet Nam and Laos.

Found by scientists in 1992, Saola is critically endangered and is listed in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Red Data Book of Viet Nam.

The project will provide urgent and direct support to identify and mitigate threats to the species within priority areas in the Central Truong Son region while raising public awareness to increase the ability to detect the presence of Saola within its habitat range.

The Saola population has been very small since its discovery. The species is distributed thinly, scatteredly, and saola mainly inhabits the upstream rocky areas at an altitude of over 200 to 600 meters. It is also impossible to determine how many individuals are left. Conservation of the typically shy, deer-like species is extremely difficult. VNS
QUANG BINH  A cave with magnificent and pristine limestone formations has been discovered in the central province of Quang Binh, which is often dubbed the "kingdom of caves" in Viet Nam.

Locals in Truong Son Commune, Quang Ninh District, are behind the discovery, and they call the area the Son Nu (mountain girl) cave, confirmed Hoang Trong uc, Chairman of the Truong Son Commune People's Committee.

Located near such ecotourism destinations as Cha Rao and Cha Cung streams, the cave is approximately 1.8km long, with a width ranging from 20m to 50m and an average height of about 35m. To reach its location, people need to cross about 7km of convenient transportation and 2km of a trail alongside a stream.

It features an underground stream originating from the Viet Nam-Laos border. In summer, the water level inside the cave is not significant, allowing local residents to paddle through. The boat journey from its entrance to exit takes a little over an hour.

According to uc, the People's Committee and relevant agencies have conducted an on-site survey to assess the overall cave structure, aiming to develop adventure tourism in the area in the near future.

Quang Binh is also the home of the Son oong Cave, accredited as the worlds largest and most beautiful natural cave by the World Records Union and the World Records Association.  VNS
British Ambassador to Viet Nam Iain Frew speaks to the media about the prioritised cooperation areas between Viet Nam and the UK on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic ties (September 11, 1973-Septemter 11, 2013).

Could you share the outstanding achievements of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the UK?

I think over the past 50 years, we have seen really positive and incredible development of the relationship between the UK and Viet Nam.

We are now strategic partners. We are now cooperating together on some of the big global challenges like climate change, and global and regional security.

At the same time, we are cooperating really closely together in areas like trade and development which are so important to the people of both countries.

When we look back at over the past 50 years, we can see some really big achievements in these areas.

In our economic cooperation, we have achieved a free trade agreement. This year, including Viet Nams support, UK will be acceding to the CPTPP trade deal in the Pacific region, in fact making it a global deal.

This is a really strong example of the cooperation that weve been developing.

What we have seen under our strategic partnership is our cooperation broadening out not just in economic development. We are working on security and defence, migration challenges, climate, and energy. Were exploring opportunities in areas like education and healthcare for the benefit of our people.

What are the priority cooperation areas between Viet Nam and the UK in the future?

We have seen great trade success over recent years including the increase of 29 per cent in trade in 2022. Thats something I think we can exploit more the potential of: great trade and investment between our countries.

I want to see the success of Vietnamese companies in the UK and UK companies in Viet Nam.

Thats what the UK Government and my team in the embassy are working very hard on, helping some of the growing sectors of our economies to develop further.

For example, in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector, the need of our population is always developing and we have expertise to share with each other so Im really excited and positive about the potential.

In education, Im really excited about the potential to have not just Vietnamese students studying in the UK but also UK-quality education available in Viet Nam in a number of schools.

I think as Viet Nams economy develops and innovates, we should be working together more in areas like technology, and renewable energy where there is a huge potential, and other areas that support our economic development like financial and professional services.

I think the UK has expertise in these areas and Viet Nam has the ambition to develop. We have a great partnership and a great match between our countries.

What is Viet Nams position and role in the UKs strategy in the Indo-Pacific region?

The UK Government has issued an important document called the Integrated Review, which sets out a foreign security and development policy for the period ahead.

A core part of that is the relationship we have in the Indo-Pacific region and within that the relationship we have with Viet Nam and ASEAN are two very important pillars.

Thats because the Indo-Pacific region is currently, and in the future, the dynamo of growth in economic development. Its also because of the increasing connection between our people and travel between our countries which we want to see further development, and strategic significance and challenges in this region which we are all aware of.

That sets out a strategic level the reason why we should be working more closely together. In practice, we are seeing our leaders, businesses, and diplomats spending more time with each other and investing in the relationship to build the possibility in the future.

Could you share expectations on business cooperation between the two countries?

In areas like the pharmaceutical sector, there are big UK companies operating here in Viet Nam like AstraZeneca, GSK. I think these investments and partnerships also support the economic development of Viet Nam.

Whether it is in the supply chain, in trading or in education, I think high-quality investment from UK companies is not just about building factories but also helps economic development here.

Another area which is really important for the UK economy and becomes increasingly important for Viet Nam is the financial sector. There are some big UK international banks operating here for many decades, including Standard Chartered and HSBC.

Some of these big companies are committed to a long-term future in Viet Nam.

In addition to that, I want to see an increasing number of small and medium-sized businesses building cooperation with each other.

I want to see that investment coming with innovation and exploitation of new digital technology and the development of a green economy.

I think in all of those areas, weve got huge potential and UK companies that arrived already are going to be here in the future.

The UK market is open and welcoming to Vietnamese products and services. We have seen a huge increase in Vietnamese exports to the UK. We also welcome UK consumers receiving high quality products and services in Viet Nam.

Could you comment on Viet Nams potential to become a clean energy power in Southeast Asia? How can the UK help Viet Nam to strive for this ambition?

I think Viet Nam has huge potential to become a regional clean energy superpower.

The energy transition is a big challenge to all countries as we try to reach net zero and transition our power generation and grids away from coal fired power plants, from high carbon energy to low carbon energy like solar power, wind power both onshore and offshore and hydropower.

I think developing this requires lots of investment and framework.

We are working together with our G7 partners to help Viet Nam in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

That looks to develop and support the development of that framework in Viet Nam for investment and ensure that Viet Nams economy continues to grow in a sustainable way and attracts investment from companies looking for clean energy opportunities.

Given the regional and global growing demand for energy, I think Viet Nam with a long coastline and very sunny climate has huge potential in both solar and wind power to not just support its own development but to export and support the energy needs of other countries in the region.

The Viet Nam-UK relations are not just about political and economic cooperation. People-to-people exchange is also part of it. What are the opportunities and challenges of people-to-people exchange between the two countries?

The connection between people is one of the most important things. All we can do is to facilitate it.

I think one of the ways to do that here in Viet Nam is through the British Council which is the UK institution supporting British arts and culture globally.

This year the British Council has a number of activities. They have built and supported partnership between UK and Viet Nam, between industries and institutions. We have institutions to support that but I think it does not always require much financial support, sometimes its about connecting people.

I think one of the challenges may be helping the countries to learn more about each other. I want to use this opportunity to help more Vietnamese people understand what the UK is about to make connection between people and I want Vietnamese people to be in the UK so they can explore some of the opportunities themselves.

I think the challenge is distance but we can work together help overcome them. VNS
HA NOI  The extensive strategic partnership between Viet Nam and Japan is developing strongly, comprehensively and substantially with high political trust, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai said when receiving Muraoka Tsugumasa, Governor of Japans Yamaguchi prefecture, in Ha Noi on Thursday.

During the reception, the Deputy PM emphasised the significance of the Japanese Governor's visit to Viet Nam as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relation this September.

He stressed that Japan is Viet Nams leading economic partner, the biggest Official Development Assistance (ODA) provider, the second biggest partner in labour, the third biggest partner in investment and tourism, and the fourth largest partner in commerce.

In recent years, localities of the two countries have also actively promoted exchanges and cooperation activities. By now, about 90 pairs of localities have established ties.

Notably, the over 430,000-strong Vietnamese community is the second largest expat community in Japan, which makes a practical contribution to its socio-economic development.

The Deputy PM also highly appreciated the cooperation between Viet Nam and Yamaguchi prefecture. He thanked Governor Muraoka for his support of the cooperative relationship, especially cooperation with Viet Nams Binh Duong Province.

Governor Muraoka said that since Binh Duong Province and Yamaguchi prefecture signed an MoU on cooperation in 2014, their cultural, educational and economic cooperation has been generating positive results.

According to the Governor, the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is the person who elevated the relationship between Viet Nam and Japan to an extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. Since Viet Nam shifted to a market economy, the economic relationship between the two countries has increasingly developed.

He said in the context of the world economic slowdown, Viet Nams positive growth made a significant contribution to the global economy.

The Japanese official said that Yamaguchi prefecture wishes to expand investment abroad, especially those from small and medium enterprises into Viet Nam.

He asked for support from the Government of Viet Nam in this regard, noting that in June, the prefecture held a seminar with more than 100 local enterprises to introduce investment opportunities in Viet Nam. It will soon organise at trip to Viet Nam for Japanese businesses to seek investment opportunities.  VNS
HA NOI  National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue hosted a reception in Hanoi on September 7 for a delegation from the France-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group led by its Chairwoman Catherine Deroche.

Speaking highly of the groups contributions to the ties between the two legislative bodies and the two countries, NA Chairman Hue said the Vietnamese NA has set up the Viet Nam-France Friendship Parliamentarians' Group to strengthen the role and activities of the Vietnamese legislature in the Francophone community.

He proposed the two groups continue working closely together and hold activities to enhance the connectivity and collaboration between French regions and Vietnamese localities, and play a role in monitoring the implementation of agreements and documents signed by the two Governments.

The France-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group should work to strengthen connections between businesses from both countries and encourage French companies to explore long-term business opportunities in Viet Nam, he said.

In his opinion, both sides should increase cooperation in such areas as climate change adaptation, environment protection, just energy transition, and economic connectivity.

Welcoming France's initiative to organise the upcoming ASEAN Market Forum, he said Vietnam is ready to send representatives to the event.

As the Viet Nam NA will host the ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians on September 14, Hue hoped that the French parliament will send a delegation to the event to enhance exchanges and understanding among young parliamentarians and contribute to its discussions.

Deroche, for her part, said the France-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group hopes that both sides will continue exploring new areas of cooperation, including dealing with global challenges such as environment protection and climate change.

Highlighting that France is Viet Nams top trade partner in the European Union, she wished that the two countries would push forward with bilateral economic cooperation.

With many active members, the France-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group in the French Senate is always ready to boost mutual understanding and long-term coordination, she said. VNS
HA NOI  A number of foreign ambassadors have expressed their belief that Viet Nam will succeed in realising its 2045 vision of becoming a high-income country and contributing more to regional and global stability and development.

Indonesian Ambassador Denny Abdi said that Viet Nams enormous achievements in economic development over the past decades would promote its growth momentum towards the realisation of the high-income country target by 2045.

Indonesia also shared a common vision with Viet Nam as it is exerting efforts to reach its goals by the centenary of its Independence Day in 2045, he noted.

With similarities in their visions, the 10-year strategic partnership and their membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the two countries should keep stepping up cooperation and mutual support in the settlement of regional challenges and at international forums, he said.

The ambassador voiced his belief that the close and long-standing relations between Indonesia and Viet Nam, founded by President Ho Chi Minh and former President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno, will remain trustworthy and sustainable when both sides enhance their partnership and pursue common interests to bring about peace, stability, and prosperity to people of the two countries and the region at large.

This year, Viet Nam and Australia celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. Australian Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski said that Viet Nam was a highly important economic partner of his country.

Viet Nam is currently the 15th most populous country in the world and the fastest growing economy in Asia, and all countries are paying special attention to the Southeast Asian nation, he noted.

Meanwhile, economic ties between the two countries are growing rapidly, with Australia turning into the seventh largest trading partner of Viet Nam in recent years.

For his part, Dutch Ambassador Kees van Baar said among European countries, the Netherlands was the second largest trading partner and the biggest investor of Viet Nam, and that there remained much potential for bilateral economic partnerships, including Viet Nams exports to and imports from the EU.

The EU - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) had made Viet Nams investment climate more attractive to foreign enterprises. Not many countries or regions had such an agreement. This was one of the benefits generated by the EVFTA, the diplomat opined.

He affirmed that the Netherlands would always stand side by side with Viet Nam and help the latter establish its brand in export markets and remain a trustworthy partner of the EU in the coming time.  VNS
VIENTIANE  Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang, who is also head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs, had a meeting with Lao Foreign Minister Tinh Souksan in Vientiane on Thursday to discuss the two countries cooperation, including in supporting overseas Vietnamese and Lao people.

The two sides agreed to step up bilateral cooperation mechanisms and effectively implement their countries high-level agreements, especially those in education-training, tourism, culture, people-to-people exchanges, and locality-to-locality ties, thereby helping enhance the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos.

Hang said that with about 6 million people in over 130 countries and territories, the OV communities have been gaining a foothold in their host countries, substantially contributing to local socio-economic, scientific-technological and cultural development, and acting as bridges connecting Viet Nam with other countries.

The Party and State of Viet Nam always pay attention to and view OVs as an integral part of the great national solidarity and a resource for national development, she went on.

She added that the over 100,000 Vietnamese people in Laos form a large OV community. They have been upholding patriotism and the homelands cultural identity, staying united, complying with laws of Laos, and serving as a link between the two peoples, thus contributing to the countries special friendship.

Hang thanked the Lao Party, Government, and people for assisting and creating favourable conditions for OVs to settle down, study, and work here to help with the countrys development and prosperity.

The official proposed the Lao side continue giving conditions to the OV community, assisting with the maintenance of the Vietnamese cultural identity, and supporting the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language at educational establishments of Laos in the areas housing large numbers of OVs.

The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation between the State Committee for OV Affairs and the Liaison Committee for Overseas Lao People, resume mutual visits after the COVID-19 pandemic, and share experience in making policies, mobilising expatriates resources for the homelands and maintaining the countries cultural identities and languages.

Hang also invited the Liaison Committee for Overseas Lao People to pay a working visit to Viet Nam in the coming time.

The same day, she also had a working session with the OV community in Laos.  VNS
A New York court on Wednesday, September 6, ordered the reinstatement with back pay of 10 workers who had been terminated by the city's Department of Education for rejecting the COVID-19 vaccination.

Unconstitutional and Unreasonable?

Anti-vaccine mandate advocates scored a huge win when State Supreme Court Judge Ralph J. Porzio ruled that the city's refusal to provide religious accommodations to certain workers was unconstitutional and unreasonable, as reported by Fox News.

The case, DiCapua v. City of New York, involved school administrators and teachers who sued the city after authorities denied their request for an exemption from the vaccination requirement on religious grounds.

From October 1, 2021, until February 10, 2023, all employees in the New York City Department of Education were required to prove that they had received the necessary vaccinations. To put it simply, the policy resulted in the dismissal of thousands of educators who had refused to implement the mandated changes.

Plaintiffs' attorney Sujata Gibson hailed the decision as a "watershed moment in the teachers' two-year fight for relief," as reported by Children's Health Defense, an organization established by vaccination skeptic and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In addition to helping these ten teachers, Gibson argues that the Court's decision establishes a crucial precedent for other educators who have been refused a religious accommodation.

Porzio's decision to side with the terminated teachers did not apply to petitioners who had not originally requested religious accommodation under the city's vaccination requirement, which a federal court had ruled illegal in 2021.

The court also denied the plaintiff's request for class certification, finding that the proposed class was overbroad.

See Also: Airbnb Blocks New York City Bookings Due to New Short-Term Rental Policies

Significant Legal Precedent

Although the judge's decision fell short of what Gibson and his team had hoped for, it still created a significant legal precedent. Even though the court denied class certification, thousands of educators who have been severely impacted by the vaccination mandate still have a chance of getting some kind of compensation in the future.

Gibson added, "We intend to file a motion of reconsideration on a narrower basis. Rather than waste public resources clogging the courts with so many individual lawsuits, legal action that will remedy these discriminatory policies for all impacted workers only makes sense."

New York educator Michael Kane, who was fired after rejecting the COVID-19 vaccination, described the judgment as "bittersweet." He stated, "While it's an important step in the right direction, justice for only 10 of us doesn't even scratch the surface of the injustice suffered by NYC workers as a result of this illegal mandate."

See Also: NYC Bus Drivers Strike Might Disrupt First Day of School Amid Teachers Shortage, Migrant Students Influx

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HA NOI  National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue held a meeting in Ha Noi on Friday with a delegation from the central province of Nghe An's association of revolutionary soldiers who had been captured and imprisoned by the enemy.

Hailing the province for establishing the association in 2009, Hue wished that its members would continue upholding the revolutionary tradition of steadfastness and determination in their struggle, diligence and creativity in their work while nurturing a sense of comradeship and contributing to national development.

He also praised the association for ensuring legitimate rights and interests of its members, offering mutual support to reduce poverty, unearthing and repatriating 47 sets of remains of martyrs as well.

The Vietnamese Party, State and people always remember, appreciate, and care for those who have made contributions to the revolution, including revolutionary soldiers who were captured or imprisoned by the enemy, he said.

According to the NA Chairman, the upcoming eighth meeting of the Party Central Committee will review the 10-year implementation of Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW dated June 10, 2012 on several social policies during the 2012-20 period, which includes policies for those who paid merit service to the nation.

He asked the provincial authorities to continue offering support to families of ex-revolutionaries and the associations members, thus laying a foundation to pass down the spirit and determination of revolutionary soldiers to future generations.  VNS
HA NOI The draft Law on Citizenship Identity (amended) has proposed stateless people of Vietnamese origin who live in the country should be granted citizenship ID cards to access basic rights.

A report from the Ministry of Public Security showed that there are currently over 31,000 individuals of Vietnamese origin whose nationality has not been determined.

This has posed many challenges in the management of citizens, especially in ensuring security and order.

The law is still being consulted for amendments.

According to drafting agencies, the proposal to change the name of the Law on Citizenship Identity to the Identity Card Law does not affect the sovereignty of the nation, issues related to nationality, or the legal status of citizens. The content of the Identity Card Law already specifies the differentiation in issuing identification cards for Vietnamese citizens and those who do not have full rights of Vietnamese citizens.

Commenting on the draft law, Minister of Public Security To Lam said that the Law on Identity Cards would help ensure that "no one is left behind."

Millions of people do not have any personal identification documents, most of them are vulnerable people. Even in Ha Noi and HCM City, there are hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom are vulnerable, without household registration, birth certificates and other proper documents. It would be very challenging to integrate them into society and provide support and assistance if they are not given ID card, the minister said.

Regarding the issuance of personal ID cards to people of Vietnamese origin residing in Viet Nam but without citizenship, Minister Lam emphasised that they must be recognised by society and have the right to participate in social transactions.

Many National Assembly delegates have agreed with changing the name of the Law on Citizenship Identity to the Identity Card Law and including people of Vietnamese origin in the scope of the law to ensure the realisation of human rights and citizenship rights, especially the protection of rights related to civil and administrative transactions and property protection.

Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh said according to reports from the National Defence and Security Committee, this is a long-standing historical issue with various reasons, including wars and migration. People of Vietnamese origin are an integral part of the nation and need to be recognised by the State and society.

Most of these people are vulnerable and can easily be disadvantaged in society, so they need attention and protection. Therefore, granting ID cards to people of Vietnamese origin is necessary and contributes to maintaining social order and enhancing the effectiveness of State management.

"Without identity card, these people will not be entitled to social welfare benefits, leading to many social problems and burdens," said Nguyen Thi Viet Nga, the NA deputy in northern Hai Duong Province.

There is another opinion suggesting that the law should retain the original name because this name has been stable and has helped maintain the stability of current legal regulations, various types of documents, administrative procedures, and civil procedures. Also, according to this opinion, the provisions regarding the management and issuance of identity cards for people of Vietnamese origin is necessary. However, this group accounts for a very small percentage (around over 31,000 people) and is not the primary target group under the law.

Many delegates also supported changing the name of the citizenship identity card to the identity card.

Changing the name of the card ensures similarity with international practices since many countries now use the term "Identity Card," according to Dr. Chu Manh Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Council of Ha Noi Law University.

It also ensures universality, paving the way for international integration and the recognition of identity documents among countries in the region and around the world. This reduces the need for amendments and supplements to the law when Viet Nam enters into agreements with other countries to use identity cards instead of passports for travel between nations, such as intra-ASEAN travel.

At the 25th session, the National Assembly Standing Committee agreed that it is necessary to issue cards to people of Vietnamese origin who have not yet determined their nationality. Furthermore, there is a need to clarify the conditions and the concept of people of Vietnamese origin.

The National Assembly Standing Committee proposed that the drafting agencies conduct suitable research and present this to the Government.  VNS
TIEN GIANG  More and more rice farmers in Tien Giang Provinces coastal areas are turning to other short-term crops to adapt to climate change and increase farming efficiency.

In the coastal districts of Go Cong ong and Tan Phu ong, they have planted vegetables on more than 13,500ha of what used to be paddies this year.

They have harvested nearly 221,000 tonnes of vegetables, 40,000 tonnes more than in the same period last year.

Their incomes have risen by 2.2-13.3 times to VN47.4-290 million (US$2,000-12,000) per hectare per crop, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Nguyen Van Qui, head of the Go Cong ong District Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and develop agriculture, rice farmers in coastal communes are rotating between rice and other short-term crops or completely switching to the latter.

Tan ien red onions and en o watermelon have become the districts well-known products because of their high quality and resultant demand.

In Tan Phu ong District, authorities are encouraging rice farmers who grow one crop a year in saltwater affected areas to switch to lemon grass, which is ideal for local conditions and fetches high prices.

The provinces largest lemon grass producing district has established a 3,400ha concentrated growing area.

Farmers in the area grow more than 1,400ha of the grass and have harvested 23,000ha so far this year.

The district plans to have 3,700ha under the grass and an output of more than 60,000 tonnes this year.

Bui Thai Son, secretary of the district Party Committee and chairman of its Peoples Committee, said the restructuring of agriculture due to climate change is one of the districts major tasks.

To improve the value of vegetables and other short-term crops, the province has developed co-operatives and co-operative groups and mechanised tilling, spraying of chemicals and irrigation.

These co-operatives and co-operative groups use advanced farming techniques, adopt Vietnamese good agricultural practices, and have contracts with companies and collective kitchens to secure outlets.

Binh Nghi and Tan ong, two safe vegetable co-operatives in Go Cong ong District, have, for instance, contracts to sell their produce to supermarkets, clean vegetable shops and collective kitchens.

Vo Cong Thanh, director of Binh Nghi, said his co-operative sells three to five tonnes of vegetables a day.

It gets an average yield of 25 tonnes per hectare per crop to earn VN100 million ($4,100), many times higher than from rice, he said.

Tan Phu ong District has established one co-operative and co-operative group each to grow lemon grass, and guarantees outlets for their members.  VNS
BINH DUONG  Working at a garment company in Tan Uyen city, Binh Duong Province, for nearly 10 years, Mai Van o, 49, encounters daily exposure to extreme noises in the pressing workshop.

Four years ago, during a routine health check organised by the company, a doctor informed o of signs of occupational deafness. To be more certain, he needed to undergo further examination at the hospital, which worried him as he feared the company would terminate his employment if they found out about his occupational disease, so he kept it a secret.

As time passed, his hearing ability became more limited, so he requested the company send him for a medical examination and to change his job position.

After confirming his occupational injury, the company provided him with an additional VN1 million (US$41.56) per month as support. But recently, o decided to resign from his job due to his deteriorating health.

"It's like there's a constant ringing sound in my ears. I can hear if someone speaks loudly and slowly, but if they speak softly, I can't hear anything. It's frustrating," said o.

"I believe that if I work and contribute both sweat and money to the company, it's worth it. But if I can't make a meaningful contribution, I'd rather resign," o added.

o is just one of many workers suffering from occupational injuries while working in various businesses in Binh Duong. Besides those who have undergone medical examinations and been diagnosed, there are still many workers who are careless about their health, avoiding medical check-ups and fearing that if they are found to have a disease, they might lose their jobs and incur treatment expenses. They reluctantly accept to "live with" occupational injuries to make ends meet, unaware of the potential long-term consequences.

Le Van Tan, a specialist in community health at the Provincial Centre for Disease Control in Binh Duong, warns that occupational injuries are highly dangerous and progress slowly. By the time symptoms appear, it's often in the advanced stages. Workers must take the initiative to protect their health. When they discover they have an occupational injury, they should inform their company to undergo medical examinations and request a transfer to a less hazardous workplace.

"Once someone has an occupational injury, the treatment time is prolonged and costly because it has become a chronic condition," explained Tan. "Occupational injuries can progress to more advanced stages, including cancer, which is extremely dangerous. Although the likelihood of progressing to cancer is low, most occupational injuries do not fully recover. If a worker continues to work in the same environment, the condition can worsen."

Measures needed

According to the regulations of the Labour Code and the Law on Occupational Safety and Health, employers are required to organise annual periodic health check-ups for all employees at least once a year. For employees working in hazardous environments, health check-ups must be conducted every six months.

Currently, Binh Duong has nearly 62,000 businesses with approximately 1.3 million employees. However, it has been observed that only large enterprises comply with these health check-up regulations, while small and medium-sized enterprises are often negligent in organising periodic health examinations and disease screenings for their workers. In the long run, this negligence increases the risk of more cases of occupational injury and disease.

Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran, a member of the National Assembly and Vice Chairwoman of the Binh Duong Province Labour Union, stated that many business owners are currently not paying enough attention to this matter. Therefore, labour unions at the grassroots level must enhance their supervision role.

"In addition to encouraging workers to care about their health, labour unions must also monitor the implementation of the company's policies regarding periodic health check-ups for employees," said Tran. "If a company does not comply or has not complied, they must be required to do so immediately and ensure compliance with the regulations. In addition to periodic health check-ups, female workers should also receive gynaecological examinations."

Nguyen Van Leo, Head of the Labour Management Division at the Provincial Industrial Zones Management Board in Binh Duong, said that every year the board conducts inspections and issues reminders to businesses to improve the working environment and take care of the health of their employees.

Among the businesses under its purview, 96 per cent of a total of 3,054 businesses are conducting health check-ups for their workers, which amounts to around 500,000 employees. For those businesses that are still negligent, they will continue to be reminded.

"The management board has issued reminders to businesses to conduct periodic health check-ups for employees. Companies must also inform workers in departments with hazardous conditions that they will undergo health check-ups twice a year," said Leo.

According to labour experts, due to relatively low penalties, some businesses are not genuinely concerned about the health of their workers and may even try to evade their responsibilities.

In addition to legal penalties, authorities at various levels in Binh Duong need to take strong measures against businesses that disregard the health of their employees. Only through these actions can the health and dedication of the workforce be ensured for the overall development of the province. VNS
BA RIA-VUNG TAU  Two foreign seamen who experienced a labour accident while working at sea were rescued and safely brought ashore, announced the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre Zone 3 on Friday.

The two crew members work for the ship "Bfat Southern," registered under the Marshall Islands nationality.

Previously, at approximately 6 pm on Wednesday, the centre, managed by the Vietnam Maritime Administration (Vinamarine) under the Ministry of Transport (MoT), received a distress signal from the "Bfat Southern" ship.

The ship, bearing registration number V7A4551, was en route from Singapore to China.

When it was approximately 175 nautical miles southeast of Vung Tau, Tribhuwan, a machine officer of Indian nationality, and Gunagi Pratap Prakash, a mechanic also of Indian nationality, suffered a workplace accident resulting in severe burns.

The ship's captain contacted the centre to request the urgent evacuation of the two crew members for medical treatment.

Upon receiving this information, the centre instructed the HCM City Coastal Information Station to establish direct communication with the ship and offer initial medical advice to the distressed crew members.

The centre suggested that the ship redirect its course towards Vung Tau City for further assistance.

Faced with a life-threatening emergency situation requiring prompt treatment, and under the guidance of the National Committee for Disaster Incident Response and Search and Rescue, the MoT, and Vinamarine, the centre dispatched the specialised search and rescue vessel SAR 272 for the rescue operation.

The centre collaborated with the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Command of Disaster Prevention, Control, and Search and Rescue to assign doctors and nurses to accompany the SAR 272 vessel to the scene and provide medical treatment to the two crew members.

SAR 272 approached the "Bfat Southern" ship at around 7 am the following day.

Medical personnel provided initial aid to the injured seamen before transporting them to Vung Tau City.

Doctors reported that the two crew members sustained serious burns. Thanks to the emergency treatment, they are now out of danger and are receiving further medical care at the Vietnam-France Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.  VNS
PHU QUOC  Vietnamese architecture is becoming a highlight in the international scene, said construction minister Nguyen Thanh Nghi as he attended the first national architecture expo in Phu Quoc City on Friday.

Happening in Phu Quoc City of Kien Giang Province from September 8-10, the Architecture Expo 2023 takes on the theme of Architecture - Creating a sustainable space for the community.

In his opening remarks, Minister Nghi said that Vietnamese architecture had developed through the course of history and seen remarkable achievements.

The State and the Party have attached importance and issued multiple guidelines and policies for the growth of the sector in order to retain its identity while also taking into account innovation and international integration.

The National Assembly also passed the Law on Architecture in 2019.

Viet Nam has a network of 889 urban centres with numerous improved infrastructures, which include diverse and complex constructions that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, according to Nghi.

These structures, built with advanced technology and materials, are creating modern-style urban areas with quality living and working environments.

The architecture in many rural areas also meets the requirements of being bright - green - clean - beautiful.

The goal for the future is to develop green, sustainable and environment-friendly architecture in response to climate change; as well as to build smart cities for better living standards.

Vietnamese architects have also made significant achievements with multiple national and international awards for their work, the most recent being two accolades from the International Union of Architects (UIA).

Construction minister Nghi added that Viet Nams architecture sector would continue facing major challenges in the new development era of the country, which focuses on sustainable development and global integration.

Therefore, the preservation, heritage and promotion of traditional architectural values alongside innovation must be conducted with careful and specific research, he said.

This would be done through selective learning, science-technology application, utilising new materials, environment protection and efficient use of energy and resources, Nghi added.

Kien Giang Provincial Party Secretary o Thanh Binh also gave high regard and expected great results from the architecture expo.

He believed that the event would be an opportunity for exchanging experiences and solutions in urban planning and management.

The occasion would also help set the direction for urban and rural architecture development, especially in ecotourism and leisure activities at Phu Quoc Island.

The Architecture Expo 2023 includes one plenary session and discussion; two seminars, an architecture exhibition, and a field visit to notable projects in green architecture with efficient use of energy and environment-friendly materials in Kien Giang Province.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Construction, the Viet Nam Association of Architects and Kien Giang Provincial Peoples Committee, the expo is part of a series of events celebrating the 65th anniversary of Viet Nams construction industry.  VNS
HA NOI  The State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA) on Friday held a meeting to review activities marking the Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language in 2023.

In August 2022, the Prime Minister approved a project on a Vietnamese language day, in which September 8 was chosen to be the day to honour the Vietnamese language in the overseas Vietnamese community.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairwoman of SCOVA Le Thi Thu Hang said that as the project implementation started this year, the Foreign Ministry had been mobilising resources and coordinating with agencies to implement practical activities to promote the learning and teaching of Vietnamese in the overseas Vietnamese community.

Annual activities continued to be conducted such as the 9th training course for 60 Vietnamese language teachers from 16 countries and territories, and a summer camp for 120 overseas Vietnamese youths from 26 countries and territories.

The SCOVA also coordinated with relevant agencies to hold various forums and workshops on renewing the teaching and learning of Vietnamese abroad.

Hang said that SCOVA and Vietnamese agencies in foreign countries and territories had worked to push for the addition of the Vietnamese language to the curriculum in educational institutions in countries with large Vietnamese communities.

TV programmes and websites had been launched to facilitate the Vietnamese language learning of overseas Vietnamese such as Chao Tieng Viet (Hello Vietnamese) and Dau an Tieng Viet (Vietnamese language's impressions).

Overseas Vietnamese communities worldwide had warmly responded to the project through such activities as the establishment of libraries of Vietnamese books in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Japan, contests to seek ambassadors of the Vietnamese language, artistic performances, and workshops on the Vietnamese language.

Deputy Minister Hang affirmed that such activities helped spread the Vietnamese language and culture, which is the foundation to promote national unity, and demonstrated the care and responsibility of the Party, State, and people to overseas Vietnamese.

She announced that the Prime Minister had approved a plan on activities to mark the Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language in 2024.

Participants in the meeting discussed difficulties in the work so far and suggested solutions to implement the plan effectively.

There are nearly 6 million overseas Vietnamese living in over 130 countries and territories across the world.  VNS
Binh Duong Administrative Centre Building. The province has implemented the Binh Duong Smart City project since 2016 which always sticks to the concept of economic transformation towards innovation and digitisation. (Photo: VNA)

Binh Duong  Binh Duong is on the right track towards its goal of smart and sustainable development when focusing on innovation, shifting to modern industries with high added value, and investing in infrastructure, social housing and education, said a supervision delegation from the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

The delegation, led by John Jung, co-founder of ICF, made the assessment on September 7 at a working session with leaders of Binh Duong during their trip to the southern province to inspect the realisation of goals and proposed orientation in the coming time.

Jung said that putting people as the centre of development and prioritising serving people and the community in building Binh Duong Smart City is the right direction, adding that the ICF delegation is impressed with investment in constructing social housing in the locality. He hoped that more similar projects will be developed so that workers can live and work stably in the province.

The ICF co-founder suggested that the province should pay more attention to the transport system towards a smart urban model, create space for people's public activities and increase green space to make Binh Duong a place worth living, a place to attract and retain talent.

He also underlined the need to focus on environmental protection and using resources in a sustainable way, including managing water, energy, and waste efficiently. The ultimate goal is to promote community participation in decision-making and smart urban development, ensuring that the interests of all residents are taken into account, Jung continued.

For his part, Mai Hung Dung, vice chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee said its an honour for the province to participate in IFC, adding that this is also an opportunity for Binh Duong to promote its image to 200 localities of many countries around the world that are IFC members.

The provinces leader said that Binh Duong will send a delegation to take part in the TOP 1 Intelligent Communities (Top 7) evaluation event scheduled to take place in New York in October.

Earlier in August, the ICF named Binh Duong among the top 7 Intelligent Communities (Top 7) for the third time in a row.

The title is expected to strengthen investors and businesses confidence in the locality, helping lure more foreign direct investment and high quality human resources, paving the way for its high technology service and industry development in the future.

Binh Duong has implemented the Binh Duong Smart City project since 2016 which always sticks to the concept of economic transformation towards innovation and digitisation.

The ICF is a global network that connects hundreds of cities and regions on the five continents for collaboration on economic development and for the exchange of expertise and information that drives progress. Through this network, it researches how Intelligent Communities use information and communications technology to build inclusive prosperity, solve social problems and enrich their quality of life.

Binh Duong leather factory to generate $1 million in monthly revenue The inauguration of Argentine leather factory "Serendipity Bros" took place on May 31 in Binh Duong province. The factory boasts a production capacity of 600,000 square feet, which translates to a monthly revenue generation of US$1 million.

US firm eyes free trade zone project in Binh Duong province US firm CT Strategies is considering the possibility of developing a free trade zone in the southern province of Binh Duong, Andrew Farrelly, the firms CEO, said at a working session with the provincial administration on July 3.
Permit issues differ depending on the type of work, experience, and even the locality, Photo: Le Toan

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has asked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to promptly review and simplify procedures for granting work permits to non-nationals, in order to create conditions for businesses to grow.

Amending legal regulations requires thorough review, in-depth research, comprehensive evaluation and caution, and especially obtaining feedback from stakeholders, notably diplomatic representation agencies, international organisations, and more, said DPM Ha at a meeting on August 23 on the issue.

He asked to focus on resolving problems in granting work permits online and taking measures to ensure transparency and convenience for applicants, while adopting government policy on attracting, managing, and using foreign workers in Vietnam effectively.

The draft decree, submitted to the prime minister before August 25, offers several simple regulations for specific groups of foreigners in the country. It proposes that an expert only needs relevant experience and a university degree to be granted a work permit, and is not required a university degree related to their role in Vietnam.

For technical workers, they only need to have appropriate experience and be trained for at least one year to be granted a work permit in the country.

The draft also said that experts and technical workers can use their already-issued work permits to demonstrate experience.

The ideas, if confirmed, would ease pressure on many businesses and organisations that complained in recent years of procedures that were too strict and too confusing.

Representatives of chambers of commerce in Vietnam, including the US, European, and South Korean chambers, have consistently raised concerns at forums over the issue since Decree No.152/2020/ND-CP took effect, regarding foreign employees working in Vietnam. As per the decree, which was enacted in early 2021, permits are now typically issued for two years instead of three; a brand new work permit would have to be applied for if a foreign worker was transferred or promoted in the same company; and most workers would have to provide written and certified evidence of 3-5 years experience outside the country in exactly the same job role they seek to take up in Vietnam.

This led to many workers who gained the bulk of their experience in Vietnam to have no way of completing the procedures.

The chamber representatives were united in agreeing that it is unreasonable for foreigners who have lived, worked, and invested in Vietnam for years to be denied a new work permit or extension because of a small administrative issue.

The length of time to complete the process has also been an issue. Hong Sun, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam, told the Vietnam Business Forum in March that many South Korean businesses find that it usually takes 2-3 months to acquire work permits for their foreign staff, or even up to six months.

Decree 152 requires foreign workers or their representatives to apply for a work permit at least 15 days before they expect to start working.

The European Chamber of Commerce also complained that the online portal to apply for work permits is not reliable, and documents uploaded tend to go missing. Processing documents takes too long because of stringent requirements from officers, which entail making many adjustments to applications.

To make foreign investors feel secure, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said that the government is also working on simplifying the labour code, and that foreign experts and managers will be among the top priorities in drawing up new regulations governing work permit issuance.
Sumitomo to co-operate with PV Gas in LNG

The two parties have plans to establish cooperation mechanisms in developing the under-discussed liquefied natural gas (LNG) gas-to-power project chain. Initially, the priority will be given to exploring how the two can utilise their capabilities and meet the needs of parties involved when settling on a cooperative relationship.

Fujioka Hiroyuki, general manager of Power Infrastructure Business Department No.3 of Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), provided an overview of their energy business, with a particular focus on the LNG sector, and discussed the collaboration opportunity with PV GAS.

He said that Sumitomo was confident and desired to invest and develop an LNG-to-power project chain in Khanh Hoa's Van Phong area, together with PV GAS, as well as promote the LNG business in Vietnam.

Established in 1919, Sumitomo Corporation has held its place in the Fortune Global 500 for the past 28 years. With a valuation of $26.6 billion, the group commands an impressive portfolio of 883 subsidiaries and affiliate companies, employing over 75,000 personnel worldwide. The corporation currently oversees nine industrial park (IPs) in six countries.

Sumitomo has been in Vietnam since 1997 with the establishment of Thang Long IP . The corporation has since invested in the development of Thang Long II in Hung Yen province and Thang Long Vinh Phuc in Vinh Phuc province. These parks cover a combined area exceeding 1,000 hectares, with a total investment of around $404 million.

Besides this, the corporation is the investor of the 1.32GW Van Phong 1 coal-fired power plant, which began commercial operations in mid-June.

The $2.58 billion project is being developed in Khanh Hoa on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The power generated by the plant will be transferred to the national grid across 500kV transmission lines from the on-site Van Phong switchyard, which is already available for use. The plants electricity output will be sold to state-owned utility Vietnam Electricity.

Sumitomo Corporation expands investment in Thang Long II Industrial Park Sumitomo Corporation is strengthening its commitment to Thang Long II Industrial Park (IP) in the northern province Hung Yen, with six Japanese companies investing $500 million in the park's third phase expansion.

Sumitomo explores investment in Thanh Hoa province Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate, visited Thanh Hoa province on June 28 to sign an MoU with the centrl province's people's committee. The agreement focuses on researching and investing in the construction and operation of industrial infrastructure in the western area of Thanh Hoa city, including a logistics centre and urban development surrounding the industrial zone.

Hanoi to develop smart city in green, harmonious direction The Hanoi Peoples Committee has approved the adjustments of the detailed planning for the construction of a smart city in the area along the Nhat Tan  Noi Bai road with about 140.23 hectares in the citys outskirts district of Dong Anh.
In the Bible, it was said that Jesus healed a blind man at a pool in Jerusalem called the Pool of Siloam. After almost 2,000 years, archaeologists announced they had discovered the steps to the pool.

A Fox News Digital report detailed that the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority, and the City of David Foundation announced earlier this year that the biblical site cherished by Christians and Jews would be open to the public for the first time in 2,000 years in the near future.

In recent weeks, archaeologists made unprecedented progress in the excavation after they unearthed some eight steps descending to the pool, which was last recorded during the time of Jesus himself.

City of David Foundation director of international affairs Ze'ev Orenstein said the excavations within the City of David, the historic site of biblical Jerusalem, served as "one of the greatest affirmations" of the shared heritage and the millennia-old bond Jews and Christians have with the holy city, both as a matter of faith and as a matter of fact.

"The half-mile running through the City of David, from the Pool of Siloam in the south, continuing along the Pilgrimage Road, up to the footsteps of the Western Wall, Southern Steps, and Temple Mount, represents the most significant half-mile on the planet," he added.

The organization was established in 1986 and was dedicated to the "preservation and development of the City of David and its environs," as well as to "connect people of all faiths and backgrounds" to ancient Jerusalem.

The pool was first discovered in 2004 when infrastructure work carried out by the Hagihon water company uncovered some of the pool's steps, which the Israel Antiquities Authority promptly launched a survey of the discovery.

Read Also: Human Almost Went Extinct, New Chinese Study Claims

Plunging in to Preserve the Pool

The Pool of Siloam was first built roughly 2,700 years ago as part of Jerusalem's water collection system. The construction was initiated by King Hezekiah as cited in the Bible's Old Testament, the two Israeli agencies and the foundation said.

In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus restored the sight of a man born blind at the Pool of Siloam.

According to estimates, the Pool of Siloam passed through many stages of construction and reached the size of 1.25 acres (0.51 hectares).

A small section of the pool which has been fully excavated has been accessible to the public for several years. Moreover, the vast majority of the pool is being excavated and would either be opened by segments or once the entire site has been unearthed.

Orenstein stressed that the pool needed to be preserved not only as a pilgrimage site within Jerusalem but also as a historical monument in its own right.

"Whether in the halls of the United Nations, ongoing efforts by the Palestinian leadership, or on university campuses, Jerusalem's Biblical heritage is under assault," he said.

In reaction to the discovery, the Congress of Christian Leaders president Rev. Johnnie Moore told Fox News Digital earlier this year that the Pool of Siloam was found as evidence of history preserved for mankind that was "revealed at just the right time."

"Theologically, it affirms Scripture, geographically it affirms Scripture, and politically it affirms Israel's unquestionable and unrivaled link to Jerusalem," he added. "Some discoveries are theoretical. This one is undeniable. It is proof of the story of the Bible and of its people, Israel."

Related Article: Archaeologists Discover 4 Perfectly-Preserved Roman Swords in Cave Near Dead Sea

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Remaining water drops to only 1% of the total capacity of Nong Raeng Thao water retention area in Phimai district of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, August 2023. (Source: bangkokpost.com)

Bangkok  Thailands government is stepping up efforts to address concerns about decreased rainfall and drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon that is affecting the country's agricultural sector.

Speaking after a special cabinet meeting on September 7, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the government has attached great importance to the agricultural sector and peoples well-being, especially issues related to market expansion, increasing farmers income, boosting farming efficiency, reducing production costs, promoting exports and ensuring sufficient food supplies for domestic consumption.

He said the impact of El Nino must particularly be taken into account when implementing measures to help the farming sector while instructing the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister to gather information on the phenomenon, including the impacts.

The impacts of El Nino will be discussed during the next cabinet meeting on September 13, he said, adding that measures will then be rolled out to address concerns.

Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chair of the Federation of Thai Industries, said the private sector is concerned about the impact of the drought situation, which is predicted to worsen this year. As of July this year, accumulated rainfall was unusually low in every region, with the amount of rainfall in the Central Plains Region, in particular, falling by 40% when compared with the amount of rain the region usually receives during the rainy season.

Visit Limlurcha, vice chair of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and president of the Thai Future Food Trade Association, echoed this view, saying El Nino will inflict damage on the agricultural sector.

According to Visit, crops that are likely to be the worst hit by El Nino include rice, cassava, rubber plants, maize for animal feed, oil palms and fruit. Severe El Nino impacts could seriously affect sugar production in Thailand and India, as well as the harvesting of sugarcane in Brazil. Visit warned it could all lead to a sharp increase in global sugar prices.

Thailand to liberalise oil imports The Thai Ministry of Energy will liberalise oil imports by allowing private companies to import finished oil products, to provide more options to consumers in the wake of high energy prices, Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was cited by local media as saying.
Tourists are in Phuket, Thailand. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Bangkok  Thailands Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said on September 7 that his ministry plans to acquire some flight slots from the air force to serve growing demand from airlines to boost tourism.

Suriya said he learned from Airports of Thailand that the air force had many unused flight slots at the countrys airports. He subsequently asked Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang to look into allocating some of the unused slots to commercial flights.

A share of the slots should increase the number of commercial flights by 100-150 per day, Suriya said.

Slot allocation must be arranged to serve the demand of travellers and airlines as much as possible, and for the time being airlines need more slots, the minister said.

Tourism is the top priority as the high season is approaching, he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) is responsible for slot allocation based on its assessment of airports handling capacities.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) last month expressed concern about a possible shortage of flight slots in the coming high season.

The TAT has estimated that the number of flights to the country will reach 85% of 2019 pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, with a growing number of airlines applying for new slots available at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok and Phuket International Airport.

Thailand lending duo on the march with fortifying presence Vietnams dynamic financial landscape is proving to be a favoured destination for some Thai lenders.
This finding was announced on August 31 by Backbase, a global pioneer in Engagement Banking, in their APAC-focused brief "Accelerating Customer-Centric Transformation by Balancing Build and Buy - A Collaborative Approach Towards Sustainable Digital Banking Architecture."

Vietnam banks support 'adopt and build' approach to digital transformation, illustration photo. Source: freepik.com

This report draws insights from 125 banks and 316 CIOs in Asia-Pacific, offering a regional perspective on digital transformation.

Case studies from the report reveal that a tier 1 bank in Vietnam opted to build its platform at a significant cost over two years, while another similar bank did the same thing by leveraging the adopt and build strategy.

The analysis finds the Adopt and Build approach a pragmatic solution for banks to accelerate their go-to-market efforts, differentiating where it matters instead of reinventing the wheel by building from scratch. By adopting a collaborative platform and building upon it, banks can achieve 40 per cent faster time-to-market, where digital engagement banking platforms can be launched within 11 months, as compared to the traditional 20 months with a full "build" approach. In addition, the Adopt and Build" has proven to be 2.3 times more cost-effective than the traditional in-house "build" option.

Vietnam currently boasts the second-highest banking app penetration globally. With approximately 30 million digital banking users in the country and 90 per cent of banking transactions managed via digital channels, it is very compelling for banks to not only innovate digital banking around the customer, but to also be able to innovate at pace and at scale, said Riddhi Dutta, regional vice president, Asia of Backbase.

Riddhi Dutta, regional vice president, Asia of Backbase

Techcombank adopted our Engagement Banking Platform in 2020 and gave themselves a first mover advantage to build differentiated digital journeys for their customers. We see banks starting becoming more and more strategic in the way they approach technology; this year ABBANK and OCB both adopted our platform to give them acceleration in omnichannel banking, he said.

Despite having embarked on digital transformation since the 2000s, many banks in Asia-Pacific, including Vietnam, remain at an early stage, failing to fully capitalise on its benefits and deliver compelling digital customer engagements.

The report pointed out the top three challenges organisations in Vietnam facing in their digital transformation. They are cost (57 per cent), infrastructure (39 per cent), and data security (34 per cent).

Ashish Kakar, research director, Financial Insights, IDC Asia/Pacific said, Building in-house has been a de-facto strategy by banks, but its no longer feasible to deliver at the pace and scale required to be competitive."

"The complexities that come with the extensive amount of data layers, channels, features, upstream and downstream integration that needs to support legacy and modern systems to manage and orchestrate sophisticatedly is where in-house implementation breaks apart, he added.

Ashish Kakar, research director, Financial Insights, IDC Asia/Pacific

According to Dutta, over 150 modern and forward-looking banks have adopted and built on top of Backbases Engagement Banking Platform to focus on upstream journeys and to design banking around their customers. A true platform comes with all the hygiene requirements from market fit, to security and regulatory compliance, to being versatile and customisable, supporting each banks unique customer needs.

According to the report, the adopt and build trend has gained substantial acceptance. Techcombank is a prime example of this strategy. The bank has achieved control and freedom to create differentiated digital banking customer journeys, engagement and experience with an App Store rating of 4.8 and a Google Play rating of 4.7. In 2023, two more banks in Vietnam ABBANK and OCB announced their investment in the engagement banking platform.

With the acceleration of digital transformation in Vietnams banking sector, more opportunities are coming for service providers.

Dutta said, We understand the potential of Vietnam, and we are making the right investments in ensuring that Vietnam becomes a strong hub for Backbase both in terms of the customers, as well as our internal people, deployed on the ground.

We have five existing customers, but we also realise that there are many more banks and the pace of digital transformation is very fast in Vietnam. So to that effect, Vietnam is the only country in Asia outside Singapore and outside India, where we have invested in local teams to manage, handle and implement customers, he added.

Tyme Group sets sights on Vietnam for digital lending services Tyme Group, backed by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe, plans to enter the Vietnamese market by 2024 having secured $78 million in pre-series C funding. The digital lending entity aims to tap into Vietnam's underserved market and leverage its advanced technological capabilities to provide digital banking services.

Data protection heads digital banking efforts Vietnamese authorities have been busy at work dismantling an illicit information network involving bank employees, as local lenders prioritise data protection and digital infrastructure for customer privacy and growth.
At RoK-funded Youngbag Vietnam company in the Binh Xuyen Industrial Park, Vinh Phuc province. (Photo: VNA)

Seoul - Vietnam is emerging as a key destination in the future business strategy of enterprises from the Republic of Korea (RoK), a survey has shown.

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) conducted a survey on foreign business demand for 906 conglomerates and companies from August 10 to 30. The results indicated that, aside from the US ranking at the top, the focus of business operations for Korean companies abroad has shifted from China and Japan to emerging markets such as Vietnam and India.

Regarding the choice of countries as important future business destinations, the US was the top with 22.9 per cent, followed by Vietnam with 8.7 per cent, India 7.3 per cent, China 7.0 per cent, Japan 5.2 per cent, Germany 4.1 per cent, Indonesia 3.8 per cent, and Saudi Arabia 3.1 per cent.

The survey also showed that companies with significant export capabilities consider India as their future business destination, while medium-sized export performers choose Vietnam and China.

For those with export capabilities exceeding 10 million USD, the US tops their priority for future business destinations with 27.3 per cent, India 8.4 per cent, Vietnam 8.2 per cent, Japan 5.1 per cent, and China 4.5 per cent.

For those with export capabilities below 10 million USD, the order was the US 20.5 per cent, Vietnam 9.6 per cent, China 9.1 per cent, and India 7.1 per cent.

Vietnam, RoK exchange 17 cooperation documents President Vo Van Thuong and his visiting counterpart from the Republic of Korea (RoK) Yoon Suk Yeol witnessed the exchange of 17 cooperation documents across fields between agencies of the two countries after their talks in Hanoi on June 23.

Vietnamese, RoK leaders attend Vietnam-RoK business forum Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Yoon Suk Yeol attended the Vietnam-RoK Business Forum in Hanoi on June 23, with over 500 delegates representing associations, corporations and businesses of the two countries taking part.
A floating solar farm in Binh Thuan province. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Vietnam is soon to introduce a new set of national criteria aimed specifically at speeding the development of green industries in line with international standards, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

The new criteria would serve as a foundation for governmental ministries, agencies, local authorities and industry to filter and select investment projects, as well as to allocate resources, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc.

Investors should refer to the criteria as a guideline for governmental preferential policies and available financial resources.

Ngoc said developing green industries remained a top priority for the Vietnamese government as part of the country's commitment to global efforts to fight climate change. Following the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the National Green Growth Strategy for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050 has been approved by the Prime Minister.

She said the strategy was to play a vital role in the Southeast Asian country's objective of net-zero emission by 2050, and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), self-defined national climate pledges under the Paris Agreement.

Major stakeholders such as governmental ministries and agencies, local authorities and industrial sectors would be required to do their parts in the promotion of the country's shift to sustainable and clean energy, the development of energy-efficient industrial zones and electric vehicles.

The ministry stressed the importance of foreign investors and stronger cooperation and exchange of ideas, technologies and financial resources.

Ngoc said greener industrial development was a global movement that should be embraced by all, especially developing nations despite current challenges and limitations.

The MPI advised the government to quickly establish a business environment that is conducive to sustainable and green development with policies and tools designed to encourage and mobilise financial resources from all stakeholders, including the private sector.

In addition, growth could only be achieved and sustained by focusing on creating breakthroughs in efficient energy management, limiting the production and consumption of fossil-fuel-based transportation, building green infrastructure, carbon-neutral structures, construction materials, and waste management.

In order to speed up the process, the ministry strongly recommended a solid legal framework to be put in place in the near future, as well as strong incentive programmes to attract investments.

Meanwhile, the country's economy must also start viewing its green development as part of the international community and therefore, Vietnam's legal mechanisms and policies must be in line with that view.

Ngoc said MPI had been instructed by the central government to start making a plan to introduce stronger incentives to encourage international organisations and partners to take a more proactive part in the development of green industries in Vietnam.

In recent decades, Vietnam has been at the forefront of green development among the world's developing nations as the country pushed for greater investment in renewable energy, environmental protection, circular economy, sustainable agriculture and green infrastructure while signing up for numerous international agreements on reducing carbon footprint and climate change.

In the recently approved Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8), the country aimed to draw a minimum of 30.9 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, increasing to 67.5 per cent by 2050.
Provinces like Nghe An are home to several major electronic equipment manufacturers, photo Le Toan

According to Bac Giang Department of Planning and Investment, in the first eight months of this year, the northern province lured $1.62 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), overcoming the figure of $1.3 billion expected for the whole year. The province licensed 59 newly registered projects worth $1.26 billion, a 4.7-fold increase compared to the same period in 2022.

The momentum for this soaring increase is the large-scale projects invested by Foxconn. These projects combine the $270-million Fukang technology factory by Foxconn Singapore and the $621-million Fulian precision technology factory invested in by Ingrasys Singapore Pte.

The Management Board of Dong Nam Nghe An Economic Zone released information that Nghe An province in the central region is preparing to license two foreign-invested projects with the total registered capital of $153 million, which will contribute to taking the province to the $1 billion mark for the year, doubling the initial target. Between January and August, the province was reported to hit $890 million in FDI.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in the first eight months, Hanoi ranked first in attracting FDI with a total registered capital volume of $2.34 billion, accounting for 12.9 per cent of the capital inflow in the country, up nearly threefold on year.

The runners-up were Haiphong with $2.08 billion, up 72 per cent on-year, followed by Ho Chi Minh City, and Bac Giang and Binh Duong provinces.

Such growth contributed to investment capital inflows to the country increasing again. Vietnam pulled in close to $18.15 billion in FDI from the beginning of this year to August 20, up 8.2 per cent.

In this period, there were just over 1,920 newly registered projects with a combined capital of $8.87 billion, up 69.5 per cent and 38.6 per cent compared to the same period last year, respectively.

Improvement in administrative procedures was the key to growth for many of these localities.

Mai Son, Deputy Chairman of Bac Giang Peoples Committee said, When foreign investors have the intention to come here, the province immediately establishes task forces to take care of them. These groups, which are led by leaders of various departments and relevant authorities, will be responsible for supporting them to complete administrative procedures and resolve difficulties on time.

Meanwhile, in early August, Chairman of Nghe An Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Trung signed a document to strengthen responsibilities and improve the efficiency of administrative procedures in the province.

Trung assigned local management agencies to simplify at least 20 per cent of internal administrative procedures and cut down at least 20 per cent of compliance costs for internal procedures before October.

Improving custom procedures is also receiving the attention of the province to reinforce foreign investors trust because Nghe An is currently home to a growing number of large investors in electronic equipment production and exports, such as Goertek with $500 million, Ju Teng with $200 million, and Everwin with $200 million.

Director of Nghe An Customs Department Chu Quang Hai said, Motivated by the plan of digital transformation of the customs sector by 2025, Nghe Ans customs will provide solutions and change operational processes by applying IT software for maximum efficiency. The department would also improve the efficiency and quality of customs control as well as support businesses, reduce costs and time, boosting business and export production.

Tran Van Mi - Deputy Chairman Binh Phuoc Peoples Committee So far this year, Binh Phuoc has become one of Vietnams top 10 foreign-invested recipients for the first time, marking a more than 12-fold increase on-year and representing 200 per cent of the annual target. These achievements come for many reasons. The province directed the implementation of the two quick actions, three good actions motto, which were quick site clearance and quick investment procedures, alongside good policy, good infrastructure, and good sentiment. We organise four business trips per year to call investors. Before organising the investment promotion programmes, we study carefully the potential investor profiles and their demands. After the trips, we regularly keep in contact with them to continue to introduce the investment environment advantages and incentive policies, and welcome them to arrive in the province to do field studies. This interaction between the two parties is important to help investors make a final decision. However, the province has yet to unlock the potential to draw in foreign investment capital due to bottlenecks in regional links and transport infrastructure. Thus, the province, together with the surrounding localities, is trying to develop two expressways: the $1.09 billion Gia Nghia-Chon Thanh section of the western part of the North-South Expressway, and the highway connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Binh Phuoc. We expect to double the coming capital once the regional links are smooth. Kurihara Kiyokazu - General director Sumidenso Vietnam Co., Ltd. Sumidenso Vietnam was established in 2004 in Hai Duong and continuously expanded production scale to the fourth facility in the province. The factor making the company have a strong attachment with this locality for the past 20 years is the potential and the convenient investment environment. During our operation, local government leaders have always created good conditions for enterprises to invest here. Annually, business dialogues are organised to share and to tackle difficulties for enterprises. For example, for quick investment procedures, a one-stop system is applied to generate requests from multiple agencies, to help us solve issues smoothly and promptly create advantages for enterprises. In addition, specialised management agencies such as the Department of Labour, the management board of industrial zone, and others always follow up with enterprises, as well as guide on and remove obstacles. Marko Walde - Chief representative for Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos Delegation of German Industry and Commerce The investment situation from Germany to Vietnam in the first eight months of 2023 has demonstrated positive momentum and increasing confidence among German businesses. Despite the challenges and risks, the Vietnamese market remains attractive, and German companies are keen on expanding their presence and operations in the country. German businesses are expressing high expectations for the prospects of business development and strong commitment when investing in Vietnam. In July, Ziehl-Abegg, a German company specialised in electric motors, air conditioning equipment, and fans, announced its plan to launch a factory for products related to air ducts in Vietnam with an capital about $20 million. This marks a significant step towards expanding its global presence and committing to sustainable development by using natural resources responsibly. In the financial and banking sector, Deutsche Bank revealed its plan to invest an additional $100 million into its branch in Ho Chi Minh City in May. Furthermore, STADA Vietnam, a leading manufacturer of high-quality pharmaceuticals, also established its new office in Ho Chi Minh City in August. This milestone underscores STADA Vietnams dedication to enhancing healthcare in Vietnam and its substantial long-term investment in the region. The company also aims to export top-notch Vietnamese-made products, certified with prestigious EU-GMP standards, to the global market, thus contributing to the growth of the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry. This is also a living proof to the expectations of German investors in the development of Vietnamese market as well as their commitment to creating a green and sustainable economic environment. Nguyen Thi Hong Chuyen - Deputy general director Capella Land JSC We currently have industrial zones in Bac Giang, Ha Nam, and Bac Ninh provinces, and are completing the procedures for others in Quang Nam and Quang Binh provinces. We see that transport infrastructure development and local authorities support are two key factors for investors to make their investment decisions. For example, in Quang Binh, we are impressed with the progress of this locality. We have received support since we started to study the project, including from the leaders of provinces, districts, communes, and the management board of the economic zone. All information about the planning of industrial areas is public and transparent, which is useful for us in evaluating investment efficiency. One of the complicated aspects of the work is procedures to change the use of forest land to industrial land, which is approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. At this stage, we still receive support and close collaboration from the local authorities. Every year, we are invited to participate in meetings between provincial leaders, investors and businesses to discuss difficulties and proposals to accelerate projects. Thanks to the support, Cam Lien zone is seeking approval on investment planning and changing the forest land use purpose. These are the final procedures for us before starting construction. Under the plan, the construction will be deployed within five years, and we will implement investment promotion at the same time. In addition, the company will also develop an urban-service area for Cam Lien Economic Zone worth $70 million to create synchronised infrastructure for the zone.

Tide of shrinking foreign investment on the turn Vietnams foreign investment capital attraction has been showing signs of recovery in the in first five months of this year after consecutive decreases, thanks to the issuance of the first casino licence in the past 10 years to Laguna Lang Co Integrated Resort.

Long-term outlook stable for foreign investment capital The consecutive on-year reduction of newly registered capital since early this year may dampen the foreign-invested capital landscape for the whole 2022 compared to initial expectations, but a rise in disbursement is showing investors growing confidence in the economy for the long term.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify Murphy's comments regarding the safety of the vaccine.

Local public reporting of COVID-19 cases has fallen off the map, along with free vaccinations and promotion of new vaccines, even as Waco-McLennan County Public Health District officials note an uptick in the disease.

COVID-19 vaccines are set to cost $20 from the health district, which has provided them for free since the pandemic was federally declared an emergency.

Meanwhile, new state legislation barring the promotion of new COVID-19 vaccines may further prohibit vaccination in Texas.

Rider 40 in the Texas state budget, in effect as of Sept. 1, further limits the health districts ability to reach unvaccinated individuals by prohibiting state funding from being used to advertise or promote future COVID-19 vaccinations.

District Director LaShonda Malrey-Horne said in an email that the vaccine can be listed alongside others recommended in educational materials.

The health district will comply and continue to encourage community members to get seasonal vaccines, she said.

Our clinic staff will continue to inform patients and health district clients that the COVID-19 vaccine is available.

In the same week that the prohibition has taken effect, senior epidemiologist Vaidehi Shah said McLennan County is currently tracking one outbreak, as more cases in a specific location have come in than whats expected.

The county is following the same pattern that has been seen since 2020, with an uptick of cases and a mini-wave of illness following the start of the school year, she said.

Health district officials said the county is seeing about 48 COVID-19 cases per day, up from less than 10 in July. Reported daily cases have climbed steadily since the beginning of August but has hit a plateau in the past week, officials said.

One COVID-19 death was reported in July, 2 in August, and none in September.

Shah said the current mini-waves strain is primarily a subvariant of the omicron variant, which has mutated many times. It shares the same transmission patterns as the omicron variant seen first toward the end of 2021 and doesnt have any notable new characteristics yet, but Shah said she worries about the severity of the disease it causes.

We have vaccines, we have our defense mechanisms, she said. It is a manageable disease but we are worried about the severity of disease and overwhelming our hospitals.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reports in its current Surveillance Activity Report released Tuesday that cases reported increased by 11% during the week from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2. According to the weekly reports, new COVID-19 cases began climbing in late July, and the state is up by 3,001 new cases from last week.

After the federal public health emergency declaration expired in May, the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District removed its local dashboard and stopped posting regular reports.

Shah said COVID-19 is still a notifiable condition and the district keeps an internal database, but it does not receive hospitalization reports from hospitals, though they are in constant communication on outbreaks.

If anyone is interested in local COVID-19 data they will have to ask the health district for it individually. Even though the health district does receive reports on positive tests, at-home tests are not reported, so actual cases could be two to three times the reported number, she said.

The disease is an endemic that will never reach a zero point, she said.

With just three years of data its hard to say if theres a seasonal trend or wave pattern to COVID-19 infections, Shah said. However, nursing program supervisor Cindy Murphy said in the clinic shes adding COVID-19 to her list of seasonal illnesses and vaccinations with a cycle similar to the flu.

As people begin to stay closer together inside, out of the sunlight and fresh air, Murphy said she anticipates an increased COVID-19 burden from August to February. She said she expects there will be an annual vaccine formulation based on the dominant strain like there is with the flu as well, with the newest booster expected to be available later this month.

The end of the federal emergency declaration also signaled the end of federal funding for COVID-19 vaccines, which the health district was able to provide for free. Murphy said when the health district runs out of the federally funded supply the vaccine will cost individuals $20 at most if their insurance wont cover it.

The vaccines have never been free, she said. Theyve just been paid for by federal dollars from the public health emergency.

Murphy said the state is working on covering unfunded individuals, but shes not completely sure how that will happen yet. The local health district works to keep the price as minimal as possible to serve as much of the community as possible, but the vaccines can no longer be free, she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions COVID data tracker, 61% of McLennan County residents have gotten at least one dose, while only 8.3% have an updated bivalent booster. Murphy said the data posted to the site could be six months to a year behind.

The price may not necessarily put people off, but those who were not interested in getting the vaccine wont be incentivized to do so now, she said.

I feel like weve been doing this for a number of years now and I feel like for anyone who isnt of the mindset to have gotten it up until now, charging for it isnt going to prompt them one way or the other, she said.

Shah said there have been several studies to support the concept of long COVID, marked by symptoms and conditions that continue to develop after COVID-19 infection. But there isnt enough known about it to diagnose it as a significant condition or know the diseases burden, she said. Murphy said that after she contracting the virus several times, her lung capacity has been compromised.

As for the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, Murphy said "there haven't been any stand-out side effects that would indicate that the risk outweighs the benefit. In addition, no long-term data will be available for another few years since the vaccines have only been out since the end of 2020.

I will continue getting the vaccine until they stop making it, Murphy added.

Murphy said the public health districts immunization clinic at 225 W. Waco Drive is open for walk-ins from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Those who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or have an underlying condition may make the individual choice to mask, but someone who has tested positive should isolate for a minimum of five days, Shah said.
Douglas County sheriffs deputies arrested two white men Tuesday in connection with a northwest Omaha incident late Sunday night during which a Black man was allegedly assaulted and held against his will.

Holden Melia, 38, and Rett Bellamy, 42, are being held at the Douglas County Jail. The alleged assault took place in the area of 154th Street and Curtis Avenue, which is a residential neighborhood. An object made to look like a firearm was also allegedly used to intimidate the victim. The Sheriffs Office said its investigation determined that the incident was racially motivated.

Melia was arrested on suspicion of assault, false imprisonment and terroristic threats. Bellamy was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment. The counts against both men have a hate crime notation.

Eric Sellers, a captain with the Sheriffs Office, declined to provide more details about the alleged incident since deputies are still interviewing witnesses.
A renowned British-Australian public health expert has been jailed in the Philippines for almost two years on what he believes are false drug charges. He is now challenging the country's primary drug enforcement agency, accusing them of fabricating evidence, theft, and corruption.

Philippines' Drug Enforcement Agency Faces Backlash

Elden Chamberlain, age 60, was scheduled to open his defense case in the regional trial court in the city of Cagayan de Oro. This case is expected to bring attention to previous allegations against the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the wake of the country's notorious bloody "war on drugs."

According to The Guardian, Chamberlain and witnesses for his defense claim in affidavits that illicit drugs were hidden in his house, evidence was interfered with, and food and money were stolen.

The hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday, September 8, but it was postponed until October 19.

Congressional and senate committees in the Philippines are looking into reports that PDEA agents have been trafficking narcotics among themselves, as well as allegations of false charges and human rights violations by the agency.

In addition, the agency is being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its role in at least 12,000 deaths that occurred during the "war on drugs" era, in which former President Rodrigo Duterte advocated for the shooting of drug users.

See Also: Philippines' Request to Halt Inquiry Into Drug-Related Deaths Denied by ICC

Who Is Elden Chamberlain?

For the last 30 years, British-born and Australia-raised Chamberlain (who now makes his permanent home in the Philippines) has worked as a consultant for UN agencies, AusAid, and US Aid on HIV/Aids advocacy projects across southeast Asia. For the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, he supervised the western Pacific region.

His references are from the western region's board members. One of them, Fiu Williame-Igara, also oversees operations in Papua New Guinea for the Save the Children organization. Chamberlain is a "person of the highest integrity and deeply respected colleague," according to her description.

But since 2019, he has been portrayed as a "drug fiend" in the Manila media and claims to be in constant terror of PDEA officials. He has spent time in prison twice while awaiting trial on two distinct sets of accusations.

He and his co-accused, Ace Lanzaderas, the administrator for the Global Fund in the western Pacific area, are now lodged in the Cagayan de Oro municipal prison. Similarly, Lanzaderas has entered a not-guilty plea.

Chamberlain claims he does not understand the basis for his charges. He believes he can disprove the accusations but had less than four hours of court time throughout his nineteen months behind bars.

The first charges against Chamberlain were filed in September 2019. He was the Chairman of the Australian Thai Foundation for HIV and had just returned to the Philippines after a business trip in Thailand.

In the affluent Manila neighborhood of Makati, he went to collect a debt from an HIV-positive drug addict who owed him money. Methamphetamines and gamma-butyrolactone, according to the police, were discovered in the apartment. Chamberlain was then accused of running a drug den.

See Also: SG Hangs First Woman in 19 Years After Finding Her Guilty of Trafficking Heroin

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
When it comes to digital marketing, one of the top things to keep in mind is social media outreach. While you will want to ensure that you target the right audiences, it is imperative in 2023 to diversify marketing campaigns and ensure that you build brand awareness, foster new relationships, and enjoy maximum engagement for your content. Outreach is the aspect of marketing that will help you to cover these areas in specific, and is a process that you can implement to ensure that you launch your brand and products and services in the right way.

What is social media outreach?

At its most basic, social media outreach is the process of promoting your brand on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As these platforms play host to such a diverse range of users that will have a myriad of needs, it can be extremely important to tailor content to ensure that it hits the mark every time. The best thing about adding social media outreach to your marketing campaign is that you will be able to ask your audiences to provide feedback (the likes of which you won't find anywhere else), all while generating real time reviews that others can find with little effort, and encouraging shareability that will further increase engagement. There is the additional potential to reach out to and collaborate with other content creators and influencers to promote your products and services for even greater reach. As the main goal of any business online should be to get its brand noticed, social media outreach is the top way to do just that.

Why is social media outreach so important?

Social media outreach is a crucial aspect of digital marketing and the leading reason is that online markets are not just oversaturated in 2023, but with the rise in endeavors like dropshipping, many people selling online are using the exact same products to generate an income. This means that not only will your brand need to stand out from the crowd, but you will also need to ensure that your efforts are selected over your main competitors. The best thing to do is to start off with a well-curated online presence and then set some realistic goals and an outreach objective that will help you to increase awareness.

Top tools for content creation

When establishing yourself online, the top tools in your arsenal will be photo and video editing software, so that you will provide your viewership with nothing short of the most professional looking visuals to support both your brand and your products and services. Right now, AI voiceovers are trending for video content, so you may want to look into the text to speech free software on offer on CapCut. If you are going to prioritize imagery however, CapCut also has an AI powered online photo editor - and this has all the tools you need, right at your fingertips.

Creating a successful outreach program

When using social media outreach, it can be a worthwhile idea to create a program that will maximize your potential. It can be easy for new startups to fall into the trap of simply cold messaging potential customers and even influencers for brand collaborations, but this rarely goes down well. The best place to start is to compile a list of any celebrities or influencers in your niche that may be interested in sharing your content. Try not to aim too high; ensure that the ones you choose to reach out to have a worthwhile engagement rate which can include the likes on each of their posts, the comments received, the reshares, and similar metrics. Don't forget to check whether or not they have collaborated with other businesses in the past, as this will tell you whether they are likely to work with you. Take a look at similar brands in your niche and the users that interact with them and add these to your outreach program. This will help to better target the customers that are most likely to buy from you.

Lee Enterprises newsroom and editorial were not involved in the creation of this content.
CEDAR FALLS  Local employers commitments to their staffs and their communities were honored Thursday at The Couriers Employers of Choice Awards ceremony.

Held at NewAldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls, the event celebrated businesses large and small that offer a diversity of career options and that put people before profits.

This award stems from each companys employees. The time and effort these individuals took to write messages on why their company is the best place to work for shows how much they value their companies.

Honorees include privately owned companies, nonprofits, newer ventures, and companies with 90-plus years in business:

This years Employers of Choice include:

Advanced Heat Treat

Blackhawk Engineering

CBE Companies

Cedar Falls Utilities

Cedar Valley Hospice

Exceptional Persons, Inc.

Goodwill Industries of Northeast Iowa

Grundy County Memorial Hospital

KRYTON Engineered Metals

Montage Cedar Falls

NewAldaya Lifescapes

Next Generation Wireless

PDCM Insurance

Peters Construction

Talk to Me Technologies

VGM Group

Warren Transport

Waterloo Adult Public Defenders

To see an online magazine honoring The Couriers 2023 Employers if Choice, go to wcfourier.com or click on the link https://wcfcourier.com/app/bookshelf/EmployersOfChoice/2023/
CEDAR FALLS  The community will gather Sunday to raise money and combat childhood hunger while having some fun.

The 12th annual Checkers Stone Soul Picnic will offer free Blue Barn BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, sides and a dessert station from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Overman Park, 316 W. Third St. A lineup of music and childrens activities will be of the day as will the opportunity to donate to the Northeast Iowa Food Banks kids programs.

Last year, the event raised $18,000 and often attracts at least a few hundred people, according to board member Hannah Crisman. The goal is to raise more than the year before for the Backpack Program and the Kids Cafe, ensuring children have meals and snacks at school and various community locations.

Bands donate their time until 4 p.m. They include Sugar Daddys Jazz Band, 11 a.m.; Katie & the Honky-Tonks, noon; Solid Ground, 1 p.m.; Deja Blue, 2 p.m.; Free Range Medicine at 3 p.m., and The Beaker Brothers Band at 4 p.m. Childrens activities include a balloon artist, bubbles, coloring and hair tinsels.

The backpack program gives out 100,000 meals to approximately 4,100 children per month. The cafe program serves as many as 75,000 meals in a years time at multiple locations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs and churches.

The event was launched by Mike Checker Michalicek and Jovita Long.

Michalicek founded the band Checker and the Bluetones. He was also a longtime band teacher in Waterloo and Cedar Falls schools. Stoned Soul Picnic is the name of a song he liked.

He saw kids every day from all different backgrounds and realized how many of them struggled with hunger, said Crisman. He felt it was his calling to do something about it. The event was designed for anyone to sit down, no matter what they could afford, have a meal, and the hope is that everyone donates.

Typically, the event is in Gateway Park, but construction is about to get underway on the recreational improvements in and around the Cedar River between the First and Main Street bridges. Crisman reassures attendees there will be plenty of parking, even though ARTapalooza  happening at the same time  also attracts crowds to downtown.

Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the show, she said. Were expecting nice weather.
A survivor of six heart attacks and a brain tumor, a grumpy bear of a man, whom has declared Russia as his new and wonderful home. His wife is a true Russian Sweet Pea of a girl and she puts up with this bear of a guy and keeps him in line. Thank God for my Sweet Pea and Russia.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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Elon Musk said he did not provide the Ukrainian government access to his Starlink communications network over Crimea to avoid becoming part of a "major act of war." He spoke out when a book claimed he had shut off Starlink to prevent a drone assault on Russian ships.

Kyiv has reportedly made an urgent Starlink activation request to the Russian city of Sevastopol.

'Committing Evil'

According to BBC, a senior Ukrainian official has accused Elon Musk of "committing evil" after reading a biography that revealed Musk ordered his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian warships. He said that since then, Russian naval boats have taken part in fatal assaults on civilian targets.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter and owned by Musk, "By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military fleet via Starlink interference, Elon Musk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities."

The Ukrainian official then asked, "Why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realize that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?"

The controversy began with the publishing of Walter Isaacson's biography of the billionaire. It is claimed that Musk cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink out of concern for a nuclear retaliation from the Russian government after Ukraine's ambush of Russia's naval force in Crimea.

Submarine drones equipped with explosives used by the Ukrainians to attack Russian ships in Sevastopol eventually lost contact with Starlink and "washed ashore harmlessly," according to Isaacson.

There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol.



The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor.



If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2023

Also Read: Human Rights Watch Blames Russian Cluster Munitions for Hundreds of Deaths in Ukraine

Musk Denies Allegation

As the fighting has crippled the infrastructure of Ukraine, the Starlink terminals' ability to connect to SpaceX's orbiting satellites has proved critical to sustaining internet access and communication.

Shortly after Russia started its full-scale attack on its neighbor in February 2022, SpaceX, of which Musk is the biggest shareholder, began sending thousands of Starlink satellite dishes to Ukraine.

Musk claimed on X that SpaceX "did not deactivate anything" in response to the book's assertion because the company was never active in such areas to begin with.

"There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol. The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," he explained.

Musk has already said that long-range drone attacks using Starlink are not permitted, despite the fact that the system has become the connection backbone of Ukraine all the way to the front lines.

Also Read: State Secretary Antony Blinken Visits Ukraine, Pledges Long-Term Support for Kyiv

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
There is no precedent for a U.S. court overturning the approval of a drug that the FDA has deemed safe and effective.
The tentative agreement will now go to WEA members for ratification and then to the Board of Trustees for final approval.
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has identified a student of the US Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia who died earlier this month as 24-year-old Sgt. Jaen Deshun Davis.

According to USMC officials, he was found unresponsive in his vehicle on Sept 2 and was later pronounced dead at the scene, a Marine Corps news release said.

No further information was provided about the cause of Davis's death as the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is looking into the matter.

Davis's death is the latest of a string of tragedies within the Corps.

In July, three Marines were found dead inside their vehicle outside Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, from what local police say was carbon monoxide poisoning. Last month, LCpl. Joseph Whaley was killed during nighttime live-fire training at Camp Pendleton, California.

Two Marine aviation accidents also occurred in August, one involving a single-seater F/A-18 Hornet in California, and the other was a V-22 Osprey carrying multiple personnel in a military exercise in Australia. Four Marines were killed in those incidents.

As a result, the Osprey crash triggered the implementation of a service-wide safety review which was originally scheduled at a later date.

Read Also: US Southern Command HQ Shelves Showing of 'Sound of Freedom'-but Why?

Who was Sgt. Davis?

According to the USMC, Davis, attached to the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, a reserve unit based in Selfridge, Michigan, was participating in enlisted professional military education at the Marine Corps University at the time of his death. He was also a member of the active-duty, inspector-instructor staff assigned to his unit.

He previously served with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the 1st Marine Logistics Group at Camp Pendleton.

At the time of his death, Davis was awarded with the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal, among other military awards.

"His family, loved ones, and peers have our deepest sympathies as we continue to provide support during this difficult time," the Marine Corps statement concluded.

Related Article: US Military Tests Unarmed ICBM as Show of 'Nuclear Forces Readiness'

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Held at the 19th ISDE World Congress for Esophageal Diseases in Toronto, Canada, held 8-10 September 2023



New Oesophageal Cancer Test Presented at Global Conference

Perth, Sep 8, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd ( ASX:PIQ ) is pleased to announce its latest results for its novel blood test for oesophageal adenocarcinoma will be presented tomorrow at the 19th ISDE World Congress for Esophageal Diseases in Toronto, Canada, held 8-10 September 2023.



- Proteomics International's new PromarkerEso blood test shows strong discrimination of oesophageal cancer



- Test targets both oesophageal adenocarcinoma and patients with pre-malignant condition Barrett's oesophagus which affects 1-2% of adults and can arise from chronic acid reflux



- Advanced discrimination system correctly identified 89% of patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma and 92% of patients without the disease



- Latest results presented tomorrow at the 19th ISDE World Congress for Esophageal Diseases in Toronto, Canada



- Oesophageal cancer is the 6th leading cause of cancer-related mortality, the 7th most common cancer globally and has a 20% five-year survival rate



- Current screening requires a specialist endoscopy procedure and the annual expenditure on treating oesophageal cancer in the US is $2.9 billion



The conference presentation builds upon earlier work which identified and validated a panel of glycoprotein biomarkers using 300 samples from two independent clinical cohorts [ASX 27 September 2022].



Oesophageal adenocarcinoma is the most common form of oesophageal cancer with a five-year survival rate of approximately 20%. Oesophageal cancer and its pre-malignant condition Barrett's oesophagus can develop from chronic acid reflux. One in twenty cancer deaths worldwide in 2018 were attributed to oesophageal cancer.



Proteomics International Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe said the prototype test, named PromarkerEso, was now showing strong discrimination at early and late stages of the disease. "We've refined our diagnostic models to correctly identify 89% of patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma and 92% of patients without the disease. This means we could have a simple blood test to determine who would benefit from an endoscopy. We believe that such a test would garner significant clinical and commercial interest should it be further validated."



Screening for oesophageal adenocarcinoma currently requires a specialist endoscopy procedure that costs US$2,750 per patient in the United States , where the total expenditure on treating oesophageal cancer was $2.9 billion in 2018. This cancer represents an area of significant unmet medical need, and the Company believes there is large market potential for a simple diagnostic test.



The new results apply Proteomics International's 'traffic light' scoring system to categorise patients as green (low risk), amber (moderate risk) or red (high risk) for oesophageal adenocarcinoma. The results also suggest some individuals may have been misdiagnosed, although further work is required to confirm this.



Proteomics International's test uses biomarkers-protein 'fingerprints' in the blood-to diagnose both oesophageal adenocarcinoma and Barrett's oesophagus. An estimated 10-15% of patients with chronic acid reflux develop Barrett's oesophagus, a condition which is asymptomatic and affects 1-2% of Western populations . People with Barrett's oesophagus are much more likely to get oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and are advised to get regular endoscopies to screen for oesophageal cancer [PIQ Annual Report 2022].



Engaging with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) who could guide early adoption of PromarkerEso is an important objective for the Company in attending the conference. These potential relationships would build upon Proteomics International's recent agreement to access 350 additional patient samples from the Victorian Cancer Biobank [ASX 23 July 2023]. The cohort comprises blood samples from oesophageal and other selected cancer patients. These samples will be used for external validation of the accuracy of the Company's current prototype oesophageal cancer test, with results expected early next year.



Dr Lipscombe said the next steps in commercialising the PromarkerEso test are to:



- streamline the biomarker measurements to produce a test suitable for the US Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) pathway via CLIA certified clinical laboratories;



- confirm the clinical performance of the test in an additional independent patient cohort; and



- conduct formal Economic Health Benefit Modelling and Clinical Utility Studies to demonstrate how the new test could significantly change doctors' treatment decisions and improve outcomes for patients and healthcare systems.



The Company anticipates that these steps will be completed over the next 9 months.



To view the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus 19th World Congress 2023, Oral presentation, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/26ON7S7J



Summary of the Diagnostic Test Development and Validation Study



Method: To generate the diagnostic test Proteomics International's scientists analysed clinical samples from a development cohort of 249 people collected by the Progression of Barrett's Esophagus to Cancer Network (PROBENET, Australia). Patients were classified as having esophageal adenocarcinoma [EAC]; positive for Barrett's esophagus [BE+] and BE with low grade dysplasia; Barrett's esophagus with high grade dysplasia (severely abnormal cells) [BEHGD]; negative controls. A series of statistical models were then built using protein biomarkers to attain optimal diagnostic performance in the development cohort. The performance of the statistical models was then tested in an independent validation cohort of 49 patient samples from the Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, United States.



Results:



Robust assay method for measuring the glycoprotein biomarkers developed (intraday CV = 9.3%; interday CV = 11.5%) suitable for use as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) via a specialist CLIA (US) certified clinical laboratory.



Panel of glycoprotein biomarkers confirmed that showed significant correlation with disease progression.



Diagnostic model for discriminating disease severity performed strongly in the validation cohort:



- For negative controls vs EAC: Area Under the Curve (AUC) 0.94, Sensitivity (Sn) 80%, Specificity (Sp) 93%.



- For negative controls vs EAC and BE-HGD: AUC 0.79, Sn 59%, Sp 93%.



Comment: these tests offer the potential to provide an early screening tool to minimise the requirements for an endoscopy.



For comparison, the statistical performance of the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) diagnostic test (blood test measuring the concentration of the PSA protein) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer is:



- Prostate cancer versus no cancer: AUC 0.68



- PSA cut-off threshold 3ng/ml: Sensitivity 32%, Specificity 87%



Conclusions: A diagnostic test has been developed using novel serum glycoprotein biomarkers to provide a potential screening tool for both esophageal adenocarcinoma and Barrett's esophagus with high grade dysplasia.



In interpreting these results it is important to recognise that the total cohort size is 300 patients and the validation cohort is relatively small. Consequently, further work in additional patient samples is required to confirm the clinical accuracy of the PromarkerEso test.



Proteomics International is currently rolling-out PromarkerD, a simple blood test for predicting diabetic kidney disease. The Company also has advanced research programs targeting novel diagnostics for endometriosis, oxidative stress, asthma and COPD.



About the PromarkerTM Platform



Proteomics International's diagnostics development is made possible by the Company's proprietary biomarker discovery platform called Promarker, which searches for protein 'fingerprints' in a sample. This disruptive technology can identify proteins that distinguish between people who have a disease and people who do not, using only a simple blood test. It is a powerful alternative to genetic testing. The technology is so versatile it can be used to identify fingerprints from any biological source, from wheat seeds to human serum. The Promarker platform was previously used to develop PromarkerD, a world-first predictive test for diabetic kidney disease, that is currently being commercialised. Other tests in development include for asthma & COPD, oesophageal cancer, diabetic retinopathy and oxidative stress.





About Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd





Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) is a wholly owned subsidiary and trading name of PILL, a medical technology company at the forefront of predictive diagnostics and bioanalytical services. The Company specialises in the area of proteomics - the industrial scale study of the structure and function of proteins. Proteomics International's mission is to improve the quality of lives by the creation and application of innovative tools that enable the improved treatment of disease.

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Diamond Drilling Starts at Tarcoola Gold Project

Adelaide, Sep 8, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Barton Gold Holdings Limited ( ASX:BGD ) ( BGD3:FRA ) ( BGDFF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to confirm that diamond drilling has started at the Tarcoola Gold Project (Tarcoola). During October 2021 Barton confirmed a shallow extension of the Perseverance mine mineralisation using reverse circulation (RC) drilling (Perseverance West), which was infilled with additional RC drilling during 2022.



Diamond drilling will target this 'Perseverance West' zone, with the goal to generate additional structural context to support a potential updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) on the Perseverance mine.



Barton has engaged Resolution Drilling, who also completed DD drilling for the Company in January 2023.



Commenting on the start of diamond drilling, Barton MD Alex Scanlon said:



"The Perseverance open pit mine represents an exciting potential starting point for 'Stage 1' regional operations.



The mine was producing high-grade ore to our Central Gawler Mill during 2017 and 2018, and on-pit extensions could represent a very attractive source of shallow, accessible mineralisation on a fully permitted Mining Lease.



"Perseverance is the only modern mine at Tarcoola despite a 130 year history of high-grade gold production in a gold field hosting hundreds of shallow historical workings across our Mining Lease and Exploration License.



We are hoping that our recently completed seismic targeting program will generate a much more detailed map of the subsurface architecture and help us identify a series of shallow, high-grade open pittable deposits."



*To view tables and figures, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/0SUK99SR





About Barton Gold Holdings Limited





Barton Gold Holdings Limited (ASX:BGD) (FRA:BGD3) (OTCQB:BGDFF) is an ASX listed Australian gold exploration company with a total attributable ~1.1Moz Au JORC (2012) Mineral Resources endowment (28.74Mt @ 1.2 g/t Au), a pipeline of advanced exploration projects and brownfield mines, and 100% ownership of the only regional gold mill in the central Gawler Craton of South Australia.

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Prince Harry was spotted Friday (September 8) leaving St. George's Chapel inside Windsor Castle to commemorate his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was buried there a year on since she died.

The Duke of Sussex, known for leaving the family and accusing his father and brother, Prince William, of racism, among other things, was in the UK to attend a charity awards ceremony in London this week while his father, King Charles III, was in Balmoral Castle in Scotland to commemorate Elizabeth's death and his accession at a prayer service at nearby Crathie Kirk.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was not accompanying Harry on his UK trip.

Meanwhile, Harry's elder brother and Prince of Wales, William, was in his namesake principality, where he and his wife Catherine commemorated Elizabeth's first death anniversary at a service in St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, the BBC reported.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, also posted several photos of the late queen on Instagram, with the caption: "We all miss you."

Read Also: UK Rejoin EU Science and Space Programs in Major Post-Brexit Breakthrough

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.



I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023

King Charles Remembers Mother's Life of Service

There were no formal events to commemorate Elizabeth's first death anniversary, but gun salutes were fired around the country.

In an earlier statement, Charles marked the death of his mother by recalling "her long life" and "devoted service" to the UK, the Commonwealth, and beyond.

"I am deeply grateful...for the love and support that has been shown to my wife [Queen Camilla] and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all," the king's statement read.

Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral. She was 96. Her death and subsequent funeral were speculated as one of the most pivotal points in British, Commonwealth, and world history in the 21st century.

Commoners Also Commemorate Elizabeth's Life

Despite several calls to topple the monarchy in favor of a republic, many people in the UK still remember Queen Elizabeth's legacy and how Charles is doing his best to maintain the image of service she has instilled in the royal family and in the wider society.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the gratitude of the people to the late queen and her life of service "only continues to grow," and that her "wisdom," "incredible warmth and grace," and "sharp wit" would be remembered.

"People across the UK - whether they had the good fortune to meet Her late Majesty or not - will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all," he added

Meanwhile, opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer reflected on the long line of mourners who wanted to see Elizabeth's coffin during the lying-in-state in the days leading up to her funeral.

"It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject," he said. "So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future."

Related Article: Prince Harry Loses Legal Challenge to Pay for Police Protection in UK

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Cover Images/Instagram/Marion Curtis/Starpix Celebrity

The 'Godfather' actor's representative insists he is still very much 'together' with his girlfriend despite her seeking physical custody of their baby boy Roman.

Sep 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah remain "together." The couple was hit with speculation they had gone their separate ways after the 29-year-old beauty filed a petition asking a court to grant her physical custody of their three-month-old son Roman, offering "reasonable visitation" to "The Godfather" star.

A spokesperson for the 83-year-old actor, however, insisted he and Noor are still in a relationship and have "mutually reached agreements" about their son.

The representative told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column, "Al and Noor have successfully worked together and have mutually reached agreements regarding their child, Roman. They are still together."

In the paperwork - which was filed in California and obtained by The Blast - Noor has agreed to give Al joint legal custody of Roman, which would allow him to help make decisions on matters such as medical treatment, education, and religion. Also included with the filing was a voluntary declaration of parentage which was signed by both of them six days after the birth of their son.

Roman - who was born on June 6 at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles - is the actor's fourth child. He is also dad to 22-year-old twins Olivia and Anton Pacino with his former partner Beverly D'Angelo as well as Julie Pacino, 33, from his relationship with Jan Tarrant.

Prior to Roman's birth, the actor revealed he was looking forward to becoming a dad again and said having another child at this point in his life was "really special." In a video obtained by the Daily Mail newspaper, he said, "It feels like it always will. It's very special, you know. I've got many kids. But this is really special coming at this time."

The "Scent of a Woman" actor previously explained he "gets a lot" out of fatherhood and finds it "upsetting" not being involved in his children's lives. He told The New Yorker in 2014, "I'm responsible to them. I'm a part of their life. When I'm not, it's upsetting to me and to them. So that's part of the gestalt. And I get a lot from it. It takes you out of yourself."

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The 47-year-old actor, who is best known for starring on 'That '70s Show', is sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of drugging and rapping two women between 2001 and 2003.

Sep 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Danny Masterson is likely to spend most of the rest of his life in prison if he makes it to his 70s. Best known for starring on "That '70s Show", the actor has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in his rape case.

For the record, the 47-year-old was found guilty of drugging and raping two women in May. The jury, however, failed to reach a verdict on a third count that alleged Danny raped a long-time girlfriend.

The judge decided to hand down the sentence after hearing statements from both victims during a Thursday, September 7 hearing. "When you raped me, you stole from me," said one woman who Danny was convicted of raping in 2003. "That's what rape is, a theft of the spirit."

"You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent," the victim went on fuming. "The world is better off with you in prison."

The other victim, meanwhile, claimed that Danny "has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused." She told the judge, "I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and I'm so upset. I wish I'd reported him sooner to the police."

Following the sentencing, Danny's attorney, Shawn Holley, told reporters outside the courthouse, "We are very disappointed in the sentence the judge handed down today." The lawyer added, "However, for the past several months a team of the top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing transcripts of the trial. They have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both the state and federal courts."

"The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence," she continued. "And though we have great respect for the jury and for our system of justice, sometimes they get it wrong and that's what happened here. Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes on which he's been convicted and we, and the appellate lawyers, who are the best and the brightest in the country, are confident that these convictions will be overturned."

In the meantime, attorney for Jane Does 2 and 3 Alison Anderson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "Niesha and Chrissie have displayed tremendous strength and bravery, by coming forward to law enforcement and participating directly in two grueling criminal trials."

"Despite persistent harassment, obstruction and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today, and they are not stopping there," the attorney further stated. "They are eager to soon tell the fuller story of how Scientology and its enablers tried desperately to keep them from coming forward."

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Upon learning that he was slapped with 30-year prison sentence in sexual assault case, the former 'King of Queens' star admits that she is 'relieved' knowing 'this dangerous rapist will be off the streets.'

Sep 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Leah Remini has expressed her relief that Danny Masterson will soon be "off the streets." Upon learning that he was slapped with 30-year prison sentence in sexual assault case, the former "King of Queens" star suggested that he deserved the punishment as she deemed the actor a "dangerous rapist."

On Thursday, September 7, the 53-year-old actress made use of her social media accounts to weigh in on the sentencing that Danny received earlier that day. In a lengthy tweet, she penned, "I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status."

Leah, who was "sitting in court today with the women who survived Danny Masterson's predation," went on to write, "Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of."

"These women not only faced the living hell of being raped, having their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they have also faced ruthless and criminal harassment by Scientology and its agents since they came forward to law enforcement," Leah, a former member of Church of Scientology, continued.

"I will always remind the public that in Scientology if you report another Scientologist to law enforcement, you are committing a high crime," she claimed. "The consequences of such a high crime are devastating: you will lose everything you've ever known, from your family to your friends to your job."

The "Second Act" actress explained, "The women who survived Danny's predation fought tirelessly for justice. Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible. For that, we will forever be grateful."

Leah further thanked authorities involved by writing, "To the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorney's office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury, we thank you for your fair and impartial approach to this case and trial."

Leah's remarks came shortly after Danny was slapped with 30-year prison sentence for two counts of forcible rape. On Thursday, the 47-year-old married actor with one child was found guilty after a number of women, who are former members of the Church of Scientology, accused him of sexual assault.

One of the victims, who is Danny's ex-girlfriend, reported that he raped her when she was 23 years old back in the winter of 2001. Similarly, another woman claimed that she was raped by him when she was 23 years old around the fall and winter of 2003. Meanwhile, the other victim alleged that he raped her when she was 28 years old back in April 2003.

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The 40-year-old TLC personality sets the record straight regarding his disappearance during his trip in Brazil, noting that he only wanted some time for himself.

Sep 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - "90 Day Fiance" star Paul Staehle has spoken out following reports that he went missing in Brazil. The TLC personality set the record straight regarding his disappearance, noting that he only wanted some time for himself.

"Well, I had a lot going on and I wanted to go out and be by myself for a little bit," the 40-year-old told TMZ on Thursday, September 7. "So there was a person that was a big fan of the show. They invited me to go out and I got this canoe type boat."

Paul went on to say that they got in an undisclosed "hiccup," though they managed to fix the situation. They went to a "floating house" and stayed there for a few days.

As to why he couldn't contact his family or the other way around, Paul said that he didn't have a phone charger and had to go around to a few other houses to finally get a signal. "I had no idea that my mom would start talking to people online and all that stuff," Paul divulged.

Reports that Paul might be lost while traveling throughout Brazil emerged earlier this month. At the time, his mom Edna revealed that her son sent alarming texts to his family on Thursday morning, August 31 and they hadn't heard from him ever since.

Edna claimed to TMZ that Paul said he needed help because he had gotten lost. He additionally gave her contact information for people who might be able to assist, but she never heard back from the folks.

Celebrity blogger John Yates also shared screenshots of the texts Paul sent Edna, with permission from her, which showed him purportedly writing that he "f**ked up." In Paul's texts, he told his mom he needed a boat and that his phone was about to die so he would lose GPS.

Paul's wife Karine Martins, meanwhile, further sparked concern as she took to Instagram to share an emotional Reel of photos featuring Paul and their children and wrote a cryptic caption in past tense. "Not all of our memories were bad. Our children loved you very much. We will never forgot you or the good memories we all shared," she wrote. She added on her Story, "Paul went missing last night in Brazil. Prayers he is found safe."

One year ago, Paul and his oldest son Pierre were reported missing by Child Protective Services before returning home to Kentucky. At the time, Paul revealed to TMZ that he took Pierre on a long work trip the previous month, but both were safe.

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The studio nabs the domestic rights for the upcoming supernatural superhero film directed by Rupert Sanders during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Sep 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - "The Crow" reboot has finally found home at Lionsgate Films. The reimagining of the 1994 cult classic has landed at the studio in an eight-figure deal that was finalized at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival market.

According to Deadline, the pact was "finalized late Wednesday night," September 6 with CAA Media Finance handling the deal. Lionsgate, therefore, will handle domestic distribution for the upcoming supernatural superhero film.

Rupert Sanders directs the film, which completed production in 2022. Bill Skarsgard, best known for his portrayal of Pennywise in the horror film "It" (2017) and its 2019 sequel, stars in the lead role of Eric Draven a.k.a. The Crow.

Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, the late Samuel Hadida and the late Edward R. Pressman are credited as producers. Zach Baylin and Will Schneider penned the script.

"The original film left an indelible mark on our culture that lives on," said the producers in a joint statement after the deal was finalized. "We are thrilled to bring a new adaptation for today's audiences that respects this legacy. Rupert has masterfully brought new dimensions to create a contemporary universe for this timeless saga of undying love, and we can't wait to share this vision with film audiences."

Charlotte Koh, Lionsgate executive vp acquisitions and co-productions, weighed in, "We appreciate what 'The Crow' character and original movie mean to legions of fans and believe this new film will offer audiences an authentic and visceral reinterpretation of its emotional power and mythology."

She added, "To work with a creative team led by Rupert's unparalleled visual style and storytelling and with a producing team who have made some of the most popular and impactful films of the last several decades is a true privilege."

FKA twigs, Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila and Jordan Bolger star in the long-awaited reboot, which is expected to be released in 2024. Koh will oversee "The Crow" for Lionsgate while John Biondo oversaw the deal for the studio.

The original film (1994) starred Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed in an accidental shooting on the set. The story centers on Eric Draven, a man who is left for death by a gang of street thugs, who also assaulted, raped and shot his girlfriend in the head. He is then resurrected by a crow and seeks vengeance on the murderers. The crow acts as both a guide and goad for Eric.

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The younger daughter of former president Barack Obama shows skin when photographed smoking a cigarette with friends on the street during a Labor Day party in Los Angeles.

Sep 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sasha Obama is puffing away the heat in California. The former First Daughter has been spotted rocking a skimpy outfit during a cigarette break with friends during the long Labor Day weekend.

The 22-year-old was photographed smoking cigarette outside in Los Angeles during a Labor Day party on Monday, September 4. In photos obtained by Daily Mail, she was taking some puffs from a lit cigarette as she stood on the street with her pals.

The younger daughter of Barack Obama and his wife Michalle Obama showed some skin in a bikini top that she paired with a long, flowing navy blue maxi skirt, baring her midriff and belly button ring. She also wore black flip flops while leaving her long, braided, brown locks loose.

At one point, Sasha was seen fixing her bikini top, showing her manicured fingers. She kept her look natural with minimal makeup.

Sasha has been enjoying a low-key life since her family left the White House. While her famous parents are always surrounded by government-sanctioned bodyguards and will be for the rest of their days, she and her 25-year-old sister Malia Obama, who is also living in L.A., have been rolling solo without any Secret Service protection. Secret Service policy rules that the children will get cut off after 16.

Late last month, the USC graduate was spotted doing a shopping run alone in Los Angeles. She was pictured stepping out on Saturday afternoon, August 26 to do some grocery shopping at a Trader Joe's store in the L.A. area. She was seen pushing a cart with no single bodyguard or companion in sight.

Sasha dressed for comfort in a baby pink skirt and a cream tube top during the outing. She appeared relaxed as no one bothered her while she was strolling through the parking lot with her headphones on her ears.

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Despite his lawyer claiming he's 'mentally strong,' the 'That '70s Show' actor is kept under surveillance for mental health issues following his sentencing.

Sep 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jailed actor Danny Masterson is reportedly being closely watched for signs of mental health distress while he's behind bars. The "That '70s Show" star was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday, September 7 after being convicted of raping two women in 2003 and a new report suggests he's being closely monitored while he remains in jail awaiting a transfer to a California state prison where he will serve out his sentence.

Masterson is under 24-hour video surveillance with deputies checking on him in his cell every 30 minutes, TMZ.com reports. According to the outlet, the actor will be taken for a mental health examination if he shows any signs of mental distress or discloses a mental health issue.

Masterson's lawyer Shawn Holley has told TMZ the actor feels "mentally strong" and is confident his conviction will be overturned on appeal.

The TV star was handed his sentence by Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, September 7 who told him, "Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person's choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that's why you are here."

The two victims both attended the hearing in Los Angeles and George Gascon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, praised them for their bravery, saying, "This has been a long and arduous road for the victims of Mr. Masterson. They not only survived his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims."

"I applaud their courage for coming forward and participating in this process. My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others. I also want to thank the entire trial team."

"This was a very difficult case but due to their hard work, experience and commitment, justice was finally served today. One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women."

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The second oldest daughter of the Kardashian/Jenner clan issues a public plea to U.S. President to cut off foreign aid to Azerbaijan to avoid another Armenian genocide.

Sep 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kim Kardashian has asked US President Joe Biden to prevent another Armenian genocide. The 42-year-old reality TV star - who is of Armenian descent - has co-penned an article with Dr. Eric Esrailian for Rolling Stone, in which they plead with Biden to take action to protect Armenians from Azerbaijan.

"My Plea to President Joe Biden to Stop Another Armenian Genocide. It's time for America (and the world) to take action to protect Armenians from Azerbaijan," Kim shared a link to the article on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote.

My Plea to President Joe Biden to Stop Another Armenian Genocide. Its time for America (and the world) to take action to protect Armenians from Azerbaijan. https://t.co/s53lRb59iz pic.twitter.com/k9UzoUejW2  Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) September 8, 2023

Kim wrote that she and countless others are "descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors" and went on to detail how Azerbaijan's actions have affected those living in Armenia. She wrote, "Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh" and the rest of the world.

Adding that the war in Ukraine has meant some countries have come to rely on Azerbaijan for oil, she wrote that Azerbaijan in using "starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region."

Kim is asking President Biden to cut off foreign aid to Azerbaijan and boycott international events happening in the country.

The star - whose late father Robert Kardashian was Armenian - donated $1 million to the Armenia Fund three years ago. She wrote on Instagram at the time, "I've been speaking out about the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh and having conversations with so many others to bring further awareness to the crisis that we cannot allow to advance."

"My thoughts and prayers are with the brave men, women and children. I want everyone to remember that despite the distance that separates us, we are not limited by borders and we are one global Armenian nation together."

She explained that donations to the Armenia Fund go toward helping civilians who have been impacted or displaced by the conflict, through food, shelter, medical care and other supplies.

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An official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance holds a briefing in the central city of Sejong, Sept. 8, on media reports about China's export regulation on urea. Yonhap





Korea's finance ministry said Friday it has confirmed that China has not implemented an official ban on shipments of urea by fertilizer firms and noted that the domestic supply would remain stable even if there were any curbs.







"Through our diplomatic channels, including the embassy in China, we have found out that there is no official ban on exports of urea for fertilizer by the Chinese government," a Ministry of Economy and Finance official said.







The remark came after media reports that Beijing has requested that Chinese fertilizer firms suspend outbound shipments of urea.







"Currently, one Chinese chemical fertilizer firm has announced a plan to reduce its export volume," the official said. "As the relationship with China remains stable, we do not anticipate a comprehensive export ban as observed in the past."







The finance ministry added that the domestic supply of urea for fertilizer will remain stable even if an export curb is implemented.







"Imports of urea for fertilizer are diversified, and the price is stabilizing," the official said. "There will be no problem with the future supply."







Over the January-July period, Qatar accounted for 41 percent of South Korea's imports of urea for fertilizer, followed by Saudi Arabia with 10 percent.







Imports from China, which took up 65 percent in 2021, came to just 17 percent in the period, the finance ministry said.







The combined domestic demand for urea for fertilizer is estimated at 386,000 tons, with South Korea already securing 77.4 percent of the volume as of the first week of September, it added.







The agriculture ministry said the global price of urea has been stabilizing after experiencing a sharp hike in 2021, and South Korea has been successful in diversifying its sources.







"Even if China implements an export curb on urea, it is expected to have only a limited impact on the supply of fertilizer in the local market," the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement.







The current reserve is estimated to be enough to maintain a stable supply through January, it added.







"The government and related organizations will work closely to monitor the situation in China and keep a watchful eye on the supply of urea in the market," the ministry added. (Yonhap)


Republic Media widely known across the national market with its presence in 3 languages, English, Hindi and Bangla, capturing the No.1 position in each market, is now all set to step foot into South India as R Kannada, a Kannada news channel, which is soon to be launched in Karnataka. Republic Awards its south Ad Sales duty to Fourth Dimension media solution, the leading media outsourcing company in India, an established player in the market. As per their current arrangement, all clients originating from south will be handled by fourth dimension media solution and the team would be working closely with the team of republic in ensuring effective outreach amongst clients for R Kannada. Fourth dimension manages ad sales duties of multiple products such as Puthiya Thalaimurai, V6 news, Reporter TV, and Velugu. Commenting on the above development, Mr.Hersh Bhandari,Group COO, Republic Media said Fourth Dimension Media has created a name for itself in the last 12 years with the expertise they have in South India, we thought our brand R Kannada will be in safe hands. We wish them the best and welcome them to be a part of the Republic Family Mr. Shankar, CEO of Fourth Dimension Media Solutions feels Its a pride for us to associate with Republic group. This would complete our offerings for the south markets as we would be representing channels across all southern states. With our deep understanding of the market and connects with advertisers we would do our best to penetrate deep into the south market.
Hyundai Spotlight is back with another season after the riveting success of Season 1. After Season 2's inaugural song "Jhoome Re" by Benny Dayal ft. Aanchal Tyagi, Hyundai Spotlight is thrilled to receive immense love for its second song, as "Baanwre" received 1.1 Million views within 2 weeks of release. This soul-stirring composition, crafted as an ode to wandering souls, invites listeners on a transformative journey of self-discovery and purpose.

"Baanwre" is a musical masterpiece that delves deep into the emotions of uncertainty, companionship, and self-exploration. The term "Baanwre", signifying a free-spirited soul in Hindi, forms the essence of the song. The lyrics poetically capture the essence of waking up each day with an innate yearning to explore the world, mirroring the flight of a bird through an open sky, free from predetermined destinations.

The song artfully weaves a narrative that reflects the challenges of self-discovery, highlighting the struggles and uncertainties faced along the journey. Amidst life's vast possibilities, "Baanwre" portrays the power of companionship, emphasizing shared experiences as a guiding light through life's decisions.

Renowned Bollywood artist, Shilpa Rao lends her emotive vocals to "Baanwre," accompanied by a captivating melody that resonates with listeners. Rao's impact on the industry is undeniable, with chart-topping tracks such as "Khuda Jaane," "Malang," and "Bulleya." Her collaboration with eminent composers like A.R. Rahman and Pritam has solidified her position as a stalwart in the music scene.

As per Mr Tarun Garg, Chief Operating Officer - Hyundai Motor India, We launched Hyundai Spotlight Season 1 with the endeavour to connect & engage with the vibrant youngsters across the country. The objective was also to give the emerging music artists in India an opportunity to showcase their talent to the nation. We are elated to notice the love that Hyundai Spotlight has been receiving. In fact, the reactions on social media have been overwhelming for all of us at Hyundai. Season 2 of Hyundai Spotlight has already begun on a melodious note, with the first song Jhoome Re by Benny Dayal & Aanchal Tyagi, resonating with 14 million + viewers on Hyundai Spotlights YouTube channel. The second song as a part of Season 2, Baanwre features renowned artist Shilpa Rao collaborating with F-Kaze, a rising sensation, to create a soulful jugal-bandi that tugs at the heartstrings of listeners. As we move forward with Season 2 of Hyundai Spotlight, we hope to foster a harmonious spirit that celebrates the power of music.

Preeti Nayyar VP New Business and Brand Partnerships, UMG India and South Asia adds, Collaborating with Hyundai for Hyundai Spotlight has always been delightful. After the brilliant success of Hyundai Spotlight season 1, we were even more thrilled to work towards season 2. Our hearts fill with immense joy as our second release this season 'Baanware' by Shilpa Rao has already started making waves amongst music lovers. The way people showered love on Jhoome Re by Benny Dayal & Aanchal Tyagi, we were pretty sure 'Baanware' would also be able to make space in everyone's heart.

Shilpa Rao expresses, "This song holds a special place in my heart as it beautifully encapsulates the journey of discovering oneself in the midst of life's uncertainties. 'Baanwre' is an ode to the free-spirited souls who wander through life, finding their way through challenges and companionship. My heart fills with immense joy as this song has been loved by the listeners reminding them of the beauty that emerges from embracing the unknown."

F Kaze, the creative mind behind the song, shares, "This song is a heartfelt tribute to those wandering souls in search of their purpose. 'Baanwre' encapsulates the journey of finding beauty in life's uncertainties. Like a free-spirited bird, these souls navigate the open sky of life, discovering destinations amidst challenges. All thanks to Hyundai Spotlight for giving me the opportunity and Shilpa Rao, who's an amazing singer. I enjoyed working with her on this song."

Hyundai Spotlight, a collaboration between Hyundai Motor India Ltd. and Universal Music India (Universal Music Group for Brands, India), continues to empower emerging artists. "Baanwre" embodies the mission of Hyundai Spotlight, providing a platform for India's burgeoning musical talents to showcase their voices.
Akhand Bharat means India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as one nation. Its been more than 77 years since the partition of India. You can undo the land partition, but you cannot change the behavior of people. At this moment, India might be wanting Akhand Bharat, but the two sovereign nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh should also think on the same lines, which is just not possible. So, Akhand Bharat remains only an emotional idea. World politics always moves towards the split of countries, not the union or reunification of countries. People find it very hard to live together, especially when they have already split up in history.

Even if India acquires Afghanistan, Pakistan, or these countries, people will come with them. Additional geography comes with people. We are not able to manage anti-nationals within India. Crackers burst when Pakistan wins against India and whatnot. There are clear Pakistan supporters in every city in todays India, coming from some Muslim sections. Akhand Bharat will have a double Muslim population, with many Muslim-majority states. Can you imagine the result of the elections? In a house of 750 members, you need 376 seats to win, Without much change in Hindu seats. Even Modi would find it impossible to form a government. Can you imagine the level of appeasement in politics? How secular will politics be then?

If you are ambitious, why limit yourself to South Asian geography? Why not think of the world? There are a lot easier chances out there if you open yourself up. Do not cling to a single idea. This is the world of democracies. If you are more numerous, then many countries can be yours. And there are countries full of natural resources but lacking population growth. We just need to migrate there; within 20 years, that country will be ours. I am not naming any countries, but its easy to find.

In countries with a low population, where Indians are already around 5% to 15 per cent. If you double the migration rate to these countries, we can reach more than 30% in 4050 years. We are never expansionists or exploiters. The countries will still be vibrant democracies. This will just be a spiritual and more balanced world. There are easy opportunities lying out there in the entire world; why Akhand Bharat? Understand the changing dynamics of the world and use them in our favor.

Historically, Indian empires occasionally conquered a few portions of Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. I dont remember any period when Tibet was a part of any Indian empire. Yes, during the ancient and medieval ages, Indian Hindu and Buddhist culture did spread to these regions, but that doesnt make them a part of India.

If you talk about forming an EU- or ASEAN-like intergovernmental organization, then yes, that can work. It will be beneficial for all the nations in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. But the India-Pakistan rivalry is a big hurdle. That is why SAARC couldnt succeed. And in such organizations, India can and should not play big brother. In the EU and ASEAN, all countries are equal partners. We also cannot agree on open borders due to security issues and demographic threats.

Even the BJPs core members know Akhand Bharat is wishful thinking. There are naive people who dont live beyond their daily routine of struggling to put two square meals on the table. These people think that annexation is a cakewalk. Akhand Bharat refers to the Idea that India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, and other nations have been a part of India. But we were separated from India because of invaders from Muslims and the West. Afghanistan was called Gandhara, the parents place of Gandhari in Mahabharat. This entire area had the same culture, same lifestyle, and same dress style (dhoti, shawl, saree, etc.) in those days. Even so, there were numerous kingdoms ruled politically by various kings. Even these kings were fighting wars against each other. War between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. War between Ram and Ravan. The Kalinga Wars, and many more.

Politically, let there be Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, etc.; no problem. But the way of living should be the same everywhere. All these States should acknowledge our ancestors as well as our values. All the present-day political States should be emotionally united, and that is the root of Akhand Bharat.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that Akhand Bharat, or undivided India, will be a reality before todays young generation gets old. Since then, the Opposition has been alleging that the Modi government is planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as the countrys name.

Congress claimed that the alliance of like-minded opposition parties named I.N.D.I.A. has worried the BJP, which is now trying to drop India and keep only Bharat as the countrys name. Mohan Bhagwant had made a strong pitch for the use of the word Bharat instead of India. Bhagwat emphasized that the name of our country has been Bharat for ages. Whatever the language, the name remains the same.

Akhand Bharat is a concept that says India is united. As long as there is casteism in India, as long as there are political differences, as long as there are Hindus or Muslims and not Indians, and as long as people cannot accept ideas that contradict their beliefs, there will never be an Akhand Bharat.
Image: PTI

A local court in Nagpur on Friday held Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not guilty in connection with a complaint that accused the BJP leader of not disclosing criminal cases pending against him in his poll affidavit ahead of the 2014 assembly elections.

Civil Judge S S Jadhav said the court has dosh mukt (acquitted) Fadnavis, who was present in the courtroom virtually.

Satish Uke, an advocate, had filed an application seeking criminal proceedings against Fadnavis, alleging that cases of cheating and forgery had been registered against the BJP leader in 1996 and 1998, but the latter did not disclose this information in his poll affidavit. Fadnavis had earlier admitted to the court in a statement that there had been an inadvertent mistake on the part of his lawyer while collating information about pending criminal cases against him, due to which two criminal cases were not mentioned in his election affidavit submitted in 2014.

In the statement submitted on April 15, Fadnavis said there was no intention to deliberately conceal information about the two insignificant complaint cases, and their non-inclusion in the affidavit of Form 26 was sheer inadvertence and without any intention.

The deputy chief minister, elected from the Nagpur South West assembly constituency, further claimed that he had mentioned cases of a more severe nature in his election affidavit.

The BJP leader maintained that he has been a sitting member of the assembly since 1999 and has won by a huge margin each time.

Fadnavis had appeared before the court on two occasions to record his statement.

Uke is presently in jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on charges of money laundering.
As the global leaders have begun to arrive in India to attend the G20 Leaders Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he looks forward to the three bilateral meetings scheduled at his residence.

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to hold bilateral meetings with Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, and US President Joe Biden.

This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence, posted PM Modi on X.

The Prime Minister also said that these meetings will provide an opportunity to review Indias relations with these countries.

I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden. The meetings will give an opportunity to review Indias bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation, the post further read.

This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence.



I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden.



The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Mauritius PM Jugnauth arrived in India on Thursday, while Bangladesh PM Hasina arrived on Friday afternoon.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, the Mauritius PM hailed Indias G20 Presidency and said that there couldnt have been a better theme for the summit than One Earth, One Family, and One Future, which translates to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed his contribution to the summit.

Jugnauth said, I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year, and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were in a situation when the whole world was on its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change.

US President Biden is expected to arrive in India on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, on PM Modi and Bidens bilateral meeting, US NSA Jake Sullivan has said that meaningful progress on a number of issues, including GE Jet engine issues, MQ9 Reapers, 5G, 6G, and civil nuclear areas, will show the breadth of the relationship.

Tomorrow the president will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and it will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Mods visit to the United States, and we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ9 reapers on 5G and 6G, a collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress in the civil nuclear area as well, he said.

Sullivan also said, We will mark all of that progress when the two of them meet tomorrow, which shows the breadth of the relationship between our countries. Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements, and then hell look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend.

Sullivans remarks came on the heels of US President Joe Bidens departure for New Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders Summit.

The G20 Leaders Summit is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in India.
A 74-year-old Pensacola man who already served three prison terms for exposing himself to children was arrested last Saturday inside a Home Depot after reportedly exposing himself to a group of children ages 5-12, according to an arrest report obtained by WEAR in Pensacola.

Lloyd Allen is charged with exposure of sexual organs and violating the terms of his status as a sex offender, which requires him to refrain from loitering within 300 feet of children. He remained in the Escambia County (Fla.) Jail as of Friday under $12,500 bond. He has a court date of Sept. 22.

According to the report, another man was inside the Home Depot on W. Nine Mile Road with his grandson when he spotted Allen crouching down in an aisle and watching a group of children in the next aisle. The man told Escambia County deputies Allen was touching himself on the outside of his clothes.

The man also told deputies Allen walked a way for a moment before returning, at which point he allegedly unfastened his pants and exposed himself within 20 feet of the group of 10-15 children. The witness grabbed Allen and walked him outside until deputies arrived.

The Florida Department of Corrections database classifies Allen as a sexual predator who has been convicted four times (2001, 2005, 2014, 2020) of lewd and lascivious exhibition in front of children 16 and under. Three of the previous arrests were in the Florida Panhandle area, with one out-of-state, according to the FDOC.

The latter three convictions resulted in Allen serving sentences in Florida prisons, including two years from June 2005 to June 2007; 17 months from Aug. 2014 to Jan. 2016; and most recently a four-month term from Feb. 2020 to June 2020.
This story is part of AL.coms 1963 Season of Change series. See more coverage here.

This week in Alabama history marks a momentous shift: For the first time, Black students attended previously all-white schools in Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville and Tuskegee.

School desegregation, ordered by a judge in several school districts for the first week of September 1963, nine years after Brown v. Board of Education, occurred in fits and starts.

In Macon County, the first school district to integrate, Gov. George Wallace ordered Tuskegee High closed due to safety concerns.

When Black students arrived a week later, every white student withdrew. They formed a new private school, the first among many desegregation academies.

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth right, integration leader, escorts Dwight Armstrong, 9, and his brother Floyd, 11, from the Graymont Elementary School in Birmingham, Ala, Sept. 9, 1963. State troopers, on order from the governor, opened the school but turned the African Americans away. Threats against Black institutions are deeply rooted in U.S. history and leaders say the history of violence against people of color should be passed on to new generations so the lessons of the past can be applied to the present. (AP Photo, File)AP

In Birmingham, students like Frank and Dwight Armstrong were blocked from attending their first day of school by state troopers.

There was a lot of opposition to us, Dwight Armstrong told AL.com in 2013. We had always been a civil rights family. We didnt go to be martyrs. Our father, who was a World War II vet, didnt migrate North, like so many many others, looking for better opportunities. He wanted to make Alabama better. That was his dream; that was his purpose in life.

On Sept. 10, after a week of turmoil, President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard and Black students successfully entered Birmingham schools.

At Birminghams newly integrated West End High School, nine people were arrested -- two after a battle with police -- as demonstrators gathered and 1,000 white students refused to enter.

Former students recalled bomb threats and rumors of violence.

Meanwhile in Huntsville, 25 white students walked past state police and entered desegregated schools.

Sonnie W. Hereford IV, 6, enters the Fifth Avenue Elementary School in Huntsville, Ala., Sept. 9, 1963, accompanied by his father, S.W. Hereford III, as a city detective looks on. The black youngster was denied entrance to the same previously white school on Friday when Alabama state patrolmen barred the door. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS

On Sept. 9, after being turned away several times, Sonnie Hereford IV became the first Black child to successfully attend a white public school in Alabama.

City and school officials today praised Huntsville residents as racial barriers fell at four city schools without signs of serious trouble, a Huntsville Times article said on Sept. 9, 1963.

With Alabama State Troopers blocking the main entrance to Murphy High School, students Dorothy Bridget Davis, 16, and Henry Hobdy, 17, arms loaded with school books, turn away from school, Sept. 9, 1963 in Mobile, Alabama. Hobdy is reading his copy of an executive order from Gov. George Wallace stopping the pair from attending classes. (AP Photo/Fred Noel)ASSOCIATED PRESS

And in Mobile, Birdie Mae Davis sued the school system in order to attend Murphy High. She and two other students successfully desegregated Mobile schools, with help from longtime NAACP leader John LeFlore.

Davis and Hobdy attended their first classes at Murphy on September 10, 1963, after a federal judge barred Wallace from further interference at the school.

In 1967, Judge Frank Johnson expanded desegregation orders to schools across the state. But it would take decades for some districts to successfully integrate. Many others have yet to prove to courts that they are no longer operating dual systems of education.

--------

AL.com and Alabama Vintage are examining 60 years of school desegregation in the state. Future coverage will focus on some of the first Black students to attend white schools in September of 1963  and their thoughts on where schools are headed today.

Do you have a story to share about school desegregation or other events from 1963?

You can help us in a few different ways:

Tell us your story. Use this form to share a memory or photo (or just email them directly back to this email). It can be from you or from a family member, or a story a family member told you.

Interview a family member. Use this template to ask a few questions and record the responses.

Get students involved. Teachers, wed love your help. Do your students ever interview community members for a social studies project? Can your K-12 classroom help us reach more people? Reach out to Education Lab Editor Ruth Serven Smith at rserven@al.com.
This photo, provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sept. 8, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting the launch of a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine." Yonhap



North Korea has launched a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine" capable of carrying out an underwater nuclear attack, with leader Kim Jong-un vowing to "further strengthen the state nuclear deterrence," the North's state media said Friday.



The launching ceremony for the submarine, held Wednesday, was attended by the North Korean leader ahead of the country's 75th founding anniversary, which falls on Saturday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



"The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK and made clearer the steadfast will of the WPK and the government of the DPRK to further strengthen the state nuclear deterrence both in quality and quantity and by leaps and bounds for regional and global peace and security," the KCNA said, referring to the ruling Workers' Party (WPK).



DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



Named the Hero Kim Kun Ok, the tactical nuclear attack submarine No. 841  the first of its kind  will "perform its combat mission as one of the core underwater offensive means of the naval force" of the North.



"The fact that the nuclear attack submarine, considered a symbol of invasion against our republic for decades, now symbolizes our power that terrifies the shameless enemies and that it is a new attack submarine of our own style unseen by the world, is truly something welcomed by all our people," Kim said during his speech, hinting that the latest move was aimed at countering U.S. nuclear-powered submarines.





This photo, provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sept. 8, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a ceremony on Sept. 6 to celebrate the launch of a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine." Yonhap



Calling it an "urgent task of the times" to arm the navy with nuclear weapons, Kim urged the swift transfer of "underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons" to the Navy.









He also announced the country's plans to build more submarines, including a nuclear-powered submarine.



"Today's launching ceremony will shoulder no less burden for our enemies than building a nuclear-powered submarine," Kim said.



He then stressed that the rapid development of the naval force is the "top priority" for national defense, given the geopolitical situation, as well as "recent aggressive attempts by the enemies."



Initial photos released by the KCNA suggest the latest submarine is equipped with ten missile tubes that can likely fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), though the reclusive North has not provided any details. A military source said the North appears to have modified a Romeo-class submarine, which is not capable of carrying an SLBM launcher.



The submarine is also presumed to be capable of launching the "Haeil," the North's first-ever nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle unveiled last March.





This photo, provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sept. 8, shows a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine" being launched on Sept. 6. Yonhap
Hurricane Lee weakened slightly to a strong Category 4 hurricane on Friday after spending the night as a Category 5.

Lees sustained winds dropped to 150 mph on Friday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center, but thats not far from Category 5 intensity. Category 5 winds begin at 157 mph.

Lee had 165 mph winds earlier this morning.

Fluctuations in intensity like what has occurred this morning are not uncommon in intense hurricanes, the hurricane center said. Although Lees current intensity is lower than the overnight peak, the hurricane remains very powerful.

Forecasters said wind shear and dry air have helped to weaken the storm slightly.

The hurricane centers intensity forecast scales back the storms potential intensity. Lee had been forecast to peak with 180 mph winds, but that has been lowered to 150 mph as of the latest update.

Lee is headed in the general direction of the Lesser Antilles but is forecast to stay on a path that will keep the core of the storm north and east of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend and into early next week, forecasters said.

As of 4 p.m. CDT Friday, the center of Hurricane Lee was located about 500 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and was moving west-northwest at 13 mph.

The official long-range forecast track from the hurricane center shows the core of the powerful storm continuing to the northwest into next week. By the last day of the forecast period, Wednesday, the hurricane center thinks Lee will be sitting to the north of the Lesser Antilles and to the east of the Bahamas.

Lee is expected to slow down its westward progress over the weekend but will remain a powerful major hurricane into next week.

The hurricane center warned that waves from the storm will reach the Lesser Antilles later today, and then the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda by this weekend.

Lee is not expected to directly affect the U.S. through the next five days, but rough surf and rip currents are expected to begin along most of the East Coast on Sunday and Monday.

Will Lee eventually threaten the U.S. mainland? Its still too soon to say, according to forecasters.

It is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic, the hurricane center said Friday.

Regardless, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along most of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday. Continue to monitor updates to Lees forecast during the next several days.

TROPICAL STORM MARGOT

Tropical Storm Margot is expected to become a hurricane in a few days but will stay far away from the U.S.

The hurricane center was also tracking another storm, Margot, in the eastern Atlantic.

Margot was a tropical storm on Friday but is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane next week. However, it will stay far from the U.S.

The forecast path from the hurricane center shows Margot turning to the north-northwest and staying well to the east of Bermuda next week.

Margot was a minimal tropical storm with 40 mph winds on Friday afternoon and brought heavy rain and gusty winds to the Cabo Verde Islands on Thursday.
More than a dozen current and former staffers of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon are speaking out about an alleged toxic and chaotic work environment fostered by the Emmy-winning host.

NBCs hit late-night talk show  hosted by the 48-year-old since 2014  has been a toxic place for years, according to two current and 14 former employees, who described their experiences to Rolling Stone in a bombshell report published Thursday.

Fallon, who first reached TV superstar status as a cast member of NBCs Saturday Night Live in 1998, is known for his fun personality, charming interviews and celebrity friendships.

However, several people said Fallons alleged mistreatment of staff has resulted in a pretty glum atmosphere  a work environment described by one former employee as a dream job that turned into a nightmare very quickly.

Some employees told the magazine that most people who work backstage at the Tonight Show are well aware of good and bad Jimmy days.

They said the tense environment is the result of Fallons erratic behavior added to ever-changing leadership  which has led many behind the scenes to live in a constant state of fear.

Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners, a former employee said. You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit.

Several former staffers said working at the show negatively impacted their mental health, including four who said they were in therapy and three who said they experienced suicidal thoughts as a result of the toxic working environment.

In one specific incident, two employees said Fallon scolded a crew member in charge of cue cards during a taping with Jerry Seinfeld  and only apologized because the comedian told him to do so.

However, in a statement sent to the publication after the article went live, Seinfeld called the magazines version of the story stupid and an idiotic twisting of events.

An NBC spokesperson defended the show in a statement to Rolling Stone.

We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority, the spokesperson said, without mentioning Fallon.

The Daily News reached out to reps for Fallon and NBC for further comment. A spokesperson for the network said NBC had no other comment besides what it provided to Rolling Stone.

The Tonight Show is currently off the air due to the Writers Guild of America strike, which has been ongoing since early May.



2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An album of new material from the late Jimmy Buffett is due out in early November, featuring luminaries such as Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Will Kimbrough.

Buffetts label, Mailboat Records, working in conjunction with Sun Records, will release Equal Strain on All Parts on Nov. 3. Three songs can be heard now on popular streaming services: Like My Dog, My Gummie Just Kicked In and Bubbles Up.

Buffett, who was born in coastal Mississippi and grew up in Mobile, died Sept. 1 after a four-year battle with an aggressive skin cancer. His passing makes Bubbles Up that much more poignant: The title is taken from a SCUBA-diving term that reminds novice divers how to reorient themselves when theyve lost their equilibrium and their bearings:

Bubbles up/ They will point you toward home/ no matter how deep or how far you roam/ They will show you the surface/ the plot and the purpose/ So, when the journey gets long/ Just know that you are loved/ there is light up above/ And the joy is always enough/ Bubbles up.

The song was co-written by Will Kimbrough, a Mobile native who has regularly collaborated with Buffett in the studio and on stage over the last 15 years or so. McCartney was among the first to single it out in the wake of Buffetts passing, saying it was both a great song and his favorite vocal performance ever by Buffett.

He turned a diving phrase that is used to train people underwater into a metaphor for life when youre confused and dont know where you are just follow the bubbles -- theyll take you up to the surface and straighten you out right away, McCartney posted on Facebook after Buffetts death. So long, Jim. You are a very special man and friend and it was a great privilege to get to know you and love you. Bubbles up, my friend.

Rolling Stone also has taken note: With a melody that recalls a country hymnal, it offers a reassuring message about finding direction in life and a chorus that takes on new meaning given Buffetts passing, wrote David Browne.

Kimbrough also can be seen playing guitar in a behind the scenes video about the recording sessions for My Gummie Just Kicked In. That song is a much lighter romp inspired by an anecdote from dinner party between the Buffetts and the McCartneys. As explained by Mailboat Records, McCartneys wife, Nancy Shevell, stumbled and shrugged it off with a joking remark that her gummie had just kicked in. Buffett and McCartney ran with the idea of someone enjoying the impact of a (presumably) THC-laced candy.

The Jimmy Buffett album "Equal Strain On All Parts" is slated for released on Nov. 3, 2023.Mailboat Records

According to information released Friday, Equal Strain On All Parts features 14 songs. It can be pre-ordered now through Sun Records, Mailboat and major streaming services.

Related:

Jimmy Buffett is dead and I dont feel so good myself

Goodman: A tribute to Jimmy Buffett, legendary sports fan

Jimmy Buffett was one of Alabamas favorite sons
NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AP)  Some 40 Native American tribes have ancestral ties to Wayne National Forest, a quarter-million acres spread across portions of Appalachian southeastern Ohio. Their citizens have never stopped helping the U.S. Forest Service manage this expanse of forested hills, hollows, streams and lakes  even as the name recalls a violent past.

Now, a vigorous debate is underway over a Forest Service proposal to replace the name of Gen. Anthony Wayne, a founding father who Americans of an earlier era celebrated as an Indian fighter, with something more neutral: Buckeye National Forest, after the state tree.

Forest Manager Lee Stewart said tribes had been asking for a name change for decades, but their request was formalized last year as part of a sweeping review of derogatory place names undertaken by the Biden administration.

Since 2021, the names of about 650 places and geographic features across the country have been renamed, with involvement by the same federal board that in earlier eras helped get rid of the N-word and a pejorative word for Japanese.

In thinking of the offensive nature (of the name) to tribes, its the opportunity to begin to heal, to begin to connect our forest deeper than just around a name, Stewart said. Ohio has thousands of years of history. The history here is very, very deep  pre-history to historic times, where Wayne occupies his space, to the history once we became a state. So Buckeye, we feel, reflects that.

The public comment period ends Monday, with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to receive the feedback and make a final decision. It would be the first national forest renaming since 2007.

Proponents see the name change as an act of respect for Indigenous people whose ancestors lived on the land and whose citizens continue to offer their skill and expertise to stewardship of the land, some through treaties with the U.S. government.

The forests 381 square miles (987 square kilometers) are used for timber and other natural resources, in addition to featuring campgrounds, a horseback riding network and off-highway vehicle trails.

Before a federal government purchase in 1934, the land was dug, blasted and mined for coal. It was 1951 when the forest was named for Wayne, a Revolutionary War leader whose legacy has been revisited during the nations recent racial reckoning.

Wayne commanded Army forces during the Northwest Indian War, a confrontation on the American frontier that ended with the Battle of Fallen Timbers, a key victory over confederated Native forces that allied with the British. The resulting truce, the Treaty of Greenville, largely ceded Native rights to most of the territory that became the future state of Ohio, a result some these days see as ethnic cleansing.

Logan York, a representative of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, said in a statement that Anthony Waynes actions ultimately led to the forced removal at gunpoint of our Miami ancestors from our homelands in 1846.

Wayne may be a Revolutionary War hero to some, but he is also the main villain in our story of resistance, trying to keep our homes and maintain our lives, said Logan, the tribal historic preservation officer. For a National Forest to bear the name of Anthony Wayne is a harmful, and painful reminder and devalues us as Native peoples of Ohio.

Opposition to the proposed name change, which has an estimated $400,000 price tag, also is vigorous.

Donald Schultz, 89, who has lived in proximity to the forest all his life, dropped by Wayne headquarters this week to register his objections.

I am concerned about changing the name of everything, just history, he said. We need to keep the history this country had. We dont need to change the names of all the history.

Schultz said he recognizes the U.S. government treated the people horribly that were here, but by the same token, those same people treated the people that were coming here horribly.

This was border warfare. It was ugly on all sides, said Toledo-based historian Mary Stockwell, author of Unlikely General: Mad Anthony Wayne and the Battle for America and a book about the removal of Native Americans from Ohio.

Stockwell opposes removing Waynes name from the forest. She believes he has been miscast by history as the mad general, when he actually viewed it as his great misfortune that President George Washington chose him to come out to Ohio in 1791, raise an army and face the British-Indian coalition that was stopping the advance of the U.S. across the Ohio River.

You take down all the statues and rename everything, thats not going to change our turbulent, creative, wonderful and often difficult past, she said. Weve got to tell everybodys story.

Stewart said the Forest Service appreciates Waynes significant legacy, which included building the fort at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and inspiring the screen name of Hollywood icon John Wayne.

We get it, he said. This isnt about erasing Wayne out of history, its about reconciliation. To make (the tribes) say Wayne every time they engage, its difficult.

Its appropriate for societal viewpoints to evolve, York said.

As we look back on history, today we all have increased knowledge that leads to greater understanding, and an excellent way to reflect that is not to forget the past but to change as we change as a people, he said in the tribal statement.

Wayne might have been a hero to some but not to all, and National Forests are for everyone to enjoy equally, and the name should reflect that, York said.

 By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press
A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison in the 2020 ambush slaying of his cousin on a Birmingham roadway.

Charza Jamal Knight was initially charged with capital murder in the April 13, 2020, slaying of Cordai Deone Molette. A Jefferson County jury in May found Knight guilty of the lesser charge of felony murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Streety handed down Knights sentencing on Wednesday.

The case was prosecuted by deputy district attorneys Charissa Hendrix, Eric Hamilton, and Blake Owens. Knight was represented by the Jefferson County Public Defender Office.

Hendrix said the case was prosecuted using legal concepts from urban gun battle prosecutions from other jurisdictions.

The city streets are running with blood, and in this case, the victim was killed by blood, his own cousin, Hendrix said during sentencing. It was a tragedy on all sides.

Charza Knight (Jefferson County Jail)

It was just after 4:30 p.m. that Monday when officers from the South Precinct responded to a shot-spotter call of multiple rounds fired in the area of the 200 block of 48th St. North.

Upon arrival, officers found 23-year-old Molette unresponsive inside of a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and pronounced the victim dead.

Authorities said Molette was traveling westbound on Airport Highway and turned onto 48th Street North when gunfire erupted. The victims vehicle came to a rest after striking the exterior wall of a nearby business.

Knight fled in a white Chevy Impala with tinted windows. He was arrested within a week.

Cordai Molette

Knight contended that Molette had shot him the month before Molette was killed, according to court records.

Hendrix said Knight waited for the victim, who was driving, to come down the roadway. Knight then fired 19 shots at Molettes car, causing Molettes passenger to return gunfire at Knight, which caused the death of Molette.
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This is an opinion column (and not an actual diagnosis)

Its telling when you look at your states history and the American Psychiatric Association dictionary and find the same condition:

Oppositional defiant disorder.

The APA defines ODD as a behavior disorder of childhood characterized by recurrent disobedient, negativistic, or hostile behavior toward authority figures that is more pronounced than usually seen in children of similar age  It is manifest as temper tantrums, active defiance of rules, dawdling, argumentativeness, stubbornness, or being easily annoyed.

Im no doctor, but that sounds a lot like Alabama. The Show You State. The Make Me State. Oh, what a state were in.

Alabama is deep into defiance these days. It proudly flouted the U.S. Supreme Court order to redraw congressional districts to give Black people a shot at proportional representation, simply refusing to do what the High Court ordered.

What I hear you saying is that the state of Alabama deliberately disregarded our instructions, a federal judge said in August, like a parent at wits end.

You heard that right.

Gov. Kay Ivey argued earlier in July that The Legislature knows our state, our people and our districts better than the federal courts or activist groups.

So rule of law  or adult supervision  is not required.

... they are characterized by recurrent disobedient, negativistic, or hostile behavior toward authority figures...

U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, was asked by the Alabama Political Reporter if it was OK for the state to defy federal court orders. His answer: By all means.

 that is more pronounced than usually seen in children of similar age

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala./Fla., has made defiance his only area of expertise  other than support for white supremacists. He holds the U.S. military hostage and gambles with national security in the name of life, politics, and defiance.

Alabama history is built on temper tantrums, active defiance of rules, dawdling, argumentativeness, stubbornness, or being easily annoyed.

Here are the states greatest tantrums.

The history of Alabama defiance is long. Its disorder is strong.

But perhaps it is wrong to compare Alabamas belligerence to a genuine medical condition. Alabamas defiance  now and forever  has been a calculated political choice, which is way worse.

But doctors are pretty clear about how to deal with defiant children. Set clear expectations. Praise them when they deserve it. And hold them accountable when they misbehave.

Its about time we did that.

John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer winner at AL.com.
Alabamas Republican officials may be counting on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh if they hope to eventually win the fight over drawing its Congressional district map.

But that strategy could be harder than expected, CNN is reporting, as Chief Justice John Roberts may have helped secure Kavanaughs support in an earlier decision on the case.

Based on public statements and court filings from Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Solicitor General Edmund LaCour, the news network is reporting that state officials suspect Kavanaugh may switch his vote or otherwise assist Alabama should the case appear before the high court again.

A three-judge federal court ruled Tuesday that a Congressional district map approved by the Alabama Legislature in July did not fix a likely Voting Rights Act violation and has ordered a cartographer and special master appointed by the court to draw a new map.

Alabama is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Congressional map currently on the books only has one majority-Black district in the state. It has been in use since 2013. Redistricting typically occurs every ten years.

This is the first time that Alabama  and all states  have had the opportunity to draw new Congressional maps since the 2013 Supreme Court case Shelby v. Holder, which did away with the preclearance requirement certain states and regions needed when redistricting.

According to CNN, the court was expected to side with Alabama in a move that advocates feared would weaken the Voting Rights Act. Instead, the court ruled Alabama must draw a second majority-Black district.

The outcome of the case, though, was in doubt from the beginning, and the courts eventually majority decision resulted after meetings and circulation of memos.

Roberts, 68, and Kavanaugh, 58, have known each other since they both worked in the George H.W. Bush administration. They, and their voting patterns, have remained close.

Kavanaugh has also shown a certain sensitivity to racial issues in public comments, stating that racism has no place in the criminal justice system. Earlier this year, he mentioned to a law school audience his grade school copy of Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird.

On the inside cover, in my handwriting from back then, is written the phrase, Stand in someone elses shoes. And thats what (the English teacher) taught us was the lesson of To Kill a Mockingbird. And I think to be a good judge, and to be a good person, its important to understand other peoples perspectives, he said.

Kavanaugh, in the earlier decision, stated that the authority to conduct race-based redistricting cannot extend indefinitely into the future.

It was a position that LaCour cited in August, arguing for the states new redistricting map. However, Kavanaughs overall position stayed close to Roberts.

Sending the case back to the Supreme Court may not have a different outcome.

...the return of the dispute so quickly to the high court would likely give the majority, including Kavanaugh, pause for any reversal of sentiment regarding Voting Rights Act remedies for a states dilution of Black voting power, CNNs Joan Biskupic reported.
A 23-year-old Birmingham man has been charged with attempted murder after police say he got into an argument with a stranger on the side of Interstate 20 and then chased him down and shot him.

Justin Chapman is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of burglary, said Oxford police Chief Bill Partridge. He is facing additional charges.

Police say Chapman fired 21 shots during Thursdays ordeal. The victim who was struck remains in critical condition.

Partridge said Chapman exited Interstate 20, drove recklessly along Alabama 21 and then got back up on the interstate.

At that point, Chapman stopped, jumped out of his vehicle and approached another man who was standing on the side of the interstate.

The two men did not know each other, Partridge said. An altercation ensued.

Another motorist in a Chevrolet Tahoe then pulled up and told the suspect to stop what he was doing.

Chapman brandished a semi-automatic rifle and shot one round in the Tahoe.

The man with whom the suspect had initially argued took off running toward the RaceTrac store on Alabama 21 and Grace Street.

Chapman pursued him and fired on him again at the entrance to RaceTrac. The wounded victim dropped to the ground.

The shooter then approached the store and fired multiple rounds into the business. The employees had heard the previous shots and locked the doors before he got to the store, the chief said.

Multiple police officers arrived at the scene. Partridge said Chapman then surrendered.

The victim was airlifted to UAB Hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Partridge said Friday investigators have not yet identified a motive in Chapmans behavior.

Chapman is being held in the Oxford City Jail.
A Jefferson County man has pleaded guilty in last years shooting death of his 29-year-old son.

Henry Edward Freeman, 52, was initially charged with capital murder in the Aug. 21, 2022, slaying of Dandrei Stepfon Freeman, whose identified his father as the shooter before he died.

Henry Freeman on Thursday entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of murder and to discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Alaric May sentenced Henry Freeman to life in prison for the murder conviction and to 20 years for the gun conviction.

The case was set to go to trial in November.

This was a very sad case, said Jefferson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Roberts. A father killing his own son is almost unfathomable.

Jefferson County sheriffs deputies were dispatched just before 11 p.m. that Sunday to the 1800 block of Pebble Lake Circle on a report of shots fired in the area.

Authorities learned a domestic violence situation had taken place inside a home there.

Dandrei Freeman

Roberts said Henry Freeman was fighting with his wife - Nicole Washington. When their son  Dandrei Freeman - intervened to help his mom, Henry Freeman turned his rage on his son.

Dandrei and his mother fled the scene, but the defendant got a gun and pursued them, Roberts said.

Henry Freeman eventually ended up catching up to them and shot several times into the vehicle. Dandrei Freeman, a passenger in the vehicle, was wounded.

Henry Freeman fled the scene.

Deputies found the injured son in the woods where he had sought safety after being shot.

Dandreis last words before he collapsed were that his father had shot him, Roberts said.

Dandrei Freeman was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:53 p.m.

Washington was not injured.

Henry Freeman was also charged with attempted murder for shooting at his wife. Roberts said Thursday that charge was dismissed because Washington was no longer cooperating with the prosecution.
Neighbors of a Trinity man charged with third-degree burglary on Monday for allegedly breaking into and living in an unoccupied house said on Thursday he is a nice guy.

Michael Leeshawn Jackson, 38, is accused of living for weeks in the North Greenway Drive residence in Trinity prior to his arrest, according to a Trinity police affidavit.

I kept noticing this guy messing around over there, said Don Smith, 75, whos lived nearby for nearly 30 years with his wife, Yolanda Smith. Hed pull into the back of the house to park his car.

Don Smith said the elderly husband and wife who previously occupied the house Jackson is accused of squatting in passed away, and that the house had been unoccupied for around a year. The Smiths notified the deceased couples daughter, who they said lives in Madison, of the unexpected tenant.

The daughter did not wish to be named and declined comment on Thursday, citing concerns over jeopardizing the criminal case.

Im a prayer person, said Yolanda Smith. Everything in my spirit was upset about it. I just knew something was wrong.

The Smiths appeared conflicted about Jacksons arrest, noting that his mother lives in the area and that he has children. During his occupancy, Jackson even came to the Smiths home and exchanged introductions with Don Smith.

He was very well-mannered when he talked to my husband, Yolanda Smith said.

Don Smith said Jackson had been living on the property for around a month and speculated that he began squatting in the house after noticing its state.

The property was in bad shape with overgrown grass and tree limbs over there, Don Smith said.

When Jackson started living on the property, hed arrive late at night and park his vehicle behind the house where it was barely visible from the street, according to Don Smith.

He did that for several weeks before he got a grass crew to clean up, Don Smith said, adding that he had noticed four or five additional vehicles at the property one day and people mowing grass and stacking lumber.

Don Smith said he presumes the cleanup was part of an effort to eventually lay legal claim on the property.

He was following the Alabama laws to a T, he said.

Under Alabama adverse possession laws, trespassers can lay legal claim to a property after openly inhabiting and improving it for 20 years.

Civil litigator and estate lawyer Greg Shelton, of Shelton & Shelton law firm in Decatur, said he has had to have people arrested for trespassing on unoccupied houses before while dealing with estates and trusts.

The 20 years is kind of a drop-dead date, Shelton said. So, if youve been using that property for 20 years, it doesnt matter whether youve been paying the taxes, it just has to be: hostile, notorious, adverse; it has to be open and obvious to the whole world that youre claiming that property.

A hostile possession means the occupant is trespassing against the rightful owner, either deliberately, ignorantly or through an honest mistake, such as an incorrect deed.

Notorious possession means the occupant must not try to hide the act of trespassing.

Additionally, the trespasser must be physically present on the land and treat it as their own, and the possession must be continuous for the 20-year duration.

If youre able to do that for 20 years, then theyre going to allow you to have it, Shelton said. But you have to go to court to establish that adverse possession.

Its more set up around land than it is a house, but it can apply to a house as thats part of the land.

Shelton said a 10-year adverse possession law, which requires payment of property taxes, is more commonly used in disputes over land borders. For example, if someone mistakenly builds a fence over the border of a neighbors property, they may legally claim the land the fence sits on after 10 years.

Squatters in some other states, such as New York, are afforded legal tenant status after 30 days of occupancy, according to Shelton.

In Alabama, if you come home one day and somebodys in your house, you just have them arrested and that will be the end of that, he said.

On Thursday, the house Jackson had been living in appeared empty. A fresh no trespassing sign had been taped to the front door. An identical sign was also taped to a sedan that the Smiths said had since been pulled across the driveway to block entrance to the rear.

 david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.

___

(c)2023 The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.)

Visit The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) at www.decaturdaily.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This April 25, 2019 file photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un shaking hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia. AP-Yonhap



North Korea and Russia may be seeking to improve their relations since it may offer benefits to both but the level of their cooperation, especially in advanced military technology such as nuclear weapons, will likely be limited, a former U.S. intelligence officer on North Korea said Thursday.



Sydney Seiler, former national intelligence officer on North Korea at the National Intelligence Council, also argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite being desperate for North Korea's support for his war on Ukraine, does not want to see a nuclear-armed North Korea.



"From Russia's point of view, I mean, Vladimir Putin is desperate. He is turning where he needs to turn," he said of a potential arms deal between Russia and North Korea.



Russia, however, "has adhered to the idea that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is still a goal. They are not accepting a nuclear North Korea, per se," he told a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington.



His remarks come after White House officials hinted at a possible summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Putin in Russia to discuss a potential arms deal.






The regional director of the National Labor Relations Board has blocked a vote to decertify the United Mine Workers of America at Alabamas Warrior Met Coal.

Region 10 Director Lisa Henderson issued a 16-page ruling Thursday, stating that the pending unfair labor practices tainted the atmosphere in which the employees signed the decertification petition...

An election to decertify a union in a workplace can be held after collecting signatures from at least 30% of workers in a unit. A majority of votes in an election decides the outcome. The NLRB lists 795 employees affected in the Warrior Met Coal case.

A petition to decertify the union was filed with the NLRB back in April. The petition came a month after union members at Warrior Met Coal began returning to work after a 23-month strike, believed to be the longest in Alabama history.

The union offered an unconditional return to work in February after months of stalemate in the labor talks.

In Hendersons decision, she wrote that it stands to reason that striking employees would not be pleased with the Union when, after a prolonged strike, they returned to work without a collective-bargaining agreement. However, some of that dissatisfaction came from unfair labor practices by Warrior Met.

The companys failure and refusal to provide requested information to the Union had a negative impact on the Unions ability to effectively negotiate on behalf of the bargaining unit, which contributed to employee disaffection, the decision states.

In June, National Labor Relations Board Judge Melissa Oliverio ruled Warrior Met Coal engaged in unfair labor practices by not providing the United Mine Workers of America with requested information during collective bargaining talks.

A spokesman for Warrior Met Coal said the company had no comment on the decision.

They violated the law before the strike began, continue to violate the law today, and intend to keep violating it in the future, International UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts said, in a statement.

Our members have been fighting for fair treatment and respect from Warrior Met Coal, and the companys unfair labor practices have caused significant harm to our members and their families. Ironically, it was a non-member who initiated the decertification petition in an attempt to deny every workers right to belong to a union in the workplace. The UMWA will continue to fight for justice and fairness for our members.

The ruling sends a clear message that they cannot violate workers rights with impunity, Roberts said.
Samford University now has the largest class of first-year students and total enrollment of students in the schools history.

This fall, 1,081 first year students enrolled at Samford, which is an increase from last years record number of 972. The total number of undergraduate students is 3,832 and the total enrollment is with 5,791, according to a statement from the private university.

This is a testament to the hard work of our entire campus and the strong desire our students have for a Samford education, said Jason Black, Samfords vice president for enrollment management.

Samford said it has seen 15 years of consecutive enrollment records at a time when many universities across the nation are experiencing enrollment declines. According to the Brookings Institution, from 2010 to 2021, undergraduate enrollment dropped by 15%.

The bump comes amid a banner year for multiple Alabama colleges.

The University of Alabama stated last month it expected to reach record enrollment this fall as it did in 2022.

The University of North Alabama has a record enrollment of more than 10,000 students.

While Auburn University has not yet released enrollment numbers, the university received a record amount of applications for the fall term.

Colleges typically release official enrollment numbers later in the fall.
Senior NASA officials have told government auditors the space agencys Artemis moon program is unaffordable at current costs, according to a federal audit released Thursday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report also said the space agency is not monitoring ongoing production costs and other costs needed to sustain the program going forward.

Artemis is boosted on rockets developed and managed at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. They are built largely by Boeing outside New Orleans at the Michoud Assembly Facility also managed by Marshall. Boeing is the prime contractor for the design, development, test and production of the SLS core stage, upper stage and flight avionics suite, the company says on its website.

The space agency does not plan to measure production costs, the GAO report said, but cost transparency is needed given the billions in tax dollars being spent for future Artemis missions.

NASA does have a plan for short- and long-term cost savings, the auditors said. That plan would use contracts that shift cost risk from the government to the contractors and that achieve manufacturing efficiencies. Its too early to know if that will work, the report said. NASA is also considering long-term options, including purchasing future SLS launches and payload capabilities from a contractor who would own, operate, and integrate the SLS rocket, the report said.

Artemis is NASAs name for a program whose goal is putting the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. The name comes from the Greek goddess Artemis, sister of Apollo, namesake for Americas first moon program. NASA and others in the scientific community want to return to the moon to explore and set up a base in the southern hemisphere where there is evidence of ice. Ice can be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen used in rocket fuel and in other ways. Things learned on the moon will also be important in reaching NASAs ultimate goal of a mission to Mars.

NASA is operating its moon program with a rolling 5-year estimate of production and operations costs, the audit says. But neither the estimate nor the annual budget requests track costs by Artemis mission or for recurring production items. Because of that, the GAO said the 5-year estimate and budget requests are poor measures of cost performance over time. The GAO says it recommended NASA change this procedure in 2014 to know better the production costs of SLS, but NASA hasnt done that yet.

The reports opening letter to Senate and House appropriations committees notes that SLS evolved from NASAs Constellation lunar exploration program. Constellations closing by the Obama administration in 2010 put hundreds of government and contractor employees out of work in Alabama, Texas, California and other states. Some of those states had powerful congressional representation.

The Obama administration favored commercial flights to the International Space Station until America could find a better and less expensive way to send humans to deep space. Development on the Orion capsule did continue and the capsule was carried forward when the Artemis program got backing from the incoming Trump administration. Since 2011, NASA has spent $11.8 billion to develop the initial SLS capability, the audit said. The presidents budget request for fiscal year 2024 includes an additional $11.2 billion for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to further develop and produce the SLS.
Alabamas attorney general has been making waves nationally with his assertion that people who help women access abortion in other states could be prosecuted as conspirators.

Former U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton tweeted Wednesday about Attorney General Steve Marshalls horrific move to restrict womens movement, adding: Youve got to be kidding. That prompted a short response from Marshall on Twitter alleging Clinton supports access to abortion up until birth.

I'm not seeing enough people talking about this horrific move by Republican officials in Alabama to restrict women's freedom of movement. You've got to be kidding me.https://t.co/suYauIYw1m  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 6, 2023

The sudden back-and-forth concerns a lawsuit filed in federal court in July that could determine the reach of Alabamas ban on abortion and exactly who, if anyone, could be prosecuted by the state for an abortion conducted elsewhere.

Horrific? Your position is that abortion should be permitted up until the time of a babys birth. Im not seeing enough people talk about that. https://t.co/1DPEi87Z4N  Attorney General Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) September 6, 2023

Heres what you need to know:

Who sued?

The ACLU sued on behalf of womens clinics and providers. The Lawyering Project also sued on behalf of the Yellowhammer Fund. Both lawsuits have been combined in federal court.

They challenged statements made by Attorney General Steve Marshall during an interview on a talk radio show.

What did Marshall say?

Marshall said people who assist women who travel out of state for abortions could face prosecution. Marshall acknowledged that Alabamas law cant prevent women from driving across state lines to areas where abortion is legal, but he said that people or groups who assist could be breaking the law.

However, I would say that if an individual held themselves out as an entity or a group that is using funds that they are able to raise to facilitate those visits, then thats something were going to look at closely, Marshall said.

Who could that be?

The Yellowhammer Fund is an organization that supports access to abortion. Before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the right to an abortion in its Dobbs decision last summer, the group provided funding to help women pay for abortions and travel costs. Its staff stopped those activities after the ruling and pivoted to promoting birth control and supporting low-income parents.

What does Yellowhammer Fund say?

Attorneys for Yellowhammer Fund said the threat of prosecution violates the right to free speech. In the lawsuit, they said Marshalls comments kept the Yellowhammer Fund from speaking freely about abortion options due of fear of arrest and prosecution.

They also argue they can no longer no provide funding for Alabama women traveling out of state for abortion, impeding the free right to travel.

Whats Alabama say?

In Alabama, performing an abortion is now a class A felony. In his response to the lawsuit, Marshall said the state can treat those who assist women traveling for abortion as criminal conspirators if those plans are made in Alabama.

The criminal conduct is the agreement (the conspiracy) itself, which is conduct that occurs in Alabama that Alabama has every right to prosecute, Marshalls motion said. Thus, the legality of abortion in other States is irrelevant to whether Alabama can prosecute a conspiracy formed in Alabama. "

Whats Yellowhammer say?

Attorneys representing Yellowhammer Fund said in a motion the state cannot prosecute those who help people access legal abortion.

Alabamas abortion ban reaches only as far as its borders, the motion said. Yellowhammer Fund would not violate any law if it helped pregnant Alabamians access lawful abortion care in other states, and Defendants assertion that he can criminalize people who support such care offends the values of sovereignty and comity that are foundational to our constitutional structure.

How does this affect doctors?

Marshalls statements raise questions about the role of doctors and whether they too could face prosecution. In the lawsuit filed by owners of two womens clinics, Dr. Yashica Robinson, an OB-GYN who provided abortions before the Dobbs decision, said she talked with out-of-state clinics to coordinate care for medically complex patients.

Due to the threat of prosecution, Dr. Robinson and her staff no longer provide this sort of information and support, despite frequently receiving inquiries from people who are considering their pregnancy options and are interested in where and how to access abortion care in a state where it is legal, and where and how to obtain assistance in doing so, and despite continuing to see medically complex patients who are considering abortion, the lawsuit said.

Does Marshall have support in Alabama?

Eric Johnston, an attorney who founded the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition, said the Dobbs decision didnt neatly dvide the country into areas where abortions are legal or illegal. Complicated questions remain about how much states can regulate abortion-related conduct such as traveling and funding. Other states have also looked for ways to clamp down on abortion-related travel.

The Alabama Pro-Life Coalition supports the AG in his position, Johnston said.

Whats next?

In late October, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson will hear arguments about whether he should dismiss the Yellowhammer Fund lawsuit.
UPDATE: Police on Friday said Kaiden has been located.

EARLIER: Birmingham police are searching for an 11-year-old boy who they say ran away from home after being disciplined Thursday night.

The boy is not believed to be in danger, police said.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts was asked to call Birmingham police at 205-328-9311.
A co-conspirator in the scheme to set fires to Walmarts along the Gulf Coast was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Thursday.

Sean Bottorff was among a group of eight people involved in setting fire to Walmart stores in Tillmans Corner, Gulfport, Miss., and Biloxi, Miss., between May 27, 2021 and June 4, 2021.

U.S. District Court Judge Terry Moorer sentenced Bottorff on Thursday in federal court in Mobile.

Bottorffs punishment includes three years of probation; he was also ordered to pay Walmart nearly $7.3 million in damages.

Bottorffs sentence was not in federal court records as of Thursday evening but Fox 10 reported the punishment.

The federal indictment against ringleader Jeffrey Sikes and his fellow conspirators alleged they maliciously set the fires to force Walmart, Inc. to meet demands related to interstate and foreign commerce set forth by the conspirators in their manifesto (identified herein as The Walmart Manifesto.)

According to the indictment, the conspirators used accelerants such as lighter fluid to set racks of clothing and other materials on fire. It cites a mix of data to identify participants movements, including in-store security camera footage and cell phone data.

Some of those calls include a burner phone used to take pictures of a six-page manifesto titled Declaration of War and Demands for the People which the indictment says was Supposedly written by a group called The Veterans Order.

According to the indictment, photos of the document were emailed to local news stations in Mobile and the Mississippi coast. The indictment says that the document references the malicious fires, makes a series of demands on Walmart related to the companys interstate and foreign commerce business practices, and threatens further malicious fires if Walmart does not comply with the demands. It is signed with a seal pressed into melted red wax.

The fire set inside the I-65 Service Road Walmart caused an estimated $8.5 million in damage, according to testimony by the stores senior director John Wimsett. The store was closed for two weeks for cleanup and repair.
Librarians in Alabama should face the possibility of jail time if they offer LGBTQ books to kids, according to a newly formed state group pushing to remove porn and obscenity from libraries childrens sections.

Clean Up Alabama, a Prattville-based nonprofit organization registered Aug. 14 with the Alabama secretary of states office, believes libraries should no longer be exempt from the Alabama Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act, according to an email sent to the groups newsletter subscribers, Alabama Political Reporter reported Thursday.

Libraries are exempt from the laws provisions, which also spares offenders from penalties resulting from distributing or possessing material harmful to minors if the offense is committed under a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial or law enforcement purpose.

Violators of the law face up to a $10,000 fine and up to one year in a county jail.

Clean Up Alabama posted about the law on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 16, claiming librarians could legally display sex toys, and possibly give them to kids without prosecution.:

Did you know that Alabma library employees can legally display sex toys, and possibly give them to kids without prosecution? Check out the anti-obscenity enforcement act library exclusion (200.10), courtesy of @ALALibrary

https://t.co/6576lOm3OG  Clean Up Alabama (@CleanUpAlabama) August 16, 2023

The organization, which began as Clean Up Prattville, describes itself as being dedicated to protecting the innocence of Alabamas children by advocating for the removal of pornography and obscenity from our libraries childrens sections.

Prattville residents flooded the city councils meeting on Wednesday to debate the controversial contract that would have effectively eliminated the childrens section of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library.

The council voted down the contract, according to Alabama Political Reporter.
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For centuries, our ancestors were restricted from reading and writing. In fact, many risked their lives for having the audacity to learn. Back then, education was akin to freedom. Its power  then and now. And for us, that power was often harnessed in one-room schoolhouses, church basements or anywhere else we could gather as a community. Asserting our right to education is an intricate part of our history.

During a time when Black teachers were restricted from teaching in public schools, regardless of their qualifications, these three southern educators moved mountains to ensure that Black folks were granted the same opportunity as their white counterparts to a quality education.

Lucy Craft Laney (1854-1933)

Lucy C. Laney, founder and principal of the Haines Normal and Industrial School in Augusta, Georgia, United States.

One of Georgias most prominent educators, Lucy Craft Laney defied all odds against her as a young African-American girl born to formerly enslaved parents. A native of Macon, Georgia, she began reading at a very young age. Laney was also a part of the first class at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University), graduating from their teacher training program in 1873.

Known by her students as Miss Lucy, Laney taught in several Georgia towns, including Macon, for ten years before starting her own school. In 1883, she founded Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, at Christ Presbyterian Church in Augusta. Named after her lifetime benefactor Francine E. H. Haines, Laney devoted her life to keeping her school open. By 1912, the institute flourished with thirty-four teachers, 900 students and a college preparatory program. Laneys graduating students went on to schools like Howard, Yale and a host of other prestigious colleges.

Beyond her teaching career, Laney was an active community member, helping found the local NAACP chapter in Augusta, Georgia. She was also a member of the National Association of Colored Women and the Niagara Movement. Laney was a friend, teacher and inspiration to both her students and many of peers such as Mary McLeod Bethune, W.E.B Du Bois and Langston Hughes to name a few. In 1992, she was inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement.

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)

Mary McLeod Bethune sits at a desk, possibly in the Chicago Defender offices, 1942.

Activist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune was born during the turbulent reconstruction era in Sumter County, South Carolina. As a child, she recognized racial inequality early on particularly when it pertained to reading and writing. This observation fueled her passion for learning. In her words: The whole world opened to me when I learned to read. Unlike most of her family, she was able to attend school and eventually went to college to become a missionary in Africa. Bethune never achieved her dream due to discrimination against Black missionaries. This setback did not deter her, instead she went on to become a teacher.

After teaching briefly at her former school in Sumter, Bethune began teaching at the Haines Institute in Augusta, Georgia under the tutelage of Lucy Craft Laney. Bethune was deeply inspired by Laneys emphasis on educating young girls and women. After moving back to Sumter to teach, she got married and moved to Florida where she became determined to start her own school. In 1904, she founded the Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. Bethune was able to attract several benefactors to support the continued success of her school. In 1931, her school merged with Cookman Institute, an all-boys school, to form Bethune-Cookman College, where Bethune served as president. Spending years advocating for federal funding, Bethune-Cookman reached full four-year college status in 1941. The schools library became Floridas first library that welcomed Black patrons.

In addition to a dedicated educator, Bethune was a fierce advocate for racial equality and womens rights. Whether it was opening the first Black hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida in response to the local hospital refusing to see Black patients or organizing voter registration drives, Bethune was a mover and shaker in the community. In the midst of all that, she still found time to lead several organizations including Southeastern Association of Colored Womens Club and the National Council of Negro Women.

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987)

Septima Poinsette Clark (second left, behind lectern) speaks at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference banquet at the Redmont Hotel, Birmingham, Alabama, August 1965.

Born at the tail end of the 19th century in Charleston, South Carolina, Septima Poinsette Clark would grow up to be known by many as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. Unlike her father who was enslaved prior to emancipation, Clark was able to attend school. However, when her parents observed the condition of her school in comparison to the white school, they sent her to a woman in the neighborhood who taught children in her home. Later, she attended high school at the Avery Institute, the first accredited secondary school for African Americans in Charleston.

After recognizing the power of education, Clark decided to become a teacher, receiving her teaching license in 1916. Since Black people were restricted from teaching at Charleston public schools, she taught at a rural school on Johns Island during the day and held adult literacy classes in the evening. While teaching she joined the NAACP, taking part in a campaign that ultimately ended the policy that prevented Black teachers from working in the public school district.

Clark would go on to teach in Charleston Public schools. However, she lost her job in 1956 after South Carolina passed a law banning city and state employees from being involved in civil rights organizations. She later taught at Highlander Folk School which served a touchstone for the Citizenship Schools which was the convergence of education and grassroots organizing. This program was later adopted and expanded across the south by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Clarks legacy lives on through the present-day Freedom Schools that are forming in light of nationwide attempts at banning the teaching of Black History in public schools.










English News BRI a "path of happiness" benefiting world

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 8 Septembre 2023



As a new decade of the BRI begins, the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will further consolidate international consensuses, draw a blueprint for cooperation, pave a wide path toward common development, and build bright prospects of green development, pushing for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

By He Yin, People's Daily China will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this October.



The forum is not only the highlight in commemorative events to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but also an important platform for all partners to plan high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.



China will take the holding of the forum as an opportunity to take stock of what it has achieved, chart the course for the future, and guide the continuous advancement of high-quality BRI cooperation. It will open up a chapter in the new era for the Silk Road featuring mutual benefit and win-win results between countries, friendship and cultural affinity between peoples and mutual learning between civilizations.



In September and October of 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in Kazakhstan and Indonesia respectively, ushering in a new era of international cooperation.



Over the past 10 years, the BRI has evolved from broad strokes to refined details, becoming the most popular international public good and largest-scale international cooperation platform.



Over the past 10 years, adhering to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the initiative has made fruitful achievements. It has been joined by more than three-quarters of countries in the world, established over 3,000 cooperation projects, mobilized nearly $1 trillion of investment worldwide and created 420,000 jobs for participating countries.



These achievements fully prove that the BRI is a "path of happiness" that benefits the whole world.



Based on win-win cooperation, the "path of happiness" is becoming wider.



In the past decade, a series of landmark projects have been built under the BRI, including the China-Europe freight train, the new western land-sea corridor, the China-Laos Railway, and the Piraeus port. A solid foundation has been laid for developing economic, trade and production capability cooperation and expanding energy and resource cooperation.



Looking around the world, the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant in Puttalam is supplying electricity for thousands of Sri Lankan families, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya has boosted local economic growth by over 2 percentage points, and the Chinese vocational workshop program Luban Workshop has offered vocational training for young people in over 20 countries.

These have created an array of national landmarks, livelihood projects, and milestones of cooperation, injecting new impetus into participating countries.



A report issued by Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel, which analyzed the global public opinion's concern and sentiment towards the BRI based on data from mainstream media reports of nearly 150 countries, noted that the initiative is viewed positively in most parts of the world.



Following green and innovative development, the "path of happiness" is making the world more beautiful.



From the BRI International Green Development Coalition and the Green Silk Road Envoys Program, to the Initiative for Belt And Road Partnership on Green Development, green development has become a defining feature of high-quality BRI cooperation.



Former Under-Secretary-General of the UN Erik Solheim said that the BRI has become the biggest driving force for global green development.



As a new round of sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation continues to evolve, BRI partners have worked actively to carry out international cooperation in emerging areas such as the digital economy. The Digital Silk Road is becoming a digital bridge facilitating a new type of globalization, and the connotation of the BRI is being continuously enriched.



Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy prime minister of Thailand, said that Belt and Road cooperation has not only enhanced infrastructure connectivity, but also promoted people-to-people exchanges, cross-cultural communication and digital economy cooperation. It is conducive to building an open world economy and promoting global development and prosperity, he added.



All parties are looking forward to the upcoming third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, to further plan high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and energize the building of a global community of development with a shared future.



The forum is the top-level platform for international cooperation under the framework of the BRI, and an important platform for all partners to plan high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and share the benefits of mutually beneficial cooperation.



After the previous two forums, relevant parties have established a series of multilateral dialogue and cooperation platforms under the framework of the BRI, which fully demonstrated the concept, mechanism and measures of Belt and Road cooperation. Cooperation opportunities will be further expanded with the forum.



As a new decade of the BRI begins, the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will further consolidate international consensuses, draw a blueprint for cooperation, pave a wide path toward common development, and build bright prospects of green development, pushing for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > Five years on, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge promotes closer exchanges in GBA China to firmly support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation Chinese industrial economy achieves stable recovery Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
U.S.-Armenia joint military drills undermine regional stability: Kremlin

Xinhua) 14:04, September 08, 2023

MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming joint U.S.-Armenian military exercises do not contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

Peskov said that these exercises are also not conducive to fostering an atmosphere of mutual trust in the region.

Moscow continues to work with both Armenia and Azerbaijan amid an escalation of tensions, he added.

During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, "the military-political situation in the region had worsened significantly."

The Armenian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday the decision to host joint exercises with the United States that will run through Sept. 20.

Azerbaijan and Armenia had been locked in a decades-long territorial conflict, with major armed clashes breaking out in September 2020 and ending with a Russia-brokered truce in November of the same year.

Sporadic conflicts have been erupting between Baku and Yerevan ever since, with international efforts still ongoing to mediate a fundamental truce between the two South Caucasus states.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
This photo, provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sept. 8, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from left, attending a ceremony, Sept. 6, to launch a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine." Yonhap



South Korea's unification ministry on Friday condemned North Korea's launch of a "tactical nuclear attack submarine," saying the North's "futile" attempt to build weapons would only undermine the country's livelihood affairs.



The ministry's response came shortly after North Korea's state media reported that the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, attended a launching ceremony for the new submarine capable of carrying out an underwater nuclear attack.



"It is deplorable that North Korea is adhering to a futile development of weapons and squandering its lacking resources while not paying attention to difficult livelihood affairs," Kim In-ae, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, told a press briefing.



Kim emphasized that the North's weapons development and threats are "meaningless," and will only weaken its security, amid a robust combined defense posture between South Korea and the United States, and the overwhelming capacity to respond by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.






American justice depends on the widespread belief that the blindfolded lady (Themis, the Greek goddess of justice and law) is, indeed, blindfolded and not putting her thumb on the scale. Yes, American justice may not be perfect and historical abuses exist, but Lady Justice has been a blessing. Unfortunately, our faith in her justice is now being shaken.

That Lady Justice has been enlisted in the political fray by the Left to crush opposition is now undeniable. How else can one explain the Department of Justices indifference to the Biden family's criminal behavior while turning a weak case against former President Trump into a felony-laden Threat to Democracy? Or harshly punishing January 6th participants as insurrectionist while ignoring the far more violent BLM-inspired riots? And it is relentless. When Elon Musk began complaining about government/Big Tech collaboration to censor dissent, Washington suddenly discovered that Elon has violated laws regarding his discrimination against hiring of non-U.S. citizens and using corporate funds for his personal residence.

Nor is the Ladys thumb on the scale purely a federal matter. The quest to incarcerate President Trump began with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg indicting him for a litany of minor offenses cobbled together into a long list of alleged felonies. Bragg, ironically, is well-known for downgrading the felony offenses of violent criminals into misdemeanors and then releasing the miscreant with no cash bail. The Georgia case against Trump is due to an overly ambitious county prosecutor.

Even everyday cop-on-the-beat policy has now succumbed to weaponization. As the George Floyd episode illustrated, police officers making the smallest mistake in apprehending criminals risk becoming criminals themselves while cities that once tried to control BLM riots have been successfully sued by these largely peaceful protestors for millions. Vandalizing a Robert E. Lee statute is legally protected but hanging a rope over a tree that might appear to be a noose is a punishable hate crime. In sum, not only is Lady Justice peeking and tilting her scales, but she is now using the sword in her Left hand, to smite political enemies. The Lady has gone woke.

This politicization of Lady Justice is not the end of Justice, only the end of the states monopoly on dispending bias-free justice. As such, it is a backward step in sustaining American civil society and the cost of this transformation far outweighs any short-term political gain.

Those who doubt this damage should visit a Third World nation to experience life without the rule of unbiased law. In todays Haiti rule of law means what the street gangs can forcefully extract while in much of sub-Sahara getting justice entails making the right bribes to local warlords. In such venues locals know that reporting a crime to the police is pointless since the cops may be the culprit. Meanwhile, American businesses operating there make payoffs to accomplish what in the U.S. would be handled by lawyers in a court of law.

What happens when the government-administered rule of law loses its legitimacy? In many instances, people take the law into their own hands. Buy a gun, practice target shooting, and solve carjacking on the spot. Or join with others for vigilante justice outside the legal code so, if squatters refuse to leave the local park, burn the tent city down and intimidate witnesses into silence. Then there are parallel governments where those formally in charge no longer guarantee public safety. The Mafia with its own code, tax collectors, courts, and methods of enforcement is the classic example. Ironically, it was often said that even during New York Citys worst crime waves, the Little Italy neighborhood was totally safe since no hoodlum would dare trespass on the mobs turf.

This absence of state supplied law and order will be disastrous for the poor though some of the destitute may initially relish lawlessness. For them, being free to shoplift or take drugs openly may be enticing but the personal consequences will, eventually. be disastrous. Yes, a poor person may now loot the local Nordstroms with impunity, but given that freedom, why should Nordstroms open a nearby store or allow him to enter it? What if he steals the Gucci handbag and it, in turn, it is stolen from him by a bigger and stronger looter? What then? Settle it with a shootout? Call the cops?

A world lacking rule of law and its neutral enforcement would be rule by predators. In the words of Thomas Hobbes, life would be solitary, nasty, and short. There would be no 911 available even if your phone had not yet been stolen. Why would any supermarket locate nearby if it were defenseless against criminals? The few neighborhood stores would be fortress-like with super high prices to offset the cost of doing business in this jungle. What company would locate where employees were terrified to leave after dark? No parent would send their child to a school in such an unsafe wasteland.

Nor would the rich benefit from the collapse of neutral state-supplied justice. How would companies settle disputes? Imagine a world where Elon Musks gun-toting crew would trash Facebooks headquarters to settle a beef versus filing a lawsuit? Tech billionaires would now live in super-safe compounds, surrounded 24/7 by armed bodyguards, while their children are chauffeured to school in armed convoys.

Our economy would collapse. Business decisions would just reflect who momentarily controlled government, so the stakes of winning or losing an election becomes gigantic. Many of the rich would move their money offshore where it is safer. Politics would become Third Worldish. Microsoft might spend billions to help elect thousands of loyal toadies lest rivals capture the Department of Justice and arrested Microsoft employees for imaginary crimes. With the stakes so high, tactics now unthinkable in U.S. politics -- assassinations, kidnapping, threatening families and the like would be mandatory, just as they are in many nations bedeviled by dysfunctional economies. Groups like ANTIFA and Proud Boys would organize into for-hire private armies to serve the highest bidder.

Corrupting justice is a dangerous game where the short-term benefits easily obscure long-term costs. It is one reason why so many immigrate here -- they want to escape paying bribes for everything while risking their life for imaginary offenses. State-supplied unbiased law and order is part of the Golden Goose that makes Western Civilization possible. It should not be a weapon for political advantage, though it is tempting to use it as such. Todays Republican victims might be in charge next year, and it will be their turn to incarcerate Democrats for murky crimes while civil rights leaders suddenly discover new-found tax liabilities. Then sides will change again, and with time nobody will recall what the statue of Lady Justice was or what she stood for. Was she a forgotten women who invented the balance scale? If things continue, brute force almost invisibly will replace the rule of law, and America will slide into Third World chaos and violence. Why trust the courts if you know that the fix is in? Time to put the Ladys blindfold back on and take her thumb off the scale.

Image: RawPixel.com
A Missouri man walked into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, dressed as George Washington. He caused no damage, engaged in no violence, and was even recorded peacefully speaking with police before leaving. For daring to dress as America's pre-eminent Founding Father and symbolically rebuking our corrupt ruling class, Isaac Yoder was surveilled for seven months, eventually arrested, fined, and sentenced to a year in prison. Welcome to the Imprisoned States of America, where patriotic love of country is condemned and political persecution flourishes.

At a time when the Biden regime is trying to imprison President Donald Trump for the rest of his life, Yoder's story seems particularly poignant. If the American War for Independence were being fought today, there is no doubt that the D.C. despots squeezing the life out of the American people would enthusiastically take sides with the British. As soon as dishonest and nefarious lawmakers, police officers, prosecutors, and judges decided to treat the J6 protest against election fraud as an "insurrection," the miscreants who imperiously occupy D.C. made clear that they have fully rejected both the spirit and the principles of 1776.

If Americans cannot assemble to petition their government for redress of grievances without fear of being labeled "insurrectionists" or "terrorists," then there is no First Amendment protection remaining. If the American press corps can stand back and watch this political persecution unfold for years without being bothered to point out the deceitfulness in portraying an unarmed crowd of ordinary citizens as engaging in "rebellion," then there is no institutional organ outside government extant to fight today's oppression. It makes sense that Mr. Yoder would be targeted for especial FBI harassment; if George Washington, Sam Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were alive today, the FBI would be busy hunting them down, too. Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff, Merrick Garland, and Mitt Romney would be calling them "traitors." And the news media would be breathlessly reporting about how our Founding Fathers' fight for liberty is really about their love for slavery and the "patriarchy."

Joe Biden joins Russia's Putin, Nicaragua's Ortega, Venezuela's Maduro, Brazil's Lula, China's Xi, Iran's Khamenei, and Turkey's Erdogan as another twenty-first-century tyrant with no qualms about locking up his political opponents. There was a time when both the elected officers and the entrenched bureaucracy in the United States would have universally condemned foreign leaders for their efforts to undermine freedom of speech, dissent, and political self-determination abroad; now it is the United States that follows the example of the world's worst authoritarians. And just as every brutal dictator proclaims that he faithfully serves "the people," America's ruling regime will continue to insist that its illiberal displays of force, rampant censorship, and political targeting are all necessary to "protect our democracy."

Across language and geography, ruling regimes throughout history have used a strikingly similar label to demonize their political adversaries: "disloyally affected person." The British used the term to lock up members of the Irish Republican Army. Both Lenin and Mao used the phrase to justify mass executions of anti-communists. Castro's Secret Police used the alleged offense as an excuse to imprison and torture political opponents in Cuba. Now the U.S. government throws around this spurious charge  disloyalty to the State  as if dissent against the permanent ruling class were the height of criminal activity.

To Americans with any understanding of their own country's history, the federal government's penchant for loyalty oaths and insistence that citizens defer to official authority are deeply disturbing. America is a nation whose citizens' rights come from God  not the government  and whose Constitution was written to curb the power of government officials and ensure that the American people retain an upper hand. It is the army of bureaucrats and political parasites who have shown through their words and actions just how disloyal they are to the foundations of American freedom.

For decades now, the Potomac patricians have breached the plain meaning of the Constitution's contractual language once binding the American people to their chosen government, yet the ruling regime occupying D.C. criminalizes any objections to its tyranny. It insists on prosecuting any American who reads from the same inspired scripts of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. It accuses any American who defends his God-given liberties against escalating encroachments of being guilty of "insurrection," "seditious conspiracy," and "disloyalty" to the United States.

The Gateway Pundit recently reported that the Stasi-esque FBI created several thousand "playing cards" to "identify and surveil" American citizens after the J6 election protest. For anyone who remembers how the Pentagon used the exact same method to help service members hunt for Saddam Hussein and his government's henchmen during the Iraq War, this revelation is horrendously offensive. Although the federal government and its loyal lapdogs in the press continue to paint the million or so Americans who showed up in D.C. on January 6, 2021, as "terrorists" intent on "overthrowing the United States," nothing could be further from the truth. Not only were the vast majority of J6 protesters law-abiding citizens who had never before been arrested, but also a disproportionate percentage had served their country in foreign wars.

Had the unaccountable Deep State not worked so hard to fraudulently frame the J6 election protest as an "insurrection" (much as they framed President Trump as a Russian spy, transformed Biden's Ukraine bribery scandal into a Trump impeachment, and knowingly deceived the American people by labeling Hunter Biden's "laptop from Hell" as "Russian disinformation"), the event would have been remembered as the largest gathering of military veterans in years (perhaps that fact is what really scared the ruling class).

How has the U.S. government chosen to thank those veterans for their years of service? It has spit in the faces of all Americans who put their lives on the line for their nation's security by slapping the images of veterans on the same playing cards used to overthrow Iraq's terror State. When the D.C. Uniparty chooses to "fight terror" by making terrorists of its war-fighters, nobody should be surprised when fewer heroes stand up to defend the government apparatchiks now destroying the United States. Those heroes will, however, choose to defend America and Americans from tyranny  a distinction that the bloated bureaucracy and D.C. Deep State should appreciate before it is too late.

Glenn Greenwald, one of the few remaining journalists still interested in pursuing truth despite the dangers to his life, says plainly that one of the principal directives of the Deep State is to "control online political speech" and "banish dissent." He accuses the Democrat Wing of the Uniparty as being the home of (1) the Intelligence Community, (2) "the union of state and corporate power to censor the internet," (3) neoconservatives, (4) the "corporate class at the expense of the working class," and (5) the propagandists engaged in "deranged disinformation campaigns." The Biden regime, in other words, sees the American people as threats to the permanent ruling class and de facto "enemies of the State."

Meanwhile, the Republican Wing of the Uniparty sits back and says little, or worse, it condones the government's ongoing campaign of intimidation and incarceration. If Republicans who hold power in D.C. were truly committed to the principles of America's founding, they would have spent the last three years vehemently condemning the police State's persecution of J6 protesters, the Deep State's continued efforts to destroy Donald Trump, and the Biden regime's portrayal of MAGA voters as "disloyal" Americans.

Instead of erecting a statue in honor of veteran Ashli Babbitt, the Uniparty promotes her killer. Then, for good measure, it sends a man dressed as President George Washington to prison. If that doesn't symbolize the Republic's impending doom, what does?

Image via Public Domain Pictures.
Update: The event has since been canceled due to backlash.

In a simulation that even NBCs failing SNL would reject as too unbelievable to air, residents of Highland Park, Illinois, an upper middle class, upper wealthy suburb of Chicago, are primed to get an opportunity to play lets pretend were poor with an immersive experience aimed at showing participants what a month in poverty feels like, according to the citys posting. From a report by NBC Chicago:

Participants are put into situations in which they do not have enough resources and are forced to make difficult choices that can negatively impact them and their families, the event description states. The outcome is increased awareness of the need for resources to support those living in poverty to create a more resilient health, human, and education sector in our local area.

Now, many residents of Highland Park are only a generation or two removed from their ancestors poverty.

Unsurprisingly, this artificial, virtue-signaling, feel good poverty simulation marketed as an immersive experience offers the willing participants no backstory as to what factors may have contributed to a poverty lifestylee.g., substance abuse, unmarried parenthood, fiscal irresponsibilityinstead they are passive victims through no fault of their own and with no power to improve. Sponsored by the usual array of feel-good welfare organizations such as Family Focus and the Alliance for Human Services, these (and similar charities) absorb government and charity dollars to support top heavy social service administrative and social work personnel who unconsciously attempt to prolong their clients poverty to justify their continued professional existence.

Adding to the unreality, the city-owned elegant Highland Park Country Club will host the artificial poverty-for-a-day event. Now thats an immersive experience in poverty that most of us would enjoy and never want to leave.

(By the way, yes, this virtue signaling event is to be held in that Highland Park, where last years annual 4th of July parade was the scene of a mass slaughter of seven innocents by a young local with a licensed gun. Wikipediayeah, I knowhas a fairly thorough and accurate account of the incident.)

The program is scheduled to last three hours; afterwards the temporary poverty-stricken participants can shed their shabby clothes and helpless attitudes, and just like that resume their regular upper middle class lives, satisfied that they are now poverty lifestyle experts NOT!

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.

Correction: An earlier version stated the event had already taken place.
It seems as though establishment politicians fall on a circular, two-dimensional spectrum. At one point you find the profoundly stupid, like Hank Johnson, who actually expressed out loud his sincerest trepidation that Guam would capsize. These are the useful idiots for those at the opposite point, the indescribably evil (but intelligent) ones, like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Most of them however, appear to fall somewhere between the two poles. (At least, this is the best analogy I have so far.)

News from Sacramento out yesterday detailed that California lawmakers had just passed a bill to slash red tape regarding zoning regulations and climate rules to certain establishments to throw up low-income housing, all in an effort to tackle the states manufactured and self-created homeless crisis. From an AP report via a Bakersfield outlet:

The legislation would rezone land owned by nonprofit colleges and religious institutions, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues, to allow for affordable housing. They would be able to bypass most local permitting and environmental review rules that can be costly and lengthy.

The state Assembly, almost entirely hard-left Democrats who clearly believe that big government is the solution to societal ills given the way they club the common man into compliance with lawfare and regulation, and who profess to be deeply committed to climate change, quickly moved to scrap zoning restrictions established to ensure adjoining properties and parcels complemented one another, as well as environmental review constraints, meant to mitigate negative impacts to the environment by any new construction projects all because it would suit them and their agenda.

Hypocrite: A person who wallows in hypocrisy, the action of espousing moral or ethical standards to which ones own actions do not conform, accompanied by the excusal of the duplicitous behavior.

Last year, governor Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping new climate change package into law; from a NBC Bay Area outlet:

Newsom said the roughly 40 bills -- which also include efforts to capture atmospheric carbon, streamline permitting for solar panel arrays and safely recycle obsolete batteries -- amount to the most aggressive action any state has ever taken to combat climate change.

California ranks number one in the nation for highest income tax, largely to attempt to offset the cost of the socialized schemes mentioned directly above, and comes in first for the most regulations, beating second-place New York by over 100,000 rules on the books; but none of that matters, because its not about principle, and California politicians have a problem. For years, theyve enacted policies that have encouraged homelessness, and coupled with the states open border policies and promises of ever-expanding welfare, the people are at a breaking point. These politicians arent managing the decline very well; its paramount they solve the problem, and quickly. Hordes of foreign-born men with no allegiance to American values can easily be turned into mercenaries, literally or figuratively, so they need to be settled and on standby; and the swarms of druggies need to be stowed somewhere other than the street, at least for now. By eliminating bureaucratic headaches from the equation, they can find cooperative establishments, and advance the sustainable agenda of Tetris-like housing in easily-controlled urban areas. Of course, there will be grants, tax breaks, and other taxpayer-funded dollars directed to those willing institutions.

Its hard to know which of these lawmakers are the hired lackeys, and which are the kingpins, but what we do know about Ill scratch your back, you scratch mine arrangements, they doesnt usually pan out well for the underlings; just ask the Brownshirts.

Image: Lilly_M, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.
Once upon a time, it was very fashionable to refer to critics of "sanctuary cities" as racists or "racista." We had a big debate back in 2017 when Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation that would also allow police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. It was a wild debate, as I recall, and calling someone a racist was very much in fashion. What the heck, I was called a "racista" on a Spanish-speaking TV interview. What did I do to earn that? I said that local communities should respect federal laws.

Let's travel to 2023 and Mayor Eric Adams. Listen to what he said:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave his most ominous prediction yet for the fate of the Big Apple, which is grappling with the influx of more than 110,000 migrants since last year. "Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to this. I don't see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City," Adams said Wednesday during a Town Hall meeting on the Upper West Side. "We're getting 10,000 migrants a month." "We had a $12 billion deficit that we're going to have to cut. Every service in this city is going to be impacted. All of us," Adams said. "It's going to come to your neighborhoods. All of us are going to be impacted by this. I said it last year when we had 15,000. I'm telling you now with 110,000. The city we knew we're about to lose. And we're all in this together."

Lose our city? My goodness, Governor Abbott never said that we would lose our state or that migrants would destroy it. He was simply concerned with creating zones where federal laws are not enforced.

So what's going on? Mayor Adams is facing one of those moments when reality overwhelms demagoguery. In other words, the mayor and his fellow Democrats, mailed the invitation and now can't understand that someone would actually RSVP.

Eric is a full racista now.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Image: Picryl
New York's mayor, Eric Adams, has issued a cri de coeur about the reality of Joe Biden's open borders in an off-the-cuff speech to New Yorkers at a mayoral town hall on the Upper West Side.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams expIodes:



The migrants will destroy New York City and everyone will be impacted pic.twitter.com/R74LydILrR  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 7, 2023

Unchecked migration will grow ... and grow -- until it will "destroy New York City."

"I don't see an ending to this. This issue ... will destroy New York City."

"We're getting 10,000 migrants a month."

"One time we were just getting Venezuela, now we're getting Ecuador" ... and Russia, western Africa, "people from all over the globe have made their minds up that they gonna come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City."

"Everyone's saying it's New York City's problem. Every community in this city is going to be impacted."

"We have a $12 billion deficit that we're going to have to cut every service in this city ... is going to be impacted."

"As you ask me a question about migrants, tell me what role you play? ... How many of you organize to stop what they're doing to us? ... It's gonna come to your neighborhoods. All of us are going to be impacted by this."

Last year 15,000, now 102,000.

"The city we knew ... we're about to lose. And we're all in this together."

And passing migrants from borough to borough won't work since all of them are passing them around.

"No. (Rueful guffaw). It's not a game we can play."

Had enough? It's not hard to feel for the man. He's staring down the barrel of unchecked migration and knows that his city is on the paying end.

Axios notes that Democrats are feeling the crisis intensely and starting to get into fights with one another, creating a full-blown crisis.

But while Adams was able to diagnose the extent of the problem, he sure as heck wasn't anywhere near to understanding where the solution was.

There was a miasma of blame cast on Texas and its governor for his free, voluntary bus rides for migrants crossing into Texas to New York City, something blue-city mayors such as Karen Bass of Los Angeles have echoed, all of them determined to make the open border Texas's problem. The old migrant-shifting, as Adams noted.

But only a small fraction of illegal migrants have rolled into New York and held their hands out for free food and housing by that means. The migrants are being drawn from many directions as if by a magnet.

Which is New York City's own migrant policies.

Adams could solve this problem in one day if he were serious about New York City not being "destroyed" by too many migrants.

One, get rid of the city's sanctuary city policies and start cooperating with federal law enforcement to remove people who have no right to be here.

Two, light a fire under New York's city council which voted in the insane "right to shelter" law, which forces the city to pick up the tab for any incoming foreigner from some other country.

End free food, free health care, and free school for illegal migrants. Bill them for those costs as well as their jail stays and collect on those bills. Challenge any judge in court who attempts to stop such a shutoff.

And cut the money being shoveled to the open-borders NGOs, which Ace at Ace of Spades, correctly sums up this way:

Oof. He's saying the unsayable: Democrats profit off "charities" which make money off the disasters that Democrat policies cause.

Joe Biden, of course, isn't being of any help. But instead of implore him for more federal money or other relief, such as work permits for illegal migrants, which Biden refuses to give, Adams should demand that Biden shut down the open border. That would take courage, of course, given his previous statements about favoring sanctuary cities, but it would get the job done.

If the law were followed and the free stuff were ended, that $12 billion deficit New York is facing would get a lot lower. The solution is staring right at him but all he can do is blame everyone for the mess but himself.

Milton Friedman has noted, open borders are "incompatible" with a welfare state -- you can have one, or you can have the other, but you can't have both.

Adams seems to think he can have it both ways, and he doesn't like the result.

Image: Twitter screen shot
Germanys AfD (Alternative for Germany), a populist political party whose main policy plank is dramatically tightening Germanys open borders, is in danger of being outright banned.

Germanys government, like Americas, is currently dominated by hypocritical leftist autocrats who are now debating whether to ban what it considers to be the far-right Alternative for Germany party. AfD has surged in popularity recently, and is now polling at 21%, despite warnings from intelligence officials that its members are becoming increasingly extreme. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently stated, We all have it in our hands to put those who despise our democracy in their place. He was addressing the countrys domestic intelligence agency. (Which is not the STASI.)

Thomas Haldenwang, the nations domestic spy chief, said:

We see a considerable number of protagonists in this party that spread hate against all types of minorities here in Germany.

This whole situation is remarkably similar to that in the U.S., with those in power branding their political opponents as extreme and far-right, and attempting to marginalize, punish, cancelor imprisonthose with whom they disagree.

The AfD isnt spreading hate. Rather, it is the elites who lord over their citizens and mock them for their beliefsand who tell them what speech/thought is and isnt acceptablethat are doing so.

Leftists are spreading hate against the AfD, which is, in fact, a minority party. Banning its existence outright would be a remarkably Nazi-like thing to do, and particularly ironic while saying this must be done to save our democracy.

In Germany, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere, save our democracy has become nothing but a dog-whistle. It is nought but shorthand for cancel or lock-up anyone with whom we disagree!

So the correct response to edicts from the likes of President Steinmeier, Prime Minister Trudeau, and President Biden would not be, Sieg Heil!  It would be See ya!

Image: Public domain.
...is that our society produces way too many heinous villains who truly deserve it. The primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to protect the innocent from predations by the guilty. However, euphemisms on the subject abound. In California, the prisons are run by the Department of Corrections. Correct what? When a crime is committed, the bell has already been rung. Even the word penitentiary infers that it's a place to go to express sorrow, not a secure warehouse for lawbreakers.

The main reason people commit crimes is that they think they can get away with them. Moral people can see such opportunities as well  but they choose not to try. Hence deterrence is of particular importance and is the reason police drive around on patrol...well, at least they used to. The neo-Marxist criminal-huggers in our midst, however, blame the inequities resulting from rapacious capitalism for forcing otherwise virtuous people into stealing just for their own survival.

Writers of crime fiction have tended to emphasize the intelligence of their villains, like Sherlock Holmes's arch-nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Most criminals, however, are not all that bright. Once, while dealing with a police officer over a stolen license plate, I heard her radio chatter describe a daylight break-in being called in by people across the street who were watching the event through their window while eating breakfast. "What were they thinking, committing a burglary in plain sight?" I asked her. She told me that the perps probably just woke up, realized they needed to get some food, and went out to steal some stuff just to help them get that done. I then realized that many criminals wind up being simply harvested by the officers of the law.

Meanwhile, back to capital punishment. Criminal-huggers emphasize the "cruel and unusual" clause in the Constitution  even though the normal form of capital punishment at the time of the founding was hanging. A poignant story from the Revolutionary War involves a captured British spy named John Andre. As a major in the British army, he was entitled to face a firing squad  but Washington had him hanged instead. Thus ended the friendship between Washington and Alexander Hamilton.

Manual beheading was "improved" with the invention of the guillotine. French surgeon Antoine Louis pursued the introduction of the device as a means to behead with less trauma. Hanging was less grotesque, although not always as certain. Hangings followed the Nuremberg trials after World War 2. Some of the Nazi big shots beat the executioner by committing suicide, and one of the condemned failed to succumb. The curtain was drawn and reopened on a lifeless body. The executioner, who just happened to be Jewish, admitted to strangling the person.

A most interesting capital punishment story has a lot to do with science. Direct current (DC) cannot be transformed up into higher voltage, and Edison was totally committed to DC. As a result, there had to be numerous local generating stations because resistance in the wires limited how far electricity could travel. Alternating current is now the normal way electricity is generated, because it can be transmitted over great distances at really high voltage with minimal line loss. To defend his obsolete commitment to DC, Edison built the first electric chair and donated it to the state of New York to prove how dangerous AC was (because the voltage could be made really high).

The best argument against capital punishment has to do with its ultimate finality. Justice isn't perfect, and juries make mistakes. But taking 20 years out of somebody's life is also irreversible. It used to be that some crimes other than murder were also punishable by death. In particular, rape was a capital crime in some states, especially in the South. Juries, however, often refused to convict in spite of overwhelming evidence of guilt, when the punishment was so disproportionately harsh, especially when the victim was alive and sort of well and was able to testify in court.

The new plague of soft-on-crime prosecutors rely on human fallibility to prop up their efforts to keep evildoers on the street. The inevitable increase in crime is starting to dominate urban politics, much to the displeasure of the inner-city political establishment. Organized and pervasive retail theft, whack-job murder rampages, human-trafficking, etc. are all grabbing the public's attention.

Bottom line: incarceration is very expensive. Execution used to help give the taxpayers a break. Nowadays, the appeals process has blurred the distinction between the two. U.S. population statistics show that persons over 65 years of age constitute 17.3% of the total. Meanwhile, 24% of the death row population is over 60. Obviously, government-sanctioned killing of condemned criminals is particularly unpleasant. But the reality of what they did in order to be condemned is even uglier.

To conclude, I quote former attorney and possible inventor of the musical comedy, W.S. Gilbert, from perhaps his most famous work, The Mikado:

My object all sublime

I shall achieve in time 

To let the punishment fit the crime 

The punishment fit the crime;

And make each prisoner pent

Unwillingly represent

A source of innocent merriment!

Of innocent merriment!

Image via Picryl.
Joe Biden is starting to hear bad things from Democrat mayors and governors in sanctuary cities and states about the costly disaster his open borders policy is creating in their dark blue enclaves.

Exhibit A is New York City's mayor, Eric Adams, whose jeremiad about migrants blowing out New York City's finances is making waves now.

But there have been a lot of others, too. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles has complained about the costs and mess of tens of thousands of new illegal migrants marching into her city, as has London Breed of San Francisco. Democrat-run Boston and Chicago are also complaining. New Jersey doesn't want them, either.

According to Axios, it's a full blown crisis and a "political disaster for Biden." And Biden being Biden, thinking of his political fortunes first, has a solution for them.

What better than to keep the migrants out -- but still in -- by having Texas pay for them?

That's his diabolical scheme, according to the Los Angeles Times:

The Biden administration is considering forcing some migrant families who enter the country without authorization to remain near the border in Texas while awaiting asylum screening, effectively limiting their ability to travel within the United States, three U.S. officials told The Times. Administration officials have been considering the idea as a way to stem recent increases in the numbers of migrant families crossing the southern border, which reportedly reached an all-time high last month. Supporters of the remain-in-Texas idea, which has yet to be finalized, hope that it would help the administration advance its goals of quickly deporting families who fail initial asylum screenings and deterring other families from crossing in the first place.

It's pure political payback to the troublesome state of Texas which has already borne the brunt of Biden's open borders and now stands to get punished twice for it. So much for the claims that Texas's Gov. Greg Abbott is using the migrants for political purposes by busing them to sanctuary cities. Biden is obviously using the migrants as a political payback weapon.

So now it's "Remain in Texas" to stem the flow of "family" crossers, who, as a matter of policy, are always released into the interior of the country?

Chalk that up to another great gaslight. He's not interested in stopping the border surge. He's just interested in getting his fellow Democrats off his back without paying for anything and launching political payback.

What better then than to stick the migrant costs onto Texas? He can have his migrants and get Texas to pay for them, too, if he just changes policy to "Remain in Texas" and too bad if the Texans don't like it.

It reminds me of how former Colombian President Andres Pastrana once carved out a Switzerland-sized piece of Colombia during the bad days of the 1990s for Colombia's Marxist drug-dealing cartel known as FARC to rule, and too bad if the Colombians within those territories to be ruled didn't like it. This is Biden's "Switzerland-sized" carveout for Mexico's cartels and their FARC-like human trafficking and drug trade.

The hypocrisy here is amazing.

Biden isn't interested in protecting the border at all, having welded it open and sold off border wall construction materials to whoever will buy them cheap.

If he were serious about illegal border crossings, he would start with protecting the border with a physical barrier, and that's just for starters.

He's also ended his policies which have served as an open invitation to migrants who aren't applying to enter the U.S. in the normal way that everyone else uses.

He's opened new pathways for migrants, such as his CBPOne "asylum" application app, which accepts all comers, no matter how obviously bad their "asylum" claims. Those amount to free work permits for illegal border crossers, whose asylum applications, several years down the line, will inevitably be rejected but who will benefit from those free years of working in the states even if they comply with their deportation orders. He's set up intake centers for "refugees" up and down Central America and as far south as Colombia, creating new waves of new admissions on that program, and based on some reports, apparently paying to bus them in. He's set up other programs such as the one that admits Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians, so long as they have one "sponsor," supposedly a family member, in the U.S., legal or not. All a would-be illegal needs for that program is to have one relative cross over into the states and get into it, legal or not. All this, and he's reinstated catch-and-release for families and apparently everyone else.

No wonder the migrant surge now is bigger than ever.

But he's run into trouble from an unexpected quarter -- his own Democratic mayors and governors running sanctuary states. Leaving aside the contradictory hypocrisy of their own open-borders, anti-wall sanctuary city stances, and their outrage over the effects of their getting what they wanted, the billions in costs for them are perfectly real. Providing migrant expenses and services cuts into their capacity to distribute spoils to their political allies and cronies. When foreign migrants top all other needs as city and state priorities, it gets painful, and the voters are against it. Biden knows about as well as anyone that there could be consequences for his party at election time, as comfortable as he is about having the election system sufficiently rigged.

He wants the migrants, yet he doesn't want the costs, so what better then than to stick to to a political opponent, a thorn in his side, one that opposes his every border opening and is making his blue city and state allies scream? His big plan is to stick it to Texas. That way he can have his migrants and get his opponents to pay for them, too. Just tell the migrants they can't move around the country now beyond Texas. Texas will take them, and Texas will pay for them -- in overcrowded schools, in increased crime, in "press one for English," in floods of drugs brought in by illegals, in overcrowded emergency rooms and bankrupt hospitals, in numerous ways well beyond housing and feeding illegals even if NGOs end up doing that job instead of the state. That would teach the hated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a lesson. Make Texas, instead of blue cities like New York and Los Angeles pay for the illegal -- if not have the mother of all third-world shantytowns upon them.

It's more than that, though. By keeping the illegals here instead of in Mexico, as President Trump had negotiated with the Mexican government, Biden is essentially keeping them in Texas forever, given the failure of the deportation system when the gig is up, but also because people get entrenched as they build new lives in the U.S. and have kids and begin to participate in the system. Might that be a new masterplan for the Democrat Dream of Dreams in turning Texas blue? We already know that that's what they really want. Keep the socialism-voting illegals inside Texas and one way or another they will find ways to vote, legally or illegally, if not have their kids vote with their Hugo Chavez values too.

It's a win-win for Joe, and a "disaster," as Axios puts it, for Texas. One can only hope that Texas keeps the free buses running and lets Joe Biden's idle Homeland Security chase them down, if not offers legal challenges to this disproportionate burden of a very bad policy that he seeks to shield his allies from the effects of. It's as sleazy a political scheme as any he has come up with, and should be fought to the max by Texas which is honorably trying to protect its people from illegal intruders and their massive costs.

Image: Screen shot from ABC News video, via YouTube
This photo released Friday shows a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine" at Sinpo Shipyard in South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, Wednesday. Yonhap



Pyongyang unveils new 'tactical nuclear attack submarine'



By Jung Min-ho



North Korea revealed its first submarine designed to launch "tactical nuclear weapons" from underwater, Friday, as the regime is redoubling efforts to perfect its second-strike capability  an ability to respond to a nuclear attack with nuclear retaliation.



The submarine, named after a military hero, Kim Kun-ok, will carry nuclear-strike means for "a preemptive or a retaliatory attack," its leader Kim Jong-un said during a ceremony, held Wednesday, ahead of North Korea's Sept. 9 founding anniversary, the state media said.



This comes amid fears that Pyongyang is seeking Moscow's support in developing a nuclear-powered submarine through an ammunition-for-tech deal at Kim's expected meeting with Vladimir Putin next week. The New York Times reported that the summit would be held in Vladivostok between Sept. 10 and 13, citing U.S. sources.



In his speech, Kim made it clear that securing a nuclear-propelled submarine, which can run without refueling for 20 years or even longer, is one of the objectives his military is pursuing.



"The fact that the nuclear attack submarine, considered a symbol of invasion against our republic for decades, now symbolizes our power that terrifies the shameless enemies and that it is a new attack submarine of our own style unseen by the world, is truly something welcomed by all our people," Kim said. "Today's ceremony will shoulder no less burden for our enemies than building our nuclear-powered submarine."



Speaking to The Korea Times, analysts raised questions over the new submarine's capability, saying further assessments are needed to conclude whether it can fire nuclear-tipped missiles from underwater as North Korea claims.



But they also said North Korea's visible progress in developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) has been faster than expected, adding that its underwater nuclear strategy and ambition should not be underestimated.



"So far, the speed of North Korea's development of SLBM and submarine technologies has been faster than many anticipated," Kim Jung-sup, a security expert at the Sejong Institute, a think tank, said. "Ultimately, the North is seeking to perfect its second-strike capability by developing means to operate nuclear weapons underwater, which is exposed to a far lower risk of being detected  The submarine seems another step toward that goal."





This photo released Friday shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waving during a launching ceremony for a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine" at Sinpo Shipyard in South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, Wednesday. Yonhap
Yesterday, Google put out a few teasers, to let us know what to expect at their October 4 launch in New York City. And today, the company put out another video. This time, showing the Pixel Watch 2 from every angle. And while we know the Pixel Watch 2 is coming, and was shown off in the video, were starting to see a few other details.

At the very start of the video, you can see on the backside of the watch IP68 and also what looks to be Pixel Watch 2. Which does definitely confirm the name, though Google did also call it that in its post on X.

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This means that the Pixel Watch 2 is going to be IP68, which is a big deal. That is going to let you wear it in the shower, take it to the beach or the pool and go swimming and much more. Its a little surprising that the first Pixel Watch wasnt waterproof, since other Fitbits have been for quite some time.

Google pre-announced the Pixel Watch 2

After giving us a sneak peak at the Pixel 8 series yesterday, now Googles doing the same with the Pixel Watch 2. Its a bit of an interesting move for Google. Whereas most companies want to keep leaks down and as a secret ahead of the launch, Google is doing the opposite. Though this isnt new for them. They kinda started doing this a few years ago with the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G.

Its interesting, because of the timing. Were just days away from the iPhone event, which is going to be the most watched smartphone launch of the year. And it appears that Google wants to get some of that attention off of Apple. And in doing so, basically announced all of their products ahead of the October 4 event.
Googles Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to remove third-party cookies from its browser, has just hit a major milestone. Its relevance and measurement APIs are now generally available in Chrome without requiring manual activation of browser flags or participation in beta programs. The company has left three percent of Chrome users unaffected by the change, though. This will allow it to conduct A/B testing of the feature. Privacy Sandbox APIs will be available by default to everyone over the coming months.

According to Google, this change will enable advertising providers and developers to scale the usage of the new privacy tool. Since the Privacy Sandbox APIs are available for the majority of Chrome users, companies will be able to run more effective tests of the new technologies within their products and services. This is a significant step on the path towards a fundamentally more private web, the company said in a press release. Google will help the industry in these testing efforts with a simulation feature later this year.

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The ability to simulate the deprecation of third-party cookies will be available to companies in the third quarter of 2023. Google will start with a small percentage of users for each company. In early 2024, it will turn off third-party cookies for one percent of all Chrome users. The tech giant plans to begin mass deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of 2024. The countdown to the planned deprecation of third-party cookies is in full effect, it says, suggesting that there wont be delays anymore.

Google announced the Privacy Sandbox initiative over four years ago

Websites and apps use third-party cookies to track your online activities. These trackers can see the websites you visit or links you click on, helping companies build your online profile containing topics of your interests and other information. They use the profile to serve you tailored ads and show relevant content across the web. The problem with this approach is that your online activities arent as private as they should be.

Googles Privacy Sandbox is a privacy-preserving alternative to third-party cookies that can fix this problem. It creates a group of people with similar interests and hides individual profiles within the group. This will prevent websites from tracking you individually, while they can still serve you tailored ads and relevant content. Google announced this initiative in August 2019 with plans to launch it in 2022.

However, it later delayed the implementation of Privacy Sandbox to 2023 because it needed more time to work with publishers, ad companies, and other industry stakeholders. Google said a half-baked application could give birth to invasive tactics such as fingerprinting. In July last year, the firm pushed back the plan to the end of 2024. It appears the tech biggie is now on track to pull it off next year.
Threads is rolling out a keyword search feature. It lets you find posts using text, including a single keyword, longer phrases, or hashtags. This has been one of the most requested tools by Threads users ever since the apps launch in early July.

Meta launched Threads as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter). The companys brand influence, coupled with Instagram integration, helped Threads to gain over 100 million users in just a few days. However, the lack of basic features such as search and reposting means most of them didnt stick around. The app lost more than half of its users in no time.

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In the meantime, Meta has been hard at work on improving Threads. It launched a web version of the platform and also added the reposting feature last month. That was followed by the addition of a search function last week. However, the initial version of the feature was pretty basic, only allowing you to look up profiles and follow them. It didnt let you search posts using keywords or phrases.

Thankfully, Meta didnt make Threads users wait long for the latter ability. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that keyword search is now rolling out to most English and Spanish speaking countries, with more to come soon. More specifically, the feature will be available in countries where users predominantly post in these two languages, Instagram head Adam Mosseri separately announced via his channel.

Keyword search is rolling out to Threads in several countries

According to Mosseri, Argentina, India, Mexico, and the US are among the countries where keyword search is currently rolling out to Threads. Itll be available on the mobile apps as well as the web version. Note that Threads has been running a limited test of this feature in Australia and New Zealand since last week. This rollout should mean a wider availability in these two countries as well.

Screenshots shared by the Instagram head show that search results for a keyword will have a separate section for posts at the top, followed by account names matching that keyword. The expandable top section will bring up posts containing the keyword, seemingly in reverse chronological order. You can interact with the posts or share them directly from search results.

Threads still doesnt let you filter or sort search results, though. However, Meta appears determined to add these functions quickly to entice users to return to the platform. A more robust search feature, with support for more languages and wider availability, may arrive soon.
(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 8 - Stellantis has opened its first electric vehicle (EV) battery testing centre in the world at its historic Turin plant at Mirafiori.

The Battery Technology Center will test EV batteries for vehicles all over Europe.

Another similar centre will be set up in Canada.

When it gets into full swing the Mirafiori plant will employ around 100 highly specialized workers, with more hirings expected to come in coming years.

The carmaker is investing 40 million euros in the centre.

(ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 8 - Shabbar Abbas, the Pakistani man accused of murdering his 18-year-old daughter Saman in Emilia Romagna in 2021 with other family members after she refused an arranged marriage, made his first appearance in court in Italy on Friday after being extradited from Pakistan last week.

Abbas joined Saman's uncle Danish Hasnain, and her two cousins, Ikram Ijaz and Nomanhulaq Nomanhulaq, in the courtroom in Reggio Emilia where they are on trial in relation to the killing on the night between April 30 and May 1, 2021, near the northern town of Novellara.

Saman's mother Nazia Shaheen is the only defendant still at large, and last week judicial authorities said they would continue to press "in silence" for her arrest and extradition from Pakistan.

Before the hearing activists gathered outside the court house carrying a banner reading "Saman in our hearts and in our battles" and distributing an open letter to judicial authorities calling for them to receive specific training in gender-based violence.

"There are too many cases where violence has not been recognised in the courts," read the letter.

"We call for training courses in particular for all law enforcement personnel, the judiciary and social services.

Training that is necessarily feminist and administered by anti-violence centres," it continued.

Abbas was the first person to be extradited from Pakistan to Italy in what Reggio Emilia prosecutor Gaetano Calogero Paci described as "an example of the perfect functioning and credibility of the Italian judicial and institutional system".

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the extradition was also "the fruit of great diplomatic work".

(ANSA).






A Seoul court on Friday ruled in favor of a civic group seeking to reverse a police decision to partially ban its plan to march toward the presidential office in protest against Japan's release of treated radioactive water.







A civic group, called Collective Action Against Japan's Release of Contaminated Radioactive Water had filed a notification of its plan to stage protest marches toward the presidential office in Yongsan in central Seoul on Saturday and the two following Saturdays.







The police, however, partially forbade the march plans on the grounds that they could create traffic jams and come into conflict with other organizations' rallies filed in advance.







The civic group has since filed a case to reverse the decision.







The Seoul Administrative Court ruled to permit the group to march to a 1.4-kilometer distance from the presidential office, which encompasses Samgakji Station, saying the police ban constitutes an "excessive restriction on the freedom of assembly."







But the court ruled the number of participants in the marches should not exceed 1,000, far fewer than the 8,000 the group had planned. The marches should also be limited to two car lanes and the bus lane should remain undisturbed, the court ruled.







On Aug. 24, Japan began discharging the radioactive water, which has been stored at the nuclear power plant since three nuclear reactors melted down in the wake of a powerful earthquake in March 2011, into the ocean. (Yonhap)


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 8 - Pope Francis on Friday told Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone that "we grew up with your films" as he received the Rocky and Rambo legend in a private audience in the Vatican.

Francis said it was an honour to meet the 77-year-old actor and director, who is in Italy to receive the honorary citizenship of his family's old home of Gioa del Colle in Puglia.

"We grew up with your films," said the 86-year-old Argentine pontiff - at which Stallone said "let's box" and the two men both mimed sparring moves.

Stallone was in the Vatican with his wife, three daughters and brother and musician Frank. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 8 - Former Lazio regional comms chief and ex rightist militant Marcello De Angelis was only saying what many others think when he said those convicted of the 1980 Bologna train station bombing are innocent, his ex boss and rightwing Lazio Governor Francesco Rocca said Friday.

Rocca said even some on the left like Green chief Angelo Bonelli and Democratic Party MP Alessio D'Amato had said the same, signing "a document in 1996 that said what De Angelis said".

De Angelis was forced to resign last month, maibly over his contention that rightist NAR ex-militant members Francesca Mambro, Giusva Frioravanti and Paolo Ciavardini, De Angelis's brother in law, were innocent of the bombing that killed 85 people and wounded over 200.

"The mud on the Lazio region and on Marcello De Angelis was only to cover the many things we are doing. Surely the phrase used was institutionally ungrammatical but the substance of what Marcello said, is what many think and are still asking to delve into deeper", said Rocca, interviewed by the editor of rightwing daily Il Tempo at the 'Itaca' initiative, referring to the doubts raised by the now former head of communication of the Lazio Region on the guilt of Fioravanti, Mambro and Ciavardini.

"The worst insults came from Bonelli and D'Amato who in '96, after the Supreme Court, signed a document that said what De Angelis said. I can't stand intellectual dishonesty." De Angelis was also involved in two other controversies that contributed to his resignation: a reference in a song by his rightwing 'identity' rock band to Jews as a merchant race, and his sending best wishes for the winter solstice on December 21 with a photo of a candle-holder like those used by Nazi war criminal Heinrich Himmler, which were made in Auschwitz.

The Nazis wanted to replace Christmas with a celebration of the solstice. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 8 - The Italian government will "insist" with France on the need to double the Mont Blanc road tunnel linking the two countries under the Alps, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.

Tajani told Rai Isoradio that he is due to meet his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Paris on September 25 "so that a second tube can be built".

The minister also said he has convened the cross-border committee for a meeting on October 31 in Turin.

"We will try to convince the French, who still do not seem to be in favour, but we are working in the interests of goods carriers, tourists and businesses," added Tajani. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 7 - PETRA and ANSA have signed an international collaboration accord, with the presence in video-link of the Italian Ambassador in Amman Luciano Pezzotti and representatives of the Jordanian Embassy in Italy. The "cooperation programme" envisages the availability and the exchange of content to be able to be used on the platforms of the two Agencies and the possibility of developing commercial collaboration projects in support of the communication of institutions and businesses in their respective Countries.

"I welcome with great pleasure the signing of today's accord between the Italian news agency ANSA and the Jordanian one PETRA," declared Ambassador Pezzotti, "aimed at increasing the flow of information between the two Countries as well as the knowledge of developments and initiatives of common interest to their respective publics. Today's agreement fits into a framework of deep and historical friendship, in which the already very sold bilateral relations can only draw further impetus from this new instrument at their disposal as of today".

For his part, Jordanian Ambassador Kais Abu Dayyeh underlined "it is a great pleasure for me to be with you and to witness the signing of the cooperation programme between the Jordanian news agency PETRA and its counterpart, the Italian news agency ANSA.

I am confident that this accord will help deepen and strengthen the solid relations between our two Countries, increasing mutual knowledge and shedding more light on all the aspects of bilateral cooperation, in particular trade, tourism, sustainable development and culture. Furthermore, this partnership will offer a great opportunity to improve the flow of information and will furnish an ample coverage of national and local events in both Countries. In this context, allow me to stress that next year, 2024, both our countries will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations; I have no doubt that the synergy between the two agencies will play a significant role in underscoring this important occasion, which will constitute a step forward in the strengthening of the long-established relations between our two nations." PETRA's director-general, Fayrouz Al-Mubaiddieen, stated that the cooperation programme will help enrich the two agencies' news services and to broaden the public's knowledge and information; Al-Mubaideen stressed the importance of this programme in contributing to the exchange of journalistic experience and good practices, able to improve the professionalism of work and boost the two agencies' information services. He also underscored that PETRA is keen to develop and modernise its services and therefore seeks to collaborate and exchange experiences with various news agencies, above all among the fast-developing modern media.

Stefano De Alessandri, ANSA's Managing Director, voiced satisfaction with the new accord that has been reached, which joins the 54 already forged over the last few months with the main agencies of the whole world: "The exchange of our respective news services is essential for a better coverage of what happens in the two Countries: the new accord will constitute the occasion for stipulating commercial agreements able to promote the visibility of Italian businesses in Jordan, and vice versa, as well as supporting technological development with the exchange of our respective best practices".

photo: combo of ANSA Managing Director Stefano De Alessandri (L) and Jordanian Ambassador Ambassador Kais Abu Dayyeh (ANSA).


S Club members have spoken about how their hearts feel emptier following the death of their bandmate Paul Cattermole.

The band has asked the public on Friday to back a campaign from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) following Cattermoles death at the age of 46 in April.

S Club 7 had announced in February that they were reforming for a 25th anniversary reunion tour.

Hannah Spearritt later said she would now not be joining the tour and the band has since rebranded to a five-piece as S Club  with Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh, Jo OMeara, Jon Lee and Tina Barrett.

Paul Cattermole died at the age of 46 in April (S Club)

Lee, also known for his career in musical theatre, said: As a band we all personally know the devastating affect heart and circulatory diseases can have on peoples lives.

Our hearts feel emptier without him, and we miss him every single day.

Its heartbreaking to know that this isnt uncommon and far too many people die too soon from heart conditions they didnt know they had.

Thats why were asking everyone to show their heart and join the BHF by shining a spotlight on these conditions this September.

The band are encouraging fans to raise awareness with the hand heart gesture to show their support and hashtag #showyourhearts.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: Were honoured to be joining forces with S Club to shine a spotlight on heart and circulatory conditions in memory of their beloved band member Paul.

Like too many families across the UK, Pauls loved ones only knew he had a heart condition after his tragic death at such a young age.

Hidden heart conditions cut people down in the prime of their lives and rob families of their loved ones in sudden and shocking ways.

Jon Lee (Ian West/PA)

S Club as a seven piece were known for hits including Reach, Dont Stop Movin and their debut Bring It All Back.

They were originally created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1998 and disbanded in 2003.

They briefly got back together in 2014 to perform a medley of their best-known songs for the BBC Children In Need appeal.

The reformed group are still planning on embarking on their UK and Ireland arena tour later this year, which they said will be a celebration of all the hits.

It will begin on October 12 at Manchesters AO Arena before continuing to cities including London, Dublin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool.
The Government is flying blind on its exposure to fraud, which has quadrupled since the start of the Covid pandemic, MPs have said.

The cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also said that while most of the 21 billion of taxpayers money lost to fraud during the pandemic is unlikely to be recovered, the Government should be doing more to recoup what it can.

In a report, the panel criticised the current system of fraud assessment for failing to reveal where the problems lie or which public bodies are most affected.

On top of around 16.4 billion lost to tax and benefit fraud in the past year, the Government could have lost up to 28.5 billion to fraud and error  without knowing exactly where or how, the PAC said, citing estimates from the Public Sector Fraud Authority.

It also said the fourfold increase of public money paid out to fraudsters in the two years of the pandemic damaged public confidence in the integrity of Government.

The UK slipped to 18th  from eighth  out of 180 countries in 2022 for perceived corruption levels, according to Transparency International.

To rebuild public trust, Whitehall officials must show they are serious about tackling the issue and embed counter-fraud measures into services, the MPs said.

They expressed concern that only 6% of the UKs public bodies can demonstrate that they are achieving the expected value for money from their counter-fraud work, and 27% are not investing enough in it.

PAC chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier said senior Government officials must show they are tackling the worsening fraud problem (Richard Townshend/UK Parliament/PA)

Chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier said: The Government is flying blind on the levels of fraud and corruption perpetrated against it, despite widespread awareness of the toxic threat posed by these despicable crimes.

The Cabinet Office has blamed worsening public perceptions of the UKs fraud and corruption on noisy reporting from the media. It is time for some noisy reporting back from the most senior Government officials on quite how seriously it is tackling this worsening problem, with examples of fraud not being allowed to go unpunished.

The risk of fraud and corruption in public life, both from internal and external threats, is of course ever-present. But this should be spurring Government to recognise and prepare for it as an ongoing risk, rather than simply accepting it.

If senior officials and politicians simply shrug their shoulders and look away in the face of these outrages, then malign actors will continue to pick away not just at the public purse, but at the bonds of trust that knit us together as a society.

Published today Today we publish our report on tackling fraud and corruption against Government. Large gaps still remain in Govt's understanding of its exposure to fraud and corruption. Read the report belowhttps://t.co/zv6ySaZ2BT  Public Accounts Committee (@CommonsPAC) September 8, 2023

Labours shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said: While the fraud epidemic has spread across our country in recent years, the Government has stuck in the same pattern of complacency, indifference and inaction.

We saw it when Rishi Sunak wrote off billions in fraudulent Covid payments, and we are seeing it today, with the Government still unable to say how much the UK is losing each year to fraud.

As the party of law and order, Labour would treat this crime with the seriousness it deserves, and deliver a comprehensive plan to get a grip of fraud at every level it is affecting our country, from government departments and major corporations to small firms and ordinary households.

Most of all, we would relentlessly track down and punish the criminals responsible, wherever they are in the world, and do everything possible to protect our communities, our businesses, and our public services against their parasitic trade.

A Government spokesman said: We are overhauling the way we tackle public sector fraud to ensure we prevent more fraud and chase down public money stolen from taxpayers.

Since 2021, we have invested more than 900 million in taking action on fraud, and have established the Public Sector Fraud Authority to bolster fraud defences across departments.

In the last two years, the Government has recovered more than 3.1 billion of fraud losses, including within Covid-19 schemes, but we know there is more we can do.

That is why we are expanding the Governments counter-fraud profession, developing new technologies and boosting skills and training to further protect the public purse.
The Princess of Wales was visibly moved as she laid flowers by a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II after a private service to mark the first anniversary of her death.

Kate and William arrived at St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, on Friday afternoon  a year after the nations longest-reigning monarch died peacefully aged 96.

The couple, whose visit was delayed by foggy weather, were cheered by around 300 wellwishers in the sunny grounds of the ancient cathedral.

Kate and William pay their respects at St Davids Cathedral (Toby Melville/PA)

They attended a small private service lasting around 10 minutes in the quire, led by the dean, the Very Rev Sarah Rowland Jones.

Dr Rowland Jones reflected on the late Queens lifelong example of faithful and devoted service and prayed for those who remembered her with sadness and love to be comforted.

The service featured music played during her funeral at Westminster Abbey, and afterwards Kate laid a bouquet of flowers by a portrait of the late Queen.

The princess, wearing pearl earrings which belonged to Elizabeth II, was visibly moved after laying the flowers, which included ivy, eucalyptus, white roses and waxflowers, as she stood in silence with her husband.

She later spoke to guests at a reception in the cloisters, telling them: We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them.

Dr Rowland Jones said it was very precious to hold the service for the late Queen, agreeing that Kate and William appeared moved after it.

Kate signs the visitors book (Toby Melville/PA)

I was struck that they spent quite a time as they lay the flowers, she said.

In many ways, our job today was to give them the space for their remembering.

Some of us had met the late Queen but none of us were part of that immediate family.

Dr Rowland Jones described how Elizabeth II visited the cathedral four times, with Charles also attending as Prince of Wales.

Now it is Their Royal Highnesses turn to come here and continue that long connection the royal family has with this place, she said.

During the reception in the cloisters, William met Chris Taylor, 84, who was present on each of the four occasions the late Queen visited.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 after her coronation.

The princess poses for a selfie with wellwishers (Toby Melville/PA)

In 1982, she performed the Maundy money ceremony  in which the monarch distributes special coins to pensioners  at the cathedral.

Mr Taylor, a bookseller, applied for St Davids to be granted city status and was present when the late Queen presented the then-town council with letters patent elevating it to the status of a full city council in 1995.

Her final visit to the cathedral, which welcomes 300,000 visitors each year, was in 2001.

Mr Taylor described the visit on Friday as fantastic and said it was poignant to have William and Kate present to mark the anniversary of the late Queens death.

It is the first time I have met the Prince and Princess of Wales in person, he said. They are so nice and a brilliant couple who will serve this country.

William will be a brilliant king one day.

Kate meets wellwishers outside St Davids Cathedral (Ben Birchall/PA)

After the reception, William and Kate chatted to wellwishers who had waited in the sunshine outside the cathedral.

Kate wore a burgundy dress coat by Eponine and a hat by Sahar Millinery.

Liz Thomas, 80, said she spoke Welsh to Kate and was delighted when the princess replied in the language.

I said croeso and she said da iawn, the St Davids resident said.

Ken James, 71, said: We discussed the weather. She said, You dont always get this weather here, do you? And I said, Absolutely not.

She said it was her first visit to the cathedral.

A moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world. pic.twitter.com/44JXfwCc4S  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

Eluned Murrow, 55, took a break from preparations for her wedding on Saturday to speak to William and Kate.

It is lovely to have them here because it is the anniversary of the Queens death but also it is my wedding tomorrow, she said.

I took some time out to see them and it was worth it. Kate said, Good luck for tomorrow.

When I told her it was my wedding she touched my arm and said, Oh, thats lovely, congratulations.

She was really natural and lovely. She said, Have a lovely day, I hope the weather holds for you.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since the patron saint of Wales settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereigns Stall.

This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II sat in the special stall, which bears the royal coat of arms, on the four occasions she visited the cathedral which dates from 1181.
The King and Queen are commemorating the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II at Crathie Kirk.

Charles, dressed in a red tartan kilt, and Camilla, in a blue day dress and cardigan, made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church where monarchs have worshipped since Queen Victoria.

On the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the King and his wife are marking her life with private prayers and a moment of reflection.

Queen Camilla arrives at Crathie Parish Church, near Balmoral, for a church service, to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Andrew Milligan/PA)

They were joined by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon.

Elizabeth II was close to her sister Princess Margarets children, especially Lady Sarah who she saw often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

Former dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland Iain Torrance was giving the sermon.

The King arriving at Crathie Kirk (Andrew Milligan/PA)

A small group of Balmoral estate workers and members of the public had gathered close to the church whose minister is the Rev Kenneth MacKenzie.

Some of the men were dressed in kilts and a number of the women wore tartan in the bright autumn sunshine, and were joined by a handful of pupils from Crathie Primary School.

Crathie Kirk was first attend by Victoria, the great-great-grandmother of Elizabeth II, in the late 1840s.

The event will be a deeply personal moment for the King, who became sovereign when his mother died peacefully on September 8 last year at Balmoral, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who will visit the Welsh cathedral of St Davids for a short private service on Friday, paid a personal tribute to the late Queen on the anniversary, saying: We all miss you.

Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C pic.twitter.com/SkmGtmpNEE  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

The message written by William and Kate on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by a family photo of the late monarch surrounded by her great-grandchildren including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Waleses were pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late Queen and Charles during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of the Queen dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

The King has also recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

The Cecil Beaton portrait chosen by the King to mark the first anniversary of his mothers death (Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023/PA)

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows her aged 42 in 1968.

She is standing sideways and smiling in her Garter robes and wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

The Kings message on his accession day (His Majesty King Charles III 2023/PA)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to her extraordinary life of duty and dedication and said he treasured his memories of meeting the late Queen and was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace and her sharp wit.

Former prime minister Liz Truss has spoken about her final encounter with the late Queen , describing how the upbeat and frail but mentally alert monarch told her they would be meeting again soon.

Queen Elizabeth II welcomed Ms Truss to her home in Aberdeenshire on September 6 last year to appoint her prime minister.

The late Queen welcoming Liz Truss during her final official engagement at Balmoral (Jane Barlow/PA)

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her, Ms Truss told GB News.

She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.

Queen Elizabeth II died two days later and an emotional 11 days followed as the London Bridge plans swung into action, with a lying in state, vigils and a grand state funeral, all played out on a public stage.

The King leads the royal family behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during the committal service (Victoria Jones/PA)

Soldiers and horses who took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes for the new reign will return for Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour.

Captain Amy Cooper, who was the lead rider in the procession that carried the coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall, will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in Londons Hyde Park.

A 62-gun salute will also be fired at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. The regiment and the Kings Troop were responsible for gun salutes after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the Kings accession.
The King and Queen have marked the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth IIs death with a poignant moment of prayers and reflection in the church where she worshipped.

Charles and Camilla travelled to Crathie Kirk to commemorate the life and service of the former monarch who reigned for 70 years before dying peacefully at her Balmoral home on September 8 last year.

Afterwards the King and his wife went on a walkabout and smiled and shared jokes with Balmoral Estate staff, members of the royal household, Crathie Primary pupils and residents from the nearby town of Ballater, who treated the Queen as one of their own.

The past 12 months were described by a royal expert as a momentous period for the head of state who fulfilled his role in leading the nation as he grieved for his mother.

The King and Queen leaving Crathie Kirk (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The royal couple were joined at the church, close to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon, who were close to their aunt, with Lady Sarah seeing the monarch often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth.

Samuel and Arthur Chatto arrive at Crathie Kirk (Andrew Milligan/PA)

I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss.

But we were also glad, just as the family were able to gather here last year, some members of the family were able to be here.

And wherever they might be, in their own homes or wherever, Im glad that people will have the opportunity to reflect and gives some thanks for the life of the Queen.

The event was a deeply personal moment for the King, who became sovereign when his mother died at the age of 96 in her Platinum Jubilee year.

The poignant mood of the day lightened when Charles and Camilla left the church and stepped into brilliant autumn sunshine to meet well-wishers.

The King and Queen receive flowers and a card from local schoolchildren as they leave Crathie Kirk (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The King and Queen laughed and joked with schoolchildren who presented them each with a bouquet of flowers, and Charles quipped: Have you got to go back to school now?

Alistair Cassie, who has run his general hardware store in Ballater for more than 40 years, greeted the King informally and shared a few words with him.

He said afterwards: It feels the honourable thing to do to be here because the King has been very, very good to Ballater over the years, right back from the time of the floods hes given a lot of help to people, very quietly too.

Mr Cassie joked: I used to do some work at Balmoral and I used to meet the Queen quite a lot  if I saw a corgi coming I used to move away.

During the walkabout Charles told a group of young women from his household: Thank you for coming  have a bit of a rest after all this.

The Prince and Princess of Wales stand in front of a portrait of the late Queen (Toby Melville/PA)

The Prince and Princess of Wales meanwhile visited the Welsh cathedral of St Davids for a short private service on Friday.

Kate, wearing earrings which belonged to the late Queen, laid flowers in front of a portrait of Williams grandmother, and the couple stood in solemn silence in front of the framed photograph.

Earlier, they paid their own tribute on social media to Elizabeth II, saying: We all miss you.

Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C pic.twitter.com/SkmGtmpNEE  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

The message, written by William and Kate on Twitter, now known as X, said: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by photographs including the late Queen surrounded by her great-grandchildren, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Duke of Sussex was hundreds of miles away in Windsor, where he visited St Georges Chapel at the castle, to pay his respects.

The Chapel, where the late Queens moving Committal Service was held, is home to Elizabeth IIs final resting place  the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

An image of Harry leaving St Georges on Friday morning circulated on social media.

Princess Eugenie remembered her grandmother, writing on Instagram: Thinking of you today. Missing you so much.

She included a personal memory  an image of herself sat next to the late Queen in the sunshine on a wooden bench outside what appeared to be a cabin on the Balmoral estate.

The late Queens senior dresser and confidante Angela Kelly also posted a moving message addressed to Elizabeth II, saying: I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend.

Ms Kelly, who worked for the Queen for more than 25 years and had an unparalleled bond with the monarch, was staying at Balmoral the week she died.

The King recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He added: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The Cecil Beaton portrait chosen by the King to mark the first anniversary of his mothers death (Royal Collection Trust/PA)

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows the Queen aged 42 in 1968.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivers his state-of-the-nation address, titled "Economic Course of a Just Kazakhstan," at houses of the Parliament in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sept. 1. Courtesy of Embassy of Kazakhstan



By Kim Hyun-bin



Kazakhstan's government unveiled extensive economic development plans aimed at bolstering its economy. It is actively seeking cooperation with Korean conglomerates, such as Hyundai Motor Group and Samsung Electronics, POSCO, to lead such efforts.



Earlier this month, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his state-of-the-nation address, titled, "Economic Course of a Just Kazakhstan," outlining ambitious economic reform plans and a new economic direction for the nation that will create more opportunities for international cooperation.



"A growing number of Korean companies have committed to establishing production facilities in our country, and we are in talks with other major conglomerates to expand cooperation," a Kazakh government official said.



Currently, over 700 Korean-invested companies operate in Kazakhstan. Korean companies in the country include Samsung Electronics, Shinhan, Lotte, SK, KNOC, POSCO, and Hyundai Motor Group.



"Currently, the biggest investor is Hyundai Motor Group, followed by Samsung Electronics, POSCO," the official added. "Recently, Doosan Enerbility is part of a consortium to build a heat and power plant in the country."



Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, Korea currently ranks as Kazakhstan's fourth-largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume reaching $6.5 billion in 2022. Korea is also the sixth-largest foreign investor, having contributed a total of $8.9 billion in foreign direct investments to the Central Asian country, according to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea.



Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, major Korean companies' manufacturing facilities in Russia have remained inactive for over a year. Attempting to sell these factories has presented significant challenges, leading companies to explore alternative locations to mitigate their losses.



"Korean companies that previously operated production facilities in Russia have been actively exploring alternative locations to compensate for their losses, and Kazakhstan is among the options under consideration," stated an industry insider familiar with the matter.



In the automotive industry, Kia recently signed an investment agreement with the Kazakh government to establish a complete knock-down (CKD) assembly plant in the Kostanay region.



This marks Kia's second production facility in the same region, following the completion of its Sportage CKD assembly plant at the end of last year. The Sportage assembly plant is capable of manufacturing 10,000 of the compact SUVs annually, and the second plant, set to be completed in 2025, is expected to have an annual production capacity of 30,000 vehicles. Kia has invested approximately 260 billion won ($194.9 million) into the establishment of the second plant.



Furthermore, the Kazakh government is pledging to exempt companies from taxes and other mandatory payments for the first three years in sectors such as deep metal processing, oil, gas, coal chemistry, heavy engineering, uranium enrichment, and automotive components to better appeal to foreign investors.



Kazakhstan and Korea forged diplomatic relations in February 1992, shortly after the Central Asian country's independence from the Soviet Union. Economic relations between Kazakhstan and Korea have been expanding with Korean firms investing notably in Kazakhstan's energy sector, participating in the development of oil and gas fields. Trade between the countries has also grown, encompassing the areas of technology, agriculture, and manufacturing.


The King and Queen have led the nation in commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla attended the Scottish church where the late Queen worshipped for a poignant event where private prayers were said and a moment of reflection observed for the nations longest-serving monarch.

Members of the royal family also marked the anniversary around the country, and the Princess of Wales was visibly moved when, with her husband by her side, she laid flowers by a portrait of the late Queen during a private service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales.

The princess, wearing pearl earrings which belonged to Elizabeth II, later spoke to guests at a reception in the cloisters, telling them: We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them.

At Windsor Castle the Duke of Sussex visited St Georges Chapel where his grandmother was laid to rest.

William and Kate also posted a touching social media tribute We all miss you, which was echoed by the Queens granddaughter Princess Eugenie, who wrote on Instagram: Thinking of you today. Missing you so much.

Queen Elizabeth died peacefully at her Balmoral home aged 96 on September 8 last year, after serving as sovereign for 70 years, and was mourned by her family and friends and remembered by the nation.

The King and Queen were joined at Crathie Kirk, close to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon, who were close to their aunt, with Lady Sarah seeing the monarch often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

The King and Queen leave Crathie Parish Church, near Balmoral (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth.

I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss.

But we were also glad, just as the family were able to gather here last year, some members of the family were able to be here.

And wherever they might be, in their own homes or wherever, Im glad that people will have the opportunity to reflect and give some thanks for the life of the Queen.

The poignant mood of the day lightened when Charles and Camilla left the church and stepped into brilliant autumn sunshine and went on a walkabout.

The King and Queen meet estate staff and members of the public after a church service to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Andrew Milligan/PA)

They shared jokes with Balmoral Estate staff, members of the royal household, Crathie Primary pupils and residents from the nearby town of Ballater, who treated the Queen as one of their own.

William and Kate attended a small private service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire along with clergy, the choir and 20 invited guests.

Afterwards Kate laid a bouquet of flowers, which included ivy, eucalyptus, white roses and waxflowers, beside the late Queens portrait, and stood in silence with her husband.

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St Davids Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, West Wales (Toby Melville/PA)

Earlier the Waleses posted on Twitter, now known as X, the words: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by a family photograph of the late Queen surrounded by her great-grandchildren, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Waleses were pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late Queen and Charles during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of the Queen dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

Harry also paid tribute to his grandmother, describing how she was looking down on all of us in a speech delivered on Thursday when he attended the WellChild awards ceremony, ahead of the start of the Invictus Games in Germany.

The duke visited St Georges Chapel, within the grounds of Windsor Castle, where both his grandparents the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The late Queens senior dresser and confidante Angela Kelly also posted a moving message addressed to Elizabeth II, saying: I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend.

Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a royal gun salute at the Tower of London to mark Accession Day, the first anniversary of the Kings accession to the throne, and to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Victoria Jones/PA)

Ms Kelly, who worked for the Queen for more than 25 years and had an unparalleled bond with the monarch, was staying at Balmoral the week she died.

The King recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He added: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows the Queen aged 42 in 1968.
King reflects on loss of Elizabeth II in first anniversary of accession message

The King has recorded a poignant message and released a favourite photograph of his mother to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth IIs death and his accession to throne.

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle where the Queen died on September 8 last year, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

Friday is a year since the nations longest-reigning monarch, who served as Queen for 70 years, died peacefully of old age at 96 just months after her Platinum Jubilee.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows a young Queen, then 42, at an official portrait sitting in 1968.

She is standing sideways and smiling as she is photographed in her Garter robes and wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

The King, in his short tribute, thanked the nation for the love and support shown to him and Queen Camilla during his first year as monarch, and pledged their continued service.

The Cecil Beaton portrait chosen by the King to mark the first anniversary of his mothers death (Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023/PA)

In marking the first anniversary of Her Late Majestys death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us, the King said.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

His written message was signed Charles R.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to attend a special service in St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, west Wales, according to reports, in memory of the Queen on an emotional day for the royal family.

The Kings message on his accession day (His Majesty King Charles III 2023/PA)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to the late Queen, reflecting on her legacy.

With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her Late Majestys service only seems greater, he said.

Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

Mr Sunak said he treasured his memories of meeting the Queen and was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit.

People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her Late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all, he added.

The King, who is staying at Balmoral, thanked the nation for the support shown to him and Camilla (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Former prime minister Liz Truss has spoken about her final encounter with the late Queen, describing how the upbeat and frail but mentally alert monarch told her they would be meeting again soon.

The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to her home in Aberdeenshire on September 6 2022 to appoint her as prime minister.

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her, Ms Truss told GB News.

She added: She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.

The Queen died two days later, with Ms Truss describing the scene as she waited in Downing Street when the confirmation came at around 4.30pm.

We were in the Downing Street flat with, officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that wed had.

The Queen welcoming Liz Truss during her final official engagement at Balmoral (Jane Barlow/PA)

Ms Truss said she felt very sad, but her mind also turned to the practicalities of the days to come.

You know, part of your brain is thinking, my goodness me, this is a momentous occasion. This is our Queen whos been on the throne for 70 years, the absolute backdrop to our lives is now gone, she said.

But, also, I tend to focus on the practical in those types of moments and just thinking right, I need to make sure my speech is ready. I need to make sure the right people are informed.

She recalled the King was very, very resolute when she spoke to him to express her condolences on the phone the day his mother died and his reign began.

Charles has been staying at his Birkhall residence and Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire over the summer.

Charles leads mourners behind the Queens coffin (Danny Lawson/PA)

He is not expected to have time in his diary to see his son the Duke of Sussex, who flew to London for a WellChild award ceremony on Thursday ahead of the start of the Invictus Games in Germany.

Harry paid tribute to his grandmother in his speech at the event, saying: I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

Soldiers and horses who took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes signifying the new reign are to return to perform Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour on Friday.

The Duke of Sussex giving a speech at the annual WellChild Awards (Yui Mok/PA)

Captain Amy Cooper  who was the lead rider in the procession which carried the Queens coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall  will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in Londons Hyde Park.

Almost all of the Kings Troop riding out  in their distinctive dress uniform of gold braided jackets and busby hats accompanied by the Band of the Grenadier Guards  played a role in the final farewell to the Queen a year ago.

A 62-gun salute will also be fired at the Tower of London by The Honourable Artillery Company  with the regiment and the Kings Troop both responsible for gun salutes following the death of the late monarch.

Bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the Kings accession.
Sarah, Duchess of York, has shared an update about the late Queen Elizabeth II's beloved corgis, a year after the dogs were entrusted to her. (Getty Images)

Sarah, Duchess of York, has shared an update about Queen Elizabeths beloved corgis on the first anniversary of the late monarchs death.

The duchess, who was previously married to Prince Andrew, posted a photograph of herself sitting on a patch of grass while petting Sandy and Muick, who were entrusted into her and the Duke of Yorks care after Elizabeth died on 8 September 2022.

She wrote in the caption: "As we mourn a year on, we also celebrate the wonderful times we shared with Her Late Majesty the Queen. She entrusted me with the care of her corgis Sandy and Muick and I am delighted to say they are thriving."

Queen Elizabeth II's love of corgis

The former monarch was a prolific lover of corgis throughout her 70-year reign. She owned more than 30 corgis from the year she ascended the throne in 1952.

On the day of her state funeral, which was held on 19 September 2022, a photograph of Sandy and Muick waiting for her coffin to arrive at Windsor Castle captured the hearts of the nation.

Members of the Royal Household stand with the Queen's royal Corgis, Muick and Sandy as they await the wait for the funeral cortege on September 19, 2022 in Windsor. (Getty Images)

In 2021, Andrew gifted his mother two puppies: a corgi  who went on the be named Muick  and a dorgi, a cross-breed between a corgi and a dachshund, that was named Fergus.

However, Elizabeth was left devastated after five-month-old Fergus died just a few weeks after Prince Philips death on 9 April 2021. For her 95th birthday, Andrew and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie gifted the Queen another corgi puppy, who was named Sandy.

Most of the corgis that Elizabeth owned throughout her life were descended from her very first corgi, Susan. She was gifted Susan on her 18th birthday in 1944.

In a separate post, Sarah shared a throwback photo of Elizabeth and described her as a wonderful friend, a mentor, a second mother to me.

Members of the Royal Family pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Other members of the Royal Family have paid individual tributes to the late Queen on Friday as the nation observes exactly one year since her death.

King Charles III, who has been monarch for one year now, remembered his late mothers devoted service in his own tribute to her. In a statement, he said: In marking the first anniversary of Her Late Majestys death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.



I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023

Prince William and Kate also shared a tribute on social media, ahead of their attendance at a private church service in 12th Century St Davids Cathedral in Wales to commemorate Elizabeths life.

The couple wrote: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

A moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world. pic.twitter.com/44JXfwCc4S  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

Prince Harry, who is in the UK for a brief time as he attended the annual WellChild awards ceremony on Thursday night, marked the anniversary privately on Friday. He was seen at St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is buried.

In a speech he gave at the awards, he reflected on her life and said: As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away. As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And thats precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.
Suzanne Graham thought she just had a bad cold but she actually had pneumonia which lead to sepsis. (Suzanne Graham/SWNS)

A woman has shared how what she thought was a bad cold was actually pneumonia that lead to sepsis, leaving her in intensive care and having to learn to walk again.

Having made a full recovery, she is sharing her story to help make people aware of the signs and symptoms of the condition - which is the body's extreme response to an infection.

According to charity Sepsis Research FEAT, symptoms to look out for include very high or low temperature, confusion, shaking, blotchy skin and difficulty urinating. Combinations of these symptoms or rapidly worsening symptoms, are a reason to seek urgent medical attention, the charity explains.

In the run-up to Christmas 2018, Suzanne Graham, 45, from Glasgow was suffering from what she suspected was a nasty cold. "I was busy and there was a lot happening," she says of the time she first fell ill. "I had a cold that I didnt think too much about, but it just lingered."

As the weeks went on Graham says she started to feel more unwell, but assumed the cold had developed into flu. "Looking back, I had no idea how unwell I really was," she continues. "I'd been ill for a number of days and was really struggling to breathe. One night, I couldnt sleep, and I remembered that my friend, who was the same age as me, had had pneumonia.

"I thought that was unusual, because Id always associated pneumonia with older people, so I looked up the symptoms of pneumonia and the flu, and quickly found that my symptoms were all pointing towards pneumonia."

Graham arranged an emergency appointment with her GP, but needed her husband to drive her as she was struggling to walk.

"The GP measured my blood oxygen and listened to my lungs," she recalls. "I remember her saying to me, 'I dont want to alarm you, but we will be calling an ambulance  you have to go to hospital.'

"The ambulance came and took me straight to intensive care. I remember getting into the ambulance, but I have no memories from then on."

Graham in intensive care, she is sharing her story to raise awareness about sepsis. (Suzanne Graham/SWNS)

Graham in hospital after recovering from her ordeal. (Suzanne Graham/SWNS)

At the hospital Graham was diagnosed with pneumonia, with a 10-20% lung function, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and sepsis.

Having been attached to a ventilator, doctors revealed that the oxygen Graham was getting may not be enough to keep her alive. "The only treatment option available was something called ECMO treatment," she says.

ECMO, or Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation, is a treatment used in extreme cases where a patients lungs or heart are not functioning at a normal level. The machine uses an artificial lung to oxygenate the blood outside of the body.

While Graham was found to be eligible for the treatment, the closest machine was 145 miles away, in Aberdeen, so a team of five medical staff drove through the night to get her there.

Graham was in Aberdeen for seven days, where she continued to receive ECMO treatment. Thankfully, she responded well, and was able to be transferred back to Glasgow to continue her treatment.

Sepsis: Read more

While remaining in intensive care, Graham no longer needed a ventilator to breathe and doctors were able to take her out of the heavily medicated state she'd been in. She was then moved to a high dependency unit to begin her recovery.

"I was bedbound," she explains. "It's amazing just how quickly you lose your muscle mass. I think they call it intensive care syndrome  because youre just lying there, you lose your muscles. My muscles had just wasted away in that time."

Watch: Gloria Hunniford was hospitalised with kidney sepsis

Initially she struggled to sit up in bed and three physiotherapists had to help her stand for the first time, as she was no longer able to support her own body weight.

But after extensive work with physiotherapists to learn to adjust to using crutches, and after a total of three weeks in hospital, Graham was able to return home.

"Mentally, its been a lot," she says. "Physically, my recovery was centred around building up my fitness as Id lost a lot of weight and muscle mass."

Five years on and fully recovered Graham is passionate about raising awareness about sepsis.

Graham's first time outside after leaving hospital in January 2019. (Suzanne Graham/SWNS)

Im so grateful to the doctors and hospital staff, they were amazing," Graham adds. "Ive been extremely lucky to survive it intact as sepsis can cause loss of limbs and have other physical effects.

"Im very lucky to have made a complete recovery.

Where to get help for sepsis

The Sepsis Trust offers support for survivors and relatives in addition to advice on dealing with bereavement and legal issues. The charity can also connect you to support groups and much more.

The NHS has plenty of information on sepsis symptoms.

Sepsis Research FEAT is the only UK charity dedicated to supporting research to help identify treatments for sepsis, while also working to raise awareness of this devastating condition.

Additional reporting SWNS.
Nitin Sawhney has spoken of how watching Gary Lineker courageously battle for the rights of refugees inspired him to get the former footballer in the studio to record his new single.

In March, 62-year-old Lineker compared the language used to launch a Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany on social media which led to him being taken temporarily off the BBCs Match Of The Day.

My new single, Illegal, featuring @GaryLineker , is out now. Taken from my album Identity, which is available on October 13th. Listen or watch the video now: https://t.co/l8ytP1bHVc Heres a short clip of the video pic.twitter.com/bVYs7S5iyx  Nitin Sawhney (@thenitinsawhney) September 8, 2023

Sawhney, a British-born musician who has released jazz, hip-hop, orchestral and electronic music, put out the new song Illegal on Friday.

The track features former striker Lineker and voices from domestic violence charity Asha Projects, which is aimed at south Asian women.

Sawhney, who has also collaborated with Sir Paul McCartney, Sting and Pink Floyd and won an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, said: I thought it would be great if Gary recorded on my new album.

After watching him courageously battle against a Government that wanted him to lose his job for calling out their cruelty and cynical inhumanity in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, I really wanted him to come to the studio and express some simple truths.

I was so honoured that Asian women asylum seekers from an Asian womens refuge also came into the studio to offer their brave thoughts, experiences and words. I was deeply moved by them and Im ashamed of our Governments determination to dehumanise their struggle and trusting sense of hope.

I always thought Gary was a voice of reason, not only in wanting to kick racism and bigotry out of football, but in standing up for vulnerable minorities when confronted with seemingly insurmountable odds.

Gary uses his celebrity and popularity to promote compassion and kindness when and where its most needed.

His voice on this track lends support and context to the dignity and honesty of the incredible women featured on Illegal.

Nitin Sawhney (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

At a May ceremony for the National Federation of the Italian Press, Lineker was given a special international award for his human rights work.

He has also long advocated for refugees through social media and took in a displaced person into his property through the charity Refugees At Home.

Linekers future at the BBC came under spotlight earlier this year amid questions about impartiality in regards to his use of Twitter, now X, and the corporation later announced a review into its social media guidelines.

The Home Office declined to comment on Sawhneys remarks.
The average quoted price of home insurance has surged by around a quarter (25.7%) annually, according to an index.

Data analytics firm Consumer Intelligence, which compiled the report, said this is the biggest jump it has seen in records going back to 2014.

The average premium quoted for a buildings and contents policy was 212 in July, it found, up from 168 in July 2022. The figures have been rounded off.

Across Britain, people in London continue to face the highest typical quoted premiums at 316 for building and contents policies, with the North East the cheapest region with an average quoted price of 184.

The firm looks at prices quoted on price comparison websites when carrying out its research.

Georgia Day, senior insight analyst at Consumer Intelligence, said: People who have made claims are likely to feel the pinch even more as our data shows the highest increases for customers who have made an escape of water claim.

Older householders have seen lower quotes for their home insurance, with average quoted premiums for over-50s at 199, compared with 222 for under-50s, researchers found.

Quoted prices rose slightly faster for the under-50s in the previous 12 months, at 26.3%, compared with 25.0% for the over-50s.

Older properties continue to attract the highest quoted premiums with Victorian-era homes built between 1850 and 1895 seeing average quoted costs of 279 for joint home and contents policies.

Average quoted premiums for homes built between 1940 and 1955 are the lowest, at 194.

A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said: Insurers appreciate these continue to be tough times for many households coping with the rising cost of living and continue to do all they can to keep premiums as competitive as possible.

Last years extreme weather and the surge in subsidence claims was a dramatic reminder of the importance of insurance, and insurers paid out 2.9 billion to help customers cope with unexpected events, such as storm damage.

The spokesperson added: If youre worried about being able to afford your home insurance, speak to your insurer about any alternative payment options that may be available.

The ABI said it will shortly be publishing its own home insurance premium tracker, which looks at the price consumers pay for their cover rather than the price they are quoted.

Here are price rises for quotes over the past year, according to Consumer Intelligence, followed by the average premium. The firm takes an average of the cheapest premiums to indicate the prices people may be likely to pay:

London, 27.8%, 316

South East, 28.4%, 227

Eastern England, 26.4%, 209

Yorkshire and the Humber, 26.2%, 202

South West, 24.8%, 195

Scotland, 25.0%, 194

West Midlands, 22.2%, 194

Wales, 26.5%, 193

East Midlands, 24.4%, 191

North West, 25.3%, 190

North East, 24.3%, 184
As the end of the week approaches, the one-year anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II leads the nations papers alongside the escaped Wandsworth prisoner.

The Mirror has chosen to run with a special thanks from King Charles to thank the public for their kindness during his first year as King.

Friday's front page: Thank you for your love #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/41l71Lhyer  The Mirror (@DailyMirror) September 7, 2023

The Daily Mail features a royal story of a different kind, looking at the relationship between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex with Warring Royal Brothers Still 100 Miles Apart.

The escaped inmate from Wandsworth prison is still at the forefront of UK news, with the Metro, the i, and the Independent running with the story for their splash.

Tomorrow's Paper Today  M-WAY CHAOS IN HUNT FOR 'TERROR SPY'  Traffic queues outside port as vehicles checked for elusive jail-breaking soldier#tomorrowspapertoday pic.twitter.com/HWZu6QfTwE  Metro (@MetroUK) September 7, 2023

The Guardian leads with the vanished Wandsworth prisoner but instead focuses on MPs as questions are raised over prison cost cuts as the manhunt continues.

The Financial Times looks at a possible pay jump for those on the pension for their Friday front, as the pension is set to increase to match wage growth thanks to the triple lock.

Fridays FINANCIAL Times: Pensions poised for fresh jump as triple lock matches wage growth #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/3uYQOkCxPf  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) September 7, 2023

The Daily Express has run with a similar story but has hooked it off the claims the triple lock increases may be dumped unless the retirement age also rises.

Friday's front page: Yet again threat to triple lock#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Jw35fKrt0Y  Daily Express (@Daily_Express) September 7, 2023

The Times reports on the latest NHS maternity scandal, with their front page emblazoned with a story on Nottingham Trust has been accused of failing 1,700 families in a cover-up now being investigated by police.

The Daily Telegraph has taken a more international approach to Friday, running a story on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has declined to increase student and working visas for Indian nationals in exchange for a trade deal with the country.

The front page of today's Daily Telegraph: 'PM refuses Indias plea for visas in trade talks'#TomorrowsPapersToday Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/BPZeR5bpe1  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 7, 2023

And, lastly, the Daily Star says the ghost of comedy legend Sir Ken Dodd is apparently haunting his old house in Knotty Ash by slamming doors.
An 83-year-old pensioner who recently had hip replacement surgery will be tackling the Great North Run in memory of her late husband.

Caroline Quibell, a grandmother of 12, will take on the half marathon on Sunday in honour of her husband, Michael, who died in October aged 81 after a seven-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND).

The retired childrens nurse, who will be running alongside her eldest son, Toby, 56, is fundraising for the My Name5 Doddie Foundation, a charity funding research into effective treatments for MND.

She has already raised more than 1,000.

Mrs Quibell, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, was the primary carer for her husband after he became very disabled with the disease, which she said was very hard, although they faced it together.

She has taken part in the Great North Run, which covers the 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields, three times before.

The last time, in 2018, saw Mr Quibell cheering her on, but a combination of Covid restrictions and providing care for her late husband has since prevented her from taking part.

Caroline Quibell has been running with her dog Streak for an hour every day to train for the Great North Run (David Bartholomew Photography/PA)

On how she is feeling ahead of the run, the mother-of-five, who got into the fitness activity when she was 70, told the PA news agency that the training and build-up to the run has been very emotional.

She said: Everythings been emotional but my family have been there for me all the time.

Im nervous. I just hope that I can make the distance.

Mrs Quibell has been training alongside her best friend, her dog Streak, a two-year-old Irish water spaniel, which her family encouraged her to get in her husbands dying days.

The children persuaded me to have a dog, which Im glad I did because he is now my best friend, she said.

I run with him for an hour everyday.

However, preparing for this years Great North Run has been a bit painful after Mrs Quibell had a fall a week before her husbands funeral, which required her to undergo hip replacement surgery in November.

Caroline Quibell is fundraising for the My Name5 Doddie Foundation, a charity funding research into treatment for MND (David Bartholomew Photography/PA)

Two weeks after Michael died, I was walking my dog in the park and another dog knocked me over and I broke my hip, she explained.

I went from the hospital in a wheelchair to the crematorium  it was horrid.

Speaking about her late husband, Mrs Quibell explained how they met in their early 20s in an amazing courtship followed by an amazing life together after 56 years of marriage.

I was already in my nursing capacity, and sometimes when I came off duty, I would find Michael sitting in the hallway waiting for me, she said.

We had an amazing life.

All marriages arent always just wonderful, especially not over a long period, but we weathered anything that we came across.

Michael and Caroline Quibell were married for 56 years after meeting in their early 20s (Caroline Quibell/PA)

She added that he always had a smile on his face and he was a kind and gentle man.

I was very lucky to have known him, she said.

Mrs Quibells husband suffered with MND for seven years, which she described as starting with a pain in his foot which gradually worked its way up his body over five years.

It was a progressive illness which is horrid, its wicked, she said.

It needs to have more people looking at how it could be helped.

When asked what it was like to care for her husband, Mrs Quibell said: To begin with, when it was in the initial stages, it was easier to cope with, but when he became very disabled it became more difficult.

He was brave, he always had a smile on his face.

I promised him I would do it, so we faced it together.

Caroline Quibell said she is feeling nervous ahead of the Great North Run on Sunday (David Bartholomew Photography/PA)

When asked how she will feel after completing the challenge, cheered on by her children and grandchildren, she said quite accomplished but she will have to wait and see how my emotions are.

Ill feel, Ive done it, and I can now perhaps relax a bit, she said.

I dont know if Ive been grieving by doing it, or whether I shall feel better when its over.

She added: Not only have I been feeling emotional, but all my children have been feeling emotional as well.

He was an amazing father to all of them, he was just wonderful.

To visit her fundraising page, go to: justgiving.com/page/caroline-quibell-1689709306493
Police hunting for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife have been searching a London park overnight just a few miles from the prison he absconded from.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers had been in Richmond Park although the force has refused to rule out that Khalife may have left the country, or that he had outside help to escape prison.

The park is just over four miles away from HMP Wandsworth, where the former soldier, who is reportedly accused of gathering information for Iran, went missing from in his cooks uniform on Wednesday.

Strapping was found on the underside of a Bidfood delivery vehicle which police stopped just over an hour after it left the prison, with officers suggesting Khalife held on to the underside of the lorry to escape.

His disappearance has prompted questions over staffing levels at HMP Wandsworth and why he was being held in a Category B prison.

HMP Wandsworth from where Daniel Abed Khalife escaped (Yui Mok/PA)

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander said it is testament to the ingenuity of the 21-year-old that there have been no confirmed sightings since he escaped prison.

Dominic Murphy said he was keeping an open mind as to whether Khalife had received support from somebody to escape prison and whether he had managed to leave the country.

He said more than 150 investigators and police staff from counter terrorism command working in London on investigation and officers had received more than 50 calls from the public which had provided some really valuable lines of inquiry.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Mr Murphy said: This was a really busy area of London and weve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalifes ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

He was a trained soldier  so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public dont have.

(PA Graphics)

Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.

The lorry Khalife is believed to have strapped himself to left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am on Wednesday. He was declared missing at 7.50am.

Police were notified at 8.15am and the lorry was stopped on Upper Richmond Road, near to the junction of Carlton Drive, at 8.37am.

CCTV footage later emerged of the van driving along a road in London after it had left the prison.

The Justice Secretary confirmed an independent investigation will take place following Khalifes escape.

Alex Chalk told MPs two urgent reviews would also take place regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Wandsworth prisons performance was rated a serious concern and watchdogs had issued a string of warnings about the jail in the past year before Khalife escaped.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor told the PA news agency staff shortages are the source of many problems at the prison and later said that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

Mr Taylor told Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge on Sky News: When you find a prison like Wandsworth, it really needs closing. Ultimately, its not a suitable prison.

He added: You need jails because you need to service the courts. Weve actually got a crisis at the moment in prisons just in terms of population places.

So there are only just enough prisons, places available, at the moment for the number of prisoners who are coming in.

Photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of a CCTV image of the vehicle searched by police in the hunt for Daniel Khalife (PA)

John Podmore, a former governor at HMP Brixton and HMP Belmarsh, told the BBC Radio 4s World At One he believed Khalife should have been held at maximum security Belmarsh, where terrorist prisoners and those accused of such offences are often detained, rather than Category B jail Wandsworth.

Mr Podmore said: My view is that he should have been at Belmarsh.

Its much more suited to the levels of security that someone like this  charged with, not convicted  needs. I cant understand why he wasnt at Belmarsh.

One former inmate at HMP Wandsworth, who worked alongside Khalife in the prisons kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as odd and had told him he was going to be famous.

Chris Jones, 53, told BBC London: He did seem like an odd sausage. One lunchtime he came in saying that he was going be famous. I told him: I think youve got on the wrong bus, mate.

Lorries queue for the Port of Dover along the M20 near Ashford in Kent as security checks are being carried out at the port

Mr Jones, who the BBC reported was released in June after being acquitted after seven months on remand, said he was surprised but not surprised by Khalifes escape.

He added: We always used to joke about that lorry; jump in it and drive off, but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

Khalife, who was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK, was discharged from the Army in May 2023.

He has denied the three charges against him.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown, steel toe-cap boots, the Metropolitan Police said. He is described as slim and 6ft 2in, with short brown hair.

Kent Police said junctions eight and nine of the M20 were temporarily shut on Thursday due to the enhanced security checks  and to allow freight heading for mainland Europe to queue on the empty section of the motorway.

Mr Murphy previously said there was no reason to believe Khalife poses a threat to the wider public but urged people not to approach him and to call 999 if they spotted him.

Khalife has links to the West Midlands and Kingston in London, but Mr Murphy said the hunt was covering the whole of the UK.

He was previously stationed at the Ministry of Defences Beacon Barracks in Stafford.

A man was stopped by police at Banbury train station in Oxfordshire on Thursday but Scotland Yard said it was not Khalife.
Funding for hundreds of new electric buses in England will prioritise rural areas, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has announced.

The Cabinet minister said the first 25 million of investment in zero-emission buses worth up to 129 million will be focused on rural communities.

All local authorities in England outside London can apply for funding through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (Zebra) programme.

Applications from those that missed out in the previous stage of the scheme will also be prioritised.

Mr Harper also announced that a new research hub to develop ideas for low-carbon and resilient transport infrastructure will be created, backed by 10 million of Department for Transport funding.

The Net Zero Transport for a Resilient Future Hub will be established by Newcastle University, Edinburghs Heriot-Watt University, the University of Cambridge and the University of Glasgow.

Mr Harper said: Todays funding for more zero-emission buses will help decarbonise public transport and grow the economy by keeping our communities connected.

We have already reached our initial target of funding at least 4,000 zero-emission buses and this additional funding will improve journeys for even more passengers, reaching those in the most remote areas.

The UK is also cementing its position as a world leader in net zero tech with this new investment into climate resilience.

Our Net Zero transport hub will be a centre of academic excellence, helping us keep our transport network resilient into the future.




Korea's customs agency said Friday it has held the first bilateral meeting with its Japanese counterpart in seven years amid signs of improving economic relations.







Commissioner Ko Kwang-hyo met his Japanese counterpart in Seoul on Thursday to discuss a wide array of issues, which marked the first of its kind since 2016, according to the Korea Customs Service.







During the meeting, the two countries exchanged opinions on addressing global protectionism, as well as the escalating concerns surrounding trade-related crimes, such as drug trafficking.







"The two customs agencies shared their awareness of the seriousness of cross-border crimes, including drugs, as well as trade that violates international rules and sanctions," the South Korean authority said.







The two countries agreed to continue exchanging related information and roll out joint crackdown measures, it added.







In June, Korea and Japan vowed to make full-fledged efforts to normalize ties, including the resumption of a $10 billion currency swap deal.







In 2019, the bilateral relationship soured as Japan imposed export curbs on Korea in retaliation for the 2018 Korean Supreme Court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.







Relations between Korea and Japan began to thaw this year after South Korea offered to resolve the forced labor issue by compensating victims on its own without asking for contributions from Japan.







The customs agency, meanwhile, said it plans to hold talks with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia by the end of this year to further revitalize exports. (Yonhap)


The SNPs candidate in the upcoming Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election said she would fight tooth and nail for real cost-of-living support from Westminster as the party officially launches its campaign to win the seat.

Earlier this week, MPs passed an SNP motion, known as a writ, calling a by-election which will be held in the constituency on October 5.

It follows the recall of Margaret Ferrier, who was removed by constituents after she was convicted of breaking Covid lockdown rules in 2020.

Ms Ferrier was formerly an SNP MP before she was suspended by the party in October 2020.

Sitting Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP Margaret Ferrier was recalled by constituents after breaching Covid-19 rules in 2020 (UK Parliament/PA)

Candidate Katy Loudon  a local councillor  will be joined by senior SNP figures in Rutherglen on Saturday including Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison, SNP depute leader Keith Brown and party activists.

She said: I know what we can offer and the challenges we face.

The Westminster cost-of-living crisis is the single biggest issue facing people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, and across Scotland.

Yet both the Tories and the pro-Brexit Labour Party have failed to put anything meaningful on the table to support people.

In stark contrast, the SNP Scottish Government are unashamedly bringing in policies that will make Scotland greener and fairer.

While we feel the pinch after years of Tory-imposed Brexit and austerity, the Westminster establishment feels nothing.

Sir Keir Starmer has made it clear we cant count on Labour to stand up for Scotland and against cruel Tory policies because he now supports them all.

I pledge to fight tooth and nail for Westminster cost-of-living support for the people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

SNP candidate Katy Loudon and Westminster leader Stephen Flynn will officially launch the partys campaign on Saturday (Andrew Milligan/PA)

A vote for me as the SNP candidate is a vote for real cost-of-living support, real opposition to the Tories and hope for a fairer, wealthier community inside an independent Scotland.

Meanwhile, Labour candidate Michael Shanks also set his sights on the cost of living, laying out his plan to fight the issue.

If elected, Mr Shanks said, he would push for a real windfall tax on oil and gas firms, support for a 100 water bill rebate, capping rail and bus fares, investing in renewable energy and a push to create a mortgage rescue scheme to support people struggling with housing costs.

Mr Shanks proposals would be likely to require Labour to win the next election to be implemented.

He said: The people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West have been cruelly failed and let down by both the SNP and the Tories.

While Katy Loudon fails to stand up to her political masters in the SNP and offers only impotent opposition at Westminster, I have a plan to put money into the pockets of working people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West during the cost-of-living crisis.

From a 100 water bill rebate to help with mortgages and travel costs, Scottish Labour will stand up for the people of this area while the SNP continue to let them down.

Things can get better for the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West  but only with a fresh start with Scottish Labour.

This weekend  while the SNP try to restart their stuttering campaign  Scottish Labour is taking our message of change to the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
Sunak pledges to put pressure on Moscow as he arrives in India for summit

Rishi Sunak has said he will use the G20 summit to put pressure on Moscow, amid global concerns over the blockade of grain out of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister received a colourful welcome as he arrived in India to attend the G20 leaders summit, later meeting with and speaking to local children during a visit to the British Council in New Delhi.

But he stressed that the meeting of world leaders would have a serious focus, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

One of the priorities I have being here is to highlight the impact of Russias war on millions of vulnerable people around the world. And thats the impact of food prices.

Mr Sunak condemned Russias decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain initiative, which allowed ships carrying grain to leave southern Ukrainian ports without fear of attack, in July.

Russias pulled out of that deal, youve seen prices go up and typically that has an impact, not just at home in the UK, but as I said, on millions of vulnerable people.

Ill be highlighting that devastating impact so that people are aware of whats happening and put pressure on Russia to cease attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty with local schoolchildren ahead of the summit (Dan Kitwood/PA)

Mr Putin has said the deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, will not be restored until the West meets Moscows demands on its own agricultural exports.

The pact, first signed in July 2022 and extended every three months for a year, led to 33 million tonnes of grain and food exports leaving Ukraine, with the majority going to developing nations struggling for food supplies, according to the UN.

Mr Putin has opted not to attend the New Delhi gathering in person but his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is expected to attend.

Mr Sunak conceded that it may not be that everyone here agrees on everything when asked about the difficulty of finding consensus among the grouping.

Pressed on the importance of reaching an agreement on condemning Moscow over the war, he said: The G20 is a broad group of countries and they have different perspectives, but its still important to be talking to people, to be engaging, to highlighting things like Russias aggression and the impact its having.

I think we can be proud of the role we play as the Brits here, highlighting these important issues, doing our bit to make a difference.

The Prime Minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from RAF Voyager at Indira Gandhi Airport on Friday.

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy board the plane on their way to the summit (Dan Kitwood/PA)

They spoke with Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey before visiting the British Council in New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters on the flight from London to the Indian capital, the Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, spoke about how special it was to return to a country that is very near and dear to him.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: It is obviously special.

I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.

The G20 summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with Mr Sunak expected to speak on the topics of migration, the global economy, the Ukraine conflict and climate change.

He is scheduled to meet Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks on the fringes of the summit, with officials not ruling out the premiers discussing progress on a UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).

Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that  Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine. https://t.co/tLG19ILDLr  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

Boris Johnson, when he was in Downing Street, targeted October 2022 to sign off on a post-Brexit trade pact, in a move designed to coincide with celebrations of the Hindu festival of Diwali.

His successor, Liz Truss, made the same commitment during her brief stint as prime minister.

But that original target has been missed by almost a year and Mr Sunak has been reluctant to set out a time frame for doing a deal with the country of 1.4 billion people.

There has been speculation that one of the hold-ups to a trade pact is Indias push for more visas to be granted for its people to work in Britain  a request Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly holds concerns about.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a huddle press conference (Dan Kitwood/PA)

No 10 on Thursday ruled out any change to UK immigration policy to accommodate an FTA with New Delhi.

But the Prime Ministers official spokesman indicated an expansion of business visas would potentially be considered.

The summit in India marks the gathering of leaders from the worlds 20 largest economies.

There are no set plans for UK leader Mr Sunak to meet with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is representing Beijing at the summit in president Xi Jinpings absence, but No 10 has not shut down the possibility of a short interaction between the pair.

Akshata Murty took off her shoes to play football with children at the British Council in New Delhi (Dan Kitwood/PA)

On Friday, Mr Sunak and Mrs Murty met children at the British Council in New Delhi who were learning computer coding and language skills through UK funding.

They also talked to a group having football lessons, with Mrs Murty going barefoot when she joined the youngsters with a ball.

In the evening, the Prime Minister held informal talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, before the Sunaks had a private dinner together.
Rishi Sunak has vowed to call out Russia at the G20 for the suffering it is inflicting on Ukrainians and millions of the worlds poorest people.

Speaking on the plane to India, the Prime Minister criticised Russian president Vladimir Putin for refusing to attend the G20 summit in India  the second year in a row the Russian leader has missed the world leaders gathering.

Mr Putin has sent foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to New Delhi in his absence.

Mr Sunak said the Russian leader was steering clear of confrontation with the West following his invasion of Ukraine because he doesnt want to be held accountable.

The British leader said he intends to highlight the impact that Moscows decision to collapse the Black Sea Grain Initiative is having on developing nations, which rely on cheap grain from Ukraine for food.

His pledge to use the gathering in New Delhi to continue to rally against the Kremlins attack on Kyiv comes despite host country India continuing to keep open ties with Mr Putins regime.

Mr Sunak, asked by reporters whether he had a message for Mr Lavrov at the G20, said: When it comes to Lavrov, the message is, the fact that Putin is not there demonstrates his isolation in the global community.

He wasnt there last year, he is not there this year to answer for what he is doing.

He doesnt want to be held accountable.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (AP)

To mark Mr Sunaks arrival in the Indian capital, Downing Street announced London will host a global food security summit in November.

No 10 said the food conference would be in response to Mr Putin in July opting not to renew the grain deal with Ukraine, which allowed cargo ships to transport grain out of the war-torn countrys Black Sea ports without fear of attack.

The UK Government has also announced British military and security services will monitor the Black Sea in a bid to deter Russia from striking cargo ships that are transporting grain from Ukraine to developing countries.

The Prime Minister said the loss of the grain pact was causing an enormous amount of suffering to millions of people.

He continued: That initiative provided something like 30 million tonnes of food to over 45 countries who really needed it. And now it is not there.

Youve seen since he pulled out that dramatic increase in food prices.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Mikhail Klimentyev/ Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP)

And in the last month alone, the Russians have destroyed more grain than would feed, I think, a million people for a year.

Those are the consequences of what Russia is doing.

Theyve also destroyed about a third of Ukraines civilian export capacity with their bombardment. That is wrong. It is not right.

It is causing suffering in Ukraine, but it is also causing suffering to millions of people in very vulnerable countries around the world.

And I want to do everything I can to hold them to account for that and to call out that behaviour.

Chinese president Xi Jinping is another of the 20 leaders who chose not to fly out to India, with premier Li Qiang representing Beijing at the summit.

Mr Sunak would not commit to meeting with Mr Li while in New Delhi, saying only that he was expecting to see a range of people.

It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly last month became the first UK foreign secretary for five years to visit China, in a trip that was criticised by hawkish Conservative MPs.

Mr Cleverly defended having a face-to-face meeting with vice president Han Zheng, who played a leading role in the anti-democracy crackdown in Hong Kong, saying regular meetings were important to enhance understanding and to avoid misunderstanding.
Terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from prison was clearly pre-planned and it is a question whether it was an inside job, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.

Sir Mark Rowley branded it extremely concerning that the 21-year-old, who escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London on Wednesday, was on the loose.

His comments came as the force confirmed officers had been searching overnight in Richmond Park  a few miles from the jail  as the nationwide manhunt entered a third day.

The Met have also urged a shop assistant to come forward after media reports said the man believed he saw Khalife after he escaped.

Khalife, an ex-soldier who was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK, was discharged from the Army in May.

He is believed to have escaped by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

Video footage obtained by the PA news agency shows police officers searching a Bidfood lorry with a sniffer dog after it was stopped as witnesses told of their shock as they learned about the incident.

Speaking on LBC, Sir Mark said: It is clearly pre-planned, the fact that he could strap himself on to the bottom of the wagon.

A prison escape is unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment, he added.

The Met chief did not rule out the escape being an inside job when asked if police were looking at that possibility.

A Bidfood delivery lorry parked near to the area in Upper Richmond Road where a lorry belonging to the company was stopped by police following the escape of Daniel Khalife (Lucy North/PA)

It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? Was he helped by people outside the walls or was it simply all of his own creation? he replied.

Speaking to broadcasters in New Delhi, the Prime Minister would not comment on suggestions there could be foreign state involvement in the escape.

Pressed on whether he had confidence in the prisons governor Katie Price, Rishi Sunak insisted it was important to establish the facts first.

Khalifes disappearance has prompted questions over staffing levels at the Victorian jail and whether he should have been in a higher security prison.

Sir Mark said it did seem odd when asked if he was surprised to learn the terror suspect, who is reportedly accused of gathering information for Iran, was being held in a category B facility.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (Victoria Jones/PA)

The hunt for Khalife is a massive operation involving well into three figures of officers as well as help from constabularies around the country and Border Force, the commissioner told the radio station.

At the moment we are still really keen to get any reports from members of the public, he added.

Strapping was found underneath the delivery lorry which police stopped just over an hour after it left the prison at 7.32am, with officers suggesting Khalife held on to the bottom of the vehicle to escape.

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander Dominic Murphy said it is testament to Khalifes ingenuity that there have since been no confirmed sightings of him.

Questions have been asked about Wandsworth (Yui Mok/PA)

Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment, he told reporters on Thursday.

Police have not ruled out the possibility he may have managed to flee the country, despite heightened border checks.

Kent Police said in addition to the increased security checks, traffic making its way to the Eurotunnel had also been affected by a suspicious vehicle being stopped at 10.30am on Friday  with army explosives experts called in.

The force said a man had been detained but it was not being linked with the search for Khalife.

Khalife was declared missing at 7.50am, with police notified at 8.15am. The lorry was stopped on Upper Richmond Road, near the junction of Carlton Drive, at 8.37am.

CCTV footage later emerged of the van driving along a road in London after it had left the prison.

Police have been searching Richmond Park after the escape (PA Graphics)

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk confirmed an independent investigation will take place after Khalifes escape, alongside two urgent reviews looking at the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Wandsworth prisons performance has been rated a serious concern and watchdogs issued a string of warnings about the jail in the year before the incident.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said staff shortages are the source of many problems and that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

The prison is in the Tooting constituency, which Sadiq Khan represented as an MP for more than a decade until he was elected mayor of London in 2016.

He said he was aware of big problems at the jail while he was an MP, including overcrowding and staff shortages, telling PA questions will need answering about the link between government austerity and this man escaping.

One former inmate, who worked alongside Khalife in the prisons kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as odd and had told him he was going to be famous.

Chris Jones, 53, who BBC London reported was released in June after being acquitted following seven months on remand, told the programme: We always used to joke about that lorry  jump in it and drive off  but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

Khalife, who denied the three charges against him, is described as slim, 6ft 2in, with short brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown, steel toe-capped boots, but police stressed he may have changed his clothes quickly.

Khalife has links to the West Midlands  having been stationed at the Ministry of Defences Beacon Barracks in Stafford  and Kingston upon Thames in south-west London, but Mr Murphy said the hunt is covering the whole of the UK.

Police have said there is no reason to believe Khalife poses a threat to the public but urged people not to approach him if they spot him and to call 999.
The Kings first year as monarch has been a time of momentous change for Charles as he followed both in his mothers footsteps and staged a coronation, a royal expert has said.

The former Prince of Wales  who was the nations longest serving heir to throne  acceded as sovereign on September 8 2022 on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

A difficult and emotional 11 days followed as the London Bridge plans swung into action, with a lying in state, vigils, and a grand state funeral, all played out on a public stage.

The King during hold a vigil beside the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during her lying in state in Westminster Hall (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Charles, who became a fledgling monarch at the age of 73, finally took on the role he had been groomed for since birth.

Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said: Clearly its been a momentous first year for King Charles III.

Not only losing his mother, but hes had to follow in her footsteps and also incorporate a coronation into the first year.

This hasnt previously happened in earlier reigns because coronations are usually much later, but it made sense not to have it drag on and to allow normal service to resume.

The King was crowned in Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a deeply religious ceremony, followed by a weekend of celebrations.

The King is crowned with St Edwards Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Aaron Chown/PA)

At his side for her own crowning was Queen Camilla  a move unthinkable in the 1990s when she derided for being Charless mistress.

On the day of the coronation, Buckingham Palace made the transition from using the title Queen Consort to The Queen, having cautiously let the idea of a new Queen settle into the publics consciousness in the wake of Elizabeth IIs death.

The couple, in lavish robes and wearing their crowns, took to the Palace balcony to see the crowds, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and the coronation pages and Ladies in Attendance.

The event brought together around 100 heads of state, kings and queens from across the globe, celebrities, everyday heroes and family and friends of the couple.

The King and Camilla have followed the rhythm of a typical royal year in the first 12 months of the Carolean age.

The royal family on the balcony after the Trooping the Colour ceremony (Victoria Jones/PA)

They attended Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph, the Commonwealth Day service, Royal Ascot, Garter Day and Trooping the Colour, undertook a state visit to Germany and continued the tradition of holidaying on the Balmoral estate over the summer.

Mr Little said: The first year is pretty much as you would hope it would be for somebody whod been training to be King for the longest time in British history.

Hes doing what both the public and his mother would have expected of him. Its very much best foot forward.

Charles has also had to get used to extra duties as sovereign, most notably his official papers in his daily red boxes.

His Majesty The Kings Red Box  The Red Box contains papers from government ministers in the UK and the Realms and from representatives from the Commonwealth and beyond. pic.twitter.com/C4JrXHS3uO  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 23, 2022

Sources told The Sunday Times that Charles has been surprised at the increased workload during his first year in the job and decided to be a steady-as-we go monarch.

Mr Little suggested challenges ahead for the King include a much more visible anti-monarchist campaign.

Protests were staged in central London on the coronation day, and six demonstrators from the Republic campaign group were held for 16 hours under the sweeping powers of the new Public Order Act.

The Metropolitan Police was criticised for being heavy handed and draconian, and expressed regret over the arrests.

Republics chief executive Graham Smith, one of those who was arrested and released without charge, said the anti-monarchy movement was gaining momentum.

Protesters near Trafalgar Square ahead of the coronation ceremony (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Mr Smith said: Republic has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years  accelerated by the coronation.

This is the strongest any anti-monarchy movement has ever been in the UK, and were now set to grow stronger and louder over the next 18 months.

However, a YouGov poll ahead of the first anniversary found the majority of the public think the King is doing well.

Some 59% of those questioned said he was doing a good job, compared with only 17% who say he is doing a bad job.

More than 60% of all age groups questioned want to keep the monarchy, but only 37% of the younger generation, aged 18-24, do.

The King, who turns 75 in November, is planning to launch his first big personal project as monarch  a national initiative tackling food waste.

The King during a visit to Talbot Yard Food Court in Yorkersgate, Malton, North Yorkshire to meet food and drink producers (James Glossop/PA)

He is also expected to make his first Commonwealth tour as monarch  to Kenya  in the autumn.

But Mr Little questioned when the King would travel to one his Commonwealth realms such as Canada or Australia.

Inevitably the Commonwealth realms will be a challenge. A year has passed, and the King hasnt yet visited any of his overseas realms yet, Mr Little said.

The transitional year has also featured personal troubles.

The Kings youngest son Harry criticised his fathers parenting in his autobiography Spare, accused his brother the Prince of Wales of physically attacking him and said Camilla sacrificed him on her own personal PR altar.

The duke and the Duchess of Sussex, in their part tell-all Netflix documentary, claimed Kensington Palace lied to protect William when it issued a statement denying a story he had bullied Harry out of the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex during the annual WellChild Awards 2023 on the eve of the accession anniversary (Yui Mok/PA)

Debate over whether the Sussexes children would use  or even get to keep  the titles of prince and princess that they became entitled to, when the Queen died, were resolved in March when Harry and Meghan announced Princess Lilibet had been christened, and it emerged there had been correspondence with the King on the matter.

Charles also handed the title the Duke of Edinburgh on to his brother, Prince Edward, fulfilling the wishes of his late father and the Queen  but this took place six months after his accession demonstrating the King likes to take his time to think on his decisions.

His slimmed down monarchy has only four working royals under the age of 65  the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

An official portrait following the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6th May. pic.twitter.com/lcOrkVGsd7  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 8, 2023

Diana, Princess of Wales biographer Andrew Morton described the year as business as usual but said the monarchy was in a lull.

He told Sky News Trevor Phillips that succession was assured with William and Prince George, but said: The monarchy goes through a series of cycles. Its a bit like the births, marriages and deaths column of a local newspaper.

The exciting part is when the children grow up  when they start dating, who they marry, who their children are going to be.

So were in that lull now where the children are at school and theyre vaguely interesting, but not that interesting.
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife had been in prison for more than seven months before he escaped.

The search for the 21-year-old  featuring help from the Border Force and police officers around the country  is in its third day.

Daniel Khalife was in prison for more than seven months (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the hunt for Khalife:

 January 2022: Khalife is arrested and released on bail.

 January 27 2023: The ex-serviceman, formerly of Beacon Barracks, Beaconside, Stafford, is charged with a terror offence and perpetrating a bomb hoax after an investigation by the Metropolitan Polices Counter Terrorism Command.

He is accused of eliciting or attempting to elicit information about an individual who was or had been a member of His Majestys forces which was of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism on August 2 2021, contrary to section 58A of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He is also accused of placing three canisters with wires at RAF Stafford with the intention of inducing in another a belief that the said article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property on or before January 2 this year, contrary to section 51 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

 January 28: Khalife appears at Westminster Magistrates Court and is remanded in custody.

February 7: Khalife makes no indication of pleas when he appears in court again and his case is sent to the Old Bailey.

 February 17: He appears at the Old Bailey for a brief preliminary hearing.

 May 2023: The former soldier is discharged from the Army.

 July 21: Khalife appears at the Old Bailey for a plea hearing. A third charge under the Official Secrets Act is added before he is asked to enter pleas. That charge alleges he committed an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state.

It states that between May 1 2019 and January 6 2022 he obtained, collected, recorded, published or communicated to any other person articles, notes, documents or information which were calculated to be or might be or were intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy.

He denies all three charges. A six-week trial is set for November 13 at Woolwich Crown Court.

 September 6: Khalife goes missing in his cooks uniform from HMP Wandsworth and is believed to have used strapping to cling to the underside of a delivery vehicle.

The lorry leaves the prison through a gate leading on to Heathfield Road at 7.32am and Khalife is declared missing at 7.50am, the Met said. Police are then notified at 8.15am and the vehicle is stopped in Upper Richmond Road near the junction with Carlton Drive in Putney, south-west London, at 8.37am.

A CCTV image of the vehicle searched by police (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Video footage obtained by the PA news agency, taken by a worker at Rosy Lea Cafe, shows police officers searching the Bidfood lorry with a sniffer dog.

Khalifes escape prompts extra security checks at major transport hubs.

 September 7: The manhunt enters its second day. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk confirms an independent investigation will take place after Khalifes escape, as well as two urgent reviews regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Junctions eight and nine of the M20 are temporarily shut due in part to enhanced security checks relating to the search, Kent Police confirm. A man is stopped by police at Banbury train station in Oxfordshire but it is not Khalife.

(PA Graphics)

 September 8: The hunt for Khalife stretches into a third day. Police search Richmond Park in west London, just over four miles from HMP Wandsworth. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says the force is considering whether the escape was an inside job.

The Met investigates a possible sighting after a man resembling Khalife was seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre shortly after the prison break. The force also offers a 20,000 reward for information on Khalifes whereabouts.
The UK could have a record six days of 30C heat for the first time in September, the Met Office has said.

Thursday was provisionally the hottest day of the year so far, with 32.6C recorded in Wisley, Surrey, the forecaster said.

The previous highest temperature for the year was set in June at 32.2C.

The heatwave has already broken the record for the most consecutive days with temperatures above 30C in September, with Saharan dust generating vivid sunsets and sunrises in the clear conditions.

Thursday was the fourth day above 30C, beating the record of three days seen on four previous occasions, most recently in 2016.

 Another warm and uncomfortable night to come Temperatures staying in the mid to high teens for much of the country, though perhaps cooler for some eastern areas pic.twitter.com/mwxxKAAfBF  Met Office (@metoffice) September 7, 2023

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the PA news agency: If we do see 30C all the way through until Sunday, which it looks fairly sure it will be, that will be six days in a row that we have reached 30C.

Previously in September weve only reached 30C three days in a row.

So although its not the the hottest spell of weather weve had in September, in terms of prolonged hot weather it is twice as long as we have previously had.

Septembers highest daily temperature reading was 35.6C recorded on September 2 1906 in South Yorkshire, according to the Met Office.

(PA Graphics)

But Mr Partridge told PA there was no chance that the September daily temperature record could be broken in the coming days.He said: There is potential that we might get a little bit warmer over the weekend, not by a massive amount, but enough to make it the warmest day of the year so far again.

It is always going to be around 32C, close to 33C at the maximum temperature.

Prolonged heat above 30C leaves older people and those with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases at greater risk, as the UK Health Security Agency issued an amber warning until 9pm on Sunday in nearly every area of England.

A yellow heat alert is in place until the same time in the north east of England.

A man carries water in Finsbury Park, north London, on Thursday (James Manning/PA)

The Met Office added there could be heavy thundery showers on Sunday across England and Wales but temperatures will remain high.

Temperatures are also expected to remain high overnight.

Mr Partridge said: The biggest knock-on effect at the moment is those overnight temperatures because in parts of south-west England and Wales (Wednesday) night many places didnt dip below 19C, which is not easy.

We will continue to see temperatures in the mid to high teens overnight. A few spots could again not dip below 20C, so its very warm and muggy nights.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have spent the period since Queen Elizabeth IIs death developing their relationship with the people of Wales.

William and Kate were named as the new Prince and Princess of Wales by the King in his historic address to the nation the day after his mother died peacefully at Balmoral.

The couple were focused on deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time, a source close to the couple said at the time.

The Prince and Princess of Wales greet members of the public during a trip to Anglesey, their first visit to Wales following the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Paul Ellis/PA)

Wales is the place where they are expected to mark the first anniversary of the Queens death by visiting St Davids Cathedral on Friday, according to reports, with the prince likely to pay tribute to his grandmother.

Charles was the longest-serving Prince of Wales, holding the title since he was a young boy and formally invested as the Prince of Wales when aged 20, at a ceremony staged at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Protests were staged against the historic moment, including a bomb plot co-ordinated by Welsh paramilitary group Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru.

The use of the title Prince of Wales has again generated controversy with a petition calling for its end out of respect for the Welsh, gathering more than 25,000 signatures soon after the Queens death.

There are no plans for an investiture ceremony to formally install William as Prince of Wales.

William and Kate have had an eventful year since the death of the Queen (Andrew Matthews/PA)

During a TV discussion, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas said when he was culture minister in the Welsh Government he raised with Charles, then Prince of Wales, the hope there would never be another investiture in Caernarfon Castle.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas said Charles laughed and said: Do you think I want to put William through what I went through?

William and Kate made their first visit to Wales as the nations new prince and princess just a few weeks after the Queens death, travelling to Anglesey, their first home when newly-weds, and where they raised their eldest son Prince George for the first few months of his life.

The title has come with new responsibilities for William as he is now heir to the throne and will increasingly represent his father the King at events at home and overseas.

The prince had been preparing for his role since he left his job as an air ambulance pilot in East Anglia and began working as a full-time royal in 2017 in support of his grandmother.

William helps brother and sister James and Violet Scott to cut the ribbon during a visit to the Duchy of Cornwall nursery, near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, to open its new restaurant (Hugh Hastings/PA)

Three years before, he enrolled on a 10-week course in agricultural management at Cambridge University, learning about the issues facing rural communities and the farming industry.

His studies gave him a grounding for running the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, property and investments valued at more than 1 billion, which provide an income for the heir to the throne.

William, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, a title inherited from his father after the Queens death, made his first visit to Cornwall in November last year, meeting staff, volunteers and young people involved in a community environmental project, and returned in July to open a new restaurant and atrium at the Duchy of Cornwalls nursery.

The princes public work has seen him launch a number of major projects in recent years from the Heads Together mental health campaign, with Kate and the Duke of Sussex, to his Earthshot Prize environmental awards and a new homeless initiative that aims to end rough sleeping.

In a recent newspaper interview, William was asked if there were plans for affordable housing on his Duchy of Cornwall land and replied There is. Absolutely. Social housing. Youll see that when its ready.

The Prince and Princess of Wales during the annual Order of the Garter Service (Chris Jackson/PA)

Kate, meanwhile, has focused on the early years development of children and earlier this year launched her lifes work, an ambitious campaign aimed at raising the profile of the formative years of a childs life.

In the coming years the couples prominence in public life will grow as William waits to fulfil his destiny and one day become King
Dame Judi Dench will be celebrated during the 10-year anniversary of the Portrait Artist Of The Year TV show.

Winners of the Sky Arts programme from the last decade will paint the Oscar-winning actress, 88, during a 90-minute special.

The Portrait Artist Of The Decade episode will also delve into the stories of previous winners and their careers as they return to Battersea Arts Centre.

Jane Goodall (Ian West/PA)

Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, said: We are tremendously proud that over 10 years Portrait Artist Of The Year has become the pre-eminent painting prize in the UK, and that so many of the wonderfully talented artists whove appeared on the programme have gone on to have such glittering careers in portraiture.

That plus a range of famous faces captured on canvas make this a true jewel in the Sky Arts crown.

Also marking the shows 10th year is a mass portrait event with amateur and professional artists depicting comedian and actor Sir Lenny Henry.

The session, which will be streamed online from Lindley Hall in Westminster, will look to break the record for the most people painting online and in a single venue simultaneously.

Sir Lenny, who sat for last years portrait artist winner, Morag Caister, said: I loved sitting for Portrait Artist of the Year in 2022 and it was a real honour to take part.

This year is a little different, but no less momentous. Im so grateful for the chance to be invited back to play my part in what will hopefully be a new world record for the history books.

Hosts of Portrait Artist Of The Year, Dame Joan Bakewell and Stephen Mangan, will return with the programme on October 4.

Dame Joan Bakewell (Matt Crossick/PA)

This year, celebrity sitters include politician turned podcaster Rory Stewart, Love Actually screenwriter Richard Curtis, Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid and Good Luck To You, Leo Grande star Daryl McCormack.

The artists who make it to the semi-final will paint Spice Girl Emma Bunton before the three finalists depict Dame Joan.

This years winner will receive a 10,000 commission to create a portrait of conservationist Dame Jane Goodall, which will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in December.

Stuart Prebble, the chairman of production company Storyvault Films, said: Were very proud of everything our series has delivered over 10 years for Sky Arts and especially for the hundreds of brilliant and inspiring artists whove featured in it.

And what better way to celebrate our 10th anniversary than with three grande dames as our sitters  Dame Joan, Dame Judi and Dame Jane?
A man stands in the rubble, and calls out asking if anyone needs help (AFP/Getty)

There are some things so difficult to countenance that it can seem simply easier to believe they didnt happen: that one man could put a bullet through the presidents skull, that human beings could stand on the moon, that a seemingly average man might walk into a school and kill the children inside. And, throughout history, many people have chosen simply not to believe those unfathomable events, telling themselves stories that help make the world make sense, albeit more sinister.

So when the first plane and then another collided with the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan in September 2001, it opened a wound so unfathomable in its horror that it seemed necessary to tell a new kind of story  one that helped make sense of the tragedy, even as it distorted it. The conspiracy theories began almost as soon as the attacks had finished, and they have stayed with us to this day.

The theories themselves are so well-worn that they have progressed all the way to memes: the common refrain that jet fuel cant melt steel beams, once an earnestly communicated part of conspiracy lore, has now become so hackneyed that it is almost meaningless. But there are many others, which either tend to suggest that that the US could have intervened but decided not to, or that it actually orchestrated the attacks itself.

At the same time, however, they borrowed from tropes and ideas that had existed for centuries before, and which have continued to prove popular in the decades since. For the most part, 9/11 conspiracy theories are the same as those that went before, and those that followed, with the nouns swapped.

Perhaps the most distinct facet about the 9/11 conspiracy theories is the way they were pushed through formats that are familiar now in everything from advertising to the arts. In 2005, as the early viral internet we know today was finding its feet  it was the year of the first Pepe the Frog drawing, the beginnings of Chuck Norris facts and the Million Dollar Homepage  there appeared a video known as Loose Change, a documentary that presented the central ideas of the 9/11 conspiracy theory in a way that sent it swiftly across the internet.

Korey Rowe, the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who made the film with friend Dylan Avery after returning from those wars confused and disillusioned, has drawn a straight line from the film to the various conspiracy theories that surround us today.

Look at where its gone: you have people storming the Capitol because they believe the election was a fraud. You have people who wont get vaccinated and theyre dying in hospitals, he told the Associated Press. Weve gotten to the point where information is actually killing people.

One of the legacies of 9/11 was to give prominence to the idea of the false flag attack (Reuters)

It can be easy to blame the internet. Experts are divided on whether technology has really made people more given to believing in conspiracy theories.

9/11 conspiracy theories existed, and the internet existed, says Joseph Uscinski, a professor at the University of Miami and author of books on conspiracy theories. But it wasnt the case that conspiracy theories somehow couldnt grow before the internet; thats just completely false, and it reflects a really rosy view of history.

We had multiple red scares in this country, Freemason breakouts, Illuminati panics, crushing and drowning witches  all before the internet.

One month after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, 55 per cent of Americans believed that the assassination was pulled off by a conspiracy rather than a lone gunman. That number increased to 80 per cent in the 1970s, and stayed that way for three decades; we havent seen 80 per cent numbers on anything in the internet era.

The view that the internet is to blame either for promoting or discouraging conspiracy theorists looks at the problem from the wrong perspective, Mr Uscinski argues; people are not simply blank slate lemmings walking around that can have their mind changed by any piece of information they run into, whether that emerged from the internet or the printing press. Instead, conspiracy theory belief is a worldview and interpretation of the world like any other.

Theres no evidence whatsoever that people believe conspiracy theories more now than they did in the past. We can only see it more.

Perhaps one of the more potent legacies of 9/11 conspiracy theories is the establishment of a career that has continued to flourish: the professional conspiracist. And perhaps nobody has embodied that more than Alex Jones.

Alex Jones feeds the disbelief and accusations that surround major tragedies (Infowars)

Jones was already a relatively successful radio host by the time of 9/11, and some of that success was built using the same playbook he would use after the attacks. Before 2001, he had focused on other traumatic events and claimed to know the truth of them  the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, for instance, and the Waco siege that had happened two years before and helped inspire it. While the late 1990s are sometimes depicted as a prelapsarian time of social harmony and reliable information that was broken by 9/11, those events and the response to them show that the foundations were there already.

And while 9/11 helped establish the Alex Jones brand, it was only one stop on his road to underground domination  at least until the legal troubles hes now experiencing over his Sandy Hook conspiracy theories. He applied the same format of disbelief and accusations that the media story is a hoax to everything from school shootings to the Capitol riot.

He was able to do so because one of the legacies of 9/11 was to give prominence to the idea of the false flag attack, a theory that an organisation or country conducts an operation under the banner of another. While that idea has been present for centuries  its name derives from the very real flag that would flown on navy ships  it became increasingly popular after 2001.

It is a way of explaining what the motivations were for, say, George W Bush  to the extent that you believe that the president and certain aspects of the military industrial complex would be interested in allowing or organising an attack on US soil  because it creates an enemy that you can go fight for whatever nefarious purpose you have, says Mark Fenster, a law professor at the University of Florida and author of the seminal book Conspiracy Theories. And that has just become a trope that explains everything now.

And so the Sandy Hook shooting massacre becomes not the horrible slaughter of kindergarten students by a teenager, but instead a fake operation through which Barack Obama could impose stronger gun control laws. The Capitol riot on 6 January was not an insurrection against Congress by the far right, but the intentional creation of chaos and violent mayhem to be used against conservatives.

Some of todays conspiracy theories have become far more involved than the ones that cropped up after 9/11, with their adherents behaving more like those interested in myth or religious texts than scholarly study. Those who believe in QAnon, for instance, gather their beliefs primarily through the almost-sacred texts that are posted by the mysterious Q, not by endlessly replaying videos and conducting experiments to understand whether the official story makes scientific sense, like those who believe in 9/11 conspiracies.

Others today are laced with a specific kind of irony, that does appear to have been born out of the internet. Accusations that Beyonce is a member of the Illuminati seem at once earnest and something of a joke; the slogan Epstein didnt kill himself emerges from both a sincerely held belief and has become enough of a meme that it could be slapped on beers and novelty Christmas jumpers.

At the same time, those conspiracy theories have deadly consequences. Covid and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories  often borrowing from those same health-based scares that have spread for centuries  continue to prove popular both online and in person.

Each age has its truths, its lies and its conspiracy theories. As much as the truth of 9/11 defined those first years of the 21st century, the conspiracy theories around them have helped colour the lies the world has told itself for the last 20 years.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, front row left, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, front row right, walk together, joined by their wives, during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Sept. 8. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon



South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed Friday to strengthen their countries' security and economic partnership, including by boosting cooperation in arms and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.



The two leaders reached the agreement during a summit at the presidential palace in Jakarta, which came on the last day of Yoon's four-day visit to Indonesia to attend annual summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Indonesia.



Yoon and Widodo noted the need to strengthen the bilateral special strategic partnership, including through collaboration between the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative, which centers on enhancing strategic cooperation among South Korea and the 10 ASEAN member states, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which revolves around the cooperation principles of ASEAN centrality, inclusivity, openness and transparency.



In particular, the two agreed to further strengthen arms cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to successfully completing a joint project to develop KF-21 fighter jets.



Indonesia is the biggest buyer of South Korean arms among ASEAN members, with their total valued at $4.3 billion. The country was also the first nation to import South Korean KT-1 and T-50 aircraft and is the only country so far to have imported a South Korean submarine.



The two leaders agreed to continue to expand trade and investment based on their countries' Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which took effect in January, build up Indonesia's EV and battery industry, and facilitate increased exports of South Korean halal food to Indonesia.





President Yoon Suk Yeol, fourth from left, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, second from right, hold a summit at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Sept. 8. Yonhap
The Chief Inspector of Prisons has called for the closure of Wandsworth prison after terror suspect Daniel Khalife succeeded in escaping by clinging onto a delivery van.

Charlie Taylor said the building was not a suitable prison as reports emerge of staff shortages and chaos at the Category B jail.

Meanwhile, the Met Police have released the escape route taken by Khalife, as they revealed there had been no confirmed sightings during the nationwide manhunt.

The former soldier was dressed as a chef and was able to get out via the kitchen in what has been called an orchestrated job that almost certainly benefitted from some inside help.

The route shows that the Bidford van carrying Khalife travelled to and then beyond Wandsworth railway station.

A manhunt is continuing for the 21-year-old and justice minister Alex Chalk on Thursday said no stone must be left unturned in figuring out how Khalife escaped as he launched an investigation.

Khalife was being held on remand after he was accused of planting fake bombs at a military base. Airports and ports have since been put on high alert over fears he will try to leave the country.

Key Points

Pictured: Van that Daniel Khalife clung to as he escaped prison

Strapping found underneath delivery van as urgent reviews announced

Wandsworth prison escape a catastrophic system failure'

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier accused of planting fake bombs

Why wasnt Khalife at Belmarsh?

Map shows key locations in manhunt



Former inmate says working in kitchen provides good opportunity to escape

09:19 , Tara Cobham

A former Wandsworth prison inmate says working in the kitchen there provides a really good opportunity to escape.

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife fled from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday and is believed to have strapped himself under a delivery van after he was working in the kitchen.

Speaking to Sky News, former Wandsworth prison inmate David Shipley said: The kitchen staff will receive food deliveries into the kitchen every day, be in contact with lorries and delivery drivers, and for those who want to escape, that sort of job provides a really good opportunity to do so.

Lucy Leeson reports:

Former Wandsworth inmate says working in kitchen is a good opportunity to escape

Map tracking police helicopter searching Richmond Park for Khalife

08:50 , Tara Cobham

A map tracking a police helicopter searching Richmond Park for Khalife (Radarbox)

CCTV shows lorry Khalife thought to have escaped on driving down busy London road

08:30 , Tara Cobham

CCTV footage has captured the food delivery truck that terror suspect Daniel Khalife is thought to have escaped HMP Wandsworth on making its way along a busy London street.

The Bidfood delivery truck that Khalife, 21, strapped himself to was seen making its way down Upper Richmond Road.

Khalife cannot be seen and there has been no suggestion he was on the van at the time, though a picture shared by the Metropolitan Police appears to show a small strap hanging near the back of the lorry.

BidFood delivery since has confirmed one of its lorries had been used in the escape.

The new footage comes as police have warned Khalife may have already fled the country.

Lucy Leeson reports:

CCTV shows lorry used by Daniel Khalife to escape prison drive down busy London road

Foreign Secretary declines to comment on whether confident Khalife will be found

07:45 , Tara Cobham

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly declined to comment on whether he was confident that escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife will be found.

We do have fantastic security services and police services. I dont think it would be useful or credible for me to to speculate.

The important thing is that we let the police, the investigators do their work, he told ITVs Good Morning Britain programme.

Recap: Chief Inspector of Prisons says Wandsworth needs closing

07:29 , Tara Cobham

The jail from which former soldier Daniel Khalife escaped really needs closing, the prisons watchdog said on Thursday evening.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut, but there are only just enough prisons for the population of inmates.

Wandsworth prisons performance was rated a serious concern and watchdogs had issued a string of warnings about the jail in the past year before Khalife escaped.

The category B reception and resettlement mens prison, which opened in 1851, is one of only nine jails out of 119 in England and Wales whose performance has been called into question recently.

Governor Katie Price presides over the Victorian jail, which holds about 1,600 defendants appearing at London courts and offenders due to be released, in five wings.

Mr Taylor told Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge on Sky News: When you find a prison like Wandsworth, it really needs closing. Ultimately, its not a suitable prison.

But, he added: You need jails because you need to service the courts. Weve actually got a crisis at the moment in prisons just in terms of population places. So there are only just enough prisons, places available, at the moment for the number of prisoners who are coming in.

In video: Daniel Khalife will be found and made to face justice, says justice secretary

07:00 , Namita Singh

Daniel Khalife will be found and made to face justice, says justice secretary

Police search for fugitive terror suspect in Richmond Park

06:40 , Tara Cobham

Police are continuing to scour Richmond Park for Daniel Abed Khalife on Friday morning, as there have still been no confirmed sightings of the fugitive terror suspect.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed to The Independent that the search of the park is still ongoing, with at least parts of it currently closed to the public.

Officers are seen guarding the key entry and exit points with police helicopters flying overhead.

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of a CCTV image of the vehicle searched by police in the hunt for Daniel Khalife (PA)

The focus on the park comes despite investigators admitting there is every possibility he has already escaped the country.

All we know about how suspected terrorist Daniel Abed Khalife escaped HMP Wandsworth

06:20 , Namita Singh

Questions are being asked as to how a suspected terrorist managed to escape a London prison.

Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British Army soldier, is thought to have used straps to cling onto a food delivery van while wearing a chefs uniform and distinctive red and white chequered trousers.

He was awaiting trial for providing information about the British army to the enemy. As of Thursday morning, there has been no reported trace of his whereabouts.

Airports are on high alert with officials fearing he may have already escaped the United Kingdom.

In the story, we look at everything we know about the prison escape so far.

All we know about how suspected terrorist escaped HMP Wandsworth as manhunt continues

Independent investigation into terror suspects prison escape to take place

06:00 , Namita Singh

An independent investigation will take place following the prison escape of a former soldier accused of terrorism, the Justice Secretary has said.

Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, who according to reports is accused of gathering information for Iran, went missing in his cooks uniform from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, prompting extra security checks at major transport hubs.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told MPs that two urgent reviews would also take place regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Report:

Independent investigation into terror suspects prison escape to take place

Police reveal route of lorry Daniel Khalife used to escape

05:40 , Namita Singh

The Metropolitan Police have released the route of a delivery lorry to which they believe Daniel Khalife strapped himself as part of his escape from prison.

More than 150 officers and staff have been working around the clock to try to apprehend Khalife, 21, the force said.

The police said a nationwide alert has been issued for the former soldier, leading to increased security at ports and borders.

But so far there have not been any confirmed sightings.

Report:

Route of lorry to which police believe Daniel Khalife strapped himself

Exclusive: Almost certain terror suspect who escaped Wandsworth prison had inside help

05:20 , Namita Singh

Security official tells The Independent the escape was orchestrated not opportunistic  as its revealed inmate was questioned over spying for Iran.

Kim Sengupta and Amy-Clare Martin report:

Almost certain terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth prison had inside help

Justice secretary confirms independent investigation in Khalifes escape

05:00 , Namita Singh

The Justice Secretary confirmed an independent investigation will take place following Khalifes escape.

Alex Chalk told MPs two urgent reviews would also take place regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Abed Khalife (PA)

Wandsworth prisons performance was rated a serious concern and watchdogs had issued a string of warnings about the jail in the past year before Khalife escaped.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor told the PA news agency staff shortages are the source of many problems at the prison and later said that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

Timeline of Khalifes escape

04:40 , Namita Singh

Daniel Khalife went missing in his cooks uniform from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, prompting extra security checks at major transport hubs.

The lorry Khalife is believed to have strapped himself to left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am on Wednesday.

He was declared missing at 7.50am.

Police were notified at 8.15am.

The lorry was stopped on Upper Richmond Road, near to the junction of Carlton Drive, at 8.37am.

While no trace of Khalife was found inside the van, strappings were discovered which suggested he had been clinging on to its underside as it was exiting the prison gates.

Police have no confirmed sightings

04:20 , Namita Singh

In a press briefing on Thursday, Dominic Murphy said that there have not been any confirmed sightings of Daniel Khalife.

This was a really busy area of London and weve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalifes ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

He was a trained soldier - so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public dont have.

Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.

Police keeping open mind on whether escaped terror suspect has left country

03:58 , Namita Singh

Police have refused to rule out that Daniel Khalife has left the country, or that he had outside help to escape prison, as the search for the fugitive terror suspect enters its third day.

Former soldier Khalife, who according to reports is accused of gathering information for Iran, went missing in his cooks uniform from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, prompting extra security checks at major transport hubs.

Strapping was found on the underside of a Bidfood delivery vehicle which police stopped just over an hour after it left the prison, with officers suggesting Khalife held on to the underside of the lorry to escape.

Prison guards walk around the sides of a van at the gates of HM Prison Wandsworth in south London on 7 September 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

His disappearance has prompted questions over staffing levels at HMP Wandsworth and why he was being held in a Category B prison.

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander said it is testament to the ingenuity of the 21-year-old that there have been no confirmed sightings since he escaped prison.

Dominic Murphy said he was keeping an open mind as to whether Khalife had received support from somebody to escape prison and whether he had managed to leave the country.

He said more than 150 investigators and police staff from counter terrorism command were working in London on the investigation and officers had received more than 50 calls from the public which had provided some really valuable lines of inquiry.

Video: Ben Shephard accuses MP of trying to score political points in terror suspect hunt

02:00 , William Mata

This is the moment Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard accused Conservative minister Michelle Donelan of trying to score political points in the hunt for a terror suspect.

Will a royal commission looking at the criminal justice system be launched?

01:00 , William Mata

A royal commission looking into the criminal justice system was promised in the Conservative Partys manifesto ahead of winning the 2019 general election.

Ministers are facing growing calls to urgently honour this pledge after Daniel Khalifes escape.

Prison officers union the POA called for an urgent royal commission in the wake of the incident, saying that, without one, problems are just going to get worse.

So far the Government has been unable to say what recent progress has been made to honour the commitment.

Boris Johnsons government pledged a royal commission looking into the criminal justice system (Reuters)

How did Daniel Khalife escape prison?

Friday 8 September 2023 00:00 , William Mata

Our video from Thursday explains how Daniel Khalife was able to make a quick exit from HMP Wandsworth.

Almost certain terror suspect who escaped Wandsworth prison had inside help

Thursday 7 September 2023 23:00 , William Mata

Intelligence sources have said it is almost certain a terror suspect who escaped from a prison while strapped to the bottom of a food delivery truck had inside help to flee.

A nationwide manhunt is underway after former soldier Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, fled HMP Wandsworth wearing a chefs uniform on Wednesday morning.

Khalife, who is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base, allegedly graduated to attempted spying for Iran, The Independent understands, as the hunt continues to stop him fleeing the country.

All the indications are that this was an orchestrated job and not an opportunistic escape. It is almost certain that he had some inside help from the prison, the intelligence official said.

Police have not divulged their theories on this or whether there is any evidence to suggest this, but it will form part of their investigation.

No-one has been arrested or interviewed under caution in connection with the incident.

See the full story here.

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier accused of planting fake bombs

Thursday 7 September 2023 22:00 , William Mata

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chefs outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown.

With airports and ports installing additional security measures and holidaymakers reporting delays at border control, his escape has posed serious questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison.

Here is the full story from Holly Evans and Andy Gregory on who Khalife is.

Comment: Its prison break  the new must-watch Marvel comic mini-series

Thursday 7 September 2023 21:30 , William Mata

How do you distract the public from nine straight days of coverage of rows about dangerous concrete?

Easy! Let a suspected terrorist escape from prison.

Currently, no one knows where the rather hipsterish-looking Daniel Abed Khalife is. An international manhunt is underway. But wherever he happens to be, you can imagine he is already working on his defence.

Tom Peck writes his take on the fine art of deadcatting..

(PA / Google Earth)

Why was Daniel Khalife allowed to work in the kitchen?

Thursday 7 September 2023 21:00 , William Mata

Daniel Khalife was working in the prisons kitchen where he was able to escape from on Wednesday.

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor told the PA news agency a prisoner has to earn a certain level of trust in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

He said: If youre a prisoner whos working in the kitchen, you would have earned a certain level of trust anyway, because you would have been seen as someone who could be safe around things like knives, so you would only be allowed to do that and you earn some trust as a prisoner, so you would have kept your nose clean.

Daniel Khalife (Met Police)

Why was Khalife in Wandsworth and not a higher security prison?

Thursday 7 September 2023 20:30 , William Mata

Before his escape, Daniel Khalife was reportedly initially in custody at maximum security Belmarsh prison, where terrorist prisoners and those accused of such offences are often held, but later transferred.

Wandsworth is a lower grade prison and no prisoner has ever escaped from Belmarsh, a category A jail in Londons south east.

John Podmore, a former governor at HMP Brixton and HMP Belmarsh, told the BBC Radio 4s World At One: My view is that he should have been at Belmarsh.

Its much more suited to the levels of security that someone like this  charged with, not convicted  needs. I cant understand why he wasnt at Belmarsh.

HMP Belmarsh - a higher security prison (PA Archive)

Wandsworth Prison really needs closing says chief inspector

Thursday 7 September 2023 20:00 , William Mata

Charlie Taylor, the HM chief inspector of prisons, has said that the prison from which Daniel Khalife escaped needs to be closed.

When you see a prison like Wandsworth it ultimately needs closing, he told Sky News on Thursday night.

In an ideal world I would [close it] but we need jails as they serve the courts.

We have a crisis at the moment in terms of places.

He added: There are only just enough number of places available at the moment for those coming in.

The route that the van carrying Daniel Khalife took out of Wandsworth Prison and beyond

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:43 , William Mata

Daniel Khalifes route out of Wandsworth Prison and beyond can be seen on a map for the first time.

The vehicle left HMP Wandsworth and turned right out of the gate and onto Heathfield Road and then left onto Magdalen Road. It then turns left onto Trinity Road and up to the Wandsworth Road roundabout where it took the first exit to Swandon Way and then left onto Old York Road which is just past Wandsworth Town train station.

It then went left into Fairfield Street and then right onto Wandsworth High Street (the A3) and then straight ahead to West Hill which leads up to Upper Richmond Road. It was stopped at on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Carlton Drive.

Daniel Khalife followed this route while attached to a vehicle (Google Earth / PA)

Open mind if Khalife has left country, say Met Police

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:24 , Holly Evans

When asked if Khalife may have left the country, Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Polices counterterrorism command, said: Of course we remain open to that.

Its absolutely possible . . . he has already left the country. Theres been a huge effort in borders around the country trying to identify if he has already left.

We believe him to be here, but we keep an open mind.

Close down Wandsworth jail, says chief inspector of prisons

Thursday 7 September 2023 19:15 , Holly Evans

Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, has told Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that Wandsworth prison should be shut down.

He said: When you find a prison like Wandsworth, it really needs closing ultimately - it is not a suitable prison.

In an ideal world one would, but of course you need jails because you need to service the courts.

Weve actually got a crisis at the moment in prisons just in terms of population and places, so there are only just enough prison places available at the moment for the number of prisoners who are coming in.

And of course that puts a huge strain on the system, so in a huge jail like Wandsworth you are getting people in, you are getting them to court, you are getting them back from court and then as soon as theyve been sentenced, they are being moved onto another jail as quickly as possible.

And it is something about that churn that also adds to the general complications and sometimes what feels like chaos in some of those big local prisons like Wandsworth.

Police comb the UK and put ports on alert

Thursday 7 September 2023 18:45 , William Mata

More than 150 investigators and police staff are on the case to find Daniel Khalife, according to Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy, who is the lead investigator.

"We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings," he said.

Airports and ports are still on high alert and it is taking longer for passages, they have warned.

This is especially in and around the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France.

Port of Dover (stock image) (PA)

Pictured: Van that Daniel Khalife clung to as he escaped prison

Thursday 7 September 2023 18:28 , Katy Clifton

The food delivery van that terror suspect Daniel Khalife clung to as he broke out of prison has been pictured for the first time.

The Metropolitan Police released a CCTV image of the Bidfood delivery van, which was stopped on Upper Richmond Road around one hour after it left Wandsworth prison.

(Metropolitan Police)

Its quite possible it is complete incompetence

Thursday 7 September 2023 18:13 , William Mata

Former Wandsworth prison inmate David Shipley has said "it is entirely possible" that Daniel Khalife escaped from the site due to "complete incompetence".

Vehicles leaving the prison, he said, would be checked with a mirror underneath.

Its bizarre and the governor is going to have to answer as to why that didnt happen, he told Sky News.

Its quite possible it is complete incompetence and gate staff are often the most junior staff. They are poorly paid and often recently joined the prison system.

A general view of signage and security cameras at HMP Wandsworth in London (PA)

More than 150 investigators and staff working in London

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:59 , William Mata

Police commander Dominic Murphy said there were more than 150 investigators and staff from counter terrorism command working in London on the "fast paced investigation" to find Daniel Khalife.

Forces and agencies around the country are working on the campaign to find the 21-year-old.

He said the van Khalife is believed to be strapped to the bottom of left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am on Wednesday. He was declared missing at 7.50am.

Police were then notified at 8.15am and the van was stopped on Upper Richmond Drive near to the junction of Carlton Road at 8.37am.

Carlton Road in Wandsworth (Google Maps)

More than 50 calls made to police but escape is testament to engenuity of soldier

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:51 , William Mata

The Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism commander has said it is "testament to the ingenuity" of former soldier Daniel Khalife that there have been no confirmed sightings since he escaped prison.

The Met's counter-terrorism commander, Dominic Murphy, told reporters the force had received more than 50 calls from the public which had provided "some really valuable lines of inquiry".

In a press briefing on Thursday, Mr Murphy said: "This was a really busy area of London and we've had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife's ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

If he had been at Belmarsh, this wouldnt have happened prison governor says

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:46 , William Mata

John Podmore, former governor of Brixton and Belmarsh prisons, told The Independent: If he had been at Belmarsh, this wouldnt have happened.

He said security measures implemented at Category A prisons under his leadership mean that food deliveries are inspected and unloaded in a secure area outside of the main prison grounds.

Whereas at the likes of Wandsworth theres no facility to do that so stuff is coming in and out on a regular basis, he said.

He said it was extraordinary that a terror suspect was not held at Belmarsh, especially considering he was due to stand trial at neighbouring Woolwich Crown Court in November.

He said checks underneath, on top and inside vehicles were basic procedure, adding: Something has gone drastically wrong.

Whether its nefarious with collusion from inside the prison or just a massive cock up, I dont know.

But the longer hes out without being caught the more I think about collusion rather than the guy just got lucky and made an opportunistic escape.

He added that someone in the prisons security department should have prevented a terror suspect on remand from getting a job in a prison kitchen.

It is just very, very vulnerable due to the frequent flow of traffic and goods and people, he continued, adding it was either a case of gross mismanagement or corruption.

If hes caught in the next 24 to 48 hours then hes a chance escapee. The longer it goes the more it suggests it was planned, orchestrated and he had help.

More than 150 investigators working on nationwide manhunt

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:37 , Katy Clifton

Commander Dominic Murphy said there were more than 150 investigators and police staff from counter terrorism command working in London on the fast paced investigation to find Daniel Khalife, with support from forces and agencies around the country.

Hes a very resourceful individual'

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:35 , Will Mata

Asked about whether Daniel Khalife had been helped to escape and if he had access to money, Commander Dominic Murphy said this forms part of the Metropolitan Police investigation, adding: Hes out in the open now, so whos to say whether he has money available to him now, but thats part of our inquiry and what were trying to understand.

Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.

Daniel Abed Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday (PA Wire)

No confirmed sightings of Daniel Khalife

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:32 , Will Mata

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said officers had so far not received any confirmed sightings of Daniel Khalife since he escaped from Wandsworth prison.

As he set out details of the route taken by the van before it was stopped by police, which Khalife was believed to have been strapped underneath as it left the prison, he said the force had received more than 50 calls from the public which had provided some really valuable lines of inquiry.

In a briefing on Thursday, he told reporters: This was a really busy area of London and weve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual and perhaps a testament to Daniel Khalifes ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

Its important that we remember we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was a trained soldier. So, ultimately, he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public dont have and I am really keen that we are using everything in our means to find him.

Police reveal Daniel Khalife's escape route

Thursday 7 September 2023 17:26 , William Mata

The route which Daniel Khalife took to escape from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday has been revealed by police.

The force said the vehicle left the prison at 7.32am and turned right out of the gate and onto Heathfield Road and then left onto Magdalen Road.

Police shared the route in a briefing on Thursday.

The spokesman added: It then turns left onto Trinity Road (the A214) and up to the Wandsworth Road roundabout where it takes first exit to Swandon Way and then left onto Old York Road which is just past Wandsworth Town train station.

It then went left into Fairfield Street and then right onto Wandsworth High Street (the A3) and then straight Ahead to West Hill which leads up to Upper Richmond Road. It was stopped at 08.37 on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Carlton Drive.

(PA)

A prisoner has to earn a certain level of trust to work in the kitchens

Thursday 7 September 2023 16:24 , Holly Evans

The chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said it should be standard practice for vehicles entering and leaving the prison to be checked and a prisoner has to earn a certain level of trust in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

Prisons have two sets of gates to go through to access what is known as the sterile area for vehicles entering or leaving.

Inmates are not allowed in those areas and there are strict rules on which gates can be opened and both sets of gates cannot be opened at the same time.

Standard security measures would include CCTV surveillance footage being fed back to a control room, but also mirrors on a roller to run underneath and on top of vehicles.

Wandsworth prison was 30 per cent short on staff in last report

Thursday 7 September 2023 16:07 , Holly Evans

Prisons chief inspector Charlie Taylor said HMP Wandsworth was 30% short of staff at its last inspection and that concerns had previously been raised about the prospect of an escape.

He told BBC Radio 4s World At One programme that several warnings about the jail have been issued over a number of years.

This is very concerning because Wandsworth had a previous escape in 2019 as well, he said.

Obviously any prisoner getting out of the jail is an extremely rare event. But particularly a prisoner whos accused of a terrorist offence makes it all worse.

He said concerns previously raised about Wandsworth make it a jail thats more likely for escapes to happen.

Particularly the lack of staffing which has dogged the prison, he added.

I think when we last inspected at the end of 2021, they were 30% short of staff.

HMP Wandsworth had been dogged by staff shortages (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Archive)

Downing Street says Sunak has confidence in the justice secretary

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:50 , Holly Evans

Downing Street said the Prime Minister has confidence in the Justice Secretary over the handling of a prison escape and rejected blame for the incident being apportioned to cuts to the prison service.

Rishi Sunaks official spokesman did however admit there was a need for more staff at the prison.

Wandsworth prisons performance was rated as a serious concern and watchdogs had issued a string of warnings about the jail in the past year.

Meanwhile, the Government is facing growing calls to urgently honour its manifesto pledge of launching a royal commission to examine the criminal justice system in the wake of the incident.

Pharmacists urged to be alert for burn injuries

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:39 , Holly Evans

An former detective has warned pharmacists to be extra vigilant if someone asks them for advice on how to treat burn injuries today.

Peter Bleksley said the food delivery van Daniel Khalife was hiding under certainly should have been stopped.

He told Sky News: These vehicles are searched thoroughly or should be on entry and exit from the prison, but clinging to the bottom of a vehicle if its got a petrol or diesel combustion engine is a pretty risky thing to do.

He said that since exhaust systems run the entire length of a vehicle like that, the slightest touch will leave a very unpleasant burn.

Long queues of traffic form on the M20

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:37 , Holly Evans

Long queues have formed on the M20 as the hunt for Daniel Khalife leads toenhanced port security checks at Dover.

Part of the motorway has been shut as an emergency measure, according to Kent Police.

Security checks are being carried out at border crossings (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Long queues have formed along the M20 due to additional security measures (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Man arrested in Banbury not Daniel Khalife, say Met Police

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:28 , Holly Evans

Following footage circulating on social media of a man who appears to look like Khalife being questioned by police at Banbury train station, the police confirmed it was not the suspected terrorist.

The force said: We are aware of a man being stopped by police in the Banbury area earlier today.

We have liaised with colleagues in Thames Valley and confirmed the man in question is not Daniel Khalife.

Bidford says vehicle driver fully cooperated with the police'

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:23 , William Mata

Food delivery service Bidford has said its driver fully cooperated with the police during a security incident.

Sky News reported this incident was that Daniel Khalife clung on to the bottom of one of its vehicles to make his escape from prison on Wednesday.

In a statement Bidfood said: Yesterday morning we were made aware of a security incident involving one of our vehicles, whilst out on delivery.

We can confirm that our driver fully cooperated with the police on this matter before returning back to the depot.

We will continue to assist the authorities in their ongoing investigation.

Union calls for royal commission after governments manifesto pledge

Thursday 7 September 2023 15:05 , William Mata

The prison officers union has called for an urgent royal commission in the wake of the incident warning that, without one, problems are just going to get worse.

The Government is facing growing calls to urgently honour its manifesto pledge of carrying out a review of the overwhelmed criminal justice system after a prisoner escaped from HMP Wandsworth.

It comes after, earlier this year, watchdog Andrew Cayley KC - the chief inspector of the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) - urged ministers to stick to their promise of launching a royal commission, which was announced about four years ago in the wake of repeated claims that the justice system was crumbling and on its knees.

At the time, he warned the justice system was heading for crisis.

The royal commission pledged in the Conservative Partys manifesto, and unveiled in the 2019 Queens Speech, promised to carry out a fundamental review in a bid to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

On Thursday, the union said: The union wants an urgent royal commission not just for prisons but the whole criminal justice system otherwise issues are just going to get worse.

Staff cuts have consequences, says union

Thursday 7 September 2023 14:56 , William Mata

Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said cuts have consequences after the escape of Daniel Khalife.

You cannot take out 900 million from the budget with reduced staffing levels up and down the country and expect the Prison Service to operate as if nothing has happened, said the union leader.

Government needs to take responsibility for the decimation of the Prison Service with less staff and more prisoners and Wandsworth is a typical example of what life is like for serving Prison Officers operating in a stressful and violent workplace with inadequate staff levels.

Almost certain terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth prison had inside help

Thursday 7 September 2023 14:46 , William Mata

A security official has said it is almost certain a terror suspect who escaped from a prison while strapped to the bottom of a food delivery truck had inside help to flee - Amy-Clare Martin reports.

A nationwide manhunt is underway after former soldier Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, was wearing a chefs uniform as he fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning.

Khalife was being held on remand after he was accused of planting fake bombs at a military base, and airports and ports have since been put on high alert over fears he will try to leave the country.

A security official told The Independent that all prison staff were being interviewed after the major security breach.

All the indications are that this was an orchestrated job and not an opportunistic escape. It is almost certain that he had some inside help from the prison," he said.

See Amy-Clare Martins full story here.

Daniel Abed Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday (PA Wire)

More prisons could see escapes due to chronic staff shortages'

Thursday 7 September 2023 14:35 , William Mata

More prisons across the UK could be at risk of inmates escaping due to chronic staff shortages, an MP has warned following suspected terrorist Daniel Khalifes jailbreak in London, Matt Mathers reports.

Mr Khalife escaped from the Category B Wandsworth prison on Wednesday, sparking a national search for his whereabouts, Rosena Allin-Khan, the MP for the area, told The Independent staffing conditions were likely to worsen unless the government sorted out poor pay and conditions to improve staff retention.

Ms Allin-Khan said that it was just a matter of time before mistakes occurred at Wandsworth, which she said was frequently understaffed. Prisons across the country are facing the same problems and, realistically, this could have happened at any one of them, she said.

Former Belmarsh and Brixton prison governor says escape could have been an inside job

Thursday 7 September 2023 14:32 , William Mata

Daniel Khalifes escape from HMP Wandsworth could have been an inside job, the former governor of Belmarsh and Brixton prisons has said.

John Podmore who governed the prisons, told the World at One Mr Khalife should have been in Belmarsh and that he couldnt understand why he wasnt.

And he said the decision to give Mr Khalife a job in the kitchen at HMP Wandsworth was quite astonishing.

Mr Podmore said: The prison kitchen is a plum job. And it goes to the most reliable, allegedly reliable, trusted prisoners chosen by staff.

And it is a very vulnerable area. Its where weve seen vehicles keep coming, going in and out. goods coming in and out on a regular basis. Its the kitchens usually close to the gate. So its a very vulnerable area. So you choose who goes there very, very carefully.

Mr Podmore, who was previously an inspector of prisons, said of the prison system: It certainly doesnt protect the public because prisons at the moment are making people worse, they are not protecting the public.

Staffing problems have dogged HMP Wandsworth, says Chief Inspector

Thursday 7 September 2023 14:03 , William Mata

Charlie Taylor, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said that concerns at HMP Wandsworth have been flagged over a number of years  saying lack of staff had dogged the prison.

He told BBC Radio 4s World At One programme: This is very concerning because Wandsworth had a previous escape in 2019 as well. Obviously any prisoner getting out of the jail is extremely rare event. But particularly a prisoner whos accused of a terrorist offence makes it all worse.

But to some extent, our concerns about Wandsworth over number of years make it a jail thats more likely for this sort of thing to happen. Particularly the lack of staffing which has dogged the prison. I think when we last inspected at the end of 2021, they were 30 per cent short of staff.

He added: It may be that things have improved since we last inspected the jail. But certainly its been an ongoing issue with the prison, particularly as it is such an overcrowded but also very busy prison.

The category B reception and resettlement mens prison opened in 1851 (PA Archive)

Certain that Khalife had help from inside prison - security official tells Independent

Thursday 7 September 2023 13:42 , William Mata

All prison staff at HMP Wandsworth are being interviewed after Khalife was able to flee while strapped to the bottom of a food delivery truck.

A security official told The Independent: All the indications are that this was an orchestrated job and not an opportunistic escape.

It is almost certain that he had some inside help from the prison.

It is understood that Khalifes father is Iranian while his mother is English.

A former soldier who has close knowledge of the suspects time in the Army said he was not known to be religious or show a keen interest in politics.

He wasnt any trouble and was always seen as a decent guy.

Units from the 16 Signals regiment are attached to elite frontline British Army regiments including special forces, parachute regiment, guerkhas and the royal marines.

Khalife would have had access to state of the art defence electrical equipment.

Wandsworth Prison: Serious concern raised before escape

Thursday 7 September 2023 13:38 , William Mata

Wandsworth Prisons performance was rated as a serious concern and a string of warnings had been issued about the jail in the past year before Daniel Khalifes escape.

In the Annual Prison Performance Ratings for 2022/23, published in July, Wandsworth was among nine rated as a serious concern and chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned staff shortages are "the source of many problems".

Its overall performance score, based on a range of measures including security, rehabilitation and training and expressed as a proportion of 100 per cent, was 46.4 per cent - one of the lowest out of all 119 prisons.

Wandsworth was handed the same serious concern rating in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.

While it is "concerning when anybody escapes from prison" and they are "now very rare", the nature of the allegations levelled at Daniel Abed Khalife made this case "extremely concerning", he added.

Wandsworth Prison (PA)

All we know about how suspected terrorist Daniel Abed Khalife escaped HMP Wandsworth

Thursday 7 September 2023 13:22 , William Mata

Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British Army soldier, is thought to have used makeshift straps to cling onto a food delivery van while wearing a chefs uniform.

He escaped from the Category B prison on Wednesday morning.

He was awaiting trial for providing information about the British army to the enemy. As of Thursday morning, there has been no reported trace of his whereabouts.

Barney Davis has the full report here on all we know so far about his escape.

Daniel Abed Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday (PA Wire)

Starmer hits out at governments record on changing justice secretaries

Thursday 7 September 2023 13:19 , William Mata

Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at the governments chopping and changing cabinet for creating uncertainty within the ministry.

"It certainly hasn't helped that in the last 10 years we've had 10 justice secretaries, the Labour leader told Sky News.

I know from my time as director of prosecutions just how important stability is when it comes to criminal justice.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (PA Wire)

Port of Dover continuing to advise passengers to take more time in crossing

Thursday 7 September 2023 13:14 , William Mata

The Port of Dover is continuing to advise passengers to take more time in crossing because of the enhanced checks.

The Brock Zero traffic management system is now in place  which means the M20 in Kent is closed between junctions 8 and 9.

Ports and airports across the UK have said that vigorous checks will be taking place as the search for Khalife continues.

Staff shortages the source of many problems - chief inspector of prisons

Thursday 7 September 2023 12:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The chief inspector of prisons has warned staff shortages are the source of many problems at HMP Wandsworth, where a suspected terrorist soldier escaped undetected.

Charlie Taylor said it is concerning when anybody escapes from prison and they are now very rare. But the nature of the allegations levelled at Daniel Abed Khalife made this case extremely concerning, he added.

Mr Taylor said it should be standard practice for vehicles entering and leaving the prison to be checked and a prisoner has to earn a certain level of trust in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

He said: Something obviously went wrong in terms of security, and that will come out over time.

But the issue that we are particularly concerned about is there are too many prisoners in Wandsworth for the amount of staff who are there. And that ultimately is the source of many of the problems in the jail.

(PA Images via Getty Images)

Watch: No stone can be left unturned, justice secretary says amid manhunt

Thursday 7 September 2023 12:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Justice secretary Alex Chalk told MPs today that Daniel Khalife will be found and will be made to face justice.

Labour MP: Why was Daniel Khalife trusted to work in the kitchen?

Thursday 7 September 2023 12:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Conservative MP Mark Fletcher asked whether the justice secretary was considering if Daniel Khalife had assistance with his escape.

Mr Fletcher said: The presence of strapping on the underside of the vehicle would seem to indicate that there may have been some planning involved in this.

In regards to protocols and staffing arrangements, are there any implications that he may have had some assistance in this particular escape?

Justice secretary Alex Chalk said the idea had also occurred to him and colleagues and officials.

All lines of inquiry being considered, Mr Chalk said.

Urgent reviews announced after strapping found underneath delivery van

Thursday 7 September 2023 12:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Justice secretary Alex Chalk told MPs that two urgent reviews would also take place regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Mr Chalk said that strapping was found underneath a delivery vehicle which he added may indicate Khalife held on to the underside of it in order to escape.

There are fears the fugitive - who has been missing since 8am on Wednesday - might try to flee the country.

Detailing what he knew of Khalifes escape, Mr Chalk told MPs: At approximately 7.30 yesterday morning, a vehicle which had made a delivery to the prisons kitchen left HMP Wandsworth.

Shortly afterwards, local contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and in line with standard procedure the police were informed.

The prison was put into a state of lockdown while staff attempted to determine Daniel Khalifes whereabouts.

The vehicle was stopped and searched by police after the alert was raised.

Strapping was found underneath the vehicle which appeared to indicate Daniel Khalife may have held onto the underside of it in order to escape.

Mr Chalk ended his statement by saying: Daniel Khalife will be found and will be made to face justice.

Starmer says there is a lot to look at after prisoner escaped Wandsworth

Thursday 7 September 2023 12:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer told broadcasters said that there was a lot to look at regarding how a prisoner could escape in this way.

I think we need to have an independent insight into what went wrong. I think everybody will want to know why some of the reports of failings in Wandsworth were not acted upon more quickly. I think we may well find, as we have found in other sectors, there is a pattern of behaviour that isnt just confined to Wandsworth.

He said that the chopping and changing of secretaries of state had produced instability and inconsistency.

Decisions that should be made are not made in the way they should.

There is a lot to look at here.

Khalife was never in Belmarsh prison, justice secretary confirms

Thursday 7 September 2023 12:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Daniel Khalife was never in Belmarsh prison, Alex Chalk has confirmed in response to a question from shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Ms Mahmood, who was handed the justice brief in this weeks Labour reshuffle, said: Why was a suspected terror offender held at a Category B jail whilst on remand despite many other suspected and indeed convicted terrorists being held in the high security estate?

Why was Daniel Khalife moved from Belmarsh to Wandsworth?

Mr Chalk said the question was factually incorrect.

He was never in Belmarsh, Mr Chalk said.

All we know about HMP Wandsworth as terror suspect Daniel Khalife escapes by clinging to food delivery van

Thursday 7 September 2023 11:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

HMP Wandsworth has found itself under the spotlight after a national manhunt was launched for an escaped terror suspect.

Daniel Abed Khalife, a 21-year-old soldier with the Royal Corps of Signals was being held on remand at the Category B prison after he was accused of planting fake bombs at a military base in the West Midlands, and other charges relating to the Official Secrets Act.

Security was tightened at airports and other international departure points on Wednesday, after Khalife  who worked in the prisons kitchen  outwitted the guards as he fled the south London jail in his cooks uniform at 7.50am.

All we know about vermin infested Wandsworth prison as terror suspect escapes
Tracks of hurricanes that made landfall between 1938 and 1991. Tracks of hurricanes that made landfall between 1938 and 1991.

NOTE: This entry was written before Post-Tropical Storm Lee made landfall in Nova Scotia with 70 mph sustained winds on Sept. 16, 2023.

New York City, Long Island and New England have been hit by hurricanes over the years but not officially since Hurricane Bob in 1991. More recently, tropical systems that were not officially hurricanes when they hit the region have done significant damage in New York City and the coast of southern New England, including Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and Tropical Storm Henri and Tropical Rainstorm Ida in 2021.

The most recent hurricane hit in New England was under the unassuming name "Bob." On Aug. 19, 1991, Category 1 Hurricane Bob made landfall in Rhode Island with 100-mph winds, which killed 17 people and caused $1.5 billion in damage (1991 USD). At the time, because of the heavily-populated area affected, it was one of the costliest hurricanes in the United States.

Hurricane Gloria made landfall on Long Island as a Category 1 storm with 85-mph winds on Sept. 12, 1985, after striking the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a Category 2 storm. Like Hurricane Donna 25 years prior, heavy rain and high winds caused damage across much of the East Coast.

Hurricane Donna slammed into the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm in September 1960 then made landfall again on the Florida mainland and eastern North Carolina before coming ashore as a Category 2 storm on Long Island on Sept. 12. In total, the storm killed 50 people in the U.S., and damages approached $1 billion (1960 USD). Flooding and power outages were recorded from Florida to Maine.

Boat owners gather their belongings, Aug. 20, 1991 in Dartmouth, Mass., after Hurricane Bob swept through southern Massachusetts. The area was closed to the public allowing boat owners to locate and salvage damaged property. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Boat owners gather their belongings, Aug. 20, 1991 in Dartmouth, Mass., after Hurricane Bob swept through southern Massachusetts. The area was closed to the public allowing boat owners to locate and salvage damaged property. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The only year on record to have two hurricanes make landfall in the northeastern U.S. was 1954. On Aug. 31, Hurricane Carol hit the eastern tip of Long Island as a Category 3 hurricane. Less than two weeks later, on Sept. 11, Hurricane Edna hit Massachusetts as a Category 2 storm.

The worst effects of a hurricane are often seen on its eastern flank. Carol's highest storm surge and winds were mostly east of Long Island.

An unnamed hurricane of 1938 hit farther west on Sept. 21, causing immense damage on Long Island and coastal New England. Colloquially called the Long Island Express, it is considered the worst storm to hit the area and was certainly the deadliest.

The hurricane killed between 600 and 800 people, as it hit with little warning. Scores of trees were felled, with 35 percent of New England's forests were affected. Damage was estimated at $308 million (1938 USD). The storm almost killed actress Katherine Hepburn.

An aerial view of an estate on Westhampton Beach following the hurricane of 1938. (Bettmann/GettyImages) An aerial view of an estate on Westhampton Beach following the hurricane of 1938. (Bettmann/GettyImages)

Prior to 1938, several notable hurricanes hit New England and Maine, including the September Gale of 1869, which made landfall in Rhode Island as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing an 8-foot storm surge and high winds that felled trees into Massachusetts.

In addition to Gloria, which traveled over Maine as a hurricane in 1985, only one hurricane has ever officially made landfall in the state of Maine since 1900. Hurricane Gerda came inland just west of Cross Island on the evening of Sept. 9, 1969. There was minor damage from Massachusetts up the coast, but no injuries or fatalities were reported. Hurricane Bob and an unnamed storm in 1944 both lost their hurricane status just before officially hitting the state.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
World leaders are gathering in New Delhi for a summit to cap off Indias presidency of the Group of 20. In an era in which geopolitics are back with a vengeance and international cooperation is at a standstill, one must ask, what is the value of the G20?

Having first emerged in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the G20 was initially designed to put out economic fires. The forum took on new importance in 2008 and was elevated to leader-level summits with the emergence of the global financial crisis. At the time, it worked.

With a remarkable degree of collaboration between President Barack Obama and the leaders of China, India, various European countries, and even Russia, the G20 prevented a global recession from turning into a great depression. It did so by coordinating macroeconomic policies, mobilizing hundreds of billions of dollars for crisis management, and establishing important mechanisms for regulatory cooperation, such as the Financial Stability Board.

Based on this success, the G20 was declared the premier forum for our international economic cooperation at the Pittsburgh summit in September 2009. However, in recent years, the G20 has proven to be no more effective in crisis management than in serving as a steering committee of the global economy. Importantly, it has missed opportunities to tackle critical global challenges, such as the pandemic and climate change.

Today, it is hard to imagine the same level of cooperation between the countries that banded together during the Great Financial Crisis on almost any issue. India has leveraged its chairmanship of the G20 this year to highlight its economic success and to promote some of its domestic accomplishments, including in the area of digital public infrastructure. Its themeOne Earth, One Family, One Futuresuggests a broad agenda for collaboration, but geopolitics have prevented India, and Indonesia as the prior G20 chair, from using the forum to make progress on the most pressing international challenges. Chinese President Xi Jinpings decision not to attend the New Delhi summit makes it all the more difficult for any progress to be made with China by any of the participants.

Clearly, there can be no consensus among the 20 major countries about the war in Ukraine.

In its heyday, the G20 was a productive forum for laying the groundwork for progress at the UN climate change negotiations. This now seems to be beyond the realm of possibility as well. There is little chance of the next G20 summit reaching any meaningful consensus on the role of fossil fuels, which might have given a boost to the climate change negotiations to be held in the UAE in November.

However, there is still value to these gatherings. Summits can be action-forcing, mobilizing each countrys bureaucracies to get things done by a set deadline. G20 summits can also be important opportunities for formal bilateral talks and informal pull-aside meetings that might otherwise be difficult to pull off.

To have more than 20 leaders, largely unstaffed, in a room for two days is a rare opportunity. Summits are valuable for providing leaders with an opportunity for unscripted and candid exchanges of views. That has proven easier to do with smaller, more like-minded groups, such as the G7, but the G20 would be well-served to throw out all the prepared speeches and talking points and focus on open conversations about the most important issues of the day.

The G20 Is also emerging as an important forum for a dialogue between the West, China, Russia, and middle powers. This dynamic is particularly evident in the fact that the troika of G20 chairslast years Indonesia, this years India, and next years Brazilare all developing countries that play an important role in maintaining the continuity of the G20s work.

Sometimes, these middle powers are referred to as the Global South, but it is in no way a monolithic group. Unlike the Non-Aligned Movement that emerged during the Cold War, these countries will work with the West on certain issues and perhaps be more sympathetic to China and Russia on others.

To manage this complexity, the U.S. will need to engage consistently in a more nuanced form of diplomacy than has traditionally been the case: fewer clearcut friends and adversaries and more attention to the variable geometry of building coalitions of support around specific issues. The Biden administrations intent to lay out a value proposition for the Global South is a potentially important step in that direction.

The G20 might have lost its luster as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, but still has a potentially useful role to play. It will be up to India to make the most of the next summitand the United States to demonstrate that it can navigate the changing dynamics of a rapidly changing international system with skill and sophistication.

Michael Froman is the president of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was the G20 Sherpa from 2009 to 2012 and the U.S. Trade Representative from 2013 to 2017.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will seek another term in office, after giving up the speaker's gavel earlier this year.

Pelosi, 83, was the first female speaker and has served in Congress since 1987. She led Democrats for two decades, first becoming speaker of the House in 2007, after Republican midterm election losses during the President George W. Bush administration.

"Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote," Pelosi said in a statement early Friday.

During a speech in San Francisco, Pelosi touted her decades-long career in politics

"And that is why in light of all that is at stake, and that people have been calling me and saying, Can you stay longer? We don't want to intrude on your personal decisions, but this is the non-advice that we will give you. I have decided now that in light of the values of San Francisco, which we have always been proud to promote, Ive made the decision to seek re-election," she said.

If Pelosi wins in 2024, it will mark her 20th term in office and she will be elected at 84 years old.

"The needs that our city has right now really call for me to stay another term," Pelosi said on MSNBC Friday afternoon.

Pelosi said in gratitude to her district, she "agreed to stay on another term in order to help meet the needs" the city has now.

"I am motivated to do everything I can to win this election," she added.

Pelosi ushered through President Barack Obama's signature accomplishments, including the Affordable Care Act. But she lost the speakership in 2011, when Republicans took over the House in the midterm elections that gave rise to the Tea Party.

She was minority leader for the House Democrats for eight years, and in 2019, she became the first speaker to reclaim the gavel. A frequent target of the right, she led the House to impeach former President Donald Trump twice.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks at a press conference on the reintroduction of the Freedom to Vote Act, outside the U.S. Capitol Building on July 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Pelosi steps down from leadership

The California lawmaker announced last year that she would step down from her leadership position.

For me, the hours come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, she said before a crowded House chamber last November.

But Pelosi emphasized that regardless of her title and leadership position, she would continue to stand on the floor and speak for the people of San Francisco.

Her decision came after the Democratic Party halted an expected Republican wave in the House. The GOP still obtained a majority, but by a much narrower lead than had been predicted.

Pelosi's announcement also came after a brutal attack on her husband, Paul, who was assaulted by a hammer-wielding assailant in the couple's San Francisco home.

California's 11th Congressional District

Pelosi won in her district last year by a landslide, defeating Republican challenger John Dennis, a real estate developer, by nearly 180,000 votes.

The incumbent lawmaker has consistently defeated opponents in her district.

She now faces four challengers for California's 11th Congressional District, which includes San Francisco. Two Democrats, a Republican and a Libertarian have announced candidacies.

In California, the two candidates on the ballot in the primary election who receive the most votes move on to the general election, regardless of political party. California's primary date is March 5 of next year.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks to reporters inside the U.S. Capitol Building about her husband Paul Pelosi's recovery on Jan. 27, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Schiff: 'California has had no greater champion'

California lawmakers responded to Pelosi's news Friday afternoon with Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff posting on X, formerly Twitter, that California has "had no greater champion."

"Were all so fortunate she will continue her leadership for the Golden State," he wrote in the post.

Another California lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, said in a statement to USA TODAY that he is looking forward to continuing to work alongside Pelosi in the House.

"Speaker Pelosi has been incredibly effective in delivering for families in the Bay Area and I have a lot of respect for her," he said.

But on the Republican side, the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a post on X, wrote in response to an article on Pelosi's announcement that "Hakeem Jeffries' babysitter agreed to stay late."

The campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, sent an email to supporters with a poll asking for responses as to whether Pelosi should retire.

"It's time to break the swamp. It's time to drain the power. It's never been more important to end the reign of these radical Democrats," the email said.

Savannah Kuchar contributed to this reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will seek reelection in 2024
A former Philadelphia officer who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry as he sat in his car faces murder and other charges, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Friday after he released body camera footage of the Aug. 14 encounter.

The former officer, Mark Dial, turned himself in Friday morning, Krasner said. It's not clear if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Dial, a five-year veteran, was fired from the Philadelphia Police Department after security video released by an attorney for Irizarry's family showed him repeatedly firing into the man's car.

Eddie Jose Irizarry. (via NBC Philadelphia)

Krasner, who released additional police body camera footage before announcing the charges, said the video was "extremely difficult to watch."

"There is always some level of trauma, especially for family members associated with watching something that is extremely violent," he said, pausing to gather himself. "I hope anyone who is considering looking at these videos in the public, I hope that any adult will think twice ... and frankly I hope any adult will think twice about watching these videos because in some ways and for some people they will be traumatic."

Mayor Jim Kenney also called the footage "graphic" and offered his condolences to the Irizarry family.

"I recognize that no action that we take as a City can bring him back, but I am confident that the District Attorneys Office is working toward justice for Mr. Irizarry and his family," he said in a statement.

Irizarry, who moved from Puerto Rico when he was 19 and spoke very little English, had been driving erratically and was pulled over by police after driving the wrong way down a single-lane street, Shaka Johnson, an attorney for Irizarrys family, previously said.

Surveillance video. (Shaka Johnson)

In one body camera video released Friday, Dial's partner is seen exiting the police vehicle with his firearm drawn. Sound in the video doesn't begin until after the shooting occurs.

A video from Dials body camera shows him approaching the car and shouting, Ill f---ing shoot you, seconds before multiple gunshots are heard.

"Mark, stop," the other officer says. "Move the car, Mark move the car."

The officer, who has not been charged or identified, then opens the passenger side door while he radios for assistance.

Krasner's office said in a news release Friday that Irizarry had a small, open folding knife against his thigh. He then rolled up the driver's side window, the release states.

Authorities had previously said that two knives, one that appeared to be a kitchen-style knife and the other a serrated folding knife, were seen in the car. Johnson said Irizarrys father had given him one of the knives because he worked as a mechanic.

Police had also previously said that Irizarry had gotten out of his car but security video released before the bodycam footage contradicted that as well.

Dial opened fire six times into the car, shattering the window and "repeatedly striking Irizarry at close range," Krasner said.

Irizarry was taken to Temple Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A medical examiner determined that he died from multiple gunshot wounds and that the manner was homicide, according to the district attorney.

"The allegations brought against defendant Mark Dial today are among the most serious in our criminal legal system and are the culmination of weeks of investigative work by the PPD Officer Involved Shooting Investigation team, PPD Internal Affairs, and the independent review of the dedicated public corruption prosecutors in the DAs Office," Krasner said in a statement.

"As they do in all criminal proceedings, our Special Investigations Unit will continue to seek the truth of what happened on August 14th and what led to the killing of Mr. Irizarry, who was shot to death in his vehicle with the windows up," he continued.

In addition to murder, Dial was charged with aggravated assault, voluntary manslaughter, simple assault, reckless endangering of another person and official oppression.

The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 said Dial has their full support.

"Like any other individual facing allegations, Officer Dial is presumed innocent and looks forward to helping his attorneys prepare a vigorous defense against these serious criminal charges," President John McNesby said in a statement.

Dial was initially placed on restrictive duty following the shooting. He was later suspended with the intention to be terminated for allegedly refusing to cooperate with the department's investigation, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.

Johnson had called for Dial to be arrested and charged. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to put an end to speculation that he might run for president in 2024, saying he's all in for President Joe Biden.

"I think we need to move past this notion that hes not going to run," Newsom told NBC "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd in an interview, adding that he looked forward to getting Biden re-elected.

"I think theres been so much wallowing in the last few months, and handwringing in this respect," Newsom said. "But were gearing up for the campaign. Were looking forward to it."

He said his message to donors wondering if the nominee will be someone besides Biden is: "Time to move on. Let's go."

Tune in to NBC's "Meet the Press with Chuck Todd" on Sunday morning for more from Newsom and Chucks final show moderating the broadcast. Check local listings.

Newsom has long been talked about as a future presidential candidate for Democrats. The combative governor has gained national attention for staking out progressive positions on issues like education and immigration, going after his political opposite, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Newsom and DeSantis have agreed to go up against each other in a debate  with a date yet to be determined  hosted by Fox News host Sean Hannity. The potential match-up has irked some Biden advisers, as NBC News reported, particularly those around Vice President Kamala Harris, a likely competitor in 2028.

Newsom said he had read reports that Harris advisers were upset about the debate but said he hadn't heard anything directly.

"I wish I knew who that was," he said. "But I dont hear it from her ... and Im certainly not hearing it from the White House itself."

When asked whether he should be viewed as a likely candidate if Biden falters, Newsom said Harris is "naturally the one lined up."

The governor described his relationship with the vice president, a former senator from California, as an "extraordinarily close working relationship," stemming from before they were in politics. He said they privately continue to "maintain a very good relationship."

"Weve had the opportunity to sit down, have lunch together in the White House, spend time talking about important things," Newsom said.

When asked whether he could imagine running against her, Newsom replied: "Of course not. By definition. Wont happen."
Record-breaking rainfall paralyzed much of Hong Kong on Friday, with flash flooding submerging metro stations and trapping drivers on roads, as authorities suspended schools and urged the public to seek safe shelter.

Photos and videos showed residents wading through murky brown floodwaters as heavy rain continued to inundate the densely populated city of 7.5 million. In some low-lying areas, streets were transformed into surging torrents, with authorities forced to rescue motorists stuck in their vehicles.

The deluge began late Thursday night, with the Hong Kong Observatory recording more than 158 millimeters (6.2 inches) in rain between 11 p.m. and midnight, the highest hourly rainfall since records began in 1884, the government said in a news release.

Some parts of city saw almost 500 mm (19.7 inches) of rainfall in 24 hours, according to online weather data site OGimet.

A vehicle in a collapsed road section after flood and heavy rains, in Hong Kong, China, September 8, 2023. - Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Vehicles submerged in a flooded parking lot in Hong Kong on September 8, 2023. - Tyrone Siu/Reuters

The extreme conditions caught many residents by surprise and came just days after Hong Kong was lashed by its strongest typhoon in five years.

Typhoon Saola, originally a super typhoon, weakened to the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane as it reached Hong Kong last weekend  but was still potent enough to shut down the city and cause hundreds of flight cancellations. Eighty-six people were injured from the typhoon, the government said.

Fridays deluge again caused widespread transport and business disruptions across the financial hub, with the stock market canceling morning trading, and all schools closed for the day. On Friday, authorities appealed to businesses to allow non-essential employees to stay at home or seek safe shelter, citing unsafe travel conditions.

Stuart Hargreaves, a Hong Kong resident and professor, was forced to spend the night in his car after being stranded while driving home late Thursday. The flooded roads were impassable, he said; at one point, water was coming over the hood of the car and I thought it was going to flood the engine.

Several other cars had similarly flooded and were floating nearby, he said. He managed to park in a safe place, but there was no way out  leaving him stuck until daybreak. When he managed to drive home nine hours later, the road was full of rocks from landslides, debris from trees, abandoned cars and so on, he said.

A flooded alley in Hong Kong on September 8, 2023. - Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

A road blocked due to the debris of a landside after heavy rains, in Hong Kong, on September 8, 2023. - Tyrone Siu/Reuters

As of Friday afternoon, 119 people have been reported injured from the downpour, four of whom are in serious condition, according to Hong Kongs Hospital Authority. The government said Friday that such extreme conditions were expected to continue until at least midnight.

The citys Mass Transit Railway announced it would suspend services on one of its lines after a station in the Wong Tai Sin district was flooded, with footage shared widely online showing floodwater gushing down the stairs. Another video shows workers at a different station up to their knees in water, struggling at the entrance to keep the flooding at bay.

While most other subway operations remained open, all major bus, tram and ferry services were suspended, according to public broadcaster RTHK. And although some bus services resumed Friday afternoon, many routes remain closed or diverted.

Multiple roads were also closed off due to the threat of landslides in the mountainous territory, with authorities issuing the highest black rainstorm warning for the first time in two years.

A bus drives through a flooded area in Hong Kong on September 8, 2023. - Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Videos from Thursday evening show floodwater entering the first floors of some buildings and shopping malls, with chairs and debris scattered across the floor.

The government also warned there may be a risk of flooding in its northern New Territories district, which is adjacent to the Chinese mainland, after the neighboring city of Shenzhen said it would release water from a reservoir.

The downpours in Shenzhen also broke multiple rain records in the city, including the maximum rainfall records over two-hour, three-hour, six-hour and 12-hour periods, which have stood since 1952, according to Chinese state media.

Shenzhen saw 469 millimeters (about 18.5 inches) of rain from 5 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, with kindergartens, primary and secondary schools shut on Friday, state media reported. Transport was disrupted there, too, with six subway lines suspended.

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What new research says about extreme heat exposure and health risks for pregnant women. (Getty Images)

As many of us learned over this sweltering summer, extreme heat can pose serious health risks, including dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. According to a just-released study, pregnant women have another cause for concern: an increased risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM). As climate scientists warn that next summer could be even hotter, experts break down the findings and tell us what expectant mothers should know about staying safe in extreme heat.

What is severe maternal morbidity?

The World Health Organization defines maternal morbidity as "any health condition attributed to and/or aggravated by pregnancy and childbirth that has negative outcomes to the woman's well-being." These outcomes could be short- or long-term, with the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control citing 21 indicators, or subconditions, including eclampsia, blood transfusion, hysterectomy, ventilation, cardiac arrest, sepsis and shock.

While research published this June showed an overall decline in maternal mortality rates from 2008 to 2021 among women delivering in U.S. hospitals, the prevalence of SMM increased during that same time period. SMM rates were also higher for patients of a racial or ethnic minority group, while advanced maternal age, racial or ethnic minority group status, comorbidities (such as hypertension or diabetes) and C-sections were associated with an increased risk of maternal mortality and SMM.

What the study says

Published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Thursday, the study found that long- and short-term extreme heat exposure during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of SMM. Researchers noted that "these results might have important implications for SMM prevention, particularly in a changing climate."

What are the key findings?

Using data from Kaiser Permanente Southern California as a cohort study, researchers looked at 403,602 pregnancies  3,446 of which involved SMM  taking place between 2008 to 2018. To determine long-term heat exposure, researchers measured the proportion of different heat days  moderate, high or extreme heat  during each pregnancy and by trimester. Short-term exposures, meanwhile, were calculated using heat waves of varying durations during the last week of pregnancy.

A caveat: While researchers were able to estimate green-space exposure using street-view images of the area surrounding residential addresses at the time of delivery, they did not have available data to factor in individual-level behavior, such as spending time indoors, cooling off in the shower or cranking up the air conditioning. And because the study was limited to pregnancies that occurred in Southern California, its authors recognize the need for "further studies in other regions with various climates and diverse populations."

The findings:

Long-term heat exposure during pregnancy  defined as high exposure to extreme heat days  was associated with a 27% increase in risk of SMM during pregnancy and a 28% increase during the third trimester.

Short-term heat-wave exposure was also "significantly associated" with elevated SMM risks.

There was a significantly higher association between heat exposure and SMM among mothers who did not attend college.

Mothers whose pregnancies began in the cold season (and were therefore further along into their pregnancies during periods of extreme heat) also saw higher associations between heat exposure and SMM.

"In our analysis, we observed associations between extreme heat exposure and adverse cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or hypertensive conditions in SMM (including aneurysm, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest/ventricular fibrillation, conversion of cardiac rhythm, eclampsia, heart failure/arrest during surgery or procedure, pulmonary edema/acute heart failure, puerperal cerebrovascular disorders and shock)," study author Anqi Jiao of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of California, Irvine, tells Yahoo Life. "It suggests that those subconditions of SMM may play a critical role in associations between heat exposure and SMM."

Adds Jiao: "We observed a higher vulnerability among mothers with lower educational attainment. This observation of worse health outcomes among women with lower socioeconomic status may reflect the broader impacts of the persistent and pervasive social injustice issues."

What experts say

Dr. Alison Cowan is an ob-gyn and the head of medical affairs at Mirvie, which develops prediction tools for life-threatening pregnancy complications like eclampsia. She tells Yahoo Life that the study "adds further evidence" of the risks extreme heat can pose to pregnant women.

"We've known before that heat is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes," she says. "It has been associated with having low-birthweight infants and even with stillbirth in some studies. So we've known that there are some risks associated with heat exposure, and I think the current study adds to that body of evidence showing us that heat exposure also increases the risk of having a severe maternal morbidity."

"Extreme heat also affects other aspects of pregnant peoples health and well-being," says Dr. Mary T. Jacobson, ob-gyn and chief medical officer for the women's health resource Hello Alpha. One example of note: "Heat waves are associated with increases in intimate partner violence, which is already a leading cause of death for pregnant people in the U.S." What's more, extreme heat exposure has also been associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and, as Jiao's research team has previously reported, premature rupture of membranes.

Cowan was particularly drawn to the study's emphasis on worsening cardiovascular outcomes in pregnancy, noting that heat exposure has also been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the nonpregnant population. That's significant given the prevalence of cardiovascular-related complications  like high blood pressure disorders such as preeclampsia  in cases of SMM and maternal mortality.

Why it matters

As Jiao and her colleagues note, the study's findings have "important implications" in light of our "changing climate."

"Climate change will continue to impact all facets of health with increasing severity and duration of extreme heat events ... ," Jiao says. "Given the susceptibility of women during the pregnancy period, extreme heat would continue to pose threats and increase the risk of different adverse pregnancy outcomes including but not limited to SMM."

"Climate change is considered an urgent women's health issue because of its known associations with these adverse outcomes," adds Cowan, pointing to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' official position on the topic. There should be a level of urgency with climate change research, she says, which will hopefully pave the way for initiatives that combat its effects. Jacobson adds that this is an opportunity for "health care policymakers and community organizers" to "design and implement targeted interventions" to help pregnant women.

What can pregnant women do?

First things first: Don't panic.

"It's important for pregnant women not to feel afraid," says Cowan, who is optimistic that the warnings about SMM and maternal mortality rates have led to "a lot of systematic changes" and improved outcomes for patients. "And it's not that they have to lock themselves indoors in full air conditioning at all times, but it's really about common sense."

That means taking measures to reduce one's exposure and health risk. "Limiting time in high-risk heat exposure and staying hydrated when you are going to be exposed to heat is really important. Make sure that you have a plan for drinking enough water if you're going to be out and about during the day, but you can still live your life normally.

"It's really about making sure that if you're feeling the heat  if you're starting to feel things any lightheadedness, if you feel extremely hot, if you're feeling like your heart is racing  those are all signs that it's time to get indoors and just take a break," she continues. "So, just listening to your body and those commonsense things, I think, is the most important thing that most people can do."
Comet Nishimura, photographed via telescope in June Lake, California, in late August. Dan Bartlett

Comet Nishimura appears in the night sky this weekend, before skimming past the sun.

The green comet may even become visible to the naked eye as it grows brighter.

Here's how, where, and when to spot Comet Nishimura before it might burn up and disappear forever.

The green-tinged Comet Nishimura is zipping past Earth, and you have a few days to grab what could be a one-time-only chance to spot it  with a little know-how.

Comet Nishimura, named after the amateur astronomer who first spotted it in August, passes closest to Earth on September 12, when it will be about 78 million miles away  roughly 325 times farther than the moon.

Experienced stargazers can see it with binoculars now. In mid-September, as it comes closer, it may even be visible to the naked eye.

You need to be somewhere with dark skies, but it could be well worth the trip, as this may be humanity's only chance of seeing the cosmic spectacle.

Comet Nishimura streaks across the night sky above June Lake, California, on Thursday. Dan Bartlett

After passing our planet, Comet Nishimura will continue careening toward the sun  and possibly its own destruction.

On September 17, it's set to pass within 21 million miles of the sun, according to Space.com. That's about 40% closer than the planet Mercury.

The sun might burn the comet up, making us the first, last, and only humans to ever see it.

But if the ball of space ice survives its fiery flyby, it will reappear in the Southern Hemisphere at the end of September, according to The Planetary Society.

Here's how you can see it for yourself.

How, when, and where to spot Comet Nishimura

A photographer attempts to capture the comet Neowise from Trwyn Du Lighthouse, Anglesey, Wales. Carl Recine/Reuters

For now, Comet Nishimura is only visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Spotting it requires good conditions and a bit of know-how.

"It isn't a peoples' comet," Dan Bartlett, a California astrophotographer who has been photographing comets for years, told Insider via email. "I wouldn't camp out for this one unless you are with an expert in comet observing."

You'll need a spot with dark skies far from any cities, an unobstructed horizon to the East, a pair of binoculars, and ideally a phone application for spotting night-sky objects, like Sky Safari.

Bringing a telescope will give you an even clearer view. You may want to bring a chair for comfort.

The comet may still be visible Saturday morning, but by Sunday Bartlett thinks it could be lost in the glare of the rising sun, too hard for amateurs to spot. Other forecasts have said that Comet Nishimura could get brighter as it approaches Earth through September 12  possibly bright enough to see with the naked eye  but it will also hug closer to the horizon.

After September 13, it probably won't be visible anymore, according to the Planetary Society.

The comet should be visible just above the Eastern horizon an hour or two before sunrise, between the constellations Cancer and Leo. It shouldn't be too hard to find its general location, since the comet will rise near Venus, which appears as the brightest "star" in the sky.

Look for a "bright, fuzzy head" with "a short, westward-pointing tail," Bob King of Sky and Telescope wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. King said he could see it with a pair of 10x50 binoculars.

Because the comet will appear faint without a telescope, you may be more likely to spot it in your periphery than in the center of your vision.

The comet's head  surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust from the sun vaporizing its ice  is a "pleasing blue-green color," King added.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A life reconstruction of the 150-million-year-old avialan theropod Fujianvenator prodigiosus - ZHAO Chuang / SWNS

A life reconstruction of the 150-million-year-old avialan theropod Fujianvenator prodigiosus - ZHAO Chuang/SWNS

A newly discovered dinosaur may have been a flightless roadrunner which has prompted a rethink of the evolution of birds, scientists have found.

The bizarre fossil found in China has helped fill a 30-million-year gap in the evolutionary history of birds.

Chinese scientists say the previously unknown species was a high-speed runner which lived in a swamp-like environment.

Present day birds descended from theropod dinosaurs by the Late Jurassic period.

But the exact process has remained a mystery due to a lack of fossils from the Jurassic to the oldest known record of Cretaceous birds around 150 million years ago.

Now a Chinese team has described a new 150-million-year-old avialan theropod found in Zhenghe County in Fujian Province.

Photograph and interpretive line drawing of the 150-million-year-old avialan theropod Fujianvenator prodigiosus - WANG Min / SWNS

They said the new species, named Fujianvenator prodigiosus, exhibits a strange mixture of features shared with other predecessors of todays birds.

Dr Wang Min, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said: Our comparative analyses show that marked changes in body plan occurred along the early avialan line, which is largely driven by the forelimb, eventually giving rise to the typical bird limb proportion.

However, Fujianvenator is an odd species that diverged from this main trajectory and evolved bizarre hindlimb architecture.

He said the surprisingly elongate lower leg and other features suggest that Fujianvenator lived in a swamp-like environment and was a quick runner or a long-legged wader, representing a previously unknown version of early birds.

Study lead author Dr Xu Liming, of the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey (FIGS), said: Besides Fujianvenator, we have found abundant other vertebrates, including teleosts, testudines and choristoderes.

The researchers say that during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous period, south eastern China underwent intensive tectonic activities, resulting in the unusual landscape where Fujianvenator was found.

Study co-author Dr. Zhou Zhonghe added: The extraordinary diversity, unique vertebrate composition, and paleoenvironment strongly indicate that this locality documents a terrestrial fauna, which we named the Zhenghe Fauna.

The team say their findings, published in the journal Science, opens a new window into the Late Jurassic terrestrial ecosystem of the planet, and they plan to continue their exploration of Zhenghe and nearby areas.

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President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, accompanied by their wives Kim Keon Hee and Iriana during their summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday (local time). Joint Press Corps



Two countries sign six MOUs



By Nam Hyun-woo



JAKARTA  President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo held a summit in Jakarta, Friday, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, while pledging to strengthen their security and economic partnership further over the next 50 years.



The two presidents met on the occasion of Yoon's official visit to Jakarta to attend summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is also a return visit after the Indonesian prime minister made an official trip to Seoul in July 2022.



"Indonesia is one of the leading nations of ASEAN with enormous economic growth potential, and is practicing the secured rules of law based on free democracy and market economy," Yoon said during the summit.



"Therefore, Indonesia becomes a crucial partner for Korea in the Indo-Pacific region, especially within ASEAN."






A boutique gun store owner pictured in Carson in 2023. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

California laws banning people from openly carrying handguns in public without a license are under greater legal threat after a federal appellate court decision Thursday.

A conservative three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that a lower court "abused its discretion" when it declined to halt state enforcement of the laws while their constitutionality is being challenged.

The higher court's ruling did not conclude that enforcement should be halted, instead sending the case back down to the lower district court for another analysis. However, it did provide "instructions" on how that analysis should be conducted, with language that will make it more difficult for the state to prove its laws are constitutional, legal experts said.

"The court seems to think that California can't meet this burden," said Jake Charles, an associate professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law and an expert in firearms law.

Amy L. Bellantoni, an attorney for Mark Baird and Richard Gallardo, the plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit challenging the state's laws, said they were "very pleased" with the decision and "look forward to a swift reevaluation by the district court."

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's office, which is defending the state's laws in court, said in a statement that it was "reviewing the decision and will respond appropriately." The statement added that it is "important to note that criminal penalties for the unlicensed open carry of firearms remain in effect."

The case  Baird vs. Bonta  is one of many challenges to California gun laws that got a major boost after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that firearm restrictions violate the 2nd Amendment if they arent deeply rooted in the nations history or analogous to some historical rule.

The "Bruen test," as it has become known after the case New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen, radically altered the legal process by which gun regulations are scrutinized when individuals challenge them as unconstitutional. Rather than considering the public good of such gun laws, courts are now weighing whether laws aimed at governing modern firearms like assault rifles are sufficiently similar enough to centuries-old weapons laws to be considered historical and therefore constitutional.

Read more:Thanks to the Supreme Court, California gun cases hinge more on history than modern threats

California generally bars people who live in counties with more than 200,000 residents from openly carrying handguns, though there are some exceptions. People who live in jurisdictions with fewer than 200,000 residents, such as Baird and Gallardo, can apply for open-carry licenses from local law enforcement, but such licenses are also difficult to obtain.

Baird and Gallardo first sued over the laws more than four years ago, alleging they violate their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms for self-defense.

In his decision Thursday, Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a Trump appointee, wrote that the lower court must consider the likelihood that Baird and Gallegos would ultimately prevail in their claim that the bans are unconstitutional.

However, the lower court did not do that, VanDyke wrote. Instead, he said, it simply denied the injunction on the grounds that it could "endanger public safety" by temporarily depriving California of its "primary means of limiting public handgun carrying to 'ordinary, law-abiding citizens.'"

VanDyke wrote that if the lower court determines that California's licensing laws impact rights covered by the 2nd Amendment, the lower court must then apply the Bruen test.

Legal experts said that if VanDyke had stopped there, the decision would have been less important than procedural. However, they said, VanDyke went a step further by offering a standard for how California might meet Bruen's requirements that was even stricter than what the Supreme Court articulated.

With Bruen, the Supreme Court said that gun laws are legitimate only if they existed or are sufficiently similar in some way to laws that existed in 1791, when the 2nd Amendment was passed, or 1868, when the 14th Amendment was passed. The latter amendment prohibits states from depriving people of property without due process of law.

The Bruen decision was sufficiently vague that judges have been interpreting it in different ways since. Many are closely watching a case the Supreme Court will hear soon that deals with laws restricting gun possession by domestic abusers, to see if the nation's high court will provide any additional instructions on how to apply Bruen.

Conservative judges have generally applied Bruen more strictly than liberal ones, and VanDyke's ruling Thursday was no exception.

VanDyke wrote that because states were already grappling with gun violence in 1791 and 1868, California had to show a "distinctly similar" historical law to its current open-carry laws in order for the latter to be constitutional today  and not just "any general firearm regulation California might unearth" from the past.

He said the historical law must be similar in "how" and "why" it "curtailed individuals right to carry firearms" in order to be relevant in the current case.

Citing other strict applications of Bruen in appellate courts elsewhere in the country, VanDyke wrote that "in short," California "must identify a historical analogue that curtails the right to peaceably carry handguns openly for self-defense to a comparable degree, with a comparable severity, and with a comparable blanket enforcement to Californias open-carry ban."

VanDyke was joined in his ruling by circuit judges N. Randy Smith, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, and Kenneth K. Lee, a Trump appointee.

Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor who focuses on 2nd Amendment law, said the ruling clearly shows the way things are trending with gun laws in the post-Bruen era.

"It's getting harder and harder for legislators to defend gun safety laws," he said.

Bellantoni, the attorney for Baird and Gallardo, said California's open-carry bans have no basis in history and should be overturned.

"Californias open-carry regulations are repugnant to the plain text of the 2nd Amendment and a preliminary injunction should follow," she said.

VanDyke urged the lower court to "swiftly" reconsider and rule on the injunction request given the underlying litigation is already more than four years old and the Bruen decision was issued more than a year ago, but he did not set a specific deadline.

Thursday's decision could be appealed, as could any new decision by the lower court.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Gabriella Borter

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - In a sweeping decision that would have once seemed almost impossible in this Catholic country, where women were jailed for ending pregnancies, Mexico's Supreme Court this week declared it unconstitutional for the federal government to criminalize abortion.

It was a huge victory for abortion rights advocates who have pushed for such a comprehensive ruling since 2021, when Mexico's top Court first struck down a law criminalizing abortion in the northern state of Coahuila.

The ruling set a significant legal precedent and paved the way for the federal health system to begin providing abortion services and broaden access dramatically. At some point, that might even make Mexico an increasingly important destination for U.S. abortion-seekers fleeing more restrictive laws.

But Mexican abortion rights advocates say the ruling's promise of expanding abortion access will not become a reality overnight and could depend on the political and legislative will of the federal government.

Aside from safeguarding abortion patients and providers from prosecution, the ruling will have limited impact on access until the federal public health system starts providing abortion services. The federal system has, until now, only been legally obliged to do so in cases of rape or to preserve the mother's health.

Maria Antonieta Alcalde, Latin America and Caribbean director of reproductive rights organization IPAS, said the practical implementation of abortion services - via pill or surgery - should be a minimal lift for the national health ministry, which provides a full spectrum of healthcare services for the majority of the population.

"The point here is not capacity, the point here is political will," Alcalde said.

A spokesperson for the health ministry did not return a request for comment.

How quickly federal services begin could depend on who wears the presidential sash.

While current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has carefully avoided expressing his own views on abortion, both of the female candidates recently nominated to vie for his seat in the June 2024 election support abortion rights.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the former Mexico City mayor tapped to represent the ruling leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), oversaw the repeal of gestational limits on abortions in rape cases in Mexico City in 2021.

Xochitl Galvez, the senator chosen to represent the main opposition coalition, has broken from her center-right partys anti-abortion platform to support abortion rights.

As president, either candidate would be tasked with overseeing implementation of the court's ruling, including deciding the conditions for legal abortions and budgeting for reproductive health services.

"Their vision on abortion and their support to provide abortions, I think that will be critical," Alcalde said.

U.S. ABORTION-SEEKERS LOOK TO MEXICO

The decriminalization of abortion in Mexico follows a cascade of reproductive rights advancements in Latin America in recent years after a long period of strict bans. According to Mexico's Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), the advocacy group that brought the case to the Supreme Court, 172 people in Mexico were imprisoned for illegal abortions from January 2010 to January 2020.

It also starkly contrasts with the elimination of rights in the United States.

Since the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion in June 2022, U.S. abortion seekers have increasingly turned to Mexico, where a well-oiled machine of informal volunteer networks have provided abortion-inducing pills to residents for years.

Mexicos court ruling this week could make it much easier to end a pregnancy anywhere in the country, through state-run clinics as well as informal operations, potentially making the country even more of an abortion destination for Americans.

"It opens more possibilities. They will have even more options in Mexico," said Veronica Cruz, the founder of Las Libres, a volunteer network based in the state of Guanajuato that saw an influx of U.S. women seeking abortion pills after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Now that Mexico's federal government is under court order to remove abortion from the federal penal code, abortion rights advocates expect the national congress will soon draft legislation to add abortion regulations to the federal health code.

Lawmakers will have to decide the conditions under which abortions will be legal in Mexico, including a gestational limit. Then, abortion rights advocates expect they will add a provision to the general health law, which would set regulations at state level as well.

Just 12 of 32 Mexican states have removed abortion from their local penal codes. But this kind of federal law, proactively legalizing abortion, would offer legal protection to abortion patients in all states.

Isabel Fulda, deputy director at GIRE, said it was hard to estimate a timeframe in which abortion would become universally accessible in Mexico, but the group stood ready to contest any federal resistance to provide services.

"In reality, implementation takes time," she said.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Josie Kao)
By Karen Lema

MANILA (Reuters) - Australia and the Philippines on Friday agreed to hold annual defence ministers' meetings as the two nations upgraded bilateral ties to a strategic partnership amid rising security challenges in the region, including in the South China Sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a strategic partnership agreement with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his trip to Manila, the first visit by an Australian leader in 20 years.

"Australia is working with our partners including the Philippines to shape a region where sovereignty is upheld," Albanese said in a joint press conference with Marcos after holding bilateral talks

Marcos said their countries' close ties were "terribly important".

The Philippines last month held military exercises near the South China Sea with Australia, its second-largest partner in defence security. It is also one of only two bilateral partners with whom the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows two countries to undertake joint exercises, high-level visits, dialogues and exchanges.

Australia has discussed pursuing joint navy patrols in the resource-rich waterway.

Albanese threw his support behind a 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea that invalidated China's expansive claims in the strategic waterway where about $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually.

"Australia supports the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award. That is final and binding. And it is important that it be upheld going forward," Albanese said.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have claims to certain areas of the South China Sea. Most of Australia's trade also goes through the South China Sea.

Albanese confirmed on Thursday he will visit China later this year, the first visit by an Australian leader since 2016.

(Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it was summoning the European Commission's envoy to the country for reportedly criticising the slow pace at which Austria is weaning itself off Russian gas and saying it was paying "blood money" for the fuel.

Martin Selmayr, a German EU official who was the powerful chief of staff to the Commission's then-President Jean-Claude Juncker until 2018, made the comments at an event in Vienna on Wednesday evening, according to Austrian news agency APA.

"Oh my god, 55% of Austrian gas continues to come from Russia," APA quoted Selmayr as saying. He expressed astonishment at the lack of protests over Austria's gas payments helping fund Russia's invasion of Ukraine, adding: "Blood money is being sent daily to Russia."

The European Commission later issued a statement criticising Selmayr.

"The Commission distances itself from the regrettable and inappropriate statements made by the head of the representation office in Austria," it said. "The Commission has asked (him) to report to Brussels immediately on this incident."

According to the latest Austrian government data, in June 60% of Austria's natural gas imports came from Russia, down from around 80% before the war but well above the lowest monthly figure since then, which stood at 21% in September last year.

"Mr Selmayr has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a meeting with the (ministry's) secretary-general," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Selmayr was currently out of the country but the meeting would take place on his return.

After decades of heavy reliance on cheap Russian gas sent by pipeline, Austria's coalition government of conservatives and left-wing Greens says it is shifting away from Russia as a gas supplier but that the country faces various obstacles, including the fact it is land-locked.

Other countries, such as neighbouring Germany, are increasing their capacity to import liquefied natural gas from other regions at their ports.

Austria's minister for European Union affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, said in a statement: "We can only overcome the challenges ahead of us by working closely together. Not only do thoughtless comments such as those reportedly made not contribute to that but they are unsound and counterproductive."

(Reporting by Francois MurphyAdditional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta in ParisEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Deepa Babington)
By Nandita Bose

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for nearly an hour on Friday about joint plans on technology, infrastructure and the importance of a healthy democracy, shortly after Biden arrived in New Delhi for a G20 summit over the weekend.

The two leaders pledged to cooperate on issues from democratic values and human rights to semiconductor supply chains and quantum computing, according to a joint statement.

"We're frankly thrilled to be here. It's great to see the Indians so appreciative that we've come," Kurt Campbell, the senior U.S. official for Indo-Pacific policy, told reporters after the discussions.

The leaders were working on a "major breakthrough" related to infrastructure and communications that would link India with the Middle East and Europe, that could be announced on Saturday, Campbell said.

The U.S., India, and Gulf countries have been talking about a sweeping new rail and ports network to link the regions, a counterpoint to China's 'Belt and Road' global infrastructure plans.

India and the U.S. will also cooperate in 2024 on the International Space Station, 5G and 6G technology and microchips, said Eileen Laubacher, U.S. National Security Council senior director for South Asia.

As Biden and Modi met at the Prime Minister's residence, the U.S. press corps was sequestered in a van, out of eyesight of the two leaders - an unusual situation for the reporters and photographers who follow the U.S. President at home and around the world to witness and record his public appearances.

The prime minister's office released a handful of official photographs of the meeting, showing the two leaders seated side by side and chatting amiably.

Biden and Modi last met in person in June when the Indian leader was the guest of a White House state visit. The two men were expected to advance a number of agreements reached in June, including a deal to allow General Electric to produce jet engines in India to power Indian military aircraft.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined Friday's meeting, as did White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the White House said in a statement. Indian attendees included external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and security adviser Ajit Doval.

Though the countries are not formal treaty-bound allies and India has long relished its independence, Washington wants Delhi to be a strategic counterweight to China.

Armed with cash for the World Bank and promises of sustained U.S. engagement, Biden hopes to persuade fast-growing economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia that there is an alternative to China's Belt and Road project, which has funneled billions of dollars to developing countries but left many deeply in debt.

After the G20, Biden is to visit Vietnam before returning to the United States later on Monday.

CRITICISM OF PRESS FREEDOMS

Questions about press access on the India trip have been persistent, after the official White House schedule did not show that the usual pool of reporters would be allowed in for the start of the Modi-Biden meeting.

Biden spoke to Modi about the importance of a healthy democracy, Campbell told reporters. "He doesn't do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges," he said.

Campbell said he would not be drawn into a discussion about press access, saying Biden preferred to address such topics privately.

The press pool from the United States, made up of representatives of major news organizations, accompanies the president on foreign and domestic trips and normally has some access to major events. News organizations reimburse the U.S. government completely for the cost of the trips, and it is extremely rare for them to be barred completely.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and the press in the United States, while freedom and expression of speech is protected in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

Modi, of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has faced criticism about shrinking press freedom in India since he took office. The government says India has a vibrant free press.

Modi, who rarely meets the press or answers journalist's questions in India, was asked by an American reporter at a joint news conference with Biden at the White House in June about his human rights record.

His allies attacked the reporter afterward, in a targeted online harassment campaign that the White House later called "unacceptable" and "antithetical to the very principles of democracy."

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Grant McCool)
President Joe Biden arrived in India on Friday for a two-day summit at a moment of division among the worlds leading economies, hoping to seize on an opening created by the absence of the Russian and Chinese leaders.

Bidens first order of business upon arriving was a one-on-one with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence. Biden has sought to fully embrace India as one of the most critical partnerships for the US in the 21st century and a key regional ally to counter China.

White House officials called it a disappointment to India that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not participate in this weekends summit, but added that the United States intends to use the summit as an opportunity to strengthen relationships with the rest of the nations attending.

I will say that I think for our Indian partners, there is substantial disappointment that theyre not here and gratitude that we are, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell told reporters shortly after Bidens meeting with Modi.

The White House still harbors deep concerns about Modis record on human rights and what many view as democratic backsliding in India, including restrictions on the press. As Biden was flying to New Delhi, officials aboard Air Force One said India had rebuffed US requests for any press access to the two leaders meeting.

The leaders re-emphasized that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship, a joint statement released after the meeting read.

The leaders also announced a series of agreements on technology and trade and hailed agreements on high-tech trade, including on semi-conductors, telecom and computing. They also said they had settled the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organization dispute between India and the United States.

Modi also looked forward to welcoming President Biden to the next Quad Leaders Summit to be hosted by India in 2024.

After the meeting, officials celebrated the improving relationship between India and the United States  describing it as completely turned around  but say Biden still pushed Modi on the state of democracy in his country.

In every meeting that Ive been in with the President, the presidents very clear about the importance of the health of democracy, Campbell said. He doesnt do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges and we think its important that were constantly asking the hard questions about our democracy.

Campbell said Biden made very clear to Modi that democracy is a important issue in our bilateral relationship. Biden also had a private interaction with Modi and did not shy away from hard challenges, but that the president begins from a platform of trust and confidence.

India continues to be a work in progress, and I think the key here is for us to maintain a respectful dialogue and to approach some of the challenges with a degree of humility given some of the challenges that weve faced in our own country as well by link, Campbell said.

Biden isnt aiming to paper over the fractures during his time in New Delhi. But with an eye toward countering China, he does hope to convince a splintered world the United States remains a committed and valuable partner.

He arrives as polling in the United States shows strong headwinds in his bid for reelection; a CNN survey released the day of his departure showed two-thirds of Democrat-leaning voters dont want Biden as the 2024 nominee.

Bidens advisers believe his activities on the global stage can help provide a contrast with Republicans, and his campaign released a television ad Thursday highlighting his visit to Ukraine earlier this year.

But Bidens shaky political standing has nonetheless left fellow leaders, particularly in Europe, wondering what the next year will portend and whether Bidens pledges of a robust US role in the world will be sustained.

In New Delhi, Biden is hoping to make the argument that the United States can act as a better partner for developing countries than China. He has an unexpected opening to make his case: Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping this weekends summit, his first time missing a G20 since taking office in 2012.

While that is a lost opportunity in some ways  Biden and Xi met for hours at last years G20 in Bali  it also frees the stage for the US to make its argument for American partnerships.

At a moment when the very fragile state of Chinas economy is causing deep concern about global ripple effects, Biden hopes to use the relative strength of the American market to make his pitch. Campbell said there were undeniable opportunities for the US at the summit given the leaders who will be attending  and those who wont.

I think we fully intend to strengthen and deepen our relationship, and we leave it to China in particular to discuss and explain while why they are not here. Its really their business, he said.

He isnt arriving empty handed. He comes armed with proposals to reform and step up investments in the World Bank, leveraging US funds to free up hundreds of billions of dollars in new grants and loans for the developing world.

The White House insists the steps are not about countering Beijing.

Its not just a question of responding to China, its a question of addressing long standing global challenges, reducing poverty, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at a morning briefing in New Delhi.

Still, the White House has argued institutions like the World Bank can provide an alternative to what they say are Chinas coercive lending practices.

Ahead of Bidens arrival, officials were hurriedly working to draft joint declarations that could be signed off on by the summits end. But the talks have been difficult, according to diplomats, and reflected the wide divides within the G20 over the most contentious global issues.

As diplomats continue wrangling over language to include in a final leaders statement, Campbell sought to downplay the process.

This is the way it always goes. It comes down to this, he said. We are finding that on many of the issues that matter to us, we are making progress. Theres clearly been some forward movement on climate.

Its the last moment when things come together, he said. And look, I will tell you that the American team is extraordinarily competent and able and weve got some willing interlocutors, well see whats possible.

While Biden has been successful in rallying support in the West for Ukraine, he hasnt necessarily been as persuasive among leaders in the so-called Global South, including India, Brazil and South Africa.

Failure to agree on shared language could prove a major disappointment for the host of this years summit, Modi, who has worked to center the discussions here on the developing world but also bolster his stature as global statesman.

Modis face has been plastered around New Delhi welcoming delegates to the G20 and announcing the theme: One Earth, One Family, One Future.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California lawmakers are debating nearly 1,000 bills during the hectic final two weeks of the Legislative session. Heres action taken by the California Legislature Thursday:

AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON CHURCHES' LANDS

Religious institutions and nonprofit colleges in California could soon turn their parking lots and other properties into low-income housing to help combat the ongoing homeless crisis, lawmakers voted on Thursday.

The legislation would rezone land owned by nonprofit colleges and religious institutions, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues, to allow for affordable housing. They would be able to bypass most local permitting and environmental review rules that can be costly and lengthy.

California is home to 171,000 homeless people  about 30% of all homeless people in the U.S. The crisis has sparked a movement among religious institutions, dubbed yes in Gods backyard, or YIGBY, in cities across the state, with a number of projects already in the works.

But churches and colleges often face big hurdles trying to convert their surplus land and underutilized parking lots into housing because their land is not zoned for residential use. An affordable housing project in a San Jose church had to go through a rezoning process that took more than two years before it could break ground in 2021.

The goal of this legislation is to carve an easier path to build much-needed housing in the state, said Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who authored the bill.

The bill, which was approved by the Assembly, needs the final approval in the state Senate before heading to the desk of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will decide whether to sign it into law.

It would only apply to affordable housing projects, and the law would sunset in 2036.

Democratic Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, who represents Orange County, said there are hundreds of faith-based organizations and several community colleges in her district that could use this bill as a tool to expedite affordable housing projects.

If only a small fraction of them chose to build very small amount of units, we could start picking away at this issue one church at a time, one educational institution at a time, she said Thursday.

Supporters of the bill said it could help add hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units to the states housing stock. A recent study by the University of California, Berkeley, Terner Center for Housing Innovation estimated California religious and higher education campuses have more than 170,000 acres (68,797 hectares) of land that would be eligible under the bill.

But several cities opposed the bill and said it would take away local control over housing developments. Environmental groups also worry the bill doesnt have enough guardrails and would put low-income housing close to polluting areas such as freeways, industrial facilities, and oil and gas plants.

Lawmakers have until Sept. 14 to act on this and other bills. When lawmakers finish, Newsom will have a month to decide whether to sign them into law.

DIVERSE TEXTBOOKS IN SCHOOLS

The Legislature passed a bill to ensure school curricula reflect the cultural and racial diversity of California and the U.S.

The bill would also require school boards to approve instructional materials that include accurate depictions of LGBTQ+ people and their contributions. It would ban school boards from rejecting textbooks because they mention the contributions of people with a particular racial background or sexual orientation.

Its an issue that has cropped up in many states. The issue garnered renewed attention in California when a Southern California school board, Temecula Valley Unified, rejected an elementary social studies curriculum that included materials mentioning Harvey Milk, a former San Francisco politician and gay rights advocate. Newsom threatened the school board with a $1.5 million fine. The board later reversed course.

State senators debated intensely on the bill. They took a timeout after Democratic Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, who chairs the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said Republican Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Boghs comments about the bill were off topic. Republican lawmakers and Democratic Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil voted against it.

Ochoa Bogh said the bill wouldnt make sure that school materials would be age-appropriate for students. But Democratic Sen. Lena Gonzalez said school boards would still be able to make those decisions.

Later in the day, the state Assembly gave final sign-off on the bill, sending it to Newsoms desk.

Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson, who introduced the proposal, touted it as a chance to show the nation that California would be on the right side of history.

A yes vote means that not on our watch will these political class wars be declared and use our students and our children as pawns, Jackson said.

But Republican Majority Leader James Gallagher said the bill would overstep on local school boards authority to approve class materials.

STREAMLINING THE HOUSING PERMITTING PROCESS

The state Assembly passed a bill that would extend the life of a landmark law streamlining rules about housing projects in cities that have not met state-mandated goals for affordable housing. The bill is one of the most contentious pieces of housing legislation this year.

Since the original bill took effect in 2018, it has helped fast-track 18,000 homes, with roughly 75% of them being affordable housing, according to the bills author, Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener.

The new bill would remove the requirement to hire skilled and trained workers, a provision typically sought by the powerful construction trades union, and instead require workers to be paid prevailing wage, which is the average wage paid to workers, laborers and mechanics in a particular area.

The bill had met fierce opposition from the state Coastal Commission and environmental groups in July because it would remove the exemption on streamlined housing development in coastal zones. Opponents worried the bill would place housing in areas prone to sea-level rise or wildfires and make way for luxury apartments, not affordable housing, along the coastline.

Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a co-author of the bill, said the legislation only applies to coastal areas zoned for multifamily housing and that Wiener has worked with the commission to address critics' concerns. The Coastal Commission no longer opposes the bill.

Were extending current law, so its not scary, Wicks said Thursday. Its the right thing to do. We know this program works.

GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS

The state Assembly on Thursday approved a bill to require schools serving first through 12th grade to have at least one gender-neutral bathroom available for students by 2026.

The legislation would apply to schools with multiple female and male restrooms. The bill comes amid debates in California and elsewhere about the rights of transgender and nonbinary students, including whether teachers should notify parents if their child changes pronouns at school.

___

Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin @sophieadanna
Police have confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the Chiswick area of west London overnight as the force revealed the outfit the fugitive terror suspect is believed to have changed into after escaping Wandsworth Prison.

Following intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings, the Metropolitan Police said it is focusing the national manhunt for Khalife in Chiswick on Saturday, with officers set to carry out further intensive search activity there throughout the day.

From reports received, which included calls from members of the public, the force added the former soldier is believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, and carrying a small bag or case.

This comes after police helicopters spent Friday night circling around the Thames in west London, with flight radar maps revealing one flying over Chiswick House and Grove Park.

The Met confirmed the first sighting of the fugitive earlier in the day after a member of the public told police they saw a man resembling Khalife walking away from the BidFood delivery van that had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth roundabout on Wednesday morning.

Key Points

Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier accused of planting fake bombs

Radar map reveals aerial police activity around west London

Police helicopters spend night circling around Thames river

Police keeping open mind on whether escaped terror suspect has left country

Khalife had help to escape, says former prisons minister

10:16 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife would have received some sort of collusion and support to aid his escape, a former prisons minister has said.

Former Tory MP Rory Stewart also said that prisons in England and Wales are unmanageable.

Asked if he would have resigned if the escape happened during his tenure, he told Sky News: I definitely think that its important for ministers to take full responsibility.

There are 120 prisons in England and Wales. There were escapes on my watchfor the first few days, youre just trying to work out what on earth happened  how did this happen? And the story changes, as you can imagine, minute by minute. You have to get on the ground in Wandsworth and talk to the governor.

In this particular case, it seems clear if he had strapping underneath this vehicle, that there was some kind of collusion and support. But its also clear that they seemed to spend, I dont know, half an hour/45 minutes before they even noticed he was gone from the kitchen, and he shouldnt be in the kitchen in the first place.

Mr Stewart added: The bigger issue is the prison population, these prisons are totally unmanageable. And the main thing that I was trying to do when I was in government is reduce the prison population.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife laughed' during arrest

08:31 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife laughed after he was tackled off his bike by a police officer on a canal towpath and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The former soldier  who was found with a sleeping bag, change of clothes, bottle of water and Waitrose cool bag  laughed at police and winked at passersby during his arrest, according to a witness.

Student Ethan Andrews, 20, told The Sun: The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that? I cant believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.

Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Khalife escape

09:58 , Tara Cobham

Around 40 inmates of HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the Category B prison after terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape, the Justice Secretary has said.

Justice Secretry Alex Chalk said on Sunday that the preliminary findings of his investigation into the ageing London jail have found that the relevant procedures and security staff were in place.

But he said dozens of individuals on remand have been moved to different sites out of an abundance of caution amid questions over why a former soldier accused of a terror offence was not in the highest security prison.

Sam Blewett reports:

Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Daniel Khalife escape

Prison population gone over 88,000, says chief inspector

09:56 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor told the BBC the prison population has gone over 88,000.

He said: If you go back to the mid 1990s, when actually crime was much higher than it is now, our prison population was half what it is, or pretty much half what it is today. I think it was around 40 to 44,000 and its now gone up to over 88,000.

The projections are that it will go up even further and the problem is if it goes up even further what that means is more prisoners sharing cells that were designed for one person, continuing to use these old battered, crumbling vermin infested Victorian jails, which would make fantastic museums or flats but really are not fit for purpose for the 21st century.

But also that there arent enough staff in place to be able to unlock prisoners and actually to begin to do the things with prisoners that are actually going to help them to not offend when they come out.

Prisons have got a public protection duty to keep people locked up when theyre inside, but they also have a public protection duty to make sure that they put in place the things that mean that when someone leaves prison, theyre less likely to reoffend.

Prison governors hands tied by extraordinary level of bureaucracy'

09:54 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has said that prison governors hands are often tied by an extraordinary level of bureaucracy.

He told the Laura Kuenssberg show: Its not just about the pipeline of people coming in. Its also about the quality of people coming in. And the fact that many people are leaving the job after quite short periods of time.

And one of the reasons for that, and governors tell me this is that, governors themselves have no part in the selection of staff who come and work in their jail. The boss cant choose their staff.

Im a former head teacher and I sit there aghast at some of the things that governors cant do. They cant commission work.

I spoke to a governor last week who said that in order to buy a pot of paint, she had to go through some long procurement exercise through the centre rather than sending someone down to Howdens to buy a pot of paint to decorate some cells.

So there is a sort of bureaucracy around prisons, which makes things incredibly complicated and means the governors, some of them are unbelievably impressive people who do an absolutely brilliant job, but often their hands are tied by what seems to me coming from an education background, like an extraordinary level of bureaucracy.

Wandsworth prisoners spend 22 hours a day in cells, says chief inspector

09:22 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has said that prisoners at Wandsworth Prison spend up to 22 hours a day in their cells.

He told the BBC: I think Wandsworth is failing typical of most inner city Victorian local prisons of which there is still a huge amount that are open and and there are three things really its about having enough staff of the right quality. Its about the level of overcrowding that you have.

I think Wandsworth is 600 over what it was originally designed for. Its about, 1,600 prisoners, and that means lots of people sharing cells that were originally designed for one person.

And the third thing is about prisoners having enough to do and what we found when we inspected Wandsworth last year was that people were largely locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day and sometimes even worst at the weekends.

HMP Wandsworth in London, which terror suspect Daniel Abed escaped from clinging on to a delivery lorry (PA Wire)

Justice Secretary has absolute confidence in HMPPS investigation

09:20 , Tara Cobham

The Justice Secretary has said he has absolute confidence in the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service to do a very rigorous, very searching investigation following Daniel Khalifes escape from Wandsworth Prison.

Alex Chalk told the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that investigations into how the terror suspect was able to escape are currently underway.

He said: I have absolute confidence in the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service to do their own very rigorous, very searching investigation.

Preliminary findings suggest it is clear the relevant security protocols and staff were in place at the time of Khalifes escape, he said.

HMP Wandsworth had correct security protocols, suggests Justice Secretary

09:07 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said an investigation has suggested that HMP Wandsworth did have the correct security protocols and staff in place at the time of Daniel Khalifes escape.

Discussing preliminary findings of a review he issued, Mr Chalk told Skys Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the investigation has looked into whether protocols were in place relating to the unloading of food from a van and searching the delivery vehicle.

Those protocols were in place, point one, he said.

And point two, the relevant security staff were also in place. Plainly what weve yet to establish is whether those protocols were followed.

He said he will set out the terms of reference next week of the separate independent investigation to ensure that the conclusions are rock solid.

Justice Secretary says 40 inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison

09:05 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that around 40 inmates of Category B HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the prison amid an investigation into how Daniel Khalife escaped.

He told Skys Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: Out of an abundance of caution some prisoners there, some of those on remand, have been moved (this week).

Additional resources have of course gone into Wandsworth, so theres additional governor support, a former governor with particular expertise in security.

But also, out of an abundance of caution, around 40 prisoners have been moved just while we get to the bottom of what took place in Wandsworth. That is a sensible, precautionary measure.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that around 40 inmates of Category B HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the prison amid an investigation into how Daniel Khalife escaped (PA Wire)

Runner describes seeing Khalife hours before arrest

09:01 , Tara Cobham

Runner, Frank Noon, saw Wandsworth Prison terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife further down Thames hours before his arrest in Greenford.

Noon saw the 21-year-old lying on his back while he was running along the river.

It was only when I saw him three hours later and he was wearing the same clothes that I thought thats the same guy thats weird, Mr Noon told Sky News.

Khalife was tackled off his bike by a police officer on a canal towpath and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer near Rowdell Road in west London just before 11am on Saturday (9 September) morning and is currently in their custody.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Runner describes seeing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife hours before arrest

Questions that remain about Khalife's prison escape

07:55 , Vishwam Sankaran

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the terror suspects escape from the Wandsworth prison was clearly pre-planned.

Daniel Khalife escaped from the prison by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery truck leaving the facility.

Mr Khalifes escape has posed questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison, when terror accused individuals are usually imprisoned in Category A facilities.

Justice secretary Alex Chalk has held an urgent call with the prison governor to seek assurances about the security of the jail.

As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak told broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi.

What is terror suspect Daniel Khalife accused of?

07:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

The 21-year old terror suspect Daniel Khalife, who escaped from the Wandsworth facility, is set to go on trial in November over charges that he left fake bombs at a military base.

His intentions were reportedly to stir fears of a terrorist attack.

The terror suspect is also accused of gathering information that could benefit a foreign enemy, reportedly Iran.

Prior to his initial arrest, the 21-year-old had formerly been a soldier in the British Army since 2018.

He had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.

Mr Khalife allegedly placed three canisters with wires at RAF Stafford with the intention of inducing in another a belief that the said article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property.

Khalife is believed to be of Iranian descent and the 21-year-old allegedly attempted to pass on information that could be useful to an enemy to a foreign power, believed to be Iran.

Prison inspector reveals what life inside Wandsworth facility is like

06:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday, leading to a 75-hour manhunt that led to his capture.

His Majestys chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor reveals what life inside the vermin-infested, crumbling prison is like.

The prison, which holds over 1,500 inmates is a squalid, overcrowded prison with 600 more prisoners than its original capacity, he says based on his account of the facility.

The inspector probed the facility in September 2021 following a string of self-inflicted deaths at the jail and returned again less than a year later.

In all the noise about Wandsworth, it is important to remember the many #hiddenheros at the prison - staff who do an amazing job often in the most difficult circumstances.  Charlie Taylor (@charlie_taylor6) September 8, 2023

At the prison, each cell is small, dark, and cramped, with an unscreened toilet in the corner, a sink, and a plastic chair.

Cells on the lower floors suffer from vermin, while those on the top are unbearably hot during the summer, the prison inspector says.

However, he adds that the prisons staff still manage to do an amazing job despite the most difficult circumstances.

Why I believe squalid prisons like Wandsworth should be closed| Charlie Taylor

Read more about the inspectors first-hand account of the Wandsworth prison here.

Commander thanks public for support in capturing terror suspect

06:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

Counter-terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy thanked the public for their support in capturing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

I am pleased to say that after 75 hours of my team and support from the Metropolitan police in leading the manhunt for Daniel Khalife, this morning he was arrested and he is now back in custody, Mr Murphy said in a video message shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

Commander Dominic Murphy thanks the public for their support after Daniel Khalife, who escaped from prison on Wednesday, was arrested earlier today by Met Police officers  pic.twitter.com/dJpHTkNmHQ  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 9, 2023

In no small part, this is thanks to support from the public who have called in their hundreds to support our manhunt. So I would like to thank you for all your efforts, the commander said.

How 75-hour manhunt for terror suspect panned out

05:49 , Vishwam Sankaran

The manhunt for 21-year-old escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife started after prison staff alerted the Metropolitan Police force at 7:50am on Wednesday.

A national search ensued in the next four days, involving 150 Met officers and staff, as well as colleagues from other forces across the UK.

Officers worked at pace around the clock receiving more than 100 calls from members of the public.

The suspect is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth prison strapped to the bottom of a delivery lorry on Wednesday.

Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away

A member of the public reported seeing Khalife walking away from a Bidfood van near Wandsworth Roundabout after he made his escape from the prison.

Police helicopters circled around the Thames in west London looking for the 21-year-old.

The police force then focused its search in Chiswick after confirmed sightings.

Shortly after, the Met announced that the suspect had been nabbed in Chiswick and is currently in police custody.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrested in Chiswick

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after intelligence-led activity and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Daniel Khalife escape: Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

03:00 , Joe Middleton

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier and terror suspect arrested after 75 hours on run

02:00 , Joe Middleton

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt, having finally been captured 75 hours after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chefs outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown.

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was clearly pre-planned  pointing to the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.

With airports and ports installing additional security measures and holidaymakers reporting delays at border control, his escape has posed serious questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison.

Prior to his arrest in January, the 21-year-old had formerly been a serving soldier in the British Army since 2018 and had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.

All we know about Daniel Khalife: Royal Signals soldier arrested after prison escape

Daniel Khalife arrested by police in west London

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect laughed and winked during arrest

22:46 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife laughed and winked at onlooker after being detained by police on Saturday morning.

Student Ethan Andrews, 20, witnessed the arrest, he told The Sun: The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that?

I cant believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike

21:23 , Joe Middleton

A terror suspect who escaped from prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery lorry has been caught after being tackled off his bike on a towpath by a police officer.

Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, a former soldier who fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, was arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.

He was spotted by the plainclothes counterterrorism officer just before 11am on Saturday in northwest London, about 12 miles from where he fled, and is now in police custody, the Metropolitan Police said. Khalife was found with the bike, a sleeping bag and a cool bag full of food.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike

Met Police pivoting investigation to Khalifes escape and if other persons were involved

20:45 , Joe Middleton

The Metropolitan Police said it will now be pivoting its investigation to Khalifes escape and if other people were involved after the terror suspect was captured on Saturday morning.

In a press release on Saturday evening Commander Dominic Murphy said: Our priority following Khalifes escape was to find him and bring him back to custody, which, thanks to the help of the public, and the excellent work by our officers, we have achieved.

We are now pivoting our investigation towards the circumstances of his escape and whether there may have been any other persons involved and that investigation continues.

Plain-clothed officer pulled Daniel Khalife off bicycle during arrest, police say

20:07 , Joe Middleton

Pictured: This is the moment Daniel Khalife was arrested by officers

19:29 , Joe Middleton

Footage obtained by The Sun shows the moment that Daniel Khalife was detained by officers in Northolt, west London, on Saturday morning.

The video sees the suspect sat on the floor on the canal towpath in a white t-shirt close to a Waitrose bag, bottle of water bike and sleeping bag.

In a briefing to journalists on Saturday afternoon the Met Police said that the terror suspect was pulled from the bike by a lone officer, ending the four day manhunt.

When he was detained Khalife said Its not me! I havent done anything, accoding to an eyewitness who spoke to the MailOnline.

It is unclear now if Khalife will be taken back to the category B prison or to a higher-security location.

Khalife was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK.

(The Sun)

(The Sun)

Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest

18:42 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after intelligence-led activity and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the capture of Khalife:

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes down the road

17:40 , Joe Middleton

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in west London following a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers in Chiswick just before 11am on Saturday, a mere 45 minutes drive away from the prison he escaped from on Wednesday morning.

After prison staff alerted the force to the missing 21-year-old at 7.50am, a national search ensued over the next four days, which The Independent has shown on a map.

Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away

Plain-clothed officer pushed Daniel Khalife off bicycle during arrest, police say

17:10 , Joe Middleton

Police say public was integral in search

16:46 , Tara Cobham

Police have praised the public, saying they played an integral part in tracking down Daniel Khalife.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said the force received well over 100 calls in the extremely complicated investigation.

He also commended the Mets officers and staff who put in an astonishing amount of resource and thanked the intelligence services, with whom the force worked really closely.

Police tell how events leading up to Khalife unfolded

16:40 , Tara Cobham

The search for Daniel Khalife "really gathered momentum" from Friday afternoon, said Commander Dominic Murphy, with the number of calls the force received from the public increasing substantially last night and into the early hours of this morning.

At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, he said the manhunt "took a different course" overnight with an intelligence-led search of a home in the borough of Richmond, which involved "a lot of police activity".

While Khalife was not found there, the force received multiple reports of confirmed sightings from members of the public when they were at the address.

One sighting was reported "around the corner" in Richmond, while two more were reported in Chiswick, including on Spencer Road and the area of Church Street and Chiswick Mall, with officers deployed to all locations.

Police helicopters and dogs were deployed throughout the night and into the morning in the search locations, with reports that residents gardens were scoured.

But it was a plainclothes counter-terrorism police officer, who was working as part of the investigation, who finally spotted Khalife. The officer was walking along a canal towpath by Rowdell Road in the UB5 area of west London when they recognised Khalife on a push bike. The officer "pulled him off the bike" and put Khalife in handcuffs, ending the four-day nationwide manhunt.

Pictured: Canal towpath where officer caught Khalife

16:27 , Tara Cobham

A picture shows the canal towpath where a police officer spotted Daniel Khalife, before tackling him off a bike and then putting him in handcuffs, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

In a press conference on Saturday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer on Rowdell Road in west London just before 11am on Saturday morning and is currently in their custody.

A picture shows the canal towpath where a police officer tackled Daniel Khalife off his bike and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt (Google Maps)

Home Secretary praises work of police in tracking down Khalife

16:22 , Tara Cobham

Home Secretary Suella Braverman praised the work of police and intelligence workers in tracking down Daniel Khalife.

Writing on social media, she said: Terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife has been tracked down & brought back into custody thanks to the determined work of our police & intelligence partners.

I want to thank @metpoliceuk, agencies & Border Force for their work on this massive operation.

Anyone who helped Khalife in his escape will face justice, says Met Police

16:03 , Tara Cobham

Police will ensure that anyone who helped or supported Daniel Khalife in his escape faces justice, said Commander Dominic Murphy.

At an online press conference this afternoon, he said there have been no further arrests so far but threatened: Anyone who had supported Khalife before, during or after  I can tell you we will be looking for those individuals and they will form part of our investigation."

He told reporters: It is important to say now though, now he is in custody, and he is in custody in a west London police station, this is still an ongoing investigation so he still has to stand trial for the original offences for which he was on remand and clearly we now need to go and complete the rest of our investigation into his escape.

He added: If we identify anybody who helped and supported him we will be looking for them and ensuring that they also face justice.

Khalife tackled off bike by police on canal towpath

15:48 , Joe Middleton

In a press conference this afternoon the Metropolitan Police said that Daniel Khalife was tackled off his bike by police on canal towpath and then arrested.

Commander Dominic Murphy, the Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism chief, said at an online press conference: At 10.41am he was arrested in Rowdell Road in UB5 in London on the canal towpath.

He was actually arrested by a plain clothes officer... and he was riding a pedal cycle so a pushbike at the time, was pulled off that pushbike by that officer and arrested at that location.

Upon being detained by the officer he was fully co-operative and handcuffed and arrested.

Recap: Soldiers reveal what Khalife is really like

15:22 , Tara Cobham

The soldier facing terrorism and espionage charges who escaped from prison claimed to be a survivalist and went on solitary overnight camping expeditions when off-duty, according to former colleagues who knew him.

Daniel Abed Khalife boasted that he would join a signals unit of Special Forces and was preparing for the entry requirements. There is, however, no evidence of him officially embarking on this path. Former soldiers who knew him say that he was viewed as  a bit of a fantasist , but someone  who took his fitness seriously.

Two former soldiers in the Royal Corps of Signals described 21 year old Khalife as someone seeking attention and sometimes  playing the clown to do so. They recall an incident in which he stole a senior officers epaulettes, put them on his uniform, and wanted to post photos on social media wearing them.

Kim Sengupta reports:

The vain survivalist: Soldiers reveal what Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

Timeline of Khalifes escape and eventual arrest

14:30 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said. Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after "intelligence-led activity" and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Rishi Sunak said he is "very pleased" Khalife has been arrested as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the capture of Khalife:

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Police officers pictured in Chiswick this morning after confirmed sightings in the area overnight.

14:16 , Rachel Flynn

Officers had been searching the Chiswick on Saturday morning after confirmed sightings in the area overnight. (PA)

Police officers search location in Chiswick as hunt for Daniel Khalife continues (PA)

Police in the Chiswick area in west London where Khalife was eventually found (Jamie Lashmar/PA) (PA Wire)

Chiswick resident opened curtains to five police officers this morning

14:15 , Tara Cobham

The Met Police issued an appeal at around 9am for members of the public in the west London district to remain vigilant, announcing that Khalife was believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, carrying a small bag or case.

And just under two hours later officers apprehended the suspect.

Local resident Paul Wade said he opened his curtains to find five police officers outside his home earlier on Saturday.

The 79-year-old said: They were checking everybodys gardens. Our neighbour told us there were sniffer dogs.

As we understand it, they just clambered over the walls and inspected, they didnt wake everybody up. They just checked. They had helicopters above.

Daniel Khalife, the 21-year-old who escaped from HMP Wandsworth

14:07 , Rachel Flynn

Undated handout file photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Abed Khalife, (PA)

The outfit believed to have been warn by Khalife during his escape. (Metropolitan Police)

Khalife escaped by tying himself with straps to the bottom of a Bidfood delivery van. (PA)

Justice Secretary will leave no stone unturned in investigations

14:00 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that he will leave no stone unturned in the investigations launched after the escape of Daniel Khalife, who is back in custody.

In a statement, the Cabinet minister said: I would like to thank the police and partners for their comprehensive efforts over recent days. I am also grateful to staff across HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) for their continued focus and professionalism.

With Daniel Khalife now in custody, the legal process must be allowed to take its course. Nothing should be said or done to prejudice any future trial.

The investigations I requested into prison security and categorisation are well in train, and I will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of how this serious breach was possible.

Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife

13:45 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in west London following a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers in Chiswick just before 11am on Saturday, a mere 45 minutes drive away from the prison he escaped from on Wednesday morning.

After prison staff alerted the force to the missing 21-year-old at 7.50am, a national search ensued over the next four days, which The Independent has shown on a map.

Labour demand answers from government over Khalife escape

13:30 , Tara Cobham

Labour demanded answers from the Government now that Daniel Khalife has been arrested.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper wrote on social media: Thank you to all the police & intelligence teams involved in the search and arrest of Daniel Khalife  very welcome news he has now been caught.

Now we need answers about how on earth a prisoner charged with terror & national security offences could have escaped in this way.

Minister: We need to look at what went wrong

13:13 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Tom Tugendhat has said that we need to look at what went wrong to allow Daniel Khalife to escape from HMP Wandsworth.

The security minister said it is fantastic news the terror suspect was captured and praised the huge effort by the police.

It's a phenomenal success of very, very quick response and a very quick reaction by some extraordinarily dedicated and professional people, he said.

And, asked about how concerning it was that Mr Khalife escaped in the first place, Mr Tugendhat said: There's no question that the prison service will want to look at what happened, how it happened and see what lessons need to be learned.

I am not going to get into an after action review before we have done the inquiry.

He added: We do need to look at categorisation, we do need to look at what went wrong, otherwise he would not have escaped.

Police arrest escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife in Chiswick

13:11 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested in Chiswick, west London, and is in police custody, says the Metropolitan Police.

The force said officers apprehended the 21-year-old just before 11am today in the Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody.

Officers had been searching the district earlier today after confirmed sightings in the area - stopping and checking cars, inspecting car boots and asking residents for their IDs.

Rich Booth and Rachel Flynn report:

Police arrest escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife in Chiswick

Watch: Rishi Sunak pleased with escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrest

13:09 , Tara Cobham

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanks the police and the public for helping capture Daniel Abed Khalife, the terror suspect who escaped from prison.

Speaking from the G20 summit in India, the prime minister said he is very pleased with the news that police have captured the terror suspect.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Khalife was arrested just before 11am on Saturday, 9 September, after escaping HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday.

The force issued a short statement which said officers apprehended the 21-year-old in the Chiswick area and he has been taken into police custody.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Rishi Sunak pleased with escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrest

Recap: Anarchy revealed inside Wandsworth Prison after Khalife escape

13:00 , Tara Cobham

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Mr Taylor said the single biggest problem that faces Wandsworth is a lack of staff, with shortages in every area. He added that many staff were only recently out of school and so inexperienced that prisoners frequently have to tell new workers what they are supposed to do.

As the national manhunt edged into its fourth day, police detailed the first confirmed sighting of the 21-year-old British army soldier  who slipped past guards at the category B prison by clinging to straps placed underneath a food delivery truck  describing it as a significant lead.

Kim Sengupta, Andy Gregory and Holly Evans report:

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Home Office minister congratulates police for rapid effective work

12:08 , Tara Cobham

Home Office minister Chris Philp congratulated the police for their rapid and effective work to apprehend fugitive terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The policing minister wrote on social media: Great work by the Met Police. Well done for a rapid and effective piece of work to catch this fugitive.

An example of policing at its best. Congratulations to all Officers involved in this operation.

Prime Minister very pleased Khalife arrested

12:07 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak said he is very pleased terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested, as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said: Im very pleased with the news and my thanks to the police officers for their fantastic work over the past couple of days, but also to the public who came forward with an enormous number of leads to help the police in their inquiries.

Its good news that we captured the person concerned. As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue.

And this is obviously very welcome news. And again, my thanks to the police but also to the public for their help.

Watch: Police search location in Chiswick as hunt for Khalife continues

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Police officers continue their search on Chiswick Mall for Daniel Abed Khalife after he was reported missing from Wandsworth prison.

Police have confirmed sightings of the terror suspect in the Chiswick area of west London.

Officers have been stopping and checking cars in Chiswick and asking residents for their IDs and looking in boots of cars on Church Street and Chiswick Lane South.

Armed police officers have also been searching up and down the road.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Police officers search location in Chiswick as hunt for Daniel Khalife continues

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife found and arrested in Chiswick

11:42 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in the Chiswick area of west London following a four-day nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers just before 11am on Saturday morning and is currently in their custody.

The 21-year-old is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

In their statement, the Met said: We would like to thank the public and media for their support throughout our investigation to locate Khalife and we will provide a further update on his arrest in due course.

Former justice secretary calls for more prisons so Wandsworth can close

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Conservative former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has said there must be more prison space built to allow the closure of out of date sites such as HMP Wandsworth.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Its important to emphasise that an escape like this is a pretty exceptional event, it brings back to mind escapes like Ronnie Biggs and George Blake from distant history.

However, there is no doubt that our Prison Service is a forgotten service in our country.

Its a service that either people dont want to talk about or just dont know enough about.

We run the prisons service at a hugely hot rate, about 98% capacity and I think that isnt a desirable state of affairs. We need more capacity to allow for flexibility.

He said new facilities are not being built fast enough to close the sort of prisons like Wandsworth and other London prisons that are well past their sell by date.

Radar map revealing aerial police activity around west London overnight

10:55 , Tara Cobham

A radar map revealed aerial police activity around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London overnight amid the national manhunt for Daniel Abed Khalife.

Police helicopters spent Friday night circling around the Thames in west London, with flight radar maps revealing one flying over Chiswick House and Grove Park.

The Met has now confirmed sightings of the fugitive terror suspect in Chiswick overnight. Following intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings, the force said it is focusing the search there on Saturday, with officers set to carry out further intensive search activity in the area throughout the day.

Radar map showing police activity focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London (AirNav/Radar Box)

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife?

10:30 , Tara Cobham

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chefs outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown. Intelligence sources have told The Independent it is almost certain that he had inside help.

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was clearly pre-planned  pointing to the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.

Holly Evans and Andy Gregory report:

All we know about Daniel Khalife - Royal Signals soldier on the run from prison

Police appear to have scaled back search for Khalife in Chiswick

10:18 , Tara Cobham

Police appear to have scaled back their search for Daniel Khalife in Chiswick, south west London.

A number of police cars have left the scene and the area has become busy with runners and dog walkers.

Territorial Support Group vans and unmarked police cars had been spotted in the area early on Saturday.

Chiswick resident Brenda MacDonald said she had seen loads of vans and helicopters as police searched the area.

The 78-year-old said: I guessed it was something to do with (Khalife) because of him landing in Wandsworth. It is not far to get here.

They have got to catch him because it was silly enough that they let him get out.

Watch: Police search location in Chiswick as hunt for Khalife continues

10:05 , Tara Cobham

Former Prisons Service director general criticises mess in system

10:00 , Tara Cobham

A former director general of the Prisons Service has criticised the mess in the system that he believes will have played a role in Daniel Khalifes escape.

Phil Wheatley told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: It has highlighted that the prison system is in a degree of chaos at the moment.

It is very difficult to make anything work well when you are just managing day by day to fumble your way through with too many prisoners and not enough staff. So, I would be surprised in the long run if that wasnt one of the factors that led to things not working right.

The system is just about at maximum capacity, its overflowing out into police cells, thats driven by longer sentences.

The Government has been very keen on longer sentences for criminals but they havent supplied the places with enough staff to supervise them, nor have they managed to maintain existing prisons.

Theyve spent what capital theyve got on trying to build new places, meanwhile some of the older accommodation has had to be taken out of use because it cant be maintained  so its all a bit of a mess, it doesnt look like a well-planned, thought through policy that has been resourced.

Chiswick resident will keep his eyes peeled for fugitive

09:43 , Tara Cobham

A Chiswick resident has said he is going to keep his eyes peeled for Daniel Khalife.

Will Lewis lives on Chiswick Lane South where the police are searching for the former soldier.

The 23-year-old said: I heard he had been seen around west London and we have all said he could be around here.

We saw the description of him so we are going to keep our eyes peeled. Its clearly developing quite quickly.

Its a really nice area. There are lots of people just going about their daily lives, running. Its very safe, I have never seen any disturbance around here. It is usually quiet as well.

Police checking cars in Chiswick as armed officers search roads

09:27 , Tara Cobham

Police officers have been stopping and checking cars in Chiswick, south-west London, in the search for Daniel Khalife.

Officers have been seen asking residents for their IDs and looking in boots of cars on Church Street and Chiswick Lane South.

Armed police officers have also been searching up and down the road.

A police boat can also be seen on the River Thames close to the roads.

Police dogs have also been at the scene.

Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

09:20 , Tara Cobham

Police have confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the Chiswick area of west London overnight as the force revealed the outfit the fugitive terror suspect is believed to have changed into after escaping Wandsworth Prison.

Following intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings, the Metropolitan Police said it is focusing the national manhunt for Khalife in Chiswick on Saturday, with officers set to carry out further intensive search activity there throughout the day.

From reports received, which included calls from members of the public, the force believes the former soldier is wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, and carrying a small bag or case.

Khalife was thought to have fled in the chefs uniform he wore while working in the prisons kitchens, suggesting he has since changed outfit.

In the statement, the Met added: We urge members of the public in that area to remain vigilant and call 999 immediately should they see Khalife, or if they have any information that could assist the search. Whilst we advise members of the public not to approach Khalife if they see him, we still assess that he does not pose a threat to the wider public.

Definitely lots of police activity in southwest London today, confirms Met

08:26 , Tara Cobham

There will definitely be a lot of police activity in the southwest London search areas throughout Saturday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson has confirmed.

They told The Independent the force is currently taking the report of a sighting of Daniel Khalife near Wandsworth Roundabout seriously, describing it as important and significant to investigations. Were hanging a lot on it, they added.

Its significant because its the point that the first phase of his escape is over, the spokesperson said. In terms of the investigation, theyre treating it as significant. Given the circumstances, a man seen walking away from a food van seems to be strong stuff. Its reasonable for officers to hang a lot on it.

Recap: Two pieces of footage released by police in nationwide hunt for Khalife

07:29 , Tara Cobham

Police released new footage showing the BidFood van use by Daniel Khalife to escape prison as the force appealing to the public for their help in finding the fugitive terror suspect.

The video shows the lorry, which Khalife is thought to have clung to the bottom of, outside Wandsworth Town Hall and then driving on the A205 at the junction with Wandsworth Plain.

The Metropolitan Police is now offering a reward of up to 20,000 for information that leads to Khalifes arrest, as detectives investigate a potentially very significant sighting of him near Wandsworth Roundabout.

Editorial: Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

06:34 , Anuj Pant

There are three things that are invariably true about prison escapes. The first is that they are uncommon; the second is that most are planned with the help of accomplices; and the third is that they tend to capture the public imagination.

The case of the terror suspect Daniel Khalife is hardly The Shawshank Redemption, but it seems destined to stay in the headlines for weeks if not years to come, and his apparently audacious breakout has indeed become a focus of media and political attention. Soon, the clamour for a scapegoat  or just accountability  will begin, with the governor at Wandsworth prison, Katie Price, an obvious candidate.

An accidental consequence of this sensational story is that it has highlighted just how squalid conditions in the British prison system can be  and how far the prison service has been run down in recent years.

Editorial: Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

Daniel Khalifes family blame British Army as they urge fugitive to hand himself in

06:11 , Anuj Pant

Tearful relatives of fugitive Daniel Abed Khalife have appealed for him to give himself up and blamed the British Army for his current predicament.

If I could talk to him, I would tell him to end this and give himself up, even though I understand he is afraid, the unnamed relative said.

Describing him as a very, very intelligent, easy going and kind boy, they said he had changed in the past year and had become scared to talk about it.

They said the army has to answer for what happened.

Holly Evans has more.

Daniel Khalifes family blame British Army as they urge fugitive to hand himself in

ICYMI: What are police doing in Richmond Park?

06:05 , Anuj Pant

Police have been searching Richmond Park in London as part of the manhunt for a former soldier and terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth Prison.

Daniel Abed Khalife outwitted guards on Wednesday morning as he fled the prison clinging to straps underneath a food delivery van, and intelligence sources have told The Independent it is almost certain that he had some inside help.

Police have revealed that the 21-year-old had a 65-minute window to make his break for freedom between the Bidfood delivery van he fled on leaving the prison gates at 7.32am and the police catching up with it on Richmond Road in Putney at 8.37am.

Andy Gregory, Alexander Butler and Tara Cobham have the latest on the police search for Khalife.

Police scour Richmond Park as search for terror suspect on the run continues

Police officials say its absolutely possible Khalife has already left country

05:58 , Anuj Pant

Met police chief Mark Rowley has said its absolutely possible Daniel Abed Khalife has already left the country.

Khalife has been accused of planting fake bombs at a military base before he allegedly graduated to attempted spying for Iran.

Commissioner Mark Rowley also said Khalifes escape was clearly pre-planned.

He was also asked if the escape was an inside job. It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? he replied.

He said about 150 officers are involved in the nationwide manhunt for Khalife, with help from other forces and the Border Force.

Radar map reveals aerial police activity around west London

05:32 , Anuj Pant

A flight radar map has shown police activity that focused around west London, around Hammersmith and Chiswick.

Radar map showing police activity focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London (AirNav/Radar Box)

Helicopters have spent Friday night circling the area. Officials, however, have not linked the activity to the nationwide manhunt for Khalife, who escaped Wandsworth prison.

Flight radar maps show particular interest around Hogarth roundabout

05:21 , Anuj Pant

Flight radar maps have shown police activity to be focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London as the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife continues.

Police have focused on a wooded area on the south side of the Thames near the Hogarth roundabout, where there is a long wooded path on the south of the river.

The National Police Air Service (Npas) have confirmed they conducted searches at Richmond Park. The activity witnessed yesterday, however, has not been confirmed as being focused on the search for Khalife.

Police helicopters spend night circling around Thames river

05:14 , Anuj Pant

Police helicopters have spent the night circling around the Thames river in Hammersmith, west London as the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife continues.

Officials have not yet confirmed their focus is linked to Khalife.

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

03:00 , Holly Evans

The chefs uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cooks uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

As more than 150 Metropolitan Police officers and staff search for the 21-year-old, the force has revealed images of the clothes he wore when he escaped, with a police spokesperson telling The Independent the outfit is assumed to be Khalifes chefs uniform.

Tara Cobham has more

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

02:00 , Holly Evans

There are three things that are invariably true about prison escapes. The first is that they are uncommon; the second is that most are planned with the help of accomplices; and the third is that they tend to capture the public imagination.

The case of the terror suspect Daniel Khalife is hardly The Shawshank Redemption, but it seems destined to stay in the headlines for weeks if not years to come, and his apparently audacious breakout has indeed become a focus of media and political attention.

Soon, the clamour for a scapegoat  or just accountability  will begin, with the governor at Wandsworth prison, Katie Price, an obvious candidate.

Read more here

Editorial: Daniel Khalifes escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

Soldiers reveal what on the run terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

01:00 , Holly Evans

The soldier facing terrorism and espionage charges who escaped from prison claimed to be a survivalist and went on solitary overnight camping expeditions when off-duty, according to former colleagues who knew him.

Daniel Abed Khalife boasted that he would join a signals unit of Special Forces and was preparing for the entry requirements. There is, however, no evidence of him officially embarking on this path. Former soldiers who knew him say that he was viewed as  a bit of a fantasist , but someone  who took his fitness seriously.

Read more from Kim Sengupta here

The vain survivalist: Soldiers reveal what Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

Sunak refuses to back Wandsworth prison governor

Saturday 9 September 2023 00:00 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak decline to say whether he has confidence in the governor of HMP Wandsworth Katie Price following the escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife.Speaking to broadcasters in New Delhi, he said:

This is obviously something that people will be focused on and I want to reassure people the police are working night and day to recapture the individual. Thankfully, these incidents are extremely rare.

The PM added: The justice secretary has initiated already an internal inquiry into specific circumstances around his escape. And it would be right to just let that go through so we know exactly what happens.

Pushed again, Mr Sunak said insisted that it was important to establish the facts first, adding: The detail of whats happening is being established as I speak by the justice secretary right now.

Ex-prisoner who escaped US jail says Daniel Abel Khalife will be really terrified on run

Friday 8 September 2023 23:00 , Holly Evans

Police stop van Daniel Khalife could have hidden beneath in prison escape

Friday 8 September 2023 22:00 , Holly Evans

This is the moment police stop and search a van detectives believe terror suspect Daniel Khalife clung to the bottom of in his escape from Wandsworth Prison.

The van was stopped by police in Putney, in footage captured by London Face TV.

Foreign secretary declined to comment if confident Khalife would be found

Friday 8 September 2023 21:30 , Holly Evans

Earlier today, foreign secretary James Cleverly declined to comment on whether he was confident that escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife will be found.

We do have fantastic security services and police services. I dont think it would be useful or credible for me to to speculate.

The important thing is that we let the police, the investigators do their work, he told ITVs Good Morning Britain programme.

Timeline of events around hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 20:45 , Holly Evans

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife had been in prison for more than seven months before he escaped.

The search for the 21-year-old  featuring help from the Border Force and police officers around the country  is in its third day.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the hunt for Khalife:

Timeline of events around hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Prison Officers Association chair says escape is example of budget cuts

Friday 8 September 2023 20:20 , Holly Evans

Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers Association, Mark Fairhurst, spoke about the prospect of an inside job at Wandsworth prison.

He said he could not rule out corruption or bribery, but paid tribute to the staff at Wandsworth prison.

We cant rule anything out, but what I will say about the staff of Wandsworth - they are an amazing group of people doing a fantastic job on behalf of society in extremely stressful and difficult circumstances, he said.

He pointed to the escape as an example of government underfunding towards prisons.

It highlights the crisis we are in because of the constant budget cuts by this government since 2010, he said.

WATCH: CCTV footage of delivery van used in Khalifes escape

Friday 8 September 2023 19:53 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have released CCTV of the BidFood delivery van used by Daniel Khalife to make his escape

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Friday 8 September 2023 19:08 , Holly Evans

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside the overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Read more here

Police probe inside job fears after terror suspects prison escape

Met Police say no sign of chef uniform being recovered so far in search

Friday 8 September 2023 18:53 , Holly Evans

Counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy denied the force had little to go on in their search for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

Mr Murphy told Sky News: I wouldnt accept that. I would accept that were working on lots of leads, over 100 calls, as I say, from the public.

This is just a next step in us trying to understand and, for Daniels information, that he really needs to hand himself in and we will be closing in on him.

Mr Murphy said there was no sign of Khalifes chef uniform being recovered so far, but he appealed to the public to call 999 if they find it.

He said he remained opened minded on whether the terror suspect had already fled the country, but said the search was currently focused on the London area and other parts of the UK, in addition to support from the Border Force.

Reward offered for information on Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 18:37 , Holly Evans

Police have confirmed the first sighting of fugitive Daniel Khalife near Wandsworth roundabout and have offered a 20,000 reward.

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Friday 8 September 2023 18:20 , Holly Evans

The chefs uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cooks uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

Tara Cobham has more

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Terror suspect was seen climbing out from under the lorry

Friday 8 September 2023 17:47 , Holly Evans

Metropolitan Police counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy said terror suspect Daniel Khalife was seen climbing out from underneath the food company van by a member of the public.

He was wearing his prison chefs uniform when he was spotted around a mile-and-a-half from Wandsworth Prison. He then made his way towards Wandsworth town centre.

Mr Murphy told Sky News: That sighting was shortly after Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Prison, and it was at the junction of Trinity Road and Swandon Way at the Wandsworth roundabout where a member the public saw Daniel climbing out from under the lorry and walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

He added: Im not saying I dont have any CCTV. Thats part of our ongoing investigation.

Khalife was seen climbing out from underneath the lorry (The Metropolitan Police)

Khalife urged to hand himself in

Friday 8 September 2023 17:30 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have called on Khalife to hand himself in and warned that officers were closing in on the terror suspect after he escaped prison.

Counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy said: My message to him is to hand yourself in, either call us or go to a local police station and hand yourself in.

With the reward we are offering today and the amazing support we have had from the public and the media, we will be closing in on you, Daniel, you really need to come in and give yourself up.

Full statement from Met Police Commander leading investigation

Friday 8 September 2023 17:27 , Holly Evans

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: This remains a fast-paced and dynamic investigation, but I want the public to know that a large number of officers are working extremely hard to locate Khalife.

We have now received more than 100 calls from the public, and we thank everyone who has contacted us with information.

The sighting near Wandsworth Roundabout could be very significant, and this is one of many useful lines of enquiry that officers are perusing.

We continue to urge the public to contact us straight away if they think they have seen Khalife or have information on his whereabouts.

We will continue to work closely with all our colleagues in police services across the country and other partners to trace Khalife and bring him back into custody.

Pictures released of clothes Khalife was wearing to escape

Friday 8 September 2023 17:25 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have released a series of images of the clothes Daniel Khalife was believed to be wearing during his escape.

The terror suspect is understood to have strapped himself to the underside of a BidFood delivery van as it left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am.

A member of the public has informed the police that a man fitting Khalifes description was seen walking away from the van towards Wandsworth roundabout.

As he had been working in the kitchens, the former British Army was wearing chef clothing, which includes red and white chequered trousers and a white top.

The former British Army officer was dressed in a cooks outfit (Met Police)

Daniel Khalifes red and white chequered trousers (Met Police)

Met Police offer 20,000 reward for information

Friday 8 September 2023 17:19 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police have offered a reward of 20,000 for information which leads directly to Khalifes arrest.

In a first sighting of Khalife since his escape, the police said they had received information from a member of the public who said they saw a man fitting Khalifes description walking away from a BidFood van.

The van had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth Roundabout, at the top of Trinity Road, shortly after his escape. The man was then seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

In their latest appeal, the Met said they have opened their UK Image Appeal website which allows people to submit any relevant imagery and video directly to the investigation team.

This includes CCTV, doorbell footage, mobile phone footage, or dash-cam footage.

Daniel Khalife was potentially sighted by a member of the public (The Metropolitan Police)

Possible sighting of Khalife could be very significant

Friday 8 September 2023 17:12 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander Dominic Murphy said the force is investigating a possible sighting of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife, adding the lead could be very significant.

Khalife is said to have been seen escaping from the delivery van at Wandsworth roundabout, shortly after the vehicle left HMP Wandsworth

Police confirm first sighting of fugitive Daniel Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 17:02 , Holly Evans

The police have confirmed the first official sighting of the escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The sighting took place on Wednesday morning, shortly after Khalifes escape from Wandsworth prison.

The witness saw Khalife escape from a lorry at Wandsworth Roundabout, according to the police.

Timeline of Daniel Khalifes escape

Friday 8 September 2023 16:38 , Holly Evans

Daniel Khalife only had one hour and five minutes to escape before police intercepted the delivery vehicle he was strapped under.

7.32am - A Bidfood delivery vehicle exits the gates of HMP Wandsworth, unaware that Khalife is clinging onto strappings on its underside. It is believed he was wearing a chefs outfit while working in the prison kitchens.

After leaving the prison, the delivery van turned right onto Heathfield Road and left onto Magdalen Road.

It then travelled left onto Trinity Road before heading up to the Wandsworth Road roundabout. The vehicle then took the first exit to Swandon Way and left onto Old York Road which is near Wandsworth Town train station.

A map of the route taken by the delivery vehicle (Google Earth)

7.50am - Prison guards realise Khalife is missing and the prison goes into an immediate lockdown, with security measures put in place.

8.15am - The Metropolitan Police are alerted to the situation.

Meanwhile, the van has taken a left into Fairfield Street and taken a right onto Wandsworth High Street before heading straight ahead to West Hill which leads up to Upper Richmond Road.

Shortly afterwards, the delivery driver is made aware of the situation and turns around to return to the prison.

8.37am - The vehicle is stopped and searched by police on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Carlton Drive but Khalife is nowhere to be seen.

Khalife should have been at Belmarsh, says former prison governor

Friday 8 September 2023 16:25 , Holly Evans

John Podmore, a former governor of Belmarsh, Brixton and Swaleside prisons, told BBC Radio Newcastle he doesnt understand why Daniel Khalife was at Wandsworth, a category B prison.

Without a doubt he should have been at Belmarsh - a category A prison - he says. It is well-suited to holding terrorist suspects and those convicted of terrorism.

Its also a prison that serves Woolwich Crown Court and this man was due to go there. So the illogic of him going somewhere else baffles me.

Terror suspects are usually held at HMP Belmarsh (Getty)

Sunak declines to comment on foreign state involvement

Friday 8 September 2023 16:12 , Holly Evans

The Prime Minister declined to comment on suggestions that there could be foreign state involvement in the escape.

He said: Because this is an ongoing police investigation, Im sure you can understand it wouldnt be appropriate for me to provide a running commentary or detail on it.

But people should be reassured that police are working around the clock.

Route taken by Daniel Khalife during escape from Wandsworth prison

Friday 8 September 2023 15:55 , Holly Evans

The route taken by the delivery van that Daniel Khalife was clinging to during his prison break has been revealed by police, as the nationwide manhunt continues.

The 21-year-old terror suspect only had one hour and five minutes from his escape at HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am until police stopped the van on Upper Richmond Road at 8.37am.

Police reveal where Daniel Khalife disappeared after Wandsworth prison escape

Khalife told fellow inmate he was going to be famous

Friday 8 September 2023 15:43 , Holly Evans

One former inmate, who worked alongside Khalife in the prisons kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as odd and had told him he was going to be famous.

Chris Jones, 53, who BBC London reported was released in June after being acquitted following seven months on remand, told the programme: We always used to joke about that lorry  jump in it and drive off  but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

Sadiq Khan was aware of big problems at Wandsworth prison

Friday 8 September 2023 15:33 , Holly Evans

Wandsworth prisons performance has been rated a serious concern and watchdogs issued a string of warnings about the jail in the year before Khalifes escape..

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said staff shortages are the source of many problems and that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

The prison is in the Tooting constituency, which Sadiq Khan represented as an MP for more than a decade until he was elected mayor of London in 2016.

He said he was aware of big problems at the jail while he was an MP, including overcrowding and staff shortages, telling PA questions will need answering about the link between government austerity and this man escaping.

HMP Wandsworths performance had been rated a serious concern (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Soldier mentality would help Khalife avoid police search, says retired officer

Friday 8 September 2023 15:26 , Holly Evans

A retired military officer has said that British army-trained soldiers are capable of acting under pressure, and voiced concern on the prospect of Khalife exiting the country.

Giving an insight to the mental state of an army soldier, Major Michael Shearer told Sky News: Soldiers know how to handle these type [of] pressures.

The state of mind that soldiers have... [there] is constantly a part of their being that is thinking: How will I deal with that?

Asked if he had faith in Border Force to catch him if he tried to flee the country, Major Shearer said he was worried.

Weve got thousands of illegal immigrants coming into the country every day that our border force and other parts of our institutions cannot manage, he said.

So how [do they] find one individual on the way out? Im at a loss to give comment on.

Police urge witness who claims to have spotted Khalife to come forward

Friday 8 September 2023 15:06 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police have urged a shop assistant to come forward after media reports that he believed he saw on-the-run terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, told the Telegraph that he had seen a tall, lanky dude jumping into a black vehicle outside Wandsworth County Court.

In a statement, the force said: We are aware of news reports about a shop assistant who believes they saw Daniel Khalife.

We are trying to identify this man so we can speak with him. We urge him to contact us by calling 999.

A shop assistant believes that he saw fugitive Daniel Khalife (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

SAS veteran says Khalife could be avoiding cameras by hiding underground

Friday 8 September 2023 15:05 , Holly Evans

Khalife could be hiding underground in an attempt to avoid thermal cameras, SAS veteran Chris Ryan has said.

He told Talk TV that getting hold of clothes would be difficult given Khalifes 6ft 2in frame, but if he is or was in Richmond Park, he would have had access to water while the weather would have allowed him to stay comfortable outside.

Given the size of the park and its mixture of woodland and overgrown shrubbery, it could provide plenty of hiding spots for the fugitive.

If hes had help, hell be in a safe house now, so all hes got to do is lie low for a couple of weeks before making a move, Mr Ryan said.

He also posed the possibility of Khalife staying in a garden shed that backs on to the park.

Reports in the past of prison officers colluding over escape attempts'

Friday 8 September 2023 14:15 , William Mata

An anti-corruption professor has said there have been reports in the past of prison officers colluding over escape attempts.

Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex, said: Prisons are extremely high risk for corruption in any circumstances in any country.

In the UK there have been lots of noises from unions and prison officers of the conditions they are working under, he added on his slot on BBC Radio 4 programme World At One on Friday.

The prison servivce since that report has seen the counter corruption unit revamped. But that unit is operating under great pressure.

He added: Typically corruption is about smuggling things in but there was a report around five years ago that a bribe of around 5,000 could get you to a more favourable prison.

There have been reports of corrupt officers colluding in escape attempts in the past.

Not a surprise if there is bribery'

Friday 8 September 2023 14:10 , William Mata

An anti-corruption professor has said he would not be surprised if there was bribery going on in UK prisons behind the scenes.

Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex, said: Prisons are in a pretty dire state and the few figures we have for corruption in the past few years have not been encouraging.

Speaking on World At One on BBC Radio 4 he added: About 15 years there was a leaked Met report which said that there were about 1,000 corrupt police officers. A freedom of information request about six or seven years ago said 150 officers had been disciplined in some way.

It is hard to quantify the level of corruption.

Wandsworth itself was said to be the Carphone Warehouse of prisons because of the wide availability of smuggled mobile phones which had been brought in by corrupt staff.

That was then [in 2015 when the report was made] and austerity has bitten even deeper since then.

If this was any country in the world you would be asking who was bribed. And it wouldnt be any surprise if this was happening in the UK.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website
By Manoj Kumar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -It is hard to say if G20 leaders gathering in New Delhi this weekend can reach consensus on a declaration, the EU's representative said, as he urged tougher action against Russia over its blockade of Ukrainian grain.

Analysts say deeper and more entrenched divisions over Moscow's invasion risk derailing progress on issues including food security, debt distress and global cooperation on climate change when the world's most powerful nations meet.

"It's difficult to predict if it will be possible to have an agreement on the declaration," European Council President Charles Michel told a press conference in the Indian capital. "We are still negotiating."

He added, "I don't intend to say something that will make the efforts more difficult. We support the efforts made by the Indian presidency."

India, which is chairing the gathering, wants the summit's final communique to also accommodate the views of Russia and China, which have blocked Western nations' efforts to include strong condemnation of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping are attending the summit. Moscow is sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while Premier Li Qiang will represent Beijing.

Michel said the European Union wanted the G20 to focus on tackling global challenges to food and energy security, saying Russia was blocking Ukraine's exports of grain through the Black Sea, one of the key issues to feature in the weekend's talks.

"The EU will continue to strongly back Ukraine and pile pressure on Russia," he said, adding it was crystal clear that the bloc condemned Russia's aggression.

"By deliberately attacking Ukraine's ports, the Kremlin is depriving people of food they desperately need."

"FOOD MISSILES"

The European Union wants G20 leaders to put pressure on Russia to pull back from Ukraine and rejoin the Black Sea grain deal, arguing that Russia's blockade had led to food insecurity for over 250 million people worldwide.

Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered deal in July, citing a lack of progress on its food and fertiliser exports.

"This meeting is an occasion... to see the cynical approach by Russia, which is (creating) more difficulties for the developing countries," said Michel, saying Russia was shooting "food missiles" against the developing countries.

However, the EU was developing alternative routes to bring out grains from Ukraine to global markets, especially developing countries, he said.

Russia has said it is ready to revive the Black Sea initiative if sanctions on Russian companies dealing in agricultural products and fertilisers were lifted.

Michel did not foresee the summit solving all "major" global problems, he said, but added that the EU wanted the bloc to hasten efforts on sustainable development, climate change and poverty reduction.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar, Chris Thomas; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and John Stonestreet)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  Federal officials on Friday released a draft environmental review of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, but said they're waiting for more input before deciding the future of the lines controversial river crossing in North Dakota.

The draft was released more than three years after a federal judge ordered the environmental review and revoked the permit for the Missouri River crossing, upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation. The tribe is concerned a pipeline oil spill could contaminate its water supply.

North Dakota officials support a decision that ultimately allows the pipeline to continue operating as it has. The tribe is calling for a new review and a pipeline shutdown.

The environmental review is key for whether the federal government reissues the permit. The pipeline has been operating since 2017, including during the environmental review.

The draft environmental impact statement, which is dated in June but was made public Friday, noted that the Army Corps of Engineers has not selected a preferred alternative," but will make a decision in its final review, after considering input from the public and other agencies.

The draft details five options, including denying the easement for the crossing and removing or abandoning a 7,500-foot (2,286-meter) segment. Officials could also approve the easement with measures for increased operational safety, or grant the same easement with no changes.

A fifth option is a 111-mile (179-kilometer) reroute of the pipeline to north of Bismarck, over 38 miles (61 kilometers) upstream from the current crossing. The reroute would require new permits from federal, state and local authorities and regulators, which could take at least two years. The exact path of such a reroute is unknown, according to the draft.

We are seeking public input on the environmental analysis of each alternative, and that input combined with the environmental analysis will help us to make an informed decision among the alternatives, Corps Omaha District spokesman Steve Wolf told The Associated Press.

A comment period will end Nov. 13. Public meetings are scheduled Nov. 1-2 in Bismarck.

A final environmental impact statement will follow the public input and environmental analysis, and a formal decision will be made, Wolf said.

Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota told the AP a final alternative is expected to come out in fall 2024. He said he hopes for a decision that allows the pipeline to continue operating.

Clearly they should go ahead and approve it without any additional modifications. The safety measures are in place, Hoeven said.

Tribal Chairwoman Janet Alkire on Friday said the draft review should be invalidated and the Corps should start from scratch" on a new review, with the pipeline shut down. The tribe is furious, she said.

The pipeline is an imminent threat to the Missouri River, sensitive habitat and sacred burial sites along the riverbank," Alkire said. "The oil companys emergency response plans are inadequate, its safety track record is horrendous, and theres been a stunning lack of transparency with Standing Rock throughout the environmental review process, including inaccurate characterizations of tribal consultation."

She also called on the public to submit comments supporting a new review and a shutdown of the pipeline.

North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum in a statement Friday said he supports granting the easement as it was previously issued, citing the pipeline as a safe operation and better than rail.

North Dakota Mineral Resources Department Director Lynn Helms told the AP, The Corps has said today that they're neither proponent or opponent of the project; therefore, their preferred alternative will be in their final decision.

Hoeven said an Army official had notified him that the Corps wouldn't make a recommendation in the draft, but the agency will do more consultation in addition to the public input. The senator said he emphasized that the Corps consult with the state and the oil-rich Three Affiliated Tribes, whose reservation shares geography with North Dakota's oil patch.

State and federal officials and the pipeline's company say the line is safe. It moves oil from western North Dakota to Illinois. Leaders in North Dakotas oil industry and state government consider the pipeline to be crucial infrastructure, with far less oil now transported by rail.

The pipeline is moving about 600,000 to 650,000 barrels of oil per day. Its capacity is 750,000 barrels per day. North Dakota produces about 1.1 million barrels per day.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year refused to take up an appeal of the tribes lawsuit over the pipeline. The tribe first filed the lawsuit in 2016. Thousands of people gathered and camped near the pipeline's river crossing for protests that lasted months and sparked hundreds of arrests in 2016 and 2017. More than 830 criminal cases resulted from the protests.
A North Korean defector, center, who asked to be identified only by her surname, Kim, attends a weekly rally near the Embassy of China in Seoul, Monday. Kim's daughter is detained in China and faces repatriation to North Korea as the border between the two countries reopened in August. Kim and other human rights activists urge China to stop deporting North Koreans escapees held there. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul













By Kang Hyun-kyung







A North Korean defector living in South Korea, who wished to be identified only by her surname, Kim, panicked when she heard that the border between North Korea and China had reopened.







On Aug. 26, North Korea said it would allow its citizens staying overseas  mostly in China and Russia  to return home and that they would be placed in quarantine for a week once they arrive in the North.







The announcement, issued by the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters and released by the state media, signaled the reopening of the border more than three-and-a-half years after the COVID-driven border closure was introduced in January 2020.







The news is an ominous sign for a North Korean defector like Kim, who has a family member detained in China.







It is only a matter of time before her daughter, who was caught in a Chinese government crackdown on illegal aliens and has since been detained in a prison in China's northeastern region, is sent back to North Korea where she is sure to face severe punishment.







Kim said her heart sinks every time she thinks about the fate that awaits her daughter.







Torture, rape and starvation are some of the common experiences many North Korean escapees have gone through in the North's prison camps. Pregnant women have experienced forced abortions and beatings are just a part of life in the brutal camps.







"It feels like my heart is being torn apart," Kim, who lives in Gangwon Province, said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.







She did not provide further details about her identity, mindful of causing harm not only to her daughter held in China, but also to her son who still lives in the North.







Kim said her daughter crossed the border into China years ago to survive. Kim and her husband, who were left to care for their other children, were unable to feed them. Ironically, the choice her daughter made to survive has now put her in danger.







A year later, Kim went to China hoping to reunite with her daughter. But she could not meet her daughter and defected to South Korea alone.







"She's a good girl and tried to help her family by making money in China," Kim said.







Her eyes welled up with tears as she described what had happened to the girl.







Kim's daughter was caught in April 2021.







"She and I talked over the phone that day. But when I called her again, she didn't answer. Feeling anxious, I called her again and again all night. But she didn't answer. That was when I realized something had gone wrong," she said.







Before she was caught, Kim's daughter worked as a waitress at a restaurant run by a South Korean couple in the northeastern part of China.







After a sleepless night, she heard from the female owner of the restaurant who called and said that her daughter had been arrested.







Kim was devastated.







She said she spent the last two years weeping, while praying to God for help. But her prayers were not answered. Her daughter now faces an uncertain future.







"I'm a helpless mom here and my daughter is out there crying for help. I feel guilty because there's nothing I can do to save my daughter who is at risk of repatriation," Kim said as she sobbed.







"I eat, but feel no taste. At night, I close my eyes to sleep, but end up staying up all night," she added.







Oh Chang-hwa, second from left, a human rights activist and founder of the North Korea Club established to help North Korean defectors, stages a rally along with other activists in central Seoul, Monday, to pressure China to stop sending North Korean defectors back to the North. The sign he holds calls on China to guarantee the human rights of North Korean defectors. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul





Like Kim's daughter, there are many other North Korean escapees detained in China. Their number has soared due to tight border controls triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some believe as many as 2,000 North Korean escapees have been detained in China.







However, some activists say that figure is exaggerated.







Seo Jae-pyong, president of the North Korean Defectors' Association, said the actual number of North Korean escapees detained in China stands at 200-300.







The estimates may vary. But one thing that is clear is that a humanitarian crisis is inevitable if China adheres to its decades-long practice of sending escapees back to North Korea.







China ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which call for the protection of refugees and legal assistance for them. However, in order to justify its brutal repatriation policy, China does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and treats them as undocumented aliens who illegally crossed the border for economic reasons.







Joel Atkinson, a professor at the Graduate School of International and Area Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said China has not been affected by outside criticism about its brutal repatriation policy and will continue to do so in the years to come.







"The Chinese government has what Koreans would call a 'thick face' (brazen-faced)  it is largely unaffected by any criticism," he said. "Nothing is going to change its approach toward the North Koreans currently in detention."







Despite this, he said the international community should keep building pressure on China to play by the rules.







"Over the longer term, if Beijing pays a high reputational cost for its cooperation with North Korea, it will build pressure within China that the government is on the wrong track in its approach to human rights and relations with the world," Atkinson said.







Human rights activists have begun to gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul for weekly rallies to put pressure on China to stop repatriating North Korean defectors.







On Monday, Kim and dozens of activists held a news conference near the embassy. About half of the participants at the rally were North Korean defectors.







Holding up signs written in Korean, Chinese and English, they urged China to live up to its commitments as a signatory of international refugee conventions.







Oh Chang-hwa, a human rights activist and founder of the North Korea Club established to help North Korean defectors, urged China to free the North Korean detainees.







Oh said the vast majority of the North Korean detainees want to come to South Korea to live. He reminded China of its international duty as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and U.N. Human Rights Council to act responsibly.







He then urged China to recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and provide necessary help to which they are entitled.







Following his speech, a female pastor read Kim's letter pleading to China for mercy and to release her daughter.







"Please help us. I want to get my daughter back. I would like to hug her and tell her how sorry I am for all of the ordeals she has gone through because she went to China for our family," her letter read. "Repatriation means death. My daughter is desperate and waiting for help from the outside. Please help my daughter and set her free."







China has not responded to the weekly protests.







But Kim said she will continue to attend the rallies hoping to get her daughter back.







A passerby looks at activists holding a rally to call on China not to repatriate North Korean escapees detained in the country back to the North, near the Chinese embassy in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

This article is the first in a two-part series about North Korean detainees in China who are at risk of being repatriated back to the North.  ED.
Since a handful of galleries along and near Camp Bowie Boulevard opened for one night in September 40 years ago following an August recess, much has changed in the citys cultural landscape.

Venues have opened and closed. Artists, collectors and organizers have died or moved. The footprint for their annual night has widened somewhat.

But the one constant for the now biannual Gallery Night organized by the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association?

Glasses of free, often endless, wine.

Fall Gallery Night, which takes place from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday is a chance for gallerists, artists, shop owners and socialites to get together, show off and maybe buy something too. People have more than 40 venues to visit across the county, though the largest chunk is primarily clustered on Fort Worths west side.

Gallery Night is one of the more valuable ways to engage the community, said Shay-Patterson Young, the dealers association executive director and manager of the University of North Texas Health Science Centers corporate and public art collection, as well as its Atrium Gallery.

This years programming is no different from others, with longtime artists and venerable institutions joining newer galleries along with popups promoting unrepresented artists and, in one case, what may be the last time to see art in a venue.

What started as the beginning of gallery season in the city turned into something special, with galleries having different approaches to exhibiting, said Atlee Phillips, a Fort Worth native whose parents J.O. Dutch and Mary Phillips ran the Dutch Phillips Gallery in Dallas and Fort Worth.

Lauren Saba is the founder of Fort Works Art, a contemporary gallery, and the nonprofit Gallery of Dreams, which opened in 2014. The gallery is presenting its second showing of Rachel English, who paints nearly heavenly skies and the Dang Good Candy group show.

The scene is so much different now, Saba said, than when she lived here, or even started. There are more opportunities, especially for younger and emerging artists and the support from the community remains steady.

But like Artspace 111, another mainstay, she rents hers out for events and has other tenants. The nonprofit component allows for donations and tax exemptions.

And it allows for risks, said Jay Wilkinson, FWAs gallery manager. For the past two years he ran the Dang Good Candy gallery in Sundance Square as part of a quasi-artist residency. With funding not an issue as part of the residency, he built a gallery where he could afford to take risks and display emerging artists.

That gallery is closed, for now, he said. But in the mean time Dang Good Candy will now be represented at FWA, with a group show featuring Aubree Dale, Michelle Cortez Gonzalez and Fernando Rojas, also opening Saturday.

Gallery Night also inadvertently reveals the vulnerabilities facing the arts community. Despite civic support for the arts, many venues lack the foundation and funding of other venues.

Fort Worth is better known for art museums and galleries. You can thank their large endowments. The Kimbells, for instance, is one of the largest in the country.

Theres so much time and resources put into the museums, Phillips said, referring to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Kimbell Art Museum and Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, all Fort Worth Art Dealers Association members. (Likewise, members like the Art Galleries at TCU, Gallery at UTA and Tarrant County Colleges Trinity River East Fork Gallery all have at least nominal institutional backing and are key resources for experimental art.)

Arts Fort Worths Community Arts Center is an ironic yet prime example of the opposite problem. Ironic given it is in the Cultural District and the Moderns former home, also designed by internationally known architects. The building  with multiple galleries, studio spaces, residencies and the rare small and midsize performance venues  may close due to civic neglect.

Yet Robert Long, the Exhibitions Manager at Arts Fort Worth, is still pumped up for Gallery Night, which includes seven new exhibitions opening.

Hes especially excited about Further Fringes, a performance art festival and exhibition also taking place alongside concurrent with the Fort Worth Fringe Festival. Performances will take place throughout the complex, something uncommon during a traditionally strictly visual arts event.

Young said Fort Worth Art Dealers Association and Gallery Night stick out because it also has a nontraditional membership of commercial, university and nonprofit galleries, as well as stores such as Carter Bowden Antique as well as popups.
By Katya Golubkova

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said G20 leaders have the power to reset a climate crisis that is "spinning out of control" and urged them to reshape global financial rules which he described as outdated and unfair.

"The climate crisis is worsening dramatically  but the collective response is lacking in ambition, credibility, and urgency," Guterres said in a speech in the Indian capital New Delhi, which is chairing the G20 this weekend.

Guterres asked the G20 to commit to keeping the "1.5 degree goal alive" - referring to the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting the global average temperature rise to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, and aiming for 1.5.

"I have put forward a Climate Solidarity Pact  in which big emitters make extra efforts to cut emissions; and wealthier countries support emerging economies to achieve this," Guterres said.

The plan urges developed countries to reach net-zero as close as possible to 2040, and emerging economies as close as possible to 2050, proposing a phase out of coal by 2030 in OECD countries and 2040 in all others.

"The climate crisis is spiralling out of control. But G20 countries are in control," he said.

"Together, G20 countries are responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions. Half-measures will not prevent full climate breakdown."

The U.N. chief also called on G20 leaders to ensure a stimulus of at least $500 billion per year towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Climate change is among global problems that leaders will address at the G20 summit, which is expected to be dominated by the West and its allies, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin skipping the meeting.

Asked about the war on Ukraine by Russia, Guterres said: "I'm not very hopeful that we'll have a peace solution in the immediate future. I believe the two parties are still deciding to move on with the conflict."

He also said the United Nations should not be made responsible for its member states' actions. "Let's not make the U.N. the scapegoat of the failures or of the negative actions that are committed by member states."

He also said an effective debt workout mechanism is needed to support payment suspensions, longer lending terms and lower rates on fairer terms for poorer countries.

Calling the global financial architecture "outdated dysfunctional, and unfair," Guterres said it needed deep, structural reform. "And the same can be said of the United Nations Security Council."

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova; writing by Ira Dugal, Chris Thomas; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Angus MacSwan)
By Nikunj Ohri, Manoj Kumar and Aftab Ahmed

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India expressed confidence on Friday that the Group of 20 major economies will finalise a declaration at this weekend's summit in New Delhi, with sources saying only the wording about the war in Ukraine had yet to be resolved.

Negotiators have been struggling for days to agree on the language because of differences over the war, hoping to get Russia and China on board to produce a communique that will also address pressing global problems like debt and climate change.

India's G20 sherpa, or negotiator, Amitabh Kant said the summit's concluding statement, the Leaders' Declaration, will be a "voice" of the global south and developing countries.

"New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it," Kant told a news conference. "This declaration will be recommended to the leaders."

Four Indian government sources said language on the war was the only issue left and a second meeting of sherpas to seek consensus was likely to last into the night.

One source told Reuters a joint declaration may or may not come to a unanimous agreement. It could have different paragraphs stating the views of different countries or record agreement and dissent in one paragraph.

"We may paper over the differences and make a general statement saying we should have peace and harmony across the world so that everybody agrees," a second source said.

The streets of the usually bustling capital New Delhi were deserted ahead of the summit with businesses, offices and schools closed as part of security measures to ensure the smooth running of the most high-powered meeting to be hosted by the country.

Slums have been demolished and monkeys and stray dogs have been removed from the streets.

XI, PUTIN MISSING

The summit is expected to be dominated by the West and its allies. Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping the meeting and sending Premier Li Qiang instead, while Russia's Vladimir Putin will also be absent.

U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman and Japan's Fumio Kishida, among others, will attend.

The hardened stance on the war has prevented agreement on even a single communique at the ministerial meetings during India's G20 presidency so far this year, leaving it to the leaders to find a way around, if possible.

China said on Friday it is willing to work with all parties and push for a positive outcome at the summit.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks after a media report said Sunak blamed China for delaying an agreement on various issues, including Ukraine.

In New Delhi, Sunak said that it was not his place to tell India what stand it should take on the war in Ukraine.

"It's not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues, but I know India rightly cares about the international rule of law, the UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity," Sunak told Indian news agency ANI.

India has avoided blaming Moscow for the war and has called for a solution through dialogue and diplomacy. The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Sunak would urge his Indian counterpart to "call out" Russia on its February 2022 invasion.

SHOWCASING INDIA

Modi's government is projecting India's presidency of the group and the summit as a showcase for the country's fast-growing economy and its rising position in the geo-political pecking order.

New Delhi has been decked up for the gathering with a brand new summit venue, fountains, flowerpots and illumination along major thoroughfares, alongside thousands of armed security personnel standing guard.

More than 100 Tibetan refugees staged a protest away from the city centre on Friday, demanding that the "occupation" of their country by China be discussed during the summit.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen earlier said Washington was willing to work with India to help craft a communique at the end of the summit but it would be a challenge.

Analysts say deeper divisions over the war in Ukraine risk derailing progress on issues such as food security, debt distress and global cooperation on climate change.

The most important thing that can be done to support global economic growth is for Russia to end its brutal war in Ukraine, Yellen said.

Western countries want a strong condemnation of the invasion as a condition for agreeing to a Delhi declaration. India has suggested that the G20, while condemning the suffering caused by Russia's invasion, also reflect Moscow and Beijing's view that the forum is not the place for geopolitics.

In addition, there is some disagreement on climate change cooperation, Indian government sources added.

The group has been divided on commitments to phasing down fossil-fuel use, increasing renewable energy targets and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said G20 leaders have the power to reset a climate crisis that is "spinning out of control" and urged them to reshape global financial rules which he described as outdated and unfair.

"The climate crisis is worsening dramatically  but the collective response is lacking in ambition, credibility, and urgency," Guterres said in a speech.

(Additional reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh, Shivangi Acharya, Katya Golubkova and Krishn Kaushik; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by Kim Coghill, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Nick Macfie)
Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Fulton County Sheriffs Office (19), Getty Images (3)

Former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia racketeering case have all pleaded not guilty and waived their right to an in-person arraignment that had been scheduled to take place this week. Trump and his allies are accused of illegally attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state.

The judge overseeing the case denied requests Wednesday from two of the 19 defendants to be tried alone. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, who both filed demands for a speedy trial, would be tried together starting on Oct. 23.

Now the question is whether the remaining 17 defendants, including Trump, will also be tried together starting on that date, as requested by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

It just seems a bit unrealistic to think we can handle all 19 in 40 days. Thats my initial reaction, McAfee said at Wednesdays hearing. The judge indicated he would make a decision on when to try the rest of the defendants by next Thursday. Georgia prosecutors say they expect the trial to take four months, not including jury selection, and plan to call at least 150 witnesses.

While some of the defendants have sought to speed up the trial, others, like former Trump campaign lawyer Ray Stallings Smith, have indicated they wont be ready to go to court in October. Some, like former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, are seeking a legal advantage by trying to move the case from state court to federal court.

The legal maneuvering that has begun in the three weeks since the indictment was returned underscores the logistical complexity inherent in such a sprawling indictment with so many defendants, the Associated Press reported.

The already elaborate case is expected to get only more complex as proceedings move forward. Heres where the 19 defendants stand so far:

Donald Trump, former U.S. president

Fulton County Sheriffs Office

Charges: 13 counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

 Filing false documents

 False statements and writings

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Trump filed a motion to sever his case from any co-defendant who wants a speedy trial; notified McAfee that he may seek to move his case to federal court; awaiting McAfees Fulton County trial schedule.

Government and campaign officials

Jeffrey Clark, former Justice Department official

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Two counts

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones set a Sept. 18 hearing at the federal courthouse in Atlanta for Clarks bid to move his case from state court to federal court; awaiting McAfees trial schedule.

Misty Hampton, Coffee County elections supervisor

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Seven counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit election fraud

 Conspiracy to commit computer theft

 Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

 Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

 Conspiracy to defraud the state

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Two counts

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Meadows testified in court on Aug. 28 in an effort to move his case from state court to federal court. Judge Jones did not immediately rule on the request and is expected to make a decision soon. If he rules that Meadows can move his case to federal court, remaining defendants like Trump could potentially follow suit, which could upend Williss criminal case.

Michael Roman, Republican strategist

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Seven counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Trumps legal team post-election

Kenneth Chesebro, attorney

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Seven counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: On Sept. 6, McAfee denied Chesebros request for his case to be severed from Sidney Powell's. He ruled that both defendants will be tried together starting Oct. 23 in response to their demands for a speedy trial.

John Eastman, Trumps former lawyer

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Nine counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

 Filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Eastman filed a motion to sever his case from any co-defendant who wants a speedy trial; awaiting McAfees trial schedule.

Jenna Ellis, attorney

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Two counts:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Rudy Giuliani, Trump's former personal lawyer

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 13 counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer

 False statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Sidney Powell, attorney

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Seven counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit election fraud

 Conspiracy to commit computer theft

 Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

 Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

 Conspiracy to defraud the state

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: On Sept. 6, McAfee denied Powells request for her case to be severed from Kenneth Chesebro's. He ruled that both defendants will be tried together starting Oct. 23 in response to their demands for a speedy trial.

Ray Stallings Smith, attorney for Trumps 2020 campaign in Georgia

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 12 counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer

 False statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Filed a motion for the court to sever the defendants into manageable groups and says he wont be prepared for an October trial; awaiting McAfees trial schedule.

Georgia operators and Trump supporters

Robert Cheeley, attorney based in Georgia

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 10 counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

 Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

 Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

 Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

 Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer

 False statements and writings

 Perjury

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Harrison Floyd, Black Voices for Trump organizer

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 3 counts

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings

 Influencing witnesses

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Scott Hall, Fulton County GOP poll watcher

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Seven counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit election fraud

 Conspiracy to commit computer theft

 Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

 Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

 Conspiracy to defraud the state

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Trevian Kutti, publicist

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 3 counts

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings

 Influencing witnesses

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Stephen Lee, police chaplain

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 5 counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Criminal attempt to commit influencing witnesses

 Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings

 Influencing witnesses

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Awaiting McAfees trial schedule

Alleged participants in fake electors scheme

Cathleen Latham, Coffee County GOP chair

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: 11 counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Impersonating a public officer

 Forgery in the first degree

 False statements and writings

 Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

 Conspiracy to commit election fraud

 Conspiracy to commit computer theft

 Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

 Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

 Conspiracy to defraud the state

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Judge Jones set a Sept. 20 hearing at the federal courthouse in Atlanta for Lathams effort to move her case from state court to federal court; awaiting McAfees trial schedule.

David Shafer, chairman of Georgia GOP

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Eight counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Impersonating a public officer

 Forgery in the first degree

 False statements and writings

 Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Jones set a Sept. 20 hearing at the federal courthouse in Atlanta for Shafers motion to move his case from state court to federal court; awaiting McAfees trial schedule.

Shawn Still, Georgia Republican state senator

Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Charges: Seven counts, including:

 Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

 Impersonating a public officer

 Forgery in the first degree

 False statements and writings

 Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Plea: Not guilty; waived in-person arraignment

Case status: Jones set a Sept. 18 hearing at the federal courthouse in Atlanta for Stills motion to move his case from state court to federal court; awaiting McAfees trial schedule.
The King has recalled his late mothers devoted service in a poignant tribute to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeths II death.

Recorded and written at Balmoral Castle, the late Queens favourite residence and where she died on 8 September last year, Charles recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

Accompanying the tribute is the Kings favourite photograph of Her Late Majesty, showing her aged 42 in her Garter robes.

Britains long-reigning monarch, who served as Queen for 70 years, passed away aged 96 while surrounded by family members at her Scottish home.

In his tribute, the King thanked the nation for the love and support shown towards him and Queen Camilla over the last year and pledged their unfailing service.

Signing the letter as Charles R, the King said: In marking the first anniversary of Her Late Majestys death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

A formal colour photograph taken by Cecil Beaten in 1968 had been personally chosen by the King to commemorate the anniversary. It shows the Queen smiling as she is photographed while wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

Both the King and Queen are not expected to be making a public appearance for the anniversary and are said to be spending the day quietly and privately at the Balmoral estate.

The Queen died last year at Balmoral (PA Wire)

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales will continue to carry out royal duties and are expected to attend a special service at St Davids Cathedral in west Wales.

While Prince Harry is not expected to meet with his father or brother while on his current visit to the UK, he told an awards event on Thursday night that his late grandmother was looking down on all of us.

Taking to the stage at the WellChild Awards ceremony in London, the Duke of Sussex said: As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away.

As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and thats precisely why I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

The duke had travelled to the UK for the first time since June without his wife Meghan to attend the charity event, which supports seriously unwell children.

Alongside her husband Prince Philip, she is the UKs longest-reigning monarch (Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Shortly before last years ceremony, Harry withdrew from attending as he raced to Balmoral to join the royal family at the Queens bedside.

While the late Queens children are marking the day privately, soldiers and horses who took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes are returning to perform Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute and recalled meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace and being struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace.

With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her Late Majestys service only seems greater, he said.

Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

Prince Harry said his grandmother is looking down on all of us during his speech (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her Late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all, he added.

Mr Sunak said the sacred bond between the country and the monarch endures under the King.

He said: So, while we continue to mourn Her Late Majestys passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service  and this remarkable bond  continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty The King.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the lengthy queues to see the Queen lying in state showed she always enjoyed a special bond with her people.

It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject, he said.

King Charles thanked the nation for their support during the first year of his reign (Getty Images)

So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.

Recalling the moment she was informed of the Queens death, former prime minister Liz Truss said: We were in the Downing Street flat with, officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that wed had.

Ms Truss had only met with the Queen two days previously after she was invited to her Aberdeenshire residence to be appointed prime minister.

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her, Ms Truss said. She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.

Over the course of her reign, the late Queen welcomed 15 prime ministers into Downing Street, beginning with Winston Churchill after she ascended the throne in 1952.

She died just three months after her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June and 17 months after the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.
By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) - A Massachusetts institution for the developmentally disabled can continue to use controversial electric shock devices to address aggressive or self-harming behavior in residents, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, though it left the door open to future challenges.

In a unanimous ruling Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that the state acted in bad faith in regulating the Canton-based Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. JRC, which provides education and treatment to people with development disabilities and behavioral disorders, is the only institution in the country to use the treatment.

The lower court judge, Katherine Field of Bristol County Probate Court, had found that high-ranking officials at the state's Department of Developmental Services in 2010 altered a report by staff to remove a finding that JRC was in "substantial compliance" with state requirements, and that the department in 2011 tried to impose a moratorium on the use of shock treatment for new patients without reviewing scientific evidence.

The department has for decades sought to end the shock therapy treatment, which is supported by families of residents who say it is the only option for loved ones who would otherwise need to be constantly sedated or restrained.

"The ruling ensures that the lifesaving, court approved electrical stimulation device treatment remains available to those for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed," Michael Flammia, a lawyer for JRC, said in a statement.

The department and a lawyer for the families did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Justice Scott Kafker wrote in the court's opinion that the issue was "heart-wrenching," and that the state could take further action based on new facts in the future.

The legal fight over the facility began in 1985, when the state sought to ban the shock treatment. JRC and families of residents sued, and the case resulted in a consent decree in 1987 that allowed the treatment to continue.

In 2013, the state sought to terminate the consent order altogether, before Judge Field's ruling in 2018 that it was still necessary because of state regulators' bad faith conduct.

A federal appeals court in 2021 ruled in a separate case that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could not ban the shock device.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Deepa Babington)
Penn Jillette of CW networks comic magic show Penn & Teller Fool Us, once asked the shows head writer, Matt Donnelly, to learn one trick. Jillette, it seems, suspected the writer would be good at magic as well as metaphors and modifiers.

Matt Donnelly will share his magic as part of "The Foolers" performance at Brown County Music Center.

Penn and Teller picked four acts to headline The Foolers tour

Donnelly learned one trick  from seven different magicians  and assembled the feats for his first show. Turns out Jillette knows what makes a magician. Audience members will get a chance to see Donnelly Sept. 24 at the Brown County Music Center in The Foolers, four hand-picked, A-list magic acts. They are master magicians Matt Donnelly, Alex Ramon, Jessica Jane and Vinny Grosso.

Penn Jillette and Teller (simply Teller), are American comic magicians entertaining as a pair since the late 1970s. The Foolers is not a Penn and Teller show, per se, since those two wont be present. Instead, its four exceptional acts that Penn and Teller chose from magicians they had judged on their Penn & Teller show.

Repeat: Neither Penn nor Teller will be at the music center performance on Sept. 24.

Las Vegass "Best Up and Coming Comedy Magician"

The Las Vegas Review Journal named Donnelly, Las Vegass Best Up and Coming Comedy Magician. The Mind Noodler is Donnellys acts title. Hes been touring North America, bringing magic, yes, but also comedy.

Im responsible for the ridiculous comedy part of The Foolers, he said over the phone.

Donnelly spent years on tour opening for "Piff the Magic Dragon, but he considers himself new to magic. Ive only been doing magic for five years. Im learning from the other three ('Foolers') acts," he said.

Mind Noodling has entertained audiences at prestigious magic venues such as Los Angeless Magic Castle, the Chicago Magic Lounge and Nashville, Tennessee's House of Cards. The show has also headlined at the Second Bell Comedy Festival in Tennessee.

Upcoming event: Indiana University to host 'Taylor Swift: The Conference Era' in November

Other magical sides of Donnelly

Donnelly cohosts Penn Jillettes award grabbing podcast, Penns Sunday School as well as magic podcast Abracababble.

Donnelly recently completed his ninth season as head writer for Fool Us.

Donnelly has been doing improv theater since he was 16. Comedy comes naturally to him. He played the Las Vegas strip alongside Wayne Brady in the hit improv comedy show "Making It Up."

Donnelly played Christian Grey in the hilarious "50 Shades! The Parody" at Las Vegas Bally's resort and hosted the innovative show "Executive Monkeys" at Las Vegas The Palms resort.

More: Jerry Seinfeld add second show at IU Auditorium Oct. 20; tickets on sale now

Brown County show for all ages

His Brown County show is for the entire family, he said. And that means daredevil stunts and mentalism added to all the other aspects of magic one might imagine.

Psychic Hill Billy comedy magic show with Roadkill Cookbook

Some might remember Donnellys portrayal of his Psychic Hillbilly character. Once when asked to audition for a TV pilot  as a bad TV Magician  Donnelly created a down-home character, Psychic Hill Billy. According to indiegogo.com, Penn Jillette told him to learn an actual ... trick, then provided Donnelly a trick to learn.

Donnelly slipped right into character, enjoying his sham country-boy side, complete with hat, beard and a Roadkill Cookbook he authored with dishes such as possum (with the fur still on) and onions. What he didnt expect was his fans reactions.

My fans felt betrayed. They were upset to find out I wasnt a real hillbilly offstage.

Do Penn and Teller like each other?

For all who have heard that Penn and Teller secretly dislike one another, Donnelly dispels the myth. Penn is my good friend. Teller is my boss. And they get along very well.

If you go

WHAT: The Foolers, with four master magicians: Matt Donnelly, Alex Ramon, Jessica Jane and Vinny Grosso. The Foolers pay tribute to magicians Penn Jillette and Teller. (Penn and Teller themselves will not be in the show.)WHEN: 7 p.m. Sept. 24WHERE: Brown County Music Center, 200 Maple Leaf Blvd., NashvilleTICKETS: $69-$159, with tickets online at www.browncountymusiccenter.com/events

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Matt Donnelly to fool us at Brown County Music Center
In Miami, a city where most of the coastal metropoliss skyline shimmers in silver or reflects blue skies and water through glass, a fashionable newcomer will be outfitted in black and ivory, and topped with an elaborate gold crown.

Like the boning on a luxe corset, matte black steel beams will form its 90-story structure, topping out at 1,049 feet tall. Reaching the maximum allowable height set for the city by the Federal Aviation Admission, the skyscraper will tie for the citys tallest building with other flashy forthcoming projects when it is completed in 2027, including the Waldorf Astoria Miami and Foster+Partner-designed The Towers.

The brand behind the new residential tower and 5-star hotel is familiar, too, but more for its runway shows and red-carpet appearances  the building, on 888 Brickell Avenue in Downtown Miami, marks Dolce&Gabbanas first foray into real estate, expanding the Italian labels influence from where you shop to where you sleep.

The condos come in different marble options and colorways and are 'curated' by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. - LL&Co.

For residents, the fashion houses involvement in their day-to-day living wont just be the bones of the one-to-four-bedroom condos and or the buildings luxury amenities, but a full curation of everything in each of the 259 homes, explained Michael Stern, CEO and founder of the developer JDS Development Group, in a phone call.

Were selling fully turnkey apartments  were completely fitting them out and furnishing them; accessorizing down to the bathrobes and books on the bookshelf, he explained.

The three color packages are black, white, or gold. - LL&Co.

Renderings promise lavish marble interiors and ocean views. - LL&Co.

The interiors, designed by Dolce&Gabbana founders Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, will come in three color palettes: white with Bianco Striata Marble, black with Nero Marquina Marble and gold with Giallo Imperiale Marble.

The residences include very elaborate marbles, amazing light fixtures and an incredibly luxurious palette, Stern said. Theres a lot of flexibility for people to make good choices.

Renderings show lavish details including Venetian chandeliers and freestanding bathtubs in front of sweeping ocean views, with materials complementing the dramatic facade of the building designed by Studio Sofield, the firm that has also worked on eye-catching projects such as New Yorks rail-thin Steinway Tower.

Fashion moves in

Will Dolce&Gabbanas fashion cachet translate into desirable US real estate? The brand is certainly not the only luxury leader making similar plays in Florida, with Armani offering a private beach accessible to residents from its skyscraper, and automotive brands Bentley and Porsche, both owned by Volkswagen Group, erecting towers along the states coastline, too.

Drawing upon their established aesthetics and recognizable designer names, the number of fashion players opening branded hotels worldwide, meanwhile, has also spiked in recent years, including Bulgari, Versace and Roberto Cavalli.

Increasingly, fashion brands have been opening residential towers and hotels. Pictured here: A gold version of a living room in 888 Brickell. - LL&Co.

In April, Dolce&Gabbana formally announced its entry into the sector, with additional residential and hospitality projects planned for Marbella, Spain, and the Maldives, respectively. The new buildings follow the launch of the furniture, homewares and textile line Dolce&Gabbana Casa two years ago, which will outfit each of their properties.

Alfonso Dolce, CEO of the company, explained over email that the end-goal is to become ambassadors of Made in Italy in the world and to expand the perimeter of the companys activities with a view to an all-round lifestyle experience.

Developer Michael Stern said Dolce&Gabbana's existing luxury brand is a "reference point" for what it would be like to live in their residences. - LL&Co.

Stern says the brand recognition from luxury labels sets a standard of hospitality and care.

If you go into the Dolce&Gabbana showroom and get tailored for a fine suit or couture, the way they treat you, from a service perspective were trying to mirror that in our in our residential experience, he said. I think its just helpful for somebody to understand because theyve got a reference to start with.

Residents of 888 Brickell will enjoy the usual roster of amenities offered in high-end buildings, including restaurants, bars, fitness and wellness spaces and shared offices and meeting rooms. Theres also a 4,000-square-foot pool deck with 44-foot-long pool and views spanning the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and Miami Beach.

Condos will start at around $3.5 million, with the most expensive properties topping more than $35 million.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis engaged in a heated argument Thursday with an audience member at a news conference who blamed him for the recent racist mass shooting that killed three Black people in Jacksonville.

The news conference, which was in Jacksonville, had been scheduled to highlight Florida's protections against Covid-related mandates. But it took a pugilistic turn when DeSantis called on an attendee to ask a question.

Speaking calmly from the back of the room, the man told DeSantis that while he was a veteran and appreciated DeSantis' military service, he felt DeSantis' policies allowed "immature people" to access weapons that ultimately "caused the deaths of the people who were murdered a couple weeks ago."

DeSantis interrupted: "Im not going to let you accuse me of committing criminal activity. I am not going to take that."

"You have allowed people to hunt people like me," the man, who is Black, continued after some cross-talk between the two.

"Oh, that is nonsense. That is such nonsense," DeSantis replied over disapproving murmurs from the rest of the audience.

The man was escorted out of the room shortly afterward. DeSantis continued with his response as the man walked out, telling the assembled crowd that Americans had flocked to Florida in part because of his administration's commitment to public safety.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida echoed the man's comments in a statement responding to a video of the encounter online.

Gov. DeSantis policies have made Florida less safe for Black people in Florida, the group posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The racist fatal shooting on Aug. 26 brought to light much of the discontent many in Floridas Black communities and beyond harbor for DeSantis administration policies, including wiping out diversity programs in schools and creating contentious standards around teaching race.

That anger showed as DeSantis was booed during remarks at a vigil for the shooting victims the day after the attack. The heckles were loud enough that a local leader had to interrupt DeSantis' speech to settle the crowd.

As the Jacksonville news conference concluded, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo  a DeSantis appointee who spoke earlier at the event about Covid vaccines and who is Black  addressed the crowd once more to come to DeSantis' defense.

"Its terrible that people take advantage of the fact that hes a different color from the poor victims of that tragedy to try and tie him into something," Ladapo said of DeSantis, calling the audience member "crazy" and "insane."

DeSantis, who is a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, paused campaigning on Aug. 27 to travel back to Florida to manage the aftermath of the Jacksonville shooting and preparations for Tropical Storm Idalia. He is expected to resume his campaign schedule this weekend in Iowa, where he will take part in a bus tour with Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting his campaign.
The Radiance of the Seas, seen in this file photo from April 4, 2020, features 1,071 staterooms and 12 guest decks, according to Royal Caribbean.

For the second week in a row, Royal Caribbean canceled an Alaska sailing on its Radiance of the Seas cruise ship.

On its return to Seward, Alaska from a 7-night voyage that departed on Aug. 25, Radiance of the Seas experienced a technical issue with its propulsion system, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA TODAY. Due to this, Radiances Sept. 1 and Sept. 8 sailings have been cancelled. All guests and travel partners have been notified.

The cruise line is offering full refunds and future cruise credit to impacted guests. The credits may be used toward sailings departing within a year.

The reimbursement will include taxes and fees, pre-paid packages and gratuities, amenities, shore excursions and any flights purchased through the company, Royal Caribbean told Cruise Industry News.

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas departs Sydney Harbour in this file photo from April 4, 2020.

Repairs are currently underway, and Radiance is expected to sail as planned on Sept. 15 from Seward, Alaska, Royal Caribbean said.

That Sept. 15th sailing is scheduled for seven nights, leaving Seward and continuing on to Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan, Alaska before traveling to British Columbias Inside Passage and wrapping up in Vancouver, Canada, according to its published itinerary.

Radiance of the Seas made its maiden voyage in 2001, but has since undergone multi-million dollar updates. The ship can carry 2,466 guests and 894 crew members, according to the cruise line.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Royal Caribbean cancels second sailing on Radiance of the Seas ship
President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee disembark from the presidential jet after landing at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, India, Friday (local time). Yoon is set to attend the Group of 20 Summit hosted by India. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



NEW DELHI  President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in India on Friday evening (local time) to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit.



The Indian capital is the second stop on Yoon's seven-day trip after Jakarta, Indonesia, where he attended summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also marks the second time that Yoon will attend the G20 summit, following last year's edition in Bali, Indonesia.



At the G20 summit, Yoon will attend three sessions: One Earth, One Family and One Future. He will discuss climate change, the environment and the energy transition with participating leaders and stress South Korea's commitment to contribute to a free, peaceful and prosperous future by safeguarding the international order.



On the sidelines of the event, Yoon is scheduled to have bilateral summits with the leaders of India, Spain, Argentina, Bangladesh, Comoros and others.



"In order to overcome the challenges facing humanity and move toward shared prosperity for 'One Future,' the G20 must demonstrate its leadership as it is a premier forum for international economic cooperation," Yoon said during a written interview with the Times of India.



"The Republic of Korea will continue to actively participate in G20 efforts to respond to the global poly-crisis and work closely together with India to address issues concerning the Global South."



While in New Delhi, Yoon is also expected to reiterate the key aspects of the strengthened cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan, and their respective commitment to regional peace and prosperity.









All this is set to take place even as Chinese President Xi Jinping elects to skip the G20 summit, apparently due to recent tensions with India surrounding Beijing's new "standard map" which depicts the northeastern part of India as China's territory.



With U.S. President Joe Biden attending the G20, Yoon will likely stress that Seoul is standing by Washington, as showcased in the trilateral summit between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan at Camp David last month, in a bid to enlarge Seoul's presence on the global diplomatic stage.



"When it comes to the strategic meaning of Yoon's trip this time, it can be seen as an effort to extend the collaborative efforts announced during the Camp David summit in August by Korea, the U.S. and Japan, so that the three countries' commitment to cooperating with ASEAN and Pacific Island nations for regional peace and prosperity can be reached out to by major countries and the international community," Seoul's First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo said.





President Yoon Suk Yeol raises his thumb after watching a welcome performance upon his arrival at Palam Air Force Station, New Delhi, India, Friday (local time). Yonhap
Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro next week as part of a nationwide, month-long Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour.

The Sept. 15 visit is not Harris or President Joe Bidens first time in North Carolina this year, hinting at the states importance in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The college tour, which includes around a dozen schools across at least seven states, aims to mobilize young people in the ongoing fight for fundamental freedoms and rights, according to a press release by The White House.

The tour will center on reproductive freedom, common sense gun safety laws, climate action, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and teaching Americas full history, according to the release.

This generation is critical to the urgent issues that are at stake right now for our future, said Harris, according to the release. It is young leaders throughout America who know what the solutions look like and are organizing in their communities to make them a reality. My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything.

Kamala will go to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, community colleges, apprenticeship programs and state schools, said the release.

HBCUs planned for her trip include A&T, Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, and Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Campaign trail

Harris was in North Carolina in late January and spoke on the role of small businesses, including Hispanic-owned businesses. She also visited the state in June on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and spoke on reproductive rights and more.

Biden has visited the state plenty as well, most recently in June, at the same time as the state GOP convention, to discuss initiatives to help service members and young adults looking for jobs.

In August, Bidens campaign announced $25 million in ad spending in North Carolina and other battleground states, indicating the important of the state in his 2024 presidential reelection bid. North Carolina has opted for Republican presidential candidates in recent years but has also elected Democrats to state offices, making the state appealing to both parties.

This historic buy ensures that the Presidents message reaches all Americans where they receive their news, and sends a clear sign that we are investing in an aggressive, meaningful, and effective paid media strategy, said Julia Chavez Rodriguez, Bidens campaign manager, as previously reported by The News & Observer.
A womans video giving a terrifying apartment tour recently went viral, seemingly exposing the reality of what its really like to hunt for apartments in New York City.

Vivi (@viviarmacost) posted the video to TikTok on 13 August, and since then, the video has amassed over 1.6 million views on the platform. After going on three terrifying, expensive apartment tours, she decided to share to experience.

Initially, the footage shows her staring straight into the camera while she says in the voiceover, Come with me to see three terrifying apartments in New York City. Im trying to find a studio right now and it is awful.

The video proceeds to chronicle Vivis journey as she tours three different apartments in Manhattan, the most expensive borough in New York City. At first, Vivi visits a unit in the Lower East Side. She prefaced the first tour saying that she knew it was gonna be gross, but ultimately went because online, it said that there was no brokers fee. However, upon arrival, she alleged that she was told there was a $4,000 brokers fee.

For a one-bedroom, its really well-priced but its literally a studio and they put up a fake wall, I can tell, she said in the clip. She also noted that there was no laundry machine included and that the Lower East Side location was also a downside because its a dangerous area to live by yourself as a girl.

The next apartment viewing took place in Manhattans coveted Chelsea neighbourhood, where Vivi was shown a small studio that she immediately adored. The footage showed a tiny room boasting a kitchen stove and sink built onto a side wall and a window at the end of the room. She remarked that the size didnt detract from its perks, This is literally a hallway but honestly in the best location ever.

She continued: Ive also been trying to negotiate and every time Ive done it, it worked. This apartment gave me $50 off a month... Sadly, this [the second listing] was taken off the market the moment I left the apartment...

According to Vivi, for the third apartment she looked at, she said she was given a $1,000 brokers fee. The listing was its also in Chelsea and its so beautiful. This is the biggest studio I think Ive ever seen. When she put in an application for the listing, she took issue with the fact that it was a 9-month lease and theyre still making you pay a brokers fee...

Many viewers commented that all of the listings shown resembled prison cells more so than luxury apartments.

One viewer wrote, These are jail cells, while someone else commented: Im sorry but this looks like prison.

Another asked: Is NY really worth this? They all make a jail cell look better.

idk [I dont know] why ppl [people] think anything in NY is worth living in THIS, one viewer remarked, and another one said: The fact that shes calling that last one beautiful, Im confused. Do ppl want to live in NY this bad??

Each apartment Vivi visited featured metal bars on the outside of the apartments windows. While the detail is reportedly common among apartments in the Chinatown area of Manhattan, viewers were shocked, to say the least.
A prison guard who was on duty when a convicted murderer escaped from a Pennsylvania prison more than a week ago has been fired, officials said Friday.

The prison guard, who was not publicly identified, was an 18-year veteran and was fired Thursday, a Chester County spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.

The guard had a cell phone in the tower, a violation of Chester County Prison policy, the county spokesperson confirmed.

Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the prison in Pocopson Township on Aug. 31. About 400 law enforcement personnel are assisting in the search for him, authorities said Friday.

Prisoner Danelo Cavalcante, a native Brazilian who illegally immigrated to the U.S. after a warrant was issued for his arrest for murder, escaping from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania, on Aug. 31, 2023. (Chester County Prison / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

According to surveillance video, Cavalcante stretched himself across the brick and cinderblock walls in the exercise yard to push himself to the roof.

In May, Another inmate, Igor Bolte, had briefly escaped in a similar way. Bolte was captured about five minutes later in a residential neighborhood less than a mile from the prison.

Earlier this week, acting warden Howard Holland detailed how Cavalcante managed to escape and elude some measures that were put in place following Boltes escape.

Razor wire installed on the roof after the May escape  and deemed sufficient by security advisors  did not stop Cavalcante, Holland said.

Though a tower officer saw Bolte on the roof and he was apprehended shortly after, Cavalcante scaled the wall in the exercise yard and made his way onto the roof without being spotted by a tower officer or on surveillance video in a control room, he said.

The tower officer was placed on administrative leave. Its unclear whether that officer was the same prison guard who was fired Thursday.

It took 10 minutes for guards to realize they were missing a prisoner after they returned to their cells from the exercise yard on Aug. 31. And it was another 16 minutes before the public escape siren sounded, Holland said.

Police said Thursday they suspect Cavalcante is within the perimeter of Routes 926 and 52, Hillendale Road and Creek Road. Hes been spotted eight times.

A reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information that leads to his apprehension.

Cavalcante was convicted Aug. 16 of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The United Auto Workers are getting down to the wire in negotiations with the Big Three U.S. automakers  General Motors, Ford and Chrysler maker Stellantis  over a new labor contract for around 146,000 workers.

Talks have been rocky, and some industry watchers foresee a fairly high likelihood of a strike, which could take place as soon as the current contract expires one minute before midnight next Thursday.

Heres where the dispute between the union and the so-called Detroit 3 stands and what might come next.

How close are the parties to reaching a deal?

As of late Thursday, Ford and GM had submitted counteroffers to the UAW, but the union said neither proposal was good enough to accept. Stellantis is expected to provide a counteroffer by the end of the week.

As is common in high-profile labor negotiations, the rhetoric has been heated. UAW President Shawn Fain has panned some automakers proposals and emphasized that union workers stand ready to head to the picket lines, though he told a crowd in Detroit over Labor Day weekend: Our intent is not to strike. Our intent is to get a fair agreement.

United Auto Workers members and others gather for a rally after marching in the Labor Day parade in Detroit on Sept. 4, 2023. (Bill Pugliano / Getty Images)

The union is negotiating with all three automakers simultaneously, in a break from previous rounds of contract talks. The UAW also recently filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing GM and Stellantis of failing to bargain in good faith and in a timely fashion.

The automakers have said theyre willing to negotiate in good faith and have pushed back against union demands they say are excessive  in some cases warning that big pay hikes could cut into investments needed to make the transition to electric vehicles.

What happens if theres no deal by Sept. 14?

The current UAW contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. next Thursday, and rank-and-file workers voted overwhelmingly late last month to authorize a strike in case handshake agreements with any of the companies arent in place by then.

A strike at one, two or all three automakers could happen at any time from next Friday onward, though multiple strikes could be called at different times. That means up to 146,000 workers could wind up picketing simultaneously, though the total could be far fewer if a strike is limited to just one or two of the companies instead of all three.

What are workers top demands?

Fain has promoted the unions ambitious push for more generous wages and benefits. The UAW is seeking a 40% wage hike over four years (amounting to 46% compounded), along with cost-of-living increases; beefed-up retirement benefits, including pensions on par with what autoworkers previously received; and a shortened 32-hour workweek, down from 40.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, second from right, at Labor Day parade in Detroit on Sept. 4, 2023. (Paul Sancya / AP)

The UAW has pointed to Big Three executives pay in demanding higher pay for workers. For example, GM chief Mary Barras compensation grew by 32.5% from 2018 to 2022. During the same period, the median GM employees pay grew by 2.8%, public filings show.

Ford appointed a new CEO in 2020, and the pay jumped 18% from 2018 to 2022, when the median employees pay rose 16.1%. Data for Stellantis is unavailable because the company was formed only in 2021 and is now headquartered in Amsterdam, where pay disclosure rules are different from those in the U.S.

How much would a strike cost car companies and workers?

Even a strike lasting just 10 days could cost the Big Three automakers at least $5 billion, according to a recent estimate by the Anderson Economic Group.

The immediate impact would be halted production. IHS analysts estimate that for every week workers are on strike, GMs output would fall by 55,000 vehicles a week and Fords by about 65,000 a week.

GM and Ford stand to lose $2.5 billion and $3 billion in revenue, respectively, for every week a strike lasts, Goldman Sachs Equity Research estimated. By comparison, agreeing to a 40% wage bump for UAW members would cost GM $4 billion to $5 billion and Ford $5 billion to $6 billion over four years. Goldman didnt provide estimates for Stellantis.

The UAW has amassed $825 million in a strike fund that would pay eligible members $500 a week during a work stoppage, a sum that is expected to last for up to around 11 weeks but could be depleted sooner because of health care costs.

Would vehicle prices rise if UAW workers strike?

If fewer new cars are produced, inventory on dealer lots would dwindle, which could push prices higher.

Following the pandemic and a global supply chain crunch in materials and parts, U.S. new-vehicle inventory levels are still tighter this year than they were during the last round of bargaining, in 2019.

Cox Automotive estimated the supply of new vehicles at the end of July as enough to cover 56 days of sales  below the 60-day mark considered normal and the 66-day measure recorded in the lead-up to 2019 UAW negotiations.

The impact could be more muted for Ford and Stellantis brands like Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and Ram, which Cox said had above-average levels of supply. But GM brands like Cadillac and Chevrolet have slightly below-average supplies.

When was the last time autoworkers went on strike?

In 2019, autoworkers at GM went on a 40-day strike that cost the company an estimated $3.6 billion that year. The work stoppage pushed Michigans economy into a single-quarter recession.

Why arent workers from other car companies threatening to strike?

GM, Ford and Stellantis are the only major automakers whose U.S. workers are unionized.

Foreign automakers such as Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Hyundai are among those operating nonunion plants in the U.S.  including outside of Michigan. In the electric vehicle space, newer entrants like Tesla, Rivian and VinFast also build in the U.S., similarly without union labor.
Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced American caver and researcher who fell ill almost 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) below the entrance of a cave in Turkey, has recovered sufficiently enough to be extracted in an operation that could last three or four days, Turkish officials confirmed on Friday.

Rescuers from across Europe have rushed to the cave for an operation to save Dickey who became suddenly ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains.

"The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating him," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey's disaster relief agency, told the IHA news agency. "We are now in a position to evacuate him."

"This is a difficult operation. It would take a (healthy) person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days," Yildiz continued. "Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger."

Local officials confirmed to ABC News that a local rescue team was taking over the operation and would hold a press conference on Monday.

PHOTO: European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) members and Turkish gendarmerie officers stand next to the entrance of Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Sept. 7, 2023. (Mithat Unal/Dia Images via AP)

The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, but he has now stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days. It was not clear what caused the medical issue.

Doctors were expected to decide whether he will need to leave the cave on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power. The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and constant medical care inside the cave, which is also quite cold.

The cave was being prepared for Dickey's safe extraction, including passages being widened and the danger of falling rocks being addressed, according to the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service and other officials.

More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.

Mark Dickey, 40, fell ill on Aug. 31 while on an exploration of the Morca cave in the Taurus Mountains and has been unable to return to the surface since, according to the volunteer group New Jersey Initial Response Team. Dickey is the chief of the group, which specializes in cave and mine rescue, as well as an instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.

The expert caver was helping lead an international caving expedition when he started suffering intestinal problems "that rapidly progressed into life-threatening bleeding and vomiting," the New Jersey Initial Response Team said in a statement.

PHOTO: Mark Dickey, the U.S. caver who is currently trapped near Morca, poses in Mentone, Alabama, May 12, 2023. (National Cave Rescue Commission via Reuters)

Members of Italy's Alpine rescue corps on Thursday joined the more than 150 rescuers who raced to reach an American man who fell ill and became trapped some 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground in a cave he was exploring in southern Turkey.

Video footage showed the first Italian squad of six members, including a doctor and a nurse, preparing to enter the cave where Dickey is trapped.

In a video statement taped underground and released by The Associated Press, Dickey thanked the caving community. He said he was very close to death and the medical supplies saved his life, though he still has internal injuries and pain, making it difficult to get out.

"As you can see, I'm up, I'm alert, I'm talking. But I'm not healed on the inside yet so I'm going to need a lot of help to get out of here," he said.

PHOTO: European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) members and Turkish gendarmerie officers stand next to the entrance of Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Sept. 7, 2023. (Mithat Unal/Dia Images via AP)

Several other international rescue teams, including Croatian, Italian, Polish, Slovenian and American cave rescuers, "are waiting for the official invitation from the authorities," the European Speleological Federation said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Turkish military is also aiding in the remote rescue operation, according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team.

Dickey said caving shows how well the international community can work together.

"We take care of our own. And it's really special to be taken care of," he said.

PHOTO: Mark Dickey is shown in the Cueva Gavilan cave in Mexico, in a clip from the documentary 'Abismo.' (Rob Spangler/Abismo)

In eerily prescient comments, Dickey talked about how challenging it is to rescue an injured caver in these types of remote, deep caves, in a recent unpublished documentary by Rob Spangler.

"The number of rescue disciplines that are involved in cave rescue is astounding, the amount of challenges that you have to overcome to get someone out of cave when they're injured," Dickey said in the footage, which was filmed in November 2022 at the Cueva Gavilan cave in Oaxaca, Mexico. "You don't realize how difficult it is until you really get involved."

PHOTO: Mark Dickey is shown in the Cueva Gavilan cave in Mexico, in a clip from the documentary 'Abismo.' (Rob Spangler/Abismo)

Morca is one of the deepest caves in Turkey. Dickey is part of an expedition team hoping to collect samples from and map the cave beyond 3,400 feet, according to the team's website.

In 2014, more than 700 specialists rescued German spelunker Johann Westhauser, who was trapped for 12 days in one of Europe's deepest cave systems.

ABC News' Helena Skinner and Kerem Inal contributed to this report.

Dayslong rescue mission now underway to save American who fell ill exploring deep cave in Turkey originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The clock is ticking on the late-summer swelter in the East, AccuWeather meteorologists say. But even after severe thunderstorms mark the beginning of heat relief, wet weather will stick around and prove problematic through this weekend.

The thunderstorms erased the heat across the northern Plains and much of the Great Lakes on Wednesday. However, heat lingered farther to the east and held on through Friday along the East Coast.

Residents of New York City have experienced a very warm start to September, but one particular milestone remained elusive until last week -- three days in a row of 90-degree Fahrenheit weather, which is an official heat wave.

There were two instances this summer when the city had two-day stretches of 90 or greater temperatures. Both episodes were in July. But, after high temperatures in the 90s now official from Tuesday to Thursday, New York City has finally experienced its first heat wave of the summer, ahead of the weekend's wet weather. Temperatures hit the 90-degree mark for a fourth day in a row on Friday in the Big Apple.

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A wet and humid weekend will continue in the Northeast due to a slow-moving storm and a surge of moisture up the Eastern Seaboard that will help to fuel drenching showers and locally gusty thunderstorms. As temperatures trend downward this weekend, humidity levels are likely to remain high or climb even higher along the Atlantic coast.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz explained that the forward progression of the storms will slow down throughout this weekend, allowing thunderstorms to linger in the same areas for an extended period of time. As the culprit storm system crawls toward the Atlantic coastline, wet weather will persist across the region through Sunday.

While severe storms on Friday are not expected to ramp up again this weekend, the wet weather will stick around. Round after round of wet weather is likely to target the Northeast, bringing more opportunities for rain in most areas straight through Sunday.

It is possible that rain and storms hold off on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, through Saturday evening, allowing at least one good weekend day at the beach. The area is a hot spot for September weekend getaways. The risk of storms and downpours will increase in southeastern Massachusetts and the offshore islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket from Saturday night to Sunday.

Forecasters urge those spending time outdoors through this weekend to be on the lookout for changing weather conditions as there will be the potential for sudden lightning strikes.

Next week, all eyes will likely focus on what has become the most powerful hurricane of the 2023 season in the Atlantic. Lee reached Category 5 intensity Friday morning as it moved north of the Caribbean, and there is at least one scenario in which the hurricane may approach coastal areas of the Northeast the upcoming weekend. At the very least, seas and surf will build along much of the Atlantic coast next week as the powerful hurricane turns northward.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alertsare prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
RYE, N.H.  Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a Republican presidential candidate, suggested at a Thursday campaign stop in New Hampshire that recent headlines about his relationship status were the result of his opponents planting stories.

Scotts relationship status garnered renewed interest last week, when Axios published an article suggesting some conservative Republican donors were concerned about his unmarried status.

Scott was asked about the report Thursday during a visit to Lagos Ice Cream alongside New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.

People plant stories that have conversations to distract from our rise in the polls, to distract from our size of our audience, Scott said. What weve seen is that poll after poll says that the voters dont care, but it seems like opponents do care, and so media coverage that opponents plant  its OK. Good news is we just keep fighting the good fight.

FILE - Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks during a town hall meeting, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall / AP file)

Scott did not refer to a specific presidential rival in his answer.

Since he entered public office in 1995 as a member of the Charleston, South Carolina, City Council, Scott has never publicly dated, a fact that has distinguished him from many of his colleagues and political opponents.

James Buchanan was the only president who never married, according to the White House Historical Association, while Grover Cleveland was a bachelor as a candidate and got married after he was elected president.

In an interview with NBC News after his campaign launch in May, Scott did suggest he was actively dating.

Theres always time for a great relationship with a wonderful woman, and I thank God that that is happening, he said in May.
Washington  Former President Donald Trump's top White House trade adviser Peter Navarro was found guilty Thursday of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

A jury in Washington, D.C., convicted the former Trump administration official following a trial that lasted just over a day. Navarro's defense team called no witnesses.

Sentencing is set for January, and Navarro faces a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 for each count. Speaking with reporters outside the court, Navarro and his attorneys indicated they would appeal the verdict, calling the prosecution "a landmark case" about separation of powers.

Prosecutors alleged Navarro "acted like he was above the law" when he defied the request from the now-expired House select committee for documents and testimony in February 2022. At the time, congressional investigators were interested in Navarro's efforts to formulate a plan to delay the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

"Congress believed that Mr. Navarro had information about what happened on Jan. 6, or more specifically about why it happened," government attorney John Crabb said in opening arguments on Wednesday, telling the jury a subpoena is not an "invitation," but a "requirement."

What happened at Navarro's brief trial

Nearly three years after the 2020 presidential election and months after the Jan. 6 committee was dissolved, the day-long federal trial resuscitated some of the panel's procedures and goals as three former staffers took the stand for the government.

"Talking to Mr. Navarro was important," said Daniel George, the former senior investigative counsel for the committee and current federal prosecutor in Connecticut. "We needed to understand if there was any truth" to the claims of voter fraud that allies of the former president  including Navarro  used in their efforts to hinder the election results.

Peter Navarro, director of the National Trade Council, listens during a news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. / Credit: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

George explained under direct examination that he first communicated with Navarro via email on Feb. 9, 2022, about serving the congressional subpoena. When he accepted the subpoena, according to George's testimony, Navarro responded with "executive privilege," implying he would not comply with the demands.

"He was very good about corresponding" before the service of the subpoena, George testified. The Feb. 23, 2022, deadline for Navarro to turn over documents and the March 2, 2022, deposition date both passed, George said, and Navarro had not complied after reminders from the committee and correspondence about executive privilege. "My hands are tied," Navarro wrote at one point, according to evidence at trial, and directed the committee to communicate with Trump's attorneys.

George told the jury that although the committee had communicated with members of Trump's legal team about claims of executive privilege over other individuals, they had not discussed Navarro's subpoena.

Asked by prosecutors if the committee staff had received any communication from the former president's counsel related to Navarro's subpoena, George replied, "None."

Mark Harris, a committee staffer who was scheduled to conduct Navarro's deposition in March 2022, said his team documented Navarro's absence from the interview room for the record. And David Buckley, a former congressional investigator and retired Department of Defense official, told the jury about the legal framework that established the committee and its authority to compel compliance with subpoenas.

"Peter Navarro made a choice," prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi said in her closing statement on Thursday. "He chose not to comply with a congressional subpoena."

Jurors saw a copy of the subpoena, its cover letter and numerous emails between Navarro and committee staff during the period in question.

Navarro's defense attorney, Stanely Woodward, implied in cross-examination that the committee had dropped the ball in not working to communicate with Trump's legal team about the executive privilege issue after Navarro suggested they do so.

A fight over executive privilege

Ahead of this week's trial, Navarro's defense team also argued they should be permitted to tell the jury that Trump told Navarro to invoke executive privilege protections against the subpoena. But prosecutors argued  and Judge Amit Mehta ultimately agreed  that there was no evidence that Trump formally worked to shield Navarro from the committee.

The ruling hamstrung Navarro's defense by limiting what they could tell the jury at trial.

Navarro did not take the stand in his own defense, but in an evidentiary hearing on the executive privilege matter last week, he told Mehta it was "clear" Trump invoked the protection in a 2022 phone call with Navarro. The judge, however, was unconvinced.

Prosecutors told the jury Thursday that Navarro's potential belief that the former president asserted the privilege "does not matter" and Mehta instructed them that such a belief cannot be a defense for the alleged crimes.

Outside the presence of the jury, Navarro's defense team took issue with prosecutors' references to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, telling the judge the case "is not about the riot at the Capitol and to repeatedly attempt to link Dr. Navarro to why that happened is inappropriate."

The government attorneys argued, however, that the Jan. 6 committee's authority and purpose was born from the events that day.

"In the aftermath of that attack, Congress tried to get to the bottom of what happened," Aloi said Thursday. "The defendant, he had knowledge" of a plan to delay the certification of the electoral college votes in Congress.

"This case is not about what happened on Jan. 6. What happened on Jan. 6 was abhorrent," Woodward, Navarro's attorney, said in his closing remarks Thursday. "Did Dr. Navarro have anything to do with the violence that day? He did not."

Woodward argued the Justice Department had not effectively proved that Navarro willfully defied the subpoena. "Where was Dr. Navarro on March 2, 2022?" he asked, "We don't know. The government provided no evidence about that. Do we know that his failure to comply beyond a reasonable doubt was not the result of inadvertence, accident, or mistake?"

Prosecutors fired back and argued that the jurors heard testimony about where Navarro wasn't that day: testifying before the committee.

After the verdict was read on Thursday, Woodward said he would seek a mistrial, saying the jurors went for a walk outside before coming to their decision and could have seen protesters gathered outside the courthouse. Mehta invited Woodward to file a brief on the matter, and was later spotted evaluating the courthouse exit with security staff.

"Before today, no full-term senior presidential advisor had ever been convicted of contempt of Congress after declining, on the basis of Executive Privilege, to comply with a Congressional subpoena," Navarro attorney John Rowley said in a statement Thursday evening. "This case involves the Separation of Powers between the Executive and Legislative branches as they apply to a President's ability to maintain confidential communications with his most senior advisors."

Navarro is the second Trump ally to be convicted for defying a subpoena from the now-defunct committee. Last year, Steve Bannon was found guilty of the same two counts after he did not comply with a subpoena and he was sentenced to four months in prison. Bannon's team appealed the conviction and a federal judge suspended the sentence until the matter is fully litigated.

Trump aides Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino were referred to the Justice Department for prosecution by Congress for similar alleged conduct, but prosecutors ultimately opted not to charge the pair.

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Vladimir Putin orchestrated the killing of Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin thanks to his own weakness, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president made the off-hand remark during a conference in Kyiv on Friday, without providing any additional evidence. Mr Prigozhin died in an unexplained crash when a plane carrying himself and some of his top lieutenants went down when flying between Moscow and St Petersburg in late August.

Mr Prigozhin offered the most severe challenge to the Russian presidents authority in more than 20 years in power when he and his Wagner fighters rose up against Moscow in June. The mutiny began when Mr Prigozhins forces left their base in southern Russia and marched on Moscow. It prompted the Kremlin chief to accuse Mr Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back".

Mr Prigozhin and his troops were eventually halted 24 hours later, about 125 miles from the Russian capital, when a deal was brokered between the Kremlin and Mr Prigozhin by the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

See our live blog for the latest developments in Ukraine

Yevgeny Prigozhin (GREY ZONE, Telegram)

Mr Prigozhin had been in a public feud with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov for months about the direction of Russias invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its 18th month. There has been a crackdown on dissent against the war across Russian society, with dozens facing prison sentences. Western leaders have suggested that little of note happens in Russia without Mr Putins sign-off and that he would be unlikely to let the embarrassment of the mutiny go without sending a message to others looking to undermine his presidency.

Mr Zelensky said on Friday: "The fact that he killed Prigozhin - at least thats the information we all have, not any other kind - that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak. He made the statement in answer to another question about the Russian president.

The Kremlin says all possible causes of the crash will be investigated, including the possibility of foul play. It has called the suggestion that Putin ordered the deaths of Mr Prigozhin and his men an "absolute lie".

Many critics of Mr Putin have died in unclear circumstances during his 23 years in power, or narrowly escaped dying. Russias most recognisable opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is facing decades in prison over various charges that are widely considered to be politically motivated. He was arrested in 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from what is believed to have been nerve agent poisoning. He has blamed that poisoning on the Kremlin, as did a number of Western nations. The Kremlin has denied involvement.

Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskys hometown Kryvyi Rih was one of several sites in Ukraine to be hit by Russian missiles overnight into Friday.

Three people were also killed after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine.

The strikes come as Ukraine is trying to push back Russian troops and reclaim its territory as part of a summer offensive. However, Mr Zelensky said that his nation is finding it harder and slower to secure sanctions on Russia and weapon supplies to help fend off Moscow's forces.

He said Ukraine's three-month-old counteroffensive would make faster gains in the south and east if Kyiv's military received more powerful weapons.

"The war is slowing down. This is true, we recognise this. All the processes are becoming harder and slowing down: from sanctions to the delivery of weapons," he said.




Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held talks with his Serbian counterpart, Ana Brnabic, on Friday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, Han's office said.







During the talks, Han welcomed the signing of a bilateral investment treaty aimed at promoting mutual investments between the two countries, according to the Prime Minister's Office.







The agreement will provide a legal framework for the protection of South Korean investments in Serbia from non-commercial risks and promote mutual investments, the office said.







Han anticipated that this visit, the first of its kind for a Serbian prime minister in 13 years, would lead to more active bilateral exchanges between the two countries.







In return, Brnabic expressed the country's determination to strengthen bilateral relations with South Korea, considering it an important economic partner. (Yonhap)




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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. 10 patients in Nagorno-Karabakh requiring urgent medical treatment were evacuated on Friday by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Healthcare Ministry said in a statement.

Another 3 patients whove completed treatment will be transported back to Nagorno-Karabakh by the ICRC later today.

All patients are accompanied by their attendants.

24 children (5 of whom in neonatal and intensive care) remain hospitalized in the Arevik clinic in Nagorno-Karabakh, where hospitals have suspended normal operations due to the Azerbaijani blockade.

Another 92 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center. 6 are in intensive care, three of whom are in critical condition.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations highest court  the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Flood-hit regions in northeast China speed up reconstruction

Xinhua) 14:06, September 08, 2023

CHANGCHUN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Liu Huanmao, who lives in Jifeng Village in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, had a lingering fear following the severe flood in the region a month ago.

"My house was toppled in the flood. I never expected that the new home would be nearly finished within one month," Liu said. With the help of government subsidies, he is building a new house on the same site and is expecting to move into it before the start of winter.

The city of Shangzhi is speeding up post-disaster restoration and reconstruction, said Zhao Yan, head of the city's emergency management department. Local authorities have checked roads, bridges, houses and power facilities hit by floodwaters for safety risks and have basically restored all roads.

Early in the morning, people in Jinshan Village in Shangzhi were repairing a road in the fields. "This gravel road is the only one here that heavy machinery responsible for crop harvesting and grain transportation can take," said villager Zhou Shikai.

In the city of Shulan, in neighboring Jilin Province, authorities had repaired over 285 km of roads and resumed shuttle buses to all affected townships by the end of August.

After the floodwaters receded, post-disaster restoration and reconstruction sped up in many flood-hit regions in China. Typhoon Doksuri and Typhoon Khanun brought severe flooding and inflicted heavy damages in these regions in early August.

Disaster relief funds should be used efficiently to repair damaged infrastructure such as transport, communications and electricity, and restore farmland and agricultural facilities, said a meeting held by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Aug. 17.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of the restoration of schools, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as damaged housing, to ensure the affected residents can return home or move to new homes before the arrival of winter.

Flood-hit regions in the northeast of China, the country's major grain producing area, have been speeding up the repair of agricultural infrastructure and actively guiding farmers to strengthen field management to reduce crop losses.

The provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs in Jilin Province has dispatched 13 teams to guide farmers in restoring and recovering crops damaged by the floods.

Authorities in the city of Shulan sent agricultural technicians to evaluate crop damage and determine measures required to reduce losses. "After the flood, the ability of rice crops to absorb nutrients became relatively weak, making it necessary to use foliar fertilizers to promote early ripening," said Shi Wanchun, deputy head of the agricultural technology promotion center in Shulan.

"We feel much more relieved than before after disinfecting the paddy fields and conducting multiple rounds of crop protection," said Li Xueming, a farmer in Shulan, who planted 127 hectares of rice this year.

In the city of Yushu, local agricultural technicians urged farmers to spray pesticides and foliar fertilizers on drained corn fields to minimize the impact of the flood.

"We are flying agricultural drones to spray a mixture of pesticides and fertilizers to help the corn grow better," said Yu Tie, deputy director of the Jilin seed administration station.

He Yarong, deputy director of the agricultural technology promotion service center in Yushu, has been busy in the fields recently, guiding farmers on field management. "The crops are at a critical growth period," said He.

To stabilize farmers' planting expectations for next year, authorities in the city of Shangzhi have coordinated insurance companies to simplify insurance claim procedures. Farmers will receive indemnity payments between 40 percent and 100 percent of the losses caused by damaged or destroyed crops.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The golden 33-meter-tall Mireuk-bul and Palsang-jeon Hall / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington









By Dale Quarrington







I've been twice bitten while visiting Beopju Temple before. In 2011, the batteries in my old camera ran out and then a lightning storm struck. Then in 2015, I visited the temple with a less-than-enthusiastic travel companion who wanted to wrap things up to see something more "exciting." So this third time around this past summer, I made sure that the skies were clear, the batteries were fully charged and I had a travel companion as excited as I was to visit Beopju Temple.







Beopju Temple is located in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, in Songnisan National Park. Its name means "Dharma Residence Temple" in English. According to the "The Survey of the Geography of Korea," Beopju Temple was first established in 553 by the monk Uisin. The temple was rebuilt in 760 by the famed monk Jinpyo and his disciple Yeongsim.







Later, during the 918-1392 Goryeo Kingdom, the temple underwent considerable reconstruction. The reason for this was due to royal patronage. At one point during the early 1100s, over 30,000 monks gathered at Beopju Temple to pray for the dying Uicheon-guksa (1055-1101). And during the late Goryeo period, three kings  King Chungnyeol (r. 1274-1308), King Chungsuk (r. 1313-30, 1332-39) and King Gongmin (r. 1351-74)  all visited Beopju Temple.







Beopju Temple continued to maintain close relations with the royal family even during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. In fact, it received royal patronage from King Sejo (r. 1455-68). However, and like countless other structures throughout the Korean Peninsula at this time, Beopju Temple was largely destroyed by fires in 1592 and 1597 during the 1592-98 Imjin War. Finally, between 1605 and 1626, the major temple buildings were rebuilt.







Later, after the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of Korea, President Park Chung Hee financed the completion of a 29-meter-tall cement statue dedicated to Mireuk-bul (the Future Buddha) that was completed in 1963. Further government funding resulted in an all-out repair and restoration of most of the temple buildings at Beopju Temple. In the early 1970s, the temple had been chosen as the setting for part of Bruce Lee's movie, "Game of Death." In fact, the historic Palsang-jeon Hall had been chosen as the specific filming location because of the five floors of the wooden structure. These five floors were meant to symbolize the five different martial arts in the film. However, before the movie could be completed, Bruce Lee died tragically at the young age of 32.







Palsang-jeon Hall and the 33-meter-tall Mireuk-bul / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington





In 1998, the massive "Golden Maitreya [Mireuk-bul] Statue of National Unification" was completed after the 29-meter-tall cement statue of the Mireuk-bul was taken down in 1986. The new statue stands an impressive 33 meters in height. In 2002, it was plated with gold. In total, Beopju Temple is home to an astounding three National Treasures, 12 Korean Treasures, one historic site and one scenic site.







Of these numerous treasures, there were a few that truly stood out, like Palsang-jeon in the center of the temple grounds. Palsang-jeon, National Treasure No. 55, is the only historic wooden pagoda still standing in Korea. The current wooden pagoda was built after the Imjin War ended in 1598. The wooden structure is set upon a large stone base with four sets of stairs on each of the four sides of the wooden pagoda. In total, Palsang-jeon stands five stories in height. The exterior walls are adorned with beautiful, but fading, dancheong (Korean traditional decorative coloring on wooden buildings). The entire weight of the pagoda is supported by one massive wooden pole that runs through the center of the structure; there are four supporting beams that help keep the pagoda erect. Inside Palsang-jeon are four altars, each with two of the eight murals from the Palsang-do (The Eight Scenes from the Buddha's Life Murals), from which the structure gets its name.







Another beautiful highlight at Beopju Temple, and to the rear of Palsang-jeon, is the Twin Lion Stone Lantern, National Treasure No. 5. It's assumed that this stone structure was first built in 720. The stone lantern features a pair of lions standing on their hind legs with an octagonal base. These twin lions face each other, and they support the weight of the upper lantern chamber. The twin lions have large manes and muscular legs. Both the base and the upper stone are decorated with carved lotus flowers. As for the stone light chamber, it is octagonal in design, and contains four windows. Because of the conventional octagonal pillar design of Silla stone lanterns, the Twin Lion Stone Lantern is a radical departure from the more traditional design of this period. In fact, it is Korea's oldest existing stonework carved with a lion.







Twin Lion Stone Lantern / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington





One more highlight of Beopju Temple, which is often overlooked, especially since it's situated to the southwest of the massive golden Mireuk-bul statue, is the Neungin-jeon Hall. "Neungin" means "One Able in Generosity" in English. The shrine hall dates back to 1624. The exterior walls to this hall are adorned in simple dancheong colors, while the interior houses a triad centered by Seokgamoni-bul (Historical Buddha). And behind this triad is a window that looks out onto a stone stupa. Housed inside this stone stupa is a single sarira (crystallized remains) of the Historical Buddha from Tongdo Temple that King Gongmin of Goryeo had transported to Beopju Temple in 1362 after the Red Turban Army had been defeated. The stupa stands 3.5 meters in height and definitely shouldn't be overlooked with all the other more obvious highlights.







Neungin-jeon Hall / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington





But these three personal highlights at Beopju Temple in no way encompass all that a visitor can see, enjoy and explore at this famed temple. In fact, there are simply too many things to list in this article from the main hall, including the various shrine halls, the stone artifacts, the 11 hermitages that surround the temple throughout its sprawling grounds and the neighboring Songnisan National Park. This is one of those temples that should be at the top of anyone's travel itinerary.







Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published three books on Korean Buddhism . He runs the website, Dale's Korean Temple Adventures
My manifesto for the future of American classical music, in the current issue of The American Scholar, attempts in 7,000 words to present a viable blueprint for change.

My main point of reference is a contextualized performance of Shostakovichs Leningrad Symphony last February by the South Dakota Symphony  which I write may plausibly be considered the most genuinely innovative, most inspirationally forward-looking professional orchestra in the United States. It is also the happiest professional orchestra I know, and the most engaged.

On that occasion, Shostakovichs 80-minute symphony was preceded by a forty-minute dramatic interlude with musical examples, beginning with music from the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk  the lascivious bedroom scene that in 1936 so aroused Stalins ire that the composer was denounced in Pravda. The symphonys seminal impact on Russian morale during the 1941-44 Nazi siege of Leningrad was explored. For many in the audience, this story evoked the resilience of Ukrainian resistance to Russias invading army today. For a local clergyman, the concert renewed my confidence in the meaning of music, in the meaning of the arts.

There were linked activities on two university campuses, including run-out performances of Shostakovichs Eighth String Quartet. It, too, was also elaborately contextualized. David Reynolds, who oversees performing arts at South Dakota State University, called the entire exercise a wonderful opportunity to touch students who are growing up with social media and other nontraditional resources. These are the folks who will one day decide the role of the arts our public and private schools.

In my article I propose three main prescriptions:

1.The role of the music director should be radically redefined. He or she should aspire to cultural leadership, armed with a mission distinctive to the community at hand  a case in point being Delta David Gier, who has been music director of the South Dakota Symphony since 2004. Gier moved to Sioux Falls and raised a family there. I cite as a counter example Andris Nelsons, music director of todays Boston Symphony, who also leads Leipzigs Gewandhaus Orchestra. This coming season, Nelsons will conduct 34 of 66 subscription concerts in Boston. (In the BSOs heyday under Arthur Nikisch, Karl Muck, and Serge Koussevitzky  decades during which the orchestra was Bostons cultural hub, and during which the Tanglewood Festival was established as [be it remembered] an American music laboratory  guest conductors were few and far between.)

2.The concert format should be re-imagined, with emphasis on contextualizing the music at hand. Once you do that, with orchestras large or small, you wind up with events ideal for linkage to schools at every level, The orchestra becomes a humanities institution with education at its core  not a satellite operation.

3.American orchestras should  at last  curate the American musical past  just as American museums curate the American past in the visual arts. This would require some scholarly assistance.

These recommendations do not begin with a mad rush to program a lot of music by women and composers of color. But  as the South Dakota example shows (see below)  an orchestra focused on serving its community will organically gravitate to serving diversity and inclusivity.

Also, these recommendations do not begin with marketing and development strategies. Rather, they propose a template that inspires audiences to entrust an orchestra with cultural leadership. I write:

Early in his tenure, Gier proposed that the South Dakota Symphony initiate an annual Martin Luther King concert. He was taken aside and informed that, in South Dakota, racial bias targeted Native Americans. He next hosted a lunch for Lakota and Dakota leaders. I went into that with all kinds of ideas about how we could collaborate, he recalls. But I was met with distrustwhich in retrospect is not surprising. . . . It was my first lesson in learning to listen. At the end of that lunch, a man introduced himself and said, Youre crazy. But Id like to try to help. That was Barry LeBeau, an actor and lobbyist. I spent a couple of years making intermittent trips around the state with Barry introducing me to tribal elders and leaders. . . Gier had arrived in Sioux Falls with the notion that an orchestra should serve its unique community uniquely. He wasnt sure what that would look likebut he knew he had never seen it happen.

The result was the Lakota Music Project, which links the South Dakota Symphony to Indian reservations throughout the state. Magdalena Modzelewska, the SDSOs principal second violinist since 1998, testifies: Its really stunning, whats happening with those kids, the light that we see on their faces. For quite a few, its changed their lives. They were on the verge of something awfuland it pulled them through. Some have gone on to college to study musicwhere it was not even a consideration before. Of the Lakota Music Project experience, Modzelewska says, In Indian culture weve found such peace and goodwill. Its truly remarkable how similar our musical goals are. We get to share something sublime.

My article includes a lot of pertinent history. I conclude this section by writing:

The quintessential American orchestra was Leopold Stokowskis in Philadelphia; it produced a seamless, kaleidoscopic, even cinematic New World sound that was sui generis, and that served sui generis New World readings of Old World masterworks. That many members of other major American orchestras retained German, French, or Italian musical roots was decisive. Here, the most striking example was the astounding Metropolitan Opera orchestra as heard on broadcasts from the 1930s and 40s. The players were predominantly Italian. Some had played in the Met pit under Toscanini, even Mahler. They intimately knew the operas. . . . Todays Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, in comparison, is uprooted: faceless and tame. And the Stokowski lava flow is not even a memory. . . .

And so, South Dakota becomes a manifesto. I would never propose that the Vienna Philharmonics Bruckner performances add a 40-minute preamble. The Berlin Philharmonic performing Beethoven, the Mariinsky Orchestras peerless Shostakovich performances under Valery Gergiev are self-sufficient. But if you were to ask me whether the New York Philharmonic should perform the Leningrad Symphony sans commentary of any kind, I would certainly opine: those times are past. . . .

At South Dakota State University, every student with whom I spoke about the Leningrad Symphony performance [to which they were bussed by the university] mentioned the 40-minute preamble as a crucial ingredient. . . . My own 26-year-old daughter watched the Leningrad performance via livestram. When it was over, she phoned me from New York to say how she swished that her friends could experience concerts like that.

My American Scholar piece concludes:

As of this writing, New York Citys Public Theatre has announced that it will lay off 19 percent of its staff. The Brooklyn Academy of Music will reduce its staff by 13 percent. We will be reading about similar arts cutbacks elsewhere. Cycles of emergency Covid arts funding by Congress have come and gone with nothing to take their place. The usual belt tightening will not sufficeand nowhere more than in the symphonic sector.

Quite obviously, mine are inconvenient opinions. You will not find them emphasized at meetings and workshops of the League of American Orchestras. They do not mesh with prevalent norms for administrative staffing. Orchestras lack resources to adequately scour and contextualize the American musical past. Conductors lack the skill, the time, or the interest to fashion the teaching tools deployed by Delta David Gieror by Leonard Bernstein decades before him. For many of our larger orchestras, shrinking audiences will logically dictate fewer concerts. And new audiences, generally, will present new needs.

Five months ago, the NEH funded a fourth installment of Music Unwound, supporting thematic festivals curating the American musical experience. The concerts will elaborately contextualize the repertoire at hand. All six participating orchestras, including the South Dakota Symphony, partner with universities. Unbeknownst to many in the American orchestral community, a new moment is upon us: new templates for format and repertoire, templates tangible yet mainly dormant. They have in fact been awaiting our attention for quite some time.
This move is seen as yet another strategy to mobilise and polarise our people, by insinuating we were & shall always remain a Hindu Rashtra

Pranaam! Lets talk about the biggest haathi in the room: Polls 2024. The brouhaha over the supposed name change of our great nation has nothing to do with history, geography, mythology; its rooted in psychology. Mass psychology. It adds up to just one thing: who wins next year. Those who choose Bharat, or thoseve already staked a claim to INDIA. All the noise over the identity and ownership of the country is nothing more than a political stunt to polarise people and force citizens to choose: If you pick Bharat, you are a proud, culturally-rooted person, steeped in history and tradition. If you prefer India, you belong to the irrelevant, elitist minority still stuck in a colonial time-warp, a slave of former masters.

I prefer Prem Nagari. Love over hate.

It really isnt about what the Constitution says or doesnt. If it was only about constitutional correctness, why did the learned netas wait decades to introduce the two-name theory? Did they suddenly wake up and discover what was stated unambiguously on September 18, 1949, when B.R. Ambedkar moved to amend Article 1, which states: India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. The original wording stayed. With all its implications and connotations. So, why this meaningless debate over President Droupadi Murmus invitation to a G-20 dinner? Table settings be damned chamchas, chamchis and knives came out in a flash, as heated debates led to Mahabharat-level yudhs across India/Bharat. Memes galore flew across the world, as loyalists went to absurd extremes to justify the change. Declared a BJP MP sanctimoniously: Republic of Bharat: happy and proud our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards Amrit Kaal. Sure, buddy. Hope the people of Manipur feel the same way and are rejoicing, as they wait for representatives of Bharat to come to their rescue.

Per se, theres nothing objectionable or illegal about using Bharat. Thats understood. You can take India out of Indians, but you cant take Indians out of India. You can rename India Gate to Bharat Gate, or Gateway of India to Gateway of Bharat, and nothing will alter the history of these two monuments. Its also a little jejune to talk about Calcutta/Kolkata, Bombay/Mumbai, Madras/Chennai in the same breath. Cities across the world reclaim their historical names. The Bharat /India narrative is significantly different. Historians themselves are struggling to find convincing/clinching/irrefutable evidence that supports the current shift. Constitutional experts rightly interpreted the various articles and said what they have to on the subject. That leaves us. Citizens. Bewildered and powerless. We are neither experts on this complex matter, nor do we have the authority to assert what we feel. Agreed, the chattering classes and their anglicized views count for nothing in the present environment. But that doesnt deny them the right to have opinions.

The biggest concern for citizens is about the obvious manipulation of their sentiments. The timing of this controversy is suspect. The motivation, even more so. Patriotism is being reduced to a pantomime. If you have reservations about Bharat, you are less of an Indian! What a contradiction of terms!

I asked a few friends what they will say when asked by foreigners where theyre from. In the past, we could respond on autopilot: Were from India. Today, thats deemed politically incorrect. The right response should be: Were from Bharat. If the foreigner looks stumped and asks: Wheres that? Which country is Baahrat?, will we be deeply offended? Yes, we will. Even Shashi Tharoor may struggle to come up with an apt repartee, though he didnt waste a minute jumping into the Bharat/India dialogue on Twitter (X). Team India versus Team Bharat is going to be a bit of a stretch, going forward. But as we all know, its about more than just name-calling.

This move is seen as yet another strategy to mobilise and polarise our people, by insinuating we were and shall always remain a Hindu Rashtra. We were never India. India is a borrowed nomenclature, given to us by outsiders who couldnt pronounce H in Hindus, and dropped it in favour of Indus. Indus eventually became India. All sorts of hoary sources are being quoted to support this argument. Assuming it is dead accurate, where does this intriguing going back in time journey end? Here we are, already on the moons south pole, and steadily heading towards the sun Why not look ahead, not backwards?

Forget obvious jibes like Isro calling itself Bisro, or Indigo becoming Bhaago. Will Miss India be crowned Miss Bharat in future? Will Times of India and India Today switch to Bharat? Banks like SBI and BoI trusted brands for decades, will have to do a brand rethink as well. But remember, such lighthearted jibes always camouflage deeper issues and generate a sense of anxiety, insecurity and uncertainty about the future of the nation we all love and are proud of. Names can change. But what about mindsets? Playing games with citizens to garner a majority next year isnt just callous, it comes with in-built hazards too. Mera Bharat Mahaan was working fine across the board. As was Yeh Mera India. Both identities co-existed without a political agenda attached. Made in India was another powerful reminder of our potential to compete globally and win. Tricolour or Tiranga -- the pride was in the flag, not its descriptor.

The fear is this: Its Bharat today. A concept thats been introduced in a subliminal, surreptitious way. Without any flourish. Citizens were caught unawares, but unable to express their true reactions without fearing repercussions. A young person asked in all seriousness: Will I be arrested if I use the word India? I also asked myself, will I (along with millions of fellow citizens) be ostracised, penalized, marginalised, disenfranchised if I dont switch? Will I be judged as less of a patriotic Indian for daring to ask questions? VHP spokesman Vinod Bansals post is unambiguous: Lets forget the word INDIA. Really, Bhaisaab? Why? I dont want to forget India. I feel wonderful introducing myself as an Indian.

Whats next? Constitutional amendments? Or easier still why not construct the worlds largest bulldozer, designed to flatten any and every obstacle? To quote Emperor Napoleon: The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people. Indians are good people. Its time to speak up, good people. Before its too late.

The Bharatisation of India is afoot. Those who dont like this version of their beloved nation are free to leave -- visa on arrival at the destination of their choice. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!
by John Ai

Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong will visit North Korea for celebrations scheduled for tomorrow. The Kim regime's third military parade of the year is planned. North Korean leader wants to strengthen alliance with Beijing and Moscow. A meeting with the Russian president to discuss food and weapons is coming up. It would be the dictator's first foreign visit since the start of the pandemic.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - A delegation from the Chinese government, led by Deputy Prime Minister Liu Guozhong, will go on an official visit to Pyongyang to participate in the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea.

The confirmation comes from the official KCNA agency, a few days after the emergence of insistent - and well-informed - rumors according to which a meeting between the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and the Russian president Vladimir Putin is scheduled. At the center of the talks would be the issue of arms sales, necessary for Moscow to feed an arsenal that is gradually drying up due to the war in Ukraine.

According to reports from the leaders of Pyongyang, the visit takes place at the invitation of the Workers' Party of Korea, the dominant faction under the Kim regime. The founding anniversary is usually marked by a massive military parade, showcasing the latest advances in weaponry including state-of-the-art ballistic missiles. At the moment it is not yet known whether the Chinese delegation will meet the North Korean leader and which events he will attend.

The celebration of the Founding Day of the Republic is scheduled for tomorrow, September 9, the date on which marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from Japanese occupation.

Recently, with the Rising Sun, new elements of tension have emerged following Tokyo's decision to release the radioactive water treated by the Fukushima atomic power plant, scene of the 2011 nuclear accident. The affair has caused controversies and protests both from Chinese side, and from the Korean side (north and south, in this case united).

Kim is also keen to strengthen the alliance with China and Russia to make a diplomatic breakthrough and break the wall of isolation. Meanwhile, according to US reports, the North Korean leader will soon travel to Russia to discuss arms sales.

The regime's official media did not mention this visit, and Russia also did not respond to media queries. US officials have re-launched news of an upcoming visit, which would mark Kim Jong-un's first overseas trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began in January 2020.

Seoul intelligence officials believe Russia and North Korea could organize a surprise route for Kim's visit to avoid media coverage. In exchange for supplying Moscow with artillery and other armaments, which are rapidly running out in Ukraine, Kim will in all likelihood ask the Kremlin for food, given the food crisis and famine the country has been suffering from for some time.

Only last month, South Korean intelligence said that the problems in terms of food supply in the Kim regime are getting worse and the number of deaths between last January and July has doubled, compared to data from the same period as the previous five years. Studies also show that the country is grappling with the worst malnutrition since the great famine of the 1990s.

On the international front, Kim has publicly supported Russia's war on Ukraine. Furthermore, North Korea may request advanced military technologies from Moscow that could contribute to nuclear weapons projects. Reports say Kim could meet Putin in a city in Russia's Far East, most notably Vladivostok, where Putin himself is expected to attend an economic forum next week.

Li Hongzhong, a leading Politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attended a massive military parade in the capital Pyongyang in July.

The North Korean army demonstrated intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to strike even in US territory. Hence the new sanctions from the United Nations Security Council, which punished the regime for having developed intercontinental ballistic missiles in open defiance of the bans and diverting economic resources to weapons, rather than to trying to feed a starving population.
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

The island's 30 prisons can accommodate just over 13 thousand inmates, but as of today there are around 30 thousand. About half of these are in prison on remand, more than 20 thousand for drug trafficking. Among the proposals is the release of those who are under arrest for minor offenses.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Overcrowding in prisons, largely due to pre-trial detention and drug crimes, is becoming a real national emergency, so much so that the government and the authorities are searching - so far in vain - for a solution. To date there are at least 30 thousand prisoners, suspects and those in preventive detention in the 30 prison institutions scattered across the island, against a maximum capacity of 13,241 places.

Prison authorities, the Attorney General's Department and the police are in discussions to try to resolve the crisis quickly, but for industry experts and activists it is a difficult task. At the moment, prison overcrowding is largely due to drug trafficking inmates, around 20 thousand out of the entire prison population. And of the total, over 50% are behind bars in pre-trial detention awaiting trial.

According to the deputy commissioner of prisons Chandana Ekanayake "a serious rethink is needed" of prison policies. In the meantime, the authorities have given instructions for the construction of structures "in Negombo and Wariyapola to house drug addicts and other prisoners for minor crimes".

Lawyer Nilantha Dissanayaka explains to AsiaNews that "the authorities turn a blind eye to any incident involving prisoners, given that public opinion feels little empathy towards those behind bars".

All this although the majority of them "are under investigation and could be free at the end of the court hearings". To date, he continues, "there is almost no difference between a suspect" and a definitively convicted person even "in the eyes of public opinion" which considers a suspect "already guilty" even before the sentence.

Changing public opinion's prejudices towards prisoners is a difficult task, but the government and the competent authorities cannot remain indifferent and neglect the well-being and safety of prisoners continues the lawyer, already seriously compromised in the past .

He recalls what happened in 1983 to the Tamil prisoners in Welikada prison, victims of a massacre, or the murders that occurred in 2012 in the same prison. These incidents, he concludes, demonstrate that prisoners are not safe even when they are entrusted to the prison authorities.

According to former prisons commissioner Samantha Algama "the government must immediately address the problem of prison overcrowding, because it can lead to unrest" as can be seen "from past experiences".

Although the topic has often been discussed by both the authorities and citizens, to date - he continues - little progress has been made to find a solution also because the latest studies show that capacity has even exceeded 100%.

Although the prisons were built to house a total of 13,241 inmates, they currently house around 30 thousand, including 19 thousand in pre-trial detention and 10 thousand with final sentences.

The conditions are "frightening", adds Algama, "especially with regards to health and hygiene aspects". Currently our prisons are hell because instead of rehabilitating prisoners for minor crimes they push them towards a life of crime. How can we exercise control over prisoners - you warn - if our prisons explode like this? Remedies should be found to relieve congestion."

Meanwhile, senior officials in the Department of Prisons are proposing the release of prisoners for minor crimes, including those in cells because they are unable to pay their fines. In the past there was a proposal to this effect, which was not implemented. And even when pardons are granted on Independence Day, those who leave are immediately replaced by others "and the number of prisoners does not decrease".

(Photo taken from Sri Lanka Prison Department)
by Alessandra De Poli

Just as the world focuses on the G20 summit New Delhi tomorrow, Maldivians vote in a crucial presidential election. Traditionally pro-India, the countrys diplomatic relations began to shift in 2013 with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and the election of President Abdulla Yameen who ruled in an authoritarian fashion. The current president, Ibrahim Solih, is confident of winning in the first round, but experts believe a run-off cannot be ruled out.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Maldivians are going to the polls tomorrow to pick a new president. The election campaign has been dominated by those who stand for "India first" and those who want "India out".

As the world is set on this weekends G20 summit in New Delhi, without Chinese President Xi Jinping, this Indian Ocean paradise  seemingly far away from the worlds troubles  has become a arena for the rising Sino-Indian rivalry.

Since independence in 1965, India has been closely tied to the Maldives, first under the authoritarian rule of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom from 1978 to 2008 (during which Indian assistance thwarted a coup attempt in 1988), and then under the first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed.

Things began to unravel in 2013 when Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a global infrastructure development strategy, and Abdulla Yameen was elected president for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). Last year, the latter was convicted on corruption and money-laundering charges and is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.

In his term of office, Yameen favoured Chinese infrastructure projects (including the construction of a new airstrip at the capital's airport and a bridge connecting the capital to a nearby island), signed a trade agreement with China, and asked Beijing for large loans, placing the country at risk of a debt trap.

In 2018, the debt stood at US$ 1.5 billion, a significant amount for a country whose GDP is under US$ 9 billion.

Accused of muzzling dissent and silencing the press (during his term of office two well-known journalists were murdered), Yameen himself escaped an attempted coup blamed on his vice president who was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The election in 2018 of Ibrahim Solih was therefore welcomed as a return to democracy. His party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), was founded in exile during the authoritarian rule of President Gayoom.

Solih immediately pulled out of trade agreements with China, opting for an "India first" policy and asked New Delhi for its support, but he too increased the countrys foreign debt.

In 2020, Indian tourists overtook Chinese and European holiday makers. And during the pandemic, the Maldives became a playground for vaccine diplomacy", with both India and China supplying vaccines for free.

In the past few years, India's approach to the Maldives has been geared towards concrete action to impact Maldivians lives, providing public lighting, playgrounds, hospitals, and infrastructural links.

New Delhi now has plans for more projects aimed at reducing youth unemployment, which stood at 5.3 per cent in 2019.

However, Solih's presidency has been tarnished by charges of nepotism and corruption, creating a rift with Mohamed Nasheed, the speaker of parliament and another founding member of the MDP.

Nasheed, who is also highly critical of Chinas presence in Maldives, led a breakaway faction in the MDP, setting up a new party, the Democrats, last May.

Its candidate in tomorrows election, Ilyas Labeeb, is the youngest of the eight candidates in the race at 44, this in a country where 57 per cent of the population is aged 18 to 44.

Meanwhile, the PPM, instead of Yameen, will run with Mohamed Muizzu, a former mayor of Male. Although he too is pro-China, he has avoided openly criticising India in the election campaign.

Political analysts believe that vote, will be a two-way race between the MDP and the PPM.

MDP officials say that they are confident of winning in a single round (ehburunn). However, many observers believe that a runoff cannot be ruled out, since the electorate is highly fragmented, increasing the chances that no single candidate will get more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Before he went to prison, Yameen backed the "India Out" strategy, criticising the lack of transparency of the agreements with the Indian government and Indias military presence, and helped by popular dissatisfaction with Solihs tax hikes.

Last year, the government responded with a presidential decree banning campaigns that incite hatred against various countries under different slogans.

It is unclear whether this will have a lasting effect even in the event of a Solih victory. Recently, to win over voters in the capital, the current administration granted thousands of plots of land to residents of an overcrowded city like Male, hit by a housing crisis.

Experts note that, for the first time since 2008, Maldives elections are taking place in a far less tense atmosphere than in the past; in fact, none of the opposition candidates face judicial retaliation.

Meanwhile, international observers report a significant rise in corruption within the ruling MDP. For its part, The Democrats party, founded by Nasheed and led by Labeed, has indicated that it is open to working with the PPM in case of victory, an absolute novelty for the island country.

INDIAN MANDALA IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO INDIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY FRIDAY IN YOUR E-MAIL? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.
by Steve Suwannarat

In its latest report, the Mekong River Commission points to progress in water quality thanks to joint efforts by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to stop the construction of more Chinese-built dams. Nevertheless, the intergovernmental agency warns that threats to the river basins ecosystems remain high. And certainties must be provided to the riverine communities.

Bangkok (AsiaNews)  The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental agency established in 1995 under the Mekong Agreement, released its 2022 annual report on the state of the Mekong River Basin, highlighting recent progress in protecting the largest river in Southeast Asia and second in the world for biodiversity.

The report notes that the Mekong continues to show improvements but still faces strong challenges. Opposition by riverine countries to upstream dams on the great river and its tributaries (built essentially by China) stopped or slowed down new projects last year, thus allowing its ecosystems and communities to recover.

This confirms the effectiveness of the water diplomacy" pursued by the MRC member (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam) and their international partners.

The achievements include new guidelines concerning hydropower dam design and transboundary environmental impact to facilitate fish movement and sediment flow, as well as new navigation rules to foster greater river safety, and innovative tools to better forecast floods and droughts.

A new monitoring station was also built on the northern tip of the Basin to quickly detect water changes.

In addition to stopping new dam construction and limiting the negative impact of those that already exist, the main challenge is to restore certainty to communities that live along the river, now faced with constant flow instability and its unpredictable consequences.

The report indicates that the Commission is proceeding with the Basin Development Strategy 2021-2030 based on five strategic priorities: environment, society, economy, climate change, and cooperation.

The goal is not only to benefit millions of people who live along the Mekong, but also contribute to achieving 10 of the 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" set by the United Nations.

In light of this commitment, the report already delivers some positive data; for example, rainfall is higher this year than in the previous two, water quality along the Mekong mainstream remains "good" or "excellent" in most places, and socio-economic growth and living standards are better across the region.

This, however, does not yet mean lowering the guard, notes Anoulak Kitthikhoun, chief executive officer of the MRC secretariat.

In fact, some "troubling" trends persist: changing flow regime, nourishing sediment, salinity intrusion, plastic pollution, and flood and drought exacerbated by climate change.
Today's headlines: HoNg Kong storm damage estimates serious; Some Korean sect members arrested in Fiji; Japanese authorities mull too many tourists on Mount Fiji; Rice shortage hits Malaysia; Philippines and Australia sign anti-China agreement; In Bangladesh articles by "experts" with fake photos or questionable reputations to favor the re-election of Prime Minister Hasina; 10% of Russians suffer from serious depression.

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang has built a "tactical nuclear attack submarine", thanks to which dictator Kim Jong Un hopes to "further strengthen the nation's nuclear deterrence". Over the past year, North Korea has invested heavily in developing its Navy, which, according to South Korea's Defense White Paper, has limited capabilities "for deep-sea operations" because "its force is primarily composed of small ships high speed".

HONG KONG

According to an estimate by Bloomberg Intelligence, the storm that has hit Hong Kong in recent days, considered the worst since 1884, could cost the city more than 100 million dollars. The rains destroyed vehicles, flooded subway stations and damaged shopping centers. The typhoon that hit the city last week, Saola, caused less damage, according to the Bloomberg report.

SOUTH KOREA  FIJI

Four alleged members of the Grace Road Church cult, wanted since 2018 for abuse, have been arrested in Fiji. The Church came to prominence in 2014 after 400 of its members moved to Pacific islands claiming they would be safe from an impending natural disaster. Its founder Shin Ok-ju was jailed in 2019 for holding his followers captive and subjecting them to violence.

JAPAN

According to Japanese authorities, the number of hikers climbing Mount Fuji day and night is dangerous and constitutes an ecological problem. Mount Fuji is screaming, the local governor said last week. The number of visitors more than doubled between 2012 and 2019 to 5.1 million, and that was just for Yamanashi Prefecture, the main starting point.

MALAYSIA

In Malaysia there is a shortage of local rice which is forcing consumers to buy more expensive imported rice. According to growers, the problems are to be found in the lack of clean water and the poor quality of the seeds. Using contaminated water kills seedlings before they reach maturity, while poor quality hybrid seeds are damaged by bacteria. Problems for which farmers have asked the government to intervene by creating water storage areas in the fields and providing seeds also used by other countries in the region.

PHILIPPINES  AUSTRALIA

The Philippines and Australia today strengthened their economic and security alliance with the signing of a strategic partnership, in a bid to counter growing Chinese influence in the region. The agreement was signed during a visit by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Manila, the first bilateral talks between the two countries in 20 years. The two nations have said they will seek to expand cooperation in the areas of defense and security, climate change and education.

BANGLADESH

Hundreds of articles praising the Bangladesh government's policies, apparently written by independent experts, have appeared in national and international media, but the authors cited have questionable reputations, fake photos and may not even exist, an investigation by the agency has revealed AFP. According to experts, this is a prolonged disinformation campaign carried out by unknown actors in view of the elections scheduled for the end of January, aimed at favoring the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

RUSSIA

According to analyzes by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives of Russia (ASI), presented at the forum on Technological Innovations of the Regions in Moscow by director Svetlana Cupseva, around 15 million Russians (over 10% of the population) currently suffer from "deep depression" , for violence in the family, the death of loved ones in war, loneliness and debt.

BELARUS

The Foreign Ministry of Belarus has informed that from 7 September, by decree of President Lukashenko, passports will no longer be issued or renewed in consulates abroad, but it will be possible to obtain them only on national territory. Those who have residence abroad will have to contact the offices of their last Belarusian residence.
The cover of M. John Fayhees latest book is shown. He calls it the story of the bond between a man and his canine companion. Fayhee is a veteran Roaring Fork Valley reporter and occasional contributing editor to the Aspen Daily News.
Chinese military helicopters fly past Pingtan Island, one of Beijing's closest points from Taiwan, in Fujian province, ahead of massive military drills off Taiwan, in this Aug. 4, 2022 file photo. Experts recently told The Korea Times that a Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security deal signed at Camp David last month would not expose South Korea to a greater Taiwan war risk. AFP-Yonhap



Trilateral security pact does not make Seoul's involvement more likely, experts say



By Jung Min-ho



After a new Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security pact was sealed last month to reinforce cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, critics in South Korea claimed that the deal could expose their country to a greater risk of being drawn into a potential war over Taiwan  a volatile superpower flashpoint.



At a recent meeting with officials of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Do-gyun, former commander of the Capital Defense Command, said, with their stated commitment to unity, South Korea is now more likely to be embroiled in issues of potential armed conflict.



"It is very likely that the move, packaged as the trilateral security partnership against North Korean threats, aims largely at strengthening containment against China," he said.



Such views are shared by more than just a handful of politicians.



A poll released Wednesday shows that 44.8 percent of respondents said they believe the three-way deal would not be helpful for the security of their country.



That, however, is a weak argument, according to security and foreign relations experts. They said, with the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States already in place, South Korea would have to respond militarily regardless of the trilateral pact should US forces clash with those of China over Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing claims as its territory. Considering other risk factors before and after the possible outbreak of violence in that area, South Korea is safer, not less so, with the pact, they added.



"Please consider that the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty is a mutual defense treaty. My reading of that treaty says that even if the ROK (South Korea) decides not to send forces to assist Taiwan in a conflict, as soon as China attacks any U.S. military base in the Pacific, the ROK would have a responsibility to support the U.S.," said Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a U.S. think tank.



The treaty states that in such cases, either party "would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes."



"Now some in the ROK may perceive that this is a weak requirement that the ROK might evade, but think how the American people would react if China attacks the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Japan and the ROK fails to support the United States after decades of U.S. support," Bennett said.



"It is of course the ROK choice whether or not to send forces to defend Taiwan, but a ROK failure to defend U.S. forces and civilians after a Chinese attack on U.S. facilities or the United States would, to me, imply a ROK abrogation of the Mutual Defense Treaty, and the Trilateral Summit has no effect on this bilateral ROK responsibility."



The addition of Japan to the already existing South Korea-U.S. security system would not hurt the core of that partnership, according to Sean King, senior vice president at Park Strategies, a New York-based advisory firm.



"Nothing discussed or signed at Camp David makes any potential South Korean wartime involvement more or less likely," he said. "President (Joe) Biden again reaffirmed America's extended deterrence commitment to South Korea at Camp David which is only good for the U.S.-ROK alliance long-term."



Asked about the prospect of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, experts said they think it is highly unlikely, given the stability brought about and supported by international security principles in the region, including the South Korea-U.S.-Japan pact.



"I think it is unlikely now. I think mutual deterrence is stable," said Daniel Pinkston, an East Asia expert at Troy University in South Korea.



"I think the trilateral statement is aimed at deterring Beijing from using force to resolve the Taiwan issue. So, this turns on what people believe about the credibility of that deterrent signal. I tend to view it as credible, so, I think the risk of conflict is lower than if the U.S. were to abandon its security commitments in the region and if trilateral security cooperation were absent."





President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, walks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of their trilateral summit at Camp David near Thurmont, Md., Aug. 18 (local time). Yonhap
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Shop Strategies: How Hawaii Shop Ensures Customer Satisfaction and Keeps Up With Industry Changes

Written by Stacey Phillips, Autobody News

Published Sept. 8, 2023

In Hilo, HI, Manuel Soares III and his family have built a reputation for excellent customer service at their collision repair facility, MS Auto Inc.

Established more than 53 years ago, the family business repairs all makes and models and works as a team to bring cars back to their pre-accident condition.

In 1970, Manuel IIIs father, Manuel Jr., began doing small repairs out of his home garage. His son, known as Jr., grew up helping his dad, handing him wrenches, sanding filler and cleaning up trash.

Over the years, they moved five times and are now located on Kukila Street in Hilo, where they focus on collision repairs and custom work. Their 26 employees include Jr.s wife, Tracey Soares, and their daughter, Macey---both of whom are production managers---as well as their son, Manuel IV, who works in the body and paint department. Macey and Manual IV are both in training and transitioning to take over the company.

Pictured, left to right, are Scot Takemoto, owner of Island Concepts, with Jr., Tracey, Macey and Manuel IV.

Autobody News talked to Jr. about some of the challenges operating on an island and how they stay up to date with the latest vehicle technology.

How do you ensure customer satisfaction at MS Auto?

We are passionate about what we do and work hard to ensure customer satisfaction every day. Presentation is everything. You need to be optimistic when dealing with clients, and they need to have that warm and fuzzy feeling and know that you're willing to engage and move things along. If you're nostalgic and slow, they may anticipate that you will do the repairs the same way. However, if you have good energy, they will likely feel the job will get done on time. Im out in front all the time, helping to write claims, meet customers and run the business.

I try to pre-schedule clients and provide repair expectations and cycle times. Letting them know what to expect with the repair up front and any challenges we might encounter is imperative. We want to be transparent. Sometimes, staff can forget, but thats human nature. We review the status of the vehicles with the team each day and maintain a spreadsheet.

When we deliver cars, we let customers know they will be asked to provide a review. If they need anything corrected prior to that, we are more than happy to help. We have about 1,200 online reviews through Carwise.com and I read new reviews every night. Depending on what they say, the next day I might call to follow up or thank them. By doing that, they become customers for life and tell friends and family about the great service they received.

Left to right are Matthew Medeiros, estimator, Ann Pacyao, CSR, Derek Tanaka, estimator, Kiani Kamakea, CSR, and Chad Kunitake, estimator.

As a business owner, Im the caretaker of the company. I value our customer relationships and feel its important to be personable with everyone.

What are some challenges operating on an island?

We want to deliver cars on time but not compromise quality, especially with the adversities we deal with on an island. Ensuring we have supplies can be challenging because we ship them in from Honolulu. Sometimes, we cant get products so we resource what we can or surplus products.

Before the pandemic, we inventoried parts even though it was costly. Im glad I had that foresight because it carried us through. I prioritize maintaining good relationships with my vendors and I find they put stock away for me. Currently, were doing pretty well with parts.

I have very high expectations and tend to work with like-minded people. We are one of the biggest buyers on the island, so when we need something a little faster, I speak up and they find someone who matches our performance level.

What other industry resources have you used?

We have been members of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) for many years. They have great resources, databases and programs for collision repairers.

Randy Soares, left, is an A-tech, brother of Manuel II and second employee of the company. Tyler Betts, right, is an A-tech.

Ive also had great mentors who have become friends, like Toby Chess, who is awesome, and my accountant, Paul Tsukiji. I was also close to industry veteran March Taylor; I felt we had a lot of things in common.

How do you stay up to date with new vehicle technology?

Ive worked on cars almost every day since I was about 12 years old and have been involved in every aspect of the company. I try to stay ahead of the curve and keep up with the latest information and training by talking to other shop owners and OEMs.

I also reach out to dealerships to learn the latest information about new vehicles. With the technology being introduced on cars, Im finding that todays customers spend more time researching them before making a purchase and often they know more than the salesman. I try to learn as much as possible so Im prepared when a car comes into the shop.

What is the importance of accessing OEM repair procedures and obtaining OEM certifications?

Accessing OEM repair data is priceless. We want to make sure that cars are repaired to their pre-accident condition. Although they can never be exactly like they were pre-accident, we want to give people the sound mind they are getting a repair done the way the OEM requires it. We also want to protect the auto manufacturers brand and ensure customers are safe for the life of the vehicle. To do a quality repair, we have put an emphasis on obtaining OEM certifications. We are currently certified by Chrysler, FCA, Hyundai, Kia, INFINITI and Nissan.
You don't need the Eletre! The Emeya is here to sway you away from huge and heavy SUVs. This new all-electric grand tourer wants to make you forget about Tesla, Porsche, Lucid, and Rimac EVs. That might be wishful thinking, though. Here's why.

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Photo: Lotus

Geely-owned Lotus is making a comeback. It seems like the British brand will thrive under Chinese ownership. It has just launched the Emeya  an all-electric GT that can charge its 102-battery nearly as fast as it can sprint from zero to 62 mph. That's not quite true, but this vehicle can use 350DC stalls, which can lower the charging time tremendously. It should add around 90 miles of range every five minutes and reach 80% in about 18 minutes.But keep in mind that it all depends on how well the battery pack can suck in all that energy. It might also require preconditioning.The four-doorfeatures an active front grille, a rear diffuser, and a rear spoiler that help it stick to the ground at high speeds and remain efficient when driving calmly. Lotus coupled these features with the weight of the battery in the vehicle's floor and called it "hyperstance." That made us think of Ford GT 's V-Max mode, but the Emeya doesn't get closer to the ground as spectacularly as that American automotive wonder.What the Emeya does have, however, is a brilliant air suspension system that scans the road and uses sensors to do thousands of adjustments every second. It is a very fast car. But as a self-proclaimed GT, it must also be comfortable. So, it makes sense to have a sophisticated suspension system.The vehicle uses a dual-motor setup that can propel it to a top speed of up to 155 mph or, depending on what and where you read or hear about it, 159 mph. Both figures seem correct, according to what we've seen from the automaker. Customers will get to such high numbers sustainably because the many materials (even the Nappa leather!) put into this EV are sourced with care for the environment.Lotus' new flagship vehicle puts out up to 905 hp (675 kW) and 727 lb-ft of torque.Emeya also features a KEF surround sound system that debuted on the Eletre, with which it shares its average range on a single charge. The vehicle also includes an augmented reality (AR) head-up display and some advanced driver-assistance systems.All this sounds good but not great. We have already seen Tesla and Lucid launching EVs with a tri-motor layout that allows them to produce over 1,000 hp with ease. The Model S Plaid reaches 62 mph in about 2.6 seconds, while the Air Sapphire does it in around 2.0 seconds. Even the Air Grand Touring is faster than the brand-new Emeya  it needs just 2.5 seconds to reach 62 mph.Then, there are homegrown rivals like Bentley , which promise EVs with a zero to 62 mph time of around 1.7 seconds.On top of that, pickup truck manufacturers like Rivian create EVs with four motors and an output of 835 hp  just 70 hp less than this hyper-GT.Finally, the 2024 Lotus Emeya will be showcased in New York first. The brand prepared "an immersive experience" that starts on Saturday, September 9, and ends on Monday, September 11.Prices have not been disclosed at the time of writing.
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"The BMW Vision Neue Klasse combines our ability to innovate in the core areas of electrification, digitalization, and circularity," explained Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, during the IAA Mobility 2023 presentation where they showed their latest concept car. Yes, it's an updated i Vision Dee, a prototype that premiered early this year in January at CES 2023.But some will also marvel at the choice of seeing a BMW without humongous vertical kidneys, without more creases than you can count, and without the typical flair for causing outrage from every angle you see the car. That's vastly different from what they are selling now, from the M2 to the i7 and everything in between.It's also miles away from the BMW XM, although not necessarily in the best direction. However, the Bavarians promise this to be a preview of the next generation of vehicles from the core BMW brand. It is more like the BMW i department since the concepts are all-electric, but maybe they'll be the same one day. Until then, all these Vision vehicles, with Neue Klasse (new class in German) first shown at the International Motor Show in Munich, Germany, will just pave the way forward and gauge the public's interest.Well, it's unclear if the general audience likes the Neue Klasse or not, but it seems the imaginative realm of digital car content creators has taken enough interest to make it their own. For example, Sugar Chow, the virtual artist better known as sugardesign_1 on social media, has paused his Chinese renderings once again and kicked off a veritable BMW Neue Klasse series.For now, the first members of the expanded Vision family are anand a station wagon, of course. Naturally, the crossover would be fit for being labeled as the next BMW X3  the one that comes after the 2025 BMW X3, as the fourth generation of the compact CUV is already on the final approach to landing its official world premiere.Secondly, the BMW Vision Neue Klasse, which is quite a traditional four-door sedan if you take out its styling quirkiness from the equation, also morphed into a Touring station wagon. The author also considered a potential name for it  and labeled it the BMW i3 Touring. Most wouldn't mind doing some grocery shopping in this all-electric estate, but some of the BMW purists did ask for integration of the Hofmeister kink  so which one is your favorite, the SUV or the station wagon?
It wasn't that long ago when we learned German bike maker BMW Motorrad was planning to launch a new interpretation of some of its most important bikes in the touring enduro segment, the F GS range. And this week it did, providing us with all the details we need on the F 800 GS, F 900 GS, and F 900 GS Adventure.

BMW F 800 GS

BMW F 900 GS

BMW F 900 GS Adventure

The updates made to the three models are both common across the lineup, as they target the engine, frame, and other components they share, and specific, as they try to upgrade some of the aspects of each bike BMW knew were in need of such measures.We'll start, of course, with the common elements, and tell you all three bikes have been built around a a bridge-type frame made from deep-drawn sheet steel parts welded together. Inside, a significantly updated 2-cylinder in-line engine sits.The unit is the one BMW launched back in 2018 on the F 850 GS, only it now comes with an increased capacity. Instead of the 853cc used until now, the engine is in these three new bikes 895cc in displacement.This led to an increase in power across the board by ten horsepower. What that means is that the F 800 GS now develops 87 hp, while the F 900 GS and its Adventure variant 105 horsepower. Separately, a 48 hp version of the F 800 GS is available for holders of driving license class A2.The entry-level in the BMW Motorrad F series bikes is the F 800 GS. In this new incarnation freshly announced by the Germans, the bike brings as novelties to the table things like LED headlights and a new, 6.5-inch TFT display to replace the analog instrumentation used until now.The bike is offered in three variants, namely Basic, Sport, and Triple Black, each with its own color: Lightwhite, Racing Blue, and Blackstorm metallic, respectively.Perhaps the biggest changes in the entire range comes for the F 900 GS. Not only did the bike receive a new and more powerful engine to keep it going, but it is also now significantly lighter than it was.The German bike maker went for a lighter plastic fuel tank up on the frame, a modified the rear section, and fitted a lighter Akrapovic silencer, three changes that together conspire to bring the bike's weight down by an impressive 14 kg (31 pounds).The modifications didn't stop there though. The adventure motorcycle is now equipped with a fully adjustable upside-down telescopic forks supplied by Showa, and a new headlight.An optional package called Enduro Pro is thrown into the mix for this bike, and this offers riders an increase in off-road enjoyment thanks to hardware like titanium nitride-coated upside-down telescopic forks, fully adjustable central spring strut, handlebar risers, and an M Endurance chain.The new model year BMW F 900 GS is available in three versions, namely Basic in Blackstorm metallic, Passion in Sao Paulo yellow, and GS Trophy in Lightwhite solid paint/Racing Blue metallic.Last but not least comes the F 900 GS Adventure, which shares many of the changes with the regular 900 GS, but tops them off with Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) electronic suspension. The Enduro Pro package is available for this bike as well. The two-wheeler is offered in only two variants: Basic (Blackstorm metallic) and Ride Pro (White Aluminium).Despite spilling all the details on the three new adventure bikes, the German carmaker did not say when they'll reach dealers, and we also have no information on pricing.
If you still need proof the technology world is merging with the automotive industry, you've got to look beyond the upcoming Apple Car and Xiaomi Car.

Built in collaboration with Meizu

Photo: Meizu

A premium smartphone

Photo: Counterpoint

Phone to run Flyme OS, car to run Flyme Auto

Photo: Meizu

And the latest report coming from China allows you to do this easily. Polestar, the Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer that previously went all-in on Android Automotive (becoming one of the first carmakers to adopt the OS), is now planning to launch a smartphone.It might sound unusual for a car manufacturer to build a phone, especially considering the fierce competition in the mobile industry, but Polestar's purpose is not to compete against the iPhone. The company wants to create a phone that seamlessly integrates into the vehicle, allowing users to instantly switch from the mobile screen to the infotainment display.The device is a mysterious project right now, but here's everything we know.Polestar doesnt have the know-how, the technology, and the software to build a smartphone, so it'll use a partnership with phone maker Meizu for the project.If Meizu sounds familiar, it's because the company has been around for 20 years, producing mid-range smartphones aimed at the Chinese market. It originally sold Windows CE phones but then made the switch to Android. Eventually, it developed a custom OS version based on Android called Flyme OS.Meizu is also known in the tech world as the first company that launched a Linux phone. In 2015, it launched the MX4 Ubuntu Edition, a smartphone running Ubuntu Touch created as part of a partnership with Ubuntu developer Canonical.The collaboration between Meizu and Polestar is not surprising. Meizu's majority stakeholder is Geely, the same company that owns Volvo , Polestar's parent company.Polestar's CEO Thomas Ingenlath says the smartphone will be a premium device, making it an unusual project for Meizu. The Chinese phone brand focuses mostly on mid-range models, so the Polestar phone (whose name is yet to be disclosed) will allow the company to expand into Huawei and Samsung territory.The phone's pricing is still unknown, but Ingenlath emphasized the device won't compete against the iPhone.Apple controls 15.3 percent of the smartphone market in China, according to IDC data for the second quarter of this year. OPPO is the leader with 17.7 percent, followed by Vivo and Honor. Apple dominated the Chinese market in 2022, with the iPhone 13 becoming the best-selling model in the country. One in three iPhones sold in China last year was an iPhone 13, Counterpoint Research data revealed.Polestar doesn't want its smartphone to be positioned as an iPhone alternative but as an extension of its car. The company will specifically target a niche  it wants Polestar 4 buyers to get the smartphone, so it's not aiming to gain market share in the mobile market. Its target is to create a seamless integration between its cars and the smartphone, so getting the Polestar phone without owning one of the brand's EVs won't make much sense.Polestar's strategy in China is entirely based on Meizu's software. With Google's Android not available in China, the carmaker will drop Android Automotive , the operating system powering its cars in Europe, and install Flyme Auto.Meizu's Flyme Auto debuted earlier this year as a car operating system offering advanced functionality (you can find my detailed look at the operating system here), including smartphone integration. Flyme Auto was developed with this seamless transition from phone to car in mind, proving Polestar's plan to launch a phone in partnership with Meizu is not new.The mobile device will run Flyme OS, the same operating system that powers Meizu's smartphones. It will not offer Google services out of the box, though getting them on the device will still be possible using alternative methods.One of the main features will be the remote control of the Polestar 4. Carmakers offer such capabilities on iPhone and Android with dedicated companion apps, but the Polestar phone will pack options to turn on the car, adjust the air conditioning, or unlock the doors of the car natively. The system will come pre-loaded with the phone, allowing for easy pairing between Meizu and Polestar devices and vehicles.Polestar's CEO specifically praised the seamless integration with the car, so I expect apps to mirror to the vehicle's infotainment screen similarly to Android Auto and CarPlay. App mirroring is an essential Flyme Auto feature, but with the Polestar 4, the carmaker aims to instantly transition an app or phone call from the mobile device to the vehicle. The apps running on the mobile device will switch to the car when you get behind the wheel, letting you pick up from where you left off on the phone.Polestar did not reveal the exact timing when the smartphone could launch, but with the Polestar 4 scheduled to debut later this year, it's a matter of months until the mobile device sees daylight. Pricing is unknown, but considering the premium tag, I expect it to carry a $1,000 price tag in China.
The S650 Ford Mustang is finally available in the build & price tool on Ford's online portal, alongside its 2023MY predecessor, and it seems that all outraged cries of disbelief in Toyota x BMW's partnership for the Z4 and GR Supra have subsided. So, it's time to get down to business  the quarter-mile racing variety, of course.

Sure, everyone would love to see the seventh-generation Ford Mustang duke it out at the local quarter-mile drag racing facility. Even one with a tremendous elevation, like Bandimere Speedway , also known in the NHRA as Thunder Mountain, is between Morrison and Lakewood, Colorado. Known to fans since 1958, it currently hosts NHRA's Dodge/SRT Mile-High Nationals  and for good reasons, of course.Folks who know a thing or two about elevation and its impact on internal combustion engines will easily frown at seeing a Mustang going side-by-side with a Toyota GR Supra. But for all others, let us explain. The contender we see here in the latest feature posted by the videographer behind the Wheels channel on YouTube is a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach 1, which is powered by a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine and churns out around 480 horsepower in the right conditions.But the brave little ponies are starving for oxygen at Bandimere because Thunder Mountain favors the turbo braves that can maintain steady pressure. As such, the clear favorite, even without mods  we're only seeing the aerodynamic ones, but who knows what tunes are hiding under the hood  would be the fifth generation Toyota GR Supra, which uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six mill provided by BMW.The Bavarians seriously underrate their engines on a regular basis, so it really doesn't matter that much that the B58 is pegged for 'just' 382 hp  we're betting this black GR Supra has some more ponies under its belt. As such, connoisseurs will not be surprised by the outcome of the first two races in this ' domestic versus import ' feature, as the Mustang Mach 1 bites the dust on both occasions  even if it gained the initial upper hand during the first run.According to the comments section, things would have been entirely different on better fuel and if the Mustang was turbo or supercharged. Oh, well, maybe next time. By the way, America's racing honor was soon restored because the third run of the menacingly good-looking Toyota GR Supra was against Bernie Hund and car #H555. This old-school muscle car usually competes in the NHRA Hot Rod class  and that's when absolute destruction comes for the GR Supra, too! Well, hopefully, we will soon get to see the Dark Horse perform at the local dragstrip  and we also want some nice Corvette E-Ray footage!
The name Naon has been in the news for some time now. They're that German crew looking to fill Europe's thirst for light e-mobility vehicles. Well, they've recently unveiled a video and renderings of what's to come.

Photo: OHE Mobility GmbH

Photo: OHE Mobility GmbH

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Folks, Naon has shown us their idea of the perfect mobility vehicle in the past. However, this time around, they've run the simulations and followed projections and seem to have finally settled upon what will be the final product to hit the streets while, at the same time, "still remaining faithful to our original design language."Now, we've spotted the promised machine of Naon in the past, the 01 or Zero-One, but that was just a prototype, possibly one to draw in some investors and catch the eyes of future owners. It's the ravishing creature you see in the image gallery.As for the current stage Naon is in and the vehicle they've agreed upon as being the solution to your joy and their profits, it looks a bit different than what we've been promised at this stage anyway; albeit, it's just the framework, so don't fret.But the completed product we see in the renderings bears some significant changes from the 01. Naon is calling it Lucy, "derived from the Latin name Lucius, meaning light," and here's what we can expect. However, before you go on, take a moment to view the video below and compare and contrast the images in the gallery. Make sure to note major differences like the front construction, wheelbase, frame, and similarities.Actually, let's start with the similarities between the two. Suppose we're to compare the 01 against other e-mopeds on the market. In that case, a few features stand out, such as the seat and the pillar it's standing on, the rear swing-arm, and the bodywork, the latter being the main way manufacturers define their brands.Well, some of the features I've mentioned above have remained mostly the same for Lucy. For example, the seat and its pillar appear to be similar, and some of the frame and bodywork, too. But I'm sure you've spotted the differences.Starting with the ground up, one difference you can't see is a shorter wheelbase. Naon chose to pack Lucy a bit tighter to account for a major change to the design , the swing arm. The images in the gallery showcase the 01 with a double-sided swing arm, but Lucy only has a single side in its design. Apparently, Naon made this change in order to bring forth "the best suspension geometry and handling." The shortened arm also pushed the rear shock a bit more into the frame, and it's not as exposed as on the 01.As we progress toward the front of Lucy, we can just make out that the seat is a bit more rounded, and by the looks of it, maybe a tad shorter, and the bodywork seems to be much more rounded and bulky on Lucy.Finally, we arrive at the front of the updated design. It's here that I was able to spot the most changes. Let's start with the fork. You may have noticed that Naon has switched out the fork for a dual-bridge one, again, for stability and control. Sure, it looks beefier, but it affects the bodywork that Naon will ultimately receive.This brings us to the final face of Naon's legacy, literally, the face of Lucy. Because the fork doesn't allow for the same space to work with, Naon has shortened that transparent windshield. In my opinion, it's lost some of its allure. After all, it's one design aspect that people loved about the 01 and a defining detail for any brand The result is a scrunched-up look and one that may push away some future buyers. Feel free to leave your comment on this "major" modification. Then there are those covers or protectors on the fork; don't even get me started on those.With all of the visible differences and similarities out of the way, we're left having to dive deeper into the things you can't see, and there's plenty to talk about. For example, Naon decided to pump up their proverbial rookie numbers and is now showcasing a 160 km (99 mi) range, as opposed to the previous 140 km (87 mi). This is made possible by the presence of two 2.6battery packs.As for the motor, no new changes have been mentioned, so we could very well still be seeing a 7(9.4) powerhouse strapped to the rear hub. Considering that the 01 could hit a top speed of 100 kph (62 mph), if this is true for Lucy, then sign me up, even with the newly developed pug-like face!Part of Naon's previous legacy was also the inclusion of sustainability into the design and production stages. This seems to have gone unchanged, so we can still expect our own Naon e-moped to be crafted out of "recyclable materials" and with "minimal waste."Regarding what we can expect in terms of cost for the average Joe, there is nothing on that yet, but it won't be long now, as Naon is working its magic as we speak. So, how do you feel about the changes ? Is it enough to still hold your interest in the European brand and their work? Feel free to comment below.
If the international push toward a decarbonized society is something we truly want to achieve, then moving away from fossil fuel use can't be reserved only for passenger vehicles. Fortunately, zero-tailpipe emission progress in the ground freight sector is happening. Important industry names plan to work together to achieve the best battery-powered solution possible. Here's the gist of it.

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Photo: Historic Bridges

The numbers bring forward real answers

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Photo: Kolovrat on Facebook

The next step forward for reducing transport greenhouse gas emissions

Photo: Daimler Trucks

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Photo: Tvlog on YouTube

No matter one's stance on global warming, man-made pollution, and fossil fuel-powered vehicles, it's undeniable that burning oil derivatives for personal mobility and freight harms the climate. It's enough to look at what the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the European Environment Agency (EEA) have to say regarding road transport emissions, and anyone can realize that we have a problem on our hands that needs fixing.The EPA underlines that the transportation sector is responsible for approximately 29% of the total US greenhouse gas emissions, which refer to carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).Globally, however, the percentage reduces to 14%. Electricity and heat production plus agriculture and forestry take up nearly half of the polluter's pie chart, per the EPA On the other hand, the EEA says that in its 27 member countries, transportation activities create approximately 25% of the bloc's total greenhouse gas emissions.But these figures will gradually come down. Passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, and light commercial vehicles (also called vans) are slowly yet surely going on the all-electric route. That was made obvious at IAA Mobility 2023 , where legacy automakers pretended to bemakers by using most of the revenue from the sale of internal combustion engine-powered automobiles to launch battery-electric models. It will take a while before most new vehicle sales will comprise pure electric cars, but the path forward is clear.But making EVs is not a clean activity either. Mining for critical minerals puts a strain on the environment, and multiple studies have shown that gas-powered BMW 3 Series, for example, is cleaner than a Tesla Model 3 when they leave the factory. They achieve pollution parity after around 25,000 miles of travel. From that point forward (which may wildly differ depending on the units being compared), the 3 Series turns into a net pollutant. At the same time, the Model 3 adds little to its owner's carbon footprint, especially if it is charged at a place where renewable energy is available.Then, there's the debate surrounding the acquisition of a new car. It might be better to hold onto your existing gas- or diesel-hungry car, take good care of it, and use it safely for as long as possible than to go and finance, lease, or outright buy a new one.However, something that's not being talked about is the fact that keeping our economies dependent on fossil fuels is a whole lot worse than mining for some materials needed in batteries and motors. An analysis revealed that renewable technologies and products require far, far fewer materials than fossil fuels.Their findings also underline that keeping the fossil fuel-powered economy alive would translate into 535 times more mining "than a clean energy economy would require in 2040."For example, a vehicle like the Toyota Prius would typically require a refinery to use cobalt to turn oil into derivatives like gas and platinum for its catalytic converter.Another source says that all the materials needed to finalize the transition to a renewable energy-powered global economy by 2050 would translate into less than one year's mining for everything connected to fossil fuels.Now that automakers are switching to battery-electric vehicles, with some still believing that hydrogen-powered cars (also called fuel-cell cars), it's time for the big boys to step up.Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck, and Paccar announced they would form a new company to start manufacturing lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries in the US. EVE Energy will join them as a partner to help design these new energy storage units. It'll own 10% of the joint venture, while the others get 30% each.These entities will invest $3 billion tops into a 21-GWh battery plant. They want to first put LFP energy storage units into commercial trucks, then focus on other types of batteries. Given that EVE Energy is a Chinese-based corporation, they may play around with sodium-ion or solid-state batteries.Until then, LFP batteries are a great choice because they boast a more stable chemistry and don't require pricey raw metals like nickel and cobalt.Despite this being an excellent announcement for decarbonizing road transport and lowering the production carbon footprint of all-electric commercial trucks, we must note that this isn't happening in the US solely because these brands suddenly decided they would like to compete with Tesla or care deeply about the environment. Truck makers are for-profit companies, after all.The venture will benefit from an incentive of $35 perfor all the high-voltage batteries made in the US. Basically, the federal government covers half of the energy storage unit's cost. That's not a bad thing, considering the latest developments coming from OPEC and its friends . The plant will also create jobs that retrained workers from the auto industry might fill.Accelera by Cummins produces battery systems, fuel cells, ePowertrain systems, and electrolyzers. It's the next stage of development for Cummins, a brand that's well-known for mainly designing and manufacturing engines. But it also makes generators and other specific parts for vehicles.Daimler Truck owns brands like Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO, BharatBenz and RIZON.Paccar has Peterbilt, DAF, and Kenworth in its portfolio.These companies manufacture some of the most well-known and best-selling trucks in America. Their commitment to moving onto a battery-electric architecture proves that the way forward is replacing gas or diesel with electricity, something that Tesla's Semi is currently trying to prove with PepsiCo's help.It's a brand-new world in the making, and we're here to witness it all. Let's hope it will work out.
This Sept. 16, 2022 file photo shows South Korea's vice defense minister and then vice foreign minister, Shin Beom-chul, right, and Cho Hyun-dong, second from right, respectively, as well as Colin Kahl, left, then U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, and Bonnie Jenkins, U.S. under secretary of state for arms control and international security, at a session of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group in Washington, D.C. Yonhap



South Korea and the United States plan to hold high-level talks on extended deterrence next week to discuss ways to better deal with evolving North Korean threats, according to Seoul's foreign and defense ministries Friday.



The fourth meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), a gathering of the two countries' vice ministerial defense and diplomatic officials, is scheduled to take place in Seoul on Sept. 15, they said.



Seoul's vice foreign and defense ministers, Chang Ho-jin and Shin Beom-chul, respectively, will lead the South Korean side, while the U.S. side will be headed by Bonnie Jenkins, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, and Sasha Baker, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.



According to the ministries, the two sides plan to have comprehensive and in-depth discussions on policies and strategic cooperation to enhance their deterrence capabilities in the face of North Korea's increasingly advanced and overt nuclear and missile threats.



Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to use all its defense capabilities, including nuclear, to help defend its allies. The two sides held their first EDSCG meeting in 2017.



After the second meeting in 2018, the EDSCG was suspended due to the then liberal Moon Jae-in administration's push for an initiative to promote inter-Korean rapprochement and cooperation.



The reactivation of the EDSCG came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, agreed on it during their summit in May of last year as part of joint efforts to address Pyongyang's growing nuclear and missile threats. (Yonhap)


It's been a busy year for Wisk Aero, the California-based company that is developing a revolutionary autonomous aircraft. While working on the certification process, it also showed off its air taxi at several prestigious events. The next stop is Washington, DC.

A sixth-generation autonomous eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) is coming to Washington, DC, this month. It will be proudly displayed in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center from September 12 to September 13.The 2023 US Chamber of Commerce Global Aerospace Summit is the perfect opportunity for Wisk to present its advanced autonomous technology and for further discussions with industry members.This event comes after Wisk's recent success at EAA's AirVenture/Oshkosh Air Show. Its sixth-generation aircraft successfully completed what was considered to be the first public demonstration of a fully autonomous, fixed-wing air taxi flight. It was a memorable sight for those attending and a pivotal achievement for the industry.The trailblazing aircraft is also the first of its kind (a passenger aircraft that's both electric and autonomous) to be on track for formal FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) certification. Back in 2017, Wisk was also the first aviation company in the US to conduct the autonomous flight of an eVTOL for passenger transportation.Configured as a four-seat air taxi, this eVTOL can cover up to 90 miles (144 km, with reserves) at a cruising speed of 110 knots (126.5 mph/203 kph). In terms of altitude, it can reach between 2,500 to 4,000 feet (762 to 1,219 meters) above ground level.The most recent prototype combines a wingspan under 50 feet (15.2 meters) with a wider, more comfortable cabin that increases room for passengers and luggage.Although fully autonomous, the future Wisk aircraft is meant to operate safely and efficiently by mixing autonomy in the air with human supervision on the ground. With safety as the primary focus, this operational concept is set to offer "the best of both worlds." And, with the FAA certification on the way, this could indeed become the first electric air taxi authorized for autonomous flight.At the beginning of last year, Wisk also became one of the most well-funded AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) companies worldwide after the aviation giant Boeing confirmed a $450 million investment. In early 2023, it officially became a fully-owned Boeing subsidiary.The Boeing-backed company has big plans for its autonomous air taxi. Once its sixth-generation aircraft is officially certified, it intends to bring to life one of the largest eVTOL fleets based on autonomous flight technology. This will translate to nearly four million flights every year across 20 markets across the globe.Wisk has already secured hefty deals with operators outside the US, from Australia to Japan.
The ministry listed the Armenian governments decision to host a joint U.S.-Armenian military exercise, this weeks visit to Ukraine by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians wife and the Armenian parliaments anticipated ratification of the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin early this year.

In a statement, it said Ambassador Vagharshak Harutiunian heard a tough presentation regarding these moves. He was also handed a note of protest against Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonians offensive remarks addressed to Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Zakharova poured scorn on Pashinian on Monday after he declared that he wants to diversify our security policy because he believes Armenias military alliance with Russia has been a strategic mistake. Zakharova went on to decry Simonians boorish criticism of Russian peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Im not going to respond to some female secretary, Simonian shot back the following day. Its not my level.

Russian-Armenian relations have significantly deteriorated over the past year, with Armenian leaders increasingly complaining about what they see as a lack of Russian support for Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan. The rift between Moscow and Yerevan has stoked speculation about a pro-Western shift in Armenias traditional geopolitical orientation.

Some of Pashinians political allies as well as Western-funded civic groups have welcomed such a prospect. By contrast, Armenias main opposition groups are seriously concerned about it, arguing that the West is not ready to give Armenia security guarantees or military aid.

The Foreign Ministry in Moscow insisted on Friday that Russia and Armenia remain allies.
8 September 2023 20:05 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Armenia made a record by admitting the truth about the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Although this was expected, it did not look like an action specific to Armenians, and it can be considered a miracle that such a confession was published even by Armenia for a moment in the media.

Thus, in the article published by Armenia's "News.am" news site, it has once again admitted that it recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. It is noted in the article that "taking into account the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on not holding meetings under martial law, in the current situation, the police urges strict observance of public order, restraint, not to follow various provocations, not to take steps that destabilize the country. The police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have their powers to ensure public order and public safety within. The police will take appropriate measures in accordance with the law against those who grossly violate public order."

It is interesting, if so-called presidential elections will be held in the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh, and if the separatist regime and Armenia, which fully support them, consider Azerbaijanis Garabagh as an "independent state", then what could be thought about the call to comply with the decree issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev? As the saying goes, Truth is like the Sun, you cannot hide it. Armenians hide the truth in themselves - some out of fear, some out of sick stubbornness. Perhaps, the Armenian journalist who wrote this strongly wished the Azerbaijani police for a moment to prevent the chaos that a thug like Samvel Babayan would cause before the so-called election in protest against the puppet regime. Indeed, when the matter is approached both legally and logically, a tragicomic scene emerges. According to the Azerbaijani legislation, the separatist regime is holding elections under the protection of the Azerbaijani police...

Taking into account all the above, what the Armenian press has done can be considered as a positive side of the step that the Prime Minister of Armenia has not taken or could not take for a long time.

However, the question arises, what was the first thought of the Armenian press when writing this truth? The reporter may have understood for a moment what conscience, honesty and unbiasedness are. But as it can be seen, this did not last long. Of course, adhering to the principle that the press should follow the path of the Prime Minister, the article was immediately deleted. Just as Pashinyan denies what he said after returning from every meeting, the Armenian press follows exactly his footsteps.

Still, they should be grateful to Azerbaijan for making the Armenian press feel what conscience and, most importantly, honesty are. This time, even if they experience these feelings for a moment, one day they will admit it themselves and write about it for the rest of their lives.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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8 September 2023 13:46 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

The State Water Resources Agency of Azerbaijan Azersu OJSC and Israel's National Water Operator Mekorot Water Company signed a contract for technical consultancy within the framework of the seawater desalination project, Azernews reports, citing Azersu OJSC.

At the meeting with representatives of Mekorot Water Company, the Agency's chairman Zaur Mikailov informed the guests about the work done on the reconstruction of drinking water supply and drainage systems in Azerbaijan, noting that the experience of leading world companies was used in the implementation of projects: "According to the presidential order of 12 April 2023, a pilot project on production of drinking water by desalination of seawater has been launched to improve water supply in Baku city and adjacent territories. Cooperation with Israeli companies in the field of Caspian Sea water processing is of particular importance".

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Israeli company Amir Lang said that the company provides 90 percent of the demand for drinking water in Israel, with about 60 percent of water supplied to consumers being produced by desalination of seawater.

A detailed exchange of views on further cooperation in the drinking water supply sector took place at the meeting.

Azersu OJSC is responsible for policy and strategy for the water supply and sanitation services in Azerbaijan. The company is in charge of extracting, treating, transporting, and selling water, as well as taking necessary actions for wastewater treatment. Azersu OJSC also designs, builds, operates, and maintains intake structures, reservoirs, pumping stations, water pipelines, and sewerage collectors. As of August 1, 2018, the company supplies 1434738 consumers with drinking water across the country.

Mekorot Water Company is Israel's national water company, responsible for the country's water supply. The company is in charge of managing water resources, developing water infrastructure, and providing water services to the public. Mekorot Water Company has extensive experience in seawater desalination and is a leader in the field.

The contract between Azersu OJSC and Mekorot Water Company will provide technical consulting services for the seawater desalination project, which is being implemented in Azerbaijan. The project is funded by state funds and loans from international financing institutions.

The contract is expected to help Azersu OJSC improve the quality of water supply and sanitation services in Azerbaijan. It is also expected to help the company gain valuable knowledge and experience from Mekorot Water Company in the field of seawater desalination.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
8 September 2023 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The relationship between Armenia and Russia is getting tense. In an interview with Italian media, Pashinyan lashed out at Russia and called it a big mistake to rely on Russia. Later, Armenia recalled its permanent representative in the CSTO. Meanwhile, the Spokeswoman of Russian Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova, and the Press Secretary of Russian President Sergeyevich Peskov slammed Pashinyan. It seems that the relationship between Russia and Armenia has entered a deadlock.

However, the Economist, and politician Natig Jafarly told in a comment to AZERNEWS that it is an illusion. He called the happenings a mutual combat.

I don't believe in Armenia-Russia "tension", it looks like a mutual combat. Despite being pro-West, Pashinyan is not stupid. He knows well the level of his country's dependence on Russia and the steps that Moscow can take. It is well-known who gunned the Armenian parliament, and in addition, Russia has a military base in Armenia, and it controls all power structures and economy of Armenia, he said.

Natig Jafarly opined that Russia is deliberately overrates Pashinyan's "political price" in the West. He pointed out that in the wake of the Ukraine war, the West imposed sanctions against the Kremlin, and tightened them almost every month. Russia immediately began to use the Eurasian and Customs Union countries which are under its control to circumvent the sanctions. A special place was allocated to Armenia - this country began to buy semiconductors from the West and export them to Russia.

With the help of this scheme, the trade turnover between the two countries ramped up. In 2021, the trade turnover totaled $2.6bn, and Armenia's exports to Russia amounted to $710m.

In 2022, the trade turnover between the two countries doubled and reached to $5bn. and Armenia's exports to Russia amounted to $3bn, i.e., exports increased 4.3 times in 1 year and reached $3bn. Of course, this is not organic and natural growth.

In the first 7 months of 2023, the trade turnover of these countries is $3.7bn, and the Armenian export to Russia totaled $2.1bn. By the end of the year, the turnover is expected to reach $5.9bn and Yerevan's export to Moscow will be $4bn. That is, it will increase by 5.7 times. It is clear that the Kremlin makes good use of Armenia, and mostly acquires "dual purpose" products through Armenia. In the last 2 years, Russia received semiconductors which costed $3bn through the Milur Electronics company and its branches which is registered in Armenia, the Economist noted.

He said that the sharp increase in trade turnover of Armenia's exports to Russia relates to this factor. As is known, Semiconductors mean rockets, and drones and it is, a very important issue for the Kremlin.

The West had already imposed some sanctions against Armenia, but preparations were underway for greater sanctions. As a "coincidence", Russian-Armenian relations "spoiled" at this time - Zakharova and others quickly began to stigmatize Pashinyan, saying that he was pro-Western, and began to "inflate his price" in the West; Armenia for the first time sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine; Pashinyan's wife went to Kyiv and gave a speech, and met with Zelensky. All this serves to create an image of Pashinyan "fighting with Russia," to prevent further sanctions, he said,

He added that in this mutual combat, Russia wins because it gets semiconductors to produce sophisticated weapons; Armenia wins because its economy and population are gaining money from "exports" to Russia; and the West sells its semiconductors.

The only loser is Ukraine. Now is the time for Kyiv, to use its influence on the world political elite and explain that the semiconductors supplied by Armenia to Russia means drones and missiles that rained down on Ukraine. Ukraine should demand sanctions on Armenia, he emphasized.

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8 September 2023 18:30 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

On September 08, the Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations of the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis) discussed the issue of approving the Agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Slovak Republic on the elimination of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and the prevention of tax evasion, Azernews reports.

This agreement applies to taxes between contracting states their administrative-territorial divisions, or local governments, regardless of the method of taxation.

The current taxes to which the agreement applies are: in the Slovak Republic - personal income tax; income tax from legal entities; in the Republic of Azerbaijan - corporate income tax; personal income tax.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
8 September 2023 14:12 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to transform villages through digitalization into "smart villages". Agriculture Minister Mejnun Mammadov said this while participating in an international conference on food security in Samarkand, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry.

M. Mammadov noted that the digitalization of agriculture, as well as the introduction of advanced technologies and best practices, are important for the creation of sustainable agrarian food systems. The Minister emphasized the importance of the transformation of agri-food systems for ensuring food security in the world.

Saying that the Azerbaijani government attaches special importance to digitalization in agriculture, Mammadov noted that after the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared the Garabagh region a zone of green energy: "At present, large-scale measures are being successfully implemented to restore, reconstruct the liberated territories, ensure their further development, and create the necessary infrastructure".

It was noted that agriculture in these territories will be developed in accordance with the concept of a "smart village", which includes the best technologies and practices. Azerbaijan is ready for close cooperation in this direction, as this goal is in line with FAO's plan to turn villages in different countries into "smart villages" in the future through digitalization.

It should be noted that the prestigious international event, organized with the technical support of FAO, an organization of the Government of Uzbekistan, was attended by officials from more than 30 countries, senior officials from reputable international organizations, specialists from research institutions, and experts.

The FAO's Hand in Hand, Field to Table, Solidarity for Health Initiative and others provide state-of-the-art guidance for responding to critical factors affecting food security. Azerbaijan is committed to developing a national food security system by diversifying its economy and has launched the Electronic Agricultural Information System to facilitate access to all services and government support.

The UN is also ready to assist Azerbaijan in creating a zone of net zero emissions' in the liberated territories. At the COP 26 conference in Glasgow last year, Azerbaijan expressed its desire to achieve the creation of a net zero emissions' zone in the liberated territories. The UN aims to work with Azerbaijan in this regard to help the country in achieving these goals.

Moreover, Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with Kazakh companies in the field of renewable energy. The protocol of the 19th meeting of the joint Intergovernmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan contains the main points in the cooperation of the two countries, including issues of cooperation in the field of energy.

Azerbaijan is committed to transitioning to green energy and is ready to cooperate with the FAO and other countries to achieve its goals.

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8 September 2023 19:00 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

The delegation of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture met with the director of China's National Administration of Cultural Heritage Li Chun, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Culture.

Warmly welcoming the Azerbaijani delegation, Li Chun thanked Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture Adil Karimli for accepting the invitation and visiting China.

Having thanked for the warm welcome and high hospitality, Minister Adil Karimli expressed satisfaction with his visit to China, which is considered one of the cradle of ancient world civilizations.

The minister noted the importance of further deepening cooperation with China in various cultural fields, including in the field of cultural heritage, and emphasized the significance of the exchange of experience in a number of directions.

The Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan was established on 18 April 1953 with the purpose of preserving, developing, and promoting the rich Azerbaijani culture and arts. The ministry is headed by Minister Adil Karimli, who was appointed in April 2023. The ministry is funded mainly from the state budget and is responsible for the regulation of activities and promotion of Azerbaijani culture. It also carries out international cultural programs with European, Asian, and Islamic countries, the United States, as well as Latin America in line with interstate agreements of the Ministry.

The institutions under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan include 28 theaters, 6308 historical and cultural monuments, 1 circus and 12 concert centers, 3985 libraries, 2708 clubs, 189 museums (with branches), 234 children's music schools, art and painting schools, 33 art galleries and exhibition hall, 21 state reserves, 60 cultural and leisure parks, 1 Zoo, a Scientific and Methodological Center for Culture, 4 Leisure Centers, 6 economic organizations, 7 film production studios, 134 city and district cinemas, tate Film Foundation (together with Nakhchivan branch), Republican Library College, newspaper (Culture), two magazines ("Cultural-educational" and "Window"), State Tourism Institute, Baku Choreography School, Cultural Staff Development Center, Mingachevir Tourism College, National Culinary Center, 62 cities and ray ten cultural and tourism departments, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Baku, Ganja, Sumgayit tourism departments, Sheki Equestrian Center, Baku Tourism Information Center, Lankaran Children's Camp.

The Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan is committed to preserving and protecting historical monuments and real estate, their renovation and use, modernization of libraries and museums, protection and promotion of Azerbaijani folklore, development of cultural clubs, resorts, and parks, revitalization of tourism, development of theater, musical and other forms of arts, revitalization of cinema and book publications and so forth.

In this regard, the minister stressed the need to improve the regulatory framework between the two countries.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
8 September 2023 14:37 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli and Minister of Culture of Moldova Sergiu Prodan have discussed the prospects of cooperation.

The ministers met within the 6th Silk Road International Cultural Expo in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province, Azernews reports citing the ministry.

The sides discussed the cultural cooperation between the two countries and expressed their readiness to further strenthen this partership.

Sergiu Prodan made a proposal to hold the Days of Moldavian Culture in Azerbaijan next year. An exchange of views took place on this proposal.

The Azerbaijani delegation is on a visit to China until September 9.

Headed by the Culture Minister Adil Karimli, the delegation got acquainted with the cultural tourism display.

The exhibition showcases photographs, books and fine arts and other exhibits dedicated to Chinese history and cultural heritage. It also highlights the role of the Silk Road in historical and cultural relations.

On the sidelines of the visit, the Culture Minister previously discussed prospects of cooperation with the Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping.

The Silk Road International Cultural Exhibition has been held annually since 2016.

More than 1,200 local and foreign representatives participated in the event this year.

The expo program includes forums, seminars, symposiums and concert programs.

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8 September 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Finally, after a long time floundering between Russia and the West, Pashinyan finds a way to say goodbye to Russia once and forever. Taking his chance, in the wake of Putin's sue in the ICC, Armenian PM started to work on ratification of the Statute.

To recall, in 2004, the Constitutional Court took up the case for consideration, and in March 2023, the court found the Rome Statute was in compliance with the newly amended Armenian Constitution. As regards Armenia, it claims that they do ratify the statute because the risk of new Azerbaijani military aggression against Armenia remains high and the Azeri crimes, including war crimes committed in Armenia being subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC would be a preventative and restraining measure against Azerbaijan. However, this is inconvincible for many. They think that Pashinyan intends to get away from Russia.

In a comment to Azernews on the issue, political scientist Dr. Imran Khalid noted that the main reason for a certain change in Armenians' opinion on the ratification of the Rome Statute has more to do with the weakness of Russia after the Ukrainian war. And here Azerbaijan is just an excuse for Armenia in order to avoid Russia's direct attention.

Actually, no matter what Putin thinks, but in reality, the Ukraine war impacts Russian foreign policy. Particularly, even after the insurgency of Wagner, the war has been converted into a cold conflict and this has actually rendered Putin very weak in the eyes of his friends and allies. So, I think Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is acting extra-precautiously. He understands that the situation is changing and Russia is gradually losing its credibility as a power and a superpower as used to be, Imran Khalid noted.

He pointed out that the Armenian PM is seeking some friends in the West, particularly in the USA. Since Yerevan strives to divorce Moscow, the world has been witnessing many changes in Armenian foreign policy for the past few years.

Take the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to Armenia last September for example. That was the first indication of the shift in the Armenian foreign policy. If one paid attention, Nikol Pashinyan has been trying to stay away from Moscow ever since. Even he has not shown any enthusiasm for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Furthermore, he canceled one of the joint military exercises with CSTO. In addition, Pashinyan refused to appoint a representative to the position of deputy secretary general of CSTO, the Political Scientist said.

He emphasized that Pashinyan deliberately did it as a show. Dr. Imran Khalid guesses that he the PM trying to attract his internal cast and voters in the Armenian public with the shift about Russia. Pashinyan and his party think that they can gradually shift the Armenian public opinion about their foreign policy from Russia to the West.

So, in order to catch their attention he is overtly demonstrating such kind of anti-Russia attitude like the ratification of the Rome Statute. It is a fact that the Rome Statute ratification has just a symbolic value and I do not think that any of the countries will ever dare to arrest Putin. Even if Putin visits any countries that ratified the statute, nobody will arrest him, because it could have drastic consequences. So, it means that Pashinyan intends to draw attention by getting ratified the statute, the expert concluded.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), enters the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, Aug. 17. Yonhap



Prosecutors on Friday raided the National Election Commission (NEC) over suspicions that opposition leader Lee Jae-myung accepted a large amount of political donations exceeding the legal limit from an underwear tycoon during his party's presidential primary in 2021.



The Suwon District Prosecutors Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the NEC head office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, in the morning to search and seize documents related to the suspicions, including a list of donors for Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) primary candidates.



The raid came after Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, disclosed in a court hearing on Aug. 22 that he donated about 150 million won ($112,500) to Lee during the DPK presidential primary.



Kim insisted that he divided the donation into many small amounts and sent them in the name of many people, including company employees, to the Lee camp. Under the Political Fund Law, the maximum amount that can be donated to a primary candidate is set at 10 million won per person.



Kim, who has been imprisoned on embezzlement and other charges since early this year, also said he made similar donations, worth several tens of millions of won, to Lee during his competition in the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial primary in 2018. The tycoon then argued that Lee was aware of his donations.



He made the revelation appearing as a witness in the court hearing on former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young's bribery charges. It also came one day before DPK chairman Lee is scheduled to show up at the Suwon prosecution Saturday for questioning regarding allegations that Kim illegally wired $8 million to North Korea on his behalf. (Yonhap)


8 September 2023 12:35 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Azerbaijan is a safe country for Jews and Israelis, Ambassador of Israel George Deek said at a conference dedicated to the heritage and culture of Jews in the Northeast Caucasus, Azernews reports, citing Trend.

"Both countries share an understanding of threats, opportunities, strategic, and regional issues. Azerbaijan is visited by 50,000 Israelis annually," he noted.

Furthermore, Deek emphasized that with the assistance of the big polytechnic institute Teknion Israel Group Ltd., a Cyber Security Center has been established in Azerbaijan.

Over the past 30 years, Azerbaijan and Israel have established strong and friendly interstate relations that have evolved into a strategic partnership. The ties between the two countries also encompass the energy sector, demonstrating a robust and multifaceted partnership.

Economic indicators reflect a significant growth in bilateral trade, reaching $1.7 billion dollar (AZN 2.9 billion) In the coming years, both countries will focus on diversifying their trade relations.

Azerbaijan is a country of ten million people located between Russia and Iran. In November 2022, Azerbaijan open an embassy in Israel, and the two countries have since developed strong diplomatic and economic ties.

Azerbaijan is home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim-majority world, and the country is a beacon of safety for Jews, with scant antisemitism and no need for security details at synagogues and Jewish schools. The government of Azerbaijan covers the costs of Jewish education, and there are seven synagogues in the country, three of which are in the capital city of Baku.

The locals of Azerbaijan are proud of the country's interfaith harmony, and they are baffled by the antisemitism seen in other countries. Israelis have caught wind of the country's tourist attractions, and many visit during the spring and summer.

George Deek, the Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan, is the first Israeli Arab Christian to become an ambassador. He grew up in an Eastern Orthodox Christian family in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa. Deek has stated that he is of Armenian heritage through his father's side.

Overall, Azerbaijan is a model of interfaith harmony and a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people. The country has long been a beacon of safety for Jews, and its government and people are committed to preserving and protecting the Jewish community.

Azerbaijan also may be one of the few places on earth where synagogues don't need to lock their doors at night. Aside from that, Azerbaijan is one of the few Muslim nations whose people proudly wave Israeli flags and view the Jewish state positively.

Within the past week, the Israeli-Azerbaijan strategic partnership came under attack when the Massachusetts-based Armenian Weekly published an article denouncing Israel for selling weapons to Azerbaijan, claiming it would be equivalent to Armenia selling weapons to Hamas or Hezbollah.

However, Azerbaijan cannot be compared with terrorist organisations, some of which are backed by Iran, and systematically targets civilian population centers, uses their own people as human shields, and represses women and, minorities. Azerbaijan is a secular, modern nation, which prides itself on promoting religious pluralism and tolerance. It is also willing to make peace with Armenia, once the Second Garabagh War brought an abrupt end to Armenia's illegal occupation of one-fifth of Azerbaijan in violation of four UN Security Council Resolutions.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
8 September 2023 14:56 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

"Azerbaijan was in the process of winning the peace, but unfortunately, what we see from the Armenian side is that they are doing all their best to lose a piece. But we don't want to give it a chance to lose peace."

According to Azernews, this was told by the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev in an interview with i24NEWS ENGLISH, an Israeli-based news agency. Speaking on Azerbaijan-Israel bilateral cooperation, the opening of the Aghdam- Khankendi road, the inadmissibility of the grey zone, illegal military groups on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, the Jewish community in Azerbaijan, as well as regional affairs, H.Hajiyev especially pointed a hindrance in the process of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan actually suggested that Armenia sign a peace treaty and sometimes in diplomatic circles is called like Camp David process. But not a Palestinian track, but a track between Egypt and Israel. Then they change a map of the Middle East. Therefore there is such a suggestion we are working with the US and some other countries that are supporting that process," Hikmat Hajiyev added.

Talking about the next step of Azerbaijan in the peace process, the Assistant to the Azerbaijani President said the second track and second layer of that process is the reintegration of Garabagh into the political economic, and social Spectrum of Azerbaijan. He also mentioned the separatist groups that constantly impede this process.

"But unfortunately what we see on the ground there are separatists subordinated to Armenia and financed and also supported by Armenia. They would like to continue their gray zones status and not integrate into Azerbaijan's political social economic life," the Azerbaijani official said.

Hikmat Hajiyev also speaking about the Aghdam-Khankendi road, said that one road is good but two roads is much better.

"Azerbaijan has built new roads and also connecting with the mainland of Azerbaijan and also giving a chance to Garabagh Armenians to communicate with the mainland of Azerbaijan as well. The road is not only one way, there are two ways," he said.

In an answer to the journalist's question, H.Hajiyev also technically explained the benefit of using the latter option.

"Lachin-Khankendi road that connects mainly Armenia to Garabagh. But we also say that there is an Aghdam-Khankendi road. That's flat, more efficient, logistic and transport-wise it has much more capabilities, and it has also direct access to all marketers of Azerbaijan including the all markets of our neighboring countries in a sense Armenians from Garabagh and Armenian residents of Garabagh will have a better chance to communicate internally within Azerbaijan and in some other regional countries as well. Therefore it is an opportunity, and also an opportunity for the integration process. Unfortunately, Armenia says not and thinks it unacceptable and keeps demanding a "gray zone". Armenia holds illegally some ten thousand military and terrorist groups and threatens Azerbaijani civilians with rockets and military capabilities" he emphasized.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
8 September 2023 14:23 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan allocated seven million manat ($4.1 million) for the overhaul of the section of the Alat-Astara-Iranian border highway (M-3).

The corresponding decree was signed by President Ilham Aliyev.

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8 September 2023 18:15 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov had a telephone conversation with the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Azernews reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the telephone conversation, the sides discussed the situation in the region and the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Giving detailed information about the current situation in the region to his interlocutor, Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the statements disseminated by Yerevan about the tense humanitarian situation and the blockade are unfounded and are part of the political manipulations of Armenia.

The refusal of Armenia and the separatist regime created by it to accept Azerbaijan's proposals to organize the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and the Lachin road for the transportation of goods through the International Committee of the Red Cross proves the falsity of the allegations about the "humanitarian situation".

In general, the source of the threat is Armenia's provocative steps that hinder efforts to establish peace and security in the region in the post-conflict period, including statements in support of the separatist regime established in the Azerbaijani territories and the fact that Armenia has not yet withdrawn its armed forces from Azerbaijani territories.

During the telephone conversation, the German side was informed in detail about the ongoing military provocations of Armenia and land-mine threats.



Later, an exchange of views took place on other issues of mutual interest.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

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8 September 2023 10:38 (UTC+04:00)

Deputy Chief of the Executive Power (EP) of Nakhchivan city Tahmina Mustafayeva has been dismissed from her post, Azernews reports.

The relevant decree was signed by the head of Nakhchivan city Executive Power Mirsanani Seyidov.

Mustafayeva was also dismissed from the post of the head of the department on socio-political and humanitarian issues of the EP.

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8 September 2023 17:50 (UTC+04:00)

The participants of the 2nd meeting of the Ministers on Disaster and Emergency Management of member and observer states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) visited the Alley of Honors to pay tribute to the National Leader, architect, and founder of the modern and independent Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The ministers laid a wreath at the tomb of the National Leader.

The participants also put flowers at the grave of the National Leader`s wife, prominent ophthalmologist, and academician Zarifa Aliyeva.

The ministers then visited the Alley of Martyrs and commemorated the martyrs who died for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

The meeting was organized by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Affairs and is being held on September 6-8 at the Baku International Exhibition and Conference Center. The event was attended by ministers from member and observer countries of the OTS. The international training program scheduled for May 2023 involves the participation of rescue forces in the OTS's emergency management agencies.

The National Preparedness Goal defines what it means for the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies. The goal itself is succinct: A secure and resilient nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk. These risks include events such as natural disasters, pandemics, chemical spills and other man-made hazards, terrorist attacks, and cyber-attacks.

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8 September 2023 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

The Swiss company Nestle is exploring the possibility of launching production in Kyrgyzstan, Deputy Director of the National Investment Agency Nuradil Bayasov told, Azernews reports, citing Kabar.

He said that he met with representatives of this company in Bishkek and presented them with a list of more than 200 domestic exporters that could participate in the Nestle production chain.

Nestle S.A. (full name Nestle Societe Anonyme) is the world's largest food manufacturer. The company's headquarters is located in the Swiss city of Vevey. Its products are in great demand all over the world and are sold under the brands KitKat, Maggi, Nescafe, Nesquik, Nestea and others.

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8 September 2023 19:30 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday arrived in India's capital New Delhi to attend the 18th G-20 Leaders' Summit, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Term president India is set to host the two-day summit, which will start on Saturday under the theme "One Earth, One Family, One Future."

At the summit, Erdogan will tell the leaders about the steps Turkiye has taken regarding climate change.

Erdogan is also expected to hold bilateral talks with various participating heads of state and government on the sidelines of the summit.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalin, and Erdogan's chief adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic are accompanying the president during his visit.

The summit will be held at the newly inaugurated Pragati Maidan conference center at the Bharat Mandapam culture corridor, where a statue of Nataraja  an important symbol of cosmic energy, creativity, and power is located.

At its core, the G-20 is an intergovernmental forum primarily concerned with economic issues made up of the worlds 20 largest economies  19 countries and the European Union. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

The member states are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the UK, and the US.

Besides the members, term president India also invited the leaders of Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Egypt, Mauritius, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

In addition to international organizations such as the UN, International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, India also invited members of the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Asian Development Bank as guest international organizations.

The G-20 is also close to agreement on admitting African Union (AU), a bloc of 55 countries, as a member of the grouping.

Following the summit, the leaders are expected to adopt a declaration.

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8 September 2023 22:10 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish security forces neutralized seven PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Safak.

The terrorists were targeted after they were found to be preparing an attack by digging tunnels in the Operation Peace Spring region, the ministry said on X.

Turkish authorities use the term neutralized to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

PKK/YPG terrorists hide out in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, where they plan and carry out attacks on both locals and nearby settlements in Turkiye.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK  listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US and EU  has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is PKK's Syrian offshoot.

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Busan's education chief was sentenced to 700 million won ($5,252) in fines Friday for using a private education forum for his election campaign, a sentence that would remove him from office if finalized at the Supreme Court.







Superintendent Ha Yun-su of the office of education in the southeastern city was indicted in November last year on charges of premature electioneering for using the education forum he founded in 2021 for his campaign for last year's local elections.







The Busan District Court said the nature of Ha's crime is "very bad" in that he "artificially interfered with the course of opinion forming, which is the basis of democracy."







By law, elected officials are stripped of their positions if sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more for violating the election law. (Yonhap)


Nothing is more nostalgic or filled with more cheer than the weeks leading up to Christmas. Already, there will be countdowns in your social m
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You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
A Bakersfield public bus driver had to be taken to a hospital in Southern California on Thursday after a male customer assaulted her outside t
Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon speaks during a Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Aug. 21. Yonhap



By Jung Da-hyun



Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon instructed prosecutors, Friday, to ensure that teachers' rights are sufficiently guaranteed in cases involving the disciplining of students.



This move comes after five teachers took their own lives in less than two months. On Thursday, a teacher in her 40s died in Daejeon in an apparent suicide after reportedly suffering from complaints filed by parents.



The minister emphasized that if it becomes evident that a complaint or accusation linked to a teacher's interactions with students does not constitute a criminal offense, it should be expeditiously dismissed.



Furthermore, prosecutors have been urged to exercise careful judgment, taking into account various factors such as the context, timing and location of the disciplinary measures carried out by teachers, as well as the necessity and specific details of the punishment.



Additionally, they should consider the impact of the disciplinary measure on the student, considering factors like age, gender and developmental stage.



"These measures should fully reflect the distinctive nature of schools and the critical role of teachers," Han said.



"It is necessary to improve the legal framework surrounding child abuse to ensure that educators can make professional judgments without fear and receive the respect they deserve," he added.



In addition to these directives, the justice minister also called upon the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to minimize the unnecessary summoning of teachers for investigations and actively promote non-face-to-face and written methods of inquiry.



The Ministry of Justice has established a collaborative task force with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Education, to enhance law enforcement efforts, particularly in child abuse investigations, and develop measures aimed at ensuring that teachers' rights and duties are adequately protected.





Participants hold a candlelight vigil at Seoul National University of Education to mourn the death of a young teacher of Seoul Seo2 Elementary School in southern Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Broderick Best: Barbering instructor Broderick Best comes from a family of barbers, and he is shaping the next generation of barbers at a new location in downtown Washington.

Attila Nemecz

Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

Beaufort County Community College

5337 U.S. Highway 264 East

Washington, N.C. 27889

Ph : 252-940-6387

: 252-940-6387 Cell : 252-940-8672

: 252-940-8672 attila.nemecz@beaufortccc.edu

WASHINGTON, N.C. Beaufort County Community College has opened a new location for its barber academy at 238 W. Main Street, and it is accepting clients. The academy has 12 students enrolled, split between its day and evening courses. Like its cosmetology and manicuring salon on campus, the barber academy invites the public to receive discounted services so that students can improve their barbering skills. Between August 21-24 and August 28-31, the academy will offer free back-to-school haircuts for kindergarten through 12th grade students and employees.Services at the academy are available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. and appointments and walk-ins are welcome. The shop is closed Friday-Sunday. Appointments can be made by calling 252-940-6480. The academy accepts cash, debit, and credit cards.This location is much more conducive to walk-ins and integrates the college into the thriving network of small businesses in downtown Washington.Students must complete 1588 practice hours. This is currently split between two semester-long courses. On August 14, new sections of Level 1 and Level 2 will begin for full-time students, and on September 11, evening sections of Level 1 and 2 will begin for part-time students. The college hired a new instructor, Broderick Best, for the program.said Best.Services include $5.00 haircuts, $3.00 children's haircuts, $4.00 beard trims, $5.00 facials, and $5.00 razor shaves. In addition to these low prices, students, senior, BCCC employees, and public safety personnel can get discounts.The academy is designed to train and prepare students for the profession of barbering. Students learn the information needed to pass the state licensure exams as well as the most contemporary techniques to ensure success in school and employment on the job. They will learn skills, safety judgments, proper work habits, business skills, and desirable attitudes necessary to obtain licensure and for competency in job entry-level positions in barbering or a related career field.said student Jamari Nelson.With the Beaufort Promise Scholarship, the college is currently covering the cost of registration fees for qualifying students from Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties.The next Level 1 class of the Barber Academy will begin on October 21, and a part-time evening class will begin on September 1. Call 252-940-6375 to register for upcoming classes.
Don't Rain on the City's Storm of Lies

There will be no increase in Utility Rates this year. These were the words of Mayor Donald Sadler when the City Council was faced with a room full of working class, middle class and struggling families and individuals at the June City Council meeting about the upcoming budget.



The City Manager's office had prepared a budget that included a 15% utility rate increase (and I might add a 7% property tax increase) which set off a firestorm of protest from citizens. They didn't expect the crowd that turned out and were surprised that they couldn't get away with the usual shenanigans of doing the bidding of the martini sippers and putting one over on the rest of the city. So when the Mayor announced this the room exploded in claps. Some even took to Facebook to thank him for opposing the Utility Rate increases.



Only he lied. I'll pull no punches about it. Sure the utility rates themselves didn't increase but go check your bill from last month. Notice anything different? If you're a business owner you will notice a major difference and if you are a resident you will still notice your bill went up even if your consumption went down. Well how can that be when the City Manager told everyone that the increase was only going to amount to $12 a year for solid waste management?



Well because this is an election year and political operatives lie in election years pure and simple. What they did to try to get you the taxpayers and voters to shut the hell up and let them do as they please is that they increased the fees on the utility bills so that they could face you and say There will be no increase in Utility Rates this year. It's unethical, immoral, and just bold-faced lying; no need to mince words here.



They did this primarily by increasing dramatically a fee on your bill called the storm water fee which they base on the square footage of the roof of your property. The increase is so big that in many cases business owners I've talked to are now paying even more than a 15% utility rate increase they would have faced. The mayor's preferred candidates on the council then didn't have to say they voted for a utility rate increase in an election year and Mayor Sadler could look like the savior of the downtrodden by staving off utility rate increases. Great way to try to deceive people until you realize that people like me were paying attention to what they were doing and if other media outlets won't call him and the City Manager's office out on their deception I will. Note also that the interim head of the Utility Department also happens to be the highest paid official in the city who also owns 38 slum properties in town but I digress.



So how do we fix the lies? Well, first let me note that two council members stood up for you and voted no on the budget. Those members were Bobby Roberson and William Pitt. Lou Hodges, Mike Wren and Richard Brooks all voted for the deceptive budget that raised your utility bills and made your life more difficult. So for starters, vote in this election as if your money depended on it because it does. Secondly, I am proposing not just rolling back the storm water fees but eliminating them. I'll explain why.



These fees were a scam foisted on the city years ago as being dedicated to help elevate homes on the floodplains to prevent damage and help home and property owners. A noble cause in other words. Do you know how much of that money for over a decade they've used for that purpose? I'll give you a few minutes to mull it over. NONE. That's right, the city took the storm water fees and simply put it into the Utility Fund and then has transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Utility Fund to the General Fund for years and years while not helping lift the homes and businesses they said the fees were dedicated to.



But Gary, what about the lost revenue from the storm water fees? Good question. Let the council and the City Manager make the tough choices to cut unnecessary spending or be forced to make tough votes on utility rate increases instead of lying to the public. Where could we cut you ask? Well we certainly don't need a new athletic director and we don't need an assistant City Manager that doubles as a slum lord earning close to $200,000 a year when you factor in benefit packages. We don't need to be spending $148,000 on legal fees for the Mayor to keep homes he doesn't like out of his neighborhood. And we can put a moratorium on pay raises for city employees earning $75,000 or more in place for the next 5 years until we balance our budget. Does this not make common sense? This doesn't even factor in the addition sales tax revenue that will pour in because businesses can invest more if they aren't forking over storm water fees to the city based on lies.



The City of Washington and their martini sipping supporters don't want you to rain on their storm of lies. Show up at the polls this year and show them exactly what kind of storm to expect when you lie to the residents of the City!


As School Choice is beginning to take shape in North Carolina: What is your position on what it should evolve into?

4.35% School Choice is only a distraction from the promise of real public education.91.3% School Choice, as it evolves into its best model to serve the public' s education needs, this benefit will provide choices outside of the historic construct supporting the public school monopoly.4.35% School Choice - I cannot see how it serves the Education Industry.
Here are three anesthesiologist or anesthesia-related stories to know since Aug. 17:

1. A Fort Lewis, Wash.-based military anesthesiologist Michael Stockin, MD, at Joint Base Lewis McChord has been charged by the Army with alleged sexual assault.

2. A Sioux City, Iowa-based anesthesiologist, Dale Klein, MD, who was fired from MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in December 2021, is alleging in a lawsuit that he was blacklisted by the hospital's administrators to prevent him from getting another job.

3. Here are five compensation statistics anesthesiologists should know.
More than 40 million patients' medical information has been involved in data breaches so far this year; at this rate, 2023 will break the record for most individuals affected in breaches.

Here are 11 healthcare data breach incidents that Becker's has reported on since Aug. 15:

1. Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health's imaging vendor, DMS Health Technologies, experienced a cybersecurity event that affected 1,500 of the health system's patients.

2. Tupelo-based North Mississippi Health Services shut down a hacker who had gained entry to its network after an employee opened a phishing email in 17 minutes. The organization noted that no financial information, Social Security numbers or EHRs were accessed, and it has no indication that any of the potentially breached data has been misused.

3. San Antonio-based CentroMed reported a data breach affecting 350,000 individuals. The hospital notified affected individuals and installed new safeguards.

4. A third-party vendor of Cumming, Ga.-based Milan Eye Center experienced a data breach that compromised patient information, including names and Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, insurance coverage information, locations where services were provided, dates of service and health status.

5. Precision Anesthesia Billing filed a notice of data breach with HHS after an incident affected the personal information of 209,200 individuals.

6. Louisville, Ky.-based UofL Health confirmed that it has been affected by the data breach on popular file transfer tool MOVEit, which affected millions of people across a variety of industries.

7. Morris (Ill.) Hospital & Healthcare Centers disclosed a data breach that affected 248,943 patients. According to DataBreaches.net, the Royal Ransomware group claimed responsibility for the breach and added the hospital to its leak site.

8. More than 134,000 people enrolled or formerly enrolled in certain Massachusetts state programs had personal information, including medical details and financial data, compromised in a data breach involving MOVEit, a file transfer program used by Boston-based UMass Chan Medical School.

9. Vecino Health Centers, based in Houston, was affected by the MOVEit cyberattack and is notifying patients affected by the breach. Vecino Health Centers shares information with Bellaire, Texas-based Harris Health, which uses the MOVEit transfer software program. Harris Health experienced a hacking/IT incident affecting 224,703 individuals.

10. Parkersburg, W.Va.-based WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Centers and its physician group were breached because their financial institution, United Bank, used the MOVEit file transfer software that was infiltrated by hackers.

11. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare notified patients of a data breach. The health system said that 11.27 million patients were affected in the breach.
Registered nurse Abigail Hall has been accused of stealing morphine from a Lawrenceburg, Ky.-based facility and replacing it with a mixture of water and blue food coloring, according to a Sept. 5 report from the Lexington Herald Leader.

Ms. Hall is a nurse at Signature Healthcare at Heritage Hall Rehab and Wellness Center,and allegedly admitted to stealing patient's pain medicine and replacing it with tap water and blue food coloring since January.

An officer from the Lawrenceburg police department was dispatched to the facility on Aug. 27 after reports of an intoxicated employee.

The officer initiated a DUI investigation on Ms. Hall's vehicle as she was leaving the premises. A nurse at Heritage reported that a morphine bottle cap was found inside of a restroom where Ms. Hall had just spent an extended amount of time.

The nurse then found Ms. Hall's backpack outside of the building. Inside were seven syringes containing a blue liquid medication, along with used syringes, a tube of blue food coloring, three bottles of sodium chloride, four scopolamine patches and a vial of cefepime.

Ms. Hall allegedly admitted the blue liquid was morphine she had taken from Heritage Hall. She also admitted to taking a dose of morphine earlier that night while caring for 21 patients.

She is being charged with 21 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, three counts of knowingly abusing or neglecting an adult, three counts of tampering with physical evidence along with several drug offenses.

A spokesperson for Signature said that Ms. Hall was not a Signature employee but was employed by an outside staffing agency.
Former Puyallup (Wash.) Good Samaritan nurse Cora Weberg has agreed to a plea deal after being charged with tampering with consumer products on Sept. 1, according to a Sept. 6 report from KIRO 7.

Ms. Weberg allegedly stole drugs from the system and infected at least a dozen patients with hepatitis C after reusing syringes she injected herself with on patients.

A study from the CDC and the Washington Department of Health found that she was the "likely source" of the outbreak.

She was originally arrested in 2018, but released without charges. Four days after pleading guilty in a U.S. District Court on Sept. 1, she accepted a plea deal that comes with a prison sentence of up to 10 years, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three additional years of supervised release.

As part of the plea deal, Ms. Weberg pleaded guilty to tampering with vials of hydromorphone and fentanyl. She was stripped of her nursing license in 2018.
Three gastroenterology leaders joined Becker's to discuss the major trends they are keeping a close eye on.

1. Cost increases

Gastroenterology leaders are eyeing labor and supply costs increases and how they compare to increases in reimbursements, Andy Paulson, executive director of Peoria-based Central Illinois Endoscopy Center, told Becker's.

Other leaders agree. "Reimbursement changes involving our services and our providers may have an effect on our budgets, requiring us to look for opportunities to make adjustments," Emma Gimmel, BSN, RN, director of nursing at New York City-based Manhattan Endoscopy, told Becker's.

2. ASC migration

Chris Shaver, MD, gastroenterologist at Birmingham (Ala.) Gastroenterology Associates, is focusing on continuing efforts to relocate outpatient procedures to ASCs.

"The process involves updating protocols for our schedulers as well as tweaking our relationships with hospitals, who covet our hospital-based procedures," he told Becker's.

3. Supply shortages

"As a single-specialty, GI/endoscopy/gastroenterology diagnostic ASC, the supply chain and market have changed from "pre-COVID" to note prices and allocations," Ms. Gimmel told Becker's. "We know that shortages, recalls, or anything that interrupts availability of our supply inventory can affect us almost on the spot."

Ms. GimmelI watches for news and updates related to GI supplies to "anticipate needs and possible alternatives in order to prevent any interruption of services."
Seymour, Ind.-based Schneck Medical Center has reached a $250,000 agreement with Indiana after the state filed a lawsuit against the health system for a 2021 cyberattack, Bloomberg Law reported Sept. 7.

Schneck, formerly known as Jackson County Schneck Memorial Hospital, was sued by the state of Indiana in 2022.

The state alleged that the health system did not take adequate measures to protect patients' health information, even after it had knowledge of deficiencies in its data security systems since December 2020.

The suit came after Schneck was hit with a ransomware attack that compromised the protected health information of 90,000 individuals.




The ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Friday filed a complaint with the parliamentary ethics committee against an opposition lawmaker for openly calling a North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker "trash."







Rep. Park Young-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) hurled the insult toward Rep. Tae Young-ho of the PPP during a parliamentary interpellation earlier this week after Tae accused DP lawmakers of remaining silent about the North's human rights issue.







"Stringent disciplinary action is necessary for the unimaginably defamatory and insulting remarks," Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, a floor spokesman for the PPP, told reporters.







Following the controversy, Tae made a brief visit to the site where DP leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, has been on an indefinite hunger strike against President Yoon Suk Yeol's government.







Tae called for an apology and demanded the resignation of Park, saying that in North Korea, the term "trash" refers to someone who should be expelled from society. (Yonhap)


The Justice Department revealed U.S. hospitals have paid millions of dollars in ransom to a cybercriminal network with suspected ties to Russian intelligence, according to CNN.

The FBI has been investigating the ransomware gang for years, and the Justice Department indicted nine members on Sept. 7, offering multimillion dollar rewards for tips leading to the alleged criminals, who are still at large.

According to the indictment, the men are accused of using TrickBot to hack computers and Conti to lock them until ransom was paid. The group has targeted around 300 organizations in the U.S., including hospitals.

Even after the cyberattack is resolved, costs are high to restore IT systems.

Healthcare companies overall are spending more than any other industry to recover from cyberattacks, according to an IBM analysis reported by The Wall Street Journal. Healthcare companies spend on average nearly $11 million to recover from a cyberattack, compared to around $6 million for financial companies and $3 million for retailers.

The report also noted there have been more than 400 cyberattacks on healthcare companies and 61 million people have had their medical data stolen or exposed online in 2023 so far, which is up from previous years.
Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings-owned Waterbury (Conn.) Hospital has notified 26 staff they will lose their jobs at the facility. Seventeen of the 26 are in clinical positions including patient assistants and surgical technicians while the remainder are non-clinical, Prospect said.

The news follows the elimination of travel nurses in the hospital's emergency department, according to a Republican American report. Patient care assistants are responsible for such tasks as blood work and monitoring patient vitals while surgical technicians work as part of a team delivering surgical care.

The hospital is one of three facilities in the state Prospect Medical is looking to sell to Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health and one of the 16 hospitals nationwide affected by a recent ransomware attack on Prospect.

All the clinical staff affected have been offered open positions within the company and 20 of the 26 total staff members affected have taken up new roles, Prospect Medical said.

Concerns have been heightened that such cost-cutting practices may affect patient care at the hospital.

"They are basically trying to squeeze as much as they can out of Waterbury Hospital and they are not putting any money into the hospital," said Frank Marcella, a registered nurse at Waterbury Hospital. "Prospect Medical Holdings does not care how their money-saving decisions affect the community of Waterbury."

Prospect Medical said it stands behind its investment in the Waterbury community in the past several years.

"We stand proudly behind our track record of supporting and investing in our hospitals and communities in Connecticut since acquiring Eastern Connecticut Health Network and Waterbury Hospital in 2016," the system said in a statement provided to Becker's.

Editor note: Updated to include clarification on the number of positions affected and further comment from Prospect Medical.
Tacoma, Wash.-based Sound Physicians has named Jeff Alter as CEO. He succeeds Robert Bessler, MD, who founded the company in 2001 and will continue to advise on its board of directors.

Sound Physicians is a physician-led medical group made up of more than 4,000 clinicians who practice in 400-plus hospitals across 45 states, according to a Sept. 6 news release. It is partly owned by UnitedHealth Group's Optum Health, which purchased the company alongside private equity firm Summit Partners for $2.2 billion in 2018.

Mr. Alter is joining the company after serving as CEO of Summit Health from October 2021 until the company's acquisition by Walgreens' VillageMD in January 2023. Before Summit Health, he served in leadership roles at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare.

Summit Health-CityMD was formed in 2019 when Summit, a physician-governed multispecialty medical group serving patients in the New York-New Jersey metro area, and CityMD, an urgent care provider in the New York metro area, merged.






Hershey, Pa., was once a one-party town. Like other communities in the country, the leftward change to its voter composition has coincided with the growth of the health system headquartered there, according to Politico.

Penn State Health is the top private employer in Dauphin County, which includes Hershey, with nearly 17,000 employees. As the health system has grown, Hershey  once a Republican stronghold  now has nearly an equal presence of Democrats. From 2010 through 2022, as Penn State Health expanded, Democratic voter registration increased more than 19 percent in Hershey.

"The growth of the healthcare employees in the area is affecting the outcome of Election Day," David Feidt, Republican Party chair for Dauphin County, told Politico. "You can see the shifts in the numbers."

Politico points to Hershey as a microcosm for a trend playing out in Pennsylvania suburbs and across the country, in which physicians are increasingly a reliable Democratic constituency.

The profession skewed Republican in the 1990s and 2000s, when many still worked in small and private practices and shared GOP-aligned business interests. The majority of physicians now work outside of private practices and for integrated health systems, contributing to changing politics along with medical schools' increased attention to social issues and younger physicians' progressivism.

"It used to be that doctors were sort of entrepreneurs [who] had their own businesses," one Hershey physician told Politico. "So we are well-paid, blue-collar workers, but we are more cogs in the machine and cogs in the machine prefer Democrats."

Physicians' leftward shift has coincided with their increased turnout as voters, as quantified in JAMA. Historically, physicians voted at a lower rate than the general population.

Read Politico's full-length article about physicians' political affiliations and healthcare's role in changing voter composition here.
Southern states such as Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia have enacted laws that are paving the way for large hospital mergers, despite research indicating that lack of competition often leads to fewer services at higher costs, NC Newsline reported Sept. 7.

This year, Mississippi passed a law that exempted hospital acquisitions from state antitrust laws, as well as classified community hospitals as government entities, making them immune from antitrust enforcement.

The exemption, which eases restrictions on hospital mergers, was made to create a solution as half of Mississippi's rural hospitals are at risk of closing, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.

North Carolina is considering mimicking the same law for the University of North Carolina's health system.

Additionally, officials from Louisiana approved a $150 million hospital acquisition last year that spurred a legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission over whether they allowed a monopoly, according to the publication.

Meanwhile, states such as South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia have certificates of public advantage laws that allow state agencies to determine whether hospitals can merge, essentially getting organizations around federal antitrust laws.

According to the publication, this gives large hospital systems a lot of political power in many of these states.

Although the states believe mergers and consolidation can save rural and failing hospitals, research shows otherwise.

"There's a large body of research showing that healthcare consolidation leads to increases in prices without clear evidence it improves quality," Zachary Levinson, PhD, a project director at KFF, a nonprofit healthcare policy research organization, who analyzes the business practices of hospitals and other providers and their impact on costs, told the publication.

According to a study from the Rural Policy Research Institute at the University of Iowa, when rural hospitals become affiliated with a larger health system, it affects the number of services they offer.

The study found that most rural hospitals lose services when they join larger systems.
Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences's debt collection lawsuits have skyrocketed since 2019 with more than 8,000 patients, including more than 500 of its staff, for unpaid medical debts, a CNN investigation found.

CNN said the university's use of court to collect debts leaped during the pandemic, going from about 35 lawsuits in 2016 to more than 3,000 in 2021. Most of the lawsuits filed were for debts of $1,000 or less, despite the university taking on hundreds in court filing fees, attorney fees and more. In thousands of cases, the university was allowed to garnish defendants' wages or bank accounts, leading to dramatic consequences for some, the report found.

Some patients and past or current employees who have been sued by the UAMS told CNN that they had to declare bankruptcy, take second jobs or cut down on food for their families in order to pay the bill.

Berneta Haynes, a lawyer with the National Consumer Law Center who has studied medical debt, told CNN that UAMS appeared to be using some of "the most egregious types of collections practices. Hounding people for money, wage garnishments, seizure of bank accounts, all over minimal amounts of money."

UAMS defended its collection practices and told Becker's they only collect on a very small percentage of patient visits, approximately 0.0013 percent, and never collect for patients on Medicaid or Medicare, unemployed patients or those below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

"Under our current billing methodology we will only take legal action after many months  typically 12 or more  of regularly communicating through letters and phone calls to those with the ability to pay, asking them to set up and follow a payment plan. Some of those have been as small as $5-$10 a month," Leslie Taylor, vice chancellor of communications and marketing, told Becker's. "We have a responsibility to our state, to taxpayers and to our 12,000 employees to seek reimbursement for our services from those who are employed, insured and have the ability to pay.  We believe our approach to billing and collections is designed to be fair and we adhere to the American Hospital Association guidelines."

The sudden increase in debt lawsuits could be connected to a 2019 partnership with debt collection firm Mid-South Adjustment Company, according to CNN. Court documents showed some of the lawsuits said bills should be paid to Mid-South, and most of the collection suits were represented by Mid-South's attorney, Brad Dowler. The collection agency has been paid more than $3.1 million by UAMS since the partnership.
Kaiser Permanente has agreed to a $49 million settlement to resolve claims that its hospital and health plan subsidiaries unlawfully disposed of hazardous waste, medical waste and protected health information at California facilities.

The settlement with Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals results from undercover inspections of dumpsters from 16 different Kaiser facilities, conducted by the district attorneys' offices.

"During those inspections, the district attorneys' offices reviewed the contents of unsecured dumpsters destined for disposal at publicly accessible landfills, finding hundreds of items of hazardous and medical waste (aerosols, cleansers, sanitizers, batteries, electronic wastes, syringes, medical tubing with body fluids, and pharmaceuticals) and over 10,000 paper records containing the information of over 7,700 patients," according to the news release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta about the settlement.

As part of its settlement, Kaiser will pay $47.25 million, and an additional $1.75 million in civil penalties if it does not spend $3.5 million on enhanced environmental compliance measures at its California facilities within five years.

The integrated health system must also retain an independent third-party auditor to perform at least 520 trash compactor audits at its California facilities and conduct at least 40 programmatic field audits annually for five years.
A Rhode Island nurse is in critical condition after he was assaulted by a patient, ABC affiliate WPRI reported Sept. 8.

Providence police said the male nurse was "violently assaulted" around 7:30 a.m. while working in Rhode Island Hospital's psychiatric department. No weapons were involved and the patient is in custody.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and our thoughts are with our employee, the employee's family, and their co-workers at the hospital and throughout Lifespan," Kathleen Hart, a spokesperson for Lifespan, told WPRI. She added that assistance and support is available for employees who witnessed the event.
In May, some hospitals started reporting a positive trend: Former nurses who left their full-time positions for travel gigs or earlier in the pandemic were interested in returning.

"The boomerang nurses have returned," Gail Vozzella, DNP, Houston Methodist's chief nursing executive, told The Wall Street Journal at the start of May. At that time, the hospital had seen about 60 nurses return since the start of the year.

Pay rates for travel nurse assignments have come down significantly from peak periods of demand earlier in the pandemic, often cited as a key factor driving some nurses back to their former employers.

In a Sept. 6 post, Wolters Kluwer outlined several benefits for hospitals rehiring former nurses:

Boomerang nurses gained new experiences and skills they can offer to support their original organization's growth and improvement.

They're familiar with the culture and would be able to acclimate back into their jobs quickly

They're less costly to reorient.

They may be more engaged than external hires, based on research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that suggests boomerang employees are typically more satisfied and committed to their roles, and receive stronger performance reviews.

"Where employers were once leary about returning staffers, there has been a mindset shift in the post-COVID environment," the information technology company said in its blog post, citing a survey where 76 percent of HR professionals said they are more open to hiring former employees than they were in the past.
Becker's reported on two spine and orthopedic setlements in the last month.

1. A woman whose bowel was perforated during spine surgery won a $1.1 million settlement. Rachid Assina, MD, operated on Miriam Franco in 2019 at University Hospital in Newark, N.J. A couple days after surgery, she had an elevated heart rate and a CT scan showed she had air in her abdomen. Four days after her surgery, a surgeon found Ms. Franco's bowel was perforated, and she developed an infection.

2. The four orthopedic surgeons who sued Grand Rapids-based Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan over a noncompete clause have reached a settlement. The surgeons filed their lawsuit in January alleging OAM's noncompete clause forced them to leave Kent County. They previously worked with OAM and wanted to work for IHA, an affiliate of Trinity Health, as employed physicians. But OAM allegedly insisted on enforcement of its noncompete clause.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Aug. 29. Yonhap





President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a motion for the dismissal of a left-leaning commissioner of the state media regulation agency Friday for violating conflict-of-interest rules, the presidential office said.







Earlier in the day, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that Choung Min-young, one of the nine commissioners of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) recommended by the opposition bloc, had breached the law prohibiting commissioners from engaging in personal activities related to their duties.







Yoon, currently on an overseas trip to Indonesia and India, approved the motion, which had been submitted by the Ministry of Personnel Management, the presidential office said in a press release.







Choung, a lawyer by profession, had previously represented TV broadcaster MBC in a lawsuit concerning the broadcasting of a subtitled video featuring Yoon last year. The video had created the impression that he had used vulgar language to refer to U.S. President Joe Biden.







"Despite a clear conflict of interest, Choung neither reported nor abstained from such activities in accordance with relevant legislation and continued to participate in the KCSC's deliberations and votes on disciplinary actions involving MBC broadcasting personnel 56 times," a presidential official said.







The official also emphasized the importance of regaining the KCSC's fairness in dealing with "fake news," adding that Choung's activities have damaged the commission's functions.







Following the announcement, Choung expressed regret for failing to adhere to the new KCSC rules that order commissioners to report to the agency before engaging in such activities.







With his dismissal, a total of four commissioners recommended by the ruling party and three by the opposition bloc will now serve on the commission. Another commissioner was dismissed earlier, and the position remains vacant.







Later in the day, the KCSC chose Ryu Hee-lim, a former journalist recommended by the ruling party, as the new chairman. (Yonhap)


Belfast law firm at centre of Nama Project Eagle controversy has won its legal battle with insurers

Belfast law firm Tughans faces significant claim from the UK affiliate of US law firm Brown Rudnick

The former offices of Belfast law firm Tughans at Marlborough House in the city

Shane Phelan Fri 8 Sep 2023 at 11:50

A law firm being sued for millions of euros in the fallout from one of the biggest and most controversial property transactions in Irish history will be able to rely on its professional indemnity insurance should it lose the case, a court has ruled.
MJM Group in Newry has announced $150m in new work for 2023/24. Previously, it's worked on projects including the fit-out of cruise ship the Azamara Pursuit

Northern Ireland ship outfitting firm MJM Marine has said its won $150m of new work in the global cruise industry for 2023/24.

The Newry-based business create more than 100 new jobs as a result of the new work, bringing its workforce to 300.

The company is due to give more detail about new contracts this morning on board cruise ship Celebrity Apex, docked in Belfast. Celebrity Cruises is a brand in the Royal Caribbean Group, and one of MJM Marines trade partners.

The company said its strong order book includes seven of the worlds biggest brands, with delivery taking place across the world including Singapore, Europe and The Bahamas.

Gary Annett, CEO MJM Marine, said: We are delighted to be here this morning on Celebrity Apex with a number of our team to make this announcement. We have a really exciting growth trajectory and new opportunities right across the business.

"The new roles are predominantly based at our headquarters in Newry and range from operations and project management to commercial and other business support roles. This represents a multi-million-pound GVA (Gross Value Add) to the local economy in salary contribution and significantly more in value to the local and national supply chain.

There are more than 500 cruise ships active at the moment with regular refit and upgrade schedules. We have visibility of the future requirements, so we are confident of a buoyant long term project pipeline.

Naoimh McConville, group managing director at parent company Rathbane Group, added: We are thrilled to announce the next phase of growth for MJM Marine. We are committed to strengthening our operations by investing for the future to make a positive impact for our people and planet.

To achieve this, we are launching an extensive recruitment drive aimed at attracting top talent, to complement our dynamic team. Our people are the force behind driving innovation and delivering industry firsts, which is the platform for our strong culture and performance.

"We take pride in our record for securing repeat business and the development of collaborative client relationships, with brands who entrust us time and again with their refit work.

MJM Marine is hosting an open recruitment day on Saturday from 10am to 1pm at its headquarters in Carnbane Business Park, Newry. The event is drop in and will include factory and office tours, with interviews on the day.
Liam Neeson and Ciaran Hinds in Netflix drama In the Land of Saints and Sinners

Liam Neeson in Netflix drama In the Land of Saints and Sinners

A new Netflix movie starring Liam Neeson  which has been dubbed Irish Avengers  has received a mixed response from critics and fans after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners, which follows Neeson as disillusioned hitman Finbar Murphy hiding in a sleepy Irish village, premiered out of competition at the prestigious event on Wednesday.

It also stars Oscar nominees Ciaran Hinds and Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Tony and Olivier nominee Sarah Greene, Conor MacNeill, and Seamus OHara.

Read more Liam Neesons new action film slammed by critics

In the first wave of reviews from the festival, critics lambasted the film as a dressed-up version of Ballymena-born Neesons usual action fare, but did praise aspects of the drama, including its performances.

The Hollywood Reporter unfavourably compared the film to the Jamie Dornan-led Wild Mountain Thyme, which was savaged by reviewers for its casts Irish accents  including Co Down native Dornans.

Overwritten, overripe and likely destined to be streaming fodder, continues the review, which also revealed that Kerry Condon  who starred in last years Oscar nominated Irish melodrama The Banshees of Inisherin  plays an IRA spitfire with a fondness for the C-word.

Liam Neeson and Ciaran Hinds in Netflix drama In the Land of Saints and Sinners

Condons character Doireann sets the stage in the opening action sequence where she leads an operation to plant a car bomb in Belfast.

While the film is set in 1974 when The Troubles were still raging, that bitter political conflict is merely background wallpaper for a formulaic faux-Western, critic David Rooney adds.

Neeson does his best to bring integrity to the role, exuding a weary nobility while Condon scowls and snarls and probably spends a lot of time thinking wistfully about Martin McDonaghs dialogue.

But the script is awash in cliches and the movie lacking in excitement despite plenty of guns and knives and bombs. The best that can be said about In the Land of Saints and Sinners is that its at least cast with Irish actors, so the accents are authentic, if the same cant be said for much else.

Read more In the Land of Saints and Sinners official trailer released

Loud and Clear Reviews calls the drama a handsome but inauthentic movie and criticised the Irish-stacked cast for failing to bring some grounded authentic grit to the performances.

Neeson brings a bit of old charm to the role of Finbar, and anchors the action admirably. Condon gets plenty of ripe dialogue to chew on, but Hinds and the rest of the cast are left peddling cliches, writes Philip Bagnall in his review.

He also compares the film to Dornans Thyme but also to sentimental romance PS I Love You due to its on-the-nose Irish-esque accents. By the time an explosive denouement comes around, most audience members will struggle to go along with what theyre seeing.

Directed by famed Clint Eastwood producer Robert Lorenz, In the Land marks his second collaboration with Neeson after 2021s The Marksman, which was not received well by critics.

Its also written by Terry Loane and Mark Michael McNally, with Loane best known as the scribe behind Belfast fairytale Mickeybo and Me.

In the Lands of Saints and Sinners will premiere on Netflix, with a release date yet to be announced.
Director Prasanna Puwanarajah takes a selfie with Seana Kerslake and Patrick Kielty on the red carpet at the Light House Cinema, Dublin.

Seana Kerslake, who co-stars alongside Patrick Kielty in the Dundrum presenters dramatic debut, has suggested that his wife Cat Deeley appears as a guest on The Late Late Show.

Kerslake and Kielty play the leading roles in the upcoming film Ballywalter, set as the title suggests in the harbour village on the Co Down coast.

The comedy-drama follows Shane (Kielty) who has exiled himself to Ballywalter following the break-up of his marriage. He tries to get his life back on track by enrolling in a stand-up comedy course.

Eileen (Kerslake) is an unrepentant university dropout whose dreams of a successful life in London have fallen by the wayside, and as she starts working as an unlicensed taxi driver back home in Belfast, she begins shuttling Shane back and forward from the city for his classes.

Kerslakes performance saw her nominated in the Lead Actress  Film category of the Irish Film and Television Awards earlier this year

Read more Exclusive first look: New promo released ahead of The Late Late Show series return with Patrick Kielty

Ballywalter will hit UK and Irish audiences on Friday, September 22  the same day as Kieltys second episode hosting The Late Late Show.

At one point at the start of the year, we were hoping to get on The Late Late Show as guests for this film, so thats going to be interesting, he told the Belfast Telegraph.

The first Friday night (September 15) is my first show and then the second Friday night is when this comes out. Exciting times, so watch this space for guests.

Both Kerslake and Kielty spoke to this newspaper about their upcoming film, which was directed by former Line Of Duty actor, Prasanna Puwanarajah.

When also asked about potentially having Kerslake or other future guests on The Late Late Show, the Dublin actress said: Id like to see you and Cat [Deeley]. Id like to see you sit there so I could feel like, what goes on?

Kielty joked: Thanks for that! Thats really not a constructive suggestion, but thanks for that. Watch this space.

Director Prasanna Puwanarajah takes a selfie with Seana Kerslake and Patrick Kielty on the red carpet at the Light House Cinema, Dublin.

Kielty has been married to fellow TV presenter and actress Deeley for 13 years, and the couple live together in London with their two children.

While he did not reveal whether his family would attend his first Late Late Show next week, the 52-year-old did say that one of his dream guests would be a former Manchester United manager. Maybe someone like Alex Ferguson, I suppose as someone who grew up supporting Man United; that would be something, he said.

The best part of The Late Late Show is for me, to talk to so many different people from so many different walks of life, so theres not really going to be one dream guest.

Whats great about the show is that its live and well have two or three guests on.

Its just about getting started and getting the first one out of the way, thats what Im looking forward to.

He did keep quiet on the prospect of one potential guest appearance though, following some new headlines this week.

Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones told The Irish Sun that he hopes Kielty will have the band back on The Late Late Show, as they did not feature once during Ryan Tubridys 14-year tenure as host.

The trad group were last on RTEs prime Friday night programme in 2007, when Pat Kenny was at the helm.

Warfields words came after 30,000 people attended the Wolfe Tones gig at the Irish music festival, Electric Picnic, where thousands of people were filmed singing Ooh ah, up the Ra to their Celtic Symphony song.

Back in January, speaking on The Tommy Tiernan Show about the same song, Kielty had said: Its a lot easier to sing a rebel song about a united Ireland than to not sing it and have it.

What Im saying is that you cant physically unite the island and have nearly a million unionists up the road joining this country without changing some furniture to make those people feel welcome.

Read more Patrick Kielty announces his new film is to be shown in NI cinemas

When asked if having those conversations on The Late Late Show with the band could be a viable option, Kielty politely commented: I have no interest in getting into a Wolfe Tones chat here today. Thats another chat for another day.

While Kielty will now take on the role of Irelands biggest broadcasting job, he still remains grateful and close to his humble beginnings, including the fact that he was the first man to take to the stage of south Belfasts Empire Comedy Club back in 1992.

For me, to be from Co Down and be in a movie set in Co Down  that was just amazing, although Im not sure whether you take it as a compliment when somebody says, were looking for somebody that is middle-aged, who wants to be a comedian, but doesnt get any laughs, and we want you.

I started out in The Empire Comedy Club. For the final scenes of this movie to be in The Empire Comedy Club, is a real sort of full circle. All that stuff was really special.

He did note that he perhaps resonated with his character more than he would have liked to.

Im meant to be playing somebody whose life is completely on the skit and hes out of shape and down on his luck.

I was brought into the make-up chair on the first day to kind of make me look worse to become Shane. The make-up girl just looked at me in the mirror and went, I think hes absolutely good.

So sadly, theres a lot more that I can relate to with Shane than I previously thought!

The NI star continued: I think for both of us [Kerslake and Kielty] its more about the bit of heart that both our characters have, trying to make that connection and two broken people trying to maybe save each other.

Ballywalter, which was shot on location in Northern Ireland and had its world premiere at last years Belfast Film Festival, will be released in cinemas across Ireland and the UK on September 22.
Jessica Chastain has spoken of her nervousness at attending the Venice Film Festival amid the Hollywood actor strikes.

The 46-year-old Oscar-winning actress is backing the industrial action by US actors union Sag-Aftra who are in a disagreement with studio bosses.

Since the beginning of the strike, some independent productions have been granted interim agreements to allow them to resume filming and promotions, which allowed Chastain to attend the festival in Italy.

Speaking at a press conference for her new movie Memory on Friday, Chastain said: I was incredibly nervous to be here today (at Venice) and actually there are some people on my team who advised me against it.

Im very lucky Its a wonderful profession what we get to do as actors and we are quite often, because of that, made to feel like we have to be quiet in order to protect future working opportunities, and we are often told and reminded how grateful we should be.

And that is the environment that I think has allowed workplace abuse to go unchecked for many decades and is also the environment that has saddled members of our union with unfair contracts.

I am here because Sag-Aftra has been explicitly clear that the way to support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket lines and to work and support interim agreement projects.

Its what our national board, our negotiating committee and our elected leadership has asked us to do.

When independent producers, like the ones here, sign these interim agreements they are letting the (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) AMPTP know that actors deserve fair compensation, AI protections should be implemented, and there should be sharing of streaming (revenues).

I hope my being here today encourages other independent producers, and encourages actors to show up (at festivals) and support our union members.

Hopefully we will see an end to this strike soon and hopefully AMPTP will go back to the table.

This follows Adam Driver telling the same event he was in solidarity with the strike before the premiere of Ferrari at the festival, while criticising streaming companies.

He said: Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what (Sag-Aftra) is asking for but a big company like Netflix and Amazon cant?

Actors began industrial action after failing to negotiate new contracts with the AMPTP, over issues of fair pay and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in films.

The 2023 Sag-Aftra strike, which began in July, has meant the absence of several stars at festivals and film premieres along with the delay of awards ceremonies.

On Friday, the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain announced that Spanish actor and No Country For Old Men star Javier Bardem will accept its Donostia Award next year due to the strike.

However, the festival did confirm that French actress Juliette Binoche and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen alongside British actors James Norton and Dominic West would attend its event.
A taxi driver recorded allegedly threatening a passenger with a gun must remain in custody, a judge ruled today.

Belfast man Brian Stalford, 49, was refused bail amid claims that he used the pistol to strike the victim over a suspected drug debt.

His lawyer argued that he has been detained for three months in surreal circumstances where police have received no statement of complaint.

But District Judge George Conner held: I do not believe we have moved sufficiently forward for delay to be a ground for releasing Mr Stalford.

Stalford, from Park Avenue, faces charges of possessing a firearm or imitation firearm, common assault and making threats to kill during a taxi journey on March 26 this year.

He is further accused of having a small quantity of suspected cocaine when police arrested him in June.

Read more Sacked taxi driver denied bail as court told he is East Belfast UVF enforcer

Detectives launched an investigation after the dashcam footage, recorded in Holywood, Co Down, was posted online.

Northern Ireland taxi driver pulls gun on terrified passenger over alleged drugs debt

The recording shows Stalford dressed in a fonaCAB uniform and pointing a gun directly at his front seat passenges face and knees, according to the prosecution.

He allegedly issued a threat to take the mans head off before telling him to works his debt off and declaring: You are lucky Im not taking your f****** knees out.

It was claimed that at one point he struck the man in the face with the muzzle of the suspected firearm.

Both the front seat passenger and another man in the rear of the taxi were said to have been shaken by his actions.

Stalford was sacked by fonaCAB once the dashcam footage began to circulate on June 1.

A previous court heard he attempted to flee once the clip went viral, with a bag containing a sentimental family photograph packed when police went to arrest him.

In a prepared statement, Stalford claimed the taxi incident had been a consensual planned prank.

At Belfast Magistrates Court today, prosecution counsel confirmed there is to be further forensic analysis of the video depicting either a real or fake gun.

Defence solicitor Mark Austin argued that his client is being held in continued custody amid delays over a half baked investigation file.

He is faced with the surreal set of circumstances where he is accused of threatening someone who hasnt made a complaint to the police, the lawyer added.

Mr Stalford is not the most sinister person to appear before any of these courts this morning.

Denying bail, however, Judge Conner identified no new grounds to justify his release.

Stalford was remanded in continuing custody until October 6.
Dissident republican Gavin Coyle, who appeared on Friday at Belfast Crown Court ahead of sentencing at a later date (Credit: Alan Lewis)

A Co Tyrone man whose car was used in a dissident republican bomb attack on a police officer was today told he will be sentenced in the coming weeks.

Following a two-day hearing at Belfast Crown Court, Belfast Recorder Judge Patricia Smyth told Gavin Coyle: I have read all the written submissions in this case which demonstrates that there are very difficult issues that have to resolved.

I will pass sentence as soon as I can but I can't give a date for that.'

Coyle (46), from Mullaghmore Drive in Omagh, who appeared at court via video-link from Maghaberry Prison, admitted two terrorist charges arising from the May 2008 undercar bomb blast.

A constable sustained serious injuries after a device exploded under his vehicle as he was making his way to work from his home near Castlederg, Co Tyrone.

Coyle pleaded guilty to membership of the Irish Republican Army between May 1, 2007 and May 13, 2008.

He also admitted providing property to be used for the purpose of terrorism  namely his Audi A4  on May 11, 2008.

A prosecuting barrister told the court that in the early hours of May 12, 2008, Coyle's Audi was used in the deployment of a bomb which was planted under the vehicle of a police constable serving in Enniskillen.

At around 9pm the following evening, the officer got into his Ford Focus which had been parked in the driveway of his home on the outskirts of Castlederg.

He was en route to a night shift and as he drove along the Drumnabey Road a bomb, which had been placed directly under the drivers seat, exploded.

The officer managed to bring his car to a halt and exit the vehicle. He collapsed on the side of the road whilst the car burst into flames.

He was initially rushed to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry where he underwent a first round of surgery before being transferred to the Ulster Hospital in Belfast where further surgery was required.

The Crown KC said the police officer was known to Coyle by virtue of the upbringing in the same locality but the two men were not friends.

Prior to the bomb attack, Coyle attempted to obtain information on the constable from two mutual acquaintances.

This information, the barrister said, was not of itself capable of mounting this attack, nor is there evidence he communicated what he learned to others.

Coyle was arrested in the aftermath of the bomb blast and made no comment during interview.

Regarding Coyle's Audi A4 car, the prosecutor told the Belfast Recorder: The defendant has pleaded guilty on the basis he offered up the use of his vehicle to others who participated in the planting of the bomb.

The defendant falls to be sentenced on the basis he knew that in so doing, the vehicle would be used for a terrorist purpose, though he did not know the precise purpose of those whom he provided it to.

Defence counsel Greg Berry KC said that in the agreed basis of plea document between the prosecution and defence, Coyle pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed organisation and providing property to be used for terrorism.

He accepts during the period between May 1, 2007 and May 13, 2008, he was a member of the IRA. That on May 11, 2008, he provided his Audi A4 car to others knowing that it would be used for the purposes of terrorism.

It is agreed that the defendant was not aware of the precise nature of its use when he provided the car.

He accepts that his car was used in the deployment of the bomb which was planted under the vehicle of a police constable in the early hours of May 12, 2008.

"He was aware of that but only after the events. There was no knowledge beforehand.

He sought information about the constable of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism against the officer but he didn't have a legitimate reason for doing that.

But the crucial part is that the information Mr Coyle obtained was not of itself capable of mounting this attack nor is there evidence that he communicated what he learned to others.

When Mr Coyle provided his vehicle he did not know or suspect that it was to be used in targeting this police constable.

Mr Berry told the Belfast Recorder there was delay in bringing the case against Coyle which should be taken into account when fixing the appropriate sentence.
UUP leader Doug Beattie has dismissed comments by Irish premier Leo Varadkar that there will be a united Ireland in his lifetime and said he would not engage with conversations to shape a united Ireland.

On Thursday, the Taoiseach urged people to consider those in Northern Ireland who identify as British, and what actions could be construed by them as deeply offensive.

Mr Varadkar made the comments after being asked about the Wolfe Tones, an Irish folk band that drew the largest ever crowd to a tent at the Electric Picnic music festival in Stradbally, Co Laois, at the weekend.

Speaking on the BBCs Good Morning Ulster programme, UUP leader Doug Beattie accepted comments from Mr Varadkar were thoughtful as he considered how, in the event of a united Ireland, to make it a welcoming place for a minority unionist population.

Read more Cynics will doubt him but Leo Varadkars words show how far unity debate has come

Mr Beattie said the Taoiseachs aspiration is for a united Ireland is fair enough but as a unionist he believes maintaining NIs place in the United Kingdom is the best way forward.

Regardless of what your aspiration is, a united Ireland or a United Kingdom, you have to put a plan on the table of how you think youre going to achieve that.

I see no plan for a united Ireland being put on the table, but what you were saying, yes, he was being thoughtful, he said that there would be a million people with a British identity would come into a united Ireland and they would need to think about that.

If they havent started thinking about that yet then there are an awful long way off putting anything on the table.

Read more I believe there will be a united Ireland in my lifetime, Varadkar says

'New Ireland' inevitable says DUP founding member Wallace Thompson

The UUP leader disagreed with the assertion of former DUP founder Wallace Thompson that a New Ireland is inevitable and a case could be made for a strong United Kingdom and Northern Ireland being part of that.

He added: But I think people would be foolish if they thought these discussions werent happening. They would be foolish if they didnt realise that there are those who have a unionist identity who are now exploring other options. They would be foolish if they didnt do that.

They would also be complacent if they didnt think that. Whats really important for me as a unionist is that we get Northern Ireland back up and running, that is our devolved government, we make Northern Ireland work, and we make this a place for all of the people, for all of the communities, regardless of your religion or regardless of your sexual orientation or your community background.

Thats the challenge for me and for unionists and the vision that I want to push forward. And right now by having no devolved government we are making it very hard to sell the union to people.

Mr Beattie said he would not engage with the likes of Mr Varadkar about the needs of unionists within a united Ireland as he has no interest in designing a united Ireland that Im against.

Asked if he would leave NI if there were to be a united Ireland, as former First Minister Arlene Foster once said, Mr Beattie explained that Northern Ireland would always be his home. Ill be going nowhere.

He countered remarks by the Taoiseach saying: I dont think there will be a united Ireland in my lifetime.
SK hynix's semiconductor factory in Wuxi, China / Courtesy of SK hynix



Concerns grow over US-China trade war's impact on Korean chipmakers



By Park Jae-hyuk



SK hynix's stock price fell sharply on Friday, following a report that the Korean firm's memory chips were used in the latest smartphone from Huawei Technologies. But the Korean company claims it has been abiding by U.S. restrictions on chip exports to China.



The chipmaker's stock price plunged nearly 5 percent during intraday trading on Friday and closed at 113,700 won ($85), down 4.05 percent from the previous session.



Over the past three years, the U.S. government has banned international suppliers of advanced technology from dealing with Huawei, due to fears of their hardware being used to aid China's military.



SK hynix claimed it is strictly abiding by the U.S. export restrictions, while Huawei has remained silent on how it secured the Korean firm's products.



"SK hynix no longer does business with Huawei since the introduction of the U.S. restrictions against the company. And with regard to the issue, we started an investigation to find out more details," the company said in a statement.



Korea Investment Securities analyst Chae Min-sook said there is a slim chance that the recent revelation will lead to U.S. sanctions being placed on SK hynix's business in China.



However, retail investors appear to be concerned about the possibility.



Some of them even questioned the credibility of SK hynix's explanation, considering that SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has continuously emphasized the importance of the Chinese market, despite the exodus of Korean companies from the world's second-largest economy.



"As Korea's largest trade partner, China is an irreplaceable market," Chey told reporters in July. "If we abandon the Chinese market, there will be significant damage to our economy."



SK hynix has its factory in the Chinese city of Wuxi, but the company has imported all products from the factory to Korea and then exported them globally.



"Amid China's ban on the use of iPhones by government staff, the news on Huawei caused fears over the possibility that the U.S. Department of Commerce may sanction SK hynix," Mertiz Securities analyst Kim Sun-woo said.



The Chinese government recently ordered government officials not to use Apple smartphones at work, in an apparent retaliation against the U.S. sanction on Huawei.



This measure has further weakened investor sentiment regarding the semiconductor sector.



"Apple has relied nearly 20 percent of its iPhone sales on China," Hi Investment & Securities analyst Song Myung-sup said. "Chipmakers selling DRAM and NAND for iPhone may face a negative impact, as family members of Chinese government staff could be subject to the order."



Industry officials are also on alert as the recent incident may prompt the U.S. government to refuse extending a waiver on restrictions of semiconductor equipment exports to Chinese factories of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which will expire on Oct. 11.



Because the government has continued talks with the U.S. on this issue, there was an optimistic outlook about the extension.


Police deal with on-going disorder in the Creggan area of Derry following a search operation. Credit: Northern Ireland Emergency Response Videos.

Foyle MLA Gary Middleton has accused Colum Eastwood of dog-whistle politics after he appealed for the police to end their operation in Derry so peace can be restored.

Mr Middleton said it is outrageous that the SDLP leader would apparently attempt to dictate when police officers should leave the scene of an operation, which recovered a suspected firearm, pipe bombs and ammunition yesterday.

The inference, the DUP MLA added, that police officers were responsible for disturbances in the area was cheap, dog-whistle politics.

Posting from the scene last night, Mr Eastwood said hed spoken to residents and the police.

"Ive appealed for the police to end their operation as soon as possible so peace can be restored. Violence will solve nothing, he added.

Mr Middleton has now hit out at those comments.

For Colum Eastwood to suggest that police should withdraw from Creggan so peace can be restored is an outrageous comment, he said.

"This was an active police operation which recovered a suspected firearm, as well as a number of suspected pipe bombs and ammunition.

It isnt for Colum Eastwood or anyone else to dictate how long that process should take, particularly when part of the reason officers were there would be to ensure the area is safe when they leave, including for the very people attacking them.

Police officers did not cause the disturbances that occurred in Creggan, they were the victim of them. It was those who prepared the petrol bombs and then used children to throw them who are responsible.

Read more Officer struck on head during rioting in Derry as PSNI seize suspected firearm and pipe bombs

He continued: "Instead of recognising that fact, Colum Eastwood chose to engage in cheap dog-whistle politics, appearing to infer that police were somehow to blame for the entirely unwarranted and disgraceful attack they faced.

It seems unlikely that Colum Eastwoods desire for the police to leave were motivated out of concern for officers injured during this operation, including one apparently struck on the head by masonry.

"He had the time to pose for a picture holding his phone and give the impression he was active on the ground, yet he didnt have the time to use that phone and offer support to public servants who put themselves in harms way to keep our community safe.

Addressing those remarks, an SDLP Spokesperson said Mr Eastwood was on the ground in Creggan last night working with the community and police to ensure that a difficult situation didnt descend into further violence and that the police operation was concluded as quickly as possible.

The statement added: "No right thinking person should want police operations to continue for any longer than necessary.

People commenting from their armchairs this morning would do better to engage constructively to address the serious issues facing policing and confidence in all our communities just as the SDLP is doing."

Earlier today SDLP councillor John Boyle told Radio Foyle he believes that more than one PSNI officer was injured during disturbances in Derry as he sent a message to those behind the alleged arms find to desist.

Police seized a suspected firearm, a number of suspected pipe bombs and a quantity of suspected ammunition during a series of search operations in the Creggan area of the city.

Dozens of officers wearing riot gear came under attack on Creevagh Heights near Blighs Lane yesterday evening.

Petrol bombs, rocks, masonry, steel poles and traffic cones were thrown at police, damaging police land rovers.

Watch: Police deal with ongoing disorder in Creggan area of Derry following search operation

Mr Boyle said: Things on the ground were quite difficult and severe at some points in the evening.

He understands that more than one PSNI officer was injured in disturbances, while not sure of the severity of those injuries he hoped they made a speedy recovery.

The Moor representative added: There are a number of concerns in reality, there were weapons finds, ammunition finds, pipe bombs discovered.

And, you know, its very welcome those weapons are out of the hands of people who might choose to use them against other members of our community.

But also there was a very significant number of young people involved in the disorder in Creggan Heights yesterday evening... very young children in some cases, children Id estimate as young as 9 and 10 years of age.

For them these are very serious situations to be involved in. Running in front of heavily armoured vehicles presents real danger, I would hate to see an incident where someone ended up under the wheels of one of those vehicles, it would be an extreme situation  so I was worried for the safety of all the young people involved.

A photo of the suspected firearm found in the Creggan area of Derry on Thursday September 7, 2023.

Asked if violence directed at the police during searches is accepted as the norm, he said that shouldnt be accepted and it is about educating those involved in disorder.

And those threatening lives and property need to stop doing what theyre doing because then there would be no need for police searches.

Again, I would say to those people, think about that, because the reality of it is youre impacting very significantly and severely on your own community.

Wed a situation last night that was probably exacerbated to some degree because theres a new housing development under construction in Blighs Lane in that area so there was quite a bit of ammunition, for want of a better description, available to those who were wanting to engage in disorder, Mr Boyle concluded.
Rival dealers have set up in the east which would have been unheard of

SHOW OF STRENGTH: Masked loyalists march through Pitt Park in east Belfast in February 2021

Cracks are appearing in the once-impenetrable organised crime gang as members become increasingly disillusioned with the leadership.

Coupled with a series of successful raids by the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, the mob is on the verge of disintegration.

East Belfast UVF, allegedly lead by Stephen Mackers Matthews  who denies membership of the UVF and involvement in criminal activity  has become one of the most prolific criminal organisations in the country.

But this is a gang which has been run with ruthless efficiency.

Nothing moved in the east of the city without its knowledge.

BAIL: Stephen Mackers Matthews

Any drug dealer trying to move in on the terror factions patch was dealt with in a ruthless fashion.

East Belfast UVF had an iron grip on the drugs trade and, despite fraying at the edges, remains the dominant force in that part of Belfast.

But with Matthews awaiting trial on criminal charges relating to an alleged UVF show of strength in the Pitt Park area in February 2021, his influence and control has waned, according to sources.

Read more How loyalist murder squads roamed Belfast streets on night Gerard Lawlor was killed

An estimated 40 masked men took to the streets as part of an internal feud. Matthews (60), his son David (37) and Derek Lammey (58) were charged with unlawful assembly and harassment.

Charges against David, who was recently married at a lavish ceremony at the Galgorm Spa resort, were withdrawn.

His father Stephen was barred from entering east Belfast as part of his bail conditions for much of the time that he had faced charges.

A source has claimed his absence loosened his influence on the organisation, with a number of one-time close allies going their own way.

The fallout from the murder of prominent loyalist Ian Ogle in 2019 has also contributed to his waning influence.

KILLED: Ian Ogle

Five people  four men and a woman  are facing charges in relation to the killing which saw Ogle beaten to death on the street close to his home.

There was also speculation that Matthews was looking for a way out. He has a holiday home in Benidorm and it was rumoured he was considering retiring to a life in the Spanish sun.

His once close relationship with right-hand man David McConnell and trusted sidekick Mark Sewell  who is facing charges in relation to the Ogle murder  turned sour.

McConnell was stood down after he was found to have been dealing drugs on the side. He was allowed to remain inside the organisation but he was effectively stood down.

Read more Hypocrite boss slammed for showing up at Shankill mural unveiling yards from scene of UVF killings

Formerly accused of rape  a charge later dropped  and breaking and entering, McConnell is now a peripheral figure and spends much of his time in Scotland where he has a child to his current partner.

East Belfast rakes in a fortune from the drugs trade and with such vast wealth on offer, a number of members have taken advantage of the uncertainty at leadership level and struck out on their own.

There is also the fear that alleged close ties with Matthews marks them out for attention from the Task Force.

A series of high-profile police successes have heaped pressure on East Belfast UVF leadership.

A near 600,000 seizure of herbal cannabis in Belfast docks in August last year lifted the lid on the extent of East Belfasts operations.

The drugs were discovered when cops stopped a flat-bed lorry. Initial searches uncovered a large cache but acting on information received, they returned to the vehicle and uncovered another stash hidden in a concealed compartment.

Not all the drugs were bound for East Belfast but it raised fears that there was an informant within the group.

Police show a huge drugs haul seized at Belfast harbour in February

Read more 50 years on: The brutal unsolved murder of east Belfast schoolboy Brian McDermott

Only a handful of people knew the details of the shipment which, when seized, left the gang with a huge financial headache.

Mackers has been an absent landlord because of the charges hes facing, said our source. That and the pressure from the peelers has added to the pressure.

An element of trust has disappeared. A number of rival dealers have set up in the east which would have been unheard of only a few years ago.

He said close ties with Dublin-based organised crime gangs including the Kinahan cartel have added to the pressure.

There are those who are not happy dealing with southern gangs, they see it as an added risk and with the pressure the Kinahans are under it can only bring added police attention.

Despite the money theyre still making theres no doubt theyre not the top dogs they once were.
16 PSNI officers were injured during the disorder, police say

Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan and Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton pictured providing an update on the Terrorism Investigation Unit searches and serious disorder in Derry/Londonderry. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

Police deal with disorder in the Creggan area of Derry following a search operation. Credit: Northern Ireland Emergency Response Videos.

Police have said military grade explosives have been seized following a night of severe rioting in Londonderry which involved children as young as eight.

Speaking at a press conference at Police Headquarters in Belfast on Friday, Assistant Chief Constables Mark McEwan and Bobby Singleton said they believe the devices recovered, which included military hand grenades, are linked to the New IRA.

Two men and a woman have been arrested under the Terrorism Act.

ACC Singleton said 16 officers reported injuries, including burns, suspected fractures and head injuries. He added he expects this number to rise.

Watch: Police deal with ongoing disorder in Creggan area of Derry following search operation

The explosive devices were found in residential property in the Creevagh Heights area - two military hand grenades, a further handgun, over 50 rounds of ammunition, and over a kilogram of plastic explosives.

The significance of this recovery cannot be underestimated. These items are military grade, and we believe the intention was to mount attacks and attempt to kill police officers, police said.

Items seized in Derry include ammunition rounds, a suspected firearm, suspected plastic explosives and suspected detonators. Pic PSNI.

As the investigation is ongoing, and we keep an open mind, the primary line of enquiry centres on the New IRA. Not only was the intention to kill and maim, but there is a total disregard for the wider community, said ACC McEwan.

These items were being stored in a residential area, in close proximity to a childrens play area and an attack that would have been mounted, would have taken place in our community.

This is extremely worrying for officers and staff, but be assured this success, this recovery, demonstrates our dedication to pursuing those groups, the professionalism of our teams, and our dogged dedication to bringing these people before the courts.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan and Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton pictured providing an update on the Terrorism Investigation Unit searches and serious disorder in Derry/Londonderry. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

Several families in surrounding properties had to be evacuated while officers handled the military grade explosives.

On Thursday, dozens of officers who while wearing riot gear came under attack on Creevagh Heights near Blighs Lane. Petrol bombs, rocks, masonry, steel poles and traffic cones were thrown at police, damaging police land rovers.

Items seized in Derry include ammunition rounds, a suspected firearm, suspected plastic explosives and suspected detonators. Pic PSNI.

This wasnt just about the security of our officers, but was about public safety and you can see that from the material that was found. Many of our officers were extreme conditions - in personal protective equipment in that heat, at this time we have reported 16 officers injuries. These are from our local policing and tactical support teams, the senior officer added.

The injuries include potential fractures, burns and head injuries.We are very proud of our officers for presenting amazing restraint during this violence, said ACC Singleton, who confirmed while authorisation was given for the use of AEP systems, but no rounds were fired.

Read more Officer struck on head during rioting in Derry as PSNI seize suspected firearm and pipe bombs

PSNI vehicle damaged during the disorder

ACC Singleton said the age group of those involved in the violence was really young and he believes some involved were as young as eight-years old.

He added it could be the case those involved in the rioting and the violence may be sitting in a primary school class room right now.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan paid tribute to the officers involved in dealing with the rioting, despite the events of the past.

Picture of a police officer's injury following disorder in Derry.

On Monday the PSNIs Chief Constable Simon Byrne resigned with immediate effect, saying in a written statement to the Policing Board that it was time for someone new to lead the organisation.

We want to pay tribute to our officers and staff, against the backdrop of a severe terrorist threat, threats against them over the last year, the attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell, most recently the data loss and the events of the last week - they have continued to deliver a first class policing service protecting the most vulnerable and protecting our communities, added ACC McEwan.

The Chair of the Policing Board also condemned the violence in Derry writing in a statement: The ferocity of violence and disorder directed against police officers during this search operation is condemned by the Board, and must be condemned right across the community.

"Our thoughts are with all the officers injured.

Items seized in Derry include ammunition rounds, a suspected firearm, suspected plastic explosives and suspected detonators. Pic PSNI.

"Police have said the material seized during the operation was likely to be used in attacks against the police and we are grateful that these items are now out of the hands of those who would wish to cause serious harm.

"Despite the recent challenges faced within policing, the Board very much recognises and appreciates that all the officers and staff of the PSNI continue to deliver an essential public service to the community and deserve everyones support.

The Police Federation also praised the officers involved in tackling the disturbance.

Items seized in Derry include ammunition rounds, a suspected firearm, suspected plastic explosives and suspected detonators. Pic PSNI.

Our officers involved in these searches and disorder displayed great courage and resilience and deserve great credit and the thanks of this entire community, said chairman Liam Kelly.

They recovered a lethal terrorist arsenal, the contents of which would have been used against colleagues going about their lawful duties. To be subjected to appalling attacks as searches continued is deplorable and must be condemned."
People gathered at mural on Belfasts Shankill Road share memories of monarch on the anniversary of her death

In the shadow of a mural depicting Queen Elizabeth II , and just in front of childrens drawings dedicated to her memory, the people of Belfasts Shankill Road shared their thoughts on the late monarch on the one-year anniversary of her death.

Liz Matthews said: Shes sorely missed. Its been bad. Towards the end of her days she didnt do much, but she was always at the forefront of everything. All that business with Harry and William didnt go down too well.

People of the Shankill remember Queen Elizabeth II one year on

The fan of the royal family explained she was named after the Queen (she also has a sister called Margaret), and while she likes Charles, she does not believe his legacy will stand up to his mothers.

Charles is well over 70. The Queen was on the throne since she was just 25, from the year I was born, she said.

Of course [shes missed]. She was the monarchy for all those years. There isnt another country thats had a queen as long.

Liz Matthews

Asked if she believed the monarchy could keep going as before, she said it could not.

Liz continued: Itll go on, but it wont be the same. This is why we have this mural here on the Shankill  because the people loved and respected her.

Queen Elizabeth II  one year since Britain's longest-reigning monarch died

This time last year, hundreds of people gathered at the mural to pay their respects to the Queen following the news of her death at the age of 96.

Queen Elizabeth in 1968

Yesterday, Sue McFarland, from Carrickfergus, held nothing back when talking about the monarchys future prospects.

She said: William should be on that throne. Charles and I are the same age, you know? A young person could do so much more. The fella isnt getting any younger, no disrespect to him.

I was five years old when the Queen was crowned. There wont be another like her.

Read more Even at 74, King Charles is clocking up the miles

Asked if she missed the late monarch, Ms McFarland replied: Very much so. She was a beautiful lady, as was her mother before her.

An emotional David Holmes, who lives just moments from the mural said: The whole world loved her. She wasnt just the Queen of Britain, she was the Queen of the world.

David Holmes

He shook his head when asked what he thought of King Charles, and said Queen Camilla should not be referred to as such.

Mr Holmes added: She is not the Queen. Queen Victorias husband was called Prince Albert his whole life. [Queen Camilla] has nothing at all to be Queen.

But well get by. [Elizabeth] was a great Queen. She is so missed, here and all over the entire world.

Gillian Simpson, who described herself as a huge fan of the royal family, said it had been a tough year.

It has been different and noticeable without her, she added.

She was a constant we always knew, whether you agree with the royals or not. No one worked harder than her.

Ms Simpson said she did not shy away from the possibility of change, and when asked about Charles face on notes replied: Bring it on.

Gillian and Adrian Simpson

Its a difficult legacy to match, because the King doesnt have the same amount of time, but William and Kate are the future, and their family, she continued.

Asked if Queen Elizabeth was still missed, Tom McAuley, from Belfast, said: Yes, badly.

The work she did for the Commonwealth and here in Northern Ireland will never be replaced.

But we have to give [the King] a chance and we have to support the King.

In my eyes, he cant be half the person his mother was, but I wish him all the best.

[Her death] was a huge loss for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The past year everyone has carried on, but there are people and their families who miss her. She is missed everywhere.

Tom McAuley

Muriel Hughes, also from Belfast, said the past 12 months had been chaos without the late monarchs presence. She added: From a few places, at least. Charles is progressing forward with young people, and today is about the youth.

Its a tough legacy to live up to, but you go with the flow and be delighted.

The monarchy will survive, very much so. There are sensible people about. The Queen was a real lady.

Muriel Hughes

Ellen Galloway said life without Elizabeth had not been good and could have been better. She continued: This year could have been better with her. Charles hasnt been helpful.

William and Catherine would have been better, and Ive said that for quite some time.

The Queen is sorely missed. She was lovely.

Ellen Galloway

Events will be held across Northern Ireland today to mark the one-year anniversary.

Charles and Camilla are not scheduled to appear in public, but the Prince and Princess of Wales will reportedly deliver a message in honour of the Queens legacy.
Its depressing. . . youd think hed have something better to do with his time.

The SDLP has said its depressing that Gregory Campbell couldnt pay tribute to Seamus Heaney without trying to stick the boot into nationalists.

The partys leader Colum Eastwood has withdrawn his support for a motion tabled by the DUP to mark the 10th anniversary of Seamus Heaney.

East Derry MP Gregory Campbell submitted the motion which makes reference to Heaney ruling out the possibility of a united Ireland.

The motion states: That this House notes the recent tenth anniversary of the passing of Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, whose poetry and verse have been read by millions.

And acknowledges his Bellaghy roots in County Londonderry and his Irish Nationalist background, epitomised by a well-known quote from 1983 about not raising a glass to the Queen, followed in later years by another quote during a dispute about the flying of the Union Flag, where he admirably and accurately said, sure theres never going to be a united Ireland, so why dont you let them fly the flag.

The motion is supported by three DUP MPs, Gregory Campbell, Jim Shannon and Paul Girvan, along with Conservative MP Sir Mike Penning.

It notes that Foyle MP Eastwood, who was down as supporting the motion, withdrew his signature on September 6.

An SDLP spokesperson said: Its depressing that Gregory Campbell couldnt pay tribute to Seamus Heaney without trying to stick the boot into nationalists.

"With all the problems our society is facing, youd think hed have something better to do with his time.

Heaneys "passport's green" quote was also used by the SDLP leader and others to criticise the Northern Ireland Office's decision to use the poets image as part of the branding for the centenary campaign.

The full quote Mr Campbell refers to in relation to a united Ireland was made during the Belfast flags protest, and has previously been reported as: As someone who knows something of prejudice, from early on, I can understand the Loyalists  but the unremittingness of it ... I remember, at the very beginning of the Troubles in Derry, Eddie McAteer, a big Nationalist politician, he was like the paterfamilias of Nationalism.

And he said, both sides are entitled to their pageantry! Which was a rather grand utterance, but true enough. But theres no doubt that the Loyalist side take the pageantry to extremes, they wipe the floor with the others.

Loyalism, or Unionism, or Protestantism, or whatever you want to call it, in Northern Ireland it operates not as a class system, but a caste system. And they [the Loyalists] have an entitlement factor running: the flag is part of it. Theres never going to be a united Ireland, you know, he said. So why dont you let them fly the flag?

The DUP has been contacted for comment.
A woman has died at Cahore North Beach in County Wexford this evening, despite efforts to resuscitate her.

Members of the Cahore Inshore Rescue team were called to the scene at 5.09 p.m. on Friday evening, said a spokesperson.

The lady, believed to be aged in her 80s and from the nearby area, was found lying face down on the beach.

Two nurses, who happened to be on the beach, attempted CPR, and two members of the Cahore Inshore Rescue team were present as the defibrillator was deployed.

Paramedics arrived at the scene and made efforts to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

This is the second tragedy on Wexford beaches in three days after a man in his 80s drowned after getting into difficulty on Curracloe beach on Tuesday. It is believed that he was not from the area but was visiting Curracloe with his family.

On the same day, the body of an eight-year-old girl was recovered from the water in Fountainstown, Co Cork.

An extensive search operation had been launched by emergency services after the child went missing while swimming.

On Sunday evening, a surfer died after being pulled from the water in Portrush.

He was spotted in the water by two members of the public, who took him back to shore on a surfboard and performed CPR on him. Unfortunately, he was later pronounced dead.

The eight-year-old girl is the latest in a number of deaths in the sea in Cork in recent weeks. Fourteen year old Jack O'Sullivan died on August 24th last after he got in to difficulty while swimming with friends at Passage West on Cork's Lower Harbour.

Jack had been due to go in to second year at Colaiste Eamann Ris at St Patrick's Road in Cork city. He was described at his funeral as being a charming and friendly young man who radiated joy.

Meanwhile, on August 20th Ivan Chittenden (64) from Toronto, Canada and Brendan Wall (45) of Cardrath, Co Meath died in separate incidents during the swim section of the Ironman event in Youghal, Co Cork.
The Prime Minister said he wants to ensure justice is done in the case of detained Briton Jagtar Singh Johal, but refused to commit to lobbying the Indian premier about the case.

Mr Johal, a Sikh blogger from Dumbarton in Scotland, was in Punjab in northern India for his wedding in 2017 when his family said he was arrested and bundled into an unmarked car.

He said he has been tortured with methods including electric shocks, and faces the death penalty over his activism and campaigning for Sikh human rights.

Rishi Sunak has travelled to New Delhi for the G20, with plans to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the summits fringes.

A cross-party group of at least 70 MPs, according to the Sikh Federation, wrote to Mr Sunak this week calling on him to press the Hindu nationalist leader to immediately release Mr Johal.

It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly wrote to Mr Johals brother in July to say the Government had decided it was best not to press India over the issue, the BBC reported.

Asked by reporters on the plane to New Delhi whether he would raise Mr Johals case with Mr Modi, the Prime Minister said: Both the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office ministers have raised this case on multiple occasions with their counterparts.

We understand what his family are going through and want to make sure that the process works and that justice is done appropriately as well.

Pressed again on whether Mr Johals situation would be part of his bilateral discussion, Mr Sunak replied: Ill be raising a range of things with Prime Minister Modi.

This is something that, just so people are reassured, has already been raised on multiple levels on multiple occasions.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty meet local schoolchildren at the British Council during an official visit ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India (Dan Kitwood/PA)

By Patrick Daly in New Delhi, Sophie Wingate and Dominic McGrath, PA

By Patrick Daly in New Delhi, Sophie Wingate and Dominic McGrath, PA

Rishi Sunak has said he will use the G20 summit to put pressure on Moscow, amid global concerns over the blockade of grain out of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister received a colourful welcome as he arrived in India to attend the G20 leaders summit, later meeting with and speaking to local children during a visit to the British Council in New Delhi.

But he stressed that the meeting of world leaders would have a serious focus, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

One of the priorities I have being here is to highlight the impact of Russias war on millions of vulnerable people around the world. And thats the impact of food prices.

Mr Sunak condemned Russias decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain initiative, which allowed ships carrying grain to leave southern Ukrainian ports without fear of attack, in July.

Russias pulled out of that deal, youve seen prices go up and typically that has an impact, not just at home in the UK, but as I said, on millions of vulnerable people.

Ill be highlighting that devastating impact so that people are aware of whats happening and put pressure on Russia to cease attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty with local schoolchildren ahead of the summit (Dan Kitwood/PA)

Mr Putin has said the deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, will not be restored until the West meets Moscows demands on its own agricultural exports.

The pact, first signed in July 2022 and extended every three months for a year, led to 33 million tonnes of grain and food exports leaving Ukraine, with the majority going to developing nations struggling for food supplies, according to the UN.

Mr Putin has opted not to attend the New Delhi gathering in person but his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is expected to attend.

Mr Sunak conceded that it may not be that everyone here agrees on everything when asked about the difficulty of finding consensus among the grouping.

Pressed on the importance of reaching an agreement on condemning Moscow over the war, he said: The G20 is a broad group of countries and they have different perspectives, but its still important to be talking to people, to be engaging, to highlighting things like Russias aggression and the impact its having.

I think we can be proud of the role we play as the Brits here, highlighting these important issues, doing our bit to make a difference.

The Prime Minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from RAF Voyager at Indira Gandhi Airport on Friday.

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy board the plane on their way to the summit (Dan Kitwood/PA)

They spoke with Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey before visiting the British Council in New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters on the flight from London to the Indian capital, the Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, spoke about how special it was to return to a country that is very near and dear to him.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: It is obviously special.

I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.

The G20 summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with Mr Sunak expected to speak on the topics of migration, the global economy, the Ukraine conflict and climate change.

He is scheduled to meet Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks on the fringes of the summit, with officials not ruling out the premiers discussing progress on a UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).

Boris Johnson, when he was in Downing Street, targeted October 2022 to sign off on a post-Brexit trade pact, in a move designed to coincide with celebrations of the Hindu festival of Diwali.

His successor, Liz Truss, made the same commitment during her brief stint as prime minister.

But that original target has been missed by almost a year and Mr Sunak has been reluctant to set out a time frame for doing a deal with the country of 1.4 billion people.

There has been speculation that one of the hold-ups to a trade pact is Indias push for more visas to be granted for its people to work in Britain  a request Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly holds concerns about.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a huddle press conference (Dan Kitwood/PA)

No 10 on Thursday ruled out any change to UK immigration policy to accommodate an FTA with New Delhi.

But the Prime Ministers official spokesman indicated an expansion of business visas would potentially be considered.

The summit in India marks the gathering of leaders from the worlds 20 largest economies.

There are no set plans for UK leader Mr Sunak to meet with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is representing Beijing at the summit in president Xi Jinpings absence, but No 10 has not shut down the possibility of a short interaction between the pair.

Akshata Murty took off her shoes to play football with children at the British Council in New Delhi (Dan Kitwood/PA)

On Friday, Mr Sunak and Mrs Murty met children at the British Council in New Delhi who were learning computer coding and language skills through UK funding.

They also talked to a group having football lessons, with Mrs Murty going barefoot when she joined the youngsters with a ball.

In the evening, the Prime Minister held informal talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, before the Sunaks had a private dinner together.
POSCO Group and Korea-Australia Business Council Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, left, shakes hands with the Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook at JW Marriott Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of POSCO Holdings



By Park Jae-hyuk



POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo helped Korea and Australia enhance their bilateral ties in investing in the hydrogen industry and key minerals by inviting the Premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook, to the annual joint meeting in Seoul between the two countries' business councils, Friday.



As the chairman of the Korea-Australia Business Council (KABC), he said in his opening remarks that both countries will leap forward on the global stage through their future-oriented cooperation in the exploitation of resources, materials production, R&D and national security.



Cook also emphasized that Western Australia will boost ties with POSCO Group in producing hot briquetted iron, rechargeable battery materials and hydrogen.



This is the first time in five years that the KABC and the Australia-Korea Business Council (AKBC) have hosted their annual joint meeting in Korea. Next year's meeting will be held in Western Australia's capital, Perth.



This year's event was attended by a record number of 200 participants, including politicians, diplomats and businesspeople from the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), GS E&C, Hanwha Aerospace and Lotte International.



AKBC Chairman John Walker and Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper also participated in the event, along with officials of Australian companies, such as Pilbara Minerals and GFG Alliance.



A day earlier, the FKI hosted a banquet for the participants.



After hosting the first meeting in 1979, the KABC and the AKBC have contributed to business cooperation between the two countries. Since the POSCO Group chairman was elected as the KABC chairman in 2018, the councils have sought to work together in lithium and other battery materials, hydrogen, eco-friendly steel and defense industries.


Sir Jeffrey is keen to return to Stormont but it will take all his skills to bring big beasts of the DUP with him
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We tend to hate the idea of aging. We complain about extra aches, pains, health, weight gain, and wrinkles. We seem to have less energy each year, dreading the slow decline. However, consider the alternative. With many people dying early due to various heart disease or cancer forms, aging is a blessing and privilege.

With each passing year, were given more time to bring glory to God. The Westminster Catechism says that mans purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, each year were given can and should be our best year ever. Here are some reasons why every year should be our best and suggestions on how to start living through that perspective.

The Bible tells us to number our days.

Moses had a live each day well mentality when he wrote Psalm 90:12, which reminds us to number our days so well be present with a heart of wisdom. Theres wisdom in this verse because when we remember that our days are numbered, well be more motivated to live well and wisely. God has already numbered our days, but we dont know when that number is up.

We may be living with an undiagnosed heart condition or an undiscovered tumor. Our number may be up on our next drive on the freeway, or the morning we dont wake up. Were all on borrowed time because none of us will live forever on this earth. Therefore, we should live every day and year as if its our last because it could be. That means making each year the best year because, for all we know, we may not get another one to try again.

Were encouraged to look forward and press on.

If we spend every year regretting yesteryear and the golden days, well miss out on the joy of looking forward and pressing ahead. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14 that he forgets whats behind him and reaches forward to whats ahead of him, pressing toward the goal for the prize of the call of God in Jesus. Pauls advice to forget about our old lives and failures and focus on whats ahead and what God has in store is a lesson in forward motion and fixing our eyes on what matters most: pleasing the Savior.

However, we shouldnt ignore the now, hoping for the future. As we live every day with the realization that God has forgiven us and has hope and a future for us, we can endure the here and now as we look forward to the not yet, as detailed in 1 Corinthians 13:12. What are you moving toward and looking forward to? Do you have the goal of the upward call of God in Jesus? If so, youll see every year as your best year as you seek to glorify and please Him.

Were commanded to be grateful.

Gratitude is directly related to our attitude, and our attitude affects our altitude. Are you feeling down about your unmet expectations or circumstances? Consider what youre grateful for; your spirits and attitude will lift. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, were told to give thanks in every circumstance, for this is Gods will for us. Theres joy when were living Gods will because joy always accompanies obedience. You may not think theres anything to be happy about right now, but by being grateful for everything you have and are going through, youre drawing your heart closer to God. Psalms 16:11 says His presence is full of joy.

Its another year God let us live.

Remember when everyone said 2020 was the year from hell? With a global pandemic, racial riots, mandatory lockdowns, and devastating wildfires that blazed across California, who wouldve called it a good year? However, it was also the year the church rallied, Easter Sunday was broadcast from Central Park, people rediscovered creation, and families found thousands of things to be grateful for that year.

In Acts 17:28, the apostle Paul told the Greeks that we live and move in Christ. What if that were our motto every year, despite what it brings us as God gives us more time on earth, proclaims His forgiveness and grace, and makes a difference for Him? Psalm 118:24 reminds us that this is the day the Lord has made, so we should rejoice and be glad. So, this is the year the Lord has made, so we should rejoice and be glad in it, despite our national, worldwide or personal circumstances. Every year were alive is a blessing; we can bless others if we live it well.

How to make this year your best.

One way to make this year your best is to have a measurable physical goal. Dont set a generic goal to be healthier, eat better, or exercise more. Instead, be specific and start working toward something that will help you live even better each year. Is it time to reduce your sugar intake so your blood sugar level decreases? Will you start a regular exercise plan where someone else can hold you accountable or join you? Perhaps your goal is to walk 1,000 steps daily, or its time to catch up on regular doctor visits and listen to a physicians advice. A measurable goal guarantees that this year will be better than the last, even though youll have aged another 365 days.

Another way to make this year your best is to have a tangible spiritual goal. Where do you want to be this time next year regarding your relationship with God? Is it time to find a church home where you can grow in His Word and fellowship with other believers? Perhaps its time to get into a small Bible study group when you can foster a deeper relationship with God and other individuals. Maybe youll start a daily Bible reading plan, take morning prayer walks, or take evening walks to reflect on your day.

It may be time to drop a sinful habit and take God seriously in His commands. You can do this by surrendering to Gods Spirit daily and choosing His way over yours. As you grow in your obedience and love to Him, youll fulfill your purpose and glorify Him. That means youre growing another year older spiritually, not just physically.
Imran Ahmad Bhuiyan, who had been fired from his post as a Bangladesh deputy attorney general, is seen with his family at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Sept. 8, 2023.

A deputy attorney general who was fired after speaking out against Bangladeshs prosecution of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus returned home on Friday evening after he and his family spent several hours at the U.S. Embassy here because they felt unsafe.

While inside the well-guarded embassy compound, Imran Ahmed Bhuiyan sent out a text to express concerns for his familys safety, according to a report by The Daily Star newspaper.

I am at the American embassy, along with my whole family, for shelter. There are police personnel outside. I was sacked today.  Over the last four to five days, I was being threatened on my Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, he texted.

This government repays love with imprisonment. I dont have a U.S. visa; I somehow managed to leave home with just three bags and my three daughters, and am sitting here. Pray for us.

During an unauthorized and impromptu press conference earlier this week, he aired his concerns about a slew of criminal and civil cases that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas government had brought against Yunus, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Bhuiyan called it a judicial harassment.

In a separate text on Friday to The Business Standard, another Bangladeshi daily, he wrote, As the embassy is closed on Friday, we are currently waiting outside at the reception area.

Bhuiyan and his family left the embassy and returned home under police protection after he said he had received assurances that he would not be arrested.

Earlier in the day, a spokesman at the embassy said he had no information to offer about Bhuiyan and his family. In Washington, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department issued a similar message to BenarNews.

This car carried recently fired Bangladesh Deputy Attorney General Imran Ahmad Bhuiyan and his family from the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Sept. 8, 2023. [BenarNews]

As news spread about the familys plight, Dhaka journalists gathered outside the embassy. At 6:38 p.m., Bhuiyan and his family were seen getting into a car to leave the embassy.

Due to the law ministers remark, I feared that the government might arrest me and so we went to the U.S. embassy to seek shelter, he told reporters. The embassy has been informed by the government that there is no danger of my arrest. Embassy officials assured me. Later, the police escorted me home.

Bhuiyan told The Daily Star that he and his family returned home around 9 p.m.

A Dhaka police official confirmed the information.

He might have gone to the embassy for any reason, but he returned home along with his family, Md. Shahidullah, deputy commissioner of Gulshan Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told BenarNews.

He broke that discipline

On Thursday, a notice signed by Runa Nahid Akhtar, an official at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said Bhuiyans appointment was canceled in the public interest and he had been dismissed.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said Bhuiyan had refused to leave his post.

I have been waiting for the last three days, he has not resigned. That is why he has been dismissed, Huq told reporters at the Akhaura railway station in Brahmanbaria on Friday.

It is a rule that if you are in government service, you have to give any speech with the permission of the head of the institution. He broke that discipline and lied about the government from office.

Celebrated laureate

During his unauthorized press conference on Monday, in his remarks about a judicial harassment, Bhuiyan was echoing an open letter to the prime minister from more than 170 Nobel laureates and global leaders one week earlier.

Yunus, who is celebrated worldwide for his work on poverty alleviation, has come under increasing pressure from Hasinas government since she returned to power in 2009, beginning with his forced resignation from Grameen Bank, a microfinancing trailblazer that he started.

In recent years, the government ordered investigations against him and several entities that he is associated with, including the filing of an additional 18 charges of alleged violations of the countrys labor law last month.

A day after Bhuiyan spoke out, Huq, the law minister, said he had directed officials to initiate the process of terminating him.

[Bhuiyan] is assigned with the attorney generals office. If he wanted to speak to the press, he should either have resigned or obtained permission from the attorney general. But he did neither, Huq said at the time.

Bhuiyans firing, coupled with his visit to the U.S. Embassy, is a reminder of the lack of free speech in Bangladesh, according to Shahdeen Malik, a noted lawyer and honorary director of the Bangladesh Institute for Law and International Affairs.

Taking refuge in the embassy proves there is no fear when you are with the government, and if you are not with them, you plunge into the fear factor, he told BenarNews.

By being sacked for an opinion, it is a reminder of the weak state of freedom of speech in the country.
Leaders of the Bangladeshi press expressed shock after an Agence France-Presse investigation found that hundreds of articles written with a pro-government slant and penned by authors with possibly fake credentials had slipped through local editorial scrutiny.

Commenting about the report that came out earlier this week, Bangladesh officials on Friday vehemently denied that the government had recruited writers to spread disinformation or content favorable to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladeshi newspapers and publications abroad.

But experts and journalists said that the contrary likely was the case in the country, which is heading to polls in December 2023 or January 2024.

We can easily deduce that a group paid by the government to advocate for them created these articles. I was shocked to discover that many of the writers are fictitious, Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, the chief editor of Daily Manab Zamin, a Dhaka-based vernacular newspaper, told BenarNews.

AFP reported that many of the articles it identified as part of its investigation were staunchly pro-Beijing and fiercely critical of Washington, which increasingly has been at loggerheads with the government in Dhaka about the state of democracy and human rights in Bangladesh.

Local press reported last September that Bangladeshs foreign ministry had told a parliamentary committee about its plan to launch a branch to counter propaganda and make a positive campaign for Bangladesh.

The ministry also sought the committees recommendations as it was trying to hire good columnists, according to a report in the New Age newspaper that cited a member of the committee.

A flurry of dubious articles followed that development, although AFP in its report did not state that the two events were linked.

The France-based news agency said it had analyzed more than 700 articles published in at least 60 domestic and international news sites with bylines attributed to 35 names  and all of them appeared online in 2022.

While it was not possible to prove if the 35 names investigated by AFP are real, no online presence apart from their articles could be found, none has a visible social media profile, and none has published research papers in academic journals, the news service reported about its findings.

At least 17 of the 35 claimed links to major Western and Asian universities but AFPs digital verification reporters found no records for them, it said.

A group of men read newspapers glued to the walls of a bus stand in Dhaka, Sept. 1, 2023. [BenarNews]

Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen, who had told AFP he was too busy to comment on its investigation, dismissed the suggestion in an interview with BenarNews on Friday.

My government has never hired any writer to write any article favoring the Bangladesh government. There is no necessity to hire any writer when our achievements are visible and people are aware enough about the anti-government propaganda, he said.

We have never created any wing in this regard. There is no writer panel for us, he added, referring to the earlier reports about launching an anti-propaganda unit within the ministry and hiring opinion writers.

Muhammad Faruk Khan, a lawmaker from the ruling Awami League who heads that parliamentary committee, said the committee had not yet sent its recommendations about columnists that the ministry sought.

We consider propaganda as a bad thing, whether it is in favor of the government or against. We dont know why fake writers wrote articles on Bangladeshs policies. Our government has no connection with such campaigning, he said.

A big mistake

Zafar Sobhan, the editor of Dhaka Tribune that published some of the op-eds, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the newspaper was in the process of confirming the names and removing them from our website.

Another Bangladeshi editor, whose newspaper published some of the pieces, said, We have made a big mistake. But he asked not to be named, and refused to elaborate on the statement, to avoid further complications.

Even outlets with a regional and global presence  including Xinhua, Asia Times, and Foreign Policy  were duped by the seemingly independent experts with false academic credentials.

BenarNews reached out to some of the regional publications but did not immediately hear back from any of them.

The unknown authors appeared to have sent the same articles to multiple outlets at the same time, and AFPs report noted that the same pieces often appeared on more than one outlet.

We get a dozen of these each week in our inbox, Naresh Fernandes, who edits the Indian news outlet Scroll, said on X.

BenarNews also received unsolicited contributions from authors with stated expertise in Bangladesh but never published any of the pieces. When editors followed up on the emails, they never received a reply.

We have become blind

Fahmidul Haq, a journalism professor at Dhaka University, said the episode showed the perils of the media acting in haste in an age of post-truth.

Its surprising that some media outlets published articles with the intent to serve the governments propaganda objectives without verifying the identity of the authors, said Haq, a visiting scholar at Bard College in New York state.

Chowdhury, of Manab Zamin, also described the incident as dangerous to local journalism.

We have become blind just so we can get some advantages from the government, he said, referring to some of his pro-government colleagues in the media. This incident may help us open our eyes.

Robaet Ferdous, also a journalism professor at Dhaka University, said Bangladesh had a history of intelligence agencies meddling with or coercing the press.

In the past, he said, media outlets published news reports supplied by spy agencies under pressure. Now we see they published articles without even verifying [the authors identity], he said.

The professor said a possible motive for the dissemination of such articles was to repeat a lie often enough so it becomes the truth -- referring to an infamous quote attributed to Nazi propaganda czar Joseph Goebbels.

Sohan Sobhan, a cultural activist in Dhaka, said the revelations that were exposed were deeply unsettling to him as a reader. Many tend to use newspaper articles as a reference. This incident presents a new challenge for researchers.

Mahbubur Rahman, who works at a financial company in Dhaka, said, regardless of the governments claims, its evident that they played a role in it because they benefited from it.

But as readers, we feel deceived.
Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo hopes to leave office next year with a lasting legacy  a new green capital on the island of Borneo, which he plans to inaugurate in August 2024 to coincide with Independence Day.

But construction of some key buildings that were supposed to be ready by then is only 21% to 25% complete, because, analysts said, the planned capital is facing land acquisition problems and funding shortfalls as foreign investors look askance at a project with uncertain returns.

Jokowi has expressed optimism that the government could start moving to the new capital, Nusantara, before his term ends in October 2024.

Next year, God willing [the Independence Day ceremony] will be in the new capital, Jokowi told reporters on Aug. 17 at the presidential palace in Jakarta.

Officials have said construction of a presidential palace and office, a parliament complex and some ministry buildings are on track for completion by then, but analysts are skeptical they will be.

The presidential palace at the new capital site is 21% complete and the presidential office 25%, local media reported last month, citing public works ministry officials, although The Jakarta Post quoted a construction task force official as saying work was 36% complete on the core region of Nusantara.

BenarNews repeatedly contacted officials at the Nusantara National Capital Authority, which is tasked with planning and constructing the new capital, but did not receive any response.

Jokowi has said that moving the capital is necessary because Jakarta is facing challenges such as severe traffic congestion, air pollution, frequent flooding and earthquakes because of over-extraction of groundwater.

Jakarta is home to more than 10 million people and has one of the highest population densities in the world.

A signboard shows directions at Titik Nol Nusantara (ground zero Nusantara), the planned new capital city of Indonesia, in Sepaku, Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Aug. 14, 2022. [Adek Berry/AP]

The government has struggled to attract foreign investors for the new capital project because they want to see concrete results on construction, the number of civil servants who move there and the commitment of Jokowis successor, said Agus Pambagio, a public policy analyst in Jakarta.

Now what will investors build? Houses, but there are no people yet. Theres no guarantee. They will only build if they know when they can get their money back, he told BenarNews.

Indonesia goes to the polls next February and Jokowi leaves office after his second term  because of term limits  eight months later, in October 2024.

The ministry of administrative reform has said that 1,800 civil servants will move to Nusantara by July 2024. The National Development Planning Agency projected that by 2045, the new capital would have a population of 1.9 million  about 10 times the areas current number.

The population of Nusantara was an important factor for investors as it would affect the economic activity in the area, said Tauhid Ahmad, executive director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, a Jakarta think tank.

If 50,000 people move there, thats relatively small. Naturally, the private sector will still wait and see, he told BenarNews.

As a result, the project doesnt have a single foreign investor.

Japanese tech conglomerate Softbank withdrew its plans to invest in the project in March 2022. In December, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the company pulled out because the Indonesian government had deemed its proposal was unfair.

Jokowi has personally pitched the project to businessmen during his trips to China, Singapore and Germany this year, but has not secured any significant deals.

Agung Wicaksono, deputy for financing and investment at the Nusantara National Capital Authority, said seven local companies  two of them state-owned  had committed to invest in the new city.

They include state-owned energy company Pertamina, property developers, an international school, and a hotel chain.

In January during a visit to Jakarta, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said potential investment pledged by 10 Malaysian companies in Nusantara was valued at 1.66 billion ringgit (U.S. $379 million).

Trucks line up at a palm oil plantation near the planned new capital, known as Nusantara National Capital, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 8, 2023. [Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]

Feasibility of funding scheme

Land acquisition problems are compounding the delays at Nusantara.

The new capital is expected to cover 56,000 hectares (138,000 acres), but 6,500 hectares (16,061 acres) remain under the private sectors control, according to Tauhid.

The governments budget for land acquisition for Nusantara alone in 2023 is about $55 million, but this may not be enough as land prices in the area are rising, he said.

I think thats going to a problem, he told BenarNews.

Tauhid also questioned the feasibility of the financing scheme for the project.

The estimated cost of the project is $33 billion, with 20% coming from the central governments budget and the rest from state-owned enterprises, local governments, public-private partnerships and private investors.

Tauhid said that the government had planned to spend $5.8 billion from the state budget over 25 years, or by 2045 when the project is supposed to be completed, but it would have already disbursed $3.2 billion by 2024.

In 10 years, there might be no more funds left from the state budget. Can the government commit to its promise? he said.

An inauguration ceremony for Nusantara could be held next Independence Day, that is Aug. 17, 2024, but the area would not be remotely habitable, Trisakti University city planning expert Nirwono Joga told The Jakarta Post in May.

If its to be considered a city, of course it wont be ready [by 2024], let alone a livable one; thats still far away, Nirwono said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center) takes selfies with journalists following a press conference after the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Sept. 7, 2023.

Indonesias image as a free-press country got dinged this week when a Voice of America reporter traveling with the U.S. vice president was temporarily barred from covering ASEAN summit meetings after shouting questions, local journalists and press advocates said.

Reporter Patsy Widakuswara was allowed back in after U.S. officials intervened, and an Indonesian official later apologized for the incident, according to the journalists own account of events.

There are moments where shouting is just not appropriate. This was not one of them, Widakuswara, who grew up in Jakarta, said in a video posted on social media.

The incident could damage Indonesias diplomatic reputation, said Aloysius Budi Kurniawan (Wawan), an editor at Kompas Daily and advocate for media independence.

It should not have happened at the ASEAN summit, which should have been a dignified stage for Indonesias diplomacy, Wawan told BenarNews.

The security officers action was out of line. The questions that Patsy asked were reasonable.

Security should have been briefed on how to deal with journalists who had already been screened physically, another Jakarta-based editor said.

Unless her loud voice shatters the lights, there is no reason to exclude her from the event, Muhammad Rusmadi, an editor at the outlet Rakyat Merdeka, joked to BenarNews.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (right) walks with Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo before their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Sept. 6, 2023. [Willy Kurniawan/Pool/via AFP]

Widakuswara, the White House correspondent for VOA, a U.S government-funded broadcaster, said she yelled questions to Indonesian President Joko Widodo and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris as the press was being ushered out of their bilateral meeting on Wednesday.

The questions were about a possible deal on Indonesian nickel and U.S. President Joe Bidens decision not to attend the ASEAN summit, Widakuswara wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Neither leader answered. But an Indonesian official pointed at her and angrily told security to get her name, Widakuswara said in the thread on X.

Outside, I was immediately surrounded by Indonesian security who told me to get out because I had shouted. They said I am banned from entering any other events. They blocked me, placed their hands on me, one female officer leaned her body against me, she said.

Outside the summit hall, officials blocked her again, with one saying,Until Armageddon comes, I will not allow her in.

U.S. officials. including the ambassador to Indonesia, insisted she be allowed to enter, with the Indonesian security officials agreeing on condition that she not shout questions again.

At that moment  I had no choice but to say OK because people were shouting with their hands up in the air, and also because I heard that the VP was steps away.

Later, Widakuswara said, an Indonesian officer from the Foreign Ministrys diplomatic security apologized.

A vendor displays newspapers at a stand in Jakarta, Dec. 19, 2022. [Adek Berry/AFP]

The Jakarta branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists condemned the actions of the security personnel, saying it was an attempt to obstruct journalistic work.

The actions of security officers and Indonesian officials by expelling and allegedly verbally intimidating a journalist damaged Indonesias image as a democracy that protects and guarantees a safe space for journalists to carry out their journalistic duties, the alliance told BenarNews.

But some cautioned against over-analyzing the incident.

Its possible that it was only a matter of protocol, said Bernadetta Febriana, a journalist for the weekly magazine GATRA.

While acknowledging that Indonesian-born Widakuswara was treated rather harshly, Bernadetta said not every American practice is good.

What is normal in America may not apply in Indonesia, she told BenarNews.

Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S. Rosan Roeslani defended the security officers action, saying the event was a photo session, and shouting and loud noises could cause security concerns.

Nevertheless, the government regrets the incident, he said.

We remain dedicated to upholding press freedom and will try to clarify and follow the specific protocols for events to prevent misunderstandings or disruptions in the future, VOA quoted Rosan as saying on Wednesday.

The Jakarta incident was not Widakuswaras first run-in with officials. She became part of a controversy with the Trump administration in 2021 when she was removed from the White House beat after questioning then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The incident was widely condemned and viewed as an anomaly by press observers in the United States. VOA reinstated Widakuswara in the beat weeks later after a change in its leadership.

She suggested in a social media post that she valued the press freedom tradition of the U.S. more.

I am and will always be a proud Indonesian as much as I am a proud American, but I know which tradition of freedom of the press I prefer, she wrote.

Tria Dianti and Dandy Koswaraputra in Jakarta contributed to the report.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape (left) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony in Jerusalem for the opening of Papua New Guineas embassy, Sept. 5, 2023.

Papua New Guineas opening of an embassy in Israeli-occupied Jerusalem has been condemned by Palestinian officials and by the Pacific island countrys opposition leader, who said it was a reckless move.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and other officials visited Israel earlier this week for the embassy ceremony, which was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It makes the Pacific nation one of only five countries including the United States to have an embassy in Jerusalem.

We have aroused the ire of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas has warned us in the strongest possible terms that PNG must reconsider that decision and move out, opposition leader Joseph Lelang said on Friday. This is a serious warning and I feel for the foreign mission staff and the ambassador who will be based there.

Most nations do not recognize Israels control over Jerusalem and want its status to be decided by negotiations as part of the two-state solution to the decades-old Middle East conflict between the Palestinians and Israel. Palestinians claim the east of the holy city as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Marape on Tuesday said the decision to open the embassy was based on Papua New Guineas Christian principles and worldview that emanate from Judaism.

For us to call ourself Christian, paying respect to God will not be complete without recognizing that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel, he said in a video of the ceremony released by the Israeli governments public relations office..

The United States moved its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018 during the administration of President Donald Trump. Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras are the other nations with embassies in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, said the embassy opening was a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions that recognize Jerusalem as an occupied city.

Papua New Guinean authorities should immediately backtrack on this reprehensible decision, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem said.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said Papua New Guineas government was involved in an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights, Turkeys state news agency reported.

It warned that the move would cause "great harm to the chances of achieving peace on the basis of a two-state solution."

Trade between Israel and Papua New Guinea, the most populous Pacific island nation with more than nine million people, currently is negligible.

Marape said he hopes Papua New Guinea, which grapples with poverty and tribal violence, will benefit from Israels technological expertise in the areas of agriculture, education, finance and infrastructure.

He said land in the countrys capital Port Moresby will be allocated for an Israel-Papua New Guinea special economic zone.

The embassy is in a high-rise office building and is funded by Israel in an unusual arrangement, Australian broadcaster ABC reported.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his visit to the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Sept. 8, 2023.

Visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed Canberras support for Manilas South China Sea claims Friday, as the two allies upgraded their defense ties amid Chinese efforts to block Philippine supply boats in disputed waters.

Meanwhile, the Philippine government announced that it had completed another resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II-era ship that serves as Manilas military outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

Albanese met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the presidential Malacanang Palace in Manila, where they signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership. This upgrades the bilateral partnership to include possible joint patrols in the South China Sea, as well as more and larger joint exercises between Philippine and Australian forces.

Both men arrived from Indonesia where they had attended a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners. Other countries represented at the meetings in Jakarta included China and the United States, another Western ally that backs the Philippines in the territorial dispute.

Australia and the Philippines were bound by strategic trust, shared values and mutual cooperation, Albanese said on Friday.

Our friendship is underpinned by trust and respect as well as shared vision for the region, the Australian PM added, stressing that his government would keep working with Manila to shape a region where sovereignty is uphill and economic cooperation is underpinned by international rules-based trade.

Marcos thanked Albanese for Australias staunch backing of the Philippines, which has been engaged in a diplomatic tussle with China over the South China Sea.

In early August, the China Coast Guard fired water cannons at a Philippine Coast Guard ship as its escorted civilian boats delivering supplies to the Sierra Madre. Later that month, Chinese ships harassed another resupply convoy.

On Friday, the latest resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre was completed successfully, although Chinese coast guards ships tried to block the supply ships, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said.

The China Coast Guard countered that the Philippines had conducted an illegal intrusion into the shoal, which it calls Renai Reef.

The China Coast Guard strictly warned the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law, tracked and monitored the vessels all the way and effectively regulated them, it said in a statement.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha islands, including the Renai Reef, and its adjacent waters, and firmly opposes the illegal transportation of construction materials by the Philippines to the illegal[-ly] grounded warship.

China Coast Guard ships block the path of the Philippine Coast Guard Ship BRP Cabra as it escorts a civilian boat on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the South China Sea, Aug. 22, 2023. [Ted Aljibe/AFP]

On Friday, Marcos thanked the Australian leader for backing Manila during the ASEAN meetings where Albanese, he said, had made very clear that the claims  being made upon Philippine maritime territory are not valid and have not been recognized and are not in conjunction or consistent with international law.

To have friends like you and partners like you, especially on that subject is very gratifying and encourages us to continue down that path, Marcos said.

Albanese said Australia was fully behind the Philippines in demanding that international law be upheld in staking claims in the South China Sea. Other ASEAN members  Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam  also claim parts of the strategic waterway.

Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, is another claimant.

We have collective responsibility for security, including support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. UNCLOS, thats very important, Albanese told Marcos, according to transcripts of the meeting.

Diplomatic ties

Albanese and Marcos then signed the strategic partnership agreement and agreed to a five-year program aimed at reducing violent conflicts and reintegrating former Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Mindanao region to society.

Diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Australia were established in 1946, with relations covering a wide range of areas from defense and security to economic cooperation.

Australia is the Philippines second largest defense partner of the Philippines and is one of only two partners with whom the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement. The other is the United States.

Australia was the Philippines 14th largest trading partner in 2022 and was among the top sources of official development assistance  a total of Australian $180 million (6.5 billion pesos)  according to the foreign department.

Filipinos make up the fifth largest immigrant community in Australia, at 400,000, while nearly 30,000 Australian nationals consider the Philippines home.
Senior CPC official visits Laos

Xinhua) 14:33, September 08, 2023

VIENTIANE, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a CPC delegation on a visit to Laos from Wednesday to Friday.

During the visit, Liu met with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president.

He also held talks with Thongsavanh Phomvihane, head of the commission for external relations.

In addition, Liu gave a lecture to Lao party and government officials with the theme of working together to implement three major global initiatives and jointly writing a new chapter of a community with a shared future for China and Laos.

During Liu's tour, both sides agreed to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, take the action plan of building a community with a shared future for China and Laos as a guide, intensify high-level strategic communication, deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experiences, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for China and Laos to be in-depth and practical.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, speaks during the Korea-Indonesia Business Roundtable at a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday. From right are Yoon, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. Yonhap





By Lee Min-hyung







Business leaders here have pledged to tighten their partnerships with Indonesia, identifying the country as a strategic base for their smooth expansion into the Southeast Asian market.







Top-ranking executives from Hyundai, Samsung, LG and Lotte underscored the importance of bolstering economic and business ties with the country while accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Indonesia.







Yoon and a group of 40 business leaders from both countries joined the Korea-Indonesia Business Roundtable, Thursday, and promised to elevate their relationship, speaking highly of the growth potential of the world's fourth-most-populous country. The business leaders included Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon, LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun and LX International President Yoon Chun-sung.







Representing the Korean business delegation, Chung delivered a celebratory speech during the roundtable, underscoring the possibility of developing bilateral business ties in more diverse areas in the future.






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Japan's Prime Minster Fumio Kishida attends the 18th East Asia Summit as part of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 7. EPA-Yonhap



Japan's prime minister said that China's blanket ban on Japanese seafood in reaction to the release of treated radioactive water from a tsunami-ravaged nuclear power plant contrasts starkly with broad understanding shown by many other members of the international community.



The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Japan's northeastern coast started releasing treated and diluted radioactive wastewater in late August into the Pacific Ocean. The release has been opposed by the Japanese fishing community, which is worried about the reputation of the fish it catches. China immediately banned all Japanese seafood.



Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesia, after a session attended by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as Korea and China, that the treated water release is conducted under international safety standards and with the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency.



He said Japan has broadly gained understanding from the international community, and that in sharp contrast, China's blanket ban on Japanese seafood "stuck out."



The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered major damage from a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011.



Kishida said he approached Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a break and explained to him Japan's effort in the treated water discharge. It was the first in-person, high-level contact between the two countries since the discharge began Aug. 24.



Kishida said he reiterated Japan's scientific handling of the Fukushima Daiichi treated water release, stressing the importance of a scientific approach and release of accurate information.

Kishida declined to comment on Li's response.



Chinese authorities, as they imposed the seafood ban, said they would "dynamically adjust relevant regulatory measures as appropriate to prevent the risks of nuclear-contaminated water discharge to the health and food safety of our country."





China's Premier Li Qiang leaves after attending the East Asia Summit as part of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Sept. 7. AFP-Yonhap
PITTSFIELD  One man is living in his truck. Another has found a room, but he's worried it could soon be gone.

Both are looking for help finding more permanent living arrangements, which on Thursday brought them to the city of Pittsfield's second Housing Resource Fair.

"Our intent is to meet with people who aren't housing stable or who are looking for housing and connect them with resources in an informal setting," said Pittsfield's Community Development Director Justine Dodds. The event, which was held outdoors at Persip Park on North Street, was set up by the city's Homelessness Advisory Committee.

"We're meeting people where they are," Dodds said, referring to the decision to hold the event outside.

Representatives of 11 local social service agencies, who set up their tables under tents to try to beat the intense heat, staffed the three-hour event that was attended by more than 60 people seeking services, Dodds said.

Jose Ortiz, of Pittsfield, was one of the early arrivals. He spent the morning moving around the tables chatting with representatives of several different organizations.

"I'm here because I'm trying to apply for affordable housing and trying to get my [Supplemental Security Income] disability going, and catching up with the people I know," Ortiz said. "I have my network of people."

Ortiz, 60, who is originally from Chicago, lived in Ludlow before coming to the Berkshires. He lived in North Adams before coming to Pittsfield. Sober for two years and formerly homeless, Ortiz said he's currently renting a room for $750 a month, but is concerned about his living situation because he's unemployed and receiving just $400 in assistance.

"I have a three-month lease," he said. "I've been there for a month and a half, maybe two. Hopefully, I can get a low-income apartment.

"I'm trying to get something more affordable and get a part-time job," he said. "I can't work more than 20 hours."

Ortiz said he has arthritis in one of his hands  "They put me on injections, my finger was starting to turn purple"  and fluid in one of his knees.

Another man, who politely declined to speak with The Eagle, filled out an initial housing application with representatives of the Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority. He told them he was living in his truck, and was hoping to find a place with his wheelchair-bound sister, who lives in the Capital Square Apartments senior living complex in Pittsfield.

His current living situation is not unusual.

"I hear that a lot," said Katie Hyde, a home search case manager for the Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority, who took the man's application. "A lot of people are camping out. They'd rather do that than be in the shelters in this weather. Once it starts cooling down it's a different story.

"At least a quarter of my clients are living out of a vehicle," she said.

Michelle Monteleone, who works for SaVida Health of Pittsfield, attended the event to meet with the other service providers to learn what services are available for the people her organization serves.

"They can't find a job if they're homeless," she said. "They don't have an address. They can't get Social Security and they struggle with depression because of all that.

"There's a lot of food banks out there, but they don't know that," Monteleone said. "If they come to us we can provide them with the resources for them. If you don't have housing your whole life structure is chaotic."

The city plans to continue holding similar events.

"We did one of these in April and it was really successful," said Dodds, who is also a member of the Homeless Advisory Committee. "As a committee we voted yesterday to hold these events quarterly in different locations."
ADAMS  The Northern Berkshires are looking for the best ways to bridge the digital divide.

Adams, Cheshire, Florida, Lanesborough and North Adams will use a $120,000 grant, the first of what the municipalities hope are multiple grants, to identify and diagnose issues around digital equity in the area.

Depending on what the towns/city and consultant VHB hear from the public, solutions could include strengthening bandwidth infrastructure/competition and technology training, or providing more public use of technology such as computers, among other options.

The state pays for the grant process, including consulting fees. Adams Town Planner Kevin Rayner described the project as geared toward people who dont have access to technology or stable internet connection.

The world is getting more and more digital, Rayner said during a Select Board meeting Thursday night. If you dont have access to certain technology or internet connection, you may be at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a job or completing a service online.

Part of the planning process is to provide recommendations on how to move forward with future grant opportunities.

Money for the grant comes from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech. State Rep. John Barrett, D-North Adams, has pushed for this money to Northern Berkshire communities and has secured money in the past to help them improve digital equity.

This should create effective competition to the only service they have now, which is Spectrum, Barrett said. And it could end up with communities doing their own. The big thing of it is, it closes the divide.

In a presentation prepared by VHB, the consultants described the digital divide as, the gap between those who have affordable access, skills and support to effectively engage online and those who do not.

The digital divide disproportionately affects marginalized groups including people of color, households with low incomes, people with disabilities, people in rural areas and older adults, the consultants write.

The towns and VHB had a kickoff meeting in July, forming a steering committee that meets monthly. The first public meeting is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Adams, with more details to come on that and future public meetings.

Adams Select Board member Howard Rosenberg asked how many people are affected by a lack of digital equity in the area. Rayner said thats part of what the project will determine.

An initial VHB analysis of the towns/city points out that Spectrum is the only high-speed cable provider available in Adams and North Adams. Lanesborough and Cheshire have another option in Whip City Fiber. Florida is without high-speed cable internet providers. T-Mobile is the only provider available in all of the communities.

Both Barrett and North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey have expressed their wish for an alternative to Spectrum in recent interviews.

VHB lists unaffordable broadband, unreliable service, unaffordable, outdated and inaccessible devices and limited digital skills as key barriers to digital inclusion.

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute will hold an event as part of its statewide series of Internet for All listening sessions on Sept. 13 in Pittsfield.
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To challenge the students to think about why pharmaceutical industry is much talked about in the context of public health crises

Intellectual Property Advocacy & Analysis Centre at the National Law University in Odisha is organising a certificate course titled: Pharmaceutical Industry, IPRs and Public Policy in India, in October 2023.

The course would challenge the students to think about why pharmaceutical industry is much talked about in the context of public health crises, especially in developing countries like India. It would familiarise them with the dynamics of the linkage between the pharmaceutical industry, intellectual property rights (IPRs) and public health touching upon economic, legal and public policy issues.

The course will focus on the significance of pharmaceuticals for public health; Trade in pharmaceuticals; R&D in pharma industry; IPRs and access to medical products, to name a few.

The course is set to begin in the first week of October, with online classes to be scheduled on Saturdays, between 5pm and 7pm. Dr Reji K Joseph, Associate Professor, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development is the faculty in-charge.
Marengo Asia Hospitals is first to sponsor the training of 200 medical professionals and upskilling doctors, nurses, and paramedic staff members in Mongolia

Marengo Asia Hospitals has announced its multi-level international partnership with three hospitals in Mongolia. This is a milestone as Marengo Asia Hospitals will be the very first healthcare provider to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Government of Mongolia, where the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with the Central Health Department, the Ministry of Health, the Central Military Hospital, and the First Affiliated Hospital, the three major healthcare institutes in Mongolia.

The ceremony was presided over by the Health Minister of Mongolia Chinzorig Sodnom; Member of Parliament Professor Chinburen Jigjidsuren, and Narantuya Bayarmagnai, Director, Central Health Department.

Propagating the concept of a clinical corridor, Marengo Asia Hospitals has led the partnership with the Ministry of Health, Government of Mongolia to train 200 medical professionals. This is a strategic development aimed at enhancing healthcare services and promoting international collaboration. This endeavor brings together India and Mongolia to utilise the resources and talent to address the growing healthcare demands of the modern world.

The key focus of the partnership will be on capacity building, and skills enhancement within the healthcare force. Training programmes, knowledge sharing, and professional development opportunities will be offered to medical professionals from Mongolia at Marengo Asia Hospitals. The doctors from Marengo Asia Hospitals will also visit Mongolia for OPDs and to operate on patients. The key specialties in the first phase to focus on will be Cardiac Sciences, Oncology, Neuroscience, Liver diseases, and Urology.

The next level planned is conducting surgical master classes in the biggest government hospitals in Mongolia. The practice of clinical corridors and telemedicine will also be developed further for patients from Mongolia to connect with doctors for consultations.

The current geographical presence of the hospitals includes Delhi NCR, Faridabad and Gurugram, Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Bhuj, and Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
A Myanmar photojournalist has been sentenced to 20 years of physical labour for his coverage of the aftermath of a deadly cyclone.

Sentencing

Sai Zaw Thaike, a 40-year-old photographer with the independent online news service, Myanmar Now faces the harshest treatment of any journalist detained since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021.

Myanmar Now said a military tribunal convicted and sentenced Thaike on Wednesday.

The publication reported he was initially indicted on several charges, including treason or what is called sedition. His other charges include spreading false news, incitement, and agitating against a government employee or the military.

False news

Thaike was also charged with online defamation and violating a natural disaster management law for allegedly spreading false news about a disaster with the intention of causing public panic.

All of Sai Zaw Thaikes colleagues at Myanmar Now and I are deeply saddened to hear of the lengthy sentence handed down to him, said Myanmar Nows editor-in-chief Swe Win.

His sentencing is yet another indication that freedom of the press has been completely quashed under the military juntas rule, and shows the hefty price independent journalists in Myanmar must pay for their professional work, he said in a statement.
A portrait of Britain's Queen Elizabeth is displayed in St Davids Cathedral ahead of the arrival of Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales in south-west Wales on Sept. 8, where they will commemorate the life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her passing. AFP-Yonhap



With gun salutes and tolling bells, the United Kingdom on Friday marked the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III , who remembered his mother as a symbol of stability during her 70-year reign.



Charles and Queen Camilla observed the anniversary at the family estate in Scotland and attended a service of remembrance at a small church nearby, where the late queen worshipped.



"In marking the first anniversary of her late majesty's death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us," Charles said in a recorded message. "I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."



Military units commemorated the king's accession to the throne by firing salutes at the Tower of London on the east side of the capital and Green Park near Buckingham Palace. The bells of Westminster Abbey pealed at 1 p.m.





The Band of the Grenadier Guards marches to support The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery as they fire a 41 Gun Royal Salute, on the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in Hyde Park in London, Friday. AP-Yonhap
Diverse shopping centre initiatives celebrated with recognition across full portfolio

SACSC Footprint Awards_Heloise Mgcina (L2D Marketing Executive)_Lana Maree-Arendse (Sandton City Marketing Manager)_Celina Anderson (EBM Creative Director)_Darren Katz (EBM Managing Director)_Michael Wilson (EBM Group Marketing Head)_Alana Hoskin (Eastgate Shopping Centre MarketingManager)_ Saadiyah Khan (L2D Asset Management Executive: Eastgate Shopping Centre) _ Dimitri Kokinos (L2D Asset Management Executive: Sandton City)

The co-owned malls of Liberty Two Degrees (L2D), a precinct focused, retail-centred real-estate investment trust, marketed by Excellerate Brand Management, have once again been recognised for their retail marketing excellence, this year, with an impressive 36 wins at the 2023 Footprint Marketing Awards, hosted by the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC), including jointly winning the highly esteemed Spectrum Award.

The annual Footprint Marketing Awards recognise outstanding performance in shopping centre marketing, innovation and creativity, as well as financial success within the commercial South African property industry. The awards ceremony, attended by industry players, stakeholders and members of the media, took place today [8 September 2023], and recognised initiatives that had been implemented between 1 January 2022 and 28 February 2023.

Altogether, the shopping centres within L2D's portfolio, which includes Eastgate Shopping Centre, Liberty Midlands Mall, Liberty Promenade, Nelson Mandela Square and Sandton City, proudly clinched a grand total of 9 Gold, 16 Silver, and 10 Bronze Footprint Marketing Awards, spanning an array of categories. The Spectrum Award that was shared by Sandton City was in recognition of its City of Icons initiative, a brand campaign that provided shoppers with new, exciting ways to enjoy leading brands in its halls every week, solidifying the centres position as South Africas quintessential destination for all things iconic.

L2D has carved out a distinguished reputation for its operational finesse and its trailblazing approach to innovation, consistently paving the way for industry trends, accommodating discerning consumers, and empowering its portfolio's malls to assert their dominance in their respective locations. Once more, L2D has showcased its unparalleled ingenuity, execution prowess, and remarkable acumen in the realm of retail marketing.

Amelia Beattie, chief executive of L2D, states, "I often say that Sandton is for the people of Johannesburg and this applies to all our malls in other regions and their respective shoppers. As a business, our purpose is to continue to create experiential spaces to benefit generations. This means that our efforts are intentionally purposed to drive innovation, sustainability and an unparalleled customer and tenant experience that establishes new benchmarks within our industry. As a result, our properties consistently draw the attention of the world's most esteemed and unique tenants, and ultimately attract shoppers in their numbers. Winning these awards brings us immense joy, as they affirm our company's exceptional thought leadership and acknowledge the remarkable efforts of the talented individuals within our dedicated teams who consistently deliver outstanding work year-round."

Heloise Mgcina, marketing executive at L2D comments, "As we look to continuously push boundaries in the creation of experiential environments, we are delighted to witness the remarkable recognition garnered by numerous campaigns and projects executed throughout the L2D portfolio, in collaboration with our marketing partner, Excellerate Brand Management. This serves as a splendid validation of the significant influence our properties are exerting within their communities, and it underscores the exemplary retail marketing proficiency that resonates across our entire group."

The malls which are positioned as centres of excellence in their respective communities, are co-owned by L2D and Liberty Group Limited (Liberty) with the exception of Sandton City, which is also co-owned by Pareto Limited.

Enquiries:

Liberty Two Degrees

+27 (0)11 448 5500

az.oc.seerged2ytrebil@srotsevni
The African Finance Corporation (AFC), which is owned by Nigeria's central bank and other African financial institutions, has no intention of backing away from fossil fuel investments, a senior executive said on Thursday, 8 September.

Source: Sanjeev Gupta, executive director of financial services at the African Financial Corporation.

While governments and UN leaders at Africa's first-ever climate summit in Nairobi this week sought to promote the continent as a source of renewable energy solutions, the development of fossil-fuel projects remains firmly on the agenda for many countries.

"We cannot and will not run away from doing fossil fuel-based investing because the development needs of the continent are so huge," Sanjeev Gupta, executive director of financial services at the AFC, said at the Reuters Impact climate conference in London.

"The world still needs energy security, the world still needs energy source diversity. No energy mix in the world in the next 50 years says no oil and gas, so why would we not develop our resources and fund our own fiscal budgets?"

The Lagos-based AFC is a pan-African multilateral development institution, with nine members, mostly from western African states. It is 42.5%-owned by Nigerias central bank, 47.6% by other African financial institutions and 9.8% by industrial and corporate shareholders, according to its website.

A report released this week by development charity ActionAid said that banks worldwide gave $3.2tn to the fossil-fuel industry in Global South countries in the seven years since the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which agreed to limit global warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius by slashing emissions.

To view the live broadcast of the Road to Cop Stage go to the Reuters Impact news page.
In an era of digital transformation, South African businesses are constantly looking for ways to streamline operations and boost productivity. Enter ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems. But with the myriad options available, often with a specific industry in mind, how do you decide which one is right for you?

First, why would I need an ERP system?

If you want your business to operate smoother, faster, better, then that should be enough. But here are more reasons why an ERP is an absolute must for businesses in South Africa.

Centralised data management: With ERP, gone are the days of scattered spreadsheets and disparate databases. ERP systems centralise business data, which means everyone in your organisation has access to up-to-date information.



With ERP, gone are the days of scattered spreadsheets and disparate databases. ERP systems centralise business data, which means everyone in your organisation has access to up-to-date information. Improved operational efficiency: An ERP system automates repetitive tasks, streamlines processes, and ensures consistency across departments. This means reduced errors, quicker decision-making, and a smoother workflow.



An ERP system automates repetitive tasks, streamlines processes, and ensures consistency across departments. This means reduced errors, quicker decision-making, and a smoother workflow. Enhanced customer service: With integrated CRM functionalities, ERP systems allow for better management of customer interactions, fostering improved relationships and enhanced customer satisfaction.



With integrated CRM functionalities, ERP systems allow for better management of customer interactions, fostering improved relationships and enhanced customer satisfaction. Informed decision making: The ability to analyse data in real time means business leaders can make informed decisions swiftly, adapting to changes in the market and anticipating future trends.



The ability to analyse data in real time means business leaders can make informed decisions swiftly, adapting to changes in the market and anticipating future trends. Scalability: Modern businesses need systems that grow with them. ERP solutions are scalable, adapting to your needs whether you're expanding into new markets or introducing new products.

Show me ERP for my industry

When considering an ERP system, it's essential to realise that not all ERPs are created equal. Many are tailored to specific industries to address the unique challenges and needs of each sector. Here's a snapshot comparison of a few.

Retail ERP  SAP for Retail

Specialisation: Tailored for the dynamic world of retail, SAP offers modules focusing on supply chain management, customer experience, and store operations.



Tailored for the dynamic world of retail, SAP offers modules focusing on supply chain management, customer experience, and store operations. Advantages: SAP for Retail integrates smoothly with other SAP products, allowing businesses to expand their tech stack as needed. It also offers powerful analytics tools, giving retailers insight into consumer behaviour and sales trends.



SAP for Retail integrates smoothly with other SAP products, allowing businesses to expand their tech stack as needed. It also offers powerful analytics tools, giving retailers insight into consumer behaviour and sales trends. Best for: Larger retail chains and businesses looking for an ERP that can seamlessly integrate with other enterprise solutions.

Healthcare ERP  Oracle Cloud for Healthcare

Specialisation: With a focus on patient care, this ERP offers modules for electronic health records, patient billing, and clinical analytics.



With a focus on patient care, this ERP offers modules for electronic health records, patient billing, and clinical analytics. Advantages: Oracle's cloud-based solution ensures healthcare providers have real-time access to critical data, enhancing patient care and optimising administrative tasks.



Oracle's cloud-based solution ensures healthcare providers have real-time access to critical data, enhancing patient care and optimising administrative tasks. Best for: Hospitals and healthcare institutions aiming for a blend of patient care excellence and operational efficiency.

Construction ERP  Viewpoint

Specialisation: Designed for construction management, it includes modules for project management, job costing, and human resources.



Designed for construction management, it includes modules for project management, job costing, and human resources. Advantages: Viewpoint offers mobile solutions, ensuring that teams, whether in the office or on-site, have access to the data they need. Its emphasis on collaboration tools also aids in smoother project execution.



Viewpoint offers mobile solutions, ensuring that teams, whether in the office or on-site, have access to the data they need. Its emphasis on collaboration tools also aids in smoother project execution. Best for: Construction companies seeking to streamline project management and enhance team collaboration.

Manufacturing ERP  QuickEasy ERP

Specialisation: Specifically designed for manufacturers, this Manufacturing ERP offers modules tailored for production planning, inventory management, and quality control, and more.



Specifically designed for manufacturers, this Manufacturing ERP offers modules tailored for production planning, inventory management, and quality control, and more. Advantages: With over two decades of experience, QuickEasy ERP boasts a streamlined implementation methodology, ensuring businesses are up and running swiftly. The system's flexibility, combined with its rich feature set, has made it a favourite among South African manufacturers.



With over two decades of experience, QuickEasy ERP boasts a streamlined implementation methodology, ensuring businesses are up and running swiftly. The system's flexibility, combined with its rich feature set, has made it a favourite among South African manufacturers. Best for: Manufacturing businesses seeking a comprehensive solution with a proven track record.

How to evaluate your ERP options

Understand your needs: Before diving into ERP evaluations, understand what you're trying to achieve. Do you need better inventory management? Enhanced sales forecasting? Or maybe streamlined financial reporting? Your unique needs will guide your choice.

Consider the total cost of ownership (TCO): While initial costs are important, also consider the long-term TCO. This includes licensing fees, implementation costs, training, and any potential future upgrades.

Assess scalability: Your chosen ERP should not only meet your current needs but also be able to accommodate future growth and changes. Can it integrate new modules or functionalities with ease?

Check for customisation options: Every business is unique. Ensure the ERP system you choose offers customisation options to tailor it to your specific operations.

Prioritise user experience: A user-friendly interface is essential. If your team finds the system challenging to use, they're less likely to engage with it fully, reducing its effectiveness.

Research vendor reputation: Beyond the software itself, it's essential to consider who's behind it. Research vendor reputations, looking into their track record, customer reviews, and post-purchase support. A reputable vendor like QuickEasy Software, with a solid history, often indicates a trustworthy product.

Plan a pilot phase: Before fully committing, consider running a pilot phase. This allows you to test the ERP system in a real-world scenario, gauging its effectiveness and ensuring it aligns with your expectations.



Final thoughts

An ERP system is more than just a software solution; it's a strategic investment in your business's future. With the right system in place, you'll be well-equipped to navigate the challenges of modern business, from fluctuating market dynamics to evolving customer needs. However, the key lies in choosing the right ERP. Take your time, do your research, and ensure the solution you opt for aligns perfectly with your goals.




Qhude Projects (Pty) Ltd, a KwaZulu-Natal based logistical services co-operative, is the latest enterprise to benefit from a R9m loan from Ithala Development Finance Corporation Limited (IDFC) as part of an enterprise and supplier development partnership signed in 2022 with Sappi Southern Africa.

Sappi and IDFC personnel celebrated with the team from Qhude Projects (Pty) Ltd, on receiving their new equipment

Since the signing of this MOU between Sappi and IDFC, four transactions amounting to R44.9m and resulting in a total of 144 direct jobs have been concluded. This includes the loan from IDFC to Qhude Projects (Pty) Ltd to acquire two rear tipper trucks, two side tipper trucks and two front-end loaders and which enables them to service a five-year contract with Sappi to manage a landfill site in northern KwaZulu-Natal, adjacent to the Sappi Tugela Mill. The equipment was handed over on Thursday, 31 August 2023. Both Sappi and the IDFC (Ithala) will provide ongoing support to the co-operative to ensure their success.

Qhude Projects (Pty) Ltd operates from Mandeni situated in the iLembe District Municipality and was started five months ago by Siyanda Thusi. To date the start-up has created a total of 15 direct jobs, 50% of these being held by members of the youth.

Ithala Development Finance Corporations commitment to socio-economic transformation is borne out by concrete action of putting money where its vision is.

Precious Sibiya, IDFC board member shakes hands with Siyanda Thusi, while Vusi Zuma, procurement manager for Sappi Tugela, Pearl Bengu, Group CEO of IDFC and Zee Zeka Ngcamu, community lead for Sappi SA look on

This is another rung in the ladder that we at IDFC have been constructing to change the lives of rural and township folks, a cause we have been championing for over 60 years, said Pearl Bengu, group chief executive of IDFC. She also said: No one should be left behind as our country pulls itself out of the legacy of apartheid.

Lesiba Lamola, Sappis Regional ESD sourcing manager concurred by adding: This partnership with IDFC supports our enterprise supplier development (ESD) objectives, that are aimed at building thriving local economies within the communities where we operate.

As the provinces development financier and provider of commercial and industrial property, Ithala Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) has embarked on a strategic partnership initiative with the private and public sector to drive economic participation of emerging black entrepreneurs operating in all sectors of the economy, particularly those operating in rural and township areas.

The past three years have been characterised by notable challenges in a number of different sectors of business activity across South Africa  including economic weakness and constrained fixed investment. These conditions have necessitated heightened efforts on our part in advancing the delivery of our developmental mandate. Remaining close to our customers and partnering with the private sector who share our values of driving socio-economic transformation in the province is a key ingredient in supporting the provincial governments economic recovery plan. In addition to ensuring they are able to repay their loans, their success means capital repayments are reinvested in further lending operations, thus growing our economic impact, said Mr Sihle Mkhize, IDFC chairman of the board of directors.

We want to thank Sappi for entrusting us with the task of being a strategic partner in transforming the lives of ordinary citizens in our province. and look forward to a fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship, said Mkhize.

Its thumbs up and smiles all round as the ESD partnership between Sappi and the IDFC yields yet another successful result, bringing the total value of the partnership to R44.9m, sustaining 144 jobs

Since signing the MOU with IDFC, we have been encouraged by the progress that has been made and the boost it has given our capacity building programmes for SMEs. This partnership ensures that we also facilitate access to funding, which in turn provides access to essential infrastructure and resources that are necessary to ensure business sustainability and growth. With this in place, we can focus on providing access to markets, providing the essential business and technical skills development required and assist in building up sustainable, thriving enterprises, said Lamola.

Through IDFCs business finance solutions, coupled with Sappi Southern Africas ESD initiative, the partnership is committed to providing financial muscle and unlocking the full potential and entrepreneurial spirit of SMEs in KwaZulu-Natal.




Traditional medicines are part of the cultural heritage of many Africans. About 80% of the African continent's population use these medicines for healthcare.

Other reasons include affordability, accessibility, patient dissatisfaction with conventional medicine, and the common misconception that natural is safe.

The growing recognition of traditional medicine resulted in the first World Health Organization global summit on the topic, in August 2023, with the theme Health and Wellbeing for All.

Traditional medicines are widely used in South Africa, with up to 60% of South Africans estimated to be reliant on traditional medicine as a primary source of healthcare .

Conventional South African healthcare facilities struggle to cope with extremely high patient numbers. The failure to meet the basic standards of healthcare, with increasing morbidity and mortality rates, poses a threat to the South African economy.

In my opinion, as a qualified pharmacist and academic with a research focus on traditional medicinal plant use in South Africa, integrating traditional medicine practices into modern healthcare systems can harness centuries of indigenous knowledge, increasing treatment options and provide better healthcare.

Recognition of traditional medicine as an alternative or joint source of healthcare to that of standard, conventional medicine has proven challenging. This is due to the absence of scientific research establishing and documenting the safety and effectiveness of traditional medicines, along with the lack of regulatory controls.

What are traditional medicines?

Traditional medicine encompasses a number of healthcare practices aimed at either preventing or treating acute or chronic complaints through the application of indigenous knowledge, beliefs and approaches. It incorporates the use of plant, animal and mineral-based products. Plant-derived products form the majority of treatment regimens.

Traditional medicine practices also have a place in ritualistic activities and communicating with ancestors.

South Africa is rich in indigenous medicinal fauna and flora, with about 2,000 species of plants traded for medicinal purposes. In South Africa the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo are trading hotspots. The harvested plants are most often sold at traditional medicine muthi markets.

Uses of medicinal plants

Medicinal plants most popularly traded in South Africa include buchu, bitter aloe, African wormwood, honeybush, devils claw, hoodia, African potato, fever tea, African geranium, African ginger, cancer bush, pepperbark tree, milk bush and the very commonly consumed South African beverage, rooibos tea.

The most commonly traded medicinal plants in South Africa are listed below along with their traditional uses:

Buchu  Urinary tract infections; skin infections; sexually transmitted infections; fever; respiratory tract infections; high blood pressure; gastrointestinal complaints.

Bitter aloe  Skin infections; skin inflammation; minor burns.

African wormwood  Respiratory tract infections; diabetes, urinary tract disorders.

Honeybush  Cough; gastrointestinal issues; menopausal symptoms.

Devils claw  Inflammation; arthritis; pain.

Hoodia  Appetite suppressant.

African potato  Arthritis; diabetes; urinary tract disorders; tuberculosis; prostate disorders.

Fever tea  Respiratory tract infections; fever; headaches.

African geranium  Respiratory tract infections.

African ginger  Respiratory tract infections; asthma.

Cancer bush  Respiratory tract infections; menstrual pain.

Pepperbark tree  Respiratory tract infections; sexually transmitted infections.

Milk bush  Pain; ulcers; skin conditions.

Rooibos  Inflammation; high cholesterol; high blood pressure.

There are many ways in which traditional medicine may be used. It can be a drop in the eye or the ear, a poultice applied to the skin, a boiled preparation for inhalation or a tea brewed for oral administration.

Roots, bulbs and bark are used most often, and leaves less frequently. Roots are available throughout the year. Theres also a belief that the roots have the strongest concentration of medicine. Harvesting of the roots, however, poses concerns about the conservation of these medicinal plants. The South African government, with the draft policy on African traditional medicine Notice 906 of 2008 outlines considerations aimed at ensuring the conservation of these plants through counteracting unsustainable harvesting practises.

Obstacles to traditional medicine use

The limited research investigating interactions posed should a patient be making use of both traditional and conventional medicine is a concern.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients used traditional remedies for the prevention of infection or treatment.

Understanding which traditional medicines are being used and how, their therapeutic effects in the human body, and how they interact with conventional medicines, would help determine safety of their combined use.

Certain combinations may have advantageous interactions, increasing the efficacy or potency of the medicines and allowing for reduced dosages, thereby reducing potential toxicity. These combinations could assist in the development of new pharmaceutical formulations.

Sharing information

The WHO in its Traditional Medicine Strategy for 2014-2023 report emphasised the need for using traditional medicine to achieve increased healthcare.

Key role players from both systems of healthcare need to be able to share information freely.

The need for policy development is key. Both conventional and traditional medicine practitioners would need to be aware of and engage with patients on all the medicines they are taking.

Understanding the whole patient

Patients often seek treatment from both conventional and traditional sources, which can lead to side effects or duplication in medications.

A comprehensive understanding of a patients health profile makes care easier.

This could also prevent treatment failures, promote patient safety, prevent adverse interactions and minimise risks.

A harmonious healthcare landscape would combine the strengths of both systems to provide better healthcare for all.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


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Jessica Chastain has spoken of her nervousness at attending the Venice Film Festival amid the Hollywood actor strikes.

The 46-year-old Oscar-winning actress is backing the industrial action by US actors union Sag-Aftra who are in a disagreement with studio bosses.

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Since the beginning of the strike, some independent productions have been granted interim agreements to allow them to resume filming and promotions, which allowed Chastain to attend the festival in Italy.

Speaking at a press conference for her new movie Memory on Friday, Chastain said: I was incredibly nervous to be here today (at Venice) and actually there are some people on my team who advised me against it.

Im very lucky Its a wonderful profession what we get to do as actors and we are quite often, because of that, made to feel like we have to be quiet in order to protect future working opportunities, and we are often told and reminded how grateful we should be.

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#BiennaleCinema2023 #Venezia80 The press conferences of today, Friday 8 September, streamed live from Venice Lido.

English translation  https://t.co/4zM9DxNvg3

Traduzione in italiano  https://t.co/nZjrCylaVZ https://t.co/kfkoYl1R4v  La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) September 8, 2023

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And that is the environment that I think has allowed workplace abuse to go unchecked for many decades and is also the environment that has saddled members of our union with unfair contracts.

I am here because Sag-Aftra has been explicitly clear that the way to support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket lines and to work and support interim agreement projects.

Its what our national board, our negotiating committee and our elected leadership has asked us to do.

When independent producers, like the ones here, sign these interim agreements they are letting the (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) AMPTP know that actors deserve fair compensation, AI protections should be implemented, and there should be sharing of streaming (revenues).

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I hope my being here today encourages other independent producers, and encourages actors to show up (at festivals) and support our union members.

Hopefully we will see an end to this strike soon and hopefully AMPTP will go back to the table.

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This follows Adam Driver telling the same event he was in solidarity with the strike before the premiere of Ferrari at the festival, while criticising streaming companies.

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He said: Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what (Sag-Aftra) is asking for but a big company like Netflix and Amazon cant?

Actors began industrial action after failing to negotiate new contracts with the AMPTP, over issues of fair pay and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in films.

The 2023 Sag-Aftra strike, which began in July, has meant the absence of several stars at festivals and film premieres along with the delay of awards ceremonies.

On Friday, the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain announced that Spanish actor and No Country For Old Men star Javier Bardem will accept its Donostia Award next year due to the strike.

However, the festival did confirm that French actress Juliette Binoche and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen alongside British actors James Norton and Dominic West would attend its event.
S Club members have spoken about how their hearts feel emptier following the death of their bandmate Paul Cattermole.

The band has asked the public on Friday to back a campaign from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) following Cattermoles death at the age of 46 in April.

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S Club 7 had announced in February that they were reforming for a 25th anniversary reunion tour.

Hannah Spearritt later said she would now not be joining the tour and the band has since rebranded to a five-piece as S Club  with Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh, Jo OMeara, Jon Lee and Tina Barrett.

Paul Cattermole died at the age of 46 in April (S Club)

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Lee, also known for his career in musical theatre, said: As a band we all personally know the devastating affect heart and circulatory diseases can have on peoples lives.

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Our hearts feel emptier without him, and we miss him every single day.

Its heartbreaking to know that this isnt uncommon and far too many people die too soon from heart conditions they didnt know they had.

Thats why were asking everyone to show their heart and join the BHF by shining a spotlight on these conditions this September.

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The band are encouraging fans to raise awareness with the hand heart gesture to show their support and hashtag #showyourhearts.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: Were honoured to be joining forces with S Club to shine a spotlight on heart and circulatory conditions in memory of their beloved band member Paul.

Like too many families across the UK, Pauls loved ones only knew he had a heart condition after his tragic death at such a young age.

Hidden heart conditions cut people down in the prime of their lives and rob families of their loved ones in sudden and shocking ways.

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Jon Lee (Ian West/PA)

S Club as a seven piece were known for hits including Reach, Dont Stop Movin and their debut Bring It All Back.

They were originally created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1998 and disbanded in 2003.

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They briefly got back together in 2014 to perform a medley of their best-known songs for the BBC Children In Need appeal.

The reformed group are still planning on embarking on their UK and Ireland arena tour later this year, which they said will be a celebration of all the hits.

It will begin on October 12th at Manchesters AO Arena before continuing to cities including London, Dublin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool.
The Irish Coast Guard will carry out a two-hour stand down of its helicopters this afternoon to facilitate meetings between the current contractor, CHC Ireland, and staff members over the transfer of the contract.

Bristow Ireland has been awarded the next Irish Coast Guard search-and-rescue aviation contract from July 2025 onward, and rescue staff are worried about their employment future. It is expected the contract will cost the State 670 million.

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Search and rescue bases at Shannon and Dublin will be offline from 12pm to 1pm on Friday, while Sligo and Waterford will be offline from 1pm until 2pm.

Two helicopters will be online for the duration of the safety stand down.

CHC Ireland said the stand down was due to the lack of confirmation over continuity of employment, which has led to elevated levels of stress among staff.

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Rob Tatten, the director of operations at CHC Ireland, said: "It is incumbent on us to protect the safety and wellbeing of our staff. By taking this necessary measure we can ensure that we continue to operate safely, without outside distractions and remain focused on the life-saving work we do for the Irish Coast Guard."

In June, CHC Ireland filed legal proceedings against the Governments tendering process for the service, saying it was challenging the validity of the process.
A High Court judge has ordered that teacher Enoch Burke be returned to prison due to his ongoing refusal to stay away from Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath.

The school's board of management had asked the court for orders seeking Mr Burke's attachment and committal to prison over his deliberate failure to comply with a permanent injunction granted by Mr Justice Alexander Owens earlier this year.

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In a ruling late on Friday night, Mr Justice Mark Heslin said there "was no dispute" that Mr Burke had "flagrantly breached" orders requiring him to stay away from the school. The judge ordered that Mr Burke be committed to prison "indefinitely," until he purges his contempt by agreeing to stay away from the school.

After finding that Mr Burke was in contempt of court, the judge asked him three times if he was prepared to give an undertaking in the terms of the order against him.

Silence

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On each occasion Mr Burke, accompanied in court by members of his family, including his parents Martina and Sean, remained silent.

The judge said he was taking Mr Burke's silence to mean he was refusing to give the undertaking sought, and committed him to Mountjoy Prison, where the teacher spent over 100 days between September and December last year.

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The matter is to be reviewed before the court in early October.

However, the judge stressed that Mr Burke could secure his release from prison at any time, by agreeing to stay away from the school.

Mr Justice Heslin was interrupted on several occasions by members of the Burke family, who were each directed to leave the courtroom.

Mr Burke's father Sean and brother Isaac were both physically removed from the courtroom by members of the gardai.

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Mr Burke's mother Martina had at one stage called the judge "a traitor," said her son had "every right to be at the school," and accused the court of "predetermining" the matter.

The school's board claimed that Mr Burke had breached Mr Justice Owen's order restraining him from attending at Wilson's Hospital, which had suspended him before dismissing him, unless he is given express permission to do so by the school authorities.

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Represented by Alex White SC and Rosemary Mallon BL, the board said Mr Burke had attended at Wilson's Hospital campus every day since the new school year commenced in late August.

Counsel said the central issue was a met one, namely that Mr Burke had breached the orders.

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The board claimed that in breach of the injunction Mr Burke had attended at both "outside and inside the school".

Opening the application, Mr White said it had been brought with great reluctance, but that the school had no option other than seek Mr Burke's committal.

Application

Representing himself, Mr Burke opposed the application and argued that it was in breach of his constitutional rights to religious freedom and expression.

Mr Burke's presence at the school "is causing severe disruption for staff and students," counsel said.

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A large part of the school principal, Frank Milling, and his staff's working day is taken up dealing with Mr Burke's presence at Wilson's Hospital, counsel said.

On occasions Mr Milling has had "to close doors" to prevent Mr Burke from entering the school, counsel added.

Opposing the application Mr Burke claimed that Mr Justice Owen's order was invalid, and that the court's "hands would be dripping with blood" if it decided to hear the committal application.

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He again claimed that the board's actions against him arise out of his opposition to "go along with transgenderism" something he said was "damaging to children".

In a sworn statement to the court, he rejected claims by the board that he was causing "untold difficulties, and stressful for staff and students at the school".

He also rejected a claim that his presence at the school was "frightening" and that claims made against him by the school were fraudulent and should not be considered by the court.

He said that every day since last January, following his re-attended at the school following his release from prison, he has received "overwhelming support from parents, students and staff at the school."

Mr Burke said he utterly rejected claims made by the school's principal Mr Milling and chairman of the board John Rogers that "my presence at my workplace has caused stress disruption, fear or a safety concern at the school".

He said that at all times "I have conducted myself in a clam measured, reasonable and respectful manner in my conduct at the school and my interaction with others at the school."

Mr Burke said he only speaks to students after they speak to him. He claims parents and students have shaken his hand and last May before the end of the school year.

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Students were "begging me to sign their school shirts and blouses" as well as asking for autographs and posing for pictures.

He said this was done despite the fact that "students have been warned not to talk to me outside of the school."

Mr Burke claims that students have asked him about his summer, waved at him, given him the thumbs up and one student told him to "stay strong" and that "I agree with what you are doing sir".

He also says that others have expressed their support for his stance, and that the school was "totally wrong."

Mr Burke further claimed that a parent told him that a student was removed from the school due what the former principal was "pushing" on the school.

He said that he has been mocked over his religious believes and said that the claims by the board formed part of an attempt to provoke and intimidate him.

He was also critical of a solicitor that represents the board, who he claimed had got gardai to unlawfully arrest him. He also told the court that he expects to be reinstated to his post.

'Not relevant'

In his ruling the judge rejected all of Mr Burke's arguments and said that his in his submissions he had raised issues that were not relevant to the application before the court.

Other issues raised by Mr Burke, including his claims about the school's solicitors, were "baseless", the judge added.

Mr Burke, the judge said, was clearly in flagrant breach of court orders, adding that such orders are something that have to be obeyed.

Mr Burke, he added, could not be treated by anybody else and it was an "insult" to all law-abiding citizens to allow somebody breach orders of the court.

Following his suspension in August 2022, Mr Burke was sued by the school over his failure to comply with a court order requiring him to stay away from the school.

That resulted in his incarceration in Mountjoy Prison for several months. He was released shortly before Christmas, without purging his contempt.

He again started attending at the school after the holidays, and the High Court imposed a daily fine of 700 on Mr Burke.

Mr Burke has also brought a challenge against the three-person panel of persons appointed to hear his appeal against his dismissal from his teaching position.

Judgment is awaited in those separate proceedings against the panel.
A garda sergeant and another man have been sent forward for trial accused of unlawfully sharing personal information from the Garda Pulse computer system.

It follows an investigation by gardai attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI).

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Garda Sergeant Thomas Bowe (51), of Naas Garda Station, in Co Kildare, and Niall Sheehy (58), of Ballinteskin, Stradbally, Co Laois, appeared before Judge Treasa Kelly at Dublin District Court charged with offences section 145 of the Data Protection Act for Disclosure of personal information obtained without authority in 2019.

They were served with books of evidence by Detective Sergeant Padraic Jennings.

The judge granted an order to send the co-defendants for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where the case will be listed on October 19th.

Garda Sergeant Bowe faces 21 charges while Mr Sheehy has 10 counts in the book of evidence.

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They were warned to tell the prosecution if they intended to use alibis in their defence and were remanded on bail with conditions not to contact each other.

Mr Sheehy was granted legal aid.

A third co-accused could not come to court on medical grounds, and his case in his absence was adjourned until October.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed Mr Sheehy's case be dealt with in the District Court only if he pleaded guilty.

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Defence solicitor Tracy Horan said her client would take a "certain course". Judge Kelly held, however, that the case was still too serious and should be sent to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

Home search

Outlining the prosecution evidence, Detective Sergeant Jennings said in March 2020, the NCBI carried out an investigation into the activities of a member of An Garda Siochana. It led to the search of Mr Sheehy's home.

Mr Sheehy's mobile phone was seized and subjected to technical analysis.

"We discovered a member of An Garda Siochana had forwarded a number of screenshots from the Garda Pulse system to Mr Sheehy", he alleged, adding it happened on 10 occasions.

The screenshots included pictures and personal information contained on the garda information system.

Detective Sergeant Jennings said the case against Mr Sheehy was that he had forwarded them to two other people; however, there was "no financial reward" for the information.

The offence can, on conviction on indictment, result in a fine not exceeding 50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.

The DPP directed that Mr Bowe, yet to indicate a plea, must face trial on indictment.
Updated: 11am. Additional reporting by Olivia Kelleher.

Two Irish people who died in a crash in Rome have been named as Paul and Mary Reilly from Co Wexford.

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The Irish Times reports the couple, aged 59 and 60, were from the Kilmore area in the south of the county.

They died just before lunchtime on Thursday while crossing a dual carriageway at an intersection on the Cristoforo Colombo in the south of the city.

Mrs Reill's cousin, Fine Gael Councillor in Wexford Jim Moore, said the words "stunned and shocked" failed to adequately convey their sense of disbelief about the tragedy.

Speaking to RTE radio's Today with Claire Byrne, Cllr Moore said they are on "on a long journey of trying to come to terms with the shock of it all".

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"We will gather around as a family and a community to support their children," he said, adding there is a feeling of "stunned silence" in the area.

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Cllr Moore said the couple had married a number of years back and were well known and liked in Kilmore.

"Mary worked in the community centre as well as being busy as a seamstress. Paul worked in the marine industry. When he came from Dublin first he was involved in the fishing industry.

"Over a number of years he had moved in to the broader maritime world and received professional qualifications in Western Europe for the last many years and coming home very regularly to his family. The family often travelled out to meet him as well."

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He said the pair were a very couple, adding: "They took a weeks holidays out of their work schedule and this was the start of a holiday period for both of them."

He said the family are liaising with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the authorities in Rome in relation to the repatriation of their bodies.

Meanwhile, speaking to the same programme, Kilmore Parish Priest, Fr Patrick Mernagh said his phone has not stopped ringing since word started to filter through of what had happened.

"People were saying is it true? is it true? There is disbelief among the whole community here because Marys own family of Jim and Wally and Ella and Kay, her brothers and sisters, are so intertwined in the community.

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"Everyone is very close. It is a very tight knit community. Everyone would know Mary and Paul. It is just a sad thing thinking there they were looking forward to having a little holiday for themselves.

"I know next week they were going to take the two grandchildren to Disneyland for a special holiday for them. It is just such a tragic, tragic situation," Fr Mernagh said.

He added: "We have put two candles on the altar of the church here today in memory of Paul and Mary, and we are opening a condolences book at one o'clock so that people can come in and saw whatever is in their heart.

"We have to think of their own boys, Andrew and Darren. It is one of those nightmares that none of us would ever want to have."
Spanish police hunting an Irishman who abandoned the scene of a fatal Costa Blanca crash have confirmed they have made an arrest.

They held the 29-year-old after tracking him down through the hire car he abandoned and alerting colleagues at ports and airports to make sure he did not leave the country.

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The victim of the collision has been described locally as a 45-year-old Peruvian man.

The crash happened around 4am last Saturday on the N-322 main road in the town of Torrevieja near Alicante, near to a park called Parque de las Naciones which features a lake and an animal cage with iguanas and tortoises.

Police only confirmed the arrest, thought to have occurred on Monday, on Friday as they revealed he had been released on bail pending further inquiries.

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The unnamed man was held on suspicion of manslaughter and abandoning the scene of a collision and has been warned he could face more than four years in prison and a lengthy driving ban if convicted.

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Detectives also released footage of him being taken into custody as well as photos taken at the crash scene.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Alicante said: The Civil Guard has arrested a person over the road traffic accident which occurred in the early hours of last Saturday morning in Torrevieja when a frontal collision occurred between two cars and resulted in a person dying.

The suspect has appeared before a judge in Torrevieja and been released on conditional bail pending an ongoing investigation.

The force confirmed in a statement: After the impact the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident abandoned the scene on foot.

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It added: In the first phase of the investigation officers carried out an exhaustive inspection of the scene before carrying out other inquiries relating to the hire car that had been abandoned at the scene.

Officers discovered the rental contract had been signed by an Irish couple and once they had been identified precautions were taken to avoid them leaving Spain without being detected.

World Rain in Spain: Roads and train lines closed in Mad... Read More

The 29-year-old Irish man police were hunting was eventually tracked down and arrested on suspicion of the crimes of manslaughter and abandoning the scene of an accident.

He went to court on September 4th.

Manslaughter carries a prison sentence of between one and four years and the other crime three to six months

prison as well as a driving ban of between six months and two years.

It was not immediately clear on Friday morning if the suspect will be allowed to leave Spain as part of his bail conditions or must surrender his passport and remain in the country.
Two men have been jailed for nine-and a half-years and a third to eight years for the manslaughter of an Irish teenager who died in Australia after he fell from an apartment balcony during an armed robbery.

Cian English (19), originally from Carlow town, but who lived in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne, suffered traumatic injuries when he fell from a fourth floor balcony at the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of Saturday, May 23, 2020. He had been spending a couple of days on the Gold Coast with a friend.

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Jason Ryan Knowles (25), Hayden Paul Kratzmann (23) and Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas (21) had been charged with murder but agreed to a plea deal of manslaughter.

Sentencing the three men, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill in the Queensland Supreme Court in Brisbane, said: This is an absolutely tragic case. Your appalling, criminal conduct in the early hours of the morning, on 23 May 2020, resulted in the death of one young man, Mr Cian English, who was only 19 at the time.

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A young man, very much loved by his family and friends, who have suffered unfathomable grief and pain as result of his death, compounded by the awful circumstances in which that occurred. Your conduct also caused severe harm, in particular psychological harm, to a second young person, Mr Dzepo, also only 19 at the time.

The judge continued that by entering pleas of guilty, each had taken responsibility for their actions and had facilitated the course of justice, including by saving the community the cost and the family of the victims and Mr Dzepo the trauma of a trial of these serious charges.

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None of you showed any remorse at the time of the offending. You all left the deceased where he lay and did nothing to help him, other than, half an hour later, you, Mr Kratzmann dialling 000, and providing incomplete and unhelpful information to emergency services, she noted.

It is fair to say that your other actions on that fateful morning negate anything positive that could be said about that, including all of you wearing and using the clothes and other things youd stolen from these young men, and you posting a picture of that on Instagram, Mr Kratzmann, as though bragging about your prizes. Mr Soper-Lagas, you told the psychologist that you called an ambulance  but you did not.

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I feel sure that now, almost three-and-a-half years later, which you Mr Kratzmann and Mr Knowles have spent entirely in custody, and you Mr Soper-Lagas spent part of in custody, you bitterly regret your actions. And you now have all taken responsibility, by pleading guilty.

For what it is worth, I am prepared to accept that, now, you are remorseful, in the sense of regretful and sorry for your actions. You have, in the course of this sentencing hearing, heard first hand from some of Mr Englishs family members about the unbelievable anguish his death, and the circumstances of it, have caused them; and of the impact your actions had on Mr Dzepo.

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I can only hope that will have pierced your hearts, and brought home to you the enormity of the consequences of your actions, to be used by you in the future to guard against any repetition of those actions. In the eyes of Mr Englishs family, there can be no more serious offence, as they have lost their loved one.

The court heard that Mr English and his friend began chatting with the three accused outside while on their balconies. The Australian men invited the pair up to their apartment on the fourth floor where they were having a party with several others.

A party was amicable to begin with, the court heard, but prosecutor Caroline Marco said the atmosphere changed at 1.44am when Kratzmann started blaming Mr English and his friend of stealing their prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Mr English and his friend were subjected to physical and mental abuse by the three accused. Mr English was stabbed in the arm and his friend was hit on the head with the handle of a knife.

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Ms Marco informed the court that Mr English ran to the apartment balcony while attempting to escape, before falling to his death.

Mr Englishs family, including his mother Siobhan, father Vincent and brother Dylan, gave victim impact statements detailing how much they miss him, and suffer with the trauma and nightmares.

Kratazmann and Knowles were jailed for nine-and-a-half years, while Soper-Lagas was sentenced to eight years.

Two girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are alleged to have filmed the beating, stabbing and fatal fall of Mr English, subsequently posting a video of the events on social media. Their cases are due before the Supreme Court on October 25th.
Members of the public who are planning to swim in the sea this weekend amid unseasonably high temperatures are urged to exercise caution.

A status yellow high temperature warning for the entire country has been in place since Thursday, and will lapse at 8am on Saturday.

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Met Eireann is forecasting sunny spells and some scattered showers on Saturday, with highest temperatures between 21 and 26 degrees

Very warm and humid conditions will continue on Sunday before becoming cooler from Monday onwards, with temperatures falling to between 15 and 19 degrees.

#Weekend Weather Update



Warm or very warm this weekend but with the increasing likelihood of some thundery spells of rain 



Temperatures falling back next week as a change in airmass sets in 



Find more here https://t.co/yEsIuCkWlq pic.twitter.com/f1VNP4uMNj Advertisement  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) September 8, 2023 Advertisement

Ahead of the warm spell this weekend, Joanne Walsh, chief executive of Water Safety Ireland, said drownings often happen "quickly and silently" with males representing the vast majority of deaths in Irish waters.

It is beautiful weather. We are having an unusual September and we have to enjoy it. But we have got to think water safety at all times," she told RTE's Morning Ireland.

Ms Walsh urged people to go to a lifeguarded waterway if they want to swim and cool down this weekend.

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She said: "If there is a yellow and a red flag up there will be two flags  swim between those two flags. That means the lifeguard who is on duty that day has risk assessed the area and has considered it safe to swim there.

"If you do see a red flag do not swim. That means the lifeguard considers it unsafe to swim. So please heed the advice of our lifeguards. They know what they are talking about. Heed our heroes."

Ms Walsh said swimmers should only go in the water in an area where there is a lifebuoy nearby so that someone can gain access to help if required.

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She urged parents to avoid giving inflatable toys to their children as they can be "a real threat to life".

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"If a child is on an inflatable toy the child and the inflatable toy can be taken miles out just by a light breeze. Indeed, in lakes as well there still can be the presence and the contribution of the wind. So please, no inflatable toys."

On average over the last 10 years Ireland has recorded around 105 drownings every year, Ms Walsh said. The majority of drownings happen in males, while approximately 60 per cent of drowning incidents happen inland. Alcohol is a factor in 30 per cent of drownings.

Ms Walsh added: "On average nine people drown in Ireland every month, and while one drowning is one too many, this number would be considerably higher if it wasnt for the lifeguards that watch over our waterways. This weekend I encourage parents and guardians to bring children to lifeguarded waterways."

Two people have lost their lives in Irish waters this week. On Tuesday a man in his 80s died after taking ill in the water at Curracloe Beach, Co Wexford. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A file is being prepared for the coroner.

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Also on Tuesday, eight-year-old Emili Roman (7) died after getting into difficulty at Fountainstown Beach in Co Cork.
Ireland's loss to France, plans for a vacant property tax and a look ahead to Budget 2024 feature on Friday's front pages.

The Irish Times leads with assurances from Minister for Public Expenditure that the 6.4 billion budget package is "on track", adding it will include targeted cost-of-living measures.

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The Irish Examiner's headline reads: 'FG hopes to elect senators as TDS step down', while The Echo reports that almost half of termination notices issued in Cork since June were invalid.

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The Irish Independent reports 'thousands of new homes to be hit with new property tax', and The Irish Sun carries an image of Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary after he was hit in the face with cream pies by climate protesters in Brussels on Thursday.

Good morning, here is the front page of today's Irish Independent: pic.twitter.com/M94RrvhcGR Advertisement  Independent.ie (@Independent_ie) September 8, 2023

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The front page of today's Irish Sun. pic.twitter.com/PyhtbEr7FC  The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) September 8, 2023

The Irish Daily Mail reports RTE bosses have been asked to take a 10 per cent pay reduction.

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The Irish Daily Mirror's lead story goes to reports that children as young as eight in a Dublin primary school were instructed to a teacher as they.

Finally, the Irish Daily Star reports on the inquest of a teenage girl who died by suicide after being drugged and raped while on holiday in Greece.

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In Britain, as the end of the week approaches, the one-year anniversary of the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leads the nations papers alongside the escaped Wandsworth prisoner.

The Mirror has chosen to run with a special thanks from Britain's King Charles to thank the public for their kindness during his first year as king.

Friday's front page: Thank you for your love #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/41l71Lhyer  The Mirror (@DailyMirror) September 7, 2023

The Daily Mail features a royal story of a different kind, looking at the relationship between William and Harry with Warring Royal Brothers Still 100 Miles Apart.

Fridays Daily MAIL: Warring Royal Brothers Still 100 Miles Apart #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/nbBjtingyL Advertisement  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) September 7, 2023

The escaped inmate from Wandsworth prison is still at the forefront of UK news, with the Metro, the i, and the Independent running with the story for their splash.

Tomorrow's Paper Today 



M-WAY CHAOS IN HUNT FOR 'TERROR SPY'



 Traffic queues outside port as vehicles checked for elusive jail-breaking soldier#tomorrowspapertoday pic.twitter.com/HWZu6QfTwE  Metro (@MetroUK) September 7, 2023

The Guardian leads with the vanished Wandsworth prisoner but instead focuses on MPs as questions are raised over prison cost cuts as the manhunt continues.

The Financial Times looks at a possible pay jump for those on the pension for their Friday front, as the pension is set to increase to match wage growth thanks to the triple lock.

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Fridays FINANCIAL Times: Pensions poised for fresh jump as triple lock matches wage growth #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/3uYQOkCxPf  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) September 7, 2023

The Daily Express has run with a similar story but has hooked it off the claims the triple lock increases may be dumped unless the retirement age also rises.

Friday's front page: Yet again... threat to triple lock#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Jw35fKrt0Y  Daily Express (@Daily_Express) September 7, 2023

The Times reports on the latest NHS maternity scandal, with their front page emblazoned with a story on Nottingham Trust has been accused of failing 1,700 families in a cover-up now being investigated by police.

The Daily Telegraph has taken a more international approach to Friday, running a story on British prime minister Rishi Sunak who has declined to increase student and working visas for Indian nationals in exchange for a trade deal with the country.

The front page of today's Daily Telegraph:



'PM refuses Indias plea for visas in trade talks'#TomorrowsPapersToday



Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/BPZeR5bpe1 Advertisement  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 7, 2023

And, lastly, the Daily Star says the ghost of comedy legend Sir Ken Dodd is apparently haunting his old house in Knotty Ash by slamming doors.
A Russian missile attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskys hometown in central Ukraine has killed one policeman and injured at least 52 others, emergency officials said.

The incident was one of several Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said.

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Ten buildings were damaged in the attack on Kryvyi Rih.

Meanwhile, Moscow is trying to strengthen its position politically with local elections in areas it has illegally annexed, including some it still does not control. Ukraines foreign ministry said it does not recognise the fake elections.



One policeman is said to have been killed (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

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Three of the people who were pulled out of the rubble were in serious condition, according to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraines minister of internal affairs.

Photos posted by Mr Klymenko on Telegram showed a building on fire and emergency services evacuating the injured.

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Three people were also killed on Friday after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, Mr Klymenko said.

He added that three people were also injured in a Russian missile attack in the eastern city of Sumy.

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Russian forces also struck the Odesa region in the west with drones for the fifth time in a week, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. No casualties were reported.

The southern region of Mykolaiv was also targeted, governor Vitalii Kim said on Telegram.





I had a few important meetings today on our international efforts. We have a few very practical goals for our cooperation with partners in September. New weapons. New diplomatic efforts to unite more countries around the goal of restoring a just peace. New pressure on Russia. pic.twitter.com/16c5Fty750 Advertisement    (@ZelenskyyUa) September 7, 2023

Ukraines internal affairs ministry said one person was wounded in a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine.

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Also on Friday, a funeral was being held for an 18-year-old who was among 16 people killed on Wednesday in a Russian attack on a market in Kostiantynivka in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

The attack, which wounded 33 others, destroyed the market and overshadowed a two-day visit by US secretary of state Antony Blinken aimed at assessing Ukraines three-month-old counter-offensive and signalling continued US support with the announcement of an additional one billion dollars (801 million) in aid.

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Voters gather to cast their ballots in a street near their apartment building during local elections in the capital of Russian-controlled Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine (AP)

Meanwhile, the UK has announced it will host a global food security summit in November in response to Russias withdrawal of a Black Sea grain deal and attacks on Ukraines grain supply.

Russia is also holding local elections in the part of the Kherson region it controls. Local elections are also being held in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In Kherson, local residents and Ukrainian activists say election poll workers have made house calls accompanied by armed soldiers.

Ukraine has dismissed the elections, calling on its allies to condemn Russias actions and urging them not to recognise any administration created as a result of the votes.
Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there, saying he feared complicity in a "major" act of war.

The billionaire businessman made the comment on his social media platform X after CNN cited a excerpt from a new biography of Mr Musk that says he ordered the Starlink network turned off near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt the Ukrainian sneak attack.

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In the post on X - formerly known as Twitter - late on Thursday, Mr Musk said he had no choice but to reject an emergency request from Ukraine "to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol". He did not give the date of the request and the excerpt did not specify it.

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"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor," Mr Musk wrote. "If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

Russia, which seized the strategic Crimea peninsula in 2014, bases its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and has used the fleet in a de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports since its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The Russian fleet fires cruise missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets, and Kyiv has launched attacks on Russian ships using maritime drones.

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According to CNN, Walter Isaacson's new biography Elon Musk, to be released by Simon & Schuster on Tuesday, says that when Ukrainian explosive-laden submarine drones last year approached the Russian fleet, they "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly".

Nuclear fear

It said Mr Musk's decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack with nuclear weapons.

CNN said that according to the biography, this was based on Mr Musk's conversations with senior Russian officials and his fears of a "mini-Pearl Harbor".

In August, a Russian warship was seriously damaged in a Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base at Novorossiysk, the first time the Ukrainian navy has projected its power so far from the country's shores.

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SpaceX, through private donations and under a separate contract with a US foreign aid agency, has been providing Ukrainians and the country's military with Starlink internet service, a fast-growing network of more than 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, since the beginning of the war in 2022.

The Pentagon said in June that SpaceX's Starlink had a Department of Defense contract to buy satellite services for Ukraine.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Musk's decision but said: "The Department continues to work closely with commercial industry to ensure we have the right capabilities the Ukrainians need to defend themselves."
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla are commemorating the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II at Crathie Kirk.

Charles, dressed in a red tartan kilt, and Camilla, in a blue day dress and cardigan, made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church where monarchs have worshipped since Queen Victoria.

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On the first anniversary of his mother's death, Charles and his wife are marking her life with private prayers and a moment of reflection.

Britain's Queen Camilla arrives at Crathie Parish Church, near Balmoral, for a church service (Andrew Milligan/PA)

They were joined by the late queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon.

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Elizabeth, was close to her sister Margarets children, especially Lady Sarah who she saw often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

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Former dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland Iain Torrance was giving the sermon.

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Charles arriving at Crathie Kirk (Andrew Milligan/PA)

A small group of Balmoral estate workers and members of the public had gathered close to the church whose minister is the Rev Kenneth MacKenzie.

Some of the men were dressed in kilts and a number of the women wore tartan in the bright autumn sunshine, and were joined by a handful of pupils from Crathie Primary School.

Crathie Kirk was first attended by Victoria, the great-great-grandmother of Elizabeth II, in the late 1840s.

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Charles became sovereign when his mother died peacefully on September 8th last year at Balmoral, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

Charles' son William and his wife Kate, who will visit the Welsh cathedral of St Davids for a short private service on Friday, paid a personal tribute to the late queen on the anniversary, saying: We all miss you.

Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C pic.twitter.com/SkmGtmpNEE Advertisement  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

The message written by William and Kate on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

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It was accompanied by a family photo of the late monarch surrounded by her great-grandchildren including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and her two youngest grandchildren.

The couple were pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late queen and Charles during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of Elizabeth dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

The king has also recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

The Cecil Beaton portrait chosen by Charles to mark the first anniversary of his mothers death (Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023/PA)

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows her aged 42 in 1968.

She is standing sideways and smiling in her Garter robes and wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

Charles message on his accession day (His Majesty King Charles III 2023/PA)

British prime minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to her extraordinary life of duty and dedication and said he treasured his memories of meeting the late Queen and was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace and her sharp wit.

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Former British prime minister Liz Truss has spoken about her final encounter with the late queen, describing how the upbeat and frail but mentally alert monarch told her they would be meeting again soon.

Elizabeth welcomed Ms Truss to her home in Aberdeenshire on September 6th last year to appoint her prime minister.

The late queen welcoming Liz Truss during her final official engagement at Balmoral (Jane Barlow/PA)

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her, Ms Truss told GB News.

She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.

The queen died two days later and London Bridge plans swung into action, with a lying in state, vigils and a grand state funeral, all played out on a public stage.

The king leads the royal family behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during the committal service (Victoria Jones/PA)

Soldiers and horses who took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes for the new reign will return for Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour.

Captain Amy Cooper, who was the lead rider in the procession that carried the coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall, will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in Londons Hyde Park.

A 62-gun salute will also be fired at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. The regiment and the Kings Troop were responsible for gun salutes after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the Kings accession.
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla have led the UK in commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla attended the Scottish church where the late queen worshipped for a poignant event where private prayers were said and a moment of reflection observed for Britain's longest-serving monarch.

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Members of the British royal family also marked the anniversary around the country, and the Princess of Wales was visibly moved when, with her husband by her side, she laid flowers by a portrait of the late queen during a private service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales.

The princess, wearing pearl earrings which belonged to Elizabeth II, later spoke to guests at a reception in the cloisters, telling them: We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them.

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At Windsor Castle, Britain's Prince Harry visited St Georges Chapel where his grandmother was laid to rest.

William and Kate also posted a touching social media tribute We all miss you, which was echoed by the queens granddaughter Princess Eugenie, who wrote on Instagram: Thinking of you today. Missing you so much.

Queen Elizabeth died peacefully at her Balmoral home aged 96 on September 8th last year, after serving as sovereign for 70 years, and was mourned by her family and friends and remembered by the nation.

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The King and Queen were joined at Crathie Kirk, close to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon, who were close to their aunt, with Lady Sarah seeing the monarch often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

The King and Queen leave Crathie Parish Church, near Balmoral (Andrew Milligan/PA)

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The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth.

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I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss.

But we were also glad, just as the family were able to gather here last year, some members of the family were able to be here.

And wherever they might be, in their own homes or wherever, Im glad that people will have the opportunity to reflect and give some thanks for the life of the Queen.

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The poignant mood of the day lightened when Charles and Camilla left the church and stepped into brilliant autumn sunshine and went on a walkabout.

The King and Queen meet estate staff and members of the public after a church service to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Andrew Milligan/PA)

They shared jokes with Balmoral Estate staff, members of the royal household, Crathie Primary pupils and residents from the nearby town of Ballater, who treated the Queen as one of their own.

William and Kate attended a small private service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire along with clergy, the choir and 20 invited guests.

Afterwards Kate laid a bouquet of flowers, which included ivy, eucalyptus, white roses and waxflowers, beside the late Queens portrait, and stood in silence with her husband.

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St Davids Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, West Wales (Toby Melville/PA)

Earlier the Waleses posted on Twitter, now known as X, the words: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

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It was accompanied by a family photograph of the late Queen surrounded by her great-grandchildren, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Waleses were pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late Queen and Charles during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of the Queen dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

Harry also paid tribute to his grandmother, describing how she was looking down on all of us in a speech delivered on Thursday when he attended the WellChild awards ceremony, ahead of the start of the Invictus Games in Germany.

The duke visited St Georges Chapel, within the grounds of Windsor Castle, where both his grandparents the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The late Queens senior dresser and confidante Angela Kelly also posted a moving message addressed to Elizabeth II, saying: I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend.

Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a royal gun salute at the Tower of London to mark Accession Day, the first anniversary of the Kings accession to the throne, and to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Victoria Jones/PA)

Ms Kelly, who worked for the Queen for more than 25 years and had an unparalleled bond with the monarch, was staying at Balmoral the week she died.

The King recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

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Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He added: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows the Queen aged 42 in 1968.
Terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from a prison in the UK was clearly pre-planned and it is a question whether it was an inside job, London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.

Sir Mark Rowley branded it extremely concerning that the 21-year-old, who escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London on Wednesday, was on the loose.

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His comments came as the force confirmed officers had been searching overnight in Richmond Park  a few miles from the jail  as part of the nationwide manhunt.

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Khalife, an ex-soldier who was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK, was discharged from the British army in May.

He is believed to have escaped by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

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Mr Rowley told LBC: It is clearly pre-planned, the fact that he could strap himself on to the bottom of the wagon.

A prison escape is unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment, he added.

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The Met chief did not rule out the escape being an inside job when asked if police were looking at that possibility.

It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? Was he helped by people outside the walls or was it simply all of his own creation? he replied.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (Victoria Jones/PA)

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Khalifes disappearance has prompted questions over staffing levels at the Victorian jail and whether he should have been in a higher security prison.

Mr Rowley said it did seem odd when asked if he was surprised to learn the terror suspect, who is reportedly accused of gathering information for Iran, was being held in a category B facility.

The hunt for Khalife is a massive operation involving well into three figures of officers as well as help from constabularies around the country and Border Force, the commissioner told the radio station.

At the moment we are still really keen to get any reports from members of the public, he added.

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Earlier, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly declined to say if he was confident Khalife would be found.

We do have fantastic security services and police services. I dont think it would be useful or credible for me to speculate, he told ITVs Good Morning Britain programme.

The important thing is that we let the police, the investigators, do their work.

Questions have been asked about Wandsworth (Yui Mok/PA)

Strapping was found underneath a Bidfood delivery lorry which police stopped just over an hour after it left the prison at 7.32am, with officers suggesting Khalife held on to the bottom of the vehicle to escape.

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander Dominic Murphy said it is testament to Khalifes ingenuity that there have since been no confirmed sightings of him.

Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment, he told reporters on Thursday.

Police have not ruled out the possibility he may have managed to flee the country, despite heightened border checks.

Khalife was declared missing at 7.50am, with police notified at 8.15am. The lorry was stopped on Upper Richmond Road, near the junction of Carlton Drive, at 8.37am.

CCTV footage later emerged of the van driving along a road in London after it had left the prison.

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Police have been searching Richmond Park after the escape (PA Graphics)

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk confirmed an independent investigation will take place after Khalifes escape, alongside two urgent reviews looking at the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Wandsworth prisons performance has been rated a serious concern and watchdogs issued a string of warnings about the jail in the year before the incident.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said staff shortages are the source of many problems and that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

One former inmate, who worked alongside Khalife in the prisons kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as odd and had told him he was going to be famous.

Chris Jones (53), who BBC London reported was released in June after being acquitted following seven months on remand, told the programme: We always used to joke about that lorry  jump in it and drive off  but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

Khalife, who denied the three charges against him, is described as slim, 6ft 2in, with short brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown, steel toe-capped boots, but police stressed he may have changed his clothes quickly.

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Khalife has links to the West Midlands  having been stationed at the Ministry of Defences Beacon Barracks in Stafford  and Kingston upon Thames in south-west London, but Mr Murphy said the hunt is covering the whole of the UK.

Police have said there is no reason to believe Khalife poses a threat to the public but urged people not to approach him if they spot him and to call 999.
Britain's Prince Harry and Prince William, the estranged brothers, marked the first anniversary of their grandmothers death hundreds of miles apart.

While Harry paid his respects to Queen Elizabeth II privately in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Friday morning, William travelled to the far reaches of west Wales to remember the late British monarch.

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The prince and his wife, Kate Middleton, carried out a public engagement in the cathedral in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, on Friday afternoon where they attended a private service and were greeted by crowds of well-wishers  a year on from the day the UK's longest-reigning monarch died peacefully aged 96.

Prince Harry at the WellChild awards on the eve of the anniversary (Yui Mok/PA)

Harry, who moved to the US and quit royal duties in 2020, was meanwhile spotted quietly leaving the Berkshire chapel, which is home to the late Queens final resting place, by a member of the public, who posted the image on social media.

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Harry is not expected to meet either his brother or his father, King Charles, on his whirlwind trip to the UK for the WellChild annual awards held on Thursday, on the eve of anniversary, ahead of the Invictus Games in Germany.

He paid his own public tribute to his grandmother in his speech at the charitys ceremony, saying: She is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

William and Kate posted a personal message to the late Queen on social media, writing We all miss you and signing their words W&C.

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Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C pic.twitter.com/SkmGtmpNEE  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

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Relations between William and Harry have long been strained despite their closeness in their younger years.

The fallout is said to have begun before Harrys wedding to former Suits star, the Duchess of Sussex, with the duke accusing William of being snobbish to his bride.

But it worsened after the accusations Harry publicly levelled at his brother in double tell-alls: his memoir, Spare, and his Netflix documentary.

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In his autobiography, released just months after Elizabeth II died, Harry accused William of physically attacking him and pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over Meghan.

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The brothers unveiling a memorial to their mother in 2021 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

He also alleged it was William and Kate who encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party in 2005 and howled with laughter when they saw it.

Harry and Meghan, in their Netflix series two months after the Queens death, claimed Kensington Palace lied to protect William when it issued a statement denying a story he had bullied Harry out of the royal family.

Harry also wrote of how Charles pleaded with his two sons during a tense meeting at Windsor just after the funeral of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, saying: Please, boys. Dont make my final years a misery.
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 In the first 90 seconds of Angela Tiatias new video work The Dark Current, a camera pans along the body of a prone woman clad in a pink dress, gloves, and high heels, to focus on a single pearl resting in the corner of her eye. She is serene, barely blinking despite the lens watching only centimetres away. Then, as a rising lagoon of water envelops her body and the camera pans up and out, she begins swishing her arms, making ripples and waves, her dress turning a deeper, darker shade. This opening sequence of The Dark Current, a 17-minute digital video now screening at ACMI, is as mesmerising as it is suspenseful. Who is the woman? Why does that pearl look so disconcerting? She appears unperturbed but the situation suggests vulnerability. Tiatia, an Australian and Samoan artist born in New Zealand who has won multiple awards and has work in collections around the globe, says it was the first image she imagined for the video. I always see my work very clearly in my mind, she says. And then pre-production, production and post-production is about  getting that out for the viewer. I know exactly what I want. Angela Tiatias latest work features a woman swamped by rising waters. Credit: Brook Mitchell Filmed in four countries, The Dark Current is Tiatias biggest project yet. It is accompanied by Filipina-Australian music composer Corin Iletos soaring and swelling sound design and music composition and is the last work in the prestigious Ian Potter Moving Image Commission series for new Australian works.

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Like much of her output, it explores relationships between gender, neo-colonialism, representation and the commodification of body and place. It features three parts. The first she describes as a historical airing, the second is the present, with connections to climate change, and the third a dreamscape in an unidentifiable time or place. What unites each is a gripping, flowing merging of lush colour, slow reveals of evolving forms created by human bodies, landscape and marae (sacred places) in the Pacific region and hyperreal computer animation that upends historical stereotypes of objects and people. Angela Tiatia, The Dark Current (2023). Credit: Angela Tiatia/Sullivan+Strumpf The pearl in the eye sequence is brief but it sets an intriguing, alluring tone for the rest of the work. Tiatia is influenced by surrealist art, and this section nods to Un Chien Andalou, the silent 1929 film made by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, in which a womans eye is seemingly sliced with a razor. That image was so disruptive and disturbing, especially because it was the female eye being cut, Tiatia says. I wanted to start with an image that was more gentle but is in conversation with that image. Theres lots of layers to the work and often its not clear to the audience, but theres often connections to other things. There is no right or wrong way of looking at the work. The water that gushes in around the woman is a reference to climate change  that slow sea and inundation of water. But that opening segment is like a homage to my parents generation, Tiatia says. My mother travelled from Samoa to New Zealand and she was one of the very first in the family to set up the remittance economy that the Pacific Islands and Samoa is so reliant on, of family members sending money back to the islands to support them.

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The actress [in the video] was very serene even though the water was coming in. Any other normal person would be like, What the hell? Have I left my bath running? But she stays very composed, quite deliberately. I wanted the water to function as all the different cultural rules and values that my parents generation would have been inundated with, that they had to familiarise themselves with in a new country. Watching The Dark Current is like being part of a dream that is tremblingly beautiful, unnervingly suspenseful and verging on hallucinatory. Its final sequence features a group of performers dancing and swaying amid giant carved-ice fruit towers on a landscape dotted with submerged tyres and overlooked by a huge moon. Tiatia says the sequence features multiple inspirations. The work touches on themes including shifting culture and climate change. Credit: Angela Tiatia/Sullivan+Strumpf Theres climate change with the melting ice and [with] the fruit Im talking about Maori and Pacific Island labour, how its tied to the land and fruit-picking, she says. If you go way back into the early 1900s  the Germans set up mass plantations in Samoa for rubber, cocoa, and sugar. Loading I always wanted to do a work like that. But I was always hesitant because of the way that Western image-making, when its in relationship to Pacific Island bodies, is always pairing fruit with Pacific bodies in a crude sexual way. For example, on really old postcards with a sailor and a Pacific Island woman, he would be holding a basket of fruit with bananas sticking out and the woman would be lying down. Its almost because of the Western way these images were constructed quite suggestively that I didnt want to make that connection. But with part three in the work, its pushing back as Pacific Island artists or feminists. Saying there are other connections to be made that are much more important to us now and historically. Its a reframing of the way that fruit is paired with our bodies.

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A Melbourne man who brutally raped two girls in his car in separate attacks has been jailed for 22 years for a spate of violent offending a judge described as cruel and dehumanising.

Josh Vassallo, 27, on Friday faced the Victorian County Court, where it was revealed his latest crimes also included kidnapping, beating and forcing a third victim to eat dog food.

Your offending has profoundly impacted the lives of the complainants and their families. The impact has been significant and at times overwhelming, Judge Helen Syme told Vassallo.

Each complainant has had their lives irrevocably changed for the worst by your cruel and selfish acts.
Manila: As two maritime democracies and United States treaty allies, Australia and the Philippines should be natural partners in the Indo-Pacific.

Yet the bilateral relationship has been so undercooked it carried the risk of salmonella - a fact foreign policy officials readily concede but struggle to explain.

Its taken a mutual wariness, and even alarm, about Chinas economic coercion and territorial expansionism to bond the two nations together.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos jnr at the presidential palace in Manila. Credit: AAP

South-East Asian nations such as Singapore and Malaysia have previously figured far more prominently in Australias strategic thinking, despite the fact the Philippines, a nation of 114 million people, has a much larger overall population and diaspora community in Australia.
The law firm representing the women strip searched at Doha Airport has urged the federal government to hold the line over its decision to reject Qatar Airways application for more flights, after Transport Minister Catherine King finally conceded the event contributed to her decision.

Damian Sturzaker of Marque Lawyers is representing 13 Australian women who were subject to invasive physical searches by Qatari police at Doha Airport in 2020. He told this masthead on Friday that Qatar Airways needed to take responsibility for the incident.

The Albanese government has repeated its invitation for Qatar Airways to fly into Adelaide and Canberra.

Our view is that no extension of air rights should be granted unless Qatar Airways, as Qatar state entity, takes responsibility for the impact on our clients of not only the incident at Doha airport but the toll of having to commence complex and expensive litigation to obtain justice, Sturzaker said.

Marque Lawyers wants compensation, an apology and assurances that other women travelling through Doha will not be subject to similar treatment.
Catherine King has largely flown under the radar in Albaneses cabinet.

But the transport ministers decision in July to reject Qatar Airways bid to double its flights to Australia has come under intense scrutiny in recent months  not least in the past week  and vaulted her onto newspaper front pages.

Transport Minister Catherine King is known as methodical and intelligent among colleagues. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

A former social worker and senior manager at KPMG who held high-ranking positions within the Department of Health and Aged Care before her election in 2001 to the seat of Ballarat, King is regarded within the party as a methodical minister across her brief rather than a factional warrior.

Labor MP Julian Hill, who along with King is a member of the partys Victorian Left faction, says she is a wonderful person.
Victorian women could be given antibiotics that are unsafe for the first trimester of pregnancy and treated for urinary tract infections when they in fact have a sexually transmitted disease under the states future pharmacy prescription model, the peak body for doctors has warned.

In her first public comments on why the Australian Medical Association has quit a key Andrews government advisory body, Dr Jill Tomlinson said she held grave concerns that an expanded prescription pilot, due to start next month, would not be part of a registered clinical trial.

Dr Jill Tomlinson says Victorias pharmacy prescription plan is problematic. Credit: Wayne Taylor

Without peer-reviewed oversight, she and other doctors fear the government will cherry-pick data to forge ahead with a feel-good election promise to allow Victorians to bypass their GP and have their pharmacist dispense repeat scripts for oral contraceptives, administer travel vaccines and prescribe medicine for uncomplicated UTIs and minor skin conditions.

We do not support the pilot, Tomlinson said, adding that her concerns related to an increased risk of misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment. The refusal to conduct this experiment as a registered clinical trial raises serious concerns about transparency and the rushed implementation of this promise.
Scott Hudson wasnt even supposed to move into his Chadstone rental. In a sliding doors moment, the tenants selected by the landlord turned down the lease and he and his partner were offered the home instead.

At the time, he felt lucky; now, hes not so sure.

Scott Hudson says his home did not meet minimum standards when it was first let to him. Credit: Wayne Taylor

We assumed that that meant that they had found somewhere else that was better, Hudson said. But now were always going to wonder what did these people find in this house, of the gazillion things that are wrong with it that we didnt?

And why is it on us to have found it?


The battle to dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) space seems to be intensifying, with Reliance Industries Ltd ( RIL ) and the Tata group, two of the largest conglomerates in India, entering into separate partnerships with US technology giant Nvidia to build AI supercomputers. Jio Platforms, RILs digital services arm, announced a partnership with Nvidia on Friday to build a state-of-the-art cloud-based AI computing infrastructure. Nvidia will provide Jio with end-to-end AI supercomputer technologies and frameworks for building the most advanced AI models, Jio said in a statement.

Nvidia is also tying up with the Tata group to deliver AI computing infrastructure and platforms for developing AI solutions.

The collaboration aims to bring advanced AI capabilities within reach of thousands of organisations, businesses, AI researchers, and startups in India, the US firm said.

The new infrastructure will greatly speed up a wide range of Indias key initiatives and AI projects, including AI chatbots, drug discovery, climate research, and more, Jio Platforms said in its statement. As part of the collaboration, Jio will manage and maintain the AI cloud infrastructure and oversee customer engagement and access.



As India advances from a country of data proliferation to creating technology infrastructure for widespread and accelerated growth, computing and technology super centres like the one we envisage with Nvidia will provide the catalytic growth just like Jio did to our nations digital march, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of RIL, said.



The AI infrastructure will be hosted in AI-ready computing data centres that will eventually expand to 2,000 MW.

Jios tie-up with Nvidia comes against the backdrop of media reports that RIL is exploring a foray into semiconductor manufacturing. According to a Reuters report, the group has held early-stage talks with foreign chipmakers.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, said, India has scale, data, and talent. With the most advanced AI computing infrastructure, Reliance can build its own large language models that power generative AI applications made in India, for the people of India.

TCS to upskill 600,000 staffers in AI



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On the partnership with the Tata group, Nvidia said in its release that the companies would work together to build an AI supercomputer powered by the next-generation NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip.

Tata Communications robust global network combined with the AI cloud will empower enterprises to transfer data across the AI cloud at high speeds.

TCS will utilise the AI infrastructure and capabilities to build and process generative AI applications. The Nvidia partnership will further enable TCS in upskilling its 600,000-strong workforce in AI skills, the release said.

Our partnership with Nvidia will democratise access to AI infrastructure, accelerate build-out of AI solutions and enable upgradation of AI talent at scale. Tata Groups presence across sectors coupled with Nvidias deep capabilities offers numerous opportunities for collaboration to advance Indias AI ambition, N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, said.
The Indian tea industry needs to improve quality and claw back its position in exports, additional secretary with the commerce ministry, Amardeep Singh Bhatia, said on Friday.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the Indian Tea Association, Bhatia said that India's share in world exports has declined. "Our competitors from Kenya, Sri Lanka have increased their share in the global markets during the period."

"We need to claw back our position in exports and try to regain some of our lost markets as well as diversify our markets," he added.

Bhatia also noted that India's share in global tea production had also decreased steadily from the 1950s. "Now, China has increased its production and become number one by a wide margin; Kenya has also emerged as a large producer and Sri Lanka has consolidated its position," he said.

Bhatia urged the producers to improve the quality and also move up the value chain in exports. Bulk tea accounted for about 86 per cent of exports.

Tea Board deputy chairman, Saurav Pahari, also urged producers to focus on brand building and move up the value chain. He said it was 'high time' that the established tea industry engaged with start-ups in a more constructive fashion.

"They have new, fresh, and out-of-the-box ideas which the traditional tea industry can profit by. And start-ups can profit from the experience that the traditional industry brings to the business," he said.

On value addition, C K Dhanuka, chairman of Dhunseri Tea & Industries, asked how one can go for value addition. He said that plantation and value addition cannot go together.

The top destinations for Indian tea, it may be mentioned, are Russia, the UAE, and Iran, accounting for about 46 per cent of total exports.

Bhatia said, in addition to ensuring quality and timely supply, there was a need to diversify and identify new potential markets and then effectively target them.

Nayantara Palchoudhuri, chairperson of the Indian Tea Association, said that Indian tea exports in 2022 closed at 231 million kilograms, the gains were mainly in the CIS and UAE markets. "The optimism to touch 300 million kilograms in the next 3-4 years remains."

However, she mentioned that Indian exports were somewhat restricted by lower off-take from Iran due to payment-related issues and other factors, competitive pressures from Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam, all having lower costs of production.

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Palchoudhuri also said that the Indian Tea Association had been proactive on the Iran export issue given the importance of that market for Indian teas. "Interactions at the Embassy of Iran and MEA were initiated to break the deadlock. Meanwhile, the Indian Tea Association has also requested the Tea Board to mount and lead a trade delegation to Iran with a hope for positive results."
A traffic police during full-dress rehearsal for the G20 Summit in New Delhi, on Sunday
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the "truly special partnership" between India and Mauritius.

Sharing a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jaishankar stated, "Delighted to call on PM @KumarJugnauth of Mauritius today morning. Value Mauritius' participation in the @g20org. Reaffirmed our commitment to take our truly special partnership forward."

On September 7, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit set to be hosted under India's Presidency on September 9-10.

Union Minister of State for Ports, and Shipping Shripad Naik received him at the airport. As he came out of the Delhi airport, he was welcomed with a traditional folk dance performance.

India is hosting the G20 Leader's Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. This is the first time that a G20 Summit is taking place under India's presidency.

On Thursday, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hailed India's G20 Presidency and said that there couldn't have been a better them for the summit than 'One Earth, One Family and One Future', which translates to 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'.

He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Jugnauth said, "I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change".

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"So, it is important for a summit like this one all the countries to sit down and see how we can bounce back. I think there is a need for us to be resilient, there is a need to review our policies in view of the lessons that we can draw from those events," he added.

He further said that amid the ongoing conflicts in Africa and Ukraine, and issues like climate change, the issues being put up by India under its presidency are very pertinent.

"I think there could not have been a better theme that has been chosen by India - One Earth, One Family and One Future - which is drawn from the Sanskrit phase of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. I think this is pertinent more so when we look at the effect of climate change because what one country does, not only affects that country but also the whole world. That is why, we have to reflect collectively and we have to act collectively," the Mauritius Prime Minister said.

He added, "Each one of us has a duty to save the planet and save the whole population. I am happy to see that India has taken this very inclusive approach and to try to get everybody on board. There have been a number of meetings before the summit, and there have been a lot of proposals and ideas that have been edited. I am very confident that we are going to make progress."

India has close, longstanding relations with Mauritius, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons, according to the Ministry of External Affairs statement. A key reason for the special ties between the two nations is that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island's population. India has traditionally been the 'first responder' for Mauritius in times of crisis, including during the recent COVID-19 and Wakashio oil-spill crises.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden on Friday expressed confidence that the G20 Leaders Summit will advance the shared goals of building global consensus around fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks.

A joint statement, released after both leaders held a bilateral meeting late on Friday at the PMs official residence, said the G20 Summit would help accelerate sustainable development and bolster multilateral cooperation.

The statement further said PM Modi looks forward to welcoming Biden to the next Quad leaders summit in India next year. Both sides also announced the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO), over poultry imports from the US. This comes after Modis visit to the US in June, when both countries decided to close six of the seven outstanding disputes at the WTO.



The bilateral meeting was very productive. Friendship between India and the US will continue to play a great role in furthering global good, Modi told PTI after the meeting.



The discussions straddled a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between both nations, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on Twitter.

The nearly hour-long meeting was held at the Prime Minister's residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here. While this is Biden's first visit to India as US President, both leaders have had more than 10 in-person and online meetings since 2021.

Isro & Nasa have commenced discussions on modalities, capacity building, and training for mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024, and are continuing efforts to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of 2023, the statement said.

The statement also noted the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India and pointed out the US Congressional Notification process has ended for it.

On the technology front, both sides have committed to undertake a "midterm review" of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) in September 2023. The next annual iCET review will be co-led by the national security advisors of both countries in early 2024. The nations also welcomed "intensified consultations" to expand opportunities for facilitating the India-US collaboration in nuclear energy, including in the development of next-generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode.

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Bilaterals with Bangladesh, Mauritius





Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth (left)



Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (left) during a bilateral meeting Modi also had bilateral meetings with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

"The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last nine years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more," the PMO tweeted. Discussions focused on diversifying bilateral relations. Both sides also agreed to strengthen ties in a host of sectors, including connectivity, and culture, as well as people-to-people ties.

Bangladeshi officials said Hasina raised the Teesta water-sharing issue. Issues related to connectivity, energy security, and food security are also likely to figure on the agenda. During Hasina's state visit to India in September last year, both leaders directed the officials to work together to address issues such as pollution in rivers and to improve the riverine environment and river navigability with respect to common rivers.

With Mauritius, talks focused on cooperation in a range of sectors spanning infrastructure, fintech and culture. Also reiterated India's commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South," Modi said on Twitter.

The country is a key partner integral to Indias vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), the geopolitical framework of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. Both leaders also acknowledged the significant enhancement of the India-Mauritius bilateral relationship, commemorating its 75th anniversary this year.

Mauritius is the third largest source of foreign direct investment for India, accounting for 26 per cent of all inbound FDI since 2000.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has not been invited to the G20 Summit dinner hosted by the President, reported NDTV.

The Congress has taken exception to Kharge's exclusion as the dinner will be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu and not the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, a Times of India (ToI) report said.

The heads of other Opposition parties and floor leaders in Parliament have also not received invitations.

However, the chief ministers of all states and Cabinet and state ministers have been invited to the dinner scheduled for Saturday (September 9).

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu's MK Stalin, Nitish Kumar from Bihar, and Bhagwant Mann from Punjab are among those who have confirmed their attendance. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have turned down the invitation because of ill health.

The heads of state of more than 30 countries will attend the dinner scheduled at Bharat Mandapam, the convention centre set up for the G20 Summit in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan.

The dinner invitation sparked controversy earlier as it described Murmu as the "President of Bharat" instead of the usual "President of India".

PM Modi to hold 15 bilateral meetings during G20 Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings during the G20 Summit, reported news agency PTI.

PM Modi will meet with US President Biden on Friday and is expected to discuss a deal to manufacture jet engines in India jointly, the purchase of MQ-9B-armed drones, and an agreement on civil nuclear liability. He will also hold talks with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth on Friday.

On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Italy.

On the summit's final day, PM Modi will hold a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will also meet on the sidelines with Canada's Justin Trudeau.
Indicating satisfactory progress on one of the Indian aviation industry's flagship projects, the air marshal in charge of Indian Air Force (IAF) procurement personally flew, and endorsed, the new basic trainer aircraft (BTA) that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has designed for training rookie pilots of the three services.

Called the Hindustan Turbo Trainer Aircraft-40 (HTT-40), the trainer was flown on Friday in Bengaluru by the deputy chief of air staff (DCAS), Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit.

The HTT-40, which has been indigenously designed and developed by the Aircraft Research and Design Centre of HAL, is based on the training requirements of the IAF.

The IAF had initially insisted on training its greenhorn pilots, and those of the other services, on a trainer imported from Switzerland  the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II. However, HAL insisted on developing the HTT-40 as an "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) product. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) backed the project, which is now coming to fruition.

The HTT-40 is being priced by HAL at about Rs 50 crore per aircraft, which is about the same as the cost of the Swiss trainer. However, the high degree of indigenisation in the Indian trainer will allow it to be modified into variants such as a light attack aircraft, without end-user clauses from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) overseas.

Control of the intellectual property rights of the HTT-40's sub-systems and systems will also make it easier to export it to regional countries for use by their trainee pilots.

"The HTT-40 is a fully aerobatic aircraft, powered by a four-bladed turbo-prop engine. It is fitted with a state-of-the-art glass cockpit, modern avionics and latest safety features, including a zero-zero ejection seat. The trainer has a maximum speed of 450 kilometres per hour and a maximum service ceiling of six kilometres," said the MoD in a media statement on Friday.

The HTT-40 first flew on 31 May 2016 and obtained system-level certification on 6 June 2022. Clearance by India's regulator for military aviation products, the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (Cemilac), is currently underway for the full aircraft.

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The IAF has signed a Rs 6,828 crore contract with HAL for the supply of 70 HTT-40 aircraft, along with spares and training infrastructure. Induction into service is to commence on 15 September 2025 and be completed by 15 March 2030. The HTT-40 will enhance the quality of training of ab-initio pilots of the Indian armed forces.

"The procurement will also include a full mission simulator for the HTT-40, which will supplement the aerial training, allowing pilots to practice different profiles on the ground, prior to the sorties," stated the MoD on Friday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that the Opposition by and large agrees with the BJP-led government's current position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that by virtue of being a large country, it is natural for India to have a range of bilateral relationships across the world.

During a press conference at the Press Club in Brussels, he was asked by a Ukrainian news agency about the cautious approach taken by the Modi government on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and if such an approach was dictated by the supply of oil from Russia to the country.

He was asked to spell out the Opposition's view on the government's stance on this conflict in Europe, which is expected to dominate the G20 Summit agenda as well.

I think the Opposition by and large, would agree with India's current position on the conflict, Gandhi responded.

We have a relationship with Russia. And I don't think the Opposition would have a different view than what the government is currently proposing, he said.

India has repeatedly called on Russia and Ukraine to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue and end their ongoing conflict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the presidents of Russia and Ukraine on multiple occasions and urged for immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue for the resolution of the conflict.

Elaborating further when asked about India-Russia relations and attempts by Western leaders to lure India away from Russia, Gandhi reiterated that it is natural for India to have a diverse range of ties with different nations.

India, of course, has a relationship with Russia, India has a relationship with the United States. India is a large country and by nature of being a large country, it will have relationships with many other countries. So that's a normal thing India has every right to have a relationship with whoever it wants, he added.

On a question about the Opposition's stance on Kashmir and the government's abrogation of Article 370 in the region, Gandhi pointed to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution and stressed that the Opposition felt strongly about the development and progress of Kashmir.

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Our position on Article 370 is very clear. It's in a resolution passed in the CWC of the Congress Party we are for ensuring that every single person in our country has a voice, is allowed to express themselves. And, we feel very strongly that Kashmir should develop, Kashmir should progress and there should be peace in Kashmir, he said.

In response to a related question on what role he sees for international diplomacy in resolving the Kashmir issue, Gandhi responded: Kashmir is, of course, an integral part of India, so it's nobody's business other than our own, other than India's business.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders between September 8 and 10, during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

On September 8, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of Mauritius, Bangladesh and the USA. On September 9, in addition to the G20 meetings, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy counterparts.

On September 10, PM Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will also do a pull-aside meeting with Canada and bilateral meetings with Comoros, Turkey, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria.

During the Biden and Modi meeting on Friday, the two leaders are expected to make advancements on the GE jet engine deal and civil nuclear technology during their bilateral talks, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

Earlier this year, US General Electric (US GE) announced that it had inked an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the government's aerospace and defence manufacturing firm, to jointly manufacture engines in India to power fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.

Biden departed from Andrew's air base on Thursday for the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi.

French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in New Delhi on Saturday for a two-day visit. Macron and Modi will hold a bilateral meeting on September 10.





Also Read: Optimistic about India's future but harmonious society essential: Ex-PM MMS Previously, the two leaders met in July during PM Modi's visit to France to attend the Bastille Day Parade. During his two-day visit to India, Emmanuel Macron will have bilateral meetings with other world leaders, particularly with Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, according to the Embassy of France in India.

Also Read Biden falls onstage at graduation ceremony; White House says he's 'fine' G20 Summit: Where are world leaders staying during their time in New Delhi BCCI to sell digital, TV rights for bilateral series separately: Report G20 Summit 2023 LIVE: PM to hold over 15 bilaterals with world leaders Pro Kabaddi League 2023 to kick-start on Dec 2; 12-city caravan returns Confident that India will do 'everything possible': UN chief ahead of G20 India is leading digital transformation race: G20 Oman Sherpa Pankaj Khimji Optimistic about India's future but harmonious society essential: Ex-PM MMS Former PMs Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda invited to G20 dinner G20 Summit 2023 LIVE: PM to hold over 15 bilaterals with world leaders

Prior to his departure, Macron is likely to hold a press conference at the venue on Sunday afternoon. He will depart for Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon.

(With agency inputs)
The government should set up an institutional mechanism to bring out real-time data on production, consumption, trade, and prices for the tea sector, Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM) Director Rakesh Mohan Joshi said on Friday.

He also said there is an urgent need to bring out enabling policies with targeted interventions to address the rapidly emerging novel issues such as climate change, curtailing production costs and achieving efficiency across the value chain in the sector.

To cope with emerging challenges in the tea industry, the government should focus upon adopting an integrated approach to evolve an institutional mechanism with active participation of producing states along with other stakeholders in tea production.

"The tea industry, once a gold mine for the British planters and a major source of foreign exchange earnings that played a critical role in India's trade and economy in the last century, struggles today even for survival," Joshi said.

India's share in world tea exports has steadily declined from 27 per cent in 1970 to 9.5 per cent in 2022 whereas share of countries like China has increased from 5 per cent to 26.5 per cent and in case of Kenya from 6 per cent to 17.6 per cent during the same period.

He added that in the present-day context, tea production plays a vital role in poverty alleviation, rural development and food security.

The Indian tea industry employs 1.6 million workers directly and an equal number of people is associated with the industry indirectly.

The industry has 2.5 lakh small tea growers contributing 52 per cent of India's total tea production.

"Rising costs of inputs for tea production domestically on one hand and consistent decline of international tea prices on the other is the biggest challenge the tea industry faces today, making it a formidable task to ensure its commercial viability," he added.

He also said the cost of plantation has increased significantly in India over the last two decades from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per hectare impacting financial viability of tea production and its international competitiveness.

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"Government should also focus on establishing an effective institutional mechanism to bring out real-time data on production, consumption, trade, stocks and prices, and make this data available on real-time basis on public platforms," Joshi said.

Bengaluru-based IIPM, under the commerce ministry, conducts industry need-based capacity building and training programmes for stakeholders of the agri-plantation sector.
Taking a dig at the government for not inviting Opposition leaders to the G20, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said it shows that the current leadership doesn't value the leaders of 60 per cent of India's population and the people should think about it.

Congress Party chief and the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Kharge has not been invited to the G20 gala dinner being hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday, media reports said.

Interacting with the media at Brussels Press Club in Brussels, Gandhi said the government's action tells about its thinking.

"It tells you it tells you something," Gandhi said in response to a question.

"They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition (Mallikarjun Kharge). It tells you it tells you something. It tells you that they don't value the leader of 60% of India's population," he said.

"It is something that people should think about why they are feeling the need to do that and what is the type of thinking that goes behind that," he said.

Gandhi is currently on a three-nation European tour to Belgium, France and Norway.

He held closed-door meetings with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels on Thursday.
Following the victory of Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh in the Assembly bypolls of Ghosi, party MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Friday said that the general public has turned against the Bharatiya Janata Party government and will vote for the INDIA bloc in the upcoming elections.

"The victory of Samajwadi Party in Ghosi is a blessing of the people. I thank the voters of Ghosi and also the administration there for conducting fair polls," Samajwadi Party secretary general said.

He said that the public has turned against the BJP government and has decided to vote for the Samajwadi Party and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav congratulated party candidate Sudhakar Singh for his performance in Ghosi assembly bypoll.

He said it is a "victory" of the INDIA bloc and the momentum will continue in the Lok Sabha elections.

The bypoll in Ghosi was necessitated after Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as Samajwadi Party candidate, came back to the BJP.

The Samajwadi Party candidate won by a big margin of 42,759 votes.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held a bilateral meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and discussed G20 priorities.

The bilateral meeting took place a day ahead of the G20 Leadership Summit beginning on Saturday here.

"FM Smt. @nsitharaman and Secretary Ms. @SecYellen discussed key #G20 priorities and bilateral cooperation between the two democracies to address pressing global economic and financial issues," the finance ministry said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Yellen on Thursday had said Russia's war against Ukraine has led to the needless loss of lives and stands in direct contradiction to everything the G20 stands for.

"We will rally our partners to maintain our collective economic support for Ukraine as well as impose severe costs on Russia," she had said in a post on X on Thursday.

"As @POTUS said last year, India is one of America's indispensable partners. This will be my 4th visit to India in 10 months and our ties are stronger than ever. Bilateral trade between our two countries reached an all-time high last year, and we expect it to grow even further," Yellen had said.

Sitharaman also held a meeting with Nigerian Minister of Finance and Economy Adebayo Olawale Edun and Nigerian Minister of Budget and National Planning Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, against the backdrop of the G20 Leaders Summit.

The Ministers discussed issues of mutual interest in several areas.

"FM Smt. @nsitharaman conveyed India's continued support to people of Nigeria in their development trajectory through Indian lines of credit, cooperation between Central Banks, collaboration with NITI Aayog @NITIAayog and exchange on best practices," the finance ministry said in a post on X.

Minister Edun appreciated the rich contribution of Nigerian citizens of Indian origin in the development of the Nigerian economy, it said.

Also Read Embellished trees, floral works: New Delhi gets ready for G20 Summit Heading to India with a clear focus, says Rishi Sunak ahead of G20 Summit G20 Summit: Cong chief Mallikarjun Kharge not invited to President's dinner Day 1 G20 Summit 2023: Schedule, meetings, key events, and other highlights G20 Summit Joint Communique decoded: Why is consensus among members matters World Bank's G20 report on India's DPI testament to rapid progress: PM Modi High-income nations of G20 fall drastically short on climate action: Oxfam Finland's govt survives no-confidence vote over 2 right-wing ministers India or Bharat? Panic reactions, distraction tactics, says Rahul Gandhi It's special as son-in-law of India: Rishi Sunak on visit to Delhi for G20
Rishi Sunak said on Friday that his visit to New Delhi for the G20 Leaders' Summit is "obviously special" as he joked about being referred to as the "son-in-law of India" as the first British Prime Minister of Indian heritage and married to an Indian in Akshata Murty.

Speaking to reporters in a huddle on his flight to New Delhi, the 43-year-old British Indian leader said he was excited to be back in India, "a country that is very near and dear to me". He is joined on the visit by his wife, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, and is scheduled for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit.

I'm heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable, tweeted Sunak as he embarked on the three-day tour.

It's obviously special. I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India's son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately," he told reporters travelling with him.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been flagged as a key topic on the agenda for the UK during the summit discussions, with Downing Street saying India's role and influence is vital.

"Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality. The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction," Sunak told reporters.

His Downing Street spokesperson said the UK will use every opportunity to show its support for Ukraine and further foster global support as well.

India has a vital role to play as the world's largest democracy in calling out Russia's assault on human rights and indeed democracy itself. We will use meetings with Modi or elsewhere to encourage them to use that influence to bring an end to Putin's brutal invasion," Sunak's spokesperson said.

The India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are likely to also feature highly during the Modi-Sunak bilateral discussions, having just completed 12 rounds of negotiations but with no set timeframe for its conclusion.

Also Read Heading to India with a clear focus, says Rishi Sunak ahead of G20 Summit Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty's fortunes take a hit in new rich list analysis If we don't vote, we have no right to criticise, says Narayana Murthy US Open 2023, doubles final: Rohan Bopanna live match time today, streaming Embellished trees, floral works: New Delhi gets ready for G20 Summit Proximity of Russia aattacks on Ukraine's Danube stirs fear in Romania EU supports African Union joining G20, slams Russia for Ukraine war Advancing relationship with India will be priority this week: US Secy International Literacy Day 2023: Date, Theme, History, Importance China digs in on Russia-Ukraine war, climate even in Xi's G20 absence

Separately, Downing Street has indicated that there will be no changes to the UK immigration policy as part of the deal, though short-term business visas are up for discussion as part of the trade talks.

Official UK government statistics peg the India-UK bilateral trade relationship as worth around GBP 36 billion in 2022, expected to be significantly enhanced with what both sides have branded as a deep and forward-looking FTA.

Modi and Sunak last met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. A month later, during UK-India Week in London, Sunak had said he can't wait to meet his Indian counterpart again.

Prime Minister Modiji and I agree there's huge potential here. We're making great progress together on the 2030 Roadmap and we want to strike a truly ambitious trade deal that benefits both our nations, bringing tremendous opportunities to businesses and consumers, both in India and here at home, he said at the time.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday left for India where he would attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative.

Less than an hour before his departure for India, the White House said, "The President tested negative for Covid."



After arriving in New Delhi on Friday evening, President Biden is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi the same night.

His meetings and interactions with Modi and other world leaders during and on the sidelines of the G20 Summit would be driven by the COVID-19 protocols established by the CDC.

The First Lady was quarantined at her Delaware house after testing positive and is not travelling with the president to India and Vietnam. On Thursday, her office said, "The First Lady tested negative for Covid today."



"He (Joe Biden) is very excited about the important initiatives that he will be championing at the G20," White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.

He said Biden's focus is going to be on delivering economic opportunity for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people, from climate to technology, and showing the US' commitment to the G20 itself as a viable, if not vital, forum to tackle these issues.

"Of course, now, we're grateful for Prime Minister Modi's leadership during India's presidency of the G20, and the President is certainly looking forward to his bilateral meeting with the prime minister shortly after his arrival in New Delhi," Kirby added.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

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The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
Financial LLM is in closed test with financial institution partners on Ant Groups wealth management and insurance platforms

The company will implement the financial LLM on its digital finance platform business supporting financial institutions in the China market.

Ant Group today unveiled its financial large language model (the financial LLM) at the 2023 INCLUSIONConference on the Bund, alongside two new applications powered by the financial LLM including Zhixiaobao 2.0, an intelligent financial assistant for consumers, and Zhixiaozhu 1.0, an intelligent business assistant serving financial industry professionals.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908406520/en/

Wang Xiaohang, Vice President of Ant Group and head of financial LLM, at the 2023 INCLUSIONConference on the Bund (Photo: Business Wire)

According to Fin-Eval, Ant Groups in-house benchmark developed to measure the performance of AI in finance, the companys financial LLM outperforms general-purpose LLMs across 5 key areas, including cognition, generation, domain knowledge, professional thinking, and compliance. In Fin-Evals 28 financial-specific task categories, Ant Groups financial LLM also outperformed industry average in tests such as insights extraction on researches and analysis, understanding of financial intentions and reasoning on financial events.

To achieve this performance, Ant Groups financial LLM is trained on over hundreds of billions of token datasets containing Chinese financial documents, in addition to over 1,000 billion tokens from general corpus datasets. Furthermore, the financial LLM also utilizes a dataset of more than 600,000 instructions from over 300 real-world industry use cases, significantly optimizing its capability for financial-specific tasks.

The financial LLM was fine-tuned based on Ant Group's self-developed general-purpose LLM which features high efficiency in computing power use. For example, Ant Groups general-purpose model utilizes a heterogeneous hardware cluster, which supports up to ten thousand GPUs of different kinds, with its model FLOPs utilization (MFU) for a thousand GPUs reaching 40%. Moreover, the models Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) training throughput under consistent model performance is enhanced by a factor of 3.59 and inference performance is improved by approximately 2 times compared to the existing industry benchmark.

With its technical capability, the financial LLM is able to power a wide range of professional services, encompassing wealth management such as financial product evaluation, market analysis, and investor education, as well as insurance services such as explaining insurance products, making family insurance plans, and verifying insurance claims.

"General-purpose LLMs are difficult to be applied to industry specific use. To truly bring value to the finance industry, language capabilities, domain knowledge, domain expertise and security capabilities are the prerequisite conditions, which are also key challenges to the development of financial LLMs," said Wang Xiaohang, Vice President of Ant Group and head of financial LLM. "Based on our extensive experiences from financial service businesses, Ant Group has developed an architecture integrating LLM technologies with domain knowledges and industry services, which has already been tested in Ant Groups' intelligent financial services scenarios."

Looking ahead, Ant Group will leverage the power of its financial LLM across all digital financial services in collaboration with institutions in China market.

On the same day, Ant Group also open sourced its AI-powered coding platform CodeFuse for the developer community. The company also made its financial-specific AI task benchmark Fin-Eval available to the public to facilitate industrial innovation of LLM for the financial industry.

Two new applications: Zhixiaobao 2.0 and Zhixiaozhu 1.0

Ant Groups financial LLM is now in closed tests on its wealth management and insurance platforms, and has been integrated into its various intelligent services.

With the help of LLM technology, the intelligent financial assistant Zhixiaobao 2.0 can provide high quality services to consumers, including market analysis, portfolio diagnosis, asset allocation suggestions, and investors education. It has achieved a 95% accuracy rate in financial intention recognition, with a capability of market analysis and reasoning reaching the averages of professionals, and can engage in high-quality multi-round conversations.

Meanwhile, the intelligent business assistant, Zhixiaozhu 1.0, can be tailored to help various financial professionals such as service representatives, investment advisors and insurance claim specialists, offering comprehensive and intelligent support for tasks such as investment analysis, information extraction, content creation, business opportunity insights, and financial tool utilization.

So far, Zhixiaobao 2.0 has been in closed test for about six months and will be available to users after it receives regulatory approval. Zhixiaozhu 1.0 is currently undergoing additional closed tests by Ant Group and industry partners on the companys financial platforms.

Ant Group started the financial LLM project at the end of 2022. To better support the development of inclusive financial services, Ant Group is exploring a set of comprehensive AI technologies including knowledge graph, operations optimization, graph learning, trustworthy AI, and LLM.

About Ant Group

Ant Group aims to build the infrastructure and platforms to support the digital transformation of the service industry. Through continuous innovation, we strive to provide all consumers and small and micro businesses equal access to digital financial and other daily life services that are convenient, sustainable and inclusive.

For more information, please visit our website at www.antgroup.com or follow us on Twitter @AntGroup.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908406520/en/
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Applications are invited for theandto be held as part of the, on, at YASHADA, Baner Road,The annual event is organised by which is the research vertical of, an independent think tank deliberating on issues of national importance and headed byand in collaboration with theandmay be filled on https://tinyurl.com/NCSI2023 , or on the website https://si.puneinternationalcentre.org/ from each of the three categories  Urban, Rural and Tribal  will receive a cash award ofThefor applications isThe competition is an opportunity for social innovators to showcase their rural, tribal and urban innovations and network with leading CSR/grant/donation/accelerator/impact investors; be part of the 9-month mentoring programme called Social Enterprise Mentorship Programme (SEMP); and access PICs Social Innovation Labs Shared Service Centre for Social Enterprises (SSC-SE).In the past editions of the Conference, social innovators from across India presented their innovations and benefitted from the support and mentorship provided by PICs Social Innovation Lab.is dedicated to empowering and supporting social entrepreneurs in their mission to create positive social impact through their enterprises. Through our various initiatives, we provide resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help social entrepreneurs turn their innovative ideas into sustainable and impactful ventures.
Commentary: CIFTIS opens door of cooperation wider for shared benefit

14:46, September 08, 2023 By Lyu Hui ( Xinhua

This photo taken on Sept. 1, 2023 shows an interior view of the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Hao Jianwei)

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Themed "Opening-up leads development, cooperation delivers the future," the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) concluded on Wednesday, achieving fruitful results in multiple fields.

By the noon of Wednesday, the five-day service trade fair had made more than 1,100 achievements and attracted nearly 280,000 visitors.

Against the backdrop of sluggish world economy, the remarkable achievements speak volume of the charm of CIFTIS as a significant platform for countries and international organizations to share development opportunities through cooperation in trade in services and the services sector.

Featuring over 200 sideline events, including forums, negotiations, and summits, the fair attracted more than 80 countries and international organizations. More than 2,400 companies, including 500 of the world's top 500 and industry leading enterprises, participated in offline exhibitions and over 6,700 enterprises participated in the fair online.

The international enterprises attending the fair offline accounted for more than 20 percent of all the participating enterprises, further enhancing the fair's internationalization and worldwide influence.

As one of the world's largest and most comprehensive fairs for trade in services, the CIFTIS has demonstrated China's active role in strengthening cooperation to promote trade in services and propel global economic recovery.

The popularity and turnout of the fair also reflects the earnest desire of global enterprises to tap the huge potential of Chinese market.

Opening up of service sector expanded

In recent years, despite the complex and challenging external environment, Chinas trade in services has seen rapid growth and shown resilience.

China's total service import and export volume reached a record 889.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.3 percent and maintaining its position as the world's second-largest for the ninth consecutive year.

Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen said that China's service sector in the first half of this year accounted for 56 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), contributing 66 percent to economic growth. He added that 70 percent of foreign investment in China went to the service sector.

The CIFTIS has embodied China's consistent commitment to promoting high-standard opening up and cooperation for shared benefit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a series of measures for expanding the opening up of services sector in his address at the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2023 CIFTIS via video.

"We will widen access to China's services sector, advance the opening up in cross-border services trade in an orderly manner, improve the level of standardization of services trade, and steadily expand institutional opening up," Xi said.

By hosting CIFTIS, China endeavors to share the development opportunities of trade in services with the rest of the world, promote global trade exchanges and inject new impetus into the global economic recovery.

China is further opening up to global businesses, particularly in the services sector, said Gianpaolo Bruno, trade commissioner of Italian Trade Agency (ITA) Beijing Office and coordinator of ITA Offices in China and Mongolia, suggesting that's the main message China wants to deliver through this year's CIFTIS.

"Through its high-level opening-up, China embraced the rest of the world with a huge consumer market and a firm determination to promote common development for all, thus boosting confidence and adding certainty into the global economy," Abu Bakr Al-Deeb, advisor to the Cairo-based Arab Center for Research and Studies, told Xinhua during a recent interview.

Speaking at the CIFTIS, IMF Resident Representative for the People's Republic of China, Steven Alan Barnett, pointed out that the world economy is still facing challenges. He stressed the vital role of promoting global service trade development, with China serving as a key hub in Asian trade.

To accelerate the development of trade in services, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce promised in August that China would promote the introduction of negative lists for cross-border trade in services, cultivate new business modes and models for trade in services, and create new growth drivers for services exports.

Digitalization of services trade highlighted

The digital-driven, smart, green and low-carbon drive is a major feature of this year's fair, with numerous innovative exhibits showcased.

Over 60 enterprises and institutions launched a wide range of innovative products and cutting-edge technologies in such fields as artificial intelligence, healthcare, fin-tech, cultural creativity, etc, leading the industry's innovation trend.

Experts believed that digitalization, driven by innovation, is reshaping global service trade patterns, structures, rules, and the world trade landscape, acting as a catalyst for economic globalization and a new engine for international trade growth.

"The digital technology revolution has injected powerful new momentum into the development of the service trade," said Long Guoqiang, deputy head of the Development Research Center of the State Council, at a forum during CIFTIS 2023.

Data from the World Trade Organization reveals that global digital service trade reached 3.82 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, marking a 3.9 percent year-on-year increase and accounting for 53.7 percent of global service trade.

China's service sector is accelerating upgrading, as the knowledge-intensive service supported by digital, smart and green technologies is becoming a new driving force for the high-quality development of China's trade in services.

The development of innovative technology and artificial intelligence in China has given birth to a large number of new business forms and models in services trade, stimulating the huge potential in service sector.

China's total digital service import and export value reached 371.08 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, up 3.2 percent year on year, the third highest growth rate among the top 10 countries in terms of digital service trade scale.

China's digital economy exceeded 50 trillion yuan (about 6.96 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time in 2022, accounting for 41.5 percent of GDP.

Spurred by China's digitalization drive, many global enterprises converged to identify new business prospects at CIFTIS.

Participating in the fair for the second time this year, Intel China showcased its technologies and solutions in the areas of AI, personal computers, data centers and smart retail sales.

China has intensified its policy support to create a sound digital business environment. In August, China unveiled guidelines to attract foreign investment, including measures encouraging multinationals to grasp growth opportunities in the country's digital economic development.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 5:54PM

HONOR

HONOR, a Chinese technology brand, has introduced a new concept phone that doubles as a handbag. The HONOR V Purse is a foldable device with a screen on the outside of the phone and is connected by a hidden hinge, creating a seamless display that can be customized with different designs.

The HONOR V Purse is designed to be stylish and versatile. It has clips that allow users to attach various accessories, such as chains, straps, and handles, to carry the phone like a handbag. It also has an always-on display that can show different patterns and textures, such as feathers, fabric, and charms, that move with the phone.

Some of the designs on the always-on display were made by personalities like Chinese visual artist Xiao Hui Wang and contemporary artist Yunuene Esparza.

The concept phone was one of two devices that HONOR presented at IFA 2023 in Berlin, one of the largest consumer electronics trade shows in the world.

Source
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India has released a critical notification concerning the CBSE Board Exams 2024 List of Candidates (LOC) submission. The board insists that no extension will be given for providing necessary details in the LOC for the upcoming exams.

Mandatory Verification Of Data By Schools

The notice requires schools to thoroughly verify the data's correctness before forwarding it to the Board within the stated deadlines. CBSE reiterated it would not consider correction requests after the LOC submission, with no option to modify the uploaded information.

Correction Details

The announcement underlines the need for schools to cross-verify the candidates names, their mothers/guardians' names, ensuring that the details correspond with the schools' admission records. CBSE uses the LOC forms to compile the names of class 10 and 12 students for the board exams.
Fans of British mobility brands will have a new reason to celebrate as Mutt Motorcycles is set to open a new location in Metro Manila. The B...
GKIDS has released the official teaser for Hayao Miyazakis The Boy and the Heron, which will make its International debut at the Toronto International Film Festival tomorrow evening, September 7. It will be released in U.S. theaters on December 8.

This is the first time that most of the world can see anything besides still images from the film. Studio Ghibli famously refused to do any PR before its Japanese theatrical release on July 14. That meant no photos, no synopsis, and no trailer. The first official image from the film was released last month when the San Sebastian festival revealed it would open with The Boy and the Heron on September 22.

Ghiblis description of the film, written in poetry form, reads:

A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

The New York Film Festival, which will host the films U.S. premiere on October 1, shared a more detailed synopsis which reads:

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mothers tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boys mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the long-awaited one. Indeed, an extraordinary and grand fate is in store for our young hero, who must journey to a subterranean alternate reality in the hopes of saving Natsukoand perhaps himself.

The Boy and the Heron is an original story written and directed by Miyazaki, produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, and features a musical score from Miyazakis long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
Photo: Facebook/Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's rocky relations with China have stabilized, while telling business leaders in Singapore that Ottawa has committed to a timeline for trade deals with the region.

"I don't think the idea of crossing our arms and turning our backs on any part of the world is something that is good for the Canadian economy," he said Thursday at an onstage event held by Bloomberg.

Trudeau is undertaking a weeklong visit to Indonesia, Singapore and India with a focus on shoring up trade in a region Ottawa sees as key to counteracting coercive economic moves by China.

He noted that his visit comes as western countries co-ordinate their approach to trade with Beijing. Trudeau said that's a change from competing against each other for export opportunities that China could leverage, such as by limiting trade during diplomatic spats or unwanted human rights discussions.

"They just would play us off each other just a little bit in strategic ways that have been very effective," Trudeau said.

"We cannot simply be trying to elbow each other out of the way for access to the Chinese market."

To that end, Trudeau noted that Canada and Indonesia have committed to signing a bilateral trade deal by the end of 2024, and he announced a plan this week to finalize a separate deal by 2025 with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Trudeau's visit to the city-state comes asSingapore businesses are looking to Canada for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while strengthening global supply chains.

"One of the things that Canada well knows is that it's important to diversify our relationships and our supply chain," he said at a news conference Friday morning as he began his last day in Singapore.

"We have a tremendous connection and dependence on the United States as our largest neighbour, but we also focus on diversifying around the world to make sure we have more resilient supply chains.

"That's exactly what we're doing here in Southeast Asia."

Trudeau held four meetings on Thursday with business leaders in the region and is expected to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday.

Vijay Iyengar, chairman and managing director of a company that invests in sustainable sourcing of agri-food products, met with Trudeau on Thursday.

During the meeting, he said Agrocorp International, which is already invested heavily in Saskatchewan and Alberta, is looking for ways it can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and to "do what is right, knowing what is good for our future."

"Canada is a hot spot for us," said Iyengar about future investment.

Trudeau sold Canada as a place of stability, growth and diversity that will provide Singapore reliability and job growth.

Wayne Farmer, president of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council, said promoting businesses and products from back home requires face-time with Indo-Pacific leaders.

"A large part of promoting Canada's interest out here is the touch that's required between senior government and senior private sector leaders," he said Thursday.

The visit to Singapore comes after a stop in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Canada launched a strategic partnership with the ASEAN economic bloc of 10 countries.

The partnership is considered a symbolic gesture that reflects Canada's expanded presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

This weekend Trudeau heads to India for the G20 leaders' summit in New Delhi. Canada is also in negotiations for a free-trade deal with India, though talks over the last few months were paused to work through unspecified issues.

Trudeau said his visit has involved regional leaders telling him they don't want to be wedged between the U.S. and China jockeying for influence.

"One of the things that I heard a lot from people here in ASEAN economies in Southeast Asia is a desire to make sure that we're not exacerbating differences between various economic giants," he said during the Bloomberg event.

When pressed, Trudeau refused to say whether he felt U.S. restrictions on China's use of certain semiconductor technologies went beyond national-security concerns to hinder Beijing's rise.

"You can make decisions to diversify without turning it into geopolitical conflict," he said.

Trudeau described Canada's relationship with China as "probably stable" and not deteriorating, but added that a rapprochement is impossible "at this particular moment," in part due to foreign-interference concerns.
Argos and Summit Materials to combine US operations

08 September 2023

Cementos Argos has agreed to combine its operations in the USA with Summit Materials Inc, aiming to create a leading building materials platform on national scale.

Cementos Argos (Grupo Argos) has entered into a definitive agreement with Summit Materials, under which they will combine their operations in the US to create a leading platform in the building materials industry. The agreement will have a component of stock consideration worth approximately US$2bn and cash payment of approximately US$1.2bn (subject to customary closing adjustments), resulting in a valuation of Argos North America of US$3.2bn or 10x EV/EBITDA 2023e or 12x EV/EBITDA LTM as of 2Q23.

Summit Materials operates in more than 20 states in the US and Canada. It operates across aggregates, cement, concrete and other complementary businesses in the building materials industry, with assets that include 217 aggregate mines, two cement plants along the Mississippi River, and approximately 84 concrete plants.

Argos North America Corp brings to the combination its four integrated cement plants, two grinding stations, 140 ready-mix concrete plants, and a complementary distribution network of eight maritime ports and 10 inland terminals.

The new platform will have a diversified portfolio and a nationwide geographic presence in complementary markets and high-growth urban areas. The combination would create a company with combined proforma revenues over US$4bn and approximately US$1bn in EBITDA, including synergies. It would be the fourth-largest cement platform in the US, with an approximate capacity of 11.6Mta. The company would create the sixth-largest aggregates platform in the US, with reserves of over 5.5bnst and sales of around 70Msta. The deal will also form one of the largest concrete producers, with more than 220 plants and more than 1800 mixers.

"As a result, the combined company will have presence in 30 states, with a strong positioning in high growth markets, with complete vertical integration from quarries to end customer in many of them," claims Argos. "Having access to an extensive ports and terminal network will enable competitive imports of building materials to better serve customers by complementing domestic production."

This combination unlocks estimated annual synergies of, at least, US$100m, with significant realisation within two years, derived from optimised sourcing, enhanced operational efficiencies, increased utilisation of the import terminals network, and an augmented asset base to increase the use of alternative fuels. Likewise, it leverages on a cement supply agreement from the Cartagena plant and enhances the ability to pursue attractive growth opportunities, both organic and inorganic, in current business lines and in others such as supplementary cementitious materials and new sources of aggregates.

Juan Esteban Calle, CEO of Cementos Argos, stated: "This combination reaffirms our commitment to growth in the US market while realizing and optimising our intention to list the US business on the NYSE as the most efficient way to unlock the fundamental value of Cementos Argos' assets and businesses in that country. Being an active player in a publicly traded leading building materials platform, with a significant component of aggregates and cement on the world's most attractive market, is a pivotal step in the value generation strategy we launched months ago with the SPRINT program for the benefit of all our shareholders. Cementos Argos' participation in Summit Materials will continue to provide our shareholders with significant exposure to the US market."

The transaction is expected to close in the first semester of 2024, subject to required regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. JP Morgan Securities LLC is acting as lead financial advisor and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is acting as legal counsel to Cementos Argos.

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Lee University will host a free concert with multi-genre Christian artist Angie Rose on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Dixon Center.

Sponsored by Lees Office of Racial and Ethnic Relations, the Leetinos, and the Mosaic Council, along with Church of God Men and Women of Action, this event is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public.

Ms. Roses message of inspiration is consistent, while her sound is diverse. Drawing from her Puerto Rican roots and residing in the Bronx, she inspires her fans to be unstoppable through a combination of raw energy and undaunted lyrics.

Her music promotes diversity and overcoming all obstacles, pulling from traumatic experiences from her past, such as loss, drugs, and alcohol abuse. Through this, she inspires others to find healing in Jesus and to never give up hope.

Ms. Rose was nominated in the 2022 Dove Awards in the Christian Hip-Hop category for her album Unstoppable (United We Can) and has over 19 million global streams.

For more information about Ms. Rose, visit www.angierosemusik.com or www.youtube.com/@AngieRosemusik/about.

For more information about this event, contact the Office of Racial and Ethnic Relations at RandER@leeuniversity.edu or call 614-8238.
Mayor Tim Kelly announced Thursday that he will run for a second four-year term.

He made the announcement before a crowd of supporters at the former city community center on the Westside - an obsolete city building that he said will be repurposed to make way for new affordable housing on the Westside.

The mayor, who still has a year and a half left on his first term, said, "We've got a lot of work left to do."

Mayor Kelly's family was long in the automotive business before he made his first run for office.

Chattanooga mayors are limited to two four-year terms.

Among those in attendance was former Mayor Jon Kinsey.

Im seeking a second and final term so we can complete this work and see it through, Mayor Kelly said. We know its working and that a brighter future lies ahead. We are fixing the broken things, and the best is yet to come. Im asking for your support and for you to join me so that together we can help Chattanooga realize its full potential as the best city in Tennessee and the best city in America.

He said, "Today, job growth in Chattanooga is rising at twice the pace of the national average and the city recently notched the lowest unemployment rate in our citys history. In fact, among the 355 largest U.S. counties, this community had the 12th fastest growing rate of job additions last year, and has set multiple records for high-growth businesses on the Inc. 5000 list.



"But that did not happen by accident. Back in 2021, city government was burdened by low pay and absenteeism, and was rife with staffing shortages, with quiet discussions about closing down fire stations and increased police response times, while homelessness grew and opportunity gaps widened.

"To combat this, we increased pay for essential workers across the board, including increases of 24 percent for police and firefighters, filling empty positions and restoring essential city services. For the first time in city history, he also added a local pay supplement for federally-funded Head Start teachers, giving Pre-K workers a raise without waiting for the federal pay scale to catch up.

"We doubled the paving budget to $40 million during his first term, repaving 160 lane miles so far, and launched the citys first Pothole Patrol team, which led to more than 40,000 potholes and cracks being filled. Thanks to these efforts, the citys plummeting pavement conditions began to reverse their decades-long slide and begin creeping upwards.

I have always had a sense of urgency and an awareness of living on borrowed time, and being an elected official has not helped that. I was sworn in 872 days ago, and there are only 591 left in this term.



He said he also stopped for the first time the flow of untreated sewage into the Tennessee River through the completion of 90 million gallons of wastewater storage, a huge milestone in the citys yearslong attempt to fix its broken wastewater system.



He said he rolled out a plan to reduce gun violence through both intervention and prevention, tackling the root causes of crime, in addition to funding robust and smart police tactics in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. That effort has led to a homicide clearance rate of more than 90 percent - nearly twice the national average  which means getting violent offenders off the streets and sending a clear message to those who would do harm to their neighbors, he said.

Mayor Kelly said he "unveiled the citys first Parks & Outdoors plan in a quarter-century, which will breathe new life into existing parks like Montague Park, as well as build much-needed new neighborhood parks within walking distance of where residents live, and double down on Chattanoogas greatest competitive advantage - its green spaces."

He said already in his term, "the city has housed nearly 3,000 unsheltered people. The citys housing-first strategy has earned national recognition for its effectiveness in helping reduce unsheltered homelessness in Chattanooga. The mayor also spurred the creation of more than 600 new affordable homes, and stopped nearly 300 Chattanoogans from being evicted.

"And just last month we unveiled his Affordable Housing Action Plan, which will supercharge efforts to create hundreds of new affordable homes that will give everyone a place to call home that they can afford - including firefighters, police officers, and teachers."

He said through his work "to revitalize blighted brownfields that have lain dormant and underused for decades, the city attracted $2 billion in new investment to Chattanooga, kicking off the transformation of more than 240 acres of wasteland in the heart of Chattanooga, and restoring jobs and opportunity to parts of the city that for too long have suffered from disinvestment.

The work is working, and we can see it across those examples.

Anyone who works with me or knows me knows that Im rarely satisfied and that Im always looking for a way to go faster, do better, and to think bigger. The central idea of my administration is to create lasting change by addressing root causes. Its easier to go with a box of bandaids or a coat of paint because people see the immediate effect, even if its temporary  and thats what a lot of politicians do. But that is not the approach I am taking. Unless we continue to address the structural problems, were not going to end up any place much different from where we started.


Frederick Marbury, affectionately known as "Big Fred," entered this world on June 30, 1947, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, born to the loving embrace of Nancy Marbury Blakemore and Frederick Gray.

On Friday, August 11, 2023, Frederick Marbury embarked on his final journey from his earthly residence.

Fred was a proud alumnus of Howard High School, graduating with the Class of 1966. He also served his nation as a dedicated member of the United States Marine Corps. Following his military service, Fred embarked on a career with Alstom Power, eventually retiring to enjoy his well-earned leisure time.

His heart overflowed with love for his family, and he would move mountains to ensure their happiness. Fred's favorite pastimes included unwinding in front of the television and engaging in spirited card games with loved ones.

Frederick Marbury was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents, as well as his dear sister, Cynthia Blakemore, and two brothers, Charles Marbury and James Blakemore. He also bid farewell to his devoted friend, Elizabeth Thornton.

Fred's legacy lives on through those who cherish his memory, including his two sons, Frederick (Aisha) Marbury of West Palm Beach, Florida and Marcell (Shay) Marbury of Chattanooga and his daughter, Melinda Marbury Austin of Chattanooga, He is survived by his sister, Clara Smith of Chattanooga, and three brothers, Robert Blakemore, Samuel Blakemore, and Nathan Blakemore, all of Chattanooga. Fred's impact continues through a vast extended family, including 21 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and numerous other loved ones who will forever carry his memory in their hearts.

In his earthly departure, Frederick Marbury leaves behind a legacy of love, commitment, and cherished memories that will be eternally celebrated by those who were fortunate to know him.

Public viewing will be held from 9-11 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. funeral service on Thursday, Sept. 14, in the chapel of the Funeral Home.

Interment will take place at Chattanooga National Cemetery with a 1 p.m. gate time with military honors.

Arrangements are by John P Franklin Funeral Home, 1101 Dodds Ave., Chattanooga, Tn., 423 622-9995.
A man on Strawberry Lane called police to report some power tools were stolen out of his vehicle the previous night. He said a Milwaukee drill, two Bosch skill saws and a Kobalt toolbox were taken. He said his center console was also open but he didn't notice anything taken from there. The man believes his brother may be involved but there is no evidence for that conclusion.

* * *

A man staying at the DoubleTree at 407 Chestnut St. told police his vehicle was broken into at 3 a.m. He said nothing was taken, however, there was damage to the back passenger window. The window had been pried down to gain access to the vehicle. He valued the window at $1,000 to replace.

* * *

A Walmart employee at 5764 Highway 153 reported confronting a customer who was about to walk out with un-purchased items. The suspect immediately fled, leaving all items behind. The suspect could not be identified.

* * *

A man was trying to pull his vehicle into Titans Express Auto Care at 3920 Hixson Pike to make a delivery. His delivery truck was too tall and hit the canopy. There was no damage to the truck and it appeared to break only one board on the canopy.

* * *

Police attempted to locate an individual matching the description of someone who was banging on windows of the building at 1307 E. Main St. Unable to find the suspect, police spoke with the owner of the building. She said an Hispanic male wearing a white shirt and a blue hat was walking around the building, repeatedly banging on windows and rubbing his arms. She later said the man had confronted a worker on the front porch and gave his name. The woman said she wanted the man to be trespassed from the property. The man was not on the property to be told of this information.

* * *

A man at C&C Motors at 3870 Hixson Pike told police he had a Corvette parked in their parking lot since they purchased it. They are unsure of when the damage happened, however, when they checked the vehicle that morning, they noticed a considerable amount of damage. It consisted of dents, scratches and broken fiberglass down the entire passenger side of the vehicle. All four rims on the vehicle had damage as well. The man said the car had not been moved and was in the same spot they parked it when they purchased it. The only people who have access to the building where the keys are stored are the owner, his son and one employee. None of these individuals said they drove the vehicle. The keys were left in the building and didnt appear to have been moved.

* * *

A man on Pattentown Road told police someone destroyed his property by putting debris on it. He also said they destroyed his fence. The man showed an officer a large amount of debris on his property and said he will be putting it back where it came from.

* * *

An officer responded to a loud noise complainant on Oak Street. An anonymous complainant had called into the police department and reported that a white male was playing his stereo music too loud and it was disturbing the neighbors in the area. The caller also wanted to the police to tell him to turn it down. Police arrived and checked the area, no loud music was heard, and the man was not home. Only a barking dog was making any noise at that time.

* * *

A woman on Passenger Street called police and said her vehicle was broken into, along with numerous other vehicles at the same location, the previous night. Her vehicle's passenger front window was busted and her purse was taken. Inside the purse was some cash (unknown amount at this time) and a prescription medication.

* * *

A man at the 7 11 at 4396 Amnicola Hwy. told police he was at pump #15 and a large dark-colored truck parked at pump #14, causing him to have less space to pull in. When the man pulled into pump #15, he struck the pump barrier with his Honda Ridgeline causing damage to the driver side rear door. The damage is estimated to be $1,000.

* * *

A woman on E. 11th Street told police her boyfriend was refusing to leave her place and wouldnt return her keys. Officers spoke with the man who gave back the keys and left the premises.

* * *

An officer conducted a traffic stop on a gray Ford Fusion for speeding (41 mph in a 30 mph zone) on E. 5th Street. The officer had originally observed the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed near the Bayberry Apartment complex. Upon turning on blue lights to initiate a stop, the vehicle traveled several blocks before pulling into an address on E. 5th Street. The vehicle was adhering to all traffic laws but didnt stop until he got to that address. The driver was identified and he was detained because he jumped out of the vehicle. As the officer was detaining him, he kicked the door to his vehicle closed. The officer asked him for consent to search the vehicle but he denied. The officer called for K-9 but none were available. The officer attempted to write a citation for speeding but their E-cite was having technical issues. The driver was released.

* * *

An officer spoke with a white male standing in the intersection of W. 21st Street and Williams Street whom the officer had previously warned to not stand in the intersection. The officer told him to stay out of the road and he acknowledged and decided to move along.

* * *

A woman on Sutton Drive called police and said she and her roommate were in a verbal argument and she wanted him to leave. The woman said when she tried to leave, her roommate became upset and threatened to burn the house down. Police arrived and spoke to the woman who said her roommate was upstairs breaking her things. Police spoke with the man who said the woman was overly dramatic and he didn't mind if she left. The officer didnt see any broken items in the home. The man also said that the argument was verbal only. At that point, the woman left with a friend and said she wouldnt return that evening.

* * *

Police were called to La Quinta at 7051 McCutcheon Road in reference to a suspicious vehicle parked at the back of the motel. The vehicle was occupied by a black male driver. The complainant wanted the man to leave the premises. Police spoke with the driver who said he was currently staying at the motel with his girlfriend. He said the motel doesnt allow smoking in their rooms, which is why he was sitting in his vehicle smoking a cigarette. The man was run for warrants and wants with no return showing.

* * *

Dispatch received a call about an unknown man sitting on a front porch of a home on Magnolia Street. Police arrived and searched the perimeter of the residence and didnt find anyone. An officer spoke with the caller who requested a report and her address placed on a watch list. She said the suspect was a black male in his 40's wearing a green shirt.

* * *

A woman on Belmeade Avenue told police her barking dogs awakened her and she found her windshield was struck several times with a brick.

* * *

A man on Sunflower Lane told police his vehicle had been vandalized. He said his mother had parked his vehicle at around 7:30 p.m. and, when she went to go to work at around 4 a.m., she found the rear passenger window was busted out and the steering column had been tampered with.

* * *

An anonymous complainant reported to Dispatch a black Kia sedan was parked on Dahlia Street, apparently abandoned as two black males were observed leaving from it and not returning days prior. An officer arrived and found a Kia Forte. The vehicle was confirmed as stolen per the owner and CopLink. Apparent damage to the ignition switch and lack of keys on scene led officers to believe this auto theft is a "Kia Boys" style theft. Mr. T's Towing and Recovery was summoned to the recovery location and the vehicle was towed by them to their lot at 7206 Lee Hwy. Latent fingerprints were not attempted as the vehicle was recovered with a window down allowing moisture into the cabin. The vehicle was cleared from NCIC.

* * *

A woman on Cloverdale Circle called police and said when she went to her vehicle that morning, she noticed her rear driver-side window had been broken out. She said it happened sometime overnight.

* * *

An employee at U-Haul at 4001 Hixson Pike told police they had a vehicle stolen from their lot. The unknown suspects broke into a lock box and stole the key to the truck. The truck was found in Johnson City at another U-Haul location. The suspects broke into the lockbox at this location and swapped to another U-Haul truck, leaving the one in this report behind.
Museum Center @ 5ive Points in Cleveland will celebrate its 25 anniversary next year. The museum center was Mayor Emeritus Tom Rowlands idea. The popular mayor said, Bradley County  Cleveland, Tennessee has so much history that needed to be preserved so I appointed a committee and the work started." Mr. Rowland said the Chamber of Commerce got involved and the idea snowballed.

Admission is free but donations are appreciated to support the museums day to day operations.



Executive Director Lucy J. Rhymer said planning is now underway for next years 25th anniversary. It will be something very special for Cleveland and Bradley County and beyond as we celebrate our rich heritage, its going to be big.

On Thursday, the former mayor hosted a small luncheon with some friends who toured the museum and shared stories mostly about his lengthy career in radio and government. Mr. Rowland talked about people hed interviewed and some area news stories including the Melissa Gibson Child Abuse Case.

The Air Force veteran enjoys sharing about the museum center which is home to so much area history. One of his favorite displays is that of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Paul Huff from Cleveland. I knew Mr. Huff; he was a dedicated soldier.

There are medical displays honoring doctors and nurses, a Southern Railway display and a room full of history displays about area industry.

Mr. Rowlands City Hall mayors office has been re-created in the museum with his desk, computer and chair. Theres dozens of his pictures and awards hanging on the wall and Mr. Rowland has a story about each one.

During our visit at the museum, Mr. Rowland shared memories of meeting presidents dating back to Dwight David Eisenhower. He and his wife, Sandra, especially enjoyed their time with President Bush and his wife Barbara. Mrs. Rowland said, They were an extra special couple. Mr. Rowland has a saucer he acquired from a White House visit that has an interesting story.

Mr. Rowland said the late Dr. Billy Graham preached his first two sermons in Bradley County while he was a student at Bob Jones University when the school was in Cleveland. Mr. Rowland had several conversations with the late Cliff Barrows (a Graham associate) who spent four years at the Cleveland school.

Mr. Rowlands very proud of Clevelands industrial history including Magic Chef. Youd be surprised whats made here and shipped around the world."

Mr. Rowland said the museum represents hundreds of hours of work documenting the area history. Im very proud of what our communitys done and is doing, and look forward to next years anniversary celebration.

His wife is much involved in the community. Mrs. Rowland shared some of her experiences while working nearly 25 years at the Cleveland Daily Banner. Mrs. Rowland points out the Red Back Hymnal display, documenting how the church song book originated in Cleveland. She said, That song book has been used and still used in so many churches. Theres a printing press on display at the museum.

Mrs. Rowland quickly added, Im so proud of my husbands accomplishments, who had a close brush with death in 2021.

Steve Hartline, who operates the popular station my mix 104.1 said, We are behind Rowland and museum organizers to make the 25th anniversary a festive occasion. Well be telling our listeners more about the celebration as we get closer to the date.

Former broadcaster Brian Trotter said a lot of Mr. Rowlands stories are being documented and plans are being made to release a recorded collection when completed.



TV news anchor David Carroll said, Hes an amazing person, just asked Tom a question and chances are he has a story to tell.



Mr. Rowland covered so many news stories and hosted a popular morning radio program on WCLE radio before deciding to run for mayor.


Museum Center @ 5ive Points in Cleveland will host a History Hour Thursday that features the infamous Oak Ridge Manhattan Project.

Oak Ridge Historian Ray Smith will facilitate the History Hour and discuss the vital role Oak Ridge played in World War II as the Secret City.

Open to the public, the History Hour begins at 6:30 p.m. as Mr. Smith and guests discuss the Manhattan Project and Oak Ridge role enriching uranium for the first atomic bomb weapons.

Mr. Smith is uniquely qualified to lead the History Hour session as historian of the Y-12 National Security Complex. His specific focus will include the mysteries surrounding the uranium a enriched processes undertaken at the Y-12, K25 and S-50 plants during the Manhattan Project and how the Fat Boy and Little Boy bombshell worked.

More information about the event can be found at museumcenter.org or by calling the Museum at 339-5745. Museum Center is a history museum featuring the history of the region and located at 200 Inman St. in historic Downtown Cleveland.
The city of Soddy Daisy and surrounding area continues to grow. Commissioner Gene Shipley said that in August the city issued building permits of almost $11 million. This included $8 million for the new Parkridge Emergency Room that is being built to service the area. The commissioner said that there are concerns from some about the pace of growth in the county around Soddy Daisy and a planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday at Soddy Daisy High School at 6 p.m. where the public can weigh in on the discussions. For those who cannot attend the meeting, their concerns about growth in the north end of Hamilton County can share their opinions online. Mayor Steve Everette encourages residents to attend commission meetings to know what is going on in their city and to let the commissioners know what they want.

Another meeting scheduled for public comment is related to changing the flood maps around Soddy Daisy. It will be held at the Chattanooga Regional Planning Agency, 1250 Market St., on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. Government officials will be there to hear concerns from owners of properties that might be affected. Maps showing the changes in floodplain designations will be available at the Soddy Daisy city hall. Anyone can make an appointment and an official with the town will be available to explain the maps.

When a developer opens a new subdivision, the city has to accept the dedication of streets through an ordinance. When these streets are built they must meet the citys requirements. At the commission meeting Thursday night, roads in two new developments were accepted as publicly dedicated city streets; Bent Creek Drive and Sugar Leaf Lane in one subdivision and Stonegate Way, Avery Place and Jaiden Court in another.

Planning is taking place for upcoming events that are held annually in Soddy Daisy. Bill Shadwick with the Soddy Daisy Montlake Historical Association and Good Old Days Museum, told the commissioners that Pioneer Days this year will be on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be reenactments of Civil War and Revolutionary War battles. There will be live music and demonstrations of quilters, blacksmiths and pressing apples for cider, as well as old-fashioned games for kids, he said.

Mr. Shadwick also thanked the commissioners for all the improvements that they have been making in the citys parks. The parks are drawing visitors from out of town to enjoy the beauty in Soddy Daisy, that we take for granted, he said. The parking lots are filled on the weekends, with out of area cars at the Big Soddy Gulf and Holly Park. City Manager Burt Johnson said the city will be building more picnic tables at the Gulf and at North Park. Volunteer Curtis Cecil with the Kelcurt Foundation and Soddy Daisy Community Library suggested using an information board at the Big Soddy Gulf for posting flyers and maps to direct visitors to the other places of interest in Soddy Daisy.

The Soddy Daisy Community Library is getting busier every year and in 2023 the needs grew by 62 percent, said Mr. Cecil. In 49 days this summer, he told the commissioners that 4,445 people came to the library for a variety of activities, including free lunches for children. He said that the library has partnered with the J.A. Henry YMCA in Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Food Bank to provide over 2,100 meals this summer alone.

The 4th Annual Summer Celebration put on by the Soddy Daisy Community Library was held in mid-August and Mr. Cecil said attendance was lower than expected, at 850, because it was so hot. Next year he is hoping to rename the event the Summer Kick-Off and hold it in mid-May versus late summer. It will have to be coordinated with the Kids Club activities since they are both held at the same park at the same times.

Voting on two issues was postponed until later dates and more review. One is the revision of a personnel policy relating to hiring police and first responder personnel if the applicant is over 60 years old. That will be revisited at the first meeting in November.

Changes to another regulation that will be postponed is to allow for more changes in the citys code about acceptable locations for double-wide mobile homes and conditions relating to the age and requirements of the structure, the site and zoning.

A vote was in favor of accepting a grant of $35,000 for the police department that will be used to buy police radios.

And the commissioners unanimously amended the citys air pollution control ordinance. The new version presented to the commissioners includes a lot of federal regulations. The commissioners were told that the new amendments have already been accepted by Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga. They can be no less stringent than those adopted by the state of Tennessee. All municipalities in the county are expected to adopt the new Hamilton County standards.
The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is teaming with Hamilton County, the City of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council to hold a special Patriot Day and Welcome Home Parade on Monday to honor the countrys newest Medal of Honor recipient, Army Captain Larry L. Taylor, a native of the city and an American war hero.



The general public are invited to line Market Street for the parade and in front of the Heritage Center at the Aquarium Plaza to witness this historical parade honoring Captain Taylor, who has just returned to Chattanooga after receiving the Medal of Honor at the White House on Tuesday.



For those who cannot attend, the parade will also be streamed live at http://www.mohhc.org.



The parade will officially start at 11:30 a.m.

with a special flyover of a vintage Cobra AH1 helicopter  which was the helicopter Captain Taylor was flying during his Medal of Honor action  and a modern-day Army Apache Helicopter from the Armys 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell. Both helicopters will conduct their flyover down the parade route on Market Street in downtown Chattanooga. The parade will conclude with a special ceremony at 1 p.m. in front of the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center where local, state and national dignitaries will make comments honoring Captain Taylor and his act of valor on June 18, 1968, that saved four lives during the Vietnam War.Medal of Honor Recipient Captain Taylor will serve as the grand marshal for the parade. Leading the parade down Market Street will be the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard that will represent Fort Riley and the U.S. Army in a highly professional and polished display of cavalry horsemanship and military tradition. These men and women portray the U.S. Cavalry as they appeared in the mid to late 19th century.Following the Mounted Color Guard will be the 1st Infantry Division Band, which is the musical ambassador for the United States' premier fighting force. The Big Red One Band represents the 1st Infantry Division for military ceremonies and the communities that support the American Soldier.The parade will also feature a variety of high school bands and JROTC units from schools located throughout Hamilton County and the surrounding community. In addition, ROTC units from universities throughout the region will be marching in the parade alongside various local businesses and veteran organizations representing all branches of the military and the different wars and conflicts that have occurred during the countrys history.At approximately 1 p.m., the parade will conclude with an official ceremony at the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Speaking at the ceremony will be the following dignitaries:

- Medal of Honor Recipient Leroy Petry, president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society;

- Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally;

- Brigadier General Niave Knell, Deputy Commanding General for the Armys 1st Infantry Division;

- Congressman Chuck Fleischmann;

- Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly;

- Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp;

- SGT David Hill (USA, Ret.), last surviving member of the Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol rescued by Captain Taylor on June 18, 1968; and

- General BB Bell (USA, Ret.), chairman of the National Advisory Board for the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.



The ceremony should conclude no later than 2 p.m.



The public is invited to visit the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center and learn more about Captain Taylor and other Medal of Honor recipients associated with the region, as well as explore why Chattanooga is known as the birthplace of the Medal of Honor.



To honor Captain Taylor as the 33rd Tennessean to receive the Medal of Honor and unveil the temporary gallery exhibit on his Medal of Honor action, the Heritage Center will open its doors for free admission from noon-3:30 p.m. on Monday.



To learn more, visit https://www.mohhc.org/larrytaylor.
Mark Wahlberg and his friends would steal the same car in his hometown of Massachusetts even after the owner found out about their joyrides.

Mark Wahlberg had a checkered past before his Hollywood stardom. His wild days as a youth included stealing the same car not once, but multiple times.

How Mark Wahlberg stole the came car 15 times

Mark Wahlberg | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Wahlbergs dark past has been heavily documented, even by the actor himself. The Departed star would get into trouble several times as a youth for a variety of reasons. One of the extracurricular criminal activities he indulged in during his spare time was car stealing.

I used to take my mothers car when she was sleeping, Wahlberg once said according to Mirror.

He and his friends would also frequently drive around their home state of Massachusetts in a Monte Carlo they took 15 times. If only because the owner of the car made it incredibly easy for them to steal it.

Wed pop the tilt steering and [the owner] never got it fixed. Were hanging around, were hooking school and wed go take the car, wed drive around and wed hide it by my house for a couple of days and theyd find it, hed get it back, wed go and take it again, Wahlberg once said according to Contact Music.

He remembered that, although the car had very little features, it was still fun to drive around.

There was no radio or anything but it was a good means of transportation and most of the time, when he found it, there was more gas than when we took it, he said.

Eventually, the owner caught on to Wahlberg and his crew, and tried to prevent more theft.

One time he actually came out in the morning and the poor guy tries to block the driveway and Im not gonna stop and Im not gonna get out because the guys upset and obviously this has been going on for a while, he said.

Why Mark Wahlberg found it difficult to turn his life around

Wahlberg has expressed deep regret over his antics in the past. He asserted that his recklessness caused so much damage, that to make financial amends would cost him his entire net worth.

A woman asked me, Would you like to pay all the people back for all the stuff that you stole, all the damage that you caused? I said, If I did, Id be broke, my kids wouldnt go to college, he said.

The actor felt he was a product of his upbringing. Given the environment he grew up in, it was difficult for Wahlberg to choose a path different than the one he was born into.

When I walked out my door  violence is also all that was there, Wahlberg once told The Guardian. [I was] always in trouble, and I was kind of little. In the circumstances where I was being preyed upon, at times, I had to protect and defend myself. Its not an easy thing to navigate as a teenage kid whos 52, 120 pounds, with grown men.

It required a lot of effort to separate himself from a community he was so used to. But he was willing to do the work to make a better life for himself.

I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang any more  to say that I was going to go and do my own thing, he said. Which made it 10 times more difficult to walk from my home to the train station, to go to school, to go to work.

Mark Wahlberg went from stealing cars to owning his own dealership

In addition to being one of Hollywoods biggest actors, The Fighter star turned to selling cars as a bit of a side hustle. He established Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Avon not too long ago with car dealer Jay Feldman. The dealership is based in Ohio, where Wahlberg felt more at home in than his own place in Hollywood.

Ive always stayed connected to real people, Wahlberg said in an interview with Autobody News. I live in LA because Im in the movie business but Ive always stayed connected to real people. Im more comfortable and more at home in places like Ohio.
It had to do with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

In the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral in London, England, it wasnt that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle couldnt stop replaying conversations theyd had or didnt have with the monarch. No, what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex couldnt stop doing at the time related to their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Harry and Meghan went to the queens funeral as a quick trip became an odyssey

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Victoria Jones  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Sept. 19, 2022. Royals and world leaders alike descended upon Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeths state funeral, including Harry and Meghan. It marked the beginning of the end for what Harry described as an odyssey in his Spare memoir.

He and Meghan had days earlier sat down with a glass of water and a calendar at Frogmore Cottage, their former U.K. home. What began as a quick trip to England and Germany became an odyssey when Queen Elizabeth died on Sept. 8, 2022.

Noting at least 10 difficult days lay ahead for him and Meghan, Harry noted theyd have to stay away from the children for longer than wed planned, longer than wed ever been.

Nevertheless, they viewed tributes to the queen with Prince William and Kate Middleton, the foursomes first public joint appearance in years. Harry and Meghan, alongside other royals, also took part in the queens lying-in-state, multiple processions, and finally, a private service at St. Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Harry and Meghan couldnt be away from Archie and Lilibet after the queens funeral

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned home to Montecito, California, on Sept. 20, 2022, they kept Archie and Lilibet, or Lili, close.

For days we couldnt stop hugging the children, couldnt let them out of our sight, Harry recalled in Spare. As he previously mentioned in his January 2023 memoir, what began as a quick trip turned into the longest stretch of time the parents had ever been apart from their now 4- and 2-year-old kids.

Admittedly, Harry also couldnt stop picturing them with Granny during what he called their final visit. Archie, he recalled, made deep, chivalrous bows to his great-grandmother. Meanwhile, Lili, just a baby at the time, sat cuddling at the monarchs shins.

The queen, Harry shared, called Archie and Lili the sweetest children in a bemused tone. Shed expected them to be a bit more  American, I think? Meaning, in her mind, more rambunctious, he explained.

Harry talked with Queen Elizabeth on the phone days before her death

Before embarking on the odyssey that would have him and Meghan away from Archie and Lili, Harry had one last conversation with the queen. However, per his recollection, it wasnt a one more goodbye type of exchange hed later find himself wishing hed had with Granny.

Instead, four days before the queen died, on Sept. 4, 2022, Harry and the monarch had a long chat on the phone. They touched on many topics, the duke recalled. Among them were the queens health and the turmoil at Number 10 [Downing Street].

Harry later learned of the queens death online during a flight to see her at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
After what a body language expert called a 'telling pause,' Prince Harry talked about the late Queen Elizabeth and what would've made her 'happy.'

Prince Harry appeared on the verge of choking up discussing Queen Elizabeth II at a charity event ahead of the one-year anniversary of his grandmothers death, according to a body language expert. Ahead, what the Duke of Sussex said about the late monarch and how he seemingly tried to channel her famous stoicism.

Prince Harry mentioned Queen Elizabeth in a Sept. 7 speech

Prince Harry | Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

During a stopover in England on his way to Dusseldorf, Germany, for the Invictus Games, Harry attended the WellChild charitys annual awards ceremony. A longtime patron, Harry attended the Sept. 7, 2023, event after having skipped it a year earlier as the queens health rapidly deteriorated before her death on Sept. 8, 2022.

As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last as my grandmother passed away, Harry began as he took the stage. As you also know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her.

And thats why I know that exactly one year on, he continued, shes looking down on us on all of us tonight, happy were together and continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

Harry talked about the queen at the WellChild Awards after a telling pause

Body language expert Judi James examined Harrys demeanor during his WellChild Awards speech. His mention of his grandmother came after a telling pause, James told Fabulous (via The Sun). Appearing to let out a small sigh of regret, he told the audience he was unable to attend last year as my grandmother passed away.

Then Harry then looked keen to channel some of his grandmothers famous stoicism and her sense of humour [sic] as he part-smiled and affectionately commented she would have insisted I come instead of going to her with narrowed eyes and a head tilt to register the humor.

As for the second half of Harrys remarks about the queen, James noted how he sucked in his lips and cleared his throat, suggesting he might have been choking up over his next words as he told the audience she was looking down on us and happy were here together.

The sucking in of his lips was a regular feature of the speech after that, suggesting Harry was quietly still struggling with his emotions, the body language expert added.

Harrys cheeky behavior wasnt evident in his WellChild Awards speech

Harry struck a different note with his demeanor as he delivered his speech. According to James, he spoke to the audience without his usual cheeky humour, apart from a couple of quick glimpses that seemed at odds with his overall emotional displays.

His body language, she said, signaled a sense of anxiety about being back in the UK. For instance, when Harry finished his speech there was no confident posing or joking. During applause from the audience, Harry wiped his hands  a gesture of anxiety  and looked down in what appeared to be modesty.

This was a complete contrast to the more show-boating Harry on other stage appearances abroad during the past couple of years, James concluded.

The following day, on Sept. 8, 2023, the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeths death, Harry visited his grandmothers grave at St. Georges Chapel, the same place he and Meghan Markle had their 2018 royal wedding.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
Paul Burrell has no sympathy for the way the Duke of Sussex has behaved.

Princess Dianas former butler, Paul Burrell, is speaking out against Prince Harry over the Duke of Sussexs comments regarding his late mothers death. He claims the Duke of Sussex acts like a privileged prince whinging again, as Harry discussed the tragedy during his Netflix docuseries Heart of Invictus.

Paul Burrell has sympathy for Prince Harrys heartbreak

At the time of Princess Dianas death, Paul Burrell was her butler. That was his second prominent role within the royal family.

Therefore, he was there on that fateful day, Aug. 31, 1997, when the news broke that Diana had died in a car crash in Paris, France. Prince Harry was just 12 at the time.

I have sympathy with him because I was there when his heart broke, Burrell said in an interview with GBNews. I know the whole story.

He said of Harrys Heart of Invictus statements: But these private feelings should be dealt with behind closed doors. By parading them in public, hes leaving himself wide open to attack.

It cant be good for his mental health, Burrell continued of Harry exposing his inner pain for the cameras. His brother isnt doing the same as he is. William was likely thinking about his mother silently and privately [on the anniversary of her death] at Balmoral with his father.

He sounds like a privileged prince, whinging yet again, the former royal butler determined. He had every support he could possibly need.

Prince Harry had plenty of support after his mothers death, says Paul Burrell

Princess Dianas former butler, Paul Burrell, contradicts claims Prince Harry made in Netflixs Heart of Invictus docuseries, where the duke admits no one was there to support him after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Burrell believes that Harrys statements are wrong and damaging to the royal family.

In that documentary, he says no one was there for him. That is an attack on his father, brother, and the late queen, Burrell claims.

Burrell claims he was there when Harry broke down after his mothers death. He says the Duke of Sussex immediately had the support of many senior members of the royal family during that traumatic time and thereafter.

I was there, he soaked my shirt with tears. I was there to support him. So was his father, his grandmother, he had an enormous support system, Burrell declared.

He continued, I just feel like, Here we go again down the same old track of look at me because I lost my mother. Lots of people lost their parents in accidents. Harry is not alone in that.

Burrell concluded, People in Britain are tired of hearing him whinging about his life. You live a wonderful life in California now. Why do you keep bringing this up? Its time to stop.

How long did Paul Burrell work for Princess Diana?

Paul Burrell and Princess Diana photographed in London in 1994 | Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images

Paul Burrell was a footman for the late Queen Elizabeth. He entered royal service at 18 and, just one year later, in 1977, was promoted to this enviable position.

After a decade of working as the queens footman, Burrell moved on to working with then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1987 at Highgrove House. He became very close to Diana, and she once called him the only man she ever trusted.

His service to the Princess of Wales continued after her separation from Charles and their eventual divorce. He eventually left royal service and opened a floral shop in Farndon, Cheshire.
In April of 2023, shortly after filming the Vanderpump Rules reunion, Raquel Leviss decided to enter a mental health facility and seek treatment. It had been a rough few weeks for the embattled reality star. Many fans of the show and supporters of Ariana Madix questioned Leviss motives to leave the public eye indefinitely.

Since then, Leviss has opened up about her experience at the mental health facility in Arizona and how shes dealing with Scandoval now.

Raquel Leviss treatment facility

Raquel Leviss entered the facility in the aftermath of her affair with Tom Sandoval. The scandal not only made headlines but cost Sandoval his nearly decade-long relationship with fellow cast member Ariana Madix. In an interview on Bethenny Frankels podcast Just B, Leviss described choosing to enter a mental health facility as being a scary decision to make.

The former beauty pageant contestant explained, I knew I needed help, but I didnt know what to expect going in. Leviss also said of her experience: They took my phone. They searched my bags for anything that they needed to confiscate. I was kinda thrown into this place where there were a lot of new faces, and I was already carrying so much shame that it was difficult for me to be like, Hi, Im Raquel!'

Fortunately, things improved for Leviss. She began to make the most of her time at the facility. The reality star said, As time went on, I was able to warm up and really share my story in an authentic, honest way, and I was met with grace and compassion from my peers. And a big part of my journey is learning to be compassionate with myself as well.

Leviss was open in the interview about learning what it means to have a love addiction. She told Frankel, It took me a while to accept, but I learned about love addiction, and its a real thing. Leviss added, Its where you confuse intensity for intimacy  And those chemical changes in the brain are the same chemical changes that happen when you take drugs.

Raquel Leviss parents

Leviss told Frankel how she has the support of her parents and how she is close with her family. They played an important role in getting her into the facility. After entering, her rep said in a statement, Raquel and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling.

So, how is her family handling everything? Leviss said of her mom: Shes very torn up about this situation. The reality star further discussed how she knows she put her family in a difficult situation. Even so, both her parents have been supportive.

Leviss explained, They were able to make this treatment happen for me, and Im so blessed that I had that opportunity to go and to extend into 90 days because I knew I wasnt ready to leave yet. I knew I had more work to do, and I just feel so so lucky that I was able to learn about myself at such a young age in retrospect.

Raquel Leviss moves on

One of the most important aspects of any treatment program is looking toward the future. Leviss has chosen not to return to VPR, saying, I refuse to not respect myself on that level where I would endure that emotional abuse any longer. I cant do that to myself.

Most importantly, when asked by Frankel if she forgives herself, Leviss answered, Yeah, I do.
Beyond music, Herndons influence is harnessed for change and deeply connected to his fans.
Over 1,200 telecom scam suspects from northern Myanmar handed over to China

Xinhua) 14:48, September 08, 2023

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- In an ongoing crackdown on telecom fraud originating from northern Myanmar and affecting Chinese citizens, 1,207 suspects have been transferred from Myanmar to Chinese custody, the Ministry of Public Security announced Friday.

The suspects, including 41 fugitives, were handed over on Sept. 6 in a recent border law enforcement collaboration between public authorities in Pu'er City in southwest China's border province of Yunnan and relevant law enforcement departments of Myanmar.

This new success follows close on the heels of an earlier joint operation between law enforcement authorities in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and Myanmar on Sept. 3, which resulted in the apprehension of 269 telecom scam criminal suspects.

China's public security authorities are now conducting rigorous investigations of the transferred suspects, with those accused of fraud, illegally crossing the border, and other crimes facing full scrutiny under the law.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
FORMER Co-Minister of National Healing and Integration, Moses Mzila Ndlovu who is facing eviction from his farm in Matobo District, Matabeleland South Province which he claimed he has occupied for the past 19 years has approached the court challenging the eviction.

In his application filed at the Bulawayo High Court under case number 1760/23 Ndlovu cited Matobo District Lands officer Johanes Zifudze as the first respondent, the Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development as the second respondent, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, as the third respondent and Officer-in-Charge of Zimbabwe Republic Police-Figtree and the Officer Commanding Zimbabwe Republic Police Matabeleland South as the fourth and fifth respondents respectively.

He also cited the Surveyor General and the Sheriff of Zimbabwe as the sixth and seventh respondents.

In his papers Ndlovu stated that he has been in beneficial occupation, use and control of Khami Magazine Farm measuring 360, 3163 hectares and situated in Matobo district since 2004.

According to the application the farm was by Deed of Grant, granted by the Queen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to a body corporate going by the name and style of African Explosives and Chemicals Industries (Rhodesia) Limited.

Between 2004 and 2006 the farm found itself under the charge of yet another corporate body, Dyno Nobel Zimbabwe (Private) Limited.

Since then applicant has enjoyed undisturbed possession, beneficial use and control of the said property until the 11th of August 2023, when the 1st respondent brought in scores of people into the property, occupied by the applicant, to peg and dish out stands to the said persons, as to arbitrarily evict applicant from the use and control of about 200 hectares of the 360 3163 hectare farm, the application reads in part.

He said Zifudze intends to parcel out more of the land that he has peacefully possessed, used, worked for since 2004 to more people as he is set to continue pegging and parcelling out the farm in question.

Ndlovu argued that by doing so Zifudze was exposing him to forcible or arbitrary eviction executed without a court order.

He stated that the countrys land reform programme which commenced in 2000 found him already settled on the farm.

The Zimbabwe land reform programme at its peak found me already settled at the farm having built a fully-fledged homestead there. It had come to my knowledge that such land as a private company was leasing out to me at prohibitive rentals was State land.

I wrote to the office of the governor Matabeleland South on 12 January 2006 to bring the foregoing revelation to her attention and to protest the corruption and apparent discrimination associated with company officials who had taken charge of the State farm.

After the company aforementioned had run scared of my protestations, it ceased to demand rentals from me and l remained in the farm, the application read.

Ndlovu further said in June this year, he was visited by Zifudze who advised him that he wanted to peg out pieces of land from his farm.

In or about the month of June 2023, the 1st respondent, unheralded and therefore without notice, drove into my homestead in a convoy of top of the range unmarked vehicles to advise me that he had decided to peg out pieces of land from the land l had occupied since 2004, so that such land be parcelled out to new beneficiaries, leaving me with my homestead and an out of place remaining portion of land thus surrounding my homestead with new arrivals.

This was done so that such land be parcelled out to new beneficiaries, leaving me with my homestead in and out of place remaining portion of land thus surrounding my homestead with new arrivals, further read the application.

He said on 11 August, Zifudze presented himself with scores of other persons to begin pegging and parcelling the farm adding that some of the beneficiaries were members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police from Figtree under the immediate command of the fourth and fifth respondents.

Over the Heroes holidays (14-15 August 2023), the people that the 1st respondent has allocated pieces of land obtained by truncating and downsizing the farm aforesaid, began to randomly cut trees and clear the land in readiness for their occupation.

Ndlovu said Zifudze, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development and its permanent secretary have always been aware of his presence at the farm since 2004 and regarded him as their tenant.

The matter is yet to be set down for hearing. B Metro
As the parcel in the northwest section of Cheshire becomes ever closer to becoming a new, modern elementary school, there are many considerations being set out before the public.

One of those items under consideration is the name of the school.

Cheshires Medal of Honor recipient Harvey C. Barney Barnum has already been publicly advanced as a choice. Other alternate and equally promising recommendations, should be given space to be heard, according to one resident and historian.

I have no problem naming things after veterans, and I love the idea of naming it (the school) after Nora Adams, because she was one of the first female veterans in the Navy, and she was a reading teacher, said Christine Pittsley, Special Projects Director for Connecticut State Library, and director for CSLs award-winning World War One programs.

Pittsley, herself a veteran and a fourth-generation Cheshirite, said Cheshire veteran and teacher Nora Adams would be an excellent choice to name a school after. Adams was Pittsleys reading teacher at Norton School, and taught in the Meriden schools as well. Years later, Pittsley became reacquainted with her former teacher, and learned Adams was a veteran and had served in the Navy Reserve in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Service) in WWII.

We tend to think of historical figures who died long before we knew them. But there were a lot of people in this town who knew Nora and she is part of our history. And shes a vet, stated Pittsley. I know from her obituary that she was one of the first WAVES. She only died a couple of years ago, but she is a part of our history and so many of us have a connection to her. I think it would be an amazing way to honor her legacy in this town.

A fact that Pittsley also notices is that when we talk about Cheshire history, were focused on the men, but there were women who made significant contributions to our community; historically and in the present. So, naming a school for one of those women just makes sense.

There is only one building in town named after a woman, and thats Humiston, and I doubt if most people realize its named for Julia Humiston. The idea for naming a building after a woman  its time, she continued.

Lucinda Foote is a noteworthy candidate as well, in Pittsleys view. Foote was the daughter of Rev. John Foote and when she was 12, she sat exams for Yale, with Yale President Ezra Stiles in 1783. Shes listed as the first woman to take exams at Yale, said Pittsley.

According to the certificate given to Lucinda, Stiles wrote: She has made commendable progress giving the true meaning of passages of Euclid, of Virgil, the select orations of Cicero and in the Greek Testament and that she is fully qualified except in regard to sex to be received a pupil of the Freshman class of Yale College.

Before marrying Dr. Thomas Cornwall in 1790, she pursued studies learning Hebrew from Stiles.

She (Lucinda Foote) is a name we do not talk about. We talk about her father. We talk about her brother, Samuel Augustus, the governor; and we talk about her nephew. We talk about all the male Footes. Well, what about her? asked Pittsley.

That story has always stayed with Pittsley, and so, to name a school after her would be fitting, she said.

Another person who could be among the names considered is a man by the name of Cuff. Cuff was a free captive. In the writings of late 19th century historian Edward R. Brown, Cuff is mentioned as having lived at the bottom of Huckins Road on Marion Road and the brook that runs parallel is Cuff Brook, named for him, according to Pittsley.

I think that would be another fantastic name, The Cuff Brook School, because it would recognize the contributions of our early African descendant population, which was much larger than it is today. That would also be fitting, as those people were not afforded educational opportunities at that point in time, she said.
This week on The Bulletin, hosts Mike Cosper, Nicole Martin, and editor in chief Russell Moore offer lively conversation and commentary on concertgoers, ChatGPT, and aging civic servants. This summer, concerts have become more raucous than ever. What explains our bad behavior? Meanwhile, ChatGPT is showing up in classrooms and on homework across the country. How much is too much? Finally, a recent Wall Street Journal poll reveals three-fourths of voters think President Biden is too old to run again. When we dont have an off ramp for elder statesmen, how can we cultivate new leadership? Tune in and join the conversation.

Joining us this week:

Kevin Brown is the president of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. He holds a PhD in theology and religious studies (University of Glasgow, Scotland, 2012), an MLitt in Bible and the contemporary world (University of St Andrews, Scotland, 2009) and an MBA (University of Indianapolis, 2002). His research interests include economics, philosophy, and theology.

Resources Referenced:

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

A Pirate Looks at Forty

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The facts are the same. The arguments, the same. But for two days in an appeals court in Helsinki, prosecution and defense rehashed the arguments that previously cleared Finnish politician Paivi Rasanen and Evangelical Lutheran Mission bishop Juhana Pohjola of charges of criminal incitement against a minority group.

State prosecutors argued there was a mistake last March. They say the district court weighed the evidence incorrectly, setting the threshold for incitement too high. According to them, a pamphlet the former minister of the interior published with a conservative Lutheran press in 2004, and comments she made about homosexuality on Twitter and on a national radio show in 2019, should be judged as hate speech.

State prosecutor Anu Mantila says Rasanens comments are not only disagreeable and offensive, but harmful.

Offensive speech has a damaging effect on people, she said.

Mantila said Rasanens statements characterized homosexuality as immoral and as a psychosocial developmental disorder. Rasanen describes same-sex attraction as unhealthy and abnormalsomething that requires treatment. According to the state, that devalues and denigrates homosexuals.

If you put all the statements together, she said, it is clear that they are derogatory towards homosexuals. Condemning homosexual acts condemns homosexuals as human beings.

The prosecutor also argued there is no religious defense for that kind of hate speech.

You cant say anything under the guise of religion, Mantila said. You can cite the Bible, but it is Rasanens interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal.

Rasanen, on the other hand, is making a free-speech case.

You do not need to agree with my beliefs to agree that in a democratic society everyone should have the right to speak freely, she said. Freedom of expression and faith are guaranteed in the Finnish constitution and every major human rights treaty.

The Finnish politician, a leader in the small, center-right Christian Democratic party that is part of the coalition government, also believes her case is critical for the future of religious liberty in Finland.

If we lose, she said, anyone citing or preaching from the Bible or publishing materials on these teachings would face criminal prosecution.

One of Rasanens alleged acts of incitement is a Bible quotation. She posted Romans 1:2427 on Twitter (now X) to criticize the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for its affiliation with a Helsinki Pride event. The national church does not perform same-sex marriages, but has grown increasingly affirming of LGBT Christians. Rasanen led the opposition against the passage of a law recognizing same-sex marriage in 2017.

Defending her words as simple expressions of biblical teachings on sexuality, Rasanen said the court will now have to decide whether Christian beliefs are considered a criminal act in modern-day Finland.

Rasanens attorneys see this as a critical religious liberty battle in Europe. She is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a legal advocacy group with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Vienna, Austria. ADF Internationals executive director, Paul Coleman, claims the Finnish government is attempting to use this case to intimidate others into silence.

This is exactly what Pohjola, the bishop of a Lutheran church that broke from the state church over beliefs about sexuality, most fears. He said that if the district courts decision is overturned, his church bodys 2,360 members could be viewed as criminal.

This would have a chilling effect in our society, he said, but specifically for my church members who would be guilty by association.

In the lower court, the judges found that while Rasanens words might be offensive, they did not amount to incitement to hatred, and should thus be considered legal. The court decided that the purpose of Rasanens writing was not to insult or harm LGBT people but to defend what she believed to be the biblical concepts of family and marriage.

During the trial, both parties cited biblical texts so frequently that the courts chairman had to remind them that the judges would decide the case on the basis of Finnish law and not the Bible. The court also stated in its decision that it is not its job to determine whether a particular interpretation of a scriptural passage is correct.

Rasanen said if she loses in the appeals court, she is willing to take her case to the Supreme Court and then, if need be, to the European Court of Human Rights.

If she wins, however, that will probably be the end of the legal battle. The threshold for appeal is quite low for the Helsinki court; it would be much higher going forward. No case like this has gone to the Finnish Supreme Court before.

With two decisions in our favor, attorney Matti Sankamo said, I doubt we will see this taken up by the Supreme Court.

The courts decision is expected in one to three months.
Attendees at school board meeting recite Lord's Prayer after board president says it's 'not permitted' Christian legal group urges school district to clarify policy

A Virginia school board is being asked to clarify its policy on prayer after the board president would not allow a local resident to use her public comment time to pray for the school district.

At an Aug. 10 school board meeting in Suffolk, resident Angela Kilgore offered to use the remainder of her allotted comment time to pray for Suffolk public schools and its board members when she was prevented from doing so by Board Chair Tyron Riddick.

I apologize, we can't do that, he replied.

Why can't we? Kilgore said. I like to pray for our students in our school.

The tense exchange escalated when Riddick ordered Kilgore to get back on to your topic.

That is my topic, she said.

Well, then it's not permitted at this time, said Riddick.

To pray for our schools is not permitted? Kilgore asked.

Thats correct, he replied.

Kilgore then invited those in attendance at the meeting to join her in prayer, saying, I'd invite you because I think that that's the only way that we're going to come together is through God and our faith.

As she stepped away from the podium, Riddick addressed the audience directly.

I do want to clarify, I don't object to prayer, he said. I believe that man should always pray. I mean, I love prayer, but this is not the place per the law.

As Riddick asked for one of the school districts attorneys to address the issue, Kilgore and others began to pray the Lords Prayer from Matthew 6, a portion of which was caught on the open mic.

Riddick then called the meeting into recess as one of the board members was overheard telling Riddick, Ask the officers to remove her.

He instructed school police officers to clear the room during the recess even as several of those in attendance continued in prayer.

Video footage showed a police officer approaching those in prayer before the video footage abruptly ended.

Riddick then returned to the microphone and informed the audience that the board would take a five-minute recess, but not before expressing his respect for the book, an apparent reference to the Bible.

I believe in abiding by a book that is very influential and it says to be decent and in order, and we have to be mindful that we don't cherry-pick the book, he said. But conduct unbecoming will not be tolerated, since it's not a place to grandstand.

We're here for business, and if we're truly about our Father's business, we would be decent and in order. We can respectfully disagree, and if we fall short, we can repent.

The Christian Post reached out to Riddick for comment but did not receive a response by press time. This story will be updated if any response is received.

In response to the exchange between Kilgore and Riddick, attorneys with the Founding Freedoms Law Center and First Liberty Institute sent a letter on Sept. 5 to the Suffolk School Board urging members to update their public comment policies to reflect the right of religious citizens to express their viewpoint without fear of censorship.

The First Amendment prohibits a school board from silencing a citizens prayer out of phantom concerns over violating the Establishment Clause, said Josh Hetzler, legal counsel for Founding Freedoms Law Center.

We hope the school board will clarify its policy and wed be happy to assist in ensuring that the constitutional rights of religious citizens are protected.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, school board meetings across the nation have been ground zero for clashes between parents and administrators over curriculum, health and safety, and other topics.

In 2021, a Loudon County, Virginia, public school board meeting resulted in two arrests and silenced public comments after a heated discussion erupted regarding new transgender policies and the sexual assault of a female student.

Earlier this summer, at least two members of a California school board received death threats over the boards policy on notifying parents about their child's welfare, including any request to be identified as the opposite sex.
2 Catholic universities among the 5 worst campuses for free speech: report

Two Catholic colleges have some of the worst climates for free speech in the United States, according to a recently released report that analyzed more than 250 campuses, most of which continue to maintain lackluster free speech protections.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, formerly the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, released its 2024 College Free Speech Rankings on Wednesday.

The research is based on interviews with 55,102 students from 254 colleges and universities conducted between Jan. 13 and June 23. The margin of error for the overall undergraduate respondents is +/- 1 percentage point, while the margin of error for student sub-demographics goes from 2 to 5 percentage points.

The report, created in conjunction with The College Pulse, ranked American institutions of higher education based on their openness to discussing controversial issues on campus, tolerance for both liberal and conservative speakers on campus, students' perception of their college's free speech policies, their level of comfort expressing ideas, students' acceptance of protest activity and written policies related to free speech and academic freedom.

Michigan Technological University ranked the highest out of the 254 campuses, receiving an overall score of 78.01 and labeled "good" speech climate. By contrast, Harvard University in Massachusetts scored the worst with an overall score of 0.00, labeled an "abysmal" speech climate.

Near the bottom of the list are two Catholic institutions: Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Fordham University in New York.

Georgetown had the fourth-worst free speech climate with an overall score of 17.45, indicating a "very poor" climate for free speech, while Fordham placed fifth-worst with a "poor" climate for free speech and an overall score of 21.72.

A Georgetown University student from the class of 2024 told researchers that she was told in class that she could not use the words "women" or "mother" when referring to maternal mortality rates but was told to instead use the term "birthing person." A student from the class of 2023 recalled being harassed for expressing a conservative opinion online and has been mocked by peers and at least one professor.

At Fordham University, one student from the class of 2024 told researchers that they "felt that sometimes in a few of my classes, the catholic view or perception was ignored or misunderstood, which was uncomfortable at a catholic university."

The report also detailed free speech climates at other Catholic colleges and universities, finding that Duquesne University has a "poor" climate with an overall score of 25.25, receiving the eighth-lowest overall score. Boston College received a score of 29.94 and the label of "poor" climate.

The additional Catholic colleges included in the report all had "below average" free speech climates: Loyola University, Chicago (38.09), Santa Clara University (38.47), Creighton University (38.58) and the University of Notre Dame (39.92).

The report also compiled a separate list of six "warning" schools, reserved for universities that have policies that "clearly and consistently" prioritize "other values over a commitment to freedom of speech."

Among the "warning" schools, Catholic St. Louis University received the lowest overall score at 18.74. Brigham Young University, affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had an overall score of 25.80. Liberty University, an Evangelical institution in Virginia, received an overall score of 35.62.

Baylor University, a Baptist institution in Texas, had an overall score of 23.80.

The non-denominational Hillsdale College had the highest score of all the "warning" schools (46.87), while Pepperdine University, which has historic ties to the Churches of Christ, received an overall score of 29.17.

The report gave each college a green, yellow or red-light rating based on the institution's established policies related to free speech.

Twenty of the 25 schools with the best free speech climates, as determined by their overall scores, had "green light" ratings, while the lowest-ranked school to receive a "green light" rating was the University of Florida, which had an overall score of 29.37.

In total, 36 colleges and universities had "green light" ratings, 158 received "yellow light" ratings, and 54 had "red light" ratings. The surveys also found that the student bodies were predominantly liberal at all but 20 schools examined.

Auburn University in Alabama had the highest-ranked free speech climate with a majority conservative student body, placing in second place among all colleges and universities with an overall score of 72.53.

Meanwhile, the research determined that two schools included in the report had an equal number of conservative and liberal students: the University of South Carolina and the University of Toledo.

While the average liberal-to-conservative student ratio at liberal colleges was measured at 5:1, Smith College had the most lopsided ratio at 55:1. On the other hand, the average conservative-to-liberal student ratio at predominantly conservative colleges was 3:1, with Liberty University having the highest ratio of 20:1.
Christian Reformed Church is selling its headquarters after 65 years amid financial concerns

The Christian Reformed Church in North America will be selling its headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after more than six decades of occupying the property as maintenance costs have become "financially unsustainable."

CRCNA's ministry board voted to put the property up for sale, according to a statement Wednesday. Dan DeKam, director of U.S. ministry operations, gives thanks for the 65 years that the CRCNA used the property as its headquarters.

"At the same time, we recognize that the building's infrastructure is aging, and its ongoing maintenance is becoming financially unsustainable," stated DeKam.

"The pandemic forced staff into different ways of working and, although the future of office work isn't entirely clear, we do know it needs to be flexible  for the health of employees and the good of the organization. It is time for a new shape."

The denomination of over 1,000 congregations plans to list the 1700 28th Street property in fall 2023, while staff continue to explore options for another location that can meet the denomination's needs.

"The building at 1700 28th Street is too big and doesnt have flexibility for the future, said DeKam.

DeKam is optimistic about the property's value, explaining that "being at the 28th Street and Kalamazoo corner" is "likely worth more to someone else."

"Tapping into the existing value of the land and moving  either to another location on the existing property or to a site nearer connected organizations  would open the possibility for more shared spaces and resources," he added.

CRCNA General Secretary Zachary King said the denomination's "current building was constructed for a more centralized and labor-intensive model of ministry that characterized the past."

"As we move into the future, we will need a smaller, more decentralized and flexible ministry structure so that we can serve our churches and support ministries in the United States, Canada, and around the world," King said.

A small Calvinist denomination rooted in the Dutch Reformed Church of the Netherlands, CRCNA reported 1,053 congregations across the United States and Canada and more than 200,000 members in 2022.

In recent years, the CRCNA has been embroiled in a debate over whether to change its biblical stance on LGBT issues. The denomination defines marriage as between one man and one woman and does not allow the ordination of noncelibate homosexual clergy.

At the CRCNA Synod 2023 in June, church leadership rejected an appeal from Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church of Grand Rapids to have a deacon in a same-sex relationship.

The final appeal vote at the synod was 124 against the appeal, 47 for granting the appeal and six delegates abstaining.

The CRCNA is not the only Protestant denomination that has recently had to put its headquarters up for sale.

In September 2021, the theologically liberal United Church of Christ announced that it was selling its nine-story, 120,000-square-foot national offices in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Rev. John Dorhauer, UCC general minister and president, was quoted in the announcement as saying that the move was part of an effort to "carefully steward our precious missional resources."

"Making this move saves the National Setting hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by leasing one floor rather than maintaining a nine-story building that once housed 330 employees," stated Dorhauer at the time.
Mexico's highest court declares abortion bans 'an act of violence' against 'pregnant persons'

Mexico's highest court has declared abortion bans unconstitutional and ordered the legislature to change federal abortion laws to comply with its ruling.

In a statement Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Justice, Mexico's equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, announced that "the legal system that regulates the crime of abortion in the federal criminal code is unconstitutional because it is contrary to the right to decide of women and people with the capacity to bear."

Wednesday's decision comes after "a civil association challenged the legal system of the Federal Criminal Code that criminalizes abortion and the medical personnel who practice it."

The First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice agreed with the civil association that federal abortion laws violate "the right of women and people with the capacity to gestate to decide to interrupt or continue a pregnancy, which, in turn, is considered to violate the rights to free development of personality, to health, to equality and non-discrimination, and to reproductive autonomy."

The decision, which calls on the Congress of the Union to repeal "the regulations that criminalize voluntary abortion," is the latest development in lengthy litigation over Mexico's abortion laws.

A district judge previously ruled against the civil association, saying it "lacked a legitimate interest to promote the trial."

"The Collegiate Court revoked that decision after acknowledging that the plaintiff did have an interest in contesting the challenged regulations, since the defense of sexual and reproductive rights was part of its corporate purpose, therefore it reserved jurisdiction for this Highest Court to analyze if the crime of voluntary abortion was in accordance with the human rights of women," the statement continued.

The top court ruled that the criminalization of abortion is "an act of violence and discrimination based on gender" because it "perpetuates the stereotype that women and pregnant persons can only freely exercise their sexuality to procreate and reinforces the gender role imposed by the maternity as a mandatory destination."

The First Chamber determined that suspending the medical licenses of those who perform abortions is unconstitutional, as is the requirement that medical professionals receive another doctor's opinion before performing an abortion.

The ruling orders the Congress of the Union to repeal "the norms contained in the Federal Penal Code that criminalize voluntary abortion (self-procured or consented), before the end of the [current] regular session."

Wednesday's decision received swift condemnation from pro-life activists.

Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life advocacy group Students for Life of America, took to X Wednesday to react to the court's "tragic" decision. She stated, "True poverty is saying a child must die so you can live your life as you see fit."

True poverty is saying a child must die so you can live your life as you see fit.



Tragic. https://t.co/swN28LySWy  Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) September 6, 2023

Meanwhile, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America reacted favorably to the developments in Mexico.

"This historic decision to decriminalize abortion is a huge win in the global fight for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy," the pro-abortion advocacy group asserted in social media post.

Viva Mexico! ????????



This historic decision to decriminalize abortion is a huge win in the global fight for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.



Abortion is health care, period. ???? https://t.co/MozCr8aWnV  Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) September 7, 2023

According to the Global Abortion Policies Database compiled by the World Health Organization, abortion was legal up to 12 weeks gestation in the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Mexico City, Oaxaca and Veracruz before Wednesday's decision. The Mexican state of Sinaloa allowed abortions up to 13 weeks gestation.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled the abortion ban in Aguascalientes unconstitutional. In 2021, the court invalidated a law in the state of Coahuila establishing criminal penalties for women who have abortions.
Muslims halt church worship service in Indonesia; police call it a 'misunderstanding'

SURABAYA, Indonesia A machete-wielding Muslim threatened to kill members of a house church in Indonesia as he and family members broke up a worship service last Tuesday, sources said.

In West Sumatra Province, the Sola Gratia congregation of Bethel Indonesia Church (Gereja Bethel Indonesia, or GBI) was meeting on the evening of Aug. 29 in a rented house in Jalan Banuaran, Banuaran Nan XX village, Lubuk Begalung Sub-District, in Padang, when a Muslim woman broke the homes windows with stones and told those inside to stop worshiping, the church pastor said.

Pastor Hiatani Ziduhu Hia told outlet radarsumbar.com that the woman claimed she was the owner of the house in the attack at about 8:35 p.m.

Later the womans husband came to the house with a machete, accompanied by another man with a wooden club. Brandishing the machete, the Muslim shouted at the congregation that he was going to cut their throats into pieces and told them to stop worshiping, Pastor Hiatani reportedly said.

We continued to pray, the pastor told radarsumbar.com., adding that the husband later returned and continued demanding that they cease worship.

We stayed calm, trying to explain the situation to them, Pastor Hiatani said. But they didnt pay attention to us.

The woman, later identified as a relative of the landlord, claimed that the church could not worship in her home, the pastor said.

We know that the owner of the house is not her, because we pay someone else, Pastor Hiatani said. Those who receive our money also know that we occasionally use the place for worship. The head of the neighborhood already knows about our activities. As for the perpetrators, we know that they are the relatives of the house owners, not the house owner.

The house tenant, Juni Anton Zai, told BBC News Indonesia that 20 congregation members were holding a worship service when they heard the screaming woman approach from the backyard and break the windows.

We were shocked, and our worship was dismissed, Juni told BBC News. My son was shocked. The mother screamed, and we canceled our worship.

He and the rest of the congregation ran out of the house, Juni said. Later the woman, her husband and their two younger siblings returned, with the husband telling them that they could not worship there because it was our parents house, he said.

Juni offered to sit down and discuss the matter calmly, but they refused, he said.

Instead of having a nice talk, they threatened us, Juni said. His younger brother was also carrying a machete; he scared us. After that, his younger brother came. He came bringing a wooden club. He wanted to hit my little brother, who was sitting on the motorbike.

In a video of the attack uploaded onto social media on Aug. 30, the assailants claim that they were entitled to the house and had a right to know the tenants activities, according to Kompass.com.

Pastor Hiatani said it was the first disruption of a church service at the venue, and that they reported it to Padang Police.

Misunderstanding

Junis attorney, Yutiasa Fakho, head of the Community Legal Defence Team, said he told police on Sept. 1 that the assailants had committed criminal acts, including threats with sharp weapons, vandalism, use of sharp weapons and human rights violations.

He asked police to prosecute, but officers dismissed it as just a misunderstanding over neighborhood ethics and sent the husband home, claiming that he was suffering from mental disorders, according to BBC.com.

The West Sumatra Inter-Religious Harmony Forum (Forum Komunikasi Umat Beragama, or FKUB) agreed with police and suggested a solution with local wisdom.

By contrast, the executive director of human rights think-tank the Setara Institute, Halili Hasan, said authorities and the FKUB had ignored justice and that the Christians right to freedom of worship had been violated, according to BBC News Indonesia.

The most dangerous thing is, if law enforcement does not occur, it means there is neglect, Halili reportedly said. This incident will happen again if there is no fair law enforcement.

Padang city is the third most intolerant city in Indonesia, according to a 2022 Setara Institute report.

The Communion of Christian Churches (Persatuan Gereja Indonesia, or PGI) condemned the attack.

Pastor Henrek Lekra, executive secretary of PGIs Justice and Peace unit, said the group strongly condemned the anarchist actions in disbanding Christian family worship which has led to death threats, and that actions like this are contrary to the mandate of the Constitution and insult the values and teachings of any religion that prioritizes love, justice, and peace.

The PGI called on police to immediately take firm action against the perpetrator who made a vulgar threat of death to stop the worship, so that it does not set a bad precedent in the future and spread unrest in society. The group also called for deliberation and dialogue along with prosecution of criminal acts.

The mediation was carried out by the security forces, and the element of the local government should not put pressure on the victim, which causes the victim to experience multiple layers of intimidation, Lekra said in a press statement.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2023 International Sufi Congress in Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that although harmony in diversity continues to be promoted, cases of intolerance are still found in Indonesia, according to Bloomberg Technoz.com.

There are still several cases of intolerance, Widodo said in Pekalongan, Central Java on Aug. 29. This is something we can pay attention to so that peace can be maintained in Indonesia and the world.

Indonesia ranked 33rd on the Christian support organization Open Doors 2023 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors WWL report.

If a church is seen to be preaching and spreading the gospel, they soon run into opposition from Islamic extremist groups, especially in rural areas, the report noted. In some regions of Indonesia, non-traditional churches struggle to get permission for church buildings, with the authorities often ignoring their paperwork.
Beware of man-made gods in churches

God was explicit in His warning to the Israelites concerning the worship of man-made gods when they were about to go into the promised land. He knew what was coming and admonished them beforehand: The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell (Deuteronomy 4:27-28).

In the context of this op-ed, I would like to underscore the activities of man-made gods that are not made of wood and stone. These are human beings who have taken the place of God by arrogating supernatural powers to themselves and pervert the true worship of God. In many African churches today, worshipers are no longer adhering to the Word of God but the words of false teachers.

Their words have become more authoritative than the Bible to their followers. They made themselves appear so holy that no one dares criticize them. Every one of their follower bows down to them whenever they are passing by and everyone stands still at their presence. They have thugs and bodyguards who surround them and physically manhandle anyone who refuses to bow before them.

Some of these man-made gods are very subtle in their activities. They fake humility but latently shift the attention of their followers from God to themselves. They make their followers believe that the blessings of their followers are in their hands, and they have the prerogative to give it to those who are loyal to them. They give the impression that they are very spiritual and can see what their followers cannot see.

Believers should be careful of pastors who are always talking about how powerful they are, how they healed the sick, how they raised the dead and how they prophesied. When their followers testify, it is all about the potency of their pastors and not that of God. In their sermons you hardly hear them ascribe glory to God  its all about them.

It is appalling that these man-made gods are commanding lots of followers and have manipulative tendency to psychologically intimidate people to do their bidding. They are influential because of the enormous wealth which they have acquired from their followers. They have political connections with the high and mighty, and whatever they say is taken as Gospel truth.

They give the impression that they are doing great works as promised by Christ (John 14:12). If that were true, they wouldve served humbly like Christ instead of walking all over their supporters.

The consequence of the presence of man-made gods in any church is the departure of the glory of God. Perhaps we need to discern why the Church has lost its power and why the enemies seem to be having the upper hand. We need to bring the glory of God back to our churches by giving God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit their rightful places in our churches.

It is not a fair deal to denounce idolatry in paganism and come to Christ to meet another idol. Let our spiritual antennae be lifted high to pick every signal of the manifestation of man-made gods in our churches. I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images (Isaiah 42:8). No man no matter the degree of anointing on Him is qualified to receive worship.
TOKYO, Sep 08 ( News On Japan ) - Chinese internet users have rallied behind a yakiniku restaurant in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, after it was ordered by authorities to remove a sign saying, "No Japanese Allowed."

Even while fanning anti-Japanese sentiment, authorities order for the sign to be taken away is seen by some as an attempt to ensure the reaction will not get out of control in the wake of discharging water from the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Editor-in-Chief Hu Xujin of the Global Times, a tabloid published by the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Peoples Daily, lambasted the restaurants sign.

"Opposition between countries should not be allowed to fall into discriminatory acts," Hu said.

Kyodo News reported that the restaurant owner erected the sign in Chinese and Japanese following the discharge of water from the nuclear power plant two weeks ago. Authorities ordered the restaurant owner to remove the sign, but they refused.

Weibo users lauded the owner, calling their actions "the expression of a patriot" and "hero of the people," amid large numbers of posts criticizing authorities for taking such a hard line.

Ultimately, however, the owner bowed to pressure from local government officials and the police and has removed the sign.

Source: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/091f215802bea0347b5728c42abc1ffa35a52322
Feeding kids garbage: Think 4-year-old, bondage, surgical mutilation

Im going to omit a few words from the opening sentence of an article posted by the United Kingdoms Christian Voice in order to drill home a point. The first sentence reads, Parents in Hull have withdrawn their ... daughter from ... school over inappropriate content in Relationships and Sex Education. And what, exactly, did these parents find inappropriate?

The next paragraph explains, The decision follows their discovery that the school was using a book entitled Grandads Pride. The pro-gay propaganda book carries illustrations of homosexual men wearing next to nothing and women posing as men who have undergone surgical mutilation.

It is for good reason that these parents pulled their kid out of school. Of course, content like this is inappropriate for children.

What clear-thinking adult would think that exposing young people to illustrations of homosexual men wearing next to nothing was a positive and appropriate thing to do?

But how old was the child in question? Perhaps she was middle school age, so somewhere between 11-13? (Obviously, content like this would not be shown to younger children, right?) Or maybe she was in high school, aged 14-18?

Actually, the reality is much worse.

The opening sentence of the article reads (with my emphasis here), Parents in Hull have withdrawn their 4-year-old daughter from pre-school over inappropriate content in Relationships and Sex Education.

Yes, this garbage was being foisted on 4-year-olds. What kind of madness is this? And how is this not a form of child abuse?

Eventually, the school withdrew the book, apologizing to the parents, but only after defending it initially. As for the publisher, Anderson Press, Christian Voice reports that they are standing strong behind the book and its award-winning gay author, Harry Woodgate: The publisher described critics concerns of hidden messages in the book depicting a grandad wearing leathers for Pride as baseless, deeply offensive and homophobic.

Yes, this was one of the images in the book, that of an older man (a grandad, no less) dressed up in a bondage outfit, all for Pride. Concerns about the appropriateness of this for little children were baseless, deeply offensive and homophobic.

Once again, this is a classic case of calling evil good and good evil.

As for the transgender images, in some ways, these are even more reprehensible. Thats because they help further the gender confusion many kids are experiencing today, not because they are innately confused but rather because they are being confused by society, from social media to TV and movies to schools. And what is the result of this inexcusable assault on innocent little children  in this case, a school-sponsored assault on pre-schoolers?

Writing for the Daily Signal, Tyler ONeil reports, a new study estimates that more than 3,000 minors underwent transgender surgeries in a five-year period, and more than 400 of them had their genitals removed.

How can you not feel a righteous indignation along with a deep stab of pain after reading these words? How does one describe medical malpractice on this scale? Hundreds of minors have had their perfectly healthy, fully functioning, genitals removed because they were experiencing emotional confusion. But it gets worse.

ONeil writes, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study Wednesday estimating that 48,019 Americans underwent gender-affirming surgeries from 2016 to 2020, and 3,678 of them underwent surgery between ages 12 and 18.

In the study, Columbia University researchers estimated that 3,215 of those minors underwent breast/chest surgery and 405 of them underwent genital surgery. Meanwhile, 350 underwent other cosmetic procedures.

So, 3,215 girls  minors!  had their breasts removed, along with the 405 who underwent genital surgery.

This is surgical barbarism, and no amount of special pleading or intellectual sophistry can justify these procedures. As the heralded Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Dr. Paul McHugh stated to me in an email on November 18, 2009, I hold that interfering medically or surgically with the natural development of young people claiming to be transgendered is a form of child abuse.

Add to this the programming of impressionable, innocent children, helping them believe they are trans, and the mountain of guilt grows higher still.

Tragically, nothing I wrote here is either new or surprising for those of us who have been tracking these issues for years.

But as this assault on our children continues apace, all of us must continue to raise our voices in protest  be it at the school level or in our vigilance as parents or in the courts of law or in the halls of Congress. Its the least we can do for these little ones.

As Jesus said, If anyone causes one of these little ones  those who believe in me  to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6).

As for the tiny percentage of children who suffer from gender dysphoria, the best science, along with common sense, tells us not to sterilize or mutilate them as minors. There is a better way.
California school district rejects Bible club for elementary students, attorneys say

A school district in California has been accused by a conservative legal group of wrongfully prohibiting a Christian student club from meeting at a local elementary school.

Hayward Unified School District allegedly rejected multiple requests from Child Evangelism Fellowship to let one of its Good News Club chapters meet at Fairview Elementary School.

Liberty Counsel recently sent a letter to HUSD Superintendent Jason Reimann demanding that the school district immediately approve CEFs renewed facilities use request to hold a Good News Club after school on campus at Fairview Elementary School.

Prior to COVID-19, a Good News Club was held for numerous years immediately after school at Fairview Elementary, the legal group stressed in their letter.

The District permits other similarly-situated groups to meet directly after school at multiple locations, including Girl Scouts  and Girls on the Run.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement that it is unlawful for the school district to deny the club's meeting request.

According to the law, Good News Clubs must be given equal access as the non-religious groups on public school campuses, stated Staver.

Equal access means equal treatment including the use of on-campus facilities, fee waivers, time of meetings, and announcements. Liberty Counsel will work to ensure this happens.

A Hayward Unified School District spokesperson told The Christian Post that officials are investigating this matter and have no comment at this time.

In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Good News Club v. Milford Central Schoolthat public schools cannot ban Good News Clubs from meeting on school property after class hours solely because the club is Christian in nature.

But from time to time, efforts have been made not to allow the Christian student group to meet on public school property outside of class hours.

In March, the Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit against Providence Public School District in Rhode Island after officials blocked Good News Clubs from meeting at schools for about two years.

Providence PSD agreed to a consent order in July that allowed the Christian student club access to District facilities that is equal to and on the same terms as other similarly situated nonreligious organizations offering programs to students in the District.
Carlton Pearson, former megachurch pastor who says there is no Hell, brought to 'death's door' battling cancer

Bishop Carlton Pearson, an affiliate minister at All Souls Unitarian Church, who was once one of the most sought-after Pentecostal speakers in the U.S. before he lost his megachurch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 20 years ago for declaring there is no Hell, says he was recently brought to "death's door," battling illnesses related to cancer.

"I don't know what happened. It [illness] just hit me all at once. We've been battling, you know, the prostate thing for 20 years, but had been free. And then all of a sudden, this thing hit me, and I haven't even had any treatment for it because my body was so toxic and so filled with sepsis and infection," Pearson revealed in a Facebook Live video Tuesday.

"I had no idea. By the time they got me to the hospital, I was at death's door. My son was with me. We went through all of that, ... like 17 days in the hospital and several in and out, but I want you to know I'm yet holding on," he added.

In an earlier video posted on Facebook this summer, Pearson told his followers from a hospital bed that while he has been a 20-year survivor of prostate cancer, there has been a "re-occurrence."

While Pearson did not disclose further details about his cancer prognosis, data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program show that for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer discovered to be in the localized, meaning that it's "confined to the primary site," or regional, meaning it has "spread to regional lymph nodes," have a five-year relative survival rate of 100%. Patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer "that has spread to distant parts of the body" have a five-year relative survival rate of 34.1%.

Pearson, raised in the conservative Church of God in Christ, the world's most prominent black Pentecostal denomination, founded Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center in Tulsa in 1981. The church grew from 75 to more than 5,000 members, according to the Christian Research Institute.

In the late 1980s, he started the Azusa Conferences at Oral Roberts University and became a mainstay on Christian television.

But after he challenged the biblical definition of Hell, the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops Congress branded him a heretic in 2004 for preaching inclusionism, which the Christian apologetics ministry Got Questions calls the "old heresy of universalism re-packaged and given a new name."

Inclusionism teaches, among other things, that Jesus died for all of humanity to enjoy eternal life in Heaven without any need for repentance; salvation is unconditional and does not even require faith in Jesus Christ as the payment for mankind's sin debt; and that all humanity will go to Heaven regardless of religious affiliation.

"The gospel of inclusion runs counter to the clear teachings of Jesus and the Bible. In John's Gospel, Jesus clearly states that the only path to salvation is through Him (John 14:6)," the ministry notes. "God sent Jesus into the world to secure salvation for fallen humanity, but that salvation is only available to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ as God's payment for their sin (John 3:16)."

Pearson has said that he knows the Bible teaches that Hell is real and opposes inclusionism, but he doesn't believe the Bible is "infallible or inerrant."

"I can take that Bible and denounce what I'm teaching. There [are] plenty of scriptures that say that salvation is limited to only those who trust Christ. The Bible clearly says that. ... If you take it literally, Jesus preached Hell, the way the King James translators translated it, which is inaccurate," Pearson previously said, according to CRI. "The average person, even preacher, that you approach and ask, 'Where did we get the Bible?' most of them can't tell you that. Men sat around tables in rooms for weeks drinking wine, eating, and taking breaks, fussing, and sometimes cussing, arguing over what would be in the Bible and what would not.

"I won't get into great detail, but I'm just saying that which we revere as the most sacred lexicon of truth on the planet is not necessarily  and any true scholar will tell you  infallible or inerrant. ... I am saying what we were taught was wrong. We've been sold a bill of goods. I'm assaulting 1,500 years of tradition."

Pearson, whose life is documented in the Netflix film "Come Sunday," said his sickness has caused him to lose a lot of weight. He now weighs 137 pounds.

"Hopefully, next Tuesday. I'll be in better shape. But we're working on this. Again, no treatment yet for cancer and hopefully no chemo, trying to find alternative measures to deal with it," Pearson said before thanking his thousands of supporters around the world for sending him encouragement.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you, your gifts, your cards, your calls, your emails, your messages, there've been thousands of them," he said. "I've literally been overwhelmed."
Church faces financial ruin as court orders repayment of $500K in ill-gotten donations

A 120-year-old Illinois church could be forced to shutter and sell off its assets if its members fail to raise $300,000 in the next month to pay off a $487,000 federal court judgment against them to recover long gone donations a businessman convicted of running a Ponzi scheme poured into their coffers over 10 years.

The church, Messiah Lutheran Church in Joliet, said they had no idea they were benefiting from the ill-gotten gains of convicted fraudster, Illinois resident Kenneth D. Courtright III.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Courtright and his company, Todays Growth Consultant Inc., raised at least $75 million from more than 500 investors throughout the United States and abroad in a Ponzi-like scheme from at least 2017 through at least October 2019.

Courtright and his company reportedly defrauded these investors through false promises on returns while using the proceeds from his Ponzi scheme to pay his personal expenses, including his mortgage and private school tuitions for his family.

Now, the court is seeking to recover the funds Courtright spent, including the donations he made to charities.

Messiah Lutheran Church explained on a website they established for a fundraising campaign at www.savemessiah.org that they received a total of $780,000 in donations from the businessman over the 10 years his benevolence lasted, but they already spent every dime of the money.

Of course, we don't have that money, Beth Hohisel, leader of Messiahs litigation committee, said in a video appeal posted on YouTube. We have used that money in our ministry, we've paid our staff, we've sent our youth to youth camp, we kept the lights on in our building. That money is long gone.

She added: When we tell someone what's happening to our church, the first response generally is, how can that be? That doesn't even seem fair at all.

Attorney James Murphy from Mahoney, Silverman & Cross said in a statement that there was no wrongdoing on the churchs part.

Unfortunately, Illinois law, under which the SEC Receivers lawsuit is brought, allows for the claw back of donations to charities based on the misdeeds of the donor. This type of lawsuit can be brought against any non-profit organization in Illinois, Murphy said.

The church explained that the SEC was unrelenting in demanding a large payback from Messiah Lutheran, and the $487,000 is due by Nov. 15.

To honor the demand, the church said on its website that it emptied its Building Fund in order to make a $187,000 payment on the judgment on Aug. 28, and now they are out of options to pay the remainder of the money.

The church says if they are unable to pay the remainder of the judgment by Nov. 15, the amount they owe will increase to $587,000 by the court. The churchs assets can then be frozen, and a forced sale of their property executed.

The SEC Receiver has made it clear that she does not care if Messiah losses its home and She does not care if Messiahs congregation is left without a place to worship, Brian Wielbik, president of Messiahs Church Council, said in a statement. Its a true David versus Goliath story.
Number of colleges with heavy restrictions on free speech rises

The number of colleges and universities that have significant restrictions on free speech has increased, according to a new report from a free speech advocacy group.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, formerly the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, has released a new report on the state of free speech on college campuses, titled Spotlight on Speech Codes 2023.

The organization ranked nearly 500 U.S. colleges on the basis of a light system, with green light colleges having policies that do not seriously imperil free expression, yellow light colleges having vague regulations on expression, and red light colleges having policies that clearly and substantially restrict free speech.

According to the FIRE report, for the first time in 15 years, the number of colleges with the worst free speech rating has increased, as 12 colleges went from having a yellow light status to a red light status.

Laura Beltz, director of policy reform for FIRE and author of the report, told The Christian Post that the increase in red light college campuses came for a variety of reasons.

Five schools in Minnesota were downgraded because the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system adopted a new, restrictive harassment policy. A few other schools adopted policies with restrictions on subjectively hateful or biased expression, said Beltz.

Overall, it seems like policies that regulate how students express themselves, like protest policies, are improving, but regulations on what they are saying  the content or viewpoint of that expression  are worsening, she added.

Although this years report showed an increase in college campuses with greater restrictions on speech, Beltz noted that there were still many positive developments that have occurred in recent years.

A few factors contributed here  efforts of free speech groups like FIRE have exposed these policies, so the schools with those most obviously clear and substantial restrictions on speech faced public pressure to revise them, Beltz told CP. In the past decade, about half of states across the country have explicitly banned free speech zone policies that restrict expressive activities to small, out-of-the-way areas on campus, resulting in improved policies across the board. Further, litigation from groups like FIRE has resulted in improved policies.

For its report, FIRE examined the official free speech policies of 486 schools, divided between 375 four-year public colleges and 111 private colleges.

The report found that 324 schools received a yellow light status, while 94 earned a red light status, an all-time high of 60 earned a green light status and eight schools received a warning, which meant that they do not promise students free speech rights at all.

The report also revealed that private schools tended to rank worse than public schools, with 37.8% of private institutions getting a red light designation versus 13.9% of public institutions. Additionally, while 14.9% of public institutions got a green light designation, only 3.6% of private institutions were ranked the same.

Private schools arent bound by the First Amendment like public schools are, but the vast majority of private schools across the country do promise their students free speech rights in their official written materials, so they must be held to those promises, Beltz told CP.

Too many private schools want to have it both ways  they make lofty statements about protecting free speech, inquiry, and debate in their handbooks and in speeches from leadership, but they infringe on free speech rights in policy and in practice.

Debates over free speech on college campuses have been the subject of much controversy and litigation in recent years, with courts often ruling against strict campus speech codes.

In April, for example, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit issued a unanimous ruling against the University of Central Floridas policy of banning the broadly defined discriminatory harassment. Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom authored the panel opinion, concluding that the discriminatory-harassment policy likely violates the First Amendment on the grounds that it is an overbroad and content- and viewpoint-based regulation of constitutionally protected expression.
Jill Duggar Dillard shares how reality shows nearly destroyed her marriage

With a new memoir slated for publication, Jill Duggar Dillard has opened up about how participation in her family's reality television series put a strain on her marriage.

Dillard is one of the 19 children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, who raised their children in a strict Christian household in Arkansas, as documented in the long-running TLC series 19 Kids and Counting and a spinoff series, Counting On.

The 32-year-old spoke with People magazine as her memoir, Counting the Cost, is scheduled for release next Tuesday.

In the interview published Wednesday, Dillard detailed how the demands associated with filming reality television caused a lot of frustration in her marriage to Derick Dillard as the reality TV lifestyle became a source of tension with her spouse especially early on, where he would feel a certain way about filming something. The couple married in 2014.

Id be like, I hear you; I feel you. I also dont want to do whatever it is theyre asking us to do, either. But we have to, she added.

Dillard claims her upbringing, based on the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a Christian umbrella organization established by Bill Gothard, which places a heavy emphasis on the importance of parental obedience, made matters worse in light of her fathers role in the center of the show.

It definitely got between us, she said, referring to the impact of her perceived obligations as a daughter in relation to the show and her marriage.

No matter your age, you are to obey your [parents] wishes, and you even have to ask them for their blessing for any major moment in your life, she added. That could be buying a house, moving to a different state, where to go to school. We were dealing with this a lot when we were trying to make decisions for our family, and we were really wrestling back and forth with it.

Derick Dillard agreed with his wifes assessment of the situation, telling People, Whenever we were at odds with what her dad thought we should be doing with filming, he would say things that would be very damaging.

He identified problematic questions made by the Duggar family patriarch, who he said would ask, Is this you, Jill, or is this you, Derek?

Derick Dillard also claimed that Duggar would ask: Are you leading your wife astray and doing things that are not supportive of marriage?

He described his father-in-laws efforts as trying to weaponize the relationship, saying the occurrences were a red flag.

Eventually, after reflecting on how arguments with her father were affecting our marriage, Jill Dillard determined that we either need to fight this battle together, or its going to rip us apart.

We had to join forces at that point, she insisted.

The release of Counting the Cost comes three years after the Dillards left the philosophy associated with the Institute in Basic Life Principles behind.

While the couple is trusting in God as they chart a new course for their lives, they have embraced therapy as what Jill Dillard characterizes as the gift we didnt know we needed.

They now live on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border with their three sons.

Addressing her books potential to attract negative reactions, Jill Dillard declared, I feel called to do this" and asserted that we really wanted to tell our story for my siblings, because some of them are going to face similar challenges, if they havent already, to what Ive faced.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar released a statement to People declining to respond to allegations laid out by their daughter and son-in-law.

We love all of our children very much. As with any family, few things are more painful than conflicts or problems among those you love.  We do not believe the best way to resolve conflicts, facilitate forgiveness and reconciliation, or to communicate through difficulties is through the media or a public forum so we will not comment.

Counting the Cost and this weeks interview with People are not the first time Jill Dillard has sought to distance herself from her famous family and the strict rules they abide by.

The former reality TV star previously documented how she wears a nose ring and pants in addition to drinking alcohol, activities that her upbringing forbade her from partaking in.

Court documents unsealed last year show that Jill Dillard considered her relationship with her father "pretty toxic," describing him as controlling and verbally abusive.

I saw a whole new side to my dad once my husband and I started making decisions that were best for our family, but not in his best interest, Dillard was quoted as saying in a preliminary psychological opinion by Robert Wynne, The Sun reported.

Sadly, I realized he had become pretty controlling, fearful, and reactionary. He was verbally abusive. Our relationship is not good. It got pretty toxic, she added.

"We occasionally text on a family group thread, but I dont feel comfortable being around him and just hanging out. It isnt good for my mental health right now.

Earlier this year, the Duggar family was the subject of an Amazon Prime docuseries called Shiny Happy People. It focuses on Jill Dillard and examines the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

In addition to Jill Dillard, another now-adult Duggar child has distanced herself from her upbringing.

Jinger Duggar Vuolo discussed how she came to the conclusion that the teachings at the center of the Institute in Basic Life Principles were not true in an interview with The Christian Post earlier this year, where she outlined the direction of her spiritual journey going forward.

As a believer, as somebody who really wants to glorify God and know what God thinks, know what pleases Him, Im going to go back to the Word of God for my answers, even if that takes me years of working through what Ive been taught and saying, OK, well, I remember what this verse said, according to this teacher, but what does it actually say? What was the actual context? What is the theme of the Word of God? And what does this look like in my life? How should I live my life accordingly?
Emory Healthcare removes Christmas Eve as paid holiday, replaces it with Juneteenth

Emory Healthcare recently informed employees that Juneteenth will replace Christmas Eve as a paid holiday to ensure equitable outcomes, meaning employees can receive holiday pay for the former, but they must use paid time off to celebrate the latter.

The healthcare system is part of Emory University in Georgia, one of the states largest systems. Starting January 2024, EHC will implement the plan announced on Aug. 31 to remove Christmas Eve from its holiday calendar and replace it with Juneteenth.

According to a statement by EHC CEO Joon Sup Lee that Washington Free Beacon reporter Aaron Sibarium shared on X Thursday, the healthcare system made the decision based on feedback from the EHC team.

"We hope this will allow more opportunities for celebration, reflection, and education," Emory Healthcare CEO Joon Sup Lee wrote in an email to employees. pic.twitter.com/5WFWx0q49r  Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) September 7, 2023

At its heart, diversity, equity, and inclusion at Emory Healthcare (EHC) is about creating an environment of true belonging for our patients and team members, while ensuring equitable outcomes for all, Lee wrote in an email to employees.

The EHC CEO hopes the change will allow more opportunities for celebration, reflection, and education.

In his statement, Lee said EHC observes nine paid holidays while other Atlanta healthcare systems average six paid holidays. He stated that patients could not schedule appointments during these holidays, as EHCs clinics and business offices are closed in observance of the day.

To minimize impact to patient care, we will not be adding another paid holiday to our calendar, Lee stated.

While EHC intends to remove Christmas Eve from its holiday calendar by January 2024, the CEO said employees will still have the option to use paid time off to celebrate the December holiday.

Emory Healthcare did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment.

As Atlanta News First reported, anonymous employees expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, with one unnamed provider alleging that many feel frustrated about the change.

You cant replace one for the other. Its completely inappropriate. Its essentially pitting a Christian holiday against something thats to be celebratory for everyone  but specifically for our black colleagues, the provider told the outlet.

Another unnamed employee said many were under the impression that EHC intended to add Juneteenth to the calendar and removing Christmas Eve is not something that the staff wanted.

Something that should be an extremely joyful and collective celebration has become another reminder of how our black colleagues cant have anything without sacrifice, the employee said.

NAACP DeKalb County President Edwina Clanton also questioned why EHC could not have Juneteenth and Christmas Eve on the calendar at the same time.

Clanton wants to see companies recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday, but she is concerned that EHCs actions could result in tension.

Im sure it will put anger in some hearts, she said. Why do we have to do this? Why cant we have our old holidays off? Some more consideration, even asking the employees which days you want to give up, that may have worked better.

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of when U.S. Major Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865, declaring that the slaves in Galveston, Texas, were free. Juneteenth is one of the newest federal holidays, as it only received its official designation in 2021.

At the signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act that established the federal holiday, President Joe Biden said the observance marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and a promise of a brighter morning to come.

Im especially pleased that we showed the nation that we can come together as Democrats and Republicans to commemorate this day with the overwhelming bipartisan support of the Congress. I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another.
Ohio health dept. must pay $137K for closing Christian schools during pandemic

A federal court ordered a local health department in Ohio to pay two Christian organizations over $137,000 in attorney fees over an order that led to the closure of faith-based schools during the COVID-19 pandemic while secular businesses remained open.

The Center for Christian Virtue and the Ohio Christian Education Network filed a lawsuit in December 2020 on behalf of its member schools, including Monclova Christian Academy and St John's Jesuit, one month after the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department ordered a temporary halt of in-person instruction in Lucas County to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Shannon Jones, the department's interim health commissioner, told The Christian Post in a Thursday statement that the attorney fees were awarded following the issuance of a permanent injunction in December 2020.

"We respect the decision of the Court but disagree with its conclusion that the Board of Health acted improperly, especially since, when the appeal was declared to be moot, and the case dismissed, there was no opportunity to test the validity of the preliminary injunction issued against the Board," Jones told CP.

"Furthermore, during this time (December of 2020), in closing the schools for a brief period over the Christmas holiday, the Board acted in the best interests of public health," she continued.

While the department's order meant that all schools within the county had to close, gyms, tanning salons, office buildings and large casinos were permitted to remain open, according to the complaint.

At the time of the health department's order, many public schools had already ceased in-person instruction, and many of the schools still open were Christian institutions.

Lawyers representing the schools argued that the faith-based institutions adhered to social distancing standards before the shutdown, and few transmission cases had been documented. The schools believe the order violated their First Amendment rights, as the restrictions were not equally applied to secular businesses.

"This victory sends a message to every government bureaucrat that the First Amendment does not take a hiatus, even in times of crisis," Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, said in a Wednesday statement to CP. "You cannot make Christians, or any people of faith, second-class citizens. If you try to, the Constitution still stands strong to protect our free exercise of faith."

In December 2020, a three-judge panel on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the nine Christian schools' request for an injunction against the health department's order, reversing a lower court ruling that found the order did not violate the schools' First Amendment rights.

Attorneys Brian Fox of Roetzel & Andress and Michael Roberts of Bricker Graydon filed the appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio denied the injunction. A few days before the appeals court decision, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an amicus brief to support returning to in-person instruction.

Fox praised OCEN and the Christian schools for filing the lawsuit and seeing it through despite public scrutiny and what he described as "unfair accusations," such as "They don't believe in modern science/medicine" and "They don't care if people die."

"Despite that, they stuck to their convictions and battled forward to a landmark victory that reopened Christian schools to in-person instruction across Lucas County and  more broadly  they changed the legal landscape for all Ohioans," Fox stated. "This case has even developed a life beyond our litigation as it's been cited as precedent in similar First Amendment cases across the country (and was even footnoted by Justice Clarence Thomas in one of his dissents). I feel honored to have helped defend the First Amendment alongside such courageous individuals and organizations."

Baer contends that information regarding the "devastating impact" of COVID-19 school closures is still emerging. He praised the Christian schools throughout the country for "stepping up and innovating to find ways to help serve children and families."
Pro-lifers plan over 200 events for National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children

A pair of pro-life groups are organizing a national observance Saturday to remember the tens of millions of babies aborted in the United States, with more than 200 individual events planned for this weekend.

Known as the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children, the Sept. 9 observance is organized by the Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and the Pro-Life Action League.

Pro-Life Action League Executive Director Eric J. Scheidler told The Christian Post that the annual event has been held every second Saturday in September since 2013.

The inaugural 2013 observance was held to mark the 25th anniversary of when members of CPLS held a memorial service and burial for 1,200 aborted babies discovered at two abortion clinics in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area on Sept. 10, 1988.

"The Day of Remembrance has grown year after year, aside from a disruption during the COVID era, from 103 locations in 2013 to a record 224 locations last year," said Scheidler.

"The event has grown more elaborate and well-attended over the years, with local leaders bringing in student choirs, prominent local clergy, and a wide variety of guest speakers."

Local events have included memorial services for the aborted, with many including music, guest speakers and actions like putting flowers on grave markers, according to Scheidler.

As of Thursday, 207 services across the country have been scheduled, Scheidler told CP. Organizers also expect to have "a handful of vigils" pop up at the last minute.

When asked by CP if he believed the Day of Remembrance would eventually become an official national observance, Scheidler replied that while he "can't predict the future," the observance itself "will continue even if aborted children are all protected by the law in our country, because we can never forget the lasting impact of legal abortion."

"Even now, there are states that have all but eliminated abortion, but these memorials continue in those states because the work of healing the wounds of abortion will take generations," said Scheidler.

"The National Day of Remembrance is playing an important role in this healing process."

The National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children is one of multiple events and observances aimed at remembering the victims of legalized abortion over the past several years.

In January 2014, for example, St. Francis Catholic Church of Sherwood, Oregon, and a local Knights of Columbus chapter created a pro-life display with more than 500 white crosses.

Additionally, in April 2019, a gathering was held in Richmond, Virginia, that featured conservative social media figure Elizabeth Johnson, known as the "Activist Mommy." The event focused on asking God for forgiveness for the prevalence of abortion in the United States.

In an interview with CP, Johnson said she believed too many churches "have taken a seat on the sidelines" and are "not engaged in this important life and death issue."

"There are so many ways that God's people can make a difference on the abortion issue. We could be active politically, we could be at the abortion clinics, praying and offering help to these women who feel very alone oftentimes," said Johnson at the time.

"We could be adopting and fostering. If every church would adopt or foster one child, the orphan crisis in our nation would be over. I think a whole church can handle providing support for a family to adopt or foster a child."
From one unapologetic media hoax to the next

Joe Biden lied repeatedly when he claimed he knew nothing of his son Hunters influence-peddling businesses.

The president further prevaricated that he had no involvement in Hunters various shakedown schemes.

Yet, the media continued to misinform by serially ignoring these facts.

Had journalists just been honest and independent, then-candidate Joe Biden might have lost a presidential debate and even the 2020 election. The public would have learned that Hunters business associates and his laptop proved Joe was deeply involved in his sons illicit businesses.

Later, as the evidence from IRS whistleblowers mounted, the White House stonewalled subpoenaed efforts and sought to craft an outrageous plea-deal reduction in Hunters legal exposure.

Reporters ignored the Ukrainians who claimed Joe Biden himself talked to them about quid pro quo arrangements.

They again discounted Hunters laptop that explicitly demonstrated that Hunter was whining that he had handed over large percentages of his income to his father  variously referred to as the Big Guy and a 10% recipient on many deals.

They played dumb about Joe Bidens use of pseudonyms and alias email accounts to hide thousands of his communications to Hunter and associates.

They attacked the former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who now claims Biden was likely bribed by Ukrainians.

Yet the media can no longer hide the reality that the president of the United States likely took bribes to influence or alter U.S. policy to suit his payers. Those two crimes  bribery and treason  are specifically delineated in the Constitution as impeachable offenses.

In denial, the media have instead pivoted with hysterical glee over various weaponized prosecutions of former President Donald Trump.

But now, to use a progressive catchphrase, the proverbial walls are closing in on Joe Biden.

So, will we at last expect the media finally to confront the truth?

Answer: Only if Joe Bidens cognitive and physical health continues to deteriorate geometrically to the point that he can no longer finish his term or run for reelection  and thus becomes expendable.

Such a cynical view of the media is justified, given their record of both incompetence and unapologetic deceit.

From 2015 to 2019, we were suffocated 24/7 with lies like Russian collusion, Putins puppet, election rigging and the Steele dossier.

When all such evidence was proven to be a complete fraud cooked up through Hillary Clintons stealthy hiring of, and collusion with, a discredited ex-British spy, a Russian fabulist at the Brookings Institution and a Clinton toady in Moscow, did the media apologize for their untruth?

Was there any media confessional that perhaps Robert Mueller and his left-wing legal team (the giddy media-dubbed all-stars, dream team, and hunter killers) proved a colossal waste of time?

Not at all.

Instead, the media went next right on to the phone call and impeachment.

The country then wasted another year.

The same biased reporters now claimed that the heroic Andrew Vindman had caught Trump fabricating lies about the Bidens  given Joe Biden was a possible 2020 opponent  to force Ukraine to investigate them or lose American foreign aid.

On that accusation, Trump was impeached.

Then the truth emerged that unlike Joe Biden, Trump never threatened to cancel aid, but merely to delay it.

Trump was right that the Bidens were knee-deep in Ukrainian bribes and influence-peddling.

And that the whistleblower had no firsthand knowledge of the Trump call, but was spoon-fed a script cooked up by the gadfly Vindman and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

The result was journalistic glee that we impeached a president for crimes that he did not commit, but exempted another president, Biden, who had likely committed them.

Then came the next hoax of the Russian fabricated facsimile of Hunters laptop.

The 2020 Biden campaign along with an ex-CIA head rounded up 51 intelligence authorities to mislead the country into believing that Russian gremlins in the Kremlin had fabricated a fake laptop.

Ponder that absurd fantasy: Moscow supposedly had created fake nude pictures, fake photos of Hunters drug use, and fake email and text messages from Hunter to the other Bidens.

The media preposterously convinced the country that the Russians and by extension Trump had once again sandbagged the Biden campaign.

No apologies followed when the FBI later admitted it had kept the laptop under wraps for more than a year, knew it was authentic, and yet said nothing as the media and former spooks misled the country and warped an election.

Now we are enmeshed in at least four court trials on cooked-up charges that could as easily apply to a host of Democrats as to Trump.

For the past eight years, a discredited media has never expressed remorse for any of the damage they did to the country. And they will not again, when their latest mythological indictments are eventually exposed.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
The Sendai District Court has sentenced the 53-year old Japanese YouTuber Shinobu Yoshida to two years in prison with a five-year suspended sentence and a one million yen fine for sharing Steins;Gate gameplay videos and a Spy x Family anime video.

This is the first time that someone has been convicted of violating the copyright laws by sharing gameplay videos. The suspended sentence means that he wont have to serve it if he doesnt commit a crime in the next 5 years (prosecution originally asked for the 2-year prison sentence and yen fine).

The defendant was charged with infringing copyright by distributing three videos on YouTube from September 2019 to May 2022 without permission, including a spoiler gameplay video which included the ending to the Steins;Gate: My Darlings Embrace game, as well as an edited video of the anime Spy Family. ...continue reading
Reading Holy Scripture with a telescope and microscope

Last week, as is my usual custom, I sat down on Saturday morning to read the Saturday-Sunday edition of TheWall Street Journal. As always, I looked forward with particular relish to reading Peggy Noonans weekly column. I am very seldom disappointed when reading Ms. Noonans column, and this one was no exception.

In this particular column, "My Summer with Leo Tolstoy," Ms. Noonan recounts her joy in having spent the summer reading Leo Tolstoys masterpiece, War and Peace, all 1000+ pages. Her verdict was unequivocal:

It was stupendous. At some point I understood I hadnt made a commitment of time but entered a world. It is about life.

She cites William F. Buckley, Jr. having concluded after having read Herman Melvilles Moby Dick (the American equivalent of War and Peace), To think I might have died without having read it.

Having had the good fortune to have read both War and Peace and Moby Dick, I heartily concur with Noonans and Buckleys assessments of these masterpieces of world literature. In the world of great novels that everyone should read, I would add the incomparable Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice. I would be sad indeed if I had died without reading Ms. Austens masterpiece.

However, Ms. Noonans column caused me to reflect on applying To think I might have died without having read it to Holy Scripture, and particularly to certain critically important books within the biblical canon. Of course, all of the Holy Scripture is equally valuable and divinely inspired. All of Scripture is equally divinely inspired, but God chose to reveal His truth to us progressively. In other words, He revealed Himself and His will to us in stages, each revelation building upon earlier revelations, beginning with Genesis and culminating in the person of His Son, Jesus the Christ, and the subsequent explanation of the Incarnation, Atonement, Resurrection, and Ascension in the New Testament.

As I thought about Ms. Noonans great appreciation of Tolstoy (and Buckleys of Melville), I thought about my own experience of interacting with Holy Scripture. As I was growing up in a Christian home with numerous-times-weekly attendance in a Southern Baptist church, I faithfully did my daily Bible readings, studied my weekly Sunday School lesson and attempted to memorize the memory Bible verses encouraged by the Sunday School literature.

This devotional micro approach to Scripture was very helpful to me personally and many of my Sunday School classmates. However, I did not develop a macro approach to reading whole books of the Bible as I read other books such as secular biographies and novels until after I became an undergraduate in college.

I had examined small passages of Scripture with a spiritual microscope, but I had not taken out a spiritual telescope to examine and survey the broad horizon of biblical truth in all its magnificence. This macro approach was tremendously rewarding and gave me a much deeper understanding of Gods revelation of Himself and His eternal purposes.

Please do not misunderstand me. All study of Holy Scripture will bring great spiritual reward. However, it has been my observation and experience that in the branches of Christendom in which I have interacted, the microscope has been far more often employed than the telescope. This has led to less understanding of the Big Picture than would be the case otherwise.

I have found that consciously approaching various books of Scripture and reading them in large chunks, as you would other books, brings a deeper understanding of our Heavenly Fathers revelation of Himself and His purposes.

I would like to share with you my own experience of this approach from one Christian to another. This approach has helped me tremendously over the years and I hope and pray it may be edifying for you as well.

I would encourage you to get a good modern translation or paraphrase of Holy Scripture. Then, select some strategic books to read in large chunks, the telescope approach.

Four books I have read, and do read in this way, are the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Luke, the Epistle to the Romans, and the Epistle to the Hebrews.

First, the Gospel of John with its overarching theme of Jesus as the Son of God. Beginning with the incomparable Prologue (John 1:1-18), Johns Gospel, written a generation after the Synoptics, is written first and foremost to a church that is now overwhelmingly Gentile (Greek), and thus is written to men and women who live in the same Greco-Roman thought world that we as the products of Western Civilization do. This is the reason many evangelistic associations and churches give new converts copies of the Gospel of John as they begin their journey as Jesus followers.

Second, the Gospel of Luke, whose overarching theme is Jesus as the Son of Man. The genealogy of Jesus is traced through his mother, Mary, and it is Dr. Luke, the physician, who interviews Mary concerning the Virgin Birth of our Savior. Even today, when I read the Gospel of Luke devotionally, I am deeply moved by the humanity of the Son of Man.

Third, the Epistle to the Romans by the Apostle Paul is the most comprehensive presentation of the major doctrines of the Christian faith in any one book of the New Testament. It is often said that it was Luthers study of Romans that led him to salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. Personally, it is my favorite Bible book.

Fourth, the Epistle to the Hebrews is, in a very real sense, the Holy Spirits commentary on the Old Testament. During my ministry, I have preached through the Epistle to the Hebrews verse by verse three times. This microscopic as well as telescopic approach has been immensely rewarding personally and based upon the testimony of congregants, edifying to church members as well.

As I read Ms. Noonans column, the thought kept running through my mind, To think I might have died without having read it. For me, these four books  the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Luke, the Epistle to the Romans, and the Epistle to the Hebrews  kept coming to my mind and my heart.

I was once asked, If you had to go to a desert island and you could only take four books of the Bible, which four would you take, and in what order? My answer was, and is, John, Luke, Romans, and Hebrews.

As a fellow follower of Jesus, I encourage you to take out your telescope, as well as your microscope, and read Holy Scripture. Our Heavenly Father will bless and reward your efforts.
Prayers said on first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death and King Charles' accession

Prayers are being said in churches on the first anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth II's death, and King Charles' accession to the throne.

Queen Elizabeth died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96. Charles, who was formerly the Prince of Wales, became King Charles III upon her death.

As sovereign, she was also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England - a role that has passed to her son - and her Christian faith something she took very seriously.

A prayer to mark the anniversary is being shared on the Church of England's social media channels:

God grant to the living, grace;

to the departed, rest;

to the Church, the King, the Commonwealth,

and all humankind,

peace and concord;

and to us and all his servants, life everlasting.

Amen.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, reflected on the anniversary in his Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4.

"Today we give thanks that the legacy of Queen Elizabeth  her obedience to God, her sense of duty, her love for her people  lives on," he said.

He added, "Today we remember a King who pledged to serve, and a Queen who gave us hope. And we give thanks, because hope and service, with love, are the path to flourishing communities."

Special morning and evening prayers have been produced for use in conjunction with the anniversary. They ask for God's blessing upon the whole royal family and that He would comfort and strengthen King Charles for service both as the UK's head of state and as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,

bless our Sovereign Lord, King Charles,

and all who are in authority under him;

that they may order all things in wisdom and equity,

righteousness and peace,

to the honour and glory of your name

and the good of your Church and people;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,

bless, we pray, Queen Camilla,

William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales,

and all the Royal Family.

Endue them with your Holy Spirit;

enrich them with your heavenly grace;

prosper them with all happiness;

and bring them to your everlasting kingdom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

God grant to the living, grace;

to the departed, rest;

to the Church, the King, the Commonwealth,

and all humankind,

peace and concord;

and to us and all his servants, life everlasting.

Amen.
In 1572 the eight-year-old Zhu Yijun ascended to the throne of the Ming dynasty as the 14th emperor of China. Taking the regnal name Wanli, he oversaw an empire that had established itself at the forefront of international trading and commerce. While ceramic production would later slow during his effective withdrawal from government after 1600, in the early and middle parts of his reign the imperial kilns produced some of the Ming dynastys finest porcelains.

On the 450th anniversary of the emperors ascension to the throne, Christies will offer eight masterworks of porcelain made for the Imperial court during Emperor Wanlis reign. Marchant, Eight Treasures for the Wanli Emperor will be offered on 21 September as part of Christies Asian Art Week in New York.

These Ming ceramics come from Marchant, one of the worlds leading dealers in Chinese art over four generations, providing some of the rarest Asian art works ever brought to market. The business was established in 1925 by Samuel Sydney Marchant (1897-1975) and has been operating from London ever since.
Human Rights Watch, September 8, 2023

(New York)  Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are committing the crime against humanity of gender persecution against women and girls, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Since taking over the country in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed laws and policies intended to deny women and girls throughout the country their fundamental rights because of their gender.

The Talibans cruel and methodical denial of the basic rights of women and girls to remove them from public life has received global attention, said Elizabeth Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch. Coordinated support by concerned governments is needed to bring the Taliban leaders responsible to justice.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) defines crimes against humanity as a range of prohibited acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack. The crime of persecution is the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group based on grounds international law recognizes as impermissible. Persecution committed against people because of sex characteristics, or the social constructs and criteria used to define gender, amounts to gender persecution.

Human Rights Watch research on Afghanistan since 2021 has found that the crime against humanity of persecution targeting women and girls has been imposed through various written or announced decrees. These decrees have placed severe restrictions on freedom of movement, expression, and association; prohibitions on virtually all employment; bans on secondary and higher education; and permitted arbitrary arrests and violations of the right to liberty.

Taliban authorities should dismantle all forms of repression and discrimination that deny women and girls their fundamental rights, Human Rights Watch said.

Afghanistan is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. On October 31, 2022, the court authorized the ICC prosecutor to resume its investigation into the Afghanistan situation, which was first authorized in 2020.

The International Criminal Courts investigation in Afghanistan could provide a path toward accountability for the crime against humanity of gender persecution, Evenson said. Governments should ensure that the court has the resources and needed cooperation so that its prosecutor can investigate this crime alongside other grave rights violations committed.
Background



Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a leave no one behind approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.



UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Sustainable management of water resources in accordance with the principle of integrated water management is the priority for Moldova. For further development of water policy and improvement of regulatory framework, the Ministry of Environment (MoE), with the support of its subordinate institutions, is responsible for ensuring ongoing dialogue with neighboring countries on the integrated management of transboundary water resources, with the ultimate goal to ensure amount and quality and quantity of waters needed for both sustainable socio-economic development and healthy environment.

In the process of improvement of national regulatory framework, harmonization of environmental legislation with the provisions of European Union (EU) directives, national environmental protection system faces many constraints, particularly, related to outdated standards, normative acts, capacity of responsible institutions, shortage of qualified staff in the government sectoral institutes, etc.

The importance of integrated management of the Dniester River is indisputable for the Republic of Moldova. It is the largest river in the Republic of Moldova, covering 70% of the country's water consumption needs, thus being considered a strategic surface water resource for both environmental and socio-economic security of the country.

For the joint Moldovan-Ukrainian management of the Dniester River, a topic of major importance for Moldova is the impact of the operation of the Dniester Hydropower Complex (HPC) on the Moldovas territory. In the frameworks of project Study of social and environmental impact assessment of the Dniester Hydropower Complex funded by Swedish Embassy and implemented by UNDP in 2018-2021, there was clearly shown its negative impact on the environment downstream.

According to Water Law no. 272/ 2011, river basin district management plans (RBDMP) are being developed for 6-years cycle. It shall be mentioned that the Ukrainian side is also concerned with the development of the Dniester River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) for the years 2025-2030. Important methodological aspects were harmonized between countries experts and institutions, and joint Strategic Action Program had been elaborated with assistance of the GEF funded project. The Strategic Action Program (SAP) is one of the key strategic documents of the Commission on Sustainable Use and Protection of the Dniester River Basin. It is based on the findings of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Dniester River Basin. Both documents have been developed according to the methodology agreed by the two countries and have been extensively consulted. The documents contribute to the Dniester River basin management planning at the national level, as well as support implementation of international commitments to develop joint plans for the transboundary basins. On March 31, 2021, there was signed a Joint Statement on the approval of the Strategic Action Program for the Dniester River Basin for 2021 between the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment of the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

Along with attempts to solve the cross-border aspect of the Dniester River management on the platform of the Dniester Commission, currently, environmental institutions are in an extensive process of functional analysis aimed at streamlining the structure, functions, and capacities in the field of integrated management of water resources.

The strategy of the project Support to the Moldovan authorities for the sustainable management of the Dniester River is to improve environmental and social conditions in the Dniester River Basin District through enhanced management of water resources on the basis of updated regulatory framework, comprehensive and reliable river basin management planning, improved water management institutional capacities and implementation of practical environmental activities that would improve the ecological status of the Dniester River, identified as part of the Dniester Impact Study (2021).

The Project consists of 4 (four) Components as follows:

Enhancement of water related regulatory framework Elaboration of the 2nd Management Plan for the Dniester River Basin District Support provided to Moldovan water management authorities in sustainable management of Dniester River both at national and transboundary/ international levels Implementation of the on-the-ground activities to improve the current ecological conditions of the Dniester River.

The Overall Objective of the project is to increase the capacity of the Moldovan Government to sustainably manage the Dniester River basin at the national and transboundary levels, including:

To ensure that Moldova has sufficient regulatory framework for the sustainable river management based on the basin wide approach supported by the WFD provisions,

To provide the Moldova Government for comprehensive and realistic Management Plan for the Dniester River Basin developed in compliance with the WFD,

To provide continuous support for enhancement of capacities of national authorities responsible for water management, as well as the Moldovan representatives under joint Moldovan and Ukrainian bodies tasked with cross-border management of the Dniester River,

To improve social, economic, and environmental conditions of the Dniester River.

The Project duration is envisaged between 2022- 2026 with support from SIDA (The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency).

Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

Administrative management:

Pro-actively contribute to day-to-day project implementation and ensure conformity to expected results and project work-plans;

Coordinate short-term consultants;

Assume overall responsibility for the coordination of administrative matters;

Monitor compliance with UNDP standards and ensure quality control of project filing systems and files;

Provide advice to the team on procurement and contractual administration of processes.

Procurement:

Pro-actively contribute to day-to-day project implementation and ensure conformity to expected results and project work-plans;

In accordance with the Project Work Plan support the procurement of equipment, supplies and services ensuring full compliance with UNDP rules and procedures;

Prepare the procurement plans for the project and monitor their implementation;

Organize procurement processes, including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, development of bidding documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of conditions of contracts, in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;

Organize procurement processes with respect to individual consultancy services (ICs, RLAs), coordinate receipt of applications and financial proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;

Promote and monitor the transparency of the procurement and contractual processes, and the use of international best practices; ensure that contractual processes follow the stipulated UNDP procedures;

Prepare the submissions on the procurement processes to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP);

Draft contracts for goods and services for management approval;

Effective contracts management -draw up and maintain evidence and monitoring of awards and contracts with project implementing partners, consulting organizations, contractors, etc.;

Maintain records on national consultants, services providers and their respective status (contracts, ToRs, etc.) in accordance with corporate policies and procedures;

Monitor suppliers performance with respect to the quality and timely delivery of goods and services;

Create and manage e-requisitions in Quantum;

Act as Alternate for Finance Associate undertaking the payment processes in Quantum;

Undertake any other tasks requested on an ad hoc basis.

Other duties:

Keep abreast of UNDP rules and regulations in the area of responsibility and maintain an optimum level of knowledge by continuous learning;

Provide regular reports to the Project managers and flag any deviations from the work plans immediately;

Provide inputs for the elaboration of proposals and implementation of cost-saving and reduction strategies in consultation with Project management.

The key results have an impact on the overall successful implementation and achievement of the objectives of the Project. The information provided facilitates the decision-making of the Project Board and UNDP management.

Institutional Arrangement

The Procurement Associate will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager in order to ensure the smooth running of the project.

The incumbent contributes to effective and efficient implementation of the Project through a range of actions contributing to the design, planning, management and monitoring of project activities. The Procurement Associate applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

The Procurement Associate works in close collaboration with the Project team as well as the team in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex project/project-related issues and information delivery.

Competencies



Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.

Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline. Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.

Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.

Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback. Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.

Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.

Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident. Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.

Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships. Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Results-based Management: Ability to manage projects and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results

Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and project performance and results

Data management: Knowledge of processing, storing, and validating procurement data

Contract management: Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations

Data analysis: Ability to extract, analyse and visualize procurement data to form meaningful insights and aid effective business decision making

Procure-to-Pay: Knowledge of purchase-to-pay cycles, concepts, principles and policies, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations

Category management: Ability to segment spend into areas which contain similar or related products enabling focus opportunities for consolidation and efficiency.



Required Skills and Experience



Education:

Secondary education.

Bachelors degree in public or business administration, law, logistics, procurement, economics, or other related fields would be desired.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years (with Secondary education) or 4 years (with Bachelors degree) of relevant experience, preferably with specialization in public or private sector procurement, supply chain management or purchasing or economics, or other substantive area.

Previous experience in development assistance or related work for a donor organization, consulting company, or NGO involving large scale procurement processes.

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling web-based management systems.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English, and Romanian is required.

Knowledge of one or more minority languages relevant for Moldova, including Romani, Gagauzian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and sign language, is an asset.

Required Skills:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, age sensitivity and adaptability;

Treats peers fairly by maintaining consistent values, inspiring trust and confidence through personal credibility;

Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions.

A proactive approach to problem-solving;

Ability to prepare accurate reports and other documents;

Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and ability to prioritize.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

Additional training and/or certification in procurement and/or accounting would be an advantage.

Experience with application of Results-Based Management (RBM) tools to programme/project cycle.

Experience in the UN system and agencies, international and development assistance organizations is an asset.

Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines

Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff

Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;

Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high quality standard throughout

Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude

Tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively

Professional Certificates:

Specialized training in procurement is desirable.

Disclaimer



Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.



Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.



UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.



Scam warning

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Pentru a aplica, va rugam sa adresati link-ul: Apply Now

Data de incheiere a postului vacant : 21 septembrie 2023
Termen extins - pentru selectarea unui expert/ unei experte sau a unei agentii pentru realizarea Entry si Exit Survey intr-un proiect din domeniul prevenirii violentei si asistenta incluziva pentru femeile in etate
Transparenta Consiliului Superior al Procurorilor, intre a fi sau a nu fi. Ce constatari se regasesc intr-un raport prezentat de CRJM?
What form does the campaign take and how does it raise funds?

The Salvation Armys Reuse2Repurpose Fashion campaign was created to encourage more people to buy secondhand clothes. Images for the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) feature everyday garments donated to the charitys clothing banks in the UK. The catwalk-inspired styles demonstrate the potential of secondhand fashion at a time when new research shows that the environmental impact of reusing textiles is 70 times lower compared to producing new clothing.

SATCoL generates funds from the resale of donated items so this was a great opportunity to promote ways that we can further raise profitable funds to support the Salvation Army. The profits received from the resale of gifted items has helped SATCoL donate over 80m in the last 10 years alone to the Salvation Army.
Camden Giving is a charity working to end local poverty and inequality in Camden. It was set up in 2017 as a participatory funder because we believe that the people surviving inequality are the people who can, and should, be involved in funding the solutions to the challenges facing their communities.

To meet our mission, we work alongside businesses to support Camden citizens in being at the heart of change in our borough. We work with community members to give grants to everything from foodbanks and homeless shelters to community research and organising. We recruit, train and financially compensate around 50 people a year to join three to four community panels who work as teams to award grants to local charitable work.
During the summer the British Heart Foundation (BHF) hosted its 32nd Bournemouth Pier to Pier Swim fundraising event. More than 1,500 swimmers gathered on the seafront before taking to the water to complete the 1.4-mile challenge between Bournemouth and Boscombe Pier.

There were smiles all round as they crossed the finish line and received their medals to cheers from family, friends, volunteers and supporters. And while the swimmers left having accomplished something for themselves, they also managed to raise more than 200,000 to help us fund lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases.
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The Church of Englands national safeguarding team (NST) has concluded its investigation into the founder of a Christian charity who was accused of giving inappropriate massages.

Earlier this year, Mike Pilavachi, founder of the Soul Survivor Watford charity, resigned from his role and stepped back from the Church of England after historical safeguarding concerns relating to his behaviour in leadership and ministry emerged.

NSTs investigation found that the concerns are substantiated, saying that Pilavachi used his spiritual authority to control people.

Soul Survivor has now commissioned barrister Fiona Scolding to lead a full, independent review, with her report expected to be published in full at the end.

Substantiated concerns

NSTs investigation looked at Pilavachis conduct in leadership and ministry before and after his ordination in 2012, from his time as a youth leader through to current day.

It described the substantiated concerns as an abuse of power relating to his ministry, and spiritual abuse; described in guidance as a form of emotional and psychological abuse characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context.

It was concluded that he used his spiritual authority to control people and that his coercive and controlling behaviour led to inappropriate relationships, the physical wrestling of youths and massaging of young male interns, it wrote in a statement .

The Church of England pledged to share any relevant safeguarding information about Pilavachi should he become minister elsewhere both in this country and abroad.

Alain Smith, bishop of St Albans, said: This has been a painful process for everyone involved, going back over years. Im sorry on behalf of the Church for the hurt caused and would like to acknowledge the courage of those who came forward to share their lived experience. Im aware there will be further contact with individuals about a more personalised response.

Were committed to learning lessons from what happened

In response to the conclusion of NSTs investigation , Soul Survivor said it was grateful to all those who have contributed to this process, who by coming forward have brought Mikes abusive behaviour into the light.

Were deeply sorry to all those people who have been victims of spiritual, emotional and psychological abuse, physical wrestling and massage under Mikes leadership. There has been a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour, it added.

Were saddened that these behaviours happened in a context that should have provided safety and spiritual support. Were committed to learning lessons from what has happened and to put in place further practices and procedures that will seek to ensure this kind of behaviour does not happen in the future.

Scolding's independent review will be published in full once the review concludes.

The trustees are committed to implementing her recommendations, the charity added.

Were aware of the hurt many individuals have and continue to experience as a result of Mikes abuse and are truly sorry for the part Soul Survivor has played. We have been working with the NST to provide counselling and advocacy support to the individuals they have identified as finding it most beneficial. We remain committed to ensuring our church is safe and welcoming for all.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
In June this year, Freedom from Torture took home the top prize at the Charity Awards 2023 for its #StopTheFlights campaign that helped to convince four commercial airlines not to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda on behalf of the UK government.

A popular winner in the room, chief executive Sonya Sceats says the cheer her charity received when it was read out among the nominees knocked us for six and that she never expected to take home the trophy.

She says the accolade has benefited the charitys staff, its supporters and the victims of torture to whom it provides services, who have felt the arms of civil society in Britain wrapping around the organisation that is their lifeline.

For our staff, and for our community of supporters, the award has been just amazing. Because this is a really difficult time to be working and supporting charities who work to defend the rights of refugees and to ensure that they are made to feel welcome in Britain, she says.

Anyone who is working for Freedom from Torture, or who is identifying as part of a community of people funding this organisation, and joining our campaigns, you run in enormous risk of attracting ire from the government and those in the media and elsewhere who are backing its anti-refugee agenda.

In some ways, its a message being sent from civil society leadership in Britain. And so, the way in which we interpreted that, as validation of the righteousness of our cause and our campaigning work, notwithstanding the virulent attacks on charities doing this work, was really heartwarming. And I think for people who give money to us, it was a validation of their investment in us.

Crossing that red line

Originally an American, now an Australian in London, according to her social media bio, Sceats says living in three different countries has shaped her world view and influenced her career.

She was born in the US to Australian parents and moved to their native country when she was four. While training as a lawyer in Australia, Sceats says was disturbed by the way that successive conservative Australian governments came to power by weaponising refugees, something she has since seen echoed in British political discourse.

It was from that time that I really started to find ways that I could bring my energies to bear to ensure that refugees as a community werent used as a Trojan horse for destroying the checks and balances in our democracies, she says.

Sceats moved back to the US to continue her studies and was appalled by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)s programme of systematic torture of detainees under George W Bushs presidency.

Crossing that red line really galvanised me and thats what took me to Freedom from Torture, she says.

She originally joined the charity in 2008, when it was called the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, and held a series of policy and advocacy roles before briefly working as a lead advisor at Amnesty International (which Freedom From Torture grew out of in the 1980s).

Sceats returned to Freedom from Torture in 2015 as its director of policy before being promoted to CEO, initially on an interim basis, in November 2017.

What drives me is justice

Sceats says she is an odd soul at Freedom from Torture, which has a very feelings-based workforce.

People come to this work because they feel the pain of people whove suffered torture and they want to fix it. Im not like that. Im a much more cerebral person whos come to this work because what drives me is justice.

She says the charitys core values are compassion and empathy but her route to the charity was through civil legal policy.

Im a lawyer, but even our lawyers at Freedom from Torture are really empathic people. Im not unempathetic by any means, but Im actually driven much more by principles. My real focus throughout all of my early adulthood was on the concept of the rule of law. Working to safeguard systems of checks and balances to ensure the most healthy society in which the rights of unpopular groups are protected, including by our legal system.

Working with survivors of torture

Sceats says she is most proud of the charitys work to incorporate survivors of torture, its former beneficiaries, into its service design and delivery.

Kolbassia Haoussou began petitioning the organisation 15 years ago to enable survivors of torture such as himself to use their expertise to benefit the charitys other beneficiaries. His rallying, alongside others who had experienced torture, led to the creation of the Survivors Speak Out activist network, in which members campaign against the use of torture, talk about its impact and support survivors rights.

Now the charitys director of survivor engagement, Haoussou also pushed for survivors to be involved in shaping the delivery of services at Freedom From Torture, which Sceats says was hugely contested at the time.

He has overcome so much internal resistance, I cant even tell you, she says. I was here for every step of the way and I saw it and I saw his tenacity, his diplomacy. His long game coming to fruition. It's not over yet. We've been on this journey for a really long time. He's done it by bringing people with him, other survivors, throughout the entire process and supporting others into leadership and thats who he is  hes an empowerer.

More than a tenth of the charitys workforce come from refugee backgrounds and recently the charity has focused on employing more survivors of torture to deliver its rehabilitation services, which Sceats says is trailblazing in the global torture rehabilitation world.

Our drive over the last few years to employ more people who have been tortured has trebled our employed survivor workforce from just a handful to nine (around 5% of employees), with another four or so survivors expected to join our staff team before the end of the year, she says.

Sceats says the charity has come so far over the past 15 years, with some of the charitys clinicians previously being really hostile to the idea of delivering services alongside survivors.

Now the charity is attracting clinicians to come to this organisation, even though we cant match NHS pay, because they want to be part of this cutting edge.

Its become the draw to work with us now, the opportunity not just to work, to rehabilitate survivors, but to work with other survivors to achieve that end, she says.

Im so proud of it and Ive had nothing to do with it. Im proud of this organisation for that journey that we've been on. We are best in show on this front and I can't credit Kolbassia and the survivors who he has been working with enough for believing that this charity would catch up with them as weve done.

Growth ambitions

Another focus for Freedom from Torture is growing its capacity, with an aim to double the number of people it provides rehabilitation services to by 2025 and to grow its income by 30%.

It has set these goals as it currently lacks the capacity to meet demand for its services, turning away two referrals that we would want to accept for every one referral that we accept.

But the charitys growth targets were set before the cost-of-living crisis, to which the charity is really exposed due to its reliance on public fundraising.

In the first year of the strategy, we were able to increase the number of people helped by 17%, says Sceats.

So, we were all making really good progress and were still making some fair progress, but Im worried from here on in. And I absolutely need to find ways to shore up our income base and to continue the levels of growth and accelerate them so that we can deliver on the promises that we have made to survivors of torture.

Freedom from Torture invested heavily in its fundraising last year to try and generate more income, with more than a third of its expenditure (4.4m) going on raising funds. Its latest accounts say that for every 1 per spend on direct fundraising costs, it generates 3.21.

The charitys overall income grew by 16% in 2022 to 11.9m, 94% of which came from public fundraising, driven by two large legacy donations worth a combined 1.5m.

We were investing heavily in public fundraising and enjoying some great success. The salience of the issue, and the fact that Britain is a caring country, despite what the government tells us, meant that weve been enjoying some great success from really traditional means of fundraising, including face-to-face, says Sceats.

Other refugee charities have come under much more fire than us

Freedom from Torture also invests heavily in its campaigning work, winning several awards for this including this years Charity Award, with much of its activity aimed at challenging the governments immigration policies that affect its beneficiaries, many of whom are seeking asylum in the UK.

This is not always well received by government departments, with the Home Office publicly criticising the charity earlier this year for a video it posted featuring Suella Braverman being confronted by a holocaust survivor at a public event.

Freedom from Torture refused the departments request to delete the video of the home secretary in that instance and Sceats says it is not the only time the charity has been contacted government officials over its work.

She describes a Home Office civil servant berating her after the charity threatened to issue legal proceedings in relation to the departments asylum decision-making policies.

There is a growing permission, I think, that civil servants feel under this government to be hauling charity leaders over the coals for work that were legitimately doing to defend the rights of marginalised people in this country, she says.

Other refugee charities have come under much more fire than us. And the reason I think that theyve come under fire is that they rely on contracts with the Home Office to deliver their services. We do not. On principle, Freedom from Torture will never take money from the Home Office and that gives us a level of independence.

A Home Office spokesperson says in response that it works with a range of organisations and experts to ensure it provides the right support for asylum seekers. All civil servants follow the civil service code of objectivity, honesty, integrity and professionalism, they say.

Nobody really believes that theyve got the backing of the Charity Commission

Sceats has also previously expressed concern over the Charity Commissions regulation of the sectors campaigning activities.

She says that current chair Orlando Fraser has been more publicly supportive of charities right to campaign but remains concerned that the sector does not feel empowered to do so.

Every charity CEO and every board of a charity that is doing campaigning work, especially in high profile areas that the government is seeking to weaponise for its own ends, is acutely aware that the Charity Commission has taken an increasingly, until recently, dim view of charities doing campaigning work, she says.

I think under the current leadership, theyre being smarter about it. But just look at the agenda around social media. You look closely at the speeches that the chair is giving and nobodys taking huge comfort.

Nobody really believes that the Charity Commission, in a full-throttle way, supports the need for charities to be calling out injustice, even if that means running up against government. Nobody really believes that theyve got the backing of the Charity Commission for doing this socially vital work.

A spokesperson for the regulator says in response to Sceats comments that it has repeatedly set out its commitment to promoting and defending charities right to campaign in furtherance of their purposes. They add: It is also our role to help charities understand their legal duties and responsibilities when campaigning, including that any such activity [] must not be party political.

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Diary comes to you this week confused by the current weather.

If you recall, this columnist was getting ready to don knitted jumpers and jump onto crunchy leaves in a playful yet Instagrammable way.

This has been sabotaged by global warming, which has given the UK a heatwave in September and forced the sight of Diarys pale legs onto unsuspecting strangers.

At the same time, a terror suspect has escaped from Wandsworth prison in a fashion similar to Paddington bear: dressed as a chef and underneath a food delivery truck, apparently.

The worlds most expensive coin has been made in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with its worth estimated around 23m . Diary would very much like one, but doubts they will be in supermarket tills anytime soon.

Elsewhere, the education secretary was caught effing and jeffing on camera and the charity sector has yet another new shadow minister.

To distract you from the chaos, lets have a gallivant into some of the things occuring in charity land this week.

102-year-old war veteran to abseil down a hospital

On 14 September, Colin Bell, a 102-year-old war veteran, chose something special to do in his retirement - abseil down the 17 storeys of Royal London Hospital.

He is set to become the oldest participant ever (so any 103-year-olds looking to take part, back off. This is Colin's moment).

The retired flight lieutenant flew 50 operations over wartime Germany. Money raised by his stint will go to the Royal College of Nursing Foundation , London Air Ambulance and RAF Benevolent Fund. He has raised over 9,000 altogether for the charities so far.

Wing-walking for 86-year-old

If Colin wasn't impressive enough, the 86-years-young fundraiser Audrey Harris will be wing-walking for the charity Fitzroy , which supports people with learning disabilities.

If you are unfamiliar with what wing-walking is - it is the altogether unpleasant-sounding experience of being strapped to a helicopter's wings as it soars through the air.

Audrey has raised 2,576 so far for Fitzroy and is set to take her wing-walking adventure on 20 September.

Worlds first skyscraper challenge

In further high-octaine fundraising news, baby charity Tommy's has created a world-first skyscraper challenge to raise funds for its work.

The event involves a tower run up 42 floors (1,096 steps) of the Cheesegrater - but if that wasnt enough, participants must also abseil down the building or zipwire from the roof to the Gherkin.

Zipwire all the way for Diary - that seems the least effort and that you could close your eyes the whole time.

Charities selected by the king

Suffering from a summer cold? Blow your nose like the king, with this seasons must-have royal hankies.

The Actors Benevolent Fund and the Musicians Benevolent Fund have been selected by King Charles III to benefit from the sale of a limited-edition commemorative pocket square produced by Hackett.

Inspired by the Kings coronation collection, it features the monarchs sigil, copious Union jacks, and the date of His Majs coronation.

There are only 2023 that have been created by Hackett and are priced at 74 each. All of the profits will be donated to the two charities.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Widespread flooding in central Greece left at least four people dead, six missing and dozens trapped, with severe rainstorms turning streams into raging torrents, bursting dams, washing away roads and bridges, and hurling cars into the sea.

Flooding triggered by severe rainstorms also hit neighboring Bulgaria and Turkey, with rescue teams in Turkey on Thursday recovering the body of a 53-year-old man who had been missing since floods gushed through a campsite near the border with Bulgaria, sweeping away bungalows. The recovery brought the death toll in Turkey to eight, and to a total of 16 in all three countries since the rains began Tuesday.

In Greece, authorities deployed divers and swift water rescue specialists as residents in some villages took refuge on the roofs of their homes to escape floodwaters that rose to more than 2 meters (6 feet).

Around 60 people were airlifted to safety, the fire department said, including some who told local media they had spent the night and most of Thursday on roofs without food or water. The helicopters, which were continuing with rescue operations in the wider Karditsa area, had been unable to fly earlier due to frequent lightning, authorities said.

At least three villages in central Greece were completely cut off by floodwaters, with residents dialing in to radio stations to report homes collapsing and to appeal for rescue.

The body of one man who had been reported missing on Wednesday was recovered from a stream on Thursday, bringing the country`s death toll from the floods to four since Tuesday.

Vassilis Kikilias, Greece`s minister for climate crisis and civil protection, said more than 885 people had been rescued so far and six were reported missing. The military said it had deployed more than 25 boats to rescue people trapped by floodwaters, while seven helicopters and a military transport plane were on standby.

Our country finds itself, for the third day, dealing with a phenomenon the likes of which we have not seen in the past, Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said, noting that some areas received more than twice the average annual rainfall of Athens in the space of 12 hours.

The state`s absolute priority at the moment is the rescue  of people from the areas hit by the bad weather and the protection of critical infrastructure, Marinakis said.

Fire department spokesperson Vasilis Vathrakogiannis said swift water rescue specialists and divers from the departments disaster response units, as well as the army, were participating in rescue efforts and trying to reach remote areas despite roads having been washed away.

The flooding followed on the heels of devastating wildfires that destroyed vast tracts of forest and farmland, burned homes and left more than 20 people dead. While much of central Greece was inundated, the fire department said a new forest fire had broken out Thursday afternoon in the northeastern region of Evros. It was in an area where just last week the largest wildfire recorded in the European Union burned through a nature reserve. It said 36 firefighters backed by two helicopters and four planes were battling the blaze in the Soufli area of Evros.

In central Greece, tracked vehicles and boats were being used to help evacuate people from the floods, but the boats were unable to reach some areas due to the large volume of debris and the strength of the torrents of floodwaters, authorities said.

Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced he was cutting short a trip to Dubai to return to Greece so he could oversee the greatest contribution of the Armed Forces in dealing with the consequences of the severe weather.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis postponed his annual state of the economy speech and a news conference scheduled for the weekend in the northern city of Thessaloniki in order to visit the flooded areas.

Police have banned traffic from three regions, including on the island of Skiathos, and have sent numerous emergency phone alerts to people in several parts of the country to avoid venturing outdoors and to move away from basement and ground floor areas of buildings.

The storm, dubbed Daniel, was forecast to begin easing gradually Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, repeated rainstorms also hit the Greek capital, flooding streets and turning part of a major avenue in central Athens into a river of mud that swept people off their feet.

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Top photo: Damaged cars are piled up in the mud after a record rainfall in Milina village, Pilion region, central Greece, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Rescue teams in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria have recovered more bodies following floods after fierce rainstorms. (AP Photo/Thodoris Nikolaou)

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Public adjusters cannot double as appraisers in claims disputes if their total fees exceed the statutory cap, a Florida appeals court decided Wednesday in what may be seen as another win in property insurers long battle against tactics allegedly employed by some public adjusters.

The decision in Monarch Claims Consultants vs. Fleming and Universal Property & Casualty Insurance underscores a 2018 Florida appeals court opinion and a 2023 ruling from the Florida Supreme Court, which found that public adjusters cannot act as appraisers in the same claim.

The Wednesday opinion, by the 1st District Court of Appeals, may have been influenced by widespread stories of some public adjusters coming into distressed areas after hurricanes and signing up homeowners  but failing to follow through on claims, said Charles Chip George, of Coral Gables, one of the homeowners attorneys in the case.

You had a carpetbagger running up there and signing up people, then not doing any of the work hed promised to do, George said Wednesday.

The case stemmed from Hurricane Michael, which hit the Florida Panhandle in 2018. Cliff and Jane Flemings home in Panama City, Florida, suffered significant damage and they hired Monarch Claims Consultants, of Miami, as their public adjusting firm. The contract provided that the homeowners would also appoint Monarch as an appraiser if the loss amount was disputed and went to appraisal.

After a year, though, the Flemings terminated the service agreement because they said Monarch had made no progress on the claim, the court explained. The couple settled with their insurance company, Universal Property & Casualty. Monarch claimed it was entitled to a fee from the settlement. The Flemings filed suit, seeking a declaration from the Bay County Circuit Court that the contract with Monarch was invalid because it violated Florida law.

Florida statutes limit public adjusters fees, for up to a year after a declared state of emergency, to 10% of the insurance award or settlement, not including attorney fees. Outside of declared emergency periods, public adjusters may charge no more than 20%.

The adjusting firm sought to have the Flemings suit moved to Miami-Dade, per one section of the service agreement. But the trial court agreed with the Flemings attorney that the entire contract was invalid because an appraisal fee plus the adjuster fee would put the firms compensation at double the statutory limit.

The contract was absurd on its face, George said. It was taking advantage of people who were in dire straits and needed help.

Monarch appealed, but the 1st District Court of Appeals upheld the trial judge.

The trial court cannot enforce a venue selection clause when there was never a valid contract to begin with, reads the opinion, written by Appeals Court Judge Rachel Nordby.

Monarchs attorneys, Jessica and Henry Marinello, argued that the contract with the homeowners was a two-purpose contract, and the fee-limit statute applies only to the public adjuster fees.

But Monarchs argument fails to give full effect to the text of the statute, the court wrote.

A key point in the decision, George said, is that the court found that although Monarch had not yet seen any compensation from the contract, just the plan to double-dip on the fee is contrary to the fee limitations law.

Even if the added ten percent fee counts as an appraiser fee instead of a public adjuster fee as Monarch suggests, the contract would still violate the statute. The Flemings promise to appoint Monarch as their appraiser, on its own, is a thing of value that exceeds the ten percent cap, the appeals court noted.

The decision was supported by a 2018 opinion by Floridas 3rd District Court of Appeals, known as Gables Insurance Recovery vs. Citizens Property Insurance Corp. In that case, the court found that a homeowner hired a public adjuster and agreed to the statutory cap on fees. But in a second contract, the policyholder assigned benefits to the adjuster, granting another 20% of the insurance recovery.

The courts found that even as an assignee of benefits, the firm still was considered a public adjuster, and the AOB contract had to be voided. Section 626.854 says that a public adjuster may not even agree to compensation in excess of the statutory cap, the court said.

The opinion may be seen as another blow against public adjusters, who have been vilified by insurance carriers and by state officials for, in some cases, allegedly inflating damage estimates, conspiring with repair contractors and with trial attorneys, and interfering with insurers own adjustment efforts. After Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida in 2022, Floridas chief financial officer said adjusters had swarmed the devastated area and he called for new regulations.

Six months later, the Florida Legislature placed additional limits on public adjusting firms. House Bill 1185, signed into law in May, prohibits public adjusters from contracting with anyone other than the named insured without the insureds written consent.

If the public adjuster does contract with a third party, the third party must pay the fee. The bill also allows policyholders to cancel a public adjuster contract within 30 days of the loss if the loss was caused by a declared emergency, or within 10 days of signing the contract.

The issue of public adjusters serving as appraisers was complicated this year when the Florida Department of Financial Services argued in a high-profile disciplinary case that appraisers fall under the statutory definition of public adjusters, subject to insurance statutes and the adjusters code of ethics.

The Windstorm Insurance Network, which provides training for appraisers, said that could throw a wrench into the appraisal process, since many engineers who work as appraisers are not licensed as adjusters. The network petitioned DFS to clarify if it meant appraisers had to be licensed adjusters, and if current training courses were in compliance.

Citizens Property Insurance officials asked to intervene and argued that the law is clear: Appraisers must be licensed adjusters.

In May, DFS officials denied the Windstorm petition as being too broad. It left the license question unresolved.

In the underlying case, against notorious adjuster Scott David Thomas, an administrative law judge and DFS found that Thomas, who had also worked as an appraiser at times, had engaged in aggressive, bullying behavior in blocking Citizens own adjusters. His adjusters license was suspended for two years and he was fined $5,000. Floridas 4th District Court of Appeals in June barred the suspension from taking effect while Thomas appeal is pending.

In the Monarch case decision, the adjuster firms attorneys could not be reached for comment Wednesday. But George, the homeowners lawyer, suggested that after years of tinkering with the law to try and tamp down some public adjusters actions, perhaps tougher measures are needed.

There really needs to be some criminal violations for even writing contracts like that, in which adjusters are also hired as appraisers, George said.

Top photo: On Oct. 9, 2018 the 5 p.m. EDT update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida had upgraded Hurricane Michael to a Major Hurricane at Category 3 status. At that time, Michael had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and NOAAs GOES-East satellite provided a visible look at the hurricane. Michael has since strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: NOAA/ NASA MSFC, SPoRT
PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- In her final Orange Board of Education meeting of the mayors, Orange Mayor Kathy U. Mulcahy provided a list of things shes leaving behind that will have to be attended to by the villages future administration.

Mulcahy announced in January that she will not seek re-election in November. So this year -- her 28th as the villages mayor -- will be her last.

This has been a really wonderful forum over the years, and I think very important to continue, she told the school board Thursday (Sept. 7). Its meant a lot in my governance.

In the semiannual meeting, mayors from the five primary municipalities served by the Orange School District provide updates about their communities.

Its believed the first such meeting was in 1997, and Mulcahy said she has attended every one of them.

Cindy Eickhoff, who now serves on the Pepper Pike Architectural Review Board, said when she was Orange school board president in 1997, she asked the mayors in the district if they had an interest in holding such a meeting.

They did, and we started this meeting and its been going ever since, she said.

Orange Village update

Mulcahy said Orange has a number of development projects either in progress or on the horizon.

She said the residential project next to Pinecrest is not starting this year, but its being worked on by the developer.

It will be located on about 25 acres between Silverspot Cinema at Pinecrest and Chagrin Boulevard.

I think weve pretty much resolved the density issue, she said. Theyre working forward with a number of 342 (units).

Theyre working on sight lines and certain specifics that they have to achieve before they open this officially. I would predict sometime in the next six to eight months it will probably come out.

Mulcahy said about 200 units are proposed for the apartment building, and they will be high end. The rest of the project will be about 90 standalone or attached townhouses, she said.

Its a combination of duplex, triplex and singles, Councilman Judson Kline said.

Across the street from Pinecrest, Mulcahy said, is the Weintraub property, which consists of about 80 acres of undeveloped land that runs south of Harvard Road between Orange Place and Brainard Road. The property has been on the market for more than 20 years.

Mulcahy said a developer has signed a letter of intent to develop the property as a Vitalia retirement community for active adults 55 and older. But thats contingent on the passage of a rezoning issue.

Theyre aiming to get on the ballot in March, she said. Theres a lot of hurdles, but thats the path were on right now.

Mulcahy said the village recently saw the first draft of the proposal for Vitalia.

Its about 150 units, and theres a five-acre parcel theyre cutting out for commercial, she said. And theyre going to give us 40 or 50 acres of green space.

They seem to be very cooperative with us. Theyre not asking for any tax incentives. Theyre offering us a non-school TIF (tax increment financing agreement), which is purely for the communitys benefit.

In addition, phase seven of Lakes of Orange, a residential development at Brainard and Miles roads, is under way, Mulcahy said. It will be about 50 units, she said.

The villages service department is also building a new pavilion at Community Park, Mulcahy said. It will be located near the sand volleyball court at the park, behind Village Hall on Lander Road.

Praise for Mulcahy

Woodmere Mayor Ben Holbert thanked Mulcahy, not only for her leadership in Orange, but also for helping him as a comparatively new mayor. Holbert started his second term as mayor in January 2022.

You know Ive gone through some challenges, but its always good to be able to pick up the phone and to give her a call or send her a text, and she gives great advice, Holbert said.

School board member Jeffrey Leikin said hes never been associated with a bigger supporter of Orange Schools than Mulcahy.

Without any hesitation or reservation, youve always supported these schools 100 percent, he said. Thank you for that.

Mulcahy said shell be available to the board if it needs help with levies or endorsements in the future.

Im not going anywhere, she said.

So thank you, and enjoy your retirement, board President Scott Bilsky said. Its certainly well deserved.

Moreland Hills explores solar panels

It was the first meeting of the mayors for Moreland Hills Mayor Ethan Spencer, the former council president who succeeded Daniel Fritz as mayor after Fritz died suddenly in March.

Spencer said the village is considering putting solar panels on its service department building.

The council is deliberating this, and theres a chance we may move forward with that project in the next month or so, he said.

We received a bid recently that looks economically viable, and if we do that, we would supply Moreland Hills meters roughly 21 to 22 percent of our village electricity through solar (power).

Spencer said in addition to reducing the villages carbon footprint, the initiative would demonstrate to residents that the village supports solar power and wants to be more green.

Weve also loosened up on regulations and permitting processes on solar homes in Moreland Hills to facilitate that, he said. Were hearing from residents theyre supportive of green energy.

Spencer said the village also has been working with Verizon to install a small cell tower on Chagrin River Road in the coming months.

Theres a significant dead spot (in cell phone reception) there, between Miles (Road) and Chagrin Boulevard, he said. That should significantly alleviate that problem.

In addition, Spencer said Moreland Hills will begin two major road construction projects within two weeks. One is on a section of Chagrin River Road, from Chagrin Boulevard to Miles Road, and the other is on Jackson Road, from SOM Center Road to the Orange border.

We got significant grant money and a low-interest loan to be able to do these roads, he said, adding that the cost for the two projects combined is more than $900,000.

The village is also having a new website installed by a vendor that has not been finalized, Spencer said. He said the process will take at least six months.

Currently, our website is hosted by (Cuyahoga) County, and the county gave us the word over the summer that they were no longer going to support that and we had a year to change, he said.

We hope to be able to improve our capabilities to communicate to residents, to be able to send out alerts and have residents sign up for messaging, which we cant do today.

Ballot issue in Pepper Pike

Pepper Pike Mayor Richard Bain said the most significant issue facing his city is a conversation about improved walkability.

A Nov. 7 ballot issue will ask residents about their support of residential trails on Lander and South Woodlands roads and Shaker Boulevard.

This ballot issue is really an advisory opinion, Bain said. The sentiment of City Council is they would not anticipate not adopting whatever the ballot initiative evidence is.

So I think its going to deliver a very strong message for council one way or the other as to how the residents would like to proceed on this.

The village will host three town hall meetings on this issue to help residents make a more informed decision, Bain said. They will be at 10 a.m. Saturday (Sept. 9), 7 p.m. Monday (Sept. 11) and 7 p.m. Sept. 26, all at Orange High School.

Bain said a major project on Shaker Boulevard, where about 85 homes with septic systems will be connected to sanitary sewers, is expected to be wrapped up within a week.

Its replacing the septic systems up and down Shaker Boulevard, from Pepper Creek Drive to about Bolingbrook Road, he said. In the coming year, we are going to engage in additional septic-sanitary conversions, with help from a grant.

The Gates Mills Boulevard trail project will probably be constructed next year, Bain said. The city received a $500,000 grant in June from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that will support about 40 percent of the cost.

The trail will link the city with the Eastside Greenway Project and will be part of an enhanced Gates Mills Boulevard that will be turned into a linear park, Bain said.

It should be a great enhancement and opportunity for our residents to get out and walk, he said. Its going to create a great safety factor.

Pepper Pike is in a very strong fiscal position, Bain added.

We thankfully have a very stable tax base in the city, and our future projections are pretty vibrant, he said.

We are not wondering, How are we going to buy the groceries next week? We have that stability and cash reserve that we can make projections.

Grant helps Woodmere

In Woodmere, Holbert said he hopes the widening of Chagrin Boulevard will be completed by the middle of next year, thanks primarily to a grant of $509,000 from the State of Ohio.

At Eton Chagrin Boulevard, Heritage Steak and Whiskey is expected to move into the space formerly occupied by Flemings Prime Steakhouse within 30 days, Holbert said.

I understand there have been significant renovations made to the inside of the building, he said.

Woodmere will celebrate its 80th anniversary next year, Holbert said.

Were working now to try to put together something that would really be exciting for our residents and the community about 80 years of Woodmere Village, he said.

The village is also working on a new website with a company called Revize, Holbert said.

We hope to have that up and running by the first quarter of 2024, he said.

Hunting Valley fairly quiet

In Hunting Valley, Chagrin River Road is being widened by about a foot on each side, Mayor Bruce Mavec said. That project should be completed before the snow flies, he said.

Weve got a large number of houses being constructed, he said. Other than that, things are fairly quiet and are going along fine.

Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.
WASHINGTON, D. C.  The Georgia district attorney who brought charges against ex-President Donald Trump is dismissing Ohio congressman Jim Jordans inquiry into her office as an attempt to interfere with an active Georgia criminal case, a move she described as flagrantly at odds with the Constitution.

The defendants in this case have been charged under state law with committing state crimes, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told Jordan in a sharply worded Thursday letter. There is absolutely no support for Congress purporting to second guess or somehow supervise an ongoing Georgia criminal investigation and prosecution. That violation of Georgias sovereignty is offensive and will not stand.

Willis letter responded to an Aug. 24 missive the House Judiciary Committee chairman from Champaign County sent her the day Trump turned himself in at the Fulton County jail to address charges that stemmed from his efforts to overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election results.

The indictment alleges 161 improper acts by Trump and his associates, including a call where Trump urged Georgias Secretary of State to find the 11,780 votes needed to overturn his election loss. The indictment also accuses Trump of making false statements and writings for telling state election officials that up to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls in the 2020 election, that more than 4,500 people voted who werent on registration lists and that a Fulton County election worker, Ruby Freeman, was a professional vote scammer, among other claims.

Jordans letter demanded that Willis provide his committee with information on her offices communications with U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and executive branch officials, and information on federal funding that the office receives.

Your indictment and prosecution implicate substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding your actions raise serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated, Jordans letter said. Given the weighty federal interests at stake, the Committee is conducting oversight of this matter to determine whether any legislative reforms are appropriate or necessary.

Jordan announced similar probes against others prosecuting Trump. He held a hearing in New York in an effort to embarrass Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., who indicted Trump for falsifying business records.

He also sent Attorney General Merrick Garland repeated letters about Special Counsel Jack Smiths probes of Trump. Smith oversaw indictments of Trump in Washington, D.C. for attempting to overturn results of the 2020 presidential election, and in Florida for improperly handling classified documents after he left office.

A Jordan spokesman on Friday declined comment on Willis letter.

Willis letter accuses Jordan of trying to obstruct a Georgia criminal proceeding and to advance outrageous partisan misrepresentations. It says his letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice, and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically.

It also quotes a 2022 letter that Jordan himself sent the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, when he refused to provide it with testimony: This unprecedented action serves no legitimate legislative purpose and would set a dangerous precedent for future Congresses... The America people deserve better, he wrote.

Her letter said Jordans inquiry raises separation of powers concerns and improperly interferes with the administration of criminal justice. She denied that shes used her prosecution of Trump for political benefit and accused Jordan of attempting to use his office for political objectives.

Your letter seeks the revelation of non-public and privileged information concerning my offices investigation and prosecution of a specific case, she wrote. Your public statements and your letter itself make clear that you lack any legitimate legislative purpose for that inquiry: your job description as a legislator does not include criminal law enforcement, nor does it include supervising a specific criminal trial because you believe that doing so will promote your partisan political objectives.

She did answer Jordans questions about grant funding, and said her office has used all the federal grants it obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice for their intended purposes.

If you and your colleagues follow through on your threats to deny this office federal funds, please be aware that you will be deciding to allow serial rapists to go unprosecuted, hate crimes to be unaddressed, and to cancel programs for at-risk children, Willis wrote. Such vengeful, uncalled for legislative action would impose serious harm on the citizens we serve, including the fact that it will make them less safe.

Sabrina Eaton writes about the federal government and politics in Washington, D.C., for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
LANSING, Mich.  National Coffee Day is coming up later this month on Sept. 29, and Biggby Coffee is celebrating the occasion with a free offer for customers.

On Sept. 29, guests who visit a Biggby coffeehouse will receive a free 20-ounce brewed coffee. Each coffee can also be upgraded in size or with modifiers for an additional cost, according to the company.

There are seven Biggby Coffee locations in the Greater Cleveland area:

5320 Leavitt Road in Lorain, OH 44053

615 Griswold Road in Elyria, OH 44035

26625 Brookpark in North Olmsted, OH 44070

25780 Miles Road in Bedford Heights, OH 44146

20609 Fairmount Blvd. in Shaker Heights, OH 44118

2555 N. Ridge Road in Painesville, OH 44077

2260 West Market Street in Akron, OH 44313

RELATED: Tiny Biggby Coffee opens first eatery in Akron

Also throughout September, Biggby is offering its Living Hope coffee as part of its daily brews. Biggbys Living Hope coffee supports an orphanage, school and coffee farm and Zambia which benefits its local community through coffee sales, according to a news release.

Biggby opened more than 30 new coffeehouses in the first half of 2023, and has another 140-plus stores in development, according to the release.

RELATED: Sheetz debuts vibrant donut collection: See 8 new flavors

In addition to Ohio, Biggby Coffee has store locations in Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Florida.

A full list of Biggby locations can be found on the companys website.


 
Club holding Apple (AAPL) isn't in danger of losing its footing, despite a recent market sell-off spurred by reports China is cracking down on iPhone usage. We feel the same way about two other China-tied Club stocks that also felt the heat this week. The Chinese government is moving to bar state employees from using iPhones or other foreign-branded devices at work, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Bloomberg confirmed the story Thursday, adding that restrictions could be extended to millions more at state-backed firms. Although Beijing has previously enforced restrictions on iPhone usage, the reported new rules signal a more concerted effort to sever China's dependence on Western technology. The news triggered a selling frenzy this week, with Apple losing over $200 billion in market value . The stock stabilized Friday, trading around $178 a share. Still, Apple remains an "own-it don't-trade it" stock in the Club portfolio, as its standing as an aspirational brand in China shouldn't be affected by the government's apparent decision. "These companies don't become mega cap companies because they're just idiots," Jim Cramer said Friday, referring to the resilience and strong leadership of a tech giant like Apple. Apple CEO Tim Cook "isn't just riding around saying, 'Boy, I sure hope China doesn't cut us off.' The man's got a game plan for a lot of different things," Cramer added. Meanwhile, two other Club names with ties to both Apple and China  semiconductor firm Broadcom (AVGO) and materials manufacturer DuPont de Nemours (DD)  felt the knock-on effects of this week's news, with their stocks under pressure. AAPL YTD mountain Apple (AAPL) year-to-date performance Apple The iPhone maker benefits from significant brand loyalty in China, which should offset any nationalist policies pushed by Beijing, according to Jim. Apple is likely to remain a premium brand for Chinese consumers. Moreover, the iPhone maker is a key contributor to China's economy, employing millions of people throughout the country. But if China were to confirm the new rules targeting iPhones, Apple is well-positioned to weather any near-term headwinds. Perhaps most notably, Apple has already been reducing its reliance on China by expanding into emerging markets like India in an effort to diversify its supply chain and capture market share in the world's most populous country. Overall, we share Morgan Stanley's view that these headlines are "more bark than bite," as the firm wrote in a research note Friday. Morgan Stanley pointed out that even if Apple were to give back all the market share it gained from Chinese competitor Huawei over the past three years, the hit to revenues and earnings-per-share would only be about 4% and 3%, respectively. This downside case is quite manageable for a company like Apple with a huge balance sheet and ability to reinvent itself through new products and services. Broadcom, DuPont Broadcom earns roughly 20% of its revenues from its wireless segment and its main customer is Apple, making the semiconductor firm a prime selling target this week. But we remain upbeat on the name for its artificial-intelligence potential. Truist on Friday, citing Broadcom's accelerating AI revenues, raised its price target on the stock to $995 a share, up from $942, while reiterating a buy rating. And what also makes Broadcom a differentiated investment within the semiconductor space is its steadily growing dividend payment, M & A track record, and stock-buyback potential  all at a reasonable price-to-earnings multiple. Meanwhile, DuPont was also a casualty this week. The company provides materials to support the manufacturing process for a myriad of electronics, including smartphones. But it also serves numerous smartphone customers beyond Apple, and should see steady growth once it moves past the inventory glut that has plagued the business for the past year. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long AAPL, AVGO, DD. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Apple opened its 54th flagship store in Greater China in the city of Wuhan in May. The iPhone company warned in late April that supply chain disruptions from China's Covid controls would likely hurt sales in the current quarter by $4 billion to $8 billion. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
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Apple CEO Tim Cook holds the new iPhone 14 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, September 7, 2022. Carlos Barria | Reuters

Apple is holding its most important launch event of the year on Tuesday at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where it's expected to unveil new hardware, including the iPhone 15. Apple will present a prerecorded video featuring company executives to launch the products, which will be streamed on YouTube and Apple's website. Last year's event lasted about an hour an a half. Apple has used prerecorded videos for its product showcases since 2020. Apple's launches are important for the company and build hype for the products and set the stage for a marketing blitz heading into the December quarter, its biggest sales period of the year. Thirty-one million people have watched Apple's YouTube video from last year's launch, revealing that customers still like to get information directly from the company. This year, the tech giant is hoping the new iPhones can bust a sales slump, fend off renewed competition from Huawei and persuade owners of Android phones to switch. Apple also announced its new VR headset, the Vision Pro, in June ahead of a planned launch in 2024. The company could provide an update on its efforts to attract developers, but more details about that product are likely not to be released until next year. Apple's Macs and iPads are unlikely to see new reveals on Tuesday, given the company usually prefers to give them their own events. Last year, Apple announced new iPads through a press release. This year's launch invitations have the tagline "Wonderlust," although the taglines don't necessarily preview what the company is announcing. CNBC will be covering the launch live from Apple's headquarters and with a live blog on CNBC.com. Last year, Apple announced new iPhones, Apple Watches and updated AirPods at its September event. Here's what to expect from this year's edition:

iPhone 15: USB-C and titanium

Apple's invite to its Sept. 12 event. Apple

Apple is expected to release four new iPhone models, continuing the pattern that's been in place since 2020. If Apple keeps its naming pattern, this year's models will share the iPhone 15 brand. Apple is likely to release two sizes of middle-range iPhones, one with a 6.1-inch screen and one with a 6.7-inch screen, as well as two sizes of higher end "Pro" phones with titanium casing and better cameras, according to reports from Bloomberg News, TF International Securities hardware analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Wall Street analysts. This year, the biggest change is expected to be a USB-C charging port, replacing Apple's proprietary Lightning port, which was introduced in 2012 as the iPhone charger "for the next decade." A USB-C charging port on iPhones will match the same charging port on Android phones, newer laptops, iPads, wireless headphones and other gadgets. The change is being spurred by new European regulations which require a common charging port. Apple is unlikely to mention that the change was required by a new law, but it will probably emphasize the positives for users, such as convenience and faster charging. It might also give the port a proprietary Apple marketing name.

Apple will "comply" with European Union regulation that requires electronic devices to be equipped with USB-C charging, said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. That will mean Apple's iPhones, which currently use its proprietary Lightning charging standard, will need to change to support USB-C. Jakub Porzyck | Nurphoto | Getty Images

New Pro models could also get a titanium casing, replacing the stainless steel used in the past few models. Titanium is lighter than steel, reducing the phones' total weight. Event invitations show an Apple logo in what looks like a titanium finish. Lower-end phones  expected to be called simply iPhone 15  could get an upgrade to what the company calls the "dynamic island," or a cutout that holds the phone's facial recognition cameras toward the top of the screen. Last year's Pro models ditched Apple's "notch" for the undulating window, which can show real-time updates, such as how far away an Uber is or what's playing on the music app. The mute switch, which has been present on iPhones for over a decade, could gain new functions as a customizable "action button." Apple is also likely to focus on camera and chip improvements as reasons for the upgrade. The biggest and most expensive iPhone model, the bigger Pro, could get a new lens that can zoom with twice the strength as the 3x zoom lens on the iPhone 14 Pro, according to Bloomberg. One open question is whether Apple will raise price points. Some analysts think so, noting rising costs for parts like memory or processors. However, Apple did not raise U.S. iPhone prices last year under similar conditions. It does tweak its prices around the world regularly after launches and in response to currency fluctuations.

Apple Watch and accessories

Apple Watch Ultra. Sofia Pitt

Last year, Apple released the Apple Watch Series 8 and a new high-end titanium model called the Ultra in September. Both are likely to get updates this year, although Apple's Watches don't typically get as many major changes from year to year as the iPhones. Apple's mainstream watches have had the same size and shape since 2018. The company is likely to upgrade the chip inside the new watches, as well as update its health sensors, according to analysts. But Apple may save bigger changes for the device's 10th anniversary next year. Apple also has several accessories that use Lightning connectors, such as some of its AirPod models, Beats headphones, mice and keyboards. AirPods Pro will get a new feature that doesn't need new hardware called Adaptive Audio. It uses machine learning and software to intelligently turn down the volume and noise canceling so users can be aware of their immediate surroundings. Apple will likely update its accessories to work with USB-C, but the updated accessories may not be discussed on Tuesday, or could be released later.

iOS 17

StandBy Mode in iOS 17 Todd Haselton | CNBC
Asia and the rest of the world face "immense" challenges, and the Asian Development Bank must work with others to address those issues, its director general told CNBC on Friday.

"The challenge that we are facing in this region and also globally, are immense, including climate change. pandemic and natural disasters," Tomoyuki Kimura told CNBC's Tanvir Gill on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

After Covid, he explained, many countries had to borrow more money. "So this is a limitation for different countries to take more debt for their sustainable development and climate change."

He said multilateral development banks "can and must take bold action to help address the challenges."

The ADB "very much welcomes the efforts by all parties to ensure MDBs are well equipped to play this critical role," he said, adding: "We also welcome India's strong leadership advocacy for the importance of multilateralism."

Additionally, the director general highlighted the need for ADB to increase its lending capacity in order to help countries achieve their climate goals, but emphasized that more needs to be done.

"First of all, we need to ramp up our lending capacity ... but also, we need extra efforts to mobilize more money from private sector," he said.
An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece.

The fight to secure a livable future for everyone on Earth requires much more urgent climate action  and only transformational changes will be enough to get back on track.

That was the sobering assessment from the technical dialogue of the United Nations' first-ever "global stocktake," a critically important process which looks at what countries have done to prevent a climate catastrophe.

The overarching synthesis report, published Friday, lays the foundation for the upcoming COP28 climate conference in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Nearly 200 countries will meet in Dubai from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 12 to discuss how to use the U.N.'s technical findings to step up national measures.

Among its findings, the U.N. said that since the adoption of the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015, the accord had driven "near-universal climate action by setting goals and sending signals to the world regarding the urgency of responding to the climate crisis."

"While action is proceeding, much more is needed now on all fronts," the U.N. report said. "There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all."

The U.N.'s global stocktake was designed under the Paris Agreement as part of a global effort to accelerate climate action. The agreement said countries should take an inventory in 2023 to see how much progress had been made, and every five years after that. The current process is due to conclude at COP28.
A customer receives dog treat drinks at the drive-through window of a Dutch Bros. Coffee location in Beaverton, Oregon, U.S., on Thursday, June 24, 2021.

The market reaction to a $300 million secondary stock offering from drive-thru coffee chain Dutch Bros (BROS) is an encouraging sign, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday.

Dutch Bros on Thursday priced the stock sale at $26 per share, below its most recent closing price of $26.78. Shortly after Friday's opening bell, Dutch Bros stock was trading higher by 4%, to nearly $28 per share.

"If you take a look at where this deal [was priced], if you've got be excited if you got in because you're already up," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." He added, "This is some of the things that might be positive. This is a green shoot."

If you like this story, sign up for Jim Cramer's Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free.

Oregon-based Dutch Bros, which went public in September 2021 and has been expanding across the U.S., intends to use proceeds from the stock sale to pay down debt and capital expenditures, according to a securities filing.

Cramer said his only issue with Dutch Bros's secondary offering is that it didn't happen sooner  when its stock price was higher. In theory, that would've allowed the company sell fewer shares to raise the same amount of money. Over the past 12 months, shares of Dutch Bros have declined nearly 23%.

Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio used by the CNBC Investing Cub, owns rival coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX).
Cuban authorities have arrested 17 people in connection with what they described as a network to recruit Cuban nationals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

The head of criminal investigations for Cuba's Interior Ministry, Cesar Rodriguez, said late Thursday on state media that at least three of the 17 arrested are part of recruitment efforts inside the island country.

He did not identify the alleged members of the network but said they had previous criminal records. Some families started speaking up about the case on Friday, and at least one mother said that her son was promised a job in construction in Russia.

Cuba's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the government had detected a network operating from Russia to recruit Cuban citizens living both in Russia and in Cuba to fight in Ukraine. It said authorities were working "to neutralize and dismantle" the network but gave no details.

"Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry said in a news release.

Cuba and Russia are political allies and Cubans do not require a visa to travel to Russia. Many go there to study or to work.

In May 2023, a newspaper in the Russian region of Ryazan, about 100 miles (62 kilometers) southeast of Moscow, reported from a military enlistment office there that "several citizens of the Cuba Republic" signed up to join the army. The Ryazanskiye Vedomosti newspaper quoted some Cubans as saying they were there to help Russia "complete tasks in the special military operation zone." It also said "some of them in the future would like to become Russian citizens."

In Havana, prosecutor Jose Luis Reyes told state TV that suspects are being investigated for crimes, including being a mercenary or recruiting mercenaries, and could face sentences of up to 30 years or life in prison, or even the death penalty.

Marilin Vinent, 60, said Friday that her son Dannys Castillo, 27, is one of the Cubans recruited in Russia.

At her home in Havana, she said her son and other Cubans traveled at the end of July to Russia after being promised work in a construction job. "They were all deceived," she said.

Vinent showed reporters photos of her son in her cellphone, including some of him dressed in military fatigues.

She said that her son told her he had accepted the offer to go to Russia because he wanted to economically help the family, as the island is suffering an economic crisis, with people facing shortages of some products.

"I don't know if my son is alive. We don't know anything," she said. "What I would like is to talk to him."

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it's aware of the reports. "We are deeply concerned that young Cubans may have been deceived and recruited to fight for Russia in its brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and we continue to monitor this situation closely," it said.

Russian law allows foreign nationals to enlist in its army, after signing a contract with the Defense Ministry.

Since September 2022, foreigners who have served in the Russian army for at least one year are allowed to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified procedure, without obtaining a residency permit first.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said earlier in September that the city was setting up "infrastructure to assist the Russian Defense Ministry in facilitating the enlistment of foreign nationals" in the capital's main government office for migrants.

Last month, Russian media reported cases of authorities refusing to accept citizenship applications from Tajik nationals until they sign a contract with the Defense Ministry and enlist in the army. And in an online statement last week, the British Defense Ministry said there are "at least six million migrants from Central Asia in Russia, which the Kremlin likely sees as potential recruits."

On X, a social media platform previously known as Twitter, the ministry said that "exploiting foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to acquire additional personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties."

It also noted that there have been online ads seeking recruits for the Russian army in Armenia and Kazakhstan.
Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, is a medication typically used in combination with misoprostol to bring about a medical abortion during pregnancy and manage early miscarriage.

Drug company Danco Laboratories on Friday asked the Supreme Court to review the case challenging the legality of the abortion pill mifepristone.

Danco's request comes in response to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that would impose major restrictions on how the medication is used and distributed to patients.

Danco, which distributes the abortion pill, wants the Supreme Court to reverse the lower court ruling. The drug company said the case is of "indisputable importance" to women's health as well as the pharmaceutical industry.

"For the women and teenage girls, health care providers, and States that depend on FDA's actions to ensure safe and effective reproductive health care is available, this case matters tremendously," Danco's attorneys wrote in their filing.

"And for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, permitting judicial second-guessing of FDA's scientific evaluations of data will have a wildly destabilizing effect," the attorneys wrote.

Danco's request for the Supreme Court to take up the case comes nearly 15 months after the court's conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protected abortion as a constitutional right. More than a dozen states have banned abortion in the wake of that ruling.

The Supreme Court's new term starts next month. Four justices have to agree to take up the abortion pill case. The U.S. Department of Justice is also expected to ask the high court to review the case.
As companies implement return-to-office plans, employers are increasingly interested in utilizing artificial intelligence, not to replace workers, but to watch them.

Between March 2020 and June 2023, demand for employee surveillance software grew 54%, according to research from Top10VPN, a virtual private network comparison site.

And employees are noticing. Fifty-one percent say they are aware that their employer uses technology to monitor them while they are working, according to data from the American Psychological Association.

Knowing they are being watched has had negative psychological effects.

Almost one-third, 32%, of employees who know their bosses are using technology to monitor them reported their mental health as fair or poor, according to data from the APA. Only 24% of those not being monitored said the same. Almost half, 45%, of those being monitored say their workplaces have a negative effect on their mental health, versus the 29% of those not being monitored.
Ryan Petersen, chief executive officer of Flexport, participates in a panel discussion during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

Two days after returning to run Flexport, founder Ryan Petersen said Friday that his logistics company will rescind 55 offer letters and look to lease out office space across the U.S. as it tries to get its "house in order."

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Petersen wrote that the company "can't just give out cash." In reclaiming the top position at Flexport, Petersen is displacing his handpicked successor, former Amazon executive Dave Clark, a little more than a year into his tenure.

Petersen offered a harsh assessment of Clark's growth strategy, questioning why the company had "over 200 open roles" on its website, and noting that all those have been canceled other than "a handful of roles" tied to what Petersen called the most important projects.

"I am deeply sorry to those people who were expecting to join our company and won't be able to at this time. It's messed up," Petersen wrote. "But no way around it, we have had a hiring freeze for months I have no ideas why more than 75 people were signed to join."

Flexport's hiring page still listed more than 100 open roles as of Friday morning.

Clark's sudden departure marked a surprising turn for a company that's been viewed for several years as one of the hottest startups in the Bay Area. Flexport ranked 10th in CNBC's latest Disruptor 50 list and has been valued at $8 billion by prominent venture firms, including Andreessen Horowitz and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.

A spokesperson for the company acknowledged Friday that a number of executives were "no longer with Flexport" but declined to provide further detail on the nature of Clark's departure, Petersen's comments on social media, or the company's path to profitability.

The former head of Amazon's giant worldwide consumer business, Clark was expected to travel to Seattle for a meeting with clients to launch an unspecified "fuelled solution" for small and medium-size businesses. The event's launch page had featured Clark's name as recently as Wednesday, the day his departure was announced, according to archived versions of the page.

Petersen said in his posts that the company remained fiscally sound, with more than $1 billion in net cash, but said it remained "far from profitable." The company would also move to lease out unoccupied office space across the country, in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, Petersen said.

Petersen pushed back against criticism that the board had been asleep at the wheel.

"We were on it," Petersen wrote in response to a post. "Just trusting in the growth plan which hasn't come through. It's all good I know how to grow this business. But gotta get costs in line first."

Teresa Carlson, a key hire of Clark's who served as Flexport's president and chief commercial officer, announced she was no longer with the company in a LinkedIn post on Thursday. Carlson was a vice president at Amazon's cloud-computing unit and held high-level posts at Microsoft and Splunk .

Petersen founded Flexport in 2013, aiming to reinvent how companies monitor and control all stages of the supply chain through real-time tracking of inventory across air, land and sea.

WATCH: Lingering inventory and supply chain issues should ease by 2024
Google previewed Friday how it plans to fight off the U.S. government's charges of illegal monopolization when it goes to trial in District of Columbia District Court next week.

The trial marks the first major tech antimonopoly case in the U.S. in decades, after the Department of Justice successfully argued Microsoft had violated antitrust law more than 20 years ago.

The DOJ and a coalition of state attorneys general allege in this case that Google used exclusionary contracts with browser makers like Apple and phone manufacturers that use its Android operating system to cut off rivals from access to the general search market. The states will also argue that Google failed to make its search advertising tool interoperable with Microsoft's Bing, in order to allegedly keep advertising spending limited to its own services.

Google has maintained that the government's case is "deeply flawed." Here are the key elements of its defense, as laid out by Kent Walker, the company's president of global affairs, in a blog post on Friday:

Google's distribution agreements haven't harmed competition for search, as evidenced by the wide range of services that offer search tools. Walker points to platforms like TikTok, Reddit, Instagram and Amazon

It's browser and device makers that choose to feature default search engines in the first place, and they chose Google "based on the quality of our products," according to Walker. He pointed to Apple CEO Tim Cook's comments in 2018 that Google's search engine is the "best."

Google isn't the only company that pays for prominent placement on browsers, Walker wrote. Bing and Yahoo also pay to be featured in Apple's Safari.

Google's payments to device makers and carriers to promote its search product and browser are just marketing, per Walker, similar to a cereal brand paying a supermarket to place its boxes at eye level on the shelf.

Consumers can easily change search engine defaults on their devices if they prefer another service. Google says it takes as few as two clicks to change the default on Safari's desktop version and just a few more than that on mobile devices. Walker wrote that consumers showed a willingness to do this in 2014 when many Mozilla users switched their default from Yahoo to Google.

In order to make its search ad tool as interoperable as states seem to believe it should be, Google would have to prioritize creating features for Microsoft over demands of its own customers, Walker wrote. He added, "American law doesn't require putting the preferences of your competitors over those of your clients. And Microsoft, which has plenty of resources, has chosen not to build its own search engine management tool."

The DOJ and the Colorado state AG's office, which is leading the states' case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

WATCH: Europe's new Big Tech rules will have greater impact than U.S. antitrust lawsuits: Fmr. FTC Chairman
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India's relationship with the United States is the strongest it's been in years. U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to meet for another bilateral meeting later Friday at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, after several one-on-one meetings earlier this year. Despite warming ties  with both leaders sharing a hug during Modi's state visit to Washington in May  a "traditional alliance" between the two nations remains off the table, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. "I do not think India and the United States are headed for a traditional alliance relationship  India is keen to make sure it protects its ability to make its own decisions on every kind of question," said Alyssa Ayres, adjunct senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.

US President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event with senior officials and chief executive officers in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 22, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

India is a "very independent" country, and the traditional alliance relationship the U.S. has with other countries "creates an almost unexpectable level of deference on the part of the other country," Ayres told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Friday. "India very much doesn't want  what it sees as its freedom of action in the future, constrained by requirements to act on behalf of another country due to an alliance agreement," Ayres added. Both countries still have disagreements, with a notable one being their views on the Russia-Ukraine war, which Washington has condemned but New Delhi has so far refrained from doing so. India has purchased discounted Russian oil since the war broke out in February last year, and now imports about 40% of its crude supply from Moscow.

"Obviously, this is an area where American foreign policy leaders would like to see something different given American concerns about Russia's war in Ukraine," Ayres highlighted. "So I think that this is yet another area where you do see some space between American interests and Indian interests  That's probably going to remain an area of disagreement."

U.S.-India tech partnership

Although an India-U.S. alliance seems to be off the table, the partnership between the two countries will continue to strengthen, with technology cooperation at the forefront of it. In May, Biden and Modi announced a slew of technology and defense deals, ranging from collaborating on diversifying supply chains to working together across space and artificial intelligence. "Technology generally has really been in the lead in improving this relationship," said Evan Feigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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A judge on Friday rejected a request by Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to move his Georgia election conspiracy criminal case to federal court in Atlanta.

The decision keeps  for now  Meadows' case in Fulton County Superior Court, a Georgia state court in Atlanta.

Hours after the ruling, lawyers for Meadows filed a notice saying they will appeal it to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Meadows was indicted with Trump and 17 other co-defendants last month by a grand jury in that court on charges related to their efforts to reverse former President Donald Trump's loss in Georgia's 2020 election to President Joe Biden.

Trump's lawyer on Thursday told a Fulton County judge in a filing that the former president might soon seek to have his own case transferred to federal court. Four other defendants besides Meadows already have made such requests.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in his lengthy order Friday in Atlanta federal court said that Meadows has not met his burden to show that moving his case there from Fulton County court was proper under a statute authorizing removing legal cases against federal officers from state courts.
US President Joe Biden (C) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2R) arrive for the first session of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. Evan Vucci | Afp | Getty Images

NEW DELHI  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to deepen the partnership between their countries in their second bilateral meeting in less than six months, as Delhi hosts a meeting among leaders of the Group of 20 leading industrialized and developing countries. The two leaders met briefly late Friday at Modi's official residence after Biden's arrival in Delhi and then issued a 29-point statement that highlighted the depth and breadth of their relationship at a time of evolving global alliances  from building resilient strategic technology value chains and linking defense industrial ecosystems, to collaborating on renewable and nuclear energy, climate financing and cancer research. The two leaders "reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific" and "expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground breaking achievements of Prime Minister Modi's historic June 2023 visit to Washington." The Quad is an informal security alignment of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., which came about in response to China's rising strength in the Indo-Pacific region.

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This closed-door meeting with Biden was the third  after meetings with leaders from Mauritius and Bangladesh  that Modi convened on the eve of the G20 leaders' summit and part of the dozen or so bilateral meetings planned for this weekend, underscoring India's strategic ambitions as a key global player connecting the developed world and the Global South. The summit is an important one for Modi, whose government has turned the normally sedate rotating G20 presidency into a branding vehicle to burnish India's geopolitical importance ahead of national elections next year. Many governments, investors and businesses are also starting to look toward India  as China slows  which the International Monetary Fund expects to be the fastest growing economy this year.

Weekend consensus

This weekend's agenda includes the expected admission of the African Union as an official G20 member as part of India's broad focus on elevating the place of the Global South and fostering inclusive and sustainable growth in the multilateral forum founded in 1999 as a platform to address issues afflicting the global economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China President Xi Jinping though won't be in attendance this weekend. While Putin is sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to take his place, China Premier Li Qiang will take Xi's place  the first time Xi is skipping the G20 meeting in the decade since he became president.

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Alternative to China

With Putin and Xi conspicuously absent this weekend, India and the U.S. will hope this will be sufficient to persuade member states and other observers from the Global South they represent a more viable proposition from food security to debt resolution. In their joint statement after their Friday bilateral meeting, Biden and Modi "reaffirmed their commitment to the G20."

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They also "expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks." While Putin has an obvious reason accounting for his absence, Xi, though, has not indicated a reason  triggering speculation the Chinese leader may be snubbing Modi for a variety of reasons.

Despite recently traveling to South Africa for a BRICS meeting, Xi has rarely traveled abroad. Instead, he has tended to receive visiting dignitaries in Beijing  including Zambia and Venezuela in overlapping visits this weekend. India's warming ties with the U.S. also sharply contrasts against its standoff with its neighbor, China. India  along with Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan  sharply rebuked China last week for a new national map that Beijing claims contested territories as its own. India also stands to gain from American companies looking to diversify their supply chains  at China's expense  as the U.S. ramps up efforts to limit the transfers of strategic technology to China on the grounds of national security. This would likely be what Modi and Biden conceived as "their ambitious vision for an enduring India-U.S. partnership that advances the aspirations of our people for a bright and prosperous future, serves the global good, and contributes to a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific."
UBS named electric vehicle stocks it likes in China and described one car as a "Chinese answer to Tesla Model 3." In a research note on "The rise of China EV giants," UBS said BYD 's Seal car has comparable specifications to Tesla's Model 3, a restyled version of which was launched in China and Europe last week. "We conclude it's cost competitive, thanks to its vertical integration, suitable specs, and volume scale. It enjoyed some edge not only over foreign incumbents, but also Chinese EV startups," UBS analysts led by Paul Gong wrote in a Sept. 1 research note. The analysts raised their price target on BYD to 345 Hong Kong dollars ($44) from 320 Hong Kong dollars and reiterated their "buy" rating on the stock. "Though Seal sales [have] been behind Tesla Model 3 due to brand and other BYD models' dilution, it's much higher than competing XPeng P7/P7i or Toyota bZ3. We believe BYD's large engineer team has achieved continuous technology improvement over its frequent new model launches  a key competitive strength hard to be surpassed," the analysts wrote. UBS described the Seal model as having a large interior space, with 5G connectivity and a rotating cockpit screen. "The result is a decent alternative to Tesla Model 3 at 10-20% lower selling price," the analysts wrote. Chinese EV stocks Alongside BYD, the bank is buy-rated on Great Wall Motor , which has several EV models. "Great Wall Motor (GWM) also paved multiple path[s] to EV transition," the analysts wrote. UBS is buy-rated on EV startup Li Auto , describing it and BYD as "top drivers" of growth for China's plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market. The bank also likes battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) "as a key beneficiary of EV transition," and named Changan , with its "multiple" EV models. UBS is buy-rated on both stocks, which trade on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. In a separate note to investors, UBS downgraded European automakers VW and Renault from "Neutral" to "Sell" due to competition from Chinese automakers.  CNBC's Michael Bloom and Ganesh Rao contributed to this report.
I do research in Dunhuang -- Neil Schmid

(People's Daily App) 15:24, September 08, 2023

When Neil Schmid arrived at the Mogao Caves in Gansu Province in 1987, he was first amazed by the beautiful desert landscape and then by how local cultures mixed so well. Now, he is the first full-time foreign researcher in the Dunhuang Academy. He has engaged in extensive field research on the Mogao Caves and has created detailed records of their murals.

(Video source: Higansu)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)


On the eve of the two-day G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi, security has been intensified across the national capital, with curbs on traffic regulations coming into force on Friday. From early Friday morning, police personnel were seen checking vehicles in areas across Central Delhi and other adjoining regions.



Officials are also diligently monitoring city developments through a state-of-the-art control room, which utilises a network of 5,000 CCTV cameras strategically placed throughout the city.



According to the police, the control room receives district-wise visual feeds, and two security teams work in shifts to provide continuous, round-the-clock surveillance.



From Thursday midnight, non-essential vehicles were directed to use the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways and other alternate routes from the city borders.



This restriction applies to Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs), and Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), which will not be allowed to enter Delhi. However, goods vehicles transporting Essential Commodities like milk, vegetables, fruits, and medical supplies, with valid 'No Entry Permissions,' will have entry permission, says a traffic advisory.



In view of the high-profile event starting from Saturday, Delhi Police have implemented various security measures, including the deployment of skilled markswomen and armed forces at key locations, intensifying border area patrolling, and conducting thorough security checks.



To bolster their efforts, Delhi Police is receiving support from a force of over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads, and mounted police units.



Security forces are also on high alert to prevent any potential incidents.



Police have increased patrolling efforts and stationed additional checkpoints at crucial installations.



Citizens have been encouraged to report any suspicious activities to the police.



Highlighting the multifaceted security concerns associated with the Summit, police emphasise the national and international dimensions.



"Previous summit locations have experienced law and order challenges stemming from protests by both international pressure groups and local organisations," said an official.



To ensure the safety of G20 delegates visiting the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat in central Delhi, police have collaborated with civic agencies to address the issue of monkeys and dogs in the area.



"We have requested the relevant agencies to deploy catchers to mitigate the monkey and dog presence during the delegates' visit. The nearby jungle area has prompted us to engage snake catchers as well," said the official.



These catchers will continually monitor the Rajghat vicinity and provide updates to the security personnel.






The West has sharply criticized elections taking place in occupied areas of Ukraine over the weekend, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing them as "nothing more than a propaganda exercise."

Russian-installed authorities are holding elections in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The Kremlin is thought to be seeking to tighten its grip on the partly controlled territories it illegally annexed a year ago.

The Russian embassy in the U.S. has reportedly defended the regional elections in occupied areas of Ukraine and accused Washington of meddling in its internal affairs.

A Ukrainian official, meanwhile, slammed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for ordering his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near Crimea last year to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.

Elsewhere, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Friday that it was not his place to tell India what stance to take on Russia's war in Ukraine, as leaders met in New Delhi for a G20 summit set to be dominated by the conflict.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (September 8) held bilateral talks with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of G20 Leaders Summit 2023. Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi earlier on Friday to attend the summit.

Envoys of both India and Bangladesh were present as the two leaders discussed connectivity and commercial linkage at PM Modis official residence. PM Modi expressed his satisfaction at the progress in the relations between the two countries over the last nine years.

Bangladesh is set to make its first appearance at the G20 summit following India's invitation to PM Hasina.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/Dpe2B0jfJ9  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

PM Modi also held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth , earlier on Friday.

PM Modi will also hold bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden. The focus of the meeting is expected to be defence technology, following US Congress approval of the General Electric-HAL fighter jet engine deal.

PM Modi will be holding 15 bilateral meetings over three days from September 8-10. On Saturday (September 9), he is likely to hold bilateral discussions with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japans PM Fumio Kishida, Germanys Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.

On Sunday (September 10), the PM is expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of France, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Brazil, Nigeria, Comoros and Turkiye.

Several issues, including climate change , sustainable energy, international debt forgiveness and taxing multinational corporations are likely to come up during this year's G20 meeting. According to reports, India may try to break an impasse over a deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (September 8) held bilateral talks with Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, marking the first bilateral meeting ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi. The two leaders discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more.

PM Shri @narendramodi holds bilateral meeting with PM Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius in New Delhi.#G20India pic.twitter.com/juWn0fanat  BJP LIVE (@BJPLive) September 8, 2023

Sharing insights from the discussion, PM Modi said that it was a fruitful meeting, and reiterated India's commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South.

PM @KumarJugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated India's commitment pic.twitter.com/L6BDSpIAIV  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

"Prime Minister Modi and Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius, a key partner integral to Indias vision SAGAR, enthusiastically acknowledged the significant enhancement of the India-Mauritius bilateral relationship, commemorating its remarkable 75th anniversary this year," PMO said.

Mauritian Prime Minister Jugnauth arrived in India on Thursday, September 7, to attend the G20 summit scheduled from September 9-10. After his arrival in New Delhi, Jugnauth lauded India's choice of the theme , 'One Earth, One Family, One Future.'

"I think there could not have been a better theme that has been chosen by India  One Earth, One Family and One Future  which is drawn from the Sanskrit phase, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," he said.

Speaking of the trade relations between Mauritius and India, Jugnauth emphasised the significance of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which marks India's first agreement with an African country. He noted that CEPA had opened up new trade opportunities for both nations and highlighted Mauritius' favourable ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index.

"This (CEPA) has opened up new avenues for trade between the two countries... It is beneficial to both countries... We were classified as 13th in the whole world in terms of the last Ease of Doing Business ranking by the World Bank. I appeal to Indian entrepreneurs to use Mauritius as a gateway to Africa," Jugnauth added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next three days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the summit. Apart from Mauritius, he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with leaders from Bangladesh, and US on Friday.

On Saturday (September 9), Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events. On Sunday (September 10), he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, as per the sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said G20 in India will be historic as it will be attended by the largest number of world leaders. Leaders from across 20 countries are expected to attend the key meet in the national capital on September 9 and 10.
North Korea has taken a significant step forward in its naval capabilities by launching its first operational tactical nuclear attack submarine. This new submarine designated Submarine No 841 and named Hero Kim Kun Ok will play a pivotal role in patrolling the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to state media reports released on Friday.

The nuclear-powered submarine was officially launched on Wednesday, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally overseeing the event, reported Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The submarine has been specifically designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater, a capability that North Korea believes heralded the beginning of a new chapter for its naval forces. The exact number of missiles that the vessel can carry and launch remains undisclosed by KCNA.

Kim Jong-un, during the launch ceremony, emphasised the critical role the Hero Kim Kun Ok would play in North Korea's naval strategy. He declared it as one of the core underwater offensive means of the naval force, the news agency said and outlined plans to convert existing submarines into nuclear-armed attack vessels while accelerating the development of nuclear-powered submarines.

In his speech, Kim Jong-un stressed the urgency of enhancing North Korea's naval capabilities, citing the enemies recent aggressive moves and military acts, an apparent reference to the United States and South Korea. He underlined the necessity to push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the navy, KCNA reported.

According to a Reuters report, analysts explained that the Hero Kim Kun Ok appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired initially from China in the 1970s and later began producing domestically. With its 10 launch tube hatches, experts believe it is likely armed with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

However, experts caution that such weaponry may not significantly bolster North Korea's already robust land-based nuclear forces due to the potential limited survivability of submarines during wartime. Vann Van Diepen, a former US government weapons expert working with the 38 North project in Washington, noted the possible limitations of these naval assets, the Reuters report added.

The classification of the Hero Kim Kun Ok as a tactical submarine indicates that it may not be equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) capable of reaching up to the US mainland. Instead, it is believed to possess smaller, short-range SLBMs or submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) capable of targeting South Korea, Japan or other regional locations, Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain told Reuters.

He added that the expansion of the submarine's sail at the rear, coupled with the installation of 10 vertical launch tubes (comprising 4 large and 6 small), suggests its potential for deploying SLBMs and SLCMs.

Also Read: Mali boat attacks by Islamic insurgents kill 49 civilians and 15 soldiers

Crucially, it remains uncertain whether North Korea has successfully miniaturised nuclear warheads for these missiles, a key milestone in its nuclear program. Analysts speculate that perfecting smaller warheads would likely be a key objective if North Korea resumes nuclear testing.

While North Korea maintains a sizable submarine fleet, only the experimental ballistic missile submarine 8.24 Yongung, known as the August 24th Hero, is confirmed to have fired a missile.

The unveiling of the Hero Kim Kun Ok comes ahead of North Korea's 75th anniversary of its founding day, set to be celebrated on Saturday. Additionally, there are reports suggesting that Kim Jong-un plans to travel to Russia this month to meet with President Vladimir Putin, potentially to discuss weapons supplies, raising concerns about further developments in the region.
King Charles on Friday thanked the public for their love and support on the first anniversary of the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth and his accession to the throne, echoing her words as he vowed to be of service to all.

Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning sovereign, died aged 96 on September 8 at Balmoral Castle, her Scottish summer retreat after a 70-year reign.

"In marking the first anniversary of her late majestys death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us," Charles said in a statement.

"I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."

Those latter words were an echo of the mantra that Elizabeth repeated throughout her reign.

Charles, who immediately succeeded his mother as king of the United Kingdom and 14 other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and his wife Camilla will spend the day quietly at the Scottish royal home.

No ceremonial event was planned to mark his Accession Day but the couple did attend the nearby Crathie Kirk for private memorial prayers. Afterwards, they chatted to a small crowd outside, including some of those who had worked for the queen on her estate

Buckingham Palace also released a portrait of the late queen, chosen by Charles, which had previously only been seen in an exhibition.

'SOLEMN'

Charles' eldest son and heir Prince William and wife Kate paid their own tribute to the queen and will attend a private church service to commemorate her life.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will visit the 12th Century St Davids Cathedral, a place of pilgrimage for centuries on the Welsh coast which also has a special stall for the sovereign.

"We all miss you," the couple said on social media.

There will also be gun salutes fired in a London park and at the Tower of London. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the thoughts of the nation would be with Charles and his family on "the solemn anniversary".

"With the perspective of a year, the scale of her late majesty's service only seems greater," he said. "Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication, only continues to grow."

The queen's death marked an end of an era for Britain. During her seven decades on the throne, she had become not just Britain's figurehead but also a huge presence on the world stage.

Charles first year on the throne has been dominated by his coronation, Britain's biggest ceremonial event for generations, full of pomp and pageantry.

Polls suggest most Britons have a favourable view of his reign so far, although younger generations appear much less enthusiastic.

He is also still dealing with issues within his own family, most notably the rift with his younger son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, and what to do with his own younger brother Prince Andrew, who had to quit royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  Power distributor Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Friday announced a 0.5006 per kilowatt hour (kWh) increase in September electricity rates.

The price hike ends three months of consecutive rate decline, raising the overall rate for a typical household to 11.3997 per kWh from 10.8891 per kWh in August.

This translates to an increase of around 100 in the total bill of residential customers consuming 200 kWh, the company explained.

After three consecutive months of decreases totaling 1.2768 per kWh, the generation charge for September went up by 0.4323 to 6.8252 per kWh from 6.3929 per kWh last month due to higher costs from Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), it said.

Meralco said higher fuel prices and the Philippine pesos depreciation against the US dollar triggered the increase in costs for PSAs and IPPs.

Meanwhile, Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) charges went down due to reductions in adjustments and other charges, the firm said.

PSAs covered 39% of Meralcos total energy requirement for September, followed by IPPs at 36%, and 23% from WESM, it added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 7)  The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has revoked for two years the drivers license of Wilfredo Gonzales, the dismissed cop who pulled a gun on an unarmed cyclist in a fit of road rage in Quezon City last month.

Gonzales, who earlier claimed that his gun toting was an act of self-defense, was found liable of four traffic violations for hitting a cyclist in the head and pulling a firearm on him after the biker bumped into his vehicle.

READ: Ex-cop in QC road rage says gun-toting was a self-defense act

Respondent-driver's acts of having no due diligence in driving, which caused the incident that resulted in the destruction of the property of the victim, is considered unacceptable behavior of a driver, the LTO said in an order dated Sept. 5 but made public Sept. 7.

Taken as a whole, his actions are tantamount to the acts of an Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle, which is punishable under Section 27 (a) of R.A. [Republic Act] No. 4136, it added.

The LTO said this violation led to the revocation of his non-professional drivers license.

READ: Raps should be filed vs. driver in viral road rage incident, says DILG chief

It added that Gonzales also violated Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 or Disregarding Traffic Signs; section 54 of RA 4136 or Obstruction of Traffic; and violation of Section 48 of RA 4136 or Reckless Driving.

The LTO slapped him with fines of 1,000, 1,000, and 2,000, respectively, for the three violations.

Furthermore, the office said that Gonzales received a show cause order on Aug. 28, a day after the road rage incident went viral on social media.

READ: Attempted homicide among possible charges vs. gun-toting ex-cop, lawyer says

Gonzales was ordered to appear in a hearing and explain why he should not be held liable for his traffic violations. He was a no-show and was instead represented by his son, the LTO said.

Meanwhile, criminal charges of alarm scandal are being sought against Gonzales by the Philippine National Police.

It is also urging the victim to file a more severe case against Gonzales, including grave threat.

READ: PNP files alarms and scandals case vs. gun-toting cop in QC road rage
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday said it has not detected anything suspicious at the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) following a bomb threat this morning.

"After thorough inspection by our security personnel in critical infrastructure of all transportation systems, particularly MRT-3 system, we have not detected any trace of any items that might constitute a threat to the traveling public," the DOTr said in a statement.

The hoax bomb threat forced the DOTr to form an inter-agency task force to enhance security in all transportation sectors. But MRT-3 operations were not suspended.

The threat sent via email was attributed to a certain Takahiro Karasawa. It claimed that a bomb will detonate in the MRT-3 system on Friday afternoon.

DOTr-Office for the Transportation Security Undersecretary Mao Aplasca, administrator of Office for Transportation Security, pointed out that other government agencies abroad have also received the same email in the previous months.

"We realized and based on our research kaninang umaga (based on our research in the morning), the same threat was also sent to different agencies in other countries [such as] Japan, Korea, Taiwan," he told CNN Philippines' News Night.

According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on Aug. 17, Karasawa has denied sending the bomb threat and cried foul for using his name without permission.

Aplasca also said that other Philippine government offices have also received the same email, including the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Bureau of Plant Industry and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

He added that the DOTr is trying its best to figure out the real person behind the email.

Moreover, the DOTr said it will maintain enhanced security protocols in MRT-3.

The agency also warned that making bomb threats or spreading false information is punishable by law.

Under Presidential Decree 1727, such acts could lead to imprisonment of up to five years, or a fine of not more than P40,000.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 penalizes bomb threats with 12 years of imprisonment.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8)  Former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno was terminated as she was unsupportive of the Marcos administration, Malacanang said Friday.

The termination of her appointment could only be expected as she clearly does not support the administration and its programs for nation building, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement. While we support anyones right to free speech, it would be counter intuitive to have someone be part of the administration who was clearly set on maligning it to begin with.

Bersamin also noted that Magno made the public know that she has been against the policies of the administration even before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office.

Instead of working together with colleagues in the government to address any concerns, they were instead constantly done so through public fora, he added.

Magno on Thursday announced that she resigned from her post supposedly over her position on economic policies that ran counter to the administration. Asked if the order came from the Palace, she said No direct request re: my post.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Magno shared a Sept. 4 document from Malacanang stating that her tenure as finance undersecretary has expired that takes effect immediately.

She said she only received the document Friday morning.

Makakatulog po ako ng mahimbing (Ill be able to sleep well) knowing that I did my best serving our country and advocating the interest of our people, she said in the caption.

Earlier reports said Magno was forced to quit following her stance against the Marcos administrations implementation of a price ceiling on rice.

On Sept. 1, Magno shared on Facebook a graph showing the law of supply and demand with the caption I miss teaching. The setting of a rice price cap was announced on the same day.

The former government official said she would be teaching at the University of the Philippines School of Economics following her resignation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 7)  Instead of implementing a rice price cap, a former agriculture executive suggested reducing or cutting tariff rates on imported rice to lower rice prices in the country.

You cannot legislate laws that will lower the [rice] price. You have to play with the supply and demand, Fermin Adriano, a former DA undersecretary for policy, planning and research, said in an interview with CNN Philippines The Final Word.

He said a better policy to implement is the temporary removal or reduction of tariff on rice from 35% to 10%.

There is no compelling reason why we should keep on exacting tariffs, if we lower the tariff then rice imports will become cheaper, Adriano said, adding that imported rice is to blame in rice price surge.

On Sept. 1, Malacanang issued an executive order setting price ceilings for rice across the country.

Executive Order 39 set the price cap for regular milled rice at 41 per kilo and for well-milled rice at 45 per kilo. It took effect last Tuesday.

READ: Nationwide price caps for rice set

Rice traders, meanwhile, called for deferment of the implementation of the order to allow traders to sell off remaining rice stocks which they purchased at higher prices.

Low rice productivity

Adriano also cited low productivity of farmers despite ample budget given to the agricultural department.

We have no choice but to import. That is the main problem," he said. "The [farmers'] productivity has not kept up with the demand of the Filipino people."

He said the productivity gains is less than 1% in the Philippines for the last 20 years.
The US government has reportedly opened a probe into Chinese chips being used in Huaweis latest 5G-enabled smartphone, a move that has raised questions around the effectiveness of President Joe Bidens recent executive orders that were supposed to have tightened export controls on such technology.

The Huawei Mate Pro 60 contains Kirin 9000s chips  7 nanometer (nm) chips that have been made in China by the partly state-owned Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), according to an analysis published by TechInsights, a semiconductor research and analysis organization.

The US has sought to restrict the availability of 7nm chips in China by imposing export restrictions, but the inclusion of the chip in the phone suggests that Chinas domestic chip making efforts may be more advanced than previously thought.

Evidence of SMIC 7nm (N+2) represents a made-in-China design and manufacturing milestone for the most advanced Chinese foundry, TechInsights wrote in a blog post.

SMIC was barred by the US from obtaining the machines necessary for the production of 7nm chips in late 2020 and to date, the most advanced chip SMIC had been known to manufacture was a larger-scale 14nm semiconductor.

The Commerce Department has yet to respond to a request for comment but Bloomberg has reported that the department has launched an investigation in light of the findings.

Tech Insights also found that found that South Korean memory maker SK hynixs LPDDR5 memory had been used in the Mate Pro 60, even though the company insists that it has not sold any of its products to the company since US sanctions were first imposed in 2020, according to Bloomberg.

"SK hynix no longer does business with Huawei since the introduction of the US restrictions against the company and with regard to the issue we started an investigation to find out more details," the company said in a statement to Bloomberg.

China-based Huawei and ZTE were both banned from providing equipment to the US government in the Defense Authorization Act of 2018, and a general import ban followed shortly thereafter. In March 2020, President Donald Trump signed a law to prevent US rural telecom carriers from using Huawei network equipment, with the Commerce Department further tightening export controls on the Chinese company in May of the same year.

The most advanced 7nm chips are made using a process called extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), a costly production method. Micron Technologies, for exmple, has invested 500 billion yen ($3.6 billion) in order to bring the technology to Japan. Micron plans to use machines powered by this technology to make the next generation of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), also known as 1-gamma chips, at its Hiroshima plant.

DRAM chips are widely used in digital electronics where low-cost and high-capacity memory is required.
Microsoft is promising to defend customers of its Copilot AI assistant against copyright lawsuits, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Customers are worried that outputs from the generative AI assistant could infringe on copyright law, putting them at risk of legal claims, Microsoft said. To address those concerns, the company pledged to defend the customer and pay any judgments or settlements incurred as a result of lawsuit.

The Copilot Copyright Commitment applies to customers that use the guardrails and contents built into its software products, Microsoft said.

Like all new technologies, AI raises legal questions that our industry will need to work through with a wide array of stakeholders, said Brad Smith, Microsoft vice chair and president, and Hossein Nowbar, CVP and chief legal officer. This step represents a pledge to our customers that the copyright liability of our products is ours to shoulder, not theirs.

Microsoft is currently building its Copilot into a range of business, security, and office software offerings. Hundreds of large businesses are already taking part in a pilot rollout of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 suite of apps, for example, which includes productivity and collaboration applications such Word, Outlook, Excel, and Teams.

The Copilot AI assistant is designed to save users time by automating tasks, such as writing draft text in documents and emails. However, it also has the potential to produce unwanted outputs, such as inaccurate information or copyrighted material, that can find their way into a customers own content. Generative AI tools such as Microsofts Copilot rely on large language models (LLMs) that are trained on a wide variety of data sources that can include books, articles, or software code owned by individuals and businesses.

Microsoft said it already has content filters in place to reduce the likelihood of Copilot generating copyright-infringing material in its responses. However, it acknowledged that more needs to be done to allay the concerns of customers considering the use of genAI tools within their organization, as well as protect those that create the content its models are trained on.

Microsoft, OpenAI, and GitHub have already faced a copyright lawsuit that claims the GitHub Copilot was trained on public GitHub repositories. The class-action complaint, filed last year in the US District Court in San Francisco, alleges that the GitHub Copilot violates the rights of developers who posted code under open-source licenses on Microsoft-owned GitHub.
Apple has pushed out an essential security update to defend against yet another attack by an out-of-control mercenary surveillance group.

Like a bad smell, NSO Group has clawed its way back into the spotlight with yet another unprincipled attack against free speech and citizens' rights, as revealed by Citizen Lab. The security researchers found this latest example of a sinister, yet egregious zero-click attack while checking the device of an Individual employed by a Washington DC-based civil society organization with international offices.

What is this attack and what does it do?

This attack, which is being used to deliver NSO Groups Pegasus mercenary spyware, is deeply concerning as it can compromise iPhones running iOS 16.6 without requiring any interaction from the victim. The researchers explained the exploit involved PassKit attachments containing malicious images sent via iMessage. The victim wasnt even required to look at this image.

What happened next?

Citizen Lab alerted Apple to the attack and the company swiftly published a security update for all its devices to protect against it. Both companies confirm Lockdown Mode will secure devices against such attack.

What Apple says

Apple published support notes detailing the content of the latest security updates. Warning that these attacks may already be actively exploited, these reveal that processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution, and that this attack was also viable against Wallet.

We would like to acknowledge The Citizen Lab at The University of Torontos Munk School for their assistance, Apple said.

Here's mbout the security content of macOS Ventura 13.5.2

Here's more about the security content of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1

What Citizen Lab says

In this critical time for the future of democracy, the out-of-control mercenary spyware industry is directly undermining our core shared values, security and human rights, Citizen Labs Senior Researcher John Scott-Railton warned the US House Intelligence Committee last July.

Once more, civil society, is serving as the cybersecurity early warning system for...billions of devices around the world, he subsequently warned on the latest attack.

These attacks are proliferating, the number of companies launching them is increasing, and researchers believe it is inevitable these dangerous exploits will eventually be used by criminals, threatening every aspect of civil society.

What this means for IT

There is a security war that must be fought. Apple has already patched 13 actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities so far this year. The time for complacency with Apple security is gone.

With this in mind, its important to adopt a less casual stance to device security.

Individuals must be extremely sensitive to slight changes in device behavior, should be prepared to change passwords more frequently and should certainly think twice before leaving devices unattended or making use of public Wi-Fi. Take sensible precautions, use tough passcodes, and don't click links from people you don't know.

IT should accelerate testing when important security updates of this kind appear, as these exploits are quite clearly being used relatively indiscriminately in the wild.

If you use a device management service at your company, it will be good practice to schedule installation of software updates as frequently as company policy permits.

Make no mistake, this is war

The mercenaries who create and profit from these attacks like to claim they only work for legitimate governments. If thats the case, it is strange that civil society advocates across the planet are regularly being targeted.

In other words, far from being found in action against a criminal or military target, this particular attack was being made against someone fighting for civil rights in some way. That is not at all reassuring.

Particularly in light of a recent investigation by the Polish government, which found gross violations of constitutional standards when the NSO Groups Pegasus surveillance software was used against opposition leaders. These clearly arent the good guys they pretend to be.

These attacks threaten us all

In general, such attacks are described as being more likely to take place against high-value targets, as they can be costly to mount. But it is inevitable that attacks of this kind will proliferate and enter the realm of mainstream digital criminality.

It is essential this egregious and amoral sham industry is bought to heel.

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
Spain's President Pedro Sanchez contracts COVID-19, to skip G-20 Summit in New Delhi

Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will skip the G-20 Meeting in New Delhi after he announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will not attend the G-20 Summit after he tested COVID-19 positive. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Sharing on X on Thursday, Sanchez wrote: "This afternoon I tested positive for COVID and will not be able to travel to New Delhi to attend the G-20 Summit."

"I feel good," he said.

He said his nation will be represented in the meeting by First Vice President Nadia Calvino Santamaria and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

"Spain will be magnificently represented by the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation," he wrote on X.

Sanchez is now the third world leader, along with China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to skip the meeting.

New Delhi will host the meeting on September 9-10.
When you learn your spouse cheated on you, you see red. The law may recognize this, saying that if you kill a spouses lover, maybe thats not murder after all but some lesser crime. For half a century, Texas went further, outright saying that homicide is justifiable when committed by the husband upon one taken in the act of adultery with the wife.

Texas eventually got rid of that loophole because it was a little too lawless for the legal code, even by Texas standards. Meanwhile, the world overall continues to respond to infidelity in ways that dont quite qualify as reasonable.

4 A Husband Demanded His Donated Kidney Back Richard Batistas wife Dawnell cheated on him, said Richard Batista. According to Dawnwell, however, hed cheated on her, and had also beaten her, a claim that another ex of his backed up. Both of them wanted a divorce, and this ushered in that time-honored ceremony known as the division of assets. Richard declared one unusual item to be an asset up for dispute: his kidney. He called it his kidney, because it had sat in his body until four years before the breakup, in 2001. That year, he donated it to Dawnell, at which point doctors would find it convenient to call it her kidney. Whether it was his kidney or her kidney, claimed Richard, the way hed passed it along during the marriage meant it was a shared assert, and he wanted it back. CDC He wanted it to filter blood, or to eat it in a pie with steak. There was never any chance of a court agreeing to carve the organ out of Dawnwell and hand it back to Richard to get surgically reinserted. But Richard (who happened to be a surgeon himself) offered another option. He hoped to get it valued at $1 million so his wife would now have to pay him that amount during the divorce. A court considered the matter and said no, that was crazy, they were turning down his request, and also, hed possibly broken the law by coming up with the idea. Advertisement

3 A Detroit Man Kept His Wife in a Freezer for Four Years In 1985, Leonard Tyburski realized his wife Dorothy was having an affair. The other man was Craig Albright, who happened to be living in the house with them for the simple reason that Craig was also dating Kelly, the couples 18-year-old daughter. When Leonard confronted Dorothy with his suspicions, she admitted the truth, and then started throwing stuff at him in the kitchen, including knives  or at least, thats what he would claim years later. While this sounds like a scene invented by a defendant to paint himself as the victim, the couples daughters would testify that this was typical Dorothy behavior. Nadia Storm/Unsplash Throwing steak knives, sleeping with Craig. Thats Dorothy for you. Advertisement They wound up in the basement, where Leonard slammed her head against a metal post 11 times, which is a few times more than is necessary for merely incapacitating an opponent. He would later claim that at the end of this fight, he pushed her away and she happened to fall backwards right into a chest freezer set up in the basement. Later, more credibly, hed say he thrust her in the freezer, or flung her in would be a better word. Leonard told his daughters that Dorothy had abandoned them, and he filed a missing persons report on her. Years passed. Kelly would have nightmares that featured her mom, stiff in place and unable to move. In 1989, these nightmares inspired her to think about that freezer in the basement. It remained sealed shut because (claimed Leonard) theyd lost the key. That didnt make much sense. Why hadnt Leonard broken the lock open at some point to use the appliance again? TastingPoland/Wiki Commons There was valuable hamburger meat down there. And maybe some kielbasa. Advertisement Advertisement Craig, still in touch though no longer dating either of the Tyburski women, suggested breaking into the freezer herself and taking a look. So, one day, Kelly snapped open the lock with a screwdriver and saw what shed intuited might be there: her mothers folded-up body, preserved and barefoot, lying over a layer of frozen hamburger and kielbasa. A court sentenced Leonard to 20-to-40 years. Five years into this sentence, his daughters successfully petitioned for the sentence to be reduced. He was a good father, they said.

2 One Wife Cut Off Her Husbands Penis... Twice Speaking of chopped kielbasa, when a man cheats, theres a worryingly common consensus about the correct response: @xtinatotx Advertisement Advertisement Only occasionally do wives make good on this promise. The most famous angry penis amputation surely came courtesy of Lorena Bobbit in 1993, and that case didnt have anything to do with cheating. In 2015, however, from Shangqiu in China, we got the following story of a wife who found her husband had been carrying out some extramarital activity when she looked at his phone and saw an email hed typed up. Feng, 30, responded by approaching the husband in bed and snipping off his penis with scissors while he was sleeping. Fan Lung, the husband, now went to a hospital half-cocked to get the organ reattached. Much like with the Bobbit case, the attachment was successful  at first. But the hospital did not monitor the man carefully, and the next they heard of him was when they responded to reports of a man, naked, attacking a woman outside their building. Advertisement Advertisement Fan was not merely taking revenge on his wife for the earlier severance. Instead, Feng had come to the hospital, entered his room, cut the penis off a second time, and threw it out of an opened window. Fan left the building, either in a failed attempt at penis retrieval or in pursuit of Feng. Either way, he did not find the defenestrated member and turned his fury upon Fan. Police took Fan into custody. Hospital staff tried to find the detached penis, but they did not succeed. Presumably, some stray cat found it and ate it.
I want to be clear: Theres no punishment for enjoying these trivia tidbits right here and now. But if you can hold off consuming them, we want to reward your patience with twice as many trivia tidbits. Sounds good, right?

I mean, Im sure it would feel great to just go ahead and nibble on the tidbit about the compromised sanctity of Rotten Tomatoes. Or how long PepsiCo says it takes a rodent to dissolve in a can of Mountain Dew. Or Canadas official apology law. But its your choice! Totally up to you. Well just be on the other side of this one-way mirror, observing your every move.

Enjoy!

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12 The Beautiful Cigar Girl Responsible for the NYPD and Criminalized Abortion Mary Rogers, a clerk at a New York City cigar store who was widely known for being super hot, was mysteriously murdered in 1841. While originally thought to have been kidnapped and killed by a gang, its more likely that she was the victim of a botched abortion. The story gained so much attention that the city passed a law ushering in the modernization of the police force, and the state passed a law criminalizing abortion. That fixed all policing- and abortion-related problems, forever. (Source)

11 The MythBusters Accidentally Shot a Cannonball Through a House and a Car While goofing around at a police bomb range, a cannonball careened off course and hurtled into a residential neighborhood 700 yards away. A horrifying ordeal, but luckily no one was hurt. The MythBusters have referred to it as their worst day on the job. (Source)

10 Walmart Was Too Horny for Germany Walmart Germany lifted the requirement for employees to smile at people, because male customers thought they were coming on to them. A union boss said, People found these things strange; Germans just dont behave that way. (Source)

9 An Entire Town in One Building The majority of the 280 permanent residents of Whittier, Alaska live  and work  in a single 14-story building. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement

8 Canada Passed an Apology Law Its not just a trope that Canadians apologize a lot  sorry is a true cultural touchstone, and, as of 2009, an actual law. The Apology Act says that expressing regret or apology  like saying sorry after a car accident  cant be used as an admission of guilt in a court of law. (Source)

7 The Sanctity of the Tomatometer Has Been Called Into Question PR firm Bunker 15 has allegedly been gaming the system, paying Rotten Tomatoes critics $50 for positive reviews of their clients movies, or convincing them to relegate negative reviews to smaller webpages that RT doesnt monitor. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement

6 A Missing Dog Almost Won a Dog Show A guy was on his way to a dog show when he scooped up a lost beagle he saw on the side of the road, examined her and decided to enter her in the show. She won third place in the Best Rescue Dog category  technically, if briefly, true  before they found her owner and reunited them. (Source)

5 A Coke Employee Tried to Sell Trade Secrets, and Pepsi Narced An ex-secretary at Coca-Cola allegedly offered to sell secret documents and products to the highest bidder in 2007. Instead of taking her up on it, Pepsi warned Coke about the scheme, then played along with an undercover FBI sting to catch her. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement

4 A Missing Woman Resurfaced During Her Own Murder Trial Fourteen-year-old Natasha Ryan went missing in 1998, and was thought to have been kidnapped by local creep and murderer Leonard Fraser. During his trial for Ryans murder, an anonymous tip pointed police to her boyfriends house, where she had been hiding for five years. She had decided to run away and live with her 22-year-old boyfriend, a local milkman. (Source)

3 Bill Clinton Snuck Away from the Secret Service in a Trench Coat A Secret Service agent has said that Clinton would often sneak out under their protection to hook up with various women, but one time inexplicably snuck out behind their backs, too. He was discovered in the back seat of his lawyers car, hunkered under a trench coat. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement

2 The Inventor of the Computer Mouse Saw It As the First Step in Human-Computer Hybridization Engineer Douglas Engelbart was obsessed with using the unprecedented power of mid-20th century computers to augment human intelligence. We would have never made it to chimp-killing brainstem microchips, though, without Engelbarts blocky wooden mouse, which he first demoed in 1968. (Source)
Shane Gillis just cant seem to stay out of trouble. The guy who got fired from Saturday Night Live before he even got started leads off his new Netflix special, Beautiful Dogs, with a story about landing in Australia for the first time. Dude. This is your fucking country, dude? Other countries suck. America is number one. Gillis wastes no time informing individual Aussies about Americas superiority, countered by questions about our countrys mass shootings. Gillis fires right back: At least were not gay!

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On the @NetflixIsAJoke social channels, some Australians are upset: Pretty bold from someone who lives in a country without free ambulance usage, free hospital coverage, four weeks of sick leave, and, of course, the fact that we can send out children to school without fearing that they will be mass-murdered.

Whats the matter, Crocodile Offendee, cant you take a joke? After all, Gillis is selling all of this xenophobic comedy with a self-aware wink that says, I know you think Im a white male creep, so Im just playing along. Im kidding, man, Im kidding!

Gillis knows that a certain part of his audience is irate at the racist and homophobic slurs that he threw around on podcasts, offenses that cost him the SNL job. But he also knows that another part of his audience, the true-blue fans who actually buy tickets, are here for that very thing  not the slurs necessarily, but the attitude. Eff your political correctness, Im going to say what I want. This is America!

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So Gillis spends most of Beautiful Dogs in a playful game of attack and retreat. Women? I have no female friends, he says. Im more of a having-a-good-time type of guy. About his live-in girlfriend? As soon as were done having sex, I wish that shed fucking evaporate. But hey, hes just kidding: I know thats not the best joke of all time, he giggles. I understand that most of the women here are girlfriends that were dragged to this show that already dont like me because every time theyre in their car, their boyfriends are like, Listen to this part of the podcast. Im aware.

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The homophobic slurs that got him in trouble a few years ago? Theyre gone, but hes still using gay as a euphemism for anyone whos not a normal schlubby guy like Gillis. Navy SEALS are gay. Guys who are actually good at sex are gay. Australians? Well, as weve discussed, gay.

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Gillis compliments Black people by playing the hits from 1980s stand-up comedy  white people need Black people to remind them theyre not cool! Black guys have big dicks!

He throws the r-slur around when goofing on reality show, Love on the Spectrum. But once again, he acknowledges his sins: I know I said retarded a couple of times. My bad on that. Im not trying to give myself a pass on being able to use that word. But I will say, I dont know if you can tell by looking at me, I do have family members with Down syndrome.

Beautiful Dogs, which has taken the top spot on Netflixs U.S. charts all week, is a certified hit and its likely due to Gilliss canny way of having his cake and eating it too. The special is full of the comedian throwing red meat to fans tired of what they see as PC bullshit, while at the same time letting us know hes in on that particular joke. Hes not a reactionary conservative (although he does confess that he might be in early onset Republican)  hes just a smart comic giving the people exactly what they want, all with a self-deprecating grin that says Cant we all just have a beer and chill? Considering that Gillis was about as canceled as a comic can get without actually committing a crime, Its one hell of a comeback story. Will he get in more trouble? Probably  and I get the sense thats just what he has in mind.
As anyone whos watched Saturday Night Live for decades knows, some of its sketches have  not gotten better over time. To prove the point, u/CaptainPajamaShark hopped on Reddits u/LiveFromNewYork this week to ask the question: What are some racist SNL sketches that have not aged well? To get the ball rolling, u/CaptainPajamaShark threw out Dana Carveys Chinese proprietor of a pet chicken shop.

But it gets worse. Here are other racist SNL sketches through the years, according to Redditors.

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Word Association No sketch inspired more debate than the Chevy Chase/Richard Pryor classic, featuring a psychological test during a job interview that eventually exposes the Chase characters true intentions. Play Advertisement The Reddit debate wasnt around whether the sketch was racist  many characterized it as antiracist  but more about how it would be perceived today if it was allowed to air at all. Word Association wouldn't fly today because of the hard-R n-word coming out of Chase's mouth, suggested u/Cheap_Rick.  It was and remains a good sketch to broach the subject of racism and discrimination. Yes, but people these days don't see it as such, argued u/Chasman1965. Same with the movie Blazing Saddles.

Adrian Brodys musical introduction, mon Advertisement Advertisement Brody was allegedly working off-script (though thats now disputed) when he donned dreadlocks and a terrible Jamaican accent to introduce musical act Sean Paul. The second hand embarrassment from the Brody introduction is painful, wrote u/Vorenos. u/2Twice throws out a theory for Brodys motivation: Strong claims it was deliberately done to not be asked back. It worked I guess.

Bill Haders blackface Advertisement Advertisement Yep, Hader too. It was to make a satirical point, but Saturday Night Live just cant seem to learn its lesson on this one. u/WaywardChilton nominated it while acknowledging he was playing a clueless white guy wearing blackface in a Tropic Thunder/Always Sunny kinda way. u/TrapperJean thought SNL was actually making a satirical point: I think blackface can be funny still as long as the butt of the joke is blackface itself. Other Redditors pointed fingers at more SNL blackface through the years, including Fred Armisens Barack Obama, Darrell Hammonds Jesse Jackson, Jimmy Fallons Chris Rock, and Billy Crystals Sammy Davis Jr.

Old Chinaman Beer The teeth. Holy shit. Advertisement Not surprisingly, this Eddie Murphy/Joe Piscopo joint isnt up on the official SNL YouTube channel. This is real, promises u/grozenlampreys. I believe it was a parody of a real commercial at the time and they did different runners that night parodying it, first it was Old Jew Beer, another one I'm forgetting and then this one. The teeth, boggled u/bogus-flow. Holy shit. This sketch got several comments along the lines of This should be at the top, and Welp, we have a winner.
Five apartments at Olympic Tower on different floors are all owned by one holding company seeking one buyer. Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photo: agefotostock/Alamy Stock Photo

The listing is bizarre. For $34 million, it advertises five apartments across four floors of Olympic Tower, the Fifth Avenue high-rise made glamorous by Halston and Jackie O and a little infamous by global billionaires like Imelda Marcos and Adnan Khashoggi. The sale of five, at once, from a single seller, was intriguing enough. Then there was the strange fact that the apartments are decidedly uncombinable  theyre not even on consecutive floors; no secret elevator connects them, no hidden dumbwaiter. Just five separate, very different apartments: a pair of flavorless one-bedrooms on the 31st and 33rd floors, a fancier two-bedroom with walk-in closets and views of St. Pats on the 31st floor, and a studio with wood paneling and an undignified Murphy bed on the 23rd floor. Then, theres 49CDE: 5,500 square feet with views on three sides of the building, complete with security cameras and a staff entrance. And no, you cant buy them a la carte, says broker, Reba Miller. They will all be sold together as one. The value is in the whole.

The apartment that spans the 49th floor gives visitors an enormous feeling of space, because you go from one side of the building to the other side, said broker Reba Miller. Photo: Courtesy of Compass

And that value is what, exactly? A diversified portfolio,  i.e., five properties at different price points  Miller says. The quality that makes them not so diverse  that theyre all in the same building  is just another selling point, she says. If somebody wanted to try to buy five on their own, she said, I dont know if they could. Investors sometimes gradually buy up 20 or 30 apartments in a single building  or snag them when the building opens or converts. But Miller says shed never sold a group this big together in an older building. You dont ever see this. (Even the owners of this listing bought the units in pieces  first in 2006, buying the studio and 49CDE for a combined $14.5 million; then in 2009, they bought the other three units from a single anonymous LLC.)

31B is one of two one-bedrooms that are part of the portfolio. Miller suggests they can be used by family members or business associates. Photo: Courtesy of Compass

When I asked Steven Goldschmidt, the vice-president and director of sales for Coldwell Banker Warburg, he said the listing wasnt advertised like a set of traditional investment properties  theres no mention of the potential income any of them could generate. That suggested the buyer or seller wouldnt care about collecting rents and might be someone like an oligarch, he said, who maybe used the other units for staff or family. And why all at once? Goldschmidt suggested most owners with a portfolio sell off apartments one by one, but that this owner might have needed to liquidate assets or just wanted out of this particular investment.

Miller wouldnt say who owned the apartments, but she agreed an ideal buyer might be similar to the seller  an extraordinarily wealthy man who loved the building and loved having family and friends travel with him. He had homes all over the world, and he accumulated these apartments for this purpose.

So who was this extraordinarily wealthy man who loved the building, his friends, and family? The legal documents for the five apartments listed the owner as Olympic Towers Holdings Ltd.  not unusual for the LLC-friendly building. It wasnt registered in New York State, but in Israel, associated with a firm based in Tel Aviv.

33C is the second one-bedroom. Both were acquired in 2009, three years after buying the apartment on the 49th floor. Photo: Courtesy of Compass

To learn more about who might be behind the holding company, I looked at who hed bought from. The last owner of 49CDE and 23G was public in the deeds and in the press: Roger Waters, the frontman of Pink Floyd. But I didnt get a call back from his production company or any former employees. I tried calling brokers who represent the 19 other units that are now for sale in the building or whod publicly talked about sales in Olympic Tower, hoping one had heard something. But only one broker picked up, and he said my mystery wasnt very mysterious: People do buy multiple apartments in the building all the time, said Ryan Zeiger. You could have them for family, staff, friends, as an investment.

A 1,525-square foot two-bedroom on the 31st floor has views of the spires of St. Patricks cathedral below. Photo: Courtesy of Compass

Sure, but who would sell all of them at once? He didnt know. So I called every resident at Olympic who had been public about living there since 2006, including Dena Rashes, a former banker, who said she didnt know the owners  but that their configuration wasnt so unusual; her own family has three units in the tower. For us, its a place to have three generations of our family in one place at the same time, she said. It gives everyone sort of a sense of privacy and a place of their own.

The last apartment thats part of this group is on the 23rd floor  the second-lowest residential floor at the tower. Its a studio with a Murphy bed. Photo: Courtesy of Compass

That evening, after Id logged off, having given up hope on ever identifying this particular owner-of-several-Olympic-Tower-apartments, I got a call back from another person who lives in the building, and who wished to remain anonymous. They told me that the family who lived in the unit on the 49th floor had been there for ages and had the last name of the owners of Chanel. (The fashion house is owned by the Wertheimer family.) Then another resident, Jeff Jacobs, called me back too. When I asked him who lived in the block of apartments, he said, Its an Israeli family called the Wertheimers. Since 2009 he had lived close enough to one of their units, on the 31st floor, that he had some sense of how they used it: Its been a roundhouse of different people going into that apartment, he said. It seemed to me like it was either an Airbnb or maybe something to do with a corporation where theyd let different corporate executives fly in and use the apartments.

The Israeli branch of the Wertheimer family does not own Chanel. They did own a metalworking company, Iscar, which they sold in 2006, when they bought the apartment, to Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway for more than $6 billion, making them one of Israels richest families. (Buffett told shareholders he saw them as managerial magicians who constantly develop tools that make their customers machines more productive.) Articles on the sale describe the family patriarch, Eitan Wertheimer, as low-key and folksy. But he apparently had a taste for New York real estate. After selling to Buffett, he helped develop 443 Greenwich into a luxury building with two partners: Ezra Dagmi and Shahab Karmely. Both those names show up in deeds: Ezras daughter, Desiree Dagmi, signed for the 2006 purchase, and both the 2006 and 2009 purchase lists the address for the tax bill as KAR Properties on Madison Avenue. Karmely is the CEO of the company, which didnt return my call.

As for why the Wertheimer clan would be selling all five apartments now, well: Eitan died of cancer last April at age 70. Still, his daughter, Maya Wertheimer, had been living in New York because her husband, Asaf Zamir, had been appointed Israels consul general in 2021. Mayas Instagram account is private, and a message to her talent agent did not get a response. But her mother, the painter Ariela Wertheimer, had posted on Instagram publicly from what looked like the view from the 49th floor. When I reached her DMs, she confirmed that they had lived in 49CDE. For all other inquiries, she sent me to her real-estate agent.

Eitan Wertheimer, the Israeli billionaire, died in 2022. Photo: Nati Harnik/AP

So why did they decide to sell? The answer, after all of this, might be Benjamin Netanyahu.

This past spring, Maya Wertheimers husband, Asaf Zamir, stepped down from his post in New York in protest of Netanyahus hard-line policies. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that the couple planned to return to Tel Aviv. A screenshot from Mayas instagram shows she isnt missing the five apartments: New York, we love you, dont get me wrong. Its not you, its Israel. This is our home.
Summary Table

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AUD/JPY

AUD/JPY: Retail trader data shows 37.39% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 1.67 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 0.78% higher than yesterday and 5.15% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 5.37% higher than yesterday and 11.92% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-short suggests AUD/JPY prices may continue to rise.

Traders are further net-short than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger AUD/JPY-bullish contrarian trading bias.

AUD/USD

AUD/USD: Retail trader data shows 73.06% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.71 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.39% lower than yesterday and 5.96% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 12.14% higher than yesterday and 23.31% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests AUD/USD prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current AUD/USD price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.

Oil - US Crude

Oil - US Crude: Retail trader data shows 79.93% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 3.98 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 23.92% higher than yesterday and 32.01% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 6.72% lower than yesterday and 22.69% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Oil - US Crude prices may continue to fall.

Traders are further net-long than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger Oil - US Crude-bearish contrarian trading bias.

Germany 40

Germany 40: Retail trader data shows 63.34% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.73 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 5.13% higher than yesterday and 2.50% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 9.08% higher than yesterday and 21.41% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Germany 40 prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current Germany 40 price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.

EUR/CHF

EUR/CHF: Retail trader data shows 70.25% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.36 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 9.77% lower than yesterday and 18.23% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 11.76% higher than yesterday and 31.68% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests EUR/CHF prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current EUR/CHF price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.

EUR/GBP

EUR/GBP: Retail trader data shows 41.08% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 1.43 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 4.18% higher than yesterday and 4.53% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 6.50% higher than yesterday and 10.39% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-short suggests EUR/GBP prices may continue to rise.

Traders are further net-short than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger EUR/GBP-bullish contrarian trading bias.

EUR/JPY

EUR/JPY: Retail trader data shows 18.17% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 4.50 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 14.19% lower than yesterday and 14.77% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 6.32% higher than yesterday and 8.63% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-short suggests EUR/JPY prices may continue to rise.

Traders are further net-short than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger EUR/JPY-bullish contrarian trading bias.

EUR/USD

EUR/USD: Retail trader data shows 60.63% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.54 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 5.07% lower than yesterday and 18.48% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 20.30% higher than yesterday and 16.89% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests EUR/USD prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is less net-long than yesterday but more net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed EUR/USD trading bias.

France 40

France 40: Retail trader data shows 67.37% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.06 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 4.62% lower than yesterday and 9.13% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 18.69% higher than yesterday and 5.82% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests France 40 prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current France 40 price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.

FTSE 100

FTSE 100: Retail trader data shows 76.84% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 3.32 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 1.84% lower than yesterday and 1.66% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 10.63% higher than yesterday and 10.32% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests FTSE 100 prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is less net-long than yesterday but more net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed FTSE 100 trading bias.

GBP/JPY

GBP/JPY: Retail trader data shows 32.04% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 2.12 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 4.63% lower than yesterday and 10.82% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 4.30% higher than yesterday and 2.24% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-short suggests GBP/JPY prices may continue to rise.

Traders are further net-short than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger GBP/JPY-bullish contrarian trading bias.

GBP/USD

GBP/USD: Retail trader data shows 69.43% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.27 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 2.95% lower than yesterday and 14.02% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 13.08% higher than yesterday and 18.01% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests GBP/USD prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is less net-long than yesterday but more net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed GBP/USD trading bias.

Gold

Gold: Retail trader data shows 60.50% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.53 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 12.00% higher than yesterday and 3.91% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 1.84% lower than yesterday and 6.80% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Gold prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is more net-long than yesterday but less net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed Gold trading bias.

NZD/USD

NZD/USD: Retail trader data shows 72.64% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.65 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.96% higher than yesterday and 0.68% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 2.89% lower than yesterday and 10.53% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests NZD/USD prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is more net-long than yesterday but less net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed NZD/USD trading bias.

Silver

Silver: Retail trader data shows 86.39% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 6.35 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.68% lower than yesterday and 1.46% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 9.31% higher than yesterday and 3.24% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Silver prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current Silver price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.

US 500

US 500: Retail trader data shows 65.93% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.93 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.40% lower than yesterday and 12.88% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 5.83% higher than yesterday and 10.65% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests US 500 prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is less net-long than yesterday but more net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed US 500 trading bias.

USD/CAD

USD/CAD: Retail trader data shows 22.00% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 3.55 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 14.05% higher than yesterday and 35.08% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 1.45% lower than yesterday and 52.03% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-short suggests USD/CAD prices may continue to rise.

Positioning is less net-short than yesterday but more net-short from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed USD/CAD trading bias.

USD/CHF

USD/CHF: Retail trader data shows 70.80% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.43 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.10% higher than yesterday and 11.78% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is unchanged than yesterday and 10.76% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests USD/CHF prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is more net-long than yesterday but less net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed USD/CHF trading bias.

USD/JPY

USD/JPY: Retail trader data shows 15.36% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 5.51 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 9.59% lower than yesterday and 3.02% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 4.31% higher than yesterday and 7.74% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-short suggests USD/JPY prices may continue to rise.

Positioning is more net-short than yesterday but less net-short from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed USD/JPY trading bias.

Wall Street

Wall Street: Retail trader data shows 54.03% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.18 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 20.37% lower than yesterday and 8.71% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 49.33% higher than yesterday and 21.81% higher from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Wall Street prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current Wall Street price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.
Article by IG Senior Market Analyst Axel Rudolph

FTSE100, DAX 40, S&P 500 Analysis and Charts

FTSE 100 recovery underway

The FTSE 100 is recovering from this weeks low at 7,369 amid rising oil and commodity prices and as the governor of the Bank of England (BoE), Andrew Bailey cast doubt on the need for further rate hikes. The breached July-to-September downtrend line, because of inverse polarity a support line - now at 7,366 - offered support this week with an attempt to reach the 55-day simple moving average (SMA) at 7,474 currently underway. Above it lurks the July-to-September resistance line at 7,493 and also at Mondays 7,524 high. This level would need to be bettered for the 200-day SMA to come back into play.

Minor support sits at the late August 7,419 low.

FTSE 100 Daily Chart

Recommended by IG Top Trading Lessons Get My Guide



DAX 40 tries to stabilize

The DAX 40 had a difficult week for bulls as Euro Zone growth worries, a rising US dollar and yields weighed on sentiment and led to an over 2% drop in the index from its late August high at 16,044. While Thursdays 15,650 low holds on a daily chart closing basis on Friday, though, the 24 August high at 15,895 may be revisited. Slightly further up the July-to-September uptrend line and 55-day simple moving average (SMA) can be spotted a 15,916 to 15,928.

Were this weeks low at 15,650 to fall through on a daily chart closing basis, the August lows and 200-day SMA at 15,545 to 15,469 would be in sight.

DAX 40 Daily Chart

Download the Free IG Sentiment Report

Germany 40 Bullish Data provided by of clients are net long. of clients are net short.

Change in Longs Shorts OI Daily 5% 9% 7% Weekly 0% 31% 10%



S&P 500 tries to stem decline ahead of weekend

Following four straight days of declining prices, the S&P 500 may try to find support above Thursdays low at 4,430 amid short-covering ahead of next weeks US consumer price index publication. A rising US dollar and treasury yields, along with Chinas ban on iPhone usage for government officials weighed on the index this week as did rising probabilities of another Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike before the year is out. On Thursday the former Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said that policymakers should stick to their plan for one more rate hike.

While this weeks low at 4,430 holds, a bounce back toward the 55-day simple moving average (SMA) at 4,474 may ensue. This level coincides with the 24 August high. Further up lies the psychological 4,500 mark ahead of the current September peak at 4,540.

A fall through 4,430 would push the March-to-September uptrend line at 4,402 to the fore.

S&P 500 Daily Chart
On August 31, U.S.-based airline JetBlue announced that it has decided to suspend all flights to Cuba, effective September 17. In 2016, when U.S.-Cuba relations began to thaw, JetBlue flew the first direct commercial flight to Cuba from the United States in 50 years. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest, and Delta will still provide direct flights to Cuba from the United States, however, United will cut its direct flights from Newark, New Jersey in October.

Airport workers receive the JetBlue flight 387 holding the United States and Cuban national flags on the airport tarmac in Santa Clara, Cuba in 2017. This was the first US commercial flight to US since 1961 [Ramon Espinosa, AP]

Demand for travel to the island has been significantly affected by changes to the regulatory landscape and restrictions on our customers ability to enter Cuba, stated the airline.





U.S.-Cuba relations began to thaw during Barack Obamas presidency. Obama announced that the United States would normalize relations with Cuba and took the island off of the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list in May 2015. His successor, former President Donald Trump, essentially reversed this entire process, once again adding Cuba to the SSOT list right before he left office and piling on an additional 243 sanctions against the socialist nation. President Joe Biden has left these Trump-era sanctions largely untouched, despite protests against the heightened U.S. blockade against Cuba.





U.S.-based Cuba solidarity group the National Network on Cuba stated, Airlines suspending their flights to Cuba is a huge hit to the Cuban tourism industry, which is Cubas biggest source of income. The Biden administration is continuing Trumps course of reversing U.S.-Cuba normalization and tightening the economic stranglehold of the island.





Credit Line: from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service
Robin Roberts and her longtime partner, Amber Laign, are one step closer to saying 'I do' after 18 years together.

The brides-to-be looked more in love than ever as they visited the Farmington County Clerk's Office in Connecticut to obtain their marriage license ahead of their wedding on Friday.

Roberts, 62, and Laign, 49, smiled and held hands in the heartwarming video that was shared on the Good Morning America anchor's Instagram page the night before the ceremony.

'Road to the Ring is nearing an end18 years and totally worth the wait!' she wrote in the caption, adding the hashtags #ThankfulThursday and #HappyWeddingEve.

Robin Roberts and her longtime partner, Amber Laign, picked up their marriage license this week ahead of their wedding on Friday

The Good Morning America anchor shared a video of the heartwarming moment on Instagram

The footage began with them walking arm-in-arm toward the town hall in Farmington, where Roberts owns a home.

When asked where they were going, Laign announced that they were getting their marriage license.

The massage therapist couldn't hide her excitement as she gave an open-mouth smile right before they entered the office.

After confirming that their paperwork was filled out, the Farmington County Clerk's Office employee had them raise their right hands.

'Do you sincerely affirm and declare that the statements herein made are true?' she asked, and they both said, 'Yes.'

Roberts was the first to sign the paperwork followed by Laign.

'I have to get used to signing Roberts,' she said of taking her future wife's name.

'This is your marriage license. You'll give this to the reverend at your wedding along with instructions in this envelope,' the employee explained.

Roberts, 62, and Laign, 49, smiled and held hands as they walked into the Farmington County Clerk's Office in Connecticut

Laign couldn't hide her excitement as she gave an open-mouth smile right before they entered the office

A Farmington County Clerk's Office employee had them raise their right hands and confirm the information on the marriage license was true

'He's going to fill out this section down here that says "officiator." There are only a couple of spots for him to fill in. Then he's going to return it to this office.

'We're going to get this. We'll sign it, and we'll add your socials. This paper stays in our vault forever and ever.'

Roberts said 'everything was wonderful' as they walked out, but she admitted they had an interesting interaction during the visit.

'There was a gentleman who said there are three rings to marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffer-ring. That was nice to hear,' she joked.

The couple obtained their marriage license just a few days after Laign celebrated her 49th birthday on September 5.

Roberts shared a sweet video of her fiancee making a wish before blowing out the candles on her cake.

'Big week for Sweet Amber! Before we exchange our wedding vows later this weektonight a special Birthday celebration,' she captioned the footage.

Roberts and Laign were introduced by mutual friends in 2005, after being set up on a blind date. The former opened up about their meeting in her memoir, 'Everybody's Got Something.'

Roberts was the first to sign the paperwork followed by Laign, who is taking her future wife's name. 'I have to get used to signing Roberts,' she said

Roberts said 'everything was wonderful' as they walked out, but she admitted they had an interesting interaction during the visit

'There was a gentleman who said there are three rings to marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffer-ring. That was nice to hear,' Roberts joked.

'I liked the fact that she had no idea who I was. She rarely followed sports, so she never saw me on ESPN, and her office mates at the time watched a different morning show  ouch!' she wrote.

'She is extremely laid-back, no drama, no fuss,' she added. 'The main thing we have in common is positive energy. She sees the good in everyone.'

Roberts had Laign's support when she fought and overcame an early form of breast cancer in 2007. Five years later, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells.

She underwent several sessions of chemotherapy, and on September 20, 2012, she had a bone marrow transplant from her sister, Sally-Ann Roberts, before returning to Good Morning America in February 2013.

The couple kept their relationship private until 2013, when Roberts came out for the first time in a Facebook post. She shared a list of all the people she was thankful for in honor of the year coming to an end and included her 'longtime girlfriend, Amber.'

Nearly a decade later, their roles reversed and Roberts became the one caring for Laign as she fought breast cancer.

Roberts revealed Laign's cancer diagnosis in a video shared on her social media accounts in February 2022, saying she would have to step away from the morning show 'from time to time' to be by her partner's side while she underwent treatment.

'My sweet Amber wanted me to tell you something that shes been facing. At the end of [2021], Amber was diagnosed with breast cancer,' she said.

The couple obtained their marriage license a few days after Laign celebrated her 49th birthday on September 5. Roberts shared a video of her fiancee blowing out the candles on her cake

'Big week for Sweet Amber! Before we exchange our wedding vows later this weektonight a special Birthday celebration,' Roberts captioned the footage

The GMA star explained that Laign had surgery the month before and was starting chemotherapy that day.

'Thankfully, the prognosis is good. And were so grateful to our family and close friends who have known this and have kept it private until Amber was ready to share it with others,' she continued.

'Im just thankful that her spirits have been lifted,' she said. 'Recently it was a little tough there when  because she just wanted to get through it and to have this wrench thrown in our way  but I was able to tell her, as most people [who] have gone through cancer, this happens.'

Laign completed her radiation treatment in July 2022.

In January, Roberts revealed that she and Laign were getting married in 2023, a year after her partner's breast cancer diagnosis.

She made the surprise announcement on GMA while interviewing author Gabby Bernstein about her book 'Super Attractor: Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams.'

Bernstein was sharing techniques for setting intentions in 2023 when she asked Roberts what she would 'say yes' to this year.

The flustered journalist admitted she was hesitant to answer because she hadn't 'said it out loud yet.'

'Im saying yes to marriage. Were getting married this year,' she finally shared. 'Its something we have talked about, but we had put it off. She became ill, and it is saying yes to that and that next chapter.'

Roberts appeared to surprise everyone, including herself, when she divulged their plans to tie the knot this year.
The royal family have shared a touching previously unseen picture of the late Queen on social media as they mark the first anniversary of her passing.

The image of Queen Elizabeth was taken at Buckingham Palace when she was just 42 in October 1968 by Cecil Beaton.

A number of images from the set have previously been shared, but the photograph, which shows the Queen dressed in a lilac dress and beaming at the camera, is believed to be new.

The image was shared on the royal family's official social media page today, alongside the words: 'In loving and everlasting memory.'

The caption continued: 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 21st April 1926  8th September 2022.'

The royal family have shared a touching previously unseen picture of the late Queen on social media as they mark the one year anniversary of her passing

The image was shared on the royal family's official social media page today, alongside the words: 'In loving and everlasting memory'

One image from the set is on display at the National Portrait Gallery, and shows the Queen smiling.

The photographs show the late monarch wearing the Cambridge pearl pendant brooch.

The historic brooch, over 140 years old, originally belonged to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge before being passed down to Queen Elizabeth from her grandmother.

Queen Elizabeth famously wore the piece for a portrait on her 50th birthday at Windsor Castle, on the 21st April, 1976 and, earlier, for a Christmas broadcast in 1971.

The monarch also wore the brooch in 2019 during a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the work of The Queen's Trust and while welcoming the Peruvian ambassador at the palace in 2018.

The King today paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

The King today paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.'

It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton  the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.

It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.

The King apparently selected the photograph because of the 'lovely'  and slightly mischievous  look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.
Friend of King Charles III, Jonathan Dimbleby, has opened up about the monarch on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's passing.

Talking to Good Morning Britain hosts Kate Garraway, 56, and Ben Shepard, 48, Dimbleby, 79, discussed Charles' 'big transition' in becoming King.

Dimbleby, who previously wrote Charles' biography, told the presenters that he was in 'no rush' to take the ascend the throne given 'vast number of endeavors that he was fully engaged in' as the Prince of Wales.

Nonetheless, the 'role fits him like a glove', and while he does not check the polls, Charles would be 'pleased' with his reception from the public, one that 'any politician would die for'.

Reflecting on Charles's first year as monarch, he added that: 'He's very diligent and works very very hard', but Dimbleby believes he differs vastly from his mother.

Friend of King Charles, Jonathan Dimbleby (pictured) ,79, discussed the Charles' transition since the Queen's passing

The King's biographer added that Charles is 'committed' and works very hard, but he has approached the role in a different manner from Queen Elizabeth.

He explained: 'He's very dignified in his formal performances, he's extraordinarily relaxed and informal.

'He's not serene like she [Queen Elizabeth] was'.

He said: 'He was never in a rush, he had a huge life before. He was Prince of Wales before and had a huge number of endeavours which he was fully engaged with, so it was a big transition.

'He must be very, very relieved that he is held in such high regard. I don't think he looks at polls at all, but we know people think he's great - polls any politician would die for.'

Dimbleby supposes that these changes are due to the generational differences between the mother and son.

Nonetheless, he believes that Charles has succeeded during 'terribly challenging times', were the country is dealing with the cost-of-living crisis and global issues including climate change.

It comes as King Charles paid a moving tribute to his adored mother today as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

Dimbleby told Good Morning Britain presenters that Charles is 'not serene' like his mother but is still 'an extraordinary' man

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

Hosts Kate Garraway , 56, and Ben Shepard , 48, discussed Charles' transition to the throne with Dimbleby

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.'

It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton  the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.

It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.

The King apparently selected the photograph because of the 'lovely'  and slightly mischievous  look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.
Sarah Ferguson has paid a sweet tribute to the late Queen on the first anniversary of her death.

The Duchess of York, 63, described her former mother-in-law as a 'wonderful friend, mentor and a second mother' in a touching Instagram post.

Sarah, who was married to the Queen's 'favourite son' Prince Andrew for 10 years, shared a sweet photo of the late monarch in her youth.

'You were a wonderful friend, a mentor, a second mother to me and grandmother to my daughters who share so much of your courage and heart.

'You will always be loved and missed by our family and our nation,' she wrote.

Sarah, who goes by Fergie, often talks about her closeness to the Queen.

Sarah Ferguson has paid a sweet tribute to the late Queen on the first anniversary of her death

Paying tribute to her former mother-in-law last year following her death, she praised the Queen as a 'fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness.'

On a personal note, she thanked the Queen for being 'the most incredible mother-in-law and friend', adding: 'I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce.'

Sarah Ferguson continues to live at the Royal Lodge in Windsor with her estranged husband Prince Andrew.

Following news of the Queen's death, Fergie wrote: 'I am heartbroken by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.

'She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years.

'She has given her whole life selflessly to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.

'To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce. I will miss her more than words can express.'

The Duchess of York who divorced the Duke of York in 1996, has sparked a raft of royal scandals over the years, but said the monarch was her 'greatest mentor' and had always believed in her.

The Duchess of York, 63, described her former mother-in-law as a 'wonderful friend, mentor and a second mother' in a touching Instagram post (pictured together in 1990)

Sarah , who goes by Fergie, often talks about her closeness to the Queen (pictured together in the 1990s)

Speaking on the Tea with Twiggy podcast as she promoted her Mills & Boon romance novel Her Heart For A Compass, the duchess paid tribute to the Queen for being 'modern, flexible and forgiving.'

Sarah compared their relationship to the one she had with her own mother Susan Barrantes, who passed away in September 1998, saying: 'I think to myself that honestly my mother-in-law has been more of a mother to me than my mother.'

She continued: 'My greatest mentor and... person who believes in me is the Queen - and has never faltered.

'I absolutely admire the incredible way Her Majesty is so modern... and how flexible, and how understanding, and how forgiving and how generous.'

Sarah is one of many royals paying tribute.

Mike Tindall, 44, who is married to the Queen's eldest granddaughter Zara, said Her Majesty was a 'wonderful woman' as he shared a video on Instagram showing pictures of her throughout her life.

Sarah Ferguson has paid tribute to her former mother-in-law the Queen following her death aged 96

The father-of-three joined his wife's uncle the King and other members of the Firm paying tribute to Her Majesty who died at Balmoral Castle one year ago today.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

Mike Tindall has paid a touching tribute to the Queen on the first anniversary of her death

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

The King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have lead social media tributes to the late Queen on the first anniversary of her death.

The couple shared photos of the late monarch to their Instagram, including one showing the Queen with her great-grandchildren at Balmoral, which was taken by Kate Middleton.

Signing off the post informally with 'W&C', for William and Catherine, they wrote: 'Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.'

Another photo shows the family marking the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on June 2nd 2022, just three months before the late Queen's death on September 8th.

They join a flurry of royal family members, including the King, Princess Eugenie, Mike Tindall and Sarah Ferguson to pay tribute to the late monarch on the anniversary of her death.

'We all miss you': The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a touching tribute to the late Queen on first anniversary of her death

Signed W&C for William and Catherine, the heartfelt message was posted on the anniversary of the Queen's death

The royal couple posted a number of images of the late monarch on their Instagram page today including this one of them celebrating the Platinum Jubilee on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (pictured)

The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a touching tribute to the late Queen on first anniversary of her death

The royal family have shared a touching previously unseen picture of the late Queen on social media as they mark the one year anniversary of her passing

The image was shared on the royal family's official social media page today, alongside the words: 'In loving and everlasting memory'

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, The King recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

The King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Princess Eugenie shared an unseen photo with her grandmother at their cabin in Balmoral.

'Thinking of you today. Missing you so much but remembering what a life of service, love and dedication to everyone and to your family, who loved you so very much.

'Forever grateful to you. And always in my heart

Meanwhile, Mike Tindall has paid a touching tribute.

The former England rugby star, 44, who is married to the Queen's eldest granddaughter Zara, said Her Majesty was a 'wonderful woman' as he shared a video on Instagram showing pictures of her throughout her life.

Princess Eugenie shared an unseen picture of the monarch at their cabin in Balmoral

The King today paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death

However, just a minute after posting, the sports star turned businessman took to his Instagram story to promote his alcohol brand Black Eye Gin.

He then shared a promotional poster for the World Cup After Party tour - which he is hosting with his podcast the Good, the Bad and the Rugby.

Finally, he posted another promotion for his podcast - where he described himself as 'Mystic Mike' and predicted scores for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Elsewhere, Sarah Ferguson, 63, described her former mother-in-law as a 'wonderful friend, mentor and a second mother' in a touching Instagram post.

The Duchess of York, who was married to the Queen's 'favourite son' Prince Andrew for 10 years, shared a sweet photo of the late monarch in her youth.

'You were a wonderful friend, a mentor, a second mother to me and grandmother to my daughters who share so much of your courage and heart.

'You will always be loved and missed by our family and our nation,' she wrote.

Sarah, who goes by Fergie, often talks about her closeness to the Queen.

She added a further two pictures, revealing how the Queen inspired her and how she is now looking after her corgis.

'As we mourn a year on, we also celebrate the wonderful times we shared with Her Late Majesty the Queen. She entrusted me with the care of her corgis Sandy and Muick and I am delighted to say they are thriving,' she said.

Earlier she added another picture, with the quote: 'I often remember the wise words Her Late Majesty the Queen shared with me and the wider world. At a time of great troubles in the world one year after her passing, today this quote of hers seems more apt than ever.'

The quote read: 'Whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load'.

Later today, the royals will mark the first anniversary with a small private service in Wales.

Mike Tindall has paid a touching tribute to the Queen on the first anniversary of her death

William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire today - exactly a year since the nation's longest-reining monarch died peacefully of old age aged 96.

The King and his wife will commemorate the life and service of his mother with private prayers at Balmoral, where Her Majesty passed away at just after 3pm on September 8, 2022.

It comes as the royal family shared a touching previously unseen picture of the late Queen on social media as they mark the first anniversary of her passing.

The image of Queen Elizabeth was taken at Buckingham Palace when she was just 42 in October 1968 by Cecil Beaton.

A number of images from the set have previously been shared, but the photograph, which shows the Queen dressed in a lilac dress and beaming at the camera, is believed to be new.

The image was shared on the royal family's official social media page today, alongside the words: 'In loving and everlasting memory.'

The caption continued: 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II , 21st April 1926  8th September 2022.'

Fergie revealed the Queen's corgis are 'thriving'

Sarah Ferguson has paid a sweet tribute to the late Queen on the first anniversary of her death

Earlier she added another picture, with the quote: 'I often remember the wise words Her Late Majesty the Queen shared with me and the wider world. At a time of great troubles in the world one year after her passing, today this quote of hers seems more apt than ever.'

One image from the set is on display at the National Portrait Gallery, and shows the Queen smiling.

The photographs show the late monarch wearing the Cambridge pearl pendant brooch.

The historic brooch, over 140 years old, originally belonged to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge before being passed down to Queen Elizabeth from her grandmother.

Queen Elizabeth famously wore the piece for a portrait on her 50th birthday at Windsor Castle, on the 21st April, 1976 and, earlier, for a Christmas broadcast in 1971.

The monarch also wore the brooch in 2019 during a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the work of The Queen's Trust and while welcoming the Peruvian ambassador at the palace in 2018.

The King today paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.'

It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton  the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.

It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.

The King apparently selected the photograph because of the 'lovely'  and slightly mischievous  look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.
Brits have taken to social media to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II one year after her death.

The monarch, who celebrated an historic 70 years on the throne last Summer, died at Balmoral on September 8 2022. She was 96.

Marking the one year anniversary of Her Majesty's death today, numerous people have shared tributes to the late monarch.

Among the messages shared on X (formerly Twitter), one social media user described how they travelled to London so they could receive the late royal as she made her last journey from Scotland.

They wrote: 'Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II (pictured at Buckingham Palace in June 2022) died on September 8 2022 at Balmoral at the age of 96

Royal fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts about the last monarch on the anniversary of her death

'We watched the procession in Scotland with the people lined along the route, the tractors cleaned and polished, the horses at attention, the Princess Royals deep curtsy in Edinburgh, the vigil and long queue reaching through the night in Scotland. We rushed to London from Cornwall so we could be there to receive her on her final visit home.

'This poignant moment, when the outriders turned off their flashing lights and bowed their heads, will stay with me forever.'

Another shared their memories of watching members of The Firm paying their respects to the Queen at Balmoral.

Their Tweet read: ' I remember when Princess Anne, Peter and Zara Tindal were outside Balmoral, reading the messages left for Queen Elizabeth II

'Zara was very emotional...it was very sad to watch.'

For other royal watchers, the passage of time since the late monarch's death marks a poignant date, with some noting that the year seems to have passed by quickly.

One X user said: 'Today marks a year since Queen Elizabeth passed away, I can't believe it's that long. So I thought I would share a photo from last year when we celebrated her 70 year reign. I love this drawing, my mother-in-law gave it to me a few years ago. I often look at it with gratitude.'

Some royal fans noted that they would always remember Queen Elizabeth, and her historic 70-year reign

In a similar vein, another said: 'A year ago today her majesty Queen Elizabeth passed away. It's hard to believe it has already been a year. RIP Elizabeth.'

Others yet shared their sadness, opening up about how they would always remember the late Queen, who had made a mark on many despite them never meeting her in person.

One said: 'A year ago today we lost this remarkable woman, she served this country with honour and dignity to her dying day. She will always be missed and we will always remember her fondly. Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth 2nd forever in our hearts.'

Other social media users took the opportunity to use the poignant date as a time to reflect on the monarch's life and service

Another added: 'On the anniversary of her passing, Ive reflected on the amazing life and service of Queen Elizabeth II. What a role model she was. Ive also reflected with pride on the way the whole community supported each other at a time of such sadness.'

Some shared simpler messages of remembrance.

One royal fan simply wrote: 'This day, last year. We lost the longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth.'

Another added: 'Queen Elizabeth II, one year on. Her reign will go down in history forever and will never be forgotten. Long live the Queen.'

And responding to the Royal Family's official X account's tweet, a further fan posted: 'Here, here! In happy memory of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II!'
In Germany Ukrainian crews are being trained to use the hundred or more Leopard 1A5 tanks they are receiving from Germany. Ukraine also received some of the more recent Leopard 2 tanks but Germany and some NATO allies had many more of the older Leopard 1A5s available. While an older model, the Leopard 1A5 is equal or superior to anything the Russians currently have. Most of the instructors are Dutch and Danish, because their countries had used the Leopard 1A5 more recently. These men were no longer in the military but volunteered their time to show the Ukrainians what they knew about operating the 1A5. Ukrainians with experience using older, Russian designed tanks, found the older Leopards to be an upgrade. Before the recent arrival of Western tanks, Ukraine used the same tanks, most of them T-72s, the Russians use. The Western tanks, even the older Leopard 1A5, are more effective, reliable and easier to maintain. The 1A5 is easier to maintain than the current Leopard 2.

Until the 1980s, the Leopard I was considered one of the best tanks available. Entering service in the late 1960s, it was the first post-World War II German tank design. Although a contemporary of the American M-60A3, the German tank was considered superior because it was a completely new design, while the M-60 was evolutionary, the last descendant of the 1945 Pershing tank. For this reason, Germany was able to export Leopards to many nations, including Australia. Most of the 4,744 produced, plus 1,741 Leopard chassis adapted to other uses, like recovery and anti-aircraft guns, have been retired and put in storage or scrapped. Many owners may have to melt down their remaining Leopard Is, for there's not much of a market left for 44 ton tanks, even those equipped with a lot of nifty upgrades. The original buyers of Leopard I have already flooded the market.

The export market is further clouded by legal restrictions, as Germany still retains the right to reject any buyer for the tanks. Prospective buyers must pass muster with German public opinion. No nations suffering from bad PR need apply.

The second hand Leopard I market is made worse by the availability of the Leopard II. This is basically a contemporary of the U.S. M-1, and often considered superior to the M-1. But the M-1 has an impressive combat record, and few Leopard IIs have seen any action at all. Still, on paper, and in training exercises, the Leopard II has been impressive. Some 3,000 Leopard IIs are out there, and Germany is still marketing them. Many surplus M-1s are available, and a few Leopard IIs. Add to this the thousands of late model Russian tanks available, and it's no wonder why second hand tanks like the Leopard I go for such low prices.

The Leopard 1 has a 105mm gun rather than the 120mm standard with current Western tanks. The Leopard 1A5 is, however, equipped with a modern fire control system with a thermal (heat) sensor to provide visibility at night and during daylight when there is a thick fog or mist. The 105mm gun has a shorter range than the 120mm but with modern fire control the 105mm can be just as accurate and can fire accurately while the tank is moving. There is plenty of 105mm tank gun ammo available because many current tanks still use the 105mm gun.
The Princess of Wales made a sweet tribute to the late Queen today as she sported her earrings to a memorial service to mark the first anniversary of her death.

Kate, 41, paired the diamond and pearl drop earrings with a burgundy coat from London-based designer Eponine for the church service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire.

She added to her eco-credentials with a recycled Mulberry bag she's worn several times since 2017 and Gianvito Rossi heels, which are also a repeat wear.

The royal wore the coat to her Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London in 2022, while she's worn the earrings to pay tribute to Her Majesty before, including during a Remembrance Sunday service in 2020.

Both Kate and the Queen have chosen the earrings before to wear on particularly special occasions, with the Duchess choosing the set to leave the Lindo Wing with Prince Louis in 2018.

Kate paid a sweet tribute to the late Queen today as she sported her earrings to a memorial service to mark the first anniversary of her death

The Princess of Wales, 41, paired the diamond and pearl drop earrings with a burgundy coat from London-based designer Eponine for the church service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire

William and Kate arrive at St Davids Cathedral to commemorate the life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth wore the earrings during her Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham

The Queen sported the earrings for a service of thanksgiving and carriage procession during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

And Kate chose them for a day of engagements in The Netherlands in 2016, her first official solo overseas visit without Prince William.

The accessories took centre stage when she paused in front of Vermeer's famous painting The Girl With The Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis gallery in The Hague.

With her brown hair tied back in a low bun, the royal completed the look with a touch of blusher, nude-coloured lip and statement brows.

Kate stepped out with her husband Prince William to mark the one year anniversary of Her Majesty's death.

Elsewhere, Prince Harry made a shock and secret visit to the Windsor church where the Queen was laid to rest.

A number of members of the Royal Family are understood to have visited the chapel today. Harry remains close to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie but it is not yet known if they and others paid their respects together.

The King and Queen today attended a special service at Crathie Kirk to commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth - and appeared moved by warm-wishes from crowds who also gathered to mark the anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church, where successive monarchs have worshiped since Queen Victoria.

Kate first wore the Eponine coat to her Christmas carol concert in December 2022

Kate Middleton, 38, paid tribute to the Queen, 94, on Remembrance Sunday by donning a set of Her Majesty's diamond and pearl earrings for the scaled back event

The Duchess famously wore the jewels during her appearance at the Lindo Wing after giving birth to Prince Louis in 2018

The couple spoke to crowds outside afterwards who shared their condolences and handed them bouquets and cards. The King told them that the flowers were 'wonderful' and joked with children about getting back to school.

Other royals were also at the service, including the Queen's great nephews Samuel and Arthur Chatto, sons of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto, who also went. And staff from Balmoral, the beloved Scottish home of the Queen where she died, also attended, walking to and from the service in the September sunshine.

The Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire - exactly a year since the nation's longest-reigning monarch died at Balmoral aged 96.

Kate tied her hair back to ensure the earrings were the centre of attention

Despite the unseasonably warm weather, Kate opted for a coat and hat

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral to commemorate the life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of their arrival in the grounds of the cathedral from dawn, but they had to wait in the sunshine after fog nearby meant the couple's helicopter had to be rerouted and their arrival delayed by more than an hour.

William and Kate had been due to arrive at 12.25pm, but eventually turned up around 1.30pm and greeted well-wishers before walking inside for the ten-minute service. One well-wisher could be heard shouting towards William: 'You're doing a great job!'

During the service, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, said: 'It is particularly poignant to welcome you here, Your Royal Highnesses, on Accession Day, the first anniversary of the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

'She came here four times: the only monarch to sit in the Sovereign's stall, the seat of a Chapter member which came into the possession of the Crown at the Reformation.

'Today countless numbers will be remembering her with both sadness and with great affection, giving thanks again for her long life of dedicated service - as we do here.'
The Duchess of Edinburgh appeared relaxed at the event in Oxfordshire today

The Duchess of Edinburgh, marked the first anniversary of her late mother-in-law The Queen's passing with a pastime they both enjoyed.

Sophie, 57, appeared relaxed on the emotional day as she attended the Cornbury House International Trials in Oxfordshire.

Prince Edward's wife was very close to Queen Elizabeth II, and was known as one of her closest confidantes.

The pair formed close bond after losing her own mother, Mary Rhys-Jones, to stomach cancer in 2005 aged 71, when her daughter Lady Louise Windsor was only two.

But today, the Duchess appeared positive while enjoying the horse trials, and was beaming as she arrived at the event in the sunshine.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured), marked the first anniversary of her mother-in-law's passing with a pastime they both enjoyed, horse competitions

The Duchess donned a sophisticated pinstripe shirt dress with a flowing silhouette, perfect for the hot weather today.

She accessorised the outfit with a summery pair of nude espadrilles with ballet-style tie up laces around the ankles.

Sophie approached the emotional day with a smile on her face, as she was photographed with friend Mark Foster Brown.

The mother-of-two also enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the leading event rider, Harry Meade.

She spent the day with the president of Cornbury House, David Howden, and his wife Fiona.

Sophie took to the Cornbury House Trials just one day after her niece by marriage, Zara Tindall, 42, competed in the cross-country part of the competition.

The royal family are known for the love of horses, in particular the late Queen.

In recent years, Sophie, who was a rock for the Queen, took up horse riding as a hobby in order to bond with the Queen.

Speaking in 2021, one friend said: Sophie set herself a series of tasks. She learned how to ride properly and now rides with the Queen at least once a week.

She took up carriage-driving to be close to Philip,' they added.

Sophie has spoken openly about her grief before, having previously spoken of a tragic miscarriage she suffered in 2001.

Meanwhile in 2005, Sophie lost her mother. The Duchess opened up about her mother's death last year during a speech for Women's Institute members at their annual meeting in June 2021.

She said of her other that she missed 'her very much and there are moments where I hear some music she loved or I do something I know she'd have wanted to hear about, which make her early departure very hard.

"She has missed out on so much, and I'm particularly sad that she hasn't seen my children grow up or seen how my work has grown and developed,' she added.

'She would have loved that I am talking to you today,' she added.

Sophie (pictured right) was photographed spending the day with Fiona Howden (pictured left), wife to the the president of Cornbury House, David Howden

The royal, who developed a close relationship with he late Queen, was photographed with Mark Foster Brown (pictured right)

At the time of Mrs Rhys-Jones death, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: 'The countess was very close to her mother and this is a very sad time.

'She is being comforted by her husband but she is deeply saddened.'

After her mother's passing, Sophie grew close to the Queen, whom she was heard calling 'mama' on occasion, including at a Diamond Jubilee Trust event at Buckingham Palace in 2019.

In recent years, former aides have previously described the Queens relationship with Sophie as like mother and daughter, adding: There is a great deal of love and mutual respect between them.

And in 2021, a tearful Duchess described the queen as amazing as she and her husband Prince Edward comforted Her Majesty at Windsor Castle following the death of her husband Prince Philip.

Prince Edward and Sophie were the first to visit the grieving Monarch after the Duke of Edinburgh's death, and as they left the castle Sophie was visibly upset.

At the time, she was described as one of a group of four who were providing support for the monarch.

Sophie is like another daughter to the Queen, they are that close, said a Royal source. She is trusted and relied on like few others.

And speaking in June 2021, royal expert Duncan Larcombe told The Sun: 'Sophie has emerged as the Queens unlikely "rock" as the monarch adjusts to life without Prince Philip.'

'Prince Edwards wife has  according to sources  made it her personal mission to ensure Her Majesty is fully supported by the family.

'Since the Dukes death in April, Sophie has driven the 10 miles from her Bagshot Park home to Windsor Castle every few days and most weekends to spend socially-distanced time with Her Majesty.

Sophie took to the Cornbury House Trials just one day after her niece by marriage, Zara Tindall, 42, competed in the cross-country part of the competition

The mother-of-two also enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the leading event rider, Harry Meade (far left)

For the days she couldnt make it to see the Queen in person, the Duchess made a point of calling her mother-in-law at least once a day.

Last year, the Duchess was openly emotional as she mourned the Queen in public.

Sophie looked very sombre when she arrived at Balmoral alongside the Duke of Cambridge and Cornwall, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex.

Meanwhile she was photographed weeping at the funeral last September alongside other members of the royal family.

Sophie was struck by tragedy early on in her marriage to Prince Edward, when she suffered a miscarriage as the result of an ectopic pregnancy in 2001.

Prince Edward addressed the press as his wife recovered in hospital at the time, saying: 'It's obviously a very traumatic time and my wife has It's quite the most painful thing anyone can undergo.

'It's a pretty traumatic experience. As the pain reduces, so the relief will increase. I want to add my thanks to all the medical team who have done a fantastic job and reacted so quickly and have handled things so professionally,' he added.

Sophie and Prince Edward went on to welcome their daughter Lady Louise Windsor, who is now 19, in 2003, and their son James Viscount Severn, 15, in 2007.
The Princess of Wales' composed demeanour suggests she has been a tower of strength for Prince William on a difficult day - as the nation marks a year since the late Queen died, a body language expert has claimed.

William and Kate marked the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service at an ancient cathedral in Wales, with Kate appearing 'confident' both in the church and when greeting well-wishers - suggesting she was 'assured' in her role supporting 'a grandson keen to honour his grandmother.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire - exactly a year since the nation's longest-reigning monarch died at Balmoral aged 96.

In control: Kate cut a 'regal, assured' figure during the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit to St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire to mark a year since the Queen's death, according to body language expert Judi James

Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of their arrival in the grounds of the cathedral from dawn, but they had to wait in the sunshine after fog nearby meant the couple's helicopter had to be rerouted and their arrival delayed by more than an hour.

Body language expert Judi James said it was clear from the moment they arrived of the role Kate had to play - and she was comfortable in carrying it out.

She told MailOnline: 'Kate looks so high-status and regal here, much more confident, assured and in control than she appeared at the walkabout straight after the Queens death.'

James said the Princess of Wales' gestures and poise suggests she is 'being the pivotal supplier of support and strength for William, whose body language fluctuates more, with more personal hints of a grandson honouring his beloved grandmother.'

Prince William's clasped hands in front of his torso displayed a more personal side to the royal, as 'a grandson honouring his beloved grandmother', noted James

'Bashful-looking waves': Prince William's more vulnerable side, as he honoured the anniversary of his grandmother's death, were clear today, says the body language reader

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

Signs that Kate was more relaxed than William came via the way her arms fell naturally by her side, while the prince's hand gestures were more restless, she speculates, suggesting his personal grief still looms large.

'While Kate stands with her arms by her sides, or is seen using some animated gesticulation as she chats inside the abbey, William glances at the waiting crowd with his hands rather sweetly clasped in front of his torso, or performing small, bashful-looking waves as though grateful yet again for the empathy and support of the fans in his time of remembrance and mourning.'

William and Kate had been due to arrive at the church at 12.25pm, but eventually turned up around 1.30pm and greeted well-wishers before walking inside for the ten-minute service.

One well-wisher could be heard shouting towards William: 'You're doing a great job!'

In a poignant moment during the service, William walked forward with Kate, who placed a floral tribute of white roses in front of a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II.

After laying the flowers, Kate - who was wearing a pair of earrings that once belonged to the late Queen - stood for about 10 seconds with William in quiet contemplation with their heads slightly bowed, before turning and walking away.

The Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, told the congregation: 'It is particularly poignant to welcome you here, Your Royal Highnesses, on Accession Day, the first anniversary of the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

William and Kate are shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet dignitaries as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

'She came here four times: the only monarch to sit in the Sovereign's stall, the seat of a Chapter member which came into the possession of the Crown at the Reformation.

'Today countless numbers will be remembering her with both sadness and with great affection, giving thanks again for her long life of dedicated service - as we do here.'

Their trip came at the same time as William's brother Prince Harry made a shock and secret visit to St George's Chapel, the Windsor church where the Queen is buried.

In St Davids, royal fan Amanda Bentley, 47, from Pembroke Dock, arrived with her friends at 9.30am. She told MailOnline: 'We thought it would be a good opportunity to come down and see Wills and Kate.

'I think it's nice they have a modern approach to the monarchy, and I think William and Charles will be a good example for future generations, because they had such a good example set for them (by the Queen).

The late Queen visited the cathedral four times during her reign - in 1955, 1982, 1995 and 2001 - and had sat in a special stall within the cathedral quire.

St Davids was a place close to the Queen's heart and the decision of the Prince and Princess of Wales to go there reflect that affection, and their new roles.

Britain's smallest city had lost its city status but in 1994, at the Queen's request, it was returned along with the Northern Irish town of Armagh 'in recognition of their important Christian heritage and their status as cities in the last century'.

Prince William and Kate walk forward to place flowers next to a framed photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II during a service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Princess of Wales lays flowers during the service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

Kate pauses in front of the flowers she laid at St Davids Cathedral in Wales this afternoon

The royal couple posted a number of images of the late monarch on their Instagram page today including this one of them celebrating the Platinum Jubilee on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (pictured)

Signed W&C for William and Catherine, the heartfelt message was posted on the anniversary of the Queen's death

It came as the Royal Family collectively mourned the monarch. Earlier, the King looked emotional as he left Crathie Kirk near Balmoral having paid a moving tribute to his adored mother.

As the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death today, crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace and Army gun salutes honouring Her Majesty rang out across the United Kingdom.

William and Kate also shared their own favourite pictures of the late monarch and said: 'Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C'.
In a clip shared with DailyMail.com, he says he still has homicidal thoughts

The serial killer is remorseless in The Killer Interview with Piers Morgan

Convicted serial killer Robert Spahalski has defended his heinous murders, insisting in a chilling new interview that they didn't suffer when he strangled or bludgeoned them to death.

Spahalski is serving 100 years behind bars for murdering four people whom he either knew or had a relationship with - and managed to outrun the law for 15 years until he turned himself in to police in 2005.

In an exclusive first look teaser of Morgan's latest series of The Killer Interview with Piers Morgan  which is set to return on September 12 to Fox Nation  the sick killer is grilled about his merciless crimes but shows zero sign of remorse for his heinous actions.

Morgan was given one hour to speak to Spahalski, who was described by law enforcement agents as a 'psychotic, soulless human being'.

Serial killer Robert Spahalski insists his victims didn't suffer when he strangled or bludgeoned them to death

He is grilled by Piers Morgan about his murders in the latest chapter of his Fox Nation series

Speaking during their head-to-head, the coldblooded killer insisted: 'The people that I did kill, they didn't suffer.'

A perplexed Morgan responded, 'How can I believe you?' prompting a blunt Spahalaski to say: 'I don't care if you do, or you don't.'

Elsewhere in their interview, Morgan asked whether he still has 'homicidal urges'.

Answering the question, Spahalski initially said that he 'never' does, but quickly warned: 'If you push my trigger, you're done.'

'What you're saying is, if I press the wrong trigger with you in this interview, you might feel homicidal?' Morgan quizzed.

Spahalski replied: 'Absolutely.'

Spahalski's killing spree began on New Year's Eve 1990, when he strangled his neighbor Morraine Armstrong  although he now denies playing any part in her death, despite confessing to it when he turned himself in.

In 1991, he killed his girlfriend, Adrian Berger in a 'compulsive' act, before also killing his sexual partner, Charles Grande, with two strikes of a hammer.

Spahalski managed to outrun the law for 15 years until he turned himself in to police in 2005

He is serving 100 years for his crimes, which were carried out in the state of New York

The killer murdered his own girlfriend, Adrian Berger in a 'compulsive' act in 1991

That same year, Spahalski murdered his sexual partner, Charles Grande, whom he had met through his years as a male escort

His last victim was Vivian Irrizarry, who was murdered during a crack cocaine binge

In 2005, he bludgeoned his girlfriend's best friend Vivian Irrizarry during a crack cocaine binge before completing the act by strangling her.

Days after he killed Irrizary, Spahalski confessed to crimes that had been unsolved for a decade and a half.

'Robert Spahalski is a serial killer unlike any I've met before,' Morgan said. 'His crimes made him notorious.'

'I'm told Spahalski can be volatile, but he's also unique,' the presenter added, referring to the killer's habit of taking the lives of friends and loved ones.

The killer admitted to Morgan that he still has 'homicidal thoughts' and warned he could be triggered

Morgan returns with eight new interviews with some of the most notorious serial killers

Morgan's new Fox series comprises of eight episodes and will see him come face to face with killer nurse Kimberly Saenz and murderers Karl Karlsen, Matt Baker, Christopher Porco, and Daniel Pelosi.

Speaking ahead of the show's release, Morgan said: 'I've interviewed thousands of people from all walks of life including presidents, prime ministers, pop superstars, business tycoons and movie legends.

'But for me as a journalist, there is nothing more compelling than sitting face-to-face with some of the most dangerous killers in the world to hold them directly to account for their crimes.

'This series is a fascinating collection of very varied and explosive interviews that I'm sure will leave viewers debating with family and friends as to the subject's guilt or otherwise and give a gripping insight into the murderers' mindset and motivation for doing what they did.'
All eyes were on Prince William and Kate Middleton today as they lead the royal family in remembering the late Queen on the anniversary of her death.

And the Prince and Princess of Wales appeared deeply touched as they attended a service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire.

The couple travelled by helicopter for the short service, which saw Kate poignantly place a floral tribute of white roses in front of a framed photograph of the Queen.

Outside the cathedral, she then met local flying instructor Patricia Mawuli Porter OBE who spoke of the Queen's warmth. And the Princess told her: 'We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them, cherish them.'

Later, they signed the visitors book, with expert lipreader Jacqui Press revealing the words the couple exchanged as they did so.

All eyes were on Prince William and Kate Middleton today as they lead the royal family in remembering the late Queen on the anniversary of her death

Later, they signed the visitors book, with expert lipreader Jacqui Press revealing the words the couple exchanged as they did so

As they approached the book, a member of staff commented on the beautiful handwriting within, with Kate responding: 'Yes indeed.'

According to Jacqui, she continued: 'It's wonderful to see what they were thinking about at that time.'

Meanwhile Prince William appeared to point out one notation in particular, saying: ' Some great memories of The Queen.'

As Kate and Will signed the book themselves, Jacqui revealed Kate smiled as she said she 'had to be conscious' of signing her signature.

Kate and William's trip to the ancient cathedral in South West Wales comes exactly a year since the nation's longest-reigning monarch died at Balmoral aged 96.

Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of their arrival in the grounds of the cathedral from dawn, but they had to wait in the sunshine after fog nearby meant the couple's helicopter had to be rerouted and their arrival delayed by more than an hour.

William and Kate had been due to arrive at 12.25pm, but eventually turned up around 1.30pm and greeted well-wishers before walking inside for the ten-minute service. One well-wisher could be heard shouting towards William: 'You're doing a great job!'

The Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, told the congregation: 'It is particularly poignant to welcome you here, Your Royal Highnesses, on Accession Day, the first anniversary of the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

William and Kate are shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral, as they attend the service

The Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral, signs the visitors book at St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

'She came here four times: the only monarch to sit in the Sovereign's stall, the seat of a Chapter member which came into the possession of the Crown at the Reformation.

'Today countless numbers will be remembering her with both sadness and with great affection, giving thanks again for her long life of dedicated service - as we do here.'

Kensington Palace later described the floral tribute in a social media post on X as a 'moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world'.

The trip came at the same time as William's brother Prince Harry made a shock and secret visit to St George's Chapel, the Windsor church where the Queen is buried.

The Princess of Wales takes a selfie with well-wishers and school children as she visits St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales are given flowers by children after the service in Wales today

In St Davids, royal fan Amanda Bentley, 47, from Pembroke Dock, arrived with her friends at 9.30am. She told MailOnline: 'We thought it would be a good opportunity to come down and see Wills and Kate.'

The late Queen visited the cathedral four times during her reign - in 1955, 1982, 1995 and 2001 - and had sat in a special stall within the cathedral quire.

St Davids was a place close to the Queen's heart and the decision of the Prince and Princess of Wales to go there reflect that affection, and their new roles.
An iconic Sydney venue once thought of as one of the city's trashiest 'boozy dive bars' is making a fancy comeback in the form of a three-level, high-end eatery.

Jacksons on George was an old favourite among Sydneysiders before it was demolished in 2018 and is set to reopen this time with a Michelin star chef on board and a fresh new look.

Set to open on Monday September 11, the old watering hole will now be spread over three levels at the newly developed Sydney Place on George Street in the CBD with a gastro pub, restaurant and sunny rooftop bar.

In the kitchen will be executive chef Steven Sinclair who has worked at the Iceberg's Dining Room and Bar in Bondi as well as the three-Michelin starred restaurant L'Enclume in the UK.

The swanky new fit-out and menu is off-brand from how many Sydneysiders remember the original boozer.

Now: Iconic Sydney venue Jacksons on George which was once a dive bar has had a swanky transformation. The new-and-improved Jacksons on George will open on September 11

Then: The high-end new fit-out and menu is off-brand from how many Sydneysiders remember the old watering hole

News of the Sydney institution's revamp has made those who visited it back in the day nostalgic and keen to visit.

'I had my first pash at Jacksons on George about 1,000 years ago,' one woman recalled.

'Will the floor still be sticky?' joked a second.

'Jacksons on George! What a blast from the past!' a third added.

'What happened to Jackson's on George? That's a world away from our nights there, someone laughed.

The old Jacksons on George was torn down five years ago to make way for the Sydney Place development that will have shops, restaurants as well as a huge 55-storey tower that will be the capital's tallest office building.

Before: News of the Sydney institution's revamp has made those who visited it back in the day nostalgic and keen to visit

After: The old watering hole will now be spread over three levels at the newly developed Sydney Place on George Street in the CBD with a gastro pub, restaurant and sunny rooftop bar

READ MORE: Hidden behind the doors of a humble stone building lies a Peruvian hidden gem Sydney foodies can't stop talking about Advertisement

The ground floor will house a casual bar offering pub classics with a modern twist, cocktails and local beer.

On level one will be Bistro George with a 'vibrant' menu of contemporary dishes that will transform into a live music venue later at night.

An alfresco pub is set for the rooftop where patrons will be surrounded by lush greenery and take in the urban surrounds and Sydney's summer weather.

Sinclair said diners can expect 'a collection of dishes that have been inspired by European bistros, both contemporary and classic, with a touch of Australian influence.'

'We want to take the framework of a classic bistro dish and re-imagine it without stripping the soul out of it,' he added.

'I've been developing this menu for a long time now so I'm just excited to get into the kitchen, cook for people and provide some memorable dining experiences.'

Jacksons on George is already taking bookings for its three bars ahead of its opening next week.

READ MORE: The slow death of Sydney: How the 24/7 party town is now world-famous for being boring as hell
A mum has divided hundreds after she shared a photo of her eight-year-old daughter's lunchbox.

The blogger, who goes by Life of London and Mommy online, packed a lunchbox containing fruit, cheese, cookies, chips and even peanut butter and strawberry tacos.

Many fans loved the look of the 'delicious' array of snacks however others slammed how many 'over-processed' 'junk' foods with 'so much sugar and fat' she packed.

The mum hit back at her critics calling them 'negative and 'lonely' claiming they have 'immature palettes'.

Inside the girl's lunchbox, the mum, from the US, packed a kiwi fruit as well as some Gouda cheese sticks, a handful of peanut butter and chocolate Chex Mix and peanut butter and jelly and strawberry tacos.

A mum has been slammed for putting too much 'over processed' 'junk' food in her daughter's lunchbox but many were quick to leap to the woman's defence

For a morning snack she added a packet of Cheez-it crackers, afternoon snack was a bag of Takis tortilla chips and an extra pack of mini chocolate chip cookies.

There was also a bottle of ice to keep everything fresh as well as water and milk.

The mum shared the lunchbox in a post to her popular Facebook page and many were quick to criticise.

'Where's the protein? There's literally fat, carbs and more fat and carbs. Of course the kid likes this lunch, it's practically all sugar,' one woman said.

'Lunch? Really? Nothing good for an eight-year-old child. I can't imagine giving my daughter this for lunch. Nothing healthy and none of it is safe for children if you don't want them to be sick,' a second wrote.

'Where is the actual lunch?' asked a third and another added: 'Where's the actual food? Healthy food.'

A teacher said they were surprised the woman's daughter allowed her to bring such 'junk food' and another agreed.

'That lunch would 100 per cent get sent home at my kids school. They have pretty strict rules about no junk food for snacks,' a mum said.

'There are a lot of snacks there, I would definitely try replace one with healthier fruit,' someone suggested.

The mum responded to the lunchbox warriors claiming '90 per cent of the people commenting don't even have children'.

'Based on your pages and profiles you have no room to say anything. Half are too lazy to even attempt to pack any lunch,' she wrote.

'Bottom line, those who are inspired follow us and know what is it. The rest of you are here for the drama. So keep it coming!'

She also said the naysayers has 'immature palettes' and were 'negative and lonely'.

However, the feedback wasn't all negative as fans leapt to the blogger's defence with one mum saying: 'If you have something negative to say, keep it to yourself. This mumma loves her baby and you can tell!'.

'As a teacher, seeing my students with lunches like this makes me happy. I can tell a lot of love and care went into this. So many parents do not have the time, energy, funds, or desire to do this for their,' one user commented.

'Imagine worrying about strangers children's protein intake,' another quipped.

Many people were fans of the 'delicious' lunch and snacks and were thankful for the 'inspiration'.

'Coming from a mumma whose kid didn't eat for two years at school, this looks awesome and thank you! I needed a few ideas and they look beautiful!' one mum said.

'I think it looks great! My kids take food they enjoy for lunch everyday. Even if that means no veggies,' a second wrote.

'Yummy!! Looks like a kids dream lunch,' added another.
Brain surgeons have developed a device the size of a grain of rice they hope could be a breakthrough in treating deadly brain cancers.

The 6mm-long gadget is implanted onto the surface of tumors, where it releases drugs into the masses to shrink or kill them.

When implanted into hard-to-treat brain tumors, the device can deliver multiple different cancer medications all at once. It was trialed on six patients with glioblastomas, the lethal brain cancer that killed President Joe Bidens son, Joseph (Beau) Biden III, and Senator John McCain.

Most people with a glioblastoma only live 12 to 18 months on average after receiving the diagnosis and only about seven percent are still alive after five years.

The device's development is an answer to the challenge of finding a targeted way to treat cancer within the shortest window of time, given medications can typically only be tried one at a time, making finding the most effective treatment a lengthy process.

A challenge in developing targeted therapies for gliomas in the past is that it can be hard to test multiple combinations of drugs in tumors cells because doctors can only treat patients with one method at a time, representing a significant barrier to treating cancers like gliomas, which combination therapy has shown to be a promising treatment for.

However, this little device could be the solution to this challenge because it can safely administer up to 20 different cancer medications into extremely small areas of a patient's brain tumor all at once during brain surgery.

However, this little device could be the solution to this challenge because it can safely administer up to 20 different cancer medications into extremely small areas of a patient's brain tumor all at once during brain surgery

While the device was tested on patients with gliomas, researchers believe it could be used on multiple types of brain tumors, signaling a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.

The five-year survival rate for adults with brain cancer ranges from 21 percent to 72 percent.

Dr Pierpaolo Peruzzi, a neurosurgeon at Brigham and Womens who performed the surgeries said: In order to make the greatest impact on how we treat these tumors, we need to be able to understand, early on, which drug works best for any given patient.

The problem is that the tools that are currently available to answer this question are just not good enough.

'So we came up with the idea of making each patient their own lab, by using a device which can directly interrogate the living tumor and give us the information that we need.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston focused their efforts on a type of brain cancer called gliomas, which affects central nervous system cells that protect crucial neurons.

Specifically, researchers aimed to find the best possible way to treat an extremely aggressive form of glioma called glioblastoma, the lethal brain cancer that killed President Joe Bidens son, Joseph (Beau) Biden III, and Senator John McCain.

Working with six patients, they inserted the tiny rod-shaped devices, which release miniscule doses of anti-tumor medications to highly concentrated areas, into their tumors.

The intratumoral microdevices (IMD) are no longer than six millimeters, roughly the size of a grain of rice or a pencil tip.

Each one contains nine different medications, though it could hold up to 20. One of the drugs loaded into the devices was Temozolomide, a common chemotherapy drug that damages the DNA of cancer cells, preventing them from dividing and growing, eventually killing them off.

The rod-like devices were implanted as part of a standard procedure called resection to remove part or all of the cancerous mass. Dr Peruzzi identified the tumor in each patient and implanted two devices in each one approximately 10 to 15mm apart at the start of surgery.

The IMDs remained in the tumor while Dr Peruzzi worked on surgically removing the mass, giving the microdoses of medicine two to three hours to work within the tumor itself.

Dr Peruzzi said: This is not in the lab, and not in a petri dish. Its actually in real patients in real time, which gives us a whole new perspective on how these tumors respond to treatment.

He then removed part of or the entire tumor and the IMDs, which had been infusing parts of the tumor with nine different medicines.

From there, scientists on the team froze the removed mass with the devices affixed to it and were able to look at how effective they were at delivering concentrated doses of the drugs to extremely specific regions of the tumors.

Its important that we are able to do this in a way that best captures the features of each patients tumor and, at the same time, is the least disruptive of the standard of care, Dr Peruzzi said.

This makes our approach easy to integrate into patients treatment and allows its use in real life.

Their main goals were to determine whether the devices could be safely implanted and whether this type of medical technology could be scaled for use to treat the 15,000 Americans who will be diagnosed with a glioblastoma this year.

Gliomas typically occur in the brain but can sometimes afflict the spinal cord. About a third of all brain tumors are gliomas that originate from glial cells. These cells help support, connect, and protect central nervous system neurons.

Gliomas dont typically travel outside of the brain, but they are particularly dangerous because they can spread to other tissues within the brain. The most talked-about form of glioma is called glioblastoma.

Brain surgeons classify brain tumor growth on a scale from one to four, with grade 1 tumors growing slowly and appearing the least aggressive, while grade 4 tumors spread rapidly and aggressively. Glioblastomas are automatically grade 4 tumors upon first diagnosis.

The deaths of Beau Biden and Sen McCain in 2015 and 2018, respectively, were both due to highly aggressive glioblastomas. It took less than two years following diagnosis for the glioblastoma to kill Mr Biden, while Sen McCain died just over a year after his diagnosis.

Gliomas are notoriously difficult to treat and chemotherapy, surgery, and other interventions often come up short because of their tentacle-like ability to invade surrounding healthy brain tissue.

The next generation of cancer treatments will increasingly rely on a highly personalized approach that includes tools such as Dr Peruzzi's to speed up the process toward finding the right medicine for each individual patient, optimizing their chance of survival.

Dr Peruzzi said: The ability to bring the lab right to the patient unlocks so much potential in terms of the type of information we can gather, which is new and exciting territory for a disease that has very few options at present.
A mother-of-two fears her seven-year-old daughter will be 'scarred for life' with a butterfly print on her arm due a reaction to a henna tattoo while on holiday.

Kirsty Newton, 37, let daughter Matilda Newton get the 3cm-tall temporary tattoo on her right forearm while staying at an all-inclusive Turkish hotel last month.

Despite initially appearing fine, the black henna tattoo became red and itchy after they returned home to Pudsey, West Yorkshire, resulting in two pharmacy trips.

Matilda was later rushed to hospital after the skin around the tattoo started bleeding, with doctors confirming that she had suffered an allergic reaction to a chemical in the henna.

She is now urging others to be cautious when letting their children get henna tattoos and to make sure they have a skin test first.

Kirsty Newton, 37, let daughter Matilda Newton (pictured) get the 3cm-tall temporary tattoo on her right forearm while staying at an all-inclusive Turkish hotel last month

Despite initially appearing fine, the black henna tattoo (skin pictured after tattoo) became red and itchy after they returned home to Pudsey, West Yorkshire, resulting in two pharmacy trips

Matilda (pictured with her family in Turkey) was later rushed to hospital after the skin around the tattoo started bleeding, with doctors confirming that she had suffered an allergic reaction to a chemical in the henna

When the family-of-four returned back to the UK, Matilda's butterfly print began causing a burning sensation on her skin.

The family made a few pharmacy trips in a bid to manage the reaction themselves.

But Mrs Newton rushed Matilda to Leeds General Infirmary when her skin started to crack and bleed.

Doctors there confirmed Matilda was having an allergic reaction to the black henna.

The paste is used to paint patterns onto the skin and are available abroad and at some shops, stalls and festivals in the UK.

She was prescribed anti-allergy tablets, steroid and antibiotic creams to help heal her scorched skin.

Before getting the medication, Matilda was sick and had a rash on her tummy, which doctors say could have been linked to the allergic reaction.

Mrs Newton believes that the burn was caused by paraphenylenediamine (PPD)  a chemical commonly found in black henna and dark hair dyes.

While PPD can be lawfully used in hair dyes, levels are strictly controlled. But black experts warn that black henna often exceeds these amounts to give a darker colour.

Mrs Newton (pictured) is now urging others to be cautious when letting their children get henna tattoos and to make sure they have a skin test first

She worries the allergic reaction will leave an outline of the butterfly shape on Matilda's (pictured) arm for life

She worries the allergic reaction will leave an outline of the butterfly shape on her arm for life.

Mrs Newton said: 'It worries me that it's a very visible place on her arm.

'We weren't informed it was black henna, the tattoo stand just advertised henna tattoos.

'The doctor said abroad they put more pigment in their dyes because their laws are not the same as in the UK.

'The hospital said it was an allergic reaction to the black henna used and she won't be able to use hair dye when she's older.'

To raise awareness about the dangers of black henna Mrs Newton posted photos of Matilda's butterfly burn on social media.

She claims the hotel didn't offer a skin test prior to painting on the black henna outline.

Mrs Newton said: 'Please be cautious when letting your children get henna tattoos.

'People need to know what happened and make sure they have skin tests done if they do have a tattoo before having one of these done.

'Matilda should have had a skin test done before but this wasn't offered.'
Most Americans don't need another Covid booster shot, according to one of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) top vaccine advisers.

Dr Paul Offit, who advises the FDA on a range of shots for infectious diseases, told DailyMail.com middle-aged and younger Americans who do not have chronic diseases already had strong enough immunity through previous Covid vaccines and infections to prevent severe illness this winter.

His recommendation comes as the FDA prepares to approve new updated Covid boosters made by Pfizer and Moderna designed to target new variants.

The expectation is the Biden Administration will sign off on another nationwide rollout, encouraging every American to take it, despite other countries, like the UK, saying the vaccines are only needed for adults over 65.

Dr Offit told DailyMail.com: 'I think we are best served by targeting these booster doses to those who are most at risk of severe disease (i.e. hospitalization).

'Specifically, those over 75 years of age, those who have health problems that put them at highest risk of severe disease (such as obesity, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease and diabetes, among others) [and] those who are immune-compromised and those who are pregnant.'

Dr Paul Offit, an internationally recognized vaccines expert, said healthy young people did not need to get the updated Covid booster this fall

He added: 'Boosting otherwise healthy young people is a low-risk, low-reward strategy. Again, with an understanding that the goal of the vaccine is to prevent severe disease.'

The federal Government will not be covering the cost of updated Covid booster vaccines this fall.

But most Americans will still be able to get the vaccines for free via their health insurance.

For the 28million Americans who do not have health insurance, the federal government will cover the cost of their vaccinations through its $1.1billion 'Bridge Access' assistance program  which will help people without insurance get free access to Covid vaccines and treatments through 2024.

Pfizer and Moderna say their vaccines are priced between $110 to $130 per dose.

Dr Offit, who is based at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of 14 scientists on the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC)  which is tasked with determining whether vaccines are safe and effective

This committee voted against Pfizer vaccine booster shots for all Americans in late 2021, saying they should only be offered to over-65s.

A CDC panel followed its lead  but was later overruled by the agency's director who said the vaccine should be offered to all adults working in high-risk settings, such as those working in hospitals or care homes.

The above shows how uptake languished on last year's booster rollout, with less than 17 percent of eligible adults coming forward

The committee was not asked for its view this year on which Americans should be offered the Covid booster.

This recommendation will instead come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which will meet September 12.

The CDC director, Dr Mandy Cohen, will then sign-off on the recommendation to kick-start the updated booster vaccine rollout.

It is not clear what the CDC will recommend, but at the end of last month President Joe Biden said it was 'likely' all Americans over five years old would be offered the shot.

This year's updated Covid booster vaccine is designed to target the XBB.1.5, or 'Kraken', Covid variant  which was dominant in the US this summer.

Early tests show, however, the shot can also neutralize the BA.2.86 Covid variant, or 'Pirola', which is pushing Covid rates across the globe up.

There are also signs it will work against the EG.5, or 'Eris', Covid variant that is the current dominant strain in the US, and responsible for the recent spike in infections.

Dr Offit has been an outspoken critic of the US's blanket approach to vaccinating everyone against Covid.

In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal published in September last year, he warned the CDC was 'overselling' Covid vaccines by offering them to all Americans.

He wrote: 'As the CDC launches its fall booster dose campaign, it would be wise to focus on those at risk rather than the young and healthy.'

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer in November last year, he also said that healthy adults under 75 years old did not need to get the Covid vaccines.

Last year, barely 17 percent of American adults who were eligible for the bivalent booster shot came forward.

Among over-65s, who stand to gain the most from the shots, uptake languished at 43 percent.

The new vaccines come after the Biden Administration revealed plans to spend another $1.4billion on Covid drugs and vaccinations for all Americans  despite declaring the pandemic over in May.

Officials said the funding  to be awarded in grants  will be used to develop 'a new generation of tools and technologies to protect against COVID-19 for years to come'.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - the branch of government tasked with bankrolling health initiatives - announced the move Tuesday as part of its 'Project NextGen.'

Data shows Covid hospitalizations across the US are ticking up, with about 17,400 people admitted to hospitals during the week ending August 26  an increase from about 15,000 compared to the previous seven-day period.

But this is also still well below the levels reported earlier this year when there were approximately 44,000 admissions a week in January.
The U.S. Navy is expanding the number of APL-S-67 berthing barges it operates. These vessels are towed to where they are needed to temporarily house sailors while their ships are being updated, repaired or new ones completed. The navy has used these barges since World War II but the current ABL 67 class barges did not begin to appear until recently. A new class of berthing barges will begin to show up in 2024. These barges are the best solution for housing sailors temporarily.

In 2021 navy received the first of at least five APL-S-67 berthing barges. These Auxiliary Personnel Lighter-Small berthing barges are a new design, and the first new navy berthing barge design since the 1950s. Sailors who have seen the new APL-67s report that in addition to being new, they have a lot of the new features sailors have long sought for these temporary accommodations. These features include a post office, barber shop, bank, classrooms, laundry, medical clinic and exercise room.

The older berthing barges have not aged gracefully and the navy did not put a high priority on spending money required to keep the elderly berthing barges at least as accommodating as living quarters on warships. Another problem was that there were not enough berthing barges available to meet demand. In some emergency situations sailors are housed in local hotels temporarily and the difference between that and a berthing barge was considerable. Worse, many sailors or close kin had spent time on commercial berthing barges used in remote work sites. This was the standard the new navy berthing barges had to match.

Before the completion of the first APL-67 class barge, the most recently built berthing barge was twenty years old, and one of the World War II era APLs was still in service. The basic APL design was created in World War II and over fifty were built by 1945. Some went through refurbishment and were kept in service for decades. Some commercial berthing barges were also obtained during the naval build up in the Persian Gulf after 2001. Commercial berthing barges are widely used, with accommodation ranging from basic to motel-class for housing workers in areas where there are no suitable commercial accommodations. Oil field workers in remote parts of the world are frequently housed in berthing barges and morale was maintained by using modern, comfortable berthing barge designs. The APL-67 design is larger and with more amenities than the World War II APLs, which held about a hundred personnel each.

The APL-67s will replace six older berthing barges, some of them way past their replacement date. Thanks to the Internet, sailors assigned to these older barges reported to other naval personnel about the decrepit conditions on older barges, and a few sailors familiar with more recent berthing barge designs described the differences between those and the Navys existing barges in excruciating and embarrassing, for the navy, detail. The older barges had become a major morale problem, which was part of the motivation for the new APL design.

The first three of these new barges were in service by 2022. The first two will cost $39 million each and that includes the cost of designing them. All entered service by 2023 and ultimately the average cost per barge will be about $30 million. The new 2,700-ton barges have accommodations for 74 officers and 537 enlisted sailors. The new barges are built to accommodate mixed gender enlisted personnel. Each barge has all the facilities found on warships. This includes offices, classrooms, washrooms, laundry, medical treatment, barbershop and a fitness facility. There is a dining facility that can feed 228 enlisted and 56 officers per sitting. These six new berthing barges are the beginning of a program where all older berthing and messing (dining only) barges, especially those with accommodations inferior to those found in the latest warships, will be replaced. Improving ship accommodations was found to be a major factor in whether sailors reenlist in the navy.

The navy is also building a larger version of the new berthing barge that can accommodate about a thousand personnel and feed 3,000 a day. The new barges reflect changes in the last fifty years, with ships getting more amenities and mixed-gender crews. More crew members have families and can often live at home during longer periods when the unmarried crew is on the berthing barges. The barges are currently used at eight bases or shipyards in the mainland United States, plus some in Hawaii, Guam and Japan.

The navy has long used berthing barges to house crews when their ships are undergoing repairs or refurbishment that makes it impossible for the crews to still live on the ship. Since World War II the navy has used berthing barges, rather than barracks ashore, for this task. The berthing barges spend most of their time tied up to a dock and connected to shore-based electricity, sanitation and water supplies. The main advantage of berthing barges is that, when needed at another base or shipyard, they can be disconnected from local utilities and towed to the other base, just like any other barge.

The new barges will have better-living accommodations for enlisted crew and, most importantly, are new, not decades old. Moreover, the new barges are built to house civilians to support the navy assisting in disaster relief missions. This is a relatively new task but one that is much appreciated in U.S. and overseas locations where the navy shows up to provide supplies, electricity (from ships), communications and air (helicopters and surveillance) support. The APL-67s are built to last at least 40 years, including one or two rounds of refurbishment.
A 19-year-old college freshman from Idaho who thought her fever was the flu has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer.

Faye Prekeges, now 22, had just returned from a semester abroad when she started suffering a 104F (40C) fever, headaches and muscle pain.

The french and history student went to the hospital near her campus in Boston, Massachusetts, where doctors kept her in overnight after detecting a low white blood cell count.

After her parents arrived, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)  a fast-growing type of cancer affecting white blood cells, which are crucial to the immune system.

Ms Prekeges  who said she probably had only 'days to live' when she was diagnosed in February 2020  is now in remission after receiving multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She hopes to be allowed to work in Europe soon as a teacher or to go on to study a masters.

Faye Prekeges, now 22, had just returned from a semester abroad when she started suffering a 104F (40C) fever, headaches and muscle pain. She is pictured above with her mother and brother

Ms Prekeges, from Sun Valley, Idaho, is shown above with her family. She is now in remission from the cancer

ALL is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in childhood, with about 3,000 youngesters aged one to 19 years annually.

It occurs when white blood cells start to grow out of control inside the bone marrow before spreading into blood vessels and vital organs.

The cancer progresses rapidly, with doctors saying patients can die within two weeks of symptoms appearing because the disease is so rapid.

As the white blood cells multiply, they can start to clog blood vessels and vital organs  which gradually stops the body from functioning.

Doctors say about 90 percent of youngsters diagnosed with the cancer live longer than five years, after receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Describing her diagnosis, a family member said on GoFundMe: 'Things changed when Faye was back in Boston for her second semester.

'In February 2020, Faye  thinking she had the flu  took an Uber to Boston Medical Center because she had been sick for several days and her fever was 104F.

'Instead of the flu, she was diagnosed with [ALL].'

Describing the diagnosis, Ms Prekeges told Today: 'I probably had like a handful of days of getting to the hospital before dying.

'ALL has a really quick onset. By the time I got to the hospital, my bone marrow was 90 percent leukemia cells.'

Ms Prekeges asked to be transferred to a hospital in Seattle, Washington, which was nearer to her home in Sun Valley, Idaho, for treatment.

But because of the Covid pandemic, doctors said she would need to stay in Boston for about a month while they worked out transport.

For treatment, she received chemotherapy through an intravenous drip four times a week.

Doctors also started to administer chemotherapy into her cerebrospinal fluid  the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord  after detecting cancer cells within it.

Ms Prekeges said that, at times, the treatment would leave her looking like she was suffering from an aneurysm or a stroke.

'I really just felt horrible because [I was] getting [chemotherapy] every day, and that's when my hair completely finally fell out,' she said.

'I had a neurological reaction to one of the chemotherapies, so there were three or four instances where it looked and sounded like I was having an aneurysm or stroke, but I wasn't.'

Ms Prekeges was a competitive swimmer before she was diagnosed with the blood cancer

Doctors eventually managed to transfer her to Seattle to keep up with her regimen of chemotherapy four times per week.

It was at this time that she learned the chemotherapy would likely rob her of her fertility because of the damage it would do to her ovaries.

To avoid this, doctors performed ovarian tissue cryopreservation.

This is where one of the ovaries is removed, and has the ovarian cortex  which contains the eggs  cut out and sliced into strips. These are then frozen.

At a later date, when she may want to have children, the strips can then be implanted back into the body which will trigger them to start releasing eggs.

Ms Prekeges is now in remission  which means there is now no evidence of active cancer in her body.

But she will not be declared cancer-free until ten years have passed  because this is the lag doctors leave before reaching this assessment.

She has now started to study French and History at the University of Washington, in Seattle, after leaving Northeastern University in Boston.

She hopes to become a teaching assistant in Europe or to go on to do a masters.
A phone app which monitors puzzle scores will help GPs detect which of their patients are suffering from some of the earliest signs of dementia.

From next month, 1,000 people aged 40 and above will be involved in a study launched to try and catch early cases of mild cognitive impairment.

Experts from the University of Exeter have designed eight puzzles that test for short and long-term memory, reaction time, attention and reasoning skills.

Participants will be asked to complete the tests every six month, with scores tracked using an algorithm.

Anyone who starts to experience a decline in scores - outside the realm of what would be expected with normal ageing - will be flagged in the system.

A phone app which monitors puzzle scores will help GPs in England detect which of their patients are suffering from some of the earliest signs of dementia

The app will then send an alert through a portal to the participants' GP, who will be able to provide support and advice or refer them to a memory clinic.

The programme, named Reactive, will involve three years of study and a further two years of analysis.

And, if successful, experts hope it could be rolled out on the NHS for the wider public.

Anne Corbett, professor of dementia research and study lead, said: 'We know that 99 per cent of people with early signs of problems with their memory and brain health are not seen by a doctor.

'Yet these are the people who will benefit the most from early assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

READ MORE: DIY fingerprick test for Alzheimer's on the cards - and it will only cost 10, experts say The team are developing a hand-held device that could one day be used in homes to test for allergies, the menopause and even early stage Alzheimers Advertisement

'Computerised tests of brain health are far more sensitive and accurate than traditional paper-and-pencil tests and using an app means we can reach large numbers of people in an affordable way.

'This programme of research is a major step forward towards better brain health for older adults, harnessing the best technology to support people and doctors alike.

'It will give us vital information about how to fill the current gaps in healthcare in ageing and provide a valuable new tool to improve health and wellbeing for older adults in the NHS.' Professor Corbett said the goal is for GPs to give health advice or even prescribe brain training games to patients who have been flagged by the system, to help improve the health of their brain over time.

'Our hope is that this will link people up from the community to their GP at the right time,' she said.

'What we want to do is drive everybody to their GP - all the 'worried well'.. We're trying to be really sensitive and use data driven approaches, to make sure the right people go at the right time.

'Prevention is better than cure. That really is the goal - to find these people, understand what their current medical conditions, current lifestyle and their mental health looks like, and have a precision targeted approach so we can reduce their individual risk of progressing any further.' Mild cognitive impairment in itself does not mean a person will go on to develop dementia.

But there are certain things they could do to reduce the risk of this happening, Professor Corbett said.

This includes doing more physical activity, stopping smoking and losing weight if they are obese.

'That's why we're targeting people who are in the very early changes,' she said. 'We know that the earlier you intervene the more chance you have of slowing and reducing the risk of converting to dementia later on.

'There is good evidence now that we can reduce the risk very effectively.' The programme, announced at the British Science Festival in Exeter, is being backed by nearly 2 million of funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Around 950,000 people in the UK have dementia, and experts say identifying cognitive decline early is key to tackling the issue.

Dr Susan Mitchell, Head of Policy at Alzheimer's Research UK said: 'With two potentially life-changing Alzheimer's treatments on the horizon for the NHS, there is an increasing need to identify and diagnose people at the earliest stages of disease progression, when these treatments are most likely to be effective.

'This means diagnosing people 10 to 15 years earlier than they are diagnosed now, at a time when symptoms aren't always obvious.

'The REACTIVE app, if proven clinically effective, could be an important brain health monitoring tool. It could help to identify individuals at the earliest stages of dementia and pinpoint those who may be at an increased risk of developing the condition later in life.

'The app could also help prompt primary care services to offer personalised prevention to those at increased risk, potentially helping to reduce the number of people living with dementia in the future.

'While the REACTIVE app could help doctors monitor brain health, there's also steps we can all take to keep our brain healthy, like exercising regularly and keeping socially connected, and it's never too early or too late to act.' Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Dementia is a devastating, terminal illness and it's the UK's biggest killer.

'For people experiencing dementia symptoms, a timely, accurate diagnosis is crucial to managing the condition and avoiding ending up in crisis - it's the first step to helping families plan for the future, unlocking access to treatment, care and support.

'Funding tech innovation like this is so important, as it can really make a difference to families dealing with these diseases. New technology has the potential to speed up the diagnosis process and help people remain independent, living fulfilled lives for as long as possible.'
US health chiefs believe America's Covid immunity will hold up against a new highly-mutated variant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said early data indicated antibodies from prior infection or vaccination offer high protection against BA.2.86.

BA.2.86 - or Pirola - sparked panic last month because it evolved from an earlier lineage of the Covid virus and had gained more than 30 mutations that made it different to currently dominant strains.

Even the CDC was concerned the new strain may have the ability to duck previous immunity when it issued its initial risk assessment in August.

Those fears were part of the reason several US colleges, schools and businesses to bring masks back - through mandates or recommendations.

While virologists have warned it is too early to reliably pinpoint BA.2.86 specific symptoms, its ancestor BA.2 had some tell-tale signs. Experts aren't yet certain, however, if it behaves like similar Omicron subvariants, the signs to watch out for include a runny nose, sore throat and fatigue

Americans wear face masks as they wait in line to vote in the 2020 presidential election. Some colleges and businesses are reinstating mask mandates as Covid cases rise in the US

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming days is expected to authorize updated vaccines that target other circulating strains of the virus.

The new shots were commissioned long before the emergence of BA.2.86 and there were fears the new variant may evade their protection.

But early data from blood laboratory tests provide encouraging signs for the new shots, the CDC said.

BA.2.86 has been identified in nine US states as of Friday, but because so few Covid swabs are being analyzed for variants, the strain is likely much more widespread than the official figures indicate.

Experts initially feared BA.2.86 would spark a fresh wave of infections because it had more than 35 mutations in the spike protein - the piece the virus uses to infect cells - compared to its next closest ancestors.

Scientists compared the evolutionary jump to when Omicron first emerged and overtook the Delta variant in 2021, which sparked unprecedented levels of infections worldwide and record hospital admissions in the US.

But tests by experts in New York and China this past week found that antibodies from vaccinated people and those who had recovered from an infection within the last six months were just as effective against BA.2.86  enabling them to stop infection  as they were with other variants.

Then Moderna and Pfizer tested their new vaccines against the strain in lab studies and reported high efficacy.

The updated vaccines are meant to be rolled out as early as next week, after the Biden Administration revealed plans to spend another $1.4billion on Covid drugs and vaccinations for all Americans  despite declaring the pandemic over in May.

The expectation is the Biden Administration will sign off on another nationwide vaccine campaign, encouraging every American over five years old to take the booster, despite other countries, like the UK, saying the vaccines are only needed for adults over 65.

But not all US public health experts agree with the administration's recommendations.

Dr Paul Offit, who advises the FDA, on a range of vaccines for many infectious diseases, has previously told DailyMail.com middle-aged and younger Americans who do not have chronic diseases already have strong enough immunity from previous Covid vaccines and infections to prevent severe illness this winter.

Because of this, Dr Offit says young healthy people don't need to roll up their sleeves to get boosted.

Instead, he says to focus the new vaccine campaign on people older than '75 years of age, those who have health problems that put them at highest risk of severe disease (such as obesity, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease and diabetes, among others) and those who are immune-compromised and those who are pregnant.'

While data shows Covid hospitalizations across the US are ticking up, with about 17,400 people admitted to hospitals during the week ending August 26, an increase from about 15,000 compared to the previous seven-day period, this is well below the levels reported earlier this year when there were approximately 44,000 admissions a week in January.
One of the nation's largest grocery store chains has agreed to pay $1.4billion to settle claims it helped fueled the opioid epidemic through lax oversight of its sale.

In a deal announced Friday, Kroger  which operates in 35 states mostly across the northeast and northern plains  said it had agreed to the payment and to cover legal costs.

The money will be paid to state and local governments to fund efforts to battle opioid epidemic  which is currently claiming the lives of nearly 10,000 Americans every month.

Kroger has not admitted any wrongdoing or liability as part of the deal reached today.

The deal brings the total paid by prescription drug manufacturers, wholesales, consultants and pharmacies over opioid prescribing practices to more than $50billion. There are at least 12 cases worth more than $1billion.

Kroger has agreed to pay $1.4billion to settle claims it fueled the opioid epidemic through lax oversight of its sales (Stock image)

Kroger is expected to pay the money directly to thirty-three states starting from this December. It has already reached separate deals with New Mexico and West Virginia.

As well as $1.2billion to government, the grocery store chain will also pay $36million to Native American tribes and $177million to cover legal fees.

Kroger is also expected to agree to marketing restrictions on powerful prescription painkillers and to start to use data to catch overprescribing cases.

The company said in a statement: 'Kroger has long served as a leader in combatting opioid abuse and remains committed to patient safety.'

Jayne Conroy, the lead lawyer for the Government's case, said in an interview that it made sense for the major players in overprescribing to play a role in finding a solution to the crisis.

'It really isn't a difficult problem,' she said.

'The problem is the massive amount of addiction. That addiction stems from the massive amount of prescription drugs.'

Cases against other supermarket chains  including Publix and Albertsons  are still ongoing.

Pharmacy benefit managers such as Express Scripts and OptumRx also face opioid claims from governments.

One of the larger settlements  totaling $6billion  involving OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma will have arguments for and against heard in the Supreme Court this year.

Official estimates suggest about 110,000 Americans are still dying from overdoses every year.

The data  which reflects the year to March 2023, the latest available  suggests there are 9,205 overdose deaths being recorded every month.

The roots of America's drug crisis can be traced back to the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies began aggressively marketing opioid painkillers as a safe and effective way to treat chronic pain.

The companies convinced doctors that the risk of addiction was low, prompting them to write prescriptions for millions of Americans.

When these ran out many eventually turned to the black market in order to keep taking the drugs  because they had become addicted.

Over time, many started to turn to drugs such as heroin as a cheaper and more accessible alternative.

This spawned today's crisis when supplies of drugs like heroin began to be laced with fentanyl by manufacturers.
Royal Marine Commandos have been kitted out with state-of-the-art new rifles and night vision goggles that will make them 'stealthier and deadlier'.

The Knight's Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle is the prized new addition in the arsenal of the UK Commando forces working in 'lead strike teams'  responsible for raids on land and sea worldwide.

More than a thousand of the new rifles have been bought from US producers Knight's Armament Company.

The weapons come with advanced optical and thermal sights as well as suppressor (silencer) systems to make commandos harder to trace and 'more formidable' in combat.

Captain Nick Unwin, programme director, said: 'Delivery of quality equipment such as we see today is a genuine increase in capability and capacity for the UK's Commando force strike teams and offers significant tactical advantage to the user.

Royal Marines using the new rifle and kit rolled out to the Commando Force, wielding the new KS-1 rifle with silencer and wearing new helmets

More than a thousand of the new rifles have been bought from US producers Knight's Armament Company

The weapons come with advanced optical and thermal sights as well as suppressor (silencer) systems to make commandos harder to trace and 'more formidable' in combat

Captain Nick Unwin said: 'Delivery of quality equipment such as we see today is a genuine increase in capability and capacity for the UK's Commando force strike teams'

'The Commando force programme is delivering change across all areas of amphibious operations.

'This is just one small part of the wider change programme we are all embarked upon as we adjust to evolving threats and challenges.'

Alongside this new rifle and a new helmet made by Gentex, troops will also receive night vision goggles, tactical communications systems, battlefield vehicles and 'survivability systems', including new helmets, communications and suppressors which make the force more difficult to detect, all be rolled out by the Royal Navy from 2024.

The night vision goggles produced by L3Harris, giving commandos an advantage over their adversaries in night-time coastal operations, or as they move in darkness through confined spaces.

The Commando Force regularly deploys around the globe in all extremes of environment  arctic, desert and jungle  reacting to crises and conducting a range of complex operations, including counter piracy and terrorism, drugs busts and humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

It means there is a need to put top-end kit in the hands of warriors to give them the upper hand on the battlefield.

Alongside this new rifle and a new helmet made by Gentex, troops will also receive night vision goggles, tactical communications systems, battlefield vehicles and 'survivability systems', including new helmets, communications and suppressors

The Commando Force regularly deploys around the globe in all extremes of environment  arctic, desert and jungle  reacting to crises

Britain's commandos carry out complex operations, including counter piracy and terrorism, drugs busts and humanitarian aid and disaster relief

The Knight's Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle is the prized new addition in the arsenal of the UK Commando forces working in 'lead strike teams'  responsible for raids on land and sea worldwide

Commando Forces are also exploring how to use the night vision kit alongside digital communications systems, providing a live feed to the goggles to help commanders assess the battlefield and make decisions

More than a thousand of these have been procured and the systems feature advanced low-light image intensification with a fused thermal input.

It means the devices include both night vision and thermal sensor superimposed into a single image for the operator  that far outperforms older systems currently used by the UK's Armed Forces.

Commando Forces are also exploring how to use the night vision kit alongside digital communications systems, providing a live feed to the goggles to help commanders assess the battlefield and make decisions.

Meanwhile, advances are being made with upgrades to the Sharpshooter rifle.

The Lewis Machine and Tool L129A2 rifle is an improvement on the well-established Sharpshooter with new Leupold scopes and HuxWrx suppressors, making it more accurate and quieter.

It is also equipped with an Envision Technology ballistic calculator and a Pixels-on-Target thermal sight. Each Commando Strike Team will comprise two designated expert shooters equipped with these upgraded rifles.
Parents have expressed fury this week after the start of the new school year saw a crackdown on 'overly strict' school uniform policies which have left students being sent home on their very first day.

Students have been forced to wear spare shoes which are too small, leaving them with blisters, heavy black tights and trousers in 30C heat and expensive school-branded clothing which has set parents back by hundreds of pounds.

Strict uniform policies have come under fire in recent years over allegations they lead to children missing valuable time in school and are too severe amongst the climate crisis.

Back in June Toni Hurst from Stockport said she was baffled when Hazel Grove High School told her that Tom Foster, 13, would be put in isolation if he wore shorts. Tom was eventually given permission to wear shorts due to eczema.

The school told MailOnline that in hot weather ties and blazers are not required and that 'slight adjustments' may be made to uniform if medically necessary.

Now an expert psychologist has joined a fresh wave of parents in criticising policies which have been described similar to being 'in the Army', arguing they can cause extra stress and anxiety to students worrying whether they will be punished for an unwitting infraction.

Does your child's school have overly strict uniform policies? Email elizabeth.haigh@mailonline.co.uk

Toni Hurst from Stockport says she was baffled when Hazel Grove High School told her that Tom Foster, 13, would be put in isolation if he wore shorts

One mother has been fighting a legal battle after being forced to fork out 200 per year for new pieces of branded uniform

Melissa Pope said her 11-year-old daughter Layla Thomson was sent home during her first day of secondary school for her shoes (pictured) and will not be going back

Yesterday a Gateshead school was facing accusations it has 'lost all touch with reality' after a 15-year-old girl was left with blisters when she was told to wear too small shoes, as multiple students were sent home for breaching its strict uniform policy.

The teenager returned to Grace College in Gateshead for her first day of Year 11 on Tuesday, only to be told by staff that her plain black ballet-style shoes, which covered her toes but not the top of her feet, were unsuitable.

The year 11's father claims the school told her to wear a spare pair of size seven brogue style shoes or be sent home - despite the 15-year-old explaining she was a size eight.

The 43-year-old, who lives in the Bensham area of Gateshead, said his daughter wore the smaller shoes, as she did didn't want to be sent home, and was left with blisters on both feet.

On Wednesday, she attended school in Low Fell in the same ballet style shoes, having ordered some new shoes which had not yet arrived, and was sent home.

Her father said: 'I think they have lost touch with reality completely. It just seems to be a very poorly managed school.'

A string of angry parents were shocked to find their children sent home from the college on Tuesday, multiple cases of which were for wearing black shoes that did not comply with the schools restrictive rules.

Among those threatened with being sent home were a year 10 pupil, who was wearing a pair of Nike walking boots which were entirely black, a year nine student who was wearing ballet pumps and an 11-year-old on her first ever day at secondary school.

The teenager returned to Grace College in Gateshead for her first day of Year 11 on Tuesday, only to be told by staff that her plain black ballet style shoes, which covered her toes but not the top of her feet, were unsuitable

Grace College in Gateshead has a hefty list of uniform rules and will send students home for breaching them

A year 10 student was sent home from Grace College for wearing Nike walking boots which were completely black

A year nine student was also sent home for wearing black ballet pumps

What are Grace College's strict uniform rules? Shoes Must be black and sensible

Must be able to be polished

Must cover the whole top of the foot

No patent leather

No distinctive fashion features

No buckles

No coloured stitching

No tags or logos

No boots

No training shoes

No ballet pumps

No heel higher than an inch

No open shoes Socks and tights With trousers, socks must be black or dark grey, no ankle socks

With skirts, only black tights or white ankle socks allowed

Socks must be plain

Tights must be 40-70 denier

No logos Bags Students must have a bag

Rucksacks only

No handbags

No shoulder bags

No objects to be placed in blazer pockets instead of bags Accessories No jewellery permitted, including body piercings

Subtle make up only

No fashion accessories

No nail extensions

No hair extensions

No eyelash extensions

No nail polish

No hair bobbles or elastic bands on wrists

Only clear lip may be used, and only outside of class

Simple watch only

No smart watches Other No dental retainers, even clear ones

Only black belts permitted

No rolled skirts

No 'unmodest' lengths

Ties must cover all shirt buttons

Shirts must be fully tucked in

All buttons must be fastened

Blazers to always be worn

Blazers can only be removed in class with express teacher permission

No rolled up sleeves

No personalised items e.g. pin badges, charity wristbands Hair Must be smart, business-like and safe

No unnatural hair dyes

No hair not tied back (if long enough)

Navy, grey or black hair ties only

Plain metal grips only

No other hair accessories allowed

No colourful ties or grips

No 'extreme' differences in hair length

No tattooing of hair

Fringes must end above the eyebrow Coats Only permitted outside during the cold weather

Must be removed once inside the college building Advertisement

Melissa Pope said her 11-year-old daughter Layla Thomson was sent home for wearing the popular Vivienne Westwood slip on shoes.

The 37-year-old, from Car Hill, Gateshead, said her daughter spent the day in isolation before being picked up by her grandmother and now does not want to return to the school.

She added: 'I think it's just a power thing. There were so many girls sent home today.'

The school has a strict dress code for all its students which includes bans on wearing dental retainers, hair bobbles on wrists and placing items in blazer pockets.

Grace College's policy states students must wear 'black, sensible shoes which can be polished'.

It explicitly bans patent leather, 'distinctive fashion features', buckles, coloured stitching, tags, logos, boots, training shoes and ballet style shoes.

Shoes may also not have a heel higher than one inch, measured where the heel meets the instep. It adds that the top of the foot must be fully covered due to 'safety reasons'.

According to its uniform policy, 'inspections' of students take place each morning and any uniform 'breach' that cannot be remedied immediately will result in a student being sent home.

Psychologist Bayu Prihandito exclusively told MailOnline after reviewing Grace College's uniform policy: 'The specificity of some rules, such as the type of leather for shoes, tights, and even the length of fringes, highlights the intense scrutiny students might feel on a daily basis and the potential stress or anxiety that might follow from trying to comply.

'These aren't just about maintaining a uniform appearance, but they go deep into one's personal territories, like hair dyes and extensions, which are often ways teenagers choose to express their always-evolving self.

'Additionally, rules like not allowing dental retainers, which can be medically advised, seem to prioritize aesthetics over student well-being. Which is ironic compared to the above being forbidden!'

Schools are also coming under fire over inappropriate rules for the weather, as some ban boys from wearing shorts and say girls must wear thick black tights, even specifying the minimum denier.

This week has seen temperatures reach more than 30C, yet many schools around the country either do not allow their students to wear shorts or no tights, or only allow it during the summer term.

Millfield Science and Performing Arts College in Thornton, Lancashire only allows its students to wear full-length trousers or a knee-length skirt with black tights that must be at least 100 denier.

Just before the summer holidays an email was reportedly sent out to parents reminding them that 100 denier tights must be worn, with parents claiming their children would be handed tights to put on if they went to school without them.

However, the school does allow shorts in PE.

The rules are similar at Pontypridd High School in Wales where only trousers or skirts are permitted.

At Pontypridd school in Wales, students are not permitted to wear shorts

Croesyceiliog School was also the centre of anger for parents this week after refusing to let students wear shorts or skirts without tights

Carla Hayman was left frustrated after being told her son was not allowed to wear shorts at Pontypridd

One frustrated parent, Carla Hayman, wrote on Facebook: 'Ponty high - full uniform to be worn again tomorrow but boys are welcome to wear a skirt if wanted as that is part of the school policy!'

She added her son had been placed in seclusion from 8am in the morning for coming into school in shorts, despite the hot weather.

When she arrived at the school she found the seclusion room 'full, as was the school reception, with boys with shorts on.'

Others replied to the mother-of-two, with one writing: 'I said [to my son] they all should [wear a skirt] to prove a point. It clearly doesn't affect their learning ability, what they've got on. Its bonkers!'

Another added: 'Absolute joke isn't it.'

One of the Pontypridd parents said online they planned to send their son into school in shorts regardless of the policy.

That prompted one mother to say: 'My son told me today he was too warm but won't wear shorts now as he will have to stand in a line for three hours.'

A spokesman for Pontypridd High School said: 'Pupils are expected to wear the required uniform when in school.

'The school uniform policy, determined by the schools' governing body, doesn't include a tie and due to the warm weather pupils are not required to wear a jumper over their polo shirt.

'The school building doesn't reach excessive temperatures and therefore we expect pupils to adhere to the uniform policy.'

Another Welsh school received backlash for the same policy. Croesyceiliog School in Cwmbran shared a message from headteacher Ms Richards on Tuesday which made clear exceptions for hot weather would not be accepted.

She wrote: 'Dear parents and carers, we hope that your child is looking forward to returning to school this week.

'We as a school want to set the highest standards of uniform as we return to school this September and we are writing to clarify that all students are expected to attend school in full uniform (not summer uniform) as per our uniform policy on our school website.

'We will continue to monitor the weather for this week however the current predicted temperatures do not indicate a need to implement summer uniform policy.'

The school headteacher told students they could take their blazers off but there are reports this is not always the case.

The school limited who could comment on the post on social media, but parents still made their feelings known.

One said: 'Bet the teachers aren't dressed for winter either!'

Another said: 'Well this is absolutely ridiculous! it's absolutely roasting and the hottest it's been all year.'

One mother added that she had received a call on Wednesday evening from the school, confirming the policy is not going to be changed.

Gill Long from Merseyside was horrified after she had to splash out 200 on branded school uniform before the start of the school year at Heckmondwike Grammar School

She recently won a legal fight with Heckmondwike Grammar School which will have to reduce the cost of its uniform

She said her daughter came home 'drained' from the heat, in which students must wear a knee-length skirt with black tights or trousers. They also claimed not all teachers were allowing their children to take off their blazers despite the heat.

Psychologist Mr Prihandito told MailOnline such strict measures will cause students extra stress and anxiety, impacting on their wellbeing.

He said: 'Having an overly strict school uniform policy in place, especially one that sends students home for minor infractions like 'unsuitable' shoes, can lead to heightened stress and anxiety among students.

'This can divert their attention from the primary purpose of school: learning. The constant worry about adhering to the rules and the fear of repercussions can overshadow their views on school.

'Besides, these policies can inadvertently strain the relationship between students and the school administration. Instead of viewing their educators as guiding and supportive figures, students might begin to perceive them as adversaries. This perception can negatively impact their interpersonal relationships moving forward.

'While uniforms promote a sense of community, they should also allow room for more personal expression.

'By strictly regulating personal choices, like shoes, schools might unintentionally send a message that conformity is more valued than individuality. This could influence how students view themselves in the broader world as they grow up.'

Elsewhere, Gill Long from Merseyside was horrified after she had to splash out 200 on branded school uniform before the start of the school year at Heckmondwike Grammar School.

She is fed up with buying branded blazers, trousers and PE kits - only to have to replace them a year later as her child grows.

The mother realised she was paying between 150 to 200 a year on the bare essentials at Heckmondwike Grammar School, saying she could save more than 100 by buying unbranded items.

She has recently celebrated a personal victory in court after a year-long against Heckmondwike Grammar School. Ruling in her favour, the court decided that the cost of the clothing should be reviewed and reduced in conjunction with government guidelines, but felt branded items were important to maintain standards and consistency.

Money Wellness, an organisation that offers free help to families in debt, told MailOnline that mandatory branded uniform pieces are especially troubling amidst the cost of living crisis.

'For the families we speak to the cost of school uniform is one of the largest outgoings they'll have to cover, with some cutting back on basics like food and electricity or falling further into debt to pay for everything that's needed.

'We called on the government earlier this year to look again at reform for mandatory uniforms as, despite guidelines in place, some schools remain unrealistic in their expectations at a time when families are already struggling with the cost of living.

'Equally, we're hearing stories of children being bullied or feeling socially excluded because their parents can't afford every piece of uniform, and that's not acceptable.

'In the current economic climate, schools need to be supporting families and working with them to find a solution that ensures children are neat and tidy and most importantly not missing out on their education.'

MailOnline has contacted all the schools in this article for comment.
CHILDREN are being put at risk from dangerous school buildings, SNP ministers have been warned, as the number affected by crumbling concrete hit 40 yesterday.

Humza Yousaf finally agreed to publish the full list of affected schools at the end of the week and said he would consider telling parents what safety measures were being put in place to protect children.

The First Minister confirmed his government was told of the problem years ago after it was linked to the collapse of a school roof south of the Border, where at least 100 schools are set to close for emergency repair work.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville also admitted her officials were warned about the dangers of the potentially lethal concrete in March last year.

But councils were not asked to examine schools for the collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) until earlier this summer.

Education Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville addressing parliament yesterday

Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said parents and teachers will understandably be deeply concerned about this issue and we need to see full transparency from the SNP in relation to dangerous concrete.

He said the impact of RAAC will stretch well beyond schools and include the NHS estate, GP surgeries, colleges and potentially council housing built during the last 40 years.

Mr Briggs added: SNP ministers have been aware of the issue of dangerous concrete for a while, so spending decisions on these schools should have been a top priority for ministers.

Instead, pupils, teachers and school staff could be at risk as a result of the SNPs failure to address this problem.

SNP ministers cannot keep passing the buck or shifting blame on RAAC and must urgently confirm a timetable to tackle the problem.

In a statement at Holyrood yesterday, Ms Somerville tried to defend the Scottish Governments handling of the issue.

She revealed that education officials were alerted about RAAC by the Institution of Structural Engineers in March 2022.

Education chiefs were not told until July that year, and had to wait another 12 months before councils started investigating RAAC in schools  despite NHS Scotland launching a review of healthcare sites in December.

Scottish Labours education spokesman Pam Duncan-Glancy said: This morning the First Minister said that the Government have known about this issue for years. So why, I ask, did they not ask councils to investigate until July 17? Does the minister accept that this failure has put local authorities on the back foot, and has put pupils and staff in schools at risk?

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton also questioned the Governments timeline.

He said if ministers were dealing properly with the problem, dont you think that parliament and the public would have been told sooner that at least 40 schools and an untold number of hospitals contain this potentially lethal concrete? Asked why it took the Scottish Government so long to act on warnings, Ms Somerville said: There has been no delay.

THE University of Stirling has closed parts of the student union building due to the potentially dangerous concrete.

A spokesman said the use of RAAC on campus was limited, the partial closure was a precautionary measure, and engineers were on site addressing the issue.

Earlier this week the University of Edinburgh restricted access to areas within eight of its buildings.
Mother-of-six Ruby Franke sobbed in court as she appeared for a shelter hearing for her four minor children to determine custody.

Speaking to the public courtroom Thursday, the Mormon mom at times broke down as she made shocking claims that one of her minor children sexually abused their sibling and molested several other family members and children in the neighborhood over the years.

The popular YouTuber was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt last month and charged with six counts of felony child abuse after one of her sons was discovered with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs.

Franke, 41, appeared via video from a Utah jail where she remains on a no bail hold at least until her next court appearance scheduled for Friday.

YouTuber mom Ruby Franke (pictured) has been charged with six counts of felony child abuse after her 12-year-old son was found with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs. Franke made astonishing claims during the hearing that one of her minor children sexually abused another

Franke's husband Kevin, wearing a dark suit, sat at the table with his attorney looking straight ahead as his wife made the sickening allegations

Ruby, her husband, and their six kids were shot into stardom back in 2015, after she started sharing videos giving an inside look into her life as a Mormon mother-of-six on YouTube

The court hearing presided over by Judge Suchada Bazzelle lasted just 30 minutes and inside was Franke's husband, Kevin, with his attorney Randy Kester. At another table were the State attorneys, and what appeared to be Franke's two oldest daughters appearing to be accompanied by an attorney as well.

Ruby Franke's husband Kevin appeared at Thursday's hearing with his attorney Randy Kester

Seeming to pin the blame for her behavior on her children, Franke went into horrific detail about how one of her six kids abused other children.

She claimed that one of the Franke kids began looking at pornography at just three-years old.

In one of the most shocking claims, Franke said said that her child had been sexually abusing a younger sibling for years, adding that eventually the two of them began to abuse other children.

She also claimed her two children played a 'patting' game with each other, but did not go into further detail.

Franke said that in May her child confessed to sexually abusing 20 people, including cousins and neighbors.

She provided no proof of her sickening allegations.

The court went eerily silent after Ruby made the disturbing claims.

The judge then said that her alleged abusive child 'will then need to be placed in a home with no other children.'

Judge Bazzelle set the next hearing for a September 15 mediation hearing and a September 18th pre-trial hearing

Husband Kevin is pictured outside of Thursday's hearing with his attorney Randy Kester

The court hearing presided over by Judge Suchada Bazzelle lasted just 30 minutes

Franke's husband Kevin, wearing a dark suit, sat at the table with his attorney looking straight ahead as his wife made the sickening allegations.

In a surprising courtroom move, an attorney who was sitting in the public viewing area stood up and asked the judge to hear details about the molestation of another child because a mother of one of the alleged victims was in the courtroom.

The judge denied the request, citing that details of the alleged abuse can be heard at a future time.

Outside of court DailyMail.com attempted to get a comment from the mother whose kid was allegedly molested by the Franke child, but they refused to speak.

Kevin Franke and his attorney Randy Keester left the courthouse about an hour later and gave no comment when asked if he believed his wife's shocking allegations.

Keester said, 'He's been instructed by the court not to comment to the press. Out of the respect for the children involved we have no comment.'

Judge Bazzelle set the next hearing for a September 15 mediation hearing and a September 18th pre-trial hearing.

The judge told Ruby Franke that if she's released from jail, she will need to attend the hearings in person and if not, they'll have to make accommodations for transportation.

Ruby's eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted about her mother's arrest on Instagram, sharing an image of police officers outside the home captioned 'Finally'

The family blew up on social media after beginning to post videos in 2015

Ruby Franke first rose to fame for her strict parenting style which blew up on YouTube and made her 'millions' of dollars, she claimed.

She racked up more than 2.2million subscribers for documenting their day-to-day endeavors on social media, along with husband Kevin.

The pair stopped uploading videos in January 2022 and the 8 Passengers page was taken down completely from the website earlier this year.

When asked why she left YouTube behind months later, she said she opted to stop uploading videos because she wanted to 'save her kids.'

In July, she was called out online after video surfaced of her allowing her daughter to go hungry after the young girl had forgotten to make her own lunch before school.

In a video posted to in 2020, Ruby said her daughter's teacher had texted her, telling her that the youngster didn't have anything to eat for lunch.

Ruby Franke, (left) who ran the now-defunct 8 Passengers channel, was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right) on August 30

Ruby Franke's Springville, Utah home, is seen on Saturday

She said all her kids are responsible for preparing their own lunches in the morning, so she would not be dropping off any food for her daughter to teach her a lesson.

Franke said: 'My hope [is that] she will be hungry and come home and be like 'that was really painful being hungry all day I'll make sure to always have a lunch with me.''

'The natural outcome is that she is just going to have to go hungry.'

It was this parenting style that helped the woman to gain a massive following on YouTube and shine a spotlight on herself and her family.

After her arrest, one of Ruby's adult children spoke out on social media and shared that she was excited to see justice finally served to her mom.

In an Instagram story after her mom's arrest, Shari, 20, celebrated her mom's arrest and said she had been 'trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this.'

Shari also said that she is 'so glad they finally decided to step up' and that her siblings are safe, DailyMail.com reported.

The 20-year-old shared an image of police officers outside the family's Springville, Utah home along with the caption 'Finally.'
CRUMBLING concrete at a Scottish school sparked the decision to close more than 100 schools in England.

The condition of aerated concrete in a building at the MoDs private Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, Perthshire, was deemed to be so significant that officials from the Department for Education sent health and safety officials to examine it in May.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth claims the school was one of three cases used by Gillian Keegan, her UK Government counterpart, to justify changing guidance on RAAC in England.

The Queen Victoria is fully funded by the MoD and overseen by a UK Government-appointed charitable board.

Reports state concerning evidence of decay was found in April in an auxiliary building built with RAAC. Ms Gilruth claimed she only became aware of the matter last Thursday.

News of the schools role in the DfE decision comes as it emerged Ms Keegan this week described herself as the Devil Wears Prada does politics  as she sought to defy her critics amid the school concrete crisis.

Concerning evidence of decayed concrete was found in auxiliary building in April

English education secretary Gillian Keegan used the case to justify changing guidance on RAAC south of the Border

Cracking jokes at a drinks reception on Wednesday night, the under-fire Education Secretary insisted she had made the right decision in shutting school buildings.

Last week she ordered more than 100 schools and colleges to make either full or partial closures due to fears over reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

And she provoked more fury earlier this week when she was caught on camera asking why no one says youve done a f****** good job while everyone else has sat on their arse and done nothing. Her latest comments provoked fresh anger from MPs, with one senior Tory telling the Mail last night: Gillian hugely lacks self-awareness. She is becoming a massive embarrassment to both the party and the Prime Minister.

If she cant pipe down, she should just go  voluntarily or otherwise.

At a networking drinks organised by the Women2Win pressure group on Wednesday, Mrs Keegan made light of being caught swearing. She admitted she might need another session of media training, before adding: I dont want to learn how to stop swearing but maybe the mic thing.

She then described a shot of her arriving at Tuesdays Cabinet meeting as the Devil Wears Prada does politics. It showed her peering over the rim of her sunglasses as she waited to be let inside No10.

If you want to see Devil Wears Prada does politics, this is the picture, Mrs Keegan told the drinks reception. And she told the event she had survived the pressure of recent days because I know Ive made the right decision.

Meanwhile, Department for Education figures published yesterday revealed that only 51 per cent of staff were at their desks in both of the final two weeks of August as the RAAC crisis unfolded over summer.

And a list published by the Ministry shows 147 schools have been hit so far by RAAC, with 19 delaying the start of term, four switching to remote learning for all, and 20 more offering some remote learning.
Humza Yousaf said it is proportionate for police to decide not to investigate every crime despite warnings it will be open season for criminals.

The First Minister yesterday defended a controversial pilot project in the North-East which instructs rank-and-file officers not to follow up on some break-ins and thefts where there are no leads or CCTV evidence.

He was accused of allowing communities in the area to be used as guinea pigs. At First Ministers Questions yesterday, Mr Yousaf defended the approach when he faced claims that SNP cuts to police budgets were behind the move.

He said: Let me quote directly from the news release that the police put out in that region.

It says on some occasions, crimes are reported where there is no associated threat, no risk, no harm, no vulnerability  and this is the important bit  no proportionate lines of inquiry for local police officers to investigate. When this happens, our staff will inform the caller that the inquiry has been recorded and a crime reference number will be supplied, but no further action will be taken.

Humza Yousaf says Westminster is to blame

That to me seems like a proportionate approach to tackling crime.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said it was incredible that Mr Yousaf was supporting the approach.

He added: This is a direct consequence of SNP funding cuts.

Officers dont have the resources to do their jobs. People who report crimes will be told tough luck and its open season for criminals under the SNP.

So why is the First Minister telling offenders that they can break the law and get away with it here in Scotland?

Nationalist MSP Audrey Nicoll, convener of the Scottish parliament justice committee, raised her concerns over the approach by police.

She said: As a constituency MSP and former police officer, I am concerned with these developments and the impact they will have on relationships between police and our communities. All crime has a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of victims, especially where the victim is elderly or vulnerable. It is unclear how you propose to address this issue.

I am also concerned that victims often have little or no personal knowledge of what inquiries may or may not be fruitful. In contrast, a trained police officer undertaking an investigation may identify lines of inquiry. I am unclear how this pilot will allow officers to spend more time tackling crime.

Meanwhile, figures published by Police Scotland showed a rise of 14.5 per cent in reports of non-sexual crimes of violence, from 2,543 to 2,913, comparing April to August this year with last year.

A Police Scotland report said: The number of non-sexual crimes of violence this period has increased from last year and the five-year mean and is at the highest level in recent years.

Overall, police recorded 62,643 crimes of all categories in April-August  a rise of 3,172 on the same period last year, when 59,471 were recorded. Sexual crimes increased from 3,692 to 3,930.
The U.S. Army has placed orders for the new M7 6.8mm assault rifle and M250 6.8mm LMG (Light Machine-Gun). These new weapons replace 1960s-era 5.56mm ammunition that also required a new generation of assault rifles and LMGs. The M-16/M-4 assault rifles and M248 LMGs will remain in service but the infantry and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) troops will be equipped with the new 6.8mm weapons. SOCOM was responsible for the acceptance of the 6.8mm ammo and the new weapons. The army will receive 17,000 M7s and 3,000 M250s in 2024. These will be distributed to army troops initially. SOCOM hasnt decided yet because SOCOM has always been free to buy and use whatever weapons it believes it needs. That means SOCOM troops have several assault and automatic weapons available and the M7 may soon join the collection.

The current plan is to purchase enough of the 6.8mm weapons for all army combat troops. Thats about 60,000 shooters. If the marines and SOCOM adopt the 6.8mm weapons, that will mean about 30,000 more M7s will be required. The army plans to eventually 107,000 M7s for infantry and other combat troops (SOCOM, combat engineers and several other combat specialists).

Weapons manufacturer Remington began work on the new round in 2002. The new round used the case from the old Remington .30-.30 rimless round with a new 6.8mm bullet. SOCOM supported the 6.8mm round and began testing it in M-16s and M-4s modified to accommodate it. The 6.8mm round is more accurate at longer ranges and has more hitting power than the 5.56mm round the M-16 was originally designed for. Out to about 600 meters, the 6.8mm round has about the same impact as the heavier 7.62mm round used in sniper rifles and medium machine-guns. It took longer to get a new 6.8mm rifle and LMG designed and built. The new ammunition and weapons are the first new ammo and weapons developed for the American infantry in over 60 years. This continues a trend that began nearly a century ago.

During the 1930s, the Germans studied their World War I experience and concluded that a less powerful and lighter rifle round would be more effective. This resulted in research on a smaller 7mm round but, with World War II fast approaching, this effort eventually produced a shortened regular (7.92mm) rifle round. During that war, the Germans developed the first modern assault rifle, the SG-44. This weapon looked a lot like the AK-47, and that was no accident. The SG-44, like the AK-47, used a shortened rifle cartridge that was developed before the war (7.92mm for the Germans, 7.62mm for the Russians, which is still used in the AK-47). This gave the infantryman an automatic weapon that could still fire fairly accurate shots at targets 100-200 meters away. The SG-44 and AK-47 rounds had about the same stopping power as the new 6.8mm at those shorter ranges. What a coincidence. The AK-47 didn't have the accuracy of higher powered bullets, but the Russians didn't see this as a problem because most troops using it had little marksmanship training. If they had to kill someone, they could fire at full auto. The U.S. M-16 and its high speed 5.56mm round were more accurate than the AK-47 when firing individual shots at shorter ranges. But the wounding power of the 5.56mm (.22 caliber) bullet fell off rapidly at ranges over a hundred meters. The American military, and especially SOCOM, train their troops to fire individual shots, and do it with great accuracy at any range. A number of new rifle sights have made it even easier to do, and makes first round hits at longer ranges easier to make. This made the shortcomings of the 5.56mm round at longer range more obvious.

SOCOM tested the 6.8mm round in Iraq and Afghanistan and the users liked it. But there was resistance from senior (non-SOCOM) generals to proposals that the 5.56mm round be replaced with the 6.8mm. To further complicate matters, there was a new 6.5mm Grendel round being tested as well, and some troops preferred it to the 6.8mm. This was because the 6.5mm round was more accurate than the 6.8mm one at ranges beyond 500 meters. The 6.8mm round won that dispute as well. In part this was because the 6.8mm round was more effective against the body armor enemy forces, including irregulars, are increasingly using.

The M7 weighs 3.8 kg (8.4 pounds). Add the optional sound suppressor and thats 4.46 kg. The heaviest 5.56mm rifle is about 4 kg but most 5.56mm rifles weigh a little less than the M7. When fitted with a suppressor the M7 is 914mm (36 inches) long. The barrel itself is 330mm (13 inches) long. The larger and heavier 6.8mm round means the 30-round magazine is no longer used. Instead, a 20 or 25-round magazine is available.
Taxpayers have footed a legal aid bill of nearly 210,000 for shamed former MP Natalie McGarry  dwarfing the sum she has been forced to pay back from the cash she pilfered.

McGarry was ordered to repay just 66 on Monday despite embezzling almost 25,000 from Nationalist groups.

But the Mail has learned that the 41-year-olds legal aid bill is 208,802  nearly 3,200 times more than the amount she has been told to give back from her ill-gotten gains.

The Crown Office and McGarrys lawyers agreed she had benefited to the tune of 55,870 from her general criminal conduct between April 2013 and November 2015.

Last night Scottish Tory justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: It should not take eight years for the wheels of justice to turn for this crooked SNP politician.

McGarry was jailed for two years in 2022, later reduced to 20 months. She has since been released from prison

'The length of this saga is remarkable and hugely costly to taxpayers  with the final insult the pathetic proceeds of crime outcome.

At one stage, the Crown said McGarry benefited from her crime to the tune of 195,000  yet she ends up having to hand over just a few pounds of her dirty money.

McGarry, who was the SNP member for Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017, was found guilty of stealing 19,974 while treasurer of Women for Independence.

She also embezzled a further 4,661 while treasurer, secretary and convener of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

McGarry was jailed for two years in June 2022. Her sentence was reduced to 20 months on appeal in February this year and she has since been released from prison.

At the proceeds of crime hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this week, it was accepted that McGarry only had 66.36 available to make recompense. She will pay the sum in full within a month.

McGarry had first appeared in court charged with embezzlement in 2018, and was jailed for 18 months the following year after admitting two charges.

She then tried to withdraw her guilty pleas and was released on bail pending an appeal, which quashed her conviction.

Jurors convicted her after a second trial where evidence was heard from witnesses including former health secretary Jeane Freeman.

The total fees for solicitors and counsel from the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) in relation to McGarrys 2019 trial was 24,844, while the tally for the appeal was 11,244.

The cost of legal assistance for her 2022 trial was 155,461, while SLAB payments for her High Court appeal this year amounted to 17,253.

Former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon with Natalie McGarry at the 2015 General Election declaration in the Emirates Arena, Glasgow

At earlier hearings, the court was told the Crown believed McGarrys benefit figure was 195,241.31.

The higher figures were disputed by McGarrys defence lawyer.

The benefit figure in proceeds of crime cases can be more than the sum gained from the original crime.

The Crown had also been previously examining the spending of McGarry and her husband, former Glasgow Tory councillor David Meikle, over the past 12 years.

But an earlier proceeds of crime hearing was told Mr Meikles accounts were no longer being looked at.

Her embezzlement trial in 2022 heard McGarry had money troubles and had once borrowed 600 from Humza Yousaf to stop her being evicted from her home.

Jailing her in June last year, Sheriff Tom Hughes said: Your standards have fallen well short of those the public should expect from MPs.

Last night a SLAB spokesman said: Trials involving complex financial details and large amounts of documentary evidence inevitably incur substantial fees and outlays.
Humza Yousafs Scottish Government has been given negative approval ratings for every key policy area, according to a damning poll.

More people believe it is doing a bad job on the economy, NHS, education, poverty, standard of living and the climate crisis than think it is doing a good job.

The approval ratings for all key areas have also reduced since a previous poll in May.

It is the latest devastating poll for the First Minister, after separate research showed the SNP is on course to be overtaken by Labour at the next General Election.

More people believe Mr Yousafs Scottish Government is doing a bad job for every key policy area

Emily Gray of Ipsos in Scotland

Mr Yousaf is also behind Labour leader Anas Sarwar on favourability ratings.

The Ipsos poll of 1,019 Scottish adults, carried out from August 18-23, found that 50 per cent think the Government is doing a bad job, compared with only 25 per cent who think it is doing a good job.

When asked about specific policy areas, 50 per cent said it was performing badly on the economy, compared to 25 per cent who said it was doing well.

On the NHS, 55 per cent said it was doing a bad job and only 22 per cent said it was doing well.

Emily Gray of Ipsos in Scotland said: These findings indicate the public see considerable room for improvement.

Mr Yousaf was given a favourable rating of -12.

This compared to -8 for Mr Sarwar, -47 for Tory leader Douglas Ross and -19 for Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.
IN her final days the Queen posed a question that will resonate with every Scot. Reading about it yesterday was profoundly moving. Who would not want to be here? asked the 96-year-old who had been almost everywhere.

She was at the time in Balmoral Castle on Royal Deeside. Of course she was. It was late summer in the 71st year of her reign. The pattern never altered, not even during Covid. But it was surely already apparent to Her Majesty that the 2022 sojourn in Scotland would be her last  indeed, that the end would likely come before she was due to leave.

This brings a new layer of meaning to the question. Who would not want to be here?

They sound to me like the words of a woman completely at peace with the idea that she would see out her time on Earth in this part of it. I detect gratitude in the remark made in the presence of the Right Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, then Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, as she stood by a castle window.

She was in a very peaceful, private place, he recalled this week.

One of the final images taken of the Queen, taken on September 6, 2022, the day she invited then Prime Minister Liz Truss to form a new government during her stay at Balmoral

Her thankfulness stirs the patriot in me. Though she was born almost a century earlier in Londons Mayfair she would die in her beloved Scotland, the place where, it was long suggested, she felt most at home. It was a predilection her eldest son inherited from her decades before he inherited her crown.

I gaze out of my own window in Glasgow under blue skies, behold vistas marginally less scenic, perhaps, than those offered by rural Aberdeenshire, and can quite see the late Queens point. Who would say no to this?

Today I am due to drive to Skye for the weekend and, providing our deeply appreciated Indian summer week holds out for long enough, almost every mile will be bathed in panoramic majesty.

Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Letter Finlay, the Cuillin Hills these are the journeys you almost hope will never end. The beauty overloads the senses, intoxicates, and you find yourself giddy with lust for the land you are fortunate enough to call home.

The Queens question will be in my thoughts on the drive and, I imagine, for years to come. For, in spite of all the above, the answer to it may well be people like me.

Middle earners of a certain vintage who have known and loved Scotland all their lives really might not want to be here. There is scarcely a week in which I do not wonder whether my long-term future lies in the land of my birth and, in that, I know I am far from alone.

On the very day the Queens poignant musing was revealed, our First Minister was mulling out loud over a very similar inquiry.

Who would not want to be here if the tax gap between Scotland and the rest of the UK widens still further?

The answer, he well knows, is middle earning workers  those who have shown commitment to the country but who recognise that allegiance must have its limits, that common sense and the pursuit of happiness must temper patriotism.

The answer is that group identified by Struan Stevenson, chief executive of Scottish Business UK, who feel shivers down the spine when Humza Yousaf boasts that he will use the powers at his disposal to deliver the most progressive tax system in the UK. By progressive he means bear down still harder on those who already feel unfairly penalised by a tax burden well in excess of those shouldered south of the Border.

He certainly does not mean any sense of progression in the value for money we see for those taxes. No, the value for money will recede. We run faster not so much to stand still as to go backwards. During this inglorious reign, that is the pattern which has never altered.

The Queen only once touched publicly on another issue which, for a decade now, has caused many to wonder whether they want to be here.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to a farm on their Balmoral estate, to celebrate their Silver Wedding anniversary.

Queen Elizabeth II of England at Balmoral Castle with one of her beloved Corgis

HM The Queen on horseback during the Royal Family's annual summer holiday in September 1971.

Balmoral Castle where the Queen spent her final days

Outside Crathie Kirk, a stones throw from Balmoral, she told a member of the public she hoped people will think very carefully about the future. That was days before the independence referendum.

Nicola Sturgeon has, of course, touched on the subject more often  and this week addressed her role in the fall-out from the vote still felt across the country to such an extent that I fear it is embedded in the national psyche.

This is the landscape of acrimony and stalemate that seeps from our politics into the populace. For urbanites who do not see Glencoe or the Cuillins every day, it is the Scottish landscape we are used to. It is tired, dreich and stultifying, and you wonder if the clouds will ever shift.

Who would not want to be here? It is a characteristically enigmatic question from the Queen to which the honest answer, I suppose, is that people are thinking very carefully about the future.

Who can blame them? As they languish in the midst of a cost of living crisis they learn that council tax rises of up to 22.5 per cent for the most expensive properties may be in the pipeline. Everyone in the upper four bands would pay substantially more, in my own case 17.5 per cent. I can well imagine that not all of us want to be here for that.

Still fewer will wish to witness the decline in public services which, as sure as night follows day, would ensue when the raid on our bank accounts was actioned. The urban rats will flourish along with the potholes. Glasgows council leader Susan Aitken will say it is all in our imagination.

I look at Green ministers Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie and see in them both persuasive reasons for leaving the country  and, in the Scottish Governments indulgence of their anti-growth, pro-economic illiteracy agenda, I see utter folly and years of pain and frustration ahead.

On the drive tomorrow, I hope I manage to push these darker meditations on our land to the back of my mind and see the place rather as the Queen did in her last days.

I hope it is possible to dismiss much of the above as passing inclement weather over uplands which, one day, will be sunlit. But, for now, the rain is getting harder and we are, many of us, in a quandary. Do we sit it out or cut our losses?

The Queens question speaks to us all because it briefly transports us forward to the place in our lifetimes that she stood at in hers a year ago.

Are we satisfied? Is this really where we were meant to be?

It will be a great comfort to many of us that, in the Queens case, the answer to both was yes. But what will our answers be? I am uncertain. There is time yet, I hope, for thoughts to crystallise.

Gazing out over the azure surf from some balmy foreign shore or standing steadfast to the end on the soil where I have always stood? We will see.
Disney has dropped a massive chunk of its federal lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - leaving only a fight over if the media-giant's First Amendment rights were violated.

The Walt Disney Corp. on Friday asked a federal judge for permission to file an amended complaint focusing just on the First Amendment claim, which has been approved.

The claim contends the House of Mouse was retaliated against because of its criticism of the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill.

Parts of the lawsuit regarding contract agreements were kicked from the federal case because they are part of a similar case being heard in Florida court.

'We will continue to fight vigorously to defend these contracts, because these agreements will determine whether or not Disney can invest billions of dollars and generate thousands of new jobs in Florida,' a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement.

The Walt Disney Company's federal lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been whittled down to a single suit claiming it was targeted for criticizing the governor's so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill. Pictured: Disney Chairman Bob Iger

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the company of 'woke' practices after it criticized the bill

Disney and Florida are now in federal and state court battles as a result of DeSantis' push to take control of the Orlando theme park's tax district

After Disney criticized the DeSantis' backed law, the governor shot back against the company and Chairman Bob Iger and accused them of being 'woke.'

DeSantis targeted Disney's special tax district that basically let the company self-govern the land of its Disney World theme park. DeSantis led the charge to change the name from the Reedy District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District - as he also replaced the board with his allies.

However, before the new board took control, Disney created development contract for future investments. Those were thrown-out when the DeSantis board took control.

That led to the federal lawsuit.

The DeSantis board then countersued Disney in state court, which is where the contract claims will now be heard.

DeSantis said in August he has 'moved on' from his war with Disney and urged CEO Bob Iger to drop the lawsuit against him

The federal complaint now focuses on if DeSantis targeted Disney for speaking out about the bill that limited gender discussion in some schools.

'Disney faces concrete, imminent, and ongoing injury as a result of CFTODs new powers and composition, which are being used to punish Disney for expressing a political view,' said Disney's federal court motion.

The revised complaint would challenge 'this unconstitutional weaponization of government by seeking a declaratory judgment that will allow Disney to pursue its future in Florida free from the ongoing retaliatory actions of the CFTOD Board,' Disney said.

The Disney request, as well as other recent motions filed in the state case, demonstrate how the fates of the two lawsuits have become intertwined, especially after Disney filed a counter-claim in the state case asserting many of the same claims made in the federal case.

The board told CNBC it was 'pleased that Disney backtracked on these legal claims against the district in their federal case.'

'Disney's latest legal move puts them in line with the position of what the district has been advocating for months now: that these matters should be decided in state court. We hope this helps expedite justice for the people of Florida,' said Alexei Woltornist, a spokesman for the district, in a statement.

In August, the Florida Governor urged Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger to drop the lawsuit against his administration claiming he engaged in political retaliation in the war that was sparked when former CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against his education policies.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds his daughter Madison as he walks alongside his wife Casey DeSantis

Speaking with CNBC in an interview, DeSantis said that he and his allies have 'basically moved on' from the fight with Disney.

'I would just say, go back to what you did well,' DeSantis said as the final word on the matter. 'I think it's going to be the right business decision, and all that.'

'They're suing the state of Florida. They're going to lose that lawsuit,' he added, claiming that if Iger called him today he would give him the advice to 'drop the lawsuit.'

He also said he would tell the CEO: 'This is a great place to do business. Your competitors all do very well here, Universal, SeaWorld. They have not had the same special privileges as you have.'

The Sunshine State has the best economy in the country currently, according to recent polling  and it ranks eighth overall in CNBC's ranking of America's Top States of Business in 2023.

'All we want to do is treat everybody the same, and let's move forward,' DeSantis said, ready to bury the hatchet. 'I'm totally fine with that. But I'm not fine with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else.'

The lawsuit against DeSantis launched after he stripped the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, from the special privileges it had been awarded decades prior.

After Disney began what DeSantis felt was improperly weighing in on government matters  like his Parental Bill of Rights dubbed by critics as the 'Don't Say Gay' law  he started more fiercely targeting Central Florida's largest employer and specifically their special tax district.

The lawsuit against DeSantis launched after he stripped the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, from the special privileges it had been awarded decades earlier

The area has become a key battleground in the governor's long-running feud with Disney.

He first stripped down the board by signing a bill in February that gave him control to hand-pick a brand new board. He then vowed to remove all special exemptions the area received from paying taxes to the state.

After the new board was in place, Disney created long-term development deals that the panel claims was an attempt to foil their power grab. The board voted to nullify the contracts, which prompted Disney to sue in federal court.

A 45-year-old Republican caucus-goer at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday told DailyMail.com that he is 'tired' of DeSantis' whole 'war with Disney,' and said it distracts from the real issues. He said that former President Donald Trump will win the nomination because of his focus on Disney and other 'woke' issues.
Cat owners could be banned from allowing their pets outside under new rules being considered by the federal government.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek this week unveiled new measures to protect native animals that are under threat in huge numbers from domestic and feral cats.

The government's proposed plan to address the feline problem was released for public consultation on Thursday. It includes giving councils across Australia powers to impose night curfews on cats or stop them from going outside entirely.

Local governments could back up the rules with hefty fines and could also restrict cat ownership; either to a low number per household or entirely for those who break the rules or who live near conservation areas.

Professor Sarah Legge, who contributed to the plan, said cats were one of the 'greatest threats to Australia's native wildlife' with felines being the main factor in 20 of the 29 native mammal species that have gone extinct since settlement.

Cat owners could be required by law to keep their cat inside under a new government plan

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said cats, both domestic and feral, were the number one threat to native species

Councils across the country already have their own restrictions around pet ownership but the government's proposed plan would look to make them uniform across the country rather than a 'patchwork' of differing rules.

Ways to manage the feral cat threat will also be addressed in the paper.

'Obviously feral cats are the main threat... but domestic cats have to be properly managed as well,' Ms Plibersek said on Thursday.

According to the Invasive Species Council, there are about 5 million pet cats in Australia who are estimated to kill about 500 million native animals a year.

Feral cats are generally lower in number, ranging from 1.4million to 5.6million depending on rainfall conditions, but kill more native animals at about 1.5billion mammals, birds and reptiles a year.

'They are a major cause of decline for many land-based endangered animals such as the bilby, bandicoot, bettong and numbat,' according to the government.

Feral cats are found throughout Australia and are responsible for the decline in native animal species

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pictured with Tanya Plibersek

The federal government would need to work with State and Territory governments to establish the rules and local councils who would enforce them.

'This consultation paper will ask really important questions, like, should we have a cat curfew? Should local governments have more opportunity to restrict the ownership of cats in their area?' Ms Plibersek said.

'We need to manage it better and I would say that people who love their cats who are responsible cat owners for the most part are already doing many of these things like keeping their cats inside, particularly overnight.'

The paper is looking at a target of a 30 per cent increase in suburbs where cat numbers are contained either by banning cat ownership or banning them from going outside.

Public consultation on the government's paper closes on December 11.
A Western Australian driver has told Aussies to 'ignore' penalties from private parking companies such as Wilson Parking, and only pay for fines that come from councils.

Connor Wright found a ticket from Parking Enforcement Services, run by Wilson Parking, on the windscreen of his car.

He ripped up the ticket and told Aussies they don't need to pay penalties from private parking companies because it's difficult for them to be enforced.

'Make sure you read the fine print on these bad boys,' Mr Wright said, holding the ticket,' in a video posted to social media.

'If you read on the back it says: "Important information, this is not a parking fine".

'Useless, throw it in the bin. Don't pay that s**t.'

He further explained a good 'rule of thumb' for tickets, saying: 'If you see 'City of' pay that fine! If you see 'parking enforcement' read the fine print!

'It literally says 'this is not a fine'.'

James Clements from Sydney Criminal Lawyers said drivers enter a contract when they use a private parking company.

When drivers go against the contract, by staying for too long or parking outside of designated areas, companies will issue a 'breach notice'.

Connor Wright told his followers to 'ignore' tickets from Parking Enforcement Services (example above)

'They're not fines, only a statutory body has the power to issue a fine,' he told Yahoo News.

Mr Clements described the tickets as 'bullying tactics' to 'effectively try scaring people into paying them,'

He says it's difficult for parking companies to enforce the penalties due to 'crackdowns' by the government.

The government has recently adopted policies that prevent private companies from accessing driver information.

'They have to be able to prove that you were the driver at the time, which can be difficult, as just because your car went there doesn't mean that you're the driver,' he said.

'RMS (Roads and Maritime Services) used to give them details of who a car was registered to but they're not allowed to do that anymore, according to Section 279 of the NSW Road Transport Act.'

'They also have to prove that they incurred a loss.

'Ignore it,' Mr Clements said. 'Or write back and say, 'I dispute this and do not intend to pay'.'

'What you don't want to do is write to them and say that you disclose you were the driver.'

Dozens Aussies said they never faced consequences for failing to pay penalties from private companies.

Mr Wright (above) explained the penalty notices from Wilsons Parking state 'this is not a parking fine' in the fine print

'I got one in 2019 and never paid it, never heard from them either and saved $90,' one wrote.

'I've probably had 30 of these. Never paid them, never heard anything,' another said.

To avoid tickets and possible court action, drivers are advised to read the terms and conditions of using a private car park before entering.
A university professor is under fire for telling allied health students who don't support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to consider a different career.

Charles Darwin University Associate Professor Bea Staley sent a pro-Voice email to speech therapy students suggesting they should rethink a career in allied health if they plan to vote No at the October 14 referendum.

'As you know, CDU has also taken the stance of a Yes vote,' Professor Stanley wrote.

'The speech pathology courses at CDU have been created with notions of equity and social justice at their core. We will be voting Yes.

'If you feel you are unable to vote Yes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' rights, you might want to reflect deeply on whether a career in allied health in Australia is really for you.'

Associate Professor Bea Staley suggested students rethink a career in allied health if they don't support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Associate Professor Staley described the referendum as 'Australia's Brexit moment'.

'If we as Australians seek to move towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, we must vote Yes,' she continued.

'A Yes vote will not make up for the atrocities of colonisation, but it is certainly a step in the right direction for a more humane and just Australian society.'

Federal NT Senator and prominent No campaigner Jacinta Price described the email as 'effectively bullying'.

She claimed concerned students had previously contacted her office regarding CDU's stance on the Voice.

'They no longer feel like they have the freedom to discuss  certainly this issue  and that they are being ostracised because the school, the University, took the position to support the Voice,' Senator Price told Sky News on Thursday night.

'This is a leadership failure, and I would call on the chancellor to correct this to ensure this sort of pressure isn't applied to students by their lecturers.'

Students were told they must work Yes to ensure Australia moves towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Pictured are Yes campaigners

Charles Darwin University Associate Professor Bea Staley described the October 14 referendum as 'Australia's Brexit moment'

'Universities are supposed to be spaces where debate is encouraged, where universities don't take a position on a political issue.

Sky News host Rita Panahi later described Professor Staley's email as insane.

Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said the lecturer would be 'counselled' and stressed that anyone who votes No still make excellent healthcare workers.

'We respect everyone's right to hold their own views regarding the referendum,' he said.

'CDU has actively provided a platform for discussion and the exchange of well-informed ideas and points of view.

'We know that people who vote no will still make excellent healthcare workers.'

CDU is yet to comment on whether the matter will be investigated further but has reiterated its support for the Voice.

'We acknowledge the impact of colonisation on First Nations peoples' autonomy, agency, culture and identity, and advocate a Voice to Parliament as a critical first step to achieving reconciliation that reflects a truly Australian democracy, yet upholds First Nations self-determination,' a statement to Daily Mail Australia read.

'We recognise that achieving a YES vote in the upcoming referendum is critical for First Nations advancement, for them to have direct input into decisions made about them and for the Nation to heal as one.

'While we understand that people hold different views, we encourage and welcome discussion and debate that is well-informed, honest and respectful.'

Professor Stanley supervises PhD students in her areas of expertise and has several active research projects.

'Bea's teaching and research interests relate to language development, literacy, diversity and difference,' her university bio states.

'Bea studies children and youth in the context of their families and communities.'
Masterson blew a kiss to his wife as he was sentenced, after his victims read heartbreaking impact statements about the impact of his crimes

The actress and former socialite hid her face and clutched a man's arm as she exited the courthouse

A grief-stricken Bijou Phillips was seen leaving a Los Angeles courthouse moments after her husband Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison on rape charges.

The actress and former socialite, 43, kept her wedding ring on as she left through the back exit of a Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse, shading her emotion behind dark sunglasses while wearing a sheer blue shirt and white pants.

After her life was shattered by her husband's crimes being prosecuted after more than two decades, a close friend revealed to DailyMail.com that she is a 'shell of her former self.'

Masterson blew Phillips a final kiss to his wife as he was hauled off in cuffs to carry out his sentence, as she was joined inside the courthouse by several Scientology friends and family members.

As she was approached by the media after the proceedings, Phillips was seen clutching the arm of a man she exited the building with, as she tried to hide her face.

Bijou Phillips, 43, kept her wedding ring on as she exited through the back exit of a Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse on Thursday, wearing dark shades, a blue shirt and white pants

The actress looks sullen as she stepped out of the courthouse, after a close friend told DailyMail.com the case has left her 'a shell of her former self'

Phillips clutches the arm of a man as she left the courthouse and tried to hide her face

Phillips stood by Masterson throughout his eight-day trial and subsequent sentencing, but looked dejected as the actor's victims read heartbreaking impact statements to the court.

Masterson was found guilty in May for two rapes committed in 2003 and was sentenced Thursday.

Following the guilty verdict, Masterson was locked up in the notorious Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles as he awaited sentencing, leaving Bijou to care for their daughter Fianna alone.

A close friend told DailyMail.com that she was despondent at the prospect of raising their daughter by herself, and her husband being sent behind bars has her 'feeling like she is grieving a death.'

Speaking about the mom-of-one's current state of mind, a source said: 'Currently Bijou is circling the drain and is filled with all the emotion and no emotion at all.

'She is a shell of who she has been. She is really trying to be strong for her daughter as she is trying to figure out life and what it will be like for her.

'It can only be compared to a divorce or a death for her not being able to be with Danny the way they were.'

Masterson blows his wife Bijou Phillips a kiss in the court room as he is sentenced to 30 years behind bars, seen in a court sketch

Phillips stood by Masterson throughout his eight-day trial and subsequent sentencing, but looked dejected as the actor's victims read heartbreaking impact statements to the court

Phillip kept her face hidden with sunglasses as she left the courthouse

A close friend of the actress said she is now 'really trying to figure it all out' after her life was shattered by her husband's rape charges

Phillips and Masterson, both Scientologists, met at a celebrity poker game in 2004 and married in 2011, and lived in a lavish mansion in Los Angeles as their raised they daughter.

But the source said the prosecution of his crimes two decades on has devastated their picturesque life, saying: 'They had their life, and it has been completely uprooted and changed and change is as scary and miserable as one would imagine.

'Friends are trying to be there for her, but things are really tough.

'She is really trying to figure it all out and what her life will be after all things are said and done.

'Whatever happens with Danny will change her life forever and, in a not so dignified word, it just sucks.'

Bijou is coming to terms with the prospect of raising her child alone after her husband, 47, was convicted on two counts of rape in an LA court in May, and was sentenced to 30-years on Thursday

Bijou, pictured with her and Masterson's daughter Fianna pictured in 2015, is said to be 'really trying to be strong' as she faces raising their child alone

Masterson and Phillips enjoyed a life of luxury in Los Angeles before he was prosecuted for the rapes over two decades after they occurred. Pictured: The couple's mansion at Hollyridge Loop in California

Bijou Phillips is seen sobbing in court as her husband, and the father of her young daughter, is sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women, seen in a court sketch

Phillips is no stranger to the spotlight. She is the daughter of The Mamas & The Papas frontman John Phillips, and her sisters Mackenzie and Chynna have landed starring roles in numerous films and TV.

But the family has also been rocked by a scandalous history, one of the most shocking being the moment Mackenzie revealed their father had an incestuous sexual relationship for 10 years from when she was 19.

Bijou legally emancipated herself from her drug-addicted parents when she was just 14, The Guardian reported, which came after years of being in foster care from the age of about three 'because her parents were unfit' to look after her.

'They spent years and years fighting for custody, so I bounced around a lot,' Bijou wrote in a candid Instagram post in 2018.

Masterson had two trials. His first, six months earlier, resulted in a mistrial after a different jury was hopelessly deadlocked on all three rape charges.

Scientology was the elephant in the room during Masterson's trial, where the women who testified against him said the reason they took so long to report him to the police was their fear of retribution from the Church of Scientology.

One of the women said that she was born into a family of Scientologists, and when she reported the rape to the church, a top official 'made it clear that Danny was untouchable.'

'I did not choose to be born into Scientology - and I did not choose to be raped by Danny Masterson,' said the mother of three daughters, fighting back tears. 'Scientology attempted to silence us  to intimidate us.'

'I wish I had reported him sooner to the police,' she said, adding that at no point did Masterson 'show an ounce of remorse for the pain I was suffering.'

'The first couple of years after the rape were pretty dark. I lost everything pretty much. I had to start my life over at the age of 29,' she said.

Phillips was joined by Scientology friends and family members to show her support at his sentencing Thursday. The couple are pictured together during his trial in May 2023

Before he was sentenced, Mastersons attorney, Shawn Holley, urged the judge to impose concurrent, not consecutive 15-year-to-life sentences saying that would be fair and just.

Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller asked the judge to hand down a 30-to-life sentence, saying that Holleys plea for just 15 years was not fair and justabsolutely not. Thirty years to life in prison is deserved.

After Masterson raped the first time he had time to think about what he had inflicted, he said. Despite that, he raped again.'

The disgraced actor's victims, identified only as Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2, shared heartbreaking impact statements detailing their struggle after Masterson drugged and raped them in 2003.

At the sentencing trial, Jane Doe #1 called Masterson a 'true coward and heartless monster,' adding to this day she suffer from an extreme fear of the dark and frequently wakes up crying.

Sometimes, she said, she hides in a closet or screams out the window: 'I'm not okay.'

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is a safer place with you in prison,' said Jane Doe #2, looking straight at the actor, dressed in a gray suit and open-neck gray shirt.

'You are a true coward and heartless monster,' added Jane Doe #1. 'I think life is an appropriate sentence.'

Masterson played wise-cracking Steven Hyde on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006

Both Masterson and Phillips are Scientologists, and the religion was the elephant in the room during the actor's court case with a victim testifying the church pressured her to keep quiet

Jane Doe #2 said she was pressured to keep quiet by the secretive church, but became 'enraged' when she learned there were other rape victims.

'I decided to report him with the full understanding that my life would be demolished again (by going against the don't tell doctrine of) Scientology which has terrorized me since,' she said.

She said Masterson had been 'enabled and protected' by Scientology, and addressed him directly as she said: 'When you raped me you stole my ability to have any stability in my life for decades. After you raped me I stopped living.'

She said that her 'promising' acting career 'nosedived after the 'heinous attack hijacked my life.'

'I know you take pride in hurting women. You treated me like I was less than trash. Your emptiness and cowardice will be your true legacy.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is safer with you in prison. I would not wish rape on my worst enemy.

'You thought the law did not apply to you. You moved in smugness and spite.'

She concluded 'victim impact statement' by saying that despite the two decades of of trauma she's suffered since Masterson brutally raped her, 'I forgive you.'
The Chinese Communist Party has proposed a new law that will see people who wear the 'wrong clothes' fined 500 and jailed for 15 days, it has emerged.

The law would allow those who 'produce, disseminate, publicise, and spread' items or speeches that could damage the 'Chinese nation's spirit' or 'hurt the Chinese nation's feelings' to be punished, The Telegraph reported.

Critics allege the law is 'vague' and a violation of 'basic citizens' rights' to select one's own attire. Others argue that it could 'stimulate the spread of populism and ultra-nationalism' and 'intensify oppositional sentiments'.

There has been a growing anti-Japanese sentiment throughout China in recent years under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. His rule has also seen an increase in nationalism.

Police have previously temporarily detained people in China for wearing clothing that was reportedly 'linked too closely' to Japan.

The Chinese government has proposed a new law that would allow police to detain people for wearing the 'wrong clothes'. Offenders can be fined 500 and jailed for 15 days. Pictured: Stock photo of Chinese soldiers marching in Tiananmen Square

There has been a growing anti- Japanese sentiment throughout China in recent years under the leadership of President Xi Jinping (pictured last month). Mr Xi's rule has also seen an increase in nationalism

A woman wearing clothing from the Tag dynasty was evicted from archaeological Park in Wuhan on Thursday after staff mistakenly thought her outfit was from Japan. The newspaper claims she was removed thrice.

It came after a woman was detained for several hours last year in Southeastern Suzhou for wearing a Japanese kimono and taking photos in the street.

Legal experts familiar with the proposal claim the legislation lacks 'clear definition' and reportedly fear that it could result in 'excessive enforcement'.

China University of Political Science and Law professor Zhao Hong questioned what would happen if an officer had a 'personal interpretation of the hurt and initiates moral judgment of others beyond the scope of the law'.

Lao Dongyan, a professor of law at Tsinghua University, echoed the sentiment and argued for the removal of the proposed law.

She reportedly said: 'The regulation could also stimulate the spread of populism and ultra-nationalism, further deteriorating the public opinion environment, and may also intensify oppositional sentiments in some countries.'

Others believe the legislation is another attempt by Mr Xi's regime to control Chinese citizens in 'every aspect of life'.
Gillian Keegan last night described herself as the 'Devil Wears Prada does politics' as she sought to defy her critics amid the concrete crisis.

Cracking jokes at a drinks reception, the under-fire Education Secretary insisted she had made the 'right decision' in shutting school buildings.

Last week she ordered more than 100 schools and colleges to make either full or partial closures due to fears over reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

She provoked further fury when she was caught on camera earlier this week asking why no one says 'you've done a f****** good job' while 'everyone else has sat on their arse and done nothing'.

Her latest comments provoked fresh anger from MPs. One senior Tory told the Mail last night: 'Gillian hugely lacks self-awareness. She is becoming a massive embarrassment to both the party and the Prime Minister.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan insisted she had made the right decision in closing school buildings affected by the RAAC crisis, as she branded herself 'Devil Wears Prada does politics'

'If she can't pipe down, she should just go - voluntarily or otherwise.'

Official figures published yesterday revealed that only half of Department of Education staff were at their desks as the RAAC crisis unfolded over the summer.

The ministry's HQ reported 51 per cent occupancy in both of the final two weeks of August, down from 55 and 56 earlier in the month.

RAAC fears in social housing Concerns over crumbling concrete spread last night as a government body wrote to social housing providers. The social housing regulator sought to reassure providers that reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is not widespread in social housing following the school concrete crisis. But in a letter published yesterday, the Regulator of Social Housing's chief executive said it might be present in 'a small number' of buildings constructed between the 1950s and 1980s. Writing to providers, Fiona MacGregor said: 'Our current understanding, based on engagement with sector advisers and stakeholders, is that RAAC is not widespread in social housing. 'However, it may be present in a small number of buildings dating from this period, particularly in flat-roof and panel structures. 'Ensuring the safety of tenants and residents should be the highest priority for every landlord. We expect landlords to ensure that they have a good understanding of their homes.' Advertisement

Asked if the Prime Minister thought it was good enough, his spokesman said: 'First and foremost, the Prime Minister firmly believes in the importance of in-office working.

It's vital, not just to help deliver high-quality services for taxpayers but also for staff themselves, particularly staff that are new to the role.'

At a 'networking drinks' organised by the Women2Win pressure group on Wednesday, Mrs Keegan made light of being caught swearing on a live microphone. She admitted she 'might need another session' of media training, before adding: 'I don't want to learn how to stop swearing but maybe the mic thing.'

Mrs Keegan then described a photograph of her arriving at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting in Downing Street as the 'Devil Wears Prada does politics'.

The picture showed her peering over the rim of her sunglasses as she waited to be let inside No10's black front door.

'If you want to see Devil Wears Prada does politics, this is the picture,' Mrs Keegan told the drinks reception.

'I went up to the paparazzi with the picture and I said which one of you took this? And they were all s**t scared of me... and then one of them sort of went 'me', and I said 'right, all you, follow him, because this guy is fantastic'.' Mrs Keegan said she had survived the pressure of recent days because 'I know I've made the right decision'.

She told the event: 'Every ounce of my business experience I've used in this last week. And actually, I think if I'm honest, we've got more experience of this than pretty much most of the people we're working with.'

Over 100 schools and colleges have had to be fully or partially closed due to fears over reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete as the new term started this week

The Cabinet minister also insisted the critical coverage 'really hasn't bothered me that much'.

'If you know you've made the right decision, but they don't know you've made the right decision, and you also know you can manage the implementation, execution of what you need to do, they're sensationalising it,' she said.

'They're not journalists, they're sensationalists, but I'm more confident that, you know, I just really think it's the right thing, we've made the right decision.'

Mrs Keegan today made a discreet visit to a school affected by crumble-prone concrete.

The Education Secretary visited the Anglo European School in Ingatestone, which is one of the schools with protective mitigations in place and temporary buildings installed.

Some other schools have been forced to close completely just as students prepared to return for the new school year.

A list published by the Department for Education shows 147 schools have been affected so far by RAAC, with 19 forced to delay the start of term.

Four have had to switch to remote learning for all students and an additional 20 have had to offer some remote learning.

Six major unions representing school staff have written to Mrs Keegan demanding she sets out how many schools suspect having RAAC but are yet to have been investigated or surveyed.

With the National Education Union, Unison and the National Association of Head Teachers among the signatories, they have also demanded to know the deadline for clearing all schools of the dangerous concrete.

The unions fear the level of information from the DfE so far may not 'reflect the full extent of the problem'.

Ms Keegan's latest Devil Wears Prada (pictured scene from the film) comments have provoked fresh anger within the Tory party, with senior figure describing her as a 'massive embarrassment'

Ministers have sought to level some blame for a delay in getting the full information together on school leaders.

Mrs Keegan told school chiefs on Tuesday yet to respond to a survey on the possible presence of RAAC to 'get off their backsides' and reply.

But Downing Street said the picture was improving, with only a 'small minority' yet to write back.

Science Secretary Michelle Donelan defended Mrs Keegan today, rejecting any suggestion an overly cautious approach had opened a 'Pandora's box' for other departments with RAAC-affected buildings.

'No, absolutely not. We have taken a proactive and cautious response. But I think we should do that. We're talking about children and children's safety going to schools. It would be wrong if we did anything but,' she told LBC.
MBABANE  The Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund (YERF) is at risk due to non-compliant beneficiaries who default on repaying their loans.

This was revealed by the funds Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mandla Nkambule. He was speaking when making a presentation at the Business Chamber, powered by FNB Eswatini. The business chamber hosted youth business seminars since the beginning of the week. The seminars are part of the activities happening at the ongoing Eswatini International Trade Fair in Manzini.

The CEO revealed that since the funds inception in 2018, over E9 million had not been repaid by non-compliant beneficiaries. The fund is at risk due to young people who come to us to apply for loans and then run away when it is time to repay their loans. We are totally against that mindset as an organisation, said Nkambule. The CEO went on to mention that their doors were open to the beneficiaries if they face any situations that push them into situations where they fail to repay their loans.

We always have ways to maneuver around situations that force our beneficiaries into tight spots. We encourage conversations and transparency, added Nkambule. He made a reference of natural disasters that may destroy ones produce and render them incapable of making sales. We cannot run away from those instances, but that does not mean one should just vanish, said Nkambule.

He went on to mention that a legal team has been roped in to take care of the defaulters who are setting the fund back. We have roped in a legal team that will follow up on cases of outstanding loan repayments. People who owe the fund without valid reasons will be referred to the legal team for misbehaving, he said. The CEO went on to present a token of appreciation to 13 beneficiaries who had been consistent in repaying their loans. When stating the criteria for recognising these individuals, Nkambule said that the 13 had a great credit profile with YERF and were compliant.

He went on to mention that because of the great relationship they had with the fund, so much was being done in the background for them to try and improve their abilities to access finance from other institutions. Because of the great relationship these entrepreneurs have created with YERF, we are working tirelessly for them to access funding from other funders. Their outstanding contribution to the fund has opened doors for funding from commercial banks, he said. He said that he hoped this would be motivation to others who are yet to apply for loans with YERF, as over 200 young people were at the seminar hoping to get funding opportunities for their enterprises.
Anthony Albanese is deliberately delaying postal votes for The Voice referendum until the last possible moment to harm the No campaign, claims Coalition senator Jacinta Price.

She's slammed the government for being 'tricky' in the latest procedural ploy which she says is designed to impact those most likely to vote No in the ballot.

It follows the recent outcry over Australian Electoral Commission chief Tom Rogers admitting vote counters will accept ticks on ballot papers, but not crosses.

The government is leaving it to the latest possible deadline before allowing the postal vote process to begin, in a move which some say favours the Yes vote.

Although the PM announced the referendum date of October 14 on August 30, the government has still not asked the Governor-General to issue a writ to the AEC.

Under the law, the latest the writ can be issued is 33 days before the date the referendum is due to take place - and that deadline falls on Monday, September 11.

The postal vote process can't begin until the writ is issued - and the Coalition's No campaign leader says it's a deliberate move by the PM to try to skew the result.

Senator Jacinta Price has slammed the government for being 'tricky' in the latest procedural ploy which she says is designed to most impact those likely to vote No in the referendum ballot

The government is leaving it to the latest possible deadline before allowing the postal vote process to begin, in a move which some say favours the Yes vote

Senator Price says squeezing the postal voting window to the absolute minimum required by law has left voters confused because many thought they could vote immediately.

And she says it will most affect those wanting to vote No.

At the 1999 referendum on Australia becoming a republic, 11 per cent more postal voters voted No.

At the last federal election in 2022, three per cent more of the electorate voted for conservative parties by mail.

'At all times during this referendum process, Mr Albanese has shown he is more interested in putting his thumb on the scales to benefit the Yes camp,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'[The] deliberate delay in issuing the writ has confused voters who may have sought postal votes immediately after they heard the date declared.

'This is usually the process when an election date is announced. With their delay, the government has narrowed the timeframe in which postal votes can be sought.

'Having clear visibility of the referendum timetable is important to ensure the campaign process is fair for both sides.'

The government claims the delay in issuing the writ has allowed more time for people to enrol to vote, especially in outback areas with a high Indigenous population.

The enrolment period ends seven days after the writ is issued, and the government has relaxed identity rules to make it simpler for some to get on the electoral roll.

Voters now only need a Medicare card or an Australian citizenship certificate to be able to register under changes brought in last February.

'Weve made it easier for people to enrol to vote - because Indigenous Australians have long had a lower rate of enrolment,' said a spokesman.

'Because of those efforts there are now more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians enrolled to vote than at any point in our nations history, soaring from 80 per cent just a year ago, to over 94.1 per cent now.'

They added: 'Theres nothing unusual about when the writs are being issued.

'Former Prime Minister John Howard waited six weeks after announcing the date [in 1999] before he issued the writs [for the referendum on the republic].

'Were taking the opportunity to ensure as many people can be enrolled to vote as possible - not sure why the opposition would think enrolment is a bad thing.'

The AEC said even with the delayed start to the postal voting process, voters would still have a month to cast their vote by mail until 6pm on October 11.

'Under the law, postal vote applications can only open once a writ for a referendum (the formal instruction to run the referendum) has been issued,' said an AEC spokesman.

'The timing of the writ is up to the government  they advise the Governor-General who issues the writ to the AEC. The process around the issue of a writ is unchanged.'

They added: 'In recent elections, the AEC has been able to open postal vote applications from the announcement of an election date.

'But the law for referendums (which is a matter for parliament obviously) is slightly different.

'For a 14 October referendum the latest a writ can be issued is this Monday 11 September, so at the latest postal votes will open at 6pm on Monday September 11 and be open for a full month (until 6pm on Wednesday October 11).

'Plenty of time for people to consider their circumstances  whether or not they can vote in-person and, if needed, apply for a postal vote.'

Although the PM announced the referendum date of October 14 on August 30, the government has still not asked the Governor-General to issue a writ to the AEC

They said they were aware of political parties supplying their own postal vote applications or online links to make applications which they said were legal and happened at every election or referendum.

But they warned using a third party site to make a postal application could put their personal details at risk.

'The AEC encourages people who need a postal vote to apply directly through the AECs website instead,' they added.

'Applying for a postal vote directly through the AECs website means a ballot paper will be able to be posted out quicker.

'The AEC also operates under the Privacy Act and postal vote applications involve the disclosure of personal details.'
Car was made famous by heist Film The Italian job which starred Michael Caine

Manual Mini Coopers are officially dead as the car manufacturer has revealed they will only be selling models with automatic gearboxes in the future.

The small car gained fame as star of the 1960s heist classic The Italian Job alongside Michael Caine and his criminal gang trying to steal mountains of gold.

In the film the robbers were seen rapidly changing gears as they zipped through the streets of Turin, Italy.

But Mini boss Stefanie Wurst told Top Gear this week that they would no longer manufacture manual versions of the Mini Cooper.

Talking about the announcement of their new electric model, the boss of the car company, which is owned by BMW, said: 'We won't have a manual unfortunately.'

The Mini Cooper gained fame as star of the 1960s heist classic The Italian Job alongside Michael Caine and his criminal gang trying to steal mountains of gold

Classic Mini Coopers pictured alongside Cooper Car Company Founder Charles Cooper

The Alex Issigonis-designed Mk1 Mini was released in 1961 and was developed by the Cooper Car Company, founded by Charles Cooper and son John.

Fitted with a more powerful engine, bigger brakes and a few other tuning tweaks, the Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced and subsequently went on to be a rallying favourite thanks to its light weight and additional grunt.

The Mini went on to become key symbol of British popular culture, but after 62 years of being produced with a gear stick, the world's last manual version of the Mini Cooper will come off the assembly line early next year.

Several car firms are switching to just producing automatic cars as more Britons buy electric vehicles and have less desire to drive a manual.

Mini's parent group BMW unveiled the new all-electric Mini Cooper and battery-powered Countryman last week at the Munich motor show.

But auto expert Stuart Masson told The Telegraph that the end of the manual Mini Cooper will be a big loss for car fans - with the car often being called the 'driver's car' because of how fun it is to drive.

The editorial director of The Car Expert website told the paper that 'it was a brilliant car to drive because it was so small, nice and so agile'.

The car also won the Monte Carlo rally three times.

A 1966 Austin Mini Cooper S owned by Beatle guitarist George Harrison

The new all-electric Mini Cooper was unveiled by the brand in Munich last week

However, more recently, the speedy pedigree of the Mini Cooper has been less of a unique selling point, as drivers are more taken in by the car's design and brand.

Auto analyst at the University of bath Andrew Graves added that decisions over commercial costs seemed to have won out against the Mini Cooper's branding of motorsport success, saying he was surprised by the move.

Mr Masson also said that this was another step along the road to the 'extinction of the manual car' as carmakers make supply chains more efficient.
Stanislaw Kosiek had worked at Brisbane 's Marist College Ashgrove for 22 years until he was fired on August 10 this year

A private school science teacher accidentally hit 'reply-all' on an email where he criticised the head of the IT department - a mistake that would ultimately cost him his job.

Stanislaw Kosiek worked at Brisbane's Marist College Ashgrove for 22 years until he was fired on August 10.

The teacher has taken the matter to the Fair Work Commission, with a Federal Court judge ordering this week the case to go to trial.

The end of Mr Kosiek's career came after he sent an email in February to a 'large number of recipients' after unintentionally hitting reply all. The email was only intended for his union manager.

A trip he took to Bali while being stood down also impacted his employment.

'My old recent brain recalls a time (recently) when serious breaches, glitches, minor problems were resolved calmly, professionally and successfully,' the email sent by Mr Kosiek in February read.

'Now within the last two years the same long term staff continue to be amazing!

'However, recently leadership in the IT area has been less than adequate.

'Continuous leaning on past breaches for excuses for not getting current breaches.

'We have amazing IT staff but recently the big end of town stop feeding at the pool tuck shop and live up to their $250,000 job.'

The end of Mr Kosiek's career came after he sent an email in February to a 'large number of recipients' after unintentionally hitting reply all. The email was only intended for his union manager

Two days later, Mr Kosiek withdrew the email and apologised.

A day after that, he was told by the school's Head of College, Michael Newman, that he had been stood down.

Mr Newman sent Mr Kosiek a five-page email saying his email had 'caused great upset', and 'may amount to serious misconduct or bullying'.

'While it appears to be a ''one-off'' communication, it is likely unreasonable, unprofessional and foreseeably could cause upset,' Mr Newman said.

Mr Newman asked Mr Kosiek to address the allegations from his original email, adding it was a potential 'breach of your own personal statutory obligations to ensure the safety and privacy of children in our care'.

Mr Kosiek's lawyer said the reference to safety of children was 'untrue and outrageous', to which Mr Newman later apologised.

The science teacher was stood down with pay and was then authorised to take sick leave from April 17 to May 28, instead of using long service leave.

The school's head of college, Michael Newman, sent Mr Kosiek a five-page email saying his email had 'caused great upset', and 'may amount to serious misconduct or bullying'

During this time he informed the school's deputy head of college he would be travelling to Bali.

He had booked the trip when he had approved long service leave, and said he had been given medical advice that it was fine for him to travel, and he would be taking leave without pay.

Mr Kosiek and the school went back and forth in emails over May and June, with the science teacher claiming 'he had been treated differently from other employees against whom allegations of misconduct or bullying have been made'.

He told his lawyers to take the matter to the Fair Work Commission upon his return from Bali to Australia.

On July 11 Mr Kosiek directly apologised to the head of the IT department.

But on August 9, he was told he'd been sacked.

Marist College Ashgrove said he'd taken a holiday during a period of 'alleged unfitness', and said Mr Kosiek's apology to the IT worker 'was not approved by the head of college or delivered in the agreed manner'.

'The College has also become aware that this apology was not considered to be adequate by (the IT head),' the college said.

Mr Kosniek's lawyers argued the college had been made aware of his trip before he travelled.

Federal Court Justice Berna Joan Collier ordered the case go to trial in her findings.

Mr Kosniek is fighting for re-employment, compensation and penalties.

Marist is an independent Catholic school for boys.

School fees for senior students cost $14,330 a year.
Tory MPs have told Rishi Sunak he can stop schoolchildren changing their gender identity without having to pass a new law.

The Prime Minister is believed to be backing away from the idea of creating legislation that would ban so-called social transitioning in schools, to prevent pupils adopting new names, pronouns and uniforms.

But yesterday, as No 10 insisted it is still considering its options, Tory backbenchers said no such law was needed and urged Mr Sunak to take action immediately through long-awaited guidance for headteachers.

Miriam Cates wrote online that 'we should not need to change the law to produce such guidance', adding: 'In fact, schools are legally obliged to recognise and record biological sex, which is essential for safeguarding.

'This is... about whether the State, through schools, should be able to promote a contested ideology that harms and lies to kids.'

Rishi Sunak has been told by MPs that he can stop schoolchildren changing gender without having to introduce new legislation

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital have been discouraged from using certain terms to address staff, in favour of gender-neutral words such as 'team' or 'everyone'

Nick Fletcher said it is 'mischief-making' to suggest we need new laws 'to safeguard children at school and ground them in reality'.

No 10 said the plan was still being worked on. The PM's spokesman said: 'No decisions have been taken. So I'm not going to get into speculation around work around this guidance.' Asked when guidance will be issued, the official replied: 'More information is needed about the long-term implications of a child acting as though they are the opposite sex.'

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital are being discouraged from addressing staff as 'boys', 'girls', 'ladies', 'gents' and 'dudes', it was reported last night.

Guidance on its intranet site urges staff to use gender-neutral terms such as 'team' or 'everyone'.

The Telegraph reported that doctors are also being warned that misgendering a colleague could be considered 'harassment'.
Jack and Sarah Hawkins refusal to accept NUHs explanation that stillborn daughter Harriet died of an infection seven years ago proved instrumental in exposing the Nottingham maternity scandal.

As their daughter had been delivered without taking a breath, there was no inquest into Harriets death.

But the couple - who both worked at the Trust - knew through their own medical knowledge that Nottingham City Hospitals claim about the infection in the womb was untrue.

With the support of their solicitors they embarked on their own investigations - and were forced to Harriets body in the mortuary for two years as inquiries continued.

A Root Cause Analysis Investigation Report published in 2018 found the tragedy, which unfolded after Mrs Hawkins was twice sent home from hospital while in labour and agonising pain, was almost certainly preventable.

Jack and Sarah Hawkins (pictured with daughter Lottie), have welcomed a police investigation into their stillborn daughter's death

It said errors included a delay in applying appropriate foetal monitoring, the important omission of information on an antenatal advice sheet and a failure to follow the Risk Management Policy for maternity.

The report also found failures to record or pass on information correctly, failure to follow correct guidelines and delays in administering the correct treatment.

The couple said they asked the trust to notify the police of her death at the time.

They added: This conversation has been repeated multiple times with senior people at NUH and with the local NHS over the years.

We anticipate that we will be meeting with the chief constable soon to understand what the police investigation will mean for each and every one of us.

Mr Hawkins, 53, and his 38-year-old wife moved from Nottingham because they could not bear being close to the hospital where their daughter died.

They now live in London, where they welcomed daughter Lottie, in November 2019.

They continue to coordinate and uncover experiences of others who have suffered maternity trauma at NUH.

Police probe dozens of hospital baby deaths and injuries in Nottingham

Police have launched an investigation into failings in maternity care at a scandal-hit hospital trust.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is already at the centre of the largest inquiry of its kind  led by independent midwife Donna Ockenden  which is examining 1,800 cases.

Dozens of babies died or suffered serious injury at the Queens Medical Centre and City Hospital, and affected families have complained of a lack of transparency. A statement on behalf of a group of around 230 families caught up in the scandal welcomed the Nottinghamshire Police announcement  seven years since the first calls for police involvement from Dr Jack Hawkins and wife Sarah after the death of their daughter Harriet in 2016.

In the statement, the families, who co-ordinate via a closed Facebook group, said: A large number of us have alleged crimes and we will be sharing our evidence with the police to assist them with their investigations. There has been poor maternity care as well as poor investigation of that care at NUH over many years.

The group said they hope the police inquiry will encompass not just the care of individuals who have died and seriously harmed babies and mothers, but also what families allege is a far-reaching cover-up by NUH and NHS staff.

Officers will investigate events at NUH alongside the Ockenden inquiry, just as West Mercia Police conducted its ongoing probe into maternity care in Shrewsbury and Telford alongside Mrs Ockendens previous inquiry into 1,500 cases there.

Nottinghamshire Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: On Wednesday, I met with Donna Ockenden to discuss her independent review into maternity cases of potentially significant concern at NUH and to build up a clearer picture of the work that is taking place.

We are currently looking at the work being done in Shrewsbury and Telford by West Mercia Police to understand how they conducted their investigation alongside Donna Ockendens review.

Anthony May, chief executive of NUH, has committed to... cooperate with this police investigation.

Mrs Ockendens report into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, published in April last year, found 201 babies and nine mothers could have survived if they received better care between 1973 and 2020.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is facing the largest inquiry of its kind, examining 1,800 cases

West Mercia Police said its Operation Lincoln probe into that scandal was continuing. No arrests have so far been made.

Last week, Dr Hawkins, who at the time of his daughters death was NUHs clinical director for NHS improvement as well as a consultant, said there were missing classrooms of children in Nottingham due to the scandal.

His wife, who also worked at the trust at the time as a physiotherapist, added: There were healthy mothers going in with healthy babies and were coming out with empty car seats, they were having to do CPR on their babies and walk out with tiny white coffins.

In 2021 the couple received a 2.8million payout  the largest ever in a stillbirth case in the UK  after an external inquiry identified 13 care failures relating to Harriets death.

A Root Cause Analysis Investigation Report published in 2018 went on to conclude the tragedy was almost certainly preventable.

Nottingham has accepted its maternity services were unsafe and has paid almost 90million in compensation. The claims related to dozens of deaths, stillbirths and 46 cases of babies left brain damaged after mistakes.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis excoriated an unidentified critic on Thursday after the man blamed his policies for the racist shooting spree that left three black people dead in Jacksonville last month.

The heated exchange unfolded at an Irish pub in Jacksonville, where DeSantis was holding a press conference highlighting his vow not to close schools or businesses as COVID-19 cases rise.

When DeSantis asked for questions from the press, an unidentified man spoke out, saying the governor 'allowed weapons to fill the street' and fall into the hands of 'immature, hateful people that have caused the deaths of the people who were murdered a few weeks ago.'

'I did not allow anything with that,' fired back DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination. 'I'm not going to let you accuse me of committing criminal activity. I'm not going to take that.'

'You have allowed people to hunt people like me,' continued the audience member, who is black, prompting a visibly angry DeSantis to respond: 'Oh, that is nonsense. That is such nonsense.'

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Ron DeSantis excoriated an unidentified critic on Thursday, after the man blamed his policies for the racist shooting spree that left three black people dead in Jacksonville

'You have allowed people to hunt people like me,' said the audience member, who is black, prompting DeSantis to respond: 'Oh, that is nonsense. That is such nonsense'

DeSantis also slammed the critic and noted that the shooter should have been committed to a mental institution well before the shooting.

'You don't get to come here and blame me for some madman,' DeSantis continued. 'That is inappropriate.'

The man was escorted from the room as DeSantis continued to speak, touting his record on public safety and insisting his policies had brought crime down.

'The notion we're not supportive of safety is absurd,' the presidential hopeful said.

It was unclear from footage of the event published by NBC News whether the man criticizing DeSantis was representing a particular organization or news outlet, or was perhaps a private citizen who somehow got into the press conference.

The heated exchange was in reference to the August 26 shooting in which a white gunman with swastikas painted on his rifle killed three black people at a Dollar General store.

Shortly before the shooting, the gunman had been confronted and turned away by a security guard at nearby Edward Waters University, a historically black school. The shooter died by suicide after barricading himself from cops.

The shooting reignited criticisms of DeSantis from parts of Florida's black community, after the NAACP issued a 'travel ban' for the state, saying the governor's 'anti-woke' policies created a culture of 'open hostility towards African Americans and people of color.'

Some black community leaders criticized DeSantis for not explicitly describing the killer as a racist at a vigil for the Jacksonville shooting victims.

DeSantis was booed at the vigil, where he called the shooter 'a major-league scumbag' and said, 'We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race.'

'Ron DeSantis has condemned these racially motivated murders repeatedly in the strongest language possible,' a DeSantis campaign spokesman told the AP following the vigil, adding, 'He will not tolerate racial hatred or violence in Florida.'

The man was escorted from the room as DeSantis continued to speak, touting his record on public safety and insisting his policies had brought crime down

The heated exchange was in reference to the August 26 shooting in which a white gunman with swastikas painted on his rifle killed three black people at a Dollar General

Following Thursday's press conference, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo returned to the podium to speak in the governor's defense.

Ladapo, who is black, called the unidentified critic 'crazy' and insisted that DeSantis is 'a good man.'

'It's terrible that people take advantage of the fact that he [DeSantis] is a different color from the poor victims of that tragedy to try and tie him into something. It's immoral,' he said.

The purpose of the press conference was to highlight DeSantis' vow not to bring back mask mandates or other restrictions, as COVID cases begin to tick up nationally.

Ladapo, his surgeon general, also warned against getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine, which is expected to be available this month.

'There are a lot of red flags,' he said, arguing there was no reason to get the updated vaccine.

Ladapo's previous warnings against COVID-19 vaccines drew a public letter from federal health agencies saying his claims were harmful to the public.
Cunning and resourceful, the fugitive had more than an hour to melt away before police caught up with his escape truck.

Officers finally pulled over the Bidfood lorry four miles from the prison.

By then, all that was left to find was the makeshift strapping that Daniel Khalife used to smuggle himself out of prison clinging to the underside of the 18-ton vehicle.

Yesterday police were frantically gathering and scouring hours of CCTV footage from along the winding route the truck took through south London.

Significantly Scotland Yard revealed there was 65 minutes between it leaving the prison and being stopped and searched by police, meaning a huge number of possible places where Khalife might have slipped away.

Daniel Khalife (pictured), a former soldier in the 22 Signal Regiment, was on remand at HMP Wandsworth ahead of his six-week terror trial

As investigators worked to unravel how a 21-year-old terror suspect feared to have spied for Iran managed to pull off a Colditz-style breakout in broad daylight, more details emerged of the audacious escape.

Khalife, who was on remand ahead of a six-week trial, had been working in the kitchens of Category B HMP Wandsworth. He began Wednesday morning by helping to prepare breakfast at the Victorian jail.

Police suspect the trained soldier used his expertise to carefully plan his escape. He turned up for duty dressed in his chef's uniform of a white T-shirt, distinctive red and white chequered trousers and brown steel-toe boots. After serving breakfast to inmates and guards, he slipped out of the kitchen carrying makeshift strapping of some kind, which police have declined to describe in more detail. In the yard outside the kitchen building, a lorry from the wholesaler Bidfood was making a routine delivery of groceries.

When no one was looking, Khalife ducked under the sidebars of the lorry and positioned himself precariously beneath the truck's underbelly, using the strapping to support his weight.

At around 7.30am, with the driver blissfully unaware of the stowaway, the Bidfood lorry was driven 250 yards along the road running along the inside of the 30ft perimeter wall famously scaled by Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs in 1965. Two internal security gates had to be opened to let it pass.

At 7.32am, the lorry carrying the former Royal Signals soldier rolled through the prison's imposing Victorian gate into the open. It was waved past guards and CCTV cameras with another cursory inspection, with no one thinking to check underneath at any of the three security checks.

As Khalife clung on, just inches from the wheels and the spinning drive shaft, the lorry turned right on to residential Heathfield Road, then left, then left again on to the busy triple-laned A214.

Police have stressed there is no suspicion about Bidfood or its driver, and said they had been co-operating fully.

Officers either do not know or have not said at what point Khalife decided to leave his escape vehicle, or what he did next. But the truck embarked on a near four-mile route through Wandsworth Town and on to the South Circular A205 road heading west towards Putney.

Khalife had an 18-minute head-start before anyone even noticed his absence. He was declared missing at 7.50am, and prison officers launched an urgent search, but it was a further 25 minutes before the police were called at 8.15am  by now a full 43 minutes after he had sprung himself.

Metropolitan Police cars descended on the area, while the lorry driver was called by his company and ordered to turn around and return to the prison.

Khalife, 21, was on remand at HMP Wandsworth (pictured) awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences

On a busy high street close to East Putney station, officers swooped on the Bidfood truck at 8.37am outside a coffee shop.

A business owner who witnessed the operation told the Mail: 'The police were searching inside the van, underneath it, on the roof, in the cab, everywhere. At first there was one unmarked, black police car, then a van and about five police cars. They were using two dogs to search it, one inside and one underneath.' He said the search lasted for two hours.

Scotland Yard Commander Dominic Murphy said last night: 'We searched it, but we found no trace of him. But we did find strapping that meant he had been underneath.' Officers were keeping an open mind as to whether Khalife was helped by accomplices, but Mr Murphy cited the fugitive's 'ingenuity' and said: 'We have some of the best military in world and he was a trained soldier.' He said police officers believed Khalife  a 'very resourceful individual'  would have needed to plan his escape, rather than it being opportunistic.

Police refused to confirm or deny if they had recovered potentially useful CCTV during their trawl, but said there had been no sightings by members of the public, despite it being 'a busy area of London'. It prompted speculation as to whether the fugitive could have arranged to be picked up by an accomplice in another vehicle.

As an all-ports alert was issued, police widened their search. Mr Murphy revealed that one area they were focusing on was Kingston-upon-Thames in south-west London, just four miles from where the lorry was stopped.

But he admitted his quarry could be anywhere by now.
Harriet Harman has thrown her hat into the ring to become Parliament's sleaze commissioner after helping to oust Boris Johnson.

The veteran Labour MP, who chaired the probe that ruled the former PM had lied to MPs over Partygate, revealed that she wants to become the new chair of the Commons Standards Committee.

It comes after Sir Chris Bryant stepped down from the role after being appointed a shadow minister by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The move may raise eyebrows among Mr Johnson's allies who believed that Ms Harman's probe as current chair of the Privileges Committee was a 'witch hunt' and 'kangaroo court'.

In June, it found that the former prime minister had committed 'repeated contempts' of Parliament by deliberately misleading the Commons with denials about parties in Downing Street during lockdown. The conclusion led to his resignation as an MP in June.

Harriet Harman MP, who is bidding to become Parliament's sleaze commissioner, speaks in the House of Commons

Last week, Ms Harman revealed that her inquiry got a committee clerk to impersonate the former PM - including 'ruffling' his hair - as they rehearsed how to interrogate him.

In an interview on Iain Dale's All Talk podcast she joked about how the clerk's 'absolutely hilarious' impression was spot-on as he got into character and delivered an 'excellent' role-play of the former PM.

READ MORE: Ex-Partygate inquisitor Sue Gray to start work as Labour chief of staff today Advertisement

The Labour veteran, an MP since 1982, admitted she did not want to 'cock it up' and ensure the committee was well-rehearsed before Mr Johnson came to give evidence in March this year.

She said: 'We were feeling this global focus on it and we all felt we had to get it absolutely right.

'We had two whole days of rehearsals of it, with one of the clerks being Boris Johnson, which was absolutely hilarious because he was ruffling his hair and role-playing.

'And normally the clerks are very stayed, sober, rational, logical people but he really took to it - he really did it excellently.' Ms Harman also criticised those MPs who tried to discredit the committee and its findings, claiming it was 'very galling' to be labelled a kangaroo court by those within the House of Commons.

In a post yesterday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Harman thanked Mr Bryant for his 'leadership of Parliament's Committee on Standards'.

She added: 'There's now a vacancy for Chair. I am putting my name forward for election.' The powerful Committee on Standards works alongside the Parliamentary Commissioner on Standards to oversee MPs' conduct and make decisions on individual complaints.

The veteran Labour MP chaired the probe that ruled former PM Boris Johnson had lied to MPs over Partygate

Ms Harman chaired the cross-party Privileges Committee inquiry into Mr Johnson with six other MPs, including Sir Bernard Jenkin.

Sir Bernard has been branded 'shameless' for refusing to stand down from his position on the Privileges Committee and as chair of the powerful Liaison Committee while himself facing a police investigation over alleged lockdown-busting behaviour.

The Tory grandee has refused to stand down from the roles despite Scotland Yard launching a formal probe into claims he attended a party which broke Covid rules.

Earlier this summer he was accused of 'staggering hypocrisy' for condemning the ex-PM over lockdown gatherings in Downing Street while facing questions about his own behaviour.

Scotland Yard is still investigating claims Sir Bernard attended a 'birthday drinks' bash for his wife, Baroness Jenkin, in December 2020. He has remained silent over the allegations since the surfaced in June.

As many as ten people were said to have attended, with one source claiming social distancing 'went out of the window'.

But despite this, he co-authored as a member of the privileges committee the report into Mr Johnson, which all but ended the former PM's Commons career.

Commons rules mean the new chair of the Standards Committee must come from the Opposition, so Mr Bryant's successor has to be a Labour MP elected in a secret ballot.

Ms Harman has already confirmed that she plans to stand down at the next election, after nearly 40 years as an MP.

It means that if she gets the new role she will only be in it until the PM calls the next election, expected before January 2025.
American voters are worried about re-electing Joe Biden because it would be like giving 'grandpa a high-stress job for six more years,' a CNN political commentator said on Thursday.

Van Jones, who worked in the Obama White House when Biden was vice president, was asked about a new CNN poll which puts Biden neck-and-neck with all the Republican challengers except Nikki Haley, who is beating him.

Jones said Biden's low approval rating of just 39 percent was a reflection of concerns about his advancing years.

'They worry about Joe Biden,' Jones said about the voters.

'Joe Biden's like that grandpa that you love, that you believe in.'

'But you start to wonder, you know, would you give this grandpa a high-stress job for six more years or would you want something else for him?'

CNN pundit Van Jones said on Thursday that voters were worried about Joe Biden's age

A new CNN poll shows Biden trailing Trump, Pence, Scott, Ramaswamy, Christie, and Haley, and tied with DeSantis

Voters continue to register deep concerns about Biden and his age in particular.

The CNN poll shows 73 percent seriously concerned about his mental competence and 76 percent concerned about his ability to serve out his four-year term if he is reelected.

Two-thirds of Democrats, or 67 percent, say the party should nominate someone besides Biden, up from 54 percent in March.

Both Biden and Trump are at 35 percent favorability.

The poll comes as Biden prepares to fly to India for a meeting of world leaders at the G20 summit.

Jones noted the election is still more than a year away, and the current low poll numbers 'may be the bottom for Joe Biden.'

But, Jones said, the improving economic data was not being felt by voters.

'He may go up as the economy improves, but right now, the economy is getting better and fears about the economy are getting worse,' he said.

'We've got to be honest as Democrats that there's real pain out there at the base of our party.

'People still don't feel these [economic] policies yet, and we're gonna have to make the case stronger.'

Jones was asked by co-host Poppy Harlow about former Obama aide Jim Messina, who told Politico Playbook that Democrats were 'f****** bedwetters' for panicking about the polling.

Jones said Messina was wrong, and the polling needed to be taken seriously.

'If Jim Messina says that we're bedwetters, invest in Pampers and Depends because a lot of people are terrified that Joe Biden is in real trouble - and that you can't talk about it,' said Jones.

Biden finds himself in close races with the entire GOP field, according to a new CNN poll. He trails Donald Trump by 1 percentage point, and Nikki Haley by 6

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, has been leading attacks on Biden's age. She has the biggest lead over Biden of all the potential Republican nominees

In the CNN poll Biden narrowly trails Trump, the Republican frontrunner, 47 to 46.

That is in keeping with polling averages like one by RealClearPolitics, which has Biden leading Trump by 1 percentage point.

Other Republican contenders run slightly better in head-to-head matchups, although, like Trump, those who hold leads are within the poll's 3.5 percent margin of error, signifying a close race.

The exception is Haley, who leads Biden 49 to 43 percent.

Haley, 51, has been leading attacks on Biden's age, saying the 80-year-old president isn't fit and won't stay alive through 2028.

Biden is tied with Florida governor Ron DeSantis at 47; trails former Vice President Mike Pence 46 to 44; and trails Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina 46 to 44.

Newcomer and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy leads Biden 46 to 45, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie leads Biden 44 to 42, in a poll of registered voters.

The gaps are similar between those who vociferously defend Trump, like Ramaswamy; DeSantis, who said he would consider pardoning Jan. 6 defendants; and Pence and Christie, who have criticized Trump over his election overturn effort.

Former President Donald Trump leads President Biden 47 to 46 in a new CNN poll

Haley doesn't perform well against fellow Republicans in the polls, however. She is at just 6 percent in the RealClearPolitics average.

'We all know Joe Biden thinks he's going to run and win this election and then he's going to hand it off to a president Kamala Harris,' Haley claimed on Fox News on Wednesday night.

She said she would 'stomp all over Joe Biden' in a matchup.

'Everybody really needs to know this is me running against Kamala Harris for president,' she added.

Trump's continued performance in polls could undercut opponents who say he isn't as electable as they are due to his multiple indictments and criminal trials.
David Koch has taken to social media to slam the use of a doctored photo of himself appearing to be battered and bruised which is being used in online scams.

The former Channel Seven star, better known as Kochie, reposted the fake image - edited to show the former Sunrise host with black eyes and a dismayed expression - to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.

'This article has been spread as a wildfire today,' the scam post was captioned, 'read the full story here.'

Accompanied by a link, the post's fake headline read: 'This is the dark truth behind the incident.'

David Koch has called for the ACCC to take action after a fake news article surfaced on social media (pictured)

Kochie tagged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in a frustrated attempt to take down the scam.

'WTF .. land back in Sydney to this crap all over social media,' the ex-'brekkie central' star wrote.

'BEWARE this is [a] scam for those who don't realize.

'When are the authorities going to crack down on the platforms carrying these scams,' he seethed.

Another fake image of Kochie appearing to be arrested by police is also being shared on social media.

A similar scam surfaced in April when a fake Twitter post announcing his death spread on social media.

'Although saying goodbye is never easy, we take comfort in knowing that Kochie lived a full and meaningful life, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, warmth and compassion,' the post, which originated from a hacked account, read.

The cruel death hoax saw criminals using his image and fake news articles of his passing to scam people.

It's not the first time the former Sunrise host's (pictured) image has been used in scams, with a death hoax going viral on Twitter in April

Kochie was bombarded with 'tributes' after the post went viral, with the then-Sunrise host assuring fans he was only taking a week off work.

'Just for clarity, I'm alive and well and enjoying AFL's Gather Round in Adelaide with all my family,' he wrote.

'This stuff is really giving me the s***s.'

The ACCC took legal action against Meta last year for allegedly engaging in deceptive conduct by allowing the publication of fraudulent celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency scam ads.

'Meta should have been doing more to detect and then remove false or misleading ads on Facebook, to prevent consumers from falling victim to ruthless scammers,' ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in March last year.

'Facebook failed to prevent the publication of fake ads even after the celebrities reported similar false, misleading or deceptive ads to Meta.'
Full Text: Speech by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the 18th East Asia Summit

Xinhua) 15:36, September 08, 2023

JAKARTA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of the speech by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the 18th East Asia Summit on Thursday in Jakarta.

Following is the full text of Li's remarks:

Speech by H.E. Li Qiang

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

At the 18th East Asia Summit

Jakarta, September 7, 2023

Your Excellency President Joko Widodo,

Colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to join you in the beautiful city of Jakarta. I wish to thank President Joko Widodo and the government of Indonesia for the thoughtful arrangements made for this meeting.

We live in an increasingly complex world. To better observe and understand the world, we need both a global vision and a historical perspective. This is the way to see through the surface, and grasp the essence, the pattern and the trend. For us in East Asia, a review of both the shifting global dynamics and the region's own course of development invariably brings us to one profound conclusion: peace and development are invaluable, and they represent the enduring aspiration and fundamental interests of our peoples. In recent decades, East Asia learned from the hard lessons of war and conflict, seized the opportunities in the great trend of economic globalization and kept to the right path of openness, development and win-win cooperation. This is why East Asia has been able to change the destiny of the countries and peoples in the region, and grown into a major engine driving global growth. This past journey has made us fully appreciate the hardship in development, the imperative of openness, and the value of peace. We have also seen first hand the truth that unity leads to prosperity while division brings decline. In this turbulent world, we in East Asia have one hundred reasons to stick to cooperation and integration, and not a single reason to slip into division and confrontation.

Over the past 18 years since its inception, the East Asia Summit (EAS) has rooted itself in East Asia, reached out to the Asia-Pacific and stayed focused on cooperation. It has played a positive role in deepening mutual understanding, protecting regional security and promoting common development. Faced with new circumstances and new challenges, the EAS needs to keep to its defined mission, and play a bigger role for enduring stability and prosperity in the region. To this end, China wishes to make the following proposals:

First, we need to better harness the role of the EAS in promoting development to invigorate growth in the region. The theme of ASEAN this year, "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", dovetails well with the situation and the needs of countries in the region. We need to further prioritize growth stimulation, and invest more wisdom and efforts in increasing cooperation and boosting development. We need to follow economic globalization, steadily advance the development of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, oppose protectionism and unilateralism, and keep the industrial and supply chains stable and smooth. Taking the new EAS Plan of Action as an opportunity, we need to enhance cooperation in energy, food, climate change, electric vehicles, poverty reduction and marine economy, so that we realize growth together.

Second, we need to better harness the role of the EAS as a strategic dialogue to increase understanding and trust among all parties. The EAS is a leaders-led strategic forum. We need to adopt an attitude of respect, goodwill and openness, and conduct constructive exchanges on the underlying trends in our region and beyond, and on hotspot and challenging issues, to know and understand each other better and identify the biggest common ground possible. China hopes to have deeper dialogue and cooperation with all parties on better promoting humanity's common values, and on implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping. On regional hotspot issues, China believes it is important for the relevant parties to find political solutions through dialogue and consultation.

Third, we need to better harness the leadership of ASEAN to jointly promote inclusive and mutually beneficial cooperation. All EAS members are signatories to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). We have all committed to upholding the principles of ASEAN centrality, consensus building and non-interference in internal affairs. These principles are also our valuable experience, tried and tested over the past decades. We should continue to give unwavering support to the ASEAN-led regional cooperation architecture. We need to sustain our fraternal bonds and fine traditions of mutual assistance in times of adversity, do our best to accommodate each other's needs and interests, and better utilize our complementarity and forge synergy. China firmly opposes the attempts to create competing structures or small blocs, still less do we want to see regional countries forced to pick sides or get embroiled in meaningless disputes that harm their own people's interests. Camp-based confrontation produces no winner. Rather, mutually beneficial cooperation is what the people want and where the future lies.

Peace and stability in the South China Sea is our shared aspiration and best serves the common interests of the regional countries. Since signing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) more than 20 years ago, China and ASEAN countries have been fully and effectively implementing the DOC, addressing disputes peacefully through consultation and negotiation by countries directly concerned, exercising self-restraint, and deepening practical maritime cooperation. We have maintained general stability in the South China Sea. Now, guided by the spirit of the DOC, we are working actively to advance consultations on the COC. Upon completion, the COC will be a strong safeguard for the lawful rights and interests of all countries in the South China Sea. We hope countries outside the region fully respect the efforts by the regional countries for concluding the COC and preserving peace and stability in the South China Sea, and play a positive and constructive role for these efforts.

The ocean is the cradle of human life, and marine pollution has far-reaching impacts. We must act in a way that is responsible for history and for humanity, and protect the ecological environment of the ocean to take good care of the "blue heart" of the earth.

Colleagues,

This year marks the 45th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. By opening its door, China has made tremendous progress in development and, in this process, fully shared its development opportunities with countries around the world. Now, China is pursuing Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development, taking the 1.4 billion-plus people as a whole into modernization. This will create enormous market opportunities. We will stay committed to the fundamental national policy of opening up, advance international cooperation in more areas, on higher levels and in greater depth, and continue to share with countries in and outside the region new opportunities created by China's new development.

Next month, China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. We welcome all parties to this event. Belt and Road cooperation was initiated by China, but its opportunities and fruits have been shared by the world. Following the approach of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, China is ready to work with all countries to extend the Belt and Road wider and longer for it to continue benefiting the world. The Lao PDR will take over the ASEAN chairmanship next year. China will give full support to the work of the Lao PDR as the ASEAN chair.

Success happens in an amicable environment and strength builds from solidarity. China stands ready to work with all to uphold true multilateralism and open regionalism, keep to openness and inclusiveness, and strengthen solidarity and mutual assistance. Together, let us steer this giant ship of East Asian cooperation forward along a steady course, braving winds and waves.

Thank you.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
MBABANE  The CICs outcry over the lack of regulations for their Act will soon be a thing of the past.

The CIC is the construction industry Council. A consultant to conduct the process of amendment, review and development of construction industry legislation has been appointed. This comes after the Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC) has been appointed as the consultant for this exercise. The construction industry legislation referred to is the National Construction Industry Policy, CIC Act and Regulations.

In a public statement issued yesterday, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Thulani Mkhaliphi, said to ensure independence and transparency of the entire process the Ministry of Public Works and Transport has further appointed a steering committee drawn from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Attorney Generals Office, CIC, architects, engineers, surveyors and allied professionals (AESAP) and secretariat.

Mkhaliphi mentioned that the steering committee would work with the consultant and stakeholders in driving the aforementioned process to ensure that the desired results were achieved.

The process will commence this month of September 2023, read the notice. The PS said active participation of the construction industry stakeholders and the general public was required for the success of this exercise. The PS highlighted that the appointment of the consultant was subsequent to tender No.02 (i)/2023 issued by the CIC through the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA) and media in May.

Workshop

It is worth noting that in a workshop held in July, the CIC raised concerns that the lack of the regulations for the Construction Industry Council Act of 2013 was limiting them in executing their mandate to the fullest. Operations Procurement and Compliance Manager at CIC Phumlani Kunene said the lack of regulations formed part of many other challenges faced by the council. He said the regulations were going to assist them to execute their mandate to the fullest.

Dlamini also highlighted that other challenges faced by the council was the resistance from the public to register their projects  residential buildings. He said another challenge was that private organisations continued with awarding contracts to foreign contractors. He also lamented on contractors not declaring their projects.

Constructors who were attending the workshop also concurred with the council, that the lack of regulations was affecting the duty of the CIC. He said the lack of the regulations was also affecting them as constructors in their level.
A cold front from Antarctica combined with a high-pressure system will see cold temperatures, strong winds and rain hang around this weekend.

Weatherzone meteorologist Maryam Al-Ansari explained the high-pressure system will force freezing winds to stay in place over the weekend, leading to icy conditions.

'At the moment, there is a cold front coming through bringing cold winds from the southern ocean,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Those winds are moving across the Great Dividing Range, bringing snow in some areas.

'There is also a high-pressure system which will lock the cold air in place through to the end of the weekend.

'So for the next few days, we will see really cold mornings in the southeast, including Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.'

A cold front from Antarctica is forecast to cause rian through Australia's southeast on Friday before largely clearing by Saturday

Canberra is forecast to be the coldest capital city this weekend, with a minimum of -1C on Saturday and -3C on Sunday.

Sydney will be slightly warmer, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 19C on Saturday and Sunday and minimums at 5C and 6C.

Fortunately for Sydneysiders, the weather looks sunny from Saturday to Monday.

However, the sunshine won't reach Melbourne until Monday as winds from the south cause continual showers.

Ms Al-Ansari warned winds over the weekend will make the weather feel even cooler.

'Strong winds will make it feel colder than it is,' she said.

'In some areas it could potentially feel 6C colder.'

The polar blast is forecast to cause snow to fall in several regions in Australia's southeast.

On Friday, snow is set to fall to 500m in Tasmania, 700m in Victoria and 800m in southern NSW.

The cold front will bring freezing winds to Australia's southeast, including Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra (pictured, a map showing temperatures for Friday)

The system could see the first snowfalls of the year in many towns, including Trentham, Mount Macedon and Tylden.

In Perth a seperate cold front is expected to pass on Saturday, leading to slightly colder weather.

'Perth will feel a slight chill but nothing too serious,' Ms Al-Ansari said.

The minimum temperature for Perth on Saturday is forecast at 13C and 12C on Sunday.

Central Australia is looking to be very hot with the high pressure system driving clouds from the area.

Darwin will feel the heat with a maximum temperature of 36C on Saturday and Sunday alongside sunny conditions.

Brisbane is forecast to see showers on Friday before the sky clears for a sunny Saturday.

However, the weather is set to be a lot less pleasant south in Hobart with cloudy conditions and showers forecast through to Monday.

Windy weather in the southeast will remain in place over the weekend due to a high pressure system
The treasury must urgently reassess the potential economic benefits of bringing back tax-free shopping for overseas tourists, MPs demanded yesterday.

In a debate in Parliament, cross-party politicians said the UK's economy is 'missing out' as a result of the so-called 'tourist tax' and called for an independent assessment of the figures.

Tory grandee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown urged the Government to commission the fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), or an audit firm to look at the tax impact of bringing back tax-free shopping for overseas tourists.

He said: 'We urgently need an independent assessment on the full impact of tax-free shopping on the UK economy and its tax revenues.

'If an independent assessment shows that the full tax impact is either neutral or net positive, then the Government must move quickly to restore tax-free shopping before more damage is done to the UK economy.'

The Treasury must urgently reassess the economic benefits of bringing back tax-free shopping for overseas tourists, MPs demanded yesterday (File image)

Sir Geoffrey, who secured the debate, said the Government's current figures are 'based upon the wrong methodology that do not consider in full the major upsides for the country' - such as increased tax revenue from spending across the economy.

A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), published in the Mail in July, found that bringing back tax-free shopping for overseas tourists would have a net positive effect on tax revenues.

Britain's economy would be more than 10 billion a year better off as a result of reinstating VAT refunds - and government coffers would benefit to the tune of 2 billion a year, it said.

The Mail's campaign to Scrap the Tourist Tax has won the backing of many of Britain's biggest businesses, who have signed a letter to the Chancellor demanding a rethink.

Conservative Party deputy chairman Nickie Aiken told MPs during the debate yesterday afternoon that the Government's refusal to reinstate tax-free shopping is 'damaging' London's reputation as a global city.

And she said she believed France 'improved their tax-free shopping offer for international visitors once we got rid of ours'.

Mrs Aiken, the MP for Cities of London and Westminster, said tax-free shopping had become the 'missing piece' in a jigsaw of cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and theatres.

'If it is returned, it will not just benefit my constituency and the retailers, but thousands upon thousands of businesses across this country,' she told Westminster Hall.

The SNP also backed the calls. The party's international trade spokesman Richard Thomson said the policy was to the 'detriment' of regional airports and businesses.

Labour shadow treasury minister Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi agreed with calls for an independent assessment of VAT-free shopping, but said his party would not make it a priority.

Treasury minister Victoria Atkins told the debate that the Government 'still estimates that the measure would cost in the region of 2billion each year'.

In a debate in Parliament, cross-party politicians said the UK's economy is 'missing out' as a result of the so-called 'tourist tax' and called for an independent assessment of the figures (File image)

However, she would 'reflect carefully' on the calls for Government-commissioned independent analysis.

The Treasury scrapped tax-free shopping for overseas tourists in 2021 - believing that it was a 'costly relief which does not benefit the whole of GB equally'.

However, it kept tax-free shopping for goods purchased in the UK and sent directly to an overseas address, including the EU.

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng announced plans to reintroduce the VAT rebate last autumn, but Jeremy Hunt reversed the move soon after entering No11.

Campaigners believe that the removal of the scheme is driving tourists away from London and Edinburgh to cities like Paris, Madrid and Milan.
Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann is now facing an investigation into whether he's responsible for yet another murder of a prostitute near his Long Island home - one that dates back to 1989.

Heuermann, 59, is charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of three victims, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. Authorities say he is the 'prime suspect' in another killing, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

He is now being investigated in connection with the 1989 murder of sex worker Carmen Vargas, whose body was found bound near Heuermann's home.

The Nassau County District Attorney's Office confirmed the inquiry.

Vargas' family said there are 'too many similarities' to the deaths of the other Gilgo Beach sex workers.

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann is now facing an investigation into whether he's responsible for yet another murder of a prostitute near his Long Island home that dates back to 1989

He is now being investigated in connection with the 1989 murder of sex worker Carmen Vargas, whose body was found bound near Heuermann's home

'I believe he did it. I believe he did it when he first started killing,' Felicita Figueroa, Vargas' niece, told The Sun Wednesday.

Figueroa was just 12 years old the last time Vargas was seen being picked up by a man outside the family apartment in East Harlem that night in 1989.

'She got into a dark car,' Figueroa told PIX11 News. 'I could tell it was a white man with glasses.'

Vargas was later found dumped on the side of the Meadowbrook Parkway, just seven miles from Heuermann's Massapequa Park home, her body beaten and bound.

The suspect was thought to be Long Island serial killer Joel Rifkin, who denied it in 1993 despite copping to 17 other killings.

'Joel Rifkin said, 'That's not me. That's not my work.' But we thought it was him, so we let it die,' Figueroa said.

She got in touch with an investigator at Murder Inc. who has looked into the Gilgo Beach killings, publishing findings under a pseudonym.

'Always for me, location is the most important factor,' the publisher said. 'It's far more important than M.O. A serial killer can change the way they do things. There's no rule that serial killers have to do things the same way every time. They can change it up.'

After starting his architecture firm in 1994, Heuermann built a successful career in Manhattan before his dramatic arrest in July

The 59-year-old allegedly made taunting phone calls to his victims' families from his architecture offices in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue (pictured)

Heuermann's dramatic arrest outside his offices in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue on July 13 came as a result of a decade-long hunt for the infamous Gilgo Bach serial killer.

Heuermann counted Nike, American Airlines and Target as clients during his three-decade architecture career, while allegedly also strangling three women and taunting their families with phone calls - often allegedly made from his New York office.

The first set of remains were found along the strip of coastline in December 2010, when the body of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was discovered during a search for another missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, 23.

Two days later, cops realized they may have a manic serial killer on their hands when three additional sets of remains were discovered - those of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman.

The bodies were found along a half-mile stretch on Gilgo Beach, where several other bodies have been found - some of which police are still determining if Heuermann had anything to do with.

The three women he has been charged with killing and the one he is suspected of murdering were all found wrapped in camouflaged burlap, and worked as escorts on Craigslist, officials said.

Heuermann's arrest in July outside his Manhattan offices came after a decade-long hunt for the Gilgo Beach serial killer. He first landed on investigators' radar in March 2022

A map showing where the victims remains were located along the barren stretch of Ocean Beach Parkway in Gilgo Beach, located on the South Shore of Long Island

Following his dramatic arrest, Heuermann's ramshackle home in Massapequa Park, Long Island, was combed through by forensic investigators

Crews scoured the home, including the backyard, for days for further evidence. Heuermann's family have recently criticized cops for tearing apart their property

Investigators claimed following Barthelemy's disappearance, taunting phone calls were made to her family where a man described in grim detail how he sexually assaulted and killed her.

The sickening phone calls were used by police after he was first floated as a suspect in March 2022.

According to documents filed in court, investigators that month were looking into the murder of Costello, where a Chevrolet Avalanche was spotted by a witness at the time of the killing.

Following the identification of Heuermann as the owner of a vehicle that matched one seen at the crime scene, cops issued over 300 subpoenas, search warrants and other legal processes to obtain further evidence - including his cellphone records.

Through Heuermann's American Express records, police were able to link him to a Tinder account in which he used a pseudonym, his middle name, Andy. That account was linked to one of his many burner phones.

He was known to go through a slew of burner phones, and as recently as this year he allegedly used one of the phones 'extensively for prostitution-related contacts' including sex workers and massage parlors.

In January, with police surveilling him, police recovered a pizza box that he had tossed into a garbage can in Manhattan. They were able to match the DNA from the leftover pie with a sample that was taken from the burlap sack that the killer used to conceal Waterman's body.

Police say that the burner cell phones and the victim's phones put Heuermann in the area where the victims were found around the times of their disappearances and around his Midtown Manhattan office when phone calls were made, including the taunting Barthelemy call.

In January, with police surveilling him, police recovered a pizza box that Heurmann had tossed into a garbage can in Manhattan that they used to obtain his DNA

Heuermann's distraught family have returned to their Long Island home, and have criticized police for tearing it apart during their search for evidence

New York state police removed a massive haul of weapons from Heuermann's Long Island home during their investigation in July

One of the burners allegedly used by Heuermann showed extremely sexually graphic internet searches for sexual assault and torture.

While an email address used by Heuermann saw him regularly Google in search of updates in the Long Island serial killer case, including podcasts and documentaries.

The case has drawn immense public attention. The mystery attracted national headlines for many years and the unsolved killings were the subject of the 2020 Netflix film 'Lost Girls.'

Determining who killed them, and why, has vexed a slew of seasoned homicide detectives through several changes in police leadership. Last year, an interagency task force was formed with investigators from the FBI, as well as state and local police departments, aimed at solving the case.

The investigator charged with tracking down the killer for years, ex-police chief James Burke, has been condemned in recent months for his handling of the case.

Following his arrest, forensic investigators scoured Heuermann's home, where they retrieved a bevy of items including a freezer and a massive haul of firearms.

Heuermann's soon-to-be-ex-wife Asa Ellerup found her Massapequa Park home in total disarray as investigators launched an extensive search following his arrest.

She and her two adult children left the home immediately under police instruction, meaning they did not have time to find their pets amid the chaos.

They ended up having to sleep in a rental car for days until they were allowed back home - and have been living in a 'waking horror show' ever since.

Asa Ellerup and her two adult children. They left the home immediately under police instruction, meaning they did not have time to find their pets amid the chaos

Melissa Moore, the daughter of serial killer Keith Jesperson, met with Ellerup to offer her support - and told the Sun US that police sent the family's cats to a kill shelter.

Rex's son Christopher, who suffers from learning difficulties, was able to locate his service dog Stewie before they were shunned from the property - but they were unable to find their two cats.

Moore said: 'They left assuming the police would care for the animals as they left the home without any notice.

'Immediately, the authorities trapped the cats and sent them to a kill shelter.'

Thanks to their attorneys, Ellerup and her children were eventually able to find their cats and bring them home.

Moore added: 'Lawyers representing Asa learned that her animals were in a shelter and arranged for them to be removed before they could be euthanized.'

Etienne de Villiers, 68, who lives next door to the family, said that since the man's arrest, the family have been spending more and more time out on their front lawn because investigators left the house 'uninhabitable.'

The inside is said to be covered in debris from their search, attorney Vess Mitev said.

Villiers told the NYTimes: 'They're having barbecues on the front lawn  they never did anything like that before. Suddenly, they're out there all the time.'

Thankfully, they got their cats back before they were euthanized

The family have been spending more and more time out on their front lawn because investigators left the house 'uninhabitable'
Marise Payne has confirmed she is retiring from politics after a career spanning 26 years.

The former Foreign Minister has been plagued by rumours she was stepping down for weeks now.

She announced in a statement on Friday morning she would step down on September 30, paving the way for a NSW Liberal Party Senate preselection vote.

In many ways, it is the end of a political power couple.

Her partner, NSW politician Stuart Ayres, lost his seat in Penrith at the last state election. He previously served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party under Dominic Perrottet.

In announcing her resignation, Senator Payne paid particular thanks to Mr Ayres for 'sharing this path with me for many years now, as I have shared his in state politics'.

'I thank him for that enduring support and love. Stuart's strong support made it possible for me to be a much travelled Cabinet minister for seven years.'

She announced in a statement on Friday morning she would step down on September 30, paving the way for a NSW Senate preselection vote. Her partner, NSW politician Stuart Ayres, lost his seat in Penrith at the last state election. He previously served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party under Dominic Perrottet

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Ms Payne said: 'To have had the privilege to have served as long as I have, and in the process to have become Australia's longest serving female Senator in history, is something of which I am very proud,' she said.

'This Chamber, although far from perfect, is a unique and vital part of the Australian democracy.

'From my first Senate Committee in the Howard Government, to my final committee roles in this Parliament, I have always known that our work makes a difference.'

Ms Payne said she is not retiring altogether, and 'looks forward to the next phase of [her] professional life'.

'I look forward to using the invaluable experience I have gained in this place, around the cabinet table and globally, to continue to make a contribution to our country,' she added.
But he has been branded a 'hypocrite' after previously welcoming the influx

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been branded a 'hypocrite' after he warned the migrant crisis will destroy the Big Apple - as Texas officials say he is struggling with only a fraction of what they have dealt with for years.

'Mayor Adams was proud to tout his self-described sanctuary city status until Texas began busing migrants to New York City to provide relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities,' Texas Governor Greg Abbott's press secretary Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Last August, Adams said he was 'proud' that New York was a sanctuary state as buses of migrants began arriving from the southern border. But the buses never stopped, and the mayor grew emotional on Wednesday as he admitted he 'doesn't see an ending' to the issue that is set to cost the city $12 billion over three years.

Over 13,000 of the migrants that have stretched the city's resources have been sent by Abbott, who began shuttling refugees last August to bring the crisis in his state into the national spotlight.

The governor was dubbed a 'madman' by Adams this week for the move, but in a scathing rebuke Abbott's press secretary said the mayor's hypocrisy was 'astounding' as Texas has been dealing with the problem - on a much grander scale - for years.

Streets in Manhattan have become overrun with migrants hoping for space in one of New York City's sanctuary hotels, pictured outside the once-iconic Roosevelt Hotel in August

In an aerial view, immigrants line up to be processed to make asylum claims at a makeshift migrant camp on May 11, 2023, in El Paso, Texas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has shuttled over 35,000 migrants from his state to 'sanctuary cities' across the US, including over 13,300 to New York City

When questioned before about his aggressive approach to the migrant crisis, Abbott has previously contended that he is filling 'dangerous gaps created by the Biden administration's refusal to secure the border.'

On Tuesday, the governor said his state government had bussed over 35,000 asylum seekers to self-declared sanctuary cities, with over 13,300 sent to New York since August 2022.

'With millions of residents, New York is only dealing with a fraction of what our small border communities deal with on a day-to-day basis,' Mahaleris continued in his statement.

'Instead of complaining about 13,000 migrants sent from Texas, Mayor Adams should be calling out his party leader, President Biden, who has been flying planeloads of migrants all around the country and oftentimes in the cover of night, straining state and local resources across the country.

'Until President Biden steps up and does his job, Texas will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities to provide relief to our overwhelmed border towns.'

Eric Adams has turned to a variety of city landmarks and emergency shelters to house over 110,000 migrants in New York. Pictured: Refugees lined the street outside the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan in August

Adams said the Big Apple is receiving over 10,000 migrants every month as he warned the city could be transformed forever without federal intervention

The crisis at the border was escalated in April with the expiration of Title 42, a pandemic-era immigration policy - leading to over 10,000 undocumented arrivals every day for several days

Security forces watched on as migrants tried to enter the U.S. after crossing the Rio Grande River, in Matamoros, Mexico ahead of the end of Title 42

Speaking at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, Eric Adams warned New York City will be 'destroyed' by the migrant crisis

Adams has pleaded with the federal government to 'step up' amid the crisis, and has said the lack of intervention is leading people from 'all over the globe' to head for the border in hopes of ending up in the Big Apple.

'Now we are getting people from all over the globe have made their minds up that they're going to come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City,' he said.

'And everyone is saying it's New York City's problem. Every community in this city is going to be impacted.'

He added that it will cost the city over $4 billion this fiscal year, and without any help from the federal government it will come out of the city's budget. That amount is equal to the budgets for the city's sanitation, fire and parks departments, combined.

But when the first buses arrived last August in Manhattan's Port Authority, he boasted: 'As the mayor of New York, I have to provide services families that are here, and that's what we're going to do - our responsibility as a city, and I'm proud that this is a Right to Shelter state, and we're going continue to do that.'

A large number of refugees who have flooded over the US-Mexico border in recent years have fled from Venezuela amid the nation's economic decline. From 2015 to 2018, only around 100 Venezuelans were stopped annually at the border. From October 2021 to August 2022, that number stood at 150,000.

However, experts and city officials now say a significant number of the migrants have come from Africa, particularly Senegal and Nigeria.

Abbott's move to begin bussing migrants in August 2022 came over a year after he launched 'Operation Lone Star', an initiative that allowed him to take sweeping action against asylum seekers filling Texas towns.

He issued a disaster declaration in May 2021 in over 50 counties - most on or near the border - which granted him authority to deploy Texas National Guard troops and advanced his powers to detain.

According to analysis by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and The Marshall Project published in March 2022, the project costs taxpayers $2.5 million every week.

Abbott's handling of the migrant crisis in his own state took a major hit this week, however, as a judge ordered him to remove a floating barrier the governor had placed on a river between the US and Mexico to deter border crossings.

The large buoys were placed in the river over the summer by Abbott's administration as part of the Republican's escalating attempts to stop immigrants.

A judge has ordered Texas to move a floating barrier that Gov. Greg Abbott placed on the river between the U.S. and Mexico to deter migrants from entering the U.S.

The large buoys were placed in the river over the summer by Abbott's administration as part of the Republican's escalating attempts to stop immigrants

Migrants wade through the water in the Rio Grande River looking for an opening to the border on August 21, 2023

The problems at the southern border were significantly escalated when Title 42, a pandemic-era border policy that gave officials advanced powers to detain people, ended in May.

The day the policy expired on May 12, the number of illegal border crossings topped 10,000 - a figure that was maintained for several days.

As the number of migrants surged, the issues Texas has dealing with the refugee crisis was laid bare as its shelters were stretched far beyond capacity.

At the time, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection held up to 28,000 migrants at its facilities, far beyond its stated capacity and in what appeared to be a record, two federal officials requesting anonymity and the Border Patrol's union said.

As the flood of migrants have made their way to New York City, Adams has desperately turned to a variety of city landmarks, makeshift shelters and temporary housing as short-term solutions.

Almost every decision he makes over the issue has caught the ire of New Yorkers, who slated the transformation of the historic Redbury and Roosevelt hotels into exclusive migrant shelters last month.

The mayor's desperation to provide housing even saw him propose moving refugees into Manhattan's notorious MCC prison - the same run-down facility where Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in 2019.

Families have been prioritized for spaces in the hotels, leaving thousands to wait on streets for space to open up or move to shelters.

Last month, the city's deputy mayor for health and human services Anne Williams-Isom said the number of migrants in New York's homeless shelters is over 57,000 - over half the total.
The woman convicted of helping her boyfriend go on the run after he bludgeoned to death an aspiring rapper with a samurai sword has won her appeal against being an accessory to manslaughter.

Hannah Quinn, 28, avoided jail while her then partner and one-time actor Blake Davis was sentenced to five years in jail for manslaughter after he killed hip-hop artist Jett McKee in 2018.

Ms Quinn - who was originally charged with McKee's murder along with Davis before it was dropped - was eventually convicted of being an accessory after the fact of manslaughter.

Hannah Quinn (pictured, middle), 28 has won her appeal against her conviction for being an accessory to manslaughter after her former boyfriend Blake Davis was convicted of the unlawful killing of rapper Jett McKee by bashing him on the head with a samurai sword

She was sentenced in May 2021 to a two-year community corrections order, which she has now won her appeal against on the grounds it was 'unreasonable'.

'In this most unusual of cases, the jurys verdict in relation to the Applicant should, in my considered opinion, be set aside as unreasonable and the Applicant acquitted,' concluded Chief Justice Andrew Bell in a judgement handed down on Friday morning.

Ms Quinn was in a relationship with then 28-year-old actor Davis, a martial arts expert with performing TV credits on Housos and My Kitchen Rules.

On the afternoon of August 10, 2018, McKee donned a balaclava and broken into the Forest Lodge home of Davis and Ms Quinn in Sydney's inner west, where they had been selling cannabis.

The bloody scene in the street after Blake Davis struck rapper Jett McKee with a samurai sword and went on the run with Hannah Quinn to evade police

Hannah Quinn cries during a police interview after giving herself up following three days on the run with then boyfriend Blake Davis

He knocked out Davis using knuckle dusters before Ms Quinn chased him down the street where she struggled with him..

Rapper Jett McKee (pictured) was killed during the botched home invasion when he was chased down the street by Hannah Quinn and then killed by Quinn's then boyfriend, Blake Davis

Davis came round and caught up with the pair, before he killed McKee with a single blow of a samurai sword to his head.

McKee, who had a toxic to lethal dose of methamphetamine in his system which he had ingested prior to the home invasion, managed to stagger at further 80m before collapsing and dying.

Ms Quinn and Davis went on the run for three days, taking the bloodied samurai sword from the scene and fleeing with an Uber Eats bag containing martial arts training weapons, nunchakus, a gold airsoft gun and $21,380 in cash.

They evaded police by staying in multiple hotels before handing themselves into police several days later.

Davis was eventually jailed for manslaughter in 2021, while Ms Quinn was handed a two-year community corrections order in May 2021 after a jury found her guilty of assisting Davis on the run.

She has now won her appeal against that conviction.

Hannah Quinn (above left with Blake Davis. who is now in jail, during their trial in late 2020) and with her new boyfriend, Brandon Sutherland (above right), the landscaper she began dating more than a year ago

The court was told Justice Helen Wilson disagreed with the decision to overturn Ms Quinns conviction, but she was overruled.

Davis and Ms Quinn were to become engaged in 2020 while awaiting trial.

But Daily Mail Australia revealed in June that Ms Quinn is now dating Sydney landscaper and keen boxer Brandon Sutherland.

Mr Sutherland accompanied her to court during her appeal, where they were pictured smiling hand-in-hand.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took a $50,000 scholarship to law school for immigrant descendants from the Soros family and took the funds despite being wealthy before enrolling.

Ramaswamy, asked during a July appearance on conservative channel Real America's Voice about the scholarship, claimed he took the money because he could not afford the Yale law school fees.

But the explanation was ripped to shreds by MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan on Thursday, leaving a visibly squirming Ramaswamy struggling to change the subject.

'You say you are anti-identity politics, anti-Affirmative Action, in a party that hates the Soros name - and yet you accepted a Paul and Daisy Soros scholarship at law school that was specifically set up for the children of immigrants,' Hasan told the Republican hopeful.

'And your defense for that is that you didn't have the money to pay for law school.

'Even though you had already made over a million dollars at the time.'

MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan on Thursday grilled Vivek Ramaswamy over his 2011 scholarship

Ramaswamy was one of three to be awarded the scholarship, designed for immigrant families

Hassan ripped Ramaswamy's explanation after the self-made millionaire asked why he was bringing up the topic.

'My question for you is: why on earth are you, as an intelligent person interested in politics, obsessing over a 24-year-old's $50,000 scholarship?' Ramaswamy asked Hasan. 'It would seem beneath you.'

But Hasan on Thursday pulled apart his explanation.

Hasan, holding Ramaswamy's tax records in his hand, replied: 'I'm interested in the truth, Vivek. It's in the cap that you wear. I'm interested in truth: I like people telling the truth.'

Ramaswamy retorted: 'I think it's pathetic. I think it's sad and pathetic that we have important issues to talk about, for the future of the country. And you're talking about a $50,000 scholarship in 2010 to go to Yale Law School when I was 24.'

The self-made 38-year-old Ramaswamy earned his fortune in finance and biotech, and is now believed to be worth around $950 million.

His parents, who emigrated from India, were educated professionals: his father an engineer and patent attorney, his mother a psychiatrist.

Ramaswamy has been asked before why he took the scholarship from the Soros family - whose name is an anathema to Republicans - and has previously replied =it was because he needed the money.

Ramaswamy initially attempted to deny having claimed he couldn't afford the fees during his MSNBC appearance.

'That's not true,' said Ramaswamy. 'My defense of that is that if somebody gives you a merit scholarship at the age of 24, you take it.'

Hasan replied: 'No - you said it was because you did not have the money.'

Ramaswamy countered: 'I didn't say I didn't have the money, I said at a time when I had a lot less money than now. $50,000 was...'

'No - you said exactly that: I did not have the money, Vivek,' said Hasan.

'You keep forgetting your quote. You said: "I did not have the money."'

Ramaswamy then tried to switch the topic, and pointed out he released 20 years of his tax returns. Hasan thanked him, commended him for his transparency.

The returns show that, for 2009, Ramaswamy reported $644,676 in income. He had started work at a hedge fund in 2007.

In 2010, the year he began attending classes at Yale, he declared income of $485,895.

In July 2011 he was named a Soros Fellow and declared $2.25million in income.

'The Fellowship Program for New Americans was established by Hungarian immigrants Paul and Daisy Soros in 1997 as a way to give back to the country that had afforded them and their children great opportunities,' the Yale website states.

Ramaswamy graduated from Yale in 2013.

As Hasan continued pressing him on the reasoning behind accepting the funds, Ramaswamy changed tack once again and tried a different explanation.

'Every 24 year old should take $50,000,' said Ramaswamy.

'Hold on - you told me to look at them,' said Hasan. 'You had the money to pay for law school.

'You didn't need a Soros affirmative action scholarship that you now criticize.'

Ramaswamy grew increasingly agitated with the questioning, which he called 'pathetic'

Ramaswamy, growing increasingly agitated, asked Hasan: 'Which falsehood would you like me to address - the financial one, or the one about my views on affirmative action?'

Hasan replied: 'Did you not make $750,000?'

'Not at the time I had applied for that scholarship, that fall,' said Ramaswamy.

Hasan told him: 'Yes, you did. This is awkward for you, because you did.

'I've got the tax returns in front of my face.'

Ramaswamy began to argue that Hasan did not understand the timing of bonus payments for hedge funds - which Hasan said had no impact on years of tax returns.

Ramaswamy argued the tax return figures were pre-tax, which caused Hasan to raise his eyebrows.

Ramaswamy eventually gave up trying to explain why he claimed to need the money.

'Well, you know what the fact is, Mehdi? $50,000 did make a big difference to me back then,' he said.

'And anybody who has a few hundred thousand dollars in the bank is going to take $50,000 without strings attached. Take the scholarship.

'But my question for you is: why on earth are you, as an intelligent person interested in politics, obsessing over a 24-year-old's $50,000 scholarship? It would seem beneath you.'
The sister of bikie boss Tarek Zahed has been arrested by police during a series of city-wide raids after the gangland execution of drugs kingpin Alen Moradian in June.

Tattooed Asmahan 'Azzie' Zahed, 43, was one of nine people arrested by detectives across Sydney on Thursday by the NSW Police Force's Task Force Magnus.

Asmahan's brother Omar Zahed was killed and brother Tarek lost an eye in a gangland hit when the Comanchero bikies were gunned down at an Auburn gym in June last year.

Omar, 39, died at the scene in a hail of gunfire, but Tarek, 42, miraculously survived despite being shot 10 times, including a bullet to the head which took out his eye.

On Thursday, police raided the Auburn home of their sister, next to a kindergarten, in Sydney's west as part of the massive blitz on addresses in 10 different suburbs.

Footage of her arrest showed her led away in handcuffs, wearing thongs, joggers and hiding her face under a black hoodie as parents and children arrived at the child care centre across the road.

Asmahan 'Azzie' Zahed, sister of bikie boss Tarek Zahed has been seized by police during a series of raids after the gangland execution of drugs kingpin Alen Moradian in June

Her brother Omar Zahed (left) was killed and brother Tarek (right) lost an eye in a gangland hit when the Comanchero bikies were gunned down at an Auburn gym in June last year

Footage of her arrest showed Zahed wearing thongs, joggers and hid her face under a black hoodie as she was led away in handcuffs by police

She was charged with three counts of possessing suspected stolen stolen goods and one count of breaching bail. Zahed was refused bail and ordered to reappear at at Burwood Local Court on Friday.

Detectives raided homes in Quakers Hill, Auburn, Greenacre, Villawood, Dundas Valley, Greystanes, South Penrith, Plumpton, Orchard Hills, and Voyager Point.

They allegedly found two firearms, about 700g of cocaine, 1kg of cannabis, methylamphetamine, $45,000 in cash, mobile phones, fake NSW registration plates, and suspected stolen luxury jewellery and watches.

They also allegedly found a fearsome cache of weapons including an axe, swords, machetes, martial arts blades, stiletto daggers and ceremonial knives.

They also found a laptop in a Greenacre home which was allegedly used to create the false rego plates along with an air rifle and a pistol and bullets.

Task Force Magnus was set up in the wake of the underworld assassination of coke trade supremo Alen Moradian who was gunned down in his car at an underground car park of a Bondi Junction apartment block in Sydney's east.

It's an expansion of the Raptor squad targeting organised crime and expands the focus to those allegedly associated with bikie gangsters in a bid to prevent an all-out gang war.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said there had been hundreds of people charged since the task force was formed, although investigators were yet to crack major cases like Moradian's killing.

'The criminal investigations into the homicides and shootings which were a part of the catalyst for the creation of Task Force Magnus continue,' he said on Friday.

'These matters have proven resilient to normal investigative practices.

'It's like the layers of an onion - it's a long, slow process.'

The head of the task force, Detective Superintendent Jason Weinstein, said the people targeted in the latest busts were previously considered to be fringe to the core investigation.

'(They are) individuals who are on the outer layers of facilitating and assisting the organised crime entities who we are specifically looking at in regards to Task Force Magnus,' he said.

'All I can say from this point in time is that we're certainly getting closer to the centre of gravity around those people that have been driving some of those crimes.'

Det Supt Weinstein said the discovery of 20 stolen vehicles with fake number plates in recent weeks had led to the police breakthrough.

'In all the homicides or the shootings that have occurred, stolen vehicles using cloned number plates is the trademark of organised crime in the state presently,' he said.

Thursday raids also arrested Lolomania Kolomotangi, 23, in Quakers Hill who was charged with being in a stolen car, failing to give digital evidence to police and suspected stolen goods.

Omar, 39, died at the scene in a hail of gunfire, but Tarek, 42, miraculously survived despite being shot 10 times in the attack (pictured), including a bullet to the head which took his eye

Police allegedly found a fearsome cache of weapons including an axe, swords, machetes, martial arts blades, stiletto daggers and ceremonial knives.

Detectives used search warrants and firearm prohibition orders to stage raids at homes in Quakers Hill, Auburn, Greenacre, Villawood, Dundas Valley, Greystanes, South Penrith, Plumpton, Orchard Hills, and Voyager Point

They allegedly found two firearms, about 700g of cocaine, 1kg of cannabis, methylamphetamine, $45,000 in cash, mobile phones, fake NSW registration plates, and suspected stolen luxury jewellery and watches

Samuel Tuni, 24, was arrested in Greenacre and charged with possessing prohibited drugs and being at a drug premises.

David Paul Williamson, 47, was seized in South Penrith and charged with possessing prohibited weapons, drugs and suspected stolen goods.

Maafu Mahina, 18, was arrested in Villawood and charged with suspected stolen goods. The four were due to appear in court on Friday.

Police also arrested a 51-year-old man was arrested at an Auburn home and was charged with possess unauthorised firearm.

A 22-year-old man arrested at a Glenwood home was charged with possess prohibited drug, goods suspected stolen in/on premises, and larceny.

A 31-year-old man was arrested at a Voyager Point home and charged with five offences including possess prohibited drug, and suspected stolen goods.

A 28-year-old woman was issued a future court attendance notice at a Villawood address for possessing a prohibited drug. The four were given bail to attend court at later dates.
A Harvard Law School graduate has accused President Joe Biden of a previously unreported instance of plagiarism related to a journal article he authored in 2000.

Roger Severino, a vice president at the Heritage Foundation conservative think-tank, made the claims in a thread on X this week, and an interview with Fox News on Thursday night.

Biden has notably been accused of plagiarism several times throughout his career, including during the 1988 Democratic presidential primary when he liberally recycled quotes from British politician Neil Kinnock in a debate.

Severino said that, while a law student, he was working as a junior editor at the Harvard Journal on Legislation when he found multiple instances of plagiarism in an essay submitted by Biden defending the federal Violence Against Women Act.

'I was shocked by the plagiarism I discovered,' Severino wrote on X. 'He had lifted language straight out of a [federal court] opinion, changed a couple words, and called them his own. There were no quote marks and no footnote or anything else attributing the court as the source.'

Severino wrote that after discovering multiple instances of plagiarism he flagged the issue to the top editor to recommend rejecting the article - but says, instead, the editors 'covered for Biden' and added quote marks and citations to fix the issue.

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Biden has been accused of plagiarism again.



When Joe was a senator, he submitted an article to a Harvard journal. A junior editor at the Harvard Journal, whose job it was to cite check it, says it was riddled with plagiarism. He says he flagged it to his lead pic.twitter.com/w1XinVVmV7  Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) September 8, 2023

A Harvard Law School graduate has accused President Joe Biden of a previously unreported instance of plagiarism, related to a journal article he authored in 2000

Biden authored an essay defending the Violence Against Women Act in the Winter 2000 edition of the Harvard Journal on Legislation

'They 'fixed' the plagiarism by adding proper attributions and acted like the whole incident never happened. But this was no innocent mistake, where Biden 'forgot' a quote mark or two which would be bad enough,' he wrote.

Representatives for Harvard Law School and the Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com late on Thursday night.

Writing of the law journal incident, Severino noted on X that 'Biden was 'already' known to have plagiarized before this article crossed my desk yet was brazen enough to try it again.'

Severino said the court opinion that Biden failed to properly attribute in the article was likely the 4th Circuit decision in Brzonkala v. Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

The published version of Biden's article contains several citations of the dissenting opinion in that case, authored by Judge Diana Jane Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Gribbon Motz, who is now semi-retired, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Roger Severino, a vice president at the Heritage Foundation conservative think-tank, made the claims in a thread on X this week, and an interview with Fox News

Based on Severino's claims, the alleged plagiarized passages appear to have been from a dissenting opinion authored by 4th Circuit Appeals Judge Diana Jane Gribbon Motz (above)

Severino's accusation came days after the Washington Post published an article chronicling an adjacent issue for Biden: his penchant for embellishing personal stories beyond the limits of credibility.

The president also previously admitted to a 'mistake' in the 1960s where he plagiarized five pages from a published law review without attribution when he was a law student.

He was given an 'F,' but allowed to retake the course for a new grade.

'I was wrong, but I was not malevolent in any way,' Biden stated in the 1960s. 'I did not intentionally move to mislead anybody. And I didnt. To this day I didnt.'

However, it was the lines stolen in the 1980s during his first presidential campaign that might be the most notable.

In closing remarks at a debate, Biden lifted lines from Kinnock's most famous speeches. An aide told Biden he forgot to credit the lines, and a rival politician's camp seized on the plagiarism.

Officials from Michael Dukakis' staff released a video to the press showing Kinnock's and Biden's speeches. They were later forced to resign, and Dukakis claimed he had no prior knowledge of the video's release.

The press also jumped on Biden's statement that he graduated in the top half of his law school class, in reality, it was 76 out of 85 students.

That Kinnock scandal is widely blamed for the collapse of Biden's first presidential bid. Michael Dukakis went on to win the Democratic nomination, and lost to George W. Bush in the general.

For his part, Kinnock, the liberal British politician Biden cribbed from, appears to have forgiven the blunder as inadvertent, and endorsed Biden's 2020 presidential bid.

'Joe's an honest guy,' Kinnock told the Guardian in 2020. 'If Trump had done it, I would know that he was lying.'
SIBEBE  All is set for the Eswatini Farmers Market, Food, Fashion and Lifestyle Festival tomorrow.

The second edition of this much-anticipated festival will be held at Sibebe Resort this year. Last year, it was held at Malkerns Country Club. The brains behind the Farmers Market, Mbekezeli Dlamini, famously known as Culolam, had an interview with this publication and shared that they are ready for tomorrow. He said: We are ready, the team is ready, and the host venue, Sibebe, has added staff members to enhance their services during the event. They have also graded the road by making it two lanes to ease traffic. We have moved the rocks and crushed them.

Dlamini went on to add that there will be two stages for the show, one for comedy and the other for Hip Hop. The second stage, which was sponsored by Destiny Music, is where all the other performances will take place.

He also shared that this year there will be over 15 stalls at the festival. This year there will be over 15 food stalls in the food court, a flea market, and a cocktail bar. There will also be charity stalls. We also have stalls from Nigeria and Mozambique that will be selling clothes and accessories. According to Dlamini, the children have not been left out either; they will be offered their own section of different games.

Perform

When quizzed on whether all the artists who are scheduled to perform have confirmed yet, he told this publication that they have all posted confirmatory videos on their social handles. The line-up of the show includes South African DJs Da Capo, Sun-El Musician, and Karyendasoul, who will share the decks for the first time in history, and this will see them deliver a single set as opposed to three sets.

This years festival also features a throng of celebrated SA musicians and locals such as Simmy, Siya Shezi, Nana Atta, Thakzin, comedian Trevor Gumbi, Atmos Blaq, Ayacity, Trendtwins, DJ Knoxman, Zulu D, A2Z Fusion, Lution, Drum Rhythm, Frigid Armadillo, Lungsta Da Deepsta, Sbu De Drum DJ, Seawater, Ceceboy, Keyto, Culolam, Engineer-maya, Mayheem, DJ Menzi, Proness, Rekorder, Russell, Sarnilo, Sgitha, and Smashsoul, to name a few.

Worth mentioning is that there will be shuttle services for those who dont want to drive. We have included the services of a shuttle; the public can contact Muzi Nkumane on 7944 3569 and send him a text on WhatsApp for fees from the different towns in Manzini, Zulwini, and surrounding areas, shared Dlamini. Its worth mentioning that tickets are still available for the show and will be sold at the gate for E200. The festival will kick off at noon and expected to end at 6am the next day. Winners of the Farmers Market Festival can contact us at 7812 5377 to receive their tickets.
A clip of talk show host Conan O'Brien interviewing actor Danny Masterson in 2004 has gone viral as Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Scientologist had no reaction as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo handed down her decision - 15 years for each felony rape, with the sentences to run consecutively.

The clip, believed to be from a 2004 episode of O'Brien's NBC 'Late Night' show, features the talk-show host discussing with Masterson why he no longer has the accent of his Long Island upbringing, with the actor saying it had gone away after a decade in Los Angeles.

He then said his friend, the actor Bodhi Elfman, made fun of him for how he said certain words with an impression of him saying: 'Hi, my name's Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls?'

'Why are you asking people to do that?' asks a laughing O'Brien, with Masterson responding: 'You got 'em. Everybody should grab them.'

Deadpanning, O'Brien cracks: 'I've heard about you and you'll be caught soon, I know that.'

A clip of talk show host Conan O'Brien interviewing actor Danny Masterson in 2004 has gone viral as Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape on Thursday

'I will,' responds Masterson.

The clip - which has been viewed over 2.3million times on X (formerly Twitter)- has people joking that 'Conan knew' about Masterson's predilections.

One even stretched it further, noting that O'Brien wrote for The Simpsons, which is often credited with predicting the future.

'He used to write for The Simpsons so of course he would predict it,' one Xuser said.

Before passing the sentence, Judge Olmedo told Masterson although he had 'steadfastly claimed his innocence.you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal and that is why you are here today.'

At the sentencing trial, Jane Doe #1 called Masterson a 'true coward and heartless monster,' adding that to this day she suffers from an extreme fear of the dark and frequently wakes up crying.

Sometimes, she said, she hides in a closet or screams out the window: 'I'm not okay.'

'I think life is an appropriate sentence,' she concluded.

Bijou Phillips, 43, kept her wedding ring on as she exited through the back exit of a Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse on Thursday, wearing dark shades, a blue shirt and white pants

The clip, believed to be from a 2004 episode of O'Brien's NBC 'Late Night' show, features him talking to Masterson about why he no longer has the accent of his Long Island upbringing, with the actor saying it had gone away after a decade in Los Angeles

Masterson said his friend, the actor Bodhi Elfman (pictured left), made fun of him for how he said certain words with an impression of him saying: 'Hi, my name's Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls?'

'Why are you asking people to do that?' asks a laughing O'Brien, with Masterson responding: 'You got 'em. Everybody should grab them'

Deadpanning, O'Brien cracks: 'I've heard about you and you'll be caught soon, I know that'

The woman continued telling the room that she was born into a family of Scientologists, and when she reported the rape to the church, a top official 'made it clear that Danny was untouchable.'

'I did not choose to be born into Scientology - and I did not choose to be raped by Danny Masterson,' said the mother of three daughters, fighting back tears. 'Scientology attempted to silence us  to intimidate us.'

'I wish I had reported him sooner to the police,' she said, adding that at no point did Masterson 'show an ounce of remorse for the pain I was suffering.'

'The first couple of years after the rape were pretty dark. I lost everything pretty much. I had to start my life over at the age of 29,' she said.

Before he was sentenced, Mastersons attorney, Shawn Holley, urged the judge to impose concurrent, not consecutive 15 year to life sentences saying that would be fair and just.

Convicted rapist Danny Masterson blows his wife Bijou Phillips a kiss in the court room as he is sentenced to 30 years behind bars

Bijou Phillips is seen sobbing in court as her husband, and the father of her young daughter, is sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women

Masterson played wise-cracking Steven Hyde on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006

Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller asked the judge to hand down a 30-to-life sentence, saying that Holleys plea for just 15 years was not fair and justabsolutely not. Thirty years to life in prison is deserved.

After Masterson raped the first time he had time to think about what he had inflicted, he said. Despite that, he raped again.'

Masterson had two trials. His first, six months earlier, resulted in a mistrial after a different jury were hopelessly deadlocked on all three rape charges.

Masterson was free on $3.3million bail throughout both trials. But that freedom ended with his double conviction May 31 and he has been locked up in the notorious Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles since then. The actor hasn't been pictured since.

Masterson's victims tearfully told the courtroom how he had ruined their lives.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is a safer place with you in prison,' said Jane Doe #2, looking straight at the actor, dressed in a gray suit and open-neck gray shirt.

'You are a true coward and heartless monster,' added Jane Doe #1. 'I think life is an appropriate sentence.'

Bijou is coming to terms with the prospect of raising her child alone after her husband, 47, was convicted on two counts of rape in an LA court in May

Earlier, as Bijou Philips looked on, trying to hid her emotions with a large pair of dark glasses, Jane Doe #2 stared down Masterson as she told him, 'I don't have to carry your shame any more. You have to carry it. You have to sit in a cell with it.

'I still have to contend with what you did to mein this brutal manner.' Saying the emotional and mental damage she has suffered from the rape 'takes a lifetime to repair,' she added that Masterson had been 'enabled and protected' by Scientology because of his celebrity standing in the church.

And she said she was 'enraged' to learn that there were other rape victims. That's when, after many years of keeping silent at the urging of the church, she finally decided report Masterson to the police.

'I decided to report him with the full understanding that my life would be demolished again (by going against the don't tell doctrine of) Scientology which has terrorized me since.'

Addressing Masterson directly again, Jane Doe #2 told him, 'When you raped me you stole my ability to have any stability in my life for decades. After you raped me I stopped living.'

She said that her 'promising' acting career 'nosedived after the 'heinous attack hijacked my life.'

'I know you take pride in hurting women. You treated me like I was less than trash. Your emptiness and cowardice will be your true legacy.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is safer with you in prison. I would not wish rape on my worst enemy.

'You thought the law did not apply to you. You moved in smugness and spite.'

She concluded 'victim impact statement' by saying that despite the two decades of of trauma she's suffered since Masterson brutally raped her, 'I forgive you.'

Talking of the devastation forcible rape victims suffer, the prosecutor in the case added: This is something they carry with them forever. This is long lasting punishment for them. These lives will never be the same.

He scoffed at Holleys portrayal of Masterson as an exemplary husband and father.

That did not preclude the defendant from being a violent serial rapist, he added.

In addition to imposing 30 years to life in prison, Judge Olmedo ordered Masterson to register as a sex offender when he finishes his sentence.

A prison bus is seen bringing Danny Masterson back to jail after his sentencing on Thursday

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is a safer place with you in prison,' said Jane Doe #2, looking straight at the actor, dressed in a gray suit and open-neck gray shirt. A court sketch from his trial is shown

In her request for leniency from the judge, Masterson's attorney Shawn Holley sought a reduced sentence by arguing that prior to the rapes, the actor had no criminal history at all and he had lived a productive and positive life in TV'.

Holley said she had 50 letters from different people praising Masterson for selfless acts, opening his home, his wallet and his heart to people in need.'

She added he had been an exemplary father, husband, son, friend and co-worker,' and argued that a 30 year to life sentence meant that Mr Masterson (now 47) would likely die in prison.'

Her co-counsel on the defense team, Philip Cohen, told the court that a 15 years to life sentence is not 15 years, pointing out that if at the end of the 15 years, the parole board decided Masterson was not rehabilitated or had not been a model prisoner, it could add more years to his term, up to life.

On Thursday, he made the short journey in shackles from the jail to Courtroom 105 on the ninth floor of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center where he faced his victims.

A close friend revealed to DailyMail.com that wife Bijou 'feels like she is grieving a death' as she awaited her husband's sentencing.

'Currently Bijou is circling the drain and is filled with all the emotion and no emotion at all,' they said.

'She is a shell of who she has been. She is really trying to be strong for her daughter as she is trying to figure out life and what it will be like for her.

'It can only be compared to a divorce or a death for her not being able to be with Danny the way they were.'

A close friend of the actress said she is now 'really trying to figure it all out' after her life was shattered by her husband's rape charges

A grief-stricken Bijou Phillips was seen leaving a Los Angeles courthouse moments after her husband Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison on rape charges.

The actress and former socialite, 43, kept her wedding ring on as she left through the back exit of a Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse, shading her emotion behind dark sunglasses while wearing a sheer blue shirt and white pants.

Masterson blew Phillips a final kiss to his wife as he was hauled off in cuffs to carry out his sentence, as she was joined inside the courthouse by several Scientology friends and family members.

As she was approached by the media after the proceedings, Phillips was seen clutching the arm of a man she exited the building with, as she tried to hide her face.
A passenger in a Mercedes involved in a double fatal car crash is accused of lying to police about who was behind the wheel when it collided with another car, telling police he couldn't remember what happened because he was asleep.

Cruz Pamoana Davis-Tuka, 21, was allegedly in the passenger seat of the black Mercedes when it collided head-on with a Toyota Echo shortly after 9pm in Heckenberg on September 1.

Paramedics treated the driver of the Echo, Alina Kauffman, 24, and her teen brother Ernesto at the scene but the siblings passed away as a result of the crash.

Police allege Mr Davis-Tuka's friend, 20-year-old Johnson Kokozian was in the driver's seat. He has since been charged with a string of offences in relation to the crash.

Liverpool Local Court on Friday heard a police witness has claimed Mr Kokozian was the driver, while Mr Davis-Tuka gives a conflicting version of the story and claims his friend was the passenger.

He has been charged with concealing a serious indictable offence and hindering a serious investigation.

Alina Kauffman, 24, and her brother Ernesto Salazar, 15, were killed when an alleged speeding Mercedes slammed into their Toyota Echo in Sydney's south-west last week

Following further inquiries, investigators arrested a 21-year-old man - Cruz Pamoana Davis-Tuka - at a home in Liverpool about 9.30am on Wednesday.

Magistrate Imad Abdul-Karim read some of the alleged facts to the court, where it was revealed Mr Davis-Tuka told police he couldn't remember the collision 'as he was asleep'.

'He identified the driver falsely as being a passenger of the vehicle ... he didn't provide any further information to police,' the magistrate said.

Mr Davis-Tuka's solicitor, Elie Srour, told the court the evidence comes from 'one of the passengers who is assisting police'.

Appearing via AVL from Parklea Prison dressed in a green jumper and pants, Mr Davis-Tuka sat stone-faced as his father, sister and two friends supported him from the public gallery.

Mr Srour said there was 'no evidence of (Mr Davis-Tuka) concocting a version of events' and if his client were to interfere with witnesses he already would have done so, but he hasn't.

He argued the prosecution case was circumstantial, based off the police witness which could be challenged if or when the matter goes to trial.

'It's not a strong prosecution case in my respectful submission,' Mr Srour told the court.

Johnson Kokozian is facing seven charges over the crash

A police prosecutor told the court there were concerns Mr Davis-Tuka would further interfere with witnesses and evidence.

He said information had come to light which allegedly shows Mr Davis-Tuka 'certainly was aware of who the driver was a the time of the collision and did not assist the prosecution in determining that matter when required'.

'He was there at the time of the collision, he left the scene of the collision with the driver and another occupant and was certainly aware of all the circumstances of that accident,' the prosecutor said.

Magistrate Abdul-Karim told the court he disagreed with Mr Srour's submission the case was weak and there was 'a case of substance' against Mr Davis-Tuka based on both 'information from the other passenger' as well as CCTV footage.

Despite the concerns, the magistrate released Mr Davis-Tuka on strict conditional bail including a condition of house arrest, where he is only to leave home to report to police daily.

Mr Kokozian's partner Tiana Savignano and his father Kagadour Kokozian were also arrested and charged on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in covering up the incident.

Mr Kokozian's father, Kagadour Kokozian, is facing the same charges as Ms Savignano and Mr Davis-Tuka

Both were charged with concealing a serious indictable offence and hindering a serious investigation.

Mr Kokozian has been charged with seven charges including failing to assist after a fatal crash, negligent driving occasioning death, driving while disqualified, two counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and exceed speed over 45km/h.

On Wednesday the court was told Mr Kokozian, the passengers and Ms Savignano went to his father's house where an alleged 'discussion occurred in relation to creating a false narrative'.

The court heard the group allegedly tried to prevent police from 'appropriately investigating this matter' or capturing 'critical' evidence.

The prosecutor said there was an alleged 'active discussion' to create a 'false narrative' to hide Mr Kokozian's identity.

On Wednesday the court was told Mr Kokozian, the passengers and Ms Savignano went to his father's house where an alleged 'discussion occurred in relation to creating a false narrative'

Ms Savignano is alleged to have called police about 10.30pm and had a 15-minute conversation where she reported the car stolen.

'The fact that she allegedly misguides police in the early critical stages of this investigation the prosecution would submit it is not only an egregious breach of community expectation but also the law,' the police prosecutor said on Wednesday.

The court was also told Mr Kokozian's father had driven to the scene of the crash after he was told about the injuries to the siblings.

Mr Kokozian has been denied bail and will return to court in November, while his father was released on police bail and is due to face court in October.

Mr Davis-Tuka and Ms Savignano will return to court on September 26.
President Joe Biden will spend September 11th meeting with Vietnamese officials, visiting a memorial to an old friend, and marking the anniversary of the attacks at an air base in Alaska.

The White House released details of his public schedule for the 22nd anniversary of the attacks following Biden's Thursday departure to India, where Biden will attend the G20 summit with foreign leaders.

Details of his second stop, in Vietnam, are only just emerging. It is a part of the trip that Biden first revealed during a fundraiser last month.

Biden and McCain were friends in the Senate who spent years serving together, although Biden was on Barack Obama's ticket that defeated the late Arizonan.

President Joe Biden, who departed for India on Thursday, will visit a memorial to the late Sen. John McCain and meet Vietnamese leaders on Sept. 11th in Vietnam

Biden will speak to military members, first responders, and families on Sept. 11th in Alaska

McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, then spent five and a half years in a Vietnamese P.O.W. camp.

The White House has already faced questions about Biden's Sept. 11th schedule back in the U.S. He will not attend any of the memorial services at the three attack sites  the first time a U.S. president has not done so. Biden himself has attended multiple Sept. 11th services in the past.

Instead, he will 'deliver remarks to service members, first responders, and their families on the anniversary of 9/11' in Anchorage, where he has a refueling stop, according to the White House.

McCain got shot down over Hanoi in 1967

Biden's trip takes him to a G20 summit, where officials were still negotiating over a potential communique and an infrastructure deal

McCain spent five and a half years in a Vietnamese P.O.W. camp

Biden will meet with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi after hosting him for a state dinner this summer

Biden will visit the memorial on Sept. 11th in Hanoi

Due to travel time and a full day of activities, that event is expected to be hours after the first plane struck the South Tower in Manhattan.

Earlier, Biden will meet with CEOs along with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. He also meets with President Vo Van Thuong of Vietnam, and attends a luncheon.

That comes after he meets the country's top leader, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam on Saturday.
A young man has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after he became trapped in a horror workplace incident at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre.

Emergency responders rushed to a construction site at the busy complex in Malvern East on Friday morning following reports of an industrial accident involving a cherry picker.

The injured man aged in his 30s was transported to The Alfred Hospital with multiple injuries to his upper and lower body.

Work at the site has been shut down for the rest of the day as authorities launched an investigation.

A worker was trapped in a horror accident at a construction site at Melbourne 's Chadstone Shopping Centre on Friday (stock image)

READ MORE: Tragedy as Melbourne traffic controller is struck down and killed Advertisement

Infrastructure company John Holland confirmed a worker was involved in an incident at its Chadstone Shopping Centre project.

'Our number one priority right now is the welfare of the worker involved,' a spokesman said.

'We're working with safety regulators to understand the circumstances of the incident.'

WorkSafe inspectors remained at the scene on Friday afternoon and were seen speaking to a worker gesturing in the motion of something tipping and grabbing at his shoulder, the Herald Sun reported.

'WorkSafe inspectors are in attendance and will determine whether further action is require,' a spokesperson said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Chadtone Shopping Centre for further comment.

Home to more than 500 stores, Chadstone is the second biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere.
A leading 'Yes' campaigner for the Voice referendum has opened up on why he thinks Australia Day should remain on its current controversial date.

Indigenous activist and lawyer Noel Pearson, an architect of the Voice proposal, said he believes the two days prior to January 26 should be turned into days of recognition for the Australia that existed before the British landed in 1788.

2GB's Ben Fordham asked Pearson on Friday whether the Voice would be advising on controversial topics.

'Do you think the voice is going to be advising on the date of Australia Day, or the flag, or the national anthem?' Fordham asked.

Pearson responded: 'Those debates will continue, and Indigenous people will have a view.'

'You know what my view is? We gotta (sic) keep 26th January.

'I'd like 25 January to be a day where we recognise the Australia before the coming of the British,' he added.

'I think 24, 25 January are dates that we should recognise Australia before and Australia after.'

'But that's my view, right. That's just one view from someone like me,' Pearson said.

Fordham then went on to grill the Indigenous activist about Welcome to Country practices done before events.

'Do you think these things are sometimes overdone, and that they lose some of the original meaning?' he questioned.

Indigenous leader Noel Pearson (pictured) told 2GB's Ben Fordham on Friday he believes the 24th and 25th of January should become days of recognition

'We gotta (sic) keep 26th January,' the yes campaigner said, before explaining the debates on these topics will likely continue (stock image)

Pearson said the acknowledgement becoming common practice was an 'important development' in adopting a 'sensible approach to rituals'.

'I think it's a great development, New Zealand does similar things, Canada does similar rituals - I think we're still in the learning phase here in Australia.

'In the wake of this referendum, I think we oughta (sic) come to a consensus about the occasions on which we use the welcome.'

The talk show host then cuts Pearson off, asking whether in the 'fair dinkum department' the Welcome was overused.

'Yeah,' Pearson laughed.

'We need to adopt a sensible approach to these things.'
She is facing a slew of charges including travelling to meet an underage child for sex and electronic solicitation of a child

An investigation allegedly uncovered two sexual relationships with teenage students aged 15 and 16

A married Alabama math teacher at a private Christian school allegedly had sex with two of her former teenage students, police say.

Chrystal Frost, 35, a mother of three, is accused of preying on the students and coercing them into exchanging nude images before meeting them for sex off school grounds.

She resigned from Crenshaw Christian Academy after she was allegedly caught trading nude images with a 15-year-old student on Snapchat, when the teen showed his classmates.

A police investigation subsequently found that Frost allegedly carried out a sexual relationship with the boy, which led cops to discover another 16-year-old who she also allegedly targeted.

When confronted by police, she reportedly confessed to the vile acts.

Chrystal Frost, 35, is accused of preying on the students coercing them into exchanging nude images before meeting them for sex off school grounds

The mother-of-three is charged with a slew of crimes including travelling to meet an underage child for sex and electronic solicitation of a child

The image that sparked the investigation saw Frost send an 'obscene photo' to the 15-year-old and 'asked that the student send a photo from the abs down,' according to an arrest warrant cited by Fox News.

It was brought to the school's attention by an anonymous tip, which claimed the 15-year-old was in possession of a 'nude breast photo of the math teacher on his phone.'

After the teen had also reportedly shared the image with his classmates, an administrator confronted Frost, who reportedly admitted to sending the picture.

She also 'admitted to a different photo she sent to the cheerleaders where she pulled her Nike shorts up high allowing her butt cheeks to show, took the picture and sent it as a joke.'

On August 24, Frost resigned and the Luverne Police Department launched an investigation after being contacted by the school, initially only over the images.

After a student told cops about the photo, the investigation escalated when he revealed the relationship was not only online, and the two had been intimate.

The student claimed after sending a lewd image of herself, Frost then offered him sex. He reportedly said they met at least four times at a property owned by his family.

In another incident detailed in the arrest warrant, the student allegedly went to feed his dogs as he carried out his chores, where she met him and 'performed oral sex on him' in a car.

Frost (seen in her mugshot) was reportedly caught by an anonymous tip, which came after one of her alleged victims shared a lewd image she sent with his classmates

She allegedly had sex with one of her victims, 16, before sending him two more nude images and subsequently blocking him on Snapchat

The relationship was put to an end by the student early in the summer, but police also allegedly discovered a second underage relationship she carried out with a 16-year-old who was in her class the year before.

Frost allegedly used the same tactics to prey on him, and pursued him after he started homeschooling.

According to the reported arrest warrant, Frost sent him a photo of her breasts and asked him to meet for sex, which they allegedly did only once on a farm.

'The teacher made no conversations with him from arrival to ending of the sexual contact,' the report said. It is claimed that after their tryst, she sent two more lewd images before blocking him on Snapchat.

In a police interview, the math teacher reportedly confessed to the act and was arrested.

She now faces a charges including meeting a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, two counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act, and two counts of a school employee distributing obscene material to a student.

The educator resigned from Crenshaw Christian Academy (pictured) before her arrest after she was confronted by an administrator

According to its website, Crenshaw Christian Academy charges up to $410 per child for tuition per year, alongside further costs, including a $300 'facility fee' per student.

The private school, which is around 50 miles from Montgomery, Alabama, claims on its website its goal is to equip graduates 'to live in accordance with Biblical principles in order to bring honor to Christs name.'

'To develop character, including respect for self and others, that will provide a safe, disciplined learning environment adhering to Christian values and the Honor Code,' the school's website read.

Crenshaw Christian Academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.
The First Son denies the laptop is his, but says its scandalous contents were embarrassing

Hunter Biden continues to deny that the infamous abandoned laptop is actually his, though he admits to being embarrassed by its content, according to newly published excerpts from his deposition in a civil suit.

Portions of the deposition were included in a motion filed by computer repairman John Paul Mac Isaac in Delaware court on Thursday, as part of counterclaims between Mac Isaac and the president's son.

Mac Isaac is suing Hunter for defamation over his claim that the laptop he dropped off for repair in April 2019 is not his, or was hacked or stolen, while Hunter is countersuing Mac Isaac for invasion of privacy.

In their motion seeking the dismissal of Hunter's action, Mac Isaac's attorneys write that Hunter's 'confused and dishonest responses prove fatal to all facts alleged in his counterclaims,' according to the New York Post.

In the deposition, Hunter refused to admit he visited The Mac Shop in Wilmington, Delaware, twice in April 2019, despite Mac Isaac presenting evidence he signed a work order and shared his contact information.

Hunter Biden (seen Thursday) continues to deny that the infamous abandoned laptop is actually his, though he admits to being embarrassed by its content, according to court filings

John Paul Mac Isaac, the legally blind eyewitness in the laptop saga, is suing Hunter for defamation, over his claim the laptop he dropped off for repair in April 2019 is not his

Still, Hunter claimed in his deposition that he was 'embarrassed' by publication of material from the laptop that would be 'highly offensive to a reasonable person,' according to the Post.

Mac Isaac's attorneys argued much of the laptop material that would most offend a reasonable person was 'voluntarily shared by [Hunter] Biden with others through the website, 'Pornhub.''

Information from the laptop indicated that Hunter uploaded homemade pornographic videos to Pornhub under the alias 'Harper' although he was careful not to show his face, DailyMail.com previously reported.

'The use of the 'reasonable person' standard should clearly not apply to Biden,' wrote Mac Isaac's attorneys. 'It seems what would embarrass a reasonable person does not embarrass Biden.'

Hunter in the deposition refused to acknowledge the laptop was his, either denying it outright or saying he didn't recall, according to the filing.

In addition to lurid content related to Hunter's sex life and admitted drug addiction, the laptop also contained information about his foreign business dealings in Ukraine and China while his father was vice president.

Those foreign business dealings are under investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss, and are also the focus of probes started by House Republicans in Congress.

Mac Isaac's longstanding assertion is that Hunter dropped off the laptop on April 12, 2019, and never returned for it, despite numerous emails and phone messages.

The repairman says he took possession of the laptop under the terms of the repair agreement, and contacted the FBI after finding material on the device that he suspected could be evidence of illegal activity.

The new filing also addresses the issue of Mac Isaac's vision impairment, and says that, contrary to Hunter's counterclaim, 'Mac Isaac never claimed he was never able to identify who brought the laptop into his shop.'

Rather, the repairman says that he did not know what Hunter looked like, and thus did not immediately recognize who he was when he walked into the repair shop.

'Further, Mac Isaac looked up Biden to see what he looked like and confirmed that the person who dropped off the laptop was, in fact, Biden,' the filing states.

Hunter claimed in his deposition that he was 'embarrassed' by publication of material from the laptop, but still refused to admit the laptop was his

In addition to lurid content related to Hunter's sex life and admitted drug addiction, the laptop also contained information about his foreign business dealings in Ukraine and China

In Congressional testimony, IRS supervisory agent Gary Shapley said the FBI had verified the authenticity of the laptop as early as November 2019 by matching the device ID to Hunter's iCloud account.

Separately, Hunter faced fresh legal woes in his criminal case this week, after prosecutors said in a court filing on Wednesday they will seek an indictment in his tax and firearms case by September 29.

The president's son had reached a deal that would have allowed him to avoid trial for the firearms charges if he abided by parole conditions over 24 months.

But now charges that could land him up to 10 years in prison appear to be back on the table, according to a Wednesday filing signed by Special Counsel David Weiss.

'The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest,' the filing read.

'The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date,' added Special Counsel David Weiss, who was appointed to the role by Attorney General Merrick Garland in August.

In July, US District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected a proposed plea deal that would have resolved the tax and gun charges, raising concerns over its legality and the broad immunity it offered Hunter.
Residents of a large regional town have expressed anger and confusion at the sight of Australian soldiers on their streets as part of a deployment which includes conducting 'riot control' drills.

The Australian Army's 7th Brigade were seen on the streets of Lismore on the far north coast of NSW, conducting the drills as part Exercise EVER READY RAM.

The activities began on Monday and will wrap up on Friday, after soldiers arrived in town on Wednesday, drawing the ire of a Federal Greens senator as well as some of the town's residents.

Soldiers from the Australian Army are conducting military exercise in Lismore (pictured), on the far north coast of NSW as part of a series of military exercises including 'riot control'

Lismore Council made an announcement on their Facebook page on Monday, alerting residents to the activities.

'Members of the Australian Defence Force will be in the Lismore area from Wednesday, 6 September to Friday, 8 September for a military exercise,' the post read.

'The exercise is designed to prepare members from the 7th Brigade to deploy on Australian Government tasks.

'Defence thanks the community and authorities for their cooperation during the exercise.'

The Council said soldiers were deployed to conduct a 'riot control activity' which took place on Thursday.

Members of the force will be also conducting firing drills on the old campus of Trinity College.

There were no rounds fired before 4.30pm on Thursday while no firing drills were conducted prior to 9:30am on Friday.

The move has sparked confusion among some residents, who saw soldiers passing though their neighbourhood.

One resident Dee Mould, who commented on the council's post, said she saw soldiers outside her home last night.

'They were outside my Home [sic] in the dark last night... full patrol carrying automatic weapons... I was scared,' she said.

'I am not reassured to hear they are training in riot control and I do not think a heavily traumatised community needs this'.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Lismore Council for comment.

Soldiers from the Australian Defence Force (pictured) arrived in Lismore on Wednesday and have been conducting military exercises, including 'blank-fire clearance' drills which occurred on Thursday with more drills expected to be carried out today

NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge also took to social media to express his concern at the drills.

'What on earth is the Australian Defence Force doing conducting "riot control activity" and "blank-fire clearance" in Lismore Airport and at Trinity College?' Mr Shoebridge asked in a Twitter post.

'This is work for police not the ADF. It's dangerous [sic] mission creep for the armed forces.'

In a statement, a spokesperson from the Department of Defence told Daily Mail Australia: 'Elements from 8th/9th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, will conduct a simulated non-combatant evacuation (NEO), stability operation and air-land operation (ALO)'

'[The exercises are being conducted] from Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, RAAF Base Amberley and Lismore Regional Airport, with increased aviation and road movement expected between these locations.'

'Our community is at the forefront of military planning and Defence will take all available steps to reduce impacts to residents.'

Lismore Council informed residents that members of the Australian Army will be deployed to the area but it has left some residents confused about their presence in the region

The latest military operation comes after four members of the Australian Defence Force died when an army helicopter crashed off the Queensland coast.

The incident occurred during the Talisman Sabre military training exercise, when the helicopter crashed near Hamilton Island on Friday July 28, around 10:30pm.
A train passenger handcuffed by police after being mistaken for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife says he was treated to an upgraded seat as an apology for the mix-up.

Police hunting Khalife accidentally detained a 'look-a-like' at an Oxfordshire train station, with the incident caught on camera by a member of the public.

Officers swooped on the unnamed man at Banbury station yesterday - until they established he was not the fugitive former soldier who escaped HMP Wandsworth strapped to the underneath of a delivery van early on Wednesday morning.

A man claiming to be the person stopped by police wrote on X: 'No, I'm not the guy who escaped from prison. Apparently somebody reported me due to looking a lot like him. I got released after they found out who I really was, and the train station put in business class as an apology! [sic]'

An earlier tweet read: 'Hi everyone, just made this acc to explain what happened today. A woman mistook me for Daniel Khalife, and alerted the police.

'After about 20 mins of questions (and some gd banter) I proved I wasn't the escapee after a finger print scan.'

Officers handcuffed a man at Banbury station earlier today as they continued to hunt for terror suspect Khalife

Daniel Khalife (pictured), a former soldier in the 22 Signal Regiment, was on remand at HMP Wandsworth ahead of his six-week terror trial

Khalife, 21, was on remand at HMP Wandsworth (pictured) awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences

As police dealt with the 'possible sighting', train passenger Oliver, in his 20s, was left waiting outside the station while the incident took place.

When the train then pulled into the station, he was able to snap a clear picture of the man, who many have said shares a striking resemblance to 21-year-old Khalife.

Oliver said: 'We went through Banbury on the way to Basingstoke.

'Just before we got there, they said on the Tannoy that we couldn't go to Banbury and they're delaying the train as they think there's an escaped terrorist at the station.

'It was a 15-minute wait - when we pulled into the station he was right outside my window - it looked like him a lot.

'When we were waiting at Banbury I was a bit worried at first, I was thinking a lot of things - is he on the track, is he trying to get on the train, what's going to happen.

'It was a bit daunting at first but I'm glad they told us correct information because sometimes they withhold it.'

There have so far been no confirmed sightings of Khalife, with the ex-Royal Signals soldier said to be 'resourceful' as he continues to allude authorities.

Thames Valley Police said: 'Officers dealt with a possible sighting of a wanted male at Banbury Train Station this afternoon.

The soldier and terror suspect served fellow inmates breakfast and then evaded guards and CCTV while escaping from the prison

The Met Police admitted Khalife's 'previous military experience' may make him harder to catch, as he is likely 'more aware of efforts to apprehend him'

'It was not the person we were looking for and the incident has been stood down. Thank you for your support at the time.'

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement reported by the Guardian: 'We are aware of a man being stopped by police in the Banbury area earlier today.

'We have liaised with colleagues in Thames Valley and confirmed the man in question is not Daniel Khalife.'

Commander Dominic Murphy, who is leading the investigation, asked for anyone with information about Khalife to get in touch urgently.

He said: 'Since yesterday, over 150 officers and staff have been working around the clock on apprehending Khalife.

'We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings.

'I recognise and am fully aware of the impact these measures are having on the public. We are working to ensure as minimal disruption as possible.

'It is crucial for the public to help us with this search and to call us immediately if they have any information on the whereabouts of Khalife.'

The fugitive, described as being of slim build, with short brown hair and 6ft 2ins tall, was said to be wearing a white T-shirt, distinctive red and white chequered trousers and brown steel-toe boots, though the Met Police said that the public should not focus on his clothing.

Murphy said at a briefing: 'He clearly could very quickly change those clothes, so I wouldn't want to focus too much on that.'

He described him as a 'very resourceful individual', adding: 'Our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.

'This was a really busy area of London and we've had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife's ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

'It's important that we remember that we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was trained.

'He was a trained soldier - so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don't have.'
The Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales.

William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday - exactly a year since the nation's longest-reining monarch died peacefully of old age at 96.

The King and his wife will commemorate the life and service of his mother with private prayers at Balmoral, where Her Majesty passed away at just after 3pm on September 8, 2022.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are mourning in St Davids - a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

The Prince and Princess of Wales pictured meeting mourners in Windsor following the death of the Queen. The couple are in St Davids today

Tributes to Her Majesty poured in again today as the world remembers

St Davids Cathedral, where the the Prince and Princess of Wales

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

She sat in the special stall then, and on three subsequent occasions during her visits to the cathedral - which dates from 1181 and welcomes around 300,000 visitors annually - over the years.

St Davids has officially been a city since 1995, when Elizabeth II presented the-then town council with letters patent elevating it to the status of a full city council during a ceremony at the cathedral.

In 1982, the late Queen performed the Maundy money ceremony - in which the monarch distributes money to pensioners to commemorate Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper - at St Davids Cathedral.

On Friday, William and Kate will join a short private service which will include a commemoration of the late Queen's life.

They will then meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

The King has paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

King Charles has paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death. Pictured: King Charles and Queen Camilla leaving Crathie Parish Church, Balmoral, on Sunday

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'

Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after she presented him with a Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour in May 2009

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all,' wrote King Charles

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.'

It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton  the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.

It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.

The King apparently selected the photograph because of the 'lovely'  and slightly mischievous  look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.

His tribute was echoed by that of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said: 'On the solemn anniversary of the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts are with His Majesty King Charles III and the whole Royal Family.

The King will spend today and tonight at Balmoral Castle (pictured) where his mother died a year ago

Queen Elizabeth welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, in September last year

'With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her late Majesty's service only seems greater. Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

'I treasure my memories of those occasions when I met Her late Majesty, in particular the private audience I had with her at Buckingham Palace before presenting my first Budget as Chancellor. I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit.'

And he spoke for many when he recalled the effect that she had on everyone she met.

'People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories,' he said.

'The bond between country and monarch is sacred. It endures. So, while we continue to mourn Her late Majesty's passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service  and this remarkable bond  continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty the King.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the long queues through the night to see the late Queen lying in state had shown that she 'always enjoyed a special bond with her people'.

'It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject,' he said.

'So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.'

Her last prime minister  albeit briefly  Liz Truss, with whom she was so memorably photographed for the final time, also opened up about their encounter.

She described how the frail but 'upbeat' and 'mentally alert' monarch had told her they would be 'meeting again soon'. The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to Balmoral on September 6 to appoint her as prime minister.

'She was very, very keen to reassure me that we'd be meeting again soon. It was very important to her,' Ms Truss told GB News.

The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to Balmoral on September 6 to appoint her as prime minister

Ms Truss added: 'She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.'

The Queen died two days later, with Ms Truss describing the scene as she waited in Downing Street when the confirmation came at around 4.30pm.

'We were in the Downing Street flat with, officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that we'd had,' she said.

She recalled the King was 'very, very resolute' when she spoke to him to express her condolences on the phone the day his mother died and his reign began.

Today, soldiers and horses which took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes signifying the new reign are to return to perform Accession Day anniversary gun salutes in the King's honour.

Captain Amy Cooper  who was the lead rider in the procession which carried the Queen's coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall  will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in London's Hyde Park.

Captain Cooper is with the King's Troop, almost all of whom played a role in the final farewell to the Queen a year ago.

There will also be a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by The Honourable Artillery Company, while bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the King's accession.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be in Wales at St David's Cathedral where they will commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth and speak to members of the community she met during her visits to the city.

A source said it was important to William and Kate to be in Wales in honour of their new titles and to honour the bond the late monarch had with the Welsh nation.

A source said King Charles and Queen Camilla will 'balance between reflecting properly on the public nature of moment but finding the space for privacy to reflect in private'.
MANZINI - His Majesty King Mswati III was highly impressed with a rare invention in the form of a robot that can sing his praises.

The King was touring different trade exhibition stalls at the Eswatini International Trade Fair at Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre yesterday. The robot, which was invented at the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP), is an automatic device that has multiple functionalities which, in this case, include singing the Kings praises.

It has security features that include locking and unlocking doors, alerting home owners on anyone who made a stop at their home, and many other functions. RSTP Chief Executive Officer Vumile Dlamini, explained to the head of State that the country was thriving to reach a significant level of artificial intelligence, hence the invention.

In appreciating the automatic device, the King highlighted that he would make time to visit the park and appreciate the gadget with enough time to hear about its invention. The King was with his guests, who included King Letsie III of Lesotho, former Botswana President Ian Khama and former South Africa President Jacob Zuma. The King and his guests toured about 40 exhibition stalls, where they appreciated the business that these entities were engaged in. The Kings first stop was the Inyatsi Group Holdings, where he was shown the different entities under the group.
Britons will enjoy a weekend of barbecues, beach trips and outdoor swimming as the longest September heatwave on record continues with 33C (91F) highs expected.

The country has seen temperatures above 30C (86F) for five consecutive days, a first for the month of September, the Met Office has revealed.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the forecaster said: 'Today's provisional highest temperature was 30.9 C at Cavendish, in Suffolk. This marks the 5th consecutive day when temperatures have exceeded 30C and is the first time this has ever happened in September in our records.'

Supermarkets reported soaring demand for summer food and drink products, with Tesco estimating it would be up to 80 per cent higher this weekend than in mid-July.

The scorching conditions are making the UK as hot as Marrakech in Morocco and warmer than Malaga on the Costa del Sol, which is only set to reach 28C (82F).

Today's highest temperature was 30.9C (87.6F) at Cavendish in Suffolk, and it was also Northern Ireland's hottest September day ever with 28C (82.4F) in Castlederg.

The country has seen temperatures above 30C (86F) for five consecutive days, a first for the month of September, the Met Office has revealed. Today Cavendish saw the hottest temperature at 30.9

Paola Rech, 23, and her boyfriend Higor Garcia, 26, cool off at Bournemouth in Dorset today

People take shelter from the sun in the shade of a tree in Central London this afternoon

However, central parts of England have been warned to watch out for heavy showers and thunderstorms tomorrow between 2pm and 9pm, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning for potential sudden flooding, power cuts, lightning strikes and hail.

The warning area is from the M4 corridor northwards to Sheffield and Manchester, and from west to east between mid-Wales and inland areas of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Up to two inches of rain (50mm) could fall in just one to two hours in parched areas of the country, many of which have barely seen a drop of rain so far this month.

But families have been rushing to book lidos, waterparks and other outdoor activities across the country to enjoy what could be the last very hot weather of the year.

Britons reported that spaces at outdoor swimming pools were filling up fast - with all sessions at Kent's largest aqua park St Andrews Lakes sold out for tomorrow.

And many are opting for a barbecue, with Tesco predicted that over the whole of this week it will sell two million packs of sausages and 500,000 packs of burgers.

Two million punnets of strawberries, 5.5million ice creams or lollies, 8,500 bottles of Pimm's, seven million beer bottles or cans and 700,000 packs of ice cubes will also be sold this week, the supermarket estimated - along with 5.5million bottles of wine.

People cool down at the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London today amid the heatwave

A passenger with a fan arrives at London King's Cross station today as the heatwave continues

A woman cools off in front of a large fan at a London Underground station in the heat today

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for tomorrow between 2pm and 9pm

Meanwhile Toolstation said sales of watering cans have increased by 107 per cent compared to the previous week, and up 84 per cent compared to this time last year

What records could be broken this week? HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR? Yesterday was the UK's hottest day of 2023 so far as Surrey hit 32.6C (90.7F). It beat the previous 2023 high set on both June 10 and 25 at 32.2C (90.0F). However, the high could again be broken between today and Sunday. HOTTEST SEPTEMBER NIGHT? Overnight temperatures in some areas have been above 20C (68F) this week. The record highest overnight minimum reading for September is 21.7C (71.1F). HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR IN SEPTEMBER? The hottest day of 2023 so far was set yesterday, which was the first time since 2016 - and before that the 1950s - that the UK's warmest day of the year has happened in September. MOST SEPTEMBER DAYS AT 30C+? This week has seen the greatest number of September days in total and greatest number of consecutive September days on record where the mercury reaches 30C (86F) or more. A maximum run of least 30C (90F) on three consecutive September days has happened just four times on record before this week. That run was beaten yesterday as this period hit four days. The September with the most 30C days across the month - not consecutive - was 1911, with five days. This will likely be broken tomorrow, when it will be six days. Before today, the figure stood at four. WARMEST SEPTEMBER DAY EVER? This is unlikely to be broken. The warmest September day on record was in 1906 when temperatures reached 35.6C (96.1F) in Bawtry, South Yorkshire. Advertisement

Sales of cooling fans have risen by a whopping 1,704 per cent, while water sprinklers are up by 465 per cent and hoses have risen by 88 per cent in the same timeframe.

Lakeland added that sales of ice cream makers are up by 483 per cent week on week  although, bizarrely, heated blankets are also up 192 per cent week on week.

Meanwhile Waitrose said sales of burgers were up 29 per cent compared to the same time last year, ice cream sales up 49 per cent and rose sales up 28 per cent.

Searches for 'Ice lolly' on Waitrose.com have risen 60 per cent in the last week, while 'bbq food' is up 29 per cent and 'picnic bag' is up 200 per cent.

Families taking advantage of the heatwave are again set to flock to beaches this weekend - with 150,000 visitors expected in Brighton alone on Saturday, while 100,000 people are expected to flock to Blackpool and tens of thousands more to resorts such as Bournemouth and Great Yarmouth.

And Parkdean Resorts, which runs 66 holiday parks, said: The Indian Summer is driving a September staycation boom. There are parks up and down the country with only a few spaces left.

With up to 50 million pints set to be downed in beer gardens, the British Institute of Innkeeping, which represents over 10,000 UK pubs, said: Pubs have stocked up on beer to cool down customers making the most of the unexpected sunshine and high temperatures.'

But fears over the health of pets in the soaring temperatures has seen a string of dog shows cancelled over the weekend, including Dogfest at Knebworth House, and Bushey, both in Hertfordshire, and at Abington Park in Northampton.

Moto, the UK motorway services operator, revealed ice cream sales had already more than doubled in recent days - and it is had ordered thousands more to cope with expected high demand this weekend.

But there have also been safety warnings  with the British Veterinary Association urging owners to ensure their pets have access to water, ventilation and shade, while the RNLI issued a warning about riptides after carrying out a number of rescues.

The Local Government Association said around half of councils had sand ready to spread on roads in case the heat led to tarmac melting.

The Met Office said temperatures will remain above 30C (86F) until at least Sunday  and yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far with 32.6C (90.7F) recorded at Wisley in Surrey.

The previous highest temperature for the year was set on both June 10 and 25 at 32.2C (90.0F).

The heatwave has already broken the record for the most consecutive days with temperatures above 30C (86F) in September, with Saharan dust generating vivid sunsets and sunrises in the clear conditions.

Yesterday was the fourth day in a row above 30C (86F), beating the record of three days seen on four previous occasions, most recently in 2016.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said forecasters were 'fairly sure' that temperatures will hit 30C 'all the way through until Sunday'.

He added: 'Previously in September we've only reached 30C three days in a row.

'So although it's not the hottest spell of weather we've had in September, in terms of prolonged hot weather it is twice as long as we have previously had.'

People out enjoying a day by the River Thames in Richmond, South West London, today

People out enjoying a day by the River Thames in Richmond, South West London, today

People out on the Long Walk in Windsor today, on the first anniversary of the Queen's death

September's highest daily temperature reading was 35.6C (96.1F) recorded on September 2, 1906 in South Yorkshire, according to the Met Office.

What is causing the heatwave in Britain? The heatwave is being driven by tropical storms pushing a high pressure system over the UK, with the jet stream having moved to the north and bending into what is known as an omega blocking pattern. Named after the Greek letter omega because of its shape, this system occurs when an area of high pressure gets stuck between two areas of low-pressure to the west and east and also slightly south. This has brought torrential rain and flooding for Spain and Greece but hot, dry and clear conditions for the UK. Advertisement

But Mr Partridge said there was 'no chance' that the September daily temperature record could be broken in the coming days.

He said: 'There is potential that we might get a little bit warmer over the weekend, not by a massive amount, but enough to make it the warmest day of the year so far again.

'It is always going to be around 32C (90F), close to 33C (91F) at the maximum temperature.'

The UK Health Security Agency has already issued an amber heat health alert until 9pm on Sunday in nearly every area of England.

This was imposed amid concerns over how prolonged heat above 30C leaves older people and those with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases at greater risk.

A yellow heat alert is in place until the same time in the north east of England.

The Met Office added there could be heavy thundery showers on Sunday across England and Wales but temperatures will remain high.

Temperatures are also expected to remain high overnight.

Mr Partridge said: 'The biggest knock-on effect at the moment is those overnight temperatures because in parts of south-west England and Wales (Wednesday) night many places didn't dip below 19C, which is not easy.

People on the River Thames in Richmond, South West London, amid the heatwave today

A woman enjoys the warm weather at Greenwich Park in South East London this morning

Commuters sit and stand on a hot Jubilee line Underground train in London this morning

'We will continue to see temperatures in the mid to high teens overnight. A few spots could again not dip below 20C, so it's very warm and muggy nights.'

READ MORE Dust from Sahara desert reaches the UK! Cars in the West Midlands are covered with sand after wind sweeps it 5,000 miles Advertisement

Met Office chief meteorologist Steven Ramsdale said the heatwave has been caused by tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic 'pushing the jet stream well to the north of the UK, allowing some very warm air to be drawn north'.

It's not just humans who have needed to keep cool in recent days.

In Norfolk, farmer Robert McGregor has been creating mud wallows for his pigs.

Mr McGregor, who supplies supermarket chain Waitrose, said: 'The wallows cool the pigs down, whilst the mud acts as a natural sunscreen.

'It might not be a five-star hotel swimming pool, but if you happen to be a pig - a muddy wallow is the ultimate luxury.'

Meanwhile, the British Veterinary Association is urging pet owners to ensure their animals 'have access to fresh drinking water, good ventilation and shade from direct sunlight at all times'.

Dr Justine Shotton, the BVA's senior vice president, said: 'Pets can be extremely susceptible to heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke, and can also suffer sunburn, heart conditions and breathing difficulties, many of which can sadly be fatal.'

The RNLI has called on people cooling off at sea to beware of riptides and take precautions when using paddleboards after rescues had to be carried out.

A woman cools off in front of a large fan at a London Underground station in the heat today

Commuters pack on to a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station in hot weather today

A driver covers their car with a sheet to keep it cool in Dunsden, Oxfordshire, this morning

On Tuesday, lifeboat crew from Porthcawl, in South Wales, had to rescue swimmers caught in a rip current, followed by a wing surfer in difficulty.

On the same day, nearby Barry Dock RNLI were tasked to four people cut off by the tide and struggling in the water.

And on Wednesday, four paddleboarders had to be rescued by Yarmouth RNLI after becoming stranded on a secluded beach in Norfolk.

Megan Manneh, water safety delivery manager at the RNLI, urged people getting into difficulty in the sea to adopt the float position until help arrives, and take precautions such as wearing buoyancy aids when on paddleboards.

The sun rises over the town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire and its Grade I listed bridge today

A beautiful sunrise is witnessed in the Oxfordshire countryside at Dunsden this morning

The morning's sunrise over the River Thames near Gravesend in Kent today

A colourful sunrise at Dunsden in Oxfordshire today at the start of another very hot day

She said: 'After unsettled weather throughout much of the summer, we are expecting coasts to be busy this weekend, with potentially the last opportunity to enjoy some late summer sunshine.

Sadiq Khan triggers emergency response Sadiq Khan has begun an emergency severe weather response for London. The Mayor activated London's Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, aiming to help homeless people stay safe. The alert is normally only used when the mercury falls to freezing in winter. But it was also activated in the July 2022 heatwave when UK temperatures hit 40C (104F) for the first time. Councils across London and homelessness charities will now give vulnerable rough sleepers emergency accommodation and support such as providing water and sunscreen. Advertisement

'RNLI lifeguards will still be present and delivering a service for local authorities on over 90 beaches.

'We want everyone to enjoy our beautiful coast, whilst staying safe.'

But the hot spell could come to an end with heavy thunder.

Stormy downpours are due to send temperatures plummeting by around 10C with conditions returning to 'around average' for the time of year by early next week.

Some western areas could experience thunder today but it is due to become more widespread tomorrow, the Met Office said.

Its yellow warning for thunderstorms tomorrow from 2pm to 9pm states: 'A few heavy showers and thunderstorms are possible, perhaps leading to some disruption.'

Forecasters have told those within the warning area to expect that 'spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures'.

They added: 'Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.'

The warning also stated: 'There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

Brighton beach is packed with sunseekers yesterday on the UK's hottest day of the year so far

Sunbathers make the most of the heatwave on Brighton beach in East Sussex yesterday

'There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.'

While 'many areas will remain very warm or hot' tomorrow, the heat is then due to become 'more confined to south-eastern areas on Sunday and Monday', forecasters said.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Nick Silkstone said: 'A cold front will begin to influence things as it arrives from the northwest over the weekend, though it'll remain very warm or hot to the southeast of this front.'

But Mr Silkstone said the likely areas which could be affected by the worst of the storms is as yet uncertain, adding: 'many places may see little if any rain on Friday and Saturday.' By the early part of next week, the Met Office said a return to a 'westerly weather regime, with a mix of sunshine and showers' is 'most likely'.

Temperatures are set to fall back to the low 20Cs (70Fs) in southern areas and high teens Celsius (60Fs) further west and north.

Meanwhile, a 380-mile bike ride led by BBC commentator and rugby legend Jonathan Davies to the Rugby World Cup in France was halted early because of extreme heat.

Davies, 60, was starting the ride in aid of a Cardiff cancer hospital - but it was called off 'for the safety of riders' as temperatures in France were set to hit 41C (106F).

The 100 riders were due to cycle from Paris to Bordeaux in time for Wales's opening game against Fiji on Sunday and had reached Poitiers, in western France.

But conditions have been so hot Davies tweeted that his mobile phone had broken down 'due to heat' on day three of the event.
The absence of Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping won't prevent the annual G20 gathering getting underway from being effective, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters Friday.

'I believe the G20, in spite of obvious problems due to Russia's war against Ukraine and Russia's general absence from G20 initiatives, I believe that G20 has been extremely effective and especially under India's leadership,' Yellen told reporters in New Delhi.

She was the top official on the ground while President Joe Biden made his way to India with a refueling stop in Germany, in an arrival choreographed with Vice President Kamala Harris' return from Asia to ensure one of them was on U.S. soil at all times.

Yellen touted a push to boost resources for multilateral development banks  which U.S. official see as a potential counter to China's growing regional influence through its own 'Belt and Road' initiative.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen addressed the media as President Joe Biden made his way to India for the G20 summit

She said she was 'fully aware' of the risk to global grown, saying the 'most important major influence is Russia's war on Ukraine, which has escalated energy and food prices.'

'The most important thing we could do for global growth is for Russia to end its brutal war on Ukraine,' she said, as Ukraine continues to fight counteroffensive operations backed by U.S. and allied weaponry.

She said the administration has asked Congress for legislation that would lend $21 billion to International Monetary Fund trust funds, including poor countries that 'desperately' need more resources.

Yellen also said the United States has asked the U.S. Congress for permission to lend $21 billion to IMF trust funds, including one for the poorest countries, which 'desperately needs more resources.'

She said a $2.25 billion appropriations request would lead to $25 billion in additional global lending.

She urged other G20 countries to 'enhance' the financial capacity of the World Bank and other multilateral lending institutions.

'Reforms that are underway as I indicated could lead over the next decade to an additional $200 billion financing,' she said, referencing a boost from other reforms.

Yellen was also asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping's absence from the event, at a time of high tensions with Washington.

President Joe Biden's international trip comes as the leaders of China and Russia opted to skip the event hosted by India

The White House told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden had no recent calls with Xi and there was no meeting planned in the immediate future.

She said the global economy has been 'resilient' and the U.S. 'has done particularly well.'

Yellen was serving as the public face of the U.S on Friday. National Security advisor Jake Sullivan and White House Press Secretary briefed reporters en route. Biden is set to arrive here Friday night, but his first meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be closed to reporters.
A Memphis rapper posted a video showing what appeared to be a gunshot wound from his hospital hours after gunfire erupted at a Lil Baby concert at the FedExForum in the city.

The shooting occurred just before 10.30pm at the FedEx Forum in the city, the Memphis Police Department told the media, with one man left in critical condition. Lil Baby had been on stage for less than thirty minutes.

Rapper CEO Jizzle, whose real name is Jaylen Johnson, posted an Instagram video a few hours later, appearing to confirm his fans' fears that he was the victim. In his social media video, the rapper appeared to mock his attackers and said he was 'good' following the shooting.

Johnson's cousin is celebrated rapper Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton. He was shot dead in Memphis bakery in broad daylight at the age of 36 in November 2021. Four men are expected to stand trial for the killing in 2024. The motive for that killing has not been revealed.

Johnson was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Investigators are working to identify the shooter and to establish how the gun got inside as attendees are forced to go through a metal detector before entering.

Rapper CEO Jizzle posted this video from his hospital bed in the early hours of Friday

Reports from the scene had said that the rapper had been 'critically wounded'

The shooting occurred just before 10.30pm at the FedEx Forum in the city, the Memphis Police Department told the media

Social media footage showed people streaming for the exit after gunfire rang out

Johnson released his latest song, Biggest Opp, on August 15. Earlier this year, he was involved in a beef over a stolen chain with fellow Memphis star Lil Migo.

Lil Baby was performing alongside local rapper GloRilla who appeared as his opening act.

Footage from the concert shows the rapper appearing to acknowledge the gunfire and heading to the side of the stage while looking at the crowd in the middle of his song Frozen. The singer, whose real name is Dominique Armani Jones, was then ushered to safety by his security team while people streamed out of the venue.

One concert goer recorded a man wearing a red shirt being stretchered out of the arena. 'Memphis can't have nothing! They shooting at the Lil Baby concert,' he wrote on Facebook.

'A person was shot tonight at FedExForum during the Lil Baby concert. The incident is under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the Memphis Police Department,' a spokesperson for the arena said in a statement.

There were no other injuries as a result of the shooting.

CEO Jizzle released his latest song, Biggest Opp, on August 15

CEO Jizzle is the cousin of slain rapper Young Dolph, shown here. He was gunned down in Memphis in November 2021

In recent years, Memphis has struggled with crime. There were 346 homicides in the city in 2021, and 302 in 2022.

Police chief CJ Davis attributes the declining number of murders to progress the police department has made in relation to gang violence across the city.

'We had some really significant arrests last year that we think contributed to some of the aggravated assaults,' Davis said in an interview earlier this year.

'We think that we've made some progress as it relates to some of the gang activity in the city.'

Memphis, New Orleans, Richmond, Washington DC, Detroit, Durham, Dallas. Milwaukee, Las Vegas and Kansas City ranked as America's worst homicide hotspots.
A Democratic party official who pledged to 'dismantle' the Minneapolis Police Department in 2020 is now calling for tougher crime laws after suffering a violent carjacking outside her Minnesota home.

Shivanthi Sathanandan, the Second Vice Chairwoman for the Democrat-Farmer-Labor party, took to Facebook on Wednesday to share the graphic outcome of the gunpoint attack on her driveway and to call for justice.

Pictured with blood on her face, she said that she had suffered a broken leg, deep cuts on her head and body, and bruising after four young men carrying guns 'beat me violently down to the ground in front of our kids'.

Sathanandan demanded swift consequences, calling to 'get illegal guns off our streets, catch these young people... and hold them in custody and prosecute them. Period.'

The post went on to thank 'the incredible Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Frey, Chief O'Hara, Paramedics, neighbors, friends and DFL family, who all came to our aide during this terrifying experience'.

'I'm so grateful for this community that wraps us in love,' she wrote.

The photo quickly went viral as users pointed back to a 2020 post from Sathanandan's account calling to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department, writing that 'MPD has systematically failed the Black Community, they have failed ALL OF US... If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, I'm not sure what to say to you'.

The DFP politician shared this photo and a post demanding justice after the violent attack

Sathanandan in 2020 called for the dismantling of the Minneapolis Police Department

Sathanandan shared a photo of herself apparently after the attack on Facebook with blood running down her face.

She wrote: 'Look at my face in the picture. This is the face of a mother who just had the [s**t] beaten out of her. A mother whose only thought was, 'let me run far enough and fight hard enough so that my kids have a chance to get away.'

'This is the face of a mother who just listened to her four year old daughter screaming non-stop, her 7 year old son wailing for someone to come help because bad guys are murdering his Mama in the back yard, her neighbors screaming in outrage... all while being beaten with guns and kicks and fists.'

'These men knew what they were doing. I have NO DOUBT they have done this before. Yet they are still on OUR STREETS. Killing mothers. Giving babies psychological trauma that a lifetime of therapy cannot erase. With no hesitation and no remorse.'

In the post, she went on to call for more to be done to get illegal guns off the streets and to catch those responsible for 'creating chaos across our city'.

She said: 'Look at my face. REMEMBER ME when you are thinking about supporting letting juveniles and young people out of custody to roam our streets instead of HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.'

'These criminals will not win. We need to take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this,' she went on.

The post inspired many sympathetic users to share their concern and sympathy.

Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin also told KSTP in a statement Thursday that he was 'heartbroken at the news of Shivanthi's attack.'

He said: 'It is my sincere hope that the people who assaulted Shivanthi are quickly brought to justice and face punishment commensurate with the severity of their crimes.'

'My heart goes out to Shivanthi and her family and I hope their recovery from such a horrifying experience is as swift as possible.'

But some pointed out that Sathanandan had led calls to dismantle the police department back in June 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests.

On another account she had written: 'We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Say it with me.

'DISMANTLE [...] The [...] Minneapolis [...] Police [...] Department

'As allies, what can we do right now? LISTEN and LEARN from our Black siblings. And then AMPLIFY this message right now, in this moment. MPD has systematically failed the Black Community, they have failed ALL OF US.

'It's time to build a new infrastructure that works for ALL communities. If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, I'm not sure what to say to you.'

On Facebook, the Democratic party official called for a clamp down on illegal guns

The Minneapolis Third Police Precinct is set on fire on Thursday, May 28, 2020, during a third night of protests following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody

A police officer watches a crowd as a police vehicle burns near Fort Greene Park in New York after protesters rallied outside Barclays Center over the death of George Floyd, May 29, 2020

In another post, Sathanandan shared thoughts on the language around defunding the police

Protests broke around the United States in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on May 25 in the custody of Minneapolis Police.

Civil unrest over police brutality spread to over 2,000 cities in more than 60 countries worldwide. The majority of protests were peaceful but some escalated into violent riots.

By the end of June 2020, some 14,000 people had been arrested.

The protests also sparked political debate over the defunding of police services, reallocating funds to community support and away from the perceived militarization of the police.

Combined movements did lead to legislative proposals in the US to fight police misconduct, brutality and institutional racism.
Aldi is eyeing up former Wilko stores and could hire workers from the collapsed chain as shoppers strip shelves bare in the last days before the retailer shuts.

Aldi has said it wants to open 500 more shops in the UK after marking the opening of its 1,000th store in Surrey as part of its ambitious expansion plans.

And UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley said it could use former Wilko stores for new sites sites.

Asked whether it is looking at ex-Wilko stores, Mr Hurley told the Mirror: 'Clearly, with an ambitious target of 1,500 stores, we will look at all the opportunities. It comes down to the availability and suitability.'

His comments came as photos emerged of the sorry scene in a Wilko store as a handful of customers meander around the near-empty aisles picking the last discounted items off shelves.

The days of Ashford's Wilko store are numbered, and the scenes inside paint a tragic picture of its impending closure after more than 20 years.

Next week it will shut its doors for the final time - along with three other Kent branches - following the chain's fall into administration.

Aldi recently said it was calling for staff affected by the collapse of retailer Wilko to get in touch as it has about 6,000 jobs currently available across its stores.

Aldi's UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley said they have an ambitious target of 1,500 stores

Aldi recently said it was calling for staff affected by the collapse of retailer Wilko to get in touch (Pictured is empty shelves in a Wilko store in Acton, west London)

Empty shelves at Wilko in Ashford, Kent, which is set to close next week

Long-time Wilko customer Julia Halliday, from Ashford, is gutted its closing

Aldi announced that it is creating 800 jobs in new stores over the coming months and said it hopes to offer these long-term retail roles to those who have lost their jobs as a result of the Wilko downturn, 'with a range of positions available from Store Assistant and Caretaker all the way to Store Manager.'

Long-time Wilko customer Julia Halliday, from Ashford, can recall its days as a supermarket. 'I have shopped there forever,' she said, adding: 'I remember when it used to be Sainsbury's!

'It has been there for so long and everything in there is good value. I buy all my pet stuff there; the home area is good, so now I don't know where I'll go.

'It is a nice shop and the staff are nice. I'm going to miss it being there.

'I was quite shocked it's closing and I'm very gutted.'

Husband and wife Claire and Dave Drummond say the loss of Wilko is a blow for the high street.

'We are guilty ourselves of shopping online, but it's just another gutting thing - more people out of work,' Mrs Drummond says.

'It's just another devastation for the high street, and another blow.

'Ashford was the first Wilko I ever shopped in.'

Posters signalling discounts at the Ashford Wilko - everything must go, the signs read

Claire and Dave Drummond outside Wilko - they said it's another devastation for the high street

Meanwhile, Aldi said it set its new target having seen 'huge demand' from people wanting to switch supermarkets to access cheaper prices.

It builds on a previous goal of opening 1,200 stores by the end of 2025.

The chain has not given an update on the progress of its expansion plan, but it would need to open 100 stores a year in order to reach that target. This would mean upping the current pace of its expansion, having opened 100 shops in just under three years.

Aldi did not put a time-frame on the new goal but said it will happen in the 'coming years', as it needs to hunt for new locations across the UK.

Giles Hurley, the chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: 'Our popularity is growing, and there is huge demand for people to have an Aldi store near to them to increase shoppers' access to our unbeatable prices.

'The next phase of our expansion will involve another 500 new stores over the coming years.

'It is a long-term target and is not a ceiling to our ambition to have an Aldi store close to everyone in the UK.'

The days of Ashford's Wilko store are numbered, and the scenes inside paint a tragic picture of its impending closure after more than 20 years

Aldi announced that it is creating 800 jobs in new stores over the coming months (stock image)

An Aldi store near a Wilko in Maesteg, Bridgend (stock image)

The Germany-headquartered chain, which first launched in the UK in 1990, has been rapidly growing its market share across the country.

It has been named the UK's cheapest supermarket, according to consumer champion Which?.

Mr Hurley said 1.1 million more customers walked through its doors over the past year.

In an interview with Sky News, the boss said Aldi is 'more popular than it's ever been' as households face cost-of-living pressures.

He added: 'What we recognise most of all is that there are communities across the UK who continue to pay high prices for their groceries because they only have access to a traditional full-price supermarket or their more expensive convenience arms.'

Aldi, which employs 40,0000 people, opened its 1,000th store in Woking, Surrey on Thursday.
An inmate who worked with escapee Daniel Khalife in the kitchens at HMP Wandsworth has revealed that he said 'he was going be famous'.

Khalife, 21, fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by strapping himself underneath a food delivery van. He was on remand awaiting trial for terror offences and is accused of having spied for Iran.

Detectives think he had external help to escape the jail and fear he could be anywhere in the world.

Chris Jones, 53, told BBC how he prepared food in the prison kitchens while Mr Khalife unloaded lorry deliveries.

He said Mr Khalife had been brought in as a vulnerable prisoner to work with other inmates in the kitchen.

Daniel Khalife is described as being of slim build, with short brown hair and 6ft 2ins tall

Mr Jones was released from HMP Wandsworth in June after being acquitted after seven months on remand, and now works as a roofer.

He told BBC London that his fellow prisoner appeareded 'quite down to earth and up for a laugh but didn't come across as a criminal mastermind'.

Khalife, described as being of slim build, with short brown hair and 6ft 2ins tall, is a former soldier in the 22 Signal Regiment. He faces a six-week terror trial, standing accused of leaving fake bombs at an army base in Stafford.

While he has links to the Kingston-upon-Thames area of London, as he grew up there, police are searching for him up and down the country.

Mr Jones added: 'He [Khalife] did seem like an odd sausage. One lunchtime he came in saying that he was going be famous. I told him: 'I think you've got on the wrong bus, mate.'

'He would come to work with a comb and mirror constantly checking his appearance, although I can't say I thought much of it.'

Asked how easy an escape might have been, Mr Jones said he was 'surprised but not surprised'.

He explained: 'We always used to joke about that lorry; jump in it and drive off, but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

'A prison staff member would stand by the lorry ticking off the goods as they were unloaded; you could not move around freely. If you wanted to move from the coffee shop to the kitchen, the staff would log a move.

Chris Jones, 53, told BBC how he prepared food in the prison kitchens while Mr Khalife unloaded lorry deliveries. Pictured: A general view of HMP Wandsworth

'Having said this, many mistakes were made all the time, all down to staffing issues,' according to Mr Jones, who told the BBC he spent seven months on remand before being cleared of conspiracy to blackmail.

READ MORE: Who is Daniel Abed Khalife and what did he do as Metropolitan Police launch an urgent manhunt for the suspected terrorist who has escaped from HMP Wandsworth Advertisement

'One time we were put on lockdown because there was an inmate missing, but it turned out that he had been released the day before but it hadn't been correctly registered.

'So in that sense, I'm not surprised that someone slipped up, or that they didn't have enough people to staff the kitchen, and that he took his chance to unload the truck and vanish underneath the lorry.'

Mr Jones also said he thought staffing issues were to blame when it came to the jail's 'diabolical conditions', after an independent report on HMP Wandsworth published in September 2022 found that there was a 'staffing crisis'.

It said: 'Significant staffing problems are adversely affecting the delivery of a consistent regime. Although technically fully staffed, over 30% of staff are non-operational on a regular basis, for a number of reasons, rising sometimes to over 40%.

'With an increasing number of more volatile young prisoners, and incidents of violence at alarming levels, the recruitment, training and retention of appropriately skilled and well-motivated staff is essential. The board is very concerned that this is not happening.

'Yet again, the conditions which prisoners are confined, often two to a cramped cell, are inhumane and degrading.'

The report also pointed out that the majority of prison officers had less than two years' experience and this lack of 'prison craft' was an issue.

Mr Jones also said he thought staffing issues were to blame when it came to the jail's 'diabolical conditions', after an independent report on HMP Wandsworth published in September 2022 found that there was a 'staffing crisis'. Pictured: a photo of a prisoner's cell taken by inspectors in the jail's Trinity Wing in June 2022

Speaking on how he was affected by the staffing crisis while still an inmate Mr Jones said that, at one point, he was not let out of his cell for two weeks, with no shower or exercise, because staff 'couldn't or wouldn't' open his cell door.

He continued: 'Through their laziness, the prisoners always suffered. Conditions are the poorest I've ever seen. In 2023 the conditions in Wandsworth are worse than prisons in 1989-1990 which was the last time I was in.

'It's known as being the worst and dirtiest in the whole system. The kitchen was full of dead rats, and mice constantly came through my cell door.'

The Prisons Service said that HMP Wandsworth is undergoing maintenance to help improve the prison's safety.

This will see the healthcare unit being replaced, as well as updates being made to fire safety, along with window replacements and the refurbishment of showers.

A source close to the ongoing search for Khalife told MailOnline: 'If I was him I'd be hundreds of miles away from Wandsworth but we have to be certain he's not on our doorstep.

'The van he was in was a couple of miles from Richmond Park so it has to be searched  and from the air is the easiest way.

'Officers will be at the site overnight but I expect the park to open as usual in the morning, which is a sign they haven't found what they were looking for.'
Sadiq Khan could lose the London Mayor battle if Jeremy Corbyn runs as an independent, according to a shock poll today.

The incumbent - who has been struggling to contain a huge backlash at his ULEZ expansion - faces being defeated by Tory Susan Hall if the ex-Labour leader makes good on his threat to stand.

Redfield & Wilton Strategies research suggested that without Mr Corbyn's involvement Mr Khan is on track for the narrowest of victories, with 33 per cent support to 32 per cent for Ms Hall.

However, with Mr Corbyn in the race he was estimated to lose by 30 per cent to 25 per cent, with the hard-left MP getting 15 per cent.

The findings will boost the spirits of Tories, who have been hoping that the row over the ultra-low emissions zone being expanded across the capital can turn their fortunes.

Anger at the widened 12.50-a-day charge was credited for the Conservatives unexpectedly hanging on in the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election.

Sadiq Khan could lose the London Mayor battle if Jeremy Corbyn runs as an independent, according to a shock poll today

Mr Corbyn has repeatedly refused to rule out a bid for the mayoralty after he was blocked by the Labour leadership from standing as the party's candidate in his Islington North constituency

The London Mayor contest is being conducted under a first-past-the-post electoral system - the same used for Westminster - for the first time after the government passed new laws.

The contest will take place in May next year, likely to be a few months before the general election.

Previous surveys had indicated that Mr Khan had a significant lead over other parties, although the full slate of candidates had not been chosen.

Mr Corbyn has repeatedly refused to rule out a bid for the mayoralty after he was blocked by the Labour leadership from standing as the party's candidate in his Islington North constituency.

Mr Khan has insisted he is relaxed about whom he faces, saying he is not surprised that people want to get the 'best job in the world'.

The 74-year-old is still regarded as more likely to focus on defending that seat as an independent rather than turning his sights to City Hall.

The Tories declared Ms Hall would be their contender in July after a chaotic selection process that saw a minister left off the shortlist.

Many had feared that Ms Hall did not have the profile or charisma to stop Mr Khan winning a third term.

However, the Redfield poll suggests those concerns might be overplayed.
The bar owner was urinated on during the altercation

An Indonesian bar owner who bludgeoned an Aussie tourist to death after being urinated on has been jailed for just 18 months.

I Gede Wijaya, 39, was drinking alcohol with Perth man Troy Scott Johnston, 41, on February 23 when he struck the Aussie with a metal bar stool.

The two were reportedly drinking together when Mr Johnston, who was holidaying with family, urinated on Wijaya's leg.

Wijaya, owner of Uncle Benz Cafe in Badung where the incident took place, picked up the chair and hit him over the head with it.

He fled the scene before eventually being arrested.

I Gede Wijaya, 39, (pictured) has been sentenced to 18 months in a Bali jail after killing Perth man Troy Scott Johnston, 41, with a metal stool in February

Mr Johnston (pictured with wife Ni Nyoman Purnianti) had been drinking Arak with Wijaya before allegedly becoming inebriated and urinating on the bar owner and cocktail expert

Wijaya told officers that after urinating on him, Mr Johnston began throwing glasses and attempted to strike him with a chair.

Appearing in Denpasar District Court in August, Judge Gede Putra Astawa said that although the accused may have initially acted in self-defence, he had left the victim for dead.

'Leaving the victim alone is inexcusable. The defendant could have called for an ambulance to assist the victim. His self-defence led to someone being injured and losing their life,' he said, according to news.com.au.

Judge Astawa found Wijaya 'legally and convincingly guilty of committing the criminal act of fatal assault' and sentenced him to 18 months in prison, minus time already served.

Mr Johnston had been holidaying in Bali with his wife, Ni Nyoman Purnianti, and young son when he went out drinking at about 7.30pm.

Wijaya, a cocktail expert, told a police press conference that the pair spent the evening buying each other glasses of Arak, a cloudy white Lebanese liquor.

'He pay. He treat me. But later, I treat him also,' he told police.

However, he claimed Mr Johnston drank too much and started throwing bottles and glasses into the street outside.

Wijaya said he tried to calm the Australian down but he punched him in the waist and urinated on his leg, then stumbled outside and collapsed.

'He peed on my left leg I tried to tell him to cut it out. But he went inside and threw glass cups at me,' he said.

'He was drunk and lost control... I tried to calm him down.'

The court heard that Mr Johnston picked up a bar stool in an attempt to strike Wijaya before the bar owner retaliated, striking Mr Johnston with a metal stool.

Wijaya claimed that he had only done so in an act of self defence, but admitted to fleeing the scene immediately after, leaving the father-of-one in a pool of blood.

Mr Johnston had last been contacted his wife at 10.30pm, and after hours of silence she went out looking for him with her brother.

The pair found Mr Johnston unconscious on the terrace of the bar at 3.45am.

Mr Johnston, who worked for Rio Tinto at its Perth Airport operations centre as an airport controller, died while being rushed to hospital.

Wijaya claimed that after trying to quell the situation, Mr Johnston began acting violently which led Wijaya to strike him over the head with a metal stool (pictured)

Mr Johnston was discovered by his wife (pictured together) at 3:45am on February 23 in a pool of his own blood at Wijaya's Uncle Benz Cafe in Badung after the bar owner fled the scene

Wijaya, a father-of-one, lost his dad just a few weeks before the incident, and his mother last April.

'Forgive your arrogant son, mother... best and peaceful place for you by his side... Illuminate the path of your children and grandchildren,' he wrote online after the death of his mother.

Despite the seemingly light sentence Elizabeth Ghozali, lecturer in criminal law at Santo Thomas Catholic University in Medan, told news.com.au that it was appropriate.

'Murder was not his intention. He had already told the victim verbally to stop, so the causality of the offence was as a result of Johnston's actions,' she said.

'The judge did not impose a heavy sentence because the altercation was started by the victim.'

Indonesian police had originally attempted to charge Wijaya with murder but the prosecutor's office instead opted for a negligence charge instead.

During the police press conference in February, Wijaya expressed regret over killing Mr Johnston, saying that the two men knew each other well.

'I knew him very well, so I didn't have any intention to do that,' he said.
The actor was sentenced to 30 years on Thursday following two rape convictions

That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson is under round-the-clock surveillance in jail in case he shows signs of 'mental distress' after being sentenced to 30 years for rape, it has been claimed.

The star is currently being held at the Los Angeles County Sheriff Men's Central Jail as he awaits transfer to a California state prison, where he will serve his full sentence.

TMZ reported today that deputies come by Masterson's cell every half hour to check on him 'with the goal of keeping tabs on his mental state and making sure he's safe'.

If he is to show signs of distress, law enforcement sources said he would be taken for a mental health exam.

Masterson, 47, was found guilty in May for two rapes committed in 2003 and was sentenced Thursday.

The jury was hung on a third rape charge, prosecutors have said that they will not push further for a conviction.

Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for his rape convictions

Masterson arrives at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, May 31, 2023, with wife Bijou Phillips for his retrial

File photo from 2012 shows Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies inspecting a cell block at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. Masterson is being held in the jail

Danny Masterson's lawyer remains defiant in the wake of the actor's 30-year sentence for rape, telling the media that the legal fight is not over because his conviction is 'not supported by evidence.'

The That 70s Show star's lawyer Shawn Holley told the media after the hearing that a 'a team of the top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing the transcripts of the trial.'

'[They] have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both state and federal appellate courts,' she added.

Holley called the jury's verdict 'not supported by the evidence' and that despite having the upmost respect for the judicial system 'sometimes they get it wrong. And that's what happened here.' Holley said that her team was confident that Masterson's conviction would be overturned on appeal.

Prior to sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements in which one told the fallen star: 'You relish in hurting women. It is your addiction. It is without question your favorite thing to do,' according to reporter Meghann Cuniff.

'Life is precious and fragile. Find your heart  Learn something. Read books. Listen to the brightness of nothing and get well. I forgive you,' added the victim.

Masterson was also chastised by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo who told the actor that he was 'not the victim here.'

'Mr. Masterson, I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here,' the judge said.

'Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences,' she added.

Meanwhile a lawyer representing two of Masterson's victim, Alison Anderson, praised her clients 'tremendous strength and bravery' throughout their ordeal.

'Despite persistent harassment, obstruction and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today,' Anderson added.

Her statement was underscored by under-fire Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon who praised the Masterson's victims for 'coming forward and participating in the process.'

'My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others." He also said, "One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women,' Gascon said.

A grief-stricken Bijou Phillips was seen leaving a Los Angeles courthouse moments after her husband Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison on rape charges.

The actress and former socialite, 43, kept her wedding ring on as she left through the back exit of a Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse, shading her emotion behind dark sunglasses while wearing a sheer blue shirt and white pants.

After her life was shattered by her husband's crimes being prosecuted after more than two decades, a close friend revealed to DailyMail.com that she is a 'shell of her former self.'

Masterson blew Phillips a final kiss to his wife as he was hauled off in cuffs to carry out his sentence, as she was joined inside the courthouse by several Scientology friends and family members.

As she was approached by the media after the proceedings, Phillips was seen clutching the arm of a man she exited the building with, as she tried to hide her face.

Bijou Phillips, 43, kept her wedding ring on as she exited through the back exit of a Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse on Thursday, wearing dark shades, a blue shirt and white pants

Masterson blows his wife Bijou Phillips a kiss in the court room as he is sentenced to 30 years behind bars, seen in a court sketch

Defense Attorney Shawn Holley speaks the media after That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life for two rapes committed in 2003

The actress looks sullen as she stepped out of the courthouse, after a close friend told DailyMail.com the case has left her 'a shell of her former self'

Phillips clutches the arm of a man as she left the courthouse and tried to hide her face

Phillips stood by Masterson throughout his eight-day trial and subsequent sentencing, but looked dejected as the actor's victims read heartbreaking impact statements to the court.

Masterson was found guilty in May for two rapes committed in 2003 and was sentenced Thursday.

Following the guilty verdict, Masterson was locked up in the notorious Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles as he awaited sentencing, leaving Bijou to care for their daughter Fianna alone.

A close friend told DailyMail.com that she was despondent at the prospect of raising their daughter by herself, and her husband being sent behind bars has her 'feeling like she is grieving a death.'

Speaking about the mom-of-one's current state of mind, a source said: 'Currently Bijou is circling the drain and is filled with all the emotion and no emotion at all.

'She is a shell of who she has been. She is really trying to be strong for her daughter as she is trying to figure out life and what it will be like for her.

'It can only be compared to a divorce or a death for her not being able to be with Danny the way they were.'

Phillips stood by Masterson throughout his eight-day trial and subsequent sentencing, but looked dejected as the actor's victims read heartbreaking impact statements to the court

Phillip kept her face hidden with sunglasses as she left the courthouse

A close friend of the actress said she is now 'really trying to figure it all out' after her life was shattered by her husband's rape charges

Phillips and Masterson, both Scientologists, met at a celebrity poker game in 2004 and married in 2011, and lived in a lavish mansion in Los Angeles as their raised they daughter.

But the source said the prosecution of his crimes two decades on has devastated their picturesque life, saying: 'They had their life, and it has been completely uprooted and changed and change is as scary and miserable as one would imagine.

'Friends are trying to be there for her, but things are really tough.

'She is really trying to figure it all out and what her life will be after all things are said and done.

'Whatever happens with Danny will change her life forever and, in a not so dignified word, it just sucks.'

Bijou is coming to terms with the prospect of raising her child alone after her husband, 47, was convicted on two counts of rape in an LA court in May, and was sentenced to 30-years on Thursday

Bijou, pictured with her and Masterson's daughter Fianna pictured in 2015, is said to be 'really trying to be strong' as she faces raising their child alone

Masterson and Phillips enjoyed a life of luxury in Los Angeles before he was prosecuted for the rapes over two decades after they occurred. Pictured: The couple's mansion at Hollyridge Loop in California

Bijou Phillips is seen sobbing in court as her husband, and the father of her young daughter, is sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women, seen in a court sketch

Phillips is no stranger to the spotlight. She is the daughter of The Mamas & The Papas frontman John Phillips, and her sisters Mackenzie and Chynna have landed starring roles in numerous films and TV.

But the family has also been rocked by a scandalous history, one of the most shocking being the moment Mackenzie revealed their father had an incestuous sexual relationship for 10 years from when she was 19.

Bijou legally emancipated herself from her drug-addicted parents when she was just 14, The Guardian reported, which came after years of being in foster care from the age of about three 'because her parents were unfit' to look after her.

'They spent years and years fighting for custody, so I bounced around a lot,' Bijou wrote in a candid Instagram post in 2018.

Masterson had two trials. His first, six months earlier, resulted in a mistrial after a different jury was hopelessly deadlocked on all three rape charges.

Scientology was the elephant in the room during Masterson's trial, where the women who testified against him said the reason they took so long to report him to the police was their fear of retribution from the Church of Scientology.

One of the women said that she was born into a family of Scientologists, and when she reported the rape to the church, a top official 'made it clear that Danny was untouchable.'

'I did not choose to be born into Scientology - and I did not choose to be raped by Danny Masterson,' said the mother of three daughters, fighting back tears. 'Scientology attempted to silence us  to intimidate us.'

'I wish I had reported him sooner to the police,' she said, adding that at no point did Masterson 'show an ounce of remorse for the pain I was suffering.'

'The first couple of years after the rape were pretty dark. I lost everything pretty much. I had to start my life over at the age of 29,' she said.

Phillips was joined by Scientology friends and family members to show her support at his sentencing Thursday. The couple are pictured together during his trial in May 2023

Before he was sentenced, Mastersons attorney, Shawn Holley, urged the judge to impose concurrent, not consecutive 15-year-to-life sentences saying that would be fair and just.

Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller asked the judge to hand down a 30-to-life sentence, saying that Holleys plea for just 15 years was not fair and justabsolutely not. Thirty years to life in prison is deserved.

After Masterson raped the first time he had time to think about what he had inflicted, he said. Despite that, he raped again.'

The disgraced actor's victims, identified only as Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2, shared heartbreaking impact statements detailing their struggle after Masterson drugged and raped them in 2003.

At the sentencing trial, Jane Doe #1 called Masterson a 'true coward and heartless monster,' adding to this day she suffer from an extreme fear of the dark and frequently wakes up crying.

Sometimes, she said, she hides in a closet or screams out the window: 'I'm not okay.'

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is a safer place with you in prison,' said Jane Doe #2, looking straight at the actor, dressed in a gray suit and open-neck gray shirt.

'You are a true coward and heartless monster,' added Jane Doe #1. 'I think life is an appropriate sentence.'

Masterson played wise-cracking Steven Hyde on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006

Both Masterson and Phillips are Scientologists, and the religion was the elephant in the room during the actor's court case with a victim testifying the church pressured her to keep quiet

Jane Doe #2 said she was pressured to keep quiet by the secretive church, but became 'enraged' when she learned there were other rape victims.

'I decided to report him with the full understanding that my life would be demolished again (by going against the don't tell doctrine of) Scientology which has terrorized me since,' she said.

She said Masterson had been 'enabled and protected' by Scientology, and addressed him directly as she said: 'When you raped me you stole my ability to have any stability in my life for decades. After you raped me I stopped living.'

She said that her 'promising' acting career 'nosedived after the 'heinous attack hijacked my life.'

'I know you take pride in hurting women. You treated me like I was less than trash. Your emptiness and cowardice will be your true legacy.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is safer with you in prison. I would not wish rape on my worst enemy.

'You thought the law did not apply to you. You moved in smugness and spite.'

She concluded 'victim impact statement' by saying that despite the two decades of of trauma she's suffered since Masterson brutally raped her, 'I forgive you.'
This is suspected Iranian terrorist Daniel Abed Khalife meeting a YouTube hero as it was revealed he was a 'class clown' and cyberwarrior at school who told a fellow prisoner he was 'going to be famous' before he escaped.

Police locked down Richmond Park in London today and have been watching the flat he grew up in with his mother and twin sister nearby following his Colditz-style breakout from HMP Wandsworth.

Khalife, who was thrown out of the British Army for allegedly spying for a hostile state, 'vanished into thin air' on Wednesday morning after clambering under a food delivery lorry.

Chris Jones, 53, who was released from Wandsworth in June, worked in the kitchen with Khalife who had told him he was 'going to be famous' one day.

Until three years ago his home had been six miles from the jail he escaped from. He was born in Westminster but moved to south-west London and lived in a 450,000 two-bed flat in Kingston, sharing a bedroom with his twin sister.

A schoolboy Daniel Abed Khalife reacts as he spots YouTube star Callux as friends said he wanted to be a cyberstar

He was born in Westminster but moved to south-west London and lived in a 450,000 two-bed flat in Kingston, sharing a bedroom with his twin sister

Khalife attended Teddington School, whose alumni includes Keira Knightley (pictured)

His mother and father are separated and he is estranged from his dad. His mother is understood to have moved to Wales and his father was last living in an exclusive street in Chelsea. None of his relatives have commented since his prison break.

Khalife attended Teddington School, whose alumni includes Keira Knightley. One friend told The Times: 'He was a very nice guy when he joined the school aged 11. He was the class clown, one of the funniest in the year, but he became a bit more into his shell.'

He was in the lower sets at school, and was described as a bit of a loner who sat at the back 'swinging on his chair', leaving with a 'handful of GCSEs' and joining the Army shortly afterwards.

The 21-year-old joined the Royal Corps of Signals, a regiment that leads on IT, Cyber and Telecommunications, providing battle winning communications to every part of the Army.

People who know who said computers were his passion, and he was immersed in the online world. A Vlog by YouTube star Callux, who has 4million subscribers, showed Khalife playing with a padlock to a railway gate.

The terror suspect's face lights up when he and two friends realise who has just walked past them and he asks if they can take a selfie.

It comes as Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said today that police are not ruling out the possibility that Khalife's escape from prison was an inside job.

The force chief said the ex-British soldier's audacious jailbreak from HMP Wandsworth was 'clearly pre planned' and confirmed the prospect of jail staff helping him remained part of their enquiries.

It comes as the search for Khalife centred around Richmond Park, which was locked down overnight amid claims he could be using his army training to hide out there.

Two helicopters with body-heat detecting technology circled the park - near where his family have recently lived - while pharmacies have been urged to keep a lookout following suggestions he may have suffered burns to his face during his escape.

Khalife, who served in 16 Signal Regiment, whose motto is Find A Way Or Make One, is thought to have clung to the underside of the truck by fashioning straps out of the plastic covering on his cell mattress.

Sir Mark told LBC of the escape this morning: 'It is clearly pre-planned, the fact that he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon.'

A police car is seen inside Richmond Park this morning as the hunt for Khalife continues

The Met Police admitted that Khalife's 'previous military experience' may make him harder to catch, as he is likely 'more aware of efforts to apprehend him.'

The van left the Category-B prison at around 7:30 am, taking a right turn out of the gates onto Heathfield Road

Scotland Yard revealed last night there was 65 minutes between it leaving the prison and being stopped and searched by police, meaning a huge number of possible places where Khalife might have slipped away.

As investigators worked to unravel how he managed to pull off a Colditz-style breakout in broad daylight, more details emerged of the audacious escape.

Khalife, who police suspect used his military training to carefully plan his escape, began Wednesday morning by helping to prepare breakfast at the Victorian jail.

He turned up for duty dressed in his chef's uniform of a white T-shirt, distinctive red and white chequered trousers and brown steel-toe boots.

After serving breakfast to inmates and guards, he slipped out of the kitchen carrying makeshift strapping of some kind, which police have declined to describe in more detail.

In the yard outside the kitchen building, a lorry from the wholesaler Bidfood was making a routine delivery of groceries.

When no one was looking, Khalife ducked under the sidebars of the lorry and positioned himself precariously beneath the truck's underbelly, using the strapping to support his weight.

At around 7.30am, with the driver blissfully unaware of the stowaway, the Bidfood lorry was driven 250 yards along the road running along the inside of the 30ft perimeter wall famously scaled by Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs in 1965. Two internal security gates had to be opened to let it pass.

At 7.32am, the lorry carrying the former Royal Signals soldier rolled through the prison's imposing Victorian gate into the open.

It was waved past guards and CCTV cameras with another cursory inspection, with no one thinking to check underneath at any of the three security checks.

As Khalife clung on, just inches from the wheels and the spinning drive shaft, the lorry turned right on to residential Heathfield Road, then left, then left again on to the busy triple-laned A214.

Police have stressed there is no suspicion about Bidfood or its driver, and said they had been co-operating fully.

Officers either do not know or have not said at what point Khalife decided to leave his escape vehicle, or what he did next.

But the truck embarked on a near four-mile route through Wandsworth Town and on to the South Circular A205 road heading west towards Putney.

Khalife had an 18-minute head-start before anyone even noticed his absence. He was declared missing at 7.50am, and prison officers launched an urgent search, but it was a further 25 minutes before the police were called at 8.15am  by now a full 43 minutes after he had sprung himself.

Metropolitan Police cars descended on the area, while the lorry driver was called by his company and ordered to turn around and return to the prison.
MBABANE  One of the renowned and seasoned news anchors to ever grace the countrys television screens, Vusi Swebhu Lwabhuza Gamedze has passed on at the age of 64.

Gamedze, who worked for Eswatini TV (then Swazi TV) for 30 years, is said to have answered to the Lords call on Sunday. He was mostly renowned for his immaculate news reading skills along with a slogan he used to say after the end of each bulletin, Nine beluswebhu swebhu swebhu lwabhuza! His sister, Lungile, confirmed her brothers demise as she said Vusi suffered a stroke nine years ago, which resulted in him to be sickly until he passed on.



His condition had deteriorated over the years after suffering a stroke nine years ago, which compelled him not to work. On the day he passed on, we were preparing to transport him to Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital in Siteki but he then died that very morning, she said.

Joined

Before he joined the national broadcaster in 1984, Vusi was a news reporter for Times of Eswatini (1979-1980) and later joined Eswatini Observer, where he also worked from 1981-1982. He, however, went back to work for the Times of Eswatini the following year, which was when he migrated from print media to broadcasting from 1984 until he retired in 2014. Vusi joined Eswatini TV as a court reporter and he worked his way up the ranks until he was the news editor for the station.

At some point, he would form part of the prime ministers delegation and broadcast from various parts of the world to keep the nation informed. Eswatini TVs Senior Communications and Brand Officer Nomcebo Mbhamali said: From us as an institution, we are deeply saddened on the passing of a colleague, icon and journalist who was loved by the country and beyond.

Vusi was someone who was loved by a lot of people as he had a great sense of humour, hard worker and became popular with the saying Swebhu swebhu swebhu lwabhuza. This became a household slogan for him as it made him popular. May his soul rest in peace and Eswatini TV will always remember him, she said. Mbhamali added that Vusi was a professional to such an extent that he inspired a lot of newsreaders who, even to this day, looked up to him. Channel yemaSwati founder and Vusis former colleague, Qhawe Mamba said, he first knew Vusi when he joined Eswatini TV as a journalist around 1984.

He described the deceased as a very friendly colleague, who later became a friend. When he came to Swazi TV, I helped him adapt into TV to a point where he later emulated my praise names as I would say Luswebhu Lwabhuza lolushaya bafokati nebafokatana, until he tailor made the slogan which then made him popular, he said.

Mamba described Vusi as a peoples person who worked diligently with other people.

Healthy

Former Eswatini TV cameraman, who worked closely with Vusi alongside Sabelo Masuku, Oscar Mabusela, said he had a healthy working relationship with the late news anchor. He said at some point, Vusi was mentored by the late Mandla Tiger Magagula and he worked his way up the ranks to later become a news editor for the station. Vusis funeral service will take place tomorrow at Egugu in Siteki, which will be preceded by a memorial service, which will be held at Dominion Centre of All Nations in Siteki at 11:30am. Vusi is survived by his three siblings, five children, five grandchildren and one great-grandson.
DAVID ELSTEIN: Charles is RIGHT not to apologise... Campaigners are demanding the King say sorry on his Kenyan tour this week for Britain's treatment of the Mau Mau rebels, but they couldn't be more wrong
Elon Musk has admitted to thwarting a major Ukrainian attack, enraging officials in Kyiv who have blamed him for the deaths of children and 'committing evil'.

The billionaire CEO of Tesla, X (formerly Twitter) and Space X was accused in a new book of cutting off Ukraine's access to Starlink over the Crimean coast to prevent an attack on the Russian naval fleet.

Responding to the accusation, Musk said that while he did not order engineers to switch off the satellite system, he did refuse Kyiv's request to turn it on because - he said - he wanted to 'avoid being complicit in a major act of war.'

The world's richest man began providing free access to Space X's Starlink internet terminals in the early days of the Russian invasion in February 2022, which have been vital in allowing Ukrainians to communicate and coordinate their resistance.

But, at the end of last year, his enthusiasm began to wane, and he became increasingly concerned about taking sides - ultimately ordering that the internet be shut down to stop a 'kamikaze drone' submarine attack on Russian warships.

Elon Musk has admitted to thwarting a major Ukrainian attack , enraging officials in Kyiv who have blamed him for the deaths of children and 'committing evil'

The billionaire CEO of Tesla, X (formerly Twitter) and Space X (pictured in June) was accused in a new book of cutting off Ukraine's access to Starlink over the Crimean coast to prevent an attack on the Russian naval fleet

The world's richest man began providing free access to Space X's Starlink internet terminals in the early days of the Russian invasion in February 2022, which have been vital in allowing Ukrainians to communicate and coordinate their resistance. Pictured: A starlink antenna is seen covered in camouflage in Ukraine, December 2022

Musk's admission came in response to this post on Twitter, titled 'ELON PREVENTS NUCLEAR WAR?', which summarised a story from CNN that reported he had made the decision to turn off Ukraine's internet after speaking to Russian officials

Musk told his millions of followers 'there was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol' but that he did not cut access, saying he only refused to turn on the satellites to allow Ukraine to carry out the attack

The admission from the Tesla co-founder has infuriating official in Kyiv, with Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky , pinning the blame for the deaths of children and other civilians on Musk's 'ignorance' and 'ego'

The exact date of the shutdown is not known, but CNN reported on Thursday that Musk made the decision to turn off Ukraine's internet after speaking to Russian officials, who left him certain nuclear war would ensue.

The move disrupted a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian fleet and caused drones to wash harmlessly on to the shore.

Responding to a post on his social media site that summarised the story, titled 'ELON PREVENTS NUCLEAR WAR?', Musk said: 'The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything.'

However, he told his millions of followers 'there was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol.

'The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor.

'If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation,' he added.

The admission from the Tesla co-founder has infuriating official in Kyiv, with Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, pinning the blame for the deaths of children and other civilians on Musk's 'ignorance' and 'ego'.

'Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake,' Podolyak said on Twitter.

'By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via Starlink interference, [Musk] allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, children are being killed.

'This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego,' he said.

'However, the question still remains: why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realise that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?'

Oliver Carroll, a foreign correspondent for The Economist, noted on Twitter that the angry response from Kyiv marks a change of approach towards Musk.

Ukraine has previously appeared eager not to alienate the billionaire, but Podolyak's angry posts suggest Musk has tipped officials over the edge.

Russian warships sail on the Neva river during the Navy Day parade in Saint Petersburg in July this year. Musk prevented an attack on the Russian fleet in 2022, feeling he halted a 'mini Pearl Harbor' that could have escalated to nuclear war

Ukrainians are pictured standing near a Starlink terminal in November 2022 in Kherson, to use the internet

A visitor looks at the booth of Starlink during the International Consumer Electronics Fair (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, IFA) in Berlin, Germany, September 1, 2023

The original claim was made in a new biography, out on September 15, in which Musk asked author Walter Isaacson: 'How am I in this war?'

'Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.'

But The service has enabled Ukrainians to benefit from uninterrupted, independent and secure internet access amid Russia's consolidated missile attacks - which had caused significant damage to Ukraine's communications infrastructure.

In many cases, Starlink satellites became the only means of communication for the Ukrainian armed forces on the frontlines as the push against Russian defences.

Not long after Starlink began to help in Ukraine, Musk became concerned about the potential ramifications, and began speaking to US and Russian officials about the implications, as well as Ukrainian leaders.

He spoke to President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan; the chairman of the joint chiefs, General Mark Milley; and the Russian ambassador to the US, Isaacson writes.

Ukraine's military had harnessed the technology to pilot drones carrying anti-tank grenades, destroying Russian tanks and army trucks.

Kyiv had also pioneered the use of naval 'kamikaze' drones - unmanned vessels laden with explosives that are driven toward Russian warships and detonated upon impact. In some cases, these have successfully damaged Russian ships.

Seafaring drones are also believed to have been deployed to destroy or damage infrastructure controlled by Moscow - most notably a stretch of the Kerch bridge that connects occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.

The South African-born billionaire made the decision to turn the internet off when he learned that Ukrainian commanders were plotting a submarine drone attack on a Russian naval vessel, off the coast of Crimea, according to the reports.

A Ukrainian soldier of the 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade uses the Starlink system in June this year in the Chernihiv region

Kyiv planned to remote-pilot a drone to deliver an explosive strike on a Russian navy ship at a Black Sea base in occupied Crimea.

But Musk denied the Ukrainian military the use of his Starlink network.

When Musk switched the internet off, the drones, strapped with explosives, 'lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,' Isaacson writes.

Musk was relieved he had prevented what he believed could have been a 'mini Pearl Harbor,' the author said.

The decision, the book claims, was driven by a concern that a Ukrainian attack would lead to a Russian response on Crimea with nuclear weapons. That fear was spurred by Musk's conversations with Russian officials.

In the wake of the aborted strike, Ukraine army chief Valery Zaluzhnyi reportedly sought contact with Milley, alleging Musk had the ability to dictate his military's capabilities to attack key Russian targets.

Zaluzhnyi said it was 'concerning' that Musk had ruined several planned attacks.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi , commander-in-chief of Ukraine's army, complained to his U.S. counterpart about Musk's control over battlefield tactics

Musk's Starlink satellites have provided essential communication support for Ukraine's military since Russia invaded

Musk had maintained from the outset that his technology is meant 'for peaceful use only.'

Ukrainian officials pleaded with Musk directly to turn the internet back on.

Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister of Ukraine, pleaded with Musk via text message to restore the Starlink connection, telling Musk about their capabilities.

'I just want you - the person who is changing the world through technology - to know this,' Fedorov told Musk, according to Isaacson.

Musk told Fedorov he was impressed by the submarine, but would not restore the internet connection because he felt it was too provocative. He told Fedorov that Ukraine 'is now going too far and inviting strategic defeat,' according to Isaacson.

Musk's comments appear to contradict this version of events, saying that the satellites were never switched on over the region in the first place, and that Ukraine was pleading with him to turn them on so they could carry out the attack.

Last month, Musk was was accused of holding 'the Ukrainians and the US government at gunpoint,' with his ability to switch off internet services on the Ukrainian front line at will.

Ultimately, the Pentagon paid Musk to keep the connection going, but journalist Ronan Farrow, in a profile of Musk for the New Yorker, spoke to Ukrainian and US officials who were deeply uneasy about the power Musk held.

Farrow told CNN that there had been 'a standoff over internet access in Ukraine.'

Ronan Farrow told CNN that Elon Musk had 'the Ukrainians and the U.S. government at gunpoint'

'It appears he was talking to Vladimir Putin - he was telling multiple people that at the time, although he has since tried to deny that,' said Farrow.

'And then he was curtailing access specifically in areas that Russia was contesting.

'At the end of that one of the things that happened was the Pentagon did pay up.

'We're going to make a deal in place to make sure this doesn't shut off entirely.'

But Farrow said Ukrainians who had so praised Musk in the first year of the war were now worried about the whims of their mercurial benefactor.

Musk, in October 2022, was already complaining about the cost of providing the internet service.

He told the Pentagon that he could no longer fund the Starlink service.

Defense officials were 'panicked' by the prospect of the internet service being switched off and Colin Kahl, then the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, discussed the issue with Musk that month.

Kahl added: 'My inference was that he was getting nervous that Starlink's involvement was increasingly seen in Russia as enabling the Ukrainian war effort, and was looking for a way to placate Russian concerns.'

A senior defense official told the New Yorker that several conversations took place with US staff, and Musk revealed: 'Well, I had this great conversation with Putin.'

Musk ultimately backed down, and agreed to keep providing free internet to Ukraine.

'The hell with it  even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free,' Musk wrote.

Gwynne Shotwell, Musk's president at SpaceX, was furious at Musk for folding, according to Isaacson.

'The Pentagon had a $145 million check ready to hand to me, literally,' Isaacson quotes Shotwell as saying.

'Then Elon succumbed to the bulls*** on Twitter and to the haters at the Pentagon who leaked the story.'

Local residents use a Starlink terminal, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, on January 31

A Ukrainian soldier gestures as he stands next to the Starlink connection in October in Kherson

Farrow, in his New Yorker article, reported that Ukrainians were deeply troubled by the episode.

'People on the ground in Ukraine, on the front lines, remained spooked,' said Farrow.

'We bought his services, apparently at a very generous rate.

'This is a situation where, metaphorically, he had the Ukrainians and the U.S. government at gunpoint.

'And to this day they do fear that he is going to curtail service more.'

Four months later, in February this year, Shotwell formally announced the company was limiting Ukraine's use of Starlink for military purposes.

Shotwell stated the service could be used for typical communications and humanitarian efforts, such as connecting families and hospitals.

Starlink's terms of service document clearly states: 'Starlink is not designed or intended for use with or in offensive or defensive weaponry or other comparable end-uses.'

Musk, whose offered his network of satellites to support Ukraine's wartime communications for free in 2022, has maintained from the outset that his technology is meant 'for peaceful use only'

Reports that Musk had spoken with Putin about the war first surfaced last October, and the Tesla owner has denied the claim

Farrow said Musk's meetings with Putin raised eyebrows.

'There is nothing wrong with those kind of warm relationships between a private individual and significant government leadership, even in the context of a military contractor relationship,' he said.

'But this is something more, and different.'

He pointed out that the United States was now in the unprecedented position of relying on a private individual for NASA's space transport, and for completing its self-prescribed transition to electric vehicles.

Farrow called it 'a new extreme, and political, power.'

The report said Musk 'had said that his consultations with the Kremlin were regular'.

The report did not include further information about what Musk and the Russian president discussed.

Reports that Musk had spoken with Putin about the war first surfaced last October, and the Tesla owner has denied the claim.

The official who spoke to the New Yorker said the view in US defense circles about the alleged conversation was: 'Oh dear, this is not good.'

Kahl said that 'even though Musk is not technically a diplomat or statesman, I felt it was important to treat him as such, given the influence he had on this issue'.

Colin Kahl, then the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, spoke with Elon Musk last October amid fears in the Pentagon that Musk might switch off the Starlink service in Ukraine

As Musk grew uneasy about funding Starlink in Ukraine, he also argued publicly with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky about possible diplomatic solutions which could be found to the war

As Musk grew uneasy about funding Starlink in Ukraine, he also argued publicly with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky about possible diplomatic solutions, which could be found to the war.

Musk had tweeted that a deal could be reached that allowed Russia to maintain control of the Crimean Peninsula, which it occupied in 2014.

Zelensky responded with a sarcastic Twitter poll which asked: 'Which Elon Musk do you like more?': 'One who supports Ukraine' or 'One who supports Russia.'

Musk said in October 2022 that he'd spoken to Putin 'only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space.'
It was a year on from the day that, while staying in Kenya, Princess Elizabeth learned of the death of her father and became Queen.

On February 6, 1953, Her Late Majesty marked the first anniversary of King George VI's death quietly with her husband Prince Philip.

The pair attended a private Holy Communion service at Sandringham Parish Church, as the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret went to the Royal Chapel in Windsor Great Park.

In Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel, a wreath from the Queen, Queen Mother and other members of the Royal Family was laid on King George's tomb.

Twelve months earlier, it was in that historic chapel that the Queen and the rest of the King's family said their final goodbye in scenes that were echoed following Her Late Majesty's own death a year ago today.

Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, conversing with her father, King George VI in July 1946

The late Queen's son King Charles marked his mother's passing by attending a special service at Crathie Kirk today to commemorate her life.

He appeared moved by warm wishes from crowds who also gathered to mark the anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church, where successive monarchs have worshiped since Queen Victoria.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years.

As with the first anniversary in 1953, the Queen would spend that solemn day each year at Sandringham, away from the public gaze.

King George VI passed away while suffering from lung cancer.

The Queen arrived home from Kenya on February 7 and was photographed looking crestfallen as she walked down the steps of her plane at London Airport. Once on the tarmac, she was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, widow of King George VI, and Queen Mary at London King's Cross railway station for the arrival of the special train bringing the coffin of King George VI from Sandringham

Queen Elizabeth II leaving the funeral train after its arrival at Kings Cross Station from Sandringham

The funeral procession of King George VI as it passes along the Edgware Road towards Paddington Station

Londoners are seen settling down for the night in Parliament Square so they can watch the funeral procession of King George VI from Westminster Hall to Paddington Station

King George VI's funeral procession passes down Piccadilly, as thousands of ordinary Britons line the route behind soldiers in February 1952

The funeral cortege of King George VI makes its way through Parliament Square, London. The king's coffin is carried on a gun carriage, on top of which rests the Crown on the Royal Standard

Members of the Royal Family entering St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in the company of the King's Company Grenadier Guards

The coffin containing the body of King George VI in a procession reaching St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

King George VI's funeral cortege passes through Windsor as hundreds of residents line the streets or stand outside their homes. The coffin was on the same carriage that had carried his father King George V, grandfather Edward VII and great-grandmother Queen Victoria

The notice announcing his death read: 'The King, who retired to rest last night in his usual health, passed peacefully away in his sleep early this morning.'

When she was told about her father's passing, the Queen was staying at the Sagana game-viewing Lodge in Kenya with her husband.

The Daily Mail's report on how the Queen marked the first anniversary of her father's passing

She was proclaimed Queen in her absence by the Accession Council before she and Philip returned to London from Kenya on February 7.

Her Majesty then formally proclaimed herself monarch, Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith at St James's Palace.

The King's casket was taken by train from Sandringham to London, where it then made its way to Westminster Hall to lie in state.

BBC presenter Richard Dimbleby said during the broadcast of the Westminster Hall proceedings, said: 'Never safer, better guarded, lay a sleeping king than this, with a golden candlelight to warm his resting place, and the muffled footsteps of his devoted subjects to keep him company.'

On the day of the funeral, February 15, George's coffin was draped in the royal standard, with a crown, orb and sceptre lain on top.

It then made its way in a formal televised procession to Paddington Station. It was carried on a gun carriage that was hauled by Royal Navy seamen as the Queen, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were among those who followed.

As it made it way through London, the bells of Big Ben rang out 56 times, with each chime representing a year of the late King's life.

Once at Paddington, the coffin was taken to Windsor by train, where a simple service was held for the King in St George's Chapel, where successive monarchs have been buried for centuries.

When the funeral got underway at 2pm, the nation fell silent, with even passengers on a transatlantic flight to New York rising from their seats to bow their heads.

The service, in which television cameras were banned, was presided over by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher and the Archbishop of York Cyril Garbett.

It was described in intricate detail by the Daily Mail.

The report read: 'One moment it seemed that the King was with us, and the next that he had gone.

'Slowly his draped coffin sank upon its purple-shrouded bier beneath the chancel floor of St George's Chapel, Windsor.

'Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it faded from our sight.

The King's funeral cortege moves past Windsor Castle on its way to St George's Chapel

The funeral of King George VI, at St. George's Chapel , Windsor Castle. In front of the altar is the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Geoffrey Fisher. Immediately behind the coffin are the heavily veiled Queen, Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and the Princes Royal

The Daily Mail's coverage of the King's death was delved into intricate detail of the monarch's final journey from Westminster Hall to Windsor's St George's Chapel, via Paddington station

'But a moment before and our new Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth, had taken the Colour of the King's Company, the Grenadier Guards, and had placed it on the end of the coffin.

'Then, as all that is mortal of her father sank into its purple sepulchre,, she stepped forward and sprinkled earth on to the coffin.'

It added: 'In that moment it seemed that this slim slight figure who has borne the intense nervous strains of the past ten days with magnificent composure was dedicated and set apart.

'In that moment the young Queen, bidding mute farewell to her father and predecessor on the Throne, had taken her place in the long and glorious roll of those who have worn the Crown.'

Once the service was over, George was buried in the Royal Vault of St George's Chapel.

Elizabeth's final tribute to her father was to drop a handful of earth that she had collected from Frogmore at Windsor on his coffin.

In 1969, on completion of the King George VI Memorial Chapel, the King's body was moved there.
First lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID on Thursday, after her earlier positive result put President Biden's travel plans in doubt this week.

The East Wing made the announcement Thursday. The first lady, 72, had tested positive Monday, following a weekend where she visited Florida storm victims along with her husband and then flew to Philadelphia Monday for a Labor Day event with union workers.

She was experiencing 'only mild symptoms,' the White House said when it first announced she tested positive for COVID, amid a nationwide surge in infections.

The president boarded Air Force One Thursday en route to India for the G20 summit. He got negative test results Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, according to the White House.

First lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID on Thursday. That follows a Monday positive test result that had her isolating at her Delaware beach house

He plans to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday night after arriving in New Delhi.

With a negative result under her belt, the first lady is scheduled to join former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the White House next week to present an arts award.

The first lady tested positive Monday night. Pictured: Jill is seen greeting Floridians following Hurricane Idalia on Saturday, September 2

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returns to the White House she tried to capture next week to present an arts award along with first lady Jill Biden

The White House said that Clinton is scheduled to appear Tuesday to help honor the 2023 winners of the Praemium Imperiale, a global prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association for lifetime achievement.

Praemium Imperiale laureates were first celebrated at the White House by President Bill Clinton and the then-first lady in 1994.
THE longest lasting snow patch in the UK has melted away for only the tenth time in 300 years.

Known as the Sphinx the patch forms on a sheltered part of the Braeriach Munro, in the Cairngorms, but it has now melted away for the third year in a row.

Until 100 years ago it was thought to be a permanent feature on the mountain, which is Britains third highest at 4,252ft, but as the climate changes and global temperatures continue to rise its disappearance is becoming more and more common.

Since records began the Sphinx melted in 1933 and 1959, but it has disappeared eight more times since 1996.

Snow hunter Iain Cameron, who has been observing the patches for more than three decades, has previously claimed that it was beyond reasonable doubt that a warming climate was the reason for the multiple disappearances.

Britain is set to lose its longest-lasting patch of snow this weekend as warm weather melts the entire Cairngorms

The patch at Garbh Choire Mor on Braeriach could be gone by the weekend

Garbh Choire Mor on Braeriach is located in the Cairngorms

And Mr Cameron said The Sphinx will now only occasionally survive the year.

It previously melted fully in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and now 2023.

But the 1930s it is last thought to have melted completely in the 1700s, but there are no formal records.

Other Scottish mountains is also have long-lasting snow patches, but the Sphinx is considered to be the longest lasting.

Only one now remains in the UK on a mountain near Ben Nevis.
A ten-year-old boy died after being electrocuted at a seafront hotel in Blackpool.

Emergency services were called to the incident in the reception area at Tiffany's Hotel on Sunday night.

After four days in hospital in a critical condition, the young boy died yesterday with his family at his bedside.

In a statement today, Lancashire Constabulary said: 'A boy has sadly died following an incident at a Blackpool hotel.

'We were called to the Promenade, Blackpool, at 10.39pm on Sunday to reports a ten-year-old boy had been found unresponsive inside a hotel.

'He was taken to hospital with injuries consistent with coming into contact with a high voltage of electricity and very sadly died in hospital yesterday, Thursday, September 7.

Emergency services were called to the incident in the reception area at the Tiffany's Hotel at 10.40pm on Sunday (stock image)

'His family were by his bedside and our thoughts are with them at this time.'

Following an initial police investigation the incident has now been passed to the local authority.

A file will be prepared for HM Coroner.

Tiffany's Hotel told MailOnline in a statement today: 'We are heartbroken by the news we have received today and our thoughts and prayers remain with the family at this distressing time.

'We will continue to provide the relevant authorities any assistance they need to carry out their investigations.

'The safety and comfort of our guests remains our number one priority and therefore we have taken the decision to voluntarily close whilst the investigations and our own inspections take place. Our phone lines remain open.'

A spokesman for the hotel earlier said: 'We are deeply saddened by this recent incident involving a child who has received a shock on Sunday evening within our reception lounge area. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the child and their family during this distressing time.'

A Blackpool Council spokeswoman said: 'We have been informed of the tragic death of a young boy following an incident at Tiffany's Hotel. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.

'Our investigation is now under way and following our advice the owner of the hotel has agreed to a voluntary closure.

'If anyone has information relating to this investigation they can email us at hs.enforcement@blackpool.gov.uk'
Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty played football with local schoolchildren in Delhi, India, during an official visit today ahead of the G20 summit.

The Prime Minister and his wife - who showed off her style with four outfit changes over the course of the day - had a private dinner to close the first evening of their trip to the Indian capital.

They were due to attend an event with business leaders but tight road controls imposed as a result of the summit made it difficult for guests to reach the centre of New Delhi.

The PM and Ms Murty, daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from RAF Voyager at Indira Gandhi Airport on Friday.

They spoke with Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey before visiting the British Council in New Delhi.

Akshata Murty plays football with local schoolchildren at the British Council during an official visit ahead of the G20 summit

The PM and his wife meet schoolchildren in Delhi during a meeting of the British Council

The couple also met with students and staff taking part in a range of activities

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, in her fourth outfit change of the day, walk to dinner in central Delhi

Ms Murty meets local women at the British Council during an official visit ahead of the G20 Summit

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty are met on the tarmac by dignitaries including the Indian Minister of State and Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner to the Republic of India as they arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport

The PM and his wife arrive at the British Council during an official visit ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy board their official plane at Stanstead Airport last night

Speaking to reporters on the flight from London to the Indian capital, the Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, spoke about how 'special' it was to return to a country that is 'very near and dear' to him.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: 'It is obviously special.

'I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India's son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.'

Beaming in a floral ankle-length skirt and a 150 With Nothing Underneath dress shirt, Ms Murty showed why she is her husband's 'secret weapon' as she helped him adjust his tie before they stepped out of their plane.

Downing Street confirmed that the PM met Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni today while in New Delhi for the G20 summit.

The talks were informal, meaning No 10 will not release an account of what was said.

Ms Meloni and Mr Sunak have become firm allies, having united over their stance of cutting irregular immigration into their countries.

On being named Britain's best dressed woman earlier this year, Rishi Sunak 's wife Akshata Murty was mentioned in the same breath as the great Jackie O. Above: Ms Murty helping her husband with his tie as the pair arrive in Delhi today for the G7 summit

The queen of so-called 'dopamine dressing' is, according to high society bible Tatler magazine, a 'shining example' of 'diplomatically decadent' fashion that 'steals the show'. Beaming in a floral ankle-length skirt and white shirt, Ms Murty showed why she is her husband's 'secret weapon' today

After the meet and greet was over, Ms Murty slipped into a 72 midi skirt and enjoyed a game of football with schoolchildren at the British Council in Delhi.

Mr Sunak mentioned his wife today as he spoke to reporters after arriving in the Indian capital.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: 'It is obviously special.

'I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India's son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.

'I'm excited to be back. It is nice to have Akshata with me as well.'

The Prime Minister and his wife were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from their official RAF Voyager plane at Indira Gandhi Airport.

Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey were also on the tarmac to welcome the couple.

Mr Sunak will be in India until Sunday, attending G20 sessions and holding talks on the fringes with world leaders.

Ms Murty is always likely to be close by as she deploys her knowledge of her home country.

The former fashion designer and her brother Rohan were largely raised by their paternal grandparents as her ambitious mother and father pursued careers in engineering and science.

Her father Narayana, who was recently ranked the sixth richest person in India with a an estimated 3.9billion fortune, built his family's wealth after founding his firm Infosys, which is currently worth around 53billion.

Ms Murty's mother Sudha became the first female engineer to work for India's biggest car manufacturer, TELCO.

Child prodigy Rohan started computer coding at the age of eight before studying a PhD at Harvard and becoming a junior fellow at the prestigious university.

Ms Murty beams as she and Mr Sunak are met on the tarmac at Indira Gandhi Airport by Indian Minister of State and Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner to the Republic of India

Rishi Sunak his wife Akshata Murty arrive at Indira Gandhi Airport for an official visit ahead of the G20 Summit

Eyes on the prize: Ms Murty is seen in control of a football as she plays with local schoolchildren at the British Council in New Delhi

Ms Murty has been compared with former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, who went on to marry Aristotle Onassis and was well known for her sense of style. Above: Mrs Kennedy during a reception at the White House with her husband, US President John F Kennedy

He later joined the family company in 2013, before stepping down amid claims by Infosys employees of nepotism at the time.

A year later, he founded AI firm Soroco, of which his sister Akshata is listed as a director of its UK arm.

Ms Murty had a passion for fashion from an early age, something which got her into trouble with her mother.

She previously recalled how she was scolded for paying more attention to glamour than she did to her studies.

After finishing school, Akshata moved to the US, where she completed degrees in economics and French at Claremont McKenna College in California and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA.

She met her future husband after moving to Stanford University to study for an MBA.

Mr Sunak previously told how there was 'clearly something' there when he and his wife first met. He went as far as changing some of his classes so he could sit next to his wife.

Four years later, in 2009, they married in a lavish ceremony in Bengaluru in India, which was the couple's home for the next four years.

Ms Murty beams as she talks to women at the British Council in Delhi during a visit with her husband

The pair were given their own football shirts during their visit to the British Council, where they met schoolchildren

The power couple chat to children at the British Council today, kicking off their visit to India

Rishi Sunak is seen with headphones on as he enjoys a chuckle with schoolchildren at the British Council

Akshata Murthy leads the way as she talks to schoolchildren at the British Council

Ms Murty talks with local women at the British Council in Delhi on the first day of hers and Mr Sunak's visit to India

Rishi Sunak signs a football for schoolchildren at the British Council today

Narayana and Sudha Murthy at the wedding reception of their daughter Akshata and Rishi Sunak

Akshata with Rishi at their wedding reception in 2009. The pair met at Stanford University

The extraordinary wealth of Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty and her family

This is the extraordinary web of homes and businesses with links to Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata

Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty (left) is seen with US First Lady Jill Biden in Downing Street ahead of the Coronation in May

Speaking last year about how his wife is different to him, Mr Sunak told The Times: 'I'm incredibly tidy, she's very messy. I'm much more organised, she is more spontaneous... she is not going to love me for saying this but I'll be honest with you, she is not big on the whole tidying thing.

'She is a total nightmare, clothes everywhere... and shoes... oh God, shoes.'

During their early years together, Akshata pursued a career in fashion and set up her own business in 2007, Akshata Designs.

It was centred around the celebration of Indian culture and focused on discovering artists in remote villages.

'I'm about the story behind a particular garment, it's authenticity, craftsmanship and protecting a rich heritage,' she told Vogue.

'I care about doing something in India, for India because it's part of our family's DNA.'

However, her business venture fell flat and collapsed after just three years.

Nonetheless, the mother of two has continued to hold stakes in businesses over the years, the most significant of which is her estimated 430million holding in Infosys.

She and Mr Sunak also set up a project together, Catamaran Ventures UK.

Ms Murty has also been linked to Jamie Oliver's Pizzeria and Etonian tailor, New & Lingwood.

Earlier this year Mr Sunak apologised for breaking the MPs' Code of Conduct by failing to correctly declare his wife's financial interest in a childminding company that benefited from changes made in the Budget.

Commons' Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg opened the inquiry in April following concerns that Mr Sunak did not detail his wife's shares in a childcare Koru Kids.

He concluded the breach arose out of the Prime Minister's 'confusion' around the rules on declaration, and decided to close the inquiry without the need for further action after finding the error to have been made inadvertently.

Eventually Rishi and Akshata moved to the UK in 2013, where Rishi became MP for Richmond in Yorkshire two years later.

The couple now live in a 7 million townhouse in Kensington with their daughters, which is just one of several properties they own.

As well as the townhouse, they also enjoy a 1million flat in Kensington and a 2million mansion in Rishi's Yorkshire constituency, where he is nicknamed the 'Maharaja of the Dales'.

They also have a 5.5million penthouse in California, overlooking Santa Monica pier, which they use in the holidays.

Earlier this year she made headlines for her non-domicile ('non-dom') tax status, which is a legal but controversial way to avoid paying taxes in Britain on overseas income.

The status is often used by the super-wealthy to save thousands or even millions of pounds in tax.

Amid an intense public backlash, Ms Murty gave up the non-dom status and promised to pay tax in the UK on the fortunes she brought in from around the world.

A statement read: 'It has become clear that many do not feel it is compatible with my husband's role as Chancellor.

'I understand and appreciate the British sense of fairness and I do not wish my tax status to be a distraction for my husband or to affect my family.

'This means I will now pay UK tax on an arising basis on all my worldwide income, including dividends and capital gains, wherever in the world that income arises.

'I do this because I want to, not because the rules require me to.'

As well as her tax status, the mother of two has also raised eyebrows with her wardrobe, after stepping out on occasion in outfits worth thousands of pounds.

In December 2020, the IT heiress wore a box-fresh pair of 445 Gucci trainers, a REDValentino shearling and leather coat costing 1,630 and a leather skirt worth more then 1,000, for a date night with her husband in upmarket Mayfair.

However, during Mr Sunak's first leadership campaign in the summer of 2022  in which he lost out to Liz Truss  Ms Murty stepped out in a High-Street outfit at a campaign event for her husband.

Akshata has previously raised eyebrows with her high-end wardrobe. Above: She wears a box-fresh pair of 445 Gucci trainers, a REDValentino shearling and leather coat costing 1,630 and a leather skirt worth more then 1,000, for a date night with her husband in Mayfair in 2020

Akshata's brother Rohan Murty (left) is a Harvard fellow who founded AI company Soroco. Their uncle Shrinivas Kulkarni (right) is an awarding-winning professor of astronomy at Caltech

She donned a 165 dress by high street label Club Monaco for the outing to Margaret Thatcher's hometown of Grantham.

After naming her as Britain's best dressed woman in early August, Tatler style editor Chandler Tregaskes said: 'Her stream of 'It' ensembles would have given Jackie Kennedy a run for her money...

'Mrs Sunak is a shining example of modern-day diplomatically decadent dressing that steals the show.'

She displayed her prowess for 'dopamine dressing' - where you wear bright colours to radiate positivity and boost your mood - earlier this year when she joined her husband on his trip to Japan.

She wowed in a 95 fuchsia cashmere sweater from Chinti & Parker, and 165 island green trousers from ME+EM.

Ms Murty may have had style advice from Isabel Spearman, the PR guru who previously worked as an unofficial dresser to Samantha Cameron during her husband's tenure in Downing Street.

The brand consultant was spotted heading into No 10 just days before the King's Coronation in May, for which the Prime Minister's wife wore a 495 baby blue dress from Claire Mischevani that one commentator praised as 'incredible'.
Children as young as nine attacked police with petrol bombs, masonry and rocks in Northern Ireland last night - with four officers needing hospital treatment.

Steel poles and traffic cones were also thrown amid the chaos in Londonderry, with one officer struck in the head and damage caused to a police Land Rover.

Trouble broke out as Terrorism Investigation Unit detectives carried out three searches in the Creggan area as part of an ongoing investigation.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said last night that two of the searches were now complete, while the third was ongoing at Creevagh Heights in the Bligh's Lane area.

Trouble broke out as police carried out searches in the Creggan area of Londonderry last night

They said cash, a firearm, a suspected firearm, a number of suspected pipe bombs and suspected ammunition were seized and will undergo forensic examination.

John Boyle, Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council, said he was concerned by the 'very significant number of young people' involved.

He told the BBC's The North West Today: 'Things on the ground were quite significant and severe at some points.

'There was very young children, children I would estimate as being as young as nine or ten years of age involved in it.'

The PSNI tweeted this picture of a firearm found in the search in Creggan yesterday afternoon

Gary Middleton, Democratic Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Foyle, told the BBC's Nolan Show that four officers needed treatment in hospital after what he described as 'orchestrated' attacks on them.

He added: 'It is a deeply concerning situation and once again we are seeing the result and impact of violence and the impact on our communities.'

PSNI Derry City and Strabane Superintendent William Calderwood said: 'We appreciate the disruption search activity can have but I want to reassure you of this - our presence in the area and activity we carry out is about keeping people safe.

'That is our priority and we would appeal for calm.'
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The Princess of Wales has urged people to 'hold onto and cherish' their 'wonderful' memories of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.

Kate wore earrings that once belonged to the Queen today as she attended a private service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire with her husband Prince William.

The couple travelled by helicopter for the short service, which saw Kate poignantly place a floral tribute of white roses in front of a framed photograph of the Queen.

After laying the flowers, Kate stood for about ten seconds alongside William in quiet contemplation with their heads slightly bowed, before turning and walking away.

Outside the cathedral, she then met local flying instructor Patricia Mawuli Porter OBE who spoke of the Queen's warmth. And the Princess told her: 'We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them, cherish them.'

Kate could also be heard saying to another well-wisher: 'Is it fishing trips, sailing...?' The woman replied: 'It's guided wildlife tours.' And Kate then said: 'Oh, OK.'

Kate and William's trip to the ancient cathedral in South West Wales comes exactly a year since the nation's longest-reigning monarch died at Balmoral aged 96.

Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of their arrival in the grounds of the cathedral from dawn, but they had to wait in the sunshine after fog nearby meant the couple's helicopter had to be rerouted and their arrival delayed by more than an hour.

The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers as she visits St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire today

William and Kate walk forward to place flowers next to a framed photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II during a service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

Prince William and Kate move forward to lay the flowers at St David's Cathedral in Wales today to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II

The Princess of Wales lays flowers while standing with Prince William during the service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

Kate pauses in front of the flowers she laid at St Davids Cathedral in Wales this afternoon to pay her respects to the late monarch

Flowers placed by Kate next to a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II at St Davids Cathedral

The Wales's visit came as Prince Andrew was also spotted driving to Windsor Castle to mark the one year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death alongside his Private Protection Officer

William and Kate had been due to arrive at 12.25pm, but eventually turned up around 1.30pm and greeted well-wishers before walking inside for the ten-minute service. One well-wisher could be heard shouting towards William: 'You're doing a great job!'

The Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, told the congregation: 'It is particularly poignant to welcome you here, Your Royal Highnesses, on Accession Day, the first anniversary of the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

'She came here four times: the only monarch to sit in the Sovereign's stall, the seat of a Chapter member which came into the possession of the Crown at the Reformation.

'Today countless numbers will be remembering her with both sadness and with great affection, giving thanks again for her long life of dedicated service - as we do here.'

Kensington Palace later described the floral tribute in a social media post on X as a 'moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world'.

The trip came at the same time as William's brother Prince Harry made a shock and secret visit to St George's Chapel, the Windsor church where the Queen is buried.

In St Davids, royal fan Amanda Bentley, 47, from Pembroke Dock, arrived with her friends at 9.30am. She told MailOnline: 'We thought it would be a good opportunity to come down and see Wills and Kate.

Prince William meets a young well-wisher as he visits St Davids Cathedral on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon and wave to the crowds

The Prince and Princess of Wales are given flowers by children after the service in Wales today

The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers outside St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

The Princess of Wales smiles as she enters St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire today as the couple appear in good spirits

The Princess of Wales takes a selfie with well-wishers and school children as she visits St Davids Cathedral today

William and Kate are shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral, as they attend the service

The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers as she visits St Davids Cathedral today to mark the life of the Queen with a small private service

The Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral, signs the visitors book at St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet well-wishers as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

A moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world. pic.twitter.com/44JXfwCc4S  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2023

'I think it's nice they have a modern approach to the monarchy, and I think William and Charles will be a good example for future generations, because they had such a good example set for them (by the Queen).

'It was an opportunity we couldn't afford to waste. We are delighted to have this opportunity on our own patch. They are doing a grand job and we remember their grandmother fondly.'

American tourists Matt and Lori Colby, 60, from Wisconsin, cancelled a day trip to the Mumbles when they discovered William and Kate were visiting.

Mrs Colby told MailOnline: 'I always liked Princess Di, that's how I got started. I like their family life. They are a good example.'

The late Queen visited the cathedral four times during her reign - in 1955, 1982, 1995 and 2001 - and had sat in a special stall within the cathedral quire.

St Davids was a place close to the Queen's heart and the decision of the Prince and Princess of Wales to go there reflect that affection, and their new roles.

Britain's smallest city had lost its city status but in 1994, at the Queen's request, it was returned along with the Northern Irish town of Armagh 'in recognition of their important Christian heritage and their status as cities in the last century'.

It came as the Royal Family collectively mourned the monarch. Earlier, the King looked emotional as he left Crathie Kirk near Balmoral having paid a moving tribute to his adored mother.

As the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death today, crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace and Army gun salutes honouring Her Majesty rang out across the United Kingdom.

William and Kate also shared their own favourite pictures of the late monarch and said: 'Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C'.

Prince William and Kate are shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones (left) in St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet dignitaries as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers as she visits St Davids Cathedral today

William and Kate are shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral

The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral, view a book of condolences to the late Queen Elizabeth II at St Davids Cathedral

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet well-wishers as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet dignitaries as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

William and Kate meet well-wishers outside St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The couple posted a number of images of the late monarch on their Instagram page today, including one showing the Queen with her great-grandchildren at Balmoral, which was taken by Kate Middleton.

Another photo shows the family marking the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on June 2, 2022, just three months before the late Queen's death on September 8.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall.

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales wave during a visit to St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales leave following a visit to St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Meanwhile the King and Queen today attended a special service at Crathie Kirk to commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth - and appeared moved by warm-wishes from crowds who also gathered to mark the anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral estate to the Scottish church, where successive monarchs have worshiped since Queen Victoria.

The couple spoke to crowds outside afterwards who shared their condolences and handed them bouquets. The King told them that the flowers were 'wonderful' and joked with children about getting back to school.

Other royals were also at the service, including the Queen's great nephews Samuel and Arthur Chatto, sons of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto and the grandchildren of Princess Margaret.

People wait for Prince William and Kate outside St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire today

People wait for the arrival of Prince William and Kate outside St Davids Cathedral today

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is displayed in St Davids Cathedral ahead of the service today

The order of service is pictured in St Davids Cathedral ahead of the arrival of the royals today

And staff from Balmoral, the beloved Scottish home of the Queen where she died, also attended, walking to and from the service in the September sunshine.

The King looked emotional as he left Crathie Kirk having paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death today. Crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace and Army gun salutes honouring Her Majesty rang out across the United Kingdom.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

'We all miss you': The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a touching tribute to the late Queen on first anniversary of her death

Signed W&C for William and Catherine, the heartfelt message was posted on the anniversary of the Queen's death

The royal couple posted a number of images of the late monarch on their Instagram page today including this one of them celebrating the Platinum Jubilee on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (pictured)

The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a touching tribute to the late Queen on first anniversary of her death

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

It comes as the royal family shared a touching previously unseen picture of the late Queen on social media as they mark the first anniversary of her passing.

The image of Queen Elizabeth was taken at Buckingham Palace when she was just 42 in October 1968 by Cecil Beaton.

A number of images from the set have previously been shared, but the photograph, which shows the Queen dressed in a lilac dress and beaming at the camera, is believed to be new.

King Charles III looked visibly moved after leaving a service to mark the first anniversary of his mother the Queen. Camilla clutches flowers handed to them by well wishers

King Charles speaks with people at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral

The royal couple leave today's memorial service

Crowds watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death today

King Charles has paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death. Pictured: King Charles arriving at Crathie Parish Church, Balmoral today

Queen Camilla arrives with her husband

The King speaks to the clergy as he enters the church with his wife

Samuel and Arthur Chatto were among other royals at the service

Charles and Camilla will spend the rest of the day with family

The image was shared on the royal family's official social media page today, alongside the words: 'In loving and everlasting memory.'

The caption continued: 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 21st April 1926  8th September 2022.'

One image from the set is on display at the National Portrait Gallery, and shows the Queen smiling.

The photographs show the late monarch wearing the Cambridge pearl pendant brooch.

The historic brooch, over 140 years old, originally belonged to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge before being passed down to Queen Elizabeth from her grandmother.

Queen Elizabeth famously wore the piece for a portrait on her 50th birthday at Windsor Castle, on the 21st April, 1976 and, earlier, for a Christmas broadcast in 1971.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla meet estate staff as they leave Crathie Parish Church

Charles spoke briefly to estate staff

He also spoke to local schoolchildren

The Queen's adored niece Lady Sarah Chatto (right) leaves with her sons

Royal staff from Balmoral and mourners following the service as they head back to the house

The monarch also wore the brooch in 2019 during a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the work of The Queen's Trust and while welcoming the Peruvian ambassador at the palace in 2018.

The King today paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

The royal family have shared a touching previously unseen picture of the late Queen on social media as they mark the one year anniversary of her passing

The image was shared on the royal family's official social media page today, alongside the words: 'In loving and everlasting memory'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

The King today paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.'

It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton  the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.

It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.

The King apparently selected the photograph because of the 'lovely'  and slightly mischievous  look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.
A Russian missile attack on President Zelensky's home town has killed a policeman and injured at least 52 others, with civilians pulled out from the rubble of their destroyed homes.

Ten buildings were damaged in the strike on Kryvyi Rih after a wave of Russian attacks overnight in the centre and the east of the country.

Three of the people hauled from the rubble were left in a serious condition, with photos showing smoke spewing from the ruins of a building as rescue workers carried an injured person to an ambulance.

In one image of the aftermath a group of men can be seen pulling at concrete foundations to reveal a police officer, whose face is bloodied from the blast. Other photographs show ruined cars coated in rubble and firefighters sweeping through the wreckage.

Three administrative buildings and seven residential ones, including a high-rise, were damaged in the attack, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.

Rescuers and police officers work to pull a police officer from debris at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on September 8, 2023

Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on September 8, 2023

The police administrative building was destroyed and rescue workers pulled several people out of the rubble, Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine's minister of Internal Affairs, said on Telegram.

A Russian air strike killed three civilians and wounded four other people on Friday in the village of Odradokamianka in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson.

Three people were also injured in a missile attack in the eastern city of Sumy.

Ukraine's internal affairs ministry said one person was wounded in a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine.

Moscow also carried out its fifth drone attack this week on the southern Odesa region, home to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the Danube River that are used to export grain and other agricultural products.

Rescuers and police officers carry a person released from debris at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on September 8, 2023

A compound of a local police headquarters heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, on September 8, 2023

A local man tries to extinguish burning buildings at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on September 8, 2023

Russia has intensified air attacks on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure on the Danube River and in the port of Odesa since mid-July, when Moscow quit the UN-brokered deal that allowed safe Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.

Officials said air defences shot down 16 of the 20 drones fired by Russia overnight. The Southern military command said 14 drones had been brought down over Odesa region and two more over the southern region of Mykolaiv.

Oleh Kiper, Odesa's regional governor, said a non-residential building had been damaged by debris from a drone but gave no further details. He reported no casualties in the region.

Also on Friday, a funeral was being held for an 18-year-old who was among 17 people killed on Wednesday in a Russian missile strike on a market in Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

The attack, which wounded at least 32 others, destroyed the market and overshadowed a two-day visit by US secretary of state Antony Blinken aimed at assessing Ukraine's three-month-old counter-offensive and signalling continued US support with the announcement of an additional one billion dollars (801 million) in aid.

Britain announced on Friday that it will host a global food security summit in November in response to Russia's withdrawal of a Black Sea grain deal and attacks on Ukraine's grain supply.

Destroyed cars at a compound of a local police headquarters heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on September 8, 2023

Firefighters working at the site of a missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, central Ukraine, on September 8, 2023

The announcement came as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in India for a Group of 20 summit, where he hopes to marshal international resources to counteract the war's impact on the global food supply.

Sunak's government said Royal Air Force aircraft will fly over the Black Sea as part of efforts to deter Russia from striking cargo ships transporting grain from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia is holding local elections in the part of the Kherson region it controls.

Local elections are also being held in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In Kherson, local residents and Ukrainian activists say election poll workers have made house calls accompanied by armed soldiers.

Ukraine has dismissed the elections, calling on its allies to condemn Russia's actions and urging them not to recognise any administration created as a result of the vote.

A destroyed school in the frontline town of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, on September 7, 2023

Zelensky said on Friday that Russian air superiority was 'stopping' Kyiv's counter-offensive, complaining of the slow rate of both Western arms deliveries and sanctions on Russia.

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration at criticism over the speed of its counter-offensive.

'If we are not in the sky and Russia is, they stop us from the sky. They stop our counter-offensive,' Zelensky said, calling for more 'powerful and long-range' weapons.

Kyiv has repeatedly asked for planes to battle Russia's invasion, but many of its Western allies have been hesitant.

Ukraine has for weeks complained about the slow process of getting US-made F16s to improve its Soviet-era fleet.

Arms deliveries to Kyiv and new rounds of sanctions on Russia were becoming 'complicated and slower,' Zelensky added.

Ukraine relied on Western arms deliveries to launch its long-anticipated counter-offensive this summer.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks near a destroyed Ukrainian tank near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 25, 2023

A Ukrainian serviceman operates an FPV drone from his position on the front line near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 25, 2023

It has acknowledged the advance has been slow due to heavily-mined territory.

But Kyiv has also reported some success recently.

It declared a strategic victory last week with the capture of the southern village of Robotyne, which it said would pave the way for forces to push deeper towards Moscow-annexed Crimea.

Zelensky on Thursday singled out military units in the east and south for their fighting and military officials reported some breakthroughs in Bakhmut and near the village of Robotyne.

Russia said on Friday it had repelled numerous Ukrainian attacks along the front line and inflicted hundreds of losses on enemy forces, challenging Kyiv's assertion that Ukraine was making slow but steady progress in its counter-offensive.

Russia controls about 18 per cent of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea which it annexed in 2014 and a swathe of eastern and southern Ukraine which it took control of in 2022.
Roshn, a Saudi real estate developer powered by the kingdom's wealth fund PIF, said it has become a member of United Nations Global Compact, thus reiterating its commitment to applying sustainable practices in line with the UNs sustainable development goals.

Roshn is the first in its class to become a member of the United Nations Global Compact that outlines 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour rights, environmental protection, and anti-corruption efforts that companies can voluntarily work to embody, reporting annually to the UN on their progress.

By joining the compact, Roshn has become a part of its wider commitment to taking responsibility for the safety, well-being, and empowerment of its team members and the nations environment.

"Roshn has answered the UN Global Compacts call. Our human-centric, people-first priorities are well stated, and by joining the Global Compact we cement our leadership position in the kingdom and internationally as a PIF-backed giga project mandated to set new standards as we work to enable the Saudi Vision 2030," said David Grover, Roshns Group CEO.

"I look forward to updating the UN regularly on how we are incorporating these principles as we work to improve the quality of life for the people of Saudi Arabia," he added.

Having joined the UN Global Compact, Roshn will also submit annual communication on progress (CoP) reports detailing its work to implement the compacts 10 principles in its corporate strategy, culture, and day-to-day operations.

Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and more than 70 local networks.-TradeArabia News Service
A man whose daughter was sent home twice allegedly threatened to kill the headteacher for imposing an abaya dress ban at a French school.

The father of the high school student is suspected of making the death threats over the phone.

According to C News, the daughter attends Ambroise-Brugiere High School in Clermont-Ferrand, which has nearly 1,300 students.

She was turned away from the school gates twice after she refused to follow the government's new dress code policy.

On the first occasion, the student wore the abaya, a loose-fitting long robe, to school but was sent back home.

France has a strict ban on religious signs in state schools and government buildings, because they violate laws on secularism (stock image)

But on Thursday, when she showed up to school again wearing an abaya, she was prohibited from entering the establishment.

The school's action angered her father, who ended up calling the headteacher seeking an explanation and allegedly making the death threats.

Wasting no time, the school swiftly alerted the National Education hierarchy, and a complaint was lodged.

Since the incident, the man has been taken to the Clermont-Ferrand police station and is under police custody while enquiries continue.

Gabriel Attal, Minister of National Education and Youth of France, has also shown support for the headteacher for following the government protocol.

France's Education Minister made headlines around the world when he announced the abaya would be banned in state schools

In France, the new dress code ban came into effect this week on Wednesday, September 4.

While announcing the new measure, Mr Attal said: "When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn't be able to identify the pupils' religion just by looking at them. I have decided that the abaya can no longer be worn in schools.'

The country also has a strict ban on religious signs in state schools and government buildings because they violate laws on secularism.

However, the government's actions have sparked a debate among religious leaders across the country.

Abdallah Zekri, vice president of the French Council for Muslim Worship, said the abaya 'has never been a religious symbol anyway'.

Instead, he said the ban was yet another example of politicians using dress favouring women and girls to attack some five million Muslims living in France.
A pregnant mother who was kicked off an EasyJet flight with her family after a row with cabin crew is planning to sue the airline for emotional distress.

Siobhan Foster, 34, and her relatives were thrown off a flight from Belfast to Ibiza after she was branded 'abusive' by a 'grumpy' air hostess on August 19.

Beautician Mrs Foster says she was 'singled out' when she asked about overhead lockers.

However, EasyJet say her group were 'behaving disruptively', something she denies.

She and her party were told they would not be flying from Belfast that day - meaning they had to spend 1,500 flying from Dublin the next day in order to make it to her brother's wedding.

But there Mrs Foster suffered pains in her stomach brought on by all off the stress, which marred the day and left her concerned for her unborn baby.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline she said: 'I have spoken to a solicitor about what happened to us.

'I have got a view to sue them for emotional distress. I don't know the amount yet I will be seeking from them. The baby is due in five weeks and after all this that's happened I don't think I will ever step on a plane again.

Beautician Siobhan Foster says she was 'singled out' when she asked about overhead lockers - EasyJet say her group were 'behaving disruptively', something she denies.

Mrs Foster and construction worker husband James, 30, and their disabled daughter were removed

'At the wedding I was in a lot of pain in my stomach afterwards because of all the stress. I was obviously worried about the baby.'

EasyJet denied any wrongdoing and insists they are not to blame.

A spokesperson said that staff took action due to a 'group of passengers behaving disruptively at check-in and then onboard', before adding that the airline does not 'tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our crew or other passengers'.

Mrs Foster and construction worker husband James, 30, and their disabled daughter Florence were taken off the flight after the row unfolded on August 19.

She explained that they were seated in the 'first seats' after having paid for extra leg room in a bid to make her journey more comfortable as she was pregnant.

'This particular flight attendant had such a grumpy look on her face,' she recalled. 'James sat down with Florence and I asked her was there any more space in the overhead lockers, her reply was a sharp "Clearly Not".

The heavily pregnant mother says she asked the air hostess if she could help her find a place for her luggage but was instead told: 'You'll need to find somewhere yourself.'

She then found a place for her bag, put it in the overhead bin and sat down, Ms Foster recalls. She said the crew then came over towards her 'saying I was being aggressive'.

Ms Foster, alleging there was 'literally nowhere' to place her bag, claims she then said: 'Can you please help me I'm heavily pregnant and my husband has our daughter.'

Siobhan Foster has claimed that she and her husband James were thrown off an EasyJet flight from Belfast to Ibiza

A video shows passengers leaving the EasyJet flight following the alleged incident

She says the stewardess' response was: 'You're being abusive and it's not my job to help you.'

'Then another air hostess - an older lady - approached me to say, "Look this isn't our job to help" so I said any other airline I've flown with have been more than helpful with me as I'm pregnant etc,' Mrs Foster recalled.

The plane was then emptied of passengers as they were all removed, although most were eventually allowed back on. It is not clear why they were all removed.

Video footage shared on social media apparently shows a trail of them collecting luggage and bags on the runway.

Siobhan Foster and her husband James are pictured together

The EasyJet plane which Ms Foster claims she was kicked off after a row with an air hostess

The video shows passengers leaving the EasyJet flight following the alleged altercation

Video shows a member of the wedding party, who is filming the alleged incident, saying to the staff: 'Everybody's seen it. The whole plane.'

The pilot can be seen standing in the doorway as someone repeats: 'Walk off.'

Mrs Foster and her party were then escorted from the airport by sheepish-looking police.

The party then had to get a bus to Dublin to pick up flights the next day to get them to the wedding at a cost of 1,500.

But she told MailOnline that after having to fly out to the wedding with Ryanair, she actually came back on an EasyJet flight.

She relayed: 'I was actually frightened because I wondered if they were going to stop me.

'But they were absolutely fine and there were no problems whatsoever.'

Passengers were allegedly forced to wait hours after the apparent incident

EasyJet said the passengers had been 'behaving disruptively at check-in and then onboard'

Mrs Foster, pictured with her husband, said: 'I'm so traumatised to the point I don't know how I'll ever fly again. Every person on that plane is putting complaints in - some actually stood up on the plane to say to the pilot it was that air hostess who was being aggressive towards me, not me at all'

An EasyJet spokesman told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that flight EZY3003 from Belfast to Ibiza on 19th August was attended by police before departure due to a group of passenger behaving disruptively at check in and then onboard.

'easyJet's cabin crew and ground agents are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.

'The Captain took the decision to ask all passengers on the flight to return to the terminal so the situation could be resolved and as soon as it was they reboarded and the aircraft continued to Ibiza.

'Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our crew or other passengers. We would like to apologise to the other passengers for any inconvenience for the delay this caused.

'The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and ground agents is always easyJet's priority.'
A bridge in Grimsby has been named the 'Van-eater' because of its reputation for destroying the top of tall vehicles.

The bridge on Wintringham Road is locally known for catching drivers as they misjudge the height of the bridge above. It is now being closed for construction to make repairs to the signs warning how low it is.

Residents have complained about the number of incidents over the years, with five vans striking the bridge in 2022 alone.

The bridge has two signs informing people of the low height. One says: 'Very low bridge - check headroom,' while another gives the height as 7ft 9in (2.4 metres).

A bridge in Grimsby has been named the 'Van-eater' because of its reputation for destroying the top of tall vehicles. Pictured: a destroyed van in December last year

Pictured is a British Heart Foundation van that was completely damaged by the low bridge

One resident, Ewelina Milewska said in August last year: 'I've seen it many times.

'I'm surprised that people aren't looking out for the information here on the height restriction. There are so many accidents here because of how quickly [the vehicles ] are going. Reading and looking at the signs is the most important thing, and people don't look. When they realise there's a problem, why don't they reverse back?

'I've lived here for three years and every day I see something, cars speeding and accidents, especially at school time when there are kids walking here. It's very dangerous.'

Speaking about the incidents in August last year, the council said: 'In 2020, the council introduced additional signage to Wintringham Road Bridge with the aim to improve driver awareness on the height restrictions.

'There are also parking restrictions on part of the road leading to the bridge to ensure the road near the bridge is clear of vehicles, giving drivers maximum visibility of the height restriction.

'Raising the height of the bridge is not an option due to the significant impact this would have on Peaks Parkway traffic. If there are more incidents of drivers colliding with the bridge in the future, further restrictions can be explored. The council will continue to monitor this situation.

Residents have been complaining for years about the bridge and destroyed vans, one pictured in 2020

'Drivers are kindly asked to remind themselves of the height of their vehicles and pay particular attention when approaching Wintringham Road Bridge.'

The underpass is set to be closed later this month to repair and replace the low bridge chevron signs in the hope of preventing any more vans becoming victim to it.

The road will be shut from 9am to 3.30pm on Wednesday, September 13. Diversions will be put in place during this time, although footpath access will still be maintained.

A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council apologised for the inconvenience saying: 'The council, Equans and contractor McCann's would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience and assure you that the work will be completed as quickly and safely as possible.'
The woman who filmed the terror suspect wrongly nabbed by cops has revealed she instinctively was convinced that police had the wrong man.

Daragh Meredith, 21, was on a train at Banbury Station when she witnessed the drama.

Police swooped on the passenger on Thursday - before establishing that he was not Daniel Khalife, the fugitive ex-soldier who escaped from HMP Wandsworth strapped to the underside of a delivery van on Wednesday.

Daragh, from Belfast, who is graduating today from Oxford Brookes University said: I have studied criminology and law and when I saw what was happening I thought this is really cool as I knew the police were looking for Daniel Khalife.

I was supposed to be getting off my train at Oxford, but when we got to Leamington Spa, we were told there was a red light and we were going to be held up because there was a police incident.'

Officers handcuffed a man at Banbury station earlier today as they continued to hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Daragh Meredith, 21, witnessed the incident - and says she instantly knew he was innocent based on his reaction to the arrest

Horatio - as he has named himself on X - says he was later offered a first-class upgrade on his train by way of apology for the mix-up

Daniel Khalife (pictured), a former soldier in the 22 Signal Regiment, was on remand at HMP Wandsworth ahead of his six-week terror trial

She continued: They said it was at Banbury involving the escaped prisoner and were were held there for about 15 minutes before we started going towards Banbury.

'As we pulled into the station I saw seven or eight police officers and a female officer was holding the handcuffs as a restraint on a guy sat on a bench.

He looked exactly like Daniel Khalife. I thought it was, like, cool to be seeing that. Because of what I have studied it was something that really interests me.

READ MORE: Who is Daniel Abed Khalife and what did he do as Metropolitan Police launch an urgent manhunt for the suspected terrorist who has escaped from HMP Wandsworth Advertisement

But I thought the guy looked way too happy at being arrested. If it was Khalife, he was never going to see daylight again after this. He looked too happy and was having a bit of banter with the police officers and the mix up.

He was very calm, very relaxed, and smiling and chatting away to the police officers.

She said the innocent man had contacted her on Twitter wrongly believing she was on the opposite platform and that some posts had suggested she should become his girlfriend which had amused her.

Meanwhile, the man who was handcuffed by police after being mistaken for Khalife says he was treated to an upgraded seat as an apology for the mix-up.

Horatio, as he has called himself, claimed to be the person stopped by police, writing on X: 'No, I'm not the guy who escaped from prison. Apparently somebody reported me due to looking a lot like him.

'I got released after they found out who I really was, and the train station put in business class as an apology! [sic]'

An earlier tweet read: 'Hi everyone, just made this acc to explain what happened today. A woman mistook me for Daniel Khalife, and alerted the police.

'After about 20 mins of questions (and some gd banter) I proved I wasn't the escapee after a finger print scan.'

He later added: 'Mistakes happen, and either I was lucky that things went smoothly, or maybe privileged, or even both.'

As police dealt with the 'possible sighting', train passenger Oliver, in his 20s, was left waiting outside the station while the incident took place.

Khalife, 21, was on remand at HMP Wandsworth (pictured) awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences

Soldier and terror suspect Daniel Khalife served fellow inmates breakfast and then evaded guards and CCTV while escaping from the prison

The Met Police admitted Khalife's 'previous military experience' may make him harder to catch, as he is likely 'more aware of efforts to apprehend him'

When the train then pulled into the station, he was able to snap a clear picture of the man, who many have said shares a striking resemblance to 21-year-old Khalife.

Oliver said: 'We went through Banbury on the way to Basingstoke.

'Just before we got there, they said on the Tannoy that we couldn't go to Banbury and they're delaying the train as they think there's an escaped terrorist at the station.

'It was a 15-minute wait - when we pulled into the station he was right outside my window - it looked like him a lot.

'When we were waiting at Banbury I was a bit worried at first, I was thinking a lot of things - is he on the track, is he trying to get on the train, what's going to happen.

'It was a bit daunting at first but I'm glad they told us correct information because sometimes they withhold it.'

There have so far been no confirmed sightings of Khalife, with the ex-Royal Signals soldier said to be 'resourceful' as he continues to allude authorities.

Thames Valley Police said: 'Officers dealt with a possible sighting of a wanted male at Banbury Train Station this afternoon.

'It was not the person we were looking for and the incident has been stood down. Thank you for your support at the time.'

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement reported by the Guardian: 'We are aware of a man being stopped by police in the Banbury area earlier today.

'We have liaised with colleagues in Thames Valley and confirmed the man in question is not Daniel Khalife.'

Commander Dominic Murphy, who is leading the investigation, asked for anyone with information about Khalife to get in touch urgently.

He said: 'Since yesterday, over 150 officers and staff have been working around the clock on apprehending Khalife.

'We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings.

'I recognise and am fully aware of the impact these measures are having on the public. We are working to ensure as minimal disruption as possible.

'It is crucial for the public to help us with this search and to call us immediately if they have any information on the whereabouts of Khalife.'

Daniel Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday by clinging to the underside of a delivery van

Police in Richmond Park, south-west London on Friday. Searches of the park were carried out overnight as officers continue to look for fugitive Khalife

The food truck Daniel Khalife is believed to have used for his escape from HMP Wandsworth

The fugitive, described as being of slim build, with short brown hair and 6ft 2ins tall, was said to be wearing a white T-shirt, distinctive red and white chequered trousers and brown steel-toe boots, though the Met Police said that the public should not focus on his clothing.

Murphy said at a briefing: 'He clearly could very quickly change those clothes, so I wouldn't want to focus too much on that.'

He described him as a 'very resourceful individual', adding: 'Our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.

'This was a really busy area of London and we've had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife's ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

'It's important that we remember that we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was trained.

'He was a trained soldier - so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don't have.'
A prolific tough-on-drugs Florida prosecutor tried to offer cops his business card to avoid being arrested for driving drunk after sideswiping an SUV over the Fourth of July.

Joseph Ruddy, 59, a federal prosecutor, was stopped by cops outside his home in Tampa. During his arrest, he was too drunk to stand up straight and had his Justice Department business card clutched in his hand.

When officers arrived at Ruddy's home in the suburb of Temple Terrace, they found him hunched over his pickup, holding his keys and using the vehicle for support, the police report said.

Officers noted that he had urinated on himself, was unable to walk without help and failed a field sobriety test.

Ruddy has been charged with driving under the influence with property damage. His blood-alcohol level tested at 0.17%, twice the legal limit. He could now face up to a year in prison.

Despite being charged, Ruddy remained on the job for two months, representing the United States in court as recently as last week to notch another win for the sprawling task force he helped create two decades ago targeting cocaine smuggling at sea.

He is credited with designing Operation Panama Express (PANEX), a task force contributing more than 90% of U.S. Coast Guard drug interdictions at sea. The average sentence for smugglers picked up at sea and prosecuted in Tampa, where Ruddy worked, was longer than any other court in the country.

The prosecutor was captured outside his home in Tampa, Florida, with his Justice Department business card in hand while he hunched over his pickup truck

The attorney's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit and could barely stand straight up. He was also found urinated on himself after hitting a vehicle and leaving the scene

Joseph Ruddy, 59, a prolific federal prosecutor, has been charged with driving under the influence with property damage after he was captured handing cops his business card after a DUI on July 4th

Ruddy is accused of sideswiping an SUV whose driver had been waiting to turn at a red light, clipping a side mirror and tearing off another piece of the vehicle that lodged in the fender of Ruddy's pickup.

'He never even hit brakes,' a witness told police. 'He just kept going and he was swerving all the way up the road. I'm like, "No, he's going to hurt somebody." So I just followed him until I got the tag number and just called and reported it.'

In bodycam footage of the arrest, Tampa police patrolman Taylor Grant is heard telling him: 'I understand we might be having a better night.'

Before looking at the business card clutched in Ruddy's hand, the officer says: 'What are you trying to hand me? You realize when they pull my body-worn camera footage and they see this, this is going to go really bad.'

The officer then asks him: 'Why didn't you stop?'

'I didn't realize it was that serious,' Ruddy said in a slurred response.

'You hit a vehicle and you ran,' the officer said. 'You ran because youre drunk. You probably didnt realize you hit the vehicle.'

Ruddy had been representing the United States in court for two months after the hit-and-run. But he was pulled off three cases and removed from the supervisory role a day after the Associated Press asked the Justice Department about Ruddy's case.

He is expected to appear in court for his case on September 27.

Ruddy arrived at the United States Courthouse Friday, September 1st. He remained on the job for two months after the hit-and-run

Ruddy was pulled off three cases and removed from the supervisory role a day after the Associated Press asked the Justice Department about Ruddy's case.

On Wednesday, a day after the AP asked the Justice Department about Ruddy's status, the veteran prosecutor was pulled off three pending criminal cases.

A Justice Department spokesman would not say whether he had been suspended but said that Ruddy, while still employed, had been removed from his supervisory role at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa. The case also has been referred to the Office of Inspector General.

Such an inspector general's probe would likely focus on whether Ruddy was trying to use his public office for private gain, said Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis who reviewed the footage.

'It's hard to see what this could be other than an attempt to improperly influence the police officer to go easy on him,' Clark said. 'What could possibly be his purpose in handing over his U.S. Attorney's Office business card?'

Ruddy designed the Operation Panama Express(PANEX), a task force contributing more than 90% of U.S. Coast Guard drug interdictions at sea. The average sentence for smugglers picked up at sea and prosecuted in Tampa, where Ruddy worked, was longer than any other court in the country

Ruddy is known in law enforcement circles as one of the architects of Operation Panama Express, or PANEX - a task force launched in 2000 to target cocaine smuggling at sea, combining resources from the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Historically, PANEX-generated intelligence contributes to more than 90% of U.S. Coast Guard drug interdictions at sea. Between 2018 and 2022, the Coast Guard removed or destroyed 888 metric tons of cocaine worth an estimated $26 billion and detained 2,776 suspected smugglers, a senior Coast Guard official said in congressional testimony in March. The bulk of those cases were handled by Ruddy and his colleagues in Tampa, where PANEX is headquartered.

A former Ironman triathlete, Ruddy enjoys a reputation among attorneys for hard work and toughness in the courtroom. Among his biggest cases were some of the early extraditions from Colombia of top smugglers for the feared Cali cartel.

But the majority of cases handled out of his office involve mostly poor fishermen from Central and South America who make up the drug trades lowest rungs. Often, the drugs arent even bound for American shores and the constitutional guarantees of due process that normally apply in criminal cases inside the U.S. are only loosely observed.

'Ruddy is at the heart of a costly and aggressive prosecutor-led dragnet that every year pulls hundreds of low-level cocaine traffickers off the oceans and incarcerates them in the U.S.,' said Kendra McSweeney, an Ohio State University geographer who is part of a team studying maritime interdiction policies.

Research by Ohio State's Interdiction Lab found that between 2014 and 2020, the median sentence for smugglers picked up at sea and prosecuted in Tampa was 10 years - longer than any other court in the country and compared to seven years, six months in Miami, which handles the second-largest amount of such cases.

Last Friday, nearly two months after his arrest, Ruddy was in court to ratify a plea deal in the case of a Brazilian man, Flavio Fontes Pereira, who in February was found by the U.S. Coast Guard with more than 3.3 tons of cocaine aboard a sailboat off Guinea, in West Africa.

After two weeks aboard the U.S. Coast Guard vessel, Pereira made his initial court appearance in Tampa in March, charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, which gives the U.S. unique arrest powers anywhere on the high seas whenever it determines a vessel is 'without nationality.'
Two San Antonio men have been arrested for 'kidnapping a couple at gunpoint in front of their five children' - with an unidentified third suspect still at large.

Felipe Patricio Valdez, 40, and Xhavier Zeke Martinez, 29, were escorted out of San Antonio police headquarters in handcuffs and placed in the back of squad cars Thursday after it emerged the missing couple had been found safe.

Valdez has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and had a bail set at $250,000. Martinez, who has been previously issued with arrest warrants for deadly conduct with a firearm, evading arrest and interfering with public duties, faced the same charges but was set a higher bail of $256,000.

Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, 38, and Ricky Zuniga, 37, were reportedly forced from their family home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell early Wednesday morning.

Police said the kidnapping was targeted but do not yet know if the couple knew the intruders.

The headshots of Felipe Patricio Valdez, 40 (left), and Xhavier Zeke Martinez, 29 (right) were released by San Antonio Police

Valdez (left) and Martinez (right) were pictured in handcuffs as the Police escorted them away to be taken into custody

The San Antonio couple was kidnapped as their five kids watched. Pictured: Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga and Ricky Zuniga

Police were called to a home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell around 6am on Wednesday and were told by the children that the suspects fled in a white SUV

Cops said Valdez and Zuniga kicked in the front door to the family home and dragged the couple out as their five children watched.

The only clue that the police had to go on in their search for the missing couple was a white SUV they were seen getting into.

Sgt Washington Moscoso told reporters Thursday that detectives worked 'through the night' to find the couple ' whose family was separated in such a violent way'.

He added: 'The detectives through their investigation quickly realized that this was a targeted kidnapping it wasn't a random act, it wasn't just these individuals picked a house and kidnapped the individuals.'

The pair were found safely at a location off Culebra Road near West Commerce Street on the West Side early on Thursday morning.

A SWAT team reportedly descended on the home and the suspects were arrested 'without incident'. Investigators are now searching the property.

Police have not named the third suspect wanted in relation to the kidnapping.

A neighbor of the suspects told NEWS4SA: 'It's kind of shocking to be honest cause I wouldn't think those people would do something like that'.

A San Antonio Police Department spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com the parents are back with their kids.

DailyMail.com confirmed that the missing individuals Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, 38, and Ricky Zuniga, 37 were reunited safely with their five children

The suspects Martinez and Valdez kicked down the door to the family home and dragged the couple out in front of their kids according to a Police spokesperson

A friend of the couple who had posted on Facebook begging for people to be on the lookout shared his reaction the news they had been found.

John Garcia Jr. said: 'THANK U GOD!! Ricky and Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga are safe!'

Garcia Jr. also let his friends know that the couple had 'no major injuries' and were taken downtown for questioning.

The couple's friends were shocked by the incident despite the police stating that the attack was targeted and planned.

Friends said on Facebook that they were 'lost for words' and shared prayers for the couple online.
A sector of the US-Canada border has seen a staggering surge of more than 6,000 migrants from 76 countries detained so far this fiscal year - more than the last decade combined, according to officials.

Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia sounded the alarm on Wednesday about the Swanton Sector, which covers the New York, New Hampshire and Vermont borders with Canada.

'Over 6,100 apprehensions from 76 different countries in just 11 months, surpassing the last 10 years combined,' Swanton Sector Chief Garcia posted on X. 'Swanton Sector Agents are resolute and determined to hold the line across our 295 miles of border.'

In all of 2020, the region saw only about 1,000 Border Patrol apprehensions, and in 2021 just 365. The fiscal year goes from October to September.

The entire border has seen 7,633 crossings as of the end of July. That's already more than in all of 2022, when there were 2,238 apprehensions, and for all of 2021, when there were 916.

The US-Canada border has seen a staggering surge of more than 6,000 migrants from 76 countries detained so far this fiscal year- - more than the last 10 years combined

Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia rang the alarm on on Wednesday, saying the border crossing at Swanton Sector is seeing unprecedented numbers

In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection transferred 25 extra agents to the northern border, as the number of migrants crossing in from Canada continues to rise.

According to CBP data, most of the migrants are Mexican, with many Guatemalans and Haitians.

While illegal crossings at the southern border remain a larger overall problem, where more than 200,000 migrants cross every month, the northern crossings have recently been causing concern.

More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year via unofficial crossings, the vast majority via Roxham Road linking Quebec and New York State.

It is the highest number since 2017 - when there was a spike because of then-President Donald Trump's crackdown on migrants.

The entire border has seen 7,633 crossings as of the end of July. That's already more than in all of 2022, when there were 2,238 apprehensions

In 2020, the region saw only about 1,000 Border Patrol apprehensions, and in 2021 just 365

More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year via unofficial crossings

Migrants who make it to Mexico and can afford the $350 one-way plane ticket from Mexico City or Cancun to Montreal or Toronto then cross into the U.S. at the northern border, where they are less likely to be turned away than at the Southern border.

It's an option many migrants are taking due to crackdowns at the southern border.

At the beginning of January, a Haitian man, Fritznel Richard, died just north of the Swanton Sector, having frozen to death while trying to reach his wife in the US.

'Swanton Sector's greatest concern in carrying out our mission of border security is the preservation of life - the lives of community residents we are sworn to protect, the lives of our Border Patrol Agents carrying out the mission day-in and day-out in the field, and the lives of the individuals, families, and children we are charged with apprehending as they attempt to circumvent legal processes for entry,' chief Garcia previously said.

The US-Canada borders has only 115 ports of entry, and Garcia said stations are saturated due to the surge.

Migrants from Mexico, Venezuela and other countries at the Canada border

Migrant families at the Roxham Road border crossing in Quebec

Kathryn Siemer, acting patrol agent in charge of the station in Pembina, North Dakota - one of seven stations in the Grand Forks sector - said the sharp spike in encounters was due in part to Canada loosening its COVID restrictions.

Migrants have been able to make their way to Canada, and, if unsatisfied by their life there, try their luck in the US.

Another factor driving the increase is Canada placing increasing barriers on migrants, said Frantz Andre, an immigration consultant who runs an organization that helps asylum seekers.

He told CBC migrants believe they may have better chances of working without papers in the US.

Meanwhile, New York City mayor Eric Adams has warned the surge of asylum seekers will 'destroy' the city.

Adams has pleaded with the federal government to 'step up' amid the crisis, and has said the lack of intervention is leading people from 'all over the globe' to head for the border in hopes of ending up in the Big Apple.

He added that it will cost the city over $4 billion this fiscal year, and without any help from the federal government. That amount is equal to the budgets for the city's sanitation, fire and parks departments, combined
Stallone was accompanied by his wife, their three daughters and his brother

Sylvester Stallone is known for playing Italian-American Rocky Balboa in the Oscar-winning film from 1976, but today he was caught sparring with one opponent he had probably never expected to face.

For his meeting with the Pope at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City, the Hollywood star was accompanied by his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three adult daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet, as well as his brother Frank.

Playing up to his public persona, Stallone was seen shadow boxing with the 86-year-old pontiff as he jested: 'Ready? We box.'

He then raised his fists like a prized fighter before the Pope, wearing his traditional white robe and a skullcap, did his best imitation.

Posting about his visit on Instagram, accompanied by an image of him holding five key rings with several keys on each, Stallone, 77, wrote: 'Very rare and special moment. I was allowed to hold the KEYS that open EVERY single door in the entire Vatican City! Including the Sistine Chapel.

Stallone can be seen raising his fists like a prized fighter before the pope, wearing his traditional white robes and a skullcap, does his best imitation, surrounded by Stallone's family members

Stallone shaking hands with Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City

The action star was accompanied by his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three adult daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet, as well as his brother Frank

'Of course they wouldn't let me out of their sight with the KEYS  I don't blame them!'

He added that the couple were glad they had named their 'beautiful daughter' Sistine.

Stallone's Rocky Balboa character was the only child in a Roman Catholic Italian-American family, reflecting the heritage of the actor's father.

The action movie legend was in Italy promoting his Paramount + show, Tulsa King, set to be streamed from November 15.

In the series, Stallone plays mafia member Dwight 'The General' Manfredi who tries to reconnect with his gangster family after his prison release.

Exiled from his former family, he then moves from New York to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he starts a criminal empire.

In September last year, Stallone and his estranged wife called off their divorce and reconciled.

Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram to post a message about his visit. The accompanying photo showed him holding the keys to the Vatican City

Stallone with his family meeting Pope Francis. The Hollywood star said that the couple were glad they had named their 'beautiful daughter' Sistine

The couple, who have been together for 26 years, 'decided to meet up at home, where they talked and were able to work out their differences'.

They are both 'extremely happy,' their rep told Page Six at the time.

Their reconciliation came one month after Flavin, 55, filed for divorce.

On Saturday, Pope Francis praised Mongolia's tradition of religious freedom dating back to the times of its founder, Genghis Khan, as he opened the first-ever papal visit to the Asian nation with a word of encouragement to its tiny Catholic flock.

Francis met with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh inside a traditional Mongolian ger, or round yurt, set up inside the state palace and wrote a message in the guest book that he was visiting 'a country young and ancient, modern and rich of tradition,' as a pilgrim of peace.

Francis was in Mongolia to minister to one of the world's newest and smallest Catholic communities - made up of around 1,450 Mongolians - and make a diplomatic foray into a region where the Holy See has long had troubled relations, with Russia to the north and China to the south.
This is the moment a fed up motorist resorted to violence to break up a street-blocking eco-protest in Germany.

Shocking video shows the enraged man leaping into the B36 highway near the Victoria Tower in Mannheim and began punching and kicking a series of activists from Last Generation - a German climate protection movement.

Police have now arrested the 29-year-old suspect, according to German newspaper Bild.de.

The assailant, wearing a white vest and grey jogging bottoms, was one of several angered motorists who confronted the eco-zealots who had donned orange uniforms and sat on the tarmac, backing up three lanes of cars.

When the demonstrators remained seated and refused to move he snapped, lashing out with fists and feet of fury and dragging them away.

Mannheim Police found out about the attack the following day and arrested the suspect in Ludwigsburg, where he was taken for interrogation.

The infuriated motorist grabs the protester's hair before hitting him in the face

The man is seen yanking the protester out of the road as other annoyed motorists look on

He returns to kick and slap another member of the group

He is now facing charges of assault, according to Bild.de.

But Aimee van Baalen, the group's spokeswoman, remains steadfast in their commitment to continue similar protests despite the controversy.

She maintains that Last Generation will not be deterred by opposition and is resolute in its mission to bring attention to climate change.

'The federal government ignored our protest for so long that scenes like yesterday in Mannheim have now occurred - this saddens and shocks us,' she said, blaming the authorities for the continuation of the protests.

It comes just days after a disgruntled police officer poured vegetable oil over the head of one protester who blocked a bridge.

An image shared by German outlet Rheinpfalz showed the police officer holding a huge canister of oil and tipping it down the neck of the orange-clad protester on the Konrad Adenauer Bridge between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen on Saturday.

Mannheim police confirmed to German media they were investigating the matter but refused to offer a comment on the actions of the officer.

Last Generation has earned a reputation for its road-based protests which often see demonstrators glue themselves to the asphalt in actions similar to those of Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil in the UK.

The group staged 276 road blockages in Germany alone throughout 2022.

The latest incidents in Mannheim come weeks after one Last Generation protester was hit by a lorry of a low-carbon energy company.

In July, three protesters were dragged out of the way by a furious lorry driver working for low-carbon energy company Air Liquide - only to rush back in front of the lorry before one of them was knocked flying.

Air Liquide is the Paris Olympics' official hydrogen supporter and works to innovate 'the development of low-carbon hydrogen and biomethane for the energy transition'.

The driver is pictured trying to drag the protestor sitting in the road out from under the lorry

The lorry ploughed through the protestors, knocking one back before the driver stopped

The footage showed the driver pushing one of the protestors after they obstructed the road

The driver of the lorry at first jumps out to push and drag the activists out of his way.

When they sit back in position, he slowly starts driving forward - and then shunts the activist closest to the pavement. The force is enough to send the young man flying back and bystanders come to his aid.

The lorry driver is seen throwing his hands up in frustration and stops the lorry before leaping out of the cab again to pull the protesters aside.

Air Liquide provided the following statement to MailOnline: 'On July 12, Air Liquide was made aware of an altercation in Stralsund, Germany, between a third-party contract driver of Air Liquide Medical Gases and local protesters.

'Images display unacceptable behaviour from the driver that is not aligned with Air Liquide's values in any way.

'The third-party contractor has been notified that Air Liquide will no longer accept the services of this individual.'
Holidaymakers were stuck in massive queues today after a bomb scare sparked panic and closed the Channel Tunnel for several hours.

Eurotunnel services were suspended and explosive experts were called after a 'suspicious vehicle' was halted at around 10.30am at the terminal in Cheriton, Folkestone.

A man was detained at the scene. It is not being linked to the search for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife.

The incident has sparked huge queues on the approach to the tunnel, stretching back onto the M20 motorway.

A Eurotunnel spokesperson confirmed this afternoon that the incident has since been resolved and that traffic is now able to access the terminal.

An aerial shot reveals huge queues at the Eurotunnel after services were suspended following a police incident this morning

Long delays were experienced by drivers on the approach to Eurotunnel for several hours

Eurotunnel services were suspended after the vehicle was halted at around 10.30am at the terminal in Cheriton, Folkestone

The disruption resulted in long queues on the approach to the terminal this afternoon

There were again delays on the M20 as freight traffic was held between junctions 8 and 9 for a second day

Police have blocked off the carriageway as the search continues for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife

A police spokesman told MailOnline: 'At around 10.30am on Friday 8 September 2023 a suspicious vehicle was stopped at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Cheriton.

'Explosives experts from the British Army have been called to the scene and a cordon has been put in place for the safety of the public.

'This is currently having an effect on traffic approaching the terminal.

'A man has been detained in connection with the incident and enquiries are ongoing.'

A Eurotunnel spokesperson added: 'A suspicious vehicle has been intercepted during a routine security check at the Channel Tunnel Terminal in Folkestone.

'Kent police and specialist officers are dealing with the incident.

'Access to the Folkestone terminal is currently suspended awaiting the outcome of the police intervention.

'Customers are advised to check on the LeShuttle website and social media for the latest travel information.

'Customers are advised that, because of this incident, travel will be severely disrupted throughout the afternoon and to prepare to modify their travel plans as a consequence.'

It is the latest travel chaos to hit Britain after thousands of unclaimed suitcases were pictured piling up in Heathrow's Terminal 4 this morning - leaving passengers walking around in vain in a bid to find their belongings.

Pictures from the baggage reclaim hall revealed countless items of luggage lying around, with their owners nowhere to be seen.

And footage shows the huge snaking line of suitcases, left by baggage handlers.

Explosives experts from the British Army have been called to the Eurotunnel terminal in Cheriton

A suspicious vehicle was stopped earlier today, temporarily suspending shuttle services as emergency services respond to the incident

Thousands of suitcases are piled up in a baggage hall in Heathrow's Terminal 4

Unclaimed luggage left piled up by staff at Heathrow's Terminal 4

Passengers have been forced to frantically search through the huge backlog of suitcases in Terminal 4

The M20 was closed yesterday as a result of the checks, sparking huge queues of trucks around Dover

The M20 coastbound in Kent was closed between Junctions 8 and 9 due to 'enhanced port security checks'

As the school summer holidays draw to a close, Brits landing into the busy airport spent a chunk of their morning frantically trying to find their bags.

A spokeswoman for Heathrow told MailOnline long queues at Border Force had been delaying passengers from collecting their bags off the conveyor belts, causing the pile-up. Just before 1pm she said they had been cleared.

It follows huge delays yesterday on the M20, which was temporarily shut between junctions eight and nine.

This was for enhanced security checks following the escape of former British soldier Khalife - and to allow freight heading for mainland Europe to queue on the empty section of the motorway.

Dominic Murphy, the head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command unit, said: 'It's absolutely possible he's here or he has already left the country.

'There's been a huge effort in borders all around the country trying to identify if Daniel Khalife has been attempting to leave the country.

'We are focusing our efforts at the moment in the UK and in London, which is where at the moment we believe him to be, but we will keep an open mind.'

There is more travel woe to come this weekend as well, with major engineering works on the railways following two consecutive Saturdays of strikes.

Most operators have a partially reduced service or replacement buses planned for this weekend as a raft of improvement projects take place on mainline routes.

Among the worst hit will be South Western Railway, with trains to and from London Waterloo badly affected by lines in Wimbledon closing - and seven replacement bus routes set to run into South West London to and from Clapham Junction.
Dubai International Chamber, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has inaugurated a new representative office in Milan to boost trade and investment between Dubai and Italy.

The opening of the office further strengthens the chambers presence in Europe following the launch of its London office in June, and increases its growing network of international representative offices to 23 worldwide, the chamber said in a statement.

The launch comes as part of the Dubai Global initiative launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, which seeks to establish an integrated network of 50 representative offices around the world by 2030.

The initiative is designed to reinforce Dubais position as one of the worlds leading commercial hubs by attracting investments, talent, and new business to the emirate while supporting the international expansion of Dubai-based companies into 30 priority markets, said the statement.

The Milan office was opened in the presence of Naser Al Khaja, Charge daffaires at the UAE Embassy in Italy, and Salem Al Shamsi, Vice President of Global Markets at Dubai Chambers and other officials.

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, said: Strengthening our presence in the European market represents another important step that will enable us to capitalise on the opportunities created by the Dubai Economic Agenda and bring us closer to achieving the objectives of the emirates five-year foreign trade plan."

Our new office in Milan is set to drive further growth in Dubai's non-oil trade with Italy and other European countries, as well as increased strategic investments from businesses in both markets. I am confident this strategic opening will elevate our strong bilateral relations to new heights, he added.

Al Khaja said:Over the years, the UAE has successfully established strong relationships with Italian companies and institutions. Today, we are pleased to witness the enhancement of these partnerships with the opening of a representative office for Dubai International Chamber in Milan. This reaffirms our mutual goal of strengthening ties and mutual business opportunities between the two countries, as well as building a commercial and investment network between two dynamic markets.

The office in Milan, which is the chambers eighth international representative office to open since the beginning of the year, will build strong relationships with key public and private sector stakeholders and deliver a comprehensive range of support to the Italian business community. In addition to assisting Italian companies seeking to enter the Dubai market and expand through the emirate, the office will support and guide Dubai-based businesses that plan to enter the Italian market throughout every stage of their international growth journeys," he added -TradeArabia News Service
A British Airways flight heading for London was delayed for a day after its crew were robbed in Rio de Janeiro, according to local reports.

The incident happened minutes after the members of the crew climbed out of a taxi early after getting into an argument with the driver over the fare.

By leaving the taxi early, they were dropped off on the side of a road in Rio's Penha neighbourhood, found in the sprawling city's North Zone, known for turf wars.

The terrified crew had been on an overnight stay in the city and were heading back to their lodgings in Copacabana before they were due to operate a flight home to Britain the next day, according to local media.

The police said the off-duty group had abandoned the taxi after rowing over the fare in the early hours of the morning on 5th September.

A British Airways flight (file photo) heading for London was delayed for a day after its crew were robbed in Rio de Janeiro, according to local reports

Rio's North Zone is the site of frequent and violent clashes between police and drug trafficking gangs fighting for territorial control. Pictured: Rio de Janeiro's Military Police in Penha, 2023

But within minutes of getting out of the cab to hail a ride-share car, they were reportedly robbed.

The crew had been waiting for another cab on the street in Penha, a tough neighbourhood miles from their hotel in Copacabana.

Penha is the location of a sprawling favela,

Rio's North Zone is the site of frequent and violent clashes between police and drug trafficking gangs fighting for territorial control.

Drug trafficking gangs have historically controlled the territory, but clashes with the police have resulted in civilian deaths.

The robbery reportedly caused the 9.50pm flight BA-248 heading for Heathrow Airport the next day (6th September) to be postponed. The flight was set to depart from the Tom Jobim International Airport, Galeao, in the North Zone.

The case was reported to the 27th Police Station (Vicente de Carvalho) and forwarded to the Special Tourism Support Police Station (Deat).

The police said that the victims had already given statements.

The postponed flight was rescheduled for 7th September at 10:15 pm.

The investigation is ongoing, and the staff have returned to the UK.

By leaving the taxi early, they were dropped off on the side of a road in Rio's Penha neighbourhood (pictured), found in the sprawling city's North Zone, known for turf wars

The terrified crew had been on an overnight stay in the city and were heading back to their lodgings in Copacabana (pictured, file photo) before they were due to operate a flight home to Britain the next day, according to local media

British Airways told MailOnline: 'This is a police matter and we're providing our colleagues with support.'

The robbery is not the first time a British Airways crew has been robbed in Rio.

In 2016, it was reported that a crew member for the airline was robbed at gunpoint in the city as his group also returned to their hotel.

In response to the incident, BA said it would start advising its staff to use taxis when travelling around the Brazilian capital, and said they should remain 'vigilant'.
A pilot who spent nearly two weeks stranded in the Amazon after surviving a plane crash a year ago has died in a second crash.

Otavio Munhoz, 38, crashed in a forest in the Brazilian state of Roraima near the border with Venezuela on August 28.

His body was recovered on September 1, according to a Civil Police report filed by his sister, who initially reported him missing. The Civil Police is investigating the cause of the accident.

Munhoz made national headlines when the plane he was piloting crashed in the Amazon rainforest on September 27, 2022.

He managed to escape from the plane moments before it exploded and spent 13 days walking and looking for help.

Otavio Munhoz was killed in an August 28 plane crash in the Amazon forest in Paraima, Brazil near the border with Venezuela. The 38-year-old pilot survived 13 days in the Amazon following a September 28, 2022 crash

Otavio Munhoz was a former member of the Military Police in Londrina, Parana and was working as a private pilot in addition to flying air taxis

Munhoz was a beekeeper and former member of the Military Police in Londrina, Parana before joining the aviation industry.

He worked as a private pilot and also flew air taxis in the Roraima capital of Boa Vista, his family said.

He was laid to rest Thursday in Londrina, Parana, where he lived.

His grieving sister, Cassia Munhoz, lamented the tragedy with a heartbreaking post on her Facebook account.

'He fought the good fight, finished the race, kept his faith!' she wrote.

Munhoz made national headlines when the plane he was piloting crashed in the Amazon rainforest on September 27, 2022.

Otavio Munhoz made national headlines in Brazil in 2022 when he went 13 days without food or water after the plane he was flying crashed in the Amazon forest

Munhoz, a married father of two children, escaped injured the aircraft before it exploded and spent several days walking and searching for assistance.

He went 13 days without food or water before he encountered a man near a river on October 9.

He was provided assistance and then taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for malnutrition.

Munhoz was walking and searching for help when he encountered a local resident. He was taken to a local medical facility for a routine exam.

'I stood firm because he could survive. I knew he would resist because he used to carry a bag with medicine and food,' his mother, Maria Munhoz, said after he was located last year.

'But prayers sustained my son. I don't even know how many people prayed for him. I'm relieved, very happy with this news.'

The near fatal crash did not deter him from returning to the skies, Cassia Munhoz told Globo.

'After the last accident he already wanted to return, he just needed to go through a period of recovery,' she said. 'As in any other accident suffered in a profession, he knew he would have to fly again and returned very calmly.'
An elementary school in Oklahoma is facing a huge backlash after hiring a drag queen as school principal - with the superintendent denouncing the decision as complete 'insanity.'

Ryan Walters, superintendent of the State of Oklahoma, has called for the immediate termination of the drag queen who goes by the name 'Shantel Mandalay' and reads story books to children at local libraries while in costume.

Walters, a vocal opponent of the move, slammed the hiring decision by Western Heights School District, and told Fox News Digital: 'It's outrageous to have a drag queen running a school, you know, here in Oklahoma that doesn't line up with Oklahoma values.'

He cited parental concerns about what he called 'woke left-wing indoctrination' and 'gender theory' in schools.

An elementary school in Oklahoma has faced significant backlash after hiring a drag queen as school principal, with the superintendent denouncing the decision as complete 'insanity'

Murnan works as a drag queen at a venue called 'The Boom,' according to her Facebook page

Ryan Walters, superintendent of the State of Oklahoma has called for the immediate termination of the drag queen who goes by the name 'Shantel Mandalay'

'I hear from parents every day that are concerned with this woke left-wing indoctrination or schools, this gender theory that continues to be thrust upon our kids. It's completely inappropriate.'

The drag queen in question, Dr. Shane Murnan, 52, who was named principal of John Glenn Elementary School in June, has a controversial past, with child pornography charges nearly 20 years ago that were later dropped.

The judge dismissed the charges during the preliminary hearing due to a lack of probable cause as it could not be proven the images depicted minors, according to Fox25.

The school district said it was aware of the previous charges - but defended the hiring, emphasizing the individual's qualifications and outstanding reputation.

The school district released a statement, stating: 'Dr. Murnan has been serving the field of education for more than 25 years and has an outstanding reputation,' the school district wrote. 'He comes highly recommended from previous supervisors, colleagues, and educators.'

'He holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, a Masters of Education in Educational Administration, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration,' it added. 'We welcome Dr. Murnan to Western Heights, and we are very excited about his vision for John Glenn and the community.'

Murnan works as a drag queen at a venue called 'The Boom,' according to her Facebook page.

He also visits libraries and reads books to children dressed in drag. Murnan read children's books during a story hour at the Metropolitan Library System in June, according to Fox25.

'By day, she's an Assistant Principal, molding young minds, but by night, she's the life of the party,' according to a Facebook post announcing Murnan's participation in the 2023 Pride Benefit Gala.

'As the host of Thirsty Thursday and Sunday Night Karaoke at the Boom in Oklahoma City, she knows how to bring the energy and keep the crowd entertained.'

The drag queen in question, Dr. Shane Murnan, who was named principal of John Glenn Elementary School in June, has a controversial past, with child pornography charges nearly 20 years ago that were later dropped

He also visits libraries and reads books to children dressed in drag. Murnan read children's books during a story hour at the Metropolitan Library System in June, according to Fox25

John Glenn Elementary School said it was aware of the previous charges - but defended the hiring, emphasizing the individual's qualifications and outstanding reputation

According to Murnan's bio, he has an 'impressive array of titles,' including Miss Gay Oklahoma America and Miss Gay Oklahoma USA.

Walters argued that this decision is part of a broader agenda by the left to influence children's beliefs and break down family units.

'Their end goal is to absolutely break down a child's mind, break down the classroom, break down the family, and you see the results that have come from this.'

'They want kids to turn on their parents and only listen to their leftist ideology,' he added.

Walters argued that the decision is part of the left's 'scheme' to control student values.

'And how do you do it?' he said. 'You start. breaking them apart and say, listen, you're gender-fluid. Listen, you can change your pronouns. Look at the sexual material. When the kid takes it home and their parent is outraged by it, the kids turn on their parents.'

Walters claimed the agenda is turning children away from the beliefs of their parents.

'This is absolutely trying to break down that family unit, so the kid is more susceptible to the most radical Marxist gender ideology we've ever seen to pit groups of people against each other. And frankly, it's to create Democrat voters.'

'No parent wants to send their kids to school knowing that they could be exposed to this radical gender theory in any capacity. This woke war on our kids has to stop. We will not allow it in Oklahoma. This is the liberal insanity that every parent wants out of the classroom,' Walters added.

'We will not allow our kids to be part of their radical-left game for pushing ideology and furthering their end goal, which is creating social justice warriors instead of students that understand how education is a path for success for them. We will not allow it. This will stop.'
The boy had escaped Jodi Hildebrandt's home covered in tape and wounds

This is the moment a desperate neighbor called 911 to help Ruby Franke 's son

A harrowing 911 call that led to arrest of YouTube mom Ruby Franke reveals the heart-wrenching moment a neighbor helped her 12-year-old son.

The Good Samaritan raised the alarm when the 'emaciated' boy turned up on his doorstep with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs after fleeing Jodi Hildebrandt's nearby home through a window.

In his call to police, the man is heard calmly trying to explain the urgent need for assistance, but becomes overwhelmed by the boy's condition and struggles through tears to get his words out.

'I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help,' the neighbor says, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC.

'And he's said he had just come from a neighbor's house and we know there's been problems at this neighbor's house.

Ruby, her husband, and their six kids were shot into stardom back in 2015, after she started sharing videos giving an inside look into her life as a Mormon mother-of-six on YouTube

Ruby Franke, (left) who ran the now-defunct 8 Passengers channel, was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right) on August 30

Jody Hildebrandt's home in Ivins, Utah, as seen last week

Franke's eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted about her mother's arrest on Instagram, sharing an image of police officers outside the home captioned 'finally'

'He is emaciated. He's got tape around his legs. He's hungry and he's thirsty.

'He has duct tape around each ankle. There's sores around them. He has them around his wrists as well.

'This kid has obviously... he's been detained. He's obviously covered in wounds.'

Ruby and husband Kevin Franke's 10-year-old daughter was later found by cops in a similar condition.

The plea for help led to Franke being charged with six counts of felony child abuse.

Hildebrandt has been charged with six counts of felony child abuse in Washington County, Utah. Each count carries a sentence of up to 15 years and a $10,000 fine.

Abusing children, being physical, and withholding food is something that has been a 'multi-generational' problem in the Franke family, claimed her cousin.

The relative said the news of her child abuse case is 'disgusting' but the problem is 'bigger than people know.'

The unnamed cousin of Franke claimed this is not the first time their family has experienced this behavior. Other members have also duct-taped, handcuffed and starved kids.

Disturbing details emerged that reveal how Ruby and Kevin Franke's children were allegedly subjected to strenuous chores, during scorching temperatures

They described the unprovoked child abuse and slapping that took place in their house as a child - and said that after watching Ruby's YouTube channel 8 Passengers briefly, they said they noticed Ruby's same mannerisms.

'I'm not shocked. It's not a shock at all. The direction in which it went was not what I thought, but from which it came was to be expected,' the cousin said.

'I wasn't expecting some of the details in that story to line up with details in my own family history.

'My mother handcuffed my sisters when they were young, and a lack of food wasn't uncommon, but it wasn't out of the lack of money and there was a time when it could have been prevented and it wasn't.

'All I can say is my mother did duck tape my siblings. I'm not shocked.'

The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department in Utah arrested Franke and Hildebrandt after a report of a juvenile in need at 10.50am last week.

In a statement the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said: 'The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Irvins EMS and transported to a local area hospital.

'Information was obtained by police that other juveniles in similar condition may be in a nearby home.

'Officers arrived at the home and searched the residence, locating another juvenile in a similar physical condition of malnourishment.

'They were also transported by EMS for hospital treatment'.

Ruby Franke is seen with her four daughters: Shari (red coat), Eve (gray dress), Julie (pink coat), and Abby (black coat)

The family blew up on social media after beginning to post videos in 2015

Last weekend, Kevin was spotted outside his home by DailyMail.com for the first time since his wife and her business partner were arrested last week

Ruby Franke's Springville, Utah home, is seen last weekend

Cops said 'evidence consistent with the markings found on the juvenile' was located in the home.

Four minor children were taken into the care of Child and Family Services following the police's investigation. It is unconfirmed if the children were related to either Franke or Hildebrandt.

Neighbors said they had been in contact with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services in the past and feared the kids would leave the home 'in body bags'.

'I remember that she took away their Christmas one year and she would say things like "They're not repenting correctly," which is a Mormon term for 'they're sinning.'

'Just complete insanity,' a male neighbor explained.

The local residents also told how Franke would interfere in the lives of her neighbors.

One recalled an incident where Franke lectured a neighbor over what she deemed to be 'inappropriate' posters of women posing in shorts that were on display in a garage.

Franke previously bragged online about letting her kids go hungry, canceling Christmas and even punishing her children by taking them out of school and forcing them to clean floorboards.

She and Hildebrandt also were previously criticized for their teachings on parenting  collaborating on Hildebrandt's life counseling service.

Franke gained fame online through her YouTube channel 8 Passengers and had 2.2 million subscribers before she stopped posting in January 2022.

'Everyone is just breathing a collective sigh of relief because we thought they were going to come out of that house with body bags,' another neighbor said to NBC News following the arrest.

Kevin Franke is believed to have been kicked out of the family home last year.

He said earlier this week that he is 'trying to keep his children together' following the arrests before being seen pacing around outside the Utah family home last weekend after neighbors spoke out about their fears for their children's safety.

Franke (seen with her husband) is well-known for her strict parenting style on the channel, which she stopped uploading footage in January 2022. It was taken down earlier this year

She once came under fire for revealing her then-six-year-old daughter Eve had to 'go hungry' because the little girl had failed to make her own lunch before school

Ruby's husband was seen at the property on Saturday as a man came to remove the YouTube branding from the van parked outside.

Neighbors told the DailyMail.com they had been concerned about the children's wellbeing, and once saw the kids left outside pulling weeds for hours during triple digit temperatures.

DailyMail.com spoke to one of Hildebrandt's neighbor's whose home is also in the Kayenta Community located at the base of the Red Mountains in Ivins, Utah.

'One thing we noticed and we told the police the same thing, six to eight weeks ago when it was really hot I was outside in the late morning, afternoon pulling weeds and over at Jodi's home several kids were also outside her home pulling weeds.

'Over the course of the day the temperature was over 100 degrees and I gave up after a while because it was so hot but I noticed that the kids stayed out there,' the neighbor explained.

The resident also noted how they never heard any sounds coming from the home such as those of children playing outside, which they thought was unusual.

Her eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted about her mother's arrest on Instagram, sharing an image of police officers outside the home captioned 'Finally.'

She added: 'Today has been a big day. Me and my family are so glad justice is being served.

'We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.

'Kids are safe, but there's a long road ahead. Please keep them in your prayers and also respect their privacy.'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed speculation he's planning to run for president in 2024, saying he is all in for Joe Biden and that Kamala Harris is the natural heir.

'We need to move past this notion that he's not going to run,' Newsom told NBC News' Chuck Todd.

'President Biden is going to run, and looking forward to getting him reelected. I think there's been so much wallowing in the last few months, and handwringing in this respect. But we're gearing up for the campaign. We're looking forward to it.'

Newsom also addressed the calls he's been making to top Democratic donors, which had sparked the speculation he was considering a primary challenge to the president.

He said his message to the donors wondering if the nominee will be someone besides Biden was: 'Time to move on. Let's go.'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed speculation he's planning to run for president in 2024, saying he is all in for Joe Biden

Polls have shown that many Democrats would like an option other than Biden. There have been concerns raised about his age: at 80, Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history.

A Wall Street Journal poll out this week found that 75 percent of voters think Biden is too old to be president.

And a CNN poll out in July found 75 percent of Democratic and left-leaning voters who don't want to see Biden run for another term

Newsom, 55, has long topped the list of possible Democratic presidential candidates. He's governor of the biggest state in the union. With a GDP of $3.6 trillion, if California were a country, it would be the fifth largest economy in the world.

He's staked out policy positions that appeal to Democrats: he proposed a constitutional amendment that would install new federal gun controls, including universal background checks; he's pushed an ambitious climate agenda, such as banning the sale of new gas-powered cars; and he's formed a coalition of governors to ensure access to abortions.

Additionally, he's picked fights with top Republicans like Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in California together in June - Newsom told NBC News that he's told donors that Biden is running and they need to move on

Newsom and DeSantis - both combative governors who have staked out positions on immigration and education at the opposite ends of the political spectrum - have agreed to a debate hosted by Fox News host Sean Hannity. The date is yet to be determined.

There were reports some in the White House were upset with the idea, particularly those Vice President Kamala Harris.

Newsom and Harris could be competitors in a 2028 Democratic presidential primary if both opt to run for the White House.

The California governor told NBC News he's not heard from anyone in the White House about the upcoming showdown. He said he read reports some in Harris' office were upset but hadn't heard directly from the vice president.

'Apparently someone in her office is, because I read some off-the-record quotes. I wish I knew who that was. But I don't hear it from her so  and I'm certainly not hearing it from the White House itself,' he said.

Newsom, in the interview, also shut down any talk he might challenge Harris, saying the two have a 'very good relationship.'

'I think the vice president is naturally the one lined up' to run after Biden, he said, noting 'maybe I'm a little old-fashioned about, you know, presidents and vice presidents. I was a lieutenant governor, so I'm a little subjective.'

Asked if he could imagine running against her, Newsom responded: 'Of course not. By definition. Won't happen. But we've  I've said that 1,000 times. We privately continue to maintain a very good relationship, interpersonal. Just, 'How are you doing? Checking in.' It's been a challenging few years with Covid. And we've had the opportunity to sit down, have lunch together in the White House, spend time talking about important things.'

Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in California together in 2021 - Newsom said he can't imagine himself running against her

Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris rose in San Francisco politics together - above the two are seen with Rev. Cecil Williams, center, at a political event in that city in 2004

Newsom and Harris rose in California in parallel lines, both coming to prominent attention in San Francisco, where they won offices that launched their careers.

Their rise together meant constant overlap - they traveled in the same political circles, wooed the same donors and hired some of the same consultants.

In 2003, Newsom was running to be San Francisco mayor and Harris its district attorney. Each won their perspective races resulting in the city's youngest mayor in more than 100 years and the state's first black district attorney being sworn in together in January 2004.

Newsom told NBC: 'We knew each other before we were both in politics. The day I got sworn in as mayor, walked across the street, she got sworn in as district attorney. Extraordinarily close working relationship, including her time in the Senate, my time up here.'

The two, however, have been described as 'frenemies.' Both seen as ambitious potential rivals for higher office, they have worked out their career paths in the past - endorsing one another without competing against each other.

There have been close calls.

In 2015, both of them were eyeing the Senate seat left vacant by Barbara Boxer, who decided to retire. But Newsom ended up deferring to Harris, opting to run for governor instead.

Harris won the Senate seat and repaid the favor, campaigning for Newsom for governor.

And she, as vice president, campaigned for him in 2021, when he faced a recall election. Newsom ultimately prevailed and stayed in office.
Joe Biden is about to hit an all-time low: For no good or explained reason, he has decided to skip Monday's 9/11 ceremonies.

Yes, our self-styled Empathizer-in-Chief, who revels in ruminating on his personal tragedies constantly, has decided to sit this one out.

After a summer spent dozing on the beach, grudgingly rousting himself from a Lake Tahoe vacation to finally view the devastation in Maui (before comparing that horror to a small kitchen fire in his Delaware mansion), then wandering out of a Medal of Honor ceremony Tuesday and leaving an 81-year-old Vietnam vet alone  a vet he awarded while maskless despite Jill Biden's COVID diagnosis  the president will be in Alaska when the first bell rings at 8:46 am eastern time, marking the moment that first plane struck the North Tower.

Given that it'll be 4:46 am in Anchorage  it's fair to ask if Biden will even be awake.

The president is not always present at one of the three memorial sites in New York, Pennsylvania, or Virginia. G.W. Bush and Barack Obama have observed the day from the White House, but never has the president been so far out of touch  clear across the county.

It's beyond disgraceful. It's a dereliction of duty and a heartless affront to the nearly 3,000 American civilians who died that day, the heroes who ran up the stairs in the World Trade Center to their certain deaths, the passengers who stormed the cockpit on United Flight 93, the surviving family members and friends, and those who still suffer and die from the effects of that day.

September 11, 2001 is still very much with us.

Joe Biden is about to hit an all-time low: For no good or explained reason, he has decided to skip Monday's 9/11 ceremonies.

Yes, our self-styled Empathizer-in-Chief, who revels in ruminating on his personal tragedies constantly, has decided to sit this one out.

The president is not always present at one of the three memorial sites in New York, Pennsylvania, or Virginia (Pentagon crash site shown above). G.W. Bush and Barack Obama have observed the day from the White House, but never has the president been so far out of touch  clear across the county.

Nearly 10,000 first responders on or near the World Trade Center site have cancer. Over 5,000 have died from WTC-related illnesses. More people have died, and will continue to die, from the effects of the attacks than those who perished in them. It remains a national crisis, not that the Biden administration treats it as such.

Let me frame it in a way that might land with the president or any of his advisers: If a Biden had been in one of those towers or on that plane or in the Pentagon that day, we would never, ever hear the end of it. That may sound harsh, but it's true.

Why will the president be in Alaska, you might ask?

His pit stop at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military base comes after a one-day trip to Vietnam on September 10 to discuss, among other topics, climate change.

One wonders if the carbon emissions are worth it. Perhaps this could have been a Zoom?

More crucially, the decision to put Biden in Vietnam on the eve of Sept. 11th is baffling. We have just marked the two-year anniversary of Biden's biggest foreign policy blunder: America's sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, which resembled nothing so much as our catastrophic withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975.

You know, the thing Joe Biden promised would definitely not happen.

'There's going to be no circumstance', Biden said in July 2021, 'where you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of a [sic] embassy'.

Well, at least he was right about the embassy part.

Instead we saw thousands of frantic Afghans crushing to break through at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Americans left behind gone into hiding, Afghans who worked with the U.S. targeted for torture and death by the Taliban with no organized response from the US federal government, former Navy SEALs working as self-appointed extraction teams, desperate mothers yelling, 'Save my baby'! and tossing them in the air to horrified military.

'Some of the babies fell on barbed wire', a British soldier told the UK Independent during the withdrawal. 'By the end of the night, there wasn't one man among us who wasn't crying'.

Terrified Afghans clung to the wings and wheel covers of an American C-17 plane as it took off, falling from the sky to their deaths. One was a 17-year-old boy who was found in pieces.

When asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos about those terrified Afghans falling from a U.S. military plane, Biden snapped.

Let me frame it in a way that might land with the president or any of his advisers: If a Biden had been in one of those towers or on that plane or in the Pentagon that day, we would never, ever hear the end of it. That may sound harsh, but it's true.

The decision to put Biden in Vietnam on the eve of Sept. 11th is baffling. We have just marked the two-year anniversary of Biden's biggest foreign policy blunder: America's sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, which resembled nothing so much as our catastrophic withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975.

'That was four days ago, five days ago', he said.

It had only been two, but the message was clear: Get over it. Move on. S**t happens.

That boy's father, Mohammed Rezayee, told the Sunday Times of London that his older son was also missing and that he blamed the Americans.

'I'm hurting, I'm angry, but there's nothing I can do', Rezayee said. 'I've buried one son and I don't even know if the other one is dead or alive'.

One might think Biden could relate. But really, if it doesn't have to do with him, it's just not that important.

That's now a sentiment held by more than half of America: 55 percent say that they don't believe that Joe 'cares about people' like them.

This is the stuff of a U.S. president?

It seems that party insiders and Biden sympathizers have finally begun to ask that very question. Most interesting, to my mind, about 'The Last Politician', the new Biden biography by the admiring Franklin Foer, is the book's concentration on Afghanistan.

Covered here is Biden's execrable behavior at a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, joining the families of 13 fallen servicemen and women killed in a suicide bomb outside that airport in Kabul. Mark Schmitz, the father of fallen 20-year-old Jared Schmitz, was enraged upon Biden's approach and clutched a photo of his son.

'Don't you ever forget that name,' Schmitz told the president. 'Don't you ever forget that face. Don't you ever forget the names of the other 12. And take some time to learn their stories.'

'I do know those stories', Biden insisted.

His smugness was repulsive to those families.

'I hope you burn in hell', the sister of another soldier yelled at Biden. 'That was my brother'.

Biden, according to Foer, didn't get it.

'Did I do something wrong'? he asked then-press secretary Jen Psaki. 'Maybe I should have handled that differently'.

Left out of Foer's account is the most damning detail: Biden checking his watch 13 times, one for each moment a casket was unloaded from the aircraft onto U.S. soil.

The Afghanistan catastrophe is the heart of the book, its centerpiece, yet Joe Biden is absent from most of those pages  except when he's refusing to listen to military advisers urging him to slow down, make a real plan.

Or when he's getting bossed around by the Taliban. Or addressing the nation and instead of invoking the Afghan people speaking instead of his late son Beau.

'Some of the babies fell on barbed wire', a British soldier told the UK Independent during the withdrawal. 'By the end of the night, there wasn't one man among us who wasn't crying'.

Covered here is Biden's execrable behavior at a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, joining the families of 13 fallen servicemen and women killed in a suicide bomb outside that airport in Kabul.

Left out of Foer's account is the most damning detail: Biden checking his watch 13 times, one for each moment a casket was unloaded from the aircraft onto U.S. soil.

Or when he's finally deciding to loop in Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani the night before his announcement, or White House frustration that Hillary Clinton is running her own rescue efforts to get high-target women out of Afghanistan because the Biden administration has dropped the ball, believing these were 'fancy people' who could get out on their own.

Or Biden's proclamation that the U.S. would be out by September 11th  a date, Foer reports, that Mark Milley, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hated for its symbolism: Had the sacrifices made by the American men and women who fought and died meant nothing?

Recall the assessment of Joe Biden by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2014: 'I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades'. Recall Joe Biden telling then-President Obama not to greenlight the raid on Osama bin Laden in 2011  a fact Biden denied while running in 2020.

Kabul was Biden's Saigon. Which member of his brain trust thinks it's wise to put him in Vietnam on the eve of 9/11? A date bound forever with Afghanistan.

It begs the question: Why has there been no public pressure, no outrage, no real coverage in the media about Biden's decision to skip the major 9/11 ceremonies?

To act as though a stop-over in Anchorage cuts it is a disgrace. It feels cowardly.

Why would Joe Biden, in the run-up to an election year, would miss the opportunity to look statesmanlike. To be seen as a uniter. Strong.

Here's what's likely going on: The president's advisers are probably worried about an optic they can never walk back  Biden dozing off during the ceremony, or falling on his face or getting confused as to where he is or why or simply wandering off, as he did to that poor Vietnam veteran in a controlled setting at the White House.

If that's the case, we have yet another very good reason Old Joe should pack it in. If he lacks the stamina or the mental cogency for a 9/11 ceremony  truly, how is he fit to serve?
More than 70 British holidaymakers say they were struck down with a parasitic infection from a four-star hotel - and were so ill they vomited blood.

All of the affected tourists stayed in the Hotel Aqua Mirage in Marrakech, Morocco over the summer and autumn of 2022.

Guests reported pool toilet cubicles were covered in diarrhoea and vomit after many were diagnosed with E.coli, salmonella and cryptosporidium.

Among those affected was Chelsea Hagan, 29, and her daughter Darcey, 6, from Anglesey, North Wales.

Chelsea began vomiting blood and was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with cryptosporidium, a parasitic infection commonly transmitted to humans through contaminated water.

A year on, Chelsea, a trainee painter and decorator, continues to suffer from diarrhoea and mild gastritis, which is where the stomach becomes inflamed.

Chelsea Hagan (29) and her daughter Darcey (6) from North Wales vomited blood after contracting parasitic infection from a four-star hotel in Morocco

Sarita Sharma, the specialist international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the group, including Chelsea and Darcey, said: 'The first-hand account we've heard from Chelsea about her illness and the similar symptoms suffered by Darcey as well as others are deeply concerning.

'Chelsea was diagnosed with cryptosporidium following hospital tests, and what's particularly worrying is that she continues to be affected by her illness a year on.

'Chelsea and Darcey are just two of among more than 70 people who stayed at this hotel over the summer and autumn of 2022 only to be struck down with gastric illness.

'Others we represent suffered illnesses including cryptosporidium, e.coli, campylobacter and salmonella, all of which can have long-term impacts on health.

'Understandably our clients continue to have question and concerns about what happened to them.

Chelsea (pictured) was admitted to the hospital after her condition got worse

'We're now investigating those concerns to provide them with the answers they deserve.

'If during the course of our investigations, any issues are identified, it's vital lessons are learned, and other travellers are spared the suffering and distress that holiday illness and its impact can cause.

'As part of our ongoing investigations, we are still keen to hear from anyone who stayed at the Hotel Aqua Mirage last year and suffered similar symptoms.'

Chelsea and Darcey's holiday, booked through TUI UK Ltd, took place between 9 and 16 September, 2022.

On the day they returned to the UK, Darcey fell ill with gastric symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting.

Chelsea took her to the GP on two occasions. During the second appointment she was referred to hospital.

Darcey (pictured) is in a better condition however Chelsea has ongoing health issues

Chelsea's illness began around 24 September. She suffered diarrhoea, headaches, fatigue and stomach pain.

When she also began vomiting blood, Chelsea called NHS 111 and was advised to attend A&E.

Darcey's symptoms eased around 7 October, however Chelsea has ongoing health issues.

Chelsea said: 'When Darcey started being sick, I thought maybe it was from the heat on holiday, but after a few days I ended up taking her to the hospital as she wasn't getting any better. It was awful seeing my little girl so unwell.

'Then I fell ill, and I couldn't believe how bad I got. I've never felt stomach pain like it. I spent almost a day in hospital vomiting. It was horrendous.

'To find out I had a gastric infection was a huge shock and not something you expect just after returning from holiday.

'However, when I think back I can recall that the hygiene standards at the resort weren't what I'd class as great.

'I remember raw meat was put next to cooked meat and people would pick at the food with their hands.

'At one stage, one of the toilet cubicles by the pool was covered in diarrhoea and vomit; it was disgusting.

'Almost a year on, I'm still not 100 per cent. While I know there's nothing I can do to change what we've been through, I want some answers. I feel it's the least we deserve.'
Read more: Shock as Melbourne teen dies in her sleep

Homicide detectives have combed her home for clues

Jodie Fellows presented to hospital with serious injuries

The sudden death of a woman who passed away just hours after she arrived at hospital with extensive injuries will be investigated by homicide detectives.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Jodie Fellows, who died in Collie Hospital, about a two-hour drive south of Perth, on Thursday.

At least 10 detectives combed her South West home for clues on Friday in an attempt to piece together what could have caused her significant injuries.

After conducting a walk-through of the quiet neighbourhood, police left the residence with several large brown paper bags of evidence.

Police said that while they would approach the death from 'all angles', the Collie community should hold no concerns for any lingering danger.

Jodie Fellows, arrived at Collie Hospital with significant injuries and died the following day

Ms Fellows (pictured) lived with her partner at their South West home, which was combed by a team of 10 detectives on Friday who left with several bags of evidence

'It's not something that the residents of Collie need to be worried (about),' Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Cleal said.

'We don't have safety concerns regarding this issue.'

Two women were seen speaking to detectives as they canvassed the area on Friday, with police confirming a man in his 40s was assisting with their inquiries.

It is understood the man was known to Ms Fellows.

Snr Srgt Cleal said no charges had been laid in the early stages of the investigation.

Police and homicide detectives are now investigating the case, which is being treated as suspicious (pictured: Collie Police Station)

A resident who wished to remain anonymous told The West Australian that he heard loud noises coming from the Ms Fellow's home on Wednesday night.

The man said that although loud noises were not uncommon in the neighbourhood, he had never heard sounds like it before.

'(There were) two loud bangs like a gunshot late (Wednesday night),' he said.

Ms Fellows is understood to have worked at the popular Bunbury Farmers Market.
The first few weeks of university are a dizzying whirlwind of drinking, dancing, socialising and attempting to feed yourself, along with much confused roaming about endless corridors and staircases trying to find where your seminar is.

As freshers try to get comfortable in a new and well-upholstered seat of learning, it's often easy to forget the importance of staying safe both on and off campus.

Alongside concerns about the quality of mental health and wellbeing provision for our over-stressed teenage generation, fears over student safety are a top priority for most parents.

Fortunately, safety is taken seriously on campus these days, and university authorities and student representatives are working with varying degrees of effectiveness to address both student and parental concerns.

Student unions are often proactive in promoting safety, with many running courses during Freshers' Week and throughout the year on how to keep risk to a minimum. Increasingly, universities are also running modules  sometimes compulsory  on sexual consent. Those with a particularly strong record in this area are identified in the university profiles in this guide.

It's good to remember that vigilance doesn't need to translate into fear, however, and caution doesn't have to manifest into students seldom leaving their halls or houses.

How to stay safe at university

Use apps to keep you and your friends safe

Student safety groups advise that when a group of friends is out together on a night out in a busy club or bar, everyone should decide on a safe meeting place in case anyone gets lost (File image)

Tech can be a firm best friend to new students in helping to keep them safe. There are myriad mobile phone apps which use different methods  such as GPS tracking  to make sure friends know where each other are and to give students the opportunity to raise an alarm should they find themselves in a potentially unsafe situation.

With the Circle of 6 app, tapping a phone screen two times alerts a chosen group of half a dozen friends to the user's whereabouts or how they need help.

Activating the safety app Guardly connects the user to public authorities and a list of emergency contacts, while StreetSafe lets friends locate each other on a map with real-time updates.

These apps can be useful should a student in a new town or city find themselves on their own. But in the first few weeks of university life, the firm advice from student bodies is that it's better to stick with a group rather than roam too much alone.

Student safety groups advise that when a group of friends is out together on a night out in a busy club or bar, everyone should decide on a safe meeting place in case anyone gets lost.

It's also vital not to use the confidence that comes with a few drinks to experiment with new shortcuts home. Even if it takes a bit longer, despite the aching feet, students should take the route they're most familiar with and not be tempted to go venturing down unlit streets or across parks and fields.

How to keep possessions secure

It's crucial for freshers to be on guard from the outset by taking a few simple measures such as marking phones, laptops or any other valuable items with a UV pen (File image)

It's not only personal safety that's crucial. Keeping possessions safe is something many students have a worryingly laissez-faire attitude towards.

According to one recent study, 20 per cent of student burglaries occur in the first six weeks of the academic year. So, it's crucial for freshers to be on guard from the outset by taking a few simple measures such as marking phones, laptops or any other valuable items with a UV pen.

Dialling *#06# on a mobile phone will result in an IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) being displayed on the screen. Making a note of it on paper is vital in helping police to track the device should it be stolen.

Personal contents insurance does sound very dull. But students who fail to get their valuables insured can end up spending thousands replacing their laptops, phones, bikes or TVs. Many sites, including the excellent savethestudent.org, have comparison listings to help first-year students find the best deals.

Whether it is making sure mobile phones are fully charged before going out, carrying a personal alarm or not accepting 'help' from a stranger at a cashpoint, taking these simple steps will maximise the chances of the first few weeks of university being a time of thrills, spills and discounted student union cider and cheesy chips (which, by the way, should never be consumed at the same time).

Download proper security and antivirus software for laptops and computers  they are not always safe in university libraries or in halls

Be sure to hold on to your alcoholic or soft drinks at all times when out in a bar or club. Accept a lid for any drink, which many bars and student unions now offer.

Keep valuables out of plain sight at home, ensure all the locks work properly and immediately contact the university if there are concerns about the security of a new house or dorm block.

Take a photo of a bicycle frame number and invest in a good-quality bike lock. Remember that half of bicycle thefts in the UK are from the owner's home or garage, not just when they're locked up on the street.

Be wary around cashpoints in a new town or city and try to only use them in daylight hours.

What to avoid to stay safe at university

Always trust your gut instinct. Many bars now run an 'Ask for Angela' policy where if you feel uncomfortable in a situation, you can ask a member of the bar staff for 'Angela' to get help (File image)

Do not assume everyone on campus can be trusted. Keep important ID such as your PIN numbers, university ID, bank cards and bank statements hidden away. There's no need to invest in a safe but do keep these things hidden.

Remember, it is not always easy to find friends on a night out. If you're going to a new venue with a new crowd, have a meeting place where everyone can check in every hour or so.

You should also be wary of trusting any taxi firm office on the high street, as it may not necessarily has a good reputation. Your university student union should have a list of trusted taxi firms.

To help you get home, many universities now offer shuttle services between library facilities, and even bars and nightclubs, and halls of residences. Find out what's on offer before taking a walk home.

Don't let anyone walk home alone (and this applies to boys and girls). If one of your group wants to leave a night out early, make sure you or someone else walks home with them (even if you don't feel ready to leave). How much do you want one more drink or one more dance?

Lastly, always trust your gut instinct. Many bars now run an 'Ask for Angela' policy where if you feel uncomfortable in a situation, you can ask a member of the bar staff for 'Angela' to get help.
Schools across Britain are facing heavy criticism after some pupils were left 'roaming the streets' on the first day of the new term for not wearing the right school uniform.

At a Somerset school a shoe row erupted after a number of pupils were pulled out of lessons for wearing banned footwear, leaving parents 'furious'.

A parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she believes the Huish Episcopi Academy in Langport is handing out 'barbaric and inhumane' punishments.

The parent also said 'more than 50' pupils were put into isolation and the school 'crammed them into a hot, unventilated room' for wearing black Nike Air Force 1 footwear.

They said that 'one girl is having a panic attack and some are being threatened with suspension if they refuse isolation'.

Huish Episcopi Academy in Langport pictured, where parents are furious at the school for pulling children out of lessons for wearing banned footwear

The school says children are not allowed to wear Nike Air Force 1 footwear (pictured)

The school says children are not allowed to wear Nike Air Force 1 footwear, which it regards as trainers, and it informed parents of the rule three times in recent letters.

The parent says pupils had been wearing the Nike footwear last year and 'many cannot afford new shoes', adding that the school is 'refusing to engage'.

Has your child been sent home for wearing the wrong uniform? Email: milo.pope.mol@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

A pupil at the school has also claimed that children were 'kept in a room for hours with no air or water' amid hot temperatures and '30 were suspended'.

A spokesman for United Learning, the group that manages the school, stated that some pupils had been suspended since the start of term, but 'significantly fewer than 30'.

The spokesman said that the alleged number of 50 children in isolation 'is inaccurate'. The spokesman added that 'no student has been threatened with exclusion for wearing the wrong shoes' and 'no students are crammed into a hot, unventilated room'.

Huish Episcopi Academy was rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted following an inspection in 2022, with a report highlighting 'widespread bullying, unacceptable language and unruly behaviour'.

The school is now looking to clean up its act, and one new initiative has seen it implement a 'closer adherence to uniform policy' with a letter stating 'uniforms hold great importance as they symbolise pride in our institution and serve as a deterrent against bullying'.

The Telford Langley School (pictured) where at least 50 pupils were refused entry over improper school uniform

In Shropshire, parents said at least 50 students were refused entry to Telford Langley because of concerns over their attire.

Paul Hammond, whose daughter was meant to start Year Eight at the co-educational academy in Telford, said teachers were 'measuring skirts and ties' at the school gates.

He said: 'I spent a lot of money on her uniform, so it wasn't cheap and she went to school in a skirt that was down to her knees with black tights underneath.

READ MORE: Why is it so hot in September? All you need to know about the reasons behind the current UK heatwave Advertisement

'But they sent her home for 'showing too much flesh'.'

He also described headteacher Emma Blount, who took over the running of the school this week, as 'acting like someone from the Victorian age.'

'It is incredible,' he added. 'There were at least 40-50 kids being sent home.

'Some of the fathers were kicking off and swearing at the school gates as they were obviously very upset about it. It is mainly the girls that are being checked but a number of boys have been sent home too.'

Another parent, who did not want to be named, said her son was due to start Year Seven on Thursday but was sent home because of his shoes - despite him having worn them all last year.

'It is an absolute joke,' she said, adding that her son, among many others, was sent home by the school but was left 'roaming the streets.'

'They let my child go without our permission. The first I knew he had been sent home is when he phoned to say he was in the park. One parent does not know where her little girl is. They have just let them out to roam the streets.'

Nobody at Telford Langley School was available for comment when approached but on its website, the school says its uniform policy is guided by the belief 'that the pride our students take in their appearance is a reflection of their attitude to their studies.'

Bodmin College pictured, where children were sent to a 'reset room' for not having 'defined heels' on their shoes

At a Cornwall school, some kids spent their first day of school in a 'reset room' for not having 'defined heels' on shoes.

Parents have said they were not notified of the last minute change to the uniform policy.

Gavin Mitchell said his daughter was one of a number of kids at Bodmin College who spent the first day of their final year of school in a 'reset room' because they didn't have appropriate shoes.

Mr Mitchell believes that as many as 35 Year 11 pupils were put in detention - all day - for the same reason and that many parents had not been contacted by the college to inform them of the issue.

While the father-of-two said he understands the need for a uniform policy, he has been left 'fuming' at the college's decision to take children out of lessons on the very first day back at school.

'My daughter spent eight hours copying out of a book because she was told she didn't have the right shoes,' Mr Mitchell said. 'She didn't even get to find out her tutor group. To punish kids for the parent's downfall is just wrong.

'They were denied an education on their first day and they weren't even given a warning. The workplace is strict, if you go in with the wrong shoes, you get a verbal warning but [the college is] torturing kids to make sure the parents buy the right shoes.'

Pictures of proper school shoes, as well as where parents can purchase them, were posted under the uniform policy on the college's website, dated June 2023.

Gavin Mitchell said his daughter was one of a number of kids at Bodmin College who spent the first day of their final year of school in a 'reset room'

It explains that 'shoes should be plain black, polishable or patent, and unbranded with no logos. Shoes that will no longer be acceptable from September 2023 include: hi-tops, canvas material, trainers, branded items with logos and any style of boot.'

However, there was no mention of shoes needing to have a 'defined heel', until Bodmin College shared a Facebook post last week - days before school started - further explaining what kind of shoes would be acceptable.

Mr Mitchell said by this point, his wife had already bought new shoes for their daughter, which they thought would be appropriate.

'They brought out this policy idea about the uniform at the beginning of the summer but it didn't specify that shoes needed to have a defined heel to be appropriate,' he said. 'Then at the end of August, they came out with vague specifics on what shoes they want but they failed to notify parents.

'Most parents found out through their own kids that they were in reset because the school didn't tell them. Don't get me wrong, I like strict rules, so I was even defending the school when my daughter complained about the new uniform policy over the summer.

'But to find out my kid was punished because we failed to buy the right shoes is ridiculous. They were still adequate and presentable shoes without brand names, they just didn't have a defined heel.'

CornwallLive was told by a representative of Bodmin College that it would provide a statement, however none has been provided.
Death toll from floods in Greece reaches 6

Athens, Sep 8 (UNI) The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Greek Civil Protection and Climate Crisis Minister Vassilis Kikilias had confirmed the deaths of four people, with another six missing.

In addition, at least 64 people were trapped in their houses in villages in the Thessaly region, the most affected by the floods, he said.
A forthcoming movie set in 1750's Denmark has been accused of lacking diversity and told it risks not qualifying for Best Picture at the Oscars following new rules laid down in Hollywood.

The Promised Land sees James Bond actor Mads Mikkelsen play an 18th-century army captain struggling to raise his social status and maintain his values in an increasingly hostile climate.

Mikkelsen appears alongside a predominantly white cast, and during an interview a Danish journalist quizzed the actor about the dearth of racial diversity - which riled the star.

The reporter asked him: 'The film is entirely Nordic, it therefore has some lack of diversity you would say, there's also new rules implied in Hollywood?'

Mikkelsen, who starred in Casino Royale as a villain, immediately shook his head and asked: 'What are you on?', before turning to his director in apparent disbelief.

The journalist then explained that Best Picture Academy nominees must align with new rules announced by the Oscars committee which state that movies must include diverse leading or supporting actors, or that a large number of the cast are from underrepresented groups.

He asked: 'It's not because of artistic reasons, it's because of a lack of diversity, are you worried about it?'

An irritated Mikkelsen, 57, replied: 'Are you? You're putting us on the spot so you answer the question.'

During an interview, a Danish journalist quizzed Mr Mikkelsen about the dearth of racial diversity - which riled him

Mikkelsen quickly bit back at the reporter before looking to director Nikolaj Arcel

Mikkelsen, who starred in Casino Royale as a villain, immediately shook his head, and asked: 'What are you on?' and turned to his director in apparent disbelief

Director Nikolaj Arcel then intervened and explained that the movie does in fact feature an ethnically diverse character who was a victim of racism.

'We do have a big plot line about a girl of colour who is being subjected to racism, she was probably at the time the only [person of colour] in the entire country of Denmark.

'It wasn't a thought in our mind, I think it would be a little weird, it's just how it was in the 1750s,' Mr Arcel added as Mr Mikkelsen grinned beside him.

The historical drama is based on a novel inspired by a real person, Captain Ludvig Kahlen, and premiered at the recent Venice Film Festival.

In May the Oscars committee announced new representation and inclusion standards for a film to be eligible for the awards, though it applies solely for the best picture category.

The standards, which come into effect next year, are designed to encourage equal representation on and off screen to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going and movie-making audience.

They require that the film must meet the criteria of either having at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors, or that 30 per cent of the secondary roles, are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
A panic-stricken hiker stranded on a remote mountain range in Alaska was rescued after viewers watching a Fat Bear Week camera called officials to report that he was asking for help.

The unidentified hiker was spotted on the camera set up on Dumpling Mountain in the Katmai National Park on September 5, and while there is no audio, he could be seen mouthing the words 'lost' and 'help' several times.

'There is someone distressed on the camera,' one viewer posted in the Explore.org live cam comments.

The Explore.org staff then notified their partners at the National Park Service.

Mike Fitz, a resident naturalist with Explore.org and creator of Fat Bear Week said: 'The park sent a search and rescue team to find the hiker, who was caught in windy and rainy conditions with poor visibility.

'Park rangers found the hiker a few hours later, unharmed, and brought the hiker back to safety.'

The unidentified hiker was spotted on the camera set up on Dumpling Mountain in the Katmai National Park on September 5, and while there is no audio, he could be seen mouthing the words 'lost' and 'help' several times

Bear Cam saves a hikers life! Today dedicated bear cam fans alerted us to a man in distress on Dumpling Mountain. The heroic rangers @KatmaiNPS sprung into action and mounted a search saving the man. - more details to come. pic.twitter.com/JzgfApK371  explore.org (@exploreorg) September 6, 2023

The unidentified hiker was spotted on the camera set up on Dumpling Mountain in the Katmai National Park on September 5 and while there is no audio, he could be seen mouthing the words 'lost' and 'help' several times

Onlookers then saw a team of rangers emerge from the fog, locate the hiker and help him down the mountain.

'Weather up there was really poor that day  about 50 feet visibility and the weather on top of the mountain is often much, much worse than what you find across the [Brooks] river,' Fitz said.

The hike from Brooks Camp requires 800 feet of elevation gained over 1.5 miles and there is no cell service in the area. The mountain also lacks adequate shelter and food.

Cameras have now returned to focusing on the brown bears along Brooks river for the Fat Bear Week tournament.

The Katmai National Park is known to host the Fat Bear Week tournament where viewers annually vote for the fattest brown bear at the park ahead of hibernation season.

The Katmai National Park is known to host the Fat Bear Week tournament where viewers annually vote for the fattest brown bear at the park ahead of hibernation season

Many bear-lovers have already tuned in to watch the bears in their natural habitat on Dumpling Mountain and decide on who to vote

While Fat Bear Week 2023 is set to begin in early October, many bear-lovers have already tuned in to watch the bears in their natural habitat on Dumpling Mountain and decide on who to vote.

Over the years, Fat Bear Week has become so popular that viewers increasingly access the video feed on year-round at Explore.org.
The Fulton County grand jury recommended charges against Lindsey Graham in Georgia's election case, new court filings showed on Friday.

Jurors also recommended charges against Michael Flynn, who had served as National Security Adviser to Donald Trump, and Georgia's two former Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

Also named were Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and lawyers Lin Wood and Cleta Mitchell, the report showed.

It's unclear why none of them were charged and what charges they may have faced.

Graham defended himself on Friday, saying as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was merely doing his job in investigating allegations of voter fraud.

The original indictment against Trump and 18 additional co-defendants included details involving 30 'unindicted co-conspirators'  people who Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges took part in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

The Georgia grand jury wanted to charge Lindsey Graham in the election case, new court documents show - above Graham with Donald Trump in January 2023

`Effort in this country to weaponize the law: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) responds after a newly released Fulton County, GA grand jury report shows they suggested charges against him.



Full story: https://t.co/ECBM6IAUj8 pic.twitter.com/GnkG6NamFY  NewsNation (@NewsNation) September 8, 2023

Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina who was a staunch Trump ally, in the weeks after the 2020 election had made calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Raffensperger has said he interpreted questions about whether he could reject certain absentee ballots as a suggestion to reject legally cast votes.

Graham has said, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was interested in cases of possible voter fraud. He repeated that on Friday.

'As the then-Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I had to decide whether to hold a hearing regarding the allegations of election misconduct in Georgia and other locations, as well as whether to certify the election results,' he said in a statement.

'I had questions, as did many others, about how the mail ballot process worked in Georgia and other locations. I did my due diligence. At the end of the day, I voted to certify the election results from every state including Georgia.

'It should never be a crime for a federal elected official, particularly the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will have to vote to certify a presidential election, to question and ensure the integrity of that election.'

Graham also spoke to local news outlets in South Carolina, where he said he was surprised by the grand jury recommendation.

'We can't criminalize senators doing their job when they have a constitutional requirement to fulfill. It would be irresponsible for me in my opinion as chairman of the committee not to try to find out what happened,' he told WYFF News.

'I called around different states including Georgia,' he said, noting the questions that came up after the election about voter irregularities.

'I eventually certifed all states, including Georgia,' he pointed out. As a senator he had to vote to certify the electoral college results.

'I was totally surprised,' he said of the hearing the grand jury recommendations.

Graham fought against testifying before the Georgia grand jury and was ultimately ordered to do so by the Supreme Court.

The grand jury spent seven months hearing from some 75 witnesses before finishing a report in December with recommendations for Willis on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The special grand jury did not have the power to issue charges but Willis used the evidence it gathered to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Here is who else the grand jury recommended be charged:

DAVID PERDUE and KELLY LOEFFLER

David Perdue

Kelly Loeffler

Perdue was running for re-election to the Senate in a special election in January 2021.

Trump was campaigning for him but also falsely claiming he won the presidential election and was the victim of election fraud.

Perdue personally urged Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to convene a special session of the legislature to help Trump's quest to overturn the election.

Loeffler was at that meeting.

She was in a runoff election in January 2021 that she ultimately lost.

Trump also campaigned for her.

The loss of those two seats gave Democrats control of the Senate.

MICHAEL FLYNN

Flynn, like Graham, was compelled to testify before the grand jury.

Michael Flynn

In mid-December 2020, Flynn told a right-wing news channel that Trump 'could take military capabilities' and place them in swing states and 'basically re-run an election in each of those states.'

Flynn also met at the White House on Dec. 18, 2020, with Trump, attorney Sidney Powell and others associated with the Trump campaign for a meeting that 'focused on topics including invoking martial law, seizing voting machines, and appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate the 2020 election,' Willis wrote in her document asking Flynn to testify.

And he attended meetings in November 2020 at the South Carolina home of conservative attorney Lin Wood. Wood also testified before the grand jury. He had been seeking ways to influence election results in Georgia.

BORIS EPSHTEYN

Boris Epshteyn

Boris Epshteyn also testified before the grand jury.

He served as a lawyer for Trump and the request for his testimony said that he 'possesses unique knowledge concerning the logistics, planning, and execution of efforts by the Trump Campaign to submit false certificates of vote to former vice president Michael Pence and others.'

CLETA MITCHELL

Cleta Mitchell

Cleta Mitchell advised Trump on a phone call with Georgia state officials after the 2020 election in which he urged them to find evidence that could overturn the state's results.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panel's recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect peoples due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury has indicted Trump and 18 other people under the state's anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.

The parts of the report previously released in February included its introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to seek charges for perjury. The panels foreperson had said in news interviews that the special grand jurors had recommended that numerous people be indicted.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis

The newly released court documents on Friday also mention jury concerns about being lied to: 'A majority of the Grand Jury believes that perjury may have been committed 15 by one or more witnesses testifying before it. The Grand Jury recommends that the 16 District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is 17 compelling.'
An outspoken headteacher who blasted the impact of Covid restrictions on young children has resigned from his post - claiming he has been 'discriminated against, harassed and bullied'.

Mike Fairclough, 50, who led West Rise Junior School in Eastbourne, East Sussex, is well-known for his unorthodox approach to education.

He previously appeared on Good Morning Britain to slam the lockdown as well as espouse the benefits of teaching children how to use shotguns.

But his time at the school has come to an acrimonious end after 19 years, Bournefree Live reports.

The father-of-four posted: 'My resignation is in response to serious breaches of contract by East Sussex County Council. I therefore consider myself to be constructively dismissed.

Mike (pictured in 2016) previously caught attention for his teaching at West Rise, the East Sussex school, where he has put rabbit-skinning, shooting and fire-making on the curriculum

Mr Fairclough's penchant for long hair and a snazzy dress sense with unbuttoned shirts, waistcoats and, on occasion, a bearskin coat  also led him to be dubbed the 'Hunky Head', a label he later embraced

'I feel that I have been discriminated against, harassed and bullied for exercising my right to lawful free speech (in my own personal time  not during school hours) and for expressing my philosophical belief in the importance of critical thinking, free speech and safeguarding children.'

Mr Fairclough said the local authority had ran investigations into his conduct after whistleblowing complaints.

He claims each probe has focused on his public views regarding the governments response to Covid-19 and its impact on youths, as well as his opposition towards vaccinating children against the virus.

Mr Fairclough said: 'The investigations have concluded with me being cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to this aspect of the complaints.

'I have then been told by East Sussex County Council that I am free to continue to express my lawful opinions. Despite this, they have then commissioned further investigations into me for doing just that.'

The headteacher is now at loggerheads with the council, who he claims have refused to confirm he will not be subject to further investigations regarding his public comments.

He has now vowed to launch an employment tribunal claim against the council.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: 'Mr Fairclough has resigned from the position of Headteacher at West Rise Junior School and we are continuing to provide support to the Acting Headteacher to ensure the pupils education continues uninterrupted.

'We are aware that Mr Fairclough has made a claim to the Employment Tribunals. The county council has submitted a defence to the claim and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.'

As part of his attempt to turn school convention on its head, Mr Fairclough put rabbit-skinning, shooting and fire-making alongside mathematics and verbal reasoning on the curriculum.

His penchant for long hair and a snazzy dress sense with unbuttoned shirts, waistcoats and, on occasion, a bearskin coat  also led him to be dubbed the 'Hunky Head', a label he later embraced.

'I was a bit coy about it at first, but now I love it,' he said in an interview two years ago. 'It's definitely a good thing to have to live up to as I get older. And let's face it, no one wants to see someone square lecturing us about how to live our lives.'

In his 2021 book Wild Thing, Mr Fairclough argued that children, with their inherent inquisitiveness and adventure, can teach us a lot about how to live.

'It's hard work being a grown-up,' he says. 'Life is stressful and we get bogged down in it. A child never does that. A child's natural state of being is to smile and laugh. They are instinctively drawn to whatever makes them feel happy. But this playful outlook diminishes over time.'

Despite his positive outlook, the headteacher has had to contend with more than his fair share of sorrow.

11 years ago he lost his wife Selina to a brain tumour just six weeks after being diagnosed, leaving him a widower at 38 and a single father to their heartbroken boys, Tali, then 13, and six-year-old Iggy.

Through his grief, he said it was by watching his sons' unaffected joy in the world despite their distress that brought him through. He says it le to his conviction that adult need to reclaim their childlike sense of wonder.

'I saw the world through the eyes of a child again and it was really healing,' he says.

He has since had two daughters with his new partner.
A mugger 'who targeted old ladies' has been kicked and beaten in the street after he tried to rob a 90-year-old woman in Rome.

The 26-year-old was initially set upon on Thursday by a group of three men who landed punches to his face before others joined in as the beating moved across from the pavement to the road.

In the middle of the street, a group proceeded to punch and kick the man, continuing as he sat and then stood up.

He can be seen pleading with them to stop but they continue to taunt and hit him as he tries to escape before he is kicked again on the floor by members of an extended group.

The man then staggers off as one of the group members is restrained by others present.

The 26-year-old was initially set upon by a group of three men who landed punches to his face before others joined in as the beating moved across from the pavement to the open road

Hanno finalmente preso lo scippatore che aveva preso di mira le vecchiette del Quarticciolo a Roma.

Probabilmente non scippera piu.#scippatore#Roma #quarticciolo

#immigrati pic.twitter.com/wxwG6HZGSi  Alessandro Di Carlo (@AlessandroDiC) September 8, 2023

The beating in Rome's Quarticciolo district was captured on video by a resident and immediately went viral on social networks.

Sharing the video, Florinda Pavone wrote: 'With so much footage and screaming not to defend a guy against a hundred, but to prevent the shock against an owned car.

'Not humans but BEASTS. And we are surprised at how many acts of violence there are nowadays. This is the reality.

'I really wonder if theres hope and if its worth living here and facing it.

'WELCOME TO QUARTICCIOLO-V town hall.'

The mugger was later arrested and a judge ordered a ban on him staying in the capital.

The police will launch an investigation to identify the attackers.

The man can be seen pleading with them to stop but they continue to taunt and hit him as he tries to escape before he is kicked again on the floor by an extended group before he staggers off

In April 2021, Italian jeweller Mario Roggero opened fire on a gang of robbers and shot two dead in the street after they raided his boutique and threatened his family.

The attempted theft by three men took place at around 6.30pm in Grinzane Cavour.

When the mother and daughter working at the store opened a jewellery case as requested, one of the thieves took out a gun, while another brandished a knife.

The 67-year-old jeweller is reported to have fired shots when he heard his wife screaming.

The third robber sustained injuries to his leg and was later arrested.
A seven year old girl got the best birthday gift ever when she found a 2.95-carat diamond at an Arkansas State Park.

Aspen Brown was at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro last Friday, when she made the discovery.

The youngster from Paragould was celebrating her seventh birthday with her dad and grandmother, but had no idea she would end up finding the second largest diamond recorded this year at an Arkansas state park.

Her lucky find was a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond, topped only by a 3.29-carat brown diamond discovered in March.

The diamond is the first large diamond registered since the completion of an excavation project at the park last month.

A seven year old girl got the best birthday gift ever when she found a 2.95-carat diamond at an Arkansas State Park

Aspen Brown was at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro last Friday, when she made the discovery

Aspen found her jewel on the north side of the parks 37.5-acre diamond search area, a plowed field atop the eroded surface of an ancient, diamond-bearing volcano.

Her dad, Luther Brown, said 'She got hot and wanted to sit down for a minute, so she walked over to some big rocks by the fence line. Next thing I know, she was running to me, saying Dad! Dad! I found one!''

Park staff confirmed the gem, which was about the size of a green pea, was a diamond.

Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent explained that 'Aspens diamond has a golden-brown color and a sparkling luster.

'It is a complete crystal, with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side, created when the diamond was formed,' said Waymon Cox.

Adding, 'Its certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds Ive seen in recent years.'
A cryptocurrency boss has been jailed for more than 11,000 years after swindling investors out of millions of dollars.

Faruk Faith Ozer, founder of Thodex, was sentenced to 11,196 years in prison despite prosecutors request for a 40,562-year sentence.

The Turkish high school dropout was 22 when he started his own business, but on Thursday he was found guilty of money laundering, fraud, and organised crime.

It comes after the 29-year-old fled to Albania in 2021 with investor funds following the collapse of his business.

However, after Interpol issued a red notice for him, Ozer was located after two years on the run.

Faruk Faith Ozer was sentenced to 11,196 years in prison at a Turkish court

Authorities immediately extradited him back to his home country, where he faced criminal charges.

According to state media, it is believed that Ozer took $2 billion (1.6 billion) from his customers before he went into hiding in Albania.

But the total amount of damages experienced by investors when Thodex went bankrupt is unknown.

According to the Anadolu agency, Ozer told the court: "I am smart enough to manage all institutions in the world. This is evident from the company I founded at the age of 22. If I were to establish a criminal organisation, I would not act so amateurishly."

Ozer went into hiding after his business collapsed in 2021 but he was located in Albania two years later

At an Istanbul court, Ozer, recived the hefty sentence alongside his sister Serap and brother Guven who were also found guilty of the same charges.

This lengthy sentence would be a shock to some people, but in Turkey, it's quite common.

This legislation became more frequent after Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 in the hope of becoming part of the European Union.

In 2022, Adnan Oktar, a cult leader, was sentenced to 8,658 years in prison on several charges, including sexual abuse and depriving someone of their liberty.
A dog-loving grandfather died earlier this week when he jumped in ravaging flood waters to rescue a dog from drowning in southern Brazil.

Evandro Bertoldi, 68, is among the 41 people who have been confirmed dead after an extratropical cyclone tore through the state of Rio Grande do Sul on Monday.

Bertoldi was seeking refuge on the second floor of a home in the city of Mucum between Monday and Tuesday when tried to save the puppy, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.

His son, Leandro Bertoldi, learned Wednesday that his father had died when he went to visit the neighborhood where he lived.

'I found out from people that he was at his neighbor's house, a two-story house, and saw a little dog drowning,' he said. 'As he likes animals, he went to try to help the dog and didn't come back.'

Evandro Bertoldi was died this week in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, while attempting to rescued a dog that was being swept away by flood waters near his neighbor's home. The 68-year-old is survived by a son, daughter and granddaughter

A wall of a house hangs on electricity cables after the passage of an extratropical cyclone in the Mucum, a city in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The storm claimed the lives of 41 people, including 15 in Mucum

Leandro visited a hospital and saw workers loading bodies from a tractor trailer and leaning them against it.

He traveled to Porto Alegre on Thursday to identify his father's body.

The tragic loss has dealt an emotional blow to his sister and his daughter.

'I don't wish it on anyone. I have a sister, Gabriela. She's in a panic. It's just me and her left,' Leandro said.

His daughter, Leandro said, has been crying ever since  the family had planned an horseback riding outing.

'My daughter just cries. She had agreed with my father that there was going to be a horse ride there in the town, and he was going to see her there,' he said. 'Now it all went down the drain.'

Evandro Bertoldi is one of 15 people who have been confirmed dead in Mucum, a city in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, that was slammed by an extratropical cyclone Monday

Residents' belongings are seen amid a clean-up of a flooded area after an extratropical cyclone hit the southern Brazilian town of Mucum

Mucum residents Silvana Primel and Jose Gabriel picking up objects in the ruins of their home

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite declared a state of public calamity and canceled statewide parades meant to celebrate Brazil's Independence Day on Thursday.

The state government said the extratropical cyclone affected 80 cities and left more than 2,300 people homeless and over 3,900 displaced.

The Civil Defense said 15 of the 41 deaths were reported in Macum.

The agency said that as of Friday, 46 people were still unaccounted for, including 30 in Mucum.

The municipalities of Lajeado and Arroio do Meio each reported eight missing people.

Extratropical cyclones 'have cold air at the core' and 'derive their energy from the release of potential energy when cold and warm air masses interact,' according to the National Weather Service.

The storm can develop over land or in the ocean and always are connected by one or multiple fronts. Its winds can be 'as weak as a tropical depression, or as strong as a hurricane.'
China is targeting serving and former U.S. military personnel in an elaborate plot to boost the training of its own burgeoning forces, the Pentagon has warned.

Beijing is attempting to obtain and use the Americans' expertise to 'fill gaps' in the know-how of its own troops, according to a leaked memo obtained by the Washington Post.

The plan involves encouraging international businesses who work with Chinese companies to recruit the current and former members of the U.S military.

Chinese businesses connected to the ruling communist party then try to glean valuable information from them.

An internal document issued by the U.S Air Force last week told service members to be on alert for suspicious job offers.

Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr. issued the warning

It was written by General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who President Joe Biden has nominated to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The top general warned that Chinese business, with connections to the country's government, were encouraging international partners to hire "U.S. and NATO-trained military talent."

Those individuals are being offered positions as consultants, advisers and trainers.

Gen. Brown wrote: "By essentially training the trainer, many of those who accept contracts with these foreign companies are eroding our national security, putting the very safety of their fellow servicemembers and the country at risk."

Serving members of the military and veterans are being targeted with recruitment opportunities that initially seem to have no implications for national security.

Some of them have reportedly been approached in person ant defense industry conferences.

Officials told the Washington Post it was an 'insidious' plan by Beijing.

They warned service members that if a job offer "looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Two Chinese SU-30 fighter jets take off from an unspecified location to fly a patrol over the South China Sea.

Relations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Joe Biden have soured. They are pictured here at the G20 lsummit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022

The FBI said: "The Chinese government is engaged in a broad, diverse campaign of theft and malign influence without regard to laws or international norms."

It came days after it was reported that Chinese nationals posing as tourists had made up to 100 attempts to access U.S. military installations, and report back to Beijing.

They were dubbed 'gate-crashers' and officials warned they were engaged in a form of espionage.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated since a Chinese spy balloon flew over the U.S. earlier this year.

Amid fears of Chinese aggression against Taiwan the U.S has been attempting to improve communication between the world's two largest economies.

Earlier this week Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited Beijing and met with senior Chinese officials.
Former Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial has been charged with murder for killing a 27-year-old driver last month after surveillance footage showed him shooting him through his car window.

Mark Dial fatally shot motorist Eddie Irizarry through his car window in North Philadelphia on August 14 - just five seconds after he got out of his patrol car.

Police have now also released bodycam footage of the incident, previously seen through surveillance video from a nearby home collected by the alleged victim's family.

Dial, who was fired a week later, has now been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering and official oppression, the DA announced.

He turned himself in to the police South Detectives division on Friday, with his lawyer claiming Dial believed he was in danger when he fired.

Former Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial has been charged with murder for killing 27-year-old driver Eddie Irizarry last month

Irizarry was shot dead through his car window in North Philadelphia on August 14 by Dial, just five seconds after he got out of his patrol vehicle, newly released footage shows

District Attorney Larry Krasner said the footage is 'hard to watch, and Irizarry's family chose to watch it

Bodycam footage shows Dial and his partner pull up next to Irizarry's parked car before Dial exits his cruiser and begins shouting and the alleged victim. Seconds later he starts firing at Irizarry inside his car.

Dial's partner is then heard saying, 'Mark, hold on. Mark, stop,' before instructing him to move the police cruiser.

The cops then pull Irizarry's body out of his car and load him into the backseat of a cruiser, with Dial then driving to a hospital.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said the footage is 'hard to watch, and Irizarry's family chose to watch it.

'There is always some level of trauma, especially for family members associated with watching something that is extremely violent... Regardless of the warnings, they wanted to see it, which we all understand, and we saw it.'

Police originally claimed Irizarry was 'driving erratically' before getting out of his car with a knife and lunging at officers.

But Shaka Johnson, the lawyer representing Irizarry's family, released surveillance footage from a nearby home to counter the police narrative at a press conference on August 23.

In the surveillance video, taken almost opposite the scene, Dial is heard yelling 'I will f***ing shoot you,' at Irizarry before opening fire at near point blank range through the driver's side window.

He is then seen firing again through the windshield as he ran backward and circled around the car.

Shaka Johnson, the lawyer representing Irizarry's family, released surveillance footage from a nearby home to counter the police narrative at a press conference on August 23

'Shots fired, shots fired,' one of the officers said over police radio.

Irizarry was shot six times and could be seen in the video writhing in pain.

The officers pulled Irizarrys body from the drivers seat and carried him, by his arms and one of his legs, to their police van.

Dial's lawyers said on Friday the former cop and his partner thought they saw a gun and Irizarry had made an illegal turn before the shooting happened, as reported by CBS News.

'Fearing that he was going to be the next police officer killed in the streets of Philadelphia, he fired,' said Dial's lawyer Brian McMonagle.

'What's telling in the video is that as Officer Dial is firing, he's taking retreat... He's trying to retreat and trying to find cover because he believes the individual has a gun.

'In no world, in no world is those facts murder. And we intend to right this wrong. This decision today puts police officers in peril at a time when they're dealing with the most violent time in our city's history. We intend to right this wrong and bring this young man home.'

Police said Irizarry had two knives in his car but no gun.

Irizarry was rushed to Temple University Hospital but died a short time later

Irizarry was shot six times and could be seen in the video writhing in pain

Johnson explained that he and the victim's family returned to the block on which the shooting happened in search of footage themselves.

He said the narrative spun by the police was 'an intentional misleading of the public,' adding that he intended to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Dial and the City of Philadelphia on behalf of the family.

'In my view,' Johnson said, 'this is a crime against humanity, to be perfectly truthful.'

The police department changed their account of the shooting the day after the surveillance video was released, and Dial was suspended for 30 days and then fired for insubordination.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw claimed Dial was not cooperating with the investigation into the shooting and refused to obey orders from a superior.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney previously called the death 'a tragedy.'

'This is certainly a tragedy and my heart breaks for the family and for the loss of Mr. Irizarry, Kenney told reporters.

Adding 'the investigation will bring out whatever its going to bring out, and well move on from there.'
Islamabad, Sep 8 (UNI) More than 20 Christian churches and over 200 homes belonging to members of the Christian community were vandalized in Pakistan during a recent wave of violence, Joseph Farooq, the sole priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in Pakistan, told Sputnik.

Twenty-one churches and 200 homes of Christians were vandalized," Farooq said, adding that several hundred copies of the Bible were also destroyed.

The violence erupted in mid-August in the city of Jaranwala. The priest pointed out that some people falsely accused local Christians of tearing pages from the Quran and writing derogatory words about the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

They made such announcements in the mosque, and the mob gathered against Christians, they destroyed their houses, churches, and copies of the Holy Bible, the priest said.

The ROCOR mission in Pakistan is located 16 kilometers away from Jaranwala and was not directly affected by the violence. However, many parishioners have relatives and friends from other Christian denominations whose homes were demolished and sheltered them.

People told me that they [the mob] stole valuable things from their houses. They damaged properties, all property, everything was damaged, everything. People are crying, people are weeping, Father Joseph, who visited the victims just after the tragedy, said.

Farooq noted that it is a big blow to the Christian community because most of them are poor and have to work for their Muslim landlords. Their bread is very hard, they are working very hard for their daily bread, he said.

The priest emphasized that the initial investigation revealed that the violence was well coordinated. Extremists started by making announcements in mosques, gathering a crowd and inciting the mob to violence against the Christians, he explained.

However, there was a reason for hope even amid the nightmare the community found itself in, as many Muslims moved to protect innocent Christians and provide them with shelter, Farooq said.

In Pakistan, the majority of Muslims  they are good, they are kind, and they are friendly with Christians. Only a small minority follow radical Islam, he said.

When asked about the reasons for such violence, the priest mentioned a lack of education and aggressiveness caused by the ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan.

People are not educated. They listen to their clerics in the mosques. They misuse their minds, the priest said, adding that it is important to teach children about tolerance, patience, and the true teachings of Islam, which is that all humans are equal and remain people of God regardless of faith.

Father Joseph said that police have already arrested about 100 people responsible for the violence. The Christian community has requested that the Pakistani authorities ensure the protection of religious minorities, he added.

Those responsible for the violence must be arrested and punished according to the law. Otherwise, these incidents will happen again, the priest warned.

UNI/SPUTNIK AKS
An Atlanta Walmart will add a distinctive feature to combat retail theft: an on-site police substation or a mini precinct that will double as a deterrent to shoplifters and a working space for officers.

The store is set to open in May of 2024, following a nearly year-long closure after shoplifters set the building on fire to distract from their thieving.

The Walmart fire was one of many arsons involving major retailers, such as Target and another Walmart, in Atlanta.

The unprecedented decision comes after retailers lost nearly $100 billion due to theft, with incidents often including violent crime.

An Atlanta Walmart will add a distinctive feature to combat retail theft: an on-site police substation or a mini precinct that will double as a deterrent to shoplifters and a working space for officers

The unprecedented decision comes after retailers lost nearly $100 billion due to theft, with incidents often including violent crime. CEO Doug McMillon has said theft is at an all time high

The store is set to open in May of 2024, following a nearly year-long closure after shoplifters set the building on fire to distract from their thieving (suspect is pictured)

Walmart alone lost a whopping $3 billion annually to theft and shoplifting incidents.

Beyond acting as a deterrent for criminal activity, the mini precincts will act as an area for officers to recharge batteries and do paperwork.

The decision follows discussions between city officials, company executives, and community members who expressed a desire for increased police presence in the area.

Mayor Andre Dickens said Walmart will receive $1.5 million initiative aimed at expanding fresh grocery access in low-income communities, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.

Following the arson incident, Dickens said he 'engaged Walmart directly to ensure this store would reopen,' emphasizing his dedication to providing accessible and affordable items to the many low income residents in the city of Vine.

'You're thinking about going into this Walmart to do some shoplifting or a robbery or whateveryou see the APD logo and you say, 'ah, not today', Dickens said to the community in a meeting discussing the new concept.

He reassured the public that there will be in an increase in police presence in the neighborhood.

'After talking with the Merchants Association on MLK Drive and Clark University and other people in the neighborhood, folks were saying they want to see more police presence,' Mayor Andre Dickens said, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.

Walmart announced the decision to reopen the damaged store in January.

Walmart alone lost a whopping $3 billion annually to theft and shoplifting incidents. Major retailers in the US have been forced to shut down stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues big box stores across the country

Walmart decided to permanently close the store at 1801 Howell Mill Road in Berkeley Park - another location that had been closed since mid-December after an arson incident

Following the arson incident, Dickens said he 'engaged Walmart directly to ensure this store would reopen,' emphasizing his dedication to providing accessible and affordable items to the many low income residents in the city of Vine

Target has announced it is closing four stores in three cities in the coming months after it lost an extraordinary $400million in profits last November due to organized gangs of shoplifters

However the company decided to permanently close the store at 1801 Howell Mill Road in Berkeley Park - another location that had been closed since mid-December after an arson incident.

More than 20 other Walmart locations in the US have shut their doors so far this year, many due to 'underperformance.'

While the company has not declared shoplifting to be the cause behind the low performance levels, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said theft is becoming a bigger issue at stores across the US - and if the problem continues, it could lead to store closures, according to CNBC.

In recent years, more major retailers in the US have been forced to shut down stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues big box stores across the country.

In April, Walmart announced it will close four of its stores in Chicago just weeks after America's biggest employer shuttered its only stores in Portland.

Target has announced it is closing four stores in three cities in the coming months after it lost an extraordinary $400 million in profits last November due to organized gangs of shoplifters

It comes as shoplifting reaches alarming levels and other large retailers, including Target, Macy's and Best Buy, are now making good on threats to shutter outlets if petty crime did not decrease.

In 2021 retailers lost a combined $94.5 billion to shrink, a term used to describe theft and other types of inventory loss. And organized retail crime incidents soared by 26.5 per cent in the same year, according to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey.

Along with brazen daylight thefts, self-checkouts have also made it easier for people to walk out without paying for items.

Progressive district attorneys in cities like Chicago, New York, Portland and California have also been blamed for effectively legalizing shoplifting with either not prosecuting thefts under $950, or letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist.
She was hospitalised last year with Covid-19 which worsened her condition

'By the time you read this, I could be dead. That's according to my doctors who, for the last year, have repeatedly told me that I have had only days to live. But I am a fighter and will continue to fight.'

These are the devastating words of a seriously ill  yet inspiringly defiant  19-year-old girl who argues that she will be condemned to almost certain death if NHS doctors are successful in their bid to withdraw her life-preserving treatment.

Painstakingly dictating her thoughts to me from an intensive care unit, it's clear her will is utterly undimmed by the many obstacles she faces in her battle for survival.

For she is now not just fighting her extremely rare degenerative disorder, but also the medical and legal establishment, which she feels has marshalled against her.

Despite the profound importance of her case, the Mail cannot even tell you her first name, nor any details of her family, nor the hospital that treats her.

Instead, her identity has been reduced to the initials 'ST' by a draconian court order preventing her from putting her name to her heartbreaking account.

The 19-year-old suffers from the rare degenerative condition and is locked in a remarkable legal battle with an NHS trust over her care (Pictured: Stock image)

The girl's condition is the same as that of Charlie Gard, the 11-month-old whose life support was withdrawn following a bitter court battle over his treatment (pictured is Charlie's mother with his younger brother Oliver)

'They've done everything they can to stop me telling this story,' says the brave teenager of her remarkable legal battle with the NHS Trust which has tried to place her in palliative care.

'I have found myself trapped in a medical and legal system governed by a toxic paternalism which has condemned me for wanting to live.' Determined to expose her ordeal she has, together with her parents and brother, spoken  anonymously for now  exclusively to the Mail.

She tells me how her condition  mitochondrial depletion syndrome (MDS), a genetic disorder which limits the functioning of the body's cells  was made worse by a bout of Covid in August last year, resulting in her being hospitalised.

'I was given a tracheostomy, which makes it hard for me to speak, but lying here in my hospital bed, I've managed to dictate this message,' she says via her family who act as conduits for our 'interview'.

The tracheostomy (an opening made at the front of the neck so a breathing tube can be inserted), permits her to speak only in short bursts. Other communication comes by notes she writes herself, and the use of a gadget called a Smartbox, similar to an iPad in appearance, which helps those with limited speech.

Vitally, she insists that while her MDS has caused kidney damage, muscle weakening and a loss of hearing, it has not affected her brain. She's hoping to return to her A-level studies soon.

And despite her ailments  she relies on regular dialysis, is fed by a tube and is bound to a ventilator that helps her breathe  like any teenager she still enjoys watching Love Island, messaging friends on Instagram, scrolling through social media and playing board games.

Her doctors argue she is 'actively dying', but the teenager says she has outlived all their prognoses and should be allowed to travel to Canada to join clinical trials for nucleoside therapy.

This experimental treatment would aim to 'restore' the functioning of the mitochondria and, while it would not cure her, her family hope that it could potentially extend her lifespan. 'My doctors are saying because they cannot treat my MDS, I should not be having any more life-preserving treatment.

'Instead I should be filled up with opioids so I will lose consciousness and die.

The heartbreaking image of baby Charlie Gard in the womb, whose story captured the world's attention 2017

'I do not want this and want to try the treatment being offered abroad. It might be a small chance, but it is my only chance,' the desperate teenager says.

Few, surely, will fail to be moved by her plight. And many will, undoubtedly, find themselves deeply concerned by the troubling ethical questions her story raises about the power doctors and lawyers have wielded over a lucid young woman who so desperately wants to live  and who insists she is in no serious pain.

But there's something else which makes her story even more pertinent: ST suffers from the same illness as baby Charlie Gard, whose life support was withdrawn in 2017, following a bitter court battle which captured the world's attention.

Just as in baby Charlie's case, ST has been pitted against the very institution assigned to safeguard her health. The difference between them is that, while both have the same highly rare mutation in a gene known as RRM2B, the onset of their symptoms has varied.

Charlie's illness was diagnosed much earlier than hers, which only began to exhibit itself when she lost her hearing at the age of four. It then took nearly a decade to become fully apparent.

And, of course, whereas Charlie and other babies in similar end-of-life cases were voiceless, ST, as an adult, is all too able to communicate her unyielding desire to live.

Her mother says: 'ST closely followed the case of Charlie Gard because it resonates with her exact condition.

'As a young, brave and vocal teenager, she believes she's fighting for not just herself, but people like Charlie Gard. She believes he could have been saved if nucleoside treatment was given [to him] at the right time.'

Adding to the painful emotions surrounding ST's story is the fact she's the kind of daughter any parent would dream of: kind, considerate, clever, devoted to her tight-knit Christian family. Her parents paint a picture of a vivacious, adventurous girl who excelled at everything she tried.

Until only a few years ago she loved being outdoors, played endless sport, enjoyed trekking in nature and spent nights under the stars camping with friends.

During her early years, ST's parents had little reason to suspect their daughter was anything but perfectly healthy.

When she was born in 2004 weighing just over 7 lbs with a bountiful head of hair, her parents  who already had a son  said their family was complete.

'We were extremely happy when we first found out we were expecting a girl,' her mother remembers. 'She is very special and precious to us. I was over the moon when I held her for the first time, she was gorgeous.' But when ST was at nursery the first signs something was amiss began to emerge  her hearing began to fail and her eyelids drooped.

Charlie was being treated for the same rare degenerative condition at Great Ormond Street hospital in London

'A teacher had concerns and we were told to check her hearing,' her mother recalled.

Doctors confirmed she was facing progressive hearing loss, but were unable to pinpoint the cause.

'We were just told her hearing was deteriorating, nothing more. Except for her hearing loss and drooping eyelids [a condition known as ptosis], her overall health was fine,' her father said.

ST had cochlear implants which enabled her to hear clearly, as well as corrective surgery on her eyelids  and she happily remained in mainstream education.

She thrived in everything she tried  whether it was joining clubs, playing sport or in her lessons at school.

Her brother recalls: 'She loved PE lessons, including events like sports day. She would always win the egg-and-spoon race.' It was early on in secondary school when she began to show signs of fatigue.

Eventually, this forced her to give up her sports and her parents started to believe there was something more serious at play.

'She would get really tired [so] we took her for a muscle biopsy test,' her father said.

A series of examinations followed, but it would be three more years before the family were finally told she had mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

'We gathered there are less than 15 reported cases in the entire medical literature, making it extremely rare,' said her father.

Despite the devastating blow, the bright teenager achieved excellent GCSE results the following year, gaining grade 7s (roughly equivalent to the old grade As) in nearly all of her subjects.

She started her first year of A-levels in the hope of going to university. Her future seemed bright. Sadly, however, problems developed with her kidneys which meant she had to discontinue her studies, and receive regular dialysis at a hospital as an outpatient. Yet her family say she was still able to enjoy her independence, and would often pop out for a coffee in the local Costa with friends.

Then, in August last year, ST contracted Covid. Her health rapidly deteriorated, causing all the family's lives to unravel.

Her parents abandoned their family business to focus on her care and help her communicate with doctors.

Then, devastatingly, the following month, in September 2022, they were told she only had days to live  her end, doctors say, apparently hastened by the bad bout of Covid she had suffered.

'She was told she would die soon. Her treating doctors were promoting palliative care when she was battling Covid-19 but she successfully put up a fight and recovered,' her mother said.

'We were in shock when the doctors said she will die in this ITU. But despite the treating team's views, ST has outlived expectations and continues to prove the doctors wrong,' her father added.

Her doctors say that, given her deteriorating condition, the 'kindest' thing would be to 'de-escalate the intensive care' and make her as comfortable as possible.

Naturally, say her family, ST has been devastated by her prognosis but reassures them she 'is a fighter and no one can predict her death'.

ST says the hospital first took legal action in April this year after she 'stubbornly refused to die' despite repeatedly being told she had just days to live.

'They took me to court to remove my life-sustaining treatment and to impose a gagging order making it illegal for me to talk [publicly] about the existence of court proceedings or mention the hospital involved,' she adds. But despite her all-too apparent cogency, a judge last month ruled she lacks the mental capacity to make her own decisions or even instruct her own lawyers.

Doctors successfully argued her refusal to accept imminent death is a sign of 'delusion' and that the Court of Protection should decide her fate.

The 19-year-old was hospitalised last year after contracting Covid-19 which worsened her degenerative condition

The judge agreed that because 'she does not believe what her doctors are telling her about the trajectory of her disease and her likely life expectancy' she cannot choose between treatment options, 'on an informed basis'.

ST has vowed to appeal, saying the ruling was made despite two court-appointed psychiatrists agreeing she has no signs of mental impairment and can make choices for herself.

'Because I have refused to give up hope, my doctors say I cannot possibly have mental capacity to make decisions about my health,' she adds.

'It seems if you disagree with the NHS you must, for that reason alone, be considered delusional.'

Despite her ordeal, the caring teenager still thinks of others in need  she recently donated her long hair to the Little Princess Trust, which make wigs for sick children affected by hair loss.

And even after all her setbacks, she is full of hope that one day she may have a fulfilling life beyond the walls of the hospital.

Her local authority has made her an offer to resume her A-levels from hospital, say her family, which she is in the process of taking up. A long-held dream of obtaining a degree to work in healthcare, so that she can help people like herself, remains very much alive.

Her family continue to rally behind her, believing her unwavering spirit should, at the very least, grant her the right to explore all available options.

'We feel ST still has more years to live if the nucleoside treatment is given in time,' her devoted mother added.

Some 1.5 million would need to be raised by the family  the NHS would not have to foot the bill  to cover the costs of an air ambulance to either Canada or America, where three hospitals have offered to treat her, and the subsequent clinical trials.

But, says ST, 'because of the court proceedings I am blocked from going [to North America] and because of the gagging orders I cannot fundraise to finance my treatment and transport'.

Her family have already been forced to spend 25,000 in life savings and sell family heirlooms to fight the ongoing legal case.

'We cannot give up, especially after seeing the grit and determination from our daughter's end for more than a year in ITU,' her father says, adding: 'No one, including the doctors, understand the complex nature of this disease.'

Whatever her fate, ST says the 'system urgently needs to change' so no one else will ever have to go through what she and her family have in the past year.

She insists she will not give up. 'I am in a race against time to escape from this system and the certain death it wishes to impose on me,' she tells me, before vowing: 'But I am a fighter and will continue to fight. I trust in God and will not give up hope.'
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will seek reelection in 2024, despite stepping down from her leadership position last Congress.

'Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery,' Pelosi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday.

'Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote.'

San Francisco is experiencing a major crime wave including smash-and-grab robberies and carjackings.

Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection  and respectfully ask for your vote.  Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) September 8, 2023

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will seek reelection in 2024, despite stepping down from her leadership position earlier this year

In August, the San Francisco Police Department said the city had nearly 1,670 car break-ins over 30 days, and there have been nearly 10,000 thefts from vehicles in the city so far this year.

Signs can be seen throughout the city warning residents and tourists not to leave anything inside their cars, but the crime rate has remained stubbornly high.

Pelosi, who was the first-ever woman speaker, was first elected to represent the people of San Francisco, California, in 1987.

It was unclear whether the former speaker would seek reelection after her husband Paul Pelosi was attacked in their California home last fall.

A man entered their house saying he was looking for Pelosi, and then hit Paul over the head with a hammer. The incident was captured on police body camera footage.

But Pelosi said the attack on her husband wouldn't impact her decision about whether to run for reelection.

Last November, after Democrats lost the majority in the House, Pelosi decided to step down from her leadership role.

She passed the baton to now-House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Her announcement for reelection comes as there is heightened concerns about the age of politicians in general.

83-year-old Pelosi is one of the longest-serving members of Congress.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, suffered two bizarre 'freezing' episodes in recent weeks during public press conferences.

His latest episode has led to renewed calls for term limits in the House and Senate  even from those within the walls of Congress.

83-year-old Pelosi is one of the longest-serving members of Congress

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., said term limits would help restore 'human decency' for elderly politicians like McConnell and Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, who is also suffering public health scares.

GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley called the Senate the 'most privileged nursing home in the country' after McConnell's recent episode.

'What I will say is, right now, the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country,' she said last week. 'I mean, Mitch McConnell has done some great things and he deserves credit. But you have to know when to leave.'
The cheating Maryland cop who was caught kissing another woman is seen in exclusive photos with his scorned wife looking distressed.

DailyMail.com photos show Corporal Francesco Marlett, 34, with wife Paula, 29, outside their home in Maryland, where they are still living together despite the infidelity. Marlett has not commented on the allegations, but seems to be putting on a united front with his wife.

He went viral this week after he was caught on camera making out with a scantily-clad woman before they both climbed into the back of his Prince George Police Department cruiser in Maryland.

Marlett, who is suspended and on paid leave pending an investigation, shed his uniform and appeared in a white robe and flip flops outside the $343,000 family home owned by his mother on Friday.

Paula previously took aim at his mistress Virginia Pinto in a scathing social media post and has now offered to meet her in person to discuss the situation and 'hash it out like adults.'

DailyMail.com snapped exclusive photos of cheating Corporal Francesco Marlett, 34, and his wife Paula, 29, looking stressed outside their home

Marlett, suspended from on paid leave pending an investigation, shed his uniform and appeared in a white robe and flip flops outside the $343,000 family home owned by his mother

DailyMail.com spotted Marlett's mistress Virginia Pinto. Paula said that she and her husband are 'dealing with the situation discreetly' but wants to meet with her husband's mistress to 'hash it out'

The officer had dog tags and what appeared to be a bullet casing around his neck. His mother is believed to be beside him, followed by his wife

In the DailyMail.com photos, the officer had dog tags and what appeared to be a bullet casing around his neck, with other images showing him looking at his phone with his head in his hands.

He helped his wife, dressed in a matching grey tracksuit and slides, put several children into a car before they exchanged a brief word and she took a phone call.

Neither of the couple responded to requests for comment by DailyMail.com, despite several fiery statements posted online. The pair have been in a relationship since at least 2017.

In a scathing post Paula accused Pinto of being 'passed around' the county, in the latest attack on her husbands mistress for previously claiming that he had been 'cheating on her for years'.

'I won't stand by and allow someone who's been passed around PG County to speak on my name,' she said.

'Y'all expect me to stay silent while this Loose Pu**y Fish Box speaks on my name. It'll be a cold day in hell.

'I'm patient, understanding and God Fearing but don't be the one to f*** around and find out. I love people wholeheartedly until you lie on me.

'Don't fix your DSL's to speak on my name Virginia and if you do speak facts which you don't know bc you've never met me you Coward.

'So I'll offer you this, meet me and we can hash this out like adults. Wassup.'

It is not clear if Pinto intends to take her up on her request, and she declined to comment when approached.

In original viral clip, Pinto and Marlett are seen in a passionate embrace and making out in front of his cruiser, which was parked near Oxon Hill High School, close to the Virginia border

The cop was seen getting into the back of the cruiser himself before they emerged 40 minutes later according to witnesses

The exchange comes after a second video was confirmed by the police, showing Pinto climbing into the back of Marlett's cruiser on another occasion.

Prince George County Police Department confirmed that there were two incidents that they were looking into related to Marlett and an 'adult woman'.

New footage shows Pinto running towards the police cruiser, before turning back to collect something from her own vehicle, and then getting in the back of the cop car.

Pinto, a US Army Veteran, declined to comment when approached by DailyMail.com, but posted on social media claiming Paula was 'not telling the whole story'.

The feud between the two women sparked after Paula posted the footage on her social media, captioned 'my husband and his mistress'.

Paula added: 'I think the stories that are going around are insane. Don't for a second think I haven't held my husband accountable because I have.

'We have built a foundation for our children, and kept our mindset strong as far as our careers. Him and I are dealing with the situation between us discreetly.'

Police Chief Malik Aziz said in a statement on Wednesday that Marlett's actions have 'put a negative spotlight' on the force.

'I know the officer's actions seen in these videos have sparked a range of emotions in the community and put a negative spotlight on this agency and the many hard-working women and men who wear our uniform,' he said.

'I expect every officer to conduct themselves in a way that will not dishonor this agency or this county. I assure the residents of Prince George's County I take this matter extremely seriously,' the chief added.

In a scathing post Paula (left) accused Pinto (right) of being 'passed around' the county, in the latest attack on her husbands mistress for previously claiming that he had been 'cheating on her for years'

Marlett was awarded a Bronze Medal of Valor by the Prince George County police department in 2021 - which means the officer would have put himself at 'unusual personal risk'

Marlett's mistress admitted that the romp 'looked bad', but stressed that they were in a relationship, and it was not a fling

Pinto, a mother-of-three, told the New York Post that she had been having an affair with Marlett for two years - something she claims his wife was aware of.

She said: 'What's so exciting? He's a cop. I'm a civilian. We got caught. It sucks, but this will pass.'

'I'm living my life. I have children. I'm sure, as you guys know, I have a 15-year-old autistic boy. His father was Caucasian. I guess I have a thing for Caucasians.'

The video first shows the pair kissing as the woman touches the officer's head. The woman then heads to the back of the car, with the officer's arm around her.

Pinto and Marlett are seen in a passionate embrace in front of his cruiser, which was parked near Oxon Hill High School, close to the Virginia border.

The pair climbed into the back seats of the car and stayed there for 40 minutes before leaving separately.

Pinto insisted she had nothing to be ashamed of. 'In my head, I've done nothing wrong,' she said. 'I'm going to continue living my life, doing what I'm doing.

'In my heart, in his heart, I know that I've done nothing. He knows. Paula knows. I've done nothing wrong. God is my higher power.'

She admitted that the romp 'looked bad', but stressed that they were in a relationship, and it was not a fling.

Marlett was awarded a Bronze Medal of Valor by the Prince George County police department in 2021 - which means the officer would have put himself at 'unusual personal risk'.

He was one of five officers which responded to a fire in March 2020 and helped to ensure that 'elderly residents and disable children' were able to escape the fire safely.

The officer, who has worked for the force since 2014, has been suspended three times pending investigations.

Marlett was accused of child abuse in 2016, and was suspended without pay after being indicted for assaulting his girlfriend's son.

The charges were later dropped and his record expunged.

The police department confirmed that following the internal review Marlett was removed from the next promotional cycle and fined $1,500 for his actions.

Marlett was also part of a hearing in 2019 at Calvert County court regarding a peace order, which was denied.

Paula said, 'We have built a foundation for our children, and kept our mindset strong as far as our careers. Him and I are dealing with the situation between us discreetly'

Police Chief Malik Aziz said in a statement on Wednesday that Marlett's actions have 'put a negative spotlight' on the force.=

A hearing in 2023 for a final protective order was also denied after a judge ruled that there was no statutory basis.

Authorities added that they took both allegations 'seriously', with the internal affairs department ruling they were 'unfounded'.

Prince George's County police union boss Angelo Consoli confirmed the union was aware of the video, and the police department is investigating.

'We support our officers during any and all investigations, and ask that people reserve any judgment until the facts come out,' Consoli said. 'At which time, we'll reevaluate our position.'

Police are encouraging anyone with information relating to the two videos to come forward, and confirmed that they were attempting to interview all parties involved.

In a statement they said: 'Your information could play a key role in helping us determine exactly what happened and taking appropriate action.

'Once the IAD investigation is complete, the Administrative Charging Committee (ACC), which was established by Maryland law as part of the legislature's police reform actions, will make a recommendation to Chief Aziz regarding any potential disciplinary actions.

'This is now standard protocol in all IAD investigations. The investigation will also be reviewed by the Police Accountability Board.'
The infamous 'Baby Mary' cold case has been cracked nearly four decades later with the newborn's mother charged in her daughter's death following a DNA breakthrough.

Baby Mary was found dead in a remote wooded area near Mendham Township in New Jersey on Christmas Eve 1984. She had been wrapped in a blanket inside a plastic bag with the umbilical cord still attached.

Two boys made the gruesome discovery when they were walking along a stream along Mt. Pleasant Road, police said. The medical examiner revealed that the baby was less than a day old when she died. Her death was ruled a homicide.

On Thursday, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Caroll made the stunning announcement that the parents have been identified and an arrest has been made.

The baby's father died years ago and the mother, now 57, is being charged with manslaughter. Carroll said the mother's name was not released since she was a minor when the crime took place, and is being charged as such, the prosecutor said, NJ Advance Media reported.

Carroll said their finding in the decades long cold case was a combination of 'new technlogy and old fashioned police work.'

A chaplain at St. Joseph's Church named the abandoned infant Mary. He baptized the deceased chid and made a tiny grave for her final resting place. On her tombstone is a cross and a passage from Isiah 49:15. 'BABY MARY December 24, 1984. 'I will never forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand'

Every Christmas Eve, the community would gather and hold a service at the baby's gravesite

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Caroll (pictured) made the stunning announcement that the parents have been identified and an arrest has been made during a press conference on Thursday

The authorities arrested the mother on April 24 in South Carolina, where she had reportedly been living, more than 38 years after the heinous act.

She is not currently in custody, but is 'being monitored,' Carroll said. She faces up to three years in jail if found guilty, the news outlet reported.

'The death and abandonment of this baby girl is a tragic loss, and even after 40 years remains just as heartbreaking,' Carroll said.

Officials said the teen, who was only 17 at the time, left her baby girl in a secluded park on a cold winter's night in Mendham Township.

She is being charged as a minor, a juvenile delinquency complaint, and charged with manslaughter. If the crime were committed by an adult it would have been a second degree offense, NBC4 New York reported.

According to detectives, the baby's father died years ago before he was identified by investigators.

Carroll said the man, who was 19 at the time, was unaware the baby was born and was not involved in her death. He died in 2009.

He said n 1984, the mother had been attending school and both parents were living in Morris County.

Though the prosecutor would not reveal whether geneology sites were used in the breakthrough discovery, he said a DNA match was made between between Baby Mary and the father.

A possible motive for abandoning the baby was not provided.

The investigation involved law enforcement agencies including the FBI, and multiple agencies from New Jersey, Florida and South Carolina.

Investigators chased down 'hundreds, if not thousands of leads' to identify the mother,' over the years, Carroll said.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon

The investigation involved law enforcement agencies including the FBI, and multiple agencies from New Jersey, Florida and South Carolina. Investigators chased down 'hundreds, if not thousands of leads' to identify the mother,' over the years, Carroll said

A chaplain at St. Joseph's Church named the abandoned infant 'Baby Mary.' He baptized her and made a tiny grave. Her final resting place is at the cemetary at St. Joseph's Church in Mendham.

On her tombstone is a cross and a passage from Isiah 49:15 with the words: 'BABY MARY December 24, 1984. 'I will never forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand.'

Every Christmas Eve, the community would gather and hold a service at the baby's gravesite that would include members from the Mendham Township Police Department.

A post from December 2022, said in part, 'The baby was subsequently adopted by the MTPD with the assistance of our Chaplain Father Mike Drury, appropriately named baby Mary and given a proper burial at St Joe's in the Boce.

'Every Christmas Eve at 12 Noon, officers from the MPTD do a small grave side servie along with member of the community in her memory so she is not forgotten.'

Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson expressed his gratitude towards Rev. Drury for remembering Baby Mary and keeping her in the public eye.

Johnson added, 'eventually bringing justice for this infant who never had a chance to fight for herself,' as per NJ Advance Media.

During Thursday's press conference, Carroll said that this 'arrest is the culmination of decades of effort, across multiple generations of law enforcement.'

'Justice may not take the form the public has imagined all these years, but we believe with this juvenile delinquency complaint, justice is being served for Baby Mary. Nothing can right this terrible wrong.'

A December 2022 post from the Mendham Township Police inviting the public to a service held for Baby Mary at noon on Christmas Eve. Those in attendance are officers from the MTPD

Officers playing flowers at the cemetary where Baby Mary's final resting place is

In 1984, when the crime took place the Safe Haven Infant Protection Act was not in existence in the state of New Jersey. In August 2000, the act became a law.

'I want young parents to know that there is help available,' Sheriff James Gannon said.

He explained that the legislation allows parents or their representatives to anonymously surrender a newborn baby at any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, ambulance, first aid, or rescue squads that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And, further explained, that if the baby appears to be 30 days old or less, and free of any abuse or neglect, the baby will be accepted with no questions asked.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, Mendham Township Police or Morris County Sherriff's Office is asking the public to contact them if anyone has information on Baby Mary's death.
An Arizona woman was arrested and accused of animal cruelty after an elderly and blind dog was found walking on the highway by the county's sheriff.

Karen Black, 62, of Phoenix has been arrested by the Cochise County Sheriff's Office after the sheriff and his wife found her dog walking along an exit ramp connecting I-10 and Skyline Road in Benson, Arizona at 11.30am on August 26.

The Sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post: 'Sheriff Dannels and his wife, Nickie secured the shaken dog in their vehicle.

'A Cochise County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Officer took custody of the dog and determined the dog was chipped with the last registered owner out of Maricopa County.'

Black is due in court late September in Cochise County to address the charges against her. The unnamed dog is currently in shelter and will remain till the end of the case

The Sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post: 'A Cochise County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Officer took custody of the dog and determined the dog was chipped with the last registered owner out of Maricopa County'

Karen Black, 62, of Phoenix has been arrested after police found her dog walking along an exit ramp connecting I-10 and Skyline Road in Benson, Arizona at 11.30am on August 26

The CCSO Animal Control attempted to contact Black multiple times but to no avail.

It wasn't until Sheriff Dannels and Community Outreach Supervisor, Sergeant Ray McNeely attended a community event in Phoenix on September 6 and decided to follow up on the investigation by visiting Black's house in city.

When questioned, Black initially denied being in Cochise County but eventually admitted to leaving the dog alongside the highway.

She also said that she failed to notify law enforcement and ignored the Office's attempts to speak to her.

Black is due in court late September in Cochise County to address the charges against her.

The dog, whose name is unknown, is currently in a shelter until the case ends.

Sheriff Dannels and his wife, Nickie secured the shaken dog in their vehicle after finding it on the I-10 in Arizona

This comes a month after another woman is facing charges for abandoning her dog at a Pittsburgh Airport parking lot after she was told couldn't take the pet on board without a crate.

The French bulldog was found 'unattended in a stroller' at around 5:30am near short-term parking at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Officers were able to track down the owner through a microchip in the dog's neck, but said their attempts to contact the unknown woman were unsuccessful.

The seven-year-old canine was found to be in good health after the ordeal and was taken to a local animal shelter, where it is now hoping for a new, kinder home.

Police said they now expect the state dog warden to file charges of animal abandonment, which carries a maximum fine of up to $1000.
Mr Linehan was previously banned from X after saying 'men aren't women'

Irish writer has been allowed access after an intervention from party chairman

Father Ted writer Graham Linehan claims he was blocked by police from attending the Conservative Party conference over his supposed anti-trans views.

The Irish sitcom writer complained to the Tory party after he was denied access to the conference in Manchester next month.

The debacle resulted in an embarrassing U-turn as chairman Greg Hands stepped in to ensure Mr Linehan could attend.

The 55-year-old has not been told the grounds for the refusal but in 2018 he received a warning from West Yorkshire Police following an argument with a transgender activist on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He said: I heard I was turned down on the orders of Greater Manchester Police. Ive put in a Freedom of Information subject access request to find out what they have on me and why I was refused.

The writer - who was temporarily banned by X in 2020 for saying men arent women - said he has faced a campaign against him from trans activists including one with a criminal record and a doctor who was suspended from practising for sending offensive online messages.

Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan says he was banned from next month's Conservative Party conference because of his stance on trans issues

Mr Linehan said: If it is the reason I think it is, it is a scandal. These people who have been causing trouble for me are manipulating the police. They are manipulating the UKs very woolly hate crime laws.

He said he does not blame the Conservative Party for the refusal, saying: Its a failing of bureaucracy.

Mr Linehan said he is attending the Tory conference for the first time having been converted from being a dyed in the wool Leftie - although he has not yet officially become a member.

He said: I havent yet gone that far. But they are the only party standing up for womens rights.

At the moment, Im a single-issue voter. Ill vote for anyone who knows what a woman is.

Mr Linehan, who ended up performing outside the Scottish Parliament after two Edinburgh Fringe venues cancelled his appearance in August, said: The rejection makes me one of the few people turned away from both the Conservative Party conference and the Edinburgh Fringe.

During his open-air performance in the Scottish capital, he told the audience he had been forced to try comedy having failed to obtain any scriptwriting work for five years due to his views about trans issues.

Mr Linehan (pictured speaking outside the Scottish Parliament), says he is attending the conference after converting from a 'dyed in the wool Leftie' but is not yet a Tory member

Mr Hands apologised to Linehan after his bid to attend the conference was blocked, the Mail understands.

Applications to accredit for the Tory conference undergo police checks. CCHQ then receives an anonymised list flagging any concerns.

Linehan was on the list and his application was blocked. But Mr Hands looked into his case and received assurances that there was nothing to concern the party about his behaviour.

He then emailed Linehan to apologise for the inconvenience and said he had personally authorised his accreditation.

Greater Manchester Police did not comment when asked about Mr Linehans application other than to say decisions on granting accreditation are being made by the Conservatives.
Outraged residents are slashing people's tyres who leave their cars on their street to avoid paying parking fees at the airport.

Homeowners living on a nearby street to Stansted Airport in Essex say they have reached boiling point after people keep leaving cars on their road.

It has been said that thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused overnight as the furious residents slash people's tyres and spray paint graffiti.

A spokesman for Essex police said: 'We are currently investigating multiple reports of cars being vandalised in Takeley. Officers were called to Dunmow Road in Takeley on Wednesday after reports that eight cars had been vandalised.'

Acting Inspector Kevin Mayle added: 'We believe that these reports relate to ongoing issues regarding vehicles being parked where they shouldn't be, by those going to Stansted Airport.

Homeowners living on a nearby street to Stansted Airport in Essex say they have reached boiling point after people keep leaving cars on their road

Essex police has said: 'We are currently investigating multiple reports of cars being vandalised in Takeley'

'While we appreciate that this is incredibly frustrating for those living close to the airport, we ask the public to report parking issues on the Uttlesford District Council website and not take action themselves.

'We are also asking those visiting Stansted Airport to use the available parking and do not illegally park in surrounding roads.'

Alternative reports have suggested that the cars may have been left there by dodgy firms that promise to park travellers' cars on 'secure' sites near the airport and undercut the official charges.

Police are now appealing for information, CCTV, dash-cam or other security-camera footage in relation to the incident.

People jetting out from the Essex airport have to pay at least 65 for a week's parking on the site.

And many car owners claim that if their vehicles are taxed and insured - and there are no parking restrictions - they should be allowed to park on public roads outside homes on quiet roads and estates near the airport.

Essex Police added: 'While we appreciate that this is incredibly frustrating for those living close to the airport, we ask the public to report parking issues on the Uttlesford District Council website and not take action themselves'

A look at a sign left by the parking vigilante group

A spokesman for the airport said: 'There is a claim that the cars have been parked there by an illegal meet and greet car park operator so the owners would have paid a fee but not for a secure, official on-site car park.

'The airport has worked extremely closely with the local district council authorities, parish councils, the Stansted Area Transport Forum and the airport consultative committee for many years on issues relating to potential fly parking-vehicle related issues in the local area.'
A couple are asking for a refund after they sat next to a 'snorting, farting' dog on their flight home to New Zealand from Europe.

Gill and Warren Press were on the first leg of their journey home as they flew 13 hours from Paris to Singapore on a Singapore Airlines flight.

However, the Wellington couple were forced to sit next to a passenger with an emotional support dog in their premium economy seats.

Mrs Press said the dog regularly farted and dribbled on her husband's leg who was wearing shorts.

'I heard this noise  a heavy snorting. I thought it was my husband's phone, but we looked down and realised it was the dog breathing,' Mrs Press told Stuff.

A look at the 'snorting, farting' dog which Gill and Warren Press had to sit next to

After requesting to move seats, the couple were informed the only available seats were at the back of economy so they decided to stay where they were.

They then endured an unbearable smell on the flight as the animal took up Mr Press's legroom and farted.

As the dog could not be put in the aisle, Mrs Press said the dog was practically laying underneath her husband's legs.

After filing a claim for compensation to the airline, they were offered a travel voucher of NZ$200 (95) per passenger.

However, Mrs Press is arguing this is unacceptable and she now wants a full refund.

A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the carrier was directly in contact with the couple.

'Singapore Airlines endeavours to notify customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog prior to boarding the flight,' they said.

The Wellington couple were on a Singapore Airlines flight from Paris to Singapore as they made their way home to New Zealand

'We sincerely apologise that this did not occur in this case, and will work with our airport teams to ensure that this lapse does not occur in future.

'In circumstances where customers seated next to an assistance dog request to be moved, Singapore Airlines will assist to re-seat customers within the same cabin where space permits.'
A Harvard professor warned that service members are hiding their military status to avoid backlash from classmates and faculty members after the elite school was ranked the single worst for free speech out of 248 schools in the US.

Military veterans enrolled at the Ivy League school 'think it's better if they don't tell their classmates or their faculty members before that they are members of the military,' said Kit Parker, a bioengineering professor and an officer of the US Army Reserve, in an interview with Fox&Friends First.

'It boils down to leadership. It boils down to the president,' the lieutenant colonel who served in Afghanistan added.

Harvard University has just been awarded zero points out of a possible 100 for free speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression(FIRE) in 2023.

Its 0-point score was a full 11 points behind the next worst school on the list, fellow Ivy League University of Pennsylvania.

Kit Parker, a bioengineering professor at Harvard, warned service members are hiding their military status to avoid backlash from classmates and faculty members

'It boils down to leadership. It boils down to the president,' the professor said

At least 51 veterans were enrolled in Harvard College in 2021, according to the school's website, where it also says 'the veteran population at the College has steadily grown'.

Parker also said students are concerned about speaking out in class over fear of 'others' wrath on social media'.

The professor of bioengineering believes the free speech issue affects how the faculties design and teach their courses. 'It's up to the faculty member ultimately as to how much risk they want to assume when they teach a course, or they make a public statement,' he continued.

Despite the school being rated an 'abysmal' place for free speech, Parker said the university 'ultimately support free speech or academic freedom'.

The elite academic institution has never performed well on free speech by the FIRE standards.

The foundation said Harvard's result was 'generous' and that its actual score by its calculations was less than zero at -10.69.

Harvard University has just been dubbed the worst for free speech out of 248 schools in the US and was awarded zero points out of a possible 100 for free speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression(FIRE) in 2023

Nine professors and researchers at Harvard had faced calls to be punished or fired in the last few years based on things they'd said or written

The director of polling an analytics at FIRE, Sean Stevens, said that Harvard has consistently ranked among the bottom tier of schools on the list - but he was surprised to see it 'fall below zero'.

A school's score is calculated based on factors like how strong its policies in favor of free speech are and how many professors, students and visitors to campus have been targeted by school authorities for their publicly held positions.

Nine professors and researchers at Harvard have faced calls to be punished or fired in the last few years based on things they'd said or written.

Some of the free speech incidents include the school's decision to revoke conservative activist Kyle Kashuv's acceptance because of racist comments he made on social media as a 16-year-old. He has since apologized.

It's not the first time the prestigious university in Massachusetts mired in controversy with military.

When Supreme Court Judge Elena Kagan served as the dean of Harvard Law School, she supported a decades-long policy that prevented military recruiters from using the career services.

'Ms. Kagan kicked the military off Harvard's campus and out of its campus recruitment office.' said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

'She gave big law firms full access to recruit bright young associates, but obstructed the access of the military as it tried to recruit bright young JAG officers to support and represent out soldiers as they were risking their lives for our country. It was an unjustifiable decision,' Sen. Session said at Kagan's confirmation hearing.
Dhaka, Sep 8 (UNI) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to India's capital New Delhi today on a three-day state visit. Her visit is to attend the G-20 summit to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Besides, Sheikh Hasina will hold a bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi this afternoon. Prior to the meeting, three MoUs will be signed on cooperation in the agricultural research sector, cultural exchange and facilitation of transactions between citizens of the two countries.



The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. AK Abdul Momen said information in a press conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday regarding the Prime Minister's visit to India.



In response to a question whether the upcoming elections in Bangladesh will be discussed during the Prime Minister's visit to India, the foreign minister said, 'I don't know. We want regional peace and stability. We are committed to free and fair elections. We don't want any rigging."

He said, 'We want transparent and beautiful elections. If anyone out there can extend a helping hand to us, we welcome it. But if someone brings the role of matbari, we will not tolerate it. We are a free and sovereign country. Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina is not afraid of anyone. He said, 'We are not under any pressure. Because we are very clear that we will choose the beautiful one. Whether others like it or not, it's their problem. They will crumble under pressure. But we will survive.' He said in Sheikh Hasina's meeting with Narendra Modi, connectivity, distribution of Teesta water will be discussed.

UNI MAZ SY AKS
Convicted rapist Danny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips still 'can't accept' that he sexually assaulted two women, and called him an 'amazing father' who worked to 'shield younger actors from temptation' in a letter begging a judge for leniency in his sentencing.

Phillips, 43, stayed at the actor's side throughout two trials, looking downcast as she sat amid a grim group of Scientology friends and family members as he was jailed for 30 years on Thursday.

A source told DailyMail.com that Phillips believes in his innocence and is concerned for his safety in prison as a notorious convicted rapist.

But the actress' letter - and those of his celebrity friends Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis - apparently did not move Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo, who handed down the harshest possible sentence of 30 years - 15 for each felony rape conviction. Masterson, 47, blew a kiss at his wife of nearly 20 years as he was escorted to begin his sentence.

In her letter, obtained by DailyMail.com, Phillips claimed Masterson was a 'life-saving' partner who dedicated himself to farming to support his family when the accusations about him started to emerge and he lost his acting career.

Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women. His wife, actress Bijou Phillips, 43 - who had been at his side through two criminal trials - looked dejected as she sat amid a grim group of Scientology friends and family members

Convicted rapist Danny Masterson blows his wife Bijou Phillips a kiss in the court room as he is sentenced to 30 years behind bars

She also noted Masterson's aversion to drugs - a common principle of Scientology - and his apparent dedication to helping young actors escape the downfalls of wealth and fame.

A source close to Phillips told DailyMail.com: 'Bijou's only positive outlook on things stems from her trust in Danny and the appeal process. She is hanging on to the fact that she completely trusts he never did what he was charged for, she can't accept that to be true. And she is looking to the appeal process for justice to be served.

'Danny is adamant he did nothing wrong and Bijou believes him. Her other thoughts are a little more scary and morbid, she doesn't believe Danny will harm himself in jail, but she is very worried someone will harm him or even kill him and the stress that is bringing her is on its own level of stress that she never has felt before. It is a nightmare, but she will be on his side moving forward and continue to be present for their daughter.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Phillip's representatives for comment on this story.

Before he was sentenced, Mastersons attorney, Shawn Holley, urged the judge to impose concurrent, not consecutive 15 year to life sentences saying that would be fair and just.

Bijou Phillips is seen sobbing in court as her husband, and the father of her young daughter, is sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women

Bijou is coming to terms with the prospect of raising her child alone after her husband, 47, was convicted on two counts of rape in an LA court in May

Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller asked the judge to hand down a 30-to-life sentence, saying that Holleys plea for just 15 years was not fair and justabsolutely not. Thirty years to life in prison is deserved.

After Masterson raped the first time he had time to think about what he had inflicted, he said. Despite that, he raped again.'

Masterson had two trials. His first, six months earlier, resulted in a mistrial after a different jury were hopelessly deadlocked on all three rape charges. He was freed on $3.3million bail throughout both, but that freedom ended with his double conviction May 31.

He has been locked up in the notorious Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles since then.

Masterson's victims tearfully told the courtroom how he had ruined their lives.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is a safer place with you in prison,' said Jane Doe #2, looking straight at the actor, dressed in a gray suit and open-neck gray shirt.

'You are a true coward and heartless monster,' added Jane Doe #1. 'I think life is an appropriate sentence.'

His accusers - whom DailyMail.com is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3 - are all former Scientologists and are also suing the actor and the Church of Scientology in civil court, claiming that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. A status hearing on that civil case is scheduled for September 26
READ MORE: Charles tributes Queen Elizabeth on first anniversary of her death

Carrie Johnson today shared a thoughtful note the Queen had left on her pillow while she was staying at Balmoral as she paid tribute to the monarch on the anniversary of her death.

The wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth her saying that 'we were so lucky she was our Queen'.

She shared the Balmoral Castle headed note on Instagram, which read: 'Ma'am, Her Majesty will be wearing an ice blue cocktail dress for dinner this evening.'

The helpful note shows how considerate the late Queen was, as she gave the PM's wife a heads up so she could avoid an embarrassing fashion clash.

Thoughtful: The note the late Queen had left on Carrie Johnson's bed on her trip to Balmoral

Queen Elizabeth II (left) speaks to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) and his wife Carrie (right) as she arrives for the G7 summit at the Eden Project, Cornwall, in June 2021

Carrie Johnson (pictured), the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth her saying that 'we were so lucky she was our Queen'

Mrs Johnson captioned the photo: 'Kept this note that was left on my pillow when we stayed at Balmoral.

'How lucky I feel to have got to meet and speak with her a little.'

READ MORE: King Charles pays moving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death as he releases smiling portrait of his mother that has not been shown publicly for more than 50 years Advertisement

When asked if the note was to coordinate or avoid wearing the same colour, Mrs Johnson responded: 'Yes, I think in order to avoid wearing something too similar!'

She also revealed that she has got the note from the Queen framed on an ' "ice blue" mount, no less!'

Writing in his Daily Mail column last week, Boris Johnson spoke of his trip to Balmoral with Carrie, and how they found the 'helpful' note on the bed on their first evening at the royal retreat.

The ex-PM wrote: 'I don't think Carrie had packed anything like an ice-blue cocktail dress, but it was a useful piece of information.'

This comes as a wave of tributes to the late Queen, led by King Charles, came in as the nation marked the first anniversary of her death.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

In his message, Charles said: 'In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.'

It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton  the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.

It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.

The King apparently selected the photograph because of the 'lovely'  and slightly mischievous  look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.

Carrie Johnson (right; with Boris Johnson, centre) and the Queen, left also revealed she has had the note from the late monarch framed

Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after she presented him with a Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour in May 2009

The King will spend today and tonight at Balmoral Castle (pictured) where his mother died a year ago

Prince Harry also paid tribute to his grandmother the Queen, saying she is 'looking down on us all' and is 'happy we're together' as he returned to the UK for the first time in three months to attend an annual charity awards ceremony on the eve of the first anniversary of her death.

The Duke of Sussex arrived in Britain yesterday morning to attend the WellChild Awards at the Hurlingham Club in London - an event he 'looks forward to each year'.

'As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,' he told the the audience, referencing how he pulled out of last year's ceremony following news the queen was seriously ill, and travelled to Balmoral -separately from the rest of the royal family - to attend her deathbed.

His tribute was echoed by that of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said: 'On the solemn anniversary of the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts are with His Majesty King Charles III and the whole Royal Family.

'With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her late Majesty's service only seems greater. Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

'I treasure my memories of those occasions when I met Her late Majesty, in particular the private audience I had with her at Buckingham Palace before presenting my first Budget as Chancellor. I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit.'

And he spoke for many when he recalled the effect that she had on everyone she met.

'People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories,' he said.

'The bond between country and monarch is sacred. It endures. So, while we continue to mourn Her late Majesty's passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service  and this remarkable bond  continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty the King.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the long queues through the night to see the late Queen lying in state had shown that she 'always enjoyed a special bond with her people'.

'It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject,' he said.

'So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.'

The Archbishop of Canterbury, who led the Queen's funeral proceedings last year, also paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II saying the monarch 'gave us hope'.

Speaking of the Queen, Justin Welby said: 'Today we give thanks that the legacy of Queen Elizabeth, her obedience to God, her sense of duty, her love for her people, lives on.'

He added: 'Today we remember a King pledged to serve, and a Queen who gave us hope.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales.

William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday.

They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.
An Alabama teenager has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his five family members in 2019 because he was 'fed up' with them.

Mason Sisk, 18, shot his parents and three younger siblings in the head on September 2, 2019 in Elkmont, Alabama.

The teenage-killer who was 14 at the time of his brutal crime received his sentence on Thursday by the Limestone County Circuit Judge Chad Wise.

The judge said the crime was 'ghastly, disturbing and draped in unmitigated evil.'

The life sentence came after Sisk was convicted of four counts of capital murder for killing his father John Sisk, 38, adoptive mother Mary Sisk, 35, and younger siblings Kane, 6, Rorrie, 4, and Colson, 6 months. The jury had deliberated for less than two hours.

Mason Sisk, 18, was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison for murdering his five family members in 2019

John Sisk, 38, and Mary Sisk, 35, were shot alongside their three young children by Mason Sisk who was 'fed up' with them

Sisk murdered his three younger siblings Kane, 6, Rorrie, 4, and Colson, 6 months.

Limestone County District Attorney Brian C.T. Jones said: 'Ive prosecuted a lot of people in my career, and I can tell you that out of all of those people, only four out of five people scare the hell out of me and hes at the top of my list.'

Sisk was ineligible for the death penalty because he was under 18 when he murdered his family.

Before the sentencing on Thursday members of the deceased family gave victims' impact statements in July.

Mary Sisk's brother Douglas Prater said: 'On September 1, 2019, I came home with gifts for everyone  including you, Mason. Instead of seeing the happiness on their faces, I had to put those gifts in caskets.'

Mary Sisk's sister Katie told Mason his nanny didn't believe he was the killer until the evidence was in front of her face.

Katie said: 'How could her first grandson murder her family? She had a heart attack and later died from cardiac arrest. I do not know if I will ever forgive you, but I do grieve the loss of you. The child Mason that I knew died the day you murdered them.'

Sisk was 14 at the time of his crime which made him ineligible for the death penalty

The Judge wrote that Sisk's crime was 'ghastly, disturbing and draped in unmitigated evil.'

Matt 'Gator' Paddle who was a good friend of John Sisk described Mason as 'a nerdy kid' and said he stayed in his room a lot.

Gator said that he sensed tension between John and Mary but 'didn't sense any tension between Mason and his family'.

The deputy attorney said: 'There have been allegations that Mason was mistreated by John. That may be true, except he took it out on his entire family.'

Video footage from Sisk's confession to the murders showed him admitting to the killings of his family because he was 'fed up of all the fighting' in his family.

Some 31 witnesses appeared at court for Sisk's trial in April and on the final day of testimony jurors heard from the state witness investigator Johnny Morrell.

Morrell discussed evidence presented in the case including Mary Sisk's cell phone and the interviews conducted at the time of the murder when Sisk confessed to the crime.

Sisk's confession came after a long period of questioning from former Sheriff Mike Blakely.

Lawson live-tweeted the trial in April and said Mason had a 'limited reaction' to the jury decision but looked 'a bit shell shocked'.

The interview video shows Sisk denying killing his family multiple times while Blakely accused him of lying.

The trial originally took place in 2022 but was declared a mistrial after it was discovered that the FBI had finally unlocked the cell phone of Sisk's adoptive mother Mary Sisk.

At the re-trial in April the Judge thanked the jury for handling the difficult subject matter and said they are likely forever changed.
An 'arrogant, narcissistic and self-obsessed' abuser who violently raped two men he met through the gay dating app Grindr was sentenced to 15 years today.

Dr Mohammed Altaher, 38, from Bedford, was jailed for 10 years and given a five-year sentence extension which means he will be monitored by probation officers on his release until 2038.

The AI specialist, who was born in Iraq, attacked the two men, who did not know each other, at his home in August and September 2019.

Prosecutor Nigel Ogborne told St Albans crown court: 'The crown case is that both victims withdrew consent to sexual intercourse, but he carried on regardless, raping the victims in an aggressive manner.'

Altaher, of Cardington Road, Bedford, was found guilty at an earlier hearing of two counts of raping a male over 16 as well as one count of sexual assault by penetration on one of the men.

Dr Mohammed Altaher, 38, from Bedford, was jailed for 10 years and given a five-year sentence extension which means he will be monitored by probation officers on his release until 2038

At St Albans Crown Court (pictured), Recorder Andrew Johnson described Altaher as an 'arrogant man' and quoted a report from the probation service which dubbed him 'quite a narcissistic individual and very self-obsessed'

The first had been given the drug MCAT, an illegal stimulant, before being subjected to sexual aggression. At one stage Altaher called another man to the house to indulge in sexual activity before he left.

After that, the victim was penetrated on at least 10 occasions by a shower hose before being raped. He suffered multiple injuries and revealed he had been attacked at a sexual assault referral centre in Brighton.

In a victim statement the man said he couldn't at first see himself as a rape victim. He said he did not engage at work and became 'like a Zombie.'

The second victim was grabbed, kissed and pushed onto a bed by Altaher as soon as he arrived at his home. He got onto the victim and raped him.

In his victim statement, he said the rape had a 'significant impact' on his mental health and well-being. He said he was struggling to be around people and no longer socialised. 'I was confident, healthy and outgoing and I now rely on medication.'

Defending, Andrew Cohen said Altaher has a 'level of neuro-diversity that meant he did not understand or take signals from other people.' He said he was of previous good character.

He said Altaher, who wanted to be addressed as Dr rather than Mr in court, was an expert in AI.

Jailing him, Recorder Andrew Johnson said the two men had travelled to his home for consensual sex. He said: 'Had you acted differently, that, and nothing other than that, would have occurred.

'But your approach to both of those encounters was to treat both of your victims as objects with whom you could do what you wished, when you wished, as you wished.'

The judge told him he was an intelligent man and was very keen for the jury to know, you have a Doctorate.

Altaher met his both of his victims using the Gay dating app Grindr and lured them to his Bedford home

He went on: 'You are also, however, an arrogant man - or to use the language of the probation officer, from which I do not dissent, "quite a narcissistic individual and very self-obsessed".

'That was apparent when you gave evidence and indeed throughout the trial.

'You are either unwilling or unable to recognise the perspective of anyone but yourself. Your arrogance is the backdrop to this offending. What Dr Altaher wants, Dr Altaher gets, and if what you want is sexual intercourse, then the consent of whoever you want it with matters to you not at all... If you want it to happen, it shall happen.'

The judge praised the investigation, saying: 'I commend those involved in investigating and prosecuting this case for the sensitive and thorough manner in which they did so.

'Whether or not the criticism that is sometimes advanced as to how sexual offending is dealt with by authorities is justified in some cases, as to which I make no comment at all, it certainly would not be in this case, and it is right that I record that.

'Offending of this nature might not have been dealt with in this way in the relatively recent past, and it is both right and proper that has changed.

Dr Altaher, who is appealing against his conviction, must register as a sex offender for life.

Detective Constable Kevin Cheese said: 'These were especially nasty, violent rapes.

'Consent for sexual activity can be withdrawn at any time, and Altaher showed no care or compassion for the victims' wishes in this case in the face of his own sexual gratification.

'There is undoubtedly under reporting in regards to male victims of sexual violence, and I want to thank both survivors in this case for coming forward and getting a dangerous predator like Altaher off the streets.'
An Asian foreign national living in Colombia recently woke up in a clinic after he was robbed in his apartment by a woman he met on a dating app.

The man, whose name has been withheld, met one of the women through an online dating app and made plans to take her to a restaurant in the the southwestern city of Cali, according to Colombian outlet Noticias Caracol.

However, the woman replied she did not want to leave her female cousin alone at home and asked if they could instead come to his residence and try out dishes from his native country.

He agreed to entertain the women at his home and they suggested he order food.

Two women are spotted leaving a Cali, Colombia, building after they drugged and robbed a male foreign national from Asia who one of them had met through an online dating app. The women fled with a luggage bag, a box and the victim's debit card

A male foreign national from Asia told Colombian new outlet Noticias Caracol that the women used his debit card to treat themselves to a $3,890 shopping spree, spending $1,490 on a ring

The man recalled using his debit card to pay for the delivery before blacking out.

'From there I have no memory,' he told the network.

A building surveillance camera showed the women walking out of the apartment with a luggage bag, a box and a debit card.

The suspects went on a shopping spree, charging $3,890 to his card. They spent at least $1,490 for a ring at a jewelry store.

The man was found unconscious in his apartment by a friend who was concerned he was not answering any of her calls.

Two women are seen on a surveillance camera video exiting the home of a man one of them had met via a dating app in Cali, Colombia. The women drugged and robbed the man, who spent three days hospitalized at a medical facility

Two women await for the elevator at a residential building in Colombia after drugging and robbing the man that one of them had met on an online dating app

He was taken to a local clinic, where he was under observation for three days until he woke up and learned what had taken place.

Now he's asking Cali authorities for help in tracking down the women and recovering the money that was fraudulently charged to his card.

'It is not fair (because) the bank must have a precautionary (alert), a plan, and as a jewelry store (it should have seen) how strange a ring worth 6 million pesos, how can they sell it without reviewing (identification),' he said.
YouTube mom Ruby Franke will be held without bail after being charged with six counts of child abuse - and has now been moved to medical block at a Utah jail.

Franke and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, were scheduled to appear in court in St George, Utah, on Friday afternoon for a virtual hearing but proceedings were delayed due to technical issues, according to Utah's Fifth District Court.

The meeting link was made public, inviting over 1,000 users to tune in  with many trolling the hearing by making strange sounds like barking and calling out 'mama' in a baby voice.

More than 30 minutes after the hearing was scheduled to start, Utah Courts released a statement saying Franke would not be in attendance, according to KJZZ 14. It is not clear if the hearing continued without being live-streamed.

'We understand that everyone is having trouble accessing the Franke/Hildebrandt hearing,' the State Court said on Twitter. 'We currently have 1,100 people in the hearing and are trying to add more.'

YouTube mom Ruby Franke will be held without bail after being charged with six counts of child abuse - and has now been moved to medical block at a Utah jail

YouTuber mom Ruby Franke (pictured) and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, were scheduled to appear in court in St George, Utah, on Friday afternoon for a virtual hearing but the proceeding failed to official begin

The popular YouTuber was arrested along with her business partner Hildebrandt last month and charged with six counts of felony child abuse after one of her sons was discovered with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs

Franke, who had been in a holding cell, was moved to the medical block in the jail, according to documents from Purgatory Correctional Facility obtained by KJZZ 14.

Hildebrandt is also being held without bail.

Many community members and local journalists were waiting in anticipation for the hearing to start, before the court announced that it would no longer be happening.

Numerous people had struggled to enter the virtual hearing as the WebEx had reached max capacity.

The popular YouTuber was arrested along with her business partner Hildebrandt last month and charged with six counts of felony child abuse after one of her sons was found by a neighbor with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs.

Franke, 41, last appeared in a court hearing on Thursday via video from a Utah jail where she remains on a no bail hold for the time being.

The Utah mother of six,' sobbed in court as she appeared for a shelter hearing on Thursday for her four minor children to determine custody.

Speaking to the public courtroom Thursday, the Mormon mom at times broke down as she made shocking claims that one of her minor children sexually abused their sibling and molested several other family members and children in the neighborhood over the years.

The meeting link was made public, inviting over 1,000 users to tune in to the meeting  with many trolling the hearing by making strange sounds like barking and calling out 'mama' in a baby voice

Ruby Franke, (left) who ran the now-defunct 8 Passengers channel, was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right) on August 30

Franke's husband Kevin, wearing a dark suit, sat at the table with his attorney looking straight ahead as his wife made the sickening allegations.

In a surprising courtroom move, an attorney who was sitting in the public viewing area stood up and asked the judge to hear details about the molestation of another child because a mother of one of the alleged victims was in the courtroom.

The judge denied the request, citing that details of the alleged abuse can be heard at a future time.

The harrowing 911 call that led to arrest of Franke, was released by police, revealing the heart-wrenching moment the neighbor helped her 12-year-old son.

The Good Samaritan raised the alarm when the 'emaciated' boy turned up on his doorstep with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs after fleeing Jodi Hildebrandt's nearby home through a window.

In his call to police, the man is heard calmly trying to explain the urgent need for assistance, but becomes overwhelmed by the boy's condition and struggles through tears to get his words out.

'I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help,' the neighbor says, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC.

'And he's said he had just come from a neighbor's house and we know there's been problems at this neighbor's house.

'He is emaciated. He's got tape around his legs. He's hungry and he's thirsty.

'He has duct tape around each ankle. There's sores around them. He has them around his wrists as well.

'This kid has obviously... he's been detained. He's obviously covered in wounds.'

Ruby Franke's Springville, Utah home, is seen on Saturday

The family blew up on social media after beginning to post videos in 2015

The court hearing presided over by Judge Suchada Bazzelle lasted just 30 minutes on Thursday

Husband Kevin is pictured outside of Thursday's hearing with his attorney Randy Kester

Judge Bazzelle set the next hearing for a September 15 mediation hearing and a September 18th pre-trial hearing

Ruby and husband Kevin Franke's 10-year-old daughter was later found by cops in a similar condition.

In a statement the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said: 'The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Irvins EMS and transported to a local area hospital.

'Information was obtained by police that other juveniles in similar condition may be in a nearby home.

'Officers arrived at the home and searched the residence, locating another juvenile in a similar physical condition of malnourishment.

'They were also transported by EMS for hospital treatment'.
Senator Lindsey Graham on Friday slammed a report that a Georgia grand jury recommended indicting him, saying he was just doing his job and the law was being 'weaponized.'

Graham has repeatedly argued that, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was interested in cases of possible voter fraud, which is why he reached out to officials in Georgia and other states in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Donald Trump, at the time, was falsely claiming to be a victim of election fraud. Graham is a staunch Trump supporter.

'We can't criminalize senators doing their job when they have a constitutional requirement to fulfil. It would be irresponsible for me in my opinion as chairman of the committee not to try to find out what happened,' he told WYFF News in South Carolina, where he spoke to reporters in his home state.

Senator Lindsey Graham defended himself against reports a Georgia grand jury wanted to indict him, saying he was just investigating allegations of voter fraud

Graham echoed Trump's argument that the government is being 'weaponized' against people.

'I'm very worried about the country right now. I was the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This election was contested in courts and multiple states. I had to explain to the people of South Carolina my vote. I had to decide whether or not to have a hearing about the allegations in Georgia and other places. I called around different states, including Georgia,' he said.

'There are many people in this country who believe the law has become a political weapon. We'll see what happens in these cases,' he noted.

The Fulton County grand jury recommended charges against Graham the Republican senator from South Carolina, in Georgia's election case, new court filings showed on Friday.

Graham said he has not heard from any Georgia officials and learned about the grand jury's recommendation from television.

'I was totally surprised,' he noted.

'We're opening up Pandora's box,' Graham said. 'I think the system in this country is getting off the rails and we have to be careful not to use the legal system as a political tool.'

Graham, in the weeks after the 2020 election, had made calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Raffensperger has said he interpreted questions about whether he could reject certain absentee ballots as a suggestion to reject legally cast votes.

But Graham said on Friday that: 'I asked him questions about the mail-in voting process. I never asked him to set aside ballots or anything else.'

'After the conversation, I decided it was best for me to vote to certify the election because I didn't have enough confidence in my own mind to overturn it,' he said.

'But the phone call I had with him was made from my office in Washington with my staff on it,' he noted.

Lindsey Graham is a staunch Trump supporter, he's seen above with then-President Donald Trump in South Carolina in January 2023

Graham noted that he voted to certify Joe Biden's electoral college win on January 6th, the same day of the insurrection in the Capitol. As a senator, he had to vote to approve the results of each state's election.

'I voted to certify the election. To suggest I'm part of some grand scheme to overturn the election makes no sense, given my actions. It speaks to where we're at more than anything else. It's me today. It could be somebody else tomorrow.'

'I feel comfortable with my vote to certify the election. I feel comfortable with the questions I asked. At the end of the day, I did my job. And the day that that becomes criminalized is very bad for the country,' he added.

In the newly-released court documents, Georgia grand jurors also recommended charges against Michael Flynn, who had served as National Security Adviser to Trump, and Georgia's two former Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

Also named were Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and lawyers Lin Wood and Cleta Mitchell, the report showed.

It's unclear why none of them were charged and what charges they may have faced.

The original indictment against Trump and 18 additional co-defendants included details involving 30 'unindicted co-conspirators'  people who Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges took part in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

Graham said he still supports Trump for president.

'I am standing with President Trump. I am proudly supporting him. He can be a handful of times, but I thought he was a good president,' he said.

'I'm not going to be deterred campaigning for him and working with him.'

Graham fought against testifying before the Georgia grand jury and was ultimately ordered to do so by the Supreme Court.

The grand jury spent seven months hearing from some 75 witnesses before finishing a report in December with recommendations for Willis on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The special grand jury did not have the power to issue charges but Willis used the evidence it gathered to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Here is who else the grand jury recommended be charged:

DAVID PERDUE and KELLY LOEFFLER

David Perdue

Kelly Loeffler

Perdue was running for re-election to the Senate in a special election in January 2021.

Trump was campaigning for him but also falsely claiming he won the presidential election and was the victim of election fraud.

Perdue personally urged Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to convene a special session of the legislature to help Trump's quest to overturn the election.

Loeffler was at that meeting.

She was in a runoff election in January 2021 that she ultimately lost.

Trump also campaigned for her.

The loss of those two seats gave Democrats control of the Senate.

MICHAEL FLYNN

Flynn, like Graham, was compelled to testify before the grand jury.

Michael Flynn

In mid-December 2020, Flynn told a right-wing news channel that Trump 'could take military capabilities' and place them in swing states and 'basically re-run an election in each of those states.'

Flynn also met at the White House on Dec. 18, 2020, with Trump, attorney Sidney Powell and others associated with the Trump campaign for a meeting that 'focused on topics including invoking martial law, seizing voting machines, and appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate the 2020 election,' Willis wrote in her document asking Flynn to testify.

And he attended meetings in November 2020 at the South Carolina home of conservative attorney Lin Wood. Wood also testified before the grand jury. He had been seeking ways to influence election results in Georgia.

BORIS EPSHTEYN

Boris Epshteyn

Boris Epshteyn also testified before the grand jury.

He served as a lawyer for Trump and the request for his testimony said that he 'possesses unique knowledge concerning the logistics, planning, and execution of efforts by the Trump Campaign to submit false certificates of vote to former vice president Michael Pence and others.'

CLETA MITCHELL

Cleta Mitchell

Cleta Mitchell advised Trump on a phone call with Georgia state officials after the 2020 election in which he urged them to find evidence that could overturn the state's results.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panel's recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect peoples due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury has indicted Trump and 18 other people under the state's anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.

The parts of the report previously released in February included its introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to seek charges for perjury. The panels foreperson had said in news interviews that the special grand jurors had recommended that numerous people be indicted.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis

The newly released court documents on Friday also mention jury concerns about being lied to: 'A majority of the Grand Jury believes that perjury may have been committed 15 by one or more witnesses testifying before it. The Grand Jury recommends that the 16 District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is 17 compelling.'
South Carolina court clerk Becky Hill was spotted the first time since Alex Murdaugh's lawyers accused her of fabricating a Facebook post in order to get a juror thrown off the disgraced lawyer's murder trial.

Rebecca 'Becky' Hill, 55, smirked when she was asked by Fox News: 'Did you tamper with the jurors?'

She then turned away and entered the court building in Walterboro, South Carolina, without saying a word.

Murdaugh's attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian submitted a motion accusing Hill of repeatedly 'tampering with the jury'. The pair further allege that Hill 'invented a story about a Facebook post to remove a juror she believed might not vote guilty.'

The court clerk hired two high-profile lawyers the day after the shocking allegations.

One is state Rep. Justin Bamberg, known for representing victims of Murdaughs financial crimes and the other is Will Lewis, a former assistant U.S. attorney.

South Carolina court clerk Becky Hill was spotted the first time outside the court building in Walterboro, South Carolina, since Alex Murdaugh 's lawyers accused her of fabricating a Facebook post in order to get a juror thrown off the disgraced lawyer's murder trial

Hill glanced the photographer for a moment and smirked when she was asked: 'Did you tamper with the jurors?'

Hill then turned away and entered the court building without saying a word

The clerk has not respond to the allegations against her. She does not face any criminal charges.

Hill was a court reporter before being elected as Clerk of Court in 2020. She published a book, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, in July.

Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul earlier this year

Harpootlian told NewsNation on Tuesday: 'We have evidence that she fabricated the existence of a Facebook entry by one of the jurors' former husbands. Never happened. We've got an affidavit from him. He never did it.'

The lawyer, who is also a Democratic State Senator, added: 'This is unprecedented that the, that the clerk of court went on a ... campaign to discredit the defense and discredit Alex Murdaugh's testimony.'

During the trial Judge Clifton Newman ordered Hill to produce a Facebook post that she had seen, claiming that a juror's ex-husband was 'saying stuff' about how his former wife told him what her 'verdict was going to be'.

But the new documents now claim that Hill 'invented' the post, with the juror claiming it could not be possible as she hadn't seen her ex-husband in more than ten years.

Hill, pictured with Judge Newman, is being accused by Murdaugh's defense team of influencing the jury as they move for a retrial

Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian claim they have sworn statements from two jurors that are enough cause for Alex Murdaugh to get a new murder trial

Court documents claim Hill, right, would enter the jury room on a regular basis, as well as having private conversations with the jury foreperson 'lasting five or ten minutes'

'Ms. Hill never saw any such Facebook post. She made it up,' the newly filed motion claims.

The former spouse also denied the allegations that he wrote the post, as well as a follow-up apology, in a sworn affidavit.

Judge Newman ultimately dismissed the juror, but said: 'Oh boy. I'm not too pleased about the clerk interrogating a juror as opposed to coming to me and bringing it to me.'

The lawyers said there are additional jurors who won't speak to them, so they want them to be subpoenaed to testify under oath.

'If these jurors are to be believed, it is an impossible burden by the state we get a new trial,' he added.

Court documents seen by DailyMail.com state that Hill told jurors 'not to be fooled by' Murdaugh and told them their 'deliberations shouldn't take them long'.

It reads: 'Ms. Hill did these things to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial. Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.'

The team submitted a motion on behalf of the disgraced South Carolina attorney on Tuesday, claiming that Rebecca Hill repeatedly 'tampered with the jury'

Lawyers for Murdaugh said in a press conference that they were informed of Hill's alleged behavior after the publication of the book, when jurors who were 'upset' with her came forward.

'She's trying to make a lot of money. Thats the point. Trying to make money off it by selling the book,' Harpootlian said.

Murdaugh's attorneys are arguing that Hill breached a South Carolina code which states: 'No public official, public member, or public employee may knowingly use his official office, membership, or employment to obtain an economic interest for himself.'

'We were hitting brick walls until her book came out,' Dick Harpootlian said. 'Then jurors who obviously were not comfortable in how she handled matters, and even less comfortable with her going on a book tour and making money off it, they reported it to us.

Hill is understood to have also organized a post-trial drink with members of the media and court staff, following Murdaugh's double murder conviction.
Their remarks came after Mayor Eric Adams said illegal asylum seekers were going to 'destroy' the city

Talk show hosts said that migrants desperately fleeing to New York City should be 'resettled elsewhere'

The Ladies of the View suggested on Friday that migrants should be 'resettled elsewhere' because America is a 'massive country' while discussing their disappointment with Mayor Eric Adams's handling of the crisis faced by New York City.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams warned earlier this week that the 10,000 illegal asylum seekers arriving every month will 'destroy' the city.

It is a stark shift for the mayor, who promised while campaigning that NYC would remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration, saying in 2021, 'We should protect our immigrants. Period.'

When discussing Adams's remarks, The View host Ana Navarro said migrants put 'tremendous stress' on cities, communities and the social services - adding: 'They need to be re-settled elsewhere''

Navarro's co-host Sara Haines agreed, saying: 'They need to be spread out'. Navarro is a Republican, while Haines describes herself as a moderate left-winger who grew up in a conservative household.

But many social media users slammed the women's remarks, and accused them of spouting a 'not in our backyard' attitude, when many other states are also struggling to cope with an influx of migrants.

Over 10,000 migrants are arriving every month and upwards of 110,000 are spread across the metro.

Ana Navarro, co-host of The View, said migrants fleeing to New York City need to be 'resettled elsewhere'

The passionate discussion on the talk show was sparked by a video of New York's mayor speaking to furious residents at a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

Clips showed Adams admit he doesn't see a solution to the problem of the migrant crisis as he slammed the lack of help from Joe Biden.

Adams said: 'Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to this,' he conceded. 'This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City.'

There are now nearly 60,000 migrants in the city's care, with about 21,000 new migrant children starting school this year.

The View host Joy Behar said the crisis is 'only gonna get worse with global warming and climate change cause people can't live in certain parts of this world.'

Navarro went on to compare the migrant crisis in the Big Apple to her experience as an immigrant in Miami during the 1980s.

She likened the current migration to New York City to the Mariel boatlift - when a mass emigration of Cubans travel from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between April 15 and October 31, 1980.

This comparison refers to the buses of migrants arriving on a near-daily basis, with over 10,000 arriving every month and upwards of 110,000 are spread out across the metro.

Mayor Eric Adams opened over 200 shelters across the five boroughs to try and house the 100,000 who have arrived from the border

Navarro, a Cuban immigrant, compared the migrant crisis in the Big Apple to her experience as an immigrant in Miami during the 1980s.

Former White House Strategic Communications Director and Donald Trump staffer, now co-host of The View, Alyssa Farah Griffin said: 'New York is finally getting a small taste of what border states have dealt with for decades'.

Griffin said: 'This is a Biden problem right now because he's the president. This was an issue under Trump. It's been an issue for 25 plus years. We've not had major immigration reform in this country in decades.'

In a desperate bid to ease the migrant crisis, Mayor Eric Adams opened over 200 shelters across the five boroughs to try and house the tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived from the border.

The Mayor's office has estimated the migrant issue will cost New York City $12billion over three years.

Adams had earlier announced plans to discourage migrants from coming to the Big Apple by telling them that the 'city was full'.

Adams said the Big Apple is receiving over 10,000 migrants every month as he warned the city could be transformed forever

New York City Mayor Eric Adams discussed the migrant crisis at a town hall on Wednesday, warning that it will 'destroy' the Big Apple

Sara Haines told her other co-hosts that the immigration system has been 'broken' for years and 'neither party has come in and fixed it'.

Haines said: 'There are 500 jobs waiting upstate in farming areas'. She explained: 'The permits are not coming through D.C.

'Mayor Adams is going to Kathy Hochul who is saying we're not gonna call anything into session,

'If this is an emergency and we're all saying there are lives at stake then come back from your break - wherever it is - sit down and deal with it.'
The father was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had completed a voluntary mental health court program

An 11-year-old girl is the sole survivor of a house fire that killer her mother, brother and her baby sister - started by her father who was later found dead by suicide.

The girl, who has only been identified by her first name, Lulu, managed to escape the burning house on September 2 in Seattle through a window and ran to neighbors to raise the alarm.

Neighbors then called 911 to report that a person had died in the burning house. When Seattle cops tried to enter the home the doors were barricaded.

Firefighters later found the bodies of four people and a dog after extinguishing the flames.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Lana A. Stewart, 40, died from multiple sharp-force injuries; Sebastino Ragusa, 7, died from asphyxia from the inhalation of toxic products of combustion; and four-month-old Valentina Ragusa died from smoke inhalation.

Salvatore Ragusa, 48, died from smoke inhalation. Lulu was treated for minor injuries.

Lulu is the only survivor in a house fire that killed her mother, brother and her baby sister. The fire was set by her father who also died

Siblings Sebastino Ragusa, 7, died from asphyxia from the inhalation of toxic products of combustion and 4-month-old Valentina Ragusa died from smoke inhalation

Mother Lana A. Stewart, 40, died from multiple sharp-force injuries. Ragusa was arrested in 2019 for starting a fire in Stewart's apartment in the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle

Though Seattle police have not disclosed the relationship between Ragusa and the victims, neighbors have referred to Stewart and Ragusa as a couple who lived in the house with their children.

Court records show Ragusa had finished a court-mandated county mental health program last year.

Ragusa opted into the program after pleading guilty to reckless burning and malicious mischief in a 2019 arrest for starting a fire in Stewart's apartment in the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle.

Stewart was identified in court records at the time as his ex-wife. He threatened suicide during the fire, the police report notes.

King County District Court records show that Ragusa was diagnosed with schizophrenia and entered a voluntary mental health court program with Valley Cities Behavioral Health that included therapy, psychiatric treatment and counseling.

He was given a no-contact order towards Stewart but the court lifted the order in May 2021 after Ragusa indicated he 'would like to live with the victim.

He completed the two-year mental health program in February 2022 and is not known whether he seeked further treatment. At his Febraury hearing, he told the court: 'Yeah, family means everything to me. And, yeah. We need to be kind to one another.'

Neighbors said that the pair lived in the Wallingford home for nearly two years and that they had friendly, if few, interactions with the family. The two older children would play in the yard, often with their dog.

Fire crews found the bodies of four people and a dog after extinguishing the flames. At the time the police department tweeted that they were responding to a shooting in the area but on arrival, they found a house in flames.

Someone then called 911 and reported a person had died in the burning house. Seattle police said officers tried to enter the home but the doors were barricaded.

A GoFundMe page for Lulu has been started by her aunt Adrea Stewart-Sloniker to support her recovery and her education.

The page reads: 'Lulu has always been known as a talkative & loving girl who always put her family first. As she got older and became more aware of her situation, she often took on a protective but nurturing role.

'Therefore I'm not all surprised she jumped out a window with a 16 foot drop to help others survive. She thought she was going back to save her brother & sister after calling for help.'

The fund has raised $47,619 as of now and is set at a goal of $200,000.

A Seattle Police Department spokesperson said that investigators are not looking for suspects. The city's police Arson & Bomb squad is working with the Seattle Fire Department to determine how the fire started.
New Delhi, Sep 8 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of People's Republic of Bangladesh.

PM Hasina is visiting India as its guest country to participate in the G-20 Leaders Summit on 9-10 September 2023.

The two leaders discussed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation including political and security cooperation, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development cooperation, cultural and people to people ties.

Current developments in the region and cooperation in the multilateral fora were also discussed.

The leaders welcomed the operationalization of the Agreement on the use of the Chattogram and Mongla Ports and commissioning of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline. They also expressed appreciation for operationalization of settlement of bilateral trade in INR and encouraged the business community on both sides to utilize the mechanism.

They looked forward to beginning of negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), covering trade in goods, services, and protecting and promoting investment.

Expressing satisfaction at the implementation of development cooperation projects, they looked forward to the joint inauguration of projects at a convenient date later.

The projects are: Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link, Unit-II of the Maitri Power Plant, and Khulna-Mongla Rail Link.

They welcomed the exchange of following MoUs for strengthening bilateral cooperation like Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Digital Payment mechanisms between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Bangladesh Bank, Memorandum of Understanding on renewal of the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) between India and Bangladesh for 2023-2025, Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC).

With regard to the regional situation, Prime Minister Modi expressed appreciation of the burden shouldered by Bangladesh in hosting over a million persons displaced from Rakhine State in Myanmar, and conveyed India's constructive and positive approach to support solutions towards safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.

Indian side welcomed the Indo-Pacific outlook announced by Bangladesh recently. The leaders agreed to continue working together to intensify their wide-ranging engagement.

Prime Minster Hasina thanked Prime Minister Modi for the hospitality of the Government and people of India, as the two Leaders looked forward to continuing interactions at all levels. UNI BDN SSP
Monday will be the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, despite the passage of time, most of us will instantly remember where we were on that fateful day when the dreadful news came through.

I was in a car with my producer heading for the TUC conference in Brighton, where then prime minister Tony Blair was scheduled to speak that afternoon.

As I was down to anchor BBC TVs live coverage of the Labour conference a few weeks later, I thought there might be some interesting lines to pick up from Blairs appearance before the trade union barons.

We were about half an hour out of Brighton when the classical radio station soothing our journey south interrupted its programming to report that a plane had collided with one of New Yorks Twin Towers. The initial impression was that it had been an accident.

But theyre saying its a bright, sunny morning, I remarked to my producer. Doesnt sound like an accident to me. We speeded up.

On the day of the terrorist attacks, I was in a car with my producer heading for the TUC conference in Brighton, where then prime minister Tony Blair was scheduled to speak that afternoon, writes ANDREW NEIL

By the time we reached the BBCs makeshift newsroom in the Brighton conference centre, another plane had hit the second tower. That put an end to any talk of accidents.

The conference had been stunned into silence by the time Blair took to the stage. He explained that he would have to return to London pronto as there were rumours that our capital, too, could be under attack, but added that he knew the TUC would want to express its sympathy and solidarity for the President and the American people.

The conference rose as one in a tumultuous standing ovation to do just that.

If hes heading back to London, Im going back, too, I said to my producer.

As I descended the back stairs, I bumped into Blair, who broke away from his security detail to have a quick word.

You know America well, Andrew, he said, getting straight to the point. What do you think has happened?

No question in my mind, Prime Minister, I replied. Its Al-Qaeda.

Why are you so sure?

Because its been a long-standing ambition of Al-Qaeda to take down the World Trade Centre. Key figures behind the 1993 bomb attack on the Twin Towers had links to it.

The van with the bomb was placed under the North Tower at a place they calculated would send it crashing into the South Tower, destroying both and killing thousands. That attack failed. This one has succeeded.

I didnt know that, said Blair. By now his security team were getting impatient, anxious to bundle him out of the building.

Youd better go, I said.

But as he turned away to continue down the stairs I shouted: Prime Minister!

He turned to look at me, still walking away.

Remember, shoulder to shoulder with America, I said.

He nodded. Shoulder to shoulder, he repeated.

That night, back home in London I watched Blair broadcast to the nation.

Tonight, we stand shoulder to shoulder with America, he intoned gravely. I allowed myself a brief smile on a grim day.

By that time, Im sure Blair had been briefed on the unmistakeable link with Al-Qaeda. The mastermind of the 1993 bombing, Ramzi Yousef, had spent time at an Al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.

His uncle, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, had given him advice and help and, in the aftermath of 9/11, it was quickly established that the uncle had been the principal architect of that far more devastating and, alas, successful attack.

Colour guard at a Pentagon Staff Memorial Observance ceremony took place on Friday

Over two decades later, at a conference in London this week, I ran into Condoleezza Rice, President George W. Bushs savvy National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, two consecutive high-powered positions that gave her a front-row seat for the duration of his presidency as he waged his War on Terror.

When she was asked if we had now won that war, Rice replied that, broadly, we had, at least when it comes to Islamist terror against the West.

It seemed like a bold claim since the world still appears to be awash with terrorist attacks. But on reflection, and with several caveats, I concluded she was right.

America, of course, has made many grievous errors along the way to this victory of sorts. Bushs invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a catastrophic mistake, a major setback which unleashed a whole new wave of terrorist attacks.

President Bidens abject scuttling from Afghanistan two summers ago, making the return of the Taliban inevitable, must have emboldened Islamist terrorists everywhere.

And they are still active, from the no mans land that is the Iraqi-Syrian border to the vast desert lands of the Sahel that stretch across Africa from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.

But the extremists of the Sahel are more concerned with fighting domestic conflicts and terrorising local innocent civilians than waging war on the West.

Even the Taliban seem more anxious to suppress Afghani women as part of their medieval agenda than to recreate the safe haven the country once was for Al-Qaeda.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says the War on Terror has been won, at least with regards to Islamic terror on the West

The Middle East, so long the breeding ground of much of the terrorism that has bedevilled us, is increasingly dominated by the prosperous Gulf states which want to be known as beacons of prosperity and sources of investment rather than crucibles of barbarism.

The United Arab Emirates has already made its peace with Israel. I understand Saudi Arabia will soon do the same, perhaps before the year is out. Why would they still want to be tainted by terrorism?

So the terrorists ability to plan, access the resources and secure the logistics required for spectacular attacks, like 9/11, has been seriously eroded  and to that extent the Western world is, indeed, a safer place than it was.

Open, democratic societies will always be vulnerable to the rogue lone wolf operating on limited resources and without a support network. They can still inflict atrocities on us, as we sadly discovered on that horrendous May night in the Manchester Arena six years ago.

But, overall, major terrorist attacks on Western democracies are in steep decline and long may that continue.

It is not unrealistic to hope, or foolishly cavalier to think, that Islamic State and its ilk are going the way of the IRA or Eta, the terrorist separatists of Spains Basque region.

Both cruelly and needlessly murdered many people but, in the end, they did not succeed in imposing their aims on democratic governments  and the wiser heads among them came to terms with the futility of their violence.

Terrorist wars do not stop overnight. Who knows what bloody eruptions might still be inflicted upon us? But the bigger threat to our democratic way of life these days is not terrorism but a revanchist Russia and an aggressive China.

The 'Tribute in Light' ceremony is tested in New York ahead of the anniversary on Monday

We have come a long way since 9/11 and, despite the self-inflicted setbacks, there is progress to celebrate.

And lessons to learn. Above all, that winning the peace is as important as winning the war  perhaps even more so.

America and its allies won the war in Afghanistan and Iraq but lost the peace in both places, thereby prolonging the War on Terror. In stark contrast, America lost the war in Vietnam but won the peace  the Vietnamese are now one of Americas most important political and economic allies in the Pacific Rim.

On Monday, as we remember those who lost their lives on that terrible day 22 years ago, we can take some comfort from realising we have, at last, largely won the war on Islamist terror.

Winning the peace  which means eradicating as best we can the conditions that allow terrorism to take root and even flourish  will likely be that wee bit harder.
Travel chaos struck the region as over 200 flights have been cancelled

Severe thunderstorms have rolled in over the East Coast

New York City and Boston are bracing for Category 5 Hurricane Lee to make landfall, but the East Coast is already experiencing severe thunderstorms set to last through the weekend.

The region has sweltered under high temperatures and humidity in recent weeks, but both major metros are expected to be washed out Friday evening.

The weather front has brought travel chaos to the skies as over 200 flights have already been cancelled out of JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports, according to FlightAware.

As the thunderstorms rolled in, residents took to social media to share images of ominous clouds filling the skies of New York in a sign of what is forecast to come.

Hurricane Lee is thundering towards the East Coast and is forecast to make landfall next week, after severe weather begun battering the region Friday evening

New Yorker Joanna Oltman Smith shared a photo of mammatus clouds in the Big Apple Friday - and branded the sky formation 'creepy'

The storms have come following blistering temperatures across the eastern seaboard, where the mercury topped 90 degrees for three consecutive days for the first time all year in New York City on Friday.

Summer in the Big Apple was grayer and cooler than usual, with the metropolis repeatedly blanketed by smoke and haze from Canadian wildfires.

A heat advisory warning is still in effect in New York City and parts of New Jersey, as the torrential front barreling in resembles a tropical storm.

Officials are bracing for damage as high winds, heavy rainfall and potential hail could cause flash flooding and structural damage in some areas.

Reports indicate trees and power lines have been downed in New Jersey, and a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for almost the entire tri-state area until 11pm Friday.

Flash flood warning have also been issued for large swathes of the Hudson Valley following a period of dry and hot conditions.

Much of Massachusetts also remains under a severe thunderstorm watch, covering Middlesex, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire counties.

In Hoopsick Falls, New York, the town's mayor urged residents to remain indoors as a powerful thunderstorm struck the community of 3,000 people on Thursday.

Fallen trees and powerlines were also reported in the area, as crews worked through the day to clear roads after they were blocked by debris.

Storm damage was also seen in Boxborough, Massachusetts - around 40 miles from Boston - where multiple powerlines and tree limbs were torn down by the high winds.

Storm damage was also seen in Boxborough, Massachusetts, where multiple tree limbs were torn down by the high winds

Crews worked through Friday to clear the roads after the storm surge swept through, which also tore down power lines

Another image of chaos caused by Friday's extreme weather in Massachusetts

The storms on Friday are forecast to be the start of several weather bombs to strike the region into Monday, while heavy rainfall is expected to continue through the week as temperatures plummet.

The severe weather comes amid growing fears over Hurricane Lee, which was registered as a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday, before it escalated to a Category 5 overnight.

Lee has been picking up steam as it thunders towards the coastline, with wind speeds in excess of 130mph.

It is expected to make landfall late next week, however forecasters have struggled to nail down the exact path of Hurricane Lee, leading to varying estimates over the extent of the damage it could bring to the East Coast.

The eye of the storm accelerated rapidly from late Wednesday over the Atlantic, and into late Thursday the National Hurricane Center recorded waves as high as 55 feet near its center.

According to meteorologist and hurricane expert Michael Lowry, Lee is in elite company as less than one percent of all tropical cyclones ever attain Category 5.

He said on X (formerly Twitter) that 'Lee is the farthest southeast we've ever observed a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since records began 172 years ago.'

Hurricane Lee escalated from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane overnight on Thursday, leading to fears it could tear apart the East Coast

Forecasters have struggled to nail down the exact path of Hurricane Lee, leading to varying estimates over its the extent of the damage it could bring

The hurricane churned through open waters in the Atlantic Thursday, sweeping past the northeast of The Caribbean and missing Puerto Rico as it moves towards the United States.

Models of Hurricane Lee's potential path show it is likely to bring a deadly storm surge and heavy rains to cities including Boston and New York City.

On Thursday, the National Hurricane Center warned: 'Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate.'

It wasn't rainy everywhere though - with Reagan National Airport in Washington DC enjoying blistering weather on Friday evening

Spaghetti models of Hurricane Lee's path - maps which show computer simulations of where the center of the storm could be in several days time, given a set of variables - show Lee turning northeast and heading up the East Coast.

Lee registered winds of up to 180mph as it twisted over the ocean, but is expected to weaken to around 130mph if it makes landfall.

The National Hurricane Center said on Friday that the storm was 'incredibly powerful', and had escalated far beyond the strength it initially appeared to hold.

Friday's thunderstorms may have been fueled by the storm as the NHC said by Sunday 'most of the US East Coast' will be hit with dangerous rip currents.
A teenager, handcuffed by cops because he looked like runaway terror suspect Daniel Khalife, has spoken about his ordeal and the extraordinary sexual reaction it generated.

A video of the youngster being questioned by dozens of officers at Banbury Train Station went viral yesterday as the hunt for missing Khalife intensified.

Army soldier Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Jail on Wednesday by clinging to the underside of a van. He was there on remand for terror-related charges including helping an enemy state and ran off wearing chef's overalls.

But Horatio Castille said the only thing he had in common with Khalife was that they both worked in kitchens.

Not that the 19-year-old was wearing red check trousers when he was apprehended  he was dressed in a black tank top and black jeans and was on his way to a signing session for a band in London.

Teenager Horatio Castille (pictured), handcuffed by cops because he looked like runaway terror suspect Daniel Khalife, has spoken about his ordeal and the extraordinary sexual reaction it generated

A video of the youngster being questioned by dozens of officers at Banbury Train Station went viral yesterday as the hunt for missing Khalife intensified

Army soldier Khalife (pictured) escaped from Wandsworth Jail on Wednesday by clinging to the underside of a van. He was there on remand for terror-related charges including helping an enemy state and ran off wearing chef's overalls

'I had just finished my shift, working in a kitchen as it happens, and got to Banbury station at 1230 to catch the 1240 train to Marylebone,' he said.

'I was on my way to a signing for a band I like and just sat down on the platform and waited. Then a couple of officers came walking down the platform and suddenly they turned to me and said they needed to talk to me.

'They put me in handcuffs straight away and I asked them what I had done. I have never been in handcuffs before, never been in trouble with the police and my mind was racing as to what I had done.

'They said someone had reported that I looked like some man who had escaped from prison. I was not even aware that such a thing had happened.'

As he sat in handcuffs on the platform, Horatio recalled how dozens of other officers began flooding into the Oxfordshire train station.

'One man watching shouted "Police brutality", but they were not hurting me and I knew they'd got it wrong so I stayed calm.

'They showed me a picture of the wanted man holding a phone. I told them the face was too wide, the hair was different and he had a different phone to me.

'Another officer showed me a different photo and I could see the likeness but I kept on smiling because I knew I'd be OK.'

In the end, a mobile scanner took Horatio's finger print which confirmed he was not Daniel Khalife.

After the video of his arrest went viral, Horatio, who was born in Britain and whose parents are from Germany and Argentina, created a Twitter profile to clarify what had happened.

'I knew that lots of people I know in Banbury would have seen the video so I just wanted to take control of the situation and put what happened out there,' he said.

The response, however, shocked him. Having spent the day with a pack of police on his trail, he spent the evening fending off a pack of Cougars (older women who like younger men).

The broody profile picture he used sent some users into a frenzy.

One user @OfficialGracie wrote: 'Yh, get yourself a modelling contract,' and @bisousluv put: 'We support you and love you honey don't even worry bout it fine boy.'

Another, @crackgalore wrote: 'Hi I'm available any day of the week', and included a raunchy video to underline the message.

And @vloneshaz said: 'You don't need to clarify anything, we understand x (check your dms).'

Horatio, who is single, said: 'I was so surprised. I have never had such a response before. I was being hit on by girls and boys.

'I never thought I was particularly good looking. I work out and I enjoy playing guitar and singing but had never made a big impression.

'It is nice to know people thought I was good looking but I am not going to take advantage of it.'

But Horatio Castille (pictured) said the only thing he had in common with Khalife was that they both worked in kitchens

Horatio, who is single, said he had received even more pointed messages sent to him directly.

Other Twitter users urged him to take action against the police with some recalling the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, another innocent man confused with a terror suspect, and shot dead on the transport network.

'I am really not qualified to talk about such things,' said Horatio, who only left school last year. 'When the police realised I was not who they thought I was, they apologized a lot and took off the handcuffs.

'I have no idea if they were entitled to handcuff me. They said I was not under arrest, just that I had to answer some questions.

'I realise the police have a job to do so I won't be taking it further. I am just a regular guy.

'My friends all thought it was funny, as did my parents. It's my five minutes of fame, that's it.'
Apple's market valuation dropped more than $200 billion this week, following reports that the Chinese government is cracking down on iPhone use among government employees.

Shares of Apple gained slightly in Friday's session to close at $178.18, but were down more than 6 percent on the week after word that Beijing has told employees at some central government agencies to stop using iPhones at work.

The tech giant's market capitalization stood at $2.79 trillion -- still the most valuable public company in the world, but down from the high-water mark above $3 trillion it reached earlier this year.

China's iPhone crackdown comes as tensions rise between Washington and Beijing, and shows that even Apple's longstanding good relationship with the Chinese government may not protect it from geopolitical headwinds.

'Beijing is looking to reduce its dependence on US technology, but this (ban) acts as a significant headwind to Apple as China is its largest international market and accounts for about 20 percent of its revenues,' said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at interactive investor, a UK investment platform.

Apple's market valuation dropped more than $200 billion this week, following reports that the Chinese government is cracking down on iPhone use. Apple CEO Tim Cook is seen above

Shares of Apple were down more than 6 percent on the week after word that Beijing has told employees at some central government agencies to stop using iPhones

When asked about the iPhone ban at a daily briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning didn't comment directly, saying only that 'products and services from any country are welcome to enter the Chinese market as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations.'

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Friday.

US-Sino friction has worsened in recent years as Washington tries to restrict China's access to key technologies including cutting-edge chip technology, and Beijing looks to reduce its reliance on American tech.

Early last month, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to impose blocks and regulations on US high-tech investment in China.

White House officials said Biden, who departed Thursday evening for New Delhi, will use the annual G20 summit as an opportunity to drive home that the United States and its like-minded allies are better economic and security partners than China.

Apple is also facing stepped-up competition from China's Huawei, which launched two new smartphones that drew global attention for showcasing resilience to US sanctions.

Huawei's foldable Mate X5 and the Mate 60 Pro+ launched last week, powered by an advanced chip made by Chinese contract chipmaker SMIC, skirting US export bans on advanced chips.

The US Commerce Department said late Thursday it's working to obtain more information 'on the character and composition' of the Huawei chip that may violate trade restrictions.

Customers view Huawei's new phones at a store in Yantai, Shandong province last week. Huawei launched two new smartphones despite US export bans on advanced chips

Visitors pass the renovated flagship Apple Store in Shanghai. Last week marked the 30th anniversary of Apple's entry into China, which has become the largest market for iPhone

The new Huawei phones reportedly have enough power and speed to rival the iPhone and have been selling briskly in China. The Mate 60 is priced from 5,999 yuan ($817.70), the same as Apple's iPhone 14 in China.

Some analysts believe Huawei's moves could be a first step in comeback efforts by China's 'national champion' to rival Apple after it took some market share following US sanctions rolled out four years ago over fears the devices could compromise national security.

'We believe Huawei's activity this time was well prepared and not sudden,' said Ivan Lam, an analyst at Counterpoint, whose outlook for the new products exceeds previous estimation.

'It can manage the psychological expectations of the target consumer group before Apple's press conference.'

Apple is set to roll out a new iPhone on Tuesday following a weak quarter for sales of its flagship product.

A teaser of the livestream for the event, dubbed 'Wonderlust,' has been posted on YouTube, revealing no details.

Reports are swirling that big changes are in store for the iPhone, including a switch from Apple's Lightning connector to the USB-C plug that rivals are starting to adopt, partly in response to a European Union mandate.
The rule of law in Britain has been replaced by the rule of human rights lawyers and judges, a report warns today.

Think-tank Civitas says that court rulings covering immigration, protests and strikes are undermining the sovereignty of Parliament.

It calls on the Government to use its constitutional power to revoke adverse judgments based on 'politically correct' interpretations of human rights laws.

And it also accuses ministers of following a liberal reading of key laws with the result that many illegal migrants can avoid being deported to their homelands or the last safe country they left before arriving in the UK.

Author and barrister Dr Michael Arnheim writes: 'The UK courts quite often thwart government policy on migration, asylum, national security and human rights generally.

Think-tank Civitas says that court rulings covering immigration, protests and strikes are undermining the sovereignty of Parliament

'The Government response is usually either a climbdown, or a cringing statement expressing 'regret' at the court decision, with or without the intention to appeal. As a result, a group of unelected, unaccountable and virtually irremovable judges have become the arbiters not only of government policy but also of legislation passed by Parliament.'

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He says there is a lack of accessible, clear and predictable law made by Parliament, which has led to a rise in 'judge-made law'.

A 'quick-fix' solution would be Parliament using its power to cancel, through legislation, 'any unacceptable, objectionable or unjustifiable judicial decisions'.

'The power of Parliament to revoke any court decision for any reason is firmly based on the Sovereignty of Parliament, the bedrock principle of the UK Constitution,' Dr Arnheim states.

'It is high time that the nuclear power of revocation was used routinely as a corrective to human rights 'mission creep', 'political correctness' and just plain wrong interpretations of human rights law, which are essentially the result of Parliament's failure to recognise its duty to legislate a coherent set of laws.'

He adds: 'Self-styled 'liberal' politicians and lawyers are quick to attack Conservative policies in the name of 'the Rule of Law'. But what they are really defending is not the Rule of Law but its polar opposite, the rule of lawyers  and judges.'

The report highlights the Government's flagship policy of sending illegal migrants to Rwanda in the hope of deterring others from risking the journey to the UK in dinghies.

The final of a four day action by Extinction Rebellion where thousands marched from the Supreme Court past Downing Street

Dr Arnheim accuses ministers of having 'allowed the domestic courts and Strasbourg to prevent anyone from being deported to Rwanda'.

In December, the High Court ruled that the Rwanda plan was lawful after a challenge brought by the PCS trade union and charities Care4Calais and Detention Action  but in June, appeal court judges overturned the judgment on the grounds that migrants might be sent from Rwanda to face persecution in their home countries.

The deportation flights remain grounded at least until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict later this year.

But Dr Arnheim suggests: 'With both a democratic mandate and human rights law on [the Government's] side, the obvious solution is not to appeal to yet another group of unelected and unaccountable judges but simply to revoke the Court of Appeal decision.'

The report also says that the 'refugee lobby' regularly accuses the Government of breaching international obligations such as the UN Refugee Convention.

It points out that this protection applies only to people arriving 'directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened', and so cannot mean anyone who arrived from safe countries such as France.
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A couple who say they lost their life savings in a bungled Commonwealth Bank transfer are in hiding after a their emotional plea for help turned sour.

Ellie Houston, 21, and her partner Trae Murphy, 23, say they transferred $90,000 from their account to a Bank of Melbourne account on June 30 before it vanished into thin air.

Ms Houston claimed in an interview with Radio 3AW on Monday that the money initially bounced back into their original account - before eventually disappearing altogether.

They then appeared on television in a further attempt to try to recover the missing funds.

Sources have told Daily Mail Australia the media blitz had been recommended by the couple's lawyer after they had exhausted all efforts to obtain answers about the mystery transaction from the banks.

Ellie Houston, 21, and her Trae Murphy, 23, say they transferred $90,000 from their account to a Bank of Melbourne account

The fallout from those media appearances was evident on Thursday when Daily Mail Australia tried to speak with a shattered Mr Murphy.

The tradie's parents advised their son was so unwell from the stress and anxiety of his ordeal he could not get out of bed.

'To have money and then all of a sudden it's gone missing. From what it seems, he's been scammed somehow,' his worried mum said.

'And to think that people now think that he's the one lying. It's devastating.'

The pair had saved the substantial amount of money for a land settlement in Yarrawonga, a town located near the NSW-Victoria border.

Ms Houston claimed she has screenshots and receipts that show the money moved between the two accounts, but Commonwealth Bank refuses to refund them the lost money.

The couple's public campaign for answers quickly turned pear-shaped, with sympathy turning into suspicion.

Armchair detectives went into overdrive online as people openly speculated on what they believed had gone wrong.

Sources close to the couple say while the public campaign helped force Commonwealth Bank to re-engage with them, they still have no answers as to where the money went or how they can get it back.

'Commonwealth has said once it went into the account he wanted it into, it has been transferred into someone else's account by a name he doesn't even know,' a source said.

A spokesman for Commonwealth Bank (CBA) said it had investigated the claims and had since told Mr Murphy that the receipt numbers he provided 'do not exist in CBA records'

The couple had been on a long-planned trip to Bali when their transfer from a CBA account bounced back from the Bank of Melbourne 'because both of their names weren't approved yet,' Ms Houston told 3AW radio on Monday

A spokesman for Commonwealth Bank said it had investigated the couple's claims and had since told Mr Murphy that the receipt numbers he provided 'do not exist in CBA records'.

'On examination of the images of the receipts provided, the documents differ from genuine CBA receipts and the receipt numbers do not exist in CBA's records,' the spokesman said.

The statement added: 'Mr Murphy contends the balance of his account should be $96,000. Following an investigation by CBA, we have informed Mr Murphy:

'The account in question (or any other account held Mr Murphy) did not have a balance of $96,000 (or an amount close to it) at the time of the relevant transfers or the 12 months prior.

'The account from which the transfers allegedly took place is a NetBank Saver which only permits transfers to another CBA account and is unable to process transfers to another financial institution.

'Subject to receiving additional information from Mr Murphy, CBA is willing to make further enquiries.'

Friends of Mr Murphy have backed his account and taken aim at cruel speculation that has suggested he may be covering up for some kind of secret gambling habit.

'Who in their right mind would drop $96,000 on a horse. It's ridiculous,' a friend said.

The couple claim Commonwealth Bank sent a link to Beyond Blue, a suicide prevention hotline, after she described the toll the missing money was having on her and her partner

The friend said the couple only went public in an effort to get the bank talking again in the hope of retrieving their life savings.

The couple had been on a long-planned trip to Bali when their transfer from a CBA account bounced back from the Bank of Melbourne because 'both of their names weren't approved yet,' Ms Houston told 3AW radio on Monday.

The couple tried again to transfer the $90,000 to the Bank of Melbourne account on July 4, but the money bounced back to their account a few days later.

As they were on holiday in Bali at the time the couple couldn't transfer the money internationally and were charged a $2,500 late settlement fee.

'They didn't run away to Bali because of this. They went there for a wedding, so they were compelled to go there,' their friend said.

'They'd already had it booked before any of this happened. Long before so it's just coincidence.'

Ellie Houston, 21, and her Trae Murphy, 23, are desperate to recover their missing funds

The friend said the couple's public plea came out of sheer desperation.

'They wanted help and answers because they weren't getting any,' the friend said.

Those that know the hard working couple insist they are the victims of a terrible crime.

'He's either been hacked or the bank's account has been hacked,' the friend said.

Daily Mail Australia has been told Mr Murphy worked long hours to save for the couple's dream Yarrawonga property.

The money was all kept in a locked savings account which Mr Murphy is understood to have opened in an actual bank.

'These two have worked hard. Something has happened and they've gone on the advice of a lawyer to go and talk to Neil Mitchell to get it going,' a source said.

'They wanted to get things rolling and they did. And they've got more information this week than they've had in the last two months. And it's helped them understand that they've been scammed.'

The matter is set to go before the Australian Financial Complaints Authority in the hope of finally resolving the matter.

Worried friends say Mr Murphy is so distraught over the missing money he has closed himself off from loved ones.

'He's not in a good place ... and now it's turned negative,' a friend said.
The King and Queen today attended a special service at Crathie Kirk to commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth - and appeared moved by warm-wishes from crowds who also gathered to mark the anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church, where successive monarchs have worshiped since Queen Victoria.

The couple spoke to crowds outside afterwards who shared their condolences and handed them bouquets and cards. The King told them that the flowers were 'wonderful' and joked with children about getting back to school.

Other royals were also at the service, including the Queen's great nephews Samuel and Arthur Chatto, sons of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto, who also went. And staff from Balmoral, the beloved Scottish home of the Queen where she died, also attended, walking to and from the service in the September sunshine.

The King looked emotional as he left Crathie Kirk having paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death today. Crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace and Army gun salutes honouring Her Majesty rang out across the United Kingdom.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

King Charles III looked visibly moved after leaving a service to mark the first anniversary of his mother the Queen. Camilla clutches flowers handed to them by well wishers

King Charles speaks with people at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, collecting bouquets and cards from schoolchildren

The royal couple leave today's memorial service also attended by other royals

Crowds watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death today

The gun salute to mark the anniversary of Britain's King Charles' accession takes place in Hyde Park today

The band of the Grenadier Guards march in Hyde Park, London ahead of a Gun Royal Salute

King Charles has paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death. Pictured: King Charles arriving at Crathie Parish Church, Balmoral today

Queen Camilla arrives with her husband

The King speaks to the clergy as he enters the church with his wife

Samuel and Arthur Chatto were among other royals at the service

Charles and Camilla will spend the rest of the day with family

King Charles III and Queen Camilla meet estate staff as they leave Crathie Parish Church

Charles spoke briefly to estate staff he recognised

He also spoke to local schoolchildren and joked about them needing to return to class

The Queen's adored niece Lady Sarah Chatto (right) leaves with her sons

Royal staff from Balmoral and mourners following the service as they head back to the house

William and Kate have travelled to Wales to grieve Queen Elizabeth's passing and shared their own favourite pictures of the late monarch and said: 'Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Charles released his favourite picture of his mother, dated October 16, 1968 and taken by Cecil Beaton

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all,' wrote King Charles

Signed W&C for William and Catherine, the heartfelt message was posted on the anniversary of the Queen's death

Sarah Ferguson shared a picture of her with the Queen's corgis Sandy and Muick. She said: 'I am delighted to say they are thriving'

His tribute was echoed by that of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said: 'On the solemn anniversary of the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts are with His Majesty King Charles III and the whole Royal Family.

'With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her late Majesty's service only seems greater. Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

'I treasure my memories of those occasions when I met Her late Majesty, in particular the private audience I had with her at Buckingham Palace before presenting my first Budget as Chancellor. I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit.'

And he spoke for many when he recalled the effect that she had on everyone she met.

'People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories,' he said.

'The bond between country and monarch is sacred. It endures. So, while we continue to mourn Her late Majesty's passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service  and this remarkable bond  continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty the King.'

Julia Davies from the Cotswolds lays flowers outside the Buckingham Palace

A woman lays flowers outside the Buckingham Palace on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death

Former Head Groom Terry Pendry walks the Queen's favourite fell pony Emma at Windsor Castle today

Emma bows her head as the Queen's coffin passes aboard the State Hearse, travels up The Long Walk in Windsor on September 19, 2022

Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after she presented him with a Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour in May 2009

The King will spend today and tonight at Balmoral Castle (pictured) where his mother died a year ago

Queen Elizabeth welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, in September last year

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the long queues through the night to see the late Queen lying in state had shown that she 'always enjoyed a special bond with her people'.

'It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject,' he said.

'So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.'

Her last prime minister  albeit briefly  Liz Truss, with whom she was so memorably photographed for the final time, also opened up about their encounter.

She described how the frail but 'upbeat' and 'mentally alert' monarch had told her they would be 'meeting again soon'. The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to Balmoral on September 6 to appoint her as prime minister.

'She was very, very keen to reassure me that we'd be meeting again soon. It was very important to her,' Ms Truss told GB News.

The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to Balmoral on September 6 to appoint her as prime minister

Ms Truss added: 'She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.'

The Queen died two days later, with Ms Truss describing the scene as she waited in Downing Street when the confirmation came at around 4.30pm.

'We were in the Downing Street flat with, officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that we'd had,' she said.

She recalled the King was 'very, very resolute' when she spoke to him to express her condolences on the phone the day his mother died and his reign began.

Today, soldiers and horses which took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes signifying the new reign are to return to perform Accession Day anniversary gun salutes in the King's honour.

Captain Amy Cooper  who was the lead rider in the procession which carried the Queen's coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall  will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in London's Hyde Park.

Captain Cooper is with the King's Troop, almost all of whom played a role in the final farewell to the Queen a year ago.

There will also be a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by The Honourable Artillery Company, while bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the King's accession.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be in Wales at St David's Cathedral where they will commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth and speak to members of the community she met during her visits to the city.

A source said it was important to William and Kate to be in Wales in honour of their new titles and to honour the bond the late monarch had with the Welsh nation.

A source said King Charles and Queen Camilla will 'balance between reflecting properly on the public nature of moment but finding the space for privacy to reflect in private'.
Prince Harry has flown to Germany for the Invictus Games after a shock secret visit to the Windsor church where the Queen was laid to rest to mark the first anniversary of her death, MailOnline can reveal today.

The Duke of Sussex, who went on the solo whirlwind trip to the UK without his wife and children, was spotted leaving St George's Chapel at lunchtime after attending the WellChild Awards last night.

The fifth in the line to the throne was photographed paying respects to the Queen by a tourist just before William and Kate, wearing a pair of the Queen's earrings, arrived at St Davids Cathedral, Wales - 230 miles from Windsor - and laid a wreath next to a portrait of the late monarch.

This morning King Charles attended a memorial service to say private prayers at Balmoral's parish church with his wife Queen Camilla.

Harry is believed to have gone straight from the church where he married Meghan Markle in 2018 to Heathrow to catch a British Airways flight to Dusseldorf for the start of the Invictus Games tomorrow - leaving the UK without seeing his father or brother.

He was driven to the five star Hyatt hotel after by passing the usual passport checks at the west German airport. Harry was seen in the back of a Range Rover car as it sped into the hotels underground car park. A passenger on the flight said: 'There was a bit of a buzz as people passed word that Harry was on the flight.'

The Duke of Sussex was sat in the Club Europe section at the front of the plane together with three members of the Invictus Games organisers. While they were met by a member of the military on arrival, Harry was whisked away for the short drive to his luxury hotel, where he settled into the Presidential suite. He will open the Games on Saturday night after earlier attending a reception at Dusseldorf town hall.

Prince Harry arrives at Dusseldorf Airport today ahead of the Invictus Games tomorrow

Prince Harry has flown to Germany for the Invictus Games after a shock secret visit to the Windsor church where the Queen was laid to rest

Harry is believed to have gone straight from the church where he married Meghan Markle in 2018 to Heathrow to catch a British Airways flight to Dusseldorf, where he is pictured

Prince Harry arrives at his hotel in Dusseldorf today after making a surprise visit to St George's Chapel to pay his respects to his grandmother

Prince Harry arrives at the five-star Hyatt Regency hotel in Dusseldorf today before the Invictus Games start tomorrow

Harry is driven into the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dusseldorf today after his quick trip to Britain

Prince Harry leaves St George's Chapel in Windsor today to mark the first anniversary of the Queen's death. Her Majesty is buried there alongside her beloved husband Prince Philip

The Prince and Princess of Wales bow their heads as they attend a service at St Davids Cathedral where prayers were said for the Queen

King Charles III looked visibly moved after leaving a service to mark the first anniversary of his mother the Queen. Camilla clutches flowers handed to them by well wishers

The Hyatt Regency hotel in Dusseldorf where Prince Harry is staying for the duration of the Invictus Games

Kate pauses in front of the flowers she laid at St Davids Cathedral in Wales this afternoon

The Princess of Wales takes a selfie with schoolchildren today

Massive crowds had gathered to see the Prince and Princess of Wales

The Prince of Wales crouches down to speak to a young fan outside the church

The Prince and Princess of Wales at a service to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II at St Davids Cathedral in Wales

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

The Queen's funeral took place at St George's Chapel Windsor (pictured) and it is also where Harry married Meghan

Large crowds gather outside Buckingham palace on the anniversary of the accession of King Charles III and the death of his mother

Wearing a white shirt and smart trousers, Harry looked sombre as he left a side entrance of St George's Chapel as family, Britain and the world again mourned the Queen's passing. It is not known if he went to Her Majesty's grave in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which sits within the walls of the church.

Harry was seen by the public leaving the church where his grandparents are both buried at around Midday. An executive Range Rover was waiting for him with his bodyguard waiting to open the door.

A number of members of the Royal Family are understood to have visited the chapel today. Harry remains close to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie but it is not yet known if they and others paid their respects together. MailOnline has asked Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex to comment.

The warring brothers are spending the first anniversary of their grandmothers death in the same country  but still couldnt be farther apart and have no plans to meet before Harry heads to Germany tomorrow.

Yesterday William went to a Pret sandwich shop in Bournemouth when his brother went to WellChild's annual awards in west London.

The Duke of Sussex was at his personable best in London as he met winners of the WellChild Awards  a charity he has been patron of for 15 years and stayed with after his acrimonious departure from the Royal Family.

Harry flew in for the engagement from his home in California, making his first appearance in the UK since June.

But despite the long flight, the duke cut a relaxed figure as he sat with the youngsters and their families during a pre-ceremony reception at The Hurlingham Club in south-west London.

It was as Harry prepared for the awards this time last year that news began filtering through that his grandmother was seriously ill before passing away hours later. The duke took a flight to Scotland but landed too late to see the Queen before she took her last breath.

As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away, he told the audience.

As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And thats precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet with well-wishers following a service at St Davids Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

Kate smiles as she speaks to people in big crowds who gathered to see them

Prince William, Prince of Wales, meets with Jasmine Joyce, former Wales international rugby player,

Flowers placed by the Prince and Princess of Wales are pictured next to a portrait of the late Queen

The Princess of Wales lays flowers during the service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales today

William and Kate are shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids Cathedral

Prince William and Kateare shown to their seats by Sarah Rowland Jones in St Davids today

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet dignitaries as they visit St Davids Cathedral today

The Princess of Wales smiles with her husband as they speak to people on Pembrokeshire

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this afternoon

Prince Harry returned to Britain for the first time in three months to attend the WellChild Awards last night. He also gave a tribute to the Queen

The Duke of Sussex speaks to and hi-fives Violet Seymour during the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club

Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk to meet members of the public, at Windsor Castle, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Harry has no plans to see his brother and sister-in-law

The King and Queen today attended a special service at Crathie Kirk to commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth - and appeared moved by warm-wishes from crowds who also gathered to mark the anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church, where successive monarchs have worshiped since Queen Victoria.

The couple spoke to crowds outside afterwards who shared their condolences and handed them bouquets and cards. The King told them that the flowers were 'wonderful' and joked with children about getting back to school.

Other royals were also at the service, including the Queen's great nephews Samuel and Arthur Chatto, sons of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto, who also went. And staff from Balmoral, the beloved Scottish home of the Queen where she died, also attended, walking to and from the service in the September sunshine.

The King looked emotional as he left Crathie Kirk having paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death today. Crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace and Army gun salutes honouring Her Majesty rang out across the United Kingdom.

In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country's grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother's 'long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'.

Charles anc Camlla leave today's memorial service also attended by other royals

King Charles speaks with people at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, collecting bouquets and cards from schoolchildren

Crowds watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death today

The gun salute to mark the anniversary of Britain's King Charles' accession takes place in Hyde Park today

The band of the Grenadier Guards march in Hyde Park, London ahead of a Gun Royal Salute

King Charles has paid a moving tribute to his adored mother as the nation marks the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death. Pictured: King Charles arriving at Crathie Parish Church, Balmoral today

Samuel and Arthur Chatto were among other royals at the service

He also spoke to local schoolchildren and joked about them needing to return to class

William and Kate have travelled to Wales to grieve Queen Elizabeth's passing and shared their own favourite pictures of the late monarch and said: 'Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C'.

Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother's death  and his own grief-tinged accession  in 'quiet contemplation' at home in Scotland.

In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI's death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.

But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.

Indeed, the Mail can reveal that the King and Queen Camilla chose last night not to return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as planned, but to remain at the castle itself where Elizabeth died at the age of 96, surrounded by the glory of the Scottish Highlands she adored.

They will remain there today, comforted by some of those who were closest to Her late Majesty, spending tonight there as well, before moving back to their neighbouring estate. A source said: 'I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her.'

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death with a small private service in Wales. William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday. They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David - the patron saint of Wales - settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in the possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereign's Stall. This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Charles released his favourite picture of his mother, dated October 16, 1968 and taken by Cecil Beaton

'I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all,' wrote King Charles

Signed W&C for William and Catherine, the heartfelt message was posted on the anniversary of the Queen's death

Sarah Ferguson shared a picture of her with the Queen's corgis Sandy and Muick. She said: 'I am delighted to say they are thriving'

His tribute was echoed by that of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said: 'On the solemn anniversary of the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts are with His Majesty King Charles III and the whole Royal Family.

'With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her late Majesty's service only seems greater. Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

'I treasure my memories of those occasions when I met Her late Majesty, in particular the private audience I had with her at Buckingham Palace before presenting my first Budget as Chancellor. I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit.'

And he spoke for many when he recalled the effect that she had on everyone she met.

'People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories,' he said.

'The bond between country and monarch is sacred. It endures. So, while we continue to mourn Her late Majesty's passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service  and this remarkable bond  continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty the King.'

Julia Davies from the Cotswolds lays flowers outside the Buckingham Palace

A woman lays flowers outside the Buckingham Palace on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death

Former Head Groom Terry Pendry walks the Queen's favourite fell pony Emma at Windsor Castle today

Emma bows her head as the Queen's coffin passes aboard the State Hearse, travels up The Long Walk in Windsor on September 19, 2022

Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after she presented him with a Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour in May 2009

The King will spend today and tonight at Balmoral Castle (pictured) where his mother died a year ago

Queen Elizabeth welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, in September last year

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the long queues through the night to see the late Queen lying in state had shown that she 'always enjoyed a special bond with her people'.

'It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject,' he said.

'So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.'

Her last prime minister  albeit briefly  Liz Truss, with whom she was so memorably photographed for the final time, also opened up about their encounter.

She described how the frail but 'upbeat' and 'mentally alert' monarch had told her they would be 'meeting again soon'. The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to Balmoral on September 6 to appoint her as prime minister.

'She was very, very keen to reassure me that we'd be meeting again soon. It was very important to her,' Ms Truss told GB News.

The Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to Balmoral on September 6 to appoint her as prime minister

Ms Truss added: 'She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.'

The Queen died two days later, with Ms Truss describing the scene as she waited in Downing Street when the confirmation came at around 4.30pm.

'We were in the Downing Street flat with, officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that we'd had,' she said.

She recalled the King was 'very, very resolute' when she spoke to him to express her condolences on the phone the day his mother died and his reign began.

Today, soldiers and horses which took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes signifying the new reign are to return to perform Accession Day anniversary gun salutes in the King's honour.

Captain Amy Cooper  who was the lead rider in the procession which carried the Queen's coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall  will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in London's Hyde Park.

Captain Cooper is with the King's Troop, almost all of whom played a role in the final farewell to the Queen a year ago.

There will also be a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by The Honourable Artillery Company, while bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the King's accession.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be in Wales at St David's Cathedral where they will commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth and speak to members of the community she met during her visits to the city.

A source said it was important to William and Kate to be in Wales in honour of their new titles and to honour the bond the late monarch had with the Welsh nation.

A source said King Charles and Queen Camilla will 'balance between reflecting properly on the public nature of moment but finding the space for privacy to reflect in private'.
The Princess of Wales spoke for the nation yesterday as she told well- wishers marking the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's passing: 'We all have wonderful memories of her. We have to hold on to them.'

Her poignant words came as she and Prince William attended a service of commemoration at St Davids Cathedral in Wales, laying a bouquet of white roses in front of a portrait of the late monarch  a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother  before bowing their heads in quiet contemplation.

The moving solemnity of the occasion was in stark contrast to Prince Harry, who was photographed by a tourist as he secretly visited his grandmother's grave at St George's Chapel in Windsor yesterday morning, alone, before flying out of the country at lunchtime.

In a sign of how deep the family rift now runs, he left without seeing his estranged brother, who is likely to have been less than half a mile away at his Adelaide Cottage home on the Windsor estate around the time he visited, before taking a helicopter to Wales. Nor did he take the time to see his father in Scotland.

Dressed casually  and looking slightly dishevelled  in an open-necked shirt and trousers, the 38-year-old slipped through a side door and was taken to Queen Elizabeth's final resting place by a member of chapel staff as his bodyguard waited by a Range Rover parked outside.

The Princess of Wales spoke for the nation yesterday while marking the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's passing

Her poignant words came as she and Prince William attended a service of commemoration at St Davids Cathedral in Wales

He was whisked straight to Heathrow Airport afterwards, where he boarded a lunch-time flight to Dusseldorf to attend the Invictus Games. He will spend the week in a five-star hotel, where he will be joined by his wife, Meghan, who chose not visit the UK at all.

READ MORE: Prince Harry touches down in Germany for Invictus Games after making solo trip to Windsor church where the Queen was laid to rest Advertisement

Buckingham Palace would not comment on Harry but officials seemed at pains to suggest the visit was his own initiative. One said a few Royal Family members had 'found individual ways to pay their respects separately at the chapel this morning'.

The Mail understands that this included the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who later attended a special evensong marking King Charles's accession to the throne.

The Queen was privately interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, built for her late father, after the public elements of her funeral last year had concluded.

She lies next to her beloved husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021, as well as her parents, King George and Queen Elizabeth, and the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret. Four floral tributes lay on Queen Elizabeth's tombstone yesterday, described as 'family flowers'.

The largest was a huge display in an urn at the back of the chapel, brought by the Queen's youngest son Prince Edward, with another from Andrew.

Asked which was from Prince Harry, a staff member said: 'One of them will be. I hope.'

In Wales, William and Kate were given a rapturous welcome by crowds, who stood for hours in the heat to see them and cheered.

In Wales, William and Kate were given a rapturous welcome by crowds, who stood for hours in the heat to see them and cheered

The princess was elegant in a burgundy dresscoat by Eponine and hat by Sahar Millinery

The Princess of Wales speaking to young children during a visit to the RNLI lifeboat station at St Davids

After a seemingly quick change into more casual clothes, the Prince and Princess of Wales yesterday visited the Car-Y-Mor seaweed farm at St Davids

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral

The princess was elegant in a burgundy dresscoat by Eponine and hat by Sahar Millinery, a nice touch given that designer Sahar Freemantle was a scholar with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust.

She and William sat through a poignant service laced with reminders including a Henry Purcell anthem played during the Queen's funeral. The Very Reverend Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, said afterwards: 'In many ways, our job today was to give them the space for their remembering.'

Kate chatted with members of the 20-strong congregation about how she remembered the Queen with great affection, telling flying instructor Patricia Mawuli Porter: 'We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them, cherish them.'

Mrs Porter, 35, from Haverfordwest, said afterwards: 'It was lovely to speak to the princess on a personal basis, she was like an old friend, she can chat to anyone.'

After a seemingly quick change into more casual clothes, the Prince and Princess of Wales yesterday visited the Car-Y-Mor seaweed farm at St Davids, then met members of the St Davids Lifeboat Station crew.

Kate was presented with a posy by Isla Evans-Kohler, four, the daughter of deputy coxswain Judd Kohler and crew member Ellen Evans.

She asked Isla: 'Have you been on the lifeboat?' The little girl shook her head and her mother explained she had been on the boat but not out on the water.
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Overview

By this time next year St George's and City, both member institutions of the University of London, may have agreed to merge, creating an institution that spans just about all academic disciplines, while geographically spanning north and south London. At a stroke, it will become one of the bigger institutions within the federation. As it stands, St George's is Britain's only university to specialise in medicine and healthcare, its history dating back nearly 300 years to the founding of St George's Hospital Medical School in Hyde Park Corner in 1733. Now based in Tooting, south London, it remains best known for medical training, but for many years it has also offered an extensive range of health-related courses, encompassing biomedical science, clinical pharmacology, diagnostic radiography, healthcare science, occupational therapy, paramedic science, physiotherapy, and radiotherapy and oncology. The number of entrants in 2022 hit a new high and applications remain buoyant, having boomed during the pandemic with the increased focus on the pivotal role of medicine and healthcare in society.

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Paying the bills

About one third of undergraduates at St George's are in receipt of university-financed support, with 862 means-tested bursaries awarded across all years in 2021-22. The university expects the proportion of students supported to rise further. The St George's Opportunity Fund Grant is the principal vehicle used to assist students from low-income households. The maximum award worth 1,700 in the first year and 1,000 in subsequent years goes to students from homes with an annual income assessed by Student Finance England as under 16,000. This drops to 1,250 in the first year and 500 in subsequent years for incomes up to 25,000, and to 750 then 500 for incomes up to 30,000. There are additional grants worth 1,000 for care leavers. Hardship fund spending more than trebled last year and the maximum Access to Learning Fund grant has been raised from 3,500 to 4,000. There are just under 500 places in university-owned residential accommodation, Horton Halls, a 15-minute walk from the main campus. It is priced at between 192 and 210 per week this year. With the average contract working out at 42 weeks, this translates to an annual cost of between 8,064 and 8,820. Curiously, the top rate is the cheapest of any University of London institution in our guide, while St George's cheapest rate is the most expensive among that group, due in part to the longer terms here.

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What's new?

Merger talks are in the air at St George's. A formal link-up with City, University of London, would bring together two institutions with an overlapping but complementary medical footprint. St George's has always been something of an anomaly among the largely multi-faculty institutions it features alongside in guides such as this. Much more than (just) a medical school with its raft of additional health-related courses, it has sufficient breadth of provision to be ranked (where pure medical schools are not), but a merger with City would give St George's reach into business and several other professions, while giving City the medical school with which it could compete on a level playing field with the University of London big hitters - King's College, Queen Mary and University College London. At the time of going to press no timetable had been agreed, but the universities believe that combining forces would create the biggest educator of Londoners in the capital, given the strong local appeal of both institutions; just under 60% of St George's intake last year were from London.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Given healthcare is its stock in trade, it should come as no surprise that St George's is well equipped to look after student wellbeing. All personal tutors - who are assigned to students on the first day of their courses - are trained to support distressed students. Many of them are clinicians. Because of the nature of the university's clinical programmes, mental health and wellbeing support for students is part of the curriculum. There is also dedicated one-to-one study support available, taught by learning development staff with expertise in widening participation and inclusive education. The students' union runs a 'mums and dads' scheme to ensure new students are matched with supportive peers in higher year groups. Contextual offers two grades below the standard one are made to eligible applicants. Markers used to determine who gets a contextual offer include school performance indicators and student socioeconomic classifications. The discount is applied across the two subjects with highest grade requirement, rather than the two-grade reduction impacting one subject only. So, a standard offer of AAB, would become BBB contextually rather than ABC. One in nine students was admitted in this way last year.
2023 CIFTIS: Driving economic recovery and maintaining commitment to openness

Ecns.cn) 16:03, September 08, 2023

People visit the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services on Sept. 4, 2023. (Photo/China News Service)

(ECNS) -- The 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) has garnered considerable attention and expanded its international reach, signaling positive developments in the Chinese economy.

Held at the Beijing National Convention Center from Saturday to Wednesday, this year's CIFTIS featured more than 2,400 offline exhibitors, representing participation from 59 countries and 24 international organizations, including over 500 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders.

Rapid growth in service trade sector

The lively scene at CIFTIS reflects the swift recovery and immense potential within the Chinese service trade sector, which has emerged as a vital engine propelling China's economic growth. Recovery is largely driven by revived offline consumer activities.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, inbound and outbound travel services stand out as the fastest-growing segments in the services trade.

Wang Shouwen, China's Vice Minister of Commerce and Representative for International Trade Negotiations, noted that during the first half of this year, the services sector contributed 56 percent to China's GDP and 66 percent to the country's economic growth. In 2022, China's total services trade volume reached $889.1 billion, ranking second globally for the ninth consecutive year.

Ongoing commitment to openness

As the world's second-largest consumer market, China has sent a clear signal regarding its commitment to accelerate high-level openness, fostering win-win cooperation that benefits both itself and the world.

In recent years, China has implemented a series of policies and measures to promote the development of trade in services. These include innovative initiatives in service and trade, deeper opening-up of the service sector, accelerated transformation and upgrading of service outsourcing, along with the construction of export bases.

Nie Pingxiang, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institute of China's Ministry of Commerce, highlighted China's plan to further relax foreign investment access restrictions within the service industry. This will be achieved through comprehensive pilot demonstrations, benchmarking international high-standard institutional rules and an accelerated pace of opening up, he said.

Representatives from foreign companies attending the CIFTIS have lauded the event for its message of openness, cooperation, and mutually beneficial outcomes. As China's business environment continues to improve, the appeal of the Chinese market to foreign companies is on the rise.

Accelerated technological transformation

Official statistics reveal that in the first seven months of this year, China's total trade in services reached 3.67 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.1% year-on-year. Sectors such as construction services, telecommunications, computer, and information services have witnessed growing competitiveness, leading to an expansion of advantageous service exports.

Meanwhile, China is accelerating its economic transformation and embracing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and big data.

This year's CIFTIS also showcases cutting-edge advancements in specialized and innovative fields, including chip technology, quantum measurement and control, satellite remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and digital healthcare.

Over 60 companies and institutions have unveiled new and independently developed products and technologies in areas like artificial intelligence, financial technology, medical and healthcare, and cultural creativity, underscoring China's economic advancement toward technological and intelligent transformation.

Sheng Qiuping, China's Vice Minister of Commerce, said the CIFTIS fully demonstrates new developments and breakthroughs in the field of trade in services, sharing new technologies and achievements. It contributes valuable insights and strength to deepen international investment cooperation, promote high-quality economic growth, and advance sustainable development.

Sheng added that China remains committed to promoting its modernization process, with a focus on high-quality development, innovation-driven strategies, and utilizing blockchain, big data, cloud computing, machine learning, as well as other advanced digital technologies. These efforts aim to foster strategic emerging industries and facilitate deep integration of the digital economy with advanced manufacturing and modern services.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Govt and Clubhouse Gibraltar collaborate to provide Mental Health First Aid Training Courses

The Public Service Wellbeing Support Team will be collaborating with Clubhouse Gibraltar to provide accredited training courses for employees of the Public Service in Mental Health First Aid.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course which provides valuable tools to recognise signs and symptoms of mental ill health to be able to intervene at an early stage, promote recovery and provide support.

This training will bolster the capability and resilience of the Public Service to provide an environment where employees can talk freely about mental health and seek support when required. The course will also give a deeper understanding of the issues that impact on and relate to peoples mental health.

The benefits of positive mental health and having open conversations about it not only removes the stigma of bygone years but greatly assists the workforce to lead healthy and happy lives. In addition, it has the added benefit of the outward ripple effect that can benefit the wider community as a whole.

Minister for Employment, the Hon Steven Linares, said: It is great to see the Public Service Wellbeing Support Team, Clubhouse and Government come together on this great initiative to continue to improve wellbeing within the workplace. It is good to talk, and I am glad that we are making progress to better support staff and implement systems to facilitate this.

Its good to talk.
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Overview

York's smaller university is, in fact, its oldest. Founded in 1841 as two Anglican teacher training colleges (one for men, the other for women), it was formerly split between Ripon and York, but has been based in York alone since just before gaining university status in 2006, and is sited on an 11-acre campus that fronts on to York Minster in the city centre. It is a member of the Cathedrals Group of Universities, but welcomes students of all faiths and none. Record applications and admissions last September are evidence of a university on the up. York St John (YSJ) caters for a more local student population than the University of York, with two-thirds of students coming from Yorkshire or north-east England. Healthcare is now one of the key areas of provision, with excellent new facilities opening in the past year. But teacher training remains a strong suit. Graduation in the stunning surroundings of York Minster is both traditional and a treat. The wider city is set up for young people: with two universities-worth of students to entertain, there is no shortage of clubs and pubs.

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Paying the bills

Bursaries of 800 for every year of study are offered to a number of student groups including black, Asian and minority ethnic students from homes with a residual family income of less than 42,000, and care leavers, estranged students, or those with four points or more under YSJ's contextual offers scheme (see Admissions, teaching and support, below). Scholarships worth 250 are offered to students from low residual income families (with less than 25,000 annually) families and Excellence Scholarships worth 1,000 are awarded to the 50 applicants who gain places with the most Ucas tariff points each year. A YSJ Larder has been established in response to the cost of living crisis, offering students non-perishable foods, YSJ Kitchen meal vouchers, as well as toiletries and household cleaning products. University residential accommodation is closely matched in price to the neighbouring University of York, with the cheapest self-catered rooms costing below 4,000 for a standard 37-week contract. More than 200 new rooms have come on stream in the past year.

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What's new?

More than 500 nursing, paramedic science, physiotherapy and occupational therapy students make use of the YSJ's new health simulation suite, which opened last September. Comprising two hospital wards, a mock flat to recreate a realistic setting for community-based nursing, a mock general practice contained in a consultation suite and two large clinical skills rooms, it gives students access to the latest technology to provide realistic practice-based training. Simulation is used in clinical teaching on all courses, alongside theory work and placements. Recent paramedic simulations have covered house fires and car crash scenes, bringing together multi-professional group collaborations involving other allied health courses, as well as students on courses such as policing and journalism. In the same field, YSJ has established an Institute for Health and CareImprovement this year, with academics in the university seeking to address the issues of health inequalities, an ageing population and the pressures on the NHS. YSJ also claims the only London campus of any Yorkshire university. It has recently moved to new premises at East India Dock and provides postgraduate courses for 2,000 postgraduates in business management, healthcare management, computer science and data science.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

The university runs a points-based contextual offers scheme. A single point is earned from being a mature entrant, disabled, the first in your immediate family to go to university, living in a postcode among the 40% with the lowest progression rates to university or attending a school in the 40% of those with the lowest attainment levels. Two points are awarded for living in a postcode among the 20% with the lowest university progression rates or attending a school in the bottom 20% for performance. Three points are awarded for care leavers. About a quarter of applicants, scoring two or three points, qualify for reduced offers which are made at 88 Ucas tariff points, equivalent to CCD at A-level. This is 16 tariff points below the university's standard offer of 104 points (BCC at A-level). Applicants with multiple indicators of disadvantage, scoring four points or more, can even receive an unconditional offer of a place. Teaching takes place face to face. 'This is valued by our student body and aligns with our focus on community and belonging,' the university told us. 'Our lectures, seminars and workshops are all face to face.' For students encountering wellbeing or mental health issues, YSJ has no waiting lists for access to advisers, counsellors or therapists. Students are responded to within 48 hours of reaching out for help with appointments arranged within a week. The students run an All About Respect programme, which provided training to students and staff on domestic violence, sexual violence disclosure and bystander training.
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Overview

Applications to this small university in a beautiful cathedral city reached record levels last year, with more than 11,000 students seeking a place. About one-fifth of them got in. Founded as a Church of England teacher training college in 1840, the modern University of Winchester is a major provider of professional education not just for Britain's classrooms, but also for nursing, social work and many other health and public service professionals. The new West Downs Centre is the core of much of Winchester's teaching in digital technologies and business and management, and lies at the heart of the West Downs Quarter, the most modern of the university's sites. All Winchester's 'quarters' are about a ten-minute walk from the city centre and contain an attractive mix of old and new buildings. The main King Alfred Quarter houses many departments, the social hub, library and the Queens Road and Burma Road student villages.

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Paying the bills

Winchester opts to distribute relatively small sums of financial support to the many, rather than headline grabbing sums to the few. The university reckons that 40% of this month's entrants will benefit from financial support of some kind. For many, it will be in the form of a modest 200-a-year bursary paid to those from families with an annual income of less than 25,000. This will be paid automatically based on information held by Student Finance England. There are larger annual bursaries for care leavers and estranged students (2,000), and carers and travellers (500). Up to 20 Become Scholarships worth 500 per year and 500 on course completion are paid to students from minority ethnic groups taking professional degree programmes in education, health and wellbeing. Students need at least BBB at A-level (or equivalent) to be eligible. Two students per year will qualify for each of the music and sport excellence awards worth 500 in each year of study. There is plenty of university-owned residential accommodation: 1,950 places are available on a self-catered and catered basis. A 31-week contract with food comes in at 6,033; while self-catered deals of 40 weeks or longer start at 5,453 and rise to 7,406 for the best rooms.

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What's new?

Winchester has created a new faculty of law, crime and justice to bring together key areas of university provision and allow for more interdisciplinary study in this key area of modern society. The university has recently approved a new strategic plan to carry it forward to the end of the decade with the twin themes of partnership and transformation. It commits the university to working more closely with city, regional and national partners to deliver graduates capable of making an immediate and long-term contribution to the workplace, while delivering courses that engage and stimulate students, embedding the skills they need for life after their three years in Winchester. New degrees planned for launch next year illustrate the breadth of provision here: biomedical science and architecture admit their first students next September, while a new BSc in midwifery takes its first intake in January. The university has about 450 degree apprentices on campus, mostly engaged in nursing and healthcare programmes, or digital and technology solutions.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

The university's intake is surprisingly diverse for an institution sited in a prosperous cathedral city in the heart of southern England. About one in seven students is recruited from areas where progression to university is the lowest, and almost half are the first in their family to attend university. As well as the targeted financial support (see Paying the bills, above), Winchester works with primary and secondary schools in Hampshire with low progression to university. It runs a Compact scheme with about 40 partner institutions, and students applying from those schools and colleges are guaranteed an offer of a place for non-interview subjects or an interview for the relevant subjects if they meet specified social and economic criteria. A lower offer can be requested under the scheme. Teaching at the university is delivered in person only and will remain this way; the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sarah Greer, commits to the "fundamental importance of human connection" in her introduction to the university's new strategy document. A revamp of Winchester's induction processes this year will see a week of activities to support mental health, wellbeing and positive relationships. This will include sessions that cover sexual consent, racial, sexual and social tolerance, and drugs and alcohol use and abuse. This is in addition to the counselling, therapeutic groups, mental health advice, specialist mentors and mental wellbeing workshops that are part of Winchester's wider support structures for student wellbeing.
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Overview

Shortlisted for our University of the Year title, Teesside University is central to the regeneration of this former industrial heartland, reinventing Middlesbrough for the next industrial revolution. University education here is practice driven; employers have a considerable hand in shaping courses and Teesside's degree portfolio is designed to meet the local, national and international needs of business. Employability modules are embedded into the curriculum rather than being an optional extra. The university precinct, close to the town centre, has been given a thorough makeover. Roads have been pedestrianised and landmark buildings erected in the past decade, creating a buzzing campus that also includes off-site gems such as the university-run Mima (the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). Teesside is the most socially inclusive university of its size in England with around a third of its students recruited from the postcodes (essentially local ones) with the lowest rates of progression to university in the country. It acknowledges the challenges facing this demographic through its offer of a free iPad to every new student on enrolment, a unique feature in British higher education. A university with its ear to the ground, it is one of the leading providers of earn-while-you-learn degree apprenticeships in England. There are plans to add another 450 apprentices to its books in the next 12 months, bringing the total to 2,800, through the introduction of new programmes including arts therapist, artificial intelligence data specialist, game programmer and bioinformatics scientist.

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Paying the bills

Giving a free iPad fully loaded with Microsoft Office 365 and a wireless keyboard to every undergraduate puts Teesside into a class of its own - and every student into a class with the digital technology they need. While it is a considerable expense for the university, it removes digital poverty at a stroke and provides a common means of computing across the entire campus that Teesside backs up with technical support for all. The university is unique, therefore, in providing additional support for every student. The argument that not all students need financial (or in-kind) support is less relevant here where so many of the intake tick one or more boxes for widening participation characteristics. Nevertheless, there are also a small number of cash-based scholarships open to students. The Tees Valley Community Foundation Scholarship is worth 7,500 across three years and is open to applications from students on construction management and all types of engineering degrees who come from a TS (Teesside) postcode. The 9,000 (3,000 a year) Professor Jane Turner Scholarship for women applicants to the business school has the same postcode stipulation. The two Brittan Scholarships, in memory of former Teesside chancellor and Conservative home secretary, Leon Brittan, are open to applicants to courses in the school of computing, engineering and digital technologies who achieve at least AAB at A-level. The decision on who gets the two awards is based on an outline of financial circumstances given in the application and other applicant data. Recent additions to the university's accommodation stock means there are now 1,000 rooms available on campus, starting at 3,400 for a 40-week contract. Teesside is among a small minority of institutions to have accommodation priced at less than 4,000 per year.

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What's new?

The central Middlesbrough campus has been transformed in the past decade with the addition of numerous landmark buildings and cutting-edge facilities. The latest addition, Bios, opens for this academic year for the university's school of health and life sciences. The science, health and medical facility contains laboratory space for anatomy, imaging, microbiology, chemistry, allied health, and food sciences. A clinical skills floor contains a simulated operating department practice suite, while a separate wellbeing floor provides new facilities for oral health, where Teesside has a considerable presence. Elsewhere a Net Zero Innovation Centre will become a hub for industrial decarbonisation and a national centre of excellence for net zero technologies, a field in which the university has a growing reputation. If Middlesbrough is not for you, Teesside University London might be. The new campus at Here East, housed in the former media centre for the London Olympics in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, brings a suite of courses in computer games and animation, business and computer science to a new market, 250 miles from the mothership. Teaching is delivered by a combination of face-to-face and online methods.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Teesside has among the most socially inclusive student populations of any university, attracting more than 80% of its students from within the North East and more particularly from within the Tees Valley - the English region where progression to university is lowest. It works in many schools and colleges where university is not considered the natural destination after leaving school and helps prospective students with personal statement writing and interview preparation, along with more general work to raise aspirations. It uses the foundation year route to enrol students who are significantly below the lowest tariff requirements to join the first year of degree programmes and has enough flexibility in its course offer ranges to take account of contextual information in applications without having to have a formal contextual admissions policy that cuts tariffs by a fixed number of points for specific categories of student. That it achieves this without a crippling drop-out rate (the one in eight who fail to complete their courses is bang on the expected level given the social profile of its intake and the subject mix) is testimony to the thoroughness of its admissions policy. The Student Life Building is home to the support structures around mental health, which students can access all year round, day and night. Staff work with students to create a personalised support plan, help them to settle into the academic and social demands of university life, and liaise with academic schools and staff regarding any course-related issues that could impact on student wellbeing. All teaching provision has reverted to being on campus in the wake of the pandemic with only pre-approved online or blended learning courses operating to a different model, although Teesside will continue to explore potential hybrid learning models for the future.
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Overview

One of the 1960s generation of universities, Surrey has two campuses - Stag Hill and Manor Park - a short distance from the centre of the county town of Guildford. The university has seen much development in recent years including the addition of landmark facilities such as a medical school - which expects to admit its first 40 students to a graduate-entry programme next September - and a veterinary school, opened in 2015, and one of only 11 in the country. The university serves a student population that hails in the most part from London and the South East and is more socially diverse than might be expected. More than a third of students are drawn from ethnic minorities and a similar proportion are the first in their family to go to university. More than four in five students are educated in non-selective state schools, a higher proportion than in many universities with similar academic profiles. Graduates achieve well with 85% landing high-skilled jobs; they are well advised, with Surrey's careers service named the best of its kind in the National University Employability Awards last year.

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Paying the bills

The University of Surrey bursary pays 2,500 a year to students from homes where the annual income is less than 25,000 and where the home address is in the 20% of postcodes with either the lowest rates of progression to university or the highest levels of deprivation. The bursary is offset against accommodation fees (which can reduce the cost of living in halls to near zero) in the first year and is awarded as a cash sum in subsequent years of study. For students estranged from their parents or those who are care leavers, the bursary is 3,000 per year and not means- or location-tested. Several scholarships promote diversity and or subject specialisms. In response to the cost of living crisis, the university and students' union have teamed up to create and promote cost savings for students. These have included distributing unsold sandwiches and bakery goods free at the end of the day in university catering outlets twice a week, and offering a commuter bursary to eligible students. Rooms in university halls at Surrey are extraordinarily cheap; the university is one of just four in this guide where rooms start at less than 3,000 for a full academic year (38 weeks). There are more than 200 rooms at this price in the university's accommodation stock of 5,800 places. The top price this year is around 7,790 after price rises were pegged to between 1% and 3%.

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What's new?

The university aims to remove paper from all examinations from the start of the 2024-25 academic year. From that point, all examinations will be taken on electronic devices with the ambition that students will receive results and feedback more quickly, addressing a common complaint made by students across all universities in the annual National Student Survey. The university says the digital format will also allow for the setting of "more engaging and varied" types of question. Surrey's main teaching block, which is used by all subjects as well as student societies, has been redeveloped in the past year. The refurbishment has added the latest IT and audiovisual technology, flexible furniture to allow spaces to be easily reconfigured for different styles of teaching, and improved communal facilities. The upgrade will now be rolled out across the university. Extra social learning spaces are also being developed across campus, so that by September 2024 all academic schools will have at least one space of this type. A major upgrade of the department of music and media is now complete, incorporating a double-height television studio and gallery, vision and sound engineering rooms and a creative music technology studio. The existing Studio 2 has been refurbished acoustically and aesthetically and incorporates a new state-of-the-art mixing console. Elsewhere, the department of sociology is creating a new crime scene flat on campus for students to develop their practical investigation skills.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Surrey operates a contextual offer scheme for students who live in postcodes among the 20% with the lowest levels of progression to university or the highest levels of social deprivation. Students with a long-term health condition or disability, and those who have spent time in care are also eligible for a reduced course offer, typically one A-level grade (or equivalent) below the published offer. The In2Surrey outreach scheme offers several additional criteria under which students can qualify for a reduced offer. Applicants who receive a contextual offer also benefit from bespoke help, including mentoring by an existing Surrey student, to ease the transition into university life during the months running up to the start of their first year. The university's Centre for Wellbeing is the hub around which mental health and wellbeing support revolves. It offers a range of pastoral services, and advice and support for mental, emotional and psychological issues, as well as signposting to clinical services.
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Overview

Our Scottish University of the Year and runner-up for the UK University of the Year prize was founded as a 'place of useful learning' in 1796. Strathclyde strives to remain true to that mission more than 200 years later. It is the most socially inclusive of Scotland's research-intensive universities and delivers courses, training and skilled graduates in areas of national and international shortage. It is one of the UK's leading technological universities with a global reputation. Like its city neighbour, the University of Glasgow, Strathclyde is in the throes of a 1bn campus upgrade by 2025 to offer students cutting-edge facilities across all four of its faculties - engineering, humanities and social sciences, science, and the Strathclyde Business School. Business and industry are engaged across the institution in terms of course structure, content and delivery, as well as through multiple collaborations such as the new National Manufacturing Institute Scotland. Three hundred or so industry-sponsored scholarships are offered by the faculty of engineering. These are open to both new and continuing students and constitute one of the biggest engineering scholarship portfolios of any university, reflecting this key area of academic strength. With such strong anchoring in industry and manufacturing, it is no surprise that Strathclyde is one of the leading lights in the apprenticeships movement, with 14 programmes currently offered across Scotland and England. In Scotland, five graduate apprenticeship programmes involve about 650 learners and 160 employers, while there are eight degree apprenticeships (the equivalent of graduate apprenticeships in England) involving 80 students and 30 employers.

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Paying the bills

With tuition free for the 90% of home students recruited from Scotland, the focus for scholarships and bursaries is inevitably on the 10% that come from the rest of the United Kingdom (RUK). Tuition fees for RUK students are capped at 27,750, the price of a three-year programme outside of Scotland, with the fourth year free (except for MPharm and integrated Masters students). Many students will not require that fourth year of study, however, as most students from outside Scotland are qualified to go straight into year two of a four-year degree programme. Three scholarships and bursaries can knock up to 5,000 off the cost of studying at Strathclyde for RUK students. The Strathclyde Access Bursary is worth 3,000 each year for students from homes where annual income is less than 25,000, dropping at higher incomes to 2,000 (25,001-35,000) and 1,000 (35,001-42,641). If students achieve AAB or better at A-level (or equivalent) they gain a 1,000 each year through a Strathclyde Excellence Scholarship. This award is not means-tested and neither is the Strathclyde Accommodation Bursary, which gives a 1,000 discount in the first year of study on costs for students living in university-owned rooms or those of a private provider to whom they have been referred. Accommodation starts at 4,300 per year for a 39-week contract and rises to 5,829 for a standard en-suite room.

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What's new?

The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland opened during the summer, offering facilities for students to engage with manufacturing processes. The Strathclyde-operated 11,500m2 development brings academia, industry and the public sector together to turn innovations into reality, deliver ground-breaking research to transform productivity and help make Scotland a global leader in manufacturing. The carbon neutral building features a manufacturing skills academy, collaboration hub and a digital factory. On campus, the recently opened learning and teaching building is one of the most important developments of recent years. Typical of modern university buildings, it combines first-class learning and teaching facilities with a hub for student support services, students' union premises and the university's doctoral school. With an accent on sustainability, the new operation was created out of two existing buildings on campus, the Colville Building and the Category B-listed Architecture Building. Further greening of the campus is under way with plans to improve the central campus green amenity space and improve provision for pedestrians, cyclists and electric vehicles.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Strathclyde recruits more students from Scotland's most deprived postcodes than any other research-intensive university in Scotland. This is a consequence of an admissions policy that considers academic achievement in the context in which it was gained, and then translates that into a contextual offers scheme operating across all subjects and applying to students and schools in certain postcodes and children who have been in care. These students are likely to receive an offer in line with minimum entry requirements, which are at least one Higher grade below the standard offer. All students are supported on campus regardless of background, although those from widening participation backgrounds get priority in hardship funding and accommodation applications, for example. On mental health and wellbeing, Strathclyde offers weekday counselling appointments, a daily Zoom drop-in and phone and digital support at all times. All students are asked to provide at registration a named 'wellbeing contact' whom they consent to the university contacting if there are serious concerns about wellbeing. The university is stepping up its drive to create a safe campus for all. Formerly optional online training courses on gender-based violence and consent, and equality, diversity and inclusion for all students will be made compulsory for new and continuing students from this month. The modules are supplemented by regular awareness campaigns throughout the academic year. On-campus, in-person academic course delivery is the norm for all subjects, except for courses specifically developed as online or as work-based learning courses.
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Overview

Sheffield Hallam's marketing handle - Knowledge Applied - succinctly captures the university's ethos and approach to higher education. Rooted firmly in its South Yorkshire community, Hallam seeks to meet the business and industry needs of its home patch through its applied teaching and healthy production line of work-ready graduates. Its Civic University Agreement enshrines Hallam's commitment to the region through contributing to the economy and jobs, education and skills, health and wellbeing, and community and regeneration. About 40% of its students come from within 25 miles of the university. Hallam has more undergraduates than its city neighbour and everything here is done on a grand scale. It trains around 1,000 teachers a year across all degree stages; it is one of the biggest suppliers of healthcare graduates in the country; and its business school is the largest in the UK with more than 7,000 students. Socially inclusive - 'our mission is to transform lives', the university states - more than half of students are the first in their family to go to university. Three-quarters of graduates get high-skilled jobs, their courses having prepared them well, often being designed with industry input and incorporating work experience and placement years. Hallam has one of the best employment track records in the modern university sector.

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Paying the bills

More than 8,600 students benefited from the SHU's Student Success Scholarship in 2021-22. The exact criteria for the amount students receive are not easy to discern, but the range is 550 to 2,100, with the university advising that 'most students will receive an award from the lower end of this scale'. Students from homes with an annual income of less than 62,311 can apply for the scholarship - one of the most generous eligibility thresholds in the UK - but the need to meet various widening participation criteria will then limit the number of sizeable awards made. Priority is given to care leavers and carers, estranged students, those with a disability or from an ethnic minority, final year students and those on high-cost courses. Talented sportsmen and women can apply to the Performance Athletes Support Programme for a package worth up to 3,000. Hardship support includes 35 of emergency food vouchers and one-off energy costs grants. In all, just under a third of Hallam students get some form of financial assistance from the university. Self-catered accommodation begins at just over 4,000 for a 44-week contract (somewhat more expensive than the cheapest rooms at the University of Sheffield), rising to 7,392 for a self-contained single studio flat with a double bed.

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What's new?

The heart of Hallam's main city campus is getting a makeover with three new buildings being constructed that will incorporate the latest sustainability and technological innovations to make them zero carbon. Sheffield Business School will be among those to benefit from the works; the new building will contain a modern trading floor. The College of Social Sciences and Arts will move into another of the buildings, including SHU Law, the university's not-for-profit teaching firm. At the centre of the development will be a public green space with capacity for up to 150 people. The project is due to be completed in the spring next year, in time for the 2024 student intake.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

With a diverse student population, Hallam seeks to take account of individual circumstances in all the offers it makes. If a student meets one or more of its contextual admissions criteria, it will make a lower conditional offer, or if the student has already gained their qualifications, it will accept them with lower grades. It runs an applicant and transition support scheme - SHU Progress - for those whose personal circumstances might hinder them from progressing to university, giving them a named contact to guide them through the process to the point of joining the university. Once there, the student support offer is comprehensive: three named advisers are allocated to all students where they register - a student support adviser for personal advice, an academic one to help with their studies, and an employment adviser to help them prepare for their career. Mandatory online training is given to all academic advisers around mental health, while student awareness is raised through a compulsory induction session which includes advice about the mental health services on offer and where to go for help.
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Overview

Salford is part of the triumvirate of universities - alongside Manchester and Manchester Met - that effectively form the largest student campus in western Europe. All three universities sit side by side on the edge of the city centre, forming an academic hub and social playground for upwards of 95,000 full-time students. The university - created in 1967 but with a history going back more than 100 years before that - was born out of Manchester's industrial past, and it continues to serve industry today, focusing on and building expertise in robotics, automation systems, digital and smart living. The university has also built a strong reputation in media and television, benefiting from its proximity to MediaCity, which is home to huge BBC and ITV studios, as well as numerous independent companies that serve and feed off them. Salford also has a strong presence in nursing and healthcare degrees. Applications and admissions hit a record in 2022, up 35% and 48% respectively on a decade ago - evidence that the university is currently providing a higher education that students want and employers need.

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Paying the bills

While a modest one in ten students at Salford benefit from bursary, scholarship or hardship support, all students are eligible for the Inspire Fund. All students enrolling on foundation years or the first year of degree courses receive 150 of credit to spend at the Inspire online store, which sells textbooks, electronics, stationery and other course materials. This sum is awarded annually for each year of a degree. Students from households with annual income of less than 25,000 receive 500 credit on their Inspire account, also renewable each year, making 1,500 of course material support over a typical three-year degree. This novel scheme helps cut the costs of studying for all Salford students. Entrants from five partner colleges who are the first in their family to go to university can attend a three-day Plug Into Salford programme before they begin their first term. Attendance qualifies students for a 1,100 bursary paid in their first year. Several hardship-related bursaries have also been introduced to cover food, commuting, work-based learning and clinical placements. Free meals were provided on campus from January to March last winter. Self-catered student residential accommodation starts at 4,830 for a 42-week contract, considerably cheaper than the neighbouring university, Manchester Met.

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What's new?

Salford's commitment to tackling the key challenges facing the world is evidenced by Energy House 2.0, a unique facility to help create the energy-efficient homes of tomorrow. It consists of two detached houses which have been built inside the climate-controlled chamber of Energy House 2.0 on Salford's Frederick Road campus, creating a unique facility that allows researchers to understand building performance, systems and products. The 16m project, which opened in January, will test new ways of powering, heating and insulating homes to help meet revised carbon emissions standards for new-builds from 2025. Another ground-breaking project, the North of England Robotics Innovation Centre (Neric) opens later this year and will serve as a hub for medium-sized companies looking to design, test and validate innovations in the area of robotics and automation. The centre will focus on intelligent infrastructure, digital automation and supply chain improvement. Student scientists and engineers are already enjoying the benefits of the new school of science, engineering and environment building, which opened last September. Built to allow students, academics and industry partners to collaborate on industry-facing projects, the building contains teaching and research labs for physics, electrical, electronics, composite and chemical vapour deposition.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Salford has a socially diverse intake and is currently reviewing its contextual offers policy. At present, reductions of up to two grades are made for applicants who have been in care, but the university is considering how to use widening participation data (that will be gathered more easily in future from the imminent changes to the Ucas application form) to better inform the offers it makes. Support for students recruited from under-represented groups extends beyond graduation with the Graduate Attainment Programme, which places students who have faced difficulties landing high-skilled employment into internships at the university or with a partner organisation. The internships include skill development workshops alongside daily work to help provide the experience and attributes to enable the interns to progress afterwards. A partnership with other Manchester universities, the local authority and the NHS provides a comprehensive student mental health service with a particular focus on higher risk students. All staff have mandatory safeguarding training. Most courses are delivered via a mix of in-person and online components. While the exact balance varies from course to course, the university says typically programmes will be 75% on campus, 20% online and 5% through other activities, such as field trips.
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Overview

Roehampton's 54-acre parkland campus offers a different London university experience to the norm. Nestled in the south west, adjoining Richmond Park, it is within striking distance of the culture and nightlife of the West End while offering the open space so often lacking in the capital. Formerly part of the University of Surrey, Roehampton celebrates 20 years of independence next year. It is organised into four neighbouring colleges, Digby Stuart, Froebel, Southlands and Whitelands, which were founded as teacher training colleges in the 19th century, and teacher training is still a central pillar of each. Roehampton also has a sizeable population of nursing and healthcare students and is expanding into green skills with its new Sustainable Engineering and Technology Education Centre, which opens next September. With high proportions of both ethnic minority and first generation students, Roehampton has an excellent record for social inclusion. It is also unusual in boasting an e-sports arena. Based within Southlands College and opened four years ago, it is a space for students to meet fellow gamers and take part in high-level competitions and social events. The university even offers e-sports scholarships to the most talented. Applications to Roehampton are up more than 12% from before the pandemic, although admissions are still well below the levels seen here in the middle of the last decade.

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Paying the bills

Roehampton puts a premium on academic excellence when it comes to providing additional financial support. Entrants who gain AAA at A-level or equivalent qualify for 1,000 per year up to a maximum of 3,000 over the course of their degree, while those achieving AAB or equivalent get 2,000 split into three annual payments. Neither award is subject to means-testing, and both dwarf the provisions of the new Roehampton Bursary, a 1,000 payment in the first year only to students in receipt of the full maintenance loan. Another new award, the Roehampton Foundation Scholarship is paid to all students beginning (four-year) courses with a foundation year. Worth 500 per year (2,000 over the course of the degree), this award is also not means tested. Male students enrolling on the university's BA in primary education who receive a full maintenance loan qualify for a further 1,000 a year of support from Roehampton and there are also 24 e-sports scholarships (20 for men and four for women) worth 1,500 per year for those who can demonstrate aptitude in e-sports. Taken as a whole, the support packages offered deviate significantly from those found elsewhere. Roehampton's residential accommodation starts at just under 5,000 for a 37-week contract, which undercuts most London institutions. There is also free car-parking for students on campus, something of a novelty in our anti-car capital city.

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What's new?

Roehampton opens its Sustainable Engineering and Technology Education Centre (Setec) next September and plans several new courses to quickly build a presence in this growing discipline of green skills education. The first degrees proposed are in civil engineering, architecture, architectural technology, building surveying and quantity surveying. Setec will feature high-tech engineering workshops, flexible teaching spaces, design studios and computer-aided design laboratories, all housed within redeveloped existing buildings featuring sustainable design principles. Ultimately, Setec will offer new degree apprenticeships alongside a range of degrees. For now, in addition to the present nursing associate and teacher degree apprenticeships, Roehampton is adding a new senior leadership programme from next month.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Contextual offers (with no set grade reductions) are made for all courses except for teacher training and nursing degrees, helping to maintain Roehampton's reputation for social diversity. Teaching has reverted to in person following the pandemic, and only courses named as blended or distance learning are delivered as advertised. All others are taught in person and on campus. There is plenty of mental health and welfare support in this compact student community. Student wellbeing officers are stationed in all academic schools and act as a first contact point face to face, online or by telephone, for students experiencing difficulties. Mental health support is outlined as part of the compulsory University Essentials (UE) session - delivered in person or remotely - within Roehampton's induction programme. UE also covers sexual consent, drugs, alcohol and racial, sexual and social tolerance.
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Overview

Robert Gordon University (RGU) occupies a riverside campus close to the centre of Aberdeen; Garthdee is home to about 10,000 undergraduates and 5,000 postgraduates. It offers 300 courses at different levels including several graduate apprenticeships, as befits an institution with an excellent graduate employment record. During the boom years of the oil and gas industry, RGU was the 'go to' place for those in the industry who needed professional qualifications or training, but as the industry has declined, RGU has ensured it maintains its reputation as a business- and industry-focused establishment. RGU's Aberdeen Business School was named business school of the year in 2020 by Times Higher Education thanks to its work-based learning programmes and the innovative approaches taken by staff. The university is in the vanguard of institutions to embrace blended learning in the wake of the pandemic, with greater use being made of digital course delivery to complement specified amounts of in-person contact time. Scotland's third largest city provides the cultural, social and nocturnal diversions to serve Aberdeen's two universities, winning a Purple Flag award for ten consecutive years for the safety and vibrancy of its nightlife. It is the only Scottish city to hold the award.

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Paying the bills

There are no tuition fees for the 95% of RGU students who come from Scotland, vastly reducing the costs of higher education. The university does offer a small number of Access Scholarships to offset other costs for students from under-represented groups or Scottish postcodes. However, the bulk of scholarship and bursary support is directed at international students (who pay much higher fees). RGU has a repayable emergency loan fund, which made 388 payments capped at 600 and totalling 240,000 to students in 2021-22, and a discretionary fund offers non-repayable assistance. The university estimates about 2% of students were in receipt of hardship funds last year. It has attempted to cut the costs of university by offering free gym membership which includes group exercise classes for all students, and runs a breakfast club once a week offering free food and drinks in a warm space. About 40% of the 900 places in university residential accommodation are priced at 3,939 this year for a 39-week contract rising to 8,036 for a 49-week contract at the higher end. The prices are broadly similar to those at the nearby University of Aberdeen.

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What's new?

A new teaching and studying space will open within the university library this month. It will have capacity for 200 students and will be used for teaching for most of the week and private study for the rest of the time. Two hundred laptops will be made available to borrow from lockers in the building. Three new degrees admit their first students this month - applied psychology, applied sociology and accounting with data science. And there are plans to expand further RGU's graduate apprenticeship provision from the present undergraduate range of business management, accounting, engineering - design and manufacture, engineering - instrumentation, measurement and control, data science, and construction and built environment. This should see an increase in the current number of 600 or so graduate apprentices.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

RGU has moved to a blended mode of course delivery since the pandemic, while rejecting hybrid learning (where students attend a teaching session either in person or online) because of the 'two-tier' and less positive experience it creates for those involved in sessions online. The move to blended learning shifts the university away from a timetabled content transfer style of course delivery to one which makes more flexible and creative use of in-person teaching, mixed with online learning. This might include 'access anytime' online resources made available in advance of a teaching session or additional activities provided after session delivery to develop and embed knowledge and skills. RGU's Blended Delivery Standard still specifies the number of contact hours students must receive to allow them to connect with staff and fellow students. One in ten offers made are contextual with between one and three grades cut from the standard offer, so a course normally requiring Higher grades of BBBB can come down to BCCC. Qualifying criteria include attending a school with low progression rates to higher education or living in a postcode within the 40% of areas with the highest levels of deprivation. Mental health support has two notable features: professionally trained peer support student volunteers offer unlimited one-to-one sessions with students who need to talk through their worries, while students who enrol with known conditions are assigned a mentor with whom they meet weekly to provide support with deadlines and to avoid crisis.
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Overview

Queen Margaret University (QMU) is situated on a green - and rewilded - campus in Musselburgh, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. One of Scotland's smallest and most socially inclusive universities, it offers students work-focused degrees on the coast, a short hop from one of the world's great capital cities with all the cultural, sporting and social opportunities that come with it. Applications in the past two years have been at an all-time high. Typical of QMU's go-getting approach are two schemes - Thrive and Shift - that encourage budding student entrepreneurs. The former is a free programme for students hoping to move into Scotland's food, drink and rural industries, providing them with the business skills and knowledge to develop their ideas. Shift is aimed at creative entrepreneurs, freelancers, artists, musicians and performers, offering them the practical and collaborative skills needed to become a professional practitioner. Last year's research ratings were a triumph for two of QMU's key areas: nursing and allied health professions, and communications, cultural and media studies. In both instances, all work submitted for assessment was rated world-leading or internationally excellent.

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Paying the bills

Bursaries and scholarships are less common in Scotland, where higher education is delivered free to home students. In 2022, just 37 students were admitted to QMU from the rest of the UK, but of these 16 received a QMU bursary of up to 2,000 per year. The maximum sum is paid to students from homes where annual income is less than 20,000, with the sum dropping in stages to 1,500 (up to 25,000 annual income), 1,000 (35,000) and 500 (42,600). QMU receives hardship funds from the Scottish government to support British students facing financial difficulties. The university's own Thank Goodness It's Thursday initiative helps to reduce the burden on students of ever-increasing food and fuel costs by offering them a free hot meal, weekend meal pack, takeaway hot food leftovers and social activities on campus in a warm environment for one night a week. The 800 self-catered places in university residential accommodation all cost less than 6,000 per year for a 38-week contract with the cheapest rooms starting at 4,712. More than 60% of the university's accommodation is priced at the cheapest rate.

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Scotland might not seem the best place (meteorologically speaking) to construct an Outdoor Learning Hub, but QMU is doing just that. Outdoor learning is part of the curriculum in courses such as primary teaching training, where giving children access to the natural world is an increasingly important element of school life. The all-weather outdoor space is digitally equipped to allow learners from all over the country to connect with QMU academics and groups to support learning in different outdoor environments. Primary teaching students can often be found undertaking practical outdoor learning activities with local primary school children on campus, parts of which have been rewilded, including the planting of a Wee Forest of 600 trees. QMU is also involving its students in improving the student experience. Paid part-time Student Champions have been appointed to inform and support student-facing initiatives such as Thank Goodness It's Thursday (see Paying the bills, above), as well as curriculum developments. The university has also developed Peer Assisted Learning Sessions (Pals) which allow students to support each other in student-led learning. These sessions can cover revision in the run-up to exams or be used to help students understand something they are struggling with or to consolidate learning. Pals sessions have been introduced in the school of arts, social sciences and management, and for paramedic science. The scheme was extended to physiotherapy last year.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

As one of the most socially inclusive universities in Scotland, QMU has a good track record in fair admissions. It aims to increase the proportions of students who are the first in their family to go to university, those attending schools from which university progression is low, those living in the 20% of postcodes considered to be the most deprived, further education college graduates, disabled students, those from ethnic minorities and - more unusually - male students studying nursing and allied health programmes. Some of these groups will qualify for contextual offers, which are made for all courses and are at least one grade below standard entry requirements. Teaching delivery has largely reverted to how it was pre-pandemic with some technological developments retained. The so-called 'flipped' teaching model, where academics opt to pre-record some content that would have been delivered previously through a lecture, is sometimes used to create more time for in-person small group classes to discuss the subjects covered. Mental health and wellbeing support is dispensed in several ways. All academic staff have a personal tutor role and are given training into how to support students and awareness of the issues they might face. Students can have up to six sessions of counselling at a time and those in crisis are contacted within 24 hours of flagging their problem. QMU's counselling and wellbeing service provides group work around resilience, compassion and anxiety as well as providing awareness sessions around self-harm, eating disorders, stress management, drugs and alcohol.
Minister Daryanani announces Beautification for Chatham Counterguard

The Minister for Business, Hon Vijay Daryanani, has announced the beautification of Chatham Counterguard.

The Minister had produced a plan two years ago which was put on hold due to other financial priorities. The plan has now been developed further and works can commence once the businesses give the go ahead after a consultation process with the Government.

The works will involve more greenery, standardized awnings, tables with matching chairs, paving repairs and improved lighting.

The Minister for Business and Tourism, the Hon Vijay Daryanani, commented: Chatham Counterguard has become the go-to place for people of all ages and we would like to improve the location. The businesses themselves feel that we could see more improvement in the area and this is something the Government is keen on delivering. I will work with all concerned to produce something impressive that we can all be proud of. We want Chatham to be visited by locals and tourists alike and this will only happen if we give it the facelift it deserves.
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Overview

Oxford Brookes University (OBU) has a different student profile to any other modern university. With almost 20% of the students educated privately and just over a third from homes where neither parent went to university, it is not dissimilar socially to a highly selective Russell Group university. The reason for this is (as the estate agents would say) location, location, location. Many of the 13,000 undergraduates are based on OBU's central Oxford campus in Headington and find themselves living and studying alongside students from Oxford's 'other' university. It is an undoubted draw alongside OBU's reputation as one of the leading modern universities, offering excellent graduate employment prospects. OBU also stands out as the first university in the UK to introduce a Grade Point Average (GPA) score for its degrees, a classification system that has international recognition, alongside the standard UK degree classification. The GPA represents the overall score attained across all modules in all years of study, including the first year, which does not contribute to honours degree outcomes. There are two outlying campuses - Harcourt Hill, home to teacher trainees, English, philosophy, communication, media and culture students, and Wheatley, which is due to close in the next two years, transferring its computing and cyber security students and automotive, mechanical and motorsport engineers to new premises in Headington. There is also a campus for nurses in Swindon. The university runs seven degree apprenticeship programmes, spanning district nurse to architect, senior people professional to town planner, with plans for two more to take numbers on campus to between 400 and 450 by next September.

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Paying the bills

The university spends 4.1m a year on bursary support for students, with a quarter of all undergraduates given some form of university-funded financial assistance in 2021-22. The Oxford Brookes Bursary is worth up to 3,000 per year to students from homes with an annual income of under 25,000 living in one of the 40% of postcodes with the lowest progression to higher education or one with high levels of deprivation. Without the postcode qualifier for an enhanced bursary, the level of support drops to 750 per year. A smaller bursary of 500 is paid to students from homes with an income of between 25,000 and 34,999. There are a small number of scholarship schemes, including ten Community Scholarships worth a 1,000 one-off payment awarded to students who have overcome personal or social difficulties, with priority given to those who have played a significant role in their community through volunteering or being a role model. There are more than 300 university residential rooms at the rock bottom rate of 4,542 for a 38-week contract, but prices can rise above 8,000 for a 50-week deal in one of the 750 rooms in the most expensive blocks.

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OBU is coming to the end of a 220m ten-year campus redevelopment programme. Among the projects still to be completed are two new buildings on the Headington Hill site within the main campus for the creative industries and for Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. Both are expected to open in the 2024-25 academic year and will house the faculty of technology, design and environment when it moves from the Wheatley campus on the outskirts of the city. This coming year will see the opening of the first phase of the redevelopment of the Clive Booth student village, close to the main Headington campus. Once complete, it will accommodate 1,000 students across a range of prices and with enhanced social and outdoor spaces. Sexual consent education will be mandatory for all campus-based students from this month. The university has offered the modules for the past two years, but students will now be required to complete five online modules over the course of their first semester.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Contextual offers can be as much as three grades below standard offer for a given course, although the university doesn't reveal how many entrants last year benefited from them. Using national and individual data to form a rounded view of applicants, OBU makes reduced offers where it believes prior academic attainment may not be a fair reflection of future potential. Student Support Coordinators are based in each faculty; they are often the first point of contact for students in need of mental health and wellbeing support or, simply, some guidance on academic matters. They liaise with the university's wider support services and act as a gateway to follow up help. While not all academic staff are given basic training in what to do if a student shows signs of mental distress, they work closely with the student welfare and support advice team.
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Overview

A place at Oxford is highly prized - and rightly so. Twelve of the past 15 British prime ministers attended Oxford, and its graduates go on to achieve highly in all walks of life. Oxford has dominated the top of the annual global university rankings published by Times Higher Education for the past seven editions. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the City of Dreaming Spires has never been more popular, with 24,000 applications for admission last September - a 36% rise in the past decade. Student academic life revolves around weekly tutorials, which take place individually or in small groups in college, supplemented by lectures and lab work within the wider university community. There are 32 undergraduate colleges spanning the ancient and modern, big and small, traditional and relaxed. Not all subjects are available in each college, so picking a college is an academic, social and aesthetic choice. Applicants can be reallocated to a different college even if they express a preference, while an open application is also an option. There have been significant changes in the admissions profile in recent years, with a big rise in state-educated students, and steady growth in the number of students coming from under-represented groups. The rigours of the admissions system, which involves tests and interviews, mean the deadline for application to Oxford is early; the cut-off this year is 6pm on October 16.

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Paying the bills

Oxford asks its new students to recognise the likely cost of their degree and to be sure they have the means to pay for it (through the usual routes of tuition and maintenance loans, the bank of Mum and Dad and their own out-of-term earnings). About a quarter of them will benefit from non-repayable bursaries of one form or another to help them meet those costs. The most generous provision is offered by Crankstart Scholarships, bankrolled by billionaire financier Sir Michael Moritz and his wife, Harriet Heyman. Worth 5,920 per year to students from homes with annual income assessed as less than 7,500, or 5,100 to students from homes with income up to 32,500, the scholarships are among the most generous in UK higher education. Students who are not eligible for Crankstart support, or who elect not to take it up, can benefit from an Oxford Bursary worth 4,080 per year for students from homes with income of less than 25,000, tapering off to 1,020 per year (42,876 - 50,000 annual income). There are numerous individual, college and subject specific scholarships that can also ease financial pressures. Students live in college for at least two of their three or four years of undergraduate study, sometimes more. Prices vary from college to college. The average price of self-catered rooms ranges from 4,284 (St John's) to 7,368 (Harris Manchester), while the average price for 175 days of catered accommodation begins at 6,231 (St John's) and tops out at 10,036 (Harris Manchester).

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The largest donation in Oxford's history will create a new Centre for the Humanities, which is due to open in 2025. Work began this year on the centre for teaching, research and the wider public, which will take the name of Stephen A Schwarzman, in honour of its benefactor who has given 185m to the project. The development will include a theatre and a 500-seat concert hall. Another major capital project will come to fruition late next year with the opening of the new Life and Mind Building, which will house the departments of experimental psychology and biology. The university careers service launched its Future Leaders Innovation Programme this year, a one-term course blending learning activities and practical experiences with the opportunity for students to earn an ILM Level 3 award in leadership and management. The service runs internship programmes offering global work experience opportunities to Oxford students during vacations. Listings for thousands of vacancies and internships can be found on the university's CareerConnect platform.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Admissions at Oxford have been transformed in the past five years with dramatic moves to increase the number of state-educated children enrolled. Last year, 68% of students admitted came from state schools, up by more than 10 percentage points since 2014; 22.9% came from disadvantaged backgrounds; 7.3% had been eligible for free school meals; and more than a quarter were black or minority ethnic. Oxford still recruits only students with the highest academic potential and competition is fierce, but state schools are now getting a fairer crack of the whip and several access initiatives should ensure this continues. The famed model of personalised teaching and supervision from leading academics through one or two tutorials a week, often in college, and other small group learning was interrupted only briefly by the pandemic. While Covid-19 has prompted greater use of new tools and technologies to support learning, departments returned to maximised in-person teaching last year and this will continue. The collegiate structure of the university forms the backbone of student support - both peer and academic-led - and the emphasis on small group teaching ensures all students are known to staff.
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Overview

Students at Newcastle University are a hard lot to please. Scores in the National Student Survey are consistently low despite the university's reputation, its location in a party city, and the comparatively low cost of living. Despite these scores, applications have been remarkably consistent over the past decade at around 33,000 a year. It has an excellent medical school, based in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, which adjoins the main city centre university campus. Not quite as upmarket as nearby Durham University, Newcastle draws more than one-fifth of its students from private schools, but it is also increasingly diverse with just under a third of the intake entering with a contextual offer. A similar number are the first in their family to go to university. Part of the Russell Group of research-intensive high-tariff universities, it enjoys an outstanding reputation for medicine, dentistry and health-related subjects more generally, as well as for art and design and architecture. It recruits students from across the UK, with almost as many coming from London and the South East as from home territory in north-east England.

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Paying the bills

Just over a quarter of students received some form of financial support last year, predominantly through the university's Opportunity Scholarship, at a cost to the university of more than 7m. Just under 3,100 students got the top award of 2,000 per year, paid in each year of study to students from homes with household income of no more than 25,000; a further 975 got the smaller 1,000 annual award if their household income was between 25,001 and 35,000. In response to the cost of living crisis, a one-off 500 Support Bursary has been introduced for students from homes with an income between 35,001 and 40,000. Care leavers, carers and estranged students qualify for a 2,000 per year bursary. Scholarships - paid mostly in the form of tuition fee discounts - were awarded to almost 500 students in 2021-22 and a 1.7m hardship support package has created more student jobs on campus, increased hardship funds and added Participation Bursaries of up to 280 per year to offset some of the costs of studying. Accommodation in the university and in the private rental sector is cheap by national standards. The cheapest university rooms start at just 3,737 per year, 2,600 less than the best price at Durham University, 15 miles down the A1.

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What's new?

The university's Stephenson Building is being redeveloped to create a new place for student and apprentice engineers to work alongside academics and entrepreneurs who are tackling major global challenges. With these people and challenges feeding directly into courses, the aim is to create engineering graduates ready to make an immediate contribution to industry once they leave. The project will be fully open next September and will include specialist research hubs in digital manufacturing, biomedical engineering and sustainable propulsion. Teaching labs will support multiple disciplines and a new student-centred zone will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship. The Farrell Centre, which opened in April, offers students the chance to get involved in exhibition programmes, public talks, workshops for schools and local community groups. The building mixes a research hub with civic space, a gallery and a museum. The university achieved its highest ever ranking (110th) in the QS World University Rankings this summer and ranked 18th in the world for sustainability based on Newcastle's social and environmental impact.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

About 30% of admissions at Newcastle received a contextual offer in September 2022. The offers are made across all subjects and are usually the equivalent of two A-level grades below the standard offer, although this can rise to three grades for students from under-represented groups who participate in the university's Partners supported entry scheme and complete a summer school. It can reduce the offer for a place at the university's medical school to BBB at A-level. Among those targeted by Partners scheme are students living in postcodes with the lowest progression to higher education, ethnic minority students from state schools, pupils attending state schools with below average attainment, or those who have received free school meals. Newcastle was among the first universities to move back to in-person teaching in September 2021 post-pandemic and it continues to provide the vast majority of teaching in person and on campus. Lecture capture, which was rolled out as long ago as 2007, remains in place to allow students to review content or to catch up if they have missed a session - but it is not a substitute for attending lectures in person. Treatment and education come together in one of Newcastle's initiatives to support student mental health. Its Psychological Therapies Training and Research Clinic offers cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to students suffering with anxiety and depression and involves fully trained and trainee students and staff from clinical disciplines within the school of psychology working with student patients. The university offers modules within an online induction course covering consent, drugs, alcohol and racial, social and sexual tolerance, but it does not as yet require students to complete it, saying there is only an "expectation" that they do so.
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Overview

London Met has one of the most diverse student bodies of any UK university. Half of the students are the first in their family to go to university, the vast majority are mature, and few universities have a greater proportion of minority ethnic students. The university has emerged from a tough decade - during which the undergraduate intake through Ucas more than halved - with a new focus on student experience and a commitment to producing graduates in professions and business areas where there is strong demand. Nursing, healthcare and the built environment are cases in point. Teaching is divided into six academic schools, including the new school of the built environment, and there are two campuses. The Holloway Road campus is by far the biggest. A second campus in Aldgate, on the edge of the City, is home to the school of art, architecture and design, which recently dropped the name of Sir John Cass from its title due to his historic links to the slave trade. Last year, the university announced a 150m ten-year investment programme to upgrade its campuses with a focus on sustainability. London Met aims to be a carbon net-zero institution by 2030.

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Paying the bills

More than 350 students benefited from hardship fund payments in 2021-22. That number increased during the academic year just completed as the cost of living crisis impacted more and more London Met students. Other financial support is more limited than in other universities (with 76,500 spent in total on bursary payments in 2021-22), which reflects the (older) student demographic at London Met. About four in five students are mature returners to education (aged over 21) when their course starts, and many have children. Means-tested childcare grants covering up to 85% of childcare costs - capped at 189 per week for one child or 324 for two - help parents who study here. And a Parents' Learning Allowance is an extra grant to help pay for books, course materials and travel for those with children. An Adult Dependants' Grant provides support to eligible students with an adult who depends on them financially; the dependant's own annual income must be less than 3,796. There is no university-owned residential accommodation, so students are at the mercy of London's extortionate private rental market. However, with 70% of London Met's students drawn from the capital itself, most students live at home. Three lucky students last year received Unite Scholarships, providing free residential accommodation in a Unite Students property.

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The first undergraduate recruits in the new school for the built environment join London Met this month. The school was instituted last year in collaboration with businesses, practitioners and professional bodies serving the construction and property sectors. London is the epicentre for these key areas of the economy, and graduates will be prepared for careers in construction project management, building surveying and real estate. Among the new degrees at the school are BScs launched this month in construction management, and quantity surveying and commercial management. A BSc in real estate joins the course portfolio next September. Nursing has been added to London Met's provision in its school of human sciences with the first adult nursing degree recruits enrolling this month. London Met hopes to rapidly expand the annual intake for the course to 400 by 2028. The recent appointment of Professor Nona McDuff and Professor Marcia Wilson to take charge of London Met's well-regarded student experience bodes well for London Met's 13,000 students. It brings into senior management two academics with lengthy track records of working in universities with diverse student populations and helping create inclusive and accessible courses.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

London Met achieves levels of diversity and inclusion in its intake that are well beyond the reach of most other universities. It achieves this without a formal contextual offer system, but with standard offers that are among the most attainable in the country. Mitigating circumstances, such as illness or bereavement, are considered if they can be shown to have adversely impacted an applicant's education, and all applications are assessed on an individual basis. Given its recruitment demographics, London Met's outreach activities target adult learners as well as under-represented and disadvantaged schoolchildren, aged nine to 19. Outreach through schemes such as Partners in Education, a support package for selected sixth forms and further education colleges in Greater London helps prepare children personally and academically for university through visit days, school competitions and conferences. The majority of courses are delivered in person on London Met's Aldgate and Holloway campuses and students are expected to attend lectures. Remote attendance is approved in exceptional circumstances only. There are plans to extend Panopto lecture capture technology across most lecture rooms over the next 18 months and the university is rolling out a digital first strategy across all courses offering personalised learning and multi-device access as standard. A Small Steps Big Difference campaign runs permanently to encourage students to take charge of their wellbeing and mental health, and the Centre for Equity and Inclusion sits at the heart of the university's drive to create a healthy environment. Students are encouraged to get involved with an extensive programme of fitness and wellbeing classes and gym facilities, currently free to all students and staff.
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Overview

SOAS is a very different member of the University of London federation. With about 3,400 full-time undergraduates, it is also one of the smaller universities. The titles of many of its degree programmes are similar to those offered elsewhere in the University of London and across the UK, but the content is not. Everything here is viewed through the prism of Africa, Asia and the Middle East - strategically, economically and politically important and hugely populous parts of the world. So, a BA in economics contains modules on the economic development of Africa, China and world development, and economic development in the Asia Pacific region. Law involves the study of the legal systems of Asia and Africa, and optional modules include Islamic law and justice in contemporary China. There are then the more unique courses - a BA in world philosophies, for instance - and the more unusual, such as several language degrees including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. There was a record number of admissions in September 2022, with more than 70% of UK recruits coming from London. The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds studying here is among the highest in the UK. Based in central London, close to the much bigger student population of UCL and the bright lights of the West End, SOAS offers a cosmopolitan university experience and a course portfolio unlike any other.

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Paying the bills

A limited number of 1,500 per year SOAS Bursaries are paid to students from homes with less than 25,000 annual income. The award has a ceiling of 4,500 over the course of a degree and recipients must be resident in England. If there are more eligible students than there are awards, priority will be given to care leavers, those living in the 20% of postcodes with the lowest progression rates to university, students from homes where household income is lowest, first generation students and refugees. The vast majority of the 990 bursaries awarded in 2021-22 were SOAS Bursaries at a cost to the university of 1.5m. The university offers a mix of self-catered and catered halls; some are reserved for SOAS students only, others are intercollegiate and shared with other colleges within the University of London. Many are close by in Bloomsbury, but some are more outlying in Wembley Park and Wood Green; it is worth checking on a map. Self-catering prices start at 6,600 for a 40-week contract, or 7,515 with food included.

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The outstanding SOAS library is about to undergo a facelift, adding new facilities to support collaborative study and research. The library - one of just five National Research Libraries in the UK and a global resource - contains more than 1.5m books or items in 400 languages, all of them focused on Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The popular SOAS students' union will also be home to a new bar and music venue, a community hub, studios for clubs and societies, a podcast and media suite, prayer rooms and baby changing and feeding facilities, the latter a reflection of SOAS' student profile, among whom one in seven are mature students.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

One in nine entrants last September received a contextual offer, mostly one A-level grade below the standard offer. For students meeting multiple qualification criteria, a drop of two grades will be considered. Outreach work targets areas of high deprivation and low progression to university through summer schools, long-term programmes and masterclasses. SOAS works with third sector organisations such as the Access Project (in the West Midlands), Elephant Group (in London and the East Midlands) and the Brilliant Club to reach prospective students from diverse backgrounds. Students at SOAS have been enthusiastic about the increased use of online learning hastened by the pandemic. About 80% of courses now see teaching delivered both by Zoom and face to face, one of the highest proportions at any university in this guide. Microsoft Teams is used to allow students to work together on projects or take part in group discussions while in different locations, helping to maintain a sense of community even if they are not gathered in the same place. Student wellbeing is fostered by academic advisers for every student, mentors to offer longer-term non-therapeutic support and counsellors trained in a range of therapies. All new students attend compulsory sexual consent and active bystander workshops during the welcome period. People are available at late night events in the students' union who are trained in bystander intervention and to whom instances of misconduct can be reported.
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Overview

Founder's Building, modelled on a French chateau, is one of the most instantly recognisable university buildings, sitting at the heart of Royal Holloway's 135-acre countryside campus near Egham, Surrey. Around 12,500 students are based here, and the university saw record admissions last September when just under 3,750 undergraduates enrolled. Students' employment prospects are enhanced by the opportunity to take placement years in industry or abroad and by Royal Holloway's in-house employability initiative, CVStac, which provides employers with evidence that students have developed 12 key skills before they graduate. These fall into three broad areas: social intelligence, innovation and self-management. Excellent sporting facilities translate into sustained success in inter-university competitions. There is a good social scene on campus - out of necessity given its country location- but London is just under an hour away by train.

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Paying the bills

Means-tested support is offered to all students from homes where annual household income is less than 30,000. For these students, a minimum bursary of 500 in each year of study is offered, rising to 1,500 a year when household income is less than 25,000. There are bursaries of 3,000 a year for care leavers and estranged students, and 1,000 a year for mature students with an annual household income of less than 25,000. In 2021-22, once scholarships and hardship payments have been accounted for, 27.5% of Royal Holloway students received some form of financial support. Study Support Grants for hardship were increased last year in response to the cost of living crisis, with the maximum sum awarded raised from 1,500 to 3,500. The overall amount paid out more than doubled from the 143,750 distributed in 2021-22. In the past year, around 40 students without a computer or the means to buy one have been given vouchers to collect a free laptop, and the university provides a free breakfast of muffins and fresh fruit on campus every morning during term time. There are several scholarships competitively awarded based on academic achievements and scholarship statements. There are both catered and self-catered options for students. Penrose Court offers the cheapest rooms at 4,757 for a 38-week contract. Rooms in Founder's Building cost more, starting from 5,197 in a shared room.

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High-flying Royal Holloway hopes to build on its expertise in drone technology, security and applications through the development of its Omnidrome Research and Innovation Centre. The development, which should be complete for the new academic year, includes a 40m long, 20m wide and 10m high hangar for the safe testing and development of remote-controlled and autonomous drones. The centre will house aerial drones, tracked and wheels robots, floating and submersible robots, as well as supporting equipment, such as an autonomous vehicle development platform, unique in the UK. Omnidrome will bring together students and researchers in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence and information security of autonomous vehicles; drone and sensor technology; scientific monitoring of environmental, ecological, geographical and geological systems, and human environments; and culture, arts and humanities. Separately, the university now holds accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Marketing for its portfolio of marketing degrees. This means graduates will be able to get professional qualifications at an accelerated pace, while degree course content will be aligned to industry requirements.

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Contextual offers of two grades below the standard ask are available to students who meet two of the following criteria: attendance at a low performing secondary school, having a disability, being care experienced, being over the age of 21 at enrolment, living in a postcode with low participation in higher education, and being the first in the immediate family to go to university. Just under one in five entrants in September 2022 benefited from a contextual offer. The mental health and wellbeing team work hard to make all students feel part of Royal Holloway's 'inclusive and close-knit community'. The university told us: 'The sense of community and belonging that is fostered at Royal Holloway is core to our values and purpose.' Support is offered via mental health, wellbeing, disability and neurodiversity, counselling, financial wellbeing, chaplaincy and faith support teams. Royal Holloway acknowledges the difficulties students faced during the pandemic in flagging the return to in-person course delivery post pandemic 'to prevent isolation and loss of interaction'. However, the positive parts of online learning, such as giving students access to lectures for revision and review has been retained for all undergraduate courses, making use of lecture capture technology.
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Overview

Shortlisted for our University of the Year title, Queen Mary is the most socially inclusive member of the Russell Group of high-tariff, research-led universities. Four in every ten UK undergraduates qualify for bursaries. This combination of a high rank and a highly diverse intake is proving increasingly popular; a record number of applications were received last year, and the number of students admitted was 10% up on pre-pandemic levels. Seventy per cent of students come from London and even more from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. The main Mile End campus lies in a fashionable part of town with an excellent social scene, and there are top-notch sporting facilities onsite and in the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The well-regarded medical and dentistry school is a short distance away near the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, with a second outpost in West Smithfield at St Bart's hospital. Some large-group teaching is offered purely online, with follow-up face-to-face activities for students to discuss and interpret what they have learned. The exact split between online and in-person teaching varies from course to course.

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Paying the bills

Forty per cent of UK undergraduates qualify for Queen Mary's bursary support, drawn from homes that fall beneath the 35,000 annual income threshold for eligibility. For those from homes where income is less than 20,000, the bursary payable in each year of study is 1,700, dropping to 1,000 for those where household income is up to the 35,000 cut off point. The university also offers a number of scholarships with a range of criteria, including the Queen Mary and Westfield Alumni Scholarships, worth 1,250 a year for three years and payable to students who have lived in Tower Hamlets, Hackney or Newham for at least three years prior to enrolling. They must also come from homes where household income is less than 42,875 and be taking a course in the faculty of science and engineering or the faculty of humanities and social sciences. In the past academic year, students could apply for a 100-250 one-off cost of living payment if they can demonstrate financial need. Student accommodation is mostly situated in the attractive, modern canal-side student village adjoining the Mile End campus. Rooms are self-catered and start at just over 5,700 for 37 weeks.

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Five hundred study spaces have been added to the Mile End library with the opening of an extension in May. New PCs have been installed and there are more loanable laptops, a feature that applies to the entire university, with self-service laptop machines located at both the Mile End and Whitechapel libraries and computer labs. Students can also apply through the financial assistance fund if they do not have the resources to buy their own laptop. Five buildings at Charterhouse Square have been upgraded with new laboratory space for pathology and cell cultures. With more than a nod to current global preoccupations, the university has two new degrees planned for next September: an LLB law degree in law and climate justice, and a BSc in business management for social change. A BSc in computer science and artificial intelligence admits its first students this month. Queen Mary is unusual among the Russell Group in embracing degree apprenticeships and expects to have 600 apprentices on campus by next September, following the addition of three new options in the coming months - systems engineer, physician associate and financial services professional.

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Mindfulness and knitting groups, wellbeing walks and runs and yoga are among the proactive options offered to students to support their mental health. Support officers are stationed in every academic school and wellbeing advisers have specialist training in a range of financial, practical and legal issues. Counselling is free and encompasses both individual and group therapy, psychotherapy, workshops on self-compassion, managing anxiety and men's support, as well as online services. Sessions held for all students during Queen Mary's welcome and induction programme outline the support available. There is plenty of support, too, for the many students admitted through widening participation schemes, which include mentoring from current students and alumni. Student Consultancy Projects place a diverse range of exceptional Queen Mary students with mini consultancy projects within businesses and charities. One in five students gains a place at the university with a contextual offer pitched at one or two grades below the standard one. All courses operate the scheme - including medicine, dentistry and law - but the eligibility criteria vary between them. Queen Mary is one of a small number of institutions to run a mandatory training module for all new students on sexual consent.
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Overview

Applications to study at King's College London topped 70,000 for the first time last year with more than 7,000 gaining places, also a record outside of the pandemic years of inflated A-level grades. International students also made up 40% of last year's intake. King's has one of the best records for social inclusion among the elite Russell Group of universities, helping it earn a place in our elite top 10. A contextual admissions policy helps in this regard. It also seeks to widen participation by other means, such as through its extended medicine programme, which adds a year of studying (making six years in all) but reduces the offer to ABB at A-level for students from non-selective state schools. Those from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds and applicants who have taken part in King's outreach programmes are given priority when applications are considered. There is an extended support dentistry degree (which takes the normal five years but with additional academic support) offered to non-selective state school applicants from London. The A-level offer for this course is AAB. The university has one of the biggest concentrations of medical and healthcare expertise of any university, encompassing three of London's largest teaching hospitals in Guy's, St Thomas's and King's College Hospital (KCH). Excellence can be found more generally just about everywhere you look.

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Paying the bills

The King's Living Bursary is the main vehicle for university-funded student support. It is paid to all students from homes with an annual income of less than 42,875. The biggest award of 1,600 per year goes to students from homes with income of less than 25,000, reducing as income rises to annual payments of 1,500 (25,001-33,500) and then 1,200 (35,001-42,875). There are 1,000 per year bursaries for care leavers and estranged students, while those who enrol on the university's extended six-year medical and five-year dentistry degrees are eligible to be considered for a limited number of Access to Professions Bursaries worth 3,000 per year over the first three years of their course if household income is less than 42,875. There are more than 5,500 rooms in student accommodation, the cheapest costing 6,200 for a 40-week contract which is significantly more than the cheapest lodgings at fellow University of London institutions, LSE, Queen Mary and Royal Holloway, but on a par with most other London universities.

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Beneath the quad's surface, a 3,000 square metre teaching and research space is now complete providing a new teaching and research space for one of the university's major departments. There are extra laboratories for the department created by developing research spaces in adjoining blocks. The quad itself, with its restored courtyard, provides somewhere for students and staff to relax. The street outside the Strand campus has been recently pedestrianised with furniture, catering and access to the university WiFi to make it a useable communal space. In Denmark Hill, home to King's College Hospital, the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People is due to open soon. Developed with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Maudsley Charity, it brings together some of the leading researchers in mental health with clinical expertise to find solutions to address the crisis in children's mental health. On the St Thomas's campus, construction of the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering has begun, which will ultimately bring together research and development expertise across the university to collaborate with the NHS and medical technology companies. Among the many aspects of medicine encompassed by healthcare engineering are drug design, drug delivery, the design of new medical equipment and medical imaging.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Students in need of mental health support at King's benefit from services that are informed by the in-house expertise provided by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, one of the UK's leading centres for mental health and neuroscience research. This gives students access to a sophisticated range of internal specialist services. King's Inclusion Plans are drawn up for students with existing mental health concerns or diagnoses. Support more generally ranges from student-led engagement with wellbeing activities, through to pastoral support and accessing specialist internal and external medical services. King's has one of the better records for social inclusion among the Russell Group of (highly selective) universities with long running and successful outreach projects in the capital and beyond. It runs a contextual offer scheme that lowers the ask by two A-level grades for most courses, and one for nursing and midwifery. Applicants need to have taken part in one of the university's outreach programmes or summer schools or live in one of the 20% of most deprived postcodes or one of the 40% with lowest university progression rates. There are other criteria which may qualify applicants for a reduced offer and about one in six students received one last year.
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Overview

Goldsmiths is the University of London's creative arm. Located on a single site in New Cross, south-east London, the college offers a full suite of courses in the creative and performing arts. But with 20 academic departments, it also offers degrees that embrace economics, politics, law, computing and artificial intelligence, and management. Alternative and trendy, there's a cosmopolitan vibe to the campus, with two-thirds of the domestic intake coming from the capital and a third of the undergraduate student population overall coming from overseas. However, Goldsmiths has been dogged for many years by poor scores in the annual National Student Survey, which measures student satisfaction with teaching quality and the wider student experience. This has held the university back from achieving the place in national rankings that its illustrious cast of creative alumni - Mary Quant, Damien Hirst and Steve McQueen among them - suggests it deserves. The university prides itself on innovative thinking as well as widening access and achieving diversity in its student body. It identifies strongly with its local south-east London community.

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Paying the bills

Support packages for 2024 had still to be confirmed at the time of going to press, but based on last year's awards, Goldsmiths had two unlimited bursaries that were paid to all eligible students: one for care experienced and estranged students, and the other for those recruited from the 20% of postcodes with the lowest participation in higher education and a household income of less than 35,000. They were worth 1,000 per year and 500 in the first year respectively. There are two very valuable bursaries open to applicants from Lewisham. Up to five Lewisham-resident students from homes with income of less than 35,000 get full tuition fee waivers of 27,750, based on their application form answers, while the New Cross Fire Bursaries are worth 4,500 paid over three years and are open to students from minority ethnic backgrounds with household incomes of less than 35,000. The bursaries, paid by Lewisham council, commemorate the 14 young people who died at a party in a suspected racially motivated arson attack in the borough in 1981. Among 1,400 residential places, there are 80 rooms in self-catered accommodation at the cheapest rate of 6,294 per year on a 40-week contract.

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Students, staff, alumni and other interested parties will be invited to contribute to Goldsmiths' new ten-year strategy document, setting the direction for the university until 2033. Focus groups, online surveys and departmental workshops will be the sounding boards through which students will be invited to contribute. A recent review of the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum has seen a number of key principles embedded that reflect what students want from their studies; these include flexible and technologically enhanced learning, curriculum-based employability and enterprise skills, and more cross-disciplinary learning and applied academic skills. Goldsmiths celebrates 120 years as part of the University of London in 2024, but continues to look to the future through its involvement with the Turing University Network. It is one of 36 institutions working to build better connections in data science and artificial intelligence. Several new computing degrees take their first students this term, covering everything from computer games to BScs in computer science with specialisms that include cybersecurity, user experience, and artificial intelligence and data science.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

By dint of its relatively small size and manageable number of applications (just under 11,000 last year), Goldsmiths is able to take a more personal approach with applicants without resorting to contextual offers to ensure a diverse intake. Portfolios are considered and personal statements read, along with other contextual educational and personal information. While offers are then made in line with advertised entry requirements, if the grades achieved are lower than the offer, individual circumstances are considered at this point to decide whether to confirm a place. Post pandemic, Goldsmiths has returned to in-person teaching as the default across all programmes. With lecture capture technology not used routinely, students are expected to turn up in person. The university's student wellbeing package includes overnight campus support officers, working alongside staff in counselling, accommodation services, disability, chaplaincy and money and hardship advisers. Senior and personal tutors also play a key role as a contact point for students.
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Overview

Birkbeck is one of three universities profiled in this guide that do not feature in our rankings. It is included because of the unique role it plays in making higher education accessible in the capital - or in 'changing lives', as the university puts it on its website. One of the constituent colleges of the University of London, it is different from the others in offering nearly a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses to a largely part-time population. Yes, you can study full time here, but most students are undertaking their studies alongside work, caring for children or aged parents, or other adult responsibilities. Most are considerably older than your typical school-leaver undergraduate. Just as campuses are emptying elsewhere, Birkbeck's is filling up: evening time is when most lectures take place, but with more and more provision available digitally, students are increasingly able to join in from home, further expanding the reach of this exceptional institution.

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Paying the bills

Given the nature of Birkbeck, bursaries and scholarships are paid to both full-time and part-time students. The cash bursary scheme, which is designed to meet the costs of studying, is paid to both types of student from homes with household income of less than 25,000. If the student is aged over 25, they are considered to be independent of their parents, so the household income assessed is theirs. For part-timers studying at 25% intensity (completing 30 credits in a year), the bursary is worth 200, rising to 800 maximum for those studying full-time. A smaller bursary of between 150 and 450 is payable to part-time students only with a household income of up to 39,999. Bursaries are paid on a first-come, first-served basis and are not guaranteed for each year of a course. Students experiencing hardship from homes with less than 25,000 annual income can bid for up to 1,000 from a hardship fund if their financial circumstances change unexpectedly through, for example, redundancy, illness or domestic problems. The sum cannot be used to pay tuition fees. From October, all Birkbeck alumni returning for further study at the college are eligible for a range of tuition fee discounts of between 10% and 20% on additional courses they take under Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee.

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What's new?

A new student union hub will be part of the Birkbeck Central development next to the main Malet Street campus in Bloomsbury, central London. The development will add teaching spaces supported by excellent digital infrastructure. A bigger area of development, however, is in the college's course portfolio, which is being updated constantly. Given the working age demographic of many of Birkbeck's students, the portfolio is particularly alive to the developing needs of employers. New undergraduate degrees starting this month mostly include the option of a foundation year to widen access to higher education even further. Among the broad spread of more than 30 new courses are film and media practice, bioscience and health, digital media and creative practice, planetary exploration with astronomy and astrobiology, psychosocial studies with principles of psychodynamic counselling, and art history with curating.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Learning from home is not the bane of students' lives at Birkbeck that it has proven to be at more conventional universities with a teenage student population. The ability to study flexibly when you are juggling work, family and other personal commitments can be the difference between completing a degree and not. Birkbeck students will in future benefit from a 3m grant Birkbeck has received from the Office for Students to pay for investment in 'Hyflex' technology that supports flexible learning. It will help time-poor students to attend and participate fully in lessons whether they are on campus or joining remotely. High-quality recordings of classes will be made available to allow students to catch up on lessons missed or to review them at leisure, helping Birkbeck to establish a virtual reality and immersive learning environment. Many exams can now be taken at home and completed within a set timeframe.
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Overview

Leicester for a long time flew under the radar of sixth formers seeking university places. Not quite fashionable enough, and not part of the Russell Group. Not any more. Last year, the university attracted a record number of applications (24,940) and gave places to more students (4,555) than ever before. The secret is out: Leicester is one of the best catches of the British higher education system - a top-flight university, respected by employers, which makes reasonable offers within the reach of most students. Located in one of the country's most culturally diverse cities, Leicester has a student profile to match, drawing its students from across the UK and notably from the East Midlands and London, both areas targeted by the university for recruitment from under-represented backgrounds. Leicester research periodically hits the headlines: DNA fingerprinting was discovered here in 1984 by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, who remains in the department of genetics to this day, and the university was heavily involved in the discovery of the body of Richard III in 2012 under a city centre car park.

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Paying the bills

Leicester seeks to attract students who want to change the world. One of the ways it does this is through its Citizens of Change Scholarships for offer holders, who are asked to make and share a 60-second video answering the question: What do you want to change? There are 50 awards each year to UK undergraduates, who qualify for a 2,500 discount on their 9,250 tuition fees each year for the first three years of study, effectively bringing the price of a typical three-year degree down to 20,250. It is one of the most innovative (and enticing) ways of engaging prospective students without simply asking them to achieve set grades for an academic scholarship. Means-tested support is also available, notably through the 1,000 per year University of Leicester Scholarship, which is awarded to students from homes with a household income of less than 25,000, who also live in a postcode that is among the 20% that send fewest children into higher education. Mature students (those aged over 21 when their course starts) get a 1,000 one-year scholarship and there are several other funding options open to students. There is a good supply of student residential accommodation; the 2,800 starting price (70 a week on a 40-week contract) is one of the lowest anywhere.

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Space Park Leicester aims to boldly go where no man has gone before. Building on the university's longstanding expertise in this area, the 100m space research, innovation and industry hub has been developed by the university with national and international partners and was launched by astronaut Tim Peake. It is one of a number of new developments at Leicester timed to coincide with the university's centenary in 2021. The new Freeman's campus, adjoining the main university site, opened last year with residential accommodation for 1,200 students, social space and a teaching and learning centre. Brookfield, the home of the school of business, was also completed last year. The university has also launched five research institutes, targeting some of the most pressing challenges the world is facing. They cover structural and chemical biology, precision health, digital culture, environmental futures and space. There are four new degrees taking their first students this month - diagnostic radiography, journalism and sociology, journalism and media, and economics and data analytics.

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Contextual offers of two grades below the standard one are made to eligible students with a minimum ask of BCC for those studying three A-levels. Among those qualifying are applicants from non-selective schools that achieved below average GCSE results, who also live in the 20% of postcodes that send the fewest to university. The university also runs an access scheme for medicine, an 18-month pre-application support programme for prospective applicants who attend non-selective state schools and live within an hour of the university. There are other criteria. The university achieves great diversity in its intake with high numbers of ethnic minority students; about four in ten students are the first in their family to go to university. The university works in partnership with Zero Gravity, an organisation that supports students from under-represented backgrounds into selective universities and then into top-level careers through mentoring and career accelerators. As part of a comprehensive mental health support package, Leicester has developed a personal tutor dashboard that helps tutors respond better to individual student needs and allows them to support their students' mental wellbeing.
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Overview

Leeds is about to revolutionise the way it delivers higher education. It describes Curriculum Redefined as the 'biggest and most exciting educational change programme going on in the world right now'. It will involve reviewing and simplifying course options, reducing the number of modules - and student and staff workloads at the same time - and introducing an 'inclusive' approach to assessment (which means more open book examinations and less time spent in exam halls). Where other universities are rowing back on online delivery of courses post pandemic, Leeds is saying online learning should be thought of as a normal part of the university's educational offer. 'The way we currently deliver student education is unsustainable,' it explains. 'The status quo at Leeds is unsustainable.' Big change is clearly on the way, and getting a place at Leeds has got a whole lot harder, with nearly 1,600 fewer students admitted last September just as applications hit a record high. After numbers were swollen by a rise of more than 2,600 students in the combined intakes from the years of school- and teacher-assessed A-levels in 2020 and 2021, Leeds has returned to pre-pandemic admissions levels. One of the powerhouses of UK higher education, its city centre campus is home to more than 37,000 students. The 100-acre site is a mix of Victorian and modern, with a bit of everything in between including 1960s Grade II-listed brutalist architecture. A constantly evolving programme of campus upgrades sees no less than 39 recent projects marked as 'complete' on the university's website.

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Paying the bills

Students can get financial help from the university in a number of ways via a raft of bursary and scholarship schemes. Some are paid automatically based on means-testing and others have to be applied for. Just over a quarter of the students benefit overall. The Leeds Bursary is paid to all students from homes with household income of less than 36,000. The lowest rate is 1,000 per year, rising to 1,500 when household income drops below 30,000 and 2,000 when it is less than 25,000. The separate Leeds Scholarship is also means-tested but worth 3,000 per year and paid to students where household income is less than 42,875. Further conditions must be met for this higher award, however. Some of these scholarships are reserved for students who achieved at least AAB at A-level or equivalent, others for students who have won places via access routes, or those who are first generation students, live in areas with low progression to university, or have had their education disrupted. First years are guaranteed a room in university accommodation. There is a large student village next to the main campus and several other halls slightly further afield. Prices start at less than 4,500 for a 42-week contract and there are a good number of places (640) at this rate.

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Helix, a new digital innovation and learning space, is due to open before the end of the year. The centre will become home for all digitally-focused activity at Leeds, with space for students to collaborate across faculties on their own creative and entrepreneurial projects. Further embracing new technologies, the university has launched a Makerspace in the university library to give students wanting to expand their digital and technological skills the chance to try out everything from 3D printers to making a podcast and photography workshops. Meanwhile, course content and the portfolio of degrees on offer is undergoing a full review. Curriculum Redefined is a five-year plan that promises a 'rationalised portfolio of programmes, reduced numbers of modules and simplified curricula' which will reduce workloads. Assessment methods will be 'clear, fair and innovative' and the university will strive to close the achievement gap between students from under-represented groups or disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

By next year, Leeds expects more than a quarter of its admissions to come via its contextual offers scheme. It makes a two-grade reduction from the standard offer for applicants who have taken part in an Access to Leeds programme and live in a deprived area where few children go on to university. A one-grade reduction is offered for non-Access to Leeds applicants who live in postcodes with high deprivation or low numbers progressing into higher education. Extended degrees with a foundation year further target students with widening participation characteristics; the offer for these courses is CDD at A-level or equivalent, substantially below what you would normally expect in a Russell Group university. There is a dedicated team within the careers service that helps students with limited access to previous careers advice who are at risk of poor graduate prospects. The university works closely with the students' union on mental health. In addition to the Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service, the university promotes positive wellbeing through the opportunities available from the student-led clubs and societies of Leeds University Union, and a range of wellbeing activities, including a weekly meditation session. Trained residential wardens are on hand in halls and the Residence Life programme aims to build a safe, welcoming community through a programme of (mostly free) activities within each hall. Students are encouraged to complete a Supporting Healthy Relationships course when they enrol, which explores sexual consent, safe bystander intervention and what to do if they experience harassment, violence and inappropriate behaviour.
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Overview

Keele occupies a 600-acre parkland campus near Stoke-on-Trent, within an hour of Manchester and Birmingham to the north and south. Founded just after the Second World War, the university is home to around 12,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The campus is a self-contained community with shops, pubs, clubs and even a hotel on site alongside all academic buildings and residential accommodation for 2,800 students. Students love it and last year voted Keele Britain's best university in the annual Student Crowd awards. The addition of medical and veterinary schools in the past 20 years has given the university a more heavyweight feel, but it remains true to its tradition of providing a broad-based, interdisciplinary higher education even if students are no longer required, as they once were, to take dual honours degrees to ensure this breadth of study. All courses have a four-year option involving either study abroad or a work or industry placement.

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Paying the bills

Students at Keele benefit from the success of the Stoke-on-Trent-based gambling giant, Bet365, through the Denise Coates Scholarship, sponsored by the company's chief executive. Worth 1,500 in the first year of study, it is open to all students who live in a local ST postcode in households with less than 30,000 annual income. There are 100 awards made each year. The Keele University bursary is worth 1,000 in the first year of study and is paid to all students from homes with a household income of 15,000 or less. There are several other scholarships and bursaries also open to students. The maximum payments from the Keele hardship fund were raised from 1,500 to 2,500 last September in response to the cost of living crisis. A food voucher scheme was also introduced. Keele has some of the cheapest student accommodation in the country, beginning at just over 3,600 per year (or 97.51 per week on a 37-week contract).

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Key infrastructure projects are changing the face of the institution, adding new courses and disciplines and putting the university at the heart of economic development in the region. Keele is home to England's newest veterinary school, a joint venture with Harper Adams University. Student vets spend most of their time at Keele, with travel to Harper Adams only when access to its specialist facilities is needed. The school was officially opened this year but has been taking students since 2020. Close by the veterinary school on Keele's Science and Innovation Park is the new Innovation Centre 7, which will focus on developing new digital technologies. The centre will bring digital businesses on to campus to work alongside students and academics. Planning permission has been granted recently for a new Institute of Technology, which should open late next year. The centre in Stafford will offer advanced manufacturing and engineering qualifications, and bring together academics, business and employees to design and develop education and training opportunities to meet the needs of industry. Five LLB Law degrees are among 13 new programmes launched this month, three of them in combination with environmental sustainability, criminal justice and social justice. A BSc and MSci in pharmacology are planned for September 2024. The addition of three new degree apprenticeships this month in physician associate, healthcare assistant practitioner and senior people professional is expected to bring the total number of degree apprentices on campus to just under 600 by this time next year.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

All academic schools have a dedicated student experience and support officer, who is a first contact point for students throughout their studies and is introduced to them during induction. They offer a personalised gateway to early intervention and referral to specialist services where needed. Staff with an academic mentor role must complete training which includes sections on mental health and wellbeing. All students are required to complete a pre-arrival induction module which covers wellbeing and staying well while at Keele, consent matters, hate crime and awareness, and diversity and inclusion training. Contextual offers are made on the majority of Keele courses, including medicine. They usually reduce a standard A-level offer by two grades with just under one in five students benefitting from one last year. This number is expected to rise as the eligibility criteria have been expanded. Among those qualifying for a contextual offer are all first generation students, those living in or attending schools in the 40% of postcodes with the lowest progression rates to higher education and those attending schools or living in areas of relative deprivation.
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Overview

Hull has long prided itself on being a socially inclusive university with high numbers of first generation students, mature returners to education and students recruited from the postcodes where progression to higher education is among the lowest. Through investment in new facilities, Hull is now positioning itself to tackle some of the key issues facing the world - and troubling the current generation of students - such as climate change and artificial intelligence. Applications are on the rise once more, although they remain 28% below the level in 2014. The university serves a predominantly local market, with more than 70% of its UK students coming from Yorkshire and Humberside. Widening participation schemes include a Gateway Year route into the Hull York Medical School for students who lack the grades necessary. The offer can drop to range from ABB to BBC at A-level for a place on the six-year programme, one year longer than normal. The university remains perhaps best known for its BA in British politics and legislative studies (although it is one of just nine degree programmes that sit outside Hull's extensive contextual offers scheme). The degree includes a 12-month placement working for an MP or peer at Westminster, where many also end up after graduating; so many, in fact, that they are known as the 'Hull mafia'.

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Paying the bills

Hull is one of the cheapest places to live in the UK, so student financial support goes that little bit further. Ten lucky undergraduates will get full tuition fee remission when they enrol next September. The recipients of the new Chancellor's Scholarships will have submitted a 500-word essay and a two-minute video on why they would be a worthy recipient and be expected to achieve ABB at A-level (or equivalent). Applications will be assessed on academic achievement, motivation and academic potential, as well as the communication skills and originality demonstrated by their application. The awards have been created to mark the appointment of Alan Johnson, the former Labour education secretary, as Chancellor of the university. Maths students who gain a place with at least 128 Ucas tariff points (ABB at A-level or equivalent), including an A-grade in maths, are awarded the Gillian Stead Scholarship, worth 2,100. The university also awards six Attitude Magazine Foundation Scholarships, worth 1,000 to LGBTQ+ students with either a disability or who come from homes with less than 25,000 annual income. Launched in 2021, they are the first LGBTQ+ scholarships in the country. There is also means-tested support with the same financial criteria for UK medical students at the Hull York Medical School, worth 2,400 per year of study. The university has a good stock of 444 rooms at the cheapest price of 5,740 for a 41-week contract.

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Within the next four years, Hull aims to become a carbon neutral campus and is investing 86m in sustainable facilities and infrastructure as it attempts to meet this target. Its Energy and Environment Institute, established two years ago, brings together interdisciplinary academics and students to study global issues around climate change and its consequences for people and the planet. Another issue of the moment is tackled in Hull's new Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Modelling (DAIM), which houses the largest computational teaching space on campus. DAIM contains more than 250 computer workstations for students to learn, practice and apply their coding, programming, AI, and data science techniques to some of the key challenges facing the world. If these two projects place the university at the cutting edge academically, Hull also looks after the other side of university life. The Student Central area of campus has had several recent upgrades including new kitchens, a multi-function space (the John McCarthy Suite) and social facilities. There is also Nest, a calming contemporary place in which students can study, chill and socialise away from formal teaching areas and commercial cafes and bars.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

More than half the student population is recruited from the 40% of postcodes with the lowest progression into higher education, areas that are the focus of much of Hull's outreach work which begins with primary school age children and continues through to sixth form. Living in these postcodes is one of several triggers for contextual offers, which are generally reduced by eight to 16 UCAS tariff points, but which can be reduced to unconditional in some circumstances. Others eligible for a contextual offer include first generation students, those who have received free school meals, and mature students aged over 21 when they start their course. As well as offering a package of tailored support for widening participation students, the university works hard to protect the wellbeing of everyone on campus. Student cards are issued on arrival to all new students with Hull's student assistance programme telephone number printed on them. This is one of a number of clever ways the university seeks to protect student mental health and wellbeing, which is also central to a range of online induction modules students are asked to complete prior to their arrival and during their induction period. There is plenty of online self-help guidance and innovative programmes such as active wellbeing and therapy dogs. Comprehensive mandatory and elective staff training is offered to help staff respond appropriately to distressed students; it also covers suicide and mental health awareness, and safeguarding. Teaching style is traditional. In only a 'very small number' of degrees are some online sessions delivered in addition to on-campus teaching, the university told us. 'Our provision is campus based and will remain so.'
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Overview

The university is situated on a compact modern campus in this Yorkshire town, surrounded by the grandeur of the Pennines and easily accessible from both Leeds and Manchester. Life at Huddersfield focuses on life after university, with a strong emphasis on producing work-ready graduates. All Huddersfield students get the chance to undertake professional work experience during their degrees and the university is a big supplier of graduates into health and social care professions, teaching and more generally into the public sector. Huddersfield prides itself on the quality of its teaching, with all permanent teaching staff having (or completing) doctorates, and the university winning the highest number of National Teaching Fellowship awards (22) since 2008. Applications to study here have been notably consistent over the past five years, where other universities have seen surges and, in many cases, significant falls during the pandemic. Huddersfield caters for mostly local students, 91% of them coming from either the Yorkshire and Humber region or just over the other side of the Pennines from the North West. It has among the biggest proportions of first generation students of any university.

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Paying the bills

Good achievement at school is rewarded by a 1,000 scholarship at Huddersfield if you come from a home with less than 25,000 annual income. The university has cut the academic eligibility threshold from 120 Ucas tariff points (BBB at A-level) to 112 (BBC) this year as grades reverted to something close to pre-pandemic levels, with about 900 students expected to benefit. The scholarship is paid in the first year only. Care leavers can qualify for a further 2,000 scholarship paid out over three years. The university responded to the cost of living crisis by topping up its hardship fund from 400,000 to 520,000 with further money coming from the Government. This helped fund an energy bursary of 300 paid to all students living in private accommodation last winter. The university does not own any student accommodation of its own, but endorses the Storthes Hall Park development near the town, where prices range from a very reasonable 4,004 (91 per week for a 44-week contract) to 5,280 (120 per week).

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The National Health Innovation Campus will open at Huddersfield next year. The campus is being developed to help meet the chronic needs of the NHS. The university has already increased by 60% the number of graduates in nursing, midwifery and allied health professions in the past five years, and the new campus will lead to another 60% increase over the next five years. The university is already the largest provider of apprenticeships in nursing and allied health in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Alongside specialist clinical teaching facilities, the campus will offer world-class research capabilities and a Health and Wellbeing Academy, which will aim to improve health outcomes for the northern region (as well as nationally and internationally) and lead innovation in healthcare.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Huddersfield does not have a contextual offer scheme, but its outreach programme provides the opportunity to earn UCAS tariff points through the completion of modules and assignments. The effect is the same as a contextual offer in that it reduces the grades needed from examinations to meet the university's offers. Sixth formers who complete its Progression Module, for example, can gain 12 Ucas tariff points to count towards offers from Huddersfield, Leeds Beckett and Leeds Trinity universities. All standard courses have the majority of teaching delivered face-to-face with attendance at lectures expected. Lecture capture has been in use for at least six years across all courses to enhance learning and allow for revision and review, rather than to replace student attendance. Some members of staff use flipped classroom approaches to deliver course material and in these cases pre-recorded content is made available to students to review before the face-to-face teaching session. The university commits to seeing all students who seek mental health support within five days of their initial request, although a duty adviser can respond to urgent issues. There are support and guidance staff in each of the six academic schools to which students can turn, all of them trained mental health first aiders. Huddersfield's Global Professional Award programme, which students spend one hour a week on alongside their degree, includes workshops and assignments on wellbeing as one of its three strands to build resilience and encourage self-care, looking out for friends and reflective practice.
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Overview

Harper Adams is the leading university in the UK offering land-based (agriculture) courses. Set on a 494-hectare farm adjoining a campus in the Shropshire countryside, it offers a university experience unlike most others and is the highest ranked modern university in our league table. Where else can students join an off-roading club (cars, particularly 4x4s, being frowned upon on most other campuses) or enjoy field sports? The university farm contains dairy, beef and pig units, two flocks of sheep, poultry facilities and hectares of arable and grassland given over to research projects. Harper Adams' pre-eminence was confirmed in the latest funding announcement by the Office for Students when it was one of just 16 universities and colleges to be given world-leading specialist status - and the only one specialising in agriculture. High levels of student satisfaction help the university fare well in rankings such as ours. All courses come with a work placement year and there is an accent on preparing students for future employment and the advances technology is bringing to agriculture. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently praised Harper Adams as 'a fantastic example of the type of innovation and skills provision that we need in our agri-tech sector'. It is hard to disagree.

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Paying the bills

A record-breaking 564,000 was awarded in scholarships in 2023, with 136 students benefitting. The non-means-tested awards are often industry-sponsored or supported philanthropically, and they offer varying levels of support. Typical of what is on offer is the Helmut Claas Scholarship, sponsored by the combine harvester manufacturer and open to second-year engineering students, which offers a one-year paid work placement with the company in Germany together with up to 9,000 of bursary support, paid in 3,000 chunks in the years spent studying at Harper Adams. A small sum, paid via the Access to Learning Fund, is also available for students struggling to make ends meet. Accommodation on campus is among the cheapest in the country, with a small number of shared self-catered rooms priced at just over 3,000 for a 42-week contract. Even the most expensive self-catered ensuite rooms cost less than 5,200 a year with catered options also available, priced between 4,457 a year (for a shared room) and 6,877 a year (for an en-suite single room).

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What's new?

A programme of course revamps is under way benefitting the next three student intakes with a focus this year on food innovation, business management and mechanical engineering. Next September, new courses are expected to cover agriculture in combination with animal production science, crop production science, farm business management and farm technology. Other new options should include wildlife, conservation and ecology, and applied animal science with specialisms in companion animals, equine science, farmed animals and zoo animals. The courses are being developed with industry input to ensure they meet the global sustainability agenda, bridge current knowledge gaps and meet employers' needs. Typical of the innovation at Harper Adams is a unique drone short course developed with industry partner, AutoSpray Systems, which equips participants with the practical skills needed for drone-delivered crop spraying. The university has long been at the forefront of innovations to support precision and autonomous farming. Structural improvements on campus will see a 15m pathology facility developed to support research and teaching in animal science, agriculture and veterinary medicine, and nursing and physiotherapy, while the veterinary education centre has recently benefitted from 500,000 of upgrades.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Despite the crisis in student mental health, the university is one of few that require students to attend mandatory sessions covering wellbeing and mental health. These sessions share information on services available, which include counselling and occupational therapy. The university subscribes to a 24/7 student assistance programme that makes counselling available to students at any time of day. The university has made changes to its course delivery for all students, but with a particular focus on helping those from under-represented groups who classify as widening participation admissions. To this end, Harper Adams has moved away from closed book examinations as the default assessment method to open book assessments; blends teaching and digital learning resources through the offer of lecture notes and recording to allow students to review and revise content; and extends the induction process beyond freshers' week and into the pre-arrival stage and further into the first term. The university operates a contextual offer scheme that lowers the ask by one A-level grade or equivalent to care leavers and those who live in an area of disadvantage. The introduction of an Access to Ag4All scheme next year will remove the requirement for applicants to agriculture courses to have had ten weeks of practical work experience, opening courses up to more applicants from a non-farming background.
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Overview

The 'university for the common good' is how Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) brands itself, based on the founding principle incorporated into its coat of arms to be for 'the common weal'. It has more than 20,000 students split across three academic schools - business and society; health and life sciences; and computing, engineering and the built environment. GCU is one of the largest providers of health and life science education in Scotland; is one of only two places to study optometry in Scotland; and produces more building and surveying graduates than any other university in the UK. Its degree in risk management is unique. GCU is one of the leaders in delivering work-based education programmes, with more than 700 students following graduate apprenticeship programmes. The university has a diverse intake, with more than 40% being the first in their family to go to university. It recruits almost exclusively from Scotland, with just 55 students enrolling from elsewhere in the UK last year. Applications have been steady at around 20,000 a year for 4,000 places for the past five years.

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Paying the bills

The Common Good Award is paid to all students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland and consists of 6,000 in cashback bursary paid over three years and a tuition fee waiver in the fourth year (worth 9,250) to cover that extra year of study required for most degrees in Scotland. This effectively keeps the cost of a degree here at the same price as in the rest of the UK with 6,000 of help paying the bills thrown in for good measure. There are further Common Good Scholarships worth up to 5,000 per year of study for five UK students recruited from a widening participation (under-represented) background and half a dozen sponsored by Santander worth 1,250 per year. The university spent more than 2.1m on hardship support in 2021-22 and 1,240 students benefitted from support with IT costs during the pandemic. The relative lack of university rooms (just 654) is not the problem it might be, given GCU's recruitment of a heavily local student population. Prices are competitive at between 114 and 135 per week, which works out at 4,674 to 5,535 a year over a 41-week contract.

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What's new?

The focus of campus updates is on working towards the university's ambition to achieve net zero by 2040 while also improving the student experience, which will please green-minded applicants. A refurbishment of Caledonian Court, the university's student accommodation, should be complete by the time next year's intake arrives, and there are parallel programmes of work to upgrade classrooms and laboratories and the gym hall. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are also being renewed. GCU hopes to enhance its academic offering with the addition of a master of optometry with independent prescribing degree from September 2024, adding a new course in an area of considerable strength.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

All students are assigned a personal tutor when they begin their course, regardless of their background. However, for those admitted under widening participation and access initiatives, the provision is especially valuable in helping to develop personal, academic and professional skills over the course of their degree. Support, like teaching, is delivered via a hybrid model with the majority delivered in person on campus and the remainder online within the virtual learning environment. Bespoke support for students with particular issues is also offered, such as the possibility of all-year-round free student accommodation for care-experienced students. GCU is one of five universities in the UK to be awarded the Student Minds University Mental Health Charter Award, an accreditation scheme to recognise best practice. GCU's wellbeing service was the first in the UK to achieve autism accreditation from the National Autistic Society for its efforts to support neurodiverse students. About one in five entrants last September gained a contextual offer, reducing the ask by two Higher grades from the standard offer. Blended learning was the order of the day last year, with around 75% of lectures taking place in person and the balance taking the form of additional learning activities online. The university expects the 'vast majority' of classes to be delivered in person in the coming year.
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Overview

Split across three campuses, Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) is based on the west side of the Scottish capital. 'Helping people get the careers they love is what we do' is the promise the university makes to its students on its website, spelling out the strong jobs focus that applies to everything ENU does. The university supported 700 student start-ups between 2014 and 2021, 27% of the total for the whole of Scotland. It is one of the largest trainers of nurses and midwives and the only university to offer degrees in all four nursing disciplines - adult, child, mental health and learning disabilities. It also trains a lot of teachers, mostly through its postgraduate provision of five professional graduate diplomas in education covering English, maths, physics, chemistry and biology. However, its courses (and academic schools) have a much wider scope, spanning business, the arts and creative industries, applied sciences, and computing, engineering and the built environment. The university has enjoyed some of the better results in Scotland in recent years in the annual National Student Survey measuring satisfaction with teaching quality, student experience and student support. It was shortlisted by Times Higher Education for University of the Year in 2022.

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Paying the bills

For the 7% of students admitted to Napier who were resident outside Scotland, the university only charges three years of tuition fees, keeping the cost of a four-year degree here at the same price as elsewhere in the UK. Additionally, those students are eligible for an Access Bursary worth 2,000 a year for up to four years if they come from homes with an annual household income under 25,000, or 1,000 a year with up to 42,600 of household income. Care leavers also get support of up to 1,000 a year. Non-means-tested Merit Bursaries are paid to students who come to Napier with excellent results at school; these are worth 1,000 a year for each year of study for students achieving at least BBB at A-level (or equivalent). More than 300 students benefited from bursaries last year. Student accommodation costs more than at the University of Edinburgh, but still starts at a competitive 4,310 a year (110 a week for a 39-week contract) for a twin room, rising to just under 9,500 on a 50-week tenancy agreement for the most expensive studio flats.

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What's new?

Befitting a university with a strong focus on careers, Edinburgh Napier has a significant number of graduate apprenticeship programmes, with cybersecurity the latest to be added this month. It brings the number of options to eight; the others covering data science, IT management for business, software development, civil engineering, construction and the built environment, engineering (design and manufacture), and business management. There are more than 460 graduate apprentices studying here presently, but ENU expects that to expand to 650 by next September. A new BSc in the coming area of computer science (artificial intelligence) welcomes its first students to campus this month also. The university is promising further significant investment in learning and social facilities across its campuses in the coming years as part of its Project Vision strategic plan.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

About 30% of entrants last September benefitted from a contextual offer of between one and three Scottish Higher grades lower than they might have had otherwise. Edinburgh Napier is one of the most inclusive Scottish universities, with a high proportion of first generation students and significant numbers recruited from areas of high deprivation. Offer holders from under-represented backgrounds are invited to a special event - What's On Offer - ahead of joining the university to see the range of support services provided to help them succeed. Once they are enrolled, support continues throughout their time as a student and benefits include access to long term laptop loans. It also allows them to discuss current or predicted support requirements. Mental health is similarly prioritised with a team of counsellors, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) practitioners and mental health advisers on hand to offer assessments, short-term counselling, drop-ins, mindfulness and a programme of mental health workshops. As part of an eight-step enrolment process, students are all asked to complete online courses on consent, harassment and being an active bystander as part of the university's attempts to promote safety and inclusion on campus. A 'significant majority' of teaching delivery has now returned to in person, the university tells us, but some hybrid learning (mixing in person with online) remains in selected circumstances.
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Overview

The university's 16 undergraduate colleges dominate the small and beautiful cathedral city of Durham. Largely clustered in the city centre in and amongst Durham's oldest buildings (University College actually occupies Durham Castle) or in a more campus-like arrangement on a hillside just to the south, the university has grown considerably in recent years. Further colleges are planned. Unlike Oxbridge, Durham's colleges are essentially social rather than teaching groupings that break up what is now one of our larger universities into bitesize portions. Applications hit a new high last year with more than 34,000 seeking places, although the number admitted via Ucas (4,680) returned to pre-pandemic levels after the glut of admissions triggered by the inflated A-level grades of the Covid period. Although it no longer has a medical school (passed on to Newcastle University seven years ago), Durham offers degrees across the full range of subjects, and has academic strengths across the arts, sciences and social sciences. It is one of the most popular higher education destinations for the privately educated but has attracted significant recent philanthropic support to up its intake of local students from a region that has the lowest higher education participation rate in England.

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Paying the bills

Durham has some of the most expensive university accommodation in the UK, but it also has one of the most generous packages of financial help, with means-tested support for students from homes with a household income of up to 47,200. The collegiate structure means there is far more university accommodation on offer - more than 6,000 rooms for undergraduates - than in most institutions. Self-catered accommodation begins at 6,396 a year (164 a week on a 39-week contract), a rate exceeded only at a handful of mostly London universities, with catered college rooms priced from 9,156 per year. Private rents in the surrounding city are similarly high. However, the recently extended Durham Grant system now provides 2,500 a year for students from homes with less than 30,000 household income, with smaller grants of between 780 and 2,495 given to students where household incomes range from 30,001 to 47,200, a very high threshold for support. More than 3,500 students were given Durham Grants last year. There are many scholarships available also, worth more than 600,000 a year between them, including several targeting students recruited from the northeast, all paid to students from homes with household income of less than 42,875. Hardship support has been enhanced and includes breakfast clubs and an instant access hardship fund for students in acute need.

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What's new?

The university has ramped up its student support services, a reflection of the increased demand and complexity of needs that modern students present with, see details in Admissions, teaching and support, below. In line with the recent increases in student diversity at Durham, the university has established a dedicated programme - Aspire, Evolve and Advance - to provide career development opportunities, such as assistance in identifying and applying for work experience, for students who classify as widening participation admissions from under-represented groups. An Academic Skills Centre opens this month offering development opportunities in academic skills and writing, academic English language, maths and statistics, and digital skills. This will be delivered through courses, tutorials, drop-in sessions, online resources and through work with academic departments. Significant capital projects include a new business school, which is being developed in the heart of the city in premises that had been built as a new County Hall for Durham County Council, and a major refurbishment of the College of St Hild and St Bede will begin next September, with students moving out to modern, temporary accommodation just off the city centre.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Support for students comes from three sources: centrally through the university and more locally through both colleges and academic departments. The university's central Professional Support Services department looks after student mental health, disability support, student conduct and proactive student wellbeing. Students declaring a mental health issue before enrolling are contacted automatically prior to arrival. Each college has a student support office and operates a pastoral tutor system to give students a personal point of contact if problems arise. From this month, dedicated student support roles are being established in each department also, offering proactive and reactive assistance to students. A Transition to Higher Education online induction course that covers mental health was taken by 93% of last year's 6,000 student intake. The university has recently introduced bespoke support for autistic students, including an early arrival programme to help them orientate themselves with college and the wider university campus at a quieter time. The university uses contextual offers as part of its strategy to widen participation, the majority of offers being two A-level grades lower than the standard offer. About one in six home applicants received a contextual offer last year and around one quarter of UK undergraduates now enters through widening participation schemes.
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Overview

Once part of the University of St Andrews a few miles down the coast, Dundee has forged a formidable academic reputation of its own since 1967. Named the Scottish Higher Educational Institution of the Year by The Herald this summer, the university is a key driver of investment in the city and many students remain in the immediate area on graduation. It is estimated the university supports one in 12 jobs in the wider city, with an emphasis on areas of leading university specialism, such as biomedicine and the life sciences. The Tay Cities Biomedical Cluster Project aims to create 280 biomedical jobs over the next decade. The world of work is never far away from degree courses and research has a real-life focus, such as the recently announced study into the effects of passive vaping, which will be undertaken by experts at the universities of Dundee, Abertay and St Andrews. The university is largely based on a city centre campus, which has seen heavy recent investment, with outposts for medics at Ninewells Hospital on the outskirts and nursing and midwifery split between Dundee and Kirkcaldy, 30 miles apart. Scotland's sunniest city is also one of the cheapest in which to be a student; private rents are relatively low (Dundee is among the 100 cheapest places to rent in this year's Zoopla Rental Index) and there are plenty of social diversions in this city of two universities.

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Paying the bills

With no tuition fees for students resident in Scotland - who account for about 88% of Dundee's UK-based intake - most bursary and scholarship support is aimed at those recruited from the rest of Britain and internationally. The most eye-catching is an Academic Excellence bursary for non-medical students, who achieve at least AAB at A-level (or equivalent), which is worth 3,000 in each year of study. This represents a considerable saving on the cost of a degree and is not means-tested. If you don't achieve those grades, don't worry. So long as you get a (non-medical) place at Dundee and qualify as an RUK student, you will get a 2,000 Discover Dundee bursary in your first year only. A separate RUK (Rest of UK) bursary worth 2,000 in each year of study is open to students from households with less than 25,000 annual income. Accommodation is competitively priced. There are nearly 2,000 places and all first years are guaranteed a place if they apply by the deadline. Prices range from just under 6,000 a year for a 39-week contract to 7,400 for the highest-spec rooms.

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What's new?

With hardship support spending in excess of 1.2m, Dundee has worked closely with the Students' Association to ease financial pressure on students. Digital poverty has been alleviated through the provision of 150 laptops to students in financial difficulties, while free breakfasts and a campus pantry have been made available to tackle food poverty. A cluster of new computer science degrees is recruiting students for next September, offering industrial placements and specialisms in data science and artificial intelligence, and user experience and design. This month sees the first students enrol in seven new degrees with inbuilt years in industry in subjects including biochemistry, microbiology, molecular genetics, neuroscience and pharmacology.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

About one in six applicants qualified for a contextual offer last year, reducing standard Highers entry from AABB to BBBB. There are separate widening participation arrangements for medicine through Dundee's Gateway to Medicine programme, a one-year course in preparation for a full five-year medical degree, aimed at students with either the wrong qualifications or whose results have been impacted by disadvantage or personal circumstances. The university seeks to recruit 350 students each year from the 20% of postcodes considered to be the most disadvantaged - a challenging target for any university, more so for one like Dundee with its higher admissions requirements. Most courses are taught in person on campus with an emphasis on small group and practical teaching. However, some courses have been delivered with a mix of in person and online in recent times, where class sizes have been very large as a result of increased intakes during Covid. As part of looking after student mental health, Dundee runs a Switch service to help students access physical activities, volunteering and student societies, while Peer Connections operates a welcoming, buddying and mentoring scheme to help students settle into university life. An online induction module is compulsory for all students moving into university accommodation, covering health and safety, respect, consent and information about welfare support.
Anu Bradford at Project Syndicate:

In November, the United Kingdom will host a high-profile international summit on the governance of artificial intelligence. With the agenda and list of invitees still being finalized, the biggest decision facing UK officials is whether to invite China or host a more exclusive gathering for the G7 and other countries that want to safeguard liberal democracy as the foundation for a digital society.

The tradeoff is obvious. Any global approach to AI governance that excludes China is likely to have only a limited impact; but Chinas presence would inevitably change the agenda. No longer would the summit be able to address the problem of AI being used by governments for domestic surveillance  or any other controversial issue that is of concern to democratic governments.

Whatever the agenda, the summit is a prudent response to rapid and dramatic advances in AI that present both unprecedented opportunities and challenges for governments.

More here.
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Overview

Derby trades heavily on its strong links with business and industry, and its central geographic location which makes it not too far from anywhere. This mid-sized university is based on four sites in Derby - Kedleston Road is the mothership - with a further outpost in Chesterfield. Teaching is often conducted by industry practitioners with an accent on providing the hands-on skills students will need to thrive in the workplace after graduation. As well as being a significant provider of graduates into the public services (nursing, teaching and social work especially), the university offers a wide range of subjects including academic and more practical disciplines from computing to criminology, history to hospitality management, and music production to motorsport engineering. The university attracts consistently high scores for teaching quality in the annual National Student Survey. It recruits around three-quarters of its students from the East and West Midlands, with applications marginally up last year at close to 17,000, although down from a peak of 20,000 or so in 2015-16. Students rate highly their university experience in this small city of 250,000.

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Paying the bills

About a third of students benefit from the university's bursary scheme, which pays up to 1,000 (900 in cash and a 100 study resources e-card) to eligible students from households with less than 25,000 annual income, dropping to 600 for those from households with income between 25,001 and 36,592. The awards are made automatically based on information shared by students with the Student Loans Company. There are no non-means-tested scholarships offered beyond those for national- and international-standard athletes. The 2,000 places in university halls start at around 115 a week for a 42-week contract (4,830 a year). Prices have been frozen for the coming year in about 400 rooms with the maximum increase elsewhere pegged to 5%.

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What's new?

A Nuclear Skills Academy that opened last September is the first of its kind and establishes Derby as a centre of expertise for the nuclear industry. Developed in partnership with Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd, there are 200 apprentices in various disciplines studying there, selected from 1,200 applicants for the first intake. A nuclear scientist and nuclear engineer degree apprenticeship programme has been developed with RR aimed at engineers in the nuclear industry. Elsewhere on campus, work is under way for a new business school, due to open in 2025. The net zero carbon build will bring students and employers together in business engagement zones; there will also be a stock trading room and facilities for student and local entrepreneurs. A new 12m biomedical super-lab strengthens Derby's presence in this field of study, focusing on haematology, immunology and histopathology, among other areas.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Derby does not make contextual offers but achieves a high level of social inclusion on campus regardless, so much so that it was named University of the Year at the 2020 UK Social Mobility Awards. The university encourages applications from local schools, working with children from year 7 upwards to raise aspirations, and aiming to improve attainment by teaching independent learning skills to targeted groups of children in years 10 and 12. University teaching has reverted post-pandemic to full face-to-face delivery, except for courses designed to be online programmes. Lectures and training sessions are recorded, however, to allow students to review the content to support their learning, and also for revision. Students are encouraged to book appointments with academics if they require additional support. The university uses the TalkCampus mental health app, which provides 24/7 support to students; there are also mental health practitioners, counselling and key workers who monitor students and work with them where necessary on a one-to-one basis.
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Overview

De Montfort University (DMU) works, it says, 'to create an environment that focuses on health and wellbeing so that students can live a healthy, happy and productive life'. That ambition, expressed in the university's response to our survey, percolates through campus life and has manifested itself most recently through DMU's flipping of the traditional teaching model in favour of one where students complete their degrees one module at a time, rather than studying several modules simultaneously. Teaching, further study and assessment all take place within the seven-week teaching blocks, with two blocks in each semester. The initiative led to headlines this month about universities offering a 'three day week to let students find part-time work'. DMU's Embedding Mental Wellbeing team won the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence at last year's Advance HE university awards in recognition of its outstanding support network for students and staff. The university campus sits in the centre of Leicester, one of the UK's most diverse cities, and is home to more than 20,000 undergraduates, half of whom are drawn from the immediate region. It's a good time to apply: applications are down by more than 27% from their peak six years ago, but the number of students gaining places is just 6% lower.

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Paying the bills

Fewer students benefit from scholarships and bursaries at DMU than at other institutions, but the sums paid to the lucky recipients are significant. The Stephen Lawrence Professional Scholarship offers half-price tuition fees and a 3,500 cash bursary for each year of study. Named in honour of the black teenager murdered in south London in 1993, it is open to talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds studying architecture, journalism, law or law and criminal justice. There are three scholarships available. The Stoneygate Scholarship, also for three students, is worth 4,000 per year and is open to disadvantaged students from low-income homes who have overcome adversity in pursuit of their goals. There are also bursaries for care leavers and estranged students, with the possibility of a Unite Foundation Scholarship for free accommodation thrown in. Prices have been frozen this year on the cheapest student rooms on campus, with competitive prices starting at just under 3,900 for a 41-week contract.

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What's new?

Block format teaching is the latest innovation to hit campus - and it's gone down well with students, with more than 90% saying they enjoy the new format. Essentially, it means students take their degree one module at a time, rather than studying multiple modules simultaneously through the year. DMU is one of only a small number to teach in this way. Assessment for each seven-week module takes place during or immediately on completion of the block while the subject is fresh and students are still absorbed in it. It simplifies students' timetables, allows them to engage in a subject in depth and without other academic distraction, and offers the prospect of quicker assessment and feedback along the way. DMU believes Education 2030 also gives students a better study-life balance. Prof Katie Normington, DMU's vice-chancellor, said: 'The change allows for more compact timetables and this sits around students' lives better. A lot of students are working and have other responsibilities, and it makes the organisation of that easier.' The new arrangements will be a feature of most courses beginning this month. Two new degrees are added to DMU's course portfolio this month - fashion business, and history, politics and international relations, while a new Level 5 degree apprenticeship for operations and departmental managers will add further to the 600 apprentices already on campus.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

DMU has adopted contextual offers for the first time this year on some (but not all) courses. It has achieved good levels of social diversity on campus even without this mechanism: around half of students are the first in their family to go to university and virtually all are state educated. DMU's Transitions Team offer care packages for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to give them the best possible chance of success. Support is offered more widely to students through the careers team with the promise of guaranteed work experience and the prospect of placement years as part of many degrees. The Unitemps jobs agency - one of 17 on campuses around the UK - also helps place DMU students in temporary roles, which yielded more than 1.5m in earnings for students in 2020. All staff undertake mandatory training on all aspects of wellbeing, responding to students at risk and recognising safeguarding concerns, as part of the university's mental health package for students. The university has reverted to teaching all courses in person following the disruption caused by the pandemic. However, DMU Replay, the university's lecture capture facility, allows students to access and play back teaching through the virtual learning environment, helping to embed knowledge and clarify questions.
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Overview

Spread across three campuses in Kent and Surrey - Canterbury, Epsom and Farnham - UCA is home to around 7,700 full- and part-time undergraduates. The closure of its Rochester campus this month has seen the transfer of the limited number of degrees offered there to the remaining sites. UCA, one of seven arts specialist universities to feature in this guide, is stepping back from further education to focus on its degree provision, often delivered with the help of industry professionals. These practitioners also play a key part in UCA's outreach work in schools, colleges and areas of deprivation. The course portfolio spans the creative industries and there are several new degrees launched this year, which should further add to the university's appeal. The impressive list of notable alumni includes Dame Zandra Rhodes (a former chancellor of the university), Karen Millen, Tracey Emin and Stephen Webster.

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Paying the bills

About one in 20 UCA students received financial support from the university last year, mostly in the form of scholarship payments, which number 458 in all. They include UCA Ones to Watch and Future Style-makers scholarships, and also bespoke funding for care leavers and the Grenfell Tower Scholarship for Category A survivors of the fire disaster. A Financial Assistance Fund was boosted by 45% in the past year with enhanced payments made to students from under-represented groups with priority widening participation characteristics. UCA is one of a small number of universities to have frozen accommodation prices for the coming year. Rooms cost as little as 4,750 for a 38-week tenancy on the Farnham campus, so they were already competitively priced.

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What's new?

The university has rolled out a new academic plan across all undergraduate and postgraduate courses, which allows students to focus more on their specialist interests and broaden their creative horizons. There will be more cross-course collaboration in future and more engagement with industry, a crucial part of securing future openings in the creative industries upon graduation. Two new schools have opened in the past year, both on the Farnham campus: the School of Communications for courses in journalism, graphic design, illustration and user experience design; and the School of Games and Creative Technology, which includes a virtual production studio for UCA's growing portfolio of courses in this area. Next September, new facilities will open in Epsom, close to the existing campus, that will help further develop the centre's reputation for the study of fashion and textiles. At the same time, UCA is introducing several new degrees, including a BSc in automotive and transport design, and a BA in photo and digital journalism.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Most of UCA's creative courses require a portfolio as part of the application process, which is considered alongside academic qualifications. This gives a more holistic view of these applicants, while there is also the opportunity to take into account their educational background and circumstances. There is no systemic application of contextual offers, but UCA uses strong portfolios and auditions as well as mitigating circumstances to reduce offers in individual instances. It runs a Starting Strong induction programme, which includes additional support for students from under-represented backgrounds. Post-pandemic, only a small number of courses continue to be taught in hybrid form in response to specific student needs. The vast majority of teaching takes place face-to-face and the university monitors attendance, contacting students who are not fully engaging. All students have a personal academic tutor with whom they can discuss concerns. The three campuses set in small towns and cities lend themselves to creating small, supportive academic communities, with strong bonds between students and staff. All university staff undertake a mental health training module. There is a wellbeing and counselling service and students are encouraged to manage their mental health and wellbeing through apps such as MyWellbeing and Togetherall. Unacceptable behaviour can be logged through UCA's Report+Support online platform. The student induction programme includes several e-learning modules covering safeguarding, consent, bystander intervention and mental health.
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Overview

Situated next to the square mile of the City of London, the university has always set its students' eyes on what life could hold after university. The past year has seen that principle enshrined in City's new Career Activation Programme, which now forms part of every degree. City markets itself as the university of business, practice and the professions. Founded nearly 130 years ago, it is split into six academic schools: policy and global affairs, science and technology, law, business, communication and creativity, and health and psychological sciences. It supplies thousands of graduates each year into the key London professions of law, business and finance, healthcare and the media, and is a consistent high performer in measurements of graduate outcomes. City became part of the University of London in 2016 and, seven years on, is enjoying both record applications and record admissions. Last year's intake of around 5,000 undergraduates was up more than 20% on the previous record set in 2021.

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Paying the bills

About 1,000 students benefit from bursaries, scholarships and hardship support. Some of the sums awarded are eye-catching, such as the Lord Mayor of London Scholarship which earns 30 UK students a 50% discount (worth 4,625) on their first-year tuition fees. Applicants have to show they are expected to achieve above their offer grades, write a 500-word statement on how they hope to make a contribution to the wider City community during their studies, and be willing to act as ambassadors for the university. The Bayes Undergraduate Scholarship for Black British Students makes ten awards a year to UK-domiciled students of black ethnicity from below average income households. These cover all tuition fees for three years together with a 6,000 award towards living costs. The main means-tested award, the City Education Grant, is worth 1,500 per year for three years, but is only paid to students whose family income is assessed as zero. In addition, more than 320,000 has been awarded to students in hardship support in the past year. The university endorses 900 student rooms run by a private operator with rents pitched at a reasonable level for London, starting from 6,435 to 9,280 for contracts that run for 39 or 40 weeks.

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What's new?

A merger with fellow University of London institution, St George's, is under discussion, which would add a medical school and a raft of health-related degrees to the present City portfolio. A Career Activation Programme (CAP) is now embedded into all undergraduate degrees. This means all degrees will have a career-focused module and professional experience as part of their courses, which will carry credits towards their final degree outcome. It sees the offer to all students of professional experience (which could be anything from working on an industry project, a four-week micro placement or work on a social or community action project) and career support as a means of levelling the playing field in an institution with a high number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Last October, the City Law School launched the City Community Legal Advice Centre, designed to widen public access to justice and provide City students with the opportunity to undertake pro bono legal work, experiencing law beyond the classroom and gaining valuable practical skills. Other new developments include the opening this month of the UK's largest augmented reality/virtual reality design learning centre. Three new media degrees launch next September in media and communications, media production, and communication, PR and advertising.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

City has expanded its contextual offer scheme, only introduced last year, to all academic schools and virtually all courses. To qualify, students must either be care leavers or the first in their family to go to university. It is expected the scheme will expand to include those living in deprived areas or attending low-attaining secondary schools. The contextual offer drops the normal ask by two grades. Students recruited through widening participation initiatives benefit from the City Buddies scheme of mentoring by second- and third-year students during their first term. Targeted welfare support is available in each of the academic schools and there is digital education support and a laptop loan scheme to ensure all students have the equipment they need to study. All course modules have a presence in City's virtual learning environment. City commits to delivering learning and teaching in a mixed-mode format, both on-campus and online with the expectation that the majority of teaching will take place face to face. The precise balance will vary from course to course. Student Health and Wellbeing staff are split into four teams covering student health and wellbeing engagement, mental health, counselling, and disability and neurodiversity. They work with academic schools and other support services to guide students towards help available internally and externally.
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Overview

Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has one of the most diverse student populations of any university, who are well supported financially and academically. It wins our University of the Year for Student Support award. Virtually all students are state educated and around half are the first in their immediate family to attend university. In appointing broadcaster and host of The Repair Shop, Jay Blades, as its first ever chancellor, BNU has chosen someone who embodies the ethos of the university. Although he studied criminology and philosophy as a mature student from 2001, his success as a furniture restorer speaks to one of BNU's specialist subject areas; it has launched a new BA in furniture design, and Blades will work with the university to create new furniture-related courses and bespoke facilities as part of a 15.9m development programme on BNU's main High Wycombe campus. Among other niche degrees for which BNU is renowned is a BSc in aviation management with pilot training, which sees students leave with both a degree and a frozen commercial Airline Transport Pilot's Licence (with just the flying hours to complete to qualify as a commercial pilot). Highfliers, indeed.

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Paying the bills

With student accommodation prices frozen at pre-pandemic levels and beginning at less than 3,500 per year (in south-east England to boot) and an innovative package of financial support, BNU offers university on a budget to its 18,000 undergraduates. In response to the cost of living crisis, the university has bankrolled 30% off menu prices in students' union catering outlets, one of the more practical ways of keeping money in students' pockets. The university library was kept open and fully heated 24/7 last Christmas, while also offering free soup, hot drinks and snacks to students. Just under 100 students received payments of up to 2,500 from the university's hardship fund, while BNU Student Success Bursaries of up to 1,000 per year are given to students from low-income families or areas of high deprivation or low university participation. More than 1,200 students also received an award of 120 last year to be spent in the university's online store on course resources. It all adds up to 53% of undergraduates getting some form of financial support from the university, a figure BNU expects will increase.

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What's new?

BNU has the second highest proportion of students following degree and higher-level apprenticeship programmes of any English university. There are 1,300 students on multiple courses at degree level and higher level 5, 6 and 7 linked to more than 100 employers, including British Airways, Sky, Transport for London, Thames Valley Police and several NHS Trusts and local authorities. A new level 7 option in digital technology solutions and a degree apprenticeship in occupational therapy are the latest additions to the portfolio. Degree options are constantly evolving; a suite of engineering degrees, including engineering design and electrical and electronic engineering, both with a foundation year, civil engineering and building and construction engineering, all take their first students next September. This month sees the launch of new degrees in animatronics design, and SFX props and modelmaking for film and television. Opportunity modules are being embedded in the university's degree programmes from this month, giving students the chance to tailor their courses to include study of specialist areas of personal interest. The main High Wycombe campus has undergone an extensive upgrade, creating more green spaces for students to study and socialise in, improved workshop spaces and equipment for the numerous practical skills-based courses, and a revamped student hub.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Contextual offers allow BNU to offer university to the widest possible audience, with adjustments of anything from 8 Ucas tariff points (one grade at A-level) to 48 points (six grades at A-level) for those who have overcome extreme challenges in their education. Around 36% of admissions last year qualified for contextual adjustment; this included first generation students, those from deprived areas and students with disabilities, among others. When they arrive at BNU, there are safety nets in place to give them the maximum chance of success. Counselling, wellbeing and safeguarding support is offered to students facing mental health issues. All students have access to the TogetherAll app to help with a range of life skills, while academic staff take mandatory e-learning modules in recognising and acting upon students showing signs of mental distress. There are buddying and peer support schemes for students admitted under widening participation initiatives.
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Overview

One of the 24-strong Russell Group of research-intensive universities, Bristol has long been a popular choice for pupils in both state and independent schools. There is intense competition for places across most courses and its students are among the most sought after by top graduate employers - Bristol came fourth in this year's Graduate Market report, conducted by High Fliers Research. Bristol is a young city with two universities, meaning students are well served socially both on-campus and off. The visually attractive university precinct in Clifton, with the iconic Wills Memorial Building at its heart, dominates an area just off the city centre, and student livers-out have colonised Redlands next door. Entry standards are high, although the university was a pioneer of contextual offers, which can be two grades lower than the standard offer for students who tick a widening participation box (for being among groups under-represented on campus). There is plenty of additional financial support for students and the university has implemented strong mental health and wellbeing protocols after a spate of suicides five years ago. The university should be applauded for being among the tiny number to have compulsory induction sessions covering consent, drugs and alcohol, racial, sexual and social tolerance, and being an active bystander.

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Paying the bills

Around 4,600 students benefited this year from University of Bristol bursaries ranging from 520 a year (for students from households with income up to 42,875) rising to 2,060 a year (where household income was under 25,000). There are even more generous schemes for local students and those who have completed an access course. Not all awards are means-tested. For instance, the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships, worth up to 3,000, are awarded for exceptional talent in music, sport or drama. Hardship funds have been boosted from 600,000 to more than 1m in response to the current cost of living crisis, with decisions on funding mostly made within two days; 2,000 students living in private accommodation from homes with a household income of less than 25,000 received a one-off 100 payment last January. Self-catered university accommodation begins at just under 4,000 for the upcoming academic year, rising to more than 11,500 for catered accommodation on a 42-week tenancy. That there are two universities in Bristol ensures an abundance of private rental accommodation once students move out into the city after their first year.

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What's new?

The big capital project at the heart of university development is the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which is due to open in 2026. The 500m development will focus on digital, business and social innovation and bring together academics, students, business and other partners, as well as the local community. The university does not offer degree apprenticeships, but its portfolio of courses sees several new additions this month. A year in industry has been added to the full suite of six engineering degrees, and several new business and management degree specialist options have been added covering decision science, financial management, management consulting, governance, digital business, and human resource management and work futures. Three new engineering design degrees are also launched with or without a year in industry at bachelors level, plus a four-year masters programme.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Impacted more than most institutions by student suicides over the past decade (11 Bristol students died between 2016 and 2018), Bristol has responded by putting mental health and wellbeing 'at the heart of decision-making across the university'. This translates into more than just the usual counselling and mental health services that universities now routinely offer and includes a student opt-in that allows the university to contact a designated parent, guardian or friend in the event of serious concerns about their wellbeing. Students are given this option when they join the university and again at the start of each subsequent academic year. It was the first scheme of its kind at a UK university when it was introduced in 2018. All members of staff are offered online as well as face-to-face mental health awareness training. Students are encouraged to take a credit-bearing Science of Happiness module, run by the School of Psychological Science, as part of their studies, and Bristol is now one of just five to hold the new University Mental Health Charter Award. There is additional support offered to students admitted under widening participation arrangements. The university was one of the first in the Russell Group to embrace contextual offers, which are made across all degree programmes, and can result in a reduction of up to two grades compared to standard entry requirements. A third of Bristol's intake of UK-based undergraduates in September 2022 received a contextual offer.
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Overview

Applications and admissions at Bolton are soaring. One of the smaller universities in this guide, it serves its immediate area and the wider North West region (from which four-fifths of its students hail) with distinction. With applications pushing 9,000 for admission last September - a 20% rise on the previous year - Bolton hit a new record, and broke another with admissions rising above 2,000 for the first time. The opening of the Bolton College of Medical Sciences next year will considerably enhance the university's healthcare offering, already one of its strongest suits. It will provide a gateway into healthcare for students at all levels, offering skills-based learning in a live hospital environment at the Royal Bolton Hospital. The university has more niche degree offerings covering special effects and motorsport engineering. Although around one in seven fail to complete their courses, this is partly a reflection of the shot at higher education that Bolton gives to students who might not get the chance elsewhere. The university has scored consistently highly in recent National Student Surveys, indicating a high degree of satisfaction on campus with what Bolton has to offer.

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Paying the bills

Bolton provides a compact range of non-means-tested support to military service veterans (500 per academic year to a maximum of 1,500), care-experienced students (1,000 per year to a maximum of 3,000) and those progressing to Bolton from one of the university's partner schools and colleges (Bolton College, Bolton University Collegiate School and Alliance Learning) who get 500 per year for a maximum of three years. Those in hardship can seek support from the Bolton Student Support Fund, which can pay out up to 3,000 to a full-time undergraduate, dependent on circumstances. The university does not own or manage any student accommodation but endorses rooms in the Orlando Student Village. There are just under 400 available. Although the weekly prices are reasonable, ranging from 135 to 145, the long tenancy contract of 47 weeks pushes the annual cost to between 6,345 and 6,815 per year, putting the minimum fee well above the level seen in the vast majority of universities.

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What's new?

The Bolton College of Medical Sciences is due to open in time for September 2024 entry. The facility will be based at the Royal Bolton Hospital and is a partnership between the university, Bolton College, Bolton Council and the local NHS Trust. It will offer a direct entry route into healthcare careers including nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and nutrition, and will provide opportunities for learners from the age of 16 right up to existing professionals and practitioners who want to upskill. Courses will be co-delivered and assessed by clinicians at the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, ensuring learners have the skills necessary to move seamlessly into clinical roles on completion of their courses. Several new degree options will be introduced from next September, including four BSc computer science degrees with and without foundation and placement years; a BSc in artificial intelligence with or without a foundation year; a BSc in virtual, augmented and mixed realities; a BA or BSc in user experience and user interface design with or without a foundation year; and a BSc in renewable energy engineering.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

The Life Lounge, based on the main campus of the university, is the focus of Bolton's mental health and wellbeing provision. It offers counselling, a cognitive behavioural therapy clinic, and the services of mental health advisers to support students with severe or enduring needs. The advisers also work closely with students who have disclosed needs to the university on application or during their studies, so that adjustments can be put in place to help them progress and achieve academically. The university does not make contextual offers to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it tells us it has a "holistic programme of support and initiatives to help all our students to reach higher education, succeed during their time with us, and go on to find graduate-level roles". Bolton's teaching delivery model post-pandemic is called Campus Plus, which takes the form of predominantly in-person delivery with some online lectures and resources to support that.
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Overview

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has a true regional footprint in a part of the country that has few universities. Headquartered in Chelmsford, there are further campuses in Cambridge (remind me, isn't there another university there?) and now in Peterborough. It is one of the recent generation of modern universities created since 1992, but can trace its origins back to the Cambridge School of Art, opened by patron and philanthropist John Ruskin in 1858. Today, its course profile is far wider, with a heavy accent on imparting the skills needed for the workplace; graduates ranked ARU in the top 15% in the country for using what they had learnt in their studies at work. It is the largest provider of nursing, midwifery, and health and social care students in England, and the Chelmsford campus is home to the medical school, one of just eight attached to modern universities. There is also a high-profile and well-respected business school, named after the university's best-known benefactor and former chancellor, Lord Ashcroft, the prominent businessman and Tory Party donor. The opening of ARU Peterborough in September last year brought a string of employment-focused degree courses and apprenticeships to a city ranked in the bottom 10% in the UK for skills levels. With a curriculum designed to meet local economic needs, ARU hopes to have 12,500 students studying there by 2030.

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Paying the bills

Just under half (46%) of ARU's students received means-tested financial support from the university in the 2021-22 intake. The main ARU Bursary is smaller than most but paid to many; worth up to 300 a year for students from homes with a household income of less than 25,000, and 200 for those from homes with a household income of 25,001 to 42,875. There are separate one-off payments, such as 400 from the Digital Support Fund to help students from homes with a household income of less than 25,000 to purchase a laptop. Merit Scholarships for new students are generous both in terms of the sum awarded (1,000 off tuition fees in the first year) and the grades required to be eligible (BBB at A-level or equivalent). They are paid automatically in the first year with no need to apply for them. Accommodation costs are reasonable for the south-east of England. Although one twin room had an annual contract price of 4,596 last year, more typically university rooms cost from 5,800 to 6,800 for a 40-week academic year, with the top-priced rooms hitting 8,000.

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New degree apprenticeships run by ARU from this month include environmental practitioner, electromechanical engineer and supply chain leadership. Already one of the larger trainers of degree apprentices, this will help boost further the number on campus from the present 2,640. There are six new BScs ranging from events management to cyber security and forensic computing, from computer networking to integrated health and social care. Among three new integrated masters programmes is an MSc in public health promotion. ARU is well known for its hands-on approach to higher education and is adding new spaces to its Law Clinic on the Cambridge campus, where students work with legal professionals and agencies to provide free legal advice to the local community. Campus upgrades at Cambridge and Chelmsford have concentrated on social areas and catering outlets in the past year, with some upgrading of classrooms and social learning spaces also undertaken.

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ARU was ranked No 1 in the UK for health and wellbeing in a league published by Times Higher Education last year. The university scored well in several survey areas, including collaboration and health services. Among the more innovative approaches to tackling mental health issues, ARU's counselling and wellbeing service has produced a series of podcasts with students looking at key areas of mental health. The university trains and employs students to work as peer wellbeing mentors, running a range of social activities and leading campaigns. Most of ARU's 31,000 students are drawn from under-represented groups with about one in five students winning a place with a contextual offer, for which there are no set rules surrounding grade or points reductions. Some contextual offers are unconditional, and it is worth noting that under ARU's widening access to medicine policy, eligible students get offers set at ABB at A-level or equivalent rather than the standard AAA. More than 95% of teaching is delivered face-to-face with some supporting lessons, such as supervisions, taught online. The university says that the roughly 5% of courses delivered via hybrid teaching are only taught this way because students and staff find it a preferable approach.
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Overview

Abertay is one of the great success stories of the British university sector. Celebrating its 30th anniversary as a university in 2024 (but with a history going back to 1888 as the Dundee Institute of Technology), the university has forged a specialism in computing, gaming and cybersecurity that has put it and the city of Dundee on the map as a centre of global excellence. Dundee-born Dave Jones, the creator of the gaming smash Grand Theft Auto, was instrumental in setting up the world's first computer gaming degree at Abertay in 1997. Less than a decade later came another world-first with the launch of a degree in ethical hacking. A tight portfolio of just 45 undergraduate degrees - with computing, gaming, food and nutrition, sport and psychology at the fore - keeps the university focused on what it does best. Students have scored the university consistently highly in the annual National Student Survey and it has an excellent track record for social inclusion.

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Paying the bills

In a small university, the distribution of around 950,000 in student financial support goes a long way. More than 810,000 of that sum was given in hardship awards in the past year, with around 6% of students benefiting - a level the university expects to increase. There are just under 40 scholarship options available, some subject- and year-specific, others more widely available, such as the bursary for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland open to all applicants from homes with an income of under 34,000 a year, and worth 1,750 for each year of study. There is no university-owned accommodation, so all students live in the private sector, either in dedicated student accommodation blocks or in houses in the wider city. Dundee is among the cheaper places in which to rent, but many students are local and live at home. The "Abertaysty" initiative provides free fresh food to students two days a week, and the university offers emergency food vouchers for those in crisis.

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In response to demand in the film and games industries for high-level expertise in graphics programming, content creation and artificial intelligence, Abertay is introducing MSc courses in technical art and visual effects, and artificial intelligence and user experience. These will be delivered by the School of Design and Informatics and build on Abertay's long-established reputation in gaming technology. Through new facilities and industry partnerships supporting cutting-edge developments for virtual production and immersive experiences, the ambition is to add this emerging area to others in related fields where Abertay is already a national and international centre of excellence. The university has embraced the shift to digital learning more than most and launched over the summer a suite of new masters programmes, delivered fully online. New Abertay online courses include an MBA with data analytics and MBA with project management.

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One in seven students come to Abertay after receiving a contextual offer, typically one that requires three Higher passes, rather than the standard offer of four. So, a standard offer of AABB at Higher might be reduced to BBB contextually. The qualification criteria for these offers are broad and include all first generation students, those living in the most deprived areas or going to schools with low progression to higher education, and those whose education has been severely disrupted. Given their relatively large numbers, the university is better equipped than most to support these students. It runs a peer mentoring programme connecting vulnerable students to those who may have overcome similar challenges, and there is a "student success officer" in each academic school who will engage with students experiencing difficulties to help them navigate university life and continue their studies. All courses now have an element of online learning, but the exact balance between in-person and online varies between them. Lectures are more often delivered online, with students encouraged to attend classes on campus that cover skills development, team working and laboratory work. Dundee is the sunniest city in Scotland and well placed for the coast and mountains of the great outdoors. For city-lovers, there is a compact campus with all the main buildings and facilities within a quarter of a mile of one another and a lively arts and nightlife scene.
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Overview

Bath Spa occupies three principal sites in and just outside of this tourist city, headquartered at Newton Park with its glorious grounds landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century. Amongst all the history, the campus is home to outstanding digital and studio resources for its students, who largely follow a broad liberal arts curriculum, with business, computing, teacher training and some science offerings also available. The Michael Tippett Centre, housing the university theatre and concert hall, is also located at Newton Park, which lies four miles outside of Bath. The design school and school of art, film and media are both centrally located in Bath in an iconic building on the banks of the River Avon at the Locksbrook campus. More creative types are found following textile-based courses at Sion Hill, in the Lansdown district of the city, and there are a number of smaller outposts. The university is one of three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, giving students full access to the latest suites of Adobe software for project work and helping them gain digital fluency. As a balance to all this creativity, Bath Spa has opened a new campus in London which focuses solely on business, and health and social care management degrees, adding hugely to overall student numbers.

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Paying the bills

Targeted financial support benefits students drawn from the 40% of postcodes with the lowest participation rates in higher education and those who achieve outstanding academic results at school. A 4,000 bursary (with three annual split payments of 1,250 in years 1 and 2 and 1,500 in year 3) is paid to UK students who meet the postcode criteria and come from homes with less than 15,000 annual income. Students from homes with income up to 42,875 get support worth 2,500, also paid across three years. Bath Spa's Undergraduate Scholarship is worth 500 in the first year to all students who achieve AAB at A-level (or equivalent) or who achieve better than their predicted grades. There are several other scholarships on offer, among them a number for high performance sport, and overall about one in eight students benefit from some form of funding assistance. Last September, the university reintroduced its Laptop Fund to help students with computer costs. University residential accommodation includes some of the cheapest (3,003 for a 39-week contract) and most expensive (14,280 for a 51-week contract) in the UK. Something to suit every pocket.

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The opening of BSU London, on a new campus in uber-fashionable Hoxton, has transformed the application and admission figures for the university. Admissions last September were up more than 130% on the previous year to a new record of more than 5,100. The campus offers a tight portfolio of just five undergraduate degrees, all of which are available with or without a foundation year. Four business BA degrees in business and management, with specialisms in international business, marketing or tourism management, are complemented by a BSc in health and social care management. In awarding Bath Spa the Social Enterprise Gold Mark in 2022 (making it just the fifth university to receive the gong), judges praised it for providing employment opportunities for its students as well as linking students to the needs and opportunities within the local economy. The university is also proud of its record on sustainability, ranking 18th in the UK in the latest People and Planet university ranking, which rates universities on their environmental and ethical performance.

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Bath Spa is a medium-tariff university. With the standard offer across most courses coming in at around BBC at A-level or equivalent, there is less need for contextual offer making than at higher tariff institutions, so no formal system exists. "We always show flexibility if someone falls short of their offer," the university tells us, "and take a holistic view of their circumstances and background [when] making a final decision." Outreach programmes target schools from primary age to sixth form, as well as communities in areas where progression to higher education is low. While no course modules are taught entirely online (unless it has been designed as distance learning provision), the university is continuing to deliver some teaching online post-pandemic where, the university believes, it works well for large groups. However, all seminars and workshops are in person. The university offers a number of student support options through mental health advisers, disability and access advisers, wellbeing staff, the chaplaincy and the university medical service. There is even canine support offered through Bath Spa's nine accredited care dogs that students can spend time with at wellbeing events and drop-in sessions. A report and support mechanism is provided by Culture Shift Ltd that allows members of the university community to report anything that has made them feel uncomfortable. Bath Spa is one of a small number of universities to require all new students to undertake a mandatory session on consent, being an active bystander, sexual violence, harassment and misconduct.
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Overview

The University of the Arts London (UAL) is a collection of six of the most prestigious arts colleges in the world. It recruits on a global scale and its list of alumni reads like a Who's Who of the creative industries, from illustrator Quentin Blake to Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine. Chancellor of the university, Sir Grayson Perry, embodies the spirit of the institution. More than half of Turner Prize winners are UAL alumni, and the end-of-year shows are an annual highlight and well-recognised recruiting ground for anyone seeking the brightest new designers, artists and creatives. The six colleges comprise Central Saint Martins, London School of Fashion, Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, Wimbledon College of Arts and London College of Communication (LCC). Geographically spread across the capital, the colleges retain their distinct specialisms after coming together to form UAL in 2004. The university opens its doors to students from the widest range of backgrounds; more than 40% of entrants last year had a contextual admissions flag.

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Paying the bills

The total spend on student financial support in the past year tops 8m. All students eligible for the maximum student maintenance loan receive a UAL Bursary of 1,200 for each year of study, and hardship fund awards have more than doubled in size recently, and now range from 500 to 5,000 or more; these are open to UK and international students in extreme financial need. UK students accounted for 2,800 of the 3,350 students given financial support last year. This generous level of support is needed as the costs of studying in the capital are not cheap. UAL's 3,770 places in student accommodation are split among five nominated halls and nine UAL-managed halls across London. Prices range from around 8,000 a year (around 190 a week for a 42-week contract) for standard rooms with shared bathrooms in Cordwainers Court and Cedars Hall right up to 24,500 (490 per week for a 50-week contract) for a studio apartment in Wigram House. London offers better student employment prospects - particularly in hospitality - than any other city, while the university actively assists students to find paid work on campus and externally in the arts and creative industries through its innovative UAL Arts Temps recruitment agency. The agency manages more than 9,000 jobs per year and also directs students towards internships, volunteering opportunities and industry.

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Even in one of the world's most prestigious arts universities, the long arm of computing is increasingly present. Three new BSc degrees begin this month in UAL's Creative Computing Institute - covering creative robotics, computer science, and data science and artificial intelligence. The LCC is introducing a new degree in computer animation and visual effects, as well as BAs in commercial photography and design for climate justice. UAL's campuses have been transformed in the past decade, chiefly by the opening of the swanky King's Cross campus for Central Saint Martins, which lies at the heart of the regeneration of this inner city area. The London College of Fashion moves into its new campus at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford this month, where it will form the centrepiece of the burgeoning East Bank arts quarter that will also involve Sadler's Wells, BBC Music Studios and an east London outpost for the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

Diversity and inclusiveness are embraced across the university; UAL works hard to ensure its courses are open to all who might benefit from them. Its UAL Insights outreach programme is open to London-based would-be students aged 16 and over if they live in a priority postcode area, are a first generation student, or come from a household in receipt of benefits. The programme is designed to support students from disadvantaged areas or under-represented groups through to university application and admission. Pre-16 programmes include four National Saturday Club schemes in the capital for students in the first year of GCSE. For those who gain a place, most courses now have an online element to them with supporting materials shared via Moodle. The university is happy for students to attend lectures or teaching remotely where they are available online, and has added seven low-residency courses to its roster for those who prefer a more online student experience. While there is no compulsory session on mental health as part of induction week, UAL works hard to support students through in-person and online counselling, health advice and chaplaincy. It offers 15-20-minute drop-in sessions on campus staffed by trained professionals for students to raise concerns about their mental health as part of a 4.9m package of mental health and welfare support.
Others, including Nestle and Microsoft, were more transparent on 'green' efforts

Firms including Ford, IBM and Costco report funding 'ecosystem restoration' initiatives - but fail to report results or money spent to shareholders or the public

Hundreds of large multinational corporations are 'talking the talk' on environmental stewardship, promising to help restore ecosystems pillaged in the pursuit of profit.

But only a select few  less than 10 percent  have come close to proving their firm actually 'walks the walk' by issuing detailed reports to shareholders and the public.

A new report has found that one third out of the 100 those corporate filings studied failed to disclose the size of their 'ecosystem restoration' projects and nearly 80 percent provided no hard financial data on their company's conservation efforts.

Some ostensibly ecofriendly multinationals, including BP, Apple and Johnson & Johnson, were especially quiet on the details of their environmental contributions, when they had such eco-programs at all.

While a few companies, including Nestle, Microsoft and General Electric, were much more forthcoming with details in their annual reports, researchers found those companies were outliers.

A full 90 percent of the companies, all selected from the 2021 Forbes Global 500 list, failed to issue a public report on even just one ecological outcome, whether to tout a success or admit a failure.

The lack of transparency opens many of these giant firms to accusations of 'greenwashing'  a public relations gambit undertaken by notorious corporate polluters in an effort to sanitize their image more than any part of nature.

A new report in Science focused on sustainability reports published by 100 companies from the 2021 Forbes Global 500 list. Some ostensibly ecofriendly firms, like BP, Apple and Johnson & Johnson, were quiet on the details, when they had such eco-programs at all

But a few companies, including Nestle, Microsoft and General Electric, were much more forthcoming with details in their annual reports, researchers found

The statistics comes from a new report conducted by scientists collaborating across multiple universities in the US, UK and Europe, published Thursday in Science.

As noted by the report's lead author, marine biologist Tim Lamont, each of the company's environmental restoration projects, however the quality or the sincerity, were volunteer efforts that went beyond their legal obligations.

'We found that corporate reporting is currently under-performing and needs improving, yes,' Lamont told the DailyMail.com.

'But we also found that two-thirds of the worlds biggest businesses are trying to restore ecosystems, which is encouraging.'

Even the most conscientious and transparent corporate actors, as identified by the team's analysis, however, had room for improvement.

Nestle and Microsoft, for example, both earned high marks for producing reports that included information on the ecological outcomes of their projects and updates on their efforts to monitor the success or failure of their eco-restoration work.

But neither disclosed any financial information, such as the total budget of their green projects or the line-by-line costs of their efforts to restore once pristine wilderness to its natural state.

'No business reported perfectly across the board,' Lamont, told the DailyMail.com.

Lamont, whose focus is coral reef ecology and restoration at Lancaster University, along with his colleagues at Cambridge, Northern Illinois University and elsewhere, focused on several key reporting principles while reviewing the corporate reports.

The key questions were: Did a company report the total acreage reforested by its effort to plant trees? Did the company specify what region of land or marine ecosystem the project would focus on?

'No single business reported in adherence with all of the principles,' Lamont noted, 'but all principles were reported on by at least one business.'

Several big name companies, however, failed to tick off quite a few boxes.

Even very transparent eco-defenders, like Nestle and Microsoft, failed to disclose any financial information, such as the total budget of their green projects or the line-by-line costs of efforts to restore once pristine wilderness to its natural state. Above damaged coral in Indonesia

Key questions too frequently went unanswered in the corporations' reports: Was was the total acreage reforested by its effort to plant trees? Did the company specify what region of land or marine ecosystem the project would focus on? Above deforestation in Trinidad and Tobago

Costco Wholesale, Ford Motor, IBM and BP all neglected to report the geographic scope and financial budget of their purported ecosystem revitalization work, failing to report also any positive or negative results of any monitoring for results.

Even tech giant Apple, with its feel good public image, public climate goals and funding accelerators for environmental innovation, failed to report the acreage of its restoration or conduct any publicly reported ecosystem monitoring of its success.

Worse still, all 100 of the 2021 Forbes Global 500 company's Lamont and his peers studies failed to report the local human and economic impacts of their programs on populations living and around the regions to be restored and made wild again.

Overall, heal healthcare firms proved to be especially disinterested in funding ecological programs.

None of the majors like Johnson & Johnson, Cigna, and CVS Health even had a program to restore despoiled ecosystems at all.

'Energy and materials businesses may be most involved with restoration because they have obvious direct impacts on the environment that they are trying to account for,' Lamont told the DailyMail.com, although he admitted he could only speculate.

'The opposite may be true for healthcare businesses, but we can't be sure. We only directly evaluated reporting in this paper, not motives or goals.'

Despite these criticisms, and the questions they beg about corporate 'greenwashing' and insincere PR, Lamont is encouraged by the fact that large companies are voluntarily funding efforts to revive forests, coral reefs and other ecosystems in the first place.

'With some improvements to the way they report, big businesses could be a real force for good in this field, and make a big positive impact to the challenge of restoring the world's degraded ecosystems,' he said.

'This potential promise is important, and gives us motivation to get this right.'
Manchester United star Antony has been hit with fresh allegations of violent behaviour from two more women.

The 23-year-old Brazil international has already been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin on four occasions, which is being investigated by police in Sao Paulo and Manchester. Antony has denied any wrongdoing.

On Thursday, another two women in Brazil came forward to level accusations against Uniteds 85million winger.

Law student Rayssa de Freitas claims that she needed hospital treatment following an incident in May of last year when she was attacked by Antony and Mallu Ohana  the ex-wife of Brazil player Dudu  in Antonys Land Rover after the three left a Sao Paulo nightclub.

Ingrid Lana, a 33-year-old banker, has alleged in an interview with Record TV in Brazil that Antony was aggressive towards her in October.

Antony has been hit with fresh allegations of violent behaviour from two more women

The DJ and influencer Gabriela Cavallin has made several allegations against Man United star

Cavallin filed a police report in Brazil in June and then spoke out during a television interview

She said: He tried to have sex with me and I didn't want to. He pushed me against the wall and I hit my head.

The allegations will put more pressure on United to take action against the former Ajax player after Brazil stood him down from international duty on Monday night in the wake of Cavallins claims.

United declined to comment on Thursday night having issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and are taking this matter seriously.
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Dramatic cloud formations over a Chilean mountainscape, a crocodile devouring a wildebeest and a polar bear cub prancing over an ice shelf.

These are some of the scenes captured by the winners of All About Photo (AAP) magazines nature photography contest, a prestigious awards that celebrates photographers who beautifully capture the essence of nature, highlighting the magnificence of landscapes, wildlife, and flora and fauna.

Its the first nature-themed contest organised by AAP, a monthly online magazine that endeavours to educate and inspire in all things photography-related by providing a platform to 'exceptional' work from around the world.

Twenty-five photographers from 11 countries worldwide have been presented with awards. The grand prize winner is Thomas Vijayan, an Indian wildlife photographer whose subjects include Bornean orangutans and Vietnam's critically endangered golden-headed langur monkeys.

A statement from AAP Magazine says: 'Nature photography is a captivating genre that explores and captures the breathtaking beauty of the natural world. It adds that this style of photography not only celebrates the earths majesty but also serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of conservation and our responsibility to protect our planet for future generations.

Scroll down to see MailOnline Travels pick of the winners  with images from Vijayans gold-medal-winning portfolio at the very bottom

With a tuft of its hair blowing in the wind, this young lion can be seen staring into the distance in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It was captured by Italian photographer Paolo Ameli, who bags a 'Merit' award

This green-hued shot shows the red-eyed tree frog in a jungle in Costa Ricas La Fortuna region. Photographer Pablo Trilles Farrington  the recipient of a Merit award - describes the creature as hypnotic, noting that its distinctive features are its red eyes and the blue stripe that colours its sides. He notes that though these frogs are typically nocturnal, this photograph was taken during the day when the frog was looking for a better place to rest

In this breathtaking shot, a caravan of camels moves through a storm near the town of Merzouga, which lies in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. Photographer Olivier Unia, the recipient of a 'Merit' award, describes the scene as a 'gift from nature'

This magnificent image shows a group of gelada monkeys - also known as the bleeding-heart monkey - in Ethiopia's Simien Mountains. Photographer Turgay Uzer, a 'Merit' award-winner, says: 'To protect themselves from leopards, they spend the night on tiny ledges on the impossibly steep cliffs of the mountains and climb back on the plateau at daybreak to graze'

This magical shot of silhouetted gelada monkeys in Ethiopia's Simien Mountains is the work of Turgay Uzer

A young polar bear cub walks with a spring in its step in this captivating photograph by Turgay Uzer, which is titled: 'I've Got Things To Do And People To See.' It was captured in Norway's Svalbard archipelago

Zambia's South Luangwa National Park was the setting for this mesmerising shot, which shows a 'young leopard checking on its hoisted kill' - which means the kill was tugged onto a tree to keep it out of reach of other carnivores. It's the handiwork of Turgay Uzer

A lion in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park is the subject of this beautifully composed picture by 'Merit' award-winner Turgay Uzer

This transfixing shot of a night monkey in Panama's Parque Nacional Soberania was captured by Turgay Uzer. Describing the creature, he says: 'It weighs less than one kilogram, has some of the biggest eyes in nature and those long pianists' fingers!' Uzer adds: 'Sadly, the [night monkey] is endangered in Panama because of deforestation, capture for the pet trade and poaching'

Turgay Uzer captured this stunning shot of an elephant feeding on the leaves of acacia trees in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park

Though it looks like they're enemies, the jaguars in this powerful shot are actually mating, photographer Turgay Uzer reveals. He explains: 'Big cat mating starts with courting, continues with purring and ends with snarls and violence. And can go on like that for days.' The picture was captured in Brazil's Parque Estadual Encontro das Aguas

A crocodile feasts on an unfortunate wildebeest in the Mara River in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve in this jarring shot by Turgay Uzer, titled 'Dinner Time'

This picture of a leopard cub feeding on an impala kill in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park is the work of Turgay Uzer. He says: 'We could have been the first humans this cub had seen. The mother left after dragging a heavy impala kill into the thicket. It was aware of us and yet kept on feeding'

U.S photographer Jo Fields captured this striking shot of a non-venomous rat snake on a branch. 'Many people walking by shuddered with fear and kept walking by,' Fields says, adding that the snake had just come out of hibernation. Fields snaps up a 'Merit' award

This stunning shot shows lenticular clouds over Torres del Paine National Park in Chiles Patagonia region. Photographer Carmen Villar, who gets a 'Merit' award, remarks: 'Before the sun came up, the colour of the clouds was simply impressive'

This image was captured by overall winner Thomas Vijayan. It shows an inquisitive-looking golden-headed langur, a critically endangered species of monkey endemic to Vietnam's Cat Ba Island. There are less than 70 golden-headed langurs remaining, the photographer reveals, adding that the species was almost extinct two decades ago, due to poaching for medicine and hunting for sport. Their average body length is 20 inches (50cm) and then their tails extend another three feet (one metre), he says
The 'hydrogen barrier' has been broken.

In a watershed moment for aviation, the world's first piloted flights of an electric aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen have taken place.

H2fly, a developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft based in Stuttgart, Germany, announced that its HY4 aircraft - fitted with a hydrogen-electric fuel cell propulsion system and cryogenically stored liquid hydrogen  completed four flights, including one that lasted for over three hours.

The hydrogen aircraft took off from Maribor in Slovenia and 'saw safe and efficient operation throughout multiple flight tests', H2fly said in a statement.

It continued: 'Results of the test flights indicate that using liquid hydrogen in place of gaseous hydrogen will double the maximum range of the HY4 aircraft from 750km (466 miles) to 1,500km (932 miles), marking a critical step towards the delivery of emissions-free, medium and long-haul commercial flights.'

H2fly, a developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft based in Stuttgart, announced that its HY4 aircraft completed four flights, including one that lasted for over three hours. The picture above shows the aircraft during one of these test flights

H2fly explained that compared with pressurised gaseous hydrogen storage, the use of liquified, cryogenic hydrogen enables significantly lower tank weights and volume, therefore leading to increased aircraft range and useful payload.

Professor Josef Kallo, co-founder of H2fly, said: 'This achievement marks a watershed moment in the use of hydrogen to power aircraft. Together with our partners, we have demonstrated the viability of liquid hydrogen to support medium and long-range emissions-free flight.

'We are now looking ahead to scaling up our technology for regional aircraft and other applications, beginning the critical mission of decarbonising commercial aviation.'

Airline easyJet and manufacturers Airbus and Rolls-Royce are part of the new Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance, and are calling for more attention to be given to hydrogen as a way of decarbonising air travel.

The alliance believes the UK can become a global leader in developing hydrogen-powered flights if the Government invests in a 10-year research programme, supports the delivery of infrastructure and ensures the required regulatory regime is in place.

It says hydrogen as an aviation fuel can bring a 34billion annual benefit to the UK by 2050.

The only waste product from using hydrogen as a fuel is water, leading to hopes it could power commercial aircraft without creating carbon emissions.

The hydrogen aircraft (above) took off from Maribor in Slovenia and 'saw safe and efficient operation throughout multiple flight tests'

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: 'There is no doubt that the UK has the potential to become a world leader in hydrogen aviation, which could bring with it a 34billion per annum boost to the country's economy by 2050, but in order to capture this opportunity, rapid change is needed and the time to act is now.

'We must work together to deliver the radical solutions required for a hard-to-abate industry like aviation so we can protect and maximise the benefits that it brings to the UK economy and society and that we know British consumers want to be preserved.

'HIA looks forward to working with the UK Government to ensure the right funding, regulatory and policy changes are implemented to accelerate the delivery of zero-carbon aviation.'

Professor Josef Kallo, co-founder of H2fly, said: 'This achievement marks a watershed moment in the use of hydrogen to power aircraft'

H2fly explained that compared with pressurised gaseous hydrogen storage, the use of liquified, cryogenic hydrogen enables significantly lower tank weights and volume, therefore leading to increased aircraft range and useful payload

Airbus chief technology officer Sabine Klauke said: 'As Airbus continues to mature the aircraft technologies needed to deliver hydrogen-powered flight, a united industry voice is needed to secure a robust ecosystem of renewably sourced hydrogen.

'Joining our peers from across the UK aviation landscape in a targeted approach to policy and investment action brings us closer to a decarbonised future of flying.'

Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini said: 'Collaboration is key when it comes to achieving our net zero ambitions as an industry, which is why we are proud to be part of the Hydrogen in Aviation alliance.

'Our contribution to HIA is the capability and experience we have in pioneering new technologies and solutions  we have already tested a modern aero engine on green hydrogen and we strongly believe it is one of the solutions that will help decarbonise aviation in the mid to long-term.'
Every year tens of thousands of people with valid plane tickets are bumped off flights because they've been overbooked.

Overbooking is not illegal and every airline does it to maximise its revenue  because there is almost a zero per cent chance that every passenger will show up for their flight.

In the event that every single ticket holder does turn up for an overbooked flight, the airline will ask for volunteers to be re-routed. If there are no volunteers, the airline will pick passengers to be denied boarding  or deplaned.

Easyjet has revealed that those who've booked a package trip with easyJet Holidays are less likely to be 'bumped'.

The company said in a statement: 'Our ground staff are given guidance on which groups of customers to try and avoid selecting not to travel in the event where not enough volunteers come forward when an aircraft is downgraded, which includes a number of groups like those requiring special assistance and, where possible, easyJet Holidays customers.'

Easyjet has revealed that those who've booked a package trip with easyJet Holidays are less likely to be 'bumped'

United goes into even greater detail regarding which passengers it prioritises.

Its website says: 'Passengers who are "Qualified Individuals with Disabilities" and their "Service Animal" or travel assistant, unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 years, or minors between the ages of five to 14 years who use the unaccompanied minor service, and for Canada departures only, families traveling together, will be the last to be involuntarily denied boarding if it is determined by UA that such denial would constitute a hardship.

'The priority of all other confirmed passengers may be determined based on a passenger's fare class, itinerary, status of frequent flyer program membership, whether the passenger purchased the ticket under select UA corporate travel agreements, and the time in which the passenger presents him/herself for check-in without advanced seat assignment.'

Overbooking is not illegal and every airline does it to maximise their revenue  because there is almost a zero per cent chance that every passenger will show up for their flight

Aviation expert Alex Macheras told MailOnline Travel that, as a general rule, families will normally be prioritised.

He said: 'Airline overbooking is necessary as airlines need to ensure that they are not flying with empty seats.

'However, there are procedures in place that are implemented industry-wide, which guide both airport staff and passengers as to how an overbooking scenario should take place. In normal circumstances, if the flight was overbooked by "two seats", then the last two passengers to check in/or reach the gate, will be denied boarding.

'These passengers would more often than not be a little more understanding as they turned up late, meaning they could have risked missing the flight anyway.

'On the whole, passengers who are travelling as a family, or with children, would not normally be chosen for "denied boarding" on an overbooked flight.

'It tends to be solo passengers, especially those travelling with hand luggage only  and with a high sequence number [people who check in last].'

What are your rights if you are deplaned or volunteer to switch flights?

Which? said: 'Those that agree are entitled to a refund or re-route as well as "benefits", though there are no set rules on what those benefits are.

'If there aren't enough volunteers the airline can free up seats by denying you the right to board. If this happens, you have the same entitlement to assistance and compensation as you'd have if your flight was cancelled, the only difference being that you're also able to claim compensation straight away.'

In Europe, under the Denied Boarding Regulation (Regulation 261/2004 EC), passengers who are bumped under this regulation are entitled to 250 for short-haul flights (1,500km/932 miles or less), 400 euros for medium-haul flights (between 1,500km and 3,500km/932 miles and 2,175 miles) and up to 600 for long-haul flights (more than 3,500km).

Compensation is reduced if the airline gives you the option of re-routing your flights and arriving within two hours of your original scheduled arrival time, for short haul, three hours for medium haul and within four hours for long haul.

The U.S Department of Transportation states: 'Travellers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay.'

Gilbert Ott, founder of the air travel website godsavethepoints.com, added that bumping can be extremely lucrative for passengers.

He said: 'Airlines run like hedge funds and are so analytical these days that they rarely fly with empty seats and oversell betting that at least a few will no show. Bumps can be a very lucrative "gaming" of the system for passengers, as evidenced by someone who once made $10,000 dollars in Delta vouchers after getting bumped off multiple consecutive flights. If passengers have flexibility, these bumps are a great way to secure credit towards future (free) travel.

'On the other hand, if they're not flexible, bumps are a disaster.'
Amanda Holden cut a stylish figure in a floral mini skirt and a cropped white shirt as she stepped out of the Heart Radio studios in Leicester Square on Friday.

The Britain's Got Talent judge, 52, showcased her ageless figure in the chic ensemble and flaunted her toned legs

The radio host sizzled in the elegant shirt from The Frankie Shop, which featured a piece of fabric to tie around the bust and cut-out opening in the back.

She joked that the cut-out feature is 'useful for a sweaty back' as she explained in her Instagram clip.

Amanda flaunted her toned physique in the colourful floral mini skirt designed by Ganni.

Youthful: Amanda Holden cut a stylish figure in a floral mini skirt and a cropped white shirt as she stepped out of the Heart Radio studios in Leicester Square on Friday

Leggy: The Britain's Got Talent judge, 52, showcased her ageless figure in the chic ensemble and flaunted her toned legs, wearing hot pink high heels

Details: She joked that her shirt, which had an open back detail, was 'useful for a sweaty back' in the current heatwave

She finished her stunning outfit with a pair of hot pink stiletto heels, matching a chic handbag of the same shade.

Amanda looked glowing as she smiled and waved to the camera, while hiding behind a pair eye-cat shades.

The TV favourite accessorised with dainty jewellery and wore her golden locks in a flawless blow dry and opted for a neutral palette of make up including a pink lipstick.

The media personality also posed up for a slew of Instagram snaps, as she wished a 'happy Friday' to all her followers.

The star revealed she was headed for an Aperol cocktail after finishing work at 9 P.M. 'even though I should be detoxing' - she added.

Earlier on Thursday, Amanda got emotional as she waved her youngest daughter Hollie, 11, off to school after the long summer break.

The actress recreated a throwback photo of Hollie giving a thumbs up in her school uniform alongside their beloved dog Rudie.

In the photo, Hollie bore a striking resemblance to her mother as she grinned for the camera.

Amanda wrote: 'Wow. Those years just flew past. Year 7 already. Our little HRH all grown up.

Oozing style: Amanda flaunted her toned physique in the colourful floral mini skirt designed by Ganni

Chic: She finished her stunning outfit with a pair of pink stiletto heels, matching a chic handbag of the same shade

'We couldn't be prouder of her. Smart, sassy and funny. The most loving girl. Let's do this Hollie'.

A host of Amanda's celebrity friend's took to the comment section and couldn't believe how past time has gone.

Kate Thornton wrote: 'She's so grown up!' Lisa Faulkner chimed: 'OMG where does the time go?!!'

Amanda is also proud mum to Lexi, 17. The teenager signed with Kate Moss' modelling agency, Storm last year.

Amanda previously told MailOnline: 'She's been taken on by Storm. She's 17 but I think when she's 18 we'll start looking for her to be in that field.

'At the minute they are working on her look book.'

When asked about her and Lexi's recent red carpet appearances, the TV personality admitted: 'I'm very mindful of what things we go to.

'We went to the Fashion Awards which was really exciting. So yeah, I want to take her to the right things, the relevant things. She's interested in the fashion side of things.'

Lexi's modelling career won't come in front of her education though, as Amanda said: 'Lexi's an A* student so I don't want her to mess that up and she wants to do it all.'

The Britain's Got Talent judge told MailOnline that Storm, who have propelled the likes of Cara Delevingne and Cindy Crawford to catwalk stardom, 'came after' her daughter and it was Lexi's decision to sign on the dotted line ahead of interest from rival agencies.

Sweet: Earlier in the week, the actress recreated a throwback photo of Hollie giving a thumbs up in her school uniform alongside their beloved dog Rudie

Proud mum: Amanda is also proud mum to Lexi, 17. The teenager signed with Kate Moss' modelling agency, Storm last year

Summer break: Amanda has just returned from a sun-soaked holiday with her girls and husband Chris Hughes

She said at the time: 'Lexi was approached last year and obviously we were waiting until she was 16 to sign anything. It's something she actually wants to do, so I'm taking the lead from her.

'She's a very quiet girl but she knows her own mind. She's very bright and wants to continue her studies.

'There's no pressure and we'll just see what happens. But finishing her education is very much her plan, she'll have our support whatever she decides to do.'
She has made a name for herself in the UK after she relocated with her husband and their daughter to London to star on the British version of Married At First Sight in 2021.

And relationship expert Mel Schilling has decided to leave Australia for good, despite returning for season 11 of the Aussie version of the dating show, which is currently filming in Sydney.

Instead of settling back Down Under, Mel has been flying between Sydney and London so she can be closer to her family during production breaks.

A friend close to the reality TV star say Mel is 'pretty happy and settled with her new life in the UK and doesn't see the need to relocate back to Oz anytime soon'.

According to the source, Mel is putting her family first and while jet-setting between the two continents might seem like a daunting task for many, it's not for her.

Mel Schilling has decided to leave Australia for good, despite returning for season 11 of the Aussie version of the dating show, which is currently filming in Sydney

She relocated to the UK with her husband Gareth Brisbane and their daughter Maddie to star on the British version of Married At First Sight in 2021

At one stage Mel was filming both the UK and Australian version back-to-back.

Mel has been documenting her recent travels to social media while the new cast settle into their new married lives back in Australia after the first round of filming.

Her latest adventure saw her reuniting with her loving husband Gareth Brisbane, who is from Northern Ireland, and their eight-year-old daughter Maddie.

Taking a breather from the rigorous shooting schedule, Mel chose to immerse herself in the warmth of her family.

Sources close to Mel let slip that Mel is putting her family first, and that while jet-setting between the two continents might seem like a daunting task for many, it's not for her

Married At First Sight UK is about to premiere it's eighth season, which will see the Aussie expert return to the series alongside Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas

Married At First Sight UK is about to premiere it's eighth season, which will see the Aussie expert return to the series alongside Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas.

The TV presenter relocated to London with her family in 2021 to star on the British version of the controversial dating show.

The new season of MAFS Australia is expected to push the boundaries like never before by featuring the most diverse cast yet.

Among the participants is a same-sex couple and the oldest pairing to date.
Past Lives (12A, 106 mins)

Verdict: Very fine Korean romance

Rating:

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (12A, 92 mins)

Verdict: A big fat disappointment

Rating:

A Life On The Farm (12A, 75 mins)

Verdict: Pythonesque portrait of a British eccentric

Rating:

Glitzy premieres at the Venice Film Festival grab international attention, but in the UK one of the finest movies of the year is quietly being released. Past Lives is a miraculously assured debut by Celine Song.

This South Korean-Canadian writer/director delicately mines a very personal autobiography to craft a transcendent tale of enduring love.

As 12-year-old school fellows, Nora and Hae Sung decide they are destined to marry. They go on one chaste 'date', basically a play-date in the park chaperoned by their mothers, before Nora and her family emigrate from South Korea to Canada.

Fast-forward 12 years and Nora (an award-worthy Greta Lee) is an ambitious young playwright in New York.

For a laugh, she looks up her old pal (Teo Yoo) on Facebook. They Skype and the chemistry crackles.

Past Lives is a miraculously assured debut by Celine Song. This South Korean-Canadian writer/director delicately mines a very personal autobiography to craft a transcendent tale of enduring love, writes LARUSHKA IVAN-ZADEH

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee as Nora and Hae Sung in Past Lives

But what hope do they realistically have of a non-virtual relationship, given they live on different continents? We skip forward another 12 years to find out.

While there may be no new stories under the sun, Past Lives proves there are always new ways of telling them. Song may have risen from a theatre background. However, her first film is a veritable cinematic masterclass. There is an exquisite, unforced sensitivity and nuance to her eye  and her ear. The sound is as present and potent as the framing.

On paper it's an immigrant story, with Nora bisected between two cultures, yet it's a profoundly universal one, too: a study in destiny and the pull of a past self.

Above all, it's a romance so aching it left me with a painful lump in my throat. At one point Nora explains the spiritual concept of in-yun, where lovers are those you have already met in a previous incarnation and are therefore fated to be together. 'Though that's just something Koreans say to seduce someone,' she laughs. Or is it?

On the surface the soulmates in Past Times are cool  there's an interesting 'No sex please, we're Korean' vibe. Yet their repressed passion is piercing. A Brief Encounter for the Zoom era.

You may wish the past had remained unexcavated when it comes to My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Belated as it is unrequired, this tiresome threequel to the beloved 2002 smash hit sees its now middle-aged heroine, Toula (writer/director Nia Vardalos), take a pilgrimage from Chicago to Greece for a reunion with her misfit immigrant family after the death of their patriarch.

The broad stereotypes and feeble humour hark back to another era  one, indeed, where you could dub something 'my big fat' without fear of getting cancelled. Elsewhere, there are various underwritten subplots, an underlying theme about old villages getting hollowed out as the younger generation leave and a predictable gag about trying to climb on to a donkey.

Rural Greece looks ever so attractive, as does original love interest John Corbett, who props up the scenery like an amiable plank.

A Life On The Farm is a celebration of Charles Carson and his movies

It's hard to hate a romcom this warm-hearted, but it all feels rather amateur. Could easily pass the time on a long-haul flight but not worth taking a trip specifically to watch it.

And now for something completely different . . . unlike anything you've seen before, A Life On The Farm celebrates the unique film-making talents of the late Charles Carson.

An eccentric Somerset farmer who devotedly cared for his elderly parents, seemingly at the cost of his marriage (his children are also mysteriously absent), Carson spent lonely hours, even years, shooting a surreal series of vignettes on Coombe End Farm which he recorded on to VHS tapes, most of which are now lost.

Documentary director Oscar Harding teases out the poignant side to Carson's often hilarious videos and his 'friendly dark' fascination with life and, more often, death. Picture Monty Python but with a dead cat (or granny) instead of a parrot.

All films in cinemas now.

The Nun II (15, 150 mins)

Rating:

There's a certain monster in the Conjuring films. A demonic nun with black eyes and a leering smile. Where did she come from? Nobody cares. Yet now we have the second prequel movie explaining just that.

The Nun II picks up where the original left off, in the 1950s. The nun-thing has possessed the body of a dreamy man, Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), and is now in a convent school in France, where she hopes to seize the fabled relic of . .. again, nobody cares.

It's down to (good) nun Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to vanquish the beast for good. Except it's not for good, is it? We know that the demon makes it to The Conjuring, so there's nowhere, really, for The Nun II to go.

The Nun II picks up where the original left off, in the 1950s. The nun-thing has possessed the body of a dreamy man, Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), and is now in a convent school in France, where she hopes to seize the fabled relic of . .. again, nobody cares.

Instead, this film makes an  ahem  habit out of the same type of scene, repeated over and over. A character is lured down a dark corridor by some noise, only to find out that  jump scare!  it's that darn demon nun again.

And this nun really is dumb. Instead of using her powers to murder anyone in her way, she keeps taking time off to scare les enfants at the school. A nun's gotta have fun, I guess. But were this not such a handsome production, it would be nigh on unforgivable.

El Conde (15, 110 mins)

Rating:

There's also a nun in Pablo Larrain's El Conde but, already, I'm getting ahead of myself. Because what you really need to know about this film is that it casts the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) as a centuries-old vampire who's still sucking the blood of his country and its citizenry.

You can probably tell from that... El Conde's satire isn't subtle. But its black-and-white photography is

And  in a move likely to go down better in Chile than with most voting Brits  the narrator, and Pinochet's vampiric matriarch, is Margaret Thatcher (Stella Gonet).

You can probably tell from that... El Conde's satire isn't subtle. But its black-and-white photography is, and when that nun  part exorcist, part accountant  grills the Pinochet family about their financial misconduct, it feels like a historic reckoning.

The Nun II and El Conde are in cinemas now. El Conde will be on Netflix from September 15.
Poor Things (141 mins)

Rating:

Hit Man (113 mins)

Rating:

Coup de Chance (93 mins)

Rating:

The Killer (118 mins)

Rating:

There has been a little less glamour than usual at this year's Venice Film Festival, as a consequence of the Hollywood actors' strike. But there's been no shortage of talking points and a few really wonderful movies.

Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos, is my tip for the festival's main prize, the Golden Lion. Anyone who has seen the Greek director's previous films, such as The Favourite (2018), will not be surprised to learn that this one is bizarre in the extreme.

Set in Victorian London it stars Emma Stone, absolutely superb as Bella, a woman with what appears to be the mind of an infant, who shares the home of a famous surgeon, Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). It turns out that it really is the mind of an infant. After she drowned herself in the Thames, Baxter re-animated her by giving her the brain of her own unborn child.

So when we first meet her she is very simple-minded, but the film chronicles her development into an independent adult, a process that is hastened, somewhat graphically, by her discovery of sex. It's a remarkable film, shot in Lanthimos's trademark wacky style, with an uproarious performance from Mark Ruffalo as the bounder who tries to exploit Bella's childlike naivety and ends up paying a heavy price.

I also loved Hit Man, Richard Linklater's new film. It's a rom-com, a thriller and a black comedy, all marvellously rolled into one, with a delightful turn by Linklater's co-writer Glen Powell in the title role of a mild philosophy professor who works part-time for the New Orleans police and pretends to be an assassin to entrap those hiring him.

Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos, is my tip for the festival's main prize, the Golden Lion. Anyone who has seen the Greek director's previous films, such as The Favourite (2018), will not be surprised to learn that this one is bizarre in the extreme, writes BRIAN VINER

Mark Ruffalo and Emma Stone in Poor Things

Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn attending a red carpet for his film Coup de Chance

Woody Allen's Coup de Chance is fun. It's his first picture in French as well as his 50th and quite possibly final feature overall. Set in Paris, with a mellow jazz soundtrack, it stars Lou de Laage as Fanny, whose apparently blissful marriage to a wealthy businessman is undermined when she starts an affair with an old schoolfriend, Alain (Niels Schneider).

From there it becomes an Allen-esque souffle of adultery, jealousy and murder. It's very nicely done, his best film in years.

Speaking of murder I quite liked the Netflix film The Killer with Michael Fassbender in the title role as an international assassin. It's moody, stylish and pretty preposterous, but thoroughly watchable, with a cherishable cameo from Tilda Swinton.
Never Have I Ever (Minerva Theatre, Chichester)

Verdict: Never should you ever consider it

Rating:

God of Carnage (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith)

Verdict: Lacks airs and graces

Rating:

Stand-up comedian Deborah Frances-White is best known for her podcast The Guilty Feminist. Now, unhappily for us, she's turned her sights on the stage with a sneering, gas-guzzling drone of a comedy.

It's set up for the purpose of pillorying a 50-something white hedge-fund manager and surreptitious sex predator played by Mr Emma Thompson, Greg Wise. Weirdly, Wise's character Tobin doesn't seem to mind the ridicule  despite writing off his huge capital investment in the failed restaurant where the show is set.

After being invited over by the owners so they can break the news of their bankruptcy (and his resulting eye-watering loss), he is ambushed by the confessional drinking game of the title. During the 'fun', he learns that his much younger black wife has been unfaithful with both of the other characters.

Frances-White's play has few of the hallmarks of drama and throws up only a single dilemma in a contrived and convoluted plot wherein Tobin offers 750,000 to have sex with the restaurant's chef Jacq (Alex Roach) by way of revenge.

Billing herself as a working-class Welshwoman 'from a scabby council estate', she is both tempted and disgusted. But, as a college friend of Tobin's wife (Susan Wokoma), she feels guilty about accepting the offer.

Greg Wise (right) and Susan Wokoma (left) in Never Have I Ever at Chichester Festival Theatre

A believable or engaging story is not Frances-White's purpose here. Instead, she has turned to a form of sermonising, in the vein of one of her literary heroes George Bernard Shaw

There is also the minor consideration of her husband Kas (Amit Shah), who is in on the decision and who makes feeble attempts at peace.

A believable or engaging story is not Frances-White's purpose here. Instead, she has turned to a form of sermonising, in the vein of one of her literary heroes George Bernard Shaw. Each of the characters is a 2D mouthpiece spouting the kind of political correctness we've all heard before.

Tobin is the secretly exploitative 'good capitalist' who is 'too woke to say 'woke' '. While his wife Adaego is the indignant black victim of racism whose charmless catchphrase is: 'Come the f*** on.' Bisexual chef Jacq provides both the LGBTQ+ and class-struggle angle and, waiting his turn to the end, Kas is the meek immigrant 'brown' voice of reason.

Although they all get slaughtered on wine and cocaine, they somehow remain sober enough to articulate Frances-White's loftily self-important opinions. Unsurprisingly, Emma Butler's undistinguished production, on a set of chrome dining benches, simply parks them in one corner of the restaurant and leaves them to pontificate.

Some of this was greeted on Press night with cheers. But  call me old fashioned  should drama really seek simply to ingratiate itself with an audience? Or should it perhaps seek to disturb and challenge?

It should certainly try to surprise, and not bore. As one character says: 'So many red flags, I could make bunting.' Sounds about right.

Middle-class niceties date faster than a bag of ready-washed rocket. So it is with Yasmina Reza's 2006 comedy-drama God Of Carnage, starring Freema Agyeman, who was David Tennant's sidekick in Doctor Who.

The play is a send-up of the Parisian bourgeoisie, in which two couples try to reach an entente cordiale after one of their young sons assaults the other. The joke is that such Neanderthal behaviour has been with us since the dawn of time, and middle-class manners are but a Rizla-paper defence against the barbarism of human nature. It's an amusing idea.

Alas, Nicholai La Barrie's revival has little feel for the painful faith Reza's characters put in social etiquette. Lily Arnold's all-white, revolving set, centred on a marble coffee table, does indeed look like the pinnacle of civilisation. But not only are the nuances lost on the cast, the actors frequently are allowed to sit in each other's way.

Middle-class niceties date faster than a bag of ready-washed rocket. So it is with Yasmina Reza's 2006 comedy-drama God Of Carnage (pictured), writes PATRICK MARMION

At the preview I saw, only willowy Dinita Gohil showed any savoir faire, as the wealth manager whose son is the 11-year-old assailant. Agyeman, as the mother of the injured child, remains in quirky Doctor Who mode, every so often waving an arm as if hailing a passing Tardis.

At a pinch, the play can be said to be the Abigail's Party or even the Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf of the 2000s. But an unacceptable n-word has already had to be excised from Reza's original play, with Christopher Hampton's translation replacing it with a not-much-better c-word.

This kind of multicultural housekeeping is much more typical of our age  and could itself form the basis of a send-up of middle-class ideological vanities.

Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense (Salisbury Playhouse and Bolton Octagon)

Verdict: Spiffing stuff

Rating:

Many are called to recreate P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster, but few double acts are as light or well-turned as this one featuring Patrick Warner and Luke Barton in Salisbury  and due to run at Bolton's Octagon next month.

Adapted by David and Robert Goodale, it concerns Bertie (Barton) being charged by bossy Aunt Dahlia with procuring a small silver 'cow creamer' jug on sale at an antique shop in Bond Street.

The enterprise brings him up against the terrifying man mountain Spode  menacing manservant of a rival buyer.

But also in the mix is Bertie's babbling best friend Gussie, who's performing an experiment to determine if the full moon has any effect on the love life of newts.

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is at Salisbury Playhouse and is also due to run at Bolton's Octagon next month

With stakes raised by society girls blackmailing the young cards using social wiles and batting eyelids, it's naturally a pickle that only Jeeves can solve. And happily, in Warner, they have a MENSA-grade manservant. Wearing a morning suit and neatly parted hair, his bass voice resonates authoritatively. He reminded me of a laconic Nigel Hawthorne in Yes Minister; with touches of John Cleese mania in the minor roles he also performs (including Gussie, the jazz-handed, loveable dimwit).

As ever, Bertie must be allowed to think himself in charge, and Luke Barton is a handsome and perfectly charming simpleton, who chats affably with the audience. Nor is he too thick. Rather, he is beset with half-understood intuitions that Jeeves helps him unravel.

Alistair Cope is terrific fun in sundry other roles, including the dastardly Spode, who seems bigger every time Bertie clocks him.

Marieke Audsley's production is a fetching piece of work, with Olivia du Monceau's set making the stage look like an Art Deco walnut cabinet with secret drawers. It presents new scenery with rotating pictures, a projecting bed and bath tub.

At one point, a car is formed from a fireplace fender, dinner plates and arm chairs - together with a silver platter on a billiard cue in lieu of a level crossing (cue tinkling triangle for the warning signal). Spiffing stuff.

A life for a life... with a very Gallic denouement

By Georgina Brown

Farewell Mister Haffmann (Ustinov Theatre, Bath)

Verdict: The price of a life

Rating:

How far would you go to save your own or another person's life? It's the big question posed by Jeremy Sams's English language adaptation of Jean-Philippe Daguerre's award-winning chamber play.

Paris in 1942. The Nazis are rounding up Jews. Jeweller Joseph Haffmann (Nigel Lindsay) has handed over his business to his employee Pierre (Ciaran Owens) who agrees to hide him in the cellar. With one proviso. Pierre is infertile and desperate for a child. He orders Haffmann to impregnate his wife, Isabel (Lisa Dillon).

Farewell Mister Haffmann at the Ustinov Theatre, Bath

Here's when the play becomes impressive, holding a tricky balance between black comedy and jeopardy, which director Lindsay Posner and tight performances keep in perfect poise.

Pierre sees the deal as 'a life protected in exchange for a new life created'. It turns out to be a complicated form of torture for all three. While Joseph and Isabel do the deed in the cellar, Pierre tap-dances.

Business booms. Pierre becomes richer, but increasingly jealous. His tap-dancing becomes more frenzied, sounding like Nazi jackboots, getting closer and closer.

The taut, distorted love triangle ruptures when the Nazis come for dinner. Alexander Hanson's ambassador declares his devotion to Hitler; his mink-clad wife (a show-stealing comic turn from Josefina Gabrielle) swills wine and double entendres. Isabel and Haffmann somehow keep their dignity while all about them are losing theirs.

This deft, discomforting dramatisation of moral dilemmas deserves prizes.
She welcomed her baby girl just over two months ago with her fiance.

And Ferne McCann looked nothing short of sensational as she showcased her incredible post baby figure in stunning black dress on Thursday night as she attended the Be The Spirit charity Event in Manchester.

The former TOWIE star, 33, who welcomed her second daughter in July, wowed in an eye-catching black ensemble as she posed for snaps.

The stylish number featured a criss-cross halter neck, that included a showstopping corsage in the middle.

The ruffled dress featured a plunging neckline which showcased her ample cleavage whilst the all over ruffles hugged her enviable curves.

Sensational: Ferne McCann showcased her incredible post baby figure in stunning black dress on Thursday night as she attended the Be The Spirit charity Event in Manchester

Looking good: The former TOWIE star, 33, wowed in an eye-catching black ensemble whilst her fiance Lorri Haines, 31, wore green suede shoes and a smart suit with a white shirt

Ferne elevated her frame in a pair of glamorous black strappy heels and accessorised with an emerald green bracelet.

Her caramel locks had been freshly blow-dried into a sleek and soft bob, with one simple curl falling loosely down one side.

She opted for a radiant bronzed makeup palette including a smoky eyeshadow and a bold brown lipstick.

The stunning snaps come after Ferne was spotted out in the City earlier in the day with her businessman fiance, Lorri Haines, 31.

Ferne, who is already mum to Sunday, 4, from a previous relationship, was seen pushing luggage in an all-black ensemble, with a brown jumper wrapped around her waist, whereas Lorri looked cool and casual as he pushed baby Fintys pram in an unbuttoned shirt and white shorts.

The new parents who have been dating for 16 months appeared to still be very much in the honeymoon period as they were spotted smooching and touching each other affectionately.

As the couple canoodled outside the train station and made their way to the event, Fernes huge diamond engagement ring could be spotted on her ring finger.

The pair announced their engagement last July after a whirlwind seven month romance with Fearne captioning a photo of herself and Lorri embracing at the time with: So happily ever afters do exist. I cannot wait to do forever with you baby.'

Girl Power: Also in attendance was Chanita Stephenson (pictured left) who starred in the UK version of Married at First Sight and wore a silk green dress and black strappy heels

Locking lips: Ferne and Lorri were spotted earlier in the day canoodling outside the train station as they made their way to the event

Duty calls: Ferne was seen pushing luggage in an all-black ensemble, with a brown jumper wrapped around her waist, whilst Lorri looked cool and casual pushing Fintys pram

Proud parents: The pair are mum and dad to two-month-old Finty Francis Haines-McCann and Sunday, 4, Fearne's first born from a previous relationship

Happily ever after: Ferne McCann has announced her engagement to boyfriend Lorri Hanes, just seven months after going public with the property developer

In an interview with OK! magazine, Ferne shared that the couple chose to name their little one Finty Francis Haines-McCann.

The reality star said she chose Francis for her daughter's middle name, using the traditional male spelling, to honour a very special family member.

Explaining the sweet reason for her middle name, Ferne said: 'Francis is my grandad's name  it's a nod to Grandad Frank.'

And Ferne confessed that she loved the names so much that she was really hoping to give birth to another girl, joking that she sees herself as the 'the Essex Kris Jenner' with an 'army of girls'.

She added that she sees herself having 'two more' children, quipping that she'd 'have another one tomorrow' if she could, though she 'couldnt see myself' with a baby boy.
Current staff members at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon have slammed bombshell reports of a toxic workplace, insisting the presenter goes 'above and beyond' to ensure his staff feel like a 'family' - and even organizes trivia nights and sends handwritten birthday messages.

On Thursday, Rolling Stone published an article alleging concerns by 14 former employees, as well as two current workers, about Fallon's supposed 'erratic' workplace conduct and interactions with other bosses.

They claimed the host's inconsistent behavior, which has included 'outbursts' toward workers, was the starting point for a 'pretty glum atmosphere', with some alleging it triggered suicidal thoughts.

While Fallon reportedly issued an 'earnest' apology to his staff, telling them he feels 'so bad' and 'embarrassed' about the scandal, DailyMail.com has heard from four current employees - who wish to remain anonymous - who have insisted the allegations are not a true reflection of his character or their workplace.

Staff at The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon have slammed a report which alleged the host had created a toxic work environment

Producers at the NBC show insist that Fallon goes out of his way to make the staff and crew 'feel like a family'

The employees - whom DailyMail.com has verified as currently working on the show - claim Fallon has been encouraging of staff and their careers, flexible with ideas and even sends 'handwritten notes for birthdays'.

One producer, who has been on the show for over two years, described the environment as 'supportive, collaborative, and everybody's happy' and that Fallon goes above and beyond to make sure crew and celebrity guests are comfortable.

'From the day I walked in, I felt as if everybody was very energized and excited about creating a very positive workplace, especially Jimmy, and I work closely with him,' they said.

'I'm with him on a daily basis. I have delivered bad news to him. I have disagreed with him about some things that he has wanted to do. I cannot say enough good things about him, about how he is an empathetic person, how he hears other people's opinions, how he's open to being flexible.'

While the staff member conceded that Fallon will 'stick to his guns' on occasion, they went on to note that he always shows 'respect' to anyone with a different opinion.

'I have seen him change his mind. I have seen him stick to his guns but respect to other people who disagree with him.

'The Jimmy that I have seen, walks the halls and talks to everybody. He has never belittled anyone. I've never seen him snap at anyone. The celebrities come and he's nice to everybody. He knows every crew member.'

Turning their attention to the working environment at The Tonight Show, they continued: 'Everybody's talking all the time about how happy they are.

'Everybody's smiling, everybody's laughing. The teams are well-oiled machines, we all communicate well with one another.'

A second producer said that Fallon repeatedly goes out of his way to make the staff and crew 'feel like a family' and the 30 Rock offices 'feel more like a home than a workplace'.

Rolling Stone published an article alleging concerns by former employees and two current workers about Fallon's 'erratic' workplace conduct

Staff on the show have insisted that they have a happy work environment. 'Everybody's smiling, everybody's laughing. The teams are well oiled machines, we all communicate well with one another.'

One employee revealed that Fallon, pictured with Zoey Deutch in 2022, organizes trivia nights and talent shows for staff

They also said that the host gives out high-fives in the hallways and writes handwritten notes for life milestones

One employee told DailyMail.com that Fallon has 'never belittled anyone' during their tenure on the show

Another producer told us that Fallon encouraged their growth and given them 'incredible opportunities'

'He arranges social events for all of us like trivia nights, speed bowling, and staff talent shows,' they said.

'I've received his high-fives in the hallways and his handwritten notes for birthdays, life milestones and a job well done.'

Another producer, who has worked on The Tonight Show for 14 years and has risen up the ranks, echoed the sentiment that the crew are more of a 'family' than colleagues.

'It's been a community and a family that I feel lucky to have gotten to grow up in and I've felt nothing but support from the people around me - from Jimmy to other producers to all of my colleagues at the show,' they said.

They added that they have worked directly with Jimmy throughout their career on the show as well as on his other projects, revealing that Fallon has 'encouraged my growth' and 'given me incredible opportunities'.

A fourth producer told DailyMail.com that they had been working at The Tonight Show for almost three years.

'I have had a very positive experience not only with Jimmy, but also current and former leadership, as well as the staff and crew as a whole,' they said, claiming that their colleagues would agree with this statement.

Fallon spotted on Thursday for the first time since news broke of allegations he created a toxic workplace at The Tonight Show

The talk show host reportedly apologized to his staff via Zoom and said he feels 'so bad'

According to reports, Fallon got on a Zoom call with his staff on Thursday evening to apologize to them directly.

'It's embarrassing and I feel so bad,' he is alleged to have said. 'Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends I feel so bad I can't even tell you.

He reportedly continued: 'I want the show to be fun, [it] should be inclusive to everybody. It should be the best show.'

Fallon's apology came after Rolling Stone published an article claiming that his 'hissy-fits' forced former staff to sob in 'crying rooms', made their hair fall out, and triggered suicidal thoughts.

They claimed Fallon's inconsistent behavior, which has included 'outbursts' toward workers, was the starting point for a 'pretty glum atmosphere'.

While the talk-show host is known for his hilarious anecdotes on the screen with a range of games, challenges and trivia garnering millions of weekly views online, the staff claimed Fallon has unexpected mood swings.

'It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyones day is f**ked,' one former employee told the publication.

'People wouldnt joke around in the office, and they wouldnt stand around and talk to each other. It was very much like, focus on whatever it is that you have to do because Jimmys in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off.'

Fallon has hosted the Tonight Show since 2014, with the show recently renewed until 2026

The program is currently on hold due to the ongoing writers' strike

While The Tonight Show, which is produced by Universal Television, Broadway Video and Electric Hot Dog - Fallon's production company, is currently on hold due to the writers' strike, it was renewed by NBC until 2026.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, an NBC spokesperson said The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon is no different to anywhere else.

'We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,' the spokesperson said.

'As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate.

'As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.'

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon premiered on February 17, 2014 and is the seventh incarnation of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise, with Fallon serving as the sixth host.

The program airs weeknights and opens with the hosts monologue before transitioning into comedic sketches/games, concluding with guest interviews and a musical performance.
Seth Rogen showed off a new tattoo he received in remembrance of his late dog Zelda in an Instagram post that he shared Thursday.

The 41-year-old actor's fresh ink, which appears to be located on the underside of one of his arms, is of Zelda's face and has her name written in cursive beneath it.

Rogen  whose beloved pup died in May  penned a short message that read: 'I'll miss this little girl forever but now she's just a glance away at all times.'

He announced Zelda's passing in a heartbreaking post on his Instagram account on May 7.

It included several photos of the Superbad star's late pet spending time with him and his wife Lauren Miller through the years.

Emotional: Seth Rogen showed off a new tattoo he received in remembrance of his late dog, Zelda, in a post that was shared on his Instagram account on Thursday

He penned a lengthy message to eulogize his dearly departed dog, and he began by speaking about her kind demeanor.

'She taught us about love, resilience, strength and kindness. We loved her more than words can describe. Everyone who met her saw what a unique little puppy she was. She'd stare in to your soul with her gigantic buggy eyes,' Rogen wrote.

The Freaks And Geeks actor added: 'She was so judgmental, that when she loved you, you really knew you earned it, and it made you feel like you had won.'

Rogen went on to write a list of things he loved about Zelda, and singled out 'how incredible it felt to wake up in the morning and see her starring back at me.'

The comedian also wrote that Zelda touched the hearts of his friends and family throughout her life.

'She had an incredible life and was lucky to have so many friends and shared her special love with so many people,' Rogen wrote.

The actor concluded with: 'We belonged to each other and we will miss her forever.'

Many of Rogen and Miller's friends, including Mindy Kaling and Busy Philipps, sent their condolences via the post's comments section.

The actor  whose beloved pup died in May  penned a short message that read: 'I'll miss this little girl forever but now she's just a glance away at all times'

RIP: He announced Zelda's passing in a heartbreaking post on his Instagram account on May 7

Beloved: Rogen went on to write a list of things he loved about Zelda, and singled out 'how incredible it felt to wake up in the morning and see her starring back at me'

The actor and his wife currently do not share any children, and he previously spoke about making a choice not to become a parent during an appearance on the Diary Of A CEO podcast.

He stated: 'Honestly, the older we get, the more happy and reaffirmed we are with our choice to not have kids. Like, it was something we kind of talked about more and we were like, "Have we made the right choice? Are we sure?"'

Rogen added that he, as well as Miller, had accepted the idea of being able to work on their relationship without the addition of children.

'We have the capacity to achieve a level of work and a level of communication and care for one another...And we can just do that and we don't have to raise a child which the world does not need right now,' he said.
The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival kicks off Thursday night with Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron, though the sales portion of the fest started with a bang with Lionsgate landing The Crow reboot.

Lionsgate plunked down a reported eight-figure sum for the domestic distribution rights to the reboot, according to Deadline.

Bill Skarsgard - who stars with Nicolas Cage in a Lord of War sequel - portrays musician Eric Draven, a role originated by the late Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed on the set of the 1994 original adaptation of The Crow.

The reboot also stars FKA Twigs as Draven's fiancee Shelly, with Danny Huston also starring in an unknown role.

The deal was finalized on late Wednesday night as the TIFF sales market gets started, with a 2024 release date planned.

Lionsgate lands: The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival kicks off Thursday night with Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron, though the sales portion of the fest started with a bang with Lionsgate landing The Crow reboot

Bill's role: Bill Skarsgard portrays musician Eric Draven, a role originated by the late Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed on the set of the 1994 original adaptation of The Crow

FKA as Shelly: The reboot also stars FKA Twigs as Draven's fiancee Shelly, with Danny Huston also starring in an unknown role

The original 1994 movie was an adaptation of James O'Barr's 1989 graphic novel of the same name.

The story follows Eric Draven and Shelly, who are brutally attacked and murdered by a gang of thug.

One year later, a crow visits Eric's gravestone, resurrecting him as The Crow, setting off on a violent journey to avenge both his and Shelly's deaths.

Filming was taking place in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 31, 1993, with Lee filming a scene where his character Eric Draven was shot after witnessing Shelly being raped and beaten.

The scene called for Funboy (Michael Massee) to fire a .44 Magnum a Draven, but, unaware to Lee or Massee, a dummy round was still lodged in the gun, which was not checked for obstructions before the scene was filmed.

When Massee fired the blank round, it discharged the stuck dummy round with the same force as a regular bullet, striking Lee in the abdomen and killing him, at just 28 years of age.

Director Alex Proyas ultimately finished the film (Lee only had three more days left before his death) and it was released in 1994 and grossed $94 million worldwide from a $23 million budget and gained a cult following.

There had been several different incarnations of the reboot swirling around Hollywood for years, with actors such as Bradley Cooper, Luke Evans, Jack Huston and Jason Momoa attached to the Eric Draven role.

Resurrected: One year later, a crow visits Eric's gravestone, resurrecting him as The Crow, setting off on a violent journey to avenge both his and Shelly's deaths

Filming: Filming was taking place in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 31, 1993, with Lee filming a scene where his character Eric Draven was shot after witnessing Shelly being raped and beaten

Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) directs The Crow reboot from a script by Zach Baylin (King Richard) and Will Schneider.

Also starring are Isabella Wei, Laura Birn (Foundation), Sami Bouajila (A Son) and Jordan Bolger (The Woman King), with the $50 million production filming on location in Prague and Munich, with FilmNation handling foreign sales.

'We appreciate what the Crow character and original movie mean to legions of fans and believe this new film will offer audiences an authentic and visceral reinterpretation of its emotional power and mythology,' said Lionsgates EVP Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Charlotte Koh, who will oversee the film.

'To work with a creative team led by Ruperts unparalleled visual style and storytelling and with a producing team who have made some of the most popular and impactful films of the last several decades is a true privilege,' she added.
On Thursday, E! Network unveiled the first preview for House Of Villains, a hot-tempered competition where 10 reality TV baddies clash for a $200K cash prize and the title of ultimate supervillain.

The Apprentice alum Omarosa Manigault Newman's conniving diva reputation proceeded her as two different co-stars put her on blast in the two-minute trailer.

Bad Girls Club alum Tanisha Thomas called the 49-year-old fired political aide to President Donald Trump 'a f***ing slithery, slimy snake' at the kitchen table.

Another clip showed Flava of Love runner-up Tiffany 'New York' Pollard telling Omarosa to 'get out of my face' on a couch before cursing in a confessional: 'You c***-sucking, c**-guzzling Republican c***!'

The group all lived together in the same mansion and received a visit from Dance Mom alum Abby Lee Miller, who commiserated with Love & Hip Hop: Miami alum Bobby Lytes after he confessed: 'I've been to jail! I've been a convicted felon.'

Who's the biggest bully? On Thursday, E! Network unveiled the first preview for House Of Villains, a hot-tempered competition where 10 reality TV baddies clash for a $200K cash prize and the title of ultimate supervillain

The flamboyant 32-year-old was reportedly arrested for disorderly conduct and failure to obey police in 2019 following a brawl at a Fort Lauderdale night club - according to The Shade Room.

Meanwhile, the 57-year-old choreographer served eight months in prison and a halfway house from 2017-2018 after being indicted by the Department of Justice on charges of financial and customs fraud - according to TMZ.

At one point, Vanderpump Rules alum Jason 'Jax Taylor' Cauchi threatened Love is Blind alum Abhishek 'Shake' Chatterjee with the poolside taunt: 'If I see you out in Hollywood, I will gladly go back to jail for you.'

The 44-year-old former SUR bartender - who confessed 'I feel like my demons are just coming back' - has been arrested over six times but only served jail time twice in 2008 and 2010 on driving malfeasances, according to Star Magazine.

The House of Villains also received visits from The Hills alum Spencer Pratt, Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Danielle Staub, Below Deck alum Ben Robinson, and Tiger King alum Carole Baskin.

The group 'attempts to outsmart, out-manipulate, and out-scheme each other through a series of challenges' in the competition hosted by Emmy-nominated producer Joel McHale.

Catch the 75-minute premiere of House of Villains on October 12 on E!, and the show will also be simultaneously broadcast on Bravo, SyFy, and USA.

Jax clearly got along with fellow contestant - Survivor alum Jonny 'Fairplay' Dalton - as the pair are co-hosting a watch party for the second episode at The Greatest Bar in Boston, MA on October 19.

'Google me': The Apprentice alum Omarosa Manigault Newman's conniving diva reputation proceeded her as two different co-stars put her on blast in the two-minute trailer

Unbothered? Bad Girls Club alum Tanisha Thomas (L) called the 49-year-old fired political aide to President Donald Trump (R) 'a f***ing slithery, slimy snake' at the kitchen table

Another clip showed Flava of Love runner-up Tiffany 'New York' Pollard (R) telling Omarosa to 'get out of my face' on a couch before cursing in a confessional: 'You c***-sucking, c**-guzzling Republican c***!'

The group all lived together in the same mansion and received a visit from Dance Mom alum Abby Lee Miller (L), who commiserated with Love & Hip Hop: Miami alum Bobby Lytes (R) after he confessed: 'I've been to jail! I've been a convicted felon.'

Oops! The flamboyant 32-year-old was reportedly arrested for disorderly conduct and failure to obey police in 2019 following a brawl at a Fort Lauderdale night club

Paid her debt to society: The 57-year-old choreographer (L) served eight months in prison and a halfway house from 2017-2018 after being indicted by the Department of Justice on charges of financial and customs fraud

At one point, Vanderpump Rules alum Jason 'Jax Taylor' Cauchi (L) threatened Love is Blind alum Abhishek 'Shake' Chatterjee (R) with the poolside taunt: 'If I see you out in Hollywood, I will gladly go back to jail for you'

'I feel like my demons are just coming back': The 44-year-old former SUR bartender has been arrested over six times but only served jail time twice in 2008 and 2010 on driving malfeasances

'Who are you?' The House of Villains also received visits from The Hills alum Spencer Pratt (R), Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Danielle Staub, Below Deck alum Ben Robinson, and Tiger King alum Carole Baskin

'This show is going to be really good': The group 'attempts to outsmart, out-manipulate, and out-scheme each other through a series of challenges' in the competition hosted by Emmy-nominated producer Joel McHale (L)

'The competition begins': Catch the 75-minute premiere of House of Villains on October 12 on E!, and the show will also be simultaneously broadcast on Bravo, SyFy, and USA
Leah Remini called Danny Masterson a 'dangerous rapist' Thursday after the actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in his conviction in the rapes of two women.

The Emmy-winning actress, 53, issued a statement on social media Thursday ripping the 47-year-old actor, and said that the Church of Scientology was complicit in covering up his crimes.

'I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status,' the New York City native, who had a well-publicized departure in 2013 from the church.

The King of Queens actress said she was present at Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday with two of the women who Masterson was convicted of sexually assaulting, calling it 'a surreal experience.'

She said that 'for over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes;' that he was abetted by the church; and that Thursday's sentencing was an indictment against the church and its leadership.

The latest: Leah Remini, 53, called Danny Masterson, 47, a 'dangerous rapist' Thursday after the actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in his conviction in the rapes of two women

Remini said the church 'managed to cover up Danny's crimes' and 'engaged in a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence' with its vast resources and personnel in sectors including media, law and intelligence gathering.

Remini said the was 'in awe of' the rape survivors who 'read their victim impact statements aloud in court' in front of Masterson 'and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades.'

'These women not only faced the living hell of being raped, having their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they have also faced ruthless and criminal harassment by Scientology and its agents since they came forward to law enforcement.'

Remini, who has been outspoken against the church in the decade since her separation from the institution, explained what she claims are the dynamics in play in the church in sensitive situations as such.

'I will always remind the public that in Scientology if you report another Scientologist to law enforcement, you are committing a high crime,' Remini said. 'The consequences of such a high crime are devastating: you will lose everything you've ever known, from your family to your friends to your job.'

Remini said that 'the women who survived Danny's predation fought tirelessly for justice,' and that 'their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible ... for that, we will forever be grateful.'

Remini - who was accused by Masterson in 2021 of trying to influence the case against him before his previous trial.

She wrapped up in thanking detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo for their 'fair and impartial approach to this case and trial.'

Remini was pictured with Masterson in March of 2009 in LA at a benefit event

Remini was seen in a November 2007 photo alongside Masterson taken at fundraiser in Las Vegas

The church told DailyMail.com in a statement Thursday that 'the prosecution's introduction of religion into this trial was an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process rights of every American.

'The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone - Scientologists or not - to law enforcement.

'Quite the opposite, Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally FALSE.

The church's statement ended in saying, 'There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed harassment by the Church is FALSE, and has been debunked.'

Remini last month filed a lawsuit against the church and Scientology leader David Miscavige claiming 'harassment, surveillance and defamation.'

Remini had past addressed her severance from the institution in her 2015 book Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology.

Remini also was the host and producer on the Emmy-winning A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2019.

In Thursday's hearing, Judge Olmedo, who sentenced Masterson to 15 years for each felony rape, with the sentences to run consecutively, told the actor that although he had 'steadfastly claimed his innocence,' he was 'not the victim here.

'Your actions 20 years ago were criminal and that is why you are here today.'

The That '70s Show alum was seen heading to court last fall in LA

Remini said the church 'managed to cover up Danny's crimes' and 'engaged in a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence' with its vast resources and personnel in sectors including media, law and intelligence gathering. Pictured in 2019

At the sentencing trial, Jane Doe #1 called Masterson a 'true coward and heartless monster,' adding that to this day she suffer from an extreme fear of the dark and frequently wakes up crying.

Sometimes, she said, she hides in a closet or screams out the window: 'I'm not okay ... I think life is an appropriate sentence.'

The woman continued telling the room that she was born into a family of Scientologists, and when she reported the rape to the church, a top official 'made it clear that Danny was untouchable.

'I did not choose to be born into Scientology - and I did not choose to be raped by Danny Masterson,' said the mother of three daughters, fighting back tears. 'Scientology attempted to silence us  to intimidate us.'

'I wish I had reported him sooner to the police,' she said, adding that at no point did Masterson 'show an ounce of remorse for the pain I was suffering.'

She continued, 'The first couple of years after the rape were pretty dark. I lost everything pretty much. I had to start my life over at the age of 29,' she said.

Before he was sentenced, Masterson's attorney, Shawn Holley, urged the judge to impose concurrent, not consecutive 15 year to life sentences saying that would be 'fair and just.'

Masterson's victims tearfully told the courtroom how he had ruined their lives.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is a safer place with you in prison,' said Jane Doe #2, looking straight at the actor, dressed in a gray suit and open-neck gray shirt.

'You are a true coward and heartless monster,' added Jane Doe #1. 'I think life is an appropriate sentence.'

Prosecutor Reinhold Mueller speaks outside the courthouse after the sentencing

Earlier, as Masterton's wife Bijou Philips looked on, trying to hide her emotions with a large pair of dark glasses, Jane Doe #2 stared down Masterson as she told him, 'I don't have to carry your shame any more. You have to carry it. You have to sit in a cell with it.

'I still have to contend with what you did to mein this brutal manner.' Saying the emotional and mental damage she has suffered from the rape 'takes a lifetime to repair,' she added that Masterson had been 'enabled and protected' by Scientology because of his celebrity standing in the church.

And she said she was 'enraged' to learn that there were other rape victims. That's when, after many years of keeping silent at the urging of the church, she finally decided report Masterson to the police.

'I decided to report him with the full understanding that my life would be demolished again (by going against the don't tell doctrine of) Scientology which has terrorized me since.'

Addressing Masterson directly again, Jane Doe #2 told him, 'When you raped me you stole my ability to have any stability in my life for decades. After you raped me I stopped living.'

She said that her 'promising' acting career 'nosedived after the 'heinous attack hijacked my life.'

'I know you take pride in hurting women. You treated me like I was less than trash. Your emptiness and cowardice will be your true legacy.

'You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent and the world is safer with you in prison. I would not wish rape on my worst enemy. You thought the law did not apply to you. You moved in smugness and spite.'

She concluded 'victim impact statement' by saying that despite the two decades of of trauma she's suffered since Masterson brutally raped her, 'I forgive you.'

A prison bus is seen bringing Danny Masterson back to jail after his sentencing on Thursday

Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller asked the judge to hand down a 30-to-life sentence, saying that Holley's plea for just 15 years was 'not fair and just.'

Mueller added, 'After Masterson raped the first time he had time to think about what he had inflicted; despite that, he raped again.'

Masterson had two trials. His first, six months earlier, resulted in a mistrial after a different jury were hopelessly deadlocked on all three rape charges.

Masterson was free on $3.3 million bail throughout both trials. But that freedom ended with his double conviction May 31 and he has been locked up in the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles since then.

Talking of the 'devastation' forcible rape victims suffer, the prosecutor in the case added: 'This is something they carry with them forever. This is long lasting punishment for them. These lives will never be the same.'

He scoffed at Holley's portrayal of Masterson as an 'exemplary husband and father.'

'That did not preclude the defendant from being a violent serial rapist,' he added.

In addition to imposing 30 years to life in prison, Judge Olmedo ordered Masterson to register as a sex offender when he finishes his sentence.

In her request for leniency from the judge, Masterson's attorney Shawn Holley sought a reduced sentence by arguing that prior to the rapes, the actor had no criminal history at all and he had lived 'a productive and positive life in TV.'

Holley said she had 50 letters from different people praising Masterson for 'selfless acts, opening his home, his wallet and his heart to people in need.'

She added he had been an 'exemplary father, husband, son, friend and co-worker,' and argued that a 30 year to life sentence meant that 'Mr Masterson (now 47) would likely die in prison.'

Scientology was front and center during both criminal trials. All three women testified that the reason they took so long to report him to the police was their fear of retribution from the Church of Scientology

Her co-counsel on the defense team, Philip Cohen, told the court that 'a 15 years to life sentence is not 15 years,' pointing out that if at the end of the 15 years, the parole board decided Masterson was not rehabilitated or had not been a model prisoner, it could add more years to his term, up to life.

On Thursday, he made the short journey in shackles from the jail to Courtroom 105 on the ninth floor of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center where he faced his victims.

A close friend revealed to DailyMail.com that wife Bijou 'feels like she is grieving a death' as she awaited her husband's sentencing.

'Currently Bijou is circling the drain and is filled with all the emotion and no emotion at all,' they said. 'She is a shell of who she has been. She is really trying to be strong for her daughter as she is trying to figure out life and what it will be like for her.

'It can only be compared to a divorce or a death for her not being able to be with Danny the way they were.'

Actor Billy Baldwin, 60 - who is married to Bijou's actress half-sister Chynna Phillips 55 - was also frequently in court during the trials.

Scientology was a key focal point during both trials, as all three women testified that the reason they took so long to report him to the police was their fear of retribution from the Church of Scientology.

His accusers - whom DailyMail.com is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3 - are all former Scientologists and are also suing the actor and the Church of Scientology in civil court, claiming that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. A status hearing on that civil case is scheduled for September 26.

His victims said that scientology church officials warned them not to use the word rape, that turning in a fellow Scientologist to law enforcement was considered a 'high crime', and if they disobeyed that doctrine, they could be declared a 'suppressive person,' cast out by the church and left alone, cut off from family and friends.

Danny Masterson and wife Bijou Phillips arrived for court at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse on May 12, 2023

In the second trial, prosecutors put much more emphasis than they did in the first trial on their claims that Masterson drugged his victims by spiking drinks he gave them before raping them.

Another difference between the two trials was the addition in the second of testimony from another 'victim' - a woman who claimed Masterson raped her in Toronto in 2000, though he was never charged with the alleged assault.

Of the two women whose rape Masterson was convicted of, Jane Doe 1 testified that in April 2003 she was at the actor's house where he gave her a fruity red drink with vodka that made her feel woozy, then threw her in his Jacuzzi, carried her upstairs where she passed out and woke up to find him raping her

She fought back, pushed a pillow into his face, she told the jury. But he pushed it back into her face, smothering her and she blacked out again.

When she woke, she said, Masterson opened a bedside drawer and pulled out a gun which he brandished, telling her, 'Don't f***ing move.'

Jane Doe 2 - whom the actor was also convicted of raping - met Masterson at a bar in 2003 and gave him her phone number. He called her and invited her to his home.

She went, and, after having a drink and a stint in his Jacuzzi, she found herself in his bathroom shower with him where, she told jurors, he 'suddenly shoved his penis into her vagina.'

They ended up in Masterson's bed where, despite her protests, he flipped her over and started pounding her from behind 'like a jackhammer,' she testified, adding that she felt 'like a limp rag doll.'

Jane Doe 3 - whom Masterson was charged with, but not convicted of raping - lived with Masterson for six years. She was only 17 when she met him and he persuaded her to become a Scientologist, she told the court.

About a year into their relationship he became very 'controllingand very aggressive sexually' - she would often wake up at night and he would be on top of her, having sex with her, she said.

In one such incident in November 2001, when she woke up to find him having sex with her, she told him no and tried to push him off, the court heard.

When that didn't work, she pulled his hair. But he retaliated by hitting her across the face and calling her 'white trash,' she told the jury.

Masterson's attorney, Philip Cohen, challenged 'inconsistencies' in the womens' testimony and statements to police, accusing them of 'blatant fabrications.'

And he asserted that the three had 'colluded,' choreographing and 'tweaking' their rape stories to help get Masterson convicted - which in turn could help them win a big cash payout in the civil lawsuit they have brought against him and the Church of Scientology.
Rebecca Judd was feeling nostalgic on Friday.

The AFL WAG posted a photo of herself and BFF Nadia Bartel at the beach during their recent European trip to Instagram.

The two women showed off their cleavage in tiny bikinis as they sipped on rose wine.

Nadia looked incredible in a white string two-piece, while Bec flaunted her washboard abs in a red swimsuit teamed with tiny denim shorts.

She also accessorised with a Loewe denim sunhat, while Nadia covered her face with a straw cowboy hat.

Rebecca Judd posted a photo of herself and BFF Nadia Bartel at the beach during their recent European trip to Instagram on Friday

Nadia and Bec have been friends for years and support each other by spruiking their brands on Instagram.

Most recently Bec modelled one of Nadia's Henne designs.

She took to Instagram to share a clip of herself in one of Nadia's streetwear designs, wearing the Ergi Cargo Pant, worth $209.

She paired it with the Isabella bodysuit, worth $149.

The mother-of-four showcased a number of looks in the clip with her pairing the pants with both heels and sneakers.

Nadia and Bec have been friends for years and support each other by spruiking their brands on Instagram. Most recently Bec modelled one of Nadia's Henne designs

It comes after Bec reflected on her cultural background while speaking to Stellar at the weekend.

Bec, who is soon to start on The Amazing Race, revealed she is Maori on her mother's side, with fans rarely guessing it as her heritage.

'Mum's side is Maori, so we did a lot of trips to New Zealand when we were kids,' the catwalk star told the publication.

'No-one ever guesses that I'm Maori. No-one. Ever.'

She took to Instagram to share a clip of herself in one of Nadia's streetwear designs, wearing the Ergi Cargo Pant, worth $209. Bec paired it with the Isabella bodysuit, worth $149

Bec said her grandfather has a large farm in New Zealand, with their family regularly enjoying a hangi - a traditional way of steaming food underground.

'My pop has a big farm, and we'd have all the uncles and aunties over to have a hangi every time we went over,' she added.

During Bec's wide-ranging Stellar interview, she also spoke of her working class roots to the publication.

'We didn't have much growing up and every dollar counted, so we really respected our food, our home and our belongings,' she said.

Bec revealed she is part Maori during an interview with Stellar at the weekend. Here with her pop and son, Oscar

Both Rebecca's mother and father, Hugh Twigley and Kerry Brown, are from New Zealand.

They lived in a small cray fishing town called Leeman.

The pair moved to Western Australia in the late 70s to take advantage of the mining boom, before having Rebecca and older sister, Kate.

Kerry and Hugh separated early in Bec's childhood, but remain close friends.

'When they moved, mum was 16 and Dad was 22...they were like two kids,' Rebecca previously told the Herald Sun.

'I look back and think, ''I can't believe they were ever together'',' Bec added.

Bec is married to former AFL star Chris Judd and the couple have four children: Oscar, 12, Billie, nine, and twins Darcy and Tom, six.
Joe Swash has admitted he and wife Stacey Solomon are constantly 'exhausted' raising their five children.

The former EastEnders actor, 41, revealed he and the Loose Woman star, 33, are now so used to their lack of rest they see it as normal.

The couple are parents to Rose, 15 months, Rex, three and seven-month-old Bell. While Stacey also shares son Leighton, 10, with ex-partner Aaron Barham, and eldest Zachery, 14, with Dean Cox.

Joe is also a father to son Harry, 15, with former fiancee Emma Sophocleous.

He told The Mirror: 'It is exhausting, but I think your body just adapts to your situation. So after you've had three kids, four, five or six makes no difference'.

Hard work: Joe Swash, 41, has admitted he and wife Stacey Solomon, 33, are constantly 'exhausted' raising their five children

Tough: The couple are parents to Rose, 15 months, Rex, three and seven-month-old Bell. While Stacey also shares son Leighton, 10, with ex-partner Aaron Barham, and eldest Zachery, 14, with Dean Cox

'Me and Stacey have been tired for so long now that it's become the norm.'

He went on to give an insight into their parenting and how the couple make sure to work alternatively so one of them is always home with the kids.

'It's difficult, but we've both got to work. It is what it is, but we wouldn't change it. There's so much love in this house for all these kids. We think we're really lucky.'

It comes after Stacey recently revealed she was in the 'non-romantic' phase of her relationship with Joe.

The TV personality also ruled out having another baby, as she admitted she couldn't cope with welcoming a sixth new addition.

While taking part in a photoshoot in her Essex Home, Pickle Cottage, Stacey - who married Joe in July 2022 - told OK! Magazine: 'I think me and Joe are in our non-romantic era.

'It is important just to get time for us, but we're at that stage in our life where that's not really possible. We recently went to a friend's wedding and had a night together, which was really lovely, but outside of that it's once or twice a year that happens.'

The on-screen star has ruled out having more children, saying: 'We don't want any more  we cannot cope with it.

Brood: He said: 'It is exhausting, but I think your body just adapts to your situation. So after you've had three kids, four, five or six makes no difference'

Family: The former EastEnders actor revealed he and the Loose Woman star, 33, are now so used to their lack of rest they see it as normal

'Yeah, we wanted all these kids and we're so grateful to have them. So we will get romantic but in 20 years' time.'

The pair recently returned from a lavish holiday in Turkey with their kids.

Stacey hit back over criticism of her 3,000-a-week family trip to Turkey which sparked backlash.

She spent time soaking up the sun with her family at the luxury Regnum Carya resort in Antalya, Turkey.

The lavish resort boasts its own private beach, 15 bars, an epic waterpark, eight pools, and 10 a la carte restaurants, as well as a patisseries on site and a lavish spa.

After a wave of backlash to the lavish trip she said on her Story that fans should 'unfollow' her if her getaway pictures 'didn't make them feel good'.

And now she has doubled down in another post where she said she had only had 'two holidays abroad in the last three years'.

It came as she answered a Q&A from fans about her holiday as she penned: 'Loads of you asking if I know about any other places nearby or similar hotels in different price ranges etc...

'I've only been to two places abroad in the last 3 years so I know nothing but I asked Suzi @trendingtravel & she sent me a link of the deals she thought were good ones. Different price ranges, prices and things to do. Hope this helps!'
Al Pacino's babymama Noor Alfallah was pictured stepping out in Beverly Hills with her mom on Thursday, just a day after news broke that she filed for sole custody of the son she shares with the Scarface actor.

The 29-year-old bared a hint of her toned midriff in a black top, black cargo pants and a matching sweater while leaving high-end dermatology center EPIONE with mom Alana.

She sported a black face mask and wore her raven tresses down. She finalized her look with a pair of sneakers.

Noor held a cellphone in one hand and kept hydrated with a water bottle in the other. Her mom matched in an all-black look as well.

The outing came after she was spotted with the 83-year-old Hollywood star on a dinner date, as his representative furiously denied split rumors to DailyMail.com, stating that they did 'not split' and have 'mutually reached an agreement regarding their son.'

Out with mom: Al Pacino's babymama Noor Alfallah, 29, was pictured stepping out in Beverly Hills with her mom on Thursday, just a day after news broke that she filed for sole custody of the son she shares with the Scarface star, 83

Noor and her mom were side by side as they walked through the parking lot and back to their car.

Meanwhile the night prior Noor and Al proved they are still going strong when they stepped out for a romantic dinner date on Wednesday evening - just hours before news broke that she had filed for full physical custody of their three-month-old son.

Photographers caught the actor and the producer, who first started dating in April 2022 and welcomed their baby boy, named Roman, in June, leaving the celebrity hotspot Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood side by side.

Their outing came amid furious speculation that the pair had split - rumors that were sparked when it was reported that Noor had filed a petition to determine parental rights of their infant son.

However Al's representatives denied the rumors.

'Al and Noor have successfully worked together and have mutually reached agreements regarding their child Roman,' they said. 'They are together. They havent split.'

It still remains unclear why Noor filed the court documents regarding their son in the first place.

On Wednesday evening, the couple dined at the lavish eatery together before exiting and getting into her car.

Toned: Noor bared a hint of her toned midriff in a black top, black cargo pants and a matching sweater while leaving high-end dermatology center EPIONE with mom Alana

Still together: The outing came after Al's representative furiously denied split rumors to DailyMail.com, stating that they did 'not split' and have 'mutually reached an agreement regarding their son'

Al stopped to sign a few autographs for some waiting fans through the window of the the vehicle, as his much-younger girlfriend watched on from the driver's seat.

They seemed in great spirits, smiling as they drove off together. Both dressed in black for the intimate evening.

According to the legal documents, Noor asked for full physical custody of their infant son, but said she wanted the Hollywood legend to have 'reasonable visitation.'

She said in the docs that she was willing to grant Al joint legal custody of the baby, which would give him a say on matters related to education, religion, medical treatment and more.

It's not known when the documents were filed, however, their son's age is listed as three months old in the papers, suggesting they were submitted very recently.

In her legal filing, Noor inserted a document titled 'voluntary declaration of parentage,' which both she and Al had signed six days after they welcomed Roman and acknowledged Al's paternity of the child.

She requested that the movie legend pay for her lawyer fees or any other case-related costs. A specific amount of child support was not stated in the court filing.

The legal docs stated that 'the court may make orders for support of the children and issue an earnings assignment without further notice to either party.'

Sole custody request: The outing comes hours after news that she had filed for full physical custody of their three-month-old son, Roman, hit the web, which sparked fierce split rumors; The pair are seen in August 2023

It was expected that the judge in the case would state an amount based on what Noor asked for in forthcoming hearings, and there was no evidence to indicate that Pacino was opposed to any of the requests.

Al is also a father to three other children with two different women: he shares 22-year-old twins Olivia Pacino and Anton James Pacino with Beverly D'Angelo, as well as daughter Julie Pacino, 33, with Jan Tarrant.

Before she started dating Al, Noor was previously linked to Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger, 80, and billionaire Nicolas Berggruen, 62.

She was seen out with Tinseltown icon Clint Eastwood, 93, in 2019, but said they were just family friends.

The year before, she was also spotted hanging out with Inglorious Bastards actor Eli Roth, 51, but it's unclear if they ever dated.

Noor's 54-year age gap with Al 'doesn't seem to be a problem,' a source told Page Six back in April 2022, when they first got together.

They added that the Kuwaiti-American producer 'mostly dates very rich older men' and 'moves with the wealthy jet-set crowd, and she comes from a family with money.'

Noor is a native of Beverly Hills and attended the UCLA School of Film and Television, later pursuing a career as a producer.

No split: Al's rep told DailyMail.com: 'Al and Noor have successfully worked together and have mutually reached agreements regarding their child Roman. They are together. They havent split'

New parents: Noor and the legendary Hollywood actor - who have been romantically linked since 2022 - welcomed their first child (and his fourth), in June

Prior to Roman's birth in June, mystery surrounded the circumstances of her pregnancy - after claims emerged that the actor had demanded a pre-natal DNA test and that he had been 'hoodwinked' by the 29-year-old.

At the time, TMZ reported that Al did not believe the child was his because he had medical issues that would 'commonly prevent a man from impregnating a woman.'

A source told the outlet that the 'shocked' actor had demanded Noor take a prenatal DNA test to ensure the baby was his.

The insider added that she didn't tell him she was expecting until months into the pregnancy.

They said she ultimately agreed to get the DNA test, and it confirmed he is indeed the father.

Sources also told Showbiz11 that Al thought their relationship was over a 'long time ago,' while describing the situation as a 'mess.'

However, someone close to the couple slammed suggestions that the pregnancy news was anything but blissful to DailyMail.com days later, stating that while Al was 'surprised' over the news, he 'could not be happier' about the impending arrival.

They also claimed that he and Noor are still very much 'in love,' despite their 54-year age gap, and that he had not been kept in the dark about the baby news.

Dad of four: The Godfather star is also a dad to twins Anton and Olivia, 22, and daughter Julie, 33; They are pictured in 2020

'She's wanted to have a baby for years and Al could not be happier. He loves Noor and the feeling is mutual,' said the insider.

They said the baby was conceived naturally and that Al is 'still very able.' They also addressed accusations that Noor is a 'gold digger,' calling the claims 'complete and utter bulls**t.'

'Not only does Noor come from an extremely wealthy family, but she has also worked to obtain her own wealth,' they continued.

In early June, Al himself shut down rumors that he was upset about the pregnancy, while gushing about how 'special' it was that he was expecting his fourth child.

'It's very special,' he told photographers while out for a walk in LA. 'It always has been. I've got many kids. But this is really special coming at this time.'
Rebel Wilson has overcome her 'bugxiety' thanks to a new promo she's featured in.

The Australian actress, 43, channeled her inner zen in a bizarre ad for Zevo's insect traps.

In the video, Rebel wears an all-pink activewear set while sitting on a yoga mat in what appears to be her living room.

'I used to be on the edge whenever I saw a bug in my house,' she began. 'You see, I suffered from bugxiety.'

The commercial then sees the Pitch Perfect star remove a bug trap from the device, which is full of dead insects.

The comedian went on to say her worries are now gone after installing the product, and that 'bugs don't bug me anymore'.

But despite her bug-stresses being put to rest, the Pitch Perfect star still has some other things that 'bug' her.

'Hot tubs that are only lukewarm, that still bugs me,' she mentioned.

'So does constantly explaining what a dingo is,' she continued, in a likely reference to her permanent residence status in the United States, where she spends most of her time.

Rebel Wilson has overcome her 'bugxiety' thanks to a new promo she's featured in

The Australian actress, 43, channeled her inner zen in Zevo's latest ad for their insect traps

The multitalented actress, who grew-up in Sydney, is currently back in Australia with her fiancee Ramona Agruma their baby daughter Royce.

She and her baby bundle were recently spotted in city enjoying playtime at a local park in Sydney.

Her designer fiancee looked to have skipped the outing.

Rebel and Ramona welcomed daughter Royce in November of last year

Rebel and Ramona were previously spotted at the city's hotspots, including at ritzy Icebergs at Bondi.

The couple looked more loved-up than ever by sharing a kiss while sightseeing.

The actress shares daughter Royce with Ramona, whom she initially met in 2021.

The pair eventually began dating, and they made their red carpet debut in March of last year.

The pair officially revealed they were in a relationship in June 2022, which also marked Rebel publicly coming out for the first time.

'I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess. #loveislove,' she captioned her Instagram post.

Wilson subsequently revealed that she had welcomed Royce via surrogate in November.

The actress shocked many when she announced her engagement to Ramona via Instagram this past February.
Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe has revealed he was stopped by police during the show's UK tour for 'looking suspicious'.

The South-African dancer, 36, recalled being approached by officers outside a venue and said being treated like a criminal felt like a 'slap in the face'.

In an extract of his autobiography JOJO Finally Home obtained by The Mirror Johannes wrote: 'A police van pulled up into the parking lot where I was sitting'.

'When they came over I showed my ID. "Is there something wrong?" I asked one of them. "No, you look suspicious and like someone we are looking for"'.

'Maybe they were doing their job but the fact I'd just been on stage with thousands of people shouting my name and now I was being approached by police who thought I could be a criminal felt like a slap in the face.'

Candid: Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe, 36, has revealed he was stopped by police during the show's UK tour for 'looking suspicious'

Showman: The South-African dancer recalled being approached by officers outside a venue and said the being treated like a criminal felt like a 'slap in the face' (pictured on the BBC show)

It comes after the star broke down in tears as he spoke about his mother Jacobeth on Loose Women on Thursday, who he said is 'alone.'

Johannes cried as he delved into the backstory of his autobiography which covers the experiences and challenges he faced as he grew up in Zamdela, South Africa with a passion for dance.

Reflecting on his childhood, the Latin champion said: 'It's so far from the life that I am living now, I can look after my family, my mother is comfortable.

'I was bullied for being a bit happy and flamboyant. Dance was my refuge. I hated school but I am so grateful for my teacher for calling people out.

Of his sexuality, he said: 'It was frowned upon, even by some of my family members, but now I am in a fortunate position where it is accepted.

'As I was writing the book I sat down and she had been interviewed and I asked her questions like, "Why did you make that decision? Why did you stay that long in a marriage that didn't serve you?"

Johannes choked up as he said: 'It's only recently where I have made peace with what has happened with the past.

'Because I had an opportunity to hear my mum's side of the story.'

Emotional: It comes after the star broke down in tears as he spoke about his mother Jacobeth on Loose Women on Thursday, who he said is 'alone.

Family: The professional dancer appeared on the show to talk about his new book Jojo: Finally Home and his close relationship with his mother

Panellist Katie Piper asked: 'Was it hard to talk to your mum about it, about that?'

Getting emotional Johannes replied: 'It was. It was. And I dedicated the book to my mother because I want to applaud her love.

'Great things have happened in my life but my family is never there to enjoy it with me, my mother is alone and that is the reality, but I am so happy and I am proud of her.'

Earlier this year, Johannes spoke about his 'horrid' time at school in South Africa where he endured homophobic physical and verbal abuse.

The dancer has been open about his sexuality during his time on the hit BBC competition and was chosen for Strictly's first same-sex couple alongside baker John Whaite in 2021.

But growing up in the township of Zamdela, near Johannesburg, Johannes said he had to 'duck and dive' from the bullies who would call him a 'sissy boy' and 'punch' him 'many times'.

Heartbreaking: Johannes endured homophobic physical and verbal abuse while he was growing up

Tearing up: 'It was frowned upon, even by some of my family members, but now I am in a fortunate position where it is accepted', Johannes said

Speaking to The Guardian about his latest solo venture, a tour called Freedom Unleashed, Johannes explained that despite the bad times he was still 'covered with love' from his mother.

He said: 'I had to duck and dive. School was horrid. They [the bullies] used to say to me, "Oh, sissy boy!"'

The dancer added that if he got far away enough, he would hit them back with a sassy reply: 'But if I was close by I would have been punched, which I was many times.'

Johannes also added that he still has friends living in his native South Africa who still endure homophobic abuse and that he is happy to be living in the UK.

'You guys have a long way to go still, but people make space for one another to coexist,' he added.
Hollywould Star was sent home by Gabriella Labucci in an electrifying lip sync on Friday's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, which is currently streaming on Stan.

The episode featured a makeover challenge, where the queens were paired up with several Drag Race fans (and their dogs!) with a brief to serve family resemblance looks.

Hollywould was paired with Arlene and her dog Rupert, and they all served a 'glamazons on vacation' concept with flowing caftans and long hair.

But the competition is getting down to the finer details, and the judges found the family resemblance wasn't as close as the other queens' makeovers, leaving Hollywould in the bottom with Gabriella Labucci, who defeated her in the lip sync.

As she made her exit, Hollywould Star spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Australia about why she was surprised she didn't make it to top three, her musical theatre background, and how she's changed after competing on the drag queen contest.

The brand new season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is available to stream now only on Stan

Hollywould Star (pictured) was sent home by Gabriella Labucci in an electrifying lip sync on Friday's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, which is currently streaming on Stan

The Sydney-based queen, who originates from New York, expressed her shock at not making it to the top three on the show.

'I'm definitely surprised I didn't make it to the finale. I think my track record and what I brought to the competition was very very good,' she said.

She also believes that placing higher in the competition would have been a milestone for television Down Under.

The Sydney-based queen, who originates from New York, expressed her shock at not making it to the top three on the show. 'I'm definitely surprised I didn't make it to the finale,' she said

'Not only just what I brought, but also the representation of who I am. Being a black immigrant in Australia is a moment as well, and I think to be quite honest a missed opportunity for Down Under to have me in the finale.'

'I feel like I showed so much, and some of the stuff didn't get in there and some things did. I don't have any regrets of what I did,' she continued.

The makeover challenge is often make or break in all versions of Drag Race, pushing the queens' makeup and styling skills to the limit, but Hollywould thinks how the person being made over feels is more important.

Hollywould also believes that placing higher in the competition would have been a milestone for television Down Under due to her identity as a black queer immigrant

'I paint myself beautifully and I just want to make sure that person feels beautiful as well. I haven't painted very many people but I think I did a good job. She looked gorgeous and we both looked snatched, I don't care what Michelle [Visage] said.'

Hollywould, who studied operatic singing at the Julliard School and Manhattan School of Music, and has had a career in musical theatre prior to Rupaul's Drag Race, said performing as a queen is a lot more pressure.

'I always knew I could perform and that wouldn't be a challenge. For me it was having to work with the heels, and do my face and work with the hair. It's all the extra things you have to do with drag,' she admitted.

Hollywould, who studied operatic singing at the Julliard School and Manhattan School of Music, and has had a career in musical theatre prior to Rupaul's Drag Race, said performing as a queen is a lot more pressure

The drag queen says she is thankful for having this experience when she filmed Drag Race Down Under.

'Whenever there was a performing challenge, it came naturally for me so I was very grateful that I had that background.'

When asked what's next for Hollywould, the drag queen did not hesitate, answering:

'Creating more music. You guys had a little taste in the talent show [in last week's episode]. I created that song in a week... you can hear some opera, you can hear these lyrics, and you can hear a rap, you can hear the beats,' she said.

She also says she is grateful to be going on the Werq the World tour and would like to pursue more acting as both her drag and male personas.
A judge said that both Kevin Costner and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner came off as credible in testimony they gave in a recent child support hearing amid their ongoing divorce.

Judge Thomas P. Anderle said in a court filing Tuesday reviewed by People that he found both the Academy Award-winning actor, 68, and Baumgartner, 49, credible after they delivered statements to the court over two days in California Superior Court in Santa Barbara last week.

Baumgartner, a handbag designer, and the Field of Dreams actor share three children: Cayden 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13.

The judge on Friday issued a ruling that aligned with Costner's requests, awarding Baumgartner $63,209 in monthly child support, which is less than half of the $161,592 she was asking for.

In the hearing, the judge said in court docs that Baumgartner showed 'good courtroom demeanor' and that he found her testimony to be 'credible.'

The latest: A judge said that both Kevin Costner, 68, and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner, 49, came off as credible in testimony they gave in a recent hearing amid their ongoing divorce. Both pictured last week in Santa Barbara, California

Baumgartner's testimony, while straightforth, 'was not much help on the issue before the bench,' the judge said, adding that he would 'weigh her testimony with all the evidence in this case.'

Judge Anderle said that ahead of viewing the materials, he recognized Costner as a 'professional actor' and 'weighed that in the decision-making process when judging his credibility.'

The judge said he didn't believe Costner 'embellished any of his testimony by relying on his profession,' saying that it was 'straightforward, credible and consistent.'

Costner and Baumgartner 'made strong closing arguments,' the judge said.

The judge said that the 'reasonable needs of the children are fully met by this child support order' are met in the ruling he issued, and that any amount more would essentially be 'disguised spousal support.'

Baumgartner 'will have her opportunity to convince the Court that she is entitled to spousal support,' the judge said, adding that it was 'not the issue at hand for this hearing.'

Baumgartner testified that the quality of their children's lives would be impacted by a severe loss in money.

She said she is 'being conservative' in renting a home for $40,000 monthly after leaving the home she formerly shared with Costner.

'I have been very unsure what I will get and what the outcome of this case will be,' she told the court.

In the hearing, the judge said in court docs that Baumgartner showed 'good courtroom demeanor' and that he found her testimony to be 'credible'

The judge said he didn't believe Costner 'embellished any of his testimony by relying on his profession,' saying that it was 'straightforward, credible and consistent'

The judge on Friday issued a ruling that aligned with Costner's requests, awarding Baumgartner a $63,209 monthly child support statement, which is less than half of the $161,592 she was asking for

Baumgartner said in legal docs filed in California Superior Court last month that the actor has withheld documents in the case, People reported Wednesday after reviewing legal documents.

Baumgartner - who has publicly clashed with Costner over her living arrangements since the split - has been asking for docs detailing 'his future endeavors and anticipated income' in projects such as his forthcoming film series Horizon.

Baumgartner requested the court order Costner to share the documents requested.

Baumgartner's legal team said Costner has been 'stonewalling' them in regards to sharing pertinent info with a child support hearing slated for next week, and one in November that will scrutinize the premarital agreement in the case.

Baumgartner has said she felt under pressure to sign the prenup, which awards her a $1.5 million payout in the event of the marriage ending.

In legal docs, Baumgartner's lawyers said that Costner 'has requested a multi-day evidentiary hearing on [Baumgartner's] request for child support, at which time the Court will receive evidence regarding [Costner's] gross cash flow available for support and anticipated future income.'

The attorneys said that the court 'will need to receive evidence regarding those circumstances to make its determination,' but that Baumgartner 'will be unable to present any evidence that [Costner] has chosen to withhold from discovery.'

The actor, who made around $20 million in 2022, said he will make 'substantially less' money since he has stepped away from the series Yellowstone.

Baumgartner's legal team said Costner has been 'stonewalling' them in regards to sharing pertinent info with a child support hearing slated for next week, and one in November that will scrutinize the premarital agreement in the case

Lawyers for the former couple, pictured last year at the Oscars, have exchanged barbs over what has been asked for and what has been provided, in return

Baumgartner's legal team asked for information detailing Horizon - noting that 'such documents evidence his future endeavors and anticipated income' - and said Costner's team has withheld them.

Baumgartner's legal team cited materials they said depicted Costner's lawyers resisting a request to turn over the documents detailing his potential earnings with Horizon.

A lawyer for the Bull Durham actor said the request 'seeks documents that are not relevant given the parties entered into' a prenup that stipulated 'a limitation on spousal support and providing that all income earned during marriage would be the separate property of the spouse earning the income and providing for no community property.'

Costner's lawyer described some of the requests as 'burdensome, oppressive and harassing.'

Baumgartner's legal team said that Costner's team did submit some of the materials requested, but stopped short providing any details about Horizon.

Costner's lawyer told the court August 18 that 'these documents have no bearing on Christine's request for child support and her ability to calculate Kevin's gross cash flow available for child support.'

Baumgartner has also asked for $9,000 in legal fees she's racked up amid the specific part of the divorce in which she's sought the documents from Costner regarding Horizon.
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Patricia Arquette was joined by her daughter Harlow Jane for the premiere of her directorial debut, Gonzo Girl, during the Toronto International Film Festival, held at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on Thursday.

The Medium star, 55, displayed her trim frame in a chic black leather skirt with a side zipper, a white silk blouse, and a black satin jacket.

The actress - who recently stepped out with sister Rosanna Arquette following her Malibu shopping center car crash - added some height to her look with a pair of chunky gold heels and wore her light blonde tresses in a straight style.

Meanwhile Harlow, 20, was a vision in a striped multi-color gown with beaded fringe sleeves. Arquette's daughter - born Harlow Olivia Calliope Jane - also sported a pin in support of the SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Other stars at the Canadian festival included William Dafoe as well as Camila Morrone, who both star in the film.

Lookalike daughter: Patricia Arquette was joined by her daughter Harlow Jane for the premiere of her directorial debut, Gonzo Girl, during the Toronto International Film Festival, held at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on Thursday

Mother and daughter: Harlow's father is Arquette's ex-husband, actor Thomas Jane, to whom she was married from 2006 to 2011

Patricia wore gentle glam for the night, while Harlow opted for black eyeliner and a matte shade of peachy lipstick.

Harlow's father is Arquette's ex-husband, actor Thomas Jane, to whom she was married from 2006 to 2011.

Harlow has followed in her parents' footsteps with her acting career, and even starred alongside mom Patricia on Apple TV+ comedy High Desert this year, as a younger version of Patricia's character.

Harlow previously revealed she initially rebelled against being an actress.

'I definitely rebelled against it for as long as I could,' she told People in an interview.

'And then when I got into high school, I ended up going to this very arts-heavy boarding school, and I took a theater class. And that's when I decided, "Yeah, I don't know if I can not do this anymore for the rest of my life." I can't live a lie of wanting to be anything else.'

She added, 'I couldnt help but secretly love it.'

Leonardo DiCaprio's ex-girlfriend Camila Morrone, 26, also attended the premiere, and had all eyes on her in a beautiful sleeveless black gown with a beaded bodice.

Chic: The Medium star, 55, cut a chic figure in a black leather skirt with a side zipper, a white silk blouse, and a black satin jacket

Blondie: She wore her light blonde tresses in a straight style

Golden girl: The actress added some height to her look with a pair of chunky gold heels

Sweet: Patricia posed with her excited fans

Good spirits: The star appeared in good spirits and smiled for the cameras

Vision: Meanwhile Harlow, 20, was a vision in a striped multi-color gown with beaded fringe sleeves

In support: Arquette's daughter - born Harlow Olivia Calliope Jane - also sported a pin in support of the SAG-AFTRA strikes

Sophisticated: Leonardo DiCaprio's ex-girlfriend Camila Morrone, 26, had all eyes on her in a beautiful sleeveless black gown with a beaded bodice

Simply lovely: Her brunette locks were parted in the middle, gently falling down her shoulders

Side view: The actress showed a side view of her stunning ensemble

Happy to be here! She flashed her megawatt smile for cameras

Good looking duo: Joining her on the red carpet was Willem Dafoe, 68

Sweet: Ever the gentleman the actor escorted Camilla down the red carpet hand-in-hand

Big smiles: The duo smiled it up for the cameras

Dapper: The actor cut a dapper figure in a fitted black suit, but opted to go without a tie for the occasion

Star of the film: Dafoe stars as Walker Reade in the drama film

Emerald: Actress Bleu Sidel, 28, who is the daughter of Patricia's sister Rosanna Arquette, looked incredible in an emerald gown with a head scarf

Natural beauty: She opted for natural glam

The actress wore delicate glowing glam for the occasion, and her brunette locks were parted in the middle, gently falling down her shoulders.

Joining her on the red carpet was Willem Dafoe, 68.

Ever the gentleman the actor escorted Camilla down the red carpet hand-in-hand.

The actor cut a dapper figure in a fitted black suit, but opted to go without a tie for the occasion.

Dafoe stars as Walker Reade in the drama film.

Actress Bleu Sidel, 28, who is the daughter of Patricia's sister Rosanna Arquette, looked incredible in an emerald gown with a head scarf.

She paired the mesmerizing ensemble with electric blue pointed-toe heels.

Gonzo Girl is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Cheryl Della Pietra and will be adapted by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell.

It takes place in 1992 and follows an aspiring writer named Alley Russo (Morrone) who has an exciting new job as assistant to legendary 'gonzo journalist' Walker Reade (Dafoe) where she lives on his compound/party house in Aspen.

Exciting project: Gonzo Girl is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Cheryl Della Pietra and will be adapted by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell

All together! The cast posed for a snap together

Interesting: Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative

Dynamic trio: Dafoe, Arquette and Sidel all star in the film

Hugs: Camilla, who plays Dafoe's personal assistant in the film, shared a hug with the actor

Cousins: Cousins Bleu and Harlow were pictured arriving to the event

Directorial debut: Arquette directs and stars as Claudia in Gonzo Girl, which follows an aspiring writer named Alley Russo (Morrone) who has an exciting new job as assistant to legendary 'gonzo journalist' Walker Reade (Dafoe)

The synopsis continues according to Deadline: 'Under orders to help the famously chaotic Walker settle down to work on his long-promised latest blur of fact and fiction, Alley soon learns the truth: a lifetime of chronic substance abuse has chipped away at Walkers writing ability, until all he can produce from his drug-drenched brain are pages of word salad.

'Obliged to help a manic, sodden blowhard get through one relatively uncreative day after another, Alley begins to transform Walkers rants and raves into publishable prose by running it through the filter of her own mind and her own typewriter, an act of moral support / plagiarism / treachery that keeps Walkers career alive  for a few more months.'

Arquette will also star on the project as Claudia, the minder and manager for many years, of 'gonzo journalist' Reade.

Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative.
Following the success of last years inaugural event at Londons 180 House, the Soho House Awards have now come Stateside.

Emma Corrin was among the many performers to attend the ceremony at Dumbo House in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday.

Launched in 2022, the Soho House Awards were designed to recognize the work of creative talents across the organizations membership, which includes established icons to future stars, undiscovered changemakers and all of those in between, according to the company's website.

The awards act as a platform for everyone to be celebrated and championed equally for their work, career trajectories and contributions to their respective industries.

Corrin, 27, who identifies as nonbinary and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, hit the red carpet portion of the festivities for a round or two of photos.

Emma Corrin, who identifies as nonbinary and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns attended the Soho House Awards at Dumbo House in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday

The Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England native strutted in front of photographers sporting a somewhat retro look in brown slacks and a white-patterned shirt that was left open to reveal a black bodysuit of sorts.ir tress

Rounding out their look, the Emmy-nominated actor also wore a pair of black leather shoes and their locks cropped short and close to the head.

Last year, winners across 10 categories included the likes of John Boyega for Best Actor, Charlotte Tilbury for Best Entrepreneur and Evan Mock for Creator Of The Year. Plus, Miranda Forrester for Breakthrough Artist, Yasmin Finney for Breakthrough Actress, and Bianca Saunders and Jack Harries for Breakthrough Designer and Changemaker, respectively.

Winners are chosen by a committee of Soho House experts across film, art, music, content, and creative.

This year, for the first time, global members had the opportunity to nominate two winners per category: one high-profile talent and one breakthrough talent across music, art, film, fashion, literature, food, and more.

Soho House is a global hotel chain and group of private members' clubs originally aimed at those in the arts and media, but more recently expanded to include those with a 'creative soul'.

The company's original location at 40 Greek Street, Soho, London has since been expanded to clubs, hotels and venues around the world.

As of September 2023, Soho House operates 40 club locations worldwide, with plans to open two more within the year.

Cool cat: The Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England native went with a retro look of sorts in brown slacks and a white-patterned shirt that was left open to reveal a black bodysuit

Breakthrough: Corrin is best known to most fans for portraying Diana, Princess of Wales in season four of the Netflix historical drama The Crown (2020)

To most fans, Corrin is best known for portraying Diana, Princess of Wales in season four of the Netflix historical drama The Crown (2020)

For the performance, they received a number of accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress  Television Series Drama, the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, as well as a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

The actor has since starred in the 2022 romantic drama films My Policeman and Lady Chatterley's Lover.

In demand: The British actor has since starred in the 2022 romantic drama films Lady Chatterley's Lover (pictured) and My Policeman; Corrin is set to star in the superhero film Deadpool 3 and the gothic horror film Nosferatu

Currently, Corrin is shooting Deadpool 3 alongside the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Brianna Hildebrand and Jennifer Garner.

Corrin is also starring in the gothic horror film Nosferatu with Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Simon McBurney and Ralph Ineson.

Principal photography was shot in and around Prague between February and May 2023.

Nosferatu tells a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.
Ali Wong and Bill Hader were looking like the perfect pairing as they went on a smoothie run in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The couple, who rekindled their romance earlier this year, were spotted holding hands as they emerged from Erewhon with freshly made beverages in hand.

Casually dressed, the lovebirds looked like they were planning on enjoying a day of laid-back fun.

Ali, 41, wore an oversize white T-shirt, sporty shorts, slides and a pair of fashionable aviator sunglasses.

The Barry star, 45, wore a black tee, blue shorts, and flip flops. He tucked his smart sunglasses into the neckline of his top.

Relationship goals! Ali Wong and Bill Hader were relationship goals as they went on a juice run in Los Angeles on Thursday

The couple remained hand in hand as they strolled down the sidewalk together, looking content in one another's company.

The Always Be My Maybe actress was briefly linked to Bill last year, before they split before rekindling their romance over the spring.

A rep for Bill confirmed to Page Six that he and Ali were back together back in April.

Two days later, the duo were photographed putting on a loved-up display in a sighting which confirmed their rekindled romance.

Bill had talked about his 'girlfriend' during an interview with Collider magazine - with his rep confirming to Page Six he was talking about Ali soon after the article was published.

'My girlfriend and I were just figuring out that I haven't had a vacation in 10 years. I went with her to San Francisco, but that doesn't really count.'

Adding: 'So, I'm going to have a vacation.'

The Emmy-winning actor and the Beef actress had been romantically linked last fall, insiders told Page Six, describing it as a 'rebound' relationship after both were coming off high-profile breakups.

Too cute! Casually dressed, the lovebirds looked like they were planning on enjoying a day of laid-back fun

Wong had divorced businessman Justin Hakuta after an eight-year marriage while Hader parted ways with actress Anna Kendrick, 38, after a year of dating.

The couple initially spent two months together, with an insider telling the outlet that it was an 'amicable' parting with both tied up with their jam-packed schedules.

'They're just super busy with things,' a source told Page Six. 'They're certainly friends.'

Love is in the air! The Always Be My Maybe actress was briefly linked to Bill last year, before they split before rekindling their romance over the spring

A separate source told the outlet that Hader and Wong were protective of their privacy in their initial romance, as their friends 'helped them protect the relationship in light of Ali's divorce.'

The source added, 'Only a small circle of A-list comedians know and everyone was thrilled about it.'

The outlet reported that they traveled to Wong's native San Francisco this past January.
He was known as the relentless villain in the Hollywood blockbuster The Matrix.

And now fan favourite Hugo Weaving is set to play another sinister role in the new Australian feature film The Royal Hotel.

Starring Ozark actress Julia Garner and Game of Thrones star Jessica Henwick, the outback thriller centres on two American backpackers who get stuck in a mining town situated in the middle of nowhere.

In new trailer for the film, Weaving, 66, is barely recognisable from the suave movie roles that made him famous.

Sporting a grey beard and pot belly, he plays the publican of the seedy Hotel Royal, where Yanks, Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Henwick) land gigs as bartenders.

Ozark actress Julia Garner (L) and Game of Thrones star Jessica Henwick (R), in a scene from the new Australian outback thriller The Royal Hotel

The outback thriller centres on two American backpackers who get stuck in a mining town situated in the middle of nowhere

But instead of scoring quick cash and enjoying an exotic outback holiday, the twenty-something women must deal with harassment from rough locals.

Based on the preview, fans can look forward to an intense experience as the situation for the two tourists become increasingly desperate.

Meanwhile, it seems that Billy (Weaving) appears to be useless when it comes to keeping on top of his out of control clientele.

At one point in the trailer, Garner's character becomes so desperate she is seen taking up an axe to fend off unwanted attention from the mostly male population of the wild outback town.

Also featured in the cast are James Frecheville (Animal Kingdom, 2010), and INXS: Never Tear Us Apart star Toby Wallace.

Inspired by the 2016 documentary Hotel Coolgardie, the film is directed by Australian filmmaker Kitty Green.

Hugo Weaving plays a sinister outback publican in the new film

Julia Garner rose to fame in theNetflix drama series Ozark Pictured: Garner on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023

Premiering at the prestigious Venice Festival in Italy earlier this month, the Aussie film, which was made in South Australia, won praise from international critics.

The Hollywood Reporter said the cast and the film 'doesn't hit a false note', in it's tale of toxic masculinity.

Many reviewers compared The Royal Hotel favourably to another Australian film about a nightmarish outback experience, the 1971 classic Wake in Fright.

The Royal Hotel is set to play at the Adelaide Film Festival next month, with a general release to follow.
Lenny Hochstein is suing a Florida store after claiming they removed plants and trees from his Miami home while estranged wife Lisa Hochstein was moving out.

The 57-year-old plastic surgeon, who's in the middle of an ugly divorce from Real Housewives of Miami star Lisa, 39, alleges he spent thousands of dollars at Jim Threlkel Botanicals in 2020 for the lush greenery at his Star Island home, as per TMZ.

However, according to the 'Boob God', the store removed the plants last week during Lisa's move, after she had been ordered by the court to leave their mansion in September.

Lenny is also claiming he told the store and owner not to remove any plants from his home, but says his request was ignored.

However, in a statement from the store, Jim Threlkel Botanicals alleges that Hochstein 'verbally berated staff' and was later 'ordered to leave the premises' by law enforcement.

Latest: Lenny Hochstein is suing a Florida store after claiming they removed plants and trees from his Miami home while estranged wife Lisa Hochstein was moving out; Seen in 2022

Botanical drama: The plastic surgeon, 57, says the store removed the plants last week during Lisa's, 39, move, after she had been ordered by the court to leave their mansion; Lisa seen in an Instagram snap

Meanwhile the medical professional believes the owner acted with 'felonious intent and knew he was taking property he was not entitled to' and equates the taking of the plants to 'theft and trespassing.'

Lenny now wants the store to get the plants back or receive damages, which he claims exceed $50K.

However, a representative for Threlkel Botanicals told TMZ : 'On Monday, August 28th, Jeff Sophir, owner of Jim Threlkel Botanicals, was contacted by Lisa Hochstein, a long-term client and good friend, to relocate several interior botanicals from her current residence to a new property.'

'During the scheduled relocation, Mr. Hochstein arrived at the property, verbally berated Jim Threlkel staff and blocked their vehicle with his car while threatening to contact local law enforcement.'

'Instead, Mr. Sophir contacted law enforcement and they were dispatched to the property. Mr. Hochstein was ordered to leave the premises and the botanicals in question were subsequently removed.'

It appears that the move was a stressful one for Lisa, with a source saying Lenny made the process 'awkward' and 'chaotic' as per Page Six.

The insider added that Lenny unexpectedly arrived during the move to 'monitor' her.

'He made the move really uncomfortable. She was trying to do her best to get everything done.'

Pricey plants: Lenny now wants the store to get the plants back or receive damages, which he claims exceed $50K; Pictured 2017

Ordered to leave: However, reps for the store alleged that Hochstein 'verbally berated' the owner and was later 'ordered to leave the premises' by law enforcement; Pictured 2019

'He kept interfering. He should have been at work,' the source added.

The source added that Lenny treated Lisa 'horribly' in front of their two kids, Elle and Logan, and 'berated her' during the process.

Following Lisa's move, Lenny's new fiancee, Katharina Mazepa, 28, has reportedly moved into the house.

Meanwhile Lisa is living in a condo nearby.

It comes after Lenny filed an emergency petition in court on August 10 to withdraw his divorce settlement, Page Six reported.

He and Lisa had previously agreed on the settlement.

However, it may be a mutual move, as a second filing said Lenny's attorney had conferred with Lisa's counsel and both sides had agreed to resolve the matter without a hearing before the court.

In one of the filings, Lenny's attorney noted that he had moved to withdraw the settlement in 'anticipation' of Lisa turning it down.

Chaotic move: It appears that the move was a stressful one for Lisa, with a source saying Lenny made the process 'awkward' and 'chaotic'; Seen 2022

Moved in: Following Lisa's move, Lenny's new fiancee, Katharina Mazepa, 28 (pictured) has reportedly moved into the house. Meanwhile Lisa is living in a condo nearby

The surgeon also requested that the original, withdrawn settlement offer be kept confidential.

Despite his filings seeming to indicate that he and Lisa were continuing to work out a more equitable settlement, a source close to the former couple described his latest moves as another attempt to harm Lisa by extending their grueling divorce proceedings.

The source claimed that he was withdrawing the settlement to drag out the legal process in an effort to 'bankrupt' her with escalating legal fees.

They also alleged that he was trying to get her to sign a new 'low-ball' settlement.

Lenny had previously been ordered to pay Lisa $8,000 per month in temporary support.

Lenny revealed that he had gotten engaged to his model girlfriend Katharina in July.

That appeared to infuriate Lisa, who wrote scathing 'congratulations' to her 'current husband and his mistress.'

She also took issue with Lenny's mother, who had previously made a dig at Lisa when she congratulated her son for 'getting a woman who love and respect you,' before adding that he 'did not have that' in his marriage to Lisa.

As they were: The feuding exes were married for 12 years, and they share two children: their son Logan, seven, and their daughter Elle, three

'What a wonderful mother in law and grandmother. How disgusting,' Lisa wrote after learning of the engagement news.

She had previously accused Lenny of having an affair with his new fiancee while they were still together, which he has denied.

Even after he announced the engagement, he was inundated by comments on social media reminding him that he was still married to Lisa, as they have not finalized their divorce nor been declared legally single yet.

The feuding exes were married for 12 years, and they share two children: their son Logan, seven, and their daughter Elle, three.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus showed her support for Stand Up To Cancer Day by reading some poetry.

The 62-year-old actress was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2017, but just over a year later in October 2018, she announced she was cancer-free.

The Seinfeld and Veep star was one of many celebs on hand at Diesel Bookstore in Santa Monica, California on Thursday, including her Veep co-star Tony Hale, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson, Jason Mantzoukas, Danielle Schneider and Melissa Rauch.

They were all reading poetry from author/poet/playwright Dan O'Brien's new book Survivor's Notebook for the event, which was livestreamed on Scheer's FriendZone Twitch channel.

The author was also signing copies of his three new books - Survivors Notebook, From Scarsdale and True Story: A Trilogy - while also raising funds for Stand Up to Cancer.

Supportive Julia: Julia Louis-Dreyfus showed her support for Stand Up To Cancer Day by reading some poetry

Reading: They were all reading poetry from author/poet/playwright Dan O'Brien's new book Survivor's Notebook for the event, which was livestreamed on Scheer's FriendZone Twitch channel

Dreyfus was wearing a brown blouse with white polka dots under a black suit coat, with a gold necklace dangling from her neck.

She accessorized with a gold watch and gold rings while reading from the poetry book at the event.

The actress completed her look with black pants and black flat shoes for the event, while Tony Hale, June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer also read poetry at the event.

The outing comes a few months after Louis Dreyfus opened up about standing up to bullying Warner Bros. executives early in her career.

She appeared on the Podcrushed podcast, stating that the studio tried to take a hard tack with her around the late 80s, during a timeframe between her work on the shows Day by Day and Seinfeld.

The Manhattan native said execs threatened to sue her over a development deal she had with Warner Bros. when she was sent the material for Larry David's The Seinfeld Chronicles, which would later become Seinfeld.

Louis-Dreyfus said that her deal had 'a creative out based on the material that was being developed,' which paved her way to play Elaine Benes on the iconic comedy.

Louis-Dreyfus said, 'I was really scared because it was Warner Bros. and I was just this girl who was an actress. I felt very small - because I was.'

Julia's look: Dreyfus was wearing a brown blouse with white polka dots under a black suit coat, with a gold necklace dangling from her neck

Accessorized: She accessorized with a gold watch and gold rings while reading from the poetry book at the event

Complete: The actress completed her look with black pants and black flat shoes for the event

Opening up: The outing comes a few months after Louis Dreyfus opened up about standing up to bullying Warner Bros. executives early in her career

Early work: She appeared on the Podcrushed podcast, stating that the studio tried to take a hard tack with her around the late 80s, during a timeframe between her work on the shows Day by Day and Seinfeld

Sue: The Manhattan native said execs threatened to sue her over a development deal she had with Warner Bros. when she was sent the material for Larry David's The Seinfeld Chronicles, which would later become Seinfeld

June reads: June Diane Raphael read one of Dan O'Brien's poetry books

Paul reads: Paul Scheer reads one of Dan O'Brien's poetry books

Tony reads: Tony Hale reads one of Dan O'Brien's poetry books

The Emmy-winning star said that she 'did bow out' of the development deal - which was allowed under the terms of the contract - but faced legal threats from studio execs trying to recoup the money she'd been paid.

'I had representatives who were saying to me, "You better just give them their money back - give them their money back."

'And I said, "But if I give them the development money back, won't that imply that I did something dishonest? That I broke the contract?" And they were like, "Just do it, just to get rid of the problem."'

Louis-Dreyfus said she felt she was being misled by her reps - 'It didn't sit well with me,' she said of their advice - and contacted Day by Day creator Gary Goldberg for advice on how to proceed.

'He was a huge force at NBC and in television specifically, and I called him and told him this story,' she said of the late Goldberg, who had also created the 80s hit Family Ties.

Louis-Dreyfus said Goldberg told her, 'You know what? I don't respond well to bullying so just tell them to f*** off and don't give them their money back.'

The Veep star said she was empowered after following Goldberg's advice.

'It really emboldened me to stand up for myself, and so, that's what I did,' she said. 'And they just went away, that was the end of it  that was a seminal moment for me when he said that. Because it was bullying by the way.'
Scherri-Lee Biggs and Daniel Venables will welcome their first child together in February next year.

The Today star, 33, and AFL player, 24, shared their happy news to Instagram on Friday alongside a heartwarming picture of brown baby socks.

Sitting next to the tiny clothing articles was a grey stuffed bunny as well as a trendy plaque with their baby's anticipated birth month.

'Theres going to be lots of little socks around come Feb!' Scherri-Lee wrote in the caption of their dual post.

Scherri-Lee addressed the age difference between herself and her younger husband, telling Nine Honey that it was never an issue for them.

Scherri-Lee Biggs, 33, (right) and Daniel Venables, 24, (left) will welcome their first child together in February next year

The Today star and AFL player shared their happy news to Instagram on Friday evening alongside a heartwarming picture of brown baby socks

'There's a tiny little age gap between Dan and I, so when we first got together, Dan was very sweet and he wanted to make sure I knew that he was definitely keen to have kids and that wasn't ever going to be a barrier for us,' she explained.

'It was actually a conversation we had quite early on. And now, it's all happening!'

The couple's famous friends flocked to the comments to congratulate the pair on their huge news.

'So excited for you! Congratulations!' the Block judge Shaynna Blaze wrote.

Channel Nine star Tracy Vo added: 'This is just the most beautiful news. Big love to you guys.'

'Theres going to be lots of little socks around come Feb!' Scherri-Lee wrote in the caption of their dual post

The couple's famous friends flocked to the comments to congratulate the pair on their huge news, including Shaynna Blaze and Tracy Vo

Their big announcement comes just a few months after Scherri-Lee and Daniel tied the knot in a stylish outdoor ceremony in her home city of Perth.

The couple, who have been dating since 2021, tied the knot at the picturesque Old Young's gin distillery in the outer rural suburb of Henley Brook in March.

Scherri-Lee looked breathtaking on her special day in a white lace dress with intricate patterns on the skirt and bodice, as well as a long tulle veil.

Meanwhile, Daniel wore a white tuxedo jacket as he dipped his wife for their first kiss as newlyweds in front of their family and friends.

Their big announcement comes just a few months after Scherri-Lee and Daniel tied the knot in a stylish outdoor ceremony in her home city of Perth

The blushing bride posed with Nine News Perth newsreader Tracy Vo (left) on her wedding day

A day earlier, the pair had thrown a party at a waterside restaurant for their nearest and dearest.

Scherri-Lee shared a photo from their nuptials on Instagram, and confirmed in the caption she had taken her husband's surname by writing 'The Venables'.

She also posted a series of photos from the reception as the couple partied the night away with their guests, including Nine News Perth newsreader Tracy Vo.

Daniel, a former midfielder for the West Coast Eagles, surprised Scherri-Lee with a proposal by the beach just before Christmas last year.

The 9News Perth weather presenter - known to east coast viewers as a fill-in host on the Today show - went public with Daniel just seven months earlier, in May 2022

Scherri-Lee is the regular fill-in for Tim Davies on the Today show during the non-ratings period

The 9News Perth weather presenter - known to east coast viewers as a fill-in host on the Today show - went public with Daniel just seven months earlier, in May 2022.

While it's unclear how long they have been dating, the pair were first pictured together in Vaucluse, Sydney, in early January that year, which suggests they started seeing each other some time in 2021.

Daniel wasn't Scherri-Lee's first boyfriend from the ranks of the Eagles, as she was previously in a relationship with Brad Sheppard from May 2018 to December 2019.
Ryan Gosling has reportedly been approached for a guest appearance in Doctor Who, after it emerged he's a 'massive fan' of the show.

The Hollywood star, 42, had told his co-star Ncuti Gatwa that he watched the BBC sci-fi series when they were filming Barbie together.

Now, sources have claimed bosses have approached Ryan about a guest role in the show, with hopes that he can find time in his busy schedule.

It comes after Ryan won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Ken in the Barbie movie, with some even tipping him for an Oscar nomination.

An insider told The Sun: 'This would be a huge coup for the show, but also a real honour for Ryan who is something of a Whovian.

Ken in the TARDIS? Ryan Gosling has reportedly been approached for a guest appearance in Doctor Who , after it emerged he's a 'massive fan' of the show

'It's not clear yet what role he'd have, but the writers would tailor a character for him to play, if he could find the time in his packed schedule.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for the BBC and Ryan Gosling for comment.

Ncuti previously revealed that Ryan had shared his love for Doctor Who while they were on the Barbie set together.

He told British Vogue: 'I remember Ryan Gosling bounding up to my trailer like, ''Doctor Who is the coolest show in the world man! I'm the biggest fan.'''

'And I was like, ''What the hell?'' This show has incredible reach.'

While filming Barbie a year earlier, Ryan was snapped wearing a T-shirt that featured Ncuti in character as the titular Time Lord.

It sparked a hilarious response from Who's showrunner Russell T Davies, who joked on Instagram that he would be suing the actor for wearing 'illegal merch.'

Ryan also praised Ncuti for taking over the role of The Doctor, telling The One Show: 'I am such a big fan of Ncuti's, he's the coolest and him playing Doctor Who is like, the most exciting thing that's happening right now.'

Really? The Hollywood star had told his co-star Ncuti Gatwa (pictured in character as The Doctor with Millie Gibson) that he watched the sci-fi series

Reports: Now, sources have claimed bosses have approached Ryan about a guest role in the show, with hopes that he can find time in his busy schedule

It would make Ryan the latest Hollywood name to make a cameo in the Who universe, in the wake of big names such as Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan and Felicity Jones.

Ncuti, who has already wrapped filming on Who;s 14th series, will make his debut as The Doctor in a Christmas Special later this year.

It will follow a trio of much-anticipated 60th Anniversary Specials, where David Tennant will reprise his role as The Doctor.

Ncuti and Millie's first full series, comprised of eight episodes, is then expected to air on BBC in Spring 2024.

Russell has returned as Who showrunner after stepping down in 2009, having successfully rebooted the series following years in TV obscurity.
Kaia Gerber showed off her modelling credentials as she put on a show-stopping display while posing up a storm for a sensational magazine shoot.

The model, 22, made sure to dazzle in a striking gold ensemble and other eye-catching outfits as she posed for W Magazine.

In one gorgeous shot, she showed off her incredible figure in a metal gold bra complete with a choker necklace and a glitzy gold tasseled Rabanne skirt.

She completed her shimmering look with a bold slick of gold eyeshadow and let her brunette locks fall loosely across her shoulders.

The daughter of Cindy Crawford put on an equally glamorous display in a sequinned gold dress with a daringly low neckline.

Wow! Kaia Gerber showed off her modelling credentials as she put on a show-stopping display while posing up a storm for a sensational magazine shoot

Gorgeous: The model, 22, made sure to dazzle in a striking gold ensemble and other eye-catching outfits as she posed for W Magazine

For another sensational shot, Kaia put on a head-turning display in a huge tasseled gold ensemble, while she also stunned in a purple and white feathered dress.

She also posed up a storm in a sheer cream shirt and black trousers, while she also sported a glittering striped black blazer in another look.

Kaia made her modelling debut in a Versace campaign at just 10 years old and went on to forge a hugely successful career in the fashion industry.

She has worked with a whole range of high-end brands, but has also ventured into acting, having made her debut in 2016's indie TV film Sister Cities.

She has gone on to star in the likes of American Horror Story and Babylon, and Kaia told how she always longed to act, even after starting her modelling career.

'I was the first kid at the auditions for the community theater,' she told W Magazine in an accompanying interview.

'I had this other amazing job that took me around the world and exposed me to so many things. But still, I felt this longing.'

It comes days after Kaia celebrated her 22nd birthday last weekend, with her mother Cindy, 57, sharing a sweet message to her daughter on Instagram.

Eye-catching: Kaia put on a head-turning display in a white feathered dress with a purple skirt

Style icon: The daughter of Cindy Crawford sported a glittering striped black blazer as she posed up a storm

In a post shared with her 7.9million followers, the supermodel uploaded a montage of throwback footage from Kaia's childhood.

'Happy 22nd Birthday @kaiagerber,' she wrote in a caption. 'Such a joy watching you bloom into an inspiring young woman.

'Love spending time with you at this new stage in our lives  woman to woman  but youll also always be my little girl!'

The adorable throwback video clips featured Kaia in different scenes from her early years including learning how to walk, playing with brother Presley, 24, and taking a bath.

The snippet was soundtracked by the 1969 Beatles song Here Comes The Sun.

Cindy shares her only daughter and son Presley with husband Rande Gerber, who she married in 1998.

Bold! She made sure to capture attention as she posed outside in a huge gold tasseled ensemble

Smart: She also posed up a storm in a sheer cream shirt and black trousers as she showed off her sensational style

Flashback: It comes days after Kaia celebrated her 22nd birthday last weekend, with her mother Cindy, 57, sharing a sweet message to her on Instagram with a throwback video

Kaia treated herself to a spa day in West Hollywood to mark the special occasion.

Earlier this year, Cindy joked about her look alike daughter 'stealing' her beauty.

Chatting with InStyle, she said, 'I look at my daughter and notice that her hair is shiny and healthy looking  she has my old hair, and I want it back!'

And in May, Cindy told People that Kaia is balancing her career and personal life similarly to how she did in the 1980s as she noted, 'I think that she kind of sees how my husband and I have dealt with it throughout the years.'
Rylan Clark has praised the 'dream team' of staff who helped to fly his mum Linda home from Spain, after she suffered a horror fall during their holiday.

The presenter, 34, shared a selfie with the crew who chartered the private jet to fly them back to the UK, after Linda underwent surgery in the wake of her injury.

On Thursday, Rylan revealed that he and Linda were finally heading home, and were using the services of Helicopteros Sanitarios, a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year health care service which operates mobile services for medical care in the Costa Del Sol and provided the transport back to the UK.

Sharing a snap with the services' staff, he captioned the post: 'Dream team.'

He then shared another image of Linda once they'd boarded the flight on a stretcher attached to various medical apparatus, with the sweet message: 'Love her.'

Sweet: Rylan Clark has praised the 'dream team' of staff who helped to fly his mum Linda home from Spain, after she suffered a horror fall during their holiday

Cute: The presenter shared another image of Linda once they'd boarded the flight on a stretcher attached to various medical apparatus, with the sweet message: 'Love her'

Rylan previously shared that getting Linda home on the private jet had 'cost him an arm and a leg.

In a caption, he penned: 'She might have broke an arm and a leg but shes cost me an arm and a leg! LINDAS COMING HOME!! Massive thank you to the amazing team and surgeons at Helicopteros Sanitarios. Thanks for looking after my mum x

Linda was kept on the stretcher for the entirety of the journey and strapped to various medical devices while they were accompanied by medical staff.

Last week, Rylan updated fans as he took to Instagram on Sunday morning to share a smiling photo of his mother in her hospital chair.

Linda could be seen putting on a brave face while both her arm and leg were wrapped up in bandages and braces.

Captioning the snap, Rylan wrote: 'Someone is out of the bed and in a chair. She cant believe how many people have sent messages.

'Thanks everyone. Will update you all with more as I can x'.

It comes after he announced his mum had made it out of surgery after suffering a serious fall on their holiday.

Jetting off: Rylan previously shared that getting Linda home on the private jet had 'cost him an arm and a leg'

Pained: The TV star took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal they were heading home following the the trip, which had been thwarted by her fall

Off we go: In his latest post he shared a trio of snaps showing his beloved mum, with whom he stars on Celebrity Gogglebox, on a stretcher attached to various medical apparatus

Tough time: Last week, Rylan updated fans after his 71-year-old mum Linda was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery during their holiday.

Doing better! She took to Instagram on Sunday morning to share a smiling photo of his mother in her hospital chair

Grateful: Captioning the snap, Rylan wrote: 'Someone is out of the bed and in a chair. She cant believe how many people have sent messages. Thanks everyone'

Rylan assured fans that 'all went well' after earlier announcing that he would be pulling out of his scheduled Radio 2 show, with Scott Mills replacing him.

Sharing a picture of his mother's hands with a cannula in, he wrote: 'Mum is out of surgery. All went well.

'Asked me if she can still have a new driveway. She's deffo come round. Thanks for all your lovely messages x'

Last week, the presenter took to Instagram to announce the worrying news that his mother had suffered a serious fall.

Rylan admitted he was praying for his mother and explained that he would be pulling out of his scheduled Radio 2 show.

After revealing his mother would need to go under the knife, he later told fans: 'Surgery has gone well. Will keep yas updated x'

Rylan filled fans in with his original post, which read: 'So unfortunately I took my mum away on her first holiday in a good few years and sadly she's had quite a bad fall, resulting in her having to have surgery out here.

Update: It comes after he announced his mum had made it out of surgery after suffering a serious fall on their holiday with a picture of his mother's hands with a cannula in

'She's not in the best health with her other conditions and this has made it more complicated. My priority at the moment is my mum.

'Cheers scott for covering me at radio 2 and Thanks to the people out here that have sent their well wishes.

'Praying for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Will update you on mummy. Linda as and when I can x'

X Factor star Rylan's celebrity pals quickly flooded the comments section of his Instagram post with well-wishes.

Kate Garraway wrote: 'Sorry to hear Rylan,' while Jordan North added: 'Oh mate, hope she's doing ok. Big love,' and Catherine Tyldesley penned: 'Sending love, light and healing darlings.'

Vanessa Feltz commented: 'O my goodness I am sorry to hear it! Praying for a speedy recovery, while Ruth Langsford wrote on behalf of herself and husband Eamonn Holmes: 'Oh no.darling Linda. Sending you both all our love.'

Linda has battled with Crohn's since her 30s, a condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system.

She often has to undergo multiple operations to remove damaged parts of her bowel and takes numerous medicines each day for her condition.

Rylan's mum also contracted sepsis in 2018, which almost killed her.

Back in 2027, Linda endured a six-week stay in hospital, after a procedure related to her Crohn's disease went wrong.

Rylan previously opened up to the Daily Mail about his mum's battle with the illness, which has affected many aspects of her life.

He explained: 'My mum lost her job because of the disease - it totally dictates her life. When she was diagnosed it really hit her hard because it wasn't picked up early enough.

'The earlier you pick it up the easier it is to control. I grew up with the disease as well because she was ill - it is life-threatening. It's scary.

'It could be difficult when I was young because sometimes she couldn't come on school trips and other times she was so embarrassed about her symptoms that I couldn't have my mates to stay over.'

Crohn's disease is a chronic condition, which affects around one in 1,200 people in the UK, causing inflammation of the lining of the digestive system, although it is most commons in the intestines.

It causes symptoms including diarrhoea, intense abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue.

Worrying: Last week, the presenter announced that his mother had suffered a serious fall and explained that he would be pulling out of his scheduled Radio 2 show

Support: Rylan issued his followers with an update after his celebrity pals flooded the comments section of his Instagram post with well-wishes

Special bond: Linda has become hugely popular since her first stint alongside her famous son on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2021

Linda has become hugely popular since her first stint alongside him on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2021, however Rylan previously admitted she has no idea of her level of fame.

He write in a Sunday Times Magazine article: 'She's not dealing with her fame, she doesn't really know. She's not on social media and I'm never gonna let her be.'

Rylan added: 'My mum, Linda, is my biggest f****** headache, but I don't know what I'd do without her.

'She's got the best of both worlds with me  I'm a son and a daughter. I can talk to her about make-up and blow-dry her hair, and I can tell her to f*** off. She's a liability.

'She's the ultimate cross between the nan from Catherine Tate and Pam from Gavin & Stacey.'
Catherine Zeta-Jones looked as elegant as ever as she got glammed-up in her make-up chair with her pet pooch curled up on her lap.

The actress, 53, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a whole host of black-and-white snaps of herself getting her make-up done.

She put on a very glamorous display as she got a stunning smokey-eye make-up look applied, along with lashings of mascara.

Her pet dog Taylor could be seen blissfully curled up on her lap having a snooze as her beauty regime got underway.

In one snap, Catherine held her finger up to her lips in the 'shhh' sign as she didn't want her beloved dog to be disturbed from his nap.

Gorgeous: Catherine Zeta-Jones looked as elegant as ever as she got glammed-up in her make-up chair with her pet pooch curled up on her lap

Alongside the gorgeous snaps, she gushed over her pooch as she simply wrote: '#mydog #taylor.'

Her latest post comes after Wednesday star Catherine returned from her lavish summer getaway to Capri last month.

Catherine - who jetted off with her husband Michael Douglas, 78 - took to Instagram last month to give an insight into her sun-soaked holiday.

In one snap, she looked effortlessly stylish in a patterned blue cover-up which boasted a daring waist high split as she relaxed on a yacht.

She threw her dress over a black swimsuit and accessorised with a matching headband, adding some glamour with a pair of silver hoop earrings.

In another photo shared to her 5.4million followers, Catherine put on a busty display in a plunging halterneck khaki swimsuit.

She pouted to the camera while hiding beneath a huge beige woven sun hat and rocked a pair of black sunglasses.

Catherine enjoyed the lavish sun-soaked Italian getaway with her actor husband Michael, and the pair enjoyed a boat trip to Conca del Sogno, a high-end beach club in the picturesque seaside village of in Nerano.

Nap time! Her pet dog Taylor could be seen blissfully curled up on her lap having a snooze as her beauty regime got underway

Having fun: The actress, 53, jokingly pretended to apply make-up to her beloved pooch Taylor in one snap

Summertime: Her latest post comes after Wednesday star Catherine returned from her lavish summer getaway to Capri last month

Fatal Attraction star Michael and Catherine, who is 25 years his junior, have been married since 2000.

The couple tied the knot at the Plaza Hotel in NYC after they began dating two years earlier, and have grown into one of Hollywood's most enduring couples.

In 2001, Catherine told Larry King of how their relationship began: 'We met in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival...I think it was 1996!'

'I had been told Michael Douglas wanted to meet me. I was a little nervous because I didn't quite know what he wanted to meet me about.'

Douglas was promoting A Perfect Murder and Zeta-Jones was promoting The Mask of Zorro.

Their friends Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith - who used to be married - introduced the actors at a private dinner and Michael asked Catherine if he could sit next to her.

He famously told her he was going to be the father of her children which shocked her, and he sent flowers soon after to apologize. They started a friendship.

'Nine months later, I'm still having long conversations with him on the phone, having great dinner dates, constantly wondering, "Why are we not together?"' she told King.

Getaway: Catherine - who jetted off with her husband Michael Douglas, 78 - took to Instagram last month to give an insight into her sun-soaked holiday

Couple: Catherine and Fatal Attraction star Michael (pictured in May), who is 25 years his junior, have been married since 2000

'We looked at each other one day and said, "We're having a lot of fun together,"' she said.

Michael proposed at his Aspen home on New Year's Eve in 1999 with a $1 million diamond ring.

'Both of us were sick as dogs because we had [the] flu,' the actor told ITV's Ross King in 2016.

Together, Catherine and Michael have son Dylan, 22, and daughter Carys, 20. Michael also has son Cameron Douglas, 43, from his first marriage with Diandra Luker.
Married At First Sight UK has received heated backlash over its newest bride Ella who is the first transgender contestant to participate in the franchise.

The controversial matchmaking show attracted vile trolls and concerned viewers alike when it announced this year's big shakeup.

Much of the backlash appeared to revolve around producers opting to keep Ella's transgender identity a secret from her groom until after their nuptials.

While some left hateful comments about Ella's gender, others were worried for her safety on the series.

'This is disgusting! They can't do this to someone without them knowing,' one person wrote.

Married At First Sight UK has received heated backlash over its newest bride Ella (pictured) who is the first transgender contestant to participate in the franchise

The controversial matchmaking show attracted vile trolls and concerned viewers alike when it announced this year's big shakeup

'All for views. How awful of production team to do this to either of them,' another said.

A third added: 'What a disgrace MAFS to not disclose this to the groom b4 [sic] and give him a choice. It's a new low for your show.'

While many of the comments seemed to centre around the groom's experience, others rallied around Ella and were concerned for her.

'The groom needs to have at least been asked if he is open to a gender diverse bride. It is putting her at a great risk, even if he is on board,' one wrote.

Elsewhere, other viewers doubted MAFS producers would pair Ella with someone who wasn't open to pursuing a relationship with her.

Shocked fans of the show took to social media to share their opinions on Ella's casting

'I don't believe for one second that the groom isn't aware it's a possibility and they must have agreed they would be happy with this,' one person wrote.

'I don't believe they would drop that bombshell without finding out if a person is happy with it.'

Married At First Sight Australia star Tahnee Cook offered her own experience, saying all applicants are asked if they're willing to be matched with someone who is trans.

She also said that she was 'pretty disgusted' with some of the transphobic comments from viewers.

Meanwhile, many others have championed the show's decision to be more inclusive and diverse.

'Most excited for her out of all the people posted so far!' gushed one fan.

'You are my absolute favourite, it's about time more airtime was given to transgender [people]. My 16 year old daughter is also trans, there is not enough on television to be inclusive of all genders,' wrote another.

Some viewers doubted that producers would pair Ella with someone who wasn't open to pursuing a relationship with her

Married At First Sight Australia star Tahnee Cook offered her own experience, saying all applicants are asked if they're willing to be matched with someone who is trans

Tahnee appeared on the most recent season of Married At First Sight Australia

Ella, who branded herself a 'blonde bombshell with a sense of humour and heart of gold', said of being the show's first trans bride: 'This experiment is much more than just me getting married... I see this as a big deal for someone who has transitioned.'

The clinic consultant from Weston-Super-Mare, will be joined by fellow brides Tasha, Shona, Rosaline, Porsha, Peggy, Laura, and Jay, and grooms Thomas, Terence, Paul, Nathanial, Luke, Georges, Brad, and Arthur this season.

The upcoming season is set to be the longest-ever MAFS UK run, with 36 episodes serialising the romances of the blindly-matched couples.

Ella went on: 'I deserve love because I've gone through a lot as a person. I deserve to be happy with someone that loves me, for me, and accepts me because I am fabulous! I was born a boy, I've transitioned.'

She emotionally detailed: 'That's why I'm very open-minded and just have a lot of fun because I've had such a s****y life.'

The upcoming season is set to be the longest-ever MAFS UK run, with 36 episodes serialising the romances of the blindly-matched couples

The couples will be matched and guided by returning experts Mel Schilling, Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas

The series will follow season six in following the Australian format.

Relationships will once again be put under the microscope at weekly dinner parties, and at the recurring commitment ceremonies, where couples choose whether they want to stay in or leave the process.

All this and more will build to a dramatic series finale: glossy, high-stakes vow renewals during which each couple must decide if they will recommit to their partner or go their separate ways for good.

The couples will be matched and guided by returning experts Mel Schilling, Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas.
Love Island star Kaz Crossley set pulses racing in a mint green bikini as she enjoyed a holiday in Ibiza earlier this week.

The reality star turned Muay Thai trainer showcased her washboard abs and toned physique as she relaxed by the poolside at the Jacaranda Lounge.

Last month, the 28-year-old reopened painful wounds as she reflected on being questioned and held in prison in the United Arab Emirates on suspicion of drug offences.

Yet Kaz looked in much better spirits as soaked up the Spanish sun while dipping her feet in the pool and cooling down in the shower.

A known fan of a headband, the star accessorised the swimwear with a multi-coloured patterned bandana which held back her golden locks.

Wow: Kaz Crossley, 28, set pulses racing in a mint green bikini as she showcased her toned abs while holidaying in Ibiza earlier this week

Cooling down: Kaz showed off her enviable curves in the skimpy bikini as she took a shower after a dip in the pool

Kaz recently broke down in tears as she spoke about being questioned and held in prison in the United Arab Emirates on suspicion of drug offences.

She revealed it was the 'lowest point of her life' as she discussed the 'very scary' experience of being held behind bars.

In 2020, the reality star was filmed without her knowledge, appearing to snort lines of white powder in Dubai by her 'controlling and manipulative' ex-boyfriend.

She said it 'destroyed her mental health and career' and she admitted she 'didn't leave the house for three months due to crippling anxiety'.

After flying into Abu Dhabi for a work trip following the incident, Kaz was put in jail for a week alongside a new mother and her six-month-old baby.

Speaking to GK Barry on her podcast Saving Grace podcast, Kaz discussed her traumatising experience from start to finish.

She explained: 'The Dubai thing for me is so much deeper than anything that was portrayed in the media.'

Kaz has now insisted she 'was not arrested' as she explained how she was moved jails and locked up with a newborn baby and its mother.

Stunning: The reality star turned Muay Thai trainer showcased her washboard abs and toned physique as she relaxed by the poolside at the Jacaranda Lounge

Opening up: She said the story 'destroyed her mental health and career' and she 'didn't leave the house for three months' due to crippling 'anxiety'

'It was a horrible place': She insisted she 'was not arrested' as she explained how she was moved jails and locked up with a newborn baby and its mother

She explained: 'I wasn't arrested I was just held for questioning. I was not arrested but I was inside the jail so it felt like it but I wasn't put in handcuffs.

'I was treated like any other inmate. I was taken to Dubai and then I got put in another jail for a day. This was really eye opening experience.

'Inside this jail there was a six-month-old baby in with me. In Abu Dhabi it is illegal to have kids if you're not married.

'The child was with the mother in jail and she had it in the hospital by Caesarean and the police came to the hospital and put her in jail with the baby after two days.

'She was in there for six months before I arrived. I still speak with her now but I was probably at the lowest point of my life and I was holding this tiny baby.

'It was a horrible place and it was not nice. I had nothing to wash with no clothes it was disgusting.'
Amy Nuttall's ex-husband Andrew Buchan has been seen for the first time since reports of their 'second split' came to light.

The former Emmerdale star, 41, had taken the actor, 44, back after his relationship with his co-star Leila Farzad, 41, emerged in February - but issued him with a list of strict demands to help them rebuild their marriage.

'Gutted' Amy then called time on their 11-year marriage for good and has thrown him out of the family home they shared with their two children.

Just weeks after the claims were reported, Andrew was seen looking downcast while heading to his car in Buckinghamshire.

A source told The Sun: 'It took a lot for Amy to give the marriage another chance but she thought it was worth one final roll of the dice. There is no suggestion he has cheated again, but as far as she is concerned this is it.'

Tough times: Amy Nuttall's ex-husband Andrew Buchan has been seen for the first time since reports of their 'second split' came to light

Shocker: Just weeks after the claims were reported, Andrew was seen looking downcast while heading to his car in Buckinghamshire

It's over: Amy, 41, has reportedly 'split from her cheating' husband Andrew for a second time

Affair: She had previously taken the actor back after his 'affair' with Better co-star Leila Farzad, 39 - but with a list of strict demands to help them rebuild their marriage

On news of the split, sources added: 'She is obviously gutted but also accepts that their time together has come to an end.'

It emerged in February this year that Andrew had reportedly left his wife of 11 years Amy for his BBC crime drama Better co-star Leila.

But just weeks later, Leila allegedly returned to her husband James Maizels, while Andrew has gone back to his family, with The Sun reporting that Andrew told a friend: 'We're healing.'

In July it was claimed that Amy had set her husband seven strict rules to follow after their reunion in order to rekindle their relationship.

Amy apparently demanded weekly date nights as they followed the 777 approach, full access to each other's phones and absolutely no out of work contact with any co-stars, according to The Sun.

It was reported that Andrew would also need to keep in contact via FaceTime when he's working away.

'No one thought they could come back from this but Amy has decided to give it one more go,' a source told the publication.

'[Amy] doesn't want to throw away over a decade together but at the same time she is far from a pushover.

Strict: Amy has demanded weekly date nights as they follow the 777 approach, full access to each other's phones and no out of work contact with any co-stars, according to The Sun

BBC crime drama: Broadchurch star Andrew and Leila on screen in the show Better

Back together: Speculation the couple had reunited came in the month before, when Andrew was seen leaving their family home wearing his gold wedding ring in June

'They will adopt the 777 approach which means every seven days you go on a date, every seven weeks you go away for the night and every seven months you go away on holiday just the two of you.'

The 777 approach makes up three of the rules, and the final one is that their work should be on an equal footing, it was reported.

MailOnline contacted Amy and Andrew's representatives for comment at the time.

Speculation the couple had reunited came in the month before, when Andrew was seen leaving their family home wearing his gold wedding ring in June.

Amy was spotted around the same time at the property, without her ring, but insiders suggested they were giving things another go.

A source close to the couple told the The Sun: 'Amy was, understandably, devastated to learn of the infidelity and wanted a clean break and a fresh start.

'But Andrew has come back to her and promised to change.

'They have been working through their problems and are trying to put the love triangle behind them for the sake of their family.'

It was originally thought that the couple were separated after Amy reportedly demanded a divorce from her husband Andrew in March, just weeks after news of their split emerged, but it seemed her wishes changed.

After being left devastated by her husband's alleged infidelity, sources told The Sun that Amy was taking the power back after the betrayal, while also claiming that Andrew and Leila had parted ways.

Family: The pair have two children, a son and daughter, who they keep away from the limelight

The source said: 'She's told him she wants a divorce anyway, she's been publicly humiliated and the pain has been unbearable.

'She thought he was away working, when in fact he was often in hotels with Leila  once the truth emerged it was like being hit by a train.'

They added: 'Now she's decided to take back control again and plan her own future. She's going down the legal route and will get everything she's entitled to.'

Andrew was thought to have left the family home after their affair came to light and moved in with Leila after meeting her while working together on the BBC series.

Leila married her husband James Maizels in 2013, and they have a daughter who was born in 2014.

Andrew's alleged affair with Leila was exposed after Amy discovered that he had purchased racy lingerie in a size that was not her own.

Friends claimed the actor informed Amy of his desire to terminate the marriage shortly before Christmas.

A source told The Sun: 'The penny started to drop over a period of time. He was away a lot, which wasn't unusual because of the nature of his work, but at one point Amy realised he had been staying in hotels very near to home  and wondered why.

'As time moved on, there were some tell-tale signs that he had become close to Leila  just something in his mannerisms and in their social media posts together.

'But the final straw was the lingerie  that's what clinched it. Amy just knew instinctively that it wasn't meant for her.'

Amy, who had been so 'crushed' by the end of her marriage that she was crying almost every day, struggled to raise a smile as she was seen running errands in Buckinghamshire days later.

Speaking to MailOnline about the split shortly afterwards, she fought back tears and confessed: 'I can't talk about it. I'm sorry, I can't say anything.'

Cosy! Leila and Andrew are pictured together while promoting Better on February 8

A source said at the time: 'It was a huge shock. Amy is heartbroken.'

Andrew was said to have told Amy their marriage was over ahead of the festive period, leaving the actress devastated and their friends in a state of shock.

The source added: 'For Andrew to walk away from his family was a huge shock to us all  and Amy is heartbroken. Everyone who knows them thought they were going to be together forever.

'But he's packed his bags and left with his new co-star. Whatever has gone on, it seems to have been enough for him to re-evaluate his whole life and rip up their marriage.

'Nobody is quite sure of the exact details, but Andrew has clearly had his head turned pretty dramatically.' MailOnline has contacted a representative for further comment.

In January, Leila took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Andrew in a montage featuring the entire Better cast and crew.

Her caption read: 'This lot. Couldn't and wouldn't happen without them. Big up the Better team who wiped my tears, held me up, fed me crumpets and made me smile.

'Don't have pics of everyone but this gang got me through! We made a show, it's NOT a Happy Valley replacement but a morality tale which should make you think.'

Previously: Andrew is best known for his role as Mark Latimer in the hugely popular ITV series Broadchurch

United: Leila took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Andrew in a montage featuring the Better cast and crew in January

Happy: She shared a caption lauding her co-stars, including Andrew, for 'wiping away her tears' and 'holding her up'

Popular: Amy played Ethel Parks in ITV period drama Downton Abbey

Glamorous: Leila has previously taken roles in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a Bafta TV nomination

Close: One scene in the series shows the pair kissing and sharing an embrace, with Leila previously describing their on-screen relationship as 'intense'

Former flame: Leila was previously married to husband James, with the pair tying the knot in 2013, after being friends for six years. They have a daughter born in 2014

Cute: She posted a photo of a note her little girl had hidden in her suitcase as she went away to film, which read: 'I'm very proud of you mummy'

Andrew plays well-connected criminal Col alongside Leila's corrupt police officer, Lou, in the crime drama Better, which was first screened on BBC One in February.

One scene in the series shows the pair sharing an embrace, and Leila has described their on-screen relationship as 'intense.'

She said: 'It's a very complicated relationship. When we first meet them, it's an intense relationship that has an element of friendship, but there's quite an intimate power play between these two people.

'Early on, something very triggering happens to Lou, and she finds herself having to let go of this person, Col, who was so integral to her life.

'The crux of the story is that Col goes from friend to foe, which is why the story gathers momentum.'

On working with Andrew on the show, she added: 'We never worked together before. He's a dream to work with. He's utterly open and generous and so highly skilled at what he does. I felt very lucky to be working with him on set every day.'

London born, Oxford-educated Leila also starred in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a Bafta TV nomination.

Leila has shared a few posts about her daughter on Instagram, who is now her biggest fan after her mother found fame on TV.

She posted a photo of a note her little girl had hidden in her suitcase as she went away to film, which was written in joint-up handwriting and read: 'I'm very proud of you mummy.'

Andrew is best known for roles in Broadchurch, The Fixer and Garrows Law and more recently played Matt Hancock in Kenneth Branagh's Sky political drama This England.

He landed his first big role in Jane Eyre in 2006, and also starred opposite Matt Smith in Party Animals the following year.

Amy first appeared to allude to the split as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day.

The post read: 'I am not impressed by money, social status or job title, I'm impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.'

She also shared an image that showed her walking along holding hands with two children, writing the caption: 'Holidays with my favourites.'

One of the top comments read: 'Oh my gosh they are so big now xx.'

On Christmas Day she also shared a festive snap, with one comment underneath reading: 'How are you and the kids ? Xxxx.'

Amy found fame after joining ITV soap Emmerdale in 2000 at the age of 18; she played Chloe Atkinson for eight years before leaving the show to pursue a music career.

While on the show she dated co-star Ben Freeman for more than four years before the couple separated in 2004 amid claims that he had cheated on her.

What's going on? Amy appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day

Seeking solace? She also previously shared a snap of herself enjoying a Pornstar Martini

Former boyfriend: While on Emmerdale, Amy dated co-star Ben Freeman for more than four years before the couple separated amid claims he had cheated on her

It was reported by The News Of The World that Amy discovered Ben had cheated on her, with a source saying: 'She found out a few weeks ago that Ben had been playing around behind her back but when she confronted him he denied it.

'At first she believed him but then she discovered that he had been calling this girl repeatedly and sending her text messages.

'She found his phone bill and called the girl up. It took a lot of guts but she wanted to know the truth and the girl admitted what had happened.'

In a 2003 interview, while she and Ben were still dating, Amy said she would 'never dream' of chatting up someone else's partner.

She told The Mirror: 'The girls don't make me jealous because I'm very secure in my relationship with Ben, but I do think it's rude. I would never dream of going up to someone else's boyfriend and trying it on.'

More recently, Amy played Ethel Parks in BBC period drama Downton Abbey, with her character losing her job at the sprawling Downton estate after having an affair with a serving officer.
Strictly star Nadiya Bychkova was the picture of glamour as she attended the BOHA restaurant VIP launch party on Thursday.

The dancer, 34, wowed in a silver shimmering party dress as she beamed in snaps throughout the evening.

The dancer showcased her slender pins in the strapless number which she accessorised with a pair of matching silver heels.

The star's blonde locks hung loose in a crimped style while she carried her essentials in a small cream clutch bag.

It's not long now until BBC favourite Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens and the professional dancers are deep in rehearsals with this year's celebrities.

Stunning! Nadiya Bychkova, 34, cut a glamorous figure in a silver shimmering party dress as she attended BOHA restaurant launch party on Thursday

Gorgeous: The dancer showcased her slender pins in the strapless number which she accessorised with a pair of matching silver heels

Sparkling: The star's blonde locks hung loose in a crimped style while she carried her essentials in a small cream clutch bag

The London restaurant opened on Thursday night and the establishment specialises in elevating Irish & British fusion cuisine.

Nadiya was among a host of celebrity guests as they all made their way to the restaurant for a fabulous night.

Love Island stars Tasha Ghouri and her boyfriend Andrew Le Page were pictured arm in arm as they headed to the event.

Tasha flaunted her incredible physique in a sheer brown mesh midi dress, her blonde curls falling in natural waves over her shoulders.

Meanwhile her other half looked dapper in a white-quarter zip polo top and beige chinos.

This year's contestant Leah Taylor put on a very busty display in a strapless white corset and fitted white suit trousers as she smiled in snaps.

New parents Ollie Locke and his husband Gareth also looked to be enjoying a night away from their parental duties.

The pair welcomed twins, son Apollo Magnus Obi and daughter Cosima Emily Bex, in July via a surrogate.

Bye: The 34-year-old waved to fans as she climbed into the taxi after a successful night

Opening night: The star's had gathered for the restaurant's exciting opening night

Happy couple: Love Island stars Tasha Ghouri and her boyfriend Andrew Le Page were pictured arm-in-arm as they headed to the event

Sensational: Tasha flaunted her incredible physique in a sheer brown mesh midi dress, her blonde curls falling in natural waves over her shoulders

Sophisticated: Leah Taylor put on a very busty display in a strapless white corset and fitted white suit trousers as she smiled in snaps

Baby break: New parents Ollie Locke and his husband Gareth also looked to be enjoying a night away from their parental duties (pictured with Jenna Mac)

Hot: Georgia Harrison set pulses racing as she wowed in a burgundy leather look corset top which showed off her ample cleavage

Keeping it casual: DJ Fat Tony looked in good spirits as he mingled with the fellow stars

Sip sip: Media personality Ryan Mark Parsons was also seen enjoying a cocktail at the event

The Strictly launch show is set to air on September 16 and this year's contestants Bobby Brazier has revealed he plans to dedicate one of his Strictly Come Dancing routines to his late mother Jade Goody.

While he's still getting to grips with finding his feet, Bobby confessed that he's already thinking about his future routines.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at Tuesday's National Television Awards, Bobby revealed the songs he wants to dance to on the show.

He said: 'Theres a few  it depends on the mood. Saturday Love and also This Womans Worth by Maxwell - that would be beautiful, Id hope to make people cry doing that.'

Bobby added: 'Maybe Ill dedicate that one [to my mum]. I havent thought about it, but maybe that one.'

The actor was just five-years-old, and his brother Freddie, four, when Jade Goody passed away on Mother's Day, 2009, following a battle with cervical cancer.
Phillip Schofield's daughters have also stopped following Holly Willoughby on Instagram despite them both being close to her in the past.

MailOnline can reveal that both Molly and Ruby Schofield joined their father in a show of unity against the embattled This Morning presenter this week after he very publicly showed how their once strong friendship has come to an end.

But Holly might now be surprised to learn that the two women have also turned on her in support of Phillip, who recruited her to the ITV daytime show 14 years ago.

During happier times, both Molly and Ruby would join Holly, 42, girls' nights out during their long summer holidays at their neighbouring villas on Portugal's Algarve.

They had also known Holly since for many years, with both women being teenagers when she and their dad began working together.

It's over! Phillip Schofield's daughters Molly and Ruby (far left and far right with the presenter and his wife Stephanie) have also stopped following Holly Willoughby on Instagram

Drama: MailOnline can reveal that both Molly and Ruby Schofield joined their father in a show of unity against the embattled This Morning presenter this week

One source close to the situation said: 'Both Molly and Ruby have seen their father go through hell, they have been at his side as he has lost everything.

'Meanwhile, by following Holly on Instagram they see her carrying on with her life.

'The whole scandal has taken its toll on them, their support for him as been unwavering and this is the final nail. They are staunchly loyal to their dad, despite everything that has gone on.'

Molly, 30, also knew Holly in a professional capacity for many years as she works as a talent agent at YMU where she was signed to until 2020 when she left following a legal battle with them over future earnings.

Phillip also parted company with the London-based company the day before he revealed that he had had an affair with a much younger This Morning runner behind his wife Stephanie Lowe's back - and then lied about it to The Mail on Sunday.

Phillip still follows Holly's sister Kelly, while Holly, for now, still follows Phillip.

Yet the mum-of-three posted a telling comment about 'releasing negativity' and 'new beginnings' shortly after his social media snub was revealed.

Holly made her first public appearance at the National Television Awards for 13 years without Phil last Tuesday.

Distant: Phillip's daughter Ruby no longer follows Holly, despite knowing the presenter for many years

Where is Holly? Likewise Molly has also unfollowed the presenter on social media, and a source said: 'They are staunchly loyal to their dad, despite everything that has gone on'

She went on a charm offensive with the media just hours after This Morning was criticised by viewers for its post summer comeback.

Last Monday's show went down 200,000 in its audience figures from the previous Friday when Alison Hammond hosted with Dermot O'Leary.

Meanwhile, Phillip was seen leaving the Roebuck pub in Richmond last Monday - the same day Holly returned to This Morning following her eight week summer break.

Last month he was also spotted enjoying drinks with Vanessa Feltz at a cocktail bar in Chiswick, West London.

When asked to address the toxic culture claims that have engulfed the show, Holly said on the NTAs red carpet: 'We are very blessed, we have a great team of people, we really do.

'I know there's been a lot of talk about things and for me personally, I don't want to speak on behalf of other people, it's a world I don't recognise.

'For me, I look around and see the team getting ready and giving it all. I just want to come to work and have more of that.'

Holly's grand return to This Morning was met with a tepid reaction from viewers, as well as a dip in ratings.

Once considered a crown jewel of ITV's schedule, This Morning now faces an uncertain future following Phillip Schofield's departure in May after he admitted to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a much younger male colleague.

Producers will be desperate to recapture some of This Morning's pre-Schofield scandal magic, but reactions to Monday's opening scene suggest they are a long way off winning over viewers.

Holly didn't seem too worried by the ratings drop-off, telling MailOnline she 'just wants the future to continue as it is.'

She admitted, however, whether that future comes to pass is not down to her, or any of her co-hosts - instead it is down to the viewers, many of whom have become disillusioned by the show and its attempts to distract from claims of a toxic culture.

An independent inquiry into the Schofield scandal remains ongoing, with Eamonn Holmes yet to be questioned despite being one of his most vocal critics.

According to The Sun Jane Mulcahy KC has not quizzed the former This Morning hosts despite the findings set to be published 'very soon.'

In the months surrounding the scandal, This Morning faced questions about exactly what they knew of the affair, leading to the broadcaster announcing they were bringing the KC to 'carry out an external review to establish the facts'.

A source told the publication: 'Eamonn has extensive knowledge of the atmosphere at This Morning and has said before he thought Phil's affair was "covered up". The fact he's not been approached is leading to confusion as he could be key in helping engender change at ITV.

Outing: Holly made her first public appearance at the National Television Awards for 13 years without Phil last Tuesday

Before adding: 'If he and Ruth aren't asked about what they know, it appears the investigation into This Morning and what went on may not be as thorough as people first believed it would be.'

MailOnline contacted Eamonn's reps for comment.

Meanwhile Holly has reportedly already spoken to the barrister in charge of the independent inquiry.

It is said that the host has 'fully complied and cooperated with everything that has been asked of her by the KC', reported The Mirror.

A source said: 'Holly was more than happy to do what was asked of her, and explain her position, and what she knew, and what she didn't.'

Jane Mulcahy KC has been drafted in to lead the external review of the facts surrounding the scandal and is expected to publish her findings in September.

There are deep-rooted fears among bosses that they are not out of the woods yet as the results of the Schofield inquiry are anticipated this month which executives know they will have to publish in full.

Schofield resigned from This Morning in May. He admitted he had a relationship with a much younger man who worked with him on the show, and later lied about it.

In a bombshell statement to the Daily Mail, the veteran TV presenter admitted that he and the man began a relationship that was more than a friendship. The ex-TV presenter describes this as 'unwise but not illegal'.

Schofield further confessed that he lied to his employer ITV, to his colleagues, his friends and his agents at the management firm YMU.

The scandal created a state of disarray for the show, with it triggering ongoing allegations of a toxic culture behind the scenes.
Georgia Harrison was spotted heading home with Love Island star Casey O'Gorman after they both attended the opening of the BOHA London restaurant on Thursday.

The reality TV star, 28, was seen waiting for a taxi with the hunk before they jumped into the car and drove off together.

Georgia showed off her edgy sense of style in a plunging dark red leather corset top and jeans as she posed for snaps at the launch event.

The Love Island alumni was seen sharing a laugh with Casey while they waited for their car ride home.

Casey appeared on the winter series of Love Island earlier this year, and after a turbulent on/off romance with Claudia Fogarty, was sensationally dumped from the villa on day 51.

Low-key: Georgia Harrison was spotted heading home with Love Island star Casey O'Gorman after they both attended the opening of the BOHA London restaurant on Thursday

Time to go! The reality TV star was seen waiting for a taxi with the hunk before they jumped into the car and drove off together

Daring! Georgia showed off her edgy sense of style in a plunging dark red leather corset top and jeans as she posed for snaps at the launch event

Last month, Casey revealed that he and Claudia engaged in a 'friends with benefits' relationship after Love Island.

The recruitment consultant and the daughter of Superbike champion Carl Fogarty fell for each other during the 2023 winter series.

However, Casey soon had his head turned by bombshell Rosie Seabrook, leaving Claudia devastated.

But things quickly ended there too, with Casey ghosting Rosie only two weeks after coming out of the South African villa.

Soon after the show ended, Casey and Claudia sparked rumours they had rekindled their romance after a series of flirty exchanges back in May.

Speaking on the Goss Island podcast, Casey confessed: 'We might have overstepped the friendship boundary maybe once or twice on a night out, but it is very much just friends.'

He continued: 'And since that happened, we've basically said we can't be doing that. We're just going to stay being friends.'

When asked if it was a 'friends with benefits' situation that fizzled out, Casey confirmed: 'Yeah'.

Departing: The Love Island alumni was seen sharing a laugh with Casey while they waited for their car ride home

Drama! Casey appeared on the winter series of Love Island earlier this year, and after a turbulent on/off romance with Claudia Fogarty, was dumped from the villa on day 51

Revelation: Last month, Casey revealed that he and Claudia engaged in a 'friends with benefits' relationship after Love Island

Turbulent: The recruitment consultant and the daughter of Superbike champion Carl Fogarty fell for each other during the 2023 winter series

Exciting! However, Casey soon had his head turned by bombshell Rosie Seabrook , leaving Claudia devastated

At odds: But things quickly ended there too, with Casey ghosting Rosie only two weeks after coming out of the South African villa

He added: 'I genuinely feel like if I would've stayed with Claudia 'til the end of the show, we probably wouldn't be friends right now. It probably would've ended a lot worse and a lot more emotions would've got involved.'

'So, as much as  in a way I wish I stayed with Claudia, I think it's turned out for the best now, because we are such good mates.'

Casey also said: 'If people do fake [their feelings on Love Island], I don't know how they do it.

'I could never do it and actually fake emotions being in there, because in there it's just so intense and fair play to anyone that does, but I don't know how they could do it.'

Elsewhere, Georgia recently admitted she will never be the 'same person' again after her horrific Stephen Bear revenge porn ordeal.

She was left devastated when her ex Stephen, 33, uploaded footage of them having sex to his OnlyFans account without her consent.

Questions: Soon after the show ended, Casey and Claudia sparked rumours they had rekindled their romance after a series of flirty exchanges back in May

Speculation: Speaking on the Goss Island podcast , Casey confessed: 'We might have overstepped the friendship boundary maybe once or twice on a night out'

Claims: When asked if it was a 'friends with benefits' situation that fizzled out, Casey confirmed: 'Yeah'

Shocking: Elsewhere, Georgia recently admitted she will never be the 'same person' again after her horrific Stephen Bear revenge porn ordeal

Speaking out: She was left devastated when her ex Stephen, 33, uploaded footage of them having sex to his OnlyFans account without her consent

Former Celebrity Big Brother star Stephen made 2,000 from it and was jailed for 21 months in March for voyeurism and two counts of 'revenge porn'.

Now, Georgia has told how she has been forever 'changed' by the ordeal and said she will never be the same person that she was before.

She told how the experience has made her more 'resilient' and that she has been rebuilding her confidence after the ordeal took a toll on her mental health.

She told The Sun: 'I'll never be the same person as I was before, these things definitely do change you.
The Block has hit a major obstacle just five months before it begins production on the show's highly anticipated 20th season.

After more than nine months of laying the ground work in Daylesford for next year's renovations, Channel Nine has been forced to pull the plug on the location.

The network initially secured sites on Raglan Street in the picturesque country town but were driven out by locals and delays in permit approvals, reported Herald Sun.

'We've had so many successful series in so many different locations, but we don't go where we are not welcome,' a production insider told the publication on Sunday.

'Especially for the 20th series of The Block, which is so important.'

The Block has hit a major obstacle just five months before it begins production on the highly anticipated 20th season. Pictured: host Scott Cam

After more than nine months of laying the ground work in Daylesford for next year's renovation, Channel Nine has been forced to pull the plug on the location

Despite plans for the proposed setting being approved by the Hepburn Shire, Nine was challenged in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

The network reportedly cancelled $500,000 worth of accommodation it had booked for the show's cast and crew.

Season 20 of The Block was officially confirmed at Channel Nine's Upfront 2024 event in Sydney on Wednesday, but a new location has yet to be secured.

It comes after Nine announced that applications are open for The Block 2024 contestants.

Next year will mark the 20th season for the blockbuster renovation show, which will once again be hosted by Scott Cam.

And producers have advised that successful applicants can expect filming to begin in February and continue for 12 weeks.

The network initially secured sites on Raglan Street in the picturesque country town but were driven out by locals and delays in permit approvals, reported Herald Sun

The show's creators are looking for 'enthusiastic, motivated, hardworking teams of two to participate in the twentieth season of Australia's biggest and best renovating challenge.'

The latest guidelines have advised successful applicants won't be able to continue their regular work during filming.

Producers are also encouraging teams with previous renovation experience to apply - though it is not a requirement.

The application also makes clear that successful contestants will receive a cash allowance to cover expenses.
Holly Willoughby brushed off the recent furore around her return to the National Television Awards as she headed out for a walk with her dog Bailey on Friday.

The presenter, 42, put on a leggy display in blue denim cut-off shorts as she took her pet for a stroll.

Holly cut a casual figure by teaming her shorts with a white T-shirt she's designed to raise money for Young Lives vs Cancer, and brown sandals.

It comes after The Daily Mail revealed that in solidarity with their father, Phillip Schofield's daughters Molly and Ruby have unfollowed Holly on Instagram.

Holly began her PR charm offensive this week in the wake of Phillip's This Morning affair scandal as she made a solo appearance on the red carpet at the National Television Awards.

Stepping: Holly Willoughby headed out for a walk with her dog Bailey on Friday, after it was revealed Phillip Schofield's daughters have unfollowed her on Instagram

Emerged: The presenter put on a leggy display in blue denim cut-off shorts as she took her pet for a stroll

Out and about: Holly cut a casual figure by teaming her shorts with a white T-shirt she's designed to raise money for Young Lives vs Cancer, and brown sandals

This Morning, who were booed by the audience when their nomination was announced, missed out on the prize for Best Daytime, which was awarded to The Repair Shop.

Molly and Ruby joined their father in a show of unity against the embattled This Morning presenter this week after he very publicly showed how their once strong friendship has come to an end.

But Holly might now be surprised to learn that the two women have also turned on her in support of Phillip, who recruited her to the ITV daytime show 14 years ago.

During happier times, both Molly and Ruby would join Holly on a girls' nights out during their long summer holidays at their neighbouring villas on Portugal's Algarve.

They had also known Holly since for many years, with both women being teenagers when she and their dad began working together.

One source close to the situation said: 'Both Molly and Ruby have seen their father go through hell, they have been at his side as he has lost everything.

'Meanwhile, by following Holly on Instagram they see her carrying on with her life.

'The whole scandal has taken its toll on them, their support for him as been unwavering and this is the final nail. They are staunchly loyal to their dad, despite everything that has gone on.'

Claims: It comes after The Daily Mail revealed that in solidarity with their father, Phillip Schofield 's daughters Molly and Ruby have unfollowed him on Instagram

Distant: Phillip's daughter Ruby no longer follows Holly, despite knowing the presenter for many years

Where is Holly? Likewise Molly has also unfollowed the presenter on social media, and a source said: 'They are staunchly loyal to their dad, despite everything that has gone on'

Stepping out: Holly began her PR charm offensive this week in the wake of Phillip's This Morning affair scandal

Statement: Molly and Ruby joined their father in a show of unity against the embattled This Morning presenter after he very publicly showed how their friendship has come to an end

Sighting: Holly made her first public appearance at the National Television Awards for 13 years without Phil last Tuesday

Going it alone: She went on a charm offensive with the media just hours after This Morning was criticised by viewers for its post-summer comeback

Exit: Phillip stepped down from ITV in May after revealing he had an affair with a younger colleague, as well as parting company with his management YMU

Molly, 30, also knew Holly in a professional capacity for many years as she works as a talent agent at YMU where she was signed to until 2020 when she left following a legal battle with them over future earnings.

Phillip also parted company with the London-based company the day before he revealed that he had had an affair with a much younger This Morning runner behind his wife Stephanie Lowe's back - and then lied about it to The Mail on Sunday.

Phillip still follows Holly's sister Kelly, while Holly, for now, still follows Phillip.

Yet the mum-of-three posted a telling comment about 'releasing negativity' and 'new beginnings' shortly after his social media snub was revealed.

Holly made her first public appearance at the National Television Awards for 13 years without Phil last Tuesday.

She went on a charm offensive with the media just hours after This Morning was criticised by viewers for its post-summer comeback.

Last Monday's show went down 200,000 in its audience figures from the previous Friday when Alison Hammond hosted with Dermot O'Leary.

Meanwhile, Phillip was seen leaving the Roebuck pub in Richmond last Monday - the same day Holly returned to This Morning following her eight week summer break.

Last month he was also spotted enjoying drinks with Vanessa Feltz at a cocktail bar in Chiswick, West London.

When asked to address the toxic culture claims that have engulfed the show, Holly said on the NTAs red carpet: 'We are very blessed, we have a great team of people, we really do.

'I know there's been a lot of talk about things and for me personally, I don't want to speak on behalf of other people, it's a world I don't recognise.

'For me, I look around and see the team getting ready and giving it all. I just want to come to work and have more of that.'
Two Love Island legends have reportedly signed up for the spin-off series, Love Island Games, and are said to have already jetted off to Fiji for filming.

Megan Barton Hanson and Curtis Pritchard are said to have joined the programme, which will feature former stars from the UK, US and Aussie versions, according to The Sun.

The pair, who both made an impact in their respective series', have reportedly already landed in the South Pacific country and are waiting for host Maya Jama to fly out to join them for filming.

The full cast has yet to be announced, but it is said the pair are a done deal and will soon be joined by a host of other Love Island stars from various versions of the hit dating show.

A source told the publication: 'Megan and Curtis are both amazing signings for the spin-off and bosses are rubbing their hands together that they agreed to take part.

Exciting: Two Love Island legends have reportedly signed up for the spin-off series, Love Island Games, and are said to have already jetted off to Fiji for filming

Ready for love... again: Megan Barton Hanson (pictured) and Curtis Pritchard are said to have joined the programme, which will feature former stars from the UK, US and Aussie versions

Signed up? The full cast has yet to be announced, but it is said that the pair are a done deal and will soon be joined by a host of other Love Island stars from various versions of the show

'They are two of Love Island's most memorable contestants ever - who could forget Megan turning every boy's head in the villa, or Curtis' brutal breakup with Amy [Hart]?'

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Megan, Curtis and Love Island for comment.

The new series will firstly hit screens in the US on Peacock in November, before making its way to UK screens.

Megan rose to fame on series four of Love Island in 2018 and made it all the way to the final with then boyfriend Wes Nelson.

Meanwhile, Curtis starred in series five and finished up in fourth place with then girlfriend Maura Higgins.

Last month, Maya Jama excitedly revealed she had landed a new job as the host of the first ever Love Island spin-off series.

The TV presenter, 29, will be heading to Fiji to present Love Island Games in partnership with streaming site Peacock.

The series will reunite her with Iain Stirling, known for his narration on both the UK and US editions of the show.

Villa ready: The pair, who both made an impact in their respective series', have reportedly already landed in the South Pacific country and are waiting for host Maya Jama to fly out to join them for filming

Maya announced the exciting news in a video on Instagram, saying: 'It's going to be amazing!'

Love Island Games will bring together former Islanders from the UK, US and Australian series for a second shot at love and to compete to be crowned the champion.

The international series will see the stars 'faced with both team and couples' challenges, all while navigating dating, eliminations, recoupling and dramatic new arrivals.'

Thrilled: Last month, Maya Jama excitedly revealed she had landed a new job as the host of the first ever Love Island spin-off series

Exciting: The TV presenter, 29, will be heading to Fiji to present Love Island Games in partnership with streaming site Peacock

The show is set to make its debut on November 1 with new episodes streaming six days a week on Peacock.

Maya took on the role of Love Island host during its ninth season, taking the reins from Laura Whitmore.

She's been praised by fans for her presenting style and sensational looks over the summer and winter series.
Joe Jonas filed for divorce from Sophie Turner after four years of marriage on September 5, 2023.

The 'unhappy' singer, 34, reportedly tried to 'salvage' his marriage to the Game of Thrones star, 27, before he filed for divorce as a 'last resort' as per Page Six.

Turner's 'partying' seemingly caused a rift between the pair, as Joe is more of a homebody and 'likes to stay at home.'

There have been a number of signs pointing to trouble in paradise, including Sophie admitting she was homesick for the U.K. as well as the couple recently selling their Miami mansion.

The pair were married in two ceremonies in 2019, and share two children together: three-year-old daughter Willa and a one-year-old daughter, whose name they have not revealed, but who was listed as D.J. in the divorce filing.

As Joe and Sophie's marriage comes to an end - Dailymail.com looks back at their whirlwind romance...

As they were: After Joe Jonas, 34, filed for divorce from Sophie Turner, 27, following four years of marriage, we take a look at their whirlwind romance; Seen 2023

NOVEMBER 5, 2016 - FIRST PUBLIC SIGHTING

The first sighting: The couple were first seen together at the MTV EMAs

Joe was pictured with his arm around Sophie in the audience at the MTV EMAs leading people to wonder if they were dating.

NOVEMBER 28, 2016 - THE PAIR APPEAR AT A FRIEND'S WEDDING

Here they are: Sophie and Joe were pictured at a pal's wedding as their romance heats up

Sophie joined Joe in an photobooth picture at a pal's wedding, alongside Joe's brother Nick.

JANUARY 1, 2017 - SOPHIE CONFIRMS ROMANCE AS SHE SHARES SNAP OF JOE TO HER INSTAGRAM

Her man: Sophie shared this first picture of Joe on Instagram back in 2016

Sophie appears to confirm the romance when she shares a picture of Joe smoking a cigar on a boat to her Instagram.

JANUARY 10, 2017 - SOPHIE REMAINS MUM ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP

Sophie is left red-faced when host Mario Lopez asked her about the romance and she simply responded: 'I'm not saying anything... I'm very happy'

FEBRUARY 14, 2017 - JOE MAKES HIS FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT ON SOPHIE'S INSTAGRAM

Joe makes his first romantic and public declaration when he comments on one of Sophie's Instagram pictures with a flame emoji.

MAY 2, 2017 - THE COUPLE ATTEND THE MET GALA TOGETHER

The couple both attend the Met Gala together - it's their first public red carpet event but they choose to arrive separately and are not pictured together.

However, they were later seen going to the Marc Jacobs afterparty together.

First public appearance: The couple both attend the Met Gala together in 2017 - but they choose to arrive separately and were not pictured together at the event. They were later seen going to the Marc Jacobs afterparty (pictured)

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 - THE PAIR ADOPT A HUSKY TOGETHER

Their baby: Sophie and Joe's puppy

Things are getting serious as they adopt a husky puppy together - they are now the proud owners of two dogs.

OCTOBER 15, 2017 - THE COUPLE REVEAL THEY ARE ENGAGED

Engaged! The couple shared a picture of Sophie's diamond spoiler after Joe proposed

The couple got engaged to one another and share a picture of their hands with rings on Instagram - Sophie wrote: 'I said yes!'

MARCH 1, 2018 - SOPHIE APPEARS IN JONAS BROTHERS' MUSIC VIDEO

Sucker for him: Sophie appeared in the Jonas Brothers' Sucker music video

Sophie joins Nick's wife Priyanka Chopra and Kevin's wife Danielle Jonas on the music video for the Jonas Brothers' new single, Sucker.

MAY 1, 2019 - THE COUPLE SAY 'I DO' IN A VEGAS CEREMONY

The couple tie the knot in a surprise $600 ceremony in Las Vegas with an Elvis impersonator officiating the ceremony.

They later revealed that they had not told their parents in advance, but their secret got out thanks to their guest Diplo, who livestreamed the ceremony with his phone.

Out of nowhere! They tied the knot in a surprise Las Vegas ceremony in May

JULY 2019 - SOPHIE AND JOE GET MARRIED FOR A SECOND TIME IN FRANCE

They tied the knot for a second time in a beautiful ceremony in the South of France, surrounded by their friends and loved ones.

The couple wed in a lavish ceremony at the Chateau du Martinet with a source telling E! News the newlyweds couldn't contain their tears as they said their vows.

'Joe and Sophie both teared up while reading their vows. Everyone stood and cheered, and they had huge smiles as they left as a couple. It was an emotional ceremony.'

The romantic ceremony came one month after the couple legally tied the knot in Las Vegas, with a source adding that Sophie and Joe had always hoped for a 'royal-style' and 'traditional' ceremony where the actress could wear white.

Second wedding: They tied the knot for a second time in a beautiful ceremony in the South of France, surrounded by their friends and loved ones

FEBRUARY 12, 2020 - IT'S REVEALED THAT THE ACTRESS AND THE SINGER ARE EXPECTING THEIR FIRST CHILD

In 2020 it's revealed that the pair are expecting a baby.

'The couple is keeping things very hush hush but their friends and family are super excited for them,' a source tells Just Jared.

Another insider added: 'Sophie has decidedly been choosing outfits to wear on and off the carpet to accommodate her changing body.'

Summer baby: In 2020 it was revealed that the pair were expecting their first child, with Sophie later sharing a snap of her baby bump after she already gave birth

JULY 2020 - SOPHIE GIVES BIRTH TO HER AND JOE'S FIRST CHILD - A DAUGHTER NAMED WILLA

Sophie and Joe confirmed they welcomed their first child in a statement that said they were 'delighted to announce the birth of their baby' - a daughter named Willa.

Sophie avoided sharing any photos featuring her pregnant stomach before the birth, and it wasn't until September of that year that she began posting throwback photos from her pregnancy.

Game of Thrones fans have theorized that Sophie took inspiration from her hit show for her daughter's name, noticing that Willa is the name of two minor characters from the series.

One of the characters named Willa appeared on two episodes of the show back in season five and was a wildling character. The second appearance of Willa came in season eight as a servant at Winterfell.

First baby: Sophie and Joe confirmed they welcomed their first child - a daughter named Willa - in 2020; seen with Willa in 2021

FEBRUARY 28, 2022 - SOPHIE SPARKS SECOND PREGNANCY RUMORS AS SHE TOUCHES HER BARE TUMMY WHILE OUT WITH JOE AND THEIR DAUGHTER

Sophie set the internet ablaze with rumors that she was expecting her second child after she stepped out in an outfit that highlighted what many fans believed was a baby bump.

The star only strengthened the social media speculation when she was seen out in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood with her husband Joe and their daughter Willa, 19 months at the time.

The actress wore a revealing white crop top that put the focus on her tummy, which she was seen placing her hand on delicately.

MAY 2022 - SOPHIE CONFIRMS SHE IS PREGNANT WITH HER SECOND CHILD

Sophie confirmed her second pregnancy during an interview with Elle UK in May, two years after giving birth to eldest child Willa.

The greatest thing in life is seeing my daughter go from strength to strength,' she told the publication. 'Were so excited to be expanding the family. Its the best blessing ever.

Baby number two: Sophie confirmed her second pregnancy during an interview with Elle UK in May, two years after giving birth to eldest child Willa; Seen showing her baby bump on Instagram

MAY 3, 2022 - PREGNANT SOPHIE PUTS HER BUMP ON DISPLAY IN A BLACK EMBELLISHED GOWN AS SHE AND JOE ARRIVE AT 2022 MET GALA

Sophie displayed full maternity glow as she and Joe arrived at the Met Gala in May of 2022.

She stunned in an embellished black gown while her husband looked dapper in a white and black tuxedo jacket with extra long tails.

The couple were both seen cradling Sophie's burgeoning baby bump on the red carpet, as they tenderly gazed at each other while posing for photographers.

Met Gala bump: Sophie displayed full maternity glow as she and Joe arrived at the Met Gala in May of 2022

MAY 2022 - SOPHIE SAYS SHE IS DESPERATE TO MOVE BACK TO THE U.K FOR HER 'MENTAL HEALTH'

Sophie seemingly hinted at tensions about where the couple wanted to be permanently based in an interview with Elle, where she admitted Joe was reluctant to relocate to England.

The actress, who was born in Northampton and grew up near Leamington Spa, said she was desperate to be back with her family and for their children to have a similar education to what she had.

She told the publication: 'I miss England so much. The people, the attitude, everything. Im slowly dragging my husband back.'

'I really love living in America but, for my mental health, I have to be around my friends and my family. And also for my daughter  I would love her to get the education and school life that I was so lucky to have.

'England would ideally be the final destination, but [Joe] might take quite a bit of convincing! My parents house is the epitome of the English countryside  horses, sheep, cows..'

MAY 7, 2022 - ACTRESS GUSHES ABOUT JOE DURING INTERVIEW: 'I LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH!'

Sophie admitted that she knew Joe was the one for her the first time they met and 'wept' after he left her apartment, following their first unofficial date.

She opened up to host Jimmy Fallon during her appearance on The Tonight Show, revealing the details of the couple's first meeting.

'I remember he left my apartment, and it may have been the alcohol, but I just wept to my brother. I was like, "I love this man so much." And I knew. And that was it,' she shared.

The revelation came after Fallon asked her when she realized she would marry the DNCE frontman, to which she replied, 'I mean the first night I met him.'

When Fallon inquired whether Joe had been to her apartment for a date, she clarified: 'He didn't come over, no, I'm not that forward. We went out and we hung out at a bar with, like, all my friends, and all his friends, and then they all came back to my apartment and we had drinks after.'

Love at first sight: Sophie admitted that she knew Joe was the one for her the first time they met and 'wept' after he left her apartment, following their first date

14 JULY, 2022 - SOPHIE GIVES BIRTH TO A SECOND CHILD - ANOTHER BABY GIRL

In July it was revealed Sophie gave birth to the couple's second child - another baby girl.

A spokesperson told People: 'Joe and Sophie are happy to announce the arrival of their baby girl.'

APRIL 14, 2023 - THE LAST TIME THE PAIR ARE PICTURED TOGETHER

Following the birth of their second child, the pair are spotted together for the last time.

They are seen arriving at an afterparty in London that Jonas was DJing at.

The duo look in good spirits with Jonas wearing his wedding band.

Last sighting together: Following the birth of their second child, the pair are spotted together for the last time at an afterparty in London that Jonas was DJing at

AUGUST 11, 2023 - JOE IS SEEN WITHOUT HIS WEDDING RING

Joe has been seen going without his wedding ring multiple times in August.

At least as early as August 11, Jonas was seen with a bare left ring finger while taking care of some errands in The West Village in Manhattan.

On August 11, he was seen in a casual black T-shirt and matching shorts that showed off his fit, tattooed figure while out in New York City.

Missing from his left ring finger was the band he normally wears to commemorate his marriage to Sophie.

No ring: On August 11, Joe was seen pictured out in New York City without his wedding ring

AUGUST 15, 2023 - SOPHIE MISSES JOE'S 34TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Joe shared a slew of images from his birthday celebrations in August, when he was joined by friends and family for a swanky meal.

The carousel of images alluded to the fact Sophie did not attend the bash.

Despite her absence from the party, Sophie marked the birthday with a picture on Instagram, with the last picture together appeared on the Game Of Thrones star's account on 14 August - the day before his birthday bash.

MIA: Joe shared a slew of images from his birthday celebrations in August. The carousel of images alluded to the fact Sophie did not attend the bash

AUGUST 18, 2023 - THE COUPLE SELL THEIR MIAMI MANSION

Joe and Sophie sell their stunning waterfront mansion in Miami for $15 million - months after they were forced to slash the price by $2 million.

The pair purchased the Florida abode back in 2021 for $11 million, but only a year later, they put it on the market.

Joe and Sophie bought the home around the same time that they sold their house in Encino, California.

They then enlisted interior designer Sarah Ivory to completely re-design the place. However, just over a year later, they put it up for sale.

It's unclear where the singer and the actress decided to reside after selling their home.

They also bought a condo in New York City back in 2018 for $5.6 million, but it was reported that it was put on the market for $5.9 million in 2020. It's not known if they ever sold it.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023 - IT'S REPORTED THAT THE PAIR ARE 'HEADED FOR DIVORCE'

Sources close to the situation claim that Joe is preparing to file divorce documents, according to TMZ.

Joe has been meeting with divorce lawyers and has retained one, as per People.

Joe and Sophie are said to have been having 'serious problems' for the past half year.

Sources told the publication that Joe has been primarily handling parenting duties in recent months.

They said he had been caring for their two young daughters 'pretty much all of the time' for the past three months.

While Joe has been on tour with his band, Sophie has been filming the ITVX drama Joan in the UK since May.

That has meant that he has been handling solo parenting even as he tours with his brothers Nick and Kevin Jonas as The Jonas Brothers, and he's reportedly still the one with the kids currently.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023 - JOE PUTS WEDDING RING BACK ON AS MARRIAGE RUMORS SWIRL

The mystery of Joe's appearing and disappearing wedding ring continued on Sunday as he sported the band during a Jonas Brothers concert in Texas.

He baffled fans earlier on Saturday when he sported the wedding band again in a snap with his brothers enjoying the Texas sunset.

He didn't address the rumours about his relationship in the post, simply wishing fans a happy Labor Day weekend and noting how their ongoing tour has been 'incredible so far.'

He added: 'Having a little family time in the Texas sunset tonight before a big Austin show tomorrow.'

Riddle of the ring: Following the divorce rumors on Sunday, Joe enjoyed Labor Day weekend with his brothers, Kevin and Nick, and was pictured with his wedding ring on his finger

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 - JOE FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM SOPHIE

On September 5th Joe officially filed for divorce from Sophie, stating in paperwork that their relationship is 'irretrievably broken'.

He submitted the paperwork to end his marriage in a Miami Dade County courtroom - hours after it was revealed that he had hired a divorce lawyer.

The 'unhappy' singer reportedly tried to 'salvage' his marriage before he filed for divorce as a 'last resort.'

The pair 'were going through it this year' according to a source who spoke with Page Six, following reports that Turner's alleged 'partying' caused a rift in the marriage.

'Divorce was a last resort for Joe. He never wanted to break up his family, but he had to take what he felt was the best course of action for his girls,' the insider added.

'It just kept building, and Joe finally reached a point where he felt that he had exhausted all options to salvage the marriage.'

It comes after reports that Sophie's lifestyle is what caused her estranged husband to file for divorce.

The actress allegedly 'likes to party', which caused a clash with the musician, who is more of a homebody.

'She likes to party; he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles,' a source revealed to TMZ.

Despite their differing lifestyles, the estranged couple will most likely not be fighting over money amid their divorce, as they have an 'ironclad prenuptial agreement in place,' according to The Blast.

'Irretrievably broken': On September 5th Joe officially filed for divorce from Sophie, stating in paperwork that their relationship is 'irretrievably broken'; Seen 2022

Jonas will keep all of his royalties from music, while Turner will keep the money she made from her acting career.

Both will get to keep any property they acquired prior to their marriage, and they will only have to split their marital home.

The only unknown at the moment is the pair's custody and child support, which will be decided by the judge.

The amount of child support will be determined by their monthly salaries, and who is making more money.
Charlize Theron is experiencing empty nest syndrome years ahead of schedule when it comes to her oldest daughter, Jackson, 11.

The Monster's Ball star revealed to People that Jackson doesn't want to hug her anymore.

'My oldest just went to middle school and it was literally, it was so sad. I was like, 'Where's my baby?' the South African born beauty joked.

She revealed that Jackson pleaded, 'Mom, please don't look, mom, don't hug me,' [and] I was like, "Can I hug you?" She's like, "No, no."'

Quickly humbled, the Academy Award winning star quipped, 'Oh my God. It's like a whole different game.'

Momma bear: Charlize Theron joked that her eldest daughter Jackson humbled her after refusing to hug her on the way to her middle school

Growing pains: The actress also recently shared a sweet snap of her daughters with her mother, Gerda Theron

Staying positive in spite of her daughter's (innocent) rebuff, the Mad Max: Fury Road star surmised, 'There's something about having kids that you're so aware of the changes that come and they happen really fast and it's just a tremendous jump from one year to the other.'

She concluded that, 'It's always exciting to see where they're going to go in the next year.'

The Tully starlet, who adopted both of her daughters, opened up in a 2018 Elle interview about why she chose adoption over having biological children.

'I never saw a difference in raising an adopted child versus my own biological child. I dont feel like Im missing out on something,' the mother of two admitted.

She added, 'Adoption was always my first choice.'

Jackson was the first daughter Charlize adopted in 2012  she'd adopt her second daughter, August, in 2015.

Proving to be a cool mom, Charlize took her daughters to a Taylor Swift concert back in August.

The accomplished actress also made sure to credit her mom, Gerda Theron, in her journey towards parenthood during her Elle interview.

'To not acknowledge her in coparenting my children would be a lie,' the blonde beauty declared, crediting her mother as a great co-parent.

Momma first, actress second: The Old Guard star has been candid about the fact the she always saw adoption as a primary option; seen yesterday

Charlize's little cuties: Jackson and August have been the A-list actress's pride and joy for years

Cheeky grins: Despite her busy schedule, the F9 star always makes her two daughters her top priority

Revealing in the interview that she had a strong desire to be a mom in her 30s after ending a relationship in her 20s, the Snow White and the Huntsman star said, 'I struggled mentally through the adoption process.'

It was hard for the ageless beauty to get attached to kids she wanted to adopt, only to not get approved throughout the grueling adoption process.

'There were many situations that didnt work out, and youd get attached and have all your hopes up and then just get crushed,' the Dior spokesmodel admitted.

The one quality that Charlize believes makes her a great mom, according to the actress herself, is the fact that she's, 'never given a sh** about what people think.'
Emily Atack was spotted getting cosy with handsome nuclear scientist Dr Alistair Garner in London on Friday, weeks after admitting she cries herself to sleep from loneliness.

The presenter, 33, beamed as she walked through the streets of London with Alistair, who describes himself on LinkedIn as a Materials scientist and electron microscopist specialising in nuclear and aerospace applications.

The pair were spotted walking hand in hand around the city as they enjoyed the sunny day before settling down at a low-key cafe together, in pictures obtained by The Sun.

An onlooker said: 'Emily was deep in conversation with Alistair. She had a cocktail and Alistair ordered a beer. Emily looked to be having a great time and couldnt stop smiling. When they left they were holding hands.'

A source however dismissed claims of a romance and told MailOnline: 'Emily and Alistair are just friends.'

New beau? Emily Atack was spotted getting cosy with handsome nuclear scientist Dr Alistair Garner in London on Friday

Love in the air? The presenter, 33, was beaming as she walked through the streets of London with Alistair, who describes himself on LinkedIn as a Materials scientist

MailOnline has contacted representatives for comment.

Emily has been single since she split with her tree surgeon ex-boyfriend, Liam McGough, 38.

They recently sparked rumours that they were back together in July after they spent the evening together with some pals.

However, friends of the pair said they were just good friends.

Emily recently admitted she struggles with being single and even cries herself to sleep during bouts of loneliness.

The actress and comedienne has embarked on a string of romances since finding fame in The Inbetweeners but has failed to find lasting love with any of her former boyfriends.

Her last relationship, with former Big Brother contestant Liam ended in 2022, and Emily admits a lack of self-esteem is one of her biggest problems whenever she meets a new man.

Speaking on her podcast, Soaking Up Life With..., she said: 'People think I fly the flag for all the single ladies, but Im not afraid to admit being on your own is actually miserable a lot of the time. Its pretty hard.

'There are times when I go out and I feel confident and sexy on my own and Im independent.

Split: It comes after Emily admitted she struggles with being single and even cries herself to sleep during bouts of loneliness after splitting from Liam McGough (pictured in July)

'But there are times when I cry myself to sleep because its lonely and awful, and its OK to admit that, I think.'

Emily has previously dated comedian Seann Walsh and model Jude Taylor.

She's also turned to celebrity dating app Raya in her ongoing search for love - all to no avail.

'Where I go wrong in life is that Im known as confident, sexy and all those things, and thats all great,' she said. And then the second that Im in love, Im absolutely pathetic.

'I go from being confident to being like, Just have everything, and thats not on them, thats all on me. Thats a lack of self care and self love. I have mountains and buckets of confidence but no self-esteem.'
Sofia Richie showed off her stellar fashion sense as she stepped out in New York City on Friday.

The 25-year-old newlywed - who tied the knot with Elliot Grainge this year - modeled a red and white long gingham skirt during the outing.

She teamed the statement piece with a simple sleeveless white crew neck top that was worn tucked in.

The socialite, who is the daughter of Lionel Richie, added a pair of chic, black, backless ballet flats.

She was spotted hitting the streets of the Big Apple with a large matcha drink in her hand.

Stunner: Sofia Richie showed off her stellar fashion sense as she stepped out in New York City on Friday

Statement piece: The 25-year-old newlywed - who tied the knot with Elliot Grainge this year - modeled a red and white long gingham skirt during the outing

The style maven carried a sizable brown leather purse over her shoulder.

She looked typically stunning with her lengthy honey-blonde locks arranged in a center part.

The tresses were ironed straight as they fell over her chest and blew in the end-of-summer breeze.

Sofia skipped earrings but made sure to slip on bangles from David Yurman, later giving them a shoutout on Instagram.

As the new face of the jewelry range, she took to the app's Stories to share a closeup look at the pieces.

She wrote along with the image, 'Woke up feeling cute @davidyurman.'

Mrs. Grainge additionally sported a silver-toned watch and her eye-catching wedding ring.

Underneath a pair of brown, square-shaped sunglasses, she showed off a soft face of flattering makeup.

Social media: Richie took to Instagram to promote David Yurman pieces as she is the new face of the jewelry brand

Coming soon: Sofia also used the social media platform to tease what appears to be a forthcoming fashion line

Cute: She filmed herself in an office space wearing a long, pleated, ivory skirt and long-sleeved black top

Sofia also used the social media platform to tease what appears to be a forthcoming fashion line.

She filmed herself in an office space wearing a long, pleated, ivory skirt and long-sleeved black top.

As her team bustled in the background, Richie took a moment to record herself in a full length mirror.

The star smiled coyly while checking out her reflection and slowly zooming in closer.

The caption provided little information to her 10.8 million followers as she simply wrote, 'This may or may not be coming spring - SRG.'

A similar outtake was posted to her Stories as she filmed a model in an ivory trench coat and matching dress.

Across the footage she typed out her initials, SRG, in large, capital, white font.

Elsewhere in the Stories, she posted an artsy shot of a desk covered in different pattern fabrics.

BTS: Elsewhere in the Stories, she posted an artsy shot of a desk covered in different pattern fabrics

Playful: Sofia showed a close-up shot of a zipper detail that looked like her dog Hersh

Sofia's gig as the new face of David Yurman's fall 2023 campaign was revealed on Tuesday.

The cover girl had on yellow and white gold cable bracelets, rings, earrings and a necklace in the post.

'I am so excited for you guys to see the campaign,' she said in a video. 'I am beyond thrilled to join the Yurman family.'

'A new era of Sculpted Cable,' the brand said on their Instagram page.
Jessica Chastain turned heads on Friday evening as she attended the 80th annual Venice Film Festival premiere of the film Memory.

The Interstellar star, 46, looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the red carpet in a sweeping rose-gold sequin gown with a plunging V-neckline.

The beauty complemented the glam ensemble with a pair of diamond droplet earrings and a cluster of gold-toned rings.

She styled her hair auburn hair in loose Hollywood waves and donned a glam makeup look for the glitzy evening ahead.

The actress joined Michael Franco and Peter Sarsgaard on the red carpet, with the trio posing for photos together.

Elegant: Jessica Chastain exuded elegance on Friday evening as she attended the 80th annual Venice Film Festival premiere of Memory alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal (right)

Wow! The interstellar star, 46, looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the red carpet in a sweeping rose-gold sequin gown with a plunging V-neckline

Peter, 52, looked dapper in a navy three-piece suit. Joining him on the carpet was his wife, Maggie, 45, who wore a black gown.

The chic dress featured a stunning silhouette and a diamond encrusting across the shoulders and waist.

The Dark Knight actress accessorised her red carpet look with a diamond bracelet and a pair of diamond earrings and a bold red lip.

The Memory premiere comes after Jessica supported the SAG-AFTRA strikes during the Venice Film Festival by wearing a T-shirt adorned with the protest's logo.

The star was seen on Friday at the 80th annual festival wearing the tee, as she attended safe in the knowledge she was not crossing the picket line.

Greeting fans and aides warmly, Jessica looked stunning as she stepped out in the black tee with a high-waisted, nautical-inspired mini skirt.

The 2023 Venice Film Festival has been a far more low-key affair than years past, as much of Hollywood has opted to stay away for fear of breaching the strikes.

Glam: The beauty complemented the glam ensemble with a pair of diamond droplet earrings and a cluster of gold-toned rings

Camera ready: Jessica styled her hair auburn hair in loose Hollywood waves and donned a glam makeup look for the glitzy evening ahead

Low-key: The 2023 Venice Film Festival has been a far more low-key affair than years past, as much of Hollywood has opted to stay away for fear of breaching the strikes

Red carpet: The glitzy Italian event, which kicked off last month, usually sees some of Hollywood's biggest stars grace the red carpet to promote their work

New movie: Memory will have its initial release date on September 8

One to watch: In Memory, she plays Sylvia, a social worker who leads a simple life. This is blown open when Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion

The glitzy Italian event, which kicked off last month, usually sees some of Hollywood's biggest stars grace the red carpet to promote their work.

Jessica is promoting her role in Mexican director Michael Franco's film Memory, her first performance since her Oscar-winning turn in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye. Memory will have its initial release date on September 8.

In Memory, she plays Sylvia, a social worker who leads a simple and structured life. This is blown open when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past,' as per IMDB.

Since July 17, Hollywood has ground to a halt as members of the SAG-AFTRA union joined the Writers Guild Of America in going on strike over growing concerns about the use of artificial intelligence and streaming residuals.

According to Variety, a select list of films premiering at Venice have obtained SAG-AFTRA interim waivers since they are independent productions that have not been produced by AMPTP members.

Wow! Maggie Gyllenhaal, 45, looked sensational in a black gown

Stunning: The chic gown featured a stunning silhouette and a diamond encrusting across the shoulders and waist

Dapper: And her husband Peter Sarsgaard, 52, who was also in attendance, looked incredibly dapper in a navy three-piece suit

Past: Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past,' as per IMDB

Strikes: Since July 17, Hollywood has ground to a halt as members of the SAG-AFTRA union joined the Writers Guild Of America in going on strike

Films: A select list of films premiering at Venice have obtained SAG-AFTRA interim waivers since they are independent productions that have not been produced by AMPTP members

Walk this way: Jessica posed up a storm for photographers as she walked the red carpet

Hollywood strike: The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14 and is the latest of the ongoing labour disputes in Hollywood, leading to most movie sets grinding to a halt

Taking it all in: Michel Franco, Jessica and Peter Sarsgaard took a moment to celebrate the premiere

Earlier this week, the beauty was joined by husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo and their two daughters during a relaxing outing in Venice.

The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14 and is the latest of the ongoing labour disputes in Hollywood, leading to most movie sets grinding to a halt.

The action has brought the industry to a virtual standstill, forcing many film and TV productions to shut down, and marks the first time in more than 60 years that both actors and writers have gone on strike.

In high spirits: Jessica and Michel turned to pose for the camera

Buzz: The Hollywood star stopped to take selfies with fans

Drama: Jessica and Peter will star In Michel Francos stunted observation on trauma

The strike has been going on since early May.

Under the rules of a strike, all Sag-aftra members will not be able to film any movie or TV series - which means that almost every show and film that's currently in the works will be delayed indefinitely until the problem is resolved.

British Union Equity, the sister organisation to Sag-aftra, said in a statement that they are 'full square [sic] behind' their US counterpart.

British actors, including Brian Cox, Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis, have supported the US strike here.
She has been soaking up the sun in the South of France with family and friends.

And Helen Skelton looked stunning as she slipped into a plunging black swimsuit while posing on the beach alongside her mum.

The Blue Peter star, 40, showcased her ageless figure as she shared a slew of snaps from her French getaway to celebrate mum Janet's birthday.

The presenter gave her followers an insight into her family holiday as she posted a carousel of stunning snaps.

Helen wowed in the cut-out garment and accessorised with vintage brown shades, a necklace and small hoop earrings.

Stunner: Helen Skelton looked stunning as she slipped into a plunging black swimsuit while posing on the beach alongside her mum in France

Holiday: The Blue Peter star, 40, showcased her ageless figure as she shared a slew of snaps from her French getaway to celebrate mum Janet's birthday

'HAPPPEEEE BIRTHDAY  to the most selfless fun loving granny we know. We love you thanks for the cake',

The sweet snap captured mother and daughter enjoying the sunshine at the beach with Helen flashing as huge smile for the camera.

Meanwhile mum Janet is sitting right behind her, in a light blue shirt, straw hat and black shades to hid from the heat.

'HAPPPEEEE BIRTHDAY  to the most selfless fun loving granny we know. We love you thanks for the cake @jillrmoa #birthday #granny #memories #motherbear,' (sic) the TV star penned her post.

The Countryfile presenter gave an insight into some of her family time as another snap showed Helen, mum Janet and Helen's daughter Elsie, 16 months, from behind as they all held hands, accompanied by a stunning beach landscape.

Another picture captured little Elsie with her grandparents as they sat in a wooden shaped heart by the beach.

More snaps captured heartwarming moments as Janet held little Elsie in her arms.

Janet also shared a sweet kiss with Helen's other son Louis, five, and more pictures showed happy moments of her alongside all the kids including the eldest, Ernie, eight.

The former Blue Peter star also posed for a selfie with mum Janet on the beach, while another snap captured the latter walking on the beach as she donned a white shirt and red shorts.

Happy: Helen has been holidaying in the South of France with family and friends and took to Instagram on Monday where she shared an array of snaps from the fun getaway

Grateful: The Countryfile presenter gave an insight into some of her family time, as another snap showed Helen, mum Janet and Helen's daughter Elsie, 16 months, from behind

Heartmelting: Another picture captured little Elsie with her grandparents as they sat in a wooden shaped heart by the beach

Sweet: More snaps captured heart-melting moments as Janet held little Elsie in her arms

Adorable: Janet shared a sweet kiss with Helen's son Louis, five

Making memories: More pictures showed happy moments of her alongside all the kids including the eldest, Ernie, eight

Having her time! Another snap captured mum Janet walking on the beach as she donned a white shirt and red shorts

Celebrating: She finished her sweet carousel with a picture of all the family together with a cake, in a lovely family reunion

Love: Helen shared a cuddle on the beach with one of her sons

She finished her sweet carousel with a picture of all the family together with a cake in a lovely family reunion.

On Monday, the Countryfile presenter shared a further array of snaps from the fun getaway.

Helen looked radiant as she splashed about in a plunging black swimsuit while soaking up the sunshine with her closest loved ones.

The mother-of-three also shared a glimpse of her three children - who she shares with ex-husband Richie Myler, 33.

Helen captioned her social media post: 'Beach with babes #summer #summertime #schoolholidays #southoffrance.'

It comes just weeks after Helen officially divorced her rugby player husband Richie, 16 months after their high-profile split.

The TV star was issued a decree nisi, signalling the end of their ten-year marriage with the couple receiving confirmation of this in the post.

Strictly star Helen, announced her split from England and Leeds Rhinos rugby league star Richie last April.

It's official: It comes just week after Helen officially divorced her rugby player husband Richie Myler, 16 months after their high-profile split

Since the end of their marriage, Richie has gone on to have a baby with new girlfriend Stephanie Thirkill, 32, the daughter of Leeds Rhinos president Andrew.

Helen and Richie are now awaiting the granting of a decree absolute which will legally cement the end of their ten-year marriage.

This is a legal formality once a decree nisi has been granted and will be issued by the court as neither of them are contesting the divorce.

News of Helen's divorce came as she has revealed major changes to her life, including putting her former marital home up for sale and quitting her show on BBC Radio 5 Live so that she can spend more time with her children.

'But she's not closing herself off to anything anymore. She's open to new adventures in all respects and is making it her aim to say 'yes' to more things that excite her.'

Born and raised in Cumbria, Helen co-presented the BBC children's programme Blue Peter from 2008 until 2013 and since 2014, she has been a presenter on Countryfile.

The TV favourite also starred in last year's Strictly Come Dancing where she made it through to the final.
Hilary Duff looked glamorous in a satin cat-print dress as she went shopping with her daughter Banks in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The actress, 35, paired her spaghetti-strap dress with black sunglasses and ankle boots, a brown bag, and a simple silver chain.

The Disney star's daughter Banks Violet, 4, wore a beautiful floral dress with pink boots and kept a firm hold on her water bottle.

Hilary carried Banks' light pink bag as she walked hand-in-hand with her daughter on the way back to their car after spending some quality time together.

The actress has two more children: son Luca Cruz, 11, with first husband Mike Comrie, and daughter Mae James, 2, with current husband Matthew Koma.

Effortless: Hilary Duff looked glamorous in a satin cat-print dress as she went shopping with her daughter Banks in Los Angeles on Thursday

Doting mother: The Disney actress held her daughter's hand as they enjoyed some quality time together

She and Matthew, 36, have been married since the end of 2019. They began dating in January 2017.

Previously, Hilary dated Good Charlotte front man, Joel Madden, who is now married to Nicole Richie, and Aaron Carter, who passed away in 2022.

Hilary seemed in good spirits despite the recent cancellation of her television show How I Met Your Father.

The show was cancelled by Hulu after only two seasons. Hilary played main character Sophie and was joined by the likes of Francia Rasia and Sex and the City's Kim Cattral.

It was a spin-off of CBS smash it How I Met Your Mother, a sitcom that followed Ted Moseby on his journey to meet the mother of his children.

Hilary has kept tight-lipped about whether she has any future projects lined up.

However, fans will be hoping that now that she is unexpectedly free, there may be a chance of renegotiations for the Lizzie Mcguire reboot.

Back in 2014, Hilary had stated that she would be open to revisiting the character that launched her into fame in 2021.

By 2018, the discussions began and by the summer of 2019 the reboot was confirmed by Disney.

However, in 2020 things started to fall apart and the reboot was cancelled amongst disagreements between Hilary and the show runners.

Moving on: Hilary seemed in good spirits despite the recent cancellation of her television show How I Met Your Father (pictured on the show with co-star Francia Raisa, 35)
Megan Barton-Hanson sent fans into overdrive as she shared a selection of racy Instagram snaps from the changing room on Friday.

The former Love Island star, 29, looked incredible as she showed off her toned curves in a racy white lace mini dress.

The influencer put on a very busty display, flaunting her surgically-enhanced cleavage, as the stunning garment featured a corset bust with lace embellishments.

Megan drew attention to her very toned legs underneath the tiny mini dress, and toted her stunning look with black stiletto heels.

'Shocking lightning but Stunning Outfit,' she penned her post alongside a white heart emoji.

Jaw-dropping: Megan Barton-Hanson sent fans in overdrive in a white lacy corset dress as she shared up for a slew of sizzling Instagram snaps from the changing room on Friday

Hot! The influencer put on a very busty display, flaunting her surgically-enhanced cleavage, as the stunning garment which she teamed with high heels

The TV personality showcased her sense of style as she accessorised with a set of jewellery including hoop earrings, bracelets, rings and a slew of necklaces.

She opted for a typical glamorous make up look, pouting her lips with an eye-catching nude lipstick gloss.

Her locks were styled in a flawless blow-dry, as they perfectly cascaded on her back and shoulders.

Megan oozed confidence as she posed for a full-body snap as well as a close-up one, giving a sultry look to the camera.

The star - who has recently enjoyed a sun-soaked holiday in Mykonos - has opened up about the harsh reality of working in the sex industry earlier last month.

The former Love Islander explained how she has 'lost countless jobs' over signing up for the adult content site and revealed she was slut-shamed from the age of just 13.

Speaking with Jamie Laing on his Private Parts Podcast, Megan - who came out as bisexual in 2019 - said she makes a regular income from posting explicit content on her OnlyFans account, but has faced a lot of judgement for her choice of career.

The Love Island 2018 star explained: 'I've lost countless jobs because I've signed up to OnlyFans again. Like when I went on Love Island, I had it before then, before it was like a big thing!

'I've lost countless jobs': Megan Barton Hanson has revealed ITV bosses made her sacrifice her OnlyFans account to appear on Love Island

Love Island legend: The reality star detailed the harsh reality of working in the sex industry and revealed she was slut-shamed from the age of just 13 (pictured on Love Island in 2018)

Hard times: Megan said was very 'sexually free' because she dated a lot of guys during school, which made people slut-shame her

'And the producers were like, "This is a family show. I think you should get rid of this account" and I was fuming!'

The reality star revealed how 'head strong' you have to be in that type of industry because it comes with a lot of backlash and criticism.

Megan continued: 'As much as you preach to people and your friends and people who love you.

'If they're that way inclined, that they think that's such a seedy bad job to do, then you're never going to change people's minds.

'So, unless you're so headstrong, I don't think you should get into it. Because you are going to face judgment.'

Megan, who grew up as a child in Southend-On-Sea, Essex, spoke about how everyone was similar and 'no one ever went against the grain' in her school.

She noticed she was very 'sexually free' as she dated a lot of guys during school, which made people slut-shame her.

The model said: 'So, growing up, I lived in an area that was such a small little community. Everybody was a cardboard cutout of each other and no one like went against the grain.

'And I've always been like a little bit like sexually free and I dated a lot of guys growing up and I guess that probably wasn't insecurity. I just wanted to be liked!

'I wanted that validation from men maybe. So, I would date a lot of guys, so I was slut shamed like from Year 9 from an older guy.

'He was like, "Would you send me a video?", and thank God I was like, "No, no! Like, I'm not gonna send you anything". He was like, "Oh, have you ever masturbated before?". I was like, "Yeah", but I hadn't. But I just wanted to please him.'

The former stripper, who often speaks about her sexuality, also revealed she was 'petrified to come out' because she was painted out on Love Island to be 'the man eater'.

Backlash: Megan, who often speaks about her sexuality, also revealed she was 'petrified to come out' because she was painted out on Love Island to be 'the man eater'

Couple: Megan has been in an on and off relationship with TOWIE star Demi Sims, 26, after they rekindled their romance in February (pictured together in June)

She said: 'That's another thing on Love Island, I was like cast as like the man eater and a very sexual person. So, I was petrified to then come out and add fuel to the fire.'

Megan has been in an on and off relationship with TOWIE star Demi Sims, 26, and were spotted out together in Brentwood last month.

In February, Demi confirmed she had rekindled her romance with former flame Megan after splitting up two years ago.
This summer, SNCF beat its 2022 record with 24 million travelers on the main lines  TGV and Intercites in France  taking advantage of a desire to stay in France and ecological concerns, according to the company. " That's excellent news. [] The Covid period is well behind us, the French traveled a lot this summer, said the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet, on Thursday to the Association of Transport and Mobility Journalists (AJTM). ).

This is a 4% increase in the number of travelers, after an already "exceptional" summer 2022 with a catch-up effect after the health crisis and "a real desire for the train", he commented. "The French, for a long time, take the train in the summer, and they have largely anticipated their trips" by taking their tickets earlier, he added. One in two long-distance tickets was purchased more than 25 days before departure.

The occupancy rate of the TGVs exceeded 80%, and 40% of them were full  a percentage which may seem low, but which is understandable, since many TGVs also serve less popular destinations for summer visitors .

The order of magnitude was the same last year, but SNCF Voyageurs sold 450,000 additional seats this year. The Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean were particularly popular this summer, while growth was driven by green destinations, notably the Alps (6%), Burgundy and Alsace (15%), noted the CEO of the SNCF.

As for the TER, they saw their attendance increase by 10% in July and August, with spectacular performances in Occitanie, Pays-de-la-Loire and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. For the leader, "there is truly a desire to stay in France, a desire for ecology, and the train was the demonstration of this".

We have not seen a drop in the number of passengers on our trains with the arrival of competition from the Italian companies Trenitalia and the Spanish Renfe, noted the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, for whom it is leisure that boosts rail traffic. Business travel is still down 10 to 15% compared to pre-Covid, he regretted.

International high-speed trains (including Eurostar, Thalys and Ouigo in Spain) have at the same time transported 6 million passengers (4%) and night trains 215,000 sleepers on rails (15%).

To cope with the success of its high-speed trains  and to respond to criticism from travelers disappointed at not finding available seats  SNCF Voyageurs must expand its TGV fleet by purchasing new generation trains expected from of 2025, by continuing the mid-life transformation of trains into Ouigo with more seats, and by undertaking a program (called "Botox") to make the oldest trains run longer.

The idea is also to make the TGVs run more, in particular by optimizing maintenance periods. Our objective is to be able to make our TGV fleet profitable, noted the manager. And if the number of trains has generally decreased in recent years, the number of seats offered has increased by more than 15% since 2013, the SNCF having purchased double-deck trains.

Asked about the price of TGVs, often considered high, Christophe Fanichet pointed out that one in two leisure tickets was sold this summer for less than 45 euros. One in two travelers has used an Avantage card or taken a low-cost Ouigo TGV, according to him.

If the rules for calculating ticket prices with yield management (prices increasing as the train fills up) have not been changed, prices have increased more quickly because the French prepared their trips earlier , he explained.

SNCF Voyageurs increased on average the price of TGV tickets  which is not subsidized  by 5% this year, while its costs increased by 13%, recalled Christophe Fanichet. It is still too early to discuss price increases for next year, because the group's budget has not been finalized, he added.
China is expanding its global footprint through sea power. There are concerns that Chinese carrier strike forces may start patrolling the Indo-Pacific

A lot of geopolitical changes are taking place in the world as China is trying to flex its muscles to make the world bipolar. There may be nothing wrong with the world being bipolar however China is willing to compromise all established norms of peaceful co-existence and human dignity to stake its claim for the other pole in this so-called bi-polarity. China after having been emboldened at BRICS by its expansion has released a map that is not only unilateral but downright offensive. Xi Jinping's reluctance to attend the G20 summit in Delhi is another sign that China is uncomfortable with the rise of India as a global player. China seems to be reluctant to confer influence on its southern neighbour, one that is the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

Xi Jinping's not attending G20 and being reluctant to meet US President Joe Biden is a clear indication that China is uncomfortable with ties between India and the US. As China's economy slows, its geo-political ambition to make the world bipolar has only increased. China has issued a 'ten dash line' map which shows the bulk of the Indo-China Sea under its area of influence and Taiwan as part of 'One China', this clearly shows how desperate China is to expand and assert itself.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have rejected the map that denotes China's claim to sovereignty including in the South China Sea, India has objected to Arunachal being shown as Chinese territory. China under the garb of the 'One Belt One Road Project' has established Naval bases across multiple nations. It has hence brought forward a strategy of using economic might to further its geo-political aims. This is what China is doing to make the world Bipolar.

Why is China so uncomfortable with a multipolar world and what could be its game plan to make it Bipolar? Is China an outright expansionist power that wants to extend its boundaries? Is China threatened by the growth of India? Is the West using India to counter China? Is the West decoupling from China? Is China resorting to an expansionist policy to boost its sagging economy? Is China using its military power to boost its economy? Is China going to use its military might against Taiwan? Is the Dragon going to breathe fire on the borders with India? These are some of the questions that the diplomats and military leaders across the world must ponder.

Purely from a strategic military perspective, China has increased its presence in the Indo-Pacific region significantly in the last three years. It has enhanced its Naval presence in at least seven ports across five countries. PLA Navy is now the biggest naval force on the planet.

China has a fleet of amphibious vessels which enables it to conduct operations globally. China's amphibious platforms include Yuzhao Type 071 amphibious ship and the Yushen-class Type 075 amphibious assault ship which not only pose a threat to Taiwan but also to India's islands, particularly Nicobar and Andaman islands. China is keeping at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine constantly at sea. The PLA Navy has increased its submarine strength considerably in the last three years and is using it for patrolling the South China Sea.

In its effort to make the world bipolar China is planning to control most of the sea routes for trade. It is either developing ports in other countries or developing capabilities for dedicated passage of its ships with impunity along the trade routes. Control of trade routes and thereby controlling economies of smaller countries in Africa, Asia and South America is China's first step towards global geopolitical domination and apparent bi-polarity of the world. The second step is to keep controlling the manufacturing industry by dominating the semiconductor industry. The third step is to use Russia and its allies to its advantage and thereby emerge as the only viable option to counter American influence on the world.

So, while China may not directly confront India militarily shortly, for it to try and take Taiwan is plausible. India must coordinate and identify areas of economic and military cooperation with the QUAD nations not only to keep its islands safe but also to launch a counter-amphibious operation if warranted. India also needs a major boost in its ship-building capabilities. The recent upgrading of Mazagon Shipyard to boost the production of the Naval fleet is a step in the right direction and many such steps are required. To address the issue of domination of manufacturing by China, India must develop its semiconductor industry at the earliest. We have already been late towards this effort. It is time China realised that expansionism will not give it any dividends and it must co-operate and coexist.

(The writer is an expert on geopolitics and international affairs. The views expressed are personal)
There were sustained, murderous attacks on not only Awami League leaders and activists but on all secular and democratic public figures

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has whipped up a frenzy in some quarters with its claim that the Awami League government has paralysed the Opposition and is set to rig the countrys forthcoming parliamentary elections. One needs to examine its own record when it was in power from 2001 to 2006 in coalition with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh prior to its banning on August 1, 2013, by Bangladeshs High Court on the ground that its ideology conflicted with the secular nature of the countrys Constitution. Bangladeshs Supreme Court had rejected the partys appeal on August 5.

The party had aided the Pakistani armys atrocities during the 1971 liberation war. Given space constraints, I would restrict my focus on the efforts by the coalition government, under the prime ministership of Begum Khaleda Zia, to paralyse the Opposition during their stint in power. There were sustained, murderous attacks on not only Awami League leaders and activists but on all secular and democratic public figures and intellectuals. Muhammad Yunus of Rajshahi University, a distinguished scholar, was killed on December 24, 2004. According to a report in The Daily Star (March 20, 2005), the investigation virtually stalled after the police found that one of the accused was an activist of the Islami Chhatra Shibir, Jamaats students front organization.

The highly respected writer, critic and scholar, Professor Humayun Azad of Dhaka University was near-fatally attacked with choppers on February 27, 2004, in Dhaka. He survived and travelled to Munich on a PEN fellowship on August 9, 2004. He died there on August 12 following a heart attack. An editorial in The Daily Star (February 29, 2004) stated that political intolerance was the driving force behind the attack, and added that the victim must have exposed himself to the fury of obscurantism and fundamentalism through his write-ups. Before his murder, Azad was viciously attacked by fundamentalist Islamists in Bangladesh for his latest book. Begum Khaleda Zia, however, blamed the Awami League for the attack at a public meeting in Savar in the outskirts of Dhaka on February 29. Significantly, while not questioning any of the fundamentalists who had lashed out against Azad, the police arrested an Awami League student leader. A grenade attack on a Awami League rally at Baidyer Bazar in Habiganj in Sylhet district killed one of Bangladeshs most respected public figures, diplomat-turned-scholar and finance minister in Sheikh Hasinas first government (1996-2001), SAMS Kibria, along with four others, on January 27, 2005. All the ten arrested were linked to the BNP, one of them being a local leader. The slain former ministers widow, Asma Kibria, said that the nation needed to know the names of those who ordered the killing. The absence of a free hand prevented the investigations from reaching the level at which it could name them. She demanded an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Ahsanullah Master, an Awami League MP and president of the partys labour front organisation, Shramik League, was murdered on May 7, 2004. The most shocking attack, which caused international furore, was, however, the grenade blast on an Awami League rally in Dhakas Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. The aim was to cripple the Awami league by murdering Sheikh Hasina and the entire top leadership of the party which was present on the occasion. Sheikh Hasina survived with injuries whose effects she feels even now. At least 24 persons were killed and around 300 persons injured. Among those killed was Ivy Rehman, president of Bangladesh Mahila Awami League and wife of Zillur Rehman, then the partys general secretary and subsequently Bangladeshs president. Those injured included frontline Awami League leaders Abdul Razzak, Amir Hussain Amu, Suranjit Sengupta, Kazi Zafrullah, Mohammad Nasim, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Sahara Khatun and Dhaka city mayor, Mohammad Hanif.

After many vicissitudes, investigations led to trial and Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 pronounced his verdict on October 10, 2018. The judgement, which is under appeal, stated that terrorist organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh perpetrated the outrage in collaboration with some senior officials of Bangladeshs Home Ministry, police, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, the National Security Intelligence, and the Prime Ministers Office. The judge sentenced 19 persons, including former state Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babar, to death and 19 others, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, to life imprisonment.

The grenade attack was a part of a wider campaign. According to a report in The Daily Star (April 3, 2004), Sheikh Hasina said at two public rallies on April 2 that 26,000 workers were killed across Bangladesh since the BNP-Jamaat government came into power. She said, that to hang on to power, the government was trying to strangle the Opposition by killing our leaders and workers. One can argue that the figure she sighted is very high and exaggerated. But the violence unleashed even on academics and civil society activists during the BNP-Jamaat regime and the attempt to eliminate the Awami League as a political party through the grenade attack on April 21, 2004, lends her words an undeniable ring of plausibility.

(The author is Consulting Editor, The Pioneer. The views expressed are personal)
Gender equality is fundamentally related to sustainable development and globally accepted as a necessity for the promotion of human rights

The rapid increase in the suicide ratio of men due to family problems and marriage-related issues is at an alarming stage. About 800000 (Eight Lakh) people die by suicide worldwide every year. In the year 2021 in India, 1,64,033 (One Lakh Sixty-Four Thousand Thirty-Three) people have committed suicide according to the data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The rate of suicide is 12 per one lakh population which is the highest rate of deaths from suicide since 1967. As per the World Health Organisation report dated 07.09.2021, suicide is an emerging and serious public health issue in India. The suicide rate per 1,00,000 people compared to other countries is 10.5 per 1,00,000 while the suicide rate for the world as a whole is 11.6 per 1,00,000 people. Suicide rates in India have been rising over the past five decades. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data published in 2021 (Accidental Deaths in India 2021) about 1,64,033 people have committed suicide during the year 2021 across the country. Out of which almost 81,063 people who ended their lives were married men, while 28,680 were married women. Around 33.2% of men ended their lives because of family problems and 4.8% due to marriage-related issues in the year 2021. This year, a total of 1,18,979 men have committed suicides which is about (72%) and a total of 45,026 women have committed suicides which is about (27%). Family problems in the form of domestic violence or other physical abuses against men in a domestic setting also constitute an offence, but at present laws applicable to address the issues of domestic violence are not gender-neutral and vary between men and women. A man who intends to report domestic violence faced by him finds it difficult to approach a suitable forum where he could report the matter because no one is authorized to register the complaint of a man who is suffering from domestic violence. It is wrathful to mention here that The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 protects the woman only who suffers any type of violence inflicted by her husband or his family including female members. So it has been presumed while enacting the said act that the male could never be a victim of domestic violence and is the offender only. The existing laws do not even recognise domestic violence against the LGBTQ Community as the law protects only women under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005. Countries like the UK AND Wales, the US, Canada, Australia, and Germany have laws protecting both men and women including the LGBTQ Community against domestic Violence. In the absence of gender-neutral laws so far as domestic violence is concerned, even a boy, who is above 18 years, old has no legal remedy to address his grievances in case he suffered mental, emotional, physical, economic, or sexual abuse.

Each such incident results in a violation of the fundamental rights of Equality before the law, the Prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of sex, and the Right to life and personal liberty. It is a clear violation of the fundamental rights available to every citizen of India under Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the constitution and also a violation of Section 2(d) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. Human dignity is the most supreme attribute of society. Every human being at the end of the day strives for the dignity to which he/she is entitled. The constitution of India also provides that every citizen irrespective of their caste/ creed/sex/ origin should not be deprived of their human dignity. Gender equality is fundamentally related to sustainable development and globally accepted as a necessity for the promotion of human rights. Therefore, such violations attract a legal remedy through suitable legislation and the creation of a mechanism for its enforcement, for the protection of these rights.

(The writer is an Advocate in the Supreme Court of India. Views are personal)
The West and the world must engage with Russia to curtail its military alliance with China

Lately, there has been a lot of brouhaha over Chinese President Xi Jinpings decision to skip the G20 in New Delhi this week. This news came weeks after the Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin would not be attending the summit.

Political commentators have viewed this development as an indication of turbulent times ahead. The Russia-China alliance is strengthening and this is a clear indicator that there appears to be a stumbling block to democratic values which much of the free world cherishes. Essentially, relations between countries are fluid and they hinge on ongoing developments. The Western alliance must realise that isolating Russia will have ramifications and the only prudent way ahead is to negotiate firmly and, in the process, make concessions to weaken the Russia-China alliance. What the West urgently requires is a paradigm shift.

Recent reports about Chinas ambition to establish a blue-water navy have been dismissed. China, today has the worlds largest navy and is surreptitiously seeking to expand its sphere of influence. It is undoubtedly an economic behemoth for the time being, but a more pertinent question that arises is why is Putin veering towards China.

Putin is an elusive leader who has his quirks. A man described by many as indifferent, hard-hearted and a brilliant strategist. In all, he has dealt with several American Presidents. When he assumed office, former President Clinton was serving his last term in office. It was the late 90s. When the two leaders met for bilateral talks, Clinton intuitively sensed that Putin did not have democracy in his agenda. The former KGB officer viewed the West as a formidable adversary.

Putin desires to reignite the glory of the former Soviet Union. He does not recognise Ukraine to be a sovereign nation; a viewpoint he expressed to the next US President, George W Bush, in the NATO- Russia Council (NRC) in 2008. This striking perspective was articulated when Bush hinted that NATO was open to admitting Georgia and Ukraine into the alliance. By now, Putin had reached his patience threshold. Bush had already declared the war on terror which in Putins view was Americas way of exporting democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. Putins response was brutal. He invaded Georgia the same year to reinforce the message to the US. America did not interfere.

The Putin-Obama bilateral meeting has been described by many observers as fruitless. By now, Putin was engaging with a third President. When then-Vice President Joe Biden met Putin to chart the way ahead, the meeting was uncomfortable and tense. They exchanged reproachful looks in the back doors. Biden publicly propagated the importance of strengthening democratic values in Russia. This was viewed by Putin as a direct and veritable threat to his hold on Russia. What ensued were anti-Putin protests. His response- invade Ukraine and annex Crimea in 2014. When Biden insisted that America send military aid to Ukraine, Obama disregarded his opinion.

Putin was now emboldened. He felt he could employ his military apparatus to achieve political ends and the West would not interfere. But when Putin decided to launch a special military operation in February last year, NATO was quick to send military aid. Putin wrongly believed that just like on previous occasions he would have his way. It was a miscalculation of monumental proportions. It is vitally important for the West and for the world to engage with Russia to curtail this new military alliance. The US must make overtures and be ready to negotiate. Its intransigence is only going to make Russia a more belligerent nation and lead to further escalation; something the world cannot afford at this juncture.

(The writer is a commentator on foreign affairs; views are personal)
Xi and Putin would be conspicuous by their absence

The G20 leaders summit in New Delhi this week takes place, at an important juncture in civilisational collective history. India under the PMs vision of democratising the G20 event has held 200 meetings in nearly 60 cities of India, showcasing the rich cultural diversity of India, introducing new topics of mutual joint action, such as climate finance, sustainable growth tourism etc, while subtly sending out key messages on the geopolitical front.

China with which India, doesnt share the best of relations due to the military standoff in Ladakh and frequent tiffs in the Indian Ocean region, skipped the G20 meetings in Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir, directly challenging Indias sovereign rights over her territory. China also released a standard map last week claiming many parts of India including Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, a stern disagreement to engage with India bilaterally and diffuse the border situation. China is extremely keen to create its world order, which it claims would not be dictated by US-centric geopolitics. Towards this, it has successfully lobbied to include 6 new nations in the BRICS group, keeping its agenda in mind and creating a mini version of the G20 platform. The inclusion of UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which hold strategic interests for China and India, in their bilateral capacities is a push towards a greater say in Arab world affairs.

Meanwhile, China and the US are at major loggerheads in their bilateral relationship, especially with high-end technology that can be used for military purposes by China. The US has a technological advantage in terms of innovation and design, while most of the manufacturing for these products takes place in China. Two successive governments in the US, including the current one have tried to de-risk themselves from China, as the fear grows that Chinese could be using sophisticated US tech for their military operations. China is a leader in current technologies such as 5G, however, due to geopolitics, major tech consumers including India are trying to de-risk themselves from Chinese tech. The US and India have banned entry of any new Chinese hardware in their critical infrastructure sectors deployed for 5G networks. Add to this, the anti-US and western bloc views taken by China on Ukraine, especially on G20 platforms. China and Russia entered into, a no boundaries relationship immediately before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese premier visited Russia on a state visit, immediately after Covid restrictions were removed to reiterate the special relationship it has with Russia. Towards proving its friendship with Russia, China has stalled most of the joint outcome statements in ministerial meetings under Indias G20 presidency in the past year, sometimes under flimsy pretexts. It is worthwhile to note that both Chinese and Russian presidents skipped the G20 leaders summit in India this week, creating a challenge for a consensus-based joint leaders outcome document.

The real reason Chinese premier Xi didnt come to India-led G20 leaders to summit in New Delhi is that he did not want to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Biden. China considers itself a giant in global affairs and wants India to be relegated to a weak nation status. The recent bonhomie between the US and India on crucial strategic issues, including a gradual shift of New Delhi towards the US-led military and geo-political bloc, gets constant critique from China. The US and India have been working together to create a consensus-based fair, transparent, democratic framework and policy outlook in the Indo-Pacific region. The QUAD, an alliance of four nations consisting of Australia, India, the US and Japan, are fully focused on the Indo-Pacific region and increasingly trying to coordinate together on key affairs including emerging technologies. It is this backdrop, which makes Bharats grand show for the G20 summit under its presidency, a crucial one, which shines the beacon on the state of world affairs for many more years to come.

(The writer is a policy analyst)
The idea of one nation, one election is just one of the many reforms that the country must undertake to strengthen democracy

The Prime Minister deserves all compliments for forming a committee to study much-needed aspects of the One Nation-One Election in the country. Frequent elections can be avoided by reducing or extending the terms of assemblies by up to one year to hold any elections only once a year in a month considered best suited by various aspects. Any by-election or even regular civic or panchayat election may also be held in this election month.

The idea of holding simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and all state assemblies can be practical only by eliminating chances of mid-term elections which require the Prime Minister/Chief Ministers to be simultaneously elected with the Speaker and Deputy Speaker by secret and compulsory vote of members of the Lower House through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) equipped with VVPAT on nominations signed by at least 34-percent members. Such an elected PM/CM may be removed by the same process but with the compulsion of naming an alternate leader in the same motion. Members not opting to vote may lose voting rights in the House even though they retain membership of the House.

No person should be allowed to contest from more than one constituency or for both Parliament and state assembly. A sitting MP or MLA should resign first from his/her earlier seat before filing a nomination for the other seat. Provision should be there of auto-termination of membership of a Parliamentarian just on taking oath in a state as minister (or Chief Minister) and vice-versa.

Secret voting for Rajya Sabha elections should be restored but through EVMs equipped with the VVPAT system. Since Legislative Councils in states do not serve any purpose, the Constitution should be amended to abolish the provision of Legislative Councils. Only those not having contested any election in life should be appointed nominated members of the Rajya Sabha. Persons who have not contested any election in their lifetime may only be appointed as governors. No MP or MLA should retain any type of post in their party or even in society. Ministerial strength should be reduced to 10 per cent of the strength of the lower House. The Post of Parliamentary Secretaries should be abolished.

Security-losing persons should be barred from contesting elections for the next six years. None-of-the above (NOTA) option should be made practically useful by barring all candidates getting votes less than NOTA from contesting any future election even though in case NOTA winning in any constituency, next to NOTA may be declared elected but only for that term. Thereafter he may lose the right to contest any election in a lifetime.

President and Vice President should be simultaneously elected by all MPs and MLAs in the manner the President is elected but through EVMs equipped with VVPAT on nominations signed by at least 34 per cent of MPs to ensure direct elections. In case of a vacancy caused at the post of President, the Vice President may be made President for the rest of the term. But in case of a vacancy caused at the post of a Vice President, an interim Vice President may be elected by MPs only. Persons once posted on these posts and also as state governors must quit active politics forever. Otherwise, all their post-retirement benefits including pension and government-accommodation may be withdrawn.

To avoid the usual delay in approving poll reforms by the Parliament, the Election Commission should be empowered to implement poll reforms by giving one-year notice to Parliament. If Parliament does not disapprove reforms proposed by the Election Commission within the stipulated one year, these should be taken as approved by the Parliament. Election Commissioners should be selected by a 3-member committee also consisting of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.

Immunity to elected representatives should be withdrawn even from legislative proceedings because, in the infamous JMM-bribery case, even the Apex Court expressed its inability to act against guilty ones because their bribed act to vote for Narasimha Rao-government was considered to be immunised being under Parliamentary proceedings. Lok Sabha mildly punished its member Rajesh Manjhi for taking his lady-friend as his wife on a foreign trip at government expense by just barring him from a few sittings of Lok Sabha. The presence of an absconding Parliamentarian from court summons or warrants at Sansad Bhawan even for attending the session, should be immediately informed to concerned police authorities.

Absconding members must not be allowed to leave Sansad Bhawan till the execution of summons/warrants is complete. Parliamentarians and legislatures with attendance less than say 75 per cent in the House should not be allowed to contest any elections for the next six years. Curious case of George Fernandez having been elected to Rajya Sabha despite having lost all his memory even calls for some minimum medical-fitness certificate before allowing him to contest elections. An RTI response reveals that even the oath for being a member of the Rajya Sabha was read by a party colleague of George Fernandez!

Parliamentarians should be required to fill all their particulars in their bio-data including details of their assets, name of spouse/s etc. to be put on the public domain of the websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This will check several malpractices like hiding the name of the additional spouse like was done by Dharmendra when he did not disclose the name of Hema Malini as his wife. Salaries/perks of MPs can be withheld till they provide all these particulars. Rules of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha should be re-written stringently by encoding fixed punishments for Parliamentarians for not following rules and norms and snatching discretionary powers of Chairpersons and Parliamentary committees.

The rule should be to make all deductions of government dues like of water, electricity, telephone, rent or any other from salary/perks/pensions etc. payable to them. Likewise, pensions and other payables should be held till former Parliamentarians/ Ministers do not vacate government-accommodations. Defaulters should be barred from contesting any next elections or holding any official post till all dues are cleared against them, and non-entitled government-accommodations are vacated. It is a shame that even persons posted as Prime Minister had been defaulters of dues for the use of Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft for non-official purposes. Either the Prime Minister or the political party sponsoring that Prime Minister on post should deposit advance money for the use of IAF aircraft for non-official use. Since political parties are not complying with the CIC-verdict bringing these under the purview of the RTI Act, all direct/indirect government funding including tax-exemptions, subsidized land or leased government accommodations, free voters list and free Doordarshan/ Radio timings etc. should be abolished. Political parties not having contested any election in the last five years should be de-recognised.

Live TV debates between prominent leaders and Prime-Ministerial/Chief-Ministerial candidates can replace mega-budgeted rallies. Since even the Election Commission opposed opaque Electoral Bonds, these must be transparent to avoid these becoming a tool to get favours from the concerned governments. Sections 13A, 80GGB and 80GGC of the Income Tax Act on contributions received by and made to political parties should be abolished to prevent the whitening of black money by political parties getting themselves registered but not contesting elections. Corruption-generating MPLADS should be abolished. Pensions to MPs and MLAs have no logic when it has been done away with government servants. Persons with more than two children should not be allowed to contest elections. It should be compulsory for every political party to give at least one-third of party-tickets to women till the legislation of the Women-Reservation Bill.

(The writer is a Guinness Record Holder for letters in newspapers and an RTI consultant)
He should also realise that the ideology now influencing India has grown from the countrys soil and going against it is bad politics

Udhayanidhi Stalin sought the eradication of Sanatana Dharma from the country, comparing it to diseases like dengue or COVID-19. Unfortunately, an MLA and son of a chief minister should be so ignorant and irresponsible. Does he not know that his and his fathers namesake Josef Stalin, despite his overwhelming power, could not abolish inequality? Rather, he widened the gap in wealth between the rich and the poor in a much larger number of people. The only difference was that most of the wealth of those who had it had to be in Switzerland (i.e., Swiss banks) to sustain the economic chastity of Stalins Soviets, Lenins legacy and Marxs prophecy.

The communist experiment from Cuba in the West to China in the East has ranged from blood-soaked disasters to miserable flops. If Udhayanidhi knows all this, I am sorry, he is neither ignorant nor irresponsible but is an apostle of doubtful intentions. Perhaps he wishes to overtake Josef Stalin and become as great as Mao Zedong or match the current strongman Xi Jinping, and take over all conceivable assets of Tamil Nadu, including land, and administrative apparatus in the state, much like the Chinese Communist Party which owns virtually everything, including the armed forces; the country and its people, i.e., the Chinese, own very little. Otherwise, why should we wish to eradicate Sanatana Dharma and all its adherents?

If it is only for the sake of equality, this is not possible, as we have shown. The reason is simple  every individuals karma is different and therefore, his/her bhagya (fate) is separate. It is scientific to realise that the output would be according to the input; the result will be dependent on the cause.

If Udhayanidhi Stalin studies his state property, he may well find that more of its citizens have faith in Sanatana Dharma and adhere to the Hindu mode of worship. The problem with his understanding is that the Hindu is mature and seldom reacts; he prefers to ignore. That is why Muslims were able to rule large parts of India for some seven hundred years, with the Hindu civilization surviving almost intact. Two centuries of British rule too left Hindus largely unscathed.

Now is the time when Hinduism is reawakening; hence it is a wholly wrong time for Udhayanidhi to try and provoke Sanatana Dharma and hope to ensnare it. Nor is it the time to pamper the anti-Hindus; they are nowhere near the majority. It is, therefore, not only bad politics but wholly wrong politics as well. The paucity of Hindu reaction has misled the junior Stalin; it equally misled the communist parties as well as the Congress and others. The strategy authored by Jawaharlal Nehru, who claimed he was a Hindu only by accident of birth, a Muslim by culture and an Englishman by education and upbringing might have paid dividends then.

Jawaharlal Nehrus ultimate legacy was a European successor. Stalin ought to realise that now, the Hindu is reacting to assert his rights. Or else, how is a Yogi ruling Uttar Pradesh? And how very effectively? The TN chief ministers son should also realise that the ideology now influencing India has grown from the countrys soil. That is why Hindus are taking to it like fish to water.

The new wind is not confined to India. The United Kingdom has a Prime Minister of Hindu birth who has no hesitation in proclaiming Jai Shri Rama at Cambridge. The USA has more than one Presidential candidate for the election of 2024. A significant number of global corporations based in the USA are headed by Indian Chief Executives who are Hindu by faith. The World Bank is headed by a chief of Indian origin. These are all men and women whose family origins date back to Sanatana Dharma. There is a phenomenon that causes this new tide in the affairs of the human world, as they become more educated and aware. Human beings are not satisfied with prescriptions dictated by prophets and messiahs. This is rather like the Ten Commandments of Prophet Moses. They would like to discover spirituality themselves, which Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma enables by not insisting upon either God or the Devil, but upon karma.

Since Udhayanidhi and his spokespersons are harping on equality, and wish to eradicate Sanatana Dharma because its adherents do not enjoy equality, let me again draw his attention to the prescription of Karl Marx, which spawned many communist regimes in the world in the form of countries that fell under the sway of this ideology, all of them striving to implement it rigorously and oftentimes, harshly. The only result was that the economies of all these countries crashed to the ground; China and North Korea have systems that are anything but Marxist, yet call themselves communist. That is the price equality extracted from the people on whom it was sought to be imposed. Udhayanidhis neighbouring state Kerala continues to flirt with equality. But how many Malayalis are equal? Intelligent and capable as they are, are they progressing? The reality is that if they want to do well in life, they have to emigrate from Kerala to be able to flourish.

(The writer is a well-known columnist, an author and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. The views expressed are personal
Compassion knows no borders: Chinese nurses awarded Florence Nightingale Medal

Ecns.cn) 16:06, September 08, 2023

(ECNS) -- Seven Chinese nurses were presented the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international award given to a nurse, at the 49th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday.

This year, the award was bestowed upon 37 nurses from 22 countries across the globe, and China stood out with the largest number of recipients, bringing the total to 90 since 1983."

China News Service interviewed two recipients of the Florence Nightingale Medal this year, both of whom once engaged in medical assistance missions abroad.

"Compassion knows no borders"

Zhao Xuehong is deputy head of the Nursing Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

One of her most unforgettable experiences was in 2015, when she volunteered to combat the Ebola outbreak with a Chinese medical team in Liberia, West Africa.

Zhao Xuehong takes interview with China News Service in Beijing, Sep 5, 2023.

One evening, on her ward rounds, Zhao noticed a child who refused to fall asleep.

"His eyes were wide open, and he seemed to be in extreme fear," Zhao recalled, "so I asked him why he couldn't sleep."

The boy replied in somewhat hesitant English, "I'm scared. I dare not sleep because I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, I might die."

"Don't worry, child. I promise to cure your illness. I'm here to take care of you, put your mind at rest," she replied.

After that, she would visit the ward every night, accompanying the child until he fell asleep.

All medical team members wore multiple layers of protective gear, so patients couldn't see their faces.

But when the boy finally recovered and left the Ebola treatment center, Zhao called out his name, and the boy was delighted, saying, "I recognized your voice. You're the Chinese mom."

Since 1963, China has dispatched 30,000 medical members to 76 countries and regions, treating 290 million patients.

"Interactions between people should be sincere, as sincerity transcends borders. Compassion, too, knows no borders," Zhao said.

Nursing expertise is needed worldwide

In April 2020, Chinese medical experts in the fight against COVID-19 were dispatched to Ethiopia and Djibouti. Among them was Jiang Yan, director of the Nursing Department at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Ethiopia has an average elevation of 3,000 meters, and Djibouti is often referred to as a boiling pot due to its scorching temperatures reaching nearly 60 degrees Celsius.

Chinese medical team aid to Djibouti. Photo provided to China News Service

However, the most significant challenge was not the hot and humid climate but rather the shortage of medical supplies and medications.

Due to a scarcity of water resources and almost no mask production enterprises, effective measures for controlling the spread of the epidemic such as frequent handwashing and wearing masks were challenging to implement.

Jiang Yan realized that China's experience in combating the pandemic could not be directly replicated in Africa. Instead, it was essential to adapt strategies to suit the specific circumstances."

For instance, they attach faucets to water drums and add pedal-operated mechanisms, creating makeshift handwashing facilities. They also used locally available materials, such as tape, to fashion personal protective equipment.

We also suggested to the local government to engage local businesses in mask production," Jiang said.

As the Chinese expert group was about to leave Ethiopia, the country's health department specially invited them for nationwide training, hoping that more local healthcare workers can learn these prevention and treatment practices.

Jiang emphasized that the goal of the Chinese medical expert team was not to rigidly impose Chinese medical expertise on local healthcare workers but to assist them in adapting the best methods for protection and hospital infection control while considering local medical conditions.

Over the past 60 years, China's foreign medical teams have not only provided medical services but have also trained over 100,000 healthcare professionals in recipient countries.

When asked if she would participate in international medical assistance work again, Jiang's response was clear: "I would."

"I believe the nursing profession is needed globally and I take pride in this profession," she said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
World leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and UN Secretary General Antonia Guterres arrived here on Friday to attend the G20 summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looks forward to productive discussions with them over the next two days.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, "I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality."

"I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," he added.

The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances by various troupes and a smiling International Monetary Fund(IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva danced to the beat of the music at the airport.

Responding to a post by Georgieva on X on arrival here to attend the summit, Prime Minister Modi said he appreciates the affection she has shown for India's culture when she landed here.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hasina were received at the airport by Union Ministers Shobha Karandlaje and Darshana Jardosh respectively.

Sunak was received by Union Minister Ashwini Choubey while Argentine President Alberto Fernandez was welcomed by Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste.

Comoros President Azali Assoumani also arrived here to a rousing welcome. He is also the chairperson of the African Union. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also arrived for the summit.

On his arrival, Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said was received by Ashwini Choubey and he witnessed dance performance by cultural troupes.

The G20 leaders will deliberate on pressing global issues at the grouping's annual summit here on September 9 and 10. India is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current G20 chair.

In its G20 presidency, India has been focusing on various issues such as inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience and equitable global health access.
US President Joe Biden is arriving to take part in the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi on Friday and will be driven around India in the Beast, an armoured limousine maintained by the US Secret Service.

Biden will be having his own security mechanism in place which includes worlds most expensive cars, advanced weapons, bomb detectors, a control room and a parallel communication system.

Apart from the Air Force One and helicopters for air travel, Biden will have a long-range of vehicles, including the Beast for the ground movement during the summit. The armoured limousine includes military-grade armour, bullet-proof windows (obviously), and a tear gas dispenser. It is transported by Air Force One to wherever the US President travels. The chauffeur is specially trained by the US Secret Service. The Beast arrived in India ahead of Bidens visit.

The vehicles armour is composed of aluminium, ceramic and steel and capable of protecting the passengers even in case of chemical warfare 8. It also carries its own supply of oxygen in case of chemical or biological attack. It has 5-inch-thick doors at the front and 8-inch-thick doors in the rear. It has five layers of glass and polycarbonate so that it can withstand a bomb blast.

Some of the enhanced features include tear gas dispenser, shotgun, smoke screen, two bags of blood matching the president, a communication device, GPS and night vision. Despite being a limousine, the Beast can seat seven people as and is packed with several features that are not available in other cars. It weighs around 2,000 pounds.

The latest model, debuted in 2018, was made by General Motors and cost over $1.5 million. The Beast first appeared in 2001 with the arrival of President George W Bush.

The Secret Service uses a C-17 Globemaster aircraft to transport the Beast, another limo, and a heavily armored Chevrolet Suburban communications vehicle, anytime the POTUS travels. The Suburban communications vehicle is called the Roadrunner which is said to house a communications office linked to a military satellite.

To ensure President Bidens security during the G20 Summit, highly trained officers between the ages of 21 and 28 have been assigned to his proximity team. These officers will carry pistols and a range of weapons, including M4 and Glock, along with bullet-resistant sheets.

The US has proposed to bring 75-80 of its own vehicles for the G20 Summit, but after discussions with the Indian Government, they have settled on 60 vehicles.

Security preparations for President Biden have been underway for several weeks, with a team of security officers arriving in India and coordinating with the US Embassy in Delhi.

A multi-layer security has been arranged for Biden and other Heads of State visit to Delhi. While the outermost layer would have paramilitary force personnel, the second layer would have commandos from Indias SPG and the innermost circle would have Secret Service agents.

Biden and other US delegates will stay at ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel. The staff will undergo background checks, and special access cards will be given to those who will visit the 14th floor, where Joe Biden will stay. The special lift will be installed to reach the floor. About 400 rooms of this hotel have been booked.
As the two-day G20 summit is set to commence on Saturday in the decked up national Capital, India is welcoming the world with heads of states and delegations arriving on Friday. They were given rousing welcome with traditional dance and cultural performances at the airport.

India holds the presidency of the G20 for this year and is hosting the mega event in that capacity. More than 41 heads of states and delegations will congregate here for two days to dwell on various issues. The main theme of Indias presidency of the G20 is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  One Earth, One Family, One Future.

US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders of the G20 grouping as well as chiefs of many leading world bodies like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have arrived for the summit.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population. The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

Given the magnitude of the high-profile event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders in three days starting Friday.

Setting the tone for the summit, Prime Minister Modi on Friday expressed confidence that it will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said on X it is important to emulate his mission of serving the underprivileged, the very last person in the queue, as he underlined Indias great emphasis on a human-centric way of furthering progress.

We seek to accelerate progress of SDGs, Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future and strengthen Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century. We attach immense priority to futuristic sectors such as technological transformation and digital public infrastructure. We will also collectively work to further gender equality, women empowerment and ensure world peace, he said.

Rooted in our cultural ethos, Indias G20 presidency theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  One Earth, One Family, One Future, deeply resonates with our world view that the whole world is one family, said Modi.

Indias G20 presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented. We actively voiced the developmental concerns of the Global South, Modi added.

Noting that it is the first-ever G20 summit being hosted by India, he said India is delighted to host the 18th summit on the weekend at the iconic Bharat Mandapam.

It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development, he said.

Modi said he will be chairing sessions on One Earth, One Family and One Future, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community. These include furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth, he added.

The PM noted that he will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and heads of delegations to further deepen bonds of friendship and cooperation.

I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality, he said, adding that President Droupadi Murmu will be hosting a dinner on Saturday.

On the 10th (September), the leaders will pay homage to Gandhi Ji at Rajghat. At the closing ceremony, on the same day, G20 leaders will share their collective vision for a sustainable and equitable One Future, together like One Family, for a healthier One Earth, Modi said.

Meanwhile, India on Friday said the New Delhi Leaders Declaration was almost ready and the negotiators were moving towards a consensus.

Refraining from getting into the specifics of sticking points such as the Russia-Ukraine war and climate-related issues, Indias top G20 officials told a pre-summit press conference here that they were hopeful of clinching a joint communique by consensus.

Indias expectation is that all G20 members will move towards a consensus and we are hopeful of a consensus on the communique, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in response to a question on the Ukraine conflict holding up an agreement on the New Delhi Declaration.

On the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 bloc, Kwatra said he expected that Summit proceedings starting Saturday would take a suitable decision on it.

Indias G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said Prime Minister Modi is a great believer in the Global South and had written to all the leaders on the inclusion of the African Union in the G20. He said there has been a very positive response and formally that will come before the Summit.

India also said its presidency of the G20 has lived up to Modis vision of being inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and very decisive.

Kant said the New Delhi Leaders Declaration will be the voice of the global south and developing countries.

These are the four principles on which we have worked. We have lived up to his vision of being inclusive, action-oriented, ambitious and very decisive during our presidency, Kant said.

Our New Delhi Leaders Declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it because this declaration will be recommended to the leaders during the Summit and the leaders will then accept it and only after it is accepted by the leaders, we will be able to talk about the actual achievements of this declaration, he said.

Over 220 G20-related meetings were held in 60 cities across the country, showcasing Indias diversity and federal structure, Kant said.

India is set to make a dash for the goal line at the summit in addressing some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, consequences of the Ukraine conflict, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment.
With the former Prime Ministers and incumbent Chief Ministers all invited for the gala dinner at G20 venue for world leaders scheduled on Saturday, the leader of the principal Opposition party of country, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge have been bypassed in the list of protocol as he has not been extended the honour by President of Bharat Draupadi Murmu.

Kharge also holds the important position in terms of protocol as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha  the upper house of Parliament  which is equivalent to a Union Cabinet Minister rank and holds a constitutional position.

Congress leaders said that Opposition not being extended invite for a summit is attack on democratic fabric of the country. Kharge meanwhile was in Chhattisgarh for election related rallies.

Kharge not being in the list of invitees resonated outside the country with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, in an interaction with international media at Brussels in Belgium, accusing the Modi Government of disrespecting the leaders of 60 per cent of Indias population.

The G20 dinner has sparked controversy since day one after the invitation of the dinner described Murmu as the President of Bharat instead of the customary President of India.

Murmu will host the dinner on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the G20 summit of world leaders.

The Chief Ministers of all States, along with all Union Ministers, have been invited to the dinner.

The heads of other Opposition parties as well as floor leaders in both Houses of Parliament have also not received invitations.

Though invited, former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda will not attend the G20 dinner due to health reasons. TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has confirmed his presence at the event.

According to sources, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are also likely to attend the G20 dinner. Besides the CMs of the BJP-ruled States, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin will attend the G20 dinner.

The grand old party has taken exception to Kharges exclusion for the dinner and it is likely the Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled States of Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, would avoid being part of the dinner at Bharat Mandapam.

Chhatisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said when Delhi is a no flying zone for G20 security then how can he attend the dinner.

While Rahul said G20 is a good thing happening but lack of an invitation to the largest Opposition party is reflective of the type of thinking of the Government. Rahul is currently on a three-nation European tour to Belgium, France and Norway.

Continuing with his barb at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Waynad Lok Sabha member said there is a full-scale assault on the democratic institutions of India and there are concerns in the European Union (EU) quarters over this attempt to stifle the countrys democratic structures.

Rahul addressed a broad range of topics, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to say that the Opposition agrees with the Governments current position on the issue.

The BJP previously dubbed Rahul as the present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity who went overseas seeking help from foreign forces to become a nawab in India.

The ruling party had also said that the Gandhi scion has insulted and defamed India with his comments about India overseas, saying, People have not given this right to him.

Asked about the reaction of the European parliamentarians to some of these issues, Rahul replied, They were very concerned and they felt that there is an attempt to stifle the democratic structures of India, for sure. I mean, they were very, very clear with us. He held closed-door meetings with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels on Thursday.

When the media asked Rahul about the India-Bharat name row, he said he is perfectly happy with the name in the Constitution  India that is Bharat.

These to me in a sense are panic reactions. There is a little bit of fear in the Government. These are distraction tactics. We of course came up with the name INDIA for our (Opposition) coalition and its a fantastic idea. This represents who we are. We consider ourselves to be the voice of India. So the name works very well, Rahul Gandhi said.

But it surely disturbed the Prime Minister enough that he wants to change the name of the country which is absurd. But thats what it is, he added.

He went on further to say that Prime Minister Modi comes up with some dramatic, new diversion tactic every time the opposition raises the issue of Adani, crony capitalism.
To make the breakfast table, lunch, and dining tables special for the G20, the heads of State and other world leaders will be served on silver and gold-plated utensils, showcasing glimpses of Indias rich culture and heritage.

According to Jaipur-based metalware firm IRIS, from high tea for breakfast in the morning to different style dishes for lunch and beautiful plates for dinner, baskets for bread and beautiful fruit baskets were prepared. Around 15,000 silverware have been crafted by over 200 artisans in around 50,000 man-hours.

This crockery has reached all the big hotels where foreign guests will stay so that all the guests will be served food in this silver crockery. Many artisans have worked hard day and night to create special utensils based on the theme Fusion Elegance of Indias Unity in Diversity.

Items are made with various themes like peacock, banana half leaf among others.

Designers Rajeev Pabuwal and Laksh Pabuwal of IRIS, who held a special preview of G20 tableware and decor at the India Habitat Centre, said that it was commissioned by various luxury hotels to design made-to-order tableware and silverware which will be used by foreign guests while staying at hotels and for lavish dinners and luncheons, which will be hosted for them.

Most tableware have steel or brass base or a mix of both with an elegant coating of silver, while some wares like plates that will carry glasses to be used for serving welcome drinks have gold plating, Laksh Pabuwal, owner of IRIS said. The firm is run by him and his father Rajeev Pabuwal.

Iris Jaipur said 50,000 man-hours have been spent on crafting these on which craftsmen from Jaipur, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and other parts of the country worked.

Designs are characterised by meticulous detailing, beaded borders, and a fusion of semi-machined hand craftsmanship with contemporary casting techniques. The electroplated silver finish adds a touch of sophistication, aligning seamlessly with the grandeur of the event, said Rajeev Pabuwal.

Meticulously curated tableware merchandise bridges tradition and modern aesthetics, becoming the crown jewel of the G20 Summit, said the company. The tableware and silverware designs are a nod to Indias rich heritage and its global prominence, Pabuwal said.

The tableware and silverware depict the glorious cultural heritage of India, motifs of flowers, peacock, our national animal grace the plates, and other items. And, the silverware will dazzle the Heads of State with their cultural sparkle, and they will see it and exclaim wow, he said.

This is all silver-plated and silver is suppose to be more hygienic and were used by the Maharajas in the ancient times. India is very well with the culture even in the best of the best places of the world, these silver plating stuffs have been used. Its an alloy made up of copper and different material, Pabuwal said.

The tableware and silverware designs reflect Indias rich heritage and global prominence, according to the manufacturers.

Earlier, we used to import goods from other countries but all these silverware which you can see has been designed and made in India itself. It is a really good effort to promote Make in India and Made in India. We have created a fusion of semi-machined hand craftsmanship with contemporary casting techniques, he added.

Pabuwal said special silverware has been crafted for keeping garland and other items which will be used for welcoming VVIP guests.

There is a peacock as you can see here, motifs of flowers, peacock, our national animal grace the plates and especially banana leafs thali. Everything is highly silver-plated, said Pabuwal, adding he has created silverware for various key events in the past as well.
A total of 1,742 cops and officials are engaged in the security of 20 district courts and four sub divisional courts across the State of Jharkhand.

Additional director general of police (Ops) Sanjay Anand Lathkar said, "This strong fleet of 1,742 cops etc is for the security of the lower courts in Jharkhand."

"As regards the security of the Jharkhand High Court Ranchi we have a separate fleet of 300 plus men in uniform for it," added Lathkar. He said when we had the old high court, the number of cops on security duty was far less.

On being asked as to how the strength of deployment of police force is decided for a lower court to which the ADG (Ops) said "The size of the court building, its campus matters most. The number of courtrooms too matters most. One has to see the number of entries and exit. Here in the Ranchi civil court there is one gate but in Jamshedpur it is more than two or three more. The perimeter of the court building calls for patrolling either on foot or by bike."

Around 342 cops are personal bodyguards of the battery of judges and judicial officers in Jharkhand.

The ADG (Ops) was straightway asked as to why pot bellied cops, knee pain ridden cops and 50 plus age cops are generally found doing court safety duty whose agility and efficiency can be a matter of discussion to which Lathkar said "Age has nothing to do with agility. Agility comes from within. It's an index of one's physical fitness and mental alertness. We keep giving periodical training for the cops. No one should doubt anyone's physical agility and mental alertness just by counting how many summers or autumns he has had in his life so far."

"I am 55. I know you to be 71 plus right. Our fitness is always there to be seen by others. So no matter what age is our cop. A cop is a cop, always ready to face the challenge." said Lathkar very humorously.

Sources said these days safety and security of the lower courts in Jharkhand has hit the headlines.

It had gained momentum in 2019 when there came a judgement of the Jharkhand High Court Ranchi in a case of Hemant Kumar Shikarwar Vs state of Jharkhand.

The Jharkhand High Court Ranchi had given a landmark judgement on the safety and security of the lower courts. It consists of the security of the premises,court building, judges and judicial officers, staff etc at the workplace as well as at the judges colony where the judges live.

"Under order of the Jharkhand High Court Ranchi we provide security cover at the judges' residential complex too. There is no compromise with it" reiterated Lathkar.

The murder of a senior judge Uttam Anand in Dhanbad while he was on his morning constitutional walk had shaken the state terribly.

Deputy inspector general of police will personally monitor the safety and security aspects of the lower court in his respective range .

As for Palamu police range the post of the DIG police is vacant and its IG police R K Lakra who holds the charge of the DIG here is to monitor the safety and security of the lower courts in the range

ADG (Ops) Lathkar said "We review the security apparatus of the courts every month. Our men in the districts keep eyes on the boundary wall, its height, CCTV cameras, frisking, deployment of police force etc. There is never any leniency to the safety of the courts and the judges. The principal district and sessions judges and judges of the lower courts do monitor security mechanisms in the courts."
A group of 40 students selected from the 2022-23 batch of World Skill Center (WSC), Bhubaneswar have returned back to the State after completing a 2-week Student Exchange Programme at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore, on Tuesday.

The students gained valuable skills on subjects like drone technology and robotics. They learnt the finer aspects of coding and management in drones and robotics. They explored the state- of -the- art Science Center at Singapore and its various modern technological exhibits. They interacted with the instructors there to have an understanding of the exhibits present at the center.

Chairperson, Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) and CEO WSC Alka Misra congratulated the students on their return. The new experience would surely enhance their knowledge and skills and help them dream of a global career, she said.

I want to make a career in robotics. As part of our course in Mechatronics at WSC, Bhubaneswar, we are given advanced skills in robotics. Coming to Singapore and learning more about the subject here has definitely broadened the horizon for me. This will be especially helpful for me in my future endeavour, said student Roshni Sahu.

It was my first time travelling abroad which was a wonderful experience. We learnt more about drone technology in Singapore. We were given hands-on training in operating drones too. I also got to explore various other destinations in Singapore, said B Sandeep Patra, another exchange student.
Celebrating the rich tapestry of the country's musical heritage, an ensemble of virtuoso instrumentalists bringing different styles of classical and contemporary music will perform for world leaders attending the G20 Summit here, according to an official brochure of the programme.

The performance 'Bharat Vadya Darshanam'  Musical Journey of India  by the 'Gaandharva Aatodyam' group will be showcased during the ceremonial dinner that will be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in the honour of G20 leaders on September 9, officials said.

It will feature Indian classical musical instruments such as santoor, saranagi, jal tarang and shehnai, among others, has been conceptualised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, according to the brochure.The ensemble is a "unique and groundbreaking musical presentation, a harmonious journey of Bharat through music," reads the concept note in the brochure. Some of the prominent styles that will be depicted include the Hindustani, Carnatic folk and contemporary music, it says.

"This journey will take us through all parts of India through their representative music. Our co-traveller will be the 'Gaandharva Aatodyam' with an ensemble of 78 traditional instrumentalists from all over the country," the official brochure reads. "This pioneering programme celebrates the rich tapestry of Bharat's musical heritage, bringing together virtuoso instrumentalists who infuse their unique styles into a mesmerising symphony of sounds.

With this innovative blend, the ensemble not only showcases the cultural depth of India but also creates an auditory experience that transcends regional boundaries ," it says. The performance will begin with compositions of Vilambit Laya (slow tempo), followed by Madhya Laya (medium fast tempo), ending with few scores in Druta Laya (fast tempo), officials said.

The ensemble includes 34 Hindustani musical instruments, 18 Carnatic musical instruments and 26 folk musical instruments from across India.

The 78 artistes include 11 children, 13 women, six differently-abled (divyang) artistes, 26 young men and 22 professionals, the brochure says.
Traders in Chandni Chowk have engaged nearly 100 women entrepreneurs who will double up as translators fluent in English, French, Spanish and other languages to provide foreign visitors a seamless experience ahead of the G20 Summit.

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has partnered with these women entrepreneurs, fashion designers, influencers, bloggers, salon and boutique owners who are fluent in languages such as English, French, Spanish and German to work as translators, its chairman Brijesh Goyal said.

These women will assist the traders of Chandani Chowk market in communicating with foreign visitors on September 8-10, he said. They will be engaged on voluntary basis, he said. These women entrepreneurs and businesswomen include Mohika Sawhney, Emeli Munshi, Gauri Webster, Vandana Rao, Chhaya Singh, Neeru Sehgal and Shweta Rajpal. Goyal said that CTI has also sent a list of volunteers to the Ministry of External Affairs so that it can contact them to help traders of other markets as well as foreign delegates.

While many prominent markets of the city lying in the controlled zone of New Delhi will be closed during the G20 Summit, Chandni Chowk famed for its food and shopping experience as well proximity with historic monuments will serve as a big draw for the visitors. According to shop owners, these measures will facilitate seamless communication with foreign visitors. "Our aim is to make Chandni Chowk, which is well known all over the country, famous in other countries also," Goyal said.

Shop owners expressed their enthusiasm regarding the summit and said such a programme had never happened before. "We are proud that the event will draw so many foreign visitors here and we welcome all of them to the Walled City, said a local trader.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan dedicated the newly constructed 300-bed Sagar Multi Specialty Hospital on Hoshangabad Road in Bhopal. This private sector hospital will have all types of patient care facilities and specialist services under one roof. CM Chouhan dedicated the hospital by offering prayers in the newly constructed temple in the hospital premises, planting saplings, unveiling the plaque and cutting the ribbon. CM Chouhan also inspected the hospital.

Referring to the famous saying The first happiness is a healthy body, Chief Minister Chouhan said that Shariramadyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam that is the body is the medium of all religions. We should always strive to keep our body healthy, but many times in this world, ill health surrounds us. In such times, hospitals and clinics are the only support. Doctors are the only means of recovery from illness. Because of the role they play, doctors are considered next to God. Doctors are the soul of the hospital, only when the doctors work properly then the hospital will be able to run successfully. It is expected from the doctor colleagues that they should make the patients healthy by providing them the best treatment, this is the relevance of their life.

Chief Minister Chouhan said that he prays to God that no one should have to come to the hospital and if anyone comes, he should go home completely healthy. This hospital is equipped with modern facilities, there is better management of environment and lighting. CM Chouhan also greeted on Krishna Janmashtami. Medical Education Minister Vishwas Kailash Sarang, Founder of Sagar Group Sudhir Agarwal, Chief Operating Officer of Sagar Multi Specialty Hospital Dr. Mohit Agarwal, Director Dr. Aditya Agarwal were specially present in the programme.
Delhi Police has intensified patrolling in sensitive areas across the national Capital. The city is under heightened security with the Delhi Police taking every possible step to keep a watch on every nook and corner ahead of the global summit.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi led the patrol on a bike, accompanied by approximately 45 police personnel. The police have tightened security in sensitive areas including Jahangirpuri, Red Fort, Delhi University area, Adarsh Nagar, Model Town, and regions along the Outer Ring Road. In addition to these, the police have also enhanced patrolling around temples, mosques, gurdwaras, and churches. Amid all ongoing security arrangements, a video of a Delhi Police team patrolling Raj Ghat area on a tractor has emerged on social media.

In a video shared on the social media, three policemen can be seen patrolling on a tractor near the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial complex in Raj Ghat. While two officers sat in front, third policeman could be seen standing at back. Earlier in day, an anti-sabotage mock drill was conducted by the Indian Army ahead of the G20 Summit in national Capital.
President Droupadi Murmus grand dinner for the heads of state and other top delegates at the G20 Summit venue here on Saturday will be a culinary delight for the guests who will be greeted with a specially-curated menu in line with the delicacies consumed during the Indian monsoon.

The dinner tables at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the Summit, are being decked up by senior managers and staffers of a luxury hotel group. The ceremonial dinner will be served in bespoke silverware crafted exclusively for the mega event, sources said.

We have prepared a specially-curated menu consummating the culinary delicacies consumed during the monsoons in India with the right flavours to fuse with the occasion and gastronomical appeal of the VVIPs, a source linked to the preparations said, adding millet-based dishes will also be on the menu. While officials remained tight-lipped on the exact menu but it is expected to reflect Indias culinary diversity from across the country. President Droupadi Murmu will host the grand dinner at Bharat Mandapam after the end of the Summits first day of the two-day mega event.

While the menu remains wrapped in secrecy, the VVIP guests are all set to be greeted with an Indian delight that will leave a pleasant and unforgettable taste in their mouths, another source said. Sweets of a wide variety like gulab jamun, rasmalai, imarti and jalebi among others are planned to be served, the source said, adding that the serving staff will wear a special attire to match the occasion.

A Jaipur-based metalware firm on Tuesday said several luxury hotels commissioned made-to-order tableware and silverware that would be used by the foreign delegates staying at their establishments and at the special dinner.

Most of the tableware have a steel or brass base or a mix of both with a coating of silver while some of the plates that will be used to serve the welcome drinks have a gold plating, Laksh Pabuwal of Iris Jaipur had told a news agency. The company held a media preview on Tuesday of some of the silverware. About 15,000 silverware crafted by 200 artisans have been made for the summit, it had said. The designs of the tableware are reflective of Indias rich heritage and its global prominence, said Rajeev Pabuwal of Iris Jaipur.

The tableware depict the glorious cultural heritage of India, motifs of flowers, the peacock  our national animal  graces the plates, and other items. The silverware will dazzle the heads of state with their cultural sparkle, he had said. Some of the tableware will be sent to the luxury hotel group responsible for arranging Saturdays grand dinner.

The group will cater the lunch and the dinner menus at the G20 Summit venue, the sources said. The G20 Leaders Summit will be held at the newly-commissioned international convention and exhibition centre  Bharat Mandapam  at Pragati Maidan on Saturday and Sunday.
Amid spurt in the cases of dengue in the provisional State capital Dehradun, the health secretary R Rajesh Kumar visited the affected areas of the city on Thursday. He also conducted a surprise inspection of the Community Health Centre (CHC) Raipur. Kumar visited Dharampur, Race course, officers colony, Ajabpur and Nehru colony on the day to take stock of the situation. He also participated in source reduction activities with the health workers in these colonies. The health secretary appealed to local people that they should not allow water to accumulate in and around their houses to prevent Aedes mosquitoes from laying eggs.

The secretary found many discrepancies in the functioning of the CHC Raipur during his surprise inspection. He expressed displeasure on the sanitation condition of the wards of the hospital. On his visit he found the only lab of the hospital closed. On a stern note he directed officers to issue notices to the employees responsible for discrepancies in the functioning of CHC. The senior officers of the health department accompanied Kumar.

The health secretary has also written a letter to the district magistrates in which he directed that regular inspections of the government and private hospitals treating dengue patients should be done. He said that action on the hospitals concerned should be taken in case of any laxity in the treatment of patients.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) foiled a gold smuggling bid with the seizure of a huge amount of gold bars from a businessman in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

The DRI officials seized nearly 2.5 kg of gold biscuits worth Rs 1.5 crore approximately.

According to reports, the DRI basing on special intelligence inputs conducted a search at the house of the businessman in Bhubaneswar and recovered 2.465 kg of foreign-marked gold in the form of gold biscuits weighing 100 gm each.

The investigations revealed that the gold was illegally smuggled into the country.

The accused was arrested under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. He was remanded to judicial custody for further investigations into the matter.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India organized a national level programme at Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre on Thursday on the occasion of 'International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies-2023'. Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal (A Regional Centre of National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi) organized an Awareness Exhibition during this national level programme. Informatory panel on Air Pollution, Causes and Mitigation measures of Air Pollution; Tiger Head, Tiger Skull, Ghadial Skin, Large model of Plain Tiger Butterfly etc. were displayed by museum in the exhibition.

Chief Minister of MP Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav; MP Minister for Environment Hardeep Singh Dang; Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Naresh Pal Gangwar and many visitors visited the exhibition of RMNH, Bhopal and appreciated the efforts of museum being done towards environmental conservation awareness.
From Bienvenue in French to Hosgeldiniz in Turkish, G20 delegates and other international guests will be greeted in multiple languages when they enter the delegation centre at the Bharat Mandapam complex.

In a spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, welcome has been printed in languages of all G20 member nations and invited countries, on an official welcome backdrop installed in the Delegation Offices set up at Hall no. 14 of the Bharat Mandapam complex.

From Willkomen in German to Selamat Datang in Indonesian and Bienvenido in Spanish to Hosgeldiniz in Turkish, the backdrop wears a colourful look. In a late Thursday night post on X, G20 India shared glimpses of the RBI Innovation Hub Pavillion, Digital India Experience Zone and other facilities which have been created for delegates and others, in a video of the Bharat Mandapam.

In the short video, G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla also gave a sneak peek into dedicated office spaces which have been built for delegates of all G20 members nations and invited countries, besides a common spacious lounge area.

The welcome backdrop was also shown in the video. From greetings in Bangla to German and Russian to Mandarin, the massive backdrop fronted by flags of all G20 members and invited countries and international organisations, paints a picture of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam One Earth, One Family, One Future.
Heavy rains lashed the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on Thursday, leading to water-logging at several places. The rain started at around noon and threw normal life out of gear.

Many places in the capital city were waterlogged. Knee-deep water was seen flowing on the Cuttack-Puri road at Laxmisagar, affecting vehicular movements. Similarly, the ISKCON Temple area, Jharpada area, Old Town and other low-lying areas were also waterlogged.

Meanwhile, the Regional Office of the India Meteorological Department has issued a Yellow warning for several districts in the State till Saturday.

On Friday, heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to occur in the districts of Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Bargarh. Heavy rainfall is very likely to occur in the districts of Malakangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Balangir, Subarnapur ,Boudh, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, the IMD said.

Heavy rainfall is very likely to occur in the districts of Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundergarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Cuttack and Dhenkanal on Saturday, the weather office said.
--Also to adopt State funding of electionsPolitical parties have been playing a major role in electoral democracies but many of the democratic practices are missing within the functioning of political parties themselves. With an increase in coalition politics and number of regional political parties, there have been suggestions to bring a legislation to regulate political parties.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has proposed a number of electoral reforms to strengthen democracy that includes reforms relating to political parties. The Law Commission of India report on electoral reforms 2015 recommends that there should be a comprehensive legislation that may be named as The Political Parties Registration and Regulation Act to regulate the registration and functioning of political parties or alliances of parties in India. It is important to reform the political parties for better governance and to increase accountability to people because the leaders getting elected to the Parliament and Assemblies are mostly chosen by the parties first and later voted by the people. The parties are fighting elections more than the candidates and the voters while choosing a candidate mostly are influenced by the parties.

In the context of our democracy, currently the two important issues coming up for debate among citizens are the inner party democracy and funding of elections which are also interconnected. Very often there have been issues raised by many about the practice of inner party democracy as it has been observed that most parties do not conduct internal elections periodically to elect office bearers and do not possess a membership record. Organizational meetings are not taking place as per democratic procedures. The party leaders are called as high commands or supreme where mostly personal loyalty to leaders is treated as the main criterion to choose as followers.

Many of the national and State parties' top decision making positions are hegemonic allies controlled by family members, caste groups and their personally close devotees. There has been a tendency with many parties to prefer people with money bags. Rich people, companies, criminals and goons who are most useful during elections for short-term gains are given preference. The continuity of this process is not desirable for building a healthy democracy in the largest democracy like ours with such huge social and cultural and geographical diversity. By way of this persistent trend it may be increasingly difficult for the women , people from marginalised sections and economically poor and other minorities to participate in discharging their rights as citizens not just to vote but also to participate in elections to get elected to the highest decision making bodies of the country. The post-independence India has witnessed the continued over representation of the family members of former kings and Zamindars, landlords, industrialists, mining owners, traders, media owners and moneyed people from various kinds of dominant upper social strata who have been influencing the parties generation after generation as its leaders and allowing very little space to others to come in.

It has been noticed that a majority of the parties also lack social inclusiveness in their leadership positions especially the women and marginalized sections and religious minority have almost got underrepresented in decision making forums. They are cornered into cell leaders of their social groups such as women, SC, ST, OBC, and religious minority, debarring to become a leader of masses or party leaders. This has been a serious concern in countries like ours where we have a lack of homogeneous social groups / citizens /voters. The under representation has been motivating people to get mobilized in caste and religion lines to assert their democratic participation by forming separate political parties with their leadership.

In order to strive towards the ideas of social justice, gender justice and secularism and to ensure diversity in representation which are being adopted in our Constitution, it is highly required to follow inclusive social policies to make it inclusive democracy.

If feudalism, nepotism and dynasty rule will continue in the name of democracy without participation of the majority of the people of the country, the very purpose of democracy will be defeated. So it is desirable that political parties must adopt legal provisions in their by-laws relating to representation of women and other marginalised communities in their party structure.

The second most important issue is relating to party funds. As there has been no scope for State funding to political parties, especially to manage elections, mostly the political parties are dependent on donations from the public and others, but these sources of funding and its disclosure have been a point of debate over electoral bonds. The ECI in 2008 made a provision for the availability of Income Tax return of the political parties in public domain. The Supreme Court judgment in the ADR petition made mandatory disclosure of candidates' criminal, financial and educational background by filing an affidavit with the EC. With the change in the funding law, now electoral trusts are being set up by corporations to fund political parties. The electoral bonds started in 2017 through banks are mostly beneficial to ruling national parties and few regional parties. There is no limit to donations and the source of these donations are not disclosed in public. This is a matter of serious concern for the functioning of democracies and the role of money power in elections. The direct nexus of the corporates and political parties has led to crony capitalism and influenced pro-corporate economic policies that are detrimental to the fundamental ideas of socialism.

The current process paves the way towards empowering rich people and companies to manage the democratic politics of the country, which will be disastrous in the future and prevent us from building an egalitarian society dreamed of by the makers of modern India.

There has been a proposal by various commissions on electoral reforms to adopt State funding to political parties and election which will be most ideal and the support can be both in cash and kind based on the vote performances of the parties in the last elections. This has been a practice in countries such as Germany. By this, the entry of corporate funding in elections can be prevented and parties with a large mass base can do better than parties enjoying corporate support and buying votes by using money and muscle power.

(manasbbsr15@gmail.com)
The Himachal Pradesh government should take over the Institute for Children with Special Disabilities near Shimla city as it did for a similar institution for girls in Sundernagar, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said on Thursday.



Chairing a meeting with senior officials of the social justice and empowerment, child development and health departments at the Raj Bhavan, the governor said there has been a shortage of staff at the institute for a long time.



At present, the Institute for Children with Special Disabilities located at Dhalli in the suburbs of Shimla city is run by a welfare council under the social Justice and welfare department.



a statement issued here said, the Governor visited the institute on Wednesday and was apprised of its challenges. He maintained that the children should be provided equal opportunities and motivated to participate in co-curricular activities. Shukla said the Dhalli institute stands as the sole bastion of hope for children with special abilities in the state and it needs a more compassionate approach so as to cater to their needs better.



Social Justice and Empowerment and Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil assured the governor that the Child Development Council remains steadfast in its commitment to providing comprehensive support to children with special abilities. He said regular site visits by department officials ensure that facilities are consistently assessed and improved. He further assured of streamlining and harmonising the arrangements in the Sundernagar and Dhalli institutes for enhanced efficiency.
In a commendable effort to promote suicide prevention and mental health support, Jeevan, a prominent Jamshedpur-based suicide prevention centre, is actively engaging with teenagers at the Ghaghidih Remand Home. Once a week, dedicated volunteers from Jeevan visit the remand home to offer essential counselling sessions and educational programs to the young detainees.

Jeevan has garnered a reputation for its unwavering commitment to suicide prevention and providing assistance to individuals in crisis over the years. Gurpreet Bhatia, Deputy Director at Jeevan, highlighted the remarkable response and appreciation received for their recent initiative with the juveniles at Ghaghidih Remand Home.

Dr. Jeevraj Jain, the Devoted Director of Jeevan in Jamshedpur, expressed his enthusiasm for the success of the program, stating, "The teenagers have responded very positively to our efforts. We take great pride in contributing to their mental well-being and offering guidance during this challenging phase of their lives. We are inspiring them to make the most out of it."

Jeevan's services extend beyond physical visits to the remand home. In their commitment to being readily accessible to those in need, Jeevan volunteers are available for assistance over the phone at 9297777499 or 9297777500. Additionally, individuals seeking help can visit Jeevan's office at 25, Q Road, to benefit from their ongoing support and resources.

This initiative reflects Jeevan's dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of teenagers in difficult circumstances and underscores the importance of mental health awareness and suicide prevention in the community.
Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on September 13, will launch a slew of major initiatives to revolutionize the states education sector, including the state governments ambitious Schools of Eminence project, transportation facility and security staff for school students, among others.

Delhi Chief Minister will be in Amritsar to launch several projects in the field of education on September 13, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will also be present. All these new initiatives, to be launched, aimed at bringing about revolutionary changes in the state's education sector, said Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Amit Talwar.

Talwar, while reviewing preparation for the event, held a meeting to discuss the arrangements. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will be a special guest at this event. It is expected that all members of the Punjab Cabinet, legislators, and other leaders will also be present. During this event, Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan will conduct an extensive tour of the School of Eminence at Cheharta in Amritsar, he said.

The event, which will see significant services being dedicated to the people of Punjab, is expected to draw the participation of 40,000 to 50,000 attendees, said the Deputy Commissioner, adding that all arrangements are being made with this number in mind to ensure the smooth flow of the program.

The Deputy Commissioner also issued necessary directives to the officials. During the meeting, Amritsar Commissioner of Police Naunihal Singh also discussed security and traffic management with the officers. Directives were issued to ensure the security and unhindered access to every Punjabi attending the event.
With hours to go before the G20 summit commences, Delhi Lt Governor (LG)Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday assured that the national Capital is set to receive foreign dignitaries. He also conducted the final round of inspection to take stock of the security, cleaning, beautification preparedness and other related works.

The LG took a mini bus on his inspection tour of the City and was accompanied by senior officers including Chief Secretary, NDMC, Chairperson, MCD Commissioner, VC, DDA, Pr. Secretary, Transport, Pr. Secretary, PWD, Pr. Secretary, Home, Pr. Secretary, E&F, among others, the Raj Niwas said. From issuing instructions to replacing dried-up foliage to ensuring that the route taken by delegates from the airport towards the city was dust-free, Saxenas visit included areas from the ITPO and Raj Ghat to the Indira Gandhi International Airport and Palam airport apart from Lutyens Delhi.

As part of his inspection, Saxena also visited the state-of-art developed Control Room of the Delhi Police set up at its headquarter to keep hawk eyes of each nook and corner of the city.Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora briefed Saxena about the security preparedness and details of the Control Room where live visuals captured by more than 5,000 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city, will be received. Two teams comprising 25 security personnel will be monitoring in different shifts, the digital information being beamed into the Control Room, round the clock.

The Control Room is getting district wise visuals and a special Command Room has been set up for 30 senior police officials to monitor the minutest of developments in the City and its roads. Besides the Police Control Room, the LG also undertook the inspection of the Control Room of the NDMCs Disaster Management Cell which is manned by senior officers and around 30 personnel who are working round the clock to immediately address complaints like water leakage, damage of pavements, replacement of damaged branches and flower pots.

In his final round of visit following 59 inspection visits spread over different days during the last 65 days, Saxena minutely inspected the areas around Raj Ghat, Dilli Gate, ITPO  the venue of Summit, Bhairon Marg, Shershah Road  Delhi High Court, India Gate, Akbar Road, Lok Kalyan Marg, round about near Samrat and Ashoka Hotel, Kautaliya Marg, Sardar Patel Marg, Dhaula Kuan Bust Stop and Metro Station, Vighanharta Sculpture, T3 crossing of Dwarka, Northern Access Road towards Aero City, Aero City Hotels, T3 VIP lounge, Ulan Battar Marg and the inside of Air Force Station, Technical Area Palam.
In an ambitious move, NIT Jamshedpur, currently ranked at 100, is gearing up to significantly improve its ranking over the next five years. The institution plans to focus on various parameters and bolster its infrastructure, with the aim of becoming a pivotal player in the local economy. These aspirations were voiced by the newly appointed Chairman, Retired IPS and former DGP T. Krishna Prasad, during his visit to NIT Jamshedpur's Adityapur campus.

Prasad shared his comprehensive vision for the development of NIT and emphasized that improving the ranking involves more than just physical infrastructure. He stressed the need to enhance the internal educational infrastructure, including the number of PhD-holding teachers and their areas of expertise. Providing students with opportunities for prosperity is at the core of this endeavor. Prasad expressed confidence in NIT's potential, given its proximity to thousands of industries, prestigious institutions like XLRI, and centers of excellence like NML and Tata.

Speaking about NIT's potential impact on the local community, Chairman T. Krishna Prasad highlighted the possibilities of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and the creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) spanning three thousand acres through a well-planned project. NIT is well-positioned to play a pivotal role in such endeavors. Mr. Prasad emphasized the importance of planning projects meticulously, ensuring techno-economic feasibility to avoid disputes and transform the region.

T. Krishna Prasad's journey to becoming the Chairman of NIT is intriguing. He pursued mechanical engineering at NIT Warangal before earning an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. His career took diverse paths, including advertising, before he heeded his father's advice to prepare for the IPS. He passed the IPS exam in his first attempt in 1986. His impressive career in government and administration in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has involved significant contributions to infrastructure development. Notably, he initiated the online FIR facility in Andhra Pradesh in 2012 and played a crucial role in addressing high-profile cases, including the Post Graduate Medical Entrance Paper Leak Scandal during his tenure in CID.

Prasad's leadership at NIT Jamshedpur brings a wealth of experience and vision to the institution, signifying an exciting chapter in its journey towards academic excellence and community development.

Notably, NIT (erstwhile Regional Institute of Technology) is one of the eight regional engineering institutes established in the country in the year 1960. The Institute was fully taken over by the Central Government on April 1, 2003 and renamed National Institute of Technology.
--Hes chairman, St. Xavier's chain of schools: Chairman of St. Xavier's chain of schools Dr GS Patnaik has been invited to address the 7th NYC Green School Conference 2023 to be held on September 15 at the Cornell University in New York.

The NYC Green School Conference- 2023 is taking place on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly session. It is a premier event dedicated to exploring and advancing sustainable educational practices. The conference aims to inspire meaningful changes in educational institutions across the United States by bringing educators, administrators, policymakers and innovators together.

With a visionary approach to education, Dr Patnaik has led the St Xavier's Chain of Schools to the forefront of innovative educational practices, emphasising environmentally conscious initiatives and holistic student development.

Dr Patnaik's address will shed light on the pivotal role that educational institutions play in cultivating a sustainable future; the challenges they face and the innovative solutions they can implement. "We are truly honoured to have Dr GS Patnaik as a speaker at this year's NYC Green School Conference," said Virendra Rawat, the Conference Mentor.
To connect with party cadre and workers in all the 117 assembly constituencies across the State ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Punjab Congress on Thursday launched Charcha Punjab Di campaign.

Charcha Punjab Di campaign is meticulously designed to provide a platform to all the party workers and leaders to speak their minds and share their views on the issues being faced by them and other serious issues that concerns the people of the state, said Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, while kick-starting the campaign on Thursday.

Warring said that the platform would provide an opportunity to those workers and leaders who had been dedicatedly strengthening the party at the grassroot level in villages in various constituencies.

The Charcha Punjab Di campaign is a platform for those who are concerned about preserving Punjab, Punjabiyat, and Punjabis. We wanted to connect with the party workers and wanted them to come together and discuss the challenges, issues and concerns of the state, said Warring, adding that the campaign would be a great opportunity for the leadership to get feedbacks from the people and address their concerns.

The state party chief said that the campaign was a step towards rebuilding the Congress in Punjab and making it a force to reckon with again.

Under the campaign, public meetings would be held to understand the public view, he said adding that he would also be holding one-on-one discussions with party workers and frontals in each constituency to understand their concerns, take their feedback into account to strengthen the party, and formulate the policies accordingly ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Warring said that Charcha Punjab Di was a major initiative by the Congress to reach out to the local residents, party cadre and workers in all 117 constituencies in Punjab and connect with them on a personal level.

Stressing on the importance of one-on-one interaction, Warring said that paying heed to Jann Ki Baat was more important than monologues like Mann ki Baat to understand the cadre and voters concerns better. He said that apart from the leadership, the workers, party cadre and volunteers, were the real strength of the party who religiously believe in the party ideology and devotedly work to strengthen the party.

There should always be a two-way conversation so that we can understand and address the concerns in a better way. This campaign, is therefore, has been designed to connect with our heroes to strengthen the party in the state and create a better environment for party leaders to work in. It is high time to strengthen the leadership at the constituency level so that we could be more effective in fighting for the rights of the people and for the betterment and prosperity of the state, said Warring.
The senior journalists will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 20,000 now instead of Rs 10,000. A state-of-the-art State Media Centre will be constructed at Bhopal. The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made these announcements addressing a journalists' convention at his official Residence here on Thursday.

Chouhan commended the hard work of media representatives saying that journalists work day and night amidst many challenges and present fact-based news to readers. He said that he respects the media persons. They act as a bridge between the government and people.

The Chief Minister made several announcements for the journalistic fraternity. This includes medical assistance, monthly honorarium, insurance, housing facilities, and educational support, among others. In addition, the Public Relations Department will arrange digital technology training for journalists from small towns and villages.

The Chief Minister said that a State Media Centre equipped with modern facilities will be constructed on the land in Malviya Nagar locality Bhopal, which is laying unused. It will include facilities such as an auditorium, library, canteen, and general rooms. The center will also provide modern amenities.

Announcements

Land has been allocated for journalists' colonies at two locations in Bhopal. Steps will be taken to provide land for journalists' societies in other cities also after following due procedures, making it easier for journalists to build their houses.

The premium amount for insurance was increased by 27 percent by the insurance company. Journalists need not pay the increased amount. The state government will pay this. Journalists will continue to pay premiums as they did in the previous year.

Journalists aged 65 and above will have their insurance premiums paid by the state government. Premiums for the life partners (husband/wife) of journalists will also be paid by the state government.

The deadline for the insurance scheme will be extended from September 16 to 25.

In case of illness, financial assistance for journalists will be increased from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 40,000. In the case of a serious illness, it will be Rs. 1 lakh.

Senior and elderly journalists will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs. 20,000 now instead of Rs. 10,000.

In case of demise of a journalist receiving the honorarium, the family will receive an amount of Rs. 8 lakhs.

Journalists who have received the honorarium will receive a maximum housing loan interest subsidy amount of Rs. 30 lakhs, increased from Rs. 25 lakhs.

Siblings of journalists getting monthly honorarium will receive a 5 percent interest subsidy on their bank loans for education of their wards for a period of 5 years, provided by the state government.

Journalists in small towns and villages in Madhya Pradesh will get digital technology training in Bhopal. The Public Relations Department will make necessary arrangements in collaboration with Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Journalism and Communication University, Bhopal.

A committee of senior journalists will be formed for drafting Journalist Protection Bill. The state government will act on suggestions of the committee.

Secretary Public Relations Shri Vivek Porval, Commissioner Public Relations Shri Manish Singh, Director Shri Ashutosh Pratap Singh and senior officials, media persons from Indore, Sagar, Rewa, Ujjain, Shahdol, Chambal, Gwalior, Narmadapuram divisions were present.
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested three wildlife smugglers with two 11.4 feet long tiger pelts and about 35 kilogrammes of bones. These are the longest tiger pelts seized in the State by authorities so far. The smugglers were arrested by the joint team of STF, WildLife Crime Control Bureau of Delhi and Terai East forest division of Udham Singh Nagars Rudrapur under the supervision of circle officer of STF, Sumit Pandey, said the STFs senior superintendent of police Ayush Agrawal. He said that STF received confidential information that three vicious smugglers were coming from Kashipur towards Rudrapur in a truck number UK 18 CA 6713 on Wednesday. Considering this, the joint team stopped them on Bajpur Highway and recovered two tiger pelts and 35 kilogrammes of bones. He said that the smugglers told the STF during interrogation that they had brought the pelts and bones from Kashipur and were going to Rudrapur to sell them. It was also revealed during the investigation that the three accused are notorious wildlife smugglers who have been active in the State and border areas of Uttar Pradesh for a long time. The arrested smugglers have been identified as a father-son duo- Kulwinder Singh (60) and Shamsher Singh (23) besides Joga Singh (28) who are locals of Kashipur and belong to the same gang whose seven members were arrested by STF in July along with an 11 feet long tiger pelt and 15 kilogrammes of bones, claimed Agrawal. A case has been registered against the smugglers under the Wildlife Act in Rudrapur. The STF is investigating the poaching network of smugglers which could lead to more arrests in future too. He said that the tiger is our national animal and is placed in the first schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act. He said that STF is the nodal agency to handle wildlife crimes in the State and appealed to the public to inform authorities regarding such smugglers and associated crimes or call STF at 01352656202.
The Tibetan community on Friday held a demonstration near Majnu Ka Tilla in north Delhi against the Chinese government over their illegal occupation of Tibet ahead of G20 New Delhi Leaders summit amidst the deployment of heavy security near Majnu Ka Tila in the national capital

The protest was led by the members of the Tibetan Youth Congress. Armed with banners and placards, the protesters raised slogans against the Chinese government.

Some of the slogans on their banners read G20 Talk Tibet, Tibet Matters, and Chinas diplomatic assurances not to be trusted. Protesters had Free Tibet slogans painted on their face and body.

Heavy security forces have been deployed near Majnu ka Tilla area after Tibetan Youth Congress President Gonpo Dhundup on Thursday said that a protest will take place in Delhi on Friday against China over the illegal occupation of Tibet.

Dhundup said, This protest is not against India or India hosting the G20 Summit. We are raising these slogans against the Chinese participation in the G20 Summit.

Asserting that the Tibetan community felt honoured that India is hosting the G20 Summit, Dhundup said the demonstration was aimed at raising their voice against the alleged illegal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese government. The current situation in Tibet is very critical. We have asked protesters to keep the protest peaceful.
Delhi police arrested a 21-year-old man from north Delhis Bhalswa Dairy area on Friday for allegedly making a hoax alert on social media on the G20 Summit.

The accused claimed on social media that an auto-rickshaw carrying guns and explosives was on its way towards the Pragati Maidan area where the G20 Summit is being held, police said. Taking swift action, Bhalswa Dairy police team traced the accused and arrested him for spreading false information in public.

The official X handle of DCP Outer North was on Friday tagged on a post by the handle of one Kuldeep Sah in which he said that an auto-rickshaw driver was going towards Pragati Maidan with guns and explosive and a photo of the auto was also uploaded with the post, said a senior police officer.

Considering the sensitivity of the post, the police checked and found the auto registered in the name of Gurmeet Singh (50), a resident of SSN Park, an official said.

The address was visited where auto driver Harcharan Singh (48) was found who stated that the vehicle was registered in his brothers name and he was using it for carrying material of clothes in Chandani Chowk area. He further stated that he was having dispute with one Kuldeep Sah who reside in same street over parking of his auto, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Ravi Kumar Singh said.

All facts were verified and the auto was checked thoroughly in which no suspicious thing was found, he added.

Sah was found present at his home, said police, adding he said that he posted on X by his handle @Kuldeep Sah as the auto driver parked the vehicle outside his house. He had warned the auto driver several times not to park his vehicle there, police said. Legal action is being taken against Sah, who spread false rumours regarding G20 Summit security, police said.
The European Union on Friday said it is looking forward to welcome the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 at its New Delhi summit.

President of European Council Charles Michel said this a day ahead of the G2O summit being hosted by India.

"The European Union is looking forward to welcome African Union as a permanent member of the G20," Michel said at a media briefing.

"The European Union supports African Union's entry into G20," he said.

In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to the G-20 leaders pitching for according the African Union the full membership of the grouping at its New Delhi summit.

Weeks later, the proposal was formally included in the draft communique for the summit during the third G-20 Sherpas meeting that took place in Karnataka's Hampi in July.

A final decision on the proposal would be taken at the G-20 summit.

The African Union (AU) is an influential organisation comprising 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.

On the Ukraine crisis, Michel said Russia continues to attack innocent civilians in Ukraine and that EU will continue to back Ukraine.

"The EU's position on Ukraine crisis is crystal clear. We condemn Russian aggression against Ukraine," he said and added that, "We support Ukrainian President's peace formula to resolve Ukraine crisis".

Asked whether the G20 will be able to come out with the leaders' declaration at the summit in view of differences over the Ukraine conflict, he said it is still being negotiated.
Security has been beefed up across the national capital, especially in New Delhi district, on the eve of the G20 summit with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies maintaining a hawk-eye vigil in the city, officials said on Friday.

Markswomen and armed forces deployed at strategic locations, enhanced patrolling and intensive checking in border areas are some of the security measures taken by the Delhi Police ahead of the G20 summit that will be held here from September 9 to 10 at Pragati Maidan here.

Delhi Police is being assisted by over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads and mounted police.

"From the airport to hotels and from hotels to the G20 summit venues, foreign delegates will be provided foolproof security by the Delhi Police during the prestigious summit," a senior official said.

In order to strengthen the arrangements, the Delhi Police is also being assisted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and specialised central agencies like the National Security Guard (NSG) and some of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

Nineteen markswomen, who have completed a four-week specialised training session conducted by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at its training centre in Karera, Madhya Pradesh, will also be deployed during the summit, according to the officials.

Armed with rifle scopes, they will be deployed at strategic locations in the city, including the G20 summit venue and hotels.

Flag marches, enhanced patrolling and picket checking are being conducted to maintain law and order in the national capital.

"Picket checking has been increased in the area and communication is being established with locals to give them a sense of confidence. The areas near Yamuna Khadar are being checked regularly. Mounted morchas have also been pressed into service.

"Checking in the border areas has been intensified. Extra pickets are being installed along the borders. Drones are also being used for surveillance. Regular communication is being held with RWA (Residents' Welfare Associations), MWAs (Market Welfare Associations) and Aman Committee members," an official said.

The security forces continue to remain on high alert to thwart any untoward incident. Police have intensified patrolling and deployed extra pickets at vital installations, the officials said, adding that citizens have been asked to inform the police if they notice any suspicious activity.

Underlining that there are national and international aspects related to the security for the G20 summit, police said a law and order situation arose in several other countries where previous summits were held due to protests by international pressure groups and local organisations.

As part of preparations for the mega-event, police have done a comprehensive assessment of protests held by various international and local groups in other nations during previous G20 summits.

They will be using chains and bolt cutters to tackle unwanted and unscheduled agitations during the summit. These will come into the picture if protesters tie themselves with chains so that they cannot be removed, the officials said.

There is real-time coordination between police and central agencies, they said.

"Whenever we get any kind of information or assessment, we arrange things accordingly. A comprehensive assessment has been done of that. The Delhi Police has the responsibility of safety, security and law and order, and we are taking it as a challenge," another senior official said.

"We have different segments of the Delhi Police that have focused roles for the summit area. Apart from this, we have the responsibility of maintaining the law and order situation in other parts of the city," the official said.

Personnel from districts and other units have also been roped in for the summit, with officials saying that Delhi will be on a "high alert".

There are various dimensions to security -- airport security, carcade management, event venues, anti-terror measures and maintenance of general alerts, explained an official.

As far as the venue security arrangements are concerned, special commissioner of police-rank officers will serve as the commander with deputy commissioner of police-rank officials serving as zonal commanders, police said.

They will be assisted by joint commissioner-rank officers and additional DCPs.

DCP-rank officers will serve as camp commanders of hotels where the delegates will be staying. Special commissioner of police-rank officers will have groups of hotels under their command, they said.

Officials said arrangements have been made so that no infiltration, terrorist act or sabotage takes place during the summit.

"For specialised measures, we also have the Indian armed forces assisting us. The staff has been provided role-based micro-functional training and made aware of their duties. This has been done through carcade rehearsals and point-wise briefing," another officer said.
You may moan about the 12.50 ULEZ charges brought in by the crafty shister Labour mayor which will bankrupt many people and cause possible civil unrest, but first look at the source of this travesty. Yes, its the fucking EU, an evil soviet collectivist construct borne from the puckered anus of Soviet East Germany. The EU really took off just after the Berlin Wall fell and all the Stasi officers were recruited as EU officials. Frau Merkel, was one of the many. Brexit is only a word, staunchly under the yoke of the EU which ultimately dictates what the UK can and cannot do.

What about UKs borders? Fishy Rishi hands over millions to Macron, so he can spend it on anything he wants, other than stopping the boats full of illegal economic migrants coming to the UK to be put up in a 4-star hotel and pampered. The UK is thus still ruled by the ECHR, and has absolutely no power to even protect its own borders. Brexit never really happened because we are effectively still controlled and dictated to by unelected bodies from the EU Soviet Politburo  the EU Commission.

Ask a European citizen to even name one member of the EU Commission, and many will not know. This is the secretive communist power of the EU, which dictates its tin-pot Stasi rules to all the poor fuckers who are living blind, unquestioning lives under the EU. It is truly a sad thing to see the previously wonderful countries of Europe now tied down to collectivist, protectionist racketeers making trillions off their serfs. Feudalism, it seems, is making a come-back.

Expect your plumber, tradesman or whatever to now add on 12.50 to every job per day. If you have a six-week building job, the extra ULEZ 12.50 per day will certainly add a hefty amount onto the price. The same goes for all commodities delivered to shops.

But thats not all, the EU Euro 6 Standard is also a precursor to the planned pay-per-mile scheme which was first proposed by the EU and is now going to be implemented across the UK once the ULEZ cameras are all installed. By using a ruse for cleaner air the spy cameras will track all vehicles, including electric. If you think you have it easy with an electric vehicle, you are wrong because you will be charged per mile as well.

There was never a Brexit, and it will only get worse when Labour wins the election. Not only will they go on a profligate spending spree, bankrupting Britain further, but they will pretty much increase the EUs octopus grip over this cash cow country. Thats what the UK was to the EU  a big fat, juicy cash cow.
A worker cleans in front of a G20 communication billboard with a portrait of prime minister Narendra Modi at the G20 venue, in New Delhi (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)

New Delhi: On the eve of the G20 Summit, Indias biggest international event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed confidence that it would chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, he said that it was important to emulate the mission of the Father of the Nation in serving the underprivileged, the very last person in the queue.

"We seek to accelerate progress of SDGs (sustainable development goals), Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future and strengthen Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century. We attach immense priority to futuristic sectors such as technological transformation and digital public infrastructure. We will also collectively work to further gender equality, women empowerment and ensure world peace," he said in a statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

"Rooted in our cultural ethos, India's G20 presidency theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  One Earth, One Family, One Future, deeply resonates with our world view that the whole world is one family," Modi said.

"India's G20 presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented. We actively voiced the developmental concerns of the Global South," he added.

Noting that it is the first-ever G20 Summit being hosted by India, he said India was delighted to host the 18th summit at the iconic Bharat Mandapam.

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development," he said.

Modi said he will be chairing sessions on 'One Earth', 'One Family' and 'One Future', covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community. These include furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth, he added.

he prime minister noted that he will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and heads of delegations to further deepen bonds of friendship and cooperation.

"I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality," he said.
US President Joe Biden being received by Union Minister of State VK Singh, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and others upon his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport to attend the G20 summit, in New Delhi (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: A day ahead of the start of the two-day G-20 summit in New Delhi, India's G-20 "sherpa" Amitabh Kant said the "New Delhi Declaration" joint statement or communique was "almost ready", signalling hectic efforts were continuing till the last minute to narrow differences on the contentious Ukraine issue, which has left the G-20 grouping polarised between the Western G-7 nations on one hand and Russia and China on the other. The concerns of developing nations on their access to global resources is a key issue at the summit, on which consensus is expected.

"We have been able to work on every single country and bring them on board," Mr Kant told a crowded media briefing at the International Media Centre near the G-20 summit venue Bharat Mandapam. He said the effects of the Ukraine conflict on global food security had been discussed in detail at the G-20 meetings hosted by India, including the G-20 sherpas meet, as it was at last years G-20 summit hosted by Indonesia.

Kant said this was done despite the G-20 being essentially an economic forum focused on growth and development, as the conflict had impacted food, fuel and fertiliser security adversely, especially for the countries of the Global South (developing nations).

When asked specifically about details of the joint statement and whether consensus had been achieved over references to Ukraine, Kant noted the "high degree of confidentiality" over such documents, adding that the text would be referred by the G-20 sherpas to their respective leaders for acceptance. "Every G-20 nation has a veto power We will speak (on this) after the summit is over", he added.

He did not answer when asked whether India would also issue a separate Chairs Summary (on any issue such like Ukraine due to lack of consensus, as has happened at previous G-20 meetings hosted by India).

He said "India will leave a huge impact" on the deliberations and outcome of the G-20 summit and pointed out how New Delhi had emerged as the voice of the Global South. Kant also pointed out how India had led the revolution in digital infrastructure.

Foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at the briefing that the G-20 summit, being attended by the heads of 41 delegations, would begin on Saturday morning with the first session on "One Earth", followed by the second session in the afternoon on "One Family", while the third and last session would be on "One Future" on Sunday morning, after which the summit would conclude. There will also be a "couple of sideline events."

The foreign secretary also said President Droupadi Murmu will host an official dinner for the G-20 heads of delegations on Saturday evening, and there will also be a visit to Rajghat for heads of delegations and also a separate spouses programme would be organised.

The G-20, or Group of Twenty, is an "intergovernmental forum of the worlds major developed and developing economies and comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States) and the European Union". Collectively, the G-20 "accounts for 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and two-thirds of the worlds population, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation".

India, as G-20 president, has also invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the UAE as guest countries and most leaders of these guest countries will attend.
BJP State President and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy appealed to Home Guards in Telangana not to take the extreme step when they staged a protest in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Hyderabad: A traffic home guard, who was undergoing treatment in a private hospital after setting himself on fire a few days ago, died on Friday, police said.

Expressing grief over the death, Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy said this was a "murder" committed by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS government in the state.

Ravinder, who had gone to the Home Guard Commandant's office at Goshamahal here on Tuesday, set himself on fire, and after being informed about the incident by some passersby, police shifted him to a state-run hospital.

He suffered over 50 per cent burns and was admitted in another hospital in the city.

The home guard's wife said on Wednesday that her husband had called her over the phone on Tuesday informing her that two senior police officials-an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a constable working at the commandant's office-had "ill-treated" him when he had gone to the office.

She also demanded for initiating action against the ASI and the constable.

Asked about reports that the home guard went to the office to enquire about alleged delay in his salary, police ruled out such a thing saying it was not related to salary.

Kishan Reddy, who is also Union Minister for Tourism, on Thursday paid a visit to Ravinder, who was receiving treatment at the time.

Later, speaking to reporters he said, the BRS government in Telangana failed to fulfil the promises made and assurances given to home guards with regard to improving their working conditions.

He appealed to home guards not to resort to such extreme steps
In the first phase, 11,700 houses were provided to the poor without any difficulties, said municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao. (Image: DC).

Hyderabad: Asserting that no public representative was involved in selecting 2BHK beneficiaries, municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao on Friday said that the state government would distribute 13,300 free housing units on September 21 in the second phase in the GHMC limits.

Rama Rao was speaking at a review meeting in Cabinet colleague Talasani Srinivas Yadav's office on the 2BHK distribution programme. In the first phase, 11,700 houses were provided to the poor without any difficulties, he said.

Rama Rao said that no state has a programme to build a pucca house of 560 square feet. The BRS government offers double bedroom houses which are Rs 50 lakh each in the market for free to the poor.

"The overall amount required to construct one lakh double bedroom houses in the city comes to Rs 9,100 crore. Their market value is around Rs 50,000 crore, which means that our government is giving houses worth that much free of cost," Rama Rao said.

No one is involved in the selection process for double bedroom houses. There is no involvement of MLAs and public representatives in the selection of eligible beneficiaries. The government has entrusted the full responsibility to the concerned authorities, he clarified.

"It will be a transparent computer-based draw with details of all beneficiaries. The selection process is undertaken right before the media. The officials are fully responsible for irregularities in the construction of double bedroom houses. Errant officials will be shunted out. It is the duty of the collectors to ensure an error-free process. If difficulties in the selection of houses are brought to the attention of the public representatives, they should take immediate action," Rama Rao said.

Meanwhile, the minister said that the Grihalakshmi scheme will start soon. Ministers had urged the Chief Minister to make some changes to the programme in Hyderabad, he pointed out.

"We are finalising guidelines on notarial properties in Hyderabad. Till date, up to 20, 000 people have benefited in each Assembly constituency through various programs like double bedroom houses and notary properties. We are also ready to remove encroachments in the Musi catchment area for construction of double bedroom houses," he said.
President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room, on Sept. 6, 2023, at the White House in Washington. Biden hopes to demonstrate to the world at the upcoming Group of 20 summit and during a visit to Vietnam that the United States and like-minded allies can be more trustworthy partners than China on economic and security issues. AP/PTI

NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden arrived here on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Biden is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Modi on Friday itself. During the meeting, the two leaders are likely to review the progress made on the decisions that they took during the prime minister's official state visit to Washington in June.

The US president will follow COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus both on Monday and Tuesday but his results were negative.

India is set to make a dash for the goal line at the two-day summit starting Saturday in addressing some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, consequences of the Ukraine conflict, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
A Co Down-based firm has announced it has secured 150 million dollars (120 million) of new work to fit out cruise ships.

MJM Marine, an outfitting firm based in Newry, said the increase in business across a range of global clients, including the worlds largest cruise companies, will enable it to create more than 100 new jobs.

The new positions will take the firms workforce to about 300 people.

The announcement was made on Friday on board the Celebrity Apex, which was docked in Belfast.

It is part of Celebrity Cruises, a brand in the Royal Caribbean Group and one of MJM Marines trade partners.

MJM said its order book includes seven of the worlds leading brands, with delivery in locations including Singapore, across Europe and to the Bahamas.

Gary Annett, chief executive of MJM Marine, described a really exciting growth trajectory and new opportunities across the business.

The new roles are predominantly based at our headquarters in Newry and range from operations and project management to commercial and other business support roles, he said.

This represents a multimillion-pound GVA (gross value add) to the local economy in salary contribution and significantly more in value to the local and national supply chain.

There are more than 500 cruise ships active at the moment with regular refit and upgrade schedules. We have visibility of the future requirements, so we are confident of a buoyant long-term project pipeline.

Naoimh McConville, group managing director at Rathbane Group, MJM Marines parent company, added: We are thrilled to announce the next phase of growth for MJM Marine. We are committed to strengthening our operations by investing for the future to make a positive impact for our people and planet.

She said the firm will be launching an extensive recruitment drive.

Our people are the force behind driving innovation and delivering industry firsts, which is the platform for our strong culture and performance, she said.

We take pride in our record for securing repeat business and the development of collaborative client relationships, with brands who entrust us time and again with their refit work.
HIGHLIGHTS Microsoft has announced its new Copilot Copyright Commitment program.

With this new commitment, the company will protect Copilot AI users from copyright lawsuits.

The company will defend the customer and pay the amount of any adverse judgments or settlements that result from the lawsuit.

Microsoft has addressed the concerns about copyright issues related to its AI-powered Copilot services with a new commitment. The new commitment assures customers that they can use Copilot and its output without worrying about copyright claims. If any legal challenges arise, the tech giant will take responsibility for the potential legal risks involved. This step aims to provide clarity and confidence to users in the ever-evolving landscape of AI tools and creativity.

As customers ask whether they can use Microsofts Copilot services and the output they generate without worrying about copyright claims, we are providing a straightforward answer: yes, you can, and if you are challenged on copyright grounds, we will assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved, the company said in a blogpost on September 7, 2023.

Also read: Microsofts Copilot now helping Cybersecurity firms: Company adds a new feature

Announcing the new Copilot Copyright Commitment, Microsoft also said that if a third party sues a commercial customer for copyright infringement for using Microsofts Copilots or the output they generate, the company will defend the customer and pay the amount of any adverse judgments or settlements that result from the lawsuit, as long as the customer used the guardrails and content filters the company has built into its products.

Also read: Microsoft introduces game-changing Microsoft 365 Copilot to revolutionise the way we work

The tech giant further mentioned that it is offering the new program as it believes in standing behind its customers when they use its products, is sensitive to the concerns of authors, and has built important guardrails into its Copilots to help respect authors copyrights.

Microsoft's Copilot Copyright Commitment expands its existing intellectual property protection to cover copyright claims related to the use of its AI-powered Copilots. This protection applies to paid versions of Microsoft's commercial Copilot services and Bing Chat Enterprise. It includes services like Microsoft 365 Copilot, which brings generative AI to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it easier to work with data and create presentations. Additionally, GitHub Copilot, which helps developers with coding tasks, is also covered by this commitment.
HIGHLIGHTS Nvidia has partnered with Reliance Industries to advance AI in India, for India.

The companies will work together to build AI infrastructure.

The AI infrastructure will be hosted in AI-ready computing data centers that will eventually expand to 2,000 MW.

In order to support Indias industrial sector, Nvidia today announced that it has partnered with Reliance Industries to develop Indias own foundational large language model trained on the nations diverse languages and tailored for generative AI applications to serve the country.

The companies will work together to build AI infrastructure that is over an order of magnitude more powerful than the fastest supercomputer in India today, Nvidia announced in a press release.

Also read: Nvidia is probably the most important company in tech right now: Here's why

The chip-maker will provide access to the most advanced Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip and Nvidia DGX Cloud, an AI supercomputing service in the cloud. GH200 marks a fundamental shift in computing architecture that provides exceptional performance and massive memory bandwidth.

The Nvidia-powered AI infrastructure is the foundation of the new frontier into AI for Reliance Jio InfocommReliance Industries telecom arm.

"With the most advanced AI computing infrastructure, Reliance can build its own large language models that power generative AI applications made in India, for the people of India, said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia.

To serve the countrys vast potential in AI, Reliance will create AI applications and services for its 450 million Jio customers and provide energy-efficient AI infrastructure to scientists, developers and startups across India.

Nvidia further mentioned that the AI infrastructure will be hosted in AI-ready computing data centers that will eventually expand to 2,000 MW. The execution and implementation will be overseen by Jio which has extensive offerings and experience across various fields such as mobile telephony, 5G spectrum, fiber networks, and more.

As India advances from a country of data proliferation to creating technology infrastructure for widespread and accelerated growth, computing and technology super centres like the one we envisage with Nvidia will provide the catalytic growth just like Jio did to our nations digital march, said Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.

At Jio, we are committed to fueling Indias technology renaissance by democratizing access to cutting-edge technologies, and our collaboration with Nvidia is a significant step in this direction, said Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm. Together, we will develop a state-of-the-art AI cloud infrastructure that is secure, sustainable and deeply relevant across India, accelerating the nations journey towards becoming an AI powerhouse.
India's reliance on China increases as electronics production grows

Amid global supply chain diversification, India keeps attracting investments from global and local manufacturers. However, India's growing electronics production comes with a rising reliance on China.

The Korea Economic Daily reported that LG Electronics planned to build a new production line in India to capitalize on the rising disposable income of the population.

The report quoted an unnamed LG official revealing the plan without elaborating on the location of the new manufacturing facility. LG has a compressor production facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and another for refrigerator manufacturing in Pune, Maharashtra.

According to the report, LG is looking to expand sales for its premium products in India. GfK data shows that LG is the top brand in LED TVs, washing machines, microwaves, and compressors.

Besides the influx of investments from global manufacturers like LG, local EMS providers also benefit from the trend, as Dixon Technologies saw an explosive rise in orders. Dixon CFO Saurabh Gupta told Al Jazeera that there is a lot of tailwind for the industry with global brands looking at a China-plus-one, even China-plus-N, strategy.

Thanks to a huge market and a shift in the global supply chain resulting from the pandemic and the US-China geopolitical tensions, India's electronics production has been expanding in recent years.

According to Indian customs data, India saw its communication device exports rise from US$843 million in 2015, when Narendra Modi launched the "Make in India initiative," to US$12.6 billion in 2022 at a CAGR of 40.27% for the period, with mobile phones leading the momentum.

Still, as India's electronics production grew with increasing capacities, the country also saw rising reliance on imports from China. Official trade data shows that India's imports of semiconductors rose from US$1.57 billion in 2015 to US$16.1 billion in 2022, with those from China accounting for 30% of the imports, as assemblers in India require semiconductors from overseas for assembling products when there is an absence of chip supply in the South Asian country.
Poland seeks further Taiwanese investment for new 'Dresden-Prague-Wrocaw' semiconductor hub

For SEMICON Taiwan 2023, Poland held an Investment and Business Seminar on Sep. 8, seeking investment and cooperation opportunities with Taiwan.

Opening the ceremony, Poland's Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Grzegorz Piechowiak, noted the recent Intel investment in the country and TSMC investment in Germany, observing that a possible new European semiconductor hub will emerge within the Dresden-Prague-Wrocaw triangle. Talking to DIGITIMES Asia during SEMICON, several sources from Poland also pointed to a possible TSMC advanced packaging facility in Poland, with a source indicating that a plan would be laid down within five years.

At the seminar, Zbigniew Bedarski, Director of the Branches Coordination Bureau at Polish Investment and Trade Agency, also highlighted the two strategic industrial parks in Poland, including the one in the Wrocaw-Miekinia region, where Intel's advanced packaging site will be located. The industrial park will be mainly decimated to semiconductor, while the other industrial park near Stalowa Wola will focus on e-mobility.

According to Marcin Fabianowicz, Director of the Investment Department at Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Poland saw a continuous inflow of thousands of IT specialists since 2021 under the government relocation program Poland Business Harbor. The trend intensified in 2022 with the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

Fabianowicz also indicated that the country hosts around 500 R&D centers, including those from Amazon, Samsung and Intel. Samsung, for instance, runs its largest R&D center outside of South Korea in Warsaw, focusing on natural language processing. Ericsson, likewise, also runs its largest foreign R&D operations in Poland. Intel's largest R&D center in Europe is also in Poland.

The automotive sector plays an increasingly crucial role for Poland to attract semiconductor investment, and Fabianowicz indicated that the auto and e-mobility sector accounts for 10.5% of Polish manufacturing. There are over 340 production companies working in Polish auto sector.

Meanwhile, Poland's battery cell manufacturing capacity has reached 73 GWh as of 2022, the largest in the European Union, with the export value of li-ion batteries reaching US$8240 million in 2022 from US$84.97 million in 2012, accounting for 3% of Polish exports. To maintain the country's leading position in the EV battery industry, Fabianowicz highlighted the necessity to double the production capacity by 2027, exceeding 200 GWh.

Currently, LG energy is the largest Lu-ion battery manufacturer in Poland: factory construction began in 2016 with EUR3.2 billion in investment, and started operation in 2018. The LG investment also brought 20 accompanying suppliers with EUR3.3 billion in additional investment.

For semiconductor cash grants, the director emphasized the government will cover the entire cost gap, with no cap in aid. As a result of the European Chips Act, Poland will also adopt special regulation to speed up investment projects, including shortening environmental assessment, building permits and other administrative decisions.

Alex Lee, senior vice president of ASE subsidiary Universal Scientific Industrial Co. (USI), previously said that Poland stands out as an investment location in terms of multiple factors after USI surveyed various European countries, and that its EMEA strategy begins with Poland.

Co-organized by Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Polish Development Fund, Industrial Development Agency and ukasiewicz Research Network, the Polish Pavlion at SEMICON Taiwan 2023 is the largest national pavlion at the expo, showcasing leader R&D and industry players from Poland's photonic sector.
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Foxconn Technology Group is partnering with STMicroelectronics NV to jointly pursue the establishment of a semiconductor manufacturing facility in India. They are actively seeking government support to expand their presence in the South Asian nation.

Sources report that Taiwans Foxconn and the Franco-Italian company STMicroelectronics are in the process of seeking government assistance for the development of a 40-nanometer chip manufacturing facility. They have requested anonymity since the plan has not been made public.

These advanced chips are used in various devices, including automobiles, cameras, printers, and a diverse range of other machinery.

This development follows the collapse of Foxconns plans for collaboration with billionaire Anil Agarwals Vedanta Resources Ltd. after a year of limited progress. By joining forces with STMicro, contract manufacturer Foxconn is relying on the experience of an innovator in the semiconductor industry to facilitate its expansion into the Indian semiconductor business.

The previous unsuccessful endeavor by Foxconn with metals company Vedanta serves as a reminder of the challenges associated with establishing new semiconductor plants. These giant complexes involve several billion-dollar investments and demand highly specialized knowledge for operation. Neither Foxconn nor Vedanta possessed enough prior experience in chip manufacturing, and their joint venture encountered setbacks due to delays in securing a partner with readily available chip technology and obtaining approvals for state subsidies.

The government in New Delhi has reportedly requested additional information from Foxconn, primarily recognized as Apple Inc.s primary assembly partner, regarding its collaboration with STMicro.

Meanwhile, Foxconn is said to be engaged in discussions with some other firms possessing chip manufacturing expertise, according to one of the sources.

Spokespersons from both Foxconn and STMicro declined to make any comments on a possible partnership.

India, much like other nations such as the United States, is actively working to increase its semiconductor production capabilities, to reduce its dependence on costly imports and its reliance on Taiwan and China. The Indian government has pledged $10 billion to attract semiconductor manufacturers, and the government has promised to cover half the cost of the plant.

This initiative has encouraged US memory chip company Micron Technology Inc. to announce a $2.75 billion assembly and testing facility in the state of Gujarat.

Any semiconductor project, including Foxconns, will be required to provide transparency, which should contain the existence of firm, legally binding agreements with a technology partner for production. Furthermore, these disclosures should outline the financing strategy for both equity and debt arrangements. Applicants are also expected to disclose the specific semiconductor types they intend to manufacture and identify their target audience.

Other semiconductor companies industry with investment plans for India include Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and equipment manufacturer Applied Materials Inc. Both have intentions to invest $400 million each in research and development (R&D) and engineering facilities in Bengaluru, southern India.
French expatriate enchanted by Chinese village trip

Xinhua) 16:38, September 08, 2023

NANCHANG, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- On a scenic platform offering panoramic vistas of traditional grey-and-white Chinese buildings nestled among lush trees, Mylene Mathieu, who is from France, extended her arms, grasping a broad bamboo sieve with hands, tossing red chili peppers up and down.

Tossing is a procedure aimed at properly drying agricultural products, such as chili, corn, and peanuts, for longer preservation. The common rural practice is also part of Mathieu's myriad countryside experiences on her trip to Huangling Village, Wuyuan County of east China's Jiangxi Province.

Mathieu, who moved to Beijing earlier this year after more than seven years of studying Chinese, shares her daily life experiences on social media, and has gained tens of thousands of followers in just months. Her trip to Huangling turned out to be a unique experience.

"This is my first time coming to a Chinese village, and I didn't expect to meet such a beautiful one," Mathieu said. She posted a video about the chili-tossing on her TikTok-like Douyin account, with a Chinese profile name translated as "French wife xiaobengbeng," alluding to her status as the spouse of a Chinese man.

Before coming to Huangling, Mathieu did not have high expectations. "I had this image of Chinese rural areas as old and remote," she said.

However, upon entering Huangling, she was immediately captivated by the village's blend of ancient charm and modern convenience. Traditional architecture intricately adorned the landscape, and wide, flat stone paths connected every corner of the village.

Mathieu was especially impressed with a local light festival showcasing folk customs.

"I had only seen light festivals in big cities before, but Huangling combines traditional folk parades with lights, preserving tradition while showcasing the charm of modern technology," she said.

She was also captivated by the village's operating model. Local villagers found meaningful employment within the scenic area, leading to a shared sense of happiness and prosperity.

"You can feel their happiness radiating from within. Under the village leadership, everyone shares the consensus to pursue happiness together in this picturesque place," she said.

In just a few years, Huangling transformed from a poverty-stricken village into a rural tourism hotspot. Villagers can rake in tourism-related income from sectors such as accommodation, catering, and transportation.

The average annual income per villager increased from 3,500 yuan (486.1 U.S. dollars) before tourism development to over 50,000 yuan currently, with some families earning over a million yuan annually through their involvement in the tourism industry.

Today, Huangling is gradually gaining global recognition. It had hosted international summits featuring rural tourism and formed alliances with tourist villages from around the world.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
REVOLUTIONARY technology was used during the Cork Vintners Federation of Irelands End of Summer barbecue on Monday last.

The BBQ is one of the biggest events in the industry calendar as more than 400 pub owners and staff came to Dwyers on Washington St.

Assistiv Irelands technology called Service View, was used on the night. The special technology is used to aid people with an intellectual disability or autism.

Pictured at the Cork VFI 'End Of Summer' BBQ at Dwyer's Washington Street were Parkway Hotel Dunmanway ladies Wendy Carol, Pauline Lordan, Marie lordan, Eilish Forbes and Sheila Mayburry. Picture Denis Boyle

It was a showcase to show publicans with the aid of technology that people of all abilities can work in the industry, said Cork city and county chairman of Vintners Federation of Ireland, Michael ODonovan.

They can build their own confidence, earn their own money and interact with people. It is a huge benefit for them.

Pictured at the Cork VFI 'End Of Summer' BBQ at Dwyer's Washington Street was Martin Mayburry from the Parkway Hotel Dunmanway and his Kitchen staff on their night out. Picture Denis Boyle

Service View allows the customer to scan a QR code, which will launch the menu as well as order and pay for drinks.

It allows the customer to tap a QR code that brings up the bar menu and allows them to order their drinks on an online platform without having to sign up for anything, said Assistiv Ireland founder Alan Craughwell.

Pictured at the Cork VFI 'End Of Summer' BBQ at Dwyer's Washington Street was Sally Donoughue and Amelia Shannon from Carrigaline. Picture Denis Boyle

The customer can order whatever drink thats available at the bar within 10 to 15 seconds.

Usual systems would send the order to the till in written form, but with people with a learning or intellectual disability might have a problem with literacy or numeracy.

Pictured at the Cork VFI 'End Of Summer' BBQ at Dwyer's Washington Street were this group from Tequila Jacks, Lapps Quay. Picture Denis Boyle

The softwares purpose is to break down barriers and help more people with literacy and numeracy difficulties to work within the hospitality sector.

Pictured at the Cork VFI 'End Of Summer' BBQ at Dwyer's Washington Street was Amy Coughlan, Eabha Coughlan, Robyn Buckley and Alex Gillen from Mabel Lane. Picture Denis Boyle

Mr Craughwell explained that symbols and shapes are used as part of the technology.

For example, if you ordered a pint of Heineken, a number symbolising the glass would pop up, then the tap, and finally the Heineken logo symbolising the drink, said Mr Craughwell.
TO MARK World Suicide Prevention Day, Cork Penny Dinners held its annual vigil to remember loved ones lost to suicide, and those left behind, on Wednesday.

Darkness had fallen on Albert Quay, but the pavement and the railings along the river were lit up with golden night-light candles as a lone piper, Sean Murphy, played the haunting Fainne Geal an Lae (The Dawning of the Day).

On the river, a speedboat piloted by Dinnie Curtin and Derry Falvey from Cork City Missing Persons circled the water, with the mascot Bear Hope at the helm.

A high point of the evening came when the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Kieran McCarthy, sang Youll Never Walk Alone, from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein show Carousel, which was later a number one hit in 1963 for Liverpudlian Merseybeat group Gerry and the Pacemakers and was subsequently adopted as Liverpool FCs anthem.

Tributes were paid to the late Sinead OConnor, with the High Hopes Choir delivering a beautiful version of Nothing Compares 2U, and to the late Christy Dignam, whose song Crazy World has long been a High Hopes favourite.

Among those in attendance were representatives of the Irish Defence Forces veterans group, the Organisation of National Ex-Servicepeople (ONE), Cork City First Responders, Clonakilty Mental Health Awareness Group, with Sinead Crowley, Cork Mental Health Foundation, Cork City Misising Persons, and Mallow Search and Rescue.

Also present were Mary Crilly and Dola Twomey from the Sexual Violence Centre Cork.

Prayers were offered for Crosshaven Coast Guard, and for little Emili Roman, who had died in a drowning in Fountainstown during the week, and for Emilis family.

We prayed for the families of all who have suffered tragedies, recently and down through the years, Caitriona Twomey, volunteer co-ordinator with Cork Penny Dinners, told The Echo.

It was a beautiful and very emotional evening and it sent a powerful message about the terrible loss that people leave behind.

As the vigil came to a close, lone bugler Ross OHara sounded The Last Post, and the veterans of the ONE gave a salute of respect to all of those lost and to all of those left behind, while the candles flickered on into the night.

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A young man in a row outside a pub in Cork threw a glass bottle at a security mans head  splitting him open  and he spat at a second bouncer and now he has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

25-year-old Adrian Long of 14 Willowbank, Upper Fair Hill, Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to a security officer who had to have four stitches to a head would. He also admitted assaulting another security man by spitting at him.

Sergeant Barry Myers went to the scene of the alleged assaults that night.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said at Cork District Court, On March 17 2023 at around 9 p.m. an assault occurred outside the Vicarstown Bar on North Main Street.

Sgt Barry Myers was on duty at North Main Street. He met with the injured party  a security officer for both the Vicarstown Bar and Black Dog premises. He had a sizable laceration to the side of his head and he required hospital treatment.

An ambulance arrived at the scene. The injured party said he was hit in the head with a glass bottle which was thrown by a man who was ejected from the bar.

The accused man was convicted four times previously for engaging in threatening behaviour and one count of assault.

Frank Buttimer, defence solicitor, said of the accused man, He was in town socialising with a friend. There was an encounter between his friend and the first security guard. He intervened.

"In relation to the spitting, he said he was a recipient of spitting and that this was provocative. But he accepts he did his spitting business.

Another security guard intervened in this. Mr Long wrongly decided to throw a bottle at the original security guard and hit the other security guard.

He has now been in custody since July 29. He has written a letter of apology to the injured party.

Judge Olann Kelleher imposed an eight-month sentence for the assault causing harm and a concurrent three months for the spitting assault.

Judge Kelleher commented, He had a previous for assault  he has proven to be a violent man.
The Director of Housing and Planning of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has described the demand for housing in Cork as phenomenal.

Speaking at the Construction Industry Federation Southern Construct Summit in Cork on Thursday, Conor OConnell said challenges facing the industry include structural issues of zoning and infrastructure, and said decision-making timelines are simply too slow.

He said, however, that he looks to the future with optimism as major employers continue to create jobs and people are moving into Ireland at a rate never seen before.

Echoing Mr OConnells comments during a panel discussion on affordable, high-quality and sustainable housing for all, the Chairman of the Cork Branch of CIF, Kieran ODonovan, called for long term solutions.

Mr ODonovan said that while schemes issued by the Government, such as the Help to Buy Scheme and First Home Scheme, and the provision of additional funding to local authorities and proposed funding to the Land Development Agency (LDP) are key enablers in the industry, that long term solutions are required.

He said that last year, 50% of houses in Cork city were built or acquired by the local authority or approved housing bodies. In the county, that figure was 57%.

Mr ODonovan said that while schemes implemented by the Government over the past few years have enabled rapid expansion, the figures also highlight the lack of provision for private home construction.

So why are we as an industry not ramping up the construction of private houses? Its the key question in terms of how to increase the number of houses that people want to buy, he said.

CIF is currently carrying out an analysis of the constraints surrounding development in Cork which we believe will highlight the significant proportion of zoned lands that currently have some impediment that makes it unavailable for development in the short term.

This reduction in the quantum of available, zoned land highlights the need for contingency plans that would be brought forward for housing development if necessary.

Mr ODonovan welcomed the Planning and Development Bill and draft Sustainable and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities, as well as revisions to the National Planning Framework, which he said will help to address these issues of constraints in supply but called for a more collaborative approach.

He called on State agencies and local authorities to make a conservative effort to allow these lands to be built upon and to look at their role as facilitators of development with a more collaborative and unified approach.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, said that Housing for All is continuing to deliver but acknowledged that more needs to be done.

Supply is increasing. 30,000 homes were built last year, up more than 40% on previous years.

"More than 14,00 homes were completed in the first half of 2023, up 6% on the same period last year, and over 18,500 homes have commenced in the first seven months of 2023, an 11.8% increase on the same period last year.

Minister Coveney acknowledged peoples frustrations with the pace of the delivery of housing, which he said is understandable, but added that delivery is ramping up.

He said the Government is optimistic that it will meet the housing target, which was set at 29,000 this year, and hopes that figure will rise to 31,000 or 32,000 by the end of the year.

He said the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2023, which would provide An Bord Pleanala with powers, functions and duties in relation to pending applications and appeals of long duration, would modernise the planning system.

Minister Coveney added it is hoped the Bill, which is currently before the Dail, would be passed before the end of this year.
ALMOST half of termination notices issued to tenants in Cork since June of this year were found to be invalid, according to shocking new figures from a local housing charity.

The Cork branch of housing charity, Threshold, revealed that out of the 485 termination notices they have examined since June of 2023, 215 were deemed invalid. The eviction notices were received by tenants in the Cork area.

Staff at the charity voiced serious concerns for their service users, revealing how some landlords are going as far as giving tenants one weeks notice to leave their properties. The organisation, which provides free advice to tenants, is urging people to be thorough when assessing their termination notices.

Assistant manager of Threshold's Southern Regional Services Office, Regina Baylor, told The Echo that "people are suffering from mental health issues because of the stress".

"You can see it when they come in. They are coming into the office crying because they dont know what to do," she said. "Suddenly, they are being told to go down to the homeless unit after believing this is something that would never happen to them. Why would they after working all their lives and always paying their rent?

"This is an awful situation for a generation to find themselves in.

People have had letters from landlords to say their lease was up the following week and that they needed to be gone by then," she added.

"In a situation where this happens, the landlord normally isnt aware of the legislation. They think that when a fixed term lease is up then a person must go but thats not correct. In these situations, we will immediately call the landlord and inform them of the legislation."

Ms Baylor's colleague, Linda McKernan, said that an issue as minor as a typo is enough to invalidate a termination notice.

We go through every sentence and every word," Ms McKernan explained. The smallest thing can invalidate a termination notice. This could be the wrong date or even just a typo. Well obviously encourage the client to challenge it if it means keeping them in their home."

Ms McKernan described the level of anxiety experienced by many of their service users.

We are inundated at the moment," she revealed. Its awful for people because the stress and anxiety can be so overwhelming. At the moment I am dealing with a woman with a valid eviction notice who has nowhere to go with her three small children. This is something we are dealing with every day."

She stressed that detecting an invalid notice is only a temporary measure to protect a tenant from homelessness, adding "you have people under so much stress".

They dont know where they are going.

"These are people who worked all their lives who never thought that they and their children would be a homeless statistic," Ms McKernan added.

Meanwhile, Ms Baylor is advising renters not to take the law into their own hands.

We would never advise anyone to overhold for the simple reason that if they overhold and the landlord loses the sale of a property over it, damages could be awarded against them," she explained.

To find out more about Threshold visit threshold.ie or call 1800 454 454.
A Cork TD told has told a public protest that the executive of Cork City Council doesnt give a shit about social housing tenants or working class people.

Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould was speaking at a rally in a Cork city estate which was built less than 15 years ago and which tenants say is overrun with rats and full of homes prone to leaking roofs, damp, mildew and mould.

Some 40 Council tenants of the Glentrasna estate in The Glen gathered on Thursday evening to protest what they say are poor living conditions, shoddy building work, a rat infestation, and persistent inaction by their landlord, Cork City Council.

Mr Gould told the tenants they were the victims of a failure by the city council to invest in maintenance over the past 10 years.

And if ye dont fight, yell be in the same position in 10 years time, because they dont give a shit about people in social housing or working class people, and thats the facts of it, Mr Gould said.

The Glentrasna estate consists of just over 100 houses, most of which are social housing homes, and most of the development was completed by 2010.

Tenants living in Glentrasna, Cork city protesting poor housing conditions: Picture by Chani Anderson

Despite being a very new estate, its tenants say leaks and damp are recurring problems and they claim Cork City Council has done little to address those problems.

Further, they say, a problem with rats on the estate has been allowed by the council to reach a point where residents are fearful about letting their children play outdoors, while a claim was made that the infestation meant there were now more rats in the houses than human beings.

Christa Daley, who was one of those who organised Thursdays protest said she was absolutely thrilled with the turnout, and she said the tenants would not stop protesting until the chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty, visited Glentrasna, just as she had visited council tenants protesting against shocking condition on Noonans Road in July.

I would love the chief executive to come up here and see the conditions that particularly the most vulnerable people in this estate are living in, Ms Daley said.

Given that there was a precedent set by her visit to Noonans Road, I hope she will follow suit and show us the same energy. Socialist Party councillor Brian McCarthy agreed that the executive needed to visit Glentrasna.

No-one should have to live like this. This estate is overrun with rats. Its an absolute disgrace, Cllr McCarthy said.

He added that an immediate health emergency needed to be declared for the entire estate until the rat infestation was addressed.

Sinn Fein councillor Kenneth Collins said it was very important that tenants be treated with respect.

Cork City Council, the landlord here, is failing their tenants. Point blank. Thats the point here, Cllr Collins said, adding that chief executive Ann Doherty needed to visit Glentrasna.

Shes the CEO of the city. The head of housing, of housing maintenance, and Ann Doherty, need to come up here and see the conditions people are being forced to live in, he said.

Socialist Party TD Mick Barry said conditions in Glentrasna had until now been problems for individual tenants, but because tenants were now speaking out, those conditions were now a collective problem.

No-one at all, let alone people with young kids, should be forced to live in conditions where youre worried are you going to see rats in and around the house today, he said.

Svetlana Zakhariva and Sarah Murphy, amongst of a number of tenants living in Glentrasna, who took to the streets on Thursday evening protesting poor housing conditions. Picture: Chani Anderson

No-one at all, let alone people with young kids, should be forced to live in conditions that have damp, that have mould, that means people who have asthma, colds and sickness arising from that. William OBrien, who has been advocating for council tenants living in poor housing conditions in Noonans Road, St Finbarrs Road, Fort Street and Dean Street, said that social housing tenants across the city needed to take strength from their own voices and from the voices of others.

Even when you feel like running away, its about coming together, when people come together, the people that havent been listening for years have to start listening, and their only dread is that people realise that tenants have rights, and when we stick together, we have power, Mr OBrien said.

Cllr. Brian McCarthy of the Socialist party giving an impassioned speech to the tenants living in Glentrasna, who took to the streets protesting poor housing conditions. Picture: Chani Anderson

Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan said he and his comrades had been fighting for better housing conditions for people living in The Glen 50 years ago, and very little had changed in half a century.

He said that highlighting problems in one house was futile, but when you highlight 20, or 30, or 40, or 50, thats the battle line, he said.

A newly constituted Glentrasna residents committee is planning a second protest in the estate at 5.30pm on Tuesday 12 September.

Cork City Council did not respond when asked on Wednesday for a comment on Glentrasna tenants claims that their complaints had not been taken seriously.
WOMEN in business in Cork are being encouraged to take part in a special event next month to mark National Womens Enterprise Day.

Cork County Councils Local Enterprise Office North and West is welcoming the return of the south-wests National Womens Enterprise Day Regional Event on October 18.

Covering the Cork and Kerry region, this full-day programme is designed and led by women to promote and encourage female entrepreneurship across Ireland.

Cork-based Amy Jane Keating, host and creator of the Go Do You podcast will host the event with speakers on the day including Pat Kane, award-winning sustainability strategist, founder of Reuzi.ie and co-founder of Good Better Best.

Pat will speak to attendees on building a future-proof business, touching on her own entrepreneurial journey whilst highlighting small ways businesses can improve their sustainable practices.

The day will also include a panel discussion with Cork and Kerry Leading Lights, followed by keynote speaker Laura Dowling, the Fabulous Pharmacist and founder and chief executive of fabU Wellness.

Event ambassador and Leading Light representing LEO Cork North and West at this years event is Caroline Murphy of West Cork Eggs. Originally from London, Caroline married a dairy farmer and in 2009 bought her first four hens, a decision that was to change her life. Fast-forward to today and Caroline now has 3,500 free-range hens on the family farm near Rosscarbery, West Cork.

Deputising for the Mayor of Co Cork, councillor Gillian Coughlan welcomed the return of the event.

National Womens Enterprise Day continues to highlight female entrepreneurs, encouraging them to build their community, share their successes and inspire others to follow their paths.

I wholeheartedly encourage women in business from across Cork County to register to attend and to embrace the theme of Empowering Business Together through networking, knowledge sharing and following the journeys of real-life entrepreneurs with four Leading Light Client companies speaking on the day, Ms Coughlan said.

Cork County Council is delighted to welcome this event back to Cork this year, and to continue to collaborate with our Local Enterprise Office colleagues across Cork and Kerry.
Carrolls Irish Gifts has officially opened its 20th store in Ireland on Patrick Street.

The new store officially opened its doors this week with a family fun day for the community.

This expansion signifies a huge milestone for the brand and brings the total number of employees in Cork to 34.

CEO of Carrolls Irish Gifts, Peter Hyland said the store expansion was a testament to the incredible support received from the community and customers.

Staff members Irene Ormaeche, Miriyam Philip, Viviana Pazmino and Bella Chang pictured at the opening of Carrolls Irish Gifts 20th store

We are really excited to open our second store in Patrick Street, Cork and our 20th store in Ireland.

We are opening in time for the Christmas rush which has grown strength to strength in Cork each year with a massive emphasis on high-value products and supporting Irish brands.

As we continue to grow, we are dedicated to being a meaningful part of the local economy and a platform for local talent to shine. This new store is not just about business, but about creating a space where Irish heritage and creativity come to life.

Deirdre Herlihy, Manager of the new Cork store said that the opening marks an exciting chapter for both Carrolls Irish Gifts and the community of Cork.

As we open our doors, we invite everyone to come in and explore Ireland's craftsmanship, creativity, and talent.

"We're looking forward to becoming a central part of Cork's story and making special memories with every person who visits our new store.
Gardai are seeking the public's assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 47 year-old Kieran Quilligan, who has been missing from Cork city centre, since the evening of Friday 1 September 2023, when he was last seen at approximately 9.30pm.

Kieran is described as being approximately 57" in height, with a medium build, brown/grey hair and blue eyes. He has a large tattoo on the side of his head.

When last seen Kieran was wearing an orange t-shirt, blue Under Armour tracksuit pants and black Nike runners.

Anyone with any information on Kieran's whereabouts is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda station on 021 452 2000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
A 37-year-old Cork woman told a member of An Garda Siochana who arrested her for a disturbance outside a hospital that she would f*** her up.

Now at Cork District Court, Nicole Costin of Liffey Park, Mayfield, Cork, has pleaded guilty to charges arising out of the incident.

Sergeant John Kelleher outlined the background to the incident for Judge Olann Kelleher.

Garda Eimear Reilly responded to a call to attend at the Mercy University Hospital where there was a reported disturbance.

The report received by gardai was to the effect that an intoxicated woman was blocking the entrance to the accident and emergency unit after 11pm on the night of May 24.

Garda Reilly met with Nicole Costin just outside the hospital on Henry Street and noted that she was in a highly intoxicated condition.

She was arrested at 11.20pm and taken to the Bridewell garda station.

During her time in the custody suite she became highly intoxicated and refused to let Garda Reilly carry out her duties.

Ms Costin threatened Garda Reilly with physical violence stating she would fuck her up if the guard touched her.

She verbally abused her, calling her a f***ing c***, Sergeant Kelleher said.

Costin pleaded guilty to obstruction of a member of An Garda Siochana and being intoxicated to such an extent that she was a danger to herself or others.

Sgt Kelleher said Ms Costin was convicted seven times for drunkenness previously and three times for engaging in threatening behaviour.

Judge Olann Kelleher described it as a terrible track record.

Shane Collins Daly, defence solicitor, said the accused had sentencing adjourned from May and had stayed out of trouble since that time.

Judge Kelleher said he would impose a four-month suspended sentence for the obstruction and he fined her 200 for the drunkenness.

He said that she was required to cooperate with the probation service if she was to avoid jail.
RECENT Eurostat figures showing that 68% of young Irish adults, between the ages of 25 and 29, are still living in their parents home, painted a stark picture of the reality of this housing crisis.

Countries like Denmark, Sweden and Finland sit below 7%, the European Union average is 42%.

For many of the more than 500,000 adults recorded in the 2022 census as living with their parents, this is not a choice.

New rents registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) in Cork are on average 1,109 in the county and 1,490 in the city - rising almost 9% annually.

Where a young person can pay these extreme rents, supply is so low that it is near impossible to find somewhere.

On the day I wrote this article, there were 43 properties to rent in Cork city on daft.ie. That is 43 properties for everyone - students to young professionals to families and to older people.

Many young people may have once lived outside of home. With evictions on the rise, it is inevitable that some who once had that independence will be forced back into their parents home.

In the second three months of this year alone, 720 families and individuals were given an eviction notice.

With no more than 120 properties to rent in Cork on any day, the conclusion must be drawn that many of these will not find a new rental property.

Without parents stepping in where the government have failed, homelessness in this state would skyrocket.

The eviction ban was put in place last winter. The government sat idly by for the duration of this ban and then cruelly lifted it.

They have still not implemented their promise that tenants would be given first refusal on their home, despite announcing this in March.

We need an eviction ban and we need a government to enact an emergency response for the duration of this ban.

This includes significant ramping up of the tenant in-situ scheme (which sees local authorities purchase homes of tenants who are on the social housing list and facing eviction), a three -year rent freeze, and an increase in the building of public homes.

When Sinn Fein points out the shocking figures in the private rental sector to government, we are pointed towards the Cost Rental scheme.

This in itself represents huge potential for solving issues in the rental sector, but delivery is nowhere near demand. In September, 2022, there were more than 900 applications for just 32 cost-rental units in Cork city. Of a national target for only 900 cost-rental homes last year, the government managed to build just 300.

The maths simply doesnt add up to a credible solution for young people. We need to see real, ambitious investment in cost-rental. Investment alongside increased targets and real delivery.

When renting is not an option, the question arises: Why cant young people purchase homes to move out of their parents home?

House prices, like private rent prices, are too high for many ordinary working people. Homeownership rates are falling consistently according to the CSO. Daft.ies latest report showed that the average home in Cork city now costs more than 320,000.

Yet, regularly we are hearing the Minister announce another new scheme. Many of these, like the first-refusal scheme, arent fully thought out and take months to implement. Others, such as Help to Buy, have been shown to increase house prices and only benefit those who dont need them.

Further schemes, such as Croi Conaithe (a grant of 30,000 for vacant and 50,000 for derelict property renovations), could have positive impacts but lack the funding and resourcing.

Many of the governments schemes are only available to first-time buyers purchasing a new-build property.

On the day I wrote this article, six new build developments were advertised on Daft.ie in Cork city. The lowest price for one of these homes was 400,000. A person looking to purchase one of these homes would need to be earning 102,857.

With every government scheme available, they would still need to be earning more than 70,000 a year. This is far beyond the reach of most young adults starting out in careers.

The 135 affordable purchase homes delivered in Cork city last year represent another avenue for those who cannot afford to pay current house prices. Unfortunately, the government have set a target of only 76 of these homes in Cork city every year.

The only thing that will see young people able to make the choice to move out of their parents home is a change of government.

Fine Gael have had 12 years in government, with Fianna Fail supporting them in many of these. They have had their chance and they have failed young people.

Young people need a government that prioritises building public homes at scale. They need a government that recognises the housing emergency this state is in and enacts an emergency response. Otherwise they are faced with the prospect of a lifetime in the box-room while Fianna Fail claim to have turned yet another corner on housing.
INSPIRATION BEHIND THE SERIES

Young people deserve to hear from the perspectives, opinions and experiences of other young people.

I believe we can learn from each other and help each other as we navigate the Irish education system.

I aim to draw from as many points of view as possible, making sure this advice is relevant to as many different students as possible.

The articles over the next 10 weeks will look at study skills, career route options, Leaving Certificate reflections, school experiences and so on.

ABOUT THE WRITER

My name is Amy OBrien and I am an 18-year-old writer and advocate. I am entering 6th year this term and Im interested in art, reading and social justice.

My experiences include being Cork County Comhairle na nOg (Youth Council) chair and now, the National Executive (the Cork youth representative at a national level).

I have organised with Fridays for Future internationally and represented the young people of Ireland at the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child to present the Ombudsman for Childrens Office (OCO) report Pieces of Us, having been on the OCO Youth Advisory Panel for two years.

I spoke at the University College Cork (UCC) Law Society House Meeting on Youth Activism, helped organise the Ombudsman for Childrens Office Beyond Limits 2022 (disability inclusion and empowerment event) and travelled to Glasgow for COP26 as Friends of the Earth Irelands Irish Delegate.

I hosted the Sustainable Sleepover Club podcast with a group of other young people, interviewing guests from a variety of backgrounds and discussing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint for a fairer future.

Along with being involved with many more groups and actions for change, I have written opinion pieces for numerous newspapers and outlets.

SCHOOL EXPERIENCE TO-DATE

Thats a bit about me, but what about my time in school? I feel it is important to give you some context around my secondary school experience so far.

I completed 5th year this May and opted to do transition year the year previous. In 2nd year, I suddenly began attending school via my laptop like many students and did not sit a state-examined Junior Certificate due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

My Leaving Certificate subjects include, firstly, the compulsory ones, English, Irish, Maths, and then my choice subjects, History, Art, Biology and foreign language, German. I will sit my exams in these subjects next June.

STUDY ADVICE

In terms of practical study advice, I would start by urging you to simply listen in class and try to actually understand as many lessons as you can - it will make the inevitable learning off much easier.

I find I retain a lot of information from writing out my own notes. Its important to then cut down the course with diagrams, flashcards, highlighters and revision pages so you can focus on the content that comes up in exams the most. You can find out what questions and content is repeatedly asked by looking through exam papers, eg, utilising websites like Studyclix.

When it comes to sitting down and studying, my method is very simple but it works for me. Ill read through my notes or whatever Im trying to learn, cover it, rewrite it, correct it and do it again. This is a method I was taught as a little girl in primary school to learn off my spellings and its the main way Ive studied since. The method involves you having to recall the information, reproduce it, and go through it again because youll have to correct and then highlight your mistakes.

Make your mistakes very obvious to you on the page, e.g. write them in with a red pen and repeat. Personally, I find I have to see the words on paper and tangibly identify what mistakes Im making to improve and have the information sink in.

Other than that, ensure you feel free to ask the teachers advice and help if you need to as they are there to help you.

A lot of school is laid out for you, so in the aspects where you get to shape and decide what you study - choose what you enjoy.

When it comes to which subjects to pick or topics to opt for in the projects, go for ones youre interested in if you can - itll just make your days more enjoyable.

This is my study skills advice, but Im aware that every student is different and what works for me, may not work for you. However, I hope you find some of my advice useful.

BALANCE AND CONSISTENCY

Time is limited, youve just two years to study at least six courses, so I think the key to going through the Leaving Cert cycle truly is balance and consistency.

I cant speak to my 6th year routine yet but in 5th year, I studied new content we covered in class that day the same night, so that I could consolidate the class straight away. I would do this after each subjects homework and it built up to a couple of hours each night.

Except for coming up with exams, I left revision of past work for weekends.

I stuck to this consistently throughout the year and found that all that effort did build up, with the content staying in my memory.

DONT FORGET DOWNTIME

For the sake of your studies, future aspirations, mental health and relationships, its vital to find time for friends, fun, relaxing, hobbies and school. To balance all that, though, you have to prioritise. What I mean by that is, you might have multiple hobbies or want to spend all evening doing your hobby and think that youll have no time in Leaving Cert for it at all. Rather than giving it up, find a bit of time in your evenings for your favourite pastime and perhaps wait to enjoy your other hobbies until the weekend or even term breaks and summer holidays. Youll have significantly reduced the amount of time subtracting from homework and study whilst still incorporating doing what you enjoy into your routine.

Try to use this to look forward to your free time and put in the work while youre at your desk. I feel this is important as it means you will feel more rested and focused during the periods you need to concentrate. I have found this to be true for meeting up with people, watching TV, getting out for a run or walk, work, reading, baking or cooking, writing and so on.

I hope you found the above useful. I enjoy learning and find school, though stressful, on the whole manageable, but every student faces and deals with it differently. In upcoming articles, I want to learn from a range of students who share their advice.

Next week: I chat to a student who is undertaking the Leaving Certificate Applied - a two-year Leaving Certificate programme aimed at preparing students for adult and working life.
Visit Isle of Man's 'On Your Doorstep' returns for this autumn

The tourism industry is being invited by Visit Isle of Man to register their interest in its upcoming On Your Doorstep initiative that aims to promote and celebrate the variety of tourism businesses the Isle of Man has to offer.

The Extraordinary Is On Your Doorstep initiative will run for eight weeks from October 1 to November 30, 2023.

Visit Isle of Man say the purpose of the initiative is to showcase the diverse range of experiences that can still be enjoyed throughout autumn and winter.

Deborah Heather, CEO of Visit Isle of Man, said: Our Extraordinary Is On Your Doorstep initiative is a fantastic opportunity for our industry partners to showcase their offerings to a warm audience, widening leisure opportunities throughout the shoulder season. It is also an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to explore and support local businesses, ensuring the sustainability and growth of the Islands tourism industry.

If you operate an activity and attraction business on the Island and are interested in becoming a participating partner you can register your interest by completing a short survey.

Alternatively, you can discuss your involvement with a member of the Visit Agency at tourism@gov.im or by calling 01624 687577. The deadline to register your interest is Monday, September 18.
Covid booster brought forward as precaution following new variant

The Autumn COVID-19 booster campaign announced by the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations (JCVI) will begin on the Island next week (From September 11).

Aligning with the rest of the UK, the autumn vaccine programme for the Island has been brought forward as a "precautionary measure" after the identification of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86, which was first detected in the UK on Friday, August 18.

The programme will start with vaccinations for older adult care home residents and those who are most at risk.

Where possible, both COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccines will be administered at the same time to offer maximum protection over the winter months.

The following groups will be offered COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccines:

 those aged 65 years and older

 residents in a care home for older adults

 frontline health and social care workers

 those aged five years and over in a clinical risk group (Immunisation Green Book)

 household contacts of people with a suppressed immune system

 carers aged 16 and older as defined by the Immunisation Green Book

 where possible, adults over 18 will also be offered a seasonal flu vaccine at their appointment

Manx Care will contact people with an appointment if their health record suggests they may be eligible. Health and care workers who are eligible can book online via the booking system or email Vaccinations@gov.im.

Marina Hudson, Interim Executive Medical Director for Manx Care, said: COVID-19 and flu can both be potentially serious and even life-threatening for some people. Older people and those with a health condition are at greater risk in the winter months as viruses spread more easily when we spend more time indoors.

Thats why it is important to come forward for your vaccination when it is offered to you this autumn and also take steps to stop the spread of illness including washing your hands regularly, letting fresh air in and staying at home if you are unwell.
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Labor Day sales have ended, Amazon's next Prime-related sale isn't until October and Apple won't announce new products (and likely discount older ones) until next week. In this in-between time, there are still a few worthy deals out there for those looking to save some coin on new tech. Some of our recommended Anker hubs and chargers are seeing up to 50 percent discounts while KitchenAid stand mixers are hitting the lowest prices we've seen this year. Disney+ Basic plans are just $2 for the next three months and Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max is 51 percent off. Apple's AirPods Pro and the 15-inch MacBook Air have both returned to their all-time lows and Samsung's still-brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 5 is $300 off. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Disney+ Basic

If you cancelled your Disney+ streaming service, or have yet to give it a go, you can get the Basic plan for $2 per month for three months. The deal runs though September 20 and only applies to subscribers in the US. Basic is the company's ad-supported tier, typically $8 a month, which means you'll save a total of $18 over the course of the promo. The deal comes just as Disney prepares to raise the prices of its ad-free subscriptions, with Disney+ Premium jumping by $3 to $14 monthly on October 12th. Hulu's ad-free plan will also go up by $3 per month to $18. If you want both ad-free services, you can opt for the new Duo Premium, a bundle that combines both top-tier plans into a single $20-per-month package.

Apple AirPods Pro

Apple's AirPods Pro are back on sale for $199 at Amazon and Walmart. That matches the lowest price we've seen for these yet and both retailers have offered this deal quite a few times lately. That could have something to do with Apple's upcoming iPhone event next week, during which we anticipate the announcement of AirPods Pro with USB-C charging cases, instead of Lightning. The charging port may be the only difference, but if you want to wait until the 12th to make your decision, that's understandable. In any event, we think the current generation of the AirPods Pro are the best companion for iPhone users and gave the buds a solid 88 in our review when they came out last September.

Anker sale

As part of a larger Anker sale at Amazon, the 332 USB-C Hub is nearly half price, down to $18 instead of the $35 list price. There's even a clickable $2 coupon that'll make it even cheaper. It has an HDMI port that'll output 4K video at a 30Hz refresh rate, two data-and-power USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. It taps into the host with a built-in USB-C cable and can support pass-through charging to deliver up to 85 watts to your laptop as you use it.

Also on sale is the Anker 313 Wireless Charging Stand, which we like as a budget option in our wireless charging guide. Its list price is $20, but the sale brings it to just over $15. Keep in mind it doesn't come with a power adapter brick and tops out at 10W for Android phones and 5W for iPhones. But you aren't likely to find a reliable stand-and-charger combo for less. One last device to note is Anker's USB-C Nano II 735 Charger, which is 15 percent off for the sale. After some extensive testing, we named this the best 65W charger you can buy. It's got three ports, a compact size and performed admirably when juicing up smartphones, laptops and a gaming handheld.

Samsung monitor sale

SAMSUNG Samsung T35F $129 $220 Save $91 This display is good for business or light gaming and content work, thanks to the IPS panel and 75Hz refresh rate. It's one of our top recommendations for a monitor under $200 and right now it's down to $130 at Amazon and B&H photo. $129 at Amazon

One of our favorite monitors under $200, Samsung's T35F, is on sale right now as part of larger Samsung monitor sales at both Amazon and B&H Photo. The T35F is down to $129 at Amazon and $130 at B&H Photo, which is within a dollar of the all-time low price we've tracked. The 27-inch, 1080p display is ideal for work and light gaming, with a 75Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel that gives better color accuracy, picture quality and viewing angles than cheaper panel types.

Kitchen Aid sale

A few different KitchenAid appliances are on sale at Amazon this week, including our top pick for a cordless immersion blender, the KitchenAid Cordless Variable Speed Hand Blender. It's now $80 as opposed to its typical $100. The stick is easy to use, has a built-in safety switch and instead of discrete speed settings, the 180-watt motor adjusts with a squeeze of the trigger.

If you've been thinking about a new stand mixer, today might be the time to buy as most colors of KitchenAid's Artisan series tilt-head Stand Mixers are seeing some sort of discount, putting many at the $380 mark, which is the lowest price we've seen so far this year. This particular mixer is one of the gadgets we recommend in out kitchen tech guide because it's durable, powerful and works with a huge array of attachments. Plus it looks pretty stylish on a countertop. The mixers are also on sale directly from KitchenAid.

Xbox Wireless Controllers

If you worry you might wear out your gamepad playing Starfield, now might be a good time to pick up a spare. The Xbox Wireless Controller is down to $45 at Microsoft right now. That's a dollar more than they went for two weeks ago at Walmart and Amazon, and about $6 more than the all-time low during last year's Black Friday sales. Its a comfortable enough controller, with a dedicated share button and connectivity that's fairly speedy with Xboxes, Windows PCs and Android devices. It uses AA batteries instead of a rechargeable battery pack, though you can buy one separately for $25.

If you want a rechargeable gamepad and lots of extra features, check out Microsoft's Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, which is down to $140 at the Xbox site and at Amazon. That's just $2 more than its all-time low. It features adjustable-tension joysticks, a charging dock, four swappable paddles and extra thumbsticks.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Saumsung's new foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is currently $300 off at Amazon, bringing it down to $1,500 instead of $1,800. That's certainly not cheap but still a pretty early discount, as the phone only came out last month. In his Engadget review, Sam Rutherford questions whether Samsung is squandering its head start in the foldable space, with a phone that's not terribly different from its predecessor. But Sam nevertheless appreciated one of the more noticeable upgrades, the Flex Hinge, which creates a much thinner profile when the phone is folded, helping the phone to fit better in your hand and open more smoothly than before. You also get a brighter screen, improved battery life and better performance that makes game graphics look "downright silky."

Samsung's other new foldable, the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also on sale, but only in the higher-capacity 512GB size. That phone is down to $920 instead of the $1,120 list price. It's our current favorite foldable for multitasking in our smartphone guide and it earned an 88 in our review.

Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch Series 8 is on sale at Amazon again, down to $310 for the 41mm model in Midnight and (Product)Red colorways. That's not quite the rock-bottom $280 the smartwatch sold for during Prime Day in July, but it's the lowest price we've tracked outside of that sale. The Series 8 is our current favorite smartwatch overall because it combines a slew of helpful health and fitness tools with useful apps, customizable features and, naturally, excellent integration with your iPhone. Of course, the sale may be in response to Apple's upcoming iPhone event, in which we expect the company to announce at least two new Apple Watches.

Apple 15-inch MacBook Air M2

The 15-inch MacBook Air Laptop with the M2 chip is still just $1,099 for the entry-level configuration at both Amazon and at B&H Photo. Apple's latest laptop has fallen to this price a few times before, and it matches the all-time low. The 15-inch screen represents a bigger version of the already-great MacBook Air, but as Engadget's Nathan Ingraham said in his review, the extra real estate helps to make the most of the M2's processing power and makes it "one of the best Apple laptops" he's used in a long time. This model comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you need more room and opt for the 512GB capacity model, that's also $200 off at Amazon and B&H, putting it at $1,299, also an all-time low.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Along with a couple other Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, the 4K Max stick is on sale right now. It's down to $27, which is a 51 percent discount and just $2 more than it sold for during Prime Day. Two other streaming dongles are also on sale: the standard, HD-compatible Fire TV Stick is down to $25 instead of $40, and the set-top Fire TV Cube is down to $120 as opposed to $140.

The 4K Max has speedy loading and response times and can show you live feeds of your smart cameras and doorbells with a picture-in-picture view. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 and bakes Alexa's help right into the remote.

Crucial MX500 1TB SSD

Crucial's MX500 1TB SSD is our favorite 2.5-inch SATA drive in our guide to the best SSDs and right now its 52 percent off at both Amazon and directly from Crucial. It delivers excellent performance, with sequential read speeds of 560MB/s and is a great value at its $85 list price. At just $48, that value gets even better. Another pick from the same guide, Samsung's 970 EVO Plus iTB SSD, is also on sale, currently down to $50, which matches its lowest all-time price. We thing that one is a good choice for people buying their first Gen3 NVMe drive.

Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed

In our guide to 60 percent keyboards, we named the Razer BlackWidow v3 Mini HyperSpeed the best option for a model with arrow keys. Right now Amazon is selling it for half price, making it $90 and the lowest price so far. Extra arrow keys make it a 65 percent keyboard instead of a 60 percent, but it's still compact enough to give you room on your desk. You can buy it with one of two switch types: clacky and tactile or liner and silent. Unfortunately, the linear model isn't seeing the same deep discount as the tactile version, with just a 27 percent off sale.

Mophie Powerstation Pro AC

Mophie's Powerstation Pro AC is one of our favorite accessories for MacBooks and its currently down to the lowest price we've seen yet. Typically $200, the sale brings it to $172. In addition to Two USB-C ports and a USB-A slot, it includes an AC outlet so you can power non-USB items like printers, lights or other peripherals. The massive 27,000 mAh battery translates to about 100 watt hours, which is the maximum allowed in your airplane carry-on (keep in mind spare lithium ion batteries are not allowed in checked luggage in any size). In our tests, the Pro AC boosted a 16-inch MacBook Pro from 10 percent to 75 percent in just under 90 minutes, and that's while the laptop was under heavy use.

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One of the consequences of Brexit was that the UK was forced out of several key European Union science programs, including the Galileo satnav project and Horizon, the EU's flagship science research scheme. Now, the UK is set to rejoin Horizon as an associate country under what UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called a "bespoke deal."

The UK will also become an associate member of Copernicus, the EU's 8 billion (9 billion) Earth observation satellite program. It won't be rejoining the Euratom nuclear research group, however, instead choosing to focus on its own nuclear fusion research. Under the terms of the deal, the UK will contribute almost 2.6 billion (2.2 billion or $2.75 billion) per year on average for its participation in both Horizon and Copernicus.

"We have worked with our EU partners to make sure that this is the right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities, and also the right deal for British taxpayers," said Sunak. "The EU and U.K. are key strategic partners and allies, and todays agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research," added von der Leyen.

Scientists in the UK who feared research isolation expressed relief. "Thank you to the huge number of researchers in the U.K. and across Europe who, over many years, didnt give up on stressing the importance of international collaboration for science," biomedical researcher Paul Nurse told the Associated Press.

The UK was kept out of Horizon due to a dispute over the Northern Ireland Brexit trading agreement, despite positive negotiations in 2020. A deal was struck for a UK return in February 2023, but negotiations stalled over the UK's level of financial commitment.

A key tenet was that the UK would not pay for the years of absence, but the UK's opposition Labour Party also noted that Britain had missed out on a lot in that time. "Two years of global companies looking around the world for where to base their research centers and choosing other countries than Britain, because we are not part of Horizon," said Labour science spokesman Peter Kyle. "This is two years of wasted opportunity for us as a country."

Horizon Europe "tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UNs Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EUs competitiveness and growth," according to the European Commission. It includes all EU member states and 17 associate nations as of January 2023, and boasts a budget of 95.5 billion ($102 billion).
Mayur R Sureshs book Terror Trials: Life and Law in Delhis Courts (2023) is based on an ethnographic study of terror trials in the Tis Hazari court across a period of 14 months over which Suresh followed 18 terror trials. The ethnographic methods investment into everyday lives in trial courts leads Suresh to ways in which terror defendants engage with the law. Despite the terror charges being an outcome of the prejudicial and disparate impact of the law, the terror defendants in Sureshs book are not defined by passivity and victimhood. Instead, they are persons who find a footing in their trials by experimenting with legal technicalities (p 14). Terror defendants use of the law challenges the state of exception academic framework that is often deployed to understand terror laws as per which all law facilitates the use of sovereign force (p 18).

Terror Trials also reveals that legal technicalities are so intrinsic to the trial process that it offers a certain kind of autonomy to the law. The law then produces its own sociality in the courtroom which cannot be explained by social structures outside of it. The book demonstrates this sociality through ways in which defendants work with their lawyers and defendants in other terror cases and build relationships. Sureshs characterisation of the courtroom as an autonomous social space that cannot entirely be seen as an extension of politics and society marks a significant departure from the existing law and anthropology scholarship (p 29).
The Essex Reporter is a daily digital news website covering the Town of Essex and City of Essex Junction, Vermont. Our beat reporters are on the ground every day covering local government, schools, sports, business and culture.
"From the fear of mental health disorders to a lack of interest, this new generation is turning sharply away from the armed services. Unfortunately, this comes at a time of rising international tension."

Delray Beach, FLThe United States military has reached an all-time low when it comes to recruitment. Through incompatible ideals, differing beliefs, and socio-cultural factors, recruiters are struggling to connect with the younger generation. As a member of Generation Z himself, Second Lieutenant Matthew Weiss tackles the source of the problem and proposes solutions in his best-seller We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z.

"The U.S. military is in the throes of a sustained recruiting and retention crisis. Sustaining a viable force will require fresh thinking and innovative proposals. In this brilliant and timely book, Matthew Weiss offers an abundance of both." Andrew Bacevich, Chairman and Co-Founder, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Matthew Weiss says, "The current status of military recruiting in the United States is terrifyingly grim. Recruitment levels are at their lowest since the Vietnam era." Through personal stories and macro analysis, Weiss recalls the issues that Gen Z has with the military and proposes potential solutions. Weiss organizes his point into four parts: Recruiting Fundamentals, Workforce Parity, Sociocultural Influences, and Scope of Service. Broken down further into 21 key points, he explores the meaning behind work, the digital age, modern healthcare, gender-based disparity, preparing for the future, and much more.

"This accessible, entertaining, and informative book provides viable solutions to reinvigorating a sense of national service by changing the norm while presenting an understanding of the worldview that the gifted Generation Z provides!" Grady Harp, LCDR USN, USMC Battalion Surgeon, Vietnam, and Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer

We Don't Want You, Uncle Sam Book Trailer





"Often the biggest personal driver for Gen Z is the desire to feel needed. Overall, being needed is perhaps the biggest self-interest trigger of all. When one is needed, one feels a deep call to answer that need to win true self-satisfaction and community approval. Uncle Sam needs Gen Z, it's time we show it," Weiss says. We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam is not only directed at the members of Gen Z but also at U.S. leaders who are trying to connect with the new generation.

"We Don't Want You, Uncle Sam is an impeccably researched and thoughtful guide not just for military leaders, but for leaders of all institutions seeking to understand and engage an inspired generation and repair our nation's divides." John Della Volpe, Director of Polling, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics

As the premier Generation Z military figure, Matthew Weiss speaks from his own experience as well as his extensive research into the subject. Weiss sums up the key message of his book: "We must rebuild the value proposition of military service by demonstrating the benefits of the world's greatest physical social network." Already reaching #1 in Amazon's Military Life & Institutions category and #7 in Amazon's Military Families category, it's clear that people are fascinated by Weiss's book. We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam sends a critical message to all generations regarding the evolution of recruiting and the importance of patriotism.

We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z, ISBN 979-8218236663, $13.59 Paperback, $7.99 Kindle. Available on Amazon.

About Matthew Weiss:

Second Lieutenant Matthew Weiss is an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Previously, he worked in mergers and acquisitions at a cutting-edge defense technology company. He holds a BS and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Most importantly, he is a member of Generation Z who cares deeply about solving this issue of service. Weis was recently interviewed by the NY Post about the Gen Z recruitment crisis. https://bit.ly/NY_Post_Gen_Z

Media Contact: For a review copy of We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z or to arrange an interview with Matthew Weiss, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 248-705-2214. Reach Lorenz on Twitter @abookpublicist.
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 41F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 23F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
FAYETTE, Ohio  The Ohio Department of Natural Resources recently celebrated the completion of 26 updated campsites at Harrison Lake State Park now fitted with full-hookup amenities. These hookups will provide electric, water and sewer to campers at the park.

These are the first full-service sites at Harrison Lake. The total cost of the project was $1.8 million. Located in northwest Ohio, the 142-acre Harrison Lake State Park is a popular spot for swimming, fishing, camping and paddling. People can book their stay at ReserveOhio.com.
COLUMBUS  Ohio 4-H youth development will be one of the first 4-H programs in the nation to offer high school students a work ethic certification. Designed by Mike Rowe, best known as the host of televisions Dirty Jobs, the work ethic curriculum will be offered under the Ohio 4-H Pathways to the Future initiative.

Ohio high schoolers can learn about the importance of work ethic, personal responsibility, delayed gratification and a positive attitude when it comes to future employment. Students who complete the program will receive a nationwide industry credential that demonstrates their ability to be an asset in the workplace.

Four Ohio 4-H professionals completed the training and can now offer the work ethic curriculum, and more 4-H and other extension educators are completing the training. Currently, the certification will be offered to students virtually every Monday and Wednesday, Sept. 18 through Oct. 4, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Learn more and register at go.osu.edu/mrwworkethic.
Agricultural scientists and researchers have welcomed news that the UK will rejoin the EU's Horizon research collaboration programme.

The government has struck a deal for UK scientists to have access to the worlds largest multilateral research collaboration programme, Horizon Europe.

Funding research in areas from agricultural science, climate change and improving food security, it brings together scientists and companies from more than 40 countries.

Britains membership of the 85bn flagship science research programme was agreed as part of the post-Brexit trade deal in 2020.

However, the UK was blocked from taking it up due to the long running dispute over the Northern Ireland trading arrangements.

The new deal, which has been negotiated over the last six months, will give UK research institutions opportunities to lead work to develop new agricultural research projects and technologies.

Professor Mark Horton, vice-chancellor at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), welcomed news that the UK will rejoin the programme.

He said: "The RAU has several Horizon Europe projects on animal welfare and farmer participation and we are all so excited that we can once again apply for new grants.

The world is facing a climate and ecological emergency and, at the RAU, we have experts who are keen to be able to expand their research with our European colleagues.

UK researchers will be able to apply for grants and bid to take part in projects, with certainty that the UK will be participating as a member for the remaining life of the programme to 2027.
A Cornish farmer has been praised for donating nearly 400 tonnes of surplus produce to a food waste charity, resulting in enough produce for just under a million meals.

Southern England Farms (SEF), based in Hayle, began donating its surplus vegetables to FareShare's Surplus with Purpose scheme in 2019.

Now co-owner Jane Richards, along with her 400 plus pickers, works with the charity to ensure any excess vegetables never go to waste.

Her farms, made up of over 6,500 acres, are a key vegetable supplier to several major retailers in the UK.

Jane now sees her partnership with FareShare as a passion project and urges other food producers to come on board too.

No farmer ever wants to see their produce go to waste," she said, "But sometimes circumstances mean there is a surplus that will often go into the waste trailer or simply become compost.

The scheme with FareShare is a brilliant way of ensuring excess produce is redistributed to those who really need it.

"It is so very rewarding when we find out how many meals our surplus veg has gone on to make."

FareShare is the UKs largest food redistribution charity and in 2022-2023 redistributed 54,000 tonnes of food, enough to make 128 million meals.

The charitys Surplus with Purpose scheme supports businesses across the food industry, from growers to manufacturers and wholesalers.

Currently, over 13 million people in the UK are facing food insecurity.

Ian Maddever, senior agent for NFU Mutual Cornwall, which supports the scheme, said many farmers waned to see their own surplus produce feed those in need.

We applaud Jane and all the team at Southern England Farms for their outstanding efforts in supporting the work FareShare does to alleviate food poverty in our communities.

NFU Mutual believes no one should go hungry and is committed to take action where possible."

Pooja Shah, commercial manager at FareShare, added: Receiving a regular supply of fresh fruit and veg is vitally important to the charities and community groups we support.

"By providing FareShare their surplus food, Southern England Farms has found a smart solution to manage their food waste that provides enormous benefits to those who are most vulnerable.
The amount of people in rural communities taking their own lives may increase due to the cost-of-living crisis, experts have warned.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) said it feared that suicides among farmers and other workers in rural areas could rise.

The warning comes ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, which takes place this year on 10 September.

Anna Daroy, BACP CEO said: We know that the cost-of-living crisis will have a profoundly damaging and long-lasting effect on the mental health of farmers and those living in rural communities.

Even before the cost-of-living crisis, male farm workers are three times more likely to take their own lives than the male national average, and every week three people in the UK farming and agricultural industry die by suicide.

"We expect these figures to rise as the cost-of-living crisis exacerbates the longstanding challenges farmers already face  including higher living costs, known as the rural premium, increased rates of loneliness, and isolation."

One solution to help the hardest hit communities was for the government to provide dedicated mental health support, she said, as the current support package for rural communities was 'not enough'.

"Much more is needed to recognise the on-going impacts of the cost-of-living crisis alongside other factors such as Covid, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, farm succession, and labour shortages.

"Were committed to increasing access to psychological therapies for those from isolated and marginalised groups and playing a leading role in this agenda.

BACP's fears about the impact on rural suicide rates stem from a string of data about how rural communities are being adversely affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Rural Business found that the average wage in rural areas is 7.5% lower than the urban equivalent.

At the same time, the costs of living in rural is significantly higher than in urban areas across the whole of the UK, for example, rural households in 2022 spent almost 800 a year more on fuel than those in urban areas.

Dr Jude McCann, CEO of Farming Community Network (FCN), a charity supports over 6,000 farmers each year, said counselling and other forms of support were vital for farmers.

"There are so many factors outside of their control and quite often it isnt just one issue that affects their health and wellbeing," she explained.

"Farmers are sometimes proud people and often assume that others need support more than them.

"We need to normalise help seeking behaviour  everyone of us will need help and support at some stage in our lives.
Sweden's first ever case of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed, representing another major leap for the virus and renewed concern for the UK pig sector.

The case in Fagersta, which is about 200 kilometres north-west of Stockholm, involved seven wild boars, with more tests currently being conducted.

Swedens Veterinary Institute said: At present, we do not know how the infection got in, but it is a long jump from the nearest infected area in Europe.

"We therefore assume that it has happened through humans and not wild boar."

The UK's National Pig Association (NPA) said the case represented "another major leap for the virus, particularly with Sweden separated by sea from other infected countries".

The risk of ASF entering Britain from the human-mediated pathway and moving products of animal origin remains at 'high'.

The virus can be spread via pork or by carrying it on shoes or clothes, tools or vehicles.

News of Sweden's first ever ASF case follows soon after the virus was detected on farms in northern Italy for the first time.

After initially being suspected on 17 August, ASF was confirmed on a small farm in the Pavia province in the pig-dense Lombardy region, where it had already been found in hundreds of wild boar.

It was then confirmed on two more farms close to each other, near Zinasco, in the same province, by the end of August.

According to local reports, on one, with around 1,000 pigs in total, hundreds of pigs died in the fortnight before ASF was confirmed.

ASF virus is now present in four regions in Italy, after being detected in wild boar in January 2022.

There has also been a marked increase in ASF outbreaks in the Balkans, as well as Latvia, Poland, Russia and Ukraine during the months of July and August.

Commenting before the latest outbreaks in Italy and Sweden, APHA said it was "a considerable increase in the range of ASF".

"Initial outbreaks in both countries were reported in domestic pigs, mostly in smallholdings close to borders with known ASF affected countries," the agency said.

"Since then, long distance spread to domestic pigs across Bosnia and Herzegovina has occurred, and ASF-infected wild boar have been detected in Croatia in regions distant to the initial detected infected area."

The potential high risk for non-commercial imports of pork products from ASF affected areas remains of high concern, APHA said.

It added there was evidence from inspections at GB ports suggesting that there were several vehicles illegally bringing pork meat into the country from some regions of the EU affected by ASF.

It follows recent research by the AHDB which warned that disease outbreaks were currently costing the British pig industry over 850 million a year.

This figure represents more than two times the approximate value of the industry.

Earlier this year, Red Tractor warned that the UK would be 'devastated' if African ASF were to reach its shores.

The chair of the pig sector of Red Tractor, Stewart Houston urged farmers to take action to help keep the deadly pig disease out of the country.
Bob Barker's girlfriend Nancy Burnet is reportedly in talks with officials in Los Angeles to name a town square in his honour.

Bob Barker's girlfriend Nancy Burnet is said to be in talks with officials o get a town square in Los Angeles named in his honour

The beloved host of 'The Price is Right' passed away on 26 August aged 99 after a battle with Alzheimer's disease and now it's been reported that his partner and his representatives are working towards securing him a memorial town square in LA.

Bob's longtime publicist Roger Neal has told TMZ.com they are working with City of Los Angeles officials to potentially create a Bob Barker Memorial Square at an intersection in the region.

They are believed to be in contact with City Council Member Hugo Soto-Martinez, whose district includes the Los Angeles area of Hollywood where Bob lived for many years, in a bid to find an area where a tribute square would fit.

Back in 2013, the City of Los Angeles previously honoured late comedian Carol Burnett with a square on an intersection close to the school in Hollywood which she attended as a child.

Mickey Rooney was also honoured with a town square named in his honour in 2015.

Bob - who hosted iconic game show 'The Price is Right' for a total of 35 years passed away at his Los Angeles home last month and his representative confirmed the sad news in a statement: It is with profound sadness that we announce that the Worlds Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us."

Speaking about his long career, the telly star admitted he had "never" studied speech or aimed for a career on camera before he had been working for a local radio station and ended up as an announcer by chance. During a speech at the Emmys Awards in 2000, he said: I had never studied speech. Id never studied drama. I had never been in a school play. I had never been before an audience and I was on duty there as an announcer. Ted Tucker, bless him, didnt show up. I didnt even have time to get nervous. Im out there doing it live.
Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in his rape case.

Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison

The 47-year-old actor was previously found guilty of two counts of forcible rape against two women, and Masterson was given his sentence by Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday (07.09.23).

The judge said: "Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person's choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that's why you are here."

The victims - both of whom are former members of the Church of Scientology - attended the hearing in Los Angeles.

George Gascon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, has praised the victims for the bravery they've shown throughout the process.

He said: "This has been a long and arduous road for the victims of Mr. Masterson. They not only survived his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims.

"I applaud their courage for coming forward and participating in this process. My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others. I also want to thank the entire trial team. This was a very difficult case but due to their hard work, experience and commitment, justice was finally served today.

"One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women."

Meanwhile, Shawn Holley, the actor's lawyer, is still confident that the "convictions will be overturned".

He said in a statement: "The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately, led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that's what happened here.

"Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we and the appellate lawyers - the best and the brightest in the country - are confident that these convictions will be overturned."
Jailed actor Danny Masterson is reportedly being kept under surveillance for signs of mental health distress while he's behind bars.

Danny Masterson is reportedly being closely monitored while he's behind bars

The 'That '70s Show' star was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday (07.09.23) after being convicted of raping two women in 2003 and a new report suggests he's being closely monitored while he remains in jail awaiting a transfer to a California state prison where he will serve out his sentence.

TMZ.com reports Masterson is under 24-hour video surveillance with deputies checking on him in his cell every 30 minutes and the outlet states the actor will be taken for a mental health examination if he shows any signs of mental distress or discloses a mental health issue.

Masterson's lawyer Shawn Holley has told TMZ the actor feels "mentally strong" and is confident his conviction will be overturned on appeal.

The TV star was handed his sentence by Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday (07.09.23) who told him: "Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person's choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that's why you are here."

The two victims both attended the hearing in Los Angeles and George Gascon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, praised them for their bravery, saying: "This has been a long and arduous road for the victims of Mr. Masterson. They not only survived his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims. "I applaud their courage for coming forward and participating in this process. My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others. I also want to thank the entire trial team. This was a very difficult case but due to their hard work, experience and commitment, justice was finally served today. "One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women."
King Charles accession to the throne has been marked with 21-gun salute in Hillsborough.

Gun salute marks first anniversary of King Chares' accession to the throne

The 74-year-old monarch acceded to the throne upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth - who passed away at the age of 96 following a 70-year-reign - on September 8 2022 and the bittersweet occasion was marked with salute at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland, fired by Army reservists from 206 (Ulster) Battery, 105 Royal Artillery.

Colonel Matt Wills, the Assistant Commander of the 38 Irish Brigade and the Northern Ireland garrison, said: " Were happy and excited because its an anniversary of the accession of our new king, but at the same time an accession usually follows a death and so it was only 12 months ago that we lost the late Queen, which probably is still affecting all of us."

The occasion was also marked with a 41-gun salute at midday in London's Hyde Park, as well as 62-gun salute fired at the Tower of London by The Honourable Artillery Company.

Elsewhere, as the nation marked the loss of Her Late Majesty, King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla attended a memorial service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral.

The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: 'It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth. I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss. But we were also glad, just as the family were able to gather here last year, some members of the family were able to be here.

"And wherever they might be, in their own homes or wherever, I'm glad that people will have the opportunity to reflect and gives some thanks for the life of the Queen."

The Prince and Princess of Wales attended another memorial service at St. Davids Cathedral in St Davids in Pembrokeshire, whilst the King and Queen will remember the life of Queen Elizabeth with private prayers at Balmoral, where she passed away just after 3pm.

They wrote on Instagram: "Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W and C"
King Charles has paid tribute to the "devoted service" of Queen Elizabeth on the anniversary of his mother's death.

King Charles has paid tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth

The 74-year-old king has marked one year since the monarch passed away aged 96 by releasing a photograph previously unseen by the public, which was taken by late legendary photographer Cecil Beaton in 1968, accompanied by a touching message of reflection.

Charles said in the message: "In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us."

The king went on to express his gratitude for the "love and support" he and wife Queen Camilla have experienced over the year as they have taken on their new roles.

He added: "I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."

The king and queen had originally planned to mark the anniversary in "quiet contemplation" at home in Scotland, but in recent weeks had a change of heart after being "deeply touched" by the public wave of grief in response to Elizabeth's death.

They opted not to return to their own Birkhall home on the Balmoral estate on Thursday (07.09.23) night, but instead stayed at the castle itself, where the queen died during her annual summer break in Scotland, and plan to stay there on Friday (08.09.23) night too.

A source told MailOnline: "I think it will be of comfort to be surrounded by so much that was familiar to her."

Another insider explained the couple will "balance between reflecting properly on the public nature of moment but finding the space for privacy to reflect in private".

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales will commemorate the life of the queen at St David's Cathedral in Wales, with a source explaining it was important to Prince William and his wife Catherine to be in the country to honour their new titles and the bond Elizabeth had with the Welsh nation.

A 41-gun salute will be fired at midday in London's Hyde Park on the order of Captain Amy Cooper, who was the lead rider in the procession that carried the queen's coffin to lie in state at Westminster Hall.

At the Tower of London, the Honourable Artillery Company will carry out at 62-gun salute, and at 1pm, the bells will ring at Westminster Abbey to mark Charles' accession to the throne.
Leonardo DiCaprio "adores" Vittoria Ceretti.

Leonardo DiCaprio is said to be smitten with Vittoria Ceretti

The 48-year-old actor has been romantically linked to the 25-year-old model in recent months, and DiCaprio is said to be "besotted" with the brunette beauty.

A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: "Vittoria is a beautiful girl, but Leonardo is of course surrounded by many beautiful girls most of the time.

"But he adores her and she him, they have been spending a lot of time together this summer, travelling around on romantic trips.

"It has obviously led to much chatter within his circle that Leo is ready to hang up his lothario ways.

"There have been many women pictured with him, partying with him, but what he has with Vittoria is much more serious."

DiCaprio has dated a host of well-known women over the years, including the likes of Gisele Bundchen and Bar Refaeli, and earlier this year, the Hollywood star was also linked to Gigi Hadid.

However, a source subsequently insisted that they simply "respect each other and have fun when theyre together".

The insider told Us Weekly: "Leo and Gigi still talk on occasion, and they see each other fairly often because they travel in similar circles of friends."

Despite this, Gigi is "more than happy living the single life".

The blonde beauty - who has Khai, two, with her ex-boyfriend Zayn Malik - isn't looking to settle down for the time being, and is instead focused on her career and her daughter.

The insider shared: "They respect each other and have fun when theyre together, but its not the type of situation Gigi would settle down for. Shes more than happy living the single life and focusing on her daughter and her career."
The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid tribute to the "extraordinary life and legacy" of Queen Elizabeth.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth

Prince William and his wife Catherine have shared a personal tribute to the late monarch on the one-year anniversary of her death on Friday (08.09.23), admitting they still "miss" her presence in their lives.

Alongside a slideshow of photos of the queen, including two featuring their own children Princes George and Louis, 10 and five, and eight-year-old Princess Charlotte, they wrote on Instagram: "Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W + C"

Meanwhile, Sarah, Duchess of York praised the queen for being a "second mother" to her and expressed her delight that her own daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie - who she has with her ex-husband, Elizabeth's second son Prince Andrew - had inherited her "courage and heart".

The 63-year-old author shared an archive photo of the queen on Instagram and wrote: "You were a wonderful friend, a mentor, a second mother to me and grandmother to my daughters who share so much of your courage and heart. You will always be loved and missed by our family and our nation."

Sarah's younger daughter, Eugenie, vowed the queen will be "always in [her] heart".

Sharing a photo of them sitting on a bench together, she wrote on Instagram: "Thinking of you today.

Missing you so much but remembering what a life of service, love and dedication to everyone and to your family, who loved you so very much. Forever grateful to you. And always in my heart.

The royal family's official account on X also shared a photo of the queen in her younger years.

It was captioned: "In loving and everlasting memory.

"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 21st April 1926  8th September 2022.

Earlier in the day, King Charles released a touching tribute to his mother.

He said in a statement: "In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us."

The king went on to express his gratitude for the "love and support" he and wife Queen Camilla have experienced over the year as they have taken on their new roles.

He added: "I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."
An iconic voice guided the Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) scientists during their satellite launches and the voice belonged to none other than ISROs veteran scientist N Valarmathi. She passed away due to cardiac arrest which was confirmed by her former ISRO Director and colleague Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan. Her last countdown was for Indias celebrated lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3.A former ISRO Director Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan took to X, formerly Twitter, to condole her demise and wrote, The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 was her final countdown announcement. An unexpected demise . Feel so sad.Pranams!A native of Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu, Valarmathi attended Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary school and later pursued engineering from the Government College of Technology in Coimbatore. She joined ISRO in 1984 and played a pivotal role in numerous missions. Notably, she served as the project director of RISAT-1, India's first indigenously developed Radar Imaging Satellite (RIS) and the country's second such satellite.In 2015, she made history by becoming the first recipient of the Abdul Kalam Award, which was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu in honour of the former president, Dr. Abdul Kalam. Following the announcement of her passing, condolences have been pouring in from social media users and her fellow colleagues.Also Read: Meet Nigar Shaji, Leading India's Solar Mission Aditya L1
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Zeenat Aman is well-known for her roles in a number of highly praised films, including Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Don, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and others. Fans have been eagerly anticipating the 71-year-old actress' musings on various subjects ever since she made her Instagram debut a few months ago. Zeenat Aman has been honest about many areas of her job, but in her most recent post, she shared a touching surprise she received during a trip to Oslo in 2016.She posted a picture on Instagram and wrote, In 2016, while attending a film festival in Oslo, I received a wonderful surprise on stage. I was being felicitated for my contribution to Indian cinema, when Norways Postal Department issued a special stamp in my honour. I was also presented with a giant replica of it and 60 stamps for my own use."She continued, I was thrilled by this novel gesture of appreciation, but wasnt sure whether the stamps would actually work. So the very next morning, I bought a ream of postcards, wrote out messages to my friends, slapped a Zeenat Aman stamp onto each, crossed my fingers, and dropped the cards into a postbox.Some weeks later, when I was back in Bombay, I began to receive texts and calls from my friends. All of whom were exclaiming with delight, having received my postcards in the mail!"The stamps were only printed in small quantities, and Zeenat meticulously preserved the few sheets that were left. She penned,I suppose a limited number of these stamps were released and that they are out of print now. Ive kept my few remaining sheets carefully though, since I really did feel honoured by this gesture."
Aaliya Siddiqui Deportation: The tumultuous saga surrounding the divorce of actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his ex-wife Aaliya Siddiqui has taken yet another unexpected turn. Aaliya Siddiqui, who was an part of the second season of Bigg Boss OTT 2 is currently residing in Dubai with their children due to their school commitments.

Nawazuddin and Aaliya's feud grabbed headlines earlier this year when Aaliya accused her estranged husband of abuse, rape, and the misuse of his power. She also alleged that Nawazuddin had 'disowned' their children and claimed that his mother, Mehrunisa, had prevented her from entering his Mumbai residence.

AALIYA SIDDIQUI ISSUED DEPORTATION NOTICE

While the dispute appeared to have subsided following several court proceedings, it has now taken a different turn. In the latest development, Aaliya has been served with an eviction notice by Dubai Rental Disputes officials. Additionally, the Dubai government has issued a deportation notice to her for failing to pay rent.

According to a report from ETimes, Aaliya Siddiqui received a visit from officials from the Dubai Rental Disputes department on September 7th, accompanied by an eviction notice. Furthermore, the Dubai government has issued a deportation notice to Aaliya as she failed to pay her rent obligations.

It's worth mentioning that despite a request from the Bombay High Court for Nawazuddin Siddiqui to provide financial transaction details, the actor failed to comply.

AALIYA SIDDIQUI SEEKS SUPPORT FROM INDIAN EMBASSY IN DUBAI

The eviction notice served to Aaliya Siddiqui requires her to pay a staggering sum of 27,183,00 dirhams, equivalent to the rental value, to avoid eviction and potential legal consequences. If she fails to meet this financial obligation, she could be forced to leave Dubai.In response to this challenging situation, it is reported that Aaliya is seeking assistance from the Indian Embassy in Dubai.

In her previous interactions with the media, Aaliya had said, "I want him to have the Dubai house agreement changed in his name. He is going to be the provider and if anything goes wrong here for us, it will give us more security if he holds the reins.As for the money part, Nawaz has been now paying up as per the Court orders. I think we should settle the Agreement thing in this visit."
Parineeti Chopra Raghav Chadha First Meeting: Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra and AAP leader Raghav Chadha's romantic relationship is currently a hot topic of discussion. They officially exchanged rings back in May of this year at Kapurthala House, Delhi.

There are several reports that claim that their wedding will be held in Udaipur this year. In the midst of all this speculation, Raghav recently went candid about his first meeting with his fiancee and called it 'magical'.

Parineeti Chopra's fiance, Raghav Chadha Opens Up On Their 1st Meeting

Speaking to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia in a chat, Raghav was asked about his first meeting with Parineeti and said, "Hum jaise bhi mile (However we met), it was very magical and a very organic way of meeting.

He added, "It is something that I thank god every day for, for giving me Parineeti in my life... Bahut badi blessing hai (It's a huge blessing) and I am extremely happy that I have her as my partner. As I said, I thank god every single day for giving her to me."

Parineeti-Raghav Wedding Date REVEALED, Couple To Have Week-Long Ceremony In Udaipur, More Deets Inside

In the same conversation, when the interviewer told the Aam Aadmi Party leader that the entire nation is eagerly looking forward to their union, he added, "Main desh se zyada khush hoon (I am happier than the country)."

Parineeti and Raghav wedding details

According to reports, Parineeti and Raghav will be exchanging wedding vows in the third week of September at The Leela Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan. The week-long wedding will take place from 17 to 24 September.

Earlier, in an exclusive report, Hindustan Times quoted a source as saying, "Only close family members and friends will be staying there. For the other guests, all luxury properties in and around the wedding venue have been booked. It's going to be a grand Punjabi wedding."

Recently, the couple's wedding reception invitation went viral on the internet, and it read, "Alka and Sunil Chadha, parents of Raghav Chadha invite you for the Reception lunch of their son 'Raghav and Parineeti, daughter of Reena & Pawan Chopra on 30th September 2023 at Taj Chandigarh."

Ent HIGHLIGHTS: Parineeti-Raghav Wedding Reception In Gurugram; Mission Impossible 7 Enters 50 Cr Club

Workwise, Parineeti will next appear in Mission Raniganj opposite Akshay Kumar, which is releasing on October 6. She also has Imtiaz Ali's musical Chamkila opposite Diljit Dosanjh in her kitty.
Marimuthu Dies Without Moving Into Dream House Photo Credit: Gallery

G Marimuthu aka Ethirneechal Marimuthu died of a sudden cardiac arrest in Chennai on September 8. Condolences have been pouring in from the entire industry and fans.

Marimuthu's Dream House

Marimuthu had built a dream house after 27 years of his marriage in Chennai. However, the actor-filmmaker died without moving into it.

Speaking in an interview on a YouTube channel, Marimuthu was quoted saying, "In 27 years of our marriage, we lived in only rental properties. Now, I finally bought my own house, a dream house. To own a house is a dream to many and for people who move to Chennai from nearby places, it is very special. My dream had come true. I bought a big, own dream house.

The house is in the Manapakkam area. Me and my wife named the house after our pet Malar. We are going to call the house Malar."

Marimuthu, as reported by Hindustan Times, mentioned, "I always look at the house's plan and suggest necessary changes accordingly. I made every bit of it according to personal taste."

However, in a sad turn of events, Marimuthu died suddenly of a heart attack while dubbing for his role in the Ethirneechal television show for Sun TV, on September 8.

He never moved into it and lived there in his dream house. This fact aggravated the depth of his physical loss to his family, relatives, and friends.

Marimuthu hails from Theni and ran away to Chennai in 1990 to enter the film industry. He worked odd jobs before meeting Lyricist Vairamuthu and becoming an acquaintance. He then joined director Rajkiran as an assistant for his films Aranmanai Kili and Ellame En Rasathan. He continued to work as an AD to Mani Ratnam, Vasanth, Seeman, and SJ Surya before becoming a co-director with Simbu's Manmadhan.

He finally made his directorial debut with Kannum Kannum (2008) starring Prasanna and Udhayathara. He also directed Pulivaal. He was last seen in the role of Panneer, Varman's aide who works for the Police, in Jailer.
G Marimuthus Last Wish Unfulfilled Photo Credit: Gallery

Kollywood's popular actor-director G Marimuthu aka Ethirneechal Marimuthu died of a sudden cardiac arrest in Chennai on September 8. Condolences have been pouring in from the entire industry and fans.

Marimuthu reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest while he was dubbing for his part in the famous television show Ethir Neechal. The actor-filmmaker was last seen in Rajinikanth's industry hit Jailer in which he played the role of Panneer, Varman's assistant.

Marimuthu's Last Wish Remains Unfulfilled

Marimuthu was closely associated with Ajith as he worked on several of his films as an assistant director in the 1990s. In one of his previous interviews, Marimuthu shared about their friendship.

According to a report from Hindustan Times, Marimuthu was quoted saying, "Ajith helped me a lot. He is very fond of me. It's out of touch right now. A little far away. I am going to act with him in my next film. Then I am going to share everything with him.

Aasi, while working with him during Vaali, was very sweet and he used to take me on his bike. Ajith is a very simple person. During the shooting times, Aasi used to wear a helmet and came to the location on his bike. This was during Vaali.

Ajith Paid School Fees For Marimuthu's Son

When I shared with Ajith that I wanted to enroll my son in a good school and couldn't afford the admission fee, Ajith immediately sent his manager and settled it for me. He paid my son's fee for the next eight years. Whenever I used to go to the school to clear the payments, they told me that they already received it from Ajith's office. I just don't have words to thank him."

Marimuthu then continued, "I could not meet Ajith after Veeram. His lifestyle changed and he became a hardened man due to the betrayal he faced. He built his life around his wife, and children, and is a family man. He arranged houses for all his workers and made decisions without even thinking twice."

The actor's death was reportedly predicted by an astrologer, according to the buzz that is going around on the internet. He was 57 at the time of his death, and his funeral will be held at his house in Chennai at 6 p.m. on September 8, reportedly.
Star Parivaar Awards 2023 Best Dressed Celebs: It was a night to remember as leading celebrities from the Indian television industry gathered together under one roof to celebrate the success of their shows. Star Plus' artists including Pranali Rathod, Harshad Chopda, Gaurav Khanna, Rupali Ganguly, Bhavika Sharma, Jay Soni, Shagun Sharma, Pravisht Mishra, Vijayendra Kumeria and Himanshi Parashar attended the SPA 2023 event in Mumbai on Friday (September 8).



The telly town stars were dressed to impress as they sizzled at the red carpet, donning stylish clothes. Several leading heroines including Shagun Sharma, Pranali Rathod and Bhavika Sharma stole the limelight at Star Parivaar Awards 2023.

Our TV divas impressed the fashion police as they looked elegant at the red carpet of the awards ceremony. Wondering which actress hogged all the limelight with their sartorial choices? Grab a bowl of popcorn and start the reading session.

PRANALI RATHOD

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai's Akshara literally gave us princess vibes as she sizzled at the red carpet of SPA. Pranali carried the outfit with grace and panache, oozing confidence while striking a pose for the camera. She wore oxidized jewellery on her thighs to complete her look.

It was a risky look but Akshara nailed it with perfection.

BHAVIKA SHARMA

Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin actress Bhavika Sharma made waves at Star Parivaar Awards 2023 red carpet. She stunned in a thigh-high slit dress, flaunting her toned legs while posing for the paparazzi. Savi looked super hot as she arrived at the arena for the photo session.

Which actress impressed you the most? Do share your thoughts with us @Filmibeat
MIAMI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance released today in Miami a statement it has received from 30 deputies of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (parliament) condemning the military support allegedly provided by the communist regime in Cuba to the Russian invasion of their homeland. Among the signatories are deputies Olena Shulyak (Leader of the Servant of the People party), Oleksandr Merezhko (Chairman of the Rada's Committee on Foreign Relations), and Maryan Zablotskiy.

"We, people's deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, are deeply concerned about the presence and participation of forces and mercenaries loyal to the dictatorship in the Republic of Cuba in the genocidal invasion of the territory of Ukraine," the statement from the members of the Rada reads. "The military component of the cooperation of the Republic of Cuba with the Putin regime is a clear signal to the free world about the threat posed by the regime in Havana today."

The deputies' statement comes following news that approximately 1,000 Cubans have traveled to Russia, some knowing what they were going into, others not. Despite the Havana regime's claim that these Cubans were trafficked abroad, the Ukrainian government has hacked into Russian government databases confirming the means of travel and identities of those Cubans sent to Russia. This is an addition to the established presence of Cuban Black Berets (special paramilitary forces) receiving special training in Belarus and regular Cuban armed forces fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine.

In response to the involvement of Cuban citizens in the invasion of their country, deputies of the Rada have called on the regime in Havana to immediately cease its support for the Russian Federation. In the statement, they also "call on the international community, the European Union and the Paris Club to take all possible response measures aimed at ending economic cooperation with the regime in Havana, in particular, funding from European institutions."

"We commend and thank the deputies of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada for standing up and calling out this flagrant attack on their nation by the communist regime in Havana," said Dr. Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, Coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance who received the statement. "As a Cuban who is in constant contact with ordinary Cubans, my heart breaks knowing that our young soldiers are participating in the evil and destructive conflict that has claimed the lives of so many innocent Ukrainians. In particular, for those doing so against their will. I join the deputies in their call for the regime in Havana to withdraw from the conflict and for institutions like the EU and the Club of Paris to immediately cease their financial support of the regime."

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance echoes a call from the deputies of the Rada to those Cubans fighting in Ukraine to return home and fight for freedoms in their own country.

About the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance:

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance is a parliament in exile, comprised of a host of non-governmental organizations working together to bring freedom to the oppressed people of Cuba.

Contact: Silvia Gutierrez-Boronat, Directorio Democratico, silvia@directorio.org, 786-287-0775

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MUNICH, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- REPT BATTERO, an emerging BEV and intelligent power storage manufacturer, recently unveiled its eagerly-awaited carbon neutrality roadmap at the IAA MOBILITY Auto expo in Munich, Germany on September 5th. The strategy sets clear targets: achieve operational carbon neutrality by 2026 and further expand its sustainability efforts by 2035, emphasizing REPT BATTERO's commitment to reducing its environmental impact across all areas of operation. As the first new energy business to be backed by nickel mining giant TSINGSHAN Industry, REPT BATTERO has experienced rapid growth since 2017, leveraging its expertise in R&D and power battery system applications to become one of the top energy storage battery companies globally.

Outlined in the report is a two-stage plan with the short-term goal of, by 2026, achieving Operational Carbon Neutrality, which means significantly reducing carbon emissions across its entire operation, from sourcing materials to production. This is a major commitment, especially given the vast scope of the company's operations. The second stage in the roadmap stretches to 2035, with the objective of achieving Value Chain Carbon Neutrality. This latter goal ensures that every step in the product lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to end-of-life product disposal, is approached with an emphasis on reducing carbon emissions.

In an industry where sustainability claims are common, REPT BATTERO's detailed plan underlines a systematic approach to achieving its goals. By outlining these milestones in public, the company is not only taking responsibility, but is also inviting stakeholders, including consumers and partners, to participate and hold them accountable in this journey towards a greener future. The roadmap serves as a measure for the company's seriousness about mitigating its environmental impact and sets a benchmark for accountability and transparency.

Announcing the commitment, Dr. Jianyong Liu, ESG & Quality Director of REPT BATTERO, said, "Our Carbon Neutrality Roadmap encapsulates more than ambition; it represents a tangible commitment to a sustainable future. The roadmap includes specific environmental responsibility targets, a push for electrification, measures to cut down energy consumption and carbon emissions, and enhancements to our production processes. Collectively, we believe, these strategies will stimulate innovation and bolster our production management. This cohesive approach is vital for us to efficiently meet our carbon neutrality objectives and advance toward an ecologically responsible future."

REPT BATTERO's commitment to sustainability has been a multi-year mission, recognized by many organizations around the world and resulting in the company being awarded the Ecovadis Bronze Medal twice in a row, active participation in the United Nations Global Compact from 2022 onwards, and being honored with the Sustainability Contribution Award at the 2nd Green Zero-Carbon Festival in 2023. Each of these accolades reaffirms REPT BATTERO's commitment to sustainable business practices and sets a precedent for its future aspirations.

REPT BATTERO's dedication to carbon neutrality extends beyond the recognition it has received through prestigious awards. The cornerstone of the company's sustainable vision is the relentless pursuit of optimization and greater efficiency. By working on areas such as maximizing cell space utilization, ramping up the production pace, and optimizing equipment efficiency, the company demonstrates a tangible path to sustainable manufacturing. And with an unyielding commitment to incorporating renewable energy into its operational blueprint, REPT BATTERO is not just charting a course for its own sustainable future but is also setting an industry standard for others to follow.

About REPT BATTERO

REPT BATTERO Energy Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as REPT BATTERO), established in 2017, is the first enterprise invested by TSINGSHAN Industry in new energy field. By virtue of TSINGSHAN's rich resources of nickel mine, REPT BATTERO focuses on research and development, production and sales of power battery and system-level applications, and offers high-quality solutions for BEV and intelligent power storage. In 2022, REPT was among the Top 5 energy storage battery companies in global shipments and No.2 in domestic utility energy storage battery shipments. The company is on track to raise its total capacity to over 150 GWh in 2025. Please visit our website and LinkedIn for more information.

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KUALA LUMPUR & TAIPING, Sept 8, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - SPRITZER's Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) warehouse was honoured with the "Energy-Efficient Building" award both nationally and in ASEAN. In competing against 114 other nominees at the country level, the award was specifically obtained in the sub-category of zero-energy buildings at the National Energy Awards (NEA).Representing Malaysia at the 2023 ASEAN Energy Awards (AEA), a prestigious event hosted by the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) in Bali, Indonesia, Spritzer's ASRS warehouse winning, was the first building, in the Green Building Index (GBI) with a negative Building Energy Index (BEI) because of excess solar energy generation.Spritzer's automated warehouse system located within their main plant in Taiping stands as a testament to innovation and sustainability. Remarkably, this system operates entirely on energy derived from solar and other renewable sources, bypassing the need for conventional energy inputs. This achievement serves as a noteworthy milestone in the Company's ongoing journey towards embracing and promoting sustainability, showcasing their commitment to greener and more efficient practices.Expressing his sentiments, Spritzer's Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kenny Lim remarked, "We are deeply honoured and incredibly proud to be counted among the distinguished recipients of the prestigious "Energy-efficient Building Award" presented by the ACE and NEA. Our ASRS warehouse serves as a certified testament to the principles of green building. With unwavering commitment, we champion the cause of sustainable energy practices and remain firmly dedicated to our ambitious goal of attaining net-zero emissions by the year 2030."He further remarked, "Spritzer extends its heartfelt gratitude to NRECC, MGTC, and ACE for this esteemed recognition. We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to all participants for their truly inspiring endeavors in the realm of sustainability. Together, united in purpose, we shall pave the way toward a world of zero emissions."For further understanding of Spritzer's commitment to sustainability, kindly explore their website: https://www.spritzer.com.my.Spritzer Bhd: [Bursa: SPRITZER; 7103] [RIC: SPTZ:KL] [BB: SPZ:MK] [OTC: SPZRF]Source: Spritzer BerhadCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
EQS-News: TechnoServe / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

TechnoServe: United States (U.S.) Ambassador's Visit Celebrates Cashew as Cash Crop



08.09.2023 / 07:55 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.









United States (U.S.) Ambassador's Visit Celebrates Cashew as Cash Crop

She reaffirmed the United States' support of the West African cashew processing industry and shared her satisfaction regarding the encouraging results

Her Excellency Jessica Davis Ba, the United States of America's Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire, reaffirmed America's commitment to supporting the growing West African cashew processing industry during an official visit organized by TechnoServe's ( www.TechnoServe.org ) Prosper Cashew project.

Spanning across Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, Prosper Cashew has ambitious goals. It is on track to increasing cashew processing capacity in West Africa to 15% of its total production volume. It expects to create more than 4,500 new jobs-at least 50% for women-facilitate $61 million of investment in the cashew sector, and support processors to sell more than $200 million of cashew products into domestic, regional and international markets.

Krishanu Chakravarty, Chief of Party, TechnoServe Prosper Cashew, accompanied Ambassador Davis Ba on the tour. He also provided an overview of the five-year project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food for Progress.

"It was an honor to host Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba and demonstrate how Prosper Cashew is working to transform the cashew industry sustainably through a localized, regenerative approach," Chakravarty said. "We are proud to have the trust and support of the U.S. government on this project, which is well on its way to creating a better future for the people and communities. We look forward to the guidance and support of USDA's Food for progress program as we move from here and build a legacy of transformative change in the West African cashew industry."

I was thrilled to discuss Prosper Cashew's impact on the communities and their livelihood, along with matters related to environmental sustainability in the local cashew industry

Chakravarty shared the project's biggest successes and challenges in a strategy session with the ambassador. She reaffirmed the United States' support of the West African cashew processing industry and shared her satisfaction regarding the encouraging results.

West Africa is responsible for 45% of all raw cashew nut production today. Less than 7% of it gets processed where it is harvested. Prosper Cashew is changing that by working with processors like Dorado Ivory. The project builds partnerships, bringing together processors and other supply-chain actors, investors, and the public sector to keep the economic and social value of the cashew at its source in West Africa.

"Our team appreciated Ambassador Davis Ba's interest in West Africa's bid to become a leading supply source for premium, single-origin cashews for the U.S. market and beyond," said Dorado Ivory's Chairman Venkatesan Rajkumar. "We thank Prosper Cashew for promoting Ivorian cashew quality and standards, and supporting our marketing efforts."

Dorado Ivory sent off its 1,000th cashew shipment to the U.S. market during Ambassador Davis Ba's visit. Prosper Cashew plans to run a U.S. consumer campaign to promote cashews from West Africa.

Ambassador Davis Ba's meeting with Sarata Toure, the general manager and co-owner of SITA, a cashew processing unit, left a lasting impression.: "On behalf of the American people it is really an honor to see how our investments in the cashew industry empower beneficiaries in creating new jobs that improve the quality of life for those in the communities. I was thrilled to discuss Prosper Cashew's impact on the communities and their livelihood, along with matters related to environmental sustainability in the local cashew industry. Having the chance to meet SITA, one of the beneficiaries and to discover the company's unique journey was also an incredible experience and helped me reframe the way I think about how we are working in the sector." Her Excellency, Jessica Davis Ba, U.S Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire.

TechnoServe's project is set to continue through 2025 with a focus on strengthening and reviving existing cashew processing facilities, improving access to funds, demonstrating the business case for additional investment flows into the sector, and bringing together investors and high quality investees.

Distributed by APO Group for TechnoServe.

Download image: https://apo-opa.info/3Z8jw0l





Media Contacts:

Marlyse Gakpa

TechnoServe Cote d'Ivoire: T +225 05 65 31 86 44

mgakpa@tns.org

Trishna Gurung

TechnoServe US: T +1 202 785 4515

tgurung@tns.org



More information at:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3f9MNF2

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3dEtRy1

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3SAll1A



About USDA and its Food For Progress (FFPr) Program:

FFPr was established in the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) (Pub. L. No. 115-334). For a list of grant recipients and to learn more about FAS' investments in enhancing and strengthening agricultural systems in developing countries, visit https://apo-opa.info/3Pcbor0 .

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.USDA.Gov .



About TechnoServe:

Founded in 1968, TechnoServe ( www.TechnoServe.org ) is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty for good. A non-profit organization working in 30 countries, we work with people to build a better future through regenerative farms, businesses, and markets that increase incomes. Our vision is a sustainable world where all people in low-income communities have the opportunity to prosper.



About Prosper Cashew:

TechnoServe's Prosper Cashew project has the scope and scale to create a durable ecosystem that will remove barriers to rapid industry growth and build confidence in West African business. Executed in Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Ghana, the five-year USDA funded project acts as a catalyst for the cashew sector, strengthening and reviving existing cashew processing facilities, facilitating access to critically needed working capital, demonstrating the business case for additional investment flows into the sector, and bringing together investors and high quality investees.

For more information please visit: https://apo-opa.info/3Pcbor0

08.09.2023 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British property developer and house-builder Berkeley Group Holdings plc (BKG.L) Friday re-affirmed its outlook for pre-tax profits of at least 1.05 billion pounds across the current and next financial years, and likely to be weighted slightly to fiscal 2024. In its trading update for the period from May 1 to August 31, the company said its profits for the current year are expected to be split broadly evenly between the first and second half. Berkeley said it has over 90% of fiscal 2024 revenue exchanged, supported by a strong opening forward sales position. The company anticipates cash due on forward sales to be around 2 billion pounds as of October 31, compared to 2.14 billion pounds as of April 30. Berkeley further said it remains on track to be working capital neutral over the course of this and the next financial year. As announced in early August, a dividend of 59.30 pence per share will be paid to shareholders on September 8. Berkeley added that it is on track to deliver the next annual shareholder return of 282.7 million pounds or currently 2.66 pounds per share by September 30, 2024 through a combination of dividends and share buy-backs. Berkeley is holding its Annual General Meeting today. 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.
BEIJING, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fujian Dehua County Investment Promotion Meeting and Ceramic Enterprise Supply-Demand Matchmaking Meeting were held in Birmingham of the United Kingdom on September 4.

Fifteen ceramic enterprises from Dehua County of Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, brought over 2,000 excellent Dehua ceramics to the Birmingham Autumn Fair in the UK.

As early as 3700 years ago, Dehua had started making ceramics, becoming an important birthplace of Chinese ceramic culture. Ceramics are now the most important leading industry in Dehua, with products from over 4000 ceramic companies being exported to more than 190 countries and regions, said Huang Wenjie, party chief of the Dehua County.

In 2015, Dehua was awarded the title of "World Capital of Ceramics" by the World Council for Handicrafts of the United Nations, Huang added.

The establishment of a Dehua porcelain display area in the fair provides a valuable platform for supply and purchase parties to better know each other, he said.

"We established new contacts with Chinese manufacturers this year, allowing buyers to see that all manufacturers not only have beautiful products but also adhere to responsible purchasing principles," said Nicola Meadows, Divisional Managing Director for the Retail, Manufacturing and Engineering Division of Hyve Exhibition Group.

Four Dehua porcelain companies conducted promotional demonstrations at the event. An official of Fujian Quanzhou Shunmei Group Co., Ltd. told that the company has already established business dealings with several large retailers in the UK and hopes to further expand cooperation and market development through this expo.

The Dehua delegation also visited the famous British ceramic brand Wedgwood's Ceramic Culture Park and the Cross-Border E-commerce Oversea Exhibition Centre.

The Autumn Fair was first held in 1976. It is a long-standing and influential consumer goods fair in the UK. This year's fair attracted over 600 exhibitors and over 19,000 buyers from around the world.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/336010.html

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AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - The Netherlands' industrial production continued to decline sharply in July, largely due to a sharp contraction in machinery output, figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday. Industrial production dropped 8.3 percent year-on-year in July, faster than the 7.2 percent decline in June. Production has been falling since January. Among sectors, machinery industry output logged a double-digit decline of 21.6 percent, followed by the chemical segment with a 12.8 percent fall. Producer confidence in the industry was negative in August for the first time after 2020, as they were mainly negative about expected activity in the next three months. 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.
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Capgemini SE (CGEMY.PK), an IT and consulting company, announced on Friday that it has signed agreement to acquire the Financial Crime Compliance or FCC division of Exiger, a software as a service firm. The financial details of the acquisition are not divulged. The transaction is expected to close in the coming months. The deal is expected to strengthen Capgemini's offerings in financial crime, risk management and regulatory compliance services. The client roster of Exiger is seen to be highly complementary to the company and has major players in banking, capital markets and fintechs. The FCC division was founded in 2013 and comprises of experts located in North America, EMEA and APAC who specialize in advisory, analytics and managed services relating to anti-money laundering, Know Your Customer or KYC, anti-bribery & corruption, suspicious activity monitoring, sanctions, transaction monitoring, and fraud. With this deal, Capgemini believes that FCC division's deep-domain capabilities and advisory board of ex-regulators when combined with its network of alliances, will enable the company to create an end-to-end ecosystem to drive advisory led transformation in financial crime compliance. Currently, shares of Capgemini are trading at 168.90 euros up 0.42% on the Paris Stock Exchange. 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.
Zhuyeqing Tea is regarded as the gift of China in the New Silk Road after it was highly praised on 2023 international Tea day in Paris.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230904625082/en/

Gift of China: Zhuyeqing Tea Celebrates 10th Anniversary of the New Silk Road

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the New Silk Road Initiative and the 20th anniversary of Les Annees Chine-France (the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism), while 2024 will see the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, indicating further deeper cultural exchanges.

The 10th anniversary of the Initiative is an important opportunity to learn from cooperation achievements and deepen friendship. China has launched a series of celebrations to look back on the ten years of foreign exchanges. Recently, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency kicked off the "Chasing Dream On the Belt and Road" programme, which now arrived in Kazakhstan, the first stop of the initiative. Zhuyeqing Tea was presented as a "Gift of China" to Nugerbekov Serik Nugerbekovich, Chairman of the International Secretariat of Kazakhstan's state strategy agency G-Global, at Nazarbayev University. On the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhuyeqing Tea embodies the profound meaning of understanding the world through a cup of tea and good wishes: "Though thousands of miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together."

Tea has always been a precious gift in China's foreign exchange activities, and has shone through its importance in economic and trade exchanges along the Silk Road. Since the 18th century, the tea trade has helped to strengthen ties between China and France. Today, tea is deeply rooted in France as an essential part of life. The "Gift of China" Zhuyeqing Tea, featuring tea buds harvested in high mountain regions before the Qingming Festival, has been the top-selling premium green tea in China for 15 consecutive years. It is famous globally and has been presented as a gift to guests of honor from 60 countries. On this year's International Tea Day, Zhuyeqing arrived in Paris as the "2023 UNESCO International Tea Day's Special Recommendation", helping to promote exchanges between countries as a medium.

From Kazakhstan, the "Gift of China" Zhuyeqing Tea will travel through fourteen Eurasian countries along the Xinhua News Agency's Programme. It will soon come to France. Zhuyeqing Tea brings China's friendship and the potential for global cooperation and mutual benefit.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230904625082/en/

Contacts:

LING CHEN

+86-28-85293333

lingchen@zhuyeqing-tea.com

http://zhuyeqing-tea.com
The company will apply its cutting-edge AI technology to run a sub-study assessing the value of its novel imaging biomarkers

OXFORD, England, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brainomix announced today that they will be partnering with the TIPAL trial group to run a sub-study to assess the efficacy of its groundbreaking e-Lung platform. The TIPAL trial, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and sponsored by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals (NNUH) NHS Foundation Trust, is a placebo-controlled 52-week multi-centre study that is evaluating the impact of lansoprazole - a commonly prescribed medication for indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux - on patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a condition marked by relentless decline in lung function, but with a variable disease trajectory.

The 298 patients expected to be enrolled in the trial will perform home spirometry tests to measure their forced vital capacity (FVC). Daily assessments taken at baseline and 12 months post-randomisation will be compared to assess the impact of lansoprazole on absolute change in percent predicted FVC. Participants will complete weekly spirometry assessments at home during follow-up.

The Brainomix sub-study will be run in parallel using the Oxford-based company's e-Lung platform, an AI-powered image processing module and tool that standardizes the quantification of lung fibrosis on High Resolution (HR) CT scans to more accurately identify progressive fibrosis patients. At the core of this platform is a novel imaging biomarker, the weighted reticulovascular (WRV) score, which quantifies the extent of the lung affected by reticulovascular abnormalities, and has been shown to provide superior prognostic value compared with traditional measures. The primary aim of the sub-study is to determine the difference in change (between baseline and 12 months post-randomization) in WRV score between treatment with lansoprazole and placebo.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with the TIPAL study group, and to incorporate our pioneering AI technology into a prospective trial to help assess the efficacy of lansoprazole in IPF patients," noted Dr Peter George, Senior Medical Director at Brainomix and Clinical Lead for ILD at Royal Brompton Hospital in London. "We are highly motivated by the potential to harness our technology in a way that helps to speed up clinical trials, identify more effective drugs, and improve the lives of IPF patients."

Professor Andrew Wilson, TIPAL Chief Investigator, said "It is great to have the chance to incorporate the cutting-edge CT scanning technology developed by Brainomix into the TIPAL study. Not only will this venture tell whether lansoprazole improves the scarring detected on CT scans, but it will allow us to compare CT scan abnormalities to home-based lung function tests". More information about the TIPAL study, the UK's largest government funded pulmonary fibrosis trial, can be found at https://www.uea.ac.uk/web/groups-and-centres/projects/tipal

This study is funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR127479). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

About Brainomix

Brainomix specializes in the creation of AI-powered software solutions to enable precision medicine for better treatment decisions in stroke, lung fibrosis, and cancer. With origins as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, Brainomix is an expanding commercial-stage company that has innovated award-winning imaging biomarkers and software solutions that are used in more than 30 countries worldwide. Its first product, the Brainomix 360 platform, provides clinicians with the most comprehensive stroke imaging solution, driving faster treatment times and improving functional independence for patients.

To learn more about Brainomix and its technology visit www.brainomix.com , and follow us on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook .

Contacts

Jeff Wyrtzen, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer

jwyrtzen@brainomix.com

M +44 (0)7927 164210

T +44 (0)1865 582730

Media enquiries

Charles Consultants

Sue Charles

Sue@charles-consultants.com

M +44 (0)7968 726585

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LONDON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Although advanced economies have displayed resilience in the first half of 2023, the outlook for 2024 appears less optimistic. Unexpectedly, only Germany entered a recession among G20 advanced nations, suggesting that the impact of 2023's aggressive monetary policy tightening may be less severe. The past three months have certainly been marked by a mix of both positive and concerning trends. Adaptation and vigilance have never been more crucial for navigating this evolving global landscape.

With technology revolutionising any number of industries, the financial services sector is no exception. From mobile banking apps to artificial intelligence-powered wealth management platforms, Fintech companies are revolutionising the way we manage our finances. Moreover, there has been a renewed emphasis on financial inclusion, aiming to extend access to financial services to underserved populations. Governments, regulators, and financial institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of bringing the unbanked and underbanked into the formal financial system. The front cover article of the Pan Finance Q3 2023 edition explores how cashless societies can impact financial inclusion and uncovers the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for financial service providers.

Furthermore, Pan Finance continues to shine a spotlight on leading examples of best practice across the world of finance. Established to be a true measure of excellence, the Pan Finance awards look beyond the realm of the balance sheet alone, measuring success through innovation, stewardship of the environment and positive impact on society.

Frank Breuss, Co-Founder and CEO of Nikulipe said, "We are incredibly proud to have won the prestigious Pan Finance 2023 Award for "Most Trusted Local Payment Method Enabler - Europe and Africa". Nikulipe provides online merchants access to new customers in Fast-growing and Emerging Markets, by providing seamless access to Local Payment Methods (LPMs). Today, millions of people in Europe and Africa are still excluded from buying goods and services online, as they lack access to credit cards or even bank accounts. Nikulipe leverages its own payments- and banking infrastructure, to provide PSPs and global merchants uniform access to those Local Payment Methods, which are available and popular in those markets. This award is a great recognition for the hard work and dedication of our whole team, striving to make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people in Europe and Africa, by connecting them to the global economy."

Commenting on receiving the award as the Best Remittance Solutions for the African Diaspora - USA, Nairagram's Chief Business Officer and Co-founder, Gbolahan 'GK' Obanikoro, said, "Our entire team is incredibly proud of this achievement, as it underscores our unwavering dedication to creating efficient, secure and user-friendly remittance solutions that caters to the unique needs of the African community in the diaspora. At Nairagram, we believe that access to efficient and affordable remittance solutions is not just a financial service but a bridge to connect families, support communities, and foster economic growth. Ultimately, facilitating remittances to loved ones such as "mama," "papa," "sista," "broda," or "padi" in a hassle-free, and efficient manner is where we derive our Joy!". The President and Co-founder of Nairagram, Idris Ibrahim, said, "This award inspires us to continue pushing boundaries, fostering financial inclusivity, security and growth on the African continent, as well as delivering innovative and exceptional financial services to the African diaspora. We look forward to a future filled with even greater accomplishments, driven by our dedication to excellence and customer-centricity. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our talented team whose hard work has made this achievement possible.

"UniTeller's recognition as the Best Remittance Processing Solution and Excellence in Financial Inclusion speaks to our commitment to delivering exceptional solutions in the remittance industry." said Alberto Guerra, CEO, UniTeller Financial Services. "Through our Cross-Border and Remittance APIs and Digital Solutions, UniTeller facilitates efficient and secure payments uniting people and companies around the world."

Pan Finance is delighted to announce the following award winners in the Q3 2023 edition:

Allianz SE - Best Insurance Company - APAC 2023 -

Digido - Most Innovative Digital Lending Platform - Philippines 2023 -

Fineco Asset Management - Most Innovative Asset Management Company - Ireland 2022 -

HSBC Poland - Corporate Bank of the Year - Poland 2023 -

Nairagram - Best Remittance Solutions for African Community - USA 2023 -

NICE Actimize - Most Innovative Fraud Detection Technology - EMEA 2023 -

Nikulipe - Most Trusted Local Payment Method Enabler - Europe and Africa 2023 -

Qi Card - Fintech Company of the Year - Iraq 2023 -

Qi Card - Most Innovative Card - Iraq 2023 -

Santander Asset Management - Most Innovative Investment Manager - Europe 2023 -

Smartpay - Most Innovative Digital Financing Solution - Japan 2023 -

TD Bank - Banking Innovator of the Year - Canada 2023 -

UniTeller Financial Services - Best Remittance Processing Solution - USA 2023 -

UniTeller Financial Services - Excellence in Financial Inclusion - USA 2023 -

Wesco International - Most Innovative B2B Supply Chain Solutions - North America 2023 -

Worldremit - Most Secure International Transfer App - United Kingdom 2023 -

To learn more about these award winners, pick up the latest issue of Pan Finance magazine, available now:

Pan Finance Magazine Q3 2023

Featuring articles from:

Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Former Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning of Nigeria;

Andres Velasco, Former Presidential Candidate and Finance Minister of Chile, is Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science; Takatoshi Ito, Former Japanese Deputy Vice Minister of Finance, is a Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

About Pan Finance

Each quarter Pan Finance delivers key information through time-sensitive financial news covering world markets, industry analysis and c-suite level interviews. Content from renowned academics and leading professionals provides an accessible view of global trends, with a focus on finance, economics, infrastructure, technology and sustainability - www.panfinance.net

Contact information

Olu Emmanuel

Head of Research & Awards

+44 (0) 208 090 0874

research@panfinance.net

awards@panfinance.net

LinkedIn

Facebook

YouTube

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A business forum on China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Kazakhstan on September 7.

Yu Xiantao, economic and commercial counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, attended the forum and expressed his willingness to further encourage Kazakhstan companies to participate in the CIIE and showcase their high-quality products.

Yu added that he is looking forward to seeing more Kazakhstan companies and agencies join the 6th CIIE, which will take place from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

Five years on, the CIIE has been a witness to closer China-Kazakhstan cooperation.

According to a representative of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), which is the venue for the CIIE, Kazakhstan has always been a significant participant of the CIIE. Over the past five editions, hundreds of Kazakhstan enterprises participated in the Business Exhibition and occupied a combined exhibition area of 2,000 square meters.

President Tokayev of Kazakhstan even once described the CIIE as a "golden gate" for global commodities to enter the Chinese market.

Many Kazakh companies have achieved commercial success at the expo, with the intended turnover generated by these companies over the years totaling $430 million. Several of Kazakhstan's renowned goods like candies and dairy products have also become well-known to Chinese consumers thanks to the CIIE.

Egemberdieva Asel Yerikovna, deputy CEO of QazTrade, said during the forum that Kazakhstan is upbeat about its economic and trade cooperation with China as bilateral trade between the two rose 34 percent year-on-year to $24.1 billion in 2022.

Speaking of QazTrade's preparations for this year's expo, Egemberdieva said that the organization will once again help more Kazakh enterprises enter the Chinese market and make their products known to the world.

During the forum, a CIIE delegation updated the audience about the preparations for this year's event. According to the delegation, over 360,000 square meters of exhibition area has already been booked by more than 2,000 enterprises. The number of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises taking part this year is also more than that of the last edition.

Notably, the physical Country Exhibition will make its return this year. In addition, the World Openness Report 2023 will also be released at the 6th Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a key component of the CIIE.

For more information, please visit our official website https://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/ or follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok!

Contact:Ms. Cui Yan

Tel.:0086-21-968888

Email:ciie2022@ciie.org

Website:http://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ciieonline

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ciieonline

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SVM UK Emerging Fund Plc - Result of AGM

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, September 08

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SVM UK EMERGING FUND PLC

The Company announces that, at the Annual General Meeting held today, all 10 resolutions put to shareholders were duly passed including special resolutions 9 and 10.

The level of proxies received for each of these Resolutions is indicated below.

A total of 11 valid proxy forms representing just over 1.5 million shares were lodged with the Registrars. These shares represent approximately 26% of the issued share capital of the Company and the votes were cast as follows:-

Resolution Votes for Votes Against Discretionary Votes Total Votes Cast (Excluding Votes Withheld) Votes Withheld 1 Receive the report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022 1,536,799 3,251 0 1,540,050 0 2 Approval of directors' remuneration policy 1,491,749 45,101 0 1,536,850 3,200 3 Approval of directors' remuneration report 1,496,749 40,101 0 1,536,850 3,200 4 Re-Appoint Mr P Dicks 1,469,799 70,251 0 1,540,050 0 5 Re-Appoint Mr I Gray 1,464,799 70,251 0 1,535,050 5,000 6 Re-Appoint Mr J Harris 1,464,799 70,251 0 1,535,050 5,000 7 Re-Appoint The Auditors 1,531,799 51 0 1,531,850 8,200 8 Directors' authority to allot shares 1,486,749 45,101 0 1,531,850 8,200 9 Authority to purchase own shares 1,539,999 51 0 1,540,050 0 10 Dis-apply pre-emption rights 1,485,820 54,230 0 1,540,050 0

The total number of voting rights in the Company on 8 September 2023 was 5,995,000

*A vote 'Withheld' is not a vote in law and therefore is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes 'For' and 'Against' a resolution

In accordance with the UK Listing Authority's Listing Rule 9.6.2, copies of the resolutions passed, other than resolutions concerning ordinary business, have been submitted to the FCA's National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

A presentation on the Company is available on the Investment Manager's website at www.svmonline.co.uk

Enquiries:

Diane Miller 0131 718 5618

SVM Asset Management Limited

8 September 2023
Marijuana DeScheduling News Much To Do Over Nothing

WASHINGTON D.C. / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Attorney Megan Sheehan representing MMJ BioPharma Cultivation last month filed suit against the DEA for "dragging their heels" for the approval of MMJ's API Bulk Manufacturing Registration to grow pharmaceutical marijuana needed to produce its medicine.

MMJ BioPharma Labs, MMJ International Holdings, MMJ BioPharma Cultivation are the leading Pharma cannabis companies that have FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) filings to conduct clinical trials in Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington's disease.

MMJ has completed manufacturing of its proprietary dose form, THC and CBD non-synthetic soft gelatin capsule developed from marijuana plant extracts. MMJ will be submitting for FDA approval to utilize its medicine in human clinical trials.

Duane Boise the companies President stated " while there is significant speculation of potential DEA rescheduling and federal legalization, we believe it is just meaningless noise. MMJ has been strictly following the federal laws currently in place and this insures MMJ's success."

WHAT DOES POTENTIAL SCHEDULING CHANGES MEAN? REALLY NOTHING

MMJ Biopharma Labs has been awarded a DEA schedule 1 Registration and conforms with the Controlled Substances Act ("CSA") so MMJ is not affected.

What does the DEA schedule change mean?

Schedule I classification means that marijuana has:?

 High potential for abuse;?

 No currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S.; and?

 Lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. 21 U.S.C.  812(b)(1).

Schedule III classification means that marijuana has:?

 Potential for abuse less than drugs or substances in schedules I and II;?

 Currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S.; and?

 Abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence. Id.  812(b)(3).

HOWEVER THE DEA CONTINUES DELAYING MMJ CLINICAL TRIALS

Last October President Joe Biden asked the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") and the Attorney General to "initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law." Statement from President Biden on Marijuana Reform, White House (Oct. 6, 2022). Media outlets report, and HHS and Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") officials confirm, that HHS has recommended rescheduling cannabis from schedule I to schedule III. Bloomberg News reports that the National Institute on Drug Abuse agreed with the recommendation. Riley Griffin, et al., US Health Officials Urge Moving Pot to Lower-Risk Tier, Bloomberg News (Aug. 30, 2023). By recommending that DEA reschedule cannabis in schedule III, HHS has determined that cannabis does have medical value.

Cannabis in schedule III would require a prescription issued by a DEA-registered, state-licensed practitioner. Legitimate handlers in the cultivation, manufacturing and distribution chain would have to obtain registrations with DEA like MMJ. Registrants would have to create and maintain inventory and transaction records, file certain reports and maintain adequate security. Schedule III placement would loosen registration requirements for researchers.

Tim Moynahan the companies chairman stated "Now that the DEA and HHS agreed that marijuana is considered to have a current accepted medical use MMJ's approval is imminent."

Dr. Elio Mariani, MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's CEO stated "MMJ has followed the FDA's directives and we feel confident that we have fulfilled the FDA's request that 1. MMJ's drug chemistry is known and reproducible; 2. that there is a preponderance of adequate safety studies; 3. that MMJ will be conducting well-controlled studies to prove efficacy; 4. that the drug is accepted by qualified experts; and the scientific evidence is widely available.

MMJ's scientific breakthroughs and new research are now underway and MMJ BioPharma Cultivation will ensure that schedule 1 DEA approved researchers will soon be able to obtain their specific cannabis strains for clinical trials.

MMJ is represented by Attorney Megan Sheehan of Rhode Island.

For more information on MMJ, please visit www.mmjih.com.

Contact: MMJ

Madison Hisey

Email: mhisey@mmjih.com

203-231-8583

SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings











View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781917/mmj-positioned-to-win-dea-lawsuit-as-hhs-verifies-marijuana-has-medical-benefit-to-patients
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / In the ever-evolving landscape of global commerce, there's one course standing as a guiding star for those seeking to navigate the intricacies of importing from China, Increase your income and learn to import from China With a deep emphasis on imparting knowledge, this course is reshaping the playbook for successful imports. Entrepreneurs, both seasoned and aspiring, find themselves presented with an invaluable opportunity to unlock the secrets to thriving in the world of international trade.

This course is here to guide you on a journey, one that avoids all the costly mistakes commonly made.



It's time to boost your income, enrich the lives of your loved ones, reclaim more free time, and engage in something that truly ignites your passion.

The founder of this course Lennox Roach, driven by his thirst for knowledge and a determination to revolutionize import practices, embarked on an audacious quest to master the art of importing from China. His early ventures were punctuated by both triumphs and setbacks, providing him with invaluable lessons that would eventually crystallize into a blueprint for success.

As his journey progressed, the founder realized that his experiences-both victories and hardships-had the potential to benefit a wider audience. It was in this realization that the idea for the course was born. The aim was to empower individuals with a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted process of importing from China, sparing them the pitfalls that the founder himself had encountered.



"My mission is for you to achieve the same dream life as I have - to globe-trot in first-class luxury, work effortlessly from your phone, gift your dear ones the life they deserve, and rake in a six-figure income annually." Lennox shares.

Course Highlights:

1. Exploring Market Dynamics:

At the heart of successful importing lies the ability to identify products that resonate with market demand. This course equips participants with the tools to assess trends, analyze competition, and make informed decisions about which products are poised for success.

2. Navigating Costs and Profitability:

Understanding the financial landscape is paramount. Through the course, participants gain insights into calculating costs, from initial purchase prices to shipping expenses and tariffs. This strategic knowledge empowers entrepreneurs to ensure competitive pricing without compromising profitability.

3. Ensuring Compliance and Legality:

The world of international trade is rife with regulations and legal complexities. This course demystifies the process, offering participants guidance on business registration, certifications, safety standards, and more. By mastering these intricacies, participants can navigate the legal landscape with confidence.

4. Logistics Mastery:

A fundamental aspect of successful importing is navigating the logistical challenges of international shipping. This course provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of transportation methods, insurance considerations, and the steps involved in customs clearance.

5. Beyond Importing:

The course doesn't end with the basics. It equips entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools needed for sustainable growth. From devising effective marketing strategies to providing exceptional customer service and achieving scalability, the course sets the stage for long-term success.

Today, this transformative course illuminates the path for entrepreneurs seeking success in importing from China. Rooted in the founder's journey of perseverance and determination, the course empowers individuals with the insights needed to circumvent challenges and maximize opportunities.

Aspiring entrepreneurs who embark on this learning journey not only gain a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of international trade but also tap into the collective wisdom of an entrepreneur who has navigated these waters firsthand. It's more than a course; it's a strategic investment in a future fueled by expertise, innovation, and the promise of global success.

Through this comprehensive course, individuals will have access to the knowledge, insights, and tools needed to navigate the complexities of international trade successfully.

About Lennoxcargo:

LennoxCargo stands as a premier logistics enterprise, guided by the visionary leadership of Lennox Roach. With over 15 years of navigating the complexities of international trade, LennoxCargo is an example of excellence in the world of shipping and supply chain management. Our mission revolves around providing unparalleled service to our partners, supporting their unique shipping needs with tailored solutions. From maritime and air freight to land transportation and storage, we're committed to optimizing the logistics landscape for businesses across the globe.

Contact:

Paula Henderson

561-768-4444

phendersonnews@gmail.com

SOURCE: LennoxCargo

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782036/from-china-to-commerce-navigating-the-world-of-imports-with-expert-guidance
JPEG XS integration has delivered numerous broadcast monitoring projects

intoPIX and Bridge Technologies today announced the celebration of their technology partnership that started four years ago and fully focuses on an age-old and ongoing challenge for the industry as a whole: how to transport super-high-quality data from venue to venue efficiently, using as little bandwidth as possible, and ensuring the highest speed, the lowest cost, and the greatest visual fidelity.

Since 2021, the integration of intoPIX's cutting-edge JPEG XS compression technology into Bridge Technologies' flagship products, the VB440 and VB330 has opened up exciting new horizons for broadcast professionals by delivering an array of benefits to users globally. JPEG XS standard represents the pinnacle of transporting high-quality video. The triangular relationship between latency, quality, and bitrate would normally mean that as production quality starts to increase into the realms of 4K and 8K, there is a corresponding impact on delay and bandwidth requirements.

Katty Van Mele, Director of Business Development at intoPIX stated, "We're thrilled to witness the continued success of our collaboration with Bridge Technologies. Integrating JPEG XS into their products has unlocked tremendous benefits, ensuring Bridge Technologies remains a leader in broadcast monitoring. This partnership showcases how our technology empowers them to deliver exceptional quality while optimizing resources."

The incorporation of JPEG XS compression analysis into the VB440 and VB330 has fortified these products' positions as indispensable components in the broadcast ecosystem. The VB440, renowned for its extensive measurement metrics, and the VB330, tailored for real-time monitoring, have both been elevated by the infusion of this groundbreaking technology. With JPEG XS's lossless compression and remarkably low latency, broadcasters can achieve real-time production without sacrificing image quality-especially valuable in bandwidth-restricted settings or precise-timing-dependent long-haul networks.

By integrating JPEG XS technology, broadcasters can accomplish more with less, enhancing operational efficiency while upholding exceptional visual quality. Whether monitoring high-bitrate broadcast media or conducting real-time quality checks, these integrated solutions consistently offer profound insights and reliable performance.

Simen Frostad, Chairman of Bridge Technologies, underscored the importance of staying at the forefront of an evolving industry, stating, "Technology collaborations are meant to add value to the industry as a whole and I certainly love celebrating any successful outcome. In a number of projects that followed this collaborative partnership, the analysis of transport streams encoded with the JPEG XS standard is facilitated by both our VB330 and VB440 probes to provide operational insight in both production and distribution spaces. Let's keep on using as little bandwidth as possible while ensuring the highest in both production and distribution."

From September 15 to 19, both companies will showcase their technologies at IBC2023 in Amsterdam. Visitors can anticipate an immersive experience at intoPIX's booth (#10.D31) featuring the "JPEG XS in Action" exhibition, spotlighting the enduring success of the Bridge Technologies-intoPIX partnership and other accomplishments. Join them to explore these innovative solutions or visit their websites to connect.

About intoPIX

intoPIX creates and licenses innovative image processing and compression solutions. We deliver unique IP-cores and efficient software solutions to manage more pixels, preserve quality with no latency, save cost power and simplify storage and connectivity. Our solutions open the way to new imaging workflows and new devices, reducing costs in HD, 4K, or even 8K, replacing uncompressed video, and always preserving the lowest latency with the highest quality.

www.intopix.com

About Bridge Technologies

Bridge Technologies creates advanced solutions for protecting service quality in the digital media and telecommunications industries. The company's award-winning monitoring/analysis systems, intelligent switchers and virtual environments help deliver over 20,000 channels to more than 900 million subscribers in 94 countries. From head-end satellite ingress to microanalytics in the home network, Bridge Technologies offers patented innovation and true end-to-end transparency.

www.bridgetech.tv

>>Press Release image

>>More Press images

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Contacts:

Press contact:

Julie Van Roy

+32.10.23.84.70

press@intopix.com
FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Having sparked the interest in solar generator enthusiasts thanks to its dynamic and nimble offerings in the past, Jackery cements itself as the forerunner of portable power providers with its latest iteration of solar generators: Solar Generator 1000 Plus and Solar Generator 300 Plus.

Developed off the back of the company's Pro Series, these two new members of the Plus Series provide support for outdoor experiences such as camping, off-road travel, and in-home power outages. Both the Solar Generator 1000 Plus and the 300 Plus enable sustainable, safe energy access that is easy for users to harness through mobile application technology.

Boasting a high-powered output of 2,000W power, the Solar Generator 1000 Plus is adept at handling all essential household devices should a power outage or storm interrupt grid connection. Likewise, its capacity means up to 3 battery packs can be hooked up so that power capacity can be expanded up to 5kWh, enabling households to run off grid for up to 3 days.

Similarly adroit, the Solar Generator 300 Plus lends itself to campers, hikers, and emergency backup users in need of portable power in a lightweight, compact design. Coming in at 5 kg, the Solar Generator 300 Plus, along with its book-sized foldable solar panels, is a tote, demonstrating a convenience for storage and transiting.

Both products are part of the growing product offering depth of Jackery, which has already staked its claim to the portable power market thanks to the previous power series such as the Pro series. Last year, Jackery's Solar Generator 1000 Pro was introduced at IFA Berlin 2022 and met with enthusiasm, prodding the company to further pursue its mission to "Bring Green Energy to All." The company has taken the Pro Series and developed its products to be even more reliable, safe, and sustainable through the Plus Series, as evidenced by it winning awards for sustainability from many organizations, including the SEAL Sustainable Product Award for its Solar Generator 2000 Plus.

Founded in Silicon Valley and expanding globally over the past few years, Jackery has established itself as a prominent player in the portable power industry. With a strong focus on innovation, it has gained a reputation for revolutionizing the way consumers experience the outdoors, providing them with exceptional and sustainable energy solutions.

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Mr. Chew Sing Guan, Managing Director of Mercury Securities

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Mercury Securities Group Berhad is pleased to announce that the share application from the Malaysian public for its initial public offering (IPO) which was open for 5 market days and closed on 5 September 2023 has been oversubscribed by 45.45 times.Mercury Securities is an investment holding company and through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mercury Securities Sdn Bhd (a Participating Organisation of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad ("Bursa Securities") and a Recognised Principal Adviser by the Securities Commission Malaysia) (collectively "Group") is principally involved in the provision of stockbroking, corporate finance advisory services and other related businesses such as margin financing facilities services, underwriting and placement services, as well as provision of nominee and custodian services.Mercury Securities' IPO comprising the following:(i) public issue of 157,095,700 new ordinary shares in Mercury Securities ("Share(s)"), at an issue price of RM0.25 per Share, representing 17.59% of the enlarged issued Shares of Mercury Securities; and(ii) offer for sale of 71,512,300 existing Shares at an offer price of RM0.25 per Share, representing 8.01% of the enlarged issued Shares of Mercury Securities.For the public portion, 7,957 applications for 1,508,338,900 Issue Shares were received, which represents an oversubscription rate of 66.56 times.For the Bumiputera public portion, 4,969 applications for 565,774,500 Issue Shares were received, representing an oversubscription rate of 24.34 times.In total, 12,926 applications for 2,074,113,400 Issue Shares with a value of RM518,528,350.00 were received from the Malaysian public representing an overall oversubscription rate of 45.45 times.Meanwhile, the total of 22,325,000 Issue Shares available for application by the Eligible Persons were fully subscribed.Further, the Placement Agent has confirmed that 45,470,700 new Shares made available for application by way of private placement to selected investors as well as 44,650,000 new Shares made available for application by way of private placement to Bumiputera investors approved by the MITI have been fully placed out.The notices of allotment will be posted to all successful applicants on or before 15 September 2023.Managing Director of Mercury Securities, Mr. Chew Sing Guan said, "We are deeply grateful for the enthusiastic response we've received from investors for our IPO. This reinforces the fact that our Company's fundamentals and prospects have been positively acknowledged. We shall continue to upscale our growth and create value for our stakeholders going forward."Public Investment Bank Berhad is the Principal Adviser, Sponsor, Sole Underwriter and Sole Placement Agent in conjunction with the IPO.The Group is expected to list on the ACE Market of Bursa Securities on 19 September 2023.Mercury Securities Group Berhad: https://www.mercurysecurities.com.my/Source: Mercury Securities Group BerhadCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Denver, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - CBD of Denver, Inc. (OTC Pink: CBDD), is pleased to announce the closing of the acquisition of HOLISTICH GmbH a Swiss based company with a location in Vienna, Austria. HOLISTICH is focusing on cannabis tissue cultures offering Cannabis production facilities high quality cannabis clones.

HOLISTICH has an existing wholesale distribution and clone business that will immediately add revenues to Luxora. HOLISTICH is a great addition to the Luxora new business model as it already has a presence in Austria with the ability to ship products throughout the European Union. HOLISTICH has strong relationships with major shipping companies to expedite and limit the challenge of shipping. HolistiCH currently has a partnered portfolio of over 240 Cannabis strains and with the efforts of Luxora will be adding 30 new exclusive strains to its portfolio. This is all being prepared to execute on the roll out of the cannabis club model as soon as legislation is finalized with the German government. HOLISTICH will be able to provide seeds and clones to our cannabis club clients with exclusive strains which the company believes will separate Luxora from the other competion. This is an important step forward for the whole group as this acquisition offers us an excellent opportunity to access the European market. HOLISTICH is established as a player in the wholesale business in the DACH-Region of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and has long standing relationships to several players in the EU," comments LUXORA CEO Jan Schwager. "Additionally, the company has established good relationships in the area of cannabis clones' business which can be developed when the German and other European Markets are further opened."

The company will be integrated into the LUXORA Group in the coming weeks with LUXORA CEO Jan Schwager, taking over the role of the Managing Director for the Swiss Office and the Vienna Branch for the time being.

Additional updates from CBD of Denver

During the second quarter Libra9 generated revenue of approximately $179,000, with Luxora generating approximately $468,000 in revenue. While certain notes are coming due in September, there remains a two-year holding period before any shares into which the notes are convertible could be sold. Therefore, the Company does not expect that any of those shares would be able to come into the trading market. Please listen to our last Investor call for additional information.

The company wants to maintain a transparent relationship with its shareholders and please visit our websites and ask any question you feel is missing from our websites and public disclosures.

About CBD of Denver, Inc. (BERLINER INNOVATION)

CBD of Denver, Inc. is focused on acquiring profitable assets at attractive valuations to create value for shareholders. The company's team is dedicated to sourcing high-margin, innovative products that align with its values. The Company is offering a number of innovative consumer products through Libra 9 GmbH, such as the Magic Lappen and the BerlinR13 Anti-Slip solution.

Follow Magic Lappen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more information and updates.

Follow The Magic Lappen on Instagram: @themagiclappen

Shop on our website: https://www.the-magic-lappen.com/

Visit the CBDD/ Berliner Innovation: www.berlinerinnovation.de

See our innovative Anti-Slip product: www.berlinr13.de

For questions, please contact us at: investors@libra9.de

About LUXORA LLC

LUXORA LLC is a trailblazing entity in the European cannabis industry, with offices spanning the USA and Europe. Our core expertise revolves around unlocking the potential of the legalized cannabis market, offering Plug & Play solutions tailored to the dynamic needs of this rapidly expanding sector. With a profound understanding of the opportunities and challenges brought forth by legalization, our experienced team is dedicated to pioneering the future of the legal cannabis market in Europe. Our offerings range from consulting and market research to product development and distribution solutions, aimed at simplifying the path to legalization for our esteemed clients.

For inquiries, please contact Investor Relations: investors@luxora-holding.com

For more information, please visit: www.luxora-holding.com

Follow Us: Twitter | Instagram

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180020
CASPER, WY / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / 4xPip proudly offers a comprehensive range of innovative trading bots and solutions tailored for both MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms. With a commitment to quality, high-profitability, and superior customer support, 4xPip empowers traders across various financial markets, including forex, crypto, commodities, stocks, and indices, to make intelligent decisions.

4xPip's arsenal of high-performing trading bots, equipped with advanced algorithms and analysis techniques, leverages candlestick patterns, price charts, and market trends to deliver exceptional results. These auto-trading Expert Advisors (EAs) are designed to determine the optimal movements to enter and exit trades on Metatrader 4 and 5.

Notably, 4xPip is a famous company for custom programming of Trading bot EAs and indicators where traders' strategy can be turned into autotrading robots. They stands out for offering high-performing trading bots at affordable rates, making automated trading accessible to traders of all levels. The company prides itself on its unwavering dedication to providing top-notch customer support, ensuring that traders receive the assistance they need to thrive in the world of automated trading.

4xPip's extensive collection of EAs caters to a diverse range of traders, including both manual and automated trading enthusiasts. Whether the users are involved in forex, stock, crypto, indices, or options trading, 4xPip has a solution to suit their needs. These versatile bots are capable of performing across all chart types and timeframes, offering flexibility and adaptability. Some of 4xPip's top-selling bots include Trade Manager, Dashboard Scanner, News EA, High-Performance Indicators, and Custom MetaTrader Bots.

At the heart of 4xPip's mission is a commitment to revolutionizing the financial trading landscape and helping businesses grow by providing forward-thinking trading solutions and embracing digital transformation. The company has successfully transformed over a thousand manual trading strategies into tireless 24x7 auto-trading EA robots, empowering traders to achieve their financial goals with efficiency and precision.

Interested users can contact 4xPip for custom programming of their indicators and EAs on MT4 and MT5 platforms Because 4xPip aims to deliver exceptional trading tools and build high-performing bots for its valued clients, fulfilling its promise with enthusiasm and responsibility. The company offers a wide range of trading EAs to enhance revenue, including Forex News integration, License system, indicators, and Telegram integration. 4xPip specializes in MQL, Pine scripts, Python, and C#, and its dedicated team is committed to spreading the power of automated trading across the globe.

For more information about 4xPip and its innovative automated trading solutions, please visit their website.

About 4xPip:

4xPip is a provider of automated trading solutions for the MT4 and MT5 platforms, offering a wide range of trading bots and EAs for various financial markets. With a focus on quality, accuracy, and exceptional customer support, 4xPip aims to empower traders of all levels to succeed in the world of automated trading.

Media Contact

Organization: 4xPip

Contact Person: Abdul Manan

Website: https://4xpip.com/

Email: services@4xpip.com

Contact Number: +1 551 344 0181

City: Casper

State: Wyoming

Country: United States

SOURCE: 4xPip

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Renegade Gold Inc. (TSXV: RAGE) (OTCQX: TGLDF) (FSE: 070) ("Renegade" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the launch of its new website at www.renegadegold.com. Additionally, the Company is pleased to provide an update on exploration. With the largest exploration portfolio in Ontario's Red Lake gold district, Renegade is now at an advanced stage of planning for an extensive, multi-phase work program.

Expected to commence later this year, activity will initially focus on Newman Todd which hosts multiple high-grade gold zones and a large, near surface, historic 43-101 compliant resource estimate. The 2.2 km mineralized trend at Newman Todd is open in every direction with minimal drilling at depth. Data analysis suggests an extensive, heavily mineralized system exists at Newman Todd, and the Company is planning an accelerated zone expansion program.

About Renegade Gold Inc.

Renegade Gold Inc. is a growth focused company engaged in the business of acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in the Red Lake Mining District of Northern Ontario. As part of its regional-scale consolidation strategy, the Company has assembled one of the largest prospective land packages in and around the Red Lake mining district in proximity to major mines and deposits, as well as along the Confederation Lake and Birch-Uchi greenstone belts. The recent completion of the acquisition of Pacton Gold Inc. extends Trillium's ownership in Red Lake to over 89,600 hectares of prospective and diversified exploration properties with significant potential for gold and critical minerals on trend with the major structures hosting known gold occurrences in the Red Lake mining district today. A portfolio of prospective projects in Western Australia has also been acquired.

For further information, please contact:

Renegade Gold Inc.



Nav Dhaliwal

President, CEO and Director

info@renegadegold.com

Tel: 604-678-5308

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, the anticipated timing for completion of the Placement and use of proceeds therefrom. The words "anticipate," "significant," "expect," "may," "will" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Information. Forward-Looking Information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking information. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; that all requisite approvals will be received and all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, inaccurate assumptions concerning the exploration for and development of mineral deposits, currency fluctuations, unanticipated operational or technical difficulties, risks related to unforeseen delays; general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes; timeliness of regulatory approvals, the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits, changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets and the inability to raise additional financing. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this Forward-Looking Information. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update this Forward-Looking Information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/179975
TSXV: PGZ | OTCQX: PGZFF

Canada Honda copper-gold mineralization extended to 600m down-dip at east end of a 2km long east-west gravity anomaly

Zarcita drilling intersects narrow intervals of higher-grade copper within a wider zone of stockwork and alteration

Drilling at Escacena now focused on highly prospective western extension of the La Romana copper-tin-silver mineralization at Romana West

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pan Global Resources Inc. ("Pan Global" or the "Company") (TSXV: PGZ) (OTCQX: PGZFF) is pleased to announce positive results for its follow-up drilling at the Canada Honda and Zarcita targets at the 100%-owned Escacena Project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southern Spain. Both targets are located 4km north of the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery where ongoing drilling is extending mineralization at Romana West. Three follow-up drill holes have been completed at the Canada Honda copper-gold target and an additional 13 drill holes have been completed at the Zarcita copper target.

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the Canada Honda and Zarcita drill results and also provide an overview of current exploration and drilling at Romana West. An open Q&A session will follow a short presentation. For webcast details please see information at the conclusion of this release.

"The follow-up drilling at Canada Honda confirms copper-gold mineralization coincident with a gravity anomaly, and extends the copper-gold mineralization from surface to 600m down-dip where it remains wide open. The new results highlight additional gold potential in the hanging wall. The drilling is at the eastern end of a 2km long east-west gravity target, indicating potential for the mineralization to significantly expand, making this a compelling, high priority target for additional drilling," said Tim Moody, Pan Global's President & CEO.

Currently, drilling at Escacena is focused along the highly prospective western extension (Romana West) of the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery. In addition to the 12 geophysical targets that are being sequentially prioritized for drill testing, exploration on the 5,760-hectare Escacena Project continues to identify new drill targets. Initial assay results from the first set of drill holes at Romana West are expected soon.

Canada Honda and Zarcita drill hole locations are shown in Figure 1 below. Drill hole assay results for Canada Honda are summarized in Table 1 and collar details are presented in Table 2 below. Drill assay results for Zarcita are summarized in Table 3 and collar details provided in Table 4.

New drill hole results include:

CHD05 - 20m at 0.5% Cu, 0.8g/t Au, 1.9g/t Ag , including 5.1m at 1.3% Cu, 0.5g/t Au, 3.9g/t Ag (reported July 4, 2023); and new results including 2m at 1.6g/t Au

, including (reported July 4, 2023); and new results including

CHD06 - 7m at 0.6% Cu, 0.8g/t Au, 6.5g/t Ag , including 3m at 1.1g/t Au, 5.5g/t Ag

, including 3m at 1.1g/t Au, 5.5g/t Ag

CHD07 - 5m at 1.1g/t Au, 0.2% Cu, 2.3g/t Ag

Surface rock samples up to 9g/t Au

New untested DHEM conductor anomalies

The follow-up drill program included holes CHD05, CHD06 and CHD07. Drill hole CHD05, testing 150m down-dip from previous drill hole CHD04 and approximately 330m down-dip from a historical mine tunnel, confirmed copper-gold mineralization coincident with the targeted gravity anomaly. CHD06, located 100m east of CHD05, intersected copper-gold mineralization coincident with a DHEM target. Hole CHD07 tested a resistivity low anomaly 190m down-dip from CHD05. Each of the drill holes also intersected additional gold mineralization in the hanging wall.

DHEM in holes CHD06 and CHD07 confirmed new off-hole conductor anomalies for future drilling to test the potential for stronger sulphide mineralization. See Figure 3 below.

Anomalous gold assays from 28 rock grab samples at Canada Honda indicate a gold anomaly extending 200m west of the historical mine tunnel and up-dip from the recent drilling, with several samples reporting >0.1g/t Au, up to 9.0g/t Au.

Table 1 - Canada Honda drill results summary (all intervals close to true thickness); Results in italics for CHD05 were first reported on July 4, 2023.

Hole ID From To Interval Cu Au Ag Co Pb Zn

m m m % g/t g/t ppm ppm ppm CHD05 65.00 66.00 1.00 0.28 1.41 14.8 367 3430 4100

100.00 102.00 2.00 <0.01 1.61 0.5 414 37 39

203.00 204.00 1.00 0.06 0.41 9.3 603 3900 1.32 %

287.00 307.00 20.00 0.50 0.28 1.9 102 38 124 inc. 296.00 307.00 11.00 0.76 0.44 2.4 117 36 147 inc. 296.00 301.10 5.10 1.31 0.47 3.9 182 39 154 inc. 296.00 296.50 0.50 10.3 1.42 29.2 592 114 371 CHD06 57.00 58.00 1.00 <0.01 1.23 <0.5 155 8 45

73.00 76.00 3.00 0.47 0.05 1.1 109 7 82

101.00 102.00 1.00 0.06 1.13 17.8 41 6180 9380

120.00 122.00 2.00 0.11 1.36 0.5 54 6 35

188.00 195.00 7.00 0.64 0.80 6.5 240 390 412 inc. 188.00 189.00 1.00 0.80 1.32 20.3 117 2140 2280 inc. 191.00 194.00 3.00 0.91 1.10 5.5 413 91 96 CHD07 75.00 76.00 1.00 <0.01 1.13 3.6 266 261 299

241.00 246.00 5.00 0.19 1.09 2.3 219 525 1151 inc. 244.00 245.00 1.00 0.94 4.39 9.0 741 1760 3860

258.00 259.00 1.00 0.02 1.17 1.2 115 129 94

428.00 433.00 5.00 0.34 0.30 0.9 125 9 53 inc. 430.00 431.00 1.00 1.33 0.69 2.7 145 23 92

Table 2 - Canada Honda drill hole collar information (3 holes 1,238.95m)

Hole ID Easting1 Northing1 Azimuth (o) Dip (o) Depth (m) CHD05 737208 4156446 180 -70 443.40 CHD06 737336 4156389 180 -75 320.40 CHD07 737286 4156582 180 -75 475.15

1 Coordinates are in ERTS89 datum UTM29N

"The recent exploration drilling and mapping at Zarcita has highlighted a 2.1km long trend with anomalous copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. The highest potential remains centered on the historical Zarcita mine workings where drilling has intersected narrow intervals of higher-grade copper within a wider zone of stockwork and alteration. While untested down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) conductors, gravity and IP anomalies define prospective targets for future campaigns at Zarcita, the Romana West and Canada Honda targets are key near-term priorities," said Tim Moody, Pan Global's President & CEO.

New drill hole results include:

ZAD05: intersected copper mineralization from surface, including 14.45m at 0.2% Cu before entering a 10.5m assumed historical mine cavity



ZAD06: 5.5m at 0.7% Cu from 106.2m, including 1.85m at 1.6% Cu, 0.15g/t Au, 2.4g/t Ag

The completed drill program at Zarcita includes 17 holes for a total of 4,363m, along a 2.1km east-west trend. The holes were designed to test a combination of geophysical, geological and geochemical targets, and to acquire mineral alteration information to assist in identifying vectors to potential higher-grade mineralization. Results from the first four holes, ZAD01 to ZAD04, drilled on a single north-south section, were reported on January 17, 2023 showing copper grades increasing to 400m down-dip and narrow intervals of higher grade (e.g., drill hole ZAD04: 17m at 0.3% Cu, including 1.9% Cu over 1.1m). The new drill-holes, ZAD05 to ZAD17, were drilled on a 100m to 600m spacing along the trend. Much of the strike potential to-date has only been tested by single wide-spaced drill holes.

The most promising results are from a 600m section of the 2.1km trend, coincident with the Zarcita mine workings. This includes thin bands of semi-massive and massive sulphide intervals within a wider zone of stockwork veining and chlorite-sericite alteration. DHEM in holes ZAD01 and ZAD05 identified untested off-hole and below-hole anomalies, representing potential nearby stronger sulphide mineralization.

Drill hole ZAD05, intersected 0.2% Cu (oxide zone) over 14.85m from surface followed by 10.5m with no core recovery in an assumed historical mine cavity, and trace chalcopyrite continuing in the drill core below the cavity. Drill holes ZAD06 and ZAD15, intersected narrow intervals of high-grade copper. The mineralization remains open down-dip and along-strike within the historical mining area.

Table 3 - Zarcita drill results summary (all intervals close to true thickness to >90%)

Hole ID From To Interval Cu Au Ag Co Pb Zn

m m m % g/t g/t ppm ppm ppm ZAD05 0.00 14.45 14.45 0.19 0.02 0.3 33 60 281

14.45 24.95 10.50 No drill core - assumed historical mine cavity ZAD06 106.20 111.70 5.50 0.67 0.06 1.0 173 30 487 inc. 106.20 108.05 1.85 1.61 0.15 2.4 392 73 737 inc. 146.10 146.35 0.25 1.40 0.13 5.9 197 869 3680 ZAD07 No significant results ZAD08 130.00 132.00 2.00 0.10 0.06 1.2 12 245 2.09 % ZAD09 185.00 186.00 1.00 0.03 0.07 1.6 9 566 1.07 % ZAD10 No significant results ZAD11 158.00 159.00 1.00 1.04 1.44 4.4 146 77 314 ZAD12 51.00 54.00 3.00 0.08 0.01 5.3 24 6513 1.04 % ZAD13 No significant results ZAD14 No significant results ZAD15 41.50 42.00 0.50 1.93 0.41 6.5 362 186 1105 ZAD16 No Significant results ZAD17 No Significant results

Table 4 - Zarcita drill hole collar information (13 holes 3221.15m)

Hole ID Easting1 Northing1 Azimuth (o) Dip (o) Depth (m) ZAD05 738291 4156973 180 -70 179.40 ZAD06 738351 4157082 130 -55 305.00 ZAD07 738180 4157081 180 -50 241.10 ZAD08 737986 4156899 180 -55 201.85 ZAD09 737985 4156900 0 -90 203.50 ZAD10 737984 4157098 180 -70 356.25 ZAD11 737439 4156993 180 -55 275.35 ZAD12 738984 4157026 180 -60 230.20 ZAD13 738984 4157027 0 -90 179.50 ZAD14 738987 4157027 140 -55 124.40 ZAD15 738984 4157027 220 -55 117.70 ZAD16 737095 4157069 180 -60 360.90 ZAD17 739264 4157060 215 -55 446.00

1 Coordinates are in ERTS89 datum UTM29N

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the Canada Honda and Zarcita drill results and provide an overview of current exploration and drill testing at Romana West. An open Q&A session will follow a short presentation.

Date: Monday, September 11, 2023

Time: 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time | 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time

Please register in advance:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcumgqTksH9Qjcmz0fzUGukwCwrpLAVng

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Investors are encouraged to send questions or topics of interest in advance to investors@panglobalresources.com to be addressed following the presentation. A link to the webcast will be available on the Company's website at: https://panglobalresources.com following the live broadcast.

The Escacena Project comprises a large, contiguous, 5,760-hectare land package controlled 100% by Pan Global in the east of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Escacena is located near operating mines at Las Cruces and Riotinto and is immediately adjacent to the former Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mines where Minera Los Frailes/Grupo Mexico is in the final permitting stage with construction anticipated to start in 2023. The Escacena Project hosts the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery and a number of other prospective targets, including, Romana West, Canada Honda, Bravo, Barbacena, El Pozo, Zarcita, Hornitos, La Jarosa, Romana Deep, Romana North, and San Pablo.

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively targeting copper-rich mineral deposits, given copper's compelling supply-demand fundamentals and outlook for strong long-term prices as a critical metal for global electrification and energy transition. The Company's flagship Escacena Project is located in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in southern Spain, where infrastructure, mining and professional expertise, and support for copper as a Strategic Raw Material by the European Commission collectively define a tier-one jurisdiction for mining investment. The Pan Global team comprises proven talent in exploration, development, and mine operations - all of which are committed to operating safely and with utmost respect for the environment and our partnered communities.

Core size was HQ (63mm) and all samples were  core. Nominal sample size was 1m core length and ranged from 0.5 to 2m. Sample intervals were defined using geological contacts with the start and end of each sample physically marked on the core. Diamond blade core cutting and sampling was supervised at all times by Company staff. Duplicate samples of  core were taken approximately every 30 samples and Certified Reference materials inserted every 25 samples in each batch.

Drill core and rock samples were delivered to ALS laboratory in Seville, Spain and assayed at the ALS laboratory in Ireland. All samples were crushed and split (method CRU-31, SPL22Y), and pulverized using (method PUL-31). Gold analysis was by 50gm Fire assay with ICP finish (method Au-ICP22) and multi element analysis was undertaken using a 4-acid digest with ICP AES finish (method ME-ICP61). Over grade base metal results were assayed using a 4-acid digest ICP AES (method OG-62). Over grade tin was determined using peroxide fusion with ICP finish (method Sn-ICP81x).

James Royall, Vice President Exploration for Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information for this news release. Mr. Royall is not independent of the Company.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

www.panglobalresources.com

Forward-looking statements

Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this news release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

CONTACT: Jason Mercier, VP Investor Relations and Communications, jason@panglobalresources.com, +1 778 372-7101

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - ALX Resources Corp. (TSXV: AL) (FSE: 6LLN) (OTC: ALXEF) ("ALX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the remobilization of its lithium exploration crew to the western area of the Hydra Lithium Project ("Hydra") located in the Eeyou Istchee-James Bay region of Quebec, Canada. Hydra is the subject of a 50%-50% joint venture between ALX and Forrestania Resources Limited (ASX: FRS) of West Perth, Australia ("Forrestania") formed to explore for lithium-cesium-tantalum ("LCT") bearing pegmatites, with ALX as operator.

ALX resumed surface exploration in the northeastern area of Hydra at the Python East and Python West sub-projects in the third week of August 2023. A total of 37 samples were collected from outcrop and boulders during the Python East and Python West work programs, all of which are currently in shipment. Following the conclusion of the prospecting program in the eastern Hydra area, ALX's geological team mobilized back to the western Hydra area and began surface exploration at the Cobra and Viper projects on September 5, 2023. Exploration in the western area of Hydra was halted on June 4, 2023 by order of the Government of Quebec due to the high forest fire risk, a restriction which has now been lifted due to increased rainfall in the region.





ALX geologist sampling outcrop at Python East, August 2023



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Exploration at the Cobra, Viper, Nike, Echo and Sprite sub-projects is planned to continue until the commencement of the annual moose hunting season by the Cree Nation of Wemindji, which occurs from September 15th to October 15th. In the meantime, ALX has expanded the size of its geological crew to cover as much ground as possible on its properties, and weather permitting, plans to return to Hydra to continue prospecting for LCT pegmatites after October 15, 2023.

About Hydra

Hydra consists of eight sub-projects totaling 29,262 hectares (72,306 acres) known as Volta (4,751 ha.), Echo (5,566 ha.), Nike (2,462 ha.), Sprite (3,437 ha.), Cobra (4,249 ha.), Viper (1,280 ha.), Python East (3,218 ha.) and Python West (4,298 ha.), located within a fertile lithium exploration district that hosts the James Bay, Rose, Whabouchi and Corvette lithium deposits and numerous other lithium showings.

The Hydra sub-projects were originally selected for staking based upon the presence of historical lithium, cesium and tantalum lake sediment anomalies and by a review of public-domain geological mapping. A proprietary artificial intelligence process for pegmatite detection by KorrAI of Halifax, NS is ongoing to prioritize target definition for the 2023 prospecting program.





ALX-Forrestania claims in the James Bay Region, Sept. 2023



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To view maps and more information on Hydra, visit our website at: https://alxresources.com/hydra-lithium/.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Robert Campbell, P.Geo., a consultant to ALX, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101.

About ALX

ALX is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AL", on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "6LLN" and in the United States OTC market under the symbol "ALXEF".

ALX's mandate is to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for discovery by exploring a portfolio of prospective mineral properties in Canada, which include lithium, uranium, nickel-copper-cobalt and gold projects. The Company uses the latest exploration technologies and holds interests in over 220,000 hectares of prospective lands in Saskatchewan, a stable jurisdiction that hosts the highest-grade uranium mines in the world, a producing gold mine, and production from base metals mines, both current and historical.

ALX owns a 50% interest in eight lithium exploration properties staked in 2022-2023 collectively known as the Hydra Lithium Project, located in the James Bay region of northern Quebec, Canada, a 100% interest in the Anchor Lithium Project in Nova Scotia, Canada, and 100% interests in the Crystal Lithium Project and the Reindeer Lithium Project, both located in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.

ALX's uranium holdings in northern Saskatchewan include 100% interests in the Gibbons Creek Uranium Project, the Sabre Uranium Project, the Bradley Uranium Project, and the Javelin and McKenzie Lake Uranium Projects, a 40% interest in the Black Lake Uranium Project (a joint venture with Uranium Energy Corporation and Orano Canada Inc.), and a 20% interest in the Hook-Carter Uranium Project, located within the uranium-rich Patterson Lake Corridor with Denison Mines Corp. (80% interest) as operator of exploration since 2016.

ALX also owns 100% interests in the Firebird Nickel Project (now under option to Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc., who can earn up to an 80% interest), the Flying Vee Nickel/Gold and Sceptre Gold projects, and can earn up to an 80% interest in the Alligator Lake Gold Project, all located in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. ALX owns, or can earn, up to 100% interests in the Electra Nickel Project and the Cannon Copper Project located in historic mining districts of Ontario, Canada, the Vixen Gold Project (now under option to First Mining Gold Corp., who can earn up to a 100% interest in two stages), and in the Draco VMS Project in Norway.

For more information about the Company, please visit the ALX corporate website at www.alxresources.com or contact Roger Leschuk, Manager, Corporate Communications at: PH: 604.629.0293 or Toll-Free: 866.629.8368, or by email: rleschuk@alxresources.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of ALX Resources Corp.

"Warren Stanyer"

Warren Stanyer, CEO and Chairman

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include: ALX's 2023 joint venture exploration plans at the Hydra Lithium Project, and ALX's ability to continue to expend funds at that project. It is important to note that the Company's actual business outcomes and exploration results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include that ALX may not be able to fully finance exploration on our exploration projects, including drilling; our initial findings at our exploration projects may prove to be unworthy of further expenditures; commodity prices may not support further exploration expenditures; exploration programs may be delayed or changed due to any delays experienced in consultation and engagement activities with First Nations communities and local landowners in the region, and the results of such consultations; and economic, competitive, governmental, societal, public health, weather, environmental and technological factors may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and share price. Even if we explore and develop our projects, and even if lithium, uranium, nickel, copper, gold or other metals or minerals are discovered in quantity, ALX's projects may not be commercially viable. Additional risk factors are discussed in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Except as required by law, we will not update these forward-looking statement risk factors.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180007
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Vinergy Capital Inc. (the "Company" or "Vinergy") (CSE:VIN, OTCQB:VNNYF, FSE:1V7) announced that it has executed a non-binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") to acquire an interest in a healthcare AI Platform ("AIP") company based in California with an additional option to gain exlusive rights to the AIP for healthcare services. In conjunction with the LOI, the Company has appointed Michael Dalsin as Chairman of the Company's investment committee.

This proposed investment in the AIP company compliments Vinergy's most recent investment in Healthcare Accretion Group, which closed August 30, 2023. That investment secured propriety trained models designed to increase revenue and decrease costs while improving patient experience in healthcare service operations. The AIP company has developed a cutting edge FDA and HIPAA compliant data and analysis platform specifically for drug development and laboratory applications. The AIP Company is generating revenue from its intellectual property and products with blue chip customers.

Under the terms of the LOI, Vinergy will invest up to US$800,000 and issue up to 15 million shares to the privately-backed AIP company in exchange for approximately 4% of the AIP company over time based upon the AIP company achieving certain development and commercial milestones. This investment is designed to fund additional AIP tools specific to the healthcare services market. Vinergy has also negotiated the ability to acquire the exclusive rights to the entire AIP intellectual property suite for healthcare services for an additional 20 million share issuance. Vinergy will pay a finders fee of 1 million common shares in connection with the investment to an arm's length finder. The share consideration in connection with the investment is being issued at a deemed price of $0.18 per share, being the discounted market price of the Company's shares on the date when the LOI was executed.

The AIP company is entirely arms length to the Company and its principals and is arms length to Healthcare Accretion Group which the Company acquired an interest in August 30, 2023.

The Company is pleased to announce that Michael Dalsin, an investment expert with over 25 years experience specializing in healthcare products, technology and services, has been appointed to the investment committee of the Company and will act as Chair of the Investment Committee. Mr. Dalsin was Executive Chairman of Patient Home Monitoring (PHM) and Convalo Health, both Canadian listed healthcare companies, as well as founder and Industry Advisor to The Healthcare Special Opportunity Fund, which is also a listed Canadian company. He has been asked to be a recurring guest lecturer at Yale University Medical School on the topic of fund flows and capital in the global healthcare economy.

"I am pleased to join the company with the aim of sharpening the investment strategy," said Michael Dalsin. "In the coming weeks, I plan to work with the management team to commuincate the investment thesis to the market, which is focused on finding optimal returns driven by the AI revolution in the large and growing global healthcare industry. As a signifcant shareholder, I am excited to leverage my experience and contacts in this field to generate returns and help the management increase shareholder value."

Five hundred thousand options have been granted at $0.25 for 2 years to certain directors and officers of the company.

About Vinergy Capital Inc.

Vinergy is an investment issuer, and invests in diversified industries, including healthcare, technology, and manufacturing. Investments may include equity, debt, or other securities of both public and private companies and control stake acquisitions. Vinergy will focus on significant near-term and midterm high-quality opportunities with strong return potentials while maintaining commitment to governance.

Vinergy Capital Inc.

Alnoor Nathoo, CEO

Email: investors@vinergycaptital.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. By its very nature, such forward-looking information requires the Company to make assumptions that may not materialize or that may not be accurate. This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such information.

SOURCE: Vinergy Capital Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781938/vinergy-to-make-investment-in-healthcare-ai-platform-company-to-compliment-recent-investment-in-healthcare-trained-model-company-michael-dalsin-to-head-investment-committee
HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NCMI") (TSXV:NMI)(OTCQB:NMREF) is pleased to announce the completion of the RC drilling campaign for its PFS study on the large-scale "Lofdal 2B-4" heavy rare earth project.

The infill drilling campaign entailed 49 reverse circulation (RC) boreholes for a total of 8,226 m in the Area 4 main deposit and the Area 2B satellite deposit. Assays were received from Actlabs, Canada. Highlights are:

Width and grade of the mineralised zones were confirmed by infill drilling.

Combined mineralized intervals can reach more than 100 m length in total in some boreholes based on a combined cut-off of 0.1% TREO 1 over wider intercepts as previously used in the PEA "Lofdal 2B-4". This averaging over wider mineralised zones reflects assumed consecutive blocks in a potentially large-scale open-pit operation benefiting from economy of scale.

over wider intercepts as previously used in the PEA "Lofdal 2B-4". This averaging over wider mineralised zones reflects assumed consecutive blocks in a potentially large-scale open-pit operation benefiting from economy of scale. A larger, previously unknown mineralized zone was intercepted in the western periphery of the pit shell (produced in the PEA "Lofdal 2B-4" for Area 4) demonstrating upside for additional mineralization towards the west and depth.

Test work at SGS Lakefield continues with the pilot-scale flotation test on a 5 ton bulk sample and an extended variability testing program followed by hydrometallurgical tests.

Darrin Campbell, President of Namibia Critical Metals stated:

"The highly cost-efficient RC infill drill program delivered the expected positive results and the newly established thick zone of heavy rare earth mineralization in the western part of Area 4 highlights again the enormous potential for upside for the district-level Lofdal deposit. With several test programs at SGS at advanced stages and with positive interim outcome, we are optimistic to deliver a highly competitive PFS for "Lofdal 2B-4" by mid next year."

RC drilling program 2023

A final drill program was worked out by the Company with support by The MSA Group to increase the level of resource categories as required for the PFS for the expanded project "Lofdal 2B-4". Resource drilling commenced at the end of January 2023 and was completed by June 2023.

The drilling campaign was significantly expanded from a planned total of 5,240 m. With the excellent drill performance of Prinsloo Drilling in deeper RC holes, it was decided to drill all planned diamond core (DC) boreholes up to 350 m length by the more cost-efficient reverse circulation (RC) method. Eventually, a total of 8,226 m was completed in this RC drilling campaign.

Figure 1: Overview of drill collars at the Lofdal 2B-4 Project. Blue triangles indicate the drill collars of the PFS RC infill drilling campaign.

37 RC drill holes for a total of 6,446 m were drilled at Area 4 (see Figure 2). In general, mineralised zones were confirmed in its expected ranges of width and grade (Figure 3 and Table 2). The drill results confirm the geological model of structural zones acting as fluid channels and controlling intensity, pinching and swelling as well as splaying of the wide mineralized zones.

Several intercepts in boreholes drilled in the periphery of the planned pit shell for Area 4 open pit, show wide mineralized zones which might form significant additional resources in the planned update of the Mineral Resource Estimate. An example for a mineralized zone currently not included in the pit shell is depicted in the section through the western periphery of planned Area 4 open pit (Figure 4) with borehole L4D0207 returning 9 mineralized intervals using a cut-off of 0.1% TREO2, including 14 m at 0.17% TREO from 295 m and 21 m at 0.11% TREO from 262 m (see Table 3).

Figure 2: Geological map of Area 4 indicating all historical and the 2023 RC infill drill collars

Further, sampling was extended to the hanging wall of the "main mineralized zone". Assays show wide zones of up to 100 m of additional low to moderate grade HREO mineralization which will undergo an assessment for upgrade and beneficiation by sorting technologies, and thus might potentially further increase mine life or throughput of the future Lofdal mine.

Mineralized intercepts are summarized in Table 2. The intercepts were generally selected based on an assumed cut-off of 0.1% TREO as previously used in the PEA "Lofdal 2B-4" (see press release on 14 Nov 2022). However, the intercepts partly include a significant amount of samples with <0.1% TREO in order to reflect the width of the mineralized zone potentially forming consecutive ore blocks in a large-scale open pit operation. By including lower grade mineralization, the combined mineralized intervals may reach more than 100 m length in total like in borehole L4R0208 with 63 m length from 275 m and 53 m length from 173 m, and borehole L4R0210 with 51 m length from 285 m, 27 m length from 252 m and 29 m from 213 m (for details see Table 3). The longest consecutive mineralized interval is 105 m length from 123 m in borehole L4R0199.

Figure 3: Section through the eastern part of Area 4 (location see on Figure 2) indicating the mineralised intervals by display of TREO grades (grey bars) and Dy2O3 (color bands)

Figure 4: Section through the western part of Area 4 (location see on Figure 2) indicating the mineralised intervals by display of TREO grades (grey bars) and Dy2O3 (color bands)

In Area 2B, 12 RC holes were drilled for a total of 1,780 m. Drilling was expanded by 4 boreholes to cover the mineralized zone extending to the east of the currently planned pit shell, see Figure 5.

Infill drilling at Area 2B is completed for the update and increase of resource categories of the Mineral Resource Estimate as suggested by The MSA Group for the PFS/DFS level for Lofdal's planned satellite open pit "Pit 2B" while Area 4 requires a further 6,000 m of DC drilling in 16 boreholes for the deeper portion of this sub-deposit.

Figure 5: Geological map of Area 4 indicating all historical and the 2023 RC infill drill collars.

Sampling, analysis and QAQC

4495 samples of average 1.8 kg per sample were collected at the drill rig's cyclone ("A-sample") and submitted to Actlabs preparatory laboratory in Windhoek, Namibia, in batches of 200 to 300 samples.

The samples were dried and crushed to 2 mm, split using a riffle splitter and pulverised to 105 m. Pulverised sub-samples were homogenised in a stainless-steel riffle splitter and a 15 g sample and duplicate were drawn for analysis. The pulverised sample aliquots were shipped to the ISO/IEC 17025 accredited Actlabs analytical facility in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. The samples were assayed using lithium metaborate-tetraborate fusion and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Actlab's analytical code "8-REE" includes 45 trace elements, 10 major oxides, Loss on Ignition, and mass balance.

The samples were subjected to a quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) program consisting of the insertion of blank samples and certified reference materials at Lofdal and the preparation of a laboratory duplicate at the sample preparation facility in Windhoek. The primary laboratory assay values were confirmed by umpire sample analysis by ALS. A selection of 263 samples (every 20th sample of the original sample set), was sent to ALS Okahandja, Namibia for further shipment to ALS Johannesburg, South Africa. Samples were analysed using analytical code ME-MS81h (lithium meta-borate fusion and ICP-MS).

The Qualified Person is satisfied that the assay results are of sufficient accuracy and precision for use in the future update of the Mineral Resource Estimation.

Table 1: Intervals of QAQC samples inserted into the laboratory batch of samples. This includes Certified Reference Materials (CRM), blanks, and duplicates.

QAQC samples QAQC interval Insertion intervals in every 100 samples Standards Lofdal 4, 6, and Amis 185 Every 20th 10, 30, 50, 90 Blank Every 20th 00, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 Lab Duplicate Every 20th 15, 35, 55, 75, 95

Progress on test work program

SGS Canada started the pilot-plant testing with the preparation of the 5-tonne bulk sample for the pilot-scale flotation test planned for October-November 2023. The objective of the current program is to scale up tests, locked-cycle testing for a higher level of confidence in metallurgy, and confirmation of engineering design criteria for PFS capital and operating cost estimation.

The locked cycle tests were completed and confirm a steady circuit. No significant detrimental effect was observed due to the recirculation.

Variability tests on 9 samples from the peripheries of planned Area 2B and Area 4 pits were completed. With the low-grade nature and varying mineralogy of the first set of variability samples taken from RC boreholes in the periphery of Area 4 and at TREO grades near cut-off, it was decided to extend the variability test program by a further 9 samples.

To further simplify the flowsheet and improve recoveries, future testing will abandon magnetic separation (WHIMS) and focus on iron removal with optimal temperatures during acid bake.

Table 2: Summary of mineralized drill intervals of the 2023 RC infill drilling program at Lofdal Area 2B

Table 3: Summary of mineralized drill intervals of the 2023 RC infill drilling program at Lofdal Area 4

ContinuedTable 4: Summary of mineralized drill intervals of the 2023 RC infill drilling program at Lofdal Area 4

Management Change

The Company is pleased to advise that Teri Anderson has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective today.

Teri previously served as the Company's CFO from 2012 to 2017. She is a seasoned finance professional with 30 years' experience with both public and private companies in various industries. Teri established her finance and accounting consulting practice in 1999, and most recently was CFO with NowVertical Group Inc. (TSXV:NOW). Earlier in her career, Teri was as a senior financial manager at Nova Scotia Power and prior to that, in public accounting practice with Ernst & Young. Teri holds a CPA (CA) designation, an MBA from Dalhousie University, and a BSc. from Acadia University. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Ms. Anderson replaces Ms. Susanne Willett, who has served as CFO for the past two years. The board thanks Ms. Willett for her contribution to the Company.

About Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

NMI is developing the Tier-1 Heavy Rare Earth Project, Lofdal, a globally significant deposit of the heavy rare earth metals dysprosium and terbium. Demand for these critical metals used in permanent magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and other electronics is driven by innovations linked to energy and technology transformations. The geopolitical risks associated with sourcing many of these metals has become a repeated concern for manufacturers and end users. Namibia is a proven and stable mining jurisdiction.

The Lofdal Project is fully permitted with a 25-year Mining License and is under a Joint Venture Agreement with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC).

The Company filed a robust updated PEA for "Lofdal 2B-4" on November 14, 2022, with a post-tax NPV of USD$391 million and an annual IRR of 28% with a capital expenditure of USD$207 million. The project is projected to generate a life of mine nominal cash flow of USD$698 million post-tax over a 16-year mine life.

About Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) and the JV

JOGMEC is a Japanese government independent administrative agency which seeks to secure stable resource supplies for Japan. JOGMEC has a strong reputation as a long term, strategic partner in mineral projects globally. JOGMEC facilitates opportunities with Japanese private companies to secure supplies of natural resources for the benefit of the country's economic development.

Rare earths are of critical importance to Japanese industrial interests and JOGMEC has extensive experience with all aspects of the sector. JOGMEC provided Lynas with USD$250,000,000 in loans and equity in 2011 to ensure supplies of the Light Rare Earths metals suite to the Japanese industry.

Namibia Critical Metals owns a 95% interest in the Lofdal project with the remaining 5% held for the benefit of historically disadvantaged Namibians. The terms of the JOGMEC joint venture agreement with the Company stipulate that JOGMEC provides C$3,000,000 in Term 1 and C$7,000,000 in Term 2 to earn a 40% interest in the Lofdal project. Term 3 calls for a further C$10,000,000 of expenditures to earn an additional 10% interest. JOGMEC can also purchase another 1% for C$5,000,000 and has first right of refusal to fully fund the project through to commercial production and to purchase all production at market prices. The collective interests of NMI and historically disadvantaged Namibians cannot be diluted below a 26% carried working interest upon payment of C$5,000,000 to JOGMEC for the dilution protection. NMI may elect to participate up to a maximum of 44% by funding pro rata after the earn in period is completed.

To date, JOGMEC has completed Term 2 and earned a 40% interest by reaching the $10 million expenditure requirement. JOGMEC has approved an additional $2,375,000 budget for Term 3 through to March 31, 2024, totaling C$12,375,000.

Other exploration projects: The Company's Exclusive Prospecting Licenses ("EPLs") prospective for gold are located in the Central Namibian Gold Belt which hosts a number of significant orogenic gold deposits including the Navachab Gold Mine, the Otjikoto Gold Mine and the Twin Hills deposit. At the Erongo Gold Project, stratigraphic equivalents to the meta-sediments hosting the Osino gold discovery at Twin Hills have been identified and exploration is progressing over this highly prospective area. The Grootfontein Base Metal and Gold Project has potential for magmatic copper-nickel mineralization, Mississippi Valley-type zinc-lead-vanadium mineralization and Otjikoto-style gold mineralization. Interpretation of geophysical data and regional geochemical soil sampling have identified first gold targets.

Rainer Ellmies, PhD, MScGeol, EurGeol, AusIMM and Vice President of Namibia Critical Metals Inc., is the Company's Qualified Person and has reviewed and approved this press release.

The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI" and the OTCQB Market under the symbol "NMREF".

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information please contact -

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.|

Darrin Campbell, President

Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760

Email: Info@NamibiaCMI.com Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

1TREO" refers to total rare earth oxides plus yttrium oxide; "HREO" refers to heavy rare earth oxides plus yttrium oxide; "heavy rare earths" as used in all Company presentations comprise europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu) and yttrium (Y). Light rare earths comprise lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd) and samarium (Sm). 2"TREO" refers to total rare earth oxides plus yttrium oxide; "HREO" refers to heavy rare earth oxides plus yttrium oxide; "heavy rare earths" as used in all Company presentations comprise europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu) and yttrium (Y). Light rare earths comprise lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd) and samarium (Sm). SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781879/new-mineralized-zone-discovered-during-infill-resource-drilling-on-flagship-lofdal-heavy-rare-earth-project-in-namibia
CARROLLTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Allied Energy Corp (OTC PINK:AGYP), a producing oil and gas company focused on the leasing and reworking of oil and gas reserves in one of the most prolific hydrocarbon areas in the United States, is proud to announce project ignition on the planned 20MW Bitcoin Mining partnership with Enerhash, River Energy Group, LLC, Allied Energy, and Sloan Petroleum. The fuse has been ignited on this collaborative endeavor, highlighting a collective commitment to innovation, sustainability, and transformative energy solutions all while mining Bitcoin.

The partnership between these companies has created a powerful alliance that promises not only to make a significant impact on the environment but also to reshape the landscape of energy practices and off-grid Bitcoin mining.

Guiding the Way: Balazs Jogg Takes the Technical Helm for the buildout of the Bitcoin Mining Operation

At the technical helm of this initiative is Enerhash COO Balazs Jogg, an expert in construction and direct operation responsibilities. With a wealth of experience to his name, Jogg's leadership heralds a new era in the realm of energy solutions. Set in West Texas, his role as the driving technical force behind the project ensures a convergence of expertise and dedication that is bound to yield excellent results. As construction gears up and operations begin, Jogg's presence marks the start of a transformative journey for the companies Enerhash, Allied Energy Corp., River Energy Group, LLC, and Sloan Petroleum into the Bitcoin mining industry.

Experienced leaders in the oil and gas industry, George Monteith and Del Sloan, extended a heartfelt welcome to Balazs Jogg as he takes on this pivotal role. Their endorsement of this partnership underscores the significance of the project and the potential it holds for ushering in a more sustainable and greener future. Jogg arrived on the ground in Texas in August from Budapest, Hungary. Jogg is working diligently to establish mining operations at the initial flare gas site. The site planning is finalized, and the project execution has started.

The collective strength of Enerhash, Allied Energy, River Energy, and Sloan Petroleum goes beyond individual capabilities. Representing over one hundred years of experience in the oil & gas industry, energy management, bitcoin mining, and capital markets, these companies will be pointing all their experience into off grid bitcoin mining.

"We believe that true progress is only possible when like-minded pioneers come together," said George Monteith, emphasizing the importance of unity in achieving ambitious goals. "With Jogg on the ground working on initial setups we've made a powerful statement that Allied is committed to seeing the initial 20MW Bitcoin mining project through to completion.

Del Sloan echoed this sentiment, stating, "Our partnership is a beacon of hope for a brighter, more sustainable future while doing something truly useful with the flare gas often expelled into the atmosphere through fires. By harnessing our collective expertise, we are not merely stopping at eliminating routine flaring; we are propelling towards a future defined by innovation and environmental stewardship. We are also thrilled to see recent renewed excitement within the Bitcoin community."

A spokesperson for River Energy Group, LLC added; "This collaboration utilizes the latest technologies to unlock the potential uses of flare gas. We are delivering an affordable clean energy supply for end-users."

About River:

River Energy Group, LLC is a versatile oil and natural gas solutions provider, specializing in reworking shut-in wells for increased production. They offer comprehensive services such as well testing, engineering, completion design, and production optimization, all delivered with a strong commitment to safety and environmental standards. Additionally, River Energy focuses on creating electricity from flare and stranded gas, promoting eco-friendly energy solutions and affordability for end-users through services such as flare mitigation, power optimization, and energy storage. They also provide consulting, hedging, and risk management services in the energy industry, leveraging their team's expertise in trading strategies, market analysis, and energy price forecasting to help clients make informed decisions and mitigate energy price volatility.

About Enerhash:

Enerhash is an energy technology and digital infrastructure development company founded by European energy experts in 2019. Enerhash has developed projects on three continents providing renewable energy optimization and grid balancing services including New Zealand, Sweden, Hungary and now they are entering into the USA.

Enerhash USA will align with energy producers as a solution to help alleviate harmful methane emissions caused by production. These solutions will monetize wasted natural gas resources to reduce emissions by eliminating routine flaring to reach ESG goals and unlock the value from stranded resources. To discover more about Enerhash USA, visit their corporate website at www.enerhashusa.com .

About AGYP:

Allied Energy Corp. is an energy development and production company acquiring oil & gas reserves in some of the most prolific hydrocarbon bearing regions of the United States. The Company specializes in the business of reworking & re-completing 'existing' oil & gas wells located in the thousands of mature oil & gas producing fields across the United States. The Company applies its knowledge, experience, and effective well-remediation technologies to achieve higher production volumes, longer well life, and more efficient recovery of the proven and available oil and gas reserves in the fields/projects in which it has acquired an ownership interest. The Company will utilize updated technologies such as hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), drilling of lateral ("horizontal") legs in productive zones, and utilizing new cased hole electric logging to locate bypassed pays, all to enhance daily rates and oil & gas recoveries. By acquiring interests in a growing number of selected projects in various regions, Allied Energy Corp. is diversifying its exposure and effectively minimizing risk as it pursues corporate growth, top line & bottom-line revenues to the benefit of all stakeholders. There are proven, recoverable reserves contained in the many aging oil & gas fields that have been bypassed by companies moving away from these fields in search of deeper, more plentiful, but more costly reserves. The Company plans to concentrate on bypassed oil and gas as there is less competition and, as mentioned above, the costs are considerably less. Additionally, the company will acquire interests in marginal wells that can be acquired at minimal cost, of which there are 420,000 wells in the U.S. Quoting Barry Russell, President of the Independent Petroleum Association of America ("IPAA") - "With approximately 20 percent of American oil production and 10 percent of American natural gas production coming from marginal wells, they are America's true strategic petroleum reserve."

Safe Harbor Statement:

This Press Release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans," "intends," "potential" and similar expressions. These statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition or alteration to the information catered in this Press Release, including such forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Allied Energy Corporation

Phone: 972-632-2393

Email: info@alliedengycorp.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlliedEnergyCo1

Enerhash USA LLC

Website: www.enerhashusa.com

Email: info@enerhash.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Enerhash1

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/enerhash/

River Energy Group, LLC Website: www.riverenergygroup.com

SOURCE: Allied Energy Corporation

via PRISM Mediawire, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781904/allied-energy-corp-bitcoin-mining-site-number-one-now-under-development
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - European Energy Metals (TSXV: FIN) (FSE: W28) (OTC Pink: EUEMF) ("European Energy" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Larry Taddei has been appointed as a director of the Company.

Larry Taddei brings seventeen years of experience as a senior executive in the mineral resource industry, culminating in twelve years as the Chief Financial Officer of MAG Silver Corp. where he was instrumental in its growth. His relationships extend to the investment community, playing a lead role in defining capital structure and balance sheet management. He was responsible for all aspects of MAG's financial operations, including treasury, taxation, IT systems, insurance, and risk management. He also played a key role in the company's governance guidelines, policies, and procedures, as well as expanding ESG disclosures and policies. Mr. Taddei is a Chartered Professional Accountant with the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia and an Accredited Director with the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia.

"We are delighted that Larry has agreed to serve as a director," commented European Energy Metals CEO Jeremy Poirier. "His significant experience in the mineral resource industry and depth of business leadership will strengthen our board and the Company as a whole," he continued.

The Company also announces that it has granted Mr. Taddei 250,000 incentive stock options of the Company in accordance with the Company's Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan. The options are exercisable at $0.40 per share for a period of five years from the date of grant and are subject to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About European Energy Metals Corp.

European Energy Metals Corp. is a junior mining company currently focussed on the Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum Finnish Pegmatite Project in central Finland. Governing bodies in Europe and Finland are legislating environmentally friendly and energy independent laws and policies. One of the key components is access to REE and, specifically, lithium. The company concessions are located within 11 miles of Keliber mine being constructed which is expected to begin production H2 2025.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeremy Poirier, CEO

Telephone: 604-722-9842

Email: info@europeanenergymetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of the Company, including the presence of lithium mineralization at, and the exploration and development potential of, the Finland Pegmatite Project. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include the costs of any anticipated work programs and the ability to fund such costs, required approvals in connection with any work programs and the ability to obtain such approvals, risks inherent in exploration as well as those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recently filed MD&A. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/179895
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Hercules Silver Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: 8Q7) ("Hercules Silver" or the "Company") is pleased to report silver-lead-zinc results from the first 5 drill holes of its Phase II drill program, targeting near surface silver mineralization at its Hercules Silver Property located in western Idaho ("Hercules" or the "Property"). These results are the first of the Company's ongoing 6,000-meter Phase II infill, expansion, and discovery-focused drill program.

The upper part of HER-23-05 intercepted 84.2 meters of 54.1 g/t AgEq, beginning at a shallow depth of 4.5 m, including a higher-grade intercept of 27.3 m grading 113.4 g/t AgEq starting at 36.7 m.

HER-23-04 intercepted 28.5 meters of 102.6 g/t AgEq, beginning at 39 m, including a higher-grade intercept of 2.7 m grading 416.2 g/t AgEq.

All holes reported are either step-out or infill holes, expanding on historical mineralization.

HER-23-05 was continued to depth to test a chargeability anomaly and intercepted blind porphyry copper alteration and mineralization, assays for which remain pending.

Four deep holes have now been drilled across 1.2 kilometers of the chargeability anomaly, all of which intersected pyrite-rich phyllic alteration, interpreted to represent the margins of a large porphyry copper system.

Deep drilling continues, targeting potentially favourable alteration to the west.

A third drill rig has now been added to the Phase II program.

Chris Paul, CEO and Director of the Company, noted: "Our Phase II infill and expansion drilling has expanded on historical mineralization and demonstrated the presence of broad intervals of silver at the Frogpond Zone. With assays pending for many holes, including several other zones, we're confident in the potential to further validate and expand on the near surface silver across the Property. We're currently drilling hole 21 of the 2023 season and have now added a third drill rig. In addition, our first ever deep drilling has intersected blind porphyry copper alteration across 1.2 kilometers, demonstrating the presence of a major hydrothermal system on the Property."

Silver Mineralization at Frogpond

The near-surface drilling is focused on validating and expanding zones of historical silver mineralization at Hercules. Historical drilling was limited to vertical reverse circulation ("RC") holes which returned minimal geological information. The 2023 program is utilizing angled drill holes with oriented core, providing new information on the controls and style of mineralization, and continuing to aid with the expansion.

HER-23-05 intersected a broad zone of shear-hosted mineralization, with flooding and replacement of pervasive dark grey sulfide mineralization (a combination of galena, sphalerite and tetrahedrite-tennantite). The broad zone of replacement is bracketed on either side by significant fault/shear zones, which appear to control the flow of hydrothermal fluids. Tracing this and other zones along strike is the main objective for adding to the historical mineralization. Logging of holes now being drilled at other zones, including the nearby Hercules Adit, show similar promise for expansion.

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) AgEq1

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Cu

(%) Pb

(%) Zn

(%) Mn

(%) HER-23-01 50.08 81.99 31.91 34.5 11.4

0.11 0.62 1.23 including 50.08 56.69 6.61 49.2 17.7

0.15 0.86 1.34 including 65.23 69.8 4.57 57.8 13.4

0.23 1.18 1.66 including 78.33 81.99 3.66 79.9 26.7

0.25 1.45 1.84 AND 112.47 123.44 10.97 25.6 24.6

0.01 0.07 1.41 HER-23-02 20.32 60.44 40.12 36.7 29.8

0.04 0.20 1.17 including 20.32 32 11.68 67.0 57.6

0.10 0.28 2.09 including 58.92 60.44 1.52 130.0 117.0

0.02 0.17 0.94 HER-23-03 17.37 56.39 39.02 42.1 37.1

0.02 0.18 0.87 including 36.58 44.2 7.62 69.9 65.1

0.04 0.17 0.82 HER-23-04 10.15 12.19 2.04 73.2 75.0



0.10 0.25 AND 39.01 67.54 28.53 102.6 93.6

0.10 0.35 0.75 including 59.68 62.36 2.68 416.2 426.6

0.03 0.13 0.57 HER-23-05 4.54 88.76 84.22 54.1 36.2

0.11 0.35 3.86 including 27.13 28.65 1.52 114.9 79.7 0.21 0.28 0.42 2.5 including 36.73 64.01 27.28 113.4 77.1 0.13 0.16 0.76 4.9 AND 170.69 178.31 7.62 51.1 43.2 0.07 0.10 0.07 4.15

1Silver equivalent (AgEq) grades are calculated using metal price assumptions of: silver US$23.50/oz., copper US$4.00/lb, lead US$1.00/lb and zinc US$1.50/lb. Silver equivalent grade is calculated as AgEq (g/t) = Ag (g/t) x Ag rec. + (Cu (%) x Cu rec. x 118.558) + (Pb (%) x Pb rec. x 28.568) + (Zn (%) x Zn rec. x 42.852). Metallurgical recoveries assumed are 93% for silver, 80% for lead and 79% for zinc, based on historical sulfide floatation tests by Britton, 1977. A reasonable assumption of 80% recovery is applied for copper based on comparable base metal recovery values.





Figure 1: Plan view of the Frogpond Zone showing significant intercepts from 2023 analytical results received and silver equivalent grade bars from 2022-2023 drill holes.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9425/179981_a0fc734c44717986_002full.jpg

Table 2: 2023 Drill Hole Locations

Hole ID Easting Northing Depth

(m) Azimuth Dip Hole

type HER-23-01 511432 4956616 148.71 210.36 -76.77 Core HER-23-02 511342 4956557 83.48 30.31 -44.92 Core HER-23-03 511341 4956558 139.32 41.99 -57.31 Core HER-23-04 511289 4956584 71.93 29.71 -70.36 Core HER-23-05 511231 4956639 435.32 69.78 -70.06 Core

Blind Porphyry Copper System

2022 field work by the Company previously demonstrated the potential for a porphyry copper system hosted within the underlying Seven Devils Group volcanics, exposed on the east side of the Property. IP geophysical surveying conducted over the silver system on the west side of the Property however returned a large chargeability anomaly below the limit of historical drilling, which is open in several directions. Blind drilling across 1.2 kilometers of the chargeability anomaly has now returned strong alteration, veining, and mineralization, consistent with the margins of a porphyry copper system and early observations demonstrate it's considerably larger and more intense than was first interpreted from surface exposures. A simplified description of the current geological interpretation follows.

A shallow west-dipping thrust fault (shown in red on Figure 2), separates copper-gold-molybdenum bearing Seven Devils volcanics (the "Lower Plate") to the east from silver-lead-zinc-manganese bearing volcanics, including the Hercules Rhyolite (the "Upper Plate"), to the west. East of this thrust, several known copper-gold targets, including the Big Cut Skarn, Lightning Breccia, and Metheny Zones are exposed at surface. West of the shallow-dipping thrust, the copper-gold system appears to also underlie the majority of the silver-lead-zinc-manganese bearing Upper Plate rocks at moderate depths of just 100-300 meters.

Quartz-sericite-pyrite ("phyllic") alteration has now been intersected in all deep holes. Phyllic alteration typically manifests as an outer shell of highly chargeable pyrite with copper mineralization, surrounding an inner shell of stronger copper mineralization with lesser chargeable pyrite. Early modeling of the four widely-spaced holes suggests a potential vector to the west, guided largely by alteration sequences in drill core and variations in the ratio of chalcopyrite:pyrite. Upcoming holes are therefore designed to step west of the phyllic halo, into a neighboring region of moderate chargeability, which may represent increasing chalcopyrite relative to pyrite (Figure 2).

Further IP geophysical surveying is scheduled to commence at the end of September. The 2022 survey was originally designed to cover just the strongest portion of the near-surface silver system. Given current indications for the potential size of the porphyry copper system, the survey will be expanded significantly. It will be expanded east to test for additional centers at depth across several kilometers of strong surface mineralization. It will also be expanded west, where current drilling shows increasing alteration and mineralization below the silver system.





Figure 2: Potential alteration zonation, interpreted from observations in 4 deep drill holes across 1.2 kilometers, and IP chargeability at 200 meters below surface. Further IP surveying is planned to the east, where other centers may exist to alter this interpretation, as well as to the west where current drilling indicates increasing alteration/mineralization. Two planned holes are shown in white, to test increasing alteration to the west, and more moderate chargeability which may represent increasing chalcopyrite relative to pyrite.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Sample Analysis and QAQC

All drill core samples were prepped and analyzed at MSA Labs in Langley, British Columbia, an ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 certified laboratory. Samples were dried and crushed to 2mm, from which a 250g sub-sample split was then pulverized to 85% passing a 75 micron sieve. Following preparation, assays were determined by the IMS-230 method. A 0.25g aliquot of the prepared pulp was digested in a 4-acid solution consisting of hydrochloric, nitric, perchloric and hydrofluoric acids. 4-acid is a near total digest and only the most highly resistant minerals are not dissolved. The resulting solution was analyzed via ICP-MS and ICP-ES for 48 elements and was corrected for inter-element spectral interferences. Lower detection limits for this procedure are 0.01 ppm for silver, 0.5 ppm for lead, 2 ppm for zinc, and 0.2 ppm for copper. Mercury is not reported due to volatilization in reaction with hydrofluoric acid and gold is not reported due to the small, 0.25g aliquot size being insufficient to overcome the nugget effect.

Samples with initial results beyond the upper detection limit of the IMS-230 method were analyzed by procedures ICF-6Ag, ICF-6Pb and ICF-6Zn. The thresholds were 100 ppm for silver, and >1% for lead and zinc. Preliminary silver assays that returned values >1000 ppm were determined by fire assay with a 50g charge for the final result.

MSA Labs employs internal quality control standards, duplicates and blank samples at set frequencies.

Blind certified reference materials (CRMs) and blank samples were systematically inserted by the Company into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's quality assurance/quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved for disclosure by Christopher Longton BS, CPG, Hercules' Vice President, Exploration. Mr. Longton is a "Qualified Person" for Hercules Silver within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

About Hercules Silver Corp.

Hercules Silver Corp. is a junior mining company focused on the exploration and development of the 100% owned Hercules Silver Project, northwest of Cambridge, Idaho.

The Hercules project is a disseminated silver-lead-zinc system with 28,000 meters of historical drilling across 3.5 kilometers of strike. The Company is well positioned for growth through the drill bit, having completed extensive surface exploration consisting of soil & rock sampling, geological mapping, IP geophysics.

The Company's management team brings significant exploration experience through the discovery and development of numerous precious metals projects worldwide.

For further information please contact:

Chris Paul

CEO & Director

Telephone +1 (604) 449-6819

Email: cpaul@herculessilver.com

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws of an exemption from such registration is available.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, 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 information.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF HERCULES SILVER AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE HERCULES SILVER MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/179981
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Founders Metals Inc. (TSXV: FDR) ("Founders" or the "Company") provides an overview of the Buese area on the Antino Gold Project that includes new channel sample results with a 12.0-metre (m) interval returning 1.0 metre of 113.0 g/t gold and 11.0 metres of 2.4 g/t gold. The 12.0 metres sampled are within a 26.0 m shear zone not completely sampled due to collapse, but follow-up trenching will test the entire zone. The Company also describes potential bulk tonnage exploration targets exposed in the area. The Buese area hosts gold mineralization over two kilometres at the southeastern extent of the 8+ km Antino Gold Trend.

In addition, the Founders drill program at Upper Antino continues, and the results are being released as they become available.

Highlights

Channel sampling grading 113.0 g/t Au over 1.0 m within a broader 11.0 m of 2.4 g/t Au (11 m interval does not include 113.0 g/t Au sample; Figure 1,2)

within a broader (11 m interval does not include 113.0 g/t Au sample; Figure 1,2) Historical drill-defined, high-grade gold mineralization extending over two kilometres of strike (Figure 1)

Historical diamond drill core assays of 12.0 m of 7.80 g/t Au and 22.5 m of 2.95 g/t Au within a broader NW-trending shear zone (Figure 2)

and within a broader NW-trending shear zone (Figure 2) Potential bulk-tonnage exploration target with high-density quartz veining in exposed intermediate intrusive rocks (Figure 3)

Founders' CEO, Colin Padget, commented, "We are thrilled to see similar grades of gold mineralization at the Buese zone as the Upper Antino zone. Although our current primary focus for the ongoing drill program and exploration work remains the Upper Antino area, these initial high-grade channel results underscore the substantial potential of the Buese zone. With gold mineralization defined over more than two kilometres through historical drilling and auger sampling, the Founders team is looking forward to drill-testing the high-grade shear zone and potential bulk-tonnage intrusive targets, which is planned for towards the end of the current 10,000 m program."

Figure 1 - Buese area plan map showing the dominant high-grade gold trend in historical auger sampling and the location of Founders' recent channel sampling. Cross-section lines A-A' & B-B' correspond to those shown below.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7574/180017_c30ff1fe34ac99da_001full.jpg

Figure 2 - Map showing the central Buese area with high-grade gold in auger samples. Cross-section A-A' demonstrates the continuity of broad gold mineralization to depth. *All drilling and associated intervals are historical.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7574/180017_c30ff1fe34ac99da_002full.jpg

Figure 3 - (top left) Sketch illustrating the well-organized vein network with sub-horizontal veins, sigmoidal tension veins and possibly conjugate sets controlled by late brittle deformation. The intrusions act as a preferential host for vein development (rheological control). (top right) Photo of the corresponding intrusive body to sketch. Photo below provides a detailed view of veining and geologist for scale.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7574/180017_c30ff1fe34ac99da_003full.jpg

About Founders Metals Inc.

Founders Metals is a Canadian exploration company operating in North and South America. The Company is focused on acquiring and advancing gold projects in the South American Guiana Shield. Its flagship project is the 20,000 ha Antino Gold Project in Suriname. Exploration work on the project includes, over 30,000 m of historical drilling, 35,000 gold-in-soil auger samples, property-wide aeromagnetic survey data, and a 2022 LiDAR survey. Antino is the most advanced gold exploration project in Suriname; within an area where historical surface/alluvial gold mining has produced over 500,000 gold ounces to date1.

1. 2022 - Antino Project Technical Report entitled, "Technical Report, Antino Project, Suriname, South America" with an effective date of December 23, 2022 by qualified persons, K. Raffle, BSc, P. Geo and Rock Lefrancois, BSc, P.Geo.

Antino Gold Project Area Map

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7574/180017_c30ff1fe34ac99da_004full.jpg

Quality Assurance and Control

Results from samples were analyzed at FILAB Suriname, a Bureau Veritas Certified Laboratory in Paramaribo, Suriname (a commercial certified laboratory under ISO 9001:2015). Samples are crushed to 75% passing 2.35 mm screen, riffle split (700 g) and pulverized to 85% passing 88 m. Samples were analyzed using a 50 g fire assay (50 g aliquot) with an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish. For samples that return assay values over 10.0 grams per tonne (g/t), another cut was taken from the original pulp and fire-assayed with a gravimetric finish. Founders Metals inserts blanks and certified reference standards in the sample sequence for quality control. External QA-QC checks are performed at ALS Global Laboratories (Geochemistry Division) in Vancouver, Canada (an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited facility). A secure chain of custody is maintained in transporting and storing all samples. Drill intervals with visible gold are assayed using metallic screening. Channel and r ock chip samples from outcrop/bedrock are selective by nature and may not be representative of the mineralization hosted on the project.

The scientific and technical disclosure of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc, P.Geol., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101-Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Per: "Colin Padget"

Colin Padget

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director

Founders Metals Contact Information

Dave Burwell, VP Corporate Development

Tel: 403 410 7907 | daveb@fdrmetals.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings and the future or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect ", "is expected ", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market, and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, other factors may cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management discussion and analysis. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

All material information on Founders Metals can be found at www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180017
Ana Brnabi c , Prime Minister of Serbia visited the SK bioscience headquarters.

SK bioscience signed a memorandum of understanding with the Serbian government and Frontier Biopharma to support the vaccine manufacturing environment in Serbia by utilizing its vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and commercial capabilities.

SEONGNAM, South Korea, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SK bioscience, an innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced that Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia (Serbia) has visited the SK bioscience headquarters and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the company to establish a strategic partnership in vaccine development and manufacturing between the two countries.

The MOU ceremony was attended by Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia, Nemanja Grbic, Serbian ambassador in South Korea, Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma Ltd., Jae-Woong Lee, Korean ambassador in Serbia, Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery, and Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience.

This marks the first visit by a Serbian prime minister to South Korea in 13 years, dating back to 2010. Additionally, it is the current prime minister's only visit to a biopharmaceutical and vaccine company in South Korea during her stay.

Along with the MOU, SK bioscience, and Frontier Biopharma agreed to sign a contract within the year for collaborating to establish vaccine manufacturing facilities in Serbia with support from the Serbian government.

According to the MOU, SK bioscience will utilize its own vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization capabilities for strengthening the vaccine manufacturing environment to a global-certified level, transferring technologies and know-how for pandemic preparedness, commercializing products, training human resources, and supporting the vaccine R&D in Serbia. The newly established platform will supply Serbia and other European and emerging markets from a hub in Serbia.

The Serbian government will provide administrative support related to the project and cooperate for possible supply of drug products in Serbia. Frontier Biopharma will be in charge of overall operation of the project.

The demand for localization of vaccines in Serbia where most medical devices and medicines are currently imported from Europe and the United States is growing significantly.

According to the 'Status of Korea-Serbia Cooperation Areas' report recently released by the 'Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA),' Serbia is actively seeking international collaborations and investing in biopharmaceutical and medical industry.

Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia said, "This MOU with SK bioscience and Frontier Biopharma is another proof of both Serbia's commitment to investments in BIO4 areas of biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biodiversity, as well as Serbia's attractiveness to the best global biopharmaceutical companies. Serbia will be happy and proud to host SK bioscience as its hub for the region and Europe."

Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma said, "As the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of the most established pharmaceutical manufacturers in Serbia, we are delighted to be partnering with the Government of Serbia and SK bioscience on this landmark project. SK bioscience has a world-class vaccine development and manufacturing platform which delivers access to innovative, next-generation vaccines that prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. Over the next year we will work closely with our partners to establish a manufacturing hub that will serve Serbia and international markets with products of the highest quality."

Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery said, "The demand for vaccine self-sufficiency has increased in the world due to the pandemic. This collaboration demonstrates that SK bioscience can contribute to global health. In addition to strengthening the Serbia's vaccine industry, we will continue to promote public health in the world."

About SK bioscience

SK bioscience is an innovative vaccine and biotech company, committed in vaccine development and manufacturing to enable more equitable access of vaccines in the world. In leveraging strengths on cutting-edge technologies, SK bioscience has been dedicated to promoting human health from prevention to cure across the globe. With cooperation of domestic and international governments, regulatory agencies, healthcare providers, doctors and medical experts, all of the SK colleagues are passionately committed to providing high-quality vaccines to those who need them and better public healthcare solutions.

SK bioscience Website

SK bioscience Linkedin

About Frontier Biopharma and Zdravlje AD

Frontier Biopharma is the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of the most established pharmaceutical manufacturers in Serbia, established in 1953. The Company supplies approximately 40 markets around the world (including the EU, UK, Asia-Pacific, South Africa and Latin America) with world-class pharmaceutical products from its EU-GMP approved facilities in Leskovac, Serbia.

Zdravlje Website

Contact

SK bioscience Communications Team

Changhyun Jin (jin99@sk.com)

Jeannie S. Pak (J.pak@sk.com)

Tae-Gyun Kim (taegyunkim@sk.com)

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2205342/Photo_1.jpg

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/prime-minister-of-the-republic-of-serbia-visits-sk-bioscience-to-establish-partnership-for-vaccine-localization-301921808.html
Inari, a core technology infrastructure provider for the global insurance and reinsurance industry, has raised $5.2 million in funding as part of their Seed round led by Caixa Capital Risc, through Criteria Venture Tech.

The funds raised from this round of financing establishes Barcelona-based inari as a global leader in (re)insurance technology services and will provide further impetus to inari's longer-term growth strategy, which includesexpanding the teams in both Barcelona and London, venturing into new territories expanding its geographical footprint and building more features based on its innovative and best-in-class technology to fit their current (re)insurance customers and new customers' needs.

Founded in 2017, inari helps its clients operate as next generation insurance and reinsurance organizations both for greenfield operations and long-established companies. The inari client base is worldwide in geography and includes MGAs, Insurance Carriers, Lloyd's Syndicates and Reinsurance companies in Europe, the Lloyd's and London markets, US, Asia and Bermuda.

Inari provides core insurance policy administration, underwriting dashboard and bordereaux management systems for MGAs, Insurance Carriers, Lloyd's Syndicates and Reinsurance companies worldwide. Inari's platforms are secure, cloud based, natively API enabled, fully managed services. They aim to provide a modern, easy-to-use tool that manages the end-to-end policy lifecycle while handling the 'heavy lifting' of day-to-day (re)insurance process management. The platforms provide frictionless interconnectivity and integration with other systems and data sources, which enriches the risk lifecycle experience. Using proprietary technology for data ingestion and capture, it provides users with agile, digital-first underwriting and risk management that has the potential to increase operational efficiency, enhance data accuracy, improve data distribution through the value chain and lower costs.

Three investors were part of this year's round. The leader, Caixa Capital Risc, the venture capital arm of Spanish holding company CriteriaCaixa, alongside CDTI, a public organisation for technology development in Spain, and a leading industry partner.

"Today's announcement validates inari's vision, value and year-on-year track record as part of our mission to revolutionize the (re)insurance industry, establishing inari as a core technology provider that is trusted and valued by the insurance industry and is attracting talent and investors," said Frank Perkins, Chief Executive Officer at inari. "The funding will support enhancements to our product offering, enable us to add to our team's insurance industry and technology expertise and to expand globally.

"I am incredibly proud of our team and would like to thank them for what we have achieved together. It is our people's hard work, resilience, expertise, creativity and innovation that has driven and continues to drive our successes and we are equally thankful to the modern and forward-thinking client base that has supported inari since its beginning.

"I am highly optimistic about what the future holds as we strive to create solutions that are truly transformative and provide world class outcomes for our client's operational needs," Mr Perkins added.

Xavier Alvarez, director of Tech Funds at Caixa Capital Risc, said: "inari's innovative approach to insurance infrastructure has the power to redefine how we perceive risk and resilience in the insurance sector. Our investment signifies our belief in their vision and our commitment to fostering innovation in industries ripe for change. We're excited to join this journey with inari to help them grow and revolutionize this critical industry segment."

Inari was launched by Frank Perkins with three co-founders Veronique Gob, Jochi Jimenez and Teresa Madariaga. These four (re)insurance industry veterans have held executive roles at companies such as Frankona Re, HCC Global Financial Products or ANV. They have long and distinguished experience in markets such as Lloyd's as well as US or Continental Europe.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About inari

Established in 2017 in Barcelona by experienced re/insurance industry professionals, inari has developed leading technology software for the insurance and reinsurance industry. The company provides modern core technology infrastructure for Insurers, Reinsurers, Managing Agents, Managing General Agents (MGAs) and Lloyd's Syndicates that enables them to increase operational efficiency, improve data insights and streamline connectivity across multiple systems. Inari's fully managed platforms deliver end-to-end solutions for all insurance and reinsurance risks, as well as provide data-driven insights that help market practitioners better manage their business.

Inari's products can be implemented as standalone modular solutions or seamlessly integrated alongside other technology platforms. Inari's solutions leverage the use of API's, distributed ledger and cloud-based technologies that enable insurance and reinsurance organisations to concentrate on proactively managing their risks.

Inari's clients include major re/insurance industry players, market-leading MGAs, Lloyd's of London Syndicates and Managing Agencies, based across the US, London, Bermuda, and Asia.

For more information, please visit www.inari.io.

About Caixa Capital Risc

Criteria Venture Tech, managed by Caixa Capital Risc, is a multi-stage venture capital fund based in Spain that invests in early and growth SaaS and Deep Tech companies, with a particular focus on DevOps, Infrastructure, Data, Cybersecurity and Insurtech. Caixa Capital Risc currently manages more than 200 million euros and is part of CriteriaCaixa, the largest investment holding in Spain with 25bn in assets. CCR has been investing since 2007 and portfolio companies have gone public or been acquired by blue-chip companies like Apple, Meta, AirBnB, Qiagen, Vente-Privee, Pernod Ricard, Repsol and similar.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908961804/en/

Contacts:

Media

James Milne, Rein4ce

james.milne@rein4ce.co.uk

+44 7867 484854
Provides an easy way for Duke Energy customers to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) from local Florida generation

Aims to reduce rates for all customers by generating revenue through the sale of the RECs

ST. PETERSBURG, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Duke Energy Florida announced Clean Energy Impact, its newest renewable energy certificates (RECs) program, is now available to customers looking to achieve their sustainability goals and support local, renewable energy.

Clean Energy Impact is available for residential, small and medium business customers in Duke Energy's Florida service area but may be especially useful for large commercial and industrial customers as an alternative to the company's existing community solar program, Clean Energy Connection.

The optional program promotes the use of renewable energy through the sale of RECs from the company's solar facilities. The RECs help customers reach their sustainability goals without having to install or maintain their own equipment.

A REC represents the environmental attributes of 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Revenue generated from the sale of the RECs helps to reduce rates for all customers.

"The new Clean Energy Impact program is delivering on what our customers want - a measurable way to share in renewable energy," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "By adding this program, we are providing even more customers access to the environmental benefits of solar, while helping lower costs for customers, increasing fuel diversity and continuing to build a cleaner energy future for our state."

Duke Energy residential customers can subscribe to 250-kWh blocks monthly. Each block equals a quarter of a REC. Duke Energy business customers must purchase a minimum of 1,000 RECs annually to participate. These RECs are derived from Duke Energy-owned renewable resources, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information about the Clean Energy Impact program, visit duke-energy.com/CEIBiz.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contact: Audrey Stasko

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

View original content here

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Duke Energy on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Duke Energy

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/duke-energy

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Duke Energy

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782051/duke-energy-floridas-new-renewable-energy-certificates-program-offers-customers-businesses-more-options-to-reach-their-sustainability-goals
RAD's Next-Generation AI Solutions Pair Perfectly With JPT's Goal of Revolutionizing the Executive Protection Industry

SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / JPT Group Inc., a trailblazer in the realm of executive protection and technologically driven security solutions, is thrilled to announce its recent partnership with Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), a wholly owned subsidiary of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (OTC PINK:AITX).

"This partnership opens up a previously untapped branch of the security market," said Jon Wang, founder and CEO of JPT Group. "Utilizing RAD's suite of AI analytics-enhanced technology, we can bring even greater levels of protection and peace of mind to a much larger client base."

Emphasizing Wang's point, Mark Folmer, CPP, PSP, FSyI, President of RAD, added, "Regional dealers like JPT Group truly understand the challenges their clients face. It's evident that throwing more security guards at an ongoing problem won't result in an effective solution. This is precisely where RAD comes into play, reinforcing dealers in their mission to provide their clients with real, tailored security solutions."

"When it comes to securing larger properties or responding to multiple threats at once, simply having more personnel on-site isn't always the most efficient solution," said Tony Ramirez, co-founder and Chief Security Officer of JPT Group. "RAD's Security Solutions are a clear force multiplier for us, especially with product lines such as the ROSA family that are capable of autonomously detecting and responding to potentially dangerous situations while simultaneously alerting our team to the presence of a threat."

Delving deeper into the partnership's significance, the collaboration with RAD not only reinforces JPT's commitment to innovating the security industry but also underlines the drive to merge human expertise with tech precision. By pairing JPT's security expertise with RAD's AI solutions, clients are assured unmatched protection with maximum cost-efficiency.

About JPT Group Inc.

Founded by industry veterans with decades of combined experience, JPT Group is modernizing the security industry with a tech-integrated approach that pairs high-level executive protection with cutting-edge smart security solutions. To learn more, visit www.jptsecurity.com.

About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)

AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITX's RAD, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staff and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, www.radsecurity.com, www.stevereinharz.com, www.radgroup.ai, www.raddog.ai, and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz.

Contact Information

Tiffany Nguyen

Executive Administrator

tiffany.n@jptgroup.com

408-352-5108

SOURCE: JPT Security

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781928/jpt-group-forges-dealer-partnership-with-robotic-assistance-devices
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Elemental Altus Royalties Corp. (TSXV: ELE) (OTCQX: ELEMF) ("Elemental Altus" or "the Company"), announces the voting results from its Annual General and Special Meeting held on September 7, 2023.

Each of the resolutions approved at the meeting were described in detail in the Company's management information circular dated August 8, 2023, available on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.elementalaltus.com.

Resolution Votes

For Votes Against Withheld/

Abstain % For % Against % Withheld/ Abstain Election of Directors











Frederick Bell 107,646,382 0 127,103 99.88 0.00 0.12 Martin Turenne 107,634,045 0 139,440 99.87 0.00 0.13 Peter Williams 107,420,763 0 352,722 99.67 0.00 0.33 John Robins 107,655,763 0 117,722 99.89 0.00 0.11 Steven Poulton 107,651,204 0 122,281 99.89 0.00 0.11 Karim Nasr 107,658,852 0 114,633 99.89 0.00 0.11 David Netherway 107,656,653 0 116,832 99.89 0.00 0.11 Robert Milroy 107,662,763 0 110,722 99.90 0.00 0.10 Appointment of Auditors 109,725,990 0 100,655 99.91 0.00 0.09 Approval of Omnibus Plan* 99,862,549* 531,343 0 99.47 0.53 0.00

* Excluding 7,379,593 shares held by Insiders.

As set forth above, Elemental Altus is pleased to announce that at the Annual General and Special Meeting, shareholders approved the ratifying of the Company's incentive compensation plan (the "Omnibus Plan"), including (i) the setting-aside, allotting and reserving 10% of the Company's outstanding common shares ("Common Shares") from time to time for issuance pursuant to the exercise of stock options granted under the Omnibus Plan and (ii) an amendment to the Omnibus Plan to increase the number of Common Shares that may be issued under the "fixed 10% plan" with respect to awards of restricted share units and performance share units by 2,500,000 Common Shares, and the setting-aside, allotting and reserving an aggregate of an additional 2,500,000 Common Shares from time to time for issuance pursuant to such awards.

In order to comply with the TSX Venture Exchange's (the "TSX-V") policy 4.4 that governs security-based compensation ("Policy 4.4"), the following amendments were also made to the Omnibus Plan and approved by shareholders of the Company at the Annual General and Special Meeting, which provide that:

the issuance, assumption, substitution or conversion of awards under the Omnibus Plan in connection with any corporate reorganization is subject to prior acceptance of the TSX-V and shareholder approval, except for certain specified exceptions; the vesting requirements of the Company's security based compensation ("Awards") comply with TSX-V Policy 4.4; the expiry date, redemption date or settlement date of Awards is automatically extended only if such date falls within a period (a "Blackout Period") during which the Company prohibits participants ("Participants") in the Omnibus Plan from exercising, redeeming or settling their Awards during the Blackout Period; any Awards granted or issued to any Participant to the Omnibus Plan who is a director, officer, employee, consultant or management company employee must expire within a reasonable period, not exceeding 12 months, following the date the Participant ceases to be an eligible Participant under the Omnibus Plan; the TSX-V approval will be required to accelerate the vesting dates and/or expiry dates of any stock options when a Participant is engaged to provide investor relation services to the Company; no restricted share units and performance share units issued pursuant to the Omnibus Plan may vest before the date that is one year following the date it is granted or issued; for any Awards that entitle Participants to receive additional Awards in lieu of dividends declared by the Company based on their holdings of Awards other than listed Common Shares that have already been issued, the maximum aggregate number of listed Common Shares that might possibly be issued under the Omnibus Plan must be included in calculating the limits set forth in in certain prescribed provisions of TSX-V Policy 4.4, and the Omnibus Plan must allow the Company to make payment in cash if it does not have a sufficient number of listed Common Shares available under the Omnibus Plan to satisfy its obligations in respect of such dividends; Awards must not entitle a Participant to any shareholder rights (including without limitation voting rights, dividend entitlement or rights on liquidation) until such time as underlying listed Common Shares are issued to such Participant; the maximum period that there will be an entitlement to make a claim after the death of a Participant will be no greater than 12 months following the death of the Participant; and the Company must obtain disinterested shareholder approval of any decrease in the exercise price of or extensions to stock options granted to Participants that are insiders of the Company at the time of the proposed amendment.

The full text of the Omnibus Plan can be found in Schedule "C" of the Company's management and information circular, a copy of which can be found on the Company's profile at SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. The Omnibus Plan remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.

Corporate & Media Inquiries:

Jacy Zerb, VP Investor Relations

Direct: +1 604-243-6511 ext. 2700

j.zerb@elementalaltus.com

Elemental Altus is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: www.discoverygroup.ca or contact 604-646-4527.

TSX.V: ELE | OTCQX: ELEMF | ISIN: CA28619K1093 | CUSIP: 28619K109

About Elemental Altus Royalties Corp.

Elemental Altus is an income generating precious metals royalty company with 10 producing royalties and a diversified portfolio of pre-production and discovery stage assets. The Company is focused on acquiring uncapped royalties and streams over producing, or near-producing, mines operated by established counterparties, as well as generating royalties on new discoveries. The vision of Elemental Altus is to build a global gold royalty company, offering investors superior exposure to gold with reduced risk and a strong growth profile.

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180012
TOKYO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TeraBox, the cloud storage brainchild of Japanese technology firm Flextech Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, is proudly marking the first-year milestone of its highly successful Referral Program. Under the banner of "share to be rich," the TeraBox Referral Program has gathered significant traction, rallying users worldwide to join its ranks. TeraBox marks its anniversary with the TeraBoxLifeUpgrade TikTok challenge, attracting participants, including KOLs, to showcase Referral Program earnings and benefits, gaining 20 million views.

The Referral Program, a cornerstone of TeraBox's success, beckons prospective users with its simple five-step enrollment process, involving "register, select a plan, upload files, share links, and collect rewards", enabling them to monetize their participation in the Referral Program. The community's resounding choice of the program's official slogan, "share to be rich," exemplifies TeraBox's vision of fostering a culture of sharing that leads to financial prosperity, attracting a diverse range of users. It comes as no surprise that TeraBox has become the talk of the town.

TeraBox's impact goes far and wide, reaching 214 countries and regions around the world. From India to Indonesia, Brazil to the United States, TeraBox has gained a loyal following of diverse webmasters who help spread the wealth. The program's success has attracted webmasters from all corners of the globe, with India leading the way with approximately 90,000 webmasters. Indonesia follows with 40,000, while Brazil and the United States each boast 20,000. And it doesn't stop there-countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan have all jumped on board, contributing to TeraBox's global presence.

With over 500,000 webmasters across the globe, the program has become a lucrative avenue for income generation. Webmasters are reaping an average daily income of $83, with some achieving staggering single-day earnings of up to $7,636. Notably, since its inception, TeraBox has witnessed one webmaster amass a remarkable $109,947 in earnings within a year, setting a new benchmark of success.

The TeraBox Referral Program has successfully operated for over 365 days, achieving remarkable success thanks to the unwavering support of its users and webmasters. TeraBox launched the TeraBoxLifeUpgrade challenge on TikTok to celebrate the remarkable journeys of our Referral Program participants. This captivating challenge has witnessed over 50 active participants, including renowned KOLs, proudly displaying their monthly earnings from the Referral Program, amassing an impressive 20 million views. Through engaging videos, they've spotlighted its key benefits, including generous profit-sharing, user-friendly operations, and swift withdrawal processes.

Lately, the company launches the TeraBox Paid Content Plan, enabling the users to turn creativity into tangible income. Photographers, illustrators, and original video creators alike can now set flexible prices for their premium content, with users must pay to access and enjoy uploaded videos. It's worth emphasizing that TeraBox takes no fee, allowing creators the possibility of earning up to $100 per link, with their creativity rightfully compensated under the TeraBox Paid Content Plan.

TeraBox App is available for download on Android, iOS, and Windows devices, data can also be accessed online at www.terabox.com.

To learn more about the TeraBox Referral Program for additional income, please visit https://terabox.onelink.me/yqcq/ij4vgrdg

About TeraBox

TeraBox, powered by Flextech Inc. in Japan, is a leading global cloud storage solution. With its Tokyo headquarters, TeraBox proudly serves over 100 million users globally, providing a simple yet powerful way to store and manage data. Offering a generous 1TB of free storage, TeraBox ensures your files are safe and accessible anywhere.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/terabox-marks-the-first-full-year-of-referral-program-empowering-thousands-globally-301921959.html
Dust Solutions Incorporated creates a comprehensive guide to the new MSHA silica dust standards and effective control measures.

BEAUFORT, SC / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Dust Solutions, Inc. (DSI), a pioneer in advanced dust control technologies, announces its position at the forefront of Silica Dust Mitigation solutions. This announcement comes in response to the recent proposed standards by the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) concerning silica dust exposure at mine sites.

Silica Dust Control

Image of Silica Dust Control at a mining site.

The US Department of Labor, through MSHA, has proposed a significant reduction in the permissible limit of silica dust exposure for mining workers. The new standards suggest a limit of 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air for an 8-hour time-weighted average, aligning with the current silica exposure limits set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

"Silica dust exposure has long been a concern in the mining industry. With these new standards, there's an urgent need for effective mitigation solutions. DSI is proud to offer technologies that not only meet but exceed these requirements," said Richard Posner, President of Dust Solutions, Inc.

DSI's innovative Dry Fog technology stands out as a premier solution. Capable of reducing respirable silica dust more effectively than any other available technology, Dry Fog generates a fine mist that captures and suppresses dust particles, preventing them from becoming airborne. Additionally, DSI's High Pressure Water Sprays and Misting Systems offer further protection, capturing dust particles and settling them before they can spread.

Furthermore, DSI addresses the challenges posed by stockpiles, which are significant sources of dust in mining operations. Their passive Wind Fence technology DustTamer, designed to reduce dust generation from stockpiles and open areas, playing a crucial role in silica stockpile dust reduction.

As mines and related operations gear up to comply with the new standards, DSI's comprehensive solutions promise not just compliance but a safer work environment for all involved. In response to the influx of mines reaching out for assistance, DSI put together a comprehensive guide MSHA Silica Dust Control Standards.

About Dust Solutions, Inc. (DSI)

DSI is a leader in providing advanced technologies for dust control. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, DSI has consistently delivered solutions that meet the evolving needs of the mining industry. Their expertise and cutting-edge solutions make them a preferred choice for mines worldwide.

For more information on DSI's Silica Dust Mitigation solutions and how they can benefit your operations, please contact:

Contact Information

Richard Posner

President

r.posner@nodust.com

732-740-6178

SOURCE: Dust Solutions Incorporated (DSI)

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/780814/dsi-leads-the-charge-in-silica-dust-mitigation-amid-new-msha-standards
Topics of discussion included AI regulation, banking regulations, status of Puerto Rico, the Jones Act, and Ramaswamy's vision for America.

GUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / In a bid to bring clarity and insight into the forthcoming 2024 Presidential elections, Pavan Agarwal, CEO of Sun West Mortgage Company, Inc. (swmc.com) and founder of Celligence International, LLC, (celligence.com) hosted an enlightening live Zoom town hall. The session was led by Pavan Agarwal and organized by Bob Diamond, Managing Attorney, Diamond Law Center, and featured the 2024 Presidential hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy.

The dialogue aimed to shed light on pressing issues that concern the nation and its citizens. Among the topics that topped the discussion list were the current status of Puerto Rico, the intricacies of the Jones Act, the future of AI regulation, the evolving landscape of banking regulations, and the vision that Ramaswamy holds for America.

"The areas of discussion were sourced by the local Puerto Rico business community and, so, we covered topics that are vitally important to America's economic growth but are not routinely discussed in traditional media. My approach was to have a very polite and casual conversation so that Mr. Ramaswamy could be comfortable and the citizens get a glimpse into the real person. While I had no prior contact with Mr. Ramaswamy or his campaign, and I and my companies do not endorse any particular political point of view, I'm very appreciative that Mr. Ramaswamy accepted my invitation without hesitation. As I send similar requests out to other campaigns, I hope they will just as readily accept the invitation," said Pavan Agarwal.

Vivek Ramaswamy, known for his articulate and insightful takes on national issues, provided an in-depth perspective on each topic. His vision for America was particularly highlighted, offering attendees a glimpse into the direction he wishes to steer the nation if elected.

The session was well-received, with attendees appreciating the initiative taken by Pavan Agarwal to foster an informed electorate. The Q&A format allowed for real-time engagement, with participants actively posing questions and receiving comprehensive answers.

Sun West Mortgage Company, Inc. and Celligence International, LLC continue to emphasize the importance of informed dialogue, hoping to host more such sessions in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

To access a recording, see this YouTube link: Vivek Ramaswamy Q&A with Pavan Agarwal.

Celligence International, LLC is one of the fastest-growing fin-tech and AI companies. Celligence has engineered a novel AI that is evolving and self-generating neural cells, which come together to solve complex problems. The Celligence AI is deterministic, not merely generative, and it delivers 100% accurate and trustworthy responses, as is required for financial transactions.

Visit http://www.swmc.com/swmc/disclaimer.php for the full list of license information. Please refer to https://www.swmc.com/TXdis.php to view Texas Complaint Notice and Servicing Disclosure. In all jurisdictions, the principal licensed location of Sun West Mortgage Company, Inc. is 6131 Orangethorpe Avenue, Suite 500, Buena Park, CA 90620, Phone: (800) 453-7884.

Contact Information

Sophie MIchaels

PR Manager

sophie@inventus.media

914 309 8221

SOURCE: Sun West

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781925/pavan-agarwal-hosted-a-live-town-hall-qa-with-presidential-hopeful-vivek-ramaswamy
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - After years of providing exceptional content writing services and orchestrating successful public relations campaigns, BA Content & PR is thrilled to announce its rebranding to OBA PR. This strategic move not only mirrors the company's growth but also underscores its renewed commitment to specialized Public Relations.





Ohad Ben Artzi, distinguished Forbes Business Council Member and dynamic Founder of OBA PR, leading innovation in public relations.

Established in 2012, BA Content & PR has consistently led the way in delivering top-notch content creation and PR services across a spectrum of industries. The shift to OBA PR signals an exhilarating new chapter, emphasizing the company's refined focus on Public Relations to cater more adeptly to the dynamic needs of its clientele.

Notably, the company's footprint is rapidly expanding in the Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets. This growth in these territories is a testament to the evolving identity as the company transitions into OBA PR.

Under the OBA PR moniker, the company will persist in deploying data-centric, creative campaigns that effectively resonate with and engage their target demographics. With a steadfast dedication to excellence, OBA PR aspires to drive brands forward, deepen engagement, and nurture lasting relationships transcending mere transactions.

Founder Ohad Ben Artzi's academic background in business from Oxford University greatly informs OBA PR's methodology in content strategy and dissemination. Additionally, as a member of the prestigious Forbes Business Council, his insights and expertise have significantly shaped the company's approach to the market. This rebranding signifies not just the company's expansion but also the depth of expertise and experience OBA PR offers.

"Our trajectory as BA Content & PR has been nothing short of extraordinary, and metamorphosing into OBA PR is a progressive stride aligning with our relentless pursuit of top-tier Public Relations excellence," commented Ohad Ben Artzi, Founder of OBA PR. "We embrace this new horizon with zest, confident in our refined specialization to architect even more resonant campaigns for our partners."

At its core, OBA PR's ethos remains unaltered: an unwavering, client-first methodology anchored in a deep comprehension of each client's unique business milieu. Harnessing this insight, OBA PR stands poised to consistently elevate clients as vanguards in their respective domains.

This rebranding encapsulates OBA PR's commitment to scaling new heights, pioneering innovation, and setting the gold standard in Public Relations. Current and prospective partners can expect the unwavering caliber of dedication, finesse, and result-driven strategies that are the bedrock of OBA PR's legacy.

About OBA PR:

OBA PR, previously BA Content & PR, stands as a leading Public Relations beacon with a storied trajectory of producing influential content writing services and PR campaigns since 2012. Headquartered in London, OBA PR pledges to synergize with partners across diverse industries, weaving data-backed, captivating campaigns that solidify brand presence, amplify visibility, and foster authentic engagements.

Website: www.obapr.com

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

Name- Vicky Ginsberg

Email- vicky.g@obapr.com

Website- http://obapr.com/

Contact- +357 95 738 807

Address -Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai, United Arab Emirates

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/179693
WUXI, China, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ET Solar Inc. ("ET Solar"), a California-based corporation, is excited to announce our global re-branding as EliTe Solar, effective immediately. With over 15 years of experience as a trusted supplier of solar modules in the US market and nearly 20 years in global markets, we are updating our brand to reflect the "elite" nature of our products and services.

EliTe Solar's PV modules continue to deliver exceptional performance and quality that our partners and customers have come to associate with ET Solar. This re-branding emphasizes the strong position our products hold in the market.

As of August 2023, EliTe Solar owns and operates 3.5 GW of cell/module manufacturing capacity in Vietnam and Cambodia. Additionally, we are in the process of constructing 5 GW of ingot/wafer manufacturing capacity, which will be co-located with our cell manufacturing facility in Vietnam. The US market remains our primary focus, and our products have been successfully utilized in various large-scale utility projects across the country. Our company and its products have undergone rigorous diligence and vetting by independent engineering services, as well as our customers, lenders, and tax equity investors.

During an interim period, EliTe Solar was listed on the Q3 2023 BNEF Tier 1 list as "ET Solar Inc / Elite Solar." It's important to note that this re-branding does not impact our legal or shareholding structure, nor does it affect our manufacturing locations.

"The product warranty, parent guaranty, and other contracts provided under the name of 'ET Solar' are always valid for our customers. Our decision to re-brand is a reflection of our commitment to providing value to our customers in every aspect of our business," stated Alex Chen, General Manager of EliTe Solar Inc. EliTe Solar's focus on performance and service is supported by PVEL's PQP testing reports (available upon request) and the positive feedback we receive from our customers regarding our "elite" level of sales, logistics, and customer service.

For questions please visit EliTe Solar's booth # 3738 in RE+ or contact: alex.chen@elite-solar.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2198610/image1.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/et-solar-rebrands-as-elite-solar-301914672.html
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (TSXV:GMG) ("GMG" or the "Company") is pleased to advise that Mr Jack Perkowski, based in New Jersey USA, has joined the Company's board of directors effective 7 September, 2023.

Mr Perkowski founded ASIMCO Technologies in 1994, and from 1994 to 2008, served as the Chairman of ASIMCO's Board of Directors and the company's Chief Executive Officer. Under Mr Perkowski's leadership, ASIMCO became one of the most important players in China's automotive components industry and gained a reputation for developing local management and integrating a broad-based China operation into the global economy. ASIMCO was later sold to Bain Capital in 2010 and is still regarded as one of the most successful automotive component manufacturing companies in China. Prior to moving to China, Mr Perkowski worked for twenty years on Wall Street where he was the head of Investment Banking at Paine Webber, a major securities firm that was eventually acquired by UBS in 2000. After leaving ASIMCO, Mr Perkowski founded JFP Holdings, a merchant banking firm focused on China, where he now serves as Chairman.

GMG's CEO Craig Nicol stated, "I'm very excited to see Jack joining as a Director of the Company to support our progression into a commercial manufacturing operation - his finance and manufacturing entrepreneur experience and knowledge will be a great addition to the company and board - I very much look forward to working with him."

Guy Outen, GMG's Chair added, "I'm delighted to welcome Jack to the board. His past successes at Paine Webber and ASIMCO and his knowledge in manufacturing and finance give me confidence that he will be a great asset to the board and in supporting GMG's significant aspirations."

About GMG

GMG is a clean-technology company which seeks to offer energy saving and energy storage solutions, enabled by graphene, including that manufactured in-house via a proprietary production process.

GMG has developed a proprietary production process to decompose natural gas (i.e. methane) into its elements, carbon (as graphene), hydrogen and some residual hydrocarbon gases. This process produces high quality, with low cost inputs, scalable, 'tuneable' and low/no contaminant graphene suitable for use in clean-technology and other applications. The Company's present focus is to de-risk and develop commercial scale-up capabilities, and secure market applications.

In the energy savings segment, GMG has focused on graphene enhanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning ("HVAC-R") coating (or energy-saving paint), lubricants and fluids. In the energy storage segment, GMG and the University of Queensland are working collaboratively with financial support from the Australian Government to progress R&D and commercialization of graphene aluminium-ion batteries ("G+AI Batteries").

For further information, please contact:

- Craig Nicol, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Company at craig.nicol@graphenemg.com, +61 415 445 223

- Leo Karabelas at Focus Communications, info@fcir.ca , +1 647 689 6041

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends", "expects" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or will "potentially" or "likely" occur. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding the effective date on which Mr. Perkowski will join the board of director, and the contributions Mr. Perkowski will make to the Company in his capacity as a director.

These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the effective date on which Mr. Perkowski joins the board of directors, and his contributions as a director differing from management's current expectations.

In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, assumptions regarding the effective date on which Mr. Perkowski will join the board of directors, and the positive impact Mr. Perkowski will have on the Company's development in that role.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180028
Outstanding contribution to design inspired by the heritage, landscape and artistic legacies of AlUla, Saudi Arabia

PARIS, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arts AlUla announced the ?ve winners of the AlUla Design Award at Paris Design Week on September 07, 2023. The Award forms part of an exciting development of ambitious design initiatives in AlUla including the groundbreaking Madrasat Addeera Editions exhibited during Paris Design Week and the announcement of the upcoming inaugural Design Residency and opening of Design Space AlUla.

AlUla Design Award

The Award received an overwhelming response from established and emerging designers, who showcased their talent by conceptualizing and developing exceptional design retail items across six categories inspired by the heritage, landscape and artistic legacies of AlUla.

After a rigorous selection process, 10 ?nalists were chosen by a jury comprising recognized leaders from the design sector, to exhibit at Paris Design Week. The ?ve winners are:

Tawa by Shaddah Studio (Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia) Naba Tea Tif?n by Ikkis, Gunjan Gupta (Indian, based in India) AlUla Terrains: Dates Serving Set by Teeb (Lebanese and Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia Incense Heritage Collection by Sarra Hafaiedh (Tunisian, based in Tunisia) Oil Lantern by Imane Mellah (French, based in Paris)

The AlUla Design Award aims to support the winners by commissioning some of the designs, providing assistance throughout the production process, and facilitating their promotion within AlUla and its in?uential network of regional and international activities. The exhibition in Paris, conceived by acclaimed designer Herve Sauvage, features prototypes of all 10 ?nalists, at 21,Rue De Turenne, 75003 Paris from 8 to 16 September 2023, 10am - 7pm (til 9pm on 9 September).

Nora Aldabal, Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries Royal Commission for AlUla said, "The winners of the AlUla Design Award have brilliantly interpreted the landscape and heritage of AlUla through their designs. We are excited that the Award sits alongside several AlUla design initiatives including the trailblazing Madrasat Addeera Editions, also exhibiting in Paris; the ?rst Design Residency which begins in October in AlUla; and the Design Space AlUla which opens in early 2024. These initiatives exemplify AlUla's commitment to pushing the boundaries of design in dynamic and innovative ways whilst fostering creativity and cross-cultural connections. We look forward to nurturing these ambitious initiatives which are making AlUla a design hub in the region, engaging local and international design communities alike."

Madrasat Addeera Editions

Madrasat Addeera in AlUla is dedicated to developing artisanal skills and craft programs among the local population to support the growth of a sustainable, vibrant, and authentically creative artisan and design industry.

Madrasat Addeera Editions is a new initiative and is exhibiting its limited edition statement pieces for the ?rst time. The four pieces have been designed and produced by renowned Saudi and international designers and artisans from more than eight countries. The designs re?ect a fusion of local heritage and contemporary design, whilst demonstrating the vast potential of crafts. The pieces draw inspiration from the rich local culture and narratives of AlUla, blending traditional crafts with modern innovative techniques and sustainable materials.

The pieces are designed by renowned and award-winning designers including Dr Zahrah Alghamdi, Cristian Mohaded, TAKK (Mireia Luzarraga and Alejandro Muino), and GTECNOCrafts. The exhibition will be held from 8 - 16 Sept at Galerie Joseph, 66 Rue Charlot Paris 10am - 6pm.

Design Residency

Building on the success of the AlUla Artist Residency launched in 2021 by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the French Agency for AlUla Development (Afalula), Arts AlUla is excited to announce the inaugural AlUla Design Residency.

The Design Residency seeks to embark on a comprehensive examination and experimentation of design methodologies, forging a symbiotic relationship with parallel design initiatives spearheaded by Arts AlUla. Encompassing a research-intensive residency across three months, this initiative will unfold within the vibrant environs of AlUla, and aims to pioneer a novel phase of creative exploration in the region.

These exciting design initiatives re?ect AlUla's commitment to developing ambitious strands of design, nurturing creativity within their communities, absorbing and preserving heritage, whilst pushing the boundaries of design, and making it a dynamic hub for artistic and design excellence in the region.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2205532/AlUla_Design_Award.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/arts-alula-presents-the-alula-design-award-winners-and-announces-new-design-initiatives-at-paris-design-week-301922013.html
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Ireland's manufacturing output declined in July after rebounding in the previous month, preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office showed on Friday. Manufacturing production fell a seasonally adjusted 4.3 percent year-on-year in July, reversing a 3.8 percent growth in July. On a monthly basis, output in the manufacturing sector slumped 12.5 percent from June, when it grew by 14.4 percent. Total industrial production also fell 4.0 percent in July compared to last year, in contrast to a 1.0 percent rise in the prior month. Compared to the previous month, industrial output showed a decline of 6.6 percent in July versus an 11.7 percent gain in the prior month. During the May-July period, production in the manufacturing industries expanded by 1.7 percent compared with the previous three-month period. The modern sector, which includes the chemical, pharmaceutical, and computer and electronics sectors, showed a flat change in industrial production in the period May to July 2023, while the traditional sector showed an increase of 3.4 percent. 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.
Two Local Companies Complete Merger to Form a Powerhouse Property Management Company

BUFFALO, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / 716 Realty Group WNY, a leading real estate brokerage in Western New York, announced today that it has performed a merger via its sister company 716 Property Management LLC with Nickel City Property Management LLC, a prominent property management company in the Buffalo region currently with over 250+ units under management. The combination is part of 716's strategy to expand its presence in the local real estate market and offer best-in-class service to its clients through value-add merger-and-acquisition activity, marking its third successful closing in two years.





716PM





With this merger, 716 Property Management LLC will now offer a full range of property management services, from the moment of purchase to the moment of sale including management, leasing, maintenance, and tenant relations. The company's focus will be on providing exceptional service and value to its clients centered around delivering a triple win - when tenants, owners and the management team benefit from the relationship.

"We are thrilled to add Nickel City Property Management to the 716 family of companies," said Gregory Straus, real estate broker/owner of 716 Realty Group WNY. "With this merger, we are now able to offer our clients a complete suite of real estate services to local real estate investors, often already buying and selling through the brokerage."

Under the merger, Nickel City Property Management LLC will now operate under the name 716 Property Management LLC, with a growing team of experienced property managers, maintenance team and support staff. The company's current clients can expect a seamless transition, with no interruption in service.

"We are excited to join forces with 716, a company and brand that shares our commitment to serving the local market with exceptional service and client satisfaction that includes a large sales and marketing team to continue to fuel our growth," said Steve Kottakis, CEO of Nickel City Property Management. "We are confident that this partnership will benefit our current and future clients and we look forward to continuing to serve the local Buffalo community."

Immediately, Steve Kottakis will be named CEO of the new company with Gregory Straus as President.

www.716-pm.com

Contact Information

Jeannie Muscarella

Director of Operations

jeannie@716realtygroup.com

7169825388

Steve Kottakis

CEO

716-565-3825 x101

SOURCE: 716 Realty Group WNY

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781922/nickel-city-property-management-merges-with-716-property-management-a-716-realty-group-company
Current and incoming students to receive scholarships thanks to multiple industry partnerships.

NEW CASTLE, PA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Thanks to the generous support of corporate sponsors, civic organizations, and local individuals, New Castle School of Trades (NCST), one of the region's oldest and most established trade and technical schools, will award more than $90,000 in scholarships at their 2023 Scholarship Day on Wednesday, September 13th.

NCST student receives scholarship

New Castle School of Trades will award $90,000 in Scholarships to Students on September 13, 2023

"For more than 75 years, the New Castle School of Trades has been training men and women for exciting, high-demand careers in a variety of skilled trades. Our annual Scholarship Day allows us to help even more students and graduates," said Rex Spaulding, President.

"We have received tremendous support from a variety of organizations from all over the region, and because of their commitment, we are honored to be able to award more than 45 scholarships to both current and incoming students," said Dennis Corrado, School Director. "These scholarships not only help a student financially, but it also recognizes them for their consistently high academic performance. This is a great example of how industry and education can work together to help create the next generation of skilled tradespeople," he added.

NCST will officially celebrate their 2023 Scholarship Day on Wednesday, September 13th at 12N. The event will be held at the main campus at 4117 Pulaski Road, New Castle, PA 16101. The event is open to the public, and more than 400 students, their families, and industry leaders are expected to attend.

To learn more about the companies and organizations who made these scholarships possible, and for complete event details, visit: https://www.ncstrades.edu/event-calendar

About New Castle School of Trades

Since its founding in 1945, New Castle School of Trades (NCST) has become one of the premier trade schools in the Pennsylvania and Ohio area. Over the last 75 years, NCST has evolved from educating students into competent tradesmen and tradeswomen to training students to become more sophisticated and innovative craftsmen who will be tomorrow's highly skilled technicians. Learn more at https://www.ncstrades.edu

Contact Information

Dennis Corrado

School Director

dcorrado@ncstrades.edu

724-964-8811

SOURCE: ncstrades.edu

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782052/new-castle-school-of-trades-to-award-90000-in-scholarships
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce further positive assay results for an additional 30 diamond core boreholes totalling 7,309 metres ("m") from its current exploration drilling program on the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Today's drilling results include 23 drill holes (6,122.5 m) focusing on the expansion of the Boomerang East gold system and 7 scout drill holes (1,186.5 m) targeting prospective litho-structural settings generated by the recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling. The current drilling forms part of an aggressive in-house drilling initiative focussing on multiple resource expansion targets occupying the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure; over 1 km beyond the limits of the currently defined Mineral Resource Estimate (the "2021 MRE", see the Company's news release of November 1, 2021).

Present drilling efforts successfully: expanded the stacked, NE-plunging, multi-shoot Boomerang East gold system approximately 150 m along strike to the southwest (up-plunge), including discovery of new gold shoot; amalgamated the Boomerang East / Boomerang West resource expansion targets into a single, major gold system extending over 700 m down-plunge; and further defined the down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone.

Assay results reported are provided in Table 1 below and include the following highlights:

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang East SW Strike-Extension - Boomerang West Down-Plunge)

9.0 m at 5.27 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au"), including 4.5 m at 8.98 g/t Au, from 65.5 m; and 15.4 m at 1.59 g/t Au, including 7.5 m at 2.01 g/t Au, from 120.0 m KBDD23524

22.0 m at 1.17 g/t Au, including 15.7 m at 1.50 g/t Au, from 194.0 m in KBDD23522

Definition Drilling (Main "Lower Shoot" Gold Zone - Boomerang East)

51.0 m at 1.31 g/t Au, including 16.5 m at 3.09 g/t Au, from 127.0 m in KBDD23528

53.0 m at 1.06 g/t Au, including 30.0 m at 1.60 g/t Au, from 31.0 m in KBDD23527

33.0 m at 1.17 g/t Au, including 19.0 m at 1.76 g/t Au, from 7.0 m in KBDD23519

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang East - SE Lateral / Down-Dip Extension)

9.0 m at 1.00 g/t Au from 40.0 m; and 33.0 m at 0.50 g/t Au from 184.0 m; and 29.0 m at 0.35 g/t Au from 304.0 m; and 6.0 m at 1.67 g/t Au from 357.0 m in KBDD22504

9.1 m at 0.75 g/t Au from 77.0; and 10.5 m at 0.71 g/t Au from 129.0; and 41.0 m at 0.72 g/t Au from 294.0 in KBDD22505

47.0 m at 0.51 g/t Au from 210.0 m in KBDD23523

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "What really excites us is that with our latest expansion drilling successfully amalgamating the Boomerang East / Boomerang West zones into a single, stacked, multi-shoot gold system extending approximately 700 m down-plunge, we are potentially seeing the emergence of a new, major bulk-tonnage gold deposit. We are also very pleased with the broad, robust nature, and down-plunge continuity, of the gold mineralization returned by definition drill holes KBDD23527 and KBDD23528, at the main Lower Shoot gold zone. We remain confident, based on the present drilling yielding several strong sandstone rock-hosted gold intercepts, representing a second highly-prospective mineralization-receptive host rock, in addition to the typical Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE diorite-hosted mineralization, that further new gold discoveries will be made within the newly modeled mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure footprint area."

Today's Kibi Gold Project drill results correspond to the latest 30 drill holes (7,309 m) of an ongoing exploration initiative targeting multiple resource expansion opportunities within the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the gold mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure, including: 19 expansion drill holes (5,116.5 m) targeting the south-western strike-extension and south-eastern lateral continuity of the stacked, multi-shoot, Boomerang East gold system, 4 SW-trending definition drill holes (1,006 m) designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the Lower Shoot mineralization between existing NW-SE drill-sections , and 7 scout drill holes (1,186.5 m) to further define the litho-structural setting of the recently 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling generated Double 19 - SW target.

The present 30 diamond core boreholes were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from early December 2022 to late July 2023, including: 26 new holes (KBDD22503 - KBDD23528) and 4 hole-extensions (KBDD21432, KBDD21434, KBDD21451 & KBDD22502). With drill holes KBDD21432, KBDD21434, and KBDD22502 re-entered / extended to test the Lower Shoot and/or Footwall Shoot mineralization zones at Boomerang East, and hole KBDD21451 extended to help define the geometry of the diorite body at the Double 19 - SW target. Drill results for a total of 120 holes (22,860.5 m) have been reported to date for the ongoing Zone 3 resource expansion drill program initiated following the database close-out date for the current 2021 MRE.

Exploration significant auriferous drill intercepts are presented in Table 1 below, with a drill plan (Figure 1) and collar / drill hole details (Table 2), available at:

(Figure 1_Zone 3 Drill Plan_Sep 2023)

(Table 2_Drill Collar Info_Sep 2023 )

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts Boomerang East Resource Expansion Target & Zone 3 Scout Drilling Kibi Gold Project / December 2022 - July 2023 Hole ID From

(metres) To

(metres) Core

Length

(metres) Gold

Grams

Per Tonne Zone ID / Target KBDD21432 (1) 145.0 154.0 9.0 0.40 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 150.0 151.0 1.0 1.58 and 172.0 214.0 42.0 0.28 Lower Shoot including 201.0 208.0 7.0 0.51 and 229.0 243.0 14.0 0.79 Footwall Shoot including 234.0 242.0 8.0 1.06 and incl. 240.0 241.0 1.0 3.29 KBDD21434 (2) 97.5 133.0 35.5 0.44 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) including 108.0 111.0 3.0 1.11 including 129.0 133.0 4.0 0.97 and 236.0 255.0 19.0 0.28 Lower Shoot KBDD21451 (3) 177.5 179.0 1.5 2.33 Double 19 - SW Target KBDD22502 (4) 334.0 344.0 10.0 0.57 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 334.0 336.0 2.0 1.78 and 372.0 378.0 6.0 1.03 Lower Shoot and 409.0 413.0 4.0 1.13 Footwall Shoot KBDD22503 129.5 136.5 7.0 0.56 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) and 232.0 252.5 20.5 0.57 Lower Shoot including 234.0 239.0 5.0 0.95 KBDD22504 40.0 49.0 9.0 1.00 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) including 46.0 48.0 2.0 3.31 and 184.0 217.0 33.0 0.50 Lower Shoot including 203.0 209.0 6.0 1.04 and 304.0 333.0 29.0 0.35 Boomerang East -New Mineralization including 304.0 305.0 1.0 4.15 and 357.0 363.0 6.0 1.67 Boomerang East -New Mineralization including 361.0 362.0 1.0 6.20 KBDD22505 44.5 49.0 4.5 0.63 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) and 77.0 86.1 9.1 0.75 Upper Shoot (s) including 81.4 83.0 1.6 1.89 and 129.0 139.5 10.5 0.71 Upper Shoot (s) including 135.0 137.0 2.0 1.43 and 294.0 335.0 41.0 0.72 Lower Shoot including 296.0 302.0 6.0 1.82 and incl. 299.0 300.0 1.0 4.37 KBDD23506 No Significant Intercept Boomerang East KBDD23507 50.0 64.5 14.5 0.30 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) including 57.0 58.0 1.0 1.11 KBDD23508 45.0 67.5 22.5 0.40 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) including 54.0 56.0 2.0 1.53 and 88.5 90.0 1.5 1.89 KBDD23509 No Significant Intercept Boomerang East KBDD23510 30.0 55.0 25.0 0.31 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 30.0 35.0 5.0 0.61 and 62.0 72.0 10.0 0.68 Lower Shoot including 64.0 68.0 4.0 1.12 and 111.0 114.0 3.0 1.30 and 194.0 202.0 8.0 0.41 Boomerang East -New Mineralization KBDD23511 5.5 13.0 7.5 0.46 Boomerang East KBDD23512 32.0 39.0 7.0 0.48 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) and 82.5 84.0 1.5 3.69 KBDD23513 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23514 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23515 No Significant Intercept Boomerang East KBDD23516 194.0 204.5 10.5 0.26 Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23517 34.0 44.5 10.5 0.87 Double 19 - SW Target including 43.0 44.5 1.5 4.16 KBDD23518 No Significant Intercept Boomerang East KBDD23519 7.0 40.0 33.0 1.17 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 16.0 35.0 19.0 1.76 and incl. 16.0 23.0 7.0 2.14 and incl. 29.0 34.0 5.0 2.47 and 48.0 54.0 6.0 0.68 Lower Shoot and 119.0 131.0 12.0 0.50 Footwall Shoot including 127.0 128.0 1.0 1.17 and 188.7 191.0 2.3 1.01 KBDD23520 No Significant Intercept Boomerang East KBDD23521 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23522 194.0 216.0 22.0 1.17 Boomerang West - Down Plunge including 194.0 209.7 15.7 1.50 and incl. 197.0 200.0 3.0 2.53 and incl. 207.0 209.7 2.7 2.94 KBDD23523 83.0 90.0 7.0 0.57 Boomerang East - Upper Shoot (s) including 88.0 89.0 1.0 2.02 and 151.0 161.0 10.0 0.26 Upper Shoot (s) and 210.0 257.0 47.0 0.51 Upper Shoot (s) including 237.0 257.0 20.0 0.81 and incl. 252.0 256.0 4.0 2.09 and 276.0 283.0 7.0 0.45 and 313.0 328.0 15.0 0.40 Lower Shoot including 327.0 328.0 1.0 1.80 and 367.8 386.0 18.2 0.29 Footwall Shoot including 369.0 370.0 1.0 1.30 KBDD23524 65.5 74.5 9.0 5.27 Boomerang East - Footwall Shoot including 68.5 73.0 4.5 8.98 and incl. 68.5 70.0 1.5 19.71 and 120.0 135.4 15.4 1.59 Boomerang East -New Mineralization including 121.5 129.0 7.5 2.01 and 145.0 154.5 9.5 0.32 Boomerang East -New Mineralization and 163.5 172.0 8.5 0.71 Boomerang East -New Mineralization KBDD23525 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23526 67.0 97.0 30.0 0.53 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 76.0 80.0 4.0 1.09 including 84.0 89.0 5.0 1.11 KBDD23527 31.0 84.0 53.0 1.06 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 54.0 84.0 30.0 1.60 and incl. 60.0 67.0 7.0 3.33 and 229.0 231.0 2.0 1.99 KBDD23528 127.0 178.0 51.0 1.31 Boomerang East - Lower Shoot including 147.5 164.0 16.5 3.09 and 191.0 201.0 10.0 0.50 Footwall Shoot (1) Hole KBDD21432 originally drilled to 126.0 m in 2021 and extended by 195.0 m to final depth of 321.0 m in December 2022. No significant drill intercept in upper section (126.0 m) of borehole. (2) Hole KBDD21434 originally drilled to 117.0 m in 2021 and extended by 138.0 m to final depth of 255.0 m in January 2023. Present 97.5 m - 133.0 m drill intercept previously, partially reported (see Company's news release of February 18, 2022, for significant intercepts in upper section of drill hole). (3) Hole KBDD21451 originally drilled to 140.3 m in 2021 and extended by 80.7 m to final depth of 221.0 m in April 2023. No significant drill intercept in upper section (140.3 m) of drill hole. (4) Hole KBDD22502 originally drilled to 294.4 m in November 2022 and extended by 161.6 m to final depth of 456.0 m in December 2022 (see Company's news release of December 21, 2022, for significant drill intercepts in upper section of drill hole). Notes: Reported intercepts are core-lengths; true width of mineralization is unknown at this time. "Significant" intercepts meet the following criteria: minimum metal factor (grade x length) of 2.5; with minimum 0.25 g/t gold average grade over interval. Intercepts also constrained with a 0.25 g/t gold minimum cut-off grade at top and bottom of intercept, with no upper cut-off applied, and maximum of five (5) consecutive samples of internal dilution (<0.25 g/t gold). All internal intervals above 15 g/t gold indicated.

Recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion models-based litho-structural modelling work, conducted by Tect Geological Consulting of South Africa, indicates that the gold mineralization within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE footprint area occupies a licence-scale, 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. Deposits are characterized by tensional arrays of auriferous quartz-carbonate veins typically hosted within or spatially associated with F1 or F2 folded / strained diorite units, and/or metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts, with the diorite bodies having an interpreted Belt-type granitoid affinity. Over 20 significant gold occurrences hosted by Belt (Dixcove)- and Basin (Cape Coast)-type granitoids are known in Ghana, with a number constituting significant deposits. These deposits represent a relatively new style of gold mineralization for orogenic gold deposits within the West African Birimian terrain. Belt-type intrusion-hosted gold deposits include Newmont Mining's Subika deposit at their Ahafo mine and Asante Gold's Chirano deposit (formerly Kinross Mining) within the Sefwi gold belt, as well as the former Golden Star Resources' Hwini-Butre deposit at the southern extremity of the Ashanti gold belt.

Today's drilling results include a 5-hole drill-fence pattern (-50o) designed to test the south-western strike-extension of the Boomerang East gold system and down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone. With the SW-trending KBDD23519 / 524 / 526 / 527 / 528 drill-fence testing the NE-plunging gold system over approximately 400 m strike and 225 m down-plunge distances, respectively.

Borehole KBDD23524, corresponding to an expansion drill hole collared at the south-westernmost extremity of the drill-fence, returned a sandstone (metasedimentary rock)-hosted intercept of 9.0 m grading 5.27 g/t Au, including 4.5 m at 8.98 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 65.5 m; successfully extending the Footwall Shoot approximately 100 m up-plunge to the southwest. KBDD23524 also returned a second, broad zone of mineralization straddling the sandstone - diorite rock contact, extending intermittently over a 52.0 m core-length from a down-hole depth of 120.0 m, including the following intercepts: 15.4 m grading 1.59 g/t Au, including 7.5 m at 2.01 g/t Au; 9.5 m grading 0.32 g/t Au; and 8.5 m grading 0.71 g/t Au. With this lower mineralization zone, representing a new gold occurrence positioned approximately 45 m stratigraphically below (cross-plunge) the above Footwall Shoot intercept, expanding the strike extent of the Boomerang East gold system approximately 150 m further to the southwest, to within approximately 60 m of the Boomerang West mineralization zone lying to the southeast.

Drill-fence holes KBDD23519 / 526 / 527 / 528, corresponding to definition drill holes designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the NE-plunging Lower Shoot mineralization zone at the approximate mid-point between the existing NW-SE drill sections, returned the following mineralized intercept highlights: 33.0 m grading 1.17 g/t Au, including 19.0 m at 1.76 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 7.0 m in KBDD23519; 53.0 m grading 1.06 g/t Au, including 30.0 m at 1.60 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 31.0 m in KBDD23527; and 51.0 m grading 1.31 g/t Au, including 16.5 m at 3.09 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 127.0 m in KBDD23528.

Hole KBDD23522, consisting of a SW-trending (-70o) borehole collared approximately 90 m southeast of the south-western extremity of the above drill-fence, returned a sandstone-hosted mineralized intercept of 22.0 m grading 1.17 g/t Au, including 15.7 m at 1.50 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 194.0 m. With this auriferous intercept successfully establishing the NE-plunging Boomerang West mineralization zone over an approximately 200 m down-plunge distance, approximately 75 m further down-plunge than previous drilling.

Expansion drilling (4 holes) targeting the central, south-eastern margin of the multi-shoot Boomerang East gold system, successfully extended the lateral continuity of the main, shallow SE-dipping, Lower Shoot mineralization zone across a maximum NW-SE distance of approximately 225 m, approximately 50 m further to the southeast than previous drilling. The NW-trending, steeply inclined (-75o) drill holes, including KBDD22503 / 504 / 505 and KBDD23523, all yielded multiple (2 - 6) mineralized intercepts corresponding to the Upper Shoot (s), Lower Shoot, and Footwall Shoot, and including the discovery of two new gold mineralization zones at depth below the Footwall Shoot in KBDD22504. With mineralized intercept highlights from the present expansion drilling including: 9.0 m grading 1.00 g/t Au, 33.0 m at 0.50 g/t Au, 29.0 m at 0.35 g/t Au and 6.0 m at 1.67 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 40.0 m, 184.0 m, 304.0 m and 357.0 m respectively in KBDD22504; 9.1 m grading 0.75 g/t Au, 10.5 m at 0.71 g/t Au and 41.0 m at 0.72 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 77.0 m, 129.0 m and 294.0 m respectively in KBDD22505; 47.0 m grading 0.51 g/t Au from a down-hole depth of 210.0 m in KBDD23523; and 20.5 m grading 0.57 g/t Au from a down-hole depth of 232.0 m in KBDD22503.

Updated 3D litho-structural modelling appears to indicate that the Boomerang East gold system occupies a F2 meso-scale (parasitic) fold hinge structure developed on the north-western limb of the mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold. With the mineralization occurring as a NE-plunging system of stacked, flat-lying to concave-shaped, shallow SE-dipping gold shoots hosted within folded / strained diorite bodies and/or associated metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts. Drilling to date has outlined three (3) principal gold shoots, including the Upper Shoot (s), the Lower Shoot, and the Footwall Shoot, across an approximately 250 m cross-plunge distance. The Lower Shoot, presently the most prominent mineralization shoot of the Boomerang East gold system, has so far been delineated from practically surface to a down-plunge depth of approximately 425 m along the fold hinge structure (approximately 315 m vertical depth from surface), and across an approximately 200 m NW-SE lateral distance.

The latest expansion drilling results from the south-western extension of the Boomerang East gold system, including the down-plunge intercept of the Boomerang West zone in KBDD23522, and the proximity (~60 m) of the new gold mineralization intercept from KBDD23524 to the Boomerang West zone, strongly suggest that the Boomerang East and Boomerang West resource expansion targets represent a single, major, multi-shoot gold system extending over approximately 600 m strike and 700 m down-plunge distances, respectively. The fact that most of the mineralization encountered to date within the south-western segment of the newly amalgamated Boomerang East / Boomerang West gold system, including the entirety of the Boomerang West zone mineralization, is hosted within sandstone units, in place of the typical Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE diorite-hosted mineralization, opens up considerably more exploration-prospective terrane within the newly modeled mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure footprint area.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zones 1-3) Mineral Resource Estimate, produced by Xtra-Gold on September 30, 2021, represents the only Mineral Resource ever generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Xtra-Gold Resources Corporation Kibi Gold Project", jointly prepared by Pivot Mining Consultants (Pty) and Tect Geological Consulting, and dated November 16, 2021, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements." These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

416-628-2881

E-mail: info@xtragold.com

Website: www.xtragold.com

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/179854
SWINDON, England, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- We are delighted to announce there has been some further palaeontological activity at one of our quarries near Swindon over the past few weeks, where mammoth fossils continue to be excavated.

This next phase of activity called Mammoth 2.0 has seen further exploration of the site, where in 2019 and 2021 a 200,000-year-old mammoth graveyard was found.

The recent activity has been carried out by our partner Neo Jurassica who are leading experts in this field. They are also working in conjunction with Archaeological Research Services, leading universities, museums and experts to continue this invaluable work on the next chapter of discovery.

The new palaeolithic finds at the site include the remains of steppe mammoth tusks, a pygmy mammoth tooth, several bison vertebrae, a rib and jawbone, wild horse ribs and a partially complete tooth from a cave or brown bear.

James Hogg, Director of Neo Jurassica, said: "It was a true pleasure to meet Mike Hill and the team at Hills. If it wasn't for their support and shared vision of the scientific importance of this site, this multidisciplinary systematic excavation would not have been possible."

All this fantastic and important material is being conserved at the Yorkshire Natural History Museum in Sheffield, which will be accessible to researchers across the UK. The scope for this second phase of the investigation is vast. By amassing a large collection of mammoth bones, much can be learned about the size and social structure of their herds and how this compares to modern elephants.

It is hugely important for Hills to be involved in work like this. Quarrying is fundamental in recreating biodiverse habitats, wet woodlands and enhancing nature. Whilst this is not always seen, it highlights the scientific importance of this site and how cooperation can benefit both the quarrying and scientific industries.

Peter Andrew, Group Director, Hills Quarry Products, said: "It's a fantastic site and it just keeps on giving. We are looking forward to next year when we will welcome more teams of experts to carry out the next part of the excavation."

As the area is not accessible and is normally underwater, the excavation involved dewatering the area using water pumps. Upon completion of the current investigation, the area was restored as a temporary lake.

Notes to editors:

Hills Quarry Products specialises in the production and supply of quarry products and ready-mixed concrete to the construction and agricultural sectors. It is a dynamic regional business which, while centred on Wiltshire, has stretched its boundaries into neighbouring areas to become one of the region's largest suppliers. Hills Quarry Products is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hills Group Limited, a privately owned family company established in 1900. www.hills-quarry.co.uk

Twitter: @HillsQuarry

Facebook: @HillsQuarry

LinkedIn: Hills Quarry Products Limited

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Communications Department

info@hills-group.co.uk

Tel.: 01793 781200

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BANGALORE, India, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hydrogen Energy Storage Market is Segmented by Type (Compressed Gas, Cold Compressed Liquid Hydrogen, Solid Compound Hydrogen Storage and Distribution, Organic Liquid Hydrogen Storage and Distribution), by Application (New Energy Automobile, Chemical, Aerospace): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2029.

The global Hydrogen Energy Storage market was valued at USD 1397.8 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 4337 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 20.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF HYDROGEN ENERGY STORAGE MARKET:

More nations and governments are placing bets on this resource and funding hydrogen-related technology. Many European nations, like Germany and the United Kingdom, have made the decision to invest billions in the low-carbon hydrogen industry, with millions of those dollars going particularly to fuel cells and hydrogen stations. A practical technique to store renewable energy for a long time is hydrogen. Storage and intermittency are both major problems for renewable energy sources. Batteries are now less cost- and energy-efficient than what is required for the global energy shift. The use of hydrogen as a storage medium will support and encourage the use of renewable energy sources and aid in the fight against global warming. Sustainable hydrogen energy, also known as green hydrogen, can dramatically lower carbon dioxide emissions and aid in reducing climate change through various channels. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

Hydrogen is adaptable since it can be compressed into petrol or liquefied to make transportation simpler and more affordable. It may also be used as a fuel source in a variety of industries. The majority of hydrogen is currently used in chemical plants or refineries. In hydrogenation reactions, unsaturated molecules are converted chemically into saturated compounds by the addition of hydrogen atoms. Various items, such as margarine, medicines, and edible oils are produced using this procedure. The Haber-Bosch process, which produces ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gas, relies heavily on hydrogen as a crucial component. Modern agriculture requires fertilizers, which are produced using ammonia as a key ingredient. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

A net zero home heating option is also provided by hydrogen. Electric heat pumps might not be appropriate for all properties, even though electrification has benefited from government policy in the UK. Depending on the situation, the expense, and the availability of a supply, hydrogen might be the answer. In the future, switching from a gas boiler to a hydrogen-ready boiler might be simpler and easier. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

Additionally, hydrogen has a place in the transportation industry, particularly in hard-to-electrify areas like heavy-duty freight, specific trains and buses, ferries, and ocean-going vessels. Before any aircraft powered by hydrogen can be seen in the skies, it might take decades. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

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HYDROGEN ENERGY STORAGE MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS:

North America comes in second with a share of the market of around 30%, followed by Asia-Pacific with about 35%.

The top 2 businesses in the world market for hydrogen energy storage, which accounts for nearly 10% of the total market share, are Iljin Hysolus and Iwatani.

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Key Companies:

Iljin Hysolus

Iwatani

The Japan Steel Works

Faurecia

Kawasaki

Chart Industries

Toyota

Gardner Cryogenics

Hexagon Composites

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Faber Industrie

Whole Win (Beijing) Materials Sci. & Tech

PRAGMA INDUSTRIES

Hydrogenious Technologies

Chiyoda Corporation

Hynertech Co Ltd.

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- Battery Energy Storage System (ESS)market was valued at USD 2252.9 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 12470 million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 27.7% during 2021-2027.

- Energy Storage Market is estimated at USD 2437.4 million in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of USD 5350.1 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period 2022-2028.

- Hydrogen Compressor market was valued at USD 425.6 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 664.8 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Hydrogen Electrolyser market size is estimated to be worth USD 216 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 423.6 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 11.9% during the review period.

- Hydrogen Generation market size is estimated to be worth USD 265.6 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 445.5 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 9.0% during the review period.

- Global green hydrogen market size was valued at USD 0.3 Billion in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 9.8 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 54.7% from 2021 to 2028.

- Hydrogen Fuel Cells market size is estimated to be worth USD 4526 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 25510 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 33.4% during the review period.

- Residential Energy Storage market size is projected to reach USD 13910 million by 2027, from USD 6716.5 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period 2022-2027.

Click here to see related reports on Hydrogen Energy Storage Market

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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.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Acre



Commentary from Paddy Balfour for Asian Investor, published on 23.07.23, original source: Talent hunt intensifies as Singapore family offices top 1,100, Author: Indira Vergis

As the number of single family offices in Singapore soars, demand for professionals across sustainability, client relationships and investment advisory is set to climb further.

Singapore's family office boom is fueling demand for all sorts of skilled professionals -- a trend that is set to continue in the medium term.

Single family offices in the city-state jumped to 1,100 at the end of 2022, according to the government, up from 700 at the end of 2021.

A government minister noted that at mid-March this year, there were at least 200 single family-office applicants waiting for approval to set up in Singapore.

"There is likely to be a whole wave of demand [for talent] with the growth in family offices," said Stanley Teo, managing director for asset and wealth management and corporate and investment banking practices in Singapore at Profile Asia, an executive search consultancy.

These families come not just from Asia, but also Europe and the US. In turn, this has led to growing demand for professionals with related expertise.

BATTLE FOR TALENT

Currently, areas such as client relationship management, compliance, and investment advisory are experiencing a dearth of skilled professionals, according to Prashant Tandon, managing director and CEO for Dubai at wealth management firm Lighthouse Canton told AsianInvestor.

Tandon is among the entity's leadership team that caters to non-resident Indians in different jurisdictions, including Singapore.

Another category that industry professionals have singled out as climbing in importance is sustainability-related roles.

"Family offices are seeing an increasing demand, given their ingrained culture around philanthropy combined with generational change and a more sophisticated approach to impact investing," said Paddy Balfour, executive director at Acre, a specialised recruitment firm for sustainability-related roles.

Sustainability has gained considerable traction over the last few years.

"The industry is being nudged in that direction, even from a regulatory perspective. For instance, regulators worldwide, including those in Singapore, are increasingly recommending the incorporation of an ESG score in the strategy and decision-making processes" said Lighthouse Canton's Tandon.

That sentiment is shared by other experts: "We are educating and holding hands of lots of families as they embark on the journey of sustainable and impact investments," said Manish Tibrewal, co-founder of multi-family office Farro Capital.

Tibrewal told AsianInvestor earlier that the industry also lacks people who understand how to align the overall mission and vision of a family office to the family values, as well as design and implement family governance, philanthropy and similar non-finance aspects.

MORE TO COME

The search for talent is not unique to Singapore and is part of a broader issue for the financial services industry in many markets,

Government restrictions on immigration after the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore and around the world, while justified, have complicated the hiring of talent, said Lighthouse Canton's Tandon.

For families looking to set up a family office in an international jurisdiction, the motivation is often to diversify beyond their home bias and become tax efficient.

"In Asia, much of the wealth has been built up in the last two generations and families still tend to retain the original businesses from which the wealth was created," said Mohit Ralhan, global CEO and managing partner at TIW Capital Group.

"In the US and to an even greater extent in Europe, wealth has been accumulated over several generations, and the family businesses were sold a long time ago, or otherwise converted into financial assets."

As more liquidation events take place to remove concentration risk, more family offices will be set up in the region, he said.

"So, creating and expanding family offices in Asia is just in its first phase.

Over the last 10 years, assets under management (AUM) in Singapore has grown more than three-fold in Singapore. Of this incremental AUM two- thirds have come from abroad. The trend will likely continue as more wealthy families especially China and India set up offices in Singapore."

Even additional requirements to encourage more local hiring and investing is unlikely to dent Singapore's appeal.

DIFFERENT FAMILIES, DIFFERENT OFFICES

Single family offices that applied and received tax incentives in Singapore employed about 1,400 locals and permanent residents at the end of June 2022, senior government minister Tharman Shanmugharatnam said in early July.

At least two-thirds of them earned more than S$5,000 ($3,791) per month.

There are certain characteristics that most family offices share, although there is no one-size-fits-all model.

"Family offices, especially single-family offices, don't hire lots of people. At most, a single-family office can consist of five or so people, which means the people they hire tend to be quite senior and in terms of investment expertise has to be a very strong asset allocator across asset classes," said Profile Asia's Teo.

"Depending on how they grow, the more established firms in Singapore will have specialists in fixed income, equity and maybe even real estate to manage the portfolio. But the initial plan is always to provide a level of robustness in the asset allocation. And strategy abilities."

Multiple family offices, meanwhile, want to grow their assets so they need senior people who can increase AUM, so they tend to hire from private banks or asset managers, he added.

"Then they decide whether they want to have their own internal investment capabilities or outsource those capabilities," he said.

Amid the increasing need for skilled expertise, Singapore government is proactively deploying significant resources to develop talent through institutions such as Wealth Management Institute (WMI), said TIW Capital's Ralhan.

WMI, backed by state-owned Temasek and GIC and supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, has accepted more than 1,200 enrolments for family office-related programmes since 2020.

It is gearing up to reach 5,000 enrolments into family office programs by 2025. "Talent is available and the efforts are in the right direction," said Ralhan.

In addition to training, Singapore has built a strong ecosystem of capabilities to support family offices in the form of trust companies, philanthropy organisations and ancillary service providers such as tax, legal advisers, consultants and technology platform providers, especially since wealth management itself is shifting towards artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics, he said.

About Acre

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.

Our 18 years' experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.

We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Acre on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Acre

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/acre

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Acre

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782081/talent-hunt-intensifies-as-singapore-family-offices-top-1100-with-commentary-from-acres-paddy-balfour
The "Europe Online Fashion Market (Apparel and Footwear): Insights Forecast with Potential Impact of COVID-19 (2023-2027)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe online fashion market is projected to reach a value of US$180.70 billion by 2027, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10% during the period from 2023 to 2027.

The growth of the market is fueled by factors such as the increasing number of internet users, rising urban population, growing mobile web traffic, high adoption of e-commerce over traditional retail outlets, and a surge in social media users. However, the market's growth may face challenges related to customer retention difficulties and concerns about environmental impact and human rights violations.

Key Growth Drivers:

Rising Internet Users: The increasing number of internet users in Europe is contributing to the growth of the online fashion market.

Mounting Urban Population: The urban population is on the rise, leading to greater demand for online fashion products.

Increasing Mobile Web Traffic: The growth of mobile web traffic is boosting the online fashion market.

Adopting E-commerce: Consumers are increasingly adopting e-commerce platforms over traditional retail stores for their fashion needs.

Increasing Social Media Users: The growing number of social media users is playing a significant role in driving online fashion sales.

Market Trends Developments:

Personalization: The trend of personalizing shopping experiences is becoming prominent in the online fashion market.

Multi-Channel Demands Immersion through Social Media: The integration of social media platforms is enhancing the immersive shopping experience.

Technological Innovations: Ongoing technological advancements are shaping the way online fashion is consumed.

Involvement of Artificial Intelligence: The integration of AI is influencing various aspects of the online fashion shopping journey.

Challenges:

Difficult to Retain Customers: Customer retention poses a challenge due to intense competition and changing customer preferences.

Environmental Impact Human Rights Violations: Concerns about environmental sustainability and ethical business practices are challenging the market's growth.

Market Segmentation:

The Europe online fashion market can be segmented by type into two categories: apparel and footwear. In 2022, the apparel segment held the dominant share of the market, followed by footwear.

Regional Segmentation:

The market can also be segmented by region into North and Western Europe, Southern Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe. In 2022, the largest share of the market was held by North and Western Europe, followed by Southern Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe.

Central Europe Market Segmentation:

Within Central Europe, the online fashion market can be further segmented by country: Poland, Romania, Czechia, and Hungary. In 2022, the dominant share of the Central Europe online fashion market was held by Poland, followed by Czechia, Romania, and Hungary.

Companies Mentioned:

The report profiles key players in the Europe online fashion market, including:

Zalando

Inditex

H&M

Next

Amazon

Asos

Scope of the Report:

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Europe online fashion market, including the potential impact of COVID-19. It covers major regional markets, analyzes growth drivers, market trends, and challenges in depth. The report also presents detailed company profiles of leading players, offering insights into their strategies and operations.

Key Target Audience:

Apparel and Footwear Manufacturers

Raw Material Providers

End Users (Consumers)

Investment Banks

Government Bodies Regulating Authorities

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 81 Forecast Period 2023 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $123.42 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $180.7 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 10.0% Regions Covered Europe

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8n9ouq

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The Business Research Company's global market reports are now updated with the latest market sizing information for the year 2023 and forecasted to 2032

LONDON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per The Business Research Company's analysis, the services market is poised for substantial growth, with projections indicating an expansion to $20,650.56 billion by 2027, characterized by a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9%. This growth is underpinned by the rapid and transformative advances in technology, which are expected to catalyze innovation across various sectors within the services industry. These technological advancements promise to redefine how services are delivered and accessed, thus propelling the market forward in the forecasted period.

In this dynamic landscape, The Business Research Company (TBRC) plays a pivotal role in empowering businesses within the services industry. TBRC's comprehensive reports provide valuable insights, market intelligence, and trend analyses that enable businesses to make informed decisions, stay competitive, and seize emerging opportunities.

By leveraging TBRC's reports, businesses can strategize effectively, identify growth avenues, and navigate the evolving market landscape successfully, ensuring sustained success in this rapidly changing industry.

View The Business Research Company's top eleven market reports in the services industry:

1. Construction Equipment Rental Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/construction-equipment-rental-global-market-report

The global construction equipment rental market is projected to reach $121.76 billion by 2027, with a steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0%. This growth is anticipated to be driven by the expanding construction industry, which is expected to fuel the demand for construction equipment rental services in the coming years.

2. Corporate Employee Transportation Service Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/corporate-employee-transportation-service-global-market-report

The global corporate employee transportation service market is forecasted to reach $36.78 billion by 2027, with a solid compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. This growth is attributed to the expanding corporate office footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, which is anticipated to drive the demand for corporate employee transportation services in the foreseeable future.

3. Delivery Drone Services Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/delivery-drone-services-global-market-report

The global delivery drone services industry is projected to expand to $28.9 billion by 2027, experiencing a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52.4%. This substantial growth can be attributed to the rising demand for drone deliveries, particularly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to drive the growth of the delivery drone services market in the upcoming years.

4. Destination Wedding Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/destination-wedding-global-market-report

Eco-friendly weddings set against the backdrop of natural landscapes have emerged as a prominent trend, garnering significant popularity within the destination wedding market. In an era marked by increased environmental awareness, individuals are making conscientious choices by opting for eco-friendly weddings in pristine natural settings. Destination wedding service providers are responding to this trend by offering sustainable and naturally beautiful venues, contributing to the flourishing of this market segment.

5. Drone Servicing/Repair Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/drone-servicing-repair-global-market-report

The global drone servicing and repair industry is projected to reach a substantial market size of $101.03 billion by 2027, demonstrating an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50.3%. This remarkable growth is expected to be fueled by the increasing adoption of precision agriculture practices, which is poised to drive the demand for drone servicing and repair services in the years to come.

6. Drop Shipping Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/drop-shipping-global-market-report

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within the dropshipping business is a pivotal trend in the market. Leading companies are incorporating AI technology into their existing platforms to enhance operations. AI technology brings several advantages, including personalized experiences, process automation, data analysis, and the removal of extraneous data, which are all contributing to the evolution of the dropshipping industry.

7. Enotourism Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/enotourism-global-market-report

The global enotourism market is anticipated to expand to $14.16 billion by 2027, exhibiting a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.6%. This significant growth is projected to be driven by the rising number of government initiatives aimed at promoting tourism, which is expected to boost the enotourism market's growth in the coming years.

8. Geotechnical Services Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/geotechnical-services-global-market-report

The global geotechnical services market is forecasted to reach $2.71 billion by 2027, with a steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. This growth is anticipated to be driven by the increasing investments in wind energy, which are expected to fuel the demand for geotechnical services in the coming years.

9. Healthcare BPO Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/healthcare-bpo-global-market-report

The healthcare Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is projected to reach $490.84 billion by 2027, demonstrating a substantial compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2%. This noteworthy growth is primarily attributed to the rapid expansion of clinical process outsourcing, which is playing a significant role in driving the healthcare BPO market forward.

10. Hydraulic Fracturing Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/hydraulic-fracturing-global-market-report

Technological advancement is emerging as a prominent trend in the hydraulic fracturing market. Companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing are increasingly embracing advanced technologies, including automation, real-time tracking systems, live 3D visualization systems, and other innovations. These technologies are being adopted for their ability to enhance efficiency in hydraulic fracturing operations through automated controls and improved visibility, signaling a shift towards more sophisticated and data-driven processes in the industry.

11. Hyperlocal Services Global Market Report 2023

https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/hyperlocal-services-global-market-report

The global hyperlocal services market is projected to expand to $4,505.51 billion by 2027, with a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.1%. This remarkable growth can be attributed to the increased funding directed towards e-commerce businesses, which has been a driving force behind the hyperlocal services market during the historic period.

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Program designed to provide state-of-the-art training vessels to five state maritime academies

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Philly Shipyard, Inc. ("Philly Shipyard"), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA (Oslo:PHLY), today delivered the Empire State, the first of five new purpose-built, modern training vessels for America's state maritime academies. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) new vessel program - known as National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) - was designed to provide world-class training for America's future mariners and to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need. This first vessel, Empire State, was delivered to MARAD and will serve SUNY Maritime College.

"We are beyond proud to deliver the Empire State today, our first government newbuild in the history of Philly Shipyard." said Steinar Nerbovik, President & CEO of Philly Shipyard. "We are honored to be trusted with this important project, and on behalf of all of our skilled workers, we are confident that the Empire State will provide a safe, reliable and state-of-the-art training platform for generations of future mariners."

Philly Shipyard was awarded the contract to build the NSMVs by TOTE Services, LLC ("TOTE Services"), a U.S.-based company that was hired by MARAD to oversee the construction of the training vessels as the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM). The NSMV Program is the first government sponsored ship building program to utilize the VCM model. This model places the responsibility for the selection and oversight of the shipyard on a government contractor that utilizes commercial best practices to manage the project.

The next training vessel, NSMV II, destined for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, is scheduled to be delivered in 2024. Meanwhile, the keel laying for NSMV III (Maine Maritime Academy) and steel cutting for NSMV IV (Texas A&M Maritime Academy) were recently completed. Construction of NSMV V (California Maritime Academy) will commence later this year with all vessels to be delivered by 2026.

"Today's delivery of the Empire State is a historic moment for the American maritime industry made possible by the U.S. Government's investments in our nation's industrial base," said TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon. "These investments are on full display as we look to build the next generation of domestic mariner training ships more cost effectively - and on schedule - using commercial innovation and best practices. We must also give credit to the dedicated and skilled workers at Philly Shipyard, whose tireless efforts in the face of unprecedented challenges helped make this milestone possible."

The NSMV program is an important investment in America's shipbuilding industry, which supports nearly 400,000 U.S. jobs. Each NSMV will feature numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and accommodations for up to 600 cadets to train in a first-rate maritime academic environment at sea. State maritime academies graduate officers who manage vessels that help keep cargoes and our economy moving. Many of these merchant mariners also support U.S. national security by crewing military sealift vessels.

Today's delivery of the Empire State marks the delivery of the first government ship built using the VCM contract model. This innovative approach enables shipyards to apply commercial best practices for design and construction to government vessels. There is growing interest in the VCM contract model and its potential applicability to government shipbuilding programs to reduce costs, accelerate delivery times, and build more vessels.

###

About the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) Program

The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration's (MARAD) NSMV program is designed to provide a purpose-built, state-of-the-art training platform for the state maritime academies in New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Texas, and California, respectively.

This next-generation training fleet will address a critical shortage of qualified officers necessary to crew government and commercial owned sealift ships. In addition to providing world-class training for America's future mariners, the NSMVs will be available to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need.

The NSMV will feature numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and have space for up to 600 cadets to train in a first-rate maritime academic environment at sea. State maritime academies graduate more than half of all new officers each year-the merchant mariners who help keep cargoes and our economy moving. Many also support U.S. national security by crewing military sealift vessels.

In addition to being a state-of-the-art training and educational platform, each ship will feature modern hospital facilities, a helicopter pad, and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people in times of humanitarian need. Adding to the NSMV's capability, it will provide needed roll-on/roll-off and container storage capacity for use during disaster relief missions.

Ship specifications will be compatible with the pier length, draft restrictions, and mooring limitations at each of the maritime training academies.

Vessel specifications:

Length: 159.85 m

Breadth: 27.00 m

Draft, scantling: 7.50 m

Total berthing: 760 people

Speed: 18 kts

Deadweight: 8,487 MT

About Philly Shipyard

Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) is a leading U.S. shipbuilder that is presently pursuing a mix of commercial and government work. It possesses a state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility and has earned a reputation as a preferred provider of oceangoing merchant vessels with a track record of delivering quality ships, having delivered around 50% of all large ocean-going Jones Act commercial ships since 2000. PSI is the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. Philly Shipyard ASA is listed on the Euronext Expand Oslo (Oslo: PHLY) and is majority-owned by Aker Capital AS, which in turn is wholly-owned by Aker ASA (Aker). Aker is an industrial investment company that exercises active ownership to create value. Aker has ownership interests in oil and gas, renewable energy and green technologies, maritime assets, marine biotechnology and industrial software, and its portfolio includes companies like Aker BP, Aker Horizons, Aker BioMarine, Cognite, and Aker Solutions. For more information about Philly Shipyard, please visit www.phillyshipyard.com.

About TOTE Services

TOTE Services, LLC ("TOTE Services") is a U.S.-based ship management company that provides full technical services and crewing to meet the needs of commercial, privately-owned, and U.S. Government vessels. Since 2015, TOTE Services has overseen construction and management of the world's first LNG-powered container ships, activated U.S. training ships to support disaster relief, and managed many MARAD vessels. TOTE Services, along with TOTE Maritime Alaska, LLC and TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, LLC, are part of TOTE Group, LLC ("TOTE Group"). TOTE Group is a member of the Saltchuk family of companies. For more information about TOTE Services, please visit www.toteservices.com .

Media Contacts:

Philly Shipyard, Inc. TOTE Services, LLC Kelly Whitaker Christopher B. Smith 215-875-2640 314-443-0832

SOURCE: Philly Shipyard ASA

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782099/philly-shipyard-delivers-the-first-national-security-multi-mission-vessel-nsmv-empire-state
NEW CANAAN, CT / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Draycott Place Partners announced today that its client, Consumer Title & Escrow, Inc, has been acquired by Apex Closing Services, LLC.

Draycott Place Partners, an affiliate of Weild & Co., served as the exclusive financial advisor to Consumer Title & Escrow, Inc.

Consumer Title & Escrow, Inc provides title & settlement services throughout the State of Florida.

Apex Closing Services, LLC is a national title and settlement agency based in Sarasota, FL, with a satellite office in Plano, TX.

Steven Palmer, President of Draycott Place Partners said, "It was a privilege to work with the Consumer Title & Escrow team and assist them in finding a great new home for their people with Apex Closing Services."

Monica Schroeder, President of Apex Closing Services, LLC, said "We could not be more thrilled to welcome the CTE Team to the Apex family of companies. We believe the Apex national footprint and technology focus will complement the successful portfolio of services CTE has been providing their valued clients."

Scott Armstong, President of Consumer Title & Escrow expressed his excitement about joining the Apex team: "Doug Bales and I, as well as the rest of our incredible staff are excited to now be part of Apex."

Regarding Draycott Place Partners, Scott Armstrong added: "Steve and Jerrod did an incredible job managing our company's sale process, leveraging their immense network, and leading us every step of the way to a successful closed transaction."

Draycott Place Partners provides M&A and Capital Raising services primarily to title insurance companies, as well as for other mortgage services and prop-tech businesses. Draycott Place Partners is an affiliate of Weild & Co., a licensed broker dealer. All securities transactions executed through Weild & Co., Member FINRA | SIPC.

Contact Information

Steven Palmer

President, Draycott Place Partners

steven.palmer@draycottplace.biz

203-952-2632

SOURCE: Draycott Place Partners LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/781940/draycott-place-partners-client-consumer-title-escrow-inc-acquired-by-apex-closing-services-llc
Regulatory News:

ESI Group (FR0004110310 ESI) (Paris:ESI), leader and pioneer in Virtual Prototyping solutions, hereby releases the total number of shares making up the company's capital and the total number of voting rights on August 31st, 2023, in accordance with articles 223-16 and 221-3 of the General Regulations of the "Autorite des Marches Financiers".

Number of shares Number of theoretical voting

rights * Number of voting rights ** 6,089,711 8,060,933 7,677,096

* The number of theoretical voting rights is calculated based on all shares eligible for voting right (single or double), including shares temporarily deprived of voting rights (treasury shares).

** All Group shares have equal right to vote, except treasury shares, which are deprived of the right to vote, and registered shares held for more than four years that are eligible for double voting rights.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908440032/en/

Contacts:

ESI Group
Article 223-16 of the General Regulations of the Financial Markets Authority (AMF Autorite des Marches Financiers)

Regulatory News:

MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company and a leader in the development of Microbiome Ecosystem TherapiesTM (MET) dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer, today published the number of shares comprising the share capital and the total number of voting rights (Article L. 233-8 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) and Article 223-16 of the General Regulations of French Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF)) on August 31, 2023.

Listing place: Euronext Paris

ISIN code: FR0012634822

Website: www.maatpharma.com

Date Total number of shares comprising the share capital Total number of

theoretical voting rights (1) Total number of effective voting rights (2) 08/31/2023 11 592 999 11 592 999 11 574 849

(1) In accordance with Article 223-11 of the AMF General Regulation, this number is calculated on the basis of all shares to which voting rights are attached, including shares whose voting rights have been suspended.

(2) Effective voting rights correspond to the total number of voting rights that may be used at a General Meeting. The total number of effective voting rights is calculated without taking into account the shares with suspended voting rights.

About MaaT Pharma

MaaT Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, has established a complete approach to restoring patient-microbiome symbiosis in oncology. Committed to treating cancer and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, MaaT Pharma has launched, in March 2022, an open-label, single arm Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with acute GvHD, following the achievement of its proof of concept in a Phase 2 trial. Its powerful discovery and analysis platform, gutPrint, enables the identification of novel disease targets, evaluation of drug candidates, and identification of biomarkers for microbiome-related conditions. The company's Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies are produced through a standardized cGMP manufacturing and quality control process to safely deliver the full diversity of the microbiome, in liquid and oral formulations. MaaT Pharma benefits from the commitment of world-leading scientists and established relationships with regulators to support the integration of the use of microbiome therapies in clinical practice. MaaT Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: MAAT).

Forward-looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "target," "believe," "expect," "aim," "intend," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "will," "can have," "likely," "should," "would," "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908911902/en/

Contacts:

MaaT Pharma Investor Relations

Guilhaume Debroas, Ph.D.

Head of Investor Relations

+33 6 16 48 92 50

invest@maat-pharma.com

MaaT Pharma Media Relations

Pauline Richaud

Senior PR Corporate

Communications Manager

+33 6 14 06 45 92

media@maat-pharma.com

Trophic Communications Corporate Communications

Charlotte Spitz or Stephanie May

+49 171 351 2733

maat@trophic.eu
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, September 08

For immediate release

8 September 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 46,101 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 869.50 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 19,341,645; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 205,649,658.

The figure of 205,649,658 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
Redde Northgate Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, September 08

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

8 September 2023

REDDE NORTHGATE PLC

("Redde Northgate" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Transaction in Own Shares

Redde Northgate plc (LSE:REDD) announces that on 8 September 2023 it purchased the following number of its own shares to be held in treasury:

Class of shares : Ordinary shares of 50p ("shares") Number of shares purchased : 75,000 Weighted average purchase price paid : 330.5 pence per share Highest purchase price paid : 330.5 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid : 330.5 pence per share

Following the above transaction, the Company's issued share capital consists of 246,091,423 ordinary shares of 50p each, of which 17,652,571 ordinary shares are held in treasury, and 1,000,000 preference shares of 50p each which do not carry any rights to vote. Therefore the total number of voting rights in the Company is 228,438,852 which may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation) as incorporated into UK domestic law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the schedule below contains detailed information about the purchases made by Numis Securities Limited on behalf of the Company as part of the Company's buyback programme.

Schedule of Purchase - Individual Transactions (as at 8 September 2023)

Number of shares

purchased Transaction price

(GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 75,000 330.50 08:53:15 00066911479TRLO0 LSE

Notes

This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of Listing Rule 12.4.6.

For further information contact:

Buchanan

David Rydell/Jamie Hooper/Hannah Ratcliff +44 (0) 207 466 5000

Notes to Editors:

Redde Northgate is the leading integrated mobility solutions platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle. The Company offers integrated mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across seven key areas: vehicle rental, vehicle data, accident management, vehicle repairs, fleet management, service and maintenance, vehicle ancillary services and vehicle sales.

The Company's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, whether through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With its considerable scale and reach, Redde Northgate's mission is to offer a market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group aims to achieve this through the delivery of its strategic framework of Focus, Drive and Broaden.

Redde Northgate services its customers through a network and diversified fleet of over 120,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 600,000 managed vehicles, with more than 170 workshop, body shop and rental locations across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 6,000 automotive services professionals.

Further information please visit the Company's website:
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Supermarket chain Kroger Co. (KR) on Friday said it has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to U.S. states, local governments and Native American tribes to settle the majority of opiod claims. Kroger said the settlement would allow for the full resolution of all claims on behalf of participating states, subdivisions and tribes. However, Kroger said the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability. Kroger has become the latest retail pharmacy chain to announce a nationwide settlement agreement after Walgreens, CVS and Walmart did last fall. Kroger has agreed to pay up to $1.2 billion to states and subdivisions and $36 million to Native American tribes in funding for abatement efforts, both to be paid over 11 years in equal installments. The company will also pay about $177 million to cover attorneys' fees and costs, to be paid over 6 years in equal installments. 'Kroger will continue to vigorously defend against any other claims and lawsuits relating to opioids that the final agreement does not resolve,' the company said in the release. Meanwhile, the company posted a net loss for the second quarter as it took a $1.4 billion charge related to the settlements and associated legal fees. State and local governments have filed thousands of lawsuits against drug companies and wholesalers accused of contributing to the oversupply of prescription drugs that fueled the opioid epidemic. 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.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Regions Bank

By Wayne Thompson

Helping other Regions Bank associates bag 11,000 diapers for Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank in Birmingham, Alabama, in a little over two hours, Jason Epstein thought of the impact diapers have made in his own child's life.

"It's particularly important to me as the father to a 3-year-old and knowing the need for diapers for so many in the community," said Epstein, head of Consumer Support and Performance Solutions for Regions' Consumer Banking Group.

"This really does give us the opportunity to help improve someone's life, and that makes it very special to me."

Epstein and other Regions volunteers bundled enough diapers to supply more than 220 babies for a month. It was all part of Regions' first summertime Volunteer Extravaganza July 27-28, thanks to the Associates in Action? volunteer program of the Making Life Better Institute?.

Regions' largest volunteer effort in a 24-hour period involved more than 160 associates from eight different business lines and benefited nine Birmingham area nonprofits.

"Our first Regions Volunteer Extravaganza was extremely impactful, with more than 500 volunteer hours logged by associates working together to support organizations in the Birmingham area and demonstrate what we value as a company," said Consumer Banking Regional Executive Steve Nivet.

"We fostered teamwork, collaboration and reinforced our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve."

Our first Regions Volunteer Extravaganza was extremely impactful, with more than 500 volunteer hours logged by associates working together to support organizations in the Birmingham area and demonstrate what we value as a company. Steve Nivet, Regions Consumer Banking Regional Executive

While Epstein bagged diapers, Pritha Powell toiled in the muggy heat at the Jones Valley Teaching Farm - pulling weeds and clearing debris alongside the students managing the two-acre farm in the Woodlawn community.

"I enjoyed meeting the students working at the farm and hearing their stories," said Powell, who leads Regions' Credit Card and Direct Lending Products teams. "We cleaned out half their planting beds in two hours and know it would have taken the two of them much longer by themselves."

"Knowing associates from across the bank were helping so many in Birmingham all in one day made it magical for me."

The Volunteer Extravaganza gave Clyde Tisdale, manager of Regions' Government and Institutional Banking team, the chance to share his passion for the work of The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. He's the vice president of its board.

Tisdale and other volunteers packed 168 food boxes for The Community Food Bank's mobile pantries in its 12-county service area, and 462 boxes of food for its Senior Grocery Program.

"The event was a huge success, and because of my work with The Community Food Bank, I wanted to be a part of this very special Regions team effort," Tisdale said. "The experience was energizing and rewarding, especially knowing who it will help and the difference it will make."

Knowing associates from across the bank were helping so many in Birmingham all in one day made it magical for me. Pritha Powell, Regions Credit Card and Direct Lending Products team lead

Over at East Lake Initiative, Executive Director Pam Bates watched Regions volunteers pack 200 backpacks with school supplies to support its holistic community development mission in Jefferson County.

"It was a joy to watch the teams work together to fill the backpacks with supplies and then hear stories of actual people who would benefit from these supplies and pick up the backpacks two days later," Bates said.

"The experience allowed us to share the reason for the supply drive, which frees up money for our families so they can apply those funds to other financial needs," she said. "We also had the chance to hear what Regions is already doing to support low- to moderate-income families and talk about other ways we could work together."

Regions' strategic approach to community investment focuses on economic and community development, education and workforce readiness and financial wellness.

Creating Shared Value One Act of Service at a Time

More than 375 nonprofit organizations and schools in Birmingham have already benefited from Regions associates' volunteerism this year.

In 2022, Regions associates provided 74,000 hours of volunteerism through a variety of programs complementing the bank's year-round community engagement activities - bringing its values of putting people first and creating shared value to life.

Bailey Real, assistant director for Pathways, which empowers women and children on their paths out of homelessness through hospitality, housing and hope, said the Volunteer Extravaganza couldn't have come at a better time.

Regions volunteers assembled furniture, painted two offices and helped place 35 new mattresses, with the United Way agency also gaining at least one new volunteer from the experience.

"The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is when we see the most volunteering," Real said. "During the summer, people go on vacations and are doing other activities, so volunteering is not on their radar as much.

"Projects like this one, and especially at this time of year, are a huge help to us."

Making Life Better Together

Send a free volunteerism ecard to help encourage others to give back and make life better.

Learn More About Regions' Commitment to Communities:

Family Room

A Strong Business Made Stronger

The Calm After the Storm

"They will heal. They will recover."

Parading Around Town

Strategy. Action. Results. Regions Bank Launches Making Life Better Institute

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Regions Bank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Regions Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/regions-bank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Regions Bank

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782241/magic-city-moment
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - West Island Brands Inc. (CSE: WIB) (FSE: 39N0) ("West Islands" or the "Company") announced today that its board of directors has approved a change of the Company's auditors. McGovern Hurley LLP (the "Former Auditor") has been replaced effective August 18, 2023. The audit committee and the board of directors have appointed Zeifmans LLP as the successor auditor (the "Successor Auditor"), effective August 18, 2023, until the close of the next annual general meeting of the Company.

The Company has sent a Notice of Change of Auditor (the "Notice") to the former Auditor and to the Successor Auditor and has received a letter from each, addressed to the securities commissions in each of British Columbia and Ontario stating that they agree with the information contained in the Notice. The Notice together with the letter from the Former Auditor and the letter from the Successor Auditor have been reviewed by the Company's audit committee and its board of directors and are available on SEDAR + at www.sedarplus.ca .

There is a reportable event with respect to unresolved issues, as such terms are defined in National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations (Part 4.11), related to the audit of the Company's 2022 Financial Statements which relate to an external investigation and report commissioned by the previous incumbent board of directors. This report was obtained as part of ongoing disputes between certain incumbent Board members, and senior management of the Company including the Company's CEO. Those incumbent Board members ultimately resigned. The findings and unresolved matters identified in the investigation report relate to alleged unauthorized transactions with related parties that were not approved by the board of directors of the Company, and other internal control issues.

About West Island

West Island is a multi-faceted, innovative company in the Quebec cannabis space. Its subsidiary, RoyalMax Biotechnology Canada Inc. is a Dorval, Quebec based Health Canada Licence Holder with standard cultivation licence, standard processing, medical sales and sales licences.

For more information on West Island Brands please visit the website at: westislandbrands.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

WEST ISLAND BRANDS INC.

Boris Ziger

Boris Ziger, CEO & Chairman

The Company's public filings are available for review at www.sedarplus.ca and www.thecse.com.

For further information, please contact:

Boris Ziger, CEO at:

Telephone: 416-304-9935

E-mail: info@westislandbrands.com

Website: www.westislandbrands.com

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Corporation. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Corporation's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. We seek Safe Harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180065
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Bedroom Kandi, the renowned name in luxurious intimate products and adult edu-tainment, is excited to announce its very first public Pleasure Expo, The BK Social Affair. The event is set to take place this Saturday from 10:00am-4:00pm, at the Hilton Atlanta Airport. This innovative expo will provide attendees with a unique opportunity to explore, engage, and celebrate intimacy in a fun and informative environment. Sample products, check out booth activities & raffles, and learn from an expert lineup of speakers on stage.

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.
LOKLiK displayed several of the most intelligent heat press machines and exact cutting machines for craft beginners with relatively quiet sound at IFA Berlin.

SACRAMENTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / LOKLiK, the DIY brand dedicated to catering to the needs of every craft lover worldwide, attended one of the world's most significant technology events, the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) 2023, with its flagship products in Berlin, Germany, from 1 to 5 September. The booth number was H2,2 - 202.

IFA Berlin, the world's premier consumer electronics and home appliance trade show, is renowned as a global stage for unveiling cutting-edge technology. At IFA 2023, there were over 2,000 exhibitors from more than 140 countries, such as Samsung, Honor, LG Electronics, Haier, and other well-known brands, and 180,000+ professionals on site. Meanwhile, this event drummed up a broad scope of media coverage with upwards of 5,000 reporters and PR agencies, showcasing the unprecedented performance worldwide.

LOKLiK, the new star in the innovative handicraft industry, captured the essence of creativity and craftsmanship at IFA Berlin and showed up with its smart machines, LOKLiK Crafter, LOKLiK ImPress Auto, LOKLiK ImPress Easy, LOKLiK ImPress Mini, and LOKLiK ImPress Auto Tumbler. The carefully curated selection of products on display underscored LOKLiK's commitment to pushing the boundaries of DIY possibilities.

"We are here with full preparation to show the world our utmost intelligent DIY machines and hope to deliver a soothing and creative lifestyle while crafting with freedom and ease," said Allen, the CMO of LOKLiK. "LOKLiK is an innovative but also ambitious craft brand committed to building up an open quaternity of materials, machines, digital content, and cultural IP, which gains great customer recognition and support."

This renowned tech event witnessed what miracles LOKLiK's latest machines, LOKLiK Crafter and LOKLiK ImPress Auto Tumbler, had demonstrated. One visitor said, "I was terrifically stunned by the LOKLiK Crafter, and cannot figure out how it can operate with such absolute quietness and cut the printed designs so precisely and efficiently." While the LOKLiK ImPress Auto Tumbler, which will be ready for the public in September, churned out delicate sublimation tumblers and mugs in a few minutes hassle-free.

"Our product team is striving consistently to implement further research and develop more convenient machines for everyone to use. Like the LOKLiK ImPress Auto is designed to release crafters' hands and cut down the possibilities of burning issues and hazards to the minimum," Emma, the LOKLiK's Sales Manager, commented. "In the next few years, LOKLiK will explore deeper and broadly diverse joint forces online and offline and convey the beauty of DIY to more people. Our official website has already gone live, and we believe it is promising for us to reach the goal of being a leading brand in the new market in Europe."

For more information, please visit: https://www.loklik.com/

For regular updates on LOKLIK, follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/LoklikOfficial

Contact Information

Kimberly Xiong

Brand PR

kimberly@loklik.com

+8619542807347

SOURCE: LOKLiK

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/782047/loklik-made-its-first-step-into-the-european-market-at-ifa-2023
Mindtrip, a San Francisco, CA-based Generative AI-native company building a new way to plan and book trips, raised $7M in seed funding.

The round was led by Costanoa Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and its development efforts.

Founded in 2023, by Andy Moss and Trey Matteson, MindTrip is an all-new travel platform built on top of Large Language Models to simplify the way travelers discover, plan and book travel all in one place. It allows travelers to ask literally any question in natural language thats travel relatedwhether asking about destinations, flights, hotels, restaurants or toursall in one place. They can discover new locations, plan and book all aspects of travel from flights and hotels to restaurants and experiences, and create and manage an entire itinerary.

The platform is Gen AI-native, which means that the AI assistant is the foundation of the entire user experience, and is integrated with accurate real-time travel data, including stunning photography, maps of new locations and suggested places to visit.

Mindtrip will be in public beta before the end of 2023.

FinSMEs

08/09/2023
Its important to have the proper information on hand when it comes to the safety of your family or just being inquisitive about someone. The best background checks will be quite useful in this regard.

There are multiple reasons to use a background check and the best of them will provide you with the answers you need in a short amount of time.

So what does a background check entail? How much does it cost and which best background checks provide you with fast, secure, and confidential results?

There is a range of options from high-end to budget-friendly background search services, and you will want to guarantee youre getting the most out of your money without being scammed. Therefore, take the time to learn all the facts you need.

>> Best Background Check  BeenVerified >>

8 Best Background Checks: At a Glance

BeenVerified  Best Background Check Overall PeopleLooker  Best for Fast Results TruthFinder  Best for Searching Public Records Intelius  Best Public Record Database Instant Checkmate  Best for Ease of Use PeopleFinders  Best Database Spokeo  Best for Reverse Email Lookup US Search  Best for Affordability

Best Background Check for Accurate Results  In-Depth Review

When choosing the best background check, we considered a variety of elements. These essential considerations include access to private information, cost, velocity, customer reviews, and features. To understand our ranking process more thoroughly, read the following subsections.

In conclusion, these are the best background checks that earned their spot on our list with their noteworthy qualities.

BeenVerified  Best Background Check Overall

Pros:

Mobile applications available for both Android and iOS users

A court runner looks for information that has not been digitalized yet

If payment is made three months ahead of time, a deduction will be provided

A vast array of data sources

Cons:

Not as comprehensive as other best background checks

Lack of openness in regards to pricing

BeenVerified is renowned as one of the best background checks since it offers a court runner service. This service requires an employee of the company to physically go to courts and collect documents not yet uploaded to the website.

Both Android and iOS platforms have apps for convenience. You can start your investigation with any data you choose. After opting for three months prepayment, you can receive a discount.

However, the website does not allow individual searches; membership is required. After completing all the loading windows, you can view the prices.

Customers have expressed their dissatisfaction as the reports provide less information than those by other best background checks. This service is comprehensive as it searches public records, social media accounts, and other online sources to furnish users with updated and accurate information.

A key advantage of BeenVerified is its easy-to-use design that enables people to move through the website and look for data. The search results are shown in a logical and straightforward style, making them effortless to interpret.

Additionally, BeenVerified places emphasis on confidentiality, and guarantees that all records are kept secure and private. It works with advanced encryption technology to protect users individual data and does not distribute or market any details to outside sources.

Checks and Screenings: 4/5

BeenVerified has an extensive selection of search options, including people searches, phone number searches, and address searches. This makes it a valuable tool for a variety of applications, like connecting with lost acquaintances or authenticating a persons identity.

The membership to BeenVerified includes best background searches, telephone searches, contact info lookups, email searches, address queries, and criminal records. Furthermore, customers can pick from seven distinctive ways of researching and obtaining info.

Accuracy: 4/5

Though BeenVerified delivers reliable outcomes, it is not infallible. For example, people have encountered email addresses associated with profiles that they have never had or used.

Turnaround Time: 4/5

It typically takes about six minutes for your query to be processed. While this is not the quickest rate among the best background checks, its the second-slowest.

Cost: 5/5

BeenVerified is a cost-efficient solution for users who need to carry out background searches often due to its variety of subscription plans. It offers two types of payment structure  customers can either pay on a monthly basis, or they can get a discounted rate when they opt for an annual subscription.

For example, if you pay for a one-month subscription, you will be charged $26.89; however, if you choose to pay for three months at once, the price decreases to $17.48 from the original $24.90.

Customer Service: 5/5

The customer care department may be reached by dialing 866-885-6480 toll-free anytime between 6:00 am and 11:30 pm Eastern Time, seven days a week. If you prefer to make contact via email, you may send a message to support@beenverified.com.

Overall Score: 4.3/5

>> Best background check  BeenVerified >>

PeopleLooker  Best background check for Fast Results

Pros:

Outstanding customer care

User-friendly

Thorough search reports

Incorporates social media and ancestry research

Cons:

Does not provide solitary accounts

PeopleLooker is a straightforward website that makes it easy for people to get extensive details about others by obtaining data from multiple sources like public records, social media, and best online background checking directories. It has a variety of services like phone number search, address search, and best background checks.

PeopleLooker helps users to search for people with ease and obtain their contact details, criminal records, and other personal information.

While the accuracy of the information provided by PeopleLooker may differ, its a beneficial tool for those looking for information about individuals for either individual or professional purposes.

Checks and Screenings: 4.9/5

PeopleLooker offers a variety of checks and screenings, including:

Reverse Phone Lookup: This allows users to key in a telephone number and find out the name, address, and other available details of the individual connected with it.

Email Lookup: This feature allows users to put in an email address and obtain information including the owners name, location, and social media profiles.

People Search: Individuals can be located and their contact info, address history, and linked persons can be accessed.

Address Lookup: Users can input an address and discover the name of the property holder, the worth of the property, and other information about the region.

Social Media Search: PeopleLooker can search social media platforms and supply details about an individuals social media profiles, including their activity and public posts.

Background Checks: PeopleLooker can do the best background checks that include criminal records, sex offender records, arrest records, and court documents.

Accuracy: 4.9/5

The accuracy of the information retrieved from PeopleLooker can differ depending on multiple aspects, such as the source of the details, the privacy settings of the person, and the credibility of the data in public records.

Although PeopleLooker puts in efforts to make sure that the information is precise, there may be circumstances when the data is incomplete, outdated, or wrong.

Furthermore, some sorts of information, like criminal records, can be limited or not available in some areas. For this reason, it is necessary to use the data acquired from PeopleLooker as a beginning point and confirm it with other sources before taking any action based on that information.

Generally, PeopleLooker can be a helpful tool, but users should be wary of the information and evaluate its accuracy cautiously prior to making any decisions.

Turnaround Time: 5/5

The duration of obtaining results from PeopleLooker may differ depending on the kind of examination or screening being conducted.

In the case of straightforward searches, such as a people search or an address lookup, the output can be presented right away. On the other hand, more detailed checks, like a background search, may take more time to be completed.

Additionally, the rate of acquiring the results is contingent on the accessibility of the data, which may vary based on the region and the origin of the data. Generally speaking, PeopleLooker offers rapid searches and users can assume they will get the results in a matter of seconds. Its essential to keep this in mind.

Cost: 5/5

PeopleLooker provides a trial for their services of $1 for a week and two premium plans for ongoing customers. The monthly membership costs $22.86/month, while the 3-month membership is priced at $18.28/month.

Access to background reports, contact info, arrest records, phone, and email lookups, plus more search options and faster searching capabilities are all benefits of subscribing.

Individuals can cancel their subscriptions any time they wish by getting in touch with customer service by telephone or email. Unfortunately, we encountered subpar customer support as the agent we spoke with provided just general details and not much aid.

Customer Service: 5/5

PeopleLooker is committed to providing its users with quality customer service. This is done through a variety of channels, such as email, phone, and support tickets.

Those who need help can get in touch with a customer service representative seven days a week between the hours of 6 am and 11:30 pm EST.

Furthermore, the PeopleLooker website has a comprehensive help center with commonly asked questions and other helpful resources for addressing common issues.

The customer service team is highly knowledgeable and capable of helping with matters like billing, account access, and technical support. Additionally, PeopleLooker has a comprehensive privacy policy that ensures user data is kept secure and private while using their service.

Overall Score: 4.9/5

TruthFinder  Best background check for Accurate Results

Pros:

Includes self-monitoring capacities

Membership grants you the ability to explore the dark web

Apps for both Android and iOS devices are provided

Subscribers have access to an unrestricted amount of reports

Supplies a reverse phone lookup feature

Cons:

Its only functional in the United States

Getting reports requires an additional fee

TruthFinder is one of the best background checks accessible, and your subscription allows you to get unrestricted monthly reports at no extra charge. Each background search you do is also accompanied by a search of the dark web.

You can conduct background searches on the go with the accessible mobile applications obtainable for iOS and Android. TruthFinder provides current reverse phone lookups and includes self-monitoring capacities so you can observe what details about you would be revealed in a background search.

However, theres no option to do a single search. To access the database, you must pay for a monthly subscription. If you want to download your reports in PDF format, this comes at an additional cost.

Only people who are citizens and permanent residents of the United States can utilize these best background checks.

Checks and Screenings: 5/5

TruthFinder offers access to a wide array of information, like a persons age, aliases, and even what vehicles they own or the weapons permits they may have.

There are more than 40 distinct types of data that can be accessed, for example, Amazon wishlists, social media accounts, hunting licenses, and concealed weapon permits.

Accuracy: 5/5

Reviews of TruthFinders background check have been highly positive due to their accuracy. Jim F. is one such customer who commended the accuracy of the site by giving a four-star rating on Sitejabber.

He remarked, Truthfinder.com had both speed and accuracy. It was thorough and didnt miss a single detail.

Turnaround Time: 5/5

You will be able to quickly obtain the data you need, as documents can be ready in two to three minutes, which is the third-fastest time on our list.

Cost: 4.5/5

If you pay on a monthly basis, TruthFinder will cost you $28.05. However, if you opt for a bi-monthly payment plan, the fee is reduced to $23.28.

Customer Service: 4.7/5

If you need customer support, you can call 800-699-8081 during the hours of 10:00 am to 10:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Alternatively, you can send an email to help@truthfinder.com for help.

Overall Score: 4.9/5

>> Try Out TruthFinder >>

Intelius  Best Public Record Database

Pros:

Well-developed mobile applications for Android and iOS platforms

Different levels of subscription and associated costs

Easy to use interface

Rapid search outcomes

Large collection of documents

Cons:

Complicated cost structures

Customer care availability is restricted

Established in 2003, Intelius is known as a dependable best background check provider, giving users quick access to a wide range of records and reports.

The service provides 256-bit encryption for secure connections and wont expose the fact that a person searched for someone. Plus, it has 20 billion public records available and the Intelius Connection feature which enables users to connect multiple people of interest.

Checks and Screenings: 4/5

Intelius can carry out a reverse address search, a reverse phone search, an investigation into someones background, a review of public records, and a look into criminal recordsmaking it one of the best background inspection services for real estate documents.

Accuracy: 5/5

Numerous customers of Intelius attest that the companys reports are more precise than its competitors, earning it a reputation as one of the best background checks companies.

For example, Fred from Bunnlevel, North Carolina shared a review of Intelius on Consumer Affairs, commenting that he was able to find the person he was looking for effortlessly after using the service.

Turnaround Time: 4.5/5

Intelius requires more than five minutes for the results to be returned. This is the third-longest waiting period among the listed services.

Cost: 4.5/5

Initially, the cost for a person to search for a single month is $24.86. However, if you choose to pay for two months in advance, this will be reduced to $21.13. The charges for individual searches can be determined based on the type of search you require.

Customer Service: 3/5

During the weekdays, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, customers can call the toll-free line 888-245-1655 to connect with customer service. Furthermore, customers can also send an email to support@mailer.intelius.com for help.

Overall Score: 4.75/5

>> Try Out Intelius >>

Instant Checkmate  Best for Ease of Use

Pros:

Well-developed mobile applications for Android and iOS platforms

Different levels of subscription and associated costs

Easy to use interface

Rapid search outcomes

Large collection of documents

Cons:

Theres no choice for constructing separate reports

Generating reports can take some time

Instant Checkmate has earned a lot of praise from its users for producing more accurate search results than other companies, thereby distinguishing itself as one of the best background checks.

Furthermore, its mobile app and search service are straightforward to use, particularly when it comes to getting social media results. Moreover, the reports it delivers are quite comprehensive.

However, the website tends to take some time to load while it is compiling the report. As is the case with other services, Instant Checkmate offers a monthly subscription plan, with no option to purchase individual reports. The membership fee is displayed on the last page of the loading process.

Checks and Screenings: 4.5/5

When carrying out the background check, its possible to uncover a persons professional authorization, court decisions, unpaid taxes, license to hunt and fish, voter registration, and a permit to have a gun.

Accuracy: 5/5

Instant Checkmate is considered one of the best background check providers due to its reliable results. People who have used other best background check companies have claimed that Instant Checkmate is more precise than the other services.

As an illustration, Cynthia from Pflugerville, Texas, commented that the services have proven to be quite accurate and informative, especially for her as a single woman who is constantly getting approached by men from different nations on social media.

Turnaround Time: 4/5

Subscribing for admittance to view your report takes 10 minutes, during which you will have to stay put through multiple loading pages. The waiting duration at this company is significantly more than at any of the other organizations on our list of best background checks.

Cost: 3.5/5

If you pay for one month of service upfront, it will cost you $36.95. However, if you pay for two months at once, the cost is reduced to $29.55 per month.

Customer Service: 4.5/5

From the start of the week until Friday, customers can get in touch with customer service by calling the toll-free number 800-222-8985 anytime between 10 in the morning to 10 in the evening (Eastern Time). Alternatively, help may be sought by sending an email to help@instantcheckmate.com.

Overall Score: 4.6/5

>> Try Out Instant Checkmate >>

PeopleFinders  Best Database

Pros:

Exceptional mobile apps

The availability of a monthly payment plan

Exceptional customer care

The ability to look up information quickly

Cons:

A substantial fee is charged for annulling a booking

Queries are restricted to the US only

PeopleFinders are the best background check that offers fantastic customer service. It gives individuals the option to do one-time searches or pay a subscription fee on a recurring basis. They also have some of the most progressive mobile apps on the market.

Users of the companys service consistently rate it highly. If you choose to cancel your subscription before its due date, you will incur a hefty early termination fee.

The service is only available in the US, and it does not have a search feature for social media platforms. Additionally, their support options are quite limited.

Checks and Screenings: 4.5/5

An elementary search will only provide a limited amount of information, which may include your name, present address, age, other past places of residence, email address, and phone number.

Additionally, the best background checks may delve into details such as prior bankruptcies, criminal cases, information about surrounding people, and employment history.

Accuracy: 5/5

Individuals who have used PeopleFinders have given it the best background checks rating due to its high accuracy. As an example, Keisha from Winterset, Iowa, commented on the website and stated that the information provided was accurate and correct.

Turnaround Time: 5/5

PeopleFinders is able to provide you with the results of your background search in an impressively short time span, ranking second among the six best background checks we looked into.

Cost: 4.5/5

The cost of a single investigation varies from 95 cents to 9.95 dollars. A membership necessitates a subscription fee of 29.95 dollars per month.

Customer Service: 4/5

Clients are able to receive help via telephone at 800-718-8997 during the hours of 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Eastern Time Monday to Friday, and 10:00 am to 6:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Furthermore, customers may communicate with customer service through the contact form available on the website.

Overall Score: 4.4/5

>> Try Out PeopleFinders >>

Spokeo  Best for Reverse Email Lookup

Pros:

You pay a one-time fee for the service

It has a convenient layout

The website is continually refreshed

It provides the capability to delete your records

Certain services are provided without charge

Cons:

Complaints from patrons about the precision of our products

We do not offer any search plans that have no restrictions

Spokeo is among the best background check which does not ask for a fee to view the most basic data, like a reverse email lookup.

If you need more in-depth information, you will have to pay a one-time charge. One of the great features of Spokeo is that you can delete your own information from its listings whenever you wish. Additionally, the site is quite user-friendly, and it frequently adds new content.

Unfortunately, many customers have submitted grievances that the results are incorrect or that there is not much data presented.

Checks and Screenings: 4.5/5

Spokeo trawls through a great many public records to offer search results that may furnish you with a persons contact info, personal data, past locations, wealth data, relatives, criminal backgrounds, friends, and profiles on social media.

These billions of archives incorporate property, social media, history, venture, and end-user data.

Accuracy: 4/5

Generally, customers are pleased with the service, though certain individuals have voiced their disapproval, asserting that the data is not accurate. For example, Buddy R. left a review on Sitejabber and commented that providing false information is almost like committing fraud.

Turnaround Time: 5/5

Out of the different best background checks we looked at, this one was the second-quickest in terms of turnaround time.

Cost: 5/5

A reduction of $1.95 is available for the detailed name report, lowering the cost to $0.95.

Customer Service: 5/5

You can get in touch with customer service at 888-271-9562 from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm Eastern Time on any day of the week. Moreover, you can also contact Spokeo by sending an email to customercare@spokeo.com.

Overall Score: 4.5/5

>> Try Out PeopleFinders >>

US Search  Best for Affordability

Pros:

A vast selection of search criteria available

The information is available to anyone who wants to access it

If youre not satisfied with the results, they will refund your money

A larger selection of search options than the majority of other best background checks

Cons:

The virtual assistant is not very responsive and is not helpful

The least expensive searches do not give a great deal of information

Since its founding in 1998, US Search can be referred to as the grandfather of the best background checks. One great aspect of the service is that it allows you to search for a single name for just $2.45 or to perform unlimited searches for a monthly rate of $20.

This popular service is run by PeopleData and its name may already be recognized due to being featured as one of the best background checks on well-known news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and 60 Minutes.

Its an expeditious and dependable method for obtaining access to a variety of criminal records, such as those associated with sexual offenders, felonies, and misdemeanors.

The extent of your search can range from local databases, state registries, or even comprehensive searches of databases across the entire nation, depending on your investigations requirements.

US Search offers the greatest selection of options out there, making it very easy to get a wide variety of data, thus solidifying its standing as one of the best background checks.

When you utilize Omni-search, you can even search social media sites. The most complete search can be costly at around $40 and will provide information regarding criminal records and major financial data like bankruptcy claims.

Checks and Screenings: 4/5

In addition to conducting an exhaustive background search, other methods of verifying someones background may entail:

Scrutinizing criminal histories

Exploring social media accounts

Analyzing emails

Tracing a phone number

Investigating property records

Accuracy: 5/5

Even if you havent availed of this renowned service before, you may have heard of it since it has been featured as one of the best background checks on renowned news shows.

Turnaround Time: 4/5

It can take up to five minutes to go through the loading screens before you can be accepted for a membership and get your report. This business has a much longer waiting period than other best background checks that we mentioned.

Cost: 4/5

For as little as $2.45, the business will make one name search for you, or you can pay a monthly fee of $20 to get unrestricted searches.

Customer Service: 4/5

Customer support agents can be reached at (888) 712-0108 from Mondays to Fridays between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Additionally, you may get in touch with them by sending an email to support@ussearch.com.

Overall Score: 4.6/5

>> Try Out US Search >>

Ranking Methodology for the Best Background Checks

Access to Non-Public Information

When looking for the best background checks, you should have access to data that is not typically public. Credit headers are the upper section of a credit report, which excludes any sensitive financial or job history.

Credit headers can help to validate an individuals personal details, such as their current address, phone number, and job information.

Access to State Records

Certain states now provides free background checks if you fill in a form electronically or by hand. Despite the laborious work involved in the best online background check (and sometimes in offline databases), its much more convenient to pay for a premium search that includes state records that you want to access.

A premium records search can also confirm confidential data like a professional license (in the state of practice), educational credentials, marriage records, death records, traffic violations, and other vital details that can confirm a persons identity and accomplishments.

Social Media Searches

Its becoming more regular to add social media searches to screening processes, just in case any issues connected to a person could influence their job or trips.

A few free searches are restricted to Google searching public names and linked pages, but some other best background check use specific software to look into trends, names, and profiles.

BeenVerified goes further than the conventional Google name search and can originate skip trace quality results through a deep web search.

Custom Background Searches

Specialized background searches may include a combination of many different tests, and can even involve more advanced tests that are pertinent to a job or specific contracting job, such as a child or pet care provider.

Accreditation

Several organizations that provide background searches tout their accreditation with the National Association of Professional Background Searchers or a similar entity.

To receive this accreditation, these companies must adhere to certain standards, such as safeguarding the rights of applicants and adhering to all applicable laws.

Report Information Accuracy

Incorrect reports can obstruct you from achieving your objectives, but also open up the possibility of major financial responsibility. The best background checks should possess a reputation for accuracy and a commitment to professionalism that will help you make a knowledgeable choice.

Search Customization

When searching for information about someone, it is important to examine a variety of sources. However, you may need to narrow the scope of your search if youre looking for something specific, such as employment history or financial records.

The best background checks should offer multiple levels of screenings to ensure that you get the data that is relevant to your inquiry.

Ease of Use

Its not necessary to possess any detective or technical skills to use the best background checks. The best background check portals should be straightforward and display the results in an understandable format. The most reliable services will provide the quickest and simplest method to obtain the information you seek and quickly deliver the results.

Customer Support

When searching for the best background check company, make sure their customer service personnel are well-versed in the industry and can provide answers to any of your questions. If you find yourself unable to progress with your search, they should be able to explain why.

Also, the company should focus on providing the best possible results to customers, rather than attempting to persuade them to purchase searches that are not related to their needs.

If youre looking for data that may not be accessible by yourself, a paid search is a great choice. Typically, when you pay for this service, the information will be sent to you in an understandable, orderly layout.

>> Get Accurate Results With BeenVerified >>

Guide to Background Checks

Companies, institutions, and individuals may use best background check when they need to acquire information about someone prior to forming a professional or personal association. This guide will explain precisely what a background check is, how it operates, and the kind of facts it can uncover.

What is a background check?

The background check carries out extensive research on the internet to obtain data about the individual you are searching for. Most of the documents that the service can access are obtainable in theory by yourself, but it would take a considerable amount of time to get the details you require.

On the other hand, the best background check can skim through millions of files and generate a comprehensive report for you within five minutes.

In addition to criminal records, best background checks can uncover credit history, employment history, financial papers, and other information that gives an insight into someones life as well as validate their identity.

What Are The Levels of Background Checks?

It may surprise one to know that there are various types of background searches. Knowing the distinctions between them can help in properly ordering them and comprehending the results better.

Level 1 is to check identity (name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, etc.).

Level 2 is looking into the criminal background (through local police or federal agencies).

Level 3 is credit history and score verification.

Level 4 is motor vehicle record assessment.

Level 5 is researching educational and professional backgrounds.

Level 6 is fingerprint scanning.

Level 7 is establishing legal work status in the US.

What Shows Up on the Best Background Check?

Its possible to conduct different levels of background searches, from basic to comprehensive. The degree of in-depth investigation you choose to use will depend on why you are running the check.

For instance, if you need to determine the background of an ex-partner, you may not go as far as if you are carrying out a background search for a highly secure company.

The best background checks businesses apply nowadays encompass:

Investigations conducted by the Office of Inspector General

Background searches conducted through E-Verify

Conducting private background searches

Investigating an individuals past internationally

Investigating a persons background for hiring purposes

Investigations into someones credit history

Examining someones professional licenses

Examining an individuals criminal past

Authentication of educational credentials

Questioning a reference

Investigating a persons social media accounts

Investigations into everyones background

Tracing a persons Social Security number

The best background check typically provides an overview of a person that includes their contact details, age, and date of birth. However, the check may also contain more specific information, for example, records of criminal activity, job history, and educational background.

Additional details that can be included in a background searches are:

Different types of authorizations (professional)

Marriage certifications

Photographs

Driving history

Family members

Blogs

Aliases

Individual websites

Military documents

References

Social media accounts

Credit reports

Bankruptcy filings

Liens

Civil documentation

Weapons permits

Sexual predator registry records

Wikipedia entries

Plus more, depending on the background search organization and rules youre dealing with

Background Checks for Employee and Tenant Screening

We have excluded the following companies from our list because they mainly specialize in providing credit reporting and other private government records for business-to-business purposes instead of personal or preventive searches that safeguard the consumer. However, we still suggest that you check their reviews on TrustPilot and the Better Business Bureau:

Universal Background Screening

GoodHire

EBI

Sterling

Checkr

The Shrewd Searchers Guide to Finding The Best Background Checks

People who conduct private searches for the purpose of safeguarding themselves are allowed to access a great to deal with the same information.

Going through a quick Google search will reveal many best background checks, but its essential to be aware of certain considerations before picking the most suitable one.

The notion of being able to look up public records was not commonplace until recently. In the past, employers and creditors would only rely on personal recommendations to validate a CV.

Over the years, having a source of unbiased information has become highly valued by those searching for residential and commercial properties in order to prevent criminal activity and bad job performance.

Nowadays, when employers or government representatives conduct the best background check, they are mostly looking for the same information.

Failure to carry out duties in a proficient manner

Civil court proceedings and accusations

Being in arrears and having serious financial difficulties

Accusations of criminal activity, particularly those related to sex crimes

Illegally consuming drugs

>> Get Accurate Results With BeenVerified >>

Best background checks  FAQ

What Are the Best background checks?

BeenVerified is the best background check available. They include Sensitive Information that can be accessed, such as nationwide criminal record searches, contact information, property records, civil court decisions, photographs, and additional legal documents.

Where Do the Best Background Checks Get Their Information?

The best background checks would investigate an individuals past and present to offer the most precise details available. They start off with open records, including data taken from papers available to the public, such as criminal records, birth certificates, and property deeds.

After that, the best background checks will look into secondary sources, which may include online articles or stories, social media accounts, and phone directories.

Finally, they will study other best online background check sources, such as shopping sites like Amazon, the magazines you are subscribed to, your voter registration information, any permits you may have for fishing or hunting, and any professional licenses or organizations you are part of.

How Do I Pick the Best background checks Services for Me?

Its crucial to research thoroughly if you want to select the best background checks that are most appropriate for you. Take your time to analyze all of your choices.

When evaluating the best background checks for your needs, ponder upon the features that are the most critical such as the types of checks and screenings that can be conducted, the accuracy of the reports that are given, and the time gap before you get your report.

When searching for the best background checks, its essential to consider the cost of the service, the availability of customer service, and any other pertinent elements.

After you have contemplated your options, you may decide that BeenVerified is the most suitable and best background check. We understand that this might not be the case for everyone or in every situation.

Why Run a Background Check?

When youre looking to gain an understanding of someones past, present and potential future, a background search is a process of doing this.

Its used to confirm whether they have had any previous run-ins with the law, as well as examine their work history, their marital status, and any other data that can be pertinent to their job application. The phrase background check covers both criminal and non-criminal activities (such as traffic offenses).

How Long Does a Background Check Take?

Depending on the organization offering the best background check, the time taken to complete the process can range from a few hours to a few days. Generally, a third-party company with access to public and court records is responsible for running the best background check.

The turnaround time is contingent on the urgency of the report and any additional costs related to the background check. Some companies offer instant results, though it isnt always feasible for all types of investigations.

Are Background Check Services Legal?

The majority of states permit background investigations to take place, but all states have specific regulations for them to be conducted. Checking backgrounds is also acceptable for most federal and state roles.

A few regions have restrictions on who can use background searches and what information can be acquired through them, so if you have queries about the laws of your state, you should seek advice from a lawyer.

Therefore, you should check with your states unemployment office and the human resources department of your company before making any decisions about hiring a new employee.

Is It Safe to Use These Best background checks Services?

Yes, the best background checks are impenetrable to prying eyes on the web by a sophisticated encryption system. Its impossible for the person whose details you are researching to be aware that you conducted a background search on them.

Your name, email address, and payment card information are all shielded in the same way within your customer account, including any other sensitive data.

The best background checks will only reveal your personal information in extraordinary cases, such as when you make a payment for your subscription or if necessary to obey an issue in a legal setting.

The best background checks are committed to protecting your data and never selling it. Furthermore, they will also allow you to delete any information you have provided them with if you decide to do so.

This means that if someone does the best background check on you through them, there will be little to no data about you available.

>> Get Accurate Results With BeenVerified >>

Best background checks: The Takeaway

In the modern age of technology, theres a lot of data available on the internet. Finding the right information can be difficult. The best background checks and applications can help to reduce the stress of obtaining the desired details.

There are a few secrets that can be kept hidden when conducting background tests or identity verifications. By screening prospective employees, dates, or others, one can stay away from dubious scenarios. You can also take advantage of reverse phone lookups to stop swindlers.

Not only can individuals run checks on others but they can also look into their own backgrounds. With the internet being so expansive, its hard to tell what kind of information is out there. By examining oneself, its possible to get ready for interviews and secure ones profile.

In general, BeenVerified left the most positive impression on us since it offered more than just criminal records and sex offender background searches.

In addition to these, it included searches from the surface web, dark web, and deep web, which arent available in the free WhitePages searches that people customarily do by themselves.

Therefore, if youre in any way suspicious or uncertain about a new acquaintance, date, workmate, family friend, or someone else who frequents your home, it would be a good idea to conduct a background search.

>> Best Background Check  BeenVerified >>

DISCLAIMER: You may not use the non-FCRA approved services mentioned in this article or the information they provide to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. These services dont provide consumer reports and are not consumer reporting agencies. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (FCRA), which are incorporated herein by reference.)

The information available on our website may not be 100% accurate, complete, or up to date, so do not use it as a substitute for your own due diligence, especially if you have concerns about a persons criminal history. The services we mention do not make any representation or warranty about the accuracy of the information available through our website or about the character or integrity of the person about whom you inquire. For more information, please review each services Terms of Use.

This is a Partnered Post.
Fans are always keen on knowing when and where did their favourite stars meet and how was the first encounter like. Shedding light on one such interaction, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha recently shared details about meeting fiancee-actor Parineeti Chopra. In an interview, the 34-year-old politician called the duos meeting as nothing short of magic.

Raghav Chadha on meeting Parineeti Chopra

Raghav Chadha described meeting Parineeti Chopra as magical and organic. He further added, It is something that I thank God every day for, for giving me Parineeti in my life.

Putting forward that she is a blessing in his life, Raghav, who is the youngest Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, said, Bohot badi blessing hai and I am extremely happy to have her as my partner. As I said, I thank God every day for giving me Parineeti in my life.

Asserting that the entire nation was rejoicing at their union, Raghav Chadha stated, Main desh se zyada khush hoon (I am happier than the country).

Wedding festivities

While both Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra are tight-lipped about their wedding festivities, several media reports suggest that the two will exchange vows on 24 September. Based on a report by India Today, celebrations will be a week-long affair, followed by a grand reception on 30 September in Chandigarh.

In addition, a white card featuring golden motifs on its border, deemed to be the invitation card, is also making rounds on social media. However, an official announcement is still awaited.

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadhas engagement

The actor-politician duo Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha got engaged at Kapurthala House in Delhi on 13 May. As the event was a close knit affair, only close friends and family graced the occasion with their presence.

A stunning collection of pictures from the special occasion was shared on the couples Instagram accounts. As Parineeti looked radiant in an ethnic ensemble by Manish Malhotra, Raghav opted for a white achkan by Pawan Sachdeva.

Work Front

Work-wise, Parineeti Chopra was last seen in the 2022 release Uunchai. For now, the actress has wrapped up shooting for Imtiaz Alis Chamkila, opposite Diljit Dosanjh. She is currently awaiting the release of Mission Raniganj, where she will appear opposite Akshay Kumar.

At the same time, the 34-year-old actress is working on The Great Indian Rescue, a survival thriller film scheduled for release on 6 October alongside Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Ravi Kishan in pivotal roles.

Raghav Chadha, on the other hand, served as the former vice chairman of the Delhi Jal Board and MLA from the Rajendra Nagar assembly constituency till 2022.
With colourful graffiti, statues of deities and dancing figures, and theme-based fountains, Delhi is all ready for the G20 Summit. The city has undergone a stunning transformation and is now decked with dazzling lights. Civic agencies have put their best foot forward to beautify the national capital even as a battle for credit has caused some controversy in the lead-up to the mega event.

From fountains to statues, floral decorations to flags  the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Public Works Department (PWD) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) undertook a slew of initiatives to decorate the national capital.

As the citys civic bodies finish a massive makeover, lets take a look at how Delhi is finally ready to welcome world leaders.

31 statues, 90 fountains, and 1.65 lakh plants

The PWD redesigned road stretches to European standards.

These redesigned road stretches include an area of the Ring Road from the airport to Central Delhi, Aurobindo Marg, Vikas Marg, Lodhi Road and Rajghat that will not only extend a warm welcome to the G20 guests but also remain as enduring infrastructure landmarks in Delhi, PWD Minister Atishi said earlier.

Also Read: What is the G20 and why is it important?

In total, 10 new roads have been laid across key areas for the G20 (Summit), encompassing Bhairon Marg, Purana Quila Road, Ulan Batar Marg, Mathura Road, Mehrauli Badarpur Road, JB Tito Marg, IP flyover to the Hanuman Setu area on Ring Road, Mall Road to the Kingsway Camp area, Netaji Subash Chandra Marg, and IP flyover to the Bhairon Marg area on Ring Road, Atishi had said.

Besides road development, extensive beautification work has been carried out by the Delhi government. These include the installation of 31 statues and 90 fountains on public works department roads, the planting of 1.65 lakh plants and the installation of decorative lighting, among others, she had said.

The fountains include volcano fountains, nozzle-type fountains, horse fountains, giant lion fountains, and jet fountains with focused lights that reflect various colours and hues.

Installations include a Konark wheel at Delhi Gate, a dancing idol at the Y-point near Gulab Vatika on Ring Road and eight six-feet-high Apsara sculptures on the Hanuman Mandir Junction, according to officials.

The statues have been made in different parts of the country, such as the Shivling fountains from Odisha and some statues from Rajasthan. The heads of 40 countries are expected at Palam Airport. They will travel through this stretch from the technical area towards the Hanuman Mandir Junction and NSG crossing. The statues will make a good impression and depict Indian culture, a senior PWD official told The Indian Express.

Also Read: How Delhi is dealing with its stray dog problem ahead of G20 Summit

The public works department has also beautified 23 flyovers, including the ones at Lodhi Road, Chirag Delhi, IIT, Panchsheel and Moti Bagh, they said.

Even as a war of words raged over the allocation of funds, Lt Governor VK Saxena told PTI in an interview last week that the expenditure incurred was not much. The artefact and the fountains were gifted by companies under their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Banners featuring Delhis heritage

The MCD has put up 450 banners bearing images of the Red Fort, Humayuns Tomb, Lotus Temple and other iconic heritage sites of Delhi to welcome the heads of state and other delegates.

Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: How NSG commandos will keep Delhi safe

These large banners, also bear the G20 logo, the theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  One Earth. One Family. One Future  and a welcome message, have been put up largely on unipoles that usually carry advertisements.

As part of the MCDs beautification drive, murals depicting the cultural heritage of India, as well as the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon, have been painted on public walls.

The NDMC has begun work on the preparation and installation of 20 flower boards prominently displaying the G20 logo and slogan at strategic locations. Thousands of trees in high-traffic areas to be frequented by the guests will be decorated with flowers for the main events.

The NDMC has beautified its roads, footpaths, roundabouts, markets, flyovers and public areas with over a lakh potted plants.

Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: What are the curbs in Delhi? What remains open?

Even private agencies have put up hoardings for the mega event.

Burjeel Holdings, one of the largest healthcare service providers in the MENA region, has put up hoardings featuring UAE astronaut Sultan al Neyadi.

These hoardings serve as a reminder of the spirit of international cooperation that continues to drive advancements in scientific endeavours, it said in a statement.

We are proud to honour his (al Neyadi) achievements through this tribute, which serve as a symbol of the strong bond between the UAE and India, it added.

Also Read: G20 Summit in Delhi: Where will Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and other leaders stay?

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 9-10 September. The summit is likely to be attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

Lights, fogging, and fishes

Decorative lights and green belts are part of the mega makeover of arterial stretches connecting to the venue, including Dhaula Kuan, NSG Junction, Ulan Batar, and Ring Road. Three layered green belts have been created along the airport stretch with potted plants, colourful flowers and seasonal plants, said the PWD official.

The authorities are working hard to keep mosquitos at bay at the events main venue, Bharat Mandapam. The Municipal Council of Delhi (MCD) has sent various teams to the site to conduct periodic fogging drives to eradicate mosquito larvae in the Pagati Maidan complex, which includes Bharat Mandapam. The officials identified potential mosquito breeding sites in the nearby area and are conducting fogging drives daily, said an official from the MCD.

The civic authority has also introduced larvae-eating fish to the regions waterbodies, such as Rajghat and Purana Qila Lake. Gambusia affinis has been introduced into the bodies of water around Pragati Maidan.

With inputs from PTI
It is the biggest diplomatic event of the year. All eyes are on India as world leaders flock to Delhi for the G20 Leaders Summit.

In the gathering of the most powerful people in the world, there are bound to be some differences. Will these come in the way of the joint declaration and goal-setting?

We take a look at what leaders will discuss in Delhi on 9 and 10 September at Bharat Mandapam, the newly built G20 venue at Delhis Pragati Maidan.

G20 with Firstpost: Catch the complete coverage here

What India is keen to discuss at the G20?

Economics and finance have been the key discussions at G20 meetings. However, the nature of discussions has changed over the years to reflect a changing world. Climate change, sustainable energy, international debt forgiveness and taxing multinational corporations are part of the talks. The Russia-Ukraine war dominated the agenda last year at the summit in Indonesias Bali.

This year, India holds the presidency for the G20, which will conclude with the leaders summit. New Delhi wants to focus on sustainable development and measures to spread economic growth more evenly between developed and developing nations, reports the BBC.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis focus has been on the needs of the developing nations in the Global South.

The New Delhi leaders declaration will reflect the voice of Global South, Indias G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday and noted that accelerating sustainable development goals, improving learning outcomes and nutrition have been critical for Indias presidency.

Several meetings held over the past year have been dominated by discussions on loans to developing nations from multilateral institutions, reforming international debt architecture, and the impact of geopolitical uncertainties on food and energy security.

India also wants to focus on green development, climate finance and LiFE (Low-carbon Technologies for Fighting Epidemics); accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth; sustainable development goals; technological transformation and digital public infrastructure; multilateral institutions for the 21st Century; and women-led development.

During its presidency, India has stressed the need to reform multilateral development banks (MDBs) keeping in mind the evolving geopolitical dynamics and the rise of the Global South.

While the reform process is long, senior officials indicate that this will feature in the G20 declaration, according to a report in India Today. The proposal is expected to get the backing of US president Joe Biden and other world leaders.

Why is cryptocurrency in the focus?

Cryptocurrency is expected to be one of the big discussions at the G20 Summit. A policy paper prepared under Indias G20 presidency to form a global framework for dealing with crypto assets has suggested licensing crypto service providers. It has called for countries to implement the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) standards in the sector, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The paper prepared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) raises concerns about the possible impact of cryptocurrencies on the monetary policies of nations. This document is likely to serve as a blueprint for the discussions this weekend.

India is calling for a unified template to regulate cryptocurrency. Leaders at the G20 summit are expected to give an okay to the foundational principles governing crypto assets. The move will signify a critical step towards creating a coordinated global regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency market, reports CNBC TV18.

What about the Russia-Ukraine war?

Russias invasion of Ukraine has been discussed and left the G20 divided. Even as leaders have started arriving, Indian diplomats are trying to find a compromise language for a joint communique, reports The Associated Press (AP).

Russia and China, which has been Moscows most important supporter in the war against Ukraine, have rejected drafts over a reference to Ukraine that said most members strongly condemned the war, the same language they signed off a year ago at the G20 summit in Bali.

The European Union, meanwhile, has said compromise language suggested by India is not strong enough for them to agree to.

However, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters Friday that it was important to give India space as it worked actively, maybe sometimes discreetly, to maximise the chance for a communique. He said Russia had isolated itself from the world with the invasion of Ukraine, and that the EU and others were working to encourage China to play a positive role at the global level and to defend the UN charter and to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine, the AP reports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Biden and the two leaders are expected to discuss the conflict and then divide over it.

What else is up for discussion?

Ahead of the G20 Summit, Australian PM Anthony Albanese emphasised his countrys commitment to India Pacific to enhance growth and prosperity, stability and respect for sovereignty and lasting peace.

South Korean president Yoon Suk-Yeo is likely to highlight North Koreas ever-escalating missile provocations and nuclear threats in front of global leaders, NDTV reported.

Nigerian president Bola Tinubu might talk about promoting foreign investment in the country and mobilising global capital for infrastructural development.

With inputs from agencies
As India hosts the Group of 20 (G20) Summit this weekend, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got into a spat over a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leaders of the Grand Old Party attacked the BJP for disrespecting global guests, leading to the saffron camp hitting back and accusing the Congress of peddling fake news.

More than 40 heads of state of G20 nations and leaders of international organisations will gather in Delhi for the summit on 9 and 10 September. Just before these high-profile guests arrival, what was the poster controversy that erupted between the two national parties? Lets understand.

Congress slams BJP

The row broke out on Thursday (7 September) after Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Shashi Tharoor shared a picture of a poster on their accounts on X, formerly Twitter, which congratulated Modi on being the worlds most popular leader.

The hoarding showed the Indian prime minister towering over leaders of Mexico, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Brazil and the United States.

Khera, tagging BJPs Vijay Goel, wrote on the social media platform, Is this how we welcome our guests?

Tharoor said Indians practice Atithi Devo Bhava and called the poster an insult to our guests, a reference to the world leaders attending the G20 Summit in Delhi.

Both the leaders later deleted their tweets.

The hoarding in question

The hoarding, which seems to have Goels name, was apparently put up after US-based business intelligence company Morning Consults global leader approval rating tracker revealed in early February this year that PM Modi is the most popular leader in the world with a 78 per cent approval rating.

Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was second on the list with 68 per cent ratings, while Swiss president Alain Berset was third with 62 per cent approval ratings.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese occupied the fourth position, followed by leaders of Italy and Brazil.

United States president Joe Biden had a rating of 40 per cent, making him the seventh most popular global leader, as per Morning Consult.

The existence of the hoarding can be traced back to at least April. The Associated Press image of the hoarding dates back to 6 April 2023. Another angle of what appears to be the same hoarding can be found in a Navbharat Times report on 12 April.

BJP hits back

Retweeting Kheras post, BJPs Goel accused him of spreading fake news.

This is fake news. No such hoarding has been put. Congress should desist from such petty politics at a time when India is hosting the world, the BJP leader responded to Kheras now-deleted tweet.

This is fake news. No such hoarding has been put. Congress should desist from such petty politics at a time when India is hosting the world. https://t.co/okbWbz9eQY  Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) September 7, 2023

Responding to Tharoor, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya tweeted, Your colleague Pawan Khera has just been slammed for spreading fake news because no such poster has been put up.

But it is not surprising that on the eve of the G20 summit, Congress uses image of an old hoarding to attack the Modi Govt, he said, as per India Today.

Dubbing Congress accusations shameful, Malviya said it not only shows how bereft the Opposition is of any meaningful criticism but also underlines their scorched earth politics.

Delhi set for G20

Delhi is decked up to welcome the G20 guests. From murals to fountains, sculptures to posters, a dazzling National Capital is ready to host the world leaders.

Banners bearing the G20 logo, the theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  One Earth. One Family. One Future and some with PM Modis picture have also come up.

In view of the VVIP movement, the Delhi Police have imposed certain curbs in the city, which will come into place 8 September.

The G20 leaders will start arriving from today, with Biden reaching in the evening. He will hold bilateral talks with Modi soon after his arrival.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak, Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida are among other leaders attending the two-day conclave. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinas Xi Jinping will be skipping the gathering.

Pedro Sanchez, the president of Spain  who was a special invitee of India  will be giving the summit a miss as he has tested positive for COVID-19.

This afternoon I have tested positive for COVID and will not be able to travel to New Delhi for the G20 Summit. I feel fine, he wrote on X.

Leaders of Bangladesh, Egypt, Netherlands, Mauritius, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman are the other special invitees.

The G20 Summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan.

With inputs from agencies
A spruced-up Delhi is waiting to host the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) bloc this weekend. Many heads of state, including United States president Joe Biden, will start landing in the National Capital from today (8 September) for the G20 Summit. Some have already arrived.

A dinner party will be organised on Saturday (9 September) at Pragati Maidans Bharat Mandapam for the foreign guests, which include leaders and delegates of the G20 grouping, comprising 19 nations and the European Union. India has also invited special invitees to the summit, including Bangladesh and Spain.

Besides the foreign dignitaries, President Droupadi Murmu has also called upon Union ministers, chief ministers and state ministers, and other special guests to attend the dinner party. Lets take a look at the guest list for the G20 dinner.

Former PMs, Cabinet ministers and more

Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda are invited to the G20 dinner. However, Singh is unlikely to attend because of ill health, his office told Times of India (TOI).

Gowda has also excused himself from the dinner citing health issues.

I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success, tweets Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda https://t.co/pCl3dCxkY4 pic.twitter.com/Pj9NIqP9BI  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

The G20 dinner guest list also includes all Union Cabinet and state ministers, chief ministers, secretaries to the Indian government.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already confirmed that she will attend the dinner hosted by President Murmu. Earlier this week, she criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre for trying to distort the countrys history over the G20 dinner invite row. She had also questioned the need to suddenly use only Bharat in the official invite, which referred to Murmu as President of Bharat.

Besides Banerjee, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjabs Bhagwant Mann and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin will also mark their presence at the dinner, as per an NDTV report.

According to TOI, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah may skip the dinner party due to pre-scheduled events in their respective states.

As per a Reuters news agency report on 6 September, as many as 500 business leaders were invited to the G20 dinner, including industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Adani Groups Gautam Adani, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla and Bharti Airtel founder-chairman Sunil Mittal.

This dinner  will host various state heads and makes for an opportunity to gather Indias Whos Who during the leaders summit, an Indian official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

However, a Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact check on Friday termed the news agencys report as misleading and claimed that no business leaders have been invited to the dinner.

Media reports based on an article by @Reuters have claimed that prominent business leaders have been invited at #G20India Special Dinner being hosted at Bharat Mandapam on 9th Sep#PIBFactCheck This claim is Misleading No business leaders have been invited to the dinner pic.twitter.com/xmP7D8dWrL  PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 8, 2023

Who has been snubbed?

As per NDTV sources, leaders of political parties have not been invited.

One of the notable names who is not on the guest list is Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who holds the rank of Cabinet minister.

According to the TOI report, Opposition sources have objected to Kharges exclusion from the guest list as he represents the Opposition grouping in Rajya Sabha, and also because the G20 dinner is being hosted by the President, not the Centre.

Other presidents of Opposition parties, along with floor leaders in Parliament, have told TOI they have not been invited.

What to know about the G20 dinner

Special vehicles have been arranged to take the invited guests to Bharat Mandapam, the G20 Summit venue.

As per NDTV, the Delhi Police has chalked out plans to take all Cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and other guests from their residence to Parliament House. This has been done in view of the movement of foreign dignitaries and traffic restrictions in place in the National Capital.

The G20 dinner will be held at the multi-function hall of Bharat Mandapam. A short cultural programme will also be organised on Saturday, Muktesh Pardeshi, a special secretary (operations) of the G20, told the news channel.

Which G20 leaders are coming?

US Joe Biden will be reaching Delhi in the evening today. British prime minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida are among other leaders attending the two-day conclave. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinas Xi Jinping will be skipping the gathering.

Pedro Sanchez, the president of Spain  who was a special invitee  will be giving the G20 summit a miss as he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Leaders of Bangladesh, Egypt, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman are also among the special invitees.

As per Indian Express, the West Bengal chief minister is likely to meet Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the event.

Azali Assoumani, the Union of Comoros president and chairperson of the African Union (AU), Mauritius prime minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and Bangladeshs Hasina have already arrived in Delhi for the G20 Summit.

According to NDTV, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a working lunch for all G20 leaders on Saturday.

With inputs from agencies
India is geared up to host the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi over the weekend (9-10 September). Leaders of the G20 bloc, comprising 19 wealthiest countries and the European Union, have started arriving in the National Capital for the high-profile conclave. Leaders of many international organisations and nine guest countries have also been invited for the two-day summit in Delhis Pragati Maidan.

Murals, G20 banners bearing this years theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, sculptures and a spotless Capital awaits these foreign dignitaries. According to the Centres data, more than Rs 4,100 crore has been spent to beautify Delhi for the G20 Summit. Lets look at this in detail.

G20 costs India over Rs 4,100 crore

Earlier this week, Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi shared a list showing expenditure for city improvement for the G20. As per the minister, these expenses, which amount to approximately Rs 4,110 crore, were divided between the Delhi Police, MEA, PWD, Delhi civic bodies MCD and NDMC, DDA, and so on.

Money was allocated for everything from security to street signage, maintenance of lights to G20 branding, and clearing encroachment from public areas to painting flyovers and bridges.

According to Indian Express, central agencies such as the ITPO, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Military Engineer Services, and those under the Central government  the Delhi Police, NDMC and the DDA  were responsible for 98 per cent of the expenses for the G20 meeting.

As per the chart shared by Lekhi, ITPO, which falls under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, incurred the most expenditure at about Rs 3,600 crore. At Rs 340 crore, the Delhi Police spent the second highest, followed by NDMC at Rs 60 crore.

If AAP had really asked for 927 crores from Central Govt. then one is left wondering what would have been their contribution in G20 or towards nation-building? These are all lies.The AAP with their history of scams has never had the intent for the development of the national https://t.co/SfK84Hic6N pic.twitter.com/RjIDXlorgv  Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) September 4, 2023

Since most of the asset creation and maintenance was done in areas under the NDMC and Lutyens Zone, Central government departments have undertaken most of the expenses; security arrangements have seen substantial expenditure given the guest list, an official told Indian Express.

Expenditure undertaken by the ITPO is not solely for the Summit as it has to do with the creation of long-term assets such as the Bharat Mandapam, the official added.

Located in Pragati Maidan, the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, will host the G20 Summit. A 27-ft-tall 18-tonne Nataraja statue made of Ashtadhatu (eight metals) has been installed outside the complex.

A whopping Rs 22 crore was doled out to deck out the road between Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to Pragati Maidan to give an international look, as per Zee Business.

In February, the Central government allocated Rs 990 crore for the G20 presidency in the 2023-24 budget. This is the first time India is hosting the G20 Summit.

Meanwhile, the Delhi governments Public Works Department (PWD) has shelled out Rs 45 crore for the G20. PWD minister Atishi said earlier that several road stretches have been redesigned as per European standards. The PWD has put up 1.65 lakh plants, 31 statues, 90 fountains and decorative lights under its jurisdiction to spruce up Delhi.

The MCD, under the Delhi government, paid about Rs 5 crore for the G20 and Delhis Forest Department Rs 16 crore. While the Union Ministry of Road Surface Transport spent Rs 26 crore, the Delhi Development Authority coughed up Rs 18 crore for the summit.

As per a Newslaundry report in July, the Central government incurred Rs 50.6 crore in expenses on outdoor advertisements related to the G20 presidency from December 2022 to April 2023.

ALSO READ: G20 dinner: Who has been invited? Has Congress Kharge been left out?

Row over G20 expenses

The Centre and Delhis AAP government are at loggerheads over expenditure for the G20, with a credit war breaking out between the two over the development and beautification of the city.

Lekhis tweet on Monday (4 September) came in response to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)s Atishi claiming that the Central government did not release any funds to the Delhi government despite seeking Rs 927 crore.

We didnt make it an issue thinking it would reflect poorly on our country. The BJP and the L-G are saying they have done everything. This shows their arrogance, Atishi told PTI news agency.

Hitting back, the Union Minister shared the list and asked why the Delhi government asked for Rs 927 crore when the budget of the PWD alone is Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore. Couldnt they have spent Rs 927 crore for developing Delhi? the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture said, as per PTI.

In her post on X, Lekhi claimed that the Central government allocated Rs 700 crore for the construction, repair, maintenance and beautification of roads in Delhi.

In early February, the then PWD minister in the Delhi government Manish Sisodia had written a letter to the Centre, seeking a grant of Rs 927 crore to undertake special development projects for the G20 summit, the news agency reported at the time.

Earlier on Wednesday, AAP minister Atishi said that preparations are complete and the Capital is ready to welcome the G20 guests. Heads of state from various nations will be attending the G20 Summit. I am confident that the new look of Delhi will leave a lasting impression on our esteemed guests, she was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

With inputs from agencies
The G20 Summit is set to take place this weekend at the new Bharat Mandapam complex in Pragati Maidan, and as a result, New Delhi is currently under heavy security.

According to sources reported by news agency ANI, a list of Union Ministers charged with welcoming foreign leaders to the summit was released on Thursday.

More than 30 head of state representatives, including those from the European Union, invited guest nations, and 14 heads of international institutions, will be in attendance at the global event.

Also read: PM Modi-Biden bilateral ahead of G20 Summit: What will the two leaders discuss?

Ministers receiving world leaders

US president Joe Biden will be welcomed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh when he arrives on Friday at 6.55 pm (tentative time). The 80-year-old leader is anticipated to hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi at his residence.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will arrive in Delhi at 1:40 PM. Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey will be greeting him.

Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, will also be welcomed by Minister Choubey when he arrives in India at 2.15 pm.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina will be welcomed in New Delhi by Darshana Jardosh, the minister of state for railways, when she arrives at 12.30 pm today.

Chinas premier Li Qiang, who is attending the G20 Summit on behalf of the Chinese president, will also be welcomed by Minister VK Singh and is scheduled to arrive in the National Capital at 7.45 pm today.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology will welcome Australian PM Anthony Albanese when he arrives on Friday at 6:15 pm.

French president Emmanuel Macron is due to land in New Delhi on Saturday at 12:35 pm. Anupriya Patel, the minister of state for commerce and industry, will welcome him. The President is likely to meet PM Modi over lunch on Sunday after the conclusion of the G20 Summit, according to PTI.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz will arrive on Saturday at 8 am, and Minister of State for MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma will greet him.

When HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, arrives in the National Capital today at 8 pm, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai will welcome him.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, is scheduled to arrive at 7 pm. When he arrives, MoS Chandrasekhar will greet him.

President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol will be welcomed by MoS Chandrasekhar, at 5.10 pm, reported CNBC-TV18.

Union Minister L Murugan will welcome the Singaporean delegates.

Azali Assoumani, the president of the African Union, is expected to arrive at 10.25 am, while Egypt president Abdel Fattah will arrive at 5.45 pm. The Netherlands PM Mark Rutte will reach New Delhi at 8:15 pm, and Brazilian president Lula Da Silva will do so at 8:45 pm.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to arrive at 11.45 am. Naledi Pandor, minister of international relations and cooperation, will accompany him.

Saudi Arabian crown prince and PM Mohammad Bin Salman Al-Saud is due in India at 4:50 pm, while Joko Widodo, the president of Indonesia, is due in New Delhi at 9:15 pm.

Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive around 10:15 pm.

Spanish president Sanchez Perez Castejon has tested positive for COVID-19. Sanchez posted on X (formerly Twitter) that although he was fine, he would not be able to go to India. Additionally, he stated that acting First Vice President Nadia Calvino and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will represent Spain at the Leaders Summit.

Also read: What is the G20 and why is it important?

Leaders who have arrived in India

On 5 September, Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in New Delhi and was greeted by SP Singh Baghel, the minister of health.

Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth was welcomed by Shripad Y Naik, the union minister for ports, shipping, and waterways, upon his arrival in India on Thursday.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni arrived in Delhi today, according to ANI sources, and was welcomed by Shobha Karadlaje, the minister of state for agriculture.

More Heads of delegations set foot in New Delhi for the G20 Summit!@CasaRosada @alferdez received by MOS @SteelMinIndia & @MoRD_GoI @fskulaste. PM @GiorgiaMeloni of Italy received by MOS @AgriGoI @ShobhaBJP. Also welcoming First Vice-President and Minister for the Economy & pic.twitter.com/bZRU9tSo82  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 8, 2023

Argentinas president Alberto Fernandez arrived early on Friday morning in Delhi for the Summit. Faggan Singh Kulaste, the minister of state for rural development and steel, welcomed him.

On Thursday, Prahalad Singh Patel, Minister of Jal Shakti and Minister of Food Processing Industries, welcomed Charles Michel, President of the European Council, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, also arrived in the National Capital and was welcomed by MoS Anupriya Singh Patel.

The World Trade Organizations (WTO) Director General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, arrived in the National Capital on Thursday evening to take part in the G20 Summit.

For the G20 Summit, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has also arrived.

Other world leaders have arrived in the country for the G20 Summit in Delhi, including Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the OECD and Raquel Buenrostro Sanchez, Minister of Economy of Mexico.

Heads of delegations continue to arrive in New Delhi for the G20 Summit. Welcome to India, Secretary-General @OECD @MathiasCormann; Managing Director @IMFnews @KGeorgieva; Director General @WTO @NOIweala; and Minister of Economy, Raquel Buenrostro Sanchez of Mexico. pic.twitter.com/Wkl9Syidej  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 7, 2023

Also read: G20 Summit 2023: What are the curbs in Delhi? What remains open?

PM Modi provides guidance to ministers

Ahead of the crucial G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday gave instructions to his ministers regarding the conduct expected during the high-profile event.

When receiving dignitaries, he also advised his colleagues to be well-dressed in Indian attire to reflect the nations cultural diversity. Along with this, he also advised them to adopt a humble and simple attitude, according to News18.

To prevent the visiting dignitaries from being inconvenienced, he asked them to stay in the National Capital throughout the Summit and to complete any tasks that had been assigned to them.

In addition, ministers were advised to use a shuttle service rather than their official vehicles to get to the main location, the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex or the Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan in the heart of Delhi, as well as other meeting locations.

The G20 India mobile app should be downloaded and used to its fullest when communicating with foreign dignitaries, according to insiders at the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss PM Modis advice.

Every language spoken in India as well as those spoken by G20 countries can be instantly translated using the smartphone app.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi is all ready to host the crucial G20 Summit this weekend.

In a remarkable display of artistry and cultural significance, an enormous Nataraja statue is meticulously installed at Pragati Maidan.

The Lord Shiva Nataraja, also featured on the cover of Prime Minister Narendra Modis official handle on X (previously Twitter), reflects the central governments numerous initiatives for G20 leaders.

Describing the statue on Wednesday, the Indian leader said that it will stand as a testament to Indias age-old artistry and traditions.

Heres all we know about the statue.

Also read: G20 Summit: What Xi and Putins absence means for India

The Nataraja statue at G20

Taking to X, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi unveiled the statue and captioned it, The grand Bharat Mandapam, hosting the historic #G20Summit, showcases the awe-inspiring worlds tallest Nataraja statue, standing at an impressive 28 feet, symbolising the grandeur of this monumental event on Indian soil.

The grand Bharat Mandapam, hosting the historic #G20Summit, showcases the awe-inspiring worlds tallest Nataraja statue, standing at an impressive 28 feet, symbolising the grandeur of this monumental event on Indian soil. #G20India @g20org @G20_Bharat pic.twitter.com/ohgLX1yT9j  Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) September 5, 2023

The worlds tallest ashta-dhatu statue is truly one of its kind as it has been made using the traditional sculpting technique  the lost-wax casting method  of the Chola period, the chief sculptor Radhakrishna Sthapati told PTI on Tuesday.

The lost-wax casting method (madhuchisht vidhan) is used to make finely detailed single-piece sculptures, which means there are no welded parts in the Nataraja statue. The casting process follows canons and measurements as mentioned in Silpa Shastra, which have followed in the making of Nataraja since the Chola period, i.e. 9th century AD onwards.

The statue is made with eight metals namely; copper- 87 per cent, zinc- 10 per cent, lead- three per cent, tin- trace quantity, silver- trace quantity, gold- trace quantity, mercury- trace quantity, and iron as support.

The 27 feet of Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of dance, installed in front of Bharat Mandapam, at the time of the G20 Presidency, is the tallest bronze icon as of now. This Cosmic dance symbolises the Omnipresent Infinite permeating the sub atom too. This form of the Lord is a synthesis of Religion, Philosophy, Art, Craft and Science. The book Dance of Shiva by Ananda Coomaraswamy created ripples of thought in the world of atomic physics, sources told ANI.

The sources further mentioned that the statue was made in Tamil Nadu in a record time of seven months.

Also read: G20 Summit: How to travel in Delhi? Whats allowed and whats not?

Symbolic details

The Nataraja sculpture is an iconic representation of Lord Shiva, which holds immense artistic, religious and spiritual significance.

Lord Shivas dynamic dance posture in the statue is called tandava, which represents the omnipresent infinite that permeates the sub-atom as well. This representation of the Lord is a blend of philosophy, art, craft, and science.

According to Times Now, Natarajas figure features four hands that were thoughtfully designed with a purpose in mind. His cosmic stage is symbolised by the arch that surrounds the figure.

As it vibrates, the tiny drum in his uplifted right hand represents creation. It incorporates vibrational and particle theories, according to science. The mother of all languages, fourteen phonetic phrases, are claimed to have been produced by the sound of this tiny drum. As a matter of fact, there is the philosophy of Nada (sound) and Brahman (infinite God), i.e., the perpetual ultrasonic of Om, which serves as the soundtrack for cosmic activity. The dance of the lord is referred to as Nadanta Natanam.

Protection (Abhaya hasta) and well-being assurance are visible in the bottom right hand.

The fire in the raised left hand represents dissolution rather than destruction. It also pertains to the Hindu belief in the laws of Janma (reincarnation) and Karma (action) law. It symbolises the cycle of birth and death, to put it another way, according to the report.

With the fingers pointing to the lifted left foot on the right side, the lower left hand is stretched across the chest towards the right side and is called a Kari hasta in Sanskrit.

The weary spirits that have been freed from earthly bondage have finally found their way to this uplifted foot. It is, in other words, the ultimate haven (Moksha).

A demonic dwarf, who represents human depravity brought on by ignorance leading to ego, is seen being crushed by the right foot. As was already mentioned, the dancing lord is surrounded by an arch that represents all of creation, which is his theatre and in which he is dancing as each sub-atom, which is magnified as the five elements.

The five acts he does in his dance represent his five roles: creation (Shrishti), protection (Sthiti), illusion (Tirobhava), dissolution (Samhara), and liberation (Anugraha).

Another feature of Natarajas idol is a pair of linked invisible triangles that stand for Shiva and Shakti. This is the mixing of matter and energy, according to science. This is referred to as the Yantra (line diagram revered ritually).

Talking about the symbolism of the Nataraja sculpture, Sachchidanand Joshi, member secretary, of IGNCA told PTI they have tried to depict the traditional Indian thought process that everything that takes birth has to die and be reborn.

We relate Nataraja, a symbol of Lord Shiva, with cosmic energy and how it creates a balance in cosmic energy. Our shastras have explained this. Lord Shivas dance depicted in the Nataraja pose symbolises the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation and destruction, he said, adding that the Indian thought process has never been linear, but cyclic which has been depicted through the Nataraja sculpture.

Also read: G20 Summit: What is Sandes app that Delhi Police is using to avoid security breach?

Its journey from Tamil Nadu to Delhi

It took a special green corridor, support of administrative staff of several states en route, cheering crowds, and less than four days for the 27-foot tall Nataraja single-cast statue to leave Swamimalai in Tamil Nadus Thanjavur to reach the national capital, where it has been installed to welcome foreign delegates for the G20 Summit.

It took us nearly seven months to complete the statue. It would have taken only three months if we made each part separately and joined them through welding and other processes. But we wanted to follow the ancient Chola technique used by our forefathers, Radhakrishna, a qualified engineer in temple architecture, told the news agency.

According to India Today, due to the commitment of all artisans to the project, the firm producing the Nataraja statue did not accept any other orders during this time. The Nataraja statue was acquired on a Ministry of Culture directive in February.

The sculptor comes from a family of temple architects (called sthapati) who have been making statues using traditional techniques for the last 34 generations.

Radhakrishnas father, master sculptor Devasenapathy Sthapati, is known for making Chola bronze sculptures, including at Rajarajeshwari temple in Delhis Janakpuri.

It took more than 100 artists over the course of seven months, nearly 3.25 lakh man hours, to complete the different processes involved in the lost-wax casting method to create the hollow bronze statue which weighs around 18-20 tonnes.

The time of casting is like childbirth. We have to concentrate on the process like dealing with a pregnant woman. At the time of pouring the metal, the people of the state offer prayers to Lord Shiva. People came to Swamimalai to pray for the statue and wish for its safe journey to Delhi, Radhakrishna said.

Talking about transporting the statue from the small town of Swamimalai to Delhi, the Head of the Conservation Unit at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Achal Pandya said it took efforts of artists, civilians and administrative machinery of eight states.

A green corridor was created with two cars in the front and two in the back. Wherever we went, people met us with great respect, they helped us all along. We travelled through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi in three-and-a-half days. In every state, people of the NHAI, district magistrates and police commissioners supported our journey, Pandya said.

Also read: Rig Veda, Mona Lisa, and Magna Carta: The Culture Corridor on display at G20 summit

With inputs from agencies
India, the United States and Saudi Arabia are looking to announce a joint railway deal at the G20 this weekend.

The deal could connect West Asian countries to each other as well as India, according to several media reports.

But how will it work? And what do we know about it?

Lets take a closer look:

Axios quoted two sources with direct knowledge of the deal as saying it Gulf and Arab nations would be connected via a network of railways.

India, meanwhile, would be connecting through seaports in the Gulf.

Sources told Axios that Israel could even be part of the deal if relations with Saudi Arabia normalise.

The plans for a sweeping, multi-national ports and rail deal would come at a critical time.

To counter Chinas Belt and Road global infrastructure push, Biden is pitching Washington as an alternative partner for and investor in developing countries at the G20, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.

It also comes as the Biden administration seeks a broader diplomatic deal in the Middle East that would have Saudi Arabia recognize Israel. The negotiations over a multi-country infrastructure deal were first reported by Axios.

Beyond the diplomatic implications, officials said they hope such an infrastructure deal could reduce shipping times, cost, the use of diesel and make trade faster and cheaper.

A diplomat familiar with talks told Times of Israel the deal would involve ship transit between India and Saudi Arabia, trains through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, likely to Jordan, and ship transit to Turkey and onward from there by train.

Sources told Axios the deal originated in the I2U2 forum which comprises Israel, United States, UAE and India and that it was Tel Aviv that brought up the idea.

Israel raised the idea of connecting the region through railways during the I2U2 meetings over the last year.

The Biden regime then pushed for Saudi Arabias inclusion.

Indias expertise with regard to huge infrastructure projects was part of the idea, as per Axios.

The deal, if finalised, over the weekend, will see the leaders sign a memorandum of understanding.

As per The Print, the project could also involve Turkey.

Will the deal be announced?

The United States is playing coy over the deal.

As per The Print, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday night, who is with President Joe Biden on his G20 visit, did not confirm or deny whether the deal would be executed.

He, however, stated that we have invested effort into with our partners on this project.

We believe that connectivity from India, across the Middle East, to Europe is incredibly important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved. But where things land with respect to any potential announcements this weekend, as opposed to down the line, I cant say tonight, Sullivan added.

Sullivan, it is to be noted, held talks with representatives of India, UAE and Saudi Arabia earlier this year, as per The Times of India.

The discussions, held in Saudi Arabia, focussed on possible areas of cooperation including strategic infrastructure projects such as ports and railways.

Biden is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and may also have talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

As per Axios, the project, if announced increases chances that Biden will meet MBS.

However, the talks, which have also included the United Arab Emirates and Europe, may or may not yield a concrete result in time for an announcement on the sidelines of this weeks Group of 20 (G20) leaders meeting, the people said.

The conversations have been underway for months but are fluid, one of the people said.

As per Axios, the White House declined to comment on the matter.

However, in an earlier statement it said Biden would participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia will also participate in an investment forum.

The event will be attended by Indias trade minister Piyush Goyal and Saudi minister of investment Khalid al-Falih, according to the organizer, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry.

Saudi Arabia is also in talks with Italy about a potential Saudi investment in Romes new strategic fund, with the kingdom focusing on energy, sustainability, supply chains and sport to expand its presence in the country.

Russias Vladimir Putin and Chinas XI Jinping are among the few major world leaders who will be skipping the upcoming G20 meet in India.

However, it is being reported that the Russian president will be embarking on a visit to China for the Belt and Road Forum in October  his first trip abroad in a year and a half.

With inputs from agencies
While India is set to host a blockbuster edition of G20 Summit this weekend, a couple of sticking points have emerged in the way of a Delhi declaration  climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Saudi Arabia and China are opposing language about phasing down or phasing out fossil fuels.

Russia is at odds with the West about a strong condemnation of the war in Ukraine.

India, meanwhile, has sought to accommodate the views of Russia and China regarding the war in order to break the deadlock.

A failure to produce a joint statement  which is normal diplomatic practice at the end of such a meet  at the G20 summit in New Delhi would be a first in the G20s history.

India assumed the rotating presidency of the G20 from Indonesia in December 2022.

Lets take a closer look:

Russia-Ukraine war

Leaders including US President Joe Biden gather in New Delhi this weekend for a summit aimed at boosting food security, climate action and debt relief for poor nations.

But the deliberations of the worlds 20 biggest economies have been hindered by differences over Russias invasion of Ukraine that have hardened since last years Bali summit, delegates said.

Western nations are demanding a strong condemnation as a condition for agreeing to a Delhi declaration.

But Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov  standing in for his boss President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will block the final declaration if it does not adequately reflect its stand.

The United States has remained upbeat about the joint statement.

US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby was quoted as saying. We hope so. We certainly hope so. But, I mean, I think you know its difficult to get 20 clocks to chime at the same time, so were going to have to  were going to work on this. We know that the Indians also would like to see a joint communique if you will, so well see where it goes,

However, it has also flagged potential issues.

Often times the sticking point tends to be the war in Ukraine because countries like Russia and China are less likely to sign on to language that the rest of the international community is more uncomfortable signing on to, so well see where it goes. But wed like to see that, absolutely, Kirby added.

US NSA Jake Sullivan earlier this week said getting absolute consensus on Ukraine would be challenging because Russia has a seat at the table, as per Deccan Chronicle.

Sullivan also harshly criticised Moscow, saying, The reality is that Russias illegal war has had devastating social and economic consequences, and the poorest countries on the planet are bearing the brunt of that.

Sullivan also vowed that his boss would continue to back Ukraine.

And, he (Biden) will continue to emphasize that the US will support Ukraine for as long as it takes to redeem these principles, he added.

India plays peacemaker

India, playing peacemaker, has proposed that a G20 statement condemning the war in Ukraine also accommodate the views of Russia and China to avoid an impasse for the divided bloc.

India has suggested that the G20, while condemning the suffering caused by Russias invasion, also reflect Moscow and Beijings view that the forum is not the place for geopolitics.

G20 sherpas have been going back and forth over the document for four days before leaders begin deliberations on Saturday.

The G20 Sherpas made a last-ditch effort during a meeting in Nuh on Wednesday but failed to break the deadlock, as per Deccan Chronicle.

As long as everyone endorses the structure of the document, that is a consensus. We are trying for a situation that everyone including Russia, G7 and China are happy that their views are there, one of the Indian officials said.

The other option is a more general statement on the war in the joint declaration, another official said. Both declined to be named because of government rules.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar, speaking on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting, was quoted as saying by CNBC, that there were divergences.

Very frankly they were concerned with the Ukraine conflict. There were divergences.

But the US, UK, EU and other Western states have not acceded to Indias suggested changes  to make the statement palatable to Russia and China  to the language on the Ukraine war, as per Deccan Chronicle.

The Wire quoted a senior EU official as saying Indias language over Ukraine does not go far enough.

At the G20 Bali summit held in November 2022, leaders managed to produce a declaration at the eleventh hour after wrangling over Ukraine for days.

As per Deccan Chronicle, the declaration at the 17th G20 Summit noted other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.

Russia and China had initially opposed the declaration before changing their minds.

The countries have seemingly had a change of heart since India took over the G20 presidency.

According to the newspaper, they are now vociferously in opposition to the Bali Declarations language on the Ukraine war.

Climate change

As per NDTV, despite G20 sherpas having advanced on several issues, the climate change declaration remains a major stumbling block.

Tripling the capacity of global renewable energy, getting off fossil fuels especially coal and funding green energy in developing nations are the main climate issues that will be discussed.

While many countries want pledges to reduce the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases and greater reliance on renewable energy, China and Saudi Arabia remain opposed to such language.

According to India Today, New Delhi is siding with Moscow, Beijing and Riyadh when it comes to the Wests notion of a massive push towards renewable energy by 2030 in concert with massively tamping down on greenhouse gasses by 2035.

A meet of the G20 energy ministers in July did not even mention coal in their joint statement, as per NDTV.

Instead, it said nations should phase out and rationalize, over the medium term, inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption and commit to achieve this objective, while providing targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable, and in line with national circumstances, as per Indian Express.

What do experts say?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to use Indias leadership of the G20 to showcase its emergence as a major power with an ability to forge unity on big global issues.

Experts say if the Delhi meeting fails to produce a joint statement, that would potentially raise questions about the groups viability.

Senior trade economist Rahul Roy-Chowdhury seemed downbeat about the chances, telling News18, Theres no hope of any agreement between the differing sides on the Ukraine conflict in the G20.

He added that New Delhi is in a tough spot as it has not criticised Moscow.

A piece in India Today noted the stark divide on climate change between the two sides.

There seems to be a pulsating urgency from G7 nations to escalate to net-zero commitments swiftly, a perspective counteracted by developing nations keen on safeguarding their energy requisites and economic trajectories, the piece stated.

It noted how India has been discussing the first-mover advantage enjoyed by the West and has asked for the Global South the opportunity to develop while taking on climate change.

Globally, wealthy nations missed their pledge to provide, by 2020, $100 billion a year in climate finance to poorer nations, which has put a question mark on the intent of the historical polluters in helping vulnerable countries who have had little to do with global warming, the piece noted.

Tejal Kanitkar, associate professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru, told CNBC developing nations ought not to agree to any global target unless it comes with a clear commitment from Western nations to achieve these goals.

Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center think-tank, told BBC the lack of a joint declaration would certainly reflect badly on both India and the G20.

However, Kugelman noted Indias successful history of working with nations that have had issues  particularly Russia and the United States.

So Delhi could be that country which is able to work through their differences. It wants to leverage its reputation of a balancer, but its going to be very difficult, he told BBC.

It would certainly lead to a crisis of confidence in the Group, said Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance Programme at Londons Chatham House thinktank.

Butler predicted there would be plenty of handwringing and speculation over the India summit, but ultimately countries will stick to the G20 format because it was a crucial link between the G7 bloc of wealthiest nations and the developing world.

But Tanvi Madan, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, the lack of a joint declaration wont necessarily be seen as a failure.

Madan said Delhi as host can issue a chairs summary  showing agreement on 90 per cent of matters.

India remains confident

But Indias sherpa remains confident.

Indias G-20 sherpa Amitabh Kant on Friday was quoted as saying by India Today that the declaration is almost ready.

Kant was further quoted by Business Today as saying that the statement would reflect the sentiments of developing nations and the Global South.

No document in the world would have such a strong voice for the Global South and the developing countries, Kant added.

Kant, however, added that he could give no voice to the declaration until the final decision is made.

G20 is an economic forum discussing growth and development. In Bali last year, issues of conflict that impact development like food, fuel and fertilisers were discussed and this year it has been a discussion, too. But the leaders will have to take the final decision, Kant added.

G20 nations represent around 85 per cent of the worlds GDP, 75 per cent of the worlds trade and around two-thirds of the global population.

The grouping includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

Spain is invited as a permanent member.

It has been reported that the African Union may be joining the group imminently.

With inputs from agencies
Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit going to be held on 9-10 September.

#WATCH | Argentina President Alberto Fernandez arrives in Delhi for the G20 Summit. He was received by MoS for Steel and Rural Development, Faggan Singh Kulaste. pic.twitter.com/hWTmnMb9Ov  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Fernandez was received at the Delhi airport by the Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development Faggan Singh Kulaste.

Following the 15th BRICS summit, the five-member BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) invited Argentina along with five other countries to join the alliance.

Argentinas envoy to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi praised Indias role in the expansion of BRICS and said that his countrys inclusion in the group would not have been possible without Indias support.

Moreover, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India-Argentina relations are cordial and encompass political, economic, scientific and technological cooperation including Antarctic research and cultural cooperation.

India and Argentina have always supported each other on major international issues as well as Indias candidature to various UN and multilateral bodies. Argentina has always expressed its gratitude, in particular, for Indias support to Argentina on, the sovereignty issue of the Malvinas Islands and, recently on the issue of sovereign debt servicing and holdout creditors.

India is geared up to host the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

Our G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow travellers in the Global South, whose voice often goes unheard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last December.
Former Karnataka CM and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa on Friday confirmed that the saffron party has entered into an alliance with the JD(S) in Karnataka and have already agreed to give four seats to Deve Gowdas party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the reporters in Bengaluru on Friday, he said, I am happy that Deve Gowda ji met our Prime Minister and they have already finalised about 4 seats. I welcome them

#WATCH | Bengaluru | On alliance with JDS in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Former Karnataka CM and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa says I am happy that Deve Gowda ji met our Prime Minister and they have already finalised about 4 seats. I welcome them pic.twitter.com/phJGCCvtLj  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Karnataka has a total of 28 parliamentary constituencies.

BJP and JD(S) will have an understanding. Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) has agreed to give four Lok Sabha seats to the JD(S)), the four-time Chief Minister added.

This has given us great strength and this will help us in winning 25 or 26 Lok Sabha seats together, said the former Karnataka chief minister.

JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda had recently met BJP chief JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the meeting indicated that BJP and the JD(S) would walk into an alliance  only the details were pending.

JD(S) had forged an alliance with the Congress and formed the government with HD Kumaraswamy as the chief minister in 2018. A year later, the government was ousted after it lost the trust vote in 2019.

According to reports, JDS wanted to contest from Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru, Chickballapur and Bengaluru Rural. BJP agreed to let it contest on four seats  Kolar, Hassan, Mandya and Bengaluru rural.

The move comes days after Deve Gowda claimed that his party was neither with the I.N.D.I.A (Indian Nartional Developmental Inclusive Alliance) nor with the NDA and said that it would fight the Lok Sabha elections independently.

With inputs from agencies
The assembly by-election results for seven seats in six states were declared on Friday with the BJP winning three seats and the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc Congress, JMM and TMC bagged one seat each while SP is set to win the Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP retained the Bageshwar assembly seat in Uttarakhand and Dhanpur in Tripura and wrested Boxanagar assembly seat from CPI(M) in the northeastern state, where the INDIA alliance parties had joined hands, but lost the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The BJP hailed the victory in Tripura bypolls saying that it was the end of the road for the communists in the northeastern state, which was once known as a Left bastion.

BJPs in-charge for the northeastern region Sambit Patra said the results are a bodyblow to the ghamandiya (arrogant) alliance of opposition parties. The opposition alliance tasted victory in Jharkhand, where the JMM retained the Dumri assembly seat, and in the Ghosi assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh, where it backed the Samajwadi Party.

It is a win for positive politics and a defeat for negative communal politics It is Bharat starting towards INDIAs victory, SP chief Akhilesh Yatra said, declaring his partys victory even though the formal result was yet to be announced.

The bypolls were the first electoral test for the I.N.D.I.A alliance of 28 parties formed recently to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls next year. Of the seven seats where bypolls were held on September 5, three were earlier held by the BJP, and one each was with the Congress, SP, CPI(M) and JMM.

The opposition Congress-UDF in Kerala retained the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as its candidate Chandy Oommen, son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, trounced ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas.

While Oommen gathered 80,144 votes, Thomas could get only 42,425 votes. BJP candidate Lijin Lal finished a distant third with 6,558 votes.

The Congress and the Left, which are part of the INDIA alliance but are the main rivals in the southern state, contested against each other and poll observers said the sympathy generated by the demise of his hugely popular father played out to the advantage of Chandy Oommen.

Jharkhand Mukti Morachas Bebi Devi won in Dumri in Giridih district by defeating AJSUs Yashoda Devi by over 17,000 votes, according to a district administration official.

The JMM candidate who is also the INDIA block nominee got about 1,35,480 votes while NDA candidate Yashoda Devi got about 1,18,380 votes, the official said.

Bebi Devi is the wife of former Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto, whose death in April necessitated the by-election. She termed her victory as a true tribute to Mahto who had represented the seat since 2004.TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a college professor, won the Dhupguri seat by over 4,313 votes. He bagged 96,961 votes, while his nearest rival BJPs Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021, got 92,648 votes, officials said.

CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, who was backed by the Congress, was a distant third with 13,666, they added.I would like to congratulate all those who beat the BJP to win the bypolls.

The BJP has lost four bypolls out of the seven held on September 5. This is a big win for INDIA, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said.TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the people of Dhupguri embraced politics of development over hatred and bigotry.

BJPs Parwati Dass defeated Congress Basant Kumar by more than 2,400 votes in Bageshwar in Uttarakhand. Dass is the wife of BJP leader Chandan Ram Dass whose death in April this year had necessitated the bypoll. Her husband had been winning the seat consecutively since 2007.

This is the fifth time in a row that the BJP has bagged the seat. In Ghosi, Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh had a comfortable lead over BJP rival Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls on the Samajwadi Party ticket but returned to the BJP recently.

This time, Chauhan was supported by NDA partners Apna Dal (Sonelal), Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, a former SP ally.

On the other hand, some INDIA bloc constituents  Congress, CPI(M), CPI, RLD, AAP, CPI(ML)-Liberation and Suheldev Swabhiman Party  extended support to the SP.

In Tripura, BJPs Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, which has around 66 per cent minority voters, by 30,237 votes. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) got 3,909 votes.BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the Dhanpur seat, which has a significant tribal population, by 18,871 votes. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) got 11,146 votes.

Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI(M) boycotted the counting of votes.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated due to the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque. Union Minister Pratima Bhoumiks resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur led to the by-election.

We were sure about winning the by-elections because of the double-engine governments developmental works. I thank the people for reposing faith in PM Modi and CM Manik Saha. The CPI(M), which ruled the state for years, will be extinct in the near future, BJP state president Rajiv Bhattacharjee told reporters.
The results for bypolls to seven Assembly seats in six states will be declared today in what is being seen as a major test for the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the polls in five states later this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

The counting of votes began at 8 am at centres set up in the respective states.

The seven seats  Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura  went to polls on 5 September.

The by-election saw the I.N.D.I.A alliance putting up a united front in the Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh where the polling percentage was 50.77 and in Jharkhands Dumri where a total of 64.84 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters exercised their franchise.

Out of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP and one each by the Samajwadi Party (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri) and the Congress (Puthuppally).

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ghosi seat fell vacant after the resignation of SP MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.

For the Bageshwar Assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand, the counting will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, District Magistrate Anuradha Pal said on Thursday.

The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April this year. He had won the seat four times since 2007.

In Jharkhand, I.N.D.I.A bloc and NDA candidates are keeping their fingers crossed ahead of the counting to Dumri Assembly bypolls. The counting centre has been set up at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district, an election official said.

In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise, Giridih Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Naman Priesh Lakra told PTI.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and various wings of the Jharkhand police have been deployed to ensure free and fair counting, he said.

In Tripura, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken necessary steps to conduct the counting in a transparent way, a senior poll official said on Thursday.

Counting of votes to both the seats  Boxanagar and Dhanpur  will take place at Sonamura Girls HS School. There is tight security at the counting centre, Sepahijala District Magistrate Vishal Kumar told PTI.

BJPs Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain from there.

On Wednesday, the CPI(M) announced it would boycott the counting, alleging large-scale rigging in the two constituencies during voting.

In West Bengals Dhupguri, personnel of CAPFs and the state police are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri, an official said.

Around 76 per cent of 2.6 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the by-election.

CPI(M)s Ishwar Chandra Roy is contesting as the candidate of the Congress-Left alliance, while the ruling TMC has fielded Nirmal Chandra Roy, a teacher.

The BJP has nominated Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir a few years back.

The bypoll to the seat was necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.

Dhupguri, a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, has nearly 50 per cent Rajbanshi people and 15 per cent minority population.

Kerala is also anxiously waiting for the result of the Puthuppally bypoll that saw an intense battle between the UDF and the LDF to fill the seat left vacant by the demise of Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy.

The constituency in southern Kottayam district witnessed a war of words over the past few weeks as the September 5 by-election was a prestigious battle for both the ruling and opposition fronts in the state.

According to Election Commission sources, the counting of votes would begin by 8 am at the special counting station in the Baselius College. Postal and service ballots would be counted first, they said.

The total number of booths in Puthuppally was 182 and the counting of votes in the electronic voting machines would be conducted in 13 rounds.
Security forces lobbed tear gas and opened fired to disperse a crowd of about 500 people in Indias restive northeastern state of Manipur on Friday, killing one person and wounding 20 more, police officials said.

Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence since May, and security forces were trying to stop the crowd of people from the majority Meitei ethnic group from entering a village of the minority Kuki community, a police spokesperson said.

Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence since May, and security forces were trying to stop the crowd of people from the majority Meitei ethnic group from entering a village of the minority Kuki community, a police spokesperson said.

At least 180 people have been killed, and thousands more displaced, since the Meitei and Kuki communities started fighting over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first bilateral meeting a day before the start of the G20 leaders summit as he held talks with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hold a bilateral meeting, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/P59ttdu9mK  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Lauding the meeting between him and Jugnauth, PM Modi said, PM @KumarJugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated Indias commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South.

PM @KumarJugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated Indias commitment pic.twitter.com/L6BDSpIAIV  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Earlier today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Jugnauth where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the truly special partnership between India and Mauritius.

Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the two-day-long G20 Summit.

Hailing Indias presidency of G20, Jugnauth said that there couldnt have been a better theme for the summit than One Earth, One Family and One Future, which translates to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit, he told ANI.

So, it is important for a summit like this one all the countries to sit down and see how we can bounce back. I think there is a need for us to be resilient, there is a need to review our policies in view of the lessons that we can draw from those events, he added.
Residents near Hindon airport have been asked to avoid going to terraces during the G20 Summit. Also, police personnel have been deployed on rooftops of high-rise near the terminal during the movement of delegates, DCP (Trans Hindon) Shubham Patel said.

A thousand personnel from the civil and the traffic police have been deployed to look after the security of foreign delegates from Hindon airport to the border with Delhi, where the G20 Summit will be held, DCP Patel told PTI.

The entry as well as movement of heavy vehicles have been restricted to enter Delhi since Thursday evening. The restriction will remain into effect till end of the Summit.

However, light motor vehicles have been allowed to ply towards Delhi during the movement of the delegates from Ghaziabad to the national capital. All heavy vehicles will move towards Delhi via the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and National Highway 9, the senior police officer said.

In case of emergency, commuters may seek the help of traffic police personnel. Notices have been issued to locals not to flout orders, Patel added.

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 9-10 September the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhis Pragati Maidan.

The summit is likely to be attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held a bilateral meeting Friday on the sideline of the G20 Summit.

The Modi-Biden meeting held bilateral talks at the Indian leaders residence in the national capital 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.

#WATCH | G-20 in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/O83JkS3DOQ  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

PM Modi also met US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

From the Indian side, the delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA, PMO posted on X and shared pictures of both the leaders holding bilateral talks.

Prime Minister @narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBiden are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA.   pic.twitter.com/PWGBOZIwNT  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 8, 2023

PM Modis bilateral meeting with Biden was third ahead of the G20 leaders summit 2023 scheduled on 9 and 10 September.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with the world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

The Prime Minister earlier said these bilateral meetings would give an opportunity to review Indias bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development, PM Modi posted on X, adding, I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.

I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation, PM Modi said.

On 9 September, the Indian Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.

On 10 September, PM Modi will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said.

The G20 Summit 2023 holds special significance as it is being held under Indias presidency.

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 9-10 September at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Global leaders ranging from US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reached New Delhi on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit beginning Saturday. But divisions remain within the influential grouping over the Russia-Ukraine war and Chinas over-reaching ambitions in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea.

As he welcomed the world leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development.

On Friday evening, the Prime Minister held bilateral meetings with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before hosting a dinner for US President Biden.

With India looking at a bigger role for the developing world at the G20 table, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, We started our Presidency with a meeting of the voice of the Global South. We got the perspective of 125 leaders and then we remained focused on the perspective of the Global South and the requirements of the developing countries.

I can assure you that our presidency has been inclusive, decisive and action-oriented. Our New Delhi Leaders Declaration is almost ready. I would not like to delve into it because the declaration will be recommended to the leaders and the leaders will then accept it, and only after it has been accepted by the leaders, we will be able to talk about the actual achievements of this declaration, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said earlier in the day.

He said Prime Minister Modis vision of Indias G20 Presidency is an inclusive Presidency.

There has been a huge scale and reach of Indias Presidency. There have been 19 G20 countries and the EU 29 special invited countries, there have been three regional organisations, there have been 11 international organisations, who have participated in all the 220 meetings that took place in India, he said.

The G20 Sherpa said India assumed the G20 Presidency in the midst of a scenario of slowing growth and productivity worldwide.

There was a huge impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to vast segments of the global population going below the poverty line. Vast number of people lost their jobs There has been a reversal on the sustainable development goals. There was a challenge of climate crisis and climate action. At that point, India felt that we should start our Presidency with the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam i.e. the world is one family, he said.

On Saturday, President Droupadi Murmu will host a dinner for the G20 leaders. There is also a visit to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi and a programme for the spouses on the agenda.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold three bilateral meetings at his residence in New Delhi Friday evening. He will be holding one-on-one talks with US President Joe Biden, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina who are arriving in the national capital for the G20 Summit.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi said, The meetings will give an opportunity to review Indias bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

PM Modi is set to hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with the world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, ANI quoted sources as saying.

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 9-10 September the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

PM Modi bilateral meet scheduled during G20 Summit

On 9 September, in addition to the G20 Summit, the Indian Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy.

On 10 September, PM Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He will do a pull-aside meeting with Canada and bilateral meetings with Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria, the sources said.

What is G20?

The Group of Twenty, or G20, is a forum for international economic cooperation that plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture as well as governance on all major international economic issues.

The G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

G20 members

G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union. The member countries are:

1 - Argentina

2 - Australia

3 - Brazil

4 - Canada

5 - China

6 - France

7 - Germany

8 - India

9 - Indonesia

10- Italy

11- Japan

12- Republic of Korea

13- Mexico

14- Russia

15- Saudi Arabia

16- South Africa

17- Turkey

18- United Kingdom

19- United States

Who are invited to Delhi for G20 Summit 2023?

In addition to the member countries, each year, the G20 president invites guest countries to participate in the G20 meetings and the Summit.

For G20 Summit 2023, India has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as guest countries during its presidency.

G20 Summit 2023 theme

According to the official G20 website, the theme for this year is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  One Earth, One Family, One Future. It is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.

Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life  human, animal, plant, and microorganisms  and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe, it adds.

With inputs from agencies
On the eve of the G20 Leaders Summit 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi.

India, that is holding the G20 presidency this year, has invited Bangladesh and other non-member countries Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE, as guest countries to participate in the meetings and the Summit.

The bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina took place at the Indian leaders resident in the national capital.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi said, "Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last 9 years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more."

Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last 9 years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more. pic.twitter.com/IIuAK0GkoQ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Earlier in the day, PM Modi in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said he was looking forward to bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina.

PM Modi, late on Friday afternoon, held his first bilateral meeting, day before the start of the G20 Summit, with his Mauritian counterpart.

PM Modi is set to hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with the world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, ANI quoted sources as saying.

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 9-10 September the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

With inputs from agencies
In a shocking turn of events, Vikram Atval, the 40-year-old garbage collector accused of murdering a 24-year-old flight attendant in her Powai flat, was discovered dead by apparent suicide in the police lock-up on Friday morning.

This tragic incident unfolded within the confines of the Andheri police station, where Atval had been detained.

The distressing discovery came to light during routine rounds made by the jail guards. They stumbled upon Atvals lifeless body, hanging from the ceiling inside his locker. It was determined that he had employed his own pants to make a noose, according to police sources. The incident was reported at approximately 6:30 a.m., sending shockwaves throughout the police station and beyond.

Friday was Atvals final day in police custody, as an Andheri court had sentenced him to three days for medical examination and interrogation earlier in the week. During his initial day in custody, Atval was taken to the crime scene to reenact the sequence of events and locate the missing weapon he had used to inflict fatal harm on the victim.

He cooperated with the authorities, leading them to a spot behind a tree near the victims residence, where they discovered a lengthy straight knife. This crucial piece of evidence would be pivotal during court proceedings and in the preparation of the chargesheet.

In court, law enforcement had conveyed their intention to subject Atval to a medical examination to scrutinize the scratches and injuries on his body, a measure taken to conclusively rule out any possibility of sexual assault or rape.

Preliminary medical examinations of the victim, Rupal Ogrey, had not revealed any signs of sexual assault or rape. However, the comprehensive postmortem report from Rajawadi Hospital was still pending release.

The horrific incident took place on Sunday, September 3, when Atval gained unlawful entry into Rupals Powai flat under the guise of repairing a leak in her kitchen.

Seizing the opportunity, he reportedly attempted to force himself on her, brandishing a knife to instill fear.

Rupals resistance thwarted his intentions, resulting in injuries and bruises for both parties during the ensuing struggle. Desperate for escape, Rupal made a dash towards the main door in an attempt to seek help, only to have her life tragically cut short as Atval slashed her neck with the knife.

Subsequently, Atval dragged her lifeless body into the bathroom, meticulously cleaning up the crime scene before fleeing to his own residence. He was arrested within 14 hours of the crime being reported.

During questioning, Atval admitted to nursing a grudge against Rupal, stemming from an incident two days prior to the murder when she had reprimanded him for subpar job performance. Fuelled by this resentment and the knowledge that she lived alone, Atval confessed in court that he had intended to rape her, and had carried the knife as a tool of intimidation.

Following the postmortem examination, Rupals grieving family transported her body back to Chattisgarh for the final rites.
A traffic home guard, who was undergoing treatment in a private hospital after setting himself on fire a few days ago, died on Friday, police said.

Expressing grief over the death, Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy said this was a murder committed by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS government in the state.

Ravinder, who had gone to the Home Guard Commandants office at Goshamahal here on Tuesday, set himself on fire, and after being informed about the incident by some passersby, police shifted him to a state-run hospital.

He suffered over 50 per cent burns and was admitted in another hospital in the city.

The home guards wife said on Wednesday that her husband had called her over the phone on Tuesday informing her that two senior police officials-an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a constable working at the commandants office-had ill-treated him when he had gone to the office.

She also demanded for initiating action against the ASI and the constable.

Asked about reports that the home guard went to the office to enquire about alleged delay in his salary, police ruled out such a thing saying it was not related to salary.

Kishan Reddy, who is also Union Minister for Tourism, on Thursday paid a visit to Ravinder, who was receiving treatment at the time.

Later, speaking to reporters he said, the BRS government in Telangana failed to fulfil the promises made and assurances given to home guards with regard to improving their working conditions.

He appealed to home guards not to resort to such extreme steps.
Lauding Indias Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the World Bank has said that what the country has achieved in just six years would have otherwise taken about five decades.

Highlighted the key measures taken by the Modi government in shaping the Digital Public Infrastructure landscape, the World Bank document prepared ahead of the big G20 Summit in New Delhi stated that the country has developed some of the finest digital public goods infrastructure which could change lives the world over. UPI, Jan Dhan, Aadhar, ONDC, and CoWin are some of the examples.

Reacting to the report, PM Narendra Modi complimented the robust digital payment infrastructure and the spirit of the people. It is equally a testament to rapid progress and innovation, he said.

Indias leap in financial inclusion, powered by Digital Public Infrastructure! A G20 document prepared by the @WorldBank shared a very interest point on Indias growth. India has achieved financial inclusion targets in just 6 years which would otherwise have taken at least 47 long years. Compliments to our robust digital payment infrastructure and the spirit of our people. It is equally a testament to rapid progress and innovation, PM Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Indias leap in financial inclusion, powered by Digital Public Infrastructure! A G20 document prepared by the @WorldBank shared a very interest point on Indias growth. India has achieved financial inclusion targets in just 6 years which would otherwise have taken at least 47  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023



The document said that India has had a transformative impact, extending far beyond just financial inclusion.

World Bank said JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile) trinity, a combination of bank accounts for all, Aadhaar, and mobile connectivity has propelled the financial inclusion rate from 25 per cent in 2008 to over 80 per cent of adults in the past six years, a journey which according to it shortened by up to 47 years  thanks to DPIs.

While DPIs role in this leapfrogging is undoubted, other ecosystem variables and policies that build on the availability of DPIs were critical. These included interventions to create a more enabling legal and regulatory framework, national policies to expand account ownership, and leveraging Aadhaar for identity verification, the World Bank document noted.

Since its launch in 2014, the first year under Narendra Modis prime ministership, the number of PM Jan Dhan Yojana accounts tripled from 147.2 million in March 2015 to 462 million by June 2022; women own 56 per cent of these accounts, more than 260 million.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)  the national mission for financial inclusion and banking the unbanked  completed nine years of implementation. The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his maiden Independence Day address from Red Fort in 2014. Later he launched the programme on August 28, 2014.

PMJDY has brought the unbanked into the banking system, expanded the financial architecture of India and brought financial inclusion to almost every adult.

Further, the World Bank also noted how India leveraged technology to directly transfer benefits to the citizens, besides using UPI for retail payments.

The DPI in India has also enhanced efficiency for private organizations through reductions in the complexity, the cost and the time taken for business operations in India, it said.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is Indias mobile-based fast payment system, which facilitates customers to make round-the-clock payments instantly, using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) created by the customer. UPI payment system has become hugely popular for retail digital payments in India, and its adoption is increasing at a rapid pace.

A key emphasis of the Indian government has been on ensuring that the benefits of UPI are not limited to India only, but other countries, too, benefit from it. So far, Sri Lanka, France, UAE, and Singapore have partnered with India on emerging fintech and payment solutions.

With inputs from agencies.
The G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the pre-summit briefing said that Indias presidency will bring economic benefits to the country and its citizens.

We would have received a total of 100,000 visitors for our G 20 presidency from over 125 nationalities and for many of them this has been a discovery of a new India. G 20 presidency will bring economic benefits to our country and to our citizens, Shringla said during a press conference at the International Media Centre.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | G 20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, We would have received a total of 100,000 visitors for our G 20 presidency from over 125 nationalities and for many of them this has been a discovery of a new India. G 20

presidency will bring economic pic.twitter.com/AReS7xM3Sj  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

The press conference was attended by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The officials gave a briefing on what is in store for the two-day-long summit.

We assumed the presidency of the G20 on the 1st of December last year and we will conclude our presidency on the 30th of November this year. During the course of our presidency, we would have hosted over 220 G 20 meetings in 60 different cities across the length and breadth of our country. In keeping with the PMs vision of a pan-Indian G 20, we have hosted at least one G 20 meeting in every state and UT of India. To my mind, that is the finest example of cooperative federalism that we can seek, Shringla added.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | G 20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, We assumed the presidency of the G20 on the 1st of December last year and we will conclude our presidency on 30th of November this year. During the course of our presidency, we would have hosted over pic.twitter.com/VABlw0Dgst  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Whats special about G20 delegates dinner by President of Bharat?

Giving out details about the dinner to be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu tomorrow, the G20 coordinator said, At the time of the dinner that will be hosted tomorrow by our President, there will be a musical or song which will play in the background. This will represent musicians from all parts of our country.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | G 20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, At the time of the dinner that will be hosted tomorrow by our President, there will be a musical or song which will play in the background. This will represent musicians from all parts of our country. pic.twitter.com/Uddo8f4o4C  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

But it will also include musical traditions from every nature  whether it is Hindustani, Carnatic, Folk, Bhajans, every aspect of music will be covered by these 77 musicians who will also include young students, people who have some disabilities, people who are from different walks of life across our country, They will also be displaying very rare musical instruments, he added.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Delhi for the G20 summit scheduled to take place in the national capital on 9 and 10 September 2022.

Meloni was received by MoS for State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje.

PM Modi to hold over 15 bilateral meetings with World leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders. On 8th September, PM will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of Mauritius, Bangladesh and USA. On 9th September, in addition to the G20 meetings, PM will hold bilateral meetings with the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy and on 10th September, PM will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will do a pull-aside meeting with Canada and bilateral meetings with Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria.

G20 summit in New Delhi

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.
Rajasthans Jal Jeevan Mission scam has turned into a multi-crore fund embezzlement led by a fake tendering process and inexperience cert as the documents seized in the case peg the size of the scam at Rs 1,000 crore, but it can go to the tune of multiple hundred crores, a top officer in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told News 18.

Two companies with fake antecedents were awarded contracts for a Rs 900-crore project, of which they have claimed a bill for Rs 500 crore. Of the two owners, one has been picked up, while the other is absconding, News18 has learnt.

The ED which seized Rs 2.5 crore and a 1-kg gold bar from the homes of a retired and serving government officer last week, has also recovered multiple digital and paper evidence indicative of a rigged bidding process, News18 reported.

Speaking to News18, Mahesh Joshi, Rajasthans PHED minister, however, said the case was initiated by the states Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in August and the ED has taken over. He further said that everything will come to the fore as the investigation progresses.

Two companies  Ganapati Tubewell Company and Shri Shyam Tubewell Company  owned by two businessmen, who are related, bagged the contract by producing fake and fabricated experience certificates, another senior ED official told News 18.

The businessmen are alleged to be close to some ministers in the Rajasthan state cabinet, including Joshi and some senior bureaucrats, the officer told News18.

Joshi, however, said that he did not carry the burden of this investigation. I have not been summoned yet. But if they do, I have my documents ready and I will present my side to the investigators. I am not bothered by the allegations.

Rajasthans Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is the implementing authority for the project to lay drinking water pipelines across districts.

Despite several objections being raised and multiple complaints registered with the department against the companies, the state government continued with the companies, sources in the central agency said.
The Kolkata Police has arrested three people, including the owner of an orphanage, in Haridebpur on the outskirts of the city on charges of raping two minor girls living in a private orphanage over a period of nearly 10 years.

Police have sealed the orphanage after shifting the inmates of the orphanage to a nearby government child care facility.

Police sources said that one of the two victims had approached a non-governmental organization (NGO), which had some connection with the said private orphanage, and narrated how they were sexually abused by the orphanage owner and his two associates.

After this, the officials of the NGO contacted the West Bengal Child Rights Commission, which informed the police headquarters about the entire incident. Thereafter, the police suddenly raided the orphanage and arrested three people including its owner and two of his associates.

The matter has created a stir in the area. Locals said that the owner of the orphanage often boasted of his influential connections and did not have good relations with others living in the area.

(With inputs from agencies)
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders, according to sources.

Official sources said he will hold bilateral meetings with the US president and the Bangladeshi prime minister on Friday at his official residence. He will also hold a meeting with the leader of Mauritius.

In addition to the G20 meetings on 9 September, the Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy.

On 10 September, PM Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will do a pull-aside meeting with Canada and bilateral meetings with Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria, added the sources.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

With inputs from agencies
In Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit woman was reportedly subjected to a horrifying ordeal, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and forced to consume beef. The incident unfolded when the survivors friend, who was also complicit in the crime, lured her to a hotel by promising to repay a debt of Rs 30,000.

According reports, a police official disclosed, A young woman residing within the jurisdiction of Prem Nagar police area had extended a loan of Rs 30,000 to her acquaintance. On the 1st of September, the said acquaintance summoned her to a hotel under the pretext of settling the debt.

Within the confines of the hotel room, the Dalit womans friend, known as Shifat, along with two accomplices named Nadeem and Shoaib, forced her to consume beef and administered a sedative-laced cold beverage, as reported.

Once she became unconscious, the youths allegedly committed sexual assault, with Shifat recording the horrifying act. Subsequently, they attempted to blackmail the survivor by demanding a sum of Rs 50,000, threatening to release the incriminating video.

The incident came to light when Shifat, the survivors friend, sent the explicit video to her fiance, who promptly alerted the authorities. Notably, one of the accused, Shoaib, is identified as a B Pharma student, while Nazim works as a barber. It is believed that the trio had intentions of fleeing to Kashmir, where Nazims barbershop is situated.

Rahul Bhati, the Superintendent of Police in Bareilly, confirmed the registration of a case under pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code, including provisions of the SC/ST Act. Furthermore, all three accused have been apprehended by the police.
All eyes are on India as it hosts G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi for the first time. Ahead of the high-profile Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, We attach immense priority to futuristic sectors such as technological transformation and digital public infrastructure.

PM Modi said India, under its G20 presidency, will seek to accelerate progress of SDGs, Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future and strengthen Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century.

He further said that the G20 members will collectively work to further gender equality, women empowerment and ensure world peace.

During the G20 Summit, I will be chairing Sessions on One Earth, One Family and One Future, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community. These include furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth, the Prime Minister said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

During the G20 Summit, I will be chairing Sessions on One Earth, One Family and One Future, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community. These include furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth. We seek to accelerate progress of  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

'Confident that our guests will enjoy warmth of Indian hospitality'

The Indian Prime Minister said that he is confident that the delegates who will be attending the G20 Summit will "enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality".

"I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," he said.

I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation. I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality. Rashtrapati Ji will be hosting a dinner on 9th  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

President Droupadi Murmu will be hosting a dinner for G20 delegates on Saturday evening and on Sunday, the leaders will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

"At the closing ceremony, on the same day, G20 Leaders will share their collective vision for a sustainable and equitable One Future, together like One Family, for a healthier One Earth," PM Modi said.

'Look forward to productive discussions with world leaders'

PM Modi said that he is looking forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.

"India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 9-10 September, 2023, at New Delhis iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India," the Prime Minister said, adding, "It is my firm belief that the the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development."

India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhis iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days. It is my firm belief that  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 9-10 September the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modis astounding welcome at the White House to the upcoming Modi-Joe Biden meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, Indias new-age diplomacy seems to have come of age. The recent events are a recognition of three significant factors. First, the US acceptance of the multi-aligned world order safeguarding its liberal hegemony against the authoritarian rise of China; second, Indias rise as a voice and leader of the Global South; and, third, a crafted and well-calibrated ideological shift from a Eurocentric worldview accommodating a larger canvas for US grand strategy with the Indo-Pacific region at the centre.

The US acceptance of India as a leader of the Global South is the finest moment in Modis foreign policy achievements. Indias repositioning on the world scene is both a success and a hotly debated issue under PM Modi. Its democratic credentials are hugely contested both at home and outside but that didnt stop diaspora investors and CEOs expressing their admiration for Indias most business-friendly PM. But where does India stand in the shifting multi-aligned world and can it sustain the structural challenges including maintaining a fine balance between the US and US adversaries like Russia with whom it has historic relations?

Indias foreign policy in multi-align world order

Foreign policy fundamentally explains three factors: national interest, national security, and national sovereignty in decision-making. The broader understanding of Indias strategic thinking often understood as non-aligned has been shifting. India both seeks to maintain its position as an independent sovereign nation but also to strategically involve itself as a multi-aligned partner in the new world order.

Non-alignment was a principal position chosen by the Nehruvian consensus on foreign policy during the peak of the cold war. Then, India lacked any substantial power assertion in the world, and neutrality was a pragmatist approach not just utopian or idealist as often scholars critique the early phase of Indian foreign policy.

Four factors characterise todays multi-aligned world order. First, there is no single hegemon despite the US still dominating followed by an assertive China. Second, the rise of multiple forums like the G-20, BRICS, SCO, and Quad. Third, the age of globalisation and transnationalism brought many middle powers to emerge in the wake of the weakening US-led unipolar moment and rivalry with rising China particularly in South Asia and SouthEast Asia. The Indo-Pacific is now shifting the Eurocentric worldview to complete the circle of the shifting order and finally the fourth factor: convergence of geopolitics, geo-economics, and geo-strategic. The rise of G-20 is the first significant shift in the order making the world multi-aligned. Indias interests are now multi-aligned.

Indian foreign policy is strategically well-defined like in the matter of international loans to Sri Lankan, climate funds for vulnerable Pacific island countries like Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and voice for the African Union and Bangladesh and similar countries. But despite the rise of the Indian story on the world scene, the structural challenges are still powerful.

Challenges for Indian foreign policy

Conflicts are a constant feature of the world order. The US-China rivalry is a new cold war forcing countries to choose sides, where neutrality could be self-defeating. Perhaps history is rhyming in another form: a new cold war. The rise of Quad, Indo-pacific as a new global national security strategy for US-aligned countries against China, India-US recent bonhomie (tech transfer in the backdrop of Indias technological limitations in supporting its make-in India program and reducing its dependence on Russia for military support) and the unchallenged US coercive diplomacy and strategic power coming from financial institutions and US Dollar a weapon during sanctions as reflected in the case of Iran and now Russia.

Another is the globalisation vs de-globalization debate under the guise of conflicts from hot wars to supply chains and maritime navigations. The troubles of the impact of covid-19; the Russian-Ukraine conflict and its impact on the food supply chain and rising global crude prices. India-Russia relations have received much anger in Europe and the US and that would be a real challenge for India. Similarly, Chinas assertiveness has put Indian foreign policy on toss and is more complex than the India-Pakistan rivalry. China is a bigger power and a bigger threat from cyber warfare to debt diplomacy encircling India, supporting Pakistans proxies activity in Indian territory and safeguarding those non-state actors in the UN security council.

Indias position in the Quad is the rebalancing act, its close relations with Taiwan, Vietnam, and US partners like Australia and South Korea in the Indo-Pacific are strategic. But despite growing ties with the US, it requires a more meaningful, coherent, and cohesive long-term policy.

The global supply chain is a structural problem that India ought to address carefully. The emphasis is on massive investment in the semiconductor industry, expanding strategic oil storage facilities, and open and rule-based maritime navigation, whether in the Persian Gulf or Suez Canal. The recent close ties with Egypt are fundamentally securing Indias supply chain strategy which is hugely import dependent on crude and fertilisers. Suez is strategically placed between Asia and Europe and any unforeseen situation would hamper Indias strategic equation. Ultimately, these structural challenges for India will shape its foreign policy now and ever. Besides these identified factors among many, Pakistan still is a significant rival and an old guard in the backyard challenging Indias strategic worldview. Pakistan is a structural issue just not a historical rival and despite its self-chosen irrelevance, it does impact Indias position in the multi-aligned order. The last structural challenge would be domestic factors.

India must understand that democracy is a strategic currency it has over China and it does matter in converging geostrategic, geopolitics, and geoeconomics. India is now the worlds fifth largest economy and soon will be the third after the US and China but also it has become the most populous nation with a high unemployment rate.

Indian foreign policy is aligning with the shifting world order in securing its strategic aims for the Global South. In recent times, at every opportunity including the recent BRICS summit, India is asserting for a greater role in the new world order, demanding a more rightful place for India and the Global South aiming for re-globalisation, de-dollarisation and reforming security council permanent membership. There is no clash of civilizations but a clash of worldview between Global South and Global North and India is at the cusp of becoming the voice for an inclusive new order, but it requires to address structural limitations to lead the Global South.

The writer is an Associate Fellow at Berlin-headquartered transnational think-tank The Center for Middle East and Global Order and a former Assistant Prof. at Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace & Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and can be reached at mailpremmishra@gmail.com. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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The absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 heads of government summit in New Delhi brings clarity to the future shape of geopolitical power.

Three poles are visible, though in overlapping parabolic axes. The first axis is the United States-led coalition of democracies. The second is the China-Russia axis of autocracies. The third pole is the amorphous Global South led by India and other neutral powers.

The catch in this tripolar world is that several countries have divided loyalties. The newly expanded BRICS, for example, has traditional US allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a forum increasingly dominated by China. Beijing has begun to wean both Saudi Arabia and the UAE away from the US orbit.

With most members of the nine-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaning towards China and Russia, Beijing is building a platform through BRICS and SCO that can challenge the G7, NATO and other Western alliances.

India finds itself in a piquant situation. It has been railroaded into accepting BRICS expansion, diluting its relative primacy in the group. In the SCO, the entry of Pakistan makes the forum vexatious. With Russia increasingly dependent on China, India can no longer rely on Moscows support in the SCO to counter the toxic agenda of Islamabad and Beijing.

But India has several aces up its sleeve. It has over the past few years expanded key relationships with a broad spectrum of countries. The most interesting alliance is the I2U2 forum between India, Israel, the US and the UAE.

The grouping brings together the two most dynamic economies in the Middle East (Israel and the UAE) along with India and the US. Technology and security, including intelligence sharing, form the focus of this small, tightly-knit group unlike the increasingly amorphous multi-nation BRICS and SCO.

The ASEAN-India summit this week reflects the enhanced relationship India is crafting with the powerful East Asian trading bloc.

Less noticed but equally important is the evolving trilateral relationship between India, France and the UAE. The forum allows India to expand its influence through Paris to the European Union (EU) as an independent voice. With the UAEs commercial capital Dubai already dubbed Indias fifth metro due to an influential diasporic presence, the group could tick several boxes.

France has historically been the most active supporter of India amongst Western nations. It refused to join the US-led ban on providing nuclear fuel for Indian nuclear reactors after the 1974 Pokhran-I nuclear test. It did not join US President Bill Clintons harsh economic sanctions against India after the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear test.

There has long been underlying tension between France and Anglo-Saxon powers in the West (Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany and the US). France was a founding member of NATO after World War 2 but withdrew from its integrated military command in 1966. It returned to it only in 2009. France believes NATO is dominated by the US and Britain.

The latest manifestation of this is the Russia-Ukraine war. The US and Britain have been at the forefront of prosecuting the war, supplying Ukraine with lethal weaponry and military intelligence.

Deepening cleavage

The G20 heads of the government summit this weekend will reveal the deepening cleavage between the three polar axes. With Xi and Putin staying away, the Western bloc will hold sway. But any clause in the final joint communique on the Ukraine war that does not satisfy Moscows or Beijings concerns will be vetoed. What India as G20 president could be forced to do is issue an omnibus chair statement along with a diluted communique papering over Ukraine.

The Ukraine war has established clarity on who stands where. The capitals of Europe continue to seethe at Indias neutrality on the war. The harsh rhetoric of 2022 has been replaced by criticism outsourced to embedded Western media on how the India-led Global South (Africa, South America and the Middle East) has sat on the fence over Ukraine, indirectly encouraging Russias invasion.

But the West knows it needs India. With the China-Russia axis a growing threat to Western hegemony, Washington has been the most pragmatic advocate of closer ties with India.

Unlike Western Europe, which built its wealth on colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, the US is a transactional, not ideological, power. It recognises that India will soon be the worlds third largest economy and fourth largest military. India offers the free worlds largest consumer market, the largest internet audience and the largest pool of tech talent.

Washington is willing to overlook Indias relationship with Moscow as long as India becomes a fully committed partner of the Western alliance. The Quad is a device to tighten the embrace with India. The new I2U2 forum is another.

Indias strategy must obviously be to choose its friends and enemies wisely. The two powerful axes led by the US and China do not like the idea of a third axis called the Global South led by India providing an alternative worldview.

India uniquely has a foot in all three poles. It is a centripetal force for the Global South. It is part of the Quad and I2U2, both with a strong US presence. It is also a key member of BRICS and SCO, both dominated by China and Russia.

Indias global ascent has been led by technology. For example, France, the UAE and Singapore are among a growing number of countries where Indias UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is rapidly becoming operational.

Over 2,000 foreign firms now have global capability centres (GCCs) based in India, employing two million Indian engineers, scientists and researchers. Nearly 40 per cent of the worlds GCCs are located in India. They are set to generate $50 billion in annual exports in 2023-24.

Though the G20 summit this weekend may provide few breakthroughs on key issues like Ukraine, climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development, it will be an inflection point for India to create a geopolitical doctrine that is both independent and multilayered.

The writer is an editor, author and publisher. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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Democracy is all about the will of the people. It is a special, specific contract between people and the State, wherein the former elect who wields power over the institutions of the latter. But, thats just in theory, at least, when it comes to the United States of America.

Here is a democracy, ostensibly the oldest one in the world, where you can buy democracy; pocket not just politicians, but their politics too. And, this you can do across ideologies. Ideologies might divide the world, but in the US money bridged ideological chasms on the uninterrupted continuum of corruption and brinkmanship.

While, a former president may be have become the focal point of a political witch hunt along ideological faultlines, both Democrats and Republicans were bought by tainted and bankrupt former billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, owner of the collapsed FTX crypto exchange, to support or scuttle legislation that would enable or impede, respectively, the expansion of his shady business.

Ryan Salame, the former co-CEO of FTXs Bahamian subsidiary and Bankman-Frieds right hand mana pleaded guilty on Thursday to making tens of millions of dollars in unlawful campaign donations to boost causes supported by his boss. He was incharge to donating to the Republicans.

Sam Bankman-Fried stole money from the customers of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange to give out over $100 million in political campaign contributions before the 2022 US midterm elections.

He leveraged this influence, in turn, to lobby Congress and regulatory agencies to support legislation and regulation he believed would make it easier for FTX to continue to accept customer deposits and grow, Frieds indictment says. The indictment also accuses the 31-year-old of telling two FTX executives to evade contribution limits by donating to Democrats and Republicans. He also concealed the origin of the funds, it is alleged.

So, the latest case of Salame comes as no surprise. Salame has become the fourth former top employees of Bankman-Frieds companies to plead guilty to having committed financial bungling with both sides of the political field in the US.

Bankman-Fried was so confident of his political asset acquisitions that he used the phrase weed out for politicians anti-crypto Democratic and Republican lawmakerswhose defeats he would engineer with his donations. Doing his boss bidding, Salame handed out over $24 million to Republican candidates and causes in the 2022 election cycle.

As usual, the dark underbelly of American politics and the financial wrongdoings of Bankman-Fried were covered up by such tools as showing the funds as loans from Alameda Research, Bankman-Frieds hedge fund. He stole from FTX customers to stop Alameda from bleeding. These loans were never to be repaid.

I knew it was prohibited by campaign finance laws to make contributions in my name with money that was not my own, Salame has copped.

This, however, is not the first time that money has muddied political waters in the US. In 2018, over $5 million worth shares of Chinese tech behemoth Baidu, often accused of being allied with Chinas Communist Party, were donated to the Democrats.

But, as expected, how could just Democrats get Chinese money? Why not Republicans? According to reports, China pumped in hundreds of thousands of dollars into Donald Trumps re-election bid, just after he assumed office. Many of those carrying out these donations were directly linked to the Communist Chinas security establishment.

It has also been reported that US intelligence agencies have determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in favour of Donald Trump.

The author is News Editor, Firstpost. He tweets from @SiddharthaRai2. Views expressed are personal.
South India has long been the most Hindu and Vedic part of India in terms of its culture and way of life. By South India we mean the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

South India has the largest, oldest, most numerous and most attended Hindu temples, particularly in Tamil Nadu, not simply museum pieces but centres of an active and devoted community.

Vedic culture is most studied and practised in South India, including Yoga, Vedanta, Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology, Vastu, Classical Indian Music and Dance, with Sanskrit Stotras and Vedic chanting. The three main Vedantic lines and Acharyas followed throughout India, Advaita and Shankaracharya, Vishishtadvaita and Ramanumujacharya, Dvaita and Madhvacharya, originated in South India and are still centred there. The main Himalayan temples like the Char Dham are run by priestly families from South India.

South Indian popular culture has the most Hindu influence, easy to see in their movies with stories and references to Hindu deities, which are now getting acclaimed throughout India. More people in South India have Sanskrit names, including politicians like Karunanidhi or Jayalalitha, while Sanskrit loan words are common in the vocabularies of its languages including Tamil or Malayalam.

South Indian kingdoms, notably the Vijayanagar Empire, whose capital city was one of the largest and richest in the world, preserved Vedic culture from destruction by the Muslim Turks. South Indian dynasties through history, notably the Pallava, Kakatiya, Hoysala, and the famous Cholas upheld Hinduism/Sanatana Dharma and its monumental temple culture. The Cholas in particular spread it from to Southeast Asia as far as Indonesia. The temple art and sculpture of these South Indian dynasties is still the most appreciated of India today, notably the Chola Shiva Nataraj statues.

Many great gurus honoured worldwide for their teachings on Yoga and Vedanta came from South India, including Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, Swami Sivananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Dayananda of Arsha Vidya, BKS Iyengar, and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Sri Aurobindo though from Bengal set up his ashram in Pondicherry. To study Yoga, Vedanta and Ayurveda today students come mainly to South India.

Increasing political contradiction for Hindus in South India

Yet in spite of Vedic practices prevailing in South India there is a dangerous contradiction that threatens the Hindus in the region, a new attack on its great traditions that have so far endured for millennia.

South Indians at a political level rarely vote to defend their Hindu culture, whether in state or national elections. They seldom vote to protect their human and social rights as Hindus. South India has been dominated by regional political influences which lack a national vision, many of which are staunchly anti-Hindu, like the Communists of Kerala and the DMK in Tamil Nadu.

Today the Communist influence in India (which still has not renounced Stalin or Mao) is most prominent in South India. In addition, Conversion activities targeting Hindus are prominent in South India, both Christian and Islamic. Islamic terrorist groups like PFI are most active in the South.

Christian missionaries have tried to subvert South Indian Hindu culture by creating their own Christian Bhajans, Christian Bharatnatyam, even Christian Yoga. Some churches are made to look like Hindu temples and perform aaratis. Christian priests may wear saffron robes or rudrakasha malas. Missionaries have attempted to infiltrate and promote conversion at Hindu sacred sites extending to the most sacred Hindu site of Tirupati.

Aggression of anti-Hindu Stalinism

This anti-Hindu influence in South India has reached such a fevered pitch that a major DMK leader like Udhaynidhi Stalin, with the support of his father Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, can vocally preach for the elimination of Hinduism/Sanatana Dharma, condemning it like a dangerous disease, proclaiming it is necessary to eradicate Sanatana Dharma for the sake of human equality and social progress as if it had no merits at all. Sadly, such a brazen call to harm Hindus and disrupt their way of life is ignored or downplayed, while a call to do so against other religious communities in India would have resulted in national and international outrage.

This DMK, though calling itself a Dravidian party, has in fact tried to suppress and destroy Dravidian culture, which has been largely Hindu and Vedic since the dawn of its long history. Even the ancient Matsya Purana says that Manu as a flood figure came from Kerala.

DMK is in denial of the great Hindu kingdoms, dynasties and temple culture of South India, its extraordinary art, sophisticated philosophies, profound Vedic sciences and yogic spirituality. There is little traditionally Dravidian about the DMK, except perhaps their Sanskrit names which highlights their own Hindu family past they are trying to erase.

DMK Dravidian politics, we should note, is not Indian, Bharatiya or traditional but an extension of European nationalism, where the different linguistic zones of Europe like Germany or France, wanted separate countries, defined according to western politics of the right and the left. Though claiming to be atheists and rationalists, it is Hindu traditions that the DMK criticises and maligns, not the others. Their main enemies that they target are the Brahmins not colonial rulers and their prejudices which they seem to share.

DMKs inspiration Periyar on Indias Independence called for a day of mourning for Tamils for not getting their own separate state apart from India. He also supported a separate state for Pakistan and encouraged the partition of India. Clearly DMK began as an anti-India party, anti-Bharat, and so naturally anti-Sanatana Dharma, and retains that divisive mentality today. For them dictator Stalin remains a role model to be named after, not any of the leaders of the Indian Independence Movement or the great gurus of Tamil Nadu.

Challenging the danger ahead

Not bringing a Hindu spiritual and cultural Dravidian influence into politics has ceded the political field in South India and its powers to Leftists, Christians and Muslims that are more politically active, better organised and funded. It has resulted in a situation in which Hindus in South India are becoming misrepresented, marginalised and oppressed, with a declining political voice and decreasing social rights. Hindu temples remain under state control and expropriation. Public education portrays Hinduism in a negative light as regressive, while looking at anti-Hindu groups in a positive light as progressive, continuing the anti-Hindu colonial agenda in India.

This Hinduphobia is obvious in Communist-ruled Kerala like the Sabarimala temple issue. Overall, Kerala Hindus are marginalised and can be attacked if they give themselves a political voice. They may prefer to avoid public exposure at a political level to protect themselves and their families. In Kerala Communist political rallies, we see pictures of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, even Che Guevara, figures who promoted violent revolution and genocide. DMK anti-Brahminism resembles European anti-Semitic movements that resulted in oppression and genocide of the Jews.

Even the Congress party in Tamil Nadu has become under the rule of the DMK as a junior part of its alliance and accepts or defends their anti-Hindu propaganda. In Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy and his YSR Congress caters to Christian missionary influences extending to direct financial support.

Fortunately, to counter this danger, a new Hindu resistance is arising in South India, though still in its initial phase. Notably, we find young Hindu leaders like K Annamalai in Tamil Nadu and Tejasvi Surya in Karnataka taking up new Bharatiya activism. At the national level, PM Narendra Modi has honoured the traditional culture of South India with the Statue of Equality dedicated to Ramanujacharyas ideas on equality in Hyderabad, by honouring Adi Shankaras birthplace in Kerala, and by visiting Udupi and honouring the Madhva line as well.

In conclusion, Hindus in South India must recognise that their vote is crucial in this democratic political era, where political influence is necessary for any social respect. To not vote for those who support you is to condemn yourself to be ruled by those who are against you. In addition, Hindus need to challenge the anti-Hindu media in South India.

This call for a new political awareness is not a call for Hindus to oppress anyone, as it will likely be maligned, but for Hindus to have their right portrayal in history, their human, legal and religious rights, and freedom to live a Hindu way of life just like their ancestors did. It is very strange to find Hindus threatened in India with its Hindu majority and Hindu/Bharatiya past. But it is a real problem that must be addressed not only for Hindu human rights but for maintaining the cultural traditions of South India in all of its diversity and splendour, which is one of the greatest and oldest cultural heritages in the world.

The writer is the director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies and the author of more than 30 books on yoga and Vedic traditions. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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While Google and Microsoft are engaged in a competitive AI race through their Bard AI and Bing AI, along with a plethora of other AI tools, Apple, has remained relatively quiet on the AI front. However, recent reports suggest that Apple is making substantial investments in AI and is likely to unveil several AI tools in the future.

According to a report initially featured in The Information, Apple is dedicating substantial financial resources to AI, with millions of dollars being invested on a daily basis. The company is actively working on the development of various AI models across multiple teams.

One of these teams, known as Foundational Models, focuses on conversational AI and is led by Apples head of AI, John Giannandrea, who joined the company in 2018 to enhance Siris capabilities. This unit comprises around 16 members, including former Google engineers.

In addition to the conversational AI team, several other teams within Apple are also involved in AI-related projects. These projects include the development of an image generation model, multimodal AI, a chatbot intended to interact with AppleCare customers, and another chatbot designed to streamline complex tasks with Siri.

Furthermore, insiders have revealed that Apples Ajax GPT, its most advanced Large Language Model (LLM), has been trained on an impressive 200 billion parameters and is touted to be more powerful than OpenAIs LLM GPT-3.5, which served as the foundation for the popular chatbot ChatGPT.

Earlier this year, reports indicated that Apple was aggressively hiring talent in the Generative AI field, advertising positions like Multimodal Generative Modeling Research Engineer and Visual Generative Modeling Research Engineer on its US career page.

In March, there were also reports suggesting that Apple was experimenting with generative AI technology, although the company has not officially confirmed these developments.

Apples CEO, Tim Cook, during his visit to India this year to inaugurate the first Apple Store in the country, expressed enthusiasm for AI. He highlighted AIs significance in various Apple products, citing features like ECG and fall detection in the Apple Watch that leverage AI. Cook reaffirmed Apples commitment to remaining at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

In summary, Apple appears to be making substantial investments in AI, with several AI projects in the pipeline, as it seeks to stay competitive in the ever-evolving tech landscape.
Australias internet regulatory authority has announced measures aimed at compelling search engines such as Google and Bing to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse content generated by artificial intelligence. In a statement issued by e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on Friday, it was revealed that prominent industry leaders, at the governments behest, are developing a new code. This code will mandate search engines to implement safeguards to prevent the appearance of such objectionable material in search results.

Additionally, the code will stipulate that AI functionalities integrated into search engines must not generate synthetic replicas of said content, commonly referred to as deepfakes. Commissioner Inman Grant noted the rapid proliferation of generative AI, which has taken the world somewhat by surprise.

This regulatory code exemplifies how the legal and regulatory landscape surrounding internet platforms is undergoing transformation due to the proliferation of technologies that automatically produce convincingly realistic content. Commissioner Inman Grant disclosed that an earlier code proposed by Alphabet-owned Google and Microsoft-owned Bing did not address AI-generated content, necessitating a revision.

She emphasized, When the industrys major players announced their intent to incorporate generative AI into their search capabilities, it became evident that our initial code was no longer suitable. We requested the industry to reevaluate their approach.

A spokesperson for the Digital Industry Group Inc, an Australian advocacy organization comprising Google and Microsoft among its members, expressed satisfaction with the approval of the updated code. The spokesperson stated, We diligently worked to encompass recent advancements in generative AI, codifying industry best practices and enhancing community protections.

Earlier this year, the regulator implemented safety codes for various other internet services, including social media platforms, smartphone applications, and equipment providers. These codes are slated to come into effect in late 2023. The regulator continues to work on safety codes related to internet storage and private messaging services, which have encountered resistance from global privacy advocates.
Foxconn Technology Group is joining forces with STMicroelectronics NV in a collaborative effort to establish a semiconductor factory in India, as they seek government support to enhance their presence in the South Asian nation.

The companies, Taiwans Foxconn and Franco-Italian STMicro, are in the process of seeking state assistance for the construction of a 40-nanometer chip plant. People familiar with the matter, who preferred to remain anonymous since the plan has not been made public, have confirmed this development. Its worth noting that these 40-nanometer chips are employed in a wide range of applications, including automobiles, cameras, printers, and various other types of machinery.

This strategic move follows Foxconns previous endeavour to partner with billionaire Anil Agarwals Vedanta Resources Ltd., which ultimately did not materialize despite a year of effort and limited progress. By collaborating with STMicro, Foxconn, a contract manufacturing giant, is leveraging the expertise of a chip industry pioneer to expand its presence in the lucrative yet challenging semiconductor sector.

The setback experienced by Foxconn in its prior attempt with metals company Vedanta underscores the formidable challenges involved in establishing new semiconductor facilities. These facilities are massive in scale, requiring investments amounting to billions of dollars and demanding highly specialized knowledge to operate effectively.

Neither Foxconn nor Vedanta possessed significant prior experience in chip manufacturing, and their joint venture was hindered by delays in securing a partner with production-ready chip technology and obtaining approvals for government subsidies.

Foxconn is engaged in discussions with several other companies possessing chip-making capabilities, as revealed by one of the sources.

India, like several other nations, including the United States, is actively working to bolster its semiconductor production to reduce dependence on costly imports and minimize reliance on Taiwan and China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed $10 billion to attract chip manufacturers, with his administration agreeing to cover half of the expenses associated with establishing semiconductor facilities.

This initiative has prompted US memory chip company Micron Technology Inc. to announce a $2.75 billion investment in an assembly and testing facility in Gujarat.

Other companies involved in chip-related activities are also making their way into India. This includes Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and equipment manufacturer Applied Materials Inc., both of which intend to allocate $400 million each toward research and development, as well as engineering centers, in the thriving technology hub of Bengaluru in southern India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday welcomed US President Joe Biden at his official residence and held productive bilateral talks to further cement the relationship between Washington and New Delhi.

PM Modi described his meeting with the US President as one which would help to deepen economic ties and people-to-people linkages between India and USA.

Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good, the Prime Minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

A host of topics, including a deal for jet engines, procurement of predator drones, and collaboration on critical technologies like 5G and 6G networks, were discussed at the bilateral meet between the two leaders, officials said.

Earlier on Friday, before he set off for India, Biden posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Every time we (the G20) engage, we get better. I'm headed to the G20 - the premier forum for international economic cooperation... focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver, he said.

The United States is eager to prove at the upcoming G20 Summit that it is ready with funds for developing countries and emerging economies and also to support groups like BRICS, ASEAN to ensure that their concerns are heard and dealt with.

President Biden will be staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton in the national capital.

A motley group of global leaders have arrived in Delhi this evening, including the Australian and United Kingdom Prime Ministers. UK PM Rishi Sunak spoke to news agency ANI after arriving in the city and underlined his British governments determination to crack down on Khalistani terror threats in the UK.
German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann on Friday said that he is confident that the Indian side will come up with a common declaration that will be at least consented to by most of the G20 states.

Talking to ANI news agency, Ackermann said, This is the peak of a very successful and extremely impressive presidency. India has been like no other president beforeIt has elevated the G20 to the next level I think. 500 meetings all over IndiaMy respect and admiration go out to the Indian protocols, to the Indian Sherpa, team, Amitabh Kant and the Indian Govt. I think they did a brilliant job. They did this job in a very difficult time. This is maybe politically the most difficult G20 presidencyWe will see what happens during the weekend. We hope and are very confident that the Indian side will come up with a statement that will be at least consented to by most of the G 20 States

#WATCH | G 20 in India | German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann says, This is the peak of a very successful and extremely impressive presidency. India has been like no other president beforeIt has elevated the G 20 to the next level I think. 500 meetings all over IndiaMy pic.twitter.com/wjcwCJqjP3  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Ackermann said the negotiators have to be very skilful and hoped for a declaration that is win-win for everyone.

I hope for a declaration that is win-win for everyone. I hope there will be a declaration that reflects the reality in which we work right now. It is a difficult task but I am confident with it, said Ackermann.

On Russian President and Chinese President not attending the G 20 Summit, the German Ambassador said, President Putin didnt attend the last summit either. I think that was to be expected. We were a little surprised by the Chinese no-attendance by President Xi Jinping. But let me say very clearly, this is a G20 plus meeting. I think when you have the Chinese PM and not the Chinese President  it doesnt make a big difference. One should not let this summit be overshadowed by the non-attendance of one President. I think the PM is a very good representative of China and China will make its voice heard at the table

#WATCH | G 20 in India | On Russian President and Chinese President not attending the G 20 Summit, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann says, President Putin didnt attend the last Summit either. I think that was to be expected. We were a little surprised by the Chinese pic.twitter.com/EH5hzBZTP3  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

He said that Germany is in favour of including the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.

We wholeheartedly support this Indian endeavour to get the new member at the table in the form of the African Union. That will be the second big Union of countries, next to the European Union. We are completely in favour of it, said the German ambassador.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

With inputs from agencies
A terminally ill Belgian woman, suffering from an incurable disease, was reportedly aided in ending her life using a pillow, as the previously administered lethal drugs failed to achieve the intended outcome. This information was revealed by Belgian media sources.

According to reports from Sud Info and RTL, in March 2022, a 36-year-old woman residing in the Oupeye area of Liege decided to undergo euthanasia due to her deteriorating health caused by terminal cancer.

Euthanasia, a legal practice in Belgium, involved a doctor and two nurses visiting the womans home, where she lived with her husband and young daughter. To avoid witnessing the passing of their beloved family member, the womans relatives left the premises.

However, the process did not proceed as planned. The drug combination administered initially failed to bring about the desired outcome, leading the doctor to resort to using a pillow to gently end the womans life. A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed indications of suffocation, as reported by 7sur7.

Belgian politician and doctor Jacques Brotchi expressed his views on the matter, stating, What happened is not euthanasia. Such a definition of this terrible situation diminishes the significance of euthanasia, which is meant to provide a painless end to a persons suffering.

As of 2023, euthanasia is legal in several EU countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain. It is currently in the process of becoming regulated in Portugal.

In response to the incident, the partner and child of the deceased woman have filed a civil lawsuit against the medical professionals allegedly involved in the procedure that went awry, as reported by Sud Info. Renaud Molders-Pierre, the familys legal representative, clarified that they are not seeking severe penalties but emphasized the importance of adhering to established regulations to prevent medical settings from turning into crime scenes.

Serge Douin, speaking on behalf of the doctor at the center of the incident, explained via Sud Info that the nurses were deeply distressed and reached out to my client, the doctor, further noting that the doctor administered substances solely to alleviate the patients suffering.

The case remains subject to ongoing investigation.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the truly special partnership between India and Mauritius.

Sharing a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jaishankar stated, Delighted to call on PM @KumarJugnauth of Mauritius today morning. Value Mauritius participation in the @g20org. Reaffirmed our commitment to take our truly special partnership forward.

On September 7, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit set to be hosted under Indias Presidency on September 9-10.

Union Minister of State for Ports, and Shipping Shripad Naik received him at the airport. As he came out of the Delhi airport, he was welcomed with a traditional folk dance performance.

India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. This is the first time that a G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency.

On Thursday, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hailed Indias G20 Presidency and said that there couldnt have been a better them for the summit than One Earth, One Family and One Future, which translates to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Jugnauth said, I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change.

So, it is important for a summit like this one all the countries to sit down and see how we can bounce back. I think there is a need for us to be resilient, there is a need to review our policies in view of the lessons that we can draw from those events, he added.

He further said that amid the ongoing conflicts in Africa and Ukraine, and issues like climate change, the issues being put up by India under its presidency are very pertinent.I think there could not have been a better theme that has been chosen by India  One Earth, One Family and One Future  which is drawn from the Sanskrit phase of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. I think this is pertinent more so when we look at the effect of climate change because what one country does, not only affects that country but also the whole world. That is why, we have to reflect collectively and we have to act collectively, the Mauritius Prime Minister said.

He added, Each one of us has a duty to save the planet and save the whole population. I am happy to see that India has taken this very inclusive approach and to try to get everybody on board. There have been a number of meetings before the summit, and there have been a lot of proposals and ideas that have been edited. I am very confident that we are going to make progress.

India has close, longstanding relations with Mauritius, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons, according to the Ministry of External Affairs statement. A key reason for the special ties between the two nations is that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the islands population. India has traditionally been the first responder for Mauritius in times of crisis, including during the recent COVID-19 and Wakashio oil-spill crises.
In the wake of the collapse of the Wagner Group, a prominent private military company (PMC) in Russia, due to the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin last month, a new player has emerged on the scene.

This up-and-coming PMC, known as Redut, has set its sights on assuming a pivotal role as a crucial tool in the Kremlins hybrid and conventional warfare, according to a report from the Geopolitical Monitor released on August 30.

The report underscores the seismic implications of the untimely demise of Prigozhin and Utkin for the landscape of private military companies (PMCs) in Russia. With the chain of command within Wagner temporarily disrupted, PMC Redut has demonstrated a strong willingness to step into the void left by its predecessor and serve as a cornerstone of the Kremlins multifaceted military strategies.

Notably, Redut distinguishes itself as a mercenary group operating under the direct oversight of Russian Military Intelligence. This strategic alignment implies a preference by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a PMC that can be deemed completely loyal in executing the nations agenda.

Moreover, PMC Redut relies entirely on Russian state institutions for its weaponry and ammunition, affording military intelligence commanders a substantial degree of leverage when engaging with the group. Nevertheless, Redut retains a significant level of autonomy in terms of command and control, further solidifying its potential role in Russias military landscape.

The report highlights Reduts extensive history of aligning with Kremlin interests, not only in safeguarding Russian interests abroad but also in its origins. The PMC was established by former employees of Russias Ministry of Defense, Foreign Intelligence Service, and Special Forces, boasting substantial combat experience and prior involvement in warfare.

Redut has also garnered the attention of Russian oligarchs seeking to secure their corporate interests within Russia. Alongside the Wagner Group, the organization has amassed wealth in nearly every country it has ventured into.

The report posits that, in the absence of Prigozhin and Utkin, Redut is poised to assume the central role in managing security and military operations both abroad and in Ukraine.

Reduts inception was primarily to protect and fortify the business interests of Gennady Timchenko, a former KGB officer and a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. Timchenko is renowned for his extensive holdings in the gas industry, reaping the most significant benefits from Reduts security services.

While Prigozhin was alive, and his influence within Russia and with the Russian military was on the ascent due to his proximity to Putin, Russian elites reportedly bolstered Reduts capabilities with the intention of positioning it as a potential rival to the Wagner Group.

An additional dimension to the Redut-Wagner rivalry is the active recruitment of mercenaries from the Wagner Group by Redut, which has fueled competition and conflicts arising from their overlapping business interests.

In a notable contrast to Wagner, Redut has enlisted seasoned fighters, some of whom were assigned roles in the Kyiv offensive and tasked with assassinating Ukraines President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the onset of Russias invasion of Ukraine.
Bangladeshs Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas daughter Saima Wazed is accompanying her mother during her trip to India to attend the G20 summit on 9 and 10 September, officials of the neighbouring country said.

Wazeds appearance at a second high-profile international event after a trip with Bangladeshs President Mohammed Shahabuddin to Indonesia earlier this week to attend the ASEAN summit where her candidature for a WHO post was announced to a global audience, has also triggered speculation that she may in time be given a larger political role in the ruling Awami League.

Sheikh Hasina will be inaugurating a rail link with Tripura and the second unit of the Rampal power plant along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, virtually from Delhi at functions on the sideline of the G20 meet in the capital. She will also sign several agreements including a deal which will facilitate a Rupee-Taka card for citizens of both countries to pay in local currency instead of in dollars while travelling to the other country.

Saima Wazed will be in Delhi during the G20 talks, a top official of the Bangladesh foreign ministry confirmed. The question of a succession plan in Awami League has long been thought about. We believe that it will be done in a democratic manner, but democracy does not eliminate familial ties that a person may have with a political party, said Ambassador Sarvajit Chakravarti, who has served two stints in Dhaka and is currently associated with a think tank Ceners-K.

The G20 summit which will be held in New Delhi over the coming weekend will be attended by most top world leaders.

This is possibly the first time Hasinas daughter will be by her mothers side during an official visit to close neighbour and ally India, and analysts believe this is significant in many ways.

Wazed, an autism expert who is standing for election as regional director for South-East Asia Region (SEARO) at World Health Organization (WHO), will be looking at India, one of 11 countries in the region, to endorse her. Bangladeshs top diplomats are believed to have lobbied for her election among ASEAN countries.

India will have to choose between her and Nepals Shambhu Prasad Acharya for the WHO job. Given the importance that India attaches to its ties with both Bangladesh and Nepal, the choice is likely to be a tough one.

A visit by Sheikh Hasinas daughter to India at a global meeting is an interesting development. Besides her nomination for an international organisation, it bears watching if she will opt for a larger role in Bangladesh, said Shantanu Mukherjee IPS (Retd), former National Security Advisor to Mauritius and a Bangladesh expert.

Sheikh Hasina is yet to indicate any potential successor to the leadership of Awami League, though her son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, or Joy Wazed as he is popularly known, was at one time seen by many as a potential candidate.

Wazed who has been an advisor to the WHO director general on Mental Health and Autism as well as a member of WHO expert advisory panel on Mental Health, has till now shown no inclination to enter politics.

We have not seen Sheikh Hasina suggest any succession plan as yet though over the years we have noted that her son Sajeev being given responsibilities on IT etc by the Awami League. Now, Saima Wazed has also come into the picture. One can only presume that both are being groomed for a political role in the future, said Dr Sreeradha Datta, former director Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies and currently fellow with National University of Singapore.

Bangladesh is headed for a general election in the coming winter months where the ruling Awami League will be looking to win for an unprecedented fourth time.
The stage is set in New Delhi for the G20 Summit with many leaders starting to arrive in the national capital. This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

Where to watch the summit live?

Viewers can watch the G20 Summit live on the official YouTube channel of G20. Also, regular updates will be posted on the groupings social media handles.

You can also catch all the live updates here.

Apart from this, officials will hold regular media briefings on the bilateral meetings that take place during the two-day-long summit.

Where is the summit taking place?

The G20 Summit will be held at Pragati Maidans Bharat Mandapam. Extensive security has been deployed around the area.

Authorities have also planted nearly seven lakh flowering and foliage plants around Delhi to beautify the national capital.
In India for the crucial G20 meetings, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said that he hoped Indias presidency of the influential grouping would eventually lead to the kind of transformative change that the world so desperately needs.

He also underscored Indias repeated commitments that it would act on the behalf of the Global South and its determination to pursue the development agenda not only in the Asian region but also in collaboration with the developing nations of the world.

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to India for the warm welcome and my hope that Indias presidency at the G20 will help lead to the kind of transformative change our world so desperately needs in line with the repeated commitment that India will act on the behalf of Global South and its determination to pursue the development agenda, Guterres said on Friday.

The United Nations Secretary-General is in India to attend the crucial G20 Summit to be held on 9 and 10 September at the Bharat Mandapam pavilion in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi under Indias presidency.

Calling the global family a dysfunctional unit Guterres said deep reforms were needed urgently, including much awaited reforms of the United Nations Security Council.

He welcomed the theme of Indias G20 presidency and the countrys focus on One Earth, One Family, One Future but at the same time reiterated that the phrase was also an indictment of our times.

If we are indeed one global family  we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one, he said.

Guterres also referred to the G20 theme this year and hoped that India would wrap up a successful presidency.

One Family, One Earth, One Future  this phrase is inspired by the Maha Upanishad and finds profound resonance in today world not just as a timeless ideal but as an indictment of our times. If we are indeed one global family, we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one. Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up and trust is eroding which together raise the spectre of fragmentation and ultimately confrontation, the UN chief said.

But, there remains an iota of doubt over Indias ability to issue a joint statement at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, with leading nations such as the United States and United Kingdom pushing for a deep condemnation of Russias aggression, while Moscow has refused to back down and said it will oppose and block any joint statement that does not reflect Russias views.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that President Joe Biden will speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for apart from discussing other issues of global import in his engagements on the sidelines of G20 Summit.

Interacting with the media on board Air Force One, Sullivan said he would not issue any scorecards in relation to fundamental freedoms.

I cant characterise another leaders perspective, and Im not here to issue scorecards. What President Biden said when he was standing at the State visit earlier this year and what he will say in every significant leader engagement is what he believes and what the United States believes and what an American president stands for, he said.

Thats our responsibility. Thats what we do on behalf of our national values, who we are as a people, who we are as Americans. Thats what well keep doing, and Ill leave the scorekeeping to others, he added.

He was answering a query related to Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the United States in June this year and his assessment of fundamental values question in India following the joint media interaction of President Biden and PM Modi during the visit.

Sullivan said that the bilateral meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States.

And we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well, he said.

Sullivan said the G20 meeting will be an opportunity to engage on significant issues facing major economies.

As we head into the G20, were looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we think are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world, he said.

And that goes from climate, to energy security, to food security, to global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank reform initiative that President Biden has been working on. And so, we think this will be an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time, he added.

The US National Security Advisor said Chinese President Xi Jinping is not coming for the G20 Summit and whether they would play spoiler and so forth, Im not going to handicap what will happen at this summit in that regard.

But I would point out that if you look at the hosts of the G20 over the next few years: We have India this year, Brazil next year, South Africa the following year, and then the United States. And I think, along with those three countries  India, Brazil, and South Africa  the US has a deep stake in stewarding the G20 and making sure that it remains a central mechanism for global coordination on all the major challenges we face. And I think, over the course of the weekend, youll see opportunities for us to reflect that, Sullivan said.

Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements. And then, hell look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend before we head off to Vietnam, he added.

The US President will arrive in India on Friday evening and will later have a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. The G20 summit will be held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September.
A yoga session had an unexpected interruption in UK when the police were summoned by a concerned member of the public who reported a massacre after spotting multiple individuals lying on the ground.

The yoga enthusiasts had gathered at the Seascape cafe, situated within the North Sea observatory in Chapel St Leonards, Skegness, Lincolnshire, for their meditation session when law enforcement officers arrived on Wednesday evening.

Taking to Facebook, the cafe informed its followers that an individual had reported a massacre upon witnessing people on the floor within the establishment. Their post read: If anyone heard the flurry of police sirens in Chapel St Leonards at 9.30 pm last night, then please rest assured

They were en route to the observatory after someone reported a massacre in our premises, having observed several individuals lying on the floor which actually turned out to be the yoga class engaged in meditation.

We extend our gratitude to the Lincolnshire police for their swift response. We can only imagine what thoughts raced through their minds during their journey.

The cafe routinely hosts evening yoga sessions. Their Facebook update also clarified, We are not associated with any eccentric cults or peculiar clubs.

In the end, this situation had a positive outcome, and we are, of course, appreciative.

The North Sea observatory boasts large, triangular windows overlooking the sea. According to a Facebook post on the cafes page, the venue conducts New Moon yoga sessions on Wednesdays from 7.30 pm to 9 pm, inviting participants to immerse themselves in the lunar cycle. Images in the post depict yoga mats near the windows.

Lincolnshire police, in communication with the PA news agency, confirmed that the call, made at 8.56 pm, was prompted by well-intentioned concerns. A spokesperson stated to PA, A call was placed due to worries about the occupants of the North Sea observatory in Chapel St Leonards.

Officers responded, and we are pleased to report that everyone was safe and sound.
North Korea said Friday it has launched a purported nuclear attack submarine it has been developing for years, a step leader Kim Jong Un described as crucial in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.

The Norths official Korean Central News Agency said the vessel  named Hero Kim Kun Ok  is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire.

In his speeches at the vessels launching ceremony on Wednesday and an onboard inspection on Thursday, Kim expressed satisfaction that the country has acquired its own nuclear attack submarine to counter the advanced naval assets of the US, KCNA said. In July, the US docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

Kim said the country is also pursuing a nuclear-propelled submarine and plans to remodel its existing submarines and surface vessels so that they could handle nuclear weapons, describing the building of a nuclear-capable army as an urgent task.

Based on Kims comments and photos by North Korean state media, its likely the new submarine was the same one Kim inspected in 2019 while it was under construction, which experts then assessed as an effort to convert an existing Romeo-class submarine. The submarine appears to have at least 10 launch tubes  four of them larger than the other six  that are possibly designed for ballistic and cruise missile launches.

North Korea previously had been testing a variety of missiles designed to be fired from submarines as it pursued an ability to conduct nuclear strikes from underwater, which in theory would bolster its deterrent by ensuring a survivable capability to retaliate after absorbing a nuclear attack on land.

Ballistic missile submarines would also add a maritime threat to the Norths growing collection of solid-fuel weapons fired from land vehicles that are designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea and Japan. The two key US allies station tens of thousands of US troops in the region.

It would take considerable time, resources and technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned nation to build a fleet of at least several submarines that could travel quietly in seas and reliably execute attacks, analysts say.

The nuclear attack submarine, for decades a symbol of aggression against our republic, has now become a symbol of our revolutionary power to strike fear into the hearts of our despicable enemies, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

He insisted that the submarine would be just as daunting to his enemies as the nuclear-propelled submarine North Korea plans to acquire in the future.

In submarines, technical aspects such as the power system, submergence speed, and the level of navigational equipment are all very important and would generally define (the vessels) operational capabilities, but nothing is more important than the type of weaponry that could be installed, he said.

North Korea previously had only one known submarine capable of firing a missile, but that vessel has a single launch tube and analysts had considered it a test platform, rather than an active operational weapons system.

North Korea has an estimated about 70-90 diesel-powered submarines in one of the worlds largest submarine fleets. But they are mostly aging ones capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles.

The report about the new submarine came amid speculation that Kim is preparing to visit Russia soon for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that could focus on North Korean arms sales to refill Russian reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.

In exchange for providing Russia with artillery shells and other ammunition, North Korea could seek badly needed economic aid and also advanced weapons technologies, including those related to submarine-launched ballistic missile systems, intercontinental ballistic missiles and military spy satellites, analysts say.

KCNA said the launching of the new submarine was timed for the 75th anniversary of the countrys founding, which falls on Saturday and was to be marked by festivities, including a paramilitary parade.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in New Delhi on Friday for the G20 Summit. Ahead of his maiden visit to India after assuming office last year, UK Prime Ministers Office (PMO) released a poster showing their PM with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and had Global Food Security written on it, highlighting Londons focus at the Delhi summit.

Re-posting the poster shared by his office on X (previously Twitter), Sunak said: Im heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that  Putin has again failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine.

What will Sunak discuss with PM Modi at G20 Summit?

The Russia-Ukraine war has been flagged as a key topic on the agenda for the UK during the G20 Summit discussions, with Downing Street saying Indias role and influence is vital.

"Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality. The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction," the 43-year-old British Indian leader told reporters in a huddle on his flight to New Delhi.

His Downing Street spokesperson said the UK will use every opportunity to show its support for Ukraine and further foster global support as well.

India has a vital role to play as the world's largest democracy in calling out Russia's assault on human rights and indeed democracy itself. We will use meetings with Modi or elsewhere to encourage them to use that influence to bring an end to Putin's brutal invasion," Sunaks spokesperson said.

During PM Modi-Sunak bilateral discussions, the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are highly likely to feature. Around 12 rounds of negotiations have been completed, but with no set timeframe for its conclusion.

Separately, Downing Street has indicated that there will be no changes to the UK immigration policy as part of the deal, though short-term business visas are up for discussion as part of the trade talks.Official UK government statistics peg the India-UK bilateral trade relationship as worth around GBP 36 billion in 2022, expected to be significantly enhanced with what both sides have branded as a deep and forward-looking FTA.

PM Modi and Sunak last met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. A month later, during UK-India Week in London, Sunak had said he cant wait to meet his Indian counterpart again.

Prime Minister Modiji and I agree theres huge potential here. Were making great progress together on the 2030 Roadmap and we want to strike a truly ambitious trade deal that benefits both our nations, bringing tremendous opportunities to businesses and consumers, both in India and here at home, Sunak said at the time.

With inputs from PTI
Russia is holding sham elections in the occupied region of Ukraine, US State Secretary Antony Blinken said adding that this action shows Moscows blatant disregard for UN Charter principles.

In a statement released by the State Department, Blinken said, The Russian Federation is in the process of conducting sham elections in occupied areas of Ukraine. These so-called elections are taking place nearly one year after the Kremlin staged sham referenda and purported to annex Ukraines Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts, and over nine years after Russia purported to annex Ukraines Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.

The Kremlin hopes these pre-determined, fabricated results will strengthen Russias illegitimate claims to the parts of Ukraine it occupies, but this is nothing more than a propaganda exercise, he added.

He further stated that such action by Russia shows its blatant disregard for UN Charter principles like respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity, which underpin global security and stability, as per the statement.

The United States will never recognize the Russian Federations claims to any of Ukraines sovereign territory, and we remind any individuals who may support Russias sham elections in Ukraine, including by acting as so-called international observers, that they may be subject to sanctions and visa restrictions, Blinken said.

On August 31, Russia started holding regional elections in occupied areas of Ukraine, CNN reported citing Kyiv officials.

Ukraine has condemned the move and has urged citizens in occupied areas not to vote in upcoming elections planned by Russian-appointed officials, adding they should leave the region if possible.

Russians have started holding elections to pseudo-local councils and legislative bodies in the temporarily occupied territories, CNN quoted Ukraines National Resistance Center (NRC), an official agency, as saying.

The Occupation authorities were planning early voting in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions through September 8 at peoples homes, the NRC added.

The voting will begin in Kherson and Luhansk on September 2.

We urge Ukrainians not to open their doors to the occupiers and, if possible, to leave the region or their homes for the period of early voting, NRC stated.

Voting will then take place at polling stations between September 8 and 10.The Russians need this long scheme to hide the turnout and the lack of interest of the locals in the expression of will,' the Ukrainian agency further added.
Spains President Pedro Sanchez will skip the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, becoming the third world leader after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to have pulled out of the summit.

This afternoon I have tested positive for COVID and will not be able to travel to New Delhi for the G20 Summit. I feel fine, wrote Sanchez in a post in Spanish on X (formerly Twitter).

He added that Spain will be represented at the summit by the First Vice President Nadia Calvino and Minister of Economic Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the G20 Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates.

Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face.

Formed in 1999, the G20 was formed to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.
The United Kingdom is facing a significant tragedy, with a staggering 1700 cases of deaths linked to maternity care.

Nottinghamshire Police have announced their intention to launch a thorough investigation into troubling still born cases at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

This investigation comes on the heels of an independent review initiated last year by midwifery expert Donna Ockenden.

The review aimed to delve into the experiences of 1,700 families who suffered the loss of their children.

As the review marked its first anniversary on September 1, the parents of the victims, who were involved in what could be the biggest maternity scandal in NHS history, have called upon the police to identify those responsible.

Chief Constable Kate Meynell confirmed the polices readiness to begin an inquiry.

She stated, I recently met with Donna Ockenden to discuss her independent review of concerning maternity cases at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).

Our goal is to support the ongoing review while ensuring it progresses smoothly. However, I can confirm that we are making preparations to initiate a police investigation.

She further announced the appointment of Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin to oversee the preparations and subsequent investigation.

The police are examining the approach taken by West Mercia Police in their investigation in Shrewsbury and Telford alongside Donna Ockendens review to draw valuable lessons.

Following their meeting with Donna Ockenden, the police plan to engage in preliminary discussions with local families in the near future.

Anthony May, Chief Executive of NUH, has pledged full cooperation with the police investigation.

In recent developments, the Nottingham Families Maternity Group expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far but voiced concerns about the lack of sanctions against senior leaders and staff who may have endorsed unsafe care practices.

Gary and Sarah Andrews, who tragically lost their first child, Wynter, in 2019 due to medical negligence, emphasized the importance of a thorough police investigation.

An inquest into Wynters death revealed that earlier intervention could have prevented the tragedy. In January, the trust was fined 800,000 for what a judge characterized as systematic failures in the care of both mother and child.

The couple wrote in their plea, We urge the police to thoroughly examine individual cases and treat them with the seriousness they deserve, considering the possibility of criminal proceedings. Our profound loss has shattered our lives; we are not the same people. We cannot work, and every day is a struggle. Our mission from the beginning has been to prevent other families from enduring the pain we have suffered.

Losing our daughter has left an indelible mark on our lives. We dont want to see other families going through the same anguish. We dont want other families reaching out to us, saying, Weve heard your story, and the same has happened to us.'
US President Joe Biden on Thursday left for India to participate in the historic G20 Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 9 to 10 September.

The summit will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to the White House, Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wifes positive test, but his results were negative.

Less than an hour before his departure for India, the White House said, The President tested negative for Covid.

The First Lady was quarantined at her Delaware house after testing positive and is not travelling with the president to India and Vietnam. On Thursday, her office said, The First Lady tested negative for Covid today.

Travelling with the US president onboard the Air Force One include US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Staff Jen OMalley Dillon, and Director of Oval Office operations Annie Tomasini.

Also accompanying the president are Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Director of Speechwriting Vinay Reddy, Director of Communications Ben LaBolt, Director of Scheduling and Advance Ryan Montoya, Acting Chief of Protocol Ethan Rosenzweig, NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby, Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein, Deputy Director of Communications Herbie Ziskend, Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council Eileen Laubacher, among others.

According to the White House, Biden would arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening, with a refuelling stop at Ramstein, Germany.

The US president is looking forward to a successful G-20 Summit and advancing several of the causes dear to his heart like climate change, and reforms of international forums like the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds.

On his maiden trip to India as the president of the United States, Biden would welcome the African Union as a G20 member, an Indian move that has been supported and cheered by world leaders.

He is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on Friday itself.

During the meeting, the two leaders are likely to review the progress made on the decisions that they took during Prime Minister Modis official state visit to Washington in June.

Prominent issues that could feature during the meeting could be Ukraine, critical and emerging technology and some of the deals that were announced like that of the drones with General Atomics and jet engines with General Electric.

The next day President Biden will participate in an official arrival and handshake with Modi. Thereafter he would participate in a series of G20 Leaders Summit meetings including Session 1: One Earth; and Session 2: One Family.

He will also participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event and then end the day with a dinner and cultural programme with G20 leaders.

Before leaving for Hanoi in Vietnam, the President will visit the Raj Ghat Memorial with G20 leaders, the White House said.

On Wednesday, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby told reporters that Bidens focus will be on delivering economic opportunity for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people such as climate and technology, and showing the US commitment to the G20 itself as a viable, if not vital, forum to tackle these issues.

Of course, were grateful for Prime Minister Modis leadership during Indias presidency of the G20, and the President is certainly looking forward to his bilateral meeting with the prime minister shortly after his arrival in New Delhi.

He is also looking forward to warmly welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20. We believe that the African Unions voice will make the G20 even stronger than it already is, Kirby added.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

He hoped that the G20 countries would be able to issue a joint statement. We know that the Indians also would like to see a joint communique if you will, so well see where it goes.

Oftentimes the sticking point tends to be the war in Ukraine because countries like Russia and China are less likely to sign on to language that the rest of the international community is more uncomfortable signing on to, so well see where it goes, Kirby said.

Apart from President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among the G20 leaders who have already confirmed their participation in the summit.

Prime Minister Modi will hand over the baton of the G20 Presidency to Brazilian President Lula on September 10. Brazil will formally assume the G20 Presidency on December 1.

The G20 grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

With inputs from agencies
Google has announced that its Privacy Sandbox for the Web is now available to the majority of Chrome users. This initiative aims to enhance online privacy while ensuring access to information remains intact.

Introduced in 2019, Privacy Sandbox has evolved through collaboration with various stakeholders, including publishers, developers, and consumers. The objective is to find privacy-preserving alternatives to third-party cookies, combating invasive tactics like fingerprinting.

User-Centric Ad Privacy Controls

Google has introduced new Ad privacy controls in Chrome, empowering users to personalize their ad experiences. Users can customize their ad preferences, enable specific relevance and measurement APIs, and more by visiting Settings > Privacy and security > Ad privacy controls in Chrome.

Google acknowledges the industry-wide collaboration that made this milestone possible. They emphasize the ongoing work to improve privacy for web ads.

Preparing for Cookie Deprecation

Privacy Sandbox technologies are now stable for scaled use. Companies can integrate these technologies into their solutions and assess readiness for the planned deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome by the second half of 2024.

Testing and Simulation

Starting in Q4 of 2023, Google will enable the industry to simulate the effects of third-party cookie deprecation. In Q1 of 2024, they will turn off third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users to evaluate the Privacy Sandbox APIs effectiveness.

Google looks forward to partnering with the industry during the transition away from third-party cookies, supporting the adoption of Privacy Sandbox APIs, and evaluating their effectiveness through scaled testing.

Availability

Google has announced that they will gradually expand the general availability of their product to all users over the coming months. However, they will initially leave approximately 3% of users unaffected by the change in order to conduct adequate A/B testing.

Announcing the updates, Anthony Chavez, VP, Privacy Sandbox, said:
Meta, the parent company of popular social media platforms, is expanding its keyword search feature on Threads. This update aims to enhance the search experience for users in specific countries where English and Spanish are widely spoken.

How It Works: Keyword Search on Threads

The new search feature allows users to find people by their username, just like before. However, when you press the search button, it goes a step further by expanding your search to include all posts containing the specified keyword. This functionality resembles a simplified version of Instagrams search feature.

Metas decision to roll out keyword search in English and Spanish follows Mark Zuckerbergs announcement about testing this feature in Australia and New Zealand.

Additionally, Meta has plans to extend this feature to other languages and countries in the near future, and theyre actively seeking your input to enhance the search experience.

Meta recently introduced several updates to Threads, including the Threads web app and features like sharing in Instagram DMs and custom alt-text. Threads initially gained immense attention, with over 100 million sign-ups within five days of its July 5 launch.

However, it faced a decline in popularity as users returned to the more familiar platform X (formerly Twitter). Despite this, Metas improved web version and enhanced search feature could potentially lure some users back.

Availability

The keyword search is now available in English and Spanish, focusing on countries where these languages are commonly used for posting, including Argentina, India, Mexico, and the U.S. This feature is now accessible in more countries, both on mobile and web.
amasan1 at 8-09-2023 09:35 PM (1 month ago) (m)

Date: Sunday 10th September, 2023

Time: 5:00 pm

Stadium Godswill Akpabio Stadium

Referee

Goal Scorer:

Nigeria

Nigeria host Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday (September 10) in the final round of the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Date: Sunday 10th September, 2023: 5:00 pmGodswill Akpabio StadiumNigeria host Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday (September 10) in the final round of the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The hosts have enjoyed a largely solid qualification campaign, qualifying for a third consecutive AFCON finals. Nigeria beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in their last game, squandering a two-goal lead in the second half, before Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho scored a late goal to clinch all three points. Nigeria are atop qualifying group A with 12 points from five games.



Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe, meanwhile, have endured another wretched AFCON qualifying campaign as they miss out on the finals again. They lost 1-0 to Guinea-Bissau last time out, falling behind early after the restart and failing to find a way back.



Nigeria vs Sao Tome and Principe Head-to-Head and Key Numbers



The hosts have enjoyed a largely solid qualification campaign, qualifying for a third consecutive AFCON finals. Nigeria beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in their last game, squandering a two-goal lead in the second half, before Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho scored a late goal to clinch all three points. Nigeria are atop qualifying group A with 12 points from five games.Sao Tome and Principe, meanwhile, have endured another wretched AFCON qualifying campaign as they miss out on the finals again. They lost 1-0 to Guinea-Bissau last time out, falling behind early after the restart and failing to find a way back. Quote This will be the second meeting between the two times since their reverse fixture in June last year, which the Super Eagles won 10-0.

Nigeria (16) are the most prolific scoring side in the AFCON qualifiers.

Sao Tome are without a clean sheet in 19 games across competitions since 2015.

The visitors have the worst defensive record in the continental qualifiers, conceding 20 times. Prediction: Nigeria 4-0 Sao Tome and Principe

Post Reply I am an investigative reporter at Gistmania, I conduct fact-finding investigative journalism. Posted: at 8-09-2023 09:35 PM (1 month ago) | Hero
India Unveils First 3D-Printed Post Office: A New Era of Infrastructure? Features oi -Kabir Jain

In the midst of the buzz surrounding India's Chandrayaan mission, there's another remarkable achievement that remained hidden from the limelight. India has proudly unveiled its first-ever 3D-printed post office in the bustling city of Bangalore. While it might seem like just another building, this innovative venture into 3D-printed infrastructure has the potential to revolutionize construction not just in India but around the world.

Rapid Construction and Cost Efficiency

The construction covered a built-up area of 1,021 sq ft and cost around 23 lakhs. It was overseen by Larsen & Toubro, with technological support from IIT Madras. George Abraham, the head of operations at L&T, remarked, "Due to the robotic precision and pre-embedded designs, we completed the entire construction in 43 days, a stark contrast to the 6-8 months typically required using traditional methods."

Environmental Friendliness

It is hard to ignore the environmental benefits that come with 3D printing. This technology reduces waste by using exact quantities of materials. Less transportation of materials is required, which may reduce carbon emissions. As the French engineer Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." By optimizing designs for structural efficiency, 3D printing uses less concrete and fewer resources compared to traditional methods.

A Boon for Developing Nations

While many of India's governmental projects often experience delays, this post office was completed well ahead of its projected timeline. In a country like India, where there is a pressing need for large-scale infrastructural development but also significant budget constraints, 3D printing offers a cost-effective solution.

This cost-effectiveness isn't limited to the reduction in construction time; there's also a notable decrease in labor expenses and material waste. It could provide the Indian government with a swift means to set up disaster relief shelters, military barracks, and potentially even affordable housing solutions in a nation with over 1.4 billion people.

The Tech Behind the Building

This groundbreaking project was made possible by a BOD2 3D printer, manufactured by the Danish company COBOD. Notably, the printer boasts an IP66 rating, enabling it to function seamlessly in wet and dusty environments. Its adaptable modular design allows for scalability, making it suitable for both large and small projects. Furthermore, the steel nozzle doesn't just control dimensions; it can also smooth or texture walls during printing, minimizing the need for additional finishing work.

The extruder can handle aggregates of up to 10 mm, allowing it to print with concrete, achieving impressive speeds of up to 1000 mm/s. Even without a safety fence, it maintains a respectable speed of 250 mm/s. Surprisingly, only three to four operators are required to operate this advanced 3D printer.

India's Path to Competitiveness

India needs to advance in 3D printing if it wants to be competitive in the manufacturing industry. Its rival, China, dominates the industry with about a 30 percent market share and is aptly referred to as the "world's factory" due to its manufacturing prowess.

3D printing, compared to traditional manufacturing methods, is relatively new. It primarily serves as a tool for prototyping, enabling innovators to turn their concepts into tangible objects. According to industry forecasts, the global 3D printing market is set to reach $19.9 billion by the end of 2023. India should embrace and promote 3D printing if it is serious about the "Make in India" initiative launched in 2014.

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Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro launch in India confirmed; Pre-orders start October 5 News oi -Carlsen Martin

Google has officially announced the Pixel 8 series launch date in India. Google is set to host an event to launch the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 on October 4 at 10:00 am (ET) or 07:30 pm (IST).

Now, the search giant has confirmed availability of the Google Pixel 8 series in India. Both the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will be available for pre-order in India starting October 5. Additionally, the Pixel 8 series will be sold in India exclusively through Flipkart.

Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro Pre-orders in India

Google recently took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to confirm the Pixel 8 series pre-order date in the country. The tweet reads, "You know what they say, great things come in eights". As of now, there is no confirmation about the availability of the Pixel Watch 2 in India.

The Google Pixel 8 series is expected to feature a starting price of EUR 874.25 (roughly Rs. 78,400) in Europe. This suggests that the Pixel 8 price in India could start from under Rs 70,000. On the other hand, the Google Pixel 8 Pro price in India could start from under Rs 1,00,000.

You know what they say, great things come in eights 



Get ready to meet the Google #Pixel8 and #Pixel8Pro

.

Pre-orders start 5th October exclusively on @Flipkart pic.twitter.com/ZFkBlrUmy6  Google India (@GoogleIndia) September 7, 2023

To recall, the Pixel 7 price in India was set at Rs 59,999 when it launched in October 2022, while the Pixel 7 Pro fetched a price tag of Rs 84,999. Google only released the Pixel 7 series in an 8GB/128GB configuration in India last year, while the Pixel Watch wasn't unveiled in the country.

What the Pixel 8 Series teaser reveals

The official teaser shows the Pixel 8 in a Pink shade and the Pixel 8 Pro in a Porcelain colour option. The teaser also reveals that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will feature the same design as their predecessors. The Pixel 8 will also feature a dual-camera setup on the back.

Gr8 things are coming.



Tune in to #MadeByGoogle on October 4th at 10am ET and sign up for updates at the Google Store: https://t.co/sPT67T3LsR pic.twitter.com/yZt2qAkjV2  Made by Google (@madebygoogle) September 7, 2023

Moreover, the teaser shows the triple-camera setup on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro with an LED Flash and a temperature sensor. The global teaser also showcases the design of the Pixel Watch 2, which also appears to be the same as its predecessor. For more details about the Pixel 8 series expected specifications, head on over to the link.

Google Pixel 8 Series (Expected Specifications)

Google Pixel 8 Google Pixel 8 Pro Google Tensor G3 SoC Google Tensor G3 SoC 6.17-inch FHD+ OLED Display, 120Hz Refresh Rate, HDR10+ 6.71-inch QHD+ LTPO OLED Display, 120Hz Refresh Rate, HDR10+ 8GB + 128GB/256GB 12GB + 128GB/256GB/512GB Android 14 Android 14 4,485 mAh Battery 4,950 mAh Battery 24W Wired Charging, 12W Wireless Charging 27W Wired Charging, 12W Wireless Charging 50 MP with OIS (Main) + 12 MP (Ultrawide) Rear Cameras 50 MP with OIS (Main) + 64 MP (Ultrawide) + 48 MP (Telephoto) Rear Cameras 11 MP Front Camera 11 MP Front Camera IP68 Rating IP68 Rating

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Motorola Edge 40 Neo global launch date set for September 14: What to Expect News oi -Carlsen Martin

Motorola recently confirmed the global launch of the Edge 40 Neo. The teaser didn't reveal the exact Motorola Edge 40 Neo launch date, only hinting that it would be coming soon.

However, Motorola Romania recently sent out invites for the upcoming launch of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo, confirming its exact release date.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo Launch Date, Expected Pricing

According to reports, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo global launch date is set for September 14. Motorola has also started teasing the Edge 40 Neo on its X (formerly know has Twitter) account.

The teaser video reveals the design of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo. Previous reports, suggests that the Motorola Edge 40 Neo price will start from under EUR 290 (roughly Rs 25,800), although this appears to be closer to Indian pricing.

We believe that the Motorola Edge 40 Neo global pricing will fall anywhere between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000. Moreover, the Edge 40 Neo will likely launch in India following its global release.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo Specifications

The Moto Edge 40 Neo is expected to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1050 SoC. The handset will run near-stock Android 13 out of the box. The Edge 40 Neo will sport a 6.55-inch FHD+ pOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate.

For optics, the Edge 40 Neo is expected to get a dual-camera setup with a 50 MP primary sensor and a 13 MP ultrawide unit. Up front, the Edge 40 Neo will opt for a 32 MP selfie camera.

Motorola is expected to equip the handset with a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 68W fast charging. The tipster also notes that the Edge 40 Neo will have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is expected to come in Black Beauty, Caneel Bay, and Soothing Sea colour options.

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iPhone Banned In China? Apple Shares Crash Amid Fears It May Lose 20 Percent Of Its Business Revenue News oi -Alap Naik Desai

China took a rather drastic decision this week to ban iPhones in the legal, judicial, and administrative departments. This could be a disaster for Apple Inc. as it stands to lose almost a fifth of its business revenue.

Apple iPhones are now banned by China's central administration in a few areas. As expected, investors and Apple Inc. are panicking. Let's look at the immediate repercussions and long-term implications of this radical approach by China to safeguard local smartphone manufacturers.

China Prohibits Using Apple iPhone For Its Officers

China has reportedly ordered its central government employees not to use Apple iPhones. Employees must not even bring their personal iPhone devices into any official premises.

As expected, this news has sent shockwaves among American companies, and Apple Inc. was deeply impacted as its stock price took a steep tumble. Apple shares dropped by more than 3.5 percent in a single trading day, which is the company's largest daily drop in a month.

Apple Inc. shares eventually stabilized at $182.91 in New York. While the 3 percent drop might not seem much, it is an eyesore compared to the 46 percent increase in the Apple stock price this year alone.

China is one of Apple's biggest and most reliable markets. This single country generates nearly a fifth of its total revenue. Moreover, China is important to Apple as it is a manufacturing hub as well. Apple has been trying to move manufacturing to other countries such as India, but the transition is slow.

Why Did China Ban Apple iPhones?

There's no official confirmation from the Chinese government about the ban yet. Some reports suggest the upper management in China's central administration has been informing their juniors verbally instead of issuing any memos.

Multiple sources have indicated China is determined to curb the use of foreign-branded smartphones in the country. In other words, China isn't attempting to address any privacy or security concerns. Instead, the country is countering America's strongarm tactics.

The United States has been taking a tough stand against Chinese technology companies for quite some time now. It appears China is not just retaliating but also steadily reducing its reliance on American companies for cutting-edge technologies. Banning the iOS iPhone could spur demand for Android smartphones from Huawei, ZTE, and other regional smartphone manufacturers.

It is important to note that China hasn't banned Apple iPhones in the entire country. China's government has merely prohibited central government employees from using iPhone smartphones for official work. However, this informal ban could be a precursor to nationwide restrictions on American technologies and products.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken Video Remarks at the Open Government Partnership Summit

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Pre-Recorded

Tallinn, Estonia

September 6, 2023

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Hello, everyone. I'm glad to join this year's Open Government Partnership Summit. I'm grateful to everyone who made this event possible: our host and OGP steering committee co-chair, the Government of Estonia, and our CEO Sanjay Pradhan.

Twelve years ago, eight countries worked with civil society groups to launch the Open Government Partnership based on shared principles: the belief that every person in a society should be able to understand the government decisions affecting their lives and have a say in shaping them; that citizens should have the power to hold public officials and their governments to account; and that governing involves more than just governments, with members of civil society, academia, the private sector all playing critical roles.

Over the last decade, the Open Government Partnership has shown that when these principles are put into action, our democracies are more equitable, more prosperous, and they're better able to deliver essential services for their people. But as President Biden often says, democracy doesn't happen by accident. It must be renewed every day by all of us. The United States is committed to revitalizing democracy at home and around the world and doing so through the Open Government Partnership and other organizations.

That's why we're grateful to have been elected to the OGP steering committee in March. Over the next three years, we'll help set the Open Government agenda with our fellow members and work toward our shared priorities. And we'll bring in perspectives from across our government, applying the best practices that we've gathered from our initiatives both within our country and around the world. We'll also incorporate lessons learned from our other efforts to support open government, including the Summit for Democracy.

During his first year in office, President Biden launched the Summit for Democracy, bringing together countries from around the world to strengthen our democratic institutions. Since then, the United States has worked with our partners to implement our summit commitments so that, together, we can address some of the toughest challenges we all face, from rising inequality to the misuse of technology.

We're also focused on tackling corruption to help defend the integrity of governing institutions and restore people's trust in them. During his first year in office, President Biden launched the first ever U.S. strategy to counter corruption. As part of this initiative, the United States joined 35 other nations at the second Summit for Democracy and committed to improve transparency in our financial systems so that we can prevent corrupt actors from hiding their identities and their assets in our countries. And this December, in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States will continue those efforts by hosting the largest biennial UN conference on anti-corruption.

While we're making progress globally, in this area and others, we're also working to bolster our own democracy. We're taking steps to implement our domestic Summit for Democracy commitments. And last December, we also released our newest Open Government Partnership National Action Plan, which outlines our latest pledges to make our government more transparent, including creating opportunities for citizens to weigh in when we develop new regulations.

As we move forward, we'll continue encouraging and amplifying similar initiatives that our OGP colleagues are using to strengthen democracy - like passing laws requiring that government documents are written in plain language; letting citizens propose ideas for public projects and vote on funding them; creating committees of civil society leaders to help shape policy; transforming government services so that they're fully accessible online, whether that's filing taxes or voting in elections.

We know how much work remains. But by joining forces, by sharing our experiences, by holding each other accountable, we can learn from each other, and we can make our democracies more open and transparent and demonstrate clearly that there is no better system of government in the world.

I look forward to a successful summit. Thank you.

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Venezuela Owes UN Millions in Back Dues

By VOA News September 06, 2023

Venezuela owes millions to the United Nations in back dues but is having difficulty paying them in part due to U.S. sanctions.

As the new session of the U.N. General Assembly opened on Tuesday, member states were told that four countries are in deep arrears and could potentially lose their right to vote on resolutions.

Those countries are Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia and Venezuela. It is not the first time they find themselves in this position  all have had problems meeting the minimum payments before.

A country can lose its right to vote in the General Assembly if its arrears equal or exceed the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two years.

Venezuela owes the most  just over $76 million  if it wants to retain its right to vote. Somalia is a distant second with $1.2 million in arrears, and the African nations of Comoros and Sao Tome each owe under $1 million.

"The General Assembly may, nevertheless, commit such a member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the member," Dennis Francis, the newly sworn-in president of the General Assembly, told the meeting.

The assembly took note of the information on the arrears.

While the United States provides humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people, it has limited economic engagement with the regime of Nicolas Maduro, which it considers illegitimate.

Since 2017, Washington has imposed extensive bilateral sanctions on the regime for "its extensive corruption, economic mismanagement and violation of international norms."

"In the past, Venezuela has tried to find alternative methods of payment to avoid some of the problems they face in terms of access to the banking system in the United States," a U.N. spokesperson told VOA. "So, when, as needed, the U.N. has tried to assist that effort."

As of September 1, 133 of the United Nations' 193 member states have fully paid their dues for 2023.

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US Business Delegation Makes Rare Visit to Taliban-Run Afghanistan

By Ayaz Gul September 06, 2023

An American private sector delegation opened meetings in Afghanistan with officials and local counterparts Wednesday in the first interaction since the Taliban seized power from a U.S.-backed government two years ago.

Jeffrey Grieco, president of the Afghan American Chamber of Commerce, or AACC, in the United States, is leading the delegation.

Addressing a televised meeting in Kabul of business representatives that Greico co-hosted with Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar, he said the U.S. government backs the visit.

A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department acknowledged that a delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce in Afghanistan and "individuals with business interests" had traveled to Kabul.

"The United States stands with the people of Afghanistan as they work to rebuild their economy," the spokesperson told VOA in an emailed statement.

American businessman Grieco credited de facto Afghan authorities for establishing peace in the country, saying they have also "greatly eliminated" corruption. "It's not all gone, but it's mostly gone."

He said his team is seeking to elevate private sector activities and explore ways to ease hardships facing Afghans over the past two years.

"The next year is going to be equally hard as the donors are reducing funding for Afghanistan, both humanitarian food security and other funding, at a key moment when Afghanistan needs funding for humanitarian purposes," he said.

On Tuesday, the U.N. World Food Program announced that a "massive funding shortfall" had forced it to cut rations for 10 million people in the country this year, warning that time is running out to avert catastrophe in Afghanistan.

"The private sector can be a powerful agent of change and an agent of support when a country like Afghanistan is suffering," Grieco said at the event, where local women business leaders were also in attendance.

"We think that business is the way to increase knowledge and increase more program activities for the core in Afghanistan, and you are great examples for us," he told the Afghan female participants.

Barader said in his keynote speech that his government had established nationwide "comprehensive security" and "straightforward investment regulations" to attract domestic and foreign investments in Afghanistan.

The Taliban deputy prime minister cited several mining contracts signed in Kabul last month with Asian and European investors, including some from China, Turkey, Iran and Britain, worth almost $6.5 billion.

Grieco pledged to work closely with Bradar's office to promote business-to-business ties, stressing the need for the Taliban to ensure security and protection of investment assets.

"What we saw and heard this week is that the Emirate government is ready for a market-based economic system for Afghanistan," Grieco said, using the official title of the Taliban administration, the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."

"The last [Afghan] government didn't even understand what a market-based economic system is," he said.

The president of the U.S.-based AACC said his team has been working in Washington with banking sector representatives to help facilitate the return of Afghanistan's frozen foreign exchange reserves of about $9 billion.

Grieco explained to the audience that the funds are in the U.S. central bank and European countries. He noted that the money cannot be returned to Afghanistan's central bank for the time being due to economic sanctions on the Taliban.

"We need the Afghan Bankers' Association to work tougher now to figure out how to approach the return of the commercial bank assets because there has been a change in our government's thinking in the last few months," Grieco said. "They are now willing to consider the return of those assets."

While speaking to the Kabul gathering, Arthur Groom, a longtime international gemstone investor in Afghanistan, said that while some U.S. investors left the country after the Taliban takeover, his company stayed.

"We need to change some minds ... because all I have heard here in many meetings is that it's not safe here, women are not happy here, and the kids aren't going to the schools, it's dirty here. It's completely opposite from what I saw," Groom said.

Groom said his investment in Afghanistan aims to bring technology into the country to modernize the mining sector and teach modern technology in gem-cutting to enable locals, including the government, to benefit from their natural resources.

The Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021 as the U.S.-led NATO troops withdrew from the country after almost 20 years of war with the then-Taliban insurgents.

The new fundamentalist authorities have since imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia, banning girls from schools beyond the sixth grade, barring many women from workplaces, including those working for aid agencies, and prohibiting their entry into public parks, gyms and bathhouses.

The restrictions have deterred the international community from recognizing the Taliban government. However, Afghanistan's neighbors and many regional countries have retained or reopened their embassies in Kabul following the power shift two years ago.

The Taliban said they had established peace in Afghanistan and almost eliminated illicit narcotics production to address international concerns, arguing that their policies align with Afghan culture and Islam.

"The rest is our internal matter, and no one should interfere in it like we don't interfere in other countries' affairs," Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said last week in a speech in Kabul in response to criticism of their treatment of Afghan women and other alleged human rights abuses.

The U.S. State Department spokesperson said in remarks to VOA that it continues to advise U.S. citizens against traveling to Afghanistan because of civil unrest, armed conflict, crime, terrorism and kidnapping. "The Department of State assesses that the risk of kidnapping or violence against U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is high," the spokesperson said.

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September 7, 2023

Transcript

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Holds a Press Briefing

DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH: All right, so good afternoon, everyone. Just a few items to pass along at the top here, and then I'd be happy to take your questions.

So first on Hawaii, consistent with our previous updates, the department continues to support the island of Maui. As of this morning, approximately 674 DOD personnel, including 567 National Guardsmen, are actively engaged in the coordinated response to the Western Maui wildfire. U.S. Army Pacific is executing eight approved mission assignments and forces remain postured to support additional mission assignments, if requested. Since our last update, fuel distribution operations and the Schofield Barrack Support Facility missions have concluded. The JTF 50 continues to focus on search-and-recovery activities with Hawaii National Guard, the FBI, anthropologistsp from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Mortuary Affairs technicians. Hawaii National Guard continues 24-hour traffic control and area security support to local law enforcement.

Since August 25th, potable water teams have distributed over 4,000 gallons of water within the area. Additionally, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer advanced teams on Maui right now preparing to establish a long-term forward command and control center for their future debris removal mission. The County of Maui is the lead on this mission, and they are targeting a November 1st start date for the debris removal effort. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer teams are also working with local officials on design plans for the establishment of a temporary school site for local children, and our Coast Guard partners are maintaining their focus and response on minimizing maritime environmental impacts.

Moving on to today, earlier today, the secretary held a trilateral call with Japan Minister of Defense [Yasukazu Hamada] and Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup. The secretary affirmed the ironclad U.S. extended deterrence commitment to Japan and the Republic of Korea. The leaders also discussed and strongly condemned North Korea's August 24th attempted space launch using ballistic missile technology as a violation of multiple U.N. security resolutions.

Also today, the department announced a new security assistance package through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to support Ukraine's battlefield needs. This $600 million package includes equipment to augment Ukraine's air defenses, artillery munitions and other capabilities. For more information, you can visit defense.gov to see the complete details of the package.

Today, Lieutenant General Marc Sasseville, vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, is in Madison, Wisconsin, for the F-35 mission arrival ceremony at the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard. Today's ceremony coincides with the 75th anniversary of the 115th Fighter Wing and marks the second Air National Guard wing in the nation to receive the F-35.

And finally, as of Monday, there are now 319 nominations that are impacted because of Senator Tuberville's hold on our general and flag officers. For the first time in history, three of our military branches, the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps, have no Senate-confirmed service chief in place. Instead, these jobs and other jobs across the department and the force are being performed by acting officials. As this list of nominees continues to grow, we are continuing to see the impacts on our readiness, our national security and our military families. As we continue to do so, we urge Senator Tuberville to lift these holds and confirm these qualified leaders who have served their country proudly and selflessly for decades.

And with that, I'd be happy to take your questions. And welcome back, Lita.

Q: Thank you! Sabrina, on the uranium rounds that were announced...

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: ... the Kremlin criticized -- has now criticized it as a bad move, discussing the cancer-causing nature of -- of the product, a criticism that others have brought up, obviously, in the past. What is your response to people who are greatly concerned about that aspect of this weapon?

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: And secondly, can you address what the U.S. thinks is the benefit that these rounds will bring? And how soon will they be on the battlefield?

MS. SINGH: Sure. So on the first question, in terms of the health impacts of the depleted uranium rounds, I would push back on the assertion from Russian officials. Here, the CDC has stated that there is no evidence that the depleted uranium rounds cause cancer. The World Health Organization reports that there has been no increase of leukemia or other cancers and -- that have been established following any exposure to uranium or D.U. And even the IAEA has stated unequivocally that there is no proven link between D.U. exposure and increases in cancers or significant health or environmental impacts, so I would push back on that. In terms of your second question, these are anti-tank rounds. They're meant to pierce tanks, and they're meant to be used -- they will be used very effectively on the battlefield. These are standard issued rounds. These are what these Abrams tanks will use, and many militaries across the world use depleted uranium in their tanks. So we feel that these will be the most effective rounds to counter Russian tanks, and will help continue -- will help the Ukrainians to defend their -- the battlefield -- to defend their territory.

Q: And how soon?

MS. SINGH: So I can't -- I would let the Ukrainians announce when these -- when the rounds will arrive. We've said pretty publicly that we expect the tanks to be arriving in Ukraine sometime in the fall, but I just don't have more specifics to offer. I'd refer you to the Ukrainians to -- to announce when they actually arrive.

Q: But the goal is to have the rounds there specifically in time for when the tanks arrive. Is that accurate?

MS. SINGH: That's the goal, yes. Yeah, hey, Matt.

Q: Thanks, Sabrina.

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: So on Niger, we've heard from officials that U.S. troops will be moved, repositioned within the country, and that some number of troops will be removed. Can you speak to that? And is there any threat perceived for U.S. troops at this time?

MS. SINGH: Sure. So in terms of Niger, there's -- there is no perceived threat in terms of any threat to U.S. troops, and no threat of violence on the ground. This is simply a precautionary measure. So what we're doing right now is the department is repositioning some of our personnel and some of our assets from Air Base 101 in Niamey to Air Base 201 in Agadez, but that's just - it's simply precautionary. Our force posture hasn't changed in Niger. Our position remains the same, that we hope that the situation on the ground gets resolved diplomatically, but would just reemphasize that there's no immediate threat to U.S. personnel or - or violence on the ground.

Q: OK. Is the U.S. conducting counter-terror missions out of the country at this point?

MS. SINGH: Out of the - at this time, we're still really confined to the bases. We are, again, moving personnel and assets but we're not conducting joint operations or training with the Nigerian military at this time.

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Yeah, Oren?

Q: A - a follow on Niger and then another question.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: So - so why do this? What - what changed that the U.S. decided to move personnel and equipment? If there's no perceived threat or no threat to U.S. troops, what - what prompted, six weeks after the democratically elected government was overthrown, the U.S. to move - to make this decision?

MS. SINGH: It was, again, just out of an abundance of caution. We felt that - because our - our force posture is not changing within the country, but we felt that it - just out of an abundance of caution for our personnel and for our assets in the area, that rather than keeping them close in Niamey, that it would be safer to move them out to Air Base 201 in Agadez. And so that's exactly why we took, I would say, prudent military planning to safeguard our U.S. assets and just to protect our U.S. personnel.

Q: Is - is this tied to the resistance the French are seeing to their forces being there?

MS. SINGH: There is no tie to this. I would - again, I - this is out of a complete abundance of caution. There is no tie to what the French military is doing right now. We are - we are confident that - or we are hopeful that diplomatic talks will continue and that the situation in Niger will be resolved diplomatically, but right now, out of an abundance of caution, we are just moving our - some of our personnel and our assets to Air Base 201.

Q: And then just another topic ...

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: ... a - a Florida man attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a human hamster wheel, was brought in by the Coast Guard after five days, and it's his fourth time attempting this. I know you don't speak for the Coast Guard but will there be imagery? And how frequently has the Coast Guard or the Navy intercepted human hamster wheels off the coast of the U.S.?

MS. SINGH: You know ...

(LAUGHTER)

... really didn't have that on my bingo card today. I would refer you to the Coast Guard and thank you for the question.

(LAUGHTER)

I'm going to go to the phones on that note. Lara Seligman, Politico? Or did Oren's - Oren's question just, you know, kick you off the phone? How about Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg?

Q: Hi, I - I have a non-Coast Guard question. DOD last night issued a statement on a canceled key test of the Army's long-range hypersonic weapons, Sabrina. The Army was hoping to clear the - to declare the weapon operational on September 30th. It was also supposed to be the U.S.' first operational hypersonic missile to counter Russia and China. What's the view of the DOD's research and development leadership, right? How big a setback was this non-test to meeting the September 30th operational date?

MS. SINGH: Thanks, Tony, for the question. As you mentioned, the department planned to conduct a flight test in Florida to just inform the department's hypersonic technology development, but as a result of pre-flight checks, the test did not occur. The department was able to successfully collect data on the performance of the ground hardware and software that will inform the continued progress toward fielding offensive hypersonic weapons, but for further details on, you know, why this didn't happen or why it failed, I would refer you to the Army.

MS. SINGH: ... on the phone. Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose?

Q: Thank you. On Niger, are any U.S. personnel leaving the country? Reuters have reported that personnel deemed non-essential will soon leave Niger.

MS. SINGH: Thanks, Jeff, for the question. Yes, some non-essential personnel and contractors did leave the country, I want to say around July. So we are - we have about 1,100 people in Niger right now. Again, our force posture has not changed. We are continuing to have a - have a presence at the Air Base 101 and Air Base 201, but the only thing that's happening right now is that we have personnel moving from 101 to 201 along with our - some of our assets... I'll come back in the room. Yeah, hi.

Q: Hello. Has Secretary Austin spoken to his newly confirmed counterpart - Ukrainian counterpart yet?

MS. SINGH: Not yet. There has not been a call set up but we just saw that the Ukrainian Parliament did confirm him, so I'm sure they will be speaking very soon. I just don't have a call to preview just yet. And of course, we - we do have the Ukraine Defense Contact Group coming up later this month, so I'm sure they'll also be meeting there.

Q: Then one on - on Ukraine.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: There are reports that Russia is amassing troops near Kupyansk and Kharkiv region to, like, launch an attack. Do you observe any movements of the Russian troops in that area?

MS. SINGH: Well, look, I'd let Ukraine speak to more of what's happening on - on the battlefield. We just announced another USAI package today, we announced a PDA package earlier this week. So our focus right now is making sure that Ukraine has what it needs on the battlefield, and that's flowing security assistance in when we can and as much as we can. And so again, this - this last package that we rolled out, I think it was our 46th package. The Ukrainians are - are incredibly effective on the battlefield. We're seeing some progress already being made in their counter-offensive. And so I'll just leave it at that.

Q: And how do you assess the effectiveness of the cluster munitions that Ukraine is using now?

MS. SINGH: We feel that the Ukrainians are using them effectively. They are - they're certainly - you know, in terms of tracking how they're using the cluster munitions and - and locations, we feel that there are - they're using them effectively and responsibly. Yeah, in the back?

Q: Hi, I'm (inaudible) with German Bild.

MS. SINGH: That's great.

Q: A follow-up to that, because on September 19th, there's the next Ukraine Contact Group meeting in Ramstein. Will there be the question of long-range missiles on the agenda? I'm asking because today, there was reports that Secretary Blinken talked about that with Kuleba, of providing Ukraine with long-range missile.

MS. SINGH: I don't have anything to preview today and I wouldn't get ahead of the Contact Group certainly. The Ukrainians already have long-range missiles with the Storm Shadows that they've been using effectively as well, but I just don't have anything today to - to preview. Yeah, hey.

Q: Thanks, Sabrina.

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: You mentioned the nominations that have been put on hold and some of the impact that that's having. Is that putting at risk any modernization initiatives or is it more of a concern just about general readiness and some of the hardships on personnel that are related to that?

MS. SINGH: I think it's both. When you don't have a confirmed leader in that position that would oversee a modernization effort, you're talking about someone that's going to set the vision for that command or for that department. When you have someone on hold or in a limbo state, of course that's going to impact the mission. But absolutely, it's having an impact on our readiness, it has an impact when we engage with allies and partners around the world. And as you probably saw recently, three of our secretaries wrote in an op-ed just about some of the impacts that they're seeing on each of their services, and one of the things is - the message that is being sent to allies and partners but also to our adversaries - we know our adversaries are watching this right now, and at a time when we have a war raging in Ukraine, at a time when we have the rising challenge of China growing in the East, we need our Senate-confirmed military leaders in place to - to meet those - those threats and challenges all around the world. Great. Yeah, hey, Will.

Q: Do you have any - can you provide any - any figures on the number of troop - or forces that were repositioned or - or the non-essential personnel that left - even rough?

MS. SINGH: I - I don't have exact numbers for you. I can just tell you that there are about 1,100 folks remaining in Niger right now. I don't have the exact numbers of when folks were leaving but it was non-essential personnel and contractors. So I - yeah, I would - I would direct you to AFRICOM for - for more information on that one. Yeah?

Q: ... I'm - hold on, a follow-up on that. You said just a few minutes ago that you want to say - I - I want to say around July, that was when the non essential personnel and contractors left, yet we have been told repeatedly, including this past Tuesday, throughout August by both General Ryder and yourself, that there have been no change to force posture or presence within Niger. Why are you now telling us that forces came out in July and we've been told repeatedly that there have been no changes?

MS. SINGH: There have been no changes to our force posture. There has been no changes ...

Q: ... If nothing has changed in terms of our force posture or presence within Niger. Clearly, if you're pulling personnel and contractors, there has been a change that we should have been told about when we were asking.

MS. SINGH: Well, I guess maybe I should have been a little bit more clear when some of these changes were being made, but again, it was non-essential personnel and contractors that were - OK, I'm just going to leave that - that were leaving Niger. Some folks I know left earlier in the - I believe in July for medical reasons. So again, we're talking about non-essential personnel and contractors that left Niger at a time when, again, we still have an incredible presence within the country, with over 1,100 folks - or about - approximately 1,100 folks still there. We're not pulling people out right now, we're just moving U.S. personnel and assets to Air Base 201. So our force posture still remains intact. And I - you know, I would just leave it at that.

Q: But if personnel left the country, regardless of whether they were U.S. military or not, they're part of the U.S. presence there ...

MS. SINGH: Sure, but again, it's non-essential personnel ...

Q: ... those were changes.

MS. SINGH: Again, non-essential personnel and contractors. Next time, I think if there - when there are departures, we will be more cognizant of letting you know, but right now, like, there - there - whenever there's - whenever we have troops, there are - are levels that change at a period of time. That does not mean our force posture has changes. Just like on the Eastern Flank in Europe, in - in Poland, we have troops that come back and forth, and sometimes that posture could be around 80,000, sometimes it could be around 78,000. That doesn't mean our force posture has changed. There's a movement of folks going back and forth. So I just want to leave it at that. And, you know, next time we can be a little bit more specific, but again, nothing, in terms of our force posture, has changed in Niger. Ryo, yeah?

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: I want to - I want to follow up about the Secretary's call with Japanese and South Korean counterparts. The - the three ministers discussed a military exercise plan in the call. So what domains are you going to focus on with Japanese and South Koreans moving forward? And what is the timeline to draft such a military plan?

MS. SINGH: Sure. Well, I won't get ahead of anything that was discussed. Right now, we're still building that multi-exercise plan. And we don't have a timeline of when that's going to happen or when exercises are going to take place but that's something that certainly was discussed. And they did highlight the effort to fully operationalize early warning missile data information sharing this year, but that's a - that's as far as I'm going to go on that. Yeah? Hi, Erin?

Q: Hi. So as you were telling Oren, that it says we have troops that come back and forth and sometimes postures could change ...

MS. SINGH: Well, our posture hasn't changed, but levels could change, yeah.

Q: Where are they going back and forth? Is it just back and forth from base to base? Where are they going from ...

MS. SINGH: For the folks that left?

Q: So there's ...

MS. SINGH: Like non-essential personnel or contractors? Is that what you're referring to?

Q: Yeah, just any number that is there, are they coming back in the country? Where ...

MS. SINGH: Right now, they're just moving out of the country. I don't have specifics of where they're going. Contractors obviously working under contract would go back to their company, but I just don't have more specifics of where folks are moving.

Q: I'm still lost of - the number change. So even if they're personnel ...

MS. SINGH: I think we shouldn't focus so much on the numbers fluctuating but more on the posture itself. Our force posture - hold on one sec, let me just answer - our force posture within Niger hasn't changed. Yes, we are moving assets and personnel to a different air base further outside of Niamey, in Agadez, but in terms of our - our mission there right now, of course some things are put on pause right now, but overall, our force posture hasn't changed. We did have some people leave in July. I believe that was before there was the military takeover. So some folks did leave in July for medical reasons. I think we had some contractors that had left. But in terms of, like, where other personnel are going and leaving, I - I don't have more information for you on that. Our essential personnel are still in the country right now, in Niger. That's 1,100 people. And so they're still and I'll just leave it at that. I can go back to Lita and then - yeah.

Q: ... Can you just take the questions, Sabrina, because I think ...

MS. SINGH: On which one?

Q: On the total number of contractors and non-essential personnel who left. And was it before - was it before, after, during? Was it as a result of the impending or - coup? Can you just give us that? I think - I - what has been mentioned in the past was that some troops did - a - a very small number of troops left due to health and other issues ... that's been out there, we knew that, but I think what people didn't - hadn't known was the non-essential personnel and contractors. If you could give us a number on those and - I think just because it's late in the day for AFRICOM, you all must have it, if you can just give us ...

MS. SINGH: I can - I can ...

Q: ... give us that.

MS. SINGH: I can definitely take - I'm happy to take the question, but again, I just want to reemphasize here that it is - it is not a - with some folks leaving in and out, our mission, our force posture still hasn't changed. So I'm happy to take on - the question on, like, how many folks have left - sure.

Q: ... because clearly ... what you're saying, I - if I'm not confusing this, is the number of active duty troops has remained largely the same. Is that accurate?

MS. SINGH: Yes.

Q: All right.

MS. SINGH: That is correct. And again, we're talking about ...

Q: ... if you'd give us those other numbers.

MS. SINGH: Sure. We're talking about non-essential personnel and contractors. Active duty essentially remains intact. I'm going to go to the phones real quick and then I can come back in the room for just two more. Heather, USNI?

Q: Hi, thanks so much. I was just wondering if you have any update on the situation with Iran, and if you're continuing to see the forces out there deter any tanker seizures or if there's any plans for Marines to start going on to commercial vessels?

MS. SINGH: Thanks, Heather. There's no - there's no plan right now for Marines to go on commercial vessels. I don't have an update on anything in regards to Iran, nothing - no major updates since we last briefed. But yeah, thanks for the question. I will - yeah, coming back in the room. Yeah, sure.

Q: Just a quick follow-up ...

MS. SINGH: OK, and then I'll go to Missy.

Q: ... the move from - from Niamey, is that -- is that ongoing now? Has it been completed or?

MS. SINGH: It's ongoing right now, yes. Missy?

Q: Yes, just quick, also maybe add a clarification on...nonessential personnel is non-military personnel, non-uniformed personnel when you're saying -- you say the non-military personnel and contractors that the non-essential personnel are uniformed or not uniformed?

MS. SINGH: I mean, I think nonessential personnel is nonessential to the mission itself, and -- and security and protection of our troops. I think it can encompass many things, including uniform or civilian. So I wouldn't lump it as just, it's not non-uniform or not -- you know, only uniform personnel.

Q: Yes, that was...

MS. SINGH: I can get clarification on that, yes, sure, no problem. OK, I'll take -- yes, right here. And then I'll come back around.

Q: Thanks. With regard to the new Ukraine security assistance package...

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: ... are you able to provide any more details about the electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare systems that are included in that? Are these new capabilities or?

MS. SINGH: I don't have more details to provide. Again, I would just direct you to the website and our fact sheet we've provided online. But I just don't have more specifics to add to that. Yes.

Q: Sabrina...

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: ... after these developments in the countries in West Africa, like Niger, then Gabon, before that Mali, how is these developments' effect on the U.S. operations against the terrorist groups and organizations in this area? And does the U.S. -- or did they -- or do they keep the same numbers of these operations or it's getting decreased because of these developments in these countries?

MS. SINGH: Well, it's certainly something that is concerning. The United States and this administration continues to advocate for democracy and peacefully elected leaders. And so that's why you are seeing a commitment in Niger right now and the hope that the situation there gets resolved peacefully and through diplomatic means. And not sound like a broken record here, but that's why you have not seen a change to our force posture. You are seeing a movement to -- out of an abundance of caution to move some personnel and -- and some of our assets into a different area. But we're hopeful. We're hopeful that there can be some diplomatic way to resolve what's happening. We're certainly not support because of -- of military takeovers of a democratically elected leader or government. Yes.

Q: Are you concerned about maybe this developments may impact the -- these operations against these terrorist groups?

MS. SINGH: We still maintain the ability to protect and -- protect our interests here at home and our partners and allies in the region. Yes, I'll take this as a last one. Yes?

Q: Yes, so on Niger, is there expectation that additional precautionary repositionings are going to be taking place like this ongoing one that you mentioned.

MS. SINGH: Like an additional to like -- like a different movement?

Q: Another movement from Airbase 101 to 201, another one in the future after this one concludes?

MS. SINGH: I think we have personnel that are going to continue moving. I don't know that it's like one movement or like multiple. It is precautionary. Again, we're moving just our personnel and assets over to that -- to Airbase 201. Once that is in place, we will, you know, stop but -- that it will be concluded, but I don't have like more missions to announce or any other additional movement at this time.

Q: Is it all of them, Sabrina?

MS. SINGH: Sorry?

(CROSSTALK)

MS. SINGH: Yes. There will be at a small group that is -- remains at Airbase 101.

OK? Great. Thanks, I'll leave it at that.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3519485/

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September 7, 2023

By Joseph Clark , DOD News

Growth in Partnerships Signals U.S. Success in Indo-Pacific

The increased appetite among allies and partners to participate in multinational exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific is a key indicator that the United States' strategy in the region is paying off, said Gen. Charles A. Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific.

Flynn noted yesterday there's been a significant increase in the desire of regional allies to participate in multinational training events in recent years.

"This thirst and this behavior that they are exhibiting in the region is they appreciate the ability to come together as a multinational force [and] learn from one another, and they are doing it more and more," Flynn said of U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific. "To me, that is the greatest indicator of the success we are having."

He added that the exercises are a sign that U.S. allies are "speaking with their actions" in response to China's aggressive behavior in the region.

"Those actions are ... [they] want to participate in more multilateral and multinational exercises," he said. "And they're showing up to do that."

Flynn cited this year's completion of the largest ever Talisman Sabre, a biennial exercise designed to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening partnerships and interoperability among key allies.

This year, the 10th iteration of the exercise included nearly 30,000 troops from 13 nations. Several Pacific island partners  including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga  participated for the first time.

He also noted the largest ever iteration of the ongoing Exercise Super Garuda Shield in Indonesia, which has brought together seven participating nations and 12 observing nations.

The exercises are among the more than 40 army-to-army and joint exercises led by the U.S. each year as part of Operation Pathways, a collection of multinational exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific and a key pillar of the United States' integrated deterrence strategy.

Flynn's remarks during a roundtable discussion at the Hudson Institute in Washington echo optimism expressed by Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs.

"We are delivering on our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and absolutely strengthening deterrence in the region," the assistant secretary Ratner said at the Defense News Conference in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday.

He noted that U.S. military-to-military relations between the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the other countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are stronger than they had ever been."

"The upshot is that we have been engaging in a number of activities with them that have ... led to a more distributed mobile, resilient and lethal [U.S.] force posture in the region," Ratner said.

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Georgia: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell upon arrival in the country

European External Action Service (EEAS)

07.09.2023

Tbilisi, 07/09/2023

EEAS Press Team

Check against delivery!

Gamarjoba !

Thank you for your attention. I am very happy to be here in Georgia.

This is my first visit in my current capacity as High Representative of the European Union to your beautiful country.

First, I want to stress that Georgia is an important partner for the European Union.

This is a crucial time for your future because in a few weeks, the European Union will consider next steps in Georgia's accession [path] to the European Union and, for the first time, the report on Georgia's progress as an enlargement country.

I want to be very clear in that important moment: the European Union's door is open to Georgia and the European Union is committed to supporting Georgia on its path towards European Union membership. The door is open and we want to support you on the way.

But I have to say also that the European Union application is a serious commitment [and] that candidate status is not something that countries are entitled to. It needs to be earned. It needs to be earned through serious reforms and adherence to the European Union's values.

And to be frank, there is still quite a bit of work to be done.

In Georgia's case, these are the 12 priorities that need to be fulfilled, as set out in the European Commission's Opinion .

The hard work - delivering on these 12 priorities -, is not to please Brussels. It is not to make happy people in Brussels or the Member States of the European Union. Ultimately, it is to improve the lives of the Georgian citizens, living up to the overwhelming European aspirations of the Georgian people.

I see a lot of European flags on the streets of this city. I know that 80% of Georgian people support [Georgia's path] to be [a] member of the European Union.

So let me express my appreciation for all those who stand up for a European future for Georgia.

Accession is a national task - all actors need to be working together constructively [and] united. Unity is more important than ever.

During my visit, I will meet the President [Salome Zourabichvili], the Prime Minister [Irakli Garibashvili], the Foreign Minister [Ilia Darchiashvili], the Parliament, as well as the civil society. We will discuss the progress so far and the work that still needs to be done, as I said at the beginning.

Georgia should use the short remaining time to address the key reform requirements. The short remaining time to address the key requirements.

Our commitment to Georgia - the European Union's commitment to Georgia - is also manifested through our financial support. We are the largest provider of bilateral assistance with almost 340 million during the period 2021-2024. And through our Economic and Investment Plan, around 1.3 billion in investments is being leveraged.

Also, from a geopolitical point of view, I will discuss with my interlocutors the negative consequences of Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine and reiterate the clear European support to Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

I am also here to mark the 15 years of continuous support and continuous presence of our EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) on the ground. This mission has been working day and night to provide security and peaceful conflict resolution. They started in 2008 and since then, the mission has been patrolling and monitoring every day the areas adjacent to breakaway regions. I will have the pleasure to visit them in the field tomorrow, after the meetings here in Tbilisi.

What we are seeing is that our investment in Georgia is increasing your resilience. We have also a strong cooperation on security and defence - something very important in these troubled times.

I want to recognise the important contribution that Georgia has provided to our European Union Common Security and Defence policies and [our] efforts [to strengthen] the Georgian defence forces via the European Peace Facility (EPF) that will provide about 60 million to increase the resilience and capacity of your army.

As you see, this is going to be a dense visit. I am looking forward to the very interesting exchanges that I will have with the Georgian authorities and society.

Happy to start this visit today here with you.

Thank you very much for your attention.

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Interview with Josep Borrell, EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

European External Action Service (EEAS)

07.09.2023

Tbilisi

Press and information team of the Delegation to GEORGIA

Dear High Representative/Vice President, welcome to Georgia. Your visit comes at a very important moment in EU-Georgia relations, just a few weeks ahead of the expected publication of the EU's enlargement report on Georgia. What will be the main messages during your visit at this important time for EU-Georgia relations?

This is my first official visit as High Representative to Georgia. In this historic moment for EU-Georgia relations, this will be an excellent opportunity to discuss progress on Georgia's European integration path and exchange views on wider foreign policy and regional matters. Georgia is an important partner for the EU, and I am here to reaffirm the EU's commitment tosupporting Georgia's progress on its path to EU membership. We see that the vast majority of Georgia's population strongly supports European integration. Georgian citizens are strongly committed to the EU values. This has been constant throughout the years. I come here also to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the EU Monitoring Mission, which is a very tangible sign of the EU's commitment to peace and stability in Georgia. My main message is: we care for Georgia, stand by Georgia and the country stands in front of a historic opportunity especially at this time. It is the responsibility of all actors, especially the government to make sure, this opportunity is used and not missed.

GD government says that the 12 EU conditions have been largely met, what do you think the EC assessment will be? What do you consider to be the critical factors that will influence the outcome of the EU's decision on Georgia's candidate status?

Enlargement is a merit-based process. The "homework" is very clearly defined and the results depend on the delivery by the aspirant country. The European Commission already provided the so-called oral update on the progress made by Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova with the priorities set forward by the European Council last June. The work undertaken by Georgia has been acknowledged, but additional efforts are required.

In autumn, the European Commission will publish a much broader and more comprehensive report on all 10 countries that are in the EU accession process, including Georgia. This is an objective evaluation carried out by the Commission that will give a clear picture on where Georgia stands on reforms and make recommendations for the next year. The report serves as basis for an informed decision that the 27 EU leaders will make in December. Such decision is made unanimously. There's little time left until these important decisions for Georgia's future are made, this is why we strongly encourage the Georgian authorities to seize this opportunity. The outcome depends fully on Georgia's merits. And it is not up to me to pre-empt now what will be in the report in autumn. I can only say that accession is hard work and that the delivery on all 12 priorities is just the beginning of a process.

"Enlargement' is no longer a dream" said the European Council President last week at the Bled Strategic Forum adding that the Union must be ready for the next enlargement by 2030. What is your assessment of this statement? Do you agree with it?

Indeed, the EU enlargement is no longer a dream. What it is clear at this stage is that enlargement will always be a merit-based process. This means that a country will become a member when it fulfills the necessary political and economic criteria. At the same time, I think it is good to have a political target - a horizon - in order to give a political impetus to the process. And this also applies to us, the EU, because we too need to be prepared for an enlargement that could add 10 more members to the European Union. I think, proposing a kind of 'time target', could mobilize our energies and the energies of the candidate countries, but obviously this implies that each aspiring country needs to fulfill the conditions for membership, otherwise it will not happen.

Next year Georgians will vote in parliamentary elections. We can already see the signs of the pre-election campaign. What is your message to them? What does the EU expect from the government and other politicians?

Indeed, next year, Georgia will hold very important elections, the first one to be fully proportional. As an aspiring EU member country, Georgia is expected to hold free and fair elections in line with international and EU standards, and of course, a peaceful and inclusive pre-election period. The European Commission's opinion of last year underlined the importance of having a sound electoral framework, this is one of the 12 priorities that Georgia needs to fulfil. It has also identified some shortcomings that Georgian authorities need to look into. This is an important element to consolidate democracy and uphold the rule of law - some of the basic principles upon which the EU is founded. Elections are always a very important indicator of the state and health of local institutions and democracy in the country. I hope we will see healthy, democratic elections conducted as we know it in the EU.

Georgian President embarked a series of visits to EU to promote Georgia's EU candidacy, which had been denied permission from the government. How does the government's announced intention to launch impeachment procedures against President Zurabishvili look from Brussels?

In order for a country to become an EU member, it needs to have a stable institutions guaranteeing democracy and the rule of law. This is also one of the 12 priorities set forward by the EU, together with the priority on depolarization and capability of cooperation across political parties. We are seeing all political developments in Georgia through this prism. I will be meeting with the President during my visit to Georgia as well as the Prime Minister and all parliamentary political parties. We appreciate the President's commitment to European values and her European vision for Georgia. Unity is more important than ever. The work undertaken by Georgia can only be sustainable in the long run if all political forces are behind the reform agenda. In the past year, all Georgians interlocutors that we have met in Brussels expressed their commitment to advance on the EU path. I hope this common purpose can become a unifying factor and a basis for more inclusiveness and depolarization. This means more cooperation and less tensions.

The EU Commission's June 2022 Opinion highlighted the need for Georgia to increase its convergence with the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The low rate of Tbilisi's alignment with EU statements and decisions has been commented about in Georgian media. Could you tell us why this is important and how important it is for the Commission and the EU capitals, when they take a decision on candidacy?

As an aspiring EU Member State, we expect Georgia to align with EU foreign policy decisions and actions. There are enlargement countries that meet this commitment with 100% rate. Last year, the alignment rate for Georgia was already at a low 44%, while currently stands at 43%. This holds a great significance for the EU as our foreign policy is governed by consensus. With a low alignment rate of 43%, Georgia shows that it has the potential to undermine such consensus. And this is not something taken lightly by Member States.

Russia has recently made a number of steps, signaling rapprochement with Georgia, which were taken aboard by the Georgian government. Among them lifting of visa requirements, establishing direct flights, opening quotas for Georgian students to study for free in Russian universities, etc. These steps prompted security concerns within Georgian society. Taking into account EU's policy towards Russia, what is your view on these developments?

Since the unprovoked and unjustified Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has been working hard to isolate Russia and to reduce Kremlin's ability to finance this brutal war. That is why the EU has adopted 11 packages of sanctions against Russian, showing the EU unity on this important issue. We expect our partner countries and, in particular those who aspire to become members, to align with our foreign policy decisions. We very much regret the government's decision to allow the resumption of flights with Russia and allow sanctioned individuals to enter Georgian territory.

These decisions go against EU's policy and international efforts to isolate Russia internationally due to its illegal war and atrocities in Ukraine.

In your opinion, how does the recent decision on establishing strategic partnership between Georgia and China is in line with Georgia's aspirations for closer integration - including economic integration - with the EU?

We take note of Georgia's newly established strategic partnership with China. It is the country's prerogative to establish deeper relations with foreign partners. As a country aspiring to EU membership, we expect that Georgia ensures that all aspects of its strategic cooperation are consistent with the EU rules and policies and its commitments on the EU path. Countries wanting to join the EU are expected to gradually align their foreign and security policy to the EU.

The EU remains the biggest donor in Georgia. Only in the past two years, we have mobilised around EUR 1.2 billion of investments under the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP). In the coming period, we want to accelerate the implementation of the EIP flagships and we will focus in particular on the Black sea connectivity flagship projects - the Black Sea electricity cable and the Black Sea digital cable. These projects are important to improve connections and trade flows between the European Union and the South Caucasus and Central Asia. We want Georgia to take the driving seat for these initiatives, as a key element of the EIP is ownership by our partner countries.

Many in Georgia are afraid that the EU might tire in the current stand-off between Russia and Ukraine, mindful that Russia will go to significant lengths not give what it still calls its "sphere of influence". What is your message to these Georgians?

There is no place for "spheres of influence" in the 21st century. Every country has the right to decide its own future and which path they want to take. Russia does not accept it, and resorts to blackmail and aggression in its neoimperialistic effort to dominate again countries in its neighbourhood . We cannot accept such behaviour and Russia's illegal actions. What is at stake is the respect for the UN Charter and the whole international order, which should not be the rule of the strong, but the rule of law. I see no signs of Europe tiring. We will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.

War against Ukraine has, on the one hand opened new possibilities for the countries of the region, and on the other, has exacerbated their security concerns. What is the EU long-term vision towards the vulnerable countries of the region and what factors will influence this vision, in your opinion?

Wars are big catalysts for change; the EU's policy in the Eastern Neighbourhood is not an exception. In response to the Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU began channeling support to Ukraine on an unprecedented scale, including with heavy weapons. These decisions are revolutionary.

We have also reinforced our security and defence cooperation with all countries of the region, including Georgia. For instance, the EU has been helping Georgia strengthen its defence forces through the European Peace Facility. The first batch of non-lethal equipment for the Georgian Defence Forces has reached Georgia already in April and since then we continue delivering. This equipment will be vital for a rapid response in crisis situations and for saving lives. A total of 62 million EUR has been earmarked until now under the European Peace Facility for Georgia.

Just as we stand with Ukraine, we stood and will continue to stand by Georgia, and fully support your sovereignty and territorial integrity. As I said, I will mark during my visit the the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the EU Monitoring Mission, which plays a vital role in support of long lasting peace and conflict resolution.

But I know we can do more. The EU has to be able to act fast, pre-empt negative developments and foster positive changes in the region, and allocate more human and financial resources towards both ends. All this will serve our security interests and accelerate our transformation into a more coherent and credible foreign policy actor.

With enlargement in view, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) policy must meet the challenge of how to combine inclusivity amidst greater differentiation among participant states. One possible way to go ahead is to preserve and to amplify the multilateral dimension, including the non-governmental one, while customising bilateral engagements even more. Local ownership will be key.

The ultimate goal is security, democracy and prosperity - not only for Ukraine but for the whole region and beyond - by protecting it from Russia's aggressive policy, for years to come.





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Saeima approves the participation of the National Armed Forces in the international operation in Kosovo until the end of 2025

Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Defence

09/07/2023

Information prepared by Media Relations Section

On Thursday, 7 September, the Saeima approved the participation of the National Armed Forces in NATO's international operation in Kosovo until 31 December 2025.

The participation of the National Armed Forces in the NATO-led international operation in Kosovo was foreseen until 31 December 2023, but in view of the growing tensions at the European borders and the need to stabilise the situation, as well as Latvia's commitment to fulfil its obligations towards NATO and its partners, the participation of the National Armed Forces in the operation needs to be extended.

"Russia's invasion in the Ukraine is a stark reminder to all democratic societies of the fragility and defence of peace and freedom. Latvian soldiers, participating in the international operation in Kosovo side by side with our NATO allies, are contributing to the development and strengthening of international security in Europe," said Defence Minister Inara Murniece.

Latvia is participating in the peacekeeping operation in Kosovo with a light infantry company integrated into the US-led multinational battalion, which conducts patrolling, force protection, combat capability maintenance, as well as rapid reaction force tasks.

Based on a UN Security Council resolution adopted in 1999, the NATO-led international operation in Kosovo was launched in June 1999 after a protracted inter-ethnic conflict in the Balkan region, and its main tasks are to establish and maintain a secure environment guaranteeing freedom of movement throughout Kosovo for all citizens, regardless of their ethnic origin. The operation is also tasked with supporting and coordinating international humanitarian efforts, supporting and coordinating the development of Kosovo's security forces and supporting the development of a peaceful, stable, democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo.

Latvia also participated in the operation from February 2000 to August 2009 with different unit sizes and specialities. The decision to resume participation in 2020 was taken at the invitation of the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

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Wargaming Towards Victory in the Indo-Pacific

US Marine Corps News

7 Sep 2023 | By Johannes Schmidt, MCSC Office of Public Affairs and Communication Marine Corps Systems Command

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- Three years into Force Design 2030, the United States Marine Corps has evolved into a leaner, more agile force designed to fight and win against the nation's stated adversaries, with a strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific.

Aligning with the Department of Defense's strategic pivot away from the Global War on Terrorism, this transformation relies not just on technological advancements and a structural reorganization but also on the strategic use of wargamesanalytical tools used to simulate aspects of warfare at the tactical, operational, and strategic level.

Although wargaming has been integral throughout the Corps' history, the initial call for wargaming modernization came from Gen. Robert Neller, the 37th commandant of the Marine Corps, who envisioned a wargaming capability akin to a 'holodeck'an imaginative technology from Star Trek that enables individuals to engage in virtual reality scenarios.

"In a perfect world, it would be like Jean-Luc Picard in 'Star Trek,'" Neller told reporters in 2017. "I'd walk into the holodeck and I'd go, 'Computer, Battle of Waterloo, 1812, Prussian army, I am in command, simulation  go.' That'll be here one day."

Neller's vision is predicated on decades of Marine Corps' innovation by highlighting the need for exquisite technology and facilities to harness that innovation. Wargaming assists in transforming it into actionable data to inform requirements, provide analysis for live-force experimentation, and contribute to concept refinement.

Recognizing the importance of his predecessor's vision, Gen. David H. Berger, the Corps' visionary former commandant, called for the implementation of "an intensive program of iterative concept refinement, wargaming, analysis and simulation, and experimentation" in his first iteration of Force Design 2030.

Today, this vision of a data-driven future is coming to life aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico where Marine Corps Systems Command is currently constructing a state-of-the-art center for wargaming and analysis.

Recently named the "General Robert B. Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis," this 100,446 square foot facility will allow Marines of all ranks and billets to wargame repeatedly in a secure, centralized location. Managed by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, this revolutionary new capability is set to open its doors in 2025.

As noted in a previous article, this will provide a crucial asset to the joint force and senior leadership, filling a gap previously absent in the National Capital Region by facilitating wargame participation for joint, interagency, and multinational organizations.

Historical Context and Modern Applications

The Marine Corps' relationship with wargaming began in the early 20th century and ramped up leading to the Second World War as the Corps rushed to build a forceand develop tacticsthat would allow it to successfully storm enemy beaches in Europe and the Pacific.

For the purposes of this article, a wargame can be defined as the methodical re-creation of competitive or conflict scenario(s), excluding real military forces, where human decisions shape events.

Col. George Schreffler, director of the Wargaming Division at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, explained this in layman's terms on a recent episode of the Equipping the Corps podcast where he discussed wargaming using board games like Risk or Dungeons and Dragons.

"Although we don't use those exact games, the principle remains the same: utilizing probability tables and dice rolls to drive decision-making and interactions. It's not about the specific results but rather the process of forcing decisions that mirror real-world scenarios."

But wargaming isn't all fun and games; it is a whole of Combat Development and Integration effort. According to Col. Ross Monta, portfolio manager for Command Element Systems, it's "a practical tool that's helping us build the future of the Marine Corps."

"Wargaming is one of the most effective means available to offer a glimpse of future conflict, which is why it was specifically called out as key to ensuring Force Design 2030 initiatives reflect a holistic approach to warfighting modernization," he noted.

Lt. Col. Wynndee Young, PM Wargaming Capability, added to the colonel's insights, noting, "Wargaming is crucial at every step of the mission, from both a tactical and operational perspective. It's a process that guides us in how to use our current capabilities to successfully execute the mission."

Wargaming is also important because it allows Marine Corps leadership to justify its spending to Congress and the taxpayer.

"Wargaming serves as a robust validation tool for our force design and future spending. It's how we provide Congress with concrete data, supporting our requests for specific capabilities. In essence, wargaming enables us to not only fine-tune our military strategy but also justify the resources needed to bring that strategy to life," she added.

Contemporary Wargaming Scenarios and Challenges

Today, wargaming continues to shape the Marine Corps' preparations for the future fight by simulating a range of scenarios across different theaters, helping hone the warfighter's ability to navigate complex challenges with agility and precision.

"Many of our wargames delve into scenarios that tackle key Pacific challenges, probing how we'd navigate them amid a national security crisis," said Tim Barrick, wargaming director at Marine Corps University. "Some cater to European contexts with precision, while others are intricately designed for the nuanced demands of the Pacific Theater. Ranging from tactical intricacies to expansive theater-level maneuvers, these games cover a broad spectrum. Most maintain the agility to adapt across theaters, enabling versatile exploration."

As Marines stand ready to answer the call to arms, wargaming remains a pivotal tool in their arsenal, enabling them to innovate, adapt, and strategize for the unique challenges of modern naval expeditionary warfare in the global littorals.

"In preparation for the multifaceted challenges of the Indo-Pacific, wargaming is a practical tool that informs future operating concepts, what capabilities are needed and should be invested in, and operational decisions and planning," said Monta. "Wargaming helps us break down complex military challenges into specific constraints and issues, while also allowing for insights into previously unknown issues that arise during the conduct of a game."

The Future of Wargaming

As Force Design 2030 continues to drive the Corps towards the future, wargaming will continue to play a crucial role in the planning and development of the tactics and strategies that have allowed the warfighter to fight and win throughout American military history.

But wargaming in the 21st century seeks to involve more than a few officers huddled around a slab of cardboard. Heeding Gen. Berger's call for modernization, MARCORSYSCOM is embracing bleeding edge technologies like artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

"At Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, we're taking things like large language models, like ChatGPT, and incorporating them into the simulations," Joel Corrientes, a subject matter expert at Marine Corps University, told reporters at Modern Day Marine.

Similarly, the development of the Warfighting Cloud means that a digital library of wargames can be securely accessed from various locations and devicesgreatly expanding the scope of the capability.

"The difference with the new Wargaming Cloud is the ability to expand wargaming opportunities beyond the classroom. This offers Marines access to a library of digital games on their own time and at their own pace," Brig. General Maura Hennigan, Marine Corps University president, said in a statement last year.

As Force Design 2030 continues to guide the Corps' modernization efforts, wargaming stands as an indispensable asset, helping to refine our strategies, validate our tactical approaches, and prepare us to face the intricacies of an ever-changing global landscape.

With the United States calibrating its strategic compass toward the Indo-Pacific, the role of wargaming transcends mere planning rather, it has evolved into a key pillar, serving to shape strategy and fortify operational excellence.

As we continue to navigate the changing currents of great power politics, MARCORSYSCOM's wargaming capability will help ensure that the warfighter remains agile, focused, and above all, prepared to fight and win in any clime or place.

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NATO Secretary General meets Ms Osmani of Kosovo to discuss tensions in northern Kosovo

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

07 Sep. 2023

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Ms Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo at NATO Headquarters on Thursday (7 September 2023) to discuss the recent tensions in the north of Kosovo and the importance of NATO's KFOR peacekeeping mission under its UN mandate.

"I welcome recent steps taken by Pristina to lower tensions, including reducing the number of special police in the north, and plans to facilitate new municipal elections. But it's essential to avoid further escalation. So I urge all parties to avoid inflammatory rhetoric, and to act with restraint and in line with their commitments," the Secretary General said.

Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the next round of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina taking place next week. He said that the dialogue is the "only way to resolve outstanding issues and to reach a solution that respects the rights of all communities. This requires patience, perseverance and compromise," he added.

In May this year, 93 KFOR troops were injured in unprovoked attacks in northern Kosovo, some seriously, which the Secretary General called "totally unacceptable." He said: "we expect timely and meaningful consultation on any actions of the Kosovo Security Force or Kosovo Police that could impact the security environment." Since the unrest, NATO has deployed hundreds of additional troops from its operational reserve force for the Western Balkans to Kosovo.

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Iran rejects Japanese-Arab statement, says Persian Gulf islands its 'eternal territory'

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 6:39 PM

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has censured a joint statement from the ministerial meeting of Arab-Japan Political Dialogue about Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb, emphasizing that the three islands in the Persian Gulf are an eternal part of the Iranian territory.

Nasser Kan'ani said on Thursday that the statement lacks any political or legal value, and is in violation of the principle of non-interference in domestic affairs of countries and respect for their territorial integrity.

The third session of the ministerial meeting of the Arab-Japan Political Dialogue, was held in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on September 5, 2023.

Regarding the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, the ministers attending the event called for efforts "to reach a peaceful solution through bilateral negotiation as per the provisions of the international law and UN Charter."

The three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.

The islands fell under British control in 1921 but on November 30, 1971, a day after British forces left the region and just two days before the UAE was to become an official federation, Iran's sovereignty over the islands was restored.

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OIC slams Papua New Guinea's embassy in occupied al-Quds as 'unlawful'

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 6:34 PM

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned Papua New Guinea's decision to open an embassy in the occupied city of al-Quds, stressing that the step is unlawful and constitutes a violation of international law as well as relevant UN resolutions.

It said in a statement on Thursday that the embassy opening specifically infringes upon UN Security Council Resolution No. 478 (1980), which calls on states that have established diplomatic missions in al-Quds to withdraw them.

The OIC stressed that the decision contributes to the consolidation of the system of illegal colonial occupation, and violates the rights of the Palestinian people.

It also called on Papua New Guinea to reverse its illegal decision, engage in supporting the efforts of the international community aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace, based on international resolutions and the 2002 so-called Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions normalizing ties with Israel on the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

On Tuesday, Papua New Guinea inaugurated its embassy in al-Quds, becoming the fifth country after the United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras to open a diplomatic mission in the holy city.

This is while most countries maintain their diplomatic representation in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates decried Papua New Guinea's decision to open embassy in al-Quds as "an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights."

It warned that the move would cause "great harm to the chances of achieving peace on the basis of a [so-called] two-state solution."

The Palestinian ministry said it will use all political, diplomatic and legal means to "pursue these countries over their unjustified aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights."

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Bahrain stabbed Palestine in back: Hamas says after Israeli embassy inauguration

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 10:03 AM

The Hamas resistance movement has condemned Bahrain's recent move to allow the opening of the Israeli embassy in Manama as "a stab in the back" of the Palestinians.

Speaking to the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news website, Mousa Abu Marzook, the deputy head of Hamas' Political Bureau, warned that the move will endanger Bahrain's security.

"We believe that the issue will harm the future and security of Bahrain. We also believe that the brotherly Bahraini nation is against it," he said. "The measure by the Bahraini government is tantamount to a stab in the back of the Palestinian nation."

Israel officially opened its diplomatic mission in Manama during a Monday ceremony attended by the regime's foreign minister Eli Cohen and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.

It came three years after both sides normalized ties as part of a deal brokered by former US President Donald Trump.

'Normalization with Israel to tarnish Saudi image in Muslim world'

Also in his remarks, the Hamas official referred to latest reports concerning an agreement on the general outline of a US-mediated normalization pact between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Under the deal, Saudi Arabia would reportedly secure American backing for a civilian nuclear program, as well as access to advanced weapons. In exchange, the kingdom would take major steps to distance itself from China, and Israel would allow an independent Palestinian state.

Some reports say Saudi Arabia has offered to resume financial aid to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA) in a bid to gain Ramallah's support for the normalization agreement with Israel.

Abu Marzook urged Riyadh to stop normalization talks with Tel Aviv as they would tarnish the kingdom's image in the Arab and Islamic world.

"The occupation is our main problem. The resistance will continue until the eradication of this cancerous tumor and the expulsion of the occupiers from Palestinian soil, as well as Lebanon and Syria," he said.

"We have a strategic goal ... to unite the entire Muslim Ummah to defend the occupied al-Quds and confront the occupying regime. The Zionist regime is our common enemy and has occupied three Arab countries."

He also hailed a high level of coordination between the Palestinian resistance and other resistance groups, which has posed challenges to the Zionist enemy in the region.

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Army strikes in Sudan's Omdurman leaves at least 32 killed

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 6:40 AM

An airstrike by the Sudanese army in the Ombada neighborhood in western Omdurman left at least 32 civilians killed and dozens injured, says an activist group, as violence continues unabated across the African country.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Emergency Lawyers condemned Tudesday's attack as a "war crime", calling for the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to be brought to justice.

"The use of heavy and light artillery in areas packed with civilians is a war crime ... and reflects a disregard for their lives," the legal group said.

Sudan's army and the RSF have been fighting since April 15 over a power struggle between army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads the paramilitary force.

The latest strike was part of the ongoing war between the two warring sides.

Following the attack, the United States imposed sanctions on RSF's senior commanders for committing "extensive" rights violations during the months-long conflict.

The US Treasury said in a statement on Wednesday that the measures will freeze and block any assets held by Abdelrahim Dagalo in the United States.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said in a parallel statement that the US was also imposing visa restrictions on fellow RSF commander, Abdul Rahman Juma, barring him from entering the country.

Blinken further called on all sides to "comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities or other abuses, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and negotiate an end to the conflict".

Separately on Wednesday, the United Nations' migration agency said more than 5 million people have been displaced by the fighting in Sudan.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 4 million people have been internally displaced since the conflict erupted in mid-April while another 1.1 million have fled to neighboring countries. More than 750,000 have traveled to either Egypt or Chad, the agency said.

The agency further said about 24.7 million Sudanese, roughly half the country's population, were in need of humanitarian aid and protection.

So far, most mediation efforts have largely failed and a few instances of the temporary humanitarian ceasefires were violated by the warring factions.

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In a first, Vietnam admits government accountability in Dak Lak attacks

Land disputes and a growing wealth gap are partly to blame, official says.

By RFA Vietnamese 2023.09.07 -- State mismanagement was among the causes of deadly attacks on government facilities in Vietnam's Dak Lak province, a top security minister said, in the first official acknowledgement that reasons other than "incitement" by hostile forces were to blame for the incident.

The admission of government accountability by a senior official for the June 11 incident - in which two groups of about 40 people armed with guns and knives attacked the headquarters of the southern communes of Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur - is rare in Vietnam, where criticism of the one-party state is not tolerated.

Nine people were killed in the attacks, including four policemen, two commune officials and three villagers. Authorities have since detained nearly 100 ethnic minority Montagnards for allegedly participating in what have been labeled an act of terrorism.

On Wednesday, Vice Minister of Public Security Tran Quoc To called the incident "unfortunate," according to a report by the official Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper, and acknowledged that frustration over Vietnam's growing wealth gap and poor land management by local officials were partly to blame.

However, the vice minister, who is also the brother of late President Tran Dai Quang, stressed that "negligence was not the only issue at play" and told the National Assembly Committee reviewing an investigation of the attacks that they were an "inevitable consequence of relentless opposition and sabotage" of the government.

The Vietnamese government and state media often refer to peaceful critics of state policies and those who call for greater protections of human rights as "hostile forces" - particularly overseas Vietnamese activists.

A persecuted people

The attacks occurred in an area that is home to about 30 indigenous tribes known collectively as Montagnards, who have historically felt persecuted or oppressed.

The term "Montagnard" was first used by the French during colonial times to refer to indigenous people living in Vietnam's mountainous areas but it is not used inside Vietnam these days.

In late June, RFA interviewed several overseas Montagnard organizations whose members denied involvement in the incident and condemned the violent attacks.

Last month, almost one year after the Vietnamese government received a United Nations communication regarding rights violations toward the Montagnards, Hanoi issued a letter of reply saying the ethnic group does not exist.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says the Montagnards are subjected to violations of freedom of religion and belief, and has accused the Vietnamese government of being "in total denial mode," rejecting allegations of rights violations and restricting access to the Central Highlands "to deny independent observers the opportunity to investigate."

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content September 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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Candlelight Party asks to meet interior minister in attempt to regain status

Human rights group releases a report finding restrictions on freedom of association in every province.

By RFA Khmer 2023.09.07 -- Hoping to regain its ability to run in future elections, the main opposition Candlelight Party asked Cambodia's newly appointed interior minister for a meeting to clear a bureaucratic hurdle - reissuing the party's original certificate of registration - that kept it out of July's parliamentary vote.

"The ministry can't create administrative obstacles," Party Vice President Rong Chhun told Radio Free Asia, adding that he hoped party officials could meet personally with Sar Sokha, who was named minister last month after his father stepped down from the position he held for more than 30 years.

The ministry has received the request and will respond with its decision, deputy spokesman Touch Sokhak said, adding that the ministry doesn't discriminate against any political party.

The Candlelight Party was blocked from running in the July election - won in a landslide by the ruling Cambodian People's Party - on a technicality that many saw as politically motivated.

In May, the National Election Committee said it wouldn't accept a statement from the Interior Ministry confirming the party's 1998 registration, insisting it required the original certificate issued by the ministry.

But that certificate was lost during a 2017 raid by government agents on the offices of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which at the time was the leading opposition party.

Bureaucratic obstacles

The Candlelight Party dates back to the 1990s, when it was founded as the Khmer Nation Party. It was later renamed as the Sam Rainsy Party and merged in 2012 with other opposition parties to become the CNRP.

After the Supreme Court banned the CNRP in 2017, the Candlelight Party was revived and began organizing in every province and municipality, attracting many of the same supporters.

The party competed in the 2022 commune elections - something its supporters pointed to in May when the National Election Committee issued its decision.

If the ministry complies with the law, the ministry must reissue the certificate of registration, legal expert Vorn Chan Lout said. But that's only if the ministry doesn't receive political pressure from elsewhere in the government or the CPP, he said.

"It is not an issue of whether the Ministry of Interior works independently," he said. "It will have the means to resolve the issue. But if the ministry thinks about political benefit, it will be difficult for the Candlelight Party."

'Frequent arbitrary interference'

Candlelight's request for a meeting comes as a Cambodian NGO released an overview report on fundamental freedoms - including freedom of association - in the country.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights tracked how freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association were exercised and controlled in 2022. It found restrictions to those freedoms in every province, with most instances occurring in Phnom Penh.

"The trends noted in 2022 were especially concerning as Cambodia was advancing into the 2022 Commune Elections and 2023 National Elections, a critical time where the exercise of fundamental freedoms is essential for free and fair elections," the report said.

The report found multiple attempts by the government and third parties to hamper political opposition, as well as "frequent arbitrary interference with public assemblies."

The government "appears to use laws to curtail civic space and restrict the exercise of fundamental freedoms, rather than to protect these rights," it said.

The organization's Fundamental Freedoms Monitoring Project based its report on 329 media monitoring incidents, 237 incident reports, a poll of 1,424 members of the public across 25 provinces, and a survey of 150 civil society organizations and trade union leaders.

Translated by Yun Samean. 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 September 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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NATO Chief Says No Sign Drone Debris In Romania Was Result Of 'Intentional Attack By Russia'

By RFE/RL's Romanian Service September 07, 2023

NATO has no information that the drone debris found on the territory of alliance member Romania was caused by a deliberate Russian attack, NATO's secretary-general has said.

"We don't have any information indicating an intentional attack by Russia, and we are awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigation," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told EU lawmakers in Brussels on September 7.

Ukraine on September 4 said that drones detonated in Romania during an overnight Russian attack on Izmayil, a Danube River port southwest of Odesa that borders Romania.

Since pulling out of the deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain via the Black Sea, Russia has launched several attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube, which has become an alternate route to get Ukrainian agricultural goods to market.

Romanian officials have sent mixed signals on whether their territory was struck by a Russian drone.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on September 5 that the attack was "verified 800 meters from our border, so very, very close."

But on September 6, Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said that pieces of a drone had been found on Romanian territory.

Tilvar told local news channel Antena 3 CNN that parts of what was most likely a drone had been discovered in the eastern Tulcea County, an area of the Danube that forms a natural border between Romania and Ukraine.

Romania briefed its NATO allies on September 6 about the find at a meeting in Brussels.

"The Romanian authorities have confirmed that debris, possibly from a drone, has been found on Romanian soil, close to the border with Ukraine," NATO spokesman Dylan White said in a statement.

"Allies expressed strong solidarity with Romania," White said. "We continue to monitor the situation closely, and we remain in close contact with our ally, Romania."

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been one other recorded incident of the war spilling into a NATO member state.

That was when a missile struck a farm in Poland, killing two people. Polish officials later said it appeared to be unintentional and that it was likely launched by air defenses in neighboring Ukraine.

With reporting by AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-romania-russian-drone- debris/32582703.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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As The EU Pushes Georgia To End Political Polarization, The Government Impeaches The President

By Joshua Kucera September 07, 2023

TBILISI -- When the European Union cracked open its door to Georgia last year, it made its invitation to formal candidate status conditional on the country reducing the polarization that has long vexed its domestic politics.

But before Brussels makes its critical decision on Georgia's candidacy in October, the country is embroiled in yet another bitter internal power struggle.

President Salome Zurabishvili is on a tour of Europe that so far has taken her to Berlin, Brussels, and Paris to promote Georgia's EU candidacy. But the Georgian Constitution requires the president -- whose position is largely symbolic -- to get permission from the government before conducting any foreign policy activities. According to the government, Zurabishvili asked for permission for the trip but was refused.

On the same day that she was warmly greeted in Brussels by European Council President Charles Michel, who praised her "personal commitment to advancing the European perspective of Georgia," back at home she was in trouble. The ruling Georgian Dream party announced on September 1 that it intended to launch impeachment proceedings against Zurabishvili.

Party officials have accused her of not promoting the country's EU candidacy but herself. Party Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said that the nominally independent Zurabishvili was acting in concert with Georgia's political opposition to undermine the government: "They are doing everything so that Georgia is not given candidate status; this is their main interest. [While] at the same time, if the country is given candidate status, Salome Zurabishvili will try her best to attribute this decision to herself."

Georgian Dream officials have acknowledged that they don't have the votes in parliament to carry out the impeachment. But the demonstrative effort is a sign of the political jockeying that is intensifying as the EU decision looms: As Georgians gain confidence from recent signals that their bid may be successful, attention in Tbilisi is turning to who does and does not deserve credit for the potentially landmark decision.

Georgia applied for EU candidate status shortly after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, along with Ukraine and Moldova. While those two latter countries were awarded candidate status in June 2022, Georgia was instead given an EU "perspective" and a list of reforms it should implement. In addition to tackling political polarization and other issues, the European Commission has recommended Georgia address judicial reform, increase the fight against corruption and organized crime, and commit to "de-oligarchization." In October, the EU will decide -- based on its perception of the progress Georgia has made on those reforms -- whether to award it candidate status.

Many in Georgia's political opposition and anti-government civil society groups argue that the government's efforts leave much to be desired. They point to the government's spotty implementation of the EU-demanded reforms, as well as a series of foreign policy moves that have called into question the country's once ironclad devotion to a Euro-Atlantic orientation.

The critics argue that a positive decision from the EU would thus allow Georgian Dream to claim credit it doesn't deserve and could boost the party ahead of parliamentary elections in 2024. They say the EU should advance Tbilisi's membership prospects but in a way that frames the gesture as an acknowledgment of Georgians' national will to become part of Europe rather than anything their government did.

"We are asking the European structures to give us the status, but make it very clear that the status was given to the Georgian people and Georgian society, and it was not deserved by the government," said Keti Khutsishvili, the executive director of the Open Society Foundation of Georgia, part of the network of civil society groups founded by financier and philanthropist George Soros.

The country's largest opposition party, the United National Movement, is going to launch a campaign in Europe for a decision from Brussels "to keep Georgia on the path to EU membership, but, at the same time, to allow the Georgian people to elect a pro-European, rule-of-law government," said the party's secretary for international relations, Zurab Chiaberashvili.

Georgian Dream, meanwhile, accuses the opposition and Zurabishvili of trying to sabotage the EU bid for their own gain and argues that a positive decision from Brussels should be credited only to them. In comments criticizing the president's tour, Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili said the party deserves "exclusive" credit for advancing Georgia's European aspirations.

Zurabishvili has become a particular target for Georgian Dream's ire, given her increasingly outspoken role. While she has few formal powers, her popularity has risen as she has voiced strongly pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian views even as the ruling party has adopted an increasingly transactional stance with its Western partners and even dabbled in anti-Western conspiracy theories. Most controversially, the government mooted a "foreign agent" law -- which Zurabishvili said would bring Georgia "closer to the flawed Russian model and not to the European model" -- before huge street protests forced the party to back down.

Despite the EU demands that the country reduce it, Georgian Dream sees polarization as one of its most useful political tools, said Vano Abramishvili, an analyst and head of the Peace Program at the Tbilisi-based NGO Caucasian House. And Zurabishvili's rising stature has made her a threat to the party, especially with elections coming up next year. "Zurabishvili is very popular and she might do something on her own, like form a political party or something, and they want to destroy her," Abramishvili told RFE/RL.

Zurabishvili's disobedience of the government orders to stay home -- epitomized by a viral Instagram post of her grinning widely on a speeding German train -- cemented her popularity among pro-Western Georgians. It represents a remarkable turnaround from when she was elected in 2018, when that same bloc dismissed her as a Georgian Dream puppet. But not long after she was elected, Georgian Dream began to tack in an antidemocratic direction, and she gradually began to push back against the party. And when the government responded timidly to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, she spoke forcefully at pro-Ukraine rallies.

During her tenure, her popularity ratings have risen significantly: Early in her time in office, in 2019, 57 percent of respondents in a poll from the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute saw her unfavorably, versus 36 percent who saw her favorably. The same poll, in March of this year, found those numbers had changed to 47 and 48, respectively, making her one of only three Georgian political figures with a net positive favorability rating.

The friendly reception she is receiving in European capitals demonstrates that her star is rising there, as well. And the impeachment proceedings against her will not help Georgia's case, said Sonja Schiffers, the director of the Tbilisi office of the German-based Heinrich Boell Foundation.

"If you would want to trust that the government acts in good faith and genuinely wants to get candidacy, then it's quite unbelievable to start this process now," Schiffers told RFE/RL. "So, I think this is another really big dubious incident after the foreign agent law and it puts the status into question."

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, is slated to report on Georgia's progress in its annual enlargement report, which will also assess Moldova's and Ukraine's bids to join the bloc. Then in December, the EU's 27 member states will vote on whether to advance Georgia's application.

It remains far from a given how the commission will decide, but pro-European Georgians have been cheered by recent signals coming from Brussels, impeachment drama notwithstanding. European Council President Michel has recently advocated speeding up the enlargement process and has pointedly included Georgia in his remarks.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, is visiting Tbilisi on September 7-8 in what appears to be a hastily organized bid to shore up Tbilisi's chances for advancement. He will meet with Zurabishvili, Gharibashvili, and other officials.

"Borrell's visit is a clear sign that the European Union is trying, it's grasping at straws with Georgia, trying to take every opportunity to give Georgia status," political analyst Khatuna Lagazidze told RFE/RL's Georgian Service. "Borrell would not come to say no," she said, but added that the case for a positive decision still needed to be strengthened.

Ahead of the visit, Borrell was asked by Georgian news website Civil.ge about Zurabishvili's impeachment, and he gave her a clear endorsement: "We appreciate the president's commitment to European values and her European vision for Georgia. Unity is more important than ever," he said.

The implications for Georgia's politics will likely be on the mind of policymakers in Brussels as they make their decision. "It's a tough call, because if you give Georgia candidacy, it's almost rewarding this government, which is backsliding on democracy. And [the government] can say, 'See, we got us the invitation.' But if you don't give it to them, then they're going to say, 'The West doesn't want us, so there is only Russia,'" said Brian Whitmore, a fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, in an interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service. "There is no good option here."

While the European Commission should not weigh the Georgian domestic political implications of its decision too heavily, it may seek to use language that minimizes the benefit that the government can extract from a positive decision, Schiffers said. For example, it could say that it is advancing Georgia's application "despite the lack of implementation" of the reforms.

"I expect that they will be explicit about this," she said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-pushes-georgia-end-polarization- government-impeaches-president/32582744.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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Armenia's Pashinian Accuses Azerbaijan Of Troop Buildup On Border

By RFE/RL's Armenian Service September 07, 2023

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has accused Azerbaijan of concentrating forces near the border between the two countries amid a fresh spike in tensions between the longtime rivals.

Speaking at a meeting of senior government officials on September 7, Pashinian claimed Azerbaijan was conducting an "ongoing military buildup along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-Azerbaijan border."

There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijani officials.

The comments come days after both Azerbaijan and Armenia reported casualties after intense shelling near their common border, northwest of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, on September 1.

The escalation comes amid a continuing crisis over Nagorno-Karabakh where Yerevan and local ethnic Armenian authorities accuse Baku of continuing its "illegal blockade" of the region, resulting in severe shortages of food, fuel, and other basic products.

With tensions rising, Armenia announced on September 6 that it will host a joint army exercise with the United States next week.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 Eagle Partner 2023 exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions.

A U.S. military spokesperson said 85 U.S. soldiers and 175 Armenians would take part, according to Reuters.

The planned drill comes after Pashinian accused Russia of failing to protect Armenia against what he described as continuing aggression from Azerbaijan.

Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, maintains a peacekeeping force in the region to uphold an agreement that ended a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020.

On September 7, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the planned joint military drill was unhelpful.

"In this situation, holding such exercises does not contribute to stabilizing the situation in any case and strengthening the atmosphere of mutual trust in the region," Peskov said.

Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but inhabited primarily by ethnic Armenians, has been a source of conflict between the two Caucasus neighbors since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-claims-troop- buildup-border/32582534.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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First F-16 Block 70 fighter jet for Slovakia is built, others are in the process of production at Lockheed Martin's Greenville site

Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic

07.09.2023

On Wednesday 6 September 2023, Defence Minister Martin Sklenar visited Lockheed Martin's Greenville site in South Carolina, the home of the F-16 Fighting Falcon production line, where the first F-16 Block 70 aircraft carrying the Slovak national emblem and the emblem of the Slovak Air Force was officially unveiled and presented to the SVK MOD delegation. The aircraft still awaits its full finalisation and flight tests are scheduled for this November. The head of the SVK MOD was also briefed on the progress made in producing the other 13 F-16 jets.

After the delivery of the F-16 fleet on order from the United States, Slovakia will be the first European country to receive and operate this newest and most capable version of the Fighting Falcon. The F-16 Block 70 aircraft, featuring advanced 21st Century Security capabilities, will bring the highest standards of airspace security to Slovakia for decades to come.

Speaking after the aircraft's official reveal at the Slovak F-16 Block 70 Ceremony Event at Lockheed Martin in Greenville, Defence Minister Martin Sklenar said: "Im so very pleased I had the opportunity to see the first fighter jet that will take the Slovak Air Force forward by generations, as will the defence capability of our country. As well as being Slovakias biggest investment project in the modernisation of our Armed Forces, this is also an opportunity to deepen our strategic partnership."

"These F-16s will enable the Slovak Air Force to stay ahead of threats in the region, and be part of the allied mission in Europe, NATO and around the world," said OJ Sanchez, vice president, Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin, adding: "This jet represents the strong partnership between Lockheed Martin, the United States, the Slovak Republic and allies."

According to Director General of the MOD Modernisation Department and National Armaments Director Michal Homza, preparations involving expert teams at individual levels are on track to make sure the first two aircraft are available for training SVK F-16 technicians in the USA. "Based on the current agreement, the F-16 fighter jets will be arriving in Slovakia in stages, starting from the second quarter of next year," he said.

Alongside the Slovak Air Force's new F-16 Fighter Jet Capability, our strategic partnership also offers other unique opportunities for industry involvement, including establishing cooperation between Slovakia's state-owned Aircraft Repair Company Trencin (LOTN) and Lockheed Martin as F-16 manufacturer - the subject of which is LOTN's future participation in the maintenance of some aircraft components. In addition, LOTN will be responsible for introducing the Integrated Logistics Information and Automation System (ILIAS) to support the implementation and sustainment of Slovakia's F-16 Block 70 fleet.

Lockheed Martin's donation of $180,000 to the Central Military Hospital Ruzomberok to help repair fire damage to its Surgical Pavilion is a practical outcome of this cooperation as well.

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Poland's Defense Spending Quadruples to $36Bln Since 2015

Sputnik News

20230907

WARSAW (Sputnik) - Poland's defense spending has quadrupled to 155 billion zlotys ($36 billion) since 2015, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday.

"Improving the system of public finances allows us to spend enormous amounts of money on the military. Just to compare 2015 and 2024, in 2015, we spent 37 billion zlotys, while in 2024, we will spend over 150 billion, that is, about 155 billion zlotys. This is an increase of about four times, or by 400%," Morawiecki told reporters.

Poland has recently purchased large quantities of arms and military equipment from domestic and foreign defense companies, mainly from the United States and South Korea. The weapons purchased include aircraft and helicopters, rocket and cannon artillery systems, air and missile defense systems, drones, small arms and a wide range of ammunition.

 Sputnik

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US Considers Eliminating Nigerien Military Leadership - Russia's Foreign Intel

Sputnik News

20230907

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States is considering an option of physically eliminating some African leaders, including representatives of the military leadership in Niger, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Thursday.

According to SVR, intelligence data shows that the US is not satisfied with developments in Niger following the recent military takeover. Washington is considering slowing down the process of Africa becoming one of the centers of multipolar world, as well as taking over France's sphere of influence in the Sahel region.

"The White House is working on various options for 'strengthening democracy' in Niger. It is considered unjustified to do this with the help of the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), which has close ties to Paris. The Americans consider the physical elimination of the 'coup leaders' who rely on the support of the majority of the population as a more 'effective' option. US intelligence agencies directly discuss the issue of potential perpetrators of possible assassination attempts with partners," the SVR said in a statement.

A power takeover in Niger took place on July 26. Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani. Most Western countries as well as ECOWAS condemned it. In early August, ECOWAS adopted a plan for a potential military intervention in Niger.

 Sputnik

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NATO Expects Members to Increase Defense Spending by Over 8% This Year

Sputnik News

20230907

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - NATO expects its member states to increase their defense spending by more than 8% this year, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

"And this year, we expect NATO allies to increase defense spending by more than 8% in new terms," Stoltenberg said at a meeting of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee and security and defense subcommittee.

Stoltenberg added that Ukrainian crisis has made cooperation between NATO and the European Union even more important.

The NATO head also said that Ukraine has never been closer to the membership in the alliance than now.

"These three things [from the Vilnius summit in July], the interoperability, the networking Council, and removal of the requirements for Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, demonstrate that Ukraine has never been closer to a membership in NATO than now," Stoltenberg said.

Kiev has long been dreaming about NATO membership, yet Western politicians made it clear that Ukraine will not be admitted to the military alliance until the end of hostilities.

Previously political experts told Sputnik that US will never grant Ukraine NATO membership and will simply use this country as "anti-Russian" foothold.

Kremlin officials repeatedly stressed that NATO expansion on the East and Kiev plans to enter US-backed military alliance were one of the reasons the special military operation was launched.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon Nixes Test of First-Ever US Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon

Sputnik News

20230907

Seeking to catch up to Russia and China, the Pentagon's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon has a reported range of over 1,725 miles and travels at roughly five times the speed of sound.

The US military scrapped a test of what was meant to be the army's first hypersonic long-range missile in its arsenal. The Pentagon did not specify the reasons for the cancellation.

The Western media pointed out that this decision raises concerns whether the US will be able to compete in hypersonic warfare with Russia and China. Hypersonic LRMs have the ability to surmount traditional air defenses and can be armed with nuclear warheads.

The US Defense Intelligence Agency said in March that the US is losing the hypersonic race to China, and emphasized that this raises alarm bells concerning national security.

According to media reports, the Army's 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington is going to operate the first battery of eight LRHW missiles when they are fielded.

In theory, the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon consists of a ground-launched missile equipped with a hypersonic glide body and associated transport, support, and fire control equipment.



 Sputnik

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Two People Killed While Trying to Infiltrate French Base in Chad - Source

Sputnik News

20230907

TUNIS (Sputnik) - Two people were killed and about 15 were injured while trying to enter the French military base in the Chadian city of Faya-Largeau after the incident with the death of a soldier, a local informed source told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, residents of Faya-Largeau gathered to hold protests and attempted to infiltrate a French military base after the local soldier died at the hands of a French doctor.

"The death toll was three people, including the Chadian soldier killed by the French. About 15 people sustained injuries of varying severity. There are women and children among the victims," the source said.

Immediately after the incident, most of the French military base was evacuated by plane to the Chadian capital of N'Djamena. Currently, the French base is blocked by the Chadian military in order to prevent the protesters from re-penetrating its perimeter, the source added.

Chadian political scientist Evariste Ngarlem Tolde told Sputnik on Wednesday that members of the Chadian parliament had demanded the withdrawal of French military forces from the country after the death of a local resident in care of a French doctor in Faya-Largeau. He added that the protests could spread across the country.

The France-led counterterrorism mission Barkhane was founded in 2014 to assist the Malian military in their fight against terrorism in the African region of Sahel. The mission involved forces of the G5 Sahel countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Mauritania.

In the spring of 2022, the Malian government announced it was terminating defense agreements with Paris and called on the country to withdraw troops involved in the Barkhane and other missions. In November 2022, Macron announced the official end of Operation Barkhane.





 Sputnik

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Secretary Blinken's Call with Romanian Foreign Minister Odobescu

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

September 7, 2023

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu today. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Odobescu discussed Romania's investigation of the drone debris found in Romania, close to the border with Ukraine. The two discussed additional cooperation to preserve airspace security, including an upcoming rotation of additional U.S. F-16 fighter jets to bolster NATO's air policing mission in Romania. Secretary Blinken affirmed our unwavering support to Romania, our NATO Ally.



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Independent Audit of Gazprom's Debt Claims Against Moldovagaz

US Department of State

Press Statement

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

September 7, 2023

The United States welcomes the completion of the independent audit commissioned by the government of Moldova and conducted by an outside firm to examine Gazprom's debt claims against Moldovagaz. It should come as no surprise that Gazprom could not substantiate the exorbitant bill that Russia expected the Moldovan people to pay. The United States reaffirms its support for the Republic of Moldova's ongoing efforts to diversify its energy sources and ensure a more prosperous and transparent future for its people.





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The Security Council must continue to ensure UN peacekeeping is fit for modern challenges: UK statement at the Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on UN peacekeeping.

7 September 2023

Thank you President, I thank Under-Secretary-General Lacroix for his briefing and continued leadership of UN peacekeeping.

President, the United Kingdom pays tribute to those peacekeepers who lost their lives in pursuit of peace this year. Peacekeeping relies on the determination and dedication of United Nations personnel. As members of the Security Council, we must support them - as must all host nations and member states - by providing the necessary training and equipment, improving awareness of threats, and ensuring medical provision.

The UK continues to play its part, training thousands of UN peacekeepers each year. As a top contributor of extra-budgetary funds - more than $2.8m in 2022 - we remain committed supporters of peacekeeping reform.

We are also dedicated to advancing the participation of women in peacekeeping and peace processes, through our support for the Senior Women Talent Pipeline and the Elsie Initiative Fund, to which we have contributed $9m to date. We look forward to discussing these issues further at the Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in Ghana this December.

President, UN peacekeeping operations have faced continued challenges, as we've heard today. Disinformation campaigns against UN peacekeeping missions are on the rise, undermining their ability to implement safely and effectively their mandates. We are grateful to co-hosts, Rwanda, the Netherlands and Indonesia, for their support ahead of our planned Peacekeeping Ministerial Preparatory Conference on countering mis- and dis-information next month.

Missions also continue to suffer from restrictions on freedom of movement, and of violations of status of forces agreements, including in Mali, CAR, Lebanon and Western Sahara.

It is not only peacekeeping missions that suffer when host governments neglect their obligations - it is the people peacekeepers protect that so often pay the price. Host states must allow the safe and effective implementation of mission mandates.

With MINUSMA withdrawing from Mali, and MONUSCO's transition approaching, we should implement lessons learned from past peacekeeping transitions. Particularly, we should be wary of time-based, rather than conditions-based, withdrawals of peacekeeping operations, which can put lives and peace processes at risk.

President, in conclusion, let me underscore the continued importance the United Kingdom places on UN peacekeeping, which remains an essential tool to respond to peace and security threats.

As a Council, we must continue to ensure UN peacekeeping is fit for modern challenges and receives our full support.

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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

7 September 2023

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

** Indonesia

All right, good afternoon, everyone. We are going to have a bunch of guests today but first I'll go through my part.

The Secretary-General will be leaving Jakarta shortly to head to the G20 summit in New Delhi.

Speaking to the thirteenth ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-UN summit, the Secretary-General noted the strong partnership that exists between the two organizations, notably since the adoption of the UN-ASEAN comprehensive partnership 10 years ago. In a world of growing fragmentation, he congratulated ASEAN for its continued support for multilateral solutions and all its efforts towards bridgebuilding, dialogue and conflict prevention.

Speaking about the situation in Myanmar, he said that "brutal violence, worsening poverty and systematic repression are crushing hopes for a return to democracy". Mr. [Antonio] Guterres reiterated his call on the military authorities of Myanmar to free all detained leaders and political prisoners and open the door towards the full restoration of democratic rule.

The Secretary-General also told the assembled leaders that ASEAN is uniquely positioned to set an example to the world when it comes to fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity. He commended those ASEAN member States who are taking the bold decision to accelerate the phaseout of coal and jump-start a fair and inclusive renewables revolution.

In his remarks to the press prior to the Summit, Mr. Guterres said that ASEAN has been an important factor for unity in a divided world.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Secretary-General met with Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia; Nanaia Mahuta, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, and Li Qiang, Premier of the People's Republic of China. We have issued readouts of those meetings.

** Syria

This morning, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, briefed Security Council members on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) related to the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons programme.

She emphasized that any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and a clear violation of international law, adding that the United Nations will continue to support all efforts to uphold the norm against chemical weapons, and to relegate these dreadful weapons to history.

** Security Council

And this afternoon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Head of the Peace Operations department, will brief the Security Council in a session dedicated to UN peacekeeping operations.

As usual, we will share his remarks.

** Latin America and the Caribbean

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today said that children are migrating through Latin America and the Caribbean in record numbers and now account for a larger share of the migrant population than other regions in the world.

Record numbers of children are on the move using three major migration routes in Latin America and the Caribbean  through the Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama, crossing from South America, and using key transit points in northern Central America and Mexico.

And at 1 p.m. Gary Conille, UNICEF's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, will be here to brief you on this subject.

** Artificial Intelligence

As students are returning to school after the summer break in many parts of the world, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is calling on Governments to implement appropriate regulations and teacher training, to ensure a human-centred approach to using generative AI in education.

To this end, the agency published its first global Guidance on Generative AI in Education and Research, designed to address the disruptions caused by generative AI technologies.

UNESCO said that generative AI can be an opportunity for human development, but it can also cause harm and prejudice. It adds that it cannot be integrated into education without public engagement and the necessary safeguards and regulations from governments.

You can read the full report online.

** International Days

Today is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, and the theme for this year is "We must act together for clean air."

In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General says that together, we must accelerate a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, towards clean renewable energy, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

And today, as we mark the first International Day of Police Cooperation, the Secretary-General underscores in his message for this Day that the UN supports countries in ensuring that women are equally represented in all functions, including as leaders, of the police workforce.

** Financial Contribution

And some good news, just in, that Guinea has paid its regular budget dues in full, which takes us to 134 fully paid-up Member States. Thank you, Conakry!

** Press Briefings

And as for guests, today, our guests will be Sarah E. Hendriks, UN-Women's Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Programme, Civil Society, and Intergovernmental Support; Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); and Cindy Cox-Roman, the CEO of HelpAge USA. They will launch the Gender Snapshot 2023.

And as I already noted, at 1 p.m., there will be a briefing here in this room by Gary Conille, UNICEF's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, on "The Changing Face of Child Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean".

And then tomorrow, our guest will be Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW).

She will brief on a new report which will launch tomorrow, International Literacy Day.

The report analyses the latest trends in education in emergencies, including alarming increasing needs, and reveals new data on ECW's work with UN and civil society partners in supporting quality education for girls and boys caught in crises worldwide.

** Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman : So, is there anything for me before we go to our guests?

Yes, Grigory?

Question : Thank you very much, Farhan. Today, the Secretary-General in Jakarta said about a necessity of mutual guarantees to resume grain deal. So, did the UN already said this kind of new ideas to the Russian side? And the second one, please, are there any plans for Secretary to meet Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov on the margins of G20? Thank you.

Deputy Spokesman : Regarding Mr. Lavrov, the two of them did attend the ASEAN dinner at the same time. So, they were able to see each other at that point. I don't have anything to say about the G20, which, of course, is still in the future.

And regarding the question of mutual guarantees, I would just refer you to what he said in his press remarks today in Jakarta, where he said that we are deeply engaged not only in returning to the Black Sea Initiative, but also in implementing our Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Federation. And he said that we remain actively engaged in aspects related to the access of the Russian Federation to both financial markets and to different other aspects in order to facilitate its exports.

Abdelhamid?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. First, I want to ask about Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura. After he left Laayoune, where is he now? Is he continuing with his trip to the region? And can you update us on that?

Deputy Spokesman : I'm aware that he arrived in Dakhla on 6 September in the context of his first visit to the Western Sahara region that started on 4 September. We'll have further updates about the various stops on his trip as they go ahead.

Question : In a related development, the Frente Polisario issued a statement few days ago, saying one of their senior officers had been killed on the border by a Moroccan drone that is made in Israel. He was killed with, I think, three others. Can you confirm this incident? And if there is any report from MINURSO (United Nations Mission in Western Sahara) to confirm it?

Deputy Spokesman : I do not have any confirmation of this incident. Obviously, any such reports would need to be fully investigated.

Pam?

Question : Sorry. Thank you, Farhan. As a follow-up to the previous question about the grain initiative, do you have any updates on any of the talks in Jakarta, or if there are any planned talks for here at UNGA (United Nations General Assembly), since the SG will be back, the President of Turkiye is here? Any plans?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, certainly, the Secretary-General is willing to meet with the President of Turkiye when he comes to the General Assembly. But the Secretary-General in Jakarta did say that there are discussions going on at various levels. It's not helpful at this stage to provide any details of those discussions, but as we've been doing before, we continue to engage at all levels to make sure that both Ukrainian exports of food and fertilizer and Russian Federation exports of food and fertilizer can go out.

And with that, let me turn to our guests.

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UN chief hails SE Asia for vital role 'building bridges of understanding'

7 September 2023 - Amid rising geopolitical tension, Southeast Asia is fulfilling a "vital role in building bridges of understanding" worldwide said the UN chief on Thursday.

Antonio Guterres was speaking in Jakarta, Indonesia, at the opening of the ASEAN-United Nations Summit, addressing Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and declaring "our partnership is more important than ever."

Tests 'as far as eye can see'

The international community faces tests "as far as the eye can see - from the climate emergency to a global cost-of-living crisis...to raging conflicts...to growing poverty, hunger, and inequalities."

With the risk of what he has often called a Great Fracture growing, he said ASEAN's bridge building role was needed "in a world that is increasingly multipolar and that requires strong multilateral institutions to go with it - based on equity, solidarity, and universality."

Mr. Guterres said he was grateful for the ASEAN bloc of ten nations' "steadfast support for multilateral solutions."

There are more than 5,000 peacekeepers deployed from ASEAN countries and a Community Vision plan in place taking the region to 2045.

He noted ASEAN's convening power in a region that represents "the most dramatic divisions in today's world". The body's "commitment to dialogue and experience in conflict prevention are crucial pillars of stability", he added.

He praised Member States for the constructive diplomatic efforts being made - from the Korean Peninsula to the South China Sea - in line with international law.

Crushed hopes in Myanmar

Mr. Guterres did not mince his words addressing the most intractable crisis in the region - the military regime in Myanmar that ousted the democratically-elected Government and national figurehead of Aung San Suu Kyi, in February 2021. She and other leaders remain in jail.

"Brutal violence, worsening poverty, and systematic repression are crushing hopes for a return to democracy."

He described the situation as simply "untenable".

"Over one million Rohingya remain in Bangladesh, in the world's largest refugee camp. And, regrettably, the conditions for their safe, voluntary and dignified return are not yet in sight. Much more is needed", the UN chief told delegates.

He voiced his appreciation for ASEAN's principled approach and reiterated the UN's call for a unified strategy to end the suffering across Myanmar.

Clarion call to junta

"My call to the military authorities of Myanmar is clear: free all detained leaders and political prisoners; open the door towards the full restoration of democratic rule."

On the climate crisis, he lamented the human-driven "assault against the planet", and noted that ASEAN States were among the most biodiverse in the world, and the most vulnerable to disasters.

There's still time to limit the worst impacts of climate change he declared, and meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement limiting global warming.

ASEAN 'uniquely positioned'

He said ASEAN was "uniquely positioned" to be a leader in global, sustainable, just, inclusive and equitable energy transition.

But greater ambition is needed along with greater support, repeating his call for developing countries to honour their commitments to developing nations.

Finally, he called for greater action in Southeast Asia to realise the SDGs, or Sustainable Development Goals, including an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year.

"I count on ASEAN member States to help raise global ambition in the vital months ahead", said the UN chief.

"And you can always count on my wholehearted support to shape a future of peace and prosperity for the people of Southeast Asia and the world."

Speaking to journalists in the Indonesian capital later, the UN chief made clear the world needs "cooperation on all fronts" to create a better future for all:

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Growing national divisions 'a formidable challenge' to UN peacekeeping

7 September 2023 - The head of peace operations on Thursday underscored the need for stronger, more consistent and unified support from Member States for the UN to achieve its key peacekeeping goals.

Growing national divisions, combined with increasingly complex conflicts, pose a formidable challenge to peacekeeping and the maintenance of security, Jean-Pierre Lacroix told ambassadors in the Security Council chamber.

No 'magic wand'

"Peacekeeping is not a magic wand to help a country return to stability, but with the support of a unified international community, political processes and peace agreements have been implemented," Mr. Lacroix said.

Mr. Lacroix emphasized that UN peacekeeping operations continue to play a crucial role in protecting civilians caught in the crossfire.

Protection mandate

"Even where political solutions to conflicts seem distant, peacekeepers continue to protect the lives of hundreds and thousands of civilians in countries and regions in which we are deployed," he said.

Peacekeepers also keep civilians out of harm's way by preserving ceasefires and preventing further fighting, and their presence serves as a vital deterrent, he added.

Mr. Lacroix also highlighted threats against UN 'blue helmets', noting that 18 peacekeepers had been killed by malicious acts since last September.

"The death of one peacekeeper is always one too many", he said.

Women, peace and security agenda

Advancing the women, peace, and security agenda remains a core priority in UN peacekeeping, Mr. Lacroix said, stressing the need to involve more women in political processes to forge a sustainable peace.

He cited the example of the MONUSCO mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who's active support for women's participation in the so-called Nairobi process, led to significant representation in consultations between the Government and armed groups.

Efforts to achieve gender parity within peacekeeping are also underway, with women constituting 25.6 percent of individual uniformed personnel as of May. Currently, 38 per cent of heads and 33 per cent of deputy heads of civilian-led peacekeeping operations are women, Mr. Lacroix added.

He reiterated his call for Member States to remove barriers at the national level and increase the participation of women in peacekeeping.

Use of technology

He went on to emphasize the role of technology and data in the future of peacekeeping, noting the ongoing implementation of the Strategy for the Digital Transformation of UN Peacekeeping.

"While we have made progress toward tech-savvy, data-informed peacekeeping forces, further investments in data capabilities among personnel is required to ensure that data can be effectively leveraged for effective decision-making," he said.

Dispelling falsehoods

Addressing the importance of strategic communication, Mr. Lacroix emphasized its role in managing expectations among host governments and populations.

He noted that several missions are conducting regular perception surveys to better understand local attitudes and expectations.

He also emphasized the need to combat misinformation and disinformation, citing an example where a false online story was quickly debunked by the peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSCA).

He stressed the importance of having the right skills at all levels to push back against the scourge.

Addressing misconduct

Mr. Lacroix said that the UN continues to take all necessary measures to address allegations of all forms of misconduct, both past and present.

"Ending impunity for all forms of misconduct remains a central goal and we have taken drastic measures in the case of serious allegations, including through repatriation of units where needed," he said.

He called on governments to ensure preventive measures, enforce zero-tolerance of all misconduct, and, most importantly, uphold the rights and dignity of victims.

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USAFE-AFAFRICA demonstrates breakthrough mobile MQ-9A satellite launch, recovery package

Published Sept. 7, 2023

By 2nd Lt Gabriele Gocso

U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa

MIROSLAWIEC, Poland (AFNS) -- The U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa achieved a significant technological proof of concept for the MQ-9A Reaper's Satellite Launch and Recovery Package, or SLR-P, at the 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Air Base in Mirosawiec.

While various iterations of the concept have surfaced in different contexts, the SLR-P offers a compact, "wallet-sized" innovation poised to launch and recover the MQ-9A at strategic theater locations situated in some of the most rugged, remote outposts in Europe. This marks a departure from conventional practices that necessitated returning to home stations for basic level maintenance.

"We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, which means it takes an innovative and motivated group of people - like what you see here - to influence change and propel us into the future," said Maj. Philip West, USAFE-AFAFRICA project lead. "With this technology, we're putting the 'A' in 'ACE' [Agile Combat Employment] for the MQ-9A."

Tailored specifically for the European and African theaters, the SLR-P consists of a small, mobile container with an inventory list finely tuned to address the unique operational requirements and environmental nuances of each specific region. The container can be retrofitted with its own wheels to be towed or be carried by any means of available transportation and is designed to be highly mobile.

One of the most dramatic impacts of this concept is to reduce the "boots on the ground" needed to operate and maintain precision aircraft. Where traditional remotely piloted operations required teams of 30 to 150 personnel, the SLR-P can execute with a lean crew of just eight multi-capable Airmen.

This lean crew of multiple capable Airmen came from USAFE-AFAFRICA's 435th Contingency Response Group.

"Empowering multi-capable Airmen is what we do every day," said Col. Robert Rayner, 435th CRG commander. "The creation of the CRG 25 years ago aimed to extend airpower beyond our main bases. While our primary mission is supporting mobility operations, we've adapted our capabilities to respond to what the Air Force, and specifically what USAFE, needs."

"Today, we're launching and recovering MQ-9As, but tomorrow it could be F-16s, and the next day, C-17s. Whatever the requirement, the 435th CRG remains light, lean and lethal to support," he added.

The SLR-P's integration with satellite technology also ushers in a new era of connectivity and maintenance efficiency. This capability facilitates rapid power-up of the MQ-9A and seamless satellite link establishment, minimizing pre-mission preparations.

By simplifying maintenance functions, the SLR-P allows the maintenance team to focus solely on essential tasks, leading to reduced downtime and heightened mission readiness.

This successful proof of concept not only marks the emergence of a new era in remotely piloted operations, but it also highlights the steadfast dedication of both the U.S. and Poland to shared security goals and technological progress.

"Hosting this first-ever proof of concept underscores Poland's commitment to protecting not only Polish sovereignty but also fulfilling its obligation as a pivotal member of the NATO alliance," said Col. Marcin Szubinski, Polish Air Force's 12th UAV Air Base commander. "We are proud to contribute to testing this capability, building on our five-year history of implementing cutting-edge ISR technologies within EU airspace by prioritizing interoperability with our NATO allies while refining procedures and capabilities as needed."

This proof of concept notably commenced amidst challenging weather conditions. Under typical circumstances, the mission for the day might have been canceled; however, the weather in Poland proved to be favorable for testing the system's resilience, prompting the team to make a pivotal choice - executing a weather diversion to this new field or returning the MQ-9A back to its home station.

Airmen stationed with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard undertook a task unprecedented at this airfield, achieving a milestone that holds immense significance. In the process, they officially designated this location as a future alternate launch site, particularly in periods of adverse weather.

Poland now stands as destination for America's most powerful, capable aircraft, ready to serve as an alternate launch location during times of inclement weather. This development further emphasizes the adaptability and resilience that characterize this transformative proof of concept.

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USS Shiloh Departs Yokosuka, Japan After 17 Years of Forward-Deployed Service

US Navy

07 September 2023

From Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Askia Collins

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- The Ticonderoga-class guided missile-cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) departed Yokosuka, Japan, on Sept. 5 to transit to its new homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of a planned rotation of forces in the Pacific.

Shiloh arrived on station at Yokosuka Naval Base in August 2006 to fulfill the obligations of the U.S.-Japanese ballistic missile defense program and to support operations within the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations (AOO).

"For nearly two decades, USS Shiloh provided our Forward-Deployed Naval Forces the agility and firepower to support our carrier operations, protect sea lanes, deter aggression, and reassure allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific," said Capt. Adam Cheatham, commanding officer of Shiloh. "We've built long-lasting personal and professional relationships here in Japan that will stay with us forever. Shiloh's contributions were significant, reinforcing valuable connections over shared visions of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"It's sad to be leaving this place that means so much to us, but we believe USS Shiloh made a difference during her time forward-deployed to Yokosuka, and we are proud of that," he continued. "On behalf of the crew, I want to offer my deep gratitude to the people of Japan and this community for their friendship over the years. It will never be forgotten."

In addition to serving in the 7th Fleet AOO, Shiloh deployed to the 5th Fleet AOO in support of operations Allies Refuge and Freedom Sentinel in 2021.

U.S. 7th Fleet exercises operational control of its units through designated Task Forces or Task Groups. These groups are organized along domain and functional lines. Shiloh is assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70, the theater strike warfare commander and theater air and missile defense commander.

CTF 70 is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet in the world, and with the help of and network of alliances and partners from 35 other maritime nations, the U.S. Navy has operated in the Indo-Pacific region for more than 70 years; providing credible, ready forces to help preserve peace and prevent conflict.

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Proposed Naval Drills Signal Closer Military Cooperation Among Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang

By Christy Lee September 07, 2023

South Korean officials say North Korea has likely been invited to join Russia and China for the first time in trilateral naval exercises that experts see as a response to the newly cemented strategic cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is believed to have proposed the joint naval drills during a visit to Pyongyang in July, according to South Korean lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum. Yoo said National Intelligence Service Director Kim Kyou-hyun briefed about the proposal at a closed-door meeting on Monday.

China and Russia have held annual joint naval exercises for over a decade, but this would mark the first time that North Korea has been invited to participate. The development followed reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss possible weapons transfers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing on Thursday that she did not have information about the proposed drills with Russia and North Korea.

David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, told VOA the proposal for naval drills appeared to be "a direct response" to what he called "JAROKUS," or "the new Japan-ROK-US security arrangement," using an acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

He said that arrangement, sealed at a mid-August summit at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, is "arguably the most important security arrangement in Northeast Asia in the 21st century and probably in the last seven decades."

'Authoritarian axis'

Maxwell said members of the Moscow-Beijing-Pyongyang "authoritarian axis" may also feel a need to counter other U.S.-led security alliances, including AUKUS (Australia, the U.K. and the U.S.), the QUAD (Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.) and NATO.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have conducted several joint ballistic missile defense drills of their own this year in response to North Korea's missile launches.

At Camp David, the three countries agreed to hold annual multidomain trilateral exercises and exchange real-time missile warning data. They also committed to consult as necessary on military responses to common threats.

Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, said joint drills by Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang "will be pretty preliminary" in the beginning as the three militaries learn how to share information and communicate with each other.

"That doesn't mean that's where they're going to end," he said. "This would be the beginning of a whole sequence of naval drills and ground and air drills" in which the countries would most likely cooperate.

China and Russia have held annual naval drills since 2012, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry. The militaries of the two countries began training together in 2005, and in 2018, Beijing sent its ground troops and aircraft to join Russia's Vostok exercises, according to the RAND Corporation.

In July, Beijing and Moscow held Northern/Interaction-2023 military exercises in the Sea of Japan. It was the first drill they had conducted near Japan.

Reports of the trilateral naval drills came just days before Kim is expected to travel to Russia's far eastern port city of Vladivostok to attend the September 10-13 Eastern Economic Forum. While there, he is expected to meet Putin to discuss potential arms deliveries.

The New York Times, citing U.S. and allied officials on Monday, said Putin is likely to ask Kim for artillery shells and antitank missiles for use in his war in Ukraine, while Kim will probably ask for satellite technology and nuclear-powered submarines.

On Friday in North Korea, the state-run KCNA news agency said the country had held a "submarine-launching ceremony" on Wednesday that it said would bolster its naval force. Kim said equipping the navy with nuclear weapons is an urgent task as he inspected what KCNA described as tactical nuclear submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" on Thursday.

Assist to Russian army

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, said the North Korean weapons could "help the Russian army persevere in a primarily stalemated war in Ukraine."

But even without the North Korean weapons, he said, Putin is likely to benefit from the trilateral naval drills because they would "help divert international attention from Ukraine" by "elevating security concerns for the United States and its allies in Asia."

Mao, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a press briefing on Thursday that the potential arms negotiations between Moscow and Pyongyang are matters that relate to the two countries, and she declined to comment further.

But other experts said China also stands to benefit from anything that prolongs the war in Ukraine.

"The upside for Beijing ... is that it depletes U.S. weapons stockpiles and makes it harder for the U.S. to fulfill weapons commitments to Taiwan," said Dennis Wilder, who served as the National Security Council director for China in 2004-05.

"It also keeps significant U.S. forces focused on Europe and away from the Indo-Pacific," he said.

Bennett at RAND said the U.S. and its allies had "depleted a lot of our weapons stocks, sending them off to Ukraine without adequately replacing anything."

"We no longer have a two-major-theater war capability," he said. "What do we do if all of a sudden we have three major wars?" including the war in Ukraine and potential conflicts over Taiwan and in the Korean Peninsula.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing Tuesday that Russia's weapons were depleted as well.

Describing Russia's outreach to North Korea as an act of desperation, he said Moscow finds it necessary only because the U.S. and its allies "have continued to squeeze Russia's defense industrial base."

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Exclusive: US Drone Flights Limited Since Niger Coup

By Carla Babb September 07, 2023

Two U.S. officials have told VOA that military drone flights from bases in Niger have been "limited" since the July coup, a restriction experts believe is likely hindering the international counterterrorism mission in West Africa.

The officials spoke to VOA this week on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive security issues.

The Pentagon has been hesitant to discuss the specifics of its security and counterterrorism operations other than saying that the U.S. military has suspended "security cooperation" with Niger in light of the political upheaval.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder has conceded to reporters that the situation in Niger "clearly" is "not normal" for the U.S. military, while adding that U.S. force posture in Niger remains unchanged, as the U.S. hopes for a diplomatic solution to the situation.

Niger is the U.S. military's hub for counterterror intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance in West Africa. The region has been battling several militant groups in the region, including the Islamic State group and Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, based in Mali and active in West Africa.

Current and former U.S. officials have raised concerns that the limited intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance will hurt international efforts to help local security forces fight terrorist organizations.

The United States "is barely keeping a lid on this problem, and when you remove that, when you remove all of those enablers that help keep these jihadists from overrunning countries or overrunning regions, then you are giving them an advantage," said Bill Roggio, a former soldier and editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Long War Journal, which publishes reporting and analysis of global counterterrorism efforts.

The U.S. military can fly drones out of Niger's capital, Niamey, and it set up another air base hundreds of kilometers away, in Agadez, to extend the reach of its surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the volatile Lake Chad Basin area of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The U.S. has flown intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance drone missions out of Agadez since 2019.

Limiting those missions has a "significant effect" on the military's ability to conduct counterterror operations, according to retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. military operations in the Middle East.

"It reduces your ability to find targets. It reduces your ability to go to the final stages when you're going to be able to attack," he told VOA.

The jihadist threat is twofold, not only can jihadists use these countries as a hub to try to attack the West and Western interests, they also wreak havoc on local populations.

At least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed in an attack by armed groups near the Malian border last month, according to Niger's Defense Ministry.

The Islamist threat has been growing in neighboring Mali, which has been run by military leaders since a 2020 coup, despite claims by Mali's military that Russian Wagner Group mercenaries are turning the tide of their campaign.

Roggio told VOA he worries that the political discord in the region is setting up West Africa as the next place for a country to fall under jihadist control.

"If the U.S. is not able to fly counterterrorism missions from Niger, is Mali the next state to fall after Afghanistan?" Roggio asked.

Air space reopened, U.S. forces repositioning

Earlier this week, a spokesman for Niger's military leaders said they had decided to reopen the country's airspace to all commercial flights, ending a closure that had been in place since they took control of the government Aug. 6.

However, a U.S. military official told VOA that the change to commercial flight access had not "normalized" U.S. drone flight frequencies this week.

News of the U.S. military's drone limitations comes as the Pentagon said it was repositioning some of its troops and military equipment within Niger from a base in Niamey to the Agadez base.

"There's no perceived threat, in terms of any threat to U.S. troops, and no threat of violence on the ground. This is simply a precautionary measure," deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday.

The Agadez base, known as Air Base 201, is controlled by Nigerien forces. As of 2019, the U.S. military had exclusive rights to about 20% of the compound.

There are about 1,100 U.S. military personnel in Niger, according to the Pentagon.

Singh said the repositioning of U.S. forces in Niger was "ongoing right now."

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Taliban Sell Afghanistan's Mines Despite Sanctions

By Akmal Dawi September 07, 2023

The Taliban, facing international sanctions and a dire economic outlook at home, have intensified efforts to leverage Afghanistan's vast natural resources.

From oil to copper, gold and lithium, the Islamist leadership, unrecognized by any nation as Afghanistan's legitimate government, has inked multibillion-dollar mining deals with Chinese and other foreign companies.

The landlocked country has plunged deep into economic trouble since Western donors cut off all development assistance, amounting to several billion dollars annually, after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

Donors have also slashed humanitarian funding for Afghanistan, prompting aid agencies to suspend critical funding for about 10 million Afghans facing acute food insecurity.

Taliban officials contend they are using domestic sources to try to bridge the chasm left by the withdrawal of foreign aid. Critics, however, contend that the Taliban have other intentions.

"What the Taliban see in these contracts is both cash and a diplomatic link to the Chinese government," said Arian Sharifi, a lecturer at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs.

Afghanistan's untapped mineral wealth, estimated to be worth trillions of dollars, has historically struggled to attract foreign investment because of security concerns and a lack of infrastructure.

Work under a $3 billion contract signed in 2007 between China Metallurgical Group Corp. and the Afghan government for copper mining has yet to commence, despite a 25-year time frame.

This past January, another Chinese company, Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Company, pledged a $540 million investment until 2026 for oil extraction in northern Afghanistan.

Evading sanctions?

For over three decades, numerous Taliban leaders have remained on the United Nations' terrorism sanctions list, barring them from foreign business and travel.

Several Western countries, including the United States, Canada and various European nations, have also imposed economic, banking and political sanctions on Taliban individuals and entities.

Spokespersons at the U.S. State and Treasury departments did not answer questions on whether the Taliban's mining contracts with Chinese companies violated the existing sanctions regime.

"U.S. sanctions generally require U.S. persons and some foreign persons to comply," said Alex Zerden, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"A foreign company could be violating U.S. sanctions if the company engages in a transaction or dealing with a designated person and the transaction or dealing has a nexus to the United States," Zerden told VOA.

U.S. sanctions do not necessarily apply to Chinese companies doing business with the Taliban as long as they avoid going through U.S. financial systems, experts say.

"When it comes to bilateral sanctions from the U.S. side, it's basically that no U.S. entity, be it a company or an individual, is able to do anything with the Taliban. And that has nothing to do with other countries, because other countries don't abide by bilateral sanctions," said Princeton's Sharifi.

China, however, has supported U.N. Security Council Resolution 1988 (2011), which calls on all member states to freeze Taliban assets and economic resources, deny their entry and transit, and prevent the sale, supply and transit of weapons to them.

The U.N. resolution, experts say, needs urgent revisions to respond to the realities in Afghanistan, where the Taliban function as the only governing body.

Like other regimes facing sanctions, the Taliban claim U.N. and U.S. sanctions primarily hurt ordinary people by limiting and weakening the national economy.

Stability

Last year, the U.S. government issued exemptions allowing certain commercial transactions with Afghanistan's governing institutions, except those directly benefiting sanctioned Taliban individuals.

Graeme Smith, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said as long as revenue from a business or contract does not go directly into the pockets of sanctioned Taliban officials, fees, taxes or royalties can be paid to the de facto Afghan government.

"In early 2022, the U.S. government specifically clarified that such agreements are permitted under American law," Smith said, adding that Washington and its allies have strategic interests in the stability of the region, including in the economic revival.

Smith said the lingering effects of sanctions and other economic pressures have hobbled the Afghan banking system, complicating large-scale investments in mining and other sectors.

"Mining requires heavy investment up front, with years of work before profits flow. So, the investors are taking a risk, and making the assumption that the Taliban will guarantee stability and keep their side of the bargain," he told VOA.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington and the foreign ministry in Beijing did not respond to requests for comment.

While pressing the Taliban on women's rights and other governance issues  in addition to terrorism-related sanctions  the U.S. government has refrained from supporting anti-Taliban groups that seek to topple the Taliban.

Weakening the Taliban could risk internal war in Afghanistan, thereby giving terrorist groups opportunities to flourish and target other countries, experts say.

"America and its allies have strategic interests in the stability of the region, and that requires economic revival," said Smith.

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Gabon Military Junta Frees Ousted President, Creates Transitional Constitutional Council

By Moki Edwin Kindzeka September 07, 2023

Gabon military leader General Brice Oligui Nguema says former president Ali Bongo, who was toppled in an August 30 coup, has been freed from house arrest.

The junta also announced the creation of a transitional constitutional council.

Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, spokesperson of Gabon's Committee for the Transformation and Restoration of Institutions, declared on Gabon National Television that, for health reasons, Bongo has been released and can seek medical treatment abroad.

Bongo had a stroke in October 2018, which left him physically impaired, with difficulty moving his right leg and arm. He frequently visited foreign hospitals for treatment, according to Gabon's military junta.

The military junta announced Bongo's freedom after Abdou Abarry, head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, met with the deposed leader in Libreville.

Abarry said Bongo is in good health and wants the preservation of peace and social cohesion in Gabon.

Jean Christophe Nang, a secondary school teacher in Bitam, a commercial town on Gabon's northern border with Cameroon, said military leader Nguema  a first cousin of Bongo who led the ousted president's security team  should have prohibited Bongo from leaving Gabon.

Gabon needs Bongo to provide information on the large fortune his family and friends have amassed from the misuse of public funds and corruption in oil exploitation deals, Nang said. He added that Nguema should watch out because Bongo, whose family has ruled for close to 60 years, and his supporters may have plans to destabilize Gabon.

Bongo came to power in 2009 following the death of his father, Omar, who had led the central African country since 1967.

Gabon's opposition says the family ruled with an iron fist and confiscated most of the oil-producing nation's wealth.

Nang said countries should help Gabon recover ill-gotten wealth hidden by the Bongo family.

New constitutional council

The military junta said a transitional constitutional council has been created, and Dieudonne Aba'A Owono, a civilian magistrate, was appointed as president. Civilians were appointed to govern the nine regions that make up Gabon. The junta also appointed Brigadier General Rapontchombo Judes Ibrahim to manage the Libreville city council during a period of transition.

Nguema said officials of the transitional constitutional council will be officially installed in the days ahead.

Gabon's dissolved constitutional council was created by Omar Bongo, Ali Bongo's father, in 1991.

Marie Madeleine Mborantsuo  the country's top magistrate and the elder Bongo's one-time romantic partner  served as president of the constitutional council from its creation until it was dissolved by the military junta last week.

Mborantsuo said she welcomes the creation of another constitutional council because Gabon has entered a new era and all of its institutions need to be rebuilt. She added that she spoke with Nguema and is ready to hand over power to the president of the newly created transitional constitutional council.

Despite the appointment of civilians and the apparent popularity of Nguema, the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community continue to call on Gabon's military junta to hand over power to civilian rule.

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Indonesia's Widodo Implores US, China, Russia to Avoid 'New Wars'

By Patsy Widakuswara September 07, 2023

Amid sharpened geopolitical rivalry between the United States, China and Russia, Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivered a forceful call for leaders to ease tensions and avoid conflict in the region.

Speaking Thursday in Jakarta at the opening of the East Asia Summit (EAS), which brings together the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners - the United States, China, Russia, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, Widodo underscored the need for stability for the region to continue its decades-long peace and prosperity.

"Everyone in this room has the same responsibility to not create new conflict, to not create new tension, to not create new wars," he said, speaking in Indonesian. "At the same time, we have the responsibility to lower heated tensions, to thaw frozen state of affairs, to create room for dialogue, to bridge existing differences."

However, leaders of the three major powers - U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin - chose to skip the summit, sending instead their respective representatives, Vice President Kamala Harris, Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

As the outgoing chair of ASEAN, earlier this week Widodo declared that the bloc "has agreed not to become a proxy for any power. He reiterated that Southeast Asia will not become the front lines of a new Cold War - a pledge he made when he took the helm of ASEAN from Cambodia in 2022.

Indonesia's approach on great power politics has been consistent, said Aaron Connelly, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"They view great power rivalry as the primary threat to their interests in the region," he told VOA. "And they see rivalry itself as the threat, not one country creating the rivalry."

Leaders push back

Widodo's words were echoed by other Southeast Asian leaders who pushed back against the threat of division in the region.

"The international environment is fraught with geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty," said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He called on Washington and Beijing to "show leadership" to address global issues.

The pushback is warranted, said Evi Fitriani, professor of international relations at Universitas Indonesia. "It's time that we tell those superpowers that what they're doing in the region is too much already," she told VOA.

EAS emerged in 2005 as a regional dialogue forum of ASEAN and six partners, with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity. The U.S. and Russia joined in 2011.

East Timor was invited as a summit observer this year, as well as Bangladesh and the Cook Islands, as chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association and Pacific Islands Forum, respectively.

Summit leaders focused on ASEAN's inability to urge the junta in Myanmar to abide by its peace plan, China's increasing assertiveness over disputed areas in the South China Sea, the global impact of the war on Ukraine and threat of North Korea's nuclear program.

Harris "strongly condemned" the war on Ukraine that has "exacerbated food insecurity." She condemned North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and raised concerns on China's "grave human rights abuse," according to the White House.

Echoing ASEAN's strong language on Myanmar, she condemned the military regime's "brutal campaign of violence" and urged further action to increase pressure to implement ASEAN's peace plan.

EAS ended Harris' two-night stay in Jakarta and the vice president left to return home to Washington.

Wednesday night she met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, where she underscored "U.S. opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo in the South China Sea and East China Sea."

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Opposition Parties Reject Nigeria's Presidential Election Court Verdict

By Timothy Obiezu September 07, 2023

Opposition parties and their supporters in Nigeria are rejecting Wednesday's judgment by Nigeria's presidential election tribunal that upheld President Bola Tinubu's election. Tinubu's main political rivals asked the court to invalidate February's election, alleging irregularities and fraud.

The main opposition to Bola Tinubu's February election win came from his challengers, Atiku Abubakar, of the People's Democratic Party, or PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Both parties, in separate statements, late Wednesday rejected the court ruling indicating Tinubu won. The Labour Party said justice was not served and that the judges manipulated the law to subvert the will of the people.

The PDP criticized the judgment and said it was based on technicalities and failed to take into account facts and provisions of the law.

Atiku and Obi were seeking to invalidate Tinubu's election, citing fraud and deliberate manipulation by the electoral body that swayed the outcome in favor of the ruling party.

But a five-man panel of justices dismissed the petitions on the grounds that the opposition parties lacked evidence to back their claims that irregularities swayed the outcome of the polls and merely engaged in a wild goose chase.

Nigerians, including Abuja resident Buchi Oneal, have been reacting to the ruling.

"I'm highly disappointed and from the feeling around, many people are also highly disappointed," Oneal said. "You can see the whole street ... do you see any jubilation? That is to show that people are disappointed."

Atiku and Obi came in second and third place, respectively, during February's election.

The election petition court also dismissed suits on Tinubu's alleged criminal forfeiture of $460,000 to the U.S. government.

The court also stated that the electoral body was not under any obligation by law to transmit polling station results electronically as claimed by the oppositions' petitions.

Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) welcomed the court ruling and praised the judges for their thoroughness, while calling for support.

"It's clear that they brought a very hopeless case to court," said APC national publicity secretary Felix Morka. "Anyone who listened to that judgment ... will find that the court was meticulous in its review of all of the strands of arguments and facts that were brought before it. But again, we are a democracy and the right to challenge the decision of a court is a constitutional right. So, the parties involved are free to appeal this matter to the highest court of the land."

On Wednesday, supporters of the opposition parties staged rallies near the appeals court warning they'd occupy the streets if the ruling is unfair.

James Mikel was one of the demonstrators.

"We're asking the judiciary to do the right thing," he said. "They should not kill this little democracy that we still have in this country. If not at the end of the day, there will be anarchy. I'm ready for anarchy, I'm not afraid to die."

No challenge to the outcome of a presidential election has been successful in Nigeria since 1999.

The opposition says it will appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court, and many will be watching to see if it is successful.

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Readout of Vice President Harris's Trilateral Meeting with President Marcos of the Philippines and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan

September 07, 2023

Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan yesterday in Jakarta, Indonesia. They discussed the maritime security environment in the South China Sea and East China Sea and reviewed ways in which their three countries could enhance trilateral maritime cooperation, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. The Vice President underscored the importance of the adherence to international law, and U.S. opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo in the South China Sea and East China Sea. The Vice President, President Marcos, and Prime Minister Kishida also reaffirmed the strength of trilateral economic cooperation and discussed opportunities to bolster economic resilience, promote broad-based and sustainable economic growth, and invest in strong and diversified supply chains.

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Readout of Vice President Harris's Participation in the East Asia Summit

September 07, 2023

Vice President Kamala Harris today attended the annual East Asia Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Vice President reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific and ASEAN centrality, and emphasized the United States' strong support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Vice President Harris underscored the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to working with allies and partners to ensure an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, prosperous, resilient, and secure. She highlighted the deep economic ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and reviewed ongoing efforts to promote broad-based prosperity through investing in high-quality and sustainable infrastructure, accelerating the energy transition, and developing secure and resilient supply chains, all of which support ASEAN as an Epicentrum of Growth. She also reiterated the historic progress made this year to advance an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that provides concrete benefits to all of its members and will drive enduring and broad-based economic growth throughout the region.



The Vice President also underscored the importance of the international rules-based order in preserving decades of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, while acknowledging the international community must address growing threats to that order. The Vice President emphasized that freedom of navigation and overflight must be respected in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and that all disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Vice President Harris reaffirmed U.S. support for the 2016 UN arbitral tribunal ruling and noted this ruling is final and legally binding. She also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Vice President welcomed Japan's continued transparency and engagement with the scientific community, as well as with regional stakeholders, related to its release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi site.

Vice President Harris condemned the Burmese military regime's brutal campaign of violence against the people of Burma, and reaffirmed the importance of taking further action to increase pressure on the Burmese military regime to implement the ASEAN Five Point Consensus and provide for a return to the path of democracy. She also emphasized the threats posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and condemned the continued development of its unlawful ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Additionally, she raised concerns regarding the grave human rights abuses being committed by the People's Republic of China. The Vice President strongly condemned Russia's brutal and unjust war against Ukraine, noting how Russia's actions have exacerbated food insecurity and harmed millions of vulnerable people in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe.

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ROMEO-mod SSB NEWCON

"You're gonna need a bigger boat"

GlobalSecurity.org initially mis-identified this submarine as being a modification of the Gorae class. With the release of the full text of Comrade Kim Jong Un's speech at the ceremony for launching newly-built submarine, and the video thereof, it quite evident that the boatis a modification of a ROMEO submarine initially acquired from China, and subsequently produced in North Korea. While the bow of the SSB resembles that of the Gorae, the stern is clearly that of the ROMEO. And there are several passages in Comrade Kim Jong Un' speech that almost certainly reference the ROMEO. In this interpretation we sit at the feet of the master, HISutton.

North Korea launched a new submarine 07 September 2023 in a ceremony was attended by the country's leader Kim Jong-un, according to the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The ceremony of launching the submarine marked the beginning of a new chapter in strengthening the naval forces of the DPRK," the agency quoted the content of the message.

The KCNA news agency previously reported that the DPRK conducted an exercise with an imitation of a tactical nuclear strike on September 2 in response to joint maneuvers by the United States and South Korea . According to the KCNA, two long-range strategic cruise missiles with warheads simulating nuclear warheads were launched. The agency reported that they flew along an 8-shaped trajectory of 1.5 thousand kilometers in 7672 and 7681 seconds, after which they exploded at a given height of 150 meters above the target island.

According to the North's state media, the launching ceremony for Submarine Number 841, named "Hero Kim Kun-ok" after a North Korean war hero during the Korean War, was held at Sinpo shipyard in South Hamgyong Province.

The Gorae-class submarine, has not seen extensive trialling, leading analysts to conclude the modifications were a failure. Still, while only able to launch one missile of much shorter range, this earlier sub served as a testbed for ideas that have come to fruition in this latest Sinpo-C design.

The submarine features the distinctive hump aft of the sail characteristic of Soviet-era ballistic missile submarines [most notably, the Delta IV]. At first glance, it appeared rather smaller than the boat previously seen under construction, but subsequently released photographs clarified the scale of the boat. Indeed, the new boat appears to be rather longer than the baseline Gorae. Presumably the DPRK resorted to the standard expedient of cutting the pre-existing design in half, and inserting a plug containing the missile tubes.

The Gorae SSK was estimated to be 67 meters long, 6.6 meters wide and has a dived displacement in the 3,000 ton range. The SSB is likely to be closer to 100 meters long, with a displacement probably in excess of 4,000 tons.

In July 2019, Kim had inspected a submarine that was being constructed. Pyongyang said the vessel would ultimately conduct operations in the Sea of Japan. South Korean forces have said that it can carry three submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs. The submarine launched on 06 September 2023 could be the one Kim inspected in 2019.

Korean Central News Agency said the vessel  named Hero Kim Kun Ok [Kim Keun-ok]  is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire. The KCNA report identifies Kim Kun Ok as "the hero commanding officer of the first generation of the naval force of the Republic". Russian sources report the submarine is named after a North Korean historical figure who supposedly managed to sink the USS Baltimore in 1950 during the conflict between North and South.

The Victorious War Museum, or the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, is a museum in Pyongyang, North Korea. The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum is the DPRKs most lavish museum. The museum is dedicated to the Korean War and North Korea's belief that it won the war. This alternative reality depicts how the evil USA started the Korean War and was totally defeated by the valiant Korean people. The major role played by China is no where to be seen.

The museum displays a large collection of captured US military artifacts and artillery pieces, including the USS Pueblo. It also has vivid illustrations, weapons used during the Korean Civil War, and scene reconstructions. The museum was originally built in 1953, but was moved to its current location in 1963. It underwent major renovations in 2013. It was visited by 800,000 people in 2013 alone. Visitors who would have really liked to have taken pictures from within the museum are able to purchase a photo book of the museum of every room.

North Korea advertises this facility as an excellent school that equips workers, young students, and Peoples Army soldiers with the great leader Comrade Kim Il-sungs immortal Juche ideology and anti-imperialist revolutionary ideology, excellent military skills, and military strategy and tactics.

The outside of the museum is full of distorted and propagandistic monuments, and the interior is full of distortion and propaganda, such as the Korean invasion of North Korea /false documents/propaganda materials claiming that the war ended in North Korea's victory. For example, it contains stories that are impossible to common sense, such as the fact that North Korea shot down 12,700 US military aircraft throughout the war. The museum is permanently closed.

The Victorious War Museum claims that the Korean People's Navy sank the USS Baltimore on July 2, 1950. The museum has exhibits that include a poster and the boat that supposedly sank the American cruiser. The museum claims that four torpedo boats attacked and sank the cruiser. One of the boats is preserved in the museum. The North Korean naval leader who led the operation that supposedly sank the USS Baltimore was named Hero Kim Kun Ok. The submarine was named after him.

On 2 July 1950, light cruiser Juneau (CL-119) and two Allied ships sank three of four North Korean PT-boats and two of two motor gunboats in the Battle of Chumonchin Chan. This was the first and last surface engagement between the U.S. and North Korean navies, as it convinced the North Koreans to never try that again (at least until the PuebloAGER-2incident in 1968).

The USS Baltimore (CA-68) was the lead ship of the largest class of heavy cruisers ever built. She was the fifth U.S. warship to bear the name Baltimore. The USS Baltimore was launched on July 28, 1942. After World War II, the USS Baltimore was briefly mothballed, but was recommissioned for the Korean War. She was decommissioned in 1956 and sold for scrapping in May 1972.

Kim insisted that the submarine would be just as daunting to his enemies as the nuclear-propelled submarine North Korea plans to acquire in the future. In submarines, technical aspects such as the power system, submergence speed, and the level of navigational equipment are all very important and would generally define (the vessels) operational capabilities, but nothing is more important than the type of weaponry that could be installed, he said.

North Koreas version of the Romeo-class submarines, capable of carrying its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Pukkuksong-1, is the diesel-electric Sinpo. The submarine has a range of 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles). It is therefore widely seen as yet to acquire the ability to launch blue-sea operations. Even when factoring the Pukkuksong-1s operational range, it could be widely seen to fall short of posing a direct threat to the U.S. mainland, which is around 10,000 km from North Koreas eastern coast.

Also called the Gorae-class (Whale-class) or Pongdae-class, this is the DPRKs newest and largest submarine in service. Just one exists so far: the 8.24 Yongung (August 24 Hero), and its unclear if Pyongyang has plans to build more or to use this submarine as an experimental vessel. Some Western reports suggest as many as six boats are presently under construction.

Its size is estimated at about 70 meters long and a weight of nearly 2,000 tons, making it roughly comparable in size to Germanys Type 212 submarines. The 8.24 Yongung is diesel-electric powered with an estimated range of 1,500 nautical miles. It has been observed firing the Pukguksong-1 submarine-launched ballistic missile and a submarine-launched cruise missile of unknown designation.

A modified Russian design, it uses a diesel engine that can in turn charge a series of batteries, allowing the submarine to run virtually silent when needed. Diesel-electric propulsion is a decades-old technology, but North Korea has radically altered the design, stretching the sail to include some missile launch tubes.

Still, submarine-launched ballistic missiles present a challenge to the U.S. and its allies defense system due to their inherent stealth and unpredictability. Operating underwater complicates the existing radar detection system and makes it difficult to track North Koreas military movements, disabling a preemptive strike.

Long-range missiles launched from land would be quickly spotted and tracked as anti-missile batteries were alerted. However, this new submarine would, in theory, be able to travel underwater, closing in stealthily on its target. The closer the sub could get, the less distance is needed for the missile to travel to its target, giving very little time for the target to react and defend itself.

This submarine gives North Korea a region-wide offensive capability it did not possess before and is designed to take the fight to potential adversaries in the Pacific, such as Japan or United States bases as far away as Guam.

The missile itself is solid-fueled and has a range of 1,900km. Also, the angle from which submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) are launched could be an issue for anti-ballistic missile systems, like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD). THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight and was deployed to South Korea in 2017. The launch angle, time in the air and distance to target all make the Pukguksong-3 a powerful addition to the countrys arsenal, able to deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere within range, with little to no warning.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea imported from China in the 1970s and started to produce domestically and assessed that it's not capable of normal operation and that there's a possibility of exaggeration by the North. It also said that it will closely cooperate with Washington to maintain military readiness as the two nations were planning to hold high-level talks on extended deterrence next week in Seoul to better counter the North's threats.

An official from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said although the North appears to have enlarged parts of the submarine's exterior, including the bridge for missile loading, it is not deemed ready for operational use. He added that it is likely the regime only unveiled the parts that do function normally. When asked by reporters whether the latest submarine is a newly built model, the official said there is a high chance that the North modified an existing model, speculating that it could be an improved version of the Romeo-class submarine unveiled in 2019.

The ROK military has been using joint surveillance assets to track North Koreas submarine activities in advance in coordination with the U.S., South Koreas Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement. Based on our analysis of the North Korean submarine's appearance to date, we believe that it appears to have increased the size and shape of some parts, such as the bridge, to accommodate missiles, but it does not appear to be operational, the statement added, raising the possibility that North Korea may have exaggerated its capability.

The modified submarines put South Korea and Japan under its range, and in theory, Guam as well, said Cha Du-hyeogn, South Koreas former presidential secretary for crisis information who is now a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. However, questions remain regarding its actual capabilities. It is still unconfirmed whether the submarine can withstand a missile strike, move silently underwater, or effectively launch an SLBM from beneath the surface.

If conflict were imminent on the Korean Peninsula, you wouldnt want to be a crew member on that submarine. Even if its nuclear attack capability is largely a bluff, that loud, slow boat could be sunk as soon as it left port, Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera. Its another example of North Korea misallocating resources against the welfare of its people. Kim wants to increase military power, but when Pyongyang is more threatening, it is actually less secure. 

The ROK Unification Ministry also deplored how the North wastes its resources by developing weapons while ignoring the difficulties of public welfare. "North Korea should realize that their provocations are meaningless as Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo strengthen military readiness and this is only going to make them vulnerable in security."

One South Korean expert said the launch was to cover up their failure in economic measures. "The only thing that's currently working out well is the military development sector. So, it's externally and internally showing off that its weapon production is proceeding smoothly, despite global pressure and sanctions."

Kim called for accelerating a project to deploy underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons to the regime's naval forces. He also announced plans to modify additional medium-sized submarines to attack submarines equipped with tactical nuclear weapons, and to even develop a nuclear-powered submarine.

Kim reportedly said in a speech that the submarine is capable of carrying a large amount of nuclear arms and launching preemptive and retaliatory attacks. He also said it "will perform its combat mission as one of core underwater offensive means of the naval force" of North Korea. Kim also expressed his intention to accelerate development of the country's first nuclear-powered submarine. In 2021, the country pledged in its five-year national defense program that it would develop such a vessel. Although North Korea has expressed some will for that part, it needs help from Russia or China because its own technology or parts procurement are clear in this area, and Russia is also very cautious in this area these days.

Kim Jong Eun, The Supreme Leader Of Korea, looked over the newly constructed submarine "No. 841 Hero Kim Kun Ok, which is to be launched today, is the standard type of tactical nuclear submarine, after which we intend to convert the existing medium-sized submarines of our Navy into an attack type, as I mentioned on the last Navy Day. Our intention to turn all the other existing medium-sized submarines into attack ones like this one, which can carry tactical nukes to play a significant role in modern warfare, in addition to our development-oriented, prospective plan for building nuclear submarines, is a low-cost, hi-tech strategy as part of the line of strengthening the naval forces adopted at the Eighth Congress of our Party.

"We intend to improve and maximize the weapons systems and underwater operation capabilities of the existing submarines like this one, so that they could take a great share in the long-term building up of the national naval forces. This will be a revolutionary step for ensuring maximum efficiency in the light of the defence and economic strategy and a revolutionary strategy for the development of the naval forces.

"Designed fully to meet the demands of the strategy of our Navy, the strategy of national defence and military strategy of war plan, this submarine constitutes a menacing means as it is capable of carrying a large number of means for delivering nukes of various powers and of launching a preemptive or retaliatory strike at the hostile states in any waters....

"In the past we, in developing the submarine industry, focused on building many small and fast submarines, true to our Navys mission which is restricted to defending our territorial waters in any case, as we believed we could use them to defeat the enemy at a stroke once they invaded us. But the times have changed beyond recognition, and the weaponry and operational aspects of the Navy and our will have changed as well.

"In a submarine, power system, underwater cruising speed and level of navigation equipment are very importantthese are called operational capabilities in generalbut it is my view that what type of weapons it is equipped with is most important and that when equipped with nuclear weapons, it is precisely a nuclear submarine....

"The means of nuclear attack submarine, which had been regarded as a symbol of aggression against our Republic over the past decades, has now become symbolic of our overwhelming might that can strike terror in the hearts of the shameless enemy, and the fact that it is a new attack submarine of our own style, which the world has never known, is a great auspicious event for all our people....

"... we must rapidly promote the work of converting all medium-sized submarines into attack ones, and thus nuclearize the existing submarines at one go in the true sense of the word."

The whole arrangement of masts and scopes must be properly studied and if possible streamlined so the drag can be minimised. This has been implemented in the new design, which features a streamlined housing atop the sail encasing masts.

Some appendages are necessary for control and cannot be eliminated. These are the forward hydroplanes needed for accurate depth keeping when slow and shallow at periscope depth. Fin mounting creates less water and hydraulic noise near the bow sonar but not such good control. Their internal operation requires the fin to be larger. A disadvantage for the fully moving sail-mounted forward fins in the new SSB design comes from the loading on the shaft and bearings that have to operate when under full hydrodynamic bending loads.

Resistance from sails (American usage) or fin (British/Commonwealth usage, otherwise known as its conning tower or fairwater), masts, snorkels and appendages need careful streamlining and attention in design. The major appendage is the fin (sail, conning tower, bridge, fairwater), which is a large contributor to the overall drag. Sail geometries are optimized for their hydrodynamic performance to minimize flow-induced noise, vibrations and wake effects by using faired leading and trailing edges. A large sail may contribute up to 30% of total resistance and a fully appended hull may have between 20% to even 60% more resistance than a bare hull. Sails on US submarines tend to be like streamlined stub wings, while many Russian designs favor longer squatter shapes.

A horseshoe vortex is formed about the base of the sail. The stagnation line is formed by the flow dividing either side of the sail. The horseshoe vortex generated around the appendagebody junction of submarines strongly influences the non-uniformity of submarine wakes. For a submarine, with a horseshoe vortex generated at the junction of the main body and the appendages, the submarine wake is dominated by a kind of highly non-uniform flow field, which has an adverse effect on the performance of the submarine propeller.The hydrodynamic noise from the horseshoe vortex can greatly destroy the acoustic stealth of underwater vehicles at low frequency.

Applying a fillet or cuff (alternatively called a cusped fillet, cusp, cusped sail fairing, etc.) at the sail-deck junction area and proper shaping of the sail tip can lead to a reduction of the resistance of several percent and a significant improvement of the propeller wake field. It was observed that the fillet effectively weakened the vorticity in the horse shoe vortex. The American SSN-21 USS Seawolf is considered the most advanced and lethal submarine ever created, and incorporates such a cuff fillet. The new ones are fiberglass, but the fillets on the Seawolf and early Virginias are steel. While the new North Korean SSB incorporates a cusped sail fairing, it is probably steel. suggested by the bottole of champagne that was smashed against it as part of the christenting.

Flood openings and limber holes in the hull represent a measurable and unwanted source of noise and drag. Teh new SSB etians this fetur eothe ROMEO design.

The shape of the nose is most important, as it is associated with the positioning of acoustic sensors and torpedo tubes as well as the starting conditions for the flow around the hull. Submarine bow shapes are typically optimised for deeply submerged sailing conditions. When sailing at the surface, this bow shape results in a significant wave making resistance. The new SSB appartently incorporates the blunt bulbous bow typical of American submarines.

If a laminar boundary layer is formed on a blunt nosed submarine shape then a separation bubble may exist. Transition over the bubble can be followed by turbulent reattachment, which is rather noisy [A laminar boundary layer creates a gentle hiss; a turbulent boundary layer creates a roar. However the boundary layer noise is confined and does not spread to the far field.] American submarines, almost entirely, have ellipsoidal nose shapes with the large passive sonar placed in the nose and torpedo tubes some way aft angling outwards from the surface.

The problem of noise, so critical for a submarine, can be alleviated by a more complicated, heavier and much more expensive arrangement, a shrouded propeller. But the propulsion end of the new SSB was seeminly intentionalloy blurred bby the DPRK, leaving this issue an open question.

Torpedo tubes were situated in the fore end of the submarine with a complicated system of tanks used to fire the torpedoes and compensate the weight of these with sea water. Wire-guided torpedoes require that the doors of the torpedo tubes remain open until the wire runs out or the decision is taken to cut it. Since this wire can be over 10 miles long, the submarine may be manoeuvring for a long while with open doors near the bow area which cause a certain amount of turbulent noise. There is also a risk that the wire may rub over the bow sonar casing thus causing more interference. The traditional location of the torpedo tubes in the vicinity of the bow is undesirable and, furthermore, with the widespread use of guided weapons that do not need to be aimed, unnecessary. The new SSB probably has elimnated the bow torpedo tubes featred on the ROMEO.

Long-range low-frequency sonars are housed in flank arrays. Long-range low-frequency sonars are housed in flank arrays. These arrays function best when mounted on constant-diameter sections of the hull, separated as far as possible along the length of the submarine and when recessed into a smooth hull so that flow turbulence is kept to a minimum. However, such arrays are ot in evidence on the new SSB.

For submarine missions that take place in littoral or shallow waters, the risk of detection is greater. A submerged submarine can leave a wake that is detectable from the air. The size of this wake increases with greater displacement and speed and less depth. The probability of detection by active sonars and magnetic anomaly detection equipment also increases with greater displacement and less depth. In addition, a submerged submarines' ultimate limitation in navigating shallow waters is its total submerged draught. Among the possible solutions to this dilemma, there should be a requirement for submarines to be smaller and stealthier while not losing any of their blue-water" capabilities.

DPRK leaders pursued a status of nuclear power for decades, considering this weaponry an insurance against Western meddling. In 2006, Pyongyang said it successfully tested its first nuke and in fall 2022 it adopted a comprehensive nuclear use law, indicating the situations and circumstances when this weapon may be unleashed. North Korea stressed that it is a responsible nuclear-weapons state which adheres non-proliferation rule and pledges not to share or transfer nukes or nuclear technologies to third countries.

Its nuclear forces have a wide range of objectives, starting from defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and fundamental interests of the state to preventing a war on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia while ensuring the strategic stability of the world." Yet up to this moment, North Korean nuclear forces were mainly ground-based and the launch of new "tactical nuclear attack submarine" implies the "beginning of a new chapter" for its fleet, as the state-run news agency said.

South Korea's intelligence agency said 06 May 2020 it had detected activity related to submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs at a North Korean shipyard. The agency reported its findings to a parliamentary committee that met behind closed doors. According to the report, the agency spotted the activity at a shipyard in the eastern city of Sinpo. It involved equipment used in underwater launch tests and a new type of submarine that can carry SLBMs.

North Korea's state media reported in July 2019 that leader Kim Jong Un had inspected a newly-built submarine that would be deployed in the Sea of Japan. Assessing images of the submarine at the time, the South Korean military had said it seemed capable of carrying three SLBMs. In October 2019, North Korea test-fired a Pukguksong-3 SLBM from waters near the eastern city of Wonsan. South Korean newspapers on 07 May 2020 said the new report suggests North Korea is preparing for another underwater test-fire or a submarine launch.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a large newly built submarine, state news agency KCNA reported 23 July 2019. There were two KCNA reports, "Kim Jong Eun, The Supreme Leader Of Korea, Looked Over The Newly Constructed Submarine" and "Kim Jong Eun Took A Look At His Newly Built Submarine". In the first of these articles, it was reported that "The Dear Leader of the Supreme Leader visited the newly built submarine and detailed the operational tactical specifications of the ship and the weapon combat systems. The Dear Leader of the Supreme Leader expressed great satisfaction about the design and construction of the submarine so that it can smoothly carry out the military strategic prayers of our party even in the context of each situation." The second article was nearly the same as the first, and added no details.

Kim "emphasized the need to steadily and reliably increase national defense capability by investing heavily in the development of naval weapons and equipment such as submarines," the KCNA reported. "The Supreme Leader has been informed of all the details of the operational and regular data (of the submarine) and its weapons system," the agency added. KCNA also released three photographs of the site visit, one of which provided a glimpse of the submarine itself. The closeup photo of the Supreme Leader suggests that the old boy is fit as a fiddle.

Some foreign observers suggested that the submarine is a Shinpo-C class ballistic missile submarine which appears to be being built [or in maintenance] at the North's Shimpo shipyard. Such an SLBM-equipped submarine could be used for two or three missile launch tubes. Analysts said the apparent size of the new submarine indicated that it was designed to eventually carry missiles. "We can clearly see that it is a massive submarine  much larger than the existing one that's been well known since 2014," Ankit Panda, senior fellow at the U.S.-based Federation of American Scientists, told Reuters news agency.

The photograph of the submarine released by KCNA is not ideal for analysis of the boat's dimensions, as there is considerable fore-shortening of the boat's hull. Kim Jong Un is reported to be about 1.7 meters tall, though at times he wears special shoes that make him look taller. Using the Supreme Leader for scale, it appears that the height of the submarine hull, from keel to deck, is about 4 meters, more or less, which is presumably also the ship's beam. This is rather less than the estimated 7.7 meter beam of the Sinpo / GORAE submarine that was first detected in 2014, possibly due to the imprecision of this photographic analysis. It is vastly less than the 10 meter diameter attributed to the anticipated new Sinpo-C submarine, a discrepancy too great to write off as imprecise imagery mensuration.

The submarine is bare metal, lacking any anechoic rubberized tiles to deaden active sonar returns and limit noise radiation. Either none are planned, or it is still too early in the construction process for them to be applied. The hull itself is of singularly shoddy construction. In the foreground, partially obscured by a staircase, the hull sheathing gives the appearance of a very thin sheeting applied to an underlying frame. Further aft, the hull is a patchwork of randomly sized sheets of metal, answering to no rhyme or reason as to their shape or size. GlobalSecurity.org's veteran Sovietologist Charles Vick suggests that this patchwork of plates reflects work to get new equipment in place, which is the way the Soviets do it. Cut the plate access hole, place the oversized equipment where needed, then replace the metal frame sheets, weld it, grind it down, paint to match. Vick noted that this sort of design revision is seen all through Soviet naval equipment to this very day.

South Korea's defense ministry determined that the newly constructed North Korean submarine seemed to be capable of carrying three submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, chief of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, told reporters after a closed-door briefing by ministry officials the submarine is ready to be deployed soon. The ministry said the submarine "appears to be slightly larger" than the 2,500-ton Gorae class.

Bill Gertz reported October 28, 2014 that satellite images of a North Korean submarine facility showed what appeared to be a missile tube being developed for a future ballistic missile submarine. The commercial imagery was disclosed in an article published by the group 38 North. The photos showed was appears to be a test stand for a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

A review of commercial satellite imagery since 2010 covering submarine bases and submarine shipyards has identified a new test stand at the Norths Sinpo South Shipyard, probably intended to explore the possibility of launching ballistic missiles from submarines or of a shipboard vertical launch ballistic missile capability, wrote Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a North Korea expert with AllSource Analysis, Inc.

North Korea is upgrading its ballistic missile capability, as imagery revealed progress on its dockyards, which will be able to assemble and house bigger, newer submarines. 38 North, a program at the US-Korea Institute at SAIS, which analyzes new information from the secretive county, examined commercial satellite imagery from July 2016, of what it reported is a new construction hall at the Sinpo South Shipyard, on the countrys eastern coast. The status of work inside the hall remains unclear, but when it is finished North Korea will be able to build and launch new submarines much larger than the existing Gorae-class, including a new class of ballistic missile submarines. Moored alongside the launching way are three small vessels and a barge working to clear underwater obstacles.

IHS Jane's Defence Weekly reported 23 July 2016 that North Korea was building a fortified structure near the port city of Sinpo that will have what appeared to be two covered docks that could shelter ballistic missile submarines. The new base, located 2.2 kilometers south of the Sinpo shipyard on the east coast, may be the largest active military building projet in North Korea at the moment. The report said that commercial satellite imagery shows construction of the base began sometime between August 2009 and November 2012. Sinpo port is where a North Korean submarine with a displacement of two thousand tons was docked.

The North has test-fired submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) from this sub in nearby East Sea waters including a launch on 09 July 2016. US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) systems detected and tracked what was assessed as a North Korean submarine missile launch at 9:28 p.m. CDT, July 8, 2016. The launch of a presumed KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile occurred off the coast of Sinpo. The missile was tracked over the Sea of Japan, where initial indications are it fell. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

The test ended in failure, with the missile, known as the KN-11, exploding at an altitude of some 10 kilometers after being launched from a submerged 2,000-ton Sinpo-class submarine, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Satellite imagery from 8 May 2016 revealed that construction on the pens had progressed to the extent that portions of them were being covered with earth, said Janes, which also obtained its analysis from commercially-sourced photos. The combined analysis of all the work at Sinpo South, likely begun in 2009, suggests that it is currently the largest active military building project in North Korea.

Although North Korea is also conducting regular tests from land-based sites, the massive investment North Korea is making into building the new submarine bunker at Sinpo suggests it will be used to protect its most prized naval asset  the ballistic missile submarine capability it is currently developing.

Janes suggested that the new docks could make it simpler for submarines to slip into the water unmonitored, creating uncertainty and a deterrent to opposing forces. If successful, the submarines could reach not only South Korea, but also the West Coast of the United States, before launching their projectiles, which could be armed with nuclear warheads.

By 2016 work on the launching way (i.e., ramp) and construction hall, 360 meters south of the secure boat basin, was externally complete. The status of work inside the hall remained unclear, but when it is finished North Korea would be able to build and launch new submarines much larger than the existing GORAE-class, including a new class of ballistic missile submarines.

Lee Yong-soo reported 05 September 2016 for Chosun Ilbo : "Buoyed by the success of the missile launch, the North is expected to accelerate development of a 3,000-ton submarine capable of carrying three to four missiles. In a briefing on Aug. 31, a defector group called North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity claimed the North's General Bureau of Reconnaissance is developing a nuclear-powered submarine based on a Russian nuclear-submarine blueprint that it has stolen by hacking. The North invited five Russian nuclear-submarine experts in 2013 and has since sped up its own submarine development, the group added. A government official here was skeptical. "The allegation about the hacking of a Russian computer network and theft of a submarine blueprint sounds like a cloak-and-dagger story, but nobody can completely rule it out," he said."

Satellite imagery suggested that North Korea was building a new massive submarine for the purpose of deploying ballistic nuclear missiles as the regime continues its march towards full nuclear strike capability against the growing concern of the international community. "Commercial satellite imagery strongly suggests that a naval construction program is underway at North Koreas Sinpo South Shipyard, possibly to build a new submarine," the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said 02 October 2016 on its website 38 North.

"If this activity is indeed to build a new submarine, it would appear to be larger than North Koreas GORAE-class experimental ballistic missile submarine, which has a beam of approximately 7 meters," said the analysts with the US-Korea Institute. The development comes as Pyongyang made advances in its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) program far outstripping earlier estimates on the regimes technical capabilities and bringing down the countdown until North Korea possesses the capability to launch a strike on the West.

The primary evidence is was an approximately 10-meter-in-diameter circular component outside the facilitys recently renovated fabrication hall. The GORAE-class experimental ballistic missile submarine (SSBA) has dimensions of approximately 66.7 x 7.7 meters and the ROMEO-class are attack submarines (SS) armed with torpedoes with dimensions of 76.6 x 6.7 meters.

US military intelligence has detected the construction of a new diesel submarine in North Korea's Sinpo shipyard on its east coast. According to Diplomat magazine on 18 October 2017, US intelligence estimated the sub to be a two thousand ton vessel capable of launching a submarine launched ballistic missile, or SLBM. The vessel is the largest the regime has constructed since building its Najin-class frigates.

The U.S. intelligence community believes the new sub will succeed the Gorae-class ballistic missile submarine, the only sub that can launch a Pukguksong-1 SLBM. North Korea has carried out four SLBM ejection tests during the summer of 2017, with the last taking place on 30 July 2017.

US intelligence also believes the regime is currently developing a new SLBM known as the Pukguksong-3, which uses an advanced airframe made of lighter composite materials that would increase the range of the missile.

Amid increasing ballistic missile threats from the North, the U.S. Sixth Fleet test fired one of its most advanced missile interceptors, the Standard Missile-6 off the Scottish coast. US Sixth Fleet released a statement after the test on 15 October 2017 that the SM-6 was launched from an Aegis destroyer and successfully intercepted an incoming ballistic missile.

Raytheon, the missile's manufacturer, said that the SM-6 is the only missile that can be used for both anti-air and anti-surface warfare, meaning that the missile could be used to counter North Korea's nuclear facilities and intercept the regime's ballistic missiles, which continue to develop rapidly.

North Korea is pushing ahead with the construction of its first domestically developed ballistic missile submarine, even though the vessel is expected to be vastly technologically inferior to its rivals in the region and should be relatively easy to track and  should a imminent threat be perceived  neutralize. Despite that huge drawback, the millions that are being invested in the project make perfect geo-political sense to the regime of Kim Jong Un.

Progress on the North Korean project has been detected by images from commercial satellites analyzed by experts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University and published on the 38 North website. In the most recently available images of the Sinpo South Shipyard, taken earlier in NOvember, the analysts pointed to sections of what appear to be the pressure hull of a submarine alongside construction halls at the yard, which has undergone extensive modernization work in the last 18 months, including the addition of a fabrication plant and a roof to a construction hall alongside a slipway.

The analysts suggest the new vessel will be the first 3,000-ton Sinpo-C class ballistic missile submarine, which is designed to sortie into the Pacific Ocean and remain undetected but able to launch its nuclear-tipped missiles when ordered to do so. Satellite images provide further evidence about the project, including what appears to be a launch canister that may be awaiting fitting into the submarine or may be used for tests.

"And if they go ahead and build three or four of this new class of submarines, then that immediately injects a new element of uncertainty because it makes it more difficult for the US, for South Korea and Japan to constantly monitor all the possible sources of missiles," Garren Mulloy, an associate professor of international relations at Japan's Daito Bunka University added. "To any sane person, this is a monumental waste of money when the economic conditions in North Korea are so bad, but having a nuclear deterrent makes sense to the regime there because they believe it guarantees their survival."

"The US has spent decades making submarines that are so quiet that they cannot be tracked, and I have no doubt that whatever the North Koreans are able to put in the water will not be as advanced or as quiet," he said. "But that doesn't really matter to Pyongyang," he pointed out. "What they are trying to do is to get the other countries around them to come to the negotiating table," he said.

"They are leaving components for a new class of submarine on a dock when they know full well that satellites are going to be passing overhead and photographing everything and anything that is there," Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at the Japan campus of Temple University. said. "That tells me that they are leaving them out there because they want them to be seen. They want to ratchet up the tensions and the pressure to force the US and the other countries to sit down and talk."

Mulloy concurs, but adds that it is possible that the North does not plan to order its submarines to go out into the Pacific and approach the west coast of the United States. "They cannot match the technology of the US, but it is possible that they intend to submerge these missile boats within their 12-mile territorial zone to make them harder to detect but remain within range of South Korea and Japan and US military facilities in both those countries," he said. "The Sea of Japan is relatively shallow and therefore tracking submarines is somewhat easier, but if they are submerged then they will be harder to follow and it will tie up US and other nations' assets to monitor them," he added.



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Multiple Foreign Nationals Charged in Connection with Trickbot Malware and Conti Ransomware Conspiracies

Thursday, September 7, 2023

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

Three indictments in three different federal jurisdictions have been unsealed charging multiple Russian cybercrime actors involved in the Trickbot malware and Conti ransomware schemes.

According to court documents and public reporting, Trickbot, which was taken down in 2022, was a suite of malware tools designed to steal money and facilitate the installation of ransomware. Hospitals, schools, and businesses were among the millions of Trickbot victims who suffered tens of millions of dollars in losses. While active, Trickbot malware, which acted as an initial intrusion vector into victim computer systems, was used to support various ransomware variants, including Conti. Conti was a ransomware variant used to attack more than 900 victims worldwide, including victims in approximately 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and approximately 31 foreign countries. According to the FBI, in 2021, Conti ransomware was used to attack more critical infrastructure victims than any other ransomware variant.

"The Justice Department has taken action against individuals we allege developed and deployed a dangerous malware scheme used in cyberattacks on American school districts, local governments, and financial institutions," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "Separately, we have also taken action against individuals we allege are behind one of the most prolific ransomware variants used in cyberattacks across the United States, including attacks on local police departments and emergency medical services. These actions should serve as a warning to cybercriminals who target America's critical infrastructure that they cannot hide from the United States Department of Justice."

"Today's announcement shows our ongoing commitment to bringing the most heinous cyber criminals to justice - those who have devoted themselves to inflicting harm on the American public, our hospitals, schools, and businesses," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "Cyber criminals know that we will use every lawful tool at our disposal to identify them, tirelessly pursue them, and disrupt their criminal activity. We, alongside our federal and international partners, will continue to impose costs through joint operations no matter where these criminals may attempt to hide."

"The defendants charged in these three indictments across three different jurisdictions allegedly used their cyber knowledge and capabilities to victimize people and businesses around the world without regard for the damage they caused," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "These indictments should serve as a reminder that no matter a cybercriminal's location, we will identify and pursue them by doing everything in our power to ensure they face the consequences of their actions."

"Conti ransomware was used to exploit our financial systems and target hundreds of innocent victims," said Special Agent in Charge William Mancino of the U.S. Secret Service's Criminal Investigative Division. "The Secret Service will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate cybercriminals and bring offenders to justice."

As detailed below, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio returned an indictment charging Maksim Galochkin, aka Bentley; Maksim Rudenskiy, aka Buza; Mikhail Mikhailovich Tsarev, aka Mango; Andrey Yuryevich Zhuykov, aka Defender; Dmitry Putilin, aka Grad and Staff; Sergey Loguntsov, aka Begemot and Zulas; Max Mikhaylov, aka Baget; Valentin Karyagin, aka Globus; and Maksim Khaliullin, aka Maxfax, Maxhax, and Kagas, all Russian nationals, with conspiring to use the Trickbot malware to steal money and personal and confidential information from unsuspecting victims, including businesses and financial institutions located in the United States and around the world, beginning in November 2015.

A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee returned an indictment charging Galochkin, Rudenskiy, Tsarev, and Zhuykov with conspiring to use Conti ransomware to attack businesses, nonprofits, and governments in the United States beginning in 2020 and continuing through June 2022.

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of California returned an indictment charging Galochkin in connection with the Conti ransomware attack on Scripps Health on May 1, 2021.

Northern District of Ohio

The indictment returned in the Northern District of Ohio charged all nine defendants for their alleged roles in developing, deploying, managing, and profiting from the malware known as Trickbot. Trickbot was a sophisticated, modular, multi-functional suite of malware tools which (a) infected victims' computers with malware designed to capture victims' online banking login credentials; (b) obtained and harvested other personal identification information, including credit cards, emails, passwords, dates of birth, social security numbers, and addresses; (c) infected other computers connected to the victim computer; (d) used the captured login credentials to fraudulently gain unauthorized access to victims' online bank accounts at financial institutions; (e) stole funds from victims' bank accounts and laundered those funds using U.S. and foreign beneficiary bank accounts provided and controlled by the defendants and co-conspirators; and (f) installed ransomware on victim computers.

"As alleged in the indictment, Trickbot infected millions of computers worldwide, including those used by hospitals, schools, and businesses," said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. "Today's announcement demonstrates that these dangerous cybercriminals are not anonymous, as they once believed. The indictments unsealed today show the resolve of the international community to work together to bring cybercriminals to justice. We will continue to use all resources at our disposal to stop cybercrime."

Each defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, one count of wire fraud conspiracy, and one count of conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the scheme. The indictment also included an enhancement for falsely registering domains. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 62 years in prison.

Trickbot malware developers Alla Witte and Vladimir Dunaev were previously indicted and apprehended. Witte, a Latvian national pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and was sentenced to 32 months in June 2023. Dunaev, a Russian national, currently is in custody and pending trial in Cleveland.

Middle District of Tennessee

The Middle District of Tennessee indictment charges that the individuals behind Conti ransomware, including Galochkin, Rudenskiy, Tsarev, and Zhuykov, conspired to use Conti to attack hundreds of victims. Conti's victims included hospital systems, local governments, and foreign governments. Conti conspirators allegedly extorted funds from victims in the Middle District of Tennessee and encrypted the computer systems of a local sheriff's department, a local police department, and local emergency medical services, among others. Ransom notes left on Conti victims' computer systems typically boasted "if you don't [know Conti] - just 'google it.'"

"The conspirators who developed and deployed Conti ransomware victimized businesses, governments, and non-profits around the world, including a sheriff's office and an emergency medical service in Tennessee," said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. "We will continue to use the full power of this office to ensure that hackers can no longer hide behind their computer screens and to hold them accountable."

Galochkin was a "crypter" for Conti, modifying the ransomware so that it would not be detected by anti-virus programs; Rudenskiy was a developer who supervised other Conti developers; Tsarev was a manager of other Conti conspirators; and Zhuykov was a systems administrator who managed users of Conti infrastructure, organized and paid for infrastructure and tools, and assisted in problem solving infrastructure-related issues.

Galochkin, Rudenskiy, Tsarev, and Zhuykov are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and one count wire fraud conspiracy. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Southern District of California

As alleged in the Southern District of California indictment, Galochkin caused the transmission of the Conti malware and impaired the medical examination, diagnosis, treatment, and care of one or more individuals.

Galochkin is charged with three counts of computer hacking. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

"The indictment alleges a callous disregard for the medical care and the personal information of residents of the Southern District of California," said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Haden for the Southern District of California. "This office is committed to protecting victims of cybercrime and holding perpetrators accountable."

The FBI Cleveland Field Office is leading the investigation into Trickbot malware.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Riedl and Duncan Brown for the Northern District of Ohio and Senior Counsel Candina Heath of the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the Trickbot malware case.

The FBI San Diego, Memphis, and El Paso Field Offices, with U.S. Secret Service, are leading the investigation into Conti ransomware. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas provided significant assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor J. Phillips for the Middle District of Tennessee, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Shapiro and Kareem Salem for the Southern District of California, and Trial Attorney Sonia V. Jimenez and Senior Counsel Ryan K.J. Dickey of the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the Conti ransomware cases.

The Justice Department's National Security Division provided significant assistance in the Conti ransomware and Trickbot malware investigations.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Northern District of Ohio indictment

Middle District of Tennessee indictment

Southern District of California indictment

Topic: Cybercrime

Components: Office of the Attorney General

Criminal Division

Criminal - Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - California, Southern

USAO - Ohio, Northern

USAO - Tennessee, Middle

USAO - Tennessee, Western

USAO - Texas, Western

Press Release Number: 23-975

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U.S., U.K. Impose New Sanctions Against Russian Hacking Group

By RFE/RL September 07, 2023

The United States and Britain have expanded sanctions on members of a Russian hacking gang known as Trickbot, targeting people involved in management and procurement for the group.

The action adds nearly a dozen people to the sanctions list, the U.S. Treasury Department and the British Foreign Office said on September 7.

The two countries previously imposed sanctions against seven members of Trickbot, noting the group's role in targeting hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the U.S. government and companies.

British officials said the Trickbot gang had extorted at least $180 million from people across the globe, while Washington said the Trickbot group had ties to Russian intelligence.

The Treasury Department said the action targeted "key actors involved in management and procurement for the Trickbot group," including administrators, managers, developers, and coders who have assisted Trickbot in its operations.

Undersecretary Brian Nelson said the United States "is resolute in our efforts to combat ransomware and respond to disruptions of our critical infrastructure."

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the move was an attempt to disrupt the group's business model and strip its anonymity.

"These cybercriminals thrive off anonymity, moving in the shadows of the Internet to cause maximum damage and extort money from their victims," Cleverly said in a statement. "We know who they are and what they are doing."

The sanctions are also intended to make it harder for the hackers to launder money.

Trickbot draws its name from a suite of malware tools that the gang members use to hack and extort their victims. The rogue program, whose roots stretch back at least a decade, has been used to infect millions of computers worldwide, the Treasury said.

The U.S. Justice Department also planned to indict nine individuals tied to the gang, British and U.S. officials said.

A federal indictment unsealed on September 6 showed that at least four alleged members of the group -- Maksim Galochkin, Maksim Rudensky, Mikhail Tsarev, and Andrei Zhuikov -- were being charged in Tennessee with conspiring to use ransomware.

In addition to those four, the U.S. Treasury Department named seven other men designated for sanctions: Mikhail Chernov, Maksim Khaliullin, Artem Kurov, Sergei Loguntsov, Aleksandr Mozhayev, Dmitry Putilin, and Vadim Valyakhmetov.

While sanctions freeze any assets the individuals hold in U.S. jurisdiction and block people in the United States from having any dealings with the targets, they tend to be largely symbolic.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-us-uk-sanctions- trickbot/32582889.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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United States and United Kingdom Sanction Additional Members of the Russia-Based Trickbot Cybercrime Gang

U.S. Department of the Treasury

September 7, 2023

U.S. Department of Justice Concurrently Unsealing Nine Indictments

WASHINGTON -- Today, the United States, in coordination with the United Kingdom, sanctioned eleven individuals who are part of the Russia-based Trickbot cybercrime group. Russia has long been a safe haven for cybercriminals, including the Trickbot group. Today's action was taken by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is concurrently unsealing indictments against nine individuals in connection with the Trickbot malware and Conti ransomware schemes, including seven of the individuals designated today.

Today's targets include key actors involved in management and procurement for the Trickbot group, which has ties to Russian intelligence services and has targeted the U.S. Government and U.S. companies, including hospitals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trickbot group targeted many critical infrastructure and health care providers in the United States.

"The United States is resolute in our efforts to combat ransomware and respond to disruptions of our critical infrastructure," said Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian E. Nelson. "In close coordination with our British partners, the United States will continue to leverage our collective tools and authorities to target these malicious cyber activities."

The targets designated today include administrators, managers, developers, and coders who have materially assisted the Trickbot group in its operations. This designation is part of continued collaborative efforts by the U.S. and the UK to disrupt Russian cybercrime and ransomware, and follows the first joint U.S.-UK cyber designation of several Trickbot group members in February 2023, the first designation under the UK's new cyber authority. Treasury coordinated extensively with UK partners, including the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office; National Crime Agency; and His Majesty's Treasury. Today's action represents the continued commitment of the United States and the United Kingdom to target, combat, and counter ransomware actors and to address Russian cybercrime.

TRICKBOT: RUSSIA'S NOTORIOUS CYBER GANG

Trickbot, first identified in 2016 by security researchers, was a trojan virus that evolved from the Dyre trojan. Dyre was an online banking trojan operated by Moscow-based individuals who began targeting non-Russian businesses and entities in mid-2014. Dyre and Trickbot were developed and operated by a group of cybercriminals to steal financial data from targets outside of Russia. The Trickbot trojan infected millions of victim computers worldwide, including those of U.S. businesses and individuals. It has since evolved into a highly modular malware suite that provides the Trickbot group the ability to conduct a variety of malicious cyber activities, including ransomware. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Trickbot group launched a wave of ransomware disruptions against hospitals and other healthcare centers across the United States. In one instance, the Trickbot group deployed ransomware against three Minnesota medical facilities, disrupting their computer networks and telephones, and causing a diversion of ambulances. Members of the Trickbot group publicly gloated over the ease of targeting the medical facilities and the speed with which ransoms had been paid to the group. Members of the Trickbot group are associated with Russian intelligence services. The Trickbot group's preparations in 2020 aligned them to Russian state objectives and actions taken by the Russian intelligence services. This included targeting the U.S. Government and U.S. companies.

Andrey Zhuykov was a central actor in the group and acted as a senior administrator. Andrey Zhuykov is also known by the online monikers Dif and Defender.

Maksim Galochkin led a group of testers, with responsibilities for development, supervision, and implementation of tests. Maksim Galochkin is also known by the online monikers Bentley, Crypt, and Volhvb.

Maksim Rudenskiy was a key member of the Trickbot group and the team lead for coders.

Mikhail Tsarev was a manager with the group, overseeing human resources and finance. He was responsible for management and bookkeeping. Mikhail Tsarev is also known by the monikers Mango, Alexander Grachev, Super Misha, Ivanov Mixail, Misha Krutysha, and Nikita Andreevich Tsarev.

Dmitry Putilin was associated with the purchase of Trickbot infrastructure. Dmitry Putilin is also known by the online monikers Grad and Staff.

Maksim Khaliullin was an HR manager for the group. He was associated with the purchase of Trickbot infrastructure including procuring Virtual Private Servers. Maksim Khaliullin is also known by the online moniker Kagas.

Sergey Loguntsov was a developer for the Trickbot group.

Vadym Valiakhmetov worked as a coder for the Trickbot group and is known by the online monikers Weldon, Mentos, and Vasm.

Artem Kurov worked as a coder with development duties in the Trickbot group. Artem Kurov is also known by the online moniker Naned.

Mikhail Chernov was part of the internal utilities group for Trickbot and is also known by the online moniker Bullet.

Alexander Mozhaev was part of the admin team responsible for general administrative duties and is also known by the online monikers Green and Rocco.

OFAC is designating each of these individuals pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, an activity described in subsection (a)(ii) of section 1 of E.O. 13694, as amended.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the individuals that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.

In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals designated today may themselves be exposed to designation. Furthermore, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services for any of the individuals or entities designated today could be subject to U.S. correspondent or payable-through account sanctions.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from its ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please refer to OFAC's website.

See OFAC's Updated Advisory on Potential Sanctions Risk for Facilitating Ransomware Payments here, for information on the actions that OFAC would consider to be mitigating factors in any related enforcement action involving ransomware payments with a potential sanctions risk. For information on complying with sanctions applicable to virtual currency, see OFAC's Sanctions Compliance Guidance for the Virtual Currency Industry here. See also the UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation's recently issued Guidance on Financial Sanctions and Ransomware.

For more information on the individuals designated today, click here.

###

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UK sanctions members of Russian cybercrime gang

UK sanctions members of Russian cybercrime gang responsible for attacks on hospitals and critical infrastructure.

7 September 2023

sanctions hit 11 from Russian cyber gang that targeted hospitals and other critical infrastructure

sanctions will disrupt ransomware attacks and expose attackers behind them

new measures delivered in coordinated effort with the United States

Members of a Russian cyber criminal gang behind the Trickbot/Conti ransomware attacks, which included the hacking of critical infrastructure and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, face new sanctions today (7 September).

Eleven cyber criminals, whose gang also threatened those who oppose the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, have been targeted with asset freezes and travel bans in a coordinated effort by UK and US authorities to counter the threat of ransomware both in the UK and abroad. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is concurrently unsealing indictments against seven of the individuals designated today.

The National Crime Agency (NCA), who conducted a complex investigation into these individuals, assesses that the group was responsible for extorting at least $180 million from victims globally, and at least A27 million from 149 UK victims. The attackers sought to target UK hospitals, schools, local authorities and businesses.

The individuals being designated in the UK are:

Andrey Zhuykov was a central actor in the group and a senior administrator. Known by the online monikers 'Defender', 'Dif' and 'Adam'

Maksim Galochkin led a group of testers, with responsibilities for development, supervision and implementation of tests. Known by the online monikers 'Bentley', 'Volhvb' and 'Max17'

Maksim Rudenskiy was a key member of the Trickbot group and was the team lead for coders. Known by the online monikers 'Buza', 'Silver' and 'Binman'

Mikhail Tsarev was a mid-level manager who assisted with the group's finances and overseeing of HR functions. Known by the online monikers 'Mango', 'Fr*ances' and 'Khano'

Dmitry Putilin was associated with the purchase of Trickbot infrastructure. Known by the online monikers 'Grad' and 'Staff'

Maksim Khaliullin was an HR manager for the group. He was associated with the purchase of Trickbot infrastructure including procuring Virtual Private Servers (VPS). Known by the online moniker 'Kagas'

Sergey Loguntsov was a developer for the group. Known by the online monikers 'Begemot', 'Begemot_Sun' and 'Zulas'

Alexander Mozhaev was part of the admin team responsible for general administration duties. Known by the online monikers 'Green' and 'Rocco'

Vadym Valiakhmetov worked as a coder and his duties included backdoor and loader projects. Known by the online monikers 'Weldon', 'Mentos' and 'Vasm'

Artem Kurov worked as a coder with development duties in the Trickbot group. Known by the online moniker 'Naned'

Mikhail Chernov was part of the internal utilities group. Known by the online monikers 'Bullet' and 'm2686'

This action was taken in coordination with the US, where these key cybercriminals have also been sanctioned, and is a continuation of joint efforts by the UK and US to disrupt and impose costs on high harm cyber criminals. It is assessed that sanctions have hampered the ability of cyber threat actors to monetise their cyber criminal activities.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

These cyber criminals thrive off anonymity, moving in the shadows of the internet to cause maximum damage and extort money from their victims. Our sanctions show they cannot act with impunity. We know who they are and what they are doing. By exposing their identities, we are disrupting their business models and making it harder for them to target our people, our businesses and our institutions.

The individuals, all Russian nationals, operated out of the reach of traditional law enforcement and hid behind online pseudonyms and monikers - many of which are revealed today. Removing their anonymity undermines the integrity of these individuals and their criminal businesses that threaten UK security.

Several of those facing sanctions today held significant roles within the group. Those targeted include high-level managers and administrators, as well as two individuals, Maksim Khaliullin and Mikhail Tsarev, who focused on recruiting and inducting new members.

The group was also one of the first to offer support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, maintaining links and receiving tasking from the Russian Intelligence Services.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office Oliver Dowden said:

By targeting these malicious cyber actors, who have been known to work with some of the most damaging ransomware strains, we are seeking out and exposing those who threaten the UK's national security. We will always take decisive action with international partners to protect the UK, its people and businesses.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

These sanctions demonstrate that the UK will crackdown on those trying to hold UK businesses and infrastructure to ransom. We will use our law enforcement agencies to go after the perpetrators and punish their crimes. We have the skills and resources to find and unmask criminals who attempt to steal from British businesses, schools and hospitals. We will keep working with our partners, like the US, to defeat these threats.

NCA Director General of Operations Rob Jones said:

These sanctions are a continuation of our campaign against international cyber criminals. Attacks by this ransomware group have caused significant damage to our businesses and ruined livelihoods, with victims having to deal with the prolonged impact of financial and data losses. These criminals thought they were untouchable, but our message is clear: we know who you are and, working with our partners, we will not stop in our efforts to bring you to justice.

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Chief Executive Officer Lindy Cameron said:

Alongside this latest round of sanctions, I strongly encourage organisations to proactively obstruct the activities of ransomware operatives by bolstering their online resilience. Ransomware continues to be a significant threat facing the UK and attacks can have significant and far-reaching impact. The NCSC has published free and actionable advice for organisations of all sizes on how to put robust defences in place to protect their networks.

Today's sanctions announcement reinforces the UK's commitment to cracking down on cyber criminals. They follow on from the first ever joint UK-US sanctions against ransomware actors in February this year. The total number of group members sanctioned is now 18.

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Britain Vows to Find Terror Suspect Who Escaped London Jail

By VOA News September 07, 2023

The United Kingdom pledged on Thursday to find the former army soldier suspected of terrorism who escaped from prison by hiding under a food delivery van.

Daniel Abed Khalife is believed to have escaped from a medium-security London prison on Wednesday by leaving the prison kitchen where he was working and fastening himself to the bottom of a van.

"Daniel Khalife will be found, and he will be made to face justice," U.K. Justice Minister Alex Chalk told parliament on Thursday.

The 21-year-old terrorist suspect is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt, which includes enhanced security checks at ports and airports. But as of Thursday evening in the U.K., police said there had not been any confirmed sightings of Khalife.

Discharged from the British army in May, the former soldier was awaiting trial on offenses related to terrorism and the Official Secrets Act.

Khalife is accused of planting fake bombs at an army base in England and collecting sensitive personal information about soldiers from a U.K. Defense Ministry database. He is also accused of gathering information for Iran, the BBC reported.

Khalife denied all the charges against him.

At parliament on Thursday, Chalk also said there would be an immediate investigation into the prison's protocols and the decision about where Khalife was held. A second independent investigation will take place at a later date, Chalk said.

"No stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened," Chalk said.

More than 150 investigators and police staff are on the case, according to Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy, who is the lead investigator.

Some information in this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.

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WHO warns of rising global trend of COVID-19; Chinese expert advocates for increasing stockpile of antiviral medicine

Global Times

By Du Qiongfang Published: Sep 08, 2023 12:37 AM

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the rising trends of COVID-19 as winter approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, calling for increased vaccinations and surveillance, while a Chinese expert advocated for more frequent releases of COVID-19 data and an increase in the stockpile of antiviral medicine at grassroots hospitals to cope with a possible resurgence of the pandemic.

Deaths are increasing in some parts of the Middle East and Asia, while intensive care unit admissions are increasing in Europe and hospitalizations are increasing in several regions, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online news conference in Geneva on Wednesday.

According to Tedros, only 43 countries - less than a quarter of the 194 WHO member states - are reporting COVID-19 deaths to the agency, and only 20 provide information about hospitalizations. Whereas the WHO estimates that there are hundreds of thousands of people in hospitals now for COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, said.

Zhuang Shilihe, a medical expert based in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong, suggested that China should also strengthen its monitoring on COVID-19, especially for the prevalence of relevant variants in the mainland.

According to Zhuang, the statistics of COVID-19 cases should be released to the public more frequently, from the current once a month to a shortened interval duration.

During the colder months, which are just around the corner in the northern hemisphere, people are exposed to a higher risk of infection because they spend more time indoors together, and viruses that transmit through the air like COVID-19 will take advantage of that, the WHO's top coronavirus expert Van Kerkhove said.

One of the WHO's biggest concerns was how few at-risk people had recently received a COVID-19 vaccine, Tedros said, calling for the vulnerable not to wait to get a booster dose.

To further prepare for the response to the COVID-19 resurgence in the coming autumn and winter, and to maximize the protection of people's lives and health, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of China's State Council recently issued a notice on the COVID-19 vaccination plan for key population groups.

Tedros said that while there is not currently a single dominant COVID-19 coronavirus variant worldwide, the EG.5 Omicron subvariant is on the rise.

Meanwhile, only 42 cases of the new BA.2.86 variant, also known as Pirola, which the WHO has been monitoring since mid-August, have been recorded worldwide in 11 countries, Van Kerkhove said.

Preliminary data suggests that existing vaccines will give protection against BA.2.86, Van Kerkhove said, noting that the COVID-19 vaccines currently available also protect against severe illness and death when contracting newer virus variants.

The US CDC has previously indicated that BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who previously had COVID-19 or were vaccinated with previous shots.

According to the notice from the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism, the XBB variants of COVID-19 have become the current predominant strain in local outbreaks in China. Researches have indicated that the XBB variants exhibit a strong ability to evade immunity, posing a greater threat to key populations such as the elderly. The serum antibodies of the Chinese population have a relatively weak neutralizing ability against the XBB variants, making it more susceptible for Chinese people to have breakthrough infections.

Thus, the vaccination work plan explicitly states that during the prevalence of the XBB variants, particularly this upcoming autumn and winter, it is recommended to prioritize vaccination with vaccines containing antigenic components targeting the XBB variants.

Moderna and Pfizer said on Wednesday that their updated COVID-19 vaccines aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant, the dominant variant through most of 2023, generated strong responses in testing against the highly mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of COVID-19 that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections.

Moderna said its shot generated an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against BA.2.86 compared with an untreated natural antibody response in clinical trials in humans.

Zhuang suggested that China should also promote the update of vaccines and the research and development of new vaccines and booster vaccinations, especially among high-risk population groups. Meanwhile, he suggested that vaccine companies disclose more comprehensive data of their vaccines to the public.

Multiple places across China, including East China's Zhejiang Province, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have rolled out programs advocating for vaccination against XBB variants, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly.

Apart from vaccinations, Zhuang also advised that people wear masks at high-risk venues and increase the stockpile of antiviral medicine at grassroots hospitals to cope with the possible resurgence of COVID-19 in the coming autumn and winter seasons.

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Iran to Construct 1st Space Navigation Satellite

Sputnik News

20230907

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Iranian Space Research Center is planning to hold a public tender for the construction of its first space navigation satellite, the country's space agency said on Thursday.

"As a means of supporting the private sector, the Iranian Space Research Center is planning to hold a public tender for the development, construction and launch into orbit of Research Satellite-1. [The satellite] will be used for research purposes in the field of space navigation," the Iranian government quoted the agency's statement as saying on Telegram.

In late August, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said Tehran was actively engaged in satellite development and planned to conduct two or three launches this year. Before that, Amir Rastegari, the CEO of the defense ministry-affiliated Iran Electronics Industries, said that Iran would launch a homemade Earth observation satellite, called Tolou-3 (Dawn-3), by the end of the year.

A Sputnik

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China and South Africa sign agreements on International Lunar Research Station program, jointly conducting space exploration activities

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Sep 08, 2023 12:45 AM Updated: Sep 07, 2023 11:32 PM

Space agencies of China and South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation at the International Lunar Research Station on September 1, marking South Africa's formal participation in the program. The two sides will conduct extensive collaboration in the demonstration, engineering implementation, operation and application, education, and training of the station.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on September 1 by the ChineseAmbassadorto South Africa Chen Xiaodong on behalf of the China National Space Administration and Humbulani Mudau, Director General of the South African National Space Agency.

Two agreements on official cooperation were signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to South Africa which started on August 22, the first tie-up of its kind between the nations, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The agreements will bring South Africa onto the team for China and Russia's planned International Lunar Research Station.

China has partnered with Russia on a number of upcoming projects, including the International Lunar Research Station, a planned lunar base consisting of a space station in lunar orbit, a complex on the lunar surface, and a fleet of robots. The two nations said the project is open to all others who would like to join, and have signed on a handful of partners.

In addition, under the framework of the BRICS cooperation on remote sensing satellite constellation, space agencies of China and South Africa have carried out cooperation on remote sensing data exchange and application, as well as communications on satellite ground stations.

In the memorandum, the two countries specifically pointed out that on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Africa, South Africa's participation in the International Lunar Research Station program indicates the extension of China-South Africa cooperation from near-Earth space to the moon and deep space exploration.

The cooperation between the two sides is of great significance to promoting the progress of space science and technology between China and South Africa and helping to build a high-level China-South Africa community of shared future.

The African space economy in 2021 was valued at $19.49 billion and is forecast to grow by some 16 percent in the next four years, according to media reports. However, as of 2022 only 13 African countries have 48 satellites, six of them built by China and one by the US, with experts saying satellite communication is essential to bridging the connectivity gap on the continent.

In fact, space is an important part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, said Hu Changchun,the head of China's mission to the AU, adding that space cooperation has become a highlight of China-Africa cooperation in terms of enjoying fruitful results of satellite launches, space infrastructure, as well as sharing of satellite resources.

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Aussie lightning strikes in Japan

By Flight Lieutenant Claire Campbell

7 September 2023

A warm welcome greeted 75 Squadron on arrival at Komatsu Air Base in Japan for the bilateral air combat activity Exercise Bushido Guardian.

The two-week exercise began on September 4 and was the first time the RAAF F-35A Lightning IIs have travelled to Japan as part of the biennial exercise.

In his welcoming address, Commanding Officer 75 Squadron Wing Commander Martin Parker acknowledged the significance of the moment to the partnership between the RAAF and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (Koku-Jieitai).

"The Dragons, Eagles and Magpies are writing history here today in Komatsu," Wing Commander Parker said.

"We believe in our special strategic partnership and 75 Squadron is here, ready and excited to play our role."

The exercise was preceded by the first-time visit of Koku Jieitai F-35As to RAAF Base Tindal in Australia and the implementation of a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Japan and Australia last month.

75 Squadron's role in Exercise Bushido Guardian is planning and carrying out flying missions with Koku Jieitai counterparts flying fourth- and fifth-generation platforms, including the F-15J Eagle, Mitsubishi F-2A and F-35A.

Commander Task Unit 640.29.1 Wing Commander Melanie Buswell said this far-from-home location gives the 170 Australian personnel a chance to build experience in unfamiliar airspaces.

"Exercising with our colleagues in the Koku Jieitai provides us an opportunity to deepen our understanding of each other, broaden our strategic relationships, and helps us to become more interoperable," Wing Commander Buswell said.

"Our shared values are the foundation for our partnership and mateship."

Exercise Bushido Guardian is the first application of the RAA in Japan since it came into force last month. Deputy Head of Mission to Japan Peter Roberts said it was a historic milestone in the ongoing relationship between Australia and Japan.

"The RAA will streamline more effective force cooperation and enable each country to increase the sophistication and regularity of training, exercises and other cooperative activities," Mr Roberts said.

"Every time we exercise like [Bushido Guardian] our systems understand each other more, we understand each other more and we learn how much we can do together."

Wing Commander Parker said the exercise would build on partnerships and interoperability at the aviator level.

"The future is murky but we are stronger together, side by side," he said.

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Meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang

Media statement

07 Sep 2023

Prime Minister

Today I met China's Premier Li Qiang in the margins of the East Asia Summit.

We had a frank and constructive discussion, welcomed ongoing progress in stabilising our bilateral relationship, and the renewed engagement between our two countries. We both agreed on the value of expanding cooperation in areas of shared interest.

I raised a range of bilateral and other issues of importance to Australia, including remaining trade impediments, consular cases and human rights. We discussed and shared perspectives on regional and international security issues.

I told Premier Li that we would continue to cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in our national interest.

I look forward to visiting China later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Whitlam's historic visit.

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Opening Remarks - Bilateral meeting with Premier of the People's Republic of China

Transcript

07 Sep 2023

Indonesia

Prime Minister, Premier of the People's Republic of China

Relationship between China and Australia

E&OE

HIS EXCELLENCY MR LI QIANG, PREMIER OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: Nice to meet you, Mr. Prime Minister in here in Jakarta. Indeed it's my pleasure to have this opportunity. Last November, you met with President Xi Jinping, also in Indonesia but in Bali. A series of important common understandings were reached. Since then, thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides, the China-Australia relationship has continued to show a positive momentum of improvement which is welcomed by all sectors of both countries and the international community. Both China and Australia are important countries in the Asia Pacific. Our two countries interactions go back over half a century. A review of our past interactions shows that when our relations are good and sound, both people's benefit and when things are not going so well, both sides lose from it. A sound and steady China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interest and common aspirations of both peoples. Mr. Prime Minister, you on many occasions stressed the importance of China-Australia relations and said Australia is ready to carry out co-operation with China. We commend such statements. I welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister, to visit China within the year and hope to work with you to further improve and grow the bilateral relations and bring greater benefits to the two peoples. I hope to have a in depth discussion today with you on issues of mutual interest.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you very much, Premier Li and I'm very pleased to meet with you today on the margins of the East Asia Summit. Our focus at the summit is on shaping an open, secure and prosperous region. Stable and constructive ties between countries in our region are key to this. So it's fitting for us to meet here to take our important relationship forward. As you say, we have celebrated 50 years of recognition between our two countries. And I'm encouraged by the progress that we have made since I met President Xi in Bali. I agree with you that both sides stand to benefit from improving our relations. Our relationship has certainly delivered great benefits to the people of both of our nations. Our deep economic ties, for example, have over decades allowed both countries to develop and grow, lifting the living standards of people in China, but also in Australia. The progress we've made in resuming unimpeded trade is good for both countries. And we want to see that progress continue. Our people-to-people links have enriched our cultural ties and built understanding. Today is an opportunity to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues from our consular interests and economic matters to geostrategic issues, with a view to advancing stability and managing competition peacefully. Our views will not always align. We remain committed to our values and interests. But we understand that dialogue is absolutely critical. A stable and constructive relationship where we can realise the potential of our comprehensive strategic partnership is an interest that we both share. And Premier Li, I look forward to a productive discussion today and I thank you for the invitation to meet here this morning.

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Belarus Condemned By U.S., EU For Depriving Citizens Abroad Of Fundamental Right

By RFE/RL's Belarus Service September 07, 2023

The United States and European Union have condemned a decree signed by authoritarian Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka prohibiting the renewal of passports by Belarusians living abroad.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on September 7 in a statement that the decision to stop providing overseas passport services harms thousands of Belarusians living abroad "and is the latest in a long line of cynical rejections by the regime of its basic obligations to its people."

Miller said the decree's sole aim was to make the lives of ordinary Belarusians living abroad more difficult and represented yet another form of oppression and retaliation against thousands of Belarusians who were forced to flee the country amid a crackdown on widespread demonstrations against the 2020 presidential election.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said earlier on September 7 that the decree published this week demonstrated how Lukashenka's regime "completely disregards the fundamental rights of Belarusians."

Stano said the decree was another step by the "illegitimate regime" against Belarusians who were forced to flee abroad to escape repression and persecution.

He said the regime was trying to force expatriates to return to Belarus, where they would probably face repression.

"The European Union strongly condemns this decision, and we will continue to support Belarusians in their aspirations for democracy," Stano said.

The EU must understand what practical consequences the decree means for Belarusian citizens living in Europe before making further decisions, he added.

Until now the expatrates could get new passports at the country's diplomatic missions, but according to the decree, published on September 4, they can only get a new passport or renew an old one in Belarus.

Lukashenka's critics say the rule leaves Belarusians living abroad vulnerable to prosecution if they return to Belarus. The Belarusian opposition called the move a "repressive mechanism."

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-passport-decree- condemned/32583068.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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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Prime Minister of Canada - Justin Trudeau

September 7, 2023

Jakarta, Indonesia

Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on the margins of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The leaders highlighted the strong history between Canada and the Philippines and deep people-to-people ties between the two nations. Prime Minister Trudeau invited President Marcos Jr. to visit Canada next year as they looked forward to celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024.

The Prime Minister and the President reviewed progress in bilateral commercial relations, including agriculture and agri-food, education, and clean technologies. Prime Minister Trudeau announced plans for a Team Canada Trade Mission to the Philippines in 2024.

Prime Minister Trudeau thanked President Marcos Jr. for his support of the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and provided an update on the implementation of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The leaders expressed their appreciation for Canada's expansion of the electronic travel authorization (eTA) program to include the Philippines, as this further reaffirms the strong ties between the two nations.

The Prime Minister and the President discussed Russia's illegal and unjustifiable war against Ukraine and the severe impact the conflict is having on food security in the region. They also noted their respective commitments to the rule of law and to regional security and international law in the South China Sea. The Leaders spoke about the importance of freedom of speech and protecting democracy.

The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact on these shared priorities and looked forward to seeing each other again next year.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the US's Unwarranted Accusations Against China at the East Asia Summit

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2023-09-07 23:11

Q: It is learned that the US delegate hurled accusations at China on Taiwan and the South China Sea at the East Asia Summit today. What's China's response?

A: The accusations made by the US delegate were groundless and inconsistent with facts. We are firmly against it and will not accept it. We have made serious dAmarches to the US.

Let me stress that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair which brooks no foreign interference. The biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait stems from separatist activities for "Taiwan independence" and the foreign connivance and support they receive. To effectively uphold cross-Strait peace and stability, it is absolutely necessary to firmly oppose "Taiwan independence". We urge the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiquAs, stop using the Taiwan question to interfere in China's internal affairs and take concrete actions to uphold cross-Strait peace and stability, not otherwise.

Certain non-regional country has sought to stir up trouble, incite confrontation and jeopardize regional peace and stability in the South China Sea. China has always opposed that. China and ASEAN countries are making active efforts to advance the consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea. Countries outside the region need to respect the efforts made by regional countries to develop rules and uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea.

What happened at this East Asia Summit shows that the overwhelming majority of countries believe in strengthening cooperation through constructive dialogue and friendly consultation to jointly foster a regional epicentrum of growth. The US deliberately deviated from the theme of the meeting to sour the atmosphere for cooperation. This runs counter to the wish of the people in the region. It reveals the actual role of the US as a disruptor and saboteur of East Asian cooperation and regional stability. No one echoed the US's false accusations at the summit anyway. What the US has done will only make itself look bad and backfire on itself.



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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on September 7, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Beijing Daily: China has announced that it will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this October. How does preparation for the Forum go and how many countries have confirmed their attendance?

Mao Ning: Today marks the 10th anniversary of the initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt. China will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this October. This will be the culmination of events marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative and an important platform that brings together parties for discussions on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

As of today, representatives from more than 90 countries have confirmed that they will attend the Forum. Among them are official representatives such as leaders and ministers of Belt and Road partner countries, as well as people representing the business community, think tanks and civil societies who have actively supported and participated in Belt and Road cooperation. Many heads and representatives from international organizations have also confirmed their attendance. We believe more cooperation partners will do so in the coming days.

KBS: I have two questions. First, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that a joint military drill with the DPRK in the future is not ruled out. Other reports say the joint exercises will be trilateral with the participation of China as well. Can you confirm this? What's the Chinese government's position? Second, reports say the leaders of the DPRK and Russia will hold talks. If the two countries were to engage in arms dealings, it would breach UN Security Council resolutions. What's the Chinese government's position on this matter?aa

Mao Ning: On your first question, I do not have information regarding what you mentioned.

Your second question is about the relations between Russia and the DPRK. I will not comment on it.a

Follow-up: If the DPRK and Russia were to engage in arms dealings, it would violate UN Security Council resolutions. What's the Chinese government's position?

Mao Ning: I'm not going to answer a hypothetical question.

Yonhap News Agency: Vice Premier of the State Council Liu Guozhong will visit the DPRK on September 8. Can you share more information about the visit?

Mao Ning: China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. Our two parties and countries enjoy a good tradition of friendly exchanges. Having a high-level Chinese delegation attend the commemoration of the DPRK's 75th founding anniversary and visit the country upon invitation reflects our profound friendship and the high importance China attaches to our bilateral ties. We believe that with the concerted efforts of both sides, the visit will be a success and help further deepen and advance China-DPRK relations. The two sides are in touch about the details of the program. We will release information in a timely manner. Please check back for updates.

Reuters: Yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held bilateral talks with Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summits. It is reported that the Japanese Prime Minister explained Japan's stance on the release of "waste water" from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Can you give us more details about Premier Li Qiang's response?

Mao Ning: Yesterday afternoon local time, Premier Li Qiang had a brief conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida upon request on the sidelines of the summits on East Asia cooperation in Jakarta. In his conversation with the Japanese Prime Minister and his speech to the summit, Premier Li Qiang stated China's position on the ocean discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water. He said that the handling of the nuclear-contaminated water bears on the global marine environment, people's health and future generations. Japan needs to faithfully honor its international obligations, fully consult with its neighboring countries and other stakeholders, and dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible way. We hope that Japan will work in the same direction with China, draw lessons from history, look to the future, and use this year's 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship as an opportunity to improve and grow bilateral ties.

AFP: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that he will visit China later this year. Can you confirm the visit and provide more details?

Mao Ning: China welcomes Prime Minister Albanese to visit China at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang and stands ready to work with Australia to make sound preparations for the visit. China always believes that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries, and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the wider world. We intend to work with Australia to deliver on the common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, uphold the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit, properly handle differences, and continue to improve and grow our comprehensive strategic partnership.

Reuters: US President Joe Biden will visit Viet Nam on the 10th of this month. Before that, will Premier Li Qiang visit Viet Nam first?

Mao Ning: According to my knowledge, Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister of Viet Nam Pham Minh Chinh held exchanges on the sidelines of the summits on East Asia cooperation. As to the visit you mentioned, I have no information to offer.

Reuters: Premier Li Qiang will attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India. Will he have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit? Can the foreign ministry tell us which leaders he will talk to?

Mao Ning: On Premier Li Qiang's bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, I have no information to offer for the time being, but we will release relevant information in a timely manner. Please check back for updates.

AFP: The US announced lately that it would extend tariff exclusions on 352 Chinese products till end of 2023. Do you have any response?

Mao Ning: About specific questions regarding the tariffs, I would like to refer you to the competent authorities. Let me say broadly that we are against tariff wars. We believe that there is no winner in a tariff war. The US's unilateral imposition of additional tariffs on Chinese products violates WTO rules and does not serve the interests of the US, China or the world.a

Bloomberg: Bloomberg has reported that the G20 nations agreed to grant the African Union permanent membership status, citing people familiar with the matter, who said that leaders are expected to announce the decision during a summit in India this weekend. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?a

Mao Ning: China is the first country that explicitly expressed its support for the African Union's membership in the G20. At the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue last month, President Xi Jinping again stressed that China will work actively to support the AU's full membership in the G20. China and the AU are important partners in building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and safeguarding international fairness and justice. China supports the AU in playing a bigger role in global governance.

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China widens ban on iPhones among government officials

Meanwhile, citizens are told to install anti-fraud app on their phones, sparking monitoring concerns.

By Jing Wei and Gu Ting for RFA Mandarin 2023.09.07 -- Chinese authorities have reportedly banned the use of foreign-made electronics including Apple's iPhone for government business, while insisting that ordinary citizens install a government anti-fraud app on their phones amid complaints that it tracks users' activities.

Apple shares tumbled nearly 4% on Thursday, prompting a selloff in U.S. equities after The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported on widened curbs on iPhone use by Chinese government staff.

The move comes amid ongoing tension with the United States and party leader Xi Jinping's moves towards "decoupling" from the global economy.

According to Reuters, ruling Communist Party officials told employees at some central government agencies in recent weeks to stop using their Apple cell phones at work.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the ban had been extended from officials working in central government ministries to government agencies and state-owned enterprises, while some organizations have started warning employees not to bring iPhones to work.

Form of retaliation?

Netherlands-based dissident Lin Shengliang said this isn't the first time that the Chinese government has tried to restrict the use of foreign electronic devices.

"Leaders in Shenzhen had already issued an internal regulation last year, although it wasn't made public," Lin told Radio Free Asia. "I know people who say foreign mobile phones and Tesla cars have also been banned from their workplaces, while some have to use Huawei computers and a closed intranet at the office."

Wang Juntao, U.S.-based chairman of the banned China Democracy Party, said the ban could be a form of retaliation against American sanctions targeting TikTok and Huawei.

"[If so], the government is still only setting restrictions on the use [of foreign electronics]," Wang said. "It hasn't yet imposed an import ban on iPhones."

"This is likely coming from a national security perspective."

U.S. officials have imposed various sanctions on Huawei since 2019, when it said the company had been involved in activities "contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States."

Forced to install

Meanwhile, Beijing is rolling out an "anti-fraud" app nationwide, imposing it on citizens amid complaints the app scoops up private information from users' phones about their activities.

Students in schools are required to install the National Anti-Fraud Center app, which users said is impossible to uninstall.

Video footage of police at Daqing railway station in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang showed officers checking the cell phones of passengers one by one, taking their ID card details, and forcing them to install the "anti-fraud" app, which ostensibly filters out scam phone calls.

Another social media video showed traffic police stopping a man entering a mountainous area on a motorbike, and checking his phone for the app, saying he couldn't leave until he'd installed it.

A resident of the eastern province of Jiangxi who gave only the surname Meng for fear of reprisals said he has refused to install the app so far.

"It actually monitors people, so we daren't install it," Meng said. "They send SMS reminders to install it to our phones every day."

"This thing carries out long-term monitoring and GPS tracking," he said. "They are deceiving people by saying it's an anti-fraud app."

Developed by Criminal Investigation Bureau

According to the app's listing on the Tencent app store, it was developed by the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security.

"It is provided to all users," the description reads, adding that there is also a version available for desktop computers.

The app was analyzed in September 2022 by the U.S.-government fund Open Technology Fund, a U.S. nonprofit that supports global internet freedom technologies and, like Radio Free Asia, is part of the United States Agency for Global Media, an independent agency of the U.S. government that broadcasts news and information in 63 languages.

According to the report, it requests access to the user's camera, location services, microphone and photo library, and contains voice recognition software.

It said the app sends user data "to private backend servers" that "may also be used for malicious purposes without the user being notified."

A resident of the northeastern port city of Dalian who gave only the surname Chen for fear of reprisals said she had held out for a while, but had been forced to install it in the end.

"I downloaded it - they told me that the police anti-fraud app will block calls from fraudsters," she said. "They were promoting in my [residential] community, telling us they wanted to download [it]."

"It was a double-edged sword," Chen said, adding that she had deleted the app.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Hong Kong leader's 'public' meetings lack criticism of his policies

The city's chief executive John Lee says the meetings are enough, with no need for in-person petitions.

By Gigi Lee for RFA Cantonese 2023.09.07 -- Hong Kong leader John Lee has been holding "public consultation" meetings ahead of his annual policy address in October, with one catch - nobody who attends appears to take issue with government policy or criticize his performance.

Lee told reporters during a briefing this week that he has scheduled more than 30 "public consultation meetings" ahead of his forthcoming policy address.

The petitions and demonstration areas outside Hong Kong's government headquarters and Office of the Chief Executive once offered an opportunity for members of the public, civil society groups and pro-democracy figures to express their demands to officials in person.

But it appears that ordinary citizens standing up and speaking, sometimes shouting, truth to power - once a common feature of Hong Kong's political life and of live TV and radio shows - is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

In video streams of two "regional consultations" on Aug. 20 and 27, the venues for Lee's consultations appeared to be packed with around 100 members of the "public."

But no media were allowed into the hall, and attendance was strictly invitation only.

Some 30 people did stand up and ask questions, but at least one-third were members of pro-government political parties or delegates representing Hong Kong at the Chinese Communist Party's Political Consultative Conference, according to Legislative Councilor Tik Chi-yuen.

Several others had a background in the uniformed services or local government, where only pro-government candidates can now run for election, Tik told the Ming Pao newspaper.

In two hours of questions and answers, not a single person at either event complained about the government in any way, according to the video livestreams of the event.

Instead, they maintained a harmonious and collegial atmosphere, skating over the surface of regional issues without mentioning anything too political.

'Closed circle' pool of participants

The government launched the consultation exercise for the Oct. 25 policy address in late July, announcing that Lee "earnestly invites members of the public to give their views."

"My team and I will continue to listen carefully to your views and do our utmost for the people's livelihood and the economy," an official press release quoted Lee as saying.

People were invited to give their views through the Policy Address website, the dedicated Facebook page, by email and phone or fax, according to the press release.

But Tik told the Ming Pao that the consultation meetings drew participants from too small a pool, a "closed circle," with no democrats or young people allowed to take part.

Meanwhile, Lee said on Tuesday that he has no plans to bring back arrangements for members of the public to approach him with petitions ahead of his weekly meeting with the city's Executive Council, after they were suspended during the COVID-19 restrictions.

"I don't think we need a special area outside the ExCo meeting to do this, because there are so many channels available," Lee said. "I often visit different districts, particularly during the consultation period for my policy address."

"And everyone can see that government officials are very proactive in meeting members of the public," Lee said. "If any member of the public has an opinion, they can tell us directly."

Lee made no mention of the fact that the members of the public he meets at district level are hand-picked supporters of the government, and usually hail from pro-Beijing or pro-establishment backgrounds.

Since Lee was "elected" last year in a one-horse race, his administration has told anyone with opinions or complaints to address them to the government in writing, or by phone.

The government's general contact page offers an e-form and an email address for people to contact officials.

"If appropriate, your enquiry or complaint will be referred to the relevant officer for follow-up," it says, while providing a directory of government phone numbers.

Approvals for political rallies

Meanwhile, anyone wanting to demonstrate or hold a political rally must first get approval from the police, who have approached organizers in recent months and forced them to call off planned marches.

Other marches have gone ahead with participants registering with their real names for numbered name-badges, and forced to walk within a moving police cordon.

Even during Carrie Lam's highly unpopular tenure as chief executive, members of the public could still get close enough to berate her, particularly over her plans to allow the extradition of alleged criminal suspects to mainland China that sparked the mass protest movement of 2019.

"It's because of you! It's you!" one speaker told Lam at a town-hall meeting she called to try to defuse the protests through dialogue in 2019.

"You have total disregard for public opinion. It's due to your inability to govern. Most of the responsibility lies with you and you should step down," the person said, who got their ticket to the event after a computer drew random lots from a pool of applicants.

Many others took a similarly argumentative tone with Lam at the time. But by the time it came to hold public consultations for her last policy address in 2021, Lam had reduced the number of randomly selected applicants to 10%, with many more pro-government speakers invited instead.



Translated with additional reporting by Luisetta Mudie.

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 September 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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UN labor organization discussed forced labor during Xinjiang visit

But human rights groups said the visit would play into China's propaganda on the western region.

By Jilil Kashgary for RFA Uyghur 2023.09.07 -- A delegation from the U.N.'s International Labor Organization made an unannounced visit to China's Xinjiang region last week, saying it discussed the issue of Uyghur forced labor but drawing criticism from rights groups that said it should have consulted with them beforehand.

The organization engaged in "technical discussions about the implementation of China's laws and practice of ratified international labor conventions concerning discrimination in employment and occupation, as well as forced labor," the ILO told RFA in a statement on Tuesday.

The ILO did not indicate if delegates could freely inspect factories or talk freely with Uyghur or other Muslim workers in these factories. The agency also did not disclose the dates of the visit or the agenda.

Chinese media reports said Ma Xingrui, Xinjiang's Communist Party secretary, and Erkin Tuniyaz, chairman of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, met with the ILO delegation members, and that Ma denied the existence of human rights violations and forced labor in the region.

Two conventions that China ratified on employment discrimination in 2006 and on forced labor in 2022 went into force on Aug. 12, the ILO said. As part of its mandate, the ILO provides technical advisory services to its member states on the full implementation of ratified labor conventions.

Corinne Vargha, director of the ILO's International Labor Standards Department, led the recent delegation to the region a year after the U.N. human rights office issued a damning report on Xinjiang.

The August 2022 report concluded that serious human rights violations had been committed in the context of the Chinese counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies, and that China's detention of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity.

Help conceal?

The ILO's trip didn't sit well with Uyghur advocacy and human rights groups, who have lambasted the United Nations for inaction on China's repression of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, despite credible evidence of severe abuses, including mass detentions and forced labor.

The groups criticized the ILO because they said the visit would help China conceal its crimes in Xinjiang.

Jewher Ilham, forced labor project coordinator at the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights monitoring organization based in Washington, D.C., told RFA on Tuesday that such visits are acceptable only when delegates make it clear that they can speak to Uyghurs freely and without any government influence to observe any discrimination, forced labor or abuse in the workplace.

Gheyur Qurban, director of the Berlin office of the World Uyghur Congress, said Chinese officials did not likely allow the ILO delegates to meet freely with Uyghurs and that it would use the visit to bolster its own propaganda.

When former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet visited Xinjiang in May 2022, Chinese officials did not permit her to visit labor camps or have open discussions with Uyghurs facing discrimination and threats, Qurban said.

"Therefore, I believe that the ILO delegation wouldn't have had the opportunity to investigate forced labor because the Chinese government doesn't want to reveal the reality," he said. "They intimidate and threaten Uyghurs, forcing them to lie out of fear. Consequently, the delegation would likely have seen a staged scenario and, of course, be influenced by what they observed."

Very hard to verify

The ILO delegation's visit was the first time that representatives of a U.N. organization visited Xinjiang since Bachelet's trip.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for China, told RFA on Tuesday that China's refusal to allow international observers let alone human rights monitors into the Xinjiang region has really restricted the ability to independently verify allegations of forced labor.

She also said Beijing should fully implement other recommendations made in the report by the U.N.'s human rights office now that the ILO has completed its mission to Xinjiang.

"We would see this as one box checked, and that's promising," Brooks said. "But this being said, there are dozen other recommendations in the OHCHR [Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights] report that are equally if not more deserving of attention and action by the Chinese authorities."

These recommendations include a review of legal frameworks on national security on counter-terrorism that Amnesty has documented are regularly used to target Uyghur and other major majority Muslim communities, she said.

They also include the release of arbitrarily detained Uyghurs and the provision of information to and channels of communication for Uyghurs around the world to reunite with their loved ones in Xinjiang, Brooks said.

In a February report, the ILO criticized China's state-sponsored "relief from poverty" and "progressive employment" programs implemented in Xinjiang, emphasizing widespread employment discrimination and forced labor.

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content September 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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Huawei Phone Kicks off Debate About US Chip Restrictions

By Adam Xu, Adrianna Zhang September 07, 2023

It started with an image of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on her China trip last month, reportedly taken on what the Chinese tech giant Huawei is touting as a breakthrough 5G mobile phone. Within days, fake ad campaigns on Chinese social media were depicting Raimondo as a Huawei brand ambassador promoting the phone.

The tongue-in-cheek doctored photos made such a splash that they appeared on the social media accounts of state media CCTV, giving them a degree of official approval.

VOA contacted the U.S. Department of Commerce for a reaction but didn't receive a response by the time of publication.

Chinese nationalists spare no effort to tout the Huawei Mate 60 Pro a equipped with domestically made chips a as a breakthrough showing China's 5G technological independence despite U.S. sanctions on exports of key components and technology. However, experts say the phone's capability may be exaggerated.

A social media video posted by Chinese phone users shows that after the Huawei Mate 60 Pro is turned on and connected to the wireless network, it does not display the 4G or 5G signal indicator icon. But these reviewers say the download speed is on par with that of mainstream 5G phones.

A test done by Bloomberg also shows the phone's bandwidth is similar to other 5G phones.

Richard Windsor, the founder and owner of the British research company Radio Free Mobile, told VOA a simple speed test is not good evidence that the phone is 5G capable.

"It is quite possible through a technique called carrier aggregation to get the kind of speed that was demonstrated," Windsor said. "You can do that with 4G. ... You will see the story on 5G is not [about] speed or throughput but latency efficiency and producing good reception at high frequencies. That's what the 5G story is all about."

Throughput and latency are ways to measure network performance. Latency refers to how quickly information moves across a network; throughput refers to the amount of information that moves in a certain time.

Huawei's official website makes no mention of 5G technology, which also raised skepticism.

"If the new Huawei mobile phone was a 5G phone with an advanced Chinese chipset, Huawei and China would have told the whole world. Huawei and China are not humble people. They love to tell stories," John Strand, CEO of Strand Consult, told VOA.

The research firm TechInsights took the Huawei phone apart and discovered a Kirin 9000 chip produced by Chinese chipmaker SMIC. The Kirin 9000-series chipsets support 5G connectivity.

While sanctions prevent SMIC from having access to the most cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography tools used by other leading chipmakers a such as TSMC, Samsung and Intel a it could use some older equipment to make advanced chips.

However, experts suspect SMIC won't be able to mass produce the Kirin 9000 chips on a profitable scale without more advanced tools.

"Being able to make a chip that works," Windsor said, "and being able to make millions of chips at good yields that don't bankrupt you in terms of costs are two very, very different things."

VOA asked Huawei and SMIC for comment but didn't receive a response by the time of publication.

Dan Hutcheson, vice chair of TechInsights, said in a press release that China's production of the Kirin 9000 "shows the resilience of the country's chip technological ability" while demonstrating the challenge faced by countries that seek to restrict China's access to critical manufacturing technologies. "The result may likely be even greater restrictions than what exist today."

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a White House press briefing Tuesday that the U.S. needs "more information about precisely its character and composition" to determine if parties bypassed American restrictions on semiconductor exports to create the new chip.

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from the U.S. state of Texas, was quoted Wednesday saying he was concerned about the possibility of China trying to "get a monopoly" on the manufacture of less-advanced computer chips.

"We talk a lot about advanced semiconductor chips, but we also need to look at legacy," he told Reuters, referring to older computer chip technology that does not fall under current export controls.

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Xi's Absence at G20 Summit Both Missed Opportunity and Tactic, Analysts Say

By William Yang September 07, 2023

Analysts say that when the G20 summit kicks off in New Dehli Saturday, the absence of China's leader Xi Jinping is likely to overshadowefforts to address pressing global issues such as climate change and Russia's war in Ukraine.

Beijing has said little about why Xi will be absent. In a one-sentence notice on its website Monday, China's Foreign Ministry announced that Premier Li Qiang would attend instead. At a press briefing later that day, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning had little to add, only that, "China has all along attached great importance to and taken an active part in G20 events."

Analysts say that Xi's decision to skip the meeting raises questions and highlights the shifting priorities of Beijing's foreign policy agenda. For starters, they say, not attending will mean missing out on opportunities to engage with other world leaders at the highest level and improve relations.

"China wants to be a leader in global diplomacy, but Xi's absence contradicts that image," Moritz Rudolf, a fellow at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center, told VOA in a phone interview.

Rudolf said the decision also reflects the shifting focus of China's foreign policy agenda, which prioritizes engagement with developing countries.

"[From] the BRICS Summit and other diplomatic events, including the China-Central Asia Summit in May and Xi's trip to the Middle East, we can try to derive the priority for China's foreign policy," Rudolf said, adding that the focus is on the Global South.

"The priority of China's foreign policy is not at the G20 Summit as it's not the forum where China could benefit that much from. It's easier for them to prioritize the upcoming Belt and Road Forum, where they will mark the 10th anniversary," he added.

China hosts the 10th anniversary of the forum in Beijing next month.

Close friends first

Since coming to power more than a decade ago, Xi has not missed a single G20 summit. This year, despite China's lifting of tight COVID-19 restrictions and the beginning of his norm-breaking third term in office, his travel overseas has been reduced significantly.

So far, Xi has only left China twice - once to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March and more recently to attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa. Both are viewed as countries friendly to China.

"For Xi to visit a certain country, even for [attending] a multilateral forum, it still requires a relatively positive bilateral relationship [between China and the host country,]" Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a think tank based in Washington, told VOA in a phone interview.

Some examples that reflect this tradition include Xi's attendance at the G20 Summit in Indonesia and his participation in the APEC Summit in Thailand in 2022.

"These are countries that China has relatively good relationships with, so I'm not surprised that Xi is skipping the G20 Summit in India," she added.

Sun and other analysts say they think the unresolved tensions between China and India contributed to Xi skipping the G20 Summit.

"In the Chinese view, India is not working with China," Sun said. "China has been complaining that India is using G20 and its related meetings to assert its claims over disputed territory."

While China and India have held a series of dialogues aimed at resolving the longstanding border disputes, a new map released by Beijing last week that showed China's claim to the disputed territories, prompted New Delhi to lodge a diplomatic protest.

Apart from the persistent tension with India, other analysts think the U.S.-led efforts to counter China and Washington's recent military support for Taiwan may have also contributed to Xi's decision to skip the G20 Summit.

"Biden's visit to India and Vietnam is viewed as an effort to encircle China in Beijing, and Beijing is alarmed by Washington's stepped-up military aid for Taiwan," Zhiqun Zhu, an expert on Chinese foreign policy at Bucknell University, told VOA in a emailed response.

APEC next?

Reaction to Xi's decision to skip the G20 Summit from world leaders has been mixed, with U.S. President Joe Biden expressing disappointment with the news and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar noting that Xi's absence won't affect G20 leaders' efforts to produce a communique.

Although some observers say it will be a missed opportunity, others think China's decision to not engage with certain countries is part of an effort to get them to change their behavior.

"For example, if the goal is to change the U.S. behavior, some would say the fact that Washington has sent four Cabinet members to Beijing since June is a good sign that the Chinese strategy is working," Sun from the Stimson Center told VOA in a phone interview.

Whether or not the approach will also be applied to the APEC Leaders Summit, which Washington is hosting in San Francisco, remains to be seen.

Discussions for a potential meeting on the sidelines of the summit in November are still in the works. Sun said Xi's participation may be affected by Washington's decision on whether to allow Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee to take part in the event.

The Washington Post reported in July that the White House had decided to bar Lee from attending the summit. "If John Lee is denied a visa, the Chinese will see this as a major loss of face," Sun said.

With around two months left until the APEC Summit, Sun said an important indicator of Xi's pending participation is whether Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi makes a trip to Washington to pave the way for the occasion.

"if Wang goes to Washington, that's a strong signal that Xi will attend the APEC Summit," she said.

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China, Australia to seek common ground amid warming ties

Global Times

First high-level dialogue in three years 'open, frank and candid'

By Chen Qingqing and Yin Yeping Published: Sep 07, 2023 10:42 PM Updated: Sep 08, 2023 12:52 AM

Amid improving China-Australia relations, Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday on the sidelines of the leaders' meeting on East Asia cooperation in Jakarta while the two countries resumed the high-level dialogue in Beijing for the first time since 2020. Faced with global and regional challenges and uncertainties, the two countries hope to handle differences with mutual respect, seek common ground and put aside differences to pursue mutual benefits with the much-anticipated dialogue being hailed as "open, frank and candid."

Over the past year, with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have maintained a positive momentum of improvement. A sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the people of both countries, Li told Albanese.

China is willing to work with Australia to promptly resume and restore exchanges in various fields, continue to advance dialogues and consultations in diplomacy, trade, education, and consular affairs, providing solid support for the improvement and development of bilateral relations, Li said.

Both sides should handle differences in the spirit of mutual respect, seeking common ground while putting aside differences, and pursuing mutual benefit and win-win. The Asia-Pacific region is home to both China and Australia. China is willing to work with Australia to jointly maintain peace and stability in the region, Li said.

Following the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022, the two sides began resuming the high-level interactions that had brought a significant change from the stalemate that had been in place since 2019 due to Australia's hostile China policy.

Meanwhile, there have been positive signs in the trade cooperation between the two countries, for example, a high-level economic dialogue was resumed in May and most recently, China announced to end anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on barley imported from Australia starting from August 5, which is seen as a sign of improving ties.

Australia and China have made progress in returning to "unimpeded trade" and more is needed, Albanese said on Thursday, according to Reuters. He also noted that he would visit China this year, the first by an Australian leader since 2016 if the visit is realized, a confirmation of a significant step in stabilizing ties.

China welcomes Albanese's visit to China at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, and is willing to work with Australia to make all necessary preparations, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Thursday.

Open, candid talks

Li Zhaoxing, Chinese former foreign minister who leads a Chinese delegation to the high-level dialogue, said at the opening of the dialogue that the essence of the China-Australia relations is reciprocally beneficial, and treating China as a threat is a strategic miscalculation.

He also emphasized the crucial role of independence and autonomy in the China-Australia bilateral relationship. "We should take the future of China-Australia relations into our own hands," he said, noting an alliance should not be pitted against partnership.

Australia-US relationship serves its own needs, and China-Australia relationship has its own value. Upholding independence and autonomy is vital for the long-term stability of China-Australian relationship, Li Zhaoxing said.

A full-day dialogue covers four sessions including political relations, trade cooperation, global and regional issues and people-to-people exchanges. The Australian delegation includes Australian industry, government, academic and media representatives led by former trade minister Craig Emerson and former minister for foreign affairs Julie Bishop.

The high-level dialogue between China and Australia has played its role in deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation and fostering friendship. It is hoped that both sides will continue to make good use of this platform to enhance understanding and friendly sentiments between the peoples of the two countries, bringing new momentum and positive energy to the improvement and development of China-Australia relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the Australian delegation in Beijing on Thursday.

The twists and challenges of the past few years cannot define the essence of our bilateral relationship, nor can they hinder the pace of China-Australia cooperation, Wang said.

Meanwhile, it's necessary to draw valuable lessons and insights from these experiences. First, we need to view each other objectively, calmly and amicably, refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs, enhance understanding through communication, and handle our differences appropriately, the Chinese Foreign Minister said.

Second, it's vital to uphold the perspective that China and Australia are partners, not adversaries, and to recognize that China's development presents an opportunity, not a threat, to Australia.

Third, we should independently and autonomously advance the China-Australia relationship, free from the influence or interference of third parties, Wang said.

Dialogue between the two sides is open and candid, and we both emphasized the importance of seeking common ground and putting differences aside, Chen Hong, a representative from the Chinese delegation to the dialogue who is also the director of Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"When it comes to the trade relations - a cornerstone in bilateral ties, we urged to de-politicize it, and to treat the trade partnership with a rational attitude when there are always disputes existing in global trade," Chen said.

Although there were some differences, both sides have an overall positive outlook for future China-Australia economic and trade relations, especially in areas of cooperation like green and low-carbon development, an expert close to the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday.

In the context of climate change and zero-carbon emissions, traded goods between China and Australia may face adverse structural trends, such as a challenging future for Australian coal exports. Therefore, both sides should plan a blueprint for green and low-carbon cooperation and take action while establishing communication mechanisms, the expert said.

It is also important to change the mindset for problem-solving, abandon zero-sum games, enhance trade engagement, and avoid disengagement in the name of diversification and risk reduction, the expert noted.

And both sides should leverage their current bilateral trade engagement to expand mutually beneficial cooperation. Differences and disputes can and should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue, he said.

During Li-Albanese meeting on Thursday, China's Premier said China will continue to expand its high-level opening-up to the outside world, providing a larger market for countries worldwide, including Australia.

We hope Australia will adopt an objective and fair attitude toward Chinese companies investing and operating in Australia, he said.

A meaningful, promising step

Some experts said the potential visit of Albanese is a meaningful and promising step for the bilateral relations, especially when the Australian leader needs to resist some domestic pressure including those from certain anti-China forces and overcome the pressure from Washington.

Although there have been positive signs for China-Australia relations, concerns remain for the future stability of the bilateral ties, some experts said.

For example, some attendees to the dialogue raised concerns about Australia's politically driven policy changes, where some "wolverine" politicians seem to use "simplicity" in dealing with "complicated and multifaceted" questions, creating a negative impact or even obstacles for the bilateral relations and even suppressing rational calls for cooperation within Australia, the Global Times learned.

The US has been trying to turn Australia into an important chess piece in its Indo-Pacific strategy, even seeking to transform it into an anti-China weapon through military cooperation such as AUKUS, Chen said.

"It's unlikely to change such close alliance between the US and Australia, but the current Australian government needs to have the sufficient political wisdom to avoid repeating reckless and irrational moves of its predecessor that had sabotaged the ties," he said.

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Chinese delegation led by non-Politburo-member to visit Pyongyang, state media says

Sending an official of a lower rank in contrast to five years ago may reveal Beijing's complex position.

Jeong-Ho Lee for RFA 2023.09.07 -- China will send a delegation led by a non-Politburo-member to North Korea to take part in the celebration of the country's founding day later this week, a move that may expose its intricate position amid Pyongyang and Moscow's efforts to strengthen military ties with Beijing.

"A party and government delegation from the People's Republic of China will visit our country to participate in the 75th anniversary celebrations of the foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday, adding that China's vice premier Liu Guozhong will be leading the delegation.

KCNA did not elaborate on further details.

A non-Politburo-member Liu's presence indicates a decline in the delegation's stature given that North Korea places heightened importance on its national day celebrations every five years. In 2018, the Chinese delegation for 70th anniversary celebrations was led by Li Zhanshu, the third-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo, who made his visit as a special representative of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

By sending Liu, China may be aiming at just merely maintaining its relations with Pyongyang, whilst keeping its distance with its hostile neighbor.

While China values North Korea as its strategic asset against the United States and its allies, particularly as a buffer zone against the expanding influence of democracies in the region, becoming too closely aligned with North Korea - especially given its desire for stronger security and military cooperation - could jeopardize its relations with the U.S. and its regional allies.

This becomes clear when Russia has formally proposed to China and North Korea for a joint naval drill in July, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service Monday - a move that could further infuriate the U.S. in the region.

The international community has witnessed China's economic decline and weakening real estate market in recent months. Therefore, China needs to maintain access to international markets and foreign investment in order to prevent a further deterioration of its economy. As China may seek to repair its ties with the U.S. and its allies, strengthening its political ties with North Korea and Russia may prove difficult.

Additionally, with Moscow poised to send its own delegation to North Korea and seeking both military and economic support from China, Beijing might be hesitant to send a representative with the authority to make policy decisions.

"While diplomatic rhetoric still emphasizes the importance of bilateral ties, it is possible that the military engagement with North Korea could be seen as a burden for China," said Cha Du-hyeogn, South Korea's former presidential secretary for crisis information who is now a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

"And there's also the risk that any military engagements with North Korea and Russia could further push South Korea and Japan even closer to the U.S. This would no doubt solidify the trilateral partnerships."

"North Korea's possibility of providing ammunition to Russia is also working as a burden to China," Cha added. "An escalation in military interactions between Russia and North Korea might compel China to relinquish its mediatory role. The stakes are high and the ramifications complex."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, according to U.S. and South Korea authorities - a development that would complicate the U.S.'s plan to curb both Russian aggression in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The potential meeting comes as North Korea is publicly backing Russia in its aggression against Ukraine. Through its state media, it has reiterated its support of Russia's aggression, raising suspicion that Pyongyang is also providing ammunition to Moscow.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

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Chinese Vice Premier to lead delegation to N.Korea

Global Times

Consecutive high-profile visits consolidate support, inject stability into peninsula

By Fan Anqi Published: Sep 07, 2023 11:48 PM Updated: Sep 08, 2023 12:52 AM

China announced on Thursday that it will send a high-profile delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the second time in less than two months, a rare move which experts believe demonstrates the traditional friendship and support for each other that will inject stability into regional security, at a time when tensions have risen to an unprecedented level.

Against the backdrop of the US-led West's increasingly tough sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang, China's support, which will not be confined to moral support, will help North Korea break its isolation in the international community, observers believe.

At the invitation of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the DPRK, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will lead a party and government delegation to DPRK to attend the commemorative events for its 75th founding anniversary and visit the country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday.

Liu will be the most senior Chinese official to visit North Korea since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korea celebrates its founding day on September 9, known as the Day of the Foundation of the Republic, and this year will mark the 75th anniversary since the peninsula was freed from Japanese occupation.

Regarding the visit, Mao said at Thursday's media briefing that China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and the two parties and countries enjoy a good tradition of friendly exchanges. Having a high-level Chinese delegation attend the commemoration and visit the country reflects our profound friendship and the high importance China attaches to our bilateral ties.

The Chinese vice premier's visit comes only one and a half months after Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, led a Chinese Party and government delegation to the country.

The rare consecutive visits to Pyongyang by Chinese high-profile officials have highlighted China's consistent stance of friendship and support toward North Korea in the current international context, in which the country is being isolated by and facing sanctions from Western forces. In contrast, China is willing to deepen the government-to-government and party-to-party connections between the two sides, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In addition to participating in the celebration activities, the Chinese delegation is likely to discuss the resumption of normal exchanges in the post-pandemic era in areas such as transportation, trade and investment, and tourism, Da said.

Given that Liu is in charge of the health and agriculture sectors in China and North Korea has been dealing with chronic food shortages, Liu's visit may also include the provision of food aid to alleviate its urgent needs, experts noted.

With the US, Japan, and South Korea intensifying their pressure on North Korea, current tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached unprecedented levels, with the recent military drills between US and South Korea, and the US deployment of a nuclear-propelled submarine and B-1B bombers, LA Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China's reiteration of support for its neighbor plays an important positive role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, LA said.

Upon the announcement of Liu's planned trip, Western media has been hyping it as "a chance to communicate" with the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un before his reported trip to Russia next week for a meeting in Vladivostok with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

White House officials have said they expect talks between Kim and Putin to focus on arms transfers from North Korea to help the Kremlin with the conflict in Ukraine. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Pyongyang it would "pay a price" if it provided weapons, according to media reports.

However, Russia has said it has nothing to say on the matter, nor did North Korean state media mention any visit to Russia.

Such rhetoric is attempting to tie China, Russia, and North Korea together and purposefully make the "group" into an opposing camp against the West, with the true intention of creating a new Cold War, which is completely absurd, LA said.

While the three countries share common ground on many international issues and have ample room for consultation and cooperation, it does not imply they are forming an alliance, the expert said, urging Western countries to stop distorting facts.

"The reports about Kim traveling to Russia to discuss an arms deal were solely from US media outlets with no confirmation from either Pyongyang or Moscow. It is an attempt by the US to justify its actions to contain North Korea and undermine Russia's military strength," LA said.

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Great Event Heralding Arrival of New Era, Turning Point in Bolstering up Juche-based Naval Force Ceremony of Launching Newly-built Submarine Held with Splendor in Presence of Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, September 8 (KCNA) -- A new powerful entity has emerged to demonstrate the rapid development of the Juche-based naval force all over the world in the glorious journey of ushering in a new era of a great prosperous and powerful country with the world-renowned tremendous national defence capabilities, unprecedented in the nation-building history of the DPRK, under the outstanding leadership of the ever-victorious Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

The heroic munitions industrial workers, scientists and technicians, boundlessly loyal to the revolutionary cause of the WPK, built a Korean-style tactical nuclear attack submarine and presented it as a gift to the motherland celebrating its 75th founding anniversary.

The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK and made clearer the steadfast will of the WPK and the government of the DPRK to further strengthen the state nuclear deterrence both in quality and quantity and by leaps and bounds for regional and global peace and security.

The ceremony was splendidly held on Sept. 6 in the presence of Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with attendance of leading officials of the Party, government and military, including Marshal Ri Pyong Chol, Marshal Pak Jong Chon, Premier of the Cabinet Kim Tok Hun and Admiral Kim Myong Sik, amid the great joy and excitement of commanding officers and seamen of the East Sea Fleet of the Navy and all the workers, scientists and technicians of the Pongdae Dockyard.

The venue of the ceremony was full of deep gratitude and reverence for the WPK, the great motherly Party, which has realized the long-cherished desire of the nation by leading the great development of the self-reliant defence industry, the revolutionary industry, to further strengthen the nuclear force representing the national prestige and honor and the absolute might of the Republic and consolidate the irreversible status of the country.

When the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the submarine-launching venue, all the participants broke into enthusiastic cheers as a token of their admiration for the iron-willed brilliant commander and outstanding leader of the people who is paving a broad avenue toward great victory and prosperity with his world-famous matchless pluck and courage, ardent love and trust in the people, and tireless dedication to the building of a prosperous country with powerful army.

Amid the solemn playing of the national anthem of the DPRK, the guards of honor of the Navy of the Korean People's Army (KPA) slowly hoisted the national flag associated with the noble soul of the service personnel of the Navy who have fought to defend the vast sea of the country for more than 70 years, and symbolic of the eternal dignity and invincibility of the DPRK.

Then, Marshal Ri Pyong Chol conveyed the order of the Central Military Commission of the WPK on the transfer of the tactical nuclear attack submarine to the Navy of the KPA.

According to the order of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, the tactical nuclear attack submarine No. 841, the first of its kind, was transferred to the relevant submarine squadron under the East Sea Fleet of the KPA Navy and named the "Hero Kim Kun Ok".

Kim Jong Un conferred the transfer certificate on the commander of the submarine squadron under the East Sea Fleet of the Navy.

He made a meaningful speech congratulating the launching ceremony.

Saying that the submarine No. 841 " Hero Kim Kun Ok" to be launched today will perform its combat mission as one of core underwater offensive means of the naval force of the DPRK, he highly praised it as the first entity, produced by the noble ideal and peerless creation struggle of the WPK and its revolutionary industrial workers, in the great cause of building an advanced maritime power.

He noted that the Party Central Committee decided to make greater leaps forward in the shipbuilding industry of the country in order to substantially guarantee a new heyday of bolstering up the naval force. There is no room to step back in the drive for the expansion of the naval vessel-building industry as it is the top priority task to be fulfilled without fail, he said, clarifying the strategic and tactical plan to continuously enhance the modernity of underwater and surface forces and push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the Navy in the future, too.

When Kim Jong Un finished his congratulatory speech, all the participants broke into cheers of "Hurrah!" to express their ardent loyalty.

The scientists, technicians and workers of the Pongdae Submarine Factory extended deep thanks to Kim Jong Un who is ushering in a heyday of bolstering up the naval force, clearly indicating the orientation of the development of the Korean-style submarine industry and the way for developing new-type submarine.

Kim Jong Un had a photo session with senior officials of the Party and the government, leading commanding officers of the Navy and senior officials of the submarine factory in commemoration of the launch.

Marshal Ri Pyong Chol ordered the launching of the submarine after being informed by the manager of the factory that it was ready to be launched.

When the signal was given, the newly built submarine was launched amid the shower of confetti and release of balloons, reflecting the excitement and joy of all the participants witnessing the historical moment of epochal significance in bolstering up the naval force.

Kim Jong Un repeatedly praised the workers in the munitions industry, saying that thanks to the inexhaustible strength and enthusiasm resulting from the loyalty and patriotism displayed by them upholding the revolutionary defence-building policy with pure conscience, sense of obligation and devoted implementation, it was possible to demonstrate the might of the country once again ahead of the 75th founding anniversary of the Republic. He expressed belief that the officials and workers of the factory would continue to add glory to their great honor as the genuine patriots contributing to the development of the naval vessel-building industry in the new century and the front-line fighters defending the arsenal for the defence of the territorial waters.

On September 7, he inspected the tactical nuclear submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" preparing for a shakedown cruise.

A ceremony was hosted by the East Sea Fleet of the KPA Navy, to which the tactical nuclear attack submarine was assigned, to greet the Supreme Commander of the DPRK armed forces at the dock.

Kim Jong Un reviewed the honor colours of the East Sea Fleet of the KPA Navy and the guards of honor.

He was greeted by Admiral Kim Myong Sik, commander of the KPA Navy, Vice-Admiral Kim Chang Guk, political commissar of the KPA Navy, commanding officers of the East and West Sea Fleets of the KPA Navy and military and political officers of submarine squadrons.

He entered the tactical nuclear attack submarine to acquaint himself with its weapon system and underwater operation capability.

Saying that to arm the navy with nuclear weapons arises as an urgent task of the times and a crucial requirement for building the revolutionary armed forces, the fulfillment of which brooks no further delay, he stressed the need to enable the Navy to successfully carry out its strategic duty by hastening the transfer of underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons to the Navy.

He expressed expectation and belief that the officers and sailors of the submarine would become the model of the navy and the example to the whole army not only in the politico-ideological, spiritual and moral readiness but also in rounding off the preparations for a revolutionary war and continue to create new myth of the heroic navy in the van by firmly carrying forward the great sailor spirit of the preceding generations as befitting the ones of the submarine named after Hero Kim Kun Ok, the hero commanding officer of the first generation of the naval force of the Republic,.

He had a photo taken with all the sailors of the submarine with the submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" in the background.

All the commanding officers and sailors of the submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" made a firm pledge to demonstrate their bravery as death-defying seamen and strong fist of the navy, regarding as lifeblood of their destiny the boundless love and trust by the great brilliant commander who provided them with an invincible treasured sword capable of defeating any formidable enemy, prayed for their safe navigation and feats and indicated the ever-victorious route aboard the submarine.

The ceremony of launching a tactical nuclear attack submarine, held just before the 75th founding anniversary of the DPRK, will be etched in the history of the country as a historic event worthy of special note in the history of bolstering up the Juche-based naval force and the history of building the state nuclear force in the great era of Kim Jong Un , and as a significant occasion that solemnly declared the start of the advance toward the attainment of the grandiose goal for turning the country into an advanced maritime power. -0-

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Prisoner swap with US unrelated to frozen funds release: Iran rights official

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 4:25 PM

Iran's top human rights official says a recent agreement between Tehran and Washington on the exchange of prisoners has nothing to do with the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad.

Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, made the remarks in an interview with the Arabic-language al-Alam television news network, roundly dismissing the notion that Iran has agreed to release the American prisoners in order to have access to its assets.

The issue of Iran's financial resources that have been held hostage abroad are unconnected with the prisoner swap deal, he said.

Gharibabadi noted that the Islamic Republic entered negotiations with the American side about the exchange of prisoners only because it supports its citizens who have been jailed in the US on bogus charges.

Last month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Tehran had received the "necessary guarantees" that its assets frozen abroad due to the US sanctions will be unblocked under an agreement mediated by regional friends.

The ministry confirmed the ongoing process of releasing $6 billion worth of Iran's funds that had been frozen in South Korea after the previous US administration of Donald Trump withdrew unilaterally from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018.

Anti-Iran MKO terrorist group

Elsewhere in his remarks, Gharibabadi stated that the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO) terrorist group, like other terror outfits, is based in Western countries and enjoys full support of certain Western states.

"We believe that Westerners draw on these groups as a tool in order to reach their foreign policy objectives. These terrorist groups lack the capacity to play a supporting role for the foreign policy of the West and the United States as their advocates," the top Iranian official said.

He said the MKO terrorists must be accountable for their criminal actions, noting that they have martyred more than 17,000 innocent people in different parts of Iran.

Gharibabadi also pointed to the decision by Branch 1 of Tehran's Criminal Court to bring to trial 104 MKO members, including the ringleader of the terror cult Maryam Rajavi, stating that the deadline for them to introduce defense lawyers to the court expired a few days ago.

The top Iranian rights official said the decision to openly hold the trial of the MKO members for their terrorist actions depends on the court itself.

He also praised the position of the Albanian government against the MKO, stating that Albanian authorities finally realized that the group is of a terrorist nature and its presence there poses serious threats to the Southeastern European country's peace and national security.

The MKO has carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks over the past four decades, about 12,000 have fallen victim to the MKO's acts of terror.

On June 20, Albanian police forces entered the MKO camp, known as Ashraf-3, near Tirana due to its engagement in "terror and cyberattacks" against foreign institutions. Authorities seized 150 computer devices linked to terrorist activities.

At least one person was killed and dozens of others were injured during the clashes at the camp. More than a week later, the police entered the camp again and security forces were deployed at the entrance to the camp to control all vehicles leaving the site.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama later said the MKO must leave the country if it wants to use Albanian soil to fight against Iran, adding that his country has no intention of being at war with Iran and "does not accept anyone who has abused our hospitality."

The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan had previously listed the MKO as a "terrorist organization."

In 2012, the group was taken off the US list of terrorist organizations. The EU followed suit, removing the group from its list of terrorist organizations.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama later said the MKO must leave the country if it wants to use Albanian soil to fight against Iran, adding that his country has no intention of being at war with Iran and "does not accept anyone who has abused our hospitality."

The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan had previously listed the MKO as a "terrorist organization."

In 2012, the group was taken off the US list of terrorist organizations. The EU followed suit, removing the group from its list of terrorist organizations.

Hamid Nouri's case

Gharibabadi also said Swedish authorities do not have any compelling and persuasive evidence to keep Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official, behind bars, terming the trial and subsequent detention of the 62-year-old Iranian citizen as "politically-motivated."

"The Islamic Republic believes Mr. Nouri was innocently arrested in Sweden as he did not commit any crime. The proceedings took more than a year and a half from the time when Swedish government officials arrested Mr. Nouri, until a verdict was passed against him. It all took so long because of the fact that Stockholm did not have any evidence to incarcerate Mr. Nouri. Should it have convincing evidence, the ruling would have been issued much sooner."

The secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights also said the Islamic Republic considers Nouri's detention as a measure in support of terrorism, as MKO terrorists are behind the scenario.

The complaint against Nouri was lodged by two high-profile members of the terrorist group, who submitted it to the Stockholm prosecutor, and he ordered the arrest of the former Iranian judiciary official as a result, Gharibabadi said.

Nouri was arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 and was immediately imprisoned.

Swedish authorities alleged that he had been involved in the execution and torture of MKO members.

On July 14, 2022, a Swedish court sentenced Nouri to life imprisonment.

The court, which has been described by Iranian officials as illegal, convicted Nouri of so-called war crimes and crimes against humanity, based on allegations leveled against him by the MKO.

Nouri has been put in solitary confinement since his illegal arrest.

Indictment for General Soleimani's assassins

Gharibabadi also underlined that the legal complaint against terrorists who assassinated Iran's top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his companions is complete, and was presented to a special branch of Tehran Judiciary Court a few months ago.

He said the hearings will start within the next two months, and the first part of the trials will focus on American defendants, most notably former President Donald Trump, former State of Secretary Mike Pompeo, and former commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) General Kenneth McKenzie.

General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions were assassinated in a US drone strike authorized by Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. Both commanders were highly revered across West Asia due to their key role in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

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Rights Groups Say Iranian Security Forces Killed, Tortured Protesters In Kurdish City

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda September 07, 2023

Human rights activists say that at least eight people, including a child, were killed in the violent suppression of protests in the western Iranian city of Javanrud, while dozens of others were beaten and arbitrarily detained by security forces.

Javanrud, a Kurdish-majority city, became a flashpoint for unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's "morality police" for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab, or head scarf.

A joint report by the Iranian rights groups Kurdistan Human Rights Network and the Human Rights Campaign, released on September 6 to mark the upcoming anniversary of the nationwide "Woman, life, freedom," protests sparked by Amini's death on September 16, showed the families of those killed, injured, and arrested have been pressured by the authorities to keep silent over what took place.

"The actions in Javanroud were systematic, carried out with the full knowledge and direction of government officials. The extensive use of military equipment against civilians is a stark example of a crime against humanity," said Hadi Ghaemi, the director of Human Rights Campaign.

"The possibility of protests starting again in Iran is very high in the face of the violent reaction of the government and suppression of protesters," he added.

The findings of the joint report are based on an extensive review of hundreds of photos, videos, and interviews with 38 eyewitnesses, including families of the deceased, injured, and those detained in Javanrud.

According to the report, from October 8 to December 31, security forces targeted protesters using "military-grade weapons."

Beyond the fatalities, the report indicates that at least 80 individuals, some of them children, sustained severe injuries. Many of the injured faced further physical assault at the hands of security personnel.

The human rights organizations also highlighted the arbitrary arrest of 89 individuals, 26 of whom were children. Many detainees, including minors, were subjected to torture and threats of sexual assault.

Despite the severity of the allegations, no government officials have faced legal repercussions. The report goes a step further, naming some of the alleged perpetrators in Javanroud.

Rabin Rahmani of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network said the "recurring human rights violations" in marginalized regions like Kurdistan and Baluchistan "pave the way for tragedies like those witnessed in Javanrud and Zahedan."

Amini's death sparked protests in Saghez that spread around the country and ultimately posed one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979.

Human rights groups estimate that over 500 protesters were killed by security forces. Thousands were detained, with seven facing execution after what many have termed "show trials."

The report concludes with a call to action, urging the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, adopted in November 2022, to probe the Javanrud incidents. It also appeals to global governments to condemn the events in Javanrud and to consider imposing political, economic, and diplomatic sanctions on the Islamic republic.

The human rights groups further recommend the formation of multilateral coalitions to publicly denounce the actions of the Islamic republic, suggesting joint statements at events like the UN General Assembly later this month.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ngos-crimes-protesters- javanrud/32582751.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 Design Workshop of the Multi-Year Program "Ascent" (Ma'alot)

Israel Defense Forces

07/09/2023

IDF Editorial Team

From the Iranian threat to the wellbeing of servicemembers: The design workshop of the multi-year program "Ascent" (Ma'alot) was held this week

This week, a workshop was held to conclude the design phase for the multi-year program "Ascent" (Ma'alot) in Camp Moshe Dayan ("Glilot Junction"). The workshop took place over Monday and Tuesday and was led by the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, and the Planning and Force Design Directorate (J8). It included the participation of members of the General Staff and additional senior officials.

During the workshop, high-ranking officials discussed the main issues of the IDF's force design and its operation, taking a look over the next five to ten years, including the response to the Iranian threat, the multi-arena challenge, the potential of precision-guided munition, border protection, overall strengthening and the use of advanced technologies on the battlefield.

The results of the workshop and the insights gained from it will be processed in the coming weeks in preparation for a dedicated review day that is expected to take place at the end of the month. As part of the review, the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, will conclude the main aspects of the multi-year program, which will then be presented to the political echelon and are expected to be implemented at the beginning of 2024.

Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi: "Today's meeting is a continuation of the design process we engaged in last year, which is based on the multi-year plans that preceded "Ascent". During a nationally and publicly challenging period of time in which the IDF is required to operate across all fronts, the multi-year plan is the Northern Star for us. The IDF is always engaged in its readiness and at the same time prepares for the challenges of the coming decade; our decisions today will affect the IDF in the future."

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Netanyahu Implies He Will Not Accept Israeli Supreme Court's Repeal of Judicial Reform

Sputnik News

20230907

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Benjamin Netanyahu gave a tacit support to parliamentary speaker Amir Ohana's warning to the country's Supreme Court against interfering with Israel's fundamental laws, in an indication that he would not accept a possible court ruling to repeal one of the clauses of the controversial judicial reform during a hearing next week.

On Wednesday, Ohana said that the Supreme Court should recognize "the limits of its power" as "in a democracy, none of the branches of government can be omnipotent." Speaking to Supreme Court judges ahead of the first hearing on a possible repeal of one of the judicial reform clauses, Ohana said that such a development would "plunge us into an abyss." The parliament will not accept being trampled on, he added.

On Thursday, Netanyahu posted a video of Ohana's address on his X account. Over the past few weeks, the Israeli prime minister has been dodging the question whether he would accept a possible ruling by the Supreme Court repealing one of the key clauses of his judicial reform, against which the Israeli people have been protesting since the beginning of the year.

On September 12, the Israeli Supreme Court will start considering petitions against the reform approved by the Israeli parliament in July, which limits the power of the court to overturn government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. The reform was approved under the oppositions boycott and amid months-long nationwide protests.

The supporters of the reform claim that it is a necessary step to enable a democratically elected government to pursue policies to the benefit of the majority of the Israeli citizens. Their opponents argue that it would make it harder for the Supreme Court to intervene when elected officials make arbitrary, extreme or corrupt decisions.

A Sputnik

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Junta troops kill 7 defense force members in Sagaing region raid

In the same region, 7,000 residents fled their homes as a military column marched through.

By RFA Burmese 2023.09.07 -- Seven members of a local defense force were killed during a raid by junta troops on a Sagaing region base, a People's Defense Force information officer told Radio Free Asia.

The victims were members of another local defense force based near Mon Yway Kyay Mon village in Chaung-U township, where Wednesday's raid took place, the officer said.

"The junta troops ambushed a small information station based in Mon Yway Kyay Mon on the border between Monywa and Chaing-U," he said. "It was not an exchange of fire between the two sides."

Two people escaped from the raid on the base, which had been used by the Chaung-U PDF to issue press releases and make phone calls, the officer said.

Junta troops confiscated weapons from the dead fighters, he said.

RFA's call to the junta spokesperson for the Sagaing region, Tin Than Win, regarding the attack went unanswered.

7,000 residents flee

Also in Sagaing, more than 7,000 people from nine villages fled their homes on Wednesday when a 100-member junta column marched through the southern part of Sagaing's Salingyi township, residents told Radio Free Asia.

There was no fighting reported, and as of midday on Wednesday, no houses had been burned and no villagers had been arrested or killed.

It was the latest case of displacement from the civil war wracking Myanmar. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, nearly 800,000 people have fled their homes in Sagaing region since the Feb. 1, 2021, military coup.

A local resident, who did not want to be named for security reasons, told RFA that all nine villages were in the vicinity of the junta troops.

"Those villages are close to the column. Such villages located near the column have to monitor the movement of the column and take shelter in other villages," the resident said.

He added that the troops were stationed in one of the nine villages - Son Tar village - until Wednesday afternoon.

RFA made another attempt to reach Tin Than Win about the fleeing of the local residents, but that call also went unanswered.

The junta has responded in the past that there is no reason for civilians to worry when columns of junta troops move through their villages.

Translated by Htin Aung Kyaw. Edited by 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 September 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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Two years on, Myanmar's resistance is a formidable adversary to the junta

Anti-junta forces are no longer a handful of rag-tag units brandishing homemade weapons.

By RFA Burmese 2023.09.07 -- Two years after Myanmar's National Unity Government called for armed rebellion against the leaders of a coup, anti-junta forces are well-organized and making gains against the country's military, the head of the shadow administration said Thursday.

The claims by NUG President Duwa Lashi La suggest a substantial improvement in effectiveness by Peoples' Defense Force, or PDF, paramilitaries, who began their fight against the junta on Sept. 7, 2021, as a scattered group of poorly equipped local units.

"We started with handmade guns to defend our villages, but now, we are able to form strategic and well-organized regiments and battalions armed with automatic rifles that can fight back against the military junta," said the NUG leader.

"We can now use attack drones to effectively fight the military junta troops," he said.

He said the rebel fighters could even threaten the capital, Naypyidaw.

In a statement to mark the second anniversary of the resistance to the military's Feb. 1, 2021, takeover, the NUG Ministry of Defense said that anti-junta forces are in the midst of a "pre-offensive" against the regime.

After uniting nearly 300 PDF battalions in more than 250 townships across the country in the first year of the rebellion, the NUG ministry said it was able to "open additional fronts" against the military in its second year, gaining control of new territory in Sagaing and Magway regions, as well as Chin, Kayah and Kayin states.

Maung Maung Swe, a spokesman for the NUG Ministry of Defense, said that PDF groups had killed 26,194 junta troops and wounded 10,804 others in 9,900 battles over the past two years. He acknowledged that there had been PDF casualties, but did not disclose the exact number.

'Baseless' claims

But Thein Tun Oo, the executive director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, made up of former military officers, dismissed the NUG's claims as "baseless."

"In terms of security, they may be active in some areas that the military cannot completely control, but what is certain is that they have not been successful enough to control certain regions, as they say," said the think tank director.

"Additionally, their claim to have killed nearly 30,000 military personnel is just propaganda," he said. "I think they just want to announce that they are winning, regardless of what is actually happening on the ground."

Attempts by RFA Burmese to contact junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the NUG's claims went unanswered Thursday.

At a July 31 meeting of the National Defense and Security Council, junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing confirmed that his soldiers have been killed in PDF attacks, although he did not provide details. He noted that fighting was underway in Sagaing, Magway, Bago and Tanintharyi regions, as well as Kayin, Kayah, Chin and Mon states.

Reliance on air power

The Burmese military has faced challenges in situations where it does not enjoy an asymmetric advantage, said Mimi Winn Byrd, a Burmese-American retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and current military analyst at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.

"The junta has suffered more casualties in [nearly] every battle in Myanmar, compared with the revolutionary forces," she said. "That's why the junta has to use more air power and airplanes, because they no longer win ground battles. If you keep track of these situations, you can say that the revolution is making a lot of progress."

Military analyst Hla Kyaw Zaw suggested that the resistance is still too fractured to achieve victory, but acknowledged the progress it had made over the past two years.

"If the entire revolution can be solidified under one leadership to operate in proper balance, rather than fragmented without a strong leadership, the [resistance] will win sooner or later," he said.

According to the NUG, fighting is taking place in every one of Myanmar's 14 states and regions except Yangon and Irrawaddy regions, where the resistance regularly carries out targeted bombings.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that more than 1.6 million people have fled fighting in Myanmar since the military coup. In addition to the more than 300,000 who fled conflict before the takeover, there are currently nearly two million internally displaced people across the country.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content September 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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Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Shutdown Stalls Trade Convoys

By Ayaz Gul September 07, 2023

Pakistan's main border crossing with landlocked Afghanistan was closed for a second day Thursday after deadly clashes between security forces from the two countries.

Residents and transporters said the abrupt closure had stranded hundreds of truck convoys on both sides carrying commercial goods through the busy Torkham border point of transit for trade and travelers.

Pakistani and Taliban authorities in Afghanistan confirmed that both sides had held talks to try to defuse the tensions and "prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future," but the border crossing remained closed Thursday, suggesting the dialogue failed to make headway.

The armed clashes erupted on Wednesday when Taliban guards began building a new border outpost near Torkham in violation of mutual agreements and ignoring repeated warnings to stop the work, said Pakistani officials.

Residents in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, where Torkham lies, told VOA the clashes killed two Taliban guards and wounded about a dozen Afghan civilians.

Officials in both countries have declined to discuss any details about casualties, if any.

A provincial government spokesman in Jalalabad, Nangarhar's capital, acknowledged in a statement that Taliban forces were digging a security trench when they came under attack from the Pakistani side.

Business leaders in both countries urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to urgently reopen the border crossing, saying many trucks are loaded with perishable goods, including fresh fruit and vegetables.

"The traders are suffering heavy losses after the border in Torkham was closed on Wednesday following a firing incident there," Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Reuters.

The closure of the border crossing has also impacted the handling of commercial goods at the southern Pakistani port of Karachi, which provides Afghanistan access to international markets.

The Torkham border crossing has increasingly become a vital transit route for Pakistan to export and import commercial goods from landlocked Central Asian countries through Afghanistan.

However, allegations that the Taliban are not doing enough to prevent anti-Pakistan insurgents from using Afghan soil for cross-border terrorist attacks have strained bilateral relations in recent months.

Pakistani officials said the latest such attack occurred on Wednesday when a large group of heavily armed militants stormed two security outposts in the northern Kalash valley near the Afghan border.

The military said that the ensuing fierce clashes had killed four soldiers and 12 "terrorists," suggesting the assailants had come across the border from Afghanistan.

"Thanks to our alert forces, the terrorist attack on military posts near the Pak-Afghan border in Chitral was repelled with heavy casualties on the terrorist side," Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said Thursday on X, formerly Twitter. He named the district where Kalash lies.

"Sadly, 4 brave soldiers embraced Shahadat (martyrdom). Our resolve to eradicate terrorism remains unshaken, and all our citizens stand firm with us," Kakar said.

The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for launching the deadly raid. The group is a known offshoot and has pledged allegiance to the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Pakistani authorities say the TTP has intensified cross-border terrorism from sanctuaries in Afghanistan with "greater freedom" since the Taliban takeover of the neighboring, war-torn country two years ago.

The Afghan Taliban have repeatedly denied that the TTP or other militant groups are using their territory.

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South Korea, China grapple with different priorities amid regional tensions

Seoul seeks cooperation in regional security; Beijing wants to focus on economic ties.

Jeong-Ho Lee for RFA 2023.09.07 -- China and South Korea's leaders have met Thursday amid a slightly tense climate, with differing priorities - Seoul emphasizing the need for Beijing's cooperation in the security domain, while Beijing prioritizing economic collaboration.

"If we manage our bilateral relations by adhering to the multilaterally agreed rules in the international community, we can reduce many problems and build trust between the two countries," South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol told Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta, according to the South's presidential office Thursday.

Yoon, who is currently in Indonesia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, stressed that Seoul's military cooperation with the United States and Japan will only be strengthened if North Korea intensifies its nuclear programs, the presidential office said. Yoon's remarks can be seen as Seoul pressing Beijing to play a constructive role in the Korean peninsula.

Chinese Premier Li suggested that the two countries explore new ties and deepen their long-standing trust as they promote common interests.

A South Korean diplomatic source told Radio Free Asia that the meeting was requested by the Chinese side.

The surprise meeting came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, according to U.S. and South Korea authorities. While the specific agenda for the summit remains unclear, ammunition trading is expected to be on the negotiation table, given Russia's urgent need for military equipment.

As North Korea and Russia aim to strengthen their diplomatic and military ties amidst tensions with the U.S. and its regional allies, they are seeking to involve China into the equation as this would transform their bilateral relationship into a formidable bloc against the U.S.-South Korea-Japan cooperation. Russia has formally proposed to China and North Korea for a joint naval drill in July, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service Monday.

Any move to strengthen political and military ties with North Korea and Russia, however, is most likely pressure that China can do without. It still needs to maintain its relations with the U.S. and its allies, especially on the economic front, where access to international markets and foreign investment is crucial to arrest a further deterioration of its economy.

China extended its olive branch to the U.S.'s regional allies at the ASEAN plus three meeting Wednesday, with Li placing extra emphasis on the need to strengthen the trilateral economic cooperation among China, South Korea, and Japan. The premier added that the three nations should seek to promote regional economic integration.

"The key is for all of us to face up to problems, eliminate misunderstandings and manage our differences," Li said. "It's very important at present to oppose taking sides, bloc confrontations and a new cold war."

While China values Russia and North Korea as its strategic asset against the U.S., becoming too closely aligned with the authoritarian neighbors may risk jeopardizing any delicate move that Beijing may take to find a balance with the U.S. and its regional allies.

As much as China wants to draw South Korea and Japan closer to its side economically, it is also unlikely to compromise on security matters, said Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Korea's presidential office.

"China would be particularly wary of the extent of the trilateral security cooperation among the U.S., ROK, and Japan," he said, referring to South Korea by its formal name. He even noted that Beijing would be watchful of the cooperation possibly extending to the Taiwan matter. "China, thus, is most likely to maintain its ties with Pyongyang and Moscow to counterbalance security cooperation among democracies, even as it extends its economic olive branches."

Edited by Elaine Chan and Taejun Kang.

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 September 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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Yoon: North Korea's Nuclear Program Is 'Existential Threat' to Indo-Pacific

By Nike Ching September 07, 2023

North Korea's nuclear and missile programs pose "an existential threat" to the Indo-Pacific region and a direct threat to regional peace, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Thursday during the East Asia Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

His remarks came after a New York Times report that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to travel to Russia later this month to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an arms trade. Moscow is seeking more weapon supplies from Pyongyang to be used in its war on Ukraine.

In return, Kim is interested in Russia providing advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, according to the report.

South Korean officials and analysts say if North Korea is able to receive such advanced technology from Russia, it would elevate the threat level posed to South Korea and its allies.

"North Korea's nuclear and missile development is a serious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Yoon said. "It is an existential threat that can target and strike all nations participating in today's meeting."

Yoon is in Indonesia this week attending the East Asia Summit, a premier forum for strategic dialogue in the Indo-Pacific region that includes leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

"North Korea wants high tech military technologies with which they can build satellites, nuclear submarines, miniaturized nuclear warheads," said Jaechun Kim, who is dean of Sogang University's Graduate School of International Studies. "It also needs intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] technologies, such as atmospheric reentry and multiple-warheads technology.

"Russia will not give them all, but it can give some. Transfer of such technologies will pose significant threats not just to South Korea but also to the United States," Kim told VOA on Thursday.

Others suggest the Southeast Asian bloc has some leverage over North Korea to dissuade it from providing arms to Russia for it to use against Ukraine.

Nine of the 10 member states of ASEAN maintain diplomatic ties with North Korea, except for Malaysia.

What leverage?

"A promise from ASEAN and its members that if North Korea provides Russia with military assistance for its war in Ukraine, North Korea would be sanctioned by ASEAN and its members, with the possibility of being expelled from ASEAN," said former Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, who was the special envoy for Six Party Talks from 2003 to 2006.

"On the positive side: If North Korea does not provide military assistance to Russia, ASEAN will work with the U.N. to lift certain sanctions affecting the people of North Korea and, thus, provide more economic development assistance to North Korea," DeTrani told VOA in an email.

Professor Park Won-gon, who teaches North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, said the United States, South Korea and Japan should "put more emphasis on ASEAN" to stop North Korea from further provocation.

"We all see in the past couple of years that the United Nations Security Council could not simply do anything meaningful to stop North Korea's nuclear development because Russia and China have exercised their veto powers," he told VOA.

North Korea's founding anniversary

Saturday marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, North Korea's official name. Scheduled celebrations include a military parade.

China said a delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong will visit North Korea to participate in related events.

"We, the Korean government, are closely monitoring major issues related to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including exchanges between China and North Korea," said South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lim Soo-suk in a briefing on Thursday. "We hope that China-North Korea relations will move toward contributing to peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula."

Some observers, including Park, said the relatively "lower level" of the Chinese delegation is a reflection that a closer military alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow is "bothersome" to Beijing.

"Comparing to five years ago when DPRK celebrated the 70th anniversary of its establishment, China sent a permanent member of its Politburo a which is a very high position because all of the permanent members of Chinese Communist Party's Politburo are equivalent to the prime minister's level," he said.

In 2018, China dispatched its third-highest ranking official, Li Zhanshu, to North Korea.

Other Seoul-based experts said North Korea seeks separate strategic goals from China and Russia.

"From Kim Jong Un's point of view, the idea is to build economic cooperation with China and the military with Russia, as seen from the last Victory Day and the coming September 9 event," Professor Yang Moo-jin from the University of North Korean Studies told VOA.

In July, Kim personally received Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as Pyongyang celebrated its self-proclaimed "Victory Day."

Lee Juhyun contributed to this report.

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U.S., U.K. Call For Kremlin Critic's Release As He Spends Second Birthday Behind Bars

By RFE/RL September 07, 2023

The United States and United Kingdom have strongly condemned the "politically motivated" case against Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza as he spent a second birthday in detention after being moved to a new prison that has not been disclosed.

In a statement published on September 7, Kara-Murza's 42nd birthday, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow called for his immediate release, as well as the release of the more than 600 political prisoners in Russia.

Two days earlier, his wife, Yevgenia Kara-Murza, said her husband was being transferred "in complete secrecy, in an unknown direction," and that history showed "a transfer is a very, maybe even the most dangerous period in the life of a political prisoner."

"As Kara-Murza has argued, speaking truth to power is the act of a patriot, not an 'enemy' of the state," the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said in its statement.

"Like hundreds of other courageous Russians who have been detained for exercising their basic rights as citizens, he is a casualty of the Kremlin's attempt to silence dissent," it added.

The Kremlin critic was handed a 25-year prison term on charges of high treason, involvement in the activities of an undesirable group, and discrediting Russia's armed forces. He and his supporters have called the case politically motivated.

An appeals court in Moscow in July denied Kara-Murza's appeal against his sentence.

Kara-Murza was initially arrested in April 2022 after returning to Russia from abroad and charged with disobeying a police officer.

He was later charged with discrediting the Russian military, a charge stemming from a Kremlin push to stamp out criticism of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The treason charges were added later over remarks he made in speeches outside Russia that criticized Kremlin policies.

"Vladimir Kara-Murza should not be in prison at all -- he is only there for having rightly called out Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a contravention of international law," the U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement.

"His persecution is part of a wider pattern of oppression of Russian citizens by the Kremlin. Since the invasion, thousands of Russians have been arrested and prosecuted for even small gestures of opposition to the war."

The former journalist, who holds both Russian and British passports, has spent years as a politician opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin and has lobbied foreign governments and institutions to impose sanctions on Russia and individual Russians for human rights violations.

He has twice survived being poisoned, according to his own accounts and those of his supporters. Russian authorities deny any involvement in the alleged attacks.

Kara-Murza was an advocate for the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which sets out sanctions for human rights violators in Russia. In March, the United States placed sanctions on six people, including three judges, due to their role in Kara-Murza's detention.

Kara-Murza is one of many opposition activists, reporters, and others who have been arrested and prosecuted under tightened legislation amid a growing Kremlin crackdown on civil society.

According to the human rights group OVD-Info, almost 20,000 Russians have been detained for anti-war protests since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kara-murza-us-uk- urge-release/32582847.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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Remarks by the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov at the Regional seminar "Strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime", Bishkek, September 7, 2023

7 September 2023 21:36

1717-07-09-2023

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to speak here, at this regional seminar co-organized by the Center for Energy and Security Studies and the Evgeniy Primakov Center for International Cooperation together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan.

Russia has always proceeded from the fact that the effectiveness of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, which is based on the NPT, arrives from maintaining a balance between the three pillars of this Treaty: cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy, nuclear non-proliferation and negotiations on nuclear disarmament. However, we see that this unique poise has been seriously tested in recent times. This is due to a number of external (in relation to the non-proliferation regime) and internal reasons. NPT meetings that took place one year apart - the 10th Review Conference (RevCon) that concluded the previous review cycle and the first session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) which launched the new one for the 11th RevCon - clearly demonstrated this.

According to their results, it can be stated that the nature of the discussion is still determined by high expectations and demands by some of the State Parties and the general radicalization of positions. Often there is just a systematic promotion of national or group guidelines, delegations neither listen to each other nor try to reach compromise. There are also attempts to bring into the review process external issues, which provokes the emergence of new dividing lines. This was most evident during the debates on strengthening the review process of the Treaty.

Another stumbling block is the deliberate politicization of discussions. Some States just initially lack a focus on finding a mutually acceptable solution to problems.

It cannot but cause concern that in recent decades a certain group of countries, or to be precise, the States which are the NATO members and their partners, have been trying to usurp the right to interpret the issue of compliance by other State Parties with their obligations under the NPT. They also have been trying to use the provisions of the Treaty to put pressure on objectionable countries and justify the interference in their internal affairs.

Similarly, the NPT is being seen as a pretext for restricting states' access to nuclear technology. Those who do this are forgetting Article IV of the Treaty, which guarantees the right to peaceful uses of atomic energy. This is also dangerous as it creates a false impression that the Treaty is unfair, although in reality it is only about the abuse of the provisions of the NPT by some Parties, who are trying to solve their own opportunistic political tasks this way.

These factors do not contribute to maintaining the spirit of constructive interaction and the advance of an interested dialogue among States. All this makes the task of developing meaningful practical steps for the further implementation of the Treaty, not mentioning collective consensus decisions, twice as difficult. It's not surprising that since the 2010 RevCon, the State Parties, for various reasons, have not been able to agree on final documents. The last PrepCom session was no exception as well.

Under such circumstances, ensuring the sustainability of the NPT is one of the priorities for maintaining stability on a global scale.

Among negative points, I would like to highlight the fact that many State Parties, when considering the nuclear disarmament issues, unreasonably evade taking into account political and strategic realities. This is happening contrary to the logic of the comprehensive approach embodied in the NPT and the consensus decisions of the review conferences. At the same time, unrealistic demands are put forward, simply driving the situation into a deadlock. Meanwhile, it is clear that progress towards nuclear disarmament and nuclear arms control cannot be carried out in isolation from the international security situation as well as the military and strategic context. These are interrelated processes and moving forward on the mentioned tracks is impossible without the creation of favorable conditions that would ensure the maintenance of peace and stability during the reduction of nuclear weapons, as well as without respecting the principle of undiminished security for all.

The military and political situation in the world continues to rapidly degrade. The accumulated conflict potential between the nuclear powers that had not been settled timely has already led to an acute crisis in the Euro-Atlantic region and threatens to develop into a military confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region. Having violated the principle of equal and indivisible security, the NATO alliance relied on harmful expansion and assertive military squatting of territories in the zone of Russia's vital interests. The West used the responsive actions we were compelled to make to protect our external security as a pretext for switching to an open forceful pressure on Russia, dangerously balancing on the verge of a direct armed conflict of nuclear powers. At the same time, the current crisis is far from being resolved and fraught with the most serious risks of further escalation.

Against this gloomy background, the concerns of the world community in connection with the increase in strategic risks and the uncertain prospects for nuclear disarmament are more than justified. Moreover, the situation is characterized by the ongoing erosion of the existing international security architecture, including its important pillars - arms control agreements.

In the nuclear missile sphere, in particular, potential negative scenarios are deeply alarming after the United States withdrew from the INF Treaty and actively preparing to deploy previously banned missile systems. The situation that led to the suspension of the START due to the destructive policy of the United States and its significant violation of this agreement cannot but cause concern.

Nuclear disarmament in the NPT is incorporated in the context of general and complete disarmament, but now we are witnessing an increase in spending on conventional weapons in most States. The US accounts for 40% of all military spending in the world and if we add up the budgets of the armies of NATO countries and their closest allies, we get about two-thirds of global military spending. And this cannot be ignored when talking about the renunciation of nuclear weapons.

Bearing that in mind, there has been no reduction in the nuclear potential of NATO. On the contrary, the so-called non-strategic nuclear weapons (NSNW) of the United States are located on the territory of the alliance States, and vital Russian facilities are within their reach. Thus, such weapons have all the properties of strategic nuclear forces. According to recent reports, the possibilities for stationing of US NSNW in Europe are expanding. Moreover, another NATO member - the UK - decided to increase its nuclear arsenal by almost a third.

Under such circumstances, the validity of our consistently defended thesis about the counterproductiveness of those approaches to nuclear disarmament that imply an immediate and complete ban on nuclear weapons or the establishment of both harsh and artificial deadlines for reaching "nuclear zero" becomes very obvious.

Russia remains unfailingly committed to finding ways to move towards a world free of the nuclear threat, in full compliance with Article VI of the NPT in its entirety. For decades, our country has been making a significant practical contribution to the reduction of nuclear weapons. We are convinced that further progress along this path can be achieved only on the basis of a phased and consensus approach, with consistent work to improve the military and political climate and respecting the interests of all States.

Joint efforts are needed to ensure the coexistence of major military powers at a reduced level of conflict potential through a coordinated renewal of the international security architecture. Such work should be carried out comprehensively, taking into account all the factors defining the juncture of things in the area and include not only individual steps to reduce strategic risks, but, first of all, effective measures to eliminate the root causes of those contradictions that destabilize the relations among nuclear-weapon States.

Dear Colleagues,

One of the central components of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and an important factor for the stability and viability of the NPT is the Treaty's verification mechanism - the IAEA safeguards system.

Russia has always supported it. We are convinced that its effectiveness is based on ensuring the objective, depoliticized and technically justified application of such a mechanism strictly according to the safeguards agreements and protocols concluded between the Member States and the Agency. Any possible changes to the current functioning of the IAEA safeguards system can only be made with the approval of the policy-making organs of the Agency and its Member States. We recognize the importance of universalization of the Additional Protocol to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, but at the same time we proceed from the voluntary nature of such obligations and from the inadmissibility of imposing them as a mandatory measure.

Misuse of safeguard cases as a pretext for discriminating individual countries in terms of exercising their right to use nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes is unacceptable. Often, however, we see how biased accusations against the State Parties to the NPT appear and forged "country dossiers" are composed. They comprise a big part of discussions at NPT and IAEA meetings. An example of this is the coordinated campaign of Western countries against Syria and Iran.

As regards Iran and the fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we have always been in favor of preserving this mechanism and do not see any reasonable alternative to it. These fundamental agreements proved to be an effective solution to a long-standing problem and made it possible to ensure the necessary level of transparency of the Iranian nuclear program.

Unfortunately, the US withdrawal from the "nuclear deal" and Washington's illegal actions undermining the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 worsened proliferation risks. Sweeping criticism of Tehran's actions only intensifies confrontation and poisons the atmosphere of trust, the existence of which is extremely important for the proper fulfillment of obligations by all concerned parties.

Other regional non-proliferation challenges also form an important part of the NPT debate.

In this context, one of the main such irritants - the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula - cannot be ignored. The successful resolution of the problem largely depends on progress on the political track, in particular, on agreements in bilateral (USA-DPRK) and multilateral formats. Unfortunately, the process in this direction has stalled for the time being due to Washington's unwillingness to take practical constructive steps towards Pyongyang.

Moreover, we have recently seen actions that further distance us from the solution. These are the agreements between the United States and the Republic of Korea on joint nuclear and strategic planning, and provocative military exercises with the calls at the South Korean port of American nuclear submarines capable to carry strategic nuclear weapons. Such actions are clearly destabilizing in nature and are going to bring nothing but escalation of tension in the Asia-Pacific region, spurring crisis manifestations in the field of security and provoking an arms race. In fact, these steps undermine the goals of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, for the sake of which a number of UN Security Council resolutions have been adopted.

Of course, when discussing regional challenges, one cannot fail to mention another problem - the establishment of the Middle East WMD-free zone (MEWMDFZ). Russia is a consistent supporter of this process and a co-sponsor of the corresponding resolution at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference.

In 2018, we also voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution, in accordance with which three sessions of the MEWMDFZ Conference were convened. Russia took part in them as an observer. In this regard, it is important that the States of the region have taken the process over. At the same time, we regret that Israel does not take part in the Conference. The event made it clear that it is not conceived as a forum for criticizing and casting out the Israelis, and thanks to the agreed condition that any decision can only be taken by consensus, Tel Aviv has every opportunity to defend its interests. We hope for a change in the position of the US, which, being also a co-sponsor of the 1995 resolution, will finally start contributing to its implementation.

The establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in various regions of the world is an important element of strengthening the non-proliferation regime. By acceding to the relevant protocols to treaties on nuclear-weapon-free zones, Russia provides the parties to such treaties with security assurances against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. This is an example that our country takes its obligations responsibly and intends to comply with them in the future. At the same time the signing of such documents is accompanied on our part by the declaration of traditional reservations, which are a tool to guarantee compliance by the States forming a nuclear-weapon-free zone with the provisions of the agreements they have concluded.

Dear Colleagues,

The Executive Secretary of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, Mr. Robert Floyd, is also participating in our seminar and I would like to say a few words about the destiny of this extremely important international agreement.

This document, in fact, is a link between non-proliferation and nuclear arms control. More than 25 years have passed since the Treaty was opened for signing, but it unfortunately still has not become a valid international legal instrument. The reasons are well known: eight of the States listed in Annex 2 to the CTBT (countries with significant nuclear potential) have not yet signed and/or ratified it, which prevents the Treaty from becoming a full-fledged international legal agreement.

Obviously, most of the countries on this list are guided by the position of the United States, which can only be called destructive. Washington, having officially refused to ratify the CTBT in 2018, has not yet taken any real steps to rectify the situation, despite the current administration's declarative statements about the desire to reconsider this approach. I would like to take the opportunity to once again call on the countries concerned to officially accede to the CTBT in full and thereby contribute to strengthening the non-proliferation regime and arms control.

Dear colleagues,

Taking into account the tense international situation, the recently started NPT review cycle is unlikely to be simple in terms of developing and agreeing on decisions that will help strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The differences between the State Parties are too strong and the demands of some of them are too high.

On the contrary, a calm and mutually respectful expert dialogue is in demand today. Only on its basis it is possible to negotiate and move forward. It is necessary to exclude the politicization of non-proliferation platforms, moderate ambitions and act primarily in the interests of the NPT, and ultimately the entire world community.

As you know, our Kazakhstani colleagues have taken over the chairmanship in the current NPT review cycle. We congratulate them on this and hope that our neighbors, given their traditional deep involvement in the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues, will be able to reestablish the atmosphere of trust and constructiveness within the framework of the NPT. For our part, we intend to contribute to this in every possible way.

Thank you for your attention.

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Press release on the participation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the 18th East Asia Summit

7 September 2023 10:01

1711-07-09-2023

On September 7, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) held in Jakarta.

During the exchange of views on the main issues on the Asia-Pacific agenda, the Minister informed his partners on Russia's consistent approach to strengthening the architecture of equal and indivisible security in the region and ensuring its high development pace. He highlighted the importance of maintaining the mechanisms of multilateral cooperation within the framework of ASEAN coordinates in the spirit of a constructive non-politicised dialogue and creative cooperation based on the principles of consensus, mutual respect and a balance of interests.

Sergey Lavrov pointed out the risks of militarisation in East Asia in light of NATO's efforts to install its forces and infrastructure in the region based on the West-created bloc mechanisms for network deterrence and the promotion of the AUKUS confrontational project, which provides for the deployment of a military strategic complex with a nuclear component in the region.

He emphasised the importance of building up practical effort within the EAS framework, including the implementation of the Russian initiatives on responding to epidemic threats, developing the tourism industry, and establishing sustainable ties between volunteer organisations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Minister reaffirmed Russia's resolve to create a solid framework of interstate cooperation in the region through the alignment of the capabilities of multilateral mechanisms that are working in the spirit of positive co-development, including the strengthening of constructive interaction between ASEAN, the SCO and the EAEU.

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Moscow, Dhaka Discuss Russian LNG, Oil Supplies to Bangladesh - Lavrov

Sputnik News

20230907

DHAKA (Sputnik) - Moscow and Dhaka are discussing practical aspects of establishing regular large-scale supplies of liquefied natural gas and oil to Bangladesh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"There are good prospects for traditionally good relations in the gas sector. Gazprom International has participated in drilling more than 20 wells and is ready to continue this work. The relevant agencies are discussing practical aspects of establishing regular large-scale supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil to Bangladesh," Lavrov stated at a joint press conference with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen.

Lavrov is visiting Bangladesh for the first time in his diplomatic career. During the two-day visit, the top diplomat is also expected to meet with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Moreover, Moscow and Dhaka have discussed delivery of grain to Bangladesh, and transition from annual agreements on supply to long-term ones, the minister added.

"Wheat and fertilizers are being supplied. Today, we talked about the fact that this work can be transferred from an annual to a longer basis," Lavrov said during a press conference in Bangladesh.

In addition, the construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bangladesh with Russia's participation is going according to the schedule, and the first batch of nuclear fuel expected to be delivered in October, the minister stated.

"Our flagship joint project is the construction of the Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh... it is implemented dynamically, in accordance with the schedule. The delivery and loading of the first nuclear fuel is expected in October," Lavrov clarified.

Regarding the East Asia Summit in Jakarta held on September 7, it was successful despite the attempts of Western states to undermine its work, the official pointed out.

"I believe that the East Asia Summit, which was the 18th [such meeting], was successful thanks to the tremendous work done by the Indonesian Chairmanship... The Western team with some of their partners from the Asian part of the summit tried to undermine the constructive work in every possible way, introducing the Ukrainian issue in one variation or another under different pretexts," Lavrov told a press conference in Bangladesh.

Regardless of the actions of the West, the participants of the East Asia Summit confirmed that they will continue to pursue the agenda that was previously agreed on, the minister added.

A Sputnik

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Iran backs OPCW-Syria dialog, impartial probe into chemical file

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 10:15 PM

Iran's UN envoy says the Islamic Republic backs dialog between Syria and the world's chemical watchdog as well as an impartial probe into alleged chemical incidents in the Arab country towards eventual closure of the country's chemical file.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent ambassador to the United Nations, made the remarks before a UN Security Council briefing on Syria on Thursday.

"We fully support constructive dialog between Syria and the OPCW (the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons)," he said.

"We believe that to ensure a successful outcome, any investigation into chemical weapons incidents must be conducted with utmost impartiality, professionalism, credibility, and objectivity...," the envoy stated.

"We reiterate our stance that the integrity and credibility of the OPCW hinge on its ability to maintain neutrality and objectivity, guided solely by scientific and technical considerations," Iravani noted.

The efforts, the envoy hoped, would help "address any remaining issues and bring the file to a final and conclusive closure."

The Arab country surrendered its entire chemical stockpile in 2013 to a mission led by the UN and the OPCW.

Western governments have, however, repeatedly accused Damascus of carrying out alleged chemical operations during the foreign-backed war in the country, and have brought it under attack on several occasions using the allegations.

The last of the attacks took place in April 2018 by the United States, Britain, and France, which launched a coordinated missile offensive against sites and research facilities near Damascus and the western city of Homs after accusing Syria of conducting a chemical operation near the Syrian city of Douma earlier that month.

Damascus, however, said that no chemical attack had happened and that the Douma incident had been staged by foreign intelligence agencies to pressure the government in the face of the Syrian army's advances against foreign-backed terrorists.

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Syria FM warns against West attempts to impose will on nations, urges joint Arab action

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 9:27 AM

The Syrian foreign minister has warned that the West seeks to impose its will on other nations, urging Arab countries to take their joint action to put an end to challenges facing the Arab world.

Speaking before the 160th session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level in Egypt's capital of Cairo on Wednesday, Faisal Mekdad warned that the challenges facing many Arab countries pose a threat to Arab security as a whole, Syria's official SANA news agency reported.

He added that Arab countries are facing many common challenges, including interference in their domestic affairs, military attacks, foreign occupation of parts of their lands, the spread of terrorism and poverty as well as a decline in development indicators.

The top Syrian diplomat said Arab countries have always been vulnerable to the repercussions resulting from such challenges.

He also warned that the West seeks to impose its own concept of a world order on other nations although it is "aware that such rules contradict our morals and values."

"This prompts us to reaffirm the need to strengthen joint Arab action in addressing the main issues that concern us and to agree to reform the Arab League and develop the work of its mechanisms through dialogue, transparency, mutual respect, and common interests," Mekdad added.

He noted that the participants at the Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah had made important decisions during their 32nd regular session in May, adding that the Arab-Arab and Arab-regional detente preceded it, apparently pointing to Syria's return to the Arab League and the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

He pledged that Damascus would continue to exercise its natural key role in its Arab surroundings which "constituted an important turning point and the beginning of a new phase of joint Arab action and regional rapprochement for solidarity to serve the countries and peoples of the region."

The minister stressed the importance of adherence to the Jeddah Summit achievements and boost sincere cooperation among Arab countries to preserve Arab countries' security.

It is necessary to settle the Arab countries' crises without foreign interference and confront Turkey's military interventions in Syria, he said.

In his remarks, Mekdad called for mobilizing international support and pressure on Israel to end its repeated attacks which he said also endanger international peace and security.

Just and comprehensive peace in the region would be achieved based on complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories and from the occupied Syrian Golan to the border line of June 4, 1967, and the establishment of the Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital, he pointed out.

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Kyrgyzstan Faces Challenges In Repatriating Islamic State Women, Children From Syrian Camps

By Farangis Najibullah, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service September 07, 2023

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan recently repatriated 95 wives and children of Kyrgyz Islamic State (IS) militants from Syria, in the second such operation this year.

But the task is just beginning for the government in Bishkek, as it must find ways to reintegrate the new citizens who haven't lived a normal life for many years.

Among those who arrived at the Bishkek airport aboard a special flight on August 30 were 64 children, many of them born in Syria. Forty-one children and 18 women were repatriated in the first stage of the repatriation operation, called Aikol (Generous), in February.

Some 450 Kyrgyz women and children have been stranded in Syria and Iraq since the collapse of the IS extremist group in 2018. There are still dozens more family members of IS fighters in Iraqi prisons and hardscrabble Syrian refugee camps.

The Kyrgyz government has been under pressure from their relatives to bring the others home.

Hamida Yakubova and Ramaz Sariev from the Kara-Balta district of the northern Chuy region have been among the most vocal in urging Bishkek to follow the examples of neighboring Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in repatriating hundreds of their citizens from the refugee camps.

Yakubova told RFE/RL that her daughter and grandchild were among the group repatriated last week. "My daughter left home in 2014, saying she was going to study in Istanbul. But it turned out that she wasn't planning to study, she was brainwashed and lured into going to Syria," she said.

Yakubova is the head of the Lend a Helping Hand group that brings together Kyrgyz parents whose daughters went to Syria.

Kyrgyz authorities say there were at least 140 women among the estimated 850 Kyrgyz citizens who left Kyrgyzstan to join IS between 2014 and 2018.

There were many other women who were taken to Syria and Iraq from Kyrgyzstan by their husbands or other male relatives. At least 150 Kyrgyz were killed in air strikes and fighting. Others managed to escape IS and return home on their own long before the extremist group's so-called caliphate fell five years ago.

Died Before They Returned

Ramaz Sariev never shied away from speaking to the media about how his family was torn apart by IS recruiters who Sariev said brainwashed his two young daughters -- Nuriza and Kalira -- who left for Syria within three months in early 2014 without telling their parents.

The girls were 18 and 16 at the time. They both married Kyrgyz militants in Syria and gave birth to two children each. Their husbands were killed in fighting.

Sariev's wife -- who was pregnant at the time -- went to Syria to bring her daughters back but got stuck there. She gave birth to her son in Syria.

Meanwhile, Sariev sought help from the government to help return his family and spoke to the media to raise awareness of their plight.

But he didn't live to see his wife, son, eldest daughter, and two of his grandchildren repatriated in February as he died in 2020.

The youngest son -- who Sariev never met -- is now attending school in Kara-Balta.

His other daughter, Kalira, remains with her two kids in the Al-Roj camp in northeastern Syria waiting to be repatriated.

'None Of Us Went To University'

Also waiting for repatriation are some 40 Kyrgyz women -- aged between 20 and 65 -- jailed in Iraq for their links to IS. Their jail sentences range from 10 years to life in prison.

One of the women -- who introduced herself as 27-year-old Nilufar from the southern Osh region -- told RFE/RL in April that they wanted Kyrgyz officials to secure their freedom and bring them home.

"Most of us came to Syria and Iraq with our husbands in 2014-15," Nilufar said in a WhatsAPP interview. "Not a single person among us has been to university. It is very easy to deceive people like us. Obviously, we were deceived [by our husbands]."

Nilufar also showed several photos that she said depicted women in the Iraqi prison where she is being kept.

Bishkek repatriated 79 children -- aged between 2 and 18 -- from Iraq in March 2021. Authorities said the children's mothers were in jail and their fathers were killed in the conflict.

Rehabilitation

Kyrgyz politicians, experts, and others warn that the government, the families, and society have a difficult job in rehabilitating the returnees.

Specialists working with repatriated children in neighboring countries have said some of the elder children had been indoctrinated with IS ideology and even undergone IS military training.

The children have spent all or most of their lives in conflict zones, prisons, or refugee camps, deprived of school, health care, and normal society. Many have witnessed fighting, air strikes, death, and destruction while also experiencing hunger and poverty.

Many returnees -- children and adults alike -- suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical trauma.

Zhenishbek Ashirbaev, a Kyrgyz expert on extremism and terrorism issues, says a delicate approach is needed in dealing with the returnees, most of whom have spent about a decade in a "highly radicalized" environment.

"To integrate them back into our society we need a very carefully planned rehabilitation process, with the help of trained psychologists and with other comprehensive measures," Ashirbaev told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service.

Experts warn that adequate rehabilitation and reintegration are paramount both for the well-being of the returnees and prevention of any security risks or negative influence on society.

Written by Farangis Najibullah in Prague with reporting by Zamira Kozhobaeva, Mirlan Kadyrov, and Sanzhar Eraliev of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service in Bishkek

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyztsan-islamic-state- repatriation/32583046.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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Syria's chemical weapons remain a threat to international peace and security: UK statement at the Security Council

Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Tom Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria Chemical Weapons.

7 September 2023

Let me begin by thanking Director-General Fernando Arias of the OPCW for his latest monthly report, and also to the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team for their tireless efforts to resolve the outstanding issues in Syria's Chemical Weapons Declaration. I would also like to thank High Representative Nakamitsu for her briefing today.

President, as Ms Nakamitsu and others have said, ten years ago in the early hours of 21 August,Bashar Assad's forces used sarin against the people of Ghouta. More than 1,000 people were killed, many of whom were women and children. The resulting UN Mission report described it as the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988.

This Council expressed its outrage, it condemned the killing of civilians, it affirmed that any use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law and we collectively called for accountability. Security Council resolution 2118 was adopted, unanimously.

The resolution condemned chemical weapons use in Syria and endorsed the implementation of the OPCW Executive Council decision setting out the steps for the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons programme.

It was clear that the Syrian Arab Republic should not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons. It compelled Syria to cooperate fully with the OPCW and the UN, including by providing personnel designated by the OPCW with immediate and unfettered access to, and the right to inspect in discharging their functions, any and all sites that the OPCW has grounds to believe to be of importance for the purpose of its mandate.

Ten years later, the provisions of UNSCR 2118 have not been met. As others have said today, there have been nine further confirmed chemical weapons attacks by the Syrian regime.

Next month will mark ten years since Syria acceded to the chemical weapons convention.

It is a moment for us to all reflect on our responsibility for the implementation of UNSCR 2118, and how we can move forward, collectively, and in support of the OPCW's efforts to resolve outstanding inconsistencies with Syria's declaration.

We owe that to the victims of Ghouta and of all chemical weapons attacks. Including the attack carried out by Russia five years in Salisbury, in the UK, which resulted in the death of the British national Dawn Sturgess.

President, Syria's chemical weapons will remain a threat to international peace and security until its chemical weapons programme has been fully and verifiably destroyed by the OPCW.

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VP Lai pledges to 'fight for peace,' engage with China

ROC Central News Agency

09/06/2023 09:38 PM

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential nominee Lai Ching-te () told a press conference on Wednesday that he would "fight for peace" and seek cooperation with China if elected president next year.

Lai made the comments at the event in Taipei, where around 200 representatives from DPP-affiliated think tanks, such as ruling party heavyweight Chiou I-jen () and former Culture Minister Cheng Li-Chiun (), as well as several from civil society groups were in attendance.

"There is no winner in a war," Lai said, adding that he would strive to secure the security and stability of Taiwan, which he said is important to the peace of the Indo-Pacific, and even the world.

While taking a noticeably softer line on Beijing, Lai, who is seeking the country's top job next January and is campaigning on a continuation of President Tsai Ing-wen's () cross-strait policy, referred to China implicitly as a "regional strong power" and pledged to promote "cross-strait exchanges and cooperation."

However, the vice president did not elaborate on how he would try to achieve that goal, saying only his government would "open the door" to engagements with China on equitable terms.

In the meantime, Lai said he would strive to unite the country and safeguard its sovereignty.

Peace is made not by ceding sovereignty but by showing strength, he said, adding that Taiwan must prepare to fight a war in order to prevent one.

These pledges are part of a policy platform Lai unveiled at the press event dubbed the National Project of Hope. However, he outlined only a broad policy direction, saying he would provide more details over the next few months.

Lai also promised to promote the development of artificial intelligence, provide more opportunities for young entrepreneurs, expand social welfare programs and promote environmental sustainability.

The platform was put together with the help of three think tanks, namely the New Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Future Generations, and the Taiwan Thinktank.

(By Teng Pei-ju)

Enditem/AW

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China's upcoming live-fire military drill unlikely to impact Taiwan: MND

ROC Central News Agency

09/07/2023 03:12 PM

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan's defense ministry said Thursday it will closely monitor a planned live-fire military exercise by China later this month off that country's east coast, but the drill is not expected to have any direct impact on Taiwan.

The upcoming drill, part of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) routine annual exercises, will reportedly be held off China's Zhejiang Province, in waters north of Taiwan, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The expected location in the East China Sea is quite far from Taiwan, however, and the exercises are unlikely to have any direct impact on the airspace or waters around Taiwan, the MND said in a statement.

Nonetheless, Taiwan's armed forces will closely monitor the drills and take appropriate action if the need arises, the defense ministry said.

The MND statement was released in response to a notice issued the previous day by China's Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), which said that a live-fire military exercise would be held off the coast of Zhejiang Province from Sept. 16 to Oct. 8.

During that time, a "no-fly zone" will be designated off the coast of Zhejiang, the MSA said, giving the coordinates for the no-fly area.

The notice did not specify, however, what kinds of weapon systems would be used during the three-week military drill.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/pc

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Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Republic of Cuba - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

04 Sep 2023

Cuba counters human trafficking operations aimed for military recruitment purposes.

The Ministry of the Interior has detected and it is working to neutralize and dismantle a human trafficking network that operates from Russia in order to incorporate Cuban citizens living there and even some living in Cuba, into the military forces that participate in military operations in Ukraine. Attempts of this nature have been neutralized and criminal proceedings have been initiated against those involved in these activities.

Cuba's enemies are promoting distorted information that seeks to tarnish the country's image and present it as an accomplice to these actactions that we firmly reject.

Cuba has a firm and clear historical position against mercenarism, and it plays an active role in the United Nations in rejection of the aforementioned practice, being the author of several of the initiatives approved in that forum.

Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine. It is acting and it will firmly act against those who within the national territory participate in any form of human trafficking for mercenarism or recruitment purposes so that Cuban citizens may raise weapons against any country.

Havana, September 4th, 2023

(Cubaminrex)

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a Joint Press Availability

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Kyiv, Ukraine

September 6, 2023

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: (Via interpreter) Tony, welcome to Kyiv. I think that there is - we don't need any formal greetings because during this time with joint work - specifically with the beginning of the large-scale invasion - our relationship with the Ukraine and United States, they went to such level that we don't need a - we need everything - what we need is just open and sincere conversation. And this is what we had today.

However, I would like to thank the State Secretary for - you begin the day visiting the cemetery, Berkovetske cemetery. Just I will comment, this - just today we begin a new tradition, and I am grateful to the State Secretary for being the first - the chief of the - of the Foreign Service, of international - of the country to begin his visit with honoring fallen Ukrainian soldiers who died repelling the large-scale invasion.

Today, I mentioned, Tony, that we have so many - unfortunately, we have hundreds of such cemeteries across Ukraine. In every one, they are visible because on the graves of soldiers we have flags. And I would like to sincerely thank Tony for today's - he was today with me, and he shared this emotional moment with me, and he honored the fallen. However, also he demonstrated the highest level of respect to Ukrainian soldiers who are continuing their fight, who are continuing the counteroffensive, and they are participating in defensive action and they defend Ukraine.

For me today, it was very important to hear the words of the State Secretary about the high estimate of the actions of our soldiers, of officers, and of all defense forces of Ukraine. It's truly objective assessment that includes the difficult reality on the battlefield and those heroic actions that Ukrainian soldiers are doing.

However, let's get to the substantive part of our negotiations. Today we learned one more time that United States continue to be the leading partner and ally in the repelling of Russian - it's - it relates to all of the issues: humanitarian, energy, military, everything that comes from United States. And we're grateful for that. We're grateful to the Biden administration for this, for the presidential Foreign Service, and specifically to the State Secretary, to Congress, and every American citizen who supports Ukraine in this fight.

Military aid that is provided to Ukraine and financial aid and other types of - these are not charity. I would like to underline this one more time. The - this is the most - this is the most profitable investment into the security of Europe and Euro-Atlantic space and the whole world. Today, Ukraine, with the support of partners, we hold the advance of Russia to - we make them to decline their - imposing their will on other countries.

And besides, we are not putting any American soldiers' life under the threat. It's our people who are fighting, using and employing specifically weapons systems of our partners. We never asked to send the U.S. troops to Ukraine, and we are not going to ask this. But we truly need support in this fight, and this support is also recognition of this mission that Ukraine carries out in global history context.

Today, it's not a surprise we spoke a lot about weapons. We thank for already approved decisions and funded decisions. It's very important. The State Secretary is going to go back with maximum clear - our necessities and requirements to increase air defense capabilities. We today, on the way, and when the State Secretary was on the way here to Kyiv, experienced another rocket barrage. And other areas of Ukraine, they suffered losses.

We didn't spend a lot of time on discussing air defense because there's nothing to discuss. Everything is obvious. The requirement is very - in high demand and very important. I just mentioned the number of systems that - defense systems that are necessary to protect the grain corridor and our cities and our people.

I would like to thank specifically and separately United States for decision to allow other countries to begin F-16 training for our pilots, and also the transfer of those planes. We thanked Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, who announced that they are ready to transfer F-16s, and we are thankful to those countries, too, who are going to train our pilots. But in all those things, a lot of that belongs to the United States because without their decision, these countries wouldn't be able to approve those decisions on their side, because F-16's an American airplane.

In details, we discussed providing long-range rockets, ATACMS. We had the substantive discussion. I'm very happy that this option is still open, and we are expecting and we are relying inside of the presidential administration, American presidential administration. We're waiting so they would stop and discuss this more in details. And we know that it's not just enough to just bring other countries' weapons here; we need to increase production of weapons of different types. And it's truly that - there were times for the world to get rid of weapons, but now the world is arming itself.

I informed the State Secretary of - on our plan to hold first forum of defense industries where Ukraine international companies are going to join their efforts to develop a maintenance of weapons. We're going to integrate defense industry of Ukraine to NATO industry. And I'm grateful for the State Secretary for confirming that the U.S. and American companies will participate in this very important event.

A couple words on - about grain export. Our views are common. We think that the most prospective is the Danube grain corridor. We're going to develop it and we're going to - and separately we discussed, of course, peace formula, and we coordinated the future next steps to increase and strengthen the circle of participants - and as an initiative of the - President Zelenskyy. And we stated that peace formula is the foundation for stopping war and there is a historical moment in this.

And it's first time, to my - in my memory, that the rules of the end of the war decided not - not by the aggressor, by - but the rules of stopping the war is setting by the country that was attacked. It's very important for the international diplomacy, international law. It's very fair and just approach, and that's why we agreed upon next steps we are going to take together.

And finally, one question I'd like to mention is the civilian prisoners. I informed the State Secretary that Russia implements the most massive operation in the new history on imprisonment of civilians. Tens of thousands of people are getting into Russian captivity simply because they are Ukrainians and they are not - and the Russian occupation power don't like it and they don't like them. We understand that the world needs a more proactive mechanism to release those people. There are still many questions.

But we shouldn't allow Russia to establish a precedent, a case where them and other evil regimes can use imprisonment of civilians as a weapon of war. Our - both expert teams will hold consulting in discussing what international law instruments and tools are available to release these people, and maybe to discuss what tools should be installed. And I would like to thank also the State Secretary for everything that we discussed, all of the efforts like peace formula, relations with African countries, weapons, counteroffensive.

All of that in the center of discussion for the State Secretary was always - a person is in the center - a person's security, a person's rights and freedom. And because of this approach, we always find solutions because everything what we do, we do for the people. And this relates to such thing as returning McDonald's to Ukraine, which returned and became a symbol of returning of American business back, and the symbol of assurance that it's possible to create a big business in Ukraine and be with the people during hard and important time in their life.

And thank you very much one more time, and for the negotiations that we held with the prime minister, with the president of Ukraine. They were very fruitful, and I'm sure that in the future we will have some new decisions made and we'll continue our motion ahead. And no one in the world who is doubting that Ukraine and United States will stand shoulder by shoulder till the end of the victory, today they saw and they received a new signal that they are wrong.

We're moving forward together because we understand this war, not just - it's not about the future of Ukraine; it's about the future of the world. And we should defend this world jointly.

Tony, please.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Dmytro, thank you very, very much. Let me start by saying how moving it was to join you this morning in paying tribute to Ukraine's fallen soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of this country. We talk about numbers and statistics a lot, but standing there with Dmytro in front of the grave to the fallen and seeing the photographs of each one brings home powerfully the real story, the human story of lives lost, cut short because of this horrific Russian aggression. And it's also a powerful reminder of the extraordinary resilience, courage, and determination of Ukrainian people and Ukraine's armed forces.

This is now my sixth trip as Secretary of State to Ukraine and the fourth since the Russian full-scale invasion began February 24th of 2022, and I keep seeing the same thing - that determination, that resilience, that commitment on the part of all Ukrainians to build a future where they can live safely and live freely in a thriving democracy, fully integrated with Europe. Ukraine is the home of incredibly proud people who are driven by a fierce belief in themselves, in their freedom, in their right to choose their own path; a nation united by common sacrifice but fortified by the righteousness of their fight.

And that spirit is everywhere. I saw it again today in the men and women who are reopening or visiting businesses in Kyiv, in the children returning to class for the new school year, in the families and communities defiantly continuing to live their lives even as Putin seeks to end them.

The United States is committed to empowering Ukraine to write its own future. In the crucible of President Putin's brutal and ongoing war, the United States and Ukraine have forged a partnership that is stronger than ever and growing every day. We will continue to stand by Ukraine's side, and today we're announcing new assistance totaling more than $1 billion in this common effort. That includes $665.5 million in new military and civilian security assistance. In total we committed over $43 billion in security assistance since the beginning of the Russian aggression.

Now, since I was last here almost exactly one year ago, Ukrainian forces have taken back more than 50 percent of the territory seized by Russian forces since February of 2022. In the ongoing counteroffensive, progress has accelerated in the past few weeks. This new assistance will help sustain it and build further momentum.

The assistance includes an additional $175 million in drawdown authority that will provide significant support for Ukraine's air defenses - a critical need, as you heard Dmytro say - among other areas: another 100 million in Foreign Military Financing to support Ukraine's longer-term military needs; $300 million to support law enforcement efforts to restore and maintain law and order in liberated areas.

We're sending our first delivery of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to Ukraine's border guards and police, some of whom I'll have an opportunity to visit with tomorrow. And we're providing critical assistance for demining to help clear Russian land mines, unexploded ordnance, and other daily remnants of war killing and maiming civilians. Ukraine is now the world's most heavily mined country - 30 percent of its territory is potentially covered with mines. Russia's weapons of war have killed hundreds of civilians and threatened to put millions at risk for years, even decades to come.

The new security funding that we're announcing today will also be bolstered by the arrival of U.S. Abrams tanks this fall and by training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s in the United States, complementing training that is already underway in Europe.

Even as we maximize our support for Ukraine to counter the current Russian aggression, we're committed to helping Ukraine build a force for the future that can deter and defend against future aggression. Today with President Zelenskyy, I discussed longer-term sustainable security arrangements which will provide ongoing security assistance and modern military equipment across land, air, sea, and cyberspace, as well as training and intelligence sharing. The State Department is leading these discussions, which will continue in the months ahead.

Twenty-eight other countries are making similar commitments through the G7 declaration of support for Ukraine, in no small part because they recognize, as the foreign minister said, that Ukraine's security is integral to the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic community and, indeed, it's integral to security around the world because of the principles that are being challenged here as well as Ukrainian lives and livelihoods. Together, these 29 countries that are committed to supporting Ukraine over the long term will coordinate and share the burden of that long-term support.

In the more immediate term, we are working with Congress across parties to provide additional short-term funds in the supplemental funding bill this month. At the same time, we will continue to support Ukraine as it works to build international consensus for a just and durable peace that upholds the UN Charter and its fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence.

Beyond Ukraine's security needs, for the first time we are transferring to Ukraine assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs, which will now be used to support Ukrainian military veterans. Those who have enabled Putin's war of aggression should pay for it. We're continuing lifesaving humanitarian assistance; emergency shelter for those whose homes Russia has destroyed; medical support and health care for survivors of relentless Russian missile attacks and shelling, including as we saw again last night and today; food, clean drinking water; generators for communities. Today we're committing an additional $206 million toward that effort, much of which is dedicated to helping the more than 6 million Ukrainians who are displaced by Russia's war.

As Russia continues to weaponize food, we're helping people within Ukraine and around the world who are suffering from extreme hunger as well as malnutrition. Not content with pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative - which has sent 32 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain to the world, the equivalent of more than 18 billion loaves of bread, most of it to developing countries - Putin is now bombing Ukrainian granaries and warehouses, mining port entrances, driving up food prices around the world, devastating Ukrainian farmers.

Now, Russia claims it would be willing to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative if its conditions are met. The United Nations has put forward a proposal that meets those conditions, but Putin continues to hold out. Meanwhile, Russia is using the hunger and market distortion that it's created to profit from record-breaking exports of its own grain. As we build international pressure on Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, we're working with Ukraine to find and use alternative routes for its grain shipments to other countries.

For Ukraine not only to survive, but to thrive, we're also supporting its efforts to rebuild from Russia's aggression. At the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in London a few months ago, I pledged that the United States would invest more than $520 million in making Ukraine's energy infrastructure, more than half of which has been destroyed by Russia, cleaner, more resilient, and more integrated with Europe. We're making new investments to enhance the transparency of Ukraine's institutions and to bolster the rule of law so that Ukraine's democracy is even more responsive to the needs of its people and can attract the private capital needed to rebuild.

We're engaged in assisting the Government of Ukraine on anti-corruption efforts and on efforts to ensure accountability and full transparency of all the assistance we're providing as well as the security of U.S.-provided defense articles and technologies. President Zelenskyy and I discussed these issues today and the importance to Ukraine's democratic future of continued reforms and the fight against corruption.

A few months ago, in Helsinki, I spoke to how President Putin's war in Ukraine has been and will continue to be a strategic failure for Russia. There's no better demonstration of that than seeing the Ukrainian people, whose national identity Putin sought to erase, stronger and more unified than ever before. As I said then, no one has done more to intensify Ukrainians' determination to write their own future on their own terms than President Putin.

Now, we have no illusions that the path forward will be easy, but this is a fight that we must and we will win for any country threatened by bullies or would-be aggressors, for all who seek a future of security and peace. And my message today on behalf of President Biden and the United States to the Ukrainian people is: Just as we have stood with you to ensure your nation's survival over these past 20 months, so we will stand with you as you determine your future and rebuild a free, a resilient, a thriving Ukraine.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Excellencies, and we'll take questions. The first one goes to Wall Street Journal. William.

QUESTION: Thank you so much, both of you. Secretary Blinken, you said that you have no illusions that the fight will be easy. What did you hear, what one or two things did you hear on this trip from President Zelenskyy or others that you can take back to President Biden and the American people, and say this is a fight that Ukraine can win, this is a fight that makes sense for the U.S. to support?

And also for Foreign Minister Kuleba, I wanted to ask a similar question. Are you at all worried about waning political support for the war in Ukraine in the United States? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Will, thank you. First as I said, it's important to put where we are and where Ukraine is in respect. As I mentioned a moment ago, I was last here almost exactly a year ago. And in that time - in the year since I was last here, Ukraine has taken back more than 50 percent of the territory that Russia seized from it since February 2022. In the current counteroffensive, we are seeing real progress over the last few weeks. As it happens, President Zelenskyy just returned from the front lines so I was able to hear directly from him his assessment of the counteroffensive. And I think it very much matches our own, which is, as I said, real progress in recent weeks.

We are doing everything we can to maximize our support to Ukraine as it pursues a counteroffensive. And ultimately, as I said before, one thing above all other things will make the difference on this. Beyond the extraordinary work the Ukrainians are doing, beyond even the equipment, the support, the training that we and dozens of other nations are providing, the fundamental difference maker is that Ukrainians are fighting for their own country, for their own future, for their own freedom; Russians are not. And that gives me tremendous confidence that Ukraine will prevail.

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: As I mentioned, I believe that Secretary and this administration and both parties in Congress understand that what is being decided here in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine; it's about the way the world will look like. Because if Russia manages to succeed even partially, it will be a clear motivational signal - a clear encouragement - to all other malign forces across the globe to solve problems through the use of force.

The second argument is also - I mean, I think very simple. I mean, I don't want to sound rude, but the question is if the West cannot win in this war, then what is the war that the West can win? And when I say the West, I include Ukraine to this list as well. But I think the most important part of your answer was - comes from the Secretary himself from his concluding lines that Ukraine, as he said, should win and will - must win and will win. And this is exactly the philosophy that is being then implemented into specific decisions that gives me reasons to believe that we are continuing our walk towards victory. And it's deeply appreciated.

MODERATOR: (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Mr. Antony, what I discussed with Paul Whelan who Russia is holding him for four years in the prison and also Russia is holding our Ukrainians in prisons. So will United States will include - get engaged into the discussion and to the negotiation of returning Ukrainians from the prison?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you very much. First, let me say that, for me, the well-being, the security, the safety of Americans everywhere, and particularly overseas, is my number one responsibility. And that very much goes to Americans who are being unjustly detained, including Paul Whelan, and of course Evan Gershkovich. We are focused every day on trying to bring them and other unjustly detained Americans home.

When it comes to Ukrainians who are being detained - civilians, as you've heard Dmytro refer to as well as prisoners of war - of course, Ukraine has been in the lead on seeking to secure their freedom. But if there are any ways we can support that effort and help that effort, of course, we'll do it.

MODERATOR: Next one goes to CNN Jennifer.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for doing this, both of you. Mr. Secretary, yesterday Russia and Saudi Arabia announced they would continue their voluntary oil production cuts and that's already seen a surge in oil prices. Are you concerned that this is going to have an impact on Americans at the pump? And are there going to be consequences for Riyadh as was warned last year when we saw similar moves?

And then to both of you, today, Putin spoke with MBS and praised their economic cooperation. Does this give you concerns that Saudi Arabia could be an honest broker in any peace negotiations given the close ties between the two?

Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: So our focus is on making sure of two things: that energy remains readily available and that there's sufficient supply on the market to meet demand; and, of course, that this is done at a reasonable price. We are always looking to see what those who are producers and suppliers of energy are doing in terms of that supply and the effects that it's going to have on the market. So we will look at this carefully in the days and weeks ahead to see the results that it actually produces. You can get an immediate bump in price, but that may quickly settle down to something lower. So it's something we'll be looking at, again, with the objective of ensuring that there is sufficient energy on world markets to meet demand and at a fair price.

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: Ukrainian soldier is the most honest broker in this war, because we all understand that the road to any diplomatic process lays through the battlefield. In diplomacy I think that - I think one of the finest arts of diplomacy is the art of separation, like in cooking. And I believe it's no coincidence that while Saudi Arabia and Russia discuss strengthening economic cooperation, Saudi Arabia hosts very important meeting in Jeddah dedicated to the realization of peace formula proposed by Ukraine. And I believe that the art of Saudi diplomacy here is to separate these tracks. And we welcome their effort to bring together various countries to make them sit at the table in Saudi Arabia and discuss how to restore peace in Ukraine on Ukraine's terms. This is very important.

MODERATOR: The last one (inaudible).

QUESTION: Thank you. My first question is to Secretary Blinken. As we know, Ukraine and USA started talks about security guarantees. Can you give us a little more information, how is it going, and when we will hear the first, maybe, results?

(Via interpreter) What do we expect from the general assembly, and what are goals? And what are we going to get out with from that event?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: So we are focused with our Ukrainian partners and many other countries around the world on two things. One is in the near term, in the immediate term, ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to be successful on the battlefield in pursuing the counteroffensive and dealing with the current Russian aggression. And an important part of my visit here today was to do what we've been doing all along, which is to listen very carefully to our Ukrainian partners, to understand what they need in this moment, and to look at ways to support that.

But even as we're doing that, it's critically important that we and many other countries that have agreed to do the same help Ukraine build a force for the future, a military force for the future, that is capable of deterring future aggression and, if necessary, defending and defeating it. We now have 29 countries that are signed on to a declaration issued by the G7 at the end of the NATO summit that is focused on doing just that, helping Ukraine build this force for the future. And we're in the early stages of talking directly with Ukraine about what the different elements would be. Other countries are similarly engaged or beginning to engage in those conversations. And as I indicated, that will I think play out over the coming months.

It's important because we want to make sure that Ukraine is in a position for the long term, not just today, to deter aggression and to defend against it. We need President Putin to understand that he cannot outlast Ukraine, he cannot outlast Ukraine's supporters, that Ukraine is actually going to grow stronger and even more effective with a military force that is world class, but also a strong and vibrant economy and a strong and vibrant democracy.

So all of these things together are the recipe for, as I said earlier, a Ukraine that not only survives this Russian aggression but thrives in the future. That's the best possible response to what Putin has done.

So this work on helping Ukraine build long-term deterrence and defense, as I said, we're beginning to engage in those conversations in detail, but this will be something that we work on in the coming months.

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: (Via interpreter) General assembly will be very big and fruitful. The priority number one to include the new countries to implementation of peace formula, President Zelenskyy's peace formula, and to - and execute the next steps for the holding global summit, global peace summit. Number two, it's the issue of export of Ukrainian grain to the world markets. You know that UN has its own role in it. And as a result of these processes and all the whole world especially African and Asian countries are very looking forward to resolve this issue, because the prices for bread is unfortunately because of the Russian blackmail is growing. And we need to ensure the world and protect the world from the possibility of Russia blackmailing the world. The third subject, it's a bilateral meetings during this United Nations session. And we're going to discuss weapons, new defense packages going to Ukraine.

What else? And there will be hundreds of other questions that we're going to discuss, but these are the major - these are three major issues and questions that we're going to discuss.

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September 7, 2023

Release

Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new security assistance package to support Ukraine's battlefield needs and demonstrate unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine. This package provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) includes equipment to augment Ukraine's air defenses, artillery munitions, and other capabilities.

This USAI package highlights the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine's pressing requirements by committing critical near-term capabilities, while also building the enduring capacity of Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the mid and long term.

Unlike Presidential Drawdown authority, which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry or partners. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine.

The capabilities in this announcement, which totals up to $600 million, include:

Equipment to sustain and integrate Ukraine's air defense systems;

Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

105mm artillery rounds;

Electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare equipment;

Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing;

Mine clearing equipment; and

Support and equipment for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.

The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3518903/

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Changes to temporary protection for third-country nationals who have fled Ukraine

Finnish Government

Ministry of the Interior

Publication date 7.9.2023 13.57

Press release

At its meeting on 7 September, the Government decided that Finland would no longer grant temporary protection and new residence permits to those third-country nationals who have fled Ukraine and who were not granted international protection or a permanent residence permit by Ukraine. This decision will not affect the protection already granted or the validity of the residence permits already issued.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, millions of people have fled the country and sought refuge in the EU. In addition to Ukrainian nationals, third-country nationals residing in Ukraine have fled the country. In early March 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision to introduce temporary protection for those fleeing Ukraine. Currently, slightly over four million people receive temporary protection in the EU.

The decision adopted by the Council defines the persons to whom Member States must grant temporary protection. Such persons include Ukrainian nationals who have fled Ukraine and third-country nationals who have been granted international protection or a permanent residence permit in Ukraine.

Member States may at national level decide to grant temporary protection also to other groups of people. One of such groups that are separately mentioned in the decision is third-country nationals who resided legally in Ukraine on grounds other than international protection or a permanent residence permit. These people have resided in Ukraine for work or studies, for example. In March 2022, the Government decided that Finland would also grant temporary protection to these people.

By the government decision of 7 September 2023, these people will no longer be granted temporary protection. The decision applies to people who arrive in Finland after the entry into force of the decision or who have arrived in Finland earlier but have not notified the authorities of their need for temporary protection before the entry into force of the decision. Thus, the government decision will not affect the temporary protection already granted or the validity of residence permits. The residence permits already issued are valid until 4 March 2024.

The government decision will not affect third-country nationals or stateless persons who have received international protection in Ukraine or have resided in Ukraine under a permanent residence permit. Nor will the decision affect those third-country nationals who receive temporary protection as a family member of a Ukrainian national. These people will continue to receive temporary protection.

Return to the home country as a starting point

Residence in Ukraine for the persons to whom the decision applies was not based on international protection or permanent residence on other grounds. If the grounds for residing in the European Union are not met, the primary solution is to return to the home country.

If the person feels that returning to their home country is not possible for reasons of safety, they have the right to submit an asylum application and and this way have the authorities establish whether they need international protection.

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While in Latvia, the Nordic and Baltic Foreign Ministers voice unanimous support to Ukraine

Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

07.09.2023

On 6 and 7 September 2023, Riga and Cesis hosted the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Nordic countries and Baltic States (NB8). The Ministers discussed matters vital for the region, including support to Ukraine, holding Russia accountable for the crime of aggression, as well as regional security, energy and climate related challenges, and further cooperation between the NB8 countries.

Latvia was represented at the event by the Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins in his capacity of acting Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins underlined: "The aim of this meeting between representatives from the Nordic and Baltic countries, the Foreign Ministers, was to speak about how we can better help Ukraine, how to coordinate our cooperation better, and send a message to the world, especially the countries further away from Europe, that Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is actually an imperialist war. During the meeting, we stressed that Russia will have to answer for the crimes it is committing in Ukraine. We discussed the energy security and independence of our region: we have successfully rid ourselves of dependency on Russia's energy resources, but important work still remains to be done, namely, increasing renewable energy capacity. It must be achieved that electricity produced this way is competitive for our citizens and businesses, so that our region would not only endure the times of war, but also emerge from it even stronger and more resilient to the future challenges. One thing is clear: as friends, we stand together and support Ukraine, which will win this war."

The Ministers agreed that a close Nordic-Baltic cooperation is particularly important for the security and resilience of our region, given that our region is strongly affected by geopolitical changes. In addition, Sweden's accession to NATO will offer even more opportunities for in-depth NB8 cooperation on defence.

The Ministers visited the Defence Partnership Latvia company in the city of Cesis, which is a vivid example of defence cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries. The Patria armoured personnel carriers are being assembled at the company facilities. Sweden and Germany have joined a contract signed between Latvia, Finland, and the Patria company on research and development of a joint 6x6 armoured vehicle system on the basis of the Patria vehicles. The Patria armoured personnel carriers are used by Latvia's National Armed Forces.

Taking part in the meeting were the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Lkke Rasmussen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Anniken Huitfeldt, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Tobias Billstrom,

In 2023, Latvia is coordinating NB8 cooperation at the level of ministries of foreign affairs. The meeting of NB8 Ministers of Foreign Affairs is the main event of the coordination year. Latvia's priorities for the year of its NB8 chairmanship are the strengthening of a rules-based international order, military security and deterrence capabilities, and resilience.

Background information

The NB8 (Nordic-Baltic Eight) partnership comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries has been very close since early 1990s. They were active in the N5+B3 format, which was transformed into the NB8 format in 2007.

In 2023, Latvia leads the NB8 cooperation at the level of ministries of foreign affairs. At the parliamentary level and that of defence ministries, cooperation is coordinated by Sweden. Sweden is taking over cooperation at the foreign ministry level next year.

An important mode of the NB8 cooperation are joint visits by officials abroad, which reaffirm the region's unity and values. This past spring, Latvia organised a joint trip by the foreign ministers to Moldova and Ukraine.

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An agreement worth 2 million on Latvia's support for the reconstruction of Ukraine signed in Chernihiv

Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

07.09.2023

On 7 September 2023 in Chernihiv, the Ambassador of Latvia to Ukraine, Ilgvars KAava, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Deputy Resident Representative the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, Christophoros Politis, signed an agreement on the reconstruction of infrastructure facilities in the Chernihiv Oblast. The reconstruction project will be carried out by the UNDP in Ukraine. The total amount of the funds contributed under the agreement is 2 million euros.

The agreement provides for the overhaul, restoration or reconstruction of five social infrastructure facilities: the food block of the Chernihiv Regional Children's Hospital; the pre-school No 19 of the Chernihiv City; the facade of the Kiyin pre-school "Malyatko"; Staryi Bilous Lyceum of the Novyi Bilous Village Council; and insulation of the facade of Talalaivka Lyceum in the Talalaivka Village Council.

Ambassador Ilgvars KAava emphasized that Latvia would continue to support Ukraine until victory: "Our contribution is a testimony of our unwavering commitment to support the Ukrainian people and aid in the reconstruction of vital infrastructure. Through the combined efforts of UNDP, the Republic of Latvia, and local authorities, the project promises to play a pivotal role in the region's recovery and revitalization, providing stability through solidarity with the communities of Chernihiv."

The buildings to be restored were determined by the Chernihiv Oblast Administration, following the assessment of the region's urgent needs. The reconstruction works will be carried out in accordance with EU standards, which is particularly important in view of Ukraine's European integration process.

As part of his regional visit, Ambassador Ilgvars KAava also saw the Women's Support Centre in Chernihiv, the establishment of which was supported by Latvia, and he met with the Governor of the Chernihiv Oblast, Viacheslav Chaus.

Background information

The Chernihiv Oblast borders Russia and Belarus and was subject to Russian attacks from the very first days of the full-scale war in late February 2022. The Ukrainian forces liberated the region from the invaders in early April last year. Because of the Russian aggression, some 150,000 residents of the region were forced to flee their homes; around 9,200 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities were destroyed, including hospitals and educational institutions.

In September 2022, the Government of Latvia designated Chernihiv as a priority region for Latvia in its reconstruction efforts.

The contract with the United Nations Development Programme is signed on the basis of decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of 1 June 2023 regarding the involvement of Latvia in the reconstruction of Chernihiv. The contractual amount is part of Latvia's overall assistance to the recovery of Chernihiv Oblast, for which EUR 5.1 million has been allocated in the State budget in 2023.

The United Nations Development Programme is the leading UN agency in the matters of reconstruction and recovery.

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Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis: "The Ukrainians pay a heavy price for our delays and fears"

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2023.09.07

For Ukraine's victory, it is vital to ensure a continued supply of weapons, especially ammunition, Lithuania's head of diplomacy Gabrielius Landsbergis said during an informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Foreign Ministers in CAsis, Latvia.

"We should stand by Ukraine not for as long as it takes, but until Ukraine's victory. We need to accelerate the delivery of our military aid - fighter jets, including F16, air defence and ammunition. We should also help Ukraine protect its grain export routes," the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania noted.

Landsbergis says that at the Vilnius NATO summit, a consensus was reached that Ukraine would join NATO. But after answering the question 'whether', we must also answer the question 'when'. Thus, we should not lose the initial impetus in the run-up to the upcoming Washington summit.

"At the NATO summit in Vilnius, we brought Ukraine closer to NATO. We must seize the opportunity, and some time ahead of the Washington summit, we must move forward at maximum speed. As far as the EU is concerned, the greatest long-term security we can provide for Ukraine and ourselves is the enlargement of the EU. Hopefully, the accession talks with Ukraine will begin at the end of this year," the Foreign Minister said.

Landsbergis also stressed that the need for regional cooperation was only increasing, especially in defence and security.

"We must strategically plan and ensure that Ukraine can win this war. Existing challenges facing the Nordic-Baltic region's neighbourhood and the world require a focused response that can only be achieved by maintaining unity and coordinating positions and actions at regional and international levels," the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania said.

On 6-7 September, Lithuania's Foreign Minister is participating in an informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Foreign Ministers in Latvia.

This year, Latvia coordinates the NB8 cooperation.

The ministerial meeting in Riga and CAsis focuses on strengthening regional security and resilience, supporting Ukraine, closer NB8 cooperation and other important regional issues.

The Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) is an informal (non-institutionalized) regional cooperation format that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Each year, the NB8 countries coordinate the activities of the NB8 on a rotating basis. The coordinating country organizes and hosts meetings that take place during that year. In 2022, the NB8 cooperation was coordinated by Lithuania.

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NATO Secretary General at the European Parliament: we must support Ukraine for as long as it takes

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

07 Sep. 2023

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Members of the European Parliament on Thursday (7 September 2023), welcoming progress in NATO-EU cooperation and stressing the importance of supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes. He took part in a meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE).

Mr Stoltenberg welcomed Ukraine's progress in their counteroffensive, noting that the Ukrainian forces are "gradually gaining ground" and that "they have been able to breach the defensive lines of the Russian forces, and they are moving forward." He added: "the Russian army used to be the second strongest in the world; and now the Russian army is the second strongest in Ukraine... The reality is that Ukrainians are actually exceeding expectation again and again. And we need to remember what's our responsibility: our responsibility to support them." He concluded by saying: "to support Ukraine is not an option. It's a necessity to ensure that we preserve peace for our members, for our countries and to ensure that authoritarian regimes don't achieve what they want by violating international law and using military force."

Mr Stoltenberg also condemned Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal and its deliberate attempts to stop Ukraine's agricultural exports. "We welcome the efforts by TArkiye to re-establish the grain deal," Mr Stoltenberg said, adding that the best way to ensure safe and secure shipment of grain from Ukraine is for Russia to end its war.

On the NATO-EU relationship, Mr Stoltenberg welcomed that cooperation has deepened in areas including cyber, space, critical infrastructure, military mobility, stability in the Western Balkans, maritime security, and more. "I believe in NATO-EU cooperation, because we share the same values, we share the same challenges. We are two different organizations, but we have a lot in common," he said.

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The holding of illegal 'elections' in occupied areas of Ukraine condemned by OSCE leaders

OSCE | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

SKOPJE/WARSAW/COPENHAGEN 7 September 2023

SKOPJE /WARSAW /COPENHAGEN, 7 September 2023 -- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma and the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Matteo Mecacci, condemn the Russian Federation's holding of so-called "elections" in Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories.

Any elections in territories within Ukraine's internationally recognized borders can only be held in line with national legislation and international standards and can only be organized by the legitimate authority mandated by Ukrainian law, the Ukrainian Central Election Commission. The organization of elections in temporarily occupied territories violates the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, which is counter to the fundamental principles of the OSCE, the UN Charter and international law. The "results" of any such "elections" organized by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will have no validity under international law.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) continues to assist the Ukrainian authorities in preparing for the conduct of elections when voters are able to participate in elections safely and elections can be held in accordance with Ukrainian law and international standards.

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Kremlin decries US plan to give seized Russian money to Ukraine military

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 6:42 PM

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the US plan to send Ukraine funds seized from Russian businessmen is illegal and any such actions will be contested.

"This is hard to imagine and it goes against everything in international law and those countries' national law. But as soon as an opportunity presents itself, we will defend our rights." Peskov told reporters during a news briefing in Moscow on Thursday.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on a visit to Kyiv that Washington was transferring to Ukraine $5.4 million in "assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs, which will now be used to support Ukrainian military veterans."

"We perceived it absolutely negatively, because we consider all cases related to blocking, arrest or other withholding of any funds related to state property, private property and mixed property of the Russian Federation abroad to be illegal acts."

"And in any case, they will later lead one way or another to legal proceedings. Not a single case of such illegal (funds) retention will be left unattended."

Kiev has already received more than $43 billion from the US in the form of weapons systems like howitzers and millions of rounds of ammunition, including widely-banned cluster munitions, since last February when Russia started a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly warned that a continued supply of Western arms and military equipment for the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war.

Austria summons EU envoy for calling Russian gas payments 'blood money'

Austria's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it was summoning the European Commission's envoy to the country saying the EU member state was paying "blood money" for the fuel.

"Mr Selmayr has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a meeting with the (ministry's) secretary-general," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Selmayr was currently out of the country but the meeting would take place upon his return.

Martin Selmayr, a German EU official who was the powerful chief of staff to the Commission's then-President Jean-Claude Juncker until 2018, in remarks on Wednesday evening criticized the slow pace at which Austria is weaning itself of Russian gas.

"Oh my god, 55% of Austrian gas continues to come from Russia," Selmayr was quoted as saying.

"Blood money is being sent daily to Russia," he added.

The EU official expressed astonishment at the lack of protests over the fact that Austria's gas payments were funding Russia's war against Ukraine.

According to the latest Austrian government data, for June, 60% of Austria's natural gas imports came from Russia.

After decades of Austria relying heavily on cheap Russian gas sent by pipeline, Austria's coalition government of conservatives and left-wing Greens says it is shifting away from Russia as a gas supplier. However, the country faces various obstacles, including the fact it is landlocked.

EU imports of Russian liquified gas have leaped by 40% since Ukraine war

EU imports of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) have increased by 40% since the invasion of Ukraine despite efforts to cut down supplies, according to a recent analysis of data by Kpler, which tracks marine and tanker traffic.

Member states have bought more than half of Russia's LNG on the market in the first seven months of this year.

Spain and Belgium, which act as major gateways for LNG supplies to the bloc, have emerged as the second and third-biggest customers of Russian LNG respectively after China.

The EU imposed sanctions on imports of Russian oil and coal after Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine in February last year. It also banned Russian entities from storing gas in the bloc and prohibited most new investments in the Russian energy sector.

Fears of winter blackouts led to people in many countries being asked to turn down their heating thermostats by 1C and night-time illumination of public buildings across the bloc, including the Eiffel Tower, was stopped. In some cities street lights were turned off after midnight to save energy.

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Russia downs 5 Ukrainian drones, including 1 near Moscow

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 11:10 AM

Russia says it has managed to down at least five Ukrainian military drones, one near the capital Moscow, and the rest in the south of the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the Russian defense ministry said one drone was downed in Ramensky district, 60 kilometers southeast of Moscow, at around 3:00 a.m. local time (2400 GMT), without causing any casualties.

Separately, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin gave his account of the attack, saying that early on Thursday, "air defense forces thwarted a drone attack on Moscow. No damage or casualties were preliminarily reported from the site where the fragments hit the ground."

Russia's air defense system also managed to down two more drones in Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia, one of them fell down in the center of the city, lightly wounding one person and damaging several cars.

"According to verified information, air defense systems shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles. One fell down in Rostov's western suburb, the other one - in the city center. As a result, several passenger cars were damaged. One person was hurt. He refused from hospitalization," said Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region.

According to the defense ministry, two other Ukrainian drones were shot down several hours later in the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, without causing any casualties.

Following Kiev's abortive months-long counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops have resorted to drone warfare, targeting civilian infrastructure, to make up for their military shortcomings on the battlefield, failing to deliver as expected on its promises of a vain victory against the stronger Russian troops.

Russia, which views NATO as a hostile bloc and vigorously opposes its eastward expansion, has also highlighted Kiev's aspirations of joining the US-led military alliance among the main reasons for launching its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

The Kremlin says the West and NATO are playing a direct role in the Ukraine conflict by pouring advanced weapons and military equipment into the country, warning that NATO weapons are "legitimate targets" for its armed forces.

Moscow has frequently warned that the continued supply of Western arms and military equipment to the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war and add to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.

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Russia slams 'inhumanity' of US decision to send depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 07 September 2023 8:27 AM

Russia has denounced the US decision to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition as a clear sign of "inhumanity", stressing that the indiscriminate ammunition is not only a threat to the Ukrainians, but to whole generations.

The US "administration's decision to supply weapons with depleted uranium is an indicator of inhumanity," said Russia's embassy in Washington on Wednesday.

The remarks came on the heels of a statement by the Pentagon, which announced that it would send, for the first time, controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium for US-made Abrams tanks in Ukraine, saying that such ammunition would be part of a fresh military package worth up to $175 million.

The M1 Abrams tanks, a third-generation American main battle tank, are due to be delivered to Ukraine later this year.

The package also includes anti-tank missiles, artillery and mortar rounds, tactical air navigation systems, and additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

"Clearly, with its idea of inflicting a 'strategic defeat', Washington is prepared to fight not only to the last Ukrainian but also to do away with entire generations," the embassy further said, adding, "The US is deliberately transferring weapons with indiscriminate effects."

The US promise of providing Kiev with depleted uranium rounds, despite global concerns about serious health problems caused by such ammunition, comes about two months after Washington said it would provide internationally-banned cluster munitions to the ex-Soviet republic.

"It is fully aware of the consequences: explosions of such munitions result in the formation of a moving radioactive cloud. Small particles of uranium settle in the respiratory tract, lungs, esophagus, accumulate in kidneys and liver, cause cancer and lead to the inhibition of the whole organism's functions," the Russian embassy warned.

"The US Administration, in turn, reveals its true colors: it is deeply indifferent to both the present of Ukraine and the future of the republic and its European neighbors," it added.

The US aid also includes over $665 million in new military and civilian security assistance and millions of dollars in support for Ukraine's air defenses and other areas.

The development came hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kiev for a two-day visit amid Ukraine's grinding counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Washington on August 29 announced $250 million in fresh military aid to Ukraine, naming the components as equipment for clearing mines and obstacles as well as missiles, artillery rounds, anti-armor missiles, and more than three million rounds of small arms ammunition.

Kiev has already received more than $43 billion from the US in the form of weapons systems like howitzers and millions of rounds of ammunition, including widely-banned cluster munitions, since last February when Russia started a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly warned that a continued supply of Western arms and military equipment for the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war.

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Countries From Three Seas Initiative Condemn Russian Aggression, Vow To Support Ukraine

By RFE/RL's Romanian Service September 07, 2023

BUCHAREST -- European Union member states from Central and Eastern Europe have called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine unconditionally and promised to provide support to Kyiv "for as long as it takes" to repel Moscow's unprovoked full-scale invasion.

In a joint declaration adopted on September 6 in Bucharest, the 12 countries from the Three Seas Initiative vowed to play a key role in UkraineAs reconstruction once the war ends.

"We remain committed to providing continued support to Ukraine for as long as it takes," the joint declaration said.

"We are committed to playing a key role in Ukraine's reconstruction," it added, describing the Russian aggression as "a blatant violation of international law."

The forum started as Romania's defense minister, Angel Tilvar, said that it appeared that pieces of a Russian drone used in an attack against Ukraine may have landed inside the NATO member's territory.

Since July, when Moscow abandoned a deal that lifted a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian river ports that lie on the Danube River, which in parts forms the border between Romania and Ukraine.

Addressing the summit via video link, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia's recent attacks on the Danube ports are "at the border of our three seas."

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that the Russian attacks will slow the export of grain and that other routes need to be enhanced.

At a press conference during the Bucharest forum, Iohannis said that Bucharest has already accepted Ukrainian maritime transport through Romanian territorial waters off the Black Sea and will "continue to enhance exports on rail and road links."

Speaking at the same press conference, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said his country had offered access to the Mediterranean through its ports and that its Transport Ministry was working with the European Commission and Ukraine.

Launched in 2016, the Three Seas Initiative includes European Union member states Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Estonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Lithuania. At the Bucharest summit, Greece was granted membership, while Ukraine and Moldova became associate participating states.

The initiative states on its website that it "was born out of a shared interest in developing transport, energy, and digital infrastructure connections on the EU's north-south axis."

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/three-seas-initiative-romania- russia-ukraine-war/32582397.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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Pentagon Unveils New $600Mln Ukraine Package, Includes Equipment to Augment Air Defenses

Sputnik News

20230907

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States announced a new $600 million security package for Ukraine to include munitions in addition to equipment augmenting air defenses, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Thursday.

"Today, the Department announced a new security assistance package through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to support Ukraine's battlefield needs. This $600 million package includes equipment to augment Ukraine's air defenses, artillery munitions and other capabilities," Singh said during a press briefing.

The capabilities in the new announcement include equipment to sustain and integrate Ukraine's air defense systems, additional ammunition for HIMARS, 105mm artillery rounds, electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare equipment, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, mine clearing equipment, as well as support and equipment for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities, the Pentagon said in a press release.

Sabrina Singh also said that the US aims to have depleted uranium munitions arrive in Ukraine in time or when the Abrams tanks arrive there.

"The goal is to have the rounds there, specifically in time or when the tanks are [there]," Singh said during a press briefing.

The United States expects the first Abrams tanks to arrive in Ukraine later in September.

A Sputnik

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Moscow Rubbishes US Claims of Depleted Uranium Shells Being 'Non-Radioactive'

Sputnik News

20230907

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The White House's claims that depleted uranium ammunition is not radioactive are nonsense, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

On Wednesday, US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that depleted uranium rounds were neither radioactive nor carcinogenic.

"What is it: lies or silliness? [Scientists] have mentioned it multiple times and there are stand-alone articles saying that depleted uranium is toxic and dangerous for humans when it is in the form of radioactive dust, and the effect of radionuclide contamination of soils has also been brought up," Zakharova said on Telegram.

The rate of cancer diagnoses increases in places where depleted uranium ammunition was used, she recalled. This was experienced by Italian soldiers who took part in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Zakharova added.

"Out of 7500 people exposed to toxic substances and radiation, 372 people died, which is a mortality rate of 5% or a fatal outcome for every 20th person. Moreover, they died of agonizing cancer complications, such as kidney dysfunction, lung cancer, bone cancer, esophageal cancer, degenerative skin diseases, Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia," the spokeswoman said.

The Serbs, who were victims of NATO bombing, also suffered from depleted uranium munitions, as the Serbian Health Ministry said there was an increase in diseases such as cancer, infertility in men, autoimmune diseases of a broad [spectrum of] pathologies, pathological complications of pregnancy, mental illnesses in children in the regions bombed by NATO, the spokeswoman said.

On Wednesday, the US Defense Department announced a new $175 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes depleted uranium munitions for Abrams tanks, as well as air defense equipment and 155mm artillery shells.

A Sputnik

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Russian Air Defenses Down Ukrainian Drones Over Moscow, Bryansk Regions & Rostov-on-Don

Sputnik News

20230907

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Air defense forces in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don destroyed two drones overnight, one crashed outside the city and another one in the city center, damaging vehicles and injuring one person as a result, Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev clarified early Thursday.

"According to the clarified information, air defense systems have shot down two UAVs; one fell outside the city in the western part of Rostov-on-Don, the second - in the center, in the area of Pushkinskaya Street, 42," Golubev said on Telegram.

The governor said later on Thursday that several vehicles, as well as the facades and windows of three buildings, were damaged in the incident. He specified that the injured person sought medical assistance with cut wounds to his legs but refused hospitalization.

Moments earlier, initial reports indicated that just one unmanned aerial vehicle had been struck down by air defense systems, with Golubev saying the incident broke out at about 3 a.m. Moscow Time.

Rostov-on-Don Mayor Aleksei Logvinenko said on Telegram that the city's emergency services had been put on high alert following the downing of the drones.

Air defenses also struck down an unmanned aerial vehicle overnight over the Ramensky district of the Moscow region, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said early Thursday.

"This night, an attempted drone attack on Moscow was foiled by air defense forces in the Ramensky district. According to preliminary information, there are no damage or casualties at the site of the falling debris. Emergency services are working on the site," Sobyanin said on Telegram.

Not long after, another drone attack was foiled in Russia's Bryansk region, with Russian troops downing the UAV over the Bryansky district, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said early Thursday.

"Tonight, an attempt by the Ukrainian armed forces to carry out a terrorist attack using a UAV was foiled. Forces of the Russian Defense Ministry destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicle over the Bryansky district. There were no casualties or damage," Bogomaz said on Telegram, adding that emergency services were working on site.

Later, Russian air defense systems shot down two more drones over Russia's Bryansk City, falling debris of which damage glazing of the city's railway station, surrounding areas and several vehicles, Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.

"Forces of the Russian Defense Ministry foiled an attack of Ukrainian terrorists. An unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over Bryansk. There were no casualties," the governor said on Telegram, adding the damage to the railway station and vehicles was caused by the falling debris.

The governor said later on Thursday that yet another drone, flying toward the city, was destroyed, adding that there were no casualties or damage in the second strike.

The latest comes after Russian forces thwarted a drone attack by Ukraine over the Navlinsky district of the Bryansk region, one of a multitude of strikes carried out in the wake of Kiev's failed counteroffensive.

A Sputnik

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PM call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine : 7 September 2023

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon before he travels to India for the G20 Leaders' Summit.

7 September 2023

The Prime Minister spoke to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon before he travels to India for the G20 Leaders' Summit.

President Zelenskyy updated on Ukraine's counter-offensive and ongoing military requirements, and the Prime Minister pledged the UK's steadfast support and commended Ukraine's armed forces for their progress on the battlefield.

They also discussed the impact of Putin's continued Black Sea grain blockade, both in Ukraine and for food supplies around the world. The Prime Minister committed to galvanise work with G20 countries on circumventing Russia's blockade and ensuring vulnerable countries can access vital grain shipments.

The Prime Minister welcomed progress on bilateral security commitments for Ukraine, with 30 partners now signing the Joint Declaration, an initiative led by the UK and allies at this summer's NATO Summit. He said the UK would continue to drive forward plans for long term support for Ukraine's sovereignty and security.

President Zelenskyy thanked the Prime Minister for the UK's continued solidarity, and the leaders agreed to remain in close contact.

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PM announces support to alleviate global impact of Putin's weaponisation of Ukrainian grain

UK will host international food security summit later this year and increase support for vulnerable people worst hit by rising food prices.

7 September 2023

UK will host international food security summit later this year and increase support for vulnerable people worst hit by rising food prices.

Comprehensive MoD Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance operation in the Black Sea deterring Russian attacks on cargo vessels following Putin's withdrawal from Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Comes as the Prime Minister travels to India for a meeting of G20 leaders, which Vladimir Putin is expected to avoid for the second year in a row.

Global leaders must make it clear Putin's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has increased Russia's global isolation and protect those whose lives have been devastated by Putin's illegal war, the Prime Minister will say as he travels to the G20 Summit in India today (Friday).

Families both in Ukraine and across the world continue to suffer as a direct result of Putin's brutal invasion 18 months ago. Russia has displaced 11 million people from their homes, manipulated global energy prices and made daily life more difficult for households across the planet.

In July Putin demonstrated his indifference to the human consequences of his actions yet again when he withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Under this initiative, brokered in July 2022, ships carrying Ukrainian grain were freely able to transit from Black Sea ports without fear of attack.

The deal was providing a lifeline for millions of people around the world who depend on Ukrainian grain exports. In its first year, the agreement enabled 33 million tonnes of food to reach those who needed it in 45 countries around the world. Putin's decision to rip up the initiative has reduced global grain supply at a critical time for vulnerable people - when prices rise, the poorest pay.

Since July, Russia has also damaged or destroyed at least 26 civilian port facilities, warehouses, silos and grain elevators. These attacks have directly reduced Ukraine's export capacity by one third and destroyed enough grain to feed more than 1 million people for an entire year.

Tomorrow, G20 leaders will gather in Delhi to discuss the biggest challenges the world is facing, including the spike in the cost of living driven by Putin's actions. For the second year in a row, the Russian President is not expected to attend.

At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world's most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin's war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy.

The Prime Minister said:

Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality. The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction. That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putin's stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain.

Before Putin's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was the world's 5th largest wheat exporter, 4th largest corn exporter and 3rd largest rapeseed exporter. Grain ordinarily accounts for 41% of Ukrainian export revenue, and almost two thirds of the grain exported by the country goes to the developing world.

Russia's sudden withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and the consequent spike in global food prices, will cost lives around the world - further destabilising economies and putting people at risk of starvation.

The UK is spearheading efforts to help vulnerable people and economies deal with the impact of Putin's actions. The Prime Minister will announce today that the UK will convene an international food security summit in November.

Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, the event will bring together government representatives from across the world, including vulnerable countries, with international organisations, NGOs, researchers and private sector companies, to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.

We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, call out Russia if we see warning signs that they are preparing attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea, and attribute attacks to prevent false flag claims that seek to deflect blame from Russia.

As part of these surveillance operations, RAF aircraft are conducting flights over the area to deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain.

Since pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia has declared that all ships transiting to Ukrainian Black Sea ports will be treated as military vessels - irrespective of the cargo they are carrying. It has acted upon this assessment by firing shots and boarding a cargo ship bound for one of Ukraine's Danube ports, action which may constitute a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

Alongside military efforts to deter Russian attacks, the UK will also contribute A3 million in funding for the World Food Programme to continue work started under President Zelenskyy's 'Grain from Ukraine' initiative, which was established in November last year to send Ukrainian grain to countries whose people are suffering from the high global price of staple foods.

In its first six months, the Grain from Ukraine programme allowed 170,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be delivered to countries including Somalia and Yemen. The uplift in UK funding announced today will enable further grain shipments to go to countries in need as identified by the World Food Programme. Ukraine has been a hugely important source of food for the World Food Programme this year. This year- up until July when Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative- WFP procured 80% of its global wheat grain from Ukraine.

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The results are what Ukraine needs from everyone, at all levels - address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

7 September 2023 - 21:49

I wish you health, dear Ukrainians!

A brief report for this day.

I congratulated our intelligence officers, our heroes, on the Day of Military Intelligence of Ukraine.

We all realize how cool our intelligence officers are. True bravery, powerful results. I thanked the MID on behalf of the whole of Ukraine.

Today I officially introduced the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov. He is a strong person. A systemic person. He has a good understanding of the defense sector. From the first days of the full-scale war, he has been involved in negotiations on weapons for Ukraine. Very sensitive negotiations. Productive. He is also engaged in negotiations on the release of our people from Russian captivity. Rustem also has important results for Ukraine in this regard.

He can reboot the work of the Ministry of Defense. This is exactly what is needed now.

Today's international talks include a conversation with British Prime Minister Sunak and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Of course, the main topic is security.

I held several important meetings on our international work. This September we have to achieve several very specific results in our work with partners. This includes new weapons for Ukraine - we are preparing the news. And our diplomatic efforts to unite even more countries to restore peace on our entire land. We are preparing more global pressure on Russia.

And our warriors... the National Guard...

The 12th special purpose brigade fighting in the east of our country... As well as the 3rd and 15th brigades of the National Guard fighting in the southern areas... I thank you, warriors, for the very, very effective destruction of the occupiers!

The results are what Ukraine needs from everyone right now. At all levels. From everyone who is fighting for Ukraine, who is working for Ukraine, who is supporting us in the world. Glory to all those who bring our common victory closer with their personal results!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Strengthening energy sanctions can have a significant impact on the aggressor and bring the end of the war closer - Andriy Yermak

President of Ukraine

7 September 2023 - 21:03

The International Working Group on Sanctions Against Russia, co-chaired by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, Ambassador Michael McFaul, has prepared two new documents: on strengthening energy sanctions and on the importance of confiscating Russian state assets.

According to Andriy Yermak, energy sanctions are working, but they need to be significantly strengthened. According to him, in a new analytical document, the group provides detailed proposals for improving and strengthening the sanctions pressure on the energy sector of the aggressor country. The Head of the Office of the President emphasized that improving compliance with the sanctions and adopting the new proposals of the group would further reduce Russia's energy revenues by at least half.

"We have to be realistic: the aggressor is actively working to circumvent sanctions even through direct fraud, so we cannot let the Kremlin get back some of the lost revenue," said Andriy Yermak.

"According to our estimates, the sanctions are currently reducing Russia's revenues by about $5-7 billion a month. The sharp fall of the ruble confirms the problems in the economy. But this is absolutely not enough," said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Secretary of the International Sanctions Group.

In his opinion, only improving the mechanisms for implementing the existing sanctions could further reduce Russia's oil and gas revenues by another $2-4 billion a month.

According to the published document, among other things, it is proposed to strengthen compliance with the oil price cap, in particular, to ensure that only traders from the "white list" can be issued price confirmations for Russian oil cargoes. It is also proposed to limit Russia's use of its shadow fleet. To do this, it is planned to require all tankers transiting through environmentally sensitive European territorial waters to confirm that they have proper oil spill insurance.

According to Andriy Yermak, in the second document, the International Sanctions Group explains the importance of confiscating Russia's international reserves frozen by leading countries.

"The arguments against confiscation do not stand up to any professional criticism, and the international expert group explains this in detail," said the Head of the Presidential Office.

According to him, Russia invaded Ukraine for no legitimate reason, and the aggressor must pay for all war crimes - mass murder, torture, rape, the complete destruction of dozens of settlements, the daily deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the abduction of tens of thousands of our children.

Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office Daria Zarivna emphasized that the Central Bank's reserves should be the first and most appropriate target. They are highly liquid and are the undisputed property of the Russian Federation, whose government ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, the Russian government must pay for the recovery of Ukraine with the Central Bank's funds.

According to the authors of the document, the proposed process of confiscation of Russian state funds is not only completely ethical, but also legally binding in accordance with the principle of international law on state responsibility.

Ukraine has proposed to its partners the concept of a special international compensation mechanism. It will provide for the establishment and operation of an international register of losses, an international commission that will review applications and award compensation, and a compensation fund from which payments will be made. This mechanism was proposed on the basis of the UN General Assembly resolution of November 14, 2022.

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President of Ukraine had a phone call with the Prime Minister of Israel

President of Ukraine

7 September 2023 - 20:31

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.

The President emphasized the importance of Israel's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He expressed gratitude for providing shelter to Ukrainian citizens who fled to Israel as a result of full-scale Russian aggression. The resumption of free health insurance for them in Israel was noted.

The parties discussed possible ways for Israel to support Ukraine in countering Russia's invasion.

The Head of State separately raised the issue of increasing number of denials of entry to Israel to Ukrainian citizens in the context of the visa-free regime between the two countries and emphasized the need to resolve this situation.

Given the upcoming Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the expected mass arrival of Hasidic pilgrims to Uman, the participants discussed ways to ensure their security.

"Ukraine always welcomes pilgrims with warmth and hospitality and is responsible for their security," the Head of State noted.

The Israeli side estimates that about 50,000 Hasidic pilgrims may arrive in Uman this year. It was emphasized that at present, the bomb shelters at the pilgrimage sites in Uman can accommodate only about 11 thousand people. At the same time, in the context of Russia's full-scale aggression and the constant threat of attacks by Russian missiles and Iranian drones, this year's pilgrimage will be accompanied by high security risks.

"This is a security challenge that requires an urgent joint response," the President emphasized.

The possibility of sending additional Israeli police forces to the pilgrimage sites was also discussed.

The parties exchanged views on the interaction between Ukraine and Israel in the international arena.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Rishi Sunak discussed the functioning of the "grain corridor" and the continuation of defense cooperation

President of Ukraine

7 September 2023 - 18:37

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak.

The interlocutors discussed threats to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and noted the importance of the "grain corridor" for global food security.

The Head of State declared readiness to continue exporting grain via alternative routes.

"Ukraine has successfully demonstrated the possibility of exporting grain via an alternative route three times already. We are ready to continue doing so. But to ensure the safety of navigation, we need help from our partners, in particular, a significant strengthening of the air defense system in Odesa region," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The President of Ukraine informed the Head of the British Government on the situation on the battlefield and emphasized the powerful support from the UK.

The interlocutors paid attention to the continuation of defense cooperation between the two countries, including the possible participation of UK representatives in the Defense Industries Forum to be held in Ukraine in the autumn.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Rishi Sunak noted the start of work on bilateral security documents in the framework of the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine.

The President and the Prime Minister coordinated their positions on the eve of important international events and discussed the next steps in the preparation of the Global Peace Summit.

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President of Ukraine on the Day of Military Intelligence: Thanks to intelligence officers and all our defense and security forces, Ukrainians feel that we can beat Russia

President of Ukraine

7 September 2023 - 16:30

On the Day of Military Intelligence of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with servicemen of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and presented high state awards.

"We are proud of each of your operations, your heroism, your talent for inflicting exactly the kind of blows that actually weaken the enemy on a daily basis! Thanks to you, we know what the enemy is planning. We know his mood, his weaknesses. Thanks to you and all our defense and security forces, Ukrainians feel that we can defeat Russia in the war and that it will be a historic achievement of modern generations of Ukrainians," the Head of State emphasized.

On behalf of himself and all Ukrainians, the President expressed gratitude to the military intelligence officers for every day of their difficult, dangerous and important work, although most of its elements cannot be discussed openly.

"Thank you for your extraordinary bravery on the frontline. For your operations against the enemy - wherever it is needed. Thank you for your help to other warriors of the defense and security forces of Ukraine - whenever it is needed. For your help and supply of weapons for Ukraine. Thank you for your brilliant operations in different parts of the world aimed exclusively at the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that our society remembers all the achievements of Ukrainian intelligence officers - from Afghanistan to Africa and other continents - and is grateful for their work to liberate Ukrainian warriors and civilians from Russian captivity. The Head of State emphasized that all citizens of Ukraine can be sure that no matter where they are in trouble, the employees of the Main Intelligence Directorate will come to their aid.

The attendees also observed a minute of silence in memory of all military intelligence officers who gave their lives for Ukraine.

On the occasion of the Day of Military Intelligence, the President presented state awards to the MID servicemen.

In particular, Volodymyr Zelenskyy handed the Gold Star Order to the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Oleh Babiy, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Oleh Babiy took an active part in the destruction of Russian troops from the beginning of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. From March 2022, he organized and carried out special activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in the enemy's territory. The successful completion of tasks by his group helped to disorganize the occupiers' logistics, destroy their important facilities and elements of critical infrastructure. In August 2023, the group led by Oleh Babiy engaged in a battle with the Russian Federal Security Service, during which 15 FSS servicemen were killed and enemy equipment was damaged. The Lieutenant Colonel was mortally wounded.

The Head of State also presented the reconnaissance men with the Presidential decoration "Cross of Combat Merit", the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of the III degree, the Orders "For Courage" of the I and III degrees, the Order of Princess Olga of the III degree, the medal "For Military Service to Ukraine", the medal "For Saved Life" and the shoulder boards of the highest military ranks.

In particular, the President promoted Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov to the rank of Lieutenant General and presented him with the appropriate shoulder boards.

After the ceremony, Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspected modern models of military and special equipment in service with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

These include communication systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters of various types and equipment.

In particular, the Head of State got acquainted with the MID's experience in evacuating the wounded. According to the representatives of the Main Intelligence Directorate, after the victory, this experience can become the basis for the creation of a system of civil aeromedical evacuation in all regions of Ukraine using helicopters of entirely domestic production.

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President introduces new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov

President of Ukraine

7 September 2023 - 13:05

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially introduced the newly appointed Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the heads of relevant units.

The Head of State noted that today the Ministry of Defense has a new agency, as it is responsible for coordinating the entire defense sector.

"The strategic role of the Ministry and its real coordinating influence should be obvious to our society. The results of such work should obviously strengthen our ability to liberate Ukrainian land," he emphasized.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the key priority of the Ukrainian defense forces is the Ukrainian warrior. And if specific changes in the activities of the defense forces are required for their benefit and strength, they must be immediate everywhere - from bureaucratic procedures that take up the time and energy of our warriors to the provision of Ukrainian defenders and units.

"Everything that can be digitized should be digitized. Every bureaucratic procedure that can be canceled should be canceled. Every item that can save the lives and health of warriors must be found and supplied to the Ukrainian army. We need a new philosophy of treatment of Ukrainian warriors: people are not expendable. Their time and energy are the value of the state," he said.

The President noted that Ukraine now also needs the highest possible level of international coordination, which means not only developing the already established formats of international cooperation, but also organizing new regional and thematic coalitions.

At the same time, the Head of State reminded that a specific strategic task of Ukraine is full integration into NATO.

"Ukraine is already a de facto member of NATO. And at least on our part, we have to do everything to make sure that we are also a de jure member of NATO. It is not easy, but we must take the appropriate steps," he emphasized.

Also, according to the President, every positive example of combat brigades in the Ukrainian army should be scaled up to absolutely all units. What works for some units and strengthens Ukraine should be extended to others.

"The Ukrainian Defense Forces have the world's largest experience of successful defense in modern warfare. Everything that provides such defense should work for every Ukrainian warrior, for our state as a whole, for the security of our partners. This must be done purposefully," the Head of State is convinced.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need for respectful, clear and timely communication with the families of warriors, including the families of the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

"When we talked to different brigades, different warriors, we often saw people receiving awards while they were still alive. And the family received the award after the death of the warrior. This is absolutely unfair, and we need to resolve this issue. It's not a trifle, it's a detail of respect," he explained.

The President emphasized that the continuation of a full-scale war requires a new level of transparency, as Ukrainian warriors and society must trust the entire defense sector.

"Today, society is in a very difficult emotional situation. Maximum transparency and maximum trust are the key to the strength of the entire sector. And this will be one of the priorities of the Minister," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The President urged the new head of the Defense Ministry to take quick concrete steps towards deep reform of the institution.

"The war is ongoing, and trust is what can strengthen the Ministry. New policy of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Headed by a new Minister of Defense," the President is convinced.

"Please take care of the warriors. Glory to Ukraine!" the Head of State added.

For his part, Rustem Umerov noted that he was honored to become Defense Minister at such a historic time for the country.

"I am grateful to the President of Ukraine for his trust. Ukraine will regain what belongs to it, and this time every meter and every centimeter of our land will be under the Ukrainian flag," he said.

The minister emphasized that his ministry should become the main institution for coordinating the defense forces, and all its activities should be aimed at strengthening the Ukrainian military and providing them with everything they need.

According to Rustem Umerov, in the area of international cooperation, it is necessary to create new partnerships, expand the geography of allies, and form new regional and thematic alliances.

The new defense minister named zero tolerance for corruption, digitalization, as well as harmonization of all procurement procedures with NATO international standards, as his other priorities.

The minister also emphasized the need to develop Ukrainian defense production, which the Defense Ministry will support in every way possible.

"Our plan is victory. We must do everything to bring it closer as soon as possible," Rustem Umerov summarized.

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Zelenskyy Praises Military Units, but Slow Counteroffensive Could Hamper US Aid

By VOA News September 07, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday lauded three military units for "very, very effective" action against Russian troops on the front in eastern and southern Ukraine as part of Kyiv's counteroffensive.

One national guard unit was fighting in the east and two in the south, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

"Thank you, soldiers, for very, very effective results in destroying the occupiers," Zelenskyy said. "And results are precisely what Ukraine needs now from everyone."

The praise came after the Ukrainian military said Thursday that its air defenses had destroyed 25 of 33 drones Russia used to attack the Sumy and Odesa regions overnight.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, said the Russian attack hit the Izmail area for the fourth time in five days, injuring one person.

Kiper said the attack also damaged port infrastructure facilities and an administrative building.

Despite the recent praise from Zelenskyy, Ukraine's counteroffensive is moving more slowly than many U.S. officials had predicted. That meant President Joe Biden's latest request to Congress for more Ukraine assistance was facing rising opposition from some members of the Republican Party.

In August, Biden asked Congress to approve $40 billion in additional spending, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs and $16 billion for disaster relief.

While Biden may face new challenges to secure additional aid for Ukraine, Ukraine's forces kept up their assault on Russia.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it had destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region, as well as one in Bryansk and another on the outskirts of Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that debris from a downed drone had landed in the Ramensky district but hadn't caused any damage or casualties.

Drone debris was also the subject of a Thursday call between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu. They discussed Romania's investigation into drone debris found in Romania near its border with Ukraine, the U.S. State Department said.

Meanwhile, debris from a downed Ukrainian drone targeting an industrial site in southern Russia's Bryansk region on Thursday set an administrative building on fire, the region's governor said, but the conflagration was brought under control.

Elsewhere, a new biography about Elon Musk alleges that he ordered his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near the coast of Crimea last year to hinder a Ukrainian submarine drone attack on Russian warships.

The biography, written by Walter Isaacson, alleges that Musk ordered Starlink engineers to turn off service to the area because of concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin would retaliate with nuclear weapons. CNN quoted from the book, set to be released September 12. Neither Musk nor Isaacson responded to CNN's requests for comment.

Also Thursday, Zelenskyy introduced new Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, saying "transparency and trust" were priorities.

Zelenskyy said he wanted Umerov to "strengthen the ministry's strategic and coordination functions for the entire defense sector, prioritize individual warriors and cut red tape, develop international cooperation and ensure Ukraine completes its NATO accession homework, and scale up the successes of specific units for all of our defense forces."

Zelenskyy picked Umerov to replace Oleksii Reznikov, who helped secure Western military aid in response to Russia's invasion. The leadership shake-up followed allegations of corruption at the Defense Ministry, which Reznikov dismissed as a smear campaign.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the European Parliament on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were gradually gaining ground and breaching Russian defenses in their counteroffensive. He pushed back against critics who say the counteroffensive has not been successful, citing the unpredictable nature of war and the need to stand by Ukraine through both good days and bad.

"To support Ukraine is not an option, it is a necessity," Stoltenberg said, citing the need "to preserve peace for our members, for our countries, and to ensure that authoritarian regimes [don't] achieve what they want by violating international law and using military force."

The NATO chief also said he expected Turkey's parliament to ratify Sweden's accession to the alliance "as soon as possible" when lawmakers reconvene in October.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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US Sends Another $600M in Military Aid to Ukraine

By Carla Babb, Ostap Yarysh September 07, 2023

The United States is providing up to $600 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, in a package that includes weapons for air defense, artillery munitions and other capabilities.

The aid package that the Pentagon announced Thursday is meant to sustain and integrate Ukraine's air defense systems with Western weapons, while also providing additional ammunition for HIMARS, an artillery rocket system that has proven very effective on the battlefield.

The package also includes 105 millimeter artillery rounds, electronic warfare and counterelectronic warfare equipment, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, and funds for training, maintenance and sustainment activities.

Funding for the package is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which focuses on future military needs.

The announcement came just a day after the U.S. announced a $175 million security assistance package for Ukraine to immediately provide ammunition and equipment from U.S. military stockpiles. It was the 46th time the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine with military assistance.

"Our focus right now is making sure that Ukraine has what it needs on the battlefield, and that's flowing security assistance in when we can and as much as we can," deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday in response to a question from VOA.

Wednesday's package included depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks, marking the first time the U.S. is sending the controversial armor-piercing munitions that have the ability to destroy Russian tanks.

Russia has slammed the decision, describing it as a criminal act and claiming the rounds cause cancer.

However, Singh said, "The CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has stated that there is no evidence that depleted uranium rounds caused cancer. The World Health Organization reports that there has been no increase of leukemia or other cancers that have been established following any exposure to uranium or DU [depleted uranium]. And even the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] has stated unequivocally that there is no proven link between DU exposure and increases in cancers or significant health or environmental impacts."

Thirty-one U.S. Abrams tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the fall.

Colonel Marty O'Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, told VOA on Thursday that about 200 Ukrainian soldiers were still training on the M1A1 Abrams tank at U.S. Army training areas in Germany, after recently completing a Combined Arms Battalion force-on-force exercise there.

"At the request of Ukraine, the soldiers are maintaining their operator and maintenance proficiency until the 31 tanks the U.S. committed to refurbish and to deliver to Ukraine by the fall are ready. This proficiency training is expected to occur over a weekslong period," O'Donnell said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the international community has trained more than 80,000 Ukrainians, he added.

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Blinken Visits Ukrainian School Where Hostages Were Tortured

By Cindy Saine September 07, 2023

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday wrapped up the second day of his visit to Ukraine, saying he was struck by the horrific human cost of Russia's aggression there.

After touring the Yahidne School a a former elementary school whose basement held Ukrainian hostages during Russia's occupation of that village and has since been converted into a museum a Blinken said seeing the small room where people were tortured gave the war's casualty figures a human dimension.

"It all comes down to ... the lives, the stories of men of women and children ... who were in prison in the basement of this building next to us, which normally was a school, and were held there for a month a 127 people in a room not even fit for one person for human habitation," he said during an interview with NBC News.

Blinken said although what happened in the school, located a 90-minute drive northeast of Kyiv, is just one example of Russian atrocities occurring across Ukraine, he also witnessed the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people, who are quietly rebuilding in Yahidne and wherever else they can.

Blinken told NBC it is Russian President Vladimir Putin who needs to come to terms with the fact that he has lost the war and must come to the negotiating table.

Russia blames the United States and NATO for prolonging the war by supporting Ukraine.

Earlier Thursday, Blinken visited a Ukrainian border guard site on the outskirts of Kyiv, where he presented four mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles that are part of 190 the U.S. will be delivering in coming months. Blinken also visited a hydroelectric dam and met with a Ukrainian team working to clear unexploded Russian ordnance at a farm where corn was grown for export.

"What's hard to get our minds around is that one third of Ukrainian territory has mines or unexploded ordnance on it," Blinken said.

"Your work is having a profound impact on the lives of Ukrainians and on people around the world," he said, noting Ukraine's importance to global food supplies.

New aid package

On Wednesday, Blinken announced $1 billion in new U.S. aid for Ukraine, with $175 million in security aid that includes additional air defense equipment, artillery munitions, anti-tank weapons including depleted uranium rounds for previously committed Abrams tanks, and other equipment.

Asked whether he is concerned about sustaining support for that level of U.S. aid among American citizens and lawmakers, Blinken was optimistic.

"I was last here almost exactly a year ago," he said. "And in that time, in the year since I was last here, Ukraine has taken back more than 50% of the territory that Russia has seized from it since February 2022. In the current counteroffensive, we are seeing real progress over the last few weeks."

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said what is being decided in this war is not just about Ukraine, but about what the world is going to look like after the war is over. If Russia wins, other autocrats will be empowered to invade their neighbors, he said, asking, "If the West cannot win this war, what war can they win?"

However, on Capitol Hill, one Republican senator expressed concerns to VOA, saying he would like to see a definitive strategy from the Biden administration for Ukraine to win the war.

"I'd like to see an announcement coming from all the NATO members saying that they are willing to step up. ... I just got back from a trip to Europe, and we encouraged our NATO allies to actually step up their game, and I would like to see that happen," said Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The United States is the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine in total dollars. Other countries, including Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, are making larger financial contributions to Ukraine relative to the size of their own economies, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany.

Some information in this report was provided by VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson.

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Russian Drone Attack Hits Odesa Region

By VOA News September 07, 2023

The Ukrainian military said Thursday its air defenses destroyed 25 of 33 drones that Russia used to attack the Sumy and Odesa regions overnight.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, said the Russian attack hit the Izmail area for the fourth time in five days, injuring one person.

Kiper said the attack also damaged port infrastructure facilities and an administrative building.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region, as well as one in Bryansk and another on the outskirts of Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that debris from a downed drone landed in the Ramensky district but did not cause any damage or casualties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced new Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Thursday, saying "transparency and trust" are a priority.

Zelenskyy said he wants Umerov to "strengthen the ministry's strategic and coordination functions for the entire defense sector, prioritize individual warriors and cut red tape, develop international cooperation and ensure Ukraine completes its NATO accession homework, and scale up the successes of specific units for all of our defense forces."

Zelenskyy picked Umerov to replace Oleksii Reznikov, who helped secure Western military aid in response to Russia's full-scale invasion. The leadership shakeup followed allegations of corruption at the Defense Ministry, which Reznikov dismissed as a smear campaign.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the European Parliament on Thursday that Ukrainian forces are gradually gaining ground and breaching Russian defenses in their counteroffensive. He pushed back against critics who say the counteroffensive has not been successful, citing the unpredictable nature of war and the need to stand by Ukraine through both good days and bad.

"To support Ukraine is not an option, it is a necessity to ensure that to preserve peace for our members, for our countries, and to ensure that authoritarian regimes [don't] achieve what they want by violating international law and using military force," Stoltenberg said.

The NATO chief also said he expects Turkey's parliament to ratify Sweden's accession to the alliance "as soon as possible" when lawmakers reconvene in October.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Russia Objects to US Supply of Depleted Uranium Rounds to Ukraine

By VOA News September 07, 2023

Russia is criticizing a new U.S. aid package for Ukraine that includes depleted uranium tank ammunition, saying the decision to send the rounds "is a clear sign of inhumanity."

Russia's embassy in Washington said on Telegram Wednesday that the United States is "deliberately transferring weapons with indiscriminate effects" and that it is fully aware of potential health and safety consequences from the ammunition.

The tank rounds could help Ukrainian forces destroy Russian tanks and have previously been provided to Ukraine by Britain.

Pentagon spokesperson Marine Corps Lt. Col. Garron Garn defended the use of the munitions in a statement to The Associated Press in March, saying the U.S. military "has procured, stored, and used depleted uranium rounds for several decades, since these are a longstanding element of some conventional munitions."

Garn said Russia is among the countries that have long possessed depleted uranium rounds.

The U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs says depleted uranium is the main byproduct of uranium enrichment, and that because of its high density it is used in munitions designed to penetrate armor plating.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said multiple evaluations of areas where depleted uranium munitions have been used "indicated that the existence of depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment does not pose a radiological hazard to the population of the affected regions."

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Media relations:

Sam Connatty

Tel.: +44 (0)370 904 3601

sam.connatty@capgemini.com

Investor relations:

Vincent Biraud

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 87

vincent.biraud@capgemini.com

Capgemini to acquire FCC division of Exiger, to expand its Financial Crime Compliance advisory, analytics and managed services capabilities

Acquisition will help Capgemini to further support banks, capital markets and fintech firms to align critical compliance and Know Your Customer operations to regulatory standards

Paris, September 8, 2023 - Capgemini announces that it has signed an agreement for the acquisition of the Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) division of Exiger, a global market leading financial crime practice. This acquisition will strengthen the Groups offerings in financial crime, risk management and regulatory compliance services. The transaction is due to close in the coming months.

Founded in 2013, the FCC division of Exiger comprises a team of experts located in North America, EMEA and APAC. This team specializes in advisory, analytics and managed services relating to anti-money laundering, Know Your Customer (KYC), anti-bribery & corruption, suspicious activity monitoring, sanctions, transaction monitoring, and fraud. Its client roster is highly complementary to Capgeminis and includes major players in banking, capital markets and fintechs.

The FCC divisions deep-domain capabilities and advisory board of ex-regulators, combined with Capgeminis network of alliances, will enable the Group to orchestrate an end-to-end ecosystem to drive advisory led transformation in financial crime compliance, a high priority agenda item in financial services today.

As financial crime compliance requirements evolve, many banks are struggling to keep pace with changing regulations and cost of compliance, comments Kartik Ramakrishnan, Deputy CEO of Capgeminis Financial Services and member of the Group Executive Committee. This practice brings to Capgemini deep domain regulatory expertise to help us to further address growing client demand for these services. Their capabilities are highly complementary to Capgeminis renewed market focus to drive transformation in partnership with CxOs. I am delighted to welcome them to the team.



In an industry where compliance processes are still very manual, the end-client experience is an ongoing struggle. The cost of compliance continues to increase to keep up with evolving regulations. Yet the financial system stops only a fraction of illicit financial flows. The financial services industry is therefore poised to adopt expert-driven data and technology powered solutions to enable end-to-end FCC transformation, said Samar Pratt, President of the FCC Division of Exiger. Capgeminis strategic business transformation services coupled with its global scale, partner ecosystem and well-established financial services expertise, were a very attractive proposition for our global team, as well as for our current clients. Not only do we share geographic locations, our teams have many common values and our cultures are closely aligned. We are excited to be joining the Group.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of nearly 350,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2022 global revenues of 22 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

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Sep 8th 2023



Photocat Embarks on an Exciting Journey Agreement with The Man on the Moon Program.

Roskilde  Zealand - Photocat is thrilled to announce its partnership with the esteemed Man on the Moon program, an exclusive initiative by the regional authorities designed to nurture and propel companies towards achieving a Billion DKK in turnover.

Initiated by The Danish Zealand Region in collaboration with the renowned Industriens Fond, this program has already made significant strides with a select group of companies.

Joining this program underscores Photocats steadfast commitment to growth and position as a key player in the journey towards becoming a growth-focused enterprise. Working with the Man on the Moon team guided by programme executive Morten Pristed, marks a pivotal milestone in Photocats journey.

Michael Humle, CEO and founder, expressed his pride in being part of this program, stating To amplify the impact of Photocats offerings for citizens in modern cities, forging robust partnerships with authoritative entities is crucial.

Jesper Elsgaard and Morten Pristed officially sealed the partnership with their signatures, brimming with anticipation and recognizing the immense potential awaiting to be unleashed. Jesper Elsgaard emphasized, This multifaceted program aligns perfectly with Photocats need to surmount the hurdles on our growth trajectory.

For further information, please contact:

Jesper Elsgaard, CBO: jes@photocat.net, +45 5121 7651

About Photocat

Photocat manufactures patented coating materials for both outdoor and indoor applications with the effect to degrade NOx and VOCs when exposed to light. Both NOx and VOCs are severely damaging to human health. Photocats patented technology is a very efficient and an economically viable alternative to many of the traditional technologies targeting NOx (e.g. bus catalysts, flue gas cleaning etc.). Photocats shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, First North with the ticker symbol PCAT. The companys Certified Advisor is Mangold Fondkommision AB, 08-50301550  ca@mangold.se.









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Dublin, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Primary Cells Market by Type (Hematopoietic, Dermatocytes, Hepatocytes, Gastrointestinal, Lung, Renal, Heart, Musculoskeletal), Origin (Human Primary Cells, Animal Primary Cells), End User (Pharma Biotech, CROs, Academia), Region - Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global primary cells market is on a trajectory to reach a valuation of USD 2.8 billion by 2028, experiencing substantial growth from its 2023 value of USD 1.7 billion at a CAGR of 10.5%.

This comprehensive report delves into the primary cells market, focusing on assessing its size and potential for future growth. The document also conducts an in-depth competitive analysis of key market players, providing insights into their profiles, products, and recent advancements.

The market's origin is categorized into animal and human primary cells. Notably, the human primary cells segment held the largest market share in 2022. These cells find application in various domains including novel cancer therapies, studying human cancerous cell models, toxicology studies, and the cosmetic industry.

The primary cells market's expansion is fueled by factors such as increasing cancer research initiatives, the superiority of primary human cells compared to cell lines, surging demand for monoclonal antibodies, and rapid growth within the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sectors. However, concerns related to contamination in primary cell culture could somewhat impede market progress.

Prominent players steering the global primary cells market include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Corning Incorporated (US), Lonza (Switzerland), Cell Biologics, Inc. (US), PromoCell GmbH (Germany), ZenBio, Inc. (US), STEMCELL Technologies, Inc. (Canada), AllCells (US), American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), and Axol Bioscience Ltd. (UK).

Hematopoietic cells segment accounted for the largest share in the primary cells market, by type in 2022.

Based on type, the primary cells market is segmented into hematopoietic cells, dermatophytes, gastrointestinal cells, hepatocytes, lung cells, renal cells, heart cells, musculoskeletal cells, and other primary cells. In 2022, the hematopoietic cells segment accounted for the largest market share.

Hematopoietic cell transplants are frequently and constantly used to develop novel cancer therapies to treat blood cancers and other disorders of the immune system. Hematopoietic cells are also used to understand the biochemical pathways of tumor cells and the efficacy of different drugs. As a result, this segment accounts for the largest market share of the market.

In 2022, the pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and CROs segment accounted for the largest share of the global primary cells market, by the end user.

On the basis of end users, the primary cells market is segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and CROs, academic & research institutes, and other end users.

In 2022, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies and CROs accounted for the largest share of the primary cells market, mainly due to the high adoption of primary cells in cell-based experiments and cancer research in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies and CROs; and the increasing number of R&D facilities globally.

Asia Pacific, primary cells market, is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period.

In 2022, North America accounted for the largest share of the primary cells market, followed by Europe. North America and Europe are the preferred locations for drug discovery due to established clusters in these regions, resulting in the largest market for primary cells. The Asia Pacific is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Growth in this region is expected to be centered on China and Japan. Factors such as the presence of a large population and the rising incidence of cancer, increasing R&D spending on biopharmaceutical projects, and the growth of the biotechnology industry in developing countries are the major factors contributing to the growth of the Asia Pacific market are driving the growth of the primary cells market in this region.

Market Segment Highlights

Hematopoietic cells segment is driven by increasing cancer research and funding, with various types of these cells being identified.

Dermatocytes market growth is propelled by the rising prevalence of melanoma, with regional breakdowns showcasing its significance.

Gastrointestinal cells demand is bolstered by the growing incidence of stomach cancer, reflected in regional market analysis.

Hepatocytes segment is fueled by the high incidence of liver disorders, further divided into cryopreserved and fresh hepatocytes subtypes.

Cryopreserved hepatocytes are preferred due to their longer lifespan compared to fresh hepatocytes, whereas stringent regulations affect the fresh subtype.

Lung cells market growth is influenced by the increasing rates of lung cancer and COPD, evident from regional market variations.

Renal cells demand is driven by the lack of effective renal therapies, demonstrated in regional market breakdowns.

Heart cells segment is supported by the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, indicated by regional analysis.

Musculoskeletal cells demand is boosted by the rising incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, with regional market implications.

The primary cells market is segmented by origin, including human and animal primary cells, each showcasing distinct regional trends.

Human primary cells demand is spurred by the increasing prevalence of cancer, with detailed regional breakdowns presented.

Animal primary cells segment growth is linked to rising investments in animal cell research, with regional implications discussed.

The end-user segment covers pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic and research institutes, and other end-users.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies experience growth due to increasing investments in cell-based research, with regional variations.

Academic and research institutes segment growth is driven by government funding and a high prevalence of cancer, with regional implications.

The primary cells market's regional analysis includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world.

North America's dominance is attributed to high R&D spending and growing support for stem cell research, with the US and Canada analyzed separately.

Europe's role is prominent, driven by robust biotechnology infrastructure and increasing life science research activities, with UK, Germany, France, Italy, and the rest of Europe discussed individually.

Asia-Pacific region's growth is influenced by the focus on cancer therapeutics-related research in China and government initiatives in Japan, along with the rest of Asia-Pacific being analyzed separately.

Rest of the World's impact on the primary cells market is detailed by region, origin, and end-user, with implications explored.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 217 Forecast Period 2023 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $1.7 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $2.8 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 10.5% Regions Covered Global

Premium Insights

Growing Global Incidence of Cancer to Drive Market Growth

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies and Cros Dominated North American Market in 2022

Hematopoietic Cells Segment to Dominate Market in 2028

Human Primary Cells Segment Dominated Market in 2022

Asia-Pacific Countries to Register High Growth Rates from 2023 to 2028

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increasing Cancer Research

Advantages of Primary Human Cells Over Cell Lines

Increasing Demand for Monoclonal Antibodies

Rapid Growth in Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutical Industries

Growing Focus on Personalized Medicine

Government Investments for Cell-based Research

Restraints

Concerns Regarding Primary Cell Culture Contamination

Ethical Concerns Regarding Research in Cell Biology

Opportunities

Advancing Biomedical Research Using Primary Cells in 3D Cultures

Challenges

Sourcing and Availability of Primary Cells

Company Profiles

Major Players

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Merck KGaA

Corning Incorporated

Lonza Group

Charles River Laboratories, Inc.

Promocell GmbH

American Type Culture Collection (Atcc)

Cell Biologics, Inc.

Zenbio, Inc.

Stemcell Technologies, Inc.

Allcells

Ixcells Biotechnologies

Neuromics

Other Companies

Axol Bioscience Ltd.

Stemexpress

Bioivt

Sciencell Research Laboratories, Inc.

Amsbio

Promab Biotechnologies, Inc.

Creative Bioarray

Bps Bioscience, Inc.

Epithelix

Reachbio Research Labs

Accegen

Kosheeka

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Dublin, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market by Technique (HPP, PEF, MVH, Ultrasonic, Irradiation, and Other Techniques), Form (Solid, Liquid), Application (Food, Beverage, and Pharmaceutical & Cosmetics) & Region - Global Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The non-thermal pasteurization market is projected to reach USD 5.7 billion by 2028 from USD 2.3 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 20.0% during the forecast period in terms of value.

Non-thermal pasteurization products are gaining attention, and consumers are more inclined toward adding more processed and nutritive food. The factors responsible for the growth of the Non-thermal pasteurization industry are the increase in health concerns, evolving protein source preferences, and a thriving food-processing sector that is introducing a wide variety of processed food & beverage products.

By application, Fruits and vegetables are projected in high demand during the forecast period.

The demand for safe and minimally processed fruits and vegetables has been increasing due to consumer preferences for healthier and more natural food options. This has led to a rise in demand for non-thermal pasteurization methods that can preserve the quality and nutrients of fruits and vegetables without using high heat treatments that can cause nutrient loss and affect flavor. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the demand for minimally processed fruits and vegetables has been increasing steadily over the past decade. To meet this demand, many companies in the food industry are investing in non-thermal pasteurization methods

By form, liquid Non-thermal pasteurization has increased demand due to an increase in shelf life.

The HPP method maintains all the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and taste in fruit and vegetable juices. While having a longer shelf life and a guarantee of food safety, it is comparable to drinking freshly squeezed juice. The HPP has seen increased expansion as a result of the diversity of drinks introduced in recent years that benefit greatly from high-pressure processing. HPP retains its flavor, color, and composition, which is exactly what today's customer needs.

By region, Asia Pacific to drive market growth due to increased demand for packaged food.

The Asia Pacific region has an increasing demand for packaged food products due to rapid economic growth. The increasing population in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is driving the demand for food and beverages The region is expected to experience a sharp rise in the demand for advanced food processing machinery that helps to reduce processing time and enhance the efficiency of manufacturing operations. The expected growth in the number of food processing units in this region is further projected to boost the supply and consumption of food & beverage processing equipment. The food processing sectors in this region are also witnessing automation, which is further providing opportunities for equipment manufacturers.

Competitive Assessment

In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies and service offerings of leading players JBT Corporation (US), Hiperbaric (Spain), Thyssenkrupp AG (Germany), Kobelco Construction Machinery Ltd. (Japan), Lyras (Denmark), Syntegon (Germany), Multivac (Germany), Stansted Fluid Power Ltd. (UK), Pulsemaster (Netherlands), Elea (Germany), Symbios Technologies (US), Clextral (France), Dukane (US), FresherTech (China) and Nordion (Canada) are among others in the non-thermal pasteurization market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.

Premium Insights

Opportunities in Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market

Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market, by Food Sub-Application

Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market, by Beverage Sub-Application

North America: Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market, by Key Country and Form

Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market, by Technique

Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market: Major Regional Submarkets

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increase in Consumption of Convenience Foods

Increase in Demand for Meat, Poultry, and Dairy Products

Process Optimization by Non-Thermal Technologies Resulting in Greater Efficiency During Pasteurization

Rising Demand for Innovative Food & Beverage Products Due to Changing Consumer Trends

Restraints

High Capital Investment

Growing Demand for Organic and Fresh Food Products

Implementation of Extra Regulatory Measures for Labeling Irradiated Food

Opportunities

Government Investment in Food Processing Machinery & Equipment

Growing Usage of High-Pressure Processing (HPP) Toll Processors

Challenges

Lack of Consumer Awareness

Need for Technical Expertise



Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 251 Forecast Period 2023 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $2.3 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $5.7 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 20.0% Regions Covered Global

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Visiongain has published a new report entitled Small Satellite Market Report 2023-2033: Forecasts by Type (Nanosatellite, Microsatellite, Minisatellite, Others), by Application (Navigation, Communication, Earth Observation, Scientific Research, Others), by End-users (Commercial, Government & Military, Others) AND Regional and Leading National Market Analysis PLUS Analysis of Leading Companies AND COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Pattern Analysis.

The small satellite market is valued at US$2,884.3 million in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.9% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

Innovations in Telemetry, Tracking and Command-to-Control Satellites to Offer Lucrative Growth Prospects

Next-generation ground systems are a leading trend in satellite technology due to advancements in telemetry, tracking, and command-and-control satellite architecture. Satellite tracking is accomplished with minimal human intervention by ground stations using radio-frequency (RF) communication terminals, such as electronically-steered and phased-array antennas. Similar to this, the coordinated movement of satellite constellations necessitates the use of contemporary intersatellite links in order for them to grow.

Smart RF & optical communication are used by start-ups running earth stations to achieve better in-orbit relays for upstream & downstream data transfer. Start-ups create decentralised communications terminals for satellite connectivity in remote areas and moving cars in addition to the stations that are already in place. From a business perspective, virtualized ground networks are made possible by ground stations, which in turn empower software-defined satellites. Thanks to these solutions, satellites can support an increasing number of end users by automatically reallocating, reconfiguring, and handling large amounts of bandwidth in response to demand.

Download Exclusive Sample of Report

https://www.visiongain.com/report/small-satellite-market-2023/#download_sampe_div

How has COVID-19 had a Significant Impact on the Small Satellite Market?

The COVID-19 pandemic had a mixed impact on the market. The economic downturn triggered by the pandemic has led to budget constraints and reduced funding for space-related projects. Government agencies and private investors prioritized other urgent needs and allocated fewer resources to the small satellite market. This has hampered the development and deployment of new satellites and limited the growth opportunities for small satellite companies. Furthermore, the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across various industries thus leading to an increased demand for connectivity, remote sensing, and data services that small satellites can provide.

Additionally, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of Earth observation and monitoring systems for crisis management, disaster, and tracking the impact of the virus on the environment. Small satellites, with their ability to provide high-resolution imagery, real-time data, and global coverage, have proven to be valuable tools in addressing these challenges. As the world recovers from the pandemic, the small satellite market is expected to continue growing and playing a vital role in various industries.

How will this Report Benefit you?

Visiongains 266-page report provides 106 tables and 137 charts/graphs. Our new study is suitable for anyone requiring commercial, in-depth analyses for the small satellite market, along with detailed segment analysis in the market. Our new study will help you evaluate the overall global and regional market for Small Satellite. Get financial analysis of the overall market and different segments including type, application, end-users and capture higher market share. We believe that there are strong opportunities in this fast-growing small satellite market. See how to use the existing and upcoming opportunities in this market to gain revenue benefits in the near future. Moreover, the report will help you to improve your strategic decision-making, allowing you to frame growth strategies, reinforce the analysis of other market players, and maximise the productivity of the company.

What are the Current Market Drivers?

Increasing Demand for LEO-based Satellites Projected to Drive Industry Growth

Owing to the rising demand for small satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the global small satellite industry is undergoing significant growth. LEO satellites offer advantages such as higher data transmission rates, lower latency, and improved coverage, making them preferable for applications like broadband internet, Earth observation, and communication services. Lastly, the increasing need for real-time data, connectivity, and remote sensing capabilities across various industries has created a strong market demand for LEO-based small satellites as a viable and efficient solution.

For instance, in March 2023, OneWeb, a prominent player in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications, recently achieved a significant milestone. Following a successful launch of 40 satellites by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida (US), OneWeb confirmed their successful deployment & establishment of contact. With an expanding fleet of satellites, OneWeb aims to establish partnerships and offer its services to a wider range of global clients, contributing to the growth and advancement of the small satellite market.

Rising Demand for High-resolution Imaging Services Globally

The small satellite market is being driven by the increasing global demand for high-resolution imaging services. Companies are deploying constellations of small satellites, including nanosatellites and microsatellites, in Earth's orbit to facilitate applications such as Earth observation and telecommunications, including high-speed internet services from space. Collaboration between countries and small satellite manufacturers is also driving this market, particularly in the field of satellite imaging. The need for advanced imaging capabilities, coupled with the cost-effectiveness and flexibility offered by small satellites, is fueling their adoption and driving the growth of the small satellite market.

For instance, in April 2023, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and its partner Spire Global launched a Cubesat satellite into space through the SpaceX Transporter-7 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the USA. The primary objective of this satellite is to gather high-resolution data spanning terrestrial, coastal, and ocean ecosystems. This ambitious endeavour aims to assist Saudi Arabia in effectively monitoring and characterizing its distinctive natural resources. This achievement solidifies the significant impact of high-resolution imaging services, which has emerged as a pivotal driver propelling the growth of the small satellite market.

Get Detailed ToC

https://www.visiongain.com/report/small-satellite-market-2023/

Where are the Market Opportunities?

3D Printing Empowers Small Satellite Market with Cost Reduction and In-Orbit Manufacturing

The growing utilization of 3D-printed parts on small satellites presents a compelling future opportunity for the market. Additive manufacturing advancements enable manufacturers to reduce costs and expedite the production of increasingly capable spacecraft. These advancements are also paving the way for a future where satellites can print parts while in orbit. Furthermore, the patented technology that enables 3D printing in space using sunlight holds great promise in eliminating the need for large and heavy satellite components that occupy significant space in rockets. Embracing these developments opens doors for enhanced efficiency, cost reduction, and increased functionality in the small satellite market, driving its growth and potential.

For instance, in May 2022, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation introduced an innovative solar-powered technique for 3D printing satellite antennas in space, utilizing a specialized resin that solidifies under UV radiation from the sun. This ground-breaking method offers a cost-effective solution by eliminating the requirement to transport multiple components that occupy significant rocket space to orbit. By leveraging this new technology, Mitsubishi aims to streamline satellite production, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs associated with satellite deployment, thereby presenting a compelling business opportunity for the small satellite market.

Global IoT Connectivity Through Small Satellites to Offer Lucrative Growth Opportunities

Small satellites present a significant business opportunity in facilitating global connectivity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. By deploying a network of small satellites in low Earth orbit, they ensure uninterrupted and widespread connectivity for diverse IoT applications like agriculture, transportation, and remote monitoring. This enables businesses to seamlessly connect and manage their IoT devices on a global scale, enhancing operational efficiency and unlocking new possibilities for data-driven insights and decision-making. Leveraging small satellite technology for IoT connectivity empowers businesses to expand their reach, improve connectivity reliability, and tap into the immense potential of IoT-driven solutions across various industries.

Competitive Landscape

The major players operating in the small satellite market are Airbus, Axelspace Corporation, Ball Corporation, Blue Canyon Technologies, Boeing, Gomspace, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Maxar Technologies, Northrop Grumman Corporation, OHB SE, Planet Labs PBC, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SPACEX), Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., and Thales Group (Thales Alenia Space) among others. These major players operating in this market have adopted various strategies comprising M&A, investment in R&D, collaborations, partnerships, regional business expansion, and new product launch.

Recent Developments

On 4 th July 2023, Lancaster University was awarded approx. US$240,000 by the UK Space Agency to enable an unprecedented internet data rate provided by satellite constellations. The award is for the design and creation of a high power, compact, low-cost E-band travelling wave tube amplifier to enable 5G and 6G high data transmission for satellites.

July 2023, Lancaster University was awarded approx. US$240,000 by the UK Space Agency to enable an unprecedented internet data rate provided by satellite constellations. The award is for the design and creation of a high power, compact, low-cost E-band travelling wave tube amplifier to enable 5G and 6G high data transmission for satellites. On 22 nd June 2023, Exotrail signed its first contract with Blue Canyon Technologies, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. The U.S. based small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider selected Exotrail, an end-to-end space mobility solutions provider, to embark Exotrails spaceware propulsion systems aboard the companys Venus-class microsatellite platform, which will be used for NASAs INCUS mission.

June 2023, Exotrail signed its first contract with Blue Canyon Technologies, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. The U.S. based small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider selected Exotrail, an end-to-end space mobility solutions provider, to embark Exotrails spaceware propulsion systems aboard the companys Venus-class microsatellite platform, which will be used for NASAs INCUS mission. On 9th May 2023, Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Rocket Lab) signed a deal to launch NASAs Starling mission, a multi-CubeSat mission to test and demonstrate autonomous swarm technologies, as well as automated space traffic management for groups of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. The four Starling small satellites have been manifested on an Electron commercial rideshare mission scheduled for lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand in Q3 this year. Rocket Lab will deliver the satellites to space within three months of the contract signing.





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Dublin, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Musculoskeletal Disorders Drugs Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Distribution Channel, By Route of Administration (Parenteral and Oral), By Drug Type (Analgesics, DMARDs, Corticosteroids), By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2023 - 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global Musculoskeletal Disorders Drugs Market is set to witness significant expansion, projected to reach a substantial value of $109.4 billion by 2029, with a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.2% during the forecast period.

The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to play a pivotal role in driving market growth, led by countries like China, Japan, and India, with an estimated 2/5th share of the market by 2029.

Factors like an aging population in these countries contribute to this growth, with over 60% of Japan's population aged 30 and above. The rise in life expectancy and aging population leads to a surge in musculoskeletal diseases, boosting the demand for treatments and subsequently propelling market expansion.

Market Insights

Musculoskeletal disorders are pervasive and are influenced by various factors. The major strategies pursued by market participants include partnerships to cater to evolving user demands.

For instance, in January 2022, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices collaborated with Microsoft to expand its digital surgery ecosystem. Pfizer's collaboration with Sirana Pharma is investigating treatments for rare bone diseases through microRNA targeting approaches.

Market Competition Analysis

Leading the market are Johnson & Johnson, Novartis AG, and Pfizer, Inc. Pfizer's acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals aims to enhance Pfizer's Immunology and swelling healing area, contributing to the advancement of immuno-inflammatory illness treatment. Other key innovators include AbbVie, Inc., Amgen, Inc., and UCB S.A.

Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain disruptions across industries, including healthcare. This impacted the musculoskeletal disorders drugs market, leading to a temporary decline. However, a rebound is anticipated as the pandemic recedes and the market is expected to grow steadily in the coming years.

Market Growth Factors

High Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Diseases : Over 150 diseases and conditions fall under the category of musculoskeletal disorders, affecting individuals globally. The prevalence of these disorders, such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, and back pain, drives the demand for drugs and treatment options.

: Over 150 diseases and conditions fall under the category of musculoskeletal disorders, affecting individuals globally. The prevalence of these disorders, such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, and back pain, drives the demand for drugs and treatment options. Alcohol Consumption Impact: The link between joint diseases and alcohol consumption drives market growth. With rising alcohol consumption, the market is poised to expand as more individuals seek treatment for related disorders.

Market Restraining Factors

Healthcare Professional Shortage: A projected shortage of healthcare professionals by 2035 could impact disease management and hinder the demand for associated medications.

Scope of the Study

Distribution Channels : Drug Stores & Retail Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacies, Online Providers

: Drug Stores & Retail Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacies, Online Providers Route of Administration : Parenteral, Oral

: Parenteral, Oral Drug Types: Analgesics, DMARDs, Corticosteroids, Others

Key Market Players

Key companies profiled in the report include AbbVie, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Eli Lilly And Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and UCB S.A.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/b1c2jx

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Dublin, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Business Analytics Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023-2028)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Business Analytics Market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.8% over the next five years.

The business analytics market is primarily driven by the increasing digitalization across end-user industries and the need to improve their businesses with a better understanding of the customers. In addition, the integration of advanced technologies by market vendors in business analytics solutions is expected to drive the market in the coming years.



Key Highlights

The business analytics market is evolving quickly. Increasingly, the emphasis is on real-time Business Intelligence (BI) to enable faster decision-making and on Data Visualization, which enables data patterns to be seen more clearly. Additionally, it is anticipated that in the upcoming years, demand for more efficient business analytics solutions would be driven by the increasing usage among various end users.

Traditionally, strategic decisions in many organizations were powered by business analytics that relied on big, centralized-managed data servers or warehouses. However, things have been changing recently, and business analysts are pulling data from dozens of heterogeneous data sources.

In addition, visualization and explorative data analysis for the business user have been evolving into one of the most important trends in the business analytics market. Various end-user industries are also leveraging the power of business analytics to make strategic business decisions. While business analytics solution helps in supply chain management, inventory management, measuring the performance of targets, and risk mitigation plans in manufacturing, it is extended to include fraud detection and defense.

Further, the vendors are introducing innovative business analytics solutions by integrating advanced technologies for better data storage facilities and visualization. For instance, modern Machine Language (ML) - powered business analytics platforms offer improved data visibility and comprehension. Furthermore, the proliferation of data has enabled startups to compete successfully with established blue-chip firms in the market by building customized and superior analytics offerings.

Business Analytics Market Trends

BFSI is Expected to Hold Major Share

Technology is transforming the banking and finance industry. With the rising usage of the internet and the proliferation of mobile devices and apps, today's financial institutions face mounting competition, changing client demands, and strict control and risk management in a highly dynamic market. In addition, the growing digitalization and proliferation of digital payments are driving the need for business analytics in the BFSI industry.

Further, at the same time, technology has given rise to powerful business analytics tools. The banking and finance industry can use business analytics tools to leverage customer data for insights that can lead to more innovative and efficient management practices and better business decisions. Banking and finance institutions use business analytics solutions to drive profitability, reduce risk, and create a competitive advantage.

Furthermore, the advent and application of business analytics have helped the banking and finance industry optimize processes and streamline operations, thus improving efficiency and competitiveness. Many banks and financial institutions worldwide are working on improving their business analytics, mainly to give them an edge against the competition or to predict emerging trends that can affect their businesses.

North America is Expected to Hold the Major Share

The region is home to some of the most prominent market vendors, such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce.com. These players' continuous product innovations and enhanced product business analytics are finding significant applications in various end-user industries across the region.

Further, new and emerging players are also competing with giant business analytics players by offering innovative solutions and attracting significant investments in the business analytics market, thus driving the market. For instance, in October 2022, Tellius, a leading AI-driven decision intelligence platform announced a USD 16 million Series B funding round led by Baird Capital. The latest funding will be used to enhance Tellius' decision intelligence platform, expand the company's go-to-market capabilities, and support talent acquisition across sales, marketing, and product engineering functions.

Moreover, the region is an early adopter of advanced technologies, helping market vendors offer customized and advanced technology-enabled business analytics solutions for consumers. In addition, the region is witnessing high adoption of the cloud across organizations, thus enabling the proper implementation of business analytics.

Business Analytics Market Competitor Analysis



The business analytics market is highly fragmented due to the presence of many small and medium-sized companies competing with each other and large enterprises. Technological advancements in the market are also bringing sustainable competitive advantage to companies, and the market is witnessing multiple partnerships and mergers. Some key players in the market include IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle, among others.



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Oracle Corporation

IBM Corporation

SAP SE

Microsoft Corporation

Tibco Software, Inc.

SAS Institute, Inc.

Infor, Inc.

Microstrategy Incorporated

QLIK Technologies, Inc.

Salesforce.com Inc. (Tableau Software Inc.)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8ckbs4

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ROUYN-NORANDA, Quebec, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GLOBEX MINING ENTERPRISES INC. (GMX  Toronto Stock Exchange, G1MN  Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich, Tradegate, Lang & Schwarz, LS Exchange, TTMzero, Dusseldorf and Quotrix Dusseldorf Stock Exchanges and GLBXF  OTCQX International in the US) is pleased to inform shareholders that Brunswick Exploration Inc. (BRW-TSXV) have begun a minimum 5,000 metre drill program on the Lac Escale (Mirage) property under option from Globex. The 26-hole drill program will test continuity and widths of the six widest spodumene bearing pegmatite dykes that have been discovered to date on the property over a cumulative strike length of 2,500 metres. Previously Brunswick indicated that these dykes outcropped in widths of up to 80 metres. Prospecting has also identified additional spodumene-bearing outcrops approximately 4.5 km northeast of the center of the previously defined dyke field. The trend of the mineralized dykes now extends for about 6 kilometres with the boulder field extending for an additional 2.7 kilometres to the southwest. Both the extent of the outcrops and boulder train remain open in all directions.

The main dyke field now covers an area measuring approximately 2,700 by 850 metres. In addition, other spodumene-mineralized pegmatite boulders have been found nearly 2 kilometres west of the main boulder train suggesting additional sources exist further to the west. In total, lithium mineralization on the project has been observed over a total distance of 8.7 kilometres.

Globex is pleased with the rapid progress by Brunswick on Globexs property and looks forward to additional positive results as the exploration program unfolds (click to Brunswicks press release of September 7, 2023).

Lac Escale Regional Geology Map





This press release was written by Jack Stoch, Geo., President and CEO of Globex in his capacity as a Qualified Person (Q.P.) under NI 43-101.

We Seek Safe Harbour. Foreign Private Issuer 12g3  2(b) CUSIP Number 379900 50 9

LEI 529900XYUKGG3LF9PY95 For further information, contact: Jack Stoch, P.Geo., Acc.Dir.

President & CEO

Globex Mining Enterprises Inc.

86, 14th Street

Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec Canada J9X 2J1



Tel.: 819.797.5242

Fax: 819.797.1470

info@globexmining.com

www.globexmining.com



Forward Looking Statements: Except for historical information, this news release may contain certain forward looking statements. These statements may involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity and performance to be materially different from the expectations and projections of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (Globex). No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits Globex will derive therefrom. A more detailed discussion of the risks is available in the Annual Information Form filed by Globex on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a2bf12c4-59a2-4310-bed0-718698cc66a6
New Haven, Conn., Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One in two U.S. families with young children struggles to provide enough diapers for their baby. During National Diaper Need Awareness Week (Sept. 18  Sept.. 24, 2023) the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) encourages people to learn about this growing public health issue and take actions to help end diaper need.

According to The NDBN Diaper Check 2023: Diaper Insecurity Among U.S. Children and Families , 47% cant afford the diapers they need to keep their children clean, dry and healthy. This is diaper need, an often hidden consequence of poverty, which harms the physical, mental, and economic well-being of children and families.

Recent national news reports show that the average cost of diapers has increased 32% since 2019 , which hits household budgets hard, particularly for low-wage earners and families living in poverty.

During National Diaper Need Awareness Week, NDBNs 225+ member diaper banks will be hosting events to educate the public about diaper need. These community-based nonprofits across the country are working with individuals, community organizations, and elected officials to help get free, clean diapers to babies. Also throughout the week, many diaper banks are organizing community-wide diaper drives and fundraising campaigns that will help ensure that the nonprofit remains a reliable source of diapers for children and families in their communities throughout the year.



All families should have the diapers they require for their children, said Joanne Goldblum, CEO and founder of NDBN. National Diaper Need Awareness Week recognizes that small things affect big things. Diapers matter. And, for families in need, diaper banks frequently provide the only resources available to help moms, dads, grandparents and other caregivers obtain the diapers needed to keep a child healthy.



More than 4.6 million infants and toddlers live in low-wage families earning below 200% of the federal poverty level ( State of Babies Yearbook 2022 ). Many parents and caregivers face a daily struggle to afford the diapers they need. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the poorest 20 percent of Americans who buy diapers spend nearly 14 percent of their post-tax income on diapers. Yet, government programs designed to help children typically do not provide funding for diapers, a basic necessity for all babies.



Of families in diaper need, one in four parents and caregivers (25%) reported missing work or school due to a lack of sufficient diapers required by child care, day care or early education programs to care for a baby or toddler. As a result, parents experiencing diaper need who relied on day care missed an average of 5.1 days of work or school in the past month (source: The NDBN Diaper Check 2023: Diaper Insecurity Among U.S. Children and Families, 2023).



Fifty-three percent of parents experiencing diaper need feel judged as a parent or caregiver because they cannot afford diapers, while 70% of households in need experience feeling stressed or overwhelmed about their responsibilities as a caregiver. (source: The NDBN Diaper Check 2023: Diaper Insecurity Among U.S. Children and Families, 2023).



About NDBN





The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) leads a nationwide movement dedicated to helping individuals, children and families access the basic necessities they require to thrive and reach their full potential...including clean, dry diapers, period supplies and other basic needs. Launched in 2011 with the support of founding sponsor Huggies, NDBN is dedicated to creating awareness, providing assistance and building community to #EndDiaperNeed in the US. Its active membership includes more than 300 basic needs banks serving local communities in all 50 US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More information on NDBN and diaper need is available at nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org, and on Twitter (@DiaperNetwork), Instagram (@DiaperNetwork) and Facebook (facebook.com/NationalDiaperBankNetwork).









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Dublin, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Finasteride Market By Application, By Type, By Distribution Channel: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The finasteride market valued for $362.11 million in 2021 and is estimated to reach $546.72 million by 2031, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.2% from 2022 to 2031.



The major factors driving the growth of the finasteride market include rise in prevalence of hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), as well as surge in awareness about the benefits of finasteride treatment. For instance, article published in National Library of Medicine 2021, stated that, male pattern baldness affects up to 2% of general population. This rise in male pattern baldness is anticipated to drive the growth of the market.

The finasteride market is witnessing significant growth driven by various factors. The rise in the prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is expected to be a major contributor to market expansion. According to a publication in the Lancet Healthy Longevity Journal 2022, there were 94 million prevalent cases of BPH reported globally in 2019.

Additionally, as the global population ages, there's a notable increase in the incidence of BPH and related conditions. This has resulted in a growing demand for medications like finasteride, known for managing BPH symptoms, thereby indicating a rise in the geriatric population.

The availability of generic types of finasteride has played a pivotal role in market growth. This affordability and accessibility have been achieved through offerings like finasteride tablets in generic form by companies such as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. Furthermore, the market is being fueled by key players offering both branded and generic versions of finasteride. Notable names like Merck & Co., Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., contribute to the market's expansion.

Rising disposable income is also playing a part in the market's growth, with an increased demand for medications that enhance physical appearance, including finasteride for male pattern hair loss. This willingness to invest in treatments for improved aesthetics is aided by rising disposable income levels.

However, alternative treatments for male pattern baldness and BPH, such as hair transplant surgery and availability of alternate medications, pose some challenges to the market's growth. Additionally, the absence of favorable reimbursement policies and alternative treatments may impede growth.

Nonetheless, the demand for finasteride and growing awareness of its benefits offer promising opportunities for market players. Major key players in the global finasteride market include Alkem Laboratories Ltd, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., Merck & Co., Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and more.

These players contribute to the dynamic landscape of the finasteride market, which is driven by factors ranging from healthcare needs to market offerings and economic trends.

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the finasteride market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing finasteride market opportunities.

The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.

Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.

In-depth analysis of the finasteride market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.

Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market.

Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players.

The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global finasteride market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Rise in prevalence of male pattern baldness

Rise in adoption of finasteride for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)

Increase in adherence of finasteride for treatment of BPH and male pattern baldness

Restraints

Side effects associated with finasteride

Competition from other medications and availability of alternate medicine

Opportunities

Growth opportunities in emerging markets

Key Market Players

Alkem Laboratories Ltd

HETERO LABS LIMITED

Merck & Co., Inc.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Organon & Co.

Aurobindo Pharma

Cipla Ltd

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.

Key Topics Covered:



CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Report description

1.2. Key market segments

1.3. Key benefits to the stakeholders

1.4. Research Methodology



CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1. CXO Perspective



CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW

3.1. Market definition and scope

3.2. Key findings

3.2.1. Top impacting factors

3.2.2. Top investment pockets

3.3. Porter's five forces analysis



CHAPTER 4: FINASTERIDE MARKET, BY APPLICATION

4.1. Overview

4.1.1. Market size and forecast

4.2. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

4.3. Male pattern baldness



CHAPTER 5: FINASTERIDE MARKET, BY TYPE

5.1. Overview

5.1.1. Market size and forecast

5.2. Branded

5.3. Generic



CHAPTER 6: FINASTERIDE MARKET, BY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL

6.1. Overview

6.1.1. Market size and forecast

6.2. Hospital Pharmacies

6.3. Online Providers

6.4. Drug Stores and Retail Pharmacies



CHAPTER 7: FINASTERIDE MARKET, BY REGION

7.1. Overview

7.1.1. Market size and forecast By Region



CHAPTER 8: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Top winning strategies

8.3. Product Mapping of Top 10 Player

8.4. Competitive Dashboard

8.5. Competitive Heatmap

8.6. Top player positioning, 2021

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vqt36g

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Dublin, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Adult Day Care Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Funding (Private, Public), By Service (Adult Social Day Services, Adult Day Healthcare Services, Specialized Day Care Services), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global adult day care market is poised for remarkable growth, anticipated to reach a substantial valuation of USD 24.8 billion by the year 2030. This projected growth indicates a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.10% during the period from 2023 to 2030.

A significant driving force behind this expansion is the escalating global elderly population, particularly concentrated in the Asia Pacific region. This demographic shift has triggered a surge in demand for Home and Community-based Care (HCBC), creating a favorable landscape for the adult day care sector. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) projects a twofold increase in the population aged 65 and above between 2020 and 2050.

Adult Day Care (ADC) providers are playing a pivotal role by delivering innovative and specialized services, catering to patients with unique requirements like Alzheimer's and Autism patients. Collaborative efforts between these providers and governmental organizations are boosting healthcare services for such individuals.

For example, a notable partnership emerged between the California Department of Aging (CDA) and ADC centers in the state, joined by researchers at UC Davis's Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing in a bid to enhance the well-being of dementia patients, showcasing the commitment to specialized care.

However, the adult day care sector encountered setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted temporary shutdowns by several providers to protect vulnerable populations. Japan's Ministry of Health reported a suspension of operations by nearly 909 ADC service providers in April 2020. Fortunately, gradual resumptions followed as these centers responded to the demand from dementia patients and aimed to alleviate the burden on home service providers.

Breaking down the industry further, the funding landscape plays a pivotal role. The public segment emerged as the leader in 2022, fueled by the growth of non-profit ADC providers and increased governmental investments in specialized services. This reflects a commitment to improved care delivery.

Specialized day care services also emerged as a dominant force in 2022, answering the growing demand for tailored care, notably for patients grappling with Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, the North American region claimed a significant market share in 2022, boasting a high concentration of ADC providers and marked investments in long-term care.

The market itself is characterized by fragmentation, with a multitude of small-scale businesses offering daytime services. Notably, the majority of these entities operate as non-profits, often associated with governmental or public institutions, reflecting a commitment to community welfare.

This landscape echoes the growing adoption of these services, underscored by affordability compared to other HCBC options. The provision of specialized services and daily living support for disabled patients has been pivotal in propelling the global adoption of these services.

Competitive Landscape: Overview, Financial Performance, Service Benchmarking, Strategic Initiatives

Adult Life Programs, Inc.

Active Day/Senior Care, Inc.

Ascension Living Saint Joseph Village Adult Day Center

CCACC Joyful Day Care Center

Age U.K.

Care Futures

GerHogar

Deutsches Altenheim

Badisa

Grace Adult Health Car

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 168 Forecast Period 2022 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $16.5 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $24.8 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.1% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Snapshot

2.2. Segment Snapshot

2.3. Competitive Landscape Snapshot



Chapter 3. Market Variables, Trends, & Scope

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Market Driver Analysis

3.1.2. Market Restraint Analysis

3.2. Industry Analysis Tools

3.2.1. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.2.2. PESTLE Analysis

3.3. COVID-19 Impact Analysis



Chapter 4. Adult Day Care Market: Funding Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1. Segment Definitions

4.2. Adult Day Care Market: Funding Segment Dashboard

4.3. Adult Day Care Market: Funding Movement & Market Share Analysis

4.4. Private

4.5. Public



Chapter 5. Adult Day Care Market: Services Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Segment Definitions

5.2. Adult Day Care Market: Segment Dashboard

5.3. Adult Day Care Market: Services Movement & Market share Analysis

5.4. Adult Social Day Services

5.5. Adult Day Healthcare Services

5.6. Specialized Day Care Services



Chapter 6. Adult Day Care Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. Adult Day Care Market: Regional Movement Analysis, 2022 & 2030



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7unarj

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Burlingame, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food and Beverage Industry Market size was valued at US$ 14.5 Billion in 2022, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.11% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new study conducted by Coherent Market Insights, Inc. Thermoformed plastic products are made using a manufacturing method involving heating a plastic sheet till it turns into pliable component, which is then shaped using molds. It is further cooled down in order to obtain desired form. This technique is utilized commonly for producing a large range of different everyday items including packaging for food and beverage industry. Thermoforming offers cost-efficient production, design versatility, and is used widely across many industries.



Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

In March 2021, Anchor Packaging LLC expanded its manufacturing facility in Arkansas by 90,000 square feet for accommodating the rise in demand for foodservice containers utilized by supermarkets, restaurants, and convenience shops.

In July 2020, Anchor Packaging LLC completed acquisition of Panoramic Inc. in Wisconsin. With this acquisition, Anchor will serve the combined client base and offer highly comprehensive outcomes for the entire food business in North America along with other regions.

Global thermoformed plastic products for food and beverage industry market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.11% during the forecast period. The thermoformed plastic products for food and beverage industry market is growing rapidly in response to the increasing awareness about food safety and hygiene, leading to rise in demand for thermoformed plastic products.

On the basis of Application, Packaging Segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period and this is attributed to the growing applications and increasing growth of this industry.

On the basis of Geography, Europe is expected to hold a dominant position over the forecast period, due to high demand for convenience food, owing to presence of larger working population in the region.

Key players operating in the global thermoformed plastic products for food and beverage industry market include Tray-Pak Corporation, Clear Lam Packaging, Inc., Silgan Holdings, Inc., D&W Fine Pack, Reynolds, Huhtamaki, Berry Plastics Corporation, Placon, and Anchor Packaging, Inc.

Read full market research report, "Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food & Beverage Industry Market, By Application, and by Geography, Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts, 2023-2030", published by Coherent Market Insights.

Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food & Beverage Industry Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2022-2030 Forecast Period 2023 to 2030 CAGR 6.11% 2030 Value Projection USD 23.3 billion Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 USD 14.5 billion Historical Data for 2017-2021 No. of Pages 125 Segments covered  By Application: Packaging, Food Serving Articles, Others Growth Drivers  Increasing Demand for Packaged Food to Aid Growth



 Rising Awareness about the Benefit of using Thermoform Plastic Companies covered: Clear Lam Packaging, Inc., D&W Fine Pack, Huhtamaki, Placon, Anchor Packaging, Inc., Berry Plastics Corporation, Reynolds, Silgan Holdings, Inc., and Tray-Pak Corporation

Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food and Beverage Industry Market:

Growing number of manufacturers introducing advanced thermoformer equipment for food and beverage industry is a major trend in the global thermoformed plastic products for food and beverage industry market. For instance, in August 2020, GN Thermoforming Equipment, a major servo-driven, roll-fed thermoforming machine provider introduced the novel GN580 Thermoformer at K 2019.

Global Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food and Beverage Industry Market  Drivers

Rise in demand for packaged food to support the market growth

The demand for packaged food products is increasing among consumers, owing to changes in habits, and lifestyle. The demand for thermoformed plastic is increasing in food and beverage industry in order to boost shelf life of products, superior design, and secure seals. Food containers are utilized for product protection and gain maximum profit in convenience and grocery stores, bakeries, caterers, food processors, and quick service restaurant. With increasing demand for packaged food, growth of the market is likely to grow in the coming future.

Increasing awareness regarding benefits of using thermoform plastic to fuel the market growth

The largest consumer of rigid thermoform plastic packaging is food and beverage industry. The demand for packaged food and beverage along with need for reliable and safe packaging techniques is on rise, due to growing awareness around advantages of using thermoplastic packaging products. This factor is anticipated to aid in growth of the global thermoformed plastic products for food and beverage industry market over the forecast period.

Global Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food and Beverage Industry Market  Restrain

Environmental impact of thermoformed plastic products to limit the market growth

Thermoformed plastic products have environmental impact as they are majorly made from petroleum-based materials. These materials are not always biodegradable and can require hundreds of years for breaking down in landfills. Moreover, the production of plastic products needs major amount of energy and resources, which contributes to carbon emissions and other issues related to the environment.

Global Thermoformed Plastic Products for Food and Beverage Industry Market  Opportunities

Rise in demand for packaged mineral water, packaged carbonated drinks, fruit juices, and packaged milk is creating multiple opportunities in the global thermoformed plastic products for food and beverage industry market over the forecast period. Due to dramatic shift in consumer preference from unpacked food to packed food, the demand for thermoformed plastic products is increasing rapidly. As a result, the market is witnessing major growth opportunities that are expected to boost the market growth in the coming future.

Detailed Segmentation:

Global Thermoformed Plastic Products For Food & Beverage Industry Market, By Product Type: Synthetic Biodegradable

Global Thermoformed plastic products for food & beverage industry Market, By Application: Packaging Food Serving Articles Others (Containers)

Global Thermoformed Plastic Products For Food & Beverage Industry Market, By Region : North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany Italy U.K. France Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan Australia India ASEAN South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC Countries Israel South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa



:

Company Profiles:

Clear Lam Packaging Inc.

D&W Fine Pack

Huhtamaki

Placon

Anchor Packaging Inc.

Berry Plastics Corporation

Reynolds

Silgan Holdings Inc.

Tray-Pak Corporation



Related Market Intelligence Reports:

Board Packaging Market, by Product Type (Corrugated Board and Paperboard (Folding Cartons, Carrier Boards, Liquid Packaging Board)), by End-use Industry (Food & Beverages, Personal and Household Care, Healthcare, Consumer Goods and Other (Cosmetic, Electronics, etc.)), and by Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) - Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2022-2028

Food Container Market, by Product (Bottles & Jars, Cans, Cups & Tubs, Boxes, and Others), by Material (Plastic, Glass, Metal, and Others), and by Region (North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa) - Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2022 - 2030

Packaging Design Services Market, By Service Type (Graphic Design Services, Structural Design Services, Packaging Material Selection Services, Branding and Identity Services, Prototype Development Services, Sustainability and Eco-friendly Design Services), By Packaging Type - Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2022 - 2030

Browse through Coherent Market Insights Packaging Research Reports.

About Us:

Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients.

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter


OTTAWA, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Red Cross is pleased to share that its annual fundraising campaign with Walmart Canada raised over $4 million this year. This amount includes a $1 million contribution from Walmart Canada and an additional $3 million from their customers and associates.



The generous donations will support the Canadian Red Crosss relief and preparedness efforts for emergencies and disasters that occur across the country. This includes this years unprecedented wildfire season that has impacted areas including Atlantic Canada, Quebec, British Columbia and Northwest Territories.

From coast to coast, people living in Canada continue to face extreme weather events including floods, wildfires, and tornadoes. These events are increasing in frequency and severity and the Red Cross is committed to supporting Canadians before, during and after an emergency or disaster.

The Canadian Red Cross is truly grateful for the continued support of Walmart Canada and the generosity of its customers and associates, said Janet Johnson, chief development officer at the Canadian Red Cross. The combined success of this annual campaign is remarkable, with more than $70 million raised over the past 20 years. Together, we are able to help people across the country when disaster strikes.

In what continues to be a year dominated by extreme weather events, our associates and customers rallied together to help Canadians when they needed it most, said Rob Nicol, vice president, communications and corporate affairs at Walmart Canada. Walmart Canada remains committed to working alongside the Red Cross assisting communities in times of disaster and wants to thank everyone who contributed to this years fantastic campaign.

Disasters are unpredictable, can strike quickly without warning and can impact anyone. Being prepared in the event of a disaster or emergency can make a big difference in protecting you, your family and your home. As the largest corporate supporter of the Red Cross, Walmart Canada enables the Red Cross to be prepared to address the needs of Canadians. For tips and advice on what to do before, during, and after a disaster, please visit www.redcross.ca/ready.

About the Canadian Red Cross

Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement  which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 192 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies  the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supporting them in strengthening their resilience.

About Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, Walmart.ca is visited by 1.5 million customers daily. With more than 100,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada was recently recognized as a LinkedIn Top Company of 2022 and was also named one of Canadas most popular brands (based on Google searches). Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $650 million to Canadian charities. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca and on Walmart Canada's social media pages  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

Canadian Red Cross:

English Media Line: 1-877-599-9602

French Media Line: 1-888-418-9111

Walmart Canada:

Felicia Fefer, Corporate Affairs, Felicia.Fefer@walmart.com
New York, NY, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thor Equities Group, a global leader in urban real estate development, leasing and management, is pleased to announce it has signed four new leases covering over 34,000 square feet at a key portfolio of assets in Tampa, Florida.

Located in Tampas highly sought-after industrial submarkets, the Westshore-Airport and Eastside Tampa submarkets, Thors portfolio exceeds 402,000 square feet across thirteen-assets. New activity at the property includes the welcoming of new tenants: Paquip, Cox Building Services, and City Electric Supply Company; and the extension of current tenant, Home Pride Cabinets. Paquip specializes in liquid packaging solutions while Cox Building Services specializes in general contracting and construction management. City Electric Supply is an electrical wholesale business while Home Pride Cabinets is known for their quality craftsmanship in cabinetry. The property was selected by the new tenants for its prime location in the Tampa Bay metro, which offers users accessibility to approximately 20 million consumers within a 200-mile radius.

Leasing momentum remains strong in the industrial sector, and we are pleased to welcome a variety of prosperous businesses to our strong tenant roster, said Chairman of Thor Equities Group, Joe Sitt. The propertys central location makes it highly attractive to an assortment of users and we look forward to sourcing similar opportunities across the Southeast and beyond.

Additional tenants at the property include Thermotech Enterprises, the industry leader in the manufacturing and installation of energy recovery wheels, Superior Pool Products, the national wholesale distributor of swimming pool equipment, parts and supplies; and an additional array of companies specializing in different sectors including shipping, auto repair, beverage and water filtration products, and more.

The activity in Tampa represents Thors commitment to building a robust and widespread industrial portfolio with assets in key markets in California, Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Illinois that cater to an array of different companies.

###

ABOUT THOR EQUITIES GROUP:

Thor Equities is a leader in the development, leasing and management of office, industrial, laboratory, residential, hotel and mixed-use assets in premier urban locations worldwide. The company operates in major cities around the globe and has a property portfolio totaling $20 billion with a development pipeline in excess of 50 million square feet. Thor has a strong presence on three continents and in addition to its US holdings, the company has assets in European gateway cities including London, Paris, Madrid, and Milan, and is the largest developer in Mexico through its Latin American division with a development pipeline of over 18 million square feet. Thor maximizes returns for institutional investors by recognizing a propertys potential, reducing operating expenses, increasing tenant satisfaction, leveraging market trends to maintain a long-term competitive edge. For more information, visit www.thorequities.com.
SAN FRANCISCO, U.S., Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new research report titled  Electric Linear Cylinders Market By Type (DC Electric Linear Actuators, AC Electric Linear Actuators), By Application (Industrial, Medical, Commercial), And By Region  Global, And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023  2030 in its research database.

According to the latest research study, the global electric linear cylinders market size was valued at approximately USD 20.5 billion in 2022. The market is expected to grow above a CAGR of 8% and is anticipated to reach over USD 40 billion by 2030.

Get a Free Sample PDF of this Research Report for more Insights - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/electric-linear-cylinders-market-size



(A free sample of this report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.)





Electric Linear Cylinders Market Overview:

An Electric Linear Cylinder is a specialized electromechanical device that converts rotary motion into linear motion, or vice versa, with precise control and accuracy. Typically, this cylindrical device comprises a housing containing an electric motor, a lead screw, and a fastener mechanism. The electric motor, when activated, rotates the lead screw, causing the fastener mechanism to move linearly along the length of the screw. This linear motion can be utilized for a variety of purposes, including industrial automation, robotics, manufacturing operations, and machinery.

Electric Linear Cylinders have a number of advantages over conventional pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, including increased precision, programmable control, and quieter operation. Frequently, they are employed in situations requiring precise positioning, controlled force, or constant linear motion. In addition, these cylinders can be integrated into larger systems and controlled via electronic signals, making them suitable for use in intricate and interconnected configurations.

Our Free Sample Report Consists of the Following:

Introduction, Overview, and in-depth industry analysis are all included in the 2023 updated report.

About 228+ Pages Research Report (Including Recent Research)

Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on Request

Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2023

Includes Tables and figures have been updated

The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, Revenue Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Historic and Forecast Growth, Porter's 5 Forces Analysis

Zion Market Research Methodology

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Report Details Market Size in 2022 USD 20.5 Billion Market Forecast in 2030 USD 40 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of 8% Base Year 2022 Forecast Years 2023- 2030 Key Companies Covered BJ-Gear, Kollmorgen, SKF, SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co KG, Parker Hannifin, Linearmech S.R.L., Bosch Rexroth AG, Exlar Europe GmbH, Mul-T-Lock, RACO-Elektro-Maschinen GmbH, and Tsubakimoto Europe B.V. among others. Segments Covered By Type, By Application, and By Region Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East &, Africa Customization Scope Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs.





Key Insights from Primary Research

The rapidly growing automotive industry is projected to boost the global electric linear cylinder market. The electric linear cylinder offers numerous advantages such as the highest precision and is easily scalable for any purpose or force requirement. In addition to this, they can be easily programmed or networked, and immediate feedback for maintenance & diagnostic is available.

Based on the type, the dc electric linear actuators segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Based on the application, the commercial segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

On the basis of region, Europe is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report | Quick Delivery Available - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/electric-linear-cylinders-market-size



Electric Linear Cylinder Market: Growth Drivers

Rapidly Growing Automotive Industry Is Likely to Boost the Overall Market

The increasingly expanding automotive industry is likely to stimulate the global market for electric linear cylinders. The electric linear cylinder offers numerous benefits, including the utmost level of precision and the ability to be scaled for any application or force requirement. In addition, they are readily programmable or networkable and provide immediate diagnostic and maintenance feedback. In addition to complete motion control, they provide applied forces, stroke lengths, and custom speed with significantly less commotion than pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders. These factors have contributed to the expansion of the global market by increasing the adoption of electric linear cylinders.

In addition, electric linear cylinders are powered by electricity, a clean technology, and have a minimal risk of product contamination, making them the preferred option in the medical, water, food & beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.

Electric Linear Cylinder Market: Restraints

High initial setup price can restrict industry growth globally

The high initial investment required for the adoption of electric linear cylinder systems is one of the major factors restraining the electric linear cylinder market. In addition to the linear cylinders themselves, these systems require the acquisition of control systems, sensors, and integration with existing infrastructure. The initial capital expenditure can be prohibitive, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industries with limited budgets.

Electric Linear Cylinders Market: Segmentation

The global electric linear cylinder market is segmented based on type, application, and region.

Based on the type, the global electric linear cylinder market is segmented is divided into DC electric linear actuators and AC electric linear actuators. DC electric linear actuators offer exceptional precision and accuracy in controlling linear motion.

Based on the application, the global electric linear cylinder industry is segmented is divided into industrial automation, robotics, commercial, and others. The commercial segment is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. Electric linear cylinders are used in different types of commercial devices such as retail displays, office equipment, and vending machines.

Browse the full Electric Linear Cylinders Market By Type (DC Electric Linear Actuators, AC Electric Linear Actuators), By Application (Industrial, Medical, Commercial), And By Region  Global, And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Emerging Trends, Demand, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023  2030 Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/electric-linear-cylinders-market-size



Regional Analysis:

Europe is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period

Europe is anticipated to lead the global market for electric linear cylinders in terms of revenue during the forecast period followed by North America. The rapidly expanding automotive industry, the surge in the use of electric liner cylinders due to their clean technology, and rising investments in the development of electric linear cylinders with advanced features are the major factors driving the growth of the market in Europe.

Asia-Pacific is expected to experience the greatest CAGR growth rate. This is due to the increase in automation in the industry, the growing demand for agricultural and industrial equipment, and the fact that India's 100 percent FDI policy has attracted many major players to expand their businesses in Japan, China, and notably India.

Competitive Players:

The report contains qualitative and quantitative research on the global Electric Linear Cylinders market, as well as detailed insights and development strategies employed by the leading competitors.

Some of the main players in the global Electric Linear Cylinders market include;

BJ-Gear

Kollmorgen

SKF

SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co KG

Parker Hannifin

Linearmech S.R.L.

Bosch Rexroth AG

Exlar Europe GmbH

Mul-T-Lock

RACO-Elektro-Maschinen GmbH

Tsubakimoto Europe B.V.

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The global Electric Linear Cylinders market is segmented as follows:

By Type

DC Electric Linear Actuators,

AC Electric Linear Actuators

By Application

Industrial

Medical

Commercial

By Region

North America The U.S. Canada

Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Rest of Southeast Asia

The Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America



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Key questions answered in this report:

What is an electric linear cylinder?

Which key factors will influence the electric linear cylinder market growth over 2023-2030?

What will be the value of the electric linear cylinder market during 2023-2030?

What will be the CAGR value of the electric linear cylinder market during 2023-2030?

Which region will contribute notably towards the electric linear cylinder market value?

Which are the major players leveraging the electric linear cylinder market growth?

Key Offerings:

Full in-depth analysis of the parent market

Important changes in market dynamics

Segmentation details of the market

Former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value

Assessment of niche industry developments

Market share analysis

Key strategies of major players

Emerging segments and regional markets

Testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market

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Brooklyn, New York, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Report Overview:

The global Processless Thermal CTP Plate market report provides comprehensive insights into driving factors, restraints, opportunities, and trends, with provision of in-depth supporting information, data, and statistics and actionable insights. Though covered and provided extensively across the report, the data and information format are simple, yet dynamic in order to ensure ease of reading and understanding, as well as presenting and maximizing leverage and use. According to Market Data Library analysis, the Processless Thermal Plate (CTP) Market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.5 % during the forecast period of 2023 to 2031. Comprehensive analysis and insights into the global Processless Thermal CTP Plate market provide valuable information for businesses in the industry. Clarity and understanding of market trends help companies tailor their products to meet customer demands more effectively.

Request Sample Copy (To Understand the Complete Structure of this Report [Summary + TOC]): https://marketdatalibrary.com/download-sample/14564

Processless Thermal CTP Plate market share and revenues are provided in detail for previous years in order to showcase the evidence upon which our estimations and forecasts are based. Processless Thermal CTP Plate market growth rates and differences, as well as comparisons and relatable data are provided to further support all findings. Data points are provided for each year  from historical to end of forecast period  and this format is followed for each segment region and respective countries, as well as sub-segments and others.

Vital details of major companies in the market are provided in the company profile section of the report. Cover includes financials, recent developments, strategies, product launches, agreements, expansion, mergers & acquisitions, and others.

The global Processless Thermal CTP Plate market report is segmented according to type, applications and regions. Regional segmentation includes North America (United States and Canada); Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, BENELUX, NORDIC, and Rest of Europe); Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand, & Rest of Asia Pacific); Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, & Rest of Latin America); Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel, and Rest of MEA).

Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Trends Analysis and Insights:

Sustainability Drive: Owing to its eco-friendly characteristics, he processless thermal CTP plate market is witnessing a strong sustainability push.. Furthermore, it addresses the growing demand for eco-friendly printing solutions. By eliminating the need for chemical processing, it not only reduces waste and environmental harm, but also aligns with the increasing emphasis on sustainability in the printing industry.

Cost Efficiency:. The proposal of using Processless Thermal CTP plates highlights substantial cost savings by eliminating expenditures associated with chemicals, processing equipment, and water usage. This cost-efficient approach is particularly appealing to businesses aiming to streamline their operations and minimize overhead costs.

Easy to Use: Processless Thermal CTP plates simplify the printing process by eliminating the requirement for intricate procedures.. The simplicity introduced by Processless Thermal CTP plates significantly enhances the efficiency of the printing workflow. This streamlined approach reduces the time and effort required for plate production compared to traditional methods. Conventional plates often demanded intricate chemical processing, which could be labor-intensive and susceptible to errors.

What Factors Are Restraining Growth of Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market?

Technology Maturity: Processless Thermal CTP Plate technology has undergone significant breakthroughs, but its crucial to remember that the field is still in the early stages of development. While the technology holds considerable potential, it may not always be suitable for or tailored to every printing application and press configuration. Quality control remains essential in ensuring its effectiveness and appropriateness.

Quality Variable: Despite significant advancements in Processless Thermal CTP plate technology, certain printers remain inclined towards traditional processed plates for what they perceive as more consistent output quality. This perspective might stem from concerns about potential quality variations during the initial stages of adopting the new technology.

Market Fragmentation: The Processless CTP Thermal plate is fragmented with several different vendors offering various products. When choosing the best technology for their unique needs, printers may encounter confusion and doubt due to the wide range of possibilities available.

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What are the Opportunities for Leading Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Manufacturers?



Cost Efficiency: Processless plates provide a substantial benefit by reducing the requirement for processing equipment, chemicals, and energy use. Manufacturers should strategically use this benefit by stressing the significant cost reductions that arise from using these plates. Companies may easily attract budget-conscious clients by demonstrating how processless plates contribute to lower operational costs. This technique not only answers economic concerns, but also promotes processless plates as a sustainable and efficient option in the competitive printing business.

Customization and Innovation: Manufacturers in the Processless Thermal CTP Plate market may gain a competitive advantage by developing specific processless plates for a variety of printing applications. These plates can maximize print quality, streamline operations, and increase productivity by addressing specific industry demands such as packaging, commercial printing, or newspapers.

Quality Enhancement: Developments in processless plate technology have considerably improveimage quality and consistency in the printing industry. Manufacturers can use these advancements to demonstrate the enhanced print results possible with their plates. This approach resonates with discerning consumers who prioritize quality and seek impeccable outcomes in their printing projects. Manufacturers can effectively capture the attention of a sophisticated audience in search of superior printing solutions by emphasizing the enhanced visual attractiveness, precision, and consistent results offered by their processless plates. Quality control remains a pivotal factor in this regard.

Region-wise Analysis of Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market

What are the Factors Driving the Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Demand in North America Region?

The Processless Thermal CTP Plate market demand in North America is propelled by several factors. The region's existing printing industry and environmental concern complement the sustainability benefits of processless plates. Cost-effective operations, decreased chemical consumption, and faster prepress workflows further boost adoption, are fuelling the demand for these plates in the area.

What Fuels Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Demand in Europe?

The Processless Thermal CTP Plate market demand in Europe is fuelled by the region's strong emphasis on environmental sustainability. Processless plates are environmentally beneficial since they do not require chemical processing. The improved quality, decreased waste, and quicker workflow all contribute to higher adoption and are boosting processless thermal CTP plate market demand in Europe.

What are the Factors Contributing to the Significant of Asia Pacific Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market?

Many factors are contributing to asia pacific processless thermal CTP plate market. Adoption is fuelled by rapid industrialisation, growing printing industries, and cost-saving benefits. The region's economic expansion, along with an environmental shift, promotes the use of processless plates, positioning Asia Pacific as a key market participant.

What are the Aspects that are Driving the Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market in Latin America?

The Latin American Processless Thermal CTP Plate market is being pushed by increasing printing industries and possible cost reductions. Increasing sustainability awareness related with the environmental benefits of processless plates. Economic growth and a growing interest in cost-effective printing solutions all contribute to the market's growth and values in the area.

What is the Stance on Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market in Middle East and Africa?

The Middle East and Africa Processless Thermal CTP Plate market is gaining growing due to expanding printing industries. Adoption is being driven by the region's desire in innovative and economical printing solutions. Processless plates are an appealing solution for the region's printing demands, thanks to economic growth and the desire for sustainability.

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Leading Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Manufacturers & Competitive Landscape:

The Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market is highly competitive, with several key players vying for market share and actively engaging in strategic initiatives. These companies focus on product innovation, technological advancements, and expanding their product portfolios to gain a competitive edge. These companies are continuously investing in research and development activities to enhance their product offerings and cater to the evolving needs of customers in terms of efficiency, performance, and sustainability.

Company List

Fujifilm

Kodak

Toray

Top High Image

EcooGraphix

ANKASH Solutions

Lucky Huaguang Graphics

CRON

Chengdu Xingraphics

Anhui Strong State New Materials

Exceeding Plate Technologies

Research Scope

Report Metric Report Details Market size available for the years 2021-2031 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2031 Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 5.5% Segment covered Type, Application and regions. Regions Covered North America: The U.S. & Canada







Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, & Rest of Latin America



Asia Pacific: China, India, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, ASEAN, & Rest of Asia Pacific



Europe: Germany, The U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Poland, BENELUX, NORDIC, & Rest of Europe







The Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, and Rest of MEA Fastest Growing Country in Europe Germany Largest Market North America Key Players Fujifilm, Kodak, Toray, Top High Image, EcooGraphix, ANKASH Solutions, Lucky Huaguang Graphics, CRON, Chengdu Xingraphics, Anhui Strong State New Materials & Exceeding Plate Technologies.

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Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market Segmentation

By Type

Process Free Thermal CTP

Others

By Application

Commercial Printing

Packaging Industry

Others Commercial

By Region

North America

United States

Canada

Europe

Germany

United Kingdom

France

Italy

Spain

Russia

Poland

Benelux

Nordic

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

ASEAN

Australia & New Zealand

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Argentina

Middle East & Africa

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

United Arab Emirates

Israel

Rest of MEA

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Important Questions Answered in this Report:

Q: What are some key factors driving revenue growth of Processless Thermal CTP Plate market?



A: Some key factors driving market revenue growth include Sustainability, streamlined workflow, cost efficiency, quality enhancement, industry expansion, awareness.

Q: What are some major challenges faced by companies in Processless Thermal CTP Plate market?

A: Companies face challenges such as chemistry optimization, image consistency, market education, compatibility, cost-effectiveness, customer adoption.

Q: How is the competitive landscape in the global Processless Thermal CTP Plate market?

A: The market is competitive, with key players focusing on technological advancements, product innovation, and strategic partnerships. Factors such as product quality, reliability, after-sales services, and customization capabilities play a significant role in determining competitiveness

Q: What are the potential opportunities for companies in the Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market?

A: Companies can leverage opportunities such as Sustainability demand, technology innovation, emerging markets, cost-saving solutions, customization potential.

Q: How is the Processless Thermal CTP Plate Market segmented?

A: The market is segmented based on factors such Segmented by plate type, application,and regions.
TSX: SIL | NYSE American: SILV

VANCOUVER, Sept. 7, 2023 - SilverCrest Metals Inc. ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has filed on SEDAR+ the Updated Independent Technical Report for the 100% owned Las Chispas Operation (the "Updated Technical Report" or the "Report") located in the State of Sonora, Mexico. The Report was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.

The Report titled "Las Chispas Operation Technical Report" is dated September 5, 2023, has an effective date of July 19, 2023 and supports the disclosure made by SilverCrest in its July 31, 2023 press release titled "SilverCrest Announces Results of Updated Independent Technical Report". There are no material differences in the Report from the results disclosed in Company's July 31, 2023 press release. The Report can be found under the Corporation's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on SilverCrest's website (www.silvercrestmetals.com).

Qualified Persons

The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals producer headquartered in Vancouver, BC, with an ongoing initiative to increase its asset base by expanding current resources and reserves, acquiring, discovering and developing high value precious metals projects and ultimately operating multiple silver-gold mines in the Americas. The Company's principal focus is its Las Chispas Operation in Sonora, Mexico. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/silvercrest-announces-filing-of-ni-43-101-technical-report-on-las-chispas-301921357.html

SOURCE SilverCrest Metals Inc.
VANCOUVER, Sept. 07, 2023 - Gatos Silver Inc. (NYSE/TSX: GATO) ("Gatos Silver" or the "Company") today reported that its stockholders voted in favour of all items of business at the Company's Annual Meeting of stockholders held on September 6, 2023 (the "Meeting"). A total of 57,943,220 votes were cast or represented by proxy at the Meeting representing 83.78% of the outstanding shares of common stock as of the record date. A total of 53,617,959 votes (including "for" and "withheld" but excluding "non-votes") were voted in connection with the election of directors.



The results on the election of directors are set out below (excluding non-votes).

Name of Nominee Votes For

% For Votes Withheld % Withheld Janice Stairs 47,792,924

89.14 5,825,035 10.86 Dale Andres 53,368,392

99.53 249,567 0.47 Ali Erfan 53,256,482

99.33 361,477 0.67 Igor Gonzales 53,259,442

99.33 358,517 0.67 Karl Hanneman 51,841,262

96.69 1,776,697 3.31 Charles Hansard 47,794,427

89.14 5,823,532 10.86 David Peat 47,795,085 89.14 5,822,874 10.86 Daniel Muniz Quintanilla 53,292,047 99.39 325,912 0.61



At the Meeting, stockholders also ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the year ending December 31, 2023. The results are 57,269,555 votes "for", representing 98.84% votes cast or represented by proxy.

About Gatos Silver

Gatos Silver is a silver dominant exploration, development and production company that discovered a new silver and zinc-rich mineral district in southern Chihuahua State, Mexico. As a 70% owner of the Los Gatos Joint Venture ("LGJV"), the Company is primarily focused on operating the Cerro Los Gatos mine and on growth and development of the Los Gatos district. The LGJV includes approximately 103,000 hectares of mineral rights, representing a highly prospective and under-explored district with numerous silver-zinc-lead epithermal mineralized zones identified as priority targets.

Investors and Media Contact

Andre van Niekerk

Chief Financial Officer

investors@gatossilver.com

+1 604 424 0984
Vancouver, September 8, 2023 - Elemental Altus Royalties Corp. (TSXV: ELE) (OTCQX: ELEMF) ("Elemental Altus" or "the Company"), announces the voting results from its Annual General and Special Meeting held on September 7, 2023.

Each of the resolutions approved at the meeting were described in detail in the Company's management information circular dated August 8, 2023, available on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.elementalaltus.com.

Resolution Votes

For Votes Against Withheld/

Abstain % For % Against % Withheld/ Abstain Election of Directors











Frederick Bell 107,646,382 0 127,103 99.88 0.00 0.12 Martin Turenne 107,634,045 0 139,440 99.87 0.00 0.13 Peter Williams 107,420,763 0 352,722 99.67 0.00 0.33 John Robins 107,655,763 0 117,722 99.89 0.00 0.11 Steven Poulton 107,651,204 0 122,281 99.89 0.00 0.11 Karim Nasr 107,658,852 0 114,633 99.89 0.00 0.11 David Netherway 107,656,653 0 116,832 99.89 0.00 0.11 Robert Milroy 107,662,763 0 110,722 99.90 0.00 0.10 Appointment of Auditors 109,725,990 0 100,655 99.91 0.00 0.09 Approval of Omnibus Plan* 99,862,549* 531,343 0 99.47 0.53 0.00

* Excluding 7,379,593 shares held by Insiders.

As set forth above, Elemental Altus is pleased to announce that at the Annual General and Special Meeting, shareholders approved the ratifying of the Company's incentive compensation plan (the "Omnibus Plan"), including (i) the setting-aside, allotting and reserving 10% of the Company's outstanding common shares ("Common Shares") from time to time for issuance pursuant to the exercise of stock options granted under the Omnibus Plan and (ii) an amendment to the Omnibus Plan to increase the number of Common Shares that may be issued under the "fixed 10% plan" with respect to awards of restricted share units and performance share units by 2,500,000 Common Shares, and the setting-aside, allotting and reserving an aggregate of an additional 2,500,000 Common Shares from time to time for issuance pursuant to such awards.

In order to comply with the TSX Venture Exchange's (the "TSX-V") policy 4.4 that governs security-based compensation ("Policy 4.4"), the following amendments were also made to the Omnibus Plan and approved by shareholders of the Company at the Annual General and Special Meeting, which provide that:

the issuance, assumption, substitution or conversion of awards under the Omnibus Plan in connection with any corporate reorganization is subject to prior acceptance of the TSX-V and shareholder approval, except for certain specified exceptions; the vesting requirements of the Company's security based compensation ("Awards") comply with TSX-V Policy 4.4; the expiry date, redemption date or settlement date of Awards is automatically extended only if such date falls within a period (a "Blackout Period") during which the Company prohibits participants ("Participants") in the Omnibus Plan from exercising, redeeming or settling their Awards during the Blackout Period; any Awards granted or issued to any Participant to the Omnibus Plan who is a director, officer, employee, consultant or management company employee must expire within a reasonable period, not exceeding 12 months, following the date the Participant ceases to be an eligible Participant under the Omnibus Plan; the TSX-V approval will be required to accelerate the vesting dates and/or expiry dates of any stock options when a Participant is engaged to provide investor relation services to the Company; no restricted share units and performance share units issued pursuant to the Omnibus Plan may vest before the date that is one year following the date it is granted or issued; for any Awards that entitle Participants to receive additional Awards in lieu of dividends declared by the Company based on their holdings of Awards other than listed Common Shares that have already been issued, the maximum aggregate number of listed Common Shares that might possibly be issued under the Omnibus Plan must be included in calculating the limits set forth in in certain prescribed provisions of TSX-V Policy 4.4, and the Omnibus Plan must allow the Company to make payment in cash if it does not have a sufficient number of listed Common Shares available under the Omnibus Plan to satisfy its obligations in respect of such dividends; Awards must not entitle a Participant to any shareholder rights (including without limitation voting rights, dividend entitlement or rights on liquidation) until such time as underlying listed Common Shares are issued to such Participant; the maximum period that there will be an entitlement to make a claim after the death of a Participant will be no greater than 12 months following the death of the Participant; and the Company must obtain disinterested shareholder approval of any decrease in the exercise price of or extensions to stock options granted to Participants that are insiders of the Company at the time of the proposed amendment.

The full text of the Omnibus Plan can be found in Schedule "C" of the Company's management and information circular, a copy of which can be found on the Company's profile at SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. The Omnibus Plan remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.

Corporate & Media Inquiries:

Jacy Zerb, VP Investor Relations

Direct: +1 604-243-6511 ext. 2700

j.zerb@elementalaltus.com

Elemental Altus is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: www.discoverygroup.ca or contact 604-646-4527.

TSX.V: ELE | OTCQX: ELEMF | ISIN: CA28619K1093 | CUSIP: 28619K109

About Elemental Altus Royalties Corp.

Elemental Altus is an income generating precious metals royalty company with 10 producing royalties and a diversified portfolio of pre-production and discovery stage assets. The Company is focused on acquiring uncapped royalties and streams over producing, or near-producing, mines operated by established counterparties, as well as generating royalties on new discoveries. The vision of Elemental Altus is to build a global gold royalty company, offering investors superior exposure to gold with reduced risk and a strong growth profile.

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180012
VANCOUVER - September 8, 2023 (TSXV:NRG), (OTC:NRGOF), (Frankfurt:X6C) - Newrange Gold Corp. ("Newrange" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed on SEDAR, a Notice of Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the "AGSM") to be held virtually on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time. The accompanying Information Circular and Proxy Vote documents have also been filed on SEDAR and all documents have been mailed to shareholders of record as of September 1, 2023 and posted to the Newrange website here.

Of particular note, shareholders will be asked to vote upon the previously announced transaction (Newrange News Release of May 25, 2023) whereby Newrange will acquire 100% of the issued share capital of ASX-listed Mithril Resources Ltd. ("Mithril") in a friendly business combination, resulting in Newrange remaining as the surviving entity and Mithril being de-listed from the ASX. The arm's length transaction is being completed via a Scheme Implementation Deed (the "Scheme", also available on the Newrange website) and will be classified as a Reverse Take Over under the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "RTO"). The resulting issuer will be a Tier 2 mining issuer, to be called Pinnacle Silver and Gold Corp. Details of the RTO are outlined in the Information Circular. Shareholders will also be asked to vote on a 2:1 share consolidation. All components of the RTO are subject to final TSXV approval.

As part of the RTO, the Company is undertaking a Concurrent Financing of approximately $3.6 million that is anticipated to close in October, following the AGSM and the completion of other conditions precedent. The Company notes that, until all conditions precedent have been satisfied, there is no certainty that the Scheme will proceed.

In addition to the AGSM documents and in compliance with TSXV RTO Policy 5.2, the Company has also filed on SEDAR, a National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Copalquin Property Mineral Resource Estimate", authored by Qualified Persons, Rodney Webster, MAIG; Robert Chesher, FAusIMM; and Jose Olmedo, SME 426799RM, all of AMC Consultants, and having an effective date of July 18, 2023. The report is also available on the Newrange website here. The high-grade Copalquin Gold-Silver Project, in Durango, Mexico, is Mithril's flagship project and will continue to be the main focus within Pinnacle Silver and Gold Corp., although it is anticipated that Newrange's Argosy and North Birch Projects in the Red Lake Mining District will see a resumption of exploration in 2024.

ABOUT NEWRANGE

Newrange is an exploration company listed on the TSXV, with a focus on district-scale exploration for precious metals in the prolific Red Lake District of north-western Ontario, Canada. The past-producing high-grade Argosy Gold Mine is open to depth, while the adjacent North Birch Project offers additional discovery potential. Further information can be found on our website at www.newrangegold.com.

Signed: "Robert Archer"

President & CEO

For further information contact:

Email: info@newrangegold.com

Tel.: +1 (877) 271-5886 ext. 110

Website: www.newrangegold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statement:

Some of the statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Newrange Gold Corp. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver, September 8, 2023 - Canada One Mining Corp. ("Canada One" or the "Company") (TSXV:CONE) (OTC:COMCF) (FSE:AU31) is pleased to announce that it has completed the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement and has issued 10,963,330 units (each, a "Unit"), at a price of $0.10 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $1,096,333. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), allowing holders to purchase an additional common share at an exercise price of $0.15 until September 5, 2026 (the "Offering").

The first tranche of the Offering was completed pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "LIFE Exemption") as outlined in Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106") and pursuant to the Accredited Investor Exemption as outlined in Part 2 of NI 45-106. The Units issued to subscribers in the first tranche under the LIFE Exemption are not subject to resale restrictions in accordance with Canadian securities laws. All other securities issued in the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four-months-and-one-day following issuance.

The net proceeds raised from the Offering will to be used to advance exploration and development of the Copper Dome Project located south of Princeton, British Columbia, extinguish liabilities and payables and for general administrative and working capital purposes.

In connection with the completion of the first tranche of the Offering, the Company paid $4,750 and issued 47,500 Warrants to certain arms-length third parties (the "Finders") who assisted in introducing subscribers to the Offering. The Warrants issued to the Finders and any common shares of the Company issuable upon exercise of those Warrants are subject to restrictions on resale in accordance with Canadian securities laws until January 6, 2023. The Company anticipates paying finders' fee to eligible third parties in connection with the completion of the additional tranche of the Offering. Closing of the additional tranche of the Offering remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Investor Relations

The Company is pleased to announce that it has entered into an investor relations agreement with Strategix Media Inc. ("Strategix"), effective September 1, 2023, to provide investor relations services. Strategix is a boutique investor relations firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which provides cross-media marketing solutions, including social media, to public companies seeking to increase their corporate awareness.

Strategix has been retained on a 12-month term at a monthly fee of C$8,500 plus reasonable out of pocket expenses for its services. After the initial 12-month period, either party may terminate the agreement at any time providing the other party with a 30 days' prior written notice. Strategix is not related to the Company and has no interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities. The agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.

For further information, interested parties are encouraged to visit the Company's website at (www.canadaonemining.com) or contact the Company at ir@strategixir.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Canada One Mining Corp.

Peter Berdusco

President and Chief Executive Officer

1 877 844 4661

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: statements relating to the planned exploration and development of the Copper Dome Project and the intended use of the proceeds from the Offering. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, technical, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the timing, completion and delivery of the referenced assessments and analysis. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer

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.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Make festivals tools for youth empowerment Neenyi Ghartey VII

Edith Mensah Showbiz News Sep - 08 - 2023 , 16:00

THE Paramount Chief of the Effutu Traditional Area, Neenyi Ghartey VII, has urged traditional rulers and community leaders to use festival celebrations as platforms for youth grooming and empowerment for a brighter future.

He explained that traditional festivals which held a significant place in the hearts of Ghanaians represented a rich atmosphere of culture which could be more than just joyful occasions.

Speaking in an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Neenyi Ghartey VII emphasised the need to transform these festivals into learning opportunities and platforms for the youth resulting in positive change within the communities.

Our youth are the backbone of our communities and our nation. It is our duty to nurture their talents, instill values and provide them with skills that will not only preserve our cultural heritage, but also equip them for a prosperous future.

Efforts to blend tradition with modernity are gaining momentum across Africa, and as leaders, we must recognise the importance of preserving our cultural heritage while also equipping the younger generation with the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.

Our traditional festivals have always been a symbol of our heritage and unity. However, we must adapt to the changing times and recognise the pressing need to equip our youth with the skills and values necessary to navigate the modern world. Our festivals can be a platform for education, mentorship and youth development," he told Graphic Showbiz.

Away from using festivals as a tool for empowerment, Neenyi Ghartey VII also called for a proactive approach in resolving chieftaincy disputes that have plagued numerous communities across the country.

He said the disputes had proven to be significant roadblocks to development and required swift and decisive action in addressing them.

The adverse effects chieftaincy disputes can have on the socio-economic growth of our communities are many. These conflicts do not only disrupt the peace, but also divert valuable resources and attention away from crucial development initiatives.

For us as a people, it is incumbent upon us to prioritise the resolution of these disputes efficiently to foster sustainable progress. We must come together to find equitable and lasting solutions to these disputes.

By doing so, we can pave the way for harmonious coexistence and facilitate the conditions necessary for growth and prosperity in our communities, he added.
No artiste can get to the top without spiritual fortification -Wendy Shay

Joy Entertainment Showbiz News Sep - 07 - 2023 , 21:47

RuffTown Records signee, Wendy Shay, has advised creatives to get spiritual backing to be able excel in the industry.

According to her, talent is not enough; it takes faith in ones object of worship to complement their hard work since no artiste can get to the top without spiritual fortification.

Every artiste you have seen on top is not doing what they are doing carnally. I go by the mantra work hard and have faith. Hard work goes hand in hand with faith.

After working hard, going to the studio, recording songs, doing whatever you do, you should also seek for [sic] spiritual back-ups. None of us do what we do carnally. It is either you are in the light or you are in the darkness.

This is what a lot of underground musicians dont know. It is either you believe in God or Jesus Christ or whatever you believe in, to order your steps for you. I mean, if you do it with your natural strength, youll get tired and discouraged, she said on Joy FMs Twitter Spaces yesterday (September 6).

Wendy Shay who is currently out with Every Man Cheats and Heartless recently said in an interview on TV3 that she had a lot of spiritual attacks when she stepped the threshold of the music industry.

Music is a spiritual journey; it has profoundly shaped the woman I am today. It has made me more attuned to the spiritual dimensions of life and the intricacies of the industry I belong to. Growing up in Germany, I never experienced anything like this, but upon coming to Ghana, I had to embrace the spiritual aspect, she said.

After five years of being in the music industry, Wendy has chalked a lot of successes, won topmost awards, topped international charts despite scathing criticism of some of her actions.

Recommended article: How Ohemaa Mercys ex-husband celebrated her on her birthday today
Ken is still @ Finance; OSPs probes still pending - Enimil Ashon writes

Enimil Ashon Opinion Sep - 08 - 2023 , 11:17

On October 25, 2022, some 80-plus NPP MPs led by Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, MP for Asante-Akim North, held a press conference to demand the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance.

They threatened to boycott the then impending Budget if it was to be presented by Ken.

Seeing red, President Akufo-Addo, at a meeting with the aggrieved MPs, pleaded for time till Ghana concluded negotiations with IMF, pleading that terminating the appointment ...will disrupt the programme.

On October 27, 2022, a wealthy-businessman stormed Parliament with a fat envelope to attempt to influence the MPs to drop their calls for Ofori-Attas sacking.

Andy Appiah-Kubi said the man got disappointed when we said we cannot take anything.

It is not for the reason of money that we are making this demand.

On December 1, 2022, the MPs repeated their call for Kens ouster, saying they expected the President to fulfil his part of the bargain on the deal they struck with him.

Today is September 8, 2023. Ken Ofori Atta is still Finance Minister.

As of December 2016, Ghanas debt was GH122 billion.

In three years, 2019, the debt had ballooned to GH236 billion.

The argument by government was, and has been, that we borrowed to improve infrastructure.

Question is, for what did previous governments borrow?

Galamsey

Now to some hanging galamsey issues.

On March 19, 2021, renowned heart surgeon and former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, presented a report on the activities of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) of which he was head.

The report, which was handed over to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, imputed wrongdoing on the part of some government appointees.

In mid-April, 2023, details of the report leaked in the media.

Big names were named.

On April 22, 2023 a statement from Jubilee House dismissed the claims in the ex-ministers report as hearsay.

June 7, 2023: Professor Frimpong-Boateng was arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in connection with its inquiries into the claims by the minister.

He was granted bail in the sum of GH2 million.

The wheels of justice...

Withdrawal

Now, to Alan Kyerematens withdrawal.

His announcement has made me a prophet.

Last Friday, against the backdrop of the shocking result for him in the August 26 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Super Delegates Conference, I wrote asking, Is it over for Alan?

One of two things might have happened in Mr Kyerematens world.

Either he was unaware of the findings of the Kobby Mensah-led poll conducted after the Super delegates primaries, or he was too disgusted by NPPs handling of the assault on his North East Regional spokesperson.

Officials of the NPP in the region have downplayed the assault, dismissing it as an altercation between two people and seeking to imply that the injury to the agents eye was superficial.

Observers, however, are surprised.

They question how a minor injury could have necessitated an emergency flight to Accra for specialist eye care for the victim.

I repeat what I wrote last Saturday: If, for merely threatening a showdown, Kennedy Agyepong has been hauled before party Disciplinary Committee, why is the party silent on someone whose criminal action nearly led to loss of eye?

But why did Alan withdraw? Was the heat too much in the kitchen? Did his heart quake at the rumour that GH5,000.00 bundles were being dished out to the November delegates? Id be surprised if Alan didnt know the financial investment needed to win an election in Ghana; indeed, it is so colossal that many presidential hopefuls look outside for support.

I was in South Africa in 2007 when a delegation sent by a Ghanaian 2008 presidential hopeful arrived in Joburg on a money hunt.

An influential Ghanaian resident in that country took them to see a number of South African moneybags.

It is to say thank you to such investors that the notoriously discredited Winner Takes All clause remains in the 1992 Constitution.

See who are on Presidents list for rewards in terms of appointments or contracts.

Was someone able to convince Alan against the believability of election polls? So why didnt he believe the Kobby Mensah poll?

A poll conducted by a team led by Professor Kobby Mensah, a Legon lecturer and political marketing expert, found that the majority of NPP delegates have indicated that they would be voting for Alan in the partys main delegates congress on November 4 even though Dr Bawumia won at the partys Special Delegates Congress.

Or, is it that Alan knew he had a weak team?

Still asking questions, is the rumour true: that Alan withdrew because he had been promised a running mate position? That would be the biggest betrayal of the millennium, literally selling his team for a mess of pottage.
Give God your first fruit to prosper  Pastor Adeboye tells University graduates

GraphicOnline International News Sep - 08 - 2023 , 13:58

At the 15th convocation ceremony held at Redeemer's University campus in Ede, Osun state, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, delivered a powerful message to the graduating senior students.

Pastor Adeboye, who also serves as the University's Visitor, emphasized the significance of presenting one's first fruits to God as a means to receive abundant blessings.

Represented by Pastor Olukayode Pitan, Chairman of the School's Board of Trustees, Pastor Adeboye stressed the divine rewards that await those who faithfully give through offerings and tithes.

He urged the graduating students to remain focused on their faith and to not allow worldly attractions to divert them from their devotion to God, emphasizing that this foundation is essential for building a prosperous nation.

In his address, Pastor Adeboye stated, "To the graduating students, I congratulate you very warmly. As you exit from the university, dont allow the world and its lust to distract you to take the fear of God in you out; practice godliness. Be a lover of God and his word, and remember that all things answer to prayer if rightly done. God is the rewarder, give to him your first fruit, tithe and offering; nothing can stop your prosperity. Always remember your Alma Mater as you go. God, who is the owner of Redeemer University, will bless you."
KsTU running programmes on highest standards required by GTEC and CTVET

Graphic.com.gh Education Sep - 08 - 2023 , 18:05

The Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) has assured its students, potential students and the general public that its programmes were being run upon the highest standards required by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).

Reacting to a 2021 Auditor Generals report that stated that 32 programmes were not accredited in 2021, KsTU explained that 16 of the programmes have since been accredited as of now.

The other 16 programmes were however at various stages of the accreditation process.

In a rejoinder to a report filed by Graphic Online from the Public Accounts Committee sitting where the issue of the accreditation came up, Mr Joshua Appiah, the Acting University Relations Officer wrote: Management of the university states that the headline is misleading since it does not reflect the current situation of accreditation at the university as indicated in the content of the article.

Related article: KsTU runs 32 unaccredited programmes  2021 Auditor General Report

KsTU wants to assure its students, potential students and the general public that its programmes are being run upon the highest standards required by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), the university added.

At the Public Accounts Committee sitting

When the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament began its sitting in Sunyani in the Bono Region last Monday [Sept 4, 2023] to consider the 2021 Auditor Generals Report referred to the committee, the issue of the accreditation came up.

The PAC said institutions running unaccredited programmes was an issue that affected students negatively when they later applied to pursue higher programmes at other universities.

It, therefore, urged the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to consider implementing automatic renewals for ongoing programmes, and to speed up their entire processes.

It also charged the commission to embark on regular monitoring to find out how accreditation was implemented in the universities to avoid setbacks for students.

Unacceptable

A member of the committee, Akwasi Konadu, said it was unacceptable for universities to run programmes without accreditation.

He explained that the situation would tarnish the image and credibility of the universities and the acceptability of the certificates that are awarded.

However, responding to the committee, management of the KsTU said the university was doing everything possible to get the 32 programmes accredited, explaining that currently, 16 of them had been accredited, while the other 16 programmes were at various stages of the accreditation process.

The management explained that the accreditation process could take between six months and one year.

An accredited programme took three to five years to expire depending on the type of programme.

Invitation

The Chairman of the PAC, Dr James Klutse Avedzi, said the committee would invite the GTEC and the universities to find a solution to problems related to the delay in renewing or granting accreditation.

There is the need to bring the two bodies together to look at where the problem is and how we can address it, so we dont examine students on courses and programmes that dont have accreditation, he said.

Dr Avedzi said the issue of running unaccredited programmes at the universities was not limited to the KsTU, but that it was a common phenomenon across the traditional universities in the country.

He said both the universities and GTEC were partly to be blamed for the delay in the granting of accreditation to the programmes being run by the institutions.
Universities must not rely on fees to run programmes - Varsity don

Samuel S. Bio Education Sep - 08 - 2023 , 14:34

University authorities especially in developing countries must adopt measures that will ensure that their institutions become self-financing instead of relying solely on fees paid by students.

In this vein such institutions should remember that school fees as well as number of students an institution could admit had limits.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Quest International University (QIU), Mr Nicholas Goh, was addressing a group of journalists and media professionals at the QIU campus in Ipoh, Malaysia on Thurday when the group called on him at the university.

Samuel S. Bio reports from Ipoh in Malaysia that, the nine-member journalists and media professionals, from Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, are in Malaysia to participate in the V-Malaysia 2023 leadership conference.

The conference brings together experienced business leaders and global entrepreneurs numbering to several thousands in attendance.

It is featuring a series of world-class motivational speeches and training sessions for professionals to build their business and leadership skills and network for the growth of their organisations.

Mr Goh said "when universities rely on the number of students and fees, there is a limit above which you cannot increase the number of students or fees charged".

"When you continue to increase numbers because of the corresponding increase in school fees it gets to a time that you start churning out students without necessarily educating and equipping the students for their future," he said.



He said QIU therefore was not much interested in numbers but quality, adding that currently the student population is around 2,000 students from about 50 countries, saying "even with modern and impressive facilities we have, we are aiming at admitting just around 6,000 students so that we will have adequate time, attention and teaching resources for each student"

There were presentations by the various deans and heads of faculties, including the Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Goh, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Mei Chan, the University Relations Director, Pauline Lee, Senior Manager Loghun Kumaran, Registrar Muhammad Omar, and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Zita Mohd Fahmin.

Mr Goh charged universities in developing countries to commit to providing quality education while maintaining affordability, "producing well-rounded graduates equipped with the skills and confidence to succeed in a rapidly changing job market".

"Currently we are envisaging the situation where we will fund 70 per cent of our programmes and activities from internally generated funds through research and other activities for industry and 30 per cent from school fees," he added.

The COO of QIU emphasised the importance of students gaining first-hand knowledge of groundbreaking research by working alongside dedicated educators.

He said QIU was thus committed to social responsibility, with students actively participating in community service and volunteering for good causes

He cautioned that there were reports of scammers using the name of the university to dupe people, especially Africans, and advised prospective students, parents and the general public to verify information through the universitys official website, emphasising that "any website that does not end with - edu.my - should be disregarded.

The trip was sponsored by QNET, a subsidiary of the QI Group with its headquarters in Singapore.

He said education was to afford people the opportunity to live together, to ensure coexistence and learning of different cultures.

He expressed the desire to meet people of research for the development of the human being and Africa in particular, saying that Malaysia as a developing country must team up with Africa to share knowledge and research towards their development. Africa is developing. "We must develop using our natural resources. The time has come to stop exporting raw materials. Malaysia is a developing country and we must team up with the developing world such as Africa to bring each other up," he added.
Yilo Krobo GES appeals for stakeholders intervention

Ezekiel E. Sottie Education Sep - 08 - 2023 , 06:56

The Yilo Krobo Municipal Directorate of Education, in collaboration with the traditional authorities, the municipal assembly and the municipal education oversight committee, among other stakeholders, has held an educational forum dubbed School Status Accountability and Performance Review (SSAPR) at Somanya, the Yilo Krobo Municipal capital, last Wednesday.

The stakeholders meeting was, among other things, to review the general status of schools in Yilo Krobo, identify gaps between the current status and the expected outcome, the implications of the state of the schools in Yilo Krobo, compared to the learning outcomes by government and other stakeholders and their impact in learning outcomes and consider how to incorporate good practices as stakeholders to improve learning outcomes.

The Yilo Krobo Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Rev. Peter Attah Bilson, in his opening address, said it was important to emphasise the significant role of stakeholders at the meeting if equity and access to education could be achieved in the municipality.

He explained that other stakeholders, apart from the government, had vital roles in helping schools meet their strategic goals and objectives by contributing their experience, substance and perspectives towards improving learning, adding, There are grave challenges with learning outcomes in our schools.

Schools performance

Rev. Bilson, briefing the meeting on the schools performance in the municipality, said most of the interventions by government and NGOs to improve learning outcomes had not impacted well, as some schools were scoring zero per cent in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

He said another major challenge confronting the education directorate of the municipality was many young people of school-going age who were working in quarries, and mango farms and riding okada and pragya at the expense of their education.

Let me emphasise that from our surveys, many of the pupils in class three could not read to qualify them for upper primary education.

It was also discovered that girls are doing better than boys in most cases in their academic performance, he stated.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Eric Tetteh, who listened attentively to the presentation, expressed his displeasure about the situation in the municipality, especially the three schools that scored zero in the 2022 BECE.

He announced that three schools within the municipality would benefit from new projects this year, while two other schools would see a facelift, with sponsorship from the education minister.



The Traditional Authorities also pledged to assist with land for educational infrastructure if need be.
232 Mortuaries in Ghana operate illegally

Emmanuel Bonney Sep - 08 - 2023 , 07:00

No mortuary facility, public or private, has obtained the requisite licence to operate in the country as required under the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, 2011 (Part 2), the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency has said.

The agency said it had identified at least 232 mortuaries operating in the country and more of such facilities were likely to spring up.

None of these 232 mortuaries is licensed to operate per the law, the Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Dr Yaw Twerefour, told the Daily Graphic, adding that licences will tell you how to operate.

The agency, Dr Twerefour said, had consequently developed standards in line with the law in the quest to enforce the act, stressing that the move was to properly regulate the system and streamline the work of mortuary operators.

He said the standards would be handed over to the stakeholders to apprise themselves of it after which they would be given time to prepare for inspection and the enforcement of the law by licensing the facilities.

By the end of the next quarter, we would have engaged everybody for them to know what they are expected to do, Dr Twerefour said.

After that, he said, they would be given three months to put their houses in order in terms of licensing.

After all of this, when we come to your premises and you still dont comply or you dont fall within what we have, then you dont have any business on the field, he said.

Act

The agency, established under Part Two of Act 829, is responsible for licensing, controlling and regulating facilities connected with the storage, transportation and disposal of human remains through functions, including receiving, considering and approving applications of licences for both facilities and practitioners.

Practitioners to be licensed comprise pathologists, autopsy assistants, embalmers, funeral home directors, mortuary attendants, undertakers, cremators, hearse service providers and drivers; cemetery managers, graveside workers, professional pallbearers, mausoleum directors and funeral escorts.

The facilities to be licensed include cold storage facilities for human remains, mortuaries, funeral homes, crematoria, columbaria, mausoleums, cemeteries and hearses.

Dr Twerefour said the facilities had standards they were supposed to meet, adding that, for instance, if I come to your morgue, I need to know the composition of management, the registration  who are the owners, their financial capacity, your vision, your mission, infection prevention control, security, backup water and backup generator.

He said a backup tank should be able to keep the facility in operation for one week, meaning it should have a huge tank as water was one of the main requirements for operating mortuaries.

So if I come and you dont have a storage tank of a certain capacity, you are out; you cant work.

Even if you have a borehole, you must have a storage tank since that could fail and may not be able to pump water, he explained.

Crime

Dr Twerefour said because there were no standards, someone could kill another person, bundle the body up and deposit it at any mortuary and abscond.

Such situations, he said, resulted in some bodies being left in mortuaries for a long time and afterwards they were declared as unclaimed bodies and often given a mass burial.

He said because there were no standards, some facilities just accepted any body without trying to find out the details of where it came from, among other conditions.

Now, who is checking them, nobody.

So now its a free-for-all field and people are just doing what they like.

Some morgues want to do the right thing but because others are not doing the right thing, they have also relaxed, he noted.

An advantage of licensing the morgue, he said, was that it would also weed out unlicensed hearses, as those would also be checked if they met the requirements of the law.

Through that and other measures, he said, there would be a chain reaction when activities within the sector were streamlined.

But the ultimate goal is to go digital such that when I sit in my office I can know how many bodies entered the cemetery in the Western Region on a daily basis.

This is because once you enter you have to key in the information, real-time information, he said.

Dr Twerefour disclosed that the infrastructure to that effect was being developed.

By the end of the year we would have started licensing all the facilities - hearses, morgues, crematoriums, mausoleums.

This is a new dawn, things are changing; it is either you join us or you fall out.

I am for collaboration; I am not here to kill or destroy anybodys business.

I am here to support and set the standards; either you meet the standards or you drop out, he emphasised.
Brand Ghana needs forward looking structures  Oppong Nkrumah

Daily Graphic Sep - 08 - 2023 , 05:39

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has called for a strategic overhaul of Ghana's structures to ensure the nation is equipped for a forward-looking future.

He said with technology now driving development and progress, there was the need for Ghana to draw parallels between the nation's evolution and the strategies employed by corporate brands navigating a changing landscape.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the International Advertising Associations (IAA) sixth Africa Rising Conference last Tuesday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said it was important for Ghana to adopt innovative and adaptable structures to not only be abreast of the times but also remain relevant in the future.

Since its inception in 2015, the Africa Rising conference has been a pivotal event, drawing influential marketing communications professionals from Africa and around the world.

The conference featured a lineup of distinguished speakers including the Chairman and World President of the IAA, Sasan Saeidi, the President of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Andrew Ackah,the CEO of X3M IDEAS, Steve Babaeko, the Co-founder and MD of Zeepay, Andrew Takyi-Appiah among other notable dignitaries.

Bold decisions

Speaking on the theme "Building Future-Ready Brands," the minister stressed that just as corporate brands must define their purpose, we as a nation must also articulate our overarching purpose, emphasising that the process required confronting difficult questions and making bold decisions which must inure to the benefit of the country.

Just as we are asking corporate brands to introspect and answer these critical questions to shape their purpose and be future ready, we as a nation must do the same.

He stressed that in planning either as corporate or a nation brand, to be future ready, there were some difficult considerations that needed to be made.

We must take the tough decisions to take new paths without regard to whose ox is gored, so that we stand a better chance of being ready for the future rather than champions of the past, he stressed.

Brand Ghana

Mr Oppong Nkrumah underscored the need for the nation to prioritise forward-thinking over being champions of the past.

He stressed that the path to a future-ready Brand Ghana demands courage and a willingness to challenge the status quo, urging that this transformation must occur without regard to whose interests may be affected.

We work for Brand Ghana, not political parties, religious groups or ethnic divisions," Oppong Nkrumah said, stressing the importance of defining a unified purpose for Brand Ghana that resonates with all citizens not just a select few.

We must do better at setting out and upholding a set of norms that all of us, not some, will live by, the minister stated.
EU delegation visits Bobiri Forest Reserve ... To assess forest law enforcement

Emmanuel Baah Sep - 08 - 2023 , 06:27

A delegation from the European Union (EU) has visited the Bobiri Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region to have first-hand insight into Ghana's legality assurance system, forest law enforcement and trade licences.

Ghana's legality assurance system is a regulation that ensures that timber products originate from legal and sustainable sources.

Led by the EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, the team was conducted round by the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, together with some officers of the commission.

As part of the tour, the delegation was taken through the forest value chain  from the felling of legal timber till it is processed for the EU market  in conformity with the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan.

Also, during the visit, the EU Ambassador engaged in dialogue with key stakeholders, including government officials, representatives from the forestry sector and local communities.

Commendation

The tour lasted almost two hours, during which time they were driven through the thick forest, and finally to the Logs & Lumber Limited (LLL), an EU Licensed timber firm in Kumasi.

Mr Razaaly, after the tour, said he was impressed with the country for the efforts made, saying the systems were in line with the international standard practices.

I am so far impressed with what I have seen today, he told the media in an interview after the tour.

He gave an assurance that the EU and member countries would continually support Ghana's efforts to combat illegal logging, enhance forest governance and promote responsible trade in timber products.

Governments commitment

Mr Allotey said the Forestry Commission (FC) was aware of the repercussions which included revoking of Ghanas licence by the EU, and hence the FCs commitment to adhering to the accepted practices as required by EUs Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan.

By fostering sustainable forest management practices, Mr Allotey said Ghana continued to showcase its dedication to preserving its natural resources while contributing to global efforts for a more sustainable future.

FLEGT

The EUs Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan was launched in 2003.

The plan sets out a series of supply and demand side measures aimed at reducing the trade in illegal timber.

Included among these measures is the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) which is a bilateral trade agreement between the EU and a timber exporting country that seeks to put in place systems to verify the legality of timber exports to the EU.

Once the system is fully operational, timber products demonstrating full legal compliance will be issued with FLEGT licenses.

Ghana was the first country to sign a VPA in November 2009.

The Gyasehene of Kubease  the gateway to the Bobiri Forest Reserve, Nana Kwame Santuo, during the engagement, said their share of five per cent of the gains made from the reserve was woefully inadequate, and thus appealed for it to be reviewed upwards since the proceeds were not enough to improve the lives of the people.

The Chief of Nobewam, Nana Yaw Kyere III, also appealed to the commission to adhere to the local content policy, where the teeming unemployed youth in the communities could be engaged in the activities of the timber industry.
Ghana, Colombia partner to boost language acquisition

Chris Nunoo Sep - 08 - 2023 , 06:19

Ghana and Colombia have signed an agreement to enhance the teaching and learning of Spanish and Ghanaian languages in the two countries.

The agreement would further deepen the collaboration of the countries in the area of education by widening the scope of teaching and learning for their benefit.

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, signed for Ghana, while Colombias Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Graces Carabali, initialed on behalf of the Minister of National Education of Colombia at a Ghana-Colombia Business Forum at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Accra yesterday.

The Vice-President of Ghana, Dr Bawumia, and his Colombian counterpart, Francia Elena Marquez Mina, witnessed the signing of the agreement.

Exchanges

Under the agreement, Ghanaians would be sent to Colombia to teach Ghanaian indigenous languages, while Colombia would boost its teaching of the Spanish language in Ghana.

Ms Mina said her country looked forward to the mutual benefits the agreement was going to generate.

We will like to know Ghana and the culture and at the same time, we also want Ghanaians to get to know our culture and our country; thats how we are establishing our connection between us.

The first step towards that connection, the Colombia Vice-President indicated, was for Ghana to open an Embassy in Colombia aside from the other areas of connection between the two countries.

Also, Ms Mina emphasised the significance of the signing of the agreement, saying it marked a step forward in fostering strong ties and creating mutually beneficial partnerships and opportunities between the two nations.

She further stressed the need for the two countries to focus on establishing an industrial relationship between Ghanaian business people and Colombians while investors from both countries explored opportunities in each others country.

I think Ghana has a young population and we cannot leave them behind so we must focus on industrialisation to improve our relationship.

Many are dying of hunger, and so food production is one of the main focus that we have now, Madam Mina added.

Shared commitment

Dr Bawumia said the forum further attested to the shared commitment of the two countries to broaden their horizons and seek avenues for growth and development.

He said both nations had unique strengths and resources that could lead to remarkable achievements in trade, investment, manufacturing, technology transfer and knowledge sharing.

Ghana and Colombia share a rich history, diverse cultures and a common desire for progress.

Our two countries have shown resilience in the face of global challenges and have emerged as beacons of development within our respective regions.

As we stand on the threshold of a new era, it is imperative that we harness the power of collaboration to unlock the immense potential that lies within our warm friendship, he stated.
Ghana Police suspend interdiction of officers implicated in Bugri Naabu leaked tape probe

Kweku Zurek Sep - 08 - 2023 , 07:06

The Ghana Police Service has halted the suspension of three high-ranking officers who were previously implicated in a leaked audio recording purportedly outlining a plot to remove Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.

A statement issued by the police, dated September 7, said the suspension of interdiction is aimed at safeguarding the ongoing parliamentary inquiry, ensuring that it proceeds without any potential biases.

The statement goes on to clarify that disciplinary proceedings against these officers, namely COP George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Superintendent George Lysander Asare, will commence upon the conclusion of the parliamentary investigation.

This development stems from the interdiction of these officers on Thursday, September 7, following the emergence of a leaked audio recording in which they were heard allegedly plotting with former NPP Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu, to remove IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.

During his appearance before the parliamentary committee, COP George Mensah accused IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare of mismanaging the Police Service and cited a decline in the morale of police officers under his leadership.

COP Mensah also acknowledged his involvement in politics, though he refrained from specifying his party affiliation. His comments in the leaked tape echoed sentiments that the IGP's removal was essential for the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) success in the 2024 elections.

However, COP Mensah vehemently contested the authenticity of the tape, asserting that it had been tampered with and did not accurately represent his original conversation with Daniel Bugri Naabu.

Similarly, Supt. George Asare contended that portions of the audio recording were doctored and accused the IGP of orchestrating the recording.

In a significant turn of events, a new audio recording emerged on Monday, casting doubt on the authenticity of the original recording. This revelation surfaced after COP George Mensah and Supt. George Asare testified that segments of the original tape in evidence had been manipulated.

Samuel Atta Akyea, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee overseeing the investigation, disclosed this information to the media following Monday's proceedings. He indicated that the committee would decide whether to hold an in-camera hearing based on the evidence presented.

He clarified that the committee would listen to the new tape and review its transcript to determine the next steps. Additionally, stakeholders may be summoned with their legal representatives for cross-examination and discussion.

Nevertheless, he said the committee will exercise caution concerning national security implications and may conduct certain aspects of the inquiry in a closed-door session.

The current sitting of the committee has been adjourned indefinitely as members deliberate on the best course of action. The emergence of this new audio recording has introduced a fascinating twist to the ongoing investigation.
Ghanas doors open for investors  Dr Bawumia

Chris Nunoo Sep - 08 - 2023 , 07:12

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has assured his Colombian counterpart that the countrys doors are open to investors and entrepreneurs from Colombia who want to do business in Africa.

He said as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) Secretariat, Ghana had become an entry point to the vast African market.

Dr Bawumia, who was proposing a toast at a state dinner held in honour of the visiting Vice-President of Colombia, Francia Elena Marquez Mina, at the Jubilee House last Wednesday, therefore, invited Colombian businessmen and women to leverage the peaceful and stable political atmosphere in Ghana, as well as the prevailing investor-friendly climate to invest in the country for their mutual benefit.

It is our hope and prayer that the coming years will see an exchange of high-profile visits between officials of our two countries which would culminate into a state visit by our two Presidents early next year.

We are ready to build on the sound political relations that already exist between us to uncover new areas of cooperation that will ultimately inure to the benefit of our people, he added.

Dr Bawumia further said that although Ghanas relations with Colombia over the years had been restricted in scope we hope your visit will invigorate the ties between our two countries, adding that diplomatic relations between the two countries dated back to June 23, 1988.

Ms Mina was on a two-day visit to Ghana.

Among dignitaries at the banquet were the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare; a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, ministers of state, members of the diplomatic corps and some Ghana-based Colombians.

Slave trade

While sharing his thoughts on the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and the atrocities meted out to the Black race, Dr Bawumia said Colombia is home to roughly 14 million people whose ancestors were subjected to the shameful slave trade.

For centuries, he said, the Black race was reduced to property and commodities in the new world of North and South America, as well as the Caribbean with unimaginable effect of massive loss of lives.

Dr Bawumia said that although the quest to seek restitution or reparation for current generation of Africans and people of African descent might not undo the crimes perpetrated by the oppressors in the past, it might go a long way to mitigate the inhumane acts which scars on Africa and the Black diaspora can never be erased.

As we seek atonement for the acts of injustice meted out to our ancestors, we must nevertheless look ahead to a brighter and a better future for coming generations whose lives depend on the decisions that we take today, he said.

The Vice-President said it was for this reason Ghana and Colombia needed to find common areas of collaboration, particularly in trade and investment to improve on the lives of their people.

Gratitude

Responding to the toast, Ms Mina expressed appreciation for the warm reception accorded her.

She was happy about the lead role Ghana was playing in calls for reparation from the atrocities suffered by the black race some 400 years ago.

Ms Mina also lauded Ghanas role in the fight against climate change and called for more collaboration in that sector as well.

She also expressed joy over the decision by Ghana to open an embassy in Bogota, Colombia, saying it would be the first embassy by any country from sub- Saharan Africa in Colombia.
GREPA launches Africa Real Estate Conference, Expo 2023

Donald Ato Dapatem Sep - 08 - 2023 , 05:49

The Ghana Real Estate Professionals Association (GREPA) has launched its third Africa Real Estate Conference and Expo 2023 to project the Ghanaian and African real estate industry.

The event, to be held in Accra from October 13 to 18, 2023, will bring together real estate professionals, industry players, sustainability specialists and technologists together at one venue to share new ideas and expose each other to new technologies including proptech.

Proptech (property technology), refers to the use of technology to innovate and improve various aspects of the real estate industry.

In recent years, proptech has gained momentum in Africa, driven by factors such as urbanization, a growing middle class, and increasing investment in technology infrastructure.

Protech

It will be on the theme the future of real estate, Sustainability and Proptech Solutions.

The conference and expos will focus on highlighting the potential of the African real estate, explain the proptech innovation in the building industry, networking and collaboration.

It will also include knowledge sharing and capacity building, sharing of success stories as well as tap into government policies, programmes and laws.

Launching the programme, the President of GREPA, Odette Nyame-Kumi, explained that the Proptech was enabling the construction and design of green buildings and smart city initiatives.

Economics

She explained that proptech was an important change agent in advancing the application of technology tools to real estate.

She said it had also enabled companies to track their sustainability initiatives through the application of information technologies which promoted sustainable building operations.

Ms Nyame-Kumi explained that artificial intelligence was also a key player in proptech applications because it assisted companies website and portals to efficiently collect data from different sources to connect buyers and sellers easily.

The real estate sector in Ghana must be fully aware that these efforts will contribute to the realisation of a sustainable society which in part also enables Ghana achieve the UNs SDG objectives, she stated.

She added that the potential benefits that come with integrating proptech into real estate are very many and there's no doubt that it will play a significant role in helping keep our cities going green drive.

Later in an interview, the Vice- President of GREPA, Ms Juan Quaye-Mensah, said the programme was geared towards building a stronger and competitive industry for Africa and Ghana in particular.

He urged practitioners and industry players to take advantage of the opportunity the conference and expo would offer by participating.
Health outreach programme launched in Accra

Linda Sah & Diana Mensah Sep - 08 - 2023 , 06:13

A health outreach programme has been launched in Accra, with a call on stakeholders to partner and collaborate with the secretariat to provide affordable and accessible healthcare service to vulnerable individuals within the zongo communities in the country.

The National Coordinator of the Zongo and Inner Cities Development Secretariat, Abdallah Banda, who made the call, indicated that access to adequate, accessible, affordable, appropriate and available health care engendered a healthy population and brought about effective and efficiency in the socio-economic development of the country.

He said although the zongo and inner-cities were culturally rich and vibrant, they were faced with unique challenges in terms of access to quality health care.

I, therefore, respectfully call on all stakeholders, including chiefs, Imams, youth, pastors in Zongo and inner-city communities and other parts of the country to partner and collaborate with us so that together we can be the architects of present and future healthier populations and citizens in Ghana, he said.

He was speaking at the launch of the Health Outreach Programme for Inner-City and Zongo Communities on the theme: Improving the health of Inner-City and Zongo Residents; A Prerequisite for Socio-Economic Development.

The launch was undertaken by the Zongo and Inner-Cities Development Secretariat in partnership with the Iranian Red Crescent Society and Iran Clinic Ghana to provide essential medical care, health education and support services to over 20,000 residents within the inner-cities in the zongo communities across the country.

The ceremony was attended by the Iran Clinic Ghana Medical Director, Dr Sayeed Salahatpour; Irans Ambassador to Ghana, Bijan Gerami Nazoksara; the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ahafo Ano North, Sanid Adamu Sukeman; MP for Effia Constituency and Minister for State Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, and MP for the Klottey Korle Constituency, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, among other dignitaries.

A screening exercise was organised to mark the launch of the programme, during which people were screened for various ailments, including malaria, sugar levels, blood pressure, eye malaria, hepatitis B and cholesterol, while those identified with complications were referred for further diagnoses and care.

Sustainable steps

Mr Banda said the government had taken comprehensive and sustainable steps to address the health issues within the Zongo and inner city residents.

He indicated that government had worked to enhance access to quality health care including the provision of ambulances to all districts, recruitment of over 120,000 health professionals, the provision of health supplies and the ongoing construction of health facilities across the country.

He therefore commended the Red Crescent Society  Iran Clinic Ghana for the free medical care provided to the vulnerable within the Zongo and Inner-cities, adding : ''this launch is an effort to bring healthcare services to the doorsteps of zongo and inner city communities''.

The Health Outreach, he said, was reaffirmation of the commitment of the secretariat to principles of equity, inclusivity and social justice and the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-being.

Commitment

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bijan Gerami, said Iran was committed to contribute to the progress and success of the country and reaffirmed the launch as Irans dedication to support the development of the Zongo communities in Ghana.

We have provided initiatives such as providing scholarships to Ghanaian students and the presence of the Iran Clinic in Ghana, witness to Iran's serious commitment to obtain growth and well-being in these communities, he said.

The Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korle Constituency Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, said the initiative would reduce dependency on government to provide services for people in communities who might not be able to afford the kind of health care that they require.
Interdicting senior officers involved in Bugri Naabu leaked tape "amazes me" - COP (rtd) Bright Oduro

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Sep - 08 - 2023 , 09:56

It is amazing that the Ghana Police administration decided to act and interdict three senior officers after Parliament had instituted a public probe into the matters about the Bugri Naabu leaked tape, a retired Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr Bright Oduro has said.

He said it was premature for the police service to have interdicted the Director General in charge of Technical, COP Mr George Alex Mensah and the two others, Superintendent Mr. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Superintendent Mr. George Lysander Asare without allowing them to comment on the conversation contained on the tape.

In the police service, interdiction comes in when the issue at stake is criminal or it is a serious misconduct, but even with that, the persons involved should be given an opportunity for a comment before an interdiction, Mr Oduro said.

That is what amazes me because this tape has been out for more than two weeks now and the police administration has not taken any action and for Parliament to institute a public probe and then the police administration suddenly comes out with an interdiction for that.

I am not comfortable with it in my opinion, I dont think it is well placed, COP (retired) Mr Bright Oduro said in a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM, monitored by Graphic Online on Thursday night (Sept 7).

COP (rtd) Mr Oduro, well noted for his prowess in criminal investigations over many years, rose through the ranks and headed the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Service before retiring.

The radio station had called him on Thursday evening after the Black Stars match for his perspectives on what was happening in the police service in relation to the Parliamentary probe of the leaked Bugri Naabu tape that contains a discussion on the administration of the police service and how the whole issue was being discussed in the public domain.

The conversation on the tape involved a plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare from office.

Opportunity for comment before interdiction

Mr Oduro said the interdiction doesnt tell us whether the police have a copy of the tape. If the police have a copy of the tape, then of course, they will listen to the content and maybe find something wrong with the tape, maybe those who might have engaged in that conversation had probably not spoken well or misconducted themselves, they would have been given the opportunity to make some comments,

"Here we have a whole Commissioner of Police, who we learn was also in line for the IGP position and so if hes engaged in some private conversation, which has been recorded and brought into the public domain and the police has a copy of the tape, and the police sees something wrong with the content, the officer should have probably been given the opportunity to explain himself by way of comment and then if the comment dont sit well with the administration, or the IGP for that matter, then disciplinary action can then be proceeded against the officers or the officer," he added.

The administration may not necessarily interdict them, they can set disciplinary action in motion immediately, a service inquiry or something of a sort should take place if they are not comfortable, or if the police officers have misconducted themselves.

You can carry on with a service inquiry without necessarily interdicting, because interdiction as far as I know, are placed on officers mostly when the officers are engaged in some criminal activity, or serious misconduct, but who is going to say that the conversation that they were engaged in, constitute or amount to serious misconduct," Mr Oduro said.

Of course, there is nothing to indicate that they were engaged in any criminal activity, so that is out. So about serious misconduct, what shows that the conversation they were engaged in amounts to serious misconduct, and so if you place interdiction on them, I dont feel comfortable with it because we should have allowed the case to have been properly investigated."

Parliament has taken the lead, we should have allowed them to investigate in full and then recommendations made and then you and I will then be in the position to know whether what they did wasnt good or not.

But in any case, here was a private conversation with Chief Bugri Naabu, somebody records and somebody puts it in the public domain, I dont know whether the person who recorded was the same person who decided to make the public aware. What conduct was that? And for me whoever did that, some people say it is criminal, but I think that the person who did that wanted to pay the officers back in their own coin. I dont know what the officers had done. But the person who did that wanted to pay them back because probably the officers had been in a conversation and spoken about some wrongs in the police service so they had to be recorded, the public should know, so that they will be seen in some ridiculous manner.

The interdiction I think is not anywhere close because if they wanted to interdict them, it should have been done earlier and again the officers should have been given the opportunity to comment on the tape.

The question, does the police administration has a copy of the tape, and what action have they taken, you just take action by interdicting officers who were expressing views about how police service was being or is being administered. So it doesnt sit well with me with the interdiction," the retired Commissioner of Police said.

Hearing should have been in camera

Mr Oduro maintained that he would have also preferred that the sitting would have been in camera so that the officers would have been encouraged to speak out.

When it is public like this, you will not be able to speak the way you would want to, because it is not everything that you would want the public to know and the officers themselves, both Commissioner Mr Alex Mensah and Superintendent Mr Asare alluded to this that they were prepared to speak in detail of what is happening in the Police Service when they are given the opportunity in camera.

I think the investigation or the probe should have been conducted in closed doors, he added.

The Ghana Police Service on Thursday (Sept 7) announced the interdiction of COP Mr George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Mr Emmanuel Eric Gyebi and Superintendent Mr George Lysander Asare in connection with a leaked audio tape, which has become a subject matter of investigation by Parliament.

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Interdiction of 3 police officers premature  Security expert

Emmanuel Bonney Sep - 08 - 2023 , 06:00

A security expert, Emmanuel Kotin, has described the interdiction of the three senior police officers implicated in the ongoing investigation of the leaked IGP tape as premeditated and premature.

He said according to Constitutional Instrument (CI) 76, only three disciplinary authorities: the President, Inspector General of Police and the Central Disciplinary Board, could interdict any officer in the police service.

Mr Kotin, who is the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Security and Counterterrorism, therefore wondered which of these organs triggered the interdiction, given the ranks of the victims.

A statement dated September 7, 2023, and signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Grace Ansah-Akrofi, said COP George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi and Superintendent George Lysander Asare had been interdicted to enable the service to pursue further disciplinary procedures in compliance with Police Service regulations.

Grounds for interdiction

Reacting to the issue, however, Mr Koti asked what prompted the interdiction when the leaked audio was already out before the Parliamentary probe began.

The police are not the people investigating the matter and so on what basis are they interdicting the officers, and why wait until these officers have given evidence before the parliamentary committee? he asked.

He also wondered whether the enquiry was going to lead to disciplinary action within the service.

Does the action of the affected police officers amount to misconduct?

If yes, what type of misconduct? he asked, adding that interdictions were not arbitrary tools, hence their use must be founded on specific conditions

Mr Kotin said he looked forward to seeing how the affected officers would use the law to vindicate themselves.

So, the officers would now have to use the law to vindicate their rights, he said.

For him, the interdiction amounted to witness tampering because it was not the police that were investigating the matter but an ad hoc committee of Parliament, with the IGP also being subject to the investigations.

Evidence

He said from the evidence provided by the three senior police officers at the probe, the burden of proof has now shifted to the IGP.

So literally, he (IGP) does not have any moral right, like I mentioned in CI 76, if he triggered this interdiction, he stressed.

Mr Kotin said if it was the IGP who triggered the interdiction and not the President or the Disciplinary Board as stipulated in CI 76, This can amount to an attempt to silence those willing to appear before the committee and that would not be good for our democracy.

The future, he said, was pregnant in the coming days and weeks with regard to the leaked audio.

Essentially, he who calls for justice must equally come with clean hands. I think the IGP must step aside so that we can have a very independent exercise as far as this committee is concerned so that he does not even tamper with other witnesses, he said.

Mr Kotin said if the IGP failed to do that, the President had the moral duty to step in and let the IGP step aside.

Committee

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, constituted a special seven-member committee chaired by Samuel Atta Akyea to probe the alleged leaked audio containing a discussion on the purported removal of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, from office.

It comprised three legislators from each side of the House, with support from a technical person to assist in the investigation.

The committee's mandate is to investigate the secret recording and its implications regarding the alleged plot to remove IGP Dampare from office.

It is expected to deliver its findings by September 10, 2023.

The three interdicted officers have already appeared before the committee, with COP Mensah and Supt Asare implicating Dr Dampare as the person behind the recording.

Testimonies

So far, four key witnesses have appeared before the committee, including a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bugri Naabu, who confessed to have recorded the tape and handed it over to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

However, COP Mensah and Superintendent Asare insisted that the tape being examined by the committee had been "doctored, cut and paste".

Both officers urged the committee to procure the original tape from President Akufo-Addo and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare.

At its last sitting, Mr Akyea revealed that some senior police officers had petitioned the committee.

Although he did not disclose the content of the petition, he said the committee was resolute in its commitment to ensure that the truth prevailed.
Minority protest against BoG Governor: Court adjourns case to Sept 18 over misnomer

Justice Agbenorsi Sep - 08 - 2023 , 10:34

The High Court in Accra has given the Ghana Police Service seven days to change the title of its injunction application seeking to debar the Minority in Parliaments protest against the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison and his two deputies.

In a ruling today (Sept 8) the Court presided over by Justice Edward Twum, said the use of Republic as the title on the application brought by the Ghana Police Service was a mere misnomer on behalf of lawyers of the Police Service.

It added that the service had indicated in its supporting documents that its real intention was to institute the action on behalf of the Inspector General of Police for the Police Service, a corporate body with the capacity to sue and be sued under the 1992 constitution and not the Attorney-General

While commending lawyers for the Minority in Parliament for scrutinizing the application filed by the Police Service, Justice Twum noted that in the interest of fairness, technicalities should not be employed to delay the substantive matter.

The Court subsequently gave the Police Service seven days to replace the title, Republic to Inspector General of Police.

The case has been adjourned to Monday, September 18, 2023.

Meanwhile the Minority is expected to meet with the Accra Regional Police Command later today to discuss the modalities for the demonstration originally scheduled for Sept 5 this year but was later rescheduled to Tuesday, 12th September, 2023 following the Court action.

Preliminary legal objection

Filed by Ghana Police Service, the application was seeking to debar the Minority in Parliamenta demonstration in the interest of public safety following a disagreement on selected routes for the demonstration.

But in Court last Monday, (Sept 4), counsel for the demonstrators, Godwin Edudzie Tamekloe, argued that per section 99(1)(a) of the State Proceedings Act, 1998 (Act 555), the Attorney-General or a person authorised by the A-G was the sole person mandated to conduct the proceedings and not a lawyer from the Ghana Police Service since on the face of the charge sheet, the police had labelled the Republic and not the Ghana Police Service as the institution conducting the case.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Sylvester Asare, lawyer for the Police, he said, was not the A-G, or an officer authorised by the A-G adding: Therefore, he cannot purport to sign this originating process for and on behalf of the Republic.

He further added that the Ghana Police was a corporate body with the capacity to sue and be sued hence, the action ought to have been filed by the Inspector General of Police.

He therefore, urged the Court to dismiss the application.

Opposed

However, DSP Asare, who is also the Head of Legal and Prosecutions at the Criminal Investigations Department, argued that the points raised by Mr Tamakloe were unfounded.

There is nothing that bars a constitutionally mandated institution such as the Ghana Police Service from bringing a public order action.

The Public Order Act clearly gives us the mandate to apply to this court praying for the prohibition of the proposed special event, he added.
Sam Jonah calls for enforcement of laws to protect environment

Nana Konadu Agyeman Sep - 08 - 2023 , 07:22

A statesman, Sir Sam Jonah, has called for the enforcement of laws to protect the environment against the effects of illegal mining activities in the country.

What I am against is the manner in which the laws of the country are flouted with impunity to destroy water bodies and the environment for the many so that just a few people can make money.

Like corruption, illegal mining is not about the lack of laws, but the will to enforce the laws, he said.

Sir Sam, who is also the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, said the laws governing small-scale mining were clear that no one should mine within a certain proximity of a water body.

The law is very clear about how you dispose of your waste from your mining activities.

The law is very clear on activities in forest reserves.

The law is also very clear that foreigners cannot engage in small-scale mining.

Why are those empowered to protect the people looking on, or away while these heinous activities destroying the very basis of life in our communities are going on? he asked.

Sir Sam made the call at the annual general meeting and conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana in Takoradi, Western Region, on the theme: Pharmacist for national development.

Effects of galamsey

The chancellor further mentioned effects of illegal mining to include babies being born with two heads, broken spines and other birth defects.

A healthy nation is a wealthy nation, but if the illegal mining phenomenon is affecting the health of the people to this extent, then we are headed for a moral and mortal crisis, he said.

The statesman said that while he was not against small-scale mining, he was opposed to destruction of health in an unwise plunder for greed and insanity.

The beauty and purity of flowing water have been destroyed.

Rivers Ankobra, Birim, Densu, Offin, Oti and others have all suffered similar fates.

It is estimated that about 60 per cent of Ghanas water bodies have been polluted by the activities of illegal miners, he added.

Unhealthy silence

The chancellor, therefore, urged professional bodies to stand up and show concern about the devastating consequences of illegal mining on the health of the people.

He said the scale and manner of destruction caused by illegal mining was the worst abuse of the human rights of residents of affected communities, adding that the deafening silence of professional bodies was unhelpful in the fight to stop the worst onslaught on the public health of our nation.

Where is your outrage? Why the deafening silence from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, the Ghana Medical Association, the Ghana Bar Association, the Ghana Journalists Association, and all the respected associations and professional bodies of the country, the chancellor asked.

Employment

The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Dr Samuel Kow Donkoh, urged the Ministry of Health to ensure that adequate pharmacists were employed and posted across the country, especially to under-served areas.

The shortage extends beyond pharmacy dispensaries and include clinical pharmacists who play a crucial role in patient care, he said.

The president also called for the full implementation of the Pharmaceutical Sector Development Strategy (PSDS) to make the country the focal point in the production of medicines in West Africa.
U-turn: Police suspend interdiction of 3 officers over Bugri Naabu leaked tape

Graphic.com.gh Sep - 08 - 2023 , 07:07

On Thursday morning, the Ghana Police Service in a press statement announced the interdiction of three senior officers due to their involvement in a contentious audio recording, now under parliamentary scrutiny.

Related article: Police interdict 3 high-ranking officers amidst Parliamentary investigation into Bugri Naabu leaked tape that contains a discussion on why and how the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare should be removed from office.

However, in a new twist same day with another press statement dated September 7, 2023, the police administration has announced the suspension of the interdiction.

"In order not to prejudice the ongoing probe [by Parliament], the Police administration has suspended their interdiction", the press statement signed and issued by the Director of Police Public Affairs, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Grace Ansah-Akrofi explained.

In the earlier press statement, the police administration said it has interdicted the three officers, namely Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr. George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Mr. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Superintendent Mr. George Lysander Asare while further disciplinary procedures were being pursued in compliance with Police Service regulations.

Prior to the reversal of the interdiction, some public discussions had suggested that the interdiction was premature.

Read also: Interdiction of 3 police officers premature  Security expert

All the two press statements dated same day, September 7, 2023 were signed by the Director of Police Public Affairs [See copies of press statements attached below].

The audio at the centre of the parliamentary probe and the police statements on the interdiction and subsequent suspension of the action contains a discussion about why the Inspector General of Police. Dr George Akuffo Dampare should be removed from office.

Explaining the suspension of the interdiction in the press statement, ACP Grace Ansah-Akrofi said the suspension of interdiction was aimed at safeguarding the ongoing parliamentary inquiry, ensuring that it proceeds without any potential biases.

The statement goes on to clarify that disciplinary proceedings against these officers, namely COP George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Superintendent George Lysander Asare, will commence upon the conclusion of the parliamentary investigation.

During his appearance before the parliamentary committee, COP George Mensah accused IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare of mismanaging the Police Service and cited a decline in the morale of police officers under his leadership.

However, COP Mensah vehemently contested the authenticity of the tape, asserting that it had been tampered with and did not accurately represent his original conversation with Daniel Bugri Naabu.

Similarly, Supt. George Asare contended that portions of the audio recording were doctored and accused the IGP of orchestrating the recording.

In a significant turn of events, a new audio recording emerged on Monday, casting doubt on the authenticity of the first audio that was leaked.

This revelation surfaced after COP George Mensah and Supt. George Asare testified to the Parliamentary probing committee that segments of the original tape in evidence had been manipulated.

In another development, another secret video recording showing Bugri Naabu in a discussion with some other people in an office has also been released into the public domain.

In this video and audio, Bugri Naabu is heard talking about GH10,000 payment from the police and a contract offered him by the police through an agent - Michael.

Read also: Another leaked VIDEO: Bugri Naabu talks about GH10,000 police payment, contract

Samuel Atta Akyea, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee overseeing the investigation has disclosed that the committee has received another audio apart from what was already in evidence.

He disclosed this to the media after last Monday's proceedings.

He indicated that the committee would decide whether to hold an in-camera hearing based on the evidence presented.

He clarified that the committee would listen to the new tape and review its transcript to determine the next steps.

Additionally, stakeholders may be summoned with their legal representatives for cross-examination and discussion.

Nevertheless, he said the committee will exercise caution concerning national security implications and may conduct certain aspects of the inquiry in a closed-door session.

The current sitting of the committee has been adjourned indefinitely as members deliberate on the best course of action.

The emergence of this new audio recording has introduced a fascinating twist to the ongoing investigation.

Attached below are copies of the police statements announcing the interdiction and the suspension of the interdiction
Protect sanctity of state institutions - Dormaa East MP to politicians

Nana Konadu Agyeman Politics Sep - 08 - 2023 , 06:01

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Dormaa East, Paul Twum-Barimah, has appealed to political leaders in the country to refrain from comments that vilify and bastardise critical state institutions.

He said passing unhealthy comments about the Judiciary, the Electoral Commission and the security agencies only undermined public confidence in them.

We do not need to bastardise and vilify our democratic institutions and come back to think that they do not have the credibility that we need to grow our democracy, he said.

Lets build institutions

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Parliament last Wednesday, Mr Twum-Barimah said It is time we focused our energy and thoughts on strengthening state institutions to perform their constitutional roles.

The sanctity of the Judiciary, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the security agencies must be protected, and we should not take our political activities to these institutions since it will not help us, he said.

He was reacting to a recent comment by former President John Dramani Mahama who accused the government of packing the Judiciary with judges sympathetic to the NPP.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the 3rd annual lawyers conference of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on September 2, 2023, Mr Mahama accused the government of appointing NPP judges in a bid to help it avoid accountability once the party was out of office.

Currently, the judiciary is packed with NPP-inclined judges because this government has carried out a deliberate policy of putting their people onto the bench, the former President said.

Disagreement

Mr Twum-Barimah said he disagreed with the former President that the judiciary had been packed with judges affiliated to the ruling party.

He said the judges were appointed based on their competence and qualifications.

He indicated that former President Mahama had worked with some of the judges at various courts, where he appointed a few judges too.

Assuming the NPP decided to bastardise those judges appointed by the former President, can they think that they can go to them and find confidence in them?

I think we need to take our politics out of certain institutions and rather focus on helping them to become stronger, he said.

He added, The challenge is that when these institutions at a point become frustrated and begin to fail, we say they are not working.

As human institutions, the MP concurred that such state institutions were not immune to mistakes, and, therefore, needed to be corrected when they erred.

We must criticise and point out to them when they go wrong but we must equally praise them when they get it right, he said.

Allow system to purge

Buttressing his stance against the assertion by the former President, Mr Twum-Barimah cited an instance in the United Kingdom where the government appointed someone affiliated to the party in government.

This judge handled a case that went against the government and this shows that it does not matter who the government appoints to the judiciary.

If you strengthen the institutions and one gets an appointment to the judiciary, the system will automatically sanitise and purge you of any political bias.

But when you politicise the judiciary, immediately one is appointed and gets there, the person will feel the urge to work in the interest of the government, he said.
Many gathered to celebrate 10 years of Guams most anticipated EDM music festival last weekend  and there is more we can expect for the future of EIF.

Ten-year celebrations for Electric Island Festival included their traditional scavenger hunt for free tickets around the island, followed by pop-up shops, a Paseo clean-up, yoga with Ina Wellness Collective and creative artist workshops, all held at the Westin Resort Guam the whole previous week leading up to the two-day main event.

The last time EIF had a two-day festival was back in 2016.

Attendees experienced local and international DJs, local business vendors and more interactive experiences during the festival.

Both days were supposed to be held at the Paseo De Susana but due to unexpected weather changes, the first day was moved to Club Zoh in Tumon.

But that didnt stop many attendees from going.

The nightclub was packed and Eric Seo, Ronnie Perez, FYI, Lil Meish, Jericho Ofosho and Sunny G had them on their feet until 2 a.m.

The second night, the moon was shining, and the outdoor venue was filled with more colorfully dressed attendees, vendor pop up booths like Piece by Peace, Salinas Beautiworks, mini carnival rides, photo backdrops and a walk through gallery displaying EIF through the years and more.

The real highlight of EIF is the people and the community that creates the energy and vibe, said EIF Founder Jia Wang.

DJs KAKU, Sylnt B2B Crux featuring Jed, Zodiac Nat, Eric Hseuh, Nouga x Hardybum were mixing it up throughout the night. One particular DJ, Doostah, performed on Guam for the very first time that night.

Ive been DJ-ing for seven to eight years. I was a little nervous to DJ at first, but I just felt the vibe, read the crowd and stuck to what I know, said the Los Angeles DJ Doostah whose real name is Eric Doo.

If I get invited again, Id definitely be happy to perform again.

Even after EIF ten years, the festival is still attracting first-timers.

Jaedyohn Adriano, of Dededo, attended EIF for the first time this year.

Everyones vibe, the music, the outfits, I just love it so much. Im looking forward to the people, pictures, live music, dancing, the whole thing, said Adriano.

The future of EIF seems as bright as the neon colors worn by its attendees.

Were in a place where we have a huge platform and following, were basically a marketing machine. If people are looking to host concerts or events, thats where we come in to help. This is more than just a music festival, says EIF founder Wang.

Going beyond, were a platform where people can come and let loose and dont have to be afraid to be judged. Thats what we want to continue to be for Guam and representation going forward.
A bill that would require those convicted of vehicular homicide while impaired to support the surviving minor child of the victim was publicly heard Thursday at the Guam Legislature.

Bill 147-37, introduced by Sen. William A. Parkinson, would require that any person who is convicted of vehicular homicide while driving impaired shall be required to support the victims surviving minor children, if any, until each child reaches the age of 18.

The payments would be paid to the person responsible for raising the children, and the court must determine the amounts to be paid.

However, if the child enrolls full-time in a college, vocational school or trade school, the convict must continue to support until the child reaches 23 years old.

The bill is modeled after similar legislation named Bentleys Law, which has been passed in four states and is now being considered in 20 other states, according to Parkinsons offices news release.

Bentleys Law is an initiative led by Missouri resident Cecilia Williams and named for her grandson, Bentley, whose parents Lacey Newton and Cordell Williams, and their 4-month-old son, Cordell Shawn Michael Williams, were killed in a crash by a driver under the influence in 2021.

Not easy on anyone

Cecilia Williams testified in support of Bill 84-37 through Zoom during the public hearing.

DUI is a major issue everywhere. There are no true consequences to what the offender thinks, testified Williams. I find families like mine who are left to raise children again, and financially, that is not easy on anyone.

Williams added that she is still in the process of continuing to advocate for the bill across the remaining states across the nation.

Frank Harris, Director of State Government Affairs for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also provided a virtual public testimony in support of the bill.

In the US, drunk driving deaths have increased by 31 percent since 2019. The battle against drunk driving is far from being over, stressed Harris. This is about victim rights, giving the court another tool to address impaired driving and ensuring justice for victims.

Tess Rowland, National President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also provided written testimony based on the lasting impact she has seen with impaired driving.

I have witnessed the profound impact that drunk and drugged driving can have on families and communities, said Rowland. Each year, thousands of lives are needlessly lost, and countless others are forever changed by the consequences of this preventable crime. Bentleys Law represents a significant step toward reducing the incidence of drunk driving and saving lives in Guam.

Revisions

Sen. Roy Quinata added that while he is in support of the bill, the bill may need revision to add additional victims to be supported and for justice to those who may have lost everything.

Sometimes, the victim may just become immobile or disabled, but they will unfortunately no longer be able to fend for the family, said Quinata.

Parkinson also noted that while the bill is straightforward, it is still powerful.

It mandates that individuals convicted of driving under the influence resulting in the death of one or both parents must provide financial support to the orphaned children. This is not merely a punitive measure against the convicted; it is a lifeline for the children left behind, affirmed Parkinson. At its core, Bill 84-37 is about moral responsibility. When someones actions result in the loss of life and leave children orphaned, there must be accountability that extends beyond jail time.

Parkinson added that as raising a child requires financial resources, the bill aims to provide a financial safety net that the children desperately need.

The abrupt loss of a parent often catapults a family into financial instability, making an already tragic situation even worse, added Parkinson.
The first park police academy in Guam has officially been launched this week by the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration and through the Department of Parks and Recreation, according to a news release from the Office of the Governor of Guam.

The initial cohort is comprised of five recruits who will complete a seven-week academy.

The recruits were recognized this week during a flag raising ceremony at the Paseo De Susana Park in Hagatna on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

In addition to enforcing traffic regulations, park police officers are responsible for investigating complaints, managing alcohol-free areas, and preventing illegal littering at public parks.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero shared the importance of the new initiative.

This is a historic move to increase security and deter crime and encourage residents and their families to come out and enjoy our islands community spaces, said Leon Guerrero. We are grateful for the cooperation and coordination among our law enforcement agencies who helped make this first cohort possible. As we strengthen our administrations efforts to combat crime, the number of officers is anticipated to rise by the end of the year.

Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio also noted how there was a need for the new academy in regard to island beautification.

As repairs and improvements continue around the island to improve the condition of the infrastructure of our public beaches and parks, there is a growing need for investment into qualified personnel to upkeep these spaces and restore a sense of security, said Tenorio, who also leads the Islandwide Beautification Task Force. Prior to this year, there were only two park rangers on the force, but with effective management that has prioritized ensuring the general publics safety, there are now ten rangers working to support our parks.

This week, recruits are being trained by former Judiciary of Guam Chief Marshal Edward S. Toves in the judicious use of lethal force.

Courses will also include fundamental handgun safety, fundamental officer survivability, and police report writing, in addition to on-the-job training with the Guam Police Department.
A man wanted in connection with the killing of Jason Quintanilla Susuico was arrested after turning himself in at the Guam Police Department Dededo Precinct Thursday evening, according to police spokeswoman Officer Berlyn Savella.

Earlier in the day, police issued a wanted person flyer for Jason K. Manibusan. Savella said the Criminal Investigation Section asked for the communitys help finding Manibusan after he was implicated in the homicide.

Manibusan was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, aggravated assault, use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and conspiracy.

Susuico was found dead in the jungle by Guam Raceway Park in Yigo in January 2023.

Police previously arrested several others in connection with the Susuico murder case: Cynthia Rose Quinata, Jordan Michael Babauta and Brandon Rufus Chandler.

Charging documents state that Quinata invited Susuico to her house under the guise of smoking methamphetamine, but in reality it was because the victim had burned someone in a drug deal and that person was going to beat down the victim in retaliation.

Following the fatal encounter in the back bedroom of her Pagat, Mangilao home, Quinata purchased an airline ticket and prepared to leave island, according to court documents.

When police questioned her, she was packing a suitcase, but denied any involvement in the killing.

Using specialized tools, police found large traces of blood on the walls and floor of the bedroom.

After further investigation, police learned that Chandler and Babauta had allegedly discussed the killing in front of an unnamed witness. The witness said the two men were talking about how they and another suspect ... had beaten the victim to death and then used the victims vehicle to transport his body to a location adjacent to Route 15 in Yigo, the Aug. 4 charging document states.

The document states police have identified the other suspects in the homicide and are actively looking for them.
For travelers who are looking to enjoy a late summer trip to Japan, United Airlines is offering travelers on Guam a limited-time special fare on its direct routes to Japan.

From Guam, customers can enjoy roundtrip fares starting as low as $423 for basic economy and $455 for standard economy for a minimum stay of two days up to a maximum stay of fourteen days.

Tickets will be on sale until Sept. 11, and travelers must return to Guam by Sept. 30.

Customers in Guam can book this special fare immediately for all routes between Guam and Japan. The following Japan arrival points will be available:

Narita/Tokyo (NRT)

Chubu/Nagoya (NGO)

Kansai/Osaka (KIX)

Fukuoka (FUK)

The use of other discounts or travel certificates will not be applicable. Other restrictions and additional bag fees may still apply.

There will be no permitted waitlist, so tickets are being sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Customers are encouraged to book their flights through united.com, the United app, through local travel agents, or at Uniteds City Ticket Office in Tiyan.

Tickets will be nonrefundable except in accordance with Uniteds 24-hour booking policy. Reservations must be canceled before the original scheduled flight in order to keep the value of the ticket.

No changes will be permitted. The original and/or re-issued ticket must be annotated NONREF/0VALUAFTDPT/CHGFEE in the endorsement box.

United reminds customers that Early Check-in service is available for all Guam travelers who are leaving on early morning flights. Passengers can check in the night before their flights to avoid long lines at the airport. Early Check-in service is offered daily from 7:30 p.m.  9:30 p.m. at the United counter at the A. B. Won Pat International Airport.




Haiti - FLASH : One of the Colombians arrested in the assassination of President Moise, turns around and will plead guilty





This Thursday, September 7, a former retired Colombian officer German Rivera (44 years old) alias "Mike" one of the key suspects in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021 in his residence hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html , arrested in Haiti and transferred to the USA will plead guilty in federal court in Florida, reveals the New York Times.



While he had pleaded not guilty to the crime on first appearance, today, facing the possibility of a life sentence, he decided to plead guilty to the charges. Rivera, 45, is accused by American justice of having recruited and organized a commando which committed the assassination of the Haitian Head of State.



The acceptance of the charges is a big step forward in the case, underline the legal experts consulted, because they hope that Rivera will cooperate with justice and testify against his co-defendants. Criminal lawyer Ivan Cancino explains "[...] admitting guilt and cooperating with the investigation may result in a less severe sentence or less strict detention conditions."



For Juan David Bazzani, criminal lawyer from the Externado de Colombia University agrees and explains that Rivera's decision to accept the charges indicates that "Cooperating requires accepting to have participated and organized the operation. This makes him the most important witness for the prosecution."



Let's recall that in June 2023 another member of the conspiracy, Haitian-Chilean Rodolphe Jaar, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39685-haiti-flash-rodolphe-jaar-sentenced-to-life-imprisonment-in-the-usa-in-the-assassination-of-president-moise.html for the assassination of President Moise. The prosecution ruled that he had conspired to "commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and provide material support resulting in death" and that he "was responsible for supplying weapons to members of the commando to facilitate the completion of the operation.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39685-haiti-flash-rodolphe-jaar-sentenced-to-life-imprisonment-in-the-usa-in-the-assassination-of-president-moise.html



Read about the assassination of President Moise (links) :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36347-haiti-flash-former-colombian-soldier-mario-antonio-palacios-pleads-not-guilty-in-the-usa.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Results of the results of the single Bac exams for 5 departments and per student





The Ministry of National Education has published the results of the single bac exams (Secondary 4) 2022/2023 for 5 departments : Centre, Grande-Anse, Nippes, North-East and North-West.



Results* by department of the Bac unique (S4) 2022/2023: (in descending order)



Center: out of 7,097 participants, 4,089 candidates were admitted, i.e. a success rate of 57.62% (slight increase) the previous year 56.67%

Nippes: out of 3,592 participants, 1,749 candidates admitted, i.e. a success rate of 48.69% (sharp drop) the previous year 67.09%

North-West: out of 6,471 participants, 2,927 candidates were admitted, i.e. a success rate of 45.23% (sharp drop) the previous year 60.04%%

North-East: out of 4,482 participants, 1,800 candidates were admitted, i.e. a success rate of 40.16% (very sharp drop) the previous year 70.33%

Grande Anse: out of 3,678 participants, 1,400 candidates were admitted, i.e. a success rate of 38.06% (sharp drop the previous year 50.36%



*According to data provided by the National Bureau of State Examinations (BUNEXE).



The Ministry informs that the results of the other departments will be communicated shortly.



School principals are invited to withdraw their school's results list from the Departmental Directorate of Education (DDE) concerned.



To consult the results per student for these 5 departments CLICK ON THIS LINK



IMPORTANT:

This official BUNEXE address may be difficult to access due to the excessive number of applicants which overloads the Government server and sometimes makes it dysfunctional.



If you are unable to reach the BUNEXE site, avoid trying several times in a row to access it, you are only saturating the BUNEXE server even more. It is best to try again with an interval of 10-30 minutes and be very patient.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Diversion channel : The Dominican Republic sends armored vehicles to the northern border with Haiti





Thursday, September 7, 2023, the meeting between the Haitian and Dominican authorities on the issue of closing the Dajabon border post and stopping the digging of a water diversion canal from the Massacre River to Haitian territory for irrigation purposes, was concluded without any agreement.



At the end of the meeting, Luma Demetrius, the mayor of Ounaminthe explained that during the meeting, they discovered that the work is not viable because "certain technical aspects" are missing. He promised to bring this concern to the farmers carrying out the project so that the observations are taken into account and do not affect either Nation.



Demetrius also expressed his country's willingness to correct the necessary defects and continue work on the waterway, considering that the construction of the canal is legal and necessary to irrigate agricultural lands on the border.



The Dominicans did not make any statements to the press following the meeting, but maintained the closure of the Dajabon border (North), where commercial activity is the most important between the two Nations from the island.



Furthermore, the same day troops and armored equipment were sent as reinforcements and deployed in the northern zone of the border with Haiti, the Dominican Government maintaining its opposition to the resumption of the construction of a canal on the Haitian side for the diversion of water from the Massacre River which divides the two countries.







Some Dominican media had reported that after the border was closed, the construction of the canal had been stopped, which in the confusion turned out to be false, the canal construction site continued.



Dominican authorities assure that the construction of the canal is the work of Haitian businessmen whose objective is to sell canal water to Haitian farmers.



"Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry expressed his concern about this construction. He also indicated that a delegation from the (Haitian) Ministry of the Interior had been sent there to seek a definitive solution to this situation. Henry was categorical and affirmed that the project was not governmental," recalls the official Dominican communication.



Read also on the Haiti Irrigation Canal affair :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40406-haiti-politic-the-dr-asks-haiti-to-stop-the-resumption-of-work-on-the-diversion-channel-of-the-massacre-river.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36174-haiti-politic-claude-joseph-deplores-the-stoppage-of-the-construction-of-the-irrigation-canal-of-the-massacre-river.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34875-icihaiti-rd-resumption-of-works-of-the-massacre-river-irrigation-canal.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34389-icihaiti-dr-stop-in-haiti-of-the-construction-of-the-canal-to-collect-water-from-the-massacre-river.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33974-haiti-dr-the-construction-of-the-haitian-canal-on-the-massacre-river-on-the-way-to-becoming-an-international-affair.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33953-haiti-flash-dominican-geologist-osiris-de-leon-denies-haiti-s-assertions.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33945-haiti-flash-canal-on-the-massacre-river-in-haiti-dominican-president-abinader-raises-the-tone.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33854-haiti-flash-president-abinader-announces-the-construction-of-a-dam-on-the-artibonite-river-in-dominican-soil.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33823-haiti-agriculture-diversion-of-the-massacre-river-in-search-of-a-solution-with-the-dr.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33596-haiti-flash-conflict-with-the-dr-over-a-canal-diverting-the-massacre-river-to-haiti.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Education : New promotion of the South Korean school Sae-A Group





Nearly 10 years ago, the South Korean clothing manufacturer Sae-A Group invested in the Haitian educational landscape by creating an S&H school and this year, the Group is celebrating a new class of 47 graduating students thanks to its comprehensive educational program.



Sae-A emphasizes that these graduates demonstrate the remarkable power of free, high-quality education offered over ten years, encompassing their entire educational journey, from elementary school to high school.



It further adds that among these graduates, 11 have managed to find employment, while 36 are ready to continue their studies in universities. In fact, last year, Global Sae-A claims to have launched internships for future graduates at Sae-A Trading's international branches for a "seamless transition into the company".



Lt's remember that a South Korean manufacturer, which employs more than 10,000 people in Haiti, opened a second school in 2017.



Attending this ceremony in person were Global Sae-A Chairman and school founder WK Kim, Global Sae-A CEO KM Kim, Haiti government officials, the director of the Regional Ministry of Education, as well as local community leaders, and international stakeholders connected virtually.



The Korean company believes that education is the catalyst for national development and the S&H school has become the cornerstone of the reconstruction process in 2023.



S&H schools offer free classes, books, supplies and lunches, a framework of distinction as Sae-A calls it that differentiates it from other institutions in Haiti and the only one with such an offer.



In addition, Global Sae-A partners with the international NGO CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) and its subsidiary "Ssangyong Engineering and Construction" have committed $8 million in humanitarian assistance which encompasses various initiatives, including funding for shelters suitable for displaced people the collaboration between these entities highlighting a determined desire to bring positive change to communities in need.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Intervention in Haiti in the hands of the Security Council

The draft resolution authorizing the deployment of a multinational force in Haiti was submitted on September 5, 2023 to the 15 members of the Security Council who should rule on the issue on September 15. If the vote is positive, this force would be deployed under the name "Multinational Security Support Mission".



The Biden Administration is not considering the deployment of a military force in Haiti, but a force to support the National Police, underlined National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. He clarified that the mission should not take over from the sovereign capabilities of the PNH.



The Capital partly barricaded

Several areas of the capital have been barricaded since Wednesday evening, following a new attack by the Bel-Air gang in the Solino district. No official report available, but gunshot wounds were recorded and houses burned by the bandits.



"In Haiti we can destroy everything in 1 day"

During an interview with the French media "Le Point" Emmelie Prophete Milce, Acting Minister of Justice and Public Security declared "[...] in Haiti, alas, we can destroy everything, together in one day; but together we succeed in building nothing. Since 1804, when the native army chased out the French army, we have not joined together to make other conquests."



CARICOM mediation, the opposition demands...

CARICOM mediation encountered a new obstacle on Thursday September 7, when the planned plenary with the signatories of the December 21 agreement and members of the opposition aborted. The opposition demanded the presence of Prime Minister Ariel at these meetings, as well as authorization from CARICOM for the participation of opposition activists.



Moise assassination : German Rivera pleads guilty

Thursday September 7, 2023, as announced https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40445-haiti-flash-one-of-the-colombians-arrested-in-the-assassination-of-president-moise-turns-around-and-will-plead-guilty.html Retired Colombian army officer German Rivera pleaded guilty in Miami federal court as part of the investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. He admitted to being directly involved in meetings in Haiti and remotely in South Florida with other co-conspirators. He risks life in prison if there is no agreement with the prosecutor in exchange for his collaboration in the investigation...



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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(CNBC) Former FTX executive Ryan Salame pleaded guilty Thursday in New York federal court to campaign finance and money-transmitting crimes, and agreed to forfeit more than $1.5 billion. Salame, during his plea, admitted that from fall 2021 to November 2022 he steered tens of millions of dollars of political contributions to both Democrats and Republicans in his own name when in actuality the money came from Alameda Research, the hedge fund arm of the cryptocurrency exchange owner FTX.

To read this article:
Open Creative House, known for its involvement in the music and audiovisual sectors, is expanding into the gaming industry by launching a new gaming hub in Keilaniemi, Espoo.

Rovio, Supercell, Remedy  globally renowned Finnish game companies. But where are the new Finnish game developers and companies? The future of the industry is being fortified through broad collaboration.

On Friday, September 8, 2023, a weekly lecture series in collaboration with Helsinki Games Capital will kick off and run until the end of the year. Espoo City is also partnering in support of this course, which focuses on assisting new players in the gaming industry.

"Game Business Love Product" is a free course where industry experts share insights into gaming business practices and their experiences along their career paths. The course is open to game developers, players, students, and anyone interested in the industry.

Jonne Taivassalo, the CEO of Helsinki Games Capital, explains that the gaming industry's business landscape is in constant flux. Over 90% of the industry's revenue is generated by companies in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Despite this, there are very limited support instruments for early-stage companies in the region. Funding is typically available only to firms whose founders have decades of experience or have tried their hand in the gaming industry multiple times.

Taivassalo states, "I'm talking about an ecosystem debt: if new entrepreneurs don't emerge, it will impact the industry's growth within three to four years. Many individuals face challenges finding employment in the gaming industry between graduating from school and securing their first job. We want to support aspiring creators at the grassroots level."

Helsinki Games Capital has engaged in constructive discussions about collaboration with Espoo and Aalto University. Whether they succeed or fail, these new entrepreneurs will become genuine experts in the gaming industry, making them attractive to larger companies in the field.

The gaming industry is far more diverse than commonly imagined, with professionals from various backgrounds working alongside coders. Business and art are just as important as technology.

The course's idea is to share comprehensive knowledge about gaming business practices. In addition to lectures, participants have the opportunity to network with industry professionals and enthusiasts, potentially opening doors for them. The goal is to inspire and potentially even nurture new entrepreneurs.

Taivassalo emphasizes, "Entrepreneurship is a fast way to learn."

Juka Hynynen, the founder and CEO of Open Creative House, is excited about this new initiative.

"Historically, OCH has had a vision of bringing the music, AV, and gaming industries together under one roof. These industries share many similarities and are interconnected both in terms of business and artistry. However, in Finland, they have been structurally separated. Our goal is to turn Open Creative House into a hub that enables business growth through cross-sector innovations and collaborations," Hynynen states.

HT
This funding round offers a total of 790 million for improving military mobility across the European Union by adapting sections of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) for dual civilian and military use.

Finnish organizations are applying for a total of 43.16 million in funding for nine military mobility projects under the European Union's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program. The Financial Affairs Committee of the Government supported the applications on September 7, 2023.

According to current information, this is the final funding round for military mobility during the 20212027 financing period. State seeks funding for improving transportation routes for civilian and military use

As per Prime Minister Orpo's government program, the government is fully utilizing European Union CEF funding, particularly for military mobility projects. The government program indicates that these projects will be proposed in the supplementary budget procedure in 2023 to ensure the best possible success in obtaining EU funding for justified projects.

"These carefully selected projects play a part in building a resilient and secure Finland. It is essential, from a European perspective, that Finland is actively involved in enhancing military mobility and seeks funding well in advance. The significance of Northern Finland in strengthening military mobility is emphasized in the project applications," says Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne.

The state is seeking CEF support totaling 34.58 million for seven projects. The projects are conditional on additional budgetary allocations by the Parliament. The Defense Administration has assessed the significance of the project proposals for military mobility, and the Ministry of Defense has provided its statements.

The largest amount of funding is sought for the refurbishment of the Oulu-Laurila railway line. The project aims to eliminate bottlenecks in the railway infrastructure, which pose safety risks and capacity limitations on the line. Additionally, funding is requested for improving roads, repairing and replacing bridges, and deepening the Koverhar sea route.

The following state projects are seeking EU CEF funding:

Renovation of the Tornionjoki Bridge

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 3.20 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision. Refurbishment of the Oulu-Laurila Railway

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 16.78 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision. Improvement of Highway 6 between Hevossuo and Nappa, Kouvola

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 7.75 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision. Improvement of Highway 4 between Hirvas, Rovaniemi, and Vikajarvi

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 2.30 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision. Improvement of National Road 82 at the Kalliosalmi Bridge, Kemijarvi

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 1.15 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision. Deepening of the Koverhar Sea Route, Hanko

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 1.25 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision. Replacement of the Kappelinsalmi Railway Bridge on the Mantyluoto-Tahkoluoto railway section, Pori

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is requesting 2.15 million in funding. The support application is conditional on Parliament's supplementary budget decision.

In addition, Finnish companies are seeking a total of 8.59 million in CEF support for two projects. Rauma Harbor's loading ramp construction project is seeking 4.72 million, while Pori Harbor's loading ramp construction and port field renovation project is seeking 3.87 million.

What's Next?

The application period for European Commission funding ends on September 21, 2023. According to the Commission's preliminary announcement, funding decisions will be made in early 2024.

HT
The number of deaths related to drugs in Helsinki reached its highest point in the past 15 years in 2021, with a notable increase in drug-related deaths among young people. These fatalities are often attributed to early substance use, the prevalence of polydrug use, and other high-risk behaviors such as injecting drugs, according to a new research article from the city council.

Between 2006 and 2021, drug-related deaths increased by four percent annually across Finland. Drug use tends to be higher in major cities in southern Finland compared to other regions. While cannabis experimentation and use have seen the most significant growth, the use of amphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine has also risen notably.

Problematic drug use, which leads to serious social and health-related consequences, has also increased in the 2010s. The latest estimate suggests that 0.91.3 percent of the population aged 1564 in the entire country are problematic drug users, with just under a third of them residing in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Problematic drug use has been most common among those aged 2534, but it appears that there is now a younger generation in Finland, below this age group, that is using amphetamines and opioids problematically, and this group is larger than ever before.

In Finland, 20 percent of those who die from drug-related causes are residents of Helsinki.

In 2021, there were 287 drug-related deaths in Finland. Of these, 57, or one-fifth, were residents of Helsinki. When adjusted for population, the rate of drug-related deaths in Helsinki was 8.7 per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 5.2 per 100,000.

While drug-related mortality in Helsinki has been significantly higher than the national average throughout the entire period from 2006 to 2021, it has also increased in the city, albeit notably starting in 2015. Between 2015 and 2021, drug-related deaths in Helsinki increased by six percent annually. In 2021, the mortality rate was 1.7 times higher than in 2015.

It appears that drug-related mortality has also increased in the Helsinki metropolitan area, including Espoo and Vantaa, although the number of deaths in these cities remains relatively low, making the annual variations more significant.

The age groups with the highest drug-related mortality in Helsinki between 2006 and 2021 were 2534 and 3544. However, among those aged 1524, drug-related mortality has increased since 2014. Since 2017, the mortality rate in this age group has increased by a staggering 31 percent annually. Statistically significant changes have not occurred in other age groups.

The proportion of young people's drug-related deaths in Finland is substantial compared to the rest of Europe and other Nordic countries. In Helsinki, the share of young individuals' drug-related deaths out of all drug-related deaths is significant, with one in seven cases involving individuals aged 1524. Initiating substance use at a young age, polydrug use, and other high-risk behaviors, such as injecting drugs, are among the leading causes of drug-related deaths among Finnish youth.

One of the key strategies to reduce drug-related deaths is to expedite access to substitution treatment, especially for young people who are not currently receiving such treatment. Preventive substance abuse work and early detection of use should also be emphasized, as early initiation of substance use often leads to substance abuse problems.

The City of Helsinki aims to offer easily accessible, timely, and effective services to young people facing severe substance use and addiction issues. Starting in September, the low-threshold Pysakki substance abuse service is designed for young individuals with severe substance use and addiction problems and the risk of social exclusion.

"Pysakki is open on weekdays without the need for a referral, even anonymously, and sobriety is not a requirement. At Pysakki, young people can receive guidance and counseling, psychosocial and outpatient withdrawal treatment, social rehabilitation, and, if necessary, a referral for the assessment of the need for substitution treatment or drug detoxification. For young people, inpatient care will begin within a week of receiving a referral," said Pia Pulkkinen, head of substance abuse services for the City of Helsinki, describing the new service.

HT
Marin received 36,628 votes in the parliamentary elections held in April, becoming the second highest vote getter after Riikka Purra , the chairperson of the Finns Party. She said yesterday she is tremendously grateful to her voters but viewed that she will be better able to serve them in her role as strategic advisor at the institute than in the parliament.

EX-PRIME MINISTER Sanna Marin (SDP) on Thursday announced she has asked to be relieved of her duties as Member of Finnish Parliament to join the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

I believe that people understand that sometimes its time to move to a new phase in life. This wasnt an easy decision, but I believe it was the right one, she commented at a press conference.

She also assured that her appointment will have no bearing on her social democratic values.

Johanna Vuorelma, a political scientist at the University of Helsinki, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that Marins intention to leave the parliament seems bad from the perspective of democracy.

It creates the image of a politician promoting her own interests, she said.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change operates in more than 30 countries. The Daily Telegraph revealed five years ago that the institute has received over 10 million euros in funding from Saudi Arabia. Co-operation between the institute and the authoritarian state known for trampling on the rights of women and sexual minorities continues also today, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

When asked about the matter, Marin said the institute receives funding from its clients, including Saudi Arabia.

Whether she is relieved of her duties as an elected representative will depend on the parliament. Although the Finnish constitution states that a representative may be granted release from his or duties only on acceptable grounds, only two such requests have ever been rejected, Timo Tuovinen, a deputy secretary general at the Finnish Parliament, said to Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday.

The evaluation focuses specifically on the nature of the new position, he said.

Marins request was submitted to the Speakers Council on Thursday, but the council decided to table the request for later. We decided to table it  at least until weve familiarised with both the current and previous practice and the institute she is joining, Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho (PS) explained to Ilta-Sanomat.

Such requests have previously been granted to representatives moving to high-ranking and societally influential positions, reminded Helsingin Sanomat:



Anna-Kaisa Ikonen (NCP) was released from her parliamentary duties to become the Mayor of Tampere and Juhana Vartiainen (NCP) to become the Mayor of Helsinki in 2021. Jutta Urpilainen (SDP) left to become a European Commissioner in 2019, Alexander Stubb (NCP) to become a vice president of the European Investment Bank in 2017, Mari Kiviniemi (Centre) to become a deputy secretary general at the OECD in 2014 and Jyrki Katainen (NCP) to become a European Commissioner in 2014.



Matti Vanhanen (Centre), meanwhile, was released from his obligations to take charge head of the Association of Family Companies in Finland in 2010. The former prime minister has since made a return to national politics.

If Marin is granted release from her duties, she will be replaced by Lotta Hamari (SDP), who received 2,675 votes in the electoral district of Pirkanmaa in April.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
While the Social Democrats saw its popularity fall by 1.4 percentage points from the previous poll to 21.4 per cent, the National Coalition recorded gains of 1.4 points to 21.2 per cent, closing the gap between the two parties from three to 0.2 points.

THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS and National Coalition are all but neck and neck at the top of the latest opinion poll by YLE .

In July, the Social Democrats got a big support boost related to the governments various difficulties. Theres a bit of a recoil effect in this poll, Tuomo Turja, the research director at Taloustutkimus, analysed for YLE on Thursday.

The Social Democrats nonetheless continues to poll well above its 19.9-per-cent vote share in the parliamentary elections.

Support for the Finns Party, the second largest party in the right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP), fell by 0.7 points from the previous poll to 18.5 per cent, adding up to a 2.5-point drop from its summer peak. Turja said to the public broadcaster that the party is struggling especially to hold on to relatively highly educated male voters in Southern Finland and Uusimaa.

The Centre Party saw its popularity increase by 0.8 points to 11.5 per cent, beating its vote share in the elections for the first time, by 0.2 points.

Both the Left Alliance and Green League recorded drops in support, the former falling 0.5 points to 8.0 per cent and the latter 0.3 points to 7.7 per cent. Support for the Swedish Peoples Party rose by 0.5 points to 4.4 per cent, while the Christian Democrats stood pat at 4.0 per cent and Movement Now slipped 0.1 points to 1.3 per cent.

The Greens got a bit of a support boost in June, when it shook up its leadership. In July and August, it seems that it hasnt continued to make progress, said Turja.

Taloustutkimus interviewed 2,459 people for the poll between 2 August and 5 September. Almost three-quarters, or 1,775, of the people were able and willing to reveal which party they would vote for if the elections were held today.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
A WAR hero from Henley was the guest of honour at a Dunkirk Little Ships parade.

Dick Charlton, 103, was invited to the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships 28th annual veterans parade on Saturday.

Twenty-two of 850 original ships involved in taking Allied troops off the beaches in France in 1940 took part in the parade on the River Thames, starting and finishing at Penton Hook Marina in Chertsey.

Mr Charlton was accompanied on board Lady Lou by James Nelson and John Green, from the Henley branch of the Royal British Legion.

He spoke with skipper and event organiser Ian Gilbert, honorary vice admiral of the association, and enjoyed refreshments and talks.

Before boarding the ship, he was greeted by the Mayor of Runnymede Shannon Saise-

Marshall and navy cadets from HMS Collingwood.

Mr Green said Mr Charlton was invigorated by the day.

He added: They were all making a fuss of him. Some didnt know his story but there was an endless stream of people wanting to know it and Dick himself was more than happy to relate it with a crystal clear memory of what happened.

The other very nice thing was that as these 22 boats progressed up the river, the banks were lined with people and they were all waving because they knew what the event was. Dick was sat up on the boat like royalty, waving back.

We picked him up at 10am and didnt get back until 5pm. I took an umbrella thinking it was going to rain but we ended up using it for the sun. It was really hot.

Mr Charlton was invited through Mr Nelson, the standard bearer of the Dunkirk Veterans Association. Thanks to Mr Greens quick thinking, he was suitably dressed for the occasion. Mr Green said: Dick had his blazer but then he said, The problem is, I dont have a beret to wear. I said, Well, look, it doesnt matter. Its you that matters. You just wear a flat cap but then I had an inspiration.

He enlisted the services of Martin Sheldrake, a military historian who lives in Marlow Road.

Mr Green said: I went to see him and, in his collection, he had a beret with the badge of the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry, Dicks battalion. Thats why Dick was able to wear a beret and Martin was happy to be able to do that.

Mr Green, who has been friends with Mr Charlton for around 30 years through the Legion, said: Dick himself was at Dunkirk but was not evacuated with the other troops because he was in a lorry taking wounded soldiers to the beaches because they were all retreating.

He was dropping the wounded soldiers off but he was told to return to his unit and thats where he was captured. He spent five years in a prisoner of war camp.

It breaks your heart actually because when he was a prisoner of war, he was on these work parties and there were all these thin people that had come from Auschwitz and they were being worked to death. They just dropped dead. They were malnourished, but they were made to do hard labour.

He relates all these stories with clarity and without rancour. Everyone who knows Dick is amazed at how he has seen so many terrible things yet he has retained his cheerfulness and his optimism.

We wanted to record this day because Dick almost certainly is the last person alive who was at Dunkirk in 1940. He just says: Weve just got to keep going. Every morning I wake up, Im still here. He doesnt make a big deal of it, but its a huge deal.
Note to editors and reporters: B-roll video (MP4 | 314 MB) is available for download and use in reporting, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelines addition of nationwide American Sign Language (ASL) services for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as part of ongoing efforts to expand accessibility to behavioral health care for underserved communities. Since the July 2022 launch, the 988 Lifeline has received more than 5.5 million calls, texts, and chats, following a nearly $1 billion investment by the Biden-Harris Administration, and will now be available to the millions of Americans who use ASL.

Individuals across America who use ASL as their primary language can now readily access the support they need during a mental health crisis, said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "With the introduction of 988 ASL services, we are taking a significant stride forward in providing inclusive and accessible support for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. This is a testament to our ongoing commitment to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to mental health support."

To connect directly to a trained 988 Lifeline counselor in ASL, callers who are Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, and Late-Deafened can click the "ASL Now" button on 988lifeline.org and follow the prompts. Direct dialing to 988 from a videophone will be available in the coming weeks, and in the meantime, ASL callers can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) from their videophone to reach ASL services.

The 988 Lifeline is a network of more than 200 state and local call centers supported by HHS through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for anyone looking for help with suicide, mental health, and substance use-related crises.

With the addition of ASL services, the 988 Lifeline reaffirms its commitment to providing comprehensive crisis care that caters to the diverse needs of all individuals, said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. This new service is one more critical step towards making mental health support more accessible and inclusive for all.

Millions of people in the Deaf community will now have access to the crucial support available through the 988 Lifeline, said Alison Barkoff, who leads the U.S. Administration for Community Living. The addition of American Sign Language services to the 988 Lifeline is another important step toward our goal of ensuring that all Americans  regardless of disability or age  can get the health care and supportive services they need to thrive.

"After years of advocacy to ensure that 988 is available to everyone not only through voice calls, but also texting and video for sign language users, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is thrilled that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is now available to use through video calls in sign language, said NAD CEO Howard A. Rosenblum. This critical service was made possible thanks to funding from HHS through SAMHSA towards implementation of the program by DeafLEAD and Vibrant. We encourage anyone going through a crisis or thinking about suicide to contact 988 in any way preferred -- voice, text, or sign language."

All of us at DeafLEAD are deeply honored to be part of this historical moment. Mental health care is not a privilege but a right. The introduction of 988 videophone services is a reflection of our collective pursuit of a society where no one feels isolated in times of crisis and ensures that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community have equitable access to a vital and life-saving service, said Dr. Stephanie Logan, CEO of DeafLEAD.

The rollout of the 988 ASL services is a testament to our commitment to building a world where emotional support is available around the clock for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. In a world where communication is the bridge to understanding, videophone provides individuals access to therapists, counselors, and support groups through sign language, said Dr. Tia Dole, Chief 988 Lifeline Officer at Vibrant Emotional Health. This serves as a cornerstone in creating an inclusive and supportive environment for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community.

More information about the ASL service is available online.

The Biden-Harris Administrations investment into the 988 Lifeline supports the Presidents Unity Agenda to tackle the mental health crisis. Much of that investment has gone directly to states, territories, and tribes to hire crisis counselors and improve local response. More than $200 million in 988 Lifeline grants is expected to be awarded later this month to support states, territories, and tribes to continue to build out local capacity for crisis services and connect with more people in need.

In 2021, according to SAMHSAs National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 4.8% of adults ages 18 or older (about 12.3 million people) had serious thoughts of suicide, and among adolescents ages 12 to 17, 12.7% (about 3.3 million people) had serious thoughts of suicide.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2021, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for people aged 1014 and 2534 years and more than 107,000 people died from drug overdoses.

Studies have shown that after speaking with a trained crisis counselor, most callers are significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

Almost 1 million of the 5 million contacts last year were answered by the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). The 988 Lifeline links to the VCL, which military members, veterans and their families can reach by dialing 988 and pressing option 1.

Individuals who speak Spanish can connect directly to Spanish-speaking crisis counselors by calling 988 and pressing option 2, texting AYUDA to 988, or chatting online at 988lineadevida.org or 988Lifeline.org.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) youth and young adults under the age of 25 who want to connect with a counselor specifically focused on meeting their needs can call 988 and select option 3, text Y to 988 or access the service via chat.

The 988 Lifeline uses Language Line Solutions to provide translation services in more than 240 additional languages.

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov.
Imagine the scene, a middle-aged man comes home after a long day at work. Along with his wife, children, and an old mother, there are two stray dogs waiting for him. They are sitting quietly in a corner of the courtyard. The man washes his hands and dries them with the towel his wife gives him. Then, he sits down on the charpoy to eat. His daughter brings him a shiny brass thali of food. The dogs start wagging their tails. The man tears the roti in two, looks at the dogs, and gives each a piece. Holding their treat in their mouths, they walk out into the street, wagging their small tails. PREMIUM The great Indian stray (Prerna Jain)

In the mood for food (Prerna Jain)

My grandmother described this scene to me with fondness whenever she talked about her ancestral village in western Uttar Pradesh (UP). She had been married for more than 50 years, by then. Yet, when she said my village, I knew it always meant her parents house, the house where she had spent her childhood. The description was so vivid that I could imagine the whole scene perfectly. I even imagined the colour of the two dogs, one black and one beige. The black one was a little taller than his companion. Both had small curly tails. At that point, I had only seen stray dogs and other animals on city roads and was scared of them.

Werent you and others in the family scared of the dogs? They could have bitten you.

The beach boys (Prerna Jain)

Grandmother smiled as if I had said something funny: They came for their share of food. Dogs only bite someone if they feel threatened or if they are nervous about the safety of their babies. In our family, the first roti made in the house was for the cow and the first bite from the plate was for the dog.

This was the norm for most families in that village. My mother too lived in a village in western UP for the first nine years of her life. Her family moved to the city more than seven decades ago, yet she talks about her village years fondly. She told how whenever a dog had a litter, the village kids took a broken terracotta pot and visited houses in the neighbourhood, singing, Kutiya byahi choon de, gadha byaha noon de (the bitch has given birth to a litter, give some flour for her, and give salt for the mother donkey). The second part of the sentence was just tagged on because it rhymed, she said. The children would collect flour from five or six houses and an adult would add a small piece of jaggery. Then, a small brick stove would be made in a corner of the street, twigs would be placed in it and the flour and jaggery would be cooked in the broken pot. For two days, the mother dog was fed this concoction. If the dog gave birth in winter, the children made her a small covered shelter. My mother was sad that she could not be a part of that gang of dog lovers as her parents didnt allow her to play in the street. She wouldnt admit it but perhaps there was a caste angle to her not being allowed to mingle with those children.

Friends furrever (Prerna Jain)

Culturally, dogs have been an integral part of our lives. Not just dogs, many stray animals can be seen even at our sacred places. They are given food and shelter, and they rarely bother visitors. The Mahabharata starts with the story of a dog and ends with Yudhishtir insisting on taking his fellow traveller, a stray dog, with him to heaven. As everyone familiar with the epic knows, Yudhishtirs canine companion who persisted with him even as his wife and brothers fell by the wayside, was Dharma himself, in the guise of a stray dog.

The G20 is a huge event, which will probably have many ramifications. Sadly, one of the unforeseen ones is the displacement of the citys strays. Street dogs from different areas in Delhi especially those near the G20 venue have been removed

A point to ponder: Why is the conflict mostly in urban areas? (Prerna Jain)

That the dog is mans best friend is well known. They have lived alongside us for centuries. Yes, there are instances of street dogs attacking children and adults and barking at them aggressively, but there is no overnight solution to the issue. You may like them, hate them or ignore them. But we need to find ways to live with them. A balance has to be maintained between the safety of people and animal rights. There are very few cases of stray dogs attacking people in villages. Why is the conflict mostly in urban areas? I asked my mother about this.

They did fight amongst themselves, she said. How do you know, you left your village when you were nine. There are still some people I know, who live in the village, she said in an irritated tone. There were rare cases of biting when the dogs felt threatened. One of my cousins had to get injections when she was bitten. It was a mad dog; otherwise usually they dont bite, she said.

The earth belongs to all the creatures of the world. (Prerna Jain)

The truth is, you cant wish stray dogs away. As Mahatma Gandhi said, The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

The earth belongs to all the creatures of the world. Prerna Jain is an artist and photographer based in New Delhi. An extensive collection of her work can be found at her website www.prernasphotographs.com and at facebook.com/prernasphotographs. She is the author of My Feathered Friends and a collection of short stories, Stories Usual, Yet Unusual.

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The digital transformation wave has reshaped industries worldwide, and the call centre domain is no exception. India, with its potent mix of skilled human resources and tech prowess, has been at the forefront of this transformation, steering the world towards a new era of customer support. And right in the heart of this evolution stands Cynergy BPO, leading with insights, expertise, and a vision for the future.

The customer support paradigm has rapidly shifted from mere problem-solving to delivering holistic, personalised experiences. And the key catalyst? Advanced technology. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) are not just buzzwords but tools in India's call centres, driving efficiency, accuracy, and a richer customer engagement.

John Maczynski, CEO of Cynergy BPO, captures this sentiment perfectly: We're no longer in an age where customer support is about answering calls. It's about predictive analysis, understanding customer behaviour, and offering solutions even before the problem is articulated. India's call centres, powered by advanced tech, are setting global benchmarks in this domain.

Chatbots, for instance, driven by AI and ML, have become the first point of contact for many businesses, addressing basic queries and streamlining the customer's journey to a human agent when needed. These bots, trained using vast datasets, can recognise patterns, emotions, and even predict the intent, ensuring customers are directed quickly to the right resources.

Furthermore, data analytics plays a pivotal role. By assessing customer interactions and feedback, call centres can now tailor their strategies, training modules, and even product offerings. Predictive analytics lets businesses forecast trends, ensuring they are always a step ahead in meeting customer expectations.

The use of Voice Biometrics in India's call centres has added an extra layer of security, enhancing trust. This technology analyses a caller's unique voiceprint, ensuring that customer data is only accessible to the legitimate user, making transactions smoother and more secure.

Ralf Ellspermann, CSO of Cynergy BPO, elucidates, What sets India apart is the way it merges technology with its human touch. It's one thing to implement advanced tech, but the magic happens when this tech is seamlessly integrated with empathetic and skilled human interactions. And thats the kind of synergy Cynergy BPO aspires for.

This symbiotic relationship between technology and human agents has been central to the success stories of many businesses that have outsourced their customer support to India. While technology offers efficiency and innovation, it's the human agents, trained and equipped with the best tech tools, who bring warmth, understanding, and a personal touch to every interaction.

Cynergy BPO, with its clear vision and commitment to excellence, has been guiding businesses to leverage these technological advancements in India's call centres. Their free-of-charge advisory, built upon decades of experience, ensures that businesses are matched with the best in the industry, maximizing the benefits of these tech-powered solutions.

As technology continues to evolve and redefine boundaries, India's call centres, backed by firms like Cynergy BPO, are not just keeping pace but are often setting the pace. In this dance of algorithms and empathy, they are ensuring that customers worldwide are met with solutions that are efficient, innovative, and deeply human.

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.

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The world of fintech, personalized by its swift evolution and innovative disruptions, has necessitated a pivotal shift in how businesses operate and serve their customers. The intertwined threads of customer experience (CX), rigorous data security, and industry compliance have become the cornerstones of success in this dynamic sector.

India, with its formidable prowess in IT and financial services, has emerged as a leading destination for fintech outsourcing. Leading the charge in bridging global businesses with Indias top fintech service providers is Cynergy BPO.

John Maczynski, CEO of Cynergy BPO, who has collaborated with Fortune 500 corporations in both the financial and technology spaces, observes, The fintech landscape is rapidly evolving. However, at its core, its about trust. Ensuring exceptional CX, maintaining stringent data security, and adhering to industry compliance are non-negotiables.

One cannot overstate the significance of CX in fintech. With digital platforms being the primary touchpoints for clients, the user experience needs to be intuitive, responsive, and efficient. Outsourcing to India provides access to a talent pool thats not only tech-savvy but also has a deep understanding of financial services. This amalgamation ensures that the end-users receive a seamless experience, whether theyre accessing basic banking services or intricate investment platforms.

Data security is another pivotal aspect. With fintech platforms handling sensitive financial information, any breach could be catastrophic, both in terms of financial loss and reputational damage. Recognising this criticality, Indian outsourcing firms, under the guidance of advisory entities like Cynergy BPO, have invested heavily in cutting-edge cyber security measures. Encryption protocols, multi-factor authentication, and real-time monitoring are standard practices, ensuring that client data remains sacrosanct.

Ralf Ellspermann, CSO of Cynergy BPO, states, Data is the lifeblood of fintech. Protecting it isnt just about technology; its about fostering a culture of security awareness.

However, fintech is also one of the most heavily regulated sectors. Industry compliance isnt just about adhering to the rule book; its about anticipating future regulatory shifts and being prepared. India, with its robust legal framework and a history of international business dealings, has developed a knack for ensuring that its fintech solutions are always a step ahead in terms of compliance. Outsourcing to India thus offers businesses the dual advantage of innovative solutions that are also compliant-ready.

Furthermore, as fintech platforms increasingly integrate AI and machine learning, the potential for personalized customer experiences has skyrocketed. Predictive analytics can tailor financial advice to individual users, robo-advisors can provide instant insights, and chatbots can resolve queries in real time. All of these advancements, backed by a foundation of data security and compliance, exemplify the future of fintech.

In essence, as the global fintech landscape expands and diversifies, having a reliable outsourcing partner becomes crucial. India, with its technological acumen, commitment to data security, and adherence to industry compliance, offers a holistic solution. And in this journey, firms like Cynergy BPO play an instrumental role, ensuring that businesses dont just navigate the fintech wave, but truly ride its crest to success.

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.

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First response to burn injuries can significantly improve outcomes

Promoting fast epithelization and pain management is key

Human BioSciences Collagen Dressings provide structure for new tissue growth Ahmedabad, September 2023:

Mastering burn management can be accomplished first in the home with appropriate immediate first aid. A cold water rinse for 20 minutes is advised by the Centre of Childrens Health Research in Brisbane, Australia. A good cleansing away of any dead tissue and debris should be followed by dressings that support epithelial tissue growth and pain management.

Preventing continued heating damage by running cool water over an injury has been shown to prevent further damage, which may prevent a partial thickness injury from becoming a full thickness injury. The first 24 hours are vital in the recovery after a burn, which includes first aid, analgesia and reepithelialization. Dr. Roy Kimble, Professor of Paediatric Burns at The University of Queensland Australia.

Human Biosciences, Inc. is a global biotechnology company specializing in collagen-based products for wound care management

Burns can continue to deepen if not appropriately treated. Deep burns result in longer hospital stays, more surgeries, poor scar outcomes and higher healthcare costs. First-line treatment of cold water rinse for 20 minutes and controlling pain is key. Pain is a commonly associated side effect of burn care; however, it is avoidable with proper management with analgesia, medication and advanced dressings.

Collagen-based dressings should be a first-line treatment to all burn injuries because they provide a non-contact layer that promotes new epithelial tissue growth that may stay in place for several days. The outdated use of gauze is a determent to patients with burns. We know it causes pain and damages new tissue growth with every dressing change. Protocols should change, Rohan Jain, President of Human BioSciences.

Skin healing after a burn injury will require removing any charred skin, controlling infection risk and promoting flattened scar tissue with limited adhesions. Recently, collagen-based dressings for acute burn wound management have been extensively used in India and worldwide. Collagen-based products provide a natural hemostat to control bleeding while encouraging autolytic debridement for continued removal of debris.Human BioSciences Collagen encourages new granulation tissue and capillary formation to fill the wound while providing a contact layer that does not stick. Advanced dressing use may further prevent the need for skin grafts, lengthy hospitalizations and costly burdens for families.

For supplies and purchasing information, contact: india-info@humanbiosciences.com

About Human BioSciences

Human Biosciences, Inc. is a global biotechnology company specializing in collagen-based products for wound care management. Dr. Manoj Jain founded HBS in 1990 with Kollagen technology, pioneering advanced wound care with native non-hydrolyzed Type -1 bovine collagen in its purest form with three delivery modes with Collatek Collagen Gel, SkinTemp II Collagen Sheets and Medifil II Collagen Particles. HBS continues engineering breakthroughs daily with innovative new product development, manufacturing advancements, and distribution of products globally with facilities in the USA and India.

Medifil II Collagen Particles and SkinTemp II Collagen Sheets

For more information, visit: www.humanbiosciences.com

Email: info@humanbiosciences.com

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 views, opinions, announcements, declarations, affirmations etc., stated/featured in the same. The decision to read hereinafter is purely a matter of choice and shall be construed as an express undertaking/guarantee in favour of Hindustan Times of being absolved from any/ all potential legal action, or enforceable claims.

The information does not constitute medical/health advice. Readers are strongly advised to consult a registered medical practitioner.

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Your credit score plays a crucial role in your financial well-being. Its a mirror that reflects your financial behaviour. Lenders use it to decide whether youre eligible for loans or credit cards. Thats why its essential to ensure that your credit score is accurate. So, what do you do if you suspect there might be discrepancies in your CIBIL Score? In this article, well explore how you can identify and rectify them to tidy up your finances.

What is your CIBIL Score?

Before we dive into the details, lets quickly refresh our understanding of the CIBIL Score. Its a three-digit number that grades how good you are at handling your finances. The score ranges from 300 to 900, and the closer you are to 900, the better your financial health. A low score can make it tricky to get loans or credit cards at favourable terms.

Common discrepancies in CIBIL Scores

Lets identify some of the common troublemakers:

Incorrect personal information: If youve moved to a new place, but the address in your credit report still shows the old one, thats an error you need to fix. Errors in your name, contact details, or PAN card information can also weasel their way onto your credit report.

Errors in credit account information: Sometimes lenders might include the wrong information or even duplicate it when reporting to credit information companies. Imagine you borrowed money once, but it shows up twice on your report. That can create some serious issues down the line for your credit health.

Missed or incorrect payment records: Each on-time payment contributes positively to your credit history. But sometimes, it might show that you missed a payment when you didnt. It can make you seem like an unreliable borrower, even though you have been handling your finances responsibly. Thats not right, and it needs to be fixed promptly.

Identity theft or fraud-related issues: Sometimes, someone might pretend to be you and take out loans or credit cards. If you see accounts you never opened or transactions you never made, its a red flag.

Why identifying discrepancies is crucial

Imagine youre trying to build a house. The most crucial aspect is your foundation: if it isnt solid, any structure you build on top of it will be vulnerable. If your credit report has errors, your financial foundation won't be strong either.

Mistakes in your credit report can hamper your ability to get loans or credit cards, and you might end up paying a lot more in interest because lenders will view you as a risk. So, its essential to spot and fix any errors as soon as possible.

How to identify discrepancies

Here are the steps you need to take to identify discrepancies in your credit report:

1. Get your free CIBIL Report: Head on over to the official TransUnion CIBIL website and avail of your free CIBIL Report offered once a year.

2. Review your personal information: Look closely at every detail  your name, address, and contact details  and make a note if you notice somethings wrong. Like, if your names spelled incorrectly or your address is not up to date.

3. Scrutinise credit account details: Investigate your credit account details to identify loan or credit card accounts you dont recognise, any duplicates, or incorrect information.

4. Examine payment records: Ensure all your payments are correctly recorded. If there are missed payments you know you made on time or any other mistakes, note them down.

Anything that doesnt add up is your suspect. Gather documents that can prove your point  those are your evidence.

Rectifying discrepancies

It takes a bit of effort, but rectifying discrepancies makes everything better for your credit health. Heres how you can go about fixing those errors:

1. Fill out the dispute form: On the official TransUnion CIBIL website, youll find a dispute form. Fill it in with all the details of the discrepancy, attaching any supporting documents.

2. CIBIL investigation: Once your dispute is filed, CIBIL will begin its investigation and contact the concerned lender, who will have 30 days to respond.

3. Resolution: If the lender agrees they made a mistake, CIBIL will make the necessary changes. Your credit report will get updated, and youll receive the revised report. However, should the lender disagree with your dispute, your credit report will remain unchanged. In this case, you can contact the bank or credit institution and provide them with your evidence.

Preventing future discrepancies

Heres what you can do to avoid future financial headaches:

Monitor your credit report regularly to catch errors early and immediately rectify them.

Maintain good financial habits, such as paying your dues on time, keeping your credit card balances low, and not opening too many new accounts.

Utilise tools like the unique CIBIL-powered Bajaj Finserv Credit Pass to monitor and manage your credit accounts.

Why use the Bajaj Finserv Credit Pass?

The Credit Pass has numerous benefits that will hold your credit health in good stead:

Real-time credit health report monitoring

Monthly CIBIL Score updates

Credit factors tracking

Interactive tools like the Credit Score Simulator and EMI Calculator

Quick, hassle-free registration process

Free, unlimited access for the first 12 months

Spotting and fixing discrepancies in your CIBIL Score is vital for your financial wellness. So, be vigilant and proactive. Use the steps weve outlined in conjunction with tools like the Credit Pass to keep your credit report accurate and healthy.

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. This information does not constitute a financial advice.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Thursday took part in the Yatra taken out in Ramanagara to celebrate one year of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar celebrated the one-year completion of Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Ramanagara on Thursday. (ANI Photo)(Arun Kumar Rao)

To mark the first anniversary of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress in different states is organizing foot marches and rallies.

ALSO READ | Bengaluru Politics News Updates: Former PM Deve Gowda backs out of G20 dinner, cites health reasons

Earlier in the day, party leader Rahul Gandhi, who spearheaded the footmarch, on the occasion, shared a video on X showing his 136-day journey, which covered a 4,000-km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

"Crores of steps towards unity and love of Bharat Jodo Yatra have become the foundation of a better tomorrow for the country," he captioned the video. "The journey continuestill hatred vanishes, till India unites. This is my promise! he added.

ALSO READ | Centre had rice stocks available, but did not give, says Karnataka Minister

The three-minute-ten-second video shows Rahul Gandhi's entire journey, his visit to different states, foot marches, and meetings with Congress leaders and workers during the yatra.

However, Rahul Gandhi couldn't join the celebration of Yatra's anniversary as he is out on a week-long Europe tour during which he will interact with the Indian diaspora.

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Ahead of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil (LAHDC-K), J&K former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said the Ladakh administration is biased towards the National Conference. J&K former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah (ANI file)

Two days ago, the Supreme Court in its order had directed that fresh election notification be issued for the Hill Development Council polls and also allowed the National Conference to use its party symbol Plough in these polls.

Omar Abdullah, while terming it as an unfortunate thing, said they had to wait for what was their right as a political party. Election guidelines are very clear about the allocation of symbols. Clearly the administration in Ladakh had a biased agenda this is why they went all the way to the Supreme Court to deny us our right, he said.

The former chief minister said the detailed judgment that came has been absolutely scathing about the conduct of the Ladakh administration. The court imposed sum of 1 lakh as cost charges on the Ladakh administration, which is in itself an indication of how seriously court viewed the conduct of Ladakh government.

He said the National Conference is pleased that order was issued late last night. We have now been allocated our party symbol. The fresh dates for elections have been issued and our candidates will be filing the nominations till September 16. We look forward for support of people of Kargil in the elections, said Omar.

The elections, earlier, were scheduled for September 10. However, as per the new notification, now polls for the Hill Development Council Kargil will be held on October 4 and counting of votes will take place four days later.

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Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGFT) of Punjab Police, in coordination with central agencies, arrested three absconding shooters from the Indo-Nepal border and Gurugram. According to police, the three shooters were working for gangster Sonu Khatri, a close associate of terrorist Harvinder Rinda. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested shooters as Sukhmanjot Singh alias Sukhman Brar of New Deol Nagar in Jalandhar, Jaskaran Singh alias Jassi Lodhipur of village Lodhipur in SBS Nagar and Jograj Singh alias Joga of village Pholriwal in Jalandhar.

The shooters were brought to the state on Friday and heavy police force has been deployed at gate no 1 of the Chandigarh airport to receive the three accused.

Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested shooters as Sukhmanjot Singh alias Sukhman Brar of New Deol Nagar in Jalandhar, Jaskaran Singh alias Jassi Lodhipur of village Lodhipur in SBS Nagar and Jograj Singh alias Joga of village Pholriwal in Jalandhar.

Police teams have also recovered three foreign-made sophisticated pistols of .32 bore from their possession, he added.

In an intelligence-led operation, police teams from AGTF under the supervision of ADGP Promod Ban nabbed accused Sukhman Brar from Indo-Nepal border, while he was attempting to escape to Nepal, and other two were arrested from Gurugram, the DGP said, adding that trio arrested shooters were planning to prepare fake passports to escape abroad from Kathmandu, Nepal.

He said that all the arrested persons are involved in at least five murder cases including Makhan murder cases, which took place in Nawanshahr in March 2022, besides, five cases of other heinous crimes including attempt to murder, Arms Act, carjacking and extortion. They were also involved in a broad daylight shootout at Metro Plaza in Zirakpur, he added.

Sharing more details, AIG Sandeep Goel, who was leading the operation, said that preliminary investigations have revealed that arrested accused persons used to commit sensational crimes in Punjab on the directions of gangster Sonu Khatri, and after committing the crime they used to take refuge in hideouts located in different parts of the country and Nepal.

It has also been revealed that hideouts were arranged by foreign handler Sonu Khatri, who also used to pay the shooters regularly via hawala transactions, he said, adding that further investigations are on.

NRI hired trio for contract killing

AGTF DSP Ramandeep Singh said the trio were hired by US-based NRI wherein two persons  Inderjit Singh of Nawanshahr and Satinder Singh of Ludhiana were injured in a shootout at Metro Plaza in Zirakpur on July 31, this year.

Zirakpur police have booked the US-based NRI identified as Jaswinder Singh Jassa, for ordering the hit.

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Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGFT) of Punjab Police, in coordination with central agencies, arrested three absconding shooters from the Indo-Nepal border and Gurugram. The accused have been identified as Jaskaran Singh, Jograj Singh and Sukhmanjot Singh. Jaskaran has been arrested from the Indo-Nepal border and the remaining two were nabbed from Gurugram, police added.

The shooters were brought to the state on Friday and heavy police force has been deployed at gate no 1 of the Chandigarh airport to receive the three accused.

According to police, the three shooters were working for gangster Sonu Khatri, a close associate of terrorist Harvinder Rinda.

The accused have been identified as Jaskaran Singh, Jograj Singh and Sukhmanjot Singh. Jaskaran has been arrested from the Indo-Nepal border and the remaining two were nabbed from Gurugram, police added.

Punjabs director general of police, Gaurav Yadav in a post on X confirmed the development.

In a Pan-India operation, AGTF-Punjab in coordination with central agencies has successfully arrested 3 absconding shooters handled by Gangster Sonu Khatri, a close associate of terrorist Harvinder Rinda 1 person has been arrested from the Indo-Nepal border & 2 from Gurugram. They were involved in the broad daylight shootout at Metro Plaza, Zirakpur, Yadav wrote on X.

Yadav further posted, Preliminary investigations reveal that arrested accused used to commit sensational crimes in the state of Punjab on the directions of Sonu Khatri and after committing the crime took refuge in hideouts located in different parts of the country and Nepal. Three foreign-made sophisticated pistols have also been seized by the police, he said.

The shooting at Metro Plaza, Zirakpur took place on July 21 this year. Two youths identified as Inderjit Singh of Nawanshahr and Satinder Singh of Ludhiana were injured in the shooting.

The arrested persons were involved in five murders, seven attempts to murder and many more heinous crimes, the police said in a statement.

Further investigation is underway, police said.

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Speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Khenpo Sonam Tenphel on Friday wrote to leaders of G20 Summit to bring their attention to Tibet. Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) hold placards as they carry the Tibetan flags during a protest against China's alleged occupation over Tibet and their partcipation in the upcoming G20 India summit in New Delhi on September 8. (AFP)

He wrote, We would like to bring to the attention of honourable delegates and the observers of G20 countries, the pressing issues faced by Tibetan people under the Chinese communist regime.

Tibetan people have been traumatised by the systematic violations of their most fundamental human rights, threat to their distinct cultural and national identity, massive environmental destruction and indiscriminate exploitation of mineral, water and forest resources, which led to the destruction of the entire Tibetan plateau, also impacting the world climate at large since the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) invaded Tibet in 1949, he alleged.

Maintaining that historically Tibet was an independent nation, Tenphel asserted that geographically, Tibet existed as a buffer state for more than 2,000 years between two Asian giants  India and China  until its illegal occupation by China in 1959.

While highlighting the alleged repressive measures by PRC against Tibetans, Tenphel said to resolve the Tibet-China conflict on the basis of the Middle Way Policy, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has made every effort to initiate a series of confidence-building measures during the nine rounds of talks which took place between 2002 and 2010.

Since 2010, no dialogue has taken place with the PRC and the ball is entirely in their court. Nevertheless, the CTA is open and firmly committed to dialogue and negotiation to resolve the Tibet-China conflict in the best interest of both the Tibetan and Chinese people through the Middle Way Policy, he wrote.

He urged the G-20 leaders to recognise Tibet as an occupied nation with its own independent and sovereign pas.

Desist from endorsing Chinas false narrative by labelling Tibetans as a minority, referring to Tibets occupation as an internal issue and call Beijing to engage in dialogue with the representatives of the spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

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A terrorist wanted in India was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside a mosque in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Friday, officials said. Originally hailing from the Jammu region, Ahmad exfiltrated across the border in 1999. He was considered as the brain behind the revival of terrorism in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, the officials said. (Shutterstock)

Riyaz Ahmad, alias Abu Qasim, affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba, was one of the main conspirators behind the Dhangri terror attack on January 1.

Seven people died and 13 more were injured when terrorists struck Dhangri village of Rajouri district and opened indiscriminate fire. They also left behind an improvised explosive device that went off the following morning.

Originally hailing from the Jammu region, Ahmad exfiltrated across the border in 1999. He was considered as the brain behind the revival of terrorism in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, the officials said.

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In order to ensure all flight movements and their coordination are in place and on time, the air traffic controllers (ATCOs) will be operating with an extra 10% of staff on all three days of the G20 Summit being held in New Delhi this weekend, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. The leaves of staff of Delhi ATCOs have been cancelled in view of the G20 Summit (File Photo)

The ATCOs are working with more staff i.e. 10% than usual, to handle the flight movements throughout the G20 summit. A few of them have been called to work at Delhi airport from various other stations, a government official said.

The ATCOs are working in three shifts (7.30am to 2pm, 2- 80.30pm and 8.30- 7.20am) and two coordinators are placed in each of these shifts to synchronize with the control room and various other teams.

According to an airport official, these coordinators will be on duty round the clock until all VVIP aircraft land.

Moreover, the leaves of staff of Delhi ATCOs have been cancelled in view of the G20 Summit, said the airport official, adding each shift has at least 59 ATCOs on duty during the Summit.

The flights carrying dignitaries began arriving in the national capital on Thursday and Friday to take part in the G20 Summit that is to take place over the weekend in New Delhi.

55 VVIP flights are expected to land at Delhis Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. According to airport officials, 60% of the VVIPs are expected to land in Delhi by 7pm.

A total of 55 aircraft are expected to land in Delhi with VVIPs and other dignitaries. While many of them will be parked at T3, a few of them (mostly including the ones from the US) will land at Palam Air Force station. All these landings will be completed by Saturday noon, the government official said.

The Delhi Airport International Ltd. (DIAL) officials earlier had said that dedicated gates and corridors to ensure seamless immigration for G20 delegates and a team of senior officials will monitor arrival and departure operations related to the summit.

While many of the guests will be arriving at Air Force Station on the Palam side, there are many other heads of States, as well as, other delegation members, who will arrive at Terminal-3. We have made special arrangements for them, DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar had said.

Meanwhile, other flight operations at the Delhi airport saw delays in departures and arrivals of 20-30 minutes.

Officials had previously stated that passengers flying to and from Delhi are likely to face some inconvenience between September 8 and 10, as flights will be affected due to heavy movement of VVIPs owing to the G20 Summit, likely causing delays in take-off and landing.

Sikandar Dubey (name changed) who landed in Delhi in the afternoon said, My flight was delayed due to the air congestion in Delhi. The flight was delayed for take off in order to ease the possible congestion of the air space in Delhi .

A second passenger on condition of anonymity said, There are additional security checks at the airport due to the VVIP movements. All airlines were conducting secondary ladder point checks (SLPC) for passengers.

The SLPC is a secondary-level security procedure mandated by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under which the airline staff have to frisk passengers and their hand luggage after the security clearance from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), right before boarding the aircraft.

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At least 29 flights carrying heads of State or their representatives landed in the Capital on Friday, with the Indira Gandhi International Airport deploying extra air traffic controllers (ATCOs) to coordinate all flight movements, officials aware of the matter said. Turkiye president Recep Tayyip Erdogan with minister of state General VK Singh (retd) at Palam Air Force Airport in New Delhi on Friday. (ANI)

Also Read| G20 members agree on four key economic issues

At least 12 of the 29 flights landed within three-and-a-half hours, with the separation between some flights being as little as under ten minutes, leading to frenetic arrangements to receive and dispatch the dignitaries to their respective hotels.

For example, the prime ministers of Netherlands and Singapore  both of who arrived on commercial flights  landed within six minutes of each other.

Similarly, the presidents of Turkey and Brazil arrived on their special flights within 15 minutes of each other.

Also Read| How G20 expert group chalked out blueprint to boost multilateral development banks

A government official said, ATCOs are working with 10% more staff than usual to handle the flight movements throughout the G20 Summit. A few of them have been called to work at Delhi airport from various other stations. He added, Fifty-five aircraft are expected to land in Delhi with VVIPs. While many will be parked at T3, a few of them will land at Air Force Station, Palam. All these landings will be completed by Saturday noon.

A Delhi Police officer aware of the security arrangements said that about 3,000 police and paramilitary personnel guarded and facilitated the movement of VVIP cavalcades leaving the airport.

The officer said the first foreign delegate to land in Delhi on Friday was Argentina President Alberto Fernandez, who arrived at 6.20am. Among the other dignitaries who arrived on Friday were the heads of state and representatives of South Africa, the UK, Oman, Russia, Japan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, Egypt, Italy Australia, the US, Canada, China, the UAE, The Netherlands, Singapore, Turkey, Brazil, Spain, and Indonesia. The German chancellor and the president of France will reach Delhi on Saturday, the officer said.

A second police officer said that around 25,000 police and traffic personnel were deployed at different points between the airport and the hotels where the dignitaries are staying.

Meanwhile, other flight operations at IGI airport saw delays in departures and arrivals by 30-40 minutes.

Officials from Delhi Airport International Ltd (DIAL), which operates IGI airport, earlier said a team of senior officials will monitor arrivals and departures related to the Summit, and that dedicated gates and corridors will be set up to ensure a seamless immigration process for G20 delegates.

While some guests will be arriving at the Air Force Station, Palam, there are many other heads of states as well as other delegation members who are going to come at T3. We have made special arrangements for them, DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neha LM Tripathi I am a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. I track the aviation and railways ministry. I also write on travel trends. I cover the beats at the national level for the newspaper. Before being in Delhi, I have worked as a journalist in Mumbai as well. My hobbies include trekking and travelling. ...view detail

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sanjeev K Jha In his reporting career of over 20 years, Sanjeev K Jha has covered bureaucracy, politics, ISI activities in border areas, music and Bollywood. Presently, he covers crime in the national Capital. ...view detail
PRAYAGRAJ: As many as 615 students will be awarded degrees at the 18th Convocation of Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A) to be held in the main auditorium of the institutes campus in Jhalwa from 4pm on Saturday. IIIT-A director Prof Mukul Sharad Sutaone (centre) talking to media persons in Prayagraj on Friday. (HT)

Founder chairman, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) Harish S Mehta will deliver the convocation address as the chief guest while Prof Sunil S Bhagwat, director, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune will grace the occasion as the guest of honour, as per IIIT-A officials.

Anand Deshpande, chairman, Board of Governors, IIIT-A, will preside over the convocation ceremony, they added.

Talking to media persons, Prof Mukul Sharad Sutaone, director, IIIT-A said besides 615 degrees, the institute would also award 22 different medals to meritorious students during the ceremony.

The director informed that Harish Mehta, a doyen of Indian IT, was known to be the driving force behind galvanizing the IT industry in India by co-founding NASSCOM in 1988. He was elected as the first chairman of NASSCOM and continues to be the convener of NASSCOMs Chairmans Council.

Through NASSCOM, Mehta played an instrumental role in building an independent, neutral, trustworthy and consensus-driven platform, where diverse stakeholders and fierce competitors could come together and harness the true potential of the Indian IT industry, he added.

Sunil S Bhagwat is the director, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune and professor of chemical engineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology. His area of specialization is interfacial science, artificial neural networks, energy and exergy engineering.

Prof Sutaone said that as many as 387 undergraduate students, 206 postgraduates, 1 dual degree BTech and MTech, 7 dual degrees MTech and PhD and 14 research scholars would be awarded with PhD at the convocation on Saturday. A total of 130 girls would receive their degrees this time.

As many as 236 BTech (IT), 112 BTech (electronic communication engineering) and 39 students of BTech (business informatics) would get their respective undergraduate degrees besides, 206 post graduate degrees, including 164 MTech and 42 MBA would be conferred on the occasion.

Vishesh Mittal, a BTech (electronics and communication engineering) student will be awarded the Chairmans Gold Medal for2023 for his overall academic performance of topping among all branches of the BTech courses.

The Institute Gold Medal for BTech (IT) will be given to Prince Kumar, silver to Aditya Agarwal and bronze to Divy Agrwal while for BTech (ECE) gold medal will be conferred upon Vishesh Mittal, silver on Mohit Garg and bronze on Chaitanya Joshi. Likewise, Bonny Thomas K will be awarded gold, Meghal Sethi the silver and Ayesha Shamim the bronze for getting the highest marks in MBA.

Akanksha Lal will be awarded gold, Riya Kalara silver and Neha Vishwanath Sarnaik bronze medal for securing top positions in MTech (information technology).

In M Tech (ECE), gold medal will be given to Pawan Sahu, silver to Manoj Kumar Singh and bronze to Aayushi Bansal.

The six endowment medals will be awarded to Jyotsna Srivastava, Sanjana Sharma, Gajjlaa Deepak, Muskan Deep Kaur Maini, Aditya Agarwal and Garvit Suri. Also, six students will be awarded merit certificates on the occasion.

Dean (academic and research) Manish Goswami and registrar Satish Kumar Singh were also present on the occasion..

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Police in Lucknow allegedly manhandled and thrashed a woman and her daughter while evicting them from their property for failing to clear loan debts. In the videos online, three women constables can be seen assaulting the mother and daughter. At one point, Seema loses consciousness after being slammed to the ground during the kerfuffle.

The incident, videos of which were doing the rounds on social media, reportedly took place on Thursday and the property in question is located near Kakori Crossing in the city.

Accompanied by personnel from Para police station, a team of revenue officials reached the property owned by Seema Gupta to evict her and her daughter from the premises.

As the two women objected to it, the police used force to remove them.

In the videos online, three women constables can be seen assaulting the mother and daughter. At one point, Seema loses consciousness after being slammed to the ground during the kerfuffle.

Responding to the incident later in the day, the Lucknow police commissionerate released a statement: After orders of the High Court, and on the instructions of District Magistrate, Lucknow, a team of Revenue officials had come to the spot...for which a security force from Para police station was deployed. The women obstructed government work and started quarrelling with the revenue department team and the police. To control the situation, the help of female constables was taken.

Commenting on the incident, Para station house officer Shrikant Rai defended police action and said it was the two women who first assaulted police officials. The [high] court has ordered for eviction of the inhabitants from the 750 sq.feet property owned by Seema Gupta. When we reached there, they started misbehaving with our constables. They also hit our constables and bit them. The viral video on social media is one-sided. We also have a video showing them misbehaving with us, Rai said.

Pic Cap: A grab from the viral video

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Mumbai: The Marathas in Maharashtra have intensified their demand for reservation in public employment and educational institutions owing to their deteriorating economic status in the recent times. Fragmentation of land, changing land use pattern and diminishing productivity of land owing to unreliable monsoons are some of the reasons for the affected well-being of the community in general. HT Image

The intermediate castes till very recently dominated the political space in the country. This largely was possible as they controlled large tracts of land, and in an agrarian society this played an important role in defining the social structure as well.

After the lathicharge on the Maratha morcha in Jalna, it became important for the government to commit some decision on the reservation to the Marathas. As the issue occurred in Marathwada, the government hurriedly announced that all those Marathas with the land records during the Nizams times would be given the Kunbi status and could be accorded Other Backward Class (OBC) status, through which the community could avail reservation in public employment and government run educational institutions. The recalibration of Maratha caste to Kunbi based on the land records and the erstwhile practice of offering reservations to Kunbi community in the Nizam state to be continued by the state government would be an oversimplified version of granting reservation to the Maratha, an intermediate caste. It is important to understand if this type of arrangement would stand the legal test.

The Supreme Court in its judgement on May 5, 2021, struck down the demand for reservation citing whether there were any exceptions to the 50% limit of reservations in the case of Marathas. Further, the nine-member bench examined the list of exceptions and opined on the two most important exceptions, namely -- one of geographic exclusion, when a community hails from far-flung areas; and the second of social exclusion, when a community is from outside the mainstream of national life. The Marathas, were none of these. While the court has already struck down the reservation for the Marathas, the government order, giving reservation to Marathas as Kunbis could again be challenged in the court of law where again it might not clear the test.

This could largely be an attempt to appease the Maratha community for the time being till the court issues fresh judgement in case it is challenged. In such situations it is quite likely that the Maratha community may experience progressive deprivation. Progressive deprivation essentially means if after a long period of growth, a sharp decline in expectations and capabilities. In the case of Marathas this happened in 2019 when the Bombay high court accepted Maratha reservation following the recommendation of the backward classes commission of the state and subsequently the Supreme Court struck it down, citing the Indira Sawhny case.

If the Marathas in Marathwada are accorded the status of Kunbi, what documentary evidence will the Marathas in the other parts of the state produce to get the OBC status for availing reservations for public employment and admission in educational institutions. Could the Maratha in Marathawada be treated differently than that of the other parts of the state is a larger question that needs to be answered.

Though in some parts of the state the Kunbi community avails the OBC status (in Khandesh, Vidarbha and Konkan regions), the question arises if the 96 Kuli Marathas (who consider themselves superior in the hierarchy) would accept the Kunbi (generally, peasants) status. Further, if at all the state accepts that Marathas be treated as Kunbi, a Shudra status, will the Maratha in the rural India give away his social status of being a kshitraya Maratha, land owning and politically prestigious community?

(The writer is a professor in the Department of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai)

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The accused arrested in the air hostess murder case in Mumbai died by suicide by hanging himself using his pants while in the lockup at Andheri station, the police said. The accused, Vikram Atwal, was arrested for killing the 23-year-old air hostess by slitting her throat inside her flat in Mumbais Marol area. The Powai police on Monday arrested a cleaning staff of a housing society in Marol for allegedly murdering a trainee air hostess living in the building, in Mumbai, (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

His body has been sent for post-mortem, the Mumbai Police said.

The 24-year-old trainee flight attendant was found dead in her apartment in Andheri East on Monday morning, following which Powai police arrested Atwal, a member of the cleaning staff of the housing society in a case of alleged murder.

The victim had moved to the city six months ago from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and lived in the third-floor rented accommodation in NG Complex, with her elder sister and a friend. However, at the time of the incident, she was alone in the apartment. Three days ago, her sister and friend had left for their hometown.

The victim last spoke to her family on Sunday morning, but in the course of the day when they tried to get in touch with her, their calls went unanswered. They then reached out to her friends in the city, asking them to check on her. When they arrived at her house around 9.30pm, they found the door closed from inside. There was no response to repeated knocking and the doorbell, whereupon they sought the help of a security guard to break open the door, said an officer from Powai police.

When they saw the body of the victim lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom, they reported the matter to the local police.

Eight teams were formed immediately after registering the murder. After a thorough technical investigation and several interviews, the police narrowed down the list of suspects until they reached the accused -- 40-year-old Atwal.

The wife of the accused also works in the housekeeping department of the building. The couple has two daughters, one of them a teen. When the investigating team arrived at Atwals residence in Tunga village, Andheri, 14 hours after the FIR (section 302 of IPC, for murder) was registered, they found him in a blood-soaked shirt, with visible injury marks over his hands and face, indicating a prior scuffle between him and the deceased. The questioning revealed that Atwal was offended by the way the deceased spoke to him during a previous argument.

Upon arrest, the accused told the police he decided to go to her house with a knife at a time he knew she was alone. He told us that in the course of the struggle, the deceased had managed to overpower him physically and at one point even took away the knife. Scared that her complaint might put him out of work, he acted swiftly, wrested the knife back from her and slit her throat, said an officer.

After ensuring that she was dead, he shifted the body to the bathroom as he did not want the blood to flow out from under the main door of the flat. He thought that the body would not be discovered for a couple of days at least or until the victims sister returned home.

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Five suspected smugglers were held on Friday with rhino horns, elephant tusks, and tiger bones by the rangers and officials of the Manas National Park. Rhino (File Photo)

Rajen Choudhury, field director of the Park told HT that they detained five individuals along with the animal body parts and registered a case in this regard against them under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Choudhary said that the accused were taken to the police, who confessed during the interrogation that they were involved in the killing of two rhinos at the Manas National Park this year.

They stayed inside the Park for six days and killed rhinos and other wildlife animals. They later sold the rhino horn, an official said.

All are residents of surrounding areas of the Park and we suspect that they killed these animals in the past few months. They were planning to sell the bones somewhere outside the state, Choudhury said.

In the last few months, the forest department in Assam has seized a huge cache of smuggled animal body parts in different operations across the state. In the second week of August, four suspected poachers were arrested near the India-Bhutan border.

On August 17, Assam Polices Special Task Force (STF) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) arrested a mother-son duo of suspected traffickers of wildlife creatures from Assam and Meghalaya.

In April this year, three suspected poachers were arrested in Assams Barpeta with tiger skins and bones worth Rs.20 lakhs. They had allegedly killed the tiger in Manas Tiger Reserve and tried to sell it to smugglers in another state.

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A mob torched a vehicle carrying three bullocks in Odishas Koenjhar on Thursday over suspicion that the animals were being smuggled. It was the latest in a series of such incidents in the state over the last six months. Police said over 350 cattle being trafficked have been seized in six months. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said the vehicle carrying the bullocks halted at Dhanabeni when locals spotted it. As several cases of cattle trafficking have been reported in the area, people suspected the vehicle owner was trafficking the cattle. The driver and other person in the vehicle fled before the mob set it afire, said Dipti Ranjan Sahu, a local police officer. He added last month, locals intercepted another vehicle carrying 11 bullocks.

Three vans allegedly carrying around 100 cattle to West Bengal were set ablaze in Balasore last week after police allegedly did not take any action.

On September 14, a group called Go Surakhya Samiti intercepted the Puducherry-Howrah Express at Balasore station over allegations that it carried 31 cows without required documents. The train left the station after police verified the documents of the cattle transporters. Police said over 350 cattle being trafficked have been seized in six months.

The Union government has alerted Odisha about cattle trafficking from six Odisha districts to West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. It asked the state to set up police check posts at major entry points along the inter-state borders and control rooms for registration of complaints regarding illegal trafficking and movement of cattle.

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The Prayagraj unit of the Special Task Force (STF) busted an inter-state gang of wildlife smugglers here on Thursday and arrested three of its members who were illegally transporting 500 parrots or Indian parakeets in a vehicle. (pic for representation)

The parrots, which are a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, were released into their natural habitat by a team of forest department on Friday. However, the department with the help of police, will now launch a probe and trace the source of parakeets that are being trapped and sent to Kolkata for sale.

The team will also take action against those who are selling parrots and other local species of birds and animals at local markets in Prayagraj.

DSP Special Task Force Navendu Kumar said acting on a tip off, the STF team under the leadership of inspector Udayveer Singh and a team of forest department intercepted a car near Bangar Dharmshala on Thursday and rescued 500 local species of parrots.

The parrots were cruelly stuffed inside five cages and even packed inside bags. Three persons were nabbed from the spot who were identified as Mohd Waseem aka Armaan, Mohd Asif of Asansol in West Bengal and the car driver Inzamam of Roshan Bagh area of Prayagraj.

Questioning from the accused revealed that Waseem and Asif had arrived in Prayagraj three days back and they had purchased the parrots from one Gulfam of Mastan Market area. They hired a car to take the parrots to West Bengal.

During questioning, Waseem informed STF team that parrots were in demand in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other adjoining states and even in North eastern states.

These parrots were caught from forest areas of Bara, Shankargarh, Koraon and Meja and wetlands of Ganga, Yamuna, Tons and Belan rivers where they are found in abundance. Local youths are engaged in trapping the parrots.

The trappers usually pick up fledglings from the nest or lay traps for catching large groups of parrots. Sometimes sedatives laced in flour are also used for catching the birds.

Divisional forest officer Mahaveer Kaujlagi said an FIR has been registered against the smugglers under Wildlife Protection Act and other sections of IPC at Kydganj police station.

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Pune: The Kondhwa police have apprehended a 40-year-old man allegedly involved in around 150 housebreaking cases and thefts. Gold ornaments worth 22.2 lakh were recovered from his possession. According to the police, the accused was wanted in 15 housebreaking cases in Pune and adjoining areas and further probe revealed his involvement in 150 similar cases. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The accused, identified as Sangatsingh Ajmersingh Kalyani, was held from his Loni Kalbhor residence.

Following complaints of daylight burglaries in Kondhwa area, senior inspector Santosh Sonawane launched a probe and CCTV camera footages revealed the accused using cap and handkerchief to cover his face after a theft in Kubera Park Society.

We scanned 200 CCTV camera footages to confirm his identity, before our team nabbed the culprit from his residence when he was attempting to flee on Wednesday, he said.

According to the police, the accused was wanted in 15 housebreaking cases in Pune and adjoining areas and further probe revealed his involvement in 150 similar cases. He used to carry out thefts during night with accomplices, before striking homes alone during daytime.

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Late last month, Japan started to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was wrecked by an earthquake and a tsunami in 2011. The question being asked is: Does the water, which is being discharged into the Pacific Ocean through a pipeline, pose a risk to the marine environment, particularly organisms that may ingest or inhale radioactive materials? PREMIUM Demonstrators hold signs reading "No Dumping" and "No to the Sea, Yes in the Land" during a protest against Japan's plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the Pacific Ocean, in Seoul, South Korea(Bloomberg)

On one side of the debate, environmental groups have protested the discharge, while China has gone to the extent of banning seafood imports from Japan. On the other side, Japanese authorities insist that the concentrations of radioactive substances are well below prescribed limits, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is satisfied that the released water meets regulatory standards. ( Read the IAEA report here )

Earlier this week Japan told the World Trade Organization (WTO) that China's ban on Japanese seafood after the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant was "totally unacceptable", Reuters reported.

Indeed, the radiation dose from the water being released is several times lower than what humans are naturally exposed to. Data in the public domain show that most radioactive substances have been reduced to a trace, while one unremoved element is at a concentration that is well below the benchmark.

Since the 2011 disaster, huge amounts of water were used to cool the reactors at the wrecked plant, while contaminated water was pumped out.

That unremoved element, tritium, is at the centre of the debate. Since tritium is difficult to remove, the Japanese authorities have diluted the water that is being discharged. Environmental groups, however, have questioned whether any amount of a radioactive substance can be safe for the environment.

Over the years, 1.3 million tonnes have been stored in more than 1,000 tanks on the site. Now, with the tanks running out of space, the Japanese government has allowed the discharge after treating the water with a procedure called Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).

Developed by the Japanese company Toshiba, the system purifies contaminated water that contains radionuclides, or radioactive atoms, through processes that include pumping and filtering the water. A series of chemical reactions removes 62 radionuclides, bringing their quantities to tiny fractions of regulatory standards. Among these are the elements of cobalt60 (causes skin burns), caesium137 (enters soft tissues and increases cancer risk), and strontium90 (potential cancer threat to bone and bone marrow).

Tritium, which is not removed, is an isotope of hydrogen  it has largely the same chemical properties, but its atomic nucleus is slightly different. Compared to the other elements, tritium is a relatively weak source of radiation. However, if consumed in large quantities, it can increase the risk of cancer.

Assessing the risk

Radioactivity is measured in Becquerels (Bq). The Tokyo Electric Power Company, which handles the Fukushima plant, is diluting the water before discharge to a level that brings the tritium concentration down to 1,500 Bq per litre  less than 1% of the regulatory standard of 60,000 Bq/l. In fact, it is less than even the WHO standard of 10,000 Bq/l, and that is for drinking water.

As far as Japan is concerned, the low radiation dose, the dilution of the water, the fact that radiation from tritium is much weaker than that from other pollutants, and that other nuclear plants have released greater amounts of tritium in the past with minimal effect of marine life, are points that they are expected to put forward even during the G20 summit taking place in New Delhi from September 9 onwards.

Environmental scientist Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth, who has been researching the impact of radioactive pollutants for decades, including pollutants from the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters, believes that discharged water is the best option.

Nothing is 100% safe  even respiration can lead to DNA damage through the production of reactive oxygen species in cells. The limits are set to be extremely cautious  the radiation dose is estimated by the IAEA to be below 1 microSievert per year [the unit at which the radiation dose to humans is measured] which is more than 2000 times lower than the natural radiation dose we all get annually, Smith said.

Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has released data on tritium released by nuclear plants around the world. China released about 220 teraBequerels (220 trillion Bequerels) from its Yangjiang plant and 112 TBq from in 2021, while South Korea released 71 TBq and 49 TBq from its nuclear plants in Wolsong and Kori respectively, in the same year. In contrast, Frances La Hague reprocessing plant released 1000 TBq in 2021 and UKs Heysham 2 plant released 323 TBq in 2021.

METI compares these with the Fukushima plant, which released 2.2 TBq liquid tritium in 2010, when it was active. The plan now is to release 22 TBq every year.

Call for caution

The form in which tritium is released is important. As an isotope of hydrogen, tritium tends to react with the same elements and compounds as hydrogen does. When tritium replaces ordinary hydrogen in a water molecule, the latter becomes tritiated water, and its environmental impact in this form is reduced, Smith wrote in The Conversation recently.

The risk comes when tritium replaces ordinary hydrogen in an organic molecule. This organically bound tritium can subsequently be ingested by marine organisms. The Japanese authorities need to ensure that there are not significant amounts of organically bound tritium in the water they release, Smith wrote. In fact, he told HT, that it does not matter if the tritium becomes organically bound after the discharge.

The important thing is that the tritium is discharged in tritiated water form. It can subsequently become organically bound in organisms but this doesn't mean it biomagnifies. The only problem is if it is discharged in organically bound form, then it can biomagnify as it isn't diluted by the mass of non-radioactive water it is discharged with, he said.

Biomagnification means the concentration of the radioactive substance in organisms grows higher and higher as it moves up the food chain. While organically bound tritium could biomagnify, the tritium in tritiated water would not. Organisms exposed to tritiated water would have about the same concentration of tritium in their bodies as the surrounding water.

Is Chinas ban on seafood from Japan justified?

Some radioactive substances from the wrecked plant have reached marine life, which has been reduced over the years. Various studies, however, have found that the amounts pose very little risk.

We studied crabs in ponds near Fukushima and found no effect of radioactivity from the 2011 accident on their development, said Smith, who has researched the Chernobyl accident since 1990, besides Fukushima.

He said lakes around Chernobyl, including the Cooling Pond of the reactor, are at radiation levels thousands of times higher than the Pacific will be following this release. We have seen some subtle effects of radiation on fish in the most contaminated lakes, but in general the aquatic ecosystem is thriving.

Among other studies, a paper in the Marine Pollution Bulletin in July this year found that tritium concentrations in seawater in the Fukushima region were around 0.1 Bq/litre.

Jordi Vives I Batlle of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, who has conducted a series of studies on radioactivity in the Fukushima region since the disaster, examined the effect of the planned discharge in a paper in the journal Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management last year. While information then was limited, his preliminary screening assessment indicated that the radiological impact on people and the environment is very low.

In 2014, a study in Environmental Science and Technology found that coastal fish in the Fukushima region had increased dose rates of caesium-134 and Cs-137 as a result of the disaster. This too was low: a hypothetical human consumer of 50 kg of fish, gathered 3 km from the plant in 2013, would have received a total effective dose of approximately 0.95 microSieverts per year, of which 0.13 microSieverts per year would be solely from the nuclear plant radionuclides. This is well below the benchmark of 1 microSievert per year.
CSBC Bihar Police Constable Admit Card download live updates: The Central Selection Board of Constables has issued admit cards for the Bihar Police Constable recruitment exam and the link to download it is now active. CSBC Bihar Police Constable admit card 2023 direct link, live updates (csbc.bih.nic.in)

Candidates can now download Bihar Police admit cards from csbc.bih.nic.in.

Direct link to download admit card

The exam will be held on October 1, 7 and 15. The examination will be conducted in two shifts. Check the detailed exam schedule here.

This recruitment drive will fill up 21,391 Constable posts in the organisation. The registration process started on June 20 and ended on July 20, 2023. Follow the blog for the latest updates on admit cards, exam dates and other details.
Fans of Netflix's One Piece live-action adaptation have reason to celebrate as the highly anticipated second season might be closer than expected. Marty Adelstein, CEO of Tomorrow Studios, the production company behind the show, confirmed that scripts for season 2 are already prepared. The news follows the undeniable success of the first season, but the release of the second season is contingent on resolving the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. One Piece live-action adaptation's second season scripts are prepared, pending the resolution of the SAG-AFTRA strike and Netflix's greenlight.(Netflix)

The production studio is eager to start filming but is currently waiting for the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike to conclude, as well as Netflix's greenlight to proceed. If these hurdles are overcome this year and the process moves swiftly, fans could potentially enjoy One Piece Live Action Season 2 as early as 2024.

Tomorrow Studios President Becky Clements shared in an interview with Variety, "Somewhere between a year and 18 months, we could be ready for air."

The SAG-AFTRA strike, joined by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in July, has disrupted scripted television series and film production. The strike is primarily aimed at securing better compensation and job security for actors and writers, especially in the context of digital streaming platforms.

Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans for the first season, Netflix has yet to officially confirm the production and release of the second season. Marty Adelstein commented on Netflix's deliberations, saying, "I think they're trying to figure that out this week. I suspect we'll hear from them in the next week to two weeks."

Also Read | One Piece fans can now read the manga that inspired Netflix live-action for free

The One Piece live-action adaptation boasts a talented cast, with Inaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu Arata as Zoro, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. The show focuses on the East Blue Saga, the initial arc within the Sea of Survival: Super Rookies Saga, and is closely overseen by the manga's creator, Eiichiro Oda, along with showrunners Steve Maeda and Matt Owens. Its debut on August 31 garnered positive reviews, and all eight episodes of season 1 are now available exclusively on Netflix. Fans eagerly await news of the second season's production and release.

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Nayanthara's stellar debut in Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan is being appreciated by one and all. The actor, who is called 'Lady Superstar' by her fans, essays the role of a cop chasing a criminal responsible for multiple heists, which is played by Shah Rukh Khan. (Also read: After Vaishno Devi, Shah Rukh Khan in Tirupati with Suhana, Nayanthara to seek blessings ahead of Jawan release. Watch) Actors like Sridevi, Shruti Hassan and Genelia D'Souza have all shared about their experiences of doing Bollywood films.

Let us take a look at some other south Indian actors, who have worked in Bollywood, and what they said about it.

Asin

The actor made her Bollywood debut opposite Aamir Khan in Ghajini. Her performance garnered critical acclaim and the film went on to become a huge success. Asin then went on to work with more Bollywood superstars including Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn.

In an interview with PTI from 2014, the actor had said that it is a wrong notion that she only works with superstars. "It is a wrong interpretation. I am happy that I have got to work with established actors. But apart from that I am happy to have worked with established actors. But apart from them I am open to do films with anyone. The script should be good enough."

Genelia D'Souza

Genelia made her acting debut with the Hindi film, Tujhe Meri Kasam. Fans still remember her as Aditi from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, alongside Imran Khan. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan in 2023, the actor said, "It's really good to see India is no more regional cinema  South, North, Punjabi or Marathi cinema. It's a blanket of Indian cinema. In the South, they have a very loyal fan base. They come from a legacy of films. I, on the other hand, was an outsider in two films. But, when I did South films then they used to say that Bollywood dropouts go to the South, at that point in time.

Shruti Hassan

In an interview with Hindustan Times in 2020, the actor who has worked in a number of Bollywood films said, I honestly have many times felt like an outsider, especially in Bollywood, there is a whole North-South thing that constantly happens. For example, if Im doing three Telugu films and three Tamil films, theyll say, Oh, but youre not focusing on Hindi, as if that is the only industry in the country. And it isnt. So I have always felt like an outsider.

She had added, "And also, as a person, I have always felt removed from the norms of what is expected of a woman or the way an actress is supposed to behave. You know, this is how it works in this business. I still havent understood what those tricks of the trade, so to speak, are. So I have always felt like an outsider. I wasnt brought up in a very filmy house. My parents were actors but that was just their job. At home, it was an artistic home, that was it. It was not assumed that I would join the film industry."

Tamannah Bhatia

The actor made her debut in 2005 with Hindi film Chand Sa Roshan Chehra (2005). Since then, the actor has worked in a number of Tamil and Telugu films. She was last seen in the web series Aakhri Sach.

In an interview with Pinkvilla in 2022, she said, I think it is essential, in south fans are very loyal. I think they have emotion around the artists. For them, it is a very personal and different connection with them. But I feel, that kind of stardom in the North, it is of course there but I see it is there for those few stars who have consolidated themselves for over a period of a decade. That loyalty comes through time."

Sridevi: The first female superstar of the industry ruled Indian cinema and worked in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. According to reports, Sridevi was the first Bollywood actress to charge 1 crore for one of her film.

In an interview with Rediffi in 2012, she said, I am very happy that I got my identity because of this industry. I don't think everyone can become an actress. It`s not a joke. You really have to slog. You have to devote your life to be the best. There is no point doing a film just to be a part of the industry.

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It seems Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori are on an attention grabbing mission. Recently, the couple were banned by a Venetian boat company after Kanye flashed his butt while taking a ride around a tourist hotspot. Kanye West(Getty Images)

In another embarrassing moment, Bianca's photos have gone viral on social media in which she is seen walking on the streets, wearing what seems to be a skin colour dress which makes her look naked. She is also carrying a purple pillow and covering her chest with it. In the picture, Kanye is seen accompanying her, wearing an all black outfit and covering his face.

Fans and netizens took to social media platform "X"(formerly Twitter) and reacted to Bainca's latest antics and trolled the couple.

"then boat now in road," posted one user.

"Its a publicity stunt," wrote another user.

"What in the WORLD," exclaimed a third person.

"She has on nude color clothing lol why yall like this on here," wrote a fourth person.

"This couples mental health is disturbing," tweeted a fifth person.

Can someone please save her ?What does she have on ? Is that a pillow ?!! So much to unpack from this photo, tweeted another user.

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Earlier, a video of Kanye sitting on a Venetian boat and showing a part of his butt, had gone viral on social media. Later, the boat company had to clarify its position on the matter.

The driver had to keep a lookout for traffic and did not see these obscenities, If this had happened, he would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority. We completely dissociate ourselves from such acts and behaviour. Mr. West and his wife will certainly no longer be welcome on board our companys boats, the boat company had told the Daily Mail.
Leonardo settling down?

The report states that sources close to Leonardo claim that he's settling down with Vittoria, who is 23 years younger than him. He's spent the summer travelling with her and appears to be smitten.' She's also now being referred to as his girlfriend, and not just a casual fling.

The two were seen stepping out for iced coffee last month in Santa Barbara. They twinned in white outfits as they walked together on the streets. Later, they were found making out at a pub in Ibiza, Spain.

Who is Vittoria Ceretti?

Vittoria has appeared on the cover of multiple editions of Vogue across the globe. According to Vogue Italia, Vittoria Ceretti was the most searched model of 2018, on their website.

She married popular Italian DJ Matteo Milleri in 2020. But later in the year, she cryptically announced her separation on TikTok and set it to Alicia Keys' song No One. Earlier this year, both were spotted without their wedding rings. However, there's been no statement issued by either on their current marital status.

What's Leonardo been upto?

Across the years, Leonardo DiCaprio has dated actors and supermodels from around the globe. Leonardo allegedly ended his relationship with actor Camila Morrone in 2022, when she turned 25.

He has also been seen with Indian-origin British model Neelam Gill. However, she took to Instagram Stories to shut down their dating rumours. Since last year, Leonardo has also been linked to supermodel Gigi Hadid and the two are often spotted together at parties.

Leonardo will next be seen in longtime collaborator Martin Scorsese's period film Killers of the Flower Moon, that also stars Robert De Niro, and is slated to release in cinemas on October 20.

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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
Actor-filmmaker G Marimuthu, who was last seen in Rajinikanth's Jailer, died of a heart attack on Friday. The news was shared by film trade analyst and industry insider Ramesh Bala on X (earlier known as Twitter). Now, Rajinikanth has paid tribute to his Jailer co-star in a new post on X, expressing his shock after the sudden demise. (Also read: Jailer actor G Marimuthu dies after suffering heart attack, his untimely death shocks Tamil film industry) G Marimuthu was last seen in Jailer.

Rajinikanth mourned his demise

Rajinikanth expressed his condolences for the late actors family and wrote in Tamil, Marimuth is a wonderful person. His death shocked me. My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family."

Sun Pictures, which produced Jailer, also shared a post on X to mourn the demise of the actor. The caption read, "Condolences! Your work has been impeccable and irreplaceable. Rest in peace #Marimuthu"

What Prasanna said

Meanwhile, actor Prasanna, who starred in both of Marimuthu's directorials, Kannum Kannum and Pulivaal, also expressed his shock at the news and went on to pay his condolences. "Deeply shattered to know the passing away of director G Marimuthu. We did #KannumKannum and #Pulivaal together. We had a brothers like bond. We agreed to disagree on many. His life wasn't easy at all. As an actor finally he was doing very well. He shud've been there for a while longer. Sad. Rip," he said.

Actor Karthi wrote, "Ive met #Marimuthu sir when he was an assistant Director in Nerukku Ner. He was a seasoned actor and a stunning performer who could present every character realistically. He was well read and a passionate cinema afficianado. His sudden passing away is a huge shock. Deepest Condolences to his family, friends and fans. (sic)"

Actor Radikaa Sarathkumar also paid tribute to Marimuthu and wrote, So sad and shocked to hear of his passing of Marimuthu have worked with him a man with talent, gone so soon. Condolences to his family."

G Marimuthu was 57. He reportedly felt uneasy while dubbing for a Tamil TV serial and was rushed to a hospital,where he was declared dead. He was noted for his role in the Tamil television series Ethirneechal. Some of his most noted film performances include Vaali, Jeeva, and Pariyerum Perumal.

Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" "Exciting news! Hindustan Times is now on WhatsApp ChannelsSubscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here! ott:10

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Spin-off of hit TV series Yellowstone, "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" will be released later this year on Paramount Plus. The new series will premiere on Paramount Plus on Sunday, November 5 in the UK and internationally with two episodes. Screengrab from the trailer of Lawmen: Bass Reeves(X(formerly Twitter)/@paramountplus)

On Thursday, Paramount+ tweeted the teaser trailer of the upcoming series. Sharing the video of the trailer, they wrote, "This is the untold story of the greatest American lawman... Can you handle the weight of the badge? Lawmen: Bass Reeves premieres November 5, streaming only on #ParamountPlus".

The cast of the new series includes City on a Hill's Lauren E Banks, Perry Mason's Shea Whigham, Goliath's Dennis Quaid and The Hunger Games' Donald Sutherland. The Walking Dead's Margot Bingham, True Blood's Dale Dickey, Yellowstone's Mo Brings Plenty, The Chi's Tosin Morohunfola, Forrest Goodluck, Barry Pepper and King Richard's Demi Singleton also star in the upcoming series.

ALSO READ| Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori spotted wearing dress which makes her look naked

Earlier, on August 9, 2023, a teaser of "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" was released on the official YouTube channel of Paramount Plus. Decription to the teaser read: "Lawmen: Bass Reeves comes from Executive Producer Taylor Sheridan and stars award-winning actor David Oyelowo. The series brings the story of the legendary lawman and outlaws of the Wild West to life."

Paramount Plus credits Reeves as "the greatest frontier hero in American history, who worked in the Post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded."

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A 16-year-old girl on Friday died by suicide allegedly after she was sexually harassed by four men in Dholpur district of Rajasthan, police said adding, two of the accused have been detained for interrogation.. When the girls mother returned home after some time, she found her body, police said (Representative photo)

According to police, the Class 9 student was on way home from school when four men on motorcycles accosted her and sexually harassed her. The girl raised an alarm and passersby reached the spot to help her, police said, adding that the locals nabbed two of the men and tied them to a tree, while the other two managed to flee.

The girls family also reached the spot, police said, adding that the residents informed the police and handed over the two men to them.

Meanwhile, the girl reached her home and died by suicide, Kanchanpur police station in-charge Yogendra Sharma said, adding that the teenager was alone at her home at the time of the incident.

When her mother returned home after some time, she found her body, police said.

Police took the girl to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Kanchanpur where doctors declared her dead. A post-mortem examination was also held at the CHC, and the body was handed over to the family members after the autopsy. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was also sent to the girls home to collect samples, Sharma said.

Two men have been detained for interrogation. The girls family is yet to file a complaint. Further investigation is underway, he added.
At least three Congress chief ministers may skip the G20 dinner to be hosted at Bharat Mandapam on September 9 by President Droupadi Murmu after party chief and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, was not invited for the banquet. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. (PTI)

Also Read| G-20 summit: Foreign delegates to get unique Kamalam made in Mahoba

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel have decided not to attend the G20 dinner, said a senior party functionary. But Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, party leaders said, has left Shimla for Delhi ostensibly to attend the dinner, which will be hosted for the global leaders, G20 dignitaries and Union ministers and chief ministers.

A top-ranking Congress leader said that the decision to attend the G20 dinner has been left to the CMs.

Also Read| G20 Summit: 29 dignitaries arrive in Delhi, many of them in 3 frenetic hours

Even as Kharge did not speak about his omission from the guest list, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the government over not inviting the Congress president, particularly since he holds a constitutional post as the Upper House Leader of Opposition.

They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition. It tells you something. It tells you that they dont value the Leader of 60% of Indias population. Its something that people should think about - why they are feeling the need to do that and what type of thinking goes behind that, Gandhi said in the Belgium capital Brussels.

A government functionary indicated that only Union ministers, chief ministers and Supreme Court judges have been invited to the dinner.

Meanwhile, on the eve of the G20 Summit, the Congress alleged that the failure to conduct the decadal Census was one of the biggest failures of the NDA (No Data Available) government.

The Congress also emphasised that a caste census is essential. Not only has the Modi government failed to carry out the Census, the Socio-Economic Caste Census that was conducted by the UPA government in 2011 remains suppressed. It has even opposed the Bihar governments attempt at a state-level Caste Census in the Supreme CourtWithout establishing the count, categorisation and characterisation of the most numerous OBC population, it is impossible to ensure adequate development and social justice for all Indians. We firmly believe in the principle of parity not charity, for which the Caste Census is essential, said party leader Jairam Ramesh.

Ramesh announced the party has three demands: Stop denying 14 crore Indians their basic rights under the NFSA (National Food Security Act, 2013), and increase the beneficiary quota until the Census is carried out; conduct an updated national Caste Census, and stop opposing state-level Caste Census efforts; and end the suppression of data inconvenient to the government, like the 2017-18 NSS and the 2022-23 CES, stop manipulating NFHS to hide failures in health indicators, and restore faith in Indias historically robust statistical system.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Friday discussed political and security cooperation as the two countries signed three agreements, including one on linking their digital payment mechanisms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before a bilateral meeting, in New Delhi, Friday. (PTI)

The meeting was part of Modis interactions with heads of state and government attending the G20 Summit that gets underway in New Delhi on Saturday. Bangladesh is among nine guest countries invited to the G20 process this year under the Indian presidency.

The meeting between Modi and Hasina at the Indian leaders official residence lasted almost an hour and discussions focused on a range of regional issues, including the maintenance of stability in South Asia, and ways to bolster cooperation in areas such as security, trade and energy, people familiar with the matter said.

The two sides signed three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including one on cooperation in digital payment mechanisms between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Bangladesh Bank.

Another MoU covered cooperation between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council , while the third was on renewal of a bilateral cultural exchange programme for 2023-25.

During a media briefing after the meeting, Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said both sides had similar views on maintaining regional stability. Regional peace and stability is important for both countries and for South Asia, and India is on same page with us, he said, speaking in Bengali.

Look back at the experiences from 2001 to 2006, when Bangladesh was known as a country of terrorism and jihadis and bad policies, and there were synchronised bomb blasts in 63 out of 64 districts. A grenade attack injured a foreign envoy and there was a grenade attack on a rally by Sheikh Hasina, Momen said. We dont want to return to those days, we want progress towards a developed Bangladesh.

The people cited above said the Bangladeshi side had also given an assurance that the countrys relations with China were mainly focused on economic issues, whereas cooperation with the Indian side was of a more strategic nature.

A readout from the external affairs ministry said Modi and Hasina discussed political and security cooperation, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development cooperation, and people-to-people ties. They also discussed developments in the region and cooperation at multilateral forums.

The leaders welcomed the operationalisation of an agreement on the use of the Chattogram and Mongla ports in Bangladesh for shipping goods to Indias northeastern states, commissioning of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, and operationalisation of settlement of bilateral trade in Indian rupees.

Modi and Hasina looked forward to the beginning of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) covering trade in goods and services and promotion of investments.

The two leaders looked forward to the joint inauguration of three development projects  the Agartala-Akhaura and Khulna-Mongla rail links and the second unit of the Maitri Power Plant.

Modi expressed appreciation for the burden shouldered by Bangladesh in hosting more than a million people displaced from Myanmars Rakhine state and conveyed Indias positive approach to support solutions towards their safe and sustainable repatriation.

The Indian premier also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius, another of the guest countries in the G20 format. The leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and noted the rapid pace of bilateral exchanges in the past year, with more than 30 delegation visits and signing of 23 agreements.

Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, and with the leaders of France, Canada, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the European Union, Brazil, Nigeria and Comoros on Sunday.

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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
The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday released its first list of 10 candidates for the Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls that will be held at the end of the year. In the 2018 Assembly polls of Chhattisgarh, AAP had fielded 85 candidates but all them ended up losing their deposits.

In Chhattisgarh, among the 10 candidates are the Arvind Kejriwal-led party's state unit chief Komal Hupendi and farmers' leader Tejram Vidrohi.

"First list of AAP candidates for Chhattisgarh elections is out. All the best to all candidates. Is baar chalegi Jhadu (this time broom will sweep). #ChhattisgarhMangeKejriwal," the party wrote on X, formerly Twitter, where the list was released.

Sharing the list for Madhya Pradesh, it said Our first list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023. Many congratulations to all our candidates, and best wishes for the campaign. #MPMaangeKejriwal.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, AAP had fielded 85 candidates in Chhattisgarh but all them ended up losing their deposits. The polls to the 90-member House were swept by the Congress, which ousted the Bharatiya Janata Party after 15 years in power.

Hupendi, who lost from Bhanupratappur (ST) seat in 2018 has been fielded from there again. He had joined the AAP in 2016 after quitting his government job as cooperative extension officer, a party functionary said.

A native of Mungwal village in Bhanupratappur area, Hupendi has an MA degree from a Bilaspur college and was selected in 2008 as cooperative extension officer through Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC), he said.

Vidrohi has been fielded from Rajim seat and Anand Prakash Miri, who is heading the party's poll manifesto committee, from Akaltara seat.

The other candidates whose names have been announced are Baloo Ram Bhawani (Dantewada-ST), Narendra Kumar Nag (Narayanpur-ST), Vishal Kelkar (Korba), Raja Ram Lakra (Pathalgaon-ST), Khadagraj Singh (Kawardha), Surendra Gupta (Bhatgaon) and Leos Minj (Kunkuri-ST).

Kelkar had contested 2018 assembly polls from Korba seat as an independent candidate and polled 4,859 votes, he said.

In the 2018 polls, the Congress won 68 seats, while the BJP was victorious on 15 seats.

Last month, the BJP released its first list of candidates for 21 seats for the Chhattisgarh polls. The ruling Congress is yet to announce its list of candidates.

The Election Commission of India has not declared the poll schedule for Chhattisgarh or MP as yet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he was looking forward to bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth at his residence on Friday, ahead of the G20 Summit over the weekend. PM Narendra Modi with President Joe Biden.(File)

This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence. I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden, he wrote on X (formally Twitter)

The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation, he added.

Modi is expected to hold 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders during the G20 Summit.

Modi and Biden are expected to review ongoing bilateral cooperation in areas of clean energy, trade, high-technology, defence and how the two countries can contribute in dealing with some of the pressing challenges facing the world.

Modi will also hold separate bilateral meetings with Hasina and Pravind Jugnauth.

The US President is visiting New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit that is being held on September 9 and 10. It will be his first visit to India as the US President.

The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020. Biden is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening and he will leave for Vietnam on Sunday afternoon at the end of the G20 Summit.

The two sides may also deliberate on having a more liberal visa regime. Modi and Biden had touched upon possible cooperation in developing next-generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode in their talks in Washington in June and it is expected that the issue may figure at the meeting on Friday.

Ahead of Biden's visit, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US commends Modi's leadership of the G20.

"We commend Prime Minister Modi for his leadership of the G20 this year and we are committed to helping ensure that India has a successful G20 host as they host (the summit) this year," she said.

"So, that's going to continue to be our commitment. During Prime Minister Modi's visit here in June, the President (Biden) and the prime minister shared their determination to deliver on shared priorities at the summit," she said in response to a question.

Jean-Pierre said the President is "very much looking forward to continuing that work with the Prime Minister and other leaders later this week as we head out tomorrow."

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

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The counting for Uttarakhand's Bageshwar assembly seat began on Friday morning, as the results are set to be announced. In a pivotal electoral faceoff held on Tuesday, the bypoll for the Bageshwar seat witnessed five candidates battling for victory. The main contest, however, appeared to be among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party candidates. Female voters stand in a queue to cast their votes for Bageshwar Assembly by-polls, at Government Girls Inter College in Bageshwar Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

Congress' Basant Kumar is leading from Bageshwar seat currently.

The counting of votes for the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, district magistrate Anuradha Pal said. The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April this year. He had won the seat four times since 2007.

In a strategic move, the BJP had nominated Parvati Das, the wife of the late MLA, in hopes of securing sympathy votes and maintaining their hold on the seat. Meanwhile, the Congress has countered by fielding Basant Kumar as their candidate in what promises to be a closely-watched electoral battle. Notably, Kumar had previously contested the 2022 Bageshwar assembly elections as an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate. However, he left the AAP just a few days before being nominated by the Congress to contest from the same seat in the bypoll.

The Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand had a voter turnout of 55.44 per cent. The seat has witnessed contests between BJP and Congress in successive elections since the state's creation in 2000.

In addition to the BJP and Congress, the electoral landscape in Bageshwar witnesses a diverse field of candidates, with the Samajwadi Party, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, and the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party also joining the fray in this hotly contested bypoll.

Beyond prominent contenders Das and Kumar, the electoral field in Bageshwar presents a variety of candidates. Bhagvati Prasad from the Samajwadi Party, Arjun Dev representing the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, and Bhagwat Kohli of the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party are all in the running for this crucial bypoll.

The by-elections were held in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tripura, West Bengal, and Jharkhand on Tuesday.

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NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden landed in New Delhi on Friday evening for the G20 Summit and will soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg in the heart of the national capital. US President Joe Biden arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit. His first engagement in Delhi is a meeting with PM Modi(AP)

Ahead of President Bidens arrival in Delhi, American national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the bilateral meeting will see progress on issues discussed during Modis state visit to Washington DC in June, including on the GE jet engine deal, Indias decision to procure Predator drones, cooperation on 5G/6G, and civil nuclear domain.

Biden will also discuss the issue of critical, fundamental values that the US stands for in his conversation with Modi.

In a briefing on Air Force One, as Biden travelled from DC to Germany where he halted for a refuelling stop on his way to Delhi, Sullivan also said that the US had a deep stake in stewarding the G20 and making sure that it remains a central mechanism for global coordination on all the major challenges since it would take over the presidency of the grouping in 2025-2026.

Sullivan said that coordinators had been working all day and all night on a statement recently, but there was still some distance to travel before a final communique. He added that US was ready to do its part to deliver a joint statement, and it thought there was joint statement to be had. The question is: Will every country step up, be responsible, be constructive? If the answer to that is yes, then we will get a joint statement. But its too soon to tell, Sullivan said, in an obvious reference to what US sees as Russian and Chinese obstructionism.

Amid reports that the sidelines of the summit will see I2U2 (the grouping that includes India, Israel, UAE and US) unveil a major infrastructure announcement, Sullivan said, We believe that connectivity from India, across the Middle East, to Europe is incredibly important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved.

Responding to a query on the nature of the bilateral meeting with Modi, and access to the press, Sullivan pointed out that it will take place at the PMs residence.

This is not your typical bilateral visit to India with meetings taking place in the Prime Ministers office and an entire program. This is the host of the G20 hosting a significant number of leaders, doing so in his home, and he has set out the protocols hes set out. But Sullivan promised to provide a transparent and comprehensive readout of the meeting.

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Tripura bypoll result: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in both Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies in Tripura that went to polls earlier this week. The ruling BJP gained an early lead in both seats and kept increasing its vote margin in every round of counting, taking its tally in the Tripura assembly to 33. BJP wrests Boxanagar from CPI(M), retains Dhanpur in Tripura assembly bypolls(HT File Photo)

Boxanagar bypoll results

After six rounds of counting, BJP's Tafajjal Hossain secured 34,146 votes while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was a distant second with 3,909 votes. The two independent candidates  Md: Selim and Ratan Hosen  secured less than 200 votes, even less than NOTA's 434 votes.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque. The Boxanagar seat has 66 per cent minority voters of a total of 43,087 electors.

Dhanpur bypoll results

In Dhanpur, BJP's Bindu Debnath defeated Kaushik Chanda of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by 18,871 votes. While Debnath secured 30,017 votes after the final round of counting, the CPI(M) candidate received 11146 votes. The two independent candidates  Anil Reang and Bappi Debnath  received 544 and 426 votes, respectively.

Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as MLA necessitated the by-election in the Dhanpur assembly seat. The Dhanpur constituency, once considered a stronghold of the Left, has over 8,000 tribal voters of the total 50,346 electors. The BJP won the seat for the first time in the assembly polls held seven months ago.

Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI(M) boycotted the counting of votes. The polling for the by-elections was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats.

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The BJP and the JD(S) have sealed their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024 in Karnataka, BJP leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa confirmed on Friday. The agreement has been for four seats, Yediyurappa said adding that Amit Shah agreed to give four Lok Sabha seats to JD(S). JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda recently met BJP chief JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah and the meeting indicated that BJP and the JD(S) would walk into an alliance -- only the details were pending. Yediyurappa confirmed BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka for Lok Sabha electiion 2024. (In photo PM Modi and Deve Gowda).

JD(S) came into an alliance with the Congress and formed the government with HD Kumaraswamy as the chief minister. The government was ousted after it lost the trust vote in 2019, a year after it came to power.

According to reports, JDS wanted to contest from Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru, Chickballapur and Bengaluru Rural. BJP agreed to let it contest on four seats -- Kolar, Hassan, Mandya and Bengaluru rural.

The move comes days after Deve Gowda claimed that his party was neither with the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) nor with the NDA. JD(S), Deve Gowda said, would fight the Lok Sabha elections independently.

Once an ally of the Congress -- though unnatural -- JDS was not invited to the INDIA meeting held in Bengaluru. "Some (Karnataka) Congress leaders did not want me... Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is my good friend (but) since Congress doesn't want me... I skipped," Deve Gowda said when the second meeting of the opposition alliance was held in the city.

A meeting was held on Wednesday at the residence of Deve Gowda to seek the opinion of the party functionaries on the prospective alliance. Most leaders have given their opinion in favour of an alliance with the BJP.

In 2019 Lok Sabha election, JDS won Hassan where Deve Gowda's grand nephew Prajwal Revanna contested.

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Bypoll Results 2023 highlights: The counting of votes for seven assembly seats in six states has been completed everywhere. The Opposition secured victory on four seats in UP's Ghosi, Jharkhnd's Dumri, West Bengal's Dhupguri, and Kerala's Puthuppally while the BJP won two seats in Tripura, and Beghaeshwar in Uttarakhand. Bageshwar: Counting of votes underway for the Bageshwar bypoll, in Bageshwar, Friday. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

These bypolls are seen as a significant test for the opposition alliance INDIA against the ruling BJP-led NDA, with implications for upcoming state elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Several INDIA leaders hailed the key victory and dubbed it a trailer for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Read more: BJP wrests Boxanagar from CPI(M), retains Dhanpur in Tripura assembly bypolls

These by-elections have witnessed a united front from the INDIA alliance in certain constituencies, notably Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh and Dumri in Jharkhand. Out of these seven seats, three were previously held by the BJP, and one each by the Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), JMM, and Congress.
The first election battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and the I.N.D.I.A or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance concluded Friday, with the Opposition securing four seats, while the BJP emerging victorious in the remaining three. Bypoll results: Counting of votes underway for the Bageshwar bypoll, in Bageshwar, Friday.(PTI)

The seats that went to bypolls were  Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri assembly seat in Jharkhand, Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats in Tripura, Bageshwar in the hill state of Uttarakhand and Puthuppally seat in Kerala. (Follow Bypolls LIVE updates)

Samajwadi Party holds ground in UP's Ghosi

A significant contest unfolded in BJP-ruled UP, where the joint candidate from the INDIA bloc, Samajwadi Party's Sudhakar Singh, secured a victory by a margin of over 40,000 votes. He defeated BJP candidate and sitting MLA Dara Singh Chauhan, who had resigned from SP, triggering the need for bypoll. Singh garnered 1,24,427 votes, while his rival Chauhan got 81,668 votes. The Ghosi bypoll seat win serves as a morale booster for the INDIA bloc, as they prepare the road map to take down the Narendra Modi-led government in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

DUMRI: Another key battle between NDA and INDIA was witnessed in Jharkhand's Dumri where the Opposition's joint candidate Bebi Devi from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, retained her late husband and sitting MLA Jagarnath Mahto's seat. The INDIA block nominee got about 1,35,480 votes while NDA candidate Yashoda Devi got about 1,18,380 votes.

PUTHUPALLY: The Congress is celebrating the victory of Chandy Oommen, the son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, who retained the Puthuppally assembly constituency in Kerala by a margin of over 36,000 votes in the bypoll on Friday. The Congress veteran had represented the seat for 50 years. The ruling party CPI(M) has fielded Jaick C Thomas from this constituency.

BOXANAGAR, DHANPUR: The BJP won the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripura. Saffron party candidate Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, wresting the constituency from the CPI(M). In Boxanagar, the Left fielded Mizan Hussain, son of sitting MLA Samsul Haque who passed away, triggering the bypoll. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) got 3,909 votes.

In Dhanpur, BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the seat, which has a significant tribal population. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) got 11,146 votes. This constituency was once considered a stronghold of the Left. The BJP won this seat for the first time in the assembly poll held seven months ago.

BAGHESHWAR: Another win for the BJP has been in Uttarakhand where its candidate Parvati Das won by 2,405 votes, retaining her late husband and sitting MLA Chandan Ram Das' seat. She bagged 33, 247 votes while the Congress candidate Basant Kumar secured 30,842 votes.

DHUPGURI: In West Bengal, a unique contest unfolded between the INDIA bloc itself as the Trinamool Congress fought against Congress-CPI(M) alliance. TMC defeated the BJP on the seat as its candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy won the Dhupguri bypoll by more than 4,000 votes.

Roy, a history professor, contested against the BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021. Roy garnered 96,961 votes while his BJP rival got 92,648 votes.

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Seen as a major electoral test for the Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or INDIA against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the assembly polls in five states later this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the results for bypolls to seven assembly seats in six states will be declared on Friday. The counting of votes began at 8am at centres set up in the respective states. Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders during a press conference after the bloc leaders meeting, in Mumbai. (ANI Photo)

The seven seats, including Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura, went to voting on September 5.

Out of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP and one each by the Samajwadi Party (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri) and the Congress (Puthuppally).

Top updates on bypoll results of seven seats:

1. Uttar Pradesh's Ghosi saw the INDIA bloc putting up a united front in the by-election. The voting turnout in Ghosi was just above average at 50.77 per cent. The Ghosi seat fell vacant after the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.

2. In Jharkhands Dumri, a total of 64.84 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters exercised their franchise. The election commission has set up the counting centre at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district. "In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise," Giridih deputy commissioner-cum-election officer Naman Priesh Lakra told news agency PTI. Even as the main contest is said to be locked between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)s Bebi Devi and AJSU Partys Yashoda Devi, AIMIMs Abdul Rizvi, who emerged fourth in a four-corner contest in 2019, has made efforts to make the fight triangular this time around as well. While the JMM was backed by the INDIA allies Congress and the RJD, Yashoda Devi of AJSU Party was backed by the BJP, its senior partner in the NDA. On Tuesday, both INDIA and NDA fronts claimed victory for their candidate.

3. The counting of votes for the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, district magistrate Anuradha Pal said. The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April this year. He had won the seat four times since 2007.

4. In Tripura, the counting of votes to both the seats - Boxanagar and Dhanpur  will take place at Sonamura Girls' HS School. BJP's Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain from the same seat. On Wednesday, the CPI(M) announced to boycott the counting alleging a largescale rigging in the two constituencies during voting.

5. For Dhupguri in West Bengal, which saw a widespread violence during the assembly and panchayat elections, personnel of the central armed forces and state police are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri. Here, the voting turnout was around 76 per cent. CPI(M)'s Ishwar Chandra Roy is contesting as the candidate of the Congress-Left alliance, while the ruling TMC has fielded Nirmal Chandra Roy, who is a teacher. Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir a few years back, was given the BJP ticket. The bypoll to the seat was necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.

6. Kerala's Puthuppally, which saw an intense battle between the UDF and LDF to fill the seat left vacant by the demise of Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, is also anxiously waiting for the result. The constituency, located in the southern Kottayam district, saw a fierce war of words for the past few weeks as the September 5 by-election was a prestigious battle for both the ruling and opposition fronts in the state. The counting of votes will begin at the special station in the Baselius College. Postal and service ballots would be counted first. The total number of booths in Puthuppally was 182, and the counting of votes in the electronic voting machines would be conducted in 13 rounds.

(With inputs from agencies)

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KOCHI: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) registered a thumping victory on Friday in the Puthuppally assembly bypoll on the back of a sympathy wave for late party veteran and two-time chief minister Oommen Chandy whose death in July necessitated the election. Congress candidate Chandy Oommen, son of late party veteran and two-time chief minister Oommen Chandy, defeated CPI(M)s Jaick C Thomas by a staggering 37,719 votes, the highest margin for any winning candidate in the constituency. (PTI)

As per the Election Commission, Congress candidate Chandy Oommen, son of the deceased leader, defeated CPI(M)s Jaick C Thomas by a staggering 37,719 votes, the highest margin for any winning candidate in the constituency. While Oommen got 80,144 votes, Thomas received 42,425 votes followed by BJP candidate Ligin Lal with 6,558 votes.

In comparison with the 2021 assembly election, the Congress vote share in Puthuppally rose by 13.3% while the CPI(M) vote share plummeted by 8.73%. The BJPs vote share also went down by 3.82%.

The CPI(M)s performance was so severe that it could not get a lead in any of the 13 rounds of counting or in the eight local self-governing bodies that make up the constituency. Despite governing six of the eight panchayats, the CPI(M) trailed everywhere. Even in the booths of its candidate Thomas and that of district-in-charge minister VN Vasavan, the party was behind the Congress.

Oommen, the national convenor of the outreach cell of the Youth Congress who had participated full-time in the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi last year, was considered the front runner in this election ever since his candidacy was announced by the Congress. Puthuppally, located in Kottayam district in central Kerala, was represented by his father for 12 consecutive terms since 1970. Thanks to his personal rapport with the people and the Congress hold over the Christian community, which comprises nearly 40 per cent of the population in Puthuppally, the constituency had become a party bastion over the years. Since Chandys death on July 18, his grave at the St George Orthodox Church continues to be visited by hundreds of people who light candles and offer prayers.

On Friday noon, when EC trends indicated his victory, Oommen came out of his residence and walked to his fathers grave where he knelt down and wept. Later at a press conference following his victory, Oommen said, I consider this my fathers 13th victory. It is the victory of all those who loved my father. I promise to never break the trust the voters have placed in me. This is a mandate for the continuation of development that my father undertook here for the last 53 years.

At the same time, Congress state president K Sudhakaran underlined that sympathy for Chandy was just one of the factors that contributed to the victory. This is 100% a political victory. The sympathy factor may have been there, but this is also a decisive verdict against the arrogance of the chief minister and the flawed administrative policies of the LDF. Where did the CPI(M)s core votes go? Those votes have also come to us, he said.

Achu Oommen, Chandys daughter, told reporters, This victory is a tight slap on the faces of those who harassed and tortured my father when he was alive. The people have clearly said that the work my father did in the last 53 years will continue. The constituency he adored and looked after for all these years is safe in the hands of Chandy Oommen.

CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan attributed the UDFs massive win to the public sympathy and respect for Oommen Chandy and denied any major change in his partys core vote-bank in the constituency.

It was clear that when an election is held within just days of the death of a big leader like Oommen Chandy, there will be large sentiments of sympathy which will override politics. We have dealt with the election in a political way, but we always knew the influence of sympathy. But even in the face of this wave, the foundation of the LDF remains intact and there are no cracks. This defeat is not a challenge to the state government because we have discussed the governments achievements there and our foundational vote share still remains in place, said Govindan in Thiruvananthapuram.

BJP state president K Surendran admitted the partys defeat and said that it would examine where nearly 5,000 of its core votes went.

Polling in Puthuppally was held on Tuesday and 72.8% turnout was recorded.

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China is a multilateral player and multilateral issues are very different from bilateral ones, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant during the G20 curtain raiser press conference, in New Delhi, Friday.(PTI)

China is a multilateral player. In multilateral discussions, the issues are very different from bilateral issues and the Chinese discuss issues of growth, and development from their perspective", Kant said when asked about Chinese president Xi Jinping not attending the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

"The challenge about any multilateral discussion is you have to bring consensus across every issue, every country has veto power. We've been able to work with every single country and bring them on board, he added while speaking at the press briefing.



G20 Summit India 2023: Full coverage

With Jinping skipping the global meet, Chinese premier Li Qiang will be attending the event in the national capital. The 70-year-old Chinese president is the second head of a state of a G20 member country after Russia's Vladimir Putin to skip the Summit.

Earlier, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had sought to play down the issue of G20 member state leaders skipping the Summit. At the end of the day, countries are represented by whoever they have chosen to represent them. The levels of representation do not become the final determinant of the position of a country", the minister had said.



US President Joe Biden had said he was disappointed that Jinping planned to skip the Summit. I am disappointed...but I am going to get to see him, Biden, who will arrive in New Delhi today ahead of the summit, said.



ALSO READ: Five reasons why China's Xi Jinping is not visiting India



Jinping's decision to skip the G20 Summit comes days after China released its standard map which sparked a lot of controversy, showing Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin showing as its territory.

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Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday called the G20 Summit over the weekend in New Delhi a moment for reflection, citing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments unprecedented failure in conducting the decadal Census that was due in 2021. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. (PTI)

In a statement posted on social media platform X, he referred to the NDA as the No Data Available while underlining nearly every other G20 country, including developing nations such as Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa, has managed to conduct the Census despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added the inept and incompetent government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been unable to carry out Indias most important statistical exercise  conducted on schedule since 1951. He called it one of the governments biggest failures and said it has resulted in the exclusion of 140 million Indians from their food entitlements under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

This is a categorical denial of a fundamental right to the citizen guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution, which was implemented by the [previous Congress-led] UPA [United Progressive Alliance] government through the landmark National Food Security Act...

He added the government was forced to rely on the NFSA as a critical lifeline in providing the much-needed safety net for the poorest during the pandemic. Under NFSA, 67% of Indians are entitled to food rations. Since the Modi government failed to conduct the Census in 2021, it only offers NFSA coverage to 81 crore [810 million] people based on the 2011 Census, whereas 95 crore [950 million] Indians are entitled to the NFSA coverage, going by current estimates of the population.

He added new beneficiaries are not being added and people have been denied their rights for at least two years now. In July 2022, the Supreme Court noted this issue and directed the Modi government to rectify this untenable situation by using population projections. But no change was made.

Ramesh said this massive failure shows not only the Prime Ministers contempt for the court but also his disdain for the Constitutional rights of the people. He underlined the need for a caste census. Ramesh said that the socio-economic caste census conducted during the UPA rule in 2011 remains suppressed. It [BJP] has even opposed the Bihar governments attempt at a state-level Caste Census in the Supreme Court.

He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi highlighted the issue during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Ramesh added Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated this in a letter to Modi in April. It is absolutely critical to have an up-to-date and reliable Caste Census. Without establishing the count, categorization and characterization of the most numerous OBC [Other Backward Class] population, it is impossible to ensure adequate development and social justice for all Indians.

Ramesh said the Modi government discredits, discards, or even discontinues collecting data it finds inconvenient to its narrative. The Employment-Unemployment Survey of the Labour Bureau was scrapped in 2017; the National Crime Records Bureau stopped collecting data on mob lynching in 2017; data on GDP was manipulated in 2018 to make growth appear lower under the UPA; the Modi government told Parliament that there was no data on deaths of migrant workers walking thousands of kilometers home due to the unplanned lockdown, no data on the death of COVID-19 warriors, as well as no data on farmer suicides.

He accused the government of covering up its failures in providing employment, stopping mob lynching, delivering income growth, ensuring dignity to migrant workers, and increasing farmer incomes.

Ramesh asked the government to stop denying 140 million Indians their basic rights under the NFSA and increase the beneficiary quota until the Census is carried out. He sought an updated national caste Census.

Ramesh asked the government to stop opposing state-level caste surveys, end the suppression of inconvenient data, and restore faith in Indias historically robust statistical system.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has triggered the India-Bharat controversy needlessly and also accused the party of trying to break the country. Kharge further asserted that Congress is engaged in uniting Bharat. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge (File Photo)

The Congress chief was speaking at Bharose Ka Sammelan, an event organised in poll-bound Chhattisgarhs Rajnandgaon district. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and other senior leaders were also present on the occasion.

If the BJP hates the word India, then why it has named schemes like Startup India, Digital India, Skill India and Make in India, asked Kharge.

We have formed an alliance INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and now BJP is saying the countrys name India should be changed to Bharat. There is both India and Bharat in the Constitution itself. Then why are they triggering a dispute over it ? Kharge said.

We love Bharat. Rahul Ji took out a foot march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and named the yatra Bharat Jodo. We are engaged in uniting Bharat and you (BJP) are engaged in breaking it, he said.

If you (BJP) hate India, then why does Modi ji have given words like Startup India, Digital India, Khelo India and Make in India? We have to fight against this mentality (of BJP), said Kharge.

The name change controversy erupted after invitations for a G20 dinner in New Delhi sent out by Droupadi Murmu, describing her position as President of Bharat instead of the customary President of India, triggered a massive furore on Tuesday. The opposition alleged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre was planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as the countrys name.

Kharge further praised the Chhattisgarh government for its developmental works in the state. Referring to the state, he said it is not Modis Gujarat model but the model of the Congress, Baghel and his cabinet.

..It is not Modis Gujarat model but the model of the Congress, Bhupesh Baghel and his cabinet. Modi ji should see the work of Baghel government then only he can realise how work can be done in five years, he added.

After the event, Kharge spoke to reporters in the Rajnandgaon district about the political tussle on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Udhayanidhi Stalins recent remarks about Sanatan Dharma.

Asked about the remark, Kharge said, I have not come here to speak about anyones religion. I have come to participate in the programme (Bharose ka Sammelan) meant for the poor. Religion and politics are different things and there is no need to mix them. I dont want to debate on it.

The DMK and the Congress are part of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance

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Both the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) blocs are keeping a close eye in the Jharkhand's Dumri assembly seat. The counting of votes will begin at 8 am. Around 65 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters had exercised their franchise in this seat.

The main contest in this seat is between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)s Bebi Devi and AJSU Partys Yashoda Devi. However, AIMIMs Abdul Rizvi, who emerged fourth in a four-corner contest in 2019, has also made efforts to make the fight triangular this time around as well. JMM is backed by I.N.D.I.A. allies Congress and RJD; and AJSU Party has BJP's support.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of former education minister Jagarnath Mahto on April 9. Mahtos wife, Bebi Devi, was inducted into the cabinet last month and given the responsibility of excise and liquor prohibition. AJSU Party fielded Yashoda Devi, who came second in the 2019 assembly polls, as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate.

Around 65 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters had exercised their franchise in this seat.

"In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise," Giridih Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Naman Priesh Lakra told news agency PTI.

Central Armed Police Force and various wings of Jharkhand pilice have also been deployed to ensure free and fair counting of votes.

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NEW DELHI: The European Union (EU) supports Indias efforts to finalise a consensus leaders declaration for the G20 Summit over the weekend even as it remains firm and united in backing Ukraine in the face of Russias aggression, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday. European Council president Charles Michel addresses a press conference ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI Photo)

Differences between the West and Russia over text to refer to the Ukraine crisis continue to be the main hurdle for a consensus joint communique, and G20 negotiators have been engaged in intensive deliberations over the past few days, often stretching into the early hours of the morning, to reach an elusive compromise.

Michel made it clear while addressing a media briefing ahead of the G20 Summit to be held during September 9-10 that the EU would not back down from supporting Ukraine or imposing penalties on Russia for the invasion.

I dont know if this is possible or not to have an agreement on a final communique, we will see. But we will defend our principles and will also support the efforts made by India, Michel said in response to questions on the possibility of the Ukraine crisis holding up a leaders declaration.

Michel said he didnt want to make a tough statement, and instead give space to the Indian presidency to work actively, maybe sometimes discreetly, to maximise the chance for a communique. He added, We hope that it will be possible to have a communique and there is no secret about the position that the EU is defending around the table regarding the war launched by Russia against Ukraine.

The Indian leadership has consistently called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and a return to dialogue and diplomacy. India also has not publicly criticised the actions of Russia, which is a key supplier of military hardware and energy.

Michel said Russia is isolating itself from the international community, especially since it violated the UN Charter despite being a permanent member of the Security Council. He also pointed to the fallout of the Russian invasion on developing countries in terms of food and energy security, especially after Moscows withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

I sincerely hope this G20 meeting is one more occasion to make the clarity about the Russian behaviour...because by launching this war against Ukraine and by transforming the Black Sea into a battlefield, in fact, Russia is shooting a food missile against the developing countries, Michel said.

He added, The Kremlins war is also unravelling lives far beyond Ukraine, including right here in South Asia. With more than 250 million people worldwide facing acute food insecurity, Russia is depriving them of desperately needed grains by attacking Ukraines ports, he pointed out.

At the same time, Michel pointed to the EUs complicated relationship with China, based on engagement on crucial issues such as climate change while simultaneously defending democratic principles. We think we need to encourage China to play a positive role at the global level and to defend the UN Charter and...the sovereignty of Ukraine, he said.

Also Read: Major multilateral initiatives to be announced during the G20 Summit

Michel further highlighted the need for the G20 to finalise ambitious steps to address global challenges such as climate transition, reforms of global institutions and ensuring a fairer global financial architecture. The G20 Summit highlights the risk of a bipolar world, though the bloc is also the platform to support a multipolar approach to a global conversation on climate change, just energy transition and food security, he said.

The G20 also needs to send a strong message ahead of the COP28 in Dubai through sustainable, inclusive and just climate transitions, including the tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling of energy efficiency by 2030, he said.

Multilateralism is difficult and frustrating but mutual cooperation is the best guarantee to build a world with more predictability, security, stability and prosperity, Michel said.

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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
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Friday said he won't be attending the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu due to health reasons. Deve Gowda, who has been invited to the high-profile dinner on September 9, said he has communicated his decision to the government and wished the G20 Summit a grand success. JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. (HT Photo)

I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success, the Janata Dal (Secular) president wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also been invited to the G20 Summit dinner, reported ANI quoting sources. Ahead of the mega event in the national capital, Manmohan Singh, in an interview with The Indian Express, said he was glad to witness India's presidency of the G20 Summit at a time when foreign policy has become far more important today than ever.

He also appreciated the government's move to put India's sovereign and economic interest first while handling the tough diplomatic position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that other nations fall under immense pressure to choose sides when two or more powers are caught in a conflict.

Diginatories from across the world have started arriving in Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit under India's presidency.

A state-issued invite for the G20 dinner surfaced on social media a few days back, triggering a major political controversy as it was sent in the name of President of Bharat instead of the usual President of India. The invitation card sparked speculations that the government was planning to replace the official usage of the country's English name India with Bharat. While the speculations triggered enthusiastic support from the ruling BJP quarters, the government has not confirmed the widely speculated move.

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Former Prime Minister and Congress veteran Manmohan Singh has appreciated the central government's move in putting India's sovereign and economic interest first while handling the tough diplomatic position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and said it had done the right thing. In an interview with The Indian Express, Singh said other nations fall under immense pressure to choose sides when two or more powers are caught in a conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with former PM Manmohan Singh.

Singh, who served as the Prime Minister of India between 2004 and 2014 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), is glad to witness India's presidency of G20 Summit at a time when foreign policy has become far more important today than earlier.

I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace, he said, adding that G20 Summit should not be treated as a forum for settling security-related conflicts and member nations and institutions should focus on policy coordination to tackle climate challenges, inequality and confidence in global trade.

While the former PM commended India's stand in the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia, he also suggested against the use of foreign policy and diplomacy for party or personal politics.

"While India's standing in the world should rightfully be an issue in domestic politics, it is equally important to exercise restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics," he said.

He further responded on Chinese President Xi Jinping's decision to skip the G20 Summit. He said, It is unfortunate that the Chinese President Xi Jinping has chosen not to attend the G20 summit, adding that he hoped Prime Minister will take all necessary steps to protect India's territorial and sovereign integrity and defuse bilateral tensions.

The 90-year-old former PM said he is more optimistic than worried about India's future regarding challenges ahead for the country as it celebrates the 75 years of independence.

"On the whole, I am more optimistic about India's future than worried. However, my optimism is contingent on India being a harmonious society, which is the bedrock for all progress and development. India's innate instinct is to welcome and celebrate diversity which must be preserved," he said.

Recalling the first Moon mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) during his tenure as PM, Singh lauded the Indian space agency's successful Moon landing in its third mission.

"I am really thrilled that the Chandrayaan mission, which was launched in 2008, has reached new heights by being the first to reach the south pole of the Moon. My heartfelt congratulations to all the women and men in ISRO," he added.

Catch more on Manmohan Singh's interview here

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The national capital is all decked up magnificently to hold the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10. Diginitaries from across the world have started arriving in Delhi to participate in the mega event. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda(PTI)

Besides the foreign delegates, parliamentarians and ministers in the current Cabinet, the G20 Summit dinner will be attended by some of the former senior leaders of the nation.

Former Prime Ministers -- Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also been invited to the G20 Summit dinner, sources told ANI.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the key leaders who are going to attend the event in the country's capital city.

Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be taking part in the weekend summit. China, however, will be represented at the summit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is being hosted by India. Extensive preparations have been underway to portray India's tradition and strength.

The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU (represented by Comros), and South Africa, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, the U.A.E., Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Spain, Germany, France, Mexico, the European Union and Singapore.

A G20 Leaders' Declaration will be adopted at the end of the G20 Summit, stating the leaders' commitment to the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. India assumed the G20 presidency last year in November, and the next presidency of the G20 will be handed over to Brazil next year, followed by South Africa in 2025.

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UK prime minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said India is the right country at the right time to host the G20 summit.



Feel we will have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made, Sunak told news agency ANI after arriving in New Delhi for the G20 Summit which begins on Saturday. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between India and UK.(X/ANI)

Both Modi ji and I are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between our two countries...Trade deals always take time, they need to work for both countries. Although we have made enormous progress there is still hard work to go, Sunak said on the issue of India-UK trade deal.



G20 Summit India 2023: Full Coverage

No form of extremism acceptable in UK

Sunak also spoke on incidents involving pro-Khalistan elements in the United Kingdom. It's a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that's why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle 'PKE' Pro-Khalistan Extremism. I don't think it's right, he said.



Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism. It's not right and I won't tolerate it in the UK, Sunak added.



India has expressed concerns over increasing activities by pro-Khalistani extremists in the United Kingdom, especially the attack on the Indian high commission in London in March this year.



G20 Summit India 2023 LIVE coverage



Enormous respect for Modiji



UK premier Rishi Sunak hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the latter has been personally very warm and kind to him.

And we're working very hard, as I said, on our shared ambition of concluding an ambitious and comprehensive trade deal between India and the UK, because both of us think that would be a good thing and both of us need to make sure it works for our two countries. And at forums like this, I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Modi in making sure that this G 20 is an enormous success for India, which I know it will be, he said.

India rightly cares about international rule of law

On the issue of India's stand on Russia-Ukraine war, Sunak told ANI,"Well, it's not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues, but I know India rightly cares about the international rule of law, the UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity. I think those are things that are universal values that we all share. Those are things that I believe, and India, I know, believes in those things too."



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Im a proud Hindu'

Sunak, the first British PM of Hindu origin, also spoke on Hinduism. I'm a proud Hindu, and that's how I was raised. That's how I am. Hopefully, I can visit a Mandir while I'm here for the next couple of days. We just had Raksha Bandhan, so from my sister and my cousins, I have all my rakhis, and I didn't have time to celebrate Janmashtami properly the other day, he said.



But hopefully, I said, I can make up for that if we visit a Mandir this time. But it's something that is important to me. I think faith is something that helps everybody who has faith in their lives, particularly when you have these stressful jobs like I do. Having faith to give you resilience, to give you strength, is important, he added.

Incredibly special to be back in India

On his connect to India, Sunak said,"It is personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It's a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But I have come here in this role to represent the UK, to find ways to forge closer links with India and play a part in making sure that India has an incredibly successful G20."

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden will be among the first world leaders to land in New Delhi on Friday to the attend two-day mega Group of 20 or G20 Summit 2023 beginning on September 9. Portraits of US President Joe Biden made by art students ahead of the G20 Summit in Mumbai ON Thursday. (PTI)

The G20 Summit hosted at the sprawling Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan, is likely to focus on tackling global issues, including clean energy transition and combatting climate change, mitigating the economic and social impacts of Russia-Ukraine war, poverty, etc.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden on Thursday (US local time) left for India to participate in the G20 Summit to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Biden will follow the Covid-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit, the White House has said. First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative.

Travelling with the US president onboard the Air Force One include US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, and director of Oval Office operations Annie Tomasini.

Sullivan told reporters that the White House expects to see meaningful progress on General Electric jet engines and civil nuclear technology in upcoming bilateral talks between Biden and Modi.

Earlier this year, the aerospace unit of GE.N announced it had signed an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics to jointly make engines in India to power fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.

Biden is set to arrive around 6.55pm on Friday. Minister of state for civil aviation VK Singh will be at the airport to welcome him. According to the White House, Biden would arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening, with a refuelling stop at Ramstein, Germany.

Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak is scheduled to arrive at 1.40pm in New Delhi. He will be received by minister of state for consumer affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Financial Times reported that Sunak will urge Modi to call out Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and use its clout to help end the war. It will be his first official trip to India since taking office last October.

Sunak and Modi are expected to hold bilateral talks on the margins of the G20 event and will discuss progress in the trade deal the two countries are trying to negotiate, the report said. Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine last year.

Fumio Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's aircraft will touch down at Palam Air Force Station at 2.15pm. He, too, will be received by Choubey. This will be Kishidas second visit to India, after his first visit in March.

Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be received by minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar after his landing at 7pm. Trudeau is visiting New Delhi at a time when ties between India and Canada saw some grey clouds over the activities of Khalistani groups in his country.

Li Qiang

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will land around at 7.45pm and will be received by VK Singh. China's Xi Jinping will miss the G20 meeting at a time of heightened trade and geopolitical tensions with the United States and India, with which it shares a long and disputed border. Beijing did not give a reason but said Li Qiang would attend instead. External affairs minister S Jaishankar, however, said Xi skipping the summit was "not unusual" and would not affect negotiations to produce a consensus communique at the meeting.

G20 Summit: Other world leaders arriving on Saturday

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be received by MOS Darshana Jardosh at 12:30pm.

UAE President HH Shaikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be received by MoS (Home) Nityanand Rai as he arrives in the national capital at 8pm.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will arrive at 6.15pm and he will be received by Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

(With inputs from agencies)

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All heads of governments and states along with other foreign dignitaries will witness first-of-its-kind instrumental music performances during the G20 Summit. The performance will bring together different musical styles from all corners of India to showcase the cultural depth of the country. The grand Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, hosting the historic G20 Summit, showcases the awe-inspiring world's tallest Nataraja statue,(PTI)

The artists will perform together for three hours during the dinner programme which will be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on September 9.

The musical performance has been curated by chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi Sandhya Purecha. The cultural event will take place from 6 pm to 9 pm at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan complex.

78 instrumentalists from all over the country will perform together for three hours. 34 Hindustani instruments, 18 Carnatic instruments, and 40 folk instruments from across Indian states. Among the artists, 11 children, 13 women, 7 differently abled (Divyang) artists, 26 young men and 21 seniors will participate in the event. The musical programme will begin with compositions in Vilambit Laya (slow tempo) followed by Madhya Laya (medium fast tempo) and end with few scores in Druta Laya (Fast tempo). We will immerse in some of the most ancient Vedic musical instruments, Tribal instruments, and Folk instruments alongside classical musical instruments creating a beautiful soundscape. The participating musicians too are hailing from different regions of India, playing an array of traditional instruments in their traditional attire, said Purecha. This musical programme is the only cultural programme in the entire G20 event. String instruments, instruments with membranes, wind instruments, and metal instruments. Several rare instruments such as Surbahar, Jaltarang, Naltarang, Vichitra Veena, Rudra Veena, Saraswati Veena, Dhangli, Sundri, Bhapang and Dilruba will be featured during the presentation. Purecha said participants from all over the country had reached Delhi on August 31 and have been practising since then. All the artists will play the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam song at the end of the performance which is also the theme of G20. They will also give a musical performance on the Mile Sur Mera Tumhara song.

(With ANI inputs)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, sources said. The G20 Summit, which will be held in New Delhi over the coming weekend, will be attended by most of the top leaders of the world. PM Modi with Bangladesh Prime MInister Sheikh Hasina.

On September 8, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of Mauritius, Bangladesh and the US. On September 9, in addition to the G20 Summit, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy. On the next day, PM Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He will do a pull-aside meeting with Canada and bilateral meetings with Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria, the sources said.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to be accompanied by her daughter Saima Wazed during her trip to India to attend the G20 summit, reports indicated. Hasina will be inaugurating a rail link with Tripura and the second unit of the Rampal power plant along with PM Modi, virtually from Delhi at functions on the sideline of the G20 meeting.

She will also sign several agreements including a deal which will facilitate a Rupee-Taka card for citizens of both countries to pay in local currency instead of in dollars while travelling to the other.

PM Modi will also hold bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden, who will arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening.

While President Biden will be offered dinner on Friday but it depends on jet-lag, President Macron is inclined to have lunch with PM Modi on Sunday afternoon along with bilateral talks.

While the Ukraine war and its impact on the global economy will be the political conversation during the G20 Summit, PM Modis priority focus will be to use the gathering to focus on the global south and put a priority tag on the 17 sustainable development goals as a 2021 UN report had shown that the global pandemic played havoc with them.

The UN report indicated that in addition to four million deaths at the time of the report, between 119-124 million people were pushed into poverty and chronic hunger, and the equivalent of 255 million jobs were lost during the disease which had origins in Wuhan in China.

PM Modi expected to promote green development understanding

While the financial commitments of the developed nations are still awaited for climate change challenges, PM Modi is expected to promote green development understanding and green goals to protect the future from climate-related disasters. In this context, PM Modi will pitch for millets to be the answer for global food security as the grain has the ability to survive in tough climatic conditions and high temperatures.

While developed nations need to provide financial backing and technology to dis-incentivize the global south from using coal for power generation, PM Modi will push for change in global lifestyle or what he calls mission LIFE for protecting the environment.

Last but most important of PM Modis pitch at the G-20 will be women development and empowerment as this has taken a global regression in the wake of the global pandemic. This will be part of PM Modis vision of inclusion where no one is left behind and he has been successful in achieving this domestically through antodhya programmes.

Having said that, there will be last-minute political manoeuvrings among the global leaders to come to a consensus on how to promote global economic growth and developmentthe real reason for which the G20 was formed.

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Bengaluru Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday launched a disease surveillance dashboard and a mobile application for effective monitoring of the vector-borne disease. (HT)

Amid an alarming rise in dengue cases in Bengaluru and other parts of the state, Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday launched a disease surveillance dashboard and a mobile application for effective monitoring of the vector-borne disease.

PRISM-H (Platform For Research, Integrated Surveillance and Management of Health), a disease surveillance dashboard and mobile application, was launched by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka (DHFW-GoK) and the BBMP in partnership with ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to develop predictive analytics and assist policymakers and public health officials in preparing for outbreaks and managing disease control activities.

The app which will give predictive analysis of communicable diseases at least four weeks in advance and will also be used to monitor the health condition of health workers, spread of communicable diseases and track test reports, the health department said in a press release.

The disease surveillance dashboard will provide a map of outbreaks across Karnataka at district and sub-district levels along with case trends from across years. A four-week predictive risk map of outbreaks will also be made available to state and district officers.

In addition to predictions, data from multiple sources is being standardised and streamlined for improved analysis. In order to capture real-time data from on-ground surveys, DHFW-GoK and BBMP will leverage the mobile app. Both the dashboard and mobile app are focused on dengue to begin with, and the aim is to expand to additional diseases in the future,

The disease surveillance dashboard has been developed for policymakers, public health decision-makers, district health officers among others for monitoring diseases at district and state levels, to inform advisories and enable data-driven policymaking, day-to-day management, interventions and resource planning etc.

Meanwhile, the mobile application has been developed for Asha workers to streamline survey-related activities, for workers to streamline source reduction activities, for medical officers to verify and review activities, and health care workers for training.

Over the past two months, the city has seen a surge in dengue cases. This year, the citys dengue tally touched 4,703 as of September 7, according to the state health department. In July, there were 1,649 cases, in August, there were 1,589, and in September, 416 cases have been reported in Bengaluru.

The Bengaluru East division reported the highest number of cases, with 1,218, followed by the south division with 1,003 cases. The Mahadevapura zone recorded 875 cases, while the east zone saw 635 cases.

The health minister on Thursday, reviewed the situation in Bengaluru, along with the BBMP. According to Rao, the stagnant rainwater is causing an increase in Aedes mosquitoes. Seven suspected deaths were reported of which three are confirmed and report of four cases is awaited. The cases have spiked, but it is not alarming and we will bring it down through various preventive measures, Rao added

Acknowledging the shortage of medical staff within the BBMP, the health minister outlined steps to address the issue. We are aware of the shortage of ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) staff. We have decided to increase their salaries by  6,000. Previously, they received 12,000, and now they will receive 18,000. There is a shortage of 179 ANM workers, Rao said.

Speaking on the occasion of unveiling the dashboard on Friday, Raghu Dharmaraju, CEO of ARTPARK said, Times of crisis like Covid, force us all  government, researchers, industry and startups  to work together to bring technology to solve societal challenges. The challenge is to sustain such collaborations when things seem alright and continue to build capabilities that will help with challenges when they come.

ARTPARKs role is that of an orchestrator of such collaborative innovation. A lot of credit to GoK and BBMP for not resting and thinking futuristically to build these systems to prepare for challenges ahead. In a world where climate change is bringing new kinds of crises to new places every day, we must be prepared, Dharmaraju added.

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Hyderabad Police said a 38-year-old home guard from Hyderabad, who allegedly attempted suicide by immolating himself on the evening of September 5, succumbed to burns at a private hospital on Friday. (HT Archives)

A 38-year-old home guard from Hyderabad, who allegedly attempted suicide by immolating himself on the evening of September 5, succumbed to burns at a private hospital on Friday, police said.

The home guard from Chandrayangutta traffic police station in the old city of Hyderabad took to the extreme step in protest against alleged the indifferent attitude of the authorities in not paying him salary for the last two months.

The home guards wife alleged that the assistant sub-inspector of police and another constable were responsible for the death of her husband. The higher authorities should retrieve the footage of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera to find out what exactly happened on that day. The ASI and the constable should be arrested immediately, she demanded, while speaking to reporters at the hospital.

The incident happened on September 5 when the home guard visited the office of the Home Guards Commandant at Goshamahal to represent to the higher-ups about non-payment of salary for the last two months, but he did not get a favourable response from them, another home guard familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

This led to an argument between him and the officials. He went out and returned with a bottle of petrol, doused himself with it and set himself ablaze. The other staff members in the office put out the fire and shifted him to Osmania General Hospital and from there to Apollo-DRDO Hospital at Kanchanbagh with 70% burn injuries. He succumbed to burns on Friday morning, the home guard quoted above said.

Soon after the incident, hundreds of home guards assembled at the Osmania General Hospital mortuary, where the body was shifted for post-mortem and staged a demonstration in front of the hospital along with the victims family members, demanding justice.

The issue took a political turn with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party activists joining the protest by the home guards and the victims family members. BJP state president and Union minister G Kishan Reddy said that the government should keep its word by making the posts of 20,000 home guards as permanent employees of the police force.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy also called on the home guards family members at the OGH mortuary. He described the death of the home guard as official murder and demanded that the government give a job to the kin of the deceased.

The government should also pay an ex gratia of 25 lakh, assurance of free education to the sons of the home guard and regularisation of all the 20,000 home guards working under different police stations in the state, Revanth Reddy said.

Meanwhile, a case of suspicious death was registered at Shah Inayat Gunj police station and investigation is going on, the police said.

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New Delhi Among the key achievements outlined in the India-US joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Bidens meeting on Friday, there is a common theme: technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets United States President Joe Biden prior to bilateral talks, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on Friday. (HT Photo) (ht photo)

Both Biden and Modi, according to the statement, reaffirmed technologys defining role in deepening our strategic partnership and lauded the efforts under the initiative on critical and emerging technologies (iCET) to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains, based on mutual confidence and trust, which reinforce our shared values and democratic institutions.

The idea of the iCET was born in a Modi-Biden meeting in Tokyo on the sidelines of Quad in the summer of 2022. It was formally unveiled by the two national security advisers (NSAs), Jake Sullivan and Ajit Doval, in January 2023. iCET formed the backbone of the deliverables during Modis visit in June 2023 to the US. And, now, in September 2023, there is even more progress under the framework, which, by any account, makes it one of the most efficient mechanisms in the crowded India-US bilateral matrix. The subtext of a range of initiatives under the mechanism is the jointly felt need in both Delhi and DC to counter Beijing.

In the joint statement on Friday, this took seven specific forms.

Space

The first is space, with Biden first congratulating Modi and the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Chandrayaan-3s success and the launch of Aditya-L1. Biden and Modi welcomed efforts towards establishment of a working group for commercial space collaboration under the existing India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group; underlined that Isro and Nasa have have commenced discussions on modalities, capacity building, and training for mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024; and said that two sides were continuing to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of 2023.

They also announced their intent to deepen cooperation on planetary defence.

Semiconductors

Two, on semiconductors, after the investment announcements made by Micron, Lam Research and Applied Materials during Modis June visit, Biden and Modi reiterated their commitment to build resilient semiconductor supply chains. They noted a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology to invest approximately $300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India and Advanced Micro Devices announcement to invest $400 million over the next five years to expand research, development, and engineering operations in India.

Telecommunications

Three, on the basis of a shared vision of secure and trusted telecommunications, resilient supply chains, and global digital inclusion, both leaders welcomed the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Alliance, operated by Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, as a first step towards deepening public-private cooperation between vendors and operators. They also noted the formation of two task forces focused on collaboration in the domain of Open RAN and research in 5G and 6G technologies. A 5G Open RAN pilot in a leading Indian telecom operator will be undertaken by a U.S. Open RAN manufacturer before field deployment, the joint statement added.

Quantum

Four, in quantum, the US reiterated its commitment to work with India both bilaterally and through the Quantum Entanglement Exchange, a platform to facilitate international quantum exchange opportunities. The leaders welcomed the participation of SN Bose National Center for Basic Sciences as a member of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, and noted that IIT-Bombay had earlier joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange.

Education

Five, in the field of education, in another sign that the India-US knowledge partnership is deepening, the two leaders welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Indian universities, represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council), and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute, with a combined initial commitment of at least US$10 million. This institute will bring together leading research and higher education institutions from both countries to advance new frontiers in science and technology, spanning collaboration in sustainable energy and agriculture, health and pandemic preparedness, semiconductor technology and manufacturing, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science, all of which are identified as areas of deeper ties under iCET.

Biotechnology

Six, Biden and Modi hailed the signing of an Implementation Arrangement between the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and Indias department of biotechnology to enable scientific and technological research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations.

Defence

Seven, on defence, the GE jet engine deal is a part of the defence industrial cooperation road map under iCET. In addition, the two leaders commended the work of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) in establishing a robust collaboration agenda to harness the innovative work of the US and Indian defence sectors to address shared security challenges. INDUS-X has already convened the inaugural Academia Start-up Partnership at IIT Kanpur, with the participation of Penn State University, and initiated the Joint Accelerator Program for Indian Startups, through a workshop led by US accelerator Hacking 4 Allies (H4x) and IIT Hyderabad in August 2023. They also welcomed the announcement of both defence ministries to launch two joint challenges.

And finally, in a sign that both countries recognise that operationalising all of this will require continuous work on the internal front in terms of regulations, Biden and Modi recommitted their administrations to promote policies and adapt regulations that facilitate greater technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities between Indian and US industry, government and academic institutions and welcomed continued engagement through an inter-agency monitoring mechanism under the auspices of the bilateral Strategic Trade Dialogue, which was launched in June 2023.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Jha Prashant Jha is the Washington DC-based US correspondent of Hindustan Times. He is also the editor of HT Premium. Jha has earlier served as editor-views and national political editor/bureau chief of the paper. He is the author of How the BJP Wins: Inside India's Greatest Election Machine and Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal. ...view detail
US President Joe Biden conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday that democracy was an important issue in the bilateral relationship, but he does not believe in one country lecturing another and it is important to maintain a degree of humility, according to Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific coordinator at the US National Security Council. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi on Friday (ANI)

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At a press briefing for the White House press corps travelling with President Joe Biden, Campbell, who is a key architect of the India policy in White House and was present at the meeting between Biden and PM Narendra Modi, also said that India is disappointed that Russia and China arent at the G20 Summit.

On the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping, Campbell said, I think it is a disappointment for India that Russia and China arent here.

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The US official said that there was undeniable warmth and confidence between Modi and Biden and has in the past often attributed the recent progress in bilateral ties to the personal dynamic and trust between the leaders.

In response to questions about democracy, Campbell said, The President is very clear about the importance of the health of democracy. He doesnt do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges, and we think its important that we are constantly asking the hard questions about our democracy and he made very clear again in the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, that this is important issue in our bilateral relationship.

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On whether there had been improvements on democratic freedoms, Campbell told reporters, I dont think many of you believe that there would be a press conference in Washington DC and there was. We have insisted on a number of things and I think we have seen evidence of that. There are a number of things in India that we believe are quite strong and healthy. And there are other issues that frankly, we continue to have dialogue over. I think this continues to be a work in progress.

But the US official added that the key was to maintain a respectful dialogue, and approach challenges with a degree of humility, given some of the challenges that the US faced domestically as well.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Jha Prashant Jha is the Washington DC-based US correspondent of Hindustan Times. He is also the editor of HT Premium. Jha has earlier served as editor-views and national political editor/bureau chief of the paper. He is the author of How the BJP Wins: Inside India's Greatest Election Machine and Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal. ...view detail
New Delhi: India and the US have resolved their seventh and final outstanding trade dispute over the import of poultry, including chicken and eggs from America, which was prohibited by New Delhi due to concerns over avian influenza. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi on Friday. (ANI)

The leaders lauded the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between India and the United States. This follows the unprecedented settlement of six outstanding bilateral trade disputes in the WTO in June 2023, a joint statement said on Friday after a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joseph Biden.

The meeting took place minutes after Biden landed in the national capital on Friday evening. He is visiting India to attend the two-day G20 Leaders Summit over the weekend.

The six other outstanding WTO disputes between the US and India were resolved through mutual agreement during Modis US visit in June this year. But the seventh issue could not be resolved then due to technical reasons.

According to WTO documents, India imposed a ban on the imports of these products from the US on the basis of a gazette notification on July 19, 2011. Washington approached WTO on March 6, 2012.

The earlier six disputes that were resolved included three each initiated by the US and India. One was pertaining to a complaint by India against the US at WTO about the imposition of countervailing duties on some hot rolled carbon steel flat products from India.

The other issue pertained to the energy sector. In September 2016, India filed a case against the US over domestic content requirements in energy products. Similarly, the US filed a case against India over domestic content requirements under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission for solar cells and solar modules.

In 2018, the US filed a complaint against Indias alleged export subsidy measures. It initiated another dispute against India in July, 2019 on the imposition of additional duties with respect to certain products originating in the US.

Last month, on August 24, HT reported from Jaipur about the imminent resolution of the last pending dispute at WTO between India and the US after a meeting between commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Katherine Tai. the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Tai visited Jaipur to attend G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM).

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Police in Kolkata on Friday sought a courts permission to invoke provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act against 12 current and former students of Jadavpur University (JU), who were arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old student last month, an officer aware of the details said on Friday. The victims body bore several injury marks and he was rushed to a private hospital where he died at around 4.30am on the following day (ANI)

The 12 students were booked under section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code and section 4 of West Bengal Prohibition of Ragging in Educational Institutions Act after the first year student from Nadia district was found lying naked in a pool of blood in front of the main hostel building outside the university campus on August 9.

The deceaseds family alleged he was a victim of ragging at the hostel premises. An internal panel set up by the varsity to probe the incident later confirmed the student was severely ragged by seniors hours before his death.

We have requested a city court for adding section 12 (punishment for sexual harassment against a child) under the Pocso Act against the 12 arrested people, a senior police officer said, seeking anonymity.

Police earlier said the teen allegedly fell from the second-floor balcony of his hostel where he was staying since August 6, after enrolling for the Bengali Honours undergraduate course at the university. His body bore several injury marks and he was rushed to a private hospital where he died at around 4.30am on the following day.

Investigations revealed that the student was stripped, paraded naked and forced to lie face-down, another police officer said, also seeking anonymity.

Besides six current and six former students arrested, one more former student was held for allegedly preventing police from entering the varsity campus during the course of investigation but was later released on bail.

On Tuesday, JUs internal committee recommended expulsion of four students who are among those arrested. The four were present during the August 9 incident. They have been arrested and their role in the incident was confirmed by the inquiry panel, said a person aware of the details.

Additionally, the panel also asked that a police case be filed against six former students, who are not among those arrested, the person added. JUs interim vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau declined to detail the panels recommendations, but said it recommended punishments for all students present in the hostel block the night the student died.

Days after the incident, on August 11, the varsity had asked all first-year male boarders of the main hostel to temporarily shift to a new facility after a section of students and teachers alleged that former students frequently visited and stayed in the premises and sometimes, even harassed the freshers.

Both the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights had pulled up JU authorities for allegedly flouting guidelines of the Supreme Court and University Grants Commission (UGC) on ragging. A four-member UGC team visited the varsity to review anti-ragging measures on Monday.
KOCHI: A top police officer was suspended by the Kerala government on Friday for alleged involvement in a cheating case connected to fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. Gugulloth Lakshman, inspector general of police (training), was placed under suspension under Rule 3 (1) of All India Service (Discipline and Appeal Rules), 1969 with immediate effect for causing disgrace to the police force and disruption of discipline. (HT Photo)

Gugulloth Lakshman, inspector general of police (training), was placed under suspension under Rule 3 (1) of All India Service (Discipline and Appeal Rules), 1969 with immediate effect for causing disgrace to the police force and disruption of discipline. This is the second time that the IPS officer has been suspended.

Lakshman, who was arrested by the Crime Branch of the Kerala police in August on charges of conspiracy, cheating and forgery, is out on anticipatory bail approved by the Kerala high court. Its his recent arrest that is seen to have prompted his suspension from service for the second time.

Mavunkal, a dealer of fake antiquities based in Kochi, had convinced several people that his money to the tune of 2.62 lakh crore as part of proceeds from sale of antiques to a royal family in the Gulf was frozen by central government authorities and that he needed funds to clear the procedures to obtain the money. Mavunkal is accused of cheating several persons of 10 crore by this way. The Crime Branch case against Lakshman IPS is that he acted as a conspirator in the fraud and helped fabricate a bank account statement to deceive the complainants.

The government order suspending the officer said, Preliminary inquiry has revealed that Lakshman, IPS, is involved in this crime by conspiring with accused Monson Mavunkal in deceiving the complainant. The complainant has produced two video footages to prove Lakshmans connivance and involvement in the crime and thus it is evident that the officer had sufficient knowledge in the process of cheating the complainant.

The state DGP had also recommended to the government that Lakshman be suspended for committing grave misconduct.

The Crime Branch had also told the high court earlier that the IPS officer was dodging appearances before the investigating officer by producing inconsistent medical certificates.

Mavunkal was arrested in September 2021 by the Crime Branch in the cheating case. In June this year, a Pocso court in Kochi sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl.

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Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Narendra Modi government over reports of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G20 Summit dinner, saying the saffron party does not value the leader of 60% of India's population. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

What is contrary about it? They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition. It tells you something. It tells you that they don't value the Leader of 60% of India's population. It's something that people should think about - why they are feeling the need to do that and what type of thinking goes behind that, Gandhi told reporters during a press meet in Brussels.

Gandhi is on a three-nation European tour where he will hold several meetings with parliamentarians and lawmakers. On Thursday, the Congress leader held closed-door meetings with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels. Further, he is set to travel to Paris and meet French lawmakers. Before returning to India, his last trip would be to Norway, where he is expected to meet the country's parliamentarians in Oslo.

Kharge not invited to G20 dinner?

According to several media reports, Kharge, who is also the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, has not been invited to the mega G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday. This comes after the INDIA alliance opposed a G20 dinner invitation from the President that described her position as President of Bharat - amid the INDIA vs Bharat row.

However, other leaders from the alliance including Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, and Nitish Kumar, among others have been invited to the gala dinner.

The G20 Summit, a highly anticipated event featuring top world leaders, will be held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan on September 9 and 10. Several leaders including US President Joe Biden, Canada PM Justin Trudeau, and UK PM Rishi Sunak, will be attending the event in the national capital.
Chennai: Madras high court took up, of its own accord, a review of the discharge of two more senior politicians  DMK minister I Periyasamy and former AIADMK minister B Valarmathi  in corruption cases probed by the states Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption. (HT Archives)

The Madras high court on Friday took up, of its own accord, a review of the discharge of two more senior politicians  DMK minister I Periyasamy and former AIADMK minister B Valarmathi  in corruption cases probed by the states Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), taking to six, the number of such reviews taken up by Justice N Anand Venkatesh.

I dont know how many more cases are to be reviewed. God save this institution and the State, Justice Venkatesh said on Friday. Maybe something like the Lokayukta that Karnataka has, is needed here too.

His reference is to the anti-corruption ombudsman appointed by most states. In 2018, Tamil Nadu became one of the last states to pass a Lokayukta Act.

Under the Act, an independent quasi-judicial body has been constituted with a chairman, two judicial members and two non-Judicial members but activists say its toothless.

In August , the judge issued notices to four other senior politicians, DMK ministers K Ponmudy (higher education), Thangam Thennarasu (finance) and KKSSR Ramachandran (revenue and disaster) and former chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam.

Case after case I see that no legislator wants to face trial. They want to get out of it, website Bar and Bench quoted the judge as saying in oral remarks. I have opened a can of worms but someone has to do this. Anand Venkatesh is not the problem here. I am on this seat today, tomorrow I will be gone.

The revision against the discharge of Periyasamy, minister for rural development, pertains to an order passed by an additional special court for MP/MLAs cases in Chennai on March 17. The court discharged him from a case filed by DVAC in 2012 on charges of allotting a Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) plot to the personal security officer of former chief minister M Karunanidhi.

Periyasamy was the then housing minister . In the case of AIADMK leader Valarmathi, who was formerly social welfare minister, a Chennai court discharged her in 2021 in a disproportionate assets case . The judge has called for records to examine the two cases.

The development comes a day after minister Ponmudy and DVAC requested that Justice N Anand Venkatesh recuse himself from the proceedings on the grounds that t he made several observations already during the admission stage. Recording their submissions, the judge on Thursday said he would take a call on it on September 14.

The DMK has previously said that they would take the issue to the Supreme Court.

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The Madras high court on Friday took up, of its own accord, a review of the discharge of two more senior politicians  DMK minister I Periyasamy and former AIADMK minister B Valarmathi  in corruption cases probed by the states Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), taking to six, the number of such reviews taken up by Justice N Anand Venkatesh. In 2018, Tamil Nadu became one of the last states to pass a Lokayukta Act (Representative photo)

I dont know how many more cases are to be reviewed. God save this institution and the State, Justice Venkatesh said on Friday. Maybe something like the Lokayukta that Karnataka has, is needed here too.

His reference is to the anti corruption ombudsman appointed by most states; in 2018, Tamil Nadu became one of the last states to pass a Lokayukta Act.

Under the Act, an independent quasi-judicial body has been constituted with a chairman, two judicial members and two non-Judicial members but activists say its toothless.

In August , the judge issued notices to four other senior politicians, DMK ministers K Ponmudy (higher education), Thangam Thennarasu (finance) and KKSSR Ramachandran (revenue and disaster) and former chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam.

Case after case I see that no legislator wants to face trial. They want to get out of it, website Bar and Bench quoted the judge as saying in oral remarks. I have opened a can of worms but someone has to do this. Anand Venkatesh is not the problem here. I am on this seat today, tomorrow I will be gone.

The revision against the discharge of Periyasamy, minister for rural development pertains to an order passed by an additional special court for MP/MLAs cases in Chennai on March 17. The court discharged him from a case filed by DVAC in 2012 on charges of allotting a Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) plot to the personal security officer of former chief minister M Karunanidhi.

Periyasamy was the then housing minister . In the case of AIADMK leader Valarmathi, who was formerly social welfare minister, a Chennai court discharged her in 2021 in a disproportionate assets case . The judge has called for records to examine the two cases.

The development comes a day after minister Ponmudy and DVAC requested that Justice N Anand Venkatesh recuse himself from the proceedings on the grounds that t he made several observations already during the admission stage. Recording their submissions, the judge on Thursday said he would take a call on it on September 14.

The DMK has previously said that they would take the issue to the Supreme Court.

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Three major multilateral initiativesMiddle-East infrastructure Corridor, Global Biofuels alliance and scaled up Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII)will be launched during the G-20 summit tomorrow with possibility of India led global digital public infrastructure One Future alliance also making the cut. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host US President Joe Biden at LKM at 7: 45 pm onwards today. for a bilateral meeting.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally monitoring the preparation of the G-20 summit, the Ministry of External Affairs, G-20 secretariat, Home Ministry, Culture Ministry and others are giving last-minute touches to the preparations for the multilateral summit. Details like silent five-minute video clips on India-Mother of Democracy and India-Moving Forward'', which will be played in a loop at the Leaders Lounge of Bharat Mandapam, have been finalized between ITPO, Culture Ministry and the G-20 secretariat.

While the key event today will be PM Modis bilateral meeting cum dinner with US President Joe Biden, India along with close allies Saudi Arabia, UAE and the US will launch the Middle-East Infrastructure corridor tomorrow in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. The idea of connecting India with the Middle-East through railroad-ports project was discussed between National Security Advisors of the US, India and UAE and under the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince MBS in May in Jeddah. It is understood that at the heart of this initiative is a major connectivity project linking the West Asian railroad network with Indian ports for a more secure and prosperous Middle-East.

The Global Biofuels alliance will also be launched at the summit with the aim of reducing fossil fuel consumption through climate friendly biofuels like ethanol and jatropha. The alliance has the support of the US and UAE with other countries ready to support the India led effort.

The US-led PGII will be scaled up at the G-20 summit to meet the high-quality infrastructure financing in low and middle-level countries. The aim of the PGII, which was discussed at the G-7 summit in Hiroshima this year, is to mobilize financing for delivering energy, physical, digital, health and climate-resilient infrastructure.

The PGII and the Middle-East Infrastructure Corridor are in many ways alternate to China-led opaque Belt Road Initiative (BRI), which is currently struggling due to the inability of recipient nations in Asia and Africa to pay back high-interest loans from Chinese banks.

Lastly, the G-20 summit is expected to record forward momentum on the One Future alliance, a voluntary initiative that aims to bring together all the countries and stakeholders to synergize, shape, architect and design the future of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) that could be used by all the countries. As a leader in digital payments, India promoting the DPI and other close allies are expected to join during the summit.

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Bengaluru According to the police, the incident took place at Kavadi village in Virajpet police station limits late on Thursday

A 43-year-old man was arrested on Friday for the murder of a minor boy from Dalit community in Kodagu district of Karnataka, police said on Friday.

According to the police, the incident took place at Kavadi village in Virajpet police station limits late on Thursday.

The 17-year-old boy, a class 10 drop-out, allegedly entered the premises of the accused. Suspecting that the boy might be in a relationship with his 15-year-old daughter, he assaulted him severely with a stick, police said.

Police said that after being assaulted the boy collapsed on the spot. The boy succumbed to his injuries on the way to the Virajpet taluk government hospital.The autopsy was conducted at the Virajpet taluk government hospital and the body was handed over to the family.

Virajpet rural police have registered a case under Section 302 (Murder) of the Indian Penal Code and SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, based on the complaint filed by the deceaseds parents. Further investigation is on, police said.

According to preliminary investigation, the deceased and the accuseds daughter knew each other, Kodagu district superintendent of police K Ramarajan said. He added, it is not confirmed whether the minors were in a relationship.

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Union minister of state for health SP Singh Baghel has informed that more than 5,000 people will pledge to donate their organs in Agra on September 17 as a tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 73rd birthday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo)

On behalf of residents in my parliamentary constituency Agra, I am happy to inform you that on the occasion of your birthday, i.e., 17 September, the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization are organizing a registration program to donate kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, intestine, cornea and bone under one roof in Agra, a letter from Baghel to the PM dated 15 August read.

Agra is also the parliamentary constituency of SP Singh Baghel. He had told PM Modi long back that the idea of this organ donation campaign came to his mind after he assumed charge as MoS Health and was responding to queries tabled in the Parliament.

Baghel had told PM Modi on August 15 that more than 5000 people had agreed for organ donation and that more people would join the drive.
The 40-year-old man arrested for the alleged murder of a 24-year-old flight attendant in Marol was found dead in a lock-up in Andheri on Friday morning, police officials said. Atwal was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead, said another senior police officer (Representative photo)

According to police, the accused, Vikram Atwal, was found dead around 8am on Friday when the police guards changed shifts. When a guard arrived in the morning, he found one of the 23 inmates missing from the lock-up, said a police officer. The guard found the bathroom door locked from inside, added the police officer, on the condition of anonymity.

After not getting any response, the guard forced entry into the bathroom where he found Atwal dead, said the police.

Atwal was taken to the general lock-up at the Andheri police station on Thursday night after Powai police completed his interrogation, said an officer from Mumbai crime branch.

Atwal was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, said another senior police officer. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, the officer added further.

Atwal was a member of the cleaning staff at the NG Complex housing society in Marol, Mumbai, where the flight attendant was found dead on September 3. According to police, the 24-year-old had several altercations with Atwal in the past, and had summoned him to the flat to clean a choked pipe.

Atwal reached the flat with a knife with an intent to rape the trainee air hostess, the police had said earlier.

In his statement to the police, Atwal had said that the two got in an argument and he attacked her. But she managed to wrest the knife from him. She snatched the knife from him at one point and hit him hard on the head with its wooden end, said another officer, adding Atwal eventually overpowered the woman.

The accused then slit her throat and left her bleeding in the bathroom, where she was found dead on the same day in the evening, said the officer on the condition of anonymity. Atwal was arrested on September 5 and sent to three-day police custody, which ended on September 8.
NAGPUR: A Nagpur court on Friday acquitted Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a criminal case against him for his failure to disclose two pending criminal cases in the election affidavit he filed in the 2014 state assembly elections. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was facing a case initiated on a complaint by a Nagpur-based lawyer (HT File Photo)

The case was registered against Fadnavis on a 2014 complaint by a Nagpur-based lawyer Satish Ukey who complained that the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders affidavit for the 2014 election did not disclose cases of cheating and forgery registered against him in 1996 and 1998 respectively.

Nagpurs judicial magistrate first class Sangram S Jadhav on Friday accepted Fadnaviss stand that the two offences were left out due to oversight and not an intent to mislead people. The judge said the prosecution hadnt proven how concealing the two cases would have benefitted Fadnavis or what his motive was.

During the proceedings, Fadnavis, who was elected from Nagpur south-west assembly constituency, accepted that he had failed to disclose the criminal cases but said that it was not deliberate but an oversight on the part of his lawyer who was entrusted with the task.

Fadnavis and Satish Ukey were present in the court via video conference on Friday when the judge pronounced the verdict.

Ukey appeared for the case from Arthur Jail in Mumbai. The lawyer, who filed the complaint and fought the case against the senior BJP leader, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year on money laundering charges linked to an alleged land-grabbing case.

Back in 2015, the Nagpur court had initially dismissed the complaint against Fadnavis in September 2015. Ukey challenged the ruling and the Nagpur sessions judge told the trial court to consider the case afresh. Fadnavis moved the Bombay high court against this order, which set aside the sessions judges order in May 2018. But Ukey did not give up and approached the Supreme Court.

In its October 2019 verdict, the Supreme Court set side the clean chit and held that the information required to be furnished under Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, includes information relating to criminal cases of which cognizance has been taken and not just cases in which charges have been framed.

Fadnavis filed a review plea against the Supreme Court order which held that a case for prosecuting him under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act was made out but this was also dismissed by the top court.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) have decided to fight the 2024 general elections together in Karnataka, former chief minister BS Yediyurappa said on Friday, but there was no firm confirmation of an electoral pact from the regional party. Yediyurappa said there was no contradiction between the two parties coming together after bitterly fought assembly elections (PTI)

Yediyurappa  the tallest leader in the state BJP unit  said both parties came to an agreement with the JD(S) getting four of the states 28 Lok Sabha seats to contest and the BJP fighting the rest.

HD Deve Gowda met PM Modi and Amit Shah in Delhi and after that, they have agreed to four seats. The alliance will help us win all 27 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. We will abide by the decision taken in Delhi, BS Yediyurappa said, refusing to disclose when this meeting took place.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the JD(S) fought seven seats but won just one  the Gowda family pocket borough of Hassan. The BJP won 25 of the 28 seats, while the Congress won one.

The JD(S) has aligned with the BJP in the past. In 2006, following the assembly elections in Karnataka, no political party won a clear majority. The JD(S) then agreed to team up with the BJP to form the government. As part of a power-sharing agreement, JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy was supposed to leave the post of chief minister on 3 October 2007. However, when the time came, he refused. This forced Yeddyurappa and all the ministers to withdraw support from the Kumaraswamy government. In 2018, the party joined hands with the Congress to form the government, which finally collapsed the next year.

But the regional party -- which performed poorly in assembly elections earlier this year -- sent mixed signals. JD(S) core committee chief GT Devegowda said party workers and leaders had urged Deve Gowda to pursue an alliance with the BJP but refused to confirm if an agreement was reached.

JD(S) state chief CM Ibrahim said he was not aware of any decision being made or any formal alliance discussions. As a state president, I can tell you that we havent discussed anything related to it in the party forum, he said. GT Devegowda said the party was upset with the ruling Congress.

Everyone in our party agrees that we are unable to tolerate the oppression by Congress. Party workers and leaders are up in arms. Theres pressure on us. All of them have said we should have an alliance...that we must fight with the BJP and we must defeat Congress, he said.

However, he emphasised that any decision on an alliance will require a consensus. Mere seat-sharing wont do...There must be clear deliverables for us, he said.

The party is facing an existential crisis with a shrinking of support in its stronghold of old Mysuru region, and the disqualification of Prajwal Revanna by the Karnataka high court on September 1 over election irregularities.

Yediyurappa said there was no contradiction between the two parties coming together after bitterly fought assembly elections. Such situations keep coming. Differences and adjustments keep happening in politics. We will have to abide by the decision taken by the high command. I personally welcome the alliance, said Yediyurappa.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah played down the comments, saying the Congress will focus on seeking votes from the people. We are not bothered who will enter into an alliance and who will fight on their own. We will seek votes from the people. People are in our favour, and they will vote for us, he said.

Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar welcomed the BJP-JD(S) alliance.. But after the alliance, how will the JD(S) retain its ideology? We dont know if the party will survive or not. Im not against their alliance. All the best to them, he said.

Political analyst A Narayana said that if the new alliance materialises, the JD(S) might manage to remain politically relevant for a few more years. For the JD(S), this alliance is all about survival in the short term as the party is facing an existential crisis after the assembly polls. But in the long run, this will help the BJP create a stronghold in Old Mysuru Region, he said.

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Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan on Friday clarified that she had absolutely no personal differences with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government in the state but she would not hesitate to use powers vested with her to fulfil her constitutional responsibilities. Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan said she would not hesitate to use powers vested with her to fulfil her constitutional responsibilities. (ANI)

Also Read| Republic Day: Governor targets KCR govt at Telangana event

I will not blindly sign the files or approve the bills sent to me by the government on any issue, but will study them thoroughly and raise queries, if necessary, if I feel they need to be addressed in the best interest of the state, the governor said, interacting with the reporters at Raj Bhavan on the completion of her fourth year in office.

On the occasion, Tamilisai released a coffee table book, Passions for Peoples Progress - Planned Pursuits, showcasing the initiatives of her fourth year as governor of Telangana.

Reacting to a query on her conflict with the Telangana government on withholding of certain bills passed by the state legislature, the governor said she had to use her discretionary power in withholding the consent to the bills because she had some genuine concerns.

Also Read| Tamilisais plight is a warning, says DMK mouthpiece in message to governors

For example, I had several doubts over the latest bill on merger of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) with the government. I sought clarifications on as many as 10 issues pertaining to the bill and made certain recommendations before it was introduced in the assembly, she said.

She added: When the bill was sent to me after the passage in the assembly, I referred the same to the law department to seek further clarifications. I have got the reply only on Thursday and I shall approve the same after going through the clarifications.

Tamilisai also pointed out that she had withheld the approval for the appointment of two members of state legislative council (MLCs) under governors quota, because they did not fit into the categories under which the government recommended their names.

She said she was undeterred by the denial of protocol facilities to her by the government or absence of bureaucrats at her meetings during her district visits. All these issues dont trouble me much and I am not afraid of anybody. My only concern is to do something good for the people of the state, she said.

Tamilisai said her actions were not driven by politics but by a genuine concern for the peoples welfare. She also brushed aside the talk that the gap between Raj Bhavan and Pragati Bhavan (chief ministers bungalow) had been reduced following chief minister K Chandrasekhar Raos invitation to her to the new secretariat complex a few days ago.

I am least bothered whether the distance between Raj Bhavan and Pragati Bhavan is reduced by a few metres or kilometres. If the government invites me to the official functions, I welcome it. If it doesnt, I am not worried. I always want a healthy relationship between the constitutional institutions, she said.

Tamilisai, however, said she was only four years old as a governor, compared to the vast political experience of KCR. I have learnt a lot from him in these last four years, she said.

The governor extended her full support for the simultaneous elections and expressed hope for a consensus among all stakeholders, leading to the approval of the Womens Reservation Bill.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience. ...view detail
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah claimed that nobody can change the name of the country from India to Bharat amid a massive political issue. The India vs Bharat debate comes months after the 26 opposition parties formed a bloc and named it Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or INDIA. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. (HT File Photo)(HT File Photo)

Nobody can change it. Do they have a majority support over this decision? Changing the name of the country is not an ordinary issue, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference leader said.

To do this, you will have to change the constitution of the country. If you have guts, then bring it. We will also watch who will support you in changing the nations name, he added.

Article 1 of the Constitution of India reads in the beginning as  India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States. The article cites both names -- India and Bharat. People call it India, Bharat and Hindustan as it is their right, said Abdullah.

Abdullah further said, If Prime Minister Modi does not wish to use the name India, then he shall not. But he cannot remove it from the Constitution.

India vs Bharat debate

A political slugfest erupted over the speculation of renaming India to Bharat days ahead of hosting the G20 Summit in New Delhi, when G20 dinner invitations were sent to global leaders and delegates in the name of President of Bharat instead of usual President of India.

Earlier, a top United Nations official commented on the possible name change and said the UN considers requests from countries to change their names as and when it receives them.

What does the Constitution of India state?

The preamble of the Constitution of India in English begins with, We the people of India.., and Article 1 of the Constitution states, India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. The Hindi version of the preamble replaces India with Bharat.

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President of European Council Charles Michel on Friday said the current G20 Summit won't dissolve all the problems of the world in two days while extending support to the African Union in its bid to join the group of twenty (G20) as a permanent member. European Council President Charles Michel(REUTERS)

I don't think that this G20 will dissolve in two days all the problems of the world...But I feel it can be a route step into a direction to ensure to make it happen and to support Indian presidencyThe European Union is looking forward to welcome African Union as a permanent member of the G20, he said at a press conference in New Delhi ahead of the mega event, scheduled on September 9 and 10.

The G20 grouping of nations earlier agreed to grant permission the permanent membership to the 55 member-led African Union, a status similar to that of the European Union (EU). This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in June this year, wrote to G20 members proposing the AU be given permanent membership of the bloc at the current summit.

"Our presidency has not only seen the largest-ever participation from African countries but has also pushed for the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20," he wrote in an article that was published across dailies.

Michel further ascertained that the EU will continue to defend and support Ukraine in the current summit and use the forum as one more occasion to make the clarity about the Russian behaviour.

"It's frankly scandalous that Russia, after having terminated the Black Sea grain initiative, is blocking and attacking Ukrainian ports. This must stop," he said.

The current G20 Summit is likely to witness a tough bargaining over the issue that made a significant global impact after Russia carried out the so-called special military campaign since last year.

Earlier this week, a top EU official asserted that Ukraine will the bloc's first priority in this summit and added that it wished for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's participation in the event. But we respect the decision of the host.

We cant say if a joint statement will be issued (at the end of the G20 summit)...text prepared by the Indians is not sufficient for G7 and the EU, the official said earlier.

Russia stepped out of the agreement, brokered by Turkey and United Nations, that ensured grain shipment from Ukraine along the corridor in the Black Sea. The Kremlin claimed that it had failed to fulfil the goal of relieving hunger in Africa.

"The Kremlin's offer of one million tonnes of grain to Africa is absolutely cynical," Michel added.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to skip the G20 Summit in New Delhi, or making a video address. However, country's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will his place in the event.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the Opposition agrees with the ruling governments stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, considering the close bilateral ties that Delhi shares with Kremlin. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference at the Brussels Press Club, in Belgium, Friday, Sept. 8.(PTI)

Also Read| Kharge not invited to G20 dinner? Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP: 'They don't value'

I think the Opposition, by and large, would agree with Indias current position on the conflict (between Russia and Ukraine). We have a relationship with Russia. I dont think the opposition would have a different position than what the government is currently proposing, Gandhi said while talking to reporters at the Brussels Press Club in Belgium.

Objecting to the way the Chinese government functioned, Gandhi suggested that to surpass or be on par with nations on a global scale, India must envision for production in a democratic environment and come up with an alternative way to lead as compared to China.

Also Read| Rahul Gandhi reacts to India-Bharat name row: Absurd, panic reaction'

The Chinese have shown that it is possible to produce effectively in a cohesive environment. Where you dont give people freedom, where you restrict their political freedom but you offer them prosperity. The challenge for us is to provide an alternative vision and produce under democratic conditions with political and economic freedom. There is a lot of cooperation that can happen between the US, Europe and India and that is where all our focus should go, how can we create an alternative to the Chinese production model which is rather cohesive. A competitive vision, Gandhi said.

Opening up on the meeting with the European Parliamentary members, Gandhi said that the members were concerned when he had raised the issue of the attacks on the democratic institutions of India.

The aim is to meet our diaspora here and to engage with them and to get a sense what they are dealing with. The second aim is to meet the government members and MPs and to get a sense how they are seeing India and also a sense on how our relationship should look like. There has been an increase in discrimination and violence and there is a full scale assault on the democratic assault on the country and of course minorities are under attack, so are Dalit communities and other lower caste communities, he said.

Hitting out at Gandhi for conducting his visit at a time when the G20 Summit was being held in India, Bharatiya Janta Party national spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said, people like (Rahul) Gandhi want to bring a bad name to India. He (Gandhi) is associating with people who are against the Modi government, Islam said.

The whole country is thrilled for the G 20 Summit and everyone knows the kind of efforts that PM Modi has put in to put India on the global map but irresponsible leaders like Rahul Gandhi wants to project India in bad (light)... instead of experiencing this event, he has chosen to be in Brussels, meeting the critics of our nation, our leadership and our Prime Minister. This shows the mentality and mindset of Opposition, Islam said.

In a veiled jibe to the EU parliament members who Gandhi said had expressed concerns after he shared that Indias democracy was under attack, the BJP spokesperson added, Leaders from different part of the world must experience democracy by visiting India and not listening to people who have been thrown out of power by democratic processes. They (opposition) are upset and instead of working collectively with our government, they are giving a bad name to the country. These EU leaders are far away from reality and these are all concocted stories that are being served by forces like Rahul Gandhi.

There is an attempt to change the nature of our country. Our country is described as a union of states and I think the most critical aspect of our Union is the conversation within the members of our union. The BJP vision believes that power should be centralised and wealth should be concentrated and the conversation between the member of the Union and the people should be suppressed. This is a fight between Mahatma Gandhis vision and Nathuram Godses, Godse being person who assassinated out leader, Gandhi added.

Taking a swipe at the Narendra Modi government for not inviting Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge (LoP) at the G-20 dinner hosted by the President of India Droupadi Murmu, while adding, Opposition leaders not being invited to the G20 tells you that the current leadership doesnt value the leaders of 60% of Indias population. People should think about the type of thinking that goes behind that thought!

Reacting to the political row that emerged over the G 20 dinner invitation when the government used the name Bharat instead of India, Gandhi underlined that he was perfectly happy with the names in the constitution while further claiming that the government did that out of panic and that it was a mere diversion tactic.

 I am perfectly happy with the names that is in our constitution but these in a sense to me are panic reactions and are distraction tactics. The INDIA coalition name is a fantastic idea and it represents who we are and that is the voice of India but it has disturbed the country enough that he wants to change the name of the country. That is absurd but thats what it is. Every time we raise the issue of Mr. Adani, the PM comes out with some dramatic new diversion tactic, Gandhi said

When asked about the condition in Manipur wherein reports of violence continue to persist till date, Gandhi added, I visited Manipur and I think we are very much for democratic rights, harmony and peace between people. I walked 4000 kms for that purpose and there is a sense in India that the democratic and institutional structures of our country are under attack from the group of people who are running India. If anyone has a little understanding of India they know these things. The democratic fight is ours (opposition) and we will take care of it.

Gandhi held closed-door meetings with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels on Thursday, marking the start of his three-nation European tour.

On Saturday, he is expected to hold a meeting with French parliamentarians and interact with students at the Sciences Po University before leaving for the Netherlands on Sunday.

The Indian Overseas Congress is organising the events for Gandhi, a senior party leader said. He is scheduled to return on September 12, a day after the conclusion of the G20 Summit.ead
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has formed a three-member committee to oversee the probe into alleged irregularities in the recruitment of assistant professors in 2021, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. A three-member committee was formed on September 7 to oversee the ongoing police investigation into the recruitment scam of assistant professors in 2021. (HT Photo)

According to officials, the committee, set up of September 7, comprises high-ranking government officials, including the additional chief secretary of the government, the additional chief secretary to the department of Home, and the principal secretary to the Law Department.

They have been asked to scrutinise the report on the police investigation so far and then present their findings and recommendations to the government within the next three months, said an official on the condition of anonymity.

The alleged malpractice took place in September 2021, after the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) issued a recruitment notice to 1,242 assistant professor positions in various government first-grade colleges. The competitive examination were conducted from March 12 to 16, 2022 at seven different centres across Karnataka, including Bengaluru. The merit list resulting from these examinations was officially announced on October 10, 2022.

The controversy emerged when an individual named Ramakrishna filed a complaint with the KEA, alleging that a candidate named Sowmya had leaked the geography examination questions. In response to this complaint, the KEA initiated an internal investigation, and Sowmyas cooperation with the inquiry was less than satisfactory, prompting the KEA to file a formal complaint at the Malleswaram police station in 2021.

During the course of the police investigation, H Nagaraj, the individual responsible for preparing the geography question paper was interrogated by the police. Nagaraj also served as Sowmyas PhD research guide. Following the investigation, both Professor Nagaraj and Sowmya were arrested by the Malleswaram police in 2021, and criminal charges were registered against them. Presently, legal proceedings are underway in the case.

All OMR sheets submitted by candidates who participated in the examination, along with the details of the shortlisted candidates, have been submitted for police scrutiny. After an approximately six-month-long investigation, a report was submitted to the KEA on June 19, 2023. The report found malpractice by Sowmya and her accomplice, however, no further irregularities were found.

After police submitted the report, the KEA had requested a government review of the report and based on that a committee has been set up, said the above-mentioned official.

This is not the first review of an ongoing investigation by the Congress government. In July, the government in Karnataka appointed retired Karnataka high court judge B Veerappa as a one-man judicial commission to probe the allegations of a scam related to the recruitment of Police Sub-Inspectors (PSIs) in 2021.

On August 11, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), as part of the investigation, lodged a case against officers of the Central Crime Branch as part of an investigation into the alleged bitcoin scam. Deputy superintendent of police, CID, K Ravishankar, filed a complaint against unnamed officers from the Central Crime Branch who were involved in investigating the 2020 case that implicated Srikrishna, a software engineer turned hacker and 10 others.

Similarly, on August 26, an enquiry commission, headed by retired high court judge John Michael Cunha, was set up to probe the alleged irregularities in COVID-19 management.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. The bilateral talks took place a day before the G20 Summit that begins tomorrow.



Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good, PM Modi posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.



US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US NSA Jake Sullivan were also present in the meeting from the US side while the Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds talks with US President Joe Biden at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.(X/PMO)

The prime minister is scheduled to hold at least 15 bilateral meetings in the next two days. The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation, the prime minister had said earlier in the day.



It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development, he added.



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US national security adviser Jake Sullivan had said that Biden will make a strong push for the reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs) with a proposal to enhance the financial capability of these institutions to address challenges of poverty elimination, boosting prosperity and addressing the climate crisis.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had said that Biden will commend PM Modi's leadership of the G20 and reaffirm the United States commitment to the G20 as the premier forum of economic cooperation, including by hosting it in 2026.

The two leaders met in Washington DC in June during Prime Minister Modi's State visit to the United States. The US president had said he was looking forward to the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on Friday reaffirmed the close and enduring partnership between India and United States. During the bilateral meeting between the two leaders at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi, both PM Modi and Biden called on their respective governments to continue the work of transforming the the India-U.S. Strategic Partnership across all dimensions of the multifaceted global agenda, based on trust and mutual understanding.



The leaders re-emphasised that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship, the Indo-US joint statement on White House website read.



G20 Summit India 2023 LIVE coverage



Biden hailed India's G20 presidency for demonstrating how the G20 as a forum is delivering important outcomes.



Here's the full Indo-US joint statement on Modi-Biden meeting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi on Friday.(ANI)

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed United States President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to India today, reaffirming the close and enduring partnership between India and the United States. The leaders expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground breaking achievements of Prime Minister Modis historic, June 2023, visit to Washington.

2. The leaders called on their governments to continue the work of transforming the India-U.S. Strategic Partnership across all dimensions of our multifaceted global agenda, based on trust and mutual understanding. The leaders re-emphasized that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship.

3. President Biden lauded Indias G20 Presidency for further demonstrating how the G20 as a forum is delivering important outcomes. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks.

4. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Modi looked forward to welcoming President Biden to the next Quad Leaders Summit to be hosted by India in 2024. India welcomed the U.S. decision to co-lead the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Pillar on Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, further to the U.S. decision to join IPOI in June 2023.

5. Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29. The leaders once again underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system so it may better reflect contemporary realities and remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council.

6. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden reaffirmed technologys defining role in deepening our strategic partnership and lauded ongoing efforts through the India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains, based on mutual confidence and trust, which reinforce our shared values and democratic institutions. The United States and India intend to undertake a midterm review of iCET in September 2023 to continue to drive momentum toward the next annual iCET review, co-led by the National Security Advisors of both countries, in early 2024.

7. President Biden congratulated Prime Minister Modi and the scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Chandrayaan-3s historic landing at the south polar region of the Moon, as well as the successful launch of Indias first solar mission, Aditya-L1. Having set a course to reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation, the leaders welcomed efforts towards establishment of a Working Group for commercial space collaboration under the existing India-U.S. Civil Space Joint Working Group. Determined to deepen our partnership in outer space exploration, ISRO and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have commenced discussions on modalities, capacity building, and training for mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024, and are continuing efforts to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of 2023. India and the United States also intend to increase coordination on planetary defence to protect planet Earth and space assets from the impact of asteroids and near-Earth objects, including U.S. support for Indias participation in asteroid detection and tracking via the Minor Planet Center.

8. The leaders reiterated their support for building resilient global semiconductor supply chains, noting in this respect a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology, Inc., to invest approximately US$300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India and Advanced Micro Devices announcement to invest US$400 million in India over the next five years to expand research, development, and engineering operations in India. The leaders expressed satisfaction at the ongoing implementation of announcements made in June 2023 by U.S. companies, Micron, LAM Research, and Applied Materials.

9. Sharing a vision of secure and trusted telecommunications, resilient supply chains, and global digital inclusion, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Alliance, operated by Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, as a first step towards deepening public-private cooperation between vendors and operators. They further acknowledged the setting-up of two Joint Task Forces focused on collaboration in the field of Open RAN and research and development in 5G/6G technologies. A 5G Open RAN pilot in a leading Indian telecom operator will be undertaken by a U.S. Open RAN manufacturer before field deployment. The leaders continue to look forward to the participation of Indian companies in the U.S. Rip and Replace Program; President Biden also welcomed Indias support for a Rip and Replace pilot in the United States.

10. The United States reiterated its commitment to working together with India in the quantum domain, both bilaterally and through the Quantum Entanglement Exchange, a platform to facilitate international quantum exchange opportunities; and welcomed the participation of Indias S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, as a member of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium. It was also recognized that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange as an international partner.

11. The leaders hailed the signing of an Implementation Arrangement between the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and Indias Department of Biotechnology to enable scientific and technological research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations. They welcomed the call for proposals released by NSF and Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to foster academic and industrial collaboration in semiconductor research, next generation communication systems, cyber-security, sustainability and green technologies, and intelligent transportation systems.

12. Reaffirming their commitment to building resilient technology value chains and linking defence industrial ecosystems, the leaders recommitted their administrations to promoting policies and adapting regulations that facilitate greater technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities between Indian and U.S. industry, government and academic institutions. They also welcomed continued engagement through an inter-agency monitoring mechanism under the auspices of the bilateral Strategic Trade Dialogue, launched in June 2023.

13. The leaders welcomed the signing of an MoU between Indian universities, represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council), and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-U.S. Global Challenges Institute, with a combined initial commitment of at least US$10 million. The Global Challenges Institute will bring together leading research and higher-education institutions from across our two nations, including beyond AAU and IIT membership, to advance new frontiers in science and technology, spanning collaboration in sustainable energy and agriculture, health and pandemic preparedness, semiconductor technology and manufacturing, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science.

14. The leaders also welcomed the growing number of multi-institutional collaborative education partnerships, such as those between New York University-Tandon and IIT Kanpur Advanced Research Center, and the Joint Research Centers of the State University of New York at Buffalo and IIT Delhi, Kanpur, Jodhpur, and BHU, in the areas of critical and emerging technologies.

15. The leaders affirmed the importance of efforts to close the gender digital divide in the digital economy, noting a G20 commitment to halve the digital gender gap by 2030 and expressed support for the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative, which brings together governments, private sector companies, foundations civil society and multilateral organizations to accelerate progress toward the closure of the digital gender divide.

16. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden reaffirmed their commitment to deepen and diversify the India-U.S. Major Defence Partnership through expanded cooperation in new and emerging domains such as space and AI, and accelerated defence industrial collaboration.

17. The leaders welcomed completion of the Congressional Notification process on 29 August 2023 and the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India, and recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal.

18. The leaders applauded the conclusion of a second Master Ship Repair Agreement, with the most recent agreement signed by the U.S. Navy and Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders, Ltd., in August 2023. Both sides recommitted to advancing Indias emergence as a hub for the maintenance and repair of forward-deployed U.S. Navy assets and other aircraft and vessels. The leaders also welcomed further commitments from U.S. industry to invest more in Indias maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and facilities for aircraft.

19. The leaders commended the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) team for establishing a robust collaboration agenda to harness the innovative work of the U.S. and Indian defence sectors to address shared security challenges. INDUS-X convened the inaugural Academia Start-up Partnership at IIT Kanpur, with the participation of Penn State University, and initiated the Joint Accelerator Program for Indian Startups, through a workshop led by U.S. accelerator M/s Hacking 4 Allies (H4x) and IIT Hyderabad in August 2023. Both sides also welcomed the announcement by the Indian Ministry of Defences Innovations for Defence Excellence and the U.S. Department of Defenses Defense Innovation Unit to launch two joint challenges, which will invite start-ups to develop solutions to shared defence technology challenges.

20. President Biden welcomed the issuance of a Letter of Request from the Ministry of Defence of India to procure 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of Indias armed forces across all domains.

21. Reiterating the importance of nuclear energy as a necessary resource to meet our nations climate, energy transition, and energy security needs, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden welcomed intensified consultations between the relevant entities on both sides to expand opportunities for facilitating India-U.S. collaboration in nuclear energy, including in development of next generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode. The United States reaffirmed its support for Indias membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and committed to continue engagement with like-minded partners to advance this goal.

22. The leaders welcomed the inaugural meeting of the India-U.S. Renewable Energy Technologies Action Platform [RE-TAP], in August 2023, under which the two countries will engage in lab-to-lab collaboration, piloting, and testing of innovative technologies; collaboration on policy and planning to advance renewable energy and enabling technologies; investment, incubation and outreach programmes; and training and skill development to accelerate the uptake and adoption of new and emerging renewable technologies and energy systems.

23. Reiterating the importance of decarbonizing the transport sector, the leaders welcomed progress to expand electric mobility in India, including joint support for a payment security mechanism financed through both public and private funds. This will accelerate the procurement of 10,000 made-in India electric buses including those for the Indian PM e-Bus Sewa program that will include the associated charging infrastructure. The two countries are committed to working together to help diversify the global supply chain for e-mobility.

24. India and the United States are also advancing the creation of investment platforms to lower the cost of capital and accelerate the deployment of greenfield renewable energy, battery storage and emerging green technology projects in India. Towards this end, Indias National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and the U.S. Development Finance Corporation exchanged letters of intent to each provide up to US$500 million to anchor a renewable infrastructure investment fund.

25. The leaders lauded the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between India and the United States. This follows the unprecedented settlement of six outstanding bilateral trade disputes in the WTO in June 2023.

26. The leaders welcomed efforts to develop an ambitious Innovation Handshake agenda under the India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue, to include two anchor events in the fall (one in India and one in the United States), in which our two sides will collaborate to bring together start-ups, private equity and venture capital firms, corporate investment departments, and government officials to forge connections between the two countries innovation ecosystems.

27. The leaders welcomed our growing bilateral cooperation in cancer research, prevention, control, and management, and looked forward to the launch of the India-U.S. Cancer Dialogue in November 2023. This dialogue will focus on advancing knowledge in cancer genomics, developing new diagnostics and therapeutics to enhance and strengthen cancer care including for underserved urban and rural communities. The leaders also highlighted the upcoming U.S.-India Health Dialogue, taking place in October 2023 in Washington, D.C., underscoring their joint commitment to strengthening and facilitating scientific, regulatory, and health cooperation between our two nations.

28. The leaders welcomed the renewal of a Memorandum of Arrangement between the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) to facilitate recovery from India of the remains of fallen U.S. service members who served in World War II.

29. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden pledged to sustain the high-level of engagement between our governments, industries, and academic institutions and realize their ambitious vision for an enduring India-U.S. partnership that advances the aspirations of our people for a bright and prosperous future, serves the global good, and contributes to a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the opposition parties in India, by and large, agree with the government's position regarding Russia and Ukraine. India is a large country and it is India's right to maintain a relationship with any country it wants, Rahul Gandhi said on being asked about India continuing to buy oil from Russia amid Western sanctions. Rahul Gandhi said it is normal and natural for India to have a relationship with Russia. The opposition does not have any differing view on this, Rahul Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi addressing a press conference in Brussels on Friday.

Rahul Gandhi's statement comes as former PM Manmohan Singh endorsed the Modi government's stand on the Russia-Ukraine war. I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace, Manmohan Singh said in an interview with The Indian Express.

On China, the Congress MP said China is proposing a particular vision of the planet where they excelled in production in a coercive environment. "I don't see an alternative vision coming from our side where we can see production in a democratic manner. China offered prosperity to its people without political freedom. We can challenge that by ensuring production in a democratic set-up offering people economic and political freedom. And on this there can be a lot of collaboration between India and Europe," Rahul Gandhi said.

On Kharge not being invited to the G-20 dinner

At the press meet, as Rahul Gandhi was asked a question on Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G-20 dinner, Rahul Gandhi said the BJP does not value the leader of 60% of India's population. "There is a lot to think about. What is the need for that?" Rahul Gandhi said.

On Article 370

"Our position on Article 370 is very clear. It's in a resolution passed in the CWC. We are for ensuring that every single person in our country has a voice, and is allowed to express themselves. We feel very strongly that Kashmir should develop, Kashmir should progress, and there should be peace," Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi is on a week-long Europe tour where he is scheduled to meet the Indian diaspora and the EU lawyers. The programme is being coordinated by the Indian Overseas Congress.

India that is Bharat works perfectly for me: Rahul Gandhi

On the Bharat versus India row, Rahul Gandhi said the name mentioned in the Constitution 'India that is Bharat' works fine for him. "These are panic reactions, deployed as a diversionary tactic," Rahul Gandhi said.

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Meitei women groups allegedly blocked reinforcements rushed to ethnic violence-hit Manipurs Molnoi after unidentified assailants fired at security forces on Friday morning and triggered a gunfight, people aware of the matter said. Ethnic violence between the Metei and Kuki communities has since May 3 claimed over 150 lives. (Reuters/File)

The attackers hiding in a jungle fired at security forces around 6am. As the gunfight continued in Molnoi, reinforcements were on their way to the area. Their movement is being blocked by Meira Paibis [Meitei women], said an official, who did not wish to be named. The official added the identity of the attackers was unclear.

Until 9.30am, neither police nor central forces confirmed any casualties. After a week-long lull, fresh violence erupted last week. On August 29, and August 31, clashes between tribal Kukis and dominant Meiteis left at least eight people dead and over two dozen, including three India Reserve Battalion personnel, wounded.

A curfew was imposed in five districts of Manipur on Tuesday following the call of the womens wing of a collective of Meitei groups for a march for the removal of a security barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai village.

COCOMI, the collective, has sought Assam Rifless removal from Manipur saying the force was biased. Meitei women groups have held a series of protests against the force.

Last month, Assam Rifles sent a legal notice to a Manipuri leader for his alleged remarks accusing the force of siding with Kuki militants during the clashes with Meiteis. The Manipur Police filed a first information report accusing the Assam Rifles of stopping them from pursuing Kuki militants across a buffer zone.

Assam Rifles has maintained its troops were only following the buffer zone guidelines in place to restore normalcy. It filed a sedition case against COCOMI for allegedly discouraging the return of weapons stolen from police armouries.

The Kukis and other tribal groups live in hill districts while the Meiteis in the Imphal valley and plains. The central forces are posted in the buffer zones or areas adjoining the foothills to ensure that armed people from both the Kukis and Meitei sides do not cross them to launch attacks.

Central forces have been directed against allowing even state police to cross the buffer zones without taking them along. The directive was issued against the backdrop of allegations of bias against the state police.

Ethnic violence between the Metei and Kuki communities has since May 3 claimed over 150 lives and displaced close to 50,000 people.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prawesh Lama Prawesh Lama covers crime, policing, and issues of security in Delhi. Raised in Darjeeling, educated in Mumbai, he also looks at special features on social welfare in the National Capital. ...view detail
(Reuters) - UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will urge his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the upcoming G20 summit to "call out" Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and use its clout to help end the war, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. UK PM Rishi Sunak and Indian PM Narendra Modi(REUTERS)

Sunak will travel to New Delhi to attend the G20 summit this weekend, in his first official trip to India since taking office last October.

Sunak and Modi are expected to hold bilateral talks on the margins of the G20 event and will discuss progress in the trade deal the two countries are trying to negotiate, the report said.

Reuters reported earlier on Thursday that Sunak will use the opportunity to discuss progress towards circumventing Russia's Black Sea grain blockade with G20 leaders.

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine last year.

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New Delhi Negotiations on a draft leaders declaration for the G20 Summit were inconclusive on Friday because of differences over the Ukraine conflict and other issues, people familiar with the matter said, adding that a final push by the leaders would be needed to break the impasse. Decorated as part of preparations for the G20 Summit, outside Jama Masjid in New Delhi on Friday. (Arvind Yadav/ HT photo)

Also Read| Oppn agrees with govt stance on Ukraine crisis, says Rahul

The sherpas, or personal envoys of the G20 leaders, were unable to agree on a compromise text to refer to Russias invasion of Ukraine at a meeting held at a resort at Manesar near the Indian capital despite discussions being extended by a day, people from four G20 member states said on condition of anonymity.

There were also differences on other issues, such as phasing out or phasing down of fossil fuels and debt restructuring, but the people said these were expected to be ironed out by the time the two-day G20 Summit gets underway on Saturday.

Also Read| India disappointed Russia and China arent here: US

There are a few other issues but they arent insurmountable. A lot of ideas are being thrown around and these issues are likely to be sorted out. But things are still stuck on the issue of Ukraine, one of the people cited above said.

The people said the negotiations could require the intervention of leaders of G20 states to break the logjam over text to refer to the Ukraine crisis, just as had happened at last years summit in Indonesia.

Both Russia and China have so far refused to accept the text used in the joint communique at last years G20 Summit to refer to the Ukraine conflict. Russia has argued the situation on the ground has changed, while China has insisted that the G20 is an economic forum that shouldnt take up geopolitical issues.

Two officials from G20 member states said another major sticking point in the negotiations was the obstructionist role being played by China, especially in blocking initiatives proposed by India and its partners such as the US. Russia is largely isolated but China is obstructing a lot of things, one of the officials said.

Among the formulas discussed to address the impasse over the Ukraine crisis was the possibility of issuing two statements  one a consensus document with all the issues the G20 states had agreed on and another that referred only to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, this proposal was not favoured by several G7 member states, the people said.

A senior Japanese government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was still unclear in what format the situation in Ukraine would be incorporated in the draft leaders declaration but that the G7 members want the issue to be included.

Japan wants to see a reference to a principled position upholding a free and open international order based on international law, especially the UN Charter and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. This shouldnt be a problem as the G20 members are also UN members. We hope the statement will have the fundamental concept that all countries adhere to, the Japanese official said.

The negotiations for a consensus expression of the Ukraine crisis are really tough and a final push could be needed from the G20 leaders to arrive at a principled position, the Japanese official added.

The people made it clear that there was no getting around a discussion on the Ukraine issue on the grounds that it is a geopolitical issue  something that China has been pushing for.

We must discuss Ukraine as it affects lots of issues, including the hike in the prices of food and energy. The root cause is the blatant violation of international law. We cant fall back from the Bali text, the Japanese official said.

India has so far refrained from publicly criticising Russias invasion of Ukraine or voting on resolutions at the UN denouncing Moscows actions. The Indian leadership has consistently called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Russia remains a key partner and major supplier of military hardware and energy for India, which has had to engage in a delicate balancing act amid its growing strategic partnership with the US.

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Two people, including the founder-director of a school-cum-shelter home in Kolkata, were arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping at least three visually impaired girls for more than 10 years, police said on Friday. Three arrested in connection with rape of at least three visually impaired girls in a shelter home in Kolkata. (Representative Image)

Besides the two arrested people, which also includes a former cook, the principal of the institute was held as she was aware but did not report the crime, police added.

According to the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR), the matter came to light after a 20-year-old survivor confided in a volunteer of an NGO, who was visiting the shelter home. The volunteer, on Tuesday, then approached the commission over the matter.

After our counselling, at least three inmates of the house said they were raped when they were minors. One of them, who is now 20 years of age, said she was raped since 2010. Two others said they were raped multiple times in the last five years, till February this year, WBCPCR chairperson Sudeshna Roy said.

The counselling of other inmates is on. There may be more cases, she added.

Roy said there are more than 70 inmates in the institute. All of them are visually impaired and belong to underprivileged families, she said.

Police said on the basis of a complaint by the three survivors, one of whom is still a minor, they registered a first information report (FIR) under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act against founder-director Jabesh Dutta (66) and former cook Bablu Kundu (55).

We have arrested Dutta and Kundu. Kaberi Das, principal of the institute, was also arrested for not reporting the crime, a police officer said, seeking anonymity.

The officer also said police are checking whether the home was registered and functioning legally.

People familiar with the matter said Kundu was recently removed from the shelter home by Dutta and Das in February.
The Tibetan community on Friday staged a protest against the Chinese government at Majnu Ka Tilla in North Delhi on Friday, a day before the G20 Summit commences in New Delhi. Members of the Tibetan community protest against the Chinese government at their refugee colony in Majnu ka Tilla on Friday (REUTERS)

The protest organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress was being held over Chinas alleged illegal occupation of Tibet.

Armed with banners and placards, the protesters raised slogans against the Chinese government. Some of the slogans on their banners read G20 Talk Tibet, Tibet Matters, and Chinas diplomatic assurances not to be trusted.

On Thursday, Tibetan Youth Congress President Gonpo Dhundup said Tibetans around Delhi will gather at the Tibetan Colony, Majnu Ka Tilla, to protest against China for its illegal occupation of Tibet.

Dhundup said that protestors will urge G20 leaders to support their cause and hold China accountable.

There were 200-odd Tibetans who gathered at Majnu Ka Tilla around 11.30am and protested till noon, said Sagar Singh Kalsi, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (North).

It was a peaceful protest and was dispersed within minutes of their gathering, the DCP said.

They sang the Indian national anthem, raised slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai and said Jai Bharat, Jai Tibet, said another police officer not authorised to speak to the media.

However, in the wake of the protest, security forces have been deployed near Majnu ka Tilla.

We have barricaded a certain part of Majnu ka Tilla. Delhi Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain law and order, news agency PTI quoted Kalsi as saying.

New Delhi is gearing up to host the 18th G20 Summit on September 9 and 10, which will witness the presence of over 25 world leaders, their accompanying delegates and heads of world organisations.

The foreign delegates have started arriving in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip the G20 summit in the backdrop of the souring of bilateral relations with India with Premier Li Qiang to attend in his place.

Premier Li who is the second leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC) hierarchy will lead the Chinese delegation at the September 9-10 gathering.

While China has declined to answer the reason behind Xis decision to skip the G20 meeting, its out in the open that relations between China and India have grown frosty over their disputed border.

Relations between New Delhi and Beijing have worsened over their disputed border and in 2020 tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh resulted in a clash in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
Tripura Bypoll Results Live Updates: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in the September 5 bypolls to the state's Boxanagar and Dhanpur assembly seats, the counting of votes for which was held on Friday. BJP's Tripura unit workers celebrate win (Image courtesy: BJP Tripura)

The party's Tafajjal Hossain (34,146 votes) wrested the Boxanagar seat from CPI(M), defeating its candidate, Mizan Hossain (3909), by 30,237 votes, the ECI's website showed. In Dhanpur, meanwhile, the saffron outfit's Bindu Debnath (30,017 votes) defeated the CPI(M)'s Kaushik Chanda (11,146) by 18,871 votes.

Total six rounds of counting was conducted in both segments.

On both the seats, there was a direct contest between the and the opposition CPI(M) as two other opposition parties  the TIPRA Motha and the Congress  did not field their respective candidates.

The bypolls in Boxanagar were necessitated due to the demise of the sitting CPI(M) legislator Samsul Haque. In Dhanpur, on the other hand, Union minister Pratima Bhoumik, who contested the state assembly elections earlier this year, resigned from the seat days after her election.

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Two former police officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Delhi Police are among the many aspirants for tickets in the Rajasthan assembly election that will be held later this year. Both are trying for a ticket from the same assembly constituency, Ramgarh (no 67), and from the same party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Two former police officers eye tickets from the same seat of Ramgarh constituency in the upcoming Rajasthan elections. (ANI)

There are other similarities as well between Mahesh Bhardwaj, a former Delhi police officer took voluntary retirement on August 1 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) later in the month , and ML Sharma, who retired as the special director of CBI in 2008, said he will formally join the party in a day or two. Sharma was later appointed Central Information Commissioner between 2008 and 2013.

Both Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were part of probes in high-profile criminal and anti-corruption cases. Both hail from Alwar in Rajasthan. Both were posted in Delhi for much of their career. And both opted for voluntary retirement towards the end of their careers.

The election in the Ramgarh constituency is significant in the backdrop of the recent communal violence in Nuh, Haryana, which shares its border with Ramgarh constituency. The current MLA is Shafia Zubair of the Congress party.

Bhardwaj has served in the Delhi anti-corruption unit, as personal security officer (PSO) of Indian President, and also been part of the NHRC team appointed by the Supreme Court to probe alleged fake encounters in Manipur. Sharma during this decades-long stint with CBI probed three hijackings including that of IC814 in 1999, the 1995 assassination of Punjab chief minister Beant Singh , and the ISRO espionage case.

As a bureaucrat or a police officer, there is a limit when it comes to serving the people. This is why I decided to take the plunge and join politics. I have been meeting people of the constituency every day and I am in touch with senior party leaders. I think the time is right to join politics and serve my people here. And there is no party better than the BJP, Sharma said.

Bhardwaj, who retired as additional commissioner in Delhi police, said he too has been actively meeting people since the day he retired. My police job offered a limited canvas. Politics will offer a bigger canvas to serve the people of my native district. India is the biggest democracy and BJP is the largest party. I decided to take plunge into politics and join the party months before the election.

The two former officers are aware that they are trying for a ticket from the same constituency. Sharma said any person is free to contest and seek a ticket. I have met party leaders and have also started campaigning in the area. I am not only from Alwar but also from the Ramgarh constituency and know the issues well.

Bhardwaj said, I am also trying for a ticket from Alwar constituency. I am aware Sharma is looking to contest from Ramgarh. It is up to the party to decide who it thinks is the suitable candidate.

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The United States said Friday it has agreed with India to resolve their last outstanding dispute at the World Trade Organization, as leaders of both countries met for the G20 summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi on Friday. (Joe Biden-X)

The deal came as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted US President Joe Biden on Friday, with the White House later praising both nations' "close and enduring partnership."

"Today's agreement resolves the remaining long-standing dispute and opens a new chapter of bilateral cooperation that will deepen the trade relationship between the United States and India," said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office.

The final outstanding clash involved poultry, and in particular India's import restrictions on certain agricultural products from the United States over avian influenza concerns.

As part of the agreement, India also agreed to reduce tariffs on certain US products such as frozen turkey and duck, alongside fresh blueberries and cranberries.

The tariff cuts will boost economic opportunities for US producers in a "critical market," said the USTR in a statement.

In June, both countries agreed to end six WTO disputes, with India also consenting to reduce tariffs on some US products such as chickpeas and lentils.
NEW DELHI: The White House, on behalf of the travelling White House press corps, asked India if a limited number of journalists, often termed the pool spray, could get access to the start of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden, scheduled to be held on Friday evening at the PMs residence in New Delhis Lok Kalyan Marg. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (PTI File)

India, which, unlike the US, doesnt have an institutionalised culture of a pool spray and where the government either relies on select photojournalists from select agencies or its own official photographers to release pictures from a bilateral meeting, said no.

The issue has come up twice in questions to American national security advisor Jake Sullivan, first at a briefing he did for reporters on Tuesday in Washington DC and then on Air Force One en route to Delhi.

Asked on Friday about what the US side was doing to ensure press access, and why Biden was meeting with Modi if there were no reporters allowed to participate in a pool spray, Sullivan said, First, I mean, the President has private meetings with other heads of state where in the room are the teams and not the press. Secondly, we will of course provide a readout of the meetings so that you have the opportunity to understand what was discussed. And third, we have a significant number of issues that we need to deal with, with India.

More specifically, on press access, Sullivan said that the meeting will take place in the PMs residence which was unusual in itself. This is not your typical bilateral visit to India with meetings taking place in the Prime Ministers office and an entire program. This is the host of the G20 hosting a significant number of leaders, doing so in his home, and he has set out the protocols hes set out.

Sullivan said that the US government had worked hard to ensure press access, that those at senior levels had been involved in this, but that did not always yield to journalists participating in a pool spray. What we can pledge to you is whats in our control, which is ensuring that we are transparent and comprehensive in our readout of what the two leaders discussed, which we will.

Asked if Biden had held meetings without a pool spray in the past, Sullivan said that he recalled instances where he took photographs since there was no one else present. This is a circumstance-based issue, not some larger issue. Because, obviously, you have had access to bilaterals between the two. They have had press conferences, including the unusual circumstance of a press conference in which Prime Minister Modi took questions. So, thats how we see it.

But he reiterated that he had personally taken the issue extremely seriously. We are doing what we can, but at the end of the day, we will have to kind of work through the parameters and protocols of these meetings in coordination and consultation with the host and, in particular, with the host at his personal residence.

Asked if the US had made the request for the pool spray, Sullivan said, Of course. We ask for pool sprays  we spend our lives asking for pool sprays and other things of course.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Jha Prashant Jha is the Washington DC-based US correspondent of Hindustan Times. He is also the editor of HT Premium. Jha has earlier served as editor-views and national political editor/bureau chief of the paper. He is the author of How the BJP Wins: Inside India's Greatest Election Machine and Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal. ...view detail
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government on Friday made a recommendation to the central government to withdraw the Disturbed Areas Act and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from the entire state. This comes days after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from the state. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (PTI)

On Monday, Sarma had said that he would take further steps based on the suggestions of the Home Minister.

AFSPA is an act of the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in disturbed areas. Meanwhile, the Disturbed Areas Act states that once an area is declared 'disturbed', it has to maintain the status quo for a minimum of three months. In Assam, the disturbed area notification has been in force since 1990.

Earlier, the disturbed area tag - imposed under the AFSPA - was removed from the entire state of Assam, except from eight districts. At present, the act is in force in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao districts.

Assam CM on removal of AFSPA

The Assam CM has been pushing for the removal of the act from the state. Last month, Sarma assured that the state government would take necessary steps to withdraw AFSPA from the entire state by the end of this year.

"I want to assure the people of Assam that by the end of this year, we will take fruitful steps to withdraw the AFSPA from every district of Assam. That will be an 'amritmoy' time for Assam's history and we are eagerly waiting for that day," he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said he would not oppose Bengali-majority Barak Valleys separation from Assam if the regions people demand so even though he does not want that to happen. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a public meeting on Thursday. (ANI)

If people want separate Barak Land why would we oppose? But the people have to take the decision collectively and not some Leftists, he said during his visit to Barak Valley on Thursday. He underlined the need for consent from every citizen of the area for the separation.

The demand for the separation of Barak Valley encompassing districts of Cachar, Karimganj, and Haliakandi dates back to the 1960s. It was renewed this year following the reduction of the regions assembly seats to 13 from 15 in the 126-member Assam assembly.

The Election Commission of India finalised the delimitation process for Assams assembly and 14 Lok Sabha seats in July. The move triggered protests. The Opposition Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left parties, and some ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders opposed the reduction of seats. A 12-hour bandh was observed over it in Barak Valley.

Eleven people died in police firing during a protest in Barak Valleys Silchar in 1960 when the Congress-led state government sought to declare Assamese the states sole official language. The opposition to the move prompted the Union governments intervention and forced Assam to withdraw the decision.

In 1971, a committee was formed to press for the demand of a Union Territory status for Barak Valley named Purbachal.

Nagaland was carved out of Assam in 1963, followed by Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh in the 1970s.

Sarma claimed the regions people were extremely happy with the delimitation. I have been receiving messages on WhatsApp from people and they wanted me to visit. People are extremely happy with delimitation and our party will win at least 10 out of 13 seats in the next assembly election, Sarma said. He added the regions people should ignore demands of separation.

Some people always tell me that a particular group only talks about the separation of Barak but most of the people here believe in living together. As chief minister of Assam, I do not want separation either. We all are brothers and sisters. We should stay together.
Britain Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who arrived in Delhi on Friday to take part in the mega G20 Summit, said that the United Kingdom is working closely with the Indian government to tackle the Khalistani issue. Sunak asserted that he would not tolerate any kind of violent Khalistani extremism in the UK. Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

This comes as there have been increasing concerns in India about the activities of pro-Khalistan elements in the UK - especially after the attack on the Indian High Commission in London on March 19. The attack had prompted sharp condemnation from Indian Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it.

We are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle 'PKE' Pro-Khalistan Extremism. I don't think it's right. Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism, Sunak said while speaking to news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, India had lodged a strong protest with the UK. The Delhi Police also registered a first information report (FIR) over a crime committed abroad and the case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Rishi Sunak in India

The UK PM, along with his wife Akshata Murthy, arrived in India for the G20 Leaders' Summit that will be held over the next two days in New Delhi. Upon landing, Sunak said that he would work with world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us.

"I've landed in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done," Sunak said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies)
The World Bank has lauded the transformative impact of Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs) in India in the past decade under the Narendra Modi-led government. The document, prepared by the World Bank as part of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, highlighted the measures taken by the Modi government and the pivotal role of government policy and regulation in shaping the DPI landscape. World Bank has lauded the transformative impact of DPIs in India over the past decade under the Modi government.(Getty Images)

One of the standout achievements highlighted in the report is India's rapid progress in financial inclusion. The Jan Dhan Yojana (JAM) Trinity, comprising the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Aadhaar, and mobile numbers, has played a pivotal role in increasing financial inclusion rates. In just six years, India has catapulted its financial inclusion rate from 25% in 2008 to over 80% of adults, according to the report. This monumental leap shortened the journey towards financial inclusion by up to 47 years, a feat primarily attributed to the influence of DPIs.

The document notes, While DPIs role in this leapfrogging is undoubtable, other ecosystem variables and policies that build on the availability of DPIs were critical. These included interventions to create a more enabling legal and regulatory framework, national policies to expand account ownership, and leveraging Aadhaar for identity verification.

India's DPI has not only transformed the public sector but has also enhanced efficiency for private organizations. Some Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) reported an 8% higher conversion rate in SME lending, a 65% reduction in depreciation costs, and a 66% decrease in costs related to fraud detection.

The report highlighted the phenomenal success of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with over 9.41 billion transactions valued at about 14.89 trillion taking place in May 2023 alone. For the fiscal year 202223, the total value of UPI transactions nearly reached 50 per cent of India's nominal GDP.

The UPI-PayNow interlinking between India and Singapore, operationalized in February 2023, has facilitated faster, cheaper, and more transparent cross-border payments in line with the G20's financial inclusion priorities.

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Starting Saturday, the two-day G20 summit in Delhi will see delegates from around the world swirl through the cultural corridor, where an exhibition of rare historical artefacts from different parts of the world is showcased. Among them is an at least 450-year-old manuscript, written on bark, and considered to be part of the Rigveda, one of the four sacred books of Hinduism. PREMIUM The 450-year-old manuscript of the Rigveda(HT File)

Measuring 10.2 inches by 9.4 inches, the manuscript loaned by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) in Pune, isn't made of paper, but birch bark.

"This specific manuscript sent for the G20 exhibition is written on birch bark [which was what was used] before paper came to India. Birch trees are found in the regions of the Himalayas, and their bark was used for writing, so many birch-bark manuscripts emerged from regions like Kashmir. It is a thin layer of bark of the birch tree, and it is very fragile and delicate. We have a collection of around 800 Kashmiri manuscripts at BORI. Of them, more than 50 are written on birch bark," said Amruta Natu, assistant curator, BORI.

Rigveda is considered to be the oldest written document, older even than written texts by the Greek or Persian cultures. The Rigveda comprises hymns in praise of gods and goddesses, who are personifications of nature like the sun, wind, and water and even, Indra, considered in Hindu mythology to be the king of gods.

The manuscript on display uses the Sharda script, which was used prolifically in the regions of Kashmir till the 16th century, following which Persian and other scripts became more commonplace. However, while the script is Sharda, the language is Sanskrit.

So how did BORI, a 106-year-old institute which is a public organization registered under Act XXI 1860 (a Public Trust) in Pune to preserve rare books and manuscripts, come to possess the manuscript?

In the late 19th century, the British government started a project of procuring old Indian manuscripts from various parts of the country. Under that, they allotted funds to various presidencies. In the Bombay Presidency, many Sanskrit scholars worked to procure manuscripts.

A former Sanskrit professor at Elphinstone College, Georg Buhler, spearheaded this project. Buhler, a German scholar came to India in 1863 and, after a stint as a professor, became the education inspector of the Northern Region of Bombay Presidency (currently Gujarat). During this period, he procured thousands of manuscripts from Gujarat and Rajasthan region. He also put in a request to visit Kashmir, since it was called the 'Sharada Pitham' (seat of knowledge).
Ganesh Chaturthi 2023: The auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is just around the corner. It is one of the most popular Hindu festivals celebrated in India and is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav. It is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and the god of knowledge, wealth and new beginnings. It usually takes place between August and September, during the Hindu month of Bhadrapada. The festival is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm across the country, especially in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. Ganesh Chaturthi 2023: Date, shubh muhurat, history, significance and more (ANI)

It is believed that Lord Ganesha was born on this day. Representing auspiciousness, wisdom, prosperity and good fortune, Lord Ganesha is worshipped in almost every home before any puja or ritual. From the date to the history, here is everything you need to know about this significant Hindu festival. (Also read: September festivals full list: Janmashtami to Ganesh Chaturthi; a look at the upcoming Hindu festivals )

Ganesh Chaturthi 2023 date and shubh muhurat

Lord Ganesha was born in the Gregorian month of August or September, which corresponds to the Shukla Paksha of the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar. This year, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, and Ganesh Visarjan will be observed on the 10th day on Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Ganesha Chaturthi on Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Ganesha Visarjan on Thursday, September 28, 2023

According to the Drik Panchang, the shubh muhurat or the Chaturthi tithi for the 10-day festival of Vinayak Chaturdashi 2023 will begin at 12:39 pm on Monday, September 18 and end at 20:43 pm on Tuesday, September 19, 2023. In addition, the Madhyahna Ganesha Puja Muhurat will begin at 11:01 am and continue till 01:28 pm. The duration of the same will be 02 hours and 27 minutes.

Chaturthi Tithi Begins - 12:39 pm on September 18, 2023

Chaturthi Tithi Ends - 01:43 pm on September 19, 2023

Ganesh Chaturthi history

Lord Ganesh is believed to be the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati based on Hindu mythology. According to legend, when Lord Shiva was enraged, he cut off Lord Ganesh's head and replaced it with an elephant's head to comfort the grieving Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesh is therefore always depicted with an elephant's head, a muscular torso and four arms. Lord Ganesh, also known as Ekdanta, Lambodara and a variety of other names, is worshipped for changing people's fortunes and removing disasters and obstacles from their path.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations

At the beginning of the festival, Ganesha statues are placed on raised platforms in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor tents. Pranapratishtha, a rite to bring the idols to life, is the first step in worship. This is followed by shhodashopachara, or the 16 ways of expressing worship. While the idols are being smeared with red sandalwood paste and yellow and red flowers, the Ganesh Upanishad and other Vedic hymns are being chanted.

Additionally provided are coconut, jaggery, and 21 modaks, a sweet dumpling that is thought to be Ganesha's favorite dish. At the end of the festival, huge processions of idols are taken to nearby rivers, accompanied by drumming, devotional singing and dancing. As part of a ritual, they are immersed, representing Ganesha's return to Mount Kailas, the home of his parents, Shiva and Parvati.

Ganesh Chaturthi significance

This festival holds great cultural and religious importance as devotees across India and beyond come together to worship Lord Ganesha, seek his blessings for success and removal of obstacles. People who worship to Ganesha are said to be able to fulfil their ambitions and goals. Ganesh Chaturthi's main message is that those who pray to him will be absolved of their sins and led toward a life of wisdom and knowledge. The event has been observed historically since the reign of King Shivaji. Lokmanya Tilak transformed Ganesh Chaturthi from a private celebration into a major public holiday where people from all castes of society could gather, pray and be together during India's War of Independence. Ganesh Chaturthi fosters community bonding, spiritual devotion, and a renewed sense of hope for a brighter future.

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World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Suicide is a grave decision taken by many to end their lives. In this world, every day, a lot of people choose to end their lives. Suicide is an extreme decision and can happen due to a lot of reasons. Be it mental trauma or financial dependency or poverty or something else, suicide is an extreme reality, and it is important to raise awareness to make people believe that there is more to life, and they should not end their lives. Suicide is a grave public health problem, and it is important to address it at the roots. World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Date, history, significance(Unsplash)

As we gear up to observing World Suicide Prevention Day this year, here are a few things to keep in mind.

ALSO READ: Suicide prevention needs care, nuance

Date:

Every year, World Suicide Prevention Day is celebrated on September 10. This year, it will be celebrated on the same date  it falls on Sunday.

History:

International Association for Suicide Prevention with the World Health Organization (WHO) established World Suicide Prevention Day to be celebrated every year on September 10. The declaration came in 2003 and since then, September 10 has been observed to raise awareness about prevention of suicides. According to International Association for Suicide Prevention, "On this day, we encourage all to Create Hope Through Action to draw attention to this important public health issue globally and to disseminate the message that suicides are preventable. By encouraging understanding, reaching in and sharing experiences, this theme gives people the confidence to take action. It highlights the fact that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence and light in all of us."

Significance:

When the stigma around suicide is addressed, people feel more comfortable seeking help and understanding their problems and exploring the solutions, rather than taking an extreme decision. On this day, awareness about suicide and how we can prevent it is raised.

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A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. NAIROBI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. Hasnick Omondi, a student at the University of Nairobi where he is pursuing a degree in the Chinese language and tourism, praised the performance for the vivid depiction of the rich culture of China. "I was motivated to watch China's local opera, and see what I have been learning in class," Omondi said. Felix Kiplagat, a student at the University of Nairobi, said the performance was an enlightening experience because of the use of traditional Chinese cultural costumes and instruments to entertain the audience. The 23-year-old student said Chinese culture is gaining popularity in Kenya as more and more locals get an opportunity to watch live performances by Chinese artists. Wu Opera, also known as Jinhua Opera, has a history of more than 500 years and is the second major regional operatic genre in Zhejiang Province. It first grew in popularity in Jinhua and its surrounding areas, and was named after Wuzhou, the name of Jinhua in ancient China. The Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe showcased nine performances, including the "9-Pieced Segmented Dragon", Suona Solo "Picking Dates", "the Sedan Ride" and "Three Triumphs Over the Skeletal Demon", using well-choreographed and acrobatic moves. Michael Pundo, chief executive officer of the Kenya Cultural Center, said the traditional Chinese performance enlightened Kenyans about the classical rhythms and melodies of China. Lou Sheng, a Wu Opera actor, said he was pleased to be in Kenya because it is his first visit to the East African country. He revealed that the repertoire for Africa was carefully selected to include martial arts, which have intense movements so as to enhance the experience of the audience. "We hope that through the performance, we can establish a real communication with African audience so that they can fall in love with traditional Chinese culture," he added. The event, which was jointly sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, the Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism as well as the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, aims to further improve bilateral ties as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kenya. Wang Xiaoping, director of the Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center, said he hoped that the performance will help deepen the Kenyan audience's understanding of Chinese culture, and promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Richie Olsten has been in Maui's helicopter tour business for a half century, so long he's developed a barometer for the tourism-dependent economy: rental cars parked at the island's airport. A man views the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii. Maui in Hawaii beckons tourists to stave off economic disaster after wildfires. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

There are so many since wildfires killed at least 115 people in the historic town of Lahaina that Olsten is worried about a full-blown economic catastrophe. Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers, and unemployment is surging.

State tourism officials, after initially urging travellers to stay away, are now asking them to come back, avoid the burn zone and help Maui recover by spending their money. Airlines have started offering steep discounts, while some resorts have slashed room rates by 20% or are offering a fifth night free.

I know what a terrible disaster that was. But now were in crisis mode," Olsten said. "If we cant keep the people that have jobs employed, how are they going to help family members and friends that lost everything?

The number of visitors arriving on Maui sank about 70% after the Aug. 8 fire, down to 2,000 a day.

Olsten's Air Maui Helicopters now operates one or two flights a day, compared with 25 to 30 before the fires.

As Air Maui's director of operations, Olsten said his company has laid off seven of its 12 dispatchers. Pilots have been spared because they only get paid when they work. Typically, they fly eight times a day, four to five days a week. That has fallen to one day a week, and only one or two flights.

Many Maui hotels are housing federal aid workers and Lahaina residents who lost their homes. Even so, only half of available hotel rooms are occupied, said Mufi Hannemann, president of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association.

Even those in South Maui, 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Lahaina, are half empty. Hannemann called the situation pretty grim.

One of Maui's most venerable restaurants, Hali'imaile General Store, laid off about 30 workers and temporarily closed after business shrank to one-tenth of pre-fire levels.

It just fell off a cliff, said Graeme Swain, who owns the place with his wife, Mara.

They cut staff to preserve cash and spare Hali'imaile the fate of the San Diego software company Swain was running in 2008. When the housing bubble burst and the US plunged into recession, he kept all employees to the bitter end, crushing the business.

Swain wants Hali'imaile  which was founded as a general store for pineapple plantation workers a century ago and became a restaurant in 1987  to last decades more.

It takes a lot of soul-searching of whats the right thing to do to protect that place, said Swain, who plans to hire everyone back. He aims to reopen next month.

Mass layoffs are showing up in government data. Nearly 8,000 people filed for unemployment on Maui during the last three weeks of August compared with 295 during the same period in 2022.

University of Hawaii economists expect Maui's jobless rate to climb as high as 10%. It peaked at 35% during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in July was just 2.5%. And this time, there are no pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans for businesses, nor any enhanced unemployment checks for the jobless.

Clothing designer Gemma Alvior estimates that locals make up almost all the clientele at her Kahului store, Pulelehua Boutique. But that may not shield her in a place where the tourism industry accounts for 75% of private sector jobs.

If they dont have a job, theyre getting laid off, how are they going to buy stuff? she said. What do they need to buy clothes for if theyre not working?

One reason visitor traffic plunged is that Hawaii's leaders, joined by Hollywood celebrities, told travellers to vacate the island.

The day after the fire, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, a quasi-state agency, said visitors on non-essential travel are being asked to leave Maui and that "non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged."

The agency said the community needed to focus on recovery and helping those who had to evacuate.

Around the world, people saw video and photos of travelers jamming the Kahului airport to board flights out.

That message has since changed.

Mauis not closed, Mayor Richard Bissen said in a recent interview.

People shouldn't go to Lahaina or the surrounding West Maui area  Its not a place to stare," Bissen said  but the rest of Maui needs tourists. Respect the West, visit the rest, is the motto some have adopted.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority drafted and publicised a map showing Lahaina and West Maui in relation to the rest of the island, highlighting just how much was still open. The authority is also launching a $2.6 million marketing plan to lure tourists back.

Two days after the fire, Jason Momoa, a Hollywood actor and Native Hawaiian, told his 17 million Instagram followers, Do not travel to Maui. More recently, he advised: Maui is open. Lahaina is closed.

Travel to areas outside West Maui should return to pre-fire levels by Thanksgiving, predicted Carl Bonham, an economics professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Discounted airfares and marketing appeals should help, he said.

Gov. Josh Green told a meeting of the state Council on Revenues that he expects authorities to reopen most of West Maui to travelers on Oct. 8, with the exception of fire-damaged neighborhoods. The area, which includes beach resorts in Kaanapali, north of historic Lahaina, has 11,000 hotel rooms. That's half Maui's total.

The disaster prompted state officials on Wednesday to lower their 2023 economic growth prediction for the entire state to 1.1%, down from 1.8%. Next year, they expect 1.5% growth instead of 2%.

Bonham estimated the fires would depress state tax revenues by $250 million this fiscal year but said he was encouraged by the plan to reopen West Maui in one month.

The council, which produces tax revenue forecasts, predicted Thursday that state tax revenue would rise 1.3% during the current fiscal year compared with last year. The governor and lawmakers are required to use the panel's forecasts to draft their budgets.

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The angry political reactions triggered by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Udayanidhi Stalins trenchant comments on Sanatana Dharma at a conference organised by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association, a cultural body affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is fast developing into a full-blown political-ideological war at the national level in this election year. PREMIUM Born on September 17, 1879, Periyar EV Ramasamy has enjoyed an iconic status with his ideals, particularly his stance against oppression (HT Photo)

To those familiar with the Dravidian movement, which is over a century old and a few years older than the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Udyanidhis attack on Sanatana Dharma was not a surprise. What he spoke at the Chennai event was only the latest expression in a line of Dravidian leaders from E.V.R. Periyar to C.N. Annadurai to M. Karunanidhi (Udayanidhis grandfather and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu) and their consistent opposition to Varnashrama Dharma, and, by extension, Sanatana Dharma. Further, it has to be read in the context of post-2014 India. A bit of history will help non-Tamils understand Dravidian politics, which originated as a non-Brahmin movement in the early 20th century. Pre-Independence The movement had a clearly defined political goal of ending Brahmin domination in the colonial bureaucracy. A manifesto released in 1916 by the South Indian Liberal Federation, an association formed by a group of non-Brahmin leaders from elite social backgrounds, stated: Not less than 40 million out of 41 and a half millions, who form the population of this [Madras] Presidency are non-Brahmins and the bulk of the taxpayers, including a large majority of the zamindars, landholders and agriculturalists, also belong to the same class. But in what passes for politics in Madras, they have not taken the part to which they are entitled. They make little or no use of their influence among the masses for the general political advancement of the country. In these days of organised effort, they maintain no proper organisations for protecting and promoting their common interests and for preventing other professionals and other politicians, with hardly any corresponding stake in the country from posing as their accredited spokesmen. Nor have they a press of their own to speak the truth on their behalf. Their political interests, therefore, (as compared with those of the Brahmins who number only about a million and a half), have materially suffered. A year after the British introduced a diarchic form of rule under the Government of India Act in 1919, the Justice Party came to power in the Madras Presidency. Named after Justice, a journal brought out by the party, and in keeping with its goal of ending Brahimin dominance in the bureaucracy and winning representation for the non-Brahmin castes, it passed what came to be known as Communal GO (government order) in 1922, which was a precursor to the policy of reservation in independent India. Around the same time, another movement called Thani Thamizh Iyakkam (Pure Tamil Movement) was born and it sought to end the dominance of Sanskrit and promote Tamil in its purest form.

A file photo of Periyar EV Ramawamy. (HT File Photo)

Enter Periyar

At the time, E.V.R. Periyar was not only a Congressman but an ardent supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, to the extent of carrying khadi cloth bundles on his shoulder across towns and villages to sell. He quit the Congress in 1927 after his many attempts to convince the leadership of the need to include social justice in its political programme of liberating India from alien rule, failed. According to Periyar, political liberation without the social emancipation of backward classes from the clutches of caste discrimination and untouchability had no meaning. A conversation with Gandhi, in which the latter defended Varnasharama Dharma was the last straw for Periyar and he turned him into a staunch critic. Periyar traced the evils of caste oppression and its extreme manifestation  untouchability  to the theories of Sanatana Dharma and Varnashrama Dharma and he was convinced that the country could progress only if ideological justifications for a stratified society were rooted out. In this mission, he found that the Self-Respect Movement founded by M. Ramanathan, was an ideal vehicle. In his book The Political Career of E.V.R. Periyar, E Sa Viswanathan writes: The caste system, ideologically supported and sustained by Brahiminism with the help of myths, puranas, Vedas and scriptures, was the stumbling block to the non-Brahmins progress. Self-respecters broke the elitist boundaries of the non-Brahmin Movement and reached out to the Scheduled Castes and other backward castes such as Nadars, Agamudayars, Isai Velalars, Sengunthars, Vanniyakula Kshatriyas. These castes, a majority of them agricultural labourers and unskilled workers, were equally spread over all the districts of the Tamil region. A non-Brahmin, according to Periyar, was one who had been culturally enslaved by Brahmins and thus denied access to material and intellectual resources that would help him emerge as a human being with self-respect and dignity. Decide for yourselves as to what you should think of those who say there is God, that He is the preserver of Justice and that He is the Protector of All, even after seeing that the practice of Unsociability, in the form of man being banned from human sight and contact, from walking in the street, from entering the temples and from drawing water from a tank, is rampant in a land and yet that land is spared from being razed by an earthquake, burnt by the fiery lava of a volcano, engulfed in a deluge from the ocean, submerged in the chasm of the earth, or fragmented by a thunder-storm, Periyar once said. Even as the Justice Party was losing its sheen because of internal contradictions and its elitist orientation, the Self-Respect Movement, with its emphasis on atheism, led by Periyar was gaining ground among Tamils. It was again the Congress that inadvertently gave a fillip to the movement in 1937 when its government led by C. Rajagoplachari made the learning of Hindi compulsory in schools. A Brahmin nationalist in power imposing a language born out of Sanskrit on the Tamil masses provided the ideal setting for uniting the non-Brahmin movement and the Pure Tamil Movement to pave the way for an aggressive anti-Hindi movement. The agitation led by Periyar culminated in a rally that gave a call for a separate Dravida Nadu. Rajaji had to backtrack on his decision to impose Hindi. Periyar and Annadurai built on this success, got rid of the elitist elements from the non-Brahmin platform and re-christened it the Dravidar Kazhagam.

Annadurai and his colleagues launched the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam  or DMK  in 1949.(Wikimedia Commons)

Post-Independence

Indias independence created an ideological conflict in the movement. Periyar feared that a free India would be helmed by Brahmins and said it would be a transition from British Raj to Brahmin Raj. He wanted August 15 to be observed as a Black Day. Annadurai, who saw a new political possibility in free India of realising the Dravidian movements ideals by entering electoral politics and capturing power, gave a call to celebrate Independence. They parted ways. Annadurai and his colleagues launched the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam  or DMK  in 1949. Anna realised that capturing political power in a country steeped in religious beliefs and superstitions was not going to be easy for a party that was rooted in Periyars rationalism and atheism. He declared that the DMK would follow the principle of Ondre Kulam, Oruvane Devan (one community, one God). An oft-quoted piece of dialogue spoken by the protagonist in the iconic film Parasakthi [1952], penned by Karunanidhi, reflects this tactical shift: I am not saying there should be no temples. I am only saying that temples should not become dens of criminals. Another tactical move Annadurai made was to give up the demand for a separate Dravida Nadu when India was under Chinas attack in 1962. In the context of the war, he reasoned, national unity was the need of the hour. Only if you have a home could you change the roof tiles. We can run a party only if the nation is safe. If we speak of separatism when the nation is in danger, it would give space to foreigners. If we behave like that, future generations will curse us, Anna said. Some political commentators saw this as a move to save the party from an impending law to ban secessionism. Another stream of opinion was that Anna had by then realised the advantages of being part of a country with a huge market potential and abundant natural resources.

The fourth phase of the anti-Hindi struggle erupted in 1965 (Front row : left to right) K. A. Mathialagan, C. N. Annadurai, Rajaji and M. Karunanidhi(Wikimedia Commons)

Imposition' of Hindi: Round 2

With its tactical shifts and articulation of Tamils political and economic grievances through evocative prose, poetry and film scripts, the DMK stormed into power in 1967 at the height of another virulent struggle against the imposition of Hindi. The fourth phase of the anti-Hindi struggle erupted in 1965, when Hindi was to become the official language. The DMK swung into action demanding the continuation of English also as the official language as promised by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the floor of Parliament. Interestingly, Tamil Nadu was not alone in this struggle. Bengal also plunged into an agitation. The violent agitation forced the Union government to enact the Official Languages Amendment Act ensuring that English also would continue to be an official language. (When the Constitution came into force in 1950, the understanding was that English would continue to have that status until 1965.) What is often missed, deliberately or otherwise, in the political slugfest, is that the DMK, unlike Periyar, never attacked Hinduism (except for some occasional barbs) or its followers. Interpreting Udhayanidhis comment as a call for the genocide of Hindus  as some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have done  is a travesty of truth. For the last 56 years, Tamil Nadu has been ruled either by the DMK or its offshoot, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The state has achieved significant progress as is evident from various social indicators. More relevant to the present conflict are these facts that are obvious to any Tamil Nadu watcher. Debunking some current myths A myth doing the rounds is that Hindus (particularly Brahmins) are persecuted by the DMK and its government. In the last five and a half decades, there have been no reports of such violence against Hindus (or Brahmins) except very few stray incidents of cutting off of the sacred thread. In fact, chief minister Karunanidhi ensured inclusive governance by tapping the administrative acumen of many bureaucrats from the Brahmin community. The unique public distribution system is not exclusive and religion-specific. Similar is the case of Tamil Nadus excellent public health system and public education system based on a two-language formula. The reservation policy, the most significant achievement of the Dravidian movement that explains its longevity in the political space, provides 69 per cent reservation  except Muslims who get 3.5 per cent reservation, all the other beneficiaries are from the Hindu community (Backward Classes  26.5%; Most Backward Communities  13%; Denotified Communities  7%; Scheduled Castes which includes the Arundhatiyars, who are on the lowest rung of the SC community  18%; and Scheduled Tribes 1%. Nor has there been any destruction of Hindu temples in the state, as some Whatsapp forwards suggest. In fact, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) set up by the Justice Party as far back as 1925 took over the administration of temples following complaints of irregularities and corruption in handling thousands of acres of land and other properties attached to the temples. The department takes care of about 45,000 temples. Since the present DMK government led by M.K. Stalin assumed office on May 7, 2021, the HR&CE has retrieved temple properties worth 5,132.82 crore from encroachers. The question is: why is there a deliberate attempt to distort Udayanidhis comment on the traditionally much-criticised Sanatana Dharma and project it as a provocation for the genocide of Hindus? The reason is political. Since the 1967 victory of the DMK, no national party has been able to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu. With the demise of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, the Modi-Shah-led BJP saw an opportunity to make inroads in the state. While the ideologically emasculated and organisationally divided AIADMK has proved to be a pliable ally of the BJP in this game, the DMK plays a significant role in the united front of the opposition known by its acronym INDIA. The Sangh Parivars Hindutva project based on cultural homogenisation and political centralisation finds its strongest resistance from a state that has been nurtured for about a century by the principles of social justice, linguistic nationalism, rationalism and state autonomy. The ideological war that has remained dormant since the political success of the DMK about half a century ago is now out in the open. R. Vijaya Sankar is former Editor of Frontline.

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In an interview to an Indian news agency, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, said that the G-20 summit is a collective exercise and indicated that India will not be giving preference to the United States over others during the multilateral summit. In this context, he said:  Look, we are India. We know how to handle the world. Believe me, especially in the last 10 years we have shown how we can handle the world. PM Narendra Modi with External Affairs MInister S Jaishankar

If quoted out of context, the EAMs statement could be interpreted as an expression of self-confidence bordering, perhaps, on arrogance. But the statement is significant, even when taken out of the ambit of G-20 summit. Many key decisions taken by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi during his tenure have contributed to this global confidence in India. The net assessment is that during his past nine-year tenure, India has reduced its vulnerabilities significantly and added to its self-confidence as it forges ahead to become the number three economy in the world, overtaking Germany and Japan.

While pessimists will predict a bear run on Indias future, the fact is that PM Modi has been able to inspire confidence and belief among the people of Bharat that India was taking strong strides to become a developed nation before 2047. The G-20 summit on the heels of the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the moon and the launch of the Aditya solar mission all project the soft power of India. They convey the victory of democracy under Modis India.

Even though many in the Opposition will counter this narrative by pointing to poverty and economic disparity in India, the rapid and sustained economic growth will start reducing the gap soon. That India is finally punching in the middle-weight category rather than being clubbed with a failed state Pakistan (as in the past) goes to the credit of the NDA government.

So how did Modis India reduce its vulnerability and pressure points vis-a-vis global powers?

By removing the temporary Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and publishing the full map of the two Union Territories (UTs) on November 2, 2019 showing the Indian territory from occupied Aksai Chin to occupied Kashmir and Northern Areas, the Modi government has taken out Kashmir as a leverage point or pressure point for contesting powers. Today, the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are bustling with Indian and foreign tourists and the dark days of Islamic jihad waged by Pakistan's deep state are slowly dissipating.

By countering the challenge of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan head-on and setting aside the Islamabad and West-promoted nuclear flashpoint theory, the Modi government has significantly reduced the threat from pan-Islamic jihadi outfits and put the fear of Indian retaliation into Pakistans rabid anti-India civilian and military leaders after the 2016 surgical strikes and 2019 Balakot air strike into the heart of Pakistan. The Indian counter has been also helped by the grave economic and political crisis in Pakistan today with jihadis of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan coming home to roost in Khyber-Paktunkhwa and Northern Areas.

By standing up militarily to Chinese belligerence in Doklam in 2017 and in East Ladakh in May 2020 without any support from either the West or the so-called European powers, the Modi government has sent a clear message to Beijing that the way to normal ties is through resolution of boundary issues. While the entire West, including the EU, have stood against Russia, and rightly so, for invasion of Ukraine, no one barring stray noises from the US, has said a singke word against China for its LAC transgressions in East Ladakh. The West and South-east Asian tiger economies are confused over their stand on Taiwan with Chinese military aircraft daily violating the airspace of an independent nation that was never under Mandarin China.

By taking the side of peace on the Ukraine war with PM Modi telling Russian President Vladimir Putin upfront that this was not the time for war. Despite the knowledge that Ukraine had close defence cooperation with Pakistan, India chose a strategic autonomous position on the Ukraine war and continues to bat for peace and negotiations to end the war ravaging east Europe from February 2022.

By supplying vaccines to the Global South including neighborhood and African countries when the Covid-19 pandemic was sweeping the globe, destroying lives and economies of the countries. A number of smaller countries were gifted vaccines and others provided in their time of need.

While PM Modi will be holding around 15 bilateral meetings during the G-20 summit, not all meetings will be all sweetness and light as the Indian leader will take up issues concerning his country. Watch out for the meeting between PM Modi and Canada PM Justin Trudeau.

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To mark Google Chrome's 15th anniversary  it was released in September 2008  Google is giving the desktop version of the world's most used web browser, a fresh look. Google Chrome's new desktop version (Image courtesy: Google)

To celebrate this birthday, we are giving Chrome a fresh look on desktop and rolling out a few upgrades that continue to make it easy, quick and safe to browse on Chrome, Parisa Tabriz, VP, Chrome, noted in a September 7 blog post on the tech giant's official website.

A personalised browser

Chrome's new look, Google said, will be rolled out in the coming weeks, adding that it is based on the in-house Material You design language. The company has:

*refreshed the browser's icons with a focus on legibility, and and created new colour palettes to complement tabs and toolbar.

*better integrated with operating systems (OS) so that a user's Chrome preferences can easily adapt to OS-level settings, such as dark and light modes.

*made other improvements to make it easier to use: a more comprehensive menu for faster access to extensions, Translate, Password Manager, and more.

New extension categories

The Web Store, too, has been redesigned, and will feature new extension categories such as AI-powered and Editors' spotlight, in addition to more personalised recommendations.

On the security front, Google has expanded Safety Check to extensions, doing so to ensure that your browser can identify extensions that were recently unpublished, violated policies, or were potentially malicious.

New search features for easier browsing

For this, a person must select the Search this page with Google option (from the three-dot menu) while on the webpage. This will open the Google Search side panel; here, you can find related searches, learn more about a page's source, or start a completely new fresh search.

Upgraded Safe Browsing

This is being done to check sites against Google's bad-known sites in real-time. This will shorten the time between identification and prevention of threats, and is expected to improve, by 25%, protection from malware and phishing threats.

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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
A 7-year-old found the grandest birthday gift at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas - a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond. The 2.95 carat diamond discovered by the young one in Arkansas. (Instagram/@Arkansas State Parks)

According to Arkansas State Parks, Aspen Brown of Paragould, discovered the diamond while celebrating her birthday with her family in the north search area of the park. (Also Read: 24 crore for a teapot: What's so special about this record breaking utensil?)

The park took to Instagram to share about this discovery by the kid. "Seven-year-old Aspen Brown, of Paragould, visited Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro on Sept. 1 and left with a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond," wrote Arkansas State Parks.

They further added, "This is the second-largest registered by a park guest this year, topped only by a 3.29-carat brown diamond discovered in March."

Take a look at the post shared by Arkansas State Parks here:

This post was shared just two days ago. Since being posted, it has been liked several times. Many even took to the comments section of the post to share their reactions to this stunning discovery.

Here's what people are saying about it:

An individual wrote, "Wow! Its beautiful."

A second shared, "Amazing! Good find!"

"Congrats, Aspen! Great find!" said a third.

A fourth commented, "I cant wait to go there someday!"

"Wow," posted a fifth.

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Attacks on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali on Thursday, claimed by jihadists, killed 64 people, Mali's government said. The assaults were "claimed" by a group affiliated to Al-Qaeda.(AFP/ Representative)

The two separate attacks targeted the Timbuktu boat on the Niger river and an army position at Bamba, in the northern Gao region with "a provisional toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed", according to a government statement. It did not specify how many died in each assault.

The assaults were "claimed" by a group affiliated to Al-Qaeda.
In the ongoing battle against COVID-19, the United States is facing concerning trends as positivity rates spike, with Texas and its neighboring states at the forefront, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). US faces concerning COVID-19 trends as positivity rates spike in Texas and neighboring states, according to CDC data.(CDC)

As of the week ending August 26, approximately 15 percent of COVID-19 tests across the country came back positive, marking a 1.4 percent increase from the previous week. The five states experiencing the highest test positivity rates, at 20.8 percent, include Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Texas notably drew attention recently with the implementation of a ban on mask mandates.

US faces concerning COVID-19 trends as positivity rates spike in Texas and neighboring states, according to CDC data.(CDC)

Following closely behind were Nevada, Hawaii, California, and Arizona, each reporting 16.1 percent of tests returning positive during the same week. In stark contrast, New York, New Jersey, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico maintained lower positivity rates, averaging around 9.6 percent.

These figures emerge amidst a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations, driven partly by the emergence of new variants, EG.5 and BA.2.86. During the week ending August 26, there were over 17,000 hospital admissions, marking a 15.7 percent increase from the prior week. Remarkably, COVID-19 hospitalizations remain relatively low in approximately 93 percent of the nation, according to the CDC, and deaths attributed to the virus accounted for 2 percent of the total during the same week.

The data highlights the ongoing challenges posed by the virus, even as the national emergency status and federal mask mandates have ended. Notably, some regions have reintroduced mask mandates temporarily in response to surging cases.

In a recent public appearance, President Joe Biden, who had tested negative for COVID-19, was seen wearing a mask during a ceremony honoring Vietnam veteran Captain Larry Taylor. However, he removed it while delivering remarks. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained that Biden's actions aligned with CDC guidelines, emphasizing the importance of testing, monitoring for symptoms, and wearing masks when necessary.

The CDC recommends individuals exposed to the virus wear high-quality masks indoors in public spaces or when close to others, in conjunction with testing and symptom monitoring, for a period of 10 days. These measures underscore the ongoing need for vigilance as the nation navigates the complexities of the pandemic.
Minnesota DemocraticFarmerLabor Party official Shivanthi Sathanandan, known for her past calls to "dismantle" the Minneapolis Police Department, is now advocating for tougher crime laws following a traumatic carjacking incident outside her home. Sathanandan, the Second Vice Chairwoman for the DFL, shared the harrowing experience on Wednesday via Facebook, revealing the extent of her injuries. Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party official Shivanthi Sathanandan advocates for tougher crime laws after a carjacking incident.(Shivanthi Sathanandan)

Sharing her experience on Facebook, Sathanandan described the brutal attack that took place in front of her young children. She suffered a broken leg, deep head lacerations, and numerous bruises and cuts during the ordeal. "I have a broken leg, deep lacerations on my head, bruising and cuts all over my body. And I have rage," she wrote. The assailants left her bloodied and battered, prompting Sathanandan to emphasize the urgency of addressing crime on the streets.

Yesterday my children and I were violently car jacked in the driveway of our home in Minneapolis. Four very young men,... Posted by Shivanthi Sathanandan on Wednesday, September 6, 2023

"These men knew what they were doing. I have NO DOUBT they have done this before. Yet they are still on OUR STREETS. Killing mothers. Giving babies psychological trauma that a lifetime of therapy cannot ease. With no hesitation and no remorse," she declared.

Sathanandan, now a firsthand victim of crime, called for action. She pleaded for illegal guns to be removed from the streets and for a crackdown on young criminals causing chaos in the city. In a plea, she urged people to "REMEMBER ME when you are thinking about supporting letting juveniles and young people out of custody."

The Minneapolis Police Department confirmed the carjacking but has yet to make any arrests. Despite her previous calls to overhaul the police department, Sathanandan expressed gratitude for the Minneapolis PD's response to her ordeal.

Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin conveyed his sorrow over the attack and called for swift justice. "My heart goes out to Shivanthi and her family, and I hope their recovery from such a horrifying experience is as swift as possible," he remarked.

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Former Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin, who was one of Europes youngest leaders and a strong voice in supporting Ukraine, said Thursday she's quitting Finnish politics and will join a London-based non-profit organization. Sanna Marin, a Social Democrat, became the youngest sitting prime minister in the world at the age of 34.(AP)

Marin, who was 37 years old when she took office in 2019, led a five-party center-left governing coalition until April of this year. She received praise for her Cabinets handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and her vocal support of Ukraine in the last year had increased her international visibility. She also also saw her country become the 31st member of NATO.

Time to move on, Finnish public broadcaster YLE quoted her as saying. I am eager to step into a new role. I also believe that it can benefit the whole of Finland.

In April, Finland joined the NATO military alliance, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europes post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO after Moscows invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

"I believe that I can serve those voters (in Finland) well and maybe even better in the new assignment, Marin told a press conference as she announced her departure from the 200-seat Finnish parliament Eduskunta. Earlier this month, she stepped down as head of the Social Democratic Party.

Marin will join the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and earlier this month, the non-profit organization said she would become strategic counsellor.

The task will be to be an advisor to different countries, governments and leaders on policy issues that are familiar to me, such as good governance, technology, climate, gender equality and other issues that I have had to work with, she said according to the Huvudstadsbladet newspaper, one of Finland's largest.

In the April parliamentary elections, she lost to Finlands main conservative party in a tight three-way race that saw right-wing populists take second place. Marin's Social Democrats ended in third, dashing her hopes for re-election.

As prime minister she headed a coalition government, including her own Social Democrats, the centrist Center Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance and the Swedish Peoples Party in Finland.

Her private life and active social media use received a lot of international coverage during her premiership. In August 2022, she apologized after the publication of a photo that showed two women kissing and posing topless at the official summer residence of the countrys leader.

The photo came out after a video that showed Marin dancing and singing with friends prompted a debate about whether a prime minister in office is entitled to party heartily.

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After a protest over international students from India struggling to find affordable housing at a campus in the province of Ontario, the management of the educational institution have agreed to meeting their housing requirements. Homeless international students protesting in Canada reach agreement with management

Students from India enrolled at a campus of Canadore College in the town of North Bay in Ontario staged a protest this week, with several of them living in a tent pitched near its grounds. That started on Tuesday but by Thursday, the colleges management came to an understanding with the students group, which was mobilized by the Montreal Youth Students Organization or MYSO.

That protest once again highlighted the ongoing housing crisis in Canada which has led to inflated rents, impacting those like students seeking accommodation.

As the new college year began in September, students arriving at the campus and faced the housing problem as it had an intake of approximately 3500 students despite North Bay being a small and sparsely-populated town.

The outlet North Bay Today cited a college spokesperson as saying, All of the Canadore students involved in the demonstrations this week at the Commerce Court Campus are currently being housed.

It added, Canadore continues to work with all students to find appropriate accommodation. We will provide a more fulsome update next week.

A release issued by MYSO said the college administration has assured the students that accommodation will be arranged for them at affordable rates, full fee will be refunded without any deduction if students wanted to transfer elsewhere and classes would have an online option as rules of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC.

Khushpal Grewal of MYSO told the Hindustan Times such housing problems being faced by students will only escalate, as he described the situation as a crisis.

In August this year, during a Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, the capital of the province of Prince Edward Island, Canadas Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser told the media there that one of the options that we ought to consider was that of placing cap on the number of international students arriving in Canada.

Grewal likened that to victim-blaming, saying international students suffered the most from high rents, even as Government policy created a housing bubble.

Grewal said they have received the assurance based on their demands from the college, but will resume their demonstration if the matter is not fully resolved by Monday.

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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
As the royal family prepares to mark the first anniversary of the late Queens passing tomorrow, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be able to share their grief together. FILE - Meghan Markle left behind highly private diary at Frogmore Cottage(AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)(AP)

The Duke of Sussex is expected to stay in the UK for a brief visit after attending a charity event tonight and then fly to Germany for the Invictus Games, while the Duchess of Sussex remains in California.

The former royal couple was coincidentally in the UK last year when the Queen died at Balmoral on September 8, just days after Meghans explosive interview with The Cut magazine.

In the interview, she spoke about her life in California after quitting the royal family and revealed that she did not sign any non-disclosure agreement that would prevent her from speaking out. She also said that she found a diary that she had kept during her time as a royal at Frogmore Cottage when she returned for the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations last summer.

She said, Its interesting, Ive never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking. I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to. When asked why she hasnt shared her true experience, Meghan said that she was still healing.

I think forgiveness is really important. It takes a lot more energy to not forgive. But it takes a lot of effort to forgive. Ive really made an active effort, especially knowing that I can say anything, she added.

But, her interview sparked backlash from royal experts and commentators, who accused her of issuing thinly veiled threats and hinting at a possible memoir in the future.

Roya Nikkhah, the Sunday Times Royal Editor, said on True Royalty TVs The Royal Beat, "The thinly veiled threats that came in [Meghans interview with The Cut] I think [she] probably hopes it does [feel threatening] to the Royal Family [But] I think theres a lot of eye-rolling, going, Were used to this by now [But] that phrase, I have a lot to say until I dont and, Ive never signed anything that restricts me from talking there was a very strong inference there.

"And, of course, the reminder that she keeps a journal, and [her] revelation that, when we came back to Windsor, to Frogmore Cottage for the Jubilee, I rediscovered my journal that Id left there - I was astonished to discover that she had left a highly private diary behind in Windsor, rather than taking it back.

Shes mentioned a couple of times in the last year or two that she kept a journal, and I think there is a very strong inference that Meghan could write her own memoir.

ALSO READ| Meghan Markle parties with 'Suits' co-stars in throwback video

Prince Harry will make a solo appearance at the WellChild Awards in London tonight before heading to Dusseldorf, Germany, on Saturday for his Invictus Games for injured veterans. He will likely spend less than 48 hours in his home country and will not meet his father King Charles or his brother Prince William, despite being in Britain on such a significant date.
A CNN poll has shown that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is the only Republican who can beat President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, in Boiling Springs, S.C. The former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador is leaning into her foreign policy experiences as she campaigns in her home state, as well as other early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)(AP)

Haley, who also served as the US ambassador to the UN under President Donald Trump, is one of the many Republicans, including two Indian Americans, vying for the partys nomination.

Trump, however, remains the frontrunner among the GOP hopefuls.

According to CNN, Hypothetical matchups suggest there would be no clear leader should Biden face one of the other major GOP contenders, with one notable exception: Biden runs behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room, on Sept. 6, 2023, at the White House in Washington. Biden hopes to demonstrate to the world at the upcoming Group of 20 summit and during a visit to Vietnam that the United States and like-minded allies can be more trustworthy partners than China on economic and security issues. AP/PTI(AP09_08_2023_000003B)(AP)

The poll found that registered voters are evenly divided between Trump (47%) and Biden (46%), with the same demographic patterns that shaped the 2020 race still in place. Biden is in a dead heat with Ron DeSantis (both at 47%), closely contested with Mike Pence (46% for Pence, 44% for Biden), Tim Scott (46% for Scott, 44% for Biden), Vivek Ramaswamy (46% for Biden, 45% for Ramaswamy), and facing a narrow margin against Chris Christie (44% for Christie, 42% for Biden).

Haley stands as the only GOP candidate to hold a lead over Biden, with 49 percent to Bidens 43 percent in a hypothetical match between the two, CNN reported.

The news channel said that Haleys advantage over Biden is partly driven by her wider appeal among White voters with college degrees. She secures 51% of support from that demographic, whereas other Republicans assessed in the poll receive 48% or lower.

The Haley campaign welcomed the poll results saying, This poll confirms what many Democrats and Republicans are saying: Democrats are terrified of running against Nikki Haley. When you ask President Joe Biden who theyre really worried about, youll hear one name. 'If they nominate Nikki Haley, were in trouble, said a senior Democratic strategist close to the Biden campaign.

ALSO READ| Kamala Harris says she and Joe Biden have accomplished transformative work, vows to win re-election in 2024

The Hill said that the poll results are good news for Haley, who is looking to challenge her former boss Trump for the Republican nomination after a strong performance in the first GOP presidential debate late last month.
North Korea launched its first operational "tactical nuclear attack submarine" and assigned it to the fleet that patrols the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, state media said. Submarine No. 841 - named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a North Korean historical figure - will be one of the main "underwater offensive means of the naval force" of North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un said at the launch ceremony. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea,(Reuters)

The vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s and began producing domestically, news agency Reuters reported.

Vann Van Diepen, a former US government weapons expert who works with the 38 North project in Washington, said, "When this thing is field deployed, it's going to be quite vulnerable to allied anti-submarine warfare. So I think from a sort of hard-headed military standpoint this doesn't make a lot of sense."

At the launch ceremony, Kim Jong Un said that arming the navy with nuclear weapons was an urgent task as he promised more underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons for the naval forces, news agency KCNA reported.

"The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK," KCNA said.

North Korea plans to turn other existing submarines into nuclear armed vessels, Kim Jong Un said.

"Achieving a rapid development of our naval forces ... is a priority that cannot be delayed given ... the enemies' recent aggressive moves and military acts," the North Korean leader said in a speech, in a apparent reference to the United States and South Korea.

North Korea drew condemnation from Japan as chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said, North Korea's military activity is posing graver and more imminent threat to our country's security than before.

Does North Korea have more submarines?

North Korea has about 20 Romeo-class submarines, powered by diesel-electric engines but obsolete by modern standards. In 2019 state media showed Kim Jong Un inspecting a previously unreported submarine built under "his special attention" that would operate off the east coast. North Korea has a large submarine fleet but only the experimental ballistic missile submarine 8.24 Yongung is known to have fired a missile.

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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
Britain's monarch King Charles paid tribute to his "darling mama" to mark the first anniversary of her death. Queen Elizabeth II died on this day last year aged 96 in her Platinum Jubilee year. The message pays tribute to her lifetime of sacrifice and duty, thanking the public for their continued support. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Charles seen after delivering the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament in London.(File)

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us. I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all," King Charles said, signing off the message, written on headed paper from Balmoral Castle, Charles R.

Along with the message, the King also personally chose an image of his late mother from the royal family archives to mark the anniversary. The photograph shows Queen Elizabeth II when she was 42. It was taken at Buckingham Palace on 16 October 1968 as part of an official sitting granted to Cecil Beaton. In the image, she can be seen in her mantle of dark blue velvet lined with white satin which she wore every year for the Service of the Order of the Garter held in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

King Charles is currently in Balmoral, the final resting place of the Queen. He will mark his mother's death anniversary privately alongside his wife Queen Camilla. Prince William is expected to lead public tributes to his grandmother.

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Donald Trump said that he wishes to go head-to-head with Meghan Markle for how she treated the late Queen Elizabeth II during her time in the British royal family. Speaking to radio host Hugh Hewitt on The Hugh Hewitt Show, the former US president claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were disrespectful to the Queen when they decided to step down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020. Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump(Reuters)

I didnt like the way she dealt with the Queen. They treated her with great disrespect and I didnt like it," he said, adding, She was an incredible woman. She was so sharp, she was 100 per cent. When you watch Biden, you say this is a different planet.

The former president also said that he disagrees so much with what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are doing possibly in reference to claims that the couple has made about the royal family.

I think its not a good situation going on with the two of them, but I didnt know that they dont like me. Somebody mentioned it might be possible. They wouldnt be the only ones. If you want to set it up, lets set it up. Id love to debate her," he said.

Earlier as well, Donald Trump had said that Meghan Markle was very disrespectful to the Queen during a GB News interview with Nigel Farage.

I think she [Meghan] has been very disrespectful to the Queen. How can you be so disrespectful to the Queen? She was incredible, for decades and decades she never made a mistake. I cannot think of a mistake she made, she was never controversial. She went through years and decades without controversy. You cannot be disrespectful to her and I think Meghan was very disrespectful to her, very disrespectful, he had then said.

Last year, the former US president had said that Meghan might leave Prince Harry when she decides that she likes some other guy better.

Im not a fan of Meghan, and I wasnt from the beginning. Poor Harry is being led around by his nose. And I think hes an embarrassment, he said.

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A temple in Canadas town of Surrey in British Colombia was desecrated with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti on its outer walls. The vandalisation occurred at the Shri Mata Bhameshwari Durga temple in Surrey. (Representative file photo)

The development comes a day prior to the threat from secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)s claim to lock down Indias Consulate in Vancouver.

The vandalisation occurred at the Shri Mata Bhameshwari Durga temple in Surrey.

The incident came to light on Thursday morning and was reported by the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Also Read:Canada school cancels permission for Khalistan Referendum citing AK-47 posters

Rohit, a member of the temple management, told HT that the graffiti has been removed.

Indias high commission in Ottawa had flagged to Canadas foreign ministry Global Affairs Canada about the perceived threat to its diplomatic premises in Vancouver as SFJ had called for pro-Khalistan elements to lock down the Vancouver Consulate on Friday.

This call came in retaliation to the enforced cancellation of the Khalistan Referendum, which was scheduled for September 10 at a school in Surrey.

On Sunday, Canadian authorities withdrew their permission to hold voting at a public school after concerns were raised over their promotional materials that featured the image of an AK-47 machine gun.

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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
The That '70s Show star Danny Masterson was seen blowing a kiss to his wife Bijou Phillips in a court sketch after he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for rape. FILE PHOTO: Actor Danny Masterson stands with his lawyer Thomas Mesereau as he is arraigned on three rape charges in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003, at Los Angeles Superior Court, Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo(REUTERS)

Phillips was present at the sentencing with Mastersons family members, Variety reported. She also witnessed two of the women he was convicted of raping give their victim impact statements and the Judge Charlaine Olmedo tells Masterson, Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal, and that is why you are here, according to the outlet.

Mastersons defense attorney Shawn Holley quoted a statement to PEOPLE that he will appeal the verdict.

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape in May, as per the Los Angeles Times. The jury deliberated for more than seven days and could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count of rape, the outlet reported.

Upon the verdict announcement, Masterson displayed minimal emotion, as reported by L.A. journalist Meghann Cuniff. She observed that his family members were "fighting back tears," and Phillips also began to weep upon his conviction.

ALSO READ| Nikki Haley emerges as sole Republican who can beat president Joe Biden in 2024, says CNN poll

Cuniff reported Judge Olmedo as telling her, Can you maintain your composure? I know its hard. But if not I need you to step outside.

PEOPLE reported that Phillips was shocked and devastated by the conviction.

The insider said, She wasnt prepared for the verdict. She never expected him to be found guilty. She couldnt believe that he was taken into custody right away and remanded.

The source added that Phillips was terrified about the sentencing. Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. He has been out of jail on a $3.3 million bail since his arrest. In January 2021, he entered a plea of not guilty to all three charges.

During that period, Masterson's attorney, Tom Mesereau, released a statement to PEOPLE, stating, Mr. Masterson is innocent, and were confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.

Mesereau continued, Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year-old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.

All of the alleged crimes occurred at Mastersons home, prosecutors say, and all three accusers testified against him in May 2021 in a preliminary hearing.

Masterson faced his initial trial for the allegations in late 2022, but a mistrial was declared due to the jurors' inability to reach a unanimous verdict. Ten of 12 of jurors wanted to acquit Masterson based on the evidence presented.

ALSO READ| 'That 70's Show' actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

The allegations against Masterson first emerged in March 2017 when the LAPDs Robbery Homicide Division confirmed an investigation was underway into sexual assault allegations against the actor.

In November 2017, HuffPost published a report stating that a fourth woman had come forward, alleging that Masterson had raped her in the early 2000s.After the allegations surfaced, Masterson was fired from the Netflix series The Ranch  which he starred in with his former '70s Show costar Ashton Kutcher. United Talent Agency also dropped him as a client.
A disgraced Turkish crypto founder who fled to Albania and his two brothers have been sentenced to 11,196 years in jail each, the Anadolu state news agency reported Friday. Thodex boss Faruk Fatih Ozer.

Prosecutors had asked for Thodex boss Faruk Fatih Ozer, 29, to be sentenced to 40,562 years in prison for money laundering, fraud and establishing a criminal organisation.

"If I were to establish a criminal organisation, I would not have acted so amateurishly," Anadolu quoted Ozer as telling the court.

His two brothers, Serap and Guven, received the same sentence, which was issued late Thursday after a brief trial, Turkish media reports said.

Turkey is known for issuing massive prison sentences, which became more common after it abolished the death penalty in 2004 to help its efforts to join the European Union.

Ozer was initially reported to have fled Turkey in April 2021 with $2 billion in investor assets, although that figure has since been disputed.

Prosecutors said Ozer had transferred 250 million liras in user assets (worth about $30 million at the time) to three secret accounts when he fled Turkey in April 2021, with much of the money ending up in a Malta bank.

The indictment said the Ozer brothers had caused 356 million liras of damage to clients in all.

The case grabbed local headlines because it coincided with a Turkish crypto boom that has since largely subsided due to heavier government regulation.

Turks began turning to various crypto currencies as a defence against a deep slide in the value of the lira that began more than two years ago.

Ozer gained further celebrity status after being pictured meeting with ultranationalist pro-government figures.

He was arrested last year in Albania on an international arrest warrant from Interpol.

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President Joe Biden does not intend to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the Group of 20 summit this weekend in New Delhi, a White House official said on Thursday night. President Joe Biden gestures as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.. (AP)

The presidents national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, briefed reporters on the summit agenda after the president left Washington on the trip, which will also take him to Vietnam.

We dont have a plan for the president to engage with the Chinese premier at this time, Sullivan said. He had been asked about a Wall Street Journal report that Chinese nationals had gained entry to American military bases, and if that would be brought up in New Delhi.

Early this week, Biden expressed disappointment after it was reported that Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, did not plan to attend the summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin also will not attend.

The American president intends to seize on their absence to court nations that they have tried to influence.
The Air Forces top general warned the services ranks to be on guard against offers to work for companies training Chinese military pilots, the most explicit public acknowledgment yet of a practice the US has sought to clamp down on. In June, the US restricted exports to entities it said recruited US pilots to train Chinese personnel. (AP)

In a letter dated Sept. 5 but circulated on Friday, General Charles Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, asked airmen to report if they or someone they know has been recruited or targeted for recruitment to train foreign armed forces.

By essentially training the trainer, many of those who accept the contracts with these foreign companies are eroding our national security, wrote Brown, who is also President Joe Bidens nominee to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said those companies are targeting US and NATO-trained service members to train Chinese people abroad and fill gaps in their military capabilities.

The letter was reported earlier by the Washington Post.

In June, the US restricted exports to entities it said recruited US pilots to train Chinese personnel. That followed reports that Chinas military had sought to enlist veteran Western pilots to improve its ability to fly planes from aircraft carriers, which could be useful in the event of a conflict with the US.

One of the most public cases has been that of Daniel Duggan, a former US military pilot who was accused of helping train Chinese military pilots without a proper license. Duggan was arrested last year in Australia, where he lives, and is challenging his extradition to the US.

We urge the US side to respect the normal business activities carried out by relevant companies, and not to generalize and abuse the concept of national security and smear relevant companies, Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said in a statement. In recent years, some US officials have been quick to accuse China and smear the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and the US, which is not conducive to the healthy development of China-US relations.
Adding another seasoned executive to its team of accomplished hospitality professionals, KSL Resorts has announced the appointment of Patrick Smith as its new vice president of information technology. In his new role, Smith heads up KSL Resorts' information technology department - designing, developing and managing the company's technological infrastructure and processes to achieve key corporate goals.

Smith previously worked for KSL Resorts and Outrigger Hospitality Group as an information technology consultant, assisting in day-to-day operations and providing leadership through multiple acquisitions.

According to Scott Dalecio, CEO of KSL Resorts, Smith's affiliation with the company dates back to 1993 when Smith was hired as an IT consultant for KSL Recreation Corporation, working with the newly acquired La Quinta Resort and PGA West properties.

With more than 25 years of technology and hospitality experience, Smith has worked as director of information technology at Underground Solutions and held the same position at La Quinta Resort & Club. Smith was also global infrastructure manager for Culligan International and network manager for United States Filter Corporation.

Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics from UC Riverside.
Jakarta - A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between PT. Indonesian Paradise Property Tbk. (Paradise Indonesia) and Vacances (s) Pte. Ltd. (Club Med). The signing was made between Mr. Anthony Prabowo Susilo, President Director & CEO of PT Indonesian Paradise Property Tbk, and Ms.Rachael Harding, CEO of East and South Asia & Pacific Markets at Club Med. The signing ceremony was held at Residence OnFive, Grand Hyatt Jakarta, one of Paradise Indonesias business units.

According to the MoU, Paradise Indonesia and Club Med are entering into a mutually exclusive partnership for the development of a portfolio of new upscale all-inclusive resorts across Indonesia. Club Med and Paradise Indonesia share a common vision of creating desirable lifestyle holidays that meet the evolving needs of todays epicurean-savvy travelers in some of the most beautiful, exclusive destinations around the world. With this strategic partnership, the two iconic hospitality leaders aim to pioneer amazing experiences in exotic destinations across Indonesia. To be rolled out across several phases with a development target of more than five new resorts, the first phase consists of three resorts to be developed in the next five years in key tourism destinations, namely North Sulawesi, Bali, and West Java.

With operations in 40 countries around the world and nearly 70 Premium and Exclusive Collection resorts, Club Med, the pioneer of the premium all-inclusive concept with 73 years of experience, offers an extraordinary holiday experience in exceptional locations, including those in the Exclusive Collection, which offers the most prestigious Club Med spaces, resorts, luxury villas, and chalets for an elevated experience, as well as the legendary French sailing yacht, Club Med 2.

For nearly 40 years, Club Med has accompanied Indonesia in its remarkable tourism development. Currently, Club Med operates two resorts in Indonesia; Club Med Bali since 1984, the first resort operator and key tenant to set foot on the Nusa Dua project led by ITDC  formerly BTDC, and Club Med Bintan since 1997.

In the next global business expansion for the years 20232025, Club Med will open 17 new resorts including 10 extensions or renovations of existing resorts. Guided by the same pioneering spirit, Club Med remains committed to exploring and discovering exceptional destinations with a responsible vision. As a key strategic pillar of its brand values, Happy To Care is top of mind for Club Med. This encompasses environmental stewardship  the respect of and commitment to protect the pristine natural environments Club Med resorts reside in; creating a positive and long-lasting impact in local communities through supporting social and economic development opportunities, and providing guests with meaningful and sustainable vacation experiences.

With its unique approach to lifestyle hospitality, Club Med has seen strong business growth that has exceeded 2019 levels, indicating that travelers, more than ever, are looking for and are attracted to the upscale, convivial, all-inclusive experience that Club Med resorts offer both domestically as well as globally.

Paradise Indonesia has 30 years of experience developing and creating iconic lifestyle destinations in Indonesias largest cities. With 25 business units across 8 cities, the company is a symbol of innovation, professionalism, and excellence. From developing standalone hotels to high-end retail complexes, and most recently high-rise residential apartments. Paradise Indonesias journey reflects its pioneering spirit and commitment to long-term value creation. A testament of this success is the companys remarkable 100% completion rate across all developments. With this latest milestone, Paradise Indonesia now looks ahead to continue its exciting trajectory of growth in the years to come.

This partnership underscores the commitment of both parties to support the Indonesian governments tourism goals and agenda to attract domestic and international tourists, to raise the Travel and Tourism Index rank nationally. Each location where the development takes place will have a positive impact on the community and the surrounding environment, such as the creation of direct and indirect job positions, the development of local talents within the hospitality industry with opportunities for overseas job postings, knowledge exchange of the culinary industry, opening distribution channels supplying raw materials, and many others. This will certainly improve social welfare, the tourism industry, and the sectoral creative economy.

We are thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with Club Med. This joint venture aims to unveil a series of developments that will not only foster mutual growth for both companies but also bring about substantial benefits to the local communities and areas in which we build. Our united vision is to cultivate sustainable and enriching experiences for all. Anthony Prabowo Susilo, President Director & CEO of Paradise Indonesia

For nearly 40 years since the first Club Med Resort opening in Bali, Club Med has established a harmonious and well-integrated presence to support the remarkable tourism development in Indonesia. Indonesia continues to be a key focus for Club Med, which is projected to be among the fastest-growing markets by 2030. Pre-pandemic, we saw incredible growth of Indonesian client numbers and today we see a steady recovery. This shows a strong and accelerating demand for Club Med All-Inclusive Resorts as well as a growing appetite for vacations overseas, including to our resorts in Europe and Americas. This strategic partnership with Paradise Indonesia brings together brand synergies, expertise and innovation of both organizations, and aligns perfectly with our mission to continue delivering exceptional experiences for our customers, while continuing to accelerate our international reach to the beautiful destinations of Indonesia. Henri Giscard dEstaing, President of Club Med

Our strategic partnership with Paradise Indonesia marks a significant milestone in our development strategy for Indonesia. We are excited to have found a solid partner who fully supports and appreciates Club Meds upscale strategy and identity. We are confident that this partnership will create incremental value for all our stakeholders and accelerate our commitment to further establish Club Med as the world leader in all-inclusive and experiential premium holidays in stunning locations. Rachael Harding, CEO for East and South Asia & Pacific Markets of Club Med

About PT Indonesian Paradise Property Tbk ("Paradise Indonesia")

PT Indonesian Paradise Property Tbk ("INPP'') is a developer and operator of iconic lifestyle properties in several top locations across Indonesia. PT Indonesian Paradise Property Tbk along with its subsidiaries, owns and manages a diverse portfolio of hotels, shopping centers, and apartments that synergize to create a sustainable business model. INPP owns 13 hotels in Jakarta, Bali, Batam, and Yogyakarta, and operates 6 shopping centers in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali. In line with the companys vision to build iconic property projects, INPP continues to create mixed-use property developments. INPP is currently developing four projects with 31 Sudirman Suites Apartment and Hyatt Place in Makassar; Antasari Place Apartment in South Jakarta; 23 Paskal Shopping Center extension in Bandung; and a flagship mixed-use development in Semarang.

We develop and create Iconic Lifestyle Destinations in Indonesias greatest cities.

For more information, visit us at www.paradiseindonesia.com or follow @paradiseindonesia23 on Instagram and @inppgroup on Facebook.

About Club Med

Club Med, founded in 1950 by Gerard Blitz, invented the all-inclusive holiday club concept, adding in activities especially for children with the creation of the Mini Club in 1967. Led by its pioneering spirit, Club Med seeks out exceptional destinations and sites. Today, Club Med is the world's leading provider of upscale, all-inclusive holiday packages with a French touch for families and active couples. Club Med operates nearly 70 resorts, of which 95% are rated Premium & Exclusive Collection that offers a selection of the brand's most exclusive resorts, villas, chalets, and yacht characterised by premium accommodations, exceptional hospitality and personalized services, exclusively beautiful locations, refined dining concepts and lounges, transformational experiences, and unique architecture and design elements. Present in 30 countries around the world, the Group employs more than 23,000 Gentils Organisateurs (GOs) and Gentils Employes (GEs), representing 110 nationalities.

For more information, visit www.clubmed.us, call 1-800-Club-Med (1-800-258-2633), or contact a preferred travel professional. For an inside look at Club Med, follow Club Med on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
BANGKOK - Deepak Ohri, visionary hospitality executive, announced his departure as CEO of lebua Hotels and Resorts, the brand he founded and established as a luxury leader in Southeast Asia. During his time as CEO, Ohri dedicated his careerand succeededin making lebua a renowned name in global luxury hospitality. He will stay on as CEO through the end of the year.

We want to thank Deepak for his dedication and contributions to lebua. During his tenure, lebua became a leader in luxury hospitality thanks to his grit and natural instincts. Deepak put our company on the map and earned praise the world over from guests and industry observers alike. We look forward to continuing his legacy and wish Deepak the best in his future endeavors. Narawadee Bualert, president of lebua

While CEO of lebuacredited as the first native-born luxury hospitality brand in Southeast Asia Ohri set new industry standards and created the first vertical destination. Made known worldwide for its luxurious food-and-beverage concepts and unparalleled service, Ohri continued to break barriers with the opening of the worlds highest luxury rooftop restaurant, Sirocco, at lebua Bangkok, and consequently opened two additional flagships restaurants, both of which were awarded two Michelin stars each.

Under Ohris leadership, lebua, now with five properties across India, Thailand and New Zealand, was named the Worlds Leading All-Suite Hotel by World Travel Award and continues to be rated among the top 1 percent of companies globally for customer satisfaction.

Ohri is already planning his next movea luxury hybrid hospitality brand that will launch in the United States. It has been an honor to serve as lebuas founder and CEO for the past 20 years, said Ohri. I am proud of what we have accomplished and could not have done it without the support of the entire team. I am excited for this next chapter.

Since creating lebua in 2003, Ohri has also become a leader in management and luxury hospitality whose insights are in demand globally. Ohri was named one of International Hospitality Institutes Global Top Most Inspirational Executives in Travel and Hospitality as well as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality. He has also lectured at leading educational institutions including Columbia University, NYU Stern Business School, and Harvard Business School. In addition, Ohri serves as Executive in Residence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Chairman of the Executive Board at the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center as well as a Board Member for CIBER (Center for International Business and Education) at the College of Business at Florida International University.

Deepak Ohri is a visionary, change maker, entrepreneur and thought leader. Ohri created lebua Hotels and Resorts, credited as the first native-born luxury hospitality brand in Southeast Asia, with five properties across India, Thailand and New Zealand. Ohris unique outlook on hospitality, focusing on emotional connections for guests, is now an industry-wide trend. Ohri elevated luxury hospitality and kicked off Bangkok's rooftop dining craze with lebuas collection of upscale restaurants, The Dome at lebua. Under his leadership, lebua earned the World's Leading All-Suite Hotel by World Travel Award and continues to be rated among the top 1 percent of companies globally for customer satisfaction. In addition, International Hospitality Institute selected Ohri as one of the Global Top Most Inspirational Executives in Travel and Hospitality and one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.

Ohri is the author of A Bridge Not Too Far - Where Creativity Meets Innovation, which charts Ohri's rise from the humble-yet-educational streets of New Delhi to the heights of the global luxury business. Ohris acumen and insights are sought after worldwide and he is recognized as an award-winning entrepreneur, a celebrated speaker, and honored by numerous international organizations for his visionary leadership.

Deepak Ohri is the founder and president of Luxury Atelier Maison Happiness (LAMH), a US-based company specializing in luxury experiences, education, consulting, and branding.

About Iebua Hotels & Resorts

Iebua, a Bangkok-based hospitality group, takes a unique approach to the service sector which taps into a deeper level of exchange with guests by creating emotional connections. Lebua's award-winning lodging collection includes Tower Club at lebua and lebua at State Tower in Bangkok, two magnificent properties in India (lebua Lucknow and lebua Corbett), and an exclusive property in New Zealand (Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua).

The Dome at lebua is an impressive collection of iconic restaurants atop lebua's Bangkok property, with vistas that are breathtaking and a caliber of mixology and cuisine that attracts epicures from around the world: Sirocco, Breeze, two-Michelin-star Mezzaluna, Sky Bar, Flute, Alfresco 64, lebua No. 3, Pink, and Chef's Table.
As with all schools, associations, communities and families, EHL has its own language. We're not talking about the national language on campus, we're talking about a special vocabualary only acquired and understood by other insiders. For EHL students, using this specific language is part of everyday life but for other people including those just starting their career at EHL, some acronyms and names might ring no bell at all.

If you have been looking through the website or if you have already applied to our Hospitality Management degree program, you have for sure come across these words and phrases. Lets see what each of them means, helping you get a head start on your journey through EHL. Learning this vocabulary quickly will surely make your first semester much easier to navigate, and you'll feel part of the family in no time!

First things first: The Introweek

Im sure youve heard about this Introweek. As the names says it, it is a whole introduction week for AP students before they officially start the semester. During this week, they get the chance to know the campus better, get into the EHL spirit, meet hundreds of new people and creating fantastic memories.

What is AP?

This acronym is probably the one youve heard the most. It stands for Annee Preparatoire, (Peparatory Year in French). This year is the first one of your EHL journey. For a whole year, youll be surrounded by the hospitality world, 6 months on campus discovering all the departments and 6 months off campus, during an internship in whichever part of the world you want.

BOSC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, what?

Youve probably heard this one as well as it stands for Bachelor of Science, the program youll follow at EHL after your AP year. The program lasts three years and includes a second internship of 6 months during the second year. Throughout these 3 years, youll have the most amazing time as BOSC student, growing through hospitality, taking part of the school life and learning about the EHL family.

SBP: Student Business Project

If youve been scrolling through the Bachelor program, youve seen this acronym too. It is the Student Business Project. At EHL, for the final project, you have the choice between the thesis and the SBP. The latter is a group project during which you, with five other students, are confronted to the reality of a companys project that they assigned to you. It is an amazing opportunity and fun way to conclude your studies!

Are you AEHL?

One of the things that makes EHL stand out compared to all the other universities is the Alumni network. Did you know that it is one of the biggest hospitality networks with 25.000 alumni in 150 countries? Doesnt this make you want to integrate the EHL family? It gives you a great sense of pride to know youll be part of it for the rest of your life!

BDS: Best dinner spot?

EHL students are lucky enough to have a gastronomic restaurant on campus, the Berceau des Sens. This restaurant is taken care of by AP students both service and kitchen. It is a great experience for everyone: AP students learn a lot and have such a great time and other students simply enjoy a wonderful breakfast, lunch or dinner at a high-end restaurant. EHL students often go there to celebrate birthdays, end of exams or simply have a different night out with friends.

Grab&Go, Corner & Brasserie 1893?

On the Lausanne campus, we have many food outlets: bars, cocktail bar, food court, and our newest addition the bistro-style restaurant called Brasserie1893, both open for lunch and dinner Everyday we have the possibility to choose between a variety of food and drinks: coffees, smoothies and milkshakes, food types from all around the world: Mediterranean, Asiatic, English, Greek, Thai we even have a Wellness cuisine that is gluten and lactose free.

The food outlets mentioned in this section all opened in the last few years. The Grab&Go, as its name says it, you can grab something to eat on the go. EHL students often use it before going home at the end of the day or before catching a train for a weekend getaway. They grab a sandwich or salad, fruits, coffee, and dessert and hop on the train. The Corner is a new concept where you can eat while enjoying a beautiful view of the Alps! Here, the menu changes every two weeks: it transforms into mozzarella bar, has poke bowls, dim sum and even offers waffles and ice cream for a study break in the afternoon. The lastest addition is Brasserie1893 which opened this year in order to help teach bistronomy, offers light, contemporary bistro-style gastronomoy. The menu is developed by head chef Michel de Matteis and head pastry chef Julien Boutonnet with a shared desire to serve guests quality bistro-style cuisine using mainly local, seasonal produce.

FF

You must have heard of the Fete Finale! This event happens twice a year and celebrates the graduation of final year students. This party is really special to all students. Around mid-semester, the Fete Finale committee releases the theme of the party (some of the last were le Cirque de Paris, Versailles, Ancient Greece). Everything transforms and brings you right into the chosen era for a whole night! It includes tables, decorations, menu, music, costumes This party firstly has a dinner and it is followed by an after-party, in which students dance their night away in their special environment with their friends.

Ooooh Sante!!

Ok, maybe you havent heard this one (yet). But if you are on campus especially around exam season, well, you cant miss it! It is a toast, usually with a drink in hand from the campus bar, that resonates all around the school as each group of students counts down the number of exams they have left. As you hear one, another one automatically generates and you can find a nice chilling atmosphere at the end of the day.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFE AT EHL

EHL campus life: Everything you need to know Top questions to ask during a university campus Open Day From EHL dress code to dress for: insights to professional appearance

EHL spirit

Along with the 5 main core values of EHL (excellence, family, respect, learning, and innovation), this is one thing common to all EHL students. A campus full of different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, visions, goals and so much more. Not only the students but the staff also contribute to this spirit by developing new programs to reinforce EHLs position as a leading hospitality school. Does work hard, play hard ring any bell? Well, it is also part of the EHL spirit that students embrace daily with their active extracurricular participaction and social lives. EHL spirit is what makes EHL more than just a university, it is a school of life, giving you memories that last a lifetime.

EHL Hospitality Business School

Communications Department

+41 21 785 1354

EHL

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The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) Signing Ceremony between HWUM and Experian Malaysia on 7 September 2023

New scholarship initiative aims to transform lives and bridge educational gaps

Strategic partnership with Experian Malaysia strengthens HWUMs commitment to purpose-driven education

Eight students were awarded scholarships in the Year 2022, with ten more set to benefit in the Year 2023

Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM) reaffirms its commitment to expanding educational opportunities with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Experian Malaysia, a prominent global information services company on 7 September 2023. The partnership formalises the establishment of the Experian  Heriot-Watt Leaders with Impact Scholarship Award, a part of HWUMs 1821 Appeal  Leaders with Impact Scholarship, a programme designed to support gifted students from underserved communities in Malaysia and empower them to pursue quality education in the United Kingdom (UK).

Aligned with the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP), this groundbreaking scholarship initiative, fortified by an unwavering commitment to comprehensive pastoral care, is deeply entrenched in its mission to empower the brightest young minds hailing from Malaysias disadvantaged backgrounds. Its resounding goal is to equip these promising individuals with the essential tools required to embark on a transformative educational journey in the UK. This initiative does not merely aim to open doors to education; it strives to level the educational playing field, fostering an environment where merit and potential, rather than financial circumstances, determine ones destiny. It is a beacon of hope, radiating the promise of a positive global transformation.

In a resounding display of inclusivity and meritocracy, the scholarship initiative warmly embraces exceptionally gifted individuals from the Bottom 40 percent (B40) of Malaysian households, individuals who have exhibited remarkable excellence in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia, and Unified Education Certification examinations. These scholars, brimming with untapped potential, represent the very embodiment of resilience and academic brilliance.

The scholarship initiative primarily supports students beginning their foundational studies within HWUMs Business programme, setting them on a path toward undergraduate degrees in Actuarial Science or Data Science. Recipients will benefit from comprehensive coverage that includes tuition fees and essential cost-of-living expenses over four years.

Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Provost and Chief Executive Officer of HWUM, expressed his pride in partnering with organisations that share the mission of widening access to education, saying, Over the next decade, HWUM has set its sights on a noble objective: to bestow the gift of education upon a minimum of ten deserving students every year. This ambitious commitment is made possible through strategic collaborations with leading Malaysian and global corporations, who share HWUMs unshakable belief in the power of education to uplift individuals and propel them towards making a profound impact on the world. This isnt just about scholarships; its about forging pathways to success, enabling promising talents to fulfil their destinies, and contributing to a brighter future for all.

We are fortunate that since the launch of the 1821 Appeal  Leaders with Impact Scholarship last year, more organisations have joined the programme, providing opportunities for exceptionally gifted individuals from underserved families who aspire to pursue higher education and make a positive impact on the world.

Experian Malaysia emphasised their commitment to this partnership, underscoring its dedication to supporting educational initiatives that empower students from diverse backgrounds: Partnering with government agencies and universities is the blueprint for crafting a future-ready talent pipeline in Malaysia. Collective wisdom, research, and policy unite to empower individuals with the skills needed to navigate the challenges of tomorrow's world. It is evident that career paths across a broad spectrum, from finance to marketing, now require an element of data engineering expertise. Demand for 'data professionals' has tripled in the last five years alone and new job opportunities like design ethicist and product philosopher are on the rise.

Despite this trend, there are still barriers and being in the business of data, Experian Malaysia will continue to invest and work towards creating a workforce that will drive innovation, economic growth, and societal progress for Malaysia Chua Chai Ping, Site Leader and Human Resources Director of Experian Malaysia.

In 2022, eight deserving students received the scholarship, and an additional ten students are set to benefit this year through partnerships with organisations, including FWD Takaful. The MoA signing ceremony was attended by Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi; HWUM Chief Operating Officer & Registrar Janice Yew; Experian Malaysia Site Leader and Human Resources Director Chua Chai Ping; and Experian Malaysia Talent Acquisition Manager Crystine Yoong.
DPU Orders Schedule Changes to Basic Service Rates

BOSTON  The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has issued an order approving changes to the schedule used by Eversource and National Grid to purchase and set rates for basic service electricity supply.

The schedule change is expected to mitigate large seasonal changes in basic service electricity supply prices and differences across electric distribution companies.

In January 2023, the DPU opened an investigation into the procurement and pricing of basic service supply in response to the significant increases that Massachusetts electricity customers experienced in basic service supply rates during 2022. These rate increases are the result of wholesale energy market dynamics, including the conflict in Ukraine, regional natural gas transportation constraints for electric generation, the uncertainty of basic service customer load, and the inclusion of the coldest winter months of January and February in the same procurement period.

This order requires Eversource and National Grid to change their current basic service periods for residential and small-business customers to six-month periods of February through July and August through January. Unitil Corp. already follows this schedule.

For large business customers, the order requires the following three-month fixed rate periods: February through April, May through July, August through October, and November through January.

"Due to our current reliance on fossil fuel generation, customers can experience significant volatility in electric supply prices," said DPU Chair James Van Nostrand. "Today's decision is an important step towards minimizing significant price swings for basic service customers, while we transition to clean energy sources that will not only help stabilize energy rates but also lower emissions and improve air quality."

Under Massachusetts law, electricity supply is procured in a competitive market. The Massachusetts electric distribution companies are required to contract for an electric supplier on behalf of customers who do not select their own supplier (a competitive supplier or a municipal aggregation program). Basic service is procured through a competitive bidding process, and the distribution companies pass that cost on to their customers without profit to the distribution company.
Cheryl Mirer, David Gilbert, and Milena Cerna.

Berkshire Art Center Welcomes Community Engagement Director, New Board Members

Kristin Grippo is the new Community Engagement Director

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.  Berkshire Art Center (formerly IS183 Art School) welcomes longtime faculty member, Kristin Grippo, as the new Community Engagement Director and announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors this fall, which includes Milena Cerna, David Gilbert and Cheryl Mirer.

Having taught children for over twenty years, Grippo has been a faculty educator with Berkshire Art Center for nearly a decade. She has degrees in Elementary Education, Literacy, and Art History; and has pursued infinite creative endeavors from a young age, whether it be crafting Barbie clothes from tissues and tape or selling origami sculptures to fellow neighborhood kids.

Grippo is a memoirist, poet, and performer who has been known to host local open-mics and appear in pop-up plays and story-telling events. She loves making cardboard robots and super hero masks with her energetic and creative 3-year-old-son.

"I am thrilled to be able to focus my energy on this organization that I have been devoted to for so many years," said Grippo. "I have new curricula in the works and am excited to strengthen Berkshire Art Center's relationship with other local organizations and community members. Art for all!"

Along with developing curriculum for Berkshire Art Center's after school art programs across the county, Grippo will be overseeing the organization's Teaching Institute program as well as managing its volunteers and artists-in-residence.

"Having Kristin in her new role as Community Engagement Director will further strengthen all our efforts to respond to the needs of our creative community," said Berkshire Art Center's Board Chair, Mike Zippel.

The first new incoming member to Berkshire Art Center's Board of Directors is Milena Cerna. With over 30 years of experience as a senior executive in global finance, technology and higher education markets, she has held senior leadership positions in marketing, financial management, and strategy development for a number of companies and universities. Cerna started her career at Colgate Palmolive as a member of a corporate strategy team responsible for new acquisitions in Asia and Latin America. Holding an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University, she lives in Great Barrington and currently serves as an elected member of the Great Barrington Finance Committee.

In addition to Cerna, David Gilbert also joins Berkshire Art Center's board as a new member. With a belief that art transforms and renews lives and nourishes communities, he is honored and excited to be part of Berkshire Art Center in its mission to bring art where "people who love art, regardless of age or ability, can gather to experience creative expression." As an interior designer and avid art collector, Gilbert has a Juris Doctor from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law as well as a BS in psychology and a BFA from the New York School of Interior Design.

The third new board member is Cheryl Mirer, who is a painter, printmaker, and mixed media artist. Mirer grew up in Burlington, CT and earned a Bachelor of Art and Art History in 1995 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master of Science Arts Administration in 2005 at Boston University. As an Enrollment Counselor at Berkshire Community College, she is passionate about the Berkshire community and wishes to make a difference in people's lives through art.

"I am beyond delighted to welcome Cheryl, David, and Milena to our Board of Directors," said Zippel. "One of my goals as chair was to expand our board with enthusiastic, passionate and capable new members. I am excited to work alongside our now board of seven and provide guidance and stewardship to our beloved Berkshire Art Center and our wonderful leader, Lucie Castaldo."
Pittsfield Man Sentenced to 25 Years

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  On Wednesday, Sept. 6 Jason McFadden, 43 of Pittsfield, appeared before Judge Hogan at Berkshire Superior Court and pleaded guilty to a charge of Armed Career Criminal.

Judge Hogan sentenced McFadden to 25 years in prison, serving 15 years before being eligible for parole, to be followed by five years' probation.

McFadden originally requested a bench trial but entered a guilty plea after a related August jury trial resulted in 13 guilty verdicts. The convictions all stemmed from the execution of a 2018 search warrant on McFadden's residence.

Following the plea, McFadden was sentenced on all convictions, including the Armed Career Criminal charge and the 13 charges which he was found guilty of by a jury of his peers.

The minimum sentence for the charge of Armed Career Criminal is 15 years in prison. First Assistant Marriane Shelvey, recommended a total sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison for all fourteen convictions. During sentencing, Shelvey explained that while there was a small amount of drugs found in McFadden's residence at the time of the search, there was evidence indicating that McFadden was running an illegal drug operation from his house.

During the search of McFadden's residence, $62,290 in cash was seized along with drug packaging equipment used to press kilos of cocaine. The large sum of cash indicated that McFadden had already sold most of his drug stash and was preparing to resupply. Shelvey noted that McFadden and his domestic partner reported being unemployed at the time of the search.

Along with evidence that indicated McFadden had just sold a large quantity of drugs, Shelvey reported that McFadden continued to attempt to control the movement of illegal drugs following his arrest. The Berkshire House of Corrections intercepted jail calls where McFadden was recorded directing other individuals regarding drug sales.

McFadden has a long criminal history. In November 2002 Jason McFadden was arrested for distributing crack cocaine to an undercover police officer. McFadden pled guilty in 2003 and was sentenced to a year in the House of Corrections. The statue called for a ten year plus sentence.

In December 2004, the Berkshire County Drug Task Force began an investigation following a tip that Jason McFadden was distributing drugs. McFadden was found to have sold crack cocaine multiple times to an undercover officer. He was arrested for this in February 2005. Following the arrest, McFadden posted $20,000 cash bail and was schedule to reappear for trial in February 2006. McFadden failed to appear and, as a result, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

In 2008, McFadden was found in New York State following a traffic stop. McFadden had over half a kilo of cocaine in his possession. McFadden was charged and convicted for drug dealing in the state of New York.

After the New York conviction in 2008, McFadden was returned to the Commonwealth. McFadden appeared before the court to answer to the February 2005 drug sale charge. In April 2009, McFadden pled guilty to the charge. McFadden was sentenced to 7 to 9 years and was paroled in 2017.

In the spring of 2018, the Berkshire County Drug Task Force had information indicating McFadden was dealing cocaine. Between June and September of 2018, the Task Force made multiple undercover drug purchases from McFadden. Based on said purchases, a search warrant was issued for McFadden's residence. On Sept. 28, 2018, the search warrant was executed which led to the current charges. In the search five illegal firearms, all loaded, including one high-capacity firearm, were seized.

First Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey represented the Commonwealth. The Pittsfield Police Department, Berkshire County Drug Task Force and the Commonwealth Interdiction Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team served as the law enforcement on the case.

Guilty charges from the August 23, 2023 jury trial:
James Kalmuk Joins Dartmouth Cancer Center

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Dr. James Kalmuk, medical oncologist, has joined the Dartmouth Cancer Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC).

Kalmuk holds a masters in interdisciplinary science from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and attended medical school at SUNY Update Medical University in Syracuse, NY. He then completed his residency in internal medicine and oncology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Kalmuk has been active in oncology research and has presented and published his work extensively.

Dr. Matt Vernon, radiation oncologist and Medical Director of the Dartmouth Cancer Center at SVMC states:

"I am pleased and excited to welcome Dr. Kalmuk as the newest member of the team, comprised of knowledgeable and caring professionals. I anticipate he will further enhance the culture of compassionate excellence we work to provide. He comes prepared to help us advance the mission, vision, and values shared by SVMC and Dartmouth Health."

SVMC Chief Medical Officer, Trey Dobson, MD added:

"Dr. Kalmuk joins an exceptional group of highly skilled professionals who work collaboratively with the specialists at the Dartmouth Cancer Center in Lebanon, one of only three NCI-Designated comprehensive cancer centers in New England. At SVMC, providing the highest quality care and compassion are not just goals but everyday realities. Dr Kalmuk will be an excellent addition."




iciHaiti - Insecurity : The American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti observes with horror





The American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (AmCham Haiti) observes with horror and desolation the alarming deterioration of the situation in the departments of Artibonite and Center, marked by growing insecurity and precarious living conditions where the population lives permanently against a backdrop of automatic weapons fire.



"We strongly condemn the acts of violence which have marked the daily lives of our fellow citizens [...] which have only gotten worse in recent weeks. The numerous attacks against civilians as well as cases of kidnappings: the massacre perpetrated in Canaan against the faithful https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40355-haiti-flash-a-faithful-march-against-the-canaan-gang-ended-in-a-bloodbath-video.html, the destruction of the installations of the food production company Tropic S.A in Tabarre as well as that which occurred at SunAuto, to name but a few These are acts that we cannot tolerate. The various attacks by Savien's gang in Artibonite and the repeated assaults by criminals from Grand Ravine against the residents of Carrefour-Feuilles, forcing a panicked crowd to move around without shelter, are equally unacceptable. These compatriots, and many others who have experienced these acts of violence for too long, are left to their own devices and deserve essential support.



Faced with the heartbreaking misery of our fellow citizens, we urge the Government to assume its responsibilities. The Haitian people, exhausted by years of suffering, deserve a better future. The time has come for our leaders to realize that it is the responsibility of the State to protect its citizens, and to demonstrate concrete leadership to confront the scourge of insecurity which overwhelms the entire population. We urge the authorities to implement all necessary measures to restore order and security in the country in order to avoid this looming bloody humanitarian tragedy."



IH/ iciHaiti


















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Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has revealed the reason he decided to pass on Brokeback Mountain nearly 20 years ago.

The acclaimed director, 73, returns to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year to promote his latest queer short, Strange Way of Life, which takes on similar themes to the groundbreaking 2005 gay western.

In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Almodovar, who will also be honoured at TIFFs Tribute Awards, was asked why he turned down the offer to direct the drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, which went on to win three Oscars including Best Director for Ang Lee.

It was the first time that I really thought about making a movie in English because I loved that story  I knew the [book] by Annie Proulx and I loved it, and the script of Larry McMurtry was very good too. But the thing is, I was insecure with my English, the Spanish-speakingVolver director explained.

Also, in Annie Proulxs story, one of the things that to me really stood out was the physicality of the erotic encounters that were almost animalistic in nature. But some of that sort of physicality of desire I didnt see translated into the script.

I think Ang Lee made a wonderful movie  I loved Brokeback Mountain  and I think he just made it as far as possible, but I got the feeling that I would not have been completely free to do what I wanted. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are superb in the movie, he added, his remarks echoing those he made last year.

It was better that Ang Lee did it and not me.

Pedro Almodovar and Brokeback Mountain (Getty / Rex Features)

The film was nominated in a total of seven categories at the 2006 Academy Awards, also winning Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

Ledger and Gyllenhaal led the drama as two cowboys in the 1960s who fall in love in the rural West.

Elsewhere, Almodovar addressed the hotly debated topic of whether or not heterosexual actors should be allowed to take the roles of gay or queer characters.

The essence of acting is, in fact, to pretend, to be someone other than who you are, even in your own essence. That is at the core of acting, the openly gay director said.

So, for example, absolutely a heterosexual actor can play a homosexual character and vice versa. If Hollywood is so obsessed, as it is right now, with representing minorities, be they Latinos, Asians or people with disabilities, they should actually hire them to do the writing.
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Hong Kong was lashed with the heaviest rainstorm since records began in 1884, which has killed one person and brought the city to a standstill.

The Asian financial hub reported 158.1mm of rainfall in just one hour on Thursday night, causing widespread flooding that forced the stock market to scrap trading on Friday.

Over 110 people, including four critical patients, were rushed to hospitals and medical centres for rain-related injuries.

The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted its longest Black rainstorm signal on Thursday as video and images on social media showed a stream of water surging down hillsides, flooding narrow streets and inundating malls, metro stations and subways.

The extreme weather condition is expected to last at least until 6pm (local time) on Friday, the city administration said.

The bouts of downpours hit the city just a week after a super cyclone shut the city's operations.

According to authorities, more than 200mm of rain was recorded on Hong Kong's main island, the Kowloon district and the northeastern part of the city's New Territories from late on Thursday.

City leader John Lee Ka-chiu in two social media posts said he was very concerned about the severe flooding in most parts of the territory and had instructed all departments to respond with "all-out efforts".

The city administration faced backlash for its lack of preparedness and the Communist Party's poor governance.

"In all my years working in and on Hong Kong, Ive never seen floods like this. Its a direct result of the irresponsible, negligent, repressive CCP [Communist Party of China] misrule," said Benedict Rogers, founder of non-profit Hong Kong Watch.

Resident Veronica Law responded to Mr Lee's post saying: Not everyone was on Facebook. Why wasnt even an SMS sent to residents in this kind of situation?

Is the chief executive sleeping? Are you aware of the severe flooding out there," asked Emi An, according to the South China Morning Post.

When asked about the lack of preparedness, chief secretary Eric Chan told reporters that the predictability was low when compared to the typhoon. So in typhoon, we can make an early prediction and make an early preparation," he added.

Plainclothes officials and police look at a landslide covering a road at Yiu Tung Estate in Shau Kei Wan in Hong Kong (AFP via Getty Images)

Schools were ordered to be shut in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland city of Shenzhen, while non-essential workers were urged to not step out of their homes.

Buses and trains were halted as the city's transport network was "severely disrupted" and an "extreme conditions situation" would be extended to midnight on Friday.

A car was swallowed up by a metres-wide pothole when one section of road collapsed, social media pictures showed. Rescue workers took one person to hospital who was dead on arrival.

A car is towed away after it fell into a hole caused by road subsidence, following torrential rains hitting the city, in Hong Kong (EPA)

The city's cross-harbour tunnel, one of the main arteries connecting Hong Kong island to Kowloon, was inundated and a shopping mall in the Chai Wan district was half-submerged.

Insurance claims are likely to exceed $100mn and could be comparable to Typhoon Mangkhuts $470m in 2018, Bloomberg reported.

More than 11,000 people were evacuated from water-logged areas in Meizhou, a city in Guangdong province in mainland China, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Trains and flights were suspended in Guangdong and several landslides blocked roads.

Shenzhens total rainfall was 469mm  the heaviest rainfall since Shenzhen started meteorological records in 1952, the broadcaster reported.

Beijing has issued a flood disaster warning for several districts of the Chinese capital, forecasting heavy rainfall through until Saturday night.
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When Narendra Modi addressed the G20s foreign ministers at a gathering in Delhi earlier this year, he urged the worlds top diplomats to rise above their countries differences and build consensus. Citing Indias chosen theme of One Earth, One Family, One Future, he called upon member states to work together to achieve common and concrete objectives.

That meeting, like every other ministerial meeting of Indias G20 so far, ended without a joint statement. Now, with prime ministers and presidents descending on New Delhi for this weekends leaders summit, India faces the very real prospect of presiding over the first G20 ever to fail to agree a leaders communique.

Analysts say India has faced a seemingly insurmountable task in bridging the gap between Western nations on one side and allies Russia and China on the other, with their differences over the Ukraine war having only widened throughout the year since India assumed the G20 presidency.

Nonetheless, the Indian government has invested a huge amount of time and money in presenting this G20 as the moment when the country takes on a leadership role on the world stage, with Modi himself as the Vishwaguru or global teacher providing a voice for the whole developing world.

Preparations for Delhi to host the high-stakes summit on 9 and 10 September are in their final stages, with a beautification drive targeting unsightly open rubbish dumps and webs of hanging electrical wires, street dogs and monkeys temporarily driven out of the city centre, and new walls erected to obscure the view of slums and congested neighbourhoods.

A sprawling new convention centre, Bharat Mandapan, has been built in the heart of the national capital at the cost of Rs 27bn (250m) to host dignitaries and media delegations from across the world.

Behind closed doors, Indian officials are preparing for what will be Modis biggest diplomatic challenge yet. Indias foreign minister insisted in a recent interview that the government is still hopeful of agreeing a Delhi Declaration this weekend, with S Jaishankar telling NDTV he was very confident that among G20 member states there will be a shared interest in coming out with a common solution and a common statement about all the key problems in the world during the summit.

The world today is in a far more worrisome state than it has been. In such a situation, the G20 president should not just be a neutral country but also one that commands respect. That country is India today, he said.

The G20 began in 1999 in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis and India says this years summit is a huge opportunity at a time when global growth is projected to fall to 3 per cent, while more than 50 countries across the world face debt crises.

Yet, the economic forum is being overshadowed by the geopolitical fallout of Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, and objections over the wording of joint communiques when it comes to the conflict have impacted all this years G20 meetings and working groups so far. Instead of joint statements, India has been issuing a chairmans summary after each event, outlining what was discussed.

If this weekends summit only ends in a similar chairmans summary it would be seen as an embarrassment for India, says Rand Corporation analyst Derek Grossman  but hardly a surprise.

It is mostly, if not entirely, a failure of the G20 format rather than Indias failure, he tells The Independent. It would be stunning if India succeeds in issuing a joint statement despite all the challenges.

My sense of it is that India is really trying hard to hash something out, because they know that it would be kind of an embarrassment, although a very predictable embarrassment, to the G20 platform [if they fail], he says.

The forum has a track record for producing surprising displays of unity in spite of strong undercurrents of global disagreement. Australias summit in 2014 managed a joint communique in 2014 shortly after Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula, a move which was widely condemned by the Western world. That joint statement simply avoided mentioning Crimea, and there was even a family photo with all leaders including Putin.

Last years summit, under Indonesias presidency, remarkably came to an 11th-hour consensus on a joint statement, despite Russia dropping missiles on key Ukrainian infrastructure even as world leaders sat down for dinner. Putin did not attend that gathering, and a carefully-worded Bali Declaration noted that most members, but not all, strongly condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine.

India, which according to the White House played a key role in producing last years joint communique, had been hoping to gloss over the Ukraine issue by having members repeat their agreement to the Bali Declaration.

Migrant labourers climb over a wall, newly painted in preparation of the G20 summit, in New Delhi, India (AP)

But Russia and China have said that what they signed up to in Indonesia is no longer acceptable because the increased involvement of Western nations in arming and training the Ukrainian military has changed the status quo on the ground.

Modis government has had remarkable success in walking a tightrope of non-alignment between historical ally Russia and Western partners like the US and UK, but while this might work for justifying New Delhis own increased imports of cheap Russian oil, it is proving a lot trickier to navigate in multilateral forums.

Harsh V Pant, vice-president for studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi, says that while this might be the first G20 summit to end without a joint communique, going forward one can safely assume that this is going to be the norm rather than the exception.

The world is entering into a phase where major power contestation is becoming the norm. So it is safe to assume that the G20 cannot remain immune from that process, he tells The Independent.

If China and the West are looking at the world [through] different lenses and this is permeating economic aspects, then its fair to assume that that is going to happen. This is, of course, about Russia and the West, he adds.

Modi will have to lead from the front to make the G20 a success in other ways, Pant suggests.

Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin have remained close despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine (AFP via Getty)

While many countries focus remains on Ukraine, India is staking its G20 legacy on its position as a champion for the global South, saying it wants to be a voice for the aspirations of developing and underdeveloped countries in Asia as well as Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

One key agenda point being pushed by India is the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the grouping, similar to the EUs role now.

It is a test of Modis credibility among other leaders as to whether they will go along with India in projecting the summit as a success, with or without a joint statement, if progress can be made on other agenda items, according to Hamdullah Baycar from Exeter University.

Indias priority is not to have joint discussions on the table at all but rather to present the Delhi Summit as a platform where issues regarding the global South were discussed, most importantly the membership of the African Union, he says.

A joint declaration will be a victory for him, while a lack of it will situate him as an ordinary leader, not a problem solver or a leader of the global South.

Along with changes in the Ukraine conflict, the big difference between this year and Indonesias summit in 2022 is the role of China. There are concerns that Beijing would be happy to see the G20 fall flat while it is hosted by its rival Asian giant and one which it has been engaged in an active border conflict with since 2020.

China has now confirmed President Xi will not be travelling to Delhi and that it will instead be represented by prime minister Li Qiang, a downgrading of Beijings involvement that Grossman says sends a worrisome message. He says China may well find other ways to undermine its rivals hosting of the summit and thereby its emergence as a leader on the global stage.

Pant echoes these concerns, saying that China may arguably pose a bigger problem to the group than Russia given its status as the biggest economic power in the world after the US. [Beijing] can create more problems [for India]. Or it might just be happy with the fact there is already one problem  the Russia-Ukraine war  that will not allow it to be a grand success.

Russia confirmed some weeks ago that Putin will also not be attending the summit this weekend, a decision that India might have hoped would allow it to maintain its Ukraine balancing act and move the focus onto other issues.

But Grossman argues Indias position is increasingly becoming untenable as the Ukraine war drags on and becomes ever more consequential for the rest of the world.

If India does not take a stand in a situation when Russia goes Hitleresque across Europe or threatens nuclear war, then history will be very harsh on India for not making the right decision, he says. Putting national interest first is OK but values-based judgement matters in geopolitics. I feel like New Delhi is playing with fire.
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As the stage is set for the G20 summit beginning Saturday in New Delhi, there are concerns that Xi Jinpings China could use this opportunity to get back at India, a country with which it is engaged in an active border dispute.

Xi missing the G20 leaders summit of the worlds largest economies on 9 and 10 September for the first time in his more than a decade in power will definitely not go unnoticed by world leaders.

Even during the pandemic, the Chinese president attended the G20 hosted by Italy in 2021 virtually as he avoided foreign travel. This year, instead, his premier Li Qiang will lead the Chinese delegation to make the G20 summit a success, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Xi joined his ally Russian president Vladimir Putin in skipping the summit organised under prime minister Narendra Modis leadership, who is leaving no stone unturned to show Indias readiness as a rising geopolitical and economic force.

The rare absence of Xi from the summit has set off a frenzy in news cycles across the world, with international observers offering conflicting interpretations.

While the most obvious interpretation has been Chinas snub to India amid tremulous border ties, the speculations have ranged from domestic economic troubles and the reflection of widening division between the west and the east due to the Ukraine war.

It is China that will suffer the biggest loss with his no-show at the premier international forum of world leaders, experts say, with a diminished spotlight on Beijing.

Xis absence has raised questions about Chinas reliability as a partner in multilateral proceedings, Sana Hashmi, a fellow at Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, tells The Independent.

This also closes a window for resolving differences, as meeting Chinese leaders on platforms where China doesnt perceive its centrality could become more challenging.

Xi embarked on his third term this year, becoming the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong to emerge as a global statesman and reinvigorate Beijings influence on the world stage.

But notwithstanding his commitment, Xi has scaled back on foreign visits, only leaving China twice this year in comparison to around 14 times per year before the Covid-19 pandemic. In August, he travelled to South Africa for the Brics summit.

Brics leaders pose for family photo during the 2023 Brics Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A lot has happened in the days leading up to the G20 summit between India and China.

Modi and Xi held informal talks on the sidelines of Brics in his first publicised meeting since border tensions in the Himalayas for the past three years. During their meeting, both leaders agreed to expeditious disengagement and de-escalation" along the disputed border.

But later a diplomatic row broke out after China issued a map featuring several Indian territories, as well as a wide swathe of the South China Sea, and Taiwan, sparking protests from six other nations.

He last came to India a year before the India-China border dispute in 2019 and met Modi for their informal summit.

Carl-Johan Carlstedt, an intelligence and security analyst with geopolitical advisory firm Dragonfly, says there could be two reasons for the diplomatic snub.

First, China appears to be downgrading its participation in forums that it deems to be dominated by the US and its allies. And second, China is now playing the role of spoiler against countries or forums that it sees as aligning themselves with the US.

Vehicles drive along a street in front of the 27-feet tall bronze figurine statue 'Nataraja' installed at a G20 India summit venue in New Delhi (AFP via Getty Images)

China will continue to act as a spoiler against India and others, especially when they participate in western-led forums, security partnerships or initiatives that China deems as running counter to their strategic objectives, he says.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said China has ample opportunity to play a spoiler in Indias presidency but urged it to play a "constructive role".

If China wants to come in and play the role of spoiler, of course, that option is available to them, he said.

Swaran Singh, professor for disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, says Xis presence was important for both bilateral relations and for the platform as China is the worlds second largest economy.

Indian security personnel stands guard next to G20 communication billboard with a portrait of India' prime minister Narendra Modi (AFP via Getty Images)

It definitely has an impact now. How much that impact is, that remains to be seen because another way of looking at such multilateral meetings is that nations take positions, nations decide who will be representing them. China is participating, he says.

But I also understand that President Xis presence would have made a difference not just for the G20 level, but also because so much happens on the sidelines in all these multilateral meetings.

Jonah Blank, senior political scientist at RAND, says: Xi may well be trying to throw shade at Modi, but hes the one wholl be out of the spotlight. The G20 is much bigger than any one member."

Xis absence wont harm Indias G20 presidency  indeed, it may boost Indias stature. Without Xi present, prime minister Modi will have more of the focus on his own priorities."

Xis absence is also an opportunity missed for any kind of thaw in Sino-India relations.

Students work on paintings of world leaders at an art school in Mumbai (AFP via Getty Images)

There are always expectations from such possible visits that this could lead to certain major initiatives, just like President Bidens visit to India is also expected to lead to certain initiatives fast forwarding some of the things that India and the US are planning, Singh says.

So yes, at a bilateral level, there were expectations that things could have changed much faster but those things perhaps will take longer time.

On questions whether Indias presidency will have results, this is an ongoing process and India still has 81 days after the summit meeting where the presidency continues.
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India is currently abuzz with speculations about a potentially massive change  the official renaming of the country to Bharat.

The speculations were sparked when Indias president Draupadi Murmus invitation for the upcoming G20 summit showed the use of the phrase president of Bharat  the Hindi name for the country  instead of the traditional president of India.

Some Indian media outlets reported, quoting sources, that the Narendra Modi government, known for its Hindu nationalist agenda and history of rebranding cities to suit local culture, was planning to put forward a resolution to change the countrys name officially later this month in the five-day special session of parliament that starts on 18 September.

While there are many debates ongoing in India with opposition parties, experts, and citizens locking horns over the merit behind the name change, one specific concern is the cost associated with such a massive undertaking for a country the size of India.

Experts pointed out that an exercise like this would incur a massive financial cost, even for the worlds fifth-largest economy.

While the exercise of changing a countrys name might appear merely symbolic, the move would mean significant changes at local, national, and international levels.

From making changes to government documents to maps, highway landmarks, and publicising the rebranding, everything would entail a cost for the country.

To understand the potential cost of this name change, we can look at examples from other countries that have undergone similar transitions, such as eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), and how the cost was calculated for them in 2018.

While its not clear how much money the country spent, a formula devised by South Africa-based intellectual property lawyer and blogger Darren Olivier has caught the attention of everyone.

Mr Olivier posted on his blog after the official change that it will cost the country $6m to change its name.

For a large company the average marketing budget costs around 6 per cent of its revenue, he wrote. That would be $60m in the case of eSwatini  and rebranding budgets typically take up 10 per cent of those marketing costs.

This gives the $6m estimate that may ultimately have to be found by the eSwatini government.

Mr Olivier told BBC back in 2018 that for such a small country, that is not insignificant.

Theres value in that, theres intrinsic value in that identity and what it means for the people, he told BBC.

Yet at the same time theres a cost  a physical cost in changing the identity.

Using the same formula, for a country the size of India, the cost comes to be about Rs 14,000 crore ($172m; 136m), first reported by Outlook Business using Mr Olivers formula.

While this is as close an estimate one can make, the real cost could be much higher depending upon how much the Indian government decides to pay to publicise its move.

India itself has taken up this exercise several times for recent changes to the names of cities introduced by the Modi government. Earlier this year, the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra was renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar while Osmanabad in Maharashtra was rechristened to Dharashiv. Similarly, the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh was changed to Prayagraj in 2018.

Most of these changes are part of the Mr Modi governments attempts to get rid of names given by the British and Mughals, and reclaim Indias Hindu heritage. The exercises have been condemned by opposition leaders time and again who say it is unnecessary wastage of money. However, there is no cost estimate available for the money the country spent in changing these names.

Not just money, it also took a long time for countries to be officially known by their new names. Indias neighbour Sri Lanka changed its name from Ceylon in 1972, but it took decades for the island nation to get through the changes and be known with its new identity.
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India could officially be renamed Bharat by the Narendra Modi government, according to recent reports that have been fueled by invites for the G20 summit that asked people to join the President of Bharat for dinner.

Various Indian media reports suggest Mr Modis ruling Hindu nationalist government is looking to change the countrys name during an upcoming special session of parliament, though this has not been confirmed by officials.

A new official document calling Mr Modi the prime minister of Bharat added to swirling rumours that the country could get a name change.

On Wednesday, photos emerged of the document on Mr Modis current visit to Indonesia, just two days before India plays host to scores of foreign leaders in its capital New Delhi for the high-profile G20 summit.

In recent years the Modi administration has steadily chipped away at the legacies of former governments and leaders, changing names of official landmarks and buildings of national importance, while the prime minister says India has left behind former rulers Britain in a move to break away from the countrys colonial past.

Some senior BJP figures have welcomed the rumoured name change, while it has been met with a backlash and derision from opposition politicians across India.

What is India officially called?

The official name for the country is mentioned in the Indian Constitution as India, that is Bharat that shall be a Union of states. The Indian Constitution was written and made public in 1951 and the issue had been heavily debated after India gained independence as well, in 1947.

Nehru, also a historian, had said in his book, Discovery of India: Often, as I wandered from meeting to meeting, I spoke to my audiences of this India of ours, of Hindustan and of Bharata, the old Sanskrit name derived from the mythical founders of the race. He had mentioned the three most popular names  Hindustan, India and Bharat  with their own roots, geographical and historical relevance to the country.

All the official documents for the country in English carry the name India when referring to the Republic, its ministries, domestic and foreign correspondence, and describe government figures as Indian leaders. Valid identity cards like passports and voting cards use the term India as the official marker of citizenship.

But documents published in Hindi, which alongside English is one of Indias 22 official languages, say Bharat instead of India.

Where do the names India and Bharat come from?

The earliest records used to identify the country reveal the usage of Bharat, Bharata or Bharatvarsha. These commonly used terms have found a place in the Constitution alongside India.

Bharat, a Sanskrit name for the country, comes from ancient Puranic literature and also from one of the two major epics of India  the Mahabharata  in which Indians are believed to be the descendants of king Bharat, a mythical figure Hindus claim had started the Indian race. Many historians believe it dates back to early Hindu texts. The word also means India in Hindi.

The name India traces its origins to the river Indus (now Sindhu), and closely-related words have been used to refer to the subcontinent as a whole for many centuries, dating back to the Ancient Greek historians. The English form India gained greater relevance when the country was ruled by the British from the late 18th century onwards, and was prominently used in historical maps. After gaining freedom, the countrys new leaders did not do away with the usage, but incorporated it in official documents.

Who is calling for Bharat to be used?

After centuries of the country being known as India both inside and outside its borders, the Modi administration is reported to be pushing for the name change.

Right-wing political leaders from Mr Modis BJP insist India was introduced by British colonialists, is a symbol of slavery and argue that a name change is an effort to reclaim Indias Hindu past. Several of Mr Modis ministers have dropped India from their social media bios and replaced it with Bharat in the past few weeks.

A number of officials in Mr Modis party have openly called for the country to be referred to only as Bharat, without explaining how official documents, prominent national buildings, hospitals, colleges and universities using India in their name will be renamed.

Several right-wing leaders of the ruling party cheered on the possible use of Bharat as the only official name for the country on Tuesday, after photos widely shared across social media showed an official invite for Indias G20 summit asking foreign dignitaries to join the President of Bharat with no mention of India on the card.

Recent media reports about a special session of the Indian parliament, coupled with the photo of the invite, have also sparked rumours that BJP is planning to use the rare session to announce its intention to officially rename the country.

Why is it in the news now?

Calls for the name change have occasionally been made for several years now, but the conversation around the topic has exploded after photos widely shared across social media showed an official invite for Indias G20 summit asking foreign dignitaries to join the President of Bharat for dinner, with no mention of India on the card.

But this also comes just weeks after the countrys opposition leaders formed an alliance bloc called INDIA  short for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance  in a bid to remove Mr Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in elections next year.

The opposition bloc says it wants to protect India and its democracy from a government pushing a Hindu majoritarian agenda, to the detriment of the countrys religious minorities including more than 200 million Muslims.
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Rishi Sunak received a warm and colourful welcome as he arrived in Delhi for the G20 leaders summit on Friday, the first visit to India in history by a British prime minister of Indian heritage.

Accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indias billionaire Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, they were received at Delhis Indira Gandhi International airport by the Indian minister for consumer affairs and environment, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, as well as British High Commissioner to New Delhi Alex Ellis.

Mr Sunak was not greeted on the airport tarmac by his Indian counterpart  perhaps understandable, given Narendra Modi is hosting the gathering of some 30 world leaders this weekend and holding bilateral talks on the sidelines with 15 of them.

And there were no thronging crowds to meet Mr Sunak either: despite excitement in India at the idea of a British-Indian resident of No 10 visiting the country of his ancestors, Delhi has been strictly locked down to ensure security during the G20, and the streets throughout the city were largely deserted on Friday.

As they stepped down from their RAF Voyager plane, Mr Sunak and Ms Murty were greeted instead by a traditional dance performance, and the moment was captured in rolling news coverage across the nations TVs.

India Todays anchor Shiv Aroor hailed their arrival  referring to Ms Murty as the first lady of the United Kingdom  and noted excitedly: Both are Desi (South Asian), both are Indians, and this is a very special relationship that the two leaders [Sunak and Modi] are going to be taking forward.

There is a great amount of interest in the Indian-origin British prime minister arriving in India, he added on behalf of his viewers.

A big moment, said NDTV anchor Gargi Rawat. UK prime minister of Indian heritage. His wife is accompanying him, Akshata Murty, who is actually born in India, grew up in India. She is the daughter of one of Indias richest men.

So, a lot of interest around the UK prime ministers visit here.

Reporters also repeatedly noted Mr Sunaks religious identity as the first Hindu prime minister of the UK.

Remember, it made headlines across the country the moment he said Jai Siya Ram (Hail God Ram and Goddess Sita) when he was at Cambridge University, said India Today reporter Gaurav Sawant, in an apparent reference to Mr Sunaks remarks at a Jesus College event on Indias Independence Day.

After their car left the airport, Mr Sunak and Ms Murty were taken to meet local schoolchildren at the British Council headquarters in Delhi.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty meet local schoolchildren at the British Council (PA)

There they met children taking part in UK-funded programmes that support computer coding and language skills, according to pool reporters travelling with Mr Sunak.

Rishi Sunak was heard asking the school children whether they watched Indias successful Moon landing  last month India became the first country in history to achieve a successful soft landing on the Moons uncharted south pole with the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

After getting a fulsome reply, he said: That was really cool, wasnt it? A special moment.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks wife Akshata Murty plays football with local schoolchildren at the British Council during an official visit ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi (PA)

Akshata Murty interacted with the children and their coding projects before posing for photos with teachers and other staff.

The couple also joined a group of children who told them about a favourite book they were reading, with one 14-year-old picking William Shakespeares Macbeth.

After the British Council visit, Mr Sunak gave a brief interview to the broadcast media, in which he described his own excitement at returning as prime minister to a country thats near and dear to me.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty (C) are met on the tarmac by dignitaries including the Indian Minister of State (Getty Images)

Im here as a British prime minister and my story is not that dissimilar from millions of British people, that living bridge that exists between India and the UK. Its very powerful, he said. Its about those people-to-people links, those family links. And it speaks to the incredible tolerance and diversity of our country, a country that welcomed millions of people like my family, and here I am now representing the UK back in India.

I think it says an enormous amount about our country that everyone can be really proud of.

Among those excited about Mr Sunaks trip in India are some of his more distant relatives on his mothers side.

Gautam Dev Sood, described as Mr Sunaks maternal uncle, has given several interviews to Indian media. He told news agency ANI: We are very happy that he [Sunak] is coming to India. There is a great sense of excitement, and we are trying to assemble in Delhi if it is possible to meet him.

Speaking to India Today, he said: All family members are very excited about it and very happy he is coming to India after becoming prime minister.

On the plane en route to India, Mr Sunak said the trip was obviously special. I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately. Im excited to be back. It is nice to have Akshata with me as well.

Mr Sunak is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday, and he wrote on social media after arriving in India on Friday that he was there to [meet] world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us.

The prime minister before his departure emphasised that he will focus on stabilising the global economy at the summit.

Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that  Putin again has failed to show up for the G20 but we will show up with support for Ukraine, he wrote on Twitter/X.

During his visit to Delhi, Mr Sunak will be staying at the five-star Shangri-La Hotel in central Connaught Place, along with the rest of his delegation from the UK, amid high security and restrictions for the national capitals residents.

Delhis chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has declared a public holiday for the city lasting until Monday  most Saturdays are considered a day of work in India  directing all schools, government and private offices to remain shut. There are also strict traffic restrictions in the central New Delhi district, also known as the Lutyens Zone, where Mr Sunak will be staying, meaning only residents and those in essential service jobs are allowed to enter the area.
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North Korea claims to have launched its first operational tactical nuclear attack submarine, unveiled by leader Kim Jong-un on Friday to bolster the countrys naval force capabilities.

Named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a North Korean historical figure, Mr Kim said the submarine number 841 will be one of North Koreas main underwater offensive means of the naval force.

The vessel, he said, was equipped with a large number of nuclear delivery means and can carry out preemptive and retaliatory strikes against hostile countries.

Its neighbour South Korea, however, warned the claims could be exaggerated.

Mr Kim said arming the North Korean Navy with nuclear weapons is an urgent task as he vowed to bolster the current inventory with more underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons for the naval forces, reported state media KCNA, as he indirectly spoke of recent aggressive moves.

Achieving a rapid development of our naval forces is a priority that cannot be delayed given the enemies recent aggressive moves and military acts, he said without directly mentioning the US and South Korea but referring to the joint drills carried out in the Korean peninsula.

Other existing submarines will be converted into nuclear armed vessels and North Korea will accelerate its push to eventually build nuclear-powered submarines, the top leader said.

Photos of the submarine released by the state media show a lengthy black vessel with a tower jutting out of the top of the hull in its rear. The expanded hull carries 10 vertical launch tubes, four large and six small for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs), possibly to fire ballistic and cruise missiles which it has already test-fired.

Choi II, a retired South Korean submarine captain, pointed out that the tactical submarine does not carry SLBM that can reach the US mainland but is rather a host for shorter-range projectiles.

It is not immediately clear if North Korea has developed miniaturised nuclear warheads it will need for the submarine.

The vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, acquired from China in the 1970s and domestically produced by Pyongyang after.

The South Korean military cautioned that the vessel did not appear ready for its normal operations and there were clear signs of the North attempting to exaggerate its capabilities.

Japanese chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, however, warned "North Koreas military activity is posing a graver and more imminent threat to our countrys security than before.

This reveal from a sort of hard-headed military standpoint doesnt make a lot of sense, said Vann Van Diepen, a former US government weapons expert working with the 38 North project in Washington.

Such weapons wont add much value to the Norths more robust land-based nuclear forces, because the ageing submarines used as the core of the new design are relatively noisy, slow and have limited range, meaning they may not survive as long during a war, he said.

"When this thing is field deployed, its going to be quite vulnerable to allied anti-submarine warfare.
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Kanye Wests rumoured wife, Bianca Censori, has sparked confusion with her latest outfit, which saw her holding a pillow over her chest while walking around Italy.

On Wednesday 6 September, the rapper  who legally changed his name to Ye  and Censori were photographed in unique ensembles while walking through the streets of Italy. The outing came days after the pair were reportedly banned from a boat company in Venice due to their alleged behaviour on board one of its vessels.

In recent photos that circulated online, Censori was seen walking in sheer beige stockings and a matching spaghetti strap bodysuit. She was also holding a purple cushion over her chest, seemingly in an effort to cover the top half of her body. The architect completed the look with a pair of heels.

Meanwhile, West opted for an all black look, which included a short-sleeved shirt, pants, slippers, and hooded scarf, which covered the majority of his face.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, people expressed their confusion over Censoris look, with some questioning the pillow accessory.

Is [Ye] going to use her as a couch? one person asked, while another wrote: I hate all her looks and theyre always nylon, like quit playing with the pantyhose.

Others suggested West had been styling Censori  who reportedly married the rapper in a non-legally binding ceremony  and criticised him for it. They also acknowledged that West previously styled his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, when they were together.

I feel like Kanye is making her dress like this, one fan wrote, while another asked: Why is he making her dress like this?

Remember Kim and then all his GFs after her started dressing similar to this [during his] whole dating them, a third wrote. Then they break up and theyre back to normal human clothes!

Other social media users offered their own suggestions as to why the pair were walking around in the surprising outfits, with one claiming theyre clearly doing it for reaction purposes but it is very bizarre.

Following the outing, The Daily Mail reported Censori was spotted with the pillow while she and West were leaving their hotel in Florence on 6 September. A source alleged to the publication that Censori wore the ensemble throughout the day, including during a shopping trip in the city.

However, according to another source, Censori had changed into a long-sleeved bodysuit by the time she went to dinner with West that evening.

This isnt the first time that one of Censoris outfits has sparked mixed reactions. In June, the pair made headlines when they were pictured heading to Wests church service in all-black ensembles, with West wearing a black T-shirt with the word Polizei, the German word for police, emblazoned on it. He also sported a pair of black leggings that covered his feet in what appeared to be sock shoes.

Meanwhile, Censori wore a stocking-like ensemble that covered her entire body, including her face. She also wore her arms inside the black pantyhose, while a ring of black fabric circled the lower half of her face and neck.

Days before they were photographed in Florence, a Venice boat company, Venezia Turismo Motoscafi, issued a statement declaring that they were no longer welcome on future trips. The ban came after they were photographed on the boat in what appeared to be a compromising position, as West had his trousers down and bottom exposed, while Censori appeared to be crouching between his legs.

Following the release of the photos, a spokesperson for Venezia Turismo Motoscafi  whose celebrity clientele reportedly includes Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, and Ben Affleck  explained that the driver had not seen these obscenities because they were looking out for traffic on the water.

The statement added that, if the driver had witnessed the couple engaging in any lewd behaviour, they would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority.

In recent years, the rapper has been at the centre of several controversies, making headlines for a slew of antisemitic remarks. In 2022, West was dropped by both Adidas and Balenciaga over his hateful and dangerous comments relating to Jewish people. CAA, one of the biggest celebrity talent agencies in the US, also cut ties with the musician.

You can read more about West and Censoris summer antics in Italy here.
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Prince Harry gave a shoutout to his kids Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2, at the WellChild Awards in the UK.

The Duke of Sussex, who has been a patron of WellChild since 2007, spoke at the annual awards ceremony in London on Thursday. The charity celebrates those who have made strides in advocating for seriously ill children and their families, and Harry has long been a regular at the ceremony.

In 2018 and 2019, his wife Meghan joined him, but this year, she wasnt able to make an appearance. The prince said that the duchess was very upset that she couldnt be [there] to join him. This year, Harry presented the award for Inspirational Child (aged 4 to 6) to Violet Seymour, and afterward spoke to the attendees on the joys and challenges that come with parenting.

In addition to their children Archie and Lilibet, Harry and Meghan are also proud parents of a Beagle named Guy  who the duchess owned before meeting Harry  and a black Labrador named Pula as well as another Beagle named Momma Mia.

In his speech, he said that as a father of two and three dogs he was acutely aware of the joys and challenges that come with parenting, and thats with kids who arent facing health challenges.

To the parent carers in this room, you have my sincerest admiration and respect, the duke continued. The level of support and responsibility you share daily is unrivaled and without fail. You deserve all the assistance that you need.

The royals WellChild speech wasnt the only time that he has referred to himself as a parent to both humans and pets alike, having dropped a similar anecdote when he introduced himself on his Netflix series, Heart of Invictus.

My names Harry. On any given day, Im a dad of two under three-year-olds, got a couple of dogs, [Im] a husband, Im founding patron of Invictus Games Foundation. He added, Theres lots of hats one wears, but I believe today is all about Invictus.

While he may consider himself a jack of all trades, the duke is also incredibly sentimental. The last time he attended the WellChild Awards with his wife in 2019, Harry choked up during his speech, saying: Last year, when my wife and I attended, we knew we were expecting our first child  no one else did at the time, but we did.

The duke trailed off as tears welled up in his eyes before continuing: I remember squeezing Meghans hand so tight during the awards, both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day. And more so, what it would be like to do everything we could to protect and help our child should they be born with immediate challenges or become unwell over time.

And now, as parents, being here and speaking to all of you pulls at my heartstrings in a way I could have never understood until I had a child of my own, Harry added.
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Kate Middleton has paid homage to the late Queen Elizabeth on the first anniversary of her death in a dazzling family heirloom.

The 41-year-old Princess of Wales stepped out in drop-down pearl earrings as an ode to Her Majesty on 8 September. Kate walked alongside Prince William as the pair attended a service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

For the occasion, she paired a long-sleeve burgundy trench coat dress and matching hat with the Queens Silver Jubilee diamond and pearl earrings  a poignant tribute. Though this isnt the first time Kates been spotted in the delicate diamonds, their appearance on the anniversary of the day the monarch died one year ago is a notable tribute. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, Kate kept the earrings on for the entire week, including while in Sandringham greeting well-wishers.

Like the Silver Jubilee accessory, the Princess of Wales re-wore the Eponine coat dress after wearing it last December when she attended the Together at Christmas service. Her pointed-toe heels and Mulberry hand-held clutch paired well with the colour of the long garment. Kate was photographed hand-in-hand with the Prince of Wales as they entered the cathedral.

On Kate and Prince Williams joint Instagram account, the two posted a carousel of photos of Queen Elizabeth, both solo and of the monarch surrounded by her family before she passed. Her Majesty could be seen in her renowned top hat adorned with wrapped bows, as well as sitting on the couch surrounded by her grandchildren. The caption read: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

In addition to the throwback images, the royal couple posted photographs of them from the tribute service, standing in the church before Queen Elizabeths photo. A moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world, they wrote.

The sweet tribute comes after Kate was criticised in July by the former British Vogue editor, Suzy Menkes, during her podcast Creative Conversations over her jewellery choices. Speaking to the now-jewellery editor for British Vogue, Carol Woolton, the fashion critics reflected on Kates assumption of the sentimental jewels within the royal family, while Menkes expressed how underwhelmed shes been by Kates styling of the pieces.

The Princess of Wales is a bit of a disappointment about jewellery, she proclaimed. I imagine her looking beautiful in one of those gowns behind the scenes and then pulling a face as if to say: Do I have to wear this?

She continued: She doesnt give any sense of adoring jewellery and being pleased to put it on.

Yet, contrary to Menkes opinion, Kates been known to wear the many heirlooms passed down to her, including the engagement ring and wedding band that stay firmly on her finger. Whats more, shes worn the famed Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara that belonged to Princess Diana, as well as the Queens pearl choker she was gifted by the Japanese government.
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Watch live as King Charles accession anniversary is celebrated by Hyde Park gun salutes on Friday 8 September.

Soldiers and horses who took part in Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral procession and proclamation salutes for the start of King Charles reign will return for the Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour.

Captain Amy Cooper, who was the lead rider in the procession that carried the coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall, will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at 12 noon in Hyde Park. There will be a 21-gun salute at the same time at Edinburgh Castle.

A 62-gun salute will also be fired at the Tower of London at 1pm by the Honourable Artillery Company, while bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey and the same time.
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The King has recalled his late mothers devoted service in a poignant tribute to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeths II death.

Recorded and written at Balmoral Castle, the late Queens favourite residence and where she died on 8 September last year, Charles recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

Accompanying the tribute is the Kings favourite photograph of Her Late Majesty, showing her aged 42 in her Garter robes.

Britains long-reigning monarch, who served as Queen for 70 years, passed away aged 96 while surrounded by family members at her Scottish home.

In his tribute, the King thanked the nation for the love and support shown towards him and Queen Camilla over the last year and pledged their unfailing service.

Signing the letter as Charles R, the King said: In marking the first anniversary of Her Late Majestys death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

A formal colour photograph taken by Cecil Beaten in 1968 had been personally chosen by the King to commemorate the anniversary. It shows the Queen smiling as she is photographed while wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

Both the King and Queen are not expected to be making a public appearance for the anniversary and are said to be spending the day quietly and privately at the Balmoral estate.

The Queen died last year at Balmoral (PA Wire)

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales will continue to carry out royal duties and are expected to attend a special service at St Davids Cathedral in west Wales.

While Prince Harry is not expected to meet with his father or brother while on his current visit to the UK, he told an awards event on Thursday night that his late grandmother was looking down on all of us.

Taking to the stage at the WellChild Awards ceremony in London, the Duke of Sussex said: As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away.

As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and thats precisely why I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

The duke had travelled to the UK for the first time since June without his wife Meghan to attend the charity event, which supports seriously unwell children.

Alongside her husband Prince Philip, she is the UKs longest-reigning monarch (Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Shortly before last years ceremony, Harry withdrew from attending as he raced to Balmoral to join the royal family at the Queens bedside.

While the late Queens children are marking the day privately, soldiers and horses who took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes are returning to perform Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute and recalled meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace and being struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace.

With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her Late Majestys service only seems greater, he said.

Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

Prince Harry said his grandmother is looking down on all of us during his speech (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her Late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all, he added.

Mr Sunak said the sacred bond between the country and the monarch endures under the King.

He said: So, while we continue to mourn Her Late Majestys passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service  and this remarkable bond  continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty The King.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the lengthy queues to see the Queen lying in state showed she always enjoyed a special bond with her people.

It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject, he said.

King Charles thanked the nation for their support during the first year of his reign (Getty Images)

So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.

Recalling the moment she was informed of the Queens death, former prime minister Liz Truss said: We were in the Downing Street flat with, officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that wed had.

Ms Truss had only met with the Queen two days previously after she was invited to her Aberdeenshire residence to be appointed prime minister.

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her, Ms Truss said. She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.

Over the course of her reign, the late Queen welcomed 15 prime ministers into Downing Street, beginning with Winston Churchill after she ascended the throne in 1952.

She died just three months after her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June and 17 months after the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.
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Princess Eugenie has paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on the one-year anniversary of her death.

The royal shared a never-before-seen photo of the pair on Instagram, which featured the duo dressed in casual attire.

Princess Eugenie was seen sporting a grey T-shirt and jeans, while the late monarch wore a tartan skirt along with a vest.

Aplaid skirt was a staple of the Queens wardrobe when she was in Scotland, and it is believed the picture was taken at her home in Balmoral.

Thinking of you today, Eugenie captioned the photo. Missing you so much but remembering what a life of service, love and dedication to everyone and to your family, who loved you so very much.

She continued: Forever grateful to you. And always in my heart.

In addition to Princess Eugenie, her mother Sarah Ferguson also shared a tribute on social media to the late Queen. Throughout Friday, the Duchess of York made three posts honouring the former monarch.

The first Instagram post featured a throwback photo of the Queen wearing a pale yellow dress. You were a wonderful friend, a mentor, a second mother to me and grandmother to my daughters who share so much of your courage and heart, Ferguson wrote in the caption. You will always be loved and missed by our family and our nation.

Another post from the Duchess of York included a quote from the Queen, which read: Whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.

Ferguson also shared how much the quote resonated with her, writing: I often remember the wise words Her Late Majesty the Queen shared with me and the wider world. At a time of great troubles in the world one year after her passing, today this quote of hers seems more apt than ever.

She gave fans an update on her two corgis, Sandy and Muick, as she shared a photo of herself playing with the two dogs in the grass. As we mourn a year on, we also celebrate the wonderful times we shared with Her Late Majesty the Queen, she wrote in the caption.

She entrusted me with the care of her corgis Sandy and Muick and I am delighted to say they are thriving.

The late Queen died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral aged 96, after serving the British throne for 70 years. An emotional 11 days followed as the London Bridge plans swung into action - with a lying-in-state at Westminster Hall and a grand state funeral - all played out on a public stage.

On Friday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were also among those paying their respects to the late monarch. The King and Queen attended a service of commemoration at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral in Scotland. They were joined by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon.

The King also recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother to mark the one-year anniversary of her death. Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.
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Prince Harry was spotted making an unexpected visit to the Windsor chapel where the late Queen was laid to rest last year, marking the first anniversary of her death.

The Duke was seen walking out of St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Friday. It comes as the Royal Family has been paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

The late Queen died on 8 September last year at Balmoral, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. An emotional 11 days followed as the London Bridge plans swung into action, with a lying in state, vigils and a grand state funeral, all played out on a public stage.

On Friday, King Charles and Camilla were among those paying their respects to the late monarch.

Below we look at the various ways the Queens loved ones have been marking the occasion.

King Charles and Camilla

Charles arrives at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, for a commemorative service (AP)

The King and Queen are attending a service of commemoration at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral in Scotland.

Charles, dressed in a red tartan kilt, and Camilla, in a blue day dress and cardigan, made the short journey by car from the nearby Balmoral Estate to the Scottish church where monarchs have worshipped since Queen Victoria.

They were joined by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon.

The King has also recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

The royal family released this photo of the Queen, from October 1968 to mark the anniversary of her passing (AP)

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows her aged 42 in 1968.

She is standing sideways and smiling in her Garter robes and wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

Prince Harry

The Duke of Sussex visited St Georges Chapel, Windsor, on the first anniversary of the late Queens death.

The King George VI Memorial Chapel, which sits within the walls of St Georges Chapel, is Elizabeth IIs final resting place. An image of Harry leaving St Georges on Friday morning circulated on social media.

On Thursday evening. the Duke of Sussex said his late grandmother is looking down on all of us, happy were together during a charity awards ceremony on the eve of the anniversary.

Prince Harry said his grandmother is looking down on all of us during his speech (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Prince Harry, who landed in the UK without Meghan on Thursday for his first appearance since June, attended the WellChild Awards at the Hurlingham Club, where he sat with seriously ill children and their families ahead of the ceremony.

The duke, who has been patron of the childrens charity for 15 years, took to the stage on the eve of the first anniversary of the late Queens death and said: As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away.

As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and thats precisely why I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

Kate and William

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who will visit the Welsh cathedral of St Davids for a short private service on Friday, paid a personal tribute to the late Queen on the anniversary, saying: We all miss you.

The message written by William and Kate on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by a family photo of the late monarch surrounded by her great-grandchildren including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Waleses were pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late Queen and Charles during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of the Queen dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie paid tribute to her late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

She wrote on Instagram: Thinking of you today. Missing you so much but remembering what a life of service, love and dedication to everyone and to your family, who loved you so very much.

Forever grateful to you. And always in my heart.

It was followed by two red heart emojis and an image of a smiling Eugenie sat next to the late Queen on what appears to be a bench outside a cabin on the Balmoral estate.
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A Russian missile attack Friday on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown in central Ukraine killed one policeman and injured at least 44 others, emergency officials said. It was among multiple Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said.

Ten buildings were damaged in the attack on Kryvyi Rih. Three of the people who were pulled out of the rubble were in serious condition, according to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraines minister of Internal Affairs. Photos posted by Klymenko on Telegram showed a building on fire and emergency services evacuating the injured.

Three people were also injured in a Russian missile attack in the eastern city of Sumy, Klymenko said. Russian forces also struck the Odesa region in the west with drones for the fifth time in a week, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. No casualties were reported.

The southern region of Mykolaiv was also targeted, Gov. Vitalii Kim said on Telegram.

Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs said one person was wounded in a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine.

Also on Friday, a funeral was being held for an 18-year-old who was among 16 people killed Wednesday in a Russian attack on a market in Kostiantynivka in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region. The attack, which wounded 33 others, turned the market into a fiery, blackened ruin and overshadowed a two-day visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed at assessing Ukraines 3-month-old counteroffensive and signaling continued U.S. support with the announcement of an additional $1 billion in aid.

Britain announced Friday it will host a global food security summit in November in response to Russias withdrawal of a Black Sea grain deal and attacks on Ukraines grain supply.

The announcement came as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in India for a Group of 20 summit, where he hopes to marshal international resources to counteract the war's impact on the global food supply.

Sunaks government said Royal Air Force aircraft will fly over the Black Sea as part of efforts to deter Russia from striking cargo ships transporting grain from Ukraine.

We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, call out Russia if we see warning signs that they are preparing attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea, and attribute attacks to prevent false-flag claims that seek to deflect blame from Russia, the U.K. government said.

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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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Australia and the Philippines elevated their seven-decade ties to a strategic level Friday to broaden an alliance underpinned by their rejection of Chinas increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Philippine Ferdinand Marcos signed the pact upgrading their ties in Manila. They also agreed to hold an annual meeting of their defense chiefs.

Aside from an aim to further boost trade and economic engagement, Albanese said their countries have common views about the need to uphold international law, and Australias position on that will continue to be consistent, as we have always been, including recently over issues relating to the South China Sea."

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, have been locked in a decadeslong territorial standoff in the disputed waterway. Its a key passageway for global trade and is regarded as an Asian flashpoint.

It's also where China has repeatedly had tense face-offs with Philippines vessels.

Marcos said he and Albanese acknowledge that our shared values, the democratic principles and mutual respect for international law, have been instrumental in fostering a strong partnership."

"Our commitment to these ideals has guided our path forward as we address the complex challenges facing our region and the world at large, Marcos said.

In just-concluded summit talks attended by Albanese, Marcos, and several other Western and Asian leaders Thursday in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the Australian premier underscored Canberras recognition of  and the need to uphold  a 2016 arbitration ruling by a tribunal set up under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea that invalidated Chinas expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds.

The Philippines sought the arbitration after China forcibly took control of a disputed shoal after a tense 2012 sea standoff. China did not participate in the arbitration, rejected its outcome as a sham, and continues to violate it.

Marcos thanked Albanese for renewing Australias position during the Jakarta summit talks, where Chinese Premier Li Qiang was also in attendance.

You have made very clear that the claims that are being made upon our Philippine maritime territory are not valid and have not been recognized, and not in conjunction or consistent with international law, Marcos said. To have friends like you and partners like you, especially on that subject, is very gratifying and encourages us to continue down that path.

Australia, along with the United States and Japan, immediately condemned an Aug. 5 action by a Chinese coast guard ship that used a water cannon to block a Philippine boat delivering food and other supplies to Filipino forces stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal.

China also claims the atoll and has surrounded it with Chinese coast guard ships and militia vessels in a yearslong standoff.

While Albanese and Marcos were meeting Friday in Manila, two Philippine supply boats en route to the Second Thomas Shoal were blocked by a Chinese coast guard ship and other Chinese vessels, but managed to breach the blockade and reached the Filipino sailors stationed in a long-marooned and rusting navy ship, Philippine security officials said.

The Philippine government condemned the Chinese coast guards actions and vowed it would not be deterred by the aggression and continue the supply missions.

An inter-agency government body dealing with the territorial disputes said it strongly deplores and condemns the continued illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct of the Chinese coast guard and Chinese maritime militias within our nations Exclusive Economic Zone."

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Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
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The King and Queen have marked the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth IIs death with a poignant moment of prayers and reflection in the church where she worshipped.

Charles and Camilla travelled to Crathie Kirk to commemorate the life and service of the former monarch who reigned for 70 years before dying peacefully at her Balmoral home on September 8 last year.

Afterwards the King and his wife went on a walkabout and smiled and shared jokes with Balmoral Estate staff, members of the royal household, Crathie Primary pupils and residents from the nearby town of Ballater, who treated the Queen as one of their own.

The past 12 months were described by a royal expert as a momentous period for the head of state who fulfilled his role in leading the nation as he grieved for his mother.

The royal couple were joined at the church, close to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon, who were close to their aunt, with Lady Sarah seeing the monarch often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth.

I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss.

But we were also glad, just as the family were able to gather here last year, some members of the family were able to be here.

And wherever they might be, in their own homes or wherever, Im glad that people will have the opportunity to reflect and gives some thanks for the life of the Queen.

The event was a deeply personal moment for the King, who became sovereign when his mother died at the age of 96 in her Platinum Jubilee year.

The poignant mood of the day lightened when Charles and Camilla left the church and stepped into brilliant autumn sunshine to meet well-wishers.

The King and Queen laughed and joked with schoolchildren who presented them each with a bouquet of flowers, and Charles quipped: Have you got to go back to school now?

Alistair Cassie, who has run his general hardware store in Ballater for more than 40 years, greeted the King informally and shared a few words with him.

He said afterwards: It feels the honourable thing to do to be here because the King has been very, very good to Ballater over the years, right back from the time of the floods hes given a lot of help to people, very quietly too.

Mr Cassie joked: I used to do some work at Balmoral and I used to meet the Queen quite a lot  if I saw a corgi coming I used to move away.

During the walkabout Charles told a group of young women from his household: Thank you for coming  have a bit of a rest after all this.

The Prince and Princess of Wales meanwhile visited the Welsh cathedral of St Davids for a short private service on Friday.

Kate, wearing earrings which belonged to the late Queen, laid flowers in front of a portrait of Williams grandmother, and the couple stood in solemn silence in front of the framed photograph.

Earlier, they paid their own tribute on social media to Elizabeth II, saying: We all miss you.

The message, written by William and Kate on Twitter, now known as X, said: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by photographs including the late Queen surrounded by her great-grandchildren, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Duke of Sussex was hundreds of miles away in Windsor, where he visited St Georges Chapel at the castle, to pay his respects.

The Chapel, where the late Queens moving Committal Service was held, is home to Elizabeth IIs final resting place  the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

An image of Harry leaving St Georges on Friday morning circulated on social media.

Princess Eugenie remembered her grandmother, writing on Instagram: Thinking of you today. Missing you so much.

She included a personal memory  an image of herself sat next to the late Queen in the sunshine on a wooden bench outside what appeared to be a cabin on the Balmoral estate.

The late Queens senior dresser and confidante Angela Kelly also posted a moving message addressed to Elizabeth II, saying: I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend.

Ms Kelly, who worked for the Queen for more than 25 years and had an unparalleled bond with the monarch, was staying at Balmoral the week she died.

The King recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He added: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows the Queen aged 42 in 1968.
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The King and Queen will commemorate the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II with private prayers and a moment of reflection on the first anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla, who are staying at their Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, will attend nearby Crathie Kirk for the poignant event at the church where the late Queen worshipped.

The event will be a deeply personal moment for the King, who became sovereign when his mother died peacefully last year at Balmoral on September 8, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who will visit the Welsh cathedral of St Davids for a short private service, paid a personal tribute to the late Queen, saying: We all miss you.

The message, written by William and Kate on X, formerly known as Twitter, was signed W&C.

It read Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C

It was accompanied by a family photo of the late monarch surrounded by her great-grandchildren including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Waleses were also pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late Queen and the now-King during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of the Queen dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

The King recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother to mark the first anniversary of her death and his accession to the throne.

Charles, in words written, and audio spoken, at Balmoral Castle and recorded on Thursday, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows her aged 42 in 1968.

She is standing sideways and smiling in her Garter robes and wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimirs Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to her.

With the perspective of a year, the scale of her late majestys service only seems greater, he said.

Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.

Mr Sunak said he treasured his memories of meeting the late Queen and was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, and also her sharp wit.

People across the UK, whether they had the good fortune to meet her late majesty or not, will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all, he added.

Former prime minister Liz Truss has spoken about her final encounter with her, describing how the upbeat and frail but mentally alert monarch told her they would be meeting again soon.

Queen Elizabeth II had welcomed Ms Truss to her home in Aberdeenshire on September 6 2022 to appoint her prime minister.

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her, Ms Truss told GB News.

She added: She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end.

Queen Elizabeth II died two days later, with Ms Truss describing the scene as she waited in Downing Street when confirmation came at about 4.30pm.

Ms Truss said she felt very sad, but her mind also turned to the practicalities of the days to come.

She recalled the King was very, very resolute when she spoke to him to express her condolences on the phone the day his mother died and his reign began.

Charles has been staying at his Birkhall residence and Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire over the summer.

He is not expected to have time in his diary to see his son the Duke of Sussex, who flew to London for a WellChild award ceremony on Thursday ahead of the start of the Invictus Games in Germany.

Harry paid tribute to his grandmother in his speech at the event, saying: I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.

Soldiers and horses who took part in the state funeral procession and proclamation salutes for the new reign will return for Accession Day gun anniversary salutes in the Kings honour on Friday.

Captain Amy Cooper, who was the lead rider in the procession which carried the coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall, will give the order to fire a 41-gun salute at midday in Londons Hyde Park.

A 62-gun salute will also be fired at the Tower of London by The Honourable Artillery Company  the regiment and the Kings Troop were responsible for gun salutes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey at 1pm in commemoration of the Kings accession.
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The King and Queen have led the nation in commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.

Charles and Camilla attended the Scottish church where the late Queen worshipped for a poignant event where private prayers were said and a moment of reflection observed for the nations longest-serving monarch.

Members of the royal family also marked the anniversary around the country, and the Princess of Wales was visibly moved when, with her husband by her side, she laid flowers by a portrait of the late Queen during a private service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales.

The princess, wearing pearl earrings which belonged to Elizabeth II, later spoke to guests at a reception in the cloisters, telling them: We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them.

At Windsor Castle the Duke of Sussex visited St Georges Chapel where his grandmother was laid to rest.

William and Kate also posted a touching social media tribute We all miss you, which was echoed by the Queens granddaughter Princess Eugenie, who wrote on Instagram: Thinking of you today. Missing you so much.

Queen Elizabeth died peacefully at her Balmoral home aged 96 on September 8 last year, after serving as sovereign for 70 years, and was mourned by her family and friends and remembered by the nation.

The King and Queen were joined at Crathie Kirk, close to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, by the late Queens niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon, who were close to their aunt, with Lady Sarah seeing the monarch often.

The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.

The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth.

I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss.

But we were also glad, just as the family were able to gather here last year, some members of the family were able to be here.

And wherever they might be, in their own homes or wherever, Im glad that people will have the opportunity to reflect and give some thanks for the life of the Queen.

The poignant mood of the day lightened when Charles and Camilla left the church and stepped into brilliant autumn sunshine and went on a walkabout.

They shared jokes with Balmoral Estate staff, members of the royal household, Crathie Primary pupils and residents from the nearby town of Ballater, who treated the Queen as one of their own.

William and Kate attended a small private service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire along with clergy, the choir and 20 invited guests.

Afterwards Kate laid a bouquet of flowers, which included ivy, eucalyptus, white roses and waxflowers, beside the late Queens portrait, and stood in silence with her husband.

Earlier the Waleses posted on Twitter, now known as X, the words: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by a family photograph of the late Queen surrounded by her great-grandchildren, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and her two youngest grandchildren.

The Waleses were pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the late Queen and Charles during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with another image of the Queen dressed in a vibrant blue coat and hat.

Harry also paid tribute to his grandmother, describing how she was looking down on all of us in a speech delivered on Thursday when he attended the WellChild awards ceremony, ahead of the start of the Invictus Games in Germany.

The duke visited St Georges Chapel, within the grounds of Windsor Castle, where both his grandparents the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The late Queens senior dresser and confidante Angela Kelly also posted a moving message addressed to Elizabeth II, saying: I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend.

Ms Kelly, who worked for the Queen for more than 25 years and had an unparalleled bond with the monarch, was staying at Balmoral the week she died.

The King recorded a message and released a favourite photograph of his mother.

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

He added: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The formal colour photograph chosen by Charles was taken by Cecil Beaton and shows the Queen aged 42 in 1968.
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A drink and drug driver jailed for causing the death of a teenage girl has had his prison sentence increased by the Court of Appeal after it was found to be unduly lenient.

Keilan Roberts admitted four offences relating to the death of 17-year-old Chloe Hayman, who was a passenger in his car when it crashed in the early hours of July 24 last year.

The now 22-year-old Roberts had consumed alcohol, cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy before getting behind the wheel of his Skoda Octavia following a night out in Pontypridd, south Wales.

In June, Roberts was jailed at Cardiff Crown Court for three years and nine months and banned from driving for 10 years.

But at a Court of Appeal hearing in London on Thursday, the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) challenged the sentence as being insufficient.

Lord Justice Popplewell, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mr Justice Bryan, ruled on Friday that there had been an error in the sentencing judges approach and increased the total sentence to five years and three months.

The period of disqualification from driving was also increased to 12 years and seven-and-a-half months.

Cardiff Crown Court was previously told that Roberts, of Rhymney, had not met Chloe before the evening of the crash and offered to take her to her home in Tonypandy after arguing with his girlfriend.

Roberts lost control of his car in the village of Fochriw, with the collision resulting in fatal chest injuries to Chloe who died at the scene.

He later pleaded guilty to four counts of causing death by careless driving while under the influence, with each charge reflecting the substances he had taken.

Judge David Wynn Morgan said in June his sentencing of Roberts was within guidelines but acknowledged it may seem inadequate.

In challenging the original sentence, the AGO argued the judges approach did not properly reflect the aggravating factors.

It said in written arguments these included Roberts driving with two dangerously defective rear tyres, drinking alcohol after the collision in an attempt to frustrate the breathalyser process and failing to have any regard to the warnings or concerns expressed by others about his behaviour.

The AGO also said the judge had insufficiently adjusted the sentence to take account of the offenders levels of intoxication which were substantially in excess of the specified limit in respect of each of the three controlled drugs.

The AGO document concluded the sentence was not just and proportionate to the overall seriousness of the offending.

Lord Justice Popplewell said there had been an error in the judges approach in relation to sentencing guidelines and how the case was categorised.

He said the judge was required to place the case at the highest toxicity level, because there was a body of evidence showing substantial impairment of the offenders driving ability.

The levels of the drugs were all in excess of the limit by some margin, and in the case of the MDMA over seven times the limit, Lord Justice Popplewell said.

He added the sentencing judge could not be criticised over how he treated the balance of aggravating and mitigating features of the case.

Jeffrey Jones, representing Roberts on Thursday, said the sentence passed was proportionate, adding: The effect of this crime clearly is going to be devastating to Chloes family. This offender will carry the memory of what hes done for a very long time and his remorse is genuine.

At sentencing, the court was told Roberts had no previous convictions and had experienced a fractured and sad childhood.

Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson said: When you get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence, you are not only putting yourself in danger but your passengers and everyone else on the road.

The courts decision to increase the sentence should serve as a strong warning that reckless behaviour will be punished to the full extent of the law.

Chloes mother Danielle OHalloran previously said in a victim personal statement that her daughters death had left her utterly broken.

She added: I thought time was meant to heal but this isnt the case when you lose a child. If anything, it hurts more and more each day.

Chloes stepmother Alix Hayman described Chloe in her statement as a fiercely loyal teenager who lived and loved life, telling Roberts that he had torn this family apart.

She said the familys loss was like living your worst nightmare daily.
 Close Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrested in west London

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Daniel Khalife used a material that may have been from bed sheets to strap himself to the underside of a van when he escaped from prison last week, a court has heard.

Khalife appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday after being captured and charged with escaping from prison. He was remanded in custody.

The suspected terrorist was arrested on a canal towpath in west London at 10.41am on Saturday after being pulled off a push bike by a plain-clothes counter-terrorism officer.

His detention brought a dramatic end to a 75-hour nationwide land and air manhunt after Khalife went missing from the prison on Wednesday.

Prior to his alleged escape, Khalife was on remand at HMP Wandsworth after being charged with terror offences in January.

The incident has highlighted inadequacies in the condition of the facility, with the chief inspector of prisons calling for it to be shut down.
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Police have been searching Richmond Park in London as part of the manhunt for a former soldier and terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth Prison.

Daniel Abed Khalife outwitted guards on Wednesday morning as he fled the prison clinging to straps underneath a food delivery van, and intelligence sources have told The Independent it is almost certain that he had some inside help.

Police have revealed that the 21-year-old had a 65-minute window to make his break for freedom between the Bidfood delivery van he fled on leaving the prison gates at 7.32am and the police catching up with it on Richmond Road in Putney at 8.37am.

Daniel Khalife has been on the run for three days now after absconding from Wandsworth prison (PA)

While it is feared he may have already fled abroad, police were seen searching Richmond Park on Wednesday, with tracking data showing a Metropolitan Police helicopter circling the vast park ino the early hours.

Scotland Yard confirmed to The Independent that the search in Richmond park was still ongoing on Friday morning, but it appeared to have been significantly scaled back.

A second police helicopter was circling over north Kensington for around 10 minutes at 6.30am on Friday morning, after searching Richmond Park for more than an hour on Thursday night, before departing at 10.45pm, flight tracking data showed. It is unclear if the second flight was connected to the search.

(Google Earth)

If I was him I'd be hundreds of miles away from Wandsworth but we have to be certain he's not on our doorstep, the Daily Mail quoted a source close to the investigation as saying. The van he was in was a couple of miles from Richmond Park so it has to be searched  and from the air is the easiest way.

At nearly 2,500 acres, Richmond Park the largest of Londons royal parks, and contains a mixed landscape of hills, woodlands and ponds.

Chloe Dobbs, 23, told The Independent that she heard the noise of several helicopters when leaving her office on Thursday evening, and described many blue lights and police vans along the main road from Kingston to Richmond.

Ms Dobbs, who has a view of Richmond Park from her bedroom window said she continued to hear sirens and the sound of helicopters until she went to sleep at 1am.

The flight path of a helicopter scouring Richmond Park in the search (Flightradar24)

In contrast, Ms Dobbs described a more relaxed scene on Friday as sunbathers lounged in the warm weather or walked their dogs.

Patrick OShea, 64, who lives opposite Richmond Gate, said: I heard some helicopters last night. And I saw a couple of police cars speeding into the park this morning, around 9am, when I was walking my dog.

Tom Brereton, 37, from Kingston, said he was on his daily walk from Kingston to Richmond Gate this morning, as he told The Independent: Ive walked through this morning, it isnt closed off. I havent seen any police on the ground. But two helicopters have been flying over.

Khalife, a military computer engineer who is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base, allegedly graduated to attempted spying for Iran, The Independent was told by a security official on Thursday.

The soldier has been charged under the Official Secrets Act with collecting information about fellow members of the armed forces which could be of benefit to an enemy. It is alleged that he had obtained the material from the Ministry of Defences Joint Personnel Administration System.

All the indications are that this was an orchestrated job and not an opportunistic escape. It is almost certain that he had some inside help from the prison, the intelligence official said.

Khalife, who served as an IT specialist with the Royal Signals Corps, disappeared for three weeks after allegedly planting the fake bombs devices before he was arrested on 26 January.
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The chefs uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cooks uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

As more than 150 Metropolitan Police officers and staff search for the 21-year-old, the force has revealed images of the clothes he wore when he escaped, with a police spokesperson telling The Independent the outfit is assumed to be Khalifes chefs uniform.

The former British Army officer was dressed in a cooks outfit (Met Police)

The photos show a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers, and brown steel-toe cap boots.

The Met has also announced it is offering a reward of up to 20,000 for information that leads to the arrest of Khalife, as they investigate a sighting of him near Wandsworth Roundabout, which could be very significant.

Detectives have received information from a member of the public who said they saw a man fitting Khalifes description walking away from a BidFood van that had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth Roundabout, at the top of Trinity Road, shortly after his escape. The man was then seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

This is one of several key lines of enquiry that officers are pursuing, said police, with the force having received over 100 calls from the public.

Daniel Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning (PA Wire)

Khalife is thought to have snuck out of the kitchen and clung onto the bottom of a delivery van to make his escape.

The Met previously released a picture of dark-haired Khalife, describing him as slim build and around 6ft 2in tall.

Police said that Khalife has links to the Kingston area and believe he most likely remains in the London area at this time, with members of the public urged not to approach him.

Khalife appeared at the Old Bailey in late July where he denied the charges he is facing, which include a bomb hoax at an RAF base.

It is claimed that he placed three canisters with wires on a desk in his accommodation with the intention of inducing in another a belief this was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property.

Daniel Khalifes pink and white chequered trousers (Met Police)

He is also accused of eliciting or trying to elicit information that could be useful for a terrorist on 2 August 2021, and breaching the Official Secrets Act by gathering information that could be useful to an enemy between 1 May 2019 and 6 January 2022.

A trial date had been set for 13 November at Woolwich Crown Court.

Khalife is understood to have joined the British army in 2018 and worked as a computer network engineer as part of the Royal Signals where he was based at the Ministry of Defences Stafford military base  also known as Beacon Barracks.

A court previously heard that he disappeared from the barracks on 2 January after the alleged bomb hoax before he was arrested in or near his car 24 days later.

The MoD confirmed that he was discharged from the army in May of this year as a result of the charges he was facing.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: This remains a fast-paced and dynamic investigation, but I want the public to know that a large number of officers are working extremely hard to locate Khalife.

We have now received more than 100 calls from the public, and we thank everyone who has contacted us with information.

The sighting near Wandsworth Roundabout could be very significant, and this is one of many useful lines of enquiry that officers are perusing.

We continue to urge the public to contact us straight away if they think they have seen Khalife or have information on his whereabouts.

We will continue to work closely with all our colleagues in police services across the country and other partners to trace Khalife and bring him back into custody.

To report a live sighting of Khalife, or urgent information, call 999. Alternatively, anyone with information that might assist the ongoing enquiry can call police on 101.
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The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules  as questions mount about the inside help fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described small, dark and cramped cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Mr Taylor said the single biggest problem that faces Wandsworth is a lack of staff, with shortages in every area. He added that many staff were only recently out of school and so inexperienced that prisoners frequently have to tell new workers what they are supposed to do.

As the national manhunt edged into its fourth day, police detailed the first confirmed sighting of the 21-year-old British army soldier  who slipped past guards at the category B prison by clinging to straps placed underneath a food delivery truck  describing it as a significant lead.

Daniel Abed Khalife had been due to stand trial on 13 November (PA)

The terror suspect was spotted near Wandsworth roundabout, close to the prison, having jumped from the Bidford food truck on which he fled on Wednesday morning.

The revelation comes as:

It emerged that the Royal Signals Corps soldier previously served in a regiment providing support to Natos premier reaction force as spying concerns grow

Police release the first images of the chefs outfit he would have been wearing when he escaped

A 20,000 reward has been offered to anyone with information that could lead to his capture

Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the security breach was clearly pre-planned as police investigate a possible inside job

Helicopters scoured Richmond Park and South Kensington chasing up potential leads

Outlining the issues at the ageing prison, Mr Taylor said the biggest problem facing the Victorian-era jail was the lack of available staff.

An eyewitness spotted Khalife climbing down from the lorry (The Metropolitan Police)

An inspection last year found that 30 per cent of prison officers were unable to perform their duties, with the incessant influx of drugs causing high levels of violence. For many years, it has been a jail that struggles in every area, Mr Taylor said.

Speaking of the environment at HMP Wandsworth, whose performance was rated a serious concern last year, Mr Taylor said: Without enough bodies on the ground to deliver a basic prison regime to these men, there are serious consequences.

Prisoners will not be unlocked on time because there is nobody to do it. They will not get to education or employment because there is nobody to escort them. They will not have clean clothes or bedding. The demand, and thus the supply, of drugs will rise, and with it an illicit economy that leads to debt and to violence.

The former British army officer was dressed in a cooks outfit when he escaped on Wednesday morning (Met Police)

His comments come as the police operation to find the terror suspect has swelled to over 100 officers as dozens of members of the public have come forward with potential leads.

Security officials told The Independent on Thursday that Khalife, a military computer engineer, may have been attempting to graduate to spying for Iran with material he is accused of gathering from the Ministry of Defences Joint Personnel Administration System.

He is understood to have served as a military computer engineer with the 22 Signal Regiment, whose role is to offer communications support to Natos Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), described by one expert as the military alliances premier reaction force.

Former Nato analyst Dr Patrick Bury told The Independent that ARRC was a juicy intelligence target for the Western military alliances adversaries.

Speaking of the 22 Signal Regiments role at ARRC, he said: Its obviously sensitive stuff and youre dealing with secure communications which is all manner of electronic and radio communications, and satellite and beyond, for Natos basically premier reaction force.

So if youve got someone on the inside who can provide some information about that, the question is  what access did he have? Weve seen from [Edward] Snowden how a computer network engineer often can get the whole gamut, legitimately or not.

Its secure, its highly sensitive  its a juicy intelligence target. Why would the Iranians want to do it? To trade, of course, with the Russians, and perhaps to trade with China, added Dr Bury, now a defence and security expert at the University of Bath.

A review found standards at HMP Wandsworth to be of a serious concern (PA / Google Earth)

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley on Friday appeared to confirm information from intelligence sources, as revealed by The Independent on Thursday, that officers were investigating the possibility that Khalife had help escaping HMP Wandsworth.

The fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon, theres obviously some logistics involved, Sir Mark told LBC.

Just to work out a prison escape  how you can do the logistics of it and get the right equipment, and how youre going do it  is unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment.

He added: Were going to have to look at everything as part of this investigation: did he do this on his own? Did anyone inside the prison help him? Did anyone outside the prison help him?

Sir Mark warned it was extremely concerning that the former Royal Signals Corps soldier was on the loose, and said that well into three figures of officers were now involved in the hunt, in addition to Border Force and forces elsewhere in the country.

CCTV of the lorry used by Daniel Khalife to escape Wandsworth prison seen on London road (Sky News)

Khalife had been awaiting trial on three charges, including gathering information likely to be useful to an enemy.

He is also accused of planting fake bombs at his barracks in Stafford, before fleeing the military site and evading capture for a further 25 days.

The Mets counter-terrorism commander, Dominic Murphy, told reporters on Thursday it was a little unusual that there had been no sightings of Khalife which is perhaps testament to Daniel Khalifes ingenuity.

He was a trained soldier  so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public dont have. Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.
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Explosive experts have shut the Channel Tunnel terminal in Kent after a suspicious vehicle was stopped during a routine check.

A man has been detained and a cordon remains in place, while the police have confirmed that the incident is not connected to the ongoing search for suspected terrorist Daniel Khalife.

Thousands of people hoping to travel with vehicles from Folkestone to Calais are currently being held in traffic queues with disruption expected for the remainder of the afternoon.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: At around 10.30am on Friday 8 September 2023 a suspicious vehicle was stopped at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Cheriton.

Explosives experts from the British Army have been called to the scene and a cordon has been put in place for the safety of the public. This is currently having an effect on traffic approaching the terminal.

A man has been detained in connection with the incident and enquiries are ongoing.

Eurotunnel, now known as LeShuttle, warned that travel would be severely disrupted and advised customers to check their website for further updates.

A spokesperson for LeShuttle said: A suspicious vehicle has been intercepted during a routine security check at the Channel Tunnel Terminal in Folkestone.

Kent police and specialist officers are dealing with the incident. Access to the Folkestone terminal is currently suspended awaiting the outcome of the police intervention.

Passengers queuing to enter the Eurotunnel site in Folkestone during a previous incident (PA)

Customers are advised to check on the LeShuttle website and social media for the latest travel information.

Customers are advised that, because of this incident, travel will be severely disrupted throughout the afternoon and to prepare to modify their travel plans as a consequence.

Some travellers are being transferred to ferry services from nearby Dover. Incoming shuttles are running as normal, and Eurostar train services from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam are unaffected.

While the incident is not connected to the manhunt for Daniel Khalife, motorists heading for east Kent are being delayed by the closure of part of the coastbound M20 motorway as the search for the terror suspect continues.

The incident in Folkestone is not related to the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife (PA)

The former British Army soldier escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by clinging on to the strappings on the underside of a delivery food van.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has said police are working night and day to recapture Khalife.

Police have not ruled out the possibility he may have managed to flee the country, despite heightened border checks.

Khalife has links to the West Midlands  having been stationed at the Ministry of Defences Beacon Barracks in Stafford  and Kingston upon Thames in southwest London, but the hunt is covering the whole of the UK.
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A hospital has been charged with corporate manslaughter following the death of a 22-year-old mental health patient.

Alice Figueiredo died at Goodmayes Hospital, in Redbridge, on 7 July 2015 and North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) has been charged following a five-year-investigation by the Met Police.

A ward manager, Benjamin Aninakwa, is also facing a gross negligence manslaughter charge over her death.

The hospital is only the second ever to be charged with corporate manslaughter after Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust was charged following the death of a woman who underwent an emergency Caesarean in 2015.

Mr Aninakwa will appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 4 October.

Have you been impacted by this story? email rebecca.thomas@independent.co.uk.

The news comes after Nottinghamshire Police said they would launch a criminal investigation into maternity cases after baby deaths at Nottingham University Trust, after an investigation by The Independent uncovered concerns about poor care.

It follows any earlier criminal investigation by West Mercia Police over the deaths of babies revealed in the Shrewsbury Maternity Scandal.

In 2019, Essex Police dropped a corporate manslaughter case against Essex University Partnership Foundation Trust over the deaths of multiple mental health patients.

And last year, The Independent revealed that the scandal-hit private mental health hospital Taplow Manor, was facing a police investigation over the death of a 14-year-old girl.

A CPS spokesperson said: We have authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) with corporate manslaughter and an offence under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

We have also authorised charges of gross negligence manslaughter and an offence under section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act against Benjamin Aninakwa, who was a ward manager at Goodmayes Hospital in north east London.

NELFT has been approached for comment.
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A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chefs outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown. Intelligence sources have told The Independent it is almost certain that he had inside help.

Follow The Independents live blog for the latest updates

Daniel Khalife in his military uniform ( )

With airports and ports installing additional security measures and holidaymakers reporting delays at border control, his escape has posed serious questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison.

Prior to his arrest in January, the 21-year-old had formerly been a serving soldier in the British Army since 2018 and had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.

With known links to Kingston in London, he was based at the Ministry of Defences Stafford military base while serving, which is also known as Beacon Barracks.

However, he was charged with terror offences and charges relating to the Official Secrets Act earlier this year, after he was accused of carrying out a bomb hoax at the RAF base.

According to court documents, he allegedly placed three canisters with wires at RAF Stafford with the intention of inducing in another a belief that the said article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property, contrary to section 51 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

An urgent manhunt is underway after Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth (Met Police)

He is also accused of eliciting or trying to elicit information that could be useful for a terrorist on 2 August 2021, and breaching the Official Secrets Act by gathering information that could be useful to an enemy between 1 May 2019 and 6 January 2022.

Khalif, a British citizen whose father is said to be Iranian, allegedly attempted to pass on the information to a foreign power, believed to be Iran, security sources told The Independent. They allege that he sought to graduate into spying with the material he had obtained from the MoD.

Khalife had initially been arrested in January 2022 on suspicion of a separate offence but was bailed before being re-arrested following an investigation by Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command.

Khalife escaped from Wandsworth prison by clinging to a food delivery van (PA)

During a court hearing earlier this year, a prosecutor told Westminster Magistrates Court that he had disappeared from the barracks after the alleged bomb hoax and there had been active efforts to look for him.

He was arrested a few weeks later in or near his car and has been remanded into custody ever since.

The former soldier has denied all charges against him and is due to face a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court on 13 November.

What is the Royal Corps of Signals?

Princess Anne has been Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Corps of Signals since 1977 (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Khalife was a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals, the British Armys communications arm, of whom Princess Anne has been Colonel-in-Chief since 1977.

The Royal Signals have been deployed in every Army operation since the corps establishment in 1920, and are described by the Ministry of Defence as leaders in IT, Cyber and Telecommunications, providing battle-winning communications to every part of the Army.

Those in the Royal Signals are trained to become experts in engineering and operating systems, networks and cyber equipment, the Army website adds.

Regiments stationed at Beacon Barracks include the 1st Signal Regiment and 16th Signal Regiment, which deliver information and comms to the armoured brigades headquarters and the satellite link to communicate back to the UK, and the 22nd Signal Regiment, which serves Natos Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Headquarters.

Khalife served as part of the 22nd Signal Regiment, The Independent understands, and would have had access to state-of-the-art defence electrical equipment.

Why was he held in a Category B prison?

Questions have been raised as to why the terror suspect was being held at HMP Wandsworth (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Questions have now arisen as to why Khalife was being held at HMP Wandsworth, given its grading as a Category B prison, the second highest level of security.

Those facing terror-related charges are often held in the Category A prison Belmarsh, which is located in south-east London.

Justice secretary Alex Chalk has held an urgent call with the prison governor and senior staff in the prison service to seek assurances about what is being done to ensure the jail is secure.

Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Mets Counter Terrorism Command said: We have a team of officers who are making extensive and urgent enquiries in order to locate and detain Khalife as quickly as possible.

However, the public can help us as well and should anyone see Khalife, or have any information as to where he might be, then please call 999 immediately.

I also want to reassure the public that we have no information which indicates, nor any reason to believe that Khalife poses a threat to the wider public, but our advice if you do see him is not to approach him and call 999 straight away.
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Rishi Sunak received a colourful welcome as he arrived in India to attend the G20 leaders summit.

The Prime Minister and his wife Akshata Murty, daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from RAF Voyager at Indira Gandhi Airport on Friday.

They spoke with Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey before visiting the British Council in New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters on the flight from London to the Indian capital, the Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, spoke about how special it was to return to a country that is very near and dear to him.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: It is obviously special.

I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.

Im excited to be back.

It is nice to have Akshata with me as well.

The G20 summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with Mr Sunak expected to speak on the topics of migration, the global economy, the Ukraine conflict and climate change.

He is scheduled to meet Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks on the fringes of the summit, with officials not ruling out the premiers discussing progress on a UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).

Boris Johnson, when he was in Downing Street, targeted October 2022 to sign off on a post-Brexit trade pact, in a move designed to coincide with celebrations of the Hindu festival of Diwali.

His successor Liz Truss made the same commitment during her brief stint as prime minister.

But that original target has been missed by almost a year and Mr Sunak has been reluctant to set out a time frame for doing a deal with the country of 1.4 billion people.

There has been speculation that one of the hold-ups to a trade pact is Indias push for more visas to be granted for its people to work in Britain  a request Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly holds concerns about.

No 10 on Thursday ruled out any change to UK immigration policy to accommodate an FTA with New Delhi.

But the Prime Ministers official spokesman indicated an expansion of business visas would potentially be considered.

The Indian government is also said to want to see the UK ratify a social security agreement, putting a stop to some temporary Indian workers in Britain effectively having to pay national insurance twice, both in the UK and in India.

The Commonwealth nation already has similar agreements with the likes of France and Canada.

The summit in India marks the gathering of leaders from the worlds 20 largest economies.

Leaders of the G20, which includes the European Union and the likes of China, the US, Brazil and Russia, began holding summits following the 2008 global financial crisis, creating a top-level forum to discuss international challenges.

Mr Sunak said he is preparing to use the sessions in New Delhi to call out Russia for the suffering it is causing with its invasion of Ukraine and its blockade of grain out of the war-torn country.

Russian president Vladimir Putin collapsed the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed ships carrying grain to leave southern Ukrainian ports without fear of attack, in July.

Mr Putin has said the deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, will not be restored until the West meets Moscows demands on its own agricultural exports.

The pact, first signed in July 2022 and extended every three months for a year, led to 33 million tonnes of grain and food exports leaving Ukraine, with the majority going to developing nations struggling for food supplies, according to the UN.

Mr Sunak said: It is causing suffering in Ukraine, but it is also causing suffering to millions of people in very vulnerable countries around the world.

And I want to do everything I can to hold them to account for that and to call out that behaviour.

Mr Putin has opted not to attend the New Delhi gathering in person but his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to attend.

Mr Sunak said the Russian leader was steering clear of confrontation with the West following his invasion of Ukraine because he doesnt want to be held accountable.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said there was no set moment for the British leader and Mr Lavrov to meet.

There are no set plans either for the UK leader to meet with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is representing Beijing at the summit in president Xi Jinpings absence, but No 10 has not shut down the possibility of a short interaction between the pair.

The weekend itinerary for Mr Sunak will see him visit important Indian cultural and religious sites, with a trip to a Hindu temple planned during his stay.
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Almost 750 Afghans in hiding from the Taliban because of their work with British forces have been waiting over two years for a decision on whether they can come to the UK, The Independent can reveal.

The 745 Afghans, who have applied for sanctuary based on their claimed work with the British Army, said they were being destroyed by the wait to hear if they can be brought to safety under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme.

Armed forces minister James Heappey confirmed 2,026 Arap applicants were awaiting a decision as of Tuesday  despite the department pledging to slash the backlog to zero by the end of summer. Of these, a further 364 have been waiting more than 18 months, while 214 have been waiting more than a year.

Those waiting for a decision in Afghanistan will face a further agonising wait for relocation even if they are found eligible  with the government insisting they sort their own accommodation before they come to Britain.

The Independent has been calling for the UK to support Afghan war heroes who served alongside British forces and fought a successful five-month campaign to get a hero Afghan pilot rejected by the UK granted asylum.

Mr Heappey said ministers were working at pace to resolve the small number of remaining complex cases. But Labours shadow defence secretary John Healey said the Conservatives have failed the brave Afghans who supported our troops.

RECOMMENDED

Mr Healey told The Independent: It is simply unacceptable that 745 Afghans have been waiting more than two years for a decision on their eligibility under the Arap scheme, leaving them in limbo and likely fearing for their own safety.

This is a shameful saga of government failure on multiple fronts, he added.

Former defence secretary Ben Wallace and then home secretary Priti Patel said at the time of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan that if you looked out for us, we will look after you. And Mr Heappey said the Ministry of Defence has recruited more caseworkers and made significant progress processing applications. He said 58,000 decisions have been issued in the past three months.

An Afghan pilot who fought with British forces was refused safety in the UK but was granted asylum after a campaign by The Independent (Getty/The Independent)

An Afghan pilot who fought with British forces was refused safety in UK but was granted asylum after a campaign by The Independent.

But an Afghan intelligence analyst, who worked with the British forces, has been waiting for a decision on his application for over two years. He fled to the UK on a small boat and his case has been supported by two of his RAF supervisors. He told The Independent: It is extremely hard on mental health to be waiting so long. This waiting time has completely destroyed my personal mental health because I am living in a completely uncertain situation. I dont know why my case should take so much time.

One former interpreter has now been waiting around 19 months for an Arap decision. He is living in hiding in Afghanistan and told The Independent: I dont have any information about my case. I dont know what will happen to me, and I dont know how long I can live in this situation. I have not been able to return to my home or my province since the Taliban take over because they have come to my place asking for me. I travel around and the situation is getting harder for me every day.

Sarah Magill, managing director of Free From Fear, a charity that supports Afghans trying to resettle in the UK, said: Afghans have been waiting for help since Kabul fell in August 2021. It should be unthinkable that they are still waiting for a decision. Government departments should not be passing these cases around like unwanted Christmas presents. The decision-making process lacks efficiency and expediency and must be remedied as a matter of urgency.

Military chiefs and charities have urged Rishi Sunak to relocate eligible Afghans to the UK faster.

Military chiefs and charities have urged Rishi Sunak to relocate eligible Afghans to the UK faster (Getty)

Sarah Fenby-Dixon, Afghan consultant for the Refugee Aid Network, is supporting a number of Afghans who have applied for the Ministry of Defences scheme but are still waiting to hear.

She said: These are not just numbers. Each one is a vulnerable, at-risk person who has been living in limbo and under threat for months or years. It is well documented that the Taliban are exacting brutal attacks, including beatings, torture and murder on those they believe to have worked for foreign governments.

Many Arap applicants are in hiding and cannot work; the psychological and financial stress for these people is now unbearable. When we question why people do not use legal routes to come to the UK, this is the answer.

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Becky Hart, Lawyer at Afghan Pro Bono Initiative, which is run by the charity Safe Passage, said it was outrageous that some of our clients have been left waiting for more than two years for a decision.

She added: This government must urgently commit more resources to the Afghan schemes and quickly arrange onward journeys so people can actually reach protection here and start to rebuild their lives.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: We owe a debt of gratitude to those interpreters and other staff eligible under the ARAP scheme who worked for, or with, UK forces in Afghanistan. Thats why we have committed to relocating all eligible Afghans and their families to the UK under the ARAP scheme.

Our absolute priority is supporting the movement of eligible people out of Afghanistan and we have made significant progress in improving the speed at which we can process applications, having relocated around 12,200 individuals to the UK so far under ARAP.
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A mentally ill man, who took his own life less than 24 hours after arriving in prison, was given a health screening lasting just 96 seconds through the hatch of his cell door due to Covid fears.

Luke Clarke, 38, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers during the start of the Covid pandemic on 5 April 2020 and moved to Wormwood Scrubs prison.

The nurse who saw him asked for more robust PPE because staff feared Mr Clarke had Covid and was spitting at staff. She was told to carry out her assessment through the cell panel instead.

An inquest found that fear and confusion generated by Covid-19 and inadequate care by prison staff contributed to his death.

His family described him as a loving, kind, funny and caring person and welcomed the jurys findings that failures at Wormwood Scrubs prison had contributed to Mr Clarkes suicide. They called for better communication between hospitals and prisons about mental health, saying we hope Lukes death is not in vain.

Luke Clarke was described as loving and kind by his family (Family photo)

Mr Clarke had a history of paranoid schizophrenia, had been sectioned on a number of occasions, and had a history of suicide attempts. He was taken to St Bernards Hospital, Ealing, under police detention in 2020, with one officer suspecting Mr Clarke was having a psychotic episode.

Despite this, psychiatrists and police decided that Mr Clarke did not need to be detained under the Mental Health Act and should taken to prison. He had been on licence for common assault and had failed to comply with his licence conditions.

Suspecting that he could have Covid, Mr Clarke was taken to the Covid-19 wing at Wormwood Scrubs. A form with questions about suicide and self-harm was not completed and he was left with very little support.

The inquest jury said: Luke was isolated in his cell with very minimal human interaction and no food throughout his stay of almost 24 hours. They said inadequacies were found in his overnight care, reception process, and in the liaison between the hospital and prison, among other things.

They said that the brevity of the prison nurses interaction with Luke was inadequate and they also criticised senior prison staff for not making an attempt to complete the screening.

The nurse conducted the reception screening, which included questions about his mental health, through the hatch of his cell door. The assessment lasted a maximum of one minute 36 seconds, CCTV footage presented to court showed.

She said Mr Clarke had refused to talk to her unless he was unlocked and able to speak to her face-to-face, as was the normal procedure. She said she was told a surgical face mask, gloves and a disposable apron were the appropriate PPE for the assessment and were available for use.

But she asked for a face shield, eye goggles and a gown covering neck to knees because the patient was spitting at staff. A health manager told her to carry out the assessment through the cell door panel, she said.

She said Mr Clarke became very irritable and stated: I want to be seen as an ordinary person, you open the door and sit with me in the cell or office. He then declined to talk to her.

Within hours, Mr Clarke had taken his own life  one of the 12 suicides at the prison in the past five years.

A spokesperson for the charity Inquest said: Luke was sent to prison and within 24 hours he was dead. He needed care and support for his mental health, not criminalisation.

Luke was neglected by a prison which has a long record of failing to protect the health and wellbeing of those who are owed a duty of care.

The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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The police watchdog has apologised to the family of musician Sean Rigg 15 years after his death for the delays in its investigation.

Mr Rigg, 40, died in custody at Brixton police station in 2008 after he was arrested having been seen aiming karate kicks at passers-by.

In 2012, an inquest jury found that officers had used unsuitable force and that the way Mr Rigg was restrained more than minimally contributed to his death.

On Friday the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) published a letter which had been sent to Mr Riggs family last month, in which acting director Thomas Whiting made an unreserved apology.

In 2013, an independent review of the original IOPC investigation found that it was not robust enough and should look again at whether officers should face misconduct proceedings.

The probe was reopened and, six years later, five officers went before a disciplinary panel and were cleared.

In his letter, Mr Whiting also apologised for failing to tell the Rigg family that settlements had been made with three of the officers who had brought civil claims against the watchdog.

Mr Riggs sister, Marcia Rigg, said she trusts that the IOPC will now consider informing families and complainants of any similar compensation to officers by the IOPC as a matter of course.

I understand that this caused you and your family anxiety, distress and upset in addition to that which you inevitably suffered in the wake of your brothers death and investigations and proceedings that followed Tom Whiting, IOPC

In his letter, Mr Whiting acknowledged an apology made by the watchdog, which was then called the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), for its shortcomings in its investigation of Mr Riggs death.

The letter continued: I wish to apologise to you and your family not just for the delay in the original investigation but also for all of the IPCCs delays thereafter including in completing the second investigation and the time it took to bring matters to a conclusion.

Also, given recent events, I consider it appropriate to personally apologise to you and your family on behalf of the IOPC and the IPCC for not giving proper consideration to informing you, at an earlier stage, of a civil claim brought against the IOPC by some of the officers investigated following the death of your brother.

While we decided it was necessary to settle the claim, I am sorry that consideration was not given to informing you of the claim at a much earlier stage.

I also apologise for the way you came to learn of the settlement of the claim, the fact compensation was paid and apologies provided to the officers.

I am aware that we did not inform you following the settlement and that you instead learned of it through an article issued by the Police Federation, which we did not know about until after publication.

I understand that this caused you and your family anxiety, distress and upset in addition to that which you inevitably suffered in the wake of your brothers death and investigations and proceedings that followed.

For that, I unreservedly apologise.

In response to the IOPCs apology, Marcia Rigg said it was extremely upsetting to read that compensation had been paid to officers in secret.

She said: 15 years since my brother Sean Rigg died at Brixton police station; the never-ending trauma and painful impact continues to haunt me, through no fault of my own or my family.

The lengthy judicial process very rarely affords any proper accountability following deaths caused by excessive force and face down restraint by police officers.

This only serves to fuel already decades of injustices and more unnecessary deaths.

In my view, and that of many families and the public generally, there continues to be zero confidence in the investigative and judicial process, no justice even with damming evidence and countless reviews, proving that the whole judicial system in the UK is fundamentally flawed; institutionally racist; corrupt and a national public scandal.

Addressing the letter, Ms Rigg added: Last month, exactly 15 years after Seans death, Tom Whiting of the IOPC unreservedly apologised for not informing my family of the fact that compensation was paid to three of the officers; for the history of delay; and the failings of the first IPCC investigation.

The jurys findings in August 2012 and the independent Casale review of 2013 laid bare those failings.

I appreciate these apologies and trust that the IOPC will now consider informing families and complainants of any similar compensation to officers by the IOPC as a matter of course, as a courtesy and in the wider public interest.
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Terror suspect Daniel Khalifes escape from prison was clearly pre-planned and it is a question whether it was an inside job, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.

Sir Mark Rowley branded it extremely concerning that the 21-year-old, who escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London on Wednesday, was on the loose.

His comments came as the force confirmed officers had been searching overnight in Richmond Park  a few miles from the jail  as the nationwide manhunt entered a third day.

The Met have also urged a shop assistant to come forward after media reports said the man believed he saw Khalife after he escaped.

Khalife, an ex-soldier who was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK, was discharged from the Army in May.

Unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment Sir Mark Rowley

He is believed to have escaped by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cooks uniform.

Video footage obtained by the PA news agency shows police officers searching a Bidfood lorry with a sniffer dog after it was stopped as witnesses told of their shock as they learned about the incident.

Speaking on LBC, Sir Mark said: It is clearly pre-planned, the fact that he could strap himself on to the bottom of the wagon.

A prison escape is unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment, he added.

The Met chief did not rule out the escape being an inside job when asked if police were looking at that possibility.

It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? Was he helped by people outside the walls or was it simply all of his own creation? he replied.

Speaking to broadcasters in New Delhi, the Prime Minister would not comment on suggestions there could be foreign state involvement in the escape.

Pressed on whether he had confidence in the prisons governor Katie Price, Rishi Sunak insisted it was important to establish the facts first.

Khalifes disappearance has prompted questions over staffing levels at the Victorian jail and whether he should have been in a higher security prison.

Sir Mark said it did seem odd when asked if he was surprised to learn the terror suspect, who is reportedly accused of gathering information for Iran, was being held in a category B facility.

The hunt for Khalife is a massive operation involving well into three figures of officers as well as help from constabularies around the country and Border Force, the commissioner told the radio station.

At the moment we are still really keen to get any reports from members of the public, he added.

Strapping was found underneath the delivery lorry which police stopped just over an hour after it left the prison at 7.32am, with officers suggesting Khalife held on to the bottom of the vehicle to escape.

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism commander Dominic Murphy said it is testament to Khalifes ingenuity that there have since been no confirmed sightings of him.

Hes a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment, he told reporters on Thursday.

Police have not ruled out the possibility he may have managed to flee the country, despite heightened border checks.

Kent Police said in addition to the increased security checks, traffic making its way to the Eurotunnel had also been affected by a suspicious vehicle being stopped at 10.30am on Friday  with army explosives experts called in.

The force said a man had been detained but it was not being linked with the search for Khalife.

Khalife was declared missing at 7.50am, with police notified at 8.15am. The lorry was stopped on Upper Richmond Road, near the junction of Carlton Drive, at 8.37am.

CCTV footage later emerged of the van driving along a road in London after it had left the prison.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk confirmed an independent investigation will take place after Khalifes escape, alongside two urgent reviews looking at the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.

Wandsworth prisons performance has been rated a serious concern and watchdogs issued a string of warnings about the jail in the year before the incident.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said staff shortages are the source of many problems and that in an ideal world Wandsworth would be shut.

The prison is in the Tooting constituency, which Sadiq Khan represented as an MP for more than a decade until he was elected mayor of London in 2016.

He said he was aware of big problems at the jail while he was an MP, including overcrowding and staff shortages, telling PA questions will need answering about the link between government austerity and this man escaping.

One former inmate, who worked alongside Khalife in the prisons kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as odd and had told him he was going to be famous.

Chris Jones, 53, who BBC London reported was released in June after being acquitted following seven months on remand, told the programme: We always used to joke about that lorry  jump in it and drive off  but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.

Khalife, who denied the three charges against him, is described as slim, 6ft 2in, with short brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown, steel toe-capped boots, but police stressed he may have changed his clothes quickly.

Khalife has links to the West Midlands  having been stationed at the Ministry of Defences Beacon Barracks in Stafford  and Kingston upon Thames in south-west London, but Mr Murphy said the hunt is covering the whole of the UK.

Police have said there is no reason to believe Khalife poses a threat to the public but urged people not to approach him if they spot him and to call 999.
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The late Queen told former prime minister Liz Truss they would be meeting again soon at her final official engagement before her death.

Ms Truss opened up about her last encounter with Queen Elizabeth II in Balmoral Castle just two days before the monarch died.

Speaking to GB News to mark the first anniversary of the late Queens death and recounting the period that followed, Ms Truss recalled the King was very, very resolute when she spoke to him on the phone the day his mother died and his reign began.

The late Queen had welcomed Ms Truss to her home in the Scottish Highlands on September 6 2022 to appoint her prime minister, with health issues meaning she was not able to travel to London to do so.

The politician described the 96-year-old sovereign as appearing frail, but she said she was mentally alert, absolutely on top of the proceedings and reassured Ms Truss they would meet again soon.

Ms Truss said: In the meeting at Balmoral, she was absolutely on top of what was happening.

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon. It was very important to her.

She added: Although she was physically quite frail, she was absolutely mentally alert.

Ms Truss said there was no indication the late Queen was gravely ill.

I was obviously only in the first few days of the job of being prime minister. I was thinking about many, many different things, she said.

But the assumption absolutely was that this would be the first of many meetings.

The monarch, using a walking stick, was pictured smiling warmly as she greeted Ms Truss in front of an open fire in her sitting room at the castle, appearing frail but bright-eyed and wearing a blouse, cardigan, and a skirt of Balmoral tartan.

Ms Truss added: She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end. We had a very, very good meeting. She was upbeat.

The former prime minister recounted how she was told of a worsening situation on September 7  with the postponement of a Privy Council.

I arrived just before 6pm for the meeting. Everybody was there waiting around and we waited for a few minutes and then the news arrived that the Queen would no longer be able to do the meeting. And that was the first I heard of it. But clearly it was a very ominous sign, she told GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker.

She said of September 8: Things were clearly getting even worse the next day, so it was a dawning realisation I think, not just for me, but for my colleagues, that we were facing (it).

Ms Truss was in the House of Commons chamber for an energy debate at around midday that day when the then-chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi sat down next to her with a note and began urgently whispering to her.

The original plan was for Buckingham Palace to release a statement about the late Queens health at 11.15am, but it was delayed.

Mr Zahawis note contained a statement for Ms Truss to read out to the Commons if required.

In the end, Ms Truss left the chamber and headed back to Downing Street, and the Palaces statement saying Queen Elizabeth II was under medical supervision was issued at 12.32pm.

Ms Truss said she was really just waiting for the news and by that point knew it was very, very serious.

Describing the scene in Number 10 when confirmation of the late Queens death reached them at around 4.30pm, she said: We were in the Downing Street flat with officials, other people. So when the news came through, it was sort of confirming all the worst fears that wed had.

Ms Truss said she felt very sad about the situation, but her mind also turned to the practicalities of the days to come.

Just knowing that I would have to deal with it. You know, part of your brain is thinking, my goodness me, this is a momentous occasion. This is our Queen whos been on the throne for 70 years, the absolute backdrop to our lives is now gone, she said.

But also, I tend to focus on the practical in those types of moments and just thinking right, I need to make sure my speech is ready. I need to make sure the right people are informed. I needed to make sure that the Cabinet ministers responsible for organising (were ready for) what was going to be a massive international occasion.

A pre-arranged statement for a sitting prime minister to read in the event of the monarchs death had long been drafted, but was reportedly out of date in tone so Ms Truss rewrote it.

I wanted to say it in my own words so I drafted it with a speech writer, she said.

She spoke to the King the same day and offered her sincere condolences and said that during the brief phone call he was very, very resolute.

She added of the new monarch: King Charles is somebody whod also been a very prominent part of British life. I think weve seen the continuity 

I think because both of us were stepping into new roles, a lot of what youre thinking about is the practicalities of getting things done.

When the King held his first weekly audience with Ms Truss on October 12, he welcomed her to the Palace by saying: Back again? Dear oh dear.

Mr Truss insisted it was a joke and said the pair were at their third meeting that day.

She paid tribute to the late monarch as a major figure for Britain who was still very, very, very loved and treasured.

And she was still very much with us until the end, absolutely, she said.

And thats what just struck me about her is that right until that moment, she wanted to be there doing her duty.
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said he is worried about severity of crime at the Notting Hill Carnival.

The annual west London event this year saw eight people stabbed, police officers assaulted and 275 arrests across the two days.

It prompted politicians to call for change  with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying violence at the event showed the need for police and the courts to be given tougher powers to tackle so-called zombie knives and machetes and the Conservative Partys London mayoral candidate, Susan Hall, suggesting the event be moved and potentially held in a park.

Its not the volume of crime which is not disproportionate for an event...but the severity of the crime is really concerning Sir Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Sir Mark reiterated on Friday morning, during a live phone-in on LBC, that any change to the location of the event was not a decision for police.

He called the carnival a fantastic event in many respects but highlighted two concerns from a policing perspective that he will be seeking to improve in a review.

Its not the volume of crime, which is not disproportionate for an eventbut the severity of the crime is really concerning, the commissioner said.

He added that he is worried about the severity of crime, which includes stabbings, and the weapons police recovered during the event  including over 70 knives and one or two firearms.

Sir Mark told LBC that his second concern is the risk of crowd crushing.

Were doing that review work, he said.

I know as part of that we will be saying were really concerned about the severity of crimeand also the crowd crushing and we will be asking the organisers, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, and local authorities and others to think about the arrangements to get rid of those really worrying risks.

Sir Mark went on to say the experiences of some officers at Notting Hill Carnival is deeply unpleasant.

Thats why Im going to push hard with the organisers andlocal authorities for improvements that deal with these risks but enable hundreds of thousands of people to keep enjoying themselves, he added.

Notting Hill Carnival Ltd has been contacted for comment.

Organisers said previously that they deplore all acts of violence and will continue to work hard with our partners to protect Notting Hill Carnival and the people who make it so special.
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A Co Down-based firm has announced it has secured 150 million dollars (120 million) of new work to fit out cruise ships.

MJM Marine, an outfitting firm based in Newry, said the increase in business across a range of global clients, including the worlds largest cruise companies, will enable it to create more than 100 new jobs.

The new positions will take the firms workforce to about 300 people.

The announcement was made on Friday on board the Celebrity Apex, which was docked in Belfast.

The new roles are predominantly based at our headquarters in Newry and range from operations and project management to commercial and other business support roles Gary Annett, chief executive of MJM Marine

It is part of Celebrity Cruises, a brand in the Royal Caribbean Group and one of MJM Marines trade partners.

MJM said its order book includes seven of the worlds leading brands, with delivery in locations including Singapore, across Europe and to the Bahamas.

Gary Annett, chief executive of MJM Marine, described a really exciting growth trajectory and new opportunities across the business.

The new roles are predominantly based at our headquarters in Newry and range from operations and project management to commercial and other business support roles, he said.

This represents a multimillion-pound GVA (gross value add) to the local economy in salary contribution and significantly more in value to the local and national supply chain.

There are more than 500 cruise ships active at the moment with regular refit and upgrade schedules. We have visibility of the future requirements, so we are confident of a buoyant long-term project pipeline.

Naoimh McConville, group managing director at Rathbane Group, MJM Marines parent company, added: We are thrilled to announce the next phase of growth for MJM Marine. We are committed to strengthening our operations by investing for the future to make a positive impact for our people and planet.

She said the firm will be launching an extensive recruitment drive.

Our people are the force behind driving innovation and delivering industry firsts, which is the platform for our strong culture and performance, she said.

We take pride in our record for securing repeat business and the development of collaborative client relationships, with brands who entrust us time and again with their refit work.
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Germanys carmakers have thrown their weight behind a UK push for the EU to delay tariffs agreed as part of Boris Johnsons Brexit deal.

Rishi Sunaks government is hoping the European Commission will agree to defer costly new tariff rules set to come into force in January 2024.

Britains auto industry has already warned post-Brexit cliff edge looming at the start of next year threatens the electric car industry.

And now the VDA  the lobby group for Germanys car industry  said we must urgently make adjustments to the Brexit deal to protect both European and British firms.

The group warned that tariffs would place a significant competitive disadvantage for the European car industry in relation to its Asian competitors in the so important UK market.

The EU has been warned of an existential threat posed by new rules of origin which will require carmakers to build more batteries domestically.

Among the final parts of the Brexit deal agreed by Mr Johnson, the changes require 45 per cent of an electric cars value to originate in the UK or EU to qualify for trade without tariffs.

One EU official told the Financial times that Brussels was not open to changes to the rules of origin and insisted that stakeholders have been given the time to adapt.

But carmakers across the continent have been pushing for a delay, because the European battery industry had not developed quickly enough to keep pace new rules of origin.

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (Acea) is calling for Brussels to extend the phase-in period because the battery supply chain in Europe is simply not taking off quickly enough.

The UKs Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has called for a delay until 2027. Mr Sunak has previously ordered talks with Brussels after Vauxhalls parent company Stellantis warned that it will be unable to keep manufacturing in Britain without changes to the trade deal.

It comes as Britain struggles to boost its battery production. The manufacturer Britishvolt collapsed earlier this year, while Jaguar owner Tata Motors continues to push the government for subsidies to create a new battery plant in the UK.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt raised hopes on Wednesday when he said watch this space. Asked about a battery production deal with Tata, he said: Everyone is trying to develop the supply of EV batteries, so we need to have that supply here in the UK.

It comes as Mr Sunak managed to clear up some of the post-Brexit mess by agreeing a deal with Brussels for the UK to rejoin the EUs 85bn Horizon science research scheme.

After months of uncertainty, the government said on Wednesday that a bespoke new agreement has been signed allowing British researchers to apply for grants and take part in Horizon projects.

The move comes as a huge relief to scientists, amid warnings that UK researchers have been missing out on collaboration with colleagues in Europe in much of the two years since Brexit.
The prime minister, proud of his Indian heritage, is right to feel some special emotion as he and his wife Akshata Murty, an Indian citizen, travel to New Delhi for the G20 summit. He is a son of Southampton, and a Saints fan  but hes also been granted the affectionate accolade of son-in-law of India.

Given the historical, industrial, cultural, sporting and family links between India and Britain, it is fitting, and useful, that his dealings with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will take place in a warm atmosphere  but their negotiations, especially on the much-vaunted India-UK free trade deal, will be tough.

What does this G20 summit mean to India?
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Jeremy Corbyn could let the Conservatives deny Labours Sadiq Khan a third term as London mayor, new polling shows.

The bombshell survey found that the Tory candidate Susan Hall is set to defeat Mr Khan if Mr Corbyn joins the race as an independent.

The former Labour leader  blocked from standing for the party at the next general election  has refused to rule out running in the mayoral contest in May.

Mr Corbyn would come third with 15 per cent of the vote if he does run, according a Redfield and Wilton Strategies poll.

But in doing so he would split the vote and hand victory to Ms Hall  who is on 30 per cent with Mr Khan on only 25 per cent.

Without the firebrand left-winger in the contest, Mr Khan beats Ms Hall 33 per cent to 32 per cent. But the poll for The Times also found that one-fifth (21 per cent) of Labour voters who backed Mr Khan last time said they would rather vote for Mr Corbyn.

Luke Tryl, director of the More in Common research group, said the striking thing to me here is how close it is even without Corbyn.

The polling expert said it suggests a proper race, which is doubly surprising given both Londons left lean and where the Conservative brand is nationally.

Keir Starmer and London mayor Sadiq Khan at odds over Ulez (PA)

Despite protests and staunch Tory opposition to the Mr Khans expansion of the the Ulez scheme, the survey also reveals that Londoners are evenly split of the issue, with 39 per cent in favour, and 38 per cent opposed.

The mayor has remained defiant about the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone to outer London  arguing that the 12.50 daily fee for high polluting drivers was difficult but vital.

Mr Khan is at odds with Sir Keir Starmer over Ulez, and the Labour leader backtracked on support and urged the mayor to reflect on its expansion, with the Tories pouncing upon cost of living concerns.

The London Labour mayor appears to be relaxed about the prospect of Mr Corbyn entering the race. Mr Khan said he would not be surprised by his former party colleague running to be mayor because it is the best job in the world.

Mr Corbyn remains a Labour member, but is sitting as an independent after he was suspended over his failure to offer an appropriate response to the damning EHRC report on antisemitism in 2020.

The ex-leader has strongly suggested he would run against Labour as an independent at the general election  saying he had no intention of stopping representing Islington North, adding: I will not be intimidated into silence.

Redfield and Wilton, members of the British Polling Council, polled a sample of 1,110 eligible London voters on 5 and 6 September.

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While many first-tier cities in China are currently issuing metaverse-related action plans and support policies, Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, has already showcased several innovative application scenarios in the field.

As an emerging digital industry, the metaverse offers a fully immersive virtual world where individuals can interact, work and play as online avatars of themselves.

Hefei is said to have achieved notable milestones in this field  including the transformation of Shenfu village, an ancient village in Baohe district, into a digital simulation for visitors to explore.

Furthermore, local retailer Baida Group has introduced a digital spokesperson called Ai Xiaobai, who excels at live streaming, marketing and training.

Elsewhere, the largest bookstore in Anhui province  located in Hefei city  is now known as the Yuan Bookstore, offering virtual human interactions and real-time broadcasting.

Hefei's commitment to the metaverse industry is said to be all the more evident as it has included it in government work reports for two consecutive years and it has actively developed applications scenarios.

On Feb 14, the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone issued an action plan for the development of the metaverse industry.

The plan incorporates the concept of the metaverse into the zone's future industrial development strategy and outlines detailed plans to make the zone a hub for the metaverse industry.

The action plan also outlined the goal of attracting 50 scientific and technological leaders in the metaverse field to the high-tech zone by 2028, along with 100 young entrepreneurial and innovative teams and 50,000 practitioners involved in related industries.
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The Queen told Liz Truss they would be meeting again soon in her final official engagement before her death two days later.

The then-prime minister travelled to Balmoral Castle to meet Elizabeth II on 6 September and described the monarch as frail but mentally alert.

Ms Truss said that she had been summoned to the Scottish palace due to the Queens health. However, she found her namesake was absolutely on top of things and seemed intent on meeting again.

She was very, very keen to reassure me that wed be meeting again soon... It was very important to her, Ms Truss told GB News.

She was absolutely on top of what was happening. Although she was physically quite frail, she was absolutely mentally alert.

Ms Truss added that there was no suggestion the Queen might be about to pass away, which she did two days later on 8 September, aged 96.

At the meeting, the monarch, using a walking stick, was pictured smiling warmly as she greeted Ms Truss in front of an open fire in her sitting room at the castle.

I was obviously only in the first few days of the job of being prime minister. I was thinking about many different things, Ms Truss said.

But the assumption absolutely was that this would be the first of many meetings [with the Queen].

She was very determined to do her duty, right to the end. We had a very, very good meeting. She was upbeat.

Liz Truss gave insight into her final meeting with the Queen (AP)

The former prime minister recounted how she was told of a worsening situation on 7 September  with the postponement of a Privy Council.

I arrived just before 6pm for the meeting. Everybody was there waiting around and we waited for a few minutes and then the news arrived that the Queen would no longer be able to do the meeting. And that was the first I heard of it. But clearly it was a very ominous sign.

She said of the day she died: Things were clearly getting even worse the next day, so it was a dawning realisation I think, not just for me, but for my colleagues, that we were facing (it).

Ms Truss said she felt very sad about the situation, but her mind also turned to the practicalities of the days to come.

When the King held his first weekly audience with Ms Truss on October 12, he welcomed her to the Palace by saying: Back again? Dear oh dear.

Mr Truss insisted it was a joke and said the pair were at their third meeting that day.

She paid tribute to the late monarch as a major figure for Britain who was still very, very, very loved and treasured.

And she was still very much with us until the end, absolutely, she said.

And thats what just struck me about her is that right until that moment, she wanted to be there doing her duty.
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Rishi Sunak has insisted that a post-Brexit trade deal with India is not a given, as he prepares for talks with his Indian counterpart at the G20 summit in Delhi.

The prime minister refused to commit to getting the free trade agreement (FTA)  initially promised before Diwali last October  before the general election, as he downplayed the chances of a breakthrough.

Mr Sunak said a UK-India would be good to have but insisted wont rush it as he prepares to discuss remaining barriers with PM Narendra Modi at a bilateral on Saturday.

The PM is refusing to offer more work and student visas in order to hasten the post-Brexit deal  but the issue of corporate visas is on the table, No 10 indicated.

Speaking in New Delhi, Mr Sunak refused to comment on the visa issue, but insisted that he there was no arbitrary deadline for a trade pact  pointing to his long-awaited deal with the EU to rejoin its science research programme. Just like Horizon, Ive taken the time to get them right.

Mr Sunak even suggested a trade deal with India may never happen  telling reporters travelling with him on the plane that its not a given.

He added: These things are a lot of work and a lot of time. Thats why Ive never put artificial deadlines on these trade deals, Ive always said we shouldnt sacrifice quality for speed.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly appeared to play down concerns that a possible free trade deal could involve the UK handing out more student visas. Weve got to understand that trade deals are trade deals, not travel deals, he told GB News.

Mr Cleverly also rejected the idea of slow progress towards a trade deal. Pressed on Sky News about whether an agreement could be expected before the next general election, he said the government did not want to rush it through.

Sunak meets local schoolchildren at the British Council in Delhi (Getty Images)

The PM said it was special to be visiting India again  a country which he revealed refers to him as its son-in-law as he arrived in New Delhi for the weekends summit.

Mr Sunak said India was near and dear to him because of family ties. He is the first UK PM of Indian descent and was a regular visitor to the country before being promoted to chancellor by Boris Johnson.

The MP for Richmond was born in Hampshire, to Indian migrant parents  a pharmacist mother and a GP father. The 43-year-old is also married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of NR Narayana Murty, the founder of Indian IT giant Infosys and a major figure in the country.

It is obviously special, he said. I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately  Im excited to be back. It is nice to have Akshata with me as well.

Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty (C) are met on the tarmac by dignitaries including the Indian minister of state (Getty Images)

Mr Sunak was heard asking school children whether they watched Indias successful moon landing during a visit to the British Council. After getting a fulsome reply, he said: That was really cool, wasnt it? A special moment.

While at the Indian summit, Mr Sunak has vowed to call out Russia about its invasion of Ukraine  despite India keeping ties open with Moscow since the conflict started in February last year.

Mr Sunak said he will use the G20 summit in India to speak to allies about Ukraine and put pressure on Moscow over its blockade of grain out of Ukraine. Ill be highlighting that devastating impact so that people are aware of whats happening and put pressure on Russia to cease attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak arrives in India ahead of G20 summit

The PM criticised Russian president Vladimir Putin for refusing to attend the G20. Moscow has sent foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to New Delhi in his absence.

Mr Sunak said the Russian leader was steering clear of confrontation because he doesnt want to be held accountable, adding that his absence demonstrates his isolation in the global community.

Chinese president Xi Jinping is another of the 20 leaders who chose not to fly out to India, with premier Li Qiang representing Beijing at the summit. Mr Sunak would not commit to meeting with Mr Li while in New Delhi, saying only that he was expecting to see a range of people.

Mr Sunak holds a bilateral meeting Mr Modi on Saturday, where they are expected to discuss a wide range of issues. The PM suggested that he would not raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal  the British citizen accused of terror offences and facing the death penalty in the country.

Dozens of MPs have urged the PM to ask Mr Modi to release the man from West Dunbartonshire, whom campaigners at Reprieve claimed has been forced to sign false confessions.

Asked if he would raise the case, Mr Sunak said: This is something that, just so people are reassured, has already been raised on multiple levels on multiple occasions.
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Rishi Sunak has said he will use the G20 summit to put pressure on Moscow, amid global concerns over the blockade of grain out of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister received a colourful welcome as he arrived in India to attend the G20 leaders summit, later meeting with and speaking to local children during a visit to the British Council in New Delhi.

But he stressed that the meeting of world leaders would have a serious focus, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

One of the priorities I have being here is to highlight the impact of Russias war on millions of vulnerable people around the world. And thats the impact of food prices.

Mr Sunak condemned Russias decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain initiative, which allowed ships carrying grain to leave southern Ukrainian ports without fear of attack, in July.

Russias pulled out of that deal, youve seen prices go up and typically that has an impact, not just at home in the UK, but as I said, on millions of vulnerable people.

Ill be highlighting that devastating impact so that people are aware of whats happening and put pressure on Russia to cease attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Mr Putin has said the deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, will not be restored until the West meets Moscows demands on its own agricultural exports.

The pact, first signed in July 2022 and extended every three months for a year, led to 33 million tonnes of grain and food exports leaving Ukraine, with the majority going to developing nations struggling for food supplies, according to the UN.

Mr Putin has opted not to attend the New Delhi gathering in person but his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is expected to attend.

Mr Sunak conceded that it may not be that everyone here agrees on everything when asked about the difficulty of finding consensus among the grouping.

Pressed on the importance of reaching an agreement on condemning Moscow over the war, he said: The G20 is a broad group of countries and they have different perspectives, but its still important to be talking to people, to be engaging, to highlighting things like Russias aggression and the impact its having.

I think we can be proud of the role we play as the Brits here, highlighting these important issues, doing our bit to make a difference.

The Prime Minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty, were greeted by traditional dancers and music as they disembarked from RAF Voyager at Indira Gandhi Airport on Friday.

They spoke with Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner to India, and Indian minister of state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey before visiting the British Council in New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters on the flight from London to the Indian capital, the Conservative Party leader, who is the first British prime minister of Indian descent, spoke about how special it was to return to a country that is very near and dear to him.

He revealed it was his first time returning to India in more than three years.

Mr Sunak, who is a practising Hindu, told reporters: It is obviously special.

I saw somewhere that I was referred to as Indias son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.

The G20 summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with Mr Sunak expected to speak on the topics of migration, the global economy, the Ukraine conflict and climate change.

He is scheduled to meet Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks on the fringes of the summit, with officials not ruling out the premiers discussing progress on a UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).

Boris Johnson, when he was in Downing Street, targeted October 2022 to sign off on a post-Brexit trade pact, in a move designed to coincide with celebrations of the Hindu festival of Diwali.

His successor, Liz Truss, made the same commitment during her brief stint as prime minister.

But that original target has been missed by almost a year and Mr Sunak has been reluctant to set out a time frame for doing a deal with the country of 1.4 billion people.

There has been speculation that one of the hold-ups to a trade pact is Indias push for more visas to be granted for its people to work in Britain  a request Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly holds concerns about.

No 10 on Thursday ruled out any change to UK immigration policy to accommodate an FTA with New Delhi.

But the Prime Ministers official spokesman indicated an expansion of business visas would potentially be considered.

The summit in India marks the gathering of leaders from the worlds 20 largest economies.

There are no set plans for UK leader Mr Sunak to meet with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is representing Beijing at the summit in president Xi Jinpings absence, but No 10 has not shut down the possibility of a short interaction between the pair.

On Friday, Mr Sunak and Mrs Murty met children at the British Council in New Delhi who were learning computer coding and language skills through UK funding.

They also talked to a group having football lessons, with Mrs Murty going barefoot when she joined the youngsters with a ball.

In the evening, the Prime Minister held informal talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, before the Sunaks had a private dinner together.
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The Prime Minister said he wants to ensure justice is done in the case of detained Briton Jagtar Singh Johal, but refused to commit to lobbying the Indian premier about the case.

Mr Johal, a Sikh blogger from Dumbarton in Scotland, was in Punjab in northern India for his wedding in 2017 when his family said he was arrested and bundled into an unmarked car.

He said he has been tortured with methods including electric shocks, and faces the death penalty over his activism and campaigning for Sikh human rights.

Rishi Sunak has travelled to New Delhi for the G20, with plans to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the summits fringes.

A cross-party group of at least 70 MPs, according to the Sikh Federation, wrote to Mr Sunak this week calling on him to press the Hindu nationalist leader to immediately release Mr Johal.

It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly wrote to Mr Johals brother in July to say the Government had decided it was best not to press India over the issue, the BBC reported.

Asked by reporters on the plane to New Delhi whether he would raise Mr Johals case with Mr Modi, the Prime Minister said: Both the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office ministers have raised this case on multiple occasions with their counterparts.

We understand what his family are going through and want to make sure that the process works and that justice is done appropriately as well.

Pressed again on whether Mr Johals situation would be part of his bilateral discussion, Mr Sunak replied: Ill be raising a range of things with Prime Minister Modi.

This is something that, just so people are reassured, has already been raised on multiple levels on multiple occasions.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales have spent the period since Queen Elizabeth IIs death developing their relationship with the people of Wales.

William and Kate were named as the new Prince and Princess of Wales by the King in his historic address to the nation the day after his mother died peacefully at Balmoral.

The couple were focused on deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time, a source close to the couple said at the time.

Wales is the place where they are expected to mark the first anniversary of the Queens death by visiting St Davids Cathedral on Friday, according to reports, with the prince likely to pay tribute to his grandmother.

Charles was the longest-serving Prince of Wales, holding the title since he was a young boy and formally invested as the Prince of Wales when aged 20, at a ceremony staged at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Protests were staged against the historic moment, including a bomb plot co-ordinated by Welsh paramilitary group Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru.

The use of the title Prince of Wales has again generated controversy with a petition calling for its end out of respect for the Welsh, gathering more than 25,000 signatures soon after the Queens death.

There are no plans for an investiture ceremony to formally install William as Prince of Wales.

During a TV discussion, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas said when he was culture minister in the Welsh Government he raised with Charles, then Prince of Wales, the hope there would never be another investiture in Caernarfon Castle.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas said Charles laughed and said: Do you think I want to put William through what I went through?

William and Kate made their first visit to Wales as the nations new prince and princess just a few weeks after the Queens death, travelling to Anglesey, their first home when newly-weds, and where they raised their eldest son Prince George for the first few months of his life.

The title has come with new responsibilities for William as he is now heir to the throne and will increasingly represent his father the King at events at home and overseas.

The prince had been preparing for his role since he left his job as an air ambulance pilot in East Anglia and began working as a full-time royal in 2017 in support of his grandmother.

Three years before, he enrolled on a 10-week course in agricultural management at Cambridge University, learning about the issues facing rural communities and the farming industry.

His studies gave him a grounding for running the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, property and investments valued at more than 1 billion, which provide an income for the heir to the throne.

William, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, a title inherited from his father after the Queens death, made his first visit to Cornwall in November last year, meeting staff, volunteers and young people involved in a community environmental project, and returned in July to open a new restaurant and atrium at the Duchy of Cornwalls nursery.

The princes public work has seen him launch a number of major projects in recent years from the Heads Together mental health campaign, with Kate and the Duke of Sussex, to his Earthshot Prize environmental awards and a new homeless initiative that aims to end rough sleeping.

In a recent newspaper interview, William was asked if there were plans for affordable housing on his Duchy of Cornwall land and replied There is. Absolutely. Social housing. Youll see that when its ready.

Kate, meanwhile, has focused on the early years development of children and earlier this year launched her lifes work, an ambitious campaign aimed at raising the profile of the formative years of a childs life.

In the coming years the couples prominence in public life will grow as William waits to fulfil his destiny and one day become King
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Workers at a munitions depot which provides missiles to Ukraine will strike for two weeks after accusing the Ministry of Defence of bad faith, a union said.

Around 50 members of GMB Scotland at the MoDs Defence, Equipment & Support centre in Beith, North Ayrshire, will walk out on Monday.

The union said strike action was voted for over allegations of a two-tier workplace, with an 18,000 pay gap between workers who are known as craft or non-craft.

The GMB accused the MoD of bad faith and disrespect after talks with conciliation service Acas collapsed.

Craft workers assemble the munitions, while non-craft colleagues support their work and prepare equipment for transport but receive no extra bonuses or additional payments.

Some non-craft workers earn less than 21,000 a year, and the pay gap is said by the union to have tripled in recent years.

We had been assured decision-makers would be arriving with constructive proposals to resolve this dispute but they didnt and there wasnt Chris Kennedy, GMB Scotland

The GMB said 93% of members at the depot voted for strike action in July over a dispute on retention bonuses.

Strikes took place across four days in early August, but two weeks of walkouts planned from August 21 were postponed for the Acas talks.

Lesia Vasylenko, an influential Ukrainian MP, has thanked staff at the site for their life-saving work.

She previously said: The work done by GMB Scotland members at Beith could not be more important to Ukraine as we fight for our freedom.

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine has also voiced support for the workers.

GMB Scotland organiser Chris Kennedy said: We suspended our action in good faith to allow these discussions to go ahead.

We had been assured decision-makers would be arriving with constructive proposals to resolve this dispute but they didnt and there wasnt.

There was nothing new to discuss and nothing new to take back to our members.

If the Ministry of Defence was advised this was how to proceed, it was badly advised.

It was, in fact, an exercise in bad faith and disrespect and has only hardened our members determination to secure fair pay.

They do not want to strike but have been given no choice.

GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said: A two-tier culture has been allowed to embed itself in this workplace and risks good working relationships now and in the future.

Our members are doing important and responsible jobs and simply want that work to be fairly recognised.

Instead, they have seen the gap between their salaries and that of their colleagues stretch wider and wider.

Everyone brings different skills to their work and that should be recognised, but the role of our members is fundamental to the effective operation of this important site.

They are only asking for fairness and the support they have received from Scotland to Ukraine shows why they deserve it.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: The proposed strike will have no effect on our ongoing support to Ukraine.

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) has well-established contingency plans in place to mitigate the impact while also ensuring all activities are carried out safely and securely by appropriately trained employees.

DE&S management has put forward an offer which would significantly improve the pay of the workers in dispute in a sustainable and affordable way.

The DE&S reward framework is designed to be fair and equitable and to recognise the knowledge, skills and experience employees bring to their roles.

As with all employers, employees are paid differently depending on grade as well as the nature of their role.
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Rishi Sunak has vowed to call out Russia at the G20 for the suffering it is inflicting on Ukrainians and millions of the worlds poorest people.

Speaking on the plane to India, the Prime Minister criticised Russian president Vladimir Putin for refusing to attend the G20 summit in India  the second year in a row the Russian leader has missed the world leaders gathering.

Mr Putin has sent foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to New Delhi in his absence.

Mr Sunak said the Russian leader was steering clear of confrontation with the West following his invasion of Ukraine because he doesnt want to be held accountable.

The fact that Putin is not there demonstrates his isolation in the global community Rishi Sunak

The British leader said he intends to highlight the impact that Moscows decision to collapse the Black Sea Grain Initiative is having on developing nations, which rely on cheap grain from Ukraine for food.

His pledge to use the gathering in New Delhi to continue to rally against the Kremlins attack on Kyiv comes despite host country India continuing to keep open ties with Mr Putins regime.

Mr Sunak, asked by reporters whether he had a message for Mr Lavrov at the G20, said: When it comes to Lavrov, the message is, the fact that Putin is not there demonstrates his isolation in the global community.

He wasnt there last year, he is not there this year to answer for what he is doing.

He doesnt want to be held accountable.

To mark Mr Sunaks arrival in the Indian capital, Downing Street announced London will host a global food security summit in November.

No 10 said the food conference would be in response to Mr Putin in July opting not to renew the grain deal with Ukraine, which allowed cargo ships to transport grain out of the war-torn countrys Black Sea ports without fear of attack.

The UK Government has also announced British military and security services will monitor the Black Sea in a bid to deter Russia from striking cargo ships that are transporting grain from Ukraine to developing countries.

The Prime Minister said the loss of the grain pact was causing an enormous amount of suffering to millions of people.

He continued: That initiative provided something like 30 million tonnes of food to over 45 countries who really needed it. And now it is not there.

Youve seen since he pulled out that dramatic increase in food prices.

And in the last month alone, the Russians have destroyed more grain than would feed, I think, a million people for a year.

Those are the consequences of what Russia is doing.

Theyve also destroyed about a third of Ukraines civilian export capacity with their bombardment. That is wrong. It is not right.

It is causing suffering in Ukraine, but it is also causing suffering to millions of people in very vulnerable countries around the world.

And I want to do everything I can to hold them to account for that and to call out that behaviour.

Chinese president Xi Jinping is another of the 20 leaders who chose not to fly out to India, with premier Li Qiang representing Beijing at the summit.

Mr Sunak would not commit to meeting with Mr Li while in New Delhi, saying only that he was expecting to see a range of people.

It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly last month became the first UK foreign secretary for five years to visit China, in a trip that was criticised by hawkish Conservative MPs.

Mr Cleverly defended having a face-to-face meeting with vice president Han Zheng, who played a leading role in the anti-democracy crackdown in Hong Kong, saying regular meetings were important to enhance understanding and to avoid misunderstanding.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived at St Davids Cathedral to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth IIs death with a small private service.

William and Kate arrived at the cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday afternoon  a year since the nations longest-reigning monarch died peacefully aged 96.

The couple, whose visit was delayed due to foggy weather, were cheered by around 300 well-wishers who had gathered in the grounds of the ancient cathedral.

During their visit, William and Kate, who was wearing a burgundy dress coat by Eponine, will attend a private service lasting 10 minutes in the cloisters along with clergy, the choir and 20 invited guests.

It will be led by the Dean, the Very Rev Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, who is expected to reflect on the Queens lifelong example of faithful and devoted service.

Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts  played during the funeral of the Queen at Westminster Abbey  will be sung by the cathedral choir.

Following the service, Kate will lay a bouquet of flowers including ivy, eucalyptus, white roses and waxflowers, by a portrait of the late Queen.

William and Kate will then attend a reception with 20 people associated with Elizabeth IIs previous visits to St Davids, as well as those active in areas the couple have an interest in such as mental health and early years.

St Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years, since St David  the patron saint of Wales  settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.

Since the Reformation, one of the quire stalls has been in possession of the Crown and is known as the Sovereigns Stall.

This makes St Davids the only UK cathedral where the sovereign has a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral.

Elizabeth II was the first monarch to visit St Davids Cathedral since the Reformation when she arrived at the site with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal tour to Wales in August 1955 following her coronation.

She sat in the special stall then, and on three subsequent occasions during her visits to the cathedral  which dates from 1181  over the years.

St Davids has officially been a city since 1995, when Elizabeth II presented the then town council with letters patent elevating it to the status of a full city council during a ceremony at the cathedral.

In 1982, the Queen performed the Maundy money ceremony  in which the monarch distributes money to pensioners to commemorate Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper  at St Davids Cathedral.

She last attended the cathedral, which welcomes 300,000 visitors each year, in 2001.
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The family of a California woman shot and kidnapped from her boyfriends car before being murdered last month hoped for justice as they laid her to rest.

Nineteen-year-old Andrea Vazquez was on a date with her boyfriend at a park in the city of Whittier when they were ambushed on 20 August. Vazquez was snatched while her boyfriend rushed to call for help.

After her body was found days later in Moreno Valley, 20-year-old Gabriel Esparza was charged with murder, kidnapping and attempted rape in connection with the attack.

Vazquezs family said their final farewell to the young woman during a funeral ceremony on Wednesday, ABC reported. Vazquezs mother said her daughter had a bright future and life ahead of her that was senselessly cut short.

Were looking forward to getting justice for my daughter, and were not going to stop until justice is done because no one deserved this, Vazquezs father Eduardo Vazquez also told the network.

Vazquez was a fashion design student at Fullerton College and also worked at a mall in Cerritos.

Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A search is underway for California woman Andrea Vazquez who was shot and abducted from her boyfriends car after a shooting at a park near Los Angeles. (Whittier Police Department)

These also include attempted murder, kidnapping to commit another crime, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two counts of attempted forcible rape. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea last month.

Mr Esparza, a Whittier resident, was arrested at his in the city of Lakewood. Officials have said the attack on Vaquez was random.

He has since been booked into the Whittier Police Department and is being held without bail.

Gabriel Esparza, 20, is charged with murder and kidnapping of Andrea Vasquez (WPD)

Investigators recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the slaying, as well as the suspects vehicle, a 2013 White Toyota Tacoma truck.
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Nearly 40 years after an infant was found wrapped in a towel, inside a plastic bag and left to die on a cold December morning in a wooded area of Mendham Township, New Jersey, investigators say they have solved the case.

The baby girls body was discovered by two young boys who were fishing at Woodland Lake in the Dismal Harmony Natural Area on the morning of Christmas Eve in 1984.

She was baptized by Reverend Michael Drury of St Joseph Church, who gave her the name Baby Mary. But her identity remained a mystery until this year.

After a multiyear investigation and new DNA analysis, the babys mother was arrested in South Carolina and charged with manslaughter, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll announced at a press conference on Thursday.

Prosecutors declined to share the mothers name because she was a minor at the time of the alleged crime. The man who authorities identified as the babys father has since passed away. There is no evidence that he was aware of the pregnancy or the birth.

For nearly four decades, investigators have vigorously pursued every lead to identify Baby Mary and learn more about the circumstances leading to her discovery in the woods.

Then, nine years ago, former Chief Steven Crawford called for a re-examination of Baby Marys case for the 30th anniversary.

Our officers, alongside our partners from the county and state, would pursue many leads and investigative avenues, eventually bringing justice for this infant who never had a chance to fight for herself, Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson said.

The baby was found around 10.35am on the morning of 24 December near Mt Pleasant Road in Mendham Township, New Jersey. Her umbilical cord was still attached.

The Medical Examiner determined the infant had been alive at the time of her birth. Her death was ruled a homicide.

DNA of the baby was taken, obviously, at the time of the discovery, Mr Carroll said at the press briefing. DNA analysis led investigators to an identification of the father. Thereafter, literally running down hundreds, if not thousands, of leads led to identification of the mother. Both the father and the mother have been verified through DNA as being the proper mother and father.

On April 24, 2023, a juvenile delinquency complaint was filed against Baby Marys mother. She was charged with one count of manslaughter, an offence which would be a second-degree crime if committed by an adult.

This arrest is the culmination of decades of effort, across multiple generations of law enforcement, Mr Carroll said. It is a tribute to the tenacity and dedication of the Morris County Prosecutors Office, our Major Crimes Unit, the Morris County Sheriffs Office, and the Mendham Township Police Department.

The death and abandonment of this baby girl is a tragic loss and even after nearly 40 years, remains just as heartbreaking, he continued. Justice may not take the form the public has imagined all these years, but we believe with this juvenile delinquency complaint, justice is being served for Baby Mary.

Every Christmas Eve for the past 35 years, members of the Mendham Township police department and community have left their own families at noon to remember Baby Mary with a service by her grave, to ensure she is never forgotten.

Today, we are finally able to bring closure to this case and the community that has supported her, Chief Johnson said.
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CCTV footage released by police shows a murder suspect on the run after escaping from a hospital in Washington DC.

A manhunt was launched after Christopher Haynes, 30, escaped custody at George Washington Hospital.

The 30-year-old was last seen at around 3.30pm on Wednesday in the area of the hospital in the 900 block of 23rd Street.

The footage, captured shortly after his escape, appears to show Mr Haynes climbing into a fenced-in yard.

At a press conference, acting DC police chief Pamela A. Smith confirmed Mr Haynes escaped when he was transported to hospital after complaining of a pre-existing ankle injury during his booking process.

Christopher Haynes (DC Police Department)

While an officer was changing his handcuffs at the hospital, Mr Haynes physically assaulted the officer and fled from the scene, Ms Smith said.

Mr Haynes is described as a black male, six-feet-tall, approximately 205 pounds with a medium brown complexion, with shoulder-length dreadlocks. He has black hair and brown eyes.

The 30-year-old was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and gray shorts underneath a white body suit.

Police said Mr Haynes had black handcuffs hanging from his right wrist when he escaped the hospital.

Murder suspect Christopher Haynes is seen in surveillance video after his escape from a DC hospital (Washington Metropolitan Police Department)

George Washington University cancelled all evening events and activities on Wednesday, with Mr Haynes believed to be in the area.

Staff at the university were advised to hold classes remotely.

University officials also advised the school community to exercise caution when moving around the Foggy Bottom Campus.

A police presence is still expected in the area as the search for Mr Haynes continues.

Metropolitan Police Department is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Haynes arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the departments TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.

Police have warned people not to engage with Mr Haynes if he is spotted.
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A California judge blasted actor Danny Masterson as she sentenced him to 30 years behind bars for raping two women who gave powerful victim impact statements in court.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo told the disgraced That 70s Show star that he had no one to blame but himself for the heavy sentence she was handing him.

Masterson, who is 47 and has a nine-year-old daughter, will not be able to apply for parole until he is 77 years old.

I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you, Judge Olmedo told Masterson before handing down the sentence.

But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.

The judge told him that she knew he was sitting in court wondering how you can be convicted of each charge of a sexual incident occurring 20 years ago involving a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.

And she bluntly told him that you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.

Danny Masterson and his wife Bijou Phillips arrive for closing arguments in his second trial, Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Los Angeles (Invision)

You were not convicted based on rumours, innuendo, gossip and speculation. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible.  You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.

Mastersons defence team, which did not call the actor to testify or any other witnesses, told the jury that the acts were consensual.

During her sentencing, the judge appeared to deride Mastersons decision to pay one of the victims almost $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Judge Olmedo told the court that it was an awful lot to pay for a crime he claimed had never taken place.

Masterson was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape on 31 May after seven days of deliberations.

The court was told that both attacks took place at Mastersons home in the Hollywood area of the city in 2003 when he was a member of the cast of the hit Fox sitcom.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson had raped a longtime girlfriend.

A mistrial was declared in Mastersons first trial in December 2022 after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape.
 Close Actor Danny Masterson found guilty on two counts of rape

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Danny Masterson received letters of support from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher ahead of his sentencing, it has been revealed.

Masterson, 47, was given a sentence of 30 years to life in a Los Angeles court on Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

It has since emerged that his That 70s Show co-stars Kunis and Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support before the sentencing.

In their letters, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff, the couple vouched for Mastersons exceptional character and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedos leniency.

A jury found Masterson guilty of two counts in May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Mastersons Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology  where all three women were also members at the time  to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
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A bizarre mystery where several swimming pools near Atlantic City in New Jersey suddenly turned green has apparently been solved.

Patrick Spina IV, 45, was arrested last week when police tracked a drone dropping dye into pools in neighbourhoods in Absecon back to his business. He is facing multiple charges of criminal mischief.

Mr Spinas peculiar pastime was first spotted in late June by a local hotel manager who noticed the pool used by guests had turned a neon colour.

"I saw it totally green and I was like, Oh wow what is going on? So we saw a dye pack in the bottom of the pool and we didnt know what it was," Sandra Woolstion, general manager of a Quality Inn in Galloway Township, told ABC.

Ms Woolstion said she knew it was not green algae, but even after having the pool drained and cleaned, the dye kept being dropped by the drone bandit at least a dozen times over the summer.

The pool was very expensive to clean every time, she said, costing tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance, and guests were often very disappointed by the closure of the pool.

"The girls are standing here like, Oh my God we want to go swim. Some of them were crying," Ms Woolstion said. "I was like, Are you kidding me?! I myself cried. I went into my office and I had a meltdown."

Not only were there bills for refurbishments to the pool, but she also took on losses because of pool closures and also had to give her staff overtime pay to monitor the pool.

It was just more than we bargained for, she told The New York Times. I was like, I cant deal with this anymore. This is crazy. This is costing me too much.

The general manager of a Quality Inn in New Jersey said she had a meltdown due to cruel trick being played on her pool (ABC 7)

Police also started to receive other calls that reported the same incident happening to their home pools.

"We had a resident who was enjoying time in his pool and saw a drone over top and the drone actually dropped something in his pool and it turned green immediately," said Absecon Police Chief James Laughlin.

However, Mr Spinas drone had now been on too many outings for it to fly under the radar. When the drone holding the green dye was seen hovering over the Quality Inn again last Friday, the police brought in staff from the Federal Aviation Administration to track the drone back to a nearby business, Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling.

With this information, police arrested the business owner, Mr Spina.

The green pigment turned out to be sea dye that is usually used by search and rescue teams, and which can have a damaging effect on pools.

Police say they are still unsure of Mr Spinas motive for dyeing the pools.

Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating the crimes and said that people who use drones in an unsafe manner could face up to $30,000 in fines and have their drone license suspended or revoked.

In a statement on Tuesday the agency warned: "FAA regulations prohibit the unsafe or unauthorized operation of any aircraft. We encourage the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement to help discourage this dangerous illegal activity."
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A rapper in Las Vegas has been charged with murder after police claim he "confessed to the murder in his lyrics."

Kenjuan McDaniel  aka The Biggest Finn4800  was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on 29 August. He faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon.

A court set Mr McDaniel's bail at $1m, and he has been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device.

The rapper was previously considered a "person of interest" in the death of Randall Wallace on 18 September, 2021. Police said Mr McDaniel was tied to a vehicle matching the description of the one used in Mr Wallace's murder, according to CNN.

Mr McDaniel posted a music video to YouTube for his song "Fadee Free" in mid-July, prompting detectives to pour over the images and lyrics for clues.

Detectives noted the music video bore a sufficient level of similarity to the details of the murder," Mr McDaniel's arrest warrant said. "This includes the fact, that Kenjuan confessed to the murder in his lyrics.  Details provided by Kenjuan in his music video were not released to the public and would not be common knowledge."

The arrest warrant includes a few of the lyrics investigators believe show Mr McDaniel's guilt.

I be the reason why hes dead, we still taunt him when he die/ not the reason hes dead, so celebrate the reason why his momma cry, one of the lines included in the warrant states.

Another line: Parked the car, double back on feet, the smartest way to slide, drove in, double lock yo man, make sure you get yo bod.

The lyrics reportedly revealed details about the murder that have not been made public, according to the investigators.

The music video also reportedly featured the rapper re-enacting the murder in a way that is "consistent with evidence at the scene."

The facts gathered during the investigation were obtained separately from the music video. The music video further validated the results of the investigation, the warrant says.

Mr McDaniel has a preliminary hearing set for 14 September.
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A storm that has now intensified to a Category 5, is "rapidly strengthening" as it stirs through the Caribbean, the US National Hurricane Center reported on Thursday.

Hurricane Lee began to strengthen over the very warm waters of the Atlantic, growing from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and by late Thursday night, it had grown to Category 5, with maximum sustained winds of 160mph.

By Friday morning, forecasters said Lee could become a monster 180mph storm.

Forecasters report that the storm could reach its peak by this weekend and is expected to be a vicious hurricane over the southwestern Atlantic by next week.

The NHC said dangerous surge and life-threatening rip currents are likely in the northern Leeward Islands beginning Friday and move along most of the US East Coast on Sunday.

Here is everything we know about Hurricane Lee and where it may be heading

Where is Hurricane Lee heading?

Hurricane Lees path on Thursday (NOAA)

The National Hurricane Center has said the storm will be moving in the following direction:

This weekend and early next week, the storm will progress to move north of the northern Leeward Islands. It said the conditions will impact the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

On Friday, the rip currents will spread westward, affection Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas through the weekend.

On Sunday morning, the dangerous surf and rip currents will churn along most of the US Coast.

The agency has advised people to check with local weather offices for more information.

AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno told USA Today, "Right now, the area in the United States that really needs to pay attention includes locations from the Outer Banks of North Carolina up to the Northeast."

Where will hurricane Lee make landfall?

A spaghetti model showing Hurricane Lees likely paths (National Centre for Atmospheric Research)

It is too early to tell, according to a CBS News forecaster  but there a few possible scenarios.

One theory involved a cold front coming off the East Coast that could trap Lee and push it north against the coastline, bringing potentially stormy weather to areas along the coast.

However, if no cold front were to form, the forecaster explained that Lee would then potentially stay out at sea for a longer period until it were to reach Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada . At this point it may have significantly weakened, theCBS report said.

Dr Levi Cowan PhD in meteorology from Florida State University, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter that this he was most impressive rapid intensification episodes in the Atlantic.

He added: This is one of the most impressive rapid intensification episodes Ive ever seen in the Atlantic. Hurricane #Lee went from having no eye this morning to possibly Cat 5 intensity this evening. Absolutely incredible.

What is a category 5 and what are some of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in Atlantic basin?

Storms are ranked from one to five on what is called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Category 5 is the highest and when catastrophic damage will occur.

A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas.

Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months, the agency said on its website.

Here are some of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic basin:

The Labor Day Hurricane in 1935  After a reanalysis by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it was found that the maximum sustained winds were at 185mph which it made landfall in the central Florida Keys.

Hurricane Allen in 1980  the cyclone started in the central Atlantic and ravaged its way in the Caribbean - winds were estimated to have reached 190mph, according to Fox Weather.

Hurricane Wilma in 2005  This storm, now listed in the Guinness World Records are the lowest barometric pressure in the eye of an Atlantic hurricane  but despite the low-pressure winds hit around 185mph and has been listed as one of the most intense cyclones ever recorded.

Additional reporting from agencies
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Mexico took a step closer towards change with the voice of women being heard as the countrys Supreme Court finally put an end to its federal ban on abortion.

On Wednesday, the court ruled that the national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violated womens rights.

It wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: The First Chamber of #LaCorte ruled that the legal system that penalizes abortion in the Federal Criminal Code is unconstitutional since it violates the human rights of women and people with the capacity to gestate.

The ruling comes after a legal appeal was launched by the Information Group for Chosen Reproduction (GIRE), a human rights organisation focused on reproductive rights.

Incredible!... With this decision of the @SCJN federal health institutions throughout the country will have to provide abortion services to women and people with the capacity to gestate who request it, the group wrote X, formerly known as Twitter.

Federal public health services are now able to offer the procedure to anyone who requests it  that means access for millions of Mexicans in the country.

The move to decriminalise the countrys abortion laws first began in 2007, it then took 12 years for the state of Oaxaca to follow.

A slow progress, but many people are using this moment as a cause for celebration and looking towards a hopeful future in Mexico.

Today is a day of victory and justice for Mexican women! Mexicos National Institute for Women wrote in a message on X.

The government organisation said this was a big step toward gender equality.

Does the ruling apply to all states in Mexico?

(AP)

On 30 August Aguascalientes became the 12th Mexican State to remove criminal penalties for abortion.

However, some 20 Mexican states still criminalise abortion. Those laws were not affected by the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday, but abortion rights advocates will likely ask state judges to follow through with its logic.

Abortions are not widely prosecuted as a crime in Mexico, but many doctors refuse to provide them, citing the law.

What does decriminalising abortion mean for the country?

Although the ruling is a move towards the right direction, Fernanda Diaz de Leon, sub-director and legal expert for womens rights group IPAS said it does not mean that every Mexican woman can access the procedure.

However, what it does do is push federal agencies to provide the care the patients need and want.

Removing the abortion ban inevitably takes away another excuse used by care providers to deny abortion in states where it is no longer seen as a crime by law.

Its a very important step, Ms Diaz de Leon said. But added: We need to wait to see how this is going to be applied and how far it reaches.

Olga Sanchez Cordero, a former Supreme Court justice, applauded the ruling, saying on X that it represented an advance toward a more just society in which the rights of all are respected. She called on Mexicos Congress to pass legislation in response.

What could this mean for other countries where abortion has been banned?

The US ruling on Roe v Wade last year led to the development of a network of Janes who buy abortion pills over the counter in Mexico and ship them to women and girls in need in the United States.

This also prompted a rise in abortion tourism to other US states where the procedure is still legal, and to Mexico.

Given the latest ruling in Mexico  this may get more women from the American South to travel to Mexico for healthcare.

In the US, as of 23 August, there are at least 22 US states that have banned or restricted abortion, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Additional reporting from the Associated Press
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On 12 September, 2001, the world was reeling in shock. The day before, al-Qaeda terrorists had hijacked commercial planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing 2,977 people. Americans were gripped with grief for the dead and fear of a potential next attack. The United States image of invincibility had been shattered. People of all nations were stunned.

Around the globe, newspapers struggled to capture the full scope of the tragedy on their front pages. More than 20 years later, they provide a glimpse of the worlds first reactions to that day of horror.

The New York Times put the burning Twin Towers front and center on its cover, calling 9/11 a DAY OF TERROR.

The New York Times front page on 12 September, 2001 (The New York Times)

Just hours after the attacks, The Washington Post underestimated the death toll, writing Hundreds Dead.

The Washington Posts front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Washington Post)

USA Today called the terrorism an Act of War, foreshadowing the quagmires to come in Afghanistan and Iraq.

USA Todays front page on 12 September, 2001 (USA Today)

The New York Daily News took the same angle, emblazoning a horrifying photo of the second plane approaching the World Trade Center with the garish red words, ITS WAR.

The New York Daily News front page on 12 September, 2001 (The New York Daily News)

San Franciscos The Examiner emphasised the rage many Americans felt at the terrorists, captioning its front page simply, B******S!

The San Francisco Examiners front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Examiner)

The Independent, still a print newspaper at that point, headlined a grim picture of the Twin Towers in flames and smoke with the words, Doomsday America.

The Independents front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Independent)

The Times of London took a simple but affecting approach with its front page. Using the full width of its wraparound cover, the newspaper showed a panoramic shot of Lower Manhattan enveloped in smoke after the first tower fell. The headline was simply the date and time: 10:02am, September 11, 2001.

The Times of Londons front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Times)

Like other papers, Britains The Daily Telegraph saw the attacks through the lens of conventional warfare, calling them War on America.

The Daily Telegraph's front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Daily Telegraph)

The Guardian used the same photo and a similar headline: A declaration of war.

The Guardians front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Guardian)

Canadas The Globe and Mail alluded to the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, which President Franklin Roosevelt called a date which will live in infamy. The bombing had been the deadliest foreign attack on American soil in history  until 9/11.

The Globe and Mails front page on 12 September, 2001 (The Globe and Mail)

In Australia, the Herald Sun included a disturbing inset photo of two of the Americans who jumped from the Twin Towers as they burned. Its headline, below a larger photo of the explosions, was AMERICA ATTACKED.
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For nine days, expert cave explorer Mark Dickey was stuck 3,400 feet below the surface in a cave in the Taurus Moutain region of Turkey.

Mr Dickey, 40, is an experienced caver who embarked on an expedition mission to map one of the deepest caves in the world  the Morca cave system in southern Turkey.

But the expedition was suddenly cut short after Mr Dickey fell ill with gastrointestinal bleeding on 2 September.

Now, a rescue team of over 150 personnel from several international organisations have combined their efforts to retrieve Mr Dickey, who could not leave the cave under his own power due to the emergency medical situation.

An international coalition of cave rescue teams spent three days carrying Mr Dickey through the cave system to the surface in what was described as a challenging recuse, with the American finally being removed at 12.37am on Tuesday 12 September local time.

An expert caver

Trapped American explorer sends video message from inside Turkish cave

Hailing from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, Mr Dickey is a highly-trained caver, cave rescuer himself and well-known in the international speleological (cave expert) community, according to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).

His resume of cave explorations and expert status is endless: secretary of the ECRA medical committee, lead instructor for Caving Academy, a US-based organisation that prepares other cavers for exploration and a national instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.

He also volunteers with the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a nonprofit search-and-rescue team.

Mark Dickey, who fell ill during an international expedition exploring the Morca cave in the south of Turkey (Sourced)

Having participated in many cave explorations in karst areas around the world for many years, Mr Dickey is knowledgeable and skilled  the kind of person youd want on complicated cave exploration like the Morca mission.

Mr Dickey was on an expedition to map the 4,186-foot-deep cave system in southern Turkey for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association.

Photos from a Facebook page that seemingly belongs to Mr Dickey show him happily preparing for the mission by inspecting all the necessary gear before embarking.

But what Mr Dickey, and others, could not prepare for was the sudden emergency medical situation he found himself in during the journey.

On 2 September, Mr Dickey fell ill with severe gastric pain that was escalating quickly. Though there was initial hope that Mr Dickey could exit the cave on his own, the pain turned into gastrointestinal bleeding and it was clear he needed medical attention quickly.

The Speleological Federation of Turkey sent a medical team and six units of blood in the following days in the hopes of stabilising Mr Dickeys medical situation.

On Thursday, Mr Dickey appeared in a video for the first time, obtained by The Associated Press, where he thanked Turkish authorities for responding quickly to his medical needs.

I dont quite know whats happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life, Mr Dickey said. I was very close to the edge.

While doctors worked to assist Mr Dickey, cave experts began putting their teams together to figure out how to rescue Mr Dickey through one of the deepest, and very complicated, cave systems.

A long and challenging rescue operation is initiated to carry Mark out on a stretcher, the ECRA said in a statement.

In this screen grab from video, American caver Mark Dickey, 40, talks to camera next to a colleague inside the Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey (AP)

A complicated route

Teams from Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and Poland worked to divide up the cave and create a path to the surface.

The Morca cave system descends through various, very narrow, twists, turns and rappels  making it a difficult exploration for any person in good health. The underground equivalent of the cave is like climbing Mount Everest.

It takes a full 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface in ideal conditions, the Speleological Federation of Turkey said.

To tackle the issue, the team of international experts divided up the depths of the cave and assigned it to a specific team to figure out a solution for that specific area.

European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) members work next to the entrance of Morca cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 (AP)

At multiple very narrow spots, a demolition team had to widen them so Mr Dickey could pass through on a stretcher. They also needed to set up several camp spots on the way up to continuously monitor Mr Dickey and give him and his team sections to rest in.

To make the matter more complicated, communication between the underground team and the surface team was limited. Runners were used to travel from the camp where Mr Dickey was to the surface where a telephone line was to speak with officials, according to AP.

Hungarian Cave Rescue Service member, Marton Kovacs, told CBS News that they were also addressing the danger of falling rocks in several places. The Hungarian team worked between the 590 to 1180-feet depths

Mr Kovacs said Mr Dickeys exit would take several days and they hope to begin on Saturday or Sunday depending on Mr Dickeys condition.

Rescue mission takes three days to extract caver

The mission to remove Mr Dickey began on Saturday and he was passed from team to team through the cave system.

After working for three days, the international team of cave rescuers successfully brought Mr Dickeyi to safety at 12.37am on Tuesday local time.

Mark Dickey was removed from the last exit of the cave at 00:37 and taken to the UMKE tent. Thus, the cave rescue part of the operation has ended successfully. We congratulate all those who have contributed! Turkish rescuers stated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Turkish officials said that Mr Dickey would be taken by helicopter to a hospital in Mersin.

He seems fine at first look, Recep Salci of Turkeys disaster and emergency management authority (AFAD) said on Tuesday, according to CNN.
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Experienced explorer Mark Dickey has emerged from a Turkish cave after a successful three-day rescue operation by teams from all over Europe to carry him out of one of the deepest caves in the world.

Mr Dickey said that it was Amazing to be above ground again, as he was taken to a medical tent for examination before he could be transferred to hospital after his ordeal, reported CNN.

And he thanked the rescue teams and Turkish government for bringing him to safety and said they had saved my life literally no questions asked.

And he added: I was underground for far longer than ever expected with an unexpected medical issue.

An international team of cave rescuers successfully brought Mr Dickey from 3,400 feet (1,036 metres) in the cave to safety at 12.37am on Tuesday local time, after a challenging operation that began on Saturday.

Mark Dickey was removed from the last exit of the cave at 00:37 and taken to the UMKE tent. Thus, the cave rescue part of the operation has ended successfully. We congratulate all those who have contributed! Turkish rescuers stated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Turkish officials said that Mr Dickey would be taken by helicopter to a hospital in Mersin.

He seems fine at first look, Recep Salci of Turkeys disaster and emergency management authority (AFAD) said on Tuesday, according to CNN.

The 40-year-old American embarked on an expedition to map out one of the deepest cave systems in the world, in the Morca cave in Mersin provinces Taurus mountains on 2 September.

The Morca cave system descends through various, very narrow, twists, turns and rappels  making it a difficult exploration for any person in good health. The underground equivalent of the cave is like climbing Mount Everest.

But the expedition was suddenly cut short after Mr Dickey fell ill with gastrointestinal bleeding and became trapped at a depth of 1,040 metres (3,400 feet).

Video images from Turkish channel TRHaber show US caver Mark Dickey following his rescue (TRHaber)

His condition worsened quickly, making him unable to move and requiring a doctor to go down into the cave to administer vials of blood to keep him stabilised.

SON DAKIKA | Morca Magaras'nda arastrma yaparken mahsur kalan ABD'li bilim insan Mark Dickey'i kurtarma calsmas 10. gununde basaryla sonucland.



Dickey, helikopterle hastaneye sevk ediliyor. pic.twitter.com/kPmyi5aw8F  TRHaber (@trhaber_com) September 11, 2023

For days, rescuers were unsure if Mr Dickey would be strong enough to be rescued to the surface, but his condition began improving on Wednesday.

Members of the CNSAS, Italian alpine and speleological rescuers carry a stretcher holding American researcher Mark Dickey during a rescue operation in the Morca cave, near Anamur (AP)

Rescue teams from countries across Europe, including Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and Poland, rushed to Mr Dickeys aid in the remote area in southern Turkey, with 158 of those rescuers being cave experts.

Mark Dickey was removed from the last exit of the cave at 00:37 and taken to the UMKE tent. Thus, the cave rescue part of the operation has ended successfully. We congratulate all those who have contributed! #MarkDickey #caverescue #Morca #tumaf@AFADBaskanlik  Turkiye Magaraclk Federasyonu (@tumaf1) September 11, 2023

And thus began the arduous rescue operation on Saturday 9 September, as Mr Dickey was slowly and carefully carried by stretcher through the dark, narrow underground passages.

Mark Dickey, who fell ill during an international expedition exploring the Morca cave in the south of Turkey (Sourced)

The base camp of international rescuers is seen near the Morca Cave (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Cave rescue teams from several European countries conducted a extraction effort to rescue Dickey (AP Graphic)

Mr Dickeys fiancee and fellow caver Jessica Van Ord was with him when he fell ill and stayed with the 40-year-old until medics arrived and gave him IV fluid and blood.

She eventually climbed out and stayed at a base camp near the mouth of the cave, while working with the 150-strong team of cavers who have travelled to Turkey to help bring Mr Dickey out by stretcher.

The mouth of the Morca cave system in Turkey (REUTERS)

Rescuers initially worked to stabilise Mr Dickeys condition before he could be moved.

By Thursday, his bleeding had stopped and he was able to walk unassisted, according to Cave Rescue Bulgaria.

The mission to extricate Mr Dickey began on Saturday afternoon. Rescue teams set up medical base camps at various depths throughout the caves where they could rest and recuperate.

Rescue teams used explosives to blast open parts of the cave to safely extract him.

Apart from small explosives, rock hammers were also being used by rescuers to make way for a stretcher to ensure Mr Dickeys safety during ascent.

Mark Dickey is seen in Morca Cave, days before he fell ill (REUTERS)

A medical team takes care of Dickey inside the cave (AP)

Members of the CNSAS, Italian alpine and speleological rescuers, start to descent on ropes (AP)

The cave path from the surface is a known route, Denes Akos Nagy, a doctor with the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, told the Wall Street Journal. But the path isnt frequently travelled and is difficult to navigate, he added.

If you imagine a skyscraper, that would be maybe 100 meters tall. They are 1,000 meters down there. Thats like 10 skyscrapers stacked on top of each other, Mr Nagy said. Its extremely far, far away.

In ideal conditions, it takes a full 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface, the Speleological Federation of Turkey said. But this was not the case with Mr Dickey.

To tackle the issue, the team of international experts divided up the depths of the cave and assigned it to a specific team to figure out a solution for that specific area.

Officials from the Speleogical Federation of Turkey announced they had reached 100m below ground on Monday evening local time. Mr Dickey was reported to be in stable condition at the time.

An expert caver

A New Jersey native and current resident of Croton-on-Hudson, New York, Mr Dickey is a highly-trained caver, cave rescuer himself and well-known in the international speleological (cave expert) community, according to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).

His resume of cave explorations and expert status is endless: secretary of the ECRA medical committee, lead instructor for Caving Academy, a US-based organisation that prepares other cavers for exploration and a national instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.

He also volunteers with the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a nonprofit search-and-rescue team.

Having participated in many cave explorations in karst areas around the world for many years, Mr Dickey is knowledgeable and skilled  the kind of person youd want on complicated cave exploration like the Morca mission.

Mr Dickey was on an expedition to map the 4,186-foot-deep cave system in southern Turkey for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association.

Photos from a Facebook page that seemingly belongs to Mr Dickey show him happily preparing for the mission by inspecting all the necessary gear before embarking.

But what Mr Dickey, and others, could not prepare for was the sudden emergency medical situation he found himself in during the journey.

On 2 September, Mr Dickey fell ill with severe gastric pain that was escalating quickly. Though there was initial hope that Mr Dickey could exit the cave on his own, the pain turned into gastrointestinal bleeding and it was clear he needed medical attention quickly.

The Speleological Federation of Turkey sent a medical team and six units of blood in the following days in the hopes of stabilising Mr Dickeys medical situation.

On Thursday, Mr Dickey appeared in a video for the first time, obtained by The Associated Press, where he thanked Turkish authorities for responding quickly to his medical needs.

As you can see, Im up. Im alert, Im talking, but Im not healed on the inside yet, he said.

I dont quite know whats happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life, Mr Dickey said. I was very close to the edge.

In this screen grab from video, American caver Mark Dickey, 40, talks to camera inside the Morca cave (AP)

While crews have been working to rescue Mr Dickey from the cave, a fundraiser for the efforts surpassed the $60,000 mark.

Many thanks to everyone who is contributing to Mark Dickeys rescue from Morca! The last cave rescue of this scale (Riesending, 2014) required 700 rescuers over the course of 2 weeks and cost approximately 960,000 Euros (about $1 million), the GoFundMe reads.

This GoFundMe is currently set to $100,000 and this will only be a start for the expenses. The funding will be put to good use towards the travel, food, gear and supplies that the rescuers have needed. This is a complex and expensive operation and your contributions to this effort are making a good impact towards supporting those involved!
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Veteran Canadian journalist and author Peter C. Newman, who held a mirror up to Canada, has died. He was 94.

Newman died in hospital in Belleville, Ontario, Thursday morning from complications related to a stroke he had last year and which caused him to develop Parkinsons disease, his wife Alvy Newman said by phone.

In his decades-long career, Newman served as editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star and Macleans magazine covering both Canadian politics and business.

Its such a loss. Its like a library burned down if you lose someone with that knowledge, Alvy Newman said. He revolutionized journalism, business, politics, history.

Often recognized by his trademark sailors cap, Newman also wrote two dozen books and earned the informal title of Canadas most cussed and discussed commentator, said HarperCollins, one of his publishers, in an author's note.

Political columnist Paul Wells, who for years was a senior writer at Macleans, said Newman built the publication into what it was at its peak, an urgent, weekly news magazine with a global ambit.

But more than that, Wells said, Newman created a template for Canadian political authors.

"The Canadian Establishment books persuaded everyone  his colleagues, the book-buying public  that Canadian stories could be as important, as interesting, as riveting as stories from anywhere else, he said. And he sold truckloads of those books. My God.

That series of three books  the first of which was published in 1975, the last in 1998  chronicled Canadas recent history through the stories of its unelected power players.

Newman also told his own story in his 2004 autobiography, Here Be Dragons: Telling Tales of People, Passion and Power.

He was born in Vienna in 1929 and came to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. In his biography, Newman describes being shot at by Nazis as he waited on the beach at Biarritz, France, for the ship that would take him to freedom.

Nothing compares with being a refugee; you are robbed of context and you flail about, searching for self-definition, he wrote. When I ultimately arrived in Canada, what I wanted was to gain a voice. To be heard. That longing has never left me.

That, he said, is why he became a writer.

The Writers Trust of Canada said Newmans 1963 book Renegade in Power: The Diefenbaker Years about former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker had revolutionized Canadian political reporting with its controversial insiders-tell-all approach.

Newman was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1978 and promoted to the rank of companion in 1990, recognized as a chronicler of our past and interpreter of our present.

Newman won some of Canadas most illustrious literary awards, along with seven honorary doctorates, according to his HarperCollins profile.
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Lebanese judicial authorities have questioned two people at the request of Turkey on suspicion of being involved in the 2019 escape of auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn from Japan to Lebanon, officials said Friday.

The recent questioning of the two men in Beirut came a week before a hearing in Lebanon about the $1 billion lawsuit that Ghosn, formerly the president of Nissan, filed against the company and about a dozen people in Beirut over his imprisonment in Japan and what he says is Fmisinformation spread against him.

The officials said one of the two men who were questioned is a Lebanese pilot who was at an airport in Istanbul when the plane carrying Ghosn from Japan landed. The pilot, officials said, denied that he got paid to help in Ghosn escape to Beirut. The Associated Press agreed to withold the pilot's name at the request of officials.

The AP has previously reported on the other man questioned, George-Antoine Zayek. He is believed to have helped a third man, former Green Beret Michael Taylor, hide Ghosn in a large black box supposedly containing audio equipment, although they knew Ghosn was not allowed to leave Japan while awaiting trial.

A Tokyo court handed down prison terms in 2021 for Taylor and his son Peter after they were accused of helping Ghosn escape to Lebanon while awaiting trial in Japan.

Zayek told Lebanese judicial officials that he did not know Ghosn before the escape adding that in 2019 he met Taylor in Dubai then they flew to Japan to attend a concert, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. They quoted Zayek as saying that while in Japan, Taylor said that they should head to Lebanon and they boarded a plane where he saw two large boxes and flew to Turkey and then to Beirut.

Zayek said after arriving in Lebanon he knew from media reports that Ghosn was on the plane, the officials said.

Ghosn was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of breach of trust, misusing company assets for personal gain and violating securities laws by not fully disclosing his compensation.

Ghosn is wanted in Japan and France. Since he fled to Lebanon, Beirut has received three notices from Interpol based on arrest warrants for him from those countries. In France, he is facing a number of legal challenges, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance.

Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan and does not extradite its citizens.

Ghosn has French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship.
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As drone strikes continue to rain down on Russian soil, Vladimir Putins bloody war has reached his own doorstep.

The strikes are now daily and on Tuesday the Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions, which border the Moscow region, as well as one closer to the capital, over the Istra district.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the drones were trying to carry out an attack on Moscow and that a consumer services facility was damaged in the Istra district, which is located some 65 km (40 miles) northwest of the Kremlin.

Attacks on Russia have increased sharply, with the largest such strikes hitting six regions on one night last week.

That assault included two Russian military transport planes being destroyed  and two more damaged  at an airbase in the city of Pskov.

Apparent Ukrainian drone strikes have hit at least six regions deep inside Russia (EPA)

Ukraines military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the drones were launched from inside Russia. However, in speaking to the War Zone website, Mr Budanov did not say whether the attack  about 400 miles (700km) from the Ukraine border  was carried out by Ukrainian or Russian operatives. We are working from the territory of Russia, he said.

Officials confirmed attacks on six targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions.

Meanwhile, Moscow has continued to carry out drone attacks on Ukrainian targets including port infrastructure. On Monday, 32 Russian kamikaze drones struck the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, damaging civilian and industrial buildings.

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The assault on the military airfield in Pskov that damaged aircraft has been deemed the most significant attack, situated more than 600km (400 miles) from Ukraine, it was where a number of elite paratroopers are stationed.

The state-run Tass news agency reported at least four giant Il-76 transport planes were damaged in the four-hour wave of drones, two of which had burst into flames.

Moscow retaliated on Wednesday by launching a massive combined attack on the Ukrainian capital using drones and missiles, that killed two people and injured another.

Russian forces responded by attacking Kyiv the night of 30 August killing two people and injuring another (EPA)

Kyiv officials normally neither claim nor deny responsibility for attacks on Russian soil, though they sometimes refer obliquely to them.

The apparent Ukrainian drones reaching deep into Russia and cross-border sabotage missions are part of Kyivs efforts to heap domestic pressure on the Kremlin, militarily and politically. Meantime, a Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in June is chipping away at some parts of the front line, Kyiv officials claim.
 Close Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

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Ukrainian troops have made confirmed advances near Bakhmut, Donetsk, and Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Geolocated footage posted on 30 October shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced northeast of Kurdyumivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut), it said.

Ukrainian forces have also marginally advanced west of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to geolocated footage seen by the think tank.

It comes as Kyiv said it had successfully hit a strategic object of the air defence system in western Crimea. Russian sources said the attack was carried out using combined long-range weapons like ATACMS, storm shadow missiles and sea drones.

The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed its air defence systems destroyed eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles over the peninsula.

If confirmed, this would be the first time Ukraine has used the top-tier missile system provided by the US to hit targets on the Crimean coast.

Meanwhile, Russia has bulked up its forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut in the east and has switched its troops from a defensive posture to taking active actions, a Ukrainian military commander said.
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Vladimir Putin orchestrated the killing of Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin thanks to his own weakness, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president made the off-hand remark during a conference in Kyiv on Friday, without providing any additional evidence. Mr Prigozhin died in an unexplained crash when a plane carrying himself and some of his top lieutenants went down when flying between Moscow and St Petersburg in late August.

Mr Prigozhin offered the most severe challenge to the Russian presidents authority in more than 20 years in power when he and his Wagner fighters rose up against Moscow in June. The mutiny began when Mr Prigozhins forces left their base in southern Russia and marched on Moscow. It prompted the Kremlin chief to accuse Mr Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back".

Mr Prigozhin and his troops were eventually halted 24 hours later, about 125 miles from the Russian capital, when a deal was brokered between the Kremlin and Mr Prigozhin by the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

See our live blog for the latest developments in Ukraine

Yevgeny Prigozhin (GREY ZONE, Telegram)

Mr Prigozhin had been in a public feud with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov for months about the direction of Russias invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its 18th month. There has been a crackdown on dissent against the war across Russian society, with dozens facing prison sentences. Western leaders have suggested that little of note happens in Russia without Mr Putins sign-off and that he would be unlikely to let the embarrassment of the mutiny go without sending a message to others looking to undermine his presidency.

Mr Zelensky said on Friday: "The fact that he killed Prigozhin - at least thats the information we all have, not any other kind - that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak. He made the statement in answer to another question about the Russian president.

The Kremlin says all possible causes of the crash will be investigated, including the possibility of foul play. It has called the suggestion that Putin ordered the deaths of Mr Prigozhin and his men an "absolute lie".

Many critics of Mr Putin have died in unclear circumstances during his 23 years in power, or narrowly escaped dying. Russias most recognisable opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is facing decades in prison over various charges that are widely considered to be politically motivated. He was arrested in 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from what is believed to have been nerve agent poisoning. He has blamed that poisoning on the Kremlin, as did a number of Western nations. The Kremlin has denied involvement.

Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskys hometown Kryvyi Rih was one of several sites in Ukraine to be hit by Russian missiles overnight into Friday.

Three people were also killed after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine.

The strikes come as Ukraine is trying to push back Russian troops and reclaim its territory as part of a summer offensive. However, Mr Zelensky said that his nation is finding it harder and slower to secure sanctions on Russia and weapon supplies to help fend off Moscow's forces.

He said Ukraine's three-month-old counteroffensive would make faster gains in the south and east if Kyiv's military received more powerful weapons.

"The war is slowing down. This is true, we recognise this. All the processes are becoming harder and slowing down: from sanctions to the delivery of weapons," he said.
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The depleted uranium anti-tank rounds soon to be in Ukraines military stockpiles have kicked up a debate over its use in the continuing Russian invasion.

Announced by the Pentagon in the latest military tranche on Wednesday, the controversial rounds have spread alarm among Vladimir Putins ministers who have warned against the escalation yet again.

Britain has already promised armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium to Ukraine in March. Prime minister Rishi Sunak had backed drawing out the rounds from the UK militarys stockpiles ultimately to degrade and deter  primarily  Russian aggression.

But what are these depleted uranium munitions?

The 120mm anti-tank shells made of depleted uranium are self-sharpening and flammable penetrator in munitions. They are made of naturally occurring Uranium which has been stripped of mostly  not all  of its radioactive matter.

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So while it is not a nuclear weapon in itself, it acts as a fuel and also as a great explosive that can be used in tank armour, pressed between sheets of steel armour plate.

They can be paired with top-tier tanks Western nations have already provided to Ukraine, and are particularly expected to boost the performance of 31 M1A1 Abram tanks set to be sent to the war-hit nation this fall.

These rounds first emerged in the 1970s when the US army started making the armour-piercing rounds and has since used it along with tank armour to multiply the firing effect.

Incredibly dense, more than lead, depleted uranium is considered a top-tier choice for projectiles.

When fired, it becomes essentially an exotic metal dart fired at an extraordinarily high speed, RAND senior defence analyst Scott Boston said.

Its so dense and its got so much momentum that it just keeps going through the armour  and it heats it up so much that it catches on fire, Edward Geist, a nuclear expert at research organisation RAND said.

The depleted uranium has also been added to the US ammunition fired by the Air Forces A-10 close air support attack plane, known as the tank killer.

Depleted uranium munitions, as well as depleted uranium-enhanced armour, have been previously used by US tanks in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraqs T-72 tanks and again in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, as well as in Serbia and in Kosovo.

Is the risk alarming?

The UN nuclear watchdog has warned of the emissions of low levels of radiation from depleted uranium when handling and also warned of possible dangers of explosion. This is a bug, not a feature of the munition, says Mr Geist.

Categorically, depleted uranium is not marked as a nuclear weapon.

It is mainly a toxic chemical, as opposed to a radiation hazard. Particles in aerosols can be inhaled or ingested, and while most would be excreted again, some can enter the bloodstream and cause kidney damage.

High concentrations in the kidney can cause damage and, in extreme cases, renal failure, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.

The US troops have questioned whether some of the ailments they now face were caused by inhaling or being exposed to fragments after a munition was fired or their tanks were struck, damaging uranium-enhanced armour.

Experts have said that if the US military could find another material with the same density but without the radioactivity, it would likely switch.

The IAEA has warned that handling of depleted uranium should be kept to a minimum and protective apparel (gloves) should be worn and a public information campaign may, therefore, be required to ensure that people avoid handling the projectiles.

Initial signs of radioactivity from the Ukraine war have started trickling in. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had recently claimed that the use of these munitions has already led to radioactive contamination.

How has Russia reacted?

In March, Russia was fuming after the Rishi Sunak administration announced it will give depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine, prompting them to issue nuclear threats.

This time, after the US joined Britain in sending the depleted uranium shells, Moscow snapped and called the latest military aid of depleted uranium a criminal act beyond just escalation.

It is a reflection of Washingtons outrageous disregard for the environmental consequences of using this kind of ammunition in a combat zone. This is, in fact, a criminal act, I cannot give any other assessment, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

He also reiterated previous warnings by Russia about the risk of a nuclear war, because of what he called Western pressure on Moscow.

Now this pressure is dangerously balancing on the brink of direct armed conflict between nuclear powers, he said.

In March, Vladimir Putin had warned that Moscow would "respond accordingly, given that the collective West is starting to use weapons with a nuclear component.

Several days later, Putin said Russias response will see Moscow stationing tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus, action to which effect was announced in July as Putin and the Belarusian president said they had already shipped some of the weapons.
With the summer holidays over and a new term about to begin, it might be time to treat yourself and upgrade to a powerful new laptop.

Currys has a wide selection of Windows laptops and Chromebooks that could be a serious upgrade on your current machine, with options from top brands like Lenovo, HP, Samsung and Acer. And best of all, these select laptops are available with 24 months of interest-free credit, and prices start from as little as 15 a month.

(Currys)

Windows users looking for a speed boost should consider the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, a 13.3in two-in-one laptop with two amazing touchscreens, up to seven hours of battery life and a generous 1TB of storage. Its powered by a speedy Intel Core i7 processor and designed to do it all on the Intel Evo platform - more than enough to power through heavy workloads and run demanding programs such as photo and video editing software  all available with 24 months of interest-free credit from Currys.

Whether youre going back to school, heading off to university for freshers week or gearing up for the first week at a new job, Currys has a wide range of powerful laptops to suit any budget.

(Currys)

Shoppers looking for a new two-in-one Windows laptop should check out the HP Pavilion x360, with its rotating 14in touchscreen display and Intel Core i5 processor. Available now from Currys with 24 months of interest-free credit, the laptop has 512GB of solid-state storage, 8GB of RAM and a battery life of up to 9.5 hours.

A device that wears many hats, the HP Pavilion x360 can be used as a conventional laptop for browsing the web and working on documents. But it can also be flipped into Tent mode for watching movies or showcasing PowerPoint presentations, with the keyboard folded out of the way. Lastly, the Full HD touchscreen means it also works as a tablet. Other features include USB-C charging, a 5MP webcam and speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen.

(Currys)

As well as laptops from HP, Currys back-to-school deals include powerful laptops like the Samsung Galaxy Book3 360, with its 15.6in display, 512GB of storage and Intel Core i7 processor. Its sure to be a serious upgrade from your current machine and is available with 24 months of interest-free credit. The display has a 360-degree rotating hinge, so it can fold right around, turning this laptop into a touchscreen tablet complete with S Pen stylus for drawing and annotating.

(Currys)

If youre a student looking for a budget-friendly laptop, Currys has 24-month, interest-free deals on Chromebook machines like the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5, a two-in-one device with a 14in screen that works as a laptop and a tablet. Power comes from an Intel Core i3 processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and battery life is up to a claimed 10 hours. This dual-purpose device is available for 14.54 per month for 24 months.

(Currys)

Looking for a laptop with green credentials? The Acer Vero 514 is a 14in Chromebook made from 30 per cent recycled plastic. Its powered by an Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM, has 256GB of solid-state storage and a Full HD screen. Battery life is a claimed 10 hours and its available for 26.20 a month.

Perfect for studying, email and social media, Chromebook computers run on Googles Chrome OS system but still pack plenty of performance for speedy browsing and long battery life. Currys currently offers 24 months of interest free credit on Chromebooks from Lenovo, Acer, HP and Asus.

(Currys)

For just 23.30 a month for 24 months, the Acer Spin 713 is a 13.5in two-in-one Chromebook with a touchscreen that rotates right around, turning the laptop into a tablet. The machine is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage and up to 10 hours of battery life.

(Currys)

If you need a laptop with powerful graphics, Currys is also offering interest-free credit on the Asus Vivobook 16X, a 16in Windows 11 computer powered by an Intel Core i5 processor with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state storage. This laptop also packs a dedicated graphics card, in the form of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050, has a Full HD screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and promises up to nine hours of battery life.

Whether youre preparing for a new term, a new degree or a new job, Currys has a wide range of laptops available with 24 months of interest-free credit. Head to the Currys website now to find exactly the right laptop for you.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, west Wales, where they will commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II with a small private service, marking the one-year anniversary of her passing.

The couple also paid their own tribute to the late Queen on the anniversary of her death on Twitter, now known as X.

The message said: Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C.

It was accompanied by a family photograph of the late monarch surrounded by her great-grandchildren.
King Charles has recorded a poignant message and released a favourite photograph of his mother to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth IIs death and his accession to throne.

Charles, in words written and audio spoken at Balmoral Castle where the Queen died on 8 September last year, said he recalled with great affection her long life, devoted service, and all she meant to so many of us.

The King said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.
Newly released footage shows a suspect hiding behind a tree as he attempts to evade arrest after fleeing a violent assault and robbery in Spokane Valley, Washington.

Arial footage captured shows the moment the man was arrested after he attempted to sexually assault a woman during a robbery.

The victim was treated on the scene with minor injuries.

Gordon Majmeto, 27, is seen crouching behind a tree as police search for him before he emerges and is apprehended by authorities.

Police have issued an appeal for witnesses to come forward who may recognise Majmeto in connection with previous crimes.
An American explorer who fell ill and became stuck in a Turkish cave has thanked authorities for saving his life in an emotional video.

Mark Dickey, 40, who is described as an expert caver, was 3,400 feet below the surface in the Morca cave when he began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding on Saturday.

Authorities in Turkey are working with a group of more than 150 international cave rescue experts to safely remove Mr Dickey from his location after he experienced the medical emergency.

I was very close to the edge, Mr Dickey said.
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The UK is set to experience a few more days of heatwave as the country recorded its hottest day of the year so far on Thursday with provisional data showing a high of 32.6C in Surrey.

It was the fourth consecutive day above 30C, a record for September, as many areas swelter in a late summer heatwave. But the heat is expected to last a bit longer before the weather takes a turn.

Friday is forecasted to be another very warm or hot day with plenty of sunshine, according to Met Office. Although some isolated thundery showers are possible in the west, temperatures will remain higher, with forecast highs of 27C in Manchester, 26C in Cardiff, 24C in Edinburgh and 29C in London.

But the warmth comes with a catch, with the Met Office warning of uncomfortable humid nights and thunderstorms in parts of the country.

The heat is set to climb even higher into the weekend with temperatures predicted to reach the low 30s across England and Wales.

The Met Office says it expects the hottest day of the year so far by the end of the week, with parts of England to see 33C on Saturday or sooner.

Parts of Scotland will reach 26C on Friday whereas the South of England will hit 29C (The Met Office )

The North East will see highs of 24C and the North West will reach 25C whilst Scotland will reach 22C, Northern Ireland 23C and Wales 24C.

Areas in the East Midlands are set to reach 30C whilst the West Midlands will experience highs of 29C.

Saturday could be the hottest day of this year with London hitting at least 31C (The Met Office)

Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: High pressure is situated to the southeast of the UK, which is bringing more settled conditions and temperatures well above average for the time of year.

While the highest temperatures are expected in the south, heatwave conditions are likely across much of England and Wales especially, with parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland also likely to see some unseasonably high temperatures.

The south will face the highest temperatures as Bristol in the South West will reach 28C and London in the South East will reach 33C.

(PA Wire)

Mr Gundersen explained why we are experiencing unusual highs for this time of year.

He said: An active tropical cyclone season in the North Atlantic has helped to amplify the pattern across the North Atlantic, pushing the jet stream well to the north of the UK, allowing some very warm air to be drawn north.

Its a marked contrast to the much of meteorological summer, when the UK was on the northern side of the jet stream with cooler air and more unsettled weather.

Conditions are expected to cool down a little by Sunday  but its expected to remain warm enough to have a BBQ instead of a roast dinner.

Temperatures are expected to ease off as Glasgow will hit 21C and Cardiff will hit 23C (The Met Office )

London will remain hot at 30C, the South West will reach 21C, Wales will hit 23C and the North West 24C. Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to experience highs of 21C.

Theres also a chance of thunderstorms in western areas over the next couple of days and nights; this is unlikely to be very widespread, according to the Met Office.

Britons can expect uncomfortably warm nights to continue, especially in the South where residents can prepare to have to sleep through tropical conditions as temperatures remain over 20C.

The forecaster has warned that such temperatures are unusual for September and the increase is fuelled by the human-caused climate crisis.

Hot spells like this are becoming more frequent and severe, the Met Office said.

By 2070, the chance of exceeding 30C for two days or more throughout the year increases. Projections show that over southern parts of the UK exceeding 30C for two days or more becomes sixteen times more frequent than it is today.

How long will heatwave last?

While Septembers warm weather is set to continue into the weekend for much of the UK, theres a chance of some thundery rain and change in weather as soon as a cold front arrives.

A cold front will begin to influence things as it arrives from the northwest over the weekend, though itll remain very warm or hot to the southeast of this front, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Nick Silkstone said.

Theres a chance the thunderstorm risk for some central and western areas from Friday, but more especially Saturday onwards may require a warning response, with some potentially impactful downpours, though exact details on the likely positioning of these downpours are still being determined, and indeed many places may see little if any rain on Friday and Saturday.

By the early part of next week, the Met Office predicts a return to normal temperatures with a mix of sunshine and some showers.
Increased costs are causing significant uncertainty in the construction sector, said Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) vice president Kevin Hollingsworth. Photo: Getty Images

Long delays in getting electricity, water and wastewater connections to new housing developments need to be urgently tackled to speed up the delivery and affordability of new homes, according to the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).

SCSI vice president Kevin Hollingsworth said the hold-ups are among the obstacles to delivering the huge amount of housing required to meet demand and threaten the financial viability of schemes.

He said increased costs  including the concrete levy  are causing significant uncertainty in the construction sector and that in many instances, projects are being paused or cancelled as they are no longer financially viable.

He made the comments as the society made its pre-Budget submission.

This is happening at a time when we need to be increasing the number of houses we are building, far in excess of the current targets, which the European Commission has said need to be substantially revised upwards, said Mr Hollingsworth.

He said the best approach to achieving that is to tackle costs within the gift of government and local authorities, including development levies, high road closure fees, local authority licensing fees and other duties.

While the removal of development levies and Uisce Eireann connection costs until March 2024 is a positive, there are still significant delays with electricity and water connections that are hindering the completion of projects, he said.

These are having a knock-on effect on the financing of developments and negatively impacting the cash flow of companies.

He said that Uisce Eireann needs more money to attract and retain skilled staff, many of whom would have worked previously with local authority water departments.

And local authorities themselves require further financial resources to be made available to them to attract and retain appropriate skilled staff to deliver social housing, Mr Hollingsworth said.

The SCSI has also insisted that the Governments new 5pc concrete levy will undoubtedly result in higher construction costs.

While we understand that the Government wants to seek a contribution from relevant stakeholders to the cost of remediating defective homes, the introduction of a levy on concrete blocks and concrete pouring other than in precast products will further challenge the viability and affordability of new homes including apartments at a time when it should be doing everything possible to drive down costs and increase the output of new homes, Mr Hollingsworth said.
Pilots at Dublin-based Emerald Airlines, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional service, have backed a new industrial relations agreement between the airline and the Forsa trade union.

The pilots, members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA), had threatened to strike for a day before the August bank holiday weekend, but suspended the action as the union and Emerald Airlines agreed to continuing negotiations.

About 52 of the almost 90 pilots employed by Emerald Airlines in the Republic of Ireland are members of IALPA.

The members had been working to rule prior to the decision to engage in strike action.

Emerald Airlines, founded by Conor McCarthy, had insisted at the time that it was maintaining active and healthy dialogue directly with all of our employees.

A ballot of the IALPA pilots at Emerald concluded on Friday afternoon.

The agreement achieves union recognition and a commitment to negotiating a Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) covering pilot pay, terms and conditions of employment., according to IALPA principal officer Daniel Langan.

Forsa national secretary Katie Morgan said the new agreement marked a fresh and positive step toward better industrial relations at the airline.

"We will build on this success by negotiating a collective agreement covering pilot pay and employment terms, she said.

The new industrial relations agreement commits the parties to that negotiation, and we look forward to commencing talks as soon as possible, said Ms Morgan.

Emerald Airlines, whose chief executive is Keith Butler, was awarded a 10-year contract in 2021 to operate the Aer Lingus Regional service.

Mr Butler welcomed the agreement with unions.

Sharing a mutual interest in the success of our young but growing airline, we look forward to working with Forsa to continue fostering a positive work environment for everyone at Emerald Airlines, he said.

To date, our open engagement approach has been instrumental in shaping our airline culture as it stands today Mr Butler added. As we move forward, we are committed to maintaining proactive engagement with our pilot body, including Forsa members, to allow us to effectively address their priorities and ensure that Emerald Airlines remains a positive and satisfying workplace for everyone involved."

Emerald has significantly expanded the number of routes it operates under the Aer Lingus franchise agreement, and now serves dozens from Dublin, Cork and Belfast.
The Irish Coast Guard will carry out a two-hour stand down of its helicopters due to elevated levels of stress among pilots and staff who are concerned for their jobs following a company takeover.

CHC Ireland, who hold the contract for search and rescue helicopters for the Irish Coast Guard have called a two-hour safety stand down for their four AWSAR (All Weather Search and Rescue) bases in Sligo, Shannon, Dublin and Waterford from 12pm to 2pm this Friday.

It comes as a result of CHCs handover to Bristow Ireland Ltd, commencing in July 2025, after they were awarded the Search and Rescue (SAR) contract by the Department of Transport.

A spokesperson for CHC Ireland said the extremely complex handover has left the 155 staff, comprised of pilots, co-pilots, winch operators, engineers and administrators across the four bases very anxious concerning the future of their employment.

Staff and unions are trying to confirm the retention of staff which is covered under the international regulation TUPE. However, Bristow Ireland Ltd are yet to open dialogue with CHC Ireland concerning the future employment of staff at all four bases.

Aviators, who are under a licence, have a legal obligation to step down and step back when they are feeling stress which could impact their safety and the safety of those they rescue, a spokesperson for CHC Ireland said.

CHC Ireland called this Fridays two-hour stand down after elevated concern was raised through a process over the last six weeks, which enabled staff to come forward to express themselves.

It has become more and more obvious that they are worried about their future, they said.

They stressed that the 155 staff are looking for a reassurance and for the process to be sped up, with the stand down brought in as a means of refocusing stressed staff.

Operations will be delivered on a limited basis between 12pm-2pm today.

Helicopters and staff in Shannon and Dublin will be stood down for the first hour, while Sligo and Waterford will be brought offline during the second hour.

During these times two Helicopters will be online for the duration of the Safety Stand Down.

They are hoping CHC will support and pursue TUPE for their jobs, so they can get back to basics.

You cant send people out to save others when they are under stress. It is not a cause for emergency yet, these people just want to do the best possible job, added the spokesperson.

Bristow Ireland Ltd were contacted for comment.
A NEPHEW of Gerry The Monk Hutch has been jailed for six months for snatching a womans handbag in a Dublin pub.

Alan Hutch (41) was sentenced for the theft after a court heard he was extremely ill due to mental health problems, was under high protection in custody because of his surname and his family was falling apart.
Law firm at centre of Nama Project Eagle controversy has won its legal battle with insurers

Belfast law firm Tughans faces significant claim from the UK affiliate of US law firm Brown Rudnick

Ian Coulter

Shane Phelan Fri 8 Sep 2023 at 03:30

A law firm being sued for millions of euros in the fallout from one of the biggest and most controversial property transactions in Irish history will be able to rely on its professional indemnity insurance should it lose the case, a court has ruled.
The Script perform to thousands of fans at Electric Picnic

Tickets for Electric Picnic 2024 are already sold out, with revellers snapping up tickets this morning before the line-up has even been revealed.

Loyalty tickets and general admission tickets went on sale this morning on Ticketmaster at 9am and sold out in under an hour.

All General Admission, Family Camping and Campervan and Loyalty tickets are now sold out.

The line-up for the festival will not be revealed until next year, though some 70,000 people already have their tickets.

Electric Picnic will take place earlier in the year than usual in 2024, swapping the normal September dates for Friday 16 to Sunday 18 August.

Many of those who attended Electric Picnic 2023 only returned from the campsite on Monday afternoon after a weekend that saw performances by Billie Eilish, The Killers and The Script.

The most surprising set of the weekend turned out to be The Wolfe Tones, who drew a record-breaking crowd to the Electric Tent.

It was packed to capacity inside the tent, with thousands more gathering around the sides to hear their rebel songs  something that has prompted much debate in the days since.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday told RTEs News at One that people may read too much into the politics of The Wolfe Tones success.

The Wolfe Tones perform to a record crowd at Electric Picnic
Fine Gael politicians have lashed out at Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue over changes to EU nitrate rules that could force thousands of farmers to reduce cattle herds.

TDs, senators and MEPs have accused the Fianna Fail minister of not doing enough to push back against the EU Commission.

New, tougher nitrate limits will restrict the amount of fertiliser that can be spread and the number of cows dairy farmers can keep on their farms unless they can obtain more land.

Farmers had been using a nitrates derogation which allows higher stocking rates on their farms, but this was dependent on Ireland improving water quality. However, this improvement has not happened.

Fine Gael politicians heavily criticised a virtual meeting which their fellow Coalition member held earlier in the week with Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius.

It is understood an in-person meeting could not take place due to scheduling clashes.

A government source said anything that can be done, will be done in terms of supports for farmers to help deal with the stricter new rules.

However, the source said the decision by the commissioner was made a year and a half ago and had not been sprung on farmers.

Fine Gael senator Tim Lombard said 6,000 dairy farmers would have to reduce their herds by the end of the year.

The Department of Agriculture said initially around 7,000 farmers would be affected but has revised this down to 3,000.

To hear that we had a so-called virtual meeting that dictated where we were going to go is very frightening, Mr Lombard said. The urgency behind this issue and the need for clarity for the industry has been there for a very long time. We need more time, otherwise there will be carnage.

He said absolutely the minister should have travelled to Brussels to meet the commissioner.

Thats at least what the minister should have done regarding this issue, he said.

Mr Lombard met the commissioner in Brussels yesterday alongside Fianna Fail TD Jackie Cahill, Fianna Fail senator Paul Daly and Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice.

Cant believe the best Minister McConalogue could manage was a virtual meeting with Commissioner Sinkevicius, which clearly didnt work, Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey tweeted.

Fine Gael TD Michael Ring said: Im very disappointed with the outcome and really there is an attack on farmers on all sides and particularly from Europe. Were sick and tired of the attacks on farmers from Europe.

The minister and his officials could have done a lot more, were producing first-class food and this is like importing peat from outside of the country.

Im disappointed with the department and the minister that they werent able to do a bit more in relation to this.

The minister on Thursday met with the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association. Members of the Irish Farmers Association picketed the meeting at the Department of Agriculture.

Independent Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae said the new derogations will hit small farmers. He said one of his constituents was told he would have to reduce his herd by 10 cows, from 58 to 48.

That was the advice from his Teagasc adviser. This makes him unviable, said the TD.

It is understood Irish politicians in Brussels on Thursday asked for flexibility in the enforcement of the new rules, but this was declined by the commissioner.

Mr McConalogue will be grilled on the issue next Friday at the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee.
Two Irish tourists who died after being struck by a car while on holiday in Rome on Thursday have been named locally as Paul and Mary OReilly from Kilmore, Co Wexford.

The married couple, who are believed to be 59 and 60 years of age, were killed after being struck by a car on the Via Cristoforo Colombo in the south of the Italian capital on Thursday afternoon.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed their deaths and said it is providing consular assistance to the family of the couple.

Paul and Mary were killed after being struck by a car while crossing the road on the Via Cristoforo Colombo in the south of Rome near the Presidential Palace, Castel Porziano, shortly before 1pm.

The driver of the car, a 54-year-old man from Rome, remained at the scene and tried to lend assistance. Italian news agency ANSA said, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver is believed to have suffered minor injuries in the collision and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The South Wexford village of Kilmore was in shock following the news of the deaths. As news hit the small rural community, locals have come to the assistance of family members in what has been described as a huge shock to immediate family friends and neighbours.

The bodies of the two Irish citizens were taken to the Tor Vergata hospital where postmortems will take place in due course.

One neighbour described the married couple as friendly and wonderful neighbours.

"This news has left everyone in the village and parish shattered. They were a lovely couple with a lovely family. It's shocking news, the loss of two young lives which has left their family and everyone devastated.

'We are a small community, but everyone will rally round over the coming days to led whatever assistance to the family, a family left shocked and devastated, with their sad loss.

Local Fine Gael Councillor, Jim Moore, said: "This came as a complete bolt out of the blue. It has left everyone devastated, the whole parish is numb as word filtered out. They were a couple familiar with travelling, so it was nothing new to them.

It beggars belief they could be mowed down like this. Coming on the back of so many tragedies, this was different, they were pedestrians, unlike the car tragedies. It just shows how fragile life is, he said.

Local police secured the scene on Thursday afternoon and began an investigation into the fatal accident.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said: "The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and providing consular assistance. As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases."

One of the main arteries into the city from Ostia to the south, the dual carriageway has multiple crossing points for pedestrians. It is at one such pedestrian crossing that the collision occurred near a holiday campsite at the entrance of the Castel Porziano.

The road on which the two were killed is noted as one of Romes most dangerous with a string of recent deaths reported due to traffic collisions.

In the past fortnight a teenager was killed in a collision when riding his scooter along the Colombo as it is known to locals. This followed the death of a well-known businessman from Ostia who also died in a collision while riding his scooter last month.
Mary Lou McDonald is due to attend the Sinn Fein think-in next week after a summer absence due to a medical procedure.

The party leader is due to make a return to public engagements after being largely absent during the summer, the party press office confirmed.

The annual think-in is in Dublin on Friday, September 15, when its politicians will debate policies and get ready for a return to the Dail the following week.

At the end of June, Ms McDonald wrote on Twitter: Personal news: I had surgery on Friday and am now recovering well.

I expect to be back in action in a number of weeks. A million thanks to all the incredible staff at Rotunda Hospital for your excellent care and kindness.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh go leir. Onwards and upwards.

Sinn Fein TDs Pearse Doherty and Matt Carthy were dispatched to Australia over the summer for a series of engagements with politicians about the countrys health service, housing situation and a united Ireland.

As a result, a motion was passed at the Australian Labour Partys national conference supporting the reunification of Ireland.

Sinn Fein bounce back in latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll

Ms McDonald visited Australia last year, in a US-style visit in which she made a keynote speech to the National Press Club of Australia, telling young Irish people to enjoy their time abroad but to come home.

The party is on course to win 67 seats and be by far the largest party in the newly enlarged Dail, but will be unable to form a government without Fianna Fail, according to a projection for the Sunday Independent.

While projections show Sinn Fein may almost double its number of TDs at the next election, which is expected next year or in early 2025, it will still fall short of the 87 seats that will be needed to form a government in a 174-seat Dail.
Aim is to make more places available to buyers or renters, but charge might cost more to administer than it takes in

Thousands of vacant homes will be subject to a new tax from the start of November in a government attempt to make more properties available for sale or rent.

The vacant homes tax will be charged at a rate of three times the base Local Property Tax (LPT).

This means a house valued at 300,000 for the property tax would attract a vacant home tax of 945 if unoccupied.

It is likely to apply to nearly 60,000 properties.

Revenue issued a briefing document on the new tax this week, outlining how it will be applied.

Any home that has been empty since last November 1 will be subject to the tax if it will not have been used as a dwelling for more than 30 days between then and the end of next month.

The new self-assessed tax will be due for payment before next January.

Marian Ryan, the consumer tax manager at Taxback.com, said the new tax was being introduced to increase the number of homes available to rent or buy, and might yield as little as 3m in a year.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath told Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty in a Dail reply recently: The estimated yield is low, as I anticipate this tax will influence behaviour and lead to property owners putting their vacant properties to more effective use.

A survey conducted by Taxback.com on the vacant home tax in May revealed mixed views.

The research found 40pc of homeowners support the tax and think it will have a positive impact, while 15pc think it is a good idea, but should be levied at a high rate.

Just over a quarter of those questioned said they are not in favour of the tax as people should be allowed to do what they want with their properties.

Ms Ryan said figures from Revenue suggest there are just over 57,000 vacant properties in Ireland.

Holiday homes account for about a fifth of these, and another fifth are being refurbished.

Ms Ryan added that properties that are vacant due to refurbishment are not liable for the new tax, and many holiday homes will be exempt too, depending on how often they are used.

If there are only 57,000 vacant properties in Ireland and a significant chunk of them are exempt from the vacant homes tax, questions must be asked about whether the tax is merited, she added.

If not, it could actually cost more to administer this tax than it actually collects.

The vacant homes tax will apply on November 1 each year to properties that can be lived in and have been stayed in for less than 30 days in the previous 12 months.

An exemption applies if the property changed ownership during the chargeable period or is not liable for LPT.

An exemption can also be claimed if the property was rented for at least 30 days to a tenant who is not related to the owner or a connected person.

A property is further exempt if it has been vacated due to a long-term mental or physical infirmity of the liable person where the property was the sole or main residence of the liable person.

The tax does not have to be paid where the property is unoccupied due to the owners illness or death, or while it is advertised for sale or rent, or because repair or refurbishment work is being carried out.

To claim an exemption, a property owner must make a tax return for the vacant homes tax.

Revenue did not respond to a request for comment on the new tax.
Two gardai have been praised for rescuing a woman from the upstairs bedroom of a burning house suspected to have been targeted in a petrol bomb attack.

The two officers are being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation after rescuing the mother from the house fire in Dublin in the early hours of the morning.

A large blaze engulfed a home in Buirg an Ri Walk in Clondalkin at around 1.30am.

It is believe the house may have been targeted in an petrol bomb attack, and a garda investigation into potential arson has commenced.

Gardai attended to the scene where they were informed that a person may have been trapped inside the property.

Two garda members entered the building, despite thick smoke, using a ladder and entered the rear upstairs window.

Gardai located a woman in her 50s and brought her to safety through the upstairs window to garda colleagues waiting below.

Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene and extinguished the fire.

The woman was brought to Tallaght University Hospital for treatment of injuries believed to be non life-threatening.

As a result of smoke inhalation, both male garda members were taken to Tallaght Hospital to receive treatment.

Both members have since been discharged but remain off duty.

A garda spokesman said: All members involved are receiving support from their colleagues and local garda management and the wider organisational supports of the Peer Support Service, Chief Medical Officer and 24-hour counselling service have been provided if required.

Chief Superintendent Mick McNulty said: I want to commend the incredible bravery of the two Gardai. I have no doubt that their actions prevented a more tragic outcome.

Local sources said that gardai arrived at the scene before the emergency services and realised that, while three people had managed to escape, a woman had been asleep upstairs and became trapped in the bedroom.

Gardai managed to gain access to the upstairs bedroom using a ladder and rescued the woman.

Mark Ferris, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) delegate for the West Dublin garda division, said: "Gardai attended the scene where a petrol bomb allegedly was thrown at a family residence in the Lucan district. While proactively patrolling the area, they were urgently dispatched to the call in Balgaddy.

"On arrival, uniformed and detective gardai showed immense bravery by risking their lives to save a mother who was trapped in an upstairs bedroom while the fire engulfed the house.

"Acting without for their own safety these members did what all gardai regularly do - their duty to the citizens of this Republic.

"I have since spoken with my two injured colleagues who are at this time recovering from the injuries they sustained following required hospital treatment.

"They appreciate the welfare check on them by fellow GRA members and the support of all the force's members and of the wider public.

"GRA thoughts are with them and we wish them a speedy recovery."

Gardai in Ronanstown are appealing to anyone who may have information or who may have witnessed this incident to come forward to them. Gardai can be contacted at 01 666 7700, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda Station.
Police deal with disorder in the Creggan area of Derry following a search operation. Credit: Northern Ireland Emergency Response Videos.

Police have said military grade explosives have been seized following a night of severe rioting in Derry which involved children as young as eight.

Speaking at a press conference at Police Headquarters in Belfast on Friday, Assistant Chief Constables Mark McEwan and Bobby Singleton said they believe the devices recovered, which included military hand grenades, are linked to the New IRA.

Two men and a woman have been arrested under the Terrorism Act.

ACC Singleton said 16 officers reported injuries, including burns, suspected fractures and head injuries. He added he expects this number to rise.

The explosive devices were found in residential property in the Creevagh Heights area - two military hand grenades, a further handgun, over 50 rounds of ammunition, and over a kilogram of plastic explosives.

The significance of this recovery cannot be underestimated. These items are military grade, and we believe the intention was to mount attacks and attempt to kill police officers, police said.

As the investigation is ongoing, and we keep an open mind, the primary line of enquiry centres on the New IRA. Not only was the intention to kill and maim, but there is a total disregard for the wider community, said ACC McEwan.

These items were being stored in a residential area, in close proximity to a childrens play area and an attack that would have been mounted, would have taken place in our community.

This is extremely worrying for officers and staff, but be assured this success, this recovery, demonstrates our dedication to pursuing those groups, the professionalism of our teams, and our dogged dedication to bringing these people before the courts.

Several families in surrounding properties had to be evacuated while officers handled the military grade explosives.

On Thursday, dozens of officers who while wearing riot gear came under attack on Creevagh Heights near Blighs Lane. Petrol bombs, rocks, masonry, steel poles and traffic cones were thrown at police, damaging police land rovers.

This wasnt just about the security of our officers, but was about public safety and you can see that from the material that was found. Many of our officers were extreme conditions - in personal protective equipment in that heat, at this time we have reported 16 officers injuries. These are from our local policing and tactical support teams, the senior officer added.

The inquiries include potential fractures, burns and head injuries.We are very proud of our officers for presenting amazing restrain during this violence, said ACC Singleton, who confirmed while authorisation was given for the use of AUP systems, but no rounds were fired.

PSNI vehicle damaged during the disorder

ACC Singleton said the age group of those involved in the violence was really young and he believes some involved were as young as eight-years old.

He added it could be the case those involved in the rioting and the violence may be sitting in a primary school class room right now.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan paid tribute to the officers involved in dealing with the rioting, despite the events of the past.

Picture of a police officer's injury following disorder in Derry.

On Monday the PSNIs Chief Constable Simon Byrne resigned with immediate effect, saying in a written statement to the Policing Board that it was time for someone new to lead the organisation.

We want to pay tribute to our officers and staff, against the backdrop of a severe terrorist threat, threats against them over the last year, the attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell, most recently the data loss and the events of the last week - they have continued to deliver a first class policing service protecting the most vulnerable and protecting our communities, added ACC McEwan.

The Chair of the Policing Board also condemned the violence in Derry writing in a statement: The ferocity of violence and disorder directed against police officers during this search operation is condemned by the Board, and must be condemned right across the community.

"Our thoughts are with all the officers injured.

"Police have said the material seized during the operation was likely to be used in attacks against the police and we are grateful that these items are now out of the hands of those who would wish to cause serious harm.

"Despite the recent challenges faced within policing, the Board very much recognises and appreciates that all the officers and staff of the PSNI continue to deliver an essential public service to the community and deserve everyones support.

The Police Federation also praised the officers involved in tackling the disturbance.

Our officers involved in these searches and disorder displayed great courage and resilience and deserve great credit and the thanks of this entire community, said chairman Liam Kelly.

They recovered a lethal terrorist arsenal, the contents of which would have been used against colleagues going about their lawful duties. To be subjected to appalling attacks as searches continued is deplorable and must be condemned."
Over almost half an hour the drug-fuelled, highly aggressive, menacing trio tortured Mr English, the court heard

Three men who tortured an Irish teenager before he died after falling from an apartment balcony during an armed robbery have been jailed in Australia.

Lachlan Soper-Lagas, Hayden Kratzmann and Jason Knowles pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 19-year-old Cian English in Brisbane's Supreme Court.

Kratzmann and Knowles were sentenced to nine-and-a-half years behind bars while Sopar-Lagas was sentenced to eight years due to varying degrees of culpability.

The judge said the defendants' crime, which they filmed, had a "performative element" and was particularly "abhorrent", she said.

English, who was originally from Carlow but lived in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne, was on a weekend getaway at Surfers Paradise in 2020 when he and a friend were attacked by the trio, who falsely accused them of stealing prescription medication.

Over almost half an hour the "drug-fuelled, highly aggressive, menacing" trio tortured Mr English, the court heard.

Kratzmann also stabbed the 19-year-old in the elbow, shortly before he fled to the balcony.

In sentencing the three men, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said it was an "absolutely tragic case".

"Your appalling criminal conduct resulted in the death of one young man, Cian English, very much loved by family and friends, causing unfathomable grief and pain, compounded by the circumstances in which he died," she said.

Justice Bowskill said a particularly "abhorrent" part of the offence was that it was filmed and shared to social media.

"It would have been terrifying. Your conduct, which was not fleeting or brief, was despicable because of the performative element."

The men's behaviour after Mr English had fled to the balcony and fallen four floors to his death was described by Justice Bowskill as "callous and despicable", as they continued to film.

"You did nothing to help him or call for help. You fled."

Kratzmann and Soper-Lagas who even wore items of Mr English's clothes took photos which were circulated on social media after the attack.

Kratzmann eventually called an emergency number half an hour after Mr English fell, but gave them the wrong address.

Soper-Lagos's defence lawyer said his client had "expressed genuine remorse".

"He doesn't really possess the words to describe the sorry he feels for [the English family].

"The last thing he sees at night being the face of Mr English  and the first thing in the morning."

He said Soper-Lagos had attempted to intervene during the attack and did not offend to the level of the other men.

"He did try and pull one of the co-accused back at one point.

"He was in the kitchen when the deceased fell from the balcony.

"I will submit that my client has the lowest criminal culpability for the offences before the court."

Knowles's lawyer said in a near four-hour interview with a psychologist, his client had detailed how "ashamed" he was.

"He understood and had empathy for the deceased's family, who will have to live without their son, and became teary in the course of the interview.

"He indicated to the psychologist that he now has to live with the events of that particular evening, and the consequences ... [and knows] that's not as bad as what the victim's family would be going through.

"He is disgusted with what happened. He has little memory of the [incident].

"He just can't bring himself to think about it again."

Kratzmann's barrister Tim Ryan said his client accepted his role in the attack.

Kratzmann and Knowles will be eligible for parole after six years. Soper-Lagas will be eligible for parole after three years and three months.

Mr English's family did not make comment when leaving the court. His grandmother held a photo in tribute to her late grandson.

The Irish teenager was living with his parents Siobhan and Vinny and older brother Dylan. The family left Ireland 20 years ago, first to the Caribbean where Cians father worked for Digicel and then settled in Brisbane in 2011.

His ashes were laid to rest in St Marys cemetery, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow several weeks after his death.
Feisty-looking bronze sculpture by artist Aidan Harte is on display at Timeless, the Irish Antique Dealers Fair, which returns to Dublins RDS from September 15 to 17

Donal O hAinifein, Chair of the Board of the Michael Cusack Centre (left) and artist Aidan Harte at the unveiling the two-metre tall Puca at the Michael Cusack Centre in Carran, Co Clare in June 2022. Photo: Arthur Ellis

The Puca is the trickster in Irish mythology. Hes a shapeshifter, often appearing with the head of a horse. But watch out if he offers you a ride. You might never be seen again! The storys an old one but Irish children are still discouraged from eating blackberries in November because the Puca spits on them at Halloween.

Ive heard he does worse than that, says artist Aidan Harte. Hes a very rude fellow. Theres a feisty-looking Puca going on display at Timeless, the Irish Antique Dealers Fair, which returns Dublins RDS from September 15 to 17. The bronze sculpture (58cm high) is for sale from Sol Art for 8,500.

Its the last in a series of six by Harte  the other five have all been sold  and the smaller sibling of the infamous Puca of Ennistymon (2021). That controversial character (2m high) is now happily installed in the Michael Cusack Centre in Carran, Co Clare, but it took a while to get him settled.

When Harte set out to make a sculpture of a Puca he should have been expecting trouble, but the accustomed nature of the public commission lulled him into a sense of false security. There was an open call for a sculpture for Ennistymon in Co Clare, he says. Its a nice little town with a hipster vibe but it gets caught between Ennis and the Cliffs of Moher. The tourists drive on through and Clare County Council wanted a sculpture to catch their attention. I proposed the Puca. Im really attracted to that character. Hes dark and unusual and I like the mythological surrealism.

The selection process, as he describes it, was a standard issue commission, financed through the Percent for Arts Scheme as part of a programme of public works. Decisions on such artworks are typically decided by committee, often consisting of the lead engineer on the project; the county arts officer; and local business person or artist. Harte won the commission and got to work. Then, the Puca got up to mischief.

A photo of the work in progress was leaked on a local Facebook page, Harte says. Some of the residents of Ennistymon were outraged. He described their reaction as: What the hell is this thing coming to our lovely town? In fairness, the Puca sculpture  a horse-headed creature with a humanoid body  isnt everyones cup of tea. Aesthetically, its Marmite (you love it or you hate it) but the objection ran deeper than appearances.

Fr Willie Cummins denounced the planned sculpture as sinister from the altar at Sunday mass. An article in this paper (May 10, 2021) reported local Fine Gael senator, Martin Conway, as saying the Puca still puts the fear of God into old people. The notion of erecting a statue of a fairy who brought bad luck was deemed inappropriate, disrespectful and offensive. The mythological Puca brings good luck as well as bad. Like the leprechaun, hes a changeable sort of character.

Meanwhile, the artist wasnt sure if his sculpture would ever see the light of day. Usually people give out about a sculpture after its been put in place, he says. This one hadnt even been cast. They made their minds before theyd even seen it.

A number of celebrities chipped in and announced their liking for the statue. This drew more attention to the controversy which, although couched in the language of superstition, was probably more about a community that felt the artwork had been foisted on them.

Somewhere along the time, the consultation process had broken down. Clare County Council hired a firm with expertise in resolving local conflict. They ran an online poll, Harte says. I didnt win. The Puca was not welcome in Ennistymon.

Eventually, the 30,000 artwork found a home in the Michael Cusack Centre in the Burren, where it was unveiled in June 2022. Its a fitting place for it, Harte says. Cusack was the founder of the GAA and he was involved in the Gaelic revival. The centre also lies within the historic townland of Poulaphuca, so the Puca is quite at home, skipping along his merry way and available for photo ops.

Tour guides use him to introduce children to Irish mythology. Hes scary, but in the way the haunted house at a fairground is scary, Harte says. Its good luck to rub his toe. The Puca clearly has a good PR team behind him. Every mythic spirit needs one.

Harte is currently shortlisted for another public art commission, the Sculpture on the Square in Roscommon Town. His proposal is a sculpture of Queen Maeve. Its Herself, in the nip, with a bull, he says. What could possibly go wrong?

See timelessfair.ie
Starting this week, visitor numbers to the famed Acropolis in Athens, Greece, are being capped at 20,000 per day.

The move is aimed at combating overtourism, which saw the ancient Greek monument previously hosting up to 23,000 daily tourists.

These new entry limits came into effect on September 4 for a trial period, before they will permanently come into effect from April 1, 2024, according to the countrys culture minister, Lina Mendoni.

Thats a huge number, she previously told Real FM radio network of the number of visitors to the Acropolis before the new rules were introduced.

Obviously tourism is desirable for the country, for all of us. But we must work out how excessive tourism wont harm the monument.

She added: The measure will address the need to protect the monument, which is the main thing for us, as well as [improving] visitors experience of the site.

Plans have been discussed to put similar caps in place at other popular attractions and historical sites from April next year.

Limitations will vary depending on the time, as most people who visit the Acropolis do so before midday.

Between 8-9am, 3,000 people will be allowed to enter the Unesco World Heritage Site. Some 2,000 visitors can gain entry between 9-10am, with caps then changing from hour to hour until the complex closes at 8pm.

Visitors will have to book a time slot in advance, using the official Acropolis website.

Its not the only destination to try to better manage overtourism through capping visitor numbers.

The Italian tourist region of Trentino Alto Adige has introduced rules limiting the number of overnight guests to 2019 levels; no more guest houses, Airbnbs or hotels are allowed to open unless an existing one closes down.

The minister for tourism, Arnold Schuler, told CNN that the region has reached the limit of how many visitors it can handle.

Access to the Alpe di Siusi, a huge Alpine meadow in the shadow of the mountains, has also been restricted, with no access to private vehicles between 9am and 5pm. Visitors will only be able to access the meadow via public transport.

Meanwhile, one of Japans most spectacular islands has been introducing a cap on visitor numbers in an effort to protect an endangered indigenous wild cat.

As of April 2023, no more than 1,200 tourists a day are able to travel to Iriomote, an island in the southern prefecture of Okinawa known as the Galapagos of the East.
John Richards Jnr (centre) with his father John Snr and his mother Sheila on his wedding day in 1973.

A man whose father abandoned his Irish family almost 50 years ago and vanished without trace, believes the mystery over his fate has been solved thanks to a newspaper article four months ago.

Nestled on the banks of the Blackwater River, the picturesque market town of Fermoy would become the unlikely scene of a curious double vanishing of the same man.

Now, half a century later, an abandoned son is seeking to unravel the secrets of fathers second life.

Fionnan Sheahan is joined by Ralph Riegel, Southern Correspondent with the Irish Independent, to tell the story of a family searching for answers.
Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Helen McEntee at Ballybough Community Centre for the launch of a new three-year safety plan for the north inner city

Staff working in all-night convenience stores in Dublin city centre say they have witnessed the worst since Covid, as drug deals openly go on outside.

Independent.ie visited four shops in the city centre this week, on the northside and southside, to find out what staff were experiencing on a day-to-day basis.

It comes as a new three-year public safety plan was being launched by the Government for the north inner city.

One worker at a 24-hour store in the city centre said they regularly see people buying drugs from outside the shop.

Since Covid its been worse. People had free roam of the streets, there was nothing around except them. Then when everything went back to normal, it became a territory battle.

Im from Dublin so Id know some of the customers, theyd come in and give me a knuckle touch.

But the lads who are from abroad can have a tough time. Theyd get a bit more abuse from the people on the streets here.

Another employee claimed the problems in work worsened since Covid, but added that the increased garda presence makes her feel more comfortable.

The shop is open 24/7, anybody can come in and do anything they want to. Its a party area, and people are drunk. Staff is being abused, right, left and centre, she said.

If you walk by here at 3am, you can see whats going on by yourself. Theres a lot of junkies, a lot of homeless, and staff are being attacked. We only have security on the door at night.

Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Helen McEntee at Ballybough Community Centre for the launch of a new three-year safety plan for the north inner city

They have given us safety protocols, they always tell staff members not to be a hero and your safety is always first.

Im doing day shifts so its fine. We have security from 3pm. Theres more guards walking around, so its a lot better now, she added.

Another worker highlighted the efforts taken by their employers to protect them.

We have taken security measures, weve cameras, an anti-aggression system, we have body cams and a security guard as well, they said.

On the weekends, we have them for 18 hours. Weve the same problems during the day and during the night.

Another staff member said they moved to work in a different shop after problems in a store near College Green.

I feel safe, I used to work in College Green, but it wasnt nice. There were a lot of incidents. This place is safer. Its better. Ive no problems here, they said.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee today launched the new initiative to keep public spaces safe, including areas currently used for drug dealing.

Community safety wardens will form part of the three-year safety plan for the north inner city which sets out 51 actions to make the area safer following a number of assaults last month.

The minister believes that engaging with members of the community, businesses and gardai will bring groups together to tackle drug dealing and anti-social behaviour.

The role of the wardens, I suppose, theres multiple elements to this. Its about being a presence in the city centre, she said.

Its about being visible and engaging with members of the community who are in the area but also linking in with businesses.

Its about identifying issues that arise, its not for wardens to take the role of An Garda Siochana but they're certainly working hand in hand.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe, added that he is certain the safety plan would make a difference, particularly around the OConnell Street area.

This plan will build on the work thats already under way in the north east inner city that will deliver longer term benefits, he said.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee launches a three-year community safety plan for the north inner city. Pic: PA Wire

However, opposition TDs have criticised the plans, stating that many of the measures have been announced previously and that 10m in funding given to gardai should also be matched for community initiatives.

Green Party TD for Dublin Central, Neasa Hourigan, said the plan was disappointing and a hugely missed opportunity.

It demonstrates a lack of ambition and scope for improving community life in the heart of Dublin city.

While I welcome the recent allocation of 10m in funding for An Garda Siochana, it is now time to do the serious work of investing in neighbourhoods and young peoples future in the city.

Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon claimed many of the measures had already been announced in previous plans for the North East Inner City.

To me, this reads like an analysis of existing problems rather than the minister saying what she is actually going to do about them, he said.

Laughably, proposals to repair lighting, improve the appearance of streets and tackle littering are simply a description of Dublin City Council doing a job they already should be doing.
Jennifer Cassidy, from Ballinteer, has been working at Oxford University for the past 12 years

A lecturer at Oxford University has said commuting from Dublin is easier than trying to afford a place to live in London.

Jennifer Cassidy, from Ballinteer, has been working at Oxford for the past 12 years and recently moved back home to live with her parents in Dublin.

The 36-year-old decided to commute to London for work as she had to hold down three jobs to be able to afford her own accommodation over in the UK.

Ms Cassidy lectures in International Politics at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.

I was only able to stay in Oxford as long as I was one of the assistant deans at the colleges. I got accommodation, but in exchange, I was on night duty three or four nights a week, she said.

Id do a full day of lecturing and then Id be on duty from 7pm to 7am, I could be up three or four times a night if there were issues with students.

I was also a consultant in the program. Thats fine when youre in your late twenties, but it just doesnt become viable to keep three jobs to live there.

During the night work youre on first call duty, youd have your phone on the whole time. Then youd have to do speeches and consulting work, all to keep me there.

Ms Cassidy will fly to Birmingham and travel by train to Oxford to teach her graduate course, and plans to do this for three days every fortnight. She will stay with a friend in London when she needs a place overnight.

I moved back in with my parents, I wasnt coming home to buy a place. Theres no way I could rent or buy a house with my salary, she said.

Theres five people in my department and three of us are commuting. Im coming from Dublin, one is coming from Paris and the other is travelling from Brussels.

The days are gone where academics are paid what we thought itd be. For my first five years teaching politics and running a college full-time, my salary was 23,000 before tax.

The flying is certainly not ideal. Ive to make sure I book my flights and have my schedule. I fly to Birmingham because its cheaper, Heathrow is so expensive to fly into.

The commute is doable, not having the night shifts. For seven years, Id try to do that with a full-time day job and give my students all the attention they need and deserve for their work.

I looked at universities in Ireland before I came back to see if there were jobs in my area, but there are simply no jobs. I love Oxford, but if something came up in Dublin, thatd be wonderful.

Its a huge load off my mind. Im still doing a bit of consultancy work, but not being on call three or four nights a week is a relief, she added.
Dopa-Mean Girl, a bi-lingual show performed in English and Irish, is one of almost 80 events in this year's Dublin Fringe Festival

The annual Dublin Fringe Festival returns on September 9, featuring fresh Irish talent. Its a platform for new and emerging artists to showcase their work, push boundaries and strengthen their skills.

For audiences, its all about discovery. The festival plays a vital role in Dublins cultural life, extending the possibilities of what art can be and where it happens.

In total, there will be 79 events from September 9 until 24, with more than 560 artists participating across 32 venues in the capital.

You can watch comedian Jason Byrne perform a play for the first time, or catch fellow comics like Eddie Mullarkey and Hugh Carr take to the Craic Den stage as gaeilge.

Weve picked out five of the more unusual events taking place this month.

Dopa-Mean Girl

Dopa-Mean Girl, a bi-lingual show performed in English and Irish, is one of almost 80 events in this year's Dublin Fringe Festival

The musical comedy Dopa-Mean Girl will have its debut this September at Smock Alley Theatre.

Louisa is a bi-lingual writer and performer (Irish and English) based in Dublin. In 2022, she received an adult diagnosis of ADHD. She wrote a one-woman show, Dopa-Mean Girl, about the experience.

The show is in English and as Gaeilge and is infused with catchy songs.

The description reads: The experiences of neurodiverse women are under-represented, often due to a lack of diagnosis. Waiting lists for diagnosis in Ireland average between 2 and 3 years.

Women are often misdiagnosed with anxiety, and many are self-diagnosing after identifying with experiences shared on social media. The conversation is just beginning in Ireland.

The use of Irish in the show is not to alienate anyone without it. The script can be followed without knowing the language; however, those who speak it will get extra depth and detail.

Dopa-Mean Girl runs from September 11-16 at The Black Box in Smock Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin 1

In Heat

In Heat deals with topics such as toxic relationships, fertility and coercive control

Philomena Productions will perform their first ever play, In Heat, at The New Theatre, Temple Bar, from September 13-16 at 8.30pm.

In Heat is described as unsettling as it is funny, and deals with topics such as toxic relationships, fertility, coercive control and gender roles.

The description reads: After many conversations about various crises faced by young people in Ireland today, we were mobilised to tell a story that would portray the chaos of being a 20-something in this rapidly changing country.

It tells the story of a couple in their twenties as they find out they are pregnant, for the second time.

Set against the backdrop of contemporary Dublin, Conor and Helen have to navigate their turbulent relationship to a place of safety while the pressure of caring for something other than themselves slowly simmers.

It is a story that most people will be able to see some part of themselves in, for better or worse.

Just A Minute

Just a Minute explores queer relationships and how distraction through work is a frequently used coping mechanism to deal with mental health.

This one-man theatrical comedy promises to bring audiences on a hilarious journey through the warped mind of an overworked Intern.

The description reads: Think Late-Late-Toy-Show horologist icon all grown up. Odd, captivating and laugh-out-loud, Just A Minute is a concise 45-minute comedy that is as poignant as it is entertaining.

Alienated, delusional, and with a monumental crush on the straight boy in the office, our intern is the ultimate corporate flop.

If youre a recovering workaholic, a Colin the Caterpillar fanatic, or simply looking for a laugh - this is the show for you.

Writer and performer, Conor Murray studied Drama and Sociology at Trinity, which saw him graduate just before the pandemic hit.

His first job after college was as a community swabber where he saved for drama school and did auditions online.

The show will take place in Bewleys Cafe Theatre from September 14-17.

Youre Needy (sounds frustrating)

Grace Morgan is the director behind Youre Needy (sounds frustrating)

This one actor and one audience member show is set to take place in an AirBnB bathroom in Donnybrook.

The play is based on living with your parents and surviving off instant noodles and aims to capture the personal experience of many Dubliners today.

It follows Carrie, who has moved into her bathtub and is living on noodles, parsley baths and face masks. Every week, shes visited by a volunteer hired to help her reintegrate into society.

According to director Grace Morgan, this play interrogates how capitalism seeks to control womens bodies through the wellness industry, touching on monotony, meditation, and Gwenyth Paltrow.

Moving into her bathroom, its a critical part of this. Its in her parents house which is relatable to a lot of us. Its about not having a space to call your own.

Carrie is like a lot of us, moving abroad, not being able to afford it, coming back and not being able to afford living alone. Moving in with parents is the only option.

Youre Needy (sounds frustrating), will preview on Thursday, September 14 and run daily until Saturday, September 23. The 35-minute performances will run three times a day.

Clash at the Quays

A one-of-a-kind show where live music meets the wacky world of professional wrestling

Definitely a one-of-a-kind show, where live music meets the wacky world of professional wrestling. Join musicians such as Ahmed, With Love, KhakiKid, Efe, Negro Impacto, Curtisy and Julia Louise Knifefist, for an all-out musical brawl inside the squared circle of the wrestling ring.

Attendees can expect strong-style rhythm, with flash, flame and poetry, combined with physical poetry in motion. The one-time show is taking place at The Depot in Smithfield on September 16 at 6.30pm. Tickets are priced at 15.

For a full programme of events taking place this month visit www.fringefest.com
Artist Karen Croke who has painted the homeplace of the grandfather of the current Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healy in Kilgarvan which is to be given as a gift from Kerry and Cork at a special commemoration weekend.

Kerry and Cork links to the state of Massachusetts will be celeberated with a US commemoration weekend. These inlcude links with current Governor Maura Healy who has connections to Kilgarvan.

A delegation from Kerry and Cork will travel to the US to take part in a special weekend to celebrate 300 years of Irish contribution to the state of Massachusetts.

Mayor of Kerry Cllr Jim Finucane, along with representatives from the Beara Peninsula, will take part in a host of events celebrating strong links to the state dating back to the Clan OSullivan Beare.

In 1723, John Owen OSullivan from Tuosist emigrated to Berwick and his family would greatly contribute to the country and the state. One of his sons, James, became Governor of Massachusetts, while his other son, John, became Governor of New Hampshire.

John Owen was the son of Philip O'Sullivan of Beare, Ardea, Tuosist, minor gentry in penal Ireland and a scion of the O'Sullivan Beare Clan, Ardea Castle line, according to research carried out. He went on to become an American general in the Revolutionary War, winning several key battles

To celebrate his connection to Kerry and Cork, the Boston Beara Society and Beara Tourism have organised a host of events to commemorate the 300-year anniversary of his departure from Ireland. Both Kerry and Cork County Council are also involved.

However, this is not the only strong link to both counties; the current Governor, Maura Healey, is also linked to Ireland, with her grandparents coming from Kerry and Cork, and representatives from Kilgarvan will join the trip marking this connection.

Governor Healeys paternal grandparents were Jeremiah Healey from Kilgvarvan and his wife, Margaret Healey (Nee Riordan) from Macroom. Her maternal grandmother was Katherine Tracey, a native of Ballinasloe, County Galway, who emigrated to America as a teenager and lived to the age of 96.

Governor Healey visited Ireland earlier this year and addressed Seanad Eireann as well as meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and other political representatives. Now she will meet with members of the local community in Kilgarvan, who are part of the delegation travelling to the US.

In fact, a painting of her grandfathers homeplace in Kilgarvan, painted by artist Karen Croke who lives on the Beara peninsula, is to be presented to Governor Healey by the group.

Patsy OSullivan from Bonane will also travel to the US.

"We must honour the links and keep them alive. If we dont keep the links, history will die, he said.

A host of events has been organised for the occasion from September 19 to 24, including a state-house reception in Massachusetts for representatives from both Kerry and Cork County Council, as well as from local communities in both counties.

There will also be a reception at Boston City Hall.

The group will also visit the former house of John OSullivan from Tuosist and learn about his remarkable history in the US.

Jim OSullivan, one of the organisers, said he first read of the connections in the annual Tuosist newsletter.

"They intrigued me and I wanted to celebrate this connection, he said.
Barney Curley Charity Cup takes place on Wednesday, September 27

Bellewstown Racecourse has announced that there will be free entry at the forthcoming Barney Curley Charity Cup which will take centre stage at their race meeting on Wednesday, September 27.

This is the second year of this very special fixture on their annual calendar which has seen the racecourse raise over 200,000 for Barney Curleys charity Direct Aid for Africa (DAFA) over the last two years.

Free entry is thanks to the sponsorship of the Irish National Bookmakers Association and will see legendary Italian jockey Frankie Dettori return to Bellewstown Racecourse in an ambassadorial role for DAFA.

Over the last two years weve had two very special race days at Bellewstown in memory of Barney Curley and we are very keen to remember his special association with Bellewstown and continue his legacy, and the wonderful work of DAFA, said Alan Delany, Vice Chair of Bellewstown and event organiser. We are delighted and thankful to have Frankie return to Bellewstown in this the year of his retirement and given how supportive punters have been to the charity and this event in the past it is fantastic that we can offer free entry to all, thanks to the National Bookmakers Association.

There will be special events throughout the day and punters will have ample opportunity to meet up with Frankie and support the DAFA charity.

It is fantastic to get the opportunity to support this great event at Bellewstown. Barney is a racing legend and the work DAFA does in helping the poorest of the poor in Zambia is inspirational, added Ray Mulvaney, Chairman Irish National Professional Bookmakers Association. As bookmakers, we are looking forward to a very special day with Frankie in September and it is great that there will now be free entry for all on the day!

The announcement was made during the recent two-day festival on the hill of Crockafotha on Tuesday and Wednesday last. A good crowd was present on each evening to see top class flat and national hunt racing. On Tuesday the Darren Bunyan trained Buddy Batt won the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden which was seated by Dean Curran with Colin Keane riding two winners on the evening aboard the Sweetest Rose in the Peader Kearneys Pub Handicap and Night Glow in The Gibneys Gormanston Files Maiden.

On Wednesday evening the highlight saw Dartan win the Bective Stud Tea Rooms & Apartments Mullacurry Cup Handicap Hurdle for trainer Matthew Smith with his son James in the saddle. This was the second win for Dartan during the festival with the horse having claimed a win the previous evening in the last race of the day the Ploughman Bar & Gull (Q.R.) Handicap. Local trainer Gavin Cromwell was delighted to see Final Orders do what he did last year and win the Reddans of Bettystown Handicap Hurdle with Keith Donoghue on board bringing comfortably winning by three and a quarter lengths.

As proceedings closed on Wednesday evening all talk was of the exciting times to come on the hill with the return of the great Frankie Detorri to Bellewstown on Wednesday September 27.
Anna and Gary Crowe, parents of the late Julie Crowe pictured this afternoon leaving the Dublin District Coroner's Court

A Meath teenager took her own life three months after being drugged and raped while on holiday in Greece, an inquest has heard.

Julie Crowe (18) from Porterstown Lane, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, died on November 4, 2019.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court on Thursday heard how Julie had developed a low mood and thoughts of self-harm after being drugged and raped while on holiday abroad with friends in August 2019.

The inquest was also informed that gardai had received no further feedback about the progress of any criminal investigation in Greece, despite several requests after providing a statement by Julie to their Greek counterparts via Interpol.

Julies father, Gary Crowe, told the inquest he had decided to work from home on the morning of November 4, 2019 as his daughter had not slept.

Mr Crowe recalled she was groggy and appeared very subdued and very detached when he woke her around 12.20pm.

He said she apologised for the expense of a trip to the US from which they had recently returned.

Mr Crowe said he hugged his daughter to try and get her out of a daze.

As Julie went to have a shower, Mr Crowe said he noticed a note on her bed which he thought was part of a diary.

When he went to check on her at around 2.15pm, Mr Crowe said he could not find his daughter anywhere in the house before ringing his wife to express concern that Julie had run away.

At that point he remembered the note and found it contained a reference to Rathbeggan Lakes when he read it.

When he got to the flyover bridge, Mr Crowe said he saw traffic pulling over on the motorway before spotting his daughter lying on the ground.

He started CPR on her after noticing her eyes were glazed over before others came along and helped with her attempted resuscitation.

Garda Jeffrey Moroney said CCTV footage of the bridge had confirmed the evidence provided by eyewitnesses and that the investigation on the case had been closed.

Julies mother, Anna Crowe, gave evidence of formally identifying her daughters body to gardai at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown (CHB).

The inquest heard the family were informed at 3.50pm by medical staff that Julie had suffered catastrophic injuries which she would not survive and she was pronounced dead nine minutes later.

In January 2020, Ms Crowe spoke about her daughters death on RTEs Liveline programme as a warning to others that there were predators who were targeting young boys and girls.

She outlined how Julie realised from talking to friends that she had been raped during their stay on the Greek island of Zakynthos.

Omer Chaudhary, a psychiatrist who examined Julie in the emergency department of CHB on October 21, 2019, said he had diagnosed her as suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and a moderate depressive episode.

Dr Chaudhary said Julie had also come out to her friends as gay in June 2019 and to her family after she returned from her holiday in Greece.

He recalled that the teenager complained of not being able to cope with things for the previous two weeks and suffering increasing nightmares.

However, Dr Chaudhary said she had not shown any active intent or plan to kill herself.

The psychiatrist said she was positive about her family and her studies at Technological University Dublin.

The inquest heard that Julie declined to be admitted to the hospital on a voluntary basis and she did not meet the criteria to be detained involuntarily as she was only considered a low-to-moderate risk of self-harm.

Dr Chaudhary said the teenager ultimately decided to attend her GP to discuss taking anti-depressant medication and to be referred to her local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service unit.

Ms Crowe said Julie attended her family doctor the next day who warned that she would need to be closely monitored while on medication.

She also revealed that her daughter feared she might be pregnant as a result of the rape but tests showed that was not the case.

Detective Garda Michelle OBrien told the inquest that she had spent two long and difficult days taking a very detailed statement from the teenager about what happened in Greece.

Det Garda OBrien said she had also kept the girls towel and runners for evidence.

In reply to questions from the coroner, Aisling Gannon, she said she had received no updates about the status of the investigation by Greek police, despite sending several requests.

Det Garda OBrien said she could not engage directly with her Greek colleagues.

She also stated she could not interview Julies friends who might also be able to provide evidence unless she received a direction from the Greek authorities.

At the end of the evidence, the Crowe family called for greater clarity about the ability of gardai to assist and to check on the progress of police investigations abroad.

They also recommended that organisations who deal with victims of sexual assault should engage with parents advocating for their children who had been raped regardless of their age. She had been told because Julie was over 18 years and needed to make contact with them herself.

The coroner said she would raise the familys concerns with the relevant authorities and keep them informed of any response.

Ms Gannon returned a verdict of death by suicide based on the evidence.

Offering her condolences to the Crowe family, the coroner said it was a very, very tragic case in very sad circumstances.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, call Childline on Freephone 1800 66 66 66 or text 50101, or call the Rape Crisis Centre on Freephone 1800 77 88 88; call Samaritans (free) on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie, or call Pieta House on 1800 247 247
Enniscorthy has traditionally suffered from poor air quality

Ireland South MEP Grace OSullivan is pushing for improved EU legislation on air quality ahead of a debate in the European Parliament on Tuesday.

Air quality has been a key concern in Co Wexford in recent years, particularly in Enniscorthy, which was the subject of a 2019 report when the town was described as the New Dehli of Ireland due to the shocking levels of pollutants in the towns air at the time.

On the island of Ireland, the number of premature deaths related to air pollution is estimated to be at 2,600 every year, equivalent to over 60 deaths in County Wexford alone.

Following months of stalled negotiations, the revised Directive on Ambient Air Quality will be debated in the European Parliament next Tuesday.

The Parliament report, which is supported by Green and progressive MEPs, aims to align new air pollution limits with World Health Organisation recommendations. While Ireland meets most EU air quality standards, it falls short of many of the WHO limits.

The Revised Directive Would also require an improved network of air quality monitoring stations in air pollution hotspots and around public facilities such as schools and hospitals.

Green MEPs in particular sought air quality improvements for rural communities, however the European Peoples Party Group has opposed these efforts to improve air quality regulations, with their lead negotiator regarding the improved guidelines as too ambitious.

Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels, MEP for Ireland South, Grace OSullivan said: Generally speaking Ireland has performed well in terms of air quality, especially following our reduction in fossil fuel use for home heating, and this has saved lives.

Ms OSullivan also stated that despite significant lobbying from large industrial interests, the Green MEPs will make a serious step forward this week.

Ms OSullivan has also recently announced that she would seek the nomination to run again as the Green Partys candidate in the European elections for Ireland South in 2024.
MG Motor is to open its newest dealership, Doyles MG, in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, marking the brand's debut in the south east.

Doyles Garage in Courtown has recently partnered with MG Motors, a new Chinese brand of Electric Vehicles (EVs) that are now expanding their presence in the region.

We have been in the motor industry since 1950 and are based in Courtown, but are currently developing our new premise on the Old Dublin Road in Enniscorthy which will be a state-of-the-art dealership for the MG brand and a great development in the area, said a spokesperson for Doyles.

"We are delighted to establish a significant presence in the south east with the launch of our latest dealership," said Gerard Rice, Managing Director at MG Motor.

"This expansion showcases our commitment to delivering exceptional driving experiences and a wide range of electric vehicle choices to our valued customers. We look forward to introducing a presence in the south east to the MG brand's legacy of innovation, quality, and affordability, especially with Doyles as our dealer partner who have an established reputation and long history looking after customers in this region."

Doyles will have responsibility for MG Motor sales and after-sales services for the south east region.

Bernard Doyle, Director of Doyles Garage said, We are thrilled to be appointed as the MG Dealer for the south east region and excited about the brand's future in Ireland.

Our family have been involved in the motor industry for over 70 years and the transition to Electric Vehicle (EV) is one of the biggest changes the industry has seen in our time so we are delighted to be partnering with a brand who is producing a fantastic EV range at an affordable price point for the Irish consumer.

We are currently developing a state-of-the-art showroom to showcase the range in Enniscorthy, and look forward to its opening in the coming months. In the meantime, we will be functional from our Courtown branch for all customers to come see and test drive the MG EV Range, added Mr Doyle.

For more information about the new MG Motor dealership in the south east, please contact 053 92 35590.
Fr Felix Byrne has died aged 94 years.

Bishop Ger Nash of the Diocese of Ferns led the tributes saying he was privileged to have had the opportunity to spend some time with Fr Felix at his home yesterday, September 7.

He was in good form and his usual courteous and friendly self. It was with great sadness that I learned of his death this morning, said Bishop Nash.

It is very difficult to sum up in any few words his immense contribution to the life of the church and in particular to this diocese. Since his ordination in 1955, he served with prayerful and dutiful devotion in Bree, Askamore, Kilmore Quay, Rathangan, and since 1998, in his beloved Monaseed. It has also been mentioned that he had an extended congregation at Carnew Mart.

I know from things that have been said to me by people around the diocese that he has touched many lives in a very special way. He was held in extraordinary esteem by all whom he served as a priest and also very much by his colleagues here in the Diocese of Ferns.

He had a tremendous devotion to Our Lady and to our diocesan pilgrimage Lourdes. On this feast day of The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary may he have her protection and tender embrace. I offer my deepest sympathy to all members of his family, his friends and parishioners and all who mourn his passing.

May Christ the Good Shepherd welcome a faithful shepherd to his heavenly home. May he rest in peace, added Bishop Nash.

Councillor Donal Kenny from Craanford was a colleague of Fr Byrne and described him as a pillar of the community who had been instrumental in advancing many local projects, and was widely admired for his passion and can do attitude.

There is a man heading on his way to Heaven, said Cllr Kenny.

He did great work in our parish and also in Askamore, and he was very highly thought of in Rathangan. He used to go down to the Rathangan Show most years. He did great work for charity and Bothar. He was hugely positive no matter what he went at.

Fr Byrne was a driving force behind progressing the Craanford Indoor Complex despite being aged nearly 90. He told a meeting: make sure and build that building. He said go ahead and build that building it will be paid for. And its up six years now and its almost paid for. We only owe 50,000 on it, said Cllr Kenny.

Fr Byrne was behind so many projects in his base at Monaseed and farther afield, said Cllr Kenny, who knew him for 20 years. Never one to stand still, Fr Byrne travelled widely throughout Wexford attending many events.

He lived life to the full. He was very religious and there was no one more respected in our GAA club, and among our arch rivals in Askamore. He was highly thought of up there too, and everywhere he went, added Cllr Kenny. Fr Byrnes get up and go attitude never waned: he said Mass up until last Sunday.

Speaking to reporter David Looby in 2020, Fr Byrne said: I am a priest since 1955. My workload is much the same every week. You have your masses every morning and two on weekends. I am 90, but Im not the oldest in recent times. Fr Wall in Bunclody is 95 and he still celebrates Mass privately for occasions.

Fr Byrne said there are not enough trainee priests to fill the vocations springing up across the diocese. He said he found his work very rewarding. I started in Bree and moved to Askamore, Kilmore Quay, Rathangan, Monaseed, Rathangan and Cleariestown would have been a very big parish.

After getting a heart attack I thought I needed to take it easier. I never thought Id still be a priest when I was 90, but its my choice. I thank God every day that I am able to get up and do it and I will continue to do it if this virus doesnt take me.
Sixty households across Wexford are set to be connected to a new water mains.

Uisce Eireann, in partnership with Wexford County Council is replacing approximately 600m of ageing backyard service connections with modern water mains, which will allow for 60 households to be connected to the new mains.

The works, which are due to begin over the coming days, are a critical step in conserving water and reducing high levels of leakage which has been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers. This vital project will bring benefits to homes in Devereaux Villas, providing a more resilient and robust water supply for local residents.

Backyard services are typically found in older areas, often installed to the rear of a customers property and usually made of cast iron or lead. Due to the age and deteriorating condition of the pipework, they are often a significant source of leakage and supply disruption for customers. Backyard services are usually shared, running through a number of neighbouring properties making it difficult to detect and repair leaks. Where properties share a connection, leaks and bursts affect all connected properties, resulting in low pressure and/or outages.

Protecting the water supply in Wexford Town is a vital focus for Uisce Eireann with further works planned as part of its programme to drive down leakage and reduce the number of bursts and unplanned outages impacting the community.

Uisce Eireann has thanked all the customers in Wexford town who have engaged in the backyard services programme. These projects are only successful if all customers on a shared water connection support and facilitate these vital works, so that the old and leaking mains can be decommissioned.

Speaking about the benefits of the project, Joe Carroll, Infrastructure Delivery Programme Manager at Uisce Eireann said: Old backyard service connections are a huge source of leakage and continue to impact communities right across Ireland, causing low pressure and supply disruption. Replacing these old water mains and service connections in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.

Joe added: We would like to sincerely thank the community in Devereaux Villas for facilitating these works and working with us to provide a more secure and reliable water supply for generations to come.

These works will be carried out by Shareridge Civil Engineering Ltd in partnership with Wexford County Council on behalf of Uisce Eireann.
HMP Wandsworth suffered a virtually identical escape by a prisoner to that of Daniel Khalife four years ago when an inmate clung on to the underside of a van to abscond from the British jail.

The offender had returned from court and was handed over to prison officers, but managed to escape in the same way the suspected terrorist did on Wednesday  by hiding under a van.
Scrutiny of late Captain Toms daughter continues as salary and perks detailed

UK regulator is investigating the charity set up in World War II heros name

Hannah Ingram-Moore, daughter of the late Captain Tom Moore, at Wimbledon 2021. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Holly Evans Fri 8 Sep 2023 at 03:30







Captain Tom Moores daughter received a salary of more than 63,000 (73,000) while acting as the CEO of a charity established in her fathers name, all while donations slumped after a watchdog launched an inquiry into the foundation.
Mumbai/ Bengaluru: High-end chip manufacturer NVIDIA on Friday announced collaborations with two of the largest Indian conglomerates, Reliance Industries and Tata Group.

The development is expected to give a major push in building Indias AI infrastructure plus in reskilling and upskilling a chunk of the countrys tech workforce.

As India advances from a country of data proliferation to creating technology infrastructure for widespread and accelerated growth, computing and technology super centres like the one we envisage with NVIDIA will provide the catalytic growth just like Jio did to our nations digital march, said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited.

In partnership with Reliance, NVIDIA said it would develop Indias own foundation large language model (LLM) trained on diverse languages, which are made for India.

He he company along with NVIDIA will develop an advanced AI cloud infrastructure that is secure, sustainable, and are deeply relevant to India's unique opportunities.

Jio Platforms, in a statement, that the new AI cloud infrastructure will enable researchers, developers, startups, scientists, AI practitioners and others across India to access accelerated computing and high-speed, secure cloud networking to run workloads safely and with extreme energy efficiency.

NVIDIA said it would be building Indias own foundation large language model (LLM) trained on diverse languages, which are built for India.

With this partnership, Jio will get end-to-end AI supercomputer technologies including CPU, GPU, networking, and AI operating systems and frameworks for developing the AI models, and Jio will manage and maintain the AI cloud infrastructure.

This state-of-the-art platform will be a catalyst in accelerating AI-driven innovations across sectors, from healthcare and education to enterprise solutions. Our vision is to make AI accessible to researchers, start-ups, and enterprises across the nation, thereby accelerating India's journey towards becoming an AI powerhouse, Akash Ambani said.

We are delighted to partner with Reliance to build state-of-the-art AI supercomputers in India, said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. India has scale, data and talent. With the most advanced AI computing infrastructure, Reliance can build itsown large language models that power generative AI applications made in India, for the people of India, he added.

The Tata Group is engaging in NVIDIA on three fronts. The chipmaker will build and process generative AI applications and upskill over six lakh employees of TCS, Indias biggest IT Services company, in AI.

The company will help Tata Motors deploy AI across design, styling, engineering, simulation testing and autonomous vehicle capabilities.

Further, it will help Tata Communications build AI infra structure.

"Our partnership with NVIDIA will democratize access to AI infrastructure, accelerate build-out of AI solutions and enable upgradation of AI talent at scale. Tata Groups presence across sectors coupled with NVIDIAs deep capabilities offers numerous opportunities for collaboration to advance Indias AI ambition," he said.

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekharan said that the advance development in AI have made it the top focus in governments, industries, and societies at large.

In the case of Reliance, they're going to use it to create generative AI services for their 450 million customers. In the case of Tata, Tata Communications is going to create infrastructure, he said.

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang supercomputers this infrastructure that Tata Communications will be building is to support AI companies in India right now that are looking for infrastructure, the reported Moneycontrol.

They're all clamouring for supply, access to infrastructure. They're flying all over the world looking for infrastructure around the world, they might have to export their engineers to go work in California, so they can have infrastructure there. There's no reason to do that. Build the infrastructure here, the engineers don't have to leave, he said, the report added.
Photo Courtesy: White House X page

US President Joe Biden on Friday said he is heading to India to participate in the G20 Summit where he will be focussed on making progress on 'Americans' priorities'.

He wrote on X: "Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver."

Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver.



Every time we engage, we get better.  President Biden (@POTUS) September 8, 2023

"Every time we engage, we get better," he said.

According to reports, the President is headed for India after testing negative for COVID-19.

His trip to India became uncertain when US First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

Also Read: US First Lady Jill Biden tests COVID-19 positive, Joe Biden remains negative ahead of India visit

The White House has said all week that the president has since taken multiple COVID-19 tests, all of which have been negative so far, reports CBS News.

Meanwhile, the White House posted on X on his trip: "President Biden is on his way to New Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders Summit, where hell work with allies and partners to further strengthen the global economy."

President Biden is on his way to New Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders Summit, where hell work with allies and partners to further strengthen the global economy.



In the meantime, heres a recap from last years G20 Leaders Summit in Bali.  The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 8, 2023

New Delhi will host the meeting on September 9-10.
Image Credit: PIB

New Delhi/IBNS: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has backed the central government, which is run by his Congress' arch-rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its stand over the Russia-Ukraine war.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Singh said, "I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace."

At various platforms and also in conversation with Russia President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's position and said New Delhi wants "peace".

"Todays era is not of war but of peace," Modi told Putin on the sidelines of SCO Summit in December last year.

However, Singh said "diplomacy" and "foreign policy" should not be used for "party" or "personal politics".

"While India's standing in the world should rightfully be an issue in domestic politics, it is equally important to exercise restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics," the 90-year-old Congress MP added.

Singh, who is "glad" to witness India's Presidency in the G20 Summit, called Chinese President Xi Jinping's skip in the mega geo-political event "unfortunate".

"It is unfortunate that the Chinese President Xi Jinping has chosen not to attend the G20 Summit," he told the daily.

In much contradictory to Congress' political viewpoint, Singh said he was "optimistic" about India's future despite various challenges.

The former Prime Minister said, "On the whole, I am more optimistic about India's future than worried. However, my optimism is contingent on India being a harmonious society, which is the bedrock for all progress and development.

"India's innate instinct is to welcome and celebrate diversity which must be preserved."
Photo Courtesy: Narendra Modi X page

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnaut at his residence here on Friday.

In social media post X, formally known as Twitter, Modi said, "This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence. I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden"

This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence.



I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden.



The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

"The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation" he added.

During the G20 Summit, the Prime Minister will hold over 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders in the next three days.

On Saturday, in addition to the G20 meetings, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. On the same day he will hold a pull aside meeting with Canadian President, and bilateral meetings with leaders from Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, European Union, European Commission, Brazil and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, India is all set to host the 18th G-20 Summit in New Delhi beginning tomorrow as the Global leaders are arriving in the city to attend the Summit.

More than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union, invited guest countries, and 14 heads of international organizations are expected to attend.

Ahead of the summit, strict traffic curbs have been put in place to restrict the movement of vehicles in the area where the G20 summit venue and hotels for delegates are located.

(With UNI inputs)
Narendra Modi changes the cover photo of his X page with a picture of the Nataraja statue installed at G20 meeting venue. Photo Courtesy: Narendra Modi X page

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday changed the cover picture of his X page with a photo of the Nataraja statue that has been installed at the G20 venue in Delhi's Pragati Maidan.

The G20 Summit will be held in New Delhi from Sept 9 to Sept 10.

India assumed G20 presidency on December 1.

So far, 200 meetings related to the event have taken place across 60 cities in the country.

Meanwhile, Modi said he believes the two-day event will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development.

India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhis iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.



It is my firm belief that  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

He tweeted: " India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhis iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days."

He said: "It is my firm belief that the the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development."

The 18-tonne Nataraja statue is made of Ashtadhatu (eight metals).

It is reportedly the tallest statue made from the material.

The statue is installed in front of the Bharat Mandapam at the ITPO Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan.

The Nataraja figure, weighing around 18 tonnes, has been crafted by the artists of Swamimalai (a suburb near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu) in the traditional lost wax casting process following canons and measurements as mentioned in the Silpa Shastra and being followed since the Chola period.

The ashta dhatu (eight metals or octo alloy, also called bronze) is composed of Copper (87 per cent), Zinc (10 per cent), Lead (3 per cent), Tin, Silver, Gold and Mercury (all in traces) and iron as support.

The manufacturing process is long drawn-and executed manually.

According to various Indian texts, the posture and four hands of Nataraja artistically constructed have specific indications.
Photo Courtesy: Rishi Sunak X page

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in India on Friday to attend the G20 meeting in New Delhi.

Sunak said he is looking forward to meeting global leaders and addressing some of the challenges faced by the world.

"Ive landed in Delhi ahead of the #G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us.Only together can we get the job done," he tweeted.

Welcome @RishiSunak! Looking forward to a fruitful Summit where we can work together for a better planet. https://t.co/xYYq9a9E0m  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Sunak is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murthy, who is the daughter of Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy.

Indian PM Narendra Modi welcomed him to India and wrote on X: "Welcome

@RishiSunak

! Looking forward to a fruitful Summit where we can work together for a better planet."

The G20 Summit begins tomorrow in New Delhi.
Photo courtesy: IBNS File

Kolkata/IBNS: In a boost for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress on Friday wrested back the Dhupguri assembly seat from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a bypoll.

TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a professor, won the seat in North Bengal, which is perceived as a stronghold of BJP, by 4,309 votes.

Roy defeated his nearest rival from BJP, Tapasi Roy, the wife of a CRPF jawan who was martyred in Jammu and Kashmir, who secured 93,304 votes.

CPI-M candidate Iswar Chandra Roy, who fought the election with Congress' support, failed to make a mark in once-a-Left citadel

All three parties had fielded their candidates from the Rajbanshi community, which forms the majority of the electorate, from the seat which falls in the Jalpaiguri district.

Winning the elections, Mamata Banerjee, who heads TMC, tweeted, "I thank the people of Dhupguri for reposing faith in us and voting decisively in our favour in the critical by-election to the Assembly constituency.

"People in North Bengal have been with us, and trust our strategy of growth, inclusiveness and empowerment. Bengal has shown its mandate, and soon INDIA too will show its preference. Jai Bangla! Jai INDIA!"

I thank the people of Dhupguri for reposing faith in us and voting decisively in our favour in the critical by-election to the Assembly constituency.

People in North Bengal have been with us, and trust our strategy of growth, inclusiveness and empowerment.

Bengal has shown its  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 8, 2023

Dhupguri assembly constituency, which was won by BJP in 2021 state elections, fell vacant following its MLA Bishnu Pada Ray's death in July this year.

The Dhupguri bypoll win is crucial for TMC as North Bengal has remained a sticky track for the state's ruling party, which stormed back to power in 2021 with a landslide majority.

In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP's meteoric rise from 2 to 18 seats was heavily contributed by the northern part of the state, where the saffron camp has never been in power.

"North Bengal is totally with us... It's a win for INDIA alliance," said Mamata despite the Left and Congress fighting together to defeat TMC and BJP.

Though Mamata's TMC, Congress and Left shared the dais of INDIA alliance to fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP in 2024, the scenario in Bengal politics is quite different.

Left and Congress, which were once arch-rivals in the state, have already cleared there will be no understanding in TMC in West Bengal.
Photo Courtesy: UNI

PM Narendra Modi has expressed confidence that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development.

He emphasized that Indias G20 Presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented where the developmental concerns of the Global South have been actively voiced.

Highlighting the importance of emulating Gandhi Jis mission of serving the underprivileged, the Prime Minister underlined that India places great emphasis on a human-centric way of furthering progress.

The Prime Minister informed that he will be chairing Sessions on One Earth, One Family and One Future, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community including furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth.

He also mentioned holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation.

Also Read: G20: Narendra Modi to meet Joe Biden, Sheikh Hasina today

The Prime Minister further added that President Droupadi Murmu will host a dinner for the leaders on September 9.

The leaders will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on September 10.

At the Closing Ceremony, on the same day, G20 Leaders will share their collective vision for a sustainable and equitable One Future, together like One Family, for a healthier One Earth.

Sharing a thread on X, the Prime Minister said: India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhis iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days."

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development," he said.

More than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union, invited guest countries, and 14 heads of international organizations are expected to attend.

India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhis iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.



It is my firm belief that  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Ahead of the summit, strict traffic curbs have been put in place to restrict the movement of vehicles in the area where the G20 summit venue and hotels for delegates are located.
Joe Biden arrives in New Delhi/ courtesy: Videograb

New Delhi/IBNS: United States President Joe Biden arrived in Delhi for the first time Friday evening to take part in the G20 Summit to be held over the weekend.

Biden's plane - Air Force One - touched down at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport shortly before 7 pm.

He is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss a number of issues, including a deal for fighter jet engines, the procurement of predator drones, and collaboration on critical technologies like 5G and 6G networks.

There is also talk of a major rail deal but US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan did not confirm reports on this.

Earlier in the day, before setting off for India, Biden posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "every time we (the G20) engage, we get better".

"I'm headed to the G20 - the premier forum for international economic cooperation... focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver," he said.

Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver.



Every time we engage, we get better.  President Biden (@POTUS) September 8, 2023

India is hosting the 18th G-20 Summit in New Delhi beginning Saturday as the global leaders are arriving in the city to attend the Summit.

More than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union, invited guest countries, and 14 heads of international organizations are expected to attend.

Ahead of the summit, strict traffic curbs have been put in place to restrict the movement of vehicles in the area where the G20 summit venue and hotels for delegates are located.
Image Source: Videograb

New Delhi: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for reforms to the UN Security Council as he pointed out the widening rifts and growing tensions across the world.

Speaking in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the two-day G20 Leaders' Summit that starts tomorrow, he welcomed Indias focus on 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' but said the phrase is an "indictment of our times".

"Because if we are indeed one global family  we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one," he was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

"Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up, and trust is eroding  which together raise the spectre of fragmentation, and ultimately, confrontation. This fracturing would be deeply concerning in the best of times  but in our times, it spells catastrophe," he added.

Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up & trust is eroding - raising the spectre of fragmentation & ultimately confrontation.



My urgent appeal to the #G20:



We cannot go on like this. We must come together and act together for the common good. pic.twitter.com/wpTl1HEhX1  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 8, 2023

Guterres statement comes amid the war between Russia and Ukraine that has been going on for more than one and a half years.

The conflict has been a major issue between the Indian G20 Presidency and a joint statement, or communique, said the report.

Indias G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, said that the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is "almost ready" and will be presented before the G20 leaders for their approval, the report said.

With the US pressing for a strong condemnation of Russia and Moscow making it clear that it will oppose any joint statement that does not reflect its views, coming up with a joint statement remained a challenge.

The Russia-Ukraine war has not only been the reason behind Indias inability to issue a communique after any of the G20 ministerial meetings throughout its presidency, but negotiations on other critical matters, like food, energy security and climate change, too, are proving difficult.

On climate change, Guterres said that the crisis is "worsening dramatically" and the "collective response is lacking in ambition, credibility, and urgency".

"I have come to the G20 with a simple but urgent appeal: we cannot go on like this. We must come together and act together for the common good," Guterres said, the report added.
In image PM Modi with US President Joe Biden during bilateral talks

New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday met United States President Joe Biden at his residence for bilateral discussions shortly after he landed in New Delhi for the G20 Summit scheduled to begin Saturday.

Biden's plane - Air Force One - touched down at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport shortly before 7 pm.

The Prime Minister's Office shared photos of the two leaders holding talks on "a wide range of issues (that) will further deepen the bond between India and the US".

Calling their meeting 'productive', PM Modi said: "We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good."

Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a pic.twitter.com/Yg1tz9kGwQ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

The bilateral meeting will be followed by a dinner hosted by PM Modi at his residence.

Earlier in the day, before setting off for India, Biden posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "every time we (the G20) engage, we get better".

"I'm headed to the G20 - the premier forum for international economic cooperation... focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver," he said.

Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver.



Every time we engage, we get better.  President Biden (@POTUS) September 8, 2023

India is hosting the 18th G-20 Summit in New Delhi beginning Saturday as the global leaders are arriving in the city to attend the Summit.

More than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union, invited guest countries, and 14 heads of international organizations are expected to attend.

Ahead of the summit, strict traffic curbs have been put in place to restrict the movement of vehicles in the area where the G20 summit venue and hotels for delegates are located.
In image victim Rupal Ogrey/ courtesy: Facebook

Mumbai/IBNS: A 40-year-old man, who was arrested for allegedly killing 25-year-old air hostess Rupal Ogrey, was found dead in Mumbai police's custody in the early hours of Friday, media reports said.

The accused, Vikram Athwal, was found hanging using a pair of pants as a noose inside the toilet of Andheri police station, according to reports.

Police suspect it to be a case of suicide.

Rupal, a trainee air hostess, was found dead at her apartment in Mumbai's suburban Andheri on Sunday night.

She moved to Mumbai from Chhattisgarh this April after landing a job with Air India and lived with her sister and her boyfriend, who had gone home a few days ago.

Her family reached out to her friends when she did not receive any calls on Sunday.

The friends went to the apartment, found it locked from the inside, and informed the police.

The police broke into the apartment and found Rupal lying in a pool of blood.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

A dozen police teams then traced and arrested the main accused in the case - Vikram Atwal, who worked as a sweeper in the housing society.

During the interrogation, the police recovered a knife allegedly used by him to kill Rupal along with the clothes he was wearing at the time of the crime.

According to police, Vikram Athwal was married and had two daughters.

Vikram and Rupal reportedly argued over petty issues and as per preliminary investigation, he entered the latter's flat under the pretext of picking up a garbage bag and cleaning the commode and then murdered her.
Photo courtesy: Facebook/SRK

New Delhi/IBNS: In an appreciation post for Shah Rukh Khan , industrialist Anand Mahindra, who is super-ecstatic about the film 'Jawan', called the Bollywood superstar a 'natural resource' for the country.

Sharing a video of Shah Rukh performing in Dubai at the Jawan event, Anand Mahindra wrote, "All countries guard their natural mineral resources and mine them and usually export them to earn forex. Maybe it's time to declare @iamsrk a Natural Resource...."

His post garnered the Internet's big love.

Shah Rukh Khan also replied to the comment in his signature wit.

He wrote, "Thank u so much. I keep trying in my small humble way to make our country proud in terms of making cinema. And hope as a natural resource' I am not limited!!! Big hug sir."

Thank u so much. I keep trying in my small humble way to make our country proud in terms of making cinema. And hope as a natural resource I am not limited!!! Big hug sir. https://t.co/mNcyCDdrNE  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) September 8, 2023

Earlier, Anand Mahindra shared a clip from the song Zinda Banda and praised Shah Rukh Khan's infectious energy in the song.

"This hero is 57 years old. His ageing process defies gravitational forces! He's 10X as alive as most people. #ZindaBanda ho to aisa." Shah Rukh Khan replied to Anand Mahindra in his signature style. SRK wrote, "Life is so short and fast sir, just trying to keep up with it. Try and entertain as many whatever it takes....laugh..cry...shake...or fly...hopefully make some swim with the stars....dream for a few moments of joy," he wrote.

Jawan fever has gripped the nation and how as the film released on Thursday. Several social media posts and viral videos vouch for the fact that Jawan craze is here to stay.

After the film's release, Shah Rukh Khan shared a thank you note for his fans and he wrote, "Wow have to take time out and thank each and every Fan Club and all of you who have gone so happily in the theatres and even outside. So overwhelmed will surely do the needful as soon as I get my breath back in a day or so. Uff!! Love u for loving #Jawan."
Actor Danny Masterson sentenced to serve 30 years in prison in rape case. Photo Courtesy: Danny Masterson Instagram page

US actor Danny Masterson has been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison for raping two women, media reports said.

Prosecutors argued Masterson, 47, had relied on his status as a prominent Scientologist to avoid accountability, reports BBC.

During the hearing, Judge Charlaine Olmedo allowed the victims of the crime to read impact statements in the court.

The That 70s Show star, 47, was found guilty in late May on two of three counts of rape, and was taken into custody following the verdict. The jury was deadlocked on the third count, reports CNN.

After his initial arrest in 2020, the actor had pleaded not guilty to raping three women at his home in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003.

The sentence on Thursday stems from the second trial in the case, which began on April 24 and went to the jury on May 17, the American news channel reported.

Defence lawyers Shawn Holley and Philip Cohen represented Danny Masterson in the case.

Outside the court, Holley was quoted saying to reporters by CNN that they plan to appeal his rape convictions.

We are very disappointed in the sentence the judge handed down today, said Holley, reading from a statement.

Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he was convicted and we and the appellate lawyers who are the best and the brightest in the country are confident that these convictions will be overturned," Holley said.

The actor played Steven Hyde in That '70s Show (19982006), Milo Foster in Men at Work (20122014) and Jameson "Rooster" Bennett in The Ranch (20162018).
Photo Caption: Pixabay

At least 64 people, including 49 civilians, were killed as terrorists attacked an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali on Thursday, media reports said.

The Islamist terror group members reportedly attacked an army camp in Bamba which left 15 soldiers killed.

According to reports, 50 terrorists were also killed in the incident.

Terrorists also attacked a boat on River Niger in Timbuktu which left several civilians dead.

Extremist Islamist insurgent group JNIM, an umbrella coalition of armed groups aligned with al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the incident.

"In response to this double attack, a combined air-land action by our valiant FAMa made it possible to neutralize around 50 terrorists," the Malian government said in a statement.

"Immediate arrangements were made to evacuate all passengers and secure the places which are still the subject of sweeping and surveillance," read the statement.

A few hours after the attacks, Mali's interim president, Assimi Goita, declared a three-day national mourning starting Thursday, reports Xinhua.

Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies, jihadist incursions, and inter-community violence that have left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Image: UNICEF

Record numbers of children are on the move through Latin America and the Caribbean, facing perilous journeys marked by violence, exploitation and abuse, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday.

Children in the region driven from their homes by gang violence, instability, poverty and climate change represent around 25 per cent of migrants said UNICEF  almost double the global average of 13 per cent.

More and more children are on the move, of an increasingly young age, often alone and from diverse countries of origin, including from as far away as Africa and Asia, said Garry Conille, UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean Director.

When they cross several countries and sometimes the entire region, disease and injury, family separation and abuse may plague their journeys and, even if they make it to their destination, their futures often remain at risk.

Shocking numbers

Along the dangerous Darien jungle route alone, at least 29,000 children made the crossing in 2021, followed by an estimated 40,000 last year.

In just the first eight months of 2023, more than 60,000 children have made the trek, half of them under five  the highest number on record for a single year.

This trend is mirrored at the southern border of the United States, where authorities recorded over 83,000 children entering the country in the first seven months of fiscal year 2023, which runs from October the previous year to September.

In fiscal years 2022 and 2021, over 155,000 and 149,000 children crossings were recorded, respectively.

Root causes and challenges

According to UNICEF, the root causes of the crisis range from widespread poverty and job opportunities, to structural inequality, food insecurity and accelerating climate change.

Disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes have further exacerbated internal displacement in the region and lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Migrant children also face grave physical risks. In 2022, at least 92 migrant children died or went missing due to natural hazards, violence, exploitation and abuse.

The dangers are amplified by limited access to healthcare, nutrition and protection services, especially for the most vulnerable, including children with disabilities, children identifying as LGBTQI+ and those from indigenous groups.

Response

UNICEF is actively working with partners and governments along migration routes to provide accurate information, promote safe migration and offer lifesaving assistance to children and families.

To address this unfolding crisis, the agency is appealing for $160.5 million to meet the needs of refugees and migrant children in several Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and others.

It is also calling for $142.3 million to support children and families on the migration route across Central America and Mexico in 2023. However, as of August, both appeals are less than a quarter funded.

UNICEF also urged Member States to mobilize a better regional approach, invest in countries of origin, expand safe migration pathways, and strengthen child-sensitive border and reception processes.

The unprecedented scale of the child migration crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean urgently requires a stronger humanitarian response as well as the expansion of safe and regular migration pathways for children and families to help protect their rights and their futures, no matter where they are from, said Mr. Conille.
Photo courtesy: UNI

Islamabad/UNI: Pakistani Police killed five terrorists during an operation in southwest Balochistan province, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials said.

The operation was conducted on intelligence information in the Aghbarg area of Quetta, provincial capital of Balochistan province, CTD officials said in a statement on Thursday.

The CTD said the killed terrorists belonged to the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, adding that they were involved in the killing of police and security personnel in the province.

The police personnel also recovered explosive material, hand grenades and suicide jackets from terrorists' hideouts during the operation.

Earlier last week, eight terrorists were killed in two separate operations during clashes with police in Balochistan province, according to CTD officials.
Image: Unsplash/Jalitha Hewage

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Wednesday emphasized the pressing need for Sri Lanka to address its accountability deficit, ranging from war crimes to rights violations, corruption and abuse of power.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, stressed the urgency of addressing these challenges if the country is to move forward, recalling the 2022 anti-Government protests demanding a fairer and more inclusive society.

But the potential for a historic transformation that would address long-standing challenges is far from being realized.

The UN rights chiefs message coincides with the launch of a new report documenting the countrys human rights situation. It outlines the challenges and opportunities to address them, in the wake of the 2022 economic crisis.

Families search for truth

Although the brutal decades-long civil war ended more than 14 years ago, tens of thousands of victims and their families in Sri Lanka still seek truth and justice.

While the Government proposed a new truth-seeking mechanism, meaningful and transparent consultations with victims and civil society are essential for the success of any transitional justice process, OHCHR said.

This includes putting an end to all forms of harassment and unlawful surveillance, and supporting initiatives to acknowledge and memorialize victims experiences.

Truth-seeking alone will not suffice. It must also be accompanied by a clear commitment to accountability and the political will to implement far-reaching change, Mr. Turk said.

Concerns over proposed laws

The report raises concerns over proposed new laws, such as the Anti-Terrorism Bill before parliament and legislation to regulate broadcasting.

It also highlights the need for comprehensive security sector reform, including reduced military spending and a cut in military personnel in areas affected by armed conflict.

The report also calls on the authorities to accelerate investigations and prosecutions into emblematic cases of human rights violations, as well as the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which claimed 269 lives and injured over 500.

Economic crisis

The report summarizes the impact of the 2022 economic crisis on the human rights and well-being of Sri Lankans.

The crisis resulted in severe shortages in fuel, electricity, food, medicines, and other essential items. While some stabilization occurred in 2023, many experienced a sharp decline in living standards, and the country still grapples with a heavy debt burden.

Poverty has almost doubled  from 13 per cent in 2021 to 25 per cent in 2022, according to World Bank estimates, and it is projected to further rise to 27.4 per cent this year, and remain over 25 per cent for the next few years.

Women have borne a distinct impact post-crisis, as many are primarily engaged in informal sectors of the economy and face limited access to social protection, said OHCHR.

Food and education

Food insecurity and access to health and education also remain major concerns.

Across the country, about 37 per cent of households faced acute food insecurity in November 2022, leading to a significant number of families buying cheaper less nutritious food and sometimes skipping meals altogether, leading to fears of rising malnutrition among children.

Mental health has also been affected as people face multiple stresses due to price increases, scarcity and loss of income.

Access to education is also at risk, amid rising truancy due to competing economic needs, and higher transport and food costs.

Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and girls are particularly vulnerable, OHCHR noted.

Recommendations

The report outlines a series of recommendations, including a call on the Government to guarantee peoples economic and social rights, tackle corruption and create an enabling environment for a successful and sustainable transitional justice process.

It also urges increased womens participation in political life and decision-making, as well as ensuring free and fair elections at all levels of government.

The report also calls on the international community to support effective and meaningful transitional justice processes, in compliance with international norms, and targeted sanctions against those credibly alleged to have perpetrated gross human rights violations.
Over 300 international students, primarily from Punjab, who recently enrolled at Canadore College and Nipissing University for the September and January intakes, are grappling with a housing dilemma, prompting them to stage a protest outside the campus yesterday.

Despite initial assurances given during the admission process, these educational institutions have failed to provide adequate lodging, leaving these students in a precarious situation.

Escalating Rental Costs

North Bay, a relatively small city with a sparse population, is proving to be a challenging place for these students to secure affordable accommodation. What should have been reasonably priced shared basement rooms, originally expected to cost between $300 to $350, are now commanding exorbitant rates of $700 to $800, with additional expenses for laundry and Wi-Fi, according to Gurkirat Singh, a student at Canadore College.

Gurkirat Singh voiced his concerns, stating, North Bay is a small city with a sparse population, and students are struggling to find accommodation. The owners are charging exorbitant rates. Shared basement rooms that should cost $300 or $350 are being rented for $700 or $800, excluding laundry and Wi-Fi.

Jaspreet Kaur, another student hailing from Ludhiana, shared her plight, saying, Ive been tirelessly searching for permanent accommodation for the past few months. I had to stay with a friend in Brampton, resulting in a daily commute to North Bay, costing me nearly $100 on public transport. She also mentioned that she had appealed to the college authorities for online classes or relocation to another campus, but her requests have gone unanswered.

With the number of students facing accommodation challenges steadily rising, some are left with no choice but to spend their nights in parks or hotels.

Seeking Support and Taking a Stand

In their quest for a solution, the distressed students sought assistance from the Montreal Youth Student Organization (MYSO) and various Punjabi organizations. Following a meeting between MYSO leaders and the affected students, a collective decision was reached to stage a protest outside the North Bay College campus.

As the night fell and the protesting students numbers dwindled, the college summoned security personnel to disperse them. However, their determination remains unshaken. Jaswinder Kaur, another student, emphasized, We will continue with our protest until the college fulfills its promise of providing accommodation. We are also reaching out to international students from other colleges facing similar challenges.

The situation facing these international students in Canada highlights the critical need for immediate attention and resolution, not only for their well-being but also to uphold the integrity of educational institutions in welcoming students from around the world.

(Image and Text Credit: Khalsavox.com)
The increasing incidents of sexual exploitation of Punjabi girls on study visas to Canada calls for the immediate attention of social organizations.

The Sikh social and religious organizations back home in Punjab state of India also need to take cognizance of the same.

Some 5 lakh international students, including adolescent girls, especially from Punjab, come to Canada every year. In the prevailing economic circumstances and employment market scenario, students are not getting proper jobs as per permissible work hours.

Rentals for accommodation have skyrocketed, and rates of groceries, including milk and fruits, have become almost unaffordable for international students.

All this makes them vulnerable to exploitation of different types. If girls get pushed into the flesh trade, boys are unknowingly dragged into the drug business, all to make ends meet.

The information shared here emanated from an interview with Ms Sunder Singh, the Executive Director (ED) of a womens support group, the Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women (EHCFW).

Khalsa Vox spoke to Singh on the burning issue of exploitation of Indian students and found that it is a matter of great concern. However, the Gurdwara committees in Canada are just not interested in helping out students in distress.

Singh revealed that in 2017, over 1,500 distress calls were received from girls. The number had gone up three times till 2022.

We try to act as facilitators for arranging suitable jobs and accommodation for the girls by involving Canadian police and other government bodies. In case there are vacancies at the EHCFW field offices, girls facing difficulties are preferred added the ED of the womens organization.

She explains: The modus operandi that old settlers adopted is to offer financial help to needy students. By and by, they gain their confidence. In the case of girls, gangs start exploiting them sexually as a quid pro quo for financial help. In the case of boys, their services are used to carry drugs to designated places. This vicious circle ultimately introduces international students to the world of crime.

Singh advises that the students should neither accept financial help from fresh acquaintances nor should they share their bank details and addresses.

There have been instances when girls are asked by helping acquaintances to spend time with their other friends. The girls are filmed stealthily in objectionable postures. Blackmailing follows, jeopardizing the lives of the victims.

According to Singh, Indian parents should not send their wards to Canada till they are graduates and mature enough as life is not easy here. The immigration consultants in India lure clients by presenting a very prosperous life that awaits them in Canada. In the case of those having helpful relatives settled in Canada, the situation may be somewhat different.

We approached some Gurdwaras a few years ago requesting them to contribute to our efforts from their huge financial resources, but they did not show any interest, said Singh. The EHCFW is supported mainly by the government of Ontario province.

She agreed to a suggestion that the plight of Punjabi students needed to be brought to the knowledge of Akal Takht Jathedar and requested to issue a diktat to all committees of Gurdwaras abroad to contribute financially towards helping students in distress.

Giving the background of the NGO, Sunder Singh said Elspeth Heyworth was born in India as her father was a minister there in the British government of Yore.

She came to settle in Canada only to see the misery of Indian women. She then decided to help the women immigrants.

Once, she went to India and died accidentally at a beach in Goa. Later, her friends decided to carry forward her task of serving women in general, particularly Indian women in Canada.

(Image and text credit: Khalsavox.com)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's disputes with his estranged wife Aaliya made headlines, and what followed next was a mudslinging divorce procedure. From accusing her husband of abuse, cheating and rape, to saying that he has disowned his kids, several allegations were levied against the Bollywood actor who is currently being seen in Netflix's Haddi. Just when everything seemed okay between them, especially after Aaliya appeared on Bigg Boss OTT and said that Nawaz has been supportive after she went public with her allegations, there's seems to be more trouble in the case.

BCCL

As per a report on ETimes, Aaliya who is in Dubai for the education of her two kids, has been served with an evacuation notice by the Dubai Rental Disputes officials who visited her on September 7.

Not just that, she has also been served a deportation notice by the Dubai government. If she fails to pay the dues, amounting to 27,183,00 dirhams, she will have to evacuate the house and face legal proceedings.

The report further states that Nawazuddin Siddiqui was asked by the Bombay High Court to provide financial transactions. However, he has not been able to do that.

She had previously told the portal, "I want him to have the Dubai house agreement changed in his name. He is going to be the provider and if anything goes wrong here for us, it will give us more security if he holds the reins.As for the money part, Nawaz has been now paying up as per the Court orders. I think we should settle the Agreement thing in this visit."

Aaliya Siddiqui is dating a new partner. "It has taken over 19 years to get out of the relationship that I treasured. But in my life, my childrens are my priority, they were always and they will be. However, there are few relationships that are bigger than and beyond friendship, and this relationship is the same relationship and I am very happy about the same hence shared my happiness with you all. Dont I have the right to be happy?" she had announced.

Also Read: Months After Tiff With Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Wife Aaliya Is Dating Dubai-Based Italian Man

For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


As the G20 Summit approaches, there will be public holidays in New Delhi aimed at ensuring the safety and smooth proceedings of the Delhi G20 Summit event. During

Delhi G20 Summit will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023, and Sunday, September 10, 2023. During this Delhi G20 Summit Event, there will be public holidays in the national capital from September 8-10 with the closure of banks, financial institutions, and commercial establishments in the New Delhi district, a Delhi government notification said on Wednesday, August 23.

G20 Summit Delhi Restrictions FAQs: From Liquor Shop To Food Order All You Need To Know About G20 Guidelines | BCCL

In order to avoid traffic and burden to the normal public, the Delhi government has decided to close offices and schools during G20 Summit events, Schools can operate online classes, and offices are advised to provide work from home. Take a look at FAQs or frequently asked questions on G20 Summit restrictions.

G20 Summit Delhi Restrictions FAQs

With only a few hours remaining before world leaders and dignitaries arrive for the G20 Summit, the Delhi Government and Delhi Police have implemented restrictions in the New Delhi district area and various other parts of the city.

Find out which routes to use to reach the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the New Delhi railway station here. And discover what facilities are available, and what's unavailable, during the 3-day-long Delhi Lockdown for G20 Summit.

Questions and Answers related to G20 Restrictions:
Apple's stock took a hit as reports emerged of China prohibiting officials from central government agencies from using or bringing iPhones and other foreign-branded devices into their workplaces.

According to the Wall Street Journal, these instructions were conveyed to Chinese officials in workplace chat groups or meetings in recent weeks. However, it remains unclear how extensively these orders have been disseminated.

The report significantly impacted Wall Street stock indexes, resulting in a 3.6% decline in Apple shares.

China represents one of Apple's largest markets, accounting for nearly a fifth of its revenue.

On Wednesday, several analysts commented that the reported action demonstrated Beijing's determination to reduce its reliance on American technologies and indicated that no U.S. company would be exempt from this effort.

"Even Apple is not immune... in China, where it employs hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million workers, to assemble its products through its relationship with Foxconn," DA Davidson analyst Tom Forte said.

This development "should encourage companies to broaden their supply chains and customer bases, reducing their reliance on China if tensions escalate further.

The ban might raise concerns among foreign companies operating in China, particularly as Sino-US tensions intensify.

It also coincides with an upcoming Apple event next week, which analysts believe will focus on launching a new line of iPhones.

The WSJ report did not mention any other phone manufacturers aside from Apple. Both Apple and China's State Council Information Office, responsible for handling media inquiries on behalf of the Chinese government, did not promptly respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

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This recent restriction in China is reminiscent of similar bans imposed in the United States against Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies and the short video platform TikTok, which China's ByteDance owns.



China has been striving to decrease its dependency on foreign technologies for more than ten years.

This effort includes urging state-affiliated firms like banks to transition to domestic software and fostering the growth of the local semiconductor chip manufacturing industry.

Analysts have noted that Huawei recently introduced a 5G smartphone with a highly advanced silicon chip.

This achievement was deemed beyond its capabilities initially due to export restrictions led by the United States.

The Mate 60's processor is a breakthrough, using SMIC's advanced 7nm technology, indicating China's progress in building a domestic chip ecosystem, says TechInsights.

Sino-US tensions are escalating, with the U.S. blocking China's access to crucial chip industry equipment and China limiting shipments from U.S. firms like Boeing and Micron.

Apple's earnings aren't immediately affected, given the iPhone's popularity in China, according to CFRA Research analyst Angelo Zino.

During a recent visit to China, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo acknowledged concerns from U.S. companies, labeling China uninvestible due to risks, fines, and raids.

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A Chinese woman named Guan Yue was arrested for a strange wage theft case. She had 16 jobs but never went to any of them. Guan Yue used the money she earned from this scam to buy a villa in Shanghai.

The fraud she committed on a large scale was only discovered recently. It happened when one of her employers noticed strange document inconsistencies and reported it to the police.

The South China Morning Post reported that Yue handled 16 jobs simultaneously.

She achieved this by continuously applying for new jobs while already employed elsewhere. During interviews for these new positions, she would take pictures and send them to her current employers, claiming these were from client meetings.

Ironically, the con artist's arrest occurred while she was interviewing for another job.

Guan Yue's husband, Chen Qiang, is also believed to have been part of the scam. Together, they kept meticulous records to manage their numerous jobs.

These records included information such as when Yue began working at a specific company, the bank account she used for that employer, her job role, and more.

Over three years, the couple orchestrated the scheme, accumulating enough money to purchase a villa. They didn't decline any job opportunities; when they couldn't handle a job themselves, they would pass it on to someone else and still earn a commission.

Nevertheless, their scheme fell apart in January this year when one of their employers, tech company owner Liu Jian, detected inconsistencies in her documents.

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Jian's company had hired Guan Yue and seven of her associates.

However, after a three-month probationary period, the team hadn't made any sales, leading to their dismissal.

Soon after Yue departed from Jian's company, she mistakenly sent her resignation notice to another company and multiple work groups. Jian was part of one of these groups and observed that Yue's resignation date matched when she was expected to work for his company.

Growing suspicious, he reached out to the police, setting in motion the exposure of the fraudulent activity.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that Yue possessed multiple identity cards and bank accounts through which she received salaries from numerous organizations. The magnitude of her scam exceeded 50 million yuan.

Following this revelation, Yue, her husband, and more than 50 accomplices involved in the salary fraud were arrested.

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Certain bars have been involved in a concerning practice in the vibrant party town of Kavos, Greece. They've been repurposing unfinished drinks and reselling them to unsuspecting tourists.



The Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE), along with diligent local police officers, took action against these bars. They suspected these establishments of evading taxes and selling illegal alcohol, as the New York Post reported.

Between August 30 and September 1, a significant operation took place in the popular tourist area, causing quite a stir and leading to the closure of multiple bars.

The crackdown was prompted by suspicions that these bars could be evading taxes and selling illegal or tampered with alcohol.



Agents from AADE and local law enforcement arrived in Kavos to initiate an inquiry. What they discovered was deeply concerning.

A total of 26 catering businesses failed to provide receipts for an astounding $286,782 in transactions. But what alarmed the tourist community was the revelation that seven bars served drinks without the necessary lot number markings.

The absence of these markings indicated that these drinks may have been acquired unlawfully and could pose potential health risks. In response to this troubling discovery, eight samples were gathered and sent to the State Department of Chemistry for thorough testing.

According to reports, bartenders collected leftover drinks in containers, stored them in barrels, and sold them as shots to unsuspecting customers.

As a result, these establishments were temporarily closed for 48 hours and faced substantial fines. Kavos, famous as a party spot with little oversight, is now in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

This follows the recent tragedy of 22-year-old British police officer Hannah Byrne, whose body was found in the streets of Kavos early one Friday morning.

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Initial reports indicated she may have died from a fall and head injury, but Corfu's chief medical officer, Yannis Aivatidis, raised concerning issues. He mentioned she had alcohol on her breath and questioned how she could have died shortly after arriving.



They are currently investigating whether tainted alcohol played a part in her death, and only toxicology tests can provide definitive answers.

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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit the flood stricken areas of Thessaly in order to be informed about the disasters, carry out an autopsy in the areas
Petitions by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the victory of two Labour Party candidates in the February 25 House of Representatives election have been dismissed for lacking in merit.

It was gathered that PDPs Okhuarobo Osamuede and his party, had approached the National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Benin City, the Edo State capital, to challenge the outcome of the election which produced Labour Partys Murphy Omoruyi as lawmaker for Egor/Ikpoba Okha Federal Constituency.

Osamuede contended that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices, non-compliance with requirements of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended and that the first respondent, Murphy, was not qualified to contest the election as he was not a member of the 3rd respondent, the Labour Party.

READ MORE: Tribunal: Atiku, Peter Obi Have No Ground To Approach Supreme Court  Yahaya Bello

However, the Tribunal, while dismissing the petition, held that the petitioners did not prove any of the grounds of the petition.

In the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in that election, Eribo Crosby Osadolor, the tribunal also held that the petitioners failed to prove any of the grounds of the petition and the petition therefore failed.

The petition was also dismissed for lack of merit.

The Tribunal also dismissed the petition of Mr Sunday Aguebor of the PDP and his party against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 House of Representatives election for Oredo Federal Constituency, Iyawe Aisosa, and the Labour Party for lacking in merit.

The petition was on the ground of non-compliance with the requirements of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended which the Tribunal held that they failed to prove as allegations of noncompliance are required to be proved polling unit by polling unit and ward by ward.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the just concluded judgement over 2023 election, saying petitions are not won on social media but decided by facts and evidences.

The former Governor of Rivers State made this known on Channels Televisions Politics Today programme on Thursday.

He applauded the Presidential Election Petitions Court for affirming the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25, presidential poll.

Wike said he did not support his party, the PDP and its flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar at the Tribunal because I believe their position was wrong; I believe in equity, I believe in fairness, I believe in justice.

I have always told people that election petition is not like any other case; its a special area; it is not by propaganda, it is not won on social media, it is presentation of evidence, facts.

READ MORE: Tribunal: Atiku, Peter Obi Have No Ground To Approach Supreme Court  Yahaya Bello

I sat down for not less than 10 hours. Look at how the justices painstakingly took each item one by one, from the preliminary objections to the motions, down to the objections on documents and exhibits, down to substantial issues, the minister said.

Wike, also added that there was no need for the petitioners to appeal the judgment because the Tribunal affirmed the will of Nigerians.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike on Thursday disclosed that, he had already knew the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi will not win the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

During an interview on Channels Television, Wike claimed that the youth settled for Obi because he was the youngest among the top politicians who contested.

He noted that even though the youths were tired of the situation in the country, they did not take into cognisance a lot of things.

He said: I know that he wont win the election. Let me tell you the truth, I am a realist.

For me, the way the election went, it was a tough election. I give it to INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission).

READ MORE: Tribunal: Atiku, Peter Obi Have No Ground To Approach Supreme Court  Yahaya Bello

Obi couldnt have won the election. Yes, as a young man, people would have preferred that but look at how the votes went.

There is this generational change, the young people were tired. So, for them, the only hope they had was to vote for Obi as a younger person compared to other candidates.

But unknown to them, that is not the reality of Nigerian politics. They didnt take into cognisance that ethnicity is a factor. They didnt take into cognisance that religion is a factor, not only competence; that is the reality of Nigerian politics.

Did Peter Obi not win at the Supreme Court when he was removed as governor? Did he pay a bribe? Let him tell the world now.

When he was removed as a governor, did he not reclaim his mandate at the Supreme Court? Judiciary was right but now that the decision happened, the judiciary is wrong.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says having started small in life, good education helped him to attain the position of the countrys number one citizen.

Tinubu spoke on Thursday while addressing Nigerians in India ahead of the G-20 summit that will be held between September 9 and 10 in the Asian country.

Speaking at the event attended by several Nigerian students studying in India, Tinubu said they can reach the pinnacle of their careers if they are dedicated and determined.

He once again narrated how he was once a security guard before getting employment at Deloitte and Exxon Mobil.

Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the President of Nigeria. I started small.

READ ALSO: Nigerias Bedevilled With Many Challenges  Akpabio

I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student. I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education.

When I joined them, I asked them, do you have branches in Nigeria? and they said, we have a lot of clients, we will take you if you want to go home.

Thats how I got to Exxon Mobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer until I joined politics with a can-do attitude.

You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from, Tinubu said as quoted by Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesman.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, submitted that despite Nigerias great human and natural resource wealth, the countrys leadership and public sector management deficit kept it from developing.

During an interaction in India on Thursday, the president expressed his conviction to Nigerians saying Nigerians, are not poor in knowledge. We are not poor in human resources. We are only poor in management and leadership, and that is why I ran for president, to help all of us mould the soul of our country in the right direction.

Reflecting on the trajectory of his life that prepared him for leadership, Tinubu told several Nigerian students studying in India that they can reach the top of their respective careers with dedication, honesty, determination and a change of mindset.

Tinubu, who is in India for the G-20 Summit, urged Nigerians to use the countrys rich diversity as a uniquely powerful tool for advancing prosperity and national development for the benefit of all citizens, emphasizing that our diversity must be used to drive economic growth, innovation, and social progress.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Elections Are Won By Most Rugged Politicians  Davido

We are here to present a new future to you. A future of a country that is so rich, endowed, and highly populated. Very dynamic, unique in its culture, tradition, and ethnicity. That is what will make our prosperity possible, if only we can make use of our diversity for prosperity, he said in a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.

Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, while addressing the students, explained that President Tinubus foreign policy thrust included four Ds, with one of them being Diaspora, which focuses on improving the quality of services that Nigerians in the Diaspora receive at Nigerian Missions abroad.

The issue of passport delays will be a thing of the past. You wont have to wait indefinitely for your passports to be ready. Secondly, you are the first point of contact between Nigerians and other countries. We cant grow beyond what our people project. That is why it is very important for you to project a consistently positive image of Nigeria online and off-line, Nigerias Chief Diplomat said.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has given the management of the University of Lagos, 48 hours ultimatum to reverse the increased school fees and refund the students that have paid.

The student body also tasked other tertiary institutions and Unity Schools across the country, over increment of school fees, vowed to keep mobilizing its members nationwide to kick against such moves.

NANS disclosed this on Thursday at the press conference held at the International Press Centre, Lagos, in reaction to the disruption of its peaceful protest by the operatives of the Nigeria police which took take place at UNILAG.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that the press statement was co-signed by NANS National Public Relations Officer, Giwa Temitope; NANS National Vice President External, Akinteye Afeez; NANS National Deputy Senate President, Ekundina Elvis; NANS Chairman JCC, Lagos, Alimi Idris; and NANS Director Special Duties (Southwest), Adegboye Adeboye.

The statement read, We want to start this press conference by commending the mass of Nigerian students who came out yesterday, defying police repression, and threats from the arrogant authorities of the University of Lagos.

We salute the courage of students of the University of Lagos. We acknowledge the leadership of the NANS Lagos, Ogun Joint Campus Committees, and the entire Joint Campus Committee in South West and Zone D leadership itself.

We commend students from the Lagos State Polytechnic and students from other tertiary institutions who came out yesterday. We give special mentions to the Obafemi Awolowo University Students Union, and the University of Ibadan Students Union for their uncommon show of solidarity. Yesterday, you all sent a strong message about the powers inherent in our collective voice.

We want to state that the repression that was meted out on our protest yesterday in what we best term an absurd astronomical increase in fees payable at the University of Lagos is condemnable and the height of recklessness on the part of the Police Force.

Going as far as dispersing a peaceful gathering of students against the absurdity is in itself an absurdity and, as an association, we condemn it in clear terms. Students, and, indeed, the Nigerian people must be free to exercise their freedom as explicitly stated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) most especially Section 40 which provides for the right to peaceful assembly and association.

READ MORE: UNILAG Students Set To Protest September 6 Against Fees Hike

We must state categorically that our decision to protest the fee hike was reached after the management of the University of Lagos failed to meet the terms of the agreement met with us on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023 where the VC assured us that the fee will be reversed to the initial price and then reviewed through a joint body of students and management staff of the University.

Unfortunately, the VC, out of her sheer disregard for agreement decided not to honour the decision made at the meeting. Rather than do that, she entered into an unholy alliance with the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State to clampdown on student protest whereby some of our Comrades were injured and some including the National PRO of the association were arrested and taken to the Police headquarters, Lagos State Command.

As an association, we want to state for the umpteenth time that we are against repression in any form. We condemn the arrest and hereby state that;

We acknowledge the directive of the federal government asking authorities of tertiary institutions to halt fee increments. However, we insist that the federal government must go beyond this lip service and address the challenge of underfunding education.

The introduction of the Students Loan Act, and the insignificant budgetary allocation to education is a great indictment and casts great aspersion on the governments resolve to confront the deteriorating state of our institutions.

Accordingly, the management of the University of Lagos is hereby given 48 hours ultimatum to immediately reverse the fees as agreed upon and refund students who must have paid the astronomical fees.

Consequently, all students Union Presidents, NANS leadership, and the Nigerian students are hereby put on notice to begin mobilizations. We shall be hitting the Unilag gates again. The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunshola said categorically that we can only protest for three days at the gate and leave. She dared the Nigerian students, called us weak, and insignificant. We will meet her at the barricades. The country is bleeding economically and education cannot be traded for illiteracy. It is our fundamental human rights to be educated.

The Police authority must henceforth stop repression of students and peoples protest.

We warned all higher education and Unity Schools never to add a kobo to the school fees. This is why we will be elaborately campaigning on the #FeesMustFall!

Finally, we thank all Nigerians who rose when we were arrested and shot at by the police. We especially love the level of solidarity and radical statements from our campuses most especially the Great Ife Students Union, the University of Ibadan Students Union amongst others. The Lagos JCC, NANS Zone D, Groups, and the entire civil society. This is a joy to the heart and a poser to the fact that a new student movement is rising collectively again!
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general elections, Peter Obi, has rejected the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court read on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Onitsha, Anambra State on Thursday, the presidential candidate vowed not to back down in seeking justice.

He said: Yesterday, 6 September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) finally delivered its long-awaited judgments on the Petitions challenging the outcome of the presidential election held on 25 February 2023.

This judgment was delivered within the statutory time frame under the extant statutes. We acknowledge the Courts contributions to due process and the seeming attempt to strengthen our democracy.

As petitioners in this case, we respect the views and rulings of the Court, but we disagree with the Courts reasoning and conclusions in the judgment it delivered.

It is my intention as a presidential candidate and the intention of the Labour Party to challenge this judgment by way of appeal immediately, as allowed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The PEPC has rendered its judgment, but that esteemed body is not the final arbiter. The responsibility now falls on the Supreme Court. I do know that judgment is not coterminous with justice.

I implore Nigerians to remain focused, steadfast, and peaceful; abide by the rule of law, and understand that this matter has not reached its logical conclusion.

READ MORE: Were You Expecting Us To Gather Evidence For You In The Market?  Tribunal To Peter Obi, LP (Video)

Our legal team has already received our firm instruction to file an appeal against the decision.

I shall not relent in the quest for justice, not necessarily for myself but indeed for our teeming supporters all over the country whose mandate to us at the polls was regrettably truncated by INEC.

The strength and value of our democracy reside in solid national institutions and our confidence in them.

Electoral litigations will be almost unnecessary and nonexistent if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discharges its statutory functions creditably, transparently, and with discernible fairness.

When that body fails, as it did recently, thus subverting the will of Nigerian voters, the recourse to the judiciary becomes imperative, as is now the case.

I thank every Nigerian who has supported our cause and campaign for a New Nigeria characterized by fairness, equity, justice, the rule of law, peace, prosperity, inclusiveness, sustainable growth, and development.

A New Nigeria is possible and achievable. I especially thank our legal team, the Labour Party and Obidient Family, and all those who showed up daily during the court trials. God bless you all, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Odetayo, through his legal counsel, Rasheed Adeniyi, on August 21, 2023, approached the Industrial Court with an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants/respondents, their servants, privies, employees or howsoever described from giving effects to the letter of suspension dated 11th July, 2023 and letter of query dated 1st August 2023 given to the applicant herein or in any way interfering with the applicants position as the Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction before this court.

Justice O. A. Ogunbowale, who presides over the matter in Lagos, granted the order sought by the claimant and restrained the state government and its agent from acting on the matter pending the determination of the suit before it.

He (Odetayo) resumed back to office earlier on Thursday, showing the court injuction to the Chief Security Officer of the school before proceeding to the Rectors office accompanied by lecturers by an ASUP faction in his support.

READ MORE: Gov Adeleke Approves Pension Of 734 Osun Retirees

Similarly, another faction loyal to the acting Rector gathered at a hall in the school to strategize on the plan of action before Alabi sought for calm.

However, as part of efforts to ensure peace on the campus, the state government in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole directed staff and students to proceed on a two-week break and also froze the institutions account.

The statement read, This is to inform the general public, particularly members of staff and students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree to proceed on two (2) weeks break, with immediate effect.

The immediate break is a necessary action in order to maintain peace in the Institution consequent upon the forceful return of the suspended Rector, Dr. T.A. Odetayo.

The general public should also note that School accounts have been frozen with immediate effect and it is imperative that everyone cooperates fully and adheres to these directives.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the mother of all political parties in the country.

Atiku noted that, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, would not have existed if not for the PDP.

However, the PDP presidential flagbeaer charged members of the party to remain loyal.

Atiku made the call on Thursday during a press conference to address the outcome of the court judgement, which his petition challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu was thrown out.

However, Atiku, said despite the outcome, he is still standing strong and party members also have no reason to despair.

READ MORE: Tribunal Verdict: Well Get Justice At Supreme Court  Atiku

Let me finally give hope to some of the delusional or disappointed members of our party. I am one of the foundational members of this party, and Im still strong.

This party gave birth to any other party you can think of in this country today. Whether you are APC, or APMwhatever you call yourself, your mother is the PDP.

What is most important for us is to make sure we remain loyal and faithful members of this historic party. This is the only party since the creation of Nigeria that is as old as it is today.

We have a record to protect, promote, and foster. You may be fathers today, but you will always be proud of your grandfather, not to mention your great-grandfather. Why will you not want to be proud to be a member of the PDP? Theres absolutely no reason.

I, therefore, want to urge our memes to remain loyal and dedicated and foster national unity and cohesion, Atiku said.
Ibrahim Abdullahi, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said the party is yet to recover from the shock of Wednesdays ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

The PDP chieftain further wondered why the judges ruled that there was nothing wrong with the last presidential election.

Recall that the tribunal dismissed all petitions from the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart from Labour Party, Peter Obi against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The court further affirmed Tinubus victory in the February 14 presidential election.

READ ALSO: PDP Gave Birth To All Other Parties In Nigeria Including APC  Atiku

Reacting to the outcome via Arise Television on Friday, Abdullahi who said it would have made much sense if the tribunal had ordered a rerun, posited that there was enough evidence provided by the PDP to nullify the election.

There was a lot of evidence that was provided by the parties to nullify the election.

If the judges had nullified the election and ordered a rerun, it wouldve made a lot of sense.

But for the respected judges to say that from the beginning to the end, theres nothing wrong with the election; its a shock to us. We are yet to recover from the shock, Abdullahi said.
As one of the thematic activities of the 2023 World Manufacturing Convention, the 2023 Second Low-Altitude Economy Development Convention is scheduled to be held in Wuhu, Anhui Province from September 15-17. At that time, a series of exciting activities will be launched, including low-altitude economic development academician report meetings, innovation achievement exhibitions, and new product launches. The reporter learned that the convention will focus on the theme of "Developing the Low-Altitude Economy, Creating a Better Future" and set up conference, exhibition, drill, and release sections. The conference section includes an opening ceremony, a main report meeting, and eight parallel report meetings. The Convention, hosted by the People's Government of Anhui Province and organized by the People's Government of Wuhu City, the Department of Transportation of Anhui Province, the Development and Reform Commission of Anhui Province, the Department of Economy and Information Technology of Anhui Province, and the National Low-Altitude Economy Integration Innovation Research Center, is larger in scale, higher in specification, and more professional than the first Low-Altitude Economy Development Convention, with innovative conference formats. For instance, the first low-altitude economic development academician report meeting will be held, and several Chinese and foreign academicians will be invited to share and exchange views on hot topics in the low-altitude economy. In addition, the innovation achievement exhibition set up at this convention is the first of its kind in the low-altitude economic field nationwide, covering an area of about 5,000 square meters, showcasing the achievements of low-altitude airspace management reform, leading companies' innovation achievements, core technologies, cutting-edge products, and advanced manufacturing equipment. Data shows that the low-altitude economy generally refers to flight economic activities below 3,000 meters in altitude. As a new type of transportation industry, the low-altitude economy is hailed as a "new trillion-dollar industry investment window". According to statistics, the global low-altitude economy market size exceeded 10 billion US dollars in 2022.

Source: Anhui News
Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigerias Minister for Health and Social Services, has identified poor funding, brain drain, obsolete equipment and lack of facilities as major issues in the nations health sector.

The minister made the disclosure on Thursday, during his address to the 13th Biennial Delegates Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) in Kano.

Represented by Abdurrahman Sheshe, Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, he said: I recognize the fact that there are problems facing the medical sector in the country, which include poor funding, brain drain, a lack of facilities, obsolete equipment, a lack of enough workers and facilities, particularly in rural areas.

READ ALSO: Well Reveal Identities Of Oil Thieves  House Of Reps. Committee Vows

All these are part of what the current administration is working to change in order to enhance the health sector. The situation has caused a lot of problems that have to do with maternal mortality and various others.

The government is going to work hand-in-hand with all those that are willing to contribute towards resolving these problems, especially the MDCAN, to whom my doors will always remain open for advice and suggestions, he said.

Speaking on the theme Medical Education in Nigeria at a Crossroads: Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education Challenges and the Way Forward, he urged medical professionals to assist the government because it cannot do it alone.
Senate Majority Leader, Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele has said that the judiciary upheld the rule of law by affirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential polls.

Bamidele, who was the star witness for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the hearing of the two major petitions, noted that the Tribunal put emotions aside when it confirmed Tinubus victory at the polls.

Recall that the five-member tribunal chaired by Justice Haruna Tsammani on Wednesday upheld President Tinubus election.

In a statement on Thursday, he appealed with the petitioners to accept the outcome of the tribunal and join hands with President Tinubu to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda to Nigerians.

READ MORE: Tribunal Judgement Will Destroy Electoral Act 2022 If Allowed To Stand  Kenneth Okonkwo

He said: I commend the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, for upholding the rule of law over emotions.

The verdict of the Justices has once again reaffirmed that Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the February 25, presidential election.

I also congratulate President Tinubu over the affirmation of his victory by the Tribunal. In the interest of our beloved country, I, therefore, urge the petitioners to join hands with Tinubus administration to deliver his Renewed Hope Agenda to Nigerians. Politics is over, it is now time for governance.
Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), on Thursday, rejected the judgement of the election petitions tribunal.

Recall that on Wednesday, the tribunal struck out the various charges filed by Obi and the LP challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubus victory in the February 25 poll.

While speaking at a press conference in Anambra, Obi said he would not relent in the quest for justice and would appeal the judgement of the tribunal.

His words: As petitioners in this case, we respect the views and rulings of the court, but we disagree with the courts reasoning and conclusions in the judgment it delivered.

It is my intention as a presidential candidate and the intention of the Labour Party to challenge this judgment by way of appeal immediately, as allowed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Tribunal Questions How Obi, Atiku Won In Some States If INEC Favoured Tinubu

Our legal team has already received our firm instruction to file an appeal against the decision. I shall not relent in the quest for justice, not necessarily for myself but indeed for our teeming supporters all over the country and beyond whose mandate to us at the polls was regrettably truncated by INEC.

The former Anambra governor implored Nigerians to remain focused, steadfast, and peaceful.

He urged his supporters to abide by the rule of law and understand that this matter has not reached its logical conclusion.

Electoral litigations, he said, will be non-existent in the country if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discharges its statutory functions creditably, transparently and with discernible fairness.

He thanked his supporters, his legal team and all those who showed up during the court trials and urged them not to despair because a new Nigeria is possible.
Phrank Shaibu, aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on communications, says the behaviour of Vice-President Kashim Shettima is unbefitting of someone who holds public office.

Shaibu spoke in reaction to a statement credited to Shettima on Wednesday following the verdict that affirmed the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February 25 polls.

The Vice-President, on a lighter note had said he would retire Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, to rearing goats and chickens.

Shettima had said: Atiku Abubakar is an elder statesman that I hold in very high esteem and anybody who knows the social cultural interaction between the Fulanis and the Kanuris in the North will know that I have the liberty to haul all insults at him and he will bear.

We are not going to retire him to Dubai or Morroco, I will retire him to Fombina, I will buy him goats, broilers and layers so that he can spend his days rearing goats and broilers.

Reacting, Shaibu said: For the sake of the reading public, this response becomes very important.

READ ALSO: Accept Tribunal Verdict, Tinubu Earned It  Ganduje To PDP, LP

He loves to rack lacklustre jokes at every given opportunity. Last year, he said Vice-President Osinbajo should have been an ice cream man instead of a politician. Later on, he said Nigeria needed a leader like Sani Abacha.

His behaviour is certainly unbefitting for a man who currently holds the exalted office of vice-president, even if temporarily.

His lack of sophistication is eroding the elegance of the Office of the Vice-President.

Men of honour have held that position in the past and Shettima should learn from the examples they led in public decency.

In any case, he would do well by attending a finishing school on Atikus scholarship and learn how to behave like a polished statesman.

According to the former Vice-Presidents aide, Shettima did not leave a good legacy as governor of Borno state.

During his tenure as governor between 2011 and 2019, Borno state was taken over by terrorists completely, he said.
Using large language models (LLMs) is generally easy, although theres an art to constructing effective prompts for them. On the other hand, programming with language models can be challenging. Enter LangChain.

LangChain is a framework for developing applications powered by language models. You can use LangChain to build chatbots or personal assistants, to summarize, analyze, or generate Q&A over documents or structured data, to write or understand code, to interact with APIs, and to create other applications that take advantage of generative AI. There are currently two versions of LangChain, one in Python and one in TypeScript/JavaScript.

LangChain enables language models to connect to sources of data, and also to interact with their environments. LangChain components are modular abstractions and collections of implementations of the abstractions. LangChain off-the-shelf chains are structured assemblies of components for accomplishing specific higher-level tasks. You can use components to customize existing chains and to build new chains.

Note that there are two kinds of language models, LLMs and chat models. LLMs take a string as input and return a string. Chat models take a list of messages as input and return a chat message. Chat messages contain two components, the content and a role. Roles specify where the content came from: a human, an AI, the system, a function call, or a generic input.

In general, LLMs use prompt templates for their input. A prompt template allows you to specify the role that you want the LLM or chat model to take, for example a helpful assistant that translates English to French. It also allows you to apply the template to many instances of content, such as a list of phrases that you want translated.

How LangChain works: Modules

LangChain has six modules:

Model I/O, an interface with language models Data connection, an interface with application-specific data Chains, which construct sequences of calls Agents, which let chains choose which tools to use given high-level directives Memory, which persists application state between runs of a chain, and Callbacks, which log and stream intermediate steps of any chain.

Model I/O lets you manage prompts, call language models through common interfaces, and extract information from model outputs.

IDG

Data connection gives you the building blocks to load, transform, store and query your data.

IDG

Complex applications require chaining LLMs, either with each other or with other components. LangChain provides the Chain interface for such chained applications.

A conversational system should be able to access some window of past messages directly. LangChain calls this ability memory.

IDG

As opposed to chains, which hard-code sequences, agents use a language model as a reasoning engine to determine which actions to take and in which order.

Callbacks allow you to hook into the various stages of your LLM application. This is useful for logging, monitoring, streaming, and other tasks.

Debugging with LangSmith

LangSmith helps you trace and evaluate your LangChain language model applications and intelligent agents to help you move from prototype to production. As of this writing, it is still a closed beta. You can view a walkthrough of LangSmith and read the LangSmith docs without joining the beta test.

LangChain use cases

Use cases for LangChain include Q&A over documents, analyzing structured data, interacting with apis, code understanding, agent simulations, agents, autonomous (long-running) agents, chatbots, code writing, extraction, analyzing graph data, multi-modal outputs, self-checking, summarization, and tagging.

Some of these use cases have many examples, such as Q&A, which has about 17. Others have only one, such as web scraping.

LangChain integrations

There are roughly 163 LangChain integrations as of this writing. These include five callbacks, nine chat models, 115 document loaders, six document transformers, 54 LLMs, 11 ways of implementing memory (mostly with databases), 22 retrievers (mostly search methods), 31 text embedding models, 21 agent toolkits, 34 tools, and 42 vector stores. The integrations are also available grouped by provider.

LangChain essentially acts as a neutral hub for all of these capabilities.

Installing LangChain for Python and JavaScript

To install LangChain for Python, use pip or conda . The best practice is to install Python packages in virtual environments so that they dont have version conflicts over dependencies.

Ill show pip commands. For conda commands, consult the installation page and click on Conda.

The basic, minimal installation is

pip install langchain

For the record, thats what I used. It does not include the modules for model providers, data stores, or other integrations. I plan to install whichever of those I need, when I need them.

To install LangChain and the common language models, use

pip install langchain[llms]

To install LangChain and all integrations, use

pip install langchain[all]

If youre using zsh , which is the default shell on recent versions of macOS, then youll need to quote expressions with square brackets. Otherwise, without the quotes, the shell interprets square brackets as indicating arrays. For example:

pip install 'langchain[all]'

To install LangChain for JavaScript, use npm , Yarn , or pnpm , for example:

npm install -S langchain

You can use LangChain for JavaScript in Node.js, Cloudflare Workers, Vercel / Next.js (Browser, Serverless, and Edge functions), Supabase Edge Functions, web browsers, and Deno.

I wont show you more about LangChain for JavaScript; I suggest that you consult the LangChain for JavaScript installation page to get started.

LangChain example

While there are hundreds of examples in the LangChain documentation, I only have room to show you one. This Python code comes from the end of the Quickstart, and demonstrates an LLMChain. This chain takes input variables, passes them to a prompt template to create a prompt, passes the prompt to an LLM (ChatOpenAI), and then passes the CSV output through an (optional) output parser to create a Python array of strings.

from langchain.chat_models import ChatOpenAI from langchain.prompts.chat import ( ChatPromptTemplate, SystemMessagePromptTemplate, HumanMessagePromptTemplate, ) from langchain.chains import LLMChain from langchain.schema import BaseOutputParser class CommaSeparatedListOutputParser(BaseOutputParser): """Parse the output of an LLM call to a comma-separated list.""" def parse(self, text: str): """Parse the output of an LLM call.""" return text.strip().split(", ") template = """You are a helpful assistant who generates comma separated lists. A user will pass in a category, and you should generate 5 objects in that category in a comma separated list. ONLY return a comma separated list, and nothing more.""" system_message_prompt = SystemMessagePromptTemplate.from_template(template) human_template = "{text}" human_message_prompt = HumanMessagePromptTemplate.from_template(human_template) chat_prompt = ChatPromptTemplate.from_messages([system_message_prompt, human_message_prompt]) chain = LLMChain( llm=ChatOpenAI(), prompt=chat_prompt, output_parser=CommaSeparatedListOutputParser() ) chain.run("colors") # >> ['red', 'blue', 'green', 'yellow', 'orange']

LangChain Expression Language (LCEL)

LangChain Expression Language is a declarative way to compose chains and get streaming, batch, and async support out of the box. LCEL makes using LangChain easier. You can use all the same existing LangChain constructs to create chains as you would when composing them in code, since LCEL is essentially a high-level alternative to creating chains in Python or TypeScript/JavaScript.

Theres a LangChain Teacher you can run interactively to learn LCEL, although youll need to install LangChain for Python first. Note that I wasnt able to run the teacher. It seems to have a version-dependent bug.

LCEL expressions use pipe characters ( | ) to connect variables into chains. For example, a basic common chain uses a model and a prompt:

chain = prompt | model

In context, you might have this Python program:

from langchain.prompts import ChatPromptTemplate from langchain.chat_models import ChatOpenAI model = ChatOpenAI() prompt = ChatPromptTemplate.from_template("tell me a joke about {foo}") chain = prompt | model chain.invoke({"foo": "bears"})

The output (as given on the site) is:

AIMessage(content='Why don\'t bears use cell phones?



Because they always get terrible "grizzly" reception!', additional_kwargs={}, example=False)

As youve seen, LangChain offers a powerful way to create generative AI applications powered by language models and data, connected into chains. Ive shown you a few Python examples, and given you a link to the JavaScript examples. You can also program LangChain in R using a Python shim, as my InfoWorld colleague Sharon Machlis explains in Generative AI with LangChain, RStudio, and just enough Python. Another useful resource is the LangChain blog, which publishes a short article most weekdays.
Courtesy of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy / Courtesy of the Office of Arts,

Creative Philly, the city cultural arts office overseeing plans for a permanent Harriet Tubman statue, is tallying results of a public survey in which residents were able to rank their choices among designs proposed by five semifinalist artists.

The deadline to comment on the survey was Sept. 5. More than 2,800 people responded to the survey that was available on the Creative Philly website from Aug. 4 through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 5.

But a spokesperson for the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Creative Phillys official name, said the results will first be given to the five semifinalists and the citys African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee. They will not be released to the public until October.

Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza, a member of an artisans collective and cofounder of the Celebrating the Legacy of Nana Harriet Tubman Committee, criticized the decision to withhold the survey results from the public.

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She said Thursday that the citys process for acquiring a Tubman statue has been wrong from the beginning.

They have just lacked transparency so that people can see for themselves and make their own determination.

Sullivan-Ongoza was a founding member of the Harriet Tubman committee that formed last year after the city announced it was going to award a $500,000 commission to Wesley Wofford, a North Carolina-based sculptor.

Wofford brought a traveling version of his Journey to Freedom statue to Philadelphia between January and March 2022 in honor of Tubmans 200th birthday.

They have just lacked transparency so that people can see for themselves and make their own determination. Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza

At first, city officials wanted to buy Woffords traveling statue, which he has taken to 17 other cities so far.

But Wofford told them he could not sell the traveling statue, a smaller, artists proof of an original statue he had designed for a private collector.

Instead, the city suggested he create a permanent Tubman statue and was set to award him a commission.

However, Sullivan-Ongoza and members of the Tubman committee objected to spending public funds without an open-call process so other artists could compete. They also said it was important that Black artists have an opportunity to design a statue of an iconic Black American woman.

 READ MORE: $500K Harriet Tubman statue controversy gets national attention, prompts a petition, and elicits the sculptors response

The committee began a public campaign of petitions, letters to politicians, and appearances on radio talk shows to demand that the city reverse its decision. The city did change course and announced the new open-call process last August.

A year later, at a virtual public meeting, Creative Philly revealed the five designs by the semifinalist artists: Vinnie Bagwell, Richard Blake, Tanda Francis, Alvin Pettit, and Basil Watson.

The artists were chosen from more than 50 who submitted applications.

The publics input will help ensure that this statue honoring Harriet Tubmans life and legacy will reflect the communities that shape Philadelphia, the spokesperson said late Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, Creative Philly said that after seeing the publics rankings and comments, the five semifinalists will be given an opportunity to incorporate any feedback into their designs prior to making their final design presentations to the African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee in October. That is when a summary of the survey results will be made public along with the announcement of the winning design.
Benjamin Sugarman, 36, Malvern, Pa., posed for a photo with his 2019 Kia Optima on Aug., 30, 2023. He said he was charged $1,000 to buy the car off its lease, despite the initial agreement saying he would be charged $0 for doing so. Read more

Benjamin Sugarman knew the lease on his Kia Optima was about to expire, and he was ready to buy it.

After reviewing his lease agreement, he knew exactly how much he should be charged to own the car hed been driving for three years: $0.

But he ended up paying an extra $1,000 at a local dealership.

I wound up just biting the bullet, because I had no choice, Sugarman said. I wanted the car.

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Some consumers in other states, including Florida and Massachusetts, have found themselves in similar situations in recent years.

In November, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody subpoenaed six car dealerships for documents related to lease buyout fees, and several lawsuits have been filed in the state alleging violations of the Consumer Leasing Act, a federal law that prohibits dealerships from charging fees not disclosed in original lease agreements.

One Palm Beach attorney said he recovered more than $130,000 for customers who had paid such fees.

I believe the dealers in Pennsylvania are taking advantage of customers by imposing these fees and charges that are not in a contractual document, a lease, said Sugarman, a 36-year-old real estate agent from Malvern. Thats just not OK.

The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office declined to comment on this specific case, but said consumers should report potential violations to their office for investigation.

We are comfortable saying now that certain fees may be illegal, a Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office spokesperson said in a statement. The lease agreements would likely dictate whether a fee was legal.

Thats what we charge

Sugarman had leased cars his whole life, but never bought a leased vehicle before spring 2022.

He loved the way his 2019 Kia Optima drove, with its turbocharged engine, and he had put fewer than 15,000 miles on it over three years due to the pandemic.

I wasnt driving my car as often and as far, in terms of various trips and what not, so the miles were pretty low, Sugarman said. It was a no-brainer for me to purchase it off of the lease.

As the lease expiration date approached last year, he said he called Kias financing department and was told that he could buy his lease out only through a dealership under Pennsylvania law.

It didnt need to be the dealership where he had leased the car three years ago, but Sugarman said he decided to go to that dealer, Murray Kia of Conshohocken, thinking it might be easier where he had done business before.

He reached out to the dealership in January 2022. For the next two months, Sugarman exchanged emails with a finance manager for Murray Kia who walked him through the process of buying out the lease and answered Sugarmans questions.

As he was preparing to make the purchase, Sugarman noticed a charge that was not in the original lease agreement, a document The Inquirer reviewed along with purchase agreements for the buyout.

In a March email, Sugarman wrote: Im prepared to proceed with the purchase but request that you please remove the $1,000 Lease Buyout Fee since I have a $0 fee as part of my lease.

The manager replied: Thats what we charge to purchase your lease out at this dealership. You can go to any PA Kia dealership if you would like.

Murray Kia of Conshohocken was sold to Raceway Kia last year. Raceway Kia officials did not return repeated requests for comment about whether they had knowledge of the practice.

The Inquirer was able to reach the former finance manager, who said he could not recall the lease-buyout policies at Murray Kia or connect a reporter with anyone else associated with the dealership.

A warning for consumers

After Sugarman was told that he had to pay an extra $1,000 at Murray Kia, he began to do more research.

I started contacting other dealers just to see if, A, this was on the up and up and, B, if this is going to be the case everywhere, Sugarman said.

Some local dealers did not return his calls or messages or told him that he couldnt buy out his lease at their dealership.

At Jim Sipala Kia of West Chester, a salesperson sent Sugarman the purchase offer for his Optima  and tacked an extra $1,000 onto the price of the vehicle, without specifying it as a line item on the purchase agreement.

The dealership also required a $399 safety check, according to a purchase agreement and email exchanges shared with The Inquirer.

The sales manager of Jim Sipala Kia did not return several calls and emails seeking comment.

Since Sugarman was financing his purchase  meaning the extra $1,000 plus interest would be spread out over a few years  he ultimately decided to go back to Murray Kia and buy his car off the lease , he said.

But he still feels as though he was ripped off.

By sharing his story, Sugarman said he hopes to warn people about unknowingly paying these fees. Maybe, he added, it could lead to policy changes, too.

Id like to see these charges and these fees be wiped out, Sugarman said, and not be permitted by dealers for lease buyouts.
Several development projects at the Navy Yard have received funding through the EB-5 program. Read more

Since 2004, more than 2,000 wealthy foreign investors aiming to live legally in the U.S. have pumped $1.4 billion into 40 Philadelphia-area projects in exchange for EB-5 visas, which allowed investors and their spouses and children to immigrate in exchange for $500,000 or more.

Nationally, more than 100,000 of these visas have been issued, raising more than $70 billion, since an early version of the program debuted in 1992. The vast majority were delivered in the 10 years ending in 2020, when the program stalled as the pandemic hit and Congress pushed for changes.

Here are three Philly developments supported by immigrant investments.

 READ MORE: How rich immigrants won U.S. residency by investing $1.4 billion in Philly projects

The Philadelphia Convention Center

The Convention Center expansion never would have been built without EB-5, said former Philadelphia Mayor and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

Two-hundred EB-5 visa-seekers pledged a joint $122 million in crucial, cheap financing for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The project eventually cost $800 million, making it the most expensive building in state history.

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One of the applicants was a family member of Chun Doo-hwan, the last military dictator of South Korea. According to a money-laundering lawsuit filed by U.S. Marshals in 2015, $530,000 of Chuns money went into a $122 million fund set up by the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. (PIDC) EB-5 center to allow foreigners to invest in the Convention Center, in return for visas. The U.S. seized the money to return it to Korea.

The Crane

Ahsan Nasratullah sought EB-5 investments in 2012 for Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp.s Crane tower, a mostly market-rate, 150-apartment high-rise tower in Chinatown.

Global City Regional Center, an LLC created by Nasratullah, raised $8.8 million for the $75 million Chinatown tower before it was built in 2017, mostly with bank and public financing. Nasratullah is now seeking investors for a project that could fit EB-5s new urban focus, at the Africatown development in Southwest Philadelphia.

The Navy Yard

The Philadelphia Navy Yards redevelopment began in the early 2000s, when developers used PIDCs newly established EB-5 investment program to begin converting former Navy buildings into office space that attracted Urban Outfitters and other businesses to the neighborhood.

In 2014, the Courtyard by Marriott Philadelphia South rose at the Navy Yard with the help of $17 million raised from EB-5 visa applicants by PIDCs partner, CanAm Enterprises. Another $80 million was raised for whats now the Philly Shipyard, starting in 2007. EB-5 investors also helped fund Axaltas Global Innovations Center, Rhoads Industriess expansion, and other Navy Yard projects.
Philadelphia Police Crime Scene officer walks past a city vehicle Thursday morning near where a city worker was shot inside a corner store at 23rd and Oakford Streets Thursday morning during an argument. Read more

Philadelphia police on Friday identified the man they say shot and killed a city Streets Department worker in South Philadelphia, as they continue the search for the suspect.

Police said Senaaj Jackson, 21, killed Masir Williams, also 21, after the two fought Thursday morning inside a corner store near 23rd and Oakford Streets. A warrant was issued for Jacksons arrest and police said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Around 8:44 a.m. Thursday, three Streets Department employees, including Williams, arrived at 23rd and Oakford Streets to work in the area, police said. Williams went into the nearby corner store to buy water and other items, police said

Then Williams, of the 2500 block of North 32nd Street, got into a fight with Jackson, who pulled out a gun and shot Williams in the back, police said. The nature of the dispute was not immediately known.

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Jackson did not appear to be an employee at the corner store, said police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore. According to surveillance footage, the fight between Williams and Jackson started fairly quickly after Williams entered the store, he said.

After shooting Williams, Jackson fled, police said.

Williams was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:17 a.m. Thursday, police said. He had worked at the Streets Department for six months.

A Streets Department spokesperson said in a statement that the department was disheartened to learn of Williams death.

Police ask anyone with information on Jacksons whereabouts to call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334, or to dial 911. There is a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction, police said.
Philadelphia Police stand outside a corner Grocery Deli at 23rd and Oakford, where a shooting took place on Thursday morning. Read more

A Philadelphia Streets Department worker was shot and killed Thursday morning at a corner store in South Philadelphia after he stopped in for a bottle of water before work, police said.

The 21-year-old man, whom police have not identified, was shot in the back during an argument with someone inside the store, said Sgt. Eric Gripp, a Police Department spokesperson.

Around 8:44 a.m., three Streets Department employees, including the victim, arrived at 23rd and Oakford Streets to work in the area, Gripp said. As the crew arrived, one of the three got out of the vehicle and went into a corner store to buy water and other items before the start of his day, Gripp said.

While inside the store, the Streets Department worker got into a fight with another man, who pulled out a gun and shot him in the back, said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.

The shooter did not appear to be an employee at the corner store, said Vanore. According to surveillance footage, the fight between the Streets Department worker and the man who shot him happened fairly quickly after the worker entered the store, he said.

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The shooter ran out of the store and fled, police said and they are still searching for him.

The victim was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10:15 a.m., Vanore said. The man had worked at the Streets Department for six months.

We are disheartened to learn about a fatal altercation involving a Streets Department employee this morning, and our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this terrible incident, a Streets Department spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. This situation is being investigated by the police and we thank them for their timely response.

The city spokesperson did not identify the Streets Department employee that was killed.

As the investigation into the shooting continues, police said they will be reviewing footage from surveillance cameras in the area and talking to witnesses.
Bayard Taylor Elementary, in Philadelphia's Hunting Park section, has window air-conditioning units, but they don't adequately cool many rooms, a teacher said. The school was built in 1907; it's not among the 86 Philadelphia schools that closed early due to heat. Read more

Alan Foo gulped Gatorade for breakfast on Thursday in preparation for his sweltering job: teaching fifth graders at Bayard Taylor Elementary School, where he grew so dehydrated and groggy this week he had to seek medical attention.

Taylor, built in 1907, has air-conditioning in most, though not all classrooms, but the schools hallways and common spaces lack climate control, and basement rooms  which includes spaces where preschool and special-education students learn  have no air-conditioning at all. And the 1907 building relies on window units, many of which struggle to cool classrooms with 20-plus students and staff.

Temperatures in our air-conditioned classrooms are in the 80s, said Foo, whos taught at Taylor for 17 years. I have no idea how my students and I will survive this week.

Though the Philadelphia School District called early dismissals through Friday for 86 schools that lack air-conditioning or have inadequate or nonfunctional cooling systems, conditions inside many climate-controlled schools  like Taylor, on North Randolph Street in Philadelphias Hunting Park section  were often still unbearable.

For State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.), the situation is the continuing evidence of decades of underfunding. (A Commonwealth Court judge ruled this year that the way Pennsylvania has funded schools for decades is unconstitutional and deprives low-wealth districts like Philadelphia of resources to adequately educate students. The states Basic Education Funding Commission meets next week to hear testimony on how to fix it.)

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You could go down to the Philadelphia Art Museum right now and not get a picture more clear than whats being presented here, Hughes said. If these schools were funded properly over generations, we wouldnt be here  you dont see this problem in Lower Merion, ... in Upper Dublin.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said on Tuesday, the first day of classes for 113,000 district students, that when he came to Philadelphia in 2022, he was surprised to find that the district was still coping with closures during soaring temperatures. The Southern school systems he worked in for years eliminated those problems 20 years ago.

And those werent Rockefeller-rich school districts, Watlington said. I think this is one of the vestiges of historical underfunding.

Overheated students, malfunctioning cooling systems

Colleen Sperber teaches fifth graders in a nominally air-conditioned third-floor classroom at Webster Elementary in Kensington. The heat there this week left her wringing sweat out of her ponytail.

Sperber, a 12-year veteran, wants to start the school year off strong, but she doesnt think much learning is going on.

I feel like were just getting through the day, surviving in there because its so gross, Sperber said. I cant expect them to give me their full attention when theyre having to fan themselves, falling asleep at their desks, and telling me they didnt feel good.

There are 30 students in her class, eight of whom have asthma. Sperber worries about their health in the heat.

At Philadelphia High School for Girls, the air-conditioning malfunctioned on Thursday, according to multiple people with firsthand knowledge of the situation. Temperatures inside the school cafeteria were in the 90s; some staff and students became ill.

Staff let district officials know of the hot conditions, but were told they had to remain in the building.

Blazing hot, was one 12th graders description. Even with air in some of the classrooms, it is still hot sitting right in front of the air, yet we are still in here for a full day.

Erik Fleming spent all week fielding phone calls from frustrated, overheated staff inside Philadelphia schools. Fleming, a staffer with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, has heard about air-conditioners that arent blowing cold air, staff and students sickened, and one teacher who told me her room is so hot that shes resorting to going into the hallway because its slightly cooler. (The teachers room has air-conditioning, but its not working; the hallway is not air-conditioned.)

And its not just the districts old buildings  though the average school age is over 70 years old.

We have locations with brand-new systems that are not working, Fleming said.

Communities paying the price

Jerry Jordan gets it. In a system that routinely encounters financial crises and lacks the ability to raise its own revenue, theres just often not enough money left to deal with maintenance, said Jordan, PFT president. Its been let go for so long, this has not been a priority, and now were paying the price.

The heat wave has some school communities banding together to fundraise or purchase air-conditioning units. But Monique Braxton, district spokesperson, urged them to hold off.

We value working with our families as partners in their childrens education and appreciate their desire to support healthy and comfortable learning environments, Braxton said, but solving the problem for hot schools is not as simple as adding individual window units to classrooms.

In many schools, the electrical systems cannot support enough window units to adequately cool schools

Were encouraging our school communities to refrain from purchasing air-conditioners while we work expediently to assess all electrical systems across the district, Braxton said in a statement.

Officials said all district schools wont be air-conditioned until 2027.
Gloria Sullivan  a.k.a. @_gloyoyo_ on TikTok  is reviewing 100 Philadelphia coffee shops for her nearly 200K followers over the next year. She is seen filming a review at Vault + Vine in East Falls, her ninth stop. Read more

TikToker Gloria Sullivan has an itemized spreadsheet of every coffee shop she plans to try in Philadelphia over the next year.

The spreadsheet  which is organized by neighborhood and includes ratings out of 10 for standard iced coffees, tea offerings, and overall vibes  is not Sullivans attempt at project managing her life. Rather, she sees it as a public service.

Sullivan, a Cheltenham native who goes by @_gloyoyo_ on TikTok, is on a quest to review 100 Philadelphia coffee shops for her more than 200,000 followers.

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Inspired by a string of TikTokers reviewing every coffee shop in Washington, Sullivan began the series last month with a review of Fairmounts OCF Coffee House. Since then, she has visited nine establishments, including Vineyards Cafe in Francisville and Uncle Bobbies Coffee and Books in Germantown, which earned the first 10 out of 10. Sullivan hopes to wrap up in summer 2024.

The rules are simple: Order an iced black Earl Grey tea (no sugar) and an iced coffee with half and half. No Starbucks, Dunkin, or Saxbys. The only La Colombe Sullivan will acknowledge is the Fishtown flagship.

The goal is just to tell people where to go if theyre in the neighborhood, said Sullivan, 26, who resides in Manayunk. I feel like people always default to Starbucks or Dunkin when there are so many options.

Rapid-fire restaurant reviews repeatedly go viral on TikTok because they offer a breezy look at what it would be like to eat a meal or get a cup of coffee yourself. A pan of the atmosphere or shot of the menu has been proven to make viewers more likely to try a place they wouldve never patronized otherwise, according to a recent study from marketing firm MGH.

Sullivan is a former School District of Philadelphia middle school English teacher who now works for the district on educator recruitment. Her first foray into TikTok was in summer 2021, when she began posting goofy, low-stakes teacher-centric videos. Sullivans following grew, however, a year later when she began to post Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee-style recipes from her kitchen.

Sullivans no-frills recipes, like those brownie ice cream sandwiches, creme brulee blueberry bagels, and pastina, have been viewed upward of 5 million times.

When The Inquirer joined Sullivan on a since-posted review of East Falls plant-slash-coffee-shop Vault + Vine, she recorded her coffee observations as voice memos on her phone like a proper food critic and captured bite-sized videos of the details, like jars of loose leaf teas and late-summer bouquets.

The Earl Grey is very fruity, but not in a bergamot way, Sullivan said into her phone, licking her lips. Its good.

No one in the shop noticed Sullivan filming, and her videos casualness takes practice: Sullivan needed a few tries to get a satisfactory shot of herself stirring in the half-and-half or sticking a straw in the lid of a cup.

Ride-or-die for caffeine

Sullivan developed her fixation on coffee shops in a roundabout way, as places to sit when she shows up too early to meet a friend or as the end to long walks.

I get coffee so often because I like the activity of going to get a coffee, if that makes sense, Sullivan said.

Her favorite places to get an iced coffee with half-and-half  never milk  are, surprisingly, not coffee shops, but rather establishments that just so happen to serve coffee. Sullivan loves Austin-style taco spot Taco Heart for house-made tortillas and a coffee blend sourced from Hermans in South Philly, and Chestnut Hill bakery Night Kitchen becauseits iced coffees come with iced cubes also made from coffee.

To Sullivan, a good cup of iced coffee is dark with a touch of sweetness, and never the color of iced tea, which likely means its been over-brewed.

I like when you pour the cream in and you can see it swirl, said Sullivan, who makes her iced coffee at home with a Nespresso pod, her precious half-and-half, and occasionally, flavored cold foam.

Sullivan is taking recommendations for the next coffee shops to try. On her short list: Chapterhouse Cafe and Gallery in Queen Village and the Tasty, a vegan South Philly diner with a rotating list of caffeinated beverages.

I dont think Im going to get tired of caffeine by the end of this, Sullivan said. I literally have had at least one cup of iced black tea for most of my life. Im ride-or-die.
Image taken from the body camera video footage of Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial during the fatal shooting of Eddie Irizarry on Aug. 14. The family of Eddie Irizarry asked for the public release of the footage. Read more

The Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry last month at near point-blank range as he sat in his car in Kensington has been charged with murder, prosecutors announced Friday.

Mark Dial, 27, surrendered to police Friday morning, alongside his attorneys and leaders from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5. Dial said nothing, staring ahead as he walked through the station doors.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office has charged Dial with first-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and related offenses.

We have been trying to be fair, fair to everyone, Krasner said during a news conference. We have been trying to make it very clear that justice is evenhanded. It is evenhanded if you are powerful or not powerful, rich or not rich, famous or not famous.

Krasner declined to answer specific questions about the circumstances of the Aug. 14 shooting, saying the body-worn camera footage speaks for itself, and that his office intends to try this case in the court of law, not in the media.

Dials attorneys, outside the South Philadelphia police station where Dial turned himself in, called the charges appalling, and said Dial thought Irizarry had a gun when he opened fire.

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This decision today puts police officers in peril at a time when theyre dealing with perhaps the most violent time in our citys history. We intend to right this wrong and bring this young man home, said attorney Brian McMonagle.

Dial, a five-year veteran of the force, was arraigned Friday afternoon. Typically, defendants charged with first-degree murder are held in jail without bail. But in an extremely unusual move, bail magistrate Marilyn DeLeon and Municipal Court Judge Christian DiCicco agreed to set Dials bail at $500,000.

Almost immediately, the police union posted the necessary $50,000  10% of the total bail  to have him released.

The charges mark the latest development in the controversial case, which has sparked protests and led some to question the Police Departments handling of the incident because officials initially provided an inaccurate account of what happened. The day of the crime, police said Irizarry had lunged at Dial while holding a knife, leading the officer to fire his gun. But video later showed that Irizarry, 27, had been sitting in his car with a knife in his hand when Dial opened fire just seconds after arriving on the scene.

Before announcing the charges, Krasner played clips of the officers body camera footage, which Irizarrys family requested be released to the public unredacted and in its their entirety. Krasner cautioned the public about watching the footage, describing it as extremely violent and traumatizing.

This is, after all, he said, a video of the dying moments of a young man.

What does the body-worn camera footage show?

Dial and his partner, officers with the 24th Police District, encountered Irizarry just before 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, near B and Westmoreland Streets in North Philadelphia. They said they saw him driving erratically, and followed him south for a few blocks, until Irizarry turned the wrong way onto the 100 block of East Willard Street. They pulled up next to him.

There is no audio accompanying the moments before officers got out of their patrol car to approach Irizarry  the body-worn camera technology does not record sound until officers press a button to record, Krasner said.

Heres what the videos appeared to show:

Before the police car had even stopped moving, Dial was opening the door. He hopped out and immediately drew his gun.

Show me your hands! Dials partner yelled.

Irizarry was seated in the drivers seat, the windows rolled up. He was holding a small knife in his hand as officers approached the car.

Its difficult to discern from the video what exactly Dials partner yelled next, as the audio to his body-worn camera footage was not turned on, and attorneys for Dial and Irizarrys family held vastly different interpretations of the footage  a detail likely to be a crucial theme in a potential trial.

Prosecutors and the Irizarry familys lawyer said the partner yelled knife, while Dials defense attorneys say he yelled gun!

Dial then ran around to the drivers side of the car and held his gun up to the window.

I will f shoot you! Dial yelled.

He then opened fire at near point-blank range through the door window and windshield. He ran backward as he fired, striking Irizarry six times.

Shots fired, shots fired, Dial said into his police radio.

Dial ran around his cruiser, then to the passenger door of Irizarrys car. He attempted to open the door but it was locked.

Get your hands off that right now! he yelled at Irizarry.

Dials partner tried to calm him down.

Mark, hold on. Mark, stop, he said.

Dial stepped back.

The partner then moved the cruiser up a few feet to make space near Irizarrys Toyota.

Get us cars, please, he pleaded over the radio.

Dial went back around to the drivers side, where Irizarry leaned back in his seat. He was bleeding heavily.

Keep those hands up right where I can see them, Dial said, opening the car door.

But Irizarry only moaned, his arms limp and eyes rolling back.

Dials partner opened the passenger side door. He leaned inside the car, appearing to be looking for the knife.

Wheres the  I just seen it, he said.

Dial put on a pair of blue gloves, then pulled Irizarry out by his arms. He was no longer moving as he lay on the cement.

The officers, carrying him by his arms and one of his legs, placed Irizarry in the cruiser. Dial rushed him to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Dials partner stayed with the car as additional police arrived. A group of neighbors had gathered in the street, watching, recording, and questioning the officers actions.

Why did yall kill him? a neighbor asked.

Hes paying for a crime

Outside of a South Philadelphia police station Friday morning, Dials lawyers for the first time shared his version of events: As the pair approached the car, Dial heard someone yell that Irizarry had a gun. Fearing for his life, they said, he opened fire.

He then saw an individual pointing what he thought was a gun right in his face. Fearing that he was going to be the next police officer killed in the streets of Philadelphia, he fired, his attorney McMonagle said.

Shaka Johnson, a lawyer for Irizarrys family, said Irizarry had no time to follow the officers orders to drop the knife in his hand.

Irizarrys relatives and supporters had been publicly calling for Dial to face charges for weeks.

Friday morning, the family said they were relieved to see Dial face charges.

His father and namesake, Eddie Irizarry, said the video dispelled any notions that his son had done anything wrong and showed how quickly Dial fatally shot him.

His aunt, Zoraida Garcia, agreed. I know thats not bring[ing] my nephew back but at least hes paying for a crime that he committed, she said.

Local FOP President John McNesby said Dial has the full support of the union.

We ask the public to reserve judgment until all the evidence is presented during trial, he said. Like any other individual facing allegations, Officer Dial is presumed innocent and looks forward to helping his attorneys prepare a vigorous defense against these serious criminal charges.

Dial was suspended from the Police Department with intent to dismiss last month. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said she was moving to fire him for insubordination after he refused to speak with internal investigators about the shooting.

In a statement, Outlaw did not specifically address the footage or the murder charges, saying only that the departments internal affairs investigation remains ongoing and that the department remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the communities we serve.

Outlaw, who announced this week that she plans to resign at the end of this month to take a new job, had previously declined to say whether she thought Dial committed a crime.

Fortunato Perri Jr., one of Mark Dials attorneys, said during a bail hearing Friday afternoon that when police submitted an initial affidavit of probable cause for Dials arrest, they recommended that he be charged with voluntary manslaughter  not first-degree murder.

Defendants facing first-degree murder charges in Pennsylvania have for years been held without bail under the traditional interpretation of the state constitution. Jules Epstein, a Temple University law professor, said exceptions to that are unusual to the point of being extremely rare.

But, he said, a 2021 case out of the state Supreme Court did establish limited circumstances under which murder defendants could argue for bail, and the judge in this case evidently agreed that Dials case permitted his release.

In a statement, Mayor Jim Kenney said his heart is with the loved ones of Eddie Irizarry.

I recognize that no action that we take as a City can bring him back, but I am confident that the District Attorneys Office is working toward justice for Mr. Irizarry and his family, Kenney said.

The case marks the fourth time that Krasner has charged a police officer in connection with an on-duty shooting since he took office in 2018. One officer was convicted, one case was dismissed, and one remains pending in court. Before Krasner was sworn in, prosecutors had not charged a city police officer over an on-duty shooting in nearly two decades.

Dial is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing later this month.
ATLANTA  The special grand jury that investigated efforts by Donald Trump and others to overturn Georgias 2020 election results recommended indictments against twice as many people as the 19 ultimately charged by prosecutors, leaving South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham among those not indicted.

The grand jurors report released Friday showed they recommended racketeering charges against 39 people, including Graham, former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn. Charging recommendations against others included false statements and writings, influencing witnesses and criminal solicitation to commit election fraud.

Released at the request of the special grand jury, the report provides insight into one of the most expansive investigations into Trump, who is also facing two federal indictments along with unrelated state charges in New York City. While critics have accused Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of launching an unwieldy, overly broad investigation, the report suggests she used her discretion to streamline the case.

There are many reasons Willis might have chosen not to charge all those recommended, including immunity deals with some, federal protections for others or insufficient evidence to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University who has been closely following the case, speculated that Willis took some of the special grand jurys vote breakdowns into consideration when deciding who to ultimately go after.

If you have a jury and a group of folks who have pored over evidence for eight months and theres still a 50-50 divide or a two-thirds divide ... I dont think thats something that youd look at and say, we have a high probability of a conviction there, Kreis said.

Of the 19 people ultimately indicted, only one was not included in the special grand jurys recommendations. A former White House aide who served as the director of Trumps Election Day operations, Michael Roman, was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

The special grand jury accused Graham and others of violating Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law -- a statute most commonly associated with mobsters -- saying they tried to overturn the states 2020 election, which Trump, the incumbent Republican, lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The South Carolina senator, who was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger shortly after the November election, and Raffensperger has said Graham asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots.

Perdue and Loeffler were sitting U.S. senators who had failed to win enough votes in the November 2020 general election and were forced into a January 2021 runoff, which they ultimately lost to Democratic challengers. In the weeks after Trump lost and they were pushed into runoffs, they cast doubt on the validity of the election results.

In an interview on a right-wing cable news channel in mid-December 2020, Flynn said Trump could take military capabilities and place them in swing states and basically rerun an election in each of those states. He also traveled in November 2020 to the South Carolina home of conservative lawyer Lin Wood, where Wood has said meetings were held to discuss possible ways to influence the election results in Georgia and elsewhere. The special grand jury also recommended charges for Wood.

Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, blasted the report on his Truth Social site, saying, They wanted to indict anybody who happened to be breathing at the time.

Graham, who has denied wrongdoing, said, It should never be a crime for a federal elected official, particularly the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will have to vote to certify a presidential election, to question and ensure the integrity of that election.

Loeffler, who has stayed involved in politics by founding and funding a Republican-aligned group called Greater Georgia, said she was speaking up for people who felt disenfranchised in the 2020 election. Trying to jail your partys leading political opponent ahead of 2024 is election interference. Speaking out in defense of election integrity is not, she said on X, formerly Twitter.

Flynn pointed to his lawyer Jesse Binnalls post on X: General Michael Flynn will continue to fight for the truth, for America First principles, and for Donald Trumps return to The White House in 2024.

Wood, who testified to the special grand jury, said, It seems unfair to me that I get smeared as someone that is recommended for indictment when the people with the power to look at the evidence and indict did not indict me.

Representatives for Perdue didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The special grand jury foreperson, Emily Kohrs, spoke of her experience in an interview with The Associated Press in February that was followed by interviews with other news outlets. She said she appreciated the weightiness of the responsibility but also enjoyed moments of levity, like joking with Graham. She said the grand jury recommended charges against multiple people and that there would be few surprises.

While Kohrs whirlwind media tour was attacked by Trumps lawyers at the time and raised fears among some Trump critics that it could jeopardize the investigation, the judge overseeing the special grand jury made clear that grand jurors are free to talk about anything but their deliberations.

The panel heard testimony from some 75 witnesses before completing a report in December with recommendations for Willis on charges. She had no obligation to follow their recommendations, and she ultimately decided to go to a regular grand jury to obtain indictments.

The release of the identities of people recommended for indictment is a departure from ordinary grand jury protocol, which dictates that prosecutors do not disclose the names of individuals investigated but not charged so as to prevent potentially innocent subjects from being unduly maligned.

Special grand juries in Georgia are relatively uncommon and are essentially an investigative tool. They can subpoena witnesses and evidence but do not have the power to bring an indictment. Instead, they can produce a report with nonbinding recommendations.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panels recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect peoples due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury had indicted Trump and 18 other people under the states anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.

Many of those indicted  including former New York Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows  are known to have testified before the special grand jury. Trump was never called. Late Friday, a judge in Atlanta denied Meadows request to move his case to federal court.

The parts of the report previously released in February included its conclusions, as well as a section with the grand jurors expressing concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urging prosecutors to seek charges for perjury.
TRENTON, N.J.  New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy named Secretary of State Tahesha Way to be the states next lieutenant governor, a month after Sheila Oliver died after a short hospitalization.

Ways appointment takes effect immediately because the state constitution doesnt require Senate approval for the nomination. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner swore her in Friday outside the governors office.

Her top duty will be filling in for the governor when hes out of state or incapacitated, or if he can no longer serve. But she will stay on as secretary of state, overseeing elections as well as the state museum and archives. Under the constitution the lieutenant governor also holds a Cabinet position.

Way, accompanied by three of her four daughters and husband Charles Way, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve and promised to keep the cost of living down and to protect fundamental freedoms.

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I will dedicate every day of my life to fighting for the forgotten families of our state, she said.

As secretary of state she oversaw the implementation of early in-person voting as well as the 2020 election, which occurred almost entirely with mail-in ballots because of COVID-19 restrictions.

She succeeds Oliver, who died last month of unrevealed causes after a short hospitalization while Murphy had been out of the country.

Way, Democrat like Murphy, has served as secretary of state since the start of Murphys administration in early 2018. She was previously special counsel to the Passaic County Board of Social Services.

Shes a graduate of Brown University and the University of Virginia School of Law and previously served as a county officeholder in Passaic and an administrative law judge.

Way is just the third person to hold the post of lieutenant governor, a newer state government position that began under previous Gov. Chris Christie.
Ben Sugarman, 36, Malvern, Pa., poses for a photo with his 2019 Kia Optima SC T-GDI, that he got in 2019 in Malvern, Pa., on Wednesday, Sept., 30, 2023. In March of 2022 he completed his lease buy out and found out he had been charged with a thousand dollars worth of fees he was unaware of. The dealers are basically taking advantage of you, Sugarman said. I think its ridiculous they are charging these fees that are not provided for in the lease. Read more

Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Happy Friday.

Im sorry to tell you that the heat will be rough for another day. Expect a high of 93 and a chance of scattered thunderstorms.

In two months, Philly will choose new leadership. The 100th Mayor newsletter returns on Tuesday to give you clear analysis every week on city politics. Your emcees and reporters Anna Orso and Sean Collins Walsh will give you digestible data dives, archived pictures, explainers, and so much more. Sign up today.

Our lead story puts a spotlight on a Philly-area mans warning to consumers.

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 Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

When Benjamin Sugarmans lease on his 2019 Kia Optima was set to expire, he knew he would buy it.

According to his lease agreement, he should have been able to own the car hed been driving for the past three years free of charge.

But somehow, he ended up paying an extra $1,000.

He isnt the only one with this struggle. In November, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody subpoenaed six car dealerships for documents related to lease buyout fees, and several lawsuits have been filed in the state alleging violations of the Consumer Leasing Act, a federal law that prohibits dealerships from charging fees not disclosed in original lease agreements. One Palm Beach attorney said he recovered more than $130,000 for customers who had paid such fees.

In his own words: I believe the dealers in Pennsylvania are taking advantage of customers by imposing these fees and charges that are not in a contractual document, a lease, said Sugarman. Thats just not OK.

Sugarman shared his story with The Inquirer to warn others of unknowingly paying these fees.

Keep reading for more details of his experience.

When Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw first took office in February 2020, she was supposed to focus on internal scandals that centered on racism, sexism, and sexual harassment.

Instead, she found herself facing intense new challenges like the pandemic, an unprecedented gun violence crisis, mass protests, and a staffing exodus.

Three-and-a-half years later, shes leaving for a new job as deputy chief at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Community members and public officials have mixed opinions about her tenure, questioning decisions including her departments use of tear gas against protesters  which cost the city $10 million  and asking whether police responded with sufficient urgency to address a record-setting homicide rate.

Keep reading for an overview of her time as the top cop in Philadelphia.

What you should know today

The women of 40+ Double Dutch Club wear their ages on their back  literally like a badge of honor.

The oldest member in the South Jersey group is 77.

They have more than 8,000 members across the country and they promote what they call the 4Fs: friendship, fitness, fun, and fellowship. They aim to rekindle childhood memories, improve their mental and physical health, and send a message that age is just a number.

The simple rules: Buy a T-shift each year with your name and age. There are no dues or formal meetings. Children, spouses, and pets are not allowed.

Notable quote: Its the nostalgic feel of it, said Vernell Prince, 49, captain of the South Jersey club. We didnt realize how happy we were back then. We just had fun.

Click here to read more about the sisterhood, but stay for the delightful pictures and video.

 Trivia time 

When was the last time Philly experienced a six-day September heat wave?

A) 1967

B) 1952

C) 1944

D) 1931

Think you know? Check your answer.

What were...

Anticipating: The 60 new restaurants that are coming to the Philly area this fall. Im craving this picture of Paffutos roast pork sandwich.

 Watching: Just weeks after WeWork sounded the alarm over its ability to stay in business, the company is looking to renegotiate nearly all of its leases.

 Unscramble the anagram 

Hint: Former Pennsylvania governor

DOM TIGER

Email us if you know the answer. Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Abigail Smith, who correctly guessed Thursdays answer: Fringe Festival.

Photo of the day

Thats it for this week. Stay safe and Ill be back on Monday. Paola will have your weekend news on Sunday.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, whose last day on the job is Sept. 22, joins the long list of public officials who come to Philly, practice their craft, and then leave while others deal with the fallout of their poor decisions, writes Helen Ubinas. Read more

And there you have it. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has ended her three-and-a-half-year tenure in the city much the same way she started it, by further eroding the already strained trust between residents and the Police Department.

This is important. Its always important when an official breaks the bond of trust that holds a city together, and its especially important for Philadelphia.

If these last few years have taught us anything, it should be how essential trust is. We need to trust our courts  even while factoring in that the courts are fallible. We need to trust our politicians, our teachers, our school administrators, because without that trust, nothing works.

But instead, we have this: In 2020, just months after Outlaw stepped into the position as the citys first Black woman to lead the Police Department, she and Mayor Jim Kenney justified tear-gassing a group of peaceful protesters on the Vine Street Expressway after the murder of George Floyd.

As Kenney and Outlaw told it, protesters had trapped a state trooper in his vehicle and were pelting officers with projectiles. But after a nationally embarrassing account by the New York Times, a contrite Outlaw said she had learned that the departments initial statements were substantively inaccurate  the kind of mealymouthed phrasing that should have given us a clear idea of her relationship with truth and accountability.

Just weeks before her departure to take on a new job as a deputy security chief at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, no ones yet to fully answer for another incident of misinformation  as Outlaw has called the lies shared by her department after police shot and killed Eddie Irizarry in Kensington last month. Police initially said Irizarry exited his car with a knife and lunged at officers. But video footage from police body cameras and a home security system showed that Officer Mark Dial killed Irizarry in broad daylight, seconds after exiting his patrol car, as Irizarry sat in his car  with the windows rolled up  on East Willard Street.

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In any other administration, there would have been loud calls for the mayor to fire the police commissioner over such egregious lies about how a fatal shooting unfolded. But no one would make such a request of Kenney, whos been publicly fantasizing about leaving his job for years. I mean, the mayor had to be coaxed by reporters to answer questions during a news conference in which Outlaw announced Dial would be fired for insubordination.

Rest assured, Outlaw doesnt have to worry about any of that anymore. Shell be long gone, probably still basking in a heros farewell, as she retreats, leaving her old colleagues to deal with the fallout, and Irizarrys family seeking answers and accountability from a department that always seems to come up short on both fronts.

Then, too, Outlaw may not have much of a choice but to change jobs. With just four months before Kenney is set to leave office, she either had to show herself out or be shown the door by a new leader who will appoint their own commissioner.

But dont feel too bad for Outlaw, or any of the other mediocre leaders we spend way too much time excusing around here. She will be fine, just like every other public official who gets to come to Philly, practice their craft, and then packs up and leaves town for their next well-paying gig. Its a strange career path, considering so many of these city leaders mostly fail to make good on their promises.

Its the people of Philadelphia, the most vulnerable in the nations poorest big city, who are left behind to live with the consequences of these public officials actions, or inactions.

While we are indulging in retrospectives about Outlaw, we should turn our attention to people like Victoria Wylie.

Of all the conversations I had this week about the commissioners departure, Wylies words resonated most. Wylie created The Donte Wylie Foundation in her brothers name after losing him to gun violence, and led a support group for paralyzed gunshot survivors. She shares my disgust and exhaustion with failing public officials who head off to their next opportunity while Philadelphia sinks deeper into crisis, always awaiting its next savior.

Outlaw has often been quick to point out the historic crises she encountered  COVID, civil unrest, record gun violence  and shes doing it again on her way out. So, too, did Democratic mayoral nominee (and likely mayor) Cherelle Parker, who lavished praise on Outlaw  and why not? Id be all sorts of complimentary about someone who saved me the trouble of seeing them out, too.

Sure, these were all difficult challenges, but also  part of the job, right? Not just for Outlaw in Philly, but for any top government official. You show up. You say the buck stops with you, and you to make it clear to residents every day in any way possible that youre invested  no matter how ugly things get.

And spare me the line that Outlaw is somehow leaving Philadelphia in a better place because gun violence has begun to fall from its record-setting heights. Weve still had nearly 300 people murdered in the city so far this year, and our homicide rate remains higher than almost every other year over the last two decades. That kind of hollow progress may play on a resume, but not on our blood-soaked streets.

The people who really feel the impact are the Philadelphians who have to live here, the ones who dont get to get up and go when things dont work out, Wylie told me. I dont think a lot of people understand or appreciate that our lives depend on decisions leaders make so loosely because they know that in the end, they wont have to actually live with them. Theyll be long gone while people here will still be poor, still living with gun violence, and still hoping for something different.

That  right there  should be front and center when deciding who should be our new commissioner.

Whether its an outsider or not, our next commissioner must be someone who understands that Philadelphia is at a critical crossroads, with an outgoing administration thats effectively checked out and an incoming one that will undoubtedly insist they will be different.

Our next commissioner needs to understand that nothing  not the thin blue line brotherhood, not politics, nothing  is more important than rebuilding the trust between residents and the department. And that police officers are, above all, public servants who owe their loyalty to no one else but the people of Philadelphia.
Picture this: Youre the leader of a Philadelphia labor union with serious political juice. Youre also a candidate for City Council. And the president of the United States of America is coming to your union hall to speak to a huge Labor Day crowd.

If youre Gary Masino, who heads Local 19 of the Sheet Metal Workers Union, you want some space on your own stage to say a few words and to snap a picture with President Joe Biden  right?

However, Masino was not on stage Monday with Biden for the Philadelphia AFL-CIOs big Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Fun Festival.

Clout can now explain why, after initially exploring two different theories  not mutually exclusive  floated about how and why that might have happened.

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The first was that the citys Democratic Party frequently holds events in Masinos union hall and he almost never gets up on stage.

Public speaking  its not for everyone.

The second has to do with Masino running against Republican Brian J. ONeill, who is seeking a 12th four-year term in the 10th District in Northeast Philly.

Former President Donald Trump in 2020 won two of the four wards that make up the district, home to many of the citys Republicans and quite a few Democrats and independents willing to back GOP candidates.

Maybe Masino didnt want to be photographed with Biden, who is less popular in that district than in other parts of the city?

Masino knocked down both those theories, telling Clout he planned to speak but was later informed he would get no stage time. Masino said he also wanted a picture with Biden. That also did not happen.

Biden did give him a shout-out, noting the amount of work it takes to host a president. He also shouted out Cherelle Parker, the Democratic nominee for mayor, who also did not speak and was not on stage.

And there is the actual explanation: This was an official White House visit, not a Biden campaign stop. The Democrats who spoke before Biden  including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans  are not on Novembers ballot.

This way, the White House sidestepped the citys politics while partying at the local Democratic Partys most popular venue.

Three magic seats for judges

Philadelphias Democratic City Committee now has three magic seats to fill on Novembers general election ballot for the Court of Common Pleas.

As Clout explained in June, magic seats become available when current judges seeking to be retained for another term decide instead to drop off the ballot.

The party can replace them; the 10-year judicial terms also come with an annual paycheck of $212,495. Those candidates dont have to raise money for an expensive primary run, deal with political consultants, or hit the campaign trail.

Judge Rayford Means withdrew from the ballot in June and Judge Joel Johnson dropped out in July. Judge Genece Brinkley withdrew Wednesday afternoon.

Brinkleys lawyer in June told Clout she had no intention of dropping off the ballot and was surprised when we asked about it.

Times change.

Brinkleys current 10-year term was consumed in a whirlwind of controversy, including her 2017 decision to jail rapper Meek Mill for probation violations. She was transferred to Civil Court in December and had all of her criminal cases reassigned. She filed a legal challenge that was struck down in June by the state Supreme Court.

Clout hears the three leading contenders for the magic seats are James Eisenhower, Raj Sandher, and Elvin Ross III.

Eisenhower, who ran twice for state attorney general and is a former president judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, represented Democratic Party chair Bob Brady in a 2017 federal investigation that resulted in convictions for a pair of Brady aides. Brady was not charged.

Sandher has done legal work on behalf of Democratic ward leaders and committee members.

Ross runs a law firm that includes a partner, Jeffery Jay Young Jr., who is expected to win a City Council seat in November, and two of-counsel lawyers, State Rep. Donna Bullock and State Sen. Art Haywood.

Three other names  former State Sen. Larry Farnese and attorneys Will Braveman and Wade Albert  are also in the mix.

While the party has more contenders than magic seats, two or three judicial posts may open early next year as some sitting judges are expected to resign. Gov. Josh Shapiro, with input from the citys Democratic Party, would appoint judges to those seats.

Loving the Capitol City

Clout told you last week that Janelle Stelson, a news anchor at NBC affiliate WGAL in Lancaster, is rumored to be considering a run in the Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District as Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of York County seeks a sixth term.

We noted that Stelson owns a house in Lancaster, which is in the 11th Congressional District.

A longtime Clout fan alerted us that Stelson posted on her WGAL Facebook page two weeks ago a picture of herself with the caption: Loving the Capital City  right around the corner from my first Harrisburg apartment.

The 10th District, of course, includes Harrisburg. Stelson has been on something of a 10th District reunion tour recently, all documented on Facebook for fans (and voters) to see.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.
Democratic mayoral nominee Cherelle Parker is being criticized for largely avoiding public appearances and turning down interview requests following her victory in the May primary. Read more

Cherelle Parker, the Democratic nominee for mayor, this week said she was pissed and angry after members of her campaign team made dismissive comments about local journalists in emails that were accidentally forwarded to a reporter.

The episode began when a staffer inadvertently sent internal campaign communications to Lawrence McGlynn with the Philadelphia Hall Monitor, a nonprofit news organization, in response to an interview request.

In the forwarded exchange, John Dolan, the deputy campaign manager, discusses with Aren Platt, a senior adviser to Parker, how to handle requests from McGlynn and Denise Clay-Murray, a freelance journalist who writes for the Hall Monitor, the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, and other publications. Clay-Murray had also asked for an interview with Parker for a profile in the Sun, which bills itself the most trusted news source in the African American community.

I would suggest pushing off Lawrence and moving forward with Denise. I can slow roll him for a few weeks, Dolan wrote.

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Lets push her off without letting her know  Denise, Im working on getting this scheduled, give me a week or so ' Platt responded. Just be careful because she has already said that we are ignoring Black women journalists and truly independent media  irrespective of other circumstances. But we dont want this to be too much of a narrative.

Dolan also wrote that he was reluctant to comply with requests from smaller media outlets for pieces that wont get much coverage.

Clay-Murray said that before the email exchange was accidentally leaked to McGlynn, the campaign had already agreed to an interview with her and Parker that is scheduled to take place next week.

But the exchange shed light on how the campaign manages Parkers public image and led to accusations that it favors larger media outlets over smaller publications and diverse journalists.

Parker, who is Black and is poised to become the citys first female mayor, said the comments were not consistent with who I am or what I expect from my team.

I have made it clear that this is entirely unacceptable, Parker posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. However, I understand the buck stops with me and I take responsibility for what comes out of my campaign.

Parker also reiterated her commitment to ensuring Black journalists are not excluded from accessing her campaign  or her administration if she wins the general election and becomes mayor in January.

Her first in-person appearance after her primary victory was a surprise appearance at a Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists event in which she said the organizations members will have a seat at the table and be a substantial part in how we communicate our information to the public.

Since then, Parker has made very few public appearances and has shunned most interview requests, including from The Inquirer and TV reporters.

Clay-Murray said that while she appreciated that the incident has brought attention to the marginalization of Black and independent journalists, she is also concerned about Parkers accessibility to the media overall.

Its not just me. Its all of us, and its bad, she said. The folks in Philadelphia, they deserve to know exactly what is going on with their government and the people who want to run it. They deserve to know what your plans are for the poorest large city in America.

In the months before the Democratic primary, a highly competitive race that became the most expensive election in Philadelphia history, Parkers was among the more accessible campaigns, quickly responding to requests from reporters, voluntarily disclosing personal financial information, and regularly making Parker available for interviews.

But thanks to Philadelphias overwhelmingly Democratic electorate, Parker is expected to coast to victory over Republican David Oh in the general election, and she has rarely been seen in public since her May 16 primary win.

In written responses to questions from The Inquirer, Parker in July said she was spending the summer taking care of an emergency dental issue that surfaced at the end of the primary, going on vacation, meeting with supporters, and spending time with her son.

She said she wasnt taking the general election for granted and planned to ramp up campaign activities after Labor Day.

As for Clay-Murray, she plans to go forward with her interview with Parker next week. The material will be used in an forthcoming profile for the Sun.

This is a very weird experience for me because I am not used to being the story, she said. Im used to telling the story.
Demolition of the old PES Refinery on Oct. 22, 2021, in Philadelphia. The 1,300-acre site is being redeveloped into the Bellwether District, a life sciences, business and industrial campus. Read more

A government watchdog for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the agency has failed to adequately enforce benzene emission standards at refineries, singling out the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery, which continued to exceed emissions standards two years after a 2019 explosion and fire caused it to close.

PES in South Philadelphia was cited as a case study for lax enforcement in a report this week by the EPAs Office of Inspector General that called on the agency to enhance oversight to ensure refineries comply with benzene fence-line monitoring regulations.

The PES refinery was the largest of its kind on the East Coast when it exploded.

The refinery exceeded the action level in the majority of two-week periods for more than two years after ceasing operations, and no enforcement action was taken, the report states. Philadelphia Energy Solutions is in a community with environmental justice concerns.

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Hilco Redevelopment Partners purchased the property in June 2020 with the goal of spending $4 billion over the next 15 years to transform the 1,300-acre site into a life sciences, business and industrial campus known as the Bellwether District. Hilco did not cause the pollution but is responsible for some cleanup in a complex remediation agreement.

Benzene is a known carcinogen, and it is obviously still being emitted from the refinery site, said Russell Zerbo, an advocate with the nonprofit Clean Air Council, who, along with others, is critical of Hilco for no longer monitoring specifically for benzene because it is not required to do so. EPA should step in and demand that Hilco focus on the cleanup of the site and not its redevelopment.

There are no refining operations left at the PES site.

Hilco said in a statement that its redevelopment inherently improved the surrounding environment on the day of acquisition.

A history of benzene at refineries

The bulk of the inspector generals report criticized the EPAs oversight of benzene monitoring at fence lines, or perimeters, of petroleum refining operations across the U.S.

Benzene is regulated as a hazardous air pollutant. High exposure can also lead to dizziness, headaches, and unconsciousness. The compound is emitted at refineries through tanks, equipment leaks, and wastewater treatment. High concentrations can pose risks for nearby communities, in this case South and Southwest Philadelphia.

Oversight by the EPA and delegated authorities has not ensured that all refineries that exceed the action level reduce their benzene concentrations at their fence lines, the report states. In fact, from January 2018 to September 2021, the report said, 13 of 18 refineries reviewed showed benzene concentrations above levels needed to take some form of action in 20 or more weeks after the initial exceedance.

Benzene is measured in micrograms (one-millionth of a gram) per cubic meter. Any level over 9 requires refineries to conduct a root cause analysis and take corrective actions.

For its study period, the EPA scored refineries that had exceeded 9 at least one time over two weeks. It identified the nine refineries that scored the highest in benzene concentrations January 2018 through September 2021. EPA officials then reached out to the EPA regional offices involved with those refineries, as well as state and local environmental authorities, and reviewed documents. PES scored second highest.

The report said exceeding benzene levels does not necessarily constitute a violation or trigger a fine. But it does require a refinery to lower benzene concentrations. If the problem takes longer than 45 days to fix, it must submit a plan to the EPA.

The report recommends that the EPA provide better guidance as to what constitutes a violation, how to identify gaps in refinery-submitted data, and develop a strategy to address refineries that fail to reduce benzene below the threshold.

PES continued to exceed levels

It highlighted issues with PES as a case study. The report said that although PES closed after the explosion, it continued to exceed levels requiring action but that the EPA did not follow through with any enforcement.

EPA does not comment on enforcement matters, said Virgnia Nurk a spokeswoman for EPA Region 3.

While the EPA has taken enforcement action against HollyFrontier Artesia, the refinery with the highest score based on the OIGs ranking of refinery benzene concentrations, it has not taken enforcement action at the second highest-scoring refinery, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the Inspector Generals report said.

The report said PES exceeded levels requiring enforcement for long periods and had submitted a plan to correct the problem just before the explosion and cessation of operations in July 2019.

However, PES continued to exceed benzene emissions of 9 micrograms per cubic meter in more than half of sampling periods between July 2019 and September 2021, well after it was shuttered.

Officials at Region 3 told the Inspector Generals office that after the explosion, they had focused their attention on hydrogen fluoride, which is extremely toxic and dangerous. It was a major concern for officials around the region after the explosion.

EPA Region 3 officials blamed continued benzene emissions after the explosion as the result of the dismantling of the massive complex and the moving of products containing the chemical.

Beginning in January 2020, the EPAs Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance  the agencys law enforcement arm  began expressing concerns about continued elevated benzene levels at the site. The Inspector Generals Office said documents show Region 3 did not conduct an on-site inspection at that time, instead choosing to email refinery officials in March and June 2020 about remaining tanks at the site. Hilco was by then purchasing the property.

In October 2020, the EPA conducted a mobile monitoring study at the refinery but did not find high concentrations of benzene. But it was only a one-day examination.

The Inspector Generals Office confirmed that for a two-week sampling period ending March 23, 2022, benzene levels had fallen to 3.2 micrograms per cubic meter. The report noted that Philadelphia Air Management Services is checking air quality in the nearby community to assess impacts from multiple sources of air toxics emissions, including benzene.

If refineries do not reduce their benzene concentrations after exceeding the action level, nearby communities could be exposed to benzene concentrations that increase the risk of adverse health effects, the report said.

Zerbo, the Clean Air Council advocate, said during Hilcos last week of fence line monitoring in December 2022, benzene levels were at 12 micrograms per cubic meter.

Hilco, however, said in its statement that average benzene concentrations have decreased steadily since 2020 as the refinery was decommissioned and demolished. It said benzene concentrations in outdoor air at the site are now consistent with concentrations in other areas of Philadelphia and that it continues to monitor for all Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which includes benzene.
We are very pleased to promote Stephanie and Arthur to these important roles within our specialty business, said Bryan J. Salvatore, executive vice president and president of specialty at The Hanover. Stephanie brings a wealth of experience and is a strong leader and enterprise integrator for our company. And Arthur is a strong underwriting leader that has played a critical role in positioning our programs business for future success. Under their leadership, we look forward to expanding these important businesses to meet the growing specialty needs of our agents and brokers.
AI is only supposed to work within the parameters that is was programmed to be successful in, thus, it can not be relied upon to provide an intelligent response or solution to a problem outside of that specific capacity.
Allstate Insurance has emerged victorious in litigation against two of its former exclusive agents who retained and used Allstate spreadsheets with policyholder information after the insurer terminated their agency contracts.

Allstate pursued and won claims against the agents for breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation.

The former Massachusetts Allstate agents denied any wrongdoing and tried to avoid liability by arguing that state laws protecting independent agents applied to them, that the policyholder information did not qualify as trade secrets, and that Allstate did not own the information anyway.

But on the strength of the language in its agency contracts, Allstate won summary judgment across the board in the federal district court in Boston in 2022.

After they lost in the district court, the agents, James Fougere and Sarah Brody- Isbill, and Fougeres agency, A Better Insurance Agency, Inc. (ABIA), appealed to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The agents have now lost again, with the appeals court affirming the lower courts decision.

Exclusive Agency Contracts

In February 2013, Fougere signed an exclusive agency agreement (EA) with Allstate to sell the companys products in Massachusetts and thereafter began operating the ABIA agency in Framingham. Once his Allstate agency was up and running, Fougere hired Brody-Isbill to work for him. The following year, in April 2014, Brody-Isbill entered into a separate EA agreement with Allstate, and opened up her own Allstate agency in Auburn.

The EA agreements mandated that Fougere and Brody-Isbill exclusively represent Allstate, which meant they were prohibited from soliciting, selling or servicing insurance from other insurance companies without Allstates approval. The agents also committed to maintaining information identified by Allstate as confidential and promised that they would not misuse or improperly disclose the information, they would return the information to Allstate when their agency relationships terminated, and they would not use the information for any improper purpose.

The EA agreements clearly identified that confidential information included, among other things, the names, addresses, and ages of policyholders of Allstate; types of policies; amounts of insurance; premium amounts; the description and location of insured property; the expiration or renewal dates; policyholder listings and any policyholder information subject to any privacy law; claim information; and material considered a trade secret.

The agreements also specified that Allstate was the exclusive owner of all confidential information, even if it was developed or enhanced by the agent using other sources.

Agency Terminations

Allstate said It started having concerns about the agencies compliance with Allstate regulations and Massachusetts state law involving the use of policyholder information. The insurer said it learned that the agents had been using spreadsheets with confidential information to solicit Allstate customers on behalf of ABIA and sharing the policyholder information with each other and other entities.

In November 2014, Allstate terminated its EA agreement with Fougere. Then, in October 2015, the company did the same with Brody-Isbills agreement. With the terminations, Allstate cut off each former agents access to the companys online electronic records portal and collected any physical files located in their Allstate agency offices.

The insurer insisted the spreadsheets were its property and the agents had to return them after their terminations. The spreadsheets contained thousands of Allstate customers names, addresses, policy numbers, types of insurance coverage, premiums, and renewal dates. According to the insurer, the agents continued to use them.

Allstate Sues

In August 2016, Allstate filed suit against the agents, pleading breach of contract and trade secret claims. The company alleged trade secret misappropriation under both common law and the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), as well as tortious interference with advantageous business relationship and unfair competition in violation of the Massachusetts Chapter 93A unfair business law.

The agents denied wrongdoing and counterclaimed. Among their allegations they claimed that Allstate had breached their contracts, violated a Massachusetts law requiring adequate notice before agency terminations, misappropriated information that belonged to them, and violated Massachusetts Chapter 93A by engaging in bad faith business practices.

In November 2016, the court enjoined the agents from using or accessing any Allstate confidential information including documents contained on Fougeres or ABIAs databases.

The insurer dropped its claims of tortious interference with advantageous business relationships and unfair competition after receiving early favorable court rulings.

In March 2022, the district court granted summary judgment for Allstate, finding that the spreadsheets retained by the agents contained confidential and trade secret information belonging to Allstate, and that they were liable for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets claims. The district court dismissed the agents counterclaims against Allstate.

The agents appealed to the First Circuit. Late last month, it affirmed the district courts grant of summary judgment in favor of Allstate on the trade secret and contract liability claims against the agents.

Exclusive Not Independent

As part of their defense, the agents asserted that Allstates terminations of their contracts were invalid because the insurer did not give them 180 days notice. The court disagreed, noting that the state law mandating 180-day notice of agency terminations by insurers applies to independent agents, not exclusive agents or employees. The agents unsuccessfully argued that they were independent agents because they were not employees of Allstate.

Given the exclusive nature of Fougeres and Brody- Isbills relationships with Allstate and the fact that neither owned the expirations from their former Allstate agencies, they do not qualify as independent agents under the terms of the state law, the court concluded in affirming the district courts dismissal of the counterclaim.

The agents tried to invoke a state law against unfair competition by contending that their relationship with Allstate was akin to their being franchisees of a franchisor. But the court rejected that contention, pointing out that nothing in the EA agreements, or otherwise, favored understanding the agency relationships to be between a franchisor and its franchisees.

Trade Secrets

Next the court addressed the agents opposition to Allstates charges of trade secret misappropriation and breach of their EA agreements. The agents raised multiple challenges to the district courts trade secret findings. Among other things, they maintained that there could be no misappropriation because the information in the spreadsheets did not constitute trade secrets and even if it did, Allstate was not the owner of the documents.

The agents asserted that there were no trade secrets because some of the spreadsheet information was publicly available, had no independent economic value, and Allstate did not take reasonable steps to protect it.

But the appeals court did not buy any of that. Whether some of the information is public did not defeat Allstates trade secret claims, the court said. Even assuming Fougere retrieved some information from public sources as he claimed, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to develop the spreadsheets  which listed thousands of Allstate customers, along with their personal and policy information  solely through those means. As the district court pointed out, there is no question that the compilation of customers, addresses, premium rates, renewal dates and the like are not readily available to the public.

Ownership and Value

The court also outright rejected the agents claim that Allstate did not own the spreadsheets because the agents had developed some of the information in them. The court noted that the EA agreements expressly describe confidential information and make it clear that Allstate is the exclusive owner of all confidential information. The court said there is nothing in the EA agreements which indicates in any way that confidential information is limited to information compiled by Allstate instead of the agency. The EA agreements also stipulate that any confidential information or trade secrets recorded on an electronic data file, whether provided by Allstate or by Fougeres or Brody-Isbills agency, is the exclusive property of Allstate as is any such medium and any copy of such medium.

The agents also maintained that the spreadsheets content did not qualify as trade secrets because Allstate failed to demonstrate that the information had independent economic value. However, Allstate pointed out that the value of the customer information to the company was enumerated in the EA agreements and was of value to any insurer looking to compete with the company.

The court pointed out that the EA agreements expressly state that misuse of the companys confidential information would cause irreparable damage which, by definition, cannot be adequately compensated or remedied by any monetary award or damages that may subsequently be awarded. The EA agreements provided a way for terminated agents to sell their economic interest in their Allstate books of business to Allstate-approved buyers, which the court said expressly signaled the value to Allstate of maintaining the information.

The court added that the data in the spreadsheets, much like independent agents expirations, is so valuable in the industry that there is an entire system of rules to protect agents with exclusive rights to them. Clearly, Allstate believed that misuse of the information would not only exceed, but also entail, economic harm, the court stated.

Furthermore, the court noted, In the hands of a competitor, the spreadsheet information could be used to compete with Allstate by offering, for example, insurance at premiums the competitor knows to be less than what the customer currently pays.

Finally the court found that Allstate satisfied another requirement for trade secrets by taking steps to protect the data from disclosure. The court noted that the insurer did so through the EA agreements in which it specified which information was confidential and how it was to be handled. Allstate also took other precautions to protect the information by only granting access to agents, restricting its availability through the use of passwords and, upon termination, revoking access by former agents.

Topics Agencies Massachusetts
Lloyds of London is in talks with the United Nations over providing insurance cover for Ukrainian grain shipments if a new Black Sea corridor deal can be reached, its CEO John Neal told Reuters on Thursday.

NATO member Turkey is seeking to convince Russia to return to the so-called UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative after Moscow withdrew in July, ending a year of protected exports from Ukrainian ports amid the war.

Are we happy and able to continue to provide insurances in the event that a corridor can be re-operated and can be re-established? The answer to that is yes, Neal told Reuters in an interview.

Global Fears Are Feeding Demand for Lloyds of London Insurance, CEO Says

We are in active discussions with the UN about how that might happen, Neal said, adding that those conversations included the possibility that cover may need to be structured differently than before.

Securing insurance cover is crucial for shipments leaving Ukraine.

Absent UN intervention and UN clearance, we would not sanction the insurance, Neal said.

The Lloyds market estimated loss, net of reinsurance, from the Ukraine conflict was 1.4 billion pounds ($1.74 billion), he added.

Neal added that the Lloyds market was also prepared to offer support to players active in the Ukrainian domestic insurance sector.

We are having conversations with those on the ground  what can we do to help you and support you? Do you need reinsurance, do you need capacity?

Insurer Beazley had covered ships in the grain corridor and also in the separate humanitarian channel that Ukraine has set up in recent weeks to enable ships stuck in Ukraine to leave, its CEO Adrian Cox told Reuters separately on Thursday.

Were in that market to provide the insurance thats required for these vessels to start moving, Cox added.

Lloyds asked its members in January to identify potential exposure to so-called realistic disaster scenarios related to potential conflict in Taiwan in insurance classes including marine, aviation and political risk, Reuters reported in August.

Neal said Lloyds had completed the survey, adding that there was no anxiety about the exercise.

It is manageable, he said, referring to any exposure.

The interests directly in terms of Taiwan are less than 1%. Its not a country in which we would be active in providing insurances. The complications are supply-chain related.

Beazleys Cox said the insurer had been scenario planning around conflict in Taiwan, but added that it was comfortable about its exposure there.

Neal also told Reuters that a landmark agreement around jets stranded in Russia was good news for insurers, with he and Cox expecting to see more settlements.

Aercap, the worlds largest aircraft lessor, this week agreed to settle an insurance claim over Russias refusal to return 17 jets leased to airline Aeroflot, in a dispute over 400 Western planes stranded in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.

Update: Lessor AerCap Settles Claim of $645M for Aeroflot Jets Stranded in Russia

The deal, an apparent compromise in an economic war between Moscow and the West, looks set to lower the bill facing insurers, who are locked in court cases over who should pay for the loss of up to $10 billion.

Lloyds recorded a first-half pre-tax profit of 3.9 billion pounds ($4.9 billion) versus a loss of 1.8 billion pounds in the first half of 2022, helped in part by higher premium rates.

Beazley posted a record interim pre-tax profit of $366 million, helped by its U.S. property and European cyber businesses. But its shares fell 5% as its results missed analyst expectations.

($1 = 0.8026 pounds)

(Editing by Sinead Cruise; editing by Jan Harvey)

Photograph: Bulk carrier M/V Razoni, carrying a cargo of 26,000 tonnes of corn, leaves Ukraines port of Odesa, en route to Tripoli in Lebanon, on Aug. 1, 2022. Photo credit: Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP/Getty Images

Topics Excess Surplus Lloyd's
Prudential Financial Inc. and Warburg Pincus are among investors that contributed a combined $1 billion of equity to create a Bermuda-based reinsurer, Prismic Life Reinsurance Ltd.

In its first deal, Prismic is taking on $10 billion of structured settlement annuity contracts from Prudential, freeing up capital for it to write new insurance business. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

Initially, Prudential will own 20% of the new firm, with Warburg controlling a 15% stake, according to an emailed statement. Nomura Holdings Inc. said its among global investors owning the remaining equity.

Prismics founding allows Prudential to unload assets with longer durations that are less valued by public markets, such as variable annuities and guaranteed universal life insurance policies, Prudential Vice Chair Rob Falzon said in an interview.

Prudential sees opportunities to manage assets for other insurers and to grow its business of providing flow reinsurance, including pension-risk transfer deals, and third-party insurance, Falzon said. The pension-risk transfer market in the US grew to about $50 billion of deals last year as firms sought to offload their defined-benefit pension obligations.

Im not sure anyone has the kind of scale and brand that we bring, said Falzon, whose employer had about $1.4 trillion of assets under management as of midyear.

Prismics CEO

Amy Kessler, the founding leader of Prudentials international reinsurance business, will be Prismics chief executive officer, according to the statement.

Prudentials investment arm, PGIM, will manage traditional assets such as fixed income for Prismic, as well as private credit and real estate, while Warburg will oversee the reinsurers investments in private equity and other illiquid assets.

Warburg has been a longtime investor in the insurance industry through its private equity funds, including Bermuda reinsurers RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. and Arch Capital Group Ltd.

Warburg Pincus and Prudential believe that this business has meaningful upside and aspire to grow this business materially, Dan Zilberman, head of capital solutions and co-head of financial services at Warburg, said in an interview.

Deutsche Bank AG advised Prudential on the transaction.

Photograph: A logo is displayed at the Prudential Financial Inc. Tower in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. Photo credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Copyright 2023 Bloomberg.

Topics Reinsurance
Lloyds syndicate Probitas 1492 has announced the launch of a special purpose arrangement (SPA) for the 2024 year of account (YOA), after receiving in-principle approval from Lloyds.

The SPA, called AdA SPA 2024, is headed up by ex-Munich Re Syndicate Deputy CUO Natasha Jodrell. Jodrell is a marine & specialty insurance veteran having spent nearly 30 years at the Watkins Syndicate and Munich Re Syndicate focusing on strategic planning, reinsurance and corporate culture.

We are excited to develop an underwriter led platform, delivering profit across the cycle supporting clients and London market brokers with strong leadership in both underwriting and claims, Jodrell said.

The AdA team aims to develop a diverse portfolio of marine & specialty business, building out from the existing portfolio they have underwritten on behalf of Probitas 1492 Syndicate for the 2023 year of account. The portfolio was produced following the arrival of the ex-Munich Re energy team headed up by James Grainger.

We are delighted to be part of the Probitas family who share our corporate culture and client focused goals. They have been incredibly supportive as we develop the AdA platform, Grainger said. (The SPA will be hosted by Probitas 1492).

Antony Dodson, Probitas CUO and active underwriter, commented: We are very pleased to have received in-principal approval for the AdA SPA for 2024. Probitas is looking forward using its expertise and capital to support the AdA team deliver market leading performance and client service for which they are renown.

Jodrell went on to acknowledge the strong support of the companys reinsurers and consortium partners, as well as Howden Tiger as our advisers throughout the process.

About Probitas 1492

Probitas 1492 specialize in underwriting property, construction, casualty, financial lines and cyber insurance/facultative reinsurance. Probitas 1492 underwrites a geographically diverse portfolio on a worldwide basis, but with limited appetite for mainland USA exposure.

Source: Probitas 1492

Topics Excess Surplus Lloyd's
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has agreed to pay $44 million to settle class action claims by consumers who received flawed blood tests in Arizona and California through the pharmacy chains partnership with Theranos Inc.

The proposed settlement, which needs court approval, will provide consumers who participated in the lawsuit with approximately double their out-of-pocket damages, lawyers for plaintiffs said in a court filing Wednesday in federal court in Phoenix.

The lawsuit accused Walgreens of being willfully blind to fraud at Theranos and entering into a partnership with the startup even though it had good reason to suspect its finger-prick testing technology didnt really work.

Lawyers for the company and consumers filed a notice of a tentative settlement in May but did not disclose the amount of the deal or any other terms. The initial agreement was struck after US District Judge David Campbell ordered the case to go to trial.

According to the filing, lawyers for the consumers said they believed the evidence would support a finding against Walgreens but acknowledged the judge had said the company had potent defense arguments, including that it was also defrauded by Theranos.

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and former chief executive officer of Theranos, was convicted of fraud last year and sentenced to 11 1/4 years in prison. The companys former president, Ramesh Sunny Balwani, was also found guilty by a jury and is now serving a 13-year sentence.

According to the filing, a separate deal with Balwani will allow another $1.3 million to be paid to the settlement fund, but that an agreement with Ms. Holmes, unfortunately, could not be reached.

Photo: A Walgreens store in Pinole, California. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Copyright 2023 Bloomberg.

Topics Fraud Claims
Two litigation funding firms are seeking to intervene in disciplinary proceedings against McClenny Moseley & Associates after a federal judge in Louisiana ruled that the law firm has no right to any attorney fees for 201 hurricane-damage claims.

The Equal Access Justice Fund and EAJF ESQ Fund said in a petition filed Monday that the Aug. 22 order by US District Judge James D. Cain impairs their right to collect $30 million in loans they made to MMA. They said that MMA had pledged attorneys fees and other income as security.

Lenders have a perfected security interest in the case proceeds at issue, the motion filed by New Orleans attorney Thomas M. Flanagan says. Yet neither the lenders nor any other party received notice or an opportunity to be heard regarding the law firms interest in case proceeds before the court adjudicated that issue.

The litigation funds have also filed a lawsuit in Harris County, Texas court seeking recovery the $30 million loaned to MMA  $15 million from each fund. The lawsuit states that the parties agreed to resolve any disputes in binding arbitration, but asks the court to confirm and enforce the decision of the arbitrator.

Both investment funds are managed by West Palm Beach, Florida financier B.E. Blank & Co. The Claims Journal reported last month that Judge Cain asked MMA founder Zachary Moseley during an Aug. 8 hearing how much he money he had borrowed from the Equal Access to Justice Fund. Moseley replied that the law firm had raised $40 million in total from investors.

A Texas contractor, Access Restoration Services, has filed a lawsuit against MMA alleging the law firm defaulted on a $10 million loan.

MMAs use of an internet marketing firm and door-to-door solicitations by a restoration contractor to obtain clients for its new satellite office in New Orleans prompted US District Court judges in both the Western and Eastern Districts of Louisiana to sanction the law firm. They discovered through a series of hearings that the law firm had filed claims on behalf of property owners it did not represent, filed lawsuits that duplicated claims made by other attorneys and told insurers that they represented property owners when actually they were acting on behalf of restoration contractors.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance fined the company $2 million saying its misrepresentations amounted to insurance fraud. The Louisiana State Bars Office of Disciplinary Counsel indefinitely suspended the law license of R. William Huye III, MMAs New Orleans office manager.

Cain on Aug. 8 ordered Moseley to disclose all monies held in client trust funds for Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida damage claims. MMA submitted a list of payments to trust funds for 201 cases filed within the Western District of Louisiana in totals ranging from $15.15 to $150,000.

On Aug. 22, Cain issued an order stating that MMA is not entitled to any attorneys fees, costs or expenses from those cases. The amount held for the 201 cases amounts to $3,209,020.75, according to the documents provided by MMA.

Attorneys for the litigation funds said in the petition that Cain did not have jurisdiction to rule as he did without first consulting with all interested parties.

The lenders were never given a chance to present these arguments, the petition says. They therefore seek leave to intervene to voice their concerns and defend their interests before this court and/or before a reviewing court.

After filing the petition, the litigation funds filed a second pleading asking for an expedited hearing. Cain had not yet ruled on those motions as of late Tuesday.

Topics Lawsuits Mergers & Acquisitions Louisiana
A workers compensation fund for Mississippi state agencies can take subrogation action against the driver of an all-terrain vehicle that badly injured the then-chief of staff to the states lieutenant governor, the Mississippi Supreme Court decided this week.

A circuit court had erred when it essentially barred the Mississippi State Agencies Self-Insured Workers Compensation Trust from going beyond its representatives limited deposition testimony, which had not offered much evidence of the ATV drivers negligence, the high court wrote in its Aug. 31 opinion.

The justices found that a genuine issue of material fact exists over the negligence of the driver, Alex Herrgott, and that Herrgotts lawyers had inappropriately exploited court rules to question the trusts representative about legal theories.

The Trust is not bound by the failure of its Rule 30(b)(6) representative to articulate a legal theory at his deposition, Justice David Ishee wrote for the court. Thus, we reverse the summary judgment in favor of Herrgott and remand the case for further proceedings.

The incident happened in 2015, when state and local officials attended a conference and retreat in the Mississippi Delta. Joseph McNabb was then chief of staff to Tate Reeves, who was lieutenant governor at the time and is now governor of the state. On his way back from a blues club in Clarksdale one night, to his cabin at the conference, McNabb and others hitched a ride from Herrgott, who was driving the ATV on the dirt road, the court explained.

To avoid a pothole, Herrgott swerved, overturning the vehicle and crashing McNabb and others to the ground, testimony showed. McNabb suffered spinal fractures and other injuries and was hospitalized for a month. The incident was determined to be work-related and the workers comp trust provided more than $328,000 for McNabbs medical care and continuing physical therapy.

Later, the trust went after the other parties in the case to try and recover some of the expenses. The trust initially argued that Herrgott, the driver, had been drinking, as had others at the gathering.

Federal and state rules of civil procedure provide that parties in legal proceedings may depose a representative of a government agency or corporation, known as a Rule 30(b)(6) representative. In deposition, the trusts representative suggested that Herrgott was intoxicated, but provided no evidence of that. The representative also said the trust had no other evidence that the driver was operating the ATV in an unsafe manner.

The trial court essentially said that was the end of it, and that the trust was stuck with the representatives deposition testimony, as flawed as it might have been. But the Supreme Court justices disagreed, noting that real questions remained about Herrgotts culpability.

By his own admission he knew the road was in poor condition  A driver operating a vehicle at night on a roadway known to be in poor condition has a duty to operate the vehicle at a speed that would allow him to avoid potholes, the opinion reads.

The case now goes back to the Coahoma County Circuit Court for further proceedings.

Topics Workers' Compensation Personal Auto Mississippi
The Maui wildfires portend a grand and incalculable reality for every single one of us living on this spinning blue globe we call Earth. Understanding the risks associated with where we live, work and play may be reaching a tipping point  one in which the full breadth of risk associated with living in Tornado Alley, building commercial space near fault line in Los Angeles or building multifamily housing in coastal towns of South Carolina will require not just single threat assessments, but the need to assess multiple threats and how they may interact with one another.

Risk management involves identifying, analyzing and managing potential risks. Historical weather data allows for risk modelers to estimate impact and probability of the event. Accurate climate and weather data aids in understanding the probability and impact of weather-related risks. But what happened in Maui was a confluence of factors that the human mind was incapable of predicting or concluding was possible.

A Cluster of Trouble

We are still learning more details about the factors that were at play in the Maui wildfire. What we do know is that the fire spread initially through highly combustible, non-native grass, the result of vegetation growth across abandoned farmland. Drought conditions were present. When you add Hurricane Doras high winds, Maui faced a tender box that needed only a single spark. The notion of a wildfire being fueled by hurricane winds came across as something out of a sci-fi film.

The Maui fire, fueled by hurricane force winds, was only one of three similar events where a hurricane is believed to have had a direct impact on a fire of this magnitude. In 2007, a tropical storm provided increased winds which spread fires in Florida. In 2017, a similar event was reported in Portugal and Spain killing more than 30 people. Because such a confluence of factors have been rarely seen, we are left with our own imagination around what threats could impact the places we reside and how a multitude of risk factors can interact with one another.

A literal failure of our collective imagination, Maui points to a not-so-distant future wherein risk managers, insurance brokers and insurers will have to somehow calculate for the multitude of threats present in high-risk areas, and even areas we may (currently) understand as not so risky.

No Simple Answers

Both residential and commercial insurance industries are reeling from low capacity, continued growth in rates and even the outright abandonment of certain markets. Families in high-risk areas are facing the prospect of moving away from their beloved hometowns or facing any costs to rebuild on their own. Commercial property owners are seeing material impacts on dealmaking solely from the rising cost to insure properties. REITs are having serious conversations about portfolio allocation, working to mitigate exposures in high-risk regions.

There is no current federal entity that maintains historical weather and hazard data for all 50 states. This creates exposure in the recording and maintenance of weather and risk events which should be considered in municipal planning, the development of building standards and retrofitting. The work to prepare ourselves for the realities of multifactorial risk mitigation in the age of global warming is upon us.

The Architectural Style Book of Lahaina  the historical town hit hardest by the Maui wildfire  published in 1969, details the need for this area to be constructed of materials consistent with the historical construction techniques of the early 19th century in Hawaii. The majority of the buildings present at the start of the wildfire were constructed with wood frames, built in close proximity to one another.

These elements totaled together point us to a conclusion that should make us all uneasy. Global warming and the sheer creativity of mother nature is slowly eating away at our ability to competently identify, plan for and mitigate risk  at least not in the ways weve done in the past.

The Maui wildfire is yet another clarion call for the reimaging and retrofitting of our understanding of risk and what it will take to address it in this age of our human existence.

Ashley is the director of risk engineering at Archipelago. She has focused her career on assessing and improving commercial property resiliency and is dedicated to using data to help identify risk profiles.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
Oregon employers will pay on average less for workers compensation coverage, according to an update from the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.

The decline marks 11 years of average decreases in the pure premium rate  the base rate insurers use to determine how much employers must pay for medical costs and lost wages, the department said.

Long-term trends in the update include:

Employers would pay on average 90 cents per $100 of payroll for workers comp costs in 2024, down from 93 cents in 2023, under a proposal by DCBS. That figure covers workers comp claims costs, assessments, and insurer profit and expenses.

The pure premium rate would drop by an average 6.7% under the proposal. The pure premium will have declined by 49% from 2015 to 2024.

The reduction in costs is due to an improvement in loss experience and loss development patterns in Oregon, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Employers total cost for workers compensation insurance includes the pure premium and insurer profit and expenses, plus the premium assessment. Employers also pay at least half of the Workers Benefit Fund assessment, which is a cents-per-hour-worked rate.

The decrease in the pure premium of 6.7% is an average, so individual employers may see a larger or smaller decrease, no change or an increase, depending on an employers industry, claims experience, and payroll. Also, the pure premium does not take into account the varying expenses and profit of insurers or individual policyholders experience modification, if eligible.

The decrease in the pure premium will be effective Jan. 1, 2024, but employers will see the changes when they renew their policies in 2024.

Topics Workers' Compensation Oregon
VANCOUVER, BC - September 8, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") announces that the Company has extended the expiry date of 1,398,750 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") that were issued pursuant to a non-brokered private placement of units of the Company that closed on September 28, 2020.

The Company has extended the expiry date of the Warrants from September 28, 2023 to September 28, 2024. All other terms and conditions of the Warrants remain unchanged. None of these Warrants have been exercised to date. Warrant holders are advised that replacement warrant certificates will not be issued and that the original warrant certificate must be presented to the Company in order to effect the exercise of the Warrants.

None of the warrant holders are related parties to the Company. In accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, no compensation warrants issued in connection with the prior financing are being extended.

About Getchell Gold Corp.

The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the CSE: GTCH and OTCQB: GGLDF. Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a past gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchell's asset portfolio is Dixie Comstock, a past gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, Star (Cu-Au-Ag) and Hot Springs Peak (Au). Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties, Churchill County, Nevada.

Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO

Getchell Gold Corp.

1-647-249-4798

info@getchellgold.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the extension of the Warrants. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Getchell Gold Corp.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

Disclosure: Getchell Gold Corp. is a paid featured mining stock on Investor ideas. Read full disclosure https://www.investorideas.com/About/News/Clientspecifics.asp
Toronto, Ontario - September 8, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce further positive assay results for an additional 30 diamond core boreholes totalling 7,309 metres ("m") from its current exploration drilling program on the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Today's drilling results include 23 drill holes (6,122.5 m) focusing on the expansion of the Boomerang East gold system and 7 scout drill holes (1,186.5 m) targeting prospective litho-structural settings generated by the recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling. The current drilling forms part of an aggressive in-house drilling initiative focussing on multiple resource expansion targets occupying the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure; over 1 km beyond the limits of the currently defined Mineral Resource Estimate (the "2021 MRE", see the Company's news release of November 1, 2021).

Present drilling efforts successfully: expanded the stacked, NE-plunging, multi-shoot Boomerang East gold system approximately 150 m along strike to the southwest (up-plunge), including discovery of new gold shoot; amalgamated the Boomerang East / Boomerang West resource expansion targets into a single, major gold system extending over 700 m down-plunge; and further defined the down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone.

Assay results reported are provided in Table 1 below and include the following highlights:

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang East SW Strike-Extension - Boomerang West Down-Plunge)

9.0 m at 5.27 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au"), including 4.5 m at 8.98 g/t Au, from 65.5 m; and 15.4 m at 1.59 g/t Au, including 7.5 m at 2.01 g/t Au, from 120.0 m KBDD23524

22.0 m at 1.17 g/t Au, including 15.7 m at 1.50 g/t Au, from 194.0 m in KBDD23522

Definition Drilling (Main "Lower Shoot" Gold Zone - Boomerang East)

51.0 m at 1.31 g/t Au, including 16.5 m at 3.09 g/t Au, from 127.0 m in KBDD23528

53.0 m at 1.06 g/t Au, including 30.0 m at 1.60 g/t Au, from 31.0 m in KBDD23527

33.0 m at 1.17 g/t Au, including 19.0 m at 1.76 g/t Au, from 7.0 m in KBDD23519

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang East - SE Lateral / Down-Dip Extension)

9.0 m at 1.00 g/t Au from 40.0 m; and 33.0 m at 0.50 g/t Au from 184.0 m; and 29.0 m at 0.35 g/t Au from 304.0 m; and 6.0 m at 1.67 g/t Au from 357.0 m in KBDD22504

9.1 m at 0.75 g/t Au from 77.0; and 10.5 m at 0.71 g/t Au from 129.0; and 41.0 m at 0.72 g/t Au from 294.0 in KBDD22505

47.0 m at 0.51 g/t Au from 210.0 m in KBDD23523

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "What really excites us is that with our latest expansion drilling successfully amalgamating the Boomerang East / Boomerang West zones into a single, stacked, multi-shoot gold system extending approximately 700 m down-plunge, we are potentially seeing the emergence of a new, major bulk-tonnage gold deposit. We are also very pleased with the broad, robust nature, and down-plunge continuity, of the gold mineralization returned by definition drill holes KBDD23527 and KBDD23528, at the main Lower Shoot gold zone. We remain confident, based on the present drilling yielding several strong sandstone rock-hosted gold intercepts, representing a second highly-prospective mineralization-receptive host rock, in addition to the typical Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE diorite-hosted mineralization, that further new gold discoveries will be made within the newly modeled mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure footprint area."

Today's Kibi Gold Project drill results correspond to the latest 30 drill holes (7,309 m) of an ongoing exploration initiative targeting multiple resource expansion opportunities within the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the gold mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure, including: 19 expansion drill holes (5,116.5 m) targeting the south-western strike-extension and south-eastern lateral continuity of the stacked, multi-shoot, Boomerang East gold system, 4 SW-trending definition drill holes (1,006 m) designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the Lower Shoot mineralization between existing NW-SE drill-sections , and 7 scout drill holes (1,186.5 m) to further define the litho-structural setting of the recently 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling generated Double 19 - SW target.

The present 30 diamond core boreholes were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from early December 2022 to late July 2023, including: 26 new holes (KBDD22503 - KBDD23528) and 4 hole-extensions (KBDD21432, KBDD21434, KBDD21451 & KBDD22502). With drill holes KBDD21432, KBDD21434, and KBDD22502 re-entered / extended to test the Lower Shoot and/or Footwall Shoot mineralization zones at Boomerang East, and hole KBDD21451 extended to help define the geometry of the diorite body at the Double 19 - SW target. Drill results for a total of 120 holes (22,860.5 m) have been reported to date for the ongoing Zone 3 resource expansion drill program initiated following the database close-out date for the current 2021 MRE.

Exploration significant auriferous drill intercepts are presented in Table 1 below, with a drill plan (Figure 1) and collar / drill hole details (Table 2), available at:

(Figure 1_Zone 3 Drill Plan_Sep 2023)

(Table 2_Drill Collar Info_Sep 2023)

Recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion models-based litho-structural modelling work, conducted by Tect Geological Consulting of South Africa, indicates that the gold mineralization within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE footprint area occupies a licence-scale, 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. Deposits are characterized by tensional arrays of auriferous quartz-carbonate veins typically hosted within or spatially associated with F1 or F2 folded / strained diorite units, and/or metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts, with the diorite bodies having an interpreted Belt-type granitoid affinity. Over 20 significant gold occurrences hosted by Belt (Dixcove)- and Basin (Cape Coast)-type granitoids are known in Ghana, with a number constituting significant deposits. These deposits represent a relatively new style of gold mineralization for orogenic gold deposits within the West African Birimian terrain. Belt-type intrusion-hosted gold deposits include Newmont Mining's Subika deposit at their Ahafo mine and Asante Gold's Chirano deposit (formerly Kinross Mining) within the Sefwi gold belt, as well as the former Golden Star Resources' Hwini-Butre deposit at the southern extremity of the Ashanti gold belt.

Today's drilling results include a 5-hole drill-fence pattern (-50o) designed to test the south-western strike-extension of the Boomerang East gold system and down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone. With the SW-trending KBDD23519 / 524 / 526 / 527 / 528 drill-fence testing the NE-plunging gold system over approximately 400 m strike and 225 m down-plunge distances, respectively.

Borehole KBDD23524, corresponding to an expansion drill hole collared at the south-westernmost extremity of the drill-fence, returned a sandstone (metasedimentary rock)-hosted intercept of 9.0 m grading 5.27 g/t Au, including 4.5 m at 8.98 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 65.5 m; successfully extending the Footwall Shoot approximately 100 m up-plunge to the southwest. KBDD23524 also returned a second, broad zone of mineralization straddling the sandstone - diorite rock contact, extending intermittently over a 52.0 m core-length from a down-hole depth of 120.0 m, including the following intercepts: 15.4 m grading 1.59 g/t Au, including 7.5 m at 2.01 g/t Au; 9.5 m grading 0.32 g/t Au; and 8.5 m grading 0.71 g/t Au. With this lower mineralization zone, representing a new gold occurrence positioned approximately 45 m stratigraphically below (cross-plunge) the above Footwall Shoot intercept, expanding the strike extent of the Boomerang East gold system approximately 150 m further to the southwest, to within approximately 60 m of the Boomerang West mineralization zone lying to the southeast.

Drill-fence holes KBDD23519 / 526 / 527 / 528, corresponding to definition drill holes designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the NE-plunging Lower Shoot mineralization zone at the approximate mid-point between the existing NW-SE drill sections, returned the following mineralized intercept highlights: 33.0 m grading 1.17 g/t Au, including 19.0 m at 1.76 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 7.0 m in KBDD23519; 53.0 m grading 1.06 g/t Au, including 30.0 m at 1.60 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 31.0 m in KBDD23527; and 51.0 m grading 1.31 g/t Au, including 16.5 m at 3.09 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 127.0 m in KBDD23528.

Hole KBDD23522, consisting of a SW-trending (-70o) borehole collared approximately 90 m southeast of the south-western extremity of the above drill-fence, returned a sandstone-hosted mineralized intercept of 22.0 m grading 1.17 g/t Au, including 15.7 m at 1.50 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 194.0 m. With this auriferous intercept successfully establishing the NE-plunging Boomerang West mineralization zone over an approximately 200 m down-plunge distance, approximately 75 m further down-plunge than previous drilling.

Expansion drilling (4 holes) targeting the central, south-eastern margin of the multi-shoot Boomerang East gold system, successfully extended the lateral continuity of the main, shallow SE-dipping, Lower Shoot mineralization zone across a maximum NW-SE distance of approximately 225 m, approximately 50 m further to the southeast than previous drilling. The NW-trending, steeply inclined (-75o) drill holes, including KBDD22503 / 504 / 505 and KBDD23523, all yielded multiple (2 - 6) mineralized intercepts corresponding to the Upper Shoot (s), Lower Shoot, and Footwall Shoot, and including the discovery of two new gold mineralization zones at depth below the Footwall Shoot in KBDD22504. With mineralized intercept highlights from the present expansion drilling including: 9.0 m grading 1.00 g/t Au, 33.0 m at 0.50 g/t Au, 29.0 m at 0.35 g/t Au and 6.0 m at 1.67 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 40.0 m, 184.0 m, 304.0 m and 357.0 m respectively in KBDD22504; 9.1 m grading 0.75 g/t Au, 10.5 m at 0.71 g/t Au and 41.0 m at 0.72 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 77.0 m, 129.0 m and 294.0 m respectively in KBDD22505; 47.0 m grading 0.51 g/t Au from a down-hole depth of 210.0 m in KBDD23523; and 20.5 m grading 0.57 g/t Au from a down-hole depth of 232.0 m in KBDD22503.

Updated 3D litho-structural modelling appears to indicate that the Boomerang East gold system occupies a F2 meso-scale (parasitic) fold hinge structure developed on the north-western limb of the mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold. With the mineralization occurring as a NE-plunging system of stacked, flat-lying to concave-shaped, shallow SE-dipping gold shoots hosted within folded / strained diorite bodies and/or associated metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts. Drilling to date has outlined three (3) principal gold shoots, including the Upper Shoot (s), the Lower Shoot, and the Footwall Shoot, across an approximately 250 m cross-plunge distance. The Lower Shoot, presently the most prominent mineralization shoot of the Boomerang East gold system, has so far been delineated from practically surface to a down-plunge depth of approximately 425 m along the fold hinge structure (approximately 315 m vertical depth from surface), and across an approximately 200 m NW-SE lateral distance.

The latest expansion drilling results from the south-western extension of the Boomerang East gold system, including the down-plunge intercept of the Boomerang West zone in KBDD23522, and the proximity (~60 m) of the new gold mineralization intercept from KBDD23524 to the Boomerang West zone, strongly suggest that the Boomerang East and Boomerang West resource expansion targets represent a single, major, multi-shoot gold system extending over approximately 600 m strike and 700 m down-plunge distances, respectively. The fact that most of the mineralization encountered to date within the south-western segment of the newly amalgamated Boomerang East / Boomerang West gold system, including the entirety of the Boomerang West zone mineralization, is hosted within sandstone units, in place of the typical Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE diorite-hosted mineralization, opens up considerably more exploration-prospective terrane within the newly modeled mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure footprint area.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zones 1-3) Mineral Resource Estimate, produced by Xtra-Gold on September 30, 2021, represents the only Mineral Resource ever generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Xtra-Gold Resources Corporation Kibi Gold Project", jointly prepared by Pivot Mining Consultants (Pty) and Tect Geological Consulting, and dated November 16, 2021, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements." These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

416-628-2881

E-mail: info@xtragold.com

Website: www.xtragold.com

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Source: Streetwise Reports

September 8, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) This company is pivoting to a new silver project in Mexico. Officials have given conditional acceptance to the purchase.

Fabled Silver Gold Corp. (FCO:TSX.V; FBSGF:OTCQB; 7NQ:FSE) said it has received conditional acceptance of its agreement to acquire a silver project in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The company announced earlier this year it had entered a binding letter of intent with Kootenay Silver Inc. to buy the Mecatona property.

The move comes after Fabled terminated its option agreement for the Santa Maria project 7 kilometers to the southeast.

The TSX Venture Exchange has given conditional acceptance to the Mecatona purchase. Fabled is now working toward completing the final documentation and entering into a definite agreement with Kootenay.

"The company will provide a further update on the closing of the Proposed Transaction in due course," the company said in a release. "Closing of the Proposed Transaction is subject to the completion of final documents, final approval of the Exchange, and the completion of the Company's private placement, which was previously announced."

Fabled had announced a non-brokered private placement of up to CA$500,000 at CA$0.05 per unit to help the company pay for a Phase 1 exploration program at Mecatona and capital expenses. The company is also preparing a National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the property.

Each unit consists of one common share in the capital of the company and one common share purchase warrant of the company. Each warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one common share at a price of CA$0.10 per share for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the offering.

Closing of the placement is expected to be concurrent with, and conditional upon, the closing of the Mecatona transaction, Fabled Silver said.

The Catalyst: Virgin Territory With High Grades

The Mecatona project comprises 2,857 hectares in the Parral silver mining district south of the city of Parral in Chihuahua state. It has never been drilled.

The project covers a silver-dominant epithermal mineral system in veins and breccias. Kootenay traced one mineralized structure for 1.7 kilometers, which remains open along strike. Another anomalous area outline featured a northeast-trending zone outlined by stockworks and quartz veinlets within an 80-meter-wide argillic alteration zone.

In 2018, Kootenay took 78 channel and grab samples on the property and reported silver values ranging from trace to 735 grams per tonne silver (g/t Ag) and gold values ranging from trace to 6.94 g/t. The company also sampled up to 3.5% lead and 8% zinc, Fabled Silver said.

According to Stockhead, grades at silver mines averaged about 125 g/t in 2020. However, some projects can see higher, consistently higher grades, including more than 1,000 g/t.

In 2019, Kootenay discovered a previously unknown silver, copper, and gold zone hosted in pervasive skarn-altered lower Cretaceous turbidites of the Mezcalera group, Fabled Silver said.

In one 200-by-400-meter zone, silver, copper, gold, and anomalous cobalt mineralization is distributed uniformly. Fifty-one samples taken in that zone returned silver values averaging 110 g/t Ag to 486 g/t Ag.

Additionally, 12 of 51 samples graded more than 100 g/t Ag, with 86% returning more than 20 g/t Ag. The average copper result was 1.7%, with 30 samples returning more than 1%, the company said.

Fabled Silver Gold also has received permission from local landholders to work on the property. It has plans to start drilling by the end of the summer, President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Hawley said.

"What happens below surface can only enhance the property-wide potential," Hawley said.

Pivoting Projects

The company decided to pivot to the new project after a review process found it couldn't make the required payments under the Santa Maria option agreement.

Under the agreement with Kootenay, Fabled Silver will issue the vendor 2 million common shares on closing of the proposed transaction to acquire 100% of the property. It will also pay Kootenay US$10,000 twice a year. When commercial production starts, Fabled Silver will pay the greater of US$15,000 or a 2% net smelter royalty (NSR), each to be paid on a quarterly basis.

The 43-101 report will be based on previous exploration campaigns made by Kootenay and more than 400 samples Fabled Silver has taken on the property, which Fabled Silver believes has the potential to host high-grade vein-type silver deposits.

Precious Metal, Industrial Metal

Silver is nature's most conductive element, which is why it is used to coat electrical contacts in computers, phones, cars, and appliances - not just for jewelry. It's also an important element in solar technology.

"Silver is not only a precious metal, but also an industrial metal," Sankar Sharma, chief executive officer of Risk Reward Return, told CBS News. "Silver is used in medical applications, solar panels, batteries, nuclear reactors, semiconductors, touch screens, and more."

The World Silver Survey 2023, published by the Silver Institute, said there was a 237.7 million ounce (Moz) deficit between supply and demand for the precious metal in 2022. This deficit is likely to be repeated in 2023, the institute said.

"Mined output over the longer term, four to five years out, is forecast to begin to decline," the report said. "This will be due to losses from grade decline and reserve depletion at existing operations exceeding the new production that is expected to come online from the current project pipeline."

Ownership and Share Structure

Trading for Fabled Silver has been halted until the completion of the proposed transaction, the company said.

It last traded at CA$0.07 on February 21, the day the agreement was announced.

About 5% of the company is owned by management and insiders, including Director David Smalley with 2.63%, Hawley with 2.6%, and Director Luc Pelchat with 0.14%, according to Reuters.

The rest, about 95%, is retail, the company said.

Fabled Silver's market cap is about CA$3 million with about 43 million shares outstanding, about 41 million free-floating.

It trades in a 52-week range of CA$0.475 and CA$0.07.

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Employers have become keenly aware of their need to review gender pay gaps, now that the EUs Pay Transparency Directive has been finalised.

One of the key changes with the EUs Pay Transparency Directive is that employers will be required to calculate and report gender pay gaps broken down by categories of workers who perform the same work or work of equal value.

Siobhra Rush, partner and head of the Dublin Office with law firm Lewis Silkin Ireland.

Siobhra Rush, partner and head of the Dublin Office at Lewis Silkin Ireland, says that this new reporting requirement will prove quite challenging for many employers as identifying which employees fall within the same category is not always straightforward.

Here Siobhra answers some of the questions that many employers are now asking themselves about their new reporting obligations and the risks around any potential for reputational damage.

What are the key changes that people need to be aware of with the Pay Transparency Directive?

Whereas many public sector employers operate structured job evaluation schemes with different roles being analysed, scored and placed on a transparent grading or levelling system, this is much less common in the private sector.

Roles will need to be categorised so that those with the same skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions are grouped together. Regulations and guidance will be necessary to make clear how employers should do this. Developing and applying a job evaluation scheme is a specialist process that some employers will not be familiar with and may find tricky to navigate.

Getting the categorisation right will be very important.

The most pressing reason to get the categories correct is because where the gaps within these categories are greater than 5%, employers will have to demonstrate to workers representatives that there are reasons for the difference that are not discriminatory. If employers cannot agree this with representatives, it could prompt a more wide ranging joint pay assessment. Essentially, this is an equal pay audit that will need to be carried out in cooperation with workers representatives.

Another change as a result of the Pay Transparency Directive is that employers will be required to have someone senior within their organisation to vouch for the accuracy of pay gaps and employee representatives will also being given an opportunity to interrogate the methodology used. Currently, the Irish regulations do not contain any obligations for employers to confirm the accuracy of the statistics, nor the right for employees (or their representatives) to interrogate the methodologies used.

This means that the existing Irish regulations will have to be amended to include the rights of employee representatives and also to outline what is to happen if there is no existing representative body in the workplace. This may include the right to elect appropriate representatives, then set out their rights to ask questions. Essentially, this right provides a mechanism for someone to check your homework in a way that doesnt exist at the moment, meaning that employers will want to be extra certain that they have followed the regulations and calculated their statistics accurately.

The new requirement for someone senior within the employer to vouch for the accuracy of the statistics will also present an additional practical requirement for employers in order to meet their gender pay gap reporting obligations in Ireland.

How can smaller companies act now to be ready for changes in 2025?

Although the threshold for reporting currently stands at organisations with more than 250 employees, next year this drops to 150 employees and from June 2025, employers with just 50 employees will have to comply.

Gender pay gap reporting came into force in Ireland only last summer and it proved tricky for many employers with government guidance and FAQs being regularly amended. But now that the dust has settled, and some of the trickier legal issues have been addressed, it should be easier for smaller employers to understand how to properly calculate and report their gaps. Although there remain a few quirks and grey areas, the legal position is more certain.

For small companies who are not yet caught by the Irish regulations, there is still a lot of value in making an early start and doing a dry run of their pay gap statistics this year as a way of identifying any potential issues so that they can be considered in good time for when they will actually be required to publish their reports.

As there are so many stakeholders involved in compiling and identifying the correct data needed to provide the required information, doing this early will allow smaller companies to flush out any potential difficulties gathering this information and allow them to identify ways to collate it in a sensible and useable format for when the time comes that they will be required to report.

Voluntarily reporting is also a clear and positive signal to your workforce that you are committed to reviewing and acting on gender equality in your business. By deciding to voluntarily report, rather than only reporting when legally obligated, the story that organisations tell differs.

If gender pay gap statistics are good, and they are likely to remain that way, smaller organisations could start to report them. Doing a dry run will help smaller companies identify the scale of the gender pay gap issue (or opportunity) that sits before them. This may even enable some companies to fully close out any gender pay gap ahead of time.

In the current climate where businesses are competing to attract and retain talent and to win business, and where factors such as diversity, inclusion and equity rank high in employee demands, taking steps to address any gaps, or to highlight the lack thereof, makes good business sense.

Can we expect a sharper focus as regards any gender gaps in benefit-in-kind, performance bonuses etc?

The Pay Transparency Directive says that any benefits in addition to the ordinary basic or minimum wage or salary, which the worker receives directly or indirectly, whether in cash or in kind, should be taken into account and the definition of pay expressly includes consideration in kind. Including the value of BIKs might have a big impact on the overall statistics. The current definition of BIKs in the Irish regulations is very broad: any non-cash benefit of an estimated monetary value, which means that potentially anything could be a BIK (e.g. the provision of a gym or a free/subsidised canteen).

Currently, however, BIKs only factor into the data collection in a binary way. Employers must report the proportion of men and women that received any BIK  the value of the BIK is irrelevant. This means that someone receiving 1m of life assurance counts just as much towards this statistic as someone receiving 2 worth of free coffee. With the value of BIKs having to also factor into the pay gap statistics, employers will have to figure out the value of the BIK that the employee is receiving.

This presents a challenge because BIKs can be hard to value. Legislation and guidance will need to clearly set out what the appropriate amount to include in the calculations will be for gender pay gap reporting purposes. Building on the previous example, what would be the appropriate value of the life assurance  the amount that it is worth (in the event of the employees death), the amount that it costs the employer, or the amount that the employee would have to spend to buy it themselves? Where BIKs are already taxable benefits, there should already be ways of identifying an appropriate amount. There is already some clear guidance from the Revenue how to do this but whether its the Revenue amount that should be included for pay gap reporting purposes remains to be seen.

Read More Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

With the Gender Pay Gap on people's radar for the past year or so, are there signs of progress in this area in Ireland?

There have been slow signs of progress in this area both across Europe and in Ireland in the last few years. A gender pay analysis of up to 500 companies who reported their pay gaps in December 2022, revealed a mean average pay gap of 12.6%. The latest available national gender pay gap for Ireland (reported by Eurostat in 2019) revealed a slightly lower national average pay gap of 11.3%. The last reported statistics of the EU average reported an average pay gap of 13% (in 2020), down from 16% which had been reported in 2012.

What will be interesting is now that pay gap reporting is in its second year, organisations will not only have to report again on their gender pay gap, but also on what theyre doing to address it since their last report. Organisations are aware that comparisons are going to be made between this years reports and the previous year. This has focussed the minds of many organisations in terms of how they can make a real difference in their organisations so that improvements are reflected year on year in their reports. As this pattern continues, and more information about an organisations pay gap is published, we expect to continue to see progress being made in this area.
Eithne Shortall is refreshingly honest about the reality of being a full-time writer. The hours of isolation required by many authors are a luxury she cant afford as the mother of two small children, aged two and three, and she has no problem being asked about how she juggles her job with the demands of motherhood.

I understand why people dont talk about it, but I couldnt not talk about it. My kids are most of my life  theyre most of my headspace, she says. I was recently listening to a podcast interview with a male author and he was talking about going out to his writing shed, and getting away from the house. It was 42 minutes into it before he made one brief mention of his kids. I dont know how you talk about how you write without taking in the fact of children, who are obviously a huge demand on your time.

Shortall, who lives in Drumcondra, Dublin, previously published four previous novels while a staff journalist with The Sunday Times, a role she left last year. Her fifth book, The Lodgers, is the first she has written as a full-time author. The novelty of being a debut author is long gone but she says that every book still feels like a new beginning.

Honestly, every time I start writing a book, I can't remember how to do it. People often ask about your process, how you write, your approach to first drafts. Mine is different with every book. I also feel the same sort of nerves before a book comes out, exactly the same as I did the first time around. I guess there are points in the writing process where you think this is terrible, its not going to work, but now I can trust that it will work out. Thats probably the only thing I really feel like Ive learnt.

Author Eithne Shortall. Picture: Colm Russell

Her latest book centres on 69-year-old Tessa, who can no longer live alone after a fall and takes in two lodgers, Conn and Chloe, rent-free. At its heart is friendship and community, with the mystery of Tessas long-lost daughter thrown into the mix. There were many real-life inspirations for the book, says Shortall.

All my books have an intergenerational relationship, and I love writing that. I love that dynamic  I have it with my grandmother, with my mother, my aunt. Theres the wisdom that can be passed down but there's also that lovely thing that I can see in the older people in my life, where they they care less about other people  what other people think.

Shortall began writing The Lodgers around the time of the invasion of Ukraine, and the outpouring of support for those affected in Ireland was also an influence.

It was so bleak but the one great story was when Irish people were coming forward and offering their homes and I really was affected by that. The selflessness of it was lovely. So I had that idea of someone taking someone else into their house in a largely selfless capacity.

Shortalls first book Love in Row 27, about a match-making flight attendant, was a bestselling romantic comedy, placing it firmly in the commercial fiction category. She followed it up with Grace Before Henry, another love story, but that wasnt the original plan.

I genuinely didn't realise that when you write a book, and you have a two-book deal that the publishers want the same genre again. I wrote this feelgood rom-com and then I pitched a thriller as my second book, and my publisher was like, oh, that's a great idea but no, thats not going to work.

I wasnt consciously thinking about genre. So my first two books were love stories and then the next two [ Three Little Truths and It Could Never Happen Here] were suburban mysteries or dramas and my fifth is an absolute mix of those two things. But even that move from love stories into mysteries was a difficult sell to the publishers because they do want to put you in the same place on the shelf. But I can understand that. If I was picking up a Maeve Binchy book, and it was a thriller or sci-fi, Id be like, well, no, thats not what I'm here.

She says that many people were surprised that as an arts journalist, she hadnt opted to write literary fiction.

I didnt set out to write in any genre, I just had a good idea for a book. And that was the book that I wrote. I read absolutely everything but at that point, I probably was reading more highbrow literary fiction. And it ended up not being what I wrote. Now I probably read more commercial fiction  I think there is still a snobbery around that distinction and maybe I had it a little bit myself once.

The Lodgers, by Eithne Shortall

Shortall explored this subject in a fascinating BBC documentary about romantic fiction publisher Mills & Boon. It featured a rare interview with Ballymena author Lynne Graham, who has sold more than 40m books worldwide.

I think shes probably the best-selling living author on the island of Ireland but because of the genre of fiction that shes writing, nobody knows who she is. She had dealt with some really crappy stuff from neighbours and the church because of what she was writing. I have no snobbery around genre and I dont really think readers do either, a good book is a good book and I do think all of that is coming more from the publishing and marketing side of things.

Readers of commercial fiction are especially enthusiastic about giving feedback to authors and social media has provided a platform that bypasses the traditional gatekeepers. As a former occasional reviewer herself, Shortall is particularly interested in how social media has been a gamechanger in this regard.

I enjoy getting reviews online, if its positive, she laughs. It is very rare that anyone will tag you or whatever on a negative review. Another phenomenon that is really interesting is Bookstagram, where people on Instagram post about books. Even though I did newspaper reviews, I now would value the Bookstagram review more because it comes entirely from your emotional instinctive response to a book. When youre reviewing for a paper, its a different thing, its more cerebral, I guess. Whereas I just love if people are absolutely effusive about a book or even if they dont like it and they can be funny about it, that really honest, emotive response gets you more excited about a book.

Shortall believes that getting people to read anything is an achievement given all the competing demands for our attention.

The enemy is the phone, or something that will take your concentration instantly. When Im publishing a book, Im not competing with other authors, were all just competing with the phone  that people will read a couple of chapters without picking it up. Its the same with making movies or TV  youre trying to get people to watch TV without looking at their phone. Thats the competition.

As for the abandoned thriller, Shortall has now returned to it. Perhaps its easier to follow her own path now that she has become used to taking that leap into the unknown.

Im calling the thriller my side project and Im nearly finished the first draft on it. Leaving the day job was a risk but I felt fine about it. My partner is about to go to college now to study something new. We are just a house of taking risks at the moment.
Given that her parents were Francophiles who took her on regular holidays to Brittany, its no surprise that Cork-born Cliona Ni Riordain is a lover of all things French. But what is impressive about her is her rise through academia in France, a competitive and rigorous milieu. Ni Riordains latest book, co-authored with Stephanie Schwerter, The Poets and Poetry of Munster has recently been published covering 100 years since the foundation of the state in 1922. It looks at the work of more than 30 poets from Munster (or working in the province) writing in English and Irish.

As well as co-editing the volume, Ni Riordain has contributed four essays to it. Declan Kiberd wrote the foreword. The book includes essays on Patrick Galvin, Eilean Ni Chuilleanain, Sean O Tuama, Michael Hartnett, and Colm Breathnach right up to younger contemporary poets like Doireann Ni Ghriofa. The contributors are academics from the US, Europe, and Ireland as well as poets such as Theo Dorgan.

Ni Riordain, who published an anthology entitled English Language Poets at University College Cork 1970-1980 in 2020, has been living in Paris for 30 years. She is professor of English at the Sorbonne in Paris teaching Irish studies and translation studies. She will take up a new post at the end of August at Notre Dame in Indiana where she will be the ODonnell chair of Irish Studies at the American university. Its a big change for this scholar who is in her mid-fifties.

Its exciting, says Ni Riordain, on a visit to Cork to launch her book at Waterstones. Theres a very lively Irish studies and community at Notre Dame. I think its a university that is very committed to bringing Ireland to the world.

The scholar, who also published Poets of Munster 1960-2015, started her career as a primary school teacher spending four years at Gael Scoil Ui Riordain in Ballincollig.

I come from generations of teachers going back to my great grandfather. My dad (Tomas O Riordain who died five years ago) was the principal of Scoil na nOg in Glanmire. My mother, an Irish and Latin teacher, is the manager of Scoil Mhuire. Always interested in reading and learning, Ni Riordain left primary teaching and did a Masters degree in French which took her to Nantes for two years as a language assistant at the university there. She then decided to go to the Sorbonne and took a degree there equivalent to an M Phil in postcolonial Francophone studies.

That sent me back to Irish studies. I was comparing the work of Seamus Heaney with the work of Aime Cesaire, looking at the treatment of the land in their writing. It was about how they approached geographical rootedness in their home places.

Once that was finished, Ni Riordain was keen to pursue a doctorate in comparative literature. But comparative literature comes under the realm of French literature in France. I was advised that it would be difficult for somebody who wasnt a native speaker to get a job in a French university department. So I did a competitive teaching exam that people do to teach in high school and in universities in France.

I did it in English and was admitted to the Ecole Normale Superieure which is the holy grail of French academe. Its where people like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir and all the great intellectuals go. It was a wonderful preparation. There were 12 of us in the class. We had the best teachers from all over France. I went on and did a doctorate on the work of Seamus Heaney. I wrote it in French. I was particularly interested in the poetics of responsibility and how Heaney responded to the political situation in which he found himself.

The Poets and Poetry of Munster, by Cliona Ni Riordain and Stephanie Schwerter

In 2003, Ni Riordain was made a lecturer. She had to do another exam to become a professor. That was in 2013. She was made a full professor in 2015 at the Sorbonne.

In France, everything is regimented and laid down. There is a process to get through.

What is intellectual life like in France, compared to Ireland? Its difficult to compare. One of the things I would see as a contrast would be the public role that intellectuals and philosophers would have in France. In Ireland, the people with the public role as intellectuals are poets, novelists and dramatists.

I suppose that speaks to our differing history and to the different place that philosophy occupies in France. Its very important there. All French students have to study philosophy when theyre doing the Baccalaureate (the equivalent of the Leaving Certificate). They have to do it for one year. Its ingrained into the method of arguing.

A mother of two grown-up children reared bilingually in France, Ni Riordain is a big fan of the Irish Leaving Certificate curriculum. Its wonderfully modern. It gets the students to engage with topics in a very lively way whereas in France, the conversation continues to be around textual analysis. It demands far more analysis than an imaginative response.

In France, children start learning grammar at a very young age. When they go to university, students learning languages study linguistics. So theres that formal analytical element that isnt here in Ireland to the same extent. The emphasis in language learning here is communication. Thats wonderful but I think theres also a place for analysis.

The idea for Ni Riordains new book germinated from a conversation with Terence Brown when he was professor of English at Trinity College Dublin. She was bereft after completing her doctorate and wanted another challenge. Brown suggested that she look at southern Irish poets having spent a lot of time looking at northern Irish poets. That resulted in English Language Poets in University College Cork 1970-1980.

But before that, I responded to a call from Patrick Cotter of the Munster Literature Centre. He had wanted to publish a book of essays on Munster poets. For various reasons, the centre wasnt able to publish the book. My friend Stephanie Schwerter and I decided to take on the project. Of course, there have been anthologies of Munster poets starting in the 19th century. Sean Dunne did one in the 1980s. He said the poets had nothing in common except for the fact that they wrote poetry and were from Munster.

Did Ni Riordain find any further common ground? We looked at the whole notion of networks, the connections between the poets and how they relate to each other. In Munster, there are communities of poets in various places. So we looked at things like workshops, journals and festivals and how the poets were reading each others work.

Thats really interesting because you can see influences. Theres the importance of central figures like John Montague, Sean Lucey, and Sean O Tuama and the way universities have become places that both foster poetry and give homes to poets through writer-in-residence posts.

Ni Riordains book is not just aimed at academics. I think it would be of interest to general readers because I think poetry continues to be important in Irish society.

What will she miss most about Paris? Ill always have Paris. Its like what Theo Dorgan said about Cork: I never left it; I just live elsewhere.
Sarah* is a professional in her mid-40s. She has developed a reputation for her work ethic and many achievements in a career spent working for large public sector organisations.

Yet this capable woman came close to mental collapse when undergoing fertility treatment while meeting the demands of her full-time job.

Im someone who loves to work, who thrives on stress and never lets people down, she says. But dealing with the challenges of IVF on top of a stressful job became too much for me. I was burned out by the end of it.

Sarah didnt want anyone to know she was having treatment. It felt too private, she says. And I didnt feel I could trust my manager with something so personal. He had told me things about others that I thought he should have kept confidential, so I didnt want to make myself vulnerable to him in that way.

Instead, she tried to fit her appointments around work.

Id schedule them early in the morning or late in the evening, she says. I even had a hysterosalpingogram [to check for blockages in the fallopian tubes] at lunchtime. I got bad abdominal pain after it and started vomiting. I had to text my manager to say I couldnt return to work that afternoon.

The struggle to fit medical appointments around work eventually became too much and Sarah asked for unpaid leave. But my manager refused, she says.

She felt she had no option but to take sick leave.

Ultimately, I became so overloaded by the stress of it all that I resigned and found another job. The whole thing was a nightmare Im only beginning to come to terms with now, a year or more later.

Sarah is sharing her story in the wake of the Department of Healths recent announcement that it will fund one cycle of IVF, ICSI or IUI treatment for eligible couples.

This is great news as fertility treatment is so expensive [costing 5,000 or more], she says. But women and their partners also need to be able to take time away from work while they undergo this treatment. I had to work through my IVF and its not an experience I would wish on anyone.

Currently, women and their partners must use their annual leave for such treatment. But hope is on the horizon.

The Reproductive Health Related Leave Bill aims to give couples government-funded fertility leave of up to ten days. However, this bill has yet to progress beyond committee stage in the Seanad.

Psychological cost

Clare Healy, a fertility and pregnancy counsellor at www.fertilitycounsellingcare.com, is eager to see this bill become law.

Anything that makes fertility treatment easier is to be welcomed, she says.

What many people dont realise is that women and couples go through years of trying for a baby before they reach the point of fertility treatment. Thats a lot of emotional turmoil. Then, having to attend appointments and fit them around work adds extra pressure.

Not to mention the psychological toll and the impact medication can have on mood, energy and concentration levels. Women and couples struggle to manage.

A 2022 survey of 1,300 fertility patients by Fertility Network UK reveals more about how fertility treatment affects womens working lives. Some 15% of those interviewed had either reduced their hours or, like Sarah, had left their jobs altogether to undergo treatment. Some 58% were concerned their treatment would affect their career progression and 36% believed it already had.

In 2019, the Irish National Teachers Organisation published a survey of Reproductive Health Related Matters.

Of the 2,271 participants, 92% were female and 26% had undergone fertility treatment.

Most of these women struggled to combine it with work, with 75% reporting that they tried to schedule treatment during mid-terms and school holidays, while others used personal vacation days, arranged their appointments before and after school or took career breaks.

According to Irish Congress of Trade Unions equality officer David Joyce, such findings show the need for the Reproductive Health Related Leave Bill.

Many women and men have invested time, money, hopes, and dreams in fertility treatments while taking unpaid leave for medical and related appointments, he says. This legislation is about affording them empathy and dignity while ensuring that accommodation is made for them in the workplace. Its very welcome but it seems to be stuck at third phase in the Seanad.

The ICTU has been pushing for menstruation, menopause and general fertility issues to be recognised in the workplace through its Stop the Stigma campaign.

Fertility leave

Some organisations are impatient with the pace of legislative change. Vodafone, Lidl Ireland, legal firm Arthur Cox and Bank of Ireland already offer fertility leave to their employees.

Head of Group Employee Relations at Bank of Ireland Joanne Healy explains why.

Our employees are entitled to 10 days paid fertility leave, taken as a block or single days, to enable them to receive treatment or attend their partners treatment, she says.

We hope that policies like these have a positive impact on the personal and financial wellbeing of our 9,000 employees and their families.

However, she believes such policies are not enough by themselves. Fertility is just one element that must be backed up by a supportive culture and better education on matters of fertility for managers, she says.

By fostering that culture, employees will feel more comfortable having open conversations about their needs and managers will be better able to provide them with supports such as mental health services, flexible working and leave options.

Confidentiality is critical to the success of such policies. Sarah didnt feel comfortable sharing why she needed to take time out of work. Nor did 35% of the women who had undergone fertility treatment in the INTO study.

This hesitancy is understandable, fertility counsellor Clare Healy says.

Women worry how they will deal with it if the treatment fails and they have to share that loss with colleagues. They also worry about how sharing their intention to become pregnant might affect the progress of their careers.

Bank of Ireland is taking a proactive approach. We recognise that many may feel fertility treatment is too sensitive to discuss at work, Joanne Healy says.

So, we encourage them to talk to their manager or a member of our people services team, reassuring them that all conversations are held in strict confidence and that the purpose of these conversations is to provide them with the help they need.

Your employers support can make a significant difference, Clare Healy says.

Work is such a big part of peoples lives and nobody wants to choose between it and their desire to have a family. If women and couples feel that their employer supports them in what they are going through, it can really ease the pressure.

Sarah says her experience would have been drastically different had she had support in the workplace.

If paid leave had been available and all I had to do to get it was talk to HR, that would have given me time to undergo treatment and process it all, she says.

We went through two [IVF] cycles and got two embryos from the first, but my stress was so bad that the second failed. Our two embryos are frozen and its only now, more than a year later, after having worked hard to recover, that I feel well enough to consider implanting them. I hope it works and we get to have a family.

*Name has been changed
Things are being shaken up once again over at RTE Radio 1 as yet another change has been made to the Nine O'Clock Show.

Since Ryan Tubridy vacated the slot in the wake of the RTE pay scandal there has been endless speculation about who will succeed him.

Today, a new face entered the race as it was announced that Maura Derrane will be in the hot seat for two weeks.

The announcement was made by Oliver Callan who has been one of those temporarily filling in on the popular morning show.

For Derrane, who hosts the Today Show on RTE One alongside Daithi O Se, this will be her first time presenting on the radio.

After a tongue-in-cheek reference to what has been a "summer of scandal", Callan announced that Derrane would be presenting the show from next Monday.

"I am going to be unavailable for the next couple of weeks so Maura Derrane will be the presenter," Callan told listeners on Friday.

"She will be here for a fortnight. We know her well, of course, oodles of experience doing live telly but I believe this will be her first foray into live radio.

She will be grand. It's Maura without the Daithi."

The comedian joked that listeners might be treated to a whole new side of Derrane calling it "Maura Unleashed".

Callan said that O Se would be "holding the fort" on the Today Show.

Brendan Courtney and Callan will then return, separately, to continue to cover the 9am slot.

Earlier this week, Courtney said he has not had any conversations about taking over Ryan Tubridy's former slot.

The only thing I can tell you is that nobody knows... It is evolving but it doesn't involve me."

He said that he honestly does not know if he would accept the job if it was offered to him permanently.

The Keys to My Life host said he doesn't think about what-ifs and maybes when it comes to work.

"Unless somebody rings me and says 'do you want to talk about this?' and nobody has rung me and said 'do you want to talk about this?'

"But I don't believe anyone has been called. Yet."

Meanwhile, Tubridy has had plenty of tongues wagging after he had a very busy week in the UK meeting with several radio stations.

The former Late Late Show presenter was pictured with controversial presenter Piers Morgan and dropped in to Virgin Radio and joined Chris Evans on air where they teased listeners about whether he would join the station.

Tubridy played up to the gossip and interest with an Instagram story showing him on an escalator in London with the caption: "This situation has escalated! But it's time to go home. For now."
Teenagers as young as 15 are allowing their bank accounts to be used for the transfer of criminally-obtained funds, according to a new study.

The FraudSMART report found that more than 2,600 mule accounts have been identified in Irish banks in the first half of this year, enabling the transfer of close to 17.5m  up by almost 50% on the same period last year.

The majority of the accounts being used belong to young people between the ages of 18 and 24 years of age.

The average amount of money being moved through such accounts is around 10,000, according to the report.

Last month, gardai revealed that 34 people were arrested in Ireland between May 15 and May 29 as part of an Interpol operation targeting the West African crime syndicate Black Axe. The syndicate is suspected of using a network of up to 4,000 money mules to launder the proceeds of its crimes.

A warning is now being made to students to be wary and a social media campaign, #DontBeAMule, has been launched by FraudSMART, supported by Further and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris and the Union of Students Ireland.

While people of any age are susceptible to becoming a money mule, our members have observed that the majority of money-mule bank accounts belong to those aged between 18 and 24 years of age," said Niamh Davenport, BPFI head of financial crime.

Criminals frequently target young adults, usually recruiting them through social media ads and messages, but they are also known to approach young people in person outside schools, colleges, or sports clubs.

"The money transferred by money mules are proceeds of crime, often stolen from innocent victims of text message scams and other types of fraud that our own friends and family can fall victim to.

BPFI head of financial crime Niamh Davenport said money mules transfer the proceeds of crime, often stolen from innocent victims of text message scams. Picture: Shane ONeill/Coalesce

"Not only that, but the money being laundered is often used by criminals to facilitate other serious crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking, and people smuggling.

"This is why the consequences faced for money muling are so serious and can result in a criminal record.

Colette Murphy, USI vice president for welfare, warned that students who agree to have their accounts used for muling run the risk of having travel plans affected, or loan possibilities hampered.

We want to make sure students are aware of the risks of being coerced, conned, or tempted into working with fraudsters through social media posts or seemingly legitimate job adverts," she said.

"Getting caught up in money mulling can have a long-term impact on your future. It could affect your ability to get loans or to travel to many places, including to Australia or on a J1.

In May, a 19-year-old man, Kenoly Ugbodu, who allowed 91,000 through his bank account was given a two-year suspended jail term at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. He had pleaded guilty to a charge of money-laundering by having 91,000 cash in his account in September 2017.

Young people are being advised to be wary of any unsolicited emails or approaches regarding making easy money, and to research any work-from-home opportunities to ensure they are legitimate.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said the upcoming hate crime legislation will not be about criminalising people who insult or misgender others.

Ms McEntee said she hoped to have enacted the hate crime legislation by the end of the year, however, she said she would be engaging with colleagues on issues raised to date with the proposed law.

She said the bill would address those who intentionally spread hate that could result in assaults or impact on minorities.

But this is not about criminalising people who insult others or misgender another person, this is very clearly about introducing hate crime, and hate speech legislation, she said.

Ms McEntee said the legislation was very clear and concerns a deliberate attempt to spread hatred against another person, not misgendering someone.

She also said she had a busy legislative agenda when the Dail returns in two weeks, including legislation on body-worn cameras, as well as progressing legislation on the new domestic violence agency.

Kinahans

Separately, the Justice Minister said Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and gardai have shown absolute determination to dismantle the Kinahan organised crime group.

It comes as the Irish Examiner revealed the commissioner travelled to the United Arab Emirates and met the commander in chief of the Dubai Police to discuss possible legal avenues for the deportations.

The only way that you can do that given the nature of crime now, its not just based at home but its transnational  is by building relationships with other police services but other governments as well.

So whether it's the US, the UK, Europe, and now the UAE, there has been a huge amount of work in building those relationships, she said.

She said she fully supported the commissioners work abroad to dismantle the gang.

In the same way that I think the commissioner and his team are determined, I'm absolutely determined that everything will be done to make sure that these people face justice, she said.

Safety plan

She was speaking at the launch of the Local Community Safety Plan for Dublins north inner city.

The plan is one of three pilots ahead of the national rollout of the new community safety policy next year.

The policy acknowledges local communities know best how to improve safety in their areas, and will work with the HSE, Tusla, education providers, business groups, An Garda Siochana, and public and community representatives to draw up plans to identify what actions are needed.

One element of the strategy is the introduction of community safety wardens who will act as extra eyes and ears on the ground.

She said community wardens had been effective in Derry and were currently working on Wolfe Tone Square with a commitment to expand them to OConnell Street.

The 150,000 funding for the wardens is through the community safety innovation fund, which takes from the proceeds of crime.

She said there were multiple elements to the role of wardens, including identifying issues that arise.

She stressed wardens who have a visible and engaging presence will not take the role of gardai, however said they will work hand in hand.

What we're acknowledging here is that community safety is not just about gardai and boots on the ground, she said.

The launch of the Dublin Community Safety Plan follows those of Longford and Waterford.
A High Court judge has ordered that teacher Enoch Burke be returned to prison due to his ongoing refusal to stay away from Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath.

The school's Board of Management had asked the court for orders seeking Mr Burke's attachment and committal to prison over his deliberate failure to comply with a permanent injunction granted by Mr Justice Alexander Owens earlier this year.

In a ruling late on Friday night, Mr Justice Mark Heslin said that there "was no dispute" that Mr Burke had "flagrantly breached" orders requiring him to stay away from the school. The judge ordered that he be committed to prison "indefinitely," until he purges his contempt by agreeing to stay away from the school.

The judge, after finding that Mr Burke was in contempt of court, asked Mr Burke three times if he was prepared to give an undertaking in the terms of the order against him.

On each occasion, Mr Burke, accompanied in court by members of his family including his parents Martina and Sean, remained silent.

The judge said he was taking Mr Burke's silence to mean he was refusing to give the undertaking sought, and committed him to Mountjoy Prison, where the teacher spent over 100 days between September and December of last year.

The matter is to be reviewed before the court in early October.

However, the judge stressed that Mr Burke could secure his release from prison at any time, by agreeing to stay away from the school.

Mr Justice Heslin was interrupted on several occasions by members of the Burke family, who were each directed to leave the courtroom.

Mr Burke's father Sean and brother Isaac were both physically removed from the courtroom by members of the Gardai.

Mr Burke's mother Martina had at one stage called the judge "a traitor," said her son had "every right to be at the school," and accused the court of "predetermining" the matter.

The school's board claimed that Mr Burke had breached Mr Justice Owen's order restraining him from attending Wilson's Hospital, which had suspended him before dismissing him, unless he is given express permission to do so by the school authorities.

Represented by senior counsel Alex White and barrister Rosemary Mallon, the board said that Mr Burke had attended at Wilson's Hospital campus every day since the new school year commenced in late August.

Counsel said that the central issue was that Mr Burke had breached the orders.

The board claimed that in breach of the injunction, Mr Burke had attended both "outside and inside the school".

Opening the application, Mr White said the application had been brought with great reluctance, but that the school had no option other than seek Mr Burke's committal.

Representing himself Mr Burke, opposed the application and argued that it was in breach of his constitutional rights to religious freedom and expression.

Mr Burke's presence at the school "is causing severe disruption for staff and students," counsel said.

A large part of the working day is taken up dealing with Mr Burke's presence at Wilson's Hospital, counsel said.

On occasions Mr Milling has had "to close doors" to prevent Mr Burke from entering the school, counsel added.

Opposing the application Mr Burke claimed that Mr Justice Owen's order was invalid, and that the court's "hands would be dripping with blood" if it decided to hear the committal application.

He again claimed that the board's actions against him arose out of his opposition to "go along with transgenderism", something he said was "damaging to children".

In a sworn statement to the court, he rejected claims by the board that he was causing "untold difficulties, and stressful for staff and students at the school."

He also rejected a claim that his presence at the school was "frightening" and that claims made against him by the school were fraudulent and should not be considered by the court.

He said that every day since last January, following his release from prison, he has received "overwhelming support from parents, students and staff at the school."

He said he utterly rejected claims made by the school's principal Frank Milling and chairman of the board John Rogers that "my presence at my workplace has caused stress disruption, fear or a safety concern at the school."

He said that at all times, "I have conducted myself in a calm measured, reasonable, and respectful manner in my conduct at the school, and my interaction with others at the school."

He said that he only speaks to students after they speak to him.

He claims parents and students have shaken his hand and last May, before the end of the school year, students were "begging me to sign their school shirts and blouses" as well as asking for autographs and posing for pictures.

He said this was done despite the fact that "students have been warned not to talk to me outside of the school".

He claims that students have asked him about his summer, waved at him, given him the thumbs up and one student told him to "stay strong" and that "I agree with what you are doing, sir".

He also says that others have expressed their support for his stance, and that the school was "totally wrong."

He further claimed that a parent told him that a student was removed from the school due to what the former principal was "pushing" on the school.

He said that he has been mocked over his religious beliefs and said that the claims by the board formed part of an attempt to provoke and intimidate him.

He was also critical of a solicitor who represents the board, who he claimed had got the gardai to unlawfully arrest him.

He also told the court that he expects to be reinstated to his post.

In his ruling, the judge rejected all of Mr Burke's arguments and said that his submissions had raised issues that were not relevant to the application before the court.

Other issues raised by Mr Burke, including his claims about the school's solicitors, were "baseless" the judge added.

Mr Burke, he said was clearly in flagrant breach of court orders, adding that such orders are something that have to be obeyed.

Mr Burke, he added, could not be treated by anybody else and it was an "insult" to all law-abiding citizens to allow somebody to breach orders of the court.

Following his suspension in August 2022 Mr Burke was sued by the school over his failure to comply with a court order requiring him to stay away from the school.

That resulted in his incarceration in Mountjoy Prison for several months.

He was released shortly before Christmas, without purging his contempt.

He again started attending at the school after the holidays, and the High Court imposed a daily fine of 700 on Mr Burke.

Mr Burke has also brought a challenge against the three-person panel of persons appointed to hear his appeal against his dismissal from his teaching position.

Judgment is awaited in those separate proceedings against the panel.
A young man who threw a glass bottle at a security man  splitting his head open  and spat at a second bouncer in a row outside a pub in Cork has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

Adrian Long, aged 25, of 14 Willowbank, Upper Fair Hill, Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to a security officer who had to have four stitches to a head wound. He also admitted assaulting another security man by spitting at him.

Sergeant Barry Myers went to the scene of the alleged assaults that night.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said at Cork District Court: On March 17, 2023, at around 9pm an assault occurred outside the Vicarstown Bar on North Main St.

Sgt Barry Myers was on duty at North Main St. He met with the injured party, a security officer for both the Vicarstown Bar and Black Dog premises. He had a sizable laceration to the side of his head and he required hospital treatment.

An ambulance arrived at the scene. The injured party said he was hit in the head with a glass bottle which was thrown by a man who was ejected from the bar.

The accused man was convicted four times previously for engaging in threatening behaviour and one count of assault.

Frank Buttimer, defence solicitor, said of the accused: He was in town socialising with a friend. There was an encounter between his friend and the first security guard. He intervened. In relation to the spitting, he said he was a recipient of spitting and that this was provocative. But he accepts he did his spitting business.

Another security guard intervened in this. Mr Long wrongly decided to throw a bottle at the original security guard and hit the other security guard.

He has now been in custody since July 29. He has written a letter of apology to the injured party.

Judge Olann Kelleher imposed an eight-month sentence for causing harm and a concurrent three months for the spitting assault.

Judge Kelleher said: He had a previous for assault  he has proven to be a violent man.
A hairdresser who repeatedly punched and tore clumps of hair from a homeless woman's head in a Dublin shelter has avoided jail.

Shauna Kavanagh, 35, of Holycross Avenue, Drumcondra, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the woman at the Novas Centre, Rathmines Road, on April 24, 2022, and received a three-month suspended sentence.

Dublin District Court heard the injured party told gardai they were in the kitchen and the defendant was staring at her. The victim approached the defendant and asked: Why did you call me a knacker? You called me a knacker all week. Why did you steal my Easter egg?.

In her statement, she said Kavanagh grabbed her by the hair and added that Kavanagh pulled her onto the ground and struck her with a closed fist four or five times. The court heard she told gardai Kavanagh sat on top of her and pulled clumps of hair out of me.

She received some medical attention and had a painful left shoulder afterwards. The accused made the admission after the incident.

Kavanagh already had 15 prior criminal convictions since 2009, including one for assault causing harm, resulting in a two-year suspended sentence in 2021 on the conditions of keeping the peace and not re-offending for the following 12 months.

The victim, still homeless, was left terrified after the incident and did not come to the hearing.

Kavanaghs other offences were minor assault, criminal damage, public order, traffic and theft-related. The accused was already serving sentences imposed in the District Court in March and May, due to expire this month.

Kavanagh is serving sentences in the Dochas Centre, the womens section of Mountjoy Prison and on 23-hour lock-up with no socialising and has a very strict regime and no visits.

'Build-up'

Defence solicitor John Shanley said there had been a build-up over a period of time", and Kavanagh had a different version but accepted she acted in a manner she should never have.

Due to the death of the accuseds mother, Kavanagh lived with an aunt and trained as a hairdresser. But the court heard Kavanagh travelled but ended up homeless on returning to Dublin.

Mr Shanley said his client worked full time and, since the assault, had received stable accommodation through the homeless services. The solicitor said Kavanagh had completed anger management and psychological courses in custody and was doing very well.

However, Judge Finan told the defence solicitor: There was not one word of remorse here, nothing about the victim, all about the accused after the court heard the prosecution evidence.

Following an adjournment pending the preparation of a probation report, Judge Finan imposed a three-month sentence, suspended as long as the accused kept the peace and did not re-offend for two years.
A farmer, determined to drive down his energy bills, has started a movement which has seen 65 dairy farmers on the Dingle peninsula group together to buy solar panels and cut their energy bills in half.

Denis 'Dinny' Galvin said the farmers' bulk purchase of solar panels for their milking parlours could save the group over 500,000 on their energy bills.

The farmers currently pay an average of 10,000-a-year on energy but, by switching to solar, they hope to slash these bills by 50%, while buying as a collective means they will save on the cost of the panels and installation.

"We have been told to expect not only savings of around 50% on our bills but also we expect to be able to pay off the panels in around two or three years," Mr Galvin said.

"At the moment around 65 farmers are signed up but there are likely to be more," with Mr Galvin saying another 40 farmers are thinking about it.

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"You are looking at savings collectively of between around 325,000 and 530,000."

Mr Galvin says thanks to the success of the initiative, around 100 hotels and guest houses in the Dingle area are now also grouping together to block purchase solar panels for their businesses.

Representatives from environmental consultancy Dcsix and solar panel provider Beo were meeting the farmers at the Udaras na Gaeltachta offices in Dingle to discuss the next steps.

Mr Galvin established the West Kerry Dairy Farmers Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) in 2019, and with the help of fellow board members on the Kerry co-op and contacts he made as an artificial inseminator, he persuaded 106 of the approximately 110 dairy farmers on the Dingle penisuala to join the SEC.

Environmental efficiency consultancy firm Dcsix helped the farmers choose the right technologies to suit their farms, and helped handle a tender process to find a contractor to provide the solar panels.

Solar Beo

Dingle-based solar panel firm Solar Beo won the contract to provide and instal the panels.

Dcsix managing director Jonathan Sandham said: I think this is the first initiative of its kind and I know of no other sector that has got together to do this.

It gives them great buying power and means they will be paying much less for their panels than if they went off to have them installed on their own.

"I cant give you figures but a bulk purchase has to mean everyone paying less.

Mr Galvin said: This is a dream coming true for me personally but also for the members of the steering committee that are behind this."

Mr Sandham said: Because of this scheme, word is spreading and around 100 people involved in hospitality have set up their own SEC and they are going to do what Dinny and his colleagues are doing.
After a 24-hour plane journey, I arrived in San Salvador to cover the archbishops funeral for RTE, on Friday, March 28, 1980.

Then it was a two-hour drive into the capital past the familiar Latin American sights of a procession of people carrying enormous loads for miles in the heat. Beasts of burden, no more.

The houses we passed were built with sticks, mud and cardboard. The primitive accommodation  like a furnace in summer and a sieve in the wet, winter season  stands in marked contrast to the obscenely modern automatic weapons in the possession of the security forces who are everywhere, the best that American money can buy and supply.

The cathedral of San Salvador in the heart of the city showed all the signs of continued siege. There was evidence of bombing while the larger department stores air conditioned of course  have long since bricked up all their large display windows.

In the midst of gloom stands the cathedral, crowned with a huge dome and looking as if it had never quite been finished, a symbol or relic of a concept of the church as an institution that has faded from fashion in Central America. Inside, sunlight streams through the many bullet holes over the huge front door.

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The furnishings were rather simple. A few benches, a number of side altars, a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a baroque statue of the Sacred Heart. There were two other large entrances at either side of the main altar behind which gaudy electric light bulbs lit up in the shape of a cross.

In such surroundings Archbishop Romero used to preach his famous sermon each Sunday, that is, when the cathedral was not being occupied by one popular organisation or another.

That Friday, the murdered archbishop lay before the high altar in a glass-topped coffin surrounded by lighted candles. Outside there were no police or military in sight, an unusual occurrence in a national security state such as Salvador. It was as if a small republic had been declared in the very heart of the capital. Boy scouts were on crowd-control duty.

Hundreds of people had come from the country to pay their last respects to the archbishop. Two lines formed in the blazing sun  men on one side, women on the other  waiting their turn to file past the coffin. Security was particularly tight: And youths, who seemed to know their job, searched everyone going into the cathedral. It was explained to me that they were trying to prevent bombs or explosives from being planted inside.

As people walked by the coffin, many stopped to touch it or press a picture of Romero to the glass, as if such a relic might be called upon in the near future to provide protection for the owner from danger.

On Sunday, the sun shone brilliantly on a beautifully clear day.

At the Basilica of Sagrada Corazon, the church where some weeks earlier 70 sticks of gelignite had been found, primed to blow up during the sermon of the archbishop, an impressive number of bishops, priests, and nuns were gathering to vest and walk in procession to the cathedral about half a mile away.

It was Palm Sunday.

The streets were surprisingly deserted. Although we did not realise it at the time, fear was keeping the ordinary people inside.

They would not even come out to look at the procession of visiting dignitaries from all over the world.

Bishop Casey and the Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, Fr Miguel DEscoto, headed the procession. The bishop was dressed entirely in red. He spoke animatedly to his priest politician partner. Many of the dignitaries carried palm.

At that moment, the capital was divided into those who supported Romero, and those who did not. There were no detached or casual observers except for the press.

The cathedrals 10-foot-high iron railing gates were closed and locked.

It was intended to place the coffin of the murdered archbishop between the altar and the iron gates before the start of the Mass. A choir, conducted by a very fat and popular composer, sang enthusiastically. There was a flurry of activity on the steps around the altar as a nervous master of ceremonies made sure that everything was ready.

There was no obvious sense of danger as people busied themselves straightening the celebrants chair and smoothing the altar linen.

In the square before the altar, about 100,000 people had gathered to form a huge congregation of Salvadorean poor. They clasped pictures of Romero, pieces of palm, radios and umbrellas which were used to protect the owners from the sweltering sun.

An hour before the Mass began, the crush was particularly dangerous. There were no crowd barriers in the square. There were no policemen present to maintain order. That task was left to boy scouts who manfully tried to prevent the congregation from bursting through the single rope that separated the crowds from the thin strip of pavement before the cathedral railings.

Children were fainting in the heat and were being passed over the heads of the crowd to the boy scouts in front followed by frantic parents who elbowed and jostled their way through the throngs so that they would not be separated from their families.

In the ordinary course of events, it would have been difficult to maintain order. But if anything should happen to cause panic For no clear reason, I made my way around the side to the door of the cathedral where the procession was just entering. Inside, hundreds of nuns dressed in white stood along the main altar area. They had been there for hours. And they prayed and sang and wept.

The catafalque was surrounded by candles. I was introduced to the parents of Fr Ortiz, the priest who had been murdered just before Archbishop Romero had set out for Puebla.

As we talked, the cathedral began to fill with hundreds of priests dressed in white. They filled the rows of seats which had been turned to face out onto the square behind the open-air altar.

The bishops took their places on the steps around Cardinal Corripio from Mexico, who was to be the celebrant. The coffin was carried out and laid on the steps before the altar. The Mass began at around 11 oclock.

When the sermon began I stood behind the altar and to the left of the cardinals chair. In an effort to hear what was being said I began to ease my way through the bishops and priests onto the steps. Suddenly there was a huge explosion in the far, right-hand corner of the square.

For a split second, there was the feeling of sitting in a theatre. What was happening in the square was too grotesque, too horrible to be reality.

That corner of the square was ablaze and, as shots began to ring out, 100,000 people stampeded. Worst of all was the terrible crush. Some of the more agile clambered over the high, locked railings in front of the altar. But the children and many poor, overweight middle-aged women were being crushed against bars.

In the square, people screamed and prayed as they ran clinging to their children. Inevitably families were separated in the panic and the terror was magnified for those campesinos who had to either continue on their own or double back for the elderly and the young. Glimpsing the early seconds of the tragedy, I was terrified.

Most distressing of all was the moment of lucidity simultaneously with the first explosion when there was the collective realisation that people were going to be killed. And then people actually were being killed, many of them from heart attacks or trampled underfoot.

The coffin was taken inside. The celebrants chair was set aside. The gates were opened and a huge mass of humanity tumbled through and clambered up the steps. Anyone who fell (and many did) would be trampled, some to death.

I was swept inside in the first tide of people and took refuge behind a pillar. A young girl beside me was shivering with terror; she said that her elderly parents had been trampled down as they scrambled into the cathedral. She was sure they were dead.

Outside more bombs were going off and shots were being fired. I was told that the attack had come from the Palacio Nacional.

My young companion and I moved to a seat where we were ordered to put our hands over our heads and keep very low. Rumours that people in the cathedral had been shot through the head increased the panic. I was quite certain that I was going to die. Beside me an over-weight pregnant woman in her late 30s went unconscious. Efforts were made to fan her back to life. They failed. The little girl had regained her composure but kept sobbing about her parents. All one could do was hold her hand tightly.

Words of consolation or reassurance were quite superfluous. And as I looked at this little girl, old beyond her years, I was reminded that I might never see my own wife and children again.

As in all tragedy, there were instances of black humour. Behind me, two ladies sat praying fervently. When they heard me speak, they realised that I was not Salvadorean; and immediately dropped their assault on heaven to reassure me that what I was experiencing was not the real Salvador. I should not mind those out there.

Within minutes, I was sure that armed men would walk up the cathedral steps 10 yards away and murder as many people as they had bullets and bombs.

Where are the police and army, I asked with all the indignation of one who had lived in a democracy all his life. Outside shooting in at us, was the laconic reply from an old man who found it pathetic that anyone could ask such a naive question. This was a lesson in the philosophy of national security.

A chorus of praying and singing could be heard over the sound of bullets and bombs. On the other side of the cathedral, Bishop Casey stood by the door.

Afterwards, he explained: People were coming up frightened and terrified. They grabbed you. They embraced you, just to feel the sense of security that things were alright. Bishop Casey had no Spanish, but that did not seem to hamper communications: I might have been an El Salvadorean myself. You hugged them, you prayed with them, you prayed for them, they just wanted to feel secure  and language did not make any difference. You do not need language at a time like that  there was a tremendous at-oneness of the Church with the people because the people who counted were the poor and the oppressed. The rest can look after themselves.

There was no standing on ceremony in the cathedral. It was a time when heroes were made. Bishops and priests stood together with the people. In Latin America, the violence that Sunday was the inevitable outcome of the option for the poor.

There was no sense of hierarchy, only Christians facing a common danger. The Church was being attacked: and the main target of the violence was the ordinary people.

Bishop Casey saw 12 bodies at one point lined along the cathedral side wall. They were the most inoffensive people that the Lord God ever made. Of the 12 I saw together at one stage, 11 of them were women. Most of them in their fifties simple, honest, genuine people to whom Archbishop Romero had been a light in the darkness.

The heat inside the cathedral was overwhelming. Bodies lay on the floor and it was impossible to tell whether they were dead or had just fainted. But one row of elderly women I saw were obviously dead. They had been trampled on, a Red Cross worker told me.

About half an hour after the first explosion, the Red Cross had appeared, and youths wearing that familiar international sign had been rushing out into the square to pick up the injured, the wounded and the dead.

I saw one young woman on the floor of the cathedral shot in the leg and in the chest. She received no attention. There was no time and no expertise. Meanwhile, thousands milled around above here.

A nun kisses the forehead of assassinated Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero at the Hospital of Divine Providence in San Salvador, March 25, 1980. The activist anti-violence Roman Catholic cleric was shot to death by gunmen as he celebrated Mass, and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Picture: Eduardo Vazquez Becker/AP

I just want to make this point very clearly, Bishop Casey told me in San Salvador, they were killed by those who started the stampede as clearly and as directly as if they shot them or by whoever planted the bomb. They knew exactly what would happen. And to me, it was an act of savagery. As the shooting began to die down, it was possible to try to reconstruct the events leading to the carnage. Just before the Mass had begun, the Nicaraguan Foreign Minister, Fr. Miguel DEscoto, had been handed a note from his Sandinista security men who had travelled with that governments cabinet to the funeral. It read that there were snipers positioned on the roofs around and that an attack was feared. But it was decided to go ahead with the funeral service.

Then as the cardinal began to speak, the Popular Organisations had marched peacefully into the square behind the red banner which I saw being prepared to block away. They marched along the side of the square past the Palacio Nacional and a wreath was passed over the railings and placed beside the coffin.

Shortly after that, the first bomb exploded. According to eye-witnesses, it was thrown from the Palacio Nacional at a section of the Popular Organisations. That incident gave rise to the panic, the stampede, and a pitched battle.

Youths had come to the square armed, and they returned fire immediately. Cars were overturned and set on fire to provide a smokescreen for the fleeing congregation. Thousands had found refuge in the cathedral itself. However, the majority had scattered into the sidestreets. They were led in files by armed youths who went ahead of the people and fired shots into the air to signal that the way was clear of snipers.

Back in the square, youths had taken up firing positions behind the low cathedral wall. Most of the attention was turned on the Palacio Nacional from where it was claimed that the first bomb had been thrown, followed by rifle and automatic fire. There was little doubt in the cathedral that morning where the violence had begun. The bomb had been thrown from the Palacio, and snipers had been seen on the second floor.

At about half-past one, it was decided that bishops and religious would line up on either side of the laity and walk in file, hand above head, into the now deserted streets as protection, for the snipers were still in the Palacio Nacional.

That idea was abandoned when members of the Popular Organisation counselled that it was relatively safe for people to leave alone. Then the long procession began. Nuns walked out through the side door hands held high, a humiliating act of surrender undertaken to placate the trigger-happy snipers.

Inside the cathedral, a small group of bishops and clergy gathered around the crypt where Archbishop Romero was to be buried. The funeral service was not hurried.

The funeral service was not just for the murdered archbishop; about 50 had been killed that day and 500 had been taken to hospital. Even those horrifying statistics did not reflect the true extent of the days violence.

Many country people refused to go to hospital. They wanted to get out of the capital as quickly as possible.

But, as I left the cathedral with my hands above my head, I was not aware of the full extent of the violence. I walked down sidestreets not quite knowing where I was going.

The thought kept going through my mind that perhaps a sniper would fire. In the cathedral square, I saw hundreds of abandoned umbrellas, hats and piles of shoes. People had literally taken to their heels.

As I walked, I remembered the wounded lying on the floor of the cathedral, alone and twisting in agony; and the dead, those ordinary, simple compesino women, with the final expression of horror, terror and agony felt at the moment of the first bomb recorded on their still faces.

There were no shots. There was no gunman waiting in a doorway. But people were now at their doors peering out at the stream of people walking away from the cathedral at an undignified pace as if by remote control. I made my way back to the house where we had left the car. It was not so much a house as a tenement where each room housed an extended family.

There, I became conscious of my shocked condition, I tried to phone Ireland, but all the lines were down. And people began to give me tea, coke and other drinks. They did not consider what had just happened anything unusual. It was normal for El Salvador. Is that possible? One final bid to get through to Dublin without success.

As I was on the phone, a beautiful little girl came over to me with a crumpled piece of paper.

Thats our Monsignor, she said showing me a picture of Archbishop Romero which she had carefully torn from a magazine.

Did you know him? I asked.

Of course, she said, he was in our local church. Did you understand what he said? Not all, she gestured with her hand.

But did you speak to him? Certainly, she said, the Monsignor speaks with everyone.

At that, she folded her treasured piece of paper carefully and walked away.
Fine Gael is a party in renewal, the Taoiseach has insisted, amid an exodus of long-standing TDs.

Leo Varadkar said resignations are natural in any organisation and he remains focused on leading his party into the next general election.

Seven Fine Gael TDs have so far confirmed they will not contest the next general election. At least two more senior members of the party are expected to make similar announcements over the coming weeks.

Speaking during a visit to Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, which runs several breeding programmes for critically endangered species, Mr Varadkar said it is natural to expect resignation announcements in any organisation.

Fine Gael is a little bit different to many other political parties, he said. Most TDs don't get to retire. They tend to lose their seats after one or two terms. Were different in the sense that we've been electorally successful for a very long time now.

And we have a huge number of TDs who have been elected for five, six, even 10 times to the Dail, and some of them are retiring. That's a natural thing in any organisation. We're very much an organisation that is going through a period of renewal.

I remember in 2020 we had a lot of retirements too.

Enda Kenny retired, Alan Dillon held that seat. Michael Noonan retired, Kieran ODonnell took that seat, returned from the Seanad. Frank Feighan took Tony McLoughlins seat when he retired. Francis Fitzgerald went on to the European Parliament, and Emer Higgins is a TD there.

The Taoiseach insisted that the party has a succession plan in almost every constituency.

Sometimes it's a Senator, sometimes it's a high-profile councillor, sometimes it's somebody outside of the party. So in the vast majority of places, we will have new people, new candidates.

There will be one or two places where it's going to be a bit tricky, but like I say, this is a party that has always been able to find new people and renew itself.

You just think of Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Neale Richmond, people who people would not have heard of, for the last election, and now they're ministers.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar surrounded by press while feeding a Rothschild Giraffe during his visit to Fota Wildlife Park. Photo: Darragh Kane

Mr Varadkar, who almost a decade ago said he planned to step down from politics by the time he was 51  comments he later said he regretted making  also said he has at least one, if not two, general elections left in him.

And while he refused to rule out providing guarantees to his coalition partners that there will be no early general election in the wake of a generous budget, he said there was no talk about general elections, that he is absolutely committed to his party, to politics and to his job as Taoiseach.

Look, there's no consideration or no talk at the moment among the party leaders or in government about the election, he said. I understand it's something that people are very interested in. It's absolutely not our focus.

Our focus is helping people with the cost of living and the budget coming up soon. It's making more progress on housing and health reform. It's making sure children have a better start in life. It's building safer, stronger communities.

You know, the next elections people are going to vote in Ireland will be local and European elections.

I'm 44 so I've at least one more election in me, if not two, and I'm looking forward to that and the newly enlarged constituency of Dublin West.

I am absolutely committed to politics and haven't thought beyond the next election or the one after that, but am absolutely committed to the job and leading my party and being Taoiseach of the country.

Later, Mr Varadkar visited Cobh, Carrigtwohill, and Youghal before later attending a Fine Gael members event in Midleton. He is due to visit Blasket Island on Saturday.
When I made a mistake last week in one of my jobs I was quick to apologise for it.

The response of the person highlighting my data blip was incredulous, open-mouthed: But how did it happen? The words descended like an early morning avalanche, beneath which I spluttered: Im human. I make mistakes .

I sounded pathetic. Later, I wondered why I sounded so unconvincing until it dawned on me. You cant use your humanness as an excuse anymore. The world has moved on from it.

What do I mean? Well, just as it is no longer acceptable to get things wrong once in a while, it is no longer acceptable to be vulnerable. Leaking, ageing, imperfect humans are a nuisance. I say this because last week also saw the release of an international study on robot carers.

According to the findings, 95% would be open to using a robot carer for a family member  such is the low status we give to people who exhibit the utmost humanity by tending to human bodies.

Seven out of 10 elderly people and carers in Ireland support the robots, too. Perhaps old people like the idea of a robot carer because it means receiving some care as opposed to poor care or, indeed, no care.

I spoke with one carer this week who had just been to the home of an elderly man. She arrived to find him drenched in urine in the bed. The man was heavy so she called on his son for help.

Thats nothing to do with me, the grown man barked before shutting his bedroom door in her face. His attitude reflects our growing dislike of humanness and human bodies.

Elderly people in Ireland, even within our ramshackle set-up, should not be looking to robots to provide their care.

Im not for a second suggesting that all family members are as cruel as that. Many do their best in a social order designed for bodies that never fail or leak  robot bodies.

Our government has so much work to do to make caring possible for good people. Our government must champion social care and support family carers. It must protect early childhood care, and spend more on education.

But elderly people in Ireland, even within our ramshackle set-up, should not be looking to robots to provide their care.

Supporters of the technology suggest it allows the elderly more dignity. It is easier for them to shower and dress with a robot than with a human carer. But should it be easier? Should humans feel so uncomfortable in their human skin that robots seem like the best option?

To me, this is dystopian stuff worthy of a HG Wells novel because it deprives us of what makes us who we are, makes us different from artificial intelligence: our love for one another.

In rotation with my three siblings, I care for my parents at weekends. Its not always easy on top of a working week in my own family of five, but caring is deeply rewarding because it adds to my own humanness. What I do is also a lot less than what so many people do.

Last weekend, as I cared for my dad he described how he used to play for hours as a child, acting out elaborate GAA games. The GAA players were represented by bottle tops borrowed from the local pub in Bantry, West Cork. He was the radio commentator for every game. My dad is nearly 77.

The bar staff knew me as well, he said. Id call down in the morning and ask for Fanta tops for one team and Coca-Cola tops for the other. I used a small marble as the ball. My uncle would sit in the chair opposite and listen to the drama unfold.

It always ended the same way, Christy Ring turning things around and saving the day in the end.

We are on a fast track to erasing this humanness. Except of course when it comes to ourselves. Because the attitude to care robots changes when Irish people are asked about their own care.

According to the same survey, only 38% of Irish respondents want to be cared for by robots themselves, strikingly less than the international average of 58%. Isnt that something? Doesnt that say something fascinating about how we cherish our humanness  not enough to mind each other but enough to want to be minded ourselves?

Damning evidence indeed and so poignant  that we will only appreciate the beauty and power of our humanness when we need human kindness ourselves.

Humanness is being erased in other ways, too. We are handing it over to technology, checking out of our human bodies. More and more of us exist and communicate online now, through text and emoji. Online, we are faceless, voiceless and bodiless, not human at all.

Our young people are emigrating to this online world. We let them go, too afraid to stop them, too frozen to even offer them advice or protection as they leave.

Other research released this week shows that from data on 5,000 children, 31% of primary school-aged children can go online whenever they want, and 25% have experienced online bullying in the past year. These numbers rise to 73% and 40% respectively among secondary school children.

We have started to look like machines in the real world too; most of us move inside metal casing, even when movement is essential for humans to thrive.

We drive machines at speed around schools and hospitals. We drive across pedestrian crossings, ignoring those that still dare to resemble their original form  old-fashioned humanoids on foot, on bikes.

The metal is multiplying, and it is getting faster and faster. We fight hard to deny and forget the softness of our bodies on our roads. We reel when we are reminded of it, when we see the impact of metal at speed.

We cancel people with whom we disagree; we other them into non-existence. They are spoken of as pariahs and monsters, beyond redemption. Their humanness is as disposable as days-old food, not worth saving.

Counter-culture

I want us to slow down. I want us to proclaim our humanness every day: explain why we got something wrong; why we cant do seven jobs at once; or cant get somewhere at lightning speed; and consider why someone might be the way they are, or think the way they do.

I want to live less inside my phone and re-inhabit my body. I dont think Im alone. As much as I worry about the results of various surveys, I see people around me slowing down, caring for their bodies and their families, their time, putting their humanness first.

I hope this counter-culture grows and grows until the pace of our world slows down enough for us to remember how we were before, and what we are at our core.

I vow to play my part by announcing my humanness more and more.

I will call out other peoples expectations of me to be anything other than human. I may be limited and imperfect, but I am also empathetic, caring, and in need of love.

I am irreplaceable, as are you.
North Korea has launched a new nuclear attack submarine which has been under development for years, according to local media reports.

Leader Kim Jong Un described the new addition to his fleet as crucial in his plans to be ready to counter the naval might of the United States and its Asian allies at the vessels launching ceremony on Wednesday and an onboard inspection on Thursday.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Hero Kim Kun Ok vessel is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater.

KCNA did not specify the number of missiles the submarine could carry and fire.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a launching ceremony of what is said to be the nations new nuclear attack submarine. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service /AP)

According to KCNA, Mr Kim said: The nuclear attack submarine, for decades a symbol of aggression against our republic, has now become a symbol of our revolutionary power to strike fear into the hearts of our despicable enemies.

He insisted the submarine would be just as daunting to his enemies as the nuclear-propelled submarine North Korea plans to acquire in the future.

Mr Kim said: In submarines, technical aspects such as the power system, submergence speed, and the level of navigational equipment are all very important and would generally define (the vessels) operational capabilities, but nothing is more important than the type of weaponry that could be installed, he said.

North Korea previously had only one known submarine capable of firing a missile.

That submersible has only one launch tube, leading analysts to consider it a test platform, rather than an active operational weapons system.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second left, looks at what is said to be a new nuclear attack submarine Hero Kim Kun Ok (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)

North Korea has one of the largest naval fleets in the world, made up of an estimated 70-90 diesel-powered submarines.

The submersibles are mostly aging ones capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles.

In July, the US docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.
The discovery of drone debris on Romanian territory this week has left some local residents fearing that the war in neighbouring Ukraine could spread into their country, as Russian forces bombard Ukrainian ports just across the Danube River from Nato member Romania.

Moscow aims to disrupt Ukraines ability to export grain to world markets with a sustained campaign of attacks targeting Ukrainian Danube ports, and has attacked the port of Izmail four times this week, Ukrainian officials say.

Across from Izmail, pieces thought to have come from a drone were found near the Romanian village of Plauru, Romanian defence minister Angel Tilvar said on Wednesday.

A man walks on a destroyed market road after yesterdays rocket attack in the city centre of Kostiantynivka, Ukraine (AP)

It is unclear if Romanian authorities had determined where the the drone came from or when it was launched. Mr Tilvar said the debris did not pose a threat, but the development has left citizens in the European Union nation feeling uneasy.

Daniela Tanase, 46, who lives in Plauru with her husband and son, told The Associated Press that the drone strikes on Izmail this week have woken her up, and that villagers are scared of the persistent Russian attacks.

In the first phase (of the war) things were calmer, but now it has come to our territory, she said. But added: For now, we havent thought of leaving the area  we hope it will pass.

Mr Tilvar visited Plauru and nearby areas on Wednesday after confirming the drone findings to a local news channel, and Romanias defence ministry said he told local authorities there would be additional measures to secure the airspace at Romanias borders.

The atmosphere in the village is indeed one of panic ... and the fear is worst at night.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis demanded an urgent investigation.

If the debris were confirmed to have been from a Russian drone it would be an inadmissible violation of Romanias sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mr Iohannis said at the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest this week.

Mircea Franc, the owner of a guesthouse in the area of Chilia Veche near Ukraines Kiliia port in the Danube Delta region, said he has seen fireballs in the sky this week on the other side of the Danube River and that it has left villagers shaken.

He said: Last night  there were drones cruising on the other side of the river and the day before yesterday there were many, they are the first in our area since the war started.

The atmosphere in the village is indeed one of panic  and the fear is worst at night.

Speaking at the EU parliament on Thursday, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the 31-nation alliance has been informed by Romania about the finding of drone pieces and that the episode demonstrates the risks of incidents and accidents.

We dont have any information indicating any intentional attack by Russia and we are awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigation, Mr Stoltenberg said.

For Mr Franc, the guesthouse owner, the close proximity of the war is already having a negative impact on his business since tourists are now very reluctant to come here, he said, adding that some local families have moved away from the area out of fear.

We are worried because nobody can guarantee that (a drone) wont fall on our side of the river, he said.

For the last two nights, three-quarters of the village hasnt been sleeping. Beyond trying to calm us down, the authorities cant do much about it.
Clashes have resumed in Lebanons largest Palestinian refugee camp, with heavy gunfire and shelling wounding several people and prompting residents of the camp and the surrounding area to flee on Friday.

Street battles had broken out over several days in the camp, Ein el-Hilweh, between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement and Islamist groups after Fatah accused the Islamists of gunning down one of their military generals on July 30.

Those street battles left at least 13 dead and dozens wounded, and forced hundreds to flee from their homes.

An uneasy truce had been in place since August 3, but clashes were widely expected to resume as the Islamist groups have not handed over the accused killers of the Fatah general, Mohammad Abu Ashraf al-Armoushi to the Lebanese judiciary as demanded by a committee of Palestinian factions earlier this month.

Smoke rises during clashes between members of the Palestinian Fatah group and Islamist militants in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon (AP)

A committee of Palestinian factions in Ein el-Hilweh announced on Tuesday that their joint security forces would launch raids in search of the suspected killers.

Fatah officials said that the Islamist groups had launched an attack on Thursday night in an attempt to forestall plans by the joint security forces to clear militants out of schools they had been occupying in the camp on Friday.

The state-run National News Agency reported six people were wounded, including an elderly man, and transported to hospitals overnight. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

The public Lebanese University announced it would close its branches in the city of Sidon, which is adjacent to the camp, and postpone scheduled exams in light of the fighting.

Officials with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), could not immediately give information on the number of casualties or displaced.

UNRWA appealed last week for 15.5 million dollars (12.4 million) to repair infrastructure damaged in the last round of clashes in the camp, provide alternate education locations for children whose schools were damaged or occupied by militants, and give cash assistance to people who have been displaced from their homes.
A Russian missile attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyys hometown in central Ukraine has killed one policeman and injured at least 44 others, emergency officials said.

The incident was one of several Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said.

Ten buildings were damaged in the attack on Kryvyi Rih.

One policeman is said to have been killed (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Three of the people who were pulled out of the rubble were in serious condition, according to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraines minister of internal affairs.

Photos posted by Mr Klymenko on Telegram showed a building on fire and emergency services evacuating the injured.

Three people were also killed on Friday after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, Mr Klymenko said.

He added that three people were also injured in a Russian missile attack in the eastern city of Sumy.

Russian forces also struck the Odesa region in the west with drones for the fifth time in a week, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. No casualties were reported.

The southern region of Mykolaiv was also targeted, governor Vitalii Kim said on Telegram.

Ukraines internal affairs ministry said one person was wounded in a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine.

Also on Friday, a funeral was being held for an 18-year-old who was among 16 people killed on Wednesday in a Russian attack on a market in Kostiantynivka in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

The attack, which wounded 33 others, destroyed the market and overshadowed a two-day visit by US secretary of state Antony Blinken aimed at assessing Ukraines three-month-old counter-offensive and signalling continued US support with the announcement of an additional one billion dollars (801 million) in aid.

Voters gather to cast their ballots in a street near their apartment building during local elections in the capital of Russian-controlled Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine (AP)

Meanwhile, the UK has announced it will host a global food security summit in November in response to Russias withdrawal of a Black Sea grain deal and attacks on Ukraines grain supply.

Russia is also holding local elections in the part of the Kherson region it controls. Local elections are also being held in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In Kherson, local residents and Ukrainian activists say election poll workers have made house calls accompanied by armed soldiers.

Ukraine has dismissed the elections, calling on its allies to condemn Russias actions and urging them not to recognise any administration created as a result of the votes.
Myanmars power sector has been in a downward spiral since the February 2021 coup and the prolonged electricity blackouts that have been a hallmark of military rule will likely worsen, according to a recent World Bank report and a former advisor to the Myanmar Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

Major cities, including Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyitaw, are facing power outages while industrial zones across the country are bracing for crippling power cuts and surging fuel prices, according to the recent World Bank report In The Dark: Power Sector Challenges in Myanmar.

While electricity generation has been declining and widening the gap between supply and demand, damaged power infrastructure has also undermined the entire power transmission system. Increasing the power supplydemand gap is the major challenge to securing reliable electricity services in the country, said the World Bank.

Myanmar faced power shortages in 2019, of up to about 300 megawatts (MW), but the gap has widened since the coup. Even to sustain the current level of power supply, Myanmar would require adding between 300 to 400 MW every year until 2030, the World Bank report estimates.

Guillaume de Langre, a former adviser to the Myanmar Ministry of Electricity and Energy, noted on a recent Insight Myanmar podcast that as much as 50% of the countrys power grid is fuelled by domestically produced gas, which is expected to run out by 2030.

Let me be clear, he said, stressing:

That means that the fuel that is used to produce 50% of the electricity in Myanmar is going to be extinct. Its not being replaced. So, the question we have to ask ourselves today is, how does Myanmar go about functioning as an economy, when half of its power supply disappears?

The power shortage is already affecting people in all walks of life. Power outages in Yangon have caused long queues at the compressed natural gas filling stations. This has a direct impact on buses operated by the Yangon Bus Services and taxis, resulting in a shortage of public transport services for commuters.

On the other hand, healthcare workers cannot keep essential medication and test samples refrigerated. Most industry, factory, and commercial buildings use their own diesel generators for operations during power outages. These outages negatively impact the competitiveness of the low-margin garment industry that dominates the countrys manufactured goods exports.

The World Bank expects that the power sector will continue to be hit by financial losses. Several factors affect sector financial sustainability, including currency depreciation, increasing grid maintenance costs, and a decline in revenue.

The prospects of achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 have dimmed, the World Bank report said.

It noted that between November 2020 and December 2021, the electrification rate at the household level increased from 57 percent to 61 percent, an only 3 percentage point annual rise, compared to the average 6 percent per year between 2017-2020.

The military takeover also triggered a country-wide boycott of electricity bill payments and the unpaid portion of electricity revenue increased over time, reaching up to 45 percent in November 2021.

Over a two-year period, the generation capacity available for dispatch has been reduced by more than 2.5 gigawatts (GW), due to various factors, including the suspended operation of two large LNG-fired plants in Yangon, low rainfall and water levels in hydropower reservoirs, and a supply shortage of domestic natural gas.

More than 2 GW of planned natural gas-based power plants involving foreign direct investment are on hold.

Langre said potential power investors do not trust the junta and many withdrew from power generation projects after the coup. Trust evaporated after the coup, he said.

The World Bank report said the junta is trying to rely more on hydropower. To maximize the total daily power supply, electricity generation was ramped up from hydropower plants since mid-2021 to compensate for lower electricity generation from gas-fired power plants, it said.

The regime used more hydroelectric reservoirs during the rainy season and consequently there was a sharp drop-off in the amount of water available for electricity production and irrigation in January 2022. In mid-2022, four hydropower units had to be temporarily disabled for maintenance operations, including the countrys second-biggest dam, Shweli-1, and this further reduced available capacity.

This resulted in an acute electricity shortage from January to May 2023, the World Bank report noted.

Based on junta figures, the World Bank said that the power grid had been attacked 229 times between 2021 February and 2023 April.

About 77 percent of existing power plants are within 10 kilometres of conflict-related fatalities. While the numbers of conflict-related events on electricity infrastructure have been declining since their peak in late 2021 and early 2022, the grid remains vulnerable.

In a bid to attract foreign funds for the countrys electricity sector, the junta waived tax on investment in the sector in February this year. Its Myanmar Investment Commission announced it would waive tax on the production and distribution of renewable energy, including solar.

The regime said it has made electricity a national priority for investment and will exempt or reduce tax on imported materials, machines, equipment, spare parts, and construction materials that are not available in Myanmar.

Langre was sceptical, explaining: Based on the history of the development of electricity and energy [in Myanmar], we can mostly deduce that the military sees energy as a source of rent, and as a source of foreign currency to fund itself to buy weapons and to fund its cronies, but has little interest in developing energy  to improve the life of most people. That is not part of the agenda.
Myanmar junta troops tortured and killed four resistance fighters after attacking their camp in Monywa Township, Sagaing Region at around 6 am on Wednesday.

Nearly 70 soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 703 raided the camp, located close to Kyae Mone village, where resistance fighters were making weapons.

The troops detained the resistance fighters and then brutally executed them, according to the Monywa District Battalion 11, Peoples Defense Force-South Monywa.

The resistance group said one victim was a member of PDF-South Monywa while the three others were from Monywa King PDF.

Resistance members arrived at the camp after the attack to find three of their comrades still alive, but one later died while being treated for his wounds, said a spokesperson for PDF-South Monywa.

Our comrades, young people in their 20s, were severely tortured before being killed. They were shot and stabbed with a knife, the spokesperson, who goes by the name Oxygen, told The Irrawaddy.

Seven resistance fighters were in the camp at the time of the raid, but one managed to escape. Junta troops torched the camp and weapons were lost, he added.

If we arrest [junta] soldiers alive, we feed them and even ensure they have safety. We are prohibited from killing them. On their side, they are commanded to kill all PDF members that they capture. The enemy is acting like assassins, the spokesperson said.

Pro-regime Telegram channels claimed that six PDF members had been killed and weapons seized during the clash near Kyae Mone village.

Junta forces have raided numerous PDF camps in Sagaing Region this year, resulting in heavy losses of both resistance lives and armaments, according to resistance groups. Regime forces raided at least six PDF camps in June alone, killing at least 21 resistance fighters and seven civilians.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the international community to step up its pressure on the Myanmar regime to release jailed 70 journalists, after the junta imposed a record sentence against a detained photojournalist.

Since the militarys Feb. 1, 2021 coup, Myanmar has become the worlds second-worst jailer of journalists, after China.

On Wednesday, a junta-controlled court in Yangon handed down a sentence of 20 years imprisonment with hard labor against Sai Zaw Thaike, a photojournalist for independent news outlet Myanmar Now, the longest sentence given to a journalist in Myanmar since the coup.

Sai Zaw Thaike was arrested on May 23 in Rakhine States Sittwe while covering the aftermath of Cyclone Mochas landfall in the city. The cyclone killed over 140 people. He used to work for The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Now said the photojournalist was sentenced on four charges including violations of sedition, disaster management and incitement laws. The news agency said he was subjected to interrogation for about a week in Sittwe and Yangon and denied a fair trial as he was not represented by a lawyer. The 40-year-old also has not been allowed family visits at any time since his arrest.

Despite the climate of fear that the junta has imposed on journalists, Sai Zaw Thaike has continued his reporting, serving the public interest, and he should be treated as a hero rather than persecuted by the authorities, Cedric Alviani, RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau director, said in a statement.

We call on the international community to step up its pressure on the Myanmar regime for the release of Sai Zaw Thaike as well as all the other 69 journalists and press freedom defenders detained in the country.

Myanmar ranks a lowly 173 out of 180 countries on the RSF press freedom index.

Since the coup, the junta has targeted journalists with arrests, lawsuits, raids on newsrooms and violence in an effort to silence independent coverage of its daily atrocities.

The Irrawaddys former publisher U Thaung Win was sentenced to five years in prison for sedition in June this year. Zaw Zaw, a former photojournalist who once worked for The Irrawaddy, was sentenced to three years in prison for incitement in August 2022.

According to the activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)s data, over 180 journalists and media workers have been arrested since the coup and around 70 remain in detention. In some cases, relatives of journalists have been held as hostages to force the journalists to turn themselves in.

Myanmars junta must stop imprisoning members of the press for merely doing their jobs as reporters, Shawn Crispin, the Committee to Protect Journalists senior Southeast Asia representative, said on Wednesday.
Resistance forces have reported at least six clashes with Myanmar junta troops in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region, after large regime advances into the area this month.

The most recent battle broke out near Pa Win Tat village in eastern Wetlet Township on Thursday, a resistance member reported.

Two junta troops were killed during the clash, a Peoples Servant Revolution representative said.

The Irrawaddy was unable to verify the casualty figures.

Sources said junta troops suffered a setback trying to restore damaged sections of the train line in southern Wetlet Township.

At least five sections of the Mandalay-Myitkyina train track between Pauk Kan and Thar Laing villages were destroyed by resistance forces to prevent the junta from transporting weapons and ammunition.

We used a backhoe to destroy the track. It will take more than 10 or 15 days to repair, a resistance member said.

Another member said junta troops advancing near the railway triggered resistance mines.

We dont have enough weapons and ammunition to attack junta troops at Pauk Kan, he said.

Junta troops are also stationed at Shein Ma Kar and Han Lin villages around 10km from the track.

At least four groups of junta infantry are active in Wetlet. They wont leave until the train track is repaired, a member said.

Resistance forces said they ambushed junta troops with landmines near Sa Kan Thar village on September 4, injuring at least four troops.

Around 80 junta troops from Htan Gyi village arrived at Pauk Kan railway station to repair the track on September 1.

At least 10,000 civilians were reportedly displaced in eastern and southern Wetlet by junta raids.

We need food, shelter and medicine for the displaced people, a volunteer said.

He said a Myin Thar villager died from a snake bite on Wednesday as the area lacks medical provisions.

Sources said five Kyun U Taw villagers and three Htan Gyi villagers were killed by junta troops in late August.
BANGKOKSeveral Southeast Asian air force commanders will shun an upcoming meeting chaired by Myanmars military rulers, officials told AFP, deepening the juntas regional isolation as it struggles to crush resistance.

The annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Air Chiefs Conference gathers top air force leaders from the 10-nation bloc to discuss cooperation in defense, combating extremism and disaster relief.

Current chair Myanmar is set to host the meeting next week but at least three ASEAN countries told AFP they will not send their top officials.

The junta has been accused of war crimes over air strikes carried out by its jetsmostly Chinese and Russian-builtin support of ground troops battling opponents of its 2021 coup.

Its air force chief Htun Aung, who will chair the conference, has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain.

The air force chiefs of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will not attend the meeting, officials told AFP.

Malaysias air force chief will not attend, a spokesperson said, while the Philippine commander will send a video message to his counterpart rather than go in person.

Indonesias air force chief will not be attending and wont be sending anyone to represent him either, air force spokesperson Agung Sasongkojati told AFP without giving a reason.

At a summit this week, ASEAN accused the junta of targeting civilians in the grinding conflict sparked by its coup, and of ignoring a peace plan agreed with the bloc to end violence.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said there had been no significant progress in the five-point plan agreed with the junta more than two years ago.

The junta slammed that assessment as one-sided.

ASEAN has barred junta officials from high-level meetings over their refusal to engage with the plan and their opponents.

Cambodian air force commander Soeng Samnang declined to comment on whether he would attend, and the Defense Ministry could not be reached for comment.

The air forces of Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam did not respond to requests for comment.

But Thailands air force chief will make the trip to neighboring Myanmar, a Defense Ministry official told AFP.

While ASEAN has halted high-level meetings with Myanmars generals, Thailand has held its own bilateral talks with the junta and deposed democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in recent months, further dividing the bloc.

Activist group Justice for Myanmar said in a statement that ASEAN holding the air force meeting would undermine its own commitments to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.

War crime claims

Amnesty International said last year the junta was likely using air strikes as collective punishment against civilians supporting anti-coup fighters, and in March the United Nations said the military had carried out more than 300 air strikes in the past year.

Also in March, the junta held a parade to mark Armed Forces Day, with flyovers by Russian-made Yak and Sukoi Su-30 jets.

The military bombed a gathering in northern Sagaing region in April that media and locals said killed about 170 people, sparking renewed global condemnation of the isolated junta.

Human Rights Watch said it had evidence the military had used a thermobaric vacuum bomb in the attack, saying it likely amounted to a war crime.

Air strikes on a concert held by a major ethnic rebel group in northern Kachin state killed around 50 people last October.

The junta has said reports civilians were among the dead were rumors.

AFP has contacted a Myanmar junta spokesman for comment.
Friends and fans are mourning prominent artist Sitt Nyein Aye, who passed away in the US state of Colorado on Sept. 1. The 68-year-old was well known in both art and revolutionary circles.

Sitt Nyein Aye was a student of Khin Maung (Bank), a pioneer in the modernist art movement in Myanmar. The alumnus of Mandalay Fine Arts School had a long and prolific career as a modernist painter and illustrator in the city.

During the 8888 pro-democracy movement, Sitt Nyein Aye took an active part in the anti-dictatorship movement in Mandalay, publishing the anti-junta journal Red Galone. He later left for India where he continued to fight dictatorship by creating paintings in support of democracy and human rights.

Sitt Nyein Aye lived at the New Delhi residence of then Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes, whom Myanmar students affectionately called Uncle George as he was openly supportive of pro-democracy forces in their country. From Fernandes residence, Sitt Nyein Aye donated his paintings to revolutionary organizations.

Sitt Nyein Aye was affectionately known as Ko Sitt among revolutionaries. His paintings on the theme of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising were popular, as were his portraits of such figures as Win Maw Ooa 17-year-old student who was gunned down during a 1988 pro-democracy protestMyanmar democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Indian independence hero Gandhi.

Artist and former political prisoner Htein Lin wrote on his Facebook that Fernandes told him during a visit to New Delhi that Your master [Sitt Nyein Aye] is a gifted person. Both Htein Lin and his wife, former UK ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman, were arrested and given one-year prison sentences last year before being released some two months later under an amnesty.

To help fund the ongoing Spring Revolution, a collector auctioned off a portrait of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi painted by Sitt Nyein Aye in New Delhi in 1993, and donated the proceeds to revolutionary forces. Sitt Nyein Aye also organized installations in the US to raise funds for the Spring Revolution.

While in exile, Sitt Nyein Aye lamented that he would never be able to return to his mothers home in Myanmar. The revolutionary artist has now left all behind.
At least 50 Myanmar junta forces were killed in the last four days as Peoples Defense Force groups (PDFs) and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) continued to attack regime targets across the country.

Incidents were reported in Sagaing, Magwe, Mandalay and Tanintharyi regions and Chin, Shan, Mon and Karen states.

The Irrawaddy has rounded up the following reports of significant attacks from PDFs and the EAOs.

Some military casualty figures could not be independently verified.

Fierce clashes break out in Sagaing

Five regime forces were killed and six others injured in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region on Wednesday when the Union Liberation Front (ULF), which comprises 18 resistance groups, clashed with a military unit of 100 troops near Kyauk Kone Village, the resistance group said.

After sustaining losses, the headquarters of the North West Military command based in nearby Monywa town used howitzers to fire four long-range shells at the clash site to help their ground troops.

Six resistance fighters suffered injuries in the clash. The resistance groups also seized three military weapons along with ammunition.

For weeks, the military unit has been stealing logs belonging to civilians from log yards in the area, the PDF group said.

Police station attacked in Mandalay

The Defense Ministry of the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) said three of its Peoples Defense Force groups (PDFs) used rocket-propelled grenades to attack the police station in Shwe Pyi Village in Sintgu Township, Mandalay Region on Tuesday.

A shootout continued for some minutes at the police station, killing three police officers including the police chief of the station, said the ministry.

The ministry also claimed 15 junta soldiers were killed in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region on Monday as three local resistance groups jointly used land mines to ambush a military unit of 60 troops raiding a village.

Military unit repeatedly bombed in Magwe

Myaing UAV Fighter, the drone unit of Myaing PDF, said it and six other resistance groups used drones to drop bombs on a military unit and military logistics vehicles taking a rest in a village in Myaing Township, Magwe Region on Thursday morning.

On that evening, the groups dropped five drone bombs on the junta unit and logistics vehicles. Many regime forces are believed to have been killed or injured.

The junta unit and military logistics vehicles transporting rations and ammunition to the junta base in the pro-regime village of Kanni have faced a series of land mine ambushes and drone strikes since Tuesday.

Clash erupts in Magwes Saw town

Saw PDF, which forms Gangaw District PDF Battalion 3, said it clashed with regime forces in Saw town, Magwe Region on Tuesday night. A resident suffered injuries in the junta shelling.

The resistance group urged residents to stay away from unexploded ammunition and to stay in bomb shelters when they hear fighting.

Military checkpoint raided again in Tanintharyi

Oak Awe Column Dawei said it and other local resistance groups attacked a Phayar Mae military checkpoint near Maung Mae Shaung Village in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region on Thursday, killing two regime forces and injuring three others.

There were no resistance casualties. The military checkpoint has come under frequent attack by resistance groups.

Regime forces killed in mine ambushes in Tanintharyi

The Peoples Defense Organization (Tanintharyi Division) said it and other resistance groups triggered land mines to ambush a military vehicle from military Artillery Battalion 306 traveling on the Pyidaungsu road in Tanintharyi Township, Tanintharyi Region on Wednesday.

In the attack, a soldier was killed and three others injured, while their vehicle was destroyed.

The joint resistance groups continued to trigger land mines to ambush a military reinforcement unit heading to the area, killing seven more soldiers.

Junta soldiers killed in drone strikes in Karen

At least four junta troops were killed in Kawkareik Township, Karen State on Tuesday when three resistance groups including the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), conducted drone strikes on a military unit between two villages, said the resistance drone group Saw Dragon Drone Force (SDDF), which joined the attack.

After being bombed, the regime forces responded randomly by firing heavy explosives.

Junta base attacked in Mon

At least 10 regime forces including a junta officer were killed and 15 others injured in Thaton Township, Mon Sate when PDFs and KNLA troops attacked the military base in Pein Nae Taw Village through shelling and drone strikes from Aug. 28 to Sept., 6, said Tabin Shwe Htee Column, which joined the attacks.

The combined group also ambushed junta forces transporting the injured soldiers from the base to another location.

Regime forces killed in resistance raid in Chin

Chinland Defense Force (Matupi) claimed to have killed three junta soldiers when they attacked the entrance gate of military Infantry Battalion 304 on the Matupi-Paletwa road in Matupi Township, Chin State on Monday.

Clashes continue in northern Shan State

Clashes between junta forces and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) continued in Muse and Kutkai townships, northern Shan State, on Wednesday, said the TNLA.

Casualties on both sides were unknown. Some 34 clashes have occurred in the area since July 23, the TNLA said.
The Karen National Union (KNU) claims its forces have seized a Myanmar junta base in Papun Township, Karen State, on Wednesday morning.

Brigade 5 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), an armed wing of the KNU, attacked the Sa Law Kyo base at Khay Pu village tract, where 50 regime forces were stationed, the KNU said. Troops reportedly abandoned the base during the attack.

The outpost dates back to 2007 and was notorious for randomly shelling nearby villages.

The KNU reported junta casualties and said weapons and ammunition were seized at the base.

A KNU video shows KNLA troops with seized ammunition at the Sa Law Kyo base.

On Thursday two junta fighter jets bombed surrounding villages, said the KNUs Mutraw office. No details on damage and casualties were reported.

Papun Peoples Defense Force (PDF) said it and other resistance groups used drones to attack a junta-run general administrative department in Kamarmaung town, Papun Township, while regime officials were meeting in the building.

Soe Min, a junta-appointed ward administrator, was killed and others injured in the drone strike, said PDF.

The group said the drone strike was a warning to civil servants working for the regime who had failed to comply with repeated KNU instructions to quit their jobs.

On Sunday, resistance groups conducted drone strikes on the Myawaddy District General Administrative Department in Karen State, reportedly killing five regime officials, including the district administrator and a battalion commander.

Eleven police officers, including a superintendent, were purportedly injured.

Since the February 2021 coup, the KNU has trained and armed thousands of activists, many of whom have joined PDFs under the command of the civilian National Unity Government.

The KNU and its resistance allies are carrying out increasingly ambitious attacks on regime targets in Karen and Mon states and Bago and Tanintharyi regions.
Friday, Sep 8th, 2023 (8:13 am) - Score 2,040

Mobile operator EE (BT) has just announced that their ongoing deployment of a 4G and 5G (mobile broadband) network on the London Underground  in partnership with Boldyn Networks and Nokia  has now reached the first West End stations, starting with Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. But more will follow.

Boldyn Networks (formerly BAI) currently holds a 20-year concession deal with Transport for London (TfL), which was signed in June 2021 (here) and allows them to build the new 4G infrastructure and to then make it available via wholesale for Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to harness, but they wont all go live at the same pace. The goal of this is to cover the entire London Underground by late 2024 (ticket halls, platforms and tunnels).

So far, all of the aforementioned mobile operators have already deployed across the eastern half of the Jubilee Line and, at the end of last year, they added six more stations including Holland Park, Notting Hill Gate, Queensway, Archway, Tufnell Park, Kentish Town and more. More lines have also been added. Plus, both EE and O2 have enabled 5G on their respective networks.

The latest phase of expansion is now starting to deliver, with EE putting the first stations live in the heart of Londons West End area  Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. Coverage will thus be available within the ticket halls, on the Central Line platforms and within the tunnel between the two stations.

In addition to the stations being announced today, EE will soon be delivering seamless 4G and 5G at other London Underground stations  with a number, such as Euston, Goodge Street, Chancery Lane and Bank, expected to go live for the Northern and Central lines throughout the coming weeks. EE customers can now connect at a total of 18 London Underground stations, across three different Tube lines.

Greg McCall, BTs Chief Networks Officer, said: Bringing EEs 4G and 5G to Underground stations in Londons West End is a significant milestone as we continue to connect previously unreachable parts of the citys transport system. We were one of the first operators to enable high-speed 4G access on the Tube, and were delighted to remain at the forefront of this roll-out by connecting two of its busiest stations in the heart of the city. This continued investment in the Capital demonstrates our commitment to delivering 5G connectivity anywhere in the UK by 2028.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: I am delighted to see the promise I made of delivering 4G and 5G across the London Underground continuing to progress, with West End hubs Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road joining an ever-growing network of line and stations with full connectivity. This means Londoners and visitors can now access the latest travel information or social media, check their emails, make calls, and stream videos whilst on the move underground. Growing numbers of underground Tube stations now have 4G and 5G services, with many more to come as we continue to build a better London for everyone.

Customers using the Victoria and Bakerloo lines at Oxford Circus are expected to be able to benefit from 4G and 5G mobile coverage in the coming months. But we should point out that EE are only the first to announce this coverage expansion, with O2, Vodafone and Three UK being likely to follow with almost identical announcements over the coming days or weeks.

List of latest Underground stations with existing mobile coverage with all four mobile operators:
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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.
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I just saw a clip on Aljazeera Arabic of the martyrdom tape of Humam al-Balawi, the Jordanian-Palestinian double agent who carried out a suicide bombing in Khost, Afghanistan, last week, killing 7 Americans working for the Central Intelligence Agency along with his handler, a Jordanian intelligence operative. He said his action was a message to the enemies of the Muslim community in the Jordanian and US intelligence agencies. The tape began with him outside firing a weapon, then he was seated against a black backdrop in Afghan clothing. He said he would prove that religion could not be bought and sold (was the CIA offering him millions as a reward?) He said that his suicide operation would be revenge for the killing by CIA drone of Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan (Urdu acronym: TTP). He noted that Mahsud had said that Usama Bin Laden was not in South Waziristan, but that if he came there, he would be protected. Al-Balawi asserted that Baitullah Mahsud was killed for these words, which were right words. He spoke of the latters son and successor, Hakimullah Mahsud, as his amir or leader, and wished him every success in his holy struggle. The Arabic print press is now picking up the story.

Although Pakistani troops fighting in South Waziristan had found Arab passports and other effects suggesting a small presence of Arab fighters with the TTP, al-Balawi had clearly joined the movement and given it his allegiance. It seems to me an alarming development, as the Aljazeera anchor also noted, that Arab jihadi volunteers might now be enlisting under the banner of the Pakistani Taliban rather than, as in the past, al-Qaeda or one of the Afghan insurgent groups. The Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan is only about 7 years old, there never having been Pakistani Taliban until the early 21st centuryit was a phenomenon of the Soviet ethnic cleansing of Afghans, which forced 3 million into refugee camps in Pakistan, where many became radicalized. (And were encouraged in that direction by the Reagan administration).

Many intelligence specialists had insisted that the Khost bombing was the work of the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan. But I read al-Balawis emotionalism about the Mahsuds as a clear indication that he was working for them rather than for the Haqqanis. He must have repeated seven or eight times that Baitullah Mahsud would be avenged. The militant founder of the TTTP was killed by a US drone strike in South Waziristan in August.

The Obama administration convinced the Pakistani military to launch an attack on the Taliban Movement of Pakistan in South Waziristan this fall, so that Hakimullah Mahsud is on the run.

The day before, Mustafa al-Yazid, the reputed head of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan (which doesnt really exist; there are only 100 al-Qaeda fighters in that country) said that the Khost operation was in revenge for US drone strikes on militants in the Federally Administered Tribal areas of Pakistan.

Two US drone strikes, on Wednesday and Friday, have killed an estimated 16 militants in North Waziristan.

Al-Balawis sad biography in fact ties together the whole history of Western, including Israeli, attacks on the Middle East. Al-Balawis family is Palestinians displaced from Beersheba by Zionist immigrants into British Mandate Palestine, who in 1948 ethnically cleansed about 700,000 Palestinians from what became Israel. Most Palestinians in Jordan are bitter about the loss of their homes, for which they never received compensation, and some still live in refugee camps. The British Empire and the United States supported this displacement of the Palestinians and to this day the US government often attempts to criminalize even charitable aid to the suffering Palestinian people.

AP has a video interview with al-Balawis Turkish wife, in which she traces his radicalization to the brutal US occupation of neighboring Iraq, including reports of the rape of Iraqi women by US troops at Abu Ghraib (where much of the torture had sexual overtones) and the US destruction of the city of Fallujah in November-December 2004.

The Arabic press is confirming that al-Balawi was further enraged by the Israeli war on poor little Gaza last winter. A physician, he volunteered to be part of a group that intended to go to Gaza to do relief work for the victims of Israels brutal targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. (The Israelis were trying to destroy the fundamentalist Hamas party, which rules Gaza, and gave as their pretext the occasional rockets Hamas fired into Israel, though in fact there had been a truce for much of 2008, a truce of which the Israelis coldly took advantage to plan their war.)

The Jordanian secret police arrested al-Balawi to prevent him from going to Gaza. It may be that he had to agree to work for it as a quid pro quo to regain his freedom.

After the vicious war on Gaza was over, and the schools and hospitals lay in ruin, Israel ratcheted up a siege of the small territory of 1.6 million persons, half of them children, denying them enough services, fuel and even food for a decent life. In some parts of Gaza, 10 percent of the children are stunted because of malnutrition. Israel destroyed Gazas airport and harbor and strictly controls what goes into the territory. Israel never says what its end game is here, and how long exactly they are going to keep the children of Gaza in what one Vatican official has called a concentration camp.

In the past couple of weeks (though you would not know it from American television), two separate civilian Western aid convoys were mounted to relieve the Gazans via Gazas small southwestern border with Egypt (the Israelis would never have allowed them to do this, and the Egyptian state wasnt happy either). One was supported with a hunger strike by an elderly Holocaust survivor. Some of those in the second were assaulted by the Egyptian police. British MP George Galloway was deported and forbidden to return to Egypt. Egypt is dragooned into supporting the illegal blockade of Gaza by the US on behalf of Israel, and is also afraid of the fundamentalist Hamas, which has resorted to terrorism.

Collective punishment of a whole population, especially one still technically occupied, is illegal in international law.

What is fascinating is the way al-Balawis grievances tie together the Iraq War, the ongoing Gaza atrocity, and the Western military presence in the Pushtun regions the geography of the Bush war on terror was inscribed on his tortured mind.

Morally speaking, al-Qaeda is twisted and evil, and has committed mass murder. Neither the US nor Israel is morally responsible for violent crackpots being violent crackpots. Al-Qaeda or a Taliban affiliate turned al-Balawi to the dark side. Gandhi and Martin Luther King taught us the proper response to social injustice (and it should not be forgotten that Gandhi had a significant following among the Pashtuns). But from a social science, explanatory point of view, what we have to remember is that there can be a handful of al-Balawis, or there can be thousands or hundreds of thousands. It depends on how many Abu Ghraibs, Fallujahs, Lebanons and Gazas the United States initiates or supports to the hilt. Unjust wars and occupations radicalize people. The American Right wing secretly knows this, but likes the vicious circle it produces. Wars make profits for the military-industrial complex, and the resulting terrorism terrifies the clueless US public and helps hawks win elections, allowing them to pursue further wars. And so it goes, until the Republic is bankrupted and in ruins and its unemployed have to live in tent cities.

So, yes, this al-Balawi person was going to help Jordan and the US find al-Qaeda leaders Usama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Sure he was. Walmart does better background checks on its store clerks than the CIA and Jordanian intelligence did on this guy.

End/ (Not Continued)
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Americas Response to 9/11 in the Lens of History

By Norman Solomon | 

[Todays piece is adapted from the introduction to Norman Solomons book War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine (The New Press, 2023).]

( Tomdispatch.com)  The day after the U.S. government began routinely bombing faraway places, the lead editorial in the New York Times expressed some gratification. Nearly four weeks had passed since 9/11, the newspaper noted, and America had finally stepped up its counterattack against terrorism by launching airstrikes on al-Qaeda training camps and Taliban military targets in Afghanistan. It was a moment we have expected ever since September 11, the editorial said. The American people, despite their grief and anger, have been patient as they waited for action. Now that it has begun, they will support whatever efforts it takes to carry out this mission properly.

As the United States continued to drop bombs in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfelds daily briefings catapulted him into a stratosphere of national adulation. As the Washington Posts media reporter put it: Everyone is genuflecting before the Pentagon powerhouse Americas new rock star. That winter, the host of NBCs Meet the Press, Tim Russert, told Rumsfeld: Sixty-nine years old and youre Americas stud.

The televised briefings that brought such adoration included claims of deep-seated decency in what was by then already known as the Global War on Terror. The targeting capabilities, and the care that goes into targeting, to see that the precise targets are struck, and that other targets are not struck, is as impressive as anything anyone could see, Rumsfeld asserted. And he added, The weapons that are being used today have a degree of precision that no one ever dreamt of.

Whatever their degree of precision, American weapons were, in fact, killing a lot of Afghan civilians. The Project on Defense Alternatives concluded that American air strikes had killed more than 1,000 civilians during the last three months of 2001. By mid-spring 2002, the Guardian reported, as many as 20,000 Afghans may have lost their lives as an indirect consequence of the U.S. intervention.

Eight weeks after the intensive bombing had begun, however, Rumsfeld dismissed any concerns about casualties: We did not start this war. So understand, responsibility for every single casualty in this war, whether theyre innocent Afghans or innocent Americans, rests at the feet of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In the aftermath of 9/11, the process was fueling a kind of perpetual emotion machine without an off switch.

Under the war on terror rubric, open-ended warfare was well underway  as if terror were a state and not a technique, as Joan Didion wrote in 2003 (two months before the U.S. invasion of Iraq). We had seen, most importantly, the insistent use of September 11 to justify the reconception of Americas correct role in the world as one of initiating and waging virtually perpetual war.

In a single sentence, Didion had captured the essence of a quickly calcified set of assumptions that few mainstream journalists were willing to question. Those assumptions were catnip for the lions of the military-industrial-intelligence complex. After all, the budgets at national security agencies (both long-standing and newly created) had begun to soar with similar vast outlays going to military contractors. Worse yet, there was no end in sight as mission creep accelerated into a dash for cash.

For the White House, the Pentagon, and Congress, the war on terror offered a political license to kill and displace people on a large scale in at least eight countries. The resulting carnage often included civilians. The dead and maimed had no names or faces that reached those who signed the orders and appropriated the funds. And as the years went by, the point seemed to be not winning that multicontinental war but continuing to wage it, a means with no plausible end. Stopping, in fact, became essentially unthinkable. No wonder Americans couldnt be heard wondering aloud when the war on terror would end. It wasnt supposed to.

I Mourn the Death of My Uncle

The first days after 9/11 foreshadowed what was to come. Media outlets kept amplifying rationales for an aggressive military response, while the traumatic events of September 11th were assumed to be just cause. When the voices of shock and anguish from those who had lost loved ones endorsed going to war, the message could be moving and motivating.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush  with only a single congressional negative vote  fervently drove that war train, using religious symbolism to grease its wheels. On September 14th, declaring that we come before God to pray for the missing and the dead, and for those who love them, Bush delivered a speech at the Washington National Cathedral, claiming that our responsibility to history is already clear: to answer these attacks and rid the world of evil. War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing.

President Bush cited a story exemplifying our national character: Inside the World Trade Center, one man who could have saved himself stayed until the end at the side of his quadriplegic friend.

That man was Abe Zelmanowitz. Later that month, his nephew, Matthew Lasar, responded to the presidents tribute in a prophetic way:

I mourn the death of my uncle, and I want his murderers brought to justice. But I am not making this statement to demand bloody vengeance Afghanistan has more than a million homeless refugees. A U.S. military intervention could result in the starvation of tens of thousands of people. What I see coming are actions and policies that will cost many more innocent lives, and breed more terrorism, not less. I do not feel that my uncles compassionate, heroic sacrifice will be honored by what the U.S. appears poised to do.

The presidents announced grandiose objectives were overwhelmingly backed by the media, elected officials, and the bulk of the public. Typical was this pledge Bush made to a joint session of Congress six days after his sermon at the National Cathedral: Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.

Yet by late September, as the Pentagons assault plans became public knowledge, a few bereaved Americans began speaking out in opposition. Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez, whose son Greg had died in the World Trade Center, offered this public appeal:

We read enough of the news to sense that our government is heading in the direction of violent revenge, with the prospect of sons, daughters, parents, friends in distant lands dying, suffering, and nursing further grievances against us. It is not the way to go. It will not avenge our sons death. Not in our sons name. Our son died a victim of an inhuman ideology. Our actions should not serve the same purpose.

Judy Keane, who lost her husband Richard at the World Trade Center, similarly told an interviewer: Bombing Afghanistan is just going to create more widows, more homeless, fatherless children.

And Iraq Came Next

While indescribable pain, rage, and fear set the U.S. cauldron to boil, national leaders promised that their alchemy would bring unalloyed security via a global war effort. It would become unceasing, one in which the deaths and bereavement of equally innocent people, thanks to U.S. military actions, would be utterly devalued.

In tandem with Washingtons top political leaders, the fourth estate was integral to sustaining the grief-fueled adrenaline rush that made launching a global war against terrorism seem like the only decent option, with Afghanistan initially in the countrys gunsights and news outlets filled with calls for retribution. Bush administration officials, however, didnt encourage any focus whatsoever on U.S. petro-ally Saudi Arabia, the country from which 15 of the 19 September 11th hijackers came. (None were Afghans.)

By the time the United States began its invasion of Afghanistan, 26 days after 9/11, the assault could easily appear to be a fitting response to popular demand. Hours after the Pentagons missiles began to explode in that country, a Gallup poll found that 90 percent of Americans approve of the United States taking such military action, while just 5 percent are opposed, and another 5 percent are unsure.

Such lopsided approval was a testament to how thoroughly the messaging for a war on terror had taken hold. It would have then been little short of heretical to predict that such retribution would cause many more innocent people to die than in the 9/11 mass murder. During the years to come, the foreseeable deaths of Afghan civilians would be downplayed, discounted, or simply ignored as incidental collateral damage (a term that Time magazine defined as meaning dead or wounded civilians who should have picked a safer neighborhood).

What had occurred on September 11th remained front and center. What began happening to Afghans that October 7th would be relegated to, at most, peripheral vision. Amid the righteous grief that had swallowed up the United States, few words would have been less welcome or more relevant than these from a poem by W.H. Auden: Those to whom evil is done / Do evil in return.

Even then, Saddam Husseins Iraq was already in the Pentagons crosshairs. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee in September 2002, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld didnt miss a beat when Senator Mark Dayton questioned the need to attack Iraq, asking, What is compelling us to now make a precipitous decision and take precipitous actions?

Rumsfeld replied: Whats different? Whats different is 3,000 people were killed.

In other words, the humanity of those who died on 9/11 would loom so large that the fate of Iraqis would be rendered invisible.

In reality, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Official claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction would similarly prove to be fabrications, part of a post-9/11 pattern of falsehoods used to justify aggression that made those who actually lived in Iraq distinctly beside the point. As I shuttled between San Francisco and Baghdad three times in the four months that preceded the March 2003 invasion, I felt I was traveling between two far-flung planets, one increasingly abuzz with debates about a coming war and the other just hoping to survive.

When the Bush administration and the American military machine finally launched that war, it would cause the deaths of perhaps 200,000 Iraqi civilians, while several times as many more have been killed as a reverberating effect of that conflict, according to the meticulous estimates of the Costs of War Project at Brown University. Unlike those killed on 9/11, the Iraqi dead were routinely off the American media radar screen, as were the psychological traumas suffered by Iraqis and the decimation of their countrys infrastructure. For U.S. soldiers and civilians on contractor payrolls, that wars death toll would climb to 8,250, while back home, media attention to the ordeals of combat veterans and their families would turn out to be fleeting at best.

Still, for the industrial part of the military-industrial-congressional complex, the Iraq War would prove all too successful. That long conflagration gave huge boosts to profits for Pentagon contractors while, propelled by the normalization of endless war, Defense Department budgets kept spiking upward. And Iraqs vast oil reserves, nationalized and off-limits to Western companies before the invasion, would end up in mega-corporate hands like those of Shell, BP, Chevron, and ExxonMobil. Several years after the invasion, some prominent Americans acknowledged that the war in Iraq was largely for oil, including the former head of U.S. Central Command in Iraq, General John Abizaid, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, and then-senator and future Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The Never-Ending War on Terror

The war on terror spread to far corners of the globe. In September 2021, when President Biden told the U.N. General Assembly, I stand here today, for the first time in 20 years, with the United States not at war, the Costs of War Project reported that U.S. counterterrorism operations were still underway in 85 countries  including air and drone strikes and on-the-ground combat, as well as so-called Section 127e programs in which U.S. special operations forces plan and control partner force missions, military exercises in preparation for or as part of counterterrorism missions, and operations to train and assist foreign forces.

Many of those expansive activities have been in Africa. As early as 2014, pathbreaking journalist Nick Turse reported for TomDispatch that the U.S. military was already averaging far more than a mission a day on the continent, conducting operations with almost every African military force, in almost every African country, while building or building up camps, compounds, and contingency security locations.

Since then, the U.S. government has expanded its often-secretive interventions on that continent. In late August 2023, Turse wrote that at least 15 U.S.-supported officers have been involved in 12 coups in West Africa and the greater Sahel during the war on terror. Despite claiming that it seeks to promote regional security, stability, and prosperity, the U.S. Africa Command is often focused on such destabilizing missions.

With far fewer troops on the ground in combat and more reliance on air power, the war on terror has evolved and diversified while rarely sparking discord in American media echo chambers or on Capitol Hill. What remains is the standard Manichean autopilot of American thought, operating in sync with the structural affinity for war thats built into the military-industrial complex.

A pattern of regret  distinct from remorse  for the venture militarism that failed to triumph in Afghanistan and Iraq does exist, but there is little evidence that the underlying repetition-compulsion disorder has been exorcised from the countrys foreign-policy leadership or mass media, let alone its political economy. On the contrary, 22 years after 9/11, the forces that have dragged the United States into war in so many countries still retain enormous sway over foreign and military affairs. The warfare state continues to rule.

Copyright 2023 Norman Solomon

Via Tomdispatch.com
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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  The World Meteorological Organization reports the results of a study by the European Union-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which found that the past three months were the hottest 90-day period in recorded history.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to the report by saying, Our planet has just endured a season of simmering  the hottest summer on record. Climate breakdown has begun. Scientists have long warned what our fossil fuel addiction will unleash. Our climate is imploding faster than we can cope with extreme weather events hitting every corner of the planet. Surging temperatures demand a surge in action. Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions. We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos  and we dont have a moment to lose.

The WMO reports that we just had the hottest August on record, and it wasnt just a little bit hotter than all other Augusts since 1880, it was hotter by a large margin. And the only month hotter in nearly a century and a half was July 2023. The records fell away mostly because of a baseline of human-caused climate change weve heated up the planet by 2.16 degrees F. (1.2 degrees Centigrade) over the late nineteenth century average. In addition, this year we have an El Nino phenomenon the trade winds between Asia and South America are pushing west, bringing unusually warm water to the South American coast, which has a wide-ranging effect on the whole globe, and tends to heat things up. But most of the extra heat were seeing is human-caused, since weve been burning coal, petroleum and fossil gas and putting billions of tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Article continues after bonus IC video

CNN: Report reveals Summer 2023 is the hottest on record

The Antarctic is very distant and very cold, and usually has a great deal of sea ice in the summer (the southern hemispheres winter). This year there was 12 percent less sea ice at the South Pole than usual. The Climate Crisis is heating up the oceans, and some currents are bringing warm water down to Antarctica. This heating up of Antarctica is not good, because its surface ice is holding back gargantuan glaciers. If these huge ice blocks plop into the ocean, some of them could raise sea levels by several feet all on their own.

This summer we saw a long-lasting heat dome over the US Southwest and Mexico. People who fell down on Phoenix sidewalks got third degree burns. Canadas forests burned. In June some 400 wildfires were eating up the forest, with over half classified as out of control. At some points the smoke went south and made visibility almost zero for a while in cities like New York. The tropical island of Maui, once wet and humid and lush, suffered dryness this summer and then a cyclone off its coast helped it go up in flames. Neither a hot Canada nor a dry Hawaii was normal before the climate crisis. But climate change is pushing the clouds over Hawaii up higher and bringing less rain as a result.

Americans are often quite insular, since North America is sort of a big island between the Atlantic and the Pacific, and our corporate news companies tend not to cover the rest of the world. Watching cable news on TV in the US, you would never guess that France or Germany or Spain even exist, except occasionally as helpmeets via NATO in President Bidens Ukraine campaign against Russia. The same invisibility afflicts Mexico and Brazil except when there is an election.

In fact, the summer was as alarming in Europe as in North America. This week two large low pressure systems to the east and west of the continent were kept in place by a heat dome over Italy and Central Europe. The result was unusually hot temperatures in Italy and Germany, and heavy flooding in Spain to the west and Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey to the east.



Satellite image h/t severe-weather.eu

This week Greece received all of its annual rainful twice over in the space of half a day. Flash floods submerged entire villages, turning their regions into new lakes. These floods came on the heels of a rash of wildfires. Climate change delivered a one-two punch. There is even a danger that a Medicane or Mediterranean Hurricane will strike Greece this weekend. Hot sea water creates hurricanes and cyclones, and the Mediterranean has heated up to the point where it capable of generating these powerful storms.

Im not sure I would call it climate breakdown. But it is a breakdown in normalcy of a dire sort that could threaten human civilization. Imagine if the storms get so fierce and long-lasting that they knock down all the electricity poles. Wed have to redo the entire electrical grid and bury it under the earth in order just to have electricity, which is the basis for civilized life.

None of this is normal. And things will go on getting less and less normal as long as we continue to put billions of tons of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere every year.
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By Tom Williams, University of Wollongong | 

(The Conversation)  Through her poetically constructed images, Hoda Afshar illuminates a world overshadowed by history and atrocity. Yet we never see despair: we see defiance, comradeship, reinvention and a search for how photography can activate new ways of thinking.

Afshar was born in Iran and migrated to Australia in 2007. She began her practice as a documentary photographer in Tehran, having originally been attracted to acting.

Staging and creative intervention would become significant features of her work.

Even in her early, nominally documentary series, you can sense an embracing of the ambiguity of the still image, and an interest in composing a reality more vivid (and perhaps genuine) than dispassionate reportage might be capable of.

Afshar is now one of Australias most significant photo media artists, so its a surprise that Hoda Afshar: A Curve is a Broken Line at the Art Gallery of New South Wales is her first major survey exhibition.

What unites her materially diverse work is a concern with visibility: who is denied it, what is made visible by media, and how photography can reveal, overlook and manipulate truth.

Much of her work addresses critical humanitarian issues of our time: war, statelessness, diaspora, oppression, corruption. She challenges stereotypes. We dont see passive victims or closed narratives: we are introduced to new perspectives that might lead us to reappraise the world we inhabit.

Familiarity and distance

The exhibition is made up of six bodies of work, the first of which began with the passing away of her father in Iran.

In the exodus, I love you more (2014) is a portrait of her home country formed by experiences of familiarity and distance. The artist is both at home and searching, like an outsider. Images suggest at times an intimate proximity, and at others a separation akin to the one made by raising a camera to your eye.

Afshar examines her experience of migration and, she tells me, seeks to dismantle the idea of there being one way of seeing Iran.

The final image in this series shows the erasure of a womans face in a painted Persian miniature.

In the adjoining room, the new series In turn (2023) is a suite of large, framed photographs of Iranian women based in Australia. Many images show them as they tenderly braid one anothers hair. These women are unidentifiable, apart from artist and activist Mahla Karimian, who appears airborne with a pair of flying doves.

This work was catalysed by the women-led protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman arrested in September 2022 for not following Irans strict female dress codes. The uprising filled the streets with women chanting Women, Life, Freedom! and Say her name! in fearless defiance of authorities, who responded with murderous retaliation.

Afshar was observing her homeland from afar. She says she wanted to share voices the media was ignoring. She was inspired by social media images of women plaiting each others hair in public: a rebellious act that echoes a practice of female Kurdish fighters preparing for battle.

But the images arent violent. Theyre quietly peaceful, showing solidarity in grief, hope and determination. In making this visual letter to her Iranian sisters, Afshar has risked long-term exile from her country of birth.

Resolute defiance

Much of Afshars work fearlessly tells stories that have been hidden or misrepresented.

Remain (2018) was made in collaboration with asylum seekers detained on Manus Island.

This work is made up of a series of austere, absorbing portraits and a large-scale two-channel video installation.

We see men imprisoned in a place that would otherwise resemble paradise. We hear their voices recounting experiences of trauma and displacement. But, with Afshar, they co-create performative, narrative-evoking works that avoid degrading cliches of victimhood.

The most widely recognised image in this series is a portrait of Kurdish Iranian writer and filmmaker Behrouz Boochani, who chose to be pictured alongside fire. Smoke and flames echo the ardent strength of his gaze. This strength allowed him to emerge a free man after six years of incarceration.

In Behold (2016), once more we see acts of resolute defiance by people performing for the camera. Afshar was invited by a group of gay men to observe re-enacted gestures of protection and intimacy outlawed in most of the Middle East.

Unable to freely express their love in society, they disclose and affirm it for Afshar and her lens.

Agonistes (2020) pays homage to a group of Australian whistleblowers who appear as a Greek chorus of heroic truth tellers.

Created through a complex process of photographic recording and 3D printing that conjures lifelike detail, the portraits look like sculpted marble busts. But this rendering leaves the eyes blank, and captions describing the corruption revealed by each figure dont divulge their names.

Afshar maintains her practice of disclosing truth while protecting those who have the courage to tell it.

Being alive is breaking

Speak the wind (201522) returns us to Iran, to the Strait of Hormuz, where ill winds are said to blow. African slaves were brought here over centuries, a trade only stopped in the 1920s.

Afshars photographs and video imagery explore a place haunted by history. We see the outward manifestations of an invisible wind (dramatically carved rock formations, ripples in water, flowing fabric). Shrouded figures bow on the dry earth, seeking cure from possession by malicious spirits.

Afshar investigates to what extent we are captives of history (in Australia we must grapple with the legacy of colonisation). In making this lyrical work, Afshar again collaborated with local people, some who made drawings of wind spirits they said they had encountered.

The title of the exhibition was inspired by lines in a poem by Kaveh Akbar:

a curve is a straight line broken at all its points so much

of being alive is breaking.

Hoda Afshars work addresses conflict, injustice, mobility and the often fragile state of being alive. It reminds us that dominant powers can be challenged by exposing truth and envisioning something new.

Hoda Afshar: A Curve is a Broken Line is at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until January 21 2024.

Tom Williams, Lecturer  Visual Arts, University of Wollongong

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Moneta Gold Inc. (TSX: ME) (OTCQX: MEAUF) (FSE: MOPA) ("Moneta" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a project update and assay results from thirty-two (32) drill holes on the Windjammer and Westaway deposits at the Tower Gold project (the "Project"), located in the Timmins Gold Camp, Ontario. The drilling was conducted as part of a 140,000 metre ("m") drilling program, started in 2022, designed for resource upgrade and infill of the 4.5 million ("M") ounces ("oz") indicated gold ("Au") and 8.3 Moz inferred Au mineral resource estimate (see September 07, 2022 press release).

Project Update:

110,000 m of 140,000 m infill drill program completed

WSP Global is engaged to design and oversee the execution of pre-feasibility study ("PFS") engineering studies and to support Moneta through permitting of the Tower Gold project

Commenced open pit geomechanical drilling and hydrogeological testing in mid-August

Overburden geotechnical drilling underway

Metallurgical drilling and sample collection are underway in anticipation of lab analysis, including variability test work, starting in Q4 2023

Environmental Permitting - Submission of Initial Project Description ("IPD") to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada on track for late Q4 2023, which will initiate the Federal Impact Assessment ("IA") process

Mine Technical Services ("MTS") was appointed to lead resource updates in anticipation of the PFS and to support the design of the remaining metres of the infill drill program

Completion of open pit PFS on track for H2 2024, focusing on the first 11 years of September 2022 preliminary economic assessment ("PEA")

Drilling Highlights:

Windjammer

MGH23-416 intersected 4.25 m @ 31.17 grams per tonne "g/t" Au, including 1.40 m @ 93.00 g/t Au

MGH22-433 intersected 38.10 m @ 1.18 g/t Au, including 16.50 m @ 2.02 g/t Au, including 4.90 m @ 3.75 g/t Au

MGH23-433 intersected 17.47 m @ 1.01 g/t Au

Westaway

MGH23-401 intersected 12.90 m @ 3.90 g/t Au, including 7.10 m @ 6.25 g/t Au

MGH23-427 intersected 8.47 m @ 4.05 g/t Au, including 2.00 m @ 12.85 g/t Au

MGH23-407 intersected 11.80 m @ 2.75 g/t Au, including 7.50 m @ 3.84 g/t Au

Josef Vejvoda, Moneta's Chairman and Interim President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "I am very pleased with the dedication and effort of our entire team as they continue to advance Tower Gold towards a pre-feasibility study. Recent milestones include commencing geomechanical drilling and hydrogeological testing, and announcing further assay results from infill and step-out drilling, which continue to confirm the continuity and extensions of gold mineralization at Windjammer and Westaway. Drilling has been focussed on the open pit portions of the mineral resources as defined in the 2022 PEA study during the first 11 years of production."

A total of 6,176 m of drilling was completed in thirty-two (32) drill holes. Drilling is being conducted on 50 m centres as step-outs and infill of previous drill holes. Additional assays from 2023 drilling are pending and will be released upon receipt of results.

Figure 1: Tower Gold Project - General Location Map

Table 1: Windjammer Drill Intercepts (above 10 g/t x m Au)

Hole From To Length Au (gram metres) (#) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t x m) MGH23-415 133.00 148.00 15.00 0.88 13.3 includes 134.90 140.00 5.10 1.62 8.2 MGH23-416 95.10 99.35 4.25 31.17 132.5 includes 95.10 96.50 1.40 93.00 130.2 MGH23-418 280.00 282.00 2.00 18.05 36.1 MGH23-421 221.50 223.00 1.50 9.73 14.6 MGH23-421 227.30 233.57 6.27 1.69 10.6 includes 232.00 233.57 1.57 5.55 8.7 MGH23-422 98.00 105.00 7.00 2.24 15.7 includes 98.00 102.00 4.00 2.97 11.9 MGH23-425 46.50 82.00 35.50 0.51 18.0 includes 50.50 52.22 1.72 1.49 2.6 and 80.00 82.00 2.00 1.13 2.3

Note: All intercepts are calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Drill intercepts are not true widths, are reported as drill widths, and are estimated to be 75% to 95% of true width.

Table 2: Westaway Drill Intercepts (above 10 g/t x m Au)

Hole From To Length Au (gram metres) (#) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t x m) MGH23-401 150.00 162.90 12.90 3.90 50.3 includes 150.90 158.00 7.10 6.25 44.4 MGH23-404 87.00 95.00 8.00 1.47 11.8 MGH23-407 200.20 212.00 11.80 2.75 32.4 includes 203.05 210.55 7.50 3.84 28.8 MGH23-408 124.00 139.00 15.00 1.15 17.3 includes 129.30 137.00 7.70 1.83 14.1 includes 134.00 137.00 3.00 3.03 9.1 MGH23-419 123.00 137.25 14.25 1.03 14.7 includes 124.00 127.00 3.00 2.84 8.5 and 135.00 136.00 1.00 2.42 2.4 MGH23-427 127.75 132.15 4.40 2.36 10.4 includes 130.95 132.15 1.20 4.00 4.8 MGH23-427 263.53 272.00 8.47 4.05 34.3 includes 267.15 269.15 2.00 12.85 25.7 MGH23-431 97.00 106.00 9.00 1.47 13.2 includes 100.00 106.00 6.00 2.06 12.3

Note: All intercepts are calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Drill intercepts are not true widths, are reported as drill widths, and are estimated to be 75% to 95% of true width.



Discussion of Drill Results

The Windjammer South and Central deposits currently host a combined open pit indicated resource of 70.55 million tonnes ("Mt") @ 0.72 g/t Au containing 1.64 Moz gold and an inferred resource of 112.30 Mt @ 0.74 g/t Au containing 2.67 Moz gold (see September 07, 2022 press release). The Westaway deposit currently hosts an open pit indicated resource of 0.75 million tonnes ("Mt") @ 2.20 g/t Au containing 53,000 oz gold and an inferred resource of 22.11 Mt @ 1.95 g/t Au containing 1,383,000 oz gold. The drill holes in this release focused on infill and extensions of the mineral resource within the current open pit PEA mine shells from surface to vertical depths of up to 325 m below surface. Mineralization at Windjammer and Westaway is associated with extensional and stockwork-type quartz veining within Timiskaming age meta-sediments, located between 2 major splays of the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone ("DPFZ") in the Golden Highway area of the Project.

Windjammer

The drill results in section A-B targeted the continuity and extensions of mineralization within the banded iron formations separating Windjammer Central and Windjammer South. Drillholes MGH23-405, MGH23-413, and MGH23-415 confirmed continuity in the central area of the deposit, whereas mineralization extensions were constrained to the east as seen in drillholes MGH23-406, MGH23-409, and MGH23-411. South of the banded iron formation, in the Windjammer South region, MGH23-425 confirmed mineralization within the PEA pits.

The drill results in the southern region of Windjammer South (section C-D) confirmed continuity in the central area as seen in drill hole MGH23-433. While drill holes targeting extensions in the southern region of the deposit constrained mineralization, as seen in drill holes MGH23-420, MGH23-424, and MGH23-426.

Thirteen (13) of twenty (20) drill holes did not intersect mineralization above 10 "g/t Au x m", however, gold mineralization was intersected above a 0.3 g/t Au economic cut-off in all of the holes.

Figure 2: Windjammer - Tower Gold: Infill Drill Location Map

Figure 3: Windjammer - Tower Gold: Infill Drilling Cross Section "A-B"

Note: Intercepts are shown and calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied.

Figure 4: Windjammer - Tower Gold: Infill Drilling Cross Section "C-D"

Note: Intercepts are shown and calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied.

Westaway

The drill results confirmed the continuity of the resource estimate in the central core area of the Westaway deposit, within the PEA open pit, as highlighted in drill holes MGH23-401, MGH23-404, MGH23-407, and MGH23-427. Additionally, significant intercepts at depth, below the bottom of the PEA pit indicate potential expansion opportunities as seen in drill hole MGH23-427. Drill holes MGH23-432 and MGH23-410 constrain the Westaway corridor to the north and south.

Five (5) of twelve (12) drill holes did not intersect mineralization above 10 "g/t Au x m", however, gold mineralization was intersected above a 0.3 g/t Au economic cut-off in four (4) of these holes. One (1) drill hole, MGH23-412, did not intersect mineralization above 0.3 g/t Au cut-off, which constrains mineralization in the north area of the Westaway deposit, along the banded iron formation.

Figure 5: Westaway - Tower Gold: Infill Drill Location Map

Figure 6: Westaway - Tower Gold: Infill Drilling Cross Section "E-F"

Note: Intercepts are shown and calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied.

Table 3: Tower Gold: Resource Infill Drill Hole Details

Target Hole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Inclination Depth (Name) (#) (mE) (mN) (masl) () () (m) Windjammer MGH23-400 572237 5370807 331 75 -60 105.0 Westaway MGH23-401 570254 5369118 322 59 -60 210.0 Windjammer MGH23-402 572207 5370777 331 75 -61 105.0 Windjammer MGH23-403 572146 5370591 329 80 -55 141.0 Westaway MGH23-404 570228 5369099 322 60 -58 150.0 Windjammer MGH23-405 572189 5370586 330 80 -55 133.8 Windjammer MGH23-406 572327 5370581 334 80 -57 225.0 Westaway MGH23-407 570206 5369121 327 59 -62 231.0 Westaway MGH23-408 570178 5369176 324 60 -58 153.0 Windjammer MGH23-409 572375 5370584 337 80 -56 153.0 Westaway MGH23-410 570165 5369196 324 60 -59 141.0 Windjammer MGH23-411 572321 5370535 334 80 -57 255.0 Westaway MGH23-412 570113 5369153 323 59 -58 201.0 Windjammer MGH23-413 572246 5370528 332 80 -57 264.0 Windjammer MGH23-414 572149 5370547 330 80 -56 132.0 Windjammer MGH23-415 572161 5370518 331 80 -57 210.0 Windjammer MGH23-416 572087 5370071 330 80 -56 126.0 Westaway MGH23-417 570125 5369128 323 59 -60 222.0 Windjammer MGH23-418 572050 5370479 329 80 -57 327.0 Westaway MGH23-419 570089 5369085 322 59 -60 282.0 Windjammer MGH23-420 572147 5370086 332 80 -56 174.0 Windjammer MGH23-421 572019 5370462 329 80 -57 333.0 Windjammer MGH23-422 572185 5370105 330 80 -56 186.0 Westaway MGH23-423 570135 5369094 323 59 -58 222.0 Windjammer MGH23-424 572221 5370083 330 80 -56 129.0 Windjammer MGH23-425 572065 5370353 329 40 -56 240.0 Windjammer MGH23-426 572266 5370104 330 80 -56 132.0 Westaway MGH23-427 570165 5369066 325 59 -59 291.0 Windjammer MGH23-428 572223 5370117 329 80 -56 129.0 Westaway MGH23-431 570216 5369067 322 60 -57 180.0 Westaway MGH23-432 570260 5369071 321 60 -58 204.0 Windjammer MGH23-433 572211 5370189 330 80 -55 189.0

Quality Control Procedures

NQ drill core is oriented and cut with half sent to ALS Laboratories Inc. (ALS) for drying and crushing to -2 mm, with a 1.00 kg split pulverized to -75 m (200#). ALS is an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. A 50 g charge is Fire Assayed and analyzed using an AAS finish for Gold. Samples above 10.00 g/t Au are analyzed by Fire Assay with a gravimetric finish and selected samples with visible gold or high-grade mineralization are assayed by Metallic Screen Fire Assay on a 1.00 kg sample. Moneta inserts independent certified reference material and blanks with the samples and assays routine pulp repeats and coarse reject sample duplicates, as well as completing routine third-party check assays at Bureau Veritas Commodities Ltd.

Qualified Person

Jason Dankowski (APEGM #35155), Vice President Technical Services & Geology for Moneta, who is a QP as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this press release.

About Moneta Gold

Moneta is a Canadian-based gold exploration company whose primary focus is on advancing its 100% wholly owned Tower Gold project, located in the Timmins region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada's most prolific gold producing camp. The September 2022, PEA study outlined a combined open pit and underground mining and a 7.0 million tonne per annum conventional leach operation over a 24-year mine life, with 4.6 Moz of recovered gold, generating an after-tax NPV5% of $1,066M, IRR of 31.7%, and a 2.6-year payback at a gold price US$1,600/oz. Tower Gold hosts an estimated gold mineral resource of 4.5 Moz indicated and 8.3 Moz inferred. Moneta is committed to creating shareholder value through the strategic allocation of capital and a focus on the current resource upgrade drilling program, while conducting all business activities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Ardem Keshishian, VP Corporate Development

416-471-5463

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The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedarplus.com. For further information on the Company, please visit our website at www.monetagold.com or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Certain statements in this press release including certain information about Moneta's business outlook, objectives, strategies, plans, strategic priorities and results of operations, as well as other statements which are not current statements or historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (without limitation, statements regarding exploration programs, potential mineralization, future plans and objectives of the Company, updated to the mineral resources, and the timing and results thereof) are forward-looking statements. Sentences and phrases containing words such as "believe", "estimate", "anticipate", "plan", "will", "intend", "predict", "outlook", "goal", "target", "forecast", "project", "scheduled", "proposed", "expect", "potential", "strategy", and the negative of any of these words, or variations of them, or comparable terminology that does not relate strictly to current or historical facts, are all indicative of forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company.

Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from Moneta's expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements and that Moneta's business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities may not be achieved. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and Moneta cautions you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are provided in this press release for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding Moneta's objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook, and in obtaining a better understanding of Moneta's anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to: information with respect to the future performance of the business, its operations and financial performance and condition; statements relating to Moneta's plans for the Project; the Company's drilling program and the timing and results thereof; the timing and scope and focus of the Company's pre-feasibility study ("PFS"); statements regarding the environmental impact assessment and community engagement activities; and the Company's financing initiatives.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Important risk factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to: uncertainties inherent in the business of mineral exploration and extraction; uncertainty with respect to the Company's liquidity and ability to secure additional financing; uncertainty of mineral resources; security threats to the Company's information technology systems; the current global financial condition; the market price of securities and substantial volatility in the market price of commodities; fluctuations of commodity prices; the Company's history of net losses; possible loss of interests in mineral properties; title risks; uncertainty relating to surface rights; environmental risks; risks associated with joint venture agreements; risks relating to statutory and regulatory requirements; uncertainty relating to the Company's competition with other gold exploration and development companies for materials and supplies; the Company's dependence on key management and employees; uncertainty arising from international conflict and other geopolitical tensions and events, including but to limited to Russia's invasion of Ukraine; uncertainty in respect of COVID-19 and any resurgence of same; uncertainty in respect of procuring licences and permits from various governmental authorities; the term and extension of concession contracts; uninsurable risks; obligations under option and joint venture agreements; uncertainty as to whether mergers and amalgamations will be completed successfully; the Company's relationships with the communities in which it operates; internal conflicts of interest; infrastructure risks; the Company's lack of a dividend policy; and the fact that the outstanding common shares of the Company could be subject to dilution. See also the risks disclosed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's AIF. Readers are cautioned that the risks referred to above are not the only ones that could affect Moneta. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to Moneta or that Moneta currently deems to be immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on Moneta's financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business or reputation.

Forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on a number of assumptions that Moneta believed were reasonable at the time it made each forward-looking statement. The assumptions, although considered reasonable by Moneta on the day it made the forward-looking statements, may prove to be inaccurate. Accordingly, our actual results could differ materially from our expectations. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Barksdale Resources Corp. (TSXV: BRO) (OTCQX: BRKCF) ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the United States Forest Service ("USFS") has approved the Sunnyside Plan of Operations ("PoO"). This is the final regulatory approval needed for Barksdale to execute its proposed drilling program at Sunnyside. The Company expects to begin mobilizing equipment on or around September 15, 2023.

Rick Trotman, President and CEO of Barksdale, states, "We are thrilled to have completed the permitting process at Sunnyside and look forward to mobilizing our first drill to site."

Over the past four years our team has successfully navigated federal and state permitting processes and has received approval from the United States Forest Service, the Army Corp of Engineers, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to initiate its proposed drill program at Sunnyside. The approved permit gives Barksdale up to seven years to complete drilling activity on up to 30 drill pads. The locations of these pads are floating, which will allow the Company flexibility in executing a program that follows the best geology, as additional information will update our model with the completion of each drill hole.

Further to the press release dated September 6, 2023, the Company has been notified that the Plaintiffs have appealed the Federal District Court's ruling, denying their request for a preliminary injunction to prevent drilling at Sunnyside. To be clear, the Federal District Court's ruling in Barksdale's favor is unlikely to be reversed, not only because of the District Court's detailed ruling on the merits, but also because most appeals are unsuccessful. As such, Barksdale continues to advance its plans to commence drilling next week. The Company will continue to provide timely updates.

Barksdale Resources Corp., a 2023 OTCQX BEST 50 Company, is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., that is focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of highly prospective base metal projects in North America. Barksdale is currently advancing the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects, both of which are in the Patagonia mining district of southern Arizona, as well as the San Javier copper-gold project in central Sonora, Mexico.

ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP.

Rick Trotman

President, CEO and Director

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Terri Anne Welyki

Vice President of Communications

778-238-2333

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For more information please phone 778-558-7145, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.BarksdaleResources.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to the proposed nature, size, timing, targets and impact of the Company's planned drilling program on the Sunnyside project and the ability of the Company to obtain the requisite staffing and financing therefor; and the potential impact of seasonal drilling restrictions on the ability of the Company to effectively carry out such program. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of available capital, actual results of exploration activities, environmental risks, future prices of base metals, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry.. The Company's proposed drilling program at Sunnyside is an exploratory search for commercial quantities of ore, the discovery of which cannot be assured. There are currently no NI 43-101 resources or reserves on the Sunnyside property. There is also uncertainty about the continued spread and severity of COVID-19, the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising inflation and interest rates and the impact they will have on the Company's operations, supply chains, ability to access mining projects or procure equipment, supplies, contractors and other personnel on a timely basis or at all and economic activity in general. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Gold Line Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GLDL) (OTCQB: TLLZF) (the "Company" or "Gold Line") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Taj Singh as a President, CEO and Director of the Company. Mr. Singh's appointment is effective immediately and will be supported by outgoing CEO Adam Cegielski who will continue to serve on the Company's Board of Directors.

Mr. Singh brings over 22 years of mining and resources industry experience, including roles as founding President and CEO of publicly listed companies NOA Lithium Brines Inc. and Discovery Silver Corp.

Mr. Toby Pierce, Chairman of Gold Line commented, "We are excited to have Taj join the Gold Line Resources Team. I am confident that Taj's extensive technical and capital markets experience in the mining sector, along with his energy and enthusiasm, will drive the Company forward as he directs the strategy, oversees the functions and deliverables, and continues to enhance shareholder value. He will no doubt be a valuable addition to our Company, and we very much look forward to working with him. The board thanks Mr. Cegielski for his work in re-financing the company and his continued support in value creation".

Mr. Singh commented, "I am very happy to accept the role of President and CEO with Gold Line. Gold Line has an exciting portfolio of assets, given its extensive land positions in prolific gold-producing regions of northern Europe. I look forward to leading the team in what I consider to be one of the top precious metals exploration opportunities in the world, and I am very positive about the Company's future."

Mr. Taj Singh (biography)

With over 22 years of global mining experience, Mr. Singh has demonstrated his capabilities in both the operational and business aspects of mining. Most recently Singh was founding President and CEO of NOA Lithium Brines Inc. ("NOA") and he still currently acts as a Strategic Advisor. During Singh's time leading NOA, it advanced significantly, with opportunistic asset acquisitions as a private company, completion of its reverse-takeover and going-public transaction, successful funding rounds, and substantial exploration success; the company rapidly emerged as a premier lithium explorer in the prolific Argentine lithium district.

Prior to NOA, Singh spent five years as founding President and CEO of Mexico-focused Discovery Silver Corp ("Discovery") leading its tremendous growth. The market capitalization of Discovery increased approximately thirty times (30x) to over C$500 million during Singh's time, establishing Discovery as one of the preeminent development companies in the precious metals sector. For four years, starting at the time of its 2016 go-public, Singh also served as Director and Lead Independent Director of the board of GT Gold Corp. which was subsequently acquired by Newmont Corporation for approximately $400 million.

Other roles during Mr. Singh's career include Vice-President Business Development for Mexican gold producer Timmins Gold Corp. (since acquired by Argonaut Gold Inc.), Mining Equity Research Analyst at Macquarie Capital Markets, and over 10 years working in various operations, engineering and project development roles for major diversified miners Inco Limited and Vale Limited. Mr. Singh is a Professional Engineer (P.Eng), a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Metallurgy / Minerals Processing) and a Master of Engineering degree (Metallurgy).

About Gold Line Resources Ltd.:

Gold Line is focused on acquiring mineral properties with exceptional exploration potential in the most prolific gold-producing regions of Sweden and Finland, which are both regarded as top-tier mining jurisdictions and emerging exploration frontiers. Both countries possess very prospective mineral endowments, stable tenures, straightforward permitting, favorable tax regimes and supportive geopolitical landscapes. Gold Line's Swedish projects are located in the Gold Line Mineral Belt and Skelleftea Belt of north-central Sweden and the Mjsa-Vanern Belt in the southwest. In Finland, Gold Line holds the entire underexplored Oijarvi Greenstone Belt located in the north of the country.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Gold Line Resources,

Toby Pierce

Chairman of the Board

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Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Gold Line's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur.

Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the Transaction, the business, exploration and development plans of Gold Line following completion of the Transaction, conversion of the Oijarvi Reservation into an Exploration Permit Application, the results of exploration and development activities, the anticipated benefits and synergies of the Transaction, and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on Gold Line's current beliefs and assumptions as to the outcome and timing of future events, including, but not limited to the anticipated benefits and synergies of the Transaction being realized. 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. Such factors and risks include, among others: that there is no assurance that the Transaction will receive final approval of the Exchange, or that the anticipated benefits or synergies of the Transaction will be realized; following completion of the Transaction, Gold Line may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect Gold Line's business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of Gold Line's securities, regardless of its operating performance; and the impact of COVID-19.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the expectations of Gold Line as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Gold Line does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Hercules Silver Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: 8Q7) ("Hercules Silver" or the "Company") is pleased to report silver-lead-zinc results from the first 5 drill holes of its Phase II drill program, targeting near surface silver mineralization at its Hercules Silver Property located in western Idaho ("Hercules" or the "Property"). These results are the first of the Company's ongoing 6,000-meter Phase II infill, expansion, and discovery-focused drill program.

The upper part of HER-23-05 intercepted 84.2 meters of 54.1 g/t AgEq, beginning at a shallow depth of 4.5 m, including a higher-grade intercept of 27.3 m grading 113.4 g/t AgEq starting at 36.7 m.

HER-23-04 intercepted 28.5 meters of 102.6 g/t AgEq, beginning at 39 m, including a higher-grade intercept of 2.7 m grading 416.2 g/t AgEq.

All holes reported are either step-out or infill holes, expanding on historical mineralization.

HER-23-05 was continued to depth to test a chargeability anomaly and intercepted blind porphyry copper alteration and mineralization, assays for which remain pending.

Four deep holes have now been drilled across 1.2 kilometers of the chargeability anomaly, all of which intersected pyrite-rich phyllic alteration, interpreted to represent the margins of a large porphyry copper system.

Deep drilling continues, targeting potentially favourable alteration to the west.

A third drill rig has now been added to the Phase II program.

Chris Paul, CEO and Director of the Company, noted: "Our Phase II infill and expansion drilling has expanded on historical mineralization and demonstrated the presence of broad intervals of silver at the Frogpond Zone. With assays pending for many holes, including several other zones, we're confident in the potential to further validate and expand on the near surface silver across the Property. We're currently drilling hole 21 of the 2023 season and have now added a third drill rig. In addition, our first ever deep drilling has intersected blind porphyry copper alteration across 1.2 kilometers, demonstrating the presence of a major hydrothermal system on the Property."

Silver Mineralization at Frogpond

The near-surface drilling is focused on validating and expanding zones of historical silver mineralization at Hercules. Historical drilling was limited to vertical reverse circulation ("RC") holes which returned minimal geological information. The 2023 program is utilizing angled drill holes with oriented core, providing new information on the controls and style of mineralization, and continuing to aid with the expansion.

HER-23-05 intersected a broad zone of shear-hosted mineralization, with flooding and replacement of pervasive dark grey sulfide mineralization (a combination of galena, sphalerite and tetrahedrite-tennantite). The broad zone of replacement is bracketed on either side by significant fault/shear zones, which appear to control the flow of hydrothermal fluids. Tracing this and other zones along strike is the main objective for adding to the historical mineralization. Logging of holes now being drilled at other zones, including the nearby Hercules Adit, show similar promise for expansion.

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) AgEq1

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Cu

(%) Pb

(%) Zn

(%) Mn

(%) HER-23-01 50.08 81.99 31.91 34.5 11.4 0.11 0.62 1.23 including 50.08 56.69 6.61 49.2 17.7 0.15 0.86 1.34 including 65.23 69.8 4.57 57.8 13.4 0.23 1.18 1.66 including 78.33 81.99 3.66 79.9 26.7 0.25 1.45 1.84 AND 112.47 123.44 10.97 25.6 24.6 0.01 0.07 1.41 HER-23-02 20.32 60.44 40.12 36.7 29.8 0.04 0.20 1.17 including 20.32 32 11.68 67.0 57.6 0.10 0.28 2.09 including 58.92 60.44 1.52 130.0 117.0 0.02 0.17 0.94 HER-23-03 17.37 56.39 39.02 42.1 37.1 0.02 0.18 0.87 including 36.58 44.2 7.62 69.9 65.1 0.04 0.17 0.82 HER-23-04 10.15 12.19 2.04 73.2 75.0 0.10 0.25 AND 39.01 67.54 28.53 102.6 93.6 0.10 0.35 0.75 including 59.68 62.36 2.68 416.2 426.6 0.03 0.13 0.57 HER-23-05 4.54 88.76 84.22 54.1 36.2 0.11 0.35 3.86 including 27.13 28.65 1.52 114.9 79.7 0.21 0.28 0.42 2.5 including 36.73 64.01 27.28 113.4 77.1 0.13 0.16 0.76 4.9 AND 170.69 178.31 7.62 51.1 43.2 0.07 0.10 0.07 4.15

1Silver equivalent (AgEq) grades are calculated using metal price assumptions of: silver US$23.50/oz., copper US$4.00/lb, lead US$1.00/lb and zinc US$1.50/lb. Silver equivalent grade is calculated as AgEq (g/t) = Ag (g/t) x Ag rec. + (Cu (%) x Cu rec. x 118.558) + (Pb (%) x Pb rec. x 28.568) + (Zn (%) x Zn rec. x 42.852). Metallurgical recoveries assumed are 93% for silver, 80% for lead and 79% for zinc, based on historical sulfide floatation tests by Britton, 1977. A reasonable assumption of 80% recovery is applied for copper based on comparable base metal recovery values.

Figure 1: Plan view of the Frogpond Zone showing significant intercepts from 2023 analytical results received and silver equivalent grade bars from 2022-2023 drill holes.

Table 2: 2023 Drill Hole Locations

Hole ID Easting Northing Depth

(m) Azimuth Dip Hole

type HER-23-01 511432 4956616 148.71 210.36 -76.77 Core HER-23-02 511342 4956557 83.48 30.31 -44.92 Core HER-23-03 511341 4956558 139.32 41.99 -57.31 Core HER-23-04 511289 4956584 71.93 29.71 -70.36 Core HER-23-05 511231 4956639 435.32 69.78 -70.06 Core

Blind Porphyry Copper System

2022 field work by the Company previously demonstrated the potential for a porphyry copper system hosted within the underlying Seven Devils Group volcanics, exposed on the east side of the Property. IP geophysical surveying conducted over the silver system on the west side of the Property however returned a large chargeability anomaly below the limit of historical drilling, which is open in several directions. Blind drilling across 1.2 kilometers of the chargeability anomaly has now returned strong alteration, veining, and mineralization, consistent with the margins of a porphyry copper system and early observations demonstrate it's considerably larger and more intense than was first interpreted from surface exposures. A simplified description of the current geological interpretation follows.

A shallow west-dipping thrust fault (shown in red on Figure 2), separates copper-gold-molybdenum bearing Seven Devils volcanics (the "Lower Plate") to the east from silver-lead-zinc-manganese bearing volcanics, including the Hercules Rhyolite (the "Upper Plate"), to the west. East of this thrust, several known copper-gold targets, including the Big Cut Skarn, Lightning Breccia, and Metheny Zones are exposed at surface. West of the shallow-dipping thrust, the copper-gold system appears to also underlie the majority of the silver-lead-zinc-manganese bearing Upper Plate rocks at moderate depths of just 100-300 meters.

Quartz-sericite-pyrite ("phyllic") alteration has now been intersected in all deep holes. Phyllic alteration typically manifests as an outer shell of highly chargeable pyrite with copper mineralization, surrounding an inner shell of stronger copper mineralization with lesser chargeable pyrite. Early modeling of the four widely-spaced holes suggests a potential vector to the west, guided largely by alteration sequences in drill core and variations in the ratio of chalcopyrite:pyrite. Upcoming holes are therefore designed to step west of the phyllic halo, into a neighboring region of moderate chargeability, which may represent increasing chalcopyrite relative to pyrite (Figure 2).

Further IP geophysical surveying is scheduled to commence at the end of September. The 2022 survey was originally designed to cover just the strongest portion of the near-surface silver system. Given current indications for the potential size of the porphyry copper system, the survey will be expanded significantly. It will be expanded east to test for additional centers at depth across several kilometers of strong surface mineralization. It will also be expanded west, where current drilling shows increasing alteration and mineralization below the silver system.

Figure 2: Potential alteration zonation, interpreted from observations in 4 deep drill holes across 1.2 kilometers, and IP chargeability at 200 meters below surface. Further IP surveying is planned to the east, where other centers may exist to alter this interpretation, as well as to the west where current drilling indicates increasing alteration/mineralization. Two planned holes are shown in white, to test increasing alteration to the west, and more moderate chargeability which may represent increasing chalcopyrite relative to pyrite.

Sample Analysis and QAQC

All drill core samples were prepped and analyzed at MSA Labs in Langley, British Columbia, an ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 certified laboratory. Samples were dried and crushed to 2mm, from which a 250g sub-sample split was then pulverized to 85% passing a 75 micron sieve. Following preparation, assays were determined by the IMS-230 method. A 0.25g aliquot of the prepared pulp was digested in a 4-acid solution consisting of hydrochloric, nitric, perchloric and hydrofluoric acids. 4-acid is a near total digest and only the most highly resistant minerals are not dissolved. The resulting solution was analyzed via ICP-MS and ICP-ES for 48 elements and was corrected for inter-element spectral interferences. Lower detection limits for this procedure are 0.01 ppm for silver, 0.5 ppm for lead, 2 ppm for zinc, and 0.2 ppm for copper. Mercury is not reported due to volatilization in reaction with hydrofluoric acid and gold is not reported due to the small, 0.25g aliquot size being insufficient to overcome the nugget effect.

Samples with initial results beyond the upper detection limit of the IMS-230 method were analyzed by procedures ICF-6Ag, ICF-6Pb and ICF-6Zn. The thresholds were 100 ppm for silver, and >1% for lead and zinc. Preliminary silver assays that returned values >1000 ppm were determined by fire assay with a 50g charge for the final result.

MSA Labs employs internal quality control standards, duplicates and blank samples at set frequencies.

Blind certified reference materials (CRMs) and blank samples were systematically inserted by the Company into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's quality assurance/quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved for disclosure by Christopher Longton BS, CPG, Hercules' Vice President, Exploration. Mr. Longton is a "Qualified Person" for Hercules Silver within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

About Hercules Silver Corp.

Hercules Silver Corp. is a junior mining company focused on the exploration and development of the 100% owned Hercules Silver Project, northwest of Cambridge, Idaho.

The Hercules project is a disseminated silver-lead-zinc system with 28,000 meters of historical drilling across 3.5 kilometers of strike. The Company is well positioned for growth through the drill bit, having completed extensive surface exploration consisting of soil & rock sampling, geological mapping, IP geophysics.

The Company's management team brings significant exploration experience through the discovery and development of numerous precious metals projects worldwide.

For further information please contact:

Chris Paul

CEO & Director

Telephone +1 (604) 449-6819

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws of an exemption from such registration is available.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, 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 information.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF HERCULES SILVER AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE HERCULES SILVER MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
Concurrent financing of ~US$267 million to aid in facilitating the next phase of growth for Allied Gold - from a fast-growing, mid-tier, Africa-focused gold producer to a next generation senior gold producer

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 7, 2023) - Allied Gold Corporation (formerly, Mondavi Ventures Ltd.) ("Allied Gold") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced business combination and reverse take-over transaction (the "Transaction") involving, inter alios, Allied Gold Corp Limited ("Allied") and Allied Merger Corporation ("AMC"), pursuant to which, among other things, the former securityholders of Allied and AMC were issued securities in the capital of Allied Gold.

Expected to commence on September 11, 2023, the common shares of Allied Gold (the "Common Shares") will trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") in Canadian dollars under the symbol "AAUC" and the convertible debentures of Allied Gold (the "Debentures") will trade on the TSX in U.S. dollars under the symbol "AAUC.DB.U".

As of the date hereof, Allied Gold has an aggregate of 250,724,253 Common Shares and $107,279,000 principal amount of Debentures issued and outstanding.

In connection with the completion of the Transaction, the Subscription Receipts issued by AMC pursuant to its previously announced private placement financing (the "Financing") of: (a) 81,219,000 common share subscription receipts (the "CS Subscriptions Receipts") at a price of US$1.97 per CS Subscription Receipt; and (b) 107,279 convertible debenture subscription receipts (the "CD Subscriptions Receipts", and together with the CS Subscription Receipts, the "Subscription Receipts") at a price of US$1,000 per CD Subscription Receipt, were converted and immediately exchanged for Common Shares and Debentures, respectively, following a consolidation by AMC of its common shares on a 1:2.2585 basis. Net proceeds from the Financing will be used by Allied Gold to carry out its planned growth strategy, including its ongoing optimization and development work, as well as for general corporate purposes.

The management of Allied Gold will be led by Peter Marrone (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), Daniel Racine (President), Jason LeBlanc (Chief Financial Officer), Gerardo Fernandez (Chief Development Officer), Basie Maree (Chief Operating Officer), Sofia Tsakos (Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary), Greg Winch (Chief Geology and Strategic Officer), Richard Campbell (Chief Human Resources Officer) and Gwennael Guillen (Chief Sustainability Officer).

The board of directors of Allied Gold consists of Peter Marrone (as Chairman), Justin Dibb (as Vice Chairman), John Beardsworth, John Begeman, Daniel Racine, Pierre Chenard, Jane Sadowsky, Dino Titaro and Richard Graff.

With the expected commencement of trading, Allied Gold is now poised to deliver a series of key catalysts in the coming months, expected to create significant value for both shareholders and broader stakeholders. These catalysts, which will be actively communicated to the market via a robust marketing schedule with analysts and sales desks immediately following the commencement of trading, include:

Consolidation of Operational Enhancements: Focused on optimization initiatives aimed at reducing all-in sustaining costs.

Kurmuk Ownership Consolidation: An accretive and strategic consolidation of ownership at the high-quality Kurmuk property.

Kurmuk Construction Decision: Approval for project development and initial construction phase set for Q3 2023.

Q3 2023 Financial Results: Anticipated to be released in November 2023.

Exploration Updates: Expected in Q4 2023 for Kurmuk and Bonikro (Dougbafla).

Sadiola Phase 1 Construction Decision: Scheduled for Q4 2023.

Updated Mineral Reserves: Expected in H1 2024.

These catalysts underscore Allied Gold's unwavering commitment to delivering value and our aspiration to evolve into a leading gold producer.

An annual information form of Allied Gold for the financial year ended December 31, 2022 (the "AIF"), which, together with a material change report, includes detailed disclosure with respect to the Transaction and Allied Gold, as well as audited consolidated financial statements of Allied for the financial years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 and unaudited interim condensed financial statements of Allied for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022, have been filed under Allied Gold's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Advisors

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP acted as legal counsel to AMC. Allen & Overy LLP and McCarthy Tetrault LLP acted as legal counsel to Allied. Prest Law Corporation acted as legal counsel to Mondavi Ventures Ltd.

Early Warning Disclosure

Justin Dibb

Pursuant to the Transaction, Justin Dibb, the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Allied, and certain entities over which Mr. Dibb has control or direction, being Sterling Trust & Fiduciary Limited, as Trustee of Middle East Africa Investment Trust, and Oak Valley Ltd., acquired ownership of an aggregate of 27,238,331 Common Shares and 12,500 Debentures (which, based on the conversion price of US$5.79, are convertible into approximately 2,158,894 Common Shares), representing approximately 10.9% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 11.6% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis (assuming the conversion of the Debentures beneficially owned by him). Of the total securities of Allied Gold beneficially owned by Mr. Dibb, 27,013,574 Common Shares were issued in exchange for shares of Allied and Allied Gold Corp pursuant to the Transaction and 224,757 Common Shares and 12,500 Debentures were issued to Mr. Dibb in connection with the Financing. These securities are subject to the terms of a lock-up agreement entered into in favour of the agents under the Financing, pursuant to which, without the prior written consent of the lead agents under the Financing, Mr. Dibb agreed not to trade such securities during the period from the closing of the Financing to the date that is 180 days after the closing of the Transaction, subject to certain limited exceptions. Mr. Dibb has entered into a Standstill and Voting Support Agreement with Allied Gold pursuant to which he has agreed for a period of two years following the closing of the Transaction to, among other things, a standstill with respect to proposing or seeking to effect any change of control transaction and to vote in favour of the election of the slate of directors, as proposed by the board of Allied Gold, to ensure continuity and transition of the business.

While Mr. Dibb currently has no plans or intentions with respect to the securities of Allied Gold, subject to the restrictions on dispositions noted above, and depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, the trading prices of Allied Gold's securities, Allied Gold's business, financial condition and prospects and other relevant factors, Mr. Dibb may develop such plans to intentions in the future and may, from time to time, acquire additional securities, dispose some or all of the existing or additional securities or may continue to hold the Common Shares or Debentures.

Mr. Dibb will file an early warning report under National Instrument 62-103 in connection with the closing of the Transaction. A copy of the early warning report will be made available under Allied Gold's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca or by contacting Gerardo Fernandez at +1 (647) 526-4258 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Knightsbridge Capital Corp.

Pursuant to the Transaction, Knightsbridge Capital Corp. ("Knightsbridge") acquired ownership of 30,529,776 Common Shares, representing approximately 12.2% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis. Of the total securities of Allied Gold beneficially owned by Knightsbridge, all such securities were issued in exchange for shares of Allied pursuant to the Transaction. The Common Shares held by Knightsbridge are subject to the terms of a lock-up agreement entered into in favour of the agents under the Financing, pursuant to which, without the prior written consent of the lead agents under the Financing, Knightsbridge agreed not to trade such securities during the period from the closing of the Financing to the date that is 180 days after the closing of the Transaction, subject to certain limited exceptions.

Knightsbridge holds the Common Shares for investment purposes. Knightsbridge may, from time to time, take such actions in respect of its holdings of Common Shares as it may deem appropriate in light of the circumstances then existing, including the purchase of additional Common Shares or other securities of Allied Gold or the disposition of all or a portion of its shareholding in Allied Gold.

Knightsbridge will file an early warning report under National Instrument 62-103 in connection with the closing of the Transaction. A copy of the early warning report will be available under Allied Gold's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca or by contacting Gerardo Fernandez at +1 (647) 526-4258 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

About Allied Gold Corporation

Allied Gold is a Canadian-based gold producer with a significant growth profile and mineral endowment which operates a portfolio of three producing assets and development projects located in Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Ethiopia and Egypt. Led by a team of mining executives with operational and development experience and proven success in creating value, Allied Gold aspires to become a mid-tier next generation gold producer in Africa and ultimately a leading senior global gold producer.

About Allied Merger Corporation

AMC was formed and capitalized by the former principals of Yamana Gold Inc., Peter Marrone, Daniel Racine, Jason LeBlanc, Gerardo Fernandez and Sofia Tsakos, for the purposes of financing and assisting the development of high-quality mining opportunities and along with SummitNorth Inc., an investor in AMC, agreed to the terms of the Transaction with Allied.

For further information, please contact:

Allied Gold Corporation

Bay Adelaide Centre - North Tower

40 Temperance St., Suite 3200

Toronto, Ontario M5H 0B4 Canada

Gerardo Fernandez

Tel: +1 (647) 526-4258

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in Canada, the United States or any other jurisdiction. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. The securities referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information is not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represents only Allied Gold's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Allied Gold's control. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", or the negative or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information contained herein includes, but is not limited to, information concerning the commencement of trading of the Common Shares and Debentures on the TSX and the key catalysts expected to be achieved by the Company and expectations with regards to the development of the business of Allied Gold.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Allied Gold is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Allied Gold to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Allied Gold has made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the inability of the Common Shares and Debentures to commence trading on the TSX on September 11, 2023, as anticipated, the inability of Allied Gold to achieve any one or more of its key catalysts on the timeline expected, or at all and any changes in the development of the business of Allied Gold, as well as those risk factors more generally set out in Allied Gold's annual information form available under Allied Gold's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

Although Allied Gold believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is provided as of the date of this news release, and Allied Gold does not undertake to update any forward-looking information that is contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.


A UN-backed court in the Central African Republic said it had charged ex-rebel leader Abdoulaye Hissene with crimes against humanity and war crimes on Thursday.

One of the poorest countries in the world, the CAR was plunged into bloody sectarian conflict after Seleka rebels, a coalition of armed groups mainly composed of Muslims, ousted president Francois Bozize in early 2013.

The Special Criminal Court (SCC) handles cases concerning war crimes and crimes against humanity dating back to 2003.

Hissene, ex-military chief of the FPRC faction of the former Seleka rebellion, has been held in detention after he was arrested on Monday, an SCC source said on condition of anonymity.

In 2022, he announced his departure from the armed movement during reconciliation talks initiated by President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

The court said it had charged Hissene with "several crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2017, in his capacity as leader" of the FRPC.

He has faced UN sanctions since 2017 for his involvement in "acts that undermine the peace, stability or security of the CAR".

He also faced sanctions for "attacks against UN missions or international security presences, including MINUSCA, the European Union Missions and French operations which support them," the UN has said.

It has also pointed to the FRPC leader's links with ex-militia leader Maxime Mokom.

Mokom's militias, which called themselves "anti-Balaka" -- meaning "anti-machete" -- were formed in reaction to the takeover of the capital, Bangui, by the Seleka.

He faces 20 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed against Muslim civilians in the CAR, a former French colony, by his self-proclaimed self-defence militias in 2013 and 2014.

The charges against Mokom, brought before the International Criminal Court, included directing attacks against civilians, murder, rape, pillaging and destruction of property, as well as attacks against religious buildings including mosques.
Promising transitional justice as part of his 2018 election campaign, The Maldives incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih set up a Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances (DDCom) shortly after taking office in November that year. This commission is tasked with probing unresolved cases of murders and enforced disappearances that happened between January 1, 2012 and November 17, 2018. They include the 2014 disappearance of Ahmed Rilwan, a critical journalist who uncovered political corruption and its links to Islamist extremism.

An Ombudspersons Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) with a broad mandate was also set up under the Transitional Justice Act of December 17, 2020. The Act gave the OTJ a mandate of two years, but this has been extended to the end of 2023.

Political parties have been ambiguous on transitional justice, and the outcome of the September 9 presidential elections is hard to predict. Former president Abdulla Yameen, whose previous tenure drew accusations of human rights abuses, has been barred from running because of a conviction for corruption and money laundering. Another former president, Mohamed Nasheed, split from President Solihs party earlier this year to form his own party. There are an unprecedented eight candidates running, and a second round of voting on September 20 looks likely.

Key suspect is freed

Added to the sensitivity of the election period, victims are still reeling from the Criminal Courts decision on June 21 to release on bail Ahmed Ahandhu Ismail, a key suspect in the disappearance and presumed murder of journalist Rilwan and the 2017 murder of blogger and human rights activist Yameen Rasheed. The prosecutors office decided not to appeal his conditional release. Ahandu, along with two other suspects, had been referred by DDCom. All three were arrested in June 2022 but have been let out of jail.

Victims feel frustrated as well as afraid, we are told, as the process has taken a long time. DDCom has worked hard to gain their trust, according to an international expert who has provided support and expertise to DDCom. But now they fear for their safety and do not want to talk to media. As an illustration of the political tension and sensitivity, two international experts who advised on transitional justice in the Maldives did not want to be quoted directly for fear of not being able to work in the country or seeming to be too critical, which would not create an enabling environment for transitional justice.

Experts stress that witness protection is difficult in a small country where everyone knows everyone else. And there is concern about endemic corruption, including suspicions that it may still affect judicial institutions.

Since the disappearance of journalist Ahmed Rilwan in 2014, Maldivians have regularly demonstrated to demand the truth by wearing a mask on which the face of the reporter, who was allegedly murdered after exposing political corruption in the archipelago and its links with Islamist extremism, is drawn in shadow.  Dying Regime

Transitional justice with many obstacles

The Ombudspersons Office for Transitional Justice has also faced numerous challenges. One of the biggest challenges faced by OTJ was its broad mandate under the OTJ Act, as it had to focus on all the systematic violations of fundamental human rights and freedom that happened from January 1, 1953 to November 17, 2018, says Maldivian human rights expert Mariyam Laiza, one of the first three ombudspersons, when asked about difficulties during her time in office. She left on August 31, 2022, over differences with colleagues and after criticizing lack of leadership. In addition, the concept of systematic violations is vague in the Act, which does not give a clear legal definition, she continues.

The OTJ suffered from lack of resources and transitional justice expertise, especially in the beginning. The ombudspersons were appointed on January 15, 2021, and did not get any office until April that year, says Laiza. It was also during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a lockdown in place, so all the start-up work like recruiting staff had to be done online.

Case submission was opened on June 13, 2021 for a period of three months, and closed on September 13. During that period, 488 cases were lodged, mostly related to housing issues, says Laiza. The majority of housing cases were related to unfair distribution of housing and those eligible for housing schemes not getting housing. Cases that cannot be resolved through reconciliation and concluded with sufficient evidence for the criminal components must be forwarded to the Prosecutors Generals Office (PGO), while cases that involve the recovery of civil damages or recovery of monies and assets must be forwarded to the Attorney Generals Office (AGO).

The Maldives is heavily dependent on tourist revenue and renting land to tourist resorts, which has often been a cause of corruption and alleged favouritism in the distribution of state resources. In recent years, power has changed hands in every election cycle. One of the main complaints to the OTJ has been that each time there is a change of the political class in power, that political class undermines the rules and redistributes the resources, says one international expert. The people of the Maldives are heavily dependent on public administration, notably for jobs and housing.

Historical cases and prison torture

The OTJs mandate thus includes abuses of socio-economic rights. But it is also trying to shed light on historical abuses such as the violent overthrow of the archipelagos first president Mohamed Amin Didi, and the 1962 military intervention and depopulation of the rebellious Thinadoo island, which was accompanied by numerous serious human rights abuses including torture and rape. Other episodes of human rights abuses that the OTJ has identified for further research relate notably to interventions by security forces, attacks on freedom of expression and alleged unfairness in housing scheme procedures.

In addition, the OTJ is probing cases of torture and inhumane treatment in Maldivian prisons that occurred between January 1, 1953 and October 17, 2018. There are many reports that have documented that since the 90s. The Office has held closed hearings with some of these claimants.

Running out of time

The OTJ has completed investigation of some 230 cases so far, mostly relating to housing, Laiza told Justice Info. A few of these were settled through reconciliation between state agents and complainants. However, she says, the bigger, historic cases that were also decided as research are still incomplete, even though there have been hearings, literature reviews and taking of statements for some of the cases. She doubts they can be concluded by the time the OTJ mandate ends.

DDCom also has a number of investigations ongoing. The length of its mandate is unclear in law, and it is a presidential commission set up under Solih.

So it remains to be seen what happens after the elections. But whatever the outcome, transitional justice in the Maldives may have a dynamic of its own. Once you start the wheel of transitional justice, you build it and bring it to the public eye, it doesnt die out, believes one expert. The public and especially victims pick it up, NGOs pick it up, and it may reappear somewhere down the line, although the Maldives is a difficult place for human rights right now.
To listen to the podcast, click on the "play" button below:

In June International Criminal Court judges ruled that the Prosecutor could resume investigations into Venezuela, so we took the opportunity to finally look into the situation. This is the first of two podcasts about alleged crimes committed there.

The alleged crimes concern the treatment of protesters in 2014, during the economic crisis that followed the death of former socialist president Hugo Chavez. The protest were violently repressed by the government and over 130 people were killed and over 15,000 wounded. Another big wave of protests and repression followed in 2017 and allegations of arbitrary detention and torture of opposition supporters and other crimes against humanity soared.

ICC aside, two big international investigations over the crimes committed in Venezuela have been ongoing. Ad we caught up with some of the women behind the reports. We have Marta Valinas, Chairperson of the UN-backed Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Marta talks about their findings and how they show an ongoing effort to quash the opposition by serious human rights violations.

And also with us is Joanna Frivet, barrister at Guernica37 and member of the Panel of Experts of the Organisation of American States on Venezuela. The reports issued by the Panel motivated 6 South American states to request the ICC to open their investigations. Joanna explains how the judiciary system is intertwined with the state apparatus and how it is therefore also responsible for crimes against humanity.

We also ask Joanna and Marta how independent their work is and what they have seen on the ground in Venezuela  what are victims and civil societys expectations. And of course, we dig deeper into how the ICCs prosecutor has interacted with the government in Caracas.
Choi Sung Eung is preparing to return to the limelight with the high scale film "My Name is Loh Kiwan" with Song Joong Ki.

The actress has starred in various series but yet to take on a big break. Luckily, the new Netflix film is believed to cement her name in the acting scene.

Keep on reading to know more about the actress and her upcoming project with Song Joong Ki.

Choi Sung Eun Becomes Song Joong Ki's New Leading Lady

The 28-year-old star is gearing up for her long awaited return to the acting scene with Netflix's "My Name is Loh Kiwan."

Choi Sung Eun transforms into Mari, a Korean-born Belgian woman who falls in love with a defector after discovering salvation in him while helping him assimilate in the country.

"My Name is Loh Kiwan" is Song Joong Ki's comeback film where he plays the titular role, a North Korean defector who flees to Belgium.

The film is based on the novel "I Met Loh Kiwan" by Cho Hae Jin, which won the Shin Dong Yup Prize for Literature in 2013.

It boasts a star-studded cast including Jo Han Chul, Kim Sung Ryong, Lee Il Hwa, Lee Sang Hee and Seo Hyun Woo, which raises excitement among fans.

"My Name is Loh Kiwan" finished filming in Hungary with the guidance of Kim Hee Jin. The film is set to enter its post production phase with the intention to release it in early 2024 so stay tuned.

Choi Sung Eun's Previous Works

In 2022, Choi Sung Eun made headlines after joining Ji Chang Wook and Hwang In Yeop in the mystical short-form series "The Sound of Magic."

She also starred in the Korean "Black Mirror" called "SF8, an omnibus drama that boasts the themes of augmented reality to showcase the lives of people dreaming of a perfect society.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THIS: Park Ha Sun Update 2023: Fan-Favorite Star Returns To Silver Screen This Year

Choi Sung Eun also starred in "Beyond Evil" as a murder suspect. This opened a lot of doors for her as a rookie actress. With that said, she also joined the rom-com series "Start-Up."

It is a breath of fresh air from her dark-themed filmography as the series depicts the hilarious twists and turns of life in the romantic world while managing stocks, business and more.

Thanks to the series, Choi Sung Eun received great recognition as Best New Actress at the 25th Chunsa Film Art Awards in 2020.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Kang Ki Young is receiving massive attention for his solid acting chops as a villain in his recently concluded drama "The Uncanny Counter 2."

In an interview, he talks about his wife's participation in his craft, and how he maintains a great relationship with her amidst busy schedules. Keep on reading.

Kang Ki Young Shares Secret To Healthy Married Life

Unbeknownst to many, Kang Ki Young has already tied the knot long before he rose to fame in Hallyu.

The actor married his long-time partner in 2019, and is now living a happily married life with their young son and pet poodle in a beautiful modern villa.

The couple boasts a stylish interior with a vast yard filled with zoysia grass. Because of this, fans think that Kang Ki Young and his wife live very fancy and flawless lives.

While a beautiful home makes the couple at ease, they maintain their relationship with constant communication and affection to one another.

Kang Ki Young revealed that despite his busy roster, he still allots time to his wife and son to make sure that he doesn't neglect his family because of work.

He also involves his wife in his decisions and work life. In an interview with tvN, the actor shared that his wife watched "The Uncanny Counter 2" and pointed out what needs to be improved in his performance.

This helped the actor in seamlessly immersing himself with his character. His wife's reassurance also boosted not only his self-esteem but also his trust in their relationship.

Kang Ki Young Reveals Career Plans In The Future

With the support of his beloved family and friends, Kang Ki Young is now more ready to conquer any acting role in Hallyu.

After joining "The Uncanny Counter 2," he is certain that he's ready to say goodbye to his "comical and goofy" image as an actor.

Kang Ki Young shared that he plans to take on the romance genre in his new project. After playing supporting characters for years, it would be great to see him as a male lead instead.

He wants to curate a drama that brings deep emotions to viewers, leaving a lingering impact on their hearts. In addition, Kang Ki Young also wishes to work with Ma Dong Seok in an action drama in the future.

Have you seen Kang Ki Young's performance in "The Uncanny Counter 2"? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
The hit ongoing K-drama "Moving" finally revealed the background story of Lee Jae Man, played by Kim Sung Kyun. Interestingly, the 14th episode featured his connection with Jang Joo Won, played by Ryu Seung Ryung, and their first encounter.

Moreover, the episode also focused on the two characters being fathers and having superpowers.

As viewers enjoyed watching the episode, the production team revealed an interesting story behind it.

Ryu Seung Ryong & Kim Sung Kyun's Fight Scene Took Several Days to Film

In a report, the production team revealed the stories behind the intense fight scene between Lee Jae Man and Jang Joo Won, was filmed not just in one day - but for four days!

Moreover, Ryu Seung Ryong and Kim Sung Kyun did the stunts several times while their lower bodies were submerged in water.

At the same time, Ryu Seung Ryong also posted behind-the-scenes photos while shooting the fight scene with Kim Sung Kyun.

The actor shared a glimpse of what really happened during filming an intense scene in "Moving." The cast and crew were all smiling as they wrapped up filming the fight scene.

In the said episode, Lee Jae Man helps his wife, who works as a merchant, sell items on the street. Because of his power, he is assigned to deliver the goods while his wife sells them.

However, their family faces a crisis as the area is set to be demolished due to urban redevelopment. Because of his previous case, his wife tells him to check on their son, Lee Kang Hoon.

After fetching him from school, Lee Jae Man gets worried about his wife, whom he has not seen since he left their stall.

Unfortunately, he sees her being taken by the police, which gets him furious. He then unleashes his superpower strength.

In hopes of running away, he ends up in the sewers but can't find his way back. This is where Jang Joo Won takes place, as he is tasked capturing the "monster" and bring him to Mr. Min.

Following the intense fight scene, both Lee Jae Man and Jang Joo Won are able to save a boy trapped in the sewers.

Due to his promise to his son, Jang Joo Won lets Lee Jae Man go home.

Unfortunately, as the police captures Lee Jae Man at his house, they witness that his son, Kang Hoon, also has superpowers like his father.

This is where Jang Joo Won realizes that he has to protect his daughter, Jang Hee Soo, from people like Mr. Min.

'Moving' Episodes 16 & 17 Release Date

With only a few episodes left, "Moving" episodes 16 and 17 are set to air on September 13, while the finale week will be on September 20, airing three episodes simultaneously.

Viewers could watch the latest episodes via Disney+ and Hulu.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Moving' Craze Results in Disney+'s Boost in Subscriptions

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Kim Hieora's former school has responded to the controversy after facing backlash due to its involvement with the actress' controversy.

The public was stunned after Dispatch revealed a report saying that "The Glory" actress was among the members of the infamous Iljin Gang at Sangji Girls' High School.

Following reports and statements from the former students and Kim Hieora herself, it was revealed that the institution also faced backlash after being involved in the controversy.

Kim Hieora's Alma Matter Speaks Out Amid Bullying Controversy

In a report cited by a media outlet, Sangji Girls' High School, Kim Hieora's former school, said that they like to "correct" the misconception regarding their school.

After confirming that Kim Hieora was one of their students 20 years ago after entering the campus in 2004, Sangji Girls' High School released a statement addressing "dishonorable perception" towards the institution.

"Due to Internet articles, many parents and students are accusing our school of 'iljin gatherings and school violence," the statement reads, adding, "This seemingly widespread and dishonorable perception is causing misunderstandings, and we would like to correct that."

Moreover, the school also takes pride in how they resolve things within the institution through their programs, along with parents, students, and teachers.

"We are resolving conflicts between students by organically collaborating with the pupils, teachers, and parents through a character education program."

Moreover, the school also reiterates that their top priority is the "safety" of the students as well as their growth.

As for the Iljin gang called the "Big Sangji," the institution said that "there is no factual coverage or interview" relating to the actress, adding that the "content of the article does not match the current educational activity situation for the 2023 school year."

Due to this, Sangji Girls' High School said that the reputation of the students, parents, faculty, and staff "has been tarnished because of the school's name."

Moreover, they also expressed disappointment in publishing the photo of the school's campus.

It can be recalled that Dispatch revealed evidence showing Kim Hieora's involvement with the bullying allegations, which contain photographs and reactions from her former classmates.

Meanwhile, the actress did not deny that she was part of the group but pointed out that she never harassed or bullied her fellow students.

'The Glory' Stars Lim Ji Yeon, Park Sung Il Support Kim Hieora

After the news broke, "The Glory" cast showed their support for Kim Hieora as she faced public scrutiny due to the incident.

Lead stars Lim Ji Yeon and Park Sung Il by liking Kim Hieora's Instagram post, which contained her public apology.

Unfortunately, not all netizens were happy about it and were underfired for showing support to their "The Glory" co-star.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Yukon's ombudsman says the territory's government failed in its duties to notify parents at a school where a child was sexually assaulted by delaying notification until almost two years later. The Yukon flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Monday, July 6, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The New Ross Piano Festival will play host to some world-class pianists from September 20 to 24 at St Mary's Church.

One of the highlights of this year's festival promises to be the Irish premiere of a newly-commissioned music inspired by the

Dunbrody Famine Ship.

When it comes to the classical aspect of the piano repertoire, this year there is a lot of Rachmaninov, on the 150th anniversary of his birth. Sergei Rachmaninov was born on April 1 1873 into a family of the Russian aristocracy which had a strong musical tradition.

Interestingly, his paternal grandfather had taken lessons from the Irish composer John Field. He showed precocious musical talent from the age of four, and over his lifetime composed much well-known music.

Lucy Parham is bringing the actor Tim McInnerny to perform Elegie, a musical journey through Rachmaninovs life and compositions. Readers may know Tim from his appearances in Blackadder and Game of thrones amongst numerous other TV and film roles. One of Britains finest pianists, Lucy Parham applies her sensitivity and imagination not only to concertos and recitals, but also to portraits in words and music of such composers as Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and now Rachmaninov.

Cellist Alexander Chaushian will join with Yevgeny Sudbin, who has been hailed as one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century, to perform Rachmaninovs Sonata for cello and piano.

In the opening main concert on Friday evening there will be two lovely Rachmaninov works. Cellist Alexander Chaushian will play the Vocalise with Finghin Collins, the Festival Artistic Director. Yumeka Nakagawa, the young winner of the Clara Haskil piano competition, will be joined by Alexander and the violinist Mirijam Contzen to play the Trio Elegiaque, a piece

that is said to be influenced by his admiration of Tchaikovsky.

Another festival highlight is Kit Downes, who is a BBC Jazz Award winning, Mercury Music Award nominated solo recording artist for ECM Records. Kit performs solo pipe organ and solo piano concerts  as well as playing in collaborations with saxophonist Tom Challenger, cellist Lucy Railton, composer Shiva Feshareki, saxophonist Ben van Gelder and with the

band ENEMY (with Petter Eldh and James Maddren).

Earlier that day Belfast man, Scott Flanagan will give a lunchtime gig in the church. He will be joined by familiar faces, Dave Redmond on bass and Kevin Brady on drums. Scott will also be playing solo in the Dunbrody at 11 and 3, for two free sessions.

Ellen Jansson is no stranger to New Ross and is one of Irelands foremost pianists. Ellen will be speaking and

playing to second level music students and also giving a free public recital on Friday, September 22, at noon.

Canadian Meagan Milatz is coming over to play the Canadian composition about the Dunbrody. She will also play a solo recital on Saturday at noon as well as taking part in each evening concert.

Mirijam Contzen on the violin will join Alexander Chaushian for the usual chamber music element of the Piano Festival.

20 young piano students from the South-East will also perform a concert as part of this year's festival.

www.newrosspianofestival.com
Gardai in Waterford are appealing for witnesses following a serious hit-and-run road traffic collision that occurred in Waterford City shortly before midday today, Friday 8th September 2023.

At approximately 11.45am a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle at the junction of The Glen and Ballybricken. The car failed to remain at the scene of the collision.

The male pedestrian (aged in his 40s) was seriously injured during the collision. He has been taken to Cork University Hospital where his condition is described as critical.

The Glen and Ballybricken roads are currently closed and the services of Garda Forensic Collision Investigators have been requested. Local diversions are in place.

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact them.

Any road users and pedestrians who were in The Glen, Ballybricken and surrounding areas this morning between 11.00am and 12.00pm (midday) and noticed any unusual activity are asked to contact investigating gardai.

Anyone who may have camera footage (including dash cam) of this area this morning is asked to make this available to Gardai.

Anyone with information which may assist gardai is asked to contact Waterford Garda Station on 051 305300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
Cllr David FitzGerald is urging the Minister for Agriculture to renegotiate changes to nitrates derogation limit.

Reacting the announcement by the European Commission that Irelands nitrates derogation will be cut from its current level of 250kg N/ha to 220Kg N/ha from January, Cllr FitzGerald said he believes this decision will have a huge financial impact on farmers across the sector.

"I am frustrated by the sudden announcement by the European Commission is changing our derogation, and the huge impact it will have on across the farming sectors," he said.

"This is being introduced too quickly and too suddenly it doesnt allow time for farmers to adjust their finances and stocking rates. This is also going to create huge pressure in the land letting market.

"The Minster needs to go back to Europe and renegotiate a better deal for farmers and support them as we transition through this difficult period. Derogation is an important part of our Irish agriculture we need to support farmers as we get used to the new norm right across Europe.
A recent report published by the Citizens Information Centre reveals that there is an increase of 25% in callers from Kilkenny seeking advice.

The annual report from the South Leinster Citizens Information Centre showed staff anf volunteers assisted 6,130 Kilkenny callers - a quarter more than in 2021.

According to the findings of the report queries ranged from social welfare supports to employment and housing queries to assisting migrant communities among many other topics of information.

The increase in footfall was also based on the reopening of the drop-in clinics, Monday to Friday mornings across the region, enhancing service delivery and providing a more consistent service. This was made possible by the return of volunteers to support the provision of the service.

In 2022, the CIS team worked on over 400 long-term advocacy cases in areas such social welfare, employment and housing and almost 680 short-term cases which is an increase of over 31% long-term cases and over 14% short term cases on last year primarily due to the reintroduction of face-to-face consultations.

Reopening of the Kilkenny Citizen Information Centre (CIS) in its newly upgraded premises in April was one of the highlights of 2022 for South Leinster Citizens Information Service.

According to the report almost all customers who used the CIS would recommend the services: 98.5% would be happy to use the services again

Funded by the Citizens Information Board, the range of areas covered by the CIS are wide including social welfare rights and entitlements and other social issues such as employment, health services, housing, education, family matters and consumer rights on which people need access to information.

To find out opening hours or if you would like the CIC to address a specific query or to book an appointment with a member of the team contact your local Citizens Information Centre office in Kilkenny is at 4 The Parade where customers can drop-in, telephone or make an appointment on 0818 07 7910.

www.citizensinformation.ie




Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese practice known for its graceful and meditative movements, has gained popularity worldwide as a holistic exercise regimen.

Beyond its reputation for promoting balance and flexibility, Tai Chi offers a remarkable array of cardiovascular benefits that contribute to overall heart health.

At first glance, Tai Chis slow and deliberate motions might not appear to provide intense cardiovascular exercise.

However, research has shown that the gentle, rhythmic movements have a profound impact on heart health.

Engaging in regular Tai Chi practice can enhance blood circulation, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease.

The deep, mindful breathing associated with Tai Chi also improves lung capacity, boosting oxygen intake for better cardiovascular function.

A unique aspect of Tai Chi is its stress-reducing prowess. Chronic stress can significantly strain the cardiovascular system, leading to hypertension and other heart-related issues. Tai Chis meditative component combats stress effectively, promoting relaxation and mental clarity. This, in turn, contributes to stabilized heart rates and reduced strain on the heart.

Moreover, Tai Chis low-impact nature makes it suitable for individuals of varying fitness levels, including those who may have limitations due to age or existing health conditions.

Its adaptability allows people to engage in regular physical activity, strengthening their hearts without subjecting them to high-impact stress.

Incorporating Tai Chi into a wellness routine can yield remarkable cardiovascular benefits, nurturing heart health from multiple angles.

As with any fitness practice, consistency is key. By dedicating time to Tai Chi, individuals can experience improved blood circulation, reduced blood pressure, enhanced lung capacity, and decreased stress levels.

Ultimately, embracing Tai Chi empowers individuals to embark on a journey toward a stronger, healthier heart and a more vibrant life.

To learn more about Tai Chi, there will be free talk and demonstration on Wednesday, September 13 at 6.30pm in the Kilkenny School Project on Waterford Road.

A new 10-week course for beginners will start on Wednesday, September 20. All are welcome.
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(Kitco News) - Lithium developer Atlantic Lithium (AIM: ALL) (OTCQX: ALLIF) announced Friday that it has agreed non-binding heads of terms with the Minerals Income Investment Fund of Ghana (MIIF) to invest a total of US$32.9 million in the company and its Ghanaian subsidiaries.

According to the company's statement, MIIF's proposed investment will support the development of the company's flagship Ewoyaa lithium project and the broader Cape Coast lithium portfolio in Ghana towards production.

"This strategic investment highlights the desirability of the Ewoyaa lithium project, derisks the success of the project and sees MIIF contribute towards the development expenditure for the project, the company said.

"This is a major endorsement by an African sovereign wealth fund and spotlights Ghana as a highly attractive mining jurisdiction and a pioneer in the decarbonization thematic, it added.

Atlantic Lithium advances a portfolio of lithium projects in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire through to production. The company's flagship project, the Ewoyaa project in Ghana, is a significant lithium spodumene pegmatite discovery on track to become Ghana's first lithium-producing mine.

The company signed a funding agreement with Piedmont Lithium towards the development of the Ewoyaa project. At the Ewoyaa project, Atlantic Lithium said it intends to be producing spodumene concentrate via a simple gravity only process flowsheet.
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(Kitco News) - The deteriorating relationship between the worlds two most populous countries is threatening to set back the BRICS currency project and undermine the blocs de-dollarization goals.

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to host world leaders at the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, relations with China, which have been tense for some time, appear to have deteriorated further. Earlier this week, China announced that President Xi Jinping would not be attending the G20 and would instead send Premier Li Qiang in his place. This is the first G20 that Xi has skipped since he came to power in 2013, and no explanation for his absence was given.

The rift between the two Asian giants was also evident at the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Xi and Modi did their best to project a unified front, but after Chinese and Indian diplomats held discussions about their disputed border region, which saw an outbreak of conflict in 2020, each country gave conflicting statements about who called for the meetings, and what was agreed. The result was a diplomatic snafu at the highest levels.

Russia will now assume the chair of BRICS in the new year, and no country on Earth is more motivated to accelerate the ongoing process of de-dollarization and to follow through on the creation of a new financial infrastructure for international trade and settlement, including a new commodity-backed currency to supplant the U.S. dollar.

But a gold-backed BRICS currency will never take off without the full support of the worlds second- and fifth-largest economies. While Chinas $18.3 billion-dollar economy trails only the United States and is double those of the other BRICS nations combined, Indias $3.5 billion is still much larger than Russias $2.1 billion. And while Russias economy is in decline after 18 months of sanctions over the Ukraine war, and Chinas economy continues to slow, Indias is projected to grow by 6.1 percent this year.

China and Russia also bear the dubious distinction of having two of the worst demographic profiles among all nations, which means that economic growth in the medium and long term may favor India as well.

Another sticking point is Indias participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), commonly known as the Quad, which is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Not surprisingly considering its membership, this dialogue has centered on containing Chinas territorial and military ambitions in the Eastern hemisphere. India has participated in the Quad since 2007, and they would regard those conversations as only more important after the events of 2020.

Then theres technology, where China and Russia find themselves on the outside of Western high-tech supply chains and sharing agreements, while India has continued to align itself more closely with the United States and its allies. Indias successful moon landing during the BRICS summit, coming just days after Russias own spacecraft created a new crater, further highlighted what could be a growing technological divide among the BRICS members.

Speculation that China and Russia may be setting aside some of their massive gold production to back the new BRICS currency may prove to be true. China and India now account for nearly 50% of the total demand for gold, and both are likely to continue as major players on the precious metals purchasing side as well. But security nearly always trumps economy, and alliances, borders, technology, trade and demographics are increasingly pushing India and China apart.

If the two countries cant engage in high-level diplomacy at the G20, and cant even maintain the appearance of unity on behalf of the trade bloc, then all the gold in the world wont make the rival BRICS currency a reality.
MUMBAI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India's defence to prevent the rupee from sliding to a record low has likely extended to currency futures, three bankers and two analysts said on Friday.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported that the RBI has been intervening in non-deliverable forwards and the onshore over-the-counter (OTC) market to keep the rupee from breaching its record low of 83.29 against the U.S. dollar.

Its likely intervention in exchange-traded derivatives is reflected in the more-than-$1 billion jump in open interest on September USD/INR futures over the last three sessions on the National Stock Exchange, which represents a major chunk of the open interest on rupee futures.

"This big a jump in open interest in a span of few days is highly unusual," said Abhilash Koikkara, head - forex and rates at Nuvama Professional clients group.

"It is likely that the RBI is stepping in to curb volatility on the back of higher crude and U.S. yields."

The RBI did not immediately respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.

A futures trader at a private sector bank said that on a few occasions this week, there has been "a sudden" 2 to 3 paisa dip in USD/INR currency futures and "a slight deviation" from the spot OTC price.

"This, alongside the OI (open interest), suggests RBI selling," the trader said.

A part of the surge in open interest can be explained by speculators chasing the USD/INR higher and "a bit of hedging" after 83 was breached, said Dilip Parmar, an analyst with HDFC Securities.
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A federal jury in Washington, DC, has begun deliberating the criminal contempt of Congress charges against former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho speaks during a bilateral meeting with his Uzbek counterpart in Tashkent, Sept. 7, in this photo released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Sept. 8. Yonhap



Korea's finance ministry said Friday it has reached an agreement with Uzbekistan to settle an outstanding payment of around $1 billion involving a joint gas project.



The agreement was reached during Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho's visit to the Central Asian nation, where he held a bilateral meeting with his Uzbek counterpart, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.



Korea and Uzbekistan launched a gas project in 2008 with a joint venture named Uz-Kor Gas Chemical, which started production in 2016.



The recent settlement centered around the unpaid dues of a subsidiary belonging to Uzbekistan's state-owned gas company, which had procured gas from the joint venture but encountered payment delays due to foreign exchange issues.



The finance ministry did not provide further details of the agreement.



During the bilateral meeting, Choo expressed hope for bolstering bilateral economic ties to address growing uncertainties.



"As the global economy undergoes rapid changes in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, supply chain reconfigurations and the hastening of the energy transition, the two nations need to seek new opportunities for mutually beneficial growth," Choo said.



The finance minister noted that by leveraging South Korea's advanced technologies and Uzbekistan's abundant natural resources, the two countries can enhance their competitiveness within the global value chain, particularly in cutting-edge sectors.



"Korea and Uzbekistan both considered vitalizing exports as a key economic goal," Choo said, pointing out that Asia's No. 4 economy has been making efforts to diversify its trade portfolio.



The combined amount of trade between South Korea and Uzbekistan came to $2.21 billion in 2022, soaring from just $3 million tallied in 1992.



During the visit, Choo also paid a courtesy call on Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, where he discussed measures to expand bilateral ties in the supply chain and emerging industries.



Choo also asked for Uzbekistan's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in its southeastern city of Busan. (Yonhap)


Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning. A few snow showers developing during the afternoon. High 38F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 24F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Sunny this morning. A few snow showers developing during the afternoon. High 38F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Among contestants in Mnet's dance show, "Street Woman Fighter 2," Audrey Lane has been gaining attention for her beauty and duality! Get to know more about the dancer!

Jam Republic Audrey Lane Quick Profile:

Full Name: Audrey Lane-Partlow

Nationality: American

Birthplace: Seattle, Washington (but now lives in Los Angeles, California,

Birthday: December 30, 2003

Age: 19 years old

Height: 164cm

Family: Parents

Crew: Jam Republic

Genre: Hip-hop

Instagram: _audretlane_

Her nationality in her profile is American, however, there are claims that Audrey is either Filipino-American or Mexican-American. This is after she said on TikTok that she was of Filipino, Mexican and American descent.

Audrey Lane's Dance Background: 'World of Dance,' 'Street Woman Fighter 2'

According to her profile history, Audrey's earlier appearance as a dancer was when she joined NBC's "World of Dance." She then worked with electronic duo Matt & Kim as well as famous brands such as Samsung, Disney, Mazda and Nickelodeon.

Audrey Lane has a wide knowledge various of dances ranging from her main genre hip-hop to jazz, ballet, poppin' and more. Fun fact! She even learned the Korean martial artis Taekkyon for 3 years, hence, her strength, balance and flexibility.

Currently, she's been receiving attention from dance and K-pop enthusiasts after joining Mnet's "Street Woman Fighter 2."

She appeared as a member of the crew Jam Republic and she initially drew attention for her doll-like beauty like Audrey Hepburn. In Episode 1, she immediately boasted her innocent visuals with clear eyes and a bright smile, on top of her young age. As a result, she was initially selected as the underdog of the show after getting one of the most "No Respect" votes.

However, she surprised the whole crew and viewers when she showed her duality and from her usual sweet atmosphere, Audrey became a "dancefloor monster" and swept both rounds as the winner.

Audrey's Controversial Armpit Hair

Prior to the show, Audrey had been communicating with fans through social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. She gained massive love for her doll-like appearance excellent dance skills and charisma.

However, she became controversial among Koreans for her untrimmed armpit hair and "armpit" became her related search keywords.

Foreign fans then explained that this is a natural phenomenon among foreigners and it was only in Korea, or Asian countries that armpit hair is seen as creepy or unhygienic.

Audrey Relationship Status

As of now, it is unconfirmed whether Audrey is dating someone, but looking at her Instagram, fans and netizens raised suspicion about her relationship with a certain co-dancer Romeo who often appears in her photos.

There are opinions that it could be her friend or dance partner, but due to the close and lovely atmosphere between them, there are various opinions about them.

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson.
A photo taken by Vinny Schiraldi, a youth justice expert, during a tour of the proposed youth unit at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola shows the interior of a cell in the unit. Schiraldi testified as an expert witness on behalf of plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to halt the plan. (Provided photo)
PRNewswire

San Jose (California) [US], September 8: PallyCon, a leading provider of content security and multi-DRM solutions, is thrilled to announce the release of new feature PallyCon DRM License Cipher that will combat the vulnerabilities in software-level DRM solutions.

Also Read | Apple fixes Zero-Day Bugs Used to Deliver Pegasus Spyware on iPhones.

In today's digital era, the protection of digital content is more crucial than ever. Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems stand as the first line of defense, ensuring that copyrighted content remains secure and accessible only to authorized users. However, vulnerabilities in software-level DRM solutions have posed significant challenges to content security. PallyCon is excited to unveil a formidable solution that combats these vulnerabilities head-on - PallyCon DRM License Cipher.

Understanding the Challenge

Also Read | Dhupguri Assembly By-Election Result 2023: BJP Candidate Tapasi Roy Ahead in Postal Ballot Counting in West Bengal Bypoll.

Software-level DRM implementations have historically been susceptible to various attacks. Malicious actors exploit weak points in the software to reverse engineer content decryption methods, tamper with license request responses, and compromise sensitive content keys. This not only threatens the content owners' revenues but also tarnishes their intellectual property rights.

A Multilayered Defense: DRM License Cipher

DRM License Cipher is not just another security product; it's a paradigm shift in content protection. PallyCon's solution serves as an impenetrable shield against software-level DRM vulnerabilities, restoring confidence in the security of your digital assets.

Key Features of DRM License Cipher

1. Advanced Encryption Techniques: PallyCon employs sophisticated encryption algorithms to safeguard license request challenge and response data. By locking down these critical components of DRM communication, PallyCon thwarts attempts to generate forged requests or extract sensitive content keys.

2. Whitebox Cryptography Brilliance: Elevating our solution's security prowess, whitebox cryptography is applied to fortify the custom encryption key. Even if attackers breach the application, they'll face an impenetrable barrier protecting the very heart of content security.

3. AppSealing: Fortifying the Perimeter: Building on this formidable foundation, PallyCon has incorporated AppSealing, a dynamic application security solution that ensures the user's service application is armed against a multitude of threats. Root detection, anti-reverse engineering, tamper detection, memory protection, and screen recording prevention come together to create an impenetrable fortress for the user's content.

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(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, September 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday changed the cover image of his social media platform- X with the picture of the Nataraja statue at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the G20 summit in the national capital. The G20 Summit, a highly anticipated event featuring top world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan on September 9 and 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this complex on July 26 this year.

Earlier, the PM had a picture of himself in front of Parliament as his cover image. Notably, the national capital has started welcoming foreign delegates and leaders from all across the world for the G20 Summit. As a host nation, the Centre has taken special care of the arrangements and experiences of foreign dignitaries while they are in India. G20 Summit 2023: From Deployment of 50,000 Security Personnel to Round-the-Clock Surveillance, How Delhi Has Turned Into Fortress as India Hosting World Leaders.

The G20 Summit being held in New Delhi under Indias Presidency will draw the participation of the top leaders. The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries-- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States-- and the European Union. G20 Summit 2023: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni Arrives in India To Attend G20 Leaders Meet (Watch Video).

During the summit, the national capital will play host to US President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others.The authorities have beautified roads, footpaths, roundabouts, markets, flyovers, and public areas with over 1 lakh potted plants.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, September 8: Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh strengthened his lead over his BJP rival Dara Singh Chauhan with a margin of 4,067 votes after the fourth round of counting in the Ghosi assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. According to the Election Commission (EC), while Singh has garnered 14,286 votes so far, Chauhan has got 10,219. There will be 34 rounds of counting.

The counting of votes for the bypoll, which is being seen as the first major electoral clash between the NDA and opposition bloc INDIA, began at 8 am. The fate of the 10 candidates in the fray was sealed by voters on Tuesday. A voter turnout of 50.77 per cent was recorded in Ghosi, which falls under Mau district. Ghosi Assembly By-Election Result 2023: BJP Candidate Dara Singh Chauhan Takes Early Lead in Uttar Pradesh Bypoll.

The Ghosi bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, from the Samajwadi Party in July. He returned to the BJP and was fielded by the party in the bypoll. In the 2022 polls, Chauhan had defeated BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Rajbhar by a margin of 22,216 votes.

This time, Chauhan is being supported by NDA partners Apna Dal (Sonelal), Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, a former SP ally. On the other hand, some INDIA bloc constituents -- Congress, CPI(M), CPI, RLD, AAP, CPI(ML)-Liberation and Suheldev Swabhiman Party -- have extended support to Singh. Ghosi Assembly By-Election Result 2023: Counting of Votes Begins for Uttar Pradesh Bypoll.

The bypoll will have no bearing on the BJP government, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the 403-member state assembly. However, its outcome could be an indicator of what is in store for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the INDIA bloc. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the 543-member Lok Sabha.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held talks with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth here, the Indian leader's first bilateral meeting before the start of the G20 Summit.

Jugnauth arrived on Thursday to a warm welcome at the New Delhi Airport to attend the Summit from September 9-10.

Also Read | G20 Summit 2023: Look Forward to Productive Discussions With World Leaders, Says PM Narendra Modi As Two-Day G20 Leaders Summit Begins From September 9.

The prime minister is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next three days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit.

On Saturday, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.

Also Read | The G20 Summit Evokes Some Uncomfortable Comparisons.

On Sunday, he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) In a riot of brown, green and shades of vivid orange, hundreds of trees lining roads through which heads of states and foreign delegates will travel during the G20 Summit have been adorned with garlands of marigold.

Tree trunks wrapped with marigold can been seen in the Palam technical area, Sardar Patel Marg, Rajghat and other important intersections.

Also Read | Tripura Assembly By-Elections Result 2023: BJP Wins Dhanpur and Boxanagar Assembly Seats, Scripts Electoral History As First Muslim Nominee Taffajal Hossain Succeeds.

This has been carried out on the directions of Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, officials said.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: 21-Year-Old Man Arrested for Abducting Minor, Raping Her for 20 Days After Taking Her to Delhi.

"This is the Gujarati tradition of welcoming guests. This is an eco-friendly way and marigold flowers also add aesthetic value," Saxena told PTI last week.

Various agencies have pitched in for decorating trees with marigold garlands, the work for which started in the intervening night of September 7 and 8, officials said.

The trees will remain decorated throughout the event.

This kind of eco-friendly decoration of important roads in Delhi has been done for the first time, an official said.

"The marigold flowers used for decorating the trees can remain fresh for long durations and even after they wilt and dry up, they can be used as compost around the trees, apart from being used for seeding of new plants at chosen locations," he added.

While the Delhi Cantonment Board has decorated about 400 trees around the Palam technical area (Thimayya Marg and Parade Road), the Public Works Department has done the job for around 200 trees and 100 poles near Rajghat, according to officials.

Besides, about 1,200 trees on Sardar Patel Marg and important intersections have been decorated by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and 300 trees by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The G20 Summit will be held in the national capital over the weekend.

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Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 8 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said under the successful leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India organized the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav with grandeur and divinity.

In 2047, when India will be celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Independence, every patriotic citizen will desire to see India as the leading country across the globe, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

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He said this while addressing the public at an event held during the 'Meri Mati Mera Desh' program at the Gorakhnath temple.

At the event, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presented an urn containing sacred soil from the Gorakhnath temple complex to Rajesh Gupta, the president of the BJP Mahanagar. He said that under the successful leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India organized the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav with grandeur and divinity, a press release from the UP CMO read.

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"In the first year of the Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, we are all fortunate to have the opportunity to see the emergence of a new India. PM Modi has given an opportunity to the 140 crore population of New India to move forward with a detailed action plan for the next 25 years, he added.

Chief Minister Yogi emphasized that, as part of a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening India's strength and capabilities, the 'Maati ko Naman Veero ko Vandan' program was inaugurated today at the Metropolitan Organization in Gorakhpur. In this, I am fortunate to connect the soil of Gorakhpur with the Amrit Kalash.

He further said that Amrit Kalash will be collected from every civic body and every development block across the state and will first go to Lucknow, and then to Delhi. In Lucknow, where the Azadi ka Amrit Kalash has been established, a sacred site known as the 'Amrit Kalash Vatika' is currently under development. The same location will serve as the repository for the urns gathered from various regions across the state, each containing soil collected from approximately 1,500 locations, including 825 development blocks that will be kept in Amrit Kalash Vatika. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cited a G20 report prepared by the World Bank to highlight that India has achieved in just six years financial inclusion targets that would otherwise have taken at least 47 long years.

"India's leap in financial inclusion, powered by Digital Public Infrastructure! A G20 document prepared by the World Bank shared a very interest point on India's growth," he said on X.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: 21-Year-Old Man Arrested for Abducting Minor, Raping Her for 20 Days After Taking Her to Delhi.

"India has achieved financial inclusion targets in just 6 years which would otherwise have taken at least 47 long years. Compliments to our robust digital payment infrastructure and the spirit of our people. It is equally a testament to rapid progress and innovation," he said.

Home Minister Amit Shah said the report acknowledges that the robust Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile trinity infrastructure built by the Modi government has empowered millions.

Also Read | G20 Summit 2023: Look Forward to Productive Discussions With World Leaders, Says PM Narendra Modi As Two-Day G20 Leaders Summit Begins From September 9.

"The report also highlights that our country has saved USD 33 billion through the DBT system. Every rupee saved by our nation is a step toward our goal of becoming a fully developed nation during the Amrit Kaal," he said, sharing a report.

Advocating DPI's potential in helping nations leapfrog digital transformation, the G20 document prepared by the World Bank has praised India's approach in unlocking the power of digital public infrastructure, including Aadhaar and UPI, for financial inclusion.

The impact of DPI goes beyond inclusive finance, to supporting health, education, and sustainability, says the foreward of the document `G20 policy recommendations for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains through DPI'.

"The India stack exemplifies this approach, combining digital ID, interoperable payments, a digital credentials ledger, and account aggregation. In just six years, it has achieved a remarkable 80 per cent financial inclusion rate - a feat that would have taken nearly five decades without a DPI approach," it said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Quick-commerce and logistics company Zepto has elevated Ankit Agarwal, the Special Vice President (SVP) for Product, to the position of Chief Product Officer, the company said on Friday.

Agarwal joined Zepto in August 2022, and has worked with companies like Adobe, Flipkart, Delhivery.

Also Read | Microsoft Will Handle Legal Risks if Copilot AI Users Get Sued, Says President Brad Smith.

Agarwal said his focus will be on building a product team that makes the "most customer-obsessed choices, and at the same time operates with very high financial discipline."

"We've  built our entire last-mile delivery stack and warehouse management system in-house in less than 6 months. (Ankit) has been a driving force in changing how we think about problems as a business and trying to solve them in a scalable manner and structurally, through technology and product," Co-founder and CTO Kaivalya Vohra said.

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Vohra said a lot of work is still required across the value chain for the recently-turned unicorn, and hinted at elevating the shopping experience through a "massive revamp" on the app for launching new categories and offerings.

The Mumbai-headquartered company raised USD 200 million (around Rs 1,653 crore) last month, becoming the only startup to turn unicorn in 2023.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Expressing pride for his Hindu roots, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his hope that he will find time to visit a temple, here in India, during his stay for the G20 Summit.

Sunak said that he has enormous respect for PM Modi and said that he is keen to support him in making G20 an enormous success.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Holds Bilateral Talks With Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Ahead of G20 Summit 2023 in New Delhi (Watch Video).

He also spoke about celebrating Raksha Bandhan.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Rishi Sunak said, I am a proud Hindu. Thats how I was raised, thats how I am. Hopefully, I can visit the Mandir while I am here for the next couple of days. We just had Rakshabandhan, so from my sister and my cousin, I have all my Rakhis.

Also Read | Pakistan, Indonesia Hackers Plan To Attack Government's Digital Infrastructure During G20 Summit 2023.

I didnt have time to celebrate Janmashtami. But hopefully, as I said I can make up for that if we visit a Mandir this time, he added.

He further said that faith is something very important as it gives strength and resilience during stress.

It is something that is important to me. I think faith is something that helps everybody who has faith in their lives, particularly when you have these stressful jobs like I do. Having faith gives you resilience, gives you strength that is important and it provides an outlook on life which I find particularly valuable, Sunak added.

On being asked about his equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sunak said, "Yes, and I have enormous respect for Modiji and he's been personally very warm and kind to me and we're working very hard as I said on our shared ambition of concluding an ambitious and comprehensive trade deal between India and the UK, because both of us think that would be a good thing and both of us need to make sure it works for our two countries."

"And at forums like this. I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Modi and making sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally," he added.

The UK PM also called his visit to India as fantastic and said that he has enjoyed his first few hours here.

It is fantastic for me to be back in India. Obviously, it's personally very special for me to be here, particularly with Akshata, and we thoroughly enjoyed the first few hours of our trip so far, he said.

He also recalled the days he used to spend time with his wife Akshata Murthy in Bangalore and expressed his desire to visit one of his favourite restaurants.

Well you know obviously you know my wife is from Bangalore, we got married in Bangalore. We used to spend lots of time together before we had children in Delhi and were trying to figure out if we can go to one of our old favourite restaurants this evening, Sunak said.

Expressing happiness on coming to India in his present role, Sunak said he is very proud to see India doing so well on the world stage.

He added, But look, it's personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It is a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But to come here in this role to represent the UK, to find ways to forge closer links with India and play a part in making sure that India has an incredibly successful G20 and I'm very proud to see India doing so well on the world stage. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida landed in India on Friday to attend the G20 Leaders Summit scheduled to be held in the national capital.

At the airport, Kishida was received by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Also Read | G20 Summit 2023: US President Joe Biden To Stay at ITC Maurya in Chanakyapuri; Know Where Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Other World Leaders Are Staying.

At the G20 summit in India, Kishida plans to show Japan's stance of proactively contributing to various global issues, based on the results of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Japanese media reported.

"The agenda in India will include global food security, which has been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as development, digital transformation and other international issues," according to NHK.

Also Read | G20 Summit 2023: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Arrives in New Delhi To Attend G20 Leaders' Meet (Watch Video).

Earlier this year, PM Modi met his Japanese counterpart in Hiroshima, where he attended the G7 Summit.

During the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Modi spoke with partner countries on subjects such as peace, stability and prosperity of a sustainable planet; food, fertiliser and energy security; health; gender equality; climate change and environment; resilient infrastructure; and development cooperation.

The cooperation between India and Japan continues to deepen over time as the two nations share historical linkages with exchanges between the two countries being traced to the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced in Japan.

As both nations deal with the challenges provided by an aggressive China in the Asian region, India's political ties to Japan have grown significantly over the past few decades.

The commitment of India and Japan to a free and open Indo-Pacific, boosting economic cooperation, and encouraging people-to-people interactions is highlighted by their most recent strategic discussion.

In the lead-up to both the G20 and G7 summits, the visit of Japanese PM Kishida to India in March bolstered further commitment between the two countries to work together for the realisation of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.

India and Japan have already developed various frameworks of security partnership including a 2+2 Dialogue involving Foreign and Defence ministers. The two countries regularly participate in joint military exercises such as the Malabar Exercise and have various partnership agreements ranging from defence equipment trade to military logistics.

Japan is India's 13th-largest trading partner, whereas India is Japan's 18th-largest. With Japan's private sector investment in India steadily increasing, it is among the top five foreign investors in India.

India and Japan's joint efforts to foster a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region demonstrate the strength and potential of their ever-strengthening relationship. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Friday arrived at Delhi's Palam airbase to attend the G20 summit.

The two-day summit, being hosted in the national capital under India's presidency of the 20-member bloc, will get underway at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam from Saturday.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Holds Bilateral Talks With Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Ahead of G20 Summit 2023 in New Delhi (Watch Video).

President Al Nahyan was received by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai.

Meanwhile, ahead of the G20 summit, which will bring together some of the most powerful leaders of the free world as well as delegates representing international organisations, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India."

Also Read | Pakistan, Indonesia Hackers Plan To Attack Government's Digital Infrastructure During G20 Summit 2023.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, last year, with about 200 related meetings organised across 60 Indian cities.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionisation of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday.

After concluding his recent official visit to the UAE, PM Modi shared a video clip of his trip to the Gulf nation saying both countries will continue to work closely for the global good.

Sharing the video on Twitter, which showed him attending important events in the UAE, PM Modi posted, "India and UAE will keep working closely to further global good!

During the visit, PM Modi and UAE President Al Nahyan affirmed that India's G20 presidency will play an important role in accelerating cooperation in combating climate change, said the India-UAE joint statement on Climate Change.

PM Modi and the UAE President recognized the urgent need to address the global challenge of climate change through global collective action while respecting the foundational principles and obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on the Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, read a joint press release.

PM Modi also congratulated UAE on being chosen as the host country for COP28 in 2023 while pledging the country's full support to the Gulf nation as it assumes the COP28 Presidency. President Al Nahyan, in turn, congratulated India on its leadership role in the G20.

Both leaders affirmed the importance and significance of Indias G20 presidency while stressing the grouping's role in fostering and accelerating cooperation in combating climate change, with emphasis on finance and technology as critical enablers, as well as on just, inclusive and sustainable energy transitions, the joint statement said.

The leaders committed to enhancing cooperation on climate ambition, decarbonization, and clean energy, and work together to have tangible and meaningful outcomes from the 28th Session of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Ahead of the G20 Summit in India, the United States on Friday said that it is keen on working with India after seeing the ambition of the youth in the country.

US State Department Spokesperson Margaret MacLeod speaking to ANI said, We will have discussions on several issues at the G20 Summit. India and the US share a partnership in several sectors including critical emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Education, Student mobility and others. America wants to work with India after seeing the ambition of the youth in India.

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The official said that the US believes that India is raising its voice as an emerging economy through the G20 forum views of the whole world should be included.

In fact, under Indias Presidency, there is talk of including African Union as a permanent member of the G20, which America supports, MacLeod said.

Also Read | G20 Summit 2023: US President Joe Biden To Stay at ITC Maurya in Chanakyapuri; Know Where Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Other World Leaders Are Staying.

The 18 th G20 Summit will take place in the national capital on September 9-10. A G20 Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

The State Department Spokesperson Macleod said that a consensus on a G20 would be difficult but is not impossible and that the US will make efforts to get the agreement done.

"Who will participate in the Summit is the decision of that individual country. We will try to work with the representatives of China and Russia during the G20 Summit. As our National Security Advisor said, consensus would be difficult (on Delhi declaration), but it is not impossible, we will try our best to get the agreement done."

The 18th G20 Summit, under Indias presidency is being held amidst divisions among member countries on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While China and Russia do not want, in the Delhi Declaration proposed to be adopted by the G20 leaders on Sunday, a mention of the ongoing war, countries of the European Union and other Western nations are pressing for Moscow to be declared as an aggressor and are seeking an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

At a press briefing on Thursday on board Air Force One, after President Joe Bidens departure from Washington to India, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan while responding to a question on the G20 joint outcome statement said: We have been working all day and all night for a joint statement. In that we bring a spirit of compromise to a lot of the different issues that are contentious so that we can find a text that everybody can live with.

Sullivan said, there is some distance to travel before a final joint statement is released.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are not participating in the G20 Summit. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend G20 Summit in India. The Russian delegation is being represented by by country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Margaret Macleod said that the specifics of the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not been announced yet.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had said Biden and PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting.

He noted that the meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on PM Modi's visit to the US and hold meaningful progress on several issues, including GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers and 5G/6G.

Speaking at a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sullivan said, "Tomorrow, the President will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and it will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States. And we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well."

Biden departed from Andrews air base on Thursday for the 18th G20 Summit set to be held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Delhis Pragati Maidan.

Before boarding the flight for India, Biden posted on his social media account X, "Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): World Bank President Ajay Banga on Friday arrived in the national capital to attend the two-day G20 Summit to be held in India tomorrow.

Recently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met World Bank president Ajay Banga and held discussions on Indias endeavours to empower regional connectivity and the concerns of the Global South.

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Indian-American Ajay Banga was in Gandhinagar in Gujarat to attend the third G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting. He met Jaishankar and talked about Indias endeavours to propel larger development.

Delighted to meet @worldbank President Ajay Banga during his India visit. Appreciate World Banks support for Indias G20 Presidency. Discussed Indias endeavors to strengthen regional connectivity, promote regional prosperity and propel larger development. Also exchanged views about the concerns of the Global South, tweeted Jaishankar.

Also Read | Is Eritrea Stoking Conflicts Between Its Migrants Abroad?.

Earlier, Banga said that he is more optimistic today about India economically than he has been for a long time and lauded the governments initiatives towards digitization of infrastructure.

He also referred to IMF and World Bank predictions about the world getting a little challenging for a year or so and asserted that a forecast is not destiny.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction.

It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India."India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionization of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
For those who haven't seen Jawan yet, I'd like to issue a warning and a disclaimer. Let's start with the warning you need to know before watching the film. Prior to Jawan's release, there were heated rumours circulating that Thalapathy Vijay would make a cameo appearance alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Vijay had previously played the lead role in three of director Atlee's four films before Jawan, namely Theri, Mersal, and Bigil. In fact, the Tamil superstar even made an appearance on the set of Jawan, and a viral photo of him with Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee only added fuel to the rumour fire. However, it's important to note that there is no cameo by Vijay in the film, in any version, as Atlee himself clarified in an interview given to a portal just one day before the film's release. Jawan: Is Thalapathy Vijay Having Cameo in Shah Rukh Khan's Film? Director Atlee Puts An End to The Hot Rumour!

Furthermore, there is no cameo by Allu Arjun in the film. Instead, there are two surprise cameos that deserve your attention. This doesn't include Deepika Padukone's cameo that was already revealed in the trailers for Jawan. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this feature, we will include her as well. Now comes the disclaimer part. Before we proceed, we must caution you that there will be some SPOILERS, so proceed with caution...

Atlee

Atlee With Thalapathy Vijay and Shah Rukh Khan

Yes, Atlee couldn't resist the temptation to share the screen with King Khan. Following in the footsteps of another popular Tamil director in Bollywood who enjoys making dancing cameos in his films - Prabhu Deva - Atlee joins Shah Rukh Khan for a few dance moves in the "Zinda Banda" song, and boy, can he dance!!!

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone in a scene from Jawan Trailer

As mentioned earlier, Deepika's cameo in Jawan is no secret. She has an extended cameo in the film, appearing in the second half. She portrays Aishwarya, the wife of Vikram Rathore, Shah Rukh Khan's character's 'baap,' and the mother of Azad, Shah Rukh Khan's character's 'son' (thankfully, they don't share the screen, otherwise... awkward!). Her character meets a tragic fate, but she is part of two songs, one being a romantic track called "Faraatta" and the other a beautiful lullaby called "Aarariraro". Jawan Movie Review: Shah Rukh Khan is MASS MASS MASS in Atlee's Enjoyable Action-Entertainer!

Sanjay Dutt

Shah Rukh Khan With Sanjay Dutt

If you followed the production of Jawan closely, you may have heard about Sanjay Dutt shooting for a secret cameo appearance in the film. We're pleased to confirm that this cameo is still intact, and it's quite an enjoyable part. The filmmakers even acknowledge him in the opening credits. Dutt portrays Madhavan Naik, a police negotiator, who attempts to outsmart Shah Rukh Khan's character in the third act when the latter holds an entire women's jail hostage. However, there is a twist to his character that we won't reveal here to avoid spoilers. Let's just say that if Jawan ever receives a sequel, he could play a more substantial role.

PS: We have a feeling that the makers did plan to include Thalapathy Vijay in the Tamil version and Allu Arjun in the Telugu version of Jawan for Dutt's role. But things may not have panned out as they desired, though seeing how Dutt is fine in the role, it hardly matters. What say, readers?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2023 05:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The 40-year-old accused named Virkam, who was arrested on Monday for allegedly killing a 24-year-old air hostess by slitting her neck at her apartment, died by suicide in the lock-up. The latter hanged himself with the help of his pants, while his body has been sent for post-mortem, the Mumbai Police informed on Friday. According to reports, Atval, a housekeeper and inhabitant of Tunga Village in Chandivali, Powai, admitted during the trial that he had meant to rape the woman but was physically overcome by her. Mumbai Air Hostess Murder: One Suspect Nabbed in Relation With Flight Attendant Rupal Ogreys Death Under Mysterious Circumstances.

Accused in Mumbai Airhostess Murder Dies by Suicide

Maharashtra | Accused Vikram who was arrested in connection with the murder of an air hostess, died by suicide in the lock-up, accused hanged himself with the help of his pants. The body has been sent for post-mortem: Mumbai Police  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 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.)
San Francisco, September 8: Sundar Pichai-run Google is opening a new visitor centre at its headquarters in Mountain View, California with new public spaces, a pop-up shop featuring local businesses and a Google Store on October 12, as the tech giant celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. The new destination will give people a chance to experience Google and its hometown community from a public cafe and a Google Store to an events space and pop-up shop featuring local businesses.

As we celebrate our 25th birthday and 25 years of calling the Bay Area home, were excited to announce that next month were opening the Google Visitor Experience at our headquarters in Mountain View, California. Doors open to the public on October 12, the company announced. For the first time, the company has curated an intentional visitor experience with public amenities for everyone, including neighbours, visitors and Googlers. Xiaomi 13T, 13T Pro Launch Imminent; Launch Date, OS and Security Updates Confirmed, Checkout Expected Specs and Other Key Details.

Attend a local community group or non-profit event at the Huddle, a venue designed for creating connections. Discover and support local businesses at the Pop-Up Shop, said Google. People can visit The Plaza, which features outdoor art, events and programming. Connect with friends at the Cafe @ Mountain View, our first-ever public cafe. And explore our hardware products and services in person at the first brick and mortar Google Store on the West Coast, the company informed. Apple Fixes Zero-Day Bugs Used to Deliver Pegasus Spyware on iPhones.

Earlier, celebrating Googles rich history of events, Pichai said it's time for some gratitude, and a moment to reflect. Google today is more than a search box. We have 15 Google products that each serve more than half a billion people and businesses, and six that serve more than 2 billion users each, Pichai had said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2023 12:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
More than 150 UK schools have been closed so far over safety concerns. Experts warn of a safety issue on a global scale, with buildings at risk of collapse due to the use of RAAC concrete that is prone to crumbling.Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, is a type of concrete used in roof structures and cladding.

Also Read | Wolf: Good for Nature Recover, but Danger for Humans.

"RAAC was used in the UK and many European countries for public buildings in particular because it was quick to construct and low-cost," said Alice Moncaster, Professor of Sustainable Construction at the University of the West England, UK.

Also Read | NASA Scientists Spot Sun-Like Star Being Devoured by a Hungry Black Hole.

The UK government has closed more than 150 schoolsdue to safety risks. Hospitals, university buildings and courts, are also believed to contain the material.

Experts told DW this is a safety concern for every country that used RAAC in construction, not just the UK.

"RAAC is very commonly used in buildings all across Europe. It's used most commonly in public sector buildings like schools, but also in commercial properties," said Adrian Tagg, Associate Professor in Building Surveying at the University of Reading, UK.

"Believe me, if you've started to conduct to look for this material in buildings in other countries, you will find similar problems," Tagg told DW.

RAAC safety concerns growing for decades

Experts first raised concerns about RAAC in the 1990s, saying the material deteriorateswithin decades after its construction. In the 2000s, more concerns were raised that the material was reaching the end of its 30 year shelf life.

"RAAC has been a concern for a while, but it has only recently hit the press. West Suffolk Hospital, built in the 1970s, is the most notorious example. It has for many years had ceilings held up with props," Moncaster told DW.

In 2018, a school roof in the UK collapsed due to serious corrosion of the material. Another roof collapse in August 2023 led the UK government to announce the closure of a number of schools.

"Thankfully we haven't had any fatalities yet from roofs collapsing, but we need investigations to ensure the safety of all buildings at risk," said Tagg.

How does RAAC corrode?

RAAC was developed in the 1920s. It's a lightweight, prefabricated concrete reinforced with steel bars to give it tensile strength.

The material is coated in waterproof layers, but if the material becomes exposed to the elements through lack of maintenance, moisture causes the concreteand inner steel reinforcements to corrode.

"As with any material, RAAC is expected to be replaced after a certain design life. There is nothing intrinsically unsafe about RAAC  it had a design life which has now been exceeded," Moncaster said.

Defects in RAAC are exacerbated by poor building maintenance and frequent safety checks, Tagg said.

"This problem is a result of building maintenance being a lower priority in terms of building occupancy," Tagg said.

RAAC corrosion not just a UK safety concern

Experts are calliv>
On 7 September a retired Colombian soldier,, pleaded guilty in a US court for his role in the July 2021 assassination of Haitis former president(2017-2021).

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On 7 September the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)celebrated a ruling issued by Mexicos supreme court (SCJN) the previous day to decriminalise abortion at a federal level.

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On 7 September the United Nations (UN) office in Peru expressed concern about a congressional investigation into the national judicial council (JNJ), warning that the investigation could weaken the separation of powers in Peru.

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Fall is a magical time to travel. The summer crowds have thinned, the weather is more comfortable, and nature often puts on a spectacular show with leaves turning vibrant shades of red, orange, and gold. While many travellers flock to North America and Europe to experience autumn, there's a gem of a destination often overlooked: Latin America.

From stunning landscapes to rich cultural experiences, this diverse region has a lot to offer in the fall. Let's embark on a journey to discover the best Latin American countries to visit during this enchanting season.

1. Argentina: Tango in Buenos Aires and Patagonia Adventure

Argentina is a country that captivates visitors year-round, but in the fall, it takes on a special charm. Plan a trip to Buenos Aires, where the weather is mild, and the vibrant streets come alive with the passionate rhythms of tango. Enjoy an evening of dinner and a show at a local milonga, where you can watch or even participate in this iconic dance.

As you move south, Patagonia beckons with its stunning landscapes. The crowds have diminished, allowing you to hike amidst the awe-inspiring beauty of Patagonian national parks. Explore the jagged peaks of the Fitz Roy Massif in El Chalten, or take a scenic drive along the iconic Route 40, where the scenery is a symphony of autumnal colours.

2. Peru: A Cultural Feast and Machu Picchu in the Fall

Peru, with its rich history and diverse landscapes, is a fantastic destination for fall travellers. Begin your journey in Lima, where the weather is pleasant, and the culinary scene is sizzling. Explore the city's vibrant neighbourhoods, like Barranco and Miraflores, and indulge in exquisite Peruvian cuisine.

From Lima, make your way to Cusco, the gateway to the sacred valley and Machu Picchu. September to November is an ideal time to visit this ancient Inca citadel. The weather is dry, the trails are less crowded, and the scenery is adorned with fall foliage. Hike the Inca Trail or take the scenic train to Machu Picchu, where you can witness the ancient ruins against a backdrop of stunning autumn colours.

3. Mexico: Dia de los Muertos and Beach Bliss

Mexico's Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a culturally rich and vibrant celebration that takes place at the end of October and beginning of November. While it may not be the typical fall festival, it offers a unique and enchanting experience. Oaxaca is one of the best places to immerse yourself in the festivities. Witness colourful parades, visit elaborately decorated graveyards, and savour traditional foods associated with this celebration.

If you're seeking a more classic fall experience, head to the beaches of Mexico's Pacific coast. Destinations like Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, and Zihuatanejo offer pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds. It's an ideal time for swimming, water sports, and simply relaxing on the pristine beaches.

4. Chile: Wine Tasting in the Colchagua Valley and Desert Adventures

Chile is a land of contrasts, and its diversity shines in the fall. Start your journey in Santiago, where you can explore the city's parks, markets, and vibrant cultural scene. From there, venture into the Colchagua Valley, a wine lover's paradise. Fall is the grape harvest season, making it the perfect time for wine tasting at the many vineyards in the region.

You'll be treated to not only exceptional wines but also picturesque vineyard views set against the backdrop of autumn foliage. It's also one of the most affordable countries in Latin America, making it a cost-effective destination for many.

For a unique adventure, head north to the Atacama Desert. While it might seem counterintuitive to visit a desert in the fall, the Atacama's cooler temperatures make it an excellent time for exploration. Discover otherworldly landscapes, geysers, salt flats, and stargazing that's out of this world.

5. Colombia: Coffee Country and the Andean Highlands

Colombia, with its diverse landscapes and friendly people, is a year-round destination. However, fall brings a unique charm to the Andean highlands and the country's coffee region. Begin your journey in Bogota, where you can explore the capital's museums and historic neighbourhoods.

Then, make your way to the colourful town of Villa de Leyva, known for its well-preserved colonial architecture. Fall here is characterised by clear skies and pleasant temperatures, making it an ideal time for exploring the region's natural beauty.

Don't miss the Coffee Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This region comes alive during the coffee harvest season, offering the opportunity to learn about the coffee-making process, from bean to cup. You can also hike in the verdant Cocora Valley, famous for its towering wax palms.

6. Brazil: Pantanal Wildlife and Rio's Carnival Spirit

While Brazil is renowned for its Carnival celebrations in February, the fall months offer a unique blend of wildlife and culture. The Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland area, is the place for wildlife enthusiasts. Visit between August and November, and you'll witness a plethora of wildlife, including jaguars, capybaras, and a stunning array of bird species. Explore the region through boat trips and guided wildlife safaris.

After your wildlife adventure, head to Rio de Janeiro. While the iconic Carnival festivities may still be months away, you can experience the vibrant spirit of Rio at any time of year. Visit the city's famous landmarks, such as Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, and immerse yourself in the lively culture of samba, music, and dance.

7. Ecuador: Galapagos Islands and the Avenue of the Volcanoes

Ecuador is a small country with an astonishing diversity of landscapes, and fall is an excellent time to explore it. Begin your journey in Quito, the capital, and explore its historic Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Then, head south to the Avenue of the Volcanoes, where you'll be surrounded by towering peaks, including the majestic Cotopaxi.

For a truly unique experience, visit the Galapagos Islands. Fall brings pleasant weather and calmer seas, making it an ideal time for exploring the unique biodiversity of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Snorkel with sea lions, walk among giant tortoises, and witness the incredible wildlife that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

While many travellers venture to Europe and North America to experience the beauty of fall, Latin America offers its own unique and captivating version of this season. From the vibrant culture of Mexico's Dia de los Muertos to the pristine beauty of Patagonia in Argentina, each Latin American country has its own fall treasures waiting to be discovered.

So, pack your bags and embark on an unforgettable autumn journey to these beautiful destinations. Whether you seek cultural richness, natural wonders, or thrilling adventures, Latin America has it all to offer in the enchanting season of fall.
After ducking a congressional subpoena, a federal court found Peter Navarro, a staunch supporter and top trade adviser of former President Donald Trump, guilty of contempt of court.

The ex-Trump aide is the second former Trump administration official found guilty of not cooperating with the January 6 Committee; the first is Steve Bannon. Much like Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro has pledged to appeal the decision, according to the New York Times.

"We knew going in what the verdict was going to be. That is why this is going to the appeals court," he said during a post-trial press conference outside of the courthouse. "And we feel - look, I said from the beginning this is going to the Supreme Court. I said from the beginning I'm willing to go to prison to settle this issue, I'm willing to do that."

As Navarro, a very prominent election denier who is still preaching that Trump won the election, exited the courthouse, he was met with protesters, some of whom pointed out that Trump lost.

Navarro, much like Bannon, stated that Trump invoked executive privilege to not have him testify before the January 6 Committee. However, US District Judge Amit Mehta found that Navarro did not have enough evidence to show the court that the former president invoked that executive privilege.

Former House January 6 committee Tim Mulvey was happy with the verdict.

"His defiance of the committee was brazen. Like the other witnesses who attempted to stonewall the committee, he thought he was above the law. He isn't. That's a good thing for the rule of law. I imagine that those under indictment right now are getting a good reminder of that right now," he told CNN in an interview.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Loses Against E. Jean Carrol Again

Peter Navarro's Lawyer Tried To Get a Mistrial

The jury deliberated Navarro's fate for around four hours. However, after they read the guilty verdict, Peter Navarro's lawyer, Stanley Woodward, moved for a mistrial and claimed that the jurors had taken an outdoor break near where protesters and media who regularly gather every time a Trump aide gets prosecuted. The attorney claimed that the jury members might have been exposed to the protesters, and thus, their opinions may have been tainted by what they saw outside.

According to the Associated Press, though, Judge Mehta did not immediately rule on this but did tell the Navarro attorney that he would consider written arguments on the issue.

Prosecutors Say Donald Trump Adviser Peter Navarro 'Acted Above the Law'

When Peter Navarro ignored the subpoena filed by Congress, prosecutors noted that the Trump adviser acted as if he were "above the law." His defense stated that their client did not purposely ignore the House January 6 Committee but was instead protected by executive privilege.

However, prosecutors noted that even if he invoked executive privilege, he should still have handed over what material he could. He could have also flagged any questions or documents believed to be protected by said executive privilege.

"Peter Navarro made a choice. He chose not abide by the congressional subpoena," said prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi during the hearing. "The defendant chose allegiance to former President Donald Trump over compliance to the subpoena."

READ MORE: Donald Trump Election Interference Co-Conspirators Turning on Each Other

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Peter Navarro convicted of contempt of Congress - CBS News
Hurricane Lee is moving northwest and has rapidly intensified on Thursday, with the National Hurricane Center announcing that the storm is now a Category 4 hurricane. Despite this, no hurricane watch warnings have been issued yet.

According to CBS News, Hurricane Lee became a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and then intensified to a Category 2 on Thursday morning. However, it quickly became much stronger and is now a Category 4 within just a few hours. The storm now has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as of writing.

Lee could get stronger, though, as forecasters predict that it could become a Category 5 hurricane, which is a potentially "catastrophic" storm. It intensified in the warmer waters in the Atlantic and may grow stronger the longer it makes its way in there.

"Lee is forecast to remain a powerful major hurricane well into next week," said the NHC. "Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate."

Currently, while no hurricane watch has been placed yet, several countries in the Caribbean are already bracing themselves for possible impact.

Joe Biden Already Preparing In Case Hurricane Lee Hits Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

With Hurricane Lee continuing to strengthen and there being the chance that it might hit US territories and the mainland US itself, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency has given President Joe Biden its trajectory and is now preparing for the storm in case it does arrive.

The White House itself has noted that assets have already been deployed to US territories like the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, both of which are likely to be hit by this rapidly intensifying hurricane, per the Associated Press.

RAD MORE: Brazil: Fierce Storm Causes Flooding, 22 Dead and Hundreds Displaced

Among the areas affected include the Lesser Antilles, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. The storm is expected to impact these Caribbean countries and territories this weekend, says the NHC.

According to the National Weather Service, the Lesser Antilles is expected to experience life-threatening surf.

"We will see waves between 10 and 15 feet (3 and 5 meters), so we don't want anyone on the beaches," Ernesto Morales of the NWS in Puerto Rico told the Associated Press.

The US might also be affected by these strong waves, with the NHC warning that dangerous surf and rip currents were forecast for most of the US East Coast. These are projected to begin on Sunday.

Will Hurricane Lee Hit the Mainland US?

With Hurricane Lee now being a Category 4, concerns are rising about whether or not it will make landfall in the mainland US. For now, there is a possibility that Lee might make landfall in the US mainland, but it should be noted that there is also a possibility that it might head north and hit Eastern Canada instead.

This all depends on the Bermuda High, an area of high pressure over the Atlantic that may push the storm further North, making it miss the US, or it may push it northwestward, making it hit the US.

Should the Bermuda High remain strong, it might push Lee into the US. However, should it weaken, it could push the storm into Canada instead.

READ MORE: Ron DeSantis' Redrawn Congressional Map of Florida Is Unconstitutional, Rules Judge

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Tracking the Tropics: Hurricane Lee rapidly intensifies to Category 4 intensity - 10 Tampa Bay
The former lawyer of the Mar-a-Lago IT employee tasked by Donald Trump to destroy evidence in the classified documents case revealed that his former client struck a deal with prosecutors before flipping on the former president and recanting a previous testimony.

Stanley Woodward, who previously represented the IT employee, stated that he stopped representing him because of a potential conflict of interest after that employee flipped. He currently represents Trump aide Walt Nauta, Trump's co-defendant in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.

This was revealed in a recently unsealed court filing where Woodward revealed his possible conflict of interest in representing the Mar-a-Lago employee, who has now signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors.

According to the Associated Press, the IT worker is required to "assist a criminal investigation in exchange for not being prosecuted." That employee was previously asked by federal investigations regarding the classified documents and said that he knew nothing. However, that employee has since flipped and provided testimony that added another Mar-a-Lago employee, Carlos De Oliveira, as a co-defendant.

A Mar-a-Lago property manager who had worked for Donald Trump for years, Carlos de Oliveira, was the one who told the IT employee, known in legal documents as "Trump Employee #4," that "the boss" wanted surveillance footage deleted. The IT employee refused, allowing FBI agents to get videos that showed Trump co-defendant Nauta moving boxes of White House documents in and out of a storage room.

The employee switched lawyers before retracting his "prior false testimony." All three co-defendants, Trump, Nauta, and de Oliveira, pleaded "not guilty" to their crimes.

READ MORE: Donald Trump's Allies, Co-Defendants, Aides Are Turning Against Him, Says Report

Chris Christie Slams Donald Trump After It Was Revealed That Mar-a-Lago Employee Struck a Deal

Donald Trump is currently running for the presidency, and while his indictments have not diminished his support from his base, it is turning off the more moderate Republicans. During an interview, one of Trump's presidential opponents slammed the ex-POTUS right after it came out that one of his employees struck a deal with the special counsel's prosecutors.

Chris Christie noted that the IT employee who flipped against Trump "will be vilified, attacked and savaged by Donald Trump publicly."

"And then secondly, Donald Trump will lay in his bed at night staring up at the ceiling trying to remember every conversation he ever had with this guy while he's sick to his stomach," the former New Jersey governor and Trump critic added.

Christie then continued slamming his presidential rival, noting, "This is what the Republican Party is facing: drip, drip, drip on the guy who's the frontrunner, which is why he cannot be the nominee," according to USA Today.

Donald Trump Was Warned FBI Could Search Mar-A-Lago if He Did Not Comply With Subpoena

Meanwhile, NBC News has confirmed that before that historic raid at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump was warned by one of his lawyers that he might get his Florida home searched should he continue to defy the subpoena and illegally hide the classified documents.

Reports indicated that lawyer Evan Corcoran informed the former president about this after the subpoena was issued. This was detailed in a series of voice memos from the Trump attorney, which several media outlets gained a copy of.

In one of those recordings, Corcoran was reportedly warned by another Trump attorney that the former president was "just going to go ballistic" if he pushed Trump to comply with the subpoena.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Arrested for Georgia Indictment; Changes Lawyer

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Mar-a-Lago IT worker cooperating with special counsel - CNN
A Colombia ex-soldier has entered a guilty plea in a US court for his involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate Haiti President Jovenel Moise, Reuters reports.

Moise was tragically shot dead in his bedroom two years ago, an audacious assassination that left a void in leadership and contributed to destabilization in the country.

According to the court documents, German Rivera, also known as Colonel Mike, was a part of the convoy that advanced toward President Moise's residence in the hillside of Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021.

Notably, Rivera had conveyed crucial information that the group's intent was not merely to abduct Moise but to carry out his assassination.

Furthermore, the court documents reveal that Rivera had provided material support, training, and personnel to facilitate the kidnapping or murder of President Moise.

The charges against him include three counts related to materially supporting the conspiracy.

In the aftermath of President Moise's tragic death, armed gangs have significantly expanded their influence across Haiti, particularly amid escalating turf battles centered around the capital.

This dire situation has given rise to a severe humanitarian crisis, with approximately 200,000 people estimated to be internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

The nation grapples with rampant violence, including frequent shootings, ransom kidnappings, and sexual violence, underscoring Haiti's challenging and tumultuous environment in the wake of this shocking assassination.

READ NEXT: Haiti President Assassination: Businessman Sentenced To Life in Prison

Eighteen Colombians Jailed in Haiti Over Jovenel Moise Assassination

In a significant turn of events, eighteen Colombian individuals have been incarcerated in Haiti in connection with the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise.

Additionally, several Haitians, including members of Moise's security detail, have been apprehended in relation to the case, according to Financial Times.

However, progress in the investigations conducted within Haiti has been notably slower than the efforts led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States.

German Rivera, who appeared in court wearing beige overalls and glasses, entered a guilty plea to three counts directly related to the murder of President Moise.

Each of these counts carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. A fourth charge of conspiring against the United States was dropped as part of a cooperation agreement.

This plea deal represents a significant breakthrough for prosecutors who have been meticulously examining the details of this murder, which, even two years later, remains shrouded in mystery.

Rivera's potential role as a witness could prove invaluable in future trials involving additional defendants.

Eleven individuals from Florida, Haiti, and Colombia have been charged as part of the FBI-led investigation.

Colombia Ex-Soldier Is Second to Plead Guilty to Assassination Plot

The guilty plea entered by German Rivera is notable, following the prior plea from Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean citizen, who, in June, received a life sentence, XM noted.

Jaar admitted to providing funds for procuring weapons and bribing President Jovenel Moise's security detail.

German Rivera's upcoming sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 27 in Miami. As of now, there has been no immediate comment from Mark LeVine, the attorney representing Rivera.

Haiti currently grapples with deepening political, security, and economic crises, exacerbated by the absence of elected officials in positions of authority.

Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry confronts the formidable challenge of containing violent gangs that significantly threaten the nation's stability.

The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti recently issued a statement highlighting the considerable deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country in 2023.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, supported by the United States, the United Nations, and certain Caribbean nations, has called for an international intervention to address the security crisis.

However, many nations remain cautious about leading such an operation in Haiti, given the challenges and setbacks experienced in previous interventions.

A delegation from Kenya engaged in discussions with Haitian officials last month as Kenya considers the possibility of leading a multinational force.

This operation has not materialized, leaving Haiti in a precarious state of uncertainty as it navigates through a complex and multifaceted crisis.

READ MORE: Haiti: U.S. Arrests 4 More People Linked to President's Assassination

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Colombian ex-military officer pleads guilty to assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise - From TeleSUR English
A mama grizzly bear, previously involved in a fatal mauling of a hiker near Yellowstone Park in July, met a tragic end after it broke into a house, according to officials.

Reports indicated that early on a Saturday, a homeowner living near Yellowstone Park reported an alarming incident involving a bear and her cub, per the NY Post.

The grizzly had forcibly entered the residence through a kitchen window and seized a dog food container. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks promptly responded to the situation.

Later that day, wildlife agency personnel collaborated with local law enforcement to capture the cub safely.

Regrettably, the 10-year-old female grizzly was deemed an immediate public safety threat due to her food-conditioned behavior and was subsequently euthanized.

This decision was made with authorization from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, given that grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The 46-pound male cub, in proximity to the adult grizzly during the incident, has been captured and is currently housed at the agency's wildlife rehabilitation center in Helena.

In the coming weeks, the cub will be transferred to a zoo, where it will receive care and support.

READ NEXT: Yellowstone National Park Euthanizes Baby Bison

Euthanized Yellowstone Park Grizzly Bear's Fatal Attacks

Wildlife officials have confirmed through genetic analysis and other identifying characteristics that the adult grizzly bear involved in the recent incident had also been implicated in a fatal attack in July near West Yellowstone, CNN reports.

In that tragic incident, Amie Adamson, a 48-year-old from Derby, Kansas, died on a morning hike or run along Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone.

The attack, which appeared non-predatory, occurred when Adamson was alone without any firearms or bear spray.

The attack in July occurred near homes, campgrounds, and heavily frequented trails, and it was categorized as a defensive response by the bear.

Furthermore, the same bear was linked to an encounter that caused injury to an individual near Henrys Lake State Park in Idaho in 2020.

Following a careful assessment, both incidents were determined to be "defensive responses" by the bear, according to the agency.

Despite numerous efforts to trap and relocate the bear after the fatal attack in July, these endeavors proved unsuccessful, as the bear's presence continued to pose a potential threat due to its proximity to residential areas, campgrounds, and heavily used off-highway vehicle trails.

Officials Warn Residents About Potential Dangers Posed by Bears

Montanans have been cautioned about the increasing bear populations in the state, with officials advising people to "be bear aware," according to the NY Times.

Grizzlies have even been spotted in areas where they hadn't been seen for over a century, like the Pryor Mountains.

Grizzly bears, a federally protected subspecies of brown bears, are expanding in Montana, offering long-term population sustainability but also posing new challenges due to potential property damage and human injuries.

Grizzlies are notably larger than black bears, standing over eight feet tall on hind legs, weighing 400 to 500 pounds for males and 250 to 350 pounds for females, and capable of running up to 35 miles per hour.

Despite their imposing size, grizzly bear attacks are rare. In Yellowstone Park's history since 1872, only eight bear-related deaths have occurred, with the most recent in 2015, and 44 injuries from grizzly bears since 1979, despite over 118 million visitors to the park.

READ MORE: Woman Heavily Injured Following Bison Attack in Yellowstone Park

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Grizzly bear euthanized near West Yellowstone, linked to multiple incidents - From NBC Montana
Laurel, MS (39440)

Today

Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High 58F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 32F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
As schools across the state are opening their doors, some districts are experiencing a high level of teacher vacancies, school officials said.

Some students may be facing long-term substitutes, larger classes, teachers who take on higher course loads, or even virtual instruction until permanent certified teachers are hired, said Karen Bingert, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, a membership organization for school leaders.

The word is resoundingly that things are no better and may be substantially worse than last year, she said, citing continuing vacancies in difficult-to-fill subjects like math, science, and world languages, as well as a need for elementary teachers, gym teachers, and those teaching English and social studies, who were traditionally easier to find.

Bingert has been hearing anecdotally that some school districts have had zero applicants for certain posted jobs, specifically in special education and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. And some schools are starting the year with every special ed teacher taking on an extra class.

It isnt pretty at all, she said, declining to name the individual districts.

To be sure, staffing levels vary by district. Toms River Regional School District is fully staffed, said spokesman Mike Kenny. In Maurice River Township in Cumberland County, Superintendent Jeremy Cohen said Thursday that he was still looking to fill a special education position.

We understand the shortage and its impact, so we are honestly just looking for the best candidate and are willing to move people around from within to ensure we are able to fill the position with the best fit, he said.

Joseph Ricca, a member of the state Board of Education, said the quality of education students receive is at stake.

I really do believe the future of democracy is cultivated in our nations classrooms, and we really need to be committed as a society to make sure every one of our young people has access to great teachers, he said.

New Jersey is not alone in struggling to staff up, and it may be better off than some states. In mid-August, Florida had 5,000 teacher vacancies, with Miami-Dade County opening with 280 unfilled teacher positions. Research from 2022 showed 36,000 teacher vacancies in the U.S. and more than 163,000 jobs filled by underqualified teachers.

The exact number of vacancies in New Jersey is difficult to find. The Department of Education has not yet produced a workforce report on vacancies and the demographics of departing teachers, although a new law set a due date of July 2022 for the report.

Meanwhile, the education department instituted a website linking to district job pages in each county. That site links to pages that list openings for internal applicants. Heres a sampling of districts listing openings as of Tuesday:

Perth Amboy: 108 teachers out of 293 total openings

Camden City: 24 teachers, 49 openings

Bound Brook: 22 teachers, 34 openings

Bernards Township: 11 teachers, 49 openings

Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District: 10 teachers, 85 openings

Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District: 9 teachers, 52 openings

Cherry Hill: 8 teachers, 42 openings

Ridgewood Public Schools: 3 teachers, 6 openings

Districts have been scrambling more this summer than ever before to secure staff, and they are increasingly hiring staff from other districts, which has a domino effect in terms of turnover, said Michael LaSusa, president of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and superintendent of the School District of the Chathams. He said he heard similar frustrations on a recent call with a half dozen superintendents, including those from Millburn, Springfield, and West Windsor. On Saturday, he said he had no teaching openings but still had openings for paraprofessionals or teachers aides in his district.

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Numerous factors contribute to the shortages, which are occurring in broad swaths of job titles in schools, including librarians, guidance counselors, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, lunch aides, and substitutes. Experts say the absence of new teacher candidates, retirements, and pressures on instructional staff are contributing to the problem.

According to a report from the task force Gov. Phil Murphy created to tackle school staff shortages, between the 2015 and 2018 school years, 8,764 teachers left the states public schools, while only 5,248 newly-certified teacher program graduates entered them.

Bingert has heard from schools in which every special education teacher had to take on an extra class.

Also, the bidding wars continue, so some schools believe that they are fully staffed (even with signed contracts in hand) only to find that another district has outbid them before the ink was even dry, and the new hire then backs out of the contract, she said.

Robert Goodman, head of the nonprofit New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning, a licensed graduate school that helps train teachers in physics, chemistry, math, and computer science, said he knows of some hard-to-staff classes that were canceled due to a lack of teachers. Others are using an online instructor from the Center while a substitute manages the classroom in person.

To the extent its not pure panic, thats because people are used to it being bad, he said of the staff shortage. If every year you open with a shortage of teachers, eventually you feel its normal.

He said this is the second or third year students have had substitutes in some subjects for months or had teachers who are asked to cover extra classes.

Eventually, it lowers the level of academics in the schools, and its cumulative, he said, noting that a student can recover from having a below-average teacher for a year, but after multiple years of such teachers its devastating.

In the Morris School District, Superintendent Anne Mucci said that because of the teacher shortage, most districts are holding employees to the requirement that they give 60 days notice before leaving.

We have a few situations where classes will not begin with the selected teacher but will have a different certified teacher to begin the year, she said. We continue to advertise for bus drivers and substitute teachers. However, she said the districts staffing is in exceptional shape.

MaryBeth Landis, the math supervisor at Essex County Schools of Technology in Newark, said she had two vacancies in her department as of Friday. She remembers when she would get 30 resumes for an advertised position.

Now, well advertise a math or science position in April, and three months later, we have only five candidatesand most wouldnt have the right qualifications, she said. Its like a tug of war. Not only do we have a hard time getting qualified candidates these days, but many of our existing teachers are retiring or being recruited by other districts who offer them bonus pay.

Also in Essex County, the South Orange-Maplewood School District had 20 certified employee vacancies  15 of them teachers  as of Tuesday, according to spokesman Paul Brubaker.

Short-staffed schools face few options, which come with challenges, Bingert said. They can hire a long-term sub, though those are scarce in subject areas that are in demand. Middle and secondary schools can assign teachers to take an extra class, but they miss other school duties and prep periods. They can increase class size, an option that goes against research showing the benefits of small and personalized classrooms.

Some classes wont be offered or will be limited to upperclassmen. If class sizes cannot be increased because of safety issues in science labs, equipment shortages in art, or the physical size of the classrooms, then access to courses may be restricted to seniors who need a course for graduation, followed by juniors, and so on.

After a push by Murphy, his special task force on teacher shortages, and the state legislature to address the shortage of New Jersey teachers, some preliminary solutions are in place. Many of the remaining proposals have yet to be instituted and are too late for school opening.

Murphy created a task force on the shortages in December, citing pandemic-related staff shortages and saying he was confident it will offer the unique perspectives and experience that this moment requires. He gave the group of education experts two months to recommend short- and long-term solutions to recruiting and retaining school staff.m

The group issued a preliminary report in February with wide-ranging recommendations, including mentorship and professional development for new educators, more focus on safety, physical, and mental health for a better working environment, less paperwork, higher pay, a teacher apprenticeship program, a better path to teacher certification for support staff, a streamlined alternate route path to certification, especially for paraprofessionals, and stipends for student teachers.

Two items from the task forces to-do list have been checked off: a law allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom briefly without impacting their pensions and a fee holiday from July 1 through next June covering any teacher certification fees, funded by $5 million in the state 2023-24 budget.

Christi Peace, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Friday that more than $2.2 million in fees have been waived, and more than 6,000 certification applications have been approved.

The Department of Education spokeswoman Laura Fredrick said that, on average, the state can process an application to become a certified teacher in 27 days.

In May, Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden), the Education Committee chair, announced a package of a dozen bills, including the one affecting retired teachers. The rest remain in various legislative committees in the Assembly and Senate, as does another bill that would eliminate the residency requirement for teachers and some other public employees.

Lampitt told NJ Advance Media that the teacher shortage is one of the single most important issues.

If we cant find teachers to put in front of our kids, she said, were failing.

Senate Education Committee chair Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) said the bills would be a top priority in the legislative session after the election.

In June, the Legislature passed the 2023-24 state budget, which includes $20 million for addressing the school staffing shortage. Along with money for the fee holiday, it includes $10 million to provide stipends for student teachers to help them meet the costs of living while working and studying for their credentials, $2 million for Culture and Climate Innovation Grants to improve educator quality of life issues, such as decreasing paperwork, reimbursing for supplies, and increasing preparation time, $1 million to develop local partnerships for paraprofessional training, $800,000 for a teacher apprenticeship program, and $500,000 to expand a program to train teachers to be leaders.

In a statement, Peace said, By incentivizing and facilitating entry into educational professions, encouraging teachers to work in New Jersey, and diversifying our K-12 workforce, these programs and initiatives will help improve recruitment...of educators in our state.

Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the states largest teachers union, told NJ Advance Media that shortages affect counselors, librarians, school bus drivers, food service workers, and custodians as well as teachers, and they all affect how schools operate. He appreciates the work so far, especially eliminating the EdTPA test requirement for teacher candidates.

But weve got to be doing everything, and until we are, were not doing enough, he said.

Spiller said the union has not seen a significant jump in retirements, but it noticed an increase in people leaving teaching before retirement age.

That was the big change. Thats the big difference. Thats where were losing all the people, Spiller said, as school employees are leaving for better-paying jobs with more flexibility and less paperwork.

If you dont solve the retention problems, the recruitment efforts are really undermined, he said. Its easier to address recruitment than retention.

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Tina Kelley may be reached at tkelley@njadvancemedia.com.
Family, colleagues and friends of John Kalynych gathered Friday to mourn the loss of the emergency responder.

Lower Saucon Townships Polk Valley Park hosted the service organized by Gilbert Funeral Home of Whitehall Township.

Kalynych, of Hellertown, was a former long-time resident of Catasauqua, according to his obituary. He died Aug. 27, leaving behind family including two sons. He was 50.

A former deputy fire chief in Catasauqua, Kalynych was safety officer and a senior firefighter with Lower Saucon Fire Rescue at the time of his death.

He also served with the Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Co. in Northampton County, Bethlehem Township EMS and Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co., and worked as director and chief of special operations for Lehigh County Emergency Management. He was a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agencys Urban Search and Rescue Pennsylvania Task Force 1 and PA Company 3.

Last-call 911 dispatches Friday afternoon in Lehigh and Northampton counties recognized Kalynychs service, including at Lower Saucon Station 16.

John was a loving father, friend and mentor and an expert in Firefighting, Rescue and Hazardous Materials who was dedicated to training, the text of the Northampton County dispatch read. Johns legacy will live on through the lives he affected and we acknowledge with heavy hearts that he has answered his last call. 1660, Off Duty.

The transcript of the Lehigh County dispatch is as follows, provided by Donald L. Smith Jr., 911 director. For the top-ranking identifier numbers, Station 52 is Lehigh County Emergency Management; Lehigh County Special Operations is Station 42-43 and Station 2 is Catasauqua.

Lehigh County to Firefighter John Kalynych:

<pause>

Lehigh County to Retired 5201, John Kalynych:

<pause>

Lehigh County to Retired 4201, John Kalynych:

<pause>

Lehigh County to Retired 202, John Kalynych:

<pause>

On Behalf of the Lehigh County Emergency Management Agency, Catasauqua Fire Department, and Lower Saucon Fire Department, the Lehigh County Communications Center broadcasts the final call for John Kalynych.

For over 30 years, John has dedicated his life to serve others. John had moved up the ranks of multiple fire and EMS agencies in both Northampton and Lehigh Counties, including deputy chief of the Catasauqua Fire Department. He also served federally throughout the United States as a member of FEMAs elite Urban Search and Rescue Pennsylvania Task Force 1 and locally as a member of PA Company 3.

Professionally, John served the Lehigh County Emergency Management Agency as former Chief of Special Operations followed by Director, where he oversaw the Communications Center. He most recently served the Lehigh County District Attorneys office, as a member of the Municipal Emergency Response Team.

John made a name for himself throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley as an expert in Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials, where he developed and strengthened an emergency response system for the region for the foreseeable future.

Johns legacy will live on, not only in his sons Dylan and Andrew, but in the lives of the countless individuals that have been impacted both professionally and personally as the loving father friend, and mentor that he was, and will continue to be through memory.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
A pediatrician who is the focus of complaints from parents is no longer medical director at the Lehigh Valleys center for investigating suspected child abuse.

Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen was the target of parental criticism at recent meetings of the elected governing bodies of both Lehigh and Northampton counties. These concerns were aired over hours of public comment during Thursday nights meeting of Northampton County Council and the Aug. 23 meeting of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners.

In a statement this week, Lehigh Valley Health Network said Esernio-Jenssen is no longer medical director of the John Van Brakle Child Advocacy Center (CAC) housed at Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street in Allentown.

Dr. Sarah Kleinle took over as medical director in early September, after a nearly yearlong national search, the hospital network said.

Dr. Kleinle will lead the team of physicians responsible for performing medical evaluations for children who are referred to the CAC, the network stated.

The Brakle center assess patients referred from both Lehigh and Northampton counties and beyond, Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs said. It serves the regions most vulnerable children and their families through a multidisciplinary community partnership that provides evaluations, treatment and a coordinated response to promote justice, according to the statement.

The networks statement notes that Kleinle assumed the role previously held by Esernio-Jenssen but makes no reference to the recent criticism of Esernio-Jenssen from dozens of Lehigh Valley parents, youth who were the focus of child-abuse investigations, grandparents and other caregivers. Downs declined to comment beyond the statement. Esernio-Jenssen has not responded to a request for comment.

The statement notes that Esernio-Jenssen dedicated many years of service at the CAC and that she will continue to provide care part time in other Lehigh Valley Health Network locations.

Kleinle completed her medical degree at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, her residency in pediatrics at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and her fellowship in child abuse pediatrics at Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center.

The public criticism of Esernio-Jenssen comes amid the Aug. 23 release of a report by Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley titled The Cost of Misdiagnosis, and which outlined recommendations that essentially call for a second opinion when a parent is being accused of abusing a child. Pinsley did not single out any medical professional or facility by name.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, outside the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown about his report outlining concerns about the potential misdiagnosis of child abuse. He is joined by parents, many of whom spoke out before the county board of commissioners later in the evening.Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com

His report cites a comparatively high rate in the Lehigh Valley of diagnoses of a particular type of child abuse called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which involves exaggerating, faking or even causing disease-like symptoms in a victim in an effort to appear as a heroic, self-sacrificing caregiver. Of 10 reported cases between 2017 and 2021 across the 14-county northeastern region of Pennsylvania, eight were in Lehigh and Northampton counties  a significant majority, according to the controller. During that time, Philadelphia had seven reported cases of the syndrome despite a population more than twice that of the two Lehigh Valley counties combined, Pinsley said.

Pinsleys report also pointed to statistics showing the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth and Families upholds most findings of child abuse, while on further appeal the departments Bureau of Hearings and Appeals has consistently overruled a supermajority of cases in which child abuse is indicated by an investigation.

Without a judge or jury these caregivers are labeled as child abusers in the eyes of Pennsylvania, Pinsley said during a news conference prior to last months Lehigh County commissioners meeting where people spoke out.

During Thursday nights Northampton County Council meeting, heartbreaking stories were shared publicly of allegedly false accusations of child abuse handled through the John Van Brakle Child Advocacy Center, and the lost custody of children.

Among those who spoke at both meetings was Kim Steltz, of Emmaus, who with husband Steve lost custody of two children after seeking care for their oldest at Reilly Childrens Hospital inside Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township. They were diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, launching a 12-month court battle that Kim Steltz called soul-crushing and which she said ended with Lehigh County authorities dropping their case. The Steltzes formed the Parents Medical Rights Group Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter, which via Facebook on Friday responded to the replacement of Esernio-Jenssen as saying more changes are needed.

This is the toughest three hours I have ever had to sit through in my entire life, Northampton County Council President Kerry Myers said following the public comment period of Thursday nights meeting. If you think we werent listening, youre fooling yourself.

County Executive Lamont McClure called Myers response profound. And I think that its important that people know theyre heard, that theyre seen and theyre heard, McClure said.

McClure labeled the subject matter complicated but said theres no denying the pain and the real trauma of the voices of the people.

The Lehigh County Solicitors Office in response to Pinsleys report stated its findings were under review: At first glance we are concerned that this appears to be rather one-sided in its presentation of facts and conclusions regarding the County of Lehighs Office of Children and Youth Services. The caseworkers and attorneys of the Office of Children and Youth Services are dedicated professionals who are committed to the protection of children and youth as both a legal and moral imperative. Any case in which the agency seeks to remove a child from their parent(s) must first be presented to the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas before emergency placement, and then a hearing occurs shortly after placement.

While we are constrained by both State and Federal law from fully discussing the situations of the specific Lehigh County cases identified by Mr. Pinsley, we have reviewed the facts and are comfortable with the Countys handling of these matters, and the protection of the children involved.

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More than $67,000 was raised and shared with the families impacted by fires that destroyed 10 homes in the 900 block of Ferry Street in Easton, city officials announced on Friday.

The Ferry Street Fund was launched by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, Greater Easton Development Corporation and Third Street Alliance for Women and Children immediately after the disaster and donations poured in from more than 200 people, companies and organizations, a news release states.

This outpouring of support in a time of crisis truly speaks to the caring power of the Easton community, said David Lewis, president, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

The fires on May 29 destroyed or significantly damaged 16 homes and displaced 32 residents, including nine children under the age of 18 and two senior citizens, officials reported.

Assessments on the properties assumes 10 homes will need to be demolished based on estimated damage.

Officials declared the blaze a six-alarm fire  a rarity in the city  when it happened.

By comparison, the warehouse that burned down in nearby West Easton earlier this year was only a four-alarm fire. Fire Chief Henry Hennings called the fire on May 29 the citys biggest fire in years.

Several fire departments from Eastons surrounding communities, including Warren County in New Jersey responded to the scene. Roughly 200 firefighters representing more than 30 departments from five counties were needed to extinguish the blaze, officials said.

Roofs were opened by saws and water was blasted through upper-level windows in order to beat back the flames.

Given the scale of the fire, it was important to partner with a regional organization like United Way to bring more visibility to the issue and, ultimately, more funds to help the households impacted by the fire. Jared Mast, executive director of Greater Easton Development Partnership, said.

Approximately $31,000 went directly to the residents who were impacted, and $36,000 went to Third Street Alliance for Women & Children to provide stable housing for nine of the families who could not return to their homes.

All funds were raised and distributed between May 31 and Aug. 23, the news release states.

29 1 / 29 Easton fire aftermath, May 30, 2023

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A motorcyclist was killed in a crash last weekend in Warren County, authorities said.

It was reported about 6:23 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, along Belvidere Road (County Route 646) between North Third and North Second streets in Lopatcong Township, according to a news release from township police.

Police were called for a motorcyclist down and found him in the front yard of a home, with a New Jersey State Police trooper providing medical assistance, the release states.

The rider was taken to St. Lukes Hospital-Warren Campus in Phillipsburg, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries, police said.

Investigators concluded the motorcyclist was riding south on Belvidere Road when he ran off the road to the right and was ejected, the release states.

Police on Friday were continuing to withhold the motorcyclists name, out of respect to the family, Lopatcong police Sgt. Louis LaFord Jr. told lehighvalleylive.com.

Belvidere Road was closed for about two hours due to the crash. Assisting township police were Phillipsburg police, state police at Washington, the Lopatcong Fire Department, Phillipsburg EMS and Warren County Road Department.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
UPDATE: Lehigh Valley weather: Friday evening thunderstorms could be severe, as outages linger

Thousands remain without power Friday morning after heavy wind gusts from severe thunderstorms knocked down utility lines.

PPL outage maps show 447 customers in Northampton County and another 935 customers in Lehigh County remain in the dark.

Met-Eds outage map shows 1,787 customers in Northampton County and another 64 in Lehigh County remain without power.

Met-Ed spokesman Todd Meyers told lehighvalleylive.com customers impacted from Thursdays storm should all be restored by 6 p.m. Saturday at the latest. In addition to Met-Eds line workers, additional crews from two of the utilitys sister companies, have been called in to help, as well as another 150 contracted line workers.

However, the utility does fear additional storms being forecast this weekend.

The situation is fluid because a near carbon copy of round of powerful storms is forecast to hit many of the same areas again this afternoon and evening, Meyers said. This could impact ETRs (Estimated Time of Restoration) as new outages occur from the severe thunderstorms with high winds blowing trees and limbs into our poles and wires.

Could be a long weekend for our employees and customers, but we do have lots of extra resources here to do whatever we need to do to get the lights back on as quickly as possible, he added.

Jersey Central Power & Lights map shows 702 customers without power in Warren County. Both Met-Ed and JCP&L are First Energy companies.

Christopher Hoenig, a JCP&L spokesman, told lehighvalleylive.com crews are continuing Friday to work through storm damage. Several of the customers, he said, are being impacted by tree damage, in which work to restore power can be time consuming and complex.

A PPL spokesperson couldnt immediately be reached for more information.

Our crews are working through all of this damage, and we anticipate the vast majority of customers being restored throughout the day and into the evening and tonight, Hoenig said.

In Lower Saucon, police have shut down Hafler Road due to downed wires and a tree. A Lehigh County 911 Dispatch supervisor told lehighvalleylive.com several roads remain closed county-wide due to both downed wires and trees.

The National Weather Services Mount Holly office declared a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton shortly before 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The warning remained in effect until 7:15 p.m., while the whole region was under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m.

About an hour earlier, the NWS also issued brief warnings for several surrounding towns, including East Stroudsburg and Nazareth. The warnings noted quarter-sized hail and winds up to 60 miles per hour were possible.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly continues to put parts of the region under a Hazardous Weather Outlook Friday, with more thunderstorms expected to hit through the weekend. The weather service currently has issued the advisory for Northampton County, in effect until Friday evening.

The regional forecast is calling a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. Friday. A high temperature is forecast to be 89 degrees, before falling to a low temperature of 68 degrees by Friday evening.

Some of the storms Friday could produce gusty winds, meteorologists say. The chance of precipitation is 50% with rainfall amounts being between a tenth and quarter of an inch. Higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.

Friday evening has another chance of thunderstorms before 7 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 7 p.m. and midnight. Theres another chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight, with some of the storms possibly producing more gusty winds.

The chance of precipitation is 60% for Friday evening with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch, the weather service says.

AccuWeather is making similar predictions, calling for a heavy thunderstorm by Friday afternoon. The storms could bring some flash flooding and localized damaging wind gusts to the region, according to AccuWeather.

Additional thunderstorms remain in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

Theres a chance of showers before 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to the weather service. Then, showers are likely, with a possible thunderstorm after 5 p.m., the weather service says.

The high temperature is forecast to be 85 degrees on Saturday, before falling to a low temperature of 69 degrees Saturday evening, according to the weather service. The chance of precipitation is 60% for Saturday, with rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, with higher amounts possible in thunderstorms, the weather service says.

More showers and thunderstorms are likely, mainly before 11 p.m. Saturday, the weather service says. The chance of precipitation is 60% with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

AccuWeather is calling for humid weather with some breaks of sun for Saturday. This is expected to be followed by a couple of drenching thunderstorms by afternoon with some possible flooding, meteorologists say.

Sunday is expected to bring showers and possibly a thunderstorm. The high temperature is forecast to be 81 degrees on Sunday, before falling to a low temperature of 67 degrees for Sunday evening, the weather service says.

The chance of precipitation is 80% with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible, according to the weather service. More showers and possibly a thunderstorm are forecast before 2 a.m. Monday, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m.

The chance of precipitation is 80% with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible, the weather service says. AccuWeather predicts mostly cloudy skies with humid temperatures. A couple of showers and a heavy thunderstorms are in Sundays forecast with more possible flooding for the area.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
People will be able to find out more about the new sculpture commissioned as part of the building of the new Laois County Library in Portlaoise when it is officially unveiled on Culture Night.

The launch of Fragments of Time and Space, a cast terrazzo sculpture and bench created by artist David Beattie will take place at its permanent home, on Main Street.

While more about the sculpture is sure to revealed on the night, the Laois Arts Office give an outline of its inspiration and the contribution of one of the town's bards.

"The sculpture was created in response to the musical tradition of Portlaoise and as part of the new Cultural Quarter and Library in the centre of Portlaoise. The curved bench includes an inscription from Laois-born writer Pat Boran listen: the streets still dreaming us that further extends this invitation to listen," said the Arts Office.

The council has already confirmed that it cost 52,000 and was commissioned by open competition under The Per Cent for Art scheme, which requires up to 1% of the cost of public infrastructure such as the new 7.5 million library, to be spent on art.

David Beattie is an artist and lecturer at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology and TU Dublin, Ireland. Beatties artistic practice explores the material world through experiential, physical engagements with objects and non-objects.

Refreshments will be served at the launch which begins at 4pm on Friday, Sepember 22.

Its unveiling will mark the first anniversary of the of Protectour is a large permanent polished concrete artwork beside O'Moore Park GAA Stadium on the Abbeyleix Road. Marking the gateway to Portlaoise town, it was created by Wicklow artist James Hayes.

It was also funded under the Per Cent Art Scheme following the building the link road between the Abbeyleix and Timahoe Roads in the county town.

Visit www.Culturenight.ie for all details on times of events and further information or visit www.laois.ie download the Laois Programme of events 2023. Brochures available from Laois Co Co, Libraries and Arts Centres
A GARDA investigation is underway after a woman who was air-lifted to hospital following an incident on Lough Derg in County Clare died.

The alarm was raised shortly before 6.30pm on Thursday when emergency services were alerted to the incident at Twomilegate, close to Killaloe, in the east of the county.

Members of the Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard and paramedics from the National Ambulance Service were dispatched and the Cork-based air ambulance, Aeromed 01, also attended the scene.

The woman, aged in her 50s, received some medical attention on the shore before being taken to University Hospital Limerick where she subsequently died.

A garda spokesperson has confirmed a post-mortem is to take place and that a file will be prepared for the local coroner.

It's not known, at this stage, if the woman got into difficulty while swimming or if she became unwell while in the water.
A Met Eireann chart shows the potential for Laois to break the temperature record for the hottest September day in Ireland.

The current top mark for September in Ireland is 29.1C and that was reported in Clongowes, Co Kildare in September 2009.

Met Eireann has forecast that this could be broken on September 8, with the Midlands with Laois one of the candidate counties to set the new high bar for heat in the first month of Autumn.

While the average temperature nationally and in Leinster is due to peak at 28 degrees on Friday, the homepage on the forecaster's website displays a graphic with hourly temperatures by local area.

It shows the temperature in Portlaoise peaking at 30 degrees in Portlaoise at around 4pm. The Laois Weather website which records live temperatures in Laois and is referenced by Met Eireann showed temperatures at 26 degrees at 1pm.

The forecaster said 14 out of its 25 primary weather stations have broken their September maximum temperature records over the past three days. Met Eireann expects more September records to fall on Friday.

The Met Eireann Weather Status Yellow alert warns of very warm and humid weather on Thursday and Friday. Daytime temperatures in excess of 27 degrees in many areas away from coasts with night time temperatures not falling below 15 degrees. Potential impacts:

 Heat stress

 Uncomfortable sleeping conditions

 Risk of water related incidents

It is valid until 8am on Saturday, September 9.

The weather outlook from Met Eireann is for the weather to stay very warm and humid with sunny spells and occasional thundery downpours. However, it will become cooler from Monday onwards.

MORE BELOW GRAPHIC.

More below post.

14 out of 25 primary weather stations have broken their September Maximum Temperature records over the past 3 days. More September records may fall today pic.twitter.com/dAyMI1LrOb  Climate Services @ Met Eireann (@METclimate) September 8, 2023

National Forecast issued at 11:41am on Friday, September 8 by Met Eireann

Friday: Sunny day with highest temperatures of 24 to 28 degrees, possibly higher in a few places. Mist and fog may linger on the south coasts Isolated thunderstorms may develop inland during the afternoon. Light variable or southerly breezes.

Warm and humid night. It will be mainly dry with low cloud and areas of mist and fog, along with isolated showers. Lowest temperatures of 15 to 17 degrees in light southerly breezes.

Saturday: Mostly sunny again tomorrow, increased chance of isolated thunderstorms. Mist or fog may affect some coastal areas. Highest temperatures of 21 to 26 degrees with light ssouthwest or variable winds.

Mild and humid overnight with clear spells and isolated showers, possibly heavy or thundery. Lowest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees with patches of mist and fog forming in near calm conditions.

SUNDAY: Another warm day with sunny spells and showers, some heavy with thunderstorms and spot flooding possible. Not quite as warm as previous days with highest temperatures of 19 to 24 degrees, with light variable breezes.

Showers in the east will largely die out overnight. Further spells of rain will move into the northwest and slowly track southeastwards. Lowest temperatures of 13 to 16 degrees with light westerly breezes.

MONDAY: Becoming mostly cloudy through the day with outbreaks of rain moving southeastwards across the country and clearing later in the day. This rain will be followed by cooler, less humid air. Highest temperatures will range from 15 to 19 degrees with light westerly breezes.

TUESDAY: Tuesday will likely be mostly dry with sunny spells. Feeling cool with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees. Light northerly breezes.
Met Eireann has officially declared a heatwave with four locations in Ireland matching the climatic criteria to merit the status.

The weather forecaster posted on social media.

"Provisional data suggests four stations have reached heatwave status already today Oak Park, Mount Dillon, Gurteen and Shannon Airport.

"A heatwave occurs at a Met Eireann weather station when its daily maximum shaded air temperature is greater than 25C for five or more consecutive days," said the post on X around 3.30 pm on Friday, September 8.

"This is not the first time a heatwave happened in September, theres been three cases before, two of them in Sept 1991 & the first one in 1959 in Kilkenny Castle, but its the first time it happens with daily temperatures above 28C (Mount Dillon yesterday & Oak Park today," said Met Eireann.

There was an expectation that a September temperature record would be broken on September 8 in Ireland. The existing record is 29.1 degrees from Kildare in 2009. Met Eireann's website carried a prediction for 30 degrees in Portlaoise.

The official weather station at Oak Park in Carlow had hit 28 degrees by 3pm on Friday. The Laois weather station in Durrow which Met Eireann references hit 28.1 degrees about 3.30pm.

"This years heatwave hasnt broken the record for the moment and at this stage it is not expected to break it, as temps are forecasted to drop tomorrow," added the forecaster on X on Friday evening.

The forecaster issued a Status Yellow warm weather alert that is due to run to Saturday morning. MORE BELOW TWEET.

Provisional data suggests 4 stations have reached heatwave status already today

Oak Park, Mount Dillon, Gurteen & Shannon Airport

A heatwave occurs at a Met Eireann weather station when its daily maximum shaded air temperature is greater than 25C for 5 or more consecutive days pic.twitter.com/z6sa9LOfqi  Climate Services @ Met Eireann (@METclimate) September 8, 2023

Leinster weather issued at 1pm on September 8 by Met Eireann.

TODAY - Friday 8th September

Very warm this afternoon with highest temperatures of 24 to 28 degrees, possibly higher in a few places. It will be mainly dry and sunny today with a chance of isolated thunderstorms developing later in the day with light variable or southerly breezes.

TONIGHT

Warm and humid again tonight with some isolated showers. It will be dry in many areas with patches of mist and fog. Lowest temperatures of 15 to 17 degrees in light southerly breezes.

Pollen Forecast

High on Friday and Saturday.

Solar UV Index

Moderate on Friday and Saturday.

TOMORROW - Saturday 9th September

Tomorrow will be another warm day with sunny spells and well scattered showers, a few heavy showers possible with a chance of isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 21 to 25 degrees with light to moderate southwest or variable winds. More BELOW TWEET.

#Weekend Weather Update



Warm or very warm this weekend but with the increasing likelihood of some thundery spells of rain 



Temperatures falling back next week as a change in airmass sets in 



Find more here https://t.co/yEsIuCkWlq pic.twitter.com/f1VNP4uMNj  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) September 8, 2023

National Outlook

Overview: Staying very warm and humid with sunny spells and occasional thundery downpours. Becoming cooler from Monday onwards.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Mild and humid overnight with clear spells and isolated showers, possibly heavy or thundery. Lowest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees with patches of mist and fog forming in near calm conditions.

SUNDAY: Another warm day with sunny spells and showers, some heavy with thunderstorms and spot flooding possible. Not quite as warm as previous days with highest temperatures of 19 to 24 degrees, with light variable breezes.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Showers in the east will largely die out overnight. Further spells of rain will move into the northwest and slowly track southeastwards. Lowest temperatures of 13 to 16 degrees with light westerly breezes.

MONDAY: Becoming mostly cloudy through the day with outbreaks of rain moving southeastwards across the country and clearing later in the day. This rain will be followed by cooler, less humid air. Highest temperatures will range from 15 to 19 degrees with light westerly breezes.

TUESDAY: Tuesday will likely be mostly dry with sunny spells. Feeling cool with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees. Light northerly breezes.
"Landlords and greed are driving our young and mostly qualified professional people in their thousands out of this country annually, due to the spiralling cost of renting a room, an apartment or a house, according to Cathaoirleach, Cllr Justin Warnock who was talking at the latest meeting of Leitrim County Council.

He said this is all exasperated by the Government paying over 500,000 of taxpayers money to private landlords to provide 50,000 housing units under HAP or RAS, to families and individuals who need social housing.

Cllr Warnock called on the elected members to write to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Tanaiste Michael Martin to focus on funding for social housing construction in the upcoming budget.

He said the price of a house in Leitrim has gone from 118,000 in 2016 to 171,000 in 2022.

"Houses are no longer affordable," he stated, adding that "businesspeople come in and are buying houses and renting them out at astronomical prices."

In 2021, said average rents were 580 and the average price now is over 800 in Leitirm. "59,000 people left Ireland in 2022 and over 40,000 were under the age of 35. We are educating them for export," he said.

He said that young people have told them they are leaving as they "will never own their own property" but currently, "young people can't afford to live not only in Leitrim but anywhere in the country."

Cllr Enda McGloin said there is a "huge amount of tax on private landlords" adding that many are "losing money".

He noted that Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has said that he will be examining the tax treatment of landlords as well as the tax credit for renters in the upcoming Budget.

Cllr Warnock said that he felt the council could "not sit on our hands on a situation where our young people are being forced onto a plane or boat to leave the country because they can't afford to rent a property.

"We should not be funding a half a million of the taxpayers' money to landlords to inflate a price and keep it inflated," he said.

Cllr Felim Gurn said that "we're training people to export them abroad" with Cllr Des Guckian saying "the Government are acting as bystanders".
THE BIGGEST job of blacksmiths is not the intricate skill of bending metal to your will but it is educating others, according to Eric ONeill.

We need to firstly let the public know we still exist, believes the artist blacksmith and tutor from Cappamore.

Eric is a man of his word. Under his mentorship, the seven forges at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Boards College of FET, Cappamore Campus continues to be an inspiration to anyone interested in the area of blacksmithing.

It ranges from learners creating artistic sculptures, bespoke pieces of jewellery or furniture, more functional pieces or carrying out heritage conservation work.

An article by Eric entitled Europes Most Westerly Forge School was also published in an international blacksmithing publication this summer.

The ancient art of blacksmithing has been enjoying a revival in Ireland over the last number of years and this is certainly evident with another group of blacksmiths graduating at Irelands only City and Guilds certified training course, in Cappamore.

Learners of all experience levels, from complete beginners to more experienced smiths have been benefiting from taking on the skills and techniques offered at the blacksmithing and ironcraft skills course.

It all started for Eric in 2011 when he finished his training in Hereford, England.

I approached the forerunner of the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, County Limerick VEC, and was lucky enough to meet a manager called Eimear Brophy who was supportive and had a clear vision for the programme. At that time, a spare engineering classroom became available at a vocational school in Cappamore.

Its then principal, Michael OConnor, whose grandfather was a blacksmith / farrier, was helpful in getting the project started. I built some forges and made some tooling to get the introduction to forging class underway. We were lucky enough to have great interest in the subject and evening programmes were always booked out in advance.

Year-upon-year, programmes were filled with great feedback from the learners who signed up for other modules developed to expand their offering and forging skills.

Other longer-term programmes got involved such as Skills for Work. These began with an introduction to forging programme, followed by tool making and then we went on to forge some decorative projects. A bench for John The Bull Hayes, who had recently retired from international rugby, was one such project. A bench for a man who rarely if ever sat on the bench while he was an international rugby player, smile Eric. The bench is one of many unique pieces that Eric has created.

He said Paul Patton, Director of Further Education and Training at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board became a great champion of the forge and everything they were doing.

He helped to bring our capital infrastructure at the campus and forge facility to the level that we are all proud of. In 2015, we decided to seek formal accreditation at our College of FET, Cappamore Campus and developed an accredited programme. City and Guilds management met with us on site and, after our discussions, were eager to support us. So, Irelands first internationally-recognised blacksmith training programme began.

Eric said they are going from strength to strength ever since with their highest numbers to date this year with 12 out of 12 learners passing their City & Guilds exams. They also had their busiest year with part-time classes and have engaged with an educational programme on the appreciation and care of historical ironwork with Limerick Civic Trust as a partner.

Deirdre McGuinness, this years only female blacksmith, has a unique perspective as the daughter of well-known Clare blacksmith Conn McGuiness.

Conns mentor was Paul Allen, a world-renowned blacksmith, who was also Erics mentor. Conn sadly passed away a few years ago but Deirdre is proudly following in her fathers footsteps and hopes to get the family forge up and running again soon.

Another who received a City and Guilds accreditation this year is Richard Fontes, an established blacksmith who was looking to improve his forging skills and techniques during the course.

He runs the Fox Fire Forge in Abbeyfeale, where he creates jewellery, art and hand-crafted fire-side equipment. Richard is also part of the well-known Feale Crafters, a community group of independent artists from the locality who run a popular market in Abbeyfeale every second Saturday.

Fellow graduate, Reece Saul Foster took over the 270 year-old Lyons Forge in Mountshannon, Co Clare, four months ago and is currently operating his business Saul Forged from there.

He is now working on repairing the forge and is the first blacksmith to do so in over 100 years. Reece was recently commissioned to do a large project for a private art dealer and is grateful to Eric for showing him the skills he needed to help his business excel.

Eric says for far too long Irelands blacksmith training was non-existent, unless you were lucky enough to work in a forge where the owner had the time and skill to train you. Now, thanks to him and Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, it is under one roof in Cappamore.

As a tutor of blacksmithing, Eric says to all his students, their biggest job as smiths is educating others.

We need to firstly let the public know we still exist, what type of work we do and where we can be found. Blacksmiths everywhere are familiar with this story, we need more people to explore, enjoy and help develop our craft and drive it further on its continuing upwards spiral.

For more details on blacksmithing at the College of FET, Cappamore Campus, click here.
THE HISTORIC launch of Ireland's first dedicated Irish language children's channel, Cula4, was a momentous occasion not just for the nation but also for two Limerick communities.

Hailing from Annacotty, Sean O Maoilchiarain, and co-host Aisling Ni Dhonnabhain from Caherdavin, were entrusted with hosting the channel's daily six-minute news segment.

Sean, a proud native of Annacotty, previously studied Arts with Gaeilge and History at the University of Limerick, before taking his media career to the next level by hosting his own podcast Gaeilge Anois, and co-hosting a Radio Ri-Ra show. The Limerick man also featured multiple times on BLOC TG4's social media, creating content for thousands of viewers, but now marks his television debut alongside Aisling.

As for the Caherdavin local, Aisling started off at University College Cork studying World Languages, and has spent many years as part of Conradh na Gaeilge and Udaras na Gaeltachta. Previously, the city woman also presented another children's show, Eco Laoch, on TG4, before taking to the news studio.

Cula4, designed for children aged 0-12, boasts 14 hours of daily programming, providing young viewers with a vibrant and engaging platform to connect with the Irish language. The channel is available on Saorview (Channel 18), Channel 602 on Virgin Media, Sky 624, and Eir. Additionally, tech-savvy youngsters can access the channel through the player at cula4.com and the Cula4 App.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, emphasised the significance of Cula4's launch. She stated: "Cula4 allows young people with Irish to see themselves represented on screen."

This representation is now embodied in Sean and Aisling, who will serve as role models for children in Annacotty, Caherdavin, and beyond.
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A drug dealer was arrested in Germany more than eight months after absconding from an open UK prison, where he changed his name without authorities realising.

Dean Woods left HMP Sudbury, a category D facility in Derbyshire, while on day release last November 19 and never returned.

By the time the alarm was raised, the 41-year-old had travelled to Liverpool and boarded a ferry using a passport in the name of Simon Corner  after legally changing his name without prison bosses finding out.

He was arrested while travelling from Dublin to Frankfurt on August 13 and sent back to the UK on September 4, Derbyshire Police said on Friday.

While Woods, of Liverpool, will now serve the remaining 10 years of his 12-year sentence in a category B prison, he faces no further charges.

Police said: No further charges were able to be brought against Woods due to the specific requirements of the arrest warrant.

The UK offence of being unlawfully at large is not mirrored in Germany and he could not be returned to face charges on that specific offence.

Detective Chief Superintendent Gemma Booth said: Dean Woods made a concerted effort to not only leave the UK in order to escape serving the jail time he had been given for very serious offences  but to also remain free through a variety of criminal means.

I want to pay particular thanks to the determination of detectives from within our International Liaison Office who relentlessly pursued Woods.

Despite his best efforts, I am pleased to report that he is now safely detained.

The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment.
The mother of a teenager girl from Cavan who went missing from Disneyland Paris last month has spoken out and said, "I just want to know that she is safe."

17-year-old Amber Victoria Palm, who was living with her family in Cavan, vanished during a family trip to the French attraction in August and was last seen on CCTV at a petrol station nearby.

Her mother Mactalene, originally from South Africa, told Andrea Gilligan's Lunchtime Live show on Newstalk that she has no idea what happened her daughter and that her appeals go on.

The worried mum says she's been told by French police that her daughter could be "anywhere in the Schengen area" by now.

The teenager left Disneys Hotel Santa Fe in Coupvray in the middle of the night on August 7 and CCTV subsequently showed her meeting a male at a petrol station and getting into a car with him.

She was in contact with friends online for three days after that but no one has heard from her in the month since then. Mactalene has since found out her daughter was talking with a man online for a while before the trip and police know he entered France by ferry on August 6.

Her mother told Newstalk she is at a loss to know where she went with the man and is desperate to hear from her.

I've got no idea. I just want to know that she is safe. Or even give me a call or anything," she said.

They [French police] were saying she's a runaway, but you know what? She is still a minor, Mactalene added.

I mean, in today's life, anything can happen. You know, for me, it feels like, you know, she was groomed but I don't know; I can't say that.

French police have tried but so far failed to track the car and Mactalene says, "they can't just disappear."

She said gardai have been more helpful but that they've done all they can with the case.

If she phones or if the cops phone and tell us, you know, where exactly she is, Ill fly over and fetch my baby.

I wish there was more that I could do, she continued.

She said she is "trying to keep it together" but finds it difficult to look at Amber Victoria's young brother's face everyday as he is missing his sister.

The family are appealing to the public for any information on her whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to reach out to Gardai or local police wherever they are.
Similarweb, an analytics firm, has reported that ChatGPT, the highly acclaimed AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, experienced a third consecutive monthly decrease in website traffic during August.

As reported by Reuters, it is noted that there are indications that this decline may be stabilizing.

In August, global website traffic to the ChatGPT website, encompassing both desktop and mobile visits, saw a 3.2% decline, totaling 1.43 billion visits. This followed a roughly 10% reduction in traffic for each of the two preceding months, Reuters reported.

Furthermore, the average duration of time visitors spent on the website has been decreasing steadily since March, dropping from an average of 8.7 minutes per visit to 7 minutes per visit by August.

In August, there was a slight increase in the number of unique visitors to ChatGPT's website globally, with the count rising from 180 million users to 180.5 million users.

Also Read: Morgan Stanley tests OpenAI-powered chatbot for wealthy investors. Know more

The return of schools for the new academic year in September is expected to have a positive impact on ChatGPT's website traffic and usage. Some educational institutions have already started to adopt ChatGPT as a tool, and this is reflected in the slight rise in ChatGPT traffic in the United States during August, coinciding with the resumption of American schools.

"Students seeking homework help appears to be part of the story: the percentage of younger users of the website dropped over the summer and is now starting to bounce back," said David F. Carr of Similarweb, who regularly tracks ChatGPT and its competitors.

Also Read: ChatGPT-maker OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gets Indonesia's first Golden Visa: Heres what it means

Reuters reported, ChatGPT set off a frenzied use of generative AI in daily tasks from editing to coding and reached 100 million monthly active users in January, two months after its launch. Generative AI technology uses past data to create new content, for instance,live to write essays or poems.

OpenAI expanded its reach by launching the ChatGPT app on the iOS platform in May, a move that could potentially divert some traffic away from its website. While ChatGPT is available for free, it also offers a premium subscription option priced at $20 per month.

In addition to ChatGPT and its subscription revenue, OpenAI generates income by selling access to its AI models to both developers and businesses. It has established partnerships, including a significant investment from Microsoft amounting to over $10 billion, which further contributes to its financial growth.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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New Delhi: US chipmaker Nvidia Corp. on Friday announced separate partnerships with Reliance and Tata group companies to help them develop AI-powered supercomputers, AI clouds and generative AI applications.

While Reliances telecom and technology subsidiary Jio Platforms Ltd will build a framework for local-language deployment of generative AI, Tata Communications Ltd will build an AI cloud for its clients. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Indias largest IT services firm, will also use Nvidias AI computing infrastructure to develop generative AI applications for its clients.

Jio Platforms said the partnership will seek to develop Indias own foundational large language model (LLM) trained on diverse languages."

Tata Communications will build an AI cloud, which it will offer to its clients in an infrastructure-as-a-service model. An AI cloud is a remote computing platform built specifically for the development and deployment of AI applications and use cases, which, in this case, will be powered by Nvidias GH200 AI chip. Jios AI infrastructure will also use the same chip.

TCS will also build its own AI infrastructure in partnership with Nvidias on-cloud compute access, using which it will develop generative AI applications for its clients. The move comes after the new TCS chief executive K. Krithivasan said during the companys June quarter earnings call that the company is seeing increasing interest in generative AIwith 50 pilots and research projects, as well as over 100 real-life projects in the service providers pipeline.

In a statement, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said India has data, scale and talent", adding that through its partnership with Reliance Industries Jio Platforms, Nvidia will build state-of-the-art AI supercomputers in India." Jio Platforms will also use Nvidias DGX Cloud supercomputer-on-cloud service as part of its AI infrastructure. The latter will be hosted across suitable data centres across the country, accounting for a total data centre capacity of over 2,000MW. Reliance Jio will handle the execution, implementation and marketing of the infrastructure, while Nvidia will serve solely as a technology partner.

Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, said the infrastructure will be secure, sustainable and deeply relevant across India".

Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, added, As India advances from a country of data proliferation to creating technology infrastructure for widespread and accelerated growth, computing and technology super centres will provide catalytic growth."

The advancements in AI have made focus on AI a central priority in governments, industries and society at large. The impact of AI and machine learning is going to be profound across industries and every aspect of our lives. This is a key transformational trend of the decade, and every company must prepare to make this AI transition," said N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons.

Chandrasekaran, who also chaired Indias B20 presidency, the business track of G20, said at a press conference on 24 August that working committees under the group had recommended developing a common regulatory framework for generative AI.

Digital transformation by adopting AI at a scale is a key objective. So much can be done on generative AI. It requires regulation in some form. It is important to see how we can come together to create a common regulatory framework to bring responsibility in the use of generative AI, but it should not choke innovation," he said.

Fridays announcements follow Huangs meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit on 4 September. The meeting, as per an Nvidia statement, underlined the companys role in the countrys fast-growing technology industry."

TATA COMMUNICATIONS More Information

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Months after challenging Income Tax Department's notice, former BharatPe CEO, Ashneer Grover has again questioned Income Tax Department's another notice. The notice asked startups to share three year ITR details of investors to IT department.

Also Read: Admission to nursery in Delhi schools tougher than IIT entrance: Ashneer Grover Sharing the ordeal of few startups, Ashneer Grover, said that they had received Income Tax notices that are asking to furnish information about shareholders. He specially pointed towards that part of ITR notice that asked start-up companies to furnish three year ITR of all shareholders. Also Read: Ashneer Grover's Haryanvi tweet on Dhruv Bahl's BharatPe exit sparks online buzz Former Shark Tank India judge also shared a copy of the IT department notice. In the notice, the IT department sought certain documents under section 142 (1) of the Income-tax Act. Provide documentary evidence to substantiate the identity and ITR of last three years of shareholders to substantiate the creditworthiness of the shareholders as well as the proof of genuineness of transaction in respect of fresh credit of the share capital /premium account," as stated in the IT department's notice.

In the last 1 month, a number of startups (a few in my portfolio as well) have received Income Tax notices asking to furnish information about shareholders," he said in his tweet.

Also Read: Why taxpayers must visit Statue of Unity? Ashneer Grover shares sarcastic tweet

He later went on to regard the need to fulfil details of investors ITR as contradictory to the situation and asked the need for companies to have shareholders' ITR and why shareholders will share their ITR with startups. At the end he also requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to look into the matter.

Bahut interesting hai - they are asking start-up companies to furnish 3 year ITR of all shareholders. 1) How and why will companies have ITR of shareholders ! 2) Why would a shareholder/individual share their ITR with a private company ?And reason likha hai to establish creditworthiness of shareholders ? Kyun ? Company shareholder ko loan thode nahi de rahi ? Ulta shareholder ne company mein equity daal rakhi hai. Request @FinMinIndia to please look at it," he tweeted on Friday.

A month ago, the Delhi High Court dismissed Ashneer Grover's plea that was challenging an income tax notice issued to him under the Black Money Act.

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It's rare that tweaks to already published figures make big news. But then its also rare for statisticians at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a body that produces official data, to make dramatic adjustments. In an update on September 1st they found, in effect, almost two percentage points worth of GDP hidden behind a sofa.

View Full Image (Graphic: The Economist)

Doing so, the ONS rewrote recent economic history. Previously its data had shown the economy, at the end of 2021, to be still 1.2% below its pre-pandemic size. Now it reports that national output at the time was in fact 0.6% higher. As the government has been quick to point out, the revisions require a rethink of Britains performance. For much of the past two years Britain had seemed to be a laggard, with the weakest growth of any G7 rich economy. Now the record looks more respectable. Britain has been outgrowing Germany and just about matched the pace of France (see chart).

GDP numbers are always subject to revision as more information emerges. They should, in theory, grow more accurate as time passes. The latest update marks a large absolute adjustment, but is not unusual in proportion to the underlying changes in GDP to which it relates. The magnitude of the swings in national output in 2020 and 2021 was without precedent. For that reason, proportionally normal revisions mean big changes in the headline figures. Even without the wild gyrations in GDP, the pandemic was a tricky time for compiling data. For example, with many workers trapped at home, firms did not make it a priority to fill in forms for official statisticians.

One big adjustment concerns stockpiling. The ONS now reckons that in 2020 companies were adding to their piles of unsold stocks, not running them down. That inventory build-up meant that the reported fall in GDP was less severe than first thought: 10.4% rather than 11%.

More significantly, growth in 2021 has been notched up from 7.6% to 8.7%. Whereas the initial estimates for this year were mostly based on companies reported turnover figures, the ONS now has access to more detailed surveys. These let it examine inputs and outputs of different sectors with a finer degree of granularity. That, coupled with an updated methodology to match the latest international statistical standards, has led it to believe that margins in 2021 were healthier than once thought. Thus profits, income and GDP were also higher than first understood.

The change in the level of GDP was large, but mostly concentrated in two quarters: the second quarter of 2020, near the beginning of the pandemic, and the second quarter of 2021, during the reopening after the roll-out of vaccines. The broad trajectory of the recovery remains unchanged, although the initial fall in output was a bit less steep than once feared and the first recovery turned out somewhat faster.

The underlying shifts in the sectoral composition of growth also matter. In wholesale trade, the change in gross value added (a measure of the value of goods and services produced by a sector) in 2021 was revised up from just 2.7% to 32.4%. The growth in output of health services was lifted from 34.6% to 57.1%. That reflects better accounting of the economic impact of the vaccine roll-out, the test-and-trace programme and more robust recovery in normal health services than once thought. The broad picture is that the service sector did better than previously believed, though the manufacturing, construction and agricultural sectors performed worse.

The revisions help to explain away some mysterious quirks of Britains recent economic performance. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the governments fiscal watchdog, had been struggling to reconcile surprisingly resilient tax receipts with tepid economic growth. The revision has resolved that puzzle. However, it is not likely to lead to large shifts in the OBRs forecasts for the fiscal picture: no one should expect a cut in taxes or a boost to spending as a result. The once equally perplexing strength of hiring now also makes more sense.

The ONS is keen to point out that it is one of the first national statistics bodies to update its estimates for 2020 and 2021 in light of better data on sectoral inputs and outputs. Other countries will follow suit, and their own GDP rates may also be revised (if so, probably upwards too). Britains better performance relative to her peers, therefore, might not last long. Before the ONS rewrote the story of 2020 and 2021, the economys performance looked abysmal. After the revisions it looks merely poor. Any improvement is welcome, but the economic narrative has not fundamentally changed.

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 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
Russian forces struck and immobilized a British tank supplied to Ukrainian forces for the first time as Kyiv pushes some of its best equipment into a salient in the southeast in search of a breakthrough.

The loss of the Challenger 2 tank, confirmed by British officials, comes as Ukraine is seeking to expand cracks in the main Russian defensive line. But multilayered defenses remain a major challenge for Ukraines counteroffensive momentum.

After penetrating the main defensive line in the countrys southeast last month, the Ukrainian military is seeking to widen the gap into a corridor for Western-supplied armored vehicles to push through. This approach builds on weeks of small-unit infantry assaults, which followed heavy losses of vehicles in the early massed-formation attacks by Ukraine. Losses have been smaller in recent weeks as the Ukrainian military sought to preserve its armor for a potential breakthrough.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a defense consultant and former British tank commander, said that the damaged vehicle could likely be repaired and put back into action, because its hull, turret and gun barrier appeared to be intact.

Mines are still the big issue and hence the slow passage of the offensive," he said. But when they achieve a breakthrough in all lines of defense I expect the tank will really come into its own to rout the enemy with its firepower and mobility."

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in Ukraines Zaporizhzhia region, said the tank was struck on Tuesday near Robotyne, a village recently recaptured by the Ukrainians in the southeast. A video of the Challenger 2 that was posted on social media, showing the tank in flames and enveloped in dark smoke, was verified by The Wall Street Journal and located to the vicinity of Robotyne.

Russia has played down Ukraines latest gains and repeatedly described the counteroffensive as a failure. Russias Ministry of Defense said its forces had repelled four attacks near Robotyne and the nearby village of Verbove on Wednesday, destroying a tank and two American-supplied M777 artillery systems.

Fighting is now under way on the edge of Verbove, to the east of Robotyne, according to Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian troops are also pressing Russias defenses outside Novoprokopivka, to the south of Robotyne.

The loss of the tank illustrates the challenges posed by Russian mines and drones.

A British official said the tank had driven into a mine before being targeted by a drone. All six crew members survived.

We accept that in a war zone there can be material losses, which is whats happened here," British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News.

Ukraine and its allies had hoped Western tanks could be used to punch through Russian defensive lines in the south, clearing the way for a rapid advance to the Sea of Azov. But attempts to deploy armored vehicles in that way at the outset of the offensive in June ran up against Russias dense minefields and antitank missiles and artillery.

Instead, Ukrainian forces have advanced largely on foot, using the tanks in support.

The U.S. and several European countries have committed to supplying some 225 modern tanks including Leopards, Challengers and the U.S. Abrams, of which around 100 were in the country at the start of August, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. think tank.

The Challenger is one of 14 supplied to Ukraine by the U.K. to the 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which joined the counteroffensive last month.

The tanks maker, BAE Systems, had earlier said that a Challenger 2 had never been destroyed by enemy fire.

Ukraine has lost 16 German-made Leopard tanks over the course of the counteroffensive, according to the Oryx independent team of analysts tracking both sides losses in the war.

Some of these Western tanks have been older models. The British Challenger 2 was first used in the late 1990s and is currently being replaced by an updated version.

Germany has sent 20 Leopard 1s, a model of tank that first saw service in the 1960s. Berlin, though, has also sent 19 of the Leopard 2A6, a more recent version of a tank that is used across Europe.

Ukraine started the war with around 850 Soviet-designed tanks and was gifted many others by Eastern European allies, according to CSIS.

Alistair MacDonald and Max Colchester contributed to this article.

Write to Anastasiia Malenko at anastasiia.malenko@wsj.com and Isabel Coles at isabel.coles@wsj.com

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Mali witnessed two separate attacks on September 8, orchestrated by al-Qaida-linked insurgents in the conflict-ridden north of the country. These assaults claimed the lives of 49 civilians and 15 government soldiers, as confirmed by Mali's military junta, AP reported.

The attacks were directed at a passenger boat on the Niger River near the city of Timbuktu and a Malian military position downstream in the Gao region. The military junta conveyed this information via a statement read on state television, revealing that these attacks were claimed by JNIM, a coalition of armed groups affiliated with al-Qaida.

Malian government reported that around 50 assailants were killed in response to the attacks. To pay respects to the civilians and soldiers who lost their lives in these attacks, the government declared three days of national mourning beginning from Friday.

According to a United Nations report from the previous month, Al-Qaida affiliated and Islamic State-linked groups have nearly doubled the territory they control in Mali in less than a year. They are capitalising on a fragile government and the actions of armed groups that signed a peace agreement in 2015.

The stalled implementation of this peace deal and the continuous attacks on communities have provided an opportunity for these groups to recreate the situation of 2012. During that year, a military coup occurred in Mali, followed by the establishment of an Islamic state in the north two months later. Although a French-led military operation later ousted the extremist rebels from power in the northern regions, they relocated to more densely populated central Mali in 2015 and have remained active since.

Timbuktu has been under siege by armed groups since late August, hindering the supply of essential goods to the desert city. As a result, over 30,000 residents have fled Timbuktu and nearby region, according to a UN humanitarian agency report from August.

These incidents unfold against the backdrop of the impending withdrawal of the United Nations' peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, from Mali. This decision was made at the request of the Malian government and is scheduled to be completed by year-end. MINUSMA was deployed in 2013 and has become the world's most dangerous UN mission, with over 300 personnel losing their lives.

(With inputs from AP)

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Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has been captured in a photograph with his twins for the first time. These twins were born to Shivon Zilis, who also happens to work at Musk's brain chip company, Neuralink, New York Post reported.

In the photograph, Musk can be seen sitting on a couch, cradling one of the twins who was 16 months old at the time. Zilis, who is 37 years old, holds the other infant while sitting beside Musk. Insider reported that this intimate family moment was captured at Zilis' residence in Austin, Texas. The image was shared on platform X on September 6 by veteran journalist Walter Isaacson, who is preparing to release a biography about Musk.

Isaacson's book, which is set to be available on September 12, 2023, offers an inside look into Musk's life. The journalist followed Musk for three years during the preparation of the biography. One of the images shared by Isaacson displays one of the twins standing next to a robot, with Musk overseeing the scene.

According to Isaacson, Musk requested to meet him at Zilis' home in March to have a conversation that can only be done in person." During this conversation, Musk talked about topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the window of opportunity for establishing a sustainable human colony on Mars, reported Time magazine.

Isaacson wrote about this peculiar scene, where they sat on a suburban patio, enjoying a sunny day by a peaceful backyard swimming pool while discussing profound matters.

Zilis, a Canadian-born venture capitalist, gave birth to Musk's eighth and ninth children in November 2021, as indicated by court documents. However, the names of these twins have not been disclosed. It's worth noting that the twins were conceived through in vitro fertilization. Additionally, Musk welcomed his second child with Canadian pop star Grimes a few weeks after the twins' birth.

Reuters reported that Zilis informed colleagues that there was never any romantic involvement or sexual relationship between her and Musk.

Elon Musk, who is 53 years old, is a father to nine children in total. He shares five children with his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson. Unfortunately, they lost their first child, Nevada, to sudden infant death syndrome at just 10 weeks old in 2002.

Shivon Zilis has been associated with Musk since 2016 when she joined OpenAI, a company co-founded by Musk. In 2017, Musk hired her to work on Tesla's autopilot technology, and she later took over the leadership of Neuralink in 2020, reported New York Post.

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Spain's President Pedro Sanchez on September 7 tested positive for COVID-19. He will not attend the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in India.

In a post on to X (formerly Twitter), Sanchez said, "This afternoon I have tested positive for COVID and will not be able to travel to New Delhi for the G20 Summit. I feel fine."

At the G20 Summit, Spain will be represented by the First Vice President Nadia Calvino and Minister of Economic Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, he added.

Sanchez is among the three world leader to have pulled out of the G20 Summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are the other two leaders who will not be visiting Delhi for the G20 Summit.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the G20 Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates.

Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face.

Formed in 1999, the G20 was formed to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Leaders of several countries are flying to Delhi to attend the G20 Summit from Friday. Ahead of the summit, G20's current host, India, emerged as the 7th best-performing nation in terms of complying with 15 key G20 Bali commitments made last year.

According to the data analysed by G20 Research Group, India complied to 87% of commitments made in G20 Summit in Bali last year.

Also Read: G20 Summit: List of World Leaders who have arrived in Delhi and who are yet to arrive

For the final compliance with the Bali Summit's priority commitments, the European Union emerged had the highest compliance at 97%. The group was followed by Australia and Germany at 93%, and Canada, Korea and the United Kingdom at 90%. India, host of the 2023 New Delhi Summit, and Argentina had 87%. Indonesia, host of the 2022 Bali Summit, ranked 15th at 73%. Turkiye had the lowest compliance at 50%.

Also Read: G20 Summit 2023 Traffic Advisory: Which routes to take to travel around Delhi today

G20 Commitments fulfilled by India in 2022

India performed above than average in G20 commitments associated with Price Stability (macroeconomics), fiscal resilience, digital economy, gender equality in terms of labour and employment, food and agriculture, global health infrastructure, etc.

However, India failed to perform well in commitments related to agricultural open trade, corruption, etc. Out of the 15 commitments, India partially fulfilled four commitments, they were open agricultural trade, crime and corruption, universal health coverage, and zero or low emission power generation.

Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: Former PMs Manmohan Singh, HD Deve Gowda invited to grand dinner in Delhi

About G20 2022 Final Compliance Report

The G20 2022 Bali Final Compliance Report was prepared by the G20 Research Group located at the University of Toronto and the Center for International Institutional Research of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). The report analyzes compliance by G20 members with 15 priority commitments selected from the total of 223 commitments made at the Bali Summit. The summit was hosted by Indonesia on 1516 November 2022. The report covers actions taken by G20 member countries between 17 November 2022 to 21 August 2023.o

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On the eve of G-20 Summit meet in national capital Delhi, the Delhi Police's website is down. The Delhi Police website seems to have crashed amid cybersecurity threats ahead of the crucial international meet in Delhi.

The Delhi Police website currently shows the error message This service isnt available". As per Threat intelligence platform, Falcon Feed, Team Insane PK hackers group" have claimed to have targeted the website. It has also posted a screenshot of the Telegram chat confirming the same.

According to Business Today report, Falcon Feeds has informed that hackers are targeting Indian websites amid the G20 Summit preparations.

These threats include Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) and data leak, the report added.

Most of the groups are hacktivist groups that are actively targeting India since past many months. The discussion related G20 was started by Indonesian groups like Hacktivist Indonesia Jambi Cyber Team, Ganonsec, FR3DENS OF SECURITY , host kill crew and more. It was later joined by Pakistan backed groups like team insane pk. We expect more groups to join soon." Business Today quoted Falcon Feeds.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across the national capital, especially in New Delhi district, on the eve of the G20 summit with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies maintaining a hawk-eye vigil in the city, officials said on Friday.

Markswomen and armed forces deployed at strategic locations, enhanced patrolling and intensive checking in border areas are some of the security measures taken by the Delhi Police ahead of the G20 summit that will be held here from September 9 to 10 at Pragati Maidan here.

Delhi Police is being assisted by over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads and mounted police.

Further, the Tibetan Youth Congress Friday held a protest in north Delhi's Majnu ka Tilla against the participation of Chinese delegates in the Summit. Holding banners and raising anti-China slogans, protesters carried out a peaceful" demonstration amid heavy personnel deployment, the police said.

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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has again falsely accused the Armenian military of opening gunfire across the border, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia warned Friday.

It said that Azerbaijan continues its disinformation campaign.

The statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan as if on September 8, between 13:35 and 13:45, the units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire against the Azerbaijani combat positions in the southwestern part of the border, does not correspond to reality, the Armenian defense ministry said in a statement.
NEW DELHI : India aims to achieve the twin objectives of adding the African Union as a member of G20 and resolving disagreements about a joint statement related to the war in Ukraine at the upcoming G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September.

India, which has centred its G20 presidency around the concerns of the Global South, will view the inclusion of the African Union as a significant achievement, in line with its aspiration to represent the interests of low-income, developing nations.

The inclusion of the African Union has also received the support of the European Union (EU), France and the US. Media reports indicated that G20 has agreed to grant membership to the African Union, which counts 55 countries as members.

The organization was founded in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation for African Unity. The organizations stated goal is to achieve greater unity and solidarity between African countries and promote common African positions on issues of interest, according to the groupings website.

The current focus on the Global South emanates from the conviction that these are countries deserving of special care. But equally, these are today, societies under exceptional stress which, if left unaddressed, would become a serious drag on the world economy," Indias foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, said in August.

When India assumed the G20 presidency last December, we were acutely conscious that most of the Global South will not be at the table when we meet. This mattered very much because, as I have underlined, the really urgent problems are those faced by them. To discuss their concerns without providing a fair hearing appeared extremely unfair," he said. India held the Voices of the Global South Summit with developing nations in January.

We heard from 125 nations directly about their challenges and priorities. And on their behalf, these have been made central to the G20 agenda," Jaishankar said.

Resolving differences over Ukraine and securing a joint communique will also be a key focus. Senior EU officials indicated the draft text put forward by India does not go far enough in expressing G7 concerns about Russias war in Ukraine. However, they have also indicated flexibility in modifying language related to the war, which India may be keen to capitalize on.

In case negotiations do not succeed, this will be the first G20 summit where a joint declaration has not been agreed to. India has so far been releasing an Outcome Document and Chairs Summary" statement in place of a joint declaration at the end of major G20 meetings since China and Russia have not consented to the specific language related to Ukraine.

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New Delhi: The New Delhi Leaders Declaration of G20 is almost ready and will be presented before the groupings leaders to secure a consensus, Indias sherpa Amitabh Kant said.

Addressing a press conference ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit on 9-10 September, Kant said he would reveal more about the declaration, also referred to as a joint communique, after it has been accepted by the leaders. However, he said the declaration will include the voice of the global south and developing countries.

Our New Delhi Leaders Declaration is almost ready. I would not like to dwell on it because this declaration will be recommended to the leaders, and the leaders will then accept it," Kant said, adding the war in Ukraine has been discussed in great length even though G20 is an economic forum as it was understood in Bali, but the war has had an impact on fertilizer and food security.

And only after it (leaders communique) has been accepted will we be able to talk about the actual achievements of this Declaration," he added.

Russias war in Ukraine has divided G20 nations, with ministerial meetings during the Indian presidency unable to issue communiques or joint statements from member nations. This has left the G20 leaders with the challenging task of coming out with a communique. All previous G20 presidencies have released communiques in the past. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that her country was willing to work with India to help craft a communique, Reuters reported. However, drafting it may be a challenging task. Meanwhile, Kant also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a great believer in the global south, has written to G20 leaders to include the African Union as a member of the grouping.

There have been positive responses from G20 leaders, he said, adding that the leaders are expected to take a call soon.

The press conference was addressed by Indias G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant, economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, and chief G20 Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla. Kwatra said the concerns of the global south are central to the discussions at G20 under the Indian presidency.

Kant said India took over the G20 presidency at Bali last year amid issues of war, slow growth and food security, which have been discussed at great length by G20 members.

Key priorities of the Indian presidency include driving sustainable and inclusive growth, accelerated sustainable development growth, climate finance, digital public infrastructure and goods, just energy transition, health, education and employment, as well as international peace and harmony.

Only 12 of the 169 sustainable development goals (SDGs) are on track, and we are way behind schedule. We are midway at the 2030 Action Point," Kant said. Accelerating SDGs, improving learning outcomes, health outcomes, and nutrition were very critical for Indias presidency, he added.

Kant also said that Indias digital public infrastructure is a great achievement of its presidency. Few people knew about digital public infrastructure when India took over the G20 Presidency. One of our great achievements, or key takeaways, is that the world acknowledges that India has truly revolutionized digital payments," he added.

Kwatra said he was hoping for G20 leaders to reach a consensus, an outcome, which leads to a communique or a joint statement.

Our focus is to drive a consensus on the priorities of the G20 and bring together the leaders around the vision," Kwatra said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Modi said on social media site X (formerly Twitter) that he looked forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.

It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development," he added.

Separately, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US treasury secretary Janet Yellen met on Friday to discuss key G20 priorities and bilateral cooperation.

rhik.kundu@livemint.com

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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also been invited to the G20 Summit dinner, according to ANI news agency report.

The national capital is all decked up magnificently to hold the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10.

Meanwhile dignitaries from across the world have started arriving in Delhi to participate in the mega event.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the key leaders who are going to attend the event in Delhi.

Also read: G20 can offer the world direction on climate action

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is being hosted by India. Extensive preparations have been underway to portray India's tradition and strength.

The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU (represented by Comros), and South Africa. Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, the U.A.E., Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey Spain, Germany, France, Mexico, the European Union, Singapore.

A G20 Leaders' Declaration will be adopted at the end of the G20 Summit, stating the leader's commitment to the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working groups. India assumed the G20 presidency last year in November, and the next presidency of the G20 will be handed over to Brazil next year, followed by South Africa in 2025.

Security has been beefed up across the national capital, especially in New Delhi district. Markswomen and armed forces have been deployed at strategic locations and enhanced patrolling and intensive checking in border areas are some of the security measures taken by the Delhi Police.

Delhi Police is being assisted by over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads and mounted police. DCP-rank officers will serve as camp commanders of hotels where the delegates will be staying. Officials said arrangements have been made so that no infiltration, terrorist act or sabotage takes place during the summit.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be interacting with three world leaders on Friday, including US President Joe Biden at his residence. Prime Minister Modi on the X platform informed that he would be meeting Biden, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on Friday eve.

"The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation," PM Modi added. Also read: G20 Summit 2023 Delhi LIVE Updates: Traffic curbs come into force in New Delhi. Check details

As per the media reports, PM Modi will be holding over 15 bilateral meetings between Friday to Sunday.

All these bilateral meetings will be held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit set to be held under India's Presidency on September 9-10.

On Saturday (9 September), Prime Minister Modi is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with UK counterpart Rishi Sunak, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. He will hold a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. Furthermore, the Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Also read: Manmohan Singh lauds PM Modi's leadership, says India did the right thing

And on Sunday (10 September), PM Modi will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will be having a pull-aside meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He will have bilateral meetings with leaders from Comoros, Turkey, South Korea, UAE, Nigeria, Brazil, the European Union, and the European Council.

Several world leaders have arrived today in Delhi for the G20 Summit. This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Formed in 1999, the G20 was set up to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

Also read: G20 Summit: PM Modi to hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

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Traders in Chandni Chowk have enlisted the services of approximately 100 female entrepreneurs serving as proficient translators, capable of communicating fluently in languages such as English, French, Spanish, and others, to ensure that foreign visitors enjoy a smooth and hassle-free experience during the G20 Summit .

As reported by PTI, "the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has partnered with these women entrepreneurs, fashion designers, influencers, bloggers, salon and boutique owners who are fluent in languages such as English, French, Spanish and German to work as translators, its chairman Brijesh Goyal said.

These women will assist the traders of Chandani Chowk market in communicating with foreign visitors on September 8-10, he said. They will be engaged on voluntary basis", he said.

Among the group of women entrepreneurs and businesswomen participating in this initiative are notable individuals like Mohika Sawhney, Emeli Munshi, Gauri Webster, Vandana Rao, Chhaya Singh, Neeru Sehgal, and Shweta Rajpal.

Also Read: G20 Summit: List of World Leaders who have arrived in Delhi and who are yet to arrive

Goyal further mentioned that the CTI (Chandni Chowk Traders' Association) has forwarded a roster of volunteers to the Ministry of External Affairs. This will enable the ministry to get in touch with them, not only to assist traders in various markets but also to provide support to foreign delegates during the summit.

Numerous well-known markets situated within the restricted area of New Delhi will remain shut during the G20 Summit. However, Chandni Chowk, renowned for its culinary delights and shopping opportunities, as well as its close proximity to historic landmarks, is expected to be a major attraction for summit attendees and visitors alike.

Shop owners have expressed that these precautionary measures will greatly aid in ensuring smooth communication and interaction with foreign guests during the summit.

Also Read: US better security partner than China, Joe Biden to show at G20 Summit, in Vietnam

"Our aim is to make Chandni Chowk, which is well known all over the country, famous in other countries also," Goyal said.

Shop owners expressed their enthusiasm regarding the summit and said such a programme had never happened before.

"We are proud that the event will draw so many foreign visitors here and we welcome all of them to the Walled City," said a local trader.

A large number of prominent roads and other areas in the city have been cleaned and beautified in the run-up to the G20 Leaders' Summit, which is slated to be held on September 9-10 at the newly built international convention centre at Pragati Maidan.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Ahead of the G20 Summit, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced that feeder buses between Delhi Aerocity Station of Airport Line and Terminal 1 will be unavailable from 8-10 September. In order to reach Terminal 1, DMRC has asked commuters to use the Magenta Line and get down at Terminal 1-IGI Airport Metro Station. G20 Summit 2023 Delhi LIVE Updates Earlier on Wednesday, it had announced that from September 8-10, the metro train services will begin at 4 am. In a statement, it had said, For the upcoming G-20 Summit to be held in Delhi on 9th and 10th September 2023, the Delhi Metro train services will start from 04:00 AM from terminal stations of all Lines for three days that is from 8th to 10th September 2023." Also Read: G20 Summit 2023 Traffic Advisory: Which routes to take to travel around Delhi today

The metro trains will run with a frequency of 30 minutes on all lines till 6 am and after 6 am, metro trains will run as per the normal timetable throughout the day on all lines.

"All Metro stations will remain open for the general public during this period (September 8-10) except Supreme Court Metro Station where no boarding/deboarding of passengers will be allowed on September 9-10 due to security constraints," said Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director, Corporate Communications, DMRC.

"However, as and when directed by the security agencies, entry/exit at some stations may be regulated for a brief period in the New Delhi district on the 9th and 10th of September to facilitate the movement of VVIP delegations," DMRC said.

Dayal said, "Parking at all Metro stations will also continue to remain available as usual except for three Metro stations falling in the New Delhi district. Parking at these three stations namely, Supreme Court, Patel Chowk and Rama Krishna Ashram Marg will remain closed from 4 am of September 8 till 12 PM of September 11."

Meanwhile, India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan on September 9-10. World leaders have started arriving in India to attend the G20 Summit. This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Formed in 1999, the G20 was setup to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

Meanwhile, India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

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US President Joe Biden arrived in national capital Delhi on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US President Biden, along with Janet Yellen, went for closed door meeting with PM Modi on Friday, after the former arrived in India. This is President Bidens first visit to India as US President. The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020.

Prime Minister's Office in India informed that PM Modi and US President Joe Biden's discussions include wide range of issues, will further deepen bond between India, US. The joint statement also said the Prime Minister looked forward to welcoming the US President to the next Quad Leaders' Summit to be hosted by India in 2024. The Quad, comprising India, US, Japan and Australia, has been focusing on practical cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the region. The White House issued a joint statement of India and US government after the bilateral talks were over. The leaders expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground breaking achievements of Prime Minister Modis historic, June 2023, visit to Washington" the statement read.

"Prime Minister Modi and President Biden reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific," the statement said.

India welcomed the US decision to co-lead the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Pillar on Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, further to the US decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) in June 2023, it said.

Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, President Biden also reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29, the statement said.

The leaders also underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system so it may better reflect contemporary realities and remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council, it said.

Having feted Modi with a state visit to Washington in June, Biden is banking on the idea that successful diplomacy depends on personal connections. But any connection will largely be outside of the public view. White House reporters traveling with Biden were denied access to the leaders' meeting, reported AFP.

The two have had more than a dozen in-person or virtual engagements since 2021 as both look to tighten the US-India partnership amid shared major concerns. Those include an increasingly assertive China and monumental challenges posed by climate change, artificial intelligence, global supply chain resilience and other issues.

US President Joe Biden and other G20 leaders gathered in New Delhi on Friday for their annual summit, as deep divisions between heavyweight members and a no-show by China's Xi Jinping called the bloc's relevance into question.

(With agency inputs)

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United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres landed in India on Friday to attend the G20 Summit meet in national capital Delhi. At the capital, Guterres held a press conference where he stressed on the need to maintain the the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal alive for climate betterment.

G20 countries should show leadership by keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal alive, rebuilding trust based on climate justice and advancing just and equitable transition through a green economy, United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres said.

At the Paris climate talks in 2015, countries agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as compared to pre-industrial levels (1850-1900) to avoid extreme, destructive and likely irreversible effects of Climate Change.

"We have no time to lose, challenges stretch as far as I can see. The climate crisis is worsening dramatically but the collective response is lacking in ambition, credibility and urgency," Guterres told a press conference on the eve of the G20 Summit here.

He urged the G20 countries -- responsible for 85 per cent of the world's GDP and 80 per cent of the emissions -- to demonstrate leadership in two priority areas: preventing a climate breakdown and saving the sustainable development goals.

"The climate crisis is spiralling out of control, but G20 countries are in control. Together, G20 countries are responsible for 80 percent of global emissions. Half measures will not prevent full climate breakdown," he said.

Guterres urged the G20 leaders to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal alive, rebuild trust based on climate justice and advance just and equitable transition through a green economy.

He urged big emitters to make extra efforts to cut emissions and support emerging economies to achieve these.

He said developed countries should reach net zero by 2040 and the emerging economies by 2050.

OECD countries should phase out coal by 2030 and the others by 2040, he added.

The UN chief said the developed countries within the G20 should show leadership by delivering on commitments to developing countries, by meeting the USD 100 billion goal, doubling adaptation finance, replenishing Green Climate Fund and operationalising the loss and damage fund created in the last Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

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Google Doodle is celebrating the 182nd birthday of Czech musician and composer Antonin Dvorak, who was born in Nelahozeves, north of Prague.

In a post highlighting Dvorak's life, Google noted, "Vorak grew up interested in his fathers musical skills. He played a string instrument called a zither, which sparked the young Dvorak to experiment with music in his youth. Around age 12 he found a music teacher who encouraged him to learn the basics of the organ, piano, violin, and music harmony."

Furthermore, he graduated as a trained organist and began working as a musician. He joined the orchestra as a violist and taught private piano lessons on the side. He composed operas, symphonies, and chamber music and gained recognition in Prague with his hymn, The Heirs of the White Mountain, in 1873.

Also Read: Google Doodle celebrates French actor Habib Benglia's 128th birthday

"Dvorak, he also became an organist at St. Adalberts Church and entered a few of his scores into music competitions."

One of the judges who awarded him in 1875 introduced Dvorak to his music publisher, who commissioned Slavonic Dances. This made Dvorak a well-known name across Europe, and more commissions came his way  notably Symphony No. 7 in D minor, the orchestral work Saint Ludmila, and Moravian Duets. After several successful performances in his native country and England, the Prague and Cambridge Universities made him an honorary doctor of music," Google noted.

Furthermore, in 1892, he was invited to direct the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. There he found inspiration in Black and Native American music and wrote one of his most famous pieces, Symphony No. 9 From the New World. Fun fact: this piece was brought to the moon by astronauts years later, in 1969! And this year marks 130 years since the premiere of this Symphony at Carnegie Hall," Google said.

After about three years in the US, Dvorak returned to Prague and became director of the conservatory there, passing on his knowledge to future Czech composers. In his later years, he focused on operas and premiered his smash hit Rusalka in 1901  this musical fairytale has been popular worldwide for over a century", Google informed.

SYMPHONY More Information

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New Delhi: Despite the focus on boosting electricity transmission amid Indias energy transition journey, the growth in extending power transmission lines has slipped in the current financial year.

According to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), a total of 3,657 circuit kilometres (ckm) have been set up during the first five months of this fiscal (FY24), against a target of 8,784 ckm.

This means only 22% of the target for the fiscal had been completed by August. The target for FY24 stands at 16,602 ckm. In August, only 330 ckm of transmission line was established against a target of 1,514 ckm.

During the fiscal so far, a total of 1,469 ckm of transmission line has been set up under the central sector, while 1,679 ckm was set up by state government enterprises. The private sector, however, lagged the most as it set up only 509 ckm of transmission lines, which is only 23% of a target of 2,145 ckm for the April-August period.

A lag was also seen in the setting up of substations as 16,531 substations have been established so far in the fiscal, which is 45% for this period. For the entire financial year, a target of 78,109 substations has been set.

With a focus on achieving an installed renewable energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030, the government is looking at expanding and upgrading the transmission system to integrate the 500 GW RE capacity.

For enabling growth of renewable energy capacity, areas which have high solar and wind energy potential need to be connected to the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS), so that the power generated can be evacuated to load centres. As the gestation period of wind- and solar-based electricity generation projects is much less than the gestation period of transmission system, it needs to be planned in advance.

As a major step toward achieving the goal of 500 GW RE capacity, ISTS network has been planned for the projected RE capacity addition by the year 2030.

The ministry of power had constituted a high-level committee for planning the transmission system required for having 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity by 2030. In March this year, the ministry accepted the recommendations of the panel which suggested a bouquet of technological and digital solutions.

//WEB//

The task force has recommended Centralized Remote Monitoring, Operation of Substations including SCADA, Flexible AC Transmission devices (FACTs), Dynamic Line Loading system (DLL), Wide Area Measurement System (WAMS) using phasor measurement unit (PMU) and data analytics, Hybrid AC / HVDC system among others.

The Task force also recommended benchmarks for transmission network availability and voltage control based on performance of global transmission utilities.

A per the roadmap of for integration of of 500 GW renewable energy to the transmission system, the additional transmission systems of high voltage direct current transmission corridors at an estimated cost of 2.44 trillion.

Considering the availability of renewable energy based generation for a limited period during day, the plan also envisages installation of battery energy storage capacity of the order of 51.5 GW by 2030 to provide round-the-clock power to end-consumers.

Currently, the installed renewable energy capacity in the country stands at 173.619 GW, which is 41.4% out of the 417.668 GW of the total installed capacity.

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YEREVAN, 8 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 8 September, USD exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 385.66 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.26 drams to 412.69 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 3.94 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.94 drams to 481.38 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 47.12 drams to 23786.11 drams. Silver price down by 5.78 drams to 285.31 drams.
IIT Mandi director Laxmidhar Behera made waves on Thursday after linking weather incidents in Himachal Pradesh to the consumption of meat. As the top professor explained to students during a recent address, the butchering of innocent animals had a unseen yet symbiotic relationship with the degradation of the environment. The debate has since taken a political turn as a video of Professor Behera urging students to turn vegetarian went viral.

you cannot see right now but is there. It is having landslides, cloudbursts and many other things again and again, these are all effects of cruelty on animals...people eat meat. To become good human beings, what you have to do? No to meat-eating," he explained.

Behera also asked the students to vow not to eat meat.

While the IIT professor is yet to respond, netizens have been vocal in their criticism of his views. While some flagged his role as an educator others attempted to reason scientifically with the academic.

Director of an IIT. Why is Himachal having landslides? Because of unplanned construction/deforestation/climate change/all of the above? No. Because of meat-eating. Is he saying farming animals leads to deforestation? No. He says it leads to cloudbursts," derided one user on X (nee Twitter).

As the video gained traction it also became a talking point for Opposition politicians on Thursday evening. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asserted that Behera was unfit to be the director of an IIT and the longer he stayed in office the more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper".

""The PM spoke of plastic surgery being known to our ancestors. He also told children climate has not changed, while we have. A senior Minister confused Newton and Einstein while another justified excluding Darwin from textbooksNow, this simply flabbergasting statement from the Director of a prestigious institution!!! He actually has shown he is not fit to hold the position. The longer he stays, more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper," Ramesh wrote on social media.

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Since the day Donald Trump supporters rampaged through the Capitol in 2021, legal scholars have pondered whether a post-Civil War clause in the Constitution that disqualifies insurrectionists from public office can prevent him from ever reclaiming the presidency.

As polls show Trump surging toward another Republican presidential nomination, the question of his eligibility under the 14th Amendment is no longer merely academic.

A left-leaning legal watchdog on Wednesday filed suit in Denver demanding that Trump be excluded from Colorados primary ballot, the first of an expected barrage of challenges, petitions and lawsuits seeking to disqualify the former president across the electoral map.

And in recent days, state officials responsible for running elections in Michigan and New Hampshire say they are examining the 14th Amendments potential as a barrier to Trump.

Under the spotlight is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies from public office those who swore to defend the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. or aided its enemies. Lawmakers drafted the section during Reconstruction to prevent Confederates who rose up in arms against the Union from seizing back power through the ballot box.

Until Jan. 6, 2021, Section 3 was regarded as a Civil War remnant, largely forgotten and seldom litigated. After the Capitol riot, it got a fresh look from constitutional scholars, including some prominent conservative legal academics who have concluded that Section 3 can and should be enforced against Trump.

The argumentfleshed out most fully in a 126-page forthcoming law review article by William Baude of the University of Chicago and Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St. Thomasposits that Trump assembled and whipped up a massive mob with incendiary claims about a stolen election, called for urgent action to stop Congress from certifying Joe Bidens election and failed to intervene to stop the riot.

His conduct, they say, should disqualify him from the race. They say courts or state election officials can make determinations about Trumps eligibility under Section 3 and deny him a path forward without impeachment proceedings, congressional action or criminal convictions.

No state election authority has declared Trump ineligible. New Hampshires Republican secretary of state has asked the state attorney general to advise him on potential applicability of Section 3 to the coming presidential election cycle. Maines secretary of state and attorney general also have said they are analyzing the legal requirements for presidential ballot access.

Michigans secretary of state, Democrat Jocelyn Benson, said in a podcast interview last week there were valid legal arguments" for keeping Trump off the primary ballot, but that it is far too soon to really assess the likelihood of that." She said she was having discussions with other secretaries of state, including her counterparts in Nevada, Maine and Pennsylvania, about Trumps eligibility.

Trump, in a Truth Social post Monday, called the disqualification effort against him a trick to steal the coming election and that almost all legal scholars" doubt its legal basis. Trumps Republican primary opponents have stayed largely quiet on the issue, with the exception of former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who said during the first GOP debate last month that Trumps actions on Jan. 6 could disqualify him."

Trump isnt alone in pushing back. Other legal scholars, including Harvard law professor Noah Feldman and Stanford law professor and former federal appeals court judge Michael McConnell, say they are dubious about the eligibility case against him.

Far from clear, some legal thinkers say, is whether state election authorities are empowered to enforce Section 3 against a presidential candidate and make constitutional determinations about his eligibility.

They point to an 1869 circuit court opinion by Chief Justice Salmon Chase involving a freed slave who challenged the validity of his felony conviction on the grounds that the judge who found him guilty was a secessionist who should have been disqualified under Section 3.

Chase upheld the conviction and set a precedent that litigants couldnt challenge a candidates eligibility under Section 3 without legislation from Congress authorizing such lawsuits. No such federal legislation exists today, a potential complication for any litigants trying to eject Trump.

Another unsettled question is whether Section 3 can be applied to a former president. Its text refers to the disqualification of insurrectionists who violated their oaths they swore as an officer of the United States," and there is some debate about whether that encompasses the presidency.

Then there is the issue of whether Trump actually violated Section 3.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said on ABCs This Week" on Sunday that theres a powerful argument to be made" that Section 3 bars a second Trump term.

The language is specific: If you give aid and comfort to those who engage in an insurrection against the Constitution of the United States," he said.

Seth Barrett Tillman, a U.S. constitutional scholar at Maynooth University in Ireland, says that is a misreading of the Section 3 text.

It must be shown that Trump engaged in the attack, not just encouraged or aided it, Tillman said. And an enemy, he said, has to be someone youre at war with."

Others, including Stanfords McConnell, cautioned that invoking Section 3 against the former president would set a precedent that risks opening the door to partisan abuse. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who resisted Trumps efforts to overturn the states election result in 2020, wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published Wednesday that wielding Section 3 against Trump would be un-American" by denying Americans the right to choose their next president.

Since 2021, courts and state election boards have heard a number Section 3 eligibility challenges brought against Republican congressional and local candidates related to Jan. 6. The cases were largely unsuccessful.

One exception was a September 2022 ruling by a New Mexico judge ousting Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from office. A group of New Mexico residents represented by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington alleged that Griffin, who was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing during the attack, helped incite the Jan. 6 mob, a charge he denied. The New Mexico Supreme Court rejected his appeal on technical grounds.

The same group launched the lawsuit against Trumps eligibility in Colorado. Their case, filed on behalf of several Republican and unregistered voters, is asking for a court to declare Trump constitutionally disqualified from public office, and bar Colorados secretary of state from taking any action to grant Trump access to the ballot." Colorados Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold, tweeting Wednesday in response to the CREW lawsuit, said she is hopeful that this case will provide guidance to election officials on Trumps eligibility as a candidate for office."

Write to Jacob Gershman at jacob.gershman@wsj.com and Mariah Timms at mariah.timms@wsj.com

View Full Image Trumps 2024 Eligibility Ignites Debateand Litigation

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Azali Assoumani, the President of the Union of Comoros and the Chairperson of the African Union (AU), has arrived in the national capital to participate in this year's G20 summit hosted by India.

Assoumani was welcomed at the New Delhi airport by Raosaheb Danve, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways. In June 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a significant initiative to amplify Africa's representation on the global stage and influence the collective future of the world.

He communicated with his G20 counterparts, urging them to grant full membership to the African Union at the upcoming G20 summit.

Prime Minister Modi has suggested that the African Union, consisting of 55 African countries and established in 2002, should be granted full membership upon their request. He has been a staunch advocate and supporter of Africa's interests, taking a leading role in this regard. India contends that such a move would contribute to a more equitable, just, inclusive, and representative global framework and governance structure.

Also Read: G20 Summit: PM Modi to hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders

Prime Minister Modi is also a strong believer in holding a greater voice of the Global South countries on international platforms, particularly of African countries. As part of India's G20 Presidency, he has particularly focused on incorporating priorities of the African countries in the G20 agenda.

More recently, in an editorial that has been published across newspapers, PM Modi wrote The voice of Global South Summit, which witnessed participation from 125 countries, was one of the foremost initiatives under our Presidency. It was an important exercise to gather inputs and ideas from the Global South. Further, our Presidency has not only seen the largest-ever participation from African countries but has also pushed for the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20."

Also Read: US better security partner than China, Joe Biden to show at G20 Summit, in Vietnam

On Thursday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said that he would be very happy to see the inclusion of the African Union as a member in the G20.

India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10.

The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

(With inputs from ANI)

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with global leaders during the G20 Summit in New Delhi, sources said.

On Friday, he is expected to meet Pravind Jugnauth, the prime minister of Mauritius, and Bangladeshs PM Sheikh Hasina. He will also hold a much anticipated bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. The meetings with Biden and Hasina are likely to attract particular attention. Bangladesh is headed for polls next year, which is strategically significant for India given its close relationship with Sheikh Hasina. The Opposition there, Bangladesh National Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, is perceived to be unfriendly to Indias interests.

The meeting with president Biden is likely to focus on defence technology, given that US Congress has approved the General Electric-HAL fighter jet engine deal. The project is expected to see significant transfer of technology to India.

It will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States and we will see meaningful process on a number of issues like the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G, 6G, on collaboration in critical and emerging technologies and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well. So we will mark all of that progress when the two of them meet tomorrow which shows the breadth of the relationship between our countries," said US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

On the 9 September, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy. This will be British prime minister Rishi Sunaks first visit to India since he took office in late 2022. Japans prime minister Fumio Kishida, Germanys chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italys prime minister Giorgia Meloni have all visited India already this year.

On the 10 September, Modi is expected to hold a working lunch meeting with Frances president Emmanuel Macron, sources have said. Besides this, meetings are planned with Canada, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Brazil, Nigeria, Comoros and Turkiye.

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To signify the role of literacy and education in one's life, the world observes International Literacy Day every year on September 8. The day reminds us of the importance of personal development, literacy, and progress of society.

The day was first time observed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The day is a stark reminder of the fact that literacy is not luxury but a fundamental right important for a person's dignity.

The day is observed across the world to propagate the agenda of literacy across the world. The UNESCO data says that around 76 crore young people and adults globally lacked basic literacy skills in 2020. Know about the significance and history of the day.

International Literacy Day 2023: History

The idea of International Literacy day was first mentioned at the World Conference of Minjsters of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy. The conference was held in Tehran, Iran in 1965. The conference served as a fertile ground for the germination of an idea of a special day dedicated to promoting literacy on a global scale.

Later, UNESCO officially declared September 8 as International Literacy Day. The day was announced during 14th UNESCO General Conference in 1966. A year later, the world celebrated its first International Literacy Day on September 8, 1966.

International Literacy Day 2023: Significance

As per the data shared by UNESCO, around 775 million people around the world are deprived of basic literacy skills. The data says that one in five adults remain illiterate. The data also reflects vast gender gap between males and females.

COVID pandemic further aggravated the situatiion where children were absent from school or attended their classes irregularly.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic was severe on education facility. Unfortunately, many children who left school because of pandemic never returned to school for education.

International Literacy Day serves as an opportunity for international organisations and governments to work for and promote literacy.

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The United States' decision to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium weapons has Russia fuming, labelling it as a "criminal act." This decision by the US has heightened tensions in the ongoing Ukraine crisis, and it raises concerns about the environmental and security implications.

The Pentagon, the US defense department, announced a new security aid package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine. This package includes depleted uranium ammunition specifically meant for US Abrams tanks. Depleted uranium is a dense material produced as a by-product of uranium enrichment. It's used in ammunition because its density allows bullets to easily penetrate thick armor. However, there are significant health risks associated with the dust created when depleted uranium ammunition is used, including the potential for cancer and birth defects.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov strongly criticised the US decision, calling it a "criminal act." He expressed deep concern over the US government's disregard for the environmental impact of using such ammunition in a combat zone. Speaking at a security seminar, Ryabkov also voiced previous concerns about the risk of a nuclear war due to Western "pressure" on Moscow. He warned that this pressure could push the situation dangerously close to an armed conflict between nuclear-armed nations.

Russia has long accused the West of using Ukraine as a proxy battlefield to strategically undermine Moscow. On the other hand, the United States and its allies argue that their support for Ukraine is aimed at helping the country defend itself against Russia's invasion and recover territories seized by Moscow during the 18-month-long conflict.

Adding to the tension, Ryabkov revealed that Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was progressing as planned. He mentioned that they had completed several stages of infrastructure development and equipment upgrades, emphasizing that this deployment was intended as a deterrent against the West.

The US decision to supply depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine has not only angered Russia but has also raised concerns about the safety and environmental impact in the region. As both sides continue to navigate this complex geopolitical landscape, the world watches closely, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis.

(With inputs from agencies)

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BEIJING : Eschewing face-time with foreign leaders at global summits this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday visited the homes of villagers in a rural part of northeast China battered by floods.

In the village of Longwangmiao in Heilongjiang province, Xi called on local residents to triumph over their difficulties and work towards returning life to a more normal footing, according to state media reports. He also enquired about their losses and supply of daily necessities.

In late July through early August, record rainfall laid waste to vast swathes of northern China, flooding cities and farmlands unused to powerful storms more common in the south, but Xi did not visit any of the disaster-hit areas until this week.

Inspecting rice crops and damaged homes in Longwangmiao battered by remnants of the super typhoon Doksuri, Xi skipped an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia this week.

He will also miss the chance on Saturday and Sunday to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at a G20 conclave in India.

But Xi did attend a meeting in late August with leaders of the BRICS group of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - in South Africa.

Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said that Xi's speed in visiting disaster-stricken areas in China has usually been much slower than his immediate predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, a possible consequence of Xi's centralisation of power.

"These delays are common in Xi's regime, it is not a good look for him," Wu said.

"We know that the floods started in July, but he probably got the information late, and then in August he was busy with BRICS, so only now has his agenda cleared."

China has not explained why Xi, who had attended every G20 summit since coming to office over a decade ago, was not leading Beijing's delegation to New Delhi. It has said only that Premier Li Qiang will represent China.

By comparison, Xi left China for five overseas visits in 2022 - when the country's borders were effectively closed due to pandemic controls - and a dozen in pre-COVID 2019.

Reuters, citing foreign diplomats in China, previously reported that Xi's absence at the upcoming G20 could be a sign of Beijing's increasing coolness to the West and its allies.

Instead, some Western leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and senior officials including US State Secretary Antony Blinken this year had to come to China to see Xi.

Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of think tank The Conference Board's China Center, said that from a geopolitical perspective, attending the BRICS summit in South Africa was a higher priority for Xi than the G20.

"There is not only no strategic goal to be achieved at the G20, but there is also a risk that the US and its allies use the meeting to criticize his government," Montufar-Helu said.

It is more of a priority for him to pay attention to the domestic situation given the impact of the economic slowdown and natural disasters on people's livelihoods."

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New Delhi: UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, who is attending the G20 Leaders Summit in India, will announce measures to alleviate the impact of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain supplies that has caused a global spike in food prices.

Once again, (Russian president) Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality. The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putins destruction," the UK high commission quoted him as saying.

That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putins stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain."

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which secured the shipment of 32 million tonnes of grains, faced a setback after Moscow reneged on the deal in July and intensified attacks on the infrastructure supporting Ukraines grain industry.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the worlds largest producers of food grains, including wheat. Food prices have since surged, with the price of wheat, corn and soybeans surging across the globe.

Putin will be absent from the G20 Leaders Summit to be held on 9-10 September in New Delhi, for the second year in a row.

At the summit, Sunak will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the worlds most vulnerable people to deal with the consequences of the war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy, the high commission said in a press release.

We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, call out Russia if we see warning signs that they are preparing attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea, and attribute attacks to prevent false flag claims that seek to deflect blame from Russia," Sunak said.

As part of these surveillance operations, British aircraft are conducting flights over the area to deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain.

Since pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia has declared that all ships transiting to Ukrainian Black Sea ports will be treated as military vesselsirrespective of the cargo they are carrying.

It has acted upon this assessment by firing shots and boarding a cargo ship bound for one of Ukraines Danube ports, an action which, according to the high commission, may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.

Alongside the deployment of the military to deter Russian attacks, the UK will also contribute 3 million in funding for the World Food Programme (WFP) to continue work started under Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelenskyys Grain from Ukraine initiative.

This was established in November last year to send Ukrainian grain to countries whose people are suffering from the high global price of staple foods.

In its first six months, the Grain from Ukraine programme allowed 170,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be delivered to countries including Somalia and Yemen.

The uplift in UK funding announced on Friday will enable further grain shipments to go to countries in need, as identified by the WFP. Ukraine has been a hugely important source of food for the WFP this year.

This year up until July, when Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, WFP procured 80% of its global wheat grain from Ukraine.

The high commission said the UK will convene an international food security summit in November.

Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Childrens Investment Fund Foundation, the meeting will bring together government representatives worldwide, including vulnerable countries, with international organizations, NGOs, researchers and private sector companies to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Before Putins full-scale invasion, Ukraine was the worlds 5th largest wheat exporter, 4th largest corn exporter and 3rd largest rapeseed exporter. Grain ordinarily accounts for 41% of Ukrainian export revenue, and almost two-thirds of the grain exported by the country goes to the developing world.

Families both in Ukraine and across the world continue to suffer as a direct result of Putins brutal invasion 18 months ago. Russia has displaced 11 million people from their homes, manipulated global energy prices and made daily life more difficult for households across the planet.

This year, in July, Putin demonstrated his indifference to the human consequences of his actions yet again when he withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative." Under this initiative, brokered in July 2022, ships carrying Ukrainian grain were freely able to transit from Black Sea ports without fear of attack.

The deal was providing a lifeline for millions of people around the world who depend on Ukrainian grain exports. In its first year, the agreement enabled 33 million tonnes of food to reach those who needed it in 45 countries around the world. Putins decision to rip up the initiative has reduced global grain supply at a critical time for vulnerable people  when prices rise, the poorest pay.

Since July, Russia has also damaged or destroyed at least 26 civilian port facilities, warehouses, silos and grain elevators. These attacks have directly reduced Ukraines export capacity by one-third and destroyed enough grain to feed more than 1 million people for an entire year.

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President Joe Biden wants to show the world at the Group of 20 summit in India and during a stop in Vietnam that the United States and its like-minded allies are better economic and security partners than China.

White House officials said Biden, who departed Thursday evening for New Delhi, will use the annual G20 gathering as an opportunity for the U.S. to highlight a proposition for developing and middle-income countries that would increase the lending power of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund by some $200 billion.

That is an attempt to offer a significant, albeit smaller, alternative to China's massive Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, which the U.S. views as a Trojan horse for China-led regional development and military expansion. Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to skip the summit, where Premier Li Qiang will represent the country.

After the summit, Biden and Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will meet in Hanoi and are expected to announce plans to tighten economic cooperation.

Vietnam and China have robust trade relations, but also deep differences. Vietnam, like Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei, has been in a tense territorial standoff for decades with China, which has claimed authority over waters in the South China Sea that are hundreds of miles from the Chinese coastline.

I think Xis absence at this particular summit, if that comes to pass, really is a big missed opportunity for the Chinese," said Colleen Cottle, deputy director at the Washington think tank Atlantic Councils Global China Hub. And I think it affords the Biden administration even more of a chance to go on the offensive in terms of stepping up and showing ... what their value proposition is to the Global South."

Leaders of the U.S., India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were working to finalize a joint infrastructure deal that could be announced in New Delhi, according to an official familiar with the matter.

If it comes together, the arrangement would involve ship transit between India and Saudi Arabia, then trains through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, likely to Jordan, then ship transit to Turkey and onward from there by train, according to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he could not confirm the deal. He said the initiative is something that we've invested effort into with our partners.:"

We believe that connectivity from India across the Middle East to Europe is incredibly important and would bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved," he told reporters accompanying Biden aboard Air Force one.

Heading into the summit, the U.S. has criticized China for reducing the transparency of its reporting on basic economic data in recent months and for cracking down on companies in China that had been providing such data.

At the same time, the White House has tried to improve ties. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who recently returned from China, was the latest administration officials to engage Beijing amid disputes over technology, security, Taiwan and other issues.

Raimondo told The Associated Press that the world is looking for the U.S. and China to responsibly manage our relationship." She said the administration's goal is to have a stable economic relationship in which there is consistent engagement. But Xi's decision to not attend the G20 shows that we have work to do" regarding communication between the countries, she said.

Communication is of course, a two-way street," Raimondo said. Communication does need to lead to action."

Biden said he was disappointed that Xi will not be in New Delhi, where the summit is expected to focus on climate, development and the future of the grouping of leading economies.

The U.S. has criticized Chinas lending practices under Belt and Road as "coercive," saying the $1 trillion infrastructure effort that provides Chinese loan assistance to poor countries often comes with strings attached that restrict the restructuring of debt with other major creditor nations. China also frequently retains the right to demand repayment at any time, giving Beijing leverage over other countries.

A recent Associated Press analysis of a dozen countries most indebted to China, including Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Laos and Mongolia, found paying back that debt is consuming an ever-greater amount of tax revenue. Countries in APs analysis had as much as 50% of their foreign loans from China and most were devoting more than one-third of government revenue to paying off foreign debt.

Sullivan said the effort to bolster the lending capacity of the World Bank and the IMF would provide a "credible alternative" to China.

Biden included $3.3 billion for both institutions in the supplemental budget request he has sent to Congress. The administration said the money would help leverage nearly $50 billion from the U.S. alone in lending for middle-income and poor countries and up to $200 billion around the world.

We believe that there should be high-standard, noncoercive lending options available to low- and middle-income countries," Sullivan said

Xi is trying to navigate through one of the most turbulent moments for China's economy in decades.

The Chinese economy is weighed down by a property bubble, local government debt, high youth unemployment and a broader inability to rebound as expected from pandemic lockdowns. Added to that is the longer-term challenge of China's population starting to decline due to aging and lower birth rates.

Most conventional economic analyses assume the U.S. economy and its allies are largely insulated from a Chinese slowdown. There are supply chain risks if factories close in China and global growth struggles. But so far this year, the U.S. economy has outperformed expectations as the Chinese economy has underperformed.

Xi countered in a speech published last month that the U.S. and its allies cannot curb the greedy nature of capital and cannot solve chronic diseases such as materialism and spiritual poverty." He suggested his model of a government with centralized power will do more to serve the interests of "the vast majority of people."

How China navigates through its economic headwinds is a big question for the White House. The administration has tried to have a stable trade relationship, even as it has frustrated China by restricting imports of advanced technology for national security purposes. U.S. officials have emphasized the importance of an ongoing dialogue between the governments of the world's two largest economies.

G20 leaders will also discuss the global impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and joint efforts at combating climate change. Any summit agreements on the climate front are expected to be incremental at best. G20 climate and environment ministers, at their July meeting, were unable to agree on a goal of peaking emissions by 2025, moving to clean energy and a tax on carbon as a way to reduce emissions.

Biden is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Modi's residence after he arrives in India on Friday evening.

Biden has put much effort into bolstering his relations with Modi, a conservative Hindu nationalist leading the world's most populous country. The U.S.-India relationship will be vital in coming decades as both sides deal with an ascendant China and the enormity of climate change, artificial intelligence, supply chain resilience and other issues.

Biden hosted Modi in June for a pomp-filled state visit.

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
US Presidential elections: Indian American Nikki Haley has emerged as the top Republican presidential contender against US President Joe Biden in the November 2024 polls, indicated CNN in its poll.

The upcoming Presidential election will be contested by a dozen of Republican leaders including Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy.

The race is currently being led by former president Donald Trump who is leading by a huge margin from its fellow Republican candidates. However, the recent polls by CNN showed a different picture.

"Hypothetical matchups... suggest there would be no clear leader should Biden face one of the other major GOP contenders, with one notable exception: Biden runs behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley," said CNN while releasing its poll results.

CNN poll indicates a split among USA's registered voters. There is a division of support between Trump (47 per cent) and Biden (46 per cent), with the demographic contours that defined the 2020 race still prominent.

Biden is about even with Ron DeSantis (47 per cent each), Mike Pence (46 per cent Pence, 44 per cent Biden), Tim Scott (46 per cent Scott, 44 per cent Biden), Vivek Ramaswamy (46 per cent Biden, 45 per cent Ramaswamy), and Chris Christie (44 per cent Christie, 42 per cent Biden).

"Haley stands as the only GOP candidate to hold a lead over Biden, with 49 per cent to Biden's 43 per cent in a hypothetical match between the two," CNN reported.

Nikki Haley enjoys a broader support compared to other Republicans among white voters with college degrees. She holds 51 per cent of that group, compared to 48 per cent or less for other Republicans tested in the poll, the news channel said.

The Haley campaign welcomed the polls saying, "This poll confirms what many Democrats and Republicans are saying: Democrats are terrified of running against Nikki Haley."

"When you ask President Joe Biden who they're really worried about, you'll hear one name. 'If they nominate Nikki Haley, we're in trouble," said a senior Democratic strategist close to the Biden campaign.

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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. On September 8, a briefing with foreign Defense Attaches and representatives accredited to the Republic of Armenia was held at the Ministry of Defense headquarters.



During the briefing, the Defense Attaches were briefed on the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of Defense said in a press release.



It was mentioned that the situation continues to be tense as a result of the accumulation of Azerbaijani armed forces during the last 2 days, hence the Armenian Armed Forces continue to take necessary actions to stabilize it and prevent provocations, the ministry added.
In a bid to counter growing dominance of the US and Asian allies, North Korea launched its new purported nuclear attack submarine, reported North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Friday.

The country has been developing the submarine with an aim to create a nuclear armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.

Hero Kim Kun Ok

The submarine was named as Hero Kim Kun Ok and is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater. However, there was no specification about the number of missiles it could carry and fire.

North Korean President Kim Jong Un expressed his satisfaction that the country acquired its own nuclear attack submarine to counter the advanced naval assets of the US, reported KCNA.

Tensions between North Korea and the US heightened when the U.S. docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

Other than Hero Kim Kun Ok, North Korea is also working on nuclear-propelled submarine and is planning to remodel its existing submarines and surface vessels. All these works are done to handle nuclear weapons.

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The New Delhi summit, the grand finale of Indias G20 presidency, will be marred by the absences of Russian President Vladimir Putin (which was widely anticipated, given the sharp words of G7 members on the G20 platform about the war in Ukraine) and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is the first time ever that a Chinese president will skip a G20 summit .

Spin doctors are at pains to push the unofficial line that Xis absence isnt a big deal for New Delhi by, among other things, deflecting the public gaze to what Indian diplomacy calls bandobast" and has perfected like an art.

But all the intricate details of the decor at the venue, the logistics, the vegetarian-only menus, the silverware, and how the capital has been lit up in hot pink cannot change the fact that Xis absence is significant. Its a setback to Indias presidency and raises doubts about the future of the G20 itself.

Indias presidency is already disappointing for failing to secure a single final statement so far. The G20 works only by consensus, something that has eluded the sharply divided member countries. Russia and China have said there should be no references to the Ukraine war in G20 deliberations and declarations, but G7 members have insisted on this.

As a result, the discussions during the presidency  on themes ranging from climate change to reform of multilateral lending institutions  have not manifested in final statements. It was hoped that Indian negotiators would somehow be able to narrow the differences and manage to bring the G7 and Russia and China to the table in time for the New Delhi summit  the only way to ensure that the New Delhi summit could produce a Leaders Declaration. But the chances of that happening are now dim.

Every G20 summit held so far has resulted in a Leaders Declaration. It would be unprecedented in the groups history if none comes out of the New Delhi summit. Russia and China, after disassociating themselves from the language on Ukraine agreed to in Bali, want to block any reference to it. The previous G20 summit, hosted by Indonesia, had also become fraught after Russia and China refused to accept the wording of the summary document used for Ukraine. This was a sign that geopolitical tensions were weighing down multilateral institutions and exposing their limits to finding the solutions to the worlds problems.

New Delhi had hoped Indias presidency would revive trust in multilateralism. Reports suggest that setting up new multilateral institutions will be proposed during the New Delhi summit to ensure this. However, is any multilateral institution, new or old, likely to be effective without both the US and China? As things stand, little progress is possible on outstanding global issues without their participation.

Thats why Xis absence raises doubts on the future of the G20. Without him, breakthroughs on resolving geopolitical standoffs such as the Ukraine war and the US-China tech war, which hurt the rest of the world by disrupting essential supplies, arent possible.

It also eliminates the possibility of a token US-China leaders meeting, despite US President Joe Bidens stated keenness for it. Biden and Xi have not been traveling to each other's countries and have instead been meeting in third countries. They met for three hours in Bali during the previous G20 summit. While an increasingly aggressive China is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit of global power, the US is bent on frustrating its progress, especially on technology.

With Xi and Putin not in attendance, India's diplomats will have to think out-of-the-box to secure at least some kind of outcome from the New Delhi summit. One idea is Indias invitation to 125 nations to a Voice of Global South summit. New Delhi voicing the cause of the Global South, it is hoped, will raise its global stature and profile. The US is of course keen that India emerges as the leader of the Global South, not China.

The proposal India is going to town with  for the African Union to be inducted as a G20 member  was originally made by China. Beijing has also just secured an expansion of BRICS. It wouldnt be misleading to suggest that BRICS is entirely under Chinas thumb now and is being propped up as a counterweight to the G20. It was unimaginable until January that Tehran and Riyadh would join BRICS together. Beijing brokered peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia in May and now both are in BRICS, along with the UAE. Ethiopias and Egypts entries are also due to Chinas support.

The trouble is that Indias efforts to make restructuring of the sovereign debt of poor countries a key outcome of the New Delhi summit cannot meaningfully progress without Xi, given Beijing is the key player on debt negotiations. Much of the debt to be negotiated has been given by China. Chinese Premier Li Qian, who will stand in for Xi in the summit, lacks the stature of previous Chinese prime ministers such as Zhu Rongzhi, who had significant say in Beijings handling of economic matters.

The real worry for Indias negotiators ought to be that the New Delhi Summit may well be remembered for the final blow to the old multilateral global order, created after the second world war and still dominated by the G7 despite their shrinking contribution to global GDP. Even worse, as things stand, it cannot be repurposed to serve the agenda of non-G7 countries. Thats what China wants to exploit.
In the Kerala bypoll results, the Opposition Congress-UDF successfully defended the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as their candidate, Chandy Oommen secured a victory with a lead of over 36,000 votes, PTI reported citing the Election Commission sources.

The party's response to Oommen's triumph characterized it as a win against the misrule of the LDF and a complete political victory for the Congress. Also Read: Congress secures victory in Kerala's Puthuppally seat; BJP wins both seats in Tripura Speaking to reporters, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said, The spectacular victory in the Puthuppally by-elections is a clear message to the Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan govt. Both BJP and CPM have been thrown by the people of Puthuppally...No by-election in Kerala has got such a landslide margin. The message is very clear..."

Right from the beginning, Oommen, the son of the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, established a substantial lead, while his closest rival, the ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas, failed to secure a lead in any of the rounds.

In the recent bypoll, the Opposition Congress-UDF successfully defended the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as their candidate, Chandy Oommen, secured a resounding victory with a lead of over 36,000 votes, according to sources from the Election Commission.

The CPI(M)-led LDF lost ground even in its stronghold areas, and BJP candidate Lijin Lal was nowhere in the picture when the counting was over.

The party's response to Oommen's triumph characterized it as a win against the misrule of the LDF and a complete political victory for the Congress. Right from the beginning, Oommen, the son of the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, established a substantial lead, while his closest rival, the ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas, failed to secure a lead in any of the rounds.

Also Read: Kerala Bypolls: Congress exudes confidence in winning Puthupally seat, following Oommen Chandy's 53-year-stint

A by-election was necessitated in Puthuppally following the demise of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on July 18.

The Election Commission, less than a month after Chandy's death on July 18, on August 8 had announced September 5 as the date of polling and September 8 for counting of the votes.

ommen Chandy's son, Chandy Oomen is the UDF candidate while CPI(M) leader Jaick C Thomas is the Left candidate. BJP has fielded its senior leader from the district, Lijin Lal, as per PTI reports.

Also Read: Tripura Bypolls Result 2023: BJP wins Dhanpur, Boxanagar assembly seats

A few days later, the ruling LDF in the state announced DYFI leader Jaick C Thomas -- who had in 2016 and 2021 contested from the area and lost to Oommen Chandy both times -- as its candidate.

Oommen and Thomas called out each other for debates on the issues of development in the state and Puthuppally as well as an assessment of the ruling Left front's governance.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The Israeli historian Martin van Creveld called armies ambulant cities". Keeping hundreds of thousands of armed men fuelled, fed and equipped is a Herculean effort. Sending them to war without regard for such things can go badly wrong. Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 offers a cautionary tale. In the first days of the war Russian troops flooded south from Belarus with inadequate food, fuel or ammunition. Military convoys clogged up the roads to Kyivincluding a remarkable 60km (37 miles) traffic jam north of the capital. Ukrainian drones, special forces and artillery tormented the slow-moving invaders. Unarmoured fuel trucks and other logistics vehicles were especially juicy targets. In a battle south of Chernihiv, says a general, They thought they had us surroundedwe just cut off all the logistics for them and thats it." The unit was destroyed with artillery .

Such foul-ups revealed deeper problems. All modern armies use two approaches to logistics, explains Ronald Ti, a military logistician at Kings College London: pull" logistics, which involve responding flexibly to consumption and demand signals by units in the field, and push" logistics, in which ammo and material are dispatched based on predetermined rates of use. Russia relies on the second, says Dr Ti, largely because of a Soviet legacy of top-down command and a lack of modern supply-chain management. That works well if consumption is stable. It rarely isas the first days of the war in Ukraine showed.

Western armies tend to have high tooth-to-tail" ratios, with as many as ten support personnel for every combat soldier. Russia has fewer. Like the Soviet Union, it relies on moving fuel by pipeline and other material by rail. That can be highly efficient: Russias army managed to shift and fire a cumulative total of 700,000 tonnes of shells and rockets in the first five months of the war. But it ties the army to railheads and large depots nearby. That has turned out to be a problem. In the spring of 2022 Russian shellfire was grinding down Ukraines army in the eastern Donbas. Russian guns out-pounded Ukrainian batteries by three to one. That changed when Ukraine acquired American HIMARS launchers and European systems capable of firing rockets precisely over 70km. Suddenly it could hit Russian fuel depots and ammo dumps well behind the front lines. Many had not budged since 2014.

The ensuing bonfire of supplies starved Russian guns of ammo. It forced Russia to switch from big, centralised depots to smaller, dispersed ones farther from the front. The longer distances to haul heavy shells, plus a paucity of trucks, pallets and logisticians, threw grit into the wheels of Russias military machine. Ukrainian officials say this paved the way for successful offensives in Kherson and Kharkiv. Nico Lange, a former German defence official, says that a Ukrainian soldier chalked up this success to understanding Russias logistical weaknesses: Its basically like fighting ourselves from ten to 15 years ago."

Ukraine is not immune to such problems. Many of its arms depots were blown up in the years before the war in suspected Russian sabotage. Others have been struck since. Its army also relies on railways. But its supply lines have proved more reliable, agile and resilienthelped by the fact that it is fighting on its own soil. Mr Lange points out that Ukraines rail-based logistics depend on domestic steel and metal industries, which provide a ready stock of parts and tools, and a rapid repair capacity. Old locomotives and transport cars have been pulled out of storage. It is probably no exaggeration to state that no European NATO state today would be capable of military logistical achievements like those of Ukraine during this war," he concludes.

One lesson is that logistics are too important to be left to the generals. Some 30 flights a day land in Rzeszow, in eastern Poland, carrying military aid for Ukraine. It is sent on overland to depots around the country, where military units get it to the front line. This has been a joint effort by the state, private sector and civil society, says a Ukrainian minister closely involved. About 90% of it is financed by the private sector, he says, with money and vehicles coming from agricultural firms, energy companies with petrol stations, and banks. Close co-operation with Poland means that paperwork at the border for arms shipments takes minutesa degree of frictionless cross-border military movement that would be the envy of many NATO members.

The problem is keeping the weapons going once they arrive. Steven Anderson, a retired American general who oversaw logistics in Iraq, says that the operational readiness rate" for equipment there was 95%. Anything below 90% would get a commander pulled up in front of bosses. In Ukraine anecdotal data suggests it is only around 50%, he says. Half of what we give them is broken at any given time and theyre struggling mightily." For much of the war, Ukraines exhausted artillery pieces have been sent to eastern Europe to fix. Since the autumn, more can be repaired in Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city near the southern front. But its capacity is limited. Mr Anderson complains that less than 4% of American aid has been allocated to support and maintenance.

The rush to improvise

One result is improvisation. A scramble for spares is part of every war. During the Falklands war Britain raided aviation museums around the world for refuelling probes for Vulcan bombers. Ukraines challenge is acute: it operates what is probably the most diverse arsenal of artillery and armour anywhere. Each system requires different ammo, spare parts and skills. And each is working more intensively than its manufacturers expected. Repair kits designed for moderate use have proved completely unsuitable for barrel-melting, gun-shaking barrages.

That is forcing Ukraine to pioneer new forms of wartime sustainment. Ukrainian volunteers are 3D-printing spare parts in buildings a few hours drive from the front. Key to this is decentralisation. Individual brigades often find their own parts rather than asking the general staffs logistics command. They just go to the garage," says one source familiar with the underground supply chain, and say: I need this piece. Can you do it?" Separately, Americas Airborne XVIII Corps is using algorithms to estimate the barrel life of Ukrainian howitzers, when they need spare parts and when fresh munitions must be pushed to the front.

America has grown used to sustaining wars thousands of miles away with scant threats to ships, planes and trucks carrying supplies to ports, airfields and depots. Those days are over. Decades of wargaming, analysis, and empirical evidence suggest that attacking [American] logistical dependenciesis the most effective way of fighting the United States," concludes Chris Dougherty, a former Pentagon planner, in a paper. Chinese attacks on logistics have paralysed" American forces in war games, he says. He urges the Pentagon to shift money from combat forces to logistics. Armies need to position more stocks forward and live off the land" to acquire fuel, lubricants, food and spare parts locally. Troops must fight on their own for weeks with minimal support, he adds. Logistics have long had second-class status", he says, despite a starring role" in military history. Ukraine shows that anew.

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
China has ramped up fiscal policies to support the development of businesses and bolster the real economy this year, official data showed.

Newly implemented tax refunds, as well as tax and fee cuts and deferrals, amounted to 1.05 trillion yuan (about 145.86 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of 2023, Luo Tianshu, an official of the State Taxation Administration, told a press conference on Thursday.

Tax cuts can increase disposable income, which can lead to increased consumption and investment.

Tax cuts can stimulate economic growth by encouraging businesses to invest and expand.

Tax cuts can create jobs by increasing demand for goods and services.

Tax cuts can reduce the size of government by reducing the amount of revenue that the government collects.

An array of favorable measures have been rolled out to help enterprises weather difficulties. Preferential tax policies for micro and small firms and self-employed households have been extended to the end of 2027, and more corporate spending in research and development has become tax-deductible.

Vice-minister of finance Wang Dongwei said at the press conference that technological innovation, the real economy, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, have received strong policy support.

From the exemption of value-added tax for small-scale taxpayers to the expansion of halved individual income tax rate to include more self-employed households, these policies have proven to be targeted and effective, Wang said.

Tax authorities will intensify efforts to better promote the favorable tax policies to ensure businesses can genuinely receive the benefits, according to Luo.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Thursday that the world should jointly resist the practice of overstretching the concept of security and politicizing economic issues.

Li made the remarks when meeting with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the leaders meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Jakarta, namely the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit.

The current international landscape is marked by change and disorder, and the grimmer the situation is, the more the international community needs to unite and work together to meet the challenges, said the Chinese premier.

Li called on the international community to adopt the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and uphold the philosophy of open and inclusive development.

Li said it is important to step up the reform of the global economic governance system and effectively increase the representation and voice of developing countries in international financial institutions.

The Chinese premier urged the international community to actively yet prudently address the debt issue of developing countries based on the principle of joint action and fair burden-sharing.

The international community should stick to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and steadily advance international cooperation on climate change in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, said Li.

Li pointed out that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In recent years, the Chinese president has successively put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, providing Chinese solutions for global development and governance, Li said.

Li noted that China will continue to firmly support the UN in playing a central role in international affairs, and is ready to work with the UN to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In the face of various challenges, Guterres said, countries should unite as one, enhance mutual trust, prevent the fragmentation of the world economy, and jointly cope with global challenges.

Noting that China plays an important role in advancing global agenda, the UN secretary-general said the UN is ready to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China, promote reform of the international economic governance system, help developing countries obtain sufficient resources to meet challenges such as food security, public health and climate change, and contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Shayne Heffernan
Mark Thompson, a British journalist and media executive, has been named as the new Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide. Thompson will take over on October 9 from Chris Licht, who is leaving to become the president of NBCUniversal News Group.

Thompson is a respected news executive with a long and distinguished career. He was the director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012, where he oversaw the transformation of the organization into a digital-first news organization. He then served as the chief executive of The New York Times from 2012 to 2020, where he led the newspapers digital transformation and growth.

Thompsons new role at CNN will require him to lead the news network through a period of significant change. CNN is facing increasing competition from digital-native news organizations and streaming services. Thompson will need to find ways to make CNN more relevant to a younger audience and to attract more viewers to its digital platforms.

Mark Thompson is a strong advocate for independent journalism and has a deep commitment to the highest ethical standards. He is also a proven leader with a track record of success. He has the capability to lead CNN into the future and ensure that the news network continues to maintain its position as a leading global news organization.

Thompson to Oversee Strategy, Operations and Business Units

As Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, Thompson will oversee the networks strategy, operations, and business units. He will also act as editor-in-chief, responsible for all CNN content.

Thompson will be joined by a new executive team, which will be announced in the coming weeks. The team will be responsible for implementing Thompsons vision for CNN and helping the network navigate the challenges and opportunities of the digital age.

Honored to Join CNN, Says Thompson

In a statement, Thompson expressed his honor at joining CNN and his excitement to collaborate with CNNs talented team to enhance its legacy of excellence. He pledged his commitment to providing our global audiences with the highest-quality journalism.

David Zaslav, the chief executive of CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, said he was thrilled to have Thompson join the team. Mark is one of the most respected and accomplished leaders in the news business, Zaslav said. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing CNN, and I am confident that he is the right person to lead the network into the future.

Zaslav Welcomes Thompson to CNN

Zaslav also said that Thompsons appointment was a major coup for CNN. Mark is a proven leader with a track record of success, Zaslav said. He is the right person to lead CNN at this critical time.

Thompsons appointment comes at a time when CNN is facing significant challenges. The news network has been losing viewers in recent years, and it has been criticized for its coverage of certain events. Thompson will need to find ways to turn things around and to make CNN more relevant to a younger audience.

However, Thompson is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of success. He can effectively guide CNN through this challenging period and aid the news network in reestablishing its stability.
On September 7, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Yuri Kim, the U.S. acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

September 8, 2023, 11:42 Armenian Foreign Minister holds phone call with U.S. acting Assistant Secretary of State for European, Eurasian Affairs

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: Regional security issues and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh were discussed, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan reiterated the need to lift the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan in accordance with the Statement of November 9, 2020 and two Orders of the International Court of Justice. The importance of ensuring unimpeded access and humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross to Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasised.

The Armenian FM thoroughly touched upon the destructive behavior carried out by Azerbaijan during this period, systemic policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, the disrespect towards its own commitments and clear calls of the international community. The need to establish an effective international mechanism for discussing rights and security guarantees between Stepanakert and Baku was stressed.

The agenda of Armenia-US bilateral cooperation was touched upon, too.
A group of protestors left City Council on Tuesday after they said council members couldn't answer their questions regarding the death of 34-year-old Roger Sylvester Heard Jr.
US President Joe Biden speaks during Labor Day celebrations in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, on September 4. Bidens defenders downplayed worries over his age and poor poll numbers on September 7.
This photo, provided by the Chester County Prison, shows Danelo Cavalcante. Before he brutally killed his ex-girlfriend in front of her children two years ago in Pennsylvania, Danelo Souza Cavalcante seemed like a positive match  a fellow Brazilian who was a good neighbor and kind  the slain womans sister says.
Acting President of the Artsakh Republic Davit Ishkhanyans call to the people of Artsakh, the Presidential Office stated.

September 8, 2023, 16:38 Acting President of the Artsakh Republic Davit Ishkhanyans call to the people of Artsakh

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: The message reads:

''Dear compatriots,

Tomorrow, on September 9, in accordance with the Constitution of the Artsakh Republic, the National Assembly will elect the President of the Republic. In this unprecedented situation, we are taking this step to quickly address the growing daily challenges, effectively organize the internal life of the country, and adequately face the external challenges.



The right and responsibility to elect the Head of the State is assigned by the Constitution to the parliament, which you elected. The authority to nominate a candidate for the President of the Republic is reserved exclusively for the factions of the Artsakh National Assembly, which was carried out in accordance with the established procedure. As of now, all preparatory processes for the resignation of the President of the Republic and the election of a new President have been organized in accordance with the Constitution and legislation, considering the current acute crisis situation.

Taking into account certain dangerous trends developing in public sentiments in recent days, at this responsible moment, with the right reserved to me, I call for sobriety to everyone and urge not to give in to the provocations that divide the people, not to succumb to narrow group interests and to put aside personal preferences for the sake of the common good. No one has the right to take our community, its individual groups, on an adventure during this time that is fatal for us. I want to specifically emphasize and assure you that all actions that undermine internal stability will be stopped by the force of law.

We possess all the means to thwart Azerbaijan's ambitions to dismantle the state institutions of the Artsakh Republic, and we should not contribute to the realization of Azeri criminal goals by any means.



We are committed to protect and strengthen the foundations of statehood we've built over three decades. It is the desire and will of our people, and we are obliged to be guided by those goals.



I extend my best wishes to all of us carrying out this crucial political process.



Believe that together we can turn the seemingly impossible into reality.''
Eight students who achieved 500 points or more in their Leaving Cert were honoured at Cnoc Mhuire Granard.

Cnoc Mhuire were delighted to hold their annual High Achievers Awards ceremony recently where they invited back students who achieved outstanding Leaving Cert grades.

This year the school had eight students who fit the criteria of achieving 500 points and above, each student was invited to attend with their family, who had supported them so much during their time in Cnoc Mhuire.

At the same ceremony, the Jubilee Cup was presented to the student with the best overall results. This year Eimear Scanlon was the recipient of this prestigious award, following in the footsteps of her brother Ciaran who jointly won the award in 2021.

Not surprisingly all of these students were delighted to accept their CAO offers and all are now looking forward to starting the next chapter of their lives in 3rd level.

The eight students who received awards (and the 3rd level course they accepted) are as follows:

Adam Szurlej; Computer Science (NUIG), Enya Higgins; Pharmacy (Trinity), Joanne Rabbitt; Biological Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences (UCD), Maeve Brady; Computer Science (UCD), Eimear Scanlon; Engineering (UCD), Rachel Mulligan; Spanish and Politics (DCU), Ana Maria Mihai; Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science (DCU), Brendan O Reilly; Bachelor of Science with concurrent Teacher Education (University of Limerick).

Everyone at Cnoc Mhuire wishes these students and indeed all of their class of 2023 the very best in their future endeavours.

Caption: Cnoc Mhuire Granard principal Pauline McBrien presents Eimear Scanlon, the student in the school who achieved the highest points in her Leaving Cert results, with the Jubilee Cup

Longford students to be honoured by University of Limerick Two students from Longford have been awarded an All Ireland Scholarship which will cover the full duration of their undergraduate studies.
The Battle of Ballinamuck was described as 'one of the defining moments in our history and inspired a greater destiny' by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, as she officially opened the Commemoration Weekend to mark the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Ballinamuck.

Chairperson of the Commemoration committee Mark Cunningham welcomed Minister Humphreys and he made a special presentation to her.

Here is the full text of the Minister's key note address:

"It is my great honour to join you this evening to mark the 225th anniversary of a battle that decided the fate of Ireland in the short term, but inspired a greater destiny in the years ahead.

"Over the course of this weekend, this community  in the heart of Rural Ireland - will play host to a unique set of events and activities to commemorate one of the defining moments in our history.

"Its a great honour to be joined here by the French Ambassador Mr. Vincent Guerand, who has been a true friend to Ireland for many years.

"We join together today to remember a battle that epitomises the shared story between our two countries, one of friendship and a common idealism.

"Ballinamuck is the beating heart connecting our nations stories.

"It was here in Longford that a brave group of rebels  Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters  supported by gallant allies from France  took on a vastly superior army to fight for their dream of an independent Irish Republic.

"That dream ended in defeat on the blood-drenched fields and bogs of Ballinamuck, but it was a dream that never died.

"It was reignited five years later by Robert Emmet, by the Young Irelanders 50 years later, by the Fenians in 1867, and by the men and women who led the successful campaign for independence in 1916 and during the War of Independence.

"It was a dream that still guides us today in the 21st century.

"Stories of what happened here at Ballinamuck were told and retold over the past 225 years and became embedded in the history and folklore of communities and parishes across the county.

"At the age of 95, Patrick Gill of Edenmore was able to remember stories his grandmother  a Cassidy from Fardromin  had told him about how she had brought food to the starving French while carrying a two-year old baby on her back.

"There were also stories of loyalist Protestants who, despite their political beliefs, concealed escaping rebels to save them from the slaughter afterwards.

"In the 20th century, Kate Kelly from nearby Townagh inspired countless listeners with her stories of the battle that had been passed down from generation to generation.

"The Year of the French has never been forgotten in Longford, and nor should it.

"At Ballinamuck, we stand at the site of a battle which sent shockwaves through the country and which had an impact on so many lives, not just those who fought here.

"As we know, the 1798 Rebellion was inspired by revolutions in America and France and the idea that liberty could be for all.

"The core belief that regardless of birth or religion we could all be equal citizens in our own country.

"Twenty-five years ago, we commemorated the bi-centenary of the rebellion at a time when there was renewed hope about the future of this island, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and its ratification by overwhelming majorities both north and south.

"The message was one of peace and reconciliation and the dream of a brighter future. Wolfe Tones vision finally being realised.

"Commemorations are never easy things to get right. They often reveal as much about our country today, and our priorities, as they do about the events we are remembering.

"I had the privilege of being the Minister responsible for commemorating the Decade of Centenaries in the run up to the centenary of the 1916 Rising.

"I made it my mission to ensure that we commemorated these crucial events in a truthful, respectful and inclusive way.

"Truthful about what really happened. Respectful of the different traditions on this island.

"And inclusive of every community who wished to be involved.

"I believe the Decade of Centenaries has seen us engage with our past, and the creation of our State, in a very healthy way.

"We have all become more aware of the complexity of our past, as well as being inspired to live up to the ideals of earlier men and women who drive us to do more.

"In these next few weeks, we are closing the Decade of Centenaries with a commemoration of our entry into the League of Nations as we finally took our place among the nations of the world.

"I believe we have demonstrated that we are able to handle the complexities of our past.

"We are able to honour the sacrifices of those who died for freedom, while respecting those who had a different vision.

"And we can do so in a way that demonstrates our commitment to a true republicanism, one that seeks to unite and not divide, to inspire and not to incite.

"In recent commemorations of 1798, one part of the story received less attention.

"If we are to have a meaningful engagement with our history we must also be honest about the uncomfortable and messy parts of our past as well.

"The men and women of 1798 were motivated by ideals of freedom and equality, but when violence erupted in the summer of 1798 there were terrible sectarian atrocities on both sides that must be acknowledged.

"The burning of prisoners at Scullabogue and the murder of loyalists at Wexford Bridge were atrocities which betrayed the noble ideals and have no place in a genuine Irish Republic.

"Theobald Wolfe Tones brother Matthew fought here at Ballinamuck, and was afterwards captured, tried and hanged.

"At his own trial a few months later, Wolfe Tone admitted that some things had be done in the name of freedom which he lamented, but that his guiding principle was to raise Irish people to the rank of citizen and establish the independence of his country.

"Today in another part of the world, a nation is fighting for its life against a brutal invader and aggressor.

"Ireland is not a military combatant, but we are a gallant ally of Ukraine in this conflict.

"We support its people and their dream of freedom.

"We welcome those fleeing oppression and we pledge to stand by the same principles of freedom and equality that united Irishmen and women 225 years ago.

"I want to pay tribute to the organisers of these commemorations for your fantastic work and efforts.

"For a small community like Ballinamuck, you sum up all that is good and vibrant about rural life.

"This week, too, you will showcase the very best of both Irish and French culture and heritage  all under the encompassing theme of the Battle of Ballinamuck.

"From GAA to French Boules, from a Wolfe Tone Ceili to a Farandole.

"And from Irish Food-stalls to French Markets.

"These commemorations are a reminder for us all of the strength of the bond that exists between our two nations.

"Finally, I had the opportunity a short time ago to turn the sod on Phase 2 of the North Longford Rebel Trail which connects Monaduff to Ballinamuck.

"That particular project received 500,000 under my Departments Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.

"That trail, when complete, really will provide a unique tourism attraction in North Longford, linking sites such as Granard Motte, the Rose cottage in Ballinalee, Clonfin Memorial and of course the 1798 Heritage Centre here in Ballinamuck.

"So I very much look forward to coming back here to Ballinamuck when the works are complete and the trail is ready to be officially opened.

"So thank you once again for your kind invitation to be here with you today.

"I want to particularly thank Mark Cunningham, Siobhan Mulligan, Nuala McLoughlin, Dawn Gorman, Ciaran Lennon and all the organisers.

"Merci beaucoup mes amis.

"Go raibh mile maith agaibh go leir, a chairdre."
Two gardai have been brought to hospital after climbing into a burning house to save a woman's life in Dublin

Gardai rushed to the scene in the early hours of Friday morning at the Buirg an Ri Walk estate in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, after receiving reports of a woman stuck inside the property.

A Garda statement explained: "At approximately 1.30am, Gardai arrived to the scene where they were informed that a person may have been trapped inside the property.

"Despite the presence of thick smoke, two Garda members using a ladder entered the rear upstairs window of the property.

"They located a woman in her 50s and brought her to safety through the upstairs window to Garda colleagues waiting below."

Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene and extinguished the fire.

The woman was brought to Tallaght University Hospital for treatment of injuries believed to be non life-threatening, gardai confirmed.

As a result of smoke inhalation, both male Garda members were taken to Tallaght Hospital to receive treatment. Both members have since been discharged but remain off duty.

Speaking this morning, Chief Superintendent Mick McNulty said: "I want to commend the incredible bravery of the two Gardai. I have no doubt that their actions prevented a more tragic outcome."

The fire is not believed to have started accidentally and a Garda investigation into potential arson has commenced.

The scene has been preserved and a technical examination will be conducted by Garda Crime Scene Investigators this morning.

"All members involved are receiving support from their colleagues and local Garda management and the wider organisational supports of the Peer Support Service, Chief Medical Officer and 24-hour counselling service have been provided if required," a statement indicated.

Gardai in Ronanstown are appealing to anyone who may have information or who may have witnessed this incident to come forward to them. Gardai can be contacted at 01 666 7700, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
Locals have been signing a book of condolence in a Co Wexford church in memory of a couple who died while on holiday in Italy.

Paul and Mary OReilly, who are from Kilmore and aged in their late 50s/early 60s, were on holiday in Rome when they died in a road crash on Thursday.

The incident reportedly took place at an intersection on the Via Cristoforo Colombo on the outskirts of the Italian capital.

Father Patrick Mernagh told the PA news agency that a book of condolences has been available to sign in St Marys Church since 1pm so that the community can reflect on the lives of two beautiful people.

The parish priest said there has been a constant stream of people coming all day to pay tribute to the couple who were well connected in the community.

The local community centre where Mrs OReilly worked, the Stella Maris Centre, closed on Friday out of respect but is to open on Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 2pm for tea and coffee as a place for locals to gather to remember the couple.

A book of condolence will also be available to sign there.

Mary was part of the family down there, Fr Mernagh said.

Local councillor Jim Moore, who is a cousin of Mary OReilly, said the community was in a state of stunned silence.

I suppose the words stunned and shocked dont adequately cover the feelings that have developed since four or five oclock yesterday evening when the family were informed of the double tragedy, he told RTE Radio.

Were on a long journey of trying to come to terms with the shock of it all.

Paul and Mary lived here in the community and they were married for a good number of years.

Mary worked in the community centre, as well as being busy as a seamstress, and Paul worked in the marine industry.

When he came from Dublin, first he was involved in the fishing industry and over a good number of years has moved into the broader maritime world and received professional qualifications in western Europe for the last many, many years and coming home regularly to the family.

They took a weeks holidays out of their work schedule and this was the start of a holiday period for both of them.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.

As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases, they added.
Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: September 08 2023

Nick Puzio passed away in a car accident at the age of twenty-five, now his family is hosting a blood drive to give back in his memory.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) will be hosting a blood drive at the Farmingville Fire Department from 9:00am to 3:00pm in loving memory of Nick Puzio who passed away earlier this year in a car accident at the age of twenty-five. The blood drive will be sponsored by NYS Senator Dean Murray, NYS Assemblyman Doug Smith, Suffolk County Legislator Nick Carracappa and Brookhaven Town Councilman Neil Manzella.

Nick was hit by two hit-and-run drivers and was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. He received blood transfusions as the doctors tried to save his life, but his injuries were too severe and he passed away just a few hours later.

Nick was an extremely loving and generous person who would do anything for his friends, family and community. Nicks friends and family are encouraging the community to honor his memory by donating blood and saving a life so that blood is available for those who may need it. There will be a press conference at 10:00am with Nicks family, NYBC representatives and local elected officials where they will speak about Nicks life and the importance of donating blood.

Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lifted eligibility restrictions for individuals who lived in Europe during certain periods of time.To view current eligibility guidelines, visit nybc.org or call 800.688.0900.

WHEN: Saturday, September 9th, 2023, from 9:00 a.m.  3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Farmingville Fire Department, 780 Horseblock Road, Farmingville, NY 11738

WHO: NYS Senator Dean Murray, NYS Assemblyman Doug Smith, Suffolk County Legislator Nick Carracappa, Brookhaven Town Councilman Neil Manzella, Blood Donors, Volunteers and New York Blood Center Representatives

WHY: It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.

To make an appointment at this blood drive, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit this link. Cant donate blood? You can still support NYBCs mission by texting NYBC to 20222 to give $25.

About New York Blood Center: Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center (NYBC) is a nonprofit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world. NYBC, along with its operating divisions Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 75 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD, VA), Missouri and Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its operating divisions also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services to over 500 hospitals nationally, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, which  among other milestones  developed a practical screening method for hepatitis B as well as a safe, effective and affordable vaccine, and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: September 08 2023

The report scored the equitability of each school district in NY based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.

With low-income school districts underfunded by around $6,700 per pupil, WalletHub today released its report on the Most and Least Equitable School Districts in New York. To find out where school funding is distributed most fairly, WalletHub scored the equitability of each school district in New York based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.



Alongside this report, WalletHub also released rankings for the States with the Most and Least Equitable School Districts. New York ranked as the least equitable overall.



Below, you can see additional report highlights, along with a Q&A.



Most & Least Equitable School Districts in New York

Most Equitable Least Equitable 1. Washingtonville Central School District 665. Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District 2. NYC Chancellors Office 666. Byram Hills Central School District 3. New Rochelle City School District 667. Wainscott Common School District 4. Glen Cove City School District 668. Tuxedo Union Free School District 5. William Floyd Union Free School District 669. Scarsdale Union Free School District 6. Lake Placid Central School District 670. Chappaqua Central School District 7. New Lebanon Central School District 671. Rye City School District 8. Deruyter Central School District 672. Cold Spring Harbor Central School District 9. East Ramapo Central School District (Spring Valley) 673. Bridgehampton Union Free School District 10. Beacon City School District 674. Fire Island Union Free School District
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: September 08 2023

Novo Nordisk Agrees to Cap Insulin Price at $35 per Monthly Prescription for Uninsured New Yorkers for Five Years and Streamline Process for Patients at Pharmacy Counter.

New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured an agreement with one of the nations largest insulin manufacturers, Novo Nordisk Inc. (Novo Nordisk), to cap the price of insulin at $35 per monthly prescription for uninsured New Yorkers for five years. The agreement also requires Novo Nordisk to implement a program with pharmacies to let uninsured patients know before they pay that they are eligible for the insulin cap. Todays agreement follows earlier agreements with two other large insulin makers, Eli Lilly and Sanofi, to cap insulin prices at $35 a month for uninsured New Yorkers.

New Yorkers who rely on lifesaving medication like insulin should not have to ration their doses or forgo taking their medicine altogether because they cannot afford it, said Attorney General James. Todays agreement will mean that uninsured New Yorkers do not have to choose between taking their insulin and putting food on the table. I will always use the powers of my office to help protect vulnerable New Yorkers, and to ensure no company takes advantage of them.

More than 10 percent of New Yorkers have diabetes, and it is estimated that 464,000 of them rely on insulin every day. New Yorkers who live in the states poorest neighborhoods are 70 percent more likely to have diabetes. In fact, more than 16 percent of New York adults with diabetes have an annual household income of less than $25,000. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that the list prices set by insulin manufacturers for patients resulted in significant out-of-pocket costs for certain insulin users, causing some to ration their insulin or forgo it altogether. Over the past two decades, the list prices for insulin have increased dramatically, with prices from all manufacturers nearly tripling from 2002 to 2013. For a person with Type 1 diabetes, annual spending on insulin averaged $2,864 in 2012, and by 2016, nearly doubled to an average of $5,705. These dramatic cost increases were not driven by insulin manufacturing costs, which by one estimate would be no more than $133 per person per year.

As a result of todays agreement, Novo Nordisk is required to cap the price of their insulin products, including Novolog, Novolin, and Fisap, at $35 per monthly prescription. Additionally, Novo Nordisk is required to implement a streamlined process at the pharmacy counter that would allow pharmacies to automatically advise cash-paying customers of their ability to fill their monthly prescription for $35 before leaving the pharmacy counter. To do this, Novo Nordisk must contract with a third-party messaging company that would immediately notify a pharmacy or pharmacist that an uninsured patient is eligible for the $35 monthly cap when they are filling their prescription.

In addition to the $35 monthly cap for any uninsured New Yorker, Novo Nordisk has also agreed to continue offering free insulin to the neediest consumers who meet income thresholds tied to the federal poverty line. Novo Nordisk has also agreed to continue offering its Immediate Supply Program, through which it offers an immediate, free supply of insulin to consumers at risk of rationing due to financial hardship. For uninsured New Yorkers below the federal poverty level who do not seek reimbursement from any federal or state health care program, Novo Nordisk will also offer insulin at no cost. More information on Novo Nordisks affordability programs can be found here.

This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Kate Matuschak of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine and Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia; Deputy Bureau Chief Amy McFarlane of the Antitrust Bureau; and Special Counsel Steven J. Glassman of the Economic Justice Division. The Consumer Frauds Bureau and the Antitrust Bureau are part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris DAngelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
(Alliance News) - Fintech Asia Ltd on Friday said it obtained an unsecured committed facility of GBP1 million via a convertible loan note instrument with the noteholder IVC Estonia OU.

The investment company established to acquire businesses focused on improving the delivery and use of financial services in Asia said the convertible loan is intended to bridge the company's general working capital requirements.

This is while Fintech Asia seeks to finalise due diligence and documentation in respect of its proposed acquisition of InvesCore Financial Group Pte Ltd.

IVC Estonia is also wholly-owned by InvesCore.

The convertible loan is also intended to help with the simultaneous re-admission of its enlarged share capital to the London Main Market.

Fintech Asia said the parties are making "good progress" with the proposed acquisition.

It reiterated if the proposed acquisitions proceeds, this would constitute a reverse takeover, meaning the company's listing remains suspended from trading on the Main Market, pending the publication of a prospectus and the successful re-admission of the enlarged group.

Fintech Asia said that, if the transaction does not complete for any reason, it is expected that the suspension of the company's listing will be lifted subject to FCA approval and trading in Fintech Asia's shares will recommence.

Fintech Asia said that it will make further announcements in "due course, as appropriate".

By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The CSV is facing accusations from within its own ranks of not caring about foreigners and failing to integrate them into the party, with the president of the group's international section resigning in protest just ahead of the October elections.

Clara Moraru was elected president of the CSV's international chapter in 2018 after joining the party in 2016. She resigned in a scathing letter sent to the CSV's leadership at the end of August in which she said foreigners are being sidelined, which the party denies.

"Despite the pioneering work of CSV International (CSI) over the past 15 years, I'm disappointed," she wrote, adding that the party treats the organisation like a stepchild. The CSI, she said, had put forward several picks with dual nationality for the October parliamentary elections, but none of them were put forward as candidates.

"We don't exclude foreigners," CSV president Claude Wiseler told Contacto, the Portuguese sister-publication of the Luxembourg Times. "We have many foreign or dual nationality candidates. Just look at the names on our lists."

The government office collecting candidate data does not have information on the number of dual nationals running for office.

CSV candidates are chosen based on previous election results and their likelihood to win the next ballot, Wiseler said.

But in her resignation letter, seen by Contacto, Moraru said the CSV should support candidates "not only based on their current election results but also as an investment in the future."

Fewer than one in ten candidates in June's local elections were foreigners, despite 47% of the country's population holding a foreign passport. More than half the country's population are foreigners when not counting dual nationals as Luxembourgers.

Only one in five eligible foreigners registered to vote in the June ballot, the first since Luxembourg scrapped a requirement for non-nationals to have lived in the country for five years to vote in local elections.

Non-nationals cannot vote in national elections.

"The integration and inclusion of non-Luxembourgers and newcomers in politics are essential to the CSV's success," Moraru said.

The former CSI chair was a candidate for the CSV in Luxembourg City in June but claims that party leaders in the district treated her "like a second-class citizen."

She also criticised the party for failing to make documents available in multiple languages. The October elections website is accessible in Luxembourgish, French and English but, the full elections programme is currently published only in Luxembourgish. A summary was published in the other languages.

"I find it impossible to continue defending the CSV," Moraru said, adding that the party had not kept its promises towards its international chapter.

(Reporting by Madalena Queiros, first published on Contacto).
New York State Police made 14 DWI arrests in the region that includes Auburn and Cayuga County during a special traffic enforcement campaign over Labor Day weekend.

Troopers issued 8,762 tickets and arrested 154 people for DWI statewide during the initiative targeting impaired and reckless driving. Troopers were also watching for distracted drivers, occupants who were not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the Move Over Law.

In Canandaigua's Troop E, which includes Cayuga County, 14 people were charged with DWI, 275 with speeding and 51 for seat belt/child restraint violations.

Authorities said that over the 2022 Labor Day weekend, Troopers arrested 208 people for DWI and investigated 139 personal injury crashes, including three fatalities.
The Philippines and South Korea have signed a free trade

agreement (FTA) on the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta,

Indonesia.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and South Korean President Yoon Suk

Yeol witnessed the signing of the FTA between Trade Secretary Alfredo

Pascual and South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk Geun on the occasion

of the 24th ASEAN-Korea Summit on Thursday.

Mr. Marcos said the trade agreement would further enhance the vibrant

relationship and partnership between the Philippines and South Korea,

expressing optimism that it would go beyond the

government-to-government partnership to involve private firms and

private sector partners.

The signing of the FTA is certainly a very big step in that regard.

It can only be a successful arrangement for both our countries. I look

forward to the expansion of the trade agreement between your country

and mine, he told Yoon.

When I look at the involvement of Korea and the Philippines, I can

say that the relationship between our two countries remains vibrant.

And I think it is accelerating  I would like to take this opportunity

to deepen further that relationship.

The Philippines and South Korea began their negotiations for the FTA

in June 2019 and concluded them in October 2021. They were supposed to

sign the agreement in June 2022.

However, they had to do some legal scrubbing on the concluded

chapter texts of the FTA, including the Trade in Goods, Trade

Remedies, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Rules of Origin,

Competition, and Chapters under Legal and Institutional Issues.

The Economic and Technical Cooperation Chapter and Market Access for

Goods were the remaining issues they had to resolve to end the FTA

talks.

The newly signed FTA is expected to remove tariffs on most products

from the two countries, opening the door to rapid growth in bilateral

trade.

Yoon said he is eager to elevate the strategic partnership between the

Philippines and South Korea.

And in this regard, I believe that the Korea-Philippines Free Trade

Agreement signed later today will set another important milestone in

our bilateral relations, he told Mr. Marcos.

Pascual, meanwhile, said the FTA serves as a clear demonstration of

the intent to elevate the current bilateral relations with South Korea

to a stronger strategic partnership.

The Philippines engagement with South Korea is built on trade

through market access, economic cooperation, and investments through

collaboration in targeted sectors, such as critical minerals and

supply chains, he said.

The FTA is envisioned to help promote the Philippines as a strong

market for smart and sustainable investments, ensure its major

economic gains with enhanced market access to South Korea, and yield

strategic investments in priority sectors and industries.

South Korea is a valued trade and investment partner of the Philippines.

In 2022, it ranked fourth in terms of total bilateral trade, valued at

USD15.45 billion, and sixth in total approved investments, valued at

USD90.62 million.

Continued support

Yoon also expressed his interest in the supply chain of critical

materials, allowing the Philippines to shift to a nuclear power plant.

Mr. Marcos thanked Yoon for South Koreas financial support for

development projects in the Philippines, saying he looks forward to

learning about the South Korean experience in terms of energy source

development.

He also extended his gratitude to the South Korean government for its

continued support for the defense and security measures of the

Philippines, especially on the South China Sea issues and the

modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

In terms of tourism, Mr. Marcos acknowledged that South Koreans remain the

top tourists in the Philippines.

Yoon said South Korea is keen on expanding opportunities for overseas

Filipino workers through its employment permit system.
Senator Cynthia Villar has assured businessmen of the continuous promotion of the countrys tuna industry.

As chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food, Sen. Villar vowed to continuously craft and push for enactment into law of measures to propel the growth of our tuna industry and fishery sector.

The senator was the guest speaker at the 23rd Tuna Congress in General Santos City.

The two-day Tuna Congress attended by industry stakeholders came up with 24 resolutions which they endorsed to Villar and the House of Representatives for drafting of bills and BFAR and the Mindanao Authority.

The senator commended for this important event Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries with its President and National Tuna Congress chairman Dominic Salazar for the important gathering.

With the looming El Nino and the Ill effects of climate change, she also said the tuna industry should be protected from overfishing and habitat degradation to prevent its depletion which may lead to its collapse.

She reminded everyone that our oceans resources are not limitless and as such, they should be protected and sustained.

The Philippines, she said, is the second top global exporter of tuna, next to Indonesia in Asia. Six species of tuna caught in the Philippines are in commercial quantity: yellowfin, skipjack, eastern little, frigate, big eye, and bullet.

The Philippines processed tuna, major export markets are the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Villar is the author of Republic Act 10654 in 2015, the amendment to the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, which instituted the concept of

illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and set increased penalties and sanctions as a deterrent to offenders.

The IUUF law prescribes the number of licenses and permits for the conduct of fishery activities, adopts the precautionary principle, and mandates the balance  between overprotection and over-exploitation of fisheries resources which necessitates the installation of a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS).

The setting up of a VMS to prevent IUU fishing is a requirement by the European Union for us to avail of the inclusion with the GSP+ that allows the Philippines to enjoy zero tariffs on 6,274 products or 66% of all EU tariff lines.

Last year, 2.93 billion euros worth of Philippine products were exported to the EU using GSP+. GSP+ is contingent on the implementation of core human rights, labor, governance, and other sustainable development conventions.
President Joe Biden left for the G20 summit in India on Thursday, hoping to seize on the absence of the leaders of China and Russia to shore up US influence in the divided bloc.

Biden will try to show that on big transnational issues, Washington is a better partner than Beijing or Moscow  and that the G20 remains a key forum.

But deep splits on Russias war in Ukraine and on how to help emerging nations tackle climate change are expected to hamper accords during the two-day meeting in New Delhi.

Biden will also travel to Vietnam on Sunday where he is expected to upgrade relations with the former foe, in a further bid to push back an increasingly assertive China.

Air Force One departed Joint Base Andrews near Washington and is due to arrive in India on Friday.

As the president heads to the G20, hes committed to working with emerging market partners to deliver big things together, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing ahead of the summit.

Thats what we believe the world will see in New Delhi this weekend.

The 80-year-old president tested negative for Covid shortly before he was due to depart, the White House said, clearing him to travel after a scare when his wife came down with a mild case on Monday.

Jill Biden also tested negative on Thursday.

Chinas Xi Jinping will miss the G20 meeting at a time of heightened trade and geopolitical tensions with the United States and India, with which it shares a long and disputed border.

 Spoiler 

Biden said last week he was disappointed Xi would skip the G20, but the Chinese leaders no-show gives the US president a golden opportunity to push Washingtons influence over its rival.

White House officials said Biden would in particular stress a plan to increase World Bank and International Monetary Fund lending power for emerging nations by some $200 billion as a better alternative to Beijings coercive Belt and Road Initiative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is meanwhile not even planning to make a video address at the G20, the Kremlin said Thursday, amid fraught relations between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

But the absence of Xi and Putin underscores the divisions in the G20 and could hamper Bidens bid to keep the bloc as the leading forum of global economic cooperation.

The White Houses Sullivan said the United States wants to show the G20 can deliver at a time when the BRICS club of emerging economies  which includes India but has been championed largely by China and Russia  is expanding.

Biden will be also cheerleading India and its leader Narendra Modi as a counterweight to China, even if their goals are sometimes at odds, particularly on Ukraine.

Sullivan said on Tuesday that China could opt to play the role of spoiler but that Modi and other leaders would encourage them to come in a constructive way.

Biden goes straight from the G20 to Hanoi where he will meet ruling Vietnamese Communist party chief Nguyen Phu Trong.

The pair are expected to sign a major upgrade in ties between the two countries, who have overcome the painful legacy of the Vietnam War to grow close.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines ushered in a paradigm shift by introducing civilian control over the military

The National Security Policy constitutes a fundamental set of principles meticulously crafted to steer decision-making processes with a singular aim: the safeguarding and enhancement of a nations interests, well-being, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

It is a guiding compass that aids in the establishment of priorities, particularly when it comes to allocating finite resources and striking a delicate balance between fortifying defenses against external threats and fortifying defenses against internal challenges.

This framework is all-encompassing, delving into a multitude of issues connected to national security. Moreover, it serves as an overarching blueprint, offering invaluable direction for the assessment, enhancement, and formulation of various policies relating to national security.

At the heart of this crucial policy framework is the President, entrusted with the profound responsibility of conceiving and overseeing the National Security Policy.

The Presidents pivotal role stems from the multifaceted positions as the Head-of-State, Head-of-Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, making the person uniquely positioned to shape and manage the nations security policy.

In practice, the implementation of the NSP is orchestrated by the National Security Council, a body that emerges as the principal advisory entity to the President concerning the seamless coordination and integration of plans and policies that bear on national security.

The NSC, with the President at its helm, brings together a diverse array of Cabinet members and other officials whose collective expertise and insights contribute to the formulation of cogent national security strategies.

In the context of the Philippines, the National Security Council (known as Sanggunian sa Pambansang Seguridad in Filipino) plays an indispensable role.

It stands as the preeminent decision-making hub for the President, carrying the weighty responsibility of addressing matters of paramount significance linked to national security and foreign policy.

Within its ranks, senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials engage in exhaustive and comprehensive deliberations, marked by precision and care, as they navigate the intricate terrain of the nations security concerns.

The NSC is divided into two integral components: the Council Proper, presided over by the President, and the National Security Council Secretariat, which offers essential technical support to the Council. The Council Proper comprises distinguished officials from both the Cabinet and Congress.

Notably, the President holds the authority to extend invitations to government representatives and private individuals, ensuring a well-rounded and inclusive forum for tackling the complex tapestry of national security matters.

The roots of the National Security Council in the Philippines can be traced back to the Quirino Administration, when it was officially established through Executive Order 330 in 1950. Acknowledging the imperative need to adapt to the evolving national security and foreign policy landscapes, the NSC underwent significant reorganization under EO 115 in 1986, a move aimed at ensuring its continued relevance and efficacy in modern times.

The historical backdrop reveals the genesis of the Philippines national security program. Commonwealth Act 1 set in motion the creation of a Council of National Defense, tasked with offering guidance to the President on matters of national defense policy.

This council embodied a comprehensive and knowledgeable advisory body, a precursor to the NSC.

Following World War II and the Philippines ascent to sovereignty, President Elpidio Quirino bestowed official recognition upon this advisory body, naming it the National Security Council.

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines ushered in a paradigm shift by introducing civilian control over the military, designating the President as the Commander-in-Chief, and positioning the President at the helm of the National Security Council as the primary policy-making and advisory authority for national defense.

(Editors Note: Article II, Sec 8 of the 1973 Constitution, says Civilian authority is at all times supreme over the military. And the 1935 Constitution also provides, under Section 3, Article I1: Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.)

In 1986, during the tenure of President Corazon Aquino, critical changes were instituted, which included the establishment of the National Security Council director and the Secretariat, enhancing the NSCs organizational structure and functionality.

However, in the early 1990s, the NSC convened on a limited basis, holding only two meetings during that period, while the Department of National Defense assumed primary responsibility for national security, with a civilian Secretary of National Defense advising the President on defense matters.

In 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reconvened the NSC to address a pressing issuethe deployment of U.S. soldiers in the Philippines as part of the global war on terrorism.

This decision underscored the Philippines commitment to supporting the United States in combating terrorism, aligning with a UN Security Council resolution, and upholding the strategic alliance between the Philippines and the United States.

In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte breathed new life into the NSC, convening it to deliberate on key initiatives, including the war on illegal drugs, peace negotiations with rebel groups, and territorial disputes with China.

The composition of the National Security Council is delineated in the Administrative Code of 1987.

It encompasses the President as chairman, the Vice President, Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Executive Secretary, National Defense, Justice, Labor and Employment, Local Governments, the National Security Director, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The President is also vested with the authority to appoint additional government officials and private individuals to the Council, thereby ensuring flexibility in its structure and harnessing diverse expertise.

In 1992, President Fidel Ramos expanded the Councils membership to include additional Secretaries and government officials.

However, in 2001, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reverted the Council to its current composition.

The core mission of the NSC is to provide counsel and guidance to the President, forging alignment among domestic, foreign, and military policies in the realm of national security.

It stands as the central instrument for orchestrating and harmonizing these policies across government departments and agencies, fostering a cohesive and united approach to national security matters.

All told, the National Security Council occupies a pivotal and indispensable position in the Philippines. It functions as the guardian of the nations security interests, safeguarding them with unwavering commitment and ensuring a meticulously coordinated response to both domestic and international security challenges.

In the next two columns, I will provide a critique of the most recent iteration of our national security policy.
A Syracuse woman evidently picked a bad time to steal from a Cayuga County retailer, because sheriff's deputies happened to be right outside.

The Cayuga County Sheriffs Office said that Rahkeal J. Jones, 21, and a juvenile suspect pushed two shopping carts full of stolen merchandise out of Dick's Sporting Goods in Aurelius Monday, but that both were quickly taken into custody by deputies who were in the area responding to a report of a fight.

Police said the stolen merchandise was valued at over $4,000.

Jones was charged with third-degree grand larceny, arraigned and sent to the Cayuga County Jail. The juvenile was issued an appearance ticket and released to a third party.

The Cayuga County District Attorney's Office on Thursday said that Jones was later indicted by a grand jury and faces a possible sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison. The DA's office said that retail theft is on the rise across the state.

The sheriff's office said that anyone with information regarding this incident may contact Detective Josh Blanchard at (315) 253-3902 or leave a tip at cayugacounty.us/452/send-a-tip.
City officials in Boston urged parents this week to stock up on COVID tests as classes resumed and as a new strain of the virus makes the rounds, according to a published report.

Everyone should be ready for back-to-school season, the agency warned in a Facebook post earlier this week. Rapid, at-home, iHealth COVID-19 Testing Kits are available at distribution sites throughout the city.

To request or obtain a free test kit you can send an email to this address or follow this link.

The commission has suggested that kids wear masks when theyre in crowded indoor settings, if theyre immunocompromised, or are sick with COVID-19, Axios-Boston reported, noting that the district does not have a mask mandate.

But the school district did post an extensive list of tips to ensure a safe and healthy return to class.

It includes exhortations for students to frequently wash their hands; to cover their mouth and nose if theyre coughing or sneezing; to stay home from school if theyre sick; getting vaccinated and/or boosted; and for parents to immediately call your childs school if they test positive for the virus.

You can check and monitor your symptoms with the districts home health checklist. And you can visit the citys vaccine clinics or your medical provider to get the COVID jab or a booster.

Two new strains of the virus, EG.5 and BA.2.86, are sending up red flags among public health experts.

Last month, EG.5 emerged as the dominant variant nationwide, the New York Times reported, noting that the World Health Organization had classified it as a variant of interest, meaning it has genetic changes that give it an advantage and its prevalence is growing.

The BA.2.86 strain is not as widespread and accounts for just a fraction of cases, the Times reported, adding that scientists are still concerned because of the number of mutations it has.
The COVID-19 pandemic feels like a thing of the past, but recent spikes in cases and the appearance of a brand new variant across four continents are reminders that the pandemic is far from over.

Two Omicron subvariants have dominated recent headlines and have contributed to the late summer spike in cases across parts of the world, including the United States.

Eris, officially known by health experts as EG.5, has become the dominant strain in the United States. It made up a quarter of COVID-19 cases across as of Sept. 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions data tracker.

The strain received the unofficial name of Eris from health professionals, who named it after the Greek goddess of strife and discord, according to Yale Medicine. Early reports indicate it could be more transmissible than prior COVID-19 strains, more so than Arcturus, which exhibited a new symptom resembling pink eye.

Due to Eris status as the dominant strain, it has already been detected across the United States. While updates in outbreak data are not what they once were, a recent rise in cases in Boston could be connected to Eris, NBC Boston reported. The CDC no longer has new data available for every region in the country, including New England.

Read more: Pesticide spraying in Worcester Thursday for West Nile mosquito virus

Despite spreading quickly, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Professor Andrew Pekosz told the New York Times that it doesnt look like something thats vastly different from whats already been circulating in the U.S. for the past three to four months.

Even the World Health Organization said the publics risk from EG.5 is low at the global level.

The other Omicron subvariant of note is BA.2.86, also unofficially called Pirola. Health officials across the globe took notice when the subvariant was detected on four continents among 12 particular COVID-19 cases.

We have not seen a new variant with this many new spike mutations happening all at once since the emergence of the original Omicron, evolutionary biologist Jesse Bloom from the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, told NBC News in August.

The CDC said on Aug. 30 that its too soon to know whether this variant might cause more severe illness compared with previous variants.

Pirola was first identified in Israel, the CDC said on Aug. 30. It was then found in human and wastewater samples in Canada, Denmark, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Thailand. Through genomic sequencing methods, Pirola has been detected in one person in Virginia, one person in Michigan, and one person in Ohio.

Even as both Omicron subvariants make their way across the globe, neither bring any changes to the commonly known list of symptoms associated with COVID-19, according to the University of California, Davis Health Department.

Symptoms still include:
L.L. Bean enthusiasts on the South Shore can now pick up their parkas or buy a boatload of boots at the stores newest location in Hanover.

L.L. Beans Hanover store, located in Hanover Crossing, officially opened to the public on Friday, Sept. 8, making it the brands 10th store in Massachusetts and 57th location overall.

The company had been eyeing the Hanover community for more than five years, and the opening came as L.L. Bean celebrates its 111th year in business.

For over a century, weve been dedicated to a single purpose, which is to inspire and enable people to enjoy the restorative power of the outdoors, L.L.Bean Vice President of Stores and Retail Operations Corey Bouyea said at the Hanover location on Thursday. Were really excited to bring that here at Hanover.

In the same vein as giving back to the community, L.L. Bean made a $10,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield. The organization provides summer programming focused on getting Hanover youth outside while fostering a sense of belonging for the community, Bouyea said.

Jim Bunnell, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield, said L.L. Beans donation is especially important with helping children who require financial support.

We served over 18 kids just in our summer camp from the town of Hanover, and 30% of these kids come and are in need for financial assistance, Bunnell said. So its critical that organizations like L.L. Bean and other community organizations value the work that we do.

Shoppers can enter to win a $500 L.L. Bean gift card if they visit the 15,000-square-foot store from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday or Saturday. There are other in-store giveaways and photo opportunities with L.L. Beans legendary Bootmobile.

L.L. Bean also plans on opening another location in Peabody on Oct. 6. The company is hiring full-time and part-time positions at the new locations. Those interested in applying can do so online.
A third person has contracted West Nile virus in Massachusetts, according to the states Department of Public Health.

The unidentified person is a male in his 50s who was exposed in Hampden County, the DPH said in a press release Friday.

Last year, eight people had West Nile virus in the state, the DPH said.

The first two cases were announced at the end of August. A woman in her 70s was exposed to the virus in another part of the country, while a man in his 40s was exposed in Middlesex County, the DPH reported last month.

The risk of human infection is considered moderate in the following counties, according to the DPH: Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk and parts of Berkshire, Bristol, Hampden, Hampshire, Plymouth and Worcester.

Humans typically get the virus when bitten by an infected mosquito. While it can infect anyone, people older than 50 are at greater risk for severe disease, the DPH said.

It continues to be important for people to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, including by using a mosquito repellent with an EPA-registered active ingredient, draining standing water around their homes, and repairing window screens, Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein said. Risk from mosquito-borne disease will continue until the first hard frost.

Most people infected with the virus will have no symptoms but when they do, they tend to include fever and flu-like illness, the DPH said.

Ways to avoid mosquito bites include:

Use repellents that use DEET, permethrin, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age.

Peak hours were mosquitoes are taking flight to bite include duck to dawn. Officials suggest rescheduling outdoor activities during the night and early morning in areas of high risk.

Changing clothes to wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks can keep mosquitoes away from biting.

Drain any standing water to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty unused flowerpots and wading pools and change the water in birdbaths frequently.

Keep mosquitoes outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all windows and doors.

More information, including all West Nile and Eastern equine encephalitis positive results, can be found on here or by calling the DPH Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800.
A large fire that engulfed a home in Athol on Thursday resulted in a womans death, State Fire Marshal Jon Davines office announced.

The womans name was not released pending identification and notifying her family, Davines office said in a statement. Davine said Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski told him that she was a beloved member of the community and active in her church and neighborhood.

Athol firefighters arrived at the area of 92 Fern St. after they received a report of a fire at around 9:45 a.m., Davines office said. They saw the two-story home fully engulfed in flames, with heavy smoke visible. They elevated it to a second, then a third alarm, requesting mutual aid from several nearby departments.

Around 40 firefighters fought the fire for about an hour, Davines office said. They came from the Orange, Philipston, Petersham, Barre, Oakham, Gardner, Westminster, Winchendon and Fitchburg fire departments. Firefighters from Templeton and Fitchburg provided station coverage.

On behalf of the Athol Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the victims family, Athol Fire Chief Joseph Guarnera said in the statement. This is a very sad day for them and our community.

The origin and cause of this fire remain under investigation, but preliminary evidence suggests that it started in the kitchen, Davine said in the statement. I want to remind everyone to stay safe in the kitchen. Dont leave food cooking unattended, and in the event of a fire on the stovetop use a lid or baking sheet to smother the flames. If you cant put it out quickly, then get out, stay out, and call 911.

Athol police and fire officials, along with Davines office, Massachusetts State Police and Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Earlys office, are leading the investigation.
An unidentified body was found in Lowell on Thursday after a person in the area found it, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryans office said.

A person walking in the area of 110 Canal St. saw the body in the canal and notified a court officer at the Lowell District Court, located across the street, Ryans office said in a statement.

The court officer contacted police, who arrived at about 11 a.m. Lowell firefighters removed the body from the water, Ryans office said.

The Chief Medical Examiners office will conduct an autopsy to determine how the person died and who he or she is. Early findings suggest the body did not display any obvious signs of trauma, Ryans office said.

The investigation, led by Ryans office, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to her office and Lowell police, continues.
A Cambridge teenager riding on a motorcycle died after a crash in August involving another car, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and the Cambridge Police Department said.

Jaden McDaniels, 16, of Cambridge, died at the hospital from injuries he got in the crash on Aug. 28, officials said.

Around 8:47 p.m. on Aug. 28, there was a crash involving a motorcycle and a Toyota RAV4 at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Putnam Avenue. Another teenager had been driving the motorcycle, police said.

Officials said the Toyota RAV4 was turning left onto Pleasant Street when the motorcycle driver, who was driving at a high rate of speed, drove through a stop sign and crashed into the RAV4.

Both the driver of the motorcycle and McDaniels were taken to Beth Israel Hospital after first aid efforts were made on-scene by residents, Cambridge Fire, EMTs and police officers. McDaniels died at the hospital. The driver of the motorcycle had non-life threatening injuries.

Officials said there have been no charges filed.

The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorneys Office, Cambridge Police and the Massachusetts State Police Crash Analysis and Reconstruction Section.
SPRINGFIELD  The William N. DeBerry and Benjamin Swan Elementary Schools honored their namesakes Thursday by dedicating the buildings to the men theyre named after.

The $95 million construction project is the brand new school for both 408 students from the former Homer Street School and 244 from the William N. DeBerry school.

The new building combines the two schools in a 21st century design that is now being used in districts across the state.

DeBerry honors the Rev. William DeBerry, a Springfield native, civil rights leader and founder of organizations like the Dunbar Community Center.

Homer Street School honors Swan, who served in several roles with the Springfield chapter of the NAACP and became the Western Massachusetts coordinator of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom during the 1963. In 1965, Swan marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama.
A GoFundMe has been set up by the family members of a Lawrence woman killed by gunfire on Thursday.

Angie Aristy was found by Lawrence police after they received a call at about 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday of shots fired in the area of 300 Howard St., Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tuckers office said in a statement. They found Aristy with a gunshot wound, and she later died at Lawrence General Hospital.

Aristys sister-in-law, Leamsi Guzman, also from Lawrence, posted the GoFundMe to raise money to help the family.

Im raising money for this tragedy that my sister-in-law went through, Guzman wrote. She loved, she was strong, she preached and she made others laugh. Most importantly, she cared about others first.

The end of the short description included #F***GUNVIOLENCE.

In less than 24 hours, the fundraiser has received 61 donations with the goal of reaching $2,500. So far, a total of $1,695 has been donated.

Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Tuckers office, as well as Lawrence Police Department detectives, are investigating the incident.
Hyundai Motor India Limited has launched the updated i20 premium hatchback in the Indian market. It is priced between 6.99 lakh and 11.01 lakh. Both prices are ex-showroom. For 2023, the i20 gets cosmetic changes, feature additions, and updated safety equipment and the turbo-petrol engine has been discontinued. Hyundai is also offering an extended warranty of up to 3 years or 1 lakh kilometres.

Hyundai has boosted the safety quotient of the 2023 i20 by offering loads of features as standard. It now offers 6 Airbags, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Assist Control, Vehicle Stability Management, Antilock Braking System and Electronic Brake Distribution across all variants.

The interior is finished in a dual-tone grey and black colour scheme, there is ambient lighting, Bose sound system, a redesigned key, semi-leatherette seats, leatherette door armrests and a leather-wrapped D-Cut steering wheel.

Also check these Cars Find more Cars Hyundai Exter  6 - 10.10 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Explore your Vehicle Check vehicle details Check Insurance & PUCC due date Hyundai Kona Electric  23.79 - 23.98 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Hyundai Ioniq 5  44.95 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Hyundai Venue  7.53 - 12.72 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Tata Punch  5.49 - 9.39 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Kia Sonet  6.79 - 13.35 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers

The infotainment system now comes with sounds of nature, 60+ connected car features, 127 Embedded VR commands, 52 Hinglish voice commands, Over-the-Air updates, multilanguage support and a Type C charger.

Powering the new i20 is a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 82 bhp with the manual transmission and 86 bhp with the IVT automatic transmission. The engine now also comes with the Idle Stop & Go (ISG) feature.

For cosmetic changes, the bumpers have been redesigned to look sharper and there is a new set of LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps. On the side, there are new 16-inch alloy wheels.

Also Read : Hyundai Creta facelift SUV to launch soon? Spied testing near Chennai

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Tarun Garg, COO,Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, The i20 brand has consistently set the bar in the Indian automobile industry across generations. With a passionate customer base exceeding 1.3 million, the new Hyundai i20 remains the beacon of customer aspirations. Prioritizing safety as a cornerstone, the new Hyundai i20 delivers a resounding message with its standard features, including 6 Airbags, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Assist Control, Vehicle Stability Management, 3-Point Seatbelts, and seatbelt reminder for all occupants. Crafted for the urban youth, the new Hyundai i20 promises an unmatched mobility experience. We hold unwavering confidence that the new Hyundai i20 will not only elevate customer aspirations but also resonate profoundly with the ambitions of the young Indian buyers who wish to leave an indelible mark."

First Published Date:
A Pennsylvania man accused buying human skin and tanning it into leather and sending over $100,000 in online payments for body parts from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges related to his crimes, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Thompson, Pa., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Sept. 7, to the felony charges of conspiracy and transporting stolen property over state lines, the office said.

Pauley admitted he bought the human remains knowing they were stolen, and sold many of the remains to others -- including to at least one other person who also knew they were stolen.

He could face up to 15 years in prison for the crimes, along with a term of supervised release after imprisonment and a fine, the office stated.

Pauley was part of a nationwide network of people, including Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge, 55, of New Hampshire, who were accused of stealing, buying and selling body parts from either or both Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

The stolen body parts included heads, brains, skin, bones and more, according to court documents from the indictment filed against Lodge. The indictment, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, stated it started in 2018 and continued until March 7.

Using social media, Lodge and his wife, Denise Lodge, 63, transported the body parts hed stolen from Boston to his New Hampshire home, court documents read.

Court documents claim Katrina MacLean, 44, of Salem, Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pa., and others purchased the body parts as they were shipped through the mail.

Sometimes, MacLean and Taylor were allowed inside the morgue to choose what remains to purchase, court documents read.

Taylor would sometimes bring the parts back to Pennsylvania with him; other times, he would receieve out-of-state shipments from Lodge, officials stated.

MacLean, a bone art, doll-creating and oddity-collecting artist, sold the stolen remains through her brand, Kats Creepy Creations, officials said. She shipped human skin to Pauley so he could tan the skin to create leather, according to the original indictment.

He sent the tanned human skin back to MacLean in Massachusetts around Aug. 15, 2021, and more skin was sent to Pauley around Sept. 20, 2021, according to officials.

MacLean confirmed Pauley got the skin because she wanted to make sure it got to you and I dont expect agents at my door, the indictment stated.

Pauley was also accused of buying stolen human remains from Arkansas resident Candace Chapman-Scott, who officials believe stole the body parts from a Little Rock mortuary and crematorium where she worked.

Chapman-Scott was supposed to have cremated the cadavers from which she stole, many of which were donated with the intention to use for research and educational purposes by a local medical school, the U.S. attorneys office said.

These included the corpses of two stillborn babies, who were supposed to be cremated and returned to their families, officials said.

Chapman-Scott has been indicted in federal court in the District of Arkansas, officials said, for her part in the nationwide network and for defrauding her employer, the statement said.

After buying the remains from Chapman-Scott and having them shipped to him, Pauley resold many of the parts to other people including Matthew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minn., the U.S. attorneys office said. The two have been accused of exchanging over $100,000 in online payments for the parts, the office stated.

The U.S. Attorneys Offices stated it will continue its attempt to identify and contact as many of the peoples whose body parts were stolen families, and asked for any who believe they or a family member were affected by the incident to contact the Victim and Witness Unit by calling (717) 614-4249, or through email to the USAPAM.Victim.Information@usdoj.gov.

The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, East Pennsboro Township Police Department and the Cumberland County District Attorneys Office investigated the case.
As the heat lingers in Massachusetts, storms are also headed towards the state on Friday.

The National Weather Service said it will likely be in the upper 80s or low 90s Friday, feeling like the middle to upper 90s. The heat advisory was expanded early Friday morning to include eastern Massachusetts, including Boston.

As of Thursday afternoon, the heat advisory had spanned from areas in Western Massachusetts, such as Greenfield and Springfield, to Norwood and Lawrence. Some schools dismissed students early or closed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The National Weather service recommended people drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening, the weather service said.

The heat advisory will last until 8 p.m. Friday.

Additionally, scattered severe thunderstorms are possible between 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. across parts of Massachusetts.

[Heat & Severe Weather Potential Today] Heat & humidity continues today. Highs in the upper 80s/near 90, but given the humidity expecting heat indices to reach the middle to upper 90s. In addition, scattered severe t-storms are possible between 2 and 10 pm across interior #SNE. pic.twitter.com/i3hV9r2gPi  NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) September 8, 2023

The weather service warned that some storms could be severe, with damaging winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning.

In Springfield, storms could start around 3 p.m. In Worcester, there is a chance for rain around 4 p.m. However, the chance for storms are lower. Boston and Cape Cod are not expected to get rain Friday.

But storms arent only expected on Friday.

Rain and thunderstorms are expected through much of the weekend and Monday. Temperatures are also expected to drop after the storms with a high near 77 on Tuesday.
A serious crash that shut down both sides of Route 20 near Tree House Brewing in Charlton resulted in the death of the motorcyclist involved in the crash, as well as the passenger of the other vehicle, the Charlton Police Department announced.

The crash happened on Route 20 around 11 a.m. on Sept. 7. As of 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, the road remained closed in both directions with detours in place, MassDOT said.

Charlton police arrived to assist, along with the Sturbridge Police Department and Massachusetts State Police, Charlton police said in a statement. An ensuing investigation found that a 2008 Suzuki motorcycle was driving eastbound on Sturbridge Road before crashing into a 2015 Subaru Legacy that was turning left onto Sturbridge.

The investigation into the crash is being led by the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the Crime Scene Services Section, as well as Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Earlys office.
Karen Read recently made TV appearances on NBCs Dateline and ABCs Nightline to defend her innocence in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend in 2022.

Prosecutors out of the Norfolk County District Attorneys Office now want access to unaired footage from those TV interviews as the murder case against Read proceeds to trial.

Norfolk prosecutors filed motions last week asking the court to order both networks to hand over footage from Reads interviews, including segments not aired on television, per Boston.com. The recordings, prosecutors argue, could produce relevant evidence for the case.

Read, 43, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision in June 2022.

Read is accused of running over her boyfriend, John OKeefe, a Boston police officer, and killing him in January while attempting to make a three-point-turn after dropping him off at a party in Canton.

In a motion to preserve the unaired footage, prosecutors wrote that Read has put forth numerous conflicting theories relevant to her involvement and to the existence of physical evidence recovered from her vehicle, the victims clothing, and the medical examiners findings of fact, as reported by Boston.com.

Defense attorneys for Read have strongly pushed back on many of the prosecutors claims about what happened that night, arguing that they are grasping at straws, and have mounted a public campaign to argue that Read is innocent.

I have an innocent client, period, Reads defense counsel, Alan Jackson, told NBC. John walked into an element of hostility in that house. John OKeefe got out of a car, walked into the house, was sucker punched, fell, hurt himself, and then ultimately his body was moved.

In court motions, prosecutors countered that such claims were made without a scintilla of evidence and that Read and her defense teams statements to the media are contradictory to what theyve said in the past. Norfolk prosecutors wrote that baseless accusations were made against nearly every witness, law enforcement officer, or expert involved in the substantial case against her.

Last month, Norfolk County Judge Beverly Cannone denied an attempt to keep Read and her lawyers from speaking publicly about the case, a so-called gag order requested by prosecutors.

Even as Cannone described the public statements by Reads lawyers as arguably inflammatory and appear to have fueled much of the publicity in this case, she wrote that there is not a substantial likelihood that the statements will materially prejudice the proceedings, according to court documents.

Should the motion on turning over unaired footage be granted by the judge, the TV networks would not be protected by a shield law that exists in other states but not in Massachusetts, according to The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The law allows journalists to refuse orders to disclose sources or unpublished information, but in this case, it would be up to Cannone.

Defense attorneys are also seeking to have Reads $80,000 bail removed, according to Boston 25News. Her bail was initially set at $100,000 but Cannone reduced it on Feb. 8, 2023, which she posted.

Her attorney, David Yannetti, described how Read lost her job at Fidelity Investments and the health insurance benefits that came with it and is no longer a lecturer in the finance department of Bentley College, according to the outlet.

Yannetti wrote that Reads spent considerable expenses on legal fees and that prosecutors have failed to turn over discovery evidence for the past 19 months.

Read is scheduled to re-appear in court on Sept. 15.
After a ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court, a Massachusetts facility is allowed to continue to use controversial devices to electric shock its clients. But advocates are hoping to change that through a bill banning aversive therapy and are raising awareness about it during a protest Saturday.

The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), a special needs day and residential school in Canton, has become known for using electric shock devices on clients for self-injurious or aggressive behavior. It is the only facility in the country to use them and has been the center of many advocates concerns. However, the facility considers it lifesaving.

The ruling ensures that the lifesaving, court approved electrical stimulation device (ESD) treatment remains available to those for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed, JRC and the JRC Parents Association wrote in a statement.

Read more: SJC rules Massachusetts facility can continue to use electric shock on students

JRC states that its clients have had behaviors that result in profound physical injuries including blindness and mutilation prior to the devices.

Allowing the use of ESDs as part of these clients treatment plans is a matter of life or death, the statement read. JRC and the parents and guardians of JRCs clients will continue to ensure that this treatment remains available to those for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed.

There are more than 300 people who attend or live at JRC and about 55 people are approved for the devices.

However, advocates are adamant there are other options.

Nancy Weiss, who wrote a book examining the events and places that contributed to the inability of the state of Massachusetts to stop the use of electric shock, said the painful behavioral interventions are not only inhumane, they are clearly unnecessary.

The procedures used at the Judge Rotenberg Center fly in the face of everything the professional community now knows about the science of effective behavior modification, Weiss said in a statement. It is now well established that a range of behavioral approaches are available which are not only humane but are more effective than using severe, painful punishment.

The protest by the #StopTheShock Coalition on the Boston Common Saturday is the second one this year regarding House Bill H180, which would prohibit the use of procedures which cause physical pain or deny a reasonable humane existence to persons with disabilities.

This, the bill states, would prohibit hitting, pinching, and electric shock for the purposes of changing the behavior of the person, which is what the shock devices used at the facility are designed to do.

The bill has been introduced multiple times since 2015. Most recently, it was referred to the committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

It is now well established that a range of behavioral approaches are available which are not only humane but are more effective than using severe, painful punishment, Elisa Hunt, lead rrganizer of the coalition, said. The procedures used at the Judge Rotenberg Center fall well outside the professional standard of care for the most severely disabled individuals.

Dozens of articles, including on MassLive, have been written about the Canton facility.

In 2012, a video was released during a court case against JRC showing student Andre McCollins being tied by the arms and legs to a restraint board and shocked multiple times. CBS News confirmed he was shocked more than 30 times over a seven-hour period.

His mother, Cheryl McCollins, told CBS News her son was first shocked for not taking off his coat but was shocked again for tensing his muscles and screaming. His mother claims he has suffered permanent damage as a result.

JRC states it no longer uses the restraint board and shocks together.

In 2016, MassLive spoke to a former student, Terri Du Bois, who said she had one of the devices while she was there.

Du Bois said punishments depended on what rule she broke. She said she was shocked for yelling, swearing, getting out of her seat without permission and grabbing others.

The devices have also been reported to malfunction. She recalls one day after she got out of the shower when, she said, the device shocked her 10 times.

I just kept screaming, Get it off of me, get it off of me, she said.

Another former JRC student, Jennifer Msumba, said she became depressed while attending the school. Instead of correcting the behaviors the GEDs were designed to fix, she said she just found more secretive ways to do them.

Crying was also a behavior that I got in trouble for, so I had to cry in secret, Msumba said in video testimony used in an FDA hearing on GEDs.

Msumba said shell never be the same, and shell never understand why the people at JRC did those things to her.

I would ask God to make my heart stop because I didnt want to live when that was happening to me, she told CBS News. I just wanted to die and make it stop.

Msumba released a book, Shouting At Leaves in 2021 regarding her time at the center. She has also shared some of her story on TikTok.

In March 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) used for self-injurious or aggressive behavior. But that decision was overturned.

The FDA warned in its petition that the FDA determined that those devices present unreasonable and substantial risks of both physical and psychological injury.

The shocks cause pain that has been described as extremely painful, excruciatingly painful, like a dentist drilling on an un-anesthetized tooth, like a bulging and a ruptured disc, like a thousand bees stinging you in the same place for a few seconds, and as the most painful thing Ive ever experienced, the petition states.

Seven senators asked the FDA and U.S. Department of Justice to continue to prioritize the protection of people with disabilities by ending this dangerous practice and thanked them for filing an appeal to the overturned decision. But none of those signatures are senators from Massachusetts, where the facility is located.

Read more: This controversial Massachusetts facility is the last in the country to use electric shock on students

Thursdays Supreme Judicial Court decision was 69 pages and was regarding a 1987 consent decree obtained by JRC that shields the organization from efforts stemming from a history of bad faith actions to ban the practice.

The ruling, Justice Scott B. Kafker said, was specifically about the consent decree. Although, Kafker acknowledged the impact the decision has.

This case thus involves a heart-wrenching issue: continue to protect a controversial practice that has widely been criticized, or pave the way for its prohibition at the risk of subjecting these vulnerable patients to a life of sedation and restraint, or extreme self-injury, Kafker wrote.

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said she was profoundly disappointed by Thursdays ruling.

I stand ready to work with the Legislature and the Governor to take action to end this practice, she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Im also calling on the Food and Drug Administration to follow through on its announced plan to issue a new rule banning the GED skin shock device.

The protest will be on the Boston Common Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
SPRINGFIELD  A single-car accident Friday that resulted in the death of a pedestrian remains under investigation, Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh said.

They are very thorough, Walsh said, saying investigations involving motor vehicle fatalities typically do not resolve quickly.

The crash took place around 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 near the intersection of Worthington and Bowdoin streets, according to information police shared earlier this week.

The names of the driver and victim have not yet been revealed.

Walsh, however, said the pedestrian who was struck was not in a crosswalk and was wearing dark clothing.

Walsh said that if the person driving the vehicle was under the influence, or decided to flee the accident, an arrest would have been made at the scene. However, Walsh wrote Tuesday the driver stayed at the collision site and the adult male pedestrian succumbed to his injuries on scene.

The Hampden County District Attorneys Motor Vehicle Homicide Unit did not return a request for comment.

The number of pedestrians and bicyclists involved in on-road accidents rose between 2020 and 2022, according to an assessment from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The assessment, which includes an overview of the state and details crash hotspots statewide, labeled the section of Worthington Street between Bowdoin and Armory streets as a risky stretch of roads for bicyclists.
SPRINGFIELD  The state Attorney Generals Office has dropped its prosecution of Nathan Bills bar owner Joseph Sullivan stemming from an incident where off-duty police officers allegedly assaulted four Black men outside the pub in 2015.

The case against Sullivan, a peripheral character since his indictment in 2018, ended Friday in Worcester Superior Court. Prosecutors said in court documents that they had become concerned the testimonies of two key witnesses were unreliable.
Arguing that Massachusetts has stepped up to fill a void by sheltering thousands of migrants, Gov. Maura Healey again said Friday its time for Washington to do its part by making it easier for them to find work.

In a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Democratic governor called on Washington to make it easier and speedier for migrants to apply for work authorization, and to increase communication and data-sharing between the federal agencies with oversight of immigration-related issues.

Right now, it can take months for migrants to obtain permission to work, creating a regulatory loop that prevents them from supporting their families and moving out of shelters.

Thats put pressure on states such as Massachusetts, which have been left to address what has been a federal crisis of inaction many years in the making, Healey said in a Friday statement.

Last month, Healey announced that she planned to activate as many as 250 Massachusetts National Guard personnel to provide basic services at emergency shelters that didnt already have a contracted service provider, MassLive previously reported.

Communities, service providers, and our National Guard are going above and beyond to ensure that families arriving in Massachusetts have a safe place to sleep and their basic needs met, Healey said.

Earlier in August, Healey declared a state of emergency in response to the increasing number of migrants coming to Massachusetts. The influx of migrants  which according to Healeys office includes more than 6,000 families  has overwhelmed the states shelter system.

To support migrant families, the Healey administration has reached out to the Biden administration asking for more money to support the migrants and to expedite their work authorization papers.

Last month, the Healey administration and the city of Boston were awarded a $1.9 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help shelter services.

The Democratic governor met with Mayorkas two weeks ago. And Fridays letter memorializes the Healey administrations specific requests for the federal government to address the migrant emergency, Healeys office said in its statement.

The letter also reiterates the administrations request for additional federal funding to support shelter and human services, and the need for that funding to be distributed equitably among states based on the pressure facing their systems and finances.

Massachusetts is facing twin crises that arent unique to our state  we have rapidly rising numbers of migrant families arriving here who want to work but cant get their work authorizations, and we are facing severe workforce shortages in all industries, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in the administrations statement.

We have the opportunity to not only address both of these issues, but also to grow our economy and strengthen our communities in the long run. We are hopeful that the federal government will take these requests into serious consideration, Driscoll continued.
WESTFIELD  The preliminary city election is Sept. 19, but voters will have a first chance to cast their ballots in person this Saturday, Sept. 9.

Early voting will be available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 59 Court St., Westfield. The only position on the preliminary ballot is the School Committee, where there are seven nominees for three four-year seats. Preliminary elections are required when there are more than twice the number of candidates as available seats.

In addition to one day of in-person early voting, mail-in and absentee ballots are also available during weekday business hours at the city clerks office on the second floor of City Hall.
Mayos flagship business support series, Mayo Ideas Month, takes place in October 2023. It is a series of idea generation, entrepreneurship and business events hosted by the enterprise development agencies and organisations in County Mayo. Replacing Mayo Ideas Week, the month long format makes it possible for businesses to attend all events instead of having to choose between them.

The practical and relevant events take place around the county addressing core challenges and areas facing organisations of all sizes. Mayo Ideas Month events will help businesses meet these challenges with confidence.

Mayo Ideas Month is all about helping businesses to build in a structured and assured way, explains John Magee, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Mayo. The events are carefully planned to help businesses at all different life stages from start-ups to scaling mature enterprises. We encourage every business owner in the county to check out the programme and register online now.

Mayo Ideas Month begins with the well-established Spirit of Entrepreneurship at ATU where high profile entrepreneurs share insights, experiences and advice in presentations and panel discussions. MC for the night is The Positive Economist, Susan Hayes Culleton.

Most Mayo Ideas Month events are free of charge. Owners and managers of businesses large and small are invited to register through the website www.mayoideasmonth.ie. Events include support for new and fledgling businesses as well as guidance and networking for established enterprises.

Events are hosted by the following enterprise development agencies and organisations: LEO Mayo, Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Udaras na Gaeltachta, Westbic, ATU, ATU iHub Mayo, South West Mayo Development Company, West Regional Enterprise Plan, Western Development Commission, Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB, Mayo Education Centre and the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment.

Full details for all events are available on the website. Follow Mayo Ideas Week on Twitter and Facebook or at www.mayoideasmonth.ie

Pictured above at the launch of Mayo Ideas Month 2023 were, from left: Sabina Trench (SWMDC), Sean OCoisdealbha (Udaras na Gaeltachta), Maria Staunton (ATU iHub Mayo), Sean Burke (Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB), Eleanor Hussey (LEO Mayo), Seamus McCormack (WestBIC), Margaret Charleton (Enterprise Ireland) and John Magee (LEO Mayo). Pic by Michael McLaughlin
Beijing (Gasgoo)- In August, Nissan Motor saw a month-on-month rise in its monthly sales in the Chinese market, according to the companys announcement today.

Photo credit: Nissan

The Japanese automaker achieved a total sales volume of 64,905 units during the month in China, up 9.07% from the previous month. For the first eight months of the year, Nissan Motors cumulative sales volume amounted to 482,921 vehicles in the worlds largest auto market.

In the past month, Dongfeng Nissan (including Nissan, Venucia, and INFINITI brands) sold a total of 61,967 vehicles, which climbed up 9.69% compared to that of the month-ago period. Among which, Nissan, Venucia, and INFINITI brands all recorded month-on-month sales growth, with increases of 9.7%, 7.8%, and 31.8%, respectively.

The automakers light commercial vehicle division, Zhengzhou Nissan, contributed with sales of 2,938 units, representing a 2.46% dip over the previous month.

Shohei Yamazaki, Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor Corporation and Chairman of Nissan's China Management Committee, as well as President of Dongfeng Motor Corporation, commented on the performance, stating, "Amidst the ever-evolving business environment in the Chinese market, we are committed to ensuring the sustainability of our operations and expediting the introduction of new products."

"With the launch of the Nissan ARIYA 500 and the Venucia V-Online DD-i hybrid models in July, as well as the market launch of the all-new third-generation Nissan QASHQAI in August, we have further enriched Nissan's SUV product lineup in China, continuously meeting the diverse needs of Chinese consumers," he added. The Nissan QASHQAI, which has won numerous accolades over the past 15 years, has accumulated over 1.7 million units in sales in the Chinese market.
AN honour and a privilege is how the founder of the Mayo Society of Cleveland, Gerry Quinn described the civic reception by Mayo County Council which was bestowed in his honour.

Mayo County Council hosted a civic reception in Aras an Chontae, Castlebar this afternoon in honour of Mr Quinn which kicked off a weekend of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning of Mayo County Council, Achill and the city of Cleveland.

The official twinning of Mayo County Council, Achill and Cleveland occurred in 2003 when the then Mayor of Cleveland, Jane Campbell travelled to Achill for the former twinning ceremony.

A delegation of over 30 people from Cleveland have travelled to Co Mayo for the celebrations which will include a 20th anniversary celebration dinner in Ostan Oilean Acla in Achill tomorrow (Saturday) evening.

Mr Quinn is a native of Garracloon outside Ballina and one of the leading figures among the sizable Irish community in Cleveland. As well as being the founder of the Mayo Society of Cleveland, Mr Quinn was one of the founding members of Cleveland's Irish American Club in 1978.

Mr Quinn told the large attendance at the Civic Reception that when he left Mayo for the US in 1962 he did not imagine he would be given the honour of a civic reception which is the highest honour Mayo County Council can give.

He said he was honoured to be back in Mayo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the twinning of Mayo and Cleveland.

Arriving in the city of Cleveland a world away from where I left behind never in my wildest dreams did I believe that one day I would be accorded an official civic reception in the headquarters of Mayo County Council right here in Castlebar. I am truly honoured and privileged to be amongst this distinguished company. Mayo Society of Cleveland together with this wonderful county of Mayo and it will always be my home will remain together for the success and greater good for all, he said.

His weekly radio show, Gerry Quinn Irish Radio is 31 years on the air and has received the Achievement in Radio Award (AIR) and was named Best Ethnic Program in Northeast Ohio.

This Sunday, he will broadcast his radio show live from the gteic digital hub in Achill Sound at 3pm on Sunday, September 10.

Among the highlights of the weekend's celebrations will be the unveiling of a bench and plaque along the newly opened Greenway in Achill Sound and on Saturday evening, September 9, a 20th anniversary celebration dinner will take place in Ostan Oilean Acla.

The links between Achill and Cleveland extend back to the nineteenth century when Achill people emigrated in huge numbers to Cleveland to find work. They largely settled in an area known as 'The Angle' and the population flourished around St Malachi Parish in the later part of the nineteenth century.

Mayor of Cleveland Justin Bibb visited Achill in May while on an official trade mission to Ireland and a representative from his office was present for the civic reception.

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne was among the delegation and gifts were exchanged between Cuyahoga County and Mayo County Council. He spoke of the influence the Mayo and Achill emigrants had on the city of Cleveland and how this will be honoured during the 200 anniversary celebrations of the building of the Ohio canal.

The weekend's celebrations will continue tomorrow with the unveiling of a bench and plaque along the newly opened Greenway in Achill Sound and on Saturday evening, September 9, a 20th anniversary celebration dinner will take place in Ostan Oilean Acla.
Coherent Market Insights provides this information in its research report, titled Visual Impairment Market Size, Share, Growth and Report Forecast 2023-2030.

Vision impairment, commonly known as vision loss, refers to a set of illnesses marked by the inability or diminished ability to perceive an item. It is caused by a variety of eye illnesses, as well as trauma and brain injuries, which result in diseased and damaged transmission neurons. Vision impairment can have a variety of effects on a patients quality of life. As a result, it is critical to continue research into new treatments.

The Visual Impairment Market report offers comprehensive insights into factors affecting demand, growth, opportunities, challenges, and limitations. It covers global and regional industry dynamics, including research & development, new product launches, and responses from leading players in both global and local markets. The report provides visual representations and regional breakdowns of the Visual Impairment Market.

The Research Report provides a thorough overview of the industry, including the most important market growth-influencing trends, opportunities, risks, and market drivers. The markets CAGR status is also mentioned. Visual Impairment market research gives qualitative and quantitative analysis about business profiles, investment chances, development plans, and industry size, share valuations across all regions.

Request Free Sample Copy: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/4337

Some of the Top Players in Visual Impairment Market:

GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, FUJIFILM Holding Corporation, Siemens Healthineers, Koninklijke Philips, Stryker, Medtronic, Zimmer Biomet., Canon Medical, and Olympus Corporation.

Report Scope

This report aims to provide a comprehensive presentation of the market for Visual Impairment, with both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to help readers develop business/growth strategies, assess the market competitive situation, analyze their position in the current marketplace, and make informed business decisions regarding Visual Impairment.

The Visual Impairment market size, estimations, and forecasts are provided in terms of output/shipments (K Units) and revenue (USD millions), considering 2022 as the base year, with history and forecast data for the period from 2017 to 2030. This report segments the market comprehensively. Regional market sizes, concerning products by type, by application and by players, are also provided.

For a more in-depth understanding of the market, the report provides profiles of the competitive landscape, key competitors, and their respective market ranks. The report also discusses technological trends and new product developments.

The report will help the companies, new entrants, and industry chain related companies in this market with information on the revenues, production, and average price for the overall market and the sub-segments across the different segments.

Detailed Segmentation:

By Product Type: Educational Devices & Software: Braille Duplicators and Writers, Braille Computers, Mathematical & Science Devices, Reading Machines, Others. Mobility Devices: Canes, Others. Low Vision Devices: Smart Glasses, VTS Link, Magnifying Lenses, Others. Others

By End Use: Blind Schools, Enterprises & Social Organizations, Personal Use, Hospitals, Others.

Buy This Complete Business Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/4337

Highlight the Following Key Factors:

Business Description: a detailed description of company operations and business departments.

Company Strategy: The analysts summary of the companys business strategy.

SWOT Analysis: Detailed analysis of the companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Company History: The progress of major events related to the company.

Main products and services: A list of the companys main products, services, and brands.

Main Competitors: A list of the companys main competitors.

Important locations and subsidiaries: The Companys main locations and subsidiaries list and contact information.

Detailed financial ratios of the past five years: The latest financial ratios come from the annual financial statements issued by companies with a history of five years.

Reason to Buy Visual Impairment Market Report:

 Analysis of the impact of technological advancements on the market and the emerging trends shaping the industry in the coming years.

 Examination of the regulatory and policy changes affecting the market and the implications of these changes for market participants.

 Overview of the competitive landscape in the Visual Impairment market, including profiles of the key players, their market share, and strategies for growth.

 Identification of the major challenges facing the market, such as supply chain disruptions, environmental concerns, and changing consumer preferences, and analysis of how these challenges will affect market growth.

 Evaluation of the potential of new products and applications in the market, and analysis of the investment opportunities for market participants.

Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/4337

Table Of Content :

1. Research Objectives and Assumptions

 Research Objectives

 Assumptions

 Abbreviations

2. Market Preview

 Report Description

 Market Definition and Scope

 Executive Summary

 Market Snippet, By Type

 Market Snippet, By Application

 Market Snippet, By Region

 Coherent Opportunity Map (COM)

3. Market Dynamics, Regulations, and Trends Analysis

 Market Dynamics

 Drivers

 Restraints

 Market Opportunities

Continue

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Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients.

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Job vacancy n02/09-RFN/KINSHASA/2023

Resume Position: 1 Administrative and financial support officer Type of contract 6 months fixed term contract as probation period, renewable to a four years contract on January 2024 depending on performances Reports to Operations Manager Place of work Kinshasa with several field trips as needed.

About us:

The destruction of the world's tropical forests is one of the greatest environmental catastrophes of our time. Every year, 130,000 square kilometers of tropical forests are lost. Rainforest Foundation Norway is one of Europe's leading non-governmental organizations working to protect these forests and strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples. We work with over 70 indigenous and environmental organizations in 11 countries in Southeast Asia, Central Africa and the Amazon. Further information at: https://www.regnskog.no/en/

To strengthen its team in Kinshasa, the RFN office in the DRC is looking for a dynamic and motivated person to fill the position of Administrative and Financial Support Officer. Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Administrative and Financial Support Officer will be responsible for all matters relating to the management of our office.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Administrative and Financial Support Officer will be directly involved in supporting, monitoring and strengthening the financial and administrative capacities of RFN's partner organizations in the DRC.

The Administrative and Financial Support Officer will work closely with the RFN office in Kinshasa, auditors and RFN partners. He/she will be required to travel regularly to Kinshasa and the provinces.

Main Responsibilities

Bookkeeping for the Rainforest Foundation Norway office in the DRC (25% of time)

Enter accounting data into SAGE software ;

; Ensure budgetary and administrative Charge d'appui administratif et financiers charges for expenses;

Ensure proper maintenance of journals Administrative and Financial Support Officer ;

Participate actively in office audits (preparation, implementation and follow-up);

Ensure control of RFN office vouchers;

Ensure proper archiving of RFN office documents;

Ensure follow-up of funds advanced to RFN staff;

Support the Operations Manager in declarations to public administrations (submit declarations and payments, look for receipts or proofs of payment and, if necessary, assist in drawing up declarations);

Effectively support the Operations Manager in the closing operations;

Support and monitoring of Rainforest Foundation Norway partners in the proper management of the funds allocated to them (under the supervision and in collaboration with the Operations Manager) - 75% of time

Develop and implement a control and monitoring system to ensure compliance with contractual obligations binding RFN and its partners, sound financial management and anti-corruption policies, and follow-up on audit recommendations from partners and RFN;

Offer and deliver training in accounting, finance and administration to RFN's partner organizations;

Support partners in implementing the recommendations of internal control/audit reports.

Carry out any other tasks requested by his or her superiors, the above list not being exhaustive.

Skills:

Strong analytical skills;

Initiative, proactive;

Methodical, highly organized and rigorous in filing documents Administrative and financial support officer in hard, soft and email ;

Effective and efficient communicator, spoken and written;

Zero tolerance of irregularities and fraud;

Demonstrated experience as a Management Trainer Administrative and Financial Support Officer;

Know how to plan work within deadlines and be highly flexible in terms of working hours, even if this means arranging recovery with your line manager;

Be diplomatic;

Ability to work as part of a team;

Ability to ask questions, listen and learn from others;

Sense of responsibility, integrity, transparency and strict adherence to deadlines;

Ability to manage problems in compliance with RFN policies;

Stress resistance;

Adherence to and compliance with RFN anti-corruption policy and Code of Conduct.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

University degree (Bac+5) in financial management and/or significant field experience in financial control and/or financial management of grants.

Solid professional experience may compensate for the level of education.

At least 3 years' experience in a similar position, preferably in an international solidarity NGO;

Experience of working with administrative and financial support software ( SAGE );

); Thorough knowledge of Outlook, Word and Excel - understanding of advanced formulas (SUMIF, VLOOKUP, COUNTA, etc.) and pivot tables;

An understanding of written and spoken English is a plus;

Congolese nationality;

Have a job-seeker's card for unemployed candidates.

CONTRACT CONDITIONS :

Competitive salary

Exciting, dynamic and meaningful work

Competent and pleasant colleagues in a work environment characterized by diversity, generosity and a good sense of humor.

How to apply

Other documents (e.g. diplomas and certificates of services rendered) will be requested ONLY from those selected for the position.

The application must be completed and submitted no later than 09/25/2023 by following the link :

https://karriere.regnskogfondet.no/jobs/3147268-administrative-and-financial-support-officer

The signing of the contract with Rainforest Foundation Norway is conditional on receipt of three satisfactory professional references.

N.B:

Only successful applicants will be contacted by telephone.

Rainforest Norvege does not charge a fee for submitting or processing applications.

Applications from women are encouraged.

Kinshasa, le 07/09/2023

For the Administration
by Les Luchter , September 8, 2023

About half of Bayers sales come from its Crop Science business, which markets agricultural products and services (including those formerly owned by Monsanto). Yet, Bayer says, many farmers live in care deserts that are underserved in accessing healthcare for such conditions as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and prostate cancer -- all of which can be treated by products from Bayers two other businesses: pharmaceuticals and consumer health.

Meanwhile, Americas largest grocer Kroger has been moving steadily into the healthcare space.

Bayer and Kroger have now gotten together  along with country music star Luke Bryan -- for Take Care, Now, a multifaceted campaign aimed at improving access to health care and nutrition in rural America.

advertisement advertisement

The campaign kicked off late last month with an experience at the Farm Progress Show. Bayers exhibit there helped generate awareness of care deserts and highlighted the work that Bayer and Kroger are doing with nonprofits to help lessen the problem, Bayer Crop Sciences tells Marketing Daily.

Experiential stops in September include the Luke Bryan Farm Tour, taking place at six farms and dairies, and a two-day Kroger Wellness Festival in Cincinnati.

The Take Care, Now website shows how close each location is to the nearest care desert.

Perhaps surprisingly, Cincinnati is closer to a care desert than any of the farm locales. Brown County, Ohio --where Bayer says that 14% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle and theres a -31% deficit in desired population-to-physician ration -- is only 50 miles from Cincinnati.

The onsite consumer activations consist of signage and giveaways, with the aim to drive attendees to the Take Care, Now website. The campaign also includes:

-- A joint Bayer/Kroger sponsorship of 50 nurse scholars through the nonprofit AgriSafe Network.

-- Bayer providing 1 million meals through the nonprofit Feeding America.

-- Education on the risks of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and prostate cancer.

Farmers and others in rural communities often put the needs of others before their own, stated Jacqueline Applegate, president of Bayer Crop Science North America. With our new campaign, we also want to remind them to take time to focus on their personal health, so they can take care of their communities.

And, stated Jim Kirby, chief commercial officer, Kroger Health, Farmers play such an important role in bringing fresh food to families across the U.S. We look forward to working with Bayer to improve their access to high-quality healthcare.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

Next-gen electric MINI model to be put into production in China first

BMW Group announced that the next-generation all-electric MINI model is poised for debut in 2024 with production commencing in China first. Specifically, the electric model will be manufactured by BMW Group and Great Wall Motors joint venture, Spotlight Automotive.

Photo credit: MINI

Tencent introduces strategic plans in automotive intelligence field

On September 8, Tencent's Vice President, Zhong Xiangping, disclosed at a conference Tencent's intent to collaborate with automakers in building comprehensive AI models for the automotive industry. These models include cockpit models, intelligent driving training models, and smart customer service models.

XPeng inks new vehicle project in Zhaoqing city, Guangdong Province

On September 7, Zhaoqing city and XPeng held a signing ceremony in Guangzhou for an investment agreement, which settled XPengs intelligent new energy vehicle project in Zhaoqing's high-tech zone. The total investment for this new vehicle project is approximately 2 billion yuan, which will be used for the R&D and production of two new models, as well as expanding market reach.

Nissan Motors China sales rise 9.07% MoM in August 2023

In August, Nissan Motor saw a month-on-month rise in its monthly sales in the Chinese market, according to the companys announcement today.

Honda Motor sees China retail sales dwindle 25.1% YoY in Aug. 2023

In August 2023, Honda Motor recorded a retail sales volume of 102,257 units in China, representing a 25.1% decline compared to the year-ago period, but still reflecting a 14% increase from the previous month, according to the company's official sales data.

SERES showcases three new energy SUV models at IAA MOBILITY 2023

At the IAA MOBILITY 2023 held in Munich, SERES, a Chinese car brand under SERES Group who also owns the AITO brand, made a notable entrance with its lineup of three new energy SUVs.

Shanghai rolls out a slew of measures to vitalize car circulation, expand car replacement

The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, in collaboration with relevant departments, recently unveiled a set of measures aimed at invigorating the automobile consumption market and expediting the phase-out and replacement of older vehicles.

JOYNEXT, Horizon Robotics jointly present intelligent driving products at IAA MOBILITY 2023

During the IAA MOBILITY 2023, Chinese automotive solution provider JOYNEXT showcased its nDrive series intelligent driving domain controllers developed in partnership with Horizon Robotics.

Yoocar Technology expands operations through partnership with Dongfeng VOYAH

Yoocar Technology, a Chinese V2X solution provider, is making significant strides in the automotive ecosystem with its TOSP platform. This platform enables a complete in-car consumer ecosystem within the framework of the mobile internet, meeting a range of operational requirements and capabilities while offering a rich array of content services and products.

Great Wall Motors ORA Good Cat BEV hits Brazilian market

Recently, Great Wall Motor officially put the ORA Good Cat (known as ORA 03 in Brazil) onto the Brazilian electric vehicle market, the Chinese automaker said via its WeChat account.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 7, 2023

The Senate Thursday voted 55-43 to confirm telecom attorney Anna Gomez to the Federal Communications Commission, breaking a political deadlock at the agency that has lasted the entirety of Joe Biden's presidency.

Gomez's confirmation means the five-members commission will have three Democrats and two Republicans, which is expected to leave Chair Jessica Rosenworcel poised to advance her more ambitious goals -- including restoring the Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Those rules, repealed during the Trump administration, prohibited broadband carriers from throttling or blocking traffic and from charging higher fees for prioritized delivery.

Gomez testified in May to the Senate Commerce Committee that she would be supportive of reclassifying broadband access as a telecommunications service -- which would be a first step toward restoring net neutrality regulations.

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Internet services are too important, too central to our lives and our economy, not to have effective oversight, Gomez told the committee.

Immediately after her confirmation, Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), a long-time proponent of net neutrality, reiterated his call for the FCC to pass new regulations.

I look forward to partnering with Chairwoman Rosenworcel, Commissioner Starks, and Ms. Gomez in our shared fight to undo the damage of the Trump-era FCC by restoring net neutrality protections and protecting consumers from another Republican assault on the free and open internet, he stated.

The lawmaker added that he also plans to reintroduce net neutrality legislation.

Gomez's appointment also could enable Rosenworcel to take action regarding mobile privacy, which she has indicated is among her priorities.

In June, Rosenworcel announced the launch of a new privacy task force and said she had circulated an order fining T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon a combined $200 million over the alleged sale of customers' location data.

Biden nominated Gomez in May, after Gigi Sohn, his initial choice, withdrew from consideration due to opposition from Republicans as well as Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia.
by Erik Oster , September 7, 2023

Crispin Cider is making a comeback, facilitated by a finalized licensing agreement between Molson Coors and Minneapolis Cider Company.

Minneapolis Cider Company will now take over all day-to-day brand management responsibilities for Crispin, including production, new product innovation, and sales, which it will facilitate through its taproom and distributors nationwide.

Crispin was originally founded in 2004, just a few blocks away from the eventual location of Minneapolis Cider Company in Northeast Minneapolis. At the time, Crispin was a relatively early entrant into the craft cider during a period of growth, and helped pave the way for other cideries to enter the business  including its new partner.

Miller Coors acquired Crispin Cider in 2012, at a time of explosive growth for the cidery, but sales declined over the following decade. In 2021, Molson Coors discontinued the Crispin brand, citing downturns in sales.

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The relaunch of Crispin represents our journey in the cider industry coming full circle, Jason Dayton, co-founder of Minneapolis Cider Co., said. When we started in the cider industry, it was Crispin Founder Joe Heron and former head cidermaker Bruce Nissen that helped put us on the path to success, and we're honored to carry on their legacy through Crispin.

Crispin Cider will relaunch with three ciders next month.

In addition to bringing back its 5% ABV Crispin Original, the brand will introduce Crispin Imperial  an 8% ABV imperial cider made from European bittersweet apples that contain more tannic qualities and complex flavor profiles  and Crispin Mango Mimosa, an 8% ABV that seems to take aim at the canned cocktail category.

Each variety will be available in six-pack and twelve-pack cans, as well as on draft for on-premises sales where available.

The brand will initially be rolling out regionally this fall, across retailers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Over the course of the next two years, it plans to expand to national distribution, as well as into the U.K.  a country with a rich cider legacy.

Fans of the brands in other states arent out of luck, though. Crispin will be available for delivery sales to 41 states beginning in October.

The move to revive the brand arrives at something of a mixed moment for the cider industry. Regional and local cider brands offer something of a bright spot, while national cider brands struggle.

Local and regional off-premise hard cider sales increased by 5.7% for the 52-week period ending November 5, 2022 compared to the previous year, according to Nielsen data. Such sales for national cider brands, meanwhile, saw a dip of 9.8%, contributing to an overall decline of 2.2% for the industry.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 7, 2023

Siding with Meta Platforms, a federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit alleging that the company wrongly banned ads on Facebook for the Holocaust-related movie Beautiful Blue Eyes."

In a ruling issued Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge James Donato in the Northern District of California said Meta was protected from several claims in the lawsuit by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Donato said in the ruling that Section 230 immunizes platforms from liability for publishing third-party content as well as rejecting such content.

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in October by father and son Joshua and Alexander Newton, who reside in the United Kingdom.

Joshua Newton wrote and directed Beautiful Blue Eyes, which starred the late Roy Scheider, while Alexander acted in the movie and wrote and performed its theme song. The Newtons alleged that Meta misclassified the film as hate speech, and banned pre-release advertising on that basis.

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Had Facebook properly reviewed the film and the song it would have seen that Beautiful Blue Eyes legitimately depicts events of the Holocaust, does not violate Facebooks Community Standards and does not constitute hate speech, the complaint alleged.

After the film's September 2022 opening, Meta reversed its decision. But the move came too late, according to the complaint.

The advertising campaign for Beautiful Blue Eyes, as with many films, was centered on Facebook and Instagram ads, the complaint alleged. Beautiful Blue Eyes did not generate the enthusiasm it would have, had the ads been permitted to timely run.

The Newtons claimed Meta breached its contract with them by failing to properly apply its Community Standards, caused emotional distress and engaged in fraud. Donato found the claims for breach of contract and emotional distress barred by Section 230.

These claims are based entirely on the allegation that Facebook declined to post plaintiffs content, Donato wrote.

That is a quintessential publishing decision for which Facebook is 'perforce immune,' he added, quoting a phrase used by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2008, when it said Section 230 shields web companies from liability for rejecting users' posts.

Donato dismissed the fraud claim on the grounds that the allegations were too vague to warrant further proceedings.

The ruling allows the Newtons to beef up the complaint and file it again.
by Ray Schultz , September 7, 2023

Times Media Group has continued on its acquisition track, taking over Acorn Newspapers, a publisher of five brands serving more than 340,000 readers in Western Los Angeles and Eastern Ventura Counties.

Terms were not disclosed.

Included in the purchase are the weeklies The Acorn serving Agoura Hills, Moorpark Acorn, Simi Valley Acorn, Camarillo Acorn and Thousand Oaks Acorn, along with companion publications and websites.

Last month, Times Media Group acquired Picket Fence Media, publisher of San Clemente Times and other Southern California titles. The company has more than 40 publications in Arizona and Southern California.

Acorn Newspapers had its origins in 1996 when Conejo Valley residents Jim and Lisa Rule purchased the Agoura, Calabasas, Westlake Village Acorn. The pair subsequently added other publications.

Jim and Lisa Rule have built a highly respected, trusted community news brand that provides exceptional news coverage for readers and terrific value for advertisers," says Steve Strickbine, founder and president of Times Media Group.

Strickbine adds that the company seeks to provide communities the local news and information they need with a high degree of accuracy and truth.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, September 8, 2023

Advertisers and brands have been concerned about the risk of IP infringement claims when they use the output produced by generative AI. Those concerns, for the most part, may become a concern of the past.

Microsoft this week announced it has built important guardrails into its Copilot's artificial intelligence (AI) products to help respect authors' copyrights.

This new commitment extends Microsoft's existing intellectual property support to commercial Copilot services and builds on its previous AI Customer Commitments.

The company said that if a third party sues a commercial customer for copyright infringement for using Microsofts Copilots or the output they generate, it will defend the customer and pay the amount of any adverse judgments or settlements that result from the lawsuit, as long as the customer used the guardrails and content filters we have built into our products, Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft; and Hossein Nowbar, corporate vice president and chief legal officer, wrote in a post.

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There are conditions to the program. Acknowledging there are potential ways the technology could intentionally be misused to generate harmful content, Microsoft said its customers must use the content filters and other safety systems built into the product and must not attempt to generate infringing materials, including not providing input to a Copilot service that the customer does not have appropriate rights to use.

The company published additional details of the Copilot Copyright Commitment for customers in a post.
Royal Philips

voluntary recall

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Patients, hospitals, and sleep labs in the US eligible for benefits under the agreement do not need to take any action at this time in order to participate in the settlement.

The settlement must be approved by the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and additional information will be provided in the future.

All related inquiries by patients, hospitals and sleep labs in the US should be directed to the third-party Settlement Administrator, Angeion Group. More information will be available at www.RespironicsCPAP-ELSettlement.com.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- In August 2023, China's passenger vehicle (PV) market reported robust retail sales, reaching 1.92 million units, marking a 2.5% year-on-year (YoY) increase and an 8.6% month-on-month (MoM) rise, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Cumulatively, this year has seen 13.22 million PVs sold, reflecting a 2% YoY growth.

For clarity, the PVs hereby refer to the cars, SUVs, and MPVs locally produced on the Chinese mainland.

August 2023 witnessed the highest-ever PV retail sales in history for the same period. This month showcased strong government policies aimed at promoting consumption, keeping sales promotions at their peak, said the CPCA. Additionally, the Chengdu Motor Show recently closed introduced a plethora of new and affordably priced models, further stimulating consumers' demands.

Despite disruptions from extreme weather conditions such as typhoons, rainstorm, and high temperatures, the enthusiasm for summer travel remained high, contributing to the overall growth of the automotive market. The national-level policies targeted towards the automotive industry continue to be rolled out, aimed at stabilizing and expanding car consumption. Besides, initiatives like the "Hundred Cities Connectivity" auto festival and the "Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns" new energy vehicle (NEV) consumption season initiated by China's Ministry of Commerce have yielded positive results, with colorful promotional activities, auto shows, and the distribution of consumer vouchers effectively boosting consumer confidence.

Taking into account factors such as the early timing of the Chinese New Year, intense promotions to clear the inventories of the China VI-a vehicles, the delayed launch of China VI-b vehicles, and the gradual rise in the monthly base volume for the year-ago period, the cumulative PV retail sales for January to August reached 13.22 million units in China, demonstrating a notable YoY growth of 2.0%.

In August, China's domestic brands achieved remarkable performance with 1 million PVs retailed, a 17% YoY increase and a 6% MoM growth. They accounted for 52.1% of the country's overall PV retail volume in the month, up 6.1 percentage points year-on-year.

Year-to-date, domestic brands have captured 50% of the market, showing a growth of 4.7 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

Mainstream joint-venture brands retailed 650,000 locally-produced PVs in August, a decrease of 16% YoY, but a 10% growth MoM. The market shares of German and Japanese brands fell 1 and 4 percentage points to 20.1% and 16.7%, respectively, while the American brands share also dipped 0.4 percentage points to 8.5%

Luxury auto brands sold 280,000 units in August by retail, indicating a 9% YoY increase and a 14% MoM growth. Improved product supply on a global scale bolstered the domestic retail market in China.

Among the top 10 automakers by August PV retail sales in China, BYD still secured the top position, and was also the fastest-growing one in terms of YoY change. Among the No.2 to No.10 carmakers, only Geely Auto, Changan, and GWM (all of them are Chinas local brands) posted a rising movement over a year earlier.

Nationwide, car manufacturers wholesaled 2.237 million PVs in August, a 6.5% YoY increase and an 8.5% MoM growth. Cumulatively for this year, 15.373 million PVs were wholesaled, up 6.6% YoY.

In August, domestic automakers wholesaled 1.28 million PVs, marking a 26% YoY increase and a 7% MoM growth. Mainstream joint ventures wholesaled 650,000 units, a 16% YoY decrease but a 12% MoM increase. Luxury carmakers' wholesales amounted to 300,000 units, a 1% YoY decrease but a 7% MoM growth.

Last month, the performance of major PV manufacturers remained strong, with 34 companies selling over 10,000 units (an increase of 3 compared to the previous month). Among them, 5 companies achieved a YoY growth rate of over 50%, and 10 companies recorded a YoY growth rate exceeding 10%, according to the CPCA's data.

BYD Tang DM-p; photo credit: BYD

As for the new energy passenger vehicles (NEPV) market, the month of August also witnessed a robust performance in both wholesale and retail volumes. To be specific, wholesale volume reached 798,000 units, reflecting a 25.6% YoY increase and an 8.2% MoM growth. Cumulatively for this year, 5.078 million NEPVs were wholesaled, marking a 38.5% YoY increase. Retail figures for August stood at 716,000 units, a 34.5% YoY increase and an 11.8% MoM growth. Year-to-date retail figures totaled 4.441 million units, a 36.0% YoY increase.

The country's production volume of locally-manufactured PVs in August amounted to 2.237 million units in the country, displaying a YoY increase of 5.3% and a MoM growth of 7.1%.

This year's total auto exports continued the strong growth trend from the end of last year. Under the statistical scope of the CPCA, PV exports (including complete vehicles and CKDs) reached 330,000 units in August, indicating a YoY jump of 31% and a MoM growth of 7%. NEVs accounted for 24% of total exports in the month. From January to August, China's PV exports totaled 2.32 million units, representing a YoY spike of 72%.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- At the IAA MOBILITY 2023 held in Munich, SERES, a Chinese car brand under SERES Group who also owns the AITO brand, made a notable entrance with its lineup of three new energy SUVs.

Photo credit: SERES

The new models showcased at the SERES booth in Munich include the D-segment luxury electric SUV, the SERES 5; the compact city electric SUV, the SERES 3; and the E-segment new energy SUV, the SERES 7, according to Zhang Xingyan, president of SERESs overseas business unit. Among these, the flagship version of the SERES 5 boasts outstanding performance with a 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 3.7 seconds and a WLTP-rated range of 530 kilometers. The SERES 3 has received a complete makeover in terms of its exterior and interior design over the former version, and it is now available in both left-hand and right-hand drive configurations, catering to markets in European countries like the UK, Ireland, as well as Thailand and Australia, which require right-hand drive vehicles. The SERES 7 is equipped with the automakers advanced intelligent range-extender technology, featuring a hybrid powertrain that achieves a combined range of over 1,000 kilometers when fully charged and fueled, striking a balance between fuel economy and dynamic power.

Zhang Xingyan added, SERES, as an automaker, is committed to extending its global market penetration strategy from product sales to after-sales service, brand promotion, and marketing strategies, ensuring comprehensive support for overseas customers in local markets.

Throughout this year, SERES has swiftly expanded its presence in over 20 countries across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Africa. In Europe, the company has already established its presence in ten markets, including Norway, Germany, the UK, and Switzerland, marking the successful initial deployment of its international market strategy.
MINNEAPOLISAsher James and Jordan Starr headline First Time for Everything, the newest installment of the FTM Plus series Transcest, available now at Transcest.com.

In this episode, James finds himself delving deeper into the Richards family tree when he runs into his cousin Jordan Richards (Starr, making his Transcest debut). James has long held a fascination with his cousin Jordan.

During a recent fortuitous visit, James finally gets to act on his desires as the two discover their mutual attraction and go down on one another. Soon, Jordan finds himself pounding away on James.

To watch the scene, click here.

We are delighted that Transcests unique FTM storylines are gaining traction with mainstream audiences, offering trans artists more opportunities to shed light on their personal experiences, and we are so proud to be a platform for inspiration, influence, and expression among the community through our films, said Alan Breslaw, Carnal Medias head of marketing.

For more information, visit Transcest.com and FTMPlus.com, or follow the brands on Twitter @TranscestXXX, @FTM_Plus, and @CarnalMedia.

Pictured: Asher James, left, and Jordan Starr.
HAVANA  Cuban authorities have arrested 17 people in connection with what they described as a network to recruit Cuban nationals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

The head of criminal investigations for Cuba's Interior Ministry, Cesar Rodriguez, said late Thursday on state media that at least three of the 17 arrested are part of recruitment efforts inside the island country.

He did not identify the alleged members of the network but said they had previous criminal records. Some families started speaking up about the case on Friday, and at least one mother said that her son was promised a job in construction in Russia.

Cuba's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the government had detected a network operating from Russia to recruit Cuban citizens living both in Russia and in Cuba to fight in Ukraine. It said authorities were working to neutralize and dismantle the network but gave no details.

Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said in a news release.

Cuba and Russia are political allies and Cubans do not require a visa to travel to Russia. Many go there to study or to work.

In May 2023, a newspaper in the Russian region of Ryazan, about 100 miles (62 kilometers) southeast of Moscow, reported from a military enlistment office there that several citizens of the Cuba Republic signed up to join the army. The Ryazanskiye Vedomosti newspaper quoted some Cubans as saying they were there to help Russia complete tasks in the special military operation zone." It also said "some of them in the future would like to become Russian citizens.

In Havana, prosecutor Jose Luis Reyes told state TV that suspects are being investigated for crimes, including being a mercenary or recruiting mercenaries, and could face sentences of up to 30 years or life in prison, or even the death penalty.

Marilin Vinent, 60, said Friday that her son Dannys Castillo, 27, is one of the Cubans recruited in Russia.

At her home in Havana, she said her son and other Cubans traveled at the end of July to Russia after being promised work in a construction job. They were all deceived, she said.

Vinent showed reporters photos of her son in her cellphone, including some of him dressed in military fatigues.

She said that her son told her he had accepted the offer to go to Russia because he wanted to economically help the family, as the island is suffering an economic crisis, with people facing shortages of some products.

I dont know if my son is alive. We dont know anything, she said. What I would like is to talk to him.

Russian law allows foreign nationals to enlist in its army, after signing a contract with the Defense Ministry.

Since September 2022, foreigners who have served in the Russian army for at least one year are allowed to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified procedure, without obtaining a residency permit first.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said earlier in September that the city was setting up infrastructure to assist the Russian Defense Ministry in facilitating the enlistment of foreign nationals in the capitals main government office for migrants.

Last month, Russian media reported cases of authorities refusing to accept citizenship applications from Tajik nationals until they sign a contract with the Defense Ministry and enlist in the army. And in an online statement last week, the British Defense Ministry said there are at least six million migrants from Central Asia in Russia, which the Kremlin likely sees as potential recruits.

On X, a social media platform previously known as Twitter, the ministry said that "exploiting foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to acquire additional personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties.

It also noted that there have been online adds seeking recruits for the Russian army in Armenia and Kazakhstan.

___

Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.
The Marine Corps has identified a student who was found dead in his vehicle Saturday while assigned to the Marine Corps University at Quantico, Virginia.

The Marine -- who was studying at the university that houses the service's War College and College of Enlisted Military Education, among other programs -- was Sgt. Jaen Deshun Davis, 24, of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, a reserve unit out of Michigan.

Davis was pronounced dead at the scene by responding officials, according to a Marine Corps press release Thursday. A Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation was opened and remains ongoing. The cause of death was not listed in the statement.

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"His family, loved ones and peers have our deepest sympathies as we continue to provide support during this difficult time," said Maj. Joshua Pena, a spokesperson for Training and Education Command.

Davis was a member of the active-duty, inspector-instructor staff assigned to the Michigan reserve unit, a position that entails liaising between its active-duty and reserve elements, including other duties that ensure continuity between the two.

Prior to attending the Marine Corps University, Davis was assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 1st Marine Logistics Group out of Camp Pendleton, California, according to the press release. He earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, among other awards.

"There is no additional information available at this time," Pena said in the statement. Davis was studying as part of a resident program at the university.

The Marine Corps has had a tragic summer with a string of deadly incidents and losses. In July, three Marines were found dead in their vehicle outside of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, from what local police say was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Last month, Lance Cpl. Joseph Whaley was killed during nighttime live-fire training at Camp Pendleton, California. August also saw two separate aircraft incidents that resulted in the deaths of four Marines -- one was a single-pilot F/A-18 Hornet and the other was a V-22 Osprey carrying nearly two dozen personnel.

The latter incident triggered the implementation of a service-wide safety review that was originally scheduled for a later date.

Last year, after another deadly Osprey crash included in a string of "six Class-A mishaps since January 2022, resulting in nine fatalities and the destruction of four aircraft," the service enacted a similar stand-down, according to the Marine Corps' website.

-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.

Related: Marine Corps Identifies Lance Corporal Killed During Night Training in California
As dusk settled on a quiet neighborhood in Northern Virginia on Thursday night, dozens of electric candles began to materialize in the hands of admirers and well-wishers of Cpl. Spencer Collart, a Marine crew chief who -- along with two other Marines -- was killed in a V-22 Osprey crash in Australia almost two weeks ago.

Looking like blinking fireflies, they gathered around a light green bungalow that's just 10 minutes away from where Spencer will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. The home belongs to his family and, by the time the sun completely set, the street was lit by roughly 200 people carrying flickering lights, waiting for the vigil to begin.

In front of the Collarts' porch was a table that held pictures of the three Marines who died in the crash. Spencer's photo was flanked by those of Capt. Eleanor LeBeau and Maj. Tobin Lewis, the two pilots who were operating the aircraft that carried 20 other troops. Those 20 service members survived the immediate crash, which occurred during a multinational exercise in Australia. Some were rushed to a hospital in the Northern Territory of the country, just south of the Tiwi Islands where the Osprey went down.

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The vigil came two days after the Marines' remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on Tuesday. Only one of the 20 Marines who made it out of the crash remained in the hospital on Friday, the family and Marine Corps told Military.com.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and the cause is still unknown.

Pastor Greg O'Dell, an elder from Cherrydale Baptist Church where Spencer attended, led moments of silence for each of the fallen three. As the crowd hushed and bowed their heads, the sounds of the neighborhood where Spencer grew up filled the silence -- the distant hum of Interstate 66, dogs barking and late-summer cicadas.

"He was the one that would go up and down and pull their straps to make sure they were buckled down," O'Dell said, recalling the last conversation he had with Spencer in which they talked about his job as crew chief -- a highly respected and important position in Marine Corps aviation that, along with the pilots, is responsible for the well-being of the aircraft and crew.

"He was the one if they needed to bail out, he would open the back door and start bailing them out," the pastor said. "He protected his Marines that came on to that Osprey, and so did the pilots."

The Osprey was flying alongside another aircraft when it went down. While the Osprey's incident rate per 100,000 flight hours is lower compared to some other airframes, the tiltrotor aircraft has experienced a troubling clutch issue that caused a crash that killed five Marines last year.

A separate deadly Osprey crash in March was blamed on pilot error, according to service investigators.

There are no answers yet as to what caused the crash late last month. But the three stewards of the aircraft -- who were charged with protecting those onboard -- landed the Osprey in a way that let 20 Marines live another day, even though they themselves died.

"They have been called heroes by those that were there, and they're the best judge of that," O'Dell said.

Many memorializers wept as they listened to stories from Spencer's friends and family. Some recalled that he put up a hard exterior, sometimes bristling at authority as a teenager. But he was also remembered as sweet and caring, and as someone who would always pick up the phone when a loved one was in need.

His father, Bart Collart, was wearing his son's much-too-large size 12 sandals and boonie hat. He described his son as his "superhero buddy" and recalled watching him grow up from the comic book-loving kid he was to the Marine he became.

"He was a tough brother, but he was the best and he was also the most selfless, kind and gentle giant," his sister Gwyneth Collart said.

As lightning rumbled in the night sky, Mitchell Downing, a former camp counselor to Collart, played a rendition of "Africa" by Toto -- one of the Marine's longtime favorite songs.

One by one, the crowd began to sing as Downing played the keyboard.

Spencer's mother, Alexia Collart, wore a gold pin from his squadron. She had shown the gathering a patterned shawl -- a gift from an artist from the Tiwi Islands that another Marine brought back to the U.S. for the Collarts.

"Spencer was my protector," his mother said. "He was your protector. He was an extraordinary young man who found his tribe with the Marines."

-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.

Related: Marine Corps Identifies 3 Troops Killed in Osprey Crash During Australia Training
Editors note: This story and headline have been updated to reflect that some states said streamers had been turned in despite the roster Army officials provided to Military.com.

Army National Guard units with a Civil War-era lineage were ordered to relinquish any Confederate battle streamers from their guidons, and the Army said it had recovered most of them, which are set to be preserved.

At least 48 mostly southern National Guard units were directed in March to strip their guidons of rebel streamers to be preserved at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. Streamers hang on the top of unit flags, which are often held by a soldier during a formation, and are awarded for participating in wars or specific campaigns ranging from the Colonial era to the Global War on Terrorism.

The Army had collected 384 of 491 streamers as of the Sept. 1 deadline, according to a spokesperson with the Army's Human Resources Command. That was part of an effort mandated by Congress to strip tributes to the Confederacy from military property, including the names of major bases. States that had sent all streamers included Kentucky, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

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Several dozen streamers were still being shipped in from units in other states and in some cases, a few may have been lost or units may have never had the streamers to begin with  despite being authorized to have them.

South Carolina mailed its streamers just before the September deadline, according to a spokesperson for the state National Guard. Other states also claimed to have mailed the streamers but if so, they had seemingly not been inventoried by Army officials. Alabama said it sent its streamers in a week after the deadline.

In some cases, individual units have their own small museums in armories where the streamers could be on display. Also, streamers may have been lost over time or units simply did not get the message they were supposed to mail them to the Army's Human Resources Command. Or soldiers may have acquired some for personal memorabilia collections.

The move to remove the streamers was part of a large set of recommendations from the Naming Commission, a committee created by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to carry out a law passed by Congress calling for Confederate names to be scrubbed from military property. That included the largest Army installations in the country and ships, as well as smaller pieces of property such as monuments and flags.

Most recently, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia was redesignated ast Fort Walker, honoring a union surgeon and the only woman to earn the Medal of Honor for treating wounded soldiers on the front lines of the Civil War.

Though the Naming Commission nixed most Confederate references, the National Guard will keep its famed 29th Infantry Division's patch, a yin-yang of blue and gray, to symbolize units who fought on both sides of the Civil War being reformed into a single division after the conflict.

The patch has since become synonymous with the unit being among the first wave of the Allied invasion of the beaches of Nazi-occupied France.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Army Scrubs Fort A.P. Hill, Renaming Base in Honor of Female Medal of Honor Recipient
On May 10, 1875, Judge Isaac Parker took his seat in the Western District of Arkansas, which held jurisdiction over so-called Indian Territory in what is today Oklahoma. His mandate was to bring the lawlessness of the territory to an end, and he hired 200 U.S. marshals to do it.

One of those marshals was a 62, 200-pound former slave named Bass Reeves. Reeves was a towering figure at a time when the average cowboy stood just five feet tall and would become the country's first Black U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi, making more than 3,000 arrests in his 32-year career.

A new show from executive producers Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) and David Oyelowo (Selma) will bring Reeves' story to life on Paramount+ this November.

Bass Reeves was born into slavery to the family of William Reeves, who moved his family and slaves to Texas in the mid-1840s. After Texas voted to secede from the Union in 1861, his son George formed a company for the 11th Texas Cavalry Regiment.

The younger Reeves would become the unit's longest-serving commander, fighting at Chattanooga, Chickamauga and Atlanta. He brought a family slave to war with him, which was a common practice for Confederate officers. It's not really well-known just how Bass escaped, but a few sources say he beat George Reeves in a card game and then beat him within an inch of his life.

No matter how he did it, Bass Reeves escaped to the Indian Territory, where he lived among the tribes there, learned to use a pistol and a rifle, and was ultimately freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. He returned to Arkansas a free man and became a farmer until he was recruited by the U.S. Marshals Service by James F. Fagan and sworn in by Judge Parker.

(Paramount+)

The life of a lawman in the Indian Territory wasn't easy, and Judge Parker was well-known to be liberal with the death penalty, which earned him the nickname Hangin' Judge. Parker's reputation meant most of the felons Reeves would track down weren't going quietly. Shootouts were common, and Reeves even had to arrest his own son for murder.

David Oyelowo stars as Reeves and is joined in the cast by Dennis Quaid (Midway), Barry Pepper (We Were Soldiers) and Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes). Lawmen: Bass Reeves starts streaming Nov. 5, 2023, on Paramount+.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, or on LinkedIn.

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MIAMISayUncle is debuting a slew of new scenes from its popular sites, starring Gabe Bradshaw, Jax Thirio, and others.

In Missionary Boys Sinful Loopholes, Dakota Lovell and Jack Waters are assigned to clean the temple, but the two take advantage of the alone time to fool around. President Oaks catches them in the lustful act, but he encourages them to let him join. To watch the scene, click here.

The Second Rule of Pig Bottoms is next from Pig Bottoms as Carter DelRey, Sage Roux and Zacc Andrews convince Axel Drago to forget about studying his exams so they can all get back to doing what they do besthaving an orgy with each other. To watch, click here.

Other scenes include:

 I Felt Something, from DadCreep, stars Gabe Bradshaw who recounts a hot moment that happened with his step-uncle and his stepdad Greg McKeon. McKeon tells about how he felt his uncle getting hard while they were dancing. They begin to reenact exactly what happened when McKeon starts getting hard and the dancing soon turns into something raunchier.

 Dirty Business, from Family Dick, stars Jesse Bolton, who plays Jax Thirios stepson who goes on a business trip with his stepdad. But Bolton is bored in the hotel room while stepdad is swamped with business meetings and calls. Bolton then steals his work suit and refuses to return it until Jax gives him the fun he wants in the bedroom.

For more information, visit SayUncle.com and follow the brand on Instagram and Twitter.

Pictured: Jack Waters, left, and Dakota Lovell.
Chase Pearson, a one-time fourth-line center prospect for the Detroit Red Wings, will continue his career in Slovakia following five seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Pearson, 26, signed a one-year contract with HK Dukla Michalovce of the Slovak Extraliga.

The 6-2, 200-poiund forward appeared in 47 games last season with the Griffins (four goals, 10 assists). Overall, he played in 194 games in Grand Rapids (29 goals, 49 assists, minus-33).

Pearson played three games with the Red Wings in 2021-22 (no points).

Chase is a big guy who can be used in the center as well as on the wing, Dukla Michalovce scout Julius Kov said on the teams site (translated). He has excellent skating and is not afraid to go to the goal area where he can use his skills and parameters. His responsibility makes him useful on both ends of the court. We certainly expect him to be the leader of the team, and I believe that we will help him in the advancement of his career.

The Red Wings selected Pearson in the fifth round in 2015 (140th overall). His departure leaves the organization with nobody remaining from that draft class.

More: Which Red Wings prospects are playing in Europe this season?
DETROIT  A former pastor was sentenced today related to the shooting death of transgender woman nearly five years ago.

The lifeless body of Kelly Stough, 36, of Detroit, was found on Dec. 7, 2018.

Albert Weathers, of Sterling Heights, was sentenced today by Judge Bridget Hathaway to eight years for second-degree murder and two years for felony firearm. The sentence is in line with his plea agreement.
Michigan State University has strengthened the weapons ban on university property, closing a loophole that had allowed concealed pistol license holders to carry weapons in outdoor areas of the campus.

The universitys ordinance still allows anyone legally allowed to carry concealed to have a weapon in their car while passing through the East Lansing campus or other university property, so long as they do not leave the vehicle.

The change, approved by the MSU Board of Trustees at its Friday morning meeting, follows a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in July that upheld the University of Michigans gun ban.
MARQUETTE, MI  The body of a Michigan airman who went missing during World War II has been accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced.

It was the summer of 1944 when U.S. Army Air Forces Flight Officer Chester L. Rinke, 33, of Marquette, crashed into a rice paddy in the village of Sapekhati, India.

Rinke, who was assigned to the 678th Bombardment Squadron, was killed after a raid on Imperial iron and steel works at Yawata, Kyushu Island, Japan.

All 11 crew members were killed instantly in the crash, but only seven of the remains were able to be identified in 1944. Rinkes remains were designated as non-recoverable.

In October 2014 the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command investigated in Sapekhati, which led to the location of the crash site and the recovery of life support equipment and wreckage associated with the B29 aircraft.

In 2018 and 2019, Southeastern Archaeological Research, a DPAA partner organization, excavated the site and recovered possible osseous remains and material evidence.

Scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as material evidence to confirm Rinkes remains on May 5.

He will be buried at Seville, Ohio, on a date to be determined.

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Although the start of fall is just a little more than two weeks away, the end of Daylight Savings Time for 2023 wont arrive for more than eight weeks.

Daylight Saving Time concludes at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, when the clock will fall back one hour and in theory we get one extra hour of sleep.

Through the rest of the summer and fall, days will continue to get shorter. The amount of daylight will continue to shorten each day until Dec. 21 when the winter solstice arrives. Then the length of days will begin to increase until the summer solstice on June 20, 2024.

The flip side is that the sun will rise approximately one hour earlier each morning.

Clocks officially fall back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November to 1 a.m.

Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday, March 12, 2023 and will end on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023  a run of 238 days. It has lasted from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November since 2007.

We next turn the clocks ahead on March 10, 2024  126 days after turning them back. Daylight Saving Time in 2024 will end on Nov. 3, 2024.

The concept dates back more than a century when English architect William Willett proposed the idea to change the clocks in 1907 in The Waste of Daylight. The suggestion of using daylight more efficiently can be traced to Benjamin Franklin.

While visiting in Paris in 1784, he wrote a letter to the editors of the Journal of Paris calling for a tax on every Parisian whose windows were shuttered after sunrise to encourage the economy of using sunshine instead of candles, according to Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time has taken place every year since 1966, when the Uniform Time Act was passed. It was also temporarily used in the U.S. during World War I and World War II.

Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe Daylight Saving Time. The time change is also not observed in U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Seventeen states have enacted legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Voters in California have voted to authorize year-round Daylight Saving Time. Those changes, however, require federal approval.

In March 2022, the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would end changing the clocks twice a year. The U.S. House of Representatives didnt take a vote on it, though.

A handful of provinces in Canada  most of Saskatchewan and Yukon have adopted permanent daylight saving as has parts of British Columbia and two communities in northwest Ontario.

About 70 countries observe Daylight Saving Time. Most of North America, Europe and parts of South America and New Zealand adhere to it, while China, Japan, India and most other countries do not.

It starts on different dates elsewhere. In Europe for example, Daylight Saving Time starts the last Sunday in March and ends the final Sunday in October,
Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen has been recognized as a 2023 Leader of the Year in Government by the Arizona Capitol Times.

Hansen has served as the Coconino County's recorder since 2013. She has over 36 years of experience working in election administration.

The award recognizes her recent achievements in her position as county recorder.

County officials said Hansen is a tireless advocate for striking down barriers for voting and expanding the voting franchise to all eligible citizens.

Its an honor to be recognized for recent accomplishments, Hansen said in a statement. My name may be on the award, but it really is a recognition of the hard work of the entire team in the Recorders office.

In the Government category, Hansen joins fellow Coconino County Recorder Stephen Richer of Maricopa County, Mayor Jason Beck of Peoria, and former State Sen. Steve Kaiser in this leadership recognition. The Capitol Times will honor them and all recipients at an awards show on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Since 1982, the Arizona Capitol Times has been dedicated to covering the Arizona Legislature, the Governors Office, state agencies, the Arizona Corporation Commission, statewide office and legislative elections, and local court rulings.
It only took one lawn mower.

This week, a worker cutting some grass was responsible for taking out the power in Chelsea and multiple other towns in western Washtenaw County and Livingston County.

A Consumers Energy contractor on a mower hit a guy wire, which then ricocheted into a power line, creating an outage that extended throughout Chelsea, Manchester, Stockbridge and Gregory on Sept. 1, Lucas Smolcic Larson reported.

And for all you fellow word nerds, yes, the term is guy wire not guide wire. Apparently guy wire comes from an old Dutch sailing term.

And in Ann Arbor, a new program will provide monthly financial assistance for entrepreneurs.

A new city program will give 100 households $528 per month in guaranteed income for two years. The University of Michigans Poverty Solutions team, which is administering the program for the city, has announced it will accept applications from Oct. 2-13, Ryan Stanton reported.

Thats what caught our eye in Ann Arbor this week. Take a look at those headlines, and others, below:

Want $528 in guaranteed monthly income? Ann Arbor program to start accepting applicants

Big Boy is officially in the Big House. Restaurant opens in Michigan Stadium

Peruvian restaurant is opening in former Broken Egg location in Ann Arbor

New Ann Arbor coffee shop is serving up Yemeni coffee, homemade pastries

Lawn mower caused extensive power outage in Chelsea area, officials say

Power goes out across Chelsea, restoration time unknown

You had me at density. Ann Arbor OKs 8-story SouthTown development

Is charity helping community or an incubator for crime? Officials move to shut it down

About Hello, Ann Arbor: Each week, we deliver the big headlines straight to your inbox. Hello, Ann Arbor has also won awards from both the Michigan Press Association and the Associated Press for best column. Sign up here for the newsletter.

John Counts is editor for MLive/The Ann Arbor News where he started as a police and court reporter in 2012. He lives in Whitmore Lake with his wife, two daughters and two dogs. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com.

MORE HELLO, ANN ARBOR:

Hello, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan starts in the digital dark; DTEs Bermuda Triangle

Hello Ann Arbor: Welcome back students; homeowners blame gravel mine for dry wells

Hello, Ann Arbor: Fighter jet crashes at airshow; whats for sale at old wedding venue

Hello, Ann Arbor: School board moves to oust superintendent; renters unite
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- Seven Washtenaw County schools were rated among the 50 best high schools in Michigan according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The rankings released Aug. 29 graded a total of 651 high schools in Michigan and about 17,680 public high schools out of nearly 25,000 nationwide.
SAGINAW, MI  Cryslenn Smith has a new pen pal.

The 8-year-old Saginaw girl this week received mailed correspondence from The White House  complete with a signature from President Joe Biden  in response to a school project from last academic year.

Smith in the spring sent Biden a letter and a Flat Stanley, the popular childrens book character whose paper cutouts sometimes are traded between individuals in exchange for stories about Stanleys adventures. She and 17 Stone Elementary School students in second grade teacher Flora Bekemeiers class delivered Flat Stanley-accompanied mailings to destinations across the globe.

Smiths letter  the classs lone message sent to The White House  introduced Flat Stanley to the president and recommended Biden give the character a tour.

The response from Washington, D.C. described how Biden spent an August day with Flat Stanley discussing education, playing with the presidents pets, and meeting with First Lady Jill Biden.

I was excited because my mom said (the White House) was really busy, so its cool he took the time to send the letter, said Smith, now a third grade student.

Stone Elementary Principal Joseph Wamback said he was in disbelief when his office staff opened the envelope to discover a letter featuring The White House letterhead, presidential seal and Bidens signature. The mailing also included a photo of the former United States senator from Delaware.

We were excited for her, Wamback said. We couldnt think of a more deserving student to have this honor. Shes a model student.

School staff placed the letter in a wooden frame for her to take home. Smith said she planned to hang the frame on her bedroom wall, alongside a photo of her niece.

Smith said she was unsure if she would tell her classmates about the letter.

I think theyre going to find out now, Bekemeier then told Smith, eliciting a shy smile from the student.

The letter addressed to Smith reads as follows:

Dear Cryslenn,

Thank you for sending your friend to the White House. We had a great time together, and I am pleased to report that they worked hard, listened carefully, and had a lot of fun!

We began the day with meetings in the Oval Office with my senior staff to discuss ways we can help make life better for the American people. Your friend learned that its important for students to speak up on the issues that matter most because when kids make their voices heard, adults listen.

In the afternoon, we played catch with my German Shepherd, Commander, and spotted my tabby cat, Willow, roaming around the White House. Then they got a chance to visit the East Wing and meet my wife, the First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden. She has been an educator for over 30 years and still teaches English and writing to this day. The First Lady also works every day to support military families, improve education, and end cancer as we know it.

In the evening, your friend and I decided to have dinner in the White House State Dining Room, which can seat up to 140 guests. As we talked, your friend was surprised by the important role reading, writing, math, and science all play in my job. We discussed my strong belief that education will shape our Nations future  the better we educate kids like you now, the stronger our country will be when you grow up.

Thank you again for taking the time to write me. Maybe one day you will be elected President and live in the White House! Until then, remember to study hard, stay involved in the issues you care about, and be kind.

Sincerely,

Joe Biden

Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.
SAGINAW, MI  Shackled and taciturn, a Saginaw man appeared before a judge and admitted to fatally shooting an acquaintance two years ago. After he shot the man in a drug deal gone wrong, he left his victims body in the street, then drove across the state to torch his car, he said.

As a result, hes facing up to 100 years behind bars, and hes only 23.

Venancio A. Miramontes on Thursday, Sept. 7, stood next to defense attorney Rod J. OFarrell as he appeared before Saginaw County Chief Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello. Miramontes only spoke to answer yes-or-no questions from the judge and his attorney.

Miramontes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, carrying a concealed weapon, fourth-degree arson, tampering with evidence, and four counts of felony firearm. He also pleaded as a fourth-time habitual offender.

Miramontes advisory sentencing guidelines have been calculated at 30 to 100 years, the judge said.

Miramontes was on probation when he killed Claudio, as in February 2018 a Saginaw County judge sentenced him to five years of it on two convictions of assault with intent to cause great bodily harm less than murder. Additionally, Miramontes in February 2018 was sentenced to two two-year prison terms on convictions of felony firearm. With jail credit, Miramontes was discharged by the Michigan Department of Corrections in July 2019.

Azavien J. Claudio and fiancee Florentina Sandoval. Claudio was shot and killed in Saginaw on Oc.t 3, 2021.

Borrello on Thursday discharged Miramontes from probation, finding he was unsuccessful on it.

In exchange for Miramontes pleas, Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Russell C. Babcock agreed to dismiss counts of open murder and four more counts of felony firearm.

In answering OFarrells questions, Miramontes said that on Oct. 3, 2021, he contacted 22-year-old Azavien J. Claudio about setting up a drug deal and picked him up in his black Pontiac Grand Am. The pair sat in the car in the 2100 block of Burrows Street and an argument erupted.

Miramontes said he grabbed a gun away from Claudio, then stepped out of the car and shot Claudio. He then dragged Claudio from the car and left him in the street, he said.

He drove away from the scene and arranged to go to Holland, disposing of the gun along the way. Once in Holland, he met with friend Reese T. Stigger and the two torched his Grand Am, he said.

Police found the charred Pontiac in a desolate area of Ottawa County on the states west side.

Claudio suffered four gunshot wounds  two to his chest fired from the front and one each to his back and shoulder, both fired from behind, forensic pathologist Dr. Roshan Mahabir previously testified. Claudio also bore an abrasion near his left eye and a fractured jawbone wounds that occurred around the same time as those resulting from bullets, Mahabir testified.

Authorities issued warrants for Miramontes and Stigger on Nov. 22, 2021. Police arrested Stigger that night in Holland and Miramontes on Feb. 1, 2022.

Stigger has since pleaded guilty to fourth-degree arson, tampering with evidence, lying to a peace officer in a violent crime investigation, and accessory after the fact to a felony and is awaiting sentencing.

Borrello is to sentence Miramontes at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 29.

Azavien was a devoted father and loved spending every moment with his children, his obituary states. He liked to cook and being around friends and family. He loved telling jokes and making people laugh. He will be truly missed.
Michigans M-STEP scores were generally improved this spring compared to last year, though most scores came in below pre-pandemic levels.

The test, also known as the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, is the federally-mandated assessment used each year to inform educational program evaluation and measure progress at the school and district levels. Students are evaluated from third to eighth grade, and again in 11th grade.

Last spring, all grades showed improvement in their science and social studies scores, according to scores reported by the Michigan Department of Education late last month. Six of the seven tested grades did better in math. Three did better in English language arts, while three -- grades 3, 6 and 7 -- did worse and one stayed the same.

We continue to be encouraged by the gradual improvements in student achievement, said State Superintendent Michael Rice in a prepared statement. Though the 2022-23 school year was far from normal, given persistent staffing challenges and residual adverse impact of the pandemic, it was the most stable school year of the last four. Michigans educators worked hard to help students continue to rebound and to increase their learning.

In both 2022 and 2023, 40.7% of students in grades 3-7 tested at the proficient level or better for English language arts. Rice said third graders were likely the most adversely affected by the pandemic-related education losses, especially in developing reading skills.

Districts that identified themselves as having 100% remote learning for almost all of the 2020-21 school year already tended to have lower scores before the COVID pandemic. Those schools continue to lag behind schools that primarily had in-person instruction.

It continues to be clear that children who were remote for all or most of the 2020-21 school year by virtue of local policy decisions, whether because of teacher shortage or health concerns or a combination of the two, were adversely affected academically, particularly if the children were in grades kindergarten through two, Rice said.

Some of our kids need more time and more supports  more in school, more in tutoring, more in mentoring, more after school, more during the summer. We need to lean in and help children who have been adversely affected, and to help them with focused learning strategies.

Nearly 97% of students in the required grades participated in the state assessments in the spring. For a comparison, only 70% participated in 2021.

Below is a database of 2022-23 MSTEP scores for Michigan schools. Each subjects percentage is an average of all grades that took the test, and reflects the percentage met requitements, meaning students had proficient scores or better.

Saginaws Handley School posted the highest scores for English language arts (87.1% proficient), while Hemmeter Elementary School had the highest science scores (88.1%). Countryside Elementary School in Byron Center had the highest math scores (87.2%), and Gallimore Elementary School in Wayne County had the top scores for social studies (86%).

Below is a look at Michigans average scores for each grade from spring 2023 and how they compared to the previous year. Only students in fifth, eighth and eleventh grades take the science and social studies portions of the test, while all grades are assessed in math and English language arts.

(Note: Eighth graders take the PSAT for math and English language arts, and eleventh graders take the SAT for math and English language arts. The rest of the students/subject tests are taken via the M-STEP.)

Third grade

English/language arts: 40.9% proficient in 2023, which was down from 41.6% proficient in 2022 and 44.4% in 2018.

Math: 42.9% proficient in 2023, which was up from 41.5% in 2022 but down from 45.7% in 2018.

Fourth grade

English/language arts: 44.3% proficient in 2023, which was up from 43.4% proficient in 2022 but down from 45% in 2018.

Math: 38.6% proficient in 2023, which was up from 36.7% in 2022 but down from 42% in 2018.

Fifth grade

English/language arts: 43.9% proficient in 2023, which was up from 43.1% proficient in 2022 but down from 46.5% in 2018.

Math: 31.5% proficient in 2023, which was up from 30% in 2022 but down from 34.4% in 2018.

Science: 38.9% proficient in 2023, which was up from 38.2% in 2022.

Social studies: 18.6% proficient in 2023, which was up from 15.5% in 2022 and 18.3% in 2018.

Sixth grade

English/language arts: 37.5% proficient in 2023, which was down from 37.6% proficient in 2022 and 41.4% in 2018.

Math: 29.6% proficient in 2023, which was up from 28.4% in 2022, but down from 34.6% in 2018.

Seventh grade

English/language arts: 36.9% proficient in 2023, which was down from 37.7% proficient in 2022 and 43.4% in 2018.

Math: 31% proficient in 2023, which was up from 30.2% in 2022 but down from 35.7% in 2018.

Eighth grade

English/language arts: 59.7% proficient in 2023, which didnt change from 59.7% proficient in 2022 but was up from 42.8% in 2018.

Math: 36.3% proficient in 2023, which was up from 36.2% in 2022 and 32.7% in 2018.

Science: 37.4% proficient in 2023, which was up from 36.3% in 2022.

Social studies: 26.7% proficient in 2023, which was up from 26.3% in 2022 but down from 29.3% in 2018.

Eleventh grade

English/language arts: 52.2% proficient in 2023, which was up from 51.6% proficient in 2022.

Math: 29.9% proficient in 2023, which was down from 30% in 2022.

Science: 39% proficient in 2023, which was up from 38% in 2022.

Social studies: 36.1% proficient in 2023, which was up from 35.9% in 2022 but down from 48.5% in 2018.

Michigans students and educators are working hard to emerge from the disruption of the pandemic, and its making a difference, State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh in a prepared statement.

We need to continue to invest in our schools and educators and provide the supports needed to help our kids continue to grow academically, socially, and personally.

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CHICAGO, IL  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff failed to properly elevate the bourgeoning lead-tainted tap water crisis in Benton Harbor by alerting top officials under a policy developed in the wake of the Flint lead crisis, an inspector general audit has concluded.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the EPA says that Region 5 drinking water program staff in Chicago should have sent up a flare to agency leaders about health risks in Benton Harbor, a majority Black city of 9,800 with high poverty in southwest Michigan where lead began exceeding allowable levels in tap water in October 2018.

Although EPA staff monitored state and local responses to the lead problem, they did not alert the administrators office under a 2016 policy on elevating critical public health issues.

The conditions in Benton Harbor met four of the policys five criteria for elevation, said EPA Inspector General Sean ODonnell. That this situation was not raised for higher levels of attention led us to question what circumstances would be elevated under this policy.

The report was published Tuesday, Sept. 7. The audit was initiated in February 2022, about five months after state health officials began urging residents to use bottled water following three years of high lead results and chronic operational problems at the city water plant.

The citys lead-tainted water crisis has since been abated following a major effort to dig up and replace lead and galvanized water service lines throughout the city in 2022. This July, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) reported that lead levels had fallen to 1 part-per-billion (ppb) in recent 90th percentile testing results.

Lead in the citys water has not exceeded the 15-ppb federal action level since 2021. Prior to the service line replacements, lead in some homes had tested as high as 889-ppb.

According to this weeks OIG report, the EPA policy urges staff to elevate public health risks that that require higher levels of attention than the agencys usual processes could address.

The 2016 policy was created in response to the Flint crisis and encourages staff to elevate concerns about high-profile public health threats in which EPA is or may become involved, where other authorities are struggling and normal procedures arent solving the problem.

The Benton Harbor problem was not elevated because EPA felt that EGLE was taking the actions that they needed to address it, and that the agency itself, EPA, was as well, said Michael Davis, a director with the inspector general and one of the report authors.

They didnt feel the elevation policy was needed.

However, given the criteria that was established under that elevation policy and when it should be used, we felt that it should have, or could have, certainly, Davis said.

The OIG report authors recommended the EPA administrators office evaluate ways to ensure the policy more effectively achieve its purpose and take steps to enhance staff understanding about when and how to go about that.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regans office pushed back on the recommendations, stating the policy is effective and working as intended based on a reaffirmation in December 2022. The agency did commit to looking for ways to expand awareness of the policy agencywide.

To ensure that all employees are aware of the policy and how to elevate concerns, EPA has committed to use various means  including but not limited to new employee on-boarding, adding the policy to the agenda of an all-staff meeting, and incorporating the policy into a weekly newsletter  to ensure that all employees are aware of the policy and how to elevate concerns, said Region 5 spokeswoman Allison Lippert.

Whether elevating the Benton Harbor crisis to the administrators office would have made a practical difference on the ground is an open question, according to report authors.

EPA officials say it wouldnt have.

In a May 26 letter included with the report, EPA water division director Tera Fong and regional counsel Robert Kaplan argued that the Benton Harbor concerns were elevated to agency leaders through normal channels, resulting in a visit from former Trump-era administrator Andrew Wheeler in October 2020 to announce a $5.6 million grant for service line replacements and to aid efforts to optimize corrosion treatment.

If agency staff were to invoke the elevation policy to elevate any issue that meets some of the elevation policy criteria, the separate elevation channel would be completely overwhelmed, Fong and Kaplan wrote. In short, if everything is a priority, then nothing is.

Nonetheless, Davis said there was a two-year lapse between when EPA agency first became aware of high lead results in 2018 and issuance of funding in 2020.

Whether that would have been done any quicker through the use of the elevation policy, we cant say, but we did point out the timeline, Davis said.

The key thing to keep in mind is that this policy was the result of what was discovered in Flint, said Davis. Even though we only looked at the Benton Harbor lens and how the elevation policy was applied to it, its applicable on a much more comprehensive scale.

Elin Betanzo, a former EPA drinking water engineer and consultant who was among a group of community activists and environmental groups who petitioned for a federal intervention in 2021, said that effort is what led to an elevated response in Benton Harbor.

That Region 5 response is interesting, Betanzo said. They say that the system is working as it should have, but for the system to work it required a group of citizen watchdogs to be following the data and intervene.

After the petitioners, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) and the Benton Harbor Water Council led by Rev. Edward Pinkney, sought emergency action in September 2021, Betanzo said EPA began sharing data about troubles beyond lead at the water plant.

A joint EPA and EGLE inspection that month that found alarming breakdowns with the chlorine disinfection treatment used to kill harmful pathogens. In November 2021, the EPA ordered Benton Harbor to fix its troubled drinking water plant. That order was terminated this June after EPA said the city had brought the system back into compliance.

This report tells me that EPA should have had all the information they needed to know there was a major water crisis in an environmental justice community in 2020, and they just sat back and watched, Betanzo said.

If a water system has persistent lead action action level exceedances and persistent violations under the entire suite of Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, then an all-hands-on-deck approach should be the default, she said. We shouldnt have to rely on EPA employees going above and beyond using their internal reporting system to point out that this is really bad.

This community deserved a far more aggressive response.

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07.09.2023 LISTEN

The 3 rd edition of the International Maritime Defence and Exhibition Conference (IMDEC) has ended on Wednesday, August 30.

The two-day conference brought together about 300 delegates from 30 countries across the world to brainstorm on protecting the blue economy.

This years conference and exhibition was under the theme; Consolidating the Gains Made in the Gulf of Guinea: The Role of Stakeholders and Technology in Sustaining a Safe and Secure Maritime Domain.

Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, Chief of Naval Staff Ghana Navy emphasized that the vast investment in the ocean makes it imperative that efforts are made to protect the resources of the ocean.

He said the blue economy is worth about 2 trillion dollars and in order to derive the maximum benefits it requires a collective working force and collaboration.

we are on our way to coming together as a global community to protect the resources of the ocean which is over 2 trillion dollar economy, he said.

As part of the conference, an agreement was reached to do a combined maritime taskforce and information sharing to do coordinated patrols to ensure that the waters are safe to protect the investment in the oceans.

At the exhibition, cutting-edge technologies were displayed and admiral Yakubu said technologies have been identified to solve teething problems in the maritime space.

He said technologies such as UAVs for surveillance and also technologies to inspect subsea cables connecting the world through seabirds were identified.

So we have seen technologies here that we can use to inspect these seabirds. Hitherto we use to send physical divers, human beings to dive to go and inspect these cables but now we have what they call the remote operating vehicle that can go under the sea and you can watch it on your laptop or tablet and see everything and even carry out repairs. So weve seen cutting-edge technologies during this conference that will help us solve these problems.

At the opening of the conference President of the Republic H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, launched the National Integrated Maritime Systems (NIMS) to foster collaboration, innovation, and address challenges facing Ghanas maritime sector.

Launching the conference the president said protecting the marine domain required a joint effort.

He said 84 ship attacks were reported in the Gulf of Guinea in 2020 and 135 seafarers were kidnapped.

He stated according to the Bureau, kidnapping for ransom increased by roughly 50% along the coast between 2018 and 2019, and about 10% between 2019 and 2020. Around 1,500 cargo ships, tankers, and fishing boats travel through the territorial seas per day on average adding that the Gulf of Guinea is essential to maintaining global trade."

Represented were Chiefs of Navies from Africa, Heads of Navies, Generals, and Admirals from across the world; Australia, China, USA, Brazil among others.
07.09.2023 LISTEN

Former Presidential Candidate for the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and chairman of the National Interest Movement (NIM) Ghana, Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster, has recounted his journey into politics.

According to Mr. Sakara, the agricultural sector has always been his major interest.

He said in an interview on JoyPrime that, One day I was in my office, and one of my colleagues who I had worked with in Zambia said to me that he was going to a meeting. So, I asked what the meeting was about, and he said they were going to see how they could revamp the CPP.

So, I wished him well, but he asked what I meant by that and asked me to come along, saying that our fathers enjoyed under Dr. Nkrumah. Finally, I decided to go with him as an observer. So, thats how the whole thing began, Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster stated.

He added that due to his professional background, he was apprehensive to participate, but a colleague was able to convince him.

Following his diversion, he needed to resign from his job and set up his agriculture consulting firm while he ventured into the political sector.

So thats how I got into it. It was not a deliberate decision. Well, I was lured.

The executive director of Rural and Agricultural Development Associates said he doesn't regret ever venturing into politics, despite being lured into it.

He says his experience in politics has encouraged him to start the National Interest Movement advocacy group. This initiative, according to him, seeks to ensure sanity in Ghanas politics.

This is because Dr. Abu Sakara believes partisan politics has divided and polarised society.

He is of the view that political violence should not be tolerated in the country.
Ghana is poised to lead the Medical Tourism niche market in the subregion.

This was articulated when the Africa Medical Tourism Council participated in the 19th Akwaaba African Travel Market from the 3rd to 5th of September at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

The delegation from some of the top hospitals in Ghana participated in the biggest tourism event in West Africa: The Bank Hospital led by its CEO Indren Poovan and Dr Charlotte Osafo - Medical Director, Grace Awotwe - Chief Finance Officer and Josephine Aggrey - Business Development Manager, University of Ghana Medical Centre represented by Madam Barbara Owusu Hemeng and May Adeye Chinda, International Maritime Hospital led by Yvonne Phillips, Strategy and Business Development Manager, Lucca Health represented by Diana Mosenge, Jubail Hospital represented by Dr Karen Amaniampong and Adansi Health Tourism, represented by Lois Patricia Cheatea -Laryea. The rest of the facilities were Bethel Dental Clinic led by Michael Owusu Antwi, the Operations Manager and Britannia Medical Centre led by its CEO and President of Africa Medical Tourism Council, Dr Koby Appiah-Sakyi. He was ably supported by his Vice President and President of Africa Tourism Research Network Mr Emmanuel Frimpong.

Speaking in a panel discussion, Dr Appiah-Sakyi underscored the need for Nigerians and other nationals in the sub-region to patronise the excellent medical health services Ghana had to offer.

He assured the audience that the Africa Medical Tourism Council was established to support the top hospitals in Ghana, mainly to help ease accessibility to healthcare in Ghana.

He also emphasised that Ghana has more than enough skilled personnel trained locally and internationally to offer world-class medical health support, providing value for money.

"The Council works to remove all barriers to medical tourists coming to Ghana, supporting travel plans, hotel accommodations, and navigating the healthcare system. It also acts as an advocacy group for tourists seeking healthcare in Ghana," he added.

Present at the press conference were officers of the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria led by the Head of Consular Service, Mr Michael Anane-Domfeh.

A Turkish delegation also present at the fair had meetings with the Ghana Medical Tourism delegation, noting that Ghana is well positioned in the subregion to support outbound medical tourism to Turkey. They discussed partnership with the Africa Medical Tourism Council to work together in future.

Report compiled by Emmanuel Frimpong, President, Africa Tourism Research Network ATRN and Vice President, Africa Medical Tourism Council.
Nana Akomea, the Chief Executive Officer of the State Transport Corporation (STC) has taken a swipe at former President John Dramani Mahama for criticising the judiciary.

In a recent statement on Sunday, Mr Mahama accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of packing the courts with judges who are sympathetic to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The controversy erupted after a meeting between Mahama and

During a meeting with National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawyers last Sunday, the former President alleged that President Akufo-Addo had appointed 80 to 100 judges, most of whom are affiliated with the NPP.

Mr Mahama claimed that this judicial appointment strategy was an attempt for NPP to evade accountability after leaving office.

He said, Our lawyers, some of you must be prepared to go onto the bench, I know that some of you have very lucrative legal practices you will not want to leave and go onto the bench. But you can see what the current President has done, he appointed the largest number of judges onto the bench. More than 80 towards hundred and counting.

Hes packed the court and we know that theyve packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office. So all manner of people who have been known to be partisan, to have been executives of their party who are in the legal profession have been leapfrogged onto the Superior courts and other places, he asserted.

This assertion did not sit well with Nana Akomea, who condemned Mahama's remarks.

In an interview on Peace FMs Kokrokoo morning show, Nana Akomea describes Mahama's statement as "dangerous."

"Every person who believes in our democracy should condemn it. For the first time in our history, you have someone who wants to be President say he will appoint his party members to the court. It is unprecedented," Nana Akomea emphasized.

He expressed concern over Mr Mahama's comments, questioning how a person of his calibre seeking the presidency could openly make such a statement.

He emphasized the gravity of such a statement, stating, "This is the reality that Ghanaians are faced with, that you have somebody seeking power so he can pack the courts. It's a declared intention."

The STC Chief Executive Officer further criticized Mahama's actions towards state institutions, highlighting the former President's previous bastardization of the court for not ruling in favor of his party.

Nana Akomea cited Mr Mahama's ridicule of Supreme Court Justices following the verdict of the NDC's 2020 election petition, which favored the NPP, as evidence of a consistent attack on the judiciary.

"It's become a consistent behavior of President Mahama to damn state institutions," Nana Akomea emphasised, questioning whether such behavior was befitting of someone aspiring to lead Ghana once more.
Coconino Community College (CCC) will be hosting an investiture ceremony for its new president, Eric Heiser, on Friday, Sept. 29.

Heiser was selected as CCCs sixth president in October, after then-President Colleen Smith announced her retirement. He officially took the role on Jan. 1.

The ceremony will take place on CCCs Lone Tree Campus (2800 S. Lone Tree Road), and is open to the public. No RSVP is required to attend.

In Thursdays announcement of the event, Heiser said he was excited to be a part of CCCs newest chapter.

As Coconino Countys community college, we know the vital role we play in providing an educated and skilled workforce to our community partners, and we take our role seriously, he said.

Heiser has spent almost two decades working in higher education, most recently as provost of Central Ohio Technical College. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Competency-Based Education Network, serving as chairman from 2018 to 2023.

We look forward to helping each of our students achieve the futures they want and deserve, he said. With our many partners from around the entire county, we look forward to continuing to shape the bright future of northern Arizona.

More information is available at coconino.edu/president.
07.09.2023 LISTEN

A lawyer and a political analyst, Mr. Yaw Frimpong Anokye has indicated that it would be a mistake for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former president John Dramani Mahama to go into the 2024 elections with the 2020 running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.

According to the lawyer, the votes that the 2020 running mate will garner from the Central Region would be insignificant to the victory of the NDC in 2024 considering her record in the region in the 2020 elections.

He noted that in choosing the running mate for the 2024 elections, the decision makers in the NDC must take into consideration the continuity of the party leadership when it comes to age.

To this he said, Prof. Jane Naana Opuku-Agyemang, who is above the age of 60 years and not a long-serving member of the party cannot hold the party together after John Mahama is done with his term in office.

Mr. Yaw Frimpong Anokye made this known when he spoke to Okwahu FM in the Eastern Region monitored by this reporter.

In his opinion, having Mr Julius Debrah to partner former president John Dramani Mahama in the 2024 elections will be a plus for the NDC.

Mr Julius Debrah, according to him is a Kwahu and an Ashanti and for that reason appointing him as the running mate for Mahama will be in NDCs favour when it comes to ethnic politics which plays out in elections.

Julius Debrah who had served as a former Chief of Staff is in a better position to serve and to be nurtured by the NDC should be a priority, he said

Delving into NPP politics, the lawyer opined that a big challenge the NPP will face if Bawumia is elected as the flagbearer would be his identity as a Northerner and a Muslim.

In his estimation, the NPP which could have had an 80% advantage in the Ashanti region would reduced to about 60% with Bawumia as the flag bearer.

He finally added that it would be difficult for an Ashantis to vote for a Northerner or a Christian to vote for a Muslim due to ethnic politics in Ghana.

Listen to lawyer Yaw Frimpong Anokye below:


Networking constitutes an integral aspect of the success stories of most accomplished individuals and organizations. It is the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. The right networking solution can help one's business grow and evolve. Not only does it allow staff to share information effortlessly, but it also increases productivity and efficiency, among others.

In fact, through effective networking, an individual or an organisation gets fresh ideas, advances career, gains different perspectives to achieving organizational goals and helps to develop long-lasting personal relationships.

These and several other factors underpin the reason for the coming together of 32 members of some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), who are beneficiaries of the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) from different grant making areas such as mining, oil, gas, forestry, climate change, gender and women's rights, agriculture, environment and human rights.

Drawn from various parts of Ghana, these CSOs have the passion to promote mining sector policy and governance, human rights and environmental justice. It is their fervent hope that by coming together or networking, they will be sharing lessons and experiences on the role of small grants in advocacy. Besides, this will deepen knowledge and develop strategies for dealing with issues that affect their work and communities individually and collectively as well as officially launch the GGF Ghana Grantees Network (4 G Network).

The 32 representatives plus 33 other organizations as well as some 27 communities have received funds from GGF to undertake projects in environmental advocacy, capacity building, and training for stakeholders in diverse areas, sustainable agriculture, women and girls empowerment, girls education, sustainable use of forests and forest management, resources management and conservation, agroecology, organic farming, environmental sustainability and climate change awareness, promotion of human rights, mining sector policy and governance, skills training, provision of water and support for litigation among others.

Several testimonies abound in this alliance by these CSOs and the communities who have come together to undertake various programmes and projects with the support of GGF. For instance, Mr. Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jnr, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), notes that GGF has supported a lot of organizations in Ghana, especially GLOMEF. Through GGF, GLOMEF has been able to champion issues around the environment, climate change and human rights, sustainable livelihoods among others. Environmental threats

The GLOMEF CEO's concern, however, is the fact that mining in the forest reserves, illegal mining and pollution of water bodies, the use of agrochemical in farming and climate change continue to be some of the major environmental threats to Ghana as a nation.

In addition, flooding is another environmental and social challenge Ghana faces currently as the country spends millions of dollars every year in combating flood while illegal mining and erosion in the coastal areas are equally having a toll on the environment.

Mr. Richard, the Executive Director of Livelihood and Environment Ghana (LEG) and Grant Advisor of the West Africa Advisory Board (WAAB) of the Global Greengrants Fund, has, since 2004 been working to promote sustainable livelihoods in mining affected communities.

Through LEG, he has been waging a relentless campaign for environmental sustainability and promoting community rights in some communities in the Ahafo region. He believes that GGF represents climate justice, human rights and movement building which facilitates sustainable development, especially when GGF has a flexible grant-making conditions that allow grassroot organizations and communities from different backgrounds to access grant with ease.

Mr. Adjei-Poku recommended the empowerment of individuals and members of the network particularly women and girls and grassroot organizations to be involved in decision-making and training irrespective of their academic and language barriers. The Executive Director is optimistic that this network will bring together every GGF grantee from every corner of Ghana under one umbrella for a strong national movement and strengthen members to participate in national policy discourse.

The LEG boss expects members of the network to further take full advantage of to further showcase their activities and rally more support for the various programmes and projects being undertaken, and always credit GGF for the support given to them. This arises out of the critical role social media plays in the visibility and marketability of organizations in recent times.

Environmental and social challenges

Having joined hands under one umbrella, these Civil Society Organisations have identified the following as the key environmental challenges in their communities with regards to the environment, climate change, human rights and gender.

 Persistent human rights violation and lack of employment particularly among the youth.

 Lack of meaningful consultation in compensation and resettlement process.

 Conflict between the indigenes, government, and private mining companies on access to farmlands.

 Poor or limited social support services from mining companies.

 Improper and intensive application of agrochemicals for farming which turns to poison water bodies and other biodiversity.

Going Forward

They however believe these challenges could effectively be surmounted if appropriate measures and strategies are put in place. Some of these strategies, they believe, include:

 Setting up of a vibrant secretariat with a total of five members from five different member organizations.

 Facilitation of a uniformed response to concerns and issues of local, national, and international importance, public good and cultural relevance to people.

 Building the capacity of members of the Network on issues around human rights, environmental justice, laws and reforms in Ghana and other international treaties and protocols to promote joint actions, solidarity and growth of the network.

 Reviewing the various mineral laws and policies for advocacy and submit proposal to the policymakers for amendment.

 Advocate for the companies to offer full scholarships to youth in mining affected communities to get educated in mining-related skills.

 Fundraising As a way of ensuring that their efforts are well consolidated and coordinated from a central point, these CSOs, have, by consensus, chosen GLOMEF, Ada Songor Advocacy, Centre for Ecological, Agriculture, and Livelihood, the Tano Women Empowerment and Development Association (TWEDA) and Advocacy for Gender, Environment and Social Support (AGESS) to constitute the GGF Ghana Grantee Network secretariat.

Conclusion

All said and done, the 32 members of various CSOs, the 33 other organizations as well as the 27 communities have vowed to continue making judicious use of all funds from Global Greengrants Fund and leave visible footprints in their respective operational districts. In effect, networking is the key in all these discussions.

(The writer is a Public Relations/Media practitioner. Email: [email protected])
France's highest administrative court is to rule on Thursday whether a school ban on abayas, traditional over-garments worn by some Muslim women, is legal.

President Emmanuel Macron's government announced last month it was banning the abaya in schools, saying it broke the rules on secularism in education that have already seen Muslim headscarves banned on the grounds that they constitute a display of religious affiliation.

But an association representing Muslims filed a motion with the State Council, France's highest court for complaints against state authorities, for an injunction against the ban on the abaya and the qamis, its equivalent dress for men.

Complaint

The association argued the ban was discriminatory and could incite hatred against Muslims, as well as racial profiling.

The State Council has been examining the motion, filed by the Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM), since Tuesday, and said it would rule on Thursday.

France's Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), established to represent Muslims before the government, warned that banning the abaya could create "an elevated risk of discrimination" and said it was considering putting its own complaint before the State Council.

The absence of "a clear definition of this garment creates vagueness and legal uncertainty", it said.

ADM's lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, argued during the court hearing that the abaya should be considered a traditional garment, not a religious one.

He also accused the government of seeking political advantage with the ban.

ADM president Sihem Zine said the rule was "sexist" because it singles out girls and "targets Arabs".

'Obviously religious'

But the education ministry said the abaya made its wearers "immediately recognisable as belonging to the Muslim religion".

French schools sent dozens of girls home for refusing to remove their abayas -- a shoulder-to-toe over-garment -- on the first day of the school year on Monday.

Nearly 300 schoolgirls defied the ban, Education Minister Gabriel Attal said.

Most agreed to change garments but 67 refused and were sent home, he said.

In 2016 the State Council overturned a ban in a French Riviera resort against the burkini, saying it failed to see any threat to public order from the long bathing suit worn by some Muslim women.

Around 10 percent of France's 67 million inhabitants are Muslim, according to official estimates.

Most have origins in northern African countries Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, which were French colonies until the second half of the 20th century.

(AFP)
The Electoral Commission (EC) says it is not revising its plan for the upcoming limited voter registration exercise, insisting it will go ahead to conduct the process in its 268 district offices as planned.

The exercise is billed to commence on September 12, 2023, to October 2, 2023. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, the Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Services at the EC, said: "Currently, because of the time, we cannot revise what we have".

He acknowledged some places are far from the district offices but noted that there would be another opportunity for those who would not be able to register in the upcoming exercise.

"We recognise the challenges. We know there are some places in Nkwanta South, Afram Plains and in almost all the regions of our country, some of the places are so far away from the districts", he said.

Dr Bossman added: "In the unlikely event that people are not able to register, we will still be able to do it again after the District Assembly Elections".

He added that the ECs proposed Constitutional Instrument, with which it intends to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for registration, would make it possible for new voters to be enrolled onto the electoral roll for an extended period.

Some political parties, including the National Democratic Congress, have raised concerns about the ECs decision to hold the limited voter registration exercise at its district offices and not within electoral areas, as it was done in previous exercises.

The parties expressed fear that new voters in remote communities, who may not be able to access the district offices, could be disenfranchised.

The flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, Mr John Mahama, also added his voice to that concern and urged the EC to open up the process to all the electoral areas.

Dr Asare, however, told the GNA that the EC is sticking to its original plan. "We are very much ready for Tuesday. Training of personnel is being finalised. Some of the materials are gone but there are still some more to go".

"We dont anticipate any challenges and as far as we are concerned, everything is set, and on Tuesday, the exercise will begin in all the 268 registration centres", he said.

-Classfmonline
Sekondi High Court has dismissed an order to direct the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to allow Madam Lydia Bannerman-Hull, a trader, to operate her business on a portion of the pavement in the Central Business District (CBD).

The Court presided over by Dr. Bridget Kafui AnthonioApedzi (Mrs.) in her judgment said the STMA was a statutory body, mandated to maintain order in the Central Business District (CBD) of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.

The Plaintiff was seeking a declaration that her prevention by the STMA from continuing to sell on the pavement in front of H/No. 13 Liberation Road, Takoradi, where she has been operating for over 15 years was discriminatory.

Madam Bannerman-Hull said the Assembly rather allowed a co-tenant, who had become a tenant in November 2022 in front of H/No. 13 Liberation Road, Takoradi, operated a drug store to put up tents in front of the pavement, which was discriminatory and contrary to Article 17(2) of the 1992 Constitution.

The Plaintiff therefore sought an order directing the STMA to allow her to operate her business on a portion of the space in front of H/No. 13 Liberation Road, Takoradi.

She also wanted an order for compensation to be paid to her for the financial loss by the defendants for preventing her from operating on the space in front of H/No. 13 Liberation Road, Takoradi.

Meanwhile, TMA denied any act of discrimination against the Plaintiff and averred that the type of trading desired by the Plaintiff is prohibited by the Local Government Act 2016 (Act 936) and its byelaws of 2017, hence, they were only enforcing the law.

The Assembly explained that the monies collected from the Plaintiff was the required levy towards her trading activities in her shop on the 1st floor, but not for trading on the frontage pavement of the building.

It further explained that Medrugs Pharmacy started operating early 2020, as a tenant within the same building but rather on the ground floor.

According to the STMA, the owner of the pharmacy shop applied for a permit, which was approved to mount a canopy at the frontage of its shop, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, to comply with the government's directives of social distancing and other related protocols.

Dr Anthonio  Apedzi said the Plaintiff's stance and her claim of right, to sell on the pavement, uncontrolled and defiantly, was inconsistent with civility and good order, therefore, it could not condone wrongdoing or the breaking of the law.

Therefore, the Plaintiff is not entitled to the reliefs sought, for to hold otherwise will spell anarchy and disorder, she said.

The Judge said, the Court takes judicial notice of the flagrant discard of the byelaws in the CBD of the country, where traders display their wares, with impunity on the pedestrian walkways of the major cities.

She said the Local government, with its Municipal Assemblies, seems to be losing the battle and to permit the Plaintiff's request and its effrontery, under the circumstances, was not the remit of a Court of justice.

She said this will set a bad example, create an erroneous impression, and turn the law on its head. I do not accept that.

The Judge said a Court could not shut its eyes to the violation of a statute, therefore, the Court finds no incident of discrimination against STMA.

Dr Anthonio  Apedzi said ignorance of the law was not an excuse and lack of knowledge of the law could not be used to escape liability.

She said although the Plaintiff had a right, as espoused by the Constitution, the right must be exercised within the purview of the law.

The Plaintiff was there restrained from selling on the pavement in front of H/No. 13 Liberation Road, Takoradi and a cost of GH 5,000.00 awarded against her.

GNA
Dr Freda Prempeh, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources represented the country in this years World Water Week held in Stockholm, Sweden, a statement issued by the ministry has said.

She was accompanied by Mr Noah Tumfo, the Chief Director and Mr Kwabena Gyasi, the Acting Director of Water to participate in the five-day event held from August 20 to 24.

The World Water Week, a non-profit event co-created with leading international organizations is the leading conference on global water issues, held annually since 1991.

According to the statement made available to the media, this years event attracted a diverse participants from many professional backgrounds and every corner of the world who met to develop solutions to the worlds greatest water-related challenges.

Topics treated ranged from food security and health to agriculture, technology, biodiversity, and the climate crisis.

Dr Prempeh was a panelist on the Presidential Compact on WASH '' at the Heads of State Initiatives meeting organized by the SWA Secretariat and the Kingdom of the Netherlands," the statement indicated.

She assured the ministry commitment to work to complete work on the compact for Ghana to sign on.

The sector minister was also present at the launch of the maiden edition of Africas Voice on Water Magazine (AMCOW) which took place during the conference.

The primary objective of the magazine initiative is to provide a platform for knowledge exchange and more collaborative information sharing by African countries through storytelling.

According to the statement, Dr Prempeh commended AMCOW for a job well done, and she was hopeful it would make a great impact in the delivery of WASH services in Africa.

The minister also met with the USAID Global Water Coordinator Ms. Nancy Eslick and her team on the sidelines of the conference and discussions were improving the Ministrys collaboration with the USAID in the delivery of their WASH Project in Ghana, it added.

Dr Prempeh also held extensive discussions with Ms Catarina de Albuquergue, the Chief Executive Officer of SWA where the Minister assured Ghanas dedication to the development of the Presidential Compact on WASH and expressed the nations appreciation to the SWA for its continued support.
Gabon's military rulers on Thursday appointed Raymond Ndong Sima, a prominent opponent to ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, as interim prime minister following the country's coup on August 30.

Ndong Sima, a 68-year-old Paris-educated economist, served as prime minister under Bongo from 2012 to 2014 before becoming a critic and competing against him in the 2016 and 2023 presidential campaigns.

His appointment, announced on state TV, was made in a decree by the new strongman, General Brice Oligui Nguema, who was sworn in as interim president on Monday.

In his inauguration speech, Oligui vowed to hold "free, transparent and credible elections" to restore civilian rule, but did not give a timeframe.

He also said he would soon announce a transitional government that drew on figures from across the political spectrum.

New strongman: Oligui, dressed in the uniform of the Republic Guard, at his swearing-in as interim president. By - (AFP)

The country would also draw up a new constitution, drafted with representatives from all the key groups, which would be "more respectful of democracy and human rights" and submitted to a referendum, Oligui said.

'Broad consultations'

Speaking to AFP shortly after his appointment was announced, Ndong Sima said he would submit a proposed government lineup to Oligui "in three or four days."

"They've given me a roadmap, and I will try to work in the direction that the military have determined... for restoring all our institutions, and especially everything concerning the framework for elections," he said by phone.

Ndong Sima said he wanted to take time for "broad consultations... so that people belonging to all political families are included" in the government.

Bongo, 64, took office in 2009 on the death of his father Omar, who ruled the central African state with an iron fist for more than 40 years, gaining a reputation as a kleptocrat.

He was re-elected by a wafer-thin margin in 2016, according to bitterly disputed official results, but two years later suffered a stroke that weakened his grip on power.

Gabon. By Jean-Michel CORNU (AFP)

On August 30, soldiers led by Oligui, head of the elite Republican Guard, detained Bongo, his wife and son shortly after election overseers declared him victor in a presidential ballot four days earlier.

Ndong Sima had campaigned against Bongo but just before election day stood back to rally behind a joint opposition candidate, university academic Albert Ondo Ossa.

Ondo Ossa was credited with 30.77 percent of the vote against Bongo's 64.27 percent -- a result the opposition lashed as bogus.

Earlier this week, Ndong-Sima told AFP that it was necessary to "speak with the military" after the takeover.

He said that the transition back to civilian rule should not exceed two years and that he would be "interested" in taking part in the next presidential elections, which should not include candidates from the military.

Bongo question

Post-coup developments in Gabon are being anxiously followed in central Africa and beyond.

The oil-rich state joins Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger among African countries that have undergone military takeovers in the last three years.

But the bloodless coup ouster has been warmly welcomed by many Gabonese, although many say they also concerned by poverty and unemployment.

Bongo's ouster in a bloodless coup has been welcomed by many Gabonese - 'A new dawn,' said Thursday's headline in Gabon Matin, right. By - (AFP)

"Life is back on track, everything's going well," said Libreville market vendor Jim Poussiengui.

"People aren't nervous anymore. People feel free."

"We want to work," said Waren Long, adding that he wanted the government to "give us jobs and occupations."

One of the issues facing the future government is the fate of the Bongo family.

On Tuesday, Oligui said that Bongo, who had been placed under house arrest, was now "free to move around" and go abroad for medical checks "given his state of health."

Bongo's wife Sylvia, a French-Gabonese dual citizen, is being "arbitrarily" held and "detained in secret," according to lawyers who have filed a lawsuit on her behalf in Paris.

Bongo's son and close adviser Noureddin Bongo Valentin, his chief of staff Ian Ghislain Ngoulou as well as his deputy, two other presidential advisers and the two top officials in the formerly ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) have been arrested.

They are accused of treason, embezzlement, corruption and falsifying the president's signature, among other allegations.

TV images have shown them at their homes next to sacks and cases filled with banknotes.
THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES THE SETTLEMENT OF ITS ALTERNATIVE OFFER TO PENSION FUNDS bondholders

Accra, Ghana, 7th September 2023 The Government of Ghana announces the successful settlement and conclusion on Monday, 4th September 2023 (the Settlement Date) of its alternative offer to Pension Funds bondholders in respect of the GHS-denominated notes and bonds issued by the Government, E.S.L.A. Plc or Daakye Trust Plc. This successful result is a significant achievement for the Government as it pursues its macroeconomic stabilization policies under the IMF-supported Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG). The settlement was made pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Exchange Memorandum dated 31st July 2023 (the Exchange Memorandum). Capitalised terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Exchange Memorandum.

The Government announces the aggregate principal amount of each Exchange Bonds, which amounts, together with the corresponding ISINs, are set forth in Appendix A attached hereto.

attached hereto. On the Settlement Date, four (4) Exchange Bonds were issued to Eligible Holders whose tenders were accepted by the Government, consisting of two new Tranches of Existing Exchange Series (Series of bonds issued by the Government on 21st February 2023 in line with the DDEP instruments) and two new Series of bonds consisting of two interest-only instruments. Pursuant to the Exchange Memorandum, the principal amount of the Exchange Bonds per holder is composed of the outstanding principal amount of Eligible Bonds tendered by such holder plus any amount of Accrued Interest Payable in respect thereof, and was allocated per holder among each Exchange Bond in the Exchange Consideration Ratios pursuant to the Exchange Memorandum. On the Settlement Date, such principal amounts were credited to each holder's respective securities account at the Central Securities Depository (CSD) from which each holder's Eligible Bonds were tendered.

4 On 5th September 2023, as set forth in the Exchange Memorandum, a payment of GHS2,060.72 million was made to holders of Exchange Bonds in respect of their Treasury Bonds as if such Exchange Bonds had been issued on 21 February 2023 and held by such holders as of 22 August 2023 (the first interest payment date under the Existing Exchange Series). In addition, on the same date a payment of GHS274.91 million was made to holders of Exchange Bonds in respect of their ESLA Bonds and Daakye Bonds as if such Exchange Bonds had been issued on 21 February 2023 and held by such holders as of 22 August 2023 (the first interest payment date under the Existing Exchange Series), taking into account prior payments received by holders of ESLA Bonds and Daakye Bonds after 21st February 2023.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has asked pharmaceutical importers and retailers to halt the importation and distribution of Galvus Met Tablets 50mg/1000mg manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a Turkish company.

A statement issued by the FDA and signed by its CEO, Delese Darko, asked importers and retailers of the product to stop selling it and return all stock with batch codes KJM25, KLX74, KLY93, KLN34, KLP92, KLP93, KLR95, KLP38, and KLW59 to the nearest FDA office for safe disposal.

The statement said the medication, which had only Turkish inscriptions, lacked proper registration, raising significant concerns about the unverified quality, safety, and efficacy of these pharmaceuticals.

The Galvus Met Tablets 50mg/1000mg have been linked to suspected therapeutic failures and posed severe or life-threatening health risks, the FDA said.

It said the Authority had removed the product from the pharmacies where it was discovered.

The statement said the FDA was taking the necessary regulatory actions to prevent any future occurrence and would not hesitate to apply the strictest sanctions, including criminal prosecution and the imposition of administrative fines to any individual or facility found to be importing or distributing such products.

It assured the public of the integrity of its regulatory processes to ensure that medicinal and other regulated products registered for use on the Ghanaian market are safe, efficacious, and of the right quality.

GNA
The United States is moving some of its troops from a base in Niger's capital Niamey -- where rebel officers seized power in a July coup -- to another in the Agadez area, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Washington has some 1,100 military personnel in the country, but the Defense Department says they have largely remained on bases while curtailing activities such as joint training after the military takeover in Niger.

The United States "is repositioning some of our personnel and some of our assets from Air Base 101 in Niamey to Air Base 201 in Agadez," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists.

"There's no immediate threat to US personnel or violence on the ground," she said, describing the move as a "precautionary measure."

A "small group" of personnel will remain at Air Base 101 following the move, which is currently ongoing, Singh said.

She also said "some non-essential personnel and contractors" had previously departed the country.

Niger has been a key base for both American and French anti-jihadist operations, and the repositioning of US troops comes after a French defense ministry source said Paris was holding holds talks with Niger on withdrawing "elements" of its presence there.

'No tie' to French actions

There have been days of rallies calling for Niger's former colonial ruler to remove its forces, and military-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine said earlier this week that "contacts" were under way about a "very swift" departure for Paris' troops.

But Singh said there is "no tie" between the US move and "what the French military is doing right now."

Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled on July 26 by some members of his guard and was detained along with his family.

The West African bloc ECOWAS has taken a hard line on Niger following a cascade of coups in the region, threatening to use force to restore civilian rule.

Troops took power in Mali and Burkina Faso, where like Niger, losses among the armed forces are surging in the face of a long-running jihadist insurgency.

A putsch also took place in Guinea in 2021 after the country's octogenarian president, Alpha Conde, ran for a third term in office, a move that opponents said breached constitutional limits.

Echoing past US comments, Singh expressed hope for a negotiated solution to the situation in Niger.

"We are hopeful that diplomatic talks will continue and that the situation in Niger will be resolved diplomatically," she said.
Ghana's democratic journey has been remarkable, having been consistently held up as a model for peace, stability and transparency within the West African Sub-Region and African continent at large. However, to truly advance this democratic narrative, it's essential that some barriers impeding diverse participation are dismantled. The high filing fees for presidential and parliamentary candidates have often been cited as one such barrier, particularly for the youth. This article is an appeal to the Electoral Commission of Ghana to revisit and adjust this fee structure to give some respite to the youth.

Fact speaking, the Ghanaian youth an underrated asset, comprising a vast segment of Ghana's population and about 55.1% of the total voting population, the youth are brimming with the energy and innovative thinking that can drive the nation forward. Their modern perspectives, connectedness to global trends, and unparalleled digital fluency make them invaluable for the digital age. Yet, despite their potential, financial constraints in the political domain often sideline them.

The Financial Hurdles: Echoing the Bigger Issue

The current filing fees, set at a level meant to filter out non-serious candidates, inadvertently become a wealth test. This becomes a disincentive to many promising young Ghanaians who are shut out from contributing to their nation's political journey.

Making the issue more relatable, The African Youth Charter and the National Youth Authority Act 2016 (Act 939) measures the youth age from 15 to 35 years, meanwhile, people in this age bracket have usually just finished university and have worked only a few years or are unemployed. With the average minimum wage in Ghana at a wavering GHC14.88, it is almost impossible for young people to be able to raise the huge amounts of money charged by political parties and the Electoral Commission for filing fees. As such, young, talented, knowledge-filled, well-updated, visionary people in Ghana find it challenging to raise funds to file their applications to allow them contest in national elections. As this is common knowledge to almost every Ghanaian, these young people have to take loans and find other forms of support just for a successful political journey. This leaves the question which many people fear to ask, How do they pay back these loans? Can this, give us a clue as to why corruption in the political space and governance start? Something has to be done about filling fees in our democratic journey by reducing monetization in our politics.

The filing fee is a very important issue to talk about and act upon as soon as possible because a more inclusive fee structure breeds several benefits to the nation as a whole;

Firstly, it promotes a diverse candidate pool: By reducing fees, Ghana could see a surge in youthful candidates from varied backgrounds, ideas, and sustainable plans. This is evident in countries like New Zealand and Canada, where efforts were made to reduce barriers for youth political participation, have seen fresh faces and ideas permeating their political discourse. This diverse candidature improves fresh perspectives, which provides room for a better understanding of the people and the issues concerning all areas of the countrys well-being. Lessons can be drawn from a young candidate like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the US, who has shown how youth can bring transformative ideas to the table, ranging from environmental concerns to digital rights.

Also, it will cause a boost in youth participation: Beyond just encouraging candidature, reduced fees signal to the youth that their voices matter. Meaningful young participation has proven over time to be a major drive to national and global development. Countries like India, with its dynamic student political scene, has shown how youth involvement can shape policies that are future-oriented.

In light of this, this article proposes few ways through which a more inclusive democracy, especially for the youth can be achieved. These include the following;

Tiered Fee Structure: Just as tax slabs function, age-based filing fee tiers can be a solution. Younger candidates could be incentivized with more modest fees, gradually increasing with age.

Youth Empowerment Funds: Drawing inspiration from countries like Sweden, which invest in youth political education and participation, Ghana could earmark funds to aid young aspirants.

Merit-Based Fee Waivers: Young leaders who have excelled in their chosen fields of endeavour like community service, academics, or entrepreneurship could be given waivers or significant reductions. This ensures that the nation is not just getting youthful leaders but the best of them.

Sponsorship and Crowdfunding Education: Training potential young candidates on the art of gaining sponsorships or leveraging platforms like GoFundMe can democratize campaign finance, drawing parallels with how Barack Obama utilized small donations in his 2008 presidential campaign.

Ghana stands at a pivotal juncture. By revisiting barriers like the filing fee, can catalyse a youth-led political renaissance. A democracy is only as robust as the diversity of voices it accommodates. It is high time that Ghana's young voices were not just heard but amplified. The Electoral Commission has both an opportunity and a responsibility to make this vision a reality, as it will as well go a long way to reduce corruption, which is crippling the country.
Attacks on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali on Thursday by suspected jihadists killed 64 people, a Malian official said.

The two separate attacks targeted the Timbuktu boat on the Niger river and an army position at Bamba, in the northern Gao region with "a provisional toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed", according to a government statement.

It did not specify how many died in each assault, but the assaults were "claimed" by a group affiliated to Al-Qaeda.

Earlier the Malian army said on social media that the boat was attacked around 1100 GMT by "armed terrorist groups".

The vessel, plying an established route between cities along the river, was targeted by "at least three rockets" which aimed at its engines, the operator Comanav said separately.

The vessel was immobilised on the river and the army are evacuating passengers, a Comanav official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Insurgency fanned by jihadists

Images on social media showed a cloud of black smoke rising above the river. The incident took place in a remote area and the images could not be verified independently.

The Niger is a vital transport link in a region where road infrastructure is poor and railways absent.

The attack comes after an al-Qaeda-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), announced last month that it was blockading Timbuktu, the historic crossroads city of northern Mali.

The impoverished state has been struggling with insecurity since 2012, when a revolt led by ethnic Tuaregs erupted in the troubled north.

The insurgency was fanned by jihadists, who three years later took their own campaign into central Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, sending shockwaves across the Sahel.

In northern Mali, the regional rebellion was formally ended by a peace agreement signed between the rebels and the Malian government in 2015.

However, the fragile deal came under strain after the civilian government was toppled in 2020 and replaced by a junta.

Tensions in the region have revived in recent weeks after the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, which has been told to leave by year's end, handed over two bases near Timbuktu to the armed forces.

The handover triggered clashes between the army and the jihadists and led to an angry showdown with the former rebels, stoking fears for the 2015 peace agreement.

kt-sd-mak-lal/gw/acb
Hon. Joe Ghartey has received Mrs. Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana at his private residence in Essikado in the evening of Tuesday the 5th of September 2023.

The British High Commissioner was on an official four-day visit to the Western Region.

Receiving her and her team in the company of Obrempon Hima Dakyi, Paramount Chief of Upper Dixcove and Nana Krokroba, Queenmother of Aboadze, Joe Ghartey and the traditional rulers warmly welcomed her to the Western Region.

In attendance were some past and present Executive Members of the Essikado- Ketan Constituency, led by the 1st Vice Chairman, Mr. Enoch Buahin.

The visit of the British High Commissioner, she indicated was to inform Hon. Joe Ghartey of her Western Regional tour which she wanted to commence by paying a courtesy call on him.

Hon. Joe Ghartey a five term Member of Parliament of the Essikado Ketan constituency, thanked the British High Commissioner for the visit.

He seized the opportunity to brief Mrs Harriet Thompson about the history of the Western Region and its pre-independence ties to the British and its economic significance to the Ghanaian economy.

He pointed out that the Western Region was without doubt very rich in natural resources. As was noted by Obrempong Hima Dakyi and Hon Ghartey, the resource blessings had put some pressure on the infrastructure in the Region. It was pointed out by Hon Ghartey that Government was working hard to meet the infrastructure challenge in the Region but there was no doubt that there was more to do.

The possibility of attracting British business and tourists to the Western Region was also discussed.

Employment creation not only by Government but also by the private sector was discussed.

It was agreed that the conversation would continue to explore avenues for mutual cooperation.

Joe Ghartey wished the High Commissioner and her team well and indicated that he would lead the team to pay a courtesy call on Nana Nketsia and visit the UMAT School for Railways and Infrastructure Development.
As part of its Healthy Future for All (HF4A) project, SNV Ghana in partnership with Savannah Alliance successfully held a private sector engagement session to review sanitation by-laws in the Lambussie District.

Participants for the engagement were drawn from both public sector institutions and some private actors in the WASH sector.

In attendance were the Chief of Lambussie, Kuuro Issaaka Zeng-eh Kazie Tenjie II, the Deputy Coordinating Director for the Lambussie District, the Presiding Member, some selected assemblymen, nurses, artisans, soap makers, and WSMT members.

Giving a brief about the engagement, Mr. Kwasi Peprah Nyantakyi from SNV underscored the importance of by-laws in the promotion of sanitation. He said the engagement was therefore meant to get the perspective of the private sector on the by-laws.

Mr. Mathew Apanaah the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) for the Lambussie District led the presentation and discussion on the by-laws. Mr. Apanaah briefed participants about the work the Environmental Health Unit does within the district. He indicated they were doing their best but mostly are faced with some unsurmountable challenges including lack of cooperation from the general public.

He therefore made a point on the need for the by-laws on sanitation. He believes the by-laws will empower the EHOs to be able to compel the public to clean their surrounding and take part in all other health-related matters.

Various participants made interesting contributions to support the need for the by-laws on sanitation. The chief of Lambussie for example commenting on the by-laws entreated the organizers of the program and the district assembly to make good use of behavioral change communication (BCC) to get the general public to buy into the need for the by-laws and obey them. To him, people should be made aware of what they are expected to do and the reason why they should obey the by-laws.

The Deputy Coordinating director on his part commended SNV and Savannah Alliance Ghana for implementing the project and seeing the need to help in the enacting of the by-laws. In his presentation, he reminded participants of the role that consultative assemblies played in the past. According to him, consultative assemblies gave people the opportunity to make imputes into national issues. Hence allowing private sector actors to contribute to the by-laws on sanitation was a great initiative. Other participants also expressed their opinions on the by-laws.

Giving the closing remarks for the program, Mr. Pius Doozie from Savannah Alliance Ghana entreated the participants to be ambassadors as they went back to their various communities. He entreated them to make sure they shared the good news on the by-laws with their various associations or groups so that many people would be aware of the by-laws and the need to obey them

A similar private sector engagement will be held in the Nandom Municipality on the 7th of September, 2023. Followed by a knowledge management session on the 8th of September, 2023.

Savannah Alliance Ghana (SAG) a partner in the implementation of the HF4A is a capacity development organization that provides tailored-made capacity building for development-related agencies. It operates mostly in the Northern part of Ghana with a special interest in the WASH sector, food security, Agric and Livelihood improvement, Education, and Environmental Conservation.
Nigerian journalist Damilola Ayeni was reporting on the environment for the Foundation for Investigative Journalism when he was arrested by Benin police on August 31, 2023. (Photo courtesy Fisayo Soyombo)

08.09.2023 LISTEN

Authorities in Benin must immediately and unconditionally release Nigerian journalist Damilola Ayeni, drop all charges against him, and allow him to work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

On August 31, police officers in Benins north western Pendjari National Park arrested and detained Ayeni, an editor with the privately owned Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), as he was taking pictures at the park for his reporting on environmental conservation, according to reports by FIJ and the privately owned LibreExpress news site, as well as Ayenis lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the case, and FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo, both of whom spoke by phone with CPJ.

Soyombo emphasized that Ayeni had gone to Benin on assignment for FIJ and said the arrest was tragically ironic because he believed the local government would have appreciated Ayenis coverage.

The officers accused Ayeni of involvement with a jihadist terror movement and held him at the police station in the northern city of Parakou, until September 5, when they moved the journalist to Cotonou, Benins largest city. He is expected to be questioned by officers with the polices criminal brigade in Cotonou before being presented at the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) in the capital of Porto-Novo and charged with alleged terrorism, according to a separate report by the FIJ, Ayenis lawyer, and a report by the privately owned Benin Web TV news site.

Authorities in Benin should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Damilola Ayeni, swiftly drop all legal proceedings against him and ensure he is able to work freely and safely, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator in Durban, South Africa. Ayenis detention and allegations that he is a terrorist are outrageous. A cursory search online would show that he is a recognized and published journalist, not a terrorist.

Ayenis lawyer told CPJ on September 7 that he had yet to speak with the journalist and could not confirm the status of the case against him or under which laws he may be prosecuted.

Soyombo said that on August 31 FIJ received a text message from Ayeni saying, I have just been arrested, but the message was quickly deleted. An FIJ staffer immediately called Ayenis line. Ayeni picked up and told his colleague that he was only held briefly because there were security concerns in the area and that he had been released, according to the FIJ reports and Soyombo. However, Ayeni was unreachable by phone soon after that call and the FIJ could not determine what had happened to him.

On the night of September 4, a friend of Ayeni told Soyombo that he received a voice message from a man claiming to have been released from a detention facility at the Commissariat Central Police Station in Parakou. That man told Ayenis friend that Ayeni was detained at the same Parakou police station and was scheduled to be tried on allegations of involvement with a jihadist militant movement.

On September 5, Soyombo told CPJ that he received messages from someone claiming to be the commissioner at the Parakou police station saying that Ayeni had been accused of involvement with a jihadist movement. The alleged commissioner also demanded 800,000 CFA (US$1,315) in exchange for Ayenis release, according to Soyombo and another FIJ report. Soyombo said he refused and asked for a video call to confirm Ayenis safety and to see the caller, but the person declined. Soyombo also said the alleged commissioner also did not answer questions about the basis for the allegations against Ayeni.

Soyombo told CPJ that FIJ later sent a representative to the Parakou police station, where police officers confirmed that they had indeed arrested Ayeni but said that he had been released from the station.

Reached by CPJ on September 7, Francisca Omayuli, the spokesperson for Nigerias foreign affairs ministry, did not respond to questions about Ayeni and requested to be contacted via messaging app. She later told CPJ by messaging app that she would make the necessary inquiries and respond, but had not done so by the time of publication.

A Benin police officer at Parakou, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told CPJ that Ayeni was expected to be questioned by the criminal brigade unit, but did not have further details about Ayenis prosecution. The officer who spoke to CPJ is not part of the criminal brigade unit. A spokesperson for the Benin police, Eric Yerima, told CPJ on the same day that he was not aware of Ayenis arrest.

CPJs calls to a contact number listed on the website of the Nigerian embassy in Benin did not connect. CPJ also sent messages to an email listed on the website but received no response.

Benin government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji declined to comment on the matter and asked CPJ to contact the police.

In 2022, police officers in Benin arrested Dutch journalist Oliver van Beemen and Beninese journalist Flore Nobime while they were reporting at Pendjari park and accused them of espionage, according to a report by South Africas privately owned Mail & Guardian news site. The journalists were later released without charge.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has commended the Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office for its support in educating the public on human rights and administrative justice issues.

Mr. John Ato Breboh, a Senior Principal Investigator of CHRAJ, gave the commendation in an interaction with the Ghana News Agency as part of the Commissions 30th-anniversary celebration, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

The celebration is on the general theme: "CHRAJ at 30: Promoting and Protecting Human Rights and Ensuring Transparency and Accountability in Public Service Delivery."

The sub-theme for the Tema Sub-Regional Office is "Presentation on 30 Years of CHRAJ in Tema: Success, Challenges, and the Way Forward."

Mr. Breboh said, "Our collaboration with the GNA-Tema Regional Office has yielded a lot of results, as the stories went far and we had other media houses calling and inviting us to their platforms.

"Through this, we have been able to refer a number of people to make their complaints in our offices in other districts and regions."

He said over the past two years, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office has created a consistent platform for CHRAJ officials to discuss human rights, corruption, and other related issues towards national development.

The Commission also commended Plan B FM and Obonu FM for providing them with a platform to sensitize the public about our operations.

Mr. Breboh indicated that the media was a strategic partner in educating the general public on their human rights issues as well as empowering them to report anti-corruption issues, hence their resolve to strengthen the relationship with the media in the discharge of the Commissions mandate.

He said CHRAJ was established under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana by the CHRAJ Act, 1993 (Act 456) with three broad mandates of human rights, administrative justice, and anti-corruption-related issues.

Touching on the Commissions work, he said apart from its three thematic mandates, it also has mandate such as investigations, legal services, research, and public education, among others, in the implementation of its programmes.

He added that the Human Rights Article and the 1992 Constitution also mandate CHRAJ to protect universal human rights and freedoms relating to civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights and other International Human Rights instruments that Ghana has ratified.

He said these functions were carried out through protection and enforcement as an Ombudsman and promotion and prevention, explaining that in protecting and enforcing fundamental human rights, CHRAJ investigates complaints of human rights violations by persons and institutions, both private and public.

He added that the Commission resolves complaints through various methods such as mediation, negotiation, and formal hearings and by instituting actions and proceedings in court, stating that it also carries out special investigations into human rights abuses that are systemic, cultural, or in other areas of public interest.

In order to prevent human rights abuses, the Commission monitors and assesses the observance of human rights situations, particularly those of vulnerable persons in Ghana.

These monitoring visits, he noted, ensured that his outfit could detect early warning signs of human rights abuses and prevent violations from taking place.

He said that under administrative justice, the Commission was mandated to protect and promote administrative justice to ensure that the government and public officials were accountable and transparent.

This, he added, was contained in Articles 218(a) and (b) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 70(a) and (b) of Act 456.

They also investigate allegations that a Public Officer has contravened or has not complied with a provision of Chapter 24 of the 1992 Constitution, which touches on the Code of Conduct of Public Officers.

He added that the Commission also has the mandate to investigate all instances of alleged or suspected corruption and the misappropriation of public funds by officials and to take appropriate steps, including reports to the Attorney-General and Auditor General resulting from such an investigation.
Industrial Relations and Mediation Consultant, Mr. Abraham Koomson, has called for industrial harmony and consistency in the administration of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) for utmost performance.

He noted that periodic interference in the affairs of TOR has impeded its operations and truncated efforts to restore maximum operations.

Mr. Koomson, who is also the Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), stated during interaction with media practitioners in Tema which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) about the recent resignation and replacement of the TOR Managing Director.

He noted that, as a result of the political interference, TOR has not been able to put into productive use the reconstructed crude oil furnace, which exploded in January 2017, forcing it to reduce its production.

TOR, which is the only refinery in Ghana with a capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream day, was currently producing below capacity.

Mr. Koomson also noted that the lack of political will from successive governments has been the reason for the deteriorating state of the refinery.

He said that because governments have not taken strong action against revamping the refinery, it keeps deteriorating day in and day out.

The Industrial Relations and Mediation Consultant said the continuous cry of TOR workers and labour unions was very worrying and needed to be addressed with immediate effect.

He went on to say that it was disturbing how the refinery, with the best engineers and the capacity to refine many barrels a day, was only carrying finished products instead of fulfilling its fundamental mandate of refining crude.

The GFL Secretary-General mentioned that Ghana was currently going through financial agony and a debt restructuring programme, hence the need to promote local industries, which would be a key component in building the nation.

He stressed that the current system, where TOR was underutilized but the nation exported the product to other countries at a huge cost to refine and transport back into the country, as well as not involving the refinery in the Gold for Oil deal, was unacceptable.

Mr. Koomson admonished that refurbishing TOR to work at full capacity would help reduce pressure on the Ghana Cedi by reducing financing charges as these transactions were cedi-denominated.

The GFL General Secretary expressed concern that between 2009 and 2016, the refinery was managed by four chief executive officers.

"Dr. Kwame Ampofo from 2009 to 2010; Mr. Atto Ampiah from 2010 to 2014; Dr. Alphonse Kwao Dorcoo from 2014 to 2015; and Mr. Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko from 2015 to 2016," he noted.

He noted that, under the current dispensation between 2017 and 2023, it has gone through the hands of five MDs, and the sixth MD has just assumed office.

TOR has gone through the management of Mr. Isaac Osei from 2017 to December 2019; Mr. Asante K. Berko from January 2020 to April 2020; and Mr. Francis Boateng from April 2020 to June 2021.

On June 15, 2021, the Minister of Energy inaugurated a three-member Interim Management Committee headed by Mr. Nobert Cormla-Djamposu Anku, which lasted up to March 2022.

In March 2022, Mr. Jerry Kofi Hinson took over as the TOR MD and resigned on August 14, 2023, and Mr. Daniel Osei-Appiah has just been appointed as the Acting MD of TOR.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The Principal Architect at Awers Architects Limited, Mr. Samuel Yaw Oppong, has urged architects in Ghana to take into consideration the preservation and sustainability of Ghanaian culture when designing residential, business, and commercial buildings.

Mr. Oppong said that just as the University of Ghana has maintained its original building culture of using brick tiles for its roofing in current structures, it is important that architects help preserve original Ghanaian building styles.

He said this in an interview with the media as monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema on the current trends in building designs and their implications for sustainability.

He expressed worry that the designs that were coming up would make it difficult to maintain Ghanas building style, leading to the demolishing of existing structures to make way for unsustainable designed buildings.

He stated, for instance, that Ghanaian traditional buildings were built in a way that allowed natural light and ventilation, reducing the excessive use of electricity, whereas modern buildings used glass and others that consumed a lot of electricity.

"Our own way of building is more sustainable in terms of economy and energy, but because we want to copy and copy wrongly, for instance, one may have a big structure and have tinted glasses all over it; how do you sustain energy in such a building? It will use air conditioning throughout," he said.

The Principal Architect stressed that there is no way such buildings could be sustained, adding that the use of glazing for buildings does not suit the climate of Ghana, while in the past, the natural ecosystem was used in line with the countrys climate.

Touching on the evolving nature of architecture in Ghana, he said that, just like other aspects of life, civilization, and modernity were the cause as people tried to assimilate other cultures into the existing ones.

He said as people travel around the world, they see different architectural designs and request similar things in Ghana, adding that, for instance, he consults some of his colleagues in other countries to stay up-to-date on new designs that he imbibes into his work.

Mr. Oppong said it was unfortunate that sometimes such designs were being copied wrongly and replicated in a vacuum without consideration of the culture of the people, climate, and land type, among others.

He further said the building typology has also changed over the years, explaining that in the past, Ghanaians were building in the courtyard system, where the rooms were gathered around the courtyard so everybody could see everything you do, and there was a shared bathroom, kitchen, and compound.

"But now it has moved away from that, and everybody wants their own corner, so instead of the shared way, in designing, everyone wants an ensuite bedroom where you have everything for yourself, even in a rented apartment," he stated.

The Principal Architect indicated that even with terracing, people now prefer having terraces with covers instead of the original terrace serving as a transition point from outside to the room.
The European Union (EU) has allocated 80,000 ($81,600) emergency funds to boost flood preparedness in Northern Ghana, the EU Commission announced Thursday.

The money will help identify early warning systems and enable swift response efforts by the Ghana Red Cross ahead of the rainy season.

"This funding aims to mitigate the impact of floods for potentially 50,000 people by reducing their shelter, water, hygiene and health vulnerability," said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic in a September 7 press statement.

The aid will target the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, where over 2 million people are at risk from flooding.

It is expected to be used for preventative actions like evacuation drills, prepositioning emergency stocks, and awareness campaigns.

Ghana faces annual flooding when the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso is forced to open spillways once it reaches full capacity.

The overflow causes rivers in Northern Ghana to burst their banks, destroying homes and farmland. This year, above average rainfall is expected to bring severe flooding.

"The EU stands ready to provide further assistance if significant floods hit," said Lenarcic. "Preparedness and early action are crucial to reduce risks."

The EU has ramped up disaster preparedness funding in recent years. As a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the EU aims to mainstream preventative measures across all its humanitarian aid programs.

This latest donation is part of 34 million allocated to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has wrapped up a visit to eSwatini, Taipei's only diplomatic ally in Africa, after signing a string of development agreements. But will the relationship hold?

eSwatini is one of only 13 countries worldwide that officially recognise Taiwan over China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory.

As such the southern African kingdom, formerly known as Swaziland, has become a critical piece in Taipei's diplomatic puzzle.

Tsai arrived on Tuesday for a four-day visit, meeting with King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, local politicians and members of the Asian community.

Taiwan and eSwatini signed a series of memorandums of understanding to help the kingdom, including a women's entrepreneurship fund and a cooperation agreement on the construction of a strategic oil reserve facility.

"I look forward to a successful execution of this project so that we will be able to establish a strategic oil reserve facility here to make the supply of energy more secure in the future," Tsai said, according to a video released by her office on Wednesday.

Quoted by Taiwan's Central News Agency, King Mswati said that he would "continue to promote Taiwan's participation in all United Nations Institutions", adding that "Taiwan is an example of a first-world country".

'Symbolic value'

eSwatini, which has struggled with fuel shortages in recent years, was left as the only African country to formally recognise Taiwan when Burkina Faso switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 2018.

This was Tsai's second trip to the kingdom, during which she attended celebrations marking its independence day, the king's 55th birthday, and the 55th anniversary of Taiwan-eSwatini diplomatic ties.

According to the Taipei Times, King Mswati has visited Taiwan 18 times since he took the throne in 1986.

In 2021 he said he had recovered from Covid-19 after Tsai sent antiviral medication to help him, at a time when his country of 1.2 million people was still waiting for its first vaccines against the disease.

For Taiwan, "eSwatini has mostly a symbolic value as it's the only diplomatic ally in Africa", says Kristina Kironska, co-director of the Central Europe Institute of Asian Studies in Bratislava, Slovakia.

"There's a consensus between both [Taiwanese political] parties, the Kuomintang and Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party, which both believe that a stable pool of allies is necessary to support the claim of external sovereignty," she told RFI.

Tsai Ing-wen was first elected as Taiwan's president in 2016 and refuses to accept China's claim on the island.

Since then, Beijing has managed to win over nine of Taipei's diplomatic allies.

In Africa, Taiwan has lost formal relations with Liberia, Senegal, Chad, Malawi, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe and Burkina Faso within the past 20 years.

Race for allies

Kironska points out that Beijing and Taipei entered into a truce of sorts between 2008 and 2016, with a silent agreement that they would not "take over each other's allies"  a direct result of the Kuomintang being elected as governing party in Taipei. The party is "known for a more pro-Chinese stance" while "looking for closer relations with China", she says.

Even countries like Gambia and Panama, which tried unilaterally to switch sides from Taipei to Beijing, were rebuffed, she says.

But that all ended when the Taiwanese nationalist Democratic Progressive Party came back to power in 2016, and Beijing moved fast to snatch away Gambia, then Sao Tome and Principe, then Burkina Faso.

But eSwatini has so far stood firm.

The country has had relations with Taiwan since its independence from Britain in 1968, Kironska notes. Taiwan  officially the Republic of China  opened an embassy in eSwatini (then Swaziland) that same year.

"eSwatini is an absolute monarchy and the king has the last word on everything," says Kironska. "And he supports Taiwan. So as long as he's in power, the support is there."
Lawyers of Commissioner of Police (COP) George Alex Mensah, one of the key witnesses in the ongoing probe into an alleged plot to remove the IGP from office, say they are surprised at the decision by the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to interdict their client.

The GPS in a statement on Thursday announced that it was interdicting three of its officers for their involvement in the alleged plot.

They are COP Alex Mensah, Superintendent George Asare, and Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi.

The move comes in response to the circulation of a leaked audio recording allegedly involving discussions about the removal of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The leaked tape, which has been widely shared on social media and other platforms, reportedly contains conversations among the three senior police officers discussing plans and strategies related to the potential removal of the current IGP with former Northern Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bugri Naabu.

Lead Counsel for COP Mensah, Kwaku Owusu Agyeman in an interview in Accra on Thursday said that they will advise themselves accordingly.

We were expecting that the service will allow Parliament to make its own findings. As you are aware the probe is to establish the findings which are in the public domain. So, it is quite a surprise to us that this has happened.

But be that as it may, we take it in good faith. We will also see what our clients rights areIn the next few days ahead of us we will also make our actions known, he stated.

CitiNewsroom
President Akufo-Addo will visit the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah today to turn on the valve and commemorate the official first oil from the Jubilee South Area.

The Jubilee South-East Area, which is part of the Jubilee Field, is a joint venture that has received a $1 billion investment from its partners. It is expected to add 100,000 barrels of oil per day to the Jubilee Field oil production by the end of this year from three developed oil wells.

After interacting with selected staff on board the FPSO and inspecting key sections of the KNK, President Akufo-Addo will attend a commemorative luncheon in Takoradi.

The partners interests are as follows:
08.09.2023 LISTEN

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Frank Asante Antwi, a senior police officer accused of assisting in the recording of the leaked tape involving Daniel Bugri Naabu, former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reportedly stayed away from work since the issue came to light.

ASP Asante Antwi who is alleged to be a darling boy of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare is said not be reporting to work to perform his duty, after his cover was allegedly blown at the parliamentary hearing of the leaked tape, according to sources closed to the IGP.

He has been identified as the alleged individual who assisted Bugri Naabu in recording a conversation between himself and two senior police officers in his Osu office.

During his appearance before the Parliamentary committee investigating the tape and the discussions captured on it, Superintendent George L. Asare, one of the officers featured in the recording, mentioned ASP Asante Antwi as the person responsible for the recording.

Superintendent Asare claimed that his own intelligence gathering revealed that ASP Asante was involved in the plot after which he allegedly gave the tape to IGP Dampare for circulation.

Supt Asare further explained that when the tape was leaked and Bugri Naabu called him on the phone, Naabu mistakenly referred to him as Asante, expressing confusion over why Asante had leaked the tape.

Bugri Naabu had previously admitted to recording the conversation but did not disclose the name of the person who assisted him.

He claimed that he bought the tape recorder at an unnamed mall and solicited the assistance of someone to help in recording the conversation with two top cops over alleged plot to kick out the IGP.

The person who Bugri Naabu allegedly solicited his support is ASP Asante Antwi is alleged to have earned a special dispensation from the IGP to police college for officer cadet program passing out with ASP rank.

Commissioner of Police, George Alex Mensah, also implicated Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare in the recording and subsequent leaking of the tape during his appearance before the committee.

The committee has expressed its intention to invite IGP Dampare for questioning.

Superintendent Asare, who did not provide extensive details about ASP Asante during his testimony, informed the committee that the said officer was assisted in gaining admission to the Police College by IGP. Superintendent Asare assured the committee that he would reveal further information about ASP Asante in private.

Notably, Superintendent Asare was one of the individuals captured on tape discussing the potential removal of IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare from his position.

The leaked tape, which featured a conversation between Daniel Bugri Naabu, Superintendent Asare, and COP Mensah, was made public, leading to Parliament to establish a committee to investigate the matter. The committee, chaired by the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta-Akyea, is currently conducting its investigations.

Source: Daily Guide
Gabon's military rulers have appointed Raymond Ndong Sima, a prominent opponent of ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, as interim prime minister. He is the first civilian leader named by the junta, which overthrew Bongo in a coup at the end of August.

Ndong Sima, a 68-year-old economist, served as prime minister under Bongo from 2012 to 2014 before becoming a critic and eventually challenging the longtime leader in elections in 2016 and 2023.

His appointment, announced on state TV on Thursday, was made in a decree by Gabon's new military leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, who was sworn in as interim president on Monday.

In his inauguration speech, Oligui vowed to hold "free, transparent and credible elections" to restore civilian rule, although he did not give a timeframe.

He also said he would shortly announce an inclusive transitional government drawing on figures from across the political spectrum.

Disputed elections

Bongo took office in 2009 on the death of his father Omar, who ruled the country for more than 40 years, accruing a personal fortune and a reputation as a kleptocrat.

Ali Bongo was re-elected by a wafer-thin margin in 2016, according to bitterly disputed official results, but two years later suffered a stroke that weakened his grip on power.

On 30 August, soldiers led by Oligui, head of the elite Republican Guard, detained Bongo along with his wife and son, shortly after election overseers declared him the winner of a presidential ballot held four days earlier.

The developments in Gabon are being anxiously followed in central Africa and beyond.

The country, which has large reserves of oil, joins Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger among the countries in Africa that have undergone coups in the last three years.

(with AFP)
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The Police in Berekum-Koraso in the Bono Region are investigating the murder of a 4-month-old baby.

Reports indicate that the suspects are the father of the baby and a fetish priest.

Information gathered indicates that the fetish priest was contracted by the father to kill the baby boy who was autistic.

The fetish priest after charging GHS800 went to Berekum on Monday, September 5, in the evening around 7 pm to execute the task by suffocating the autistic four-month-old baby.

The father of the murdered baby is a level 200 student at the University of Ghana and goes by the name Dj Poli.

After the fetish priest hired from Drobo-Yamiensa carried out the task, the father of the baby is reported to have secretly buried the baby at Nsapor cemetery on Monday night.

Some residents after learning of what had transpired fumed and marched to report the matter to the Berekum Divisional Police headquarters.

The matter has been taken up and is now under investigation.
In the bid to expand Ghana's export capacity to the rest of the world to foster economic growth and development, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) held its 80th National Exporters' Forum in Accra to engage with exporters.

The forum, which was in partnership with Access Bank, was on the theme "Growing Ghana's Export Capacity, Catalyst For Economic Growth" and was dedicated to Ghana trade house opened in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ghana Trade House, a one-stop-shop outlet, located in Nairobis Sameer Business Park, is intended to provide a platform for Ghanaian exporters to showcase their products and services in the East African country, fostering economic growth and development.

The Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, Dr. Afua Asabea Asare said the authority is dedicated to deploring innovative ideas to add value to its products to record more nontraditional export revenue this year (2023).

"GEPA has collaborated with key stakeholders such as the Ghana Standards Authority, the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Exim Bank, the Association of Ghana Industries, the Plant Promotion and Regulations Service Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as well as research institutions, private sector entities, government organizations, and foreign missions," she said.

In 2022, Ghana recorded non-traditional export revenue of 3.5 billion USD with the manufactured and semi-manufactured products sector contributing the most.

Underscoring that, this result highlights GEPA's dedication to enhancing capacity and fostering global competitiveness exchange flows and foreign exchange flows to boost the local economy.

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon K.T Hammond mentioned that the President Akufo Addo-led administration is committed to supporting and promoting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to thrive.

He urged stakeholders and exporters to work together to promote Made in Ghana goods to the rest of the world.

"Let us see ourselves working together as partners in the growth and development of the economy of the country. You cannot be unaware of trade and the transformative impact it has on the economy, especially those in the emerging part," he said.

The Executive Director of Wholesale Banking at Access Bank, Mr James Bruce, explained various initiatives Access Bank is embarking on to support exporters.

"Access Bank is partnering with Ghana Exporters Promotion Company on its 80th Exporters forum because at Access Bank we believe in trade, especially African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Currently, we operate in 18 African countries as an established bank therefore whatever we are doing, whatever exporters have to send out there, they are assured that they will get their money. The majority of the exporters are SMEs and we have a track record of supporting SMEs both with skills and capacity building through our partners.

"For us, as a business looking that the majority of the economy is driven by the SMEs, only Access Bank will step in and support the economy by supporting GEPA in this laudable initiative. We are actually happy that Ghana has a trade house in Kenya. We are delighted to be part of this, most importantly to give exporters advice on how to take finance from banks in these trying times," he explained.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

An Adentan Circuit Court has fined a 46-year-old pastor GHC6,000 for unlawfully discharging his licensed pump action shotgun without justification.

Sarfo told the court that he had not intended to fire his gun.

The court presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah, ruled that if he did not pay the fine, he would be imprisoned for 12 months.

Sarfo was also ordered to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for 24 months or spend two years in prison.

The court also ruled that Sarfos gun be held by the Adentan Police Command for 12 months and be returned to him on September 8, 2024.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, said the complainant is a banker, and Sarfo is a preacher and a landlord who owns a building at Agbogba in Accra, where he and the complainant lived with other tenants.

Sarfo, according to Chief Inspector Lanyo, rented an apartment to the complainant for a year about eight months ago.

After paying his rent, the complainant made several efforts to get a copy of the tenancy agreement.

The prosecution told the court that the more the complainant tried to demand and collect the tenancy agreement, the more Sarfo threatened him with eviction.

On May 4, 2023, at about 2000 hours, the complainant went to Agbogba Police Station and reported that Sarfo had called him on the phone to threatened that he should not come home that day, and if he does go home, that will be his final day on earth.

The prosecution said the Police issued to the complainant an extract of occurrence to be sent to Adenta Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit for investigations.

It said during investigations the complainant informed the Police that Sarfo was in the habit of threatening his tenants with a gun if he had misunderstanding with them.

He (Sarfo) goes to the extent of firing gunshots under the pretext of giving warnings shots to scare them.

The prosecution said on May 17, this year at about 2000 hours, the police went to Sarfo's house and knocked at his door multiple times but received no response.

According to the prosecutor, the police took the opportunity to interview some of his tenants to ascertain the truth of the complainant's claims of how Sarfo had been firing gunshots when he had a misunderstanding with any of them.

The prosecution said tenants confirmed the allegation and were willing to testify in the matter.

Sarfo reported at the police at Adentan DOVVSU on May 18, 2023, at 1000 hours, with his pump action gun with serial number TO72894 filled with BB cartridges.

The court heard that Sarfo was cautioned, and his gun was taken by the Police for further investigations.

The prosecution said Sarfo denied threatening to kill the complainant in his caution statement but admitted that he fired shots with his gun three earlier after a misunderstanding with the complainant about his tenancy agreement.

The prosecutor told the court that while investigations were underway, the complainant went to the Police Station with a written threat message pasted on his door by the Sarfo.

In his caution statement, the accused admitted posting it there.

GNA
08.09.2023 LISTEN

So far everything I have written about the NPP, before, during and after their Super Delegates conference has come to pass. Just last week, I wrote that Alan Kyeremanteng may not stay in the race for long and that too has been fulfilled.

So now, I can say that the race has come down to Dr. Bawumiah, from the north and Kennedy Agyapong, from the south. The southerners in the Dr. Bawumiah camp are all over the place watering-down the withdrawal of Alan from the race, an indication that, their camp has been shaken and their fear level of losing has gone way up.

The Bawumiah camp are asking Alan and some of his leaders to join them as if they dont know what Alan wrote in his withdrawal letter. Let me repeat what Alan wrote in case they will read this article. Alan wrote How did we get here as a party in the first place, and how far are we prepared to tread on this dangerous path to self-destruction

Who in his/her right mind will talk of asking someone who has written this to his party, to join the mess? So, the establishment still dont see the mess they have created for the party and the country or do they see Alan to be so stupid? Assuming Alan joins them, would they see people like Yaw Boabeng, Sylvester Tetteh, Hopeson Adorye, Catherine Afeku and the rest to also join them? The break-up of the NPP is coming again.

The reason Alan pulled out quietly is that the Ashanti caucus against the establishment dont want Ghanaians to see that they have come together to fight against the northerner called Dr. Bawumiah. This is why the Bawumiah camp is shaking like a pregnant fish.

The dynamics on November 4 is that Alan and Boakye Agyarko will not be in the race. They pulled out due to what they saw as stealing from the establishment There is no way they will support them to continue with their stealing. This foolish political party couldnt manage just 900 super delegates. Do you now see why Ghana, with about 32 million people, has gone back 30 years under this blind and incompetent leadership?

Nana Akufo-Addo ended the political career of Alan in 2007, when he declared that Alan is next after him to lead the NPP. He ended the political career of Boakye Agyarko in 2017, when he fired him as the energy minister. He is likely to end the political career of Dr. Bawumiah on November 4.

The day NPP will go to opposition, that is the day they will realize how much damage Nana Addo has caused their political party.

Lawrence Appiah-Osei
08.09.2023 LISTEN

Rockson Adofo, self-styling himself as a no-nonsense, proud and fearless son of Kumawu/Asiampa soil did not come about as a joke, or a mere love of addressing himself as such. It is also not by any feat of war but by character trait grounded in facts.

He is a no-nonsense man because he does not stomach nonsense and does not suffer fools gladly. Out of many instances where he has demonstrated his no-nonsense character, he will choose to discuss only one, if it will be enough to persuade the public to comprehend the degree of his aversion to nonsenses.

The Asante overlord came out publicly to declare that the entire Ashanti land belongs to him. He said, no chief in Ashanti region owns any land and that they are simply caretakers to the lands they occupy on his behalf. Additionally, there are no family lands in Ashanti region, he said.

Rockson Adofo knowing very well that both his paternal and maternal families own lands in Kumawu and Juaben, respectively, with there being cadastral stool lands in Ashanti region as were demarcated by Sir Francis Fuller, the Chief Commissioner to Ashanti region in 1908, and again, having well researched official documents in his possession contravening the overlords assertion, he could only see the overlords claim as nothing but nonsense.

The government owns land in Ashanti region or else, there would be no surveyors land, otherwise called locally, sofia line, in Kumawu and other areas in Ashanti region.

Coming to conclusion about the nonsensical nature of the overlords claim, Rockson Adofo placed an online publication not only to rubbish it but to educate the public on there being divisions in Ashanti region with each divisional traditional paramount chief owing the land they occupy as stool lands for the collective benefit of their subjects.

He went further to proof that there are three groups that own Ashanti region land and they are;

1. The paramount chiefs of each division  (stool land)

2. Families - (family land)

3. Government  (e.g. The Achimota forest in Accra and the Surveyors land in Kumawu)

If he wasnt a no-nonsense person, he would have let go the claim which could eventually have become an authority to be cited by future Ashanti Overlords to claim total ownership to Ashanti region land whereas the claim was not a fact but pure nonsense coming from a bully.

On the question of proud, he is happy and admires the fact that he is of service to his people and nation by his educative online publications, where he shares views and takes stance. He helps others as his might and resources can carry him, although himself not such a well-to-do person. There is joy in sharing, he strongly believes, and often becomes the voice for the voiceless; the source of his pride and how be becomes proud.

He is happy to be making his Asiampa people proud by his bold actions, wisdom and selflessness.

Finally, he is fearless. Some people may say, how audacious is he if he sits in the comfort zone of his lounge in faraway London to publish articles or makes statements against some people in authority in Ghana?

Fine, are there not many people abroad but are scared to express even their factual but negative verbal opinions on/about some people in authority in Ghana, e.g. Asantehene, let alone, putting such views into writing or publishing them?

Is Rockson Adofo not numerously threatened by some damn sycophants, warning him never to step foot in Ghana or else, they will deal drastically with him? Some even threaten to arrest and drag him to the Asante overlord were he to step foot in Ghana.

Upon all these threats that such sickos could possibly execute to please their overlord, Rockson still goes to Ghana and continues to express his honest opinions. Why should he be cowed by ignorant persons and their actions?

He believes fools should be resisted but not to be allowed to rule the world according to their ignorance.

If he were not fearless, he would not bother to go to Ghana or continue to express his candid opinion about issues affecting his country of birth and as are vital to his Ghanaian compatriots.

Anyone interested in knowing more about the person Rockson Adofo, just read his online publications on Ghanaweb and Modernghana.

To conclude, it is neither by any fantasy that Rockson Adofo claims to be proud, fearless and no-nonsense man nor it is by accolades handed to him on a silver platter but by character trait etched in invisible stones.
Ranking Member on Parliament's Roads and Transport Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza says government has failed to prioritise the expansion of the Accra-Tema motorway.

This follows an assurance by the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah that government plans to develop the Tema Motorway into a 10-lane highway.

Speaking to Citi News, Mr Agbodza stressed that government has not shown enough commitment to expand the motorway.

It is about priorities. Ghana is not broke. I dont believe Ghana is broke beyond doing what we have to do to save ourselves. Government has decided to spend $250 million on building a new Bank of Ghana headquarters, at the same time abandon La General Hospital, abandon Shama District Hospital, and abandon many district hospitals and road projects in this country. It is about priorities.

Imagine if we apply $250 million of that money to the motorway, we would have been 70 percent way down completing the motorway. So it is about priorities, I dont think they prioritise the motorway, he stated.

Meanwhile, Mr Agbodza has blamed the government for the incidents of vehicles running into obsolete toll booths.

He argues that the government's decision to cancel the collection of road tolls was not well-thought-through.

As such, Mr Agbodza said the government should make the toll booths safe for motorists.

citinewsroom
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The Upper East Regional Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has strongly condemned the tragic assassination of Mr. Williams Akanyele, a former Regional Vice Chairman.

The youth wing expressed deep sadness and outrage over the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, September 7, 2023.

In a statement signed by Mr. Samson Samari, the Deputy Regional Youth Organiser, released on Thursday, September 7, 2023, the youth wing called upon the Ghana Police Service and other state security agencies operating within the region to take immediate action.

They urged these authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation to swiftly bring the perpetrator(s) of this dreadful crime to justice.

The statement highlighted the distressing circumstances of the assassination, noting that Mr. Akanyele had been in Sirigu on September 6, 2023, for routine party and family activities related to a funeral when he was assassinated within the confines of his own room.

This tragic event underscored the critical need for a thorough investigation.

Furthermore, the statement mentioned that there had been an attempted assassination on another party colleague, Comrade Martin Ariku, the Constituency Chairman for Binduri, on August 27, 2023, in the safety of his home.

These incidents raised serious concerns about the need for enhanced security measures in the Upper East Region.

The NDC's Upper East Regional Youth Wing issued a two-week ultimatum to the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies in the region, urging them to swiftly apprehend the individuals responsible for these acts.

They warned that failure to do so would compel the party to take stronger actions in response.

The statement reflects the party's determination to seek justice for the victims and ensure the safety and security of its members in the region

Source: Classfmonline.com
Prof. Ransford Gyampo

08.09.2023 LISTEN

The democratic loving Ghanaians should appreciate that the journey to equal the records of the advanced democracies is going to be rough, hard and narrow, and requires temporary sacrifices for a better tomorrow.

Let us remind ourselves that when it comes to the continent, we do not have equals. Areas where coups have happened cannot compare to the Ghana where no leader has ever tampered with the Constitution to prolong their stay in office.

Notwithstanding the economic challenges as a result of factors such as COVID-19 and the Ukraine/Russia war, the Ghanaian electorate have their say. We just have to be resilient in our march towards the Promised Land like in the words of Jimmy Cliff that we have a Hard road to travel.

The lyrics go this way: I've got a hard road to travel. And a rough rough way to go. Said it's a hard road to travel. And a rough rough way to go. But I can't turn back, my heart is fixed. My mind's made up, I'll never stop. My faith will see, see me through.

We can at this stage call on Ghanaians to remain steadfast behind our government and show abiding faith in the lyrics of Jimmy Cliff in our struggle to sustain our democratic dispensation in the midst of the campaign by the prophets of doom hollow wish for coup.

For this reason, we have decided to name and shame the coup mongers in democratic garb so that we can expose their hypocrisy and double standards. These are the people who do not mean well for this country when they know that soldiers are no better managers of our resources.

Look at our soldiers who have been deployed to fight galamsey and whether the videos we have seen show our soldiers as saints. Again, we remind ourselves about what our soldiers did in the past when there were coups.

If we are still suffering from memory deficit, the first thing soldiers do in the wake of coups are the looting of shops and the settling of old scores. Those who are beyond 50 years should tell their children, family members and friends about military brutalities including the infamous, eye kanea, eye han episode to instill so-called fear of God in our mothers.

The leader of the coup mongers are led by Mahama, assisted by Asiedu Nketia and buoyed on by Martin Kpebu, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, Mahama Ayariga, Kwesi Pratt and Bernard Mornah. These characters have no faith in our democratic dispensation but they are nyatwum just because they get personal benefits.

So long as the NDC is not in power, they would beat the coup drums to oust Nana Akufo-Addo from office. Their hatred for the NPP government has blinded them to the realities of our time. We are watching them but they will hit the rock in their unpatriotic and anti-democratic tendencies.

Source: Daily Guide
08.09.2023 LISTEN

Nana Akomea, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of State Transport Company of Ghana has criticized former president John Dramani Mahama over constant criticisms of the Judiciary.

According to Mr. Akomea, as a leader of the National Democratic Congress and an aspiring president, he should set a good example.

He said Ghanaians should condemn the former President's outburst at the Judiciary and President Akufo-Addo's government.

What President Mahama said should be condemned by every right-thinking Ghanaian, Mr. Mahama's statement is dangerous.

Every person who believes in our democracy should condemn it. For the first time in our history, you have someone who wants to be President say he will appoint his party members to the court. It is unprecedented, Nana Akomea stated.

He wondered how Mr. Mahama intends to become President of Ghana again if what he seeks to do is to load NDC members to the bench.

Someone who has been a former President of the country and wants to become President again, you tell Ghanaians that, when elected, you will come and pack the court with NDC people...This is the reality that the Ghanaians are faced with, that you have somebody seeking power so he can pack the courts. It's a declared intention. Do you deserve to be President? he emphasized.

Former President Mahama accused President Akufo-Addo of appointing 80 to 100 NPP judges to the bench in order to influence rulings in their favour during a speech at the NDC Lawyers Conference in Akosombo over the weekend.

He thus charged NDC lawyers to prepare themselves to take up positions on the bench to balance out its composition.
A suicide attack targeted a military base in northern Mali on Friday, the army said, a day after deadly strikes on an army camp and a passenger boat by suspected jihadists killed 64 people.

The army said on social media that an airport section of a base in Gao had been hit in a "complex" attack.

It gave no details, saying only that "response and assessment are underway."

The region -- the cradle of a jihadist insurgency that has swept into three Sahel nations -- has seen a resurgence of tension in recent weeks, triggered in part by the pullout of UN peacekeeping troops from Mali.

An airport employee told AFP that Friday's attack entailed two car bombs accompanied by gunfire, and that the airport section of the base had been closed.

A day earlier, two separate attacks targeted a ferry on the Niger River as well as an army position at Bamba, also in Gao area.

The two assaults left 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead, according to a provisional government toll.

It did not specify how many died in each assault, but the strikes were "claimed" by a group affiliated to Al-Qaeda.

The Malian army said on social media that the river boat was attacked by "armed terrorist groups."

The vessel was plying a route between cities along the Niger, a crucial transport route in a region where road infrastructure is poor and railways are absent.

Amid an increasingly unstable security situation in recent weeks, soldiers had been on board to provide protection, a military official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

It was targeted by "at least three rockets" which aimed at its engines, the operator Comanav said.

Images on social media showed a cloud of black smoke rising above the river. The incident took place in a remote area and the images could not be verified independently.

Three days of national mourning have been announced from Friday.

Troubled north

Landlocked, impoverished Mali has been struggling with insecurity since 2012 when a revolt led by ethnic Tuaregs erupted in the north of the country.

The insurgency was fanned by jihadists, who three years later took their own campaign into central Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, sending shockwaves across the Sahel.

The northern rebellion was formally ended by a peace agreement signed between the region's rebels and the Malian government in 2015.

Mali. By (AFP)

However, the fragile deal came under strain after the civilian government was toppled in 2020 and replaced by a junta.

Fears for the future of the accord have revived in recent weeks as tensions in the region have mounted.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali -- which has been told to leave by year's end -- handed over two bases near Timbuktu to the armed forces.

The handover triggered clashes between the army and jihadists and led to an angry showdown with former rebels.

Last month, an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), announced it was blockading Timbuktu, the historic crossroads city of northern Mali.
Dr, Mahamudu Bawumia, Presidential hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is set to begin his second phase campaign in the Oti Region starting on Friday, September 8.

He would be visiting Traditional leaders, the clergy, Imams and other relevant stakeholders to receive their blessings for the special election on November 4.

A communique released and copied to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Felix Ade, the Oti NPP Regional Organiser, said, the Vice President would visit the nine constituencies, and expected to meet and interact with branch and constituency executives.

He would begin the campaign tour from the Guan District, Buem and the Akan constituencies.

Dr Bawumia would then proceed to Nkwanta South, Nkwanta North and the Krachi East constituencies and eventually end the third day trip at the Krachi Nchumuru, Krachi West, and Biakoye constituencies before heading back to the Greater Accra Region.

Dr Bawumia topped NPP Super Delegates Conference with a total of 629 votes, representing 68.15 per cent of the votes on August 26, 2023.

GNA
Mustapha Gbande

08.09.2023 LISTEN

Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande has said his party is well prepared for the 2024 general elections.

According to Mr. Gbande, Vice President Dr. Bawumia poses no threat to NDC.

The NDC's Deputy General Secretary claims he is even capable of defeating Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in any elections during an interview on Adom FM Dwaso Nsem.

Mustapha Gbande explained that the Vice President has contributed to the prevailing economic hardship hence there is no way Ghanaians will vote for him in 2024.

We know he is the choice of the establishment. The NDC can never be afraid of Dr. Bawumia. I can even win an election against him. What credibility is he walking with? You cannot win an election without credibility, Mustapha Gbande stated.

The NPP will hold its final Delegates Conference on November 4, 2023, to elect a candidate to lead as its flagbearer, and eventually presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections.

In the event that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia prevails in the NPP primaries, he will compete against Mr. John Dramani Mahama in the 2024 elections.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

Mr. Pious Tay, the Tema Metropolitan Health Coordinator, has advised women to take their mental health issues very seriously as more women are at risk of suffering from depression than men.

Mr. Tay said even though depression could occur among all genders, it is seen more among women due to hormonal changes interplaying with other life-related issues.

He stated that depression was a state of mind or health of an individual where the person's emotions become disturbed, adding that depressed persons have a sense of sadness, a low mood, a low level of energy, fatigue, as well as a low or high level of appetite, among others.

The Tema Metro Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Services has joined forces with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to engage in a month of relentless public advocacy to mark World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD).

The WSPD is an awareness day observed on September 10 every year to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003.

Speaking on the topic Depression, during an engagement at the GNA health project dubbed, Your Health: Our Collective Responsibility, Mr. Tay noted that the hormonal or endocrine changes in women put them at higher risk of depression.

The weekly Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! A GNA initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.

The GNA developed the public health advocacy platform Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility to investigate the components of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, convincing, and promoting.

Mr Tay added that maternal issues, motherhood, extra load, house chores, finances, and childbirth stresses were other factors.

He said women aged between 37 and 47 who were yet to get married were likely to fall into depression as they expected to have been married by then and were also thinking about their delay in having children.

Mr. Tay added, however, that those above that age, even if not married, have accepted their fate and moved on, therefore having less risk of developing depression from their conditions.

He indicated that being at the stage of an empty nest and having old-age illnesses without adequate funding for medication could also lead some people, including men, to depression.

He advised the public to seek help at the various mental health units at the public health institutions, where their situation would be monitored for some time and other clinical investigations done for diagnosis and treatment.

He also urged relatives and friends to offer some support for people going through depression by encouraging them to seek professional help.

GNA
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The Akatsi Municipal Hospital in the Volta Region has introduced a special engagement session dubbed 'Pregnancy School' for, especially women in the municipality.

The aim is to have more detailed time with pregnant women and their partners as well as family members or support persons on pregnancy-related issues.

Madam Ann Dzifa Gedzeve, a Senior Midwife Officer (SMO) at the hospital and host of the initiative, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency that the move would be on the topic Importance of Antenatal and Pregnancy School.

She said the initiative would also teach support persons how to care for babies in the absence of their mother

This is going to be held on the second and last Thursday of every month.

She explained that the maiden edition would be held on Thursday, September 14 at the hospital's premises, adding This will be sustained.

Madam Gedzeve also appealed to all pregnant women and their partners to take advantage of the programme.

GNA
The Keta Municipal Office of the National Identification Authority (NIA) in the Volta region, has lamented over the number of uncollected printed Ghana Cards in its custody.

The cards, according to the officials, are for those who were registered during the mop-up and mass registration exercises.

Mr Abraham Kwadzo Avevor, the NIA Director at Keta, made the disclosure to the Ghana News Agency during an engagement.

He said despite embarking on announcements on local radio stations and community centres in the Municipality, the cards remained uncollected.

We are appealing to the public, especially the Ghana Card applicants who are yet to receive the cards to come for them, he said.

Mr Avevor stated that the NIA had resumed the registration and issuance of Ghana Cards to Ghanaians aged 15 and above who are first time applicants for free.

He said phase one of the registration was for only public workers on the Governments payroll, which commenced from Monday, August 28 and would end on Friday, September 8.

Mr Avevor stated that first applicants must appear in person with original copy of their birth certificates or a valid Ghanaian Passport, a digital address, original copy of naturalisation certificate, or a family member to guarantee the cards.

There is a statutory fee of GHS34.50 for card replacement and other corrections from applicants.

He urged all applicants who could not receive their cards to visit their outfit for collection.

Mr Avevor also urged the new applicants to exercise patience for the registration and issuance of their cards.

GNA
CREDIT INSURANCE

In the intricate ballet of the business world, sustaining a harmonious flow between trade receivables and ensuring that the cash flow remains uncompromised is pivotal. In this delicate dance, credit insurance takes centre stage, acting as a formidable shield against the potential pitfalls of non-payment and unforeseen financial strains. If you have done the work, you must get paid, right? To some person, at some place, at some time, things will go sideways: Murphys Law. Hence, my current curiosity on credit insurance.

I am not an expert, and this is no more than a brainstorming session after some light reading and asking myself what exactly is credit insurance and how it weaves into todays ever-evolving business landscape?

Definition of Credit Insurance

Credit insurance is a policy designed to safeguard businesses from the risks of non-payment of commercial debt. In simpler terms, it is a safety net that ensures your business is covered if a client defaults on a payment, helping maintain a healthy cash flow and buoyancy.

The Relevance of Credit Insurance in Todays Business Landscape

More than ever, businesses are grappling with unforeseen challenges in the current volatile economic environment. From pandemic-induced economic downturns to fluctuating market dynamics, securing ones business from financial duress is paramount. Credit insurance emerges as a beacon of hope, allowing businesses to navigate troubled waters with an added layer of security.

THE ANATOMY OF CREDIT INSURANCE

It has become imperative that I understand the diverse spectrum of credit insurance, finely tailored to cater for my different business needs and nuances. I believe you relate to the aforementioned and would also want to dissect the anatomy of credit insurance to comprehend its multifaceted nature.

Definition and Breakdown

Credit insurance operates on a fundamental premise - safeguarding businesses from commercial debts resulting from unforeseen circumstances such as bankruptcy, protracted default, or even political upheavals affecting trade.

I found that credit insurance is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It bears different manifestations to suit individual business demands. Here are a few examples I found:

Whole Turnover Cover : A holistic approach where a business secures its entire trade receivables portfolio, essentially providing a safety net for all its transactions. Single Risk Cover : Tailored for businesses that wish to secure a significant transaction, mitigating the risk associated with that sole commercial endeavour. Multi-Buyer Cover : Designed for entities aiming to shield a select portfolio of buyers, adding a layer of protection against non-payment risks from multiple clients.

Different Types of Credit Insurance Policies Available

Many types of credit insurance policies are available to suit varying business landscapes. Highlighted are a few noteworthy types:

Domestic and Export Cover : This caters to domestic and international businesses, providing a safeguard against potential risks in different geographic locales.

This caters to domestic and international businesses, providing a safeguard against potential risks in different geographic locales. Political Risk Cover : Specially designed for businesses engaged in international trade, this policy covers the risks arising from political instabilities and adverse government actions affecting trade.

Specially designed for businesses engaged in international trade, this policy covers the risks arising from political instabilities and adverse government actions affecting trade. Catastrophic Loss Cover : This policy considers losses arising from significant unforeseen events, ensuring your business can recover from severe financial setbacks.

THE ADVANTAGES OF CREDIT INSURANCE

In the grand scheme of business dynamics, credit insurance is a stronghold of financial security, affording many benefits beyond just risk mitigation. It brings multifaceted advantages to a businesss table.

Risk Mitigation

The importance of having a safety net cannot be overstated in a world where the economic landscape is constantly shifting. Credit insurance serves as a protective shield, mitigating risks associated with:

Bankruptcy : Ensuring your business remains resilient in the face of client bankruptcies.

Ensuring your business remains resilient in the face of client bankruptcies. Market Fluctuations : Providing a cushion against the volatilities of the ever-changing market dynamics.

Providing a cushion against the volatilities of the ever-changing market dynamics. Political Unrest : Offering a layer of protection against disruptions caused by political instability in various geographies.

Enhancing Borrowing Capacity

Credit insurance safeguards your business assets and can significantly enhance your borrowing capacity. Heres how:

Better Loan Terms : Leveraging insured receivables can facilitate negotiating more favourable loan terms with lenders.

Leveraging insured receivables can facilitate negotiating more favourable loan terms with lenders. Boosting Confidence : Lenders often view businesses with credit insurance more favourably, translating to better financial terms and opportunities.

Safeguarding Business Relationships

A particularly sterling aspect of credit insurance is its role in fostering and safeguarding business relationships. Heres how:

Professional Debt Recovery : Credit insurance companies often facilitate professional debt recovery services, ensuring the preservation of business relationships.

Credit insurance companies often facilitate professional debt recovery services, ensuring the preservation of business relationships. Buffering Difficult Conversations : By having a third party manage debt recovery, you avoid strained relations, thereby fostering long-term business connections.

REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS AND CASE STUDIES

Understanding the theoretical advantages of credit insurance is one thing; seeing its benefits unfold in real business scenarios is another. The real power of understanding credit insurance is through concrete examples and case studies.

Scenarios Where Businesses Benefited from Credit Insurance

Lets take a journey through the experiences of businesses globally that have leveraged credit insurance to their advantage:

Startup Growth : For emerging businesses, credit insurance has proven to be a tool for safe expansion, allowing them to extend credit terms to new customers while safeguarding their financial health.

For emerging businesses, credit insurance has proven to be a tool for safe expansion, allowing them to extend credit terms to new customers while safeguarding their financial health. Surviving Economic Downturns : Many businesses have weathered economic storms thanks to the safety net provided by credit insurance, helping them absorb shocks from client defaults during tough times.

Scenarios Where Credit Insurance Played a Pivotal Role

To further bring to life the pivotal role of credit insurance, let us explore some scenarios where it proved to be a game-changer:

Navigating Political Turbulence : Companies engaged in international trade have managed to navigate periods of political unrest, safeguarded by policies covering such specific risks.

Companies engaged in international trade have managed to navigate periods of political unrest, safeguarded by policies covering such specific risks. Recovery from Catastrophic Events : Businesses affected by unforeseen catastrophic events found resilience through catastrophic loss cover, helping them to rebuild and recover.

CHALLENGES AND CRITICISMS

While credit insurance stands as a defensive wall in safeguarding businesses from a myriad of risks, it is not without its critics. Navigating the potential downsides and criticisms is essential to foster a balanced perspective. Let us dissect some of the prevalent concerns:

Potential Downsides

Like every financial instrument, credit insurance also comes with its set of challenges. Here are some potential downsides:

Cost Factors : Premiums for credit insurance can be substantial, and businesses must meticulously weigh the costs against the benefits.

Premiums for credit insurance can be substantial, and businesses must meticulously weigh the costs against the benefits. Coverage Limitations : Credit insurance policies often come with various exclusions, meaning not all risks might be covered, exposing businesses to certain perils.

Credit insurance policies often come with various exclusions, meaning not all risks might be covered, exposing businesses to certain perils. Claim Denials : There is a risk of claim denials for various reasons, such as misinformation, which can potentially thwart the very purpose of having insurance.

Balanced Criticisms

In the spirit of providing a balanced view, we acknowledge some criticisms prevalent in the industry:

Complex Policy Terms : Critics often point out that the policy terms can be quite complex, making it challenging for businesses to comprehend the coverage scope fully.

Critics often point out that the policy terms can be quite complex, making it challenging for businesses to comprehend the coverage scope fully. Bureaucratic Hurdles : Claiming insurance can sometimes be mired in bureaucratic red tape, potentially delaying recovery.

CHOOSING A CREDIT INSURANCE POLICY

Selecting the right credit insurance policy is a significant step in fortifying your business against unforeseen risks. There are vital factors to consider when seeking a policy that aligns with your business needs.

Factors to Consider

When on the hunt for the perfect policy, here are some crucial elements to consider:

Business Specific Needs : Identify the unique needs of your business, factoring in the scale of operations and the nature of your clients.

Identify the unique needs of your business, factoring in the scale of operations and the nature of your clients. Market Dynamics : Keep a close eye on the prevailing market dynamics and geopolitical developments, especially if you are engaged in international trade.

Keep a close eye on the prevailing market dynamics and geopolitical developments, especially if you are engaged in international trade. Financial Stability of Your Buyers : Evaluate the financial health of your buyers to understand the level of risk you might be exposed to.

Tips on Finding a Policy that Suits Your Business Needs

As we navigate the myriad of options available, here are some tips to steer you in the right direction:

Consult with a Specialist : Engaging with a credit insurance specialist can provide insights and help tailor a policy that meets your needs - I tried chatting with a renowned insurance expert last week, but our schedules clashed. Always consult an expert!

Engaging with a credit insurance specialist can provide insights and help tailor a policy that meets your needs - I tried chatting with a renowned insurance expert last week, but our schedules clashed. Always consult an expert! Comparative Analysis : Undertake a comparative analysis of different policies, weighing the pros and cons meticulously.

Undertake a comparative analysis of different policies, weighing the pros and cons meticulously. Read Reviews and Testimonials : Turning to reviews and testimonials from other businesses can offer a real-world perspective on the efficacy of various policies.

Final Remarks

As you forge onward in your business journey, remember that credit insurance stands as a reliable sentinel, guarding against the financial pitfalls that may come your way.

So, whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or a burgeoning startup, embarking on the path with a credit insurance shield safeguards your venture and brings peace of mind to the bustling world of trade and commerce.

I hope you found this article to be an enjoyable read. Your feedback is highly valued and appreciated. I welcome your suggestions for topics you want me to address or provide insights on. You can schedule a meeting with me at your convenience through my Calendly at calendly.com/maxwellampong. Alternatively, you may connect with me through various channels accessible on my Linktree page at https://linktr.ee/themax.

Wishing you a highly productive and successful week ahead!

....................................................................................................
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a stern warning to coup plotters, indicating that they will not get the party's support.

National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, commonly known as "General Mosquito," made this declaration during the swearing-in ceremony of appointees of the National Executive Committee held in Accra.

In his address, Mr. Nketiah emphasized the party's commitment to defending Ghana's democratic stability, which they take pride in shaping.

He asserted, "We are ready to protect it, and no adventure will get our cooperation."

Regarding the political landscape in the sub-region, Mr. Nketiah expressed his concern, stating that the situation was far from pleasant.

He acknowledged that while opposition groups in some countries might collaborate with military adventurers to stage coups, Ghana would not support such actions.

He said, Our luck is that though opposition groups will always collaborate with the military adventurers to stage a coup, in Ghana the situation is different because we will not support it.

The newly appointed officials include a 30-member Council of Elders, a 26-member Political Committee, and a three-member Disciplinary Committee.

Mr. Nketiah further highlighted that due to the NDC's determination to protect the constitution, the government had taken advantage of the situation to engage in actions that exceeded expectations, which he found troubling.

He called upon the citizenry to voice their concerns and safeguard democracy.

So let us rise up and speak out to save this democracy. The youth are the most frustrated lot in the country.

They dont have jobs and at least they should be content with the opportunity to change government and install the government they like but what are we seeing?

The opportunity for them to register and participate in the voting process is being blocked.

Once again, the machinations happening are all geared towards limiting their access and the right to participate in the democratic exercise, he said.

He particularly expressed concern for the youth, stating that their frustration, stemming from unemployment and limited access to the democratic process, needed to be addressed.

"The youth don't have jobs, and at least they should be content with the opportunity to change government and install the government they like, but what are we seeing?" he questioned. "The opportunity for them to register and participate in the voting process is being blocked."

Mr. Nketiah warned that if the government continued to deny the youth their right to participate in the democratic process, they might resort to alternative means to bring about change.

He called upon civil society organizations, opinion leaders, and faith-based organizations to pressure the government to protect the rights of the youth to cast their ballots freely and fairly.

He acknowledged the challenging times and expressed optimism, stating, "Somehow, I believe God is a Ghanaian, and I believe we shall overcome."
08.09.2023 LISTEN

Mr Thomas Duanab Wuni Pearson, the Talensi District Chief Executive (DCE), has appealed to residents to remain calm, as the Assembly works closely with the security to clamp down on criminals in the area.

He said it was sad and unfortunate that some innocent residents in the eastern part of the district had undeservedly lost their lives and he was committed to employing all avenues to restore sanity in the area.

The DCE was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on the recent attacks, robberies, and killings in the eastern part of the Talensi District, where one Issah Calender, a resident, was shot dead by armed robbers.

He said the late Calender was a humble patriotic gentleman who loved policing as if he was a well-trained security person and it was sad for him to have met his untimely death.

In that same week, it was reported that the police engaged in a gun battle with the armed robbers leading to the loss of an AK47 rifle belonging to the police, when one of the police officers on a motorbike lost the grips of the riffle, he said.

Other people were also reported robbed and maimed by the armed robbers.

I want to extend my regard and assurances to the traditional council, the paramount Chief of Talensi, that we will do all within our means to calm down the situation and improve the security situation in the area, and we are working at that, he said.

He emphasised that there would be a joint meeting with REGSEC to properly strategise security responses in the area.

It is sad that there is gold in your place, and you have criminals blocking roads. It used to be the snatching of motorbikes, but now it has gone from snatching motorbikes to shooting people and taking their belongings. This is not acceptable.

He said the security would go after these inhuman criminals who are tormenting the lives of people in the area.

GNA
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has disclosed that 10% of the illiterate population in Ghana is concentrated in nine of the 261 districts.

Data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) indicates that only nine of the 261 districts account for more than a tenth (10.4%) of the 7.9 million illiterate persons 6 years and older.

According to the data, Tamale Metropolitan Assembly is the district with the highest number of illiterates in the country.

These districts are Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (123,455), Nanumba North Municipal (100,046), East Mamprusi Municipal (98,293), Sagnarigu Municipal (94,006), Gushegu Municipal (92,056), West Mamprusi Municipal (82,262), Central Gonja (81,261), Ketu South Municipal (76,082), and Bawku West (74,798). In all, these nine districts combined have 822,259 persons 6 years and older who are not literate i.e., cannot read and write with understanding in any language, part of a release from GSS to mark International Literacy Day revealed.

International Literacy Day is commemorated annually on 8th September to raise awareness of the importance of literacy.

The theme for the 2023 International Literacy Day is Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies.

Data from the 2021 PHC indicates that one in every five districts (53 out of the 261) had at least half of the population 6 years and older being illiterate. The percent illiterate was highest in the Karaga district (81.0%) followed by the Gushegu Municipal (80.7%), and North East Gonja (80.3%) districts. Six districts had more than three-quarters of the population 6 years and older that was illiterate.

Nine out of the 16 regions had at least one district that had more than half of its population 6 years and older that was illiterate: Northern (14), Upper West (10), Upper East (8), Savannah (6), North East (5), Bono East (4), Oti (4), Eastern (1), and Ashanti (1).

There were 15 districts with less than 10.0 percent of the population that was illiterate.

All except one of these 15 districts were in the Greater Accra Region and Ashanti is the only region to have a district with an illiteracy rate of less than 10.0 percent (Kwadaso Municipal) and a district with an illiteracy rate greater than 50.0 percent (Sekyere Afram Plains).

The district with the lowest illiteracy rate was Ayawaso West Municipal (5.9%), followed by La Dade-Kotopon Municipal (6.1%), and Tema West Municipal (6.2%).
The Ghana Police Service has confirmed the arrest of some suspected robbers who attacked a mining company at Bogoso in the Western Region.

The arrest of the two suspects was made on Wednesday, September 6.

The suspects, Derrick Kwabena and Daniel Ofori alias Denotobe, in the company of six others currently on the run, attacked the mining company and some Police Officers on duty at the site.

The Police responded and succeeded in arresting Derrick Kwabena on the spot while the other accomplices escaped.

Further investigation led to the arrest of suspect Daniel Ofori, who was in a waiting Toyota Hilux pickup vehicle for the rest of the suspects and the booty.

Following the arrest of the two, the Police retrieved a quantity of gold concentrate in a fertilizer sack, one pistol, one cutlass, five BB cartridges, and one Toyota Hilux pickup with registration No. GN 3020-17, and some talismans, from the robbers.

The two suspects are in lawful custody while efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects to face justice.
Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has met with Qatar's emir in his third trip abroad since war broke out between his country's rival military factions in April. Burhan, who in recent days also visited Egypt and South Sudan, is seeking to drum up diplomatic support and legitimacy for his rule.

Burhan's troops are fighting the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He's spent months under siege inside the military headquarters in Khartoum, remaining in Sudan until late August.

Following visits to Egypt and South Sudan, Burhan received a red carpet welcome in Doha this week, where he reportedly discussed "the challenges facing Sudan" with the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

According to the Qatar News Agency, Burhan left the Qatari capital on Thursday.

The war between Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has resulted in the death of at least 5,000 people, according to an estimate from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

Human rights abuses

Late on Wednesday, Burhan issued a decree dissolving the RSF, while the United States slapped sanctions on senior commander Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo, the brother of the paramilitary leader.

The Transitional Sovereignty Council, headed by Burhan, said the decree was "based on the repercussions of these forces' rebellion against the state, the grave violations they committed against citizens, and the deliberate sabotage of the country's infrastructure".

Human rights campaigners have accused the RSF and allied Arab janjaweed militias of atrocities including rape, looting and mass killings of ethnic minorities, primarily in the ethnically mixed Darfur region.

The army has also been accused of abuses, including the indiscriminate bombing of residential areas where the RSF have a presence.

Burhan made his first foray outside army headquarters last month and has visited regional allies in recent weeks.

Since leaving the capital Khartoum, he has been based in Port Sudan, an eastern city that has been largely spared the fighting.

Government officials and the United Nations have similarly relocated operations to the coastal city which hosts Sudan's only functioning airport.

Quest for legitimacy

In late August, as rumours swirled of negotiations aimed at ending the crisis, Burhan flew to Egypt, historically his closest ally, followed by a visit to South Sudan earlier this week.

According to Ashraf Abdulaziz, editor-in-chief of independent Sudanese daily Al-Jarida,"The significance of [the trips abroad] is to confirm the legitimacy of Burhan with the international community."

Both Cairo and Juba have sought to mobilise regional and international efforts to end the nearly five-month conflict, after mediation attempts in the early stages of the war repeatedly floundered.

Multiple truces brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia were systematically violated, before the two mediators adjourned talks in June.

Burhan has taken issue with the mediation efforts of the East African trade bloc IGAD, accusing its current coordinator Kenya of giving a platform to Daglo in its bid to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table.

IGAD mediation rejected

Last month, Burhan's government boycotted IGAD peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, demanding that Kenya be replaced.

On Thursday, the Burhan-run foreign ministry went further, threatening to review Sudan's membership of the bloc if Kenya remained its lead negotiator.

"If IGAD fails to heed our demand for a change of chairman [of its negotiating quartet] ... the Sudanese government will review the relevance of its membership of this organisation," it said in a statement.

Announcing sanctions on Wednesday, the US Treasury said that under Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo, RSF fighters "have engaged in acts of violence and human rights abuses, including the massacre of civilians, ethnic killings and use of sexual violence".

Many of the abuses took place in Darfur, it added.

Daglo called the sanctions against him "unfair" in comments Thursday to Sky News Arabia, a TV channel based in the United Arab Emirates, which observers say is close to the RSF.

The US State Department also placed the RSF's West Darfur commander Abdul Rahman Juma on its blacklist for what Washington called "his involvement in a gross violation of human rights".

As well as leaving thousands dead since 15 April, the war has also forced 4.8 million people from their homes  one million of whom have crossed borders  according to the United Nations.

(with newswires)
Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a lecturer at Central University has expressed his dismay at the allegations made against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, by some senior officers of the Ghana Police Service fingered in the leaked tape.

Currently, COP Alex Mensah and Superintendent George Asare are facing a parliamentary probe following the leak tape in which they together with Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), were heard discussing plans to remove the IGP.

The officers were heard in the audio plotting the removal of Dr. Akuffo Dampare from office, citing allegations of nepotism and mistreatment of police officers.

They have accused the IGP of working against the governing New Patriotic Party's (NPP) interests in the 2024 elections.

During the parliamentary probe, COP Alex Mensah described the IGP as the worst the Service has ever had, saying he is "not correct."

Reacting to this on Peace FMs Kokrokoo morning show, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah criticized COP Alex Mensah for his choice of words when referring to the IGP, asserting that it is not accurate to label Dr. Dampare as the worst Inspector General of Police.

In his view, such statements are made about the IGP because those making the accusations are resistant to the positive changes he is implementing in the Police Service.

He indicated that it is common for people to resist change within an organization.

"Who can say when there is a change, he will get hundred percent acceptance? There is none; there is always resistance...there are some people who won't have things their way because of the changes, so they will stand against it," Dr. Otchere-Ankrah remarked.

He also chastised COP Mensah for making what he deemed to be baseless allegations against the IGP, emphasizing that such statements were not appropriate for someone of his calibre.

"You know the statements you made are not right, and at your level, it shouldn't have come from your mouth. You know it, but you said it," Dr. Otchere-Ankrah rebuked the officers.

However, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah commended Dr. Dampare for the significant transformation of the Police Service, highlighting that, "from what we know and what we see, this IGP has really performed and is still performing."

He also advised Dr. Dampare to bear in mind that not everyone will share in his success story.

"Bear in mind that not everybody will like him," he said.
Fixing the Ghana Agenda hence a detection of a behaviour of Parliament tantamount to an octopus over stretching its tentacles to a domain not granted by the 1992 Constitution as at Article 278 on matters of public interest and possible Disciplinary matters as by Act of Parliament (C176) on Police Regulation Act 2012, hence a possible looming financial lost to the State.

Dear Right Honorable Speaker of Parliament,

First of all, please accept my warmest greetings to you and your family.

Secondly be informed that I am a Senior Citizen who considers Ghana First, hence a protector and defender of the 1992 Constitution, hence an applicant for boarding the Arise for Ghana vehicle aimed at putting the Nation above all other Consideration, hence with the adage One Nation, One People, One Destiny, therefore the principle of the Group is Patriotism, Honesty and Discipline. The Arise for Ghana is a recent vehicle being championed by Hon Mr. Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the Great NDC Political Party, Thirdly, I am one of your admirers of your good works for mother Ghana, consequently as a senior Citizen, who is a student of Constitutions/Protector of the 1992 Constitution and one of your brothers and admirers, I should be very interested (concerned) and worthy to advise you, hence this submission.

Sir before I dealt with the topic let me remind you that the Police Organizational Operations, Administration, Control and Accountability are governed by both external law and internal rules as defined by the 1992 Constitution and related Constitution Instrument(s) on Police Regulations currently Police Regulations 2012 (CI76) respectively.

Sir, when I heard the occurrence of the Chief Bugri Nabu recorded audio dubbed as the IGP replacement tape which is a matter of political question, I wrote an open letter to the President of Ghana which was published in the online media namely Modern Ghana dated in July 2023, hence in the public domain for immediate action by the President to institute a Commission of Inquiry as required by Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution when a matter of public interest or importance exist and I also recommended that the Ghana Police Administration through CI6 of 2012 deals with a matter on Discipline of Police Officers below the IGP is detected or the Police Council as provided by the Constitution.

Sir, It is true that the functions of Parliament include oversight responsibility over the Executive Arm of Government hence it is permissible for Parliament to conduct investigation into activities of the Executive and associated Agencies and Departments. But since the relevant topical matter in the front burner on the Ghana Police are governed by both the 1992 Constitution when a matter of Public Interest exist and other matters related to the incident are covered by an Act of Parliament through Police Regulations 2012 (CI76) which require swift and brutal Disciplinary actions by the Police hierarchical rank structure with quasi-military structure to generate Discipline and Answerable Service as part of Police Accountability,

Sir, it is therefore strange that Parliament is acting like an octopus stretching its tentacles into minefields where it is not clothed with powers as granted to the Executive Arm of Government and the Police Council by the Constitution and by CI76 to the Police Administration (the IGP and his delegated Officers) to deal with. Thus Parliament is arrogating or usurping powers it is envisaged that it does not have because the matter is a political question which has very serious national security far reaching consequences which I envisaged if care is not considered, the Parliamentary investigation may hit a wall thus end up to be a financial loss to the State and may be due to the way the investigation is going, it may be a possible source of a national disaster which may include the State losing an indefatigable IGP if it continues with its work with some police officers throwing bombs left center right with evidential material hence the matter has far reaching consequences, so please abrogate the investigation, and the Police Administration or the Police Council should take measures to stamp its authority and rein wayward personnel to use the normal channel of communication for addressing grievance to halt insubordination otherwise if you consider its ok to continue with the investigation then get the Police to withdraw the interdiction of the affected Police Officers but the Police personnel and the public should be warned to stop releasing recorded items but submit same to the Committee physically with faces matching with names or by anonymous way thus a channel should be made for that.

Sir if you see the wisdom in the recommendation for the abrogation of the investigation then by Section (1) (c) of Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution, it is recommended that Parliament must info our dear President of Ghana to do the right thing. So sir, to build Public confidence in the work and report of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) to be set up by the President, , the Parliament and the Council of State to interact with the President of Ghana and humbly request him to request the Chief Justice to provide a name of an Appeal Court Judge as to be appointed as Chairman, to request the active Political Parties to provide names of two Rep each as members, to request names of two Ex-Police Officers of the rank of COP one each as sympathizes of the NDC and NPP from the Retired Police Officers Association and one name of a former IGP not very tainted with Party affiliations as members,, to request the Ghana Bar Association to provide a name of seasoned lawyer with not tainted or not very much tainted Political Party background for the President to come out with the convening order for the COI.

Sir, since one cannot tell when one may depart our mother earth, so let me use this chance to dilate on some related matters to any investigation into the Police saga and related matters. Sir, the citizenry with the ugly noise on the appointment of IGP by the President must be educated that they are three types of separation of powers in a democratic dispensation in a Country namely the Executive Powers which is exercised by the Executive Arm of Government, the Judiciary powers by the Judiciary Arm and the Legislative Powers by the Legislative Arm of Government Parliament. Since the Security and Safety of Ghana is the responsibility of the Executive Arm of Government which as stated wields executive powers, so the Ghana Police for the maintenance of law and Order among other functions of the Police, is a Political tool for Executive Arm of Government for policing so the Police exercise executive powers thus confirm or makes the Police as appendages of the Executive Arm of Government under the Ministry of Interior with delegated executive powers granted by or derived from the Executive Arm of Government for the maintenance of law and Order among other functions of the Police.

Sir, it is for this above reason, that the President through recommendations of the Police Council (a Constitutional buffer body) is the Authority for the promotion or Commissioning Senior Police Officers from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police to Commissioner of Police and also the President is the appointing Authority for the post of the IGP or Police Commissioner One which is restricted to the President by the 1992 Constitution on the consultation of the Council of State. So, those clamoring for the amendment of the appointing process for the post of IGP, must take note that there is no way on earth that the President can be ousted as the appointing authority which by the 1992 Constitution is apparently shared with the Council of State and to some extent the Police Council simply a matter of recommendation. So Sir, Should there be the need for the amendment on the relevant provision in the 1992 Constitution on the appointment of the IGP, It is recommended that Parliament being an elective Political Office system may be part of the appointing authority for vetting the nominee(s) and no other Constitutional Body or Alien body to the Constitution to be used.

Sir from the language of Section (1) of Article 202 of the 1992 Constitution, one say that no criteria requirement for the appointment of the IGP, this implies a President can appoint anyone from outside the Police system including his wife who is a Citizen of Ghana with no burden of dual citizenship as the IGP. This is very ridiculous, so the Constitution should be amended to include qualification criteria for the post of the IGP thus clearly spelt out and be restricted to personnel within the Police Service and of a senior Police Officer status say with the rank not below DCOP.

Sir another issue is the tenure of Office or security of office, so IGP can be changed or removed prematurely or at discretion of the President, so considering the number of Police Officers, so as part of motivation measures as well as security Office should be conterminous with that of the President 4 years minimum period and the maximum of 8 years.

Sir let me info you of serious issue that are creeping in the Security Services and maybe regarded as act of corruption or corrupt related issue, is the construction of projects for the security services or the renovation of buildings by alleged friends and not by corporate bodies as part of Corporate Responsibility. I say this because when I was Commanding the rear details of the Second Infantry Battalion Takoradi, I was halted by Superior Headquarters to stop some renovation works at the Unit though I managed to do some including the office room of the Commanding Officer and provision of Air Condition for same and the Officer Mess also with the provision of about 40 or more Flat screen TV and Decoder but the support by one Mr. Arthur then CEO Of the Forest Inspection Bureau in Takoradi to renovate some of the abandoned and dilapidated accommodation buildings was halted. Coincidentally, when I resigned in 2003 or so from the Army to take an appointment at Bogoso Mine, I was able to get Bogoso Gold as part of Corporate Responsibility to construct the Arc which is at the main entrance of the Unit and also caused the renovation of the Maternity Ward of the Hospital in 2BN by the Company. So I recommend that there must be policy to guide the Security Agencies.

Sir to sum up, due to the tangential matters emanating from the Police with some allegations against the IGP and some Police Officers which are very rotten, for this reason, it may require a request for a public announcement for a cease fire by the President or the Police Council to all the Citizens and persons with matters of national security interest to appear before a proper Constitutional Commission of inquiry to be constituted as mandated by Article 278 of the Constitution, which currently is the sole mandate or the prerogative of the President of Ghana, as the authority for convening a Commission of Inquiry on all matters of public interest and for the matters on Code of Service Discipline is restricted to the Police Council as Section (3) (d) of Article 203 of the 1992 Constitution suggest as the external buffer body otherwise by internal governance system in the Police by CI76 on Police Regulation Act 2012 , which clearly provided the authority for dealing with disciplinary measures to the IGP and Regional Commanders etc

Furthermore, the matters on the front burner is giving room for ignorant persons to demo their ignorance that sovereignty of a democratic Country resides in the people. So, the people, through a National Election delegate their executive powers to the elected civilians currently in an Executive Presidential system with the President as the Head of National Executive or the Civilian authority.

So sir, the Civilian authority or Head of National Executive must Control the guns or elements with executive powers which wield what may be termed as coercive forces. The IGP and his subordinates who wield the coercive force in order to help the President as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ghana, (please note the catch words in the Constitution is the Armed Forces of Ghana thus include quasi-military units like CEPS, the Police, Prison Service,, Immigrations Service, hence may not be the same as the Ghana Armed Forces which we literally refer to only the combined three Military elements of the Army, Air Force, Navy under the CDS).

So Mr. Right Honorable Speaker, the IGP must be one of the subordinate Officers to the President who also doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ghana, thus the President grants the IGP and Personnel of the Ghana Police with delegated executive powers at section (3) of Article 58 of the 1992, which Police exercises and the Police enjoys Constitutional immunity granted at Article 13 of the 1992 Constitution to enable them execute a very good job in national security. Hence critical reasoning will inform that the Executive President must appoint the IGP (Police Commissioner 1) and the other Police Commissioners as mandated by the Constitution. This is the situation globally for national or federal police. Mr. Speaker please take note that, the Constitutional Review Commission constituted by the late President Mills which did vast research during their work affirmed this position. So, Mr. President, time should not be wasted in debating on the appointment of the IGP by the President since it is a sine qua non evil. May be what should be debatable is the mode of appointment, so we may amend the Constitution so that beside both the Police Council with the support of a Number one Service Selection Board with the Confidential details of Officers and the Council of State to also include another layer for the appointment like vetting by Parliament.

Sir, the adherence to both principles of Separation Powers and the dogma of Probity, Transparency, and Accountability in the governance system required that you abrogate the Committee by you so that in consonance with the Constitutional dogma of Probity, Transparency, and Accountability, and Separation of powers on political or Constitutional question you request the President to constitute a Commission of Inquiry as dictated by Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution into this matter of public interest in order to safeguard the democratic rule as well as for maintaining or restoring the integrity of the Police Service.
Atik Mohammed, former General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC) has strongly criticized Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), for secretly recording a conversation between himself and, COP Alex Mensah and Superintendent George Asare.

The officers had met with Chief Bugri Naabu to discuss alleged plans against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.

The secret recording, in which the officers were heard plotting to oust the IGP, was leaked to the public, leading to their summons before a Parliamentary Committee for an investigation into their allegations.

During a panel discussion on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Atik Mohammed raised questions about Bugri Naabu's motivations for recording the private conversation with the senior police officers.

He questioned how Bugri Naabu could have known the agenda of the discussion between the officers when the meeting was arranged, suggesting that the recording was driven by malicious intent.

According to Atik Mohammed, Bugri Naabu's secret recording was not motivated by a desire to help Ghana but rather out of malice and personal agenda.

He argued that Naabu's actions posed a threat to the nation and emphasized the need for people to recognize the danger it posed.

"I think it is about time we told ourselves the danger this guy is posing to this Republic.

All these controversies come from him. He did the recording, and he did it with malice. He didn't record because he wanted to help Ghana; he did it out of malice," Atik Mohammed stated.
Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Opoku Ansah aka OPK has stated that under no circumstances would he or the other MPs who supported Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, follow him to form his own party in case he decides to leave the NPP.

The MP who was an integral member of the Alan Campaign Team as one of its coordinators indicated that he is an NPP member and therefore would not abandon the party to join Alan Kyerematen if he decide to go independent.

If Alan leaves NPP, then he is on his own. All the MPs that supported him did so because he is NPP, Hon Davies Opoku Ansah (aka OPK) said this on Citi TVs Point of View show on Wednesday, 6th August, 2023.

Sammi Awuku, the Campaign Coordinator for Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on his part, called on all the supporters of Alan Kyerematen to join the Bawumia team for the big win in December 2024.

We are inviting all the campaign team members and supporters of Hon. Alan Kyerematen to join us to win on November 4 and continue to break the 8 in unity. Some have responded favourably to the calls and we believe the rest will also come on board, Mr. Awuku said.

On the same show was Political Science lecturer, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, who held the view that a research they conducted favoured Alan Kyerematen in the November 4 elections but it was unfortunate that he had bowed out at this time.

The former Trade and Industry Minister announced his withdrawal from the race through a press statement citing alleged unfair treatment and intimidation of his supporters.

He also alleged that from the get-go, the entire process was skewed to favour one aspirant (Dr. Bawumia), and, therefore, he sees no reason why he should continue to be in the race.

The NPP heads to the polls on November 4 to select the partys flagbearer to face John Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress.

Four aspirants are still in the race: Bawumia, Ken Agyapong, Akoto and Afriyie Akoto.
Nairobi, 04 September 2023 (ECA) - This figure was discussed at the eleventh Conference on Climate Change and African Development (CCDA11) during a session on climate finance, moderated by Harsen Nyambe of the African Union Commission.

There is a substantial financial gap in climate finance in Africa. Yet climate disasters cost between 5 and 15% of GDP each year. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the implementation of African Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) requires nearly $3 trillion, including about $2.5 trillion between 2020 and 2030.

With the support of developed countries and the private sector, Africa must take ownership and define its energy transition to meet these challenges. The continent has abundant renewable energy resources, potential for green hydrogen production, essential minerals for renewable energy products, and natural capital for carbon sequestration.

Jean-Paul Adam, at the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSSA) said ECA has worked closely with member states to support the green transition through efforts such as the Sustainable Debt Coalition (SDC), and emerging debt-for-nature swaps to close the financial gap. Africa's rich marine ecosystem is also at the centre of concerns, with initiatives such as the Great Blue Wall, which promotes sustainability and job creation.

Stephen Funso of the African Development Bank (AfDB) stressed that adaptation is a priority for Africa. The AfDB's approach is to increase resources for priority sectors. According to Stephen Funso, the Bank will continue to strengthen and mobilize resources in each country. To finance resilience, innovative solutions are the key priority to engage the private sector.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

NDC UK & Ireland elections are facing issues, as Alex Segbefia aims to influence the voting register to favour his preferred candidates. After a three-month process, an electoral register, which didn't advantage Segbefia's candidates, was compiled by the NDC UK and Ireland Chapter EC. To revise this, Segbefia urged the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the NDC in Accra to create a five-member interim committee (Chapter Interim Committee- CIC) to recompile the register, which took five months. The final register was similar to the original, accepting 100% of its work but including 68 new names, some linked to alleged vote-buying by allies of Segbefia's preferred candidates.

Segbefia extended the appeal period for the final register, allegedly to allow more appeals from his allies. Even then, Segbefia's allies were not satisfied, resulting in Chief Sofo Azorka and Hon. Zuwera Ibrahim putting immense pressure on Segbefia to further change the register. These manipulative tactics are causing concern about the NDC UK and Ireland Chapter electoral process's integrity and undermine democratic principles. The situation reflects the need for monitoring and fair play in the electoral process.

This situation raises serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process within the NDC UK and Ireland chapter. It is troubling that allies of Segbefia's preferred candidates are attempting to manipulate the register by submitting petitions that were previously rejected. This raises questions about fairness and transparency within the party.

Furthermore, the actions of Segbefia, including working with the current NDC UK chapter secretary behind the chapter Treasurer's back and pressuring branches to pay dues for disqualified voters, suggest a clear attempt to favor certain candidates and undermine the established electoral process.

The lack of clear answers regarding the role and trustworthiness of the new 3 member FEC committee and the sidelining of the previously established CIC also raise concerns about the overall transparency and fairness of the NDC UK and Ireland Chapter electoral proceedings.

The FEC needs to address these issues promptly and take action to prevent any further manipulation or bias. The integrity of the NDC UK and Ireland Chapters electoral process must be protected to uphold democratic principles and ensure a fair and inclusive outcome.
Three soldiers in Burkina Faso have been arrested and charged with plotting against the ruling junta, the country's military prosecutor said on Friday.

Investigators last month received a tipoff about "soldiers and former soldiers working in intelligence" who were scouting out the homes and other locations used by key figures in the junta, including strongman Captain Ibrahim Traore, he said in a statement.

Their goal was to "destabilise... the transition", it said, referring to a term used to describe interim military rule before promised elections.

Investigations led to the arrest of the three, who have been ordered detained by an examining magistrate.

They have been charged with involvement in a "military plot, breach of military orders, plotting against state security, criminal association and endangerment", military prosecutor Major Alphonse Zorma said in the statement.

The three were named as Warrant Officer Windinmalegde Kabore; Sergeant Brice Ismael Ramde; and former corporal Sami Dah, who had previously been convicted in a plot against the state in 2015.

"(They) unequivocally admitted the facts," said Zorma.

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

The impoverished Sahel state is one of Africa's most turbulent countries, enjoying few periods of stability since gaining independence from France in 1960 as the Republic of Upper Volta.

Last year, it experienced two coups, both of them fuelled by anger within the military over the toll from a long-running jihadist insurgency.

Traore took power on September 30, 2022, at the age of just 34, making him the world's youngest leader outside of royalty.

He toppled Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who little more than eight months earlier had ousted Burkina's elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

Shortly after Traore's takeover, military prosecutors in December said there had been an attempt to "destabilise state institutions".

Those behind it, they said, were civilians and a lieutenant-colonel named Emmanuel Zoungrana.

More than 16,000 civilians, troops and police in Burkina Faso have died since jihadists in neighbouring Mali launched their campaign in 2015, according to an NGO monitor called the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

More than two million people have been forced to flee their homes, creating one of Africa's worst internal displacement crises.

Traore has promised a return to democracy with presidential elections by July 2024.
08.09.2023 LISTEN

As I often say, conscience is the highest law of any land, meaning all laws must concur with conscience to reasonably pressure the non-conscientious ones, all under the conscientious Lord who teaches right and wrong as per ch.91. Culture, religion, governments and every decent discipline invite us through conscience, showing us what is conscientious or good about them, then some later sadly think to be above conscience. Since conscience have varying levels, we tend to set-up points of references like the constitution, laws, and even rules to minimize conflicts. In a nutshell, if everyone was conscientious enough, we won't need laws; It should start with imagination, but where we fell short, we learn to drop and/or make new laws where need be. Since the World is big, We will have to focus our examples to u.s, the Gambia, Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria as current world events coincidently expose or test us.

Law One: Mandatory unveiling of Tax papers for not just presidential, but other lawmakers and other high offices, including mayors. Are you a good tax payer before you become a tax collector, tax benefactor, or big tax spender are reasonable demands. The excuse that u.s had voluntary version of it is tantamount to accepting blindness and making such laws should take years, after under-learning the good and bad in Donald Trump. How many less important laws will they make against the masses, before they make enough conscientious laws for better leaders and businesses. Fast forward to the Gambia: President Barrow was a business man like Trump, and I can testify that he was largely a tax compliant payer than Trump and average Gambian business man. Now, largely does not mean totally, so if God or someone may accuse him without admitting he was better than Trump and average Gambian Business Person, the cycle of debate must move forward to how such a law may help the Gambia, Nigeria, and beyond. It means rich Gambians or any nation will learn the importance of fighting for reasonable tax laws, tax rates, etc to be probably above even paying the actual taxes? Laws are vital and how do you fight bad laws should be a course in not just schools, but in companies and every government department. Among your presidential or xyz candidates, who have a better record of paying taxes, fighting bad laws and which categories of laws, suggesting futuristic laws through Imagination and learning through others are vital. Business Person Youssou Ndure of Senegal was not vocal for the most oppressed Senegalese until he was personally, rightly or wrongly , touched by President Wada or his son. A tax audit at the time may scare other business folks, but waiting until he wants to be president and remind him a law than voluntary option is simply smarter. Since Youssou was a very weak candidate, Wada underrated what his support to President Macky Sall will bring. Youssou became minister of culture, but now he is the unofficial 'Minister of Culture of Silence against the Oppressed'? Youssou was accused of barely paying taxes like Trump, which sends the signal that only poor people should or pay taxes and that leads to good and bad resisting of paying taxes. Time and place will not allow examples of every country, but think about the top business folks in your country and gauge them beyond tax paying and speaking out. The worst of beings will tell you that is for America, but the fight for good or bad is universal. Donald Trump and how many rich Americans barely paid taxes? Trump spoke out than average business folks, but why is that top u.s business folks can openly choose party, criticise without fear of repercussions, etc? The worst will tell you, 'Africa is different' or above choosing conscience? Well Business man Adama Barrow softly spoke out against Jammeh, and God protected him than Richer Muhammed Jah who 'bribed' Jammeh with two new vehicles and may not sponsor critics or great laws funding?

Law Two: Laws on gentle or forceful removal based on vivid defined guidelines. The gentle way is well known as impeachment and Trump clearly showed us how weak or politicised that can be. The other gentle method is using the supreme court, but how well did the u.s Supreme court did in the 2020 election dispute and was it judges or the forces that under confronted the January 06 riots? How about where the supreme court vividly ignore both constitution and conscience as in Guinea Conakry? We have to differentiate force from coup, but both can be legitimate depending on facts. Both Jammeh more than Trump were literally forced out, not coup. The Jammeh one was vivid, but Trump fully understood that if he refused stepping down, a guard should rightfully arrest or assassinate him, or which officers in u.s should use or have the mandate to send forces to the Whitehouse, legally or conscientiously? Gambian Forces failed us from the Jawara days, through the jammeh days, and more shamefully during the 2016 election denials that Ecowas rightfully did. Forceful removal is apparently normalised, but does it always have to be international? Although God largely and questionably love Gambians in nature than governments, refusing to learn can often lead to hell upon hell, towards the worst hell. If the Gambia or any country truly studies the situation in Senegal, then you will understand the need for 2.5 law: 'No banning of parties law'; challenge it in court or let the military forcefully take over to hand out immediately or participate in elections within six months. If you risk your life to speak up or act up, do not trust handing back power to those who never spoke up or act against intolerable abuses. Although I do not know if banning political parties existed in Niger, but Ecowas or AU to UN allowing it in Senegal is shameful testimony that demands change up to UN or we totally separate. If Tinubu of Nigeria and every head of state called Macky Sall and truly tell him how he is Gambling lives beyond self, then advice and laws are very different. 'The Gambia or xyz hereby make the law of no banning of parties is a stronger testimony than advice or promise. The self centered westerners care for their citizens and interest, interest, and interest. When Ousman Sonko and his white French lawyer were arrested, Macron called for his release or how precisely was he released and Sonko in jail till when? More important is why Macron and others are not voluntarily speaking up or asked by journalists what do they think about banning of parties and how to resolve it at the national and international levels? If I was a top black Gambian lawyer , will ousman Sonko hire me or rather take the French over American lawyer? Please do not believe I believe in nationalism, but I do believe in reasonable quotas, setting examples, the importance of conscientious loyal partners, etc. Black Jarga would have advised Sonko to use the courts and better social media than protests , but what precisely his white lawyer advised is debatable than how Sonko keep using outdated and weak systems of dangerous protests, hunger strike, etc. Now that the white lawyer is enjoying France, jarga is struggling in sweeter 'home jail' in the Gambia, sonko started with hard home jail to now in prison for how long? I cannot pity for sonko more than the unarmed Senegalese that he gambled or will die for Sonko, but not think for/with Sonko? Before I join your political party, I want you Ousman Sonko, Adama Barrow, or xyz to have 'term limits' even at party level to end personalisation of parties and reduce endless re-nominating of failed candidates, even as MP. Before I become your lawyer, I want you to be law obedient, believe in using the law than force of the people, then use the people and military only where need be.

I want you to understand systems matter and good systems or routes is where we can expect good results. So if you have zero faith in the supreme court of Senegal, then how many of them will you change , use or abuse them like others, promise to be different but suggest what beyond Senegal? Does Ousman Sonko or his white lawyer ever suggested laws for Ecowas and special international courts to handle opposition leaders cases? As Judge Jarga or who else would have certainly punished Sonko over phone snatching, but why up to banning of a party? If executive can team up in emergencies, I want Judges to team up at the international level for those seeking power, not indifferently wait until you rise to power or reportedly abuse power. There should be conscientious judges at UN level, not just politicians, and those Judges must use conscience and vivid reasoning that students of law can accept or change in which ways. You cannot tell me 12 judges from different countries in and/or beyond Africa rule against banning of a party in Senegal and Macky Sall to say until Macron or Biden tells me. His white lawyer will thank Macron or white mother, but will say what to Macron, white sisters, black sisters, etc?

That was using the courts and now you can send clear messages from jail or your followers who support term limits at the party level will have a task. 'I Jarga Kebba Gigo , the deputy of Ousman Sonko, Adama Barrow, or xyz greets the Gambia and the whole world. As Terrible as Jammeh was, he banned parties he feared, but not UDP, but I still use the Gambia or Senegal as example. 'Now that the courts clearly says no banning of parties, we demand immediate respect of the court or let the military act within one week, otherwise let the public protest with every given power , including prayers. Let a deadly or proportionate stroke strike any police, judge, president, etc who tries to harm me in any way. Take up your guns as military or civilians for conscience to rule in every part of the world. Imagine Putin clearly labelling where coups or simple forceful removal will be accepted. It means the Senegalese army know very well they cannot coup at random, but if they see thousands of Senegalese been beaten or killed in vivid wrongs, arrest, assassination, or coup will not get them in trouble. Just because the constitution or new law says I should hand over power immediately does not make it valid. If I was the Army General or presidential guard of the Gambia in 2016, I would have used force unless the international world offered a better plan. Supposed I used forced to install the elected Barrow, I may have demanded things like no banning of parties. 2016 was a miraculous year for the Gambia or Africa at large, or how can a brutal coward like Jammeh be removed without bloodshed, just minimal indirect deaths of some running terrible citizens. Ecowas must not mistaken countries, yes millions in Niger may flee or support you, but how many supported and now ready to fight against the questionable elected leader? They may lie only the soldiers that laid their lives for him and French interest, not the party dancers who karma should visit where need be. Now we have Gabon added, and Cameroon is over due for leadership change. Guarding devilish leaders should never be seen as love for country, or a questionable peace where millions suffer or die slowly. An elected devil should be well guarded for the people to learn the hard way, but even elected leaders have red lines they should not cross or face the consequences.

Just like reasonable and unreasonable laws exist, reasonable and unreasonable demands exist. Ecowas cannot make the unreasonable demand that the elected leader of Niger+ must be re-instated. A reasonable demand is 'We believe you may have legitimate concerns why he should not be re-instated, but we want you to hold elections within six to twelve months. During the six or xyz months, transform what you can through systems, gather evidence why he should be in court or not voted in, etc. You can even present two sets of constitutions to be voted on and why you prefer one over the other. Then let the people choose under an internationally verified election. The claim that government cannot do much within months is a lie, especially where you rule by degrees due to the nature of an emergency. It takes months to years of studying a project or sector, but almost any project can be executed within months or even weeks. The world of the western leaning world is excuse oriented. Again, let us use the Gambia as example. How many years does a TV station or university should be 'on the pipeline' as the supporters of Gambia's Jawara keep claiming? I believe within months, Jammeh got the first TV station for the Gambia. In your case, you can order enough body cameras or build it's factory there within months and supply Africa wide. Although Putin have more government cameras than civilians, but u.s is stubbornly reluctant on many good things, including the encouraging of culture of cameras by civilians than governments, and fine sharing where your civilian cameras help. Phone cameras cannot come close to the purpose and functionalities of body cameras.

Beside security, which I would have likely rather partnered with Russia over u.s; please do not choose between u.s and Russia. I would have risked about three camera factories than three roads or bunch of weapons. I would have partnered with a western leaning camera factory, one Russian or Chinese company, and one randomly new company from multiple countries, including Africans. Let them compete on who is more sincere in partnering and if we see intolerable wrongs, we divorce and or punish. Countless body camera factories are worth lot less than few millions. So Uranium or xyz for camera factory, enough boreholes, nationwide physical addressing, and many others can be within months after international acceptation or limited collaboration. Lacking enough international acceptance would have meant until you have enough achievements or they accept force or coup may be necessary in clearly coded language. I do not trust Putin enough either, because he should be setting reasonable demands. First demand should be which laws you must respect or lose my protection. Other reasonable demands can include a list of projects either party can prepare and they smartly choose which ones to employ. For example on the list of ten, Russia can say at least three must be with Russia as primary manager. First draw, both choose Physical Addressing as example, Guinea, Mali, or Niger can be fully addressed within months. That will be a record with spin-offs, including delivery jobs or how many Russian soldiers wonder why African countries are not addressed since colonisation and decades of questionable partners with neo-colonizers? Suppose no more matches on cameras, Russia can insist the future must be culture of cameras by government and/or the people. So we want Guinea or xyz to supply Africa enough cameras or at least it self. At least twenty five percent of workers will be Russian or Guineans, compete under camera. I rather work with a good foreigner than bad citizen, but by keeping at least 25% of citizen under unbiased management, I will either change the citizens to work harder or shamefully keep them as minority in my factory. I am indeed a globalist and like long range of quotas and verifiable records. As said, decades of little yielding partnership with the west should not mean we allow decades with Russia or China. Sincere partnership or divorce, just like girlfriends and you will learn from each to become a master teacher where a long list of questions determine whether we start or not, not just beauty. Otherwise, one night stand means only desperately in need or do not mind you for life? Co-Build my country within months and the rest of Africa can easily build one Russia more than 20 to 30 European countries who want only unjust trade and promises like those bad girlfriends? We are action men.

Ok, Poor France or UK, you claim to be under repenting and want centuries of neo-colonizing after centuries of colonization? Well , modern people live decades, not centuries. If you live centuries of slavery or colonization before you fight back, I am the black who do not mind to kill both slave master and house Negro even in Africa? That is a code from a true story that evil and good was/is in every race. A black king in Africa reportedly 'beheaded a woman's baby to have her breast-fed for the Queen's new baby they were expecting'. The argument of the cruel king is she won't have time for two babies, so let one live at the expense of the other? After weeks or months of complying, the victim (maid) poured hot oil on the new born baby of the king and queen, and ran away. So apparently there is at least one smart black woman who understand the importance of resisting than my very own Mum+, who narrated the story to me; admit the king was cruel, but 'why the little child have to die' ? My mum is religious standing or leaning, I am certainly of conscience standing, then religious leaning; so I try to raise the religious folks towards conscience, including resisting based on conscience. Wait for judgement day can be on personal sins and very few sins between creatures; but I resist certain evil even if we are blood siblings. So can a just God see like me or am I wiser than your gods or religious preachers? The woman did not kill an innocent baby, she saved the baby from a cruel king with what type of Queen? The maid/slave ran away and the two will suffer through memories and less likely to repeat that cruelty. Perhaps To the surprise of many, I think colonization was good, a smaller evil to be resisted within years, not decades. When worse than the colonisers take over and refuse to change, you overthrow them to be tested. God is looking for the best repentant from each world, then the worse of each before slavery, during slavery, post colonisation, and up to date, who may learn. Evil exist to be resisted, not tolerated; then 'personal sins' exist to be tolerated with sincere advice.

Ok, poor France or uk continuation. So we want to know the amount of Uranium+ you took from Niger for the past 50 years, amount paid, and amount made? Do you know profit sharing and in what different ways to use it in different aspects demands thinking than western education. So the Uranium helps power up your factories to make record profits? Well, may be it is the hard work of French people and immigrants than raw uranium, so let no lazy African try to rob the French either. So is France selling electricity to other European countries and how can you share profits or start direct selling to those in need? Europe rather buy from Russia unless where it is almost free from Africa. So buy directly from us or let Russia be the new France, let Russia negotiate the rates, because many Africans cannot even negotiate sexual relationship terms, they hang on to fractional facts as total facts, reject conscience in the name of what? Of course there can be other laws, but time, space, health have me under limitation. 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:I believe in conscience over science, religion, culture, and beyond. Then some westerners heard only one word, some Africans and others also heard only one word or contrast? So a westerner confronted me, 'do not disrespect our new rising god, called science. S/he said science heal us when we get sick. People cannot hear the word 'than or even more than', plus thinking is almost forbidden to some whites+, or how many whites will suffer and die than those with technology? Indeed I love science, but only with conscience. So I told him or her what is all these weapons killing without conscience. S/he said I am mistakening technology with science, that they are different. May be I am mistaken , and you are a caring westerner trying to rectify me while God was and still with us, but you may be mistaken and God may teach all or whom he wills? So if you take away science from technology, can technology exist? Or does s/he mean science is only about giving or destroying health? The tablets you take may be science, that can be guilty through greed or even arrogance. A science leaning nation with little conscience blamed a non-conscientious Trump or how science saved in each country where 'science' respecting leaders ruled during covid 19? Which science saved Africans in Africa versus the world? Indeed science without conscience made many chemical weapons in fear, or was it for greed or arrogance? Science, technology, and what you view are power leaning, but choice is different and conscience is about choice than power. The two are related, but not the same. You need small or big power to execute conscience, but if the most powerful are not the most conscientious, then the two are different at some point.

Someone reportedly said, 'Religion without conscience is criminal'; but government or anything without conscience can be more dangerous than average main religions. Ch.91 told us to be conscientious to be successful, but many Imams and so called Islamic states ignore conscience or insist God stopped teaching conscience, that we must limit references to over thousand years? Learn from the past, but live in the present, and happily usher the future of 'where no soul will have [abusive] power over another'.

Optional note 2:

Among the needed laws for world peace is worldwide legalization of Cannabis. It may sound funny to some of you, but the care and seeming knowledge I and many experienced through cannabis is great, except in facilitating its feasible implementation. By that I mean: great ideas are better than no or weak ideas, but until ideas are realized through actions, the greatest idea may be a 'stressful' curse, through patience... It is widely known the legalization of cannabis is inevitable, especially if God continues to bless grateful people through it. Last night, I have one of the greatest sleep through cannabis. Those close to me or my writings can confirm I lamented about going through the worst arthritis attack I can remember. Among my woes this week was having to wake up two to four times a night due to pain, urinate, or bowel movements. Last night was very different, I took marijuana in three different forms and three different strains, I vaporized in the day, drank a hype leaning 'happy healing' cannabis oil, and heavily rub on another sedate leaning 'happy healing' cannabis oil. I woke up only once during the night and partly to edit this very article, but the kind of deep sleep and laughing while sleeping I experienced was nice and not unusual with me on many strains. Even without scientific claims, when a sane middle aged adult experienced 'teenage' like deep sleep, then appreciation and gratitude may have to compete with reputation or confronting questionable leaders. The negative experience was my leg was weaker in the morning, which I attribute to good but imperfect strain. Cannabis strains vary so much in contents and effects, plus the lifestyle of the user matters. You will have to exercise well, eat well, and regular sex seem to help when dealing with cannabis. So if a questionable, mistaken, or simply corrupt western researchers use sedate leaning cannabis strain they can convince Elon Musk and how many fools that cannabis makes you lazy? Then another team of researchers may use a hype or energy leaning strain to justify banning in Olympics, or the 'lazy' may win the race?

If we agree strains matter, then we should naturally agree legalization will help people access the best strains for the conditions they are dealing with. Measuring cannabis based on the immediate emotional experience may be the worst mistake. You must gauge your mental and physical effects, not just the emotional aspects. By having it illegal, governments are contributing to people using the wrong or least ideal strains and still blame cannabis? Co-incidently, Terrible Macky Sall of Senegal is so out touch with the present and future in his sane-less crackdown on local Cannabis growing , while importing western cannabis for the rich. Cassamance of Senegal and Fonis of the Gambia were the main farmers of Cannabis in SeneGambia, but Ecowas forces, led by mainly Macky Sall in instructions have literally reduce local cannabis production to near zero. The effects is not just limited strains and higher cost, but importing has effects on budgets and exchange ratio of currencies. Both the pharmacies selling allowed 'illegal CBD+' and the more potent expensive cannabis coming from mainly the Americas are not in our financial interest.

The lies the u.s sold to the world that Cannabis has 'no medical benefits' as schedule one drug is slowly being retracted. History may write Donald Trump as the person who refuse defeat, but History must write the u.s Government under Joe Biden as the government that blatantly refuse defeat on marijuana with excuses, excuses, and excuses. Anytime I have such great deep sleep through cannabis, my mind often goes to the questionably blessed Michael Jackson who died through questionable pharmaceutical sleep aids. Whereas we will be ungrateful to dismiss all pharmaceutical products as dangerous or unhelpful, we must agree nature and plants are the rightful primary medicines for humans. The wrong marijuana strain will keep you awake when you may be seeking or needing sleep; the right marijuana strain will give you right sleep, or you may have over-slept through improper dosage and still never die through it; then a smart person may become a millionaire or billionaire if s/he makes the right marijuana pills, syrup, or rub for sleep. Then money worshipping governments may legalize which ones and under regulate companies to add or negligently prepare cannabis pills+ against the people. Money is an explicit blessing that teenagers or even children will not deny, so only a lying or illusory adult will deny it as blessing or keep lying for money as individual, company, or country. Indeed I wish the Lord enriches me financially, but life, especially through marijuana has shown me health and character are by far more vital than financial riches. I am largely happy, unless when sick, and I rather medicate with marijuana and other natural products that mighty science is slowly admitting or confirming. My grandparents foolishly waited until they were sick to recommend Baobab+, but they knew it was medicine. They didn't know the contents in nutrients or where it precisely helps more, so a bless soul or teenagers sought or seek it for fun and then get health as spin-off bonus. Now that science is shedding light on plants, Macky sall and how many slow thinking African leaders rather fight marijuana than help plant billion of edible trees and may over export the little we have, even against our children? We can blame the politicians, but our money worshipping parents in Africa are sometimes very shameful. Seventy years ago, cannabis was legal in SeneGambia and every African Country, and what precise harm it did? Our shameful giant called Nigeria have big gown Buhari to Tinubu, shaking hands with drunkards, ordering billions or hundreds of millions of CBD+ Cannabis, etc. So rather than legalize and regulate, they indirectly set Nigerian gangs against Nigerians+? Why are the millions of educated Nigerian journalists+? I suspect they also compete on financial riches and low coverings than educating? So how many Nigerians want fossil fuel subsidy against the poorest, instead of hemp fuel and making electric vehicles? Shame on your marijuana artists+ who refuse to protest continuously before the fuel protest? Oh, was that decades to years ago? Now the hypocritical religious leaders, especially the so called Muslims rather have drunkard police arrest a patient over marijuana and present him or her to an adulterous judge in the name of secular country. The same hypocritical religious leaders in big gowns will keep marrying wives or having girlfriends as 'blessing' while under helping the children, who may sleep on the floors or crowded houses? They may lie they can curse or bless a child, and the women may seem worse in naivety and against marijuana users. Our money worshipping women will rather be a fourth wife or girlfriend of the rich over respecting learning and working with a truthful poor single? An oppressive majority cannot see the rights of a person or personal rights should never be debated on what the majority wants. It is a question of should, not can or want.

So a questionable woman marry for riches, the questionable dad have countless kids for money; and the questionable leaders rule through votes for money, begging and loaning from hemp countries like China and Alcohol and cannabis countries like the u.s and the rest of the west? The young girls shake their assess for politicians in political rallies and keep voting based on short-sighted financial interest, instead of conscientious voting. The same parents who marry bleaching wives or have bleaching daughters may threaten if you stop arresting boys over cannabis, we will vote you out or take up cutlass against who? Second or endless term aspirants have every reason to fear being voted out, except timing can diffuse fear within months or years, especially with benefits. If properly regulated, I do not know which old man will use cutlass to cut the head of a young man on the street or their own child at home, and over cannabis? Indeed, I oppose street smoking and I am pro regulation. Then the hypocrisy of the money worshipping parents further worsen when they pray for visa to cannabis America or Canada, or sacrifice the children to go illegally to alcohol leaning Europe that is reluctantly accepting at least medical marijuana. Money or just hope for it seem to neutralize their fears of marijuana. May be I need a rich pretty woman of any race, or just become rich to be targeted by money worshipping women. Still I may have to pray to be protected from the 'Amber Heards' or how many prostituted minded Africans or Asians may be better. They may call me anti-women or anti-whites, but I am just pro freedom. The millions of mainly women or whites and their students who oppose marijuana legalisation cannot understand delaying legalization means escalating the very fights you are now seeing between the races, genders, and nations. It is shameful that Ousman Sonko and other opposition leaders of Senegal seem no better than Macky Sall on Cannabis, but I assure you legalization of Cannabis worldwide if God gives me health, wealth, and continue to bless through cannabis. Neither your political, religious, or cultural leaders can stop me or the legalization of cannabis. And God's curse be upon anyone who dare fight me, from Mecca to any country on earth. So what do you have for the millions of whites, women, or xyz who love marijuana and under support you and each other towards freedom? Their judgement is with the Lord, but cowards who are ungrateful than average LGBTQ are not my preferred friends. Fight if health or the joy+ in marijuana is better than average sex without cannabis. Companies that make millions and cannot dedicate even ten percent towards activists and freedom for others around the world are not grateful or caring in my book. May I significantly win within days or weeks.
How local energy-efficient technology is transforming artisanal and small-scale palm oil processing, bringing relieve to women palm oil producers in Ghana.

The green landscape, mostly characterized by oil palm plantation, is a beautiful, calming, and refreshing sight to behold when entering parts of the Eastern Region of Ghana. The region is one of the most suitable areas for oil palm cultivation. Ghana is noted to be the third major palm oil producing country in Africa, and the sector plays an important role in rural livelihoods and local economic development.

Artisanal and small-scale palm oil producers occupy a greater share of Ghanas palm oil processing industry, producing 6080% of the countrys palm oil. However, the processing systems used by the palm oil producers are mainly the traditional metal cooking pots and steel tanks. These are loaded with the palm nuts and set on the traditional cooking stove using an open fire, with excessive smoke, polluting the environment. The pollution that emits from most of the artisanal and small-scale palm milling and oil production centers also come from wastewater generated in palm processing. The common waste management practices include burning of solid wastes and discharge of untreated liquid into the environment. These poor waste management practices are further affecting the environment, climate, and human health.

Enduring Pollution for Decades

Ruth Ofosuhemaa has been in the artisanal palm oil production business for 20 years. She works as a leader of Joe Farms and Processing Enterprise, where she supervises 40 palm oil producers comprising 30 women and 10 young men. She narrates the hazards of their business.

Our biggest problem here is the smoke. This enters our eyes and most of us have developed red and itchy eyes. We often get cough and sick due to how bad the smoke is, noted Ruth in Achiase, a district capital in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The conditions under which most of these artisanal and small-scale palm oil producers work, is a challenging one. Clouded in smoke, it was difficult to see the faces of Ruth and her colleagues at work. They basically combine manual methods with rudimentary tools and use a variety of low-efficient machines in producing the palm oil for soap making and for consumption.

We work all day, and the smoke is unbearable. We normally close late but have to wake up around 12 midnight to continue working because the machines are few and not fast. So, if you dont wake up early, you will not be able to process your palm nut, added Madam Adzara in Damang, located in the Kwaebibirem Municipal District of the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The smoke at these centers, as being described by Ruth and Adzara, emanates from the fuel used for heating. The women rely heavily on car tyres, fibre, bamboo, and firewood as sources of energy for producing the palm oil. These produce pollutants including smoke and so much heat, which impact the environment and human health adversely.

The artisanal palm oil processers are producing more than half of the countrys palm oil but the oil is mostly of low quality due the traditional processing method. This is forcing the refineries to still be importing a lot of palm oil for various use, noted Mac Makafui Amedzi, Mill Engineer at Solidaridad West Africa.

As noted by Makafui, though Ghanas palm oil production is said to have increased over the decades, the country is a net importer of palm oil. In 2021, the value of palm oil imported by Ghana was $289million as against an export value of $78.1million. This calls for urgent attention to address the challenges in the sector.

Local Technology to the Rescue

Recognizing the needs and gaps, under its Nationally Determined Contributions Support Programme (Deep Dive), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have supported 10 low value grants that is improving energy efficiency and waste management in palm oil processing sites in 11 communities in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

We were using about 2 weeks to process the palm oil. But now, with these new machines, we spend only about 5 hours to complete the process. There is no more smoke, and the environment we are working now is very hygienic, elated Dorothy Ankapong in Bamanase in the Denkyembour District of the Eastern Region stated.

Through the project, 800 beneficiaries with more than half being women, now have access to improved energy efficient locally produced machinery including boilers, conveners, ovens, clarifiers, expellers, steamers, sustainable waste management technologies and boreholes for easy access to water.

We appreciate the new machines. First, we used to spend a whole day taking the fresh palm nuts from the bunch which is very stressful but now, with the machines, we are using about 20-30 minutes, expressed Dora Awuku, Womens leader at Tweapease No.2 Palm Oil Processing Center in the Birim North District, Eastern Region.

Technology has a critical role to play in mitigating climate change. The introduction of the locally manufactured technologies is providing innovative solutions to alleviate the decades of discomfort of Dorothy, Dora and the hundreds of women and young men benefiting from the intervention. This is not only impacting their health but also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and thus protecting the planet.

I am a Mechanical Engineer graduate of the Accra Technical University and always had the desire to modernize traditional ways of processing agriculture produce. I built these palm oil milling machines from scratch, mostly using local raw materials. I also work with local artisans and training them to ensure proper maintenance of the machines, proudly stated Joshua Oluwadare, Engineer in charge of the new factory at the Joe Farms and Processing Enterprise.

For the palm oil processors, access to new technologies means increased production, stress-free processing, less processing time, less energy use, no more smoke, hygienic working environment, and more livelihood opportunities.

I used to spend about 6000 Ghana cedis on diesel per month to run the old machines during peak seasons but now, am spending about Ghc1,500 with the electricity. What is fascinating is that I was producing only about 4 tons of oil daily but now, am doing 20 tons because I now have 120 women processors instead of the 30 processors I used to have. More so, the 4 tons sack was giving us 30 of the 25 liter gallons but now we get 45 gallons, stated Appiah Ampofo, Owner of Ampofo A. Oil Mills & Trading in Asuom, one of the new milling centers supported under the project at Asuom in Kwaebibirem Municipality, Eastern Region.

Capitalizing Private Capital

Investment is needed to increase climate resilience and lessen the negative impacts of climate change on the environment. To unlock investment to manage the risks associated with climate change, UNDP has put greater engagement with the private sector at the heart of its climate initiatives. This is being achieved by identifying pipeline of projects that can draw private investment to blend with public finance to ensure that key economic sectors grow in a resilient manner.

I own 310 acres of oil palm plantation and I am only providing the center for the women to process their palm nuts. I charge 5% of the liters of oil produced for running the center. The new factory is good, and I have personally so far invested over 1.6million Ghana cedis on various items including land preparation, structure, wiring, electricity transformer and electricity connectivity. This is to complement the UNDP fund for us to get a standard factory, noted Mr.Yaw Awusi Antwi, Owner of Joe Farms and Processing Enterprise.

The comfort being enjoyed by women like Dorothy, Dora and their peers is a good example of the transformation that can be realized in catalyzing private sector capital towards sustainable development.

The machines are helping us a lot. Our only challenge is to get three additional steamers to meet the market demand from the refineries which we are currently not able to meet. I could have purchased these steamers myself, but I have so far invested close to 70,000 Ghana cedis in the new factory, and we are grateful for the financial support from the project, which made everything possible, Appiah, Owner of Ampofo A. Oil Mills & Trading added.

The roles played by the different actors involved in the project - Government, private sector, the communities and the implementing NGOs like Solidaridad West Africa, Organization for Livelihood Empowerment Services (OLIVES), Plan for Change Ghana, and Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association of Ghana, attest to the power of multistakeholder partnerships. This collaboration has improved energy efficiency, public health, and a safe environment for people and planet.

By scaling up solutions that work, the artisanal and small-scale palm oil producing women and men now have the power to transform their carbon-intensive footprints to one thats greener, cleaner, and more sustainable. Public-private partnerships passed the test, calling for more private engagements to unlock investments in climate technologies and manage the risks associated with climate change towards a better, cleaner, and safer future for all.
President Akufo-Addo visited the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah on September 8 to turn on the valve and commemorate the official first oil from the Jubilee South Area.

The Jubilee South-East Area is expected to add 30,000 barrels of oil per day to the greater Jubilee Field, bringing the total oil production at the Jubilee Field to 100,000 barrels per day by the end of this year.

The Jubilee South-East Area is a joint venture that has received a $1 billion investment from its partners.

After turning on the valve, President Akufo-Addo said this is in fulfillment of the governments commitment to grow the Ghanaian petroleum industry.

The Jubilee South East project is a joint venture between six oil companies, including Tullow Oil, Kosmos Energy, Kosmos Energy Ghana Investments, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, PetroSA, and Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited.

Energy Minister, Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, who accompanied the President to turn on the valve, said the Jubilee South East project took into account local content.

The project has been a huge success, delivered in a record time because of utmost cooperation between the operator, and the Ministry of Energy. It 2021, we started this project and now within two years, we are delivering 30,000 more barrels a day, and we have increased the capacity in two years, Mathew Opoku-Prempeh stated.

Tullows Chief Executive, Wissam Al-Monthiry, said the additional 30,000 barrels of oil per day, in addition to the greater Jubilee Fields production, marks a major step forward in its production.

Petroleum Commission Chief Executive, Egbert Faibille congratulated the Jubilee partners on the Jubilee South East Project, noting that the involvement of local companies like Orsam Oil and Gas in the fabrication of some subsea installations, such as suction piles and manifolds, demonstrates their commitment to local content.

As the Jubilee partners seek to invest more in the fields expansion and development, locals are expected to benefit from more jobs and contracts.

-citinewsroom
When a junta seized power in Niger on 26 July, joint military operations against jihadists between Niger and France were suspended. French troops, ordered to stay in their barracks, face an uncertain future as diplomatic wrangling over a possible pull-out continues.

Some 1,500 French troops are stationed in three locations across Niger, most of them on an airfield in Niamey.

Others are based at Ouallam and Ayorou by the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso in the Sahel region, where jihadists have reported killed numerous military personnel and civilians.

While authorities in France and Niger have confirmed that talks are underway concerning the withdrawal of French troops and equipment from Niger, no deadlines have been announced.

"We went from an exciting mission, a combat partnership with the Nigerien forces, to a somewhat heavy atmosphere," one officer told RFI's Franck Alexandre.

"Technically, we can stay here for a long time," said another soldier, adding that food is well stocked. "But we end up wondering what all this is for."

The days  when temperatures can reach close to 40C  are spent carrying out maintenance and sometimes discussing strategy with their Nigerien counterparts.

"We sense among them a certain incomprehension of the French position," said one senior officer.

"But soldier to soldier, we manage to talk to each other. At the beginning of August, we could sense among our partners a certain regret to see this very close partnership come to an end. Since then, this feeling has diminished."

Protests

So far, France has ignored calls by the coup leaders to withdraw its troops.

Paris says it recognises only elected president Mohamed Bazoum as Niger's legitimate leader and will not engage with the junta.

In early August, the officers who seized power dismissed several of the military cooperation accords signed between France and Bazoum's government.

On 2 September, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the French military base in Niamey, demanding that its troops leave.

Two days later, the prime minister appointed by the junta, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, said that discussions were underway regarding the swift departure of certain elements of the French military.

This could in turn be followed by the withdrawal of some 1,000 American soldiers in the country.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, some French troops could be redeployed in neighbouring Chad while others return to France.

Zeine added that he hoped to maintain cooperation, if possible, with a country with which we have shared many things.

Military equipment

If French troops leave, they will likely take key military equipment with them.

Three Mirage 2000 fighter jets, four Reaper drones and a few helicopters, part of the French arsenal, have been grounded in the last month since the coup.

The pilots and technical staff will likely leave with the aircraft, which French forces want to retrieve as soon as possible.

French President Emmanuel Macron said this week that he would invite parliament to discuss France's strategy in Africa and in the Sahel region, as a follow-up to talks held with opposition leaders on 30 August.

Macron has also refused to recall the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itte, after the junta lifted his diplomatic immunity and called for his expulsion.

Itte has been a persona non grata for the coup leaders since he refused an official invitation to meet them at the end of August.

The French diplomat is now holed up at the embassy in Niamey. While police cannot arrest him on the embassy's compound, he may be arrested if he leaves the property, the junta's prime minister Zeine said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will this weekend meet with the National House of Chiefs.

He is seeking support from Chiefs to help his government to execute Phase II of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.

Following the launch of The Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II, the Government of Ghana is seeking the support of chiefs in the country to widen the program's scope.

President Akufo-Addo will on Saturday engage with members of the National House of Chiefs as part of efforts to make large tracts of land available for farming, parts of a release from the Ministry of Information said on Friday, September 8.

The release signed by Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the release of land by the revered Chiefs to their subjects participating in the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II will significantly address the challenge of access to land for agricultural production and boost the Government agenda of achieving food security for overall national development.

The release added, The President expects that the support of Chiefs will further enhance efforts to make the program successful.

President Akufo-Addo on Monday, August 28, launched Phase II of PFJ at the University of Development Studies, Tamale.

Phase Two of the PFJ Programme is a five-year master plan for the transformation of agriculture in Ghana.

The objective is to transform and modernise Ghanas agriculture through the development of a selected commodity value chain, with active private sector participation.
Some military personnel have been surcharged GH1,770.00 each for losing their Identity Cards.

The officers are said to have been found liable after an investigation conducted by the Ghana Military Police.

The money, according to the military, is to cover the cost of the ID card replacement.

This was contained in a document dated September 6, and sighted by Citinewsroom.

The military indicates that the deducted money will serve as misconduct debt, requesting to be paid into the Departments Research Operational Account.

Attached is a list of military personnel who have been found liable by various GMP Investigation Reports for losing their ID Cards. Consequently, they are to be surcharged and re-issued with new ID Cards. In light of the above, I am to kindly request that each individual be charged an amount of US$150.00 which is equivalent to GH01,770.00 as the cost of the ID card replacement. The said amount is to be deducted as a misconduct debt. I am to further request that the recovered amount be paid into the Departments Research Operational Account.

-citinewsroom
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other security agencies have arrested 86 candidates for using mobile phones in examination halls in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

During the government paper, eighty-six mobile phones were seized from candidates at Otoo Memorial SHS, Bibiani. Some Candidates have also been caught with smartwatches, said Mr John K. Kapi, Head of Public Affairs, WAEC National Office during a press conference to give an update on the conduct of the 2023 WASSCE for school candidates.

Mr Kapi warned candidates that should they be caught using mobile devices in examination halls, their entire examination would be cancelled.

Mr Kapi told journalists that the Council obtained evidence on some school heads who took shots of question papers whilst transporting them from the depot to the examination centre.

According to Mr Kapi, WAEC was looking into how the packets containing the question papers were opened in the said vehicle.

This trend of snapping sight question papers of ongoing examination and posting solutions to same is very worrying and undermines the integrity of the examination.

Mr Kapi said some schools had devised grand schemes for cheating in examination centres.

Information reaching us indicates that some of the schools charged their candidates varying sums of money ranging between five hundred and thousand cedis to enable them to get assistance during the examination.

This practice has given those candidates a certain sense of entitlement and they want to be allowed to have their way, he said.

Mr. Kapi chastised some school heads for their antagonism toward WAECs monitoring teams.

Some persons have been arrested for attempting to bribe our personnel to make them look the other way so that the cheating could go on, he added.

He said the council has received reports of impersonation and insertion of scripts adding that at Only Believe SHS at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, a national service person attempted to write the government paper for one of the candidates, but luck ran out on him.

At the same centre, two other suspected impersonators absconded. One impersonator and his accomplice a teacher, were arrested at Christian IPS, Kukurantumi.

At the Ideal College, Lapaz Campus, there was an attempt to insert scripts of seven absentee candidates into the scripts envelopes.

Mr Kapi said the vigilance of the council's personnel at the said Centre averted the anomaly, adding that the supervisor had been relieved of his duties and investigations were ongoing.

He also spoke of syndicated cheating, claiming that in some cases, solutions were written on whiteboards for candidates to copy, and were cleaned upon the arrival of a WEAC inspector at the Centres.

Mr Kapi explained that because there were no standardised examination venues, the Council had to make do with what was available.

Some invigilators were found with photocopied solutions to questions which were being distributed to candidates in the examination hall. Some of the solutions were also deposited at the urinals for the candidates to pick them up.

Those who were found culpable were apprehended by our monitoring teams and handed over to the Police, he recounted.

Mr. Kapi said that the WAEC would spare no effort to ensure that sanity prevailed in the ongoing examination.

He further refuted claims of intimidation by WAEC officials who visited various examination centres.

Supervisors, invigilators and school proprietors who have made it their stock in trade to divert the attention of these poor candidates from their books to wait for help in examination halls will have their names and particulars handed over to the Ghana Education Service for appropriate disciplinary action.

Mr Kapi lauded the excellent collaboration between the council, the Ghana Police Service, and the National Intelligence Bureau.

He said he was pleased that the Councils pre-examination activities yielded results, as many schools were adhering to the rules governing the conduct of examinations.

The written papers for the WASSCE for School candidates, 2023, started on August 21 at all 834 centres across the country, and will end on September 26, 2023.

GNA
Atik Mohammed, a former General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC) has called on the police officers fingered in the leaked tape plotting to oust the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take legal action against Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for secretly recording their private conversation.

The secretly recorded tape, which captured a conversation between the senior police officers and Bugri Naabu plotting to oust the IGP, is currently under investigation by a Parliamentary Committee.

In the recording, the officers accused the IGP of wrongdoing and expressed their desire for him to be removed from office.

COP Alex Mensah and Superintendent George Asare including Superintendent Mr. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi have been interdicted by the Ghana Police Service.

According to a statement by the Police Service, "the action was to make way for disciplinary proceedings into their conduct in line with Police Service regulations."

However, their interdiction has been suspended today.

In reaction to these developments, Atik Mohammed, speaking during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, urged the officers to take legal action against Bugri Naabu.

He argued that Bugri Naabu's secret recording of their conversation violated their privacy.

"They must sue Bugri Naabu," Atik Mohammed asserted, emphasizing the importance of holding individuals accountable for privacy breaches.
Before sending a 31-year-old man to prison for decades, a Lancaster County judge called the case involving a kidnapping, torture and rape at a warehouse at the edge of Lincoln "one of the most heinous factual scenarios" she has come across.

First, given a chance to speak, Tanner Danielson, 31, said he couldn't believe what's happened. "The things I've done. The things I had to do."

He said his life was at stake after someone stole 50 pounds of marijuana (worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $200,000 according to his attorney) from him after he'd brought it back from Colorado.

"I was scared beyond belief. I had no clue what to do," he said.

Danielson said he's been sober for over a year and now, instead of blaming the victim for putting him in this situation, he realizes it happened as a result of his decisions. He just kept going down the wrong road, he said.

"I beg of you to see me for who I am, not for the things I truly felt I had to do to save myself," Danielson said.

Prosecutors say late July 28, 2022, and over around 12 hours, Danielson  who was a welder  beat, burned with a blowtorch and branded the man he believed had taken the drugs, before leaving him in the country tied to a tree, and raping a woman who had come to the warehouse with Danielson, threatening to kill her if she reported it to police.

Danielson pleaded no contest to attempted kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault and, at his sentencing Wednesday, faced up to 50 years on each charge.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Jeff Mathers scoffed at Danielson's suggestion he "had to do it."

"Had to beat, torture, restrain and leave  possibly for dead  an individual? He had to rape a woman? Ridiculous. Come on," Mathers said.

He said Danielson was involved in the drug trade "and all the dirt that goes along with that," had a history of violence toward women and should go to prison for a very long time because he's a danger.

"The facts in this case are as egregious and depraved as anything I've nearly ever seen," the longtime prosecutor said. "Narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, sociopath, psychopath. I'm sure some or all of them fit."

Defense attorney Chad Wythers said Danielson had met some people at a concert in Colorado who ended up being drug dealers. Danielson thought he could make some easy money bringing marijuana back, did it once and thought he could be done. But it wasn't as easy to get out.

After Danielson made another trip and the drugs were stolen from his home, he was told he needed to come up with the money or he and family members would be in danger, Wythers said.

He said Danielson, who was high on cocaine at the time, believed the victim had stolen the drugs.

"And that's how we find ourselves at the welding shop ... on the night in question," Wythers said.

He said Danielson should have gone to law enforcement and asked for help, instead of taking matters into his own hands. Wythers said, according to Danielson, most of what he'd done had been at the cartel's direction.

In the end, the judge said she didn't think it mattered whether Danielson was under the influence, if this person had stolen something from him, or if he was being threatened by somebody.

"Only a sadistic and evil person could do these things to another human being," she said, reading through the victim's detailed account of the torture, which included being force-fed acid tabs, struck in the head with a wrench, handcuffed and raised by a forklift, burnt by a blowtorch, branded, a gun shoved in his mouth.

Finally, the 26-year-old was strapped to a tree, left in the middle of nowhere and told his grandmother and parents would be killed if he wasn't there when he came back. Strong said after hours he was able to get free and, still handcuffed, started walking on a dirt road.

"A car drove by and I realized I was still alive," she said, reading from the victim's account.

A 911 call that followed led deputies to find him walking southeast of Firth.

Strong said it was her duty to protect the public from Danielson, "and giving you a lengthy term of incarceration is the only way I can do that."

After hearing the 70- to 90-year sentence she said next, Danielson appeared stunned, his mouth agape for more than a minute.

His co-defendant, Austin Widhalm of Firth, is set for sentencing next week after pleading no contest to second-degree assault and first-degree false imprisonment.
The government is seeking the support of traditional authorities in the country to widen the scope of the Planting for Food and Jobs.

The decision follows the launch of the Phase II of the Planting for Food and Jobs.

The Ministry of Information in a statement said, President Akufo-Addo will on Saturday engage with members of the National House of Chiefs as part of efforts to make large tracts of land available for farming.

The Ministry in its statement emphasised the support of chiefs in enhancing efforts to make the programme successful.

The President expects that the support of Chiefs will further enhance efforts to make the program successful. With about 80% of Ghanas land being customary ownership by chiefs and families, it is acknowledged that chiefs have the power to allocate, lease, or sell land for various purposes.

President Akufo-Addo, on Monday, 28th August 2023, launched Phase Two of Government's flagship programme on agriculture, Planting for Food and Jobs, at the University for Development Studies, in Tamale.

Targeted at building on the successes of the initial programme, the second phase of the programme is a five-year master plan for the transformation of agriculture in Ghana with focus on modernisation through the development of a selected commodity value chain and active private sector participation.

Phase Two of the Programme seeks to improve service delivery to maximise impact, substitutes direct input subsidy with smart agricultural financial support in the form of comprehensive input credit, with provision for in-kind payment, the President indicated.

President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, launched the maiden Planting for Food and Jobs programme at Goaso in the Ahafo region.

The move represented the government's key initiative to modernise agriculture, improve production efficiency, and achieve food security, and profitability for farmers.

It targeted a significant increase in agricultural productivity and pursued a value-addition strategy, aimed at rapidly ramping up agro-processing and developing new and stable markets.

-citinewsroom
08.09.2023 LISTEN

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said some schools have charged students between GH500 and GH1,000 to help them cheat in the ongoing final exam.

At a media briefing, the head of public affairs for WAEC, Mr John K. Kapi, said: "It is sad to note that some of the schools have devised grand schemes for cheating at their examination centres".

"Information reaching us indicates that some of the schools charge their candidates ranging between GH500 and GH1,000 each to enable them to get assistance during the examination and this practice has given some of the students a certain sense of entitlement, and they want to be allowed their way", he noted.

He also revealed that the "proprietors of some schools have shown open hostility towards our monitoring teams prompting us to call for support from the Ghana Police Service to ensure their safety".

"And, some people have been arrested for attempting to bribe our personnel to look the other way so that the cheating can go on", he mentioned.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Several parts of the country are currently without electricity.

Parts of Upper West, Kumasi, Bono Region, Bono East, Ahafo, among other areas are without light.

Ghanaians in affected areas have taken to social media to express concerns.

It is currently unclear what is to blame for the outages as authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the matter.

-citinewsroom
Seven-time "American Ninja Warrior" competitor and Lincoln resident Maggi Thorne is no stranger to flying on Southwest Airlines, now traveling the country as a motivational speaker, but something unexpected happened on a recent flight.

On a midday Southwest flight from Omaha to Orlando, Florida, she says she was shamed for her outfit by a flight attendant and told she might have to cover up. The flight attendant told her she, didnt think I was appropriately dressed, Thorne said. Thorne posted the story to Twitter/X on Friday with a photo of her outfit: an athleisure crop top and loose, high-waisted pants.

Thorne refused to cover up and reported the incident to another flight attendant after looking for and failing to find a passenger dress code policy. Thorne also said she messaged a friend, who happens to be a Southwest flight attendant, and asked her if she was aware of any such policy, to which her friend responded no. Initially, the second flight attendant said there was a policy for appropriate dress, but the situation diffused and Thorne was able to travel to her destination uninterrupted.

Other similar incidents involving Southwest have been reported in the past. Melinna Bobadilla claimed last summer that she was removed from a flight for defending a young woman being shamed and harassed by an employee for wearing a tank top that was deemed too revealing, she said in a viral Twitter thread that has since been made private.

In October 2020, Chicago woman Kayla Eubanks said she was stopped from boarding her flight for her attire and that, after demanding to see the policy that allowed that, the gate agent could not find the policy but would not relent until the flight captain loaned her a t-shirt. The Independent reported on the event, which was also posted to Twitter/X.

There are more, and the vast majority of incidents like Thornes happen to women.

While other airlines have come under fire for attire-related incidents, notably American, United and Alaska Airlines, Southwest appears to make headlines quite often for its interpretation of appropriate attire.

Chris Perry, a representative for Southwest, said in an email that Southwest does not have a customer dress code policy.

However, Southwests guide to traveling on a guest pass states travelers should dress to impress. While Southwests dress code is relaxed and casual, you will be expected to present a clean, well-groomed and tasteful appearance.

Additionally, the airlines ticket contract  its so-called contract of carriage that defines terms of use for flying on a plane  specifies that the carrier may, in its sole discretion, refuse to transport, or may remove from an aircraft at any point, any passenger ... engaging in lewd, obscene or patently offensive behavior, including wearing clothes that are lewd, obscene, or patently offensive.

Other airlines have similar clauses in their ticket fine print.

Delta may refuse to transport passengers when the passengers conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers. United singles out passengers who are barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive.

Americans contract says, Dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing arent allowed.

The vaguely-worded policies leave much room for interpretation. In the case of Southwest, Perry said: Our employees are responsible for following our contract of carriage.

Many have responded to these incidents on social media and beyond, calling out the disproportionate effect attire policies seem to have on women.

Incidents such as what happened to Thorne are rare in the grand scheme of things, but they are not without a lasting impact.

(I felt) shamed, embarrassed, Thorne said. I was definitely singled out, so I was frustrated.

She also took issue with the fact that the flight attendant did this in front of other passengers and not in private.

It wasnt discreet.

Southwest has filed a formal complaint with senior leadership on Thornes behalf, but there is no specific policy on recourse for passengers like Thorne who feel they have been unfairly judged for their dress.

Southwests contract of carriage says, A passenger who is so refused or removed is without further recourse to the carrier for any damages claimed by passenger, including the refund value of any unused portion of their ticket, and may be liable to carrier for costs and damages.

In the case of Eubanks, whose Twitter post received over 40,000 likes, Southwest refunded her fare as a gesture of goodwill, according to The Independent.

I havent previously had any issues, Thorne said. I was in disbelief.
The Charles Schwab Corporation is a financial services company that offers a wide range of investment services, including brokerage, banking, and financial advisory services. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Westlake, Texas, the company operates through two main segments: Investor Services and Advisor Services. The Investor Services segment offers individual investors retail brokerage and banking services, while the Advisor Services segment provides custodial, trading, and support services to independent investment advisors. In 2020, the company completed its acquisition of TD Ameritrade, further expanding its client base and offerings.

Charles Schwab Corporation's management team is led by Walt Bettinger, who has been the company's President and Chief Executive Officer since 2008. Mr. Bettinger joined the company in 1995 and has held various leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Head of Schwab Institutional.

Over the past few years, Charles Schwab Corporation has experienced steady growth in its key financial metrics. It is reporting increased revenue and increased profit margin. Charles Schwab Corporation's valuation metrics are generally in line with industry peers. The company's price-to-earnings ratio is slightly lower than the industry average, and the company's price-to-book ratio is also somewhat lower than the industry average. Charles Schwab Corporation's stock has generally performed well over the past few years, with some fluctuations in response to broader market conditions and regulatory changes. The company's stock price has outperformed the S&P 500 for several years. The company has also experienced increases in trading volume in response to changes in market conditions and regulatory changes.

Charles Schwab Corporation operates in the financial services industry, which has experienced significant growth and transformation over the past few years. The industry has been impacted by a range of factors, including advances in technology, changing consumer preferences, and regulatory changes. Charles Schwab Corporation competes with other financial services firms, including traditional brokerage firms, online investment platforms, and banks.

Charles Schwab Corporation has a range of potential growth opportunities, including expanding its offerings to meet the evolving needs of its clients. The company has been investing in technology and digital platforms to improve its services and attract new clients. In addition, the company's acquisition of TD Ameritrade has provided new opportunities for growth and expansion. The company also focuses on expanding its international presence and exploring new markets.

Charles Schwab Corporation faces a range of potential risks and challenges, including changes in regulatory and political environments that may impact the company's operations and profitability. The financial services industry is subject to a wide range of regulations, and changes in these regulations could significantly impact the company's operations. In addition, the industry is subject to intense competition, which could affect the company's ability to attract and retain clients.

Another potential risk is the impact of market volatility on the company's operations. Charles Schwab Corporation generates a significant portion of its revenue from commissions and fees, which are impacted by changes in market conditions. In periods of market volatility, clients may reduce their trading activity, which could affect the company's revenue and profitability.

The company also faces risks related to data security and privacy. The company collects and stores sensitive financial and personal information on its clients. Any breach of this data could significantly impact the company's reputation and financial performance.

To address these risks and challenges, Charles Schwab Corporation is focused on maintaining a robust regulatory compliance program and investing in data security and privacy measures. The company is also focused on diversifying its revenue streams and expanding its offerings to meet the evolving needs of its clients.
A Lockwood man admitted earlier this week to driving drunk and fatally striking a man crossing a Billings street in 2021.

Cooper Knutson Rude, 21, pleaded guilty in Yellowstone County District Court to one count of negligent homicide and driving under the influence. His guilty plea came more than two years after the fatal crash.

Three people were riding in a pickup truck in September 2021, the Gazette previously reported, with Rude at the wheel. He'd been drinking beer earlier that night, according to interviews with witnesses. Rude was headed west on Central Avenue when a group of people were crossing the road. He hit and killed one of them, a 31-year-old man from North Dakota.

After hitting the man, Rude let his two passengers out of the truck. Police found the pickup at Amend Park later that same night, and identified its driver as Rude, who was 19 at the time. Rude consented to have his blood drawn, and a toxicology report showed he his blood-alcohol content was at about .089 the night of the crash.

Criminal charges were filed against Rude about six months later. He initially pleaded not guilty to counts of vehicular homicide while under the influence and failing to stop or remain at the scene of an accident involving a death or serious injury, both felonies. In late August 2023, he reached a plea agreement with county prosecutors.

On Sept. 5, Rude pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and DUI. According to the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend he be sentenced to 20 years in Montana State Prison, with five years suspended for the homicide count and six months in jail for the DUI. His sentencing will be scheduled at a later time.

Intoxicated driving has been a factor in more than half of the fatal crashes in Montana so far this year, per preliminary crash reports from MHP.
The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum invites the public to a free screening of the film "End of the Rope" at 2 p.m. Sept. 23.

"End of the Rope," shot on location in Burleigh and McKenzie counties in 2021 by local production companies, is a crime thriller set in McKenzie County in 1931. Based on the Charles Bannon case and the book by Dennis Edward Johnson, the film tells the true story of Schafer, North Dakota, a town whose residents rise up, taking justice into their own hands when a local family mysteriously disappears.
Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company specializing in developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide range of healthcare products. The company has its headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois and operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

The company was founded in 1888 by Dr. Wallace C. Abbott, and it has since grown to become one of the world's largest and most respected healthcare companies. Abbott Laboratories has a diverse portfolio of products, including medical devices, diagnostic tests, nutritional products, and branded generic pharmaceuticals. The company is committed to developing innovative products that improve the quality of life for people worldwide.

Robert B. Ford is the current President and CEO of the company. He was appointed to this position in 2020 after serving as the company's Chief Operating Officer. He has been with Abbott Laboratories since 1996 and has held various leadership positions.

Abbott Laboratories has delivered strong financial performance, declining as investors seek growth. The company's net earnings have been increasing steadily. Abbott Laboratories has a solid balance sheet with a low debt-to-equity ratio. The company has consistently delivered strong cash flow, allowing it to invest in research and development and return value to shareholders. Abbott Laboratories has a higher price-to-earnings ratio than the industry average, and the company's price-to-book ratio is also higher than the industry average. These metrics suggest that the market has a positive outlook on Abbott Laboratories and is willing to pay a premium for the company's shares. Over the past year, Abbott Laboratories' stock has declined as consumers seek to see what the company will do post-pandemic. The company's shares have experienced some volatility, but overall, they have outperformed the broader market.

Abbott Laboratories operates in the healthcare industry, which is highly regulated and complex. The industry is characterized by rapidly evolving technology, changing regulatory requirements, and shifting consumer preferences. Abbott Laboratories competes with other large healthcare companies such as Johnson & Johnson.

Abbott Laboratories' robust product pipeline is expected to drive growth in the coming years. The company is focused on developing innovative products that address unmet medical needs and improve patient outcomes. In addition to its core businesses, Abbott Laboratories is expanding into new markets and investing in digital health technologies.

Like any company, Abbott Laboratories faces a range of risks and challenges. One of the most significant risks facing the company is regulatory uncertainty. Changes in regulatory requirements could impact the company's ability to bring products to market and could also increase the cost of doing business. Another risk facing the company is the threat of competitive pressures. The healthcare industry is highly competitive, and Abbott Laboratories faces competition from established companies and new entrants. Changes in consumer preferences could also impact the company's performance, particularly in the nutritional products segment.

Additionally, Abbott Laboratories is exposed to geopolitical risks, such as changes in trade policies or political instability in key markets. The company's international operations also expose it to currency fluctuations, which could impact its financial performance.
Visa Inc. is a US-based multinational financial services company formed from a consortium of US banks. It is the 2nd largest payment processor globally and the leading payment processor outside China. Its market share in 2021 was roughly 50% of global transaction volume x-China. Transactions are processed in 1 of 4 hardened data centers in key regions worldwide. The data centers are hardened against internal and external attacks, both physical and digital, and can operate independently of each, providing ample redundancy for the system. As of 2022, the company can process more than 30,000 transactions per second, making it the most viable solution for most use-case scenarios.

Visa Inc. was founded in 1958 by Bank of America as the BankAmericard Credit Card network. Not only is the card itself of historical importance, but how it was launched is also. Bank of America launched the program with the first mass mailing of unsolicited credit cards, changing the nature of the entire consumer credit market. At the time, consumers often had several credit accounts with local merchants, which was cumbersome for financial record-keeping; by introducing a consumer-friendly credit card, Bank of America unified merchant credit accounts into one billing statement.

The BankAmericard network was so popular, and to compete again with the then-number 1 MasterCard, Bank of America opened use to other financial institutions. By 1970 Bank of America had relinquished direct control of the institution allowing a consortium of financial institutions to operate the company. It was rebranded as Visa in 1976 and grew to become the dominant payment processing network in the decades since.

Visa Inc is not a card issuer; it does not extend credit to consumers and does not set rates or fees for consumers. It is in business to provide electronic funds transfers services or EFT to financial institutions, banks, government and businesses. Entities needing financial payment processing infrastructure can enroll in VisaNet and issue Visa-branded cards and services to their clients and customers.

Visa operated as four separate entities serving different regions of the globe until restructuring in 2006. The restructuring resulted in the merger of 3 of the four assets into Visa Inc, leaving Visa Europe as a stand-alone entity. The new Visa Inc held its IPO in 2007, selling half of its shares, raising nearly $18 billion or almost double the targeted amount. Visa Europe was later acquired by Visa Inc, forming the unified company traded today.

Visa employs more than 26,500 individuals globally and brought in roughly $15 billion in revenue for fiscal 2021. The company has more than 3.9 billion active cards out globally; it has processed more than 255 billion transactions and is used by more than 80 million merchant locations. As a forward-thinking company, Visa is also engaged to some degree with the cryptocurrency markets and has partnerships with Coinbase and Crypto.com, among others.
A jury on Wednesday found a Mandan teenager guilty of fatally shooting a South Dakota man at a north Bismarck motel a year ago and wounding a worker at the business.

The verdict came after about 2  hours of jury deliberations over two days in South Central District Court in Bismarck. Jesse Taylor Jr., 17, showed no emotion when the verdict of guilty to murder was read. He could face life in prison without parole. Sentencing wasn't immediately scheduled. Judge James Hill ordered a presentence investigation.

Taylor, then 16, was charged with murder in the Sept. 23, 2022, death of Maurice Thunder Shield, 28, of McLaughlin, South Dakota. Taylor and Thunder Shield knew each other, police said. Taylor also was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly shooting and wounding a motel worker, and was convicted of that charge Wednesday. It carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

A judicial referee earlier moved the case from juvenile jurisdiction to adult court, saying Taylor had a limited juvenile history but didnt comply with probation and admitted to committing other offenses while on probation.

Attorneys representing Taylor and the state summarized in their closing arguments Tuesday more than a week's worth of evidence and testimony. Defense attorney Phillip Becher claimed his client acted in self-defense following a verbal altercation with Thunder Shield at the Motel 6. Prosecutor Dennis Ingold said Becher's claim of self-defense had no basis in law.

"Before using deadly force, an individual is required to retreat," he said. "He could have, and he should have."

Ingold showed jurors surveillance video recorded at the motel. He said the video clips showed Taylor had more than one avenue of escape from Thunder Shield, who appeared to be acting in an agitated state. Video showed Thunder Shield on the second floor of the motel, with Taylor one floor below. A separate clip then showed Thunder Shield on the ground floor, and according to Ingold acting in a menacing manner.

Becher said that menacing manner is exactly why Taylor's use of deadly force -- firing five shots from a semi-automatic pistol at Thunder Shield -- was reasonable conduct. Becher made more than one reference to a size advantage Thunder Shield held over Taylor, and said that size coupled with comments like "I'm gonna beat (you)" gave Taylor a reasonable expectation of physical harm.

"It is a self-defense case," Becher said. "Jesse was justified in his actions."

At one point before the shooting Taylor left the motel's first floor, and it was only when Thunder Shield came downstairs to confront him again that Taylor fired the weapon, according to Becher.

Ingold said the fact Taylor fired multiple rounds over a period of several seconds showed that Taylor intended to kill Thunder Shield. Five rounds were fired, with four striking Thunder Shield. The fifth bullet struck motel employee Frederick Loewy, who was wounded.

Taylor fled the scene on foot following the shooting. He was arrested in Warren, Minnesota, that evening. The firearm was recovered later by a resident in Bismarck's Jaycee Centennial Park.

"Clearly there was some animosity between these two, but Jesse could have retreated," Ingold told jurors. "But he didn't. You must find him guilty."

They did, choosing to convict Taylor on the murder charge over lesser alternatives of manslaughter or negligent homicide.

Members of Taylor's family who were present while the verdict was read expressed their displeasure upon leaving the courthouse, drawing the attention of courthouse security.

As Taylor was escorted from the building, family members could be heard expressing their solidarity, saying "We love you baby," and "You got this."

It wasn't clear if Thunder Shield had any family in the courtroom.
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Meghna Mittal MEGHNA MITTAL is Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com
Siddharth Upasani is a Special Correspondent at Moneycontrol. He has been covering the Indian economy, economic data, and monetary and fiscal policies for nine years. He tweets at @SiddharthUbiWan. Contact: siddharth.upasani@nw18.com
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North Dakotas Office of Legal Immigration is looking outside Americas borders to fill workforce gaps across the state.

It's the first time in 90 years North Dakota has had a state-level office focused on recruiting, supporting and retaining immigrant workers.

The Office of Legal Immigration has hired its first employee of a planned two-person team and is gearing up for a statewide study to assess the needs of businesses, municipalities and immigrants throughout the acclimation process, according to Janna Pastir, deputy director of the state Commerce Department's Work Force Division. The office is intended to help businesses recruit foreign labor, while also creating networks of support for new workers as they integrate into the state.

The labor market is under notable strain across the country. There are 9.8 million job openings in the U.S. but only 5.9 million unemployed workers, and 1.9 million fewer Americans are working now compared to February 2020, the month before the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to August data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The situation in North Dakota is especially pressing: the Chamber categorizes the state as one of the 11 most severe landscapes, with 37 available workers for every 100 open jobs.

Pastir said the office is looking to wrap up its informational study next spring, in hopes of presenting clear objectives ahead of the state Legislatures next session, which begins in January 2025. She said the state is also considering issues such as international student retention and workforce credential transfers, while also acknowledging the obstacles that can come from federal immigration policy.

One asset is a network of similar state-level offices that exist across the country. Pastir said the members of this network, often dubbed Offices of New Americans in other states, are able to collaborate to tackle issues ranging from federal policies to funding streams.

This network of states is able to work together and share things that have worked really well, Pastir said. So now that we have an office, we're able to participate in that network and really learn from our peers.

The office was created through the bipartisan Senate Bill 2142 sponsored by state Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, in the last legislative session, though the bills final iteration was a pared-back version of the approach Mathern first introduced.

Initially, Mathern also proposed a bill that would have provided financial incentives for immigrants relocating to North Dakota, to the tune of up to $160,000 in forgivable loans through a partner office in the state-owned Bank of North Dakota. Senate Bill 2151 died in the state Senate.

Still, Mathern said he is hopeful about the offices implications for the future of the state. The last time North Dakota had a state office focused on immigration was 1933, and the state saw a gradual decline in population from its elimination to the start of the Bakken oil boom in the early 2000s. Reestablishing such an office, he said, is a chance to set up future generations of North Dakota residents for success.

We need to think about this process as being our future population, Mathern said. So its not just a matter of getting workers. It is getting families to populate our state, and for families then to operate our schools, our hospitals  to be a part of our communities.

Navigating federal immigration policies is a challenging and at times unpredictable experience, according to Bismarck-based immigration lawyer Megan Carranza. And North Dakotas relative lack of immigration lawyers could impact efforts to recruit new Americans to the state, she said.

The immigration process can take months or even years, which means the states workforce is unlikely to see immediate relief after the creation of the office, which will not have immigration attorneys. But long-term, Carranza said, such an office can only serve to bolster the strength and diversity of North Dakota communities.

After the legal process of immigration is over, new residents will still need to acclimate to the state. Its in the months and years after a move, when immigrants are looking to get connected to their municipalities, that could define retention in many cases, Carranza said.

The best-supported new community members will have support from a variety of networks throughout a community -- for example, existing family, but also a variety of businesses and schools and perhaps faith networks and employers who are welcoming, Carranza said. I think that's where we'll see people who want to put down roots in North Dakota.
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Across premier engineering institutions in India that are not the IITs, Information Technology (IT) services companies are among the first to make an appearance during placement season, starting as early as August and September to snap up the best candidates. Not this time. At a time when IT service companies have seen a grim earnings season with not much chance for recovery and guidance is muted, the mood is extending to the placement season although entry-level talent offers companies a...

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Souptik Datta Reports real estate, infra and city in Bengaluru. Btw, curiosity never kills the cat.
Corbin Lampert on Thursday pleaded not guilty to charges filed in the shooting death of 16-year-old Taryn Hohbein in a Bismarck apartment in June.

Lampert, 19, of Bismarck, faces two charges: murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, and being a previously convicted felon in possession of a handgun, which carries a maximum sentence of five years. He entered the pleas after a preliminary hearing.

Bismarck Police Detective Ryan Guggenberger during the hearing laid out a scenario that placed Lampert, Hohbein and other juveniles inside an Ohio Street apartment where a handgun was present. The apartment was home to two of the juveniles and one adult, who was not present. Guggenberger said the 9 mm handgun was handled by more than one occupant prior to the shooting, and the gun's magazine was removed more than once. One juvenile told police he saw Lampert, who was sitting in a chair, grab the weapon and point it at Hohbein.

"In addition to that, (the witness) looked away, looked down some direction, he heard a gunshot, looked at Hohbein, who fell, and then also reported that Lampert fled the apartment on foot," leaving the gun behind, Guggenberger said.

Lampert was later picked up by two juvenile females who took him to an apartment on South 16th Street, where he was later arrested. Lampert told one of the girls, "I think I killed somebody," Guggenberger testified.

The gun was later recovered during a traffic stop of two juveniles in a Jeep that was registered to Hohbein's mother. Those juveniles also were at the apartment when the shooting occurred. The gun was found on one of the juveniles, who told police the weapon was his. Police say they determined the gun was in fact stolen in Lincoln. The other juvenile told police Lampert had been sitting on a couch in the apartment's living room.

"He said he heard a pop then saw Hohbein fall down," Guggenberger testified.

Bismarck police say Lampert acknowledged being in the apartment but that he said someone else shot Hohbein. Guggenberger said Lampert claimed the fatal shot was fired by the juvenile who told police the gun was his.

Guggenberger said that based on police interviews, no one in the apartment actually saw the gun fired.

Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer asked Guggenberger if his review of the crime scene, evidence, interviews and a consultation with a doctor led him to any conclusions about who was in a position to shoot Taryn Hohbein.

"There's a ton of information, but based on that it seems likely that Lampert was," Guggenberger responded.

Authorities haven't discussed the relationship of Lampert and Hohbein other than to say they knew one another. They also haven't publicly discussed a possible motive in the shooting.

Jesse Hohbein, Taryn's father, was among many friends and family members who attended Thursday's hearing. Seating was at a premium, and spectators standing along the back wall had to be moved by deputies when Lampert was brought in. Many in attendance were wearing gray T-shirts with the words "Justice for Taryn" and a picture of her.

Such displays typically are not allowed during trials, since they could be seen as an attempt to influence a jury. Preliminary hearings are held only before a judge whose task is to determine whether probable cause exists to put an accused person on trial.

Justin Balzer, Lampert's defense attorney, did not call any witnesses, telling South Central District Judge Pam Nesvig he had no intention of contesting a finding of probable cause.

Lampert remains in custody on a $1 million bond. His trial, originally scheduled for October, has been tentatively rescheduled to March of next year based on Lawyer's request for a 10-day proceeding.

Lampert in July pleaded not guilty to terrorizing and being a felon in possession of a firearm in a separate case. He's accused of pointing a handgun with a laser attached at a male juvenile at Bismarcks Hillside Park on June 16, and asking the boy if he wanted to die. Lampert could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted in that case. Trial is scheduled for Oct. 17.

Lampert cant legally own a gun because he was convicted last year of felony reckless endangerment-extreme indifference. He pleaded guilty to the charge in November and was sentenced to 1  years of probation. Lampert was the driver of a vehicle that swerved toward two women -- one of them three months pregnant -- who yelled when the vehicle sped past them at a high speed around 1 a.m. on July 19, 2022, according to an affidavit.
Mehul R Thakkar is Special Correspondent, Moneycontrol, Indias leading financial news platform, based in Mumbai where he is focussed on covering the real estate sector.
Pallavi Singhal is a Correspondent at Moneycontrol.com covering commerce, agriculture and education. With a total experience of four years, she has reported on varied subjects covering crime, courts, civic affairs, health & politics. Human interest and feature stories have always piqued her interest.
A Beulah man is in custody in Burleigh County, charged with a number of sex crimes against a teenage girl in Bismarck.

A police affidavit claims Tayven Paola, 21, met with a 13-year old female in Bismarck on four occasions between March 1 and July 14 of this year. On each occasion Paola allegedly had sexual contact with the girl in exchange for vape products. Paola also used the social media app SnapChat to obtain nude photos of the girl, authorities said.

Law enforcement was able to discover Paola's identity after the girl's parents brought her phone to Bismarck police in mid-July. A data extraction obtained by Detective Ryan Guggenberger revealed messages on the app from a username police said they were able to positively identify as belonging to Paola.

The girl told investigators she initially determined his identity after receiving messages from him on another social media platform. She told Paola she was 13 and that "she did not think he cared," according to the affidavit. Paolo told her he could provide her with vapes in exchange for sex acts and nude photos, she told investigators.

Paola was arrested in Beulah on Wednesday. Charges against him include four counts of gross sexual imposition where the victim is younger than 15, patronizing a minor for commercial sexual activity, contributing to the deprivation or delinquency of a minor, luring a minor by means of a computer or other electronic means and indecent exposure. The gross sexual imposition charges are Class A felonies; each carries a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.

Paola made his initial court appearance Thursday. Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Justin Schwarz recommended a $20,000 cash-only bond.

"He's previously lived in Montana," Schwarz said. "That brings questions about his ties to the community."

South Central District Court Judge Pam Nesvig accepted the recommendation and ordered Paola to not have contact with the girl.

A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 9. Court documents do not list an attorney for Paola.
A 39-year-old Mandan man is accused of firing several shots into the air outside the Stage Stop Saloon & Grill, then driving off while intoxicated.

The business's surveillance video shows Kenneth Chapman raising an arm in the air with an object in his hand, followed by several muzzle flashes, before he drives off, according to a police affidavit. Officers responding to the scene on Tuesday said they discovered four shell casings in the parking lot.

A witness who called police reported seeing a handgun and provided a description of the vehicle. Officers who stopped the vehicle near Memorial Bridge in Mandan said they recovered a 9 mm pistol and three boxes of ammunition from the car.

Chapman faces a December trial on charges of reckless endangerment, discharge of a firearm within city limits, driving while intoxicated, being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and driving while under suspension for a previous alcohol-related offense. He also was ticketed for speeding and for having an open container. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the most serious charges.

The defense attorney listed for Chapman in court documents did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for comment.
Bloomberg Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, conveyed in her address to the public that everyone should abandon the idea of her resignation. She affirmed her commitment to fulfilling her constitutional obligation, which involves being where she is supposed to be and going wherever her duties require.Zourabichvili added that her accountability is solely to the Georgian society since they elected her, and she feels a deep sense of responsibility for the trust they have placed in her."That's why I'm not going anywhere. I believe everyone should abandon the idea of my resignation. I am here where I am, and I will fulfill my responsibilities wherever they lead because it is my highest constitutional obligation. I uphold the constitution of this country. I took this oath on the day of my inauguration as the President of Georgia, and I will remain faithful to this oath until the end. This means that the constitution, which guides us, and which I also accepted when changes were made to it, mandates that all Georgian institutions do everything in their power to promote European integration. I consider this my highest and foremost obligation," the President of Georgia stated.When discussing the impeachment of President Zourabichvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, emphasized that the legality of the matter has been repeatedly clarified and is explicitly stated in the constitution. He added that every citizen and responsible individual is obligated to respect Georgia's fundamental law."Let's wait for today's appeal. Connecting this issue has nothing to do with the European future of Georgia, and I urge you not to mislead the public. Regarding this matter, very clear statements have been made both by the Parliament and the Prime Minister of Georgia. Therefore, we stand by these statements. Legally, it has been explained many times, and it is clearly written in the Constitution. Thus, every citizen and every responsible person is obliged to respect Georgia's fundamental law. We all have a duty to respect and comply with the Constitution of Georgia," said Darchiashvili.
Richard M Rossow is Senior Adviser and holds the Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, DC. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
C Uday Bhaskar is Director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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In this edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: How Cipla built a billion-dollar business in US, Indias economic ascent explained...

Highlights G20s DEWG aims to evolve digital systems and infrastructure across nations Aadhaar and UPI used by a billion people are proven public DPI services India could lead the way for other countries to use DPI Interoperability of services across nations is being explored Butcyber security and data leaks are lurking dangers Throughout the year, meetings were held at Lucknow, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru for careful negotiations and wordsmithing by the G20s Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) on priority areas relating to the digital economy...

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Gov. Doug Burgum signed an executive order Friday establishing a Task Force for Teacher Retention and Recruitment as school districts across the state grapple with a teacher shortage.

The move comes a month after Burgum granted a request from the state's Education Standards and Practices Board that allowed school districts to expand the responsibilities of student teachers. Under the temporary policy, student teachers are allowed to serve as the teacher of record for one semester while they complete an internship. In these cases, they would be the only teacher in the classroom, but would be partnered with mentors in the building.

The new policy was criticized by North Dakota United, the union that represents K-12 educators across the state alongside other public employees. The union said the policy didn't look into the factors that could be behind the shortage. Burgum said he was planning to create the task force as well when he announced the policy change.

The task force will include 11 to 15 stakeholders from the state's education community; the governor and state superintendent of public instruction, or their designees, will serve as voting members. The group will look at areas such as recruitment, preparation, compensation and licensure to present recommendations by Sept. 30, 2024, in time for the 2025 legislative session.
North Dakotas Emergency Commission approved a slate of funding requests Thursday that would allow for the use of federal funding for a variety of statewide issues, including disaster relief for floods that impacted the state earlier this year.

The commission approved the use of over $7.4 million in federal funds for disaster relief and prevention in the wake of spring flooding this April and May. It also approved a loan of nearly $1.2 million from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota to be applied toward the issue. State lawmakers will decide during the 2025 Legislature how the loan will be repaid.

Gov. Doug Burgum declared a state of emergency amid this years flooding, and in the wake of the floods, he requested a major disaster declaration from President Joe Biden. That request was approved in July and covered 21 counties that met federal damage thresholds, opening up the opportunity for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Several other counties were impacted by the floods but didnt meet the per-capita damage threshold to qualify, and will not receive any FEMA funding as a result.

The list of eligible counties includes Morton but not Burleigh. Morton County submitted about $193,000 in flood-related damages, Emergency Manager Cody Mattson said in July.

Burgum in June told the White House he estimated around $4.1 million in damages in those 21 counties and $5 million in damages across the state. That assessment was due 30 days after the disaster, according to state Disaster Recovery Chief Justin Messner. Further research into the floodings impact increased the estimate, resulting in the more than $8 million that ended up being allocated to address the issue, he said.

The Emergency Commission comprises the governor, secretary of state, House and Senate majority leaders and top budget writers, and approves state agency requests for funding between legislative sessions.

Funding for flood relief doesnt need to be reviewed by the Legislative Budget Section committee because its related to a natural disaster. The other request approvals Thursday will have to be reviewed by the Budget Section before they can take effect, as all items over $50,000 approved by the Emergency Commission must be reviewed by the committee. The commission and committee can approve up to $50 million in federal funds and $20 million in special funds in every two-year budget cycle.

Elections were also on the commissions agenda: Over $460,000 in federal funding was approved for ballot security moves focusing on integrity for overseas ballots, as well as accessibility for voters with disabilities. The approval comes amid multiple challenges to North Dakotas electoral process, including through a potential ballot measure that seeks to eliminate the use of voting machines and a lawsuit that looks to restrict the collection timeline for mail-in ballots.

The commission also approved the disbursement of over $111,000 in additional funding for emergency snow removal grants to six political subdivisions after finding discrepancies in the approval process of their applications. The errors were procedural and calculation issues, which were primarily caused by the state, according to North Dakota Homeland Security Director Darin Hanson.

Last winter was one of the snowiest on record in many areas. North Dakota received 1,463 applications for the emergency snow removal funding program, and approved nearly all of them. However, some commission members expressed concern after other local governments inquired about applications that didnt result in funding. As a result, the Department of Emergency Services is looking into the status of subdivisions that may have been impacted by staff turnover and application timelines.

The states paraprofessional-to-teacher initiative also received approval for a federal funding boost after gaining traction in the Legislature. A cash influx of over $4 million in the form of two grants will continue to build out the program, and both grants run through June 2026, so unused funds have the potential to roll over into the next budget cycle.

The use of nearly $8 million in federal funds for various National Guard-affiliated projects also received commission approval. The Dickinson Readiness Center will get $5.3 million, after a rebid process resulted in a new estimated price tag up from initial projections of $24.1 million. Ground was broken for that nearly $30 million project last month.

The fitness facility at Camp Grafton near Devils Lake received commission approval for the use of an additional $2 million in federal funds based on current construction costs, and a bridge training site at the same camp was approved for an additional $515,000 to account for costs of the design process.

The Legislative Budget Section committee will review all commission-approved requests, aside from the flood relief funding, at its next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 21.
Unusual trading of Liontown shares has sparked rumours of a potential bidding warwhy we may be seeing a renewed scramble to lock up lithium assets once morehow India could play a role in this volatile marketand why you should consider lithium for your own portfolio

Dear Reader,

Its been less than half a year since Liontown Resources [ASX:LTR] has been up for grabs.

The initial bid from US chemicals company Albemarle was lobbed back in late March. A telling moment for the lithium market as Albemarle is one of Teslas biggest suppliers.

But, that first offer was rejected.

Liontown had the gumption to know that their lithium assets were worth more. And theyve got more

Albemarle recently upped its bid, which it says is best and final, to $3 per share. An offer that Liontowns board would probably be foolish to refuse.

At least, it wouldve been foolish up until trading opened yesterday morning.

Seemingly out of the blue, 93 million Liontown shares were exchanged yesterday. A sum that is 10 times the normal trading volume of the stock for the past 90 days. As a result, the share price is now (prior to market open) trading just above Albemarles US$3 offer.

So, what happened?

If the rumours are true, it seems Australias richest person  Gina Rinehart  could be making a late counterbid. Because if she is the unknown buyer, then Rinehart may be about to put up a fight for Liontowns assets

Lithium scramble

Of course, until an official counteroffer is made, we have no real way of knowing whats going on at Liontown. All we do know is that it furthers the narrative were seeing of desperate bidders trying to lock up key lithium assets.

Allkems [ASX:AKE] $16 billion upcoming merger with Livent was by far the biggest development in this vein. A deal that will make the combined entity the worlds third-largest lithium producer.

Dont be shocked if we see more bids in the near future. Because while demand for lithium is still high, a choppy market has led to some rather cheap valuations.

Thats why Albemarle had to up its bid, and thats why we may see Rinehart contend with it.

Keep in mind, we could see an explosion in lithium prices fairly soon too. Some analysts are forecasting that the market will be in shortage as early as 2025!

This divide between demand and supply may only get worse by 2030 too. Unless we see some serious effort made in terms of productive output, demand looks all but set to outpace new supply for the rest of the decade.

As for where that demand may come from, well, China is still the obvious answer. I mentioned last week how the Middle Kingdom is already muscling in on this market.

But theyre not the only ones

Another key player that is on the rise is India. Because while theyve been slower to get started on their lithium plans, they could quickly become a formidable competitor.

Indias rise

I think this India angle is particularly important when you consider Rineharts potential involvement. After all, back in May, she personally met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Its clear that the two are keen on what the other can offer. That is, a new and fast-growing market for Rinehart, and a stable supply of quality lithium assets for Modi.

That is perhaps where Liontown could come into the mix

But for India, its not just about importing lithium, either.

Last month, the Indian Government passed a law that would allow for foreign investment in local critical mineral projects. Lithium was just one critical mineral among several that was struck from the list of atomic minerals banned from private investment.

Now, with this change, many of Indias natural reserves can be bought and sold to the highest bidder. An opportunity thats clearly designed to spur local production and supply of lithium within India.

Its just another example of the unquenchable demand for this vital resource.

So, for investors like yourself, it may be time to consider lithium once again. That is, if you havent already.

It is certainly a volatile space to invest in, but given the ongoing developments, the long-term outlook is still looking as strong as ever.

After all, if its good enough for Australias richest person, its probably worth a look for yourself.

Regards,

Ryan Clarkson-Ledward,

Editor, Money Morning
The shift to cleaner energy isnt advocated on climate change grounds alone. Yes, the 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report said climate change is a threat to well-being and planetary health. A threat that can be assuaged by phasing out fossil fuels. But the push for net zero emissions has economic backing, too.

Dear Reader,

The shift to cleaner energy isnt advocated on climate change grounds alone.

Yes, the 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report said climate change is a threat to well-being and planetary health. A threat that can be assuaged by phasing out fossil fuels.

But the push for net zero emissions has economic backing, too.

Clean sources of energy are also advocated for on the grounds theyre cheaper.

The Greens, for instance, write on their website that renewables are the cheapest form of power.

And late last year, Australias very own climate change minister Chris Bowen said in a speech:

This transition is even more important  not only for reasons of climate, as compelling as those reasons are  but also because renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy, which is rather handy in an affordability crisis.

Even former federal Liberal party MP Dave Sharma said in 2021 that the lowest cost of new energy generation sources is renewable energy.

But its not just politicians.

Hardened, profit-maximising businesses agree.

In February 2022, Origin Energys CEO Frank Calabria announced Origins early exit from coal-fired generation.

A big reason was the improved economics of renewable energy:

The reality is the economics of coal-fired power stations are being put under increasing, unsustainable pressure by cleaner and lower cost generation, including solar, wind and batteries.

The cost of renewable energy and battery storage is increasingly competitive, and the penetration of renewables is growing and changing the shape of wholesale electricity prices, which means our cost of energy is expected to be more economical through a combination of renewables, storage and Origins fleet of peaking power stations.

And, of course, we have Twiggy Forrests Fortescue Metals.

Fortescue is investing heavily in green energy technology, siphoning chunks of FMGs iron ore profits to fund green energy investments.

In December 2022, Forrest told the Australian Financial Review:

The more you use fossil fuels, the more expensive and dangerous it becomes. The more you use renewable energy, the cheaper it becomes, and the more democratic it becomes and the higher everyones standard of living.

CSIROs influential GenCost report

A big reason why renewables are regarded as the cheapest forms of energy is a landmark costings report conducted by Australias premier science body  CSIRO.

Since 2018, CSIRO has been calculating the costs of different energy sources, consistently finding that wind and solar are the cheapest forms of newly built electricity generation.

Source: CSIRO on Twitter

These finding reside in the annually updated GenCost report, a collaboration between CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator.

The GenCost report is the go-to reference on the question of what energy source is cheapest.

Take AAP FactCheck, the fact checking arm of Associated Press.

A few years ago, it ran an investigation on whether renewable energy really is the cheapest source of new power generation.

What did AAP FactCheck rely on?

The GenCost report.

AAP FactChecks verdict:

Current estimates, contained in GenCosts latest draft report, show renewables are cheaper to deploy in Australia with or without a price on carbon or risk premium for fossil fuel sources. Independent experts and other research support its findings.

What if the CSIROs GenCost report is flawed?

But what if the GenCost report is flawed?

What if some of its assumptions are iffy?

Would scrutiny of its modelling warrant scepticism of its conclusions?

If we find out how the GenCost sausage was made, will we still have an appetite?

According to recent reporting from The Australian, the GenCost report has received surprisingly little scrutiny in the public arena.

But given GenCosts eminence grise role in energy policy, a lack of scrutiny may lead to policy disaster.

As Claire Lehmann wrote last month in The Australian:

Nevertheless, some experts do not hold back in their criticism. Stephen Wilson, from the School of Mechanical & Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland, told me in an email that the GenCost report is inaccurate and misleading on total system costs. In a submission to Treasury earlier this year, energy economist David Carland points out that the report says nothing about the cost of firming of renewables and instead estimates the cost of integrated renewables from 2030 onwards  relying on the flawed assumption that firming has already taken place. But the most pointed criticism of GenCost has emerged this week from a Sydney-based data scientist.

The most vocal scrutineer of the report is data scientist Aidan Morrison, whom Greg Canavan spoke to in the latest episode of Whats Not Priced In.

Morrison argues GenCosts modelling rests on an inappropriate use of the sunk cost assumption.

Sunk costs are costs beyond recovery at the moment a decision is made. A basic example is money already spent on nonrefundable tickets.

But as Lehman, voicing Morrisons critique, explains:

By definition, costs that have not been incurred yet are avoidable, and are not yet sunk. This is common sense but, in the GenCost report, the CSIRO treats future spending on renewables as sunk  even before the spending has occurred  allowing the analysis to exclude this expenditure from the total cost of renewables. This creative accounting method is how the GenCost report arrives at the conclusion that integrated renewables are the cheapest form of energy by 2030 onwards.

Morrisons criticisms, and Lehmans coverage, prompted a response from CSIROs chief economist, Paul Graham.

Graham admitted GenCost modelling does not provide the cumulative cost of all investments up to 2030 because this is addressed in a separate project called the Integrated System Plan of which GenCost is one of many inputs.

Source: CSIRO

Yet Morrison argues even the mentioned Integrated System Plan has issues.

As Greg told viewers, if Morrison is right, then what is happening with Australias energy transition is truly shocking.

You can watch the full interview below.

Regards,

Kiryll Prakapenka

Editor, Money Morning
The group behind a proposed ballot initiative that would overhaul elections in North Dakota has withdrawn its petition after receiving a proposed title from the Secretary of States office that it disagreed with.

The sponsoring committees primary reason for withdrawal was a lack of wording that explicitly stated the measure would ban voting machines in the state, according to the initiatives chair, Lydia Gessele. Among other changes, the first draft of the proposed initiative sought to restrict mail-in-voting, prohibit the state Legislature from putting constitutional amendments on a ballot and increase the window for signature gathering for constitutional amendments.

Gessele said the committee also took issue with the length of the proposed title, saying it was more like an essay.

Ballot measure titles -- which are composed by the secretary of state and approved by the attorney general -- must be a fair representation of the measure, according to state law.

The length of the proposed title is not unprecedented: The draft shared with the committee was 231 words, whereas the title for a ballot initiative that would result in congressional candidate age limits was 311 words.

The sponsoring committee intends to resubmit a petition after some revisions -- namely, to explicitly state that voting machines will be outlawed -- in the coming weeks, Gessele said. A resubmitted petition would reset the timeline for petition review and circulation. The group wants to get a measure on the ballot for a public vote next year.
Extracts from Friends [1]

By Hermann Hesse [2]

Translated from German by xia23

The low bar hall was full of smoke, the smell of beer, dust and noise.

Hans Calwer waved at his friend Erwin Muhletal and went to the door.

Hey, already leaving? one of students shouted over.

Hans only nodded and left, Muhletal followed. They stepped down from the old, steep wooden stairs and left the bar which was already quiet. Air from a cold winter night and blue starlight greeted them on the empty, wide market square. Hans took a turn toward his apartment. The friend followed silently, he accompanied Calwer home almost every evening. But by the second alley he stopped. Yes, he said, then good night. Im going to bed.

Good night, Hans said unfriendly, and shortly he went away. But he turned back after few steps and called his friend.

Erwin!

Yes?

You, Ill still go with you.

All right too. But Im going to bed, Im already half sleeping.

Hans turned around and took Erwins arm. He did not take him to his apartment, but went down to the river, over the old bridge and into a long avenue with plane trees, and Erwin went along without any objection.

So, whats the matter? he finally asked. Im really tired."

So what? Me too, but differently.

Well, how are you doing?

Short and good, that was my last Wednesdays bar.

You are crazy.

Nope, you are, if you still enjoy it. Shout songs, get drunk by command, listen idiotic talks, grin yourself from 20 simpletons and let your shoulders be slapped, I wont do that with you anymore. Ive joined the fraternity at that time, as everyone else, deliriously. But Im going to quit for good reasons. And that is actually tomorrow.

Yes, but 

Ive decided, and ready for that. You are the only one who finds it out beforehand; you are also the only one whom it has something to do with. I dont want to ask you for advice.

Then not. So you are leaving the fraternity. It is absolutely impossible without scandal.

Probably so.

Probably. Now, that is your business.

I want to be my own boss and never be the fool from three dozen of fraternity brothers. Thats all

And what if you feel sorry after three weeks?

You now really must go to bed. Good night, I will take a walk.

Hans went slowly from there, with a nervous, artificial, easy step, which Erwin knew well.

Just go, just go! he grumbled half-loudly and checked on Hans, until he disappeared in darkness.



He had been always good-natured and patient and whenever there had been a disagreement, he had always come and had asked for forgiveness. Now yes, he was even a good guy once. But why were all of this? What was then finally on this Hans Calwer, so people had to run after him? Yes, a little bit wit and a certain confidence in his manner, that he probably had and he could be witty. On the other hand, he was quite conceited, played the interesting things, looked down upon others. This pride, this confidence, this arrogance was unforgivable.



Meanwhile Hans went walking along the river, from an avenue to another avenue. He thought over what to do tomorrow. He was unpleasant to explain his leaving the fraternity.

Without Erwin he would have already done it earlier. Erwin had just held him, because he had at that time followed him in the fraternity. Erwin was no average person, but he was insecure and weak. He was reminiscent of the friendship in the first year. Since then everything had come from Hans: play, prank, fashion, sports, and lectures. Erwin had followed his strangest idea with admiration, he had actually never let him be alone. He had almost always understood him, always admired him, and agreed on everything.

If Erwin stayed in the fraternity, then Hans would have lost him. A helpless anger over dishonesty in the world and over himself would seize him again, as already happened many times, so he had always trusted him again. It was also with the university and above all with the student affairs. The university is an out-of-dated, badly organized school; it allowed students almost limitless freedom, in order to trap them later all the more painstakingly through a stereotyped exam routine again. But facing protection and bribery no one was safe. Now that bothered him little bit. But student life, nuance of the society-based origin and money, comical uniforms, being senselessly romantic with old Heidelberg [3] and fraternity, all of them not only continued to exist, but also he himself had run into the absurd trap.



Hans had to think of a student, who had sat as a bench neighbor many times in lectures on oriental religion science. He wore a thick loden [4] coat, farmers heavy boots, patched pants and a coarsely knotted scarf and was presumably a farmers son studying theology. He only had a good but superior smile for elegant colleagues with caps and bands. Now Hans thought, this inconspicuous student was much closer to him than his previous comrades, and he envied him somewhat for his contented calmness. So it was the one who as if he was totally alone, and the one who apparently did not know to have a shamefully desire as the others.



In orientalist lectures Hans regularly met that student and had often sat near him. He had seen that he took notes on his lectures by shorthand neatly and effortlessly.

Once he sat nearer to him and observed the hardworking man. He saw concentration and understanding in his face. He saw him nodding several times, once smiled and admired him for that. He decided to know the student. As the lecture ended, Hans followed the loden mantel from a distance, in order to see where he lived. But to his astonishment the stranger did not stop in any of known avenues. Hans became curious and followed him in no distance. He followed him out in a complete unknown area, so the other person heard his footsteps and turned himself back. Hans raised the cap and said good day. Both remained standing.

Are you going for a walk? Hans asked.

Im going home.

Yes, where do you live? Is there still any house out there?

Here not, but half an hour later. There is a small village, a blue brook house, and I live there.

May I go with you a bit? My name is Calwer.

Yes, nice to me you. My name is Heinrich Wirth. From the Buddha lecture there I have already known you for a long time. Earlier you used to wear a red cap.

Hans laughed. Yes. He said, But that is over now. There was a misunderstanding. Wirth looked at him and nodded. Do you think, nice to meet you?

Why then?

Oh, there is no particular reason. But Ive had a feeling many times, that you did not fit in there.

Have you checked on me then?

Not really. But just like people watch each other instead. At the beginning I thought, that is also such a man above reproach. It is such a thing, isnt it?

Yes, there is such a thing. Oh yes.

Well and then I saw, I had done you an injustice. I noticed that you really came here to listen and learn.

Now, the other people probably did the same thing too.

Do you think so? I believe, not many. Most people just want to take exams, nothing else.

But people also have to learn through exams.

Yes, but not much. What people could learn in a lecture on Buddha does not occur in the exam.

But universities are not really there for edification. People can read religious value in Buddha in a book.

That is probable. I also dont think so.

Cow's hollowing could be heard from the quiet empty fields.

The blue brook house, Wirth said and pointed to the village. Hans wanted to say goodbye and turned back.

Now you are almost home, he said, and I want now also to turn back and see that Im coming for lunch.

Dont do that, Wirth said friendly. Come completely with me and see where I live. You can also have lunch in the village, if you are satisfied with milk, you could be my guest.

Hans gladly accepted the invitation. You live far from the city, He said.



Meanwhile Erwin was not happy. His comrades knew that Hans had a reason.

One evening he came near to Hanss apartment and saw a light from the window. He was standing there and looked up with homesickness and shame. Hans sat near the piano and was playing. Fifteen minutes later the light went off and he immediately saw Hans came out from the apartment with a young man who was tall and not well-dressed. Erwin knew that Hans didnt just play the piano for everyone. So he had already once again found a friend..

[1]. Extracts from Friends p. 89  p. 92, Stationen, Cengate Learning, Australia, United States, 2015

Freunde was published in 1908.

2]. Hermann Hesse. 7/2/1877-8/9/1962. Nobel laureate in literature in 1946. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse

[3]. Heidelberg, a city in southern Germany, which was first mentioned by documentary in 1196. Heidelberg University was established in 1386.

[4]. Loden: a thick, waterproof woolen cloth.
Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead) won the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, the Reuben Award in Jersey City, NJ, Thursday night. Even though it's officially for the "Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year," it's really kind of a general achievement award.

The other nominees were Hilary B. Price (Rhymes with Orange), Jeff Smith (Bone), Will Henry (Wallace the Brave), and Mark Tatulli (Lio).

In his acceptance speech, Griffith said that he's always coveted this award, not so much for the honor, but because the trophy is a beautiful sculpture designed by cartoonist Rube Goldberg.

He talked about his transition from underground comics into the world of daily newspaper cartooning. In the mid-1980s, William Randolph Hearst III took over the San Francisco Examiner newspaper, and brought on board Griffith, fellow underground cartoonist Robert Crumb, and gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson to contribute.

Griffith turned his Zippy the Pinhead comic into a newspaper daily, and began contributing, with the strip at one point appearing not on the comics page but on page 2 of the main section. Crumb submitted his first comics, featuring nudity and graphic sex, and was quickly fired. Thompson, as Griffith recalled, wrote a couple of columns and then never made another deadline.

At one point, Griffith and Hearst went to have a meeting with Thompson at his hotel room in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel. As they got to the door to his room, they heard gunshots, which they assumed were aimed at the door, and fled. That was the end of Thompson's tenure at the Examiner.

So Griffith attributed his success at the paper to his ability to refrain from drawing graphic sex and from shooting at the publisher. His daily strip was soon picked up by King Features Syndicate, and Griffith continues it to this day.

Griffith has two new pieces out now. Earlier this year, he published The Buildings are Barking, a comic book eulogy to his late cartoonist wife, Diane Noomin, who died just over a year ago. I wrote about that book here.

And just a couple of weeks ago, his new book Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller, The Man Who Created Nancy was published.
US officials ignored Mexican corruption for decades during drug war, Sen. Grassley says
A United Airlines plane comes in for a landing at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport on Dec. 19, 2022.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is catering to the MAGA mob. Ron's first response to a Black man asking a question about discriminatory policies is to declare that he will fight people who ask questions like that! DeSantis then expects a Black person to believe "I do a lot to support law enforcement" is not a statement of "I do a lot to hold back minorities."

Crooks and Liars:

At an event in Jacksonville, Florida, a Black man complained to DeSantis about his policies. The man pointed to a recent race-based shooting in the city.

"Well, listen, excuse me, I'm not gonna let you accuse me of committing criminal activity," DeSantis interrupted. "I am not going to take that! I am not going to take that! You should want to have a civil conversation."

"Everyone doesn't have their own truth," the governor snapped. "No, you don't get to come here and blame me for some madman. That is not appropriate, and I'm not going to accept it."

"You have allowed people to hunt people like me," the constituent said as two white staffers urged the man to leave.
An aerial view shows the storage tanks for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, on Feb. 13, 2021.
A sign at the entrance to B.P. Carbullido Elementary School warns visitors to seek assistance before entering the Barrigada campus, as seen July 24, 2023.
As FDA approval of an updated COVID-19 vaccine booster is imminent, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has warned against getting it.

"There's essentially no evidence for it. There's been no clinical trial done in human beings showing that it benefits people. There's been no clinical trial showing it is a safe product for people. Not only that, but there are a lot of red flags There are multiple studies now from around the world  Brazil, I think Australia, United States  that show that over time these vaccines, these mRNA COVID-19 products, actually increase your chances of contracting COVID-19. That's not normal."

So dumb, not to mention dangerous. This follows the equally idiotic promise by Florida Governor Ron Desantis that no COVID spike would result in public schools closing or mask requirements in class.

"You as a parent can send your kid to school and the school can't force them to wear a muzzle all day," DeSantis said.

(WFLA)
Sonora, CA  A Sonora man was arrested after he created a disturbance at a business and was caught carrying a concealed weapon.

Tuolumne County Sheriffs Deputies responded to the area of Striker Court near Tuolumne Road for a report of a person outside throwing things around near businesses in the area. Once on scene, a deputy spotted a man who matched the description provided by the business and approached him. Sheriffs officials report that the deputy also recognized the suspect, 43-year-old Roger Wagstaff, from previous contacts.

A records check was conducted on Wagstaff, revealing he had an outstanding arrest warrant in the county for trespassing. Wagstaff was arrested. A patdown uncovered a large, fixed-blade knife concealed in the back of his pant waistband. Wagstaff now faces a new charge of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger.
California State Capitol Building View Photo

Sacramento, CA  Lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly have voted to impose an 11% tax on the sales of guns and ammunition.

Governor Gavin Newsom has until October 14 to decide whether to sign the bill. The tax would match the highest current federal taxes already placed on gun sales.

California has existing fees on gun sales totaling around $37 and the money is mostly used to cover the costs of background checks. If signed by the Governor, the new tax would take effect on July 1 and raise an estimated $159 million in annual revenue. The money would be split between a violence prevention grant program and the California Department of Education for safety enhancement efforts at public schools. It would pay for schools to do safety assessments and make physical security improvements.

Of note, the 11% federal tax goes toward hunter-safety and wildlife programs.

Governor Newsom has not indicated yet whether he will sign the new tax into law.

It is opposed by groups like the California Rifle and Pistol Association.

Democratic leaders in the legislature argued that California needs to lead the country on gun regulations.
Recently, Politico asked the 2024 U.S. Presidential candidates to create playlists featuring their 20 favorite songs. Politico used the same rules posted by the originator of the idea, Nick Worrall:

"Make a 20-track comp of your all-time fav tracks, each artist can only feature once. . . Not the 'best' songs, the ones that bring instant joy the second you hear the first note, the ones that give other people the best insight into what stirs your soul. Share when ready. #20tracks"

Politico further explains:

Not all of them responded, of course, and a few responded with fewer than 20, making us wonder if they're really in it for the long haul. But there's plenty to love, disagree with and wonder about in the lists of those who did. If you think someone's picks can really tell us something about their soul, it's worth wondering what made Chris Christie choose "Thunder Road" out of all of his beloved Bruce Springsteen's songs  a track about getting older and "one last chance to make it real." We even made their playlists available on Spotify, so you can download the one you like best. (Not all candidates stuck to the rule about not repeating artists, but we forgave the oversight.) We'll be keeping an eye on whose playlist gets the most downloads, so you can vote on the candidates' music tastes, even if you don't plan on voting for the candidate.

I perused the lists, and honestly none of them were compelling enough to make me want to listen. Some of the lists had some good songsfor instance, Chris Christie chose two standouts: Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen) and And She Was (Talking Heads), and Cornel West came through with Love Supreme (John Coltrane), and Mississippi Goddam (Nina Simone).

Despite a few good songs here and there, in general, the lists lack imaginationthey are all full of popular songs that took little to no thought to gather. And some were just shockingly badVivek Ramaswamy only chose eight songs, and two of them were by Imagine Dragons. (He also chose a couple of good songs, too, including Dolly Parton's Jolene and Eminem's Lose Yourself (because of course he did), which Eminem has told him to stop using or performing.

Not that any of this mattersI'm not voting for people based on their music tastes. But for the record, Obama still beats them all, music-wise.
Many major philanthropic groups have increasingly focused their attention in recent years on helping struggling local newsrooms. Now they are joining forces.

On Thursday, more than 20 nonprofit organizations announced plans to invest a total of $500 million over the next five years in local media organizations, one of the biggest efforts yet to address the crisis in local news.

The initiative, called Press Forward, is spearheaded by the MacArthur Foundation and supported by organizations including the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Press Forward will use the $500 million to fund grants for existing local for-profit and nonprofit newsrooms, help build shared tools, provide resources to diverse outlets and those in historically underserved areas, and invest in nonpartisan public policy development that advances access to news and information.

John Palfrey, the president of the MacArthur Foundation, said Press Forward aimed to help news outlets that did not have enough revenue to sustain their business. The goal, he added, is to eventually raise and invest $1 billion for the effort.

Theres extraordinary opportunity, Palfrey said in an interview. Many people are focused on finding ways to improve local news coverage, he said, but they just simply dont have enough philanthropic capital to get it going, and were going to provide at least a down payment on that.

The investment by Press Forward reflects the concern over the rapid shrinking and disappearance of local news organizations across the United States  and what that information void means for democracy. More than 20% of Americans now live in what are called news deserts, which are areas that have little or no independent news sources on local issues, or communities that are on the verge of becoming one, according to a 2022 report by Northwestern Universitys Medill School.

Some 2,500 newspapers have shut down since 2005  and more continue to close. Declining revenue from print advertising and subscriptions has made it nearly impossible for struggling papers to survive, and those that are still around have a small fraction of the staff they once had. Digital news outlets and nonprofit newsrooms have sprung up across the United States, but not in numbers large enough to fill the gap.

According to the Northwestern report, most of the new outlets serve urban centers, leaving some economically struggling and rural communities at a loss. Without an independent local news source, the report said, residents dont have the information they need to make informed decisions about civic issues and governance, and that provides an opening for the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

People are really now alarmed, said Alberto Ibarguen, the president of the Knight Foundation. There is a new understanding of the importance of information in the management of community, in the management of democracy in America, that I believe simply wasnt there 15 years ago.

The MacArthur Foundation and the Knight Foundation are each contributing $150 million to the fund, with 20 other initial donors making up the rest. The MacArthur Foundation will set aside an additional $25 million to invest in for-profit businesses, rather than give grants, Palfrey said.

Grants from the pooled funds will be coordinated and managed by the Miami Foundation, a nonprofit community foundation. Most of the grants will be awarded beginning in 2024, and will focus on at least one of four areas: strengthening local newsrooms, scaling news infrastructure, closing inequalities in coverage and practice, and advancing public policies.

Ibarguen said the advantage of Press Forward was that media organizations could submit an application for funding and have access to a range of large national foundations, rather than have to apply to each foundation.

This, I hope, will be a much more efficient way of both sharing information about people seeking funding and about what models appear to be working, he said.

Philanthropies have increasingly been putting their money toward local news. A new study conducted by NORC, a research institution at the University of Chicago, in partnership with Media Impact Funders and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism found that one-third of the donors surveyed had funded journalism for the first time in the past five years. More than 70% of the donors in the study said their top priority was funding local news.

One example is the American Journalism Project, which gives grants to existing nonprofit newsrooms. It has raised more than $150 million and has supported 41 news organizations since it was started in 2019 by John Thornton, who founded The Texas Tribune, and Elizabeth Green, a co-founder of Chalkbeat and Votebeat.

The Tribune is one of the biggest nonprofit newsrooms in the country and has helped to usher in new regional digital startups, but it recently had its first layoffs in its 14-year history. Chalkbeat and Votebeat are topic-specific nonprofit outlets, focusing on education reporting and election and voting coverage.

The Knight Foundation has invested more than $632 million in local news efforts since 2005, and Ibarguen said its Press Forward investment was in addition to continuous annual spending on journalism projects.

Palfrey said Press Forward planned to bring in new donors and raise more money, but we know that even with the maximum we can do pushing really hard, were not going to have enough to solve the local news crisis.

There has to be other sources of revenue, and some of that of course is advertising and subscriptions, but I actually believe that public policy has a role to play, he said.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), an interdenominational body representing various Christian faiths in the country, has issued a statement in response to the national elections held in August. While noting the polls proceeded relatively peacefully, the ZCC expressed deep concern over serious flaws that marred the electoral process.

In its statement, the Council acknowledged the elections were an important exercise in democracy for Zimbabwe. However, significant problems were raised regarding transparency and fairness. The ZCC represents Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Salvation Army congregations across the nation.

Official results declared incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa the winner, with 52.6% of the vote compared to 44% for opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa. However, voter oversight groups like the Southern Africa Development Community, African Union and Commonwealth observers voiced worries that the election fell short of credible standards.

Chamisa has disputed the results. He is demanding fresh elections to resolve perceived flaws.

The ZCC raised concerns about the late delivery of ballot papers to opposition strongholds and the activities of the Forever Association of Zimbabwe, a group affiliated with the ruling Zanu PF party. The association allegedly conducted exit poll surveys near polling stations, leading to voter intimidation and the collection of voters personal details.

The churches also highlighted various challenges faced by voters, including coercion, missing names in the voters roll, electoral disinformation, and intimidation, particularly in rural areas. They called on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to ensure transparency by releasing verifiable and auditable results, as mandated by law. They emphasized that transparent election results enhance peoples trust and confidence in elected leaders and are crucial for fostering unity and peace in the country.

In light of these substantial concerns, the ZCC is calling on all parties to participate in meaningful dialogue. The churches believe sincere and inclusive discussions are urgently needed to resolve outstanding questions and restore trust in democratic processes going forward. With tensions remaining high post-election, the Council is encouraging calm and reconciliation between political rivals.

As Zimbabwes faith communities seek to guide the nation during this difficult period, their appeal for open talks echoes hopes of many citizens that a fair resolution can emerge through non-violent means. How leaders choose to respond will impact the countrys prospects for a more just and participatory system of governance.

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The US tech firm could not have found a better partner with whom to get back into the facial recognition market than the current UK government.

IBM has staged a quiet, almost imperceptible, return to the highly controversial facial recognition market, just three years after calling it quits on the technology over concerns about racial profiling, mass surveillance, and other human rights violations in the wake of the George Floyd murder. The US tech giant signed a 54.7m ($69.8m) with the UK government in August to develop a national biometrics platform that will offer a facial recognition function to immigration and law enforcement officials, as reports a joint expose by The Verge and Liberty Investigates:

A contract notice for the Home Office Biometrics Matcher Platform outlines how the project initially involves developing a fingerprint matching capability, while later stages introduce facial recognition for immigration purposes  described as an enabler for strategic facial matching for law enforcement. The final stage of the project is described as delivery of a facial matching for law enforcement use-case.: The platform will allow photos of individuals to be matched against images stored on a database  what is sometimes known as a one-to-many matching system. In September 2020, IBM described such one-to-many matching systems as the type of facial recognition technology most likely to be used for mass surveillance, racial profiling, or other violations of human rights.:

A 360 Degree U-turn

As Germanys Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock would say, this is a 360 degree u-turn for a company that just three years ago had sworn off all forms of facial recognition technologies that could be used for mass surveillance, racial profiling (and) violations of basic human rights and freedoms.

After George Floyds grisly death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide Black Lives Matter riots in the late spring of 2020, IBMs CEO Arvind Krishna wrote a letter to U.S. lawmakers calling for a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law-enforcement agencies. As for IBM, he wrote, it would immediately stop building and selling general purpose facial recognition software:

The fight against racism is as urgent as ever IBM no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software. IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and Principles of Trust and Transparency.

Days after the publication of Krishnas letter, Amazon announced that it would also suspend police use of its facial recognition software, inviting Congress to put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of the technology. Days later, Microsoft joined the bandwagon, saying it too would suspend sales of its technology to law enforcement agencies, at least until regulatory guardrails were put in place. In return, the three companies received a flurry of positive press in the legacy media at a time when corporate virtue signaling was beginning to peak.

An article in the Washington Post included an anonymously-cited claim that Krishnas move wasnt made overnight, but had been the culmination of more than two years of criticism about such technology from human rights and privacy advocates over accuracy, racial profiling and mass surveillance concerns. The move also made sense from a hard-nosed business perspective, given that IBMs facial recognition operations were not a big revenue generator.

Mutale Nkonde, a research fellow at Harvard and Stanford universities who directs the nonprofit AI for the People, told the LA Times that the symbolic nature of IBMs move was, in and of itself, important:

[S]hutting down a business under the guise of advancing anti-racist business practices shows that it can be done and makes it socially unacceptable for companies who tweet Black Lives Matter to do so while contracting with the police.

An anonymous source told CNBC that IBMs decision was both a business and ethical one. The company had purportedly heard and acted upon concerns from many constituencies, including employees, about its use of the technology. Similarly gushing coverage dominated the corporate mediascape. Fast Company was almost alone in offering a more skeptical interpretation of IBMs motives:

The parade of announcements from giant tech companies is an attempt to virtue signal as a company, says Rashida Richardson, director of policy research at the AI Now Institute IBM came first. The company sent a letter on June 8 addressed to Congressional Black Caucus members and sponsors of the Justice in Policing Act, introduced the same day. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna recognized the horrible and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and stated that the company no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software. The thing is, it appears IBM already stopped making its facial analysis and detection technology available in September 2019. The IBM announcement is not bad because its better than doing nothing, but that said I think its completely promotional and opportunistic, says Richardson.

A Stark Contrast

The contrast between the gushing media attention and coverage over IBMs withdrawal from the facial recognition market and the blanket media silence on its recent u-turn could not be starker. As far as I can tell, even Reuters and AP didnt deign to cover the story, leaving it to a handful of independent or specialist news outlets like Vox-operated The Verge and The Register to keep it from being totally memory-holed. But their reach is miniscule compared to most mainstream outlets, meaning that for most people, IMB is still on the right side of this deeply controversial issue. According to the company, it still very much is. From The Verge:

IBM spokesman Imtiaz Mufti denied that its work on the contract was in conflict with its 2020 commitments. IBM no longer offers general-purpose facial recognition and, consistent with our 2020 commitment, does not support the use of facial recognition for mass surveillance, racial profiling, or other human rights violations, he said. The Home Office Biometrics Matcher Platform and associated Services contract is not used in mass surveillance. It supports police and immigration services in identifying suspects against a database of fingerprint and photo data. It is not capable of video ingest, which would typically be needed to support face-in-a-crowd biometric usage. Human rights campaigners, however, said IBMs work on the project is incompatible with its 2020 commitments. Kojo Kyerewaa of Black Lives Matter UK said: IBM has shown itself willing to step over the body and memory of George Floyd to chase a Home Office contract. This wont be forgotten. Matt Mahmoudi, PhD, tech researcher at Amnesty International, said: The research across the globe is clear; there is no application of one-to-many facial recognition that is compatible with human rights law, and companies  including IBM  must therefore cease its sale, and honor their earlier statements to sunset these tools, even and especially in the context of law and immigration enforcement where the rights implications are compounding.

It should perhaps come as little surprise that a company that played such a crucial role in enabling the Nazis systematic extermination of ethnic Jewish populations and Romani across Europe, as exhaustively documented by investigative journalist and historian Edwin Black in the book IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and Americas Most Powerful Corporation, is now reneging on its pledge to never facilitate the use of facial recognition systems. The company is also accused of aiding and abetting the human rights abuses of the government of South Africa during apartheid rule.

Big Blue could not have found a more enthusiastic partner with whom to get back into the facial recognition business as the UK government, which is at the leading edge of a tech-enabled authoritarian shift taking place among ostensibly liberal democracies. Whereas the EU recently adopted a blanket ban on the use of live facial recognition (LFR) in public spaces (apart from at its borders), the UK government is pushing for all police forces in England and Wales to make widespread use of the technology while fiercely lobbying the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) to retroactively greenlight its use by high street retailers.

As minister I want to do everything possible to promote the widespread use of facial recognition technology and will continue to push this agenda forwards, wrote UK Policing Minister Chris Philp to the founder of facial recognition company Facewatch, Simon Gordon, in a letter that was obtained through a freedom of information request. In fact, so great is the UK Home Offices enthusiasm for biometric surveillance technologies like facial recognition that the ICO classifies it as an ongoing risk, together with the still unknown effects of the use of the technology in shops.
Colorado's conservative Rep. Ken Buck trolled Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying her degree in CrossFit must have skipped the most important subject she needed to learn: the Constitution.

"When I was teaching law school, I learned and taught certain constitutional principles," said Buck, a member of the House Freedom Caucus (that expelled Greene in July) to George Brauchler on The George Show. "When Marjorie Taylor Greene was teaching CrossFit, she learned a whole different set of values, evidently. Because my idea of what this country should be like is based on the Constitution. And she sees the world differently." (Listen to clip below, posted by Meidas Touch.)

"She's criticized me for, you know, voting to certify the election in 2020," he continued. "The Constitution says Congress shall count the votes. Doesn't say Congress may overturn an election result. It doesn't say Congress can do whatever the heck it wants  In her CrossFit class, maybe they didn't cover that."

Buck, a frightened gentleman known to threaten politicians and even ward off raccoons with his AR-15, then went on to mock Empty G.'s Instagram and Twitter/X addiction. "When you've got people who care more about their social media accounts than they do about the Constitution, we have a real problem in Congress."

Wow. Freedom Caucus member Ken Buck fires back at MTG: Maybe they didn't teach the Constitution in CrossFit class pic.twitter.com/zvT17sYl2i  MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 7, 2023

Front page thumbnail image: lev radin / shutterstock.com
By The Rev Kev, who lives Down Under

Once more it is that time of year. Kids are going back to school in America, people are returning from their August holidays in Europe, the weather starts to cool  and once again it is time for the annual fundraiser

Your donations not only keep Naked Capitalism running but support its expansion with more writers coming aboard and Yvess move as part of a march towards world domination. (Lamberts Mr. Subliminal: How about going to the Tip Jar right now and feeding those nice snow leopardsa lot!).

So once again I have sought out international leaders to solicit their help in the Tip Jar fundraiser and had, well, interesting results.

I tried to contact Pete Buttigieg for him to encourage people go to the Tip Jar but could not find him. In fact, nobody can find him.

Not deterred, I sought other world leaders who have made it to the top. People known for their vast experience, their keen insight, their deep wisdom, their profound humanity, and their depth of character. So it my great pleasure to introduce to readers the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Devi Harris:

Hello, I am Kamala Harris; my pronouns are hey and you, and I am a woman sitting at a computer wearing a white suit. I have been asked to make a case for the Tip Jar so let me start. When I think of Naked Capitalism, I think of American opportunity. And what I love about America is that anybody can be made President of the United States  literally anyone. Look at me. I had to get on my knees to get a chance to be made Vice President and now that I am, I am only a heartbeat away from being the President of the United States  in fact, the very first Madame President ever. Suck on that one, Hillary. So what I want to say is this  Its very important as you have heard from so many incredible leaders for us at every moment in time and certainly this one to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present and to be able to contextualize it to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past but the future. And we have to take this seriously or else it wont be serious. And Naked Capitalism is a culture. What is culture? Culture is  it is a reflection of our moment and our time. Right? And present culture is the way we express how were feeling about the moment, and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment. That is a reflection of joy. Because, you know, it comes in the morning. And also, donate to the Tip Jar.

Truly inspiring words.

I was also able to reach Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. She graciously agreed to record a brief video for the Tip Jar fundraiser. So without further adieu, I present Madame President:

Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Smith, Mr. Lambert, Honourable readers. I speak to you from the European Union headquarters in Brussels, the living, beating heart of our European culture and our eternal values. A place where we practice our values  whether you want to or not. When I took office in December of 2019, I vowed to change Europe so that in five years none would recognize it. I have almost finished my worthy task as part of the rules-based order. Yes, I am well aware that sacrifices had to be made but I have always been willing to let people do that. But I digress as I must turn to the reason for my talk  the fundraiser. I am pleased to talk to Naked Capitalism as there are not many people taking my calls these days. Joe wont talk to me, my good friend Klaus wont return my calls, Putin wont pick up the phone, and every time I talk to that wretched dwarf from the east he keeps on asking me for more money. I will have to make this a quick video as the power keeps on getting cut here. [sotto voce] Stupid sanctions blowback. Since the expansion of the European Union with Asian members is on hold at the moment, I want to expand online with organizations like Naked Capitalism that follow European values. Some nice young men named Vovan and Lexus recommended Naked Capitalism to me when they interviewed me recently. Such charming fellows. And so. Verdammt noch mal! The lights are flickering again. Look, just go to the Tip Jar, OK? And if you could spare some, a donation to the Ursula von der Leyen Retirement Fund would be very much appreciated as I am but a poor, humble public servant. And long live Europe and long live a free and independent Ukraine. Or whatever.

So I was thinking about the Tip Jar and how it could be made easier for people to donate to like had been done with cheques when I had a brilliant idea: Cryptocurrency! Yes, the way of the future.

I went online and was able to get in contact with a public-spirited citizen who reckons that he knows everything there is to know about cryptocurrency, is a world leader in this field, and can help set it up for free. This guy has been going through a rough patch lately though. He broke up with his girlfriend Caroline after a holiday in the Bahamas and had to go back to living in his parents basement in Alameda.

But now he says that he has scored some free government accommodation and wants to re-establish himself. He goes by the online handle of newSBF and has said that he is ready to help. Ill, uhh, just check one or two things first [clickety-clickety-clickety]. Ummm, gimme a minute [clickety-clickety-clickety]. Yeah look, how about we give that idea a bit of a miss for now but fortunately the Tip Jar still awaits any donations that you can make.

And now a personal note. I do believe that Naked Capitalism is not just a website but is more akin to a gathering point of like minded people but it takes a lot of work and effort to keep it going  and money  which is why the necessity for a Tip Jar. Any contribution helps, $5, $50, $5,000, or a monthly subscription. And if you are doing well now, please top up your donation on behalf of those who want to give too but cant right now.

Of course there is all that hard work done by the people at Naked Capitalism itself that keeps it rolling. People like Yves, Lambert, Nick, Conor, KLG, tech guru Dave, moderators Jules, katiebird, and semperloquitur.and regular guests like Michael Hudson, Hubert Horan, Satyajit Das, albrt, Thomas Neuburger, and Andrew Korybko.

And then there is the flip side. Yves has said in the past how one of the strengths of Naked Capitalism is its well-informed, engaged commentariat adding information and sharp analysis in the comments section. So many people from so many walks of life and experiences, each with their own insights and thoughts to write, anecdotes to share, jokes to tell.

And it is for this reason that I wish to see Naked Capitalism go from strength to strength. So if you have some money to spare, just kick it into the Tip Jar. If you have a little, give a little. If you have a lot, give a lot, and know that you are giving something back.

Thank you.
I dont believe in cancel culture  ADL CEO fumes at suggestion he was shaking down Musk for money

The Musk vs ADL (and the censorship industrial complex) battle escalated further this morning with the X/Twitter owner highlighting a new article from Newsweek saying that

(Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com)

"The ADL taught me that nastygrams from Jew haters were just the price we pay for liberty, worthy of being filed and forgotten," writes Ron Coleman in the op-ed.

"This is not Weimar Germany; it is America. We have a First Amendment, we have civil rights, we have a working democracy. That is part of the good we have done.

"But" Coleman explains, "the ADL no longer believes this..."

"It has become part of a great online censorship machine that is being exposed day after day as an anti-free speech enterprise."

The following clip suggests just that...

In this hidden camera clip, I (Kyle Undercover) CAUGHT the ADL discussing how they attempt to influence Elon Musk to pick and chose who they want to be banned from HIS platform. #ADL#elonmusk#X#Twitter#banned#platformpic.twitter.com/xK3MeIql7L  A??????M??? (@Aspiemama_107) September 2, 2023

As Coleman concludes:

"The ADL's efforts to censor Twitter confirms what we have known for years: Not only is today's ADL not doing the world some good. It is doing something much worse. How much longer will we be allowed to say so?"

Greenblatt then appeared on CNBC this morning to respond to Musk's threats.

He got his initial talking points in without much push back from the anchors:

rising anti-semitism everywhere,

Musk allowing "hardened anti-semites" back on the platform,

back on the platform, Greenblatt seemed to walk back his views on free-speech ( "hate speech is the price of free speech" ),

), and said that he didn't think Musk was anti-semitic or Twitter as a platform was anti-semitic,

or Twitter as a platform was anti-semitic, but ended by framing the victim narrative: "let's be clear here, this is the wealthiest man in the world running one of the most powerful media platforms on the planet... and we're a non-profit, here in New York, so I think figuring out who has the power in this relationship... is pretty clear to me."

But then things turned just a little more contemptuous as Andrew Ross Sorkin dropped a bombshell and asked the ADL CEO:

Were you seeking to have some kind of either role at Twitter or any kind of donations made or other things?

"No..." Greenblatt exclaimed.

"I only say that because there have been folks whove looked at these situations and felt they were being shaken down, Sorkin said.

To which Greenblatt immediately played a 'card':

"Look, I think, let me be honest about that. I think it is [a] sort of anti-Semitic trope to suggest when Jewish people express a degree of outrage over antisemitism, that somehow that's a shakedown because Jews are greedy. That sounds to me... I'm not saying you believe that..."

Sorkin swiftly interrupted to defend himself...

"I'm Jewish, so Im not even trying to..." Sorkin said. "I'm just saying that that occasionally you hear the critique among not-for-profits in certain cases that are involved in certain causes that talk to companies and you hear it from leaders who say, 'I feel like...'"

Greenblatt then dropped the biggest load of bullshit yet:

I hear that, but my view on all of this, we talked about this before on the show... I dont believe in cancel culture, I believe in counsel culture... What weve tried to do over the years with Twitter, with YouTube, with Facebook and all of its platforms, with Reddit, with Discord, I can go on and on, is to work with them, to make those platforms better, Greenblatt said.

"Better" by who's defintion? "Better" by having voices silenced that do not fit the establishment narrative (and that have nothing at all to do with anti-semitism)?

Im trying to understand what led to this - whatever is happening here. That was why I asked that question, Sorkin asked.

Well, I think Elons a complicated person, I cant explain what prompted those tweets, Greenblatt said, adding that Jewish people are vulnerable and that Twitter should not be amplifying or intensifying anti-Jewish hate.

Watch the full interview below:

Michael Shellenberger was quick to point out the ADL CEO's propaganda...

You claim, "Anti-Jewish acts have reached... the highest number weve seen in 40 years of tracking it," but your tracking is garbage & you know it. Experts have debunked you for decades. You're spreading disinformation and demanding people be censored for it. Shame on you & @ADLhttps://t.co/TZqLvcz4of  Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) September 6, 2023

And here is @MarioNawful debunking some of Greenblatt's lies:

1) He claimed that Elon brought and amplified anti-semitism and hate speech back to the platform. This is NOT TRUE. The ? Safety team shared that an independent assessment by Sprinklr found that hate speech impressions on ? to be 0.003% compared to Twitters estimate of 0.012%. 2) Greenblatt claimed ADL is NOT publicly or privately talking to advertisers. BUT shortly after, said, It is true we did call for a pause back in November, after the acquisition and since then and in a previous interview he stated if it remains a hellscape the advertisers won't take part in [Twitter] 3) Greenblatt said the ADL is a SMALL non-profit in NY. NOT TRUE. The ADL is an influential organization with over 100 years of history, and according to the ADL's 2021 tax filings, the organization's total revenue was $101 million with a balance sheet of $238 million. They ALSO received millions of dollars of indirect government funding via grants to groups in which the ADL has special interests. 4) Greenblatt says the ADL works WITH other social media platforms, including Facebook. We saw in the Politico article that Elon Musk posted that the ADL indirectly CONTROLS what can be posted on Facebook.

Doesnt seem like the meeting with X CEO Linda Yaccarino went as well as Greenblatt is making it out to be.

As InformationLiberation.com's Chris Menahan detailed earlier, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on Tuesday responded to Twitter/X owner Elon Musk's criticism of their aggressive pro-censorship ad boycott campaigns by accusing him of "engaging with a highly toxic antisemitic campaign" which will incite violence against Jewish people.

From Haaretz, "ADL Hits Back at Elon Musk for Engaging With 'Highly Toxic Antisemitic Campaign' ":

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on Tuesday issued his first public comments after an antisemitic social media campaign spearheaded by X chairman Elon Musk targeted his organization. "It is profoundly disturbing that Elon Musk spent the weekend engaging with a highly toxic antisemitic campaign on his platform - a campaign started by an unrepentant bigot that then was heavily promoted by individuals such as white supremacist Nick Fuentes, Christian nationalist Andrew Torba, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and others," Greenblatt said. Musk had defended himself against allegations of antisemitism, all while he and several of his prominent far-right supporters accused the ADL of fomenting antisemitism in an act of explicit victim-blaming. Musk further threatened to take legal action against the Jewish anti-discrimination organization, accusing it of being behind the company's $22 billion drop in value after advertisers fled en masse over the proliferation of hate speech on the platform following his takeover. Greenblatt noted that the campaign "manifested in the real world when masked men marched in Florida on Saturday brazenly waving flags adorned with swastikas and chanting 'Ban the ADL.' " "But to be clear, the real issue is neither ADL nor the threat of a frivolous lawsuit. This urgent matter is the safety of the Jewish people in the face of increasing, intensifying antisemitism," he continued. The ADL CEO charged Musk with engaging with and elevating these antisemites at a time of unprecedented spikes in antisemitism targeting Jewish institutions and private residential communities. "And so, this behavior is not just alarming nor reckless. It is flat out dangerous and deeply irresponsible. We need responsible leaders to lead, to stop inflaming hatred and to step back from the brink before it's too late," Greenblatt added.

Musk can probably add this inflammatory rhetoric to his lawsuit against the ADL.

Without a doubt, the time when the most "unprecedented spikes in antisemitism targeting Jewish institutions" occurred was in 2017 after Trump's election when over 245 bomb threats were called into Jewish community centers throughout America.

The ADL used the threats to harangue President Trump for "emboldening anti-Semites" and legislation was passed as a result of lobbying from the ADL to increase funding and security grants to Jewish groups.

(2/2)  Doubling budget for @StateDept Antisemitism Envoy  Doubling @DHSgov terrorism prevention grants  Doubling non-profit security grants  Funding new grants to better prevent and respond to hate crimes  Fully funding new Holocaust education programs  ADL (@ADL) December 22, 2020

It turned out nearly all of the JCC bomb threats were carried out by "18 year old" Israeli-American Michael Ron David Kadar, who was found to have a bitcoin wallet worth millions of shekels (a few copycat threats were called in by African-American Juan Thompson).

Zero photographs of Kadar's face were ever released.

Kadar was found guilty in Israel in June 2018 for the bomb threats and sentenced to ten years in prison.

In 2019, evidence was dug up by geneticist Franklin Stahl, Ph.D., a member of the National Academy of Science, suggesting that Kadar's Israeli mother, Dr. Tamar Kadar, who is a chemical weapons researcher at the Mossad-operated Israeli Institute for Biological Research, may have been the real culprit behind the calls.

Stahl reported that Kadar, who evidence indicates was actually 27 years old and not 18 years old at the time of his arrest, was nothing more than a fall guy.

Additionally, Kadar appears to have been freed from prison by Israel and allowed to travel back to America only to be arrested and jailed on a weapons charge in Illinois.

Kadar's story completely fell off the map shortly after it was uncritically reported in 2017 and the ADL refused to remove his hoax calls from their list of "anti-Semitic incidents" for 2017.

The ADL never apologized to Trump or his supporters for smearing them for supposedly inciting these (hoax) bomb threats and never offered to give back the money they got from Congress due to hyping the threats.

"The new information does not change our view that the bomb threats against Jewish institutions were anti-Semitic and harmful to the communities targeted," the ADL said in a press release after Kadar's arrest. "No matter who placed the calls or why the calls were placed, the outcome was the same: they instilled fear and disrupted communities across the country."

This battle - between Musk and the activist censors - is far from over.

Read more at: ZeroHedge.com
Details of the Amish farmer story prove the FDA and USDA should be dissolved completely

The story about the Amish farmer who had his cattle seized by the authoritarian Biden-Harris regime has been circulating through its various stages for weeks. Like many people, I heard the basic details and was infuriated by it all. But a deeper dive into it by James Corbett really opened my eyes.

(Article by J.D. Rucker republished from TheLibertyDaily.com)

This isnt just a taste of food tyranny. This should be the lead story for evidence that the FDA, USDA, and all federal government agencies involved in food tyranny must be dissolved completely. Theyre not here to protect us. Theyre only here to protect the globalist agenda.

Heres a report and the video clip from Twitter user Inversionism:

Trending: Looks Like Elon Has Gone Down the Pizzagate Rabbit-Hole

The USDA and FDA should be considered terrorist organizations for what they do continually to small farmers and businesses. Similar to the Rawesome raid, these farmers were doing whats called a cow share, where people in the community all pay up front and invest in a cow for milk or meat. This has been done by numerous farms all across the country as a means to avoid using meat processors and big business to just to get clean, properly raised, healthy food, without all the extra fees and government bullshit attached. Its the perfect business model that supports local farmers and cuts out the criminal corporations and captured government orgs. As expected, the USDA and FDA cant have any of that happening because they are too busy allowing heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, and forever chemicals in your food, or rubber stamping toxic COVID vaccines for your 6 month old child, so they went to this farm and took all his meat in fridges and freezers, took it to the dump, and threw it all away with a court injunction because he refused to listen to their unconstitutional dictates.

This is the same food he fed his family with, but they didnt care. Thousands and thousands of dollars of nutrient dense quality animal foods, all thrown away. The FDA and USDA both need to be completely dissolved. They dont protect public health. They destroy it. Infuriating.

There was a time not too long ago when many if not most of the people who worked for the USDA or FDA did so because they had good jobs that were designed to protect Americans. But like so many agencies, departments, and bureaus within our federal government, the mission has morphed into one dedicated to tyranny. Perhaps many of the government employees are unaware. A whole lot of them have been indoctrinated into the greater good mentality that allows otherwise lucid people to unhinge themselves from the realities of their situation. Then, there are those who know some of what they do is wrong but theyre just following orders.

Like the IRS and FBI, both the FDA and USDA should be revamped or scrapped altogether. The only reason I even offer revamping as a possibility is because there are far too many Americans who flinch when they hear people like me calling to disband entire government agencies. Therefore, a top-down overhaul is weak but may be the only viable option.

Of course, Im ignoring the sad reality that nothing will be done. Most of us will vent our outrage online or even at protests but well go unheard and our representatives in DC will do nothing about it. Food security is under attack. Whats happening to Golden Valley Farms is one example of many to come. Our government is cornering the market on food for a reason, and its not to protect us against an Amish farmer who has been butchering beef for people without incident for a long time.

Read more at: TheLibertyDaily.com
Dr. Bowden: Pharmacists still refusing to fill ivermectin prescriptions for COVID-19 despite FDA backpedaling

A prominent doctor has revealed that pharmacists across the U.S. are still refusing to fill prescriptions for ivermectin for use against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), despite the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saying doctors can prescribe it.

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden told the Epoch Times of this medical fascism, adding: "I see it every single day. Enough is enough." She recounted the ordeal of one of her patients, who had been refused the life-saving medication. The elderly patient's health has deteriorated in the time it took to find a pharmacy that honored the ivermectin prescription.

"It's hard to believe, but pharmacists are still blocking these potentially life-saving drug. The pharmacist didn't talk to the patient, and won't know if the patient lives or dies  yet had control of [their] care," said Bowden.

"This needs to come to an end. In telling my patients what medicines they can and cannot have access to, we effectively have a large group of pharmacists practicing medicine without a license. They have no accountability for this yet they are allowed to dictate patient care."

According to Bowden, individual pharmacists aren't the ones to blame in most cases as they often carry out orders from corporate leadership. However, she said there are examples of pharmacists preventing her patients from getting their medication due to their own "personal agenda."

"Prior to COVID, I never had a pharmacist refuse a prescription. This is a new phenomenon and it needs to come to an end. This is going beyond their role and its a dangerous trend," she said. "It's an outrage. I would have thought we were beyond this but it continues to happen."

Bowden also warned that this could lead down a slippery slope that diminishes patients' rights if pharmacists are left unchecked.

Gov't lawyer affirms that doctors CAN prescribe ivermectin for COVID-19

While ivermectin has been around for decades, it became the center of controversy in 2020 after medical opinion split over its effectiveness against COVID-19. Many pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions for the medication. Meanwhile, the FDA smeared ivermectin as a "horse dewormer" and advised Americans against taking it to address SARS-CoV-2 infection.

But on Aug. 8, a government lawyer representing the FDA confirmed that doctors were free to prescribe the drug against COVID-19. Ashley Cheung Honold of the Department of Justice told the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals: "[The] FDA explicitly recognizes that doctors do have the authority to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID-19." (Related: FDA now admits doctors can prescribe IVERMECTIN to treat COVID-19.)

Her testimony came during the course of oral arguments before the court, following a lawsuit filed by Bowden and two other plaintiffs against the federal government. They accused the FDA of interfering with their ability to prescribe ivermectin to COVID-19 patients. According to Bowden, she hoped that the FDA's acknowledgment during the Aug. 8 court hearing would have put an end to the objections at the pharmacist counter.

Later, the regulator issued a clarification on Aug. 17 regarding the use of the drug. While it had approved ivermectin for certain uses in humans and animals, it had not issued any statement affirming the safety or effectiveness of the drug for treating COVID-19.

The FDA nevertheless affirmed that individual doctors have the final say on whether or not to prescribe it for SARS-CoV-2 infection. "Health care professionals generally may choose to prescribe an approved human drug for an unapproved use when they judge that the unapproved use is medically appropriate for an individual patient," the agency said.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) also believes the widespread denial of ivermectin could have hugely contributed to untold numbers of COVID-19 deaths.

"The doctors I've been dealing with and talking to for years now, they believe that probably hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their lives because they were denied early treatment. They were denied because the FDA sabotaged, for example, ivermectin," Johnson told Fox News.

"We are going down a very dangerous path, but it's a path that is being laid out and planned by an elite group of people who want to take total control over our lives. That's what they're doing bit by bit."

Visit IvermectinScience.com for more stories about the use of ivermectin against COVID-19.

Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones expounds on the truth behind the suppression of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

This video is from the Katy Odin channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

WHY ONLY NOW? FDA rules that doctors can now prescribe ivermectin for COVID-19.

REVISIONIST HISTORY: FDA now claims its crusade against ivermectin was just a "recommendation" against taking it.

After bashing it for 3 years and watching millions die, FDA now admits doctors had every right to prescribe Ivermectin as legitimate treatment for COVID-19.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

TheEpochTimes.com 2

Brighteon.com
California thieves NOT BOTHERED at all by surveillance cameras

Thieves were caught on security footage casually walking out of two separate retail outlets in California with more than $9,000 in stolen goods in tow.

In broad daylight, a group of brazen masked thieves was filmed storming into a Home Depot store on Spring Street in Signal Hill on August 27 and stealing $5,000 worth of power tools in full view of shocked staff and customers.

Employees in orange aprons could only watch in shock and did not engage with the masked thieves. Some workers decided to record the raid.

One of the thieves in a gray hoodie was seen wrestling a shopping cart from an employee while the others loaded a second one. He eventually got hold of it and pushed it toward the entrance with the help of one of his accomplices before turning back to walk outside with the second cart.

Four remaining thieves were seen picking up armfuls of power tools from a shelf before casually walking out. The unknown perpetrator in the gray hoodie was also seen returning and carrying three more boxes of items before jogging out of the store.

In a separate incident the next day, a man and a woman ransacked a Nordstrom store in Irvine Spectrum Center. Surveillance footage showed the pair strolling into the store before sprinting out with stolen items worth an estimated $4,000 and fleeing the scene in a white Kia Forte. (Related: Nordstrom to leave downtown San Francisco after 35 years due to deteriorating conditions of high violence and crime.)

Retailers say thefts and organized retail crime are crisis-level in California

Retailers in California have been ravaged by increased crime and rampant shoplifting with critics blaming Democrat policies for enabling criminals to continually re-offend without fear of repercussions.

Uncontrolled looting in San Francisco has led to at least 96 retailers downtown closing down. Others have introduced measures to lock up items behind a glass to deter shoplifters.

Out of 203 retailers open in 2019 in San Francisco's Union Square area, only 107 were still operating in July  a drop of 47 percent. Larceny thefts in San Francisco, which include retail thefts, fell significantly during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but have been growing every year since.

A host of major chains, including Whole Foods, Brooks Brothers and Office Depot, have shuttered stores.

High-end retailer Nordstrom cut almost 400 jobs as it shut all its stores in San Francisco amid rising crime and a faltering economy in the city.

A San Francisco family-owned hardware store lost a staggering $700,000 in a single year to "organized shoplifting."

Dale Hardwares owner Kyle Smith described the helpless situation in Fremont. Smith said his grandfather, who founded the shop in 1955, would "roll in his grave" if he knew about the unbridled shoplifting.

Remaining stores like Target have been reduced to locking up their entire stock behind glass to deter shoplifters.

The new security measures came after an employee revealed they were being shoplifted every 10 minutes. Multiple products, including shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes and food items, are now kept behind glass or Perspex barriers that require staff to open them.

There were 36,537 thefts last year and there have been 21,396 so far in 2023.

Watch the following video about the shocking "flash mob" theft that hit Nordstrom as crime rates SKYROCKET across America.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Target on pace to lose $1.2 billion in profits over a two-year period due to organized retail crime (which is only getting worse).

Big-box stores closing down due to rising RETAIL THEFT.

Major retailers will keep shutting down their stores until organized retail crime gets under control.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

CF.org

Newsfeeds.media

Brighteon.com
Crazy invasion of PRIVACY: Is your car tracking your genetic information and sexual activity?

It is a disturbing fact that smartphones, laptop computers, Amazon's always-listening "Alexa" devices, and various other "smart" tech creations often contain hidden technology that tracks users' behavior and speech, but did you know that some automobile manufacturers are incorporating the same spying apparatus in their cars

Vehicular computers have become so advanced that some car companies are tracking consumers' "preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities and aptitudes" in order to sell that information to third parties.

In addition to tracking "predispositions," some "smart" cars also track users' "genetic information" and even "sexual activity." If someone gets it on in the back seat, for instance, the peeping Tom car company now knows about all the steamy details.

As vehicles become less user friendly  many new cars are next to impossible for the average person to repair  they are also becoming increasingly more technologically advanced. Many of them contain hidden backdoors, so to speak, that allow car companies to keep an all-seeing eye on drivers and passengers.

(Related: Did you know that nearly half of the government's Wuhan coronavirus [COVID-19] "informational" websites are spying operations in disguise?)

Nissan the "worst car company" for privacy, warns Mozilla

One particularly creepy offender in this regard is Nissan. Mozilla, an organization that reviews products and services that in some way connect to the internet, took a closer look under the hood of Nissan's privacy policy, which contains some seriously disturbing elements.

"We're not going to mince words here: THEY STINK AT PRIVACY!" Mozilla said about Nissan. "They are probably the worst car company we reviewed and that says something because all car companies are really bad at privacy."

Who knew that many people's favorite whip for getting to and from work, the grocery store and the gym is a very large spy device, in many cases, that watches and listens to everything that is said and done in and around the vehicle.

According to the Privacy Policy page over at the Nissan website, the company collects user details about pretty much everything, including:

"Sensitive personal information, including driver's license number, national or state identification number, citizenship status, immigration status, race, national origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, sexual activity, precise geolocation, health diagnosis data and genetic information."

By and large, the automobile industry is the worst offender when it comes to maintaining user and customer privacy, according to Mozilla. All 25 of the companies reviewed, including Nissan, made it into the dumpster category of the organization's privacy rankings.

A shocking 84 percent of the brands looked at actively share and sell personal data collected from drivers, while more than half admit that they sell said data directly to the government and law enforcement whenever they receive an "informal request" for such information.

In 92 percent of cases, customers are also not allowed to request that their personal information be deleted or kept private, the only two exceptions being Renault and Dacia, both of which are owned by the Renault Group.

At the bottom of the list as the worst car companies for privacy are Nissan and Kia, both of which track users' sexual interactions, as well as their "genetic information" and "genetic characteristics."

"Like we mentioned, all of the cars we researched earned our *Privacy Not Included warning label," Mozilla says about its research.

"All of the car brands we researched got our 'data use' and 'security' dings  and most earned dings for poor data control and bad track records too! We can't stress enough how bad and not normal this is for an entire product guide to earn warning labels."

Everything "smart" is just a spying tool for the government or large corporations. Learn more at Surveillance.news.

Sources for this article include:

WinePressNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NissanUSA.com
The Dr. Ardis Show: Venoms in COVID-19 vaccines are being WEAPONIZED  Brighteon.TV

The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are a clear example of snake venoms being weaponized , according to Dr. Bryan Ardis.

He expounded on this assertion during the Aug. 30 episode of "The Dr. Ardis Show" on Brighteon.TV, referencing the "COVID-19: Weaponizing of Venoms" presentation he gave at the recent Red Pill Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. The presentation showed more evidence of how venoms inside the COVID-19 injections are used to inflict terrible injuries on people.

Ardis cited 21 post-COVID symptoms in his presentation, including chronic fatigue, dizziness, loss of taste and smell, memory lapses, and muscle pain and weakness. Between 35 percent and 87 percent of people worldwide infected with COVID-19 struggle from the 21 symptoms, with an "unpredictable" duration. After six months, subjects suffering from long-haul COVID reported 14 persistent symptoms.

He also recalled the condition called vaccine-induced AIDS (VAIDS), which the late Dr. Vladimir "Zev" Zelenko talked about. According to Ardis, the HIV-1 spike protein derived from snake venom causes immune deficiency in the same way the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS.

Krait, king cobra likely origins of SARS-CoV-2 pathogen

The Brighteon.TV host cited a January 2020 study by Chinese researchers published in the Journal of Medical Virology. The study noted that the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen has the "most similar codon usage bias with snakes." Given this, the most likely origins of COVID-19 are the Chinese krait (Bungarus multicinctus) and the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

An article from SciTech Daily published in the same month also referenced the study, pointing out that the study authors uncovered evidence that the 2019-nCoV likely resided in snakes before being transmitted to humans. "Recombination within the viral receptor-binding protein may have allowed for cross-species transmission from snake to humans," the article noted.

The study also found that the SARS CoV-2 spike protein was identical to king cobra venom, bungarotoxin from the Chinese krait and the rabies virus. Ardis mentioned that French researchers later isolated the spike protein gene from the pathogen, publishing their findings in April 2020. (Related: Dr. Bryan Ardis: Engineered COVID virus contains DOZENS of synthetic animal venoms.)

Ardis has proposed nicotine and its agents as possible therapies for COVID-19 because the venom-derived spike proteins were targeting nicotine receptors. The April 2020 study, he added, "explains why smokers are not ending up in hospitals with COVID because nicotine is already in their body, and it binds to these receptors that the venoms target called spike proteins of COVID."

"But nicotine has a 30 times higher binding ability than venoms. Therefore, in the presence of nicotine, the body will always grab on the nicotine and venom can't bind to those nicotine receptors. If venom is already bound to them and you introduce nicotine, nicotine releases the venom and the nicotine is then replaced at the attachment of the cell. Ivermectin does the same thing, just not as strong as nicotine does."

To back up his claim, Ardis cited a study proving that COVID-19 spike proteins actually target nicotine receptors similar to snake venoms. The May 2023 study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry discussed the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein containing a neurotoxin-like region that has sequence similarities to the rabies virus, HIV spike protein and snake neurotoxins. This area interacts with nicotine receptors along a region of the spike protein.

Follow VaccineVenom.com for more news about venoms found in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Watch the Aug. 30 episode of "The Dr. Ardis Show" below. Tune in to "The Dr. Ardis Show" every Wednesday at 10-11 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

The Dr. Ardis Show: 36 Different venom peptides behind COVID symptoms  Brighteon.TV.

Dr. Bryan Ardis says SNAKE VENOM PROTEINS in COVID-19 shots behind MISCARRIAGES  Brighteon.TV.

Steve Kirsch: Data shows COVID-19 vaccine is the MOST DANGEROUS vaccine ever made.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com

JBC.org
VP Kamala Harris says she is ready to be president  HELL NO

Vice President Kamala Harris insists that she is ready to assume the presidency in case President Joe Biden can no longer function as chief executive.

She voiced out this readiness during an interview with the Associated Press (AP). The AP interviewer asked the former California senator and state attorney general (AG) if she feels prepared to "step into the role" as president if necessary. The reporter cited the 80-year-old Biden's age and other speculations as a basis for the question.

"Well, first of all  I'm answering your hypothetical. But Joe Biden's [going to] be fine, right? So that is not [going to] come to fruition," replied Harris.

"But let us also understand that every vice president  understands that when they take the oath, they must be very clear about the responsibility. They may have to take over the job of being president. I am no different."

Harris' interview with AP follows speculation surrounding Biden's ability to lead. This speculation, according to the Post Millennial, "has increased in recent months following many gaffes, botched press briefings, and signs that signal Biden might not be the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election."

During the Aug. 28 edition of "Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec," cartoonist Scott Adams of "Dilbert" fame and podcast host Posobiec said the Biden administration is showing "little signals" that suggest the incumbent "might be done."

They pointed out that Biden is curiously absent during the election cycle, which is not the norm for a running candidate  more so someone seeking reelection. The two also pointed to an instance during Biden's visit to the island of Maui in Hawaii, where he appeared to fall asleep during a briefing for the survivors of the Lahaina wildfires.

Haley: Be afraid of Harris presidency

But Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley doesn't think Harris is fit for the job. The former South Carolina governor warned that a Democratic victory in the 2024 elections is a serious cause of worry for all Americans. She explained why this is the case during her Aug. 27 appearance on the "Sunday Morning Futures" program on Fox News.

Haley told program host Maria Bartiromo that Biden may not finish the entirety of his second term even if he wins the 2024 elections. This opens the door for Harris to become the chief executive. (Related: Nikki Haley: Prospect of Kamala Harris presidency "sends chills down every Americans spine.")

"We have to make sure we win this because the thought of Harris being president should send a chill up every American's spine," Haley said. "My concern is we cannot have Harris as president. We can't chance this. We have to make sure that we have a new generational leader that's going to bring in not only Republicans but  pull back the independents."

The former ambassador to the United Nations also pointed out that the GOP needs to target suburban women, Hispanic voters and Asian-American voters to accomplish this goal.

This was not the first time the former governor of the Palmetto State voiced out her opposition to the incumbent VP becoming the chief executive. For months, Haley had been insinuating that a vote for Biden in the 2024 elections means a vote for the former California AG. In July, Haley told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at the Family Leadership Summit: "We can't afford a President Harris. I will say that over and over again."

Visit KamalaHarris.news for more stories about the incumbent vice president.

Watch this short clip of Vice President Kamala Harris' interview with the Associated Press.

This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Kamala Harris put in charge of "Ministry of Gender Truth" to harass anyone who doesn't bow down to LGBT insanity.

In scripted speech, Kamala Harris says we need to "reduce population" to deal with climate change and achieve "clean air."

Kamala Harris says the key to clean water and air is GENOCIDE against humanity  "reduce population" the order of the day.

Sources include:

ThePostMillennial.com

TheEpochTimes.com

MSN.com

Brighteon.com
This needs to STOP! Tax dollars are being used to fund ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION across America

Taxpayers are continuing to fund efforts by non-government organizations (NGOs) that facilitate illegal immigration into the United States . This is according to an investigation conducted by the nonprofit, anti-illegal immigration organization Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

FAIR found that the Department of Homeland Security is providing another $77 million in taxpayer funding to NGOs, states and local governments that will be used to assist illegals at the border. This money has been allocated to 53 entities, with the county government of El Paso, Texas receiving the largest amount of funding at around $13 million.

This recent funding builds on the previous tranche doled out by the department in June, amounting to over $291 million through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a federal program that provides funds to non-federal entities including NGOs and state and local government agencies that provide shelter for migrants. Around 36 percent of this first tranche, or over $104 million, went to the New York City Office of Management and Budget (NYC OMB). This brings the total amount provided by Homeland Security for SSP to a little over $368 million.

"The American taxpayer is paying to import illegals across our border," said political commentator Ann Vandersteel during a guest appearance on "The Jeff Dornik Show."

"We're paying non-governmental organizations to finance the  transportation of illegals from all parts of the world through Central America [and] right across our borders," she continued. "What are those illegals bringing with them besides bad intentions? A lot of them have no ability to get real jobs in the city and having to go on welfare. They are bringing a massive tax burden." (Related: Right Now with Ann Vandersteel: Several NGOs are involved in CHILD TRAFFICKING, reveals Carlos Arellano  Brighteon.TV.)

Democrats want to allocate $752M in taxes for illegals next fiscal year

Of the 53 entities that received taxpayer funding from Homeland Security for the SSP, the top 10 organizations received nearly 70 percent of the $291 million doled out by the department since October 2022, amounting to nearly $204 million.

Of these 10 organizations, seven are actually state or local governments or agencies, including the aforementioned NYC OMB, which received the largest share of SSP taxpayer funding, being allocated over $104 million in the first tranche and another $2.2 million in the second.

The other state or local governments or agencies are the Illinois Department of Human Services, which received over $19 million; El Paso County, Texas, which received over $15.6 million; the City of San Antonio, which received $14.6 million; the City of Chicago, which received $12.7 million; the County of Riverside in Southern California, which received over $12.6 million; and the consolidated city-county government of Denver, Colorado, which received just a little over $9 million.

The remaining three entities are the Catholic Charities branch in the Diocese of San Diego County, Texas, which received nearly $28 million, the World Hunger Ecumenical Task Force, based out of Maricopa County, Arizona, which received over $14 million, and the United Way branch in Southwest New Mexico, which got $12.8 million in taxpayer funding.

Aside from the SSP, the department will be funneling the money through Homeland Security's other migrant program, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Humanitarian Awards.

In addition to the funding that has already been allocated through these two programs, the administration of President Joe Biden is demanding that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy provide an additional $600 million in emergency funding for the SSP.

SSP funding for the next fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, is still under consideration by Congress. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has rejected the White House's demand to keep pumping taxpayer dollars into the SSP, but the Democrat-controlled Senate's appropriations bill for the upcoming fiscal year would allocate $752 million in taxes to the SSP to provide shelter and other so-called humanitarian services to illegals released from the custody of Homeland Security.

Visit Migrants.news for more information on illegal immigration in different parts of the world.

Watch this episode of "The Jeff Dornik Show" as host Jeff Dornik interviews Ann Vandersteel regarding the current migration crisis at the southern border, and how American tax dollars are being used to make it worse.

This video is from the channel The Jeff Dornik Show on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

ISIS-affiliated smuggler helped migrants illegally enter the U.S. via Mexico.

As millions of American citizens struggle to make ends meet, Biden decides to spend BILLIONS of their tax dollars to house illegal aliens in brand new CITIES built exclusively for migrants.

ABSURD: Biden administration asks for $3.3B to fund more housing for illegal migrants.

Chicago officials refuse to disclose how they spent $120M in taxpayer money on ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

Operation Lone Star fails to curb ILLEGAL CROSSINGS despite $9.5B in funding.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

FAIRUS.org

FEMA.gov


Hussain Azhar (C) interacts with a visitor at the Pakistani national pavilion on the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, Sept 3, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

There's been a quantity-to-quality shift in inflow of investments, analysts say

China's wide appeal for multinational corporations will continue due to its robust domestic market and its unwavering dedication to opening up its economy, despite a globally subdued investment sentiment, said analysts and heads of foreign chambers of commerce in China.

Participating in various events during the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services, which concluded on Wednesday in Beijing, they noted that there has been a quantity-to-quality shift in the inflow of foreign investment into the country. This transformation, they said, is aligned with China's pursuit of high-quality development that aims to generate more growth opportunities in sectors such as trade in services and high-end manufacturing.

Jens Hildebrandt, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China (North China), said that despite the impact of geopolitical tensions on global business confidence, foreign investors will continue to have confidence in China's economic growth in the long run.

The previous cooperation model is changing, he said, referring to the fact that German companies provided technology to China in the past and tremendously benefited from the Chinese market. But now, China has strong brands and high-end technologies, which are successfully penetrating both the German and European markets, especially in the decarbonization and healthcare sectors.

Highlighting that German investment in China is currently concentrated in the industrial sector, Hildebrandt said that with China gradually opening up its services industry, German companies will have more access to the Chinese market in the coming years.

As the global economy is dealing with a sluggish recovery and cross-border investment remains lackluster, China has intensified efforts to boost its foreign investment inflow, unveiling 24 targeted policy measures in mid-August.

The authorities pledged to ensure that foreign businesses receive the same treatment as their Chinese counterparts and enjoy the nation's stronger fiscal support and tax incentives.

The policy rollout will boost the confidence of multinational corporations in conducting long-term operations in China and, therefore, play a pivotal role in revitalizing global cross-border investment, said Loh Wee Keng, chairman of the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.

As China's traditional advantage of low labor and rental costs diminishes, some foreign manufacturers, especially those from low value-added industries, have chosen to exit the market. Concurrently, many high-tech companies are eagerly entering the Chinese market to capitalize on opportunities associated with industrial upgrading, said Nie Pingxiang, a research fellow with the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Even though foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland in terms of actual use dropped 4 percent year-on-year to 766.71 billion yuan ($105 billion) in the first seven months of this year, China saw the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises in its market reach 28,406 during the period, up 34 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

Meanwhile, FDI in the high-tech industry grew 3.8 percent year-on-year, while in high-end manufacturing, it soared 25.3 percent.

Roberta Lipson, vice-chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said she believes the recent high-level interactions between senior government officials from China and the United States will instill greater confidence among US companies in China.

For a majority of AmCham China members, China remains the most critical investment destination, and they will continue conducting business here, as they are enthusiastic about China's growth, Lipson said.

She added that China's recent 24-point policy to support the growth of foreign companies, the reforms in its pilot free trade zones and other opening-up measures are practical moves to shore up the nation's economy.

Geraldine McCafferty, deputy head of mission at the British embassy in Beijing, said the United Kingdom does not believe in the "decoupling" narrative. "We think that international trade is a good thing. The more we reform and open up our economies, the better it is for global prosperity."

McCafferty said that with closer business ties, the Chinese and British economies will further benefit from the services sector.

Zhao Ping, dean of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said a well-developed business environment can effectively upgrade China's innovation climate and offer concrete opportunities for multinationals to take part in the country's opening-up and innovation drive.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony for a new research building in Shanghai on Wednesday, Ilham Kadri, CEO of Belgian chemical manufacturer Solvay SA, said the Chinese market is strategically important in the group's global strategy, and Solvay is willing to increase investment to address demand in the country.

"This research and development facility will be an innovation hub, which will usher in breakthroughs in critical sectors in China, especially hydrogen, electronics and semiconductors," Kadri said, adding that the company has invested more than 4 billion yuan in innovation activities across China since 2005.


Exposed: Whistleblower steps forward  reveals private Facebook group where MI clerks discuss stunning evidence of organized fraud in 2020 election

Three weeks ago, the MI GOP Director of Election Integrity, Phil OHalloran, gave Patty McMurray and Jim Hoft of the Gateway Pundit a stunning MI State Police report that was FOIAd by a Muskegon resident who questioned the outcome of his race in the 2020 election. The report is based on an investigation that was initiated on October 8, 2020, that was eventually taken over by the FBI in 2022.

(Article by Ben Wetmore, Patty McMurray, and Jim Hoft republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)

After publishing the report that exposed a massive cover-up by Michigans Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel and Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of an explosive, statewide investigation by the MI State Police, Muskegon, MI Police Department, we began to receive tips from individuals who read our story and wanted to help us close the gaps in the highly redacted MI State Police report.

The whistleblower who contacted us explained that they do not want to be identified over fears of retribution by elected officials in Michigan. They confirmed for us that the details of the police report were accurate but explained there was much more to this story than ONE city clerk receiving boxes of suspicious voter registrations; in fact, clerks across the state of Michigan received boxes and priority mail envelopes stuffed with registrations, many of them with the same signatures, the same last four numbers of their social security number, fake names and fake addresses.

For three years, Michigan residents were told by their Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that they had nothing to worry about, that Michigans 2020 election was the most secure election in history.

AG Nessel and SOS Benson admonished anyone who suggested any sort of widespread voter fraud took place in the state of Michigan or in other swing states where every vote mattered to a party hell-bent on pushing a confused old man campaigning from his basement over the finish line. They told the people who believed they were telling the truth that there was no widespread fraud in Michigan to ignore any evidence they saw or any stories they read about left-wing judges throwing election fraud cases out of court because they were all part of a big lie concocted by Donald Trump and his followers to make Joe Biden look like an illegitimate president.

All along, we were being lied to, and now, we have proof they were lying

Today, the Gateway Pundit is releasing the latest evidence we have obtained from our 2020 election fraud investigation

Our whistleblower contacted the Gateway Pundit after reading our first report and revealed that, in private conversations on social media, many Michigan clerks were privately concerned about potential fraud in the 2020 election in the months PRIOR to the November election.

CLERKS IN PRIVATE: OBSERVING ONGOING FRAUD CLERKS IN PUBLIC: SAFE AND SECURE ELECTION

Many of the Clerks have denied that any voter fraud occurred in the 2020 election. They have parroted the line from the left-wing power establishment that the 2020 General Election was the most secure in history despite privately expressing severe doubts as to whether the election was secure at all.

President Trump and his allies, including the entire slate of 2020 alternative electors in Michigan, are facing multiple felonies and the threat of imprisonment for expressing the very same doubts publicly that these clerks were expressing privately.

WHISTLEBLOWER COMES FORWARD TO THE GATEWAY PUNDIT: PLEASE EXPOSE HYPOCRITE CLERKS WHO CLAIM THERE WAS NO 2020 ELECTION FRAUD

In the 2020 election, one Michigan clerk, who is now retired, posted an image of what her fellow clerks called a care package from a left-wing campaign and organizing group that occasionally went by the name GBI Strategies and other times went by the name Empower Michigan.

Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) used HIDDEN MICROPHONES to spy on Americans in their own homes in search of toxic speech

It is being reported that artificial intelligence (AI) robots trained by the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish supremacy group, are now eavesdropping on Call of Duty video game players through the software's in-game voice chats.

The ADL's goal with this AI spying operation is to catch players who engage in "toxic speech," "hate speech," "discriminatory language, harassment and more," reports indicate.

According to Infowars' Alex Jones, this high-tech invasion of privacy "signals the birth of a totalitarian regime that would make Hitler's Nazis envious."

"So, the Alexa in your house is listening to you, the Google assistants are, and it turns out the ADL basically programs it and controls it," Jones explained in a recent segment on "The Alex Jones Show"  watch the video below to learn more.

"It's the most Nazi thing I've ever seen. The Nazis surveilled people, censored people, boycotted people, put Jews and other people in ghettos, wouldn't let them have businesses, they de-banked the Jews."

(Related: Remember back in 2018 when the ADL lied about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, claiming that alleged shooter Nikolas de Jesus Cruz was a member of a far-right "white nationalist" militia group?)

In the name of fighting "antisemitism," the globalists are constructing a full-fledged totalitarian police state that is always watching and always listening

Since the ADL is Jewish-run, existing for the sole stated purpose of fighting "all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact," this would seem to be a flipping of the script compared to what happened during World War II.

As we march ever-closer to full-blown World War III, the ADL is actively constructing a totalitarian police state to try to stop people from saying mean things about Jews, using AI as its digital enforcement army.

"It's a globalist crime syndicate," Jones says about the ADL and its partners. "It's a mafia that simply hides the entire 'new world order' takeover behind a civil rights organization."

No longer are the free speech haters simply going after what they consider to be "hate" speech, which in and of itself is a misnomer. Now they want to put an end to all "toxic" speech, whatever that means.

According to Jones, the ADL is a "multinational Mossad-CIA-Mi6 group that has private intelligence officers in most police departments, even in small towns."

"They put in a lot of the judges and their job is converting America to absolute tyranny. They're heavily involved with the new UN treaty, which ends free speech as we know it."

After purchasing Twitter, taking it private, and turning it into "X," Elon Musk started the lengthy process of uncovering everything the ADL and other deep state organizations have been doing for years to control what gets said and shared on social media.

Via the Twitter Files, Musk has been dropping bombshell after bombshell, and more recently announced that his company has no choice but to sue the ADL for defamation, based on what has been uncovered.

"They discovered internally that the ADL was basically running Twitter as a go-between for the FBI and the CIA," Jones says. "Musk has promised to release those documents next week. A lot of them have already come out in Congress  this is totally illegal."

It would seem as though the ADL's days are numbered. Musk has come out swinging ever since his Twitter takeover, and he appears to be leaving no stone unturned when it comes to holding every member of the Censorship Industrial Complex accountable for assaulting the First Amendment.

The ADL is a toxic organization that must be abolished to preserve Americans' constitutional rights. Learn more at FirstAmendment.news.

Sources for this article include:

Infowars.com

NaturalNews.com
Reeks of desperation: DeSantis super-PAC secretly asks for $50M in donations to beat Trump in Republican primary

A political action committee (PAC) backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign recently appealed in secret for $50 million in donations by the end of 2023, reports reveal.

Jeff Roe, the leader of the Never Back Down (NBD) super-PAC behind DeSantis, reportedly issued this plea during a private meeting on Aug. 23. He told participants that the super-PAC would be launched on Sept. 5, the day after Labor Day.

"We need your help to stay up and go hard the rest of the way," said Roe. "Now let me tell you a secret. Don't leak this. We need $50 million."

The chief strategist for the DeSantis campaign gave a Sept. 27 deadline  before the second Republican primary debate  for the initial $50 million. In a bid to paint the situation as dire, Roe even told donors that he would meet them in the Transport Security Administration (TSA) line at the airport to collect their checks.

"We just need your help getting $50 million more by the end of the year and $100 million more by the end of March 2024," NBD CEO Chris Jankowski added during the Aug. 23 meeting. "I'm not worried about the second 50. We need the first 50."

Included in this amount is $5 million monthly budget just to sustain NBD's operation in Iowa. According to the New York Times, former President Donald Trump winning the Jan. 15, 2024 caucuses in the Hawkeye State "could accelerate the end of the [GOP] race."

"We're going to go spend this money right now, betting that our donors won't let us down. And I've been let down by donors a lot," said Roe. "I've already lost once to Trump, and we can't do it again."

In the U.S., PACs such as DeSantis' NBD pool campaign contributions from members and donors. They then allocate those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives or legislation.

DeSantis fighting a losing battle against Trump

According to Roe, DeSantis needed to separate from all of his other rival candidates "now" and beat Trump "in the next 60 days." While the first prospect may be feasible, the second may not  as the Florida governor will be fighting a losing battle based on polls. The former president has dominated surveys among GOP primary candidates  including DeSantis, which Trump has a double-digit lead against  despite four indictments.

The leader of DeSantis' super-PAC also lamented how Trump's indictments seem to work to his advantage. Every time the former president gets indicted, he gets a boost in media coverage. (Related: Trump will NOT attend any Republican primary debates, but dominates the field anyway.)

"Trump probably gets roughly at least $30 million of earned media every single day. We're No. 2, with roughly $5 million to $6 million every single day," said NBD Chief Operating Officer Kristin Davison.

"Where you see the spikes are after every indictment. After every indictment, it goes up to $100 million of earned media, and in a presidential race, no news is bad news. What we really learned in 2016 is that Trump dominated earned media, and we see it happening now."

A recent poll by the business intelligence company Morning Consult confirmed a huge double-digit gap between Trump and DeSantis. After the first GOP primary debate on Aug. 23, the real estate mogul garnered 58 percent in contrast with DeSantis' 14 percent. Meanwhile, a separate survey found that 62 percent of potential primary voters think Trump has the best chance of beating incumbent President Joe Biden in the 2024 elections.

Visit DeSantisObserver.com for more stories about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign

Watch this video highlighting the disorganized DeSantis presidential campaign in contrast with the well-organized Trump campaign.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Matrixx Grooove: Laura Loomer report exposes Ron DeSantis as a COMPROMISED presidential candidate  Brighteon.TV.

Trump 100% confident HE WILL WIN against Biden in the 2024 presidential elections.

RFK Jr. on corporate media not putting his name in polls: Thats OK. All we have to do is win the election.

Polling indicates Trump's nomination by the Republican National Convention is ALL BUT GUARANTEED.

Ron DeSantis makes huge announcement about political future after he blows out Dem challenger.

Sources include:

DNYUZ.com

Edition.CNN.com

PRO.MorningConsult.com

Brighteon.com
Parents: Dont let your childs school district re-implement mask mandates  because some are once again trying

One by one, America's institutions are gearing up for another round of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) tyranny this fall, the latest being an elementary school in Silver Spring, Md., a wealthy suburb of Washington, D.C.

For the next 10 days  or so they say  all third-grade students at Rosemary Hills Elementary School in Montgomery County will need to wear either an N95 or a KN95 medical-grade face mask while indoors, including all day in the classroom.

At the behest of fake president Joe Biden, who is also pushing the rest of America to wear a mask, the elementary school's principal sent out a letter to all parents informing them of the immediate change.

"... students and staff in identified classes or activities will be required to mask while in school for the next 10 days, except while eating or drinking," wrote Principal Rebecca Irwin Kennedy.

"Masks will become optional again following the 10 day period."

For students who do not already have a mask or who cannot afford one, Kennedy and her staff will be distributing KN95 masks to whoever "needs" one. She is also sending children home with "at-home rapid test kits" for further testing.

"We will continue to reinforce good hand washing and follow cleaning and disinfection procedures," Kennedy further promised.

(Related: Check out our earlier coverage about what Biden and his corrupt regime have planned for COVID 2.0 this fall.)

Remember the first time when they promised it would only take two weeks to "flatten the curve?"

Kennedy stressed in the letter that the school's mask mandate will only last 10 days, which is eerily similar to what was promised back in early 2020 with the whole "two weeks to flatten the curve" bit.

You may recall that at the time, face masks were a brand-new thing and millions of people were protesting having to wear one. The government then promised us all that it would only be 14 days of having to wear a mask before it could finally come off.

Now, for COVID 2.0, we are hearing much the same rhetoric about it only taking 10 days for the virus to leave an elementary school campus.

Biden is, of course, in on the scam, having proudly displayed his face mask at a recent Medal of Honor ceremony, during which he removed it  watch below:

Biden removes his mask during the prayer at the Medal of Honor ceremony pic.twitter.com/TyxxLEsgik  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 5, 2023

We are told that Dr. Jill Biden, Joe's wife, recently tested "positive" for the latest strain of the Fauci Flu, which prompted Joe to announce publicly that he will once again start wearing a mask whenever he is indoors or around other people.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed this at a recent press conference, which you can watch below:

Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden will be wearing a mask indoors again pic.twitter.com/3NZqnP36N2  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 5, 2023

"Understand that the masks and shots exist for compliance," one commenter wrote on a story about the Biden regime's desperate attempt to manufacture another COVID "pandemic."

"Just say no! If the schools want masks, then take your kids out of those schools. If they want mandates for shots, then change doctors."

Another wrote that every single independent study, as well as all real-world data, has confirmed that masks do nothing to stop the spread of disease. Not only that, masks are harmful to wearers, perhaps especially young children who are still developing.

"They are physically, mentally, and emotionally damaging for children," said another about what wearing a face mask does to a child.

COVID tyranny only works when people let it. Learn more at Plague.info.

Sources for this article include:

Summit.news

NaturalNews.com
ELECTION INTERFERENCE: Google can MANIPULATE swing voters to vote for candidates it supports, reveals Dr. Robert Epstein

Google can manipulate search suggestions and content to swing voters into voting for other candidates, according to longtime psychology researcher Dr. Robert Epstein.

He made this assertion during an Aug. 31 appearance on "Bannon's War Room," warning people not to use Google's search engine as it is a surveillance and manipulation (S&M) platform. He told podcast host and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon: "It's an S&M platform. It exists for two purposes only."

"[First, it's] to trick people into giving up lots and lots of personal information. [Second,] it's also used for manipulation because they discovered quite a few years ago that if they control the ranking of the search results, they can control people's opinions, purchases [and] votes," said Epstein.

"Now, they can't control everyone's opinions because a lot of people already have strong opinions. So, the people they're going after are the people who are undecided, the people who are vulnerable. They know exactly who those people are, and [their minds are] putty in their hands."

Epstein had earlier remarked during an interview on "The Joe Rogan Experience" that search engines can affect how people think. He told podcast host Joe Rogan: "It can affect your opinions, attitudes, the purchases that you make, pretty much. It's a mind-control machine. It's the most powerful mind control machine that's ever been invented."

Google manipulates search results to suppress negative content on candidates it supports

Bannon remarked that the researcher had dropped a bombshell during his interview with Rogan. He then asked Epstein to explain how Google can manipulate voters and interfere with the 2024 elections through its mind control system.

Epstein, the founder and director emeritus of the Massachusetts-based Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, said they precisely measured the power search engine platforms have in controlled experiments. Through Google's algorithm, the tech giant can manipulate the content that people see.

Epstein gave YouTube, which is under Google, as an example. Its algorithm controls the next video that is going to play if a person does nothing. Aside from the algorithm, the California-based company can manipulate search suggestions when a person types a search term. (Related: HERE WE GO AGAIN: Google hides campaign sites of Trump, RFK Jr. and other Republican candidates; Biden dominates top search results.)

Based on their experiments, Epstein said the search suggestions can turn undecided 50-50 voters into a 90-10 voters favoring candidates Google is backing. No one except the search engine giant knows that these voters have been manipulated. Also, the scheme leaves no paper trail behind for authorities to trace  except Google's own systems.

According to the researcher, Google is doing this manipulation to suppress negative search suggestions for a particular candidate. If those negative search suggestions are allowed for other candidates, they would paint the candidate in a bad light when undecided voters look them up.

Epstein nevertheless mentioned that while all these techniques have an impact on the opinions and votes of people, they can be stopped. "That is how we know how many votes will shift next year and the direction in which they are going to shift, if we don't intervene [and] if we don't stop them," he told Bannon.

Follow EvilGoogle.news for more news about Google's election interference through manipulation of search results.

Watch the full conversation between Dr. Robert Epstein and Steve Bannon about Google's search engine below.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Did Google cancel the midterm election red wave through manipulation?

Google is using AI to dig through Gmail accounts to find exactly what youre looking for  and perhaps MORE.

Media Research Center exposes Googles BIAS: Tech giant rigging search results to favor Dems in midterms.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

DrRobertEpstein.com
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE: FDA refusing to provide COVID vaccine safety data to Congress as requested

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is refusing to comply with a request from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) for Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "vaccine" safety data.

Earlier in the year, the FDA conducted a series of analyses based on data collected from the government-run Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which tracks injuries and deaths caused by vaccines. Prior to that, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publicly claimed that none of the safety signals it identified pertaining to Fauci Flu shots were "unexpected."

Johnson, who is leading the charge in Congress to hold Big Pharma and Big Government accountable for COVID crimes against humanity, had asked the FDA for details about its analyses and how they were conducted, only to have the regulatory agency stonewall him.

The FDA and the CDC ran different types of analyses, the latter using Proportional Reporting Ratio analyses that involve comparing the number of reported adverse events stemming from COVID jabs to the number of reported adverse events caused by other types of shots.

Records show that the first time the CDC ran its analyses for COVID jabs in 2022, hundreds of signals were triggered. Earlier analyses conducted by the FDA in 2021 relied on what is known as Empirical Bayesian (EB) data mining.

(Related: Did you know that in Pfizer's COVID jab clinical trials, "control" group participants received a fake "placebo" shot that was just Moderna's mRNA jab in disguise?)

FDA, CDC work for Big Pharma, not We the People

According to former CDC head Rochelle Walensky, a notorious liar, the results of the CDC's Proportional Reporting Ratio analyses "were generally consistent with EB data mining, revealing no additional unexpected safety signals."

In response to this claim, Sen. Johnson asked for further details and proof to back Walensky's claim, only to have the CDC redirect him to the FDA, which then failed to provide the requested materials.

According to the FDA, it cannot provide the information Sen. Johnson seeks because of a pending legal case.

"FDA's EB data mining analyses of adverse events contained in VAERS reports for COVID-19 vaccines are currently the subject of pending FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] litigation," the agency said.

"FDA is unable to comment on pending litigation or provide information or data that is currently being considered in pending litigation."

Sen. Johnson's response to this was to write a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf informing him that the FDA's claim is wrong. He also clarified that the FDA has a legal obligation to provide the requested materials.

"As you are well aware, Congress has a right to information contained at U.S. federal agencies as it conducts its constitutional oversight responsibilities," Sen. Johnson wrote.

"It is outrageous that FDA would assert that pending litigation, and particularly FOIA litigation, would allow your agency to obstruct my congressional oversight. Any pending litigation FDA may have relating to its EB data mining records has no bearing on its responsibility to comply with a congressional request."

In the past, Sen. Johnson went on to say, there have generally never been any problems obtaining government documents subject to litigation. This includes information that he requested from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the parent agency that oversees the FDA.

Sen. Johnson is urging the FDA to produce the EB data mining analyses by no later than September 20. The FDA, meanwhile, is refusing to comment any further on the matter.

Back in January, Children's Health Defense (CHD), a project of 2024 presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sued the FDA for refusing to procure the results of the EB data mining analyses, arguing that the FDA is engaging in illegal behavior.

With each passing day, the FDA loses exponentially more credibility. Learn more at FDA.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Government PERSECUTION of Golden Valley Farms food co-op proves once again that FDA, USDA should both be ABOLISHED

Clean food producers who operate independently of government regulators continue to face the ire of said regulators, which refuse to tolerate community-based nourishment programs such as food cooperatives and cow share programs.

One of the latest victims is Golden Valley Farms, a Virginia-based family farm run by Samuel Fisher, who is Amish. As we recently reported, Fisher's 100-acre cattle farm is in the crosshairs of the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., which disapproves of people buying Fisher's meat and dairy products.

Fisher and his family raise and slaughter their own animals right on their Virginia farm. They do not use any U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-inspected slaughterhouses, nor do they abide by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) prejudice against raw milk and dairy products.

Golden Valley Farms operates a private food club that allows members to purchase a stake in a cow, for example. That member is then allowed to partake of the cow's meat and dairy offerings without the need for any government approval or other red tape  and it is completely legal.

Despite that legality, Golden Valley Farms was raided. Government goons "went through everything," Fisher says, "the house, every building and the barn. They just raided through everything."

"We can't touch it," Fisher added about all the food that is either still sitting on his farm rotting away or taken to the local landfill. "We can't sell it. We can't feed our family. We can't give it away, can't feed it to the dogs. We can't do anything with it. They just took it to the dump."

The Washington, D.C., bureaucratic machine has long overstayed its welcome  shut it all down!

The Liberty Daily's J.D. Rucker is so upset about the situation at Golden Valley Farms that he is now calling for the complete dissolution of both the FDA and the USDA.

"This isn't just a taste of food tyranny," Rucker writes.

"This should be the lead story for evidence that the FDA, USDA, and all federal government agencies involved in food tyranny must be dissolved completely. They're not here to protect us. They're only here to protect the globalist agenda."

In many ways, the FDA and the USDA have become terrorist organizations that oppress and tyrannize free Americans for things like growing their own food; rejecting pharmaceuticals and vaccines; and exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and to bear arms.

"Like the IRS and FBI, both the FDA and USDA should be revamped or scrapped altogether," Rucker adds.

"The only reason I even offer revamping as a possibility is because there are far too many Americans who flinch when they hear people like me calling to disband entire government agencies. Therefore, a top-down overhaul is weak but may be the only viable option."

Apart from a miracle, there is little chance that anything changes for the better in this regard. Americans seem to have become too complacent and apathetic  or perhaps too worn down and exhausted from the endless barrage of assault on our liberties.

"Similar to the Rawesome raid, these farmers were doing what's called a cow share, where people in the community all pay up front and invest in a cow for milk or meat," Rucker explains.

"This has been done by numerous farms all across the country as a means to avoid using meat processors and big business just to get clean, properly raised, healthy food, without all the extra fees and government b******t attached."

"The FDA and USDA both need to be completely dissolved. They don't protect public health. They destroy it."

When the government gets too big, it expects everyone to just obey  no questions asked. Learn more at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheLibertyDaily.com

NaturalNews.com
Irony and hate crimes: Local U.K. politician arrested for DEFENDING FREE SPEECH

Local British politician Anthony Stevens revealed that he was arrested at his home earlier in August on suspicion of allegedly distributing written material to provoke racial hatred. He was taken into custody after retweeting a social media post that condemned the police's unfair treatment of a Christian street preacher.

Stevens  a member of the Conservative (Tory) Party serves as a councilor on the Wellingborough Town Council in the English county of Northamptonshire. The 50-year-old said he was questioned by officers at the local police station over allegations of hate crimes. They showed him three social media posts published on his Twitter account.

Stevens, who had 76 followers on his account, retweeted a post that compared the very different treatment of two religious preachers.

The post featured a video of an unnamed Muslim preacher who was allowed to walk free even though he was shouting expletives and showing aggressive behavior in a confrontation with officers. Meanwhile, Christian street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi was arrested by police in Southgate, London, in 2019 for suspected Islamophobia. He was later awarded 2,500 ($3,122) for the wrongful arrest.

In another supposedly criminal act, Stevens retweeted a petition calling for the reinstatement of fellow local councilor King Lawal  also a Tory. He was suspended from his local party branch for describing LGBTQIA+ Pride events as "not a virtue but a sin." In his post, Stevens included a caption inviting those who value free speech to "please sign and share."

The police also questioned Stevens about his post of a video showing a man burning a copy of the Quran. The councilor claims that the post is aligned with his view that such an act remains a citizen's right "in a free society."

Left-wing Labour Party may have orchestrated Stevens' arrest

Stevens believes that a local member of the opposition Labour Party reported his posts to the police. He is currently out on bail as authorities conduct further investigations. (Related: Merritt Medical Hour: Dr. Carrie Madej urges Americans to TAKE A STAND and uphold their RIGHTS  Brighteon.TV.)

In an interview, Stevens said it is "appalling and bizarre to be brutally arrested for sharing a petition in defending the right to free speech of a fellow councilor." He said the accusation of racial hatred is "ridiculous and insulting," and that his only crime has been "supporting the only Black local councilor in Northamptonshire."

Stevens clarified that defending free speech is different from "agreeing with what has been said, or admiring who is saying this." He maintains that, in a truly democratic society, citizens should not be arrested for what they post online and people must be able to debate and have the freedom to criticize and offend each other. Otherwise, "this country is going to swiftly go to pot," said Stevens.

In an interview, Stevens revealed that the police approached his home, which he shares with his wife and three daughters. The police physically searched him in front of his wife and 12-year-old daughter, making the latter cry. They also confiscated his phone and wallet.

Stevens was then told that they would escort him off the premises. They also took his mugshot, DNA and fingerprints. Two detective constables took him to an interview room after a few hours in a cell and said he was being accused of posting "racially aggravated material."

Northamptonshire Police confirmed that the police "received a report of a hate crime regarding posts made on social media" on Aug. 2. According to a spokesperson, this led to the arrest of a 50-year-old man "on the morning of Aug. 7 on suspicion of distributing written material to stir up racial hatred. He has been released on bail pending further inquiries."

Visit SpeechPolice.news for more reports on attempts to criminalize free speech.

Watch Tucker Carlson outlining another example of an attack on free speech in the video below.

This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

YouTube goes scorched Earth against nutrition, superfoods and natural medicine, announcing new policies targeting so-called medical misinformation.

NY AG appeals for reversal of Missouri preliminary injunction on Biden censorship to allow Big Government to suppress speech.

Fulton Countys bogus Trump indictment is Democrats latest attempt to criminalize free speech.

Sources include:

RMX.news

TheEpochTimes.com

Brighteon.com
Talk show host Owen Shroyer faces JAIL TIME for rhetoric he uttered about stolen 2020 election

After nearly two years of trying to fight charges related to his presence outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day the "insurrection" took place in Washington, D.C.,host Owen Shroyer has pleaded guilty to a single Class A Misdemeanor of Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds.

In August 2021, Shroyer was officially charged with an even worse crime  a full eight months after he allegedly committed it. He ultimately agreed to plead guilty to the above lesser charge.

At the request of the federal government, Shroyer allowed D.C. spooks to pore through his social media accounts in desperate search of any incriminating evidence against him.

The day of the "insurrection," Shroyer was seen alongside Alex Jones warning people not to go inside the Capitol because they knew it was a setup. Not long after, Shroyer was arrested on bogus charges, all because he is a Donald Trump supporter who questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

(Related: Here is the proof that the January 6 "insurrection" was a staged inside job from the very beginning.)

Do Americans have a right to free speech or not?

The Department of Justice (DoJ) wants Shroyer locked away in prison for 120 days. Its agents claim Shroyer is guilty of "speech crimes," even though he, like all Americans, has a First Amendment right to free speech.

There is no such thing as a speech crime, in other words, at least not constitutionally speaking. Shroyer did nothing wrong other than to upset the establishment.

"Does the Biden regime wish to jail every Trump supporter?" asked Jim Hoft in a piece he wrote about the Shroyer scandal. "Who are the real criminals here?"

"Do not fool yourself. The regime wants to treat every Trump supporter like this. They want to jail us all. And they will do just that if we let them."

The government's sentencing memorandum for Shroyer claims that in the months prior to January 6, he "spread election disinformation paired with violent rhetoric to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of viewers."

"He presciently warned in November 2020 that, if Joe Biden became president, 'it's not going to be a million peaceful marchers in D.C.'"

On the day of the "insurrection," Shroyer was heard bellowing through a megaphone to the crowds that the Democrats are "posing as communists" when the reality is that "they're just tyrants."

"And so today," Shroyer further said through the megaphone, "on January 6, we declare death to tyranny! Death to tyrants!"

This is the very same type of rhetoric that America's founding fathers proclaimed as they sought freedom from the tyrants in England. They then crafted a constitution that protects the right to speak freely, which is what Shroyer did.

The charges clearly stipulate that Shroyer himself never stepped foot inside the Capitol because "he did not need to"  "many of those who listened to him did instead."

After the fiasco, Shroyer blamed "Antifa" for what occurred, adding to his followers that "we should have been proud of what happened."

Prosecutors claim that Shroyer "helped create January 6," which is why they want him to be sentenced for 120 days of incarceration along with 12 months of supervised release, 60 hours of community service, and $500 in "restitution."

"The feds broke all the windows and opened all the doors," a commenter noted about who is really at fault for the destruction that occurred on January 6. "It was all a false flag caught on tape. The cowards of the GOP are hiding the tapes."

Freedom of speech is dying in the United States  or is it dead already? Learn more at FirstAmendment.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

NaturalNews.com
Why are the Proud Boys getting longer sentences than murderers?

On Tuesday, a federal judge sentenced former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio to 22 years in prison for his part in organizing the riot on January 6, 2021, in the Capitol building.

(Article by Rick Moran republished from PJMedia.com)

Tarrio was nowhere near Washington that day. He was in Baltimore after being arrested on separate charges. However, Tarrio tweeted out support for the riot and claimed credit for it after the fact.

The common sentence for first-degree murder is 20 years. Why did Tarrio get 22 years when he wasnt even at the physical location of the riot? Other Proud Boys and Oath Keepers also received long sentences.

Most January 6 defendants received far lighter sentences of a few months to a few years. Thats because they accepted lighter sentences in exchange for their guilty plea. The Proud Boys chose to go to trial. The choice to be tried by a jury of your peers is frowned upon by prosecutors. Its a lot of work to prepare for a trial and the outcome is a lot less certain. So prosecutors dangle light sentences in front of defendants to discourage them from going to trial.

Its called the trial penalty, and its manifestly and grossly unfair.

[Prosecutors] got a really long sentence by asking for something really absurd, said C.J. Ciaramella on yesterdays Reason Roundtable. In cases where January 6 defendants did plead guilty, expressed remorse, the judges were much more likely to go easy on them. In Tarrios case, the prosecutors really absurd request was asking for 33 years

Prosecutors might argue that taking a plea is necessary because the U.S. justice system is hopelessly jammed up, and some incentive has to be offered to keep caseloads manageable. That incentive is offering those who take a plea deal far less jail time than they would receive if they had gone to trial.

The problem with this system is that it gives us a cockeyed view of justice. In fact, it disconnects the idea of justice from the criminal court system. In Tarrios case, the prosecutors asked for 33 years. Does that mean that justice wasnt served because Tarrio only got 22 years?

Reason:

This practice has been harshly criticized by liberal and libertarian groups for effectively punishing people just for exercising their constitutional right to a trial by jury. The American Bar Association found that average sentences for federal felony convictions are seven years longer for defendants who went to trial. Prosecutors preference for plea bargains also sees them layer on as many charges or stretch the applicability of vague statutes to coerce defendants into forfeiting their right to a trial. The end result is that those convicted at trial go to prison for longer than even prosecutors think is necessary.

Todays sentencing demonstrates that those who attempted to undermine the workings of American democracy will be held criminally accountable, said FBI Director Christopher Wray yesterday. If thats true, why did some rioters get a year or two? If they also undermined American democracy, shouldnt their punishment be equally severe  or almost as severe  as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers received?

Tarrio and others receiving sentences of over a decade for their role in January 6 are hardly sympathetic figures. Yet the amount of time theyll spend in prison is nevertheless a product of a trial penalty that is widely considered to be unjust. If one opposes these enhanced penalties in the routine administration of criminal justice, we should oppose them in the case of the January 6 defendants as well.

The Proud Boys didnt have a snowballs chance in hell of overturning the election result or overthrowing the government  if that really was their intent. Shouldnt some allowance have been made for the rank stupidity of their efforts, the extreme unlikelihood that their plans would succeed?

Those considerations clearly pale in comparison to making the prosecutor in these cases work extra hard because the defendants refused a plea deal.

Read more at: PJMedia.com
In a little over three years, Odoo Inc. has gone from having eight employees in Buffalo to almost 200.

Now, the business software company is guaranteeing to New York State  in exchange for much of the space inside 40 Fountain Plaza  that it will grow by another 350 employees by 2028. It is poised to triple its space and then its size in Buffalo.

So how has the company grown so quickly here?

It comes down to the demand for the business application software and the commitment to Buffalo as a place where the company can provide needed services to support that increase in business.

The 20-year-old Belgian-based company has its North American headquarters in San Francisco. Its main product is integrated business applications tailored for small- and medium-sized businesses. Its been growing at an over 60%-plus clip annually for the last six years.

Odoos private investors have valued the company at more than $3 billion, two years after it reached unicorn status  when a startup is first valued at more than $1 billion.

The numbers dont lie, and the growth is there, and our hiring strategy obviously reflects those numbers, said Nick Kosinski, the managing director of US East at Odoo.

And Odoo is not just bringing any old jobs to Buffalo and its undersized tech sector.

Youre coming into this role and youre going be learning a lot of cool stuff out of the gate and skills that are going to be relevant 10 to 15 years from now, said Kosinski, a Williamsville native. That goes a long way.

Odoo recently purchased seven floors at 40 Fountain Plaza  space that the state originally acquired for an IBM innovation center that never lived up to its lofty promises to create 350 high-paying, high-tech jobs.

Instead, as IBM shrunk its Buffalo operations, the state sold that space to Odoo for $1  in exchange for a job creation target of 70 new positions each year over the next five years. IBM will soon be reduced to leasing one floor in the building.

Odoo will occupy 103,099 square feet of space and move its existing operations from Seneca One by Oct. 2, Kosinski said.

With low occupancy rates for offices and the fact that we would face significant annual losses from the amount of vacant space in the building, the deal with Odoo  a company thats been successful since expanding to Buffalo and is ready to create hundreds of new jobs  is a clear winner, said Jason Conwell, a spokesperson for NY Creates, a state economic development entity.

While the deal with Odoo wont exactly create a tech hub either, the company plans to bring in positions with an average salary range between $65,000 and $75,000.

Kosinski said the focus will be on hiring business systems analysts and project managers implementing the software that the sales staff sells. The company just sent out 18 offer letters to potential software engineers in Buffalo.

Kosinski believes in the city where he grew up and all that it offers to a company such as Odoo. And he was able to convince Odoos management that Buffalo could support an operation that includes hundreds of highly trained employees.

Ultimately, you have a city hungry to evolve and theyre going to work with you to make happen what needs to happen, he said. Taking advantage of the mindset that the city has, its like putting rocket fuel in the engine of your company.

What types of jobs are here

Odoo began operating in Buffalo in June 2020 with eight salespeople. From there, Odoo added business systems analysts, support staff, software engineers, recruiters, marketing and then additional sales teams.

Other teams now employed in the Buffalo office include professional services, technical and client support, technical writers, event planners, education experts, accounting and finance and admin. Kosinski said the company is also thinking about bringing some research and development positions to the U.S. but much of that work is still done in Belgium and India.

The growth in Buffalo has exceeded expectations and annual budgeting. And the company does not anticipate that stopping anytime soon.

With this expansion, Odoo is looking to strengthen its presence in Buffalo and make greater contributions to the regions economic growth, Conwall said. The new jobs resulting from the expansion will not only stimulate the local economy but also create exciting career opportunities for Western New Yorkers.

Odoo has a team of recruiters who go to universities and career fairs to get the word out about the company. They focus on workforce development through partnerships with colleges, like Villa Maria College in Cheektowaga, and training providers to create curriculum to prepare people  some from marginalized communities  for jobs at the company.

Were hoping that people will look to go to school or learn a skill that will have a rather immediate return on investment, Kosinski said. I want to be able to say to people looking for a job that there is an Odoo career path.

Why Buffalo?

Buffalo became an appealing place for Odoo to take root as it dealt with the challenges it faced in San Francisco, where costs are much higher and the competition for tech talent is fierce.

Odoo opened that first North American office in 2010. The company saw growth in San Francisco over a decade, but in 2019, Kosinski was tasked with finding another office for Odoo to help diversify and scale operations.

That became a difficult thing to do in San Francisco, where the Silicon Valleys competitive environment made it difficult to recruit and retain talent.

He evaluated bigger ticket cities like Charlotte, N.C.; New York; Minneapolis; and Tampa, Fla.  and they all had a buzz to them  but the major differentiator for Buffalo is that it was so cost-effective and not as many businesses were looking to locate to the city. He said a lot of people brush it off as too cold or not connected enough.

But Kosinski saw the positives  cost of living, quality of life, fewer software companies to compete against, a network of accessible people to help get things done and many universities to work with in the area.

If people just look beyond some of these assumptions and look at the hard facts, its actually quite the incredible place to run a business, Kosinski said. Inch by inch, this city is becoming a more desirable place to live, work and play. Im thankful to be part of the ecosystem.

Relationship with major developer

Odoo will soon leave the 36,800 square feet on the 25th and 26th floors it occupies at Seneca One.

Three years ago, the company started with just 3,000 square feet, and Kosinski asked developer Douglas Jemal for flexibility. Some landlords would not have acquiesced to a company with a small budget and fewer than 10 employees, but Jemal saw the companys potential, Kosinski said.

In fact, the Douglas Development president and his head of development, Paul Millstein, were encouraging and went out of their way to find out what Odoo needed to be successful.

Douglas is not your run-of-the-mill developer  his heart is in the right place and his end goal is to find ways to bring Buffalo back to life, Kosinski said. He could have nickel and dimed us and played the role of a traditional landlord, but he didnt.

As the company grew, it required more space and other amenities. Odoo went from one floor to two. And Jemal was supportive when Odoo decided it was moving out of Seneca One into an even bigger space.

A spokesperson for Douglas Development said theyre seeing a number of companies like Odoo grow quickly while occupying Seneca One.

He knew that if he gave Odoo what it needed, it would grow and need more in the future, Kosinski said of Jemal. Even if we grew up and left Seneca One, at the end of the day, he knows that if we continue to do very well, the chances of another software company coming into town and leasing space from him will be that much greater.
Rolling Stone, Daily Beast & Washington Post ALL compromised by CIA, warns RFK Jr.

Though he will likely not be allowed on the debate stage with fake president Joe Biden any time soon, 2024 presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not holding back when it comes to publicly addressing the propaganda elephant in the room known as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

RFK Jr. has stated time and time again that the CIA is behind many major conspiracies, including the assassination of his own uncle. RFK Jr. also says the CIA has infiltrated the ranks of many major media outlets, including Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, and The Washington Post.

"There [was] a provision of the CIA charter that [said] that the CIA cannot propagandize the American people," RFK Jr. recently stated, adding that Barack Hussein Obama repealed that ban in 2016.

"That essentially reopened the door for Operation Mockingbird and the CIA began once again to propagandize the American people  Operation Mockingbird was an operation to compromise American journalists," he added.

(Related: A few months back, both RFK Jr. and Ron Paul called out the CIA for both the JFK assassination and the COVID "pandemic.")

CIA is "biggest funder of journalism in the world," RFK Jr. says

Commentator Dave Rubin drew attention to these and other statements RFK Jr. has made as of late in a video  watch below  piecing together all the names that RFK Jr. has named as co-conspirators in pushing propaganda on the masses.

"High-level intelligence officials or people associated with the intelligence industry are running those journals," RFK Jr. maintains about many of the most popular corporate media outlets.

"Noah Schlackman who runs Rolling Stone ... Daily Beast was run by John Avalon (who) has ties to the intelligence agencies. Even journals like the Smithsonian and National Geographic, Nature, The Washington Post, The New York Times appear to be compromised by the CIA."

Revelations contained in the Twitter Files further reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also involved in steering the "news" right alongside the CIA. Both agencies, RFK Jr. says, were "operating portals within Twitter and Facebook that allowed them to manipulate information and to de-platform people, and to ... silence certain people that they didn't like."

"Today, the CIA is the biggest funder of journalism in the world," RFK Jr. declared.

These are powerful statements of the kind that led to an untimely end for RFK Jr.'s uncle, the late President John F. Kennedy. Like that Kennedy, this one is unafraid to tell it like it is, even at great risk to himself and his family.

"He is a national treasure for speaking the truth about our corrupt government," wrote someone on YouTube about RFK Jr. "It's a shame the Democrats won't let him have a platform."

Another expressed serious concern about the clear and present danger our country faces  a danger that has been ever-present for many decades, in fact, and that is gearing up to launch its final endgame for humanity.

"If the Democrats won't allow him to debate or be heard, how is that not election interference?" asked another about this gross miscarriage of the law.

"We are living in the days where the famous William Casey quote has come true: 'When everything the U.S. public believes is true is a lie, our job will be done,'" wrote another.

"When the state grows big enough to touch every facet of life, all reporting becomes increasingly dependent on the state, and access media becomes state media," said another.

Do you think Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would make a great American president? Keep up with his campaign at VoteDemocrat.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheBlaze.com

NaturalNews.com
U.S. is spending MORE MONEY to bankroll Ukraine than it is to assist disaster-stricken Maui

The U.S. is spending more money to bankroll Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, compared to the amount set aside to help the island of Maui in Hawaii rebuild after the Lahaina wildfires.

Breitbart expounded on this claim, noting that President Joe Biden pledged $95 million to help Maui rebuild. In contrast, Washington is shouldering the daily cost of the Russia-Ukraine war  which is bigger than the pledge.

"A day of war costs us $100 million," outgoing Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told state media. while the military represents the largest portion of these expenditures, funds are also essential for overall country maintenance, including infrastructure, reconstruction and support for the socially vulnerable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky axed Reznikov amid a campaign to crack down on corruption and war profiteering.

Biden's $95 million pledge to Maui is but a fraction of the $135 billion he has allocated for Ukraine. The U.S. is the primary source of financial support for Kyiv as it continues to fight Moscow, following the February 2022 "special military operation" by Russian forces.

Per the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the U.S. government has already committed $113 billion to Ukraine. This translates to an astonishing daily sum of $223 million. Meanwhile, military aid to Ukraine alone has averaged $86 million per day.

The $113 billion approved by Congress came in four packages  $14 billion in March 2022, $40 billion in May 2022, $12 billion in September 2022 and $45 billion in December 2022. However, the Biden administration has requested a fifth tranche of $24 billion  bringing total spending up to $135 billion. (Related: ENDLESS AID: Biden to ask Congress for supplemental aid package "north of $10B" for Ukraine.)

How absurd: Billions for Kyiv, pennies for Maui

In contrast to the billion-dollar aid package requested for Ukraine, Biden merely offered victims of the Lahaina fires in Maui a $700 one-time household emergency aid check. Critics described the sum as "insulting" compared with the hundreds of billions of dollars the U.S. government has sent to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake blasted the one-time aid in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "Only $700 per household to help rebuild Lahaina, Biden? We're spending $900 per household to fund your proxy war in Ukraine," she wrote.

"This is insulting," financial commentator Mark Wlosinski meanwhile tweeted. "Can someone please explain how our government can send hundreds of billions to other countries, but chooses to pinch pennies when our own people are in need?"

Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Hawaii's primary lifeline, is virtually scraping the bottom of the barrel. Lawmakers said the agency under the Department of Homeland Security is expected to run out of money within the month.

Efforts to get a speedy appropriation hit a brick wall after the Biden administration sought some $24.1 billion in military spending for Ukraine while requesting $12 billion in emergency funding for disaster relief programs. That means that funding Maui's recovery is tied to funding Ukraine's military, an issue frowned upon by Republicans.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll indicated that 52 percent of voters disapprove of Biden's handling of Ukraine, with 38 percent believing that too much is being done to assist Ukraine. In particular, 62 percent of GOP primary voters said the level of assistance provided to Ukraine is excessive.

BigGovernment.news has more stories about the federal government allocating taxpayer funds.

Watch this video about the Biden administration struggling to tie disaster funding to Ukraine aid.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Costly war: American aid to Ukraine about to hit $65 billion.

Maui wildfires continue to expose government's FAILURES and QUESTIONABLE decisions.

Presidential candidates clash over Ukraine aid during first 2024 GOP primary debate.

Maui victims royally screwed by local, state and federal governments  some residents are even ARRESTED for trying to return to their own homes.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

CSIS.org

Newsweek.com

CivilBeat.org

Brighteon.com
White House pushed obvious foreign lies about Disinformation Dozen to prevent deadly truth about COVID vaccines from spreading on social media

The latest Facebook Files drop from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Oh.) shows that the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) fabricated statistics for its so-called "disinformation dozen" list bearing the names of the world's most prominent vaccine skeptics.

The CCDH, a United Kingdom-based, government-linked "dark money" non-profit organization operated by the far-left British Labour Party, falsely claims that 2024 presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and 11 other people are responsible for 65 percent of all "anti-vaccine content circulating on social media."

Numerous Facebook employees have challenged this claim from the CCDH, which is run by a man named Imran Ahmed. Those on the inside who understand the social media platform's inner workings say that "vaccine hesitancy" is an organic phenomenon driven by everyday Americans expressing legitimate concerns, and is not a product of the "disinformation dozen."

Even if the "disinformation dozen" were responsible for 65 percent of all anti-vaccine content online, it would still not qualify as "misinformation" under Facebook's policies.

"There is an underlying assumption that all of these entities are bad (and some of them are, I'm sure) but even some of the 38 Disinfo Dozen entities were completely benign," reads an email from Facebook employees about the matter.

"To really push farther than what we have already done would likely be out of the misinfo realm, since vaccine hesitancy is often or mostly not misinfo."

In other words, what Facebook is saying here is that the CCDH with Ahmed at its head is engaged in a witch hunt against free speech that even Facebook itself cannot support because its own policies do not restrict the kind of "vaccine hesitancy" speech that the non-profit group wants to see eliminated.

(Related: In private, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg openly admitted that mRNA COVID jabs "basically modify people's DNA and RNA." Publicly, though, Zuckerberg censored doctors and scientists for trying to share this important truth.)

Biden White House repeats CCDH lie that 65 percent of jab misinformation comes from Disinfo Dozen

Even so, the Biden regime had adopted the CCDH statistics as its own, and has even been trumpeting the same 65 percent lie that Facebook likewise agrees is disinformation in and of itself.

Facebook employees were getting so tired of Biden's interference on the matter that they actually started drafting a memorandum to CEO Mark Zuckerberg to inform him about the relentless "pressure from ... the White House" to remove the Disinfo Dozen from its platform, even though they did "not believe we currently have a clear path for removal."

"These 'disinformation dozen' are linked to 34 accounts across Facebook and Instagram," the Facebook employees noted in the memo. "We have reviewed these entities and determined that 6 accounts violate our policies and will be removed."

"We continue to review these entities on our platforms, but the remaining accounts do not currently violate our policies  including our Dedicated Vaccine Discouraging Entities (DVDE) policy."

Even when Facebook employees started paying very close attention to the names on the Disinfo Dozen list, they were unable to find any violations to warrant removal as the CCDH and Ahmed had demanded.

"To be clear, the Biden White House didn't just want Facebook to censor the Disinformation Dozen's Facebook posts," noted Rep. Jordan in a tweet. "They wanted EVERYTHING censored  across all social media platforms."

Rep. Jordan then quoted former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki who stated:

"If you're banned on one social media platform, you should be banned on other social media platforms."

Censorship is the only thing the globalists have left to try to keep a lid on the truth, which is still spreading like wildfire. Learn more at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
Wikipedia co-founder reveals U.S. intelligence exploited site to spread leftist propaganda for decades

Lawrence Mark Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia, recently exposed that U.S. intelligence agencies have been manipulating the free online encyclopedia for nearly two decades to spread left ideologies.

Sanger revealed that Wikipedia has become an instrument of "control" in the hands of the U.S. establishment, which includes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other agencies, during an interview on "System Update" with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author Glenn Greenwald.

According to the American philosopher and internet project developer, they have "evidence that even as early as 2008, CIA and FBI computers were used to edit Wikipedia." He also stated that he observed a "gradual change" in the website's content over the years, noting that by 2006 to 2008, articles related to controversial topics in science, such as global warming and certain drugs, began to exhibit what he described as an "over-the-top bias.

Sanger also believed that the site which is claimed to be maintained by a "community of volunteers," became a target for weaponization between 2005 and 2015, with "information warfare  conducted online." "Then I started noticing around 2010 to 2015 that articles on like Eastern medicine and holistic medicine  were so obviously biased," Sanger added, [pointing out that there was a bias towards Western ideas. "It really got over the top  between 2013 and 2018."

Moreover, he highlighted that Wikipedia's perceived bias had intensified during the term of former President Donald Trump. "No encyclopedia to my knowledge has been as biased as Wikipedia has been," he said.

As per Greenwald, the emergence of the Trump administration had a significant impact, as the "liberal establishment narrative" aimed at countering Trump and this appeared to have influenced the site's content.

Sanger also emphasized that the Wikimedia Foundation-hosted site had officially declared that "80 percent of the major sources of news on the right to be unreliable," an obvious measure in the abandonment of Wikipedia's "original neutrality policy" by what he termed as "rank and file Wikipedians." These "employees" now take cues from mainstream left-leaning media outlets like "CNN, MSNBC, and the New York Times."

Elsewhere in the show, he recommended to just consult other online encyclopedias, such as Ballotpedia and Conservapedia. However, these do not rank well on Google. Critics would agree that technocrats could also be censoring the mentioned sites to suppress information other than their liberal rhetoric.

.@Wikipedia is a dominant force in the information ecosystemlargely due to how aggressively it's pushed by Google's search engine. And controlled by a small number of contributors w/ an appalling pro-establishment bias, it has effectively been forged into a weapon of elites. pic.twitter.com/Q2hFFnDjYS  System Update (@SystemUpdate_) August 1, 2023

This "phenomenon" is nothing new for Sanger, who had been targeted with political attacks and weaponized propaganda due to his involvement in whistleblower Edward Snowden's release of U.S. government secrets.

Wikipedia among social media giants to collude with FBI, CIA

Meanwhile, Sanger's revelations aligned with findings from a programming student named Virgil Griffith, who first published evidence of CIA and FBI activity on Wikipedia in 2007. He developed a program that could trace the location of computers used to edit Wikipedia articles and found that the intel and other government agencies as well as several corporations were scrubbing incriminating information on the the online encyclopedia.

He revealed that the CIA used its computers to remove casualty counts from the Iraq War, while the FBI removed aerial and satellite images of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The CIA also used its computers to edit hundreds of articles, including entries on former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, China's nuclear program, and the Argentine navy.

It was also discovered that former CIA chief William Colby edited his own entry to inflate his list of accomplishments.

"[The intelligence agencies] pay off the most influential people to push their agendas, which they're already mostly in line with, or they just develop their own talent within the [intelligence] community, learn the Wikipedia game, and then push what they want to say with their own people," Sanger told Greenwald. "A great part of intelligence and information warfare is conducted online on websites like Wikipedia.

Additionally, X's CEO Elon Musk released a document dump showing how the platform's former executives colluded with the FBI to remove unwanted content. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also admitted that Facebook censored information that was damaging to President Joe Biden's 2020 election campaign at the direct request of the FBI.

Back in December, Musk also released what he called the "Twitter Files," delving into the company's decision to block the Hunter Biden laptop story. The posts focused on the controversy surrounding Biden's son Hunter Biden and Twitter's reaction limiting the spread of posts about it.

Watch the full episode of "System Update" with Glenn Greenwald featuring Larry Sanger below.

Visit LeftCult.com for the extreme measures the big government has been taking to instill left ideologies.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

PressTV.ir

Rumble.com
A latest study disclosed that ash flows from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha 'apai Volcano were found to be faster compared to what has been triggered by earthquakes and floods.

Researchers have recently looked into the anatomy of a volcanic eruption under the sea.

What happened before

It was in December 2021 when an undersea volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean, with the name Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha 'apai, had began erupting.

Experts said that the eruption had reached a powerful climax in January 2022, which then triggered atmospheric waves that traveled around the globe and a tsunami that swept across the Pacific Ocean.

Based on studies, the volcanic debris from the Hunga eruption had traveled under the sea at an unprecedented distance and at record-breaking speed, which was found to be more than 100 km, at velocities reaching 122 km/hour.

It was later found out that the volcanic eruption had destroyed a vast network of seafloor telecommunication cables.

Researchers described that the eruption, which is considered as the most powerful ever recorded with modern equipment, had triggered a deadly tsunami and "avalanche-like flows" of material that damaged underwater telecommunications cables connecting the said volcano with the rest of the world.

To determine the speed, scientists from Britain's National Oceanography Centre (NOC) used the timings and locations of the cable damage. They said that the volcano's eruption plume, up to 57 kilometers high, fell directly into the water as well as onto the steep underwater slopes.

They explained that the speed and power of the currents were so powerful that they had been capable of running at least 100 kilometers across the seafloor, resulting in the wreckage of the cables.

Experts have underscored that the flows from the said volcano were faster than those triggered by various weather events such as earthquakes, floods and even storms.

Read Also: Tonga Volcano Eruption Affected GPS Accuracy Over Australia, Scientists Reveal

Largest ever-recorded

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano could be compared to a hundreds of atomic bombs, unleashing a 15-meter (50-foot) tsunami that later brough massive destruction residences.

Unfortunately, it also killed at least three people on the Pacific Island kingdom.

During its eruption, experts said the volcano had exploded almost 10 cubic kilometers of material that was equivalent to 2.6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. It also blasted out debris which are more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) into the mesosphere or the level above the Earth's stratosphere

The pyroclastic flows that were released carried debris from the volcano along the sea floor that was at least 80 kilometers away.

These pyroclastic materials include deadly currents of lava, volcanic ash, and gases which were able to reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Centigrade or 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. They also have the speed of 700 kilometers per hour.

The said eruption had been compared to the infamous Krakatoa disaster which killed tens of thousands in Indonesia in 1883 or before the invention of modern measuring equipment.

Studies said that many volcanoes lie under the ocean but only a few of them are being monitored, and this means that the risk to coastal communities and critical infrastructure is still poorly understood.

The study that was conducted was the first to document what happened when large amounts of erupted volcanic material were directly delivered to the ocean.

Related Article: Tonga Volcanic Eruption Temporarily Increases Global Temperature Over 1.5 Degrees Celsius

Related Video:
"In a little over three years, Odoo Inc. has gone from having eight employees in Buffalo to almost 200," writes Buffalo News reporter Mike Petro.

The business software company, featuring a workforce made up of full stack engineers, business systems analysts, functional support analysts and more will soon move into 40 Fountain Plaza.
A businessman from India who wants to construct a plastics production plant in the Town of Lockport has revised his controversial proposal, dropping plans to produce or use PVC pipes or any products made with PVC but he still intends to manufacture single-use food packaging and plastic utensils.

SRI CV Plastics is still seeking more than $300,000 in tax breaks from the Lockport Industrial Development Agency, despite opposition from environmentalists and residents who turned out in force at a public hearing over the summer.

Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week.

In a letter to Lockport IDA Executive Director Thomas Sy, the companys owner and president said SRI CV would be using polypropylene, polyethylene and/or polystyrene plastic pellets and suitable classes of clean shredded waste plastic to produce food containers, plastic utensils and comparable plastic products.

These amendments to our application for financial assistance are intended to remove all references to the manufacture of PVC pipe and any other products containing polyvinyl chloride at our Lockport facility, said Varun Kumar Velumani, who also owns VEVA Holdings Private Ltd. of India.

Thats a switch from the original application, when the company said it would produce all sizes of PVC plastic pipes, along with the disposable containers.

This is a major change but not an improvement, as the last thing we need is more plastic packaging and utensils, said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, an environmental group based at Bennington Colleges Center for the Advancement of Public Action in Vermont. Using the other types of plastic to make single-use packaging and utensils is not good for the environment.

SRI CV wants to spent $2.43 million to set up its first U.S. production facility, using a two-acre parcel of vacant industrial land that it would also buy from the Lockport IDA for $60,000. Plans call for constructing a 13,870-square-foot manufacturing plant at 1000 IDA Park Drive, initially focusing on select sizes of disposable food containers, but it would later double that facility in a second phase.

Within two years, the company says, it expects to be producing a full line of products, and anticipates creating 20 jobs in three years.

The plant would include 8,500 square feet for manufacturing, 2,000 square feet each for warehouse and research, and 1,000 square feet for office space. Plans called for completion by September 2024.

Without the assistance, the company said in its original application, it would not undertake the project and instead will seek the assistance it needs from a municipality elsewhere in the United States.

Location of the project in the Town of Lockport or the State of New York is not critical to its success, the company wrote.

But the project has met with unusually heavy resistance, as critics denounced the environmental impacts, and warned of potential for fires. And a local college professor discovered that part of the documentation that the company had submitted  a research abstract about an alleged lower environmental impact of PVC pipes  was likely produced by artificial intelligence, while the academic paper from University of California that it cited did not exist.

Their new letter does not address their submittal to a public body an AI-generated summary of a nonexistent journal article, Enck added. The two-page letter does not inspire confidence.

North Tonawanda attorney Terry C. Burton, who represents Velumani and SRI CV, acknowledged in an email that a computer-generated redaction of a nonexistent research study had been provided to the Lockport IDA in error, and was no longer part of the companys submission to the agency. He also said they expressed our deep regret to the IDA and assured the Lockport IDA that there was no intention to deceive or mislead.

He said he had conducted his own internal investigation after it was brought to his attention over the summer, and learned that SRI CV employees in India had used ChatGPT as an English translation tool to provide information about the plastics manufacturing industry.

He claimed that the accuracy of this plastics industry information was verified later. But he wrote that the problem occurred because ChatGPT was used as an internet search engine rather than a translation tool and was used to search for relevant published research.

SRI CV Plastics did not understand that ChatGPT has the propensity to make up fictitious research sources when it cant find actual research information on the internet, Burton said. When I explained to Mr. Velumani that ChatGPT cannot be used to produce reliable research, he was upset and embarrassed.

The Lockport IDA meets on Sept. 14, and will discuss the project but will not take a vote at the meeting, said Sy. Burton said he understands that the Lockport IDA would not sell the property to SRI CV if the tax breaks are rejected, and the company would consider moving elsewhere.

Velumani and VEVA are also partners in Siva Powers America, an Amherst-based startup company that is building an adjacent 10,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 1060 Enterprise Drive, where it will start assembling wind turbines from nacelles and blades produced in India before it starts making the blades themselves locally as well. Both SRI and Siva are temporarily based in an East Amherst office at 9260 Transit Road.
Ujwal Jalali By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of the prestigious G20 Summit, the Tibetan community on Friday held a demonstration near Majnu Ka Tilla in north Delhi against the Chinese government over their 'illegal occupation of Tibet'.

The protest was led by the members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), who, holding placards against the Chinese government, raised slogans demanding that the G20 nations should 'talk Tibet'.

#WATCH | The Tibetan community in Delhi stage a protest near Majnu Ka Tilla against the Chinese Government pic.twitter.com/SIbELQG0uj September 8, 2023

TYC president Gonpo Dhundop, while speaking to The New Indian Express, said they are not protesting against India hosting the G20.

"The Tibetan Youth Congress warmly commends India for hosting the G20 Meeting in New Delhi and wishes for its unequivocal success. We are steadfast in our hope that India will champion the principles of freedom, justice, equality, and peace globally. But our protest is against the Chinese Communist government. They have illegally occupied our nation," Dhundop said.

He further said that the Tibetan Youth Congress is committed to peace and has no intention of causing disturbances during this prestigious event.

"But we want to urge the 19 countries of the G20 to recognize and prioritize the Sino-Tibet issue in global discussions. We are the victims of the Chinese atrocities. With our experience, we want to tell the global community that China is not to be trusted. Chinese diplomatic assurances can never be trusted," the TYC president averred.

He further appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up their issue during the talks at the G20 Summit which begins tomorrow for two days i.e. September 9-10.

Dhundop also said that the security of India and Tibet's independence are intertwined. "Historically, an independent Tibet acted as a buffer, ensuring India's security. China's aggressive territorial claims now pose significant security threats to India," he added.

VIDEO | Security tightened near Majnu Ka Tila in Delhi in wake of the protest by Tibetan community.



Delhi is scheduled to hold the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10.#G20SummitDelhi #G20SummitIndia pic.twitter.com/PMQlCjbUGA  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

Meanwhile, the police have maintained adequate security arrangements in the wake of the TYC protest. Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said they had denied permission for the protest.

"We had kept security arrangements intact. The protest went on for around half an hour after which we asked them to disperse. The process of dispersal is going on and the situation is peaceful," Kalsi said.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of the prestigious G20 Summit, the Tibetan community on Friday held a demonstration near Majnu Ka Tilla in north Delhi against the Chinese government over their 'illegal occupation of Tibet'. The protest was led by the members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), who, holding placards against the Chinese government, raised slogans demanding that the G20 nations should 'talk Tibet'. #WATCH | The Tibetan community in Delhi stage a protest near Majnu Ka Tilla against the Chinese Government pic.twitter.com/SIbELQG0ujgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); });  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023 TYC president Gonpo Dhundop, while speaking to The New Indian Express, said they are not protesting against India hosting the G20. "The Tibetan Youth Congress warmly commends India for hosting the G20 Meeting in New Delhi and wishes for its unequivocal success. We are steadfast in our hope that India will champion the principles of freedom, justice, equality, and peace globally. But our protest is against the Chinese Communist government. They have illegally occupied our nation," Dhundop said. He further said that the Tibetan Youth Congress is committed to peace and has no intention of causing disturbances during this prestigious event. "But we want to urge the 19 countries of the G20 to recognize and prioritize the Sino-Tibet issue in global discussions. We are the victims of the Chinese atrocities. With our experience, we want to tell the global community that China is not to be trusted. Chinese diplomatic assurances can never be trusted," the TYC president averred. He further appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up their issue during the talks at the G20 Summit which begins tomorrow for two days i.e. September 9-10. Dhundop also said that the security of India and Tibet's independence are intertwined. "Historically, an independent Tibet acted as a buffer, ensuring India's security. China's aggressive territorial claims now pose significant security threats to India," he added. VIDEO | Security tightened near Majnu Ka Tila in Delhi in wake of the protest by Tibetan community. Delhi is scheduled to hold the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10.#G20SummitDelhi #G20SummitIndia pic.twitter.com/PMQlCjbUGA  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023 Meanwhile, the police have maintained adequate security arrangements in the wake of the TYC protest. Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said they had denied permission for the protest. "We had kept security arrangements intact. The protest went on for around half an hour after which we asked them to disperse. The process of dispersal is going on and the situation is peaceful," Kalsi said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

Farooque Alam, a physically challenged PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi who was allegedly assaulted at the Kaveri Hostel on Wednesday, has issued a statement on the incident.

Alam is also a senior National Students' Union of India (NSUI) activist. He reportedly joined JNU ten years ago as a BA student at the Centre of Russian Studies and was in the last lap of his PhD degree.

The NSUI and the JNU's Students' Federation of India (SFI) unit have alleged that members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad were involved in the assault. The NSUI has called for a Resistance Rally on September 9 at 8.30 pm to protest against the incident.

In a horrific incident in Kaveri hostel today, a senior warden of Kaveri hostel and their domesticated ABVP goons attacked NSUI activists and our senior activist Farooque Alam who is a physically handicapped research scholar in JNU, NSUI tweeted.

The student was taken to Safdarjung Hospital after the incident on Wednesday.

Farooque Alam, who has been part of several student movements, was reportedly asked to vacate his hostel room because of an old pending case in the Delhi High Court. Indian Express quoted a source who said that a proctorial enquiry was set up four years ago against the student following his participation in an agitation against fee hike.

He said, "I have been falsely accused of a misconduct by the Proctor's Office and this has led to my eviction from Kaveri hostel. It seems that these allegations, which I firmly believe to be baseless and vehemently deny, are linked to a prior incident and have resulted in my unjust suspension from the university."

Farooque Alam said that he had gone to the Senior Warden of Kaveri hostel and the Proctor's Office to seek an extension as his case was still sub-judice in the court. He went on to add that during his absence, "Gopal Ram, the acting Senior Warden along with guards and hostel residents affiliated with ABVP forcibly entered my room, broke the door lock and proceeded to remove and discard all of my personal belongings out of my room."

This is the real face of @ABVPVoice.

In a horrific incident in Kaveri hostel today, the senior warden of Kaveri hostel and their domesticated ABVP goons attacked NSUI activists and our senior activist, Farooque Alam, who is a physically handicapped research scholar at JNU. We pic.twitter.com/BiYMRKbvGU  NSUI (@nsui) September 6, 2023

When the student returned to his hostel after finding out about the situation, he was "subjected to mistreatment and manhandled by members of ABVP and the Hostel Office In-charge. Two of the ABVP members pushed me down aggressively, leading to a loss of consciousness. I was subsequently hospitalised, thanks to my friends and comrades."

As a physically challenged student especially, this traumatic act left me emotionally devastated and shattered, Farooque Alam said in his statement.

He said that he found statements defaming him after being discharged from the hospital and hence he drafted a "comprehensive statement to provide clarity on the actual sequence of events", hoping "truth will come to light and justice will prevail in this distressing and unjust situation."

Farooque Alam also added that he has never been alleged of criminal cases, cases of sexual harassment, or ragging.

Meanwhile, Edexlive reported that "for the past 1.5 years, the university has been trying to damage Alam's image and send him notices to harass him." JNU ABVP Secretary Vikas Patel told Edexlive that they were not involved in the incident.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

Farooque Alam, a physically challenged PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi who was allegedly assaulted at the Kaveri Hostel on Wednesday, has issued a statement on the incident. Alam is also a senior National Students' Union of India (NSUI) activist. He reportedly joined JNU ten years ago as a BA student at the Centre of Russian Studies and was in the last lap of his PhD degree. The NSUI and the JNU's Students' Federation of India (SFI) unit have alleged that members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad were involved in the assault. The NSUI has called for a Resistance Rally on September 9 at 8.30 pm to protest against the incident.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In a horrific incident in Kaveri hostel today, a senior warden of Kaveri hostel and their domesticated ABVP goons attacked NSUI activists and our senior activist Farooque Alam who is a physically handicapped research scholar in JNU, NSUI tweeted. The student was taken to Safdarjung Hospital after the incident on Wednesday. Farooque Alam, who has been part of several student movements, was reportedly asked to vacate his hostel room because of an old pending case in the Delhi High Court. Indian Express quoted a source who said that a proctorial enquiry was set up four years ago against the student following his participation in an agitation against fee hike. He said, "I have been falsely accused of a misconduct by the Proctor's Office and this has led to my eviction from Kaveri hostel. It seems that these allegations, which I firmly believe to be baseless and vehemently deny, are linked to a prior incident and have resulted in my unjust suspension from the university." Farooque Alam said that he had gone to the Senior Warden of Kaveri hostel and the Proctor's Office to seek an extension as his case was still sub-judice in the court. He went on to add that during his absence, "Gopal Ram, the acting Senior Warden along with guards and hostel residents affiliated with ABVP forcibly entered my room, broke the door lock and proceeded to remove and discard all of my personal belongings out of my room." This is the real face of @ABVPVoice. In a horrific incident in Kaveri hostel today, the senior warden of Kaveri hostel and their domesticated ABVP goons attacked NSUI activists and our senior activist, Farooque Alam, who is a physically handicapped research scholar at JNU. We pic.twitter.com/BiYMRKbvGU  NSUI (@nsui) September 6, 2023 When the student returned to his hostel after finding out about the situation, he was "subjected to mistreatment and manhandled by members of ABVP and the Hostel Office In-charge. Two of the ABVP members pushed me down aggressively, leading to a loss of consciousness. I was subsequently hospitalised, thanks to my friends and comrades." As a physically challenged student especially, this traumatic act left me emotionally devastated and shattered, Farooque Alam said in his statement. He said that he found statements defaming him after being discharged from the hospital and hence he drafted a "comprehensive statement to provide clarity on the actual sequence of events", hoping "truth will come to light and justice will prevail in this distressing and unjust situation." Farooque Alam also added that he has never been alleged of criminal cases, cases of sexual harassment, or ragging. Meanwhile, Edexlive reported that "for the past 1.5 years, the university has been trying to damage Alam's image and send him notices to harass him." JNU ABVP Secretary Vikas Patel told Edexlive that they were not involved in the incident. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

PALGHAR: As many as 55 passengers, most of them school and college students, were injured when the bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Friday morning, officials said.

The accident took place around 6.45 a.m. near Desai village in Wada tehsil, an official of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said.

"The bus involved in the accident was operated by the MSRTC. It was carrying a large number of school and college students," the corporation's Thane divisional controller Vilas Rathod said.

A total of 70 passengers were travelling in the bus when it collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction on Chinchpada-Wada Road.

Of them, 55 passengers, including 47 students, were injured. However, none of them suffered any major injury, he said. All the injured persons, including the bus driver, were taken to local hospitals.

After primary treatment, all of them were allowed to return home, he said. Police inspector Suresh Kadam confirmed that the injured included a large number of students.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

PALGHAR: As many as 55 passengers, most of them school and college students, were injured when the bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Friday morning, officials said. The accident took place around 6.45 a.m. near Desai village in Wada tehsil, an official of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said. "The bus involved in the accident was operated by the MSRTC. It was carrying a large number of school and college students," the corporation's Thane divisional controller Vilas Rathod said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); A total of 70 passengers were travelling in the bus when it collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction on Chinchpada-Wada Road. Of them, 55 passengers, including 47 students, were injured. However, none of them suffered any major injury, he said. All the injured persons, including the bus driver, were taken to local hospitals. After primary treatment, all of them were allowed to return home, he said. Police inspector Suresh Kadam confirmed that the injured included a large number of students. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: "Hello Delhi! It's great to be in India for this years G20," said US President Joe Biden after arriving in Delhi a day ahead of the G20 Summit.

President Biden went straight to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.

"Happy to have welcomed Joe Biden at Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and the US. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good," said PM Modi.

"PM Modi and President Biden expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the groundbreaking achievements of PM Modis visit to the US in June. The leaders called their governments to continue the work of transforming the India-US Strategic Partnership across all dimensions of our multifaceted global agenda, based on trust and mutual understanding," said a joint statement issued by the White House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden, at the hosts Lok Kalyan Marg residence for a bilateral meeting, in New Delhi on Friday | PTI

The leaders re-emphasised that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success their countries enjoy and these were the values that strengthened their relationship, the White House statement added.

PM Modi and President Biden reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. PM Modi also welcomed President Biden to the next Quad leaders Summit which will be hosted by India in 2024.

ALSO READ | G20 Summit: Delhi Declaration almost ready, says 'Sherpa' Amitabh Kant, but Ukraine a thorny issue

President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UNSC with India as a permanent member, and in this context welcomed Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their collaboration in defence ties, critical and emerging technologies, semiconductor supply chains, telecommunications, quantum computing, cyber security, education, health and energy amongst other things.

Meanwhile, PM Modi had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Mauritius and Bangladesh.

The first bilateral meeting PM Modi had was with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. India and Mauritius are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic ties.

"We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. We also reiterated Indias commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South," said PM Modi.

Mauritius is a key partner to Indias vision Security and Growth for all in the Region initiative -- SAGAR.

Meanwhile, discussions were held on connectivity and commercial linkages between PM Modi and PM Hasina of Bangladesh.

"Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the past nine years has been gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkages and more," said PM Modi. The two also agreed to strengthen people to people ties.

Sources point out that Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate a rail link with Tripura and the second unit of the Rampal power plant along with PM Modi, virtually from Delhi, on the sidelines of the G20 meetings. Sheikh Hasina is expected to sign several agreements including a deal which will facilitate a Rupee-Taka card for citizens of both countries to pay in local currency instead of in dollars while travelling to the other.

in the next two days (September 9th and 10th), PM Modi is scheduled to have more bilateral meetings. On September 9, meetings are likely to take place between PM Modi and leaders of UK, Japan, Germany and Italy. On September 10, PM Modi is slated to have a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In all, PM Modi is likely to have close to 15 bilateral meetings which include meetings with leaders from Canada, Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria.

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NEW DELHI: "Hello Delhi! It's great to be in India for this years G20," said US President Joe Biden after arriving in Delhi a day ahead of the G20 Summit. President Biden went straight to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. "Happy to have welcomed Joe Biden at Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and the US. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good," said PM Modi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "PM Modi and President Biden expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the groundbreaking achievements of PM Modis visit to the US in June. The leaders called their governments to continue the work of transforming the India-US Strategic Partnership across all dimensions of our multifaceted global agenda, based on trust and mutual understanding," said a joint statement issued by the White House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden, at the hosts Lok Kalyan Marg residence for a bilateral meeting, in New Delhi on Friday | PTI The leaders re-emphasised that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success their countries enjoy and these were the values that strengthened their relationship, the White House statement added. PM Modi and President Biden reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. PM Modi also welcomed President Biden to the next Quad leaders Summit which will be hosted by India in 2024. ALSO READ | G20 Summit: Delhi Declaration almost ready, says 'Sherpa' Amitabh Kant, but Ukraine a thorny issue President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UNSC with India as a permanent member, and in this context welcomed Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29. The two leaders also reaffirmed their collaboration in defence ties, critical and emerging technologies, semiconductor supply chains, telecommunications, quantum computing, cyber security, education, health and energy amongst other things. Meanwhile, PM Modi had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Mauritius and Bangladesh. The first bilateral meeting PM Modi had was with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. India and Mauritius are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic ties. "We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. We also reiterated Indias commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South," said PM Modi. Mauritius is a key partner to Indias vision Security and Growth for all in the Region initiative -- SAGAR. Meanwhile, discussions were held on connectivity and commercial linkages between PM Modi and PM Hasina of Bangladesh. "Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the past nine years has been gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkages and more," said PM Modi. The two also agreed to strengthen people to people ties. Sources point out that Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate a rail link with Tripura and the second unit of the Rampal power plant along with PM Modi, virtually from Delhi, on the sidelines of the G20 meetings. Sheikh Hasina is expected to sign several agreements including a deal which will facilitate a Rupee-Taka card for citizens of both countries to pay in local currency instead of in dollars while travelling to the other. in the next two days (September 9th and 10th), PM Modi is scheduled to have more bilateral meetings. On September 9, meetings are likely to take place between PM Modi and leaders of UK, Japan, Germany and Italy. On September 10, PM Modi is slated to have a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron. In all, PM Modi is likely to have close to 15 bilateral meetings which include meetings with leaders from Canada, Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: With the campaigning in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh gaining speed, both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and principal opposition Congress are getting engaged in a yatra war.

The BJP has already launched five Jan Ashirwad yatras from different parts of the state, to reach people and inform them about the development work during the partys 18-year-old rule and corruption in the 15-month-old Kamal Nath-led Congress government.

In a tit-for-tat, Congress has planned Jan Akrosh Yatras to inform the voters about the deteriorating law and order situation, particularly, rising crimes against SC, ST and women and corruption in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government. According to a senior state Congress leader, seven senior leaders will launch the yatras from different parts of the state on September 15.

While the partys poll campaign committee chief and former union minister Kantilal Bhuria will lead the yatra in the tribal-dominated Mahakoshal region, another ex-minister Arun Yadav will head it in Nimar region (southwestern MP). Ex-parliamentarian Suresh Pachouri will launch the yatra from central MP, while former leader of opposition in the state assembly Ajay Singh Rahul (son of ex-CM Arjun Singh) will lead it in Bundelkhand region.

Moreover, the current leader of the opposition, Dr Govind Singh will be taking the yatra in his native Gwalior-Chambal region, which is also the home turf of several powerful BJP leaders, including two union ministers  Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar. Former MP minister Jitu Patwari will lead the Yatra in his native Malwa region (western MP), while another former MP minister and newly appointed Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Kamleshwar Patel will head it in the Vindhya/Baghelkhand region.

Taking a potshot at Congress, Chouhan said on Thursday, Our Jan Ashirwad yatra is to seek the blessings of people who love sustained work for bettering their lives. On the other hand, the Congress has named its yatras Jan Akrosh Yatra, as the party knows that it will have to face Jan Akrosh (public angst) over the 900-odd promises of its 2018 poll manifesto which remained unfulfilled, despite the Congress being in power for 15 months.

Neemuch violence

Meanwhile, as many as five persons, including one Khema Gurjar, who is allegedly associated with the Congress, have been arrested in connection with the Tuesday evening attack on BJPs Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Neemuch district of west MP.

The Congress has claimed that the attack was the result of anger among residents of Ravalkudi village over their milch cattles grazing land being included in the alternative habitat for African cheetahs being developed in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.

But the ruling BJP claims that those who attacked the Yatra were actually Congress people, who took advantage of villagers grouse over the issue.

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BHOPAL: With the campaigning in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh gaining speed, both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and principal opposition Congress are getting engaged in a yatra war. The BJP has already launched five Jan Ashirwad yatras from different parts of the state, to reach people and inform them about the development work during the partys 18-year-old rule and corruption in the 15-month-old Kamal Nath-led Congress government. In a tit-for-tat, Congress has planned Jan Akrosh Yatras to inform the voters about the deteriorating law and order situation, particularly, rising crimes against SC, ST and women and corruption in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government. According to a senior state Congress leader, seven senior leaders will launch the yatras from different parts of the state on September 15.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); While the partys poll campaign committee chief and former union minister Kantilal Bhuria will lead the yatra in the tribal-dominated Mahakoshal region, another ex-minister Arun Yadav will head it in Nimar region (southwestern MP). Ex-parliamentarian Suresh Pachouri will launch the yatra from central MP, while former leader of opposition in the state assembly Ajay Singh Rahul (son of ex-CM Arjun Singh) will lead it in Bundelkhand region. Moreover, the current leader of the opposition, Dr Govind Singh will be taking the yatra in his native Gwalior-Chambal region, which is also the home turf of several powerful BJP leaders, including two union ministers  Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar. Former MP minister Jitu Patwari will lead the Yatra in his native Malwa region (western MP), while another former MP minister and newly appointed Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Kamleshwar Patel will head it in the Vindhya/Baghelkhand region. Taking a potshot at Congress, Chouhan said on Thursday, Our Jan Ashirwad yatra is to seek the blessings of people who love sustained work for bettering their lives. On the other hand, the Congress has named its yatras Jan Akrosh Yatra, as the party knows that it will have to face Jan Akrosh (public angst) over the 900-odd promises of its 2018 poll manifesto which remained unfulfilled, despite the Congress being in power for 15 months. Neemuch violence Meanwhile, as many as five persons, including one Khema Gurjar, who is allegedly associated with the Congress, have been arrested in connection with the Tuesday evening attack on BJPs Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Neemuch district of west MP. The Congress has claimed that the attack was the result of anger among residents of Ravalkudi village over their milch cattles grazing land being included in the alternative habitat for African cheetahs being developed in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. But the ruling BJP claims that those who attacked the Yatra were actually Congress people, who took advantage of villagers grouse over the issue. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has backed the Indian government's position on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking to the Indian Express on the G20 Presidency, the former prime minister supported India's decision to "put its sovereign and economic interests first", while also "appealing for peace."

The former prime minister's comment was in response to a question on how the Indian government is managing its ties with Russia and the West amid growing geopolitical differences over the war.

"When two or more powers are caught in a conflict, there is immense pressure on other nations to choose sides. I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace," he said.

When asked about the challenges faced by G20 nations against the backdrop of the Russia-UK war, the veteran Congress leader said: "The G20 was never envisaged as the forum for settling security-related conflicts. It is important for the G20 to set aside security differences and keep its focus on policy coordination to tackle the challenges of climate, inequality and confidence in global trade."

Speaking about India's G20 presidency, the former two-time prime minister said he is "glad to witness" India hosting the summit during his lifetime. He added that India's "foreign policy has been an important element of India's governance frame" and that it has become "even more relevant and important to domestic politics today than earlier."

Asserting that Indias standing in the world should "rightfully be an issue in domestic politics", Dr Singh also called for exercising "restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics."

When asked about India's strained relationship with China and President Xi Jinping's decision to skip the G20 summit, Dr Singh termed Xi's decision as "unfortunate" and hoped that PM Modi would take "all steps necessary to protect Indias territorial and sovereign integrity and defuse bilateral tensions."

Responding to a question on the challenges ahead for India, the veteran statesman said he is "more optimistic than worried" about the road ahead for India, but cautioned that his optimism is dependent on the nation "being a harmonious society."

"...my optimism is contingent on India being a harmonious society, which is the bedrock for all progress and development. Indias innate instinct is to welcome and celebrate diversity which must be preserved," he said.

Earlier this year, PM Modi had told French newspaper Les Echos that India's stand on the Russian-Ukraine war has been "clear, transparent and consistent" and reiterated that "this is not an era of war"  a remark he had made to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of SCO Summit in 2022.

India's stand has been clear, transparent and consistent. I have said that it is not an era of war. We have urged both sides to resolve issues through dialogue and diplomacy. I told them that India is ready to support all genuine efforts that can help bring this conflict to an end," Modi had said to Les Echos prior to his visit to France in July this year.

Incidentally, Modi's "not an era of war" remark had also been adopted by the G20 leaders as part of their joint statement during last year's summit in Indonesia.

Similarly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (EAM) has consistently defended India's trade with Moscow and purchase of Russian oil amid criticism from the West. Jaishankar has continued to reiterate that India's economic interests must be prioritised as part of the nation's diplomatic engagements.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Russia emerged as India's fourth largest source of imports in 2022. Russian exports grew to USD 32.8 billion in April-December 2022 from USD 6.6 billion dollars in the same period the previous year  a five-fold increase  driven by the energy trade between both nations.

Nikkei estimates that close to 17 per cent of Indian imports of crude oil and 9 per cent of coal imports came from Russia, amid the West's criticism over India's decision to resell Russian oil as refined fuels, including diesel, into Europe.

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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has backed the Indian government's position on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking to the Indian Express on the G20 Presidency, the former prime minister supported India's decision to "put its sovereign and economic interests first", while also "appealing for peace." The former prime minister's comment was in response to a question on how the Indian government is managing its ties with Russia and the West amid growing geopolitical differences over the war. "When two or more powers are caught in a conflict, there is immense pressure on other nations to choose sides. I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace," he said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); When asked about the challenges faced by G20 nations against the backdrop of the Russia-UK war, the veteran Congress leader said: "The G20 was never envisaged as the forum for settling security-related conflicts. It is important for the G20 to set aside security differences and keep its focus on policy coordination to tackle the challenges of climate, inequality and confidence in global trade." Speaking about India's G20 presidency, the former two-time prime minister said he is "glad to witness" India hosting the summit during his lifetime. He added that India's "foreign policy has been an important element of India's governance frame" and that it has become "even more relevant and important to domestic politics today than earlier." Asserting that Indias standing in the world should "rightfully be an issue in domestic politics", Dr Singh also called for exercising "restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics." When asked about India's strained relationship with China and President Xi Jinping's decision to skip the G20 summit, Dr Singh termed Xi's decision as "unfortunate" and hoped that PM Modi would take "all steps necessary to protect Indias territorial and sovereign integrity and defuse bilateral tensions." Responding to a question on the challenges ahead for India, the veteran statesman said he is "more optimistic than worried" about the road ahead for India, but cautioned that his optimism is dependent on the nation "being a harmonious society." "...my optimism is contingent on India being a harmonious society, which is the bedrock for all progress and development. Indias innate instinct is to welcome and celebrate diversity which must be preserved," he said. Earlier this year, PM Modi had told French newspaper Les Echos that India's stand on the Russian-Ukraine war has been "clear, transparent and consistent" and reiterated that "this is not an era of war"  a remark he had made to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of SCO Summit in 2022. India's stand has been clear, transparent and consistent. I have said that it is not an era of war. We have urged both sides to resolve issues through dialogue and diplomacy. I told them that India is ready to support all genuine efforts that can help bring this conflict to an end," Modi had said to Les Echos prior to his visit to France in July this year. Incidentally, Modi's "not an era of war" remark had also been adopted by the G20 leaders as part of their joint statement during last year's summit in Indonesia. Similarly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (EAM) has consistently defended India's trade with Moscow and purchase of Russian oil amid criticism from the West. Jaishankar has continued to reiterate that India's economic interests must be prioritised as part of the nation's diplomatic engagements. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Russia emerged as India's fourth largest source of imports in 2022. Russian exports grew to USD 32.8 billion in April-December 2022 from USD 6.6 billion dollars in the same period the previous year  a five-fold increase  driven by the energy trade between both nations. Nikkei estimates that close to 17 per cent of Indian imports of crude oil and 9 per cent of coal imports came from Russia, amid the West's criticism over India's decision to resell Russian oil as refined fuels, including diesel, into Europe. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Buffalo Schools Superintendent Tonja M. Williams sent a letter to parents this week urging high school students not to gather at Fountain Plaza after school.

Fountain Plaza on Main Street is what Buffalo Place Executive Director Michael T. Schmand calls a choke point for high school students at dismissal.

Hutchinson-Central Technical High School, Emerson School of Hospitality, Buffalo Culinary School 355 and Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School are all within a half-mile of the plaza, and the mingling of student populations and density of students have led to an increase in large fights.

And with student safety high among the superintendents priorities, key sites will bear monitoring.

Odoo chose Buffalo as the place for substantial North American growth The business software company is guaranteeing to New York State  in exchange for much of the space inside 40 Fountain Plaza  that it will grow by another 350 employees by 2028. It is poised to triple its space and then its size in Buffalo.

This year we will be taking prescriptive measures to discourage this, Williams wrote in her letter on Thursday, the day before the first day of the new school year for Buffalo Public Schools.

It is taxing to businesses and unsafe for all who may be in the vicinity, she added. Parents please please please talk with your young people about this expectation. Our goal in the Buffalo Public Schools is safety first and for this to happen we need your assistance.

M&T Bank, Bank of America, Five-Star Bank, CannonDesign, at least five law firms and several other businesses have offices within the immediate vicinity of Fountain Plaza, also the site of Rotary Rink.

Buffalo Place, the nonprofit organization created to enrich the downtown business district, oversees Fountain Plaza and many of downtowns large business offices.

There were the most fights Ive ever seen at Fountain Plaza last year, and Ive been here for 20-something years, Schmand said Friday. Stabbings at the site in November 2021 and this January sent three high school students to Erie County Medical Center.

Fights where a few tussle and throngs watch are more common.

A school official Friday clarified that high school students who need to access Fountain Plaza may still use the train station for their commute but were asked not to congregate there or in other unsupervised areas, including parks and in front of businesses.

Complicating the situation is the installation of a new train track on Main Street, which temporarily will relegate Metro Rail trains to one lane, the Buffalo Place leader said. The infrastructure work may cause students to wait longer for a train after dismissal.

NFTA limits bus passes, starts ID system to halt fights among Buffalo high schoolers Buffalo Public Schools and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority aim to curb fights along bus and Metro Rail subway routes after high schools let out by limiting routes home and adding an ID system to free rides after school. The move comes after several large fights last school year.

A district warning against loitering at Fountain Plaza comes after the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the Buffalo School Board, Buffalo police, Buffalo Peacemakers and other stakeholders decided to continue routed Metro passes for the 10,000 high school students who use public transportation. A new identification system, intended to ensure students remain on their direct route home, was implemented, too.

While students had four hours to use their school-issued Metro passes to get home last year, they will have two hours this school year.

Were not trying to create a police state, said NFTA Police Chief Brian Patterson, but some level of supervision is necessary.

The NFTA last year created a Transit School Resource Unit of four officers to build relationships with students on the Metro to prevent and respond to fights. The safety and comfort of nonstudent passengers remain high priorities, Patterson said.

Hammond also said most students use public transportation responsibly and with respect to other passengers. He explained the superintendent was being proactive in requesting that parents know where their children are after school.
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Fresh violence in strife-torn Manipur on Friday left several people injured.

The violence, which broke out at Pallel in the Tengnoupal district around 6 am, continued for a few hours. The situation in parts of the state remained tense following the incident.

Various reports suggested that one to two persons were killed and 40 to 50 others, including women, were injured. It could not be officially ascertained if people died or how many of them were injured.

It was learnt that an Assam Rifles jawan was hit by a bullet which was fired by the miscreants but he escaped with minor injuries. Most people sustained injuries during a confrontation with the paramilitary force.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential Meitei civil society organisation, said the violence broke out after the first shot was fired from a hill range.

As per the ground reports we received, the first gunshot was reported from a hill range. State forces and Meitei village volunteers do not have any position on the hillside. Two houses, belonging to Meiteis, were also burned down. So, it clearly proves that the very attack was initiated by Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups, COCOMI alleged.

The organisation said the attack was pre-planned and an attempt to draw the attention of G20 delegates.

Manipur Police dismissed the reports about fighting between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers.

There are posts on social media regarding the exchange of fire between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers, which is not correct. It is clarified that the incident was related to firing between security forces and armed miscreants, Manipur Police wrote on X, previously Twitter.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) alleged that Meitei gunmen dressed in police commando uniforms had attacked Pallel, a Kuki-Zo village.

As weve seen in the past, Meitei women (Meira Paibis) blocked security reinforcements from reaching the area, showing again that they are at the vanguard of the violence, the tribal organisation said.

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GUWAHATI: Fresh violence in strife-torn Manipur on Friday left several people injured. The violence, which broke out at Pallel in the Tengnoupal district around 6 am, continued for a few hours. The situation in parts of the state remained tense following the incident. Various reports suggested that one to two persons were killed and 40 to 50 others, including women, were injured. It could not be officially ascertained if people died or how many of them were injured.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It was learnt that an Assam Rifles jawan was hit by a bullet which was fired by the miscreants but he escaped with minor injuries. Most people sustained injuries during a confrontation with the paramilitary force. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential Meitei civil society organisation, said the violence broke out after the first shot was fired from a hill range. As per the ground reports we received, the first gunshot was reported from a hill range. State forces and Meitei village volunteers do not have any position on the hillside. Two houses, belonging to Meiteis, were also burned down. So, it clearly proves that the very attack was initiated by Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups, COCOMI alleged. The organisation said the attack was pre-planned and an attempt to draw the attention of G20 delegates. Manipur Police dismissed the reports about fighting between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers. There are posts on social media regarding the exchange of fire between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers, which is not correct. It is clarified that the incident was related to firing between security forces and armed miscreants, Manipur Police wrote on X, previously Twitter. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) alleged that Meitei gunmen dressed in police commando uniforms had attacked Pallel, a Kuki-Zo village. As weve seen in the past, Meitei women (Meira Paibis) blocked security reinforcements from reaching the area, showing again that they are at the vanguard of the violence, the tribal organisation said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

LONDON: There is a "full-scale assault" on the democratic institutions of India and there are concerns in the European Union (EU) quarters over this attempt to "stifle" the country's democratic structures, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday.

Interacting with reporters at a media briefing in Brussels, Rahul Gandhi, who is on a European tour starting with Belgium, addressed a broad range of topics including the Russia-Ukraine conflict to say that the Opposition agrees with the government's current position on the issue.

On India hosting the G20 Summit, Gandhi said it was a "good thing" and pointed to the lack of an invitation for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to the event as reflective of a "type of thinking" from the government that "did not value the leader of 60 per cent of India's population."

"There is an increase in discrimination and in violence in India and there is a full-scale assault on the democratic institutions of our country, that everybody knows," said Gandhi.

Asked about the reaction of the European parliamentarians to some of these issues, he replied: "They were very concerned and they felt that there is an attempt to stifle the democratic structures of India, for sure. I mean, they were very, very clear with us."

The BJP has previously dubbed Gandhi as the "present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity" who went overseas seeking help from foreign forces to become a 'nawab' in India.

The ruling party had also said that Gandhi had insulted and defamed India with his comments about India overseas, saying, "People have not given this right to him."

Gandhi said he had "fruitful" conversations with parliamentarians and members of the diaspora at the start of his European tour, which is part of a wider initiative to travel around the world with the Opposition's vision and have an open exchange of ideas.

Rahul Gandhi said that the minorities, Dalits, and tribals are under attack in India.

On the issues that arose during his discussions with members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Gandhi said the violence in Manipur was among the topics raised from the perspective of democratic rights, harmony and peace between people and pointed out that when countries are "dealing with India these days, there are other considerations which are also important."

"The G20 is an important conversation and it's a good thing that India is hosting it. Of course, there are issues in India that we raise (internally)," he said.

"India is a large country and by nature of being a large country, it will have relationships with many other countries. So that's a normal thing," Gandhi said.

"India has every right to have a relationship with whoever it wants-- the Opposition, by and large, would agree with India's current position on the [Russia-Ukraine] conflict. We have a relationship with Russia and I don't think the Opposition would have a different view than what the government is currently proposing," he said.

In response to a question on Kashmir, the Congress leader stressed that the region was an "integral part of India" and therefore nobody's business to interfere.

"The general discussion we're having here, that democratic institutions, democratic structures need to be protected in India and the voice of the people needs to be defended and protected, that goes for every single part of India, including Kashmir," he said.

On the climate crisis, the Opposition leader said his nearly 4,000-km-long Bharat Jodo Yatra had brought him up close with people who have a deep understanding of these complex issues and their voices must be included.

"That's where we have a fundamental difference with the BJP. We value the voice of the people, we value the voice of poor people, we value the voice of all stakeholders and we want to hold a conversation with stakeholders before we make decisions and that's really the conflict that is taking place in India," he said.

On India-China relations, Gandhi reiterated his position on the "coercive" approach of the Chinese including with their Belt and Road Initiative.

"What the Chinese have basically shown is that it is possible to produce effectively in a coercive environment, where you offer prosperity without political freedom. And the challenge for us is, can we provide an alternative vision where we do production under democratic conditions, with political and economic freedom," he said.

From Brussels, Gandhi heads over to Paris and will then proceed to the Netherlands and Norway over the weekend.

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LONDON: There is a "full-scale assault" on the democratic institutions of India and there are concerns in the European Union (EU) quarters over this attempt to "stifle" the country's democratic structures, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday. Interacting with reporters at a media briefing in Brussels, Rahul Gandhi, who is on a European tour starting with Belgium, addressed a broad range of topics including the Russia-Ukraine conflict to say that the Opposition agrees with the government's current position on the issue. On India hosting the G20 Summit, Gandhi said it was a "good thing" and pointed to the lack of an invitation for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to the event as reflective of a "type of thinking" from the government that "did not value the leader of 60 per cent of India's population."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "There is an increase in discrimination and in violence in India and there is a full-scale assault on the democratic institutions of our country, that everybody knows," said Gandhi. Asked about the reaction of the European parliamentarians to some of these issues, he replied: "They were very concerned and they felt that there is an attempt to stifle the democratic structures of India, for sure. I mean, they were very, very clear with us." The BJP has previously dubbed Gandhi as the "present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity" who went overseas seeking help from foreign forces to become a 'nawab' in India. The ruling party had also said that Gandhi had insulted and defamed India with his comments about India overseas, saying, "People have not given this right to him." Gandhi said he had "fruitful" conversations with parliamentarians and members of the diaspora at the start of his European tour, which is part of a wider initiative to travel around the world with the Opposition's vision and have an open exchange of ideas. Rahul Gandhi said that the minorities, Dalits, and tribals are under attack in India. On the issues that arose during his discussions with members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Gandhi said the violence in Manipur was among the topics raised from the perspective of democratic rights, harmony and peace between people and pointed out that when countries are "dealing with India these days, there are other considerations which are also important." "The G20 is an important conversation and it's a good thing that India is hosting it. Of course, there are issues in India that we raise (internally)," he said. "India is a large country and by nature of being a large country, it will have relationships with many other countries. So that's a normal thing," Gandhi said. "India has every right to have a relationship with whoever it wants-- the Opposition, by and large, would agree with India's current position on the [Russia-Ukraine] conflict. We have a relationship with Russia and I don't think the Opposition would have a different view than what the government is currently proposing," he said. In response to a question on Kashmir, the Congress leader stressed that the region was an "integral part of India" and therefore nobody's business to interfere. "The general discussion we're having here, that democratic institutions, democratic structures need to be protected in India and the voice of the people needs to be defended and protected, that goes for every single part of India, including Kashmir," he said. On the climate crisis, the Opposition leader said his nearly 4,000-km-long Bharat Jodo Yatra had brought him up close with people who have a deep understanding of these complex issues and their voices must be included. "That's where we have a fundamental difference with the BJP. We value the voice of the people, we value the voice of poor people, we value the voice of all stakeholders and we want to hold a conversation with stakeholders before we make decisions and that's really the conflict that is taking place in India," he said. On India-China relations, Gandhi reiterated his position on the "coercive" approach of the Chinese including with their Belt and Road Initiative. "What the Chinese have basically shown is that it is possible to produce effectively in a coercive environment, where you offer prosperity without political freedom. And the challenge for us is, can we provide an alternative vision where we do production under democratic conditions, with political and economic freedom," he said. From Brussels, Gandhi heads over to Paris and will then proceed to the Netherlands and Norway over the weekend. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Express News Service

NEW DELHI: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Kristalina Georgieva, on her arrival in India for the G20 Summit, won many a heart.

On arriving in India to attend the G20 summit, she was greeted by a cultural dance performance at the Delhi airport.

Seeing the colourfully dressed folk dancers dancing to the tunes of Odishas famous Sambalpuri song, she could not resist and grooved to the tunes of the upbeat folk song.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was the first to flag it on X.

Attaching the video of her dance moves, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan posted, "Difficult to resist Sambalpuri beats."

"MD International Monetary Fund K Georgieva arrives in India for G20 summit to a Sambalpuri song and dance welcome."

He added the hashtag Odia Pride.

Difficult to resist #Sambalpuri beats .



MD International Monetary Fund Ms. @KGeorgieva arrives in India for #G20 summit to a #Sambalpuri song and dance welcome . #OdiaPride pic.twitter.com/4tx0nmhUfK  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) September 8, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in X, formerly Twitter, mentioned it too. I also appreciate the affection you have shown for our culture when you arrived in Delhi.

In the video, which has since gone viral, an elated Georgieva applauds the dancers. She is first seen swaying to the tunes of the folk song, then, as she couldnt resist, tries to match a few dance steps with the dancers.

But before she finally leaves, she again tries to shake a leg with the dancers. She then went with a traditional namaste to the dancers.

The G20 Summit will begin in New Delhi on Saturday and occur at the inaugurated Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan.

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NEW DELHI: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Kristalina Georgieva, on her arrival in India for the G20 Summit, won many a heart. On arriving in India to attend the G20 summit, she was greeted by a cultural dance performance at the Delhi airport. Seeing the colourfully dressed folk dancers dancing to the tunes of Odishas famous Sambalpuri song, she could not resist and grooved to the tunes of the upbeat folk song. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was the first to flag it on X. Attaching the video of her dance moves, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan posted, "Difficult to resist Sambalpuri beats." "MD International Monetary Fund K Georgieva arrives in India for G20 summit to a Sambalpuri song and dance welcome." He added the hashtag Odia Pride. Difficult to resist #Sambalpuri beats . MD International Monetary Fund Ms. @KGeorgieva arrives in India for #G20 summit to a #Sambalpuri song and dance welcome . #OdiaPride pic.twitter.com/4tx0nmhUfK  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) September 8, 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi in X, formerly Twitter, mentioned it too. I also appreciate the affection you have shown for our culture when you arrived in Delhi. In the video, which has since gone viral, an elated Georgieva applauds the dancers. She is first seen swaying to the tunes of the folk song, then, as she couldnt resist, tries to match a few dance steps with the dancers. But before she finally leaves, she again tries to shake a leg with the dancers. She then went with a traditional namaste to the dancers. The G20 Summit will begin in New Delhi on Saturday and occur at the inaugurated Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is almost ready and will be recommended to the heads of government of nations attending the G20 Summit, said Indias G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on Friday.

"The New Delhi leaders' declaration is almost ready. I would not like to dwell on it. This declaration will be recommended to the leaders and only after they accept it will we be able to talk about its achievements," Kant said a day ahead of the G20 Summit.

The declaration will have the voice of the Global South and developing countries.

"No other document in the world would have such a strong voice for the Global South and developing countries," Kant said, adding that the challenges the world faced post the last G20 were massive.

When India took over the G20 Presidency in Bali last year, it was in the midst of a scenario of slowing growth and productivity worldwide. The pandemic followed by the conflict in Ukraine had a telling effect on most economies of the world  with issues like food security.

PM Modi thereby focused on Indias Presidency being inclusive, decisive, ambitious and action-oriented, he said.

"The G20 Summit is just a day away and the anticipation in India is electric. The stage is set and the spotlight is on New Delhi where G20 leaders will unite to define our shared future," said Kant.

ALSO READ | India seeking greater voice for developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks

Most leaders have already arrived in Delhi. While there will be a lot of deliberations on various issues, the focal point where differences are likely to emerge is the conflict in Ukraine.

In a briefing held on Friday, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, criticised Russia and blamed it for the conflict in Ukraine, thereby indicating that there would be a lot of debate on Ukraine during the Summit.

There are three global challenges taking centre stage -- the first is the war in Ukraine, the second is fighting climate change and the third is fair financing, he said, adding that multileralism and solidarity is the only way forward.

"The Kremlin is weaponizing food, hurting the most vulnerable. Russia must allow ships with much needed grain to navigate in the Black Sea. The EU is providing alternative export routes through our solidarity lanes," Michel said, adding that by transforming the Black Sea into a battlefield, Russia is again shooting a food missile against developing countries, which he labelled as 'scandalous'.

Two days back, an EU official had stated that Ukraine will dominate discussions during the G20 Summit.

With the leaders divided on Russia and in the absence of President Putin, it will be challenging to arrive at a consensus on the conflict in Ukraine  which is key to coming out with a joint declaration.

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NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is almost ready and will be recommended to the heads of government of nations attending the G20 Summit, said Indias G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on Friday. "The New Delhi leaders' declaration is almost ready. I would not like to dwell on it. This declaration will be recommended to the leaders and only after they accept it will we be able to talk about its achievements," Kant said a day ahead of the G20 Summit. The declaration will have the voice of the Global South and developing countries.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "No other document in the world would have such a strong voice for the Global South and developing countries," Kant said, adding that the challenges the world faced post the last G20 were massive. When India took over the G20 Presidency in Bali last year, it was in the midst of a scenario of slowing growth and productivity worldwide. The pandemic followed by the conflict in Ukraine had a telling effect on most economies of the world  with issues like food security. PM Modi thereby focused on Indias Presidency being inclusive, decisive, ambitious and action-oriented, he said. "The G20 Summit is just a day away and the anticipation in India is electric. The stage is set and the spotlight is on New Delhi where G20 leaders will unite to define our shared future," said Kant. ALSO READ | India seeking greater voice for developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks Most leaders have already arrived in Delhi. While there will be a lot of deliberations on various issues, the focal point where differences are likely to emerge is the conflict in Ukraine. In a briefing held on Friday, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, criticised Russia and blamed it for the conflict in Ukraine, thereby indicating that there would be a lot of debate on Ukraine during the Summit. There are three global challenges taking centre stage -- the first is the war in Ukraine, the second is fighting climate change and the third is fair financing, he said, adding that multileralism and solidarity is the only way forward. "The Kremlin is weaponizing food, hurting the most vulnerable. Russia must allow ships with much needed grain to navigate in the Black Sea. The EU is providing alternative export routes through our solidarity lanes," Michel said, adding that by transforming the Black Sea into a battlefield, Russia is again shooting a food missile against developing countries, which he labelled as 'scandalous'. Two days back, an EU official had stated that Ukraine will dominate discussions during the G20 Summit. With the leaders divided on Russia and in the absence of President Putin, it will be challenging to arrive at a consensus on the conflict in Ukraine  which is key to coming out with a joint declaration. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Namaskar! Apka Bharat ki pavitra bhumi par swagat hai (You are welcome on the sacred land of Bharat). Thats how 17 Modi ministers will greet foreign VVIPs and dignitaries arriving for the G20 Summit. The dignitaries will witness traditional Indian salutations upon arrival as well as a heart-touching see-off.

A senior official associated with a minister assigned to welcome the guests, said, Bharat is known for its mesmerising cultural diversity hospitality. The ministers have also reportedly been asked to show maximum level of courtesy and humility while receiving G20 foreign delegates.

At the etiquette level, the ministers receiving the dignitaries have been briefed about what to say and how to carry themselves while receiving or seeing off the guests. The ministers would greet the delegates either with the countrys traditional shawls or bunches of fresh flowers. One thing is clear: Bharat will mean the country, remarked a source.

The dresses of these ministers would reflect the countrys culture. In a few exceptions, some ministers would be in Western attire  trousers with a matching shirt and tie. While greeting, the Indian side will also keep in mind the cultural aspects of the other side.

The dishes should prominently include a range of delicacies cooked with millets at government dinners to be served in silver and gold-plated tableware. Around 1,550 silver-gold plated tableware and salvers for serving dishes have been arranged from various states, said a source.

Soon after a delegate steps out of the flight staircase, the ministers, along with other officials, will welcome him/her either in Hindi or English or probably in the native language of the delegate, said a source.

Most of the ministers greeting the guests are Ministers of State (MoS). Former Army chief and MoS VK Singh, along with MEA officials, have been assigned the responsibility of welcoming US President Joe Biden at Palam airport.

He will also receive Chinese Premier Li Qiang. British PM Rishi Sunak, who has his roots in India, will be received and welcomed by MoS Ashwini Kumar Choubey. He would also receive Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.

Sources indicated that Railway MoS Darshana Jardosh will receive Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina while MoS Shobha Karandlaje will receive Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.

MoS Nityanand Rai will welcome UAEs HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar will receive Australian PM Anthony Albanese.

MoS Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma will greet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and MoS Anupriya Patel will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron.

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NEW DELHI: Namaskar! Apka Bharat ki pavitra bhumi par swagat hai (You are welcome on the sacred land of Bharat). Thats how 17 Modi ministers will greet foreign VVIPs and dignitaries arriving for the G20 Summit. The dignitaries will witness traditional Indian salutations upon arrival as well as a heart-touching see-off. A senior official associated with a minister assigned to welcome the guests, said, Bharat is known for its mesmerising cultural diversity hospitality. The ministers have also reportedly been asked to show maximum level of courtesy and humility while receiving G20 foreign delegates. At the etiquette level, the ministers receiving the dignitaries have been briefed about what to say and how to carry themselves while receiving or seeing off the guests. The ministers would greet the delegates either with the countrys traditional shawls or bunches of fresh flowers. One thing is clear: Bharat will mean the country, remarked a source.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The dresses of these ministers would reflect the countrys culture. In a few exceptions, some ministers would be in Western attire  trousers with a matching shirt and tie. While greeting, the Indian side will also keep in mind the cultural aspects of the other side. The dishes should prominently include a range of delicacies cooked with millets at government dinners to be served in silver and gold-plated tableware. Around 1,550 silver-gold plated tableware and salvers for serving dishes have been arranged from various states, said a source. Soon after a delegate steps out of the flight staircase, the ministers, along with other officials, will welcome him/her either in Hindi or English or probably in the native language of the delegate, said a source. Most of the ministers greeting the guests are Ministers of State (MoS). Former Army chief and MoS VK Singh, along with MEA officials, have been assigned the responsibility of welcoming US President Joe Biden at Palam airport. He will also receive Chinese Premier Li Qiang. British PM Rishi Sunak, who has his roots in India, will be received and welcomed by MoS Ashwini Kumar Choubey. He would also receive Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. Sources indicated that Railway MoS Darshana Jardosh will receive Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina while MoS Shobha Karandlaje will receive Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. MoS Nityanand Rai will welcome UAEs HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar will receive Australian PM Anthony Albanese. MoS Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma will greet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and MoS Anupriya Patel will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the Modi government over reports of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G20 Summit dinner, saying that the government does not value the leader of 60% of India's population.

Rahul made this comment while addressing the media at a press conference at the Brussels Press Club.

The Congress leader is on a six-day European tour where he will meet several European parliamentarians and lawmakers besides having interaction with university students and Indian diasporas.

Responding to a question on reports of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G20 Summit dinner by the President of India, Gandhi said.

What is contrary about it? They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition. It tells you something. It tells you that they don't value the Leader of 60% of India's population. It's something that people should think about - why they are feeling the need to do that and what type of thinking goes behind that.

This comes amid the row over a G-20 dinner invitation from the President to foreign delegates in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of 'President of India'.

On Thursday, the Congress MP held deliberations with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels.

In our meeting, we discussed with the Parliamentarians across the board the relationship between India and Europe, the changing globe, the transition into a new energy paradigm, new mobility paradigm among others. The discussion was fruitful. We have also given them a sense of the type of challenges India is facing, such as economic challenges, the general trend of attack on the democratic institutions, etc., said Gandhi.

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NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the Modi government over reports of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G20 Summit dinner, saying that the government does not value the leader of 60% of India's population. Rahul made this comment while addressing the media at a press conference at the Brussels Press Club. The Congress leader is on a six-day European tour where he will meet several European parliamentarians and lawmakers besides having interaction with university students and Indian diasporas.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); #G20SummitDelhi | #BharatMandapam is all set to host world leaders. @YeshiSeli pic.twitter.com/Wtyv1D9v42  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) September 8, 2023 Responding to a question on reports of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge not being invited to the G20 Summit dinner by the President of India, Gandhi said. What is contrary about it? They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition. It tells you something. It tells you that they don't value the Leader of 60% of India's population. It's something that people should think about - why they are feeling the need to do that and what type of thinking goes behind that. This comes amid the row over a G-20 dinner invitation from the President to foreign delegates in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of 'President of India'. On Thursday, the Congress MP held deliberations with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels. In our meeting, we discussed with the Parliamentarians across the board the relationship between India and Europe, the changing globe, the transition into a new energy paradigm, new mobility paradigm among others. The discussion was fruitful. We have also given them a sense of the type of challenges India is facing, such as economic challenges, the general trend of attack on the democratic institutions, etc., said Gandhi. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Even if the high-income G20 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and Germany, were to reduce their domestic emissions to zero by 2030, they would still fall significantly short of their fair-share benchmarks for emissions reduction, according to a new paper published by Oxfam International.

The paper by the global non-governmental organisation evaluates the fairness and ambition of national greenhouse gas reduction targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), of the G20 countries, using three distinct approaches.

These approaches were employed to gauge the strength of the conclusions drawn.

If all approaches arrived at similar results, it would suggest that the conclusions were robust.

The findings reveal that the G20, collectively as well as the most high-income countries of the bloc individually, are failing to meet the necessary levels of ambition required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Namaskar! Apka Bharat ki pavitra bhumi par swagat hai: Here's how India, that is #Bharat, will welcome the foreign VVIPs and dignitaries arriving for the #G20Summit. @hajipurrajesh https://t.co/2b0gpFsOvi  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) September 8, 2023

The gap between the collective NDCs of G20 and the fairness or ambition benchmarks outlined by the three approaches ranges from 2.8 to 3.9 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per capita by 2030.

This translates to an alarming excess of emissions in 2030, with the G20 countries alone accounting for a surplus of 14.1 to 20.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.

It underscores the urgent need for the G20 countries to significantly intensify their climate mitigation efforts, the paper read.

Delving further into the disparities among the G20 countries, the paper notes that the high-income nations of the grouping bear the primary responsibility for historic emissions and possess the technological and financial resources to address the climate crisis.

But they are falling far short of their fair-share benchmarks, with emissions levels still exceeding what would be equitable by a large margin.

For example, the United States and Australia, both high-income countries, would need to enhance their 2030 NDC emission reduction targets by 240 per cent and 170 per cent respectively to align with the fair-share benchmarks.

Similarly, Germany and the United Kingdom would need to increase their targets by 160 per cent and 124 per cent respectively.

The paper underscores that even if the high-income countries reduce their domestic emissions to zero by 2030, they will still not meet their fair-share benchmarks.

These nations would need to provide substantial climate finance, technology transfers and support to other countries to bridge the emissions gap.

The middle-income G20 countries, while having lower historic responsibilities and fewer financial resources, are also found to fall short in achieving their fair share of global emissions targets, the paper says.

This highlights the need for these countries to adopt more ambitious emissions reduction targets, consistent with the fairness benchmarks.

These findings are crucial as the Global Stocktake, set to be finalised by the end of 2023 at COP28, aims to guide countries in enhancing the ambition of their climate action.

The persistent failure of the G20 countries to meet their ambitious and fair emissions reduction targets exacerbates the climate crisis, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and marginalised groups, Oxfam said, adding that the consequences of climate inaction are not only devastating but deeply unjust.

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NEW DELHI: Even if the high-income G20 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and Germany, were to reduce their domestic emissions to zero by 2030, they would still fall significantly short of their fair-share benchmarks for emissions reduction, according to a new paper published by Oxfam International. The paper by the global non-governmental organisation evaluates the fairness and ambition of national greenhouse gas reduction targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), of the G20 countries, using three distinct approaches. These approaches were employed to gauge the strength of the conclusions drawn.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); If all approaches arrived at similar results, it would suggest that the conclusions were robust. The findings reveal that the G20, collectively as well as the most high-income countries of the bloc individually, are failing to meet the necessary levels of ambition required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Namaskar! Apka Bharat ki pavitra bhumi par swagat hai: Here's how India, that is #Bharat, will welcome the foreign VVIPs and dignitaries arriving for the #G20Summit. @hajipurrajesh https://t.co/2b0gpFsOvi  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) September 8, 2023 The gap between the collective NDCs of G20 and the fairness or ambition benchmarks outlined by the three approaches ranges from 2.8 to 3.9 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per capita by 2030. This translates to an alarming excess of emissions in 2030, with the G20 countries alone accounting for a surplus of 14.1 to 20.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent. It underscores the urgent need for the G20 countries to significantly intensify their climate mitigation efforts, the paper read. Delving further into the disparities among the G20 countries, the paper notes that the high-income nations of the grouping bear the primary responsibility for historic emissions and possess the technological and financial resources to address the climate crisis. But they are falling far short of their fair-share benchmarks, with emissions levels still exceeding what would be equitable by a large margin. For example, the United States and Australia, both high-income countries, would need to enhance their 2030 NDC emission reduction targets by 240 per cent and 170 per cent respectively to align with the fair-share benchmarks. Similarly, Germany and the United Kingdom would need to increase their targets by 160 per cent and 124 per cent respectively. The paper underscores that even if the high-income countries reduce their domestic emissions to zero by 2030, they will still not meet their fair-share benchmarks. These nations would need to provide substantial climate finance, technology transfers and support to other countries to bridge the emissions gap. The middle-income G20 countries, while having lower historic responsibilities and fewer financial resources, are also found to fall short in achieving their fair share of global emissions targets, the paper says. This highlights the need for these countries to adopt more ambitious emissions reduction targets, consistent with the fairness benchmarks. These findings are crucial as the Global Stocktake, set to be finalised by the end of 2023 at COP28, aims to guide countries in enhancing the ambition of their climate action. The persistent failure of the G20 countries to meet their ambitious and fair emissions reduction targets exacerbates the climate crisis, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and marginalised groups, Oxfam said, adding that the consequences of climate inaction are not only devastating but deeply unjust. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

NEW DELHI: IIT Mandi director Laxmidhar Behera has stirred controversy after he asked students to take a pledge not to eat meat while claiming that landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh are happening because of cruelty to animals.

"Himachal Pradesh will have a significant downfall...if we do not stop butchering animals. You are butchering animals there...the innocent animals. It has a symbiotic relationship with the degradation of the environment as well... which you cannot see right now but is there," he claimed.

"It is having landslides, cloudbursts and many other things again and again, these are all effects of cruelty on animals...people eat meat," Behra said while addressing the students, a video of which is doing the rounds on social media.

"To become good human beings, what do you have to do? No to meat eating," he further said and then went on to ask the students to vow not to eat meat.

IIT Mandi director, Laxmidhar Behera, claims that Himachal Pradesh landslides and cloudbrusts are happening because people eat meat. Then he forced students to take an oath "I will not eat meat". pic.twitter.com/nSuJ4Hyy07  Crimes Against Unprivileged (@DeprivedVoices) September 7, 2023

There was no response from Behera on the controversy.

His comments attracted criticism from netizens.

"The collapse is complete. These superstitious fools will destroy whatever little was built in 70 years," Sandeep Manudhane, an entrepreneur and IIT Delhi alumni, said on X.

IIT Mandi's Director Laxmidhar Behera claimed earlier that he drove out ghosts using chants.



Now the same chap has claimed that Himachal Pradesh landslides are because people eat meat, causing cloudbursts. Then he forced students to take an oath "I will not eat meat". (yes, he  Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) September 7, 2023

Gautam Menon, a professor of biophysics, said, "In the current dispensation, having views like those of the director of IIT Mandi featured here is a feature, not a bug. It's simply sad."

In the current dispensation, having views like those of the Director of IIT Mandi featured here is a feature, not a bug. It's simply sad. https://t.co/4auwFGeyU6  Gautam Menon (@MenonBioPhysics) September 7, 2023

This is not the first time Behera has stirred a row with his controversial comments.

Last year, he hit the headlines for claiming that he was involved in an act of exorcism to rid his friend's apartment and family of "evil spirits" by chanting "holy mantras."

'IIT-Mandi director not fit to hold position'

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said IIT-Mandi Director Laxmidhar Behera is not fit to hold the position after he purportedly claimed that cloudbursts and landslides in Himachal Pradesh are happening because people eat meat.

Sharing a news report on the statement made by Behera, Ramesh said on X that the longer he stays in office "more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper."

"The PM spoke of plastic surgery being known to our ancestors. He also told children climate has not changed, while we have. A senior Minister confused Newton and Einstein while another justified excluding Darwin from textbooks. Now, this simply flabbergasting statement from the Director of a prestigious institution!!! He actually has shown he is not fit to hold the position. The longer he stays, more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper," Ramesh posted.

Science and spirituality is one thing, but science and crackpot theories that are put out by people in positions of power is quite another, he said.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)

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NEW DELHI: IIT Mandi director Laxmidhar Behera has stirred controversy after he asked students to take a pledge not to eat meat while claiming that landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh are happening because of cruelty to animals. "Himachal Pradesh will have a significant downfall...if we do not stop butchering animals. You are butchering animals there...the innocent animals. It has a symbiotic relationship with the degradation of the environment as well... which you cannot see right now but is there," he claimed. "It is having landslides, cloudbursts and many other things again and again, these are all effects of cruelty on animals...people eat meat," Behra said while addressing the students, a video of which is doing the rounds on social media.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "To become good human beings, what do you have to do? No to meat eating," he further said and then went on to ask the students to vow not to eat meat. IIT Mandi director, Laxmidhar Behera, claims that Himachal Pradesh landslides and cloudbrusts are happening because people eat meat. Then he forced students to take an oath "I will not eat meat". pic.twitter.com/nSuJ4Hyy07  Crimes Against Unprivileged (@DeprivedVoices) September 7, 2023 There was no response from Behera on the controversy. His comments attracted criticism from netizens. "The collapse is complete. These superstitious fools will destroy whatever little was built in 70 years," Sandeep Manudhane, an entrepreneur and IIT Delhi alumni, said on X. IIT Mandi's Director Laxmidhar Behera claimed earlier that he drove out ghosts using chants. Now the same chap has claimed that Himachal Pradesh landslides are because people eat meat, causing cloudbursts. Then he forced students to take an oath "I will not eat meat". (yes, he  Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) September 7, 2023 Gautam Menon, a professor of biophysics, said, "In the current dispensation, having views like those of the director of IIT Mandi featured here is a feature, not a bug. It's simply sad." In the current dispensation, having views like those of the Director of IIT Mandi featured here is a feature, not a bug. It's simply sad. https://t.co/4auwFGeyU6  Gautam Menon (@MenonBioPhysics) September 7, 2023 This is not the first time Behera has stirred a row with his controversial comments. Last year, he hit the headlines for claiming that he was involved in an act of exorcism to rid his friend's apartment and family of "evil spirits" by chanting "holy mantras." 'IIT-Mandi director not fit to hold position' Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said IIT-Mandi Director Laxmidhar Behera is not fit to hold the position after he purportedly claimed that cloudbursts and landslides in Himachal Pradesh are happening because people eat meat. Sharing a news report on the statement made by Behera, Ramesh said on X that the longer he stays in office "more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper." "The PM spoke of plastic surgery being known to our ancestors. He also told children climate has not changed, while we have. A senior Minister confused Newton and Einstein while another justified excluding Darwin from textbooks. Now, this simply flabbergasting statement from the Director of a prestigious institution!!! He actually has shown he is not fit to hold the position. The longer he stays, more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper," Ramesh posted. Science and spirituality is one thing, but science and crackpot theories that are put out by people in positions of power is quite another, he said. (With inputs from PTI and IANS) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Narendra Singh Tomar By

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the G20 under Indias presidency is making the entire nation proud. Everyone has a feeling of pride. Entering the Amrit Kaal era, India has embarked on a transformational journey towards development, especially in the agriculture sector. It has always been at the forefront of human progress, providing sustenance, livelihoods, and economic stability. With the advent of digitalisation and emerging technologies, the agriculture sector is witnessing a new wave of transformation. This digital revolution has the potential to take agriculture to the next level while helping governments and stakeholders tackle pressing challenges related to food security, the environment, and socio-economic development.

At the heart of this transformation lies the Open Public Digital Infrastructure concept, a critical enabler for effective, synergetic, and scalable digital solutions in agriculture. Embracing open standards and interoperability, Digital Public Goods hold the potential to drive inclusive growth, foster cooperation, and facilitate international trade by reducing costs and expediting adoption. One such example of digital public goods can be found in the innovative initiatives developed by the Government of India, including the India Stack and the Aadhar ecosystem, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the National Health Stack.

Applying similar digital public infrastructure in agriculture promises to revolutionise farming practices and enhance farm productivity through sustainable methods. Services like Real-time Advisory, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Sensing will strengthen digital infrastructure and reduce the digital divide in agriculture. Easy access to financing and other resources levels the playing field, especially for small and marginal farmers. It enables them to compete effectively, expand their operations, and invest in cutting-edge agricultural technologies.

The G20 member nations also committed to collaborating with all stakeholders and strengthening capacity-building efforts, including disseminating digital tools and technology and promoting its adoption by farmers, especially by marginal, smallholders, family farmers, women, youth, indigenous people as applicable, ageing farmers and other underrepresented groups. The cross-border and global exchange of experiences will provide insights into the use of digital technologies in agriculture and improve food systems.

The involvement of both the public and private sectors, through science, technology, and innovation (STI) initiatives, can invigorate the technological and digitally enabled agri-food system. Agri-tech start-ups have a significant role to play by providing innovative and affordable solutions that address challenges across the agricultural value chain using open digital networks. Through a multi-dimensional, multi-stakeholder, and collaborative approach, we can unlock digitalisations transformative potential in agriculture, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for farmers and the broader agricultural ecosystem.

India is focusing on transforming agriculture through the digital revolution and reiterating its commitment to address food security and nutrition on the global stage. Under the able guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the brainstorming held in the G20 meetings chaired by India is being discussed all over the country and the world. An important grouping of the G20 deals with agriculture, which has held meetings in different cities of India over the past months, emphasising promoting food security and climate resilience through sustainable agriculture. This has been a major topic during the meetings, which concerns the whole world.

The G20 Agriculture Working Group (AWG) meetings held during this mega event were historic. The achievements of the Agriculture Working Group represent the collective efforts of over 200 delegates who have travelled over the past months from Indias cleanest city, Indore, to the well-planned urban landscape of Chandigarh, to the holy city of Varanasi, and finally reached the mesmerising city of pearls, Hyderabad.

The G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting held on 16-17 June 2023 in Hyderabad, India, offers a major milestone in the global food security and nutrition discourse. This gathering reaffirmed international commitments to establishing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural systems.

The context: An unprecedented call for action

The meetings outcome document covered the global communitys concerns about food and fertiliser price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions. Resilient and reliable supply chains were emphasised as essential for global food security, particularly for marginalised groups like women and girls during humanitarian crises.

Diversifying food resources

One of the meetings standout sections focuses on the importance of nutritious, diverse, sustainably produced food. Encouraging initiatives to innovate in crop development, the ministers highlighted the need for climate-resilient, locally adapted, and underutilised grains. The document emphasises the role of research and development in enhancing agricultural productivity.

Nutrition and biofortification

The ministers endorsed an evidence-based approach to nutrition, stressing that nutrient adequacy must primarily come from a diverse food base. They also acknowledged the potential of biofortification in improving the nutritional content of crops.

A focus on Sustainable Development Goals

The ministers recognised the interconnectedness of sustainable agriculture, food production, international trade, and the achievement of the SDGsespecially the zero-hunger goal (SDG2). According to recent projections, almost 600 million people will still be chronically undernourished by 2030, underscoring the immense challenge of eradicating hunger. They highlighted the importance of enhancing capacity in developing countries for sustainable food production, storage, marketing, and loss reduction.

Transparency and data-driven decision-making

The Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) and the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) were acknowledged as crucial initiatives for enhancing agricultural market transparency. Given that food insecurity is not just a matter of availability but also of access.

Implications, future actions

Under Indias leadership in this G20 meeting, these discussions provide a scaffold upon which international initiatives can be built or expanded, offering a timely response to the increasing acute food insecurity and persistently high levels of hunger reported globally.

The roadmap has been laid. The challenge now is implementation. As nations share best practices and build on these principles, the promise of a world with robust food security and better nutrition comes closer to realisation. This meeting serves as a significant catalyst, potentially changing the course of food security and nutrition for generations to come.

Narendra Singh Tomar

Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

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Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the G20 under Indias presidency is making the entire nation proud. Everyone has a feeling of pride. Entering the Amrit Kaal era, India has embarked on a transformational journey towards development, especially in the agriculture sector. It has always been at the forefront of human progress, providing sustenance, livelihoods, and economic stability. With the advent of digitalisation and emerging technologies, the agriculture sector is witnessing a new wave of transformation. This digital revolution has the potential to take agriculture to the next level while helping governments and stakeholders tackle pressing challenges related to food security, the environment, and socio-economic development. At the heart of this transformation lies the Open Public Digital Infrastructure concept, a critical enabler for effective, synergetic, and scalable digital solutions in agriculture. Embracing open standards and interoperability, Digital Public Goods hold the potential to drive inclusive growth, foster cooperation, and facilitate international trade by reducing costs and expediting adoption. One such example of digital public goods can be found in the innovative initiatives developed by the Government of India, including the India Stack and the Aadhar ecosystem, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the National Health Stack. Applying similar digital public infrastructure in agriculture promises to revolutionise farming practices and enhance farm productivity through sustainable methods. Services like Real-time Advisory, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Sensing will strengthen digital infrastructure and reduce the digital divide in agriculture. Easy access to financing and other resources levels the playing field, especially for small and marginal farmers. It enables them to compete effectively, expand their operations, and invest in cutting-edge agricultural technologies.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The G20 member nations also committed to collaborating with all stakeholders and strengthening capacity-building efforts, including disseminating digital tools and technology and promoting its adoption by farmers, especially by marginal, smallholders, family farmers, women, youth, indigenous people as applicable, ageing farmers and other underrepresented groups. The cross-border and global exchange of experiences will provide insights into the use of digital technologies in agriculture and improve food systems. The involvement of both the public and private sectors, through science, technology, and innovation (STI) initiatives, can invigorate the technological and digitally enabled agri-food system. Agri-tech start-ups have a significant role to play by providing innovative and affordable solutions that address challenges across the agricultural value chain using open digital networks. Through a multi-dimensional, multi-stakeholder, and collaborative approach, we can unlock digitalisations transformative potential in agriculture, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for farmers and the broader agricultural ecosystem. India is focusing on transforming agriculture through the digital revolution and reiterating its commitment to address food security and nutrition on the global stage. Under the able guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the brainstorming held in the G20 meetings chaired by India is being discussed all over the country and the world. An important grouping of the G20 deals with agriculture, which has held meetings in different cities of India over the past months, emphasising promoting food security and climate resilience through sustainable agriculture. This has been a major topic during the meetings, which concerns the whole world. The G20 Agriculture Working Group (AWG) meetings held during this mega event were historic. The achievements of the Agriculture Working Group represent the collective efforts of over 200 delegates who have travelled over the past months from Indias cleanest city, Indore, to the well-planned urban landscape of Chandigarh, to the holy city of Varanasi, and finally reached the mesmerising city of pearls, Hyderabad. The G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting held on 16-17 June 2023 in Hyderabad, India, offers a major milestone in the global food security and nutrition discourse. This gathering reaffirmed international commitments to establishing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural systems. The context: An unprecedented call for action The meetings outcome document covered the global communitys concerns about food and fertiliser price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions. Resilient and reliable supply chains were emphasised as essential for global food security, particularly for marginalised groups like women and girls during humanitarian crises. Diversifying food resources One of the meetings standout sections focuses on the importance of nutritious, diverse, sustainably produced food. Encouraging initiatives to innovate in crop development, the ministers highlighted the need for climate-resilient, locally adapted, and underutilised grains. The document emphasises the role of research and development in enhancing agricultural productivity. Nutrition and biofortification The ministers endorsed an evidence-based approach to nutrition, stressing that nutrient adequacy must primarily come from a diverse food base. They also acknowledged the potential of biofortification in improving the nutritional content of crops. A focus on Sustainable Development Goals The ministers recognised the interconnectedness of sustainable agriculture, food production, international trade, and the achievement of the SDGsespecially the zero-hunger goal (SDG2). According to recent projections, almost 600 million people will still be chronically undernourished by 2030, underscoring the immense challenge of eradicating hunger. They highlighted the importance of enhancing capacity in developing countries for sustainable food production, storage, marketing, and loss reduction. Transparency and data-driven decision-making The Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) and the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) were acknowledged as crucial initiatives for enhancing agricultural market transparency. Given that food insecurity is not just a matter of availability but also of access. Implications, future actions Under Indias leadership in this G20 meeting, these discussions provide a scaffold upon which international initiatives can be built or expanded, offering a timely response to the increasing acute food insecurity and persistently high levels of hunger reported globally. The roadmap has been laid. The challenge now is implementation. As nations share best practices and build on these principles, the promise of a world with robust food security and better nutrition comes closer to realisation. This meeting serves as a significant catalyst, potentially changing the course of food security and nutrition for generations to come. Narendra Singh TomarMinister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mukesh Ranjan By

Express News Service

RANCHI: Jharkhand's INDIA bloc candidate and State Excise Minister Baby Devi retained her husband late Jagarnath Mahtos Dumri Assembly seat by defeating NDA candidate Yashoda Devi of AJSU by 17,156 votes in the Dumri by-poll.

This is the first-ever victory registered by an INDIA bloc candidate in Jharkhand.

Baby Devi secured 1, 00,231 votes against that of 83,075 by Yashoda Dev.

However, the victory margin of Baby Devi is less than what her husband got in the 2019 Assembly polls. Mahto had defeated Yashoda Devi by 34,288 votes in the 2019 assembly election.

The election was held on September 5 and counting of votes was done on Friday.

Deposits of three other people in the fray --- Abdul Mobin Rizvi of AIMIM, and independent candidates, Roshan Lal Turi and Narayan Giri, were forfeited.

After winning the seat, Baby Devi said that she would fulfill the dreams of her late husband by bringing development to Dumri as she has been voted to complete the uncompleted works done by him.

Jharkhand Education Minister and senior JMM firebrand leader Jagarnath Mahto, 56, passed away during treatment at a Chennai hospital on April 6 this year. He was airlifted to MGM Chennai after his health condition suddenly deteriorated at Paras Hospital in the Jharkhand capital on March 14.

Mahto, a matriculate, came into the limelight by joining Class 11 at Nawadih Devi Mahto Inter School in Bokaro, a school set up by him in 2006 after becoming an MLA for the first time in 2005. He had decided to take admission in Inter-Arts to remove the blot of being termed as an underqualified education minister.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Mahto had also handed over Alto cars to state toppers of Class 10th and 12th examinations in Jharkhand.

The minister had also promised to adopt toppers from the next year so that they could complete their studies without any financial hurdles.

Notably, Devi is the second JMM leader to become a minister in the UPA government before being elected to the Assembly due to her bypoll win.

Earlier, Hafizul Hassan was sworn-in as minister in the UPA government on February 6, 2021, after the death of his father Haji Hussain Ansari who was a minority affairs minister in the Hemant Soren government.

Earlier, five assembly constituencies - Dumka, Bermo, Madhupur, Mandar and Ramgarh - went to by-elections.

The JMM retained the Dumka and Madhupur seats, while the Congress won the Bermo and Mandar seats.

Ramgarh assembly seat went to AJSU Party.

With victory of Baby Devi, JMM's MLA strength in assembly again rose to 30 and its coalition to 48 including 17 MLAs of Congress and one of RJD in the 81-member Jharkhand House.

The BJP has 26 members and AJSU Party three.

The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents.

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RANCHI: Jharkhand's INDIA bloc candidate and State Excise Minister Baby Devi retained her husband late Jagarnath Mahtos Dumri Assembly seat by defeating NDA candidate Yashoda Devi of AJSU by 17,156 votes in the Dumri by-poll. This is the first-ever victory registered by an INDIA bloc candidate in Jharkhand. Baby Devi secured 1, 00,231 votes against that of 83,075 by Yashoda Dev.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); However, the victory margin of Baby Devi is less than what her husband got in the 2019 Assembly polls. Mahto had defeated Yashoda Devi by 34,288 votes in the 2019 assembly election. The election was held on September 5 and counting of votes was done on Friday. Deposits of three other people in the fray --- Abdul Mobin Rizvi of AIMIM, and independent candidates, Roshan Lal Turi and Narayan Giri, were forfeited. After winning the seat, Baby Devi said that she would fulfill the dreams of her late husband by bringing development to Dumri as she has been voted to complete the uncompleted works done by him. Jharkhand Education Minister and senior JMM firebrand leader Jagarnath Mahto, 56, passed away during treatment at a Chennai hospital on April 6 this year. He was airlifted to MGM Chennai after his health condition suddenly deteriorated at Paras Hospital in the Jharkhand capital on March 14. Mahto, a matriculate, came into the limelight by joining Class 11 at Nawadih Devi Mahto Inter School in Bokaro, a school set up by him in 2006 after becoming an MLA for the first time in 2005. He had decided to take admission in Inter-Arts to remove the blot of being termed as an underqualified education minister. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Mahto had also handed over Alto cars to state toppers of Class 10th and 12th examinations in Jharkhand. The minister had also promised to adopt toppers from the next year so that they could complete their studies without any financial hurdles. Notably, Devi is the second JMM leader to become a minister in the UPA government before being elected to the Assembly due to her bypoll win. Earlier, Hafizul Hassan was sworn-in as minister in the UPA government on February 6, 2021, after the death of his father Haji Hussain Ansari who was a minority affairs minister in the Hemant Soren government. Earlier, five assembly constituencies - Dumka, Bermo, Madhupur, Mandar and Ramgarh - went to by-elections. The JMM retained the Dumka and Madhupur seats, while the Congress won the Bermo and Mandar seats. Ramgarh assembly seat went to AJSU Party. With victory of Baby Devi, JMM's MLA strength in assembly again rose to 30 and its coalition to 48 including 17 MLAs of Congress and one of RJD in the 81-member Jharkhand House. The BJP has 26 members and AJSU Party three. The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
The Say Yes Buffalo endeavor to cover college tuition costs for Buffalo high school students  now and deep into the future  has received a major boost.

State Sen. Tim M. Kennedy at a meeting with The Buffalo News Editorial Board on Thursday announced a $10 million investment into the Say Yes endowment fund. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes was his partner in the effort, and Gov. Kathy Hochul  when visiting Buffalo one year after the May 14 mass shooting  showed her support for Say Yes.

Kennedy, whose three children attend or have graduated from Buffalo schools, reminisced to a moment from 2012, when George Weiss, founder of parent organization Say Yes to Education, visited the Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts to announce the Buffalo offshoot.

When we looked out into the crowd, we saw children, students with tears pouring down their faces, Kennedy said. Elation, like you cant imagine, and you cant replicate it.

It crystalized the senators commitment to the Say Yes mission.

With the state financial injection, an anonymous donor and a host of other contributors, Say Yes is close to receiving enough financial support to continue its scholarship endeavors indefinitely.

This fund will be there when we are long gone, providing access to a good education and ultimately a good job for students in the city schools, said David Rust, executive director with Say Yes.

The state contribution puts a significant dent in the nonprofits fundraising goal of $65 million, which would sustain the scholarships for roughly 25 years if the current pace continues.

Say Yes has so far accrued $54 million, about $11 million shy of its goal with about nine months until the deadline.

Its five-year fundraising campaign in 2018 was in part sparked by a challenge grant by an anonymous donor who agreed to pay $1 for every $3 Say Yes raises. Rust said Thursday that the donor will have paid $18 million. The state also contributed $10 million to the Say Yes endowment in 2018.

A major partner with Buffalo Public Schools that also works with local charter schools, Say Yes is best known for its college scholarship program that covers last dollar tuition costs for Buffalo students. The amount awarded depends on family income, other tuition assistance, number of years attending Buffalo Public Schools and other factors. It does not cover college fees.

Say Yes data shows more than 7,000 scholarships have been awarded totaling $29 million, while Buffalos graduation rates have improved by 30%  from 49% to 79%  since Say Yes arrival.

Work surrounding scholarships has expanded, too. Guiding high school students through graduation and transitioning into college remain the root goals, but Say Yes initiatives have evolved as fewer students choose the traditional college route.

A youth apprenticeship program called CareerWise Greater Buffalo is a Say Yes pathway that weaves together businesses and higher-education institutions. A high school graduate applies for the program and, if selected, receives a paying job in a field of interest while earning related course credits from schools including SUNY Erie Community College, Villa Maria College, Hilbert College and the Northland Workforce Training Center. Should the student complete the program, the perk is automatic job placement at the business.

'They're ready to go': Say Yes Buffalo debuts Little Scholars for 3-year-olds of families in need Officials assembled for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the start of Say Yes Buffalo's Little Scholars, a preschool program for 3-year-olds that intends to break down barriers, reduce opportunity gaps and help children acclimate to a classroom.

Beyond scholarship, the organizations services have increased in breadth. Say Yes has partnered with Buffalo Schools for Little Scholars, a prekindergarten program for 3-year-olds thats expanding from two to six schools this year.

Saturday Academies attract neighborhood students and families for educational and other activities, while a four-week Say Yes Summer Success Program is viewed by Buffalo schools as a key cog in reducing opportunity gaps widened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Were instilling hope in children, in students that may have not had hope before Say Yes came to Buffalo, Kennedy said.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: Receiving a massive jolt in its north Bengal stronghold, the BJP failed to retain Dhupguri Assembly constituency in the by-election, losing to the ruling TMC. The saffron camp's debacle is significant ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the BJP had made deep inroads in Bengal's northern region in the 2019 general elections, bagging seven out of eight seats.

The TMC won the Dhupguri seat with a margin of 4,309 votes by securing support of 46.28 per cent of the electorate who exercised their franchise in the bypoll. In the high-octane 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP had snatched away Dhupguri from the TMC with a margin of 4,355 votes.

The CPM and Congress alliance bagged only 6.5 per cent vote-share in the bypoll revealing no progress in its performance.

ALSO READ | Bypoll results out: BJP and Opposition parties bag three seats each; SP poised to win in Ghosi

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated the electorate of the Assembly segment. North Bengal is totally with us. In Dhupguri, it was a seat of BJP and we won the election. I congratulate all the people of Dhupguri, she said.

BJPs national general secretary is likely to visit Kolkata on Saturday and the unscheduled visit is said to be a fall out of the saffron camps defeat in Dhupguri. He is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the states BJP functionaries to find the reason behind the debacle, said a BJP source.

North Bengal proved to be our citadel in both 2019 general elections and 202 Assembly polls. This by-election was a litmus test for our party but the defeat came as a major blow to us. The poor performance in the bypoll will definitely have an adverse impact in north Bengal in next years Lok Sabha elections where a considerable chunk of electorates are Rajbanshis, a tribal community, and Matuas, a Hindu religious sect comprising scheduled caste refugees from Bangladesh, said a senior BJP leader in Kolkata.

TMCs national general secretary and Mamatas nephew Abhishek Banerjee, during his election campaign, promised that Dhupguri would be given the status of a sub-division which apparently proved to be a trump card for the TMC resulting its victory in the by-election.

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KOLKATA: Receiving a massive jolt in its north Bengal stronghold, the BJP failed to retain Dhupguri Assembly constituency in the by-election, losing to the ruling TMC. The saffron camp's debacle is significant ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the BJP had made deep inroads in Bengal's northern region in the 2019 general elections, bagging seven out of eight seats. The TMC won the Dhupguri seat with a margin of 4,309 votes by securing support of 46.28 per cent of the electorate who exercised their franchise in the bypoll. In the high-octane 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP had snatched away Dhupguri from the TMC with a margin of 4,355 votes. The CPM and Congress alliance bagged only 6.5 per cent vote-share in the bypoll revealing no progress in its performance.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | Bypoll results out: BJP and Opposition parties bag three seats each; SP poised to win in Ghosi West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated the electorate of the Assembly segment. North Bengal is totally with us. In Dhupguri, it was a seat of BJP and we won the election. I congratulate all the people of Dhupguri, she said. BJPs national general secretary is likely to visit Kolkata on Saturday and the unscheduled visit is said to be a fall out of the saffron camps defeat in Dhupguri. He is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the states BJP functionaries to find the reason behind the debacle, said a BJP source. North Bengal proved to be our citadel in both 2019 general elections and 202 Assembly polls. This by-election was a litmus test for our party but the defeat came as a major blow to us. The poor performance in the bypoll will definitely have an adverse impact in north Bengal in next years Lok Sabha elections where a considerable chunk of electorates are Rajbanshis, a tribal community, and Matuas, a Hindu religious sect comprising scheduled caste refugees from Bangladesh, said a senior BJP leader in Kolkata. TMCs national general secretary and Mamatas nephew Abhishek Banerjee, during his election campaign, promised that Dhupguri would be given the status of a sub-division which apparently proved to be a trump card for the TMC resulting its victory in the by-election. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Congress president and the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has not been invited to the G20 dinner being hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday. This comes amid the controversy over the use of Bharat instead of India in the Presidents G20 invitations to foreign dignitaries.

Significantly, all Cabinet and state ministers, and all state Chief Ministers including opposition-ruled states have been invited to the dinner, which will be attended by several world leaders.

Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda are also on the guest list. Speaking to this paper, an opposition leader said that none of the leaders of opposition parties or floor leaders were invited to the event. The exclusion of Kharge, who also holds a cabinet minister rank, from the invitee list may further strain the ties between the Opposition parties and the Modi government, which is at loggerheads over various issues. The Opposition has accused the government of using the G-20 summit for India for political gains.

It is learnt that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister CM MK Stalin have confirmed their attendance at the dinner gala. The event will take place at the multi-function hall of the Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan. Several industrialists including Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani are also on the guest list.

More than 40 delegations are expected to take part in the G20 Leaders' Summit, to be held at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.

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NEW DELHI: Congress president and the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has not been invited to the G20 dinner being hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday. This comes amid the controversy over the use of Bharat instead of India in the Presidents G20 invitations to foreign dignitaries. Significantly, all Cabinet and state ministers, and all state Chief Ministers including opposition-ruled states have been invited to the dinner, which will be attended by several world leaders. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda are also on the guest list. Speaking to this paper, an opposition leader said that none of the leaders of opposition parties or floor leaders were invited to the event. The exclusion of Kharge, who also holds a cabinet minister rank, from the invitee list may further strain the ties between the Opposition parties and the Modi government, which is at loggerheads over various issues. The Opposition has accused the government of using the G-20 summit for India for political gains.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It is learnt that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister CM MK Stalin have confirmed their attendance at the dinner gala. The event will take place at the multi-function hall of the Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan. Several industrialists including Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani are also on the guest list. More than 40 delegations are expected to take part in the G20 Leaders' Summit, to be held at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

A 40-year-old man who was arrested by the Mumbai police for allegedly murdering an air hostess at her residence in Mumbai's Marol died by suicide in a police lock-up, the PTI reported.

The accused, Vikram Atwal, a housekeeping staffer, was arrested for killing the 23-year-old air hostess by slitting her throat inside her flat.

The air hostess, Rupal Ogrey, originally from Chhattisgarh, arrived in Mumbai in April this year for her job with Air India. She lived with her sister at the flat. However, when the incident happened, she was alone at the flat.



Vikram Atwal's body has been sent for post-mortem. Further investigations are underway.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)

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A 40-year-old man who was arrested by the Mumbai police for allegedly murdering an air hostess at her residence in Mumbai's Marol died by suicide in a police lock-up, the PTI reported. The accused, Vikram Atwal, a housekeeping staffer, was arrested for killing the 23-year-old air hostess by slitting her throat inside her flat. The air hostess, Rupal Ogrey, originally from Chhattisgarh, arrived in Mumbai in April this year for her job with Air India. She lived with her sister at the flat. However, when the incident happened, she was alone at the flat. Vikram Atwal's body has been sent for post-mortem. Further investigations are underway.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

With the country reaching record levels of electricity demand, the Centre has written to all states to take urgent steps to manage the demand and supply situation.

While summer spikes in demand have been a regular feature of the electricity market in India, this time is different because of both the intensity and aggravating circumstances.

Unlike last year, when peak demand was at 212 GW, this year, peak demand has already touched 241 GW, the Ministry of Power pointed out in a letter addressed to All Additional Chief Secretaries and power utilities on September 5, 2023.

The growth of around 23% in peak demand in August 2023 was one of the highest in the world. In the month of August, for seven days, the daily energy consumption was more than 5 billion units per day and for 16 days, the demand was more than 220 GW," the Joint Secretary quoted in the letter.

So far, what has saved the day for the government has been that the peak has come during daytime, its solar hours, when the nearly 75 GW of solar power plants is working at its full capacity.

However, given the lack of storage facilities, it's a different story during non-solar hours, particularly, evenings.

The demand has touched record levels even during non-solar hours. It touched 218.4 GW on 1.09.2023. The entire onus of meeting non-solar hours demand falls upon the coal fired generation", the letter said.

Hydro underwater

What is making the situation especially worrying this year  the aggravating circumstance  is the poor rainfall India has got so far.

This has put a question mark on the nearly 45 GW of power that India could generate from the hydro sector to compensate for the decline in solar power generation when the sun is not shining.

"The fall in monsoon has resulted in depleted reservoir levels especially in the Southern region leading to suboptimal hydro generation. The maximum hydro generation achieved this year is 40 GW. The projections for the month of September are also not encouraging," stated the letter.

The poor rainfall is being linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon. Monsoon trends in India in the past hundred years suggest that severe drought and drought-like conditions have always occurred in El Nino years.

Meanwhile, other sources of energy, such as wind, can also not be depended on to offset any shortfall in hydropower production in the coming months, the Ministry warned.

A very similar trend is observed in the case of wind generation, which is historically high from June to September. In contrast to the installed capacity of 43.9 GW, variable wind power output is now down to only 2-3 GW," noted the Joint Secretary.

Gas based generation is also low due to availability issues; a maximum generation of around 8.7 GW was observed against the total installed capacity of 25 GW.

The lack of sufficient monsoon is likely to further deplete the hydro and wind generation, the letter warned.

The Ministry is taking several steps to meet the increased demand, such as measures to ensure maximum generation capacity, monitor and coordinate with Ministries of Coal and Railways on a regular basis, and instruct GENCOS to import coal to prevent load shedding. The Ministry is also making additional arrangements for gas for running gas based stations from GAIL with tenders for advance procurement for coming months. The reservoir levels of hydro stations are also regularly monitored for optimum utilization of water.

To ensure the availability of electricity to all consumers and to meet the anticipated growth in demand, the Centre asked state governments to shift the agricultural load to solar hours, expedite all planned maintenance of the generating stations, and supply excess power to needy states.

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With the country reaching record levels of electricity demand, the Centre has written to all states to take urgent steps to manage the demand and supply situation. While summer spikes in demand have been a regular feature of the electricity market in India, this time is different because of both the intensity and aggravating circumstances. Unlike last year, when peak demand was at 212 GW, this year, peak demand has already touched 241 GW, the Ministry of Power pointed out in a letter addressed to All Additional Chief Secretaries and power utilities on September 5, 2023.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The growth of around 23% in peak demand in August 2023 was one of the highest in the world. In the month of August, for seven days, the daily energy consumption was more than 5 billion units per day and for 16 days, the demand was more than 220 GW," the Joint Secretary quoted in the letter. So far, what has saved the day for the government has been that the peak has come during daytime, its solar hours, when the nearly 75 GW of solar power plants is working at its full capacity. However, given the lack of storage facilities, it's a different story during non-solar hours, particularly, evenings. The demand has touched record levels even during non-solar hours. It touched 218.4 GW on 1.09.2023. The entire onus of meeting non-solar hours demand falls upon the coal fired generation", the letter said. Hydro underwater What is making the situation especially worrying this year  the aggravating circumstance  is the poor rainfall India has got so far. This has put a question mark on the nearly 45 GW of power that India could generate from the hydro sector to compensate for the decline in solar power generation when the sun is not shining. "The fall in monsoon has resulted in depleted reservoir levels especially in the Southern region leading to suboptimal hydro generation. The maximum hydro generation achieved this year is 40 GW. The projections for the month of September are also not encouraging," stated the letter. The poor rainfall is being linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon. Monsoon trends in India in the past hundred years suggest that severe drought and drought-like conditions have always occurred in El Nino years. Meanwhile, other sources of energy, such as wind, can also not be depended on to offset any shortfall in hydropower production in the coming months, the Ministry warned. A very similar trend is observed in the case of wind generation, which is historically high from June to September. In contrast to the installed capacity of 43.9 GW, variable wind power output is now down to only 2-3 GW," noted the Joint Secretary. Gas based generation is also low due to availability issues; a maximum generation of around 8.7 GW was observed against the total installed capacity of 25 GW. The lack of sufficient monsoon is likely to further deplete the hydro and wind generation, the letter warned. The Ministry is taking several steps to meet the increased demand, such as measures to ensure maximum generation capacity, monitor and coordinate with Ministries of Coal and Railways on a regular basis, and instruct GENCOS to import coal to prevent load shedding. The Ministry is also making additional arrangements for gas for running gas based stations from GAIL with tenders for advance procurement for coming months. The reservoir levels of hydro stations are also regularly monitored for optimum utilization of water. To ensure the availability of electricity to all consumers and to meet the anticipated growth in demand, the Centre asked state governments to shift the agricultural load to solar hours, expedite all planned maintenance of the generating stations, and supply excess power to needy states. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Narendra Sethi By

Express News Service

DEHRADUN: A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has made significant observations on the haphazard financial expenditure of successive governments in Uttarakhand during their respective tenures.

During the last 20 years, the state government spent Rs 47,758 crore in their tenure and did not even bother to regularise it from the assembly, the CAG report, tabled in the monsoon session of the assembly on Wednesday, revealed.

Commenting on the poor financial management by the state government, the report pointed out, Moreover, more money was spent than the actual estimate, while not a single rupee could be spent without the will of the legislature.

The CAG report on state finances tabled in the assembly on Wednesday also raised several questions on the governments budgetary management in the state finances for the year ended March 31, 2022.

An amount of Rs 47,758.16 crore, which was spent more during 2005-06 to 2020-21, is yet to be approved by the assembly, the report said.

The CAG considers it a violation of Articles 204 and 205 of the Constitution.

During the last six years, Rs 357.17 crore was spent on 75 projects of the Public Works Department worth Rs 509.66 crore, but none of these projects could be completed, the CAG said, adding that effective steps need to be taken for immediate completion of all these projects.

Till 2016-17, there were 57 such projects costing Rs 455.66 crore, on which Rs 327.29 crore was spent and their financial progress was also 71.83 per cent, while by 2017-2022, 18 projects were also completed only on the ground from 43 per cent to 53 per cent, the report said.

During the three years till March 2021, departmental officers of rural and urban local bodies did not hand over 321 Utilisation Certificates (UC) worth Rs 1,390 crore to the Accountant General (Accounts and Entitlements), the CAG said, pointing out that all these certificates should have been submitted by March 2022.

Of these, the highest number of 274 UCs are from the year 2021-22, with an amount of Rs 984.40 crore, the report said.

There are 39 UCs worth `384.86 crore in 2020-21 and eight UCs worth Rs 20.82 crore in 2019-20 pending, the CAG said, adding that it was fraught with the risk of misuse of funds and fraud.

Speaking to this newspaper, state finance minister Premchand Agarwal said, After taking cognizance of the CAG report, the points mentioned in it will be worked out in detail and work will be done towards its solution.

According to the CAG report, Uttarakhand spent less funds in the health sector compared to the north-eastern Himalayan states. The report advocates more spending on social services, education and health to raise the level of human development.

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DEHRADUN: A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has made significant observations on the haphazard financial expenditure of successive governments in Uttarakhand during their respective tenures. During the last 20 years, the state government spent Rs 47,758 crore in their tenure and did not even bother to regularise it from the assembly, the CAG report, tabled in the monsoon session of the assembly on Wednesday, revealed. Commenting on the poor financial management by the state government, the report pointed out, Moreover, more money was spent than the actual estimate, while not a single rupee could be spent without the will of the legislature.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The CAG report on state finances tabled in the assembly on Wednesday also raised several questions on the governments budgetary management in the state finances for the year ended March 31, 2022. An amount of Rs 47,758.16 crore, which was spent more during 2005-06 to 2020-21, is yet to be approved by the assembly, the report said. The CAG considers it a violation of Articles 204 and 205 of the Constitution. During the last six years, Rs 357.17 crore was spent on 75 projects of the Public Works Department worth Rs 509.66 crore, but none of these projects could be completed, the CAG said, adding that effective steps need to be taken for immediate completion of all these projects. Till 2016-17, there were 57 such projects costing Rs 455.66 crore, on which Rs 327.29 crore was spent and their financial progress was also 71.83 per cent, while by 2017-2022, 18 projects were also completed only on the ground from 43 per cent to 53 per cent, the report said. During the three years till March 2021, departmental officers of rural and urban local bodies did not hand over 321 Utilisation Certificates (UC) worth Rs 1,390 crore to the Accountant General (Accounts and Entitlements), the CAG said, pointing out that all these certificates should have been submitted by March 2022. Of these, the highest number of 274 UCs are from the year 2021-22, with an amount of Rs 984.40 crore, the report said. There are 39 UCs worth `384.86 crore in 2020-21 and eight UCs worth Rs 20.82 crore in 2019-20 pending, the CAG said, adding that it was fraught with the risk of misuse of funds and fraud. Speaking to this newspaper, state finance minister Premchand Agarwal said, After taking cognizance of the CAG report, the points mentioned in it will be worked out in detail and work will be done towards its solution. According to the CAG report, Uttarakhand spent less funds in the health sector compared to the north-eastern Himalayan states. The report advocates more spending on social services, education and health to raise the level of human development. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Vijayasai Reddy V By

Pakistan is on fire. Theres tremendous political instability, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan back in prison. And this is not all. Afghanistan is again on the boil; things have gone from bad to worse ever since Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021. There are public executions and people are being stoned to death. Terror is acquiring new hues and severely impacting Indias strategic location vis-a-vis Islamabad and Kabul.

There are serious threat perceptions of terrorism emanating from the region. This is a theatre of great-power politics that started when Washington launched its Global War on Terror in the early 2000s. New Delhi must perpetually be on alert.

India, for the record, has always tried to help. Thanks to the presence of the US security forces in Kabul, Indiaas an influential actor in the regionhad more than 500 projects between 2001 and 2021 spread across 34 provinces in Afghanistan, and provided more than $3 billion in aid during this period. And more than 60,000 Afghan students have completed their studies in India in the last 16 years. But this will all come to naught, for the Taliban is ruthless and so is its agenda.

New Delhi has called on the Taliban to sever ties with Al-Qaeda and dismantle terror supply chains. India also expressed support for a democratic and peaceful Afghanistan. But that has not happened. A terrorist attack on August 26, 2021, at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul killed some 200 civilians and nearly a score of military personnel. And when the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) owned up to the attack, New Delhis fears about the proliferation of terror hubs in Afghanistan were reinforced. So, the bottom line is clear: terrorism is a serious regional problem and India must build bridges with its partners and devise serious counterterrorism plans.

India has always urged the international community to ensure that Afghanistan is not used as a base to launch terror attacks on another country, or as a shelter or a financier. India particularly hinted at Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). At the G20 Extraordinary Summit on Afghanistan in October 2021, PM Narendra Modi urged the G20 nations to seek accountability from the Taliban on the basis of Resolution 2593. The Taliban was urged to not support other terror outfits and to become a security provider in the region instead.

New Delhi has often drawn flak from the Western powers for engaging with the Taliban multiple times in the last two decades. There is some serious reputational damage that such engagements can cause to the goodwill that India enjoys. And it also raises concerns about Indias own principled positions and red lines with regard to engaging with a terrorist group.

So, that is all about Afghanistan and the perils of engaging with the Taliban-ruled country. And now, there is a bigger threat from next door: Pakistan, a politically unstable nation constantly fermenting trouble for its benevolent neighbour, India.

In its annual report for 2022, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said cross-border terrorism funded by Islamabad has not abated, with Pakistan still using hostile and manufactured propaganda to demonise India and draw attention away from its own political and economic problems.

But New Delhi has, time and again, expressed that India wants to have cordial ties with Pakistan, and consistently maintained that any disputes should be settled amicably in an environment devoid of terror and hostility. But it has not worked. Pakistan continues to engage in hostile and fabricated propaganda to vilify India, and to divert attention from its domestic political and economic failures. the MEA stated.

New Delhi must be on high alert when it comes to its next-door neighbour Islamabad. But Pakistan is not listening; it is not even agreeing that there is a growing recognition among many nations that Jammu and Kashmir is fundamentally an internal concern for India. In short, Pakistan is just not listening to India, the United States or any other nation that it needs to stop feeding terror on its soil. As a result, there has been no let-up in Pakistans cross-border terrorism, infiltration and illegal smuggling of arms into India across the Line of Control (LoC).

Worse, Islamabad is yet to show sincerity in delivering justice to the families of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims. Furthermore, the actions of the Pakistani military against former PM Imran Khan have raised concerns that Islamabad is unable to control its internal turmoil.

And see what India has done to usher peace: New Delhi has constantly emphasised the need for Pakistan to take credible, irreversible, and verifiable measures to eliminate cross-border terrorism. But it has not worked. India wants normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, and the onus is on the latter to create such a conducive environment. Terror threats have messed up everythingtrade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

India has been trying to bring peace for a long time now. But Pakistan is not keen to play ball, with Islamabad constantly moving the goalposts to distract the global community from its internal strife. The diversion of jihadi fighters and proxy groups from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Kashmir threatens to increase violence along the border. If another 2008-style attackit killed 164 people in Mumbai, Indias financial capitalis carried out by terrorists from Pakistan, there could be a severe military confrontation between two nuclear-armed states. The world must know that South Asia is the epicentre of terrorism and New Delhi is trying hard to ensure peace. It is not an easy task.

(Views are personal)

V Vijayasai Reddy

MP, Rajya Sabha, and Leader, YSRCP Parliamentary Party

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Pakistan is on fire. Theres tremendous political instability, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan back in prison. And this is not all. Afghanistan is again on the boil; things have gone from bad to worse ever since Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021. There are public executions and people are being stoned to death. Terror is acquiring new hues and severely impacting Indias strategic location vis-a-vis Islamabad and Kabul. There are serious threat perceptions of terrorism emanating from the region. This is a theatre of great-power politics that started when Washington launched its Global War on Terror in the early 2000s. New Delhi must perpetually be on alert. India, for the record, has always tried to help. Thanks to the presence of the US security forces in Kabul, Indiaas an influential actor in the regionhad more than 500 projects between 2001 and 2021 spread across 34 provinces in Afghanistan, and provided more than $3 billion in aid during this period. And more than 60,000 Afghan students have completed their studies in India in the last 16 years. But this will all come to naught, for the Taliban is ruthless and so is its agenda.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); New Delhi has called on the Taliban to sever ties with Al-Qaeda and dismantle terror supply chains. India also expressed support for a democratic and peaceful Afghanistan. But that has not happened. A terrorist attack on August 26, 2021, at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul killed some 200 civilians and nearly a score of military personnel. And when the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) owned up to the attack, New Delhis fears about the proliferation of terror hubs in Afghanistan were reinforced. So, the bottom line is clear: terrorism is a serious regional problem and India must build bridges with its partners and devise serious counterterrorism plans. India has always urged the international community to ensure that Afghanistan is not used as a base to launch terror attacks on another country, or as a shelter or a financier. India particularly hinted at Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). At the G20 Extraordinary Summit on Afghanistan in October 2021, PM Narendra Modi urged the G20 nations to seek accountability from the Taliban on the basis of Resolution 2593. The Taliban was urged to not support other terror outfits and to become a security provider in the region instead. New Delhi has often drawn flak from the Western powers for engaging with the Taliban multiple times in the last two decades. There is some serious reputational damage that such engagements can cause to the goodwill that India enjoys. And it also raises concerns about Indias own principled positions and red lines with regard to engaging with a terrorist group. So, that is all about Afghanistan and the perils of engaging with the Taliban-ruled country. And now, there is a bigger threat from next door: Pakistan, a politically unstable nation constantly fermenting trouble for its benevolent neighbour, India. In its annual report for 2022, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said cross-border terrorism funded by Islamabad has not abated, with Pakistan still using hostile and manufactured propaganda to demonise India and draw attention away from its own political and economic problems. But New Delhi has, time and again, expressed that India wants to have cordial ties with Pakistan, and consistently maintained that any disputes should be settled amicably in an environment devoid of terror and hostility. But it has not worked. Pakistan continues to engage in hostile and fabricated propaganda to vilify India, and to divert attention from its domestic political and economic failures. the MEA stated. New Delhi must be on high alert when it comes to its next-door neighbour Islamabad. But Pakistan is not listening; it is not even agreeing that there is a growing recognition among many nations that Jammu and Kashmir is fundamentally an internal concern for India. In short, Pakistan is just not listening to India, the United States or any other nation that it needs to stop feeding terror on its soil. As a result, there has been no let-up in Pakistans cross-border terrorism, infiltration and illegal smuggling of arms into India across the Line of Control (LoC). Worse, Islamabad is yet to show sincerity in delivering justice to the families of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims. Furthermore, the actions of the Pakistani military against former PM Imran Khan have raised concerns that Islamabad is unable to control its internal turmoil. And see what India has done to usher peace: New Delhi has constantly emphasised the need for Pakistan to take credible, irreversible, and verifiable measures to eliminate cross-border terrorism. But it has not worked. India wants normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, and the onus is on the latter to create such a conducive environment. Terror threats have messed up everythingtrade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges. India has been trying to bring peace for a long time now. But Pakistan is not keen to play ball, with Islamabad constantly moving the goalposts to distract the global community from its internal strife. The diversion of jihadi fighters and proxy groups from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Kashmir threatens to increase violence along the border. If another 2008-style attackit killed 164 people in Mumbai, Indias financial capitalis carried out by terrorists from Pakistan, there could be a severe military confrontation between two nuclear-armed states. The world must know that South Asia is the epicentre of terrorism and New Delhi is trying hard to ensure peace. It is not an easy task. (Views are personal) V Vijayasai Reddy MP, Rajya Sabha, and Leader, YSRCP Parliamentary Party Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

KOCHI: Barely a month and a half after a five-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Aluva, another minor girl was abducted and sexually assaulted near the town in the early hours of Thursday. The eight-year-old, daughter of a couple from Bihar was abducted while she was sleeping in her house near Edayappuram.

Christal Raj

Police launched a massive hunt, and within hours, nabbed the accused, Christal Raj aka Satheesh, a native of Chenkal, Thiruvananthapuram, from his hideout under the Marthanda Varma bridge. Though the 27-year-old attempted to escape by jumping into the Periyar, the officers managed to catch him with the help of local residents.

Police said Christal, who is known by his nickname Kokku in Aluva, is a habitual offender with several cases pending against him. He was released from Viyyur Central Prison on bail only in August.

According to police, the incident happened between midnight and 2am. The girls father was away in Thiruvananthapuram as part of his job. Her mother was sleeping inside a room, and the victim and her siblings on a cot in the hall of the small house. It is suspected that the accused unbolted the door through a window, and abducted the girl. He also stole a mobile phone, the police said.

CCTV footage helped police nab accused in minor assault case

Around 2am, E S Sukumaran, a local resident, came out of the house after hearing the cries of the girl and saw her and the suspect. Growing suspicious, Sukumaran alerted his neighbours. However, the duo was gone by then. Sukumaran and his neighbours launched a search for the girl.

Later, the residents found the girl, with injuries to her private parts. After enquiring her whereabouts, they tracked her home, located around 1km away, and took her home. It was only then that her family came to know that she had been abducted.

The residents alerted the police and also took the girl to the Government Medical College, Kalamassery. She is responding well to the treatment, the police said. Though the police reached the spot, they could not find the accused. The police then obtained CCTV footage of the accused from a nearby house. The victim and the witness identified the suspect in the footage. Ernakulam Rural SP Vivek Kumar, who visited the spot, constituted a special investigation team to nab the accused and probe the incident.

According to the police, Christal moved to Kochi after he was involved in a case pertaining to the sexual assault on a 65-year-old mentally challenged woman in 2017. He was involved in several criminal cases, including theft. The police said Christal, who had shifted his operations to Aluva one-and-a-half years ago, was involved in theft of mobile phones and other electronic items in Aluva and Perumbavoor regions. He used to roam around during night. He hadnt been maintaining any contact with his family members in Thiruvananthapuram in the past two years, the police said. An investigation based on the mobile phone that went missing from the house of the victim and the CCTV footage helped the police track the accused, said an officer.

Upon noticing a person similar to the one in the CCTV footage released by the police, employees of a bar hotel on the banks of the Periyar in Aluva alerted the cops. On seeing the policemen, the accused, who was hiding under the Marthanda Varma bridge, jumped into the river. However, two headload workers Joshy and Murukan, jumped into the water caught the accused and handed him over to the police, said the police officer.

A detailed interrogation of the accused is underway. It was on July 29 that a five-year-old migrant girl was found raped and murdered in Aluva. The police later arrested the accused Asafak Alam, 28, a native of Bihar.

CRIME AGAINST MINORS ON RISE

Thursdays incident is the second such case reported from Aluva in recent months. It was on July 29 that a five-year-old migrant girl was found raped and murdered in Aluva. The police later arrested the accused Asafak Alam, 28, a native of Bihar.

An investigation based on the mobile phone that went missing from the house of the victim and the CCTV footage helped the police trace the accused

BANGLADESHI HELD FOR ABUSING MINOR IN ALAPPUZHA

Alappuzha: A Bangladesh national was arrested on Thursday for sexually abusing a girl at Arthunkal. Police said the incident took place on August 23.

BANGLADESH NATIONAL ARRESTED FOR ABUSING MINOR

Alappuzha: A Bangladesh national was arrested on Thursday for sexually abusing a minor girl at Arthunkal. Officials said the alleged incident happened on August 23 when the accused, identified as Ariful Islam 26, a scrap collector, trespassed into the victims house and attacked her. She was alone at home at the time. The investigation also revealed that Ariful, a native of Pirojpur in Bangladesh, had entered India illegally without a valid passport and visa. As such, he has also been charged under sections of the Foreigners Act, officials said.

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KOCHI: Barely a month and a half after a five-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Aluva, another minor girl was abducted and sexually assaulted near the town in the early hours of Thursday. The eight-year-old, daughter of a couple from Bihar was abducted while she was sleeping in her house near Edayappuram. Christal RajPolice launched a massive hunt, and within hours, nabbed the accused, Christal Raj aka Satheesh, a native of Chenkal, Thiruvananthapuram, from his hideout under the Marthanda Varma bridge. Though the 27-year-old attempted to escape by jumping into the Periyar, the officers managed to catch him with the help of local residents. Police said Christal, who is known by his nickname Kokku in Aluva, is a habitual offender with several cases pending against him. He was released from Viyyur Central Prison on bail only in August.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); According to police, the incident happened between midnight and 2am. The girls father was away in Thiruvananthapuram as part of his job. Her mother was sleeping inside a room, and the victim and her siblings on a cot in the hall of the small house. It is suspected that the accused unbolted the door through a window, and abducted the girl. He also stole a mobile phone, the police said. CCTV footage helped police nab accused in minor assault case Around 2am, E S Sukumaran, a local resident, came out of the house after hearing the cries of the girl and saw her and the suspect. Growing suspicious, Sukumaran alerted his neighbours. However, the duo was gone by then. Sukumaran and his neighbours launched a search for the girl. Later, the residents found the girl, with injuries to her private parts. After enquiring her whereabouts, they tracked her home, located around 1km away, and took her home. It was only then that her family came to know that she had been abducted. The residents alerted the police and also took the girl to the Government Medical College, Kalamassery. She is responding well to the treatment, the police said. Though the police reached the spot, they could not find the accused. The police then obtained CCTV footage of the accused from a nearby house. The victim and the witness identified the suspect in the footage. Ernakulam Rural SP Vivek Kumar, who visited the spot, constituted a special investigation team to nab the accused and probe the incident. According to the police, Christal moved to Kochi after he was involved in a case pertaining to the sexual assault on a 65-year-old mentally challenged woman in 2017. He was involved in several criminal cases, including theft. The police said Christal, who had shifted his operations to Aluva one-and-a-half years ago, was involved in theft of mobile phones and other electronic items in Aluva and Perumbavoor regions. He used to roam around during night. He hadnt been maintaining any contact with his family members in Thiruvananthapuram in the past two years, the police said. An investigation based on the mobile phone that went missing from the house of the victim and the CCTV footage helped the police track the accused, said an officer. Upon noticing a person similar to the one in the CCTV footage released by the police, employees of a bar hotel on the banks of the Periyar in Aluva alerted the cops. On seeing the policemen, the accused, who was hiding under the Marthanda Varma bridge, jumped into the river. However, two headload workers Joshy and Murukan, jumped into the water caught the accused and handed him over to the police, said the police officer. A detailed interrogation of the accused is underway. It was on July 29 that a five-year-old migrant girl was found raped and murdered in Aluva. The police later arrested the accused Asafak Alam, 28, a native of Bihar. CRIME AGAINST MINORS ON RISE Thursdays incident is the second such case reported from Aluva in recent months. It was on July 29 that a five-year-old migrant girl was found raped and murdered in Aluva. The police later arrested the accused Asafak Alam, 28, a native of Bihar. An investigation based on the mobile phone that went missing from the house of the victim and the CCTV footage helped the police trace the accused BANGLADESHI HELD FOR ABUSING MINOR IN ALAPPUZHA Alappuzha: A Bangladesh national was arrested on Thursday for sexually abusing a girl at Arthunkal. Police said the incident took place on August 23. BANGLADESH NATIONAL ARRESTED FOR ABUSING MINOR Alappuzha: A Bangladesh national was arrested on Thursday for sexually abusing a minor girl at Arthunkal. Officials said the alleged incident happened on August 23 when the accused, identified as Ariful Islam 26, a scrap collector, trespassed into the victims house and attacked her. She was alone at home at the time. The investigation also revealed that Ariful, a native of Pirojpur in Bangladesh, had entered India illegally without a valid passport and visa. As such, he has also been charged under sections of the Foreigners Act, officials said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Associated Press

NEW DELHI: It's never been easy for the leaders of the world's largest economies to find common ground, but Russia's war on Ukraine has made it even harder for the Group of 20 meeting to reach meaningful agreements this year.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year's host, has pledged Ukraine won't overshadow his focus on the needs of developing nations in the so-called " Global South," but the war has proved hard to ignore. "New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of concern for the Global South," said Nazia Hussain, an associate research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

"So while there will be discussions on the emerging issues as a fallout of the war  supply chain security and decoupling, energy security, and food supply  the focus must remain on how to mitigate the fallout rather than debate the geopolitical/security aspects of the war."

As leaders began arriving on Friday, Indian diplomats were still trying to find compromise language for a joint communique. Russia and China, which has been Moscow's most important supporter in the war against Ukraine, have rejected drafts over a reference to Ukraine that said "most members strongly condemned the war," the same language they signed off a year ago at the G20 summit in Bali

The European Union, meanwhile, has said compromise language suggested by India is not strong enough for them to agree to. However, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters Friday that it was important to give India space as it worked "actively, maybe sometimes discreetly, to maximize the chance for a communique."

He said Russia had isolated itself from the world with the invasion of Ukraine, and that the EU and others were working to "encourage China to play a positive role at the global level and to defend the UN charter and to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine."

ALSO READ | 'Economic interests first': Ex-PM backs India's stance on Russia-Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Bali summit by video last year, but Modi has made a point of not inviting Ukraine to participate in this year's event.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised Zelenskyy to keep Ukraine in the discussions, telling him in a video call that the leaders posted on Instagram: "I'm disappointed that you won't be included but as you know, we will be speaking up strongly for you."

Founded in 1999, the G20 was initially a response to global economic challenges, but since then, geopolitical tensions have introduced more politics into the discussions, complicating its ability to work effectively, said Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund and director of its Brussels office.

The G20 encompasses the world's wealthiest countries in the Group of Seven, including the US, Canada, Britain, Japan, Germany and the European Union as a bloc, along with Russia, China and others.

Russia's attack on Ukraine and China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region have added friction, pitting some of the most powerful G20 countries directly against each other diplomatically, Lesser said. "Having China and Russia in the room now is a very different question than it would have been a decade ago," he said.

"It is very difficult now for any of these large-scale summits to avoid the major issues of the issues of the day, and these major issues are very polarizing  the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Indo-Pacific, even climate policy  the things that are both at the top of the global agenda but also very difficult to address."

ALSO READ | Expect India to 'overcome geopolitical divides' and deliver results: UN Chief

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 themselves, instead sending lower-level officials.

Russia and China did not indicate why their leaders were not attending, but neither has travelled much recently and both seem to be putting a greater emphasis on the more like-minded BRICS group of nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. That group agreed at its summit last month to expand to include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia.

China's relations with India continue to be strained over ongoing border disputes, but despite the decision to send Premier Li Qiang instead of Xi, Modi and Xi did discuss the issue face-to-face at the BRICS summit and China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing considers India-China relations "generally stable."

India also has historic ties with Moscow but is on good terms with the US too. Modi is hoping to use his country's influence to bridge gaps between the wealthy nations that have been standing together to sanction Russia over the Ukraine war and the Global South.

About half of the G20 countries are found in the Global South  depending on how one defines it  and Modi hopes to add the African Union as a bloc member.

In preparation, he held a virtual "Voice of the Global South" summit in January and has emphasized issues critical to developing nations, including alternative fuels like hydrogen, resource efficiency, developing a common framework for digital public infrastructure and food security.

"For the Global South, India's presidency is seen as an opportunity with immense potential to address developmental needs, particularly as Brazil and South Africa are set to take over the presidency of the G20 from India in 2024 in 2025 respectively," Hussain said.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters before Biden's departure that the president supported adding the African Union as a permanent member and that the president hoped this summit "will show that the world's major economies can work together even in challenging times."

The US will also focus on many of Modi's priorities, including reforming multilateral development banks, especially the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, to help developing countries, Sullivan said. Biden will also call for "meaningful debt relief" for low- and middle-income countries, and seek to make progress on other priorities including climate and health issues.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday dismissed suggestions that the proposals are designed to counter China's global lending and investment through its so-called Belt and Road Initiative.

Michel, the EU council president, said he had hoped the summit would be productive. "I do not think the G20 will resolve in two days all the problems of the world," he said.

"But I think it can be a bold step in the right direction and we should work to make it happen and support the Indian presidency."

READ MORE |

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NEW DELHI: It's never been easy for the leaders of the world's largest economies to find common ground, but Russia's war on Ukraine has made it even harder for the Group of 20 meeting to reach meaningful agreements this year. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year's host, has pledged Ukraine won't overshadow his focus on the needs of developing nations in the so-called " Global South," but the war has proved hard to ignore. "New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of concern for the Global South," said Nazia Hussain, an associate research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "So while there will be discussions on the emerging issues as a fallout of the war  supply chain security and decoupling, energy security, and food supply  the focus must remain on how to mitigate the fallout rather than debate the geopolitical/security aspects of the war."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); As leaders began arriving on Friday, Indian diplomats were still trying to find compromise language for a joint communique. Russia and China, which has been Moscow's most important supporter in the war against Ukraine, have rejected drafts over a reference to Ukraine that said "most members strongly condemned the war," the same language they signed off a year ago at the G20 summit in Bali The European Union, meanwhile, has said compromise language suggested by India is not strong enough for them to agree to. However, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters Friday that it was important to give India space as it worked "actively, maybe sometimes discreetly, to maximize the chance for a communique." He said Russia had isolated itself from the world with the invasion of Ukraine, and that the EU and others were working to "encourage China to play a positive role at the global level and to defend the UN charter and to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine." ALSO READ | 'Economic interests first': Ex-PM backs India's stance on Russia-Ukraine war Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Bali summit by video last year, but Modi has made a point of not inviting Ukraine to participate in this year's event. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised Zelenskyy to keep Ukraine in the discussions, telling him in a video call that the leaders posted on Instagram: "I'm disappointed that you won't be included but as you know, we will be speaking up strongly for you." Founded in 1999, the G20 was initially a response to global economic challenges, but since then, geopolitical tensions have introduced more politics into the discussions, complicating its ability to work effectively, said Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund and director of its Brussels office. The G20 encompasses the world's wealthiest countries in the Group of Seven, including the US, Canada, Britain, Japan, Germany and the European Union as a bloc, along with Russia, China and others. Russia's attack on Ukraine and China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region have added friction, pitting some of the most powerful G20 countries directly against each other diplomatically, Lesser said. "Having China and Russia in the room now is a very different question than it would have been a decade ago," he said. "It is very difficult now for any of these large-scale summits to avoid the major issues of the issues of the day, and these major issues are very polarizing  the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Indo-Pacific, even climate policy  the things that are both at the top of the global agenda but also very difficult to address." ALSO READ | Expect India to 'overcome geopolitical divides' and deliver results: UN Chief Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 themselves, instead sending lower-level officials. Russia and China did not indicate why their leaders were not attending, but neither has travelled much recently and both seem to be putting a greater emphasis on the more like-minded BRICS group of nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. That group agreed at its summit last month to expand to include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia. China's relations with India continue to be strained over ongoing border disputes, but despite the decision to send Premier Li Qiang instead of Xi, Modi and Xi did discuss the issue face-to-face at the BRICS summit and China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing considers India-China relations "generally stable." India also has historic ties with Moscow but is on good terms with the US too. Modi is hoping to use his country's influence to bridge gaps between the wealthy nations that have been standing together to sanction Russia over the Ukraine war and the Global South. About half of the G20 countries are found in the Global South  depending on how one defines it  and Modi hopes to add the African Union as a bloc member. In preparation, he held a virtual "Voice of the Global South" summit in January and has emphasized issues critical to developing nations, including alternative fuels like hydrogen, resource efficiency, developing a common framework for digital public infrastructure and food security. "For the Global South, India's presidency is seen as an opportunity with immense potential to address developmental needs, particularly as Brazil and South Africa are set to take over the presidency of the G20 from India in 2024 in 2025 respectively," Hussain said. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters before Biden's departure that the president supported adding the African Union as a permanent member and that the president hoped this summit "will show that the world's major economies can work together even in challenging times." The US will also focus on many of Modi's priorities, including reforming multilateral development banks, especially the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, to help developing countries, Sullivan said. Biden will also call for "meaningful debt relief" for low- and middle-income countries, and seek to make progress on other priorities including climate and health issues. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday dismissed suggestions that the proposals are designed to counter China's global lending and investment through its so-called Belt and Road Initiative. Michel, the EU council president, said he had hoped the summit would be productive. "I do not think the G20 will resolve in two days all the problems of the world," he said. "But I think it can be a bold step in the right direction and we should work to make it happen and support the Indian presidency." READ MORE | How G20 hopes to unlock trillions for development, climate fight US wants G20 to help reshape multilateral development banks like IMF, World Bank Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Associated Press

NEW DELHI: President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are certainly putting in the time to cultivate their relationship.

Less than three months after honouring Modi with a state visit to the White House, Biden is to arrive in New Delhi on Friday  a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit there  to squeeze in another round of one-on-one talks with the leader of the world's most populous nation.

There have been more than a dozen in-person or virtual engagements between the leaders since 2021 as both have looked to tighten the US-India partnership amid shared major concerns.

Those include an increasingly assertive China and monumental challenges posed by climate change, artificial intelligence, global supply chain resilience and other issues.

Modi has heavily branded the summit as his own.

The Indian prime minister has pictures of himself posted along the highway from the airport, greeting G20 delegates with quotes about the need to address climate change. As a result, Biden will be something of a houseguest when he meets with his Indian counterpart.

"This meeting will be taking place at the prime minister's residence  so it is unusual in that respect," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One. "This is not your typical bilateral visit to India with meetings taking place in the prime minister's office."

Biden, a center-left Democrat, and Modi, a conservative Hindu nationalist, are hardly ideological soulmates. Yet, both leaders are increasingly drawn together by China's military and economic maneuverings in the Indo-Pacific.

ALSO READ | With G20 Summit, US fetes India's rise while accepting differences

India late last month lodged an objection through diplomatic channels with Beijing over China's new standard map that lays claim to India's territory along their shared border.

The version of the Chinese map published by the Ministry of Natural Resources website shows Arunachal Pradesh and the Doklam Plateau  over which the two sides have feuded  included within Chinese borders, along with Aksai Chin in the western section that China controls but India still claims. The Philippines and Malaysia have also lodged protests over the new Chinese map.

The map was released just days after Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  and agreed to work to de-escalate tensions at their disputed border.

China and India have had thousands of troops facing off in a disputed region of the Himalayas since 2020, when skirmishes led to the first deadly clashes in decades. Both countries are nuclear-armed.

China, which is also a member of the G20, has said that Xi will not attend this weekend's India summit and is instead dispatching Premier Li Qiang to represent China.

Vice President Kamala Harris, in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Indonesia, spoke out against China's new map.

"It's a violation of the law. And that's where I put that map," Harris told the AP.

The US government outreach goes beyond Biden.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters on Friday that the G20 is her fourth trip to India in the past year, making it the country she's visited most. Yellen said India has shown leadership in helping to provide loans to developing nations as well as provide debt relief when needed.

ALSO READ | Biden bear hug for Modi as realpolitik eclipses human rights

Drones, jet engines, Indo-pacific part of agenda

The White House has been tight-lipped about what if any, major announcements will come out of Biden's latest talks with Modi. But the administration seems eager to build on the momentum from the June state visit, which included announcements on climate, health care and space as well as some major private sector projects.

The two sides set the groundwork for US-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India and the sale of US-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones.

US-based Micron Technology agreed to build a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, with Micron spending more than $800 million and India financing the rest. The administration also plans to discuss civil nuclear issues.

Friday's meeting seems unlikely to produce as many major deals. Still, the White House will look to "put something on the table," predicted Richard Rossow, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Rossow said Modi would like to see the Biden administration put greater focus on the Indian Ocean region as it goes about recalibrating its Indo-Pacific policy.

India's concern is that "the United States is overly focused on Taiwan, South China Sea, East China Sea, Pacific Islands," Rossow said. "And there's not nearly enough attention on the Indian Ocean region. And that's where India sees its primary security concerns rising now."

The White House has sought to play down Biden and Modi 's differences over Russia's war in Ukraine. India abstained from voting on UN resolutions condemning Russia and refused to join the global coalition against Russia. Since the start of the war, the Modi government has dramatically increased its purchase of Russian oil.

ALSO READ | 'Economic interests first': Ex-PM backs India's stance on Russia-Ukraine war

Biden's effort to pull India closer has been shadowed by concerns from activists and some American lawmakers about India's human rights record on Modi's watch.

Modi has faced criticism over legislation amending the country's citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some migrants but excludes Muslims, over a rise in violence against Muslims and other religious minorities by Hindu nationalists, and the recent conviction of India's top opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, for mocking Modi's surname.

India also ranks 161st out of 180 countries in this year's Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.

In recent years, journalists have been arrested and some have been stopped from travelling abroad. Dozens are facing criminal prosecution, including for sedition. The government also has introduced sweeping regulatory laws for social media companies that give it more power to police online content.

A number of media outlets critical of Modi have been subjected to tax searches, including the BBC after it aired a documentary that examined the prime minister's role in 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat, where he was chief minister at the time.

ALSO READ: Will continue to raise human rights concerns with India: US ahead of Biden's visit

Biden will travel on Sunday to Vietnam, another country with a poor track record for press freedoms and human rights. Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters this week that Biden and his advisers have been consistent in raising human rights and press freedom concerns.

"President Biden himself has spoken to questions related to democracy and human rights as recently as the state visit earlier this year," Sullivan said. "The United States, our position on these issues is clear."

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW DELHI: President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are certainly putting in the time to cultivate their relationship. Less than three months after honouring Modi with a state visit to the White House, Biden is to arrive in New Delhi on Friday  a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit there  to squeeze in another round of one-on-one talks with the leader of the world's most populous nation. There have been more than a dozen in-person or virtual engagements between the leaders since 2021 as both have looked to tighten the US-India partnership amid shared major concerns.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Those include an increasingly assertive China and monumental challenges posed by climate change, artificial intelligence, global supply chain resilience and other issues. Modi has heavily branded the summit as his own. The Indian prime minister has pictures of himself posted along the highway from the airport, greeting G20 delegates with quotes about the need to address climate change. As a result, Biden will be something of a houseguest when he meets with his Indian counterpart. "This meeting will be taking place at the prime minister's residence  so it is unusual in that respect," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One. "This is not your typical bilateral visit to India with meetings taking place in the prime minister's office." Biden, a center-left Democrat, and Modi, a conservative Hindu nationalist, are hardly ideological soulmates. Yet, both leaders are increasingly drawn together by China's military and economic maneuverings in the Indo-Pacific. ALSO READ | With G20 Summit, US fetes India's rise while accepting differences India late last month lodged an objection through diplomatic channels with Beijing over China's new standard map that lays claim to India's territory along their shared border. The version of the Chinese map published by the Ministry of Natural Resources website shows Arunachal Pradesh and the Doklam Plateau  over which the two sides have feuded  included within Chinese borders, along with Aksai Chin in the western section that China controls but India still claims. The Philippines and Malaysia have also lodged protests over the new Chinese map. The map was released just days after Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  and agreed to work to de-escalate tensions at their disputed border. China and India have had thousands of troops facing off in a disputed region of the Himalayas since 2020, when skirmishes led to the first deadly clashes in decades. Both countries are nuclear-armed. China, which is also a member of the G20, has said that Xi will not attend this weekend's India summit and is instead dispatching Premier Li Qiang to represent China. Vice President Kamala Harris, in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Indonesia, spoke out against China's new map. "It's a violation of the law. And that's where I put that map," Harris told the AP. The US government outreach goes beyond Biden. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters on Friday that the G20 is her fourth trip to India in the past year, making it the country she's visited most. Yellen said India has shown leadership in helping to provide loans to developing nations as well as provide debt relief when needed. ALSO READ | Biden bear hug for Modi as realpolitik eclipses human rights Drones, jet engines, Indo-pacific part of agenda The White House has been tight-lipped about what if any, major announcements will come out of Biden's latest talks with Modi. But the administration seems eager to build on the momentum from the June state visit, which included announcements on climate, health care and space as well as some major private sector projects. The two sides set the groundwork for US-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India and the sale of US-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. US-based Micron Technology agreed to build a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, with Micron spending more than $800 million and India financing the rest. The administration also plans to discuss civil nuclear issues. Friday's meeting seems unlikely to produce as many major deals. Still, the White House will look to "put something on the table," predicted Richard Rossow, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Rossow said Modi would like to see the Biden administration put greater focus on the Indian Ocean region as it goes about recalibrating its Indo-Pacific policy. India's concern is that "the United States is overly focused on Taiwan, South China Sea, East China Sea, Pacific Islands," Rossow said. "And there's not nearly enough attention on the Indian Ocean region. And that's where India sees its primary security concerns rising now." The White House has sought to play down Biden and Modi 's differences over Russia's war in Ukraine. India abstained from voting on UN resolutions condemning Russia and refused to join the global coalition against Russia. Since the start of the war, the Modi government has dramatically increased its purchase of Russian oil. ALSO READ | 'Economic interests first': Ex-PM backs India's stance on Russia-Ukraine war Biden's effort to pull India closer has been shadowed by concerns from activists and some American lawmakers about India's human rights record on Modi's watch. Modi has faced criticism over legislation amending the country's citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some migrants but excludes Muslims, over a rise in violence against Muslims and other religious minorities by Hindu nationalists, and the recent conviction of India's top opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, for mocking Modi's surname. India also ranks 161st out of 180 countries in this year's Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. In recent years, journalists have been arrested and some have been stopped from travelling abroad. Dozens are facing criminal prosecution, including for sedition. The government also has introduced sweeping regulatory laws for social media companies that give it more power to police online content. A number of media outlets critical of Modi have been subjected to tax searches, including the BBC after it aired a documentary that examined the prime minister's role in 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat, where he was chief minister at the time. ALSO READ: Will continue to raise human rights concerns with India: US ahead of Biden's visit Biden will travel on Sunday to Vietnam, another country with a poor track record for press freedoms and human rights. Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters this week that Biden and his advisers have been consistent in raising human rights and press freedom concerns. "President Biden himself has spoken to questions related to democracy and human rights as recently as the state visit earlier this year," Sullivan said. "The United States, our position on these issues is clear." Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The US wants the G20 countries to help reshape and scale up multilateral development banks like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, a top White House official has said.

White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby said on Wednesday the US will make it clear during President Joe Biden's visit to India that it remains committed to the G20 as a critical forum for all the major economies of the world to come together for global problem-solving.

President Biden will arrive in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit.

"One of our main goals heading into the G20 is to help reshape and scale up multilateral development banks like the IMF, like the World Bank," Kirby told foreign reporters at a news conference here on Wednesday.

"We know that these institutions are some of the most effective tools for mobilising transparent and high-quality investment in developing countries. And that's why the United States has championed the major effort that is currently underway to evolve these institutions so that they're up for the challenges of tomorrow," he said.

Kirby said Biden asked the US Congress last month for additional funds that would have the impact of helping increase World Bank financing by more than USD 25 billion, and the US is working with its partners to see if they can pursue similar contributions.

ALSO READ | How G20 hopes to unlock trillions for development, climate fight

During his India visit, Kirby said, Biden will also be calling on G20 members to provide meaningful debt relief so that low and middle-income countries can regain their footing after years of stress on their economies and their people.

"We'll also be making progress on other key priorities, from climate to health, and as I said at the very top, digital technology. In addition, we'll spotlight the progress that we've been making on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment that the President calls PGII," he said.

Kirby noted that there will be continued focus on how the G20 deals with Russia's illegal and ongoing war in Ukraine. "The reality is that Russia's war has already had devastating social, and economic consequences, and the poorest countries on the planet are bearing the brunt of that," he said.

ALSO READ | G20 Summit: Global prelude, unveiling future of diplomacy

During the summit, Biden will call for a just and durable peace, one founded in respect for international law, the principles of the UN Charter, and the precepts of territorial integrity and national sovereignty, he said. "We will also continue to emphasise that the United States will support Ukraine for as long as it takes to redeem these principles," he said.

"Last but not least, and this is certainly important, you'll see that the United States will make it clear that we remain committed to the G20 as a critical forum for all the major economies of the world to come together for global problem-solving," Kirby added.

"The G20 itself, as a valuable and vital, as I said, venue, will be on the agenda. And in a sign of that commitment, the United States is looking forward to hosting the G20 ourselves in 2026," said the White House official.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

ALSO READ | Expect India to 'overcome geopolitical divides' and deliver results, says UN Chief

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

WASHINGTON: The US wants the G20 countries to help reshape and scale up multilateral development banks like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, a top White House official has said. White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby said on Wednesday the US will make it clear during President Joe Biden's visit to India that it remains committed to the G20 as a critical forum for all the major economies of the world to come together for global problem-solving. President Biden will arrive in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the G20 Summit.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "One of our main goals heading into the G20 is to help reshape and scale up multilateral development banks like the IMF, like the World Bank," Kirby told foreign reporters at a news conference here on Wednesday. "We know that these institutions are some of the most effective tools for mobilising transparent and high-quality investment in developing countries. And that's why the United States has championed the major effort that is currently underway to evolve these institutions so that they're up for the challenges of tomorrow," he said. Kirby said Biden asked the US Congress last month for additional funds that would have the impact of helping increase World Bank financing by more than USD 25 billion, and the US is working with its partners to see if they can pursue similar contributions. ALSO READ | How G20 hopes to unlock trillions for development, climate fight During his India visit, Kirby said, Biden will also be calling on G20 members to provide meaningful debt relief so that low and middle-income countries can regain their footing after years of stress on their economies and their people. "We'll also be making progress on other key priorities, from climate to health, and as I said at the very top, digital technology. In addition, we'll spotlight the progress that we've been making on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment that the President calls PGII," he said. Kirby noted that there will be continued focus on how the G20 deals with Russia's illegal and ongoing war in Ukraine. "The reality is that Russia's war has already had devastating social, and economic consequences, and the poorest countries on the planet are bearing the brunt of that," he said. ALSO READ | G20 Summit: Global prelude, unveiling future of diplomacy During the summit, Biden will call for a just and durable peace, one founded in respect for international law, the principles of the UN Charter, and the precepts of territorial integrity and national sovereignty, he said. "We will also continue to emphasise that the United States will support Ukraine for as long as it takes to redeem these principles," he said. "Last but not least, and this is certainly important, you'll see that the United States will make it clear that we remain committed to the G20 as a critical forum for all the major economies of the world to come together for global problem-solving," Kirby added. "The G20 itself, as a valuable and vital, as I said, venue, will be on the agenda. And in a sign of that commitment, the United States is looking forward to hosting the G20 ourselves in 2026," said the White House official. The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU). ALSO READ | Expect India to 'overcome geopolitical divides' and deliver results, says UN Chief Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Stanley G. Falk School Superintendent Rachael Greene saw the wait list for special education students referred to her agency exceed 200 at times last year.

The immense need underscored a national issue: A growing number of special needs students, most with challenging behaviors, rapidly outpaces the number of qualified special education teachers applying to work in individualized settings.

When the Tonawanda City School District consolidated three elementary schools into a new $54 million building this summer, Greene and Child and Family Services, Falks parent organization, leaped at the opportunity to take over one of the vacant schools and chip away at the wait list.

Falk-Mullen Elementary opened Wednesday at 130 Syracuse St. in Tonawanda, the former site of Mullen Elementary.

Eighty-five students in kindergarten through third grade ventured into 20 classrooms with support from 60 staff members, including teachers, aides, maintenance workers, nurses and a kitchen crew.

The elementary school will eventually welcome 120 students, Greene said, in classes with six students, one teacher and one aide, known in special education as 6:1:1 classes.

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Its a very positive atmosphere, Greene said Thursday, citing the Falk Schools emphasis on social-emotional learning. She said Falks structure puts particular value on aides, who take a therapeutic approach to students, allowing teachers to focus specifically on instruction.

The Falk School includes three other campuses: Falk-Roosevelt elementary in Kenmore enrolls 162 students; Falk-Roessler high school in Cheektowaga-Sloan instructs 144 students, and Falk-Cambridge high school in Kenmore-Tonawanda is the largest, with 204 students.

Its entire 630-student population comprises referred students with a range of needs that includes a mental health diagnoses, behavioral disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Greene said they are united by behavior impacting their learning in some way.

'Hard transitions': Buffalo Schools' special education faces backlash over late-summer changes for students with autism Several parents of students with autism are angry by changes Buffalo Public Schools implemented in July and August to address special education class size and structure for the 2023-24 school year.

Falk pulls from 39 school districts, with Buffalo Public Schools referrals accounting for the largest proportion at 37%  a decrease from 50% in prior years. For the past two decades, the Falk School also set up satellite classrooms inside four Buffalo schools. Environments that paled in comparison to a Falk location, unfilled classes and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic led Falk to shut down the satellites.

Despite the changes, Buffalo Public Schools applauded the growth of an agency that serves more than 200 of its students with special needs.

This is tremendous news for the Stanley G. Falk School and will help ensure those students in the Buffalo Public Schools who require specialized instruction and emotional and social supports receive them in a highly structured school environment thanks to this new central location, said district spokesperson Jeffrey Hammond in a statement.

Niagara Falls, Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda and West Seneca are other public districts who transport at least 20 students to Falk, but the schools geographic reach touches even Fillmore and Pine Valley, Greene said.

Back at work: A Covid patient's long journey back to teaching After more than three months battling Covid-19, Valerie Brown is back at work  and couldn't be happier to be there.

The 6:1:1 setting is the most individualized classroom for special education students. Its becoming more rare as trends move toward integrated co-teaching, in which special education students are woven into general education classes. The shortage of special education teachers, too, is another reason districts may lean toward larger classrooms.

Buffalo this summer eliminated 58 elementary 6:1:1 autism classes and moved those students to 62 classes in an 8:1:1 setting  with the aim of increasing social opportunities for students with autism  but the district kept the 6:1:1 setup for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Hammond said in August that Buffalo was still short 18 high school special education teachers.

At Stanley G. Falk, Greene was thrilled with 50 new hires across all campuses, especially considering the toll Covid-19 took on special education teachers. That staff interest allowed Falk to add the Mullen campus and provide individualized settings for students previously on the outside looking in.

Teachers saw the increased need of students, Greene said, while managing their own health and wellness.
New Delhi, September 7

M auritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hailed India's G20 Presidency and said that there couldn't have been a better them for the summit than 'One Earth, One Family and One Future', which translates to 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'.

He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Jugnauth said, "I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change".

"So, it is important for a summit like this one all the countries to sit down and see how we can bounce back. I think there is a need for us to be resilient, there is a need to review our policies in view of the lessons that we can draw from those events," he added.

He further said that amid the ongoing conflicts in Africa and Ukraine, and issues like climate change, the issues being put up by India under its presidency are very pertinent.

"I think there could not have been a better theme that has been chosen by India - One Earth, One Family and One Future - which is drawn from the Sanskrit phase of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. I think this is pertinent more so when we look at the effect of climate change because what one country does, not only affects that country but also the whole world. That is why, we have to reflect collectively and we have to act collectively," the Prime Minister said.

He added, "Each one of us has a duty to save the planet and save the whole population. I am happy to see that India has taken this very inclusive approach and to try to get everybody on board. There have been a number of meetings before the summit, and there have been a lot of proposals and ideas that have been edited. I am very confident that we are going to make progress".

Earlier in the day, Mauritius PM Jugnauth arrived at the New Delhi Airport on Thursday for the G20 Summit, which will be held here in the national capital from September 9-10. He was received at the Airport by Shripad Naik Union Minister of State for Ports, and Shipping.

'One Earth One Family One Future' a perfect theme for G20: Mauritius PM

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G20 summit: Macron to arrive on Sep 9 on 2-day visit

New Delhi, Sep 7

F rench President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in New Delhi on September 9 for a two-day visit to attend the G20 summit, according to official sources.

The G20 summit under India's presidency is scheduled to take place between September 9-10.

Sources further said that Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting likely over lunch at the end of the G20 summit on September 10.

The two had met in July, during Modi's visit to France to attend the Bastille Day parade.

During his visit, Macron will have bilateral meetings with other world leaders, particularly with his Brazilian and Indonesian counterparts Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Joko Widodo, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, according to the French Embassy in India.

Macron is likely to hold a press conference at the embassy prior to his departure from India. He will depart for Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon.

The French President, through the G20 summit, will continue his ongoing dialogue with his counterparts from every continent, official sources said.

G20 summit: Macron to arrive on Sep 9 on 2-day visit

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Itanagar, Sep 7

A runachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Thursday that China is proposing to construct a 60,000 MW dam over Siang River in Tibet just before it enters India, asserting that both the Centre and the state government are privy to the development and the possible threat arising out of it.

China's proposed dam construction and its possible threat were also discussed in the Arunachal Assembly on Wednesday.

Addressing the opening day function of the three-day Banggo Solung celebrations at Mebo in East Siang district, the Chief Minister said that while the Central government is responding to the development at its level, the concern of the state government is to save Siang River at all cost and also to keep its flow under control.

It is to mentioned here that the Tsangpo River flows through Tibet before entering Arunachal Pradesh where it is called the Siang River. It becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam and the Jamuna in Bangladesh before it empties into the Bay of Bengal.

"History is witness that we cannot trust our 'neighbour'. You never know what they can do. They can either divert the entire river flow, drying up our Siang, or release water at once causing unprecedented flood havoc downstream," he said.

The Chief Minister said that the only solution to these threats is to construct a barrage on the Siang River by India.

"While this barrage will save water from the tributaries within Arunachal Pradesh to maintain the natural flow of the Siang River, it will also protect our land from flash floods. Hydropower generation is our secondary objective," he said.

Khandu, however, passed the onus on the local Adi society whether to build the barrage.

He said that 30-40 years down the line, people shouldn't blame the leadership for not doing anything while China was building the mega dam.

Meanwhile, hailing the Adis for taking pride in their rich culture, Khandu reiterated his stand for passing on the heritage to the next generation without dilution.

He urged the elders to encourage the young ones to participate in traditional practices and learn to speak their native languages.

"Without our identity, we will be lost in the vast majority of people who have long lost their indigeneity," Khandu added.

Acknowledging the recurring land erosion by Siang River every monsoon in the Mebo area of East Siang district as a major cause of concern, the Chief Minister said that construction of a barrage on the river is the only viable option to tame its course and flow.

Khandu counted the massive losses caused by flooding waters of Siang River along the left bank in the plains of Mebo area.

"A couple of years ago, the all-important Mebo-Dhola road was breached. We constructed an alternate road, which too was eroded the next year. We then spent about Rs 35 crore through the Department of Water Resources to construct flood protection structures.

"But these too got eroded. The famous Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary on the right bank is also shrinking due to soil erosion. We need to find a long-term solution to the problem," he said.

Khandu admitted that safeguarding a 23-km long bank is not an easy task, but the governments, both at the state and Centre, are committed to make life easy for the 10-plus villages that bear the brunt of Siang River every monsoon.

He also informed that the Central government has asked the state government to submit a comprehensive plan for the protection of both left and right banks as a single project.

China proposes to build dam over Siang River in Tibet, govt aware of threat: Arunachal CM

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North Tonawanda residents and environmental advocates on Thursday again urged New York State to take action against an Erie Avenue cryptomining site that has become a growing source of noise complaints and greenhouse gas emissions.

Representatives for the company behind the operation, a Canadian firm called Digihost, promised to create dozens of high-paying jobs and pioneer several new green-energy technologies when they first appeared before the North Tonawanda Common Council two years ago.

North Tonawanda welcomed Bitcoin miners. Some residents regret it Some residents say the Digihost cryptocurrency mine outside Buffalo has become a persistent nuisance and environmental hazard  overseen by a mysterious, out-of-town firm that has hired few local workers and shared little about its plans for the future.

Instead, Digihost has moved to power its fleet of specialized cryptomining computers by ramping up electricity production at a little-used natural-gas generating plant, The Buffalo News reported in August. That change could increase the plants carbon dioxide discharge by up to 290,000 metric tons per year  equivalent to the emissions from 66,000 motor vehicles.

Critics say the revival of the Fortistar plant flies in the face of New York States landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which mandated an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

During a Thursday morning press conference, they again called on the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Gov. Kathy Hochul to deny the plant a mandatory air pollution permit it needs to continue operating.

GHG emissions from burning fossil fuels, like the fracked gas being used at this facility, are a big contributor to global warming, said Deborah Gondek, a North Tonawanda resident and environmental advocate who opposes the Digihost operation. We dont want Bitcoin mining operations in North Tonawanda or in any other cities because of the harm to health and environment.

Environmentalists step up push against North Tonawanda cryptomining operation Opponents are calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Department of Environmental Conservation to deny renewal of an air permit for the Fortistar plant at 1070 Erie Ave. that Digihost bought earlier this year.

The DEC permitting process represents perhaps the last opportunity for Digihosts critics to scuttle the project. Residents and environmental advocates previously challenged the projects approval in two separate lawsuits, both of which were dismissed.

DEC officials have said they are reviewing the permit application and have not set a timeline for the agencys decision. But the DEC should move faster, advocates said, particularly given its June 2022 ruling against a similar cryptomining facility at the Greenridge Generation plant in the Finger Lakes, which cited an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

They have to follow the precedent that was set by Greenridge, said Liz Moran, the New York policy advocate for the national environmental group Earthjustice. The longer they wait, the longer the residents in North Tonawanda suffer.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, Digihosts neighbors have voiced concerns about the facilitys water use and complained about persistent noise from the industrial fans that cool the facilitys computers, even after the installation of a sound barrier.

One prospective North Tonawanda homeowner  a Wheatfield resident who planned to build a home on a new road near the plant  recently reversed course after learning about the noise concerns, Mayor Austin Tylec said.

Development opportunities, in the sense of residential properties along the street, he said, have kind of taken a pause right now.
New Delhi, September 8

A rgentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit going to be held on September 9-10.

Fernandez was received at the Delhi airport by the Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development Faggan Singh Kulaste.

Following the 15th BRICS summit, the five-member BRICS invited Argentina along with five other countries to join the alliance.

Argentina's envoy to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi praised India's role in the expansion of BRICS and said that "his country's inclusion in the group would not have been possible without India's support".

Moreover, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India-Argentina relations are cordial and encompass political, economic, scientific and technological cooperation including Antarctic research and cultural cooperation.

India and Argentina have always supported each other on major international issues as well as India?s candidature to various UN and multilateral bodies. Argentina has always expressed its gratitude, in particular, for India?s support to Argentina on, the sovereignty issue of the Malvinas Islands and, recently on the issue of sovereign debt servicing and holdout creditors.

India is geared up to host the G20 Leader's Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under India's presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both India's soft power as well as modern face.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

"Our G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow travellers in the Global South, whose voice often goes unheard," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last December.

Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez arrives in New Delhi to attend G20 Summit

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New Delhi, Sep 8

G lobal leaders must make it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has increased Moscow's global isolation and protect those whose lives have been devastated by his illegal war, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will say as he travels to India for the G20 Summit on Friday.

According to a release from the British High Commission, families both in Ukraine and across the world continue to suffer as a direct result of Putin's brutal invasion 18 months ago.

Russia has displaced 11 million people from their homes, manipulated global energy prices and made daily life more difficult for households across the planet.

In July, Putin demonstrated his indifference to the human consequences of his actions yet again when he withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Under this initiative, brokered in July 2022, ships carrying Ukrainian grain were freely able to transit from Black Sea ports without fear of attack.

The deal was providing a lifeline for millions of people around the world who depend on Ukrainian grain exports.

In its first year, the agreement enabled 33 million tonnes of food to reach those who needed it in 45 countries around the world.

Putin's decision to rip up the initiative has reduced global grain supply at a critical time for vulnerable people --when prices rise, the poorest pay.

Since July, Russia has also damaged or destroyed at least 26 civilian port facilities, warehouses, silos and grain elevators.

These attacks have directly reduced Ukraine's export capacity by one third and destroyed enough grain to feed more than 1 million people for an entire year.

On Saturday, G20 leaders will gather in Delhi to discuss the biggest challenges the world is facing, including the spike in the cost of living driven by Putin's actions.

For the second year in a row, the Russian President is not expected to attend.

At the Summit, the British Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world's most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin's war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy, says the British High Commission release.

The Prime Minister will say "Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality.

"The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction.

"That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putin's stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain."

Before Putin's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was the world's fifth largest wheat exporter, fourth largest corn exporter and third largest rapeseed exporter.

Grain ordinarily accounts for 41 per cent of Ukrainian export revenue, and almost two thirds of the grain exported by the country goes to the developing world.

Russia's sudden withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and the consequent spike in global food prices, will cost lives around the world -- further destabilising economies and putting people at risk of starvation.

The UK is spearheading efforts to help vulnerable people and economies deal with the impact of Putin's actions.

The Prime Minister will announce that the UK will convene an international food security summit in November.

Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, the event will bring together government representatives from across the world, including vulnerable countries, with international organisations, NGOs, researchers and private sector companies, to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Since pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia has declared that all ships transiting to Ukrainian Black Sea ports will be treated as military vessels -- irrespective of the cargo they are carrying.

It has acted upon this assessment by firing shots and boarding a cargo ship bound for one of Ukraine's Danube ports, action which may constitute a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

Alongside military efforts to deter Russian attacks, the UK will also contribute 3 million pounds in funding for the World Food Programme to continue work started under President Volodymyr Zelensky's 'Grain from Ukraine' initiative, which was established in November last year to send Ukrainian grain to countries whose people are suffering from the high global price of staple foods.

Sunak announces support to alleviate global impact of Putin's weaponisation ahead of G20

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New Delhi, September 8

T he national capital has started welcoming foreign delegates and leaders from all across the world for the G20 Summit. As a host nation, the Centre has taken special care of the arrangements and experiences of foreign dignitaries while they are in India.

For a unique experience for guests arriving at Bharat Mandapam, various exhibitions are being set up. These exhibits would showcase India's technological prowess and innovation and offer a multitude of unique experiences for foreign guests. The Global Summit will be held at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan on September 9 and 10.

Speaking of Indian tradition and culture, as part of the arrangement, a "Culture Corridor" has also been set up at the venue for the G20 guests, which will showcase a unique international project called 'Culture Corridor G20 Digital Museum'. The culture corridor will represent and celebrate the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries. It will incorporate iconic and notable cultural objects and the heritage of the G20 members and nine invitee countries.

This Culture Corridor will serve as a powerful platform for promoting understanding and appreciation of diverse cultural expressions, knowledge sharing, inclusivity, and equality, and fostering a sense of shared identity.

Digital India Experience Zone

The Digital India Experience Zone, being set up in Halls 4 and 14, will offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the power of technology being implemented by India firsthand. The Zone will provide key insights into the crucial initiatives of Digital India. Initiatives being showcased include Aadhaar, DigiLocker, UPI, eSanjeevani, DIKSHA, Bhashini, ONDC, and Ask GITA.

Ask GITA--Guidance, Inspiration, Transformation, and Action--combines the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita with cutting-edge AI technology. The Zone will also include MyGov, CoWIN, UMANG, JanDhan, e-NAM, GSTN, FastTag, and other such initiatives of the government.

RBI's Innovation Pavilion

The Reserve Bank of India will display cutting-edge financial technologies at the G20 Summit, showcasing their potential to revolutionise the financial landscape. It will include products demonstrating unique facets of India's innovation in the financial sector. These include Central Bank Digital Currency; the Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit, which uses technology to provide loans in a digitised, paperless manner; and unique payment system products such as UPI One World, Rupay on the Go, and cross-border bill payment through Bharat Bill Payments.

Payment system experience centre

UPI One World is UPI designed for inbound foreign travellers who do not have bank accounts in India. Foreign nationals can open a prepaid payment instrument linked to UPI to experience hassle-free and secure payments during their stay in India.

Delegates will be onboarded on UPI One World. Their wallets will be prefunded with Rs. 2000, which they can utilise as they desire.

Crafts Bazaar

A 'Crafts Bazaar' is being set up in Hall No. 3 at Bharat Mandapam. It will showcase handicraft products from different parts of India, with a special focus on One District, One Product and GI-tagged items. It will offer delegates the unique opportunity to purchase locally sourced products. Around 30 states and UTs, as well as central agencies like Khadi Village and Industries Commission, TRIFED, etc., will be participating in the Crafts Bazaar. To showcase the skills and exquisite workmanship of artisans, special live demonstrations by master craftsmen have also been planned.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is being hosted by India. Extensive preparations have been underway to portray India's tradition and strength.

The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU, and South Africa. Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, Russia, the U.A.E., Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey Spain, Germany, France, Mexico, the European Union, and Singapore.

Culture Corridor to Digital India: Bharat Mandapam's unique experience zones for G20 guests

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Los Angeles, Sep 8

A s Al Pacino's girlfriend Noor Alfallah had said to been separated, with Alfallah even applying for full custody of her child Roman, the statement however has been rebuked by one of the 83-year old actor' spokesmen, saying that they are still very much together, contrary to the rumours.

The spokesperson for 'The Godfather' actor has insisted that Al Pacino and Noor are still in a relationship and have reached a mutual agreement in regards to their son, Aceshowbiz reported.

The representative told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column, "Al and Noor have successfully worked together and have mutually reached agreements regarding their child, Roman. They are still together."

The claims of their breakup have been called into question, as neither of them have spoken publicly about their romance.

Meanwhile, they've been photographed together several times since first sparking romance rumours, including a July 2023 date night in Beverly Hills, California. The two wore matching black outfits as they stepped out for a night on the town.

In the paperwork -- which was filed in California and obtained by The Blast - Noor Alfallah had agreed to give Al Pacino joint legal custody of Roman, which would allow him to help make decisions on matters such as medical treatment, education, and religion.

Also included with the filing was a voluntary declaration of parentage which was signed by both of them six days after the birth of their son.

Roman -- who was born on June 6 at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles -- is the actor's fourth child. The actor is also father to three more children, 22-year-old twins Olivia and Anton Pacino with his former partner Beverly D'Angelo as well as Julie Pacino, 33, from his relationship with Jan Tarrant.

Prior to Roman's birth, the actor revealed he was looking forward to becoming a dad again and said having another child at this point in his life was "really special." In a video obtained by the 'Daily Mail' newspaper, he said, "It feels like it always will. It's very special, you know. I've got many kids. But this is really special coming at this time."

The 'Irishman' actor previously explained he "gets a lot" out of fatherhood and finds it "upsetting" not being involved in his children's lives.

He told The New Yorker in 2014, "I'm responsible to them. I'm a part of their life. When I'm not, it's upsetting to me and to them. So that's part of the gestalt. And I get a lot from it. It takes you out of yourself."

However, it has also been said for a while that the couple's romance was never going to last, given that Al Pacino is over 83 years old while Noor Alfallah is only 29, making their age difference a total of 54, which was too much to handle for anyone.

Al Pacino, Noor Alfallah still together despite Alfallah filing for legal custody of son

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New Delhi, September 8

B angladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit which is being hosted by India this year.

Sheikh Hasina was received by Darshana Jardosh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles and in Ministry of Railways at the Delhi Airport.

India and Bangladesh share bonds of history, language, culture, and a multitude of other commonalities. The partnership has strengthened, matured and evolved as a model for bilateral relations for the entire region and beyond.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in December 1971. India's links with Bangladesh are civilisational, cultural, social and economic.

Earlier Last month, India and Bangladesh held the fifth Annual Defence Dialogue on August 28 in Dhaka, where the two nations agreed to enhance their defence cooperation including increasing the bilateral exercises.

The two-day Joint Group of Customs meeting between India and Bangladesh was held in New Delhi where both sides discussed issues relating to customs cooperation and cross-border trade facilitation, the finance ministry informed in an official release.

On September 6 last year, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held bilateral talks to review and further strengthen the relationship between both countries at Hyderabad House.

After that, seven MoUs were signed between India and Bangladesh during the visit of Sheikh Hasina to India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to Bangladesh from 26 to 27 March 2021 to join as Guest of Honour at a troika of celebrations the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh; the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and; 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh, said a document release from MEA.

Apart from this, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar & Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina attended the inaugural session of the 6th Indian Ocean Conference in Dhaka on May 12, 2023.

India is hosting the G20 Leader's Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10.

The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

G20 India Summit: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina arrives in New Delhi

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Heading to G20 with clear focus: UK PM ahead of his arrival in India

London, September 8

U K Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said that he is heading to the G20 Summit set to be held under India's Presidency with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable.

Sharing a post on X, Sunak stated, "I'm heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that - Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine."

Rishi Sunak's remarks come ahead of his arrival in New Delhi for the G20 Summit which is due to be held in Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on September 9-10.

Sunak shared the post in response to a statement made by UK Prime Minister's Office on X which reads, "The war in Ukraine continues to affect us all. We're making sure food exports get out of Ukraine to countries that need it Establishing surveillance in the Black Sea Providing ?3m funding for the World Food Programme Convening an international food security summit."

UK Prime Minister's Office in a press release said that during the G20 summit Rishi Sunak would emphasise that global leaders must make it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has increased Russia's global isolation, and pledge to protect those whose lives have been devastated by the ongoing conflict.

According to the release G20 leaders will on Saturday gather in Delhi to discuss the big challenges faced by the world, including the spike in the cost of living driven by Putin's actions.

The press release said, "At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world's most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin's war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy."

"Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality" the release from the UK Prime Minister's office said.

"Russia has displaced 11 million people from their homes, manipulated global energy prices and made daily life more difficult for households across the planet" it added.

"The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction. That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putin's stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain" the statement added.

According to the press release, the UK will host an international food security summit later this year and increase support for vulnerable people worst hit by rising food prices. UK will also contribute ?3 million in funding for the World Food Programme to continue work started under President Zelenskyy's 'Grain from Ukraine' initiative.

Heading to G20 with clear focus: UK PM ahead of his arrival in India

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I am not here to issue scorecards: Jake Sullivan on question about fundamental freedoms in India

Washington, September 8

U S National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that President Joe Biden will speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for apart from discussing other issues of global import in his engagements on the sidelines of G20 Summit.

Interacting with the media on board Air Force One, Sullivan said he would not issue any scorecards in relation to fundamental freedoms.

"I can't characterize another leader's perspective, and I'm not here to issue scorecards. What President Biden said when he was standing at the State visit earlier this year and what he will say in every significant leader engagement is what he believes and what the United States believes and what an American president stands for," he said.

"That's our responsibility. That's what we do on behalf of our national values, who we are as a people, who we are as Americans. That's what we'll keep doing, and I'll leave the scorekeeping to others," he added.

He was answering a query related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in June this year and his assessment of fundamental values question in India following the joint media interaction of President Biden and PM Modi during the visit.

Sullivan said that the bilateral meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modi's visit to the United States".

"And we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well," he said.

Sullivan said the G20 meeting will be an opportunity to engage on significant issues facing major economies.

"As we head into the G20, we're looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we think are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world," he said.

"And that goes from climate, to energy security, to food security, to global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank reform initiative that President Biden has been working on. And so, we think this will be an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time," he added.

The US National Security Advisor said Chinese President Xi Jinping is not coming for the G20 Summit and "whether they would play spoiler and so forth, I'm not going to handicap what will happen at this summit in that regard".

"But I would point out that if you look at the hosts of the G20 over the next few years We have India this year, Brazil next year, South Africa the following year, and then the United States. And I think, along with those three countries -- India, Brazil, and South Africa -- the US has a deep stake in stewarding the G20 and making sure that it remains a central mechanism for global coordination on all the major challenges we face. And I think, over the course of the weekend, you'll see opportunities for us to reflect that," Sullivan said.

"Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements. And then, he'll look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend before we head off to Vietnam," he added.

The US President will arrive in India on Friday evening and will later have a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. The G20 summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.

I am not here to issue scorecards: Jake Sullivan on question about fundamental freedoms in India

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G20: Nataraja Statue at Bharat Mandapam now cover image of PM Modi on X

New Delhi, September 8

P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday changed the cover image of his social media platform- 'X' with the picture of the Nataraja statue at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the G20 summit in the national capital.

The G20 Summit, a highly anticipated event featuring top world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre complex, also known as Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan on September 9 and 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this complex on July 26 this year.

Earlier, the PM had a picture of himself in front of Parliament as his cover image.

Notably, the national capital has started welcoming foreign delegates and leaders from all across the world for the G20 Summit. As a host nation, the Centre has taken special care of the arrangements and experiences of foreign dignitaries while they are in India.

The G20 Summit being held in New Delhi under India's Presidency will draw the participation of the top leaders.

The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries-- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States-- and the European Union.

During the summit, the national capital will play host to US President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others.The authorities have beautified roads, footpaths, roundabouts, markets, flyovers, and public areas with over 1 lakh potted plants.

G20: Nataraja Statue at Bharat Mandapam now cover image of PM Modi on X

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New Delhi, September 8

J apanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida landed in India on Friday to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit scheduled to be held in the national capital.

At the airport, Kishida was received by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

At the G20 summit in India, Kishida plans to show Japan's stance of proactively contributing to various global issues, based on the results of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Japanese media reported.

"The agenda in India will include global food security, which has been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as development, digital transformation and other international issues," according to NHK.

Earlier this year, PM Modi met his Japanese counterpart in Hiroshima, where he attended the G7 Summit.

During the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Modi spoke with partner countries on subjects such as peace, stability and prosperity of a sustainable planet; food, fertiliser and energy security; health; gender equality; climate change and environment; resilient infrastructure; and development cooperation.

The cooperation between India and Japan continues to deepen over time as the two nations share historical linkages with exchanges between the two countries being traced to the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced in Japan.

As both nations deal with the challenges provided by an aggressive China in the Asian region, India's political ties to Japan have grown significantly over the past few decades.

The commitment of India and Japan to a free and open Indo-Pacific, boosting economic cooperation, and encouraging people-to-people interactions is highlighted by their most recent strategic discussion.

In the lead-up to both the G20 and G7 summits, the visit of Japanese PM Kishida to India in March bolstered further commitment between the two countries to work together for the realisation of a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific".

India and Japan have already developed various frameworks of security partnership including a '2+2' Dialogue involving Foreign and Defence ministers. The two countries regularly participate in joint military exercises such as the Malabar Exercise and have various partnership agreements ranging from defence equipment trade to military logistics.

Japan is India's 13th-largest trading partner, whereas India is Japan's 18th-largest. With Japan's private sector investment in India steadily increasing, it is among the top five foreign investors in India.

India and Japan's joint efforts to foster a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region demonstrate the strength and potential of their ever-strengthening relationship.

Japanese PM Kishida arrives in Delhi to attend G20 Leaders' Summit

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New Delhi, Sep 8

D elhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena will monitor security of the city from Raj Niwas during the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to kick off on Saturday.

The L-G will keep a close eye on the security situation in the city and will be in constant touch with the Command Room of the state-to-art Control Room of the Delhi Police at PHQ (Police Headquarters), as per a communique issued by his office.

"Saxena will remain in touch with the Police Commissioner, and will keep an eye on every road and hotel detailed for G20 requirements, apart from taking live stock of the development in the City, through the hi-tech gadgets installed at the Control Room," it said.

The L-G, who had recently visited the control room, held detailed discussion with the Delhi Police Commissioner on the nitty-gritty of the deployment of personnel and also the high-tech security measures undertaken to keep hawk's eye over the entire city.

During his visit, he was briefed that live visuals would be captured by more than 5,000 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city.

"Two teams comprising 25 security personnel will be monitoring in different shifts, the digital information being beamed into the control room, round the clock. The control room is getting district wise visuals and a special command room has been set up for 30 senior police officials to monitor the minutest of developments in the City and its roads," the statement said.

Besides the normal sized monitors, two giant screens, in which the images can be magnified have been also installed at the control room.

The Police Commissioner apprised the L-G that information is being received from each district round the clock and there have been full deployment of the police personnel.

Saxena, who also visited the areas to be used by the delegates, especially enquired about the security arrangements in the highly sensitive places.

Besides the VVIP areas, high resolution CCTVs have also been installed in sensitive parts of the city which in the past have been the nerve centre of mischief, the statement said.

G20 Summit: Delhi L-G to monitor security of city from Raj Niwas

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A novel approach

Move over, John le Carre.

Former Amherst Town Clerk Jeffery Zeplowitz has written his own spy novel.

Greek Games, available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon, is largely set in Amherst and Buffalo in the 1980s, with scenes at Buffalo State College and Amherst Town Hall.

In Amherst, New York, known as the safest city in America ... strange things are happening, reads the teaser.

The book also stretches across Manhattan and West Hollywood, along with World War II-era Poland and Sweden.

Based on amazing true events, Greek Games tells the story of a member of a fraternity located at a small state college in Buffalo and a spy, code name Cyclops, who sorts through clues in her search for two former members of the German High Command, now fugitive Nazi war criminals, Zeplowitz said in a news release.

Central character Benjamin Benny Cohen is not completely based on Zeplowitz, but, he told us, Theres definitely parts of me in that character.

He said he spent several years writing the thriller.

Nights. Weekends. Days off, he said, in between family responsibilities and his work as vice president at Barry Zeplowitz & Associates, his fathers polling and market research firm.

He warns there is explicit content, along the lines of an R-rated movie.

It sells for $1.95 on Amazon. Zeplowitz said nine people pre-ordered the e-book in late August, before he started publicizing it, including his father.

I dont think he even owns a Kindle, Zeplowitz said, laughing.

 Stephen T. Watson

The new normal

Leaders of Buffalo Place, the downtown business improvement district, came to an interesting conclusion last week about the changing dynamics of todays workplace.

And theyre not happy with it.

Thursday has become the new Friday, said Keith Belanger, chairman of the nonprofit organization that runs the district, and a senior executive at M&T Bank Corp. When people leave on Thursday, they say, see you next week. Its so discouraging.

Of course, his colleagues on the board couldnt resist the opening.

Only at M&T, developer Rocco Termini chimed in.

A few minutes later, fellow developer Paul Ciminelli had a piercing question about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is relocating its regional headquarters to downtown Buffalo, inside the district.

Do they work five days a week? Ciminelli asked.

To which, Carl Paladino retorted, Theyre not like M&T.

Oof, thats twice, Termini responded.

Tough crowd.

 Jonathan D. Epstein

A solid bee

WIVB-TV (Channel 4) anchor Jacquie Walker reported that she thinks she had a career first this week after 40 years at the station.

She was stung by a bee in the studio during the 5:30 p.m. newscast Tuesday. She told viewers she was watching it swell up as she introduced meteorologist Todd Santos weather report.

As everyone trying to eat outside at a restaurant recently knows, this is bee season in Western New York.

Walkers husband, Mike Beato, said Thursday morning that she is OK, but added that the site of the sting still is very itchy.
New Delhi, September 8

A s New Delhi gears up to host the G20 summit, the area close to Jama Masjid has been decorated with flowers creating 'tricolour', and with bright umbrellas.

The area around Jama Masjid is decorated with the G20 logo, and banners, with the slogans of 'Proud to be celebrating India's G20 presidency'. The theme for this year's Summit is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' - One Earth, One Family, One Future.

Jama Masjid was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and the 17th-century mosque is located in the Old Delhi area.

The capital has been adorned with radiant murals, graffiti, painted walls and sculptures, ahead of the global summit.

The authorities have beautified roads, footpaths, roundabouts, markets, flyovers, and public areas with over 1 lakh potted plants.

Over 3 thousand trees and an impressive 9 lakh saplings have been planted across New Delhi.

The G20 Summit to be held on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi under India's Presidency will draw the participation of the top leaders.

The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries-- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States-- and the European Union.

The summit will be hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan.

G20 Summit: Jama Masjid area decorated with flowers, bright umbrellas

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in New Delhi to attend G20 Summit

New Delhi, September 8

S outh African President Cyril Ramaphosa received a rousing welcome as he arrived in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit hosted by India this year.

He was received by Union Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Raosaheb Patil Danve. India and South Africa established a strategic partnership in March 1997.

A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded between the two countries since the assumption of diplomatic relations in 1993 in diverse areas ranging from economic and commercial cooperation, defence, culture, health, human settlements, public administration and science and technology, according to the Ministry of External Affairs .

India's Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme has been a useful medium for promoting cooperation in the development of human resources.

Both countries are observing 25 years of Strategic Partnership in 2023 and 30 years since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with South Africa.

Earlier last month, PM Narendra Modi attended the 15th BRICS Summit held under the Presidency of South Africa in Johannesburg.

The 11th Session of India-South Africa Foreign Office Consultations was held on August 3 in New Delhi. The Consultations were co-chaired by Puneet R. Kundal, JS, Ministry of External Affairs and Ntombizodwa Msutukazi Lallie, Acting Deputy Director-General Asia and Middle East, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa.

During the consultations, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade which touched USD 17 billion in 2021-22 and agreed on the importance of further diversifying their trade.

The G20 Summit to be held over the weekend in Delhi will see participation by over 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in New Delhi to attend G20 Summit

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New Delhi, September 8

O man Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said on Friday arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit set to be held under India's Presidency on September 9-10.

Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Oman Deputy PM at the airport. A group of dancers performed a traditional Indian dance to welcome Oman Deputy PM.

India is hosting the G20 Leader's Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders' declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders' commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

Oman is a strategic partner of India and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League, and Indian Ocean Rim Association fora. India and Oman are linked by geography, history, and culture and enjoy warm and cordial relations.

India and Oman diplomatic relations were established in 1955, and the relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2008. As a mark of this special friendship, India has extended an invitation to the sultanate of Oman to participate in the G20 Summit and meetings as a guest country during India's Presidency in 2023.

In June, the National Security Adviser Ajit Doval paid an official visit to Oman. In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Oman while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Oman in 2019.

Meanwhile, Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi visited India in March 2022, and Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion visited India in May 2022.

On May 12, 2022, a meeting of the India-Oman Joint Business Council was jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Oman Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Saidarrives in Delhi to attend G20 Summit

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives in New Delhi for G20 Summit

New Delhi, September 8

S outh Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday arrived in India to attend to G20 Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9, 10.

He was received by Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India."

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

Meanwhile, India-Republic of Korea relations have made great strides in recent years and have become truly multidimensional, spurred by a significant convergence of interests, mutual goodwill and high-level exchanges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held a bilateral meeting with South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol in Japan's Hiroshima, and discussed ways to further strengthen the ties between the two countries as India-South Korea are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations this year.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues including trade and defence ties between the two nations.

PM Modi and Yoon Suk Yeol also agreed to deepen cooperation in trade and investment, high technology, IT hardware manufacturing, defence, semiconductor, and culture. They also held discussions on India's G20 presidency and South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy.

The Prime Minister's Office said that the meeting between the two leaders was productive and both nations share a warm friendship.

"PM @narendramodi had a productive meeting with @President_KR Yoon Suk Yeol. India and the Republic of Korea share a warm friendship and deep rooted cultural linkages. Today's talks focused on ways to further cement this friendship in key developmental sectors," the PMO tweeted.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives in New Delhi for G20 Summit

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New Delhi, September 8

B ritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said G20 has been a huge success for India and it is the "right country at the right time to be hosting this".

The UK PM said that he will make sure that G20 under India's presidency achieves success.

"I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Modi and making sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally," he said.

"G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this.I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made," the British Prime Minister added while highlighting that the coming two days will witness hectic deliberations.

Emphasizing that various issues are on agenda at the G20 under India's leadership. He said "I'm confident that we'll make very good progress on a range of different issues."

Referring to the theme of the 18th G20 Summit "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "One Earth, One Family, One Future", UK PM Sunak said "I think it's a great theme. I am an example of the incredible living bridge that Prime Minister Modi described between UK and India."

Mentioning on the progress to be made on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, Sunak said, "Well I think the bilateral relationship is in good health and Prime Minister Modi and I are keen to deepen and broaden our relationship. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that which is why it remains our priority and as I said there is hard work to go. But I hope we can conclude a successful FTA.

Meanwhile, India and UK have held 12 rounds of talks for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement . It was held on August 8-31, and was conducted in a hybrid fashion. A number of UK officials travelled to Delhi for negotiations and others attended virtually.

The thirteenth round of negotiations is due to take place in September.

The India-UK bilateral trading relationship was worth Pound 34 billion in 2022, growing by Pound 10 billion in one year, according to official UK government statistics.

The British Prime Minister said almost two million people of Indian origin live in the UK. "So, it's very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family is from," he said.

Sunak arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty.

Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Sunak and his wife at the airport.

A group of dancers performed a traditional dance to welcome Sunak and his wife. It is Rishi Sunak's first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed office in October last year.

Ahead of his arrival in Delhi, Rishi Sunak said that he is heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable.

"I'm heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that - Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Sunak said in a post on X.

"At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world's most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin's war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy," UK Prime Minister's Office said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year and discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement and the talks started in 2022.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction.

"It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India," Kwatra said.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

One of the takeaways of India's G20 presidency is the revolutionization of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday.

G20 has been a huge success for India: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

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PM Modi holds bilateral meeting with Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi

New Delhi, September 8

P rime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday ahead of the G20 Summit.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit which is being hosted by India this year.

Sheikh Hasina was received by Darshana Jardosh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles and in Ministry of Railways at the Delhi Airport.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi also held bilateral meeing with his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday.

As the global leaders have begun to arrive in India to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he looks forward to the three bilateral meetings scheduled at his residence.

India and Bangladesh share bonds of history, language, culture, and a multitude of other commonalities. The partnership has strengthened, matured and evolved as a model for bilateral relations for the entire region and beyond.

Earlier Last month, India and Bangladesh held the fifth Annual Defence Dialogue on August 28 in Dhaka, where the two nations agreed to enhance their defence cooperation including increasing the bilateral exercises.

The two-day Joint Group of Customs meeting between India and Bangladesh was held in New Delhi where both sides discussed issues relating to customs cooperation and cross-border trade facilitation, the finance ministry informed in an official release.

The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in India.

The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

PM Modi holds bilateral meeting with Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi

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New Delhi, Sep 8

P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held bilateral discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina at his residence, and described the talks as "productive".

Hasina, who arrived in New Delhi earlier on Friday as a special invitee to the G20 summit, held wide-ranging discussions with Modi.

"Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last 9 years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more," Modi said on X after the meeting.

Several important bilateral issues are expected to be discussed between both the leaders, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen had told mediapersons on Thursday in Dhaka.

Three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in agricultural research, cultural exchange programmes, easing transactions between Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee are expected to be signed before the bilateral meeting, he was quoted as saying by Bangladeshi media.

Modi holds bilateral talks with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

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New Delhi, Sep 8

P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday wished Spanish President Pedro Sanchez a speedy recovery, after he tested positive for Coronavirus and expressed his inability to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi, which is scheduled to start from Saturday.

"Praying for your good health and speedy recovery @sanchezcastejon. We shall miss your insightful views during the upcoming G20 Summit. At the same time, a warm welcome to the Spanish delegation which has come to India," Modi posted on X.

He was responding to a post by Sanchez, where he informed that he would not be able to attend the G20 summit as he had tested positive for Coronavirus.

Sanchez went on to add that though he was feeling fine, he would be represented by his first vice president and minister of economic affairs and minister for foreign affairs at the summit.

Spain, the world's 15th largest economy, is currently a permanent invitee to the G20.

Modi wishes Spanish Prez speedy recovery after he tests Covid positive, expresses inability to attend G20 summit

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G20 summit: Biden lands in India, to hold bilateral talks with Modi on Friday

New Delhi, Sep 8

T he US president Joe Biden on Friday evening arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 summit.

He was received by Minister V K Singh at the airport.

Biden will directly head for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence.

During the bilateral meeting, both the leaders are likely to discuss a number of issues, including a deal for fighter jet engines, the procurement of predator drones, and collaboration on critical and emerging technologies like 5G and 6G networks, as per reports.

Earlier today, prior to his departure for New Delhi, Biden had posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "every time we (the G20) engage, we get better. I'm headed to the G20 - the premier forum for international economic cooperation... focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver."

Biden, 80, had tested negative for COVID-19 before his departure.

He will be following the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India and his trip to Vietnam, the White House had said.

The announcement earlier this week came after First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on September 4.

G20 summit: Biden lands in India, to hold bilateral talks with Modi on Friday

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Not for me to tell India what position to take on Ukraine war: UK PM Rishi Sunak

New Delhi, September 8

U K Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said that India respects the rule of law and it was not his position to advise it on what position to take on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Well, it's not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues. But I know India rightly cares about the international rule of law, the UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity. I think those are things that are universal values that we all share. Those are things that I believe and India I know believes in those things too" Sunak said.

India's position has been that Russia needs to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.

The British Prime Minister arrived in New Delhi today for the two-day G20 Summit, which begins here on Saturday. In an interview with ANI, the UK Prime Minister said that he was looking to highlight the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the summit.

"When it comes to Ukraine and Russia in conflict one thing I will be doing is highlighting the devastating impact that Russia's illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world, particularly on food prices. Russia recently pulled out of a grain deal that was shipping grain from Ukraine to many poor countries around the world and now you've seen food prices have gone up. That is causing suffering for millions of people, Sunak said.

"It's not right, and one of the things I'll be doing is making people aware of that impact of Russia's illegal war" the UK Prime Minister said.

Russia had this July said that it was terminating its participation in a deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain. The agreement was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 and permitted Ukrainian ships to get around a Russian blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports and safely navigate the waterway to Turkey's Bosphorus Strait in order to access international markets.

Meanwhile, Russia is being represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will be attending the summit on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

When asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict casting a possible shadow on the outcome of the meeting of the Group of 20 Developed Economies, the UK Prime Minister Sunak said that he believed that the G20 under India's presidency would make "good progress."

"I think there will be many things that we will be discussing here at the G20 under India's leadership, and I am confident that we will make very good progress on a range of different issues," Sunak said.

"I think G-20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this and I feel we're going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made," said the UK Prime Minister.

Not for me to tell India what position to take on Ukraine war: UK PM Rishi Sunak

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News / Local

by Staff reporter

African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula has forced the OR Tambo School of Leadership to halt a mooted public lecture with Ibbo Mandaza, a Zimbabwean academic who is not afraid to criticise the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF).The school, which was set up to academically empower ANC members on subjects like history and modern politics, was set to host Mandaza on Thursday this week.However, Mbalula wrote to the principal of the school, Dr David Masondo and informed him of the cancellation. It appears, according to the letter, Mbalula first discussed the matter with Masondo over the phone.In the letter dated September 5, Mbalula also copied former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe who is the chairperson of the board of the school to inform him of the decision.The lecture was to be held under the theme: "The state of democracy in the SADC region: A reflection on the national elections of Zimbabwe".Mbalula said while they appreciate the school and its work of promoting vigorous debates within its ranks, it has to accept that it is linked to the ANC."Furthermore, the lecture is billed as a collaborative effort between the School and the ANC Johannesburg region."This clearly constitutes an ANC platform," Mbalula wrote.He added that at the present moment, the ANC is closely monitoring the political situation in Zimbabwe, a country that has been on a downward spiral since the year 2000 when war veterans invaded and took over white-owned farms by force."At the moment the leadership of the ANC is engaged in a number of delicate engagements regarding the situation in Zimbabwe."In this context, a public lecture, at this time, on what is clearly an ANC platform, would complicate these initiatives."It is in this context that we have requested that the lecture should not proceed on Thursday, September 7," he added.It was not yet clear whether the school had acceded to the demand or not.Mbalula was on Monday in Zimbabwe with other ANC leaders to attend the contested inauguration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose election was, according to some elections observer reports, marred by irregularities.President Cyril Ramaphosa also attended the inauguration in his capacity as the head of the South African state, and not as the leader of the ANC, which has ties to Zanu-PF.
Chongqing- Chongqing is the bustling metropolis that marks the connection point of the Belt and Road and Yangtze River Economic Belt. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, starting the process of BRI cooperation. Chongqing, a vital hub for the Belt and Road, has gained fruitful achievements.

Chongqing has several cross-border corridors. One of the prominent routes is the China Railway Express to Europe (Chengdu and Chongqing), which starts from our Chongqing Western International Logistics Hub Park, crosses the border in Xinjiang, and passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, and reaches Duisburg, Germany, with a total length of about 11,000 kilometers. The journey takes only 13 days, the transport price is 1/5 of aviation, and the running time is 1/4 of maritime transport. From January to May this year, the number of China Railway Express to Europe (Chengdu and Chongqing) reached 2,319, an increase of 52% year-on-year.

Based on land transportation, Chongqing has also innovated and designed new models, such as rail-sea intermodal transport, further expanding the International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) to 393 ports in 119 countries and regions worldwide. Its becoming a successful regional strategy under the BRI. From here, a network of trading routes extends across continents, forging new connectivity paths and revolutionizing global trade.

The BRI also profoundly impacts the lives of people in participating nations. Take Vietnam as an example. It has become Chongqing's largest trading partner in ASEAN countries. Vietnamese logistics enterprises hope to supply goods to South, West, and Central Asia through Chongqing as a hub to explore more international markets.

Another achievement of Chongqing is that the loans and financing are now more secure. The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI) has greatly enhanced the opening up of Chongqing's financial sector to the world by promoting a series of financial openness and innovation policies. By the end of 2022, cross-border financing under the CCI exceeded US$18.5 billion, more than ten times more than the pre-Chinese-Singapore cooperation.

Over the past ten years, the achievements have also included policy communication, cooperation in science and technology, education, cultural tourism, health, etc. Chongqing's active participation has brought prosperity not only to the city itself but also to communities outside of China. It has played a crucial role in the growth and well-being of nations along the Belt and Road. We are building bridges, connecting nations, and shaping a brighter future for all.


News / Local

by Staff reporter

A Bulawayo-based pastor who is also founder of Anchor of Christ International Ministries is in hot soup after he was dragged to court by his estranged wife over maintenance arrears.Pastor Decide Chauke was dragged to maintenance court last week by his estranged wife Caroline Chauke demanding US$100 being arrears from the US$350 he was ordered to pay by the court for the upkeep of their two minor children aged 9 and 11.This was after he paid US$250 instead of US$350.This was also after his estranged wife made strenuous efforts to engage him but without success.He was arguing that he spent the entire month of August with their two children.He appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Makelo Ncube and in his defence he argued saying there was no reason to pay it since he spent the entire August holiday with their children.However, the magistrate cautioned him for violating the court order before she ordered him to pay that balance of US$100 within seven days.Chauke was initially dragged to court in May this year after he failed to cater for their minor children and deserted home to stay at their church premises in Bulawayo's Romney Park suburb.His estranged wife applied for US$500 for the upkeep of their children before Chauke disputed the claim saying it was "too much" since he was not employed.He was however, ordered to pay US$350 being US$100 to each child and US$150 to his estranged wife for a period of 18 months or until she secures a job.The court also ordered him to pay for the children's school fees and uniforms and to buy clothes for their children after every six months until they attain the legal age of majority.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun, with gusty winds developing this afternoon. High 38F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 25F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
News / National

by Staff reporter

AN imbiber's outing with his lover turned horribly wrong when he was bashed and robbed by two unidentified men who also forced his lover to lie down before they demanded him to perform a sex act on her while they watched.The incident which happened this week on Tuesday at around 11.30 pm and was reported to the police occurred while Linos Sibanda (32) and his lover were on their way home from a city night spot.A source close to the incident said Sibanda from Entumbane suburb and his lover met their fate when they left a night spot which is situated along Fife Street between 2nd and 3rd avenues.While they were heading to 6th Avenue to look for transport to ferry them home things turned bad for them when they met two unidentified men."The two men were armed with a knife and hammer. They confronted them (Sibanda and his lover) and told them to stop and surrender all the money and items in their possession. While Sibanda was trying to reason with them they slapped him once on the face causing him to bleed," said the source.The worst was yet to come for Sibanda when they ordered his girlfriend to lie on the ground before they ordered him to perform a sex act on her while they watched, the source said.While he was busy performing the sex movements they slapped him on the back and demanded money."He then surrendered R800, his black leather jacket and a belt before they ran away. After a few minutes they rose and headed to Bulawayo Central Police Station where they reported the incident."Police attended the scene and they have since launched a manhunt for the two suspects," said the source.
It can be hard to know that you have glaucoma. In a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg, almost five percent of 70-year-olds were found to have glaucoma, and half of those diagnosed were unaware that they had the disease.

Glaucoma is a common eye disease that damages the optic nerve and thereby the field of vision. In the most serious cases, glaucoma can lead to blindness.

The research was carried out by Lena Havstam Johansson, a PhD student at the University of Gothenburg and a specialist nurse at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The study shows that 4.8% of the 560 study participants examined by eye specialists had glaucoma.

Of those who were diagnosed with glaucoma via the study, 15 people - or 2.7% of all participants - were unaware that they had the disease before being examined. So half of those who turned out to have glaucoma were diagnosed because they took part in the study." Lena Havstam Johansson, PhD student, University of Gothenburg

For those who were newly diagnosed, the discovery of the disease meant they could start treatment with daily eye drops that lower the pressure in the eye and slowing down the damage to the optic nerve.

Reduced vision affects daily life

Compared to people without the disease those with glaucoma had similar levels of physical activity and did not smoke more, or drink more alcohol. They rated their overall quality of life as being just as good as others, they were not more tired or more depressed.

"This was a positive surprise, and was a finding that I hope can bring comfort to many people who have been diagnosed with glaucoma. It's hard to live with a disease that gradually impairs vision, but life can still be good in many ways."

By contrast, people with glaucoma reported that their vision-related quality of life was poorer.

"It's harder to climb stairs, see curbs in the evening, and notice things in your peripheral vision. This means that people with glaucoma may avoid visiting others, or going to restaurants or parties, and instead stay at home. They lose their independence, and may feel frustrated about it."

Around a thousand 70-year-olds

The research was carried out as part of the H70 study, examining the health of older people, which has been conducted at the University of Gothenburg for fifty years. The H70 study continuously invites all 70-year-olds born in a certain year in Gothenburg to attend several comprehensive physical and cognitive examinations. The 1,203 70-year-olds included in the glaucoma study were born in 1944. For these studies, almost everyone (1,182 people) answered written questions about their eye health and the presence of glaucoma in their family. Eye specialists at Sahlgrenska University Hospital also examined 560 of the participants.

The research confirms that there are hereditary factors behind the disease, as those diagnosed with glaucoma were more likely to have a close relative with the same diagnosis. The results also confirm that glaucoma involves higher eye pressure, although they also show that the majority of those who were newly diagnosed (67%) still had normal eye pressure.

During the early stages of the disease, the healthy eye can compensate for the loss of vision, meaning that many people believe their vision is as good as before. These studies confirm that glaucoma often does not initially involve a loss of visual acuity, which may make it harder to detect the disease.

The results have been published in two articles in the journal Acta Ophthalmologica.
A new fund to fast-track patient access to potentially valuable new medicines may incentivize the pharmaceutical industry to develop high-priced drugs for rare diseases with weak evidence on clinical benefits.

Health economics and policy academics from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, warn that if the NHS England Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF) is not implemented appropriately, it risks disincentivizing the generation of essential evidence and could shift the financial burden from the pharmaceutical industry to the public finances.

The IMF operates on similar terms to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), with a fixed annual budget of 340 million, equal to the CDF. Lead author Dr Aris Angelis, Assistant Professor in Health Economics at the Department of Health Services Research and Policy at LSHTM, said: "While we are broadly supportive of the eight guiding principles of the IMF, we believe their operationalization is described in insufficient detail and without fully leveraging the CDF experience."

The authors say the value of the CDF to society remains unproven, with concerns about lack of transparency in the cost of drugs and the time period during which they remain under the CDF scheme.

The authors also question why the CDF and IMF schemes, also known as 'managed access' schemes, should only exist for medicines and no other types of interventions. "The need to consider non-medical interventions is particularly relevant in disease areas such as cancer, for which access to high-quality radiation and surgical treatment are critical to improving outcomes," said co-author Dr Ajay Aggarwal, Associate Professor at LSHTM and clinical oncologist.

Another concern the authors highlight is the entry criteria for the 'most promising' medicines into the IMF, which, they say, 'are currently critically lacking in detail.'

If the IMF is to successfully foster early access to clinically effective, safe and cost-effective medicines, say the authors, its operational details and mechanisms in place need to be carefully designed.

Dr Angelis explained: "The IMF, like the CDF, should be an exceptional route to patient access while providing the requisite evidence, mainly from randomized controlled trials, for reducing uncertainty about a drug's clinical and cost-effectiveness."

The authors also say the notion of opportunity cost must not be ignored.

IMF funding could always be used for other health services and technologies with strong evidence on effectiveness and value-for-money which could improve overall population health." Andrew Briggs, Professor of Health Economics at LSHTM
In a recent study published in EClinicalMedicine, researchers determined the dose-response association between alcohol consumption and the risk of hospital visits due to alcohol consumption-related unintentional injuries among Danish adolescents.

Study: Associations between alcohol intake and hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in 71,025 Danish adolescents  a prospective cohort study. Image Credit: zeljkodan/Shutterstock.com

Background

Over 4 million deaths were attributed to injuries in 2019, representing 11% of the total loss of healthy life. Among those aged 10-24, unintentional injuries, frequently associated with alcohol, were a second major cause of mortality and disability.

Despite its dangers, binge drinking is popular among Western youth, placing them at risk of self-harm, violence, and unintentional injuries, as alcohol is known to cause loss of balance, impaired motor skills, and increased risky behaviors.

Past studies suggest alcohol increases the odds of self-reported injuries, but biases exist in these reports. While adults grapple with long-term alcohol risks, adolescents face immediate dangers.

In Denmark, where heavy drinking is prevalent in youth, the precise risk from regular alcohol consumption remains unclear, necessitating further research.

About the study

The present study cohort included 71,025 teenagers from Danish high schools; their data were collected from the Danish National Youth Study 2014 (DNYS), and they were followed up from 2014 to 2019. DNYS is a web-based survey conducted at various educational institutions in Denmark in 2014, targeting students aged 15 to 25.

The researchers used the Danish National Patient Register (NPR) to track hospital contacts for five years after the initial survey. The NPR maintains records of all interactions with public hospitals in Denmark.

In Denmark's welfare society, hospitals must document reasons for any patient contact due to injuries, intentional or not. Students younger than 15 and older than 24 were excluded from the study.

The study's key predictor was weekly alcohol consumption, with students grouped based on their average weekly intake and a "standard drink" containing 12 grams of pure alcohol. The primary outcomes investigated were alcohol-related hospital contacts and unintentional injuries, including head injuries.

The study used statistical tools to evaluate the association between alcohol intake and injury risk, considering factors like age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and more.

Results

The median age of the participants was 17.9 years, with females making up 58.9%. A significant proportion (41%) of the students were in their initial study year, while 93.5% attended high school; 90% of the students identified as Danish.

Approximately 90% of the participants reported drinking alcohol, and 10.5% had never consumed alcohol. Men reported a median weekly alcohol intake of 11 drinks, while for women, it was eight drinks. Consumption patterns showed that most students either drank less than seven drinks (36.0%) or between seven and 13 drinks (30.0%) weekly.

In the year after the baseline, the first-time hospital visits due to alcohol-related complications were 3.85 per 1,000 person-years for males and 3.41 for females, consistent across age groups.

During the five years of follow-up, 901 participants (1.3%) were hospitalized due to alcohol intake, primarily for acute intoxication. Notably, in the first year from baseline, the population-attributable risk for unintentional injuries was 14% (886) in the study cohort.

There was a pronounced correlation between alcohol intake and hospital visits. Hospital contact risks surged, particularly for those consuming 0-7 weekly drinks, and for every ten additional drinks per week, the risks escalated sharply.

Almost one-third of the participants experienced unintentional injuries over the five-year follow-up period, with males (31%) more affected than females (24%).

The predominant injuries were to the wrist and hand, ankle and foot, and head, with higher alcohol intake escalating the risks of unintentional injuries.

The study also spotlighted a significant correlation between alcohol consumption and head injuries, particularly intracranial ones, which accounted for 15.9% of all head injuries.

One in eight injuries was head injuries, the third most common injury (12.4%). Head injury risks became notably significant, with weekly intakes surpassing 14 drinks.

Conclusions

To summarize, the present study among a large cohort of 71,025 Danish youth provided crucial insights into a dose-response relationship between alcohol consumption and unintentional injuries leading to hospital contacts.

The findings showed increased weekly alcohol consumption is linked to a higher risk of hospital visits due to alcohol-induced incidents and unintentional injuries.

The data revealed that 90% of Danish adolescents drank alcohol, averaging ten drinks weekly, and they exceeded European averages in both alcohol consumption and intoxication rates.

The researchers found no safe lower limit of alcohol intake in this vulnerable study population. Interestingly, both genders displayed similar alcohol intake-related injury risk rates.

Previous studies support these findings; however, this study's unique data from hospital registers underscore the need for urgent preventive measures and offer a robust framework for future research.

The authors emphasized that even moderate alcohol consumption can cause significant harm to youth, and policymakers must leverage these insights when crafting youth-centric health strategies and public health interventions.
Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) and the IAEA have signed a partnership agreement to jointly pursue common interests, including making advanced cancer treatment available to more patients. The agreement was signed on Monday, August 28 at Elektas headquarters in Stockholm during a three-day visit to Sweden by Dr. Grossi and IAEA representatives.



The purpose of this partnership is to improve cancer treatment with the intent to close the gap in access to radiation therapy around the world. This closer collaboration will enable a continuous dialogue and knowledge sharing in the coordination and implementation of joint efforts. Specifically, it will address low- and middle-income countries and include awareness raising activities, the development of training resources, as well as the use of digital tools to improve treatment quality and facilitate research.



The organizations share a common vision with the IAEAs Rays of Hope program and Elektas ACCESS 2025 strategy. Each of these supports the UNs Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), Indicator 3.4, to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one third.



Dr. Laurent Leksell said: Close to 20 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year and this is expected to increase. Elekta and the IAEA have had a long-standing relationship committed to reducing this grim statistic by enhancing access to cancer care in developing countries. Together, we will be able accelerate our efforts and make a greater impact on the lives of people with cancer, especially in underserved countries.



Dr. Rafael Mariano Grossi added: We must all work together to tackle a growing cancer burden around the world, especially in developing countries with little or no access to essential medical services required for this disease. Under its Rays of Hope initiative, the IAEA is intensifying its activities to bring cancer care to those that need it the most. Joining forces with key stakeholders in both the public and private sectors will help leverage our efforts and save countless lives. I am very proud that the IAEA is collaborating with Elekta in our shared aim to improve access to radiotherapy in countries where it is urgently needed.



Under the new partnership agreement, Elekta and the IAEA are seeking to expand previous cooperation, which, to date, has included the facilitation of training as well as the provision of radiation therapy solutions, such as linear accelerators, brachytherapy treatment equipment, treatment planning workstations and related software, in several IAEA Member States.
More than 50% of Australians living in residential aged care facilities have a dementia diagnosis, with aged care services around the world preparing for the number of older people aged 65 years and above to double in the next 30 years.

For the first time, experts at the Caring Futures Institute at South Australia's Flinders University are using innovative eye-tracking technology to ensure that the voices of all older people are heard to drive positive and effective change in keeping with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety's call to re-assess the quality of aged care in Australia.

The Flinders University research group been instrumental in forging significant progress within the aged care sector by developing two new validated quality assessment tools  the Quality of Life-Aged Care Consumers (QOL-ACC) and the Quality of Care Experience-Aged Care Consumers (QCE-ACC)  which are available and being used throughout the sector.

Now, the eye-tracking technology with older people living with dementia in residential aged care facilities will improve the online assessment tools to enable wider collection of self-reported quality of care and quality of life information from older people themselves, says Matthew Flinders senior research fellow Dr Rachel Milte of new article published in Quality of Life Research.

"Older adults living with a diagnosis of dementia in residential care can find it challenging to respond to traditional text based questionnaires to rate the quality of life and quality of care they receive.

"By using eye-tracking technology we can collect crucial information about how older people with dementia read and respond to questionnaires, helping to understand how we can better design and adapt these for their needs."

In the study, researchers asked 41 residents ranging from 'no' to 'mild or moderate' cognitive impairment to complete a simple quality-of-life survey while sitting at a computer installed with eye-tracking technology.

In real time, the technology records where participants focus their eye gaze while completing the questionnaire, the text they read and don't read, and parts of the questionnaire they spend the most time looking at.

"This information helps us to design questionnaires which are easier for older people to complete, as well as understand whether they are reading all the key information to give high quality data for use in assessing quality of care in residential aged care homes."

Dr Milte and her colleague Dr Jyoti Khadka are now expanding this research program with funding from an Australian Association of Gerontology Strategic Innovation Grant.

The next project will focus on maximizing self-completion of questionnaires and reduce the need to rely on proxy assessments by family members or close friends, which will support the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program." Dr Jyoti Khadka, Flinders University

"To have an aged care system which truly meets the expectations of all Australians, we need to understand the quality of care of all older people from their own perspectives. This includes people with dementia," he says.

"We know from research in the disability sector and aphasia (language disorder) research that people with communication difficulties can self-report their own quality of life, if instruments are tailored to their needs and abilities," he says.

The research will draw together information from diverse research areas including accessible communication, aged care research and health economics and bring it together for the first time to develop quality assessment tools which support the inclusion of self-reported quality of life and quality of care data from people living with dementia.

These accessible communication tools will be designed to be applied alongside traditional text based questionnaires to enable a broad understanding of the quality of care experienced by older people in residential aged care.

"Ultimately, the new tools will provide accurate information to policy makers and practitioners about which innovations in care should be funded to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of all older Australians," concludes Dr Milte.
More than four years ago, then-President Donald Trump declared an ambitious goal that had bipartisan support: ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Now, that Trump program is one of several health initiatives targeted for substantial cuts by members of his own party as they eye next year's elections.

Pushing a slate of conservative political priorities that also takes aim at sex education for teens, health worker vaccine mandates, and more, Republicans in the House of Representatives have proposed a spending bill that would cut $1.6 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  one-sixth of the agency's budget.

The proposal would zero out the agency's share of the Trump HIV plan, which was more than a third of the program's budget in the current fiscal year. It would also eliminate funding through other channels, such as the Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

With another budget fight and potential government shutdown looming Oct. 1, the specific proposal is unlikely to clear Congress. Still, former CDC officials said they fear it is the opening bid on what could nonetheless be debilitating reductions to a strained agency that has lost some public support in recent years.

The cuts come on the heels of other recent reductions at the CDC, triggered by the eleventh-hour debt-ceiling deal, to its budgets for childhood vaccination programs and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. And they provide an early opportunity for the CDC's new director, Mandy Cohen, to show how well she can convince members of Congress to protect the agency's interests in a polarized political landscape.

"Public health is being politicized to a point that's never been seen," said Kyle McGowan, of consulting firm Ascendant Strategic Partners, who served as chief of staff at the CDC during the Trump administration. Cutting public health spending "is not smart," he said. "These culture wars are now leaking into and harming public health."

He called the proposed cuts unprecedented in their targeting of bipartisan public health initiatives.

The House Republican spending proposal, which came from members of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education subcommittee, also targets programs that have drawn the ire of conservative lawmakers, such as those that focus on climate change and gun violence research.

"Cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are as outrageous as they are dangerous," said Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the highest-ranking Democrat on the subcommittee.

But Rep. Kay Granger, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill "works to responsibly fund programs that help improve the health and lives of the American people. It also holds agencies accountable when there has been a history of poor performance or controversial activities."

Granger and the chair of the subcommittee that drafted the bill, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), did not respond to requests for further information.

The House Appropriations Committee has yet to mark up and vote on the measure, which would also need the approval of the full Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved its own health spending bill, which largely maintains existing CDC funding for HIV and would require the two chambers to work together to produce a consensus measure.

And any spending measure would also need the signature of President Joe Biden, whose most recent budget proposal included a request for $850 million to reduce new HIV cases.

The CDC declined to comment on the possible cuts, saying it would be premature to do so amid the ongoing budget process.

The Trump administration's HIV program launched in 2019 with the goal of cutting new infections nationwide by 90% by 2030. It has sent more than $1.7 billion, through different federal health agencies, to HIV hot spots around the country.

But the program has run into significant headwinds. The covid-19 pandemic diverted the attention of public health officials. Plus, red tape, along with persistent stigma and discrimination fueled by anti-LGBTQ+ messaging from politicians, have many health officials worried it won't meet its ambitious goals.

House Republicans said the HIV program, well shy of its first main milestone, in 2025, hasn't met its goals.

"This program has demonstrated a lack of performance data based on outcomes, insufficient budget justifications, and vague spend plans. The initiative has not met its original objectives," the Republican-led subcommittee wrote in a report that KFF Health News obtained but could not independently verify as official. Granger and Aderholt did not respond to requests to verify the document.

Trump's Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative isn't the only Republican-created HIV program being targeted.

A number of key provisions in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, are set to expire on Sept. 30. The program, which funds HIV and AIDS prevention around the world, has saved millions of lives, and is widely seen as a public health and foreign policy success. It was launched in 2003 under then-president George W. Bush.

But discussions about reauthorizing the program have been derailed by Republican claims it finances abortion. PEPFAR won't immediately stop its work, but missing the deadline could signal an uncertain future for the program, experts say.

Regarding the Trump HIV initiative, service providers say any budget reductions would slow the progress it has made in the fight against the disease.

"There's a lot at stake here," said Justin Smith, of Positive Impact Health Centers, an Atlanta-area HIV clinic. Smith has helped Georgia public health officials plan the distribution of Ending the HIV Epidemic funds among the four priority counties in the state.

Smith said the proposed cuts would be "quite devastating" for the work being done in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties in metropolitan Atlanta. That work has included ramping up HIV testing and PrEP, or preexposure prophylaxis, programs, as well as expanding care for transgender people living with the virus.

The South has the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the country, and many Ending the HIV Epidemic target areas are in the region.

In Louisiana, which has two of those HIV priority areas, the program has helped reduce the number of late HIV diagnoses and maintain levels of viral suppression, said Samuel Burgess, the director of the state's STI and HIV prevention program.

Even if the budget cuts don't survive the legislative process fully intact, it's "very concerning" that lawmakers would even propose such a cut, Burgess said.

HIV policy advocates are pushing back on the House Republican proposal. In July, the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership sent a letter to House appropriators warning of its potential impact.

"We are deeply concerned that this bill will not only stop progress being made to achieve the goals set forth by former President Trump in 2019, but will exacerbate the HIV epidemic which has plagued our nation for 40 years," they wrote.

Cohen, who started with the CDC in July, is familiar with the budget process, having spent time in top leadership positions within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

But she's new to the CDC and, regardless of her inside-the-Beltway experience, will need time to get up to speed, which could potentially leave the agency vulnerable, said McGowan. "It's a difficult time to have a leadership change at the CDC," he said. But he added that "Dr. Cohen is doing a great job meeting with everyone on the Hill, both Democrats and Republicans."

The fights over HIV programs concern Tom Frieden, who served as CDC director under former President Barack Obama. He estimated he made more than 250 trips to Capitol Hill over nearly eight years to sell the agency's work to lawmakers.

He called the Atlanta-based CDC's location outside of Washington a "double-edged sword."

"People used to say to me, 'Gee, isnt it great, were not bugged by politicians down here in Atlanta?'" Frieden said.

While the location helps cushion the agency from politics, he said, it also makes it harder to get support from members of Congress.

But the CDC's response to covid pulled it back into the political fray. Frieden said he is hopeful the Democratic-controlled Senate will act as a "hard stop" against the Republican attacks  but he warned that substantial cuts can slip through the cracks.

"Its always a risk that some important stuff at the eleventh hour doesnt happen," Frieden said.
A recent JAMA Network Open study assessed whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenced cancer incidence in Manitoba, Canada.

Study: New Cancer Diagnoses Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Image Credit: Stokkete/Shutterstock.com

Background

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has massively impacted the global healthcare system. This pandemic resulted in the reorganization of the healthcare system, which included an increase in the use of virtual consultation, redeployment of cancer care staff, and temporary suspension or reduction in cancer screening.

COVID-19 has significantly disrupted routine healthcare services, which caused missed or delayed diagnoses of cancer. As a result, these individuals could be diagnosed at advanced stages, compromising their survival.

Therefore, it is essential to evaluate how much the cancer care system was affected due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. This insight will be invaluable in formulating effective strategies to prevent the system's vulnerability during future disruptions.

About the study

The current population-based cross-sectional study assessed the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and cancer incidence. This study was conducted in Manitoba, located in central Canada.

CancerCare Manitoba offers clinical services to all Manitoba residents diagnosed with cancer. Before the onset of the pandemic, around 6,000 individuals were diagnosed with cancer.

Among these, 5,000 cancer patients received regular treatment or follow-up care by CancerCare Manitoba.

By the end of March 2020, the government implemented strict COVID-19 restrictions in Manitoba to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In Manitoba, COVID-19 cases peaked, i.e., the first wave occurred in March 2020, the second wave in November 2020, and the third in May 2021. Around 70% of Manitoba residents received full vaccination by October 1, 2021.

This study assessed changes in the rates of new cancer diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study included all cancer diagnoses in Manitoba between 2015 and 2021. All relevant data were obtained from the Manitoba Cancer Registry.

Study findings

48,378 cancer cases were diagnosed between 2015 and 2021 in Manitoba. The median age of cancer patients was 68 years, and 49.6% were female. Around a 23% decrease in cancer incidence was observed in April 2020, and this rate remained unchanged till June 2020.

The overall age-standardized cancer diagnosis was reduced at the earlier phase of the pandemic. Particularly, a decrease in the incidence rate of melanoma, breast, colon, prostate, urinary, lung, brain, and central nervous system cancers was recorded.

This reduction in cancer incidence rate could be due to decreased breast and colorectal cancer screening programs in Manitoba between April and May 2020. In addition, a significant reduction in the number of colonoscopies in the region could lead to a decreased diagnosis.

In contrast, the increase in rectal cancer incidence could be associated with a central endoscopy waitlist, as most endoscopies are performed in Winnipeg.

The decrease in breast cancer incidence among older women could be due to a reduction in the availability of diagnostic mammography, reluctance to seek medical care during the pandemic, and an increase in mortality rate in this group of individuals due to their higher susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The incidence of lung cancer dropped during the second COVID-19 wave. However, this decrease was only observed among individuals who were older than 75 years of age.

Melanoma cancer incidence also decreased, which could be due to reduced primary care visits. The rate of melanoma cancer incidence increased rapidly to pre-pandemic levels over time.

A long-term decrease in urinary cancer incidence was observed, with no rate of improvement throughout the pandemic. Brain, central nervous system, and endocrine cancer exhibited reduced incidence rates; however, these numbers must be interpreted cautiously because of the reduced number of cases at baseline and inconsistent data.

No association was found between the COVID-19 pandemic and gynecologic and prostate cancer incidence.

Conclusions

The use of high-quality, population-based data is one of the key strengths of this study. Furthermore, interrupted time-series analysis and the inclusion of seasonality are other strengths of this study.

The current study has limitations, including the lack of adjustments of multiple confounding factors during analysis. It also failed to detect individual cancer incidence rates based on the area of their residence and sex. Since this is a single-center study, the findings lack generalization.

Despite the limitations, this study highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in cancer incidence in Manitoba.

A substantial decrease in colon, breast, and rectal cancer incidence was observed. In the future, similar observational studies must be performed to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected cancer patients in other regions.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) has accused the African National Congress (ANC) of having an opportunistic relationship with the ruling Zanu PF party in Zimbabwe.These sentiments come after the ANC publicly endorsed Zanu PF's Emmerson Mnangagwa as the winner of Zimbabwe's disputed elections, with reports indicating the two southern African ruling parties are involved in "delicate talks."ZAPU, which was once allied with the ANC during the liberation struggle in both countries, said the ANC's current partnership with Zanu PF was based on "gifts and presents" rather than shared ideology."We are wise enough to understand that some individuals in the ANC enjoy a political relationship with Zanu PF which is based on gifts and presents more than it is ideological," said ZAPU National Spokesperson, Msongelwa Ndlovu in an interview with CITE."It is a different animal to the ANC of Oliver Reginald Tambo whose foundation was the Freedom Charter. This ANC is doing everything against the core values of the Freedom Charter when it comes to the Zimbabwean question," he said."It is an absolute disgrace for a party which was persecuted for its relationship with ZAPU to shift allegiance only because their nemesis is in a position of privilege. We have been tempted to denounce the ANC and cut ties completely, but we're aware that the real ANC will never change," Ndlovu said.Ndlovu also claimed ZAPU was aware that a South African wealthy businessman, entrepreneur and investor, one Zunaid Moti, was at the centre of "oiling the relationship between ANC and Zanu PF."Ndlovu, said the ANC had "molested" the core values of the Freedom Charter, the ANC's founding document, in its pursuit of personal gain.Ndlovu also claimed that a South African businessman, Zunaid Moti, was at the centre of "oiling the relationship between the ANC and Zanu PF."He said Moti had supported a tour of South African celebrities and regional journalists in Zimbabwe prior to the country's elections.Ndlovu remarked that the current leadership of the ANC have hijacked the revolutionary movement in order to commercialise it."There is an evident and deliberate purge of freedom fighters in the ANC disguised as a renewal process. The current ANC of labour unionists and student activists is closer to White monopoly capital than it is to the ordinary people whose living shield is the Freedom Charter. We hope that one day South Africans will restore this glorious movement back to its founding values," said the ZAPU spokesperson.He called on South Africans to restore the ANC to its founding values.
Engineers at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new device that can warn consumers about early risks of tooth decay from diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease, is caused by bacteria. But not just any bacteria.

The problem for researchers was getting a device to single out the particular type responsible for the disease, said Andrew Steckl, an Ohio Eminent Scholar and distinguished research professor in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science.

"It's been quite the challenge to get to the point where we can detect this toxin created by the bacteria responsible for gingivitis," he said.

Steckl and UC Senior Research Associate Daewoo Han collaborated with Sancai Xie, a principal scientist at Procter & Gamble Co., and described their results in a paper published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Sensors and Diagnostics.

Steckl's research team has been exploring biosensing for various applications. They studied stress hormones in sweat in collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Now they are studying saliva.

There are good reasons to use saliva. It's relatively plentiful and easy to obtain through noninvasive methods. And saliva has a lot of important elements that can act as indicators of your health." Andrew Steckl, an Ohio Eminent Scholar and distinguished research professor in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science

Bacteria from gingivitis can travel through the bloodstream, leading to cardiovascular disease and other serious health problems, Steckl said.

But saliva is a complicated biofluid, said Han, the study's lead author.

Researchers pretreated the sample using potato starch to remove a protein called amylase that could interfere with the test results. Their test uses antibodies that react to the endotoxins found in the bacteria.

"Daewoo worked very hard on many dead-ends before he had success," Steckl said. "I tell my students that research is search, search and re-search until you find the answer."

At-home health testing has been available for generations in niche uses such as detecting pregnancy. But the COVID-19 pandemic introduced a wide audience of consumers to the concept of monitoring their health with new technology.

The at-home testing industry is expected to generate $45 billion annually by 2031, according to Allied Market Research.

Steckl said he sees a lot of opportunity for new consumer products.

"Our results definitely show promise," Steckl said. "Sometimes it comes easy. Most of the time you have to persevere."
In a recent study published in Neuron, researchers explored the biological mechanisms by which exercise-induced irisin attenuates amyloid-beta (A) pathology in Alzheimers disease (AD).

Background

AD, a form of dementia, is characterized by progressive memory loss and severe cognitive impairment. A protein deposition is a pathological hallmark of AD. Physical exercise has been shown to reduce A deposition and neuroinflammation in AD mouse models. Irisin, an exercise-induced hormone, regulates lipid and glucose metabolism in adipose tissues and increases energy expenditure. Lower irisin levels have been reported in AD patients and AD murine models.

About the study

In the present study, researchers elucidated mechanisms underlying irisin-induced A reduction in AD.

A three-dimensional (3D) human brain cell culture model of AD with robust A generation was used, followed by a tau pathology (3D-AD) model. Irisin was administered to differentiated ReN cells that expressed familial AD-related APP Swedish/London amino acid substitutions (ReN-GA) or presenilin-1 and APP Swedish/London amino acid substitutions (ReN-mGAP) for two weeks at concentrations of 5.0 as well as 500 nanograms per mL. From two- or five-week differentiated three-dimensional cultures, samples of conditioned medium and cell pellets (3D gel) were obtained for analysis.

The enzyme lactate dehydrogenase was employed to detect cell death or cytotoxicity. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression was measured. Western blotting was done using 6E10 or G12A antibodies. Calcium stimulation and quick time-lapse imaging were used to measure the spontaneous activity of active cells in three-dimensional cultures after five weeks of differentiation.

The researchers investigated whether irisin may lower A levels by increasing A phagocytosis or enzymatic breakdown. In conditioned media comprising irisin-treated three-dimensional-AD cells, the researchers examined the levels of secreted neprilysin (secNEP) and insulin-degrading enzyme (secIDE), which are proteases released by astrocytes that can reduce A levels.

The action of sacubitril, a neprilysin inhibitor, was examined in conditioned media comprising three-dimensional cultures. Human-induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived astrocyte (hiPSC-Astro) cells were treated with irisin to see if they were the source of the irisin-induced rise in secreted NEP.

Integrin V and 5 subunit expression in ReN-mGAP and ReN-GA cells were validated using mass spectrometry (MS) and western blot analyses, respectively. Integrin 5 (ITGB5) activity was reduced genetically in ReN-GA and pharmacologically in ReN-mGAP cells to investigate whether integrin V/5 receptors were necessary for irisin to lower A levels.

In five-week irisin-treated ReN-GA cells, the researchers examined signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) gene expression using specific astrocyte reactivity markers such as Cp, C3, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), adhesion molecule with Ig-like domain 2 (Amigo2), epithelial membrane protein 1 (Emp1), and serpin family G member 1 (Serping1).

In irisin-treated cells, the levels of astrocyte reactivity markers, S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100b), and GFAP were measured. Single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed to examine irisin-induced cell-specific transcriptome alterations,

Results

The exercise-induced myokine, irisin, increased neprilysin production, which reduced A pathology in the AD culture. Integrin V/5 was the irisin receptor on astrocytes necessary to promote neprilysin secretion, which was achieved by downregulating the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-STAT3 signaling. At 500 nanograms per mL concentrations, irisin dramatically lowered A-40 and 42 expressions in five-week ReN-GA cells and cellular pellets.

After five weeks of cellular differentiation, 500 nanograms per mL of irisin decreased A-40 and 42 expressions in conditioned media and only A42 expression in ReN-mGAP pellets, indicating more severe AD pathology than ReN-GA.

In five-week three-dimensional-AD cultures, irisin treatment did not enhance LDH release, showing that the irisin-induced A reduction did not occur from cell death. Instead, it lowered LDH secretion at 500 nanograms per mL in five-week three-dimensional-AD cells at the time of endogenous loss of cells, showing neuroprotective benefits. Irisin showed no effect on BDNF expression in the five-week three-dimensional-AD cultures, demonstrating that the drop in A caused by irisin was not BDNF-regulated.

Irisin quickly activated integrin receptors, as evidenced by increased phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK) and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in ReN-mGAP and hiPSC-Astro cultures. Irisin increased integrin signaling in the AD- and hiPSC-Astro cultures, based on the findings. Irisin lowered the expressions of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) p65, complement C3 (C3), C3a receptor (C3aR), and apolipoprotein E (APOE) in the gels of five-week ReN-GA cells. Irisin treatment did not affect amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing.

In the AD cultures, irisin decreased the quantity and size of dystrophic neurites as well as cell hyperexcitability and boosted secNEP levels. Sacubitril inhibited secNEP activity in the three-dimensional culture medium.

Irisin and sacubitril co-treatment dramatically increased A42 expression in AD cultures, indicating that irisin required increased secNEP activity to decrease A42 expression. L-a-aminoadipate (L-AAA) therapy significantly reduced S100b and ITGB5 expression among ReN-mGAP cells, indicating that ITGB5 was mainly expressed in astrocytes in the 3D-AD model.

The capacity of irisin to lower STAT3, C3aR, and NF-kB p65 was abolished when combined with an integrin V/5 antibody. Irisin inhibited the expression of reactive astrocyte genes and proteins. Irisin decreased STAT3 levels by blocking interleukin-6 (IL-6)/ERK signaling, enhancing secNEP release. A1 inducer treatment decreased neprilysin expression in hiPSC-Astro cell lysates. Irisin also lowered the amount of phosphorylated tau protein in the body.

Conclusion

Overall, the study findings showed that irisin significantly reduced A pathology by boosting the astrocytic release of the A-degrading enzyme neprilysin, mediated via ERK-STAT3 signaling downregulation. The findings lend support to the development of irisin as a possible therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.
In a recent study published in Nutrients, researchers assessed the effects of theabrownin (TB) from dark tea treatment on insulin resistance (IR).

Study: Attenuating Oxidative Stress and Modulating IRS-1/PI3K/Akt Pathway in HepG2 Cells. Image Credit: NatalliaPloskaya/Shutterstock.com

Background

Diabetes is a severe public health issue. The International Diabetes Federation estimates over 592 million cases of diabetes by 2035. In China, one in 11 individuals has diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an increasingly prevalent metabolic disease, often associated with IR. Persistent hyperglycemia elevates oxidative stress and induces IR, thereby contributing to T2D.

Maintaining metabolic homeostasis in the liver depends on the regulatory functions of glucagon and insulin. High-fat- and high-glucose-induced IR is associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, leading to oxidative stress.

Excess ROS can also cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, decreasing oxidative stress helps improve IR and prevent progression to T2D.

Chinese dark tea is popular for its taste and aroma. Its bioactive constituent, TB, a water-soluble phenolic compound, has been demonstrated to effectively decrease IR in the skeletal muscle and fasting blood glucose levels and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Nevertheless, how TB with varying fermentation periods influences IR and the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

About the study

In the present study, researchers assessed how TB affects IR. TB was extracted following fermentation for seven days (TB1) or 14 days (TB2). The ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra of the colloids were measured. Samples were also analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

The team established an IR model of HepG2 cells in a high-glucose medium supplemented with free fatty acids (FFA). Cell viability was ascertained by incubating cells with increasing concentrations of metformin (MET) or TB. The team measured glucose uptake, consumption, and glycogen content by cells.

The Oil Red O (ORO) staining method was used to measure the accumulation of neutral lipids. Cellular and mitochondrial ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential were analyzed.

The team also performed real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting to investigate the effects of TB treatment on target genes and proteins.

Findings

All samples showed absorption peaks at 205 nm and 275 nm. Peaks of TB1 were relatively lower than those of TB2. The degree of polyphenol polymerization was lower in TB1 samples, which may explain its reduced absorption (relative to TB2). FTIR spectroscopy revealed that samples were rich in carboxylic and hydroxyl groups.

TB2 absorption peaks were stronger than TB1 peaks, plausibly due to a higher degree of phenol polymerization during (extended) fermentation. Cell viability was unaffected with increasing concentrations of MET or TB, indicating their non-cytotoxicity.

TB1 and TB2 increased glycogen content and the uptake and consumption of glucose; however, TB2 showed superior effects.

Cellular accumulation of lipids was inhibited upon TB treatment. TB reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein but increased high-density lipoprotein. The effects of 150 g/mL of TB2 were the same as 25 g/mL of MET.

TB treatment increased superoxide dismutase, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and glutathione levels and reduced mitochondrial ROS synthesis. TB2 was more potent in decreasing oxidative stress than TB1.

TB treatment improved enzymatic expression to promote glucose uptake and utilization. It promoted the phosphorylation of forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) and downregulated glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PEPCK1), inhibiting gluconeogenesis and decreasing glucose synthesis. The transcript levels of glucose transporters 2 (GLUT2) and 4 (GLUT4) increased upon TB treatment.

TB treatment significantly reduced transcript and protein levels of SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding protein)-1C, glycerol 3 phosphate acyltransferase 1 (GPAT1), and fatty acid synthase (FASN) and increased the expression of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC).

The effects of TB2 on FASN and ACC were more significant than those of TB1. TB intervention downregulated SREBP-2C and 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR), indicating that TB can inhibit cholesterol synthesis.

The team noted increased levels of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1, phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt) with TB interventions; this effect was more pronounced with TB2.

In cells treated with a PI3K inhibitor, PI3K phosphorylation was inhibited, and the expression of IRS-1 and Akt was suppressed. Moreover, the phosphorylation of two Akt substrates was blocked in the presence of the inhibitor.

Conclusions

Together, TB1 and TB2 modulated IR through IRS-1/PI3K/Akt pathway, regulating enzymes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism.

Moreover, TB treatment attenuated oxidative stress, with TB2 being more potent than TB1. TB2 also had a more favorable lipid-lowering and hypoglycemic effect than TB1, plausibly due to increased fermentation that enhanced the degree of oxidation and polyphenol polymerization.

Future clinical trials are necessary to establish TB2 as a potential candidate to mitigate the global burden of IR and T2D.
Hyundai Motor India has finally launched the highly-anticipated i20 facelift in the country. The price starts at Rs 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes as high as Rs 11.01 lakh (ex-showroom).

The premium hatchback receives a host of revisions both on exterior and interior. The feature list has also been updated.

2023 Hyundai i20 Facelift: Design

In terms of design, the 2023 i20 facelift features a revised parametric grille section. it further boasts of new LED headlamps adorned with signature LED DRLs, updated front & rear bumpers, 16-inch alloy wheels, and an updated rear profile. The sharp lines and improved aerodynamics gives it a bold look.

2023 Hyundai i20 Facelift: Interior

The cabin of the i20 facelift boasts of a dual-tone grey and black theme. The feature highlights include ambient lighting, a BOSE premium 7-speaker sound system, and an advanced infotainment system. Furthermore, the new premium key offers seamless access to semi-leatherette seats, leatherette door armrests, a stylish leather-wrapped D-Cut Steering wheel, and an ambient sound experience with seven nature-inspired soundscapes.

The all-new Hyundai i20 takes technology to new heights, boasting an impressive array of 60+ connected car features, 127 Embedded VR commands, 52 Hinglish voice commands, Over-the-Air updates, Multilanguage UI support accommodating 10 Regional and 2 International languages, and a convenient C-Type charger to keep you powered up.

2023 Hyundai i20 Facelift: Safety Features

The all-new Hyundai i20 offers 26 standard safety features, including 6 Airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill Assist Control (HAC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Antilock Braking System (ABS), and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). Seatbelt reminders for all seats and a three-point seatbelt system add an extra layer of security.

The premium hatchback further boasts of 40 more safety features namely Burglar alarm, Emergency stop signal, rear parking camera, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Highline, headlamp escort function, and Automatic headlamps.

2023 Hyundai i20 Facelift: Engine Specifications

Under the hood, the all-new Hyundai i20 draws its power from a 1.2L Kappa petrol engine. Transmission options include a manual and an Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) gearbox. With the addition of the Idle Stop & Go (ISG) feature, convenience and fuel efficiency have reached unprecedented levels while reducing the environmental footprint.

2023 Hyundai i20 Facelift: Color Options

The all-new Hyundai i20 offers a stunning array of color options, including Amazon Grey (New), Atlas White, Titan Gray, Typhoon Silver, Starry Night, Fiery Red, Atlas White + Black Roof, and Fiery Red + Black Roof.

Furthermore, the all-new Hyundai i20 offers a 3 Years/ 100,000 Km warranty and an option for extended warranty.
IndiGo has officially announced the relaunch of its direct flight connecting Hyderabad in South India to Male in the Maldives. It is set to commence on October 31. This decision comes in anticipation of the upcoming peak holiday season, further solidifying IndiGos status as the airline with the most extensive flight network between the two nations.

The introduction of these new non-stop flights is anticipated to boost tourist traffic between India and the Maldives, providing passengers with increased travel convenience. The Maldives has consistently been a preferred destination for Indian travellers, witnessing a notable increase in visitor numbers from India. With India playing a pivotal role in promoting tourism in the Maldives, these additional flight options will cater to the needs of Indian travellers, further strengthening the bond between the two nations.

We are thrilled to announce the recommencement of our daily non-stop flights connecting Hyderabad and Male from October 2023. The introduction of these flights will not only improve accessibility but also offer travelers added flexibility and convenience. The Maldives has experienced a recent surge in travel, particularly in anticipation of upcoming holidays and long weekends. Furthermore, as the wedding season approaches, the Maldives stands out as an ideal destination, offering luxurious accommodations and romantic getaways for an unforgettable travel experience. We will continue to enhance international connectivity and remain committed to our promise of providing on-time, affordable, courteous, and hassle-free travel experiences to our customers across our wide network, said Mr Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales of IndiGo.

Hyderabad-Male Direct Flight Schedule and Timings

IndiGos Flight 6E 1137 is set to run a regular route from Hyderabad to Male with flights scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The departure time from Hyderabad is locked in for 10:20 AM, with the flight touching down in Male at 12:25 PM. In return, Flight 6E 1138 will operate from Male to Hyderabad on the same days, starting October 31, 2023. Departure from Male is slated for 1:25 PM, and the flight is expected to land in Hyderabad at 4:25 PM. For travellers planning their journeys, ticket bookings can be conveniently made through the official IndiGo website.

IndiGo has also recently launched thrice-weekly flights, available on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, establishing a connection between Goas newly inaugurated MOPA airport and Abu Dhabi. This marks a significant milestone as the first flight from North Goa to the Middle East, while the previous Goa airport already boasts connectivity to various Middle Eastern destinations, including Dubai, Doha, Muscat, Bahrain, and Sharjah, through other airlines like Air India Express, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, and more.
Motorists who violate speed limits on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will now face stiffer enforcement as 430 sophisticated cameras are installed in 106 places. This advancement is a critical component of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporations (MSRDC) Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) project, which is scheduled to be finished by mid-October.

Weve already initiated the process of erecting gantries along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Our goal is to complete the installation of 430 cutting-edge CCTV cameras at 106 key spots by mid-October. These state-of-the-art cameras will be interconnected through an optical fibre to a central control room, MSRDCs joint managing director, Sanjay Yadav told Mid-Day.

Explaining further about the new project, MSRDCs joint managing director, Yadav asserted that the ITMS will be used to record different traffic infractions such as reckless driving, lane changes, excessive speeding, wrong-way driving, motorway stops, as well as driving in incorrect lane, among others.

According to Pune.News, the initiative or project adheres to the Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) concept, with MSRDC enlisting employees from the transport and police sectors to supervise and penalise offenders. The large network of high-tech CCTV cameras, such as night vision cameras, will make violation of expressway speed restrictions difficult.

The Mumbai Highway Traffic Management System (HTMS) will enforce numerous offences via the HTMS system. Excessive speeding, wrong entries (no entry), lane discipline violations, cell phone use, vehicles without taillights and reflectors, illegal stoppages, wrong-way driving, seat belt non-compliance, pedestrian crossings, unauthorised fancy number plates, overloaded vehicles, and two-wheelers in restricted areas are some of the examples.

In addition, the HTMS system will include a spot and average speed detection system at 39 locations, as well as a lane discipline violation detection system at 34 places. It will also have weigh-in-motion systems for commercial vehicles at all motorway entrances. Furthermore, all toll booths will have an automatic vehicle counter and classifier, automatic number plate recognition, and violation detection cameras for penalty collection.

A command-and-control centre, as well as additional observation areas, will be created in Lonavala to oversee these operations. All camera feeds will be available online for the officials in charge. There will also be provisions for citizen participation and penalty collecting, such as a mobile-responsive website, kiosks at various locations, variable message signs, and SMS notifications.

The violation challans will be generated promptly and certified by officials, with all proof (pictures, videos, and so on) connected to the infraction and forwarded to the vehicle owner.

This project intends to improve road safety, traffic management, and law enforcement on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, making it a safer and more disciplined route for passengers.
Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is a government organisation that encourages employees to save for retirement. The EPFOs goal is to encourage employees to save for retirement through a variety of programmes that encompass workers. The Employees Provident Fund (EPF), one of its principal systems, is thought to be an obligatory contribution scheme for employees. As part of this, both companies and employees can pay monthly contributions to protect employees financial security.

Also, members can file a complaint on the EPFO portal if they have any problems or grievances regarding EPF. This can cover claims, deposits, account balance, and employer irregularities, among other things. EPF members can use the EPF i-Grievance Management System (EPFiGMS) online to lodge their complaints or grievances.

What Is The EPFO Portal?

It is a specialised platform created by EPFO that tries to resolve complaints about EPFO services. Any complaints submitted through the portal are routed to the appropriate officials and answered within a defined time frame. EPF members can use the EPFiGMS portal to not only submit grievances but also get answers to their questions.

According to the EPFO, members can file complaints and concerns at any time and they will be routed to the appropriate agency. Complaints can also be directed to the head office in Delhi or to one of the countrys field offices. Furthermore, it enables EPF members to examine the status of existing complaints and requests.

Heres how to lodge a complaint on matters related to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF):

Step 1: Visit the official website of EPF i-Grievance Management System at https://epfigms.gov.in/.

Step 2: Select the Register Grievance from the menu on the top right next to the homepage.

Step 3: You will be directed to a new page where you will have 4 options to choose from as per your status.

Step 4: Then you will have to add your Universal Account Number (UAN) and your security code.

Step 5: Search and click on Get Details to receive all your information. (Your details i.e., your name, UAN, mobile number and email Id will be displayed on the screen).

Step 6: Select Get OTP and key in the OTP that you receive on your registered contact number.

Step 7: You will come across a Personal Details section on the page, visit the section and choose your relevant PF number.

Step 8: Then, go to the Grievance Details section and choose the type of grievance you want to complain about and remember to give a proper description.

Step 9: Upload the documents that are deemed necessary and click on the Add button.

Step 10: By following this procedure, your complaint will be registered and you will receive a registration number which will help you in checking your complaint status and what action has been taken.

Steps that you can follow to check the complaint status:

Visit the official website of the EPF i-Grievence Management System at https://epfigms.gov.in/.

On the website, look for and click on the View Status option in the Menu bar.

You will have to enter the registration number that you received while lodging the complaint.

You will be asked to enter the grievance password or your mobile number or your email ID along with the security code.

Then enter your valid details and click on submit.

Your complaints status will be displayed on the screen.

For more updates, employees/EPFO subscribers may refer to the EPFO portal.
EMS IPO: The initial public offering of water and sewerage infra player EMS Ltd has been opened for public subscription on September 8 and will be closed on September 12 this year. The company raised Rs 96.37 crore from anchor investors on Thursday, September 7. The price band for the Rs 321-crore IPO has been fixed at Rs 200-Rs 211 per share.

The allotment of shares will take place on September 15.

EMS IPO: Latest GMP Today

According to market observers, unlisted shares of EMS Ltd are currently trading Rs 120 higher in the grey market. The Rs 120 grey market premium or GMP is about 56.87 per cent higher than its upper issue price of Rs 211 per share. This means the grey market is expecting 56.87 per cent listing gain from the public issue.

Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price.

About EMS IPO

The water and sewerage infra player has decided to allocate 45.67 lakh equity shares to six entities at Rs 211 apiece, which is also the upper end of the price band.

Abakkus Diversified Alpha Fund, Saint Capital Fund, Meru Investment Fund, Bofa Securities Europe, Morgan Stanley Asia Singapore Pte and NAV Capital VCC- NAV Capital Emerging Star Fund are among the anchor investors.

The IPO comprises fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 146.24 crore and an Offer For Sale (OFS) of 82.94 lakh shares by promoter and founder Ramveer Singh. Currently, Singh holds 97.81 per cent stake in the company.

In the pre-IPO placement round, the firm had raised Rs 33.76 crore leading to a reduction in fresh issue size to Rs 146.24 crore from Rs 180 crore planned earlier.

At the upper price band, the companys IPO size is Rs 321 crore.

The proceeds from the fresh issue will be used to fund working capital requirements and for other general corporate purposes.

Khambatta Securities is the sole book-running lead manager to the issue and shares of the company will be listed on the BSE and the NSE.

The company offers water and sewerage infra solutions, including laying the sewerage network to build sewerage and water treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

EMS IPO: Should You Subscribe?

Brokerage firm Anand Rathi said the issue is reasonably priced. It has given Subscribe rating to the IPO. At the upper price band company is valuing at P/E (price-earnings) of 10.7 times FY23 earnings with a market cap of Rs 11,717 million post issue of equity shares and return on net worth of 22.31 per cent, the brokerage said.

Another brokerage Stoxbox also assigned a Subscribe rating to the issue. It said, EMS has successfully completed 67 projects as on July 31, 2023, and gradually intends to expand its business operations to other regions of the country, especially North-East and South India. Almost all of the companys projects are World Bank-funded through local state government bodies. This is the main reason for their robust cash flows/timely payments, and no bad debts, which helps them to take on more projects with the help of internal accruals only. As a result, there is savings in the finance cost which helps to improve the profit margin.

On the upper price band, the issue is valued at a P/E of 9.1 times based on FY2023 earnings, which we feel is fairly valued compared to its peers, it said.
Shares of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) on Friday hit a fresh high of of Rs 2,383, surging 18.9 per cent on the BSE in Fridays intraday trade after the company signed the Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Yokosuka, an entity of the US Government.

This is a non-financial agreement and there are only two shipyards in the country, including the company who have signed MSRA. The agreement is expected to open-up voyage repairs of US Navy Ships at MDL.

Earlier in July, L&T had signed the MSRA with the US Navy. L&Ts Kattupalli Shipyard, near Chennai, a major node in the Southern Defence Corridor, was qualified for undertaking voyage repairs of the Military Sealift Command vessels.

At its recent conference call, Mazagon Dock said it was targeting delivery of the third ship of project 15 Bravo, which is a missile destroyer, sometime end of the second quarter or early third quarter. It has already delivered two vessels, one in 2021 and 2022. Besides, the company management noted that received an order for MRLC for a submarine.

This is German make submarine, which was pressed into service some 36 years ago. It has come to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited for a medium refit and life certification. The total order value is approximately Rs 2,700 crore. So, the company is doing well. We have submitted a price bid for six number of AIP fitted submarines under project P75I, the Mazagon Dock management suggested in August.

Mazagon Dock will hold its Annual General Meeting on September 27. The company has fixed the record date as September 20, Wednesday, for determining the eligible shareholders entitled to receive the final dividend for FY23.

In the past two trading days, the stock of MDL has rallied 29 per cent. Trading volumes on the counter nearly doubled, with a combined around 5.7 million equity shares changing hands on the NSE and BSE till the time of writing of this report. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.33 per cent at 66,482 at 10:15 AM.

Meanwhile, in the past six months, the stock has zoomed 214 per cent as compared to 10 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

MDL is principally engaged in building and repairing of ships, submarines, various types of vessels and related engineering products for its customers. The company, being a defence public sector undertaking (PSU), primarily engages in construction of warships and submarines for Indian Navy. Once delivered, MDL has no control over its products i.e. warships and submarines.

MDL is exploring the possibility for setting up a green field shipyard at its Nhava Yard in a phased manner with short-term and long-term development plans. Short-term development will enable MDL to facilitate the immediate use of the existing infrastructure for shipbuilding and ship repair business, whereas long term development will facilitate the construction of large-size vessels and submarines including major refit and repairs.

To undertake the construction of advanced and next generation vessels, MDL intends to build a New Floating Dry Dock of 12000T capacity.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Dipak Gupta as the interim managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kotak Mahindra Bank for two months until a new MD and CEO is appointed. This comes after billionaire Uday Kotak, who is also the founder of Kotak Mahindra, resigned as the managing director and CEO earlier this month before the end of his term which was in December. According to the statement, Kotaks early exit from the fourth largest bank is due to personal reasons.

Dipak Gupta has been donning a lot of hats at the bank as the head of IT, cyber security, customer experience and business intelligence and has also served as the joint managing director earlier. He has been with Kotak since 1999 when he joined as an executive director of Kotak Mahindra Bank Finance Ltd.

He played a key role in building the retail business of the bank even before the finance lender got its banking licence in 2003.

Dipak Gupta completed engineering in electronics from Banaras Hindu University in 1983 and went on to pursue his masters diploma in management from IIM Ahmedabad in 1985.

On September 2, Uday Kotak wrote a long letter Twitter where he officially announced his resignation. Succession at Kotak Mahindra Bank has been foremost on my mind, since our Chairman, myself and Joint MD are all required to step down by year end. I am keen to ensure smooth transition by sequencing these departures. I initiate this process now and step down voluntarily as CEO. The bank awaits RBI approval of the proposed successor. In the interim my dear colleague Dipak Gupta  currently Joint MD, will function as MD & CEO, subject to approvals, an excerpt from the long tweet reads.

In the letter, he also mentioned that as founder he will continue to serve the institution as Non-Executive Director and significant shareholder.

Succession at Kotak Mahindra Bank has been foremost on my mind, since our Chairman, myself and Joint MD are all required to step down by year end. I am keen to ensure smooth transition by sequencing these departures. I initiate this process now and step down voluntarily as CEO. Uday Kotak (@udaykotak) September 2, 2023

Indias banking regulation limits the tenure of lenders CEOs to 12 years if they are also large shareholders. Kotak Mahindra Bank has sent recommendations for its next full-time MD to the RBI and is waiting for approval and has not disclosed details adhering to RBI norms.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE deadlock over Zimbabwe's disputed poll took a dramatic twist this week, after Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leaders said they are petitioning the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) today to block President Emmerson Mnangagwa from assuming the chairmanship of the 16-member bloc next year.Mnangagwa assumed the Sadc deputy chair's position during its 43rd summit held in Angola last month.He is expected to take over the chairperson's role from Angolan President Joao Lourenco when Zimbabwe hosts Sadc's 44th ordinary summit in August next year.However, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that CCC's petition to be lodged today is seeking to force Mnangagwa to step aside from the deputy chairperson's position until Harare resolves the 'political crisis', which exploded after electoral authorities declared him winner in a tightly contested August 23 presidential poll.Zimbabwe's main opposition was this week piling pressure on Sadc to negotiate a fresh election after rejecting the presidential result.Councillors and Members of Parliament were sworn in this week.Mnangagwa won the polls, garnering 52,6% of the vote against CCC leader Nelson Chamisa's 44%.The Independent, in separate briefings, was informed that a CCC team led by Gladys Hlatshwayo and Jameson Timba were this week combing through the region, engaging leaders to convince them to call for fresh elections.CCC leaders kept full details of the meetings under wraps this week, but party spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi said his leadership was happy with what has so far been achieved.Mkwananzi confirmed CCC's plan to petition Sadc yesterday, arguing that it was improper for Mnangagwa to deputise the chair, before taking over next year when there were issues of legitimacy around his presidency.Mkwananzi appeared to indicate that Sadc had already raised issues over Mnangagwa's "legitimacy" through a "final report", yet to be released by its observer mission.The Sadc mission slammed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) for what it described as a flawed election.After Zanu-PF reacted angrily to the report, Sadc issued a statement saying it stood by its mission's preliminary statement."We note the completion of the Sadc final report whose import is to effectively render the Zanu-PF government illegitimate until it formally challenges its condemnation with the Sadc secretariat in Botswana," Mkwananzi told the Independent."Accordingly, we are petitioning Sadc because Zimbabwe cannot assume the Sadc chairmanship and continue with the deputy chair position until the Zimbabwean issue is resolved as this would be an irreconcilable conflict of interest. Mr Mnangagwa would have to gracefully recuse himself."We commend Sadc for this principled stand, and encourage them to maintain the stance until the crisis in Zimbabwe is resolved."Having exhausted all domestic remedies available to us, the principled stand taken by Sadc provides Zimbabwe with an opportunity to explore dispute resolution mechanisms available at the Sadc, African Union and the international community," he added.But indication are that the petition will further divide a region that has already been split since Zimbabwe's election results were announced two weeks ago.However, the Independent can report that the CCC regional offensive was encountering headwinds, with Sadc's former liberation movements said to be coalescing around Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF, as they pushed back against the post-poll campaign for a new election.Diplomatic sources said Sadc was divided over the Zimbabwean issue, with some member states reportedly led by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema fighting in CCC's corner.Hichilema stayed away from Mnangagwa's inauguration this week, which was attended by several of the region's former liberation movements.He sent his Foreign Affairs minister, Stanley Kakubo to the president's swearing-in on Monday. "It is clear that Zimbabwe's election, which was discredited by the Sadc observer mission and the African Union, has sharply divided Sadc with former liberation movements leaning on the side of Zanu-PF," a CCC source said."They feel that if Zanu-PF is deposed from power, the wind of change blowing in the region may also sweep away African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa, Chama Cha Mapinduzi in Tanzania and Frelimo of Mozambique."Former revolutionary movements are saying Zanu-PF must stand as a bulwark against this change, which is thought to be Western- sponsored," the source said.Sadc's scathing report triggered a fierce pushback from Zanu-PF, with its information and publicity secretary Chris Mutsvangwa saying the bloc was being arm-twisted by the West to undermine Zimbabwe's sovereignty.There is a feeling within Sadc's liberation movements that the West is pursuing a regime change agenda using opposition parties in Africa.ANC secretary general, Fikile Mbalula, who was invited by the ruling party, this week flew into Harare to give Zanu-PF support.Mbalula, who paid a courtesy call on Mnangagwa at State House and met Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu, underscored the enduring relations between the two liberation movements."We know that there are observer missions that have raised their views about how the elections have been conducted. They are entitled to that but they must also respect the sovereignty of countries," Mbalula told the press after meeting Mpofu.However, the CCC trashed Mbalula's utterances. The party's spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi said the opposition was satisfied with the reception it was getting from its diplomatic offensive."We cannot throw away all eggs because of one rotten egg. Mbalula's utterances will not make us despise all other movements in the region," he said."Liberation struggles were fought for three main causes, which are land, economy and the one-man-one vote principle. Is it not ironic that liberation movements would disregard the one-man-one vote, which they fought for?"With Mnangagwa now expected to announce his cabinet, his electoral dispute with Chamisa that has raised questions about his legitimacy is expected to play out on the Sadc diplomatic stage.
IIT Mandi Director Laxmidhar Behera recently stirred a controversy after he claimed that landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh are happening because of cruelty to animals. He asked students to take a pledge not to eat meat. To become good human beings, what you have to do? No to meat eating, he said.

Taking to the microblogging platform X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Behera has shown he is not fit to hold the position of director. The longer he stays, more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper, said Ramesh.

The opposition leader went on to add that the PM spoke of plastic surgery being known to our ancestors. Modi also told children climate has not changed, while we have. Science and spirituality is one thing, but science and crackpot theories that are put out by people in positions of power is quite another, posted Ramesh.

While addressing the students via a video call, Behera said, Himachal Pradesh will have a significant downfallif we do not stop butchering animals. You are butchering animals there the innocent animals. It has a symbiotic relationship with the degradation of the environment as well which you cannot see right now but is there

It is having landslides, cloudbursts, and many other things again and again, these are all effects of cruelty on animalspeople eat meat, the IIT Mandi director added.

Also read| IIT Mandi: 10 Students Suspended, Disciplinary Action Against 62 Others for Ragging Juniors

Several users of X criticised the director for his views. The collapse is complete. These superstitious fools will destroy whatever little was built in 70 years, Sandeep Manudhane, an entrepreneur and IIT Delhi alumni, said on X.

Gautam Menon, a professor of biophysics, said, In the current dispensation, having views like those of the director of IIT Mandi featured here is a feature, not a bug. Its simply sad. This is not the first time Behera has stirred a row with his controversial comments. Last year, he hit the headlines for claiming that he was involved in an act of exorcism to rid his friends apartment and family of evil spirits by chanting holy mantras.

 with PTI inputs
Not everybody can secure a medical seat at their desired college or stream due to many challenges, including lack of funds. But there are a few private and government scholarships, which cover up to 100% tuition fee.

News18 brings top five grants for those who have a low score in the National Education cum Entrance Test (NEET). While there are several colleges, which do not require the NEET score, due to change in National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations, it is now mandatory for students going abroad to have cleared NEET too.

Harvard Medical School

The Harvard Medical School offers scholarships on need basis through endowed funds, fundraising, and unrestricted income. Scholarship eligibility is determined by subtracting the institutional expected family contribution from tuition and mandatory fees.

Who can apply: Candidates who are financially ineligible to pay the fee, however, qualify for admission to the courses by fulfilling other conditions are automatically considered for the scholarship

Selection Procedure: Eligibility for institutional scholarship funding is limited to eight semesters of full tuition charges. Candidates may also be asked to provide information consisting of premedical background, residency preferences, personal and professional interests, and academic progress.

Where to apply: https://meded.hms.harvard.edu/types-funding-md-program

INSPIRE Scholarship

The Department of Science & Technology (DST) offers INSPIRE scholarship to students who wish to pursue higher studies including UG and PG courses. Selected candidates will be eligible for a stipend of Rs 5,000 a month and a mentorship grant worth Rs 20,000 per annum.

Who can apply: Students interested in studying basic and natural sciences at the college and university level and to pursue research careers in both basic and applied science areas including engineering, medicine, agriculture and veterinary sciences can apply.

Selection Procedure: Candidates with aggregate marks within top 1% of their Class 12 state or central board are eligible. Further, candidates having a rank up to 10,000 in NEET or JEE are also eligible.

Where to apply: Applications need to be submitted online on https://www.online-inspire.gov.in.

Beijing Government Scholarships

Due to its affordable and quality education, China is one of the favourite destinations for Indian students to pursue medicine. The Chinese government offers scholarships to international students including Indians.

Who can apply: International students who wish to pursue PhD should be below 40 years and those for UG courses should be up to 30 years, while for Masters the age limit is 35 years. Applicants could apply to the higher educational institutions, which are eligible to enrol the scholarship students.

Selection Procedure: The host institution will review applications, which need to be submitted three months prior to the start of the course. Students academic record, health, work experience among other factors will be verified.

Where to apply: https://english.beijing.gov.cn/studyinginbeijing/scholarshipapplications/202006/t20200617_1926391.html

All India Youth Scholarship Entrance Examination (AIYSEE)

AIYSEE is a national level merit-based scholarship entrance exam for engineering and medical students. It is usually conducted in April and May. The scholarship is offered to only 10% of the total students enrolled. For government colleges, students will get up to 100% scholarship or maximum of Rs 40,000 per semester, whichever is lower. For private colleges, the candidates will get a grant of up to Rs 80,000 a year.

Who can apply: The aim of the scholarship is to offer financial assistance to high-performing students from any economic background.

Selection Procedure: Candidates need to clear the exam after which they will be eligible to participate in the admission and seat allocation.

Where to apply: https://aiysee.com/aboutsc.php

Vice-Chancellors International MBBS Scholarship, Sydney University

The University of Sydney offers a scholarship of $40,000 to support high achieving international students to pursue MBBS in Australia.

Who can apply: International students, who have applied for a CRICOS-registered bachelor coursework degree and have received an unconditional offer, are eligible for the scholarship.

Selection Procedure: The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of academic merit; students are nominated by the selection committee.

Where to apply: Applicants are considered automatically for the scholarship and they do not have to apply separately. Details on https://www.sydney.edu.au/scholarships/e/vice-chancellor-international-scholarships-scheme.html

Advising students on selecting the right college or course for medical education, Anubhav Garg, counsellor and founder of TAB INDIA  a platform for NEET counselling, said, When considering a country for your medical education, students need to remember that due to recent regulations, it is essential to clear the NEET exam before enrolling in medical courses abroad. Further, students need to look for programmes that offer a four-and-a-half-year academic curriculum in alignment with Indian standards. Ensure that the country of study provides a 12-month internship, and a plan for an additional 12-month internship in India. Simultaneously, prepare for the NExT (National Exit Test). Students also need to verify that the country you choose complies with Foreign Graduate Medical License (FMGL) regulations, granting you the necessary internship practice licence for eligibility in the NExT exam in India.

Many Indian students choose to study in countries like Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan because of the relatively lower cost of education. Countries including Italy, the US, UK, Hungary, and many more offer scholarships for Indian students to study medicine, he added.
The results of bypolls in seven assembly seats have been declared. While the BJP won both Tripura seats, and Uttarakhands Bageshwar, SP secured Uttar Pradeshs Ghosi seat.

In a major win, TMC registered victory in West Bengals Dhupuguri and Congress won Keralas Puthuppally. JMM candidate Bebi Devi emerged victorious from Jharkhands Dumri seat.

These bypolls were a major test for the opposition alliance, INDIA, against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the polls in five states later this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

The counting of votes began at 8 am at centres set up in the respective states.

The seven seats  Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura  went to poll on September 5.

Out of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP and one each by the SP (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri) and the Congress (Puthuppally).

A Look At Some of The Updates

Samajwadi Partys Sudhakar Singh wins Uttar Pradesh Ghosi Seat

JMM Wins Dumri Seat

BJP Wins Bageshwar Seat

 Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Again Takes Lead, This Time By 7k Votes

JMM Candidate Biebi Devi is in the lead from the Dumri seat.

 Trinamool Congress Wins Dhupguri Seat

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) was leading in the by-election to the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengals Jalpaiguri district on Friday in a close contest with the BJP, officials said.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed gratitude to the people of Dhupguri for the victory in by-poll.

I thank the people of Dhupguri for reposing faith in us and voting decisively in our favour in the critical by-election to the Assembly constituency. People in North Bengal have been with us, and trust our strategy of growth, inclusiveness and empowerment. Bengal has shown its mandate, and soon INDIA too will show its preference. Jai Bangla! Jai INDIA! Banerjee wrote in a post on X.

I thank the people of Dhupguri for reposing faith in us and voting decisively in our favour in the critical by-election to the Assembly constituency.People in North Bengal have been with us, and trust our strategy of growth, inclusiveness and empowerment.Bengal has shown its Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 8, 2023

Historic Win For Congress Chandy Oommen From Puthuppally

Opposition Congress-UDF on Friday retained the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as its candidate Chandy Ommen won by a margin of over 36,000 votes in the bypoll, Election Commission sources said.

While Oommen, son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, gained a clear edge since the initial round, his nearest rival and ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas could never gain a lead in any rounds.

The CPI(M)-led LDF lost ground even in its stronghold areas, and BJP candidate Lijin Lal was nowhere in the picture when the counting was over.

BJP Wins Both Boxanagar and Dhanpur Seats in Tripura

The BJP won the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripuras Sepahijala district on Friday, according to the Election Commission.

BJPs Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, which has around 66 per cent minority voters, by 30,237 votes. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) got 3,909 votes.

BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the Dhanpur seat, which has a significant tribal population, by 18,871 votes. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) got 11,146 votes.

-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Leading in Jharkhand, AJSU Second Now

-Who Is Leading & Where

Jharkhands Dumri  Yashoda Devi of AJSU Party is leading

Keralas Puthuppally  Chandy Oommen of Congress is leading

Triputas Boxanagar  Tafajjal Hossain of BJP is leading

Tripuras Dhanpur  Bindu Debnath of BJP is leading

Uttar Pradeshs Ghosi  Sudhakar SIngh of Samajwadi Party is leading

Uttarakhands Bageshwar  Parwati Dass of BJP is leading

West Bengals Dhupguri  Counting in Progress

-Chandy Oommen Leading With Over 17,000 votes

-What Does The Recent Trends Say

In the initial trends reported by the Election Commission, Chandy Oommen, the Congress candidate, is in the lead in Puthuppally, Kerala. Meanwhile, Tafajjal Hossain, the BJP candidate, is leading in Boxanagar, Tripura, and Basant Kumar, a Congress candidate, is currently ahead in Bageshwar, Uttarakhand.

Counting of votes for the seven assembly seats underway | Congress candidate Chandy Oommen is leading from Puthuppally in Kerala, BJP candidate Tafajjal Hossain is leading from Boxanagar in Tripura and Congress candidate Basant Kumar is leading from Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, in pic.twitter.com/CFGXHV9hwr ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

-Chandy Oommen Leading With 5699 Votes

In Puthupally, Congress Chandy Oommen is leading from front with With 5699 votes.

-Counting of Votes Begins for Tripura Bypolls, CPI(M) Boycotts Alleging Rigging

Counting of votes began at 8am on Friday for the by-elections to the two assembly seats in Tripuras Sepahijala district, officials said. The polling for the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats.

-UP: Counting of Votes Begins in Ghosi Assembly Bypoll

The counting of votes for the Ghosi assembly bypoll  being seen as the first major electoral clash between the NDA and opposition bloc INDIA  got underway at 8 am Friday, officials said. More than 50 per cent of the total electorates in the assembly constituency in Uttar Pradeshs Mau district cast their votes in the polling held on Tuesday. Ghosi had recorded a polling percentage of 58.59 in the last years assembly elections.

-Security Tightened in Bengals Dhupguri

Security has been tightened as counting for the Dhupguri Assembly by-polls starts.

#WATCH | Jalpaiguri, West Bengal: Security tightened as the counting for the Dhupguri Assembly by-polls to begin shortly.(Visuals from Netaji Subhas Open University) pic.twitter.com/g9GPdtxPOK  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

-UPs Ghosi

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ghosi seat fell vacant after the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.

-Bageshwar in Uttarakhand

For the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand, the counting will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, District Magistrate Anuradha Pal said on Thursday.

The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April this year. He had won the seat four times since 2007.

-Jharkhands Dumri

In Jharkhand, INDIA bloc and NDA candidates are keeping their fingers crossed ahead of the counting to Dumri assembly bypolls. The counting centre has been set up at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district, an election official said.

In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise, Giridih Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Naman Priesh Lakra told PTI.

Central Armed Police Force and various wings of Jharkhand police have been deployed to ensure free and fair counting, he said.

Around 65 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters had exercised their franchise.

-Boxanagar & Dhanpur in Tripura

In Tripura, the ECI has taken necessary steps to conduct the counting in a transparent way, a senior poll official said on Thursday.

Counting of votes to both the seats  Boxanagar and Dhanpur  will take place at Sonamura Girls HS School. There is tight security at the counting centre, Sepahijala district magistrate Vishal Kumar told PTI.

BJPs Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain from there.

On Wednesday, the CPI(M) announced to boycott the counting alleging largescale rigging in the two constituencies during voting.

-Dhupguri in West Bengal

In West Bengals Dhupguri, personnel of the central armed police forces and state police are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri, an official said.

Around 76 per cent of 2.6 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the by-election.

#WATCH | Jalpaiguri, West Bengal: Security tightened as the counting for the Dhupguri Assembly by-polls to begin shortly. (Visuals from Netaji Subhas Open University) pic.twitter.com/g9GPdtxPOK  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

CPI(M)s Ishwar Chandra Roy is contesting as the candidate of the Congress-Left alliance, while the ruling TMC has fielded Nirmal Chandra Roy, a teacher by profession.

The BJP has nominated Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir a few years back.

The bypoll to the seat was necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.

Dhupguri, a scheduled caste-reserved seat, has nearly 50 per cent Rajbanshi people and 15 per cent minority population.

-Puthupully in Kerala

Kerala is also anxiously waiting for the result of the Puthuppally bypoll which saw an intense battle between the UDF and LDF to fill the seat left vacant by the demise of Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy.

The constituency, located in the southern Kottayam district, witnessed a war of words for the past few weeks as the September 5 by-election was a prestigious battle for both the ruling and opposition fronts in the state.

According to Election Commission sources, the counting of votes would begin by 8.00 am at the special counting station in the Baselius College. Postal and service ballots would be counted first, they said.

The total number of booths in Puthuppally was 182, and the counting of votes in the electronic voting machines would be conducted in 13 rounds.
The record victory margin of Congress candidate Chandy Oommen at the Puthuppally bypoll in Kerala on Friday should be an eye-opener for the ruling CPI(M) and Left Democratic Front. The son of former chief minister Oommen Chandy won the seat by a record margin of 37,719 votes. The highest victory margin before this was in 2011 when Oommen Chandy won by 33,255 votes.

In 2021, the victory margin for Oommen Chandy was only 9,044. Jaick C Thomas, the present CPI(M) candidate was the candidate back then as well but there has been a drastic change in the victory margin.

The Left Front attributed the Congress victory to the sympathy factor. The elections were held less than a month after Oommen Chandy died, and he had represented this assembly constituency for 53 years since 1970.

We knew that the sympathy factor was huge. This is not a vote against the government. We were able to keep our core votes. We will analyse the results, look at how the votes came down, said CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan.

The BJP candidate could only manage 6,558 votes. In 2021, the saffron camp had secured 11,694 votes and 15,993 votes in 2016. The spectacular victory is a clear message to the (Narendra) Modi-led government as well as the Pinarayi (Vijayan) government. Both the BJP and the CPI(M) have been rejected by the people of Puthuppally. The message is clear and this is a semi-final. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, the UDF will make a clean sweep, said senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala.

Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh, who is also the state Congress working president, said the people of Puthuppally had issued a warning to central and state governments due to their anti-people policies.

There are allegations against chief minister P Vijayans daughter and her company about receiving monthly payments from another company but he has not said a word about it. The CPI(M) had issued a statement that they were legitimate and transparent transactions between the two companies.

The Congress had raised these issues during the election campaign for the bypoll and had, from the beginning, said the results will be a testament to the performance of the state government.

K Surendran, state BJP president, said the sympathy factor and anti-incumbency against the ruling regime was reflected in the Puthuppally bypoll result. There was a massive anti-incumbency wave against the P Vijayan-led government, corruption and all these illegal activities by the chief minister and his family. Thse have been reflected in the election result. Compared to the CPI(M), our decline in number of votes is less, he said.

Political analysts, meanwhile, said the result was a warning for the CPI(M). Sympathy vote for Oommen Chandy is a factor but, at the same time, its also a warning for the CPI(M) and the Left Front to mend their ways . The massive vote margin is a warning to CPI(M), said J Prabhash, political analyst and former head of department of political science, University of Kerala.

He said the bypoll result shows that the people are not happy with the allegations against Vijayan and his family. The CPI(M) will have to address this issue, analyse it and respond to the people. They have to give an answer, if they dont correct their ways it can be seen as a sign for 2024 (Lok Sabha elections), he added.
The results of the bypolls, considered the mini polls before the main Lok Sabha elections, have given hope and confidence to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) front that they can take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2024.

The results are: INDIA 4, NDA 3.

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won a seat, which was with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC chief and WB CM Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek both termed it a defeat of the divisive forces.

The TMC posted on X, previously Twitter: Victory of development over divisive politics! Dhupguri, thank you for showcasing unwavering support. Our victory in the by-elections is a testament to peoples continued faith in our progressive vision. Onwards and upwards.

Victory of development over divisive politics!Dhupguri, thank you for showcasing unwavering support. Our victory in the By-Elections is a testament to people's continued faith in our progressive vision. Onwards and upwards! pic.twitter.com/mH74TWH7Hu  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 8, 2023

In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party retained its Ghosi seat in Purvanchal with an impressive margin. So did the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Jharkhands Dumri, and the Congress in Kerala.

The BJP retained two seats in Tripura, and one in Uttarakhand.

These results have given a lease of life to the INDIA front at a time when its riddled with differences.

THE TIMING IS RIGHT

The Congresss tussle with the TMC and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had given an impression that all is not well in the INDIA front. It had led many to believe that seat-sharing may throw up more differences and the alliance may not last till 2024. The BJP has always taken pot shots at the alliance saying it is a khichdi and wont have the ability to provide a politically stable government.

Naysayers who may have dismissed the alliance will now be countered by these results, even though the win has largely been in those seats which are anyway considered safe.

The name of the opposition allianceINDIAhas instilled fear in the government.'INDIA' represents who we are! It has disturbed the PM enough that he wants to change the name of the country. It's interesting that every time we raise the issue of Adani and crony capitalism, the pic.twitter.com/0juDcimYpK  Congress (@INCIndia) September 8, 2023

For Banerjee, however, its a clear win as the seat was earlier held by the BJP. Given the BJP versus TMC and the governor, this is a win the TMC can flaunt.

As the INDIA front gets ready to meet in the backdrop of the differences within and begin discussion on seat-sharing, it hopes to overcome the fissures of Mumbai meet.

The win in these bypolls can be used to iron out or cover the differences. The BJP has, however, dismissed this as a small shot, telling the INDIA front: Dilli dur hai.
With less than 24 hours to the G20 Summit, India has upped its security measures, both on the ground and online, to combat any threats coming from foreign lands. The government has also raised cyber security measures around significant infrastructure, including government websites, in view of the cyber threats originating from China and Pakistan.

A senior officer has reportedly said that the agencies are working overtime to keep a check cyber warriors from China and Pakistan who are trying to undermine India ahead of G20. India has raised the level of alertness around its critical infrastructure including government websites keeping cyber threats in mind, a report in NDTV said.

Zero Trust model

India has implemented zero trust policy, which mandates constant monitoring of all IT assets, in all participating hotels prior to summit.

Under this approach, every device and person accessing private networks will require robust authentication and authorisation. The approach also mandates that no person or device is considered reliable for accessing resources until their identity and authorisation are confirmed.

Therefore, this strategy replaces the conventional mentality of trust but verify with never trust, always verify.

Apart from critical infrastructure, the level of alert has also been raised at 28 hotels where VVIPs and delegates would be staying. Cyber squads have been stationed at ITC Maurya where US President Joe Biden would be staying.

The arrangements are being done after a meeting in the Home Ministry where the history of cyberattacks during G20 Summits were discussed by the security agencies.

Banking and Finance Sector on Alert

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory to all banks regarding hacker groups targeting the banking and finance sector for the G20 summit. The ministry has cautioned the sector against malicious threat and asked them to closely monitor their IT infrastructure for such attempts.

In view of the above, Banks are requested to closely monitor their IT infrastructure for such attempts as they are likely to intensify in the coming days, MHAs advisory said.

Sources said that multiple agencies are working together to protect Indias cyber infrastructure, and so far, nothing major has been done by these groups except attacking a few government websites.

Tackling misinformation

The security agencies are fending off an increase in misinformation tactics, mostly directed towards Jammu and Kashmir.

Data from the cybersecurity section, a division of the Home Ministry, reveals that social media trolls from China and Pakistan are also creating a web of lies to cast doubt on Indias hosting of G20 in New Delhi.

Recently, pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) floated several websites ahead of the G20 Summit to dent Indias global image. A top official aware of the developments said various websites having addresses similar to the official G20 website have been floated by Khalistani groups.

The websites, featuring content against India, threaten to fuel anti-India agenda beginning Thursday when the G20 Summit kicks off. The official added that various videos have been uploaded by SFJ against India.

Hacking Groups Launch Operations

The Indian security agencies have stepped up the security cover after some hacktivist groups have announced their intentions to target Indian organisations. Recently, Indonesian hacktivist groups, including Ganonsec and Jambi Cyber Team, announced their intentions to target Indian organisations on their Telegram channel and launched a campaign named OpIndia, to disrupt Indias digital infrastructure.

FalconFeedsio, a cyber threat intelligence platform, has reported on the escalating threat on social media site X. In a post on September 7, the platform shared the screenshot of the Telegram message which read: We invite all Muslim hackers and hacktivists. You join our Operation India. Are you ready to join #OpIndia? Date:- 9 and 10 September 2023. Same Date on G20 summit. Great #Team_Herox #ACEH_ABOUT_HACKED_WORLD #GanoSec_Team. Soon.
Leaders and heads of state from the leading economies of the world arrived in New Delhi to attend the two-day G20 summit, beginning from Saturday. World leaders including US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and others will meet at the Bharat Mandapam, situated in New Delhis Pragati Maidan over the weekend and discuss the economic and pressing challenges before the leading markets.

Here is everything you need to know about the G20  from its members to its origin and about the agenda and common communique.

What is G20?

The G20 or the Group of Twenty is an annual summit of the influential grouping of 20 countries, that represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

What are G20 Countries?

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

What is G20 Meeting?

The G20 countries meet every year and the summit is the culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials and civil society groups.

The leaders of G20 countries adopt a G20 Leaders Declaration at the conclusion of the summit stating their commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon the conclusions arrived at the meetings.

When and Why Was G20 Formed?

G20 was founded in 1999 to bring together financial ministers from 19 countries and the European Union to address issues related to the global economy. Earlier, the group was designed to be a forum for finance minister and officials to discuss economic issues.

However, after 2008 financial crisis, the first leaders summit was held in view of the financial turmoil to promote better international cooperation. Since then, the finance ministers meet every year under finance track while the heads of states meet under G20 Heads of State and Government Summit.

What has the G20 achieved?

The G20 has been a summit of the global powerhouses to meet and tackle challenges facing the global economy. During the financial crisis, the G20 leaders in 2008 and 2009 summits agreed on a host of measures to tackled economic challenges.

In 2019 summit in Osaka, then US president Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume talks to settle a major trade dispute.

What Happened at G20 Summit in Bali?

In the last years Bali Summit, the deliberation of the worlds 20 biggest economies was hindered by differences over Russias invasion of Ukraine. However, Indonesian President Joko Widodo managed to produce a declaration at the eleventh hour after wrangling over the conflict for days.

The Bali Leaders Declaration said most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy." It also said that there were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions."

How does the G20 work?

The G20, unlike other formal international bodies, is only an informal grouping. Therefore, unlike the United Nations (UN) or World Bank, it does not have a permanent secretariat or staff.

The G20 works in three major tracks: Finance Track, Sherpa Track and Engagement Groups. While the first two are official, the engagement group is unofficial.

The Finance Track is led by Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G20 countries, who meet four times a year.

The Sherpa Track is headed by the representative, who are the personal emissaries of the heads of states of the G20 countries. Indias G20 Sherpa is former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

What is the Agenda this Year?

Under Indias presidency, the bloc has centred discussions around more loans to developing nations from multilateral institutions, reforming international debt architecture, regulations on cryptocurrency and the impact of geopolitical uncertainties on food and energy security.

India also intends to focus on the following issues:
A Dalit woman was allegedly drugged, gang-raped and forced to eat beef in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly district. The survivors friend, who was also involved in the crime, had called her to a hotel on pretext of returning Rs 30,000.

News agency IANS quoted a police official as saying, A girl living in Prem Nagar police circle had lent Rs 30,000 to her friend. On September 1, the girl was called by her friend to a hotel on the pretext of returning the money.

In the hotel room, the Dalit womans friend, Shifat and her two acquittances, Nadeem and Shoaib, forcibly fed her beef and gave her sedatives-laced cold drink, the report stated.

After she fell unconscious, the youths allegedly raped her, while Shifat filmed the act. Later, they blackmailed the survivor to either pay Rs 50,000 or they make the video viral.

IANS stated that the incident came to light after the womans friend Shifat sent the obscene video to her fiance, who then informed the police.

A report in India Today mentioned that accused Shoaib is a B Pharma student, while Nazim works as a barber. The three had plans to flee to Kashmir where Nazims shop is located.

Bareilly Superintendent of Police, Rahul Bhati, said that a case under relevant sections of IPC, including SC/ST Act, had been registered and all three accused had been arrested.

Last year, some Hindu outfits in Karnataka had created an uproar after a 26-year-old Dalit man was allegedly converted to Islam forcibly, circumcised and compelled to eat beef against his wish. Based on a complaint by Sridhar, the police registered a case against 12 people.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, Sridhar, hails from Yadavanahalli village in Maddur taluk. He said he was kept at a mosque at Banashankari in Bengaluru, circumcised and that his name was changed to Mohammed Salman.

The complainant claimed the accused trained him in the practices of Islam at different places in Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh. The accused allegedly gave a pistol in his hand, took a photograph and threatened to post it on social media to project him as a terrorist, if he did not convert at least three Hindus, he was quoted as saying.
Expressing unanimous support for PM @narendramodi Jis vision of One Earth One Family One Future, the G20 leaders made a historic decision today by including the African Union as a permanent member of this prestigious global organization.

This decision will ensure that no one pic.twitter.com/nB6CmeF8Xw

 Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 9, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden discussed a wide range of issues and measures to deepen the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Washington DC during their meeting at the sidelines of the G 20 Summit in the national capital.

G-20 in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/0CKItB2YTt ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

The two global leaders welcomed the completion of the Congressional Notification process on 29 August 2023 and the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India and recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal.

President Biden also welcomed the issuance of a Letter of Request from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of India to procure 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of Indias armed forces across all domains, a statement by the White House said.

In the meeting, both sides recommitted to advancing Indias emergence as a hub for the maintenance and repair of forward-deployed U.S. Navy assets and other aircraft and vessels.

The leaders also welcomed further commitments from the US industry to invest more in Indias maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and facilities for aircraft.

Earlier this year, during his maiden visit to the US, PM Modi had invited American chip maker Micron Technology to boost semiconductor manufacturing in India. He also invited Applied Materials to India for the development of process technology and advanced packaging capabilities.

The G20 Summit, hosted by India is set to kick start on Saturday. Top world leaders including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, and Japans Fumio Kishida have landed in the country for the mega event.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Eight Members of Parliament who were not sworn in yesterday in Harare have accused the Clerk of Parliament of sending out short notices.The newly-elected MPs were sworn in at the new parliament building in Mount Hampden.However, the Parliament of Zimbabwe indicated that eight MPs were not sworn in due to various reasons.The MPs are Prince Sibanda Dubeko (Binga North), Jasmine Toffa (Bulawayo Proportional Representative), Gladys Kudzaishe Hlatshwayo (Gokwe Central), Leslie Brian James (Mberengwa South), Norman Allan Markham (Mutare South), Sekai Marashe (Mudzi South), Supa Collins Mandiwanzira (Chimanimani East) and Chido Sanyatwe (Harare South).Sibanda accused the Clerk of Parliament of undermining the MPs by giving them less than 48 hours' notice to attend the swearing-in ceremony."The challenge that was there is that the Clerk of Parliament undermines us, they think we don't have a life, he gave us a short notice to invite us for swearing in less than 48 hours. I have other businesses that I run, I am a lawyer, I have a diary that I follow so I couldn't attend to that short notice, thus the only reason why I could not attend," said the Binga North MP.Toffa said she was not in the country when the other MPs were sworn in yesterday."As I speak, I am in the airport on my way to Bulawayo. I was not around. When I get there, I will get in touch with Parliament so that they tell me when I will be sworn in," said Toffa.Zanu-PF director of Information and Publicity Farai Marapire said there are various reasons that may have led the ZANU-PF MPs to skip the swearing-in process yesterday."There are many challenges that can lead one not to be sworn in, maybe they were not well. There was a genuine reason not to attend, it's not that they were boycotting or anything, as Zanu-PF we are one big family," said Marapire.
After months of anticipation, world leaders from US President Joe Biden, to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reached New Delhi and kickstarted the colorful and mega G20 Summit. Folk dancers, and an array of ministers welcomed them, as security forces kept an hawk-eye vigil for the countrys first such event under its presidency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said G20 this year will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development and expressed confidence that the guests will enjoy the warmth of Indian hospitality.

On the sidelines of the summit, and the beautiful oil lamps, Modi held bilateral meetings with three heads of states, including Biden, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

PM Modi Holds 3 Bilateral Meets

With US President Joe Biden: As Biden landed in Delhi, his first order of business was meeting PM Modi and hold productive talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. The two discussed various topics such as technology, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, defence to further strengthen India-US ties.

The leaders meticulously discussed working together to bridge the gender digital divide, along with welcoming Indo-US major defence partnerships.

With Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: PM Modi said he held fruitful discussions with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last 9 years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more, PM Modi said.

With Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth: Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated Indias commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South, PM Modi said following his meeting with the Mauritius Prime Minister.

PM Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next three days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit.

World leaders touch down in Delhi

World leaders started arriving for the summit on Friday and these included US President Joe Biden, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Apart from these, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, Netherlands PM Mark Rutte, and Brazil President Lula da Silva.

What did leaders say?

Soon after landing, UKs Sunak gave an interview and said that his government is working very closely with India to tackle pro-Khalistani extremism in the UK.

He referred to the recent talks held between the UK and India on rising instances of Khalistani extremism and said no form of extremism is acceptable in the UK.

Ive landed in Delhi ahead of the #G20 summit.I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done. pic.twitter.com/72vE60c7Fg  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

No form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And thats why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle PKE Pro-Khalistan Extremism, Sunak was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Sunak also highlighted that Indias G20 Presidency has been a huge success during an interview with the news agency and said New Delhi is the right host at the right time to hold the summit.

Bharat Mandapam ready for leaders

Security was beefed up across the national capital, especially in New Delhi district with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies keeping a hawk-eye vigil on the Bharat Mandapam.

Also Read | Subz Korma Korma, Kuttu Malpua And: Heres What India Served G20 Guests Tonight

It is for the first time that India is hosting the summit of the 19 countries and the European Union, representing the worlds major developed and emerging economies.

Indias G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said New Delhi Leaders Declaration will reflect the voice of the global south and developing countries.

Dont Miss| Kamalam for G20: UP Artisan Has Prepared 50 Rare Mementos to Welcome Foreign Dignitaries

Tentative Schedule for Day-1 of G20 Summit

As the G20 Summit officially commences on Saturday, the world leaders and other delegates will start arriving at the Bharat Mandapam around 9 PM.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held a bilateral meeting in Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 summit and discussed various topics such as technology, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, defence to further strengthen India-US ties.

From collaborations on nuclear energy to commencing commercial agreements for manufacturing GE F-414 jet engines in India, nothing was left untouched.

The leaders meticulously discussed working together to bridge the gender digital divide, along with welcoming Indo-US major defence partnerships.

President Biden also reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member.

A joint statement issued after bilateral talks between the two leaders also said that PM Modi looked forward to welcoming the US President to the next Quad Leaders Summit to be hosted by India in 2024.

Here are highlights of bilateral meet between PM Modi and US President Biden:

Modi and Biden reaffirmed the close and enduring partnership between US and India.

In terms of G20, both the leaders expressed their commitment to the summit and expressed confidence of its outcomes. They also said that it will our greatest common challenges of the two countries.

US and India re-emphasized that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship.

India welcomed the US decision to co-lead the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Pillar on Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, further to the US decision to join IPOI in June 2023.

They also discussed technologys role in deepening Indo-US partnership and to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains, based on mutual confidence and trust.

Biden also congratulated PM Modi and scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Chandrayaan-3s historic landing as wekk as Indias first solar mission, Aditya-L1.

The two leaders welcomed the signing of of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Allianc.

The United States reiterated its commitment to working together with India in the quantum domain. It was also recognized that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange as an international partner.

The leaders hailed the signing of an Implementation Arrangement between the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and Indias Department of Biotechnology to enable scientific and technological research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations.

The leaders affirmed the importance to close the gender digital divide in the digital economy. They noted the G20 commitment to halve the digital gender gap by 2030 and expressed support for the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative.

Apart from this, the two reaffirmed their commitment to deepen and diversify the India-US Major Defence Partnership through expanded cooperation in new and emerging domains such as space and AI.

They also welcomed the beginning of negotiations for commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India.

The leaders applauded the conclusion of a second Master Ship Repair Agreement, with the most recent agreement signed by the US Navy and Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders, Ltd in August this year.

They also spoke about the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) team to address shared security challenges.

President Biden also welcomed the request of Indias Defence Ministry to procure 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft.

They both also discussed the need to expand opportunities in terms of nuclear energy for climate, and energy transition purposes, and also new collaborations of renewable energy.

The leaders lauded the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between India and the United States.

The two leaders welcomed efforts to develop an ambitious Innovation Handshake agenda under the India-US Commercial Dialogue, to include two anchor events in the fall (one in India and one in the United States), in which our two sides will collaborate to bring together start-ups, private equity and venture capital firms.

The joint statement was issued after productive talks between Modi and Biden to further economic and people-to-people bilateral linkages with the PM asserting that the friendship between India and US will continue to play a great role in furthering global good.

This is President Bidens first visit to India as US President. The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020.
It is a moment of pride for artisan Manmohan Saini from Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be giving away mementos, specially crafted by him, while welcoming foreign dignitaries attending the G20 Leaders Summit on September 9 and 10.

Saini said these rare mementos are called kamalam, and he has prepared some 50 of these for the grand event. But, what is so special about these mementos? Its the design that makes these mementos rare and special, said Saini, who has spent more than 30 years of his life designing brass artifacts and has mastered the art form.

It is in the form of a special lotus prepared in a way that a slight rotation will open its outermost petals and, on rotating further, will result in a fully bloomed flower, he said, adding that he is the only artisan who can prepare these.

According to Saini, it is because of his expertise that officials from Uttar Pradesh Handicraft Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd approached him eight months ago and asked him to prepare the special mementos for the G20 summit.

Back then, I took it lightly, thinking G20 will be like any other event but when I saw it on TV recently, I got to know that it is something big and I am fortunate enough to be chosen for the task, he said.

Saini further said it took him almost six months to complete the entire consignment of 50 mementos. Elaborating on their specifications, he said the kamalam is five inches in length and bears eight small and big petals each. He added that in 2016, during the BJPs Parivartan rally, party leader Pushpendra Singh Chandel and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya gifted the prime minister a kamalam prepared by him.

But, it is not for the first time that Prime Minister Modi has chosen an indigenously prepared artifact to be presented to foreign dignitaries so as to highlight Indias unique culture. In 2022, during the G7 summit in Germany, he gifted a rare gulabi minakari set of cufflinks to US President Joe Biden and a matching brooch to the First Lady. The rare artwork is only done in UPs Varanasi district and is an art of enamelling and adding pink colour to silver artifacts. This pink colour is prepared from gold oxide, which gives it the name gulabi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Bidens bilateral talks will take place on Friday, soon after the latter arrives in New Delhi in the evening for the G20 Leaders Summit on the weekend.

Only two months have passed since Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to the US for a state visit. This time around, the two leaders will focus on fast-tracking promises made during that visit in June as well as reviewing projects announced in Washington. There are fewer chances of them making any other big-ticket announcements.

Biden, who will be welcomed by union minister General VK Singh (Retd), will focus on how the US can deliver for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for Americans from climate to technology, and his commitment to the G20. The US has supported Indias proposal of inducting the African Union as a permanent member of the grouping.

After his talks with the prime minister, the US president will take part in the official sessions of the G20 on September 9 and 10.

Here are the agenda points for the bilateral talks between Modi and Biden:

Review progress on announcement of consulates in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru as well as the mission in Seattle

Fast-tracking GE Jet Engines deal announced in June. Last week, the US Congress approved the deal between GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the manufacturing of GE F-414 jet engines

Since India signed the Artemis Accords, the two are likely to talk about enhancing commercial collaboration between private sectors in space cooperation

Both countries have already signed an agreement for cooperation in semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership. They are likely to review the progress on this

Relaxation in visa norms, academic programme for students

The leaders noted talks between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) for the construction of six nuclear reactors in India. This time, reports suggest they could seal that deal as consultations are in the last stage

A likely announcement over setting up a comprehensive global MRO facility as India will be procuring drones from General Atomics.

While bilateral visits are not included during G20 summits, India has made an exception for Biden as well as the Saudi crown prince.

Biden, who has visited India multiple times, will be visiting the country as the US president for the first time to show his commitment for Indias G20 presidency.

Here are the agenda points for Bidens visit to the G20:
The accused in the air hostess murder case died by suicide by hanging himself using his pants while in the lockup at Andheri.

The accused was arrested for killing the 23-year-old air hostess by slitting her throat inside her flat in Mumbais Marol area.

The deceased, identified as Rupal Ogrey, hailed from Chhattisgarh and came to Mumbai in April for training with Air India. Police arrested 40-year-old Vikram Athwal, Ogreys residential societys garbage collection staffer, less than 12 hours after the body was discovered on Sunday night in her flat at NG Complex on Krishanlal Marwah Marg in Marol.

Whats The Case

While probing the case, cops found the woman resided in the flat along with her sister and the latters boyfriend, but the duo left for their native place eight days back. The police have now informed them about the incident, the official said.

Officials said they would be able to understand what transpired a few hours before the murder on the basis of the medical reports. Police is awaiting the permission of the victims family to conduct the post-mortem.

After the woman did not pick up calls from her family, they contacted their local friends in Mumbai and asked them to check on her. When the familys friends went there, they found the flat was locked from inside and no one responded to the doorbell.

Later, they contacted the police and with their help opened the flat using a duplicate key. Inside, the woman was found lying with her throat slit. She was immediately rushed to Rajawadi Hospital where she was declared dead before admission.

The accused was doing housekeeping work for the last one year in the residential society where the woman lived, an official from Powai police station was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
In a disturbing incident aboard a Vistara flight from Muscat to Mumbai, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi man allegedly flashed at an air hostess and attempted to masturbate on a nearly full flight. The accused, Mohammed Dulal, was arrested after the flight landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Thursday.

The incident occurred just 30 minutes before the scheduled landing of flight UK234 at 4:25 a.m. on Thursday. Dulal was originally en route to board a connecting flight to Dhaka, but, he was handed over to Sahar police following his arrest.

He also tried to flash at other cabin crew members and passengers when they tried to intervene, an official said.

A Vistara spokesperson reacted to the incident, and said that in view of gross misconduct, the passenger has been issued a warning letter and has been restrain.

In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival, he said.

The customer has been taken into custody for further investigation by the security agency at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai. The incident has been reported to the local authorities as per the SOPs. Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety, security, and dignity of its customers and staff, the spokesperson added.

Notably, this unfortunate incident marked the twelfth case of unruly passenger behavior reported in Mumbai in the year 2023 alone.

Following his arrest, Dulal was produced before an Andheri Court, where his lawyer argued that his client suffered from a mental disorder and had difficulty understanding English and Hindi. The Lawyer also claimed that the accused was falsely implicated due to his mental disorder and limited language comprehension.

The court, however, remanded Dulal to police custody until Friday.

Dulal was arrested following a complaint filed by a 22-year-old flight attendant, who claimed the accused had made inappropriate advances towards her, including attempting to kiss her and exposing himself.

When the flight supervisor and other passengers intervened, he continued his unruly behavior, disregarding the captains warnings as well, the complaint said.

Further recounting her ordeal, the flight attendant said that she was collecting food trays from passengers when she noticed the accused flyer was signaling her.

After collecting the food tray from the accused in the seat no 19-E, I pushed the trolley to go ahead the accused jumped from his seat, and over a passenger, and stood in front of the trolley. I was left in shock when suddenly he hugged me and tried to kiss me, the complaint read, according to a report by Time of India.

The victim called her male colleague to her aid, and with the help of other passengers, they managed to subdue Dulal.

However, he persisted in his indecent behavior and used offensive language when instructed to remain seated. The flight captain ultimately declared him an unruly passenger and issued a Red Warning Card, the victim said in her complaint.

The Bangladeshi consulate has been informed of the situation, and they will be making arrangements for Dulals bail and other case-related procedures on Friday.
A 40-year-old man, who was arrested for allegedly murdering a 23-year-old air hostess, was found hanging using a pair of pants in Mumbai polices custody on Friday.

The accused, identified as Vikram Athwal, was found in this condition inside the toilet of Andheri police station. It is a suspected case of suicide, police officials have said.

This comes days after the air hostess was found dead with her throat slit in an apartment in the Marol locality, just two kilometers from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Maharashtras Mumbai.

The deceased, identified as Rupal Ogrey, hailed from Chhattisgarh and came to Mumbai in April for training with Air India. Her dead body was found late on Sunday night in a flat at NG Complex on Krishanlal Marwah Marg in Marol.

During the probe, the police found the woman resided in the flat along with her sister and the latters boyfriend, but the duo left for their native place eight days back. The police have now informed them about the incident, the official said.

Athwal, who was doing housekeeping work over the last one year in the residential society where the victim lived, was arrested on Monday on the charge of killing her.

A local court had remanded him in police custody till September 8.

During the probe, the police recovered a knife allegedly used by him to kill Ogrey along with the clothes he was wearing at the time of the crime.

According to police, Athwal was married and had two daughters.

Athwal and Ogrey used to argue over petty issues, the police said, adding that as per their preliminary investigation, Athwal entered Ogreys flat under the pretext of picking up a garbage bag and cleaning the commode and then killed her.

With PTI Inputs
President of Bharat Droupadi Murmu is all set to host her grand dinner at the G20 Summit venue in New Delhi as all foreign delegates and leaders of the participant countries, including US President Joe Biden, arrive in India. Reportedly, the specially-curated menu consists of various Indian delicacies consumed during monsoons as well and popular sweets will also be served to the guests

According to PTI, all preparations are through and senior managers and staff members of a luxury hotel group will set up traditional and grand dinner tables at Bharat Mandapam, which will host the two-day summit.

We have prepared a specially-curated menu, keeping in mind the culinary delicacies consumed during this (monsoon) season in India. Millet-based dishes will be on the menu too, a source in the luxury hospitality group told PTI.

G20 Dinner: Whats in Menu Tonight

Presidents grand G20 dinner will have tons of Indian and fusion delicacies specially prepared to suit the various tastes of foreign delegates and G20 leaders.

However, a mouth-watering feast is prepared for the guests on Friday as well. Heres the detailed menu for tonights dinner, as per Hindustan Times.

STARTERS

Tossed Indian Green Salad

Pasta and grilled vegetable salad

Chickpea Sundal

Soup

Roasted Almond and vegetable broth

VEGETARIAN MAIN COURSE

Paneer Lababdar (Uttar Pradesh dish)

Potato Lyonnaise

Subz Korma (Andhra Pradesh dish)

Kaju Matar Makhana

Penne in Arrabiata Sauce

Jawar Dal Tadka (Uttar Pradesh dish)

Pyaz Jeera Ki Pulao (Punjabi dish)

Tandoori Roti, Butter Naan, Kulcha

Cucumber Raita

Tamarind and Date Chutney

Mix Pickle

Plain Curd

What Desserts Are We Serving To Our G20 Delegates?

Sweets of varied kinds such as gulab jamun, ras malai and jalebi, etc. are planned to be served, a staff member told PTI, adding that the serving staff will wear a special uniform.

Apart from that, warm Walnut and Ginger Pudding, Strawberry Ice Cream, Kuttu Malpua and Black Currant Ice Cream will be offered to the guests on Friday as well, according to media reports.

Kuttu Malpua, a speciality from Uttar Pradesh, will be served in bespoke silverware made especially for the occasion.

Crockery and Tableware To Be Used At Special G20 Dinner

A Jaipur-based metalware firm on Tuesday told PTI that several luxury hotels commissioned made-to-order tableware and silverware that would be used by the foreign delegates staying at their establishments and at the special dinner.

Most of the tableware has a steel or brass base or a mix of both with a coating of silver while some of the plates that will be used to serve the welcome drinks have a gold plating, Laksh Pabuwal of Iris Jaipur had told PTI.

About 15,000 silverware crafted by 200 artisans have been made for the summit, it had said.

The designs of the tableware are a nod to Indias rich heritage and its global prominence, said Rajeev Pabuwal of Iris Jaipur.

The tableware depicts the glorious cultural heritage of India, motifs of flowers, the peacock  our national animal  graces the plates and other items. The silverware will dazzle the heads of state with their cultural sparkle, he told PTI.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived here on Friday for the G20 Leaders Summit beginning on September 9 and said he would work with world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us.

Accompanied by his wife Akshata Murthy, Sunak was welcomed at the airport by Union minister Ashwini Choubey, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis and senior diplomats.

Ive landed in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done, Sunak said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Sunak and said he was looking forward to a fruitful summit.

Welcome Rishi Sunak! Looking forward to a fruitful Summit where we can work together for a better planet, Modi said on X.

Sunak is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Modi during his three-day visit.

After his arrival, he met students and staff at British Council here.

Before meeting the world leaders of today Ive been meeting with the world leaders of tomorrow. Its been fantastic to visit students and staff here at @inBritish (British Council in India)  a reflection of the living bridge that exists between the UK and India, Sunak wrote on X. He also shared pictures of his interaction.

Before meeting the world leaders of today Ive been meeting with the world leaders of tomorrow.Its been fantastic to visit students and staff here at @inBritish  a reflection of the living bridge that exists between the UK and India. pic.twitter.com/mYc2uZP7kc  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

In an interview to PTI earlier this week, Sunak, the first Indian-origin prime minister of Britain, said the relationship between the UK and India will define the future of the two countries, even more than it is defining the present.
State Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will visit London later this month to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Victoria and Albert Museum after the UK authorities agreed to return the wagh nakh used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to kill Bijapur sultanate general.

The wagh nakh is a dagger shaped like tiger claws  which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to kill the general of Bijapur Sultanate Afzal Khan in 1659.

The artifact might be coming home this year itself if everything goes as per plan. According to a Times of India report, Mungantiwar said, We have got a letter from the UK authorities saying they have agreed to give us back Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs Wagh Nakh. We might get it back for the anniversary of the day when Shivaji killed Afzal Khan, based on the Hindu calendar. Some other dates are also being considered and the modalities of transporting the wagh nakh back are also being worked.

Member of Lok Sabha Rajyavardhan Rathore posted on X, Wagh Nakh, the iconic weapon that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ji used, will soon return to India from the United Kingdom.

Wagh Nakh, the iconic weapon that ji used, will soon return to India from the United Kingdom. ,  this is the commitment of Honourable PM Shri @narendramodi Ji that has led to the pic.twitter.com/nVQ18XqdgC  Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) September 8, 2023

Mungantiwar said that other objects  Shivajis Jagadamba sword  will be also be looked at in the UK where they are on display. He said that steps will be taken to bring the other artifacts belonging to India as well.

The fact that the tiger claws are on the way back is a big step for Maharashtra and its people. the date of Afzal Khans killing is November 10 based on the Gregorian calendar but we are working out dates based on the Hindu tithi calendar, added Mungantiwar.

The wagh nakh is a priceless mark of history, a treasure for the country and the sentiments of the people are attached to it. The transfer must be undertaken with care and responsibility.

Reportedly, for the safe transfer of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs wagh nakh and looking at other objects, Mungantiwar, principal secretary culture Dr Vikas Kharge, and Dr Tejas Garge, director of the states directorate of archeology and museums, all visit the Victoria & Albert, and other museums in London. This three-member team will make a six-day visit  costing Maharashtra Rs 50 lakh  to London from September 29 to October 4.

The wagh nakh is made of steel and has four claws placed on top of bar with two rings for the first and fourth fingers, said officials.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Ward 18 Councillor Felix Takunda Madzana has written an open letter to the residents of Magwegwe and Pumula explaining how a video of him speaking Shona sparked outrage on social media.In the video, Madzana, who had just been sworn in on Wednesday, was speaking in Shona highlighting issues of service delivery that need attention in the city.This triggered a lot of residents on social media as residents of Bulawayo have often said they want the people of Bulawayo to run the affairs of the city.In his letter, Madzana said he was approached by journalists from Studio 7 asking his opinion on issues that need to be addressed in the city. He said he spoke in three languages, IsiNdebele, English and Shona, but someone chose to use the Shona one to propel a tribal agenda."I know no tribe and I guess it was a mistake on my part which I didn't see then and I own it up. To all those who were affected by the circulating video, this was not my intention and I apologise," read the letter.Madzana apologised to all affected residents, saying he knows no tribe and that he did not intend to offend anyone.He also said he is flexible with different languages and that the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) also uses him for different voiceovers that need different languages.Madzana said he is well-rooted in Bulawayo and that he has been fighting for democracy in the city. He said he has been arrested and tortured while in Bulawayo, and that he is not going anywhere."I am well rooted in Bulawayo. I have been fighting for democracy in Bulawayo, Bulawayo is my home, there is nothing that can take me away from Bulawayo, I have been arrested, tortured while in Bulawayo, even if people google me, they will see that," he said.
The African Union (AU) is set to join the G20, with negotiators reportedly agreeing to clear the blocs membership. The same has reportedly been included in the draft leaders declaration that is being negotiated by the G20 states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pitching for including the African Union in the G20, writing to the leaders of the 20 nations in June, seeking the full membership of the AU at the New Delhi summit. Weeks later, the proposal was formally included in the draft communique for the summit during the third G20 Sherpas meeting that took place in Karnatakas Hampi in July.

A final decision on the proposal would be taken at the G20 summit. The African Union (AU) is an influential organisation comprising 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent. It will now be the second regional grouping after the European Union in an expanded G20.

According to Indian officials, AUs inclusion in the G20 would help leave a lasting imprint of the Indian presidency.

China has expressed its support for the inclusion of the African Union (AU) in G20. It, however, said that it is the first country to explicitly support the inclusion of the African bloc in the grouping, betraying reluctance in acknowledging Indias diplomatic feat at a time when President Xi Jinping is skipping attendance at the summit.

Indias Global South agenda and the inclusion of the African Union has also diversified the G20s priorities. While disagreements around the mention of the Russia-Ukraine war in the joint statement continue  with Russia walking back on the language it agreed to during the Bali Summit, where it was mentioned that most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and China asserting the same view in the face of an unwavering G7  there is a strong chance that both sides may come to an agreement at the eleventh hour, at the interest of India and in support of its selfless and unprecedented efforts to represent the voice of the Global South.

Indias G20 Presidency will go down in history as an exemplary show of global leadership during a geopolitical crisis. Heres a look at how India-Africa ties will benefit from the inclusion of the African Union into the G20:

African Unions entry will redefine the G20 from an exclusive club to an inclusive one, devoted to the cause of the Global South, where more than 85% of the world resides.

For India, strong ties with the African Union can be a force multiplier in the United Nations, with the bloc wielding its voting power in the UN general assembly. India is seen as trustworthy compared to China, France, the US, and Europe.

India has completed 197 projects, 65 are under execution and 81 are in the pre-execution stage in Africa. India can seek to win more development contracts and business opportunities in African nations.

India has extended over $12.37 billion in concessional loans to Africa. India does not practise debt-trap diplomacy, and this move will go further to cultivate goodwill.

Africas burgeoning market is an open opportunity for Indian businesses. In 2022-23, trade stood at $98 billion rising from $89 billion the previous year. It will soon cross $100 billion.

Currently, India runs a trade deficit with Africa. That can be balanced out as India deepens its roots in the continent.

Africa is home to about 30 percent of the worlds mineral reserves, 12 percent of the worlds oil and 8 percent of the worlds natural gas reserves. Access to its mineral reserves will help bolster Indias manufacturing of electronic goods.

The continent also holds 40 percent of the worlds gold and up to 90 percent of its chromium and platinum  both valuable metals. India can collaborate with African powers to ethically tap into these resources, setting the right example amid exploitative tactics used by other powers.

Prime Minister Modi has steered a highly polarised world in a positive direction in favour of the underrepresented majority. In his interview with Moneycontrol, PM Modi had said, When it comes to the Global South, these are countries with which we empathise. Since we too are part of the developing world, we understand their aspirations. At every forum including the G20, India has been raising the concerns of the countries of the Global South.

As soon as we became the President of the G20, we held the Voice of Global South Summit, which made it clear that we were a voice for the inclusion of those who felt excluded from the global discourse and institutional priorities, he added.
Turning 30 is certainly a milestone that is heartwarming and incredibly irritating at the same time. It is that phase in life where one is grateful for all the lessons but not too convinced with growing old and learning a few more of those lessons on the way. According to a lot of studies, it has been seen that women often strive to enhance overall well-being and set the stage for a relaxed and secure future starting from around the age of 30.

30 is a big number especially if looked at age wise but it is important to note that it is also the perfect age to try out certain things. Things that could completely change your life and the ways in which you perceive life and society. Here are five activities every woman must consider before turning 30-

Embark on Solo Travel Adventures:

Traveling alone is not just a trend, it is a transformative experience for women to explore new places and gain independence. Exploring new destinations alone allows women to cultivate self-confidence, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of different cultures. As they navigate unfamiliar territories, they learn to trust their instincts, make decisions, and forge new connections, all of which contribute to personal growth and a renewed perspective on life.

Cheryl Grover, Solo Traveller and Consultant at McKinsey&Co says, Travelling solo has been life-changing for me! I experienced some of the most beautiful moments of my life when I recently came across a group of 8 people from completely different nationalities and cultures in Thailand and realized how we are all inherently just the same! To be able to push my horizons, be the most comfortable in my own company while forging some amazing new friendships, and trust me enough to navigate everything which comes my way  its an exercise of self-confidence and has contributed significantly to my personal growth as a human. It has given me an opportunity to reflect deeply and made me a lot more grounded in life. I absolutely love the sheer freedom of it. There is so little time, and a world to see!

Future-proof Fertility with Egg-Freezing:

In the modern world, women are increasingly seeking ways to gain control over their reproductive timelines. The idea of freezing eggs has become a proactive solution for preserving fertility potential. This procedure has proven to be more effective than IVFs, as eggs are extracted during the most fertile age, compared to the latter where couples walk-in during their infertile phase.

Dr. Nisha Bhatnagar, MBBS. MD (ObGyn), Medical Director at Infinite Fertility Wellness Centre recommends considering egg freezing before turning 30. She stated, Egg freezing offers women the opportunity to preserve their fertility potential, She adds As women age, the quality and quantity of their eggs decline, which can impact their ability to conceive later in life. By freezing eggs at a younger age, women can take proactive steps to future-proof their biological clock while gaining freedom to have reproductive options.

Learn Wealth Creation Through Investing:

Financial independence is a cornerstone of a growth-led and stress-free future and exploring diverse investment opportunities is a savvy approach for women to cultivate their wealth. Seeking guidance from financial experts ensures a comprehensive grasp of risk evaluation, potential returns, and effective long-term financial strategizing. Starting this process early allows women to benefit from compounding advantages, ensuring financial stability and achieving lifelong ambitions.

When asked about the art of investing, Vikram Subburaj, CEO, Giottus Crypto Platform expressed, Investing isnt just about financial growth; its embracing innovation, shattering boundaries, and empowering our future. Women should delve into crypto and diverse investments, safeguarding their future while embracing the evolving landscape of opportunities, not just for themselves, but for their families too.

Embrace Upskilling:

In the fast-transforming workspace and evolving society, its a chance to embrace new career-enhancing abilities. Whether mastering coding, refining project management, or enhancing communication skills, upskilling offers both personal fulfilment and a path to professional success.

Talking about upskilling, Kaninika Mishra, Head- of Learning & Development Human Resources, Genesis BCW said, Learning financial skills both personal and business-related is critical for success. Knowing how income statements and balance sheets work makes a person more confident in pursuing ambitious career goals since senior business roles need a great degree of financial understanding. On the personal front, managing investments and expenses wisely is often the key to financial security in later years.

Regular Health Check-ups:

Focusing on thorough health evaluations can give women the ability to detect health issues early and create informed strategies for well-being. These assessments include screenings and consultations, which can help diagnose any potential ailments and allow for timely corrective action. This sets the groundwork for a lifetime of vitality and wellness.

Dr. Seema Sharma, Associate Director, Obstetrics, Gynecology and ART, Paras Health, Gurugram, pointed out, While there are several things that women need to be mindful of, particularly in terms of maintaining their health before they reach the age of 30, one of the most important considerations is cervical cancer screening. Cervical cancer, which ranks as one of the most common cancers among women, unfortunately, lacks awareness, contributing to the heavy burden of this condition in India.

She further added, Around 99% of cervical cancer cases are attributed to the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), primarily transmitted through sexual contact. Consequently, it is imperative that women initiate regular screening from the age of 21 onwards. This holds especially true for sexually active women, as they are at a higher risk.

As women embrace ever-changing roles and dreams, these five activities offer a complete route to personal growth and a promising future. These endeavours not only enrich their presence but also establish the groundwork for a progressive and prosperous tomorrow.
Elvish Yadav created history on Monday night after he emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss OTT 2. The popular YouTuber became the first wildcard contestant in the history of the show to take the trophy home. Soon after the winner was announced, Punjabi heartthrob and Bigg Boss 13 fame Shehnaaz Gill took to her Instagram stories to congratulate Elvish Yadav.

Now, Elvish is all set to appear on Shehnaazs chat show Desi Vibes with Shehnaaz Gill. The episode that is yet to be aired will see Shehnaaz and Elvish engage in a fun chat. The photos from the sets are out now. In the photos, Shehnaaz can be seen in a strappy, blue crop top and black wide-legged pants, while Elvish looked smart in a white tee, blue denims and a leather jacket. He topped the look with black wayfarers. Check out the video here:

Shehnaaz, too, took to Instagram to share a series of photos with Elvish from the show and captioned the post, In todays another episode shot we had the current sensation @elvish_yadav gracing our show for promoting his upcoming song on @playdmfofficial is an absolute bundle of energy. Episodes dropping very soon on my YouTube channel.

In the photos, both Shehnaaz and Elvish can be seen laughing their heart out and even fist-bumping each other. Take a look at the photos here:

Siddharth Yadav, popularly known as Elvish Yadav is an Indian YouTber and social media influencer. He has a YouTube channel by his name which has over 12 million subscribers. Elvish rose to fame with his parodies and roast videos. Shehnaaz will be next seen in Rhea Kapoors husband, Karan Boolanis directorial debut, Thank You For Coming.
The public spat between Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Aaliya Siddiqui on social media had made headlines earlier this year. It all started when Aaliya accused her estranged husband of abuse and rape, while also claiming that he misused his power. Aaliya had previously said that Nawazuddin had disowned their children, and she alleged that his mother, Mehrunisa, stopped her from entering his Mumbai home. Just when the dispute between the couple seemed settled down, its now being reported that Aaliya Siddiqui who is currently in Dubai with the kids, owing to their school education was served an evacuation notice from the officials.

As per a source to the portal ETimes, Aaliya Siddiqui was visited by Dubai Rental Disputes officials on September 7 with an evacuation notice. Not only that, Aaliya Siddiqui has also been served deportation notice from the Dubai government due to not being able to pay rent. Its important to note that while Nawazuddin Siddiqui was specifically asked by the Bombay High Court to provide financial transactions, the Haddi actor has been unable to do so.

Hence, Aaliya Siddiqui has been asked to pay 27,183,00 dirhams, equal to the rental value. If she fails to do so, she will have to evacuate and she might also face legal consequences. In light of such a tricky situation, the portal has reported that Aaliya will be turning to the Indian Embassy in Dubai.

The former Bigg Boss OTT 2 contestant has previously told the portal, I want him to have the Dubai house agreement changed in his name. He is going to be the provider and if anything goes wrong here for us, it will give us more security if he holds the reins.As for the money part, Nawaz has been now paying up as per the Court orders. I think we should settle the Agreement thing in this visit.

Meanwhile, back in June, Aaliya introduced her new-lover to the world by dropping a picture with him on social media, It has taken over 19 years to get out of the relationship that I treasured. But in my life, my childrens are my priority, they were always and they will be. However, there are few relationships that are bigger than and beyond friendship, and this relationship is the same relationship and I am very happy about the same hence shared my happiness with you all. Dont I have the right to be happy? she had written.

Aaliya Siddiqui was previously married to Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Before entering Bigg Boss OTT 2 house, their divorce battle caught everyones attention. The two levelled several allegations against each other. Aaliya claimed that Nawazuddin disowned their children and alleged that the actors mother Mehrunisa harassed her by not giving her access to the actors Mumbai home. However, the Tiku Weds Sheru actress denied the charges and claimed that Aaliya only wanted money.
Pakistani actress Nausheen Shah recently appeared on a chat show and said that she would like to slap Kangana Ranaut for saying a lot of crap about Pakistan and its army without any knowledge. Nausheen called Kangana an extremist and said that instead of talking about someone elses country, the actor should focus on her own country, career and controversies.

Nausheen was asked on Momin Saqibs chat show Had Kar Di, if she wanted to meet any Bollywood actors. She said she would like to meet Kangana Ranaut and give her two slaps. Although the word slaps was muted in the version of the show uploaded on YouTube, the actors hand gesture gave it away.

Nausheen said, The way she (Kangana) says sh*t about my country, the way she says a lot of crap about the Pakistan army, I salute her audacity. She has no knowledge but talks about the country, that too someone elses country. Focus on your own country, focus on your acting, your direction focus on your controversies and ex-boyfriends and whatnot.

The actress continued, How do you know people are mistreated in Pakistan? How do you know about the Pakistan Army? How do you know about our agencies? We ourselves dont know, the agencies are in our country, the Army is our countrys, they dont share these things with us. They are secrets, are they not?

Although Nausheen lauded Kanganas acting prowess, she maintained that the actress lacked respect for other people and their countries. Kangana Ranaut is known for often expressing her candid take on most things, whether they are related to Bollywood or to politics. While some netizens appreciate her candor, her opinions dont always sit well with others.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kangana will next be seen in the Tamil film Chandramukhi 2. Directed by P Vasu, the film will also feature actors Raghava Lawrence, Vadivelu and Radikaa Sarathkumar in lead roles. She also has her directorial project Emergency in the pipeline, wherein she will also essay the role of Indira Gandhi.
Pushpa 2: The Rule is one of the most awaited movies and while everyone is waiting eagerly for it, Rashmika Mandanna has now revealed that the shooting for the film is currently underway. On Friday, Rashmika, who plays the role of Srivalli in Pushpa, took to her Instagram stories and dropped a monochrome photo from the sets of the Sukumar directorial. She used the hashtag Pushpa 2 and dropped a black heart emoji.

This is not the first time that Rashmika Mandanna has shared an update on Pushpa 2. Earlier this year too, the actress wrapped up shooting for Animal, which marks her first collaboration with Ranbir Kapoor and penned down a note talking about her upcoming project  Pushpa 2. Dear Diary, Today, hmm no actually last night I had a night shoot and I just wrapped up and I am back in Hyderabad and tonight I start work on Pushpa 2, she had written.

Written and directed by Sukumar, Pushpa: The Rise was released in 2021 and turned out to be a blockbuster movie. The action drama dealt with red sandalwood smuggling. Allu Arjun recently won the Best Actor National Award for her performance in the movie. Following the success of Pushpa, fans are now eagerly waiting for its sequel.

Earlier this year, Allu Arjun shared his first-look poster of Pushpa 2 in which he was seen dressed in a saree with his face painted in shades of blue and red. He also sported bangles, jewellery, a nose pin and jhumkas. Last month, the look poster of Fahadh Faasil from the movie was also released. Fans speculate that Rashmika Mandannas look poster will also be released soon.

Besides Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, Sai Pallavi has also reportedly joined the film. Reportedly, the makers are also planning to get on board a Bollywood actor too. However, no name has been officially announced as of now.

Pushpa 2: The Rule is likely to hit theatres next year. Its release date has not been announced as of now.
Gadar 2 has created a frenzy ever since its release in theatres. Sunny Deols powerful performance and the directorial expertise of Anil Sharma led the film to be a massive commercial hit. The actor is being praised across the country, and although the success is a reality, for Sunny Deol, its still unbelievable. The actor will attend the latest episode of the popular talk show Aap Ki Adalat with Rajat Sharma. One of the promos for the show caught him getting emotional as he walked onto the stage, and the audience cheered and clapped for him.

In the promo, Rajat Sharma introduced Sunny Deol and welcomed him to take a seat in the witness box as per the concept of the show. As soon as he enters, Sunny is greeted by a loud cheer and claps from the audience present. The actor was unable to hold back his tears and was quite overwhelmed by the response from the audience. He said, Jis tarah se ye log khush ho rahe hai jo maine kiya hai to yakeen nahi ho raha main iske layak hu ya nahi (The way these people are happy with what I have done, I am not sure whether I deserve it or not).

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol)

In the other promos, Sunny Deol shows his witty side and sarcastically replies to his fans questions. He is also seen repeating one of his famous dialogues.

Not just his fans but his industry colleagues were also in awe to see this sensitive personality of Sunny Deol and appreciated him for his attitude towards his success. Ameesha Patel, Sunnys costar in Gadar 2 commented, The most humblest superstar of our industry.. n the whole nation loves him. His brother Bobby Deol said,  Love You bhaiya. Boney Kapoor wrote, World will acknowledge that you are very sensitive because you are very good human.

Gadar 2 hit theatres on August 11 this year. The film has earned over Rs. 500 crore in only 24 days. A massive celebration was recently held to honour the films success. The event was attended by industry heavyweights such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, among others.

Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel reprised their roles as Tara Singh and Sakeena from the original 2001 film Gadar 2. The sequel focuses on Tara Singhs journey to Pakistan to rescue his son, Charanjeet (Utkarsh Sharma). Gadar 2 also stars Simrat Kaur, Luv Sinha, and Manish Wadhwa in significant roles.
Veteran actress Zeenat Aman is known for her work in critically-acclaimed films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Pukar, Jagir, Teesri Aankh and several others. The 71-years old actress who was last seen in Ashutosh Gowarikers Panipat made her Instagram debut a few months back and ever since then, fans eagerly look forward to her musings on different topics. While the evergreen actress has gone candid about many aspects of her career, in her latest post, Zeenat Aman opened up on a heartwarming surprise she received during her visit to Oslo in 2016.

Sharing a photo on Instagram, she wrote, In 2016, while attending a film festival in Oslo, I received a wonderful surprise on stage. I was being felicitated for my contribution to Indian cinema, when Norways Postal Department issued a special stamp in my honour. I was also presented with a giant replica of it and 60 stamps for my own use.

She added, I was thrilled by this novel gesture of appreciation, but wasnt sure whether the stamps would actually work. So the very next morning, I bought a ream of postcards, wrote out messages to my friends, slapped a Zeenat Aman stamp onto each, crossed my fingers, and dropped the cards into a postbox.

Some weeks later, when I was back in Bombay, I began to receive texts and calls from my friends. All of whom were exclaiming with delight, having received my postcards in the mail!

A limited number of the stamps were released and Zeenat kept the few remaining sheets carefully. She wrote, I suppose a limited number of these stamps were released and that they are out of print now. Ive kept my few remaining sheets carefully though, since I really did feel honoured by this gesture.
The absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Heads of Government summit in New Delhi brings clarity to the future shape of geopolitical power.

Three poles are visible, though in overlapping parabolic axes. The first axis is the United States-led coalition of democracies. The second is the China-Russia axis of autocracies. The third pole is the amorphous Global South led by India and other neutral powers.

The catch in this tripolar world is that several countries have divided loyalties. The newly expanded BRICS, for example, has traditional US allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a forum increasingly dominated by China. Beijing has begun to wean both Saudi Arabia and the UAE away from the US orbit.

With most members of the nine-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaning towards China and Russia, Beijing is building a platform through BRICS and SCO that can challenge the G7, NATO and other Western alliances.

India finds itself in a piquant situation. It has been railroaded into accepting BRICS expansion, diluting its relative primacy in the group. In the SCO, the entry of Pakistan makes the forum vexatious. With Russia increasingly dependent on China, India can no longer rely on Moscows support in the SCO to counter the toxic agenda of Islamabad and Beijing.

But India has several aces up its sleeve. It has over the past few years expanded key relationships with a broad spectrum of countries. The most interesting alliance is the I2U2 forum between India, Israel, the US and the UAE.

The grouping brings together the two most dynamic economies in the Middle East (Israel and the UAE) along with India and the US. Technology and security, including intelligence sharing, form the focus of this small, tightly-knit group unlike the increasingly amorphous multi-nation BRICS and SCO.

The ASEAN-India summit this week reflects the enhanced relationship India is crafting with the powerful East Asian trading bloc.

Less noticed but equally important is the evolving trilateral relationship between India, France and the UAE. The forum allows India to expand its influence through Paris to the European Union (EU) as an independent voice. With the UAEs commercial capital Dubai already dubbed Indias fifth metro due to an influential diasporic presence, the group could tick several boxes.

France has historically been the most active supporter of India among Western nations. It refused to join the US-led ban on providing nuclear fuel for Indian nuclear reactors after the 1974 Pokhran-I nuclear test. It did not join US President Bill Clintons harsh economic sanctions against India after the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear test.

There has long been underlying tension between France and Anglo-Saxon powers in the West (Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany and the US). France was a founding member of NATO after World War 2 but withdrew from its integrated military command in 1966. It returned to it only in 2009. France believes NATO is dominated by the US and Britain.

The latest manifestation of this is the Russia-Ukraine war. The US and Britain have been at the forefront of prosecuting the war, supplying Ukraine with lethal weaponry and military intelligence.

Deepening cleavage

The G20 heads of the government summit this weekend will reveal the deepening cleavage between the three polar axes. With Xi and Putin staying away, the Western bloc will hold sway. But any clause in the final joint communique on the Ukraine war that does not satisfy Moscows or Beijings concerns will be vetoed. What India as G20 president could be forced to do is issue an omnibus chair statement along with a diluted communique papering over Ukraine.

The Ukraine war has established clarity on who stands where. The capitals of Europe continue to seethe at Indias neutrality on the war. The harsh rhetoric of 2022 has been replaced by criticism outsourced to embedded Western media on how the India-led Global South (Africa, South America and the Middle East) has sat on the fence over Ukraine, indirectly encouraging Russias invasion.

But the West knows it needs India. With the China-Russia axis a growing threat to Western hegemony, Washington has been the most pragmatic advocate of closer ties with India.

Unlike Western Europe, which built its wealth on colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, the US is a transactional, not ideological, power. It recognises that India will soon be the worlds third-largest economy and fourth-largest military. India offers the free worlds largest consumer market, the largest internet audience and the largest pool of tech talent.

Washington is willing to overlook Indias relationship with Moscow as long as India becomes a fully committed partner of the Western alliance. The Quad is a device to tighten the embrace with India. The new I2U2 forum is another.

Indias strategy must obviously be to choose its friends and enemies wisely. The two powerful axes led by the US and China do not like the idea of a third axis called the Global South led by India providing an alternative worldview.

India uniquely has a foot in all three poles. It is a centripetal force for the Global South. It is part of the Quad and I2U2, both with a strong US presence. It is also a key member of BRICS and SCO, both dominated by China and Russia.

Indias global ascent has been led by technology. For example, France, the UAE and Singapore are among a growing number of countries where Indias UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is rapidly becoming operational.

Over 2,000 foreign firms now have global capability centres (GCCs) based in India, employing two million Indian engineers, scientists and researchers. Nearly 40 per cent of the worlds GCCs are located in India. They are set to generate $50 billion in annual exports in 2023-24.

Though the G20 summit this weekend may provide few breakthroughs on key issues like Ukraine, climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development, it will be an inflection point for India to create a geopolitical doctrine that is both independent and multilayered.

The writer is an editor, author and publisher. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Indias presidency of the G20 has been most challenging because of the Ukraine conflict that has ruptured the Wests ties with Russia, the economic impact of the conflict globally, especially on the Global South, the growing confrontation between the US and China, not to mention the border tensions with India deliberately provoked by China.

If the G20 platform is meant to address collectively the issues of global growth and financial stability, how can that goal be realistically achieved with conflicts, actual and potential, at both ends of the Eurasia continent, as well as in the Himalayas?

In these conflicts the major economies of the world are involved, financial power has been weaponised, draconian sanctions have been imposed, international law has been breached, global trade and supply chains have been disrupted, sovereign assets have been confiscated illegally, and so on.

In the G20, the G7, the EU, Australia and South Korea are on one side and Russia and China on the other. How can there be in these circumstances serious international cooperation in forging economic and financial policies that would bring stability to the global economic system? Without dialogue no narrowing of differences is possible, but dialogue between the West and Russia has collapsed. It must be restored bilaterally before it can take place on the G 20 platform. Dialogue between the US and China has not formally broken down, (put comma) but it has become a mixture of engagement and confrontation, with increasing military overtones around the issue of Taiwan.

The West has sought to use every international platform, including the G20, to raise the Ukraine issue, condemn Russia for its aggression, and generally seek its diplomatic isolation. China, on the other hand, is sought to be engaged as part of a policy of cooperation, competition, (put comma) and confrontation. China, declared by the US as its pacing challenge, its principal long-term adversary, has made common cause with Russia against Western hegemony, conscious of the fact that with Russia strategically defeated the West would have a freer hand to contain China.

The rest of the G20 belongs to what one can broadly call the Global South, though there are anomalies like Turkey which is a NATO member. India, Brazil, South Africa, all three members of BRICS, along with Saudi Arabia and Argentina approved as prospective members (and Indonesia too potentially) form a category of their own. These countries do not wish to choose sides between the West and Russia, are against western sanctions on Russia, do not favour its isolation or its military defeat, want the Ukraine conflict to end as it is hurting the developing world by way of food grain and fertiliser shortages and higher energy costs. Without being anti-West, and, indeed, having close and productive ties with the West, these countries nevertheless favour a more democratic and equitable global system which all this while has been excessively dominated by the West.

India has had to manoeuvre within these antagonisms, clash of interests, and a global re-balancing of power to make a success of its presidency. It decided, wisely, to inscribe the concerns and expectations of the Global South more emphatically on the G20 agenda. This, besides food, fertiliser and energy supply disruptions, include the issues of reform of multilateralism, the role of multilateral development banks, debt relief, Sustainable Development Goals, climate change finance, green development, and so on.

Disaster resilient infrastructure, global food chains, global health, environmentally conscious practices and a sustainable way of living, inclusive growth, financial inclusion, digital economy, technology transformation, addressing the global skills gap, women-empowerment for socio-economic progress, human centric approach to technology, culture are specific subjects that India has sought to put focus on in G20 discussions. Hopefully, these themes will be carried forward under the Brazilian and South African presidencies to follow.

India has exerted as much as possible to make its G20 presidency a success. It has shown tremendous organisational capability in arranging for over 200 G20 meetings in 50 different locations in the country.

If because of rifts between the big powers the UN Security Council is unable to function effectively, the G20 cannot do any better as these big powers are also G20 members. If the veto provision is the principal source of UNSCs ineffectiveness, the consensus principle in the G20 is also an obstacle in the optimal functioning of the group. If no joint statement emerges from the forthcoming G20 summit, it will be on account of the intransigence of the Western members of the group on the Ukraine issue, not a failure of Indian diplomacy.

India will not lose prestige as a rising power, as some say, if it fails to bridge differences within the G20 and has no option but to resort to the Chairs summary instead of a joint statement. On the contrary, one can argue that it is the contending powers within the G20 that by being unwilling to rise above their political antagonisms and short-term political advantage will expose their own lack of a serious commitment to address shared cross-cutting global challenges in the larger interest of the international community.

The G7 cannot by itself solve global issues. This recognition led to the creation of the G20, but if the G20 which bridges the West and the Rest cannot deliver, then the North-South and East-West divides can sharpen further, leading to more fragmentation of the global community. The expansion of BRICS, which is a non-western group, may serve the purpose of multipolarity, but it may not necessarily be a cooperative multipolarity. The decision of President Putin and President Xi not to attend the G20 summit reflects this prospect.

President Putins decision not to attend the summit no doubt weakens the G20, but it can be argued that if the G7 plus group in the G20 seeks to ostracise Russia how will his participation in the summit contribute positively to summit deliberations. President Xis decision to absent himself suggests uncertainty about what he can gain from participation when China is under pressure from the G7, the EU and Australia, while India as host country has been antagonised with border aggression and other provocations. In BRICS and the SCO China feels secure in its position. Not so in the G20 because President Xi has lost his standing amongst many key members. His absence is not a snub to India, it is defensive in nature.

Kanwal Sibal is a former Indian Foreign Secretary. He was Indias Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THERE is a plot by in-coming Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillors to defy party leader, Nelson Chamisa, after he imposed former Education minister, David Coltart, as the party's chosen mayor for the city.Councillors will vote for the mayor on Monday.Coltart has vowed to weed out corruption once elected into office, sparking panic among some council management and councillors over previous corrupt tender deals.Bulawayo residents and other stakeholders have flagged corruption in the previous council, citing many questionable deals such as the vehicle parking deal and the unfinished Egodini Mall project.Residents have also held protests against the local authority over unbridled corruption in the council.Chamisa, addressing a campaign rally in Bulawayo just before last month's polls, said Coltart was the preferred party candidate for the mayoral seat.Yesterday social media platforms were awash with stories about Bulawayo CCC councillors plotting to defy Chamisa out of fear that Coltart would cancel corrupt tender deals.Southern Eye heard that some beneficiaries of opaque tender schemes had appealed to incoming councillors and some stakeholders in the city to influence the vote against Coltart.CCC Bulawayo spokesperson Swithern Chirowodza, however, said the party would vote for Coltart to fight corruption in the city."It's not true that councillors are plotting to defy the party position. We received a briefing from all councillors yesterday (Wednesday) and everything is in order," Chirowodza said.The former Education minister won the ward 4 seat.The councillors were sworn in on Wednesday.
In his recent article The current talk of decolonisation Pratap Bhanu Mehta (The Indian Express, September 1, 2023) correctly describes the decolonial movement, as exemplified in India by J Sai Deepak and Ambika Dutt Sharma, as a loose intellectual movement. An intuitive starting point of the decolonials is that one needs to go beyond the kind of modern decolonisation project that Mehta endorses. Mehta thinks though that the decolonial project is deeply exclusionary. It conflates modernity with colonialism, without the impulse to subject the collective rules Indians live under to practices of justification. The project is insidious, he says, and poses the following rhetorical question as his challenge: What should be the terms on which citizens relate to each other? Can the answer to that simply be whatever is Indic?

The decolonial movement has some overlaps with the decolonisation movement more broadly. Many thinkers including Ashis Nandy and Partha Chatterjee have been discussing it. One might therefore ask whether Mehta has a problem when only those writers and groups to which he objects refer to it. His criticism of the decolonialty project seems to be based on the idea that Hindu nationalists are exclusionary and therefore decoloniality is the project of exclusion. In his political urgency to criticise Hindu nationalists, Mehta is undermining the very significance of the project of decolonisation itself.

Consider another way of making sense of this issue emerging from the seminal research programme of SN Balagangadhara, to which Mehta makes occasional reference in his works, but yet overlooks the lessons of. Balagangadhara draws a distinction between Western and Indian culture and helps us to think through the problematic nature of Mehtas claim. Mehta is against opposing the West and Indian cultures, but some comparison is necessary. This opposition between them is not only necessary but makes sense because the two cultures differ differently.

If we take Western culture, we find that it has been deeply involved in theorising the many dimensions of the way human beings relate to each other and the world. Although he avoids linking it to its Western provenance, this is the cultural model against which Mehtas modernity is framed. It is a theory-rich culture including on the terms on which citizens ought to relate to each other.

This theoretical richness also informs the learning mechanisms prevalent in the West. For example, this culture enacts laws against discrimination in order to teach citizens how not to disadvantage each other on inadmissible grounds. It is now also busy in extending such laws to caste discrimination because of the presence, it is claimed, of so many people of Indian origin in Western countries. Although he and almost all other Indian academics employed in Western universities remain silent about these Western caste laws, one wonders what Mehta makes of them.

The important point is that this culture has theories and laws galore, intended to ensure that persons relate well to each other as citizens. We know, however, that social relations in this culture are in reality very fraught, with conflict happening on many fronts and between different groups. Interpersonal relations do not fare that well despite all the theories and laws. A culture so rich in theories of how people ought to relate to each other, in fact, does quite a poor job of enacting them in practice.

In the Indian culture, meanwhile, there is a deficit of theories on how people ought to relate to each other. Many of these ideas and rules on how to do that have been received from the Western culture. However, when they have been implemented as laws, for example, those to make low caste people or women protected from harm, have not worked well. Many cases are brought on false pretexts in order to prosecute social conflict further or for extortion. Hardly a day goes by without a report of a false case against a husband or a Brahmin, some of which result in suicide by the falsely accused. The legal system seems helpless to stop this pattern but exacerbates it.

Outside the sphere of these laws and the ideas behind them, however, do Indians not relate well to each other and dont they have an understanding of managing social relations? The point is not that there is no social conflict, which exists in every culture or society. Rather, it is that, as a culture, India has developed knowledge of how human beings can relate to each other without the need for elaborate theories of citizenship to foster a modus vivendi and to have them enacted as laws. Although there is no Indian Confucius, India has been able to nurture learning to correct wrongful behaviour.

In other words, India is a culture in which there is practical knowledge concerning social relations which depends neither on theorisation as its precondition nor on externally imposed laws. The fact that such theories may not exist in India does not mean that Indians do not have knowledge of conducting human relationships. Mehta may just be looking in the wrong place. In the long battle between tradition and modernity, we may have to look to the Indian traditions as the transmitters of this practical knowledge. Contrary to Mehtas claim, the moral preaching borrowed from the Western culture since colonialism hinders this practical knowledge that Indians possess. Maximally, Mehta might instead say that a serious decolonisation project might render the preaching that took place in India over the past couple of centuries redundant, useless at best, and pernicious at worst.

Since modernists like Mehta have a particular problem with, say, caste, let us formulate the following as a problem, but without the usual stigmatising conception India has inherited from the West. How is it that, in India, different social groups (jatis) in huge numbers have lived alongside one another with minimal conflict, with no centralised rule system or theoretical framework instructing them how to do so? In a way, Mehta has a point when he argues that would-be decolonialists appear to think that the rules we live under do not require justification. There is no reason they should, certainly not in terms of theories. To an extent, it is the case that deserves going into far more thoroughly. Mehtas dismissive stance rules it out though.

When social problems do occur, as they inevitably do, Balagangadharas distinction points to where we might look for solutions: in the enhancement of practical learning or theories and laws? If Mehta is serious about his theorising enterprise, rather than trying to hammer in what the West has to offer regarding the diversity of living, it would be more worthwhile to theorise in a serious way the practical knowledge that Indians have, of relating to and living with each other.

The writer is a Reader in Culture and Law at Queen Mary, University of London. He is author of Against Caste in British Law (Palgrave, 2015) and co-editor of Western Foundations of the Caste System (Palgrave, 2017). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) seem to have reached a consensus to fight the Lok Sabha polls together in 2024. The BJP has offered the regional party from Karnataka four Lok Sabha seats, while JDS supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is said to be insisting on five seats. While the discussions continue, both the parties are likely to formally declare the alliance on September 13.

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Gowda travelled to New Delhi on September 4 to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the alliance. The JDS had initially demanded eight seats, while the BJP offered only three. Eventually, the BJP agreed to four seats, even as the JDS insisted on five. The regional party is likely to get Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru Rural and Tumakuru Lok Sabha seats. The JDS wants Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha seat as well, but the BJP, which currently holds the seat, is not keen.

Lingayat strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa let the cat out of the bag by declaring the alliance a done deal. I welcome the alliance. Gowda has already met the Prime Minister and finalized the alliance for four seats, said BSY.

JDS sources say it wont be a full-fledged alliance where leaders from both parties will campaign in each others constituencies. It is best to term it as a seat-sharing understanding, says a senior JDS source.

If Gowda has spoken, you should ask him. I will give my personal opinion in the party forum. Gowda will give clarity on this. As a state president, I can tell you that we havent discussed anything related to it in the party forum, said CM Ibrahim, JDS, Karnataka Unit President.

The Congress was quick to mock the JDS, asking what happens to the secular ideology that the regional party claimed to stand for. Its not wrong, it about their survival. But I dont know how their ideology works. Gowda had earlier said that he would not go at any cost. They have built a party based on a certain ideology. Dont know what will happen to their party and MLAs. I cant be a spokesman for their party. Its not new. I wish them all the best, said deputy CM D K Shivakumar.

The BJP and JDS first got into an alliance in 2006 to form the government, where both the parties agreed to share the post of the Chief Minister for 20 months each. Gowdas son HD Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister, but refused to support B S Yeddyurappa when the time came to transfer power.

Collateral damage of this alliance seems to be independent MP Sumalatha from Mandya, who is backing the BJP. She is likely to be rehabilitated elsewhere after this alliance. She had defeated HDKs son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in 2019 from Mandya Lok Sabha seat.
With Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange warning that he would intensify his ongoing hunger strike from the weekend, a five-member delegation left for Mumbai from here on Friday evening to hold talks with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Jarange, whose hunger strike for reservation for the Maratha community at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district entered 11th day on Friday, told reporters that he will stop taking even IV fluids if no solution was found by Saturday evening.

He has demanded that the government drop the requirement to provide evidence of genealogy for the Marathas from the Marathwada area if they want to obtain the Kunbi caste certificates and avail of reservation under the OBC category.

The five-member delegation which included Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Arjun Khotkar, divisional commissioner Madhukar Rajeardad, the sarpanch of Antarwali Sarati village and two quota activists flew to Mumbai from Aurangabad airport in the evening, Khotkar told PTI.

They would meet Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar late at night, he said.

Earlier in the day, Jarange appealed to the community that the agitation for quota should continue through lawful means and not by pelting stones.

They should agitate within the legal framework. There is no need to agitate by pelting stones, he said.

The state government on Thursday issued a Government Resolution (GR) saying that Kunbi caste certificates would be issued only after the Maratha community members from the Marathwada region provide genealogical records from the Nizam era. The region was once a part of the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad state.

Kunbis, a community associated with agriculture-related occupations, are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and enjoy reservation benefits in education and government jobs.

The Maratha quota issue returned to centre stage when the police last week baton-charged a violent mob at Antarwali Sarati after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift Jarange to hospital.

Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 state transport buses were set ablaze in the violence.
Ahead of the G20 Summit set to kick start in India today, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised his predecessor Narendra Modi-led governments diplomatic stand on the Russia-Ukraine war. Singhs remark came at a time when the Russia-Ukraine war is expected to be in focus during the meeting in Delhi.

Since the conflict started in Ukraine in February 2022, India has consistently maintained that peaceful dialogue is the only way to resolve the issue.

In an exclusive interview with Indian Express, Singh, during whose tenure the G20 Leaders summit came into existence following the 2008 financial crisis, also cautioned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to exercise restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics.

The former PM said India has a pivotal role in steering the new world order and has done the right thing in putting its sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace,

The international order is very different now, especially after the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the geo-political rift between the Western nations and China. India has a pivotal role to play in steering this new world order. As a peaceful large democracy with Constitutional values, built since Independence, and a large growing economy, India commands immense respect globally, he said according to the IE report.

Singh further said he is more optimistic about Indias future than worried, but that optimism is contingent on India being a harmonious society.

Talking about Indias place at the global high table now and its role in the current and changing world order, Singh noted that international order changed, especially after the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the geopolitical rift between the Western nations and China.

India has a pivotal role to play in steering this new world order. As a peaceful large democracy with Constitutional values, built since Independence, and a large growing economy, India commands immense respect globally, he said.

When asked about Indias presidency of G20, Singh said he was very glad that Indias rotational chance for the Presidency of the G20 came during his lifetime and he is a witness to India hosting world leaders for the G20 summit.

Foreign policy has always been an important element of Indias governance framework, but it is fair to say that it has become even more relevant and important to domestic politics today than earlier, he said.

The former PM added that while Indias standing in the world should rightfully be an issue in domestic politics, it is equally important to exercise restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics.

Singh noted that talks of de-globalisation and new types of trade restrictions could disrupt the existing world order but can also open new opportunities for India in global supply chains.

It is in Indias economic interests to not get trapped in conflicts and maintain an equilibrium of trading relationships across nations and regions, he said.

On Chinese President Xi Jinpings decision to not attend the G20 Summit, Singh said it was unfortunate and expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take the necessary steps to protect Indias territorial and sovereign integrity and defuse bilateral tensions.

He also congratulated the scientists of ISRO on the success of Indias third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3. It was during Singhs tenure when Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008.

Opposition agrees with Indias position on Russia

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on an unofficial tour to Europe, in a recent interview said that the opposition parties in India, by and large, agree with the BJP-led governments position on the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said that India is a large country and it is the countrys right to maintain a relationship with any country (in this case Russia) it wants.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have been invited to the G20 gala dinner being hosted by the President on Saturday. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also on the guest list, has confirmed her plans to attend. Meanwhile, Congress chief and the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has not been invited for the event.

This comes after INDIA alliance leaders created a ruckus over a G20 dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu, which described her position as the President of Bharat.

Sources said that cabinet and state ministers, chief ministers all secretaries to the Government of India and other distinguished people are also on the guest list.

Kharge is a member of Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, and is the president of the grand old party. However, he is not a minister in either the central or state government. Sources said that no leader of any other political party has been invited.

Besides Banerjee, Nitish Kumar from Bihar, Hemant Soren from Jharkhand, MK Stalin from Tamil Nadu, Arvind Kejriwal from Delhi, and Bhagwant Mann from Punjab are among the chief ministers who have confirmed that they will attend the dinner gala.

Despite opposing invitation describing Droupadi Murmus position as President of Bharat, Mamata Banerjees confirmation to attend G20 dinner could be due to her friendship with Sheikh Hasina, sources said.

The Trinamool Congress chief shares a cordial relationship with Bangladesh Prime Minister, who is also likely to be present at the event. The CPI(M) too claimed Banerjee might have some additional work in New Delhi as was seen in the past.

It is good she has accepted the invite as the prestige of the state is at stake and she is going there representing West Bengal, senior Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha was quoted by PTI.

He claimed that Banerjee changes her public posturing depending on the turn of events. Just one day ago, she flayed the Modi government on the issue of Bharat in the invitation card and better sense prevailed the next day It is an endorsement that the way Modi-ji is leading the country is the right way, Sinha said.

CPI(M) Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty said the invitation is from the President of Bharat and not the President of India. He said, So, in a way this is illegal. I wonder if Mamata Banerjee is going there as the CM of West Bengal or as the CM of Paschim Banga (as the state is known in Bengali). I believe she has some additional work in New Delhi. Every time she goes to New Delhi, there is some other purpose, Chakraborty added.

The G20 Summit is being held in Delhi on September 9 and September 10 under Indias presidency and several heads of state from across the world, including US President Joe Biden, are attending the event.

According to reports, all invited guests have been asked to reach the Parliament House by Saturday at quarter to six in the evening. Special transport arrangements have been made from there to take them to Bharat Mandapam and back, report in NDTV stated.

This was done due to VVIP movement and traffic restrictions. The convoys of invited guests will not go till Bharat Mandapam, the report added.

(With inputs from PTI)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asked why the BJP has triggered the India-Bharat row and accused it of trying to break the country. He asserted that the Congress is engaged in uniting Bharat.

If the BJP hates the word India, then why has it come up with schemes like Startup India, Digital India, Skill India and Make in India, asked Kharge.

He was speaking at Bharose Ka Sammelan, an event organised here in poll-bound Chhattisgarh by the Congress government, at Thekwa village of Rajnandgaon district.

Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should see the work of the Bhupesh Baghel government in the state to know how it can be done in five years, even as he attacked the Centre over the recent raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the state.

We have formed an alliance INDIA for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and now BJP is saying the countrys name India should be changed to Bharat. There is both India and Bharat in the Constitution itself. Then why are they triggering a dispute over it, Kharge said.

Kharge said the BJP claims that the Congress is against calling India Bharat. We love Bharat. Rahul ji took out a foot march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and named the yatra Bharat Jodo. We are engaged in uniting Bharat and you (BJP) are engaged in breaking it, he said.

Assembly elections in the Congress-governed Chhattisgarh are due by the year-end.

If you (BJP) hate India, then why have Modi ji coined names like Startup India, Digital India, Khelo India and Make in India? We have to fight against this mentality (of BJP), he said.

The name change controversy erupted after invitations for a G20 dinner in New Delhi sent out by Droupadi Murmu, describing her position as President of Bharat instead of the customary President of India, triggered a massive furore on Tuesday. The opposition alleged the Modi government was planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as the countrys name.

Hitting out at the PM, Kharge said, He is not even looking at violence-hit Manipur. On the other hand, the G20 summit is being held (in Delhi) where every pole has his photos (posters of PM). Neither photographs of his ministers nor Mahatma Gandhi or Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru feature on these posters. Does everything belong to him? He slammed the Centre for renaming the Nehru Memorial Museum as the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society.

Dont know why they hate Nehru ji who laid the foundation of democracy. He spent 14 years in jail. They (BJP) should keep in mind that others will do the same if they come (to power), said the Congress president.

Kharge said his party is always concerned about the welfare of the poor and not names. We enacted the Food Security Act and Right to Education Act but not named them (after our leaders). We named MNREGA (rural job guarantee scheme) but it was after the name of the Father of the Nation (Mahatma Gandhi), he said.

Hailing the Congress-ruled state government, he said, There was a BJP government in Chhattisgarh for 15 years. Modi was in Gujarat for 13.5 years as CM and now 10 years as PM but the condition of Gujarat remains the same.

Why did you not do the work which the Congress government has done in 5 years in Chhattisgarh? It is because you (PM) dont care for the poor rather you care for the rich like Ambani and Adani. Referring to the state, he said it is not Modis Gujarat model but the model of the Congress, Bhupesh Baghel and his cabinet. Modi ji should see the work of Baghel government then only he can realise how work can be done in five years, he said during his speech at Thekwa.

The village falls in Rajnandgaon assembly constituency which is being held by BJP national vice-president and former chief minister Raman Singh.

Kharge also targeted the Centre over the recent ED raids in different cases across Chhattisgarh.

The raids were carried out during the Congress plenary session (in February) in Raipur. They didnt wait even for a day as they wanted to defame the Congress government and threaten our leaders. They just wanted to show if anyone is against them then they will be hounded by ED and CBI, he said.

However, the people of Chhattisgarh wont be scared and they will put up a fight, Kharge said.

If we were scared we would not have fought for the countrys independence. If we were scared, Indira ji and Rajiv ji would not have sacrificed their lives. We protect the Constitution, poor and women, he added.

Appealing to the people to remain cautious about the BJP, Kharge said nowadays even those who write and speak against the Centre are being framed. Either they are given notices or put in jail, he claimed.

He also asked the BJP-led Centre to speak about a report by national auditor CAG flagging a Rs 7 lakh crore scam. CM Baghel, his cabinet colleagues and senior party leaders were present at the event.

Of the six assembly seats in the undivided Rajanandgaon district, the Congress had won four in the 2018 polls. One seat each was won by BJPs Raman Singh and Devvrat Singh of Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J). After the demise of Devvrat Singh, Congress wrested his seat (Khairagarh) in the bypoll.

The Congress government has carved out two new districts  Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai  of Rajanandgaon, which now has four assembly seats.

In the 2018 polls, Congress won 68 of the total 90 seats, while the BJP finished a distant second at 15. The JCC (J) bagged five segments and its ally BSP 2. The Congress currently has 71 members in the House.
Disapproving the remarks made by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sanatan Dharma, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said it is not right to attract the anger of the entire country and that no one agrees with his statement.

Udhayanidhi is also the son of DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. The party is one of the constituents of the opposition INDIA alliance.

Raut said a certain region of south India may have a different view on religion, but it should keep that to itself.

It is not right to attract the anger of the entire country by making such remarks. No one agrees with the remarks made by Udhayanidhi on Sanatan Dharma. Even if such views are personal, they should keep it to themselves, the Rajya Sabha member said on Thursday.

He may have a personal view and it could be part of the Dravidian culture, Raut added.

Earlier this week, Udhayanidhi likened Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue. Latching on to it, the BJP has been targeting the INDIA alliance, a group of 28 opposition parties.

Adding fuel to the raging debate, the DMKs Lok Sabha MP and former Union minister A Raja has likened it to diseases like leprosy and HIV which had social stigma. The remarks have prompted the BJP to accuse opposition leaders of suffering from deep-rooted Hinduphobia.

Raut said every religion has beliefs and superstitions, but the revolt on issues like untouchability has come from within the Hindu religion.

From Raja Rammohan Roy to Jyotiba Phule to B R Ambedkar, the country has seen many great social reformers, which is why Sanatan Dharma is still alive in the country, Raut said.

As the row over Raja and Stalin juniors remarks snowballed into a major political row, the Congress sought to distance itself from their statements, while Tamil Nadu CM Stalin accused the BJP of being desperate to create divisions in the INDIA opposition bloc.
Barely two months ahead of the assembly elections in the state, Rajasthans Jal Jeevan Mission scam has turned into a multi-crore fund embezzlement led by a fake tendering process.

ALSO READ | Rajasthan: ED Seizes 2.5 Crore Cash, 1 Kg Gold Bars from One Serving, Another Retired State Govt Officers

The seized documents peg the size of the scam at Rs 1,000 crore, but it can go to the tune of multiple hundred crores, said a top officer in the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Two companies with fake antecedents were awarded contracts for a Rs 900-crore project, of which they have claimed a bill for Rs 500 crore. Of the two owners, one has been picked up, while the other is absconding, News18 has learnt.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which seized Rs 2.5 crore and a 1-kg gold bar from the homes of a retired and serving government officer last week, has also recovered multiple digital and paper evidence indicative of a rigged bidding process.

Rajasthans Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is the implementing authority for the project to lay drinking water pipelines across districts.

Speaking to News18, Mahesh Joshi, Rajasthans PHED minister, however, said the case was initiated by the states Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in August and the ED has taken over. He further said that everything will come to the fore as the investigation progresses.

FAKE DOCUMENTS VALIDATED BY ANOTHER SET OF FAKES

Two companies  Ganapati Tubewell Company and Shri Shyam Tubewell Company  owned by two businessmen, who are related, bagged the contract by producing fake and fabricated experience certificates, another senior ED official told News 18. The businessmen are alleged to be close to some ministers in the Rajasthan state cabinet, including Joshi and some senior bureaucrats, added the officer. Joshi, however, said that he did not carry the burden of this investigation. I have not been summoned yet. But if they do, I have my documents ready and I will present my side to the investigators. I am not bothered by the allegations.

Sources in the central agency said the state government continued with the companies despite several objections being raised and multiple complaints being registered with the department with the details of the companies in question.

A preliminary inquiry was ordered by the department, however, it was wrapped up by producing another set of fabricated documents to remove the objections. Both the companies were not eligible for bidding, however, they were awarded the Rs 900-crore contracts, said the source.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered with the ACB of the Rajasthan government on August 8 in connection with the Jal Jeevan Mission scam case. The allegations are related to irregularities in the tendering and work process, procurement of raw materials and laying down of old pipelines. Questions were also raised about the depth of the pipe-laying work.
A local court in Nagpur on Friday acquitted Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a complaint lodged against him for alleged non-disclosure of criminal cases pending against him in his poll affidavit submitted ahead of the 2014 assembly elections.

Civil Judge S S Jadhav, while holding Fadnavis nirdosh mukta (acquitted), noted that there was no mens rea (intention) on his part (to not disclose the relevant information).

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, an MLA from Nagpur, was present in the court virtually.

Satish Uke, a Nagpur-based advocate, had filed an application seeking criminal proceedings against Fadnavis alleging that cases of cheating and forgery had been registered against the BJP leader in 1996 and 1998, but he did not disclose this information in his poll affidavit.

Fadnavis (53), who served as chief minister from 2014 to 2019, had submitted to the court in April this year that the non-disclosure of the relevant information was an inadvertent mistake on part of his previous lawyer.

His current advocates Deven Chauhan and Uday Dable on Friday said the court has held that the complainant has failed to prove that Fadnavis had not disclosed the two cases in the affidavit with an intent or knowledge that such a non-disclosure would help him win elections.

The complainant (Uke) has failed to make out a case against Fadnavis under section 125A of the Representation of People Act, the lawyers said.

Under this section, an offence is made out only when a person hides cases pending against him or her with an intent or knowledge that such a non-disclosure would help them win elections, Chauhan said.

The Deputy CM had earlier admitted before the court in a statement that there had been an inadvertent mistake on the part of his then-lawyer while collating information about pending criminal cases against him due to which two criminal matters were not mentioned in his election affidavit submitted in 2014.

Fadnavis, in the statement submitted on April 15, had said there was no intention to deliberately conceal information about the two insignificant complaint cases and their non-inclusion in the affidavit of Form 26 was sheer inadvertence and without any intention.

The MLA from Nagpur South West assembly constituency had appeared before the court on two occasions to record his statement.

Uke is currently in jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on charges of money laundering.

In 2014, when Ukes complaint was heard for the first time, the civil court had ruled against Fadnavis, but the verdict was later quashed by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.

The advocate had then challenged the HC order before the Supreme Court which held that a case was made for the prosecution of the BJP leader.

The apex court set aside the judgment of the HC and remanded the matter for trial afresh.

Fadnavis later filed a review petition against this order, which the apex court dismissed in 2020.
A traffic home guard, who was undergoing treatment in a private hospital after setting himself on fire a few days ago, died on Friday, police said. The opposition in the state took the government to task over the death of the home guard, Ravinder.

Telangana Congress President Revanth Reddy said harassment by higher officials led to the attempted suicide and death, while state BJP president G Kishan Reddy termed it a murder committed by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS government.

Ravinder, who had gone to the Home Guard Commandants office at Goshamahal in Hyderabad on Tuesday, set himself on fire. Police were informed by passersby and shifted him to a state-run hospital. He suffered over 50 per cent burns and was later admitted in another hospital in the city.

Ravinders wife told reporters that her husband had called her over the phone on Tuesday informing her that two senior police officials  an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a constable working at the commandants office  had ill-treated him when he had gone there. She demanded action against the ASI and the constable.

Asked about reports that the home guard went to the office to enquire about alleged delay in his salary, police said it was not related to salary.

Kishan Reddy, who is also a union minister, on Thursday paid a visit to Ravinder, who was receiving treatment at the time.

Later, speaking to reporters he said, the BRS government in Telangana failed to fulfil the promises made and assurances given to home guards with regard to improving their working conditions. He appealed to home guards not to resort to such extreme steps.

Revanth Reddy alleged This is not a suicide but a murder committed by the state government. The state government is not in position to pay salaries on time to home guards and other employees. The payment for home guards has been pending for the past five months, Reddy charged.

He demanded stern action against the officials allegedly responsible for Ravinders death and a government job and Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to the family of the deceased.
BJP leader Gopichand Padalkar has asked Maharashtra revenue minister Radhakrushna Vikhepatil to treat the Bhandara (turmeric powder) smeared on him by the Dhangar community as a blessing of Lord Khandoba.

The community members had come to meet Vikhepatil to seek reservation when a member suddenly smeared turmeric powder on him. Padalkar, in a video statement, said the real fight for reservation was already underway in court and hence, people should not fall in the trap laid by other political parties.

We are already fighting the battle of reservation for Dhangar community in the high court. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is helping us in this fight. Hence, I request all people of the community to not take any such step and not fall in the trap of other political parties.

He added: Using turmeric powder to mark protest is appropriate but all should keep their cool. I also request minister Vikhepatil to take it in a positive sense and treat that Bhandara as blessing of Lord Khandoba.

The revenue minister is on a tour of Solapur district. On Friday, a Dhangar community delegation, while handing over their demand to him, smeared turmeric powder on the minister to show their anger and disappointment over not getting reservation.

The man was immediately nabbed by security personnel and identified as Rakesh Bangale, who claims to be an activist of the Dhangar reservation movement. Speaking to local media, Bangale said: Dhangar community should get reservation and for that, SC reservation should not be touched. If this government doesnt act fast, we will try and smear ink on the chief minister and deputy chief ministers.

Meanwhile, Vikhepatil said: I feel blessed that Bhandara, which is considered as Prasad of Lord Khandoba, was smeared on me. The act happened all of a sudden. Security personnel nabbed that person but I have informed local police to not file any case against him.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the United States, Europe, and India need to create an alternative, competitive model to the Chinese production model that is coercive. Gandhi was addressing the journalists at the Brussels Press Club in Brussels on the second day of his visit.

Gandhi is on an almost week-long tour of Europe during which he is to hold meetings with European Union (EU) lawmakers, students, and the Indian Diaspora.

Stating that China is proposing a particular view or particular vision of the planet, Gandhi said, They (China) are putting on the table the idea of the Belt and Road (the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). And one of the reasons they are able to do that is because they have become a centre of global production. The ambitious Belt and Road Initiative initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 envisions connecting China with Europe and beyond through rebuilding the old Silk Road trade route.

But I dont see an alternative vision coming from our side. That vision requires a vision for production in a democratic environment. What the Chinese have basically shown is that it is possible to produce effectively in a coercive environment, where you dont give people freedom, where you restrict their freedom but you offer them prosperity without political freedom, the Congress leader said in response to a question.

Emphasising that the challenge for us is can we provide an alternative vision where we do production under democratic conditions with political and economic freedom, the Gandhi scion said, There is a lot of cooperation that can happen between the US, Europe and between us and I think thats where a lot of our focus should go. How can we create an alternative to the Chinese production model that is a coercive production model? A competitive vision? He was answering a question regarding his next political priorities and his world vision on international relations in view of the growing global tensions, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Gandhi had commented on similar lines during his visit to Cambridge in March 2023.

Earlier on Thursday, Gandhi said he had held a closed-door meeting with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

Gandhi is expected to return by September 11, following the conclusion of the G20 Leaders Summit being held in Delhi from September 9-10. India is hosting the summit with over 30 heads of state and international dignitaries in attendance.
The first meeting of the key coordination committee and election strategy committee of the opposition INDIA bloc is scheduled to be held on September 13 at the Delhi residence of NCP chief and veteran political leader Sharad Pawar, sources said. This comes 12 days after the third meeting of the INDIA bloc concluded in Mumbai on September 1.

According to sources, a discussion will take place on September 13 on the date and venue of the first joint public rally of the INDIA front. Another key issue on the table is seat sharing and a joint strategy in the five election-bound states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram.

CPI general secretary D Raja, who is part of the committee, told News18, Now that elections are going to be held in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan how we can guide and help them sort out issues at the state level may be an issue [to discuss].

He added, The elections are very close parties of INDIA alliance can work together and seat-sharing arrangement will have to be done properly so that a united fight can be put up.

Fourteen of the 28 parties that constitute the INDIA bloc have representation in the steering committee and the election strategy committee but the CPI(M) is yet to name its member. Sources said the CPI(M)s Politburo meeting is scheduled for the 16th and 17th of this month and a decision on the issue will be taken then.

The other 13 members are Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, DMK MP and parliamentary party leader TR Baalu, Jharkhand CM and JMM chief Hemant Soren, RS MP and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Bihar Deputy CM and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav, TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, SP MP Javed Ali Khan, JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh, CPI general secretary D Raja, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

Apart from the steering and election strategy committee, the INDIA bloc has also announced a 19-member campaign committee, a 12-member Working Group for Social Media, 19-member Working Group for Media and an 11-member Working Group for Research.

Seat sharing at the state level is a thorny issue and it remains to be seen whether political rivals can thrash out a formula and abide by it. The AAP, for instance, released its first list of 10 candidates each for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, states which have seen bipolar contests between the BJP and Congress.

In any case, it could be an indicator of the challenges that lie ahead for the multitude of parties that have come together and formed the bloc. In the Mumbai meeting, the 28 parties had adopted a resolution: We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as possible. Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give and take.
Finding a reliable reverse address lookup tool and online address search tool may seem like a daunting undertaking. Since there are so many potential solutions, choosing one that is reliable and guaranteed to provide the desired outcomes might appear like an insurmountable task.

In order to save you time and effort, we have compiled a list of the fastest, easy, and most reliable search tools, such as BeenVerified. Find out what makes each option appealing so you can choose the best one.

People and places may be researched by entering their street addresses on these websites. Its also useful to research the area and any criminal history that may be connected to a certain home.

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Best Reverse Address Lookup & Online Address Search Services

BeenVerified  Best Overall Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search

PeopleLooker  Best for Fast Results

Intelius  Best for Detailed Searches

TruthFinder  Best for Personal Data

Instant Checkmate  Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search on Mobiles

Spokeo  Best for Value

US Search  Best for Ease of Use

1. BeenVerified  Best Overall Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search

Pros:

Results from a people search include in-depth, comprehensive reports

As a member, youll have access to several benefits

Method of costing that is easily understood

In terms of background check businesses, theyre quite open

Good mobile applications

Customer service with a focus on detail

Cons:

Long delays in receiving search results may sometimes occur

Not all search engines provide reliable results

There is no free address lookup trial available

Cancellation is a difficult procedure

Its not possible to purchase a single report

The address lookup option on BeenVerified is a great way to get more details about a certain place. When users type an address into the search field, theyre given access to a wealth of information about that location, including the name and contact information for the propertys owner, the propertys estimated market worth, and the propertys sales and ownership history.

The service might also provide community details like crime statistics, schools in the area, and places to eat and shop. Those who are in the market to purchase or rent a home and want to research the neighborhood beforehand may find BeenVerifieds address-searching tool useful.

Its also helpful for those who want to learn more about a place, whether its for professional or personal reasons (such as checking out a company or a persons past before hiring or renting from them).

BeenVerified Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search Price: 4.9/5

Users are not able to buy individual reports on the site. Rather, the website has two membership plans: a $26.89/month single-month plan or a $17.48/month 3-month plan (a 35% reduction). Users of any subscription may generate an infinite number of reports using any of BeenVerifieds seven search options.

BeenVerified Reverse Address Search User-friendliness: 4.9/5

The Reverse Address lookup tool on BeenVerified is so simple and intuitive that it can be used by anybody, regardless of their level of technological expertise. Because of the platforms user-friendly design, users may quickly and easily get the data they need.

BeenVerified Online Address Search Tools and Data Results: 4.9/5

BeenVerified is proud of the reliability and precision of its online database and address verification tools.

The most recent and reliable data is used in conjunction with sophisticated algorithms to guarantee that the platforms user base receives only the most relevant and up-to-date content. In addition to the automated checks, BeenVerified employs a staff of human researchers to double-check all of the data before its made available to the public.

BeenVerified Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4.8/5

Customers have given BeenVerifieds online address find tool mostly good reviews. The platform has received high marks from its users for its reliability, thoroughness, and convenience of use. Users who simply need infrequent access to the platforms functionalities have complained that the subscription options are too expensive.

Overall Score of the BeenVerified Reverse Address Search: 4.9/5

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2. PeopleLooker  Best Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search for Fast Results

Pros:

Results from a people search include in-depth, comprehensive reports

As a member, youll have access to several benefits

Method of costing that is easily understood

In terms of background check businesses, theyre quite open

Good mobile applications

Customer service with a focus on detail

Cons:

Long delays in receiving search results may occur sometimes

Not all search engines provide reliable results

There is no free address lookup trial available

PeopleLooker also has a great reverse address lookup feature. You may use it to find out who the current and previous occupants of a certain address are, as well as who the property owner is.

PeopleLookers address lookup function facilitates research into a certain place. Users may learn about the propertys owner, sales history, and projected worth thanks to this function.

PeopleLooker Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search Price: 4.9/5

If you use PeopleLooker reverse address lookup tool, you may choose between two different price options tailored to your specific requirements and interests. The first option is a monthly plan that costs $18.28.

The second option is a membership that lasts for three months and costs $14.62 per month, with payment for the whole three months due all at once. For those who would want to try out the service before committing to a paid membership, PeopleLooker provides a $1 for 5 days trial.

PeopleLooker Reverse Address Search User-friendliness: 4.9/5

Even people who are not very tech-savvy will have no trouble using PeopleLookers Reverse Address Lookup tool. Because of the platforms streamlined design and user-friendly interface, locating certain pieces of data is a breeze. Searches provide results that are simple to read and interpret because of their clean layout.

PeopleLooker Online Address Search Tools and Data Results: 4.9/5

When it comes to its online address search tools, PeopleLooker prioritizes offering only the most accurate and reliable data. The most recent and accurate data is used by the platform, which uses complex algorithms and a wide variety of data sources.

A group of seasoned researchers is also on staff at PeopleLooker to double-check and triple-check all data to assure its accuracy and reliability.

PeopleLooker Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4.8/5

PeopleLookers online address lookup services have received generally excellent responses from customers, with many users appreciating the platforms simplicity of use and thorough search results.

While there have been a few reports of minor inaccuracies, most users have had a great experience. PeopleLooker also has a support team ready to assist with any questions or problems its users may have.

Overall Score of the PeopleLooker Reverse Address Search: 4.9/5

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3. Intelius  Best Overall Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search

Pros:

Its reasonably priced

Records allow for a thorough search to be performed

The data in a report can be extracted with little effort

Cons:

Several customers have complained about issues with service

Prices are not made readily apparent on the site

In order to better serve its customers, Intelius has released a new reverse address lookup tool. Every user in the United States may use this service to find out who owns a certain piece of real estate.

Included in the report is a search of the propertys owner, its current and historical worth, details about the propertys location and surrounding area, and pertinent real estate data.

The Intelius Address Reverse Lookup service is now available. On a bi-monthly payment cycle, customers pay $22.86 per month for an infinite number of searches and $38.41 per month for Power Users, which is more than enough to cover the $50 associate charge.

This Intelius review goes into detail about their services, including the reverse phone search option.

Intelius Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search Price: 4.9/5

Because of how intuitive and uncomplicated BeenVerifieds Reverse Address Lookup tool is, it can be used by anybody, regardless of their level of technological expertise. The platforms user-friendly, well-organized layout makes it simple for users to find the information they want.

Intelius Reverse Address Search User-friendliness: 4.9/5

The reverse address lookup tool layout and design are both user-friendly and efficient. Finding the data you need wont need much experience with computers or record digging.

Intelius Online Address Search Tools and Data Results: 4.9/5

The online database and address verification tools provided by Intelius have earned the company much praise for their dependability and accuracy. The platform uses a number of data sources and complex algorithms to ensure that the information shown to users is both accurate and up-to-date.

Intelius additionally employs a team of dedicated researchers that cross-check and evaluate information to ensure that users can trust the data made available via the site.

Intelius Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4.8/5

Customer confidence in Intelius dates back to 2003. The firm originally focused on background checks but has expanded to include address lookups.

Customer service may be sluggish, despite mostly excellent ratings.

Overall Score of the Intelius Reverse Address Search: 4.9/5

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4. TruthFinder  Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search for Personal Data

Pros:

The reports include sensitive information

Unlimited searching is available to paying members

Offers to track hidden networks

Cons:

The costlier alternative to the available choices

No searches are available at no cost

It costs more money to access the report online

You may use TruthFinder to do person searches and reverse address lookups to get in-depth reports with plenty of useful information. In todays world, a thorough background check might include information gleaned through social media.

TruthFinder offers dependable surveillance of the deep web. Comparatively, the platform is more expensive than alternative options; nonetheless, it produces better results than those other solutions.

Its safe to assume that your data will be protected notwithstanding our surveillance of the dark web. The TruthFinder service may be more expensive, but its well worth the investment due to its superior output.

TruthFinder Reverse Address Lookup Search Price: 4.7/5

The reverse address lookup tool, though more costly than others, is the most reliable way to get a thorough background check. People usually think its worth it because of how much knowledge they impart.

Unlimited search for one month is $28.05, but you can pay $46.56 for two months worth of access for the same price. Report downloads cost an extra $3.99.

TruthFinder Reverse Address Lookup Owner User-friendliness: 4.8/5

If youre looking for the truth, TruthFinder is an easy website to navigate. Its easy to track down specific details and get desired outcomes. Theres a 24/7 support line you may call for assistance with any issues youre having.

TruthFinder Best Online Address Search Search Tools and Data Results: 4.9/5

TruthFinders vast reports may help you learn about a broad variety of topics, all based on the search terms and information you provide. You may check someones whereabouts, track down a lost buddy, or learn useful facts about them to speed up the process of getting to learn about them.

Using the dark web monitoring option to look for suspicious behavior involving your personal information is a great way to protect yourself against identity theft.

You may find out a persons criminal past, as well as their social media and dating sites, as well as their employees, and educational background.

This is useful for checking up on the legitimacy of an internet seller you could do business with, tracking out a long-lost relative, or doing background checks on potential dates.

TruthFinder Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4.7/5

TruthFinder has received overwhelmingly good feedback from its users. The service provides timely, precise, and relevant reporting.

Overall Score of the TruthFinder Reverse Address Lookup Tool: 4.8/5

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5. Instant Checkmate  Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search on Mobile

Pros:

The layout is simple and straightforward

Its easy to use the app on your phone

Information gleaned through social media platforms

Cons:

Costlier than the market average

It costs extra to download the reports

It takes extra time to create reports

Being among the top online owner address check and reverse address lookup tools that are currently accessible, Instant Checkmate is able to provide in-depth reports that include helpful information. Users often feel the value justifies the hefty subscription cost.

You may be able to have instant access to the results, but depending on the report, it can take some time to organize and then download the information. Users have complained that they were interrupted many times by pop-ups and adverts before they could finally see the report.

Instant Checkmate Reverse Address Lookup Price: 4.5/5

You have the ability to produce as many reports as you want from the platform if you pay $35.12 for a one-month subscription to the platform. Your report is also available in PDF format, which may be bought for an extra fee.

Instant Checkmate Reverse Address Lookup User-Friendliness: 4.7/5

Instant Checkmates search functionality is intuitive and well-structured. You may also do searches by utilizing the smartphone app whenever at any place you choose.

Instant Checkmate Best Online Address Search Tools and Data Results: 4.8/5

Address lookups and reverse owner lookups may be performed instantly using Instant checkmate. Look up an address to research the owner, research the neighborhood, or track down a lost relative.

Address verification is only one option available via the program; further background checks, such as social media profiles, criminal records, and prisoner lookups, are also available.

Instant Checkmate Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4.5/5

People seem to really like the end outcome. Some reviews from users have mentioned how long it takes to do a search and how few results it returns. If youre looking for an in-depth report, this may not be as much of a problem for you.

Overall Score of the Instant Checkmate Best Reverse Address Search: 4.6/5

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6. Spokeo  Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search for Value

Pros:

Its a bargain

We have access to social media profiles

Superior attention to each individual client

Cons:

Statistics on criminal activity are unavailable

A number of the outcomes are flawed

Exclusive to the USA

Spokeo is a very reliable internet service that does reverse address lookups and other types of address searches. The business examines millions of data points in order to offer you the most recent information that is available.

This service is among the lowest in price yet still provides remarkable value. But, only U.S. addresses are accepted.

Spokeo Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search Price: 4.8/5

To put it simply, Spokeo is a great service that is well worth the price. If you sign up for three months, your monthly fee drops to $14.95 from the regular $19.95.

Spokeo Reverse Address Lookup User-Friendliness: 4.5/5

There have been no complaints about the usability of Spokeos interface from users. The interface is straightforward and easy to navigate.

Spokeo Best Online Address Search Tools and Data Results: 4/5

By entering an address into Spokeos reverse search tool, you may get public data and contact details for the homes owner. Look into someones criminal record, social media profiles, and prior whereabouts. Users have complained about inaccurate or out-of-date information.

Spokeo Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4.4/5

Spokeo is among the best online sites for doing a reverse address lookup service or locating the owner of a given address. The responses to user inquiries and issues are reportedly prompt.

Overall Score of the Spokeo Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search: 4.

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7. US Search  Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search for Ease of Use

Pros:

As a user, youll find it quite convenient

Offers solid support throughout the long haul

See profiles on various social networking sites if you so want

Cons:

These days, reports arent as comprehensive as they formerly were

It has been determined that there were several errors

We only accept searches from the United States

US Search is among the businesses that have been operating since 1993, making it among the most dependable and long-running online reverse owners by address search companies. Several users have reported great success in identifying lost friends and family members and finding new residences.

If youre looking to investigate potential causes, here is the place to go. This site does not contain criminal history or driving record information in its reports, making them less comprehensive than similar services.

US Search Best Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search Price: 4.8/5

U.S. Search provides a toolbox of strategies for conducting library-based investigations. At $19.86 a month, you may do as many searches as you want or purchase a single report.

US Search Reverse Address Lookup Owner User-friendliness: 4.5/5

The layout of the search function is intuitive. Users like how user-friendly the design is and how fast they can find what theyre looking for.

US Search Best Online Address Search Tools and Data Results: 4/5

US Search can find what you need because of their access to billions of records.

By inputting an address, you may get a variety of details on that location, including its history, property records, and associated contacts. Information about a persons social media profiles and previous jobs may also be located.

US Search Online Address Find Customer Feedback: 4/5

With more than 25 years in the industry, US Search has earned its reputation as a reliable database for finding public records. There may be a few hiccups, but overall, customers are quite satisfied with the results they get when looking for locations inside the United States.

Overall Score of the US Search Best Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search: 4.3/5

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Best Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search Honorable Mentions

PublicSeek

InfoTracer

Backgroundchecks.com

BeenVerified

InfoMart

How We Selected the Best Reverse Address Lookup Owner and Online Address Search Sites

If you want reliable results, its important to choose a reputable reverse address lookup tool that is owned by the right person. Using these criteria helped us narrow down the options to just a few top sites:

Tools for looking things up

Data Results

Brand image

Validity

Revised findings

Expertise

Pricing

Sustaining happy and helpful relationships with customers

User-friendliness

While choosing a service, its essential that you choose one that has a solid reputation and can fulfill your informational needs.

You may get more details than necessary to confirm an address from several sites.

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Buying Guide for the Best Reverse Address Lookup and Online Address Search

The most common inquiries received by reverse address lookup tools and other internet address search services have been compiled into a FAQ. This listing will provide you with the information you need to choose the service that best meets your needs.

What Is a Reverse Address Lookup or Online Address Search?

One way to learn more about a property or its owner is to type the location into a search engine. Finding the same information through an internet address search is the norm. Its primary use is for official reasons such as addressing verification and residency evaluation.

If you need to find a person or business at a certain location, you may use a service that does address lookups. What youre looking for in a home might alter the depth and breadth of information available in public records.

By collecting data from a variety of sources, this service will save you a lot of time and work. Using this service will save you the hassle of manually looking through a large number of records in order to get the data that is both the most current and the most comprehensive that is feasible.

A reverse owner-by-address search service may be used to learn useful details about a property or person. What you can do with the protected personal information you get is limited by several safeguards.

The majority of these websites are open and honest about the information they collect and the ways in which they intend to use it. You cant use it to determine whether a renter is reliable or if they have a job.

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Are the Results Accurate?

You can identify the correct location fast in this day and age of many digital resources and easily accessible public record databases. Inaccuracies or out-of-date data may be included in these services, nevertheless. Use them with caution.

The most trustworthy data may be found by a few searches of the property on the top reverse address lookup tool services. Residential lookups for single-family dwellings are complete and accurate. The findings are less all-encompassing and illuminating because of the multi-unit nature of an office or residential complex.

Some examples of omitted details are contact numbers for apartments and workplaces. Because of this, the data may be inaccurate or incomplete.

If you want to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the location, rather than asking for the address of the particular office or individual youre trying to find, ask for the address of the whole building.

You need to double-check that you have the right address before proceeding with your inquiry. Before making any commitments (time or money), its a good idea to be sure the given address is correct.

How to Lookup an Address?

For the most accurate results, the most reputable online and owner-based reverse address lookup tool services will ask for payment. There are choices available at free cost; but, it requires a significant amount of effort to track them out and verify that they can be trusted.

Users have the option of paying per search or for an ongoing membership to the service.

A paid owner search by address provides comprehensive premium results. The best background check services will provide you access to a plethora of records, such as the owners personal details, property details, educational and work history, criminal history, and even census data.

If you choose a premium search, youll get more thorough results since more records will be indexed. While the data is available to the public, its not easily discovered using standard search engines.

To do such in-depth searches, choose a website and then type its address into the search field. Its important to find out whether a subscription is needed before committing to a reverse address lookup tool service. Subscribing to bulk address searches may help you save both time and money.

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What Information Can I Find By Conducting a Search?

One excellent resource is the reverse address lookup tool. The report is well-organized, which makes acquiring and interpreting the data much simpler.

Address Verification: There are several situations in which organizations and individuals need to confirm an address.

Verifying your place of residence is necessary for a number of purposes, such as determining the appropriate school zone for your child, receiving tax breaks, receiving discounts on housing, and being accepted into country clubs.

Contact Information : One of the most useful results of an owner lookup address search is contact information. You may utilize this data to get in touch with a long-lost relative, acquaintance, or former colleague.

Business Information: Commercial and residential properties both include reverse owner-by-address search options that may be used to uncover useful company data.

Whether youre looking to establish trust with a possible partner or just get in touch with them, doing so in a professional setting is always a good idea.

Real Estate Records: Previous owners as well as selling dates may be found in the propertys official real estate records. There is a public record of the propertys valuation.

Neighborhood Information : Most people who are house hunting find the neighborhood information gleaned by reverse owner-by-address lookups to be quite helpful.

Its possible to examine how demographic characteristics of people, such as age and political affiliation, together with data obtained from the census, have contributed to the formation of a certain region.

Whether or not a certain area is a good fit for you may be determined quickly based on how well it meshes with your lifestyle and preferences.

Criminal Records: Depending on the nature of your investigation, you may find details regarding the criminal history of the property youre snooping about. Possible details about the inhabitants drug use or criminal history may be included in the report.

A propertys market value might drop if it has a history of criminal activity. You need to know all there is to know about the property before you buy it.

You may get fast results from a reverse search or online address lookup service by just entering the owners name and address. Its simple to find what youre looking for, and you may have faith that what you find is correct.

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What Is the Cost of a Reverse Owner by Address Lookup Service?

Address search services vary in price depending on the specific site and the data you need. Although some companies need you to become a member or pay for a subscription in order to access their database and do a search, others provide you the option to pay for just one address lookup at a time.

Find out what you need in a residence before you start looking for one. Membership is recommended if you anticipate doing many searches each month.

Monthly membership prices for unrestricted use are typically between $20 and $35. In most cases, you may save money by purchasing a multi-month package.

Before committing to a subscription, make sure you read the conditions of service and the fine print to be sure there arent any unexpected costs. For instance, you may have to pay a few dollars more to download a file. In most cases, using the website or app wont cost you a dime.

How Do I Select the Best Reverse Owner by Address Lookup and Online Address Search for My Needs?

Identifying your needs is the first step in selecting the optimal reverse address lookup tool for you. Depending on the kind and frequency of your queries, you may find that a subscription is more cost-effective than a one-time purchase.

Do you need to find out about the homes current market price, its former owners through an address search, and the area in which its located? This may be found with a simple internet search.

Is your company one that consistently verifies customer addresses and does background checks on new hires? You could opt for a service that allows you limitless searches for a flat rate in this case.

Get the lowest price for online address lookup and reverse address lookup tool services by doing some comparison shopping.

If you want your users to have the best possible experience on your site, be sure to choose one with a straightforward layout and straightforward navigation. To save time, its best to have an interface that is uncluttered and doesnt include any extraneous information. Those who are often on the go may find it more convenient to utilize a mobile app.

See what current and former customers have to say about the service. If you run into problems, check reviews left by other customers to get an idea of how good the material and customer support are

What Specific Details Are Required?

You can find out a lot about someone or their property with only an address. To get the whole picture, it might be preferable to use a service that specializes in doing thorough background checks.

Its also important to use an owner-by-address search tool to find a reliable and experienced proprietor. Although its hard to completely prevent mistakes or out-of-date data, you can cut down on them by using a reliable source.

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Comparison of the Top 7 Best Reverse Owners by Address Lookup and Online Address Search Sites

BeenVerified

Pricing per month: $26.89

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: Yes

Accreditation from the BBB: A+

PeopleLooker

Pricing per month: $18.28

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: No

Accreditation from the BBB: A

Intelius

Pricing per month: $22.86

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: Yes

Accreditation from the BBB: A

TruthFinder

Pricing per month:: $28.05

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: Yes

Accreditation from the BBB: A+

Instant Checkmate

Pricing per month: $35.12

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: No

Accreditation from the BBB: A+

Spokeo

Pricing per month:: $19.95

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: Yes

Accreditation from the BBB: A

US Search

Pricing per month:: $19.86

Almost Instantaneous Outcomes: Yes

Accreditation from the BBB: Not Rated

Final Thoughts on Selecting the Best Reverse Address Lookup Owner and Online Address Search Site

The most reliable internet and reverse address lookup services may reveal important facts about persons and places. Keep your data current and correct. Locate their contact information so you may reach out to them.

Address lookups may also provide details about the surrounding area.

BeenVerified is unquestionably the best option among our five top picks, in spite of the fact that each of these other options has its own unique collection of advantages and virtues.

Get the data of any address for a low monthly fee and do as many searches as you want. Even if youre just curious about a select few things about a person, you may refine and broaden your search to uncover a wealth of background details.

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DISCLAIMER: You may not use the non-FCRA approved services mentioned in this article or the information they provide to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. These services dont provide consumer reports and are not consumer reporting agencies. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (FCRA), which are incorporated herein by reference.)

The information available on our website may not be 100% accurate, complete, or up to date, so do not use it as a substitute for your own due diligence, especially if you have concerns about a persons criminal history. The services we mention do not make any representation or warranty about the accuracy of the information available through our website or about the character or integrity of the person about whom you inquire. For more information, please review each services Terms of Use.

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Are you overwhelmed by the amount of work and deadlines you have to deal with? If so, Asana might be the solution you are looking for. This Asana review provides a comprehensive analysis of the well-known project management tool, highlighting its advantages, disadvantages, and functionalities.

Regardless of whether you are a solo entrepreneur or working in a team, Asana can provide you with valuable features. Therefore, lets evaluate whether it is a worthwhile investment of your time and resources.

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What is Asana ?

With its numerous customizable views that cater to all team members, Asana is considered one of the most effective project management software available, as shown in this Asana review.

The free version offers a plethora of features that make it convenient to use. Users can enjoy unlimited storage, access to past project records, and messaging capabilities within the platform. For small teams, the free version is a viable long-term option.

This Asana review indicates that it offers a wide range of project views, catering to diverse needs. Whether you prefer Kanban-style cards or a calendar view for tracking project deadlines, or a general workload overview, all of these options are available to you.

With the ability to switch between these views, your team can enjoy greater flexibility, and you can involve more stakeholders in the process.

In addition, Asana provides various automated processes and integrations that can boost your teams efficiency. You can set up due dates and receive automatic notifications via Slack when a project section is completed, enabling your team to progress to the next stage smoothly.

Our Verdict on Asana

In this Asana review, we have thoroughly tested and examined Asana. We have come to the conclusion that it is an effective project management tool that can enhance task efficiency and productivity.

Its user-friendly interface, diverse integration options, and useful features like task dependencies and project templates make it a preferred option for both individuals and teams.

Even though its cost may be a bit high for some, the value it provides in terms of coordination and teamwork justifies the expense. In summary, we strongly suggest that Asana be used as an essential tool for those striving to manage their workload effectively.

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Asana at a Glance

Asana is a project management tool that operates through the cloud and enables users to manage their tasks, team members, and projects from a single centralized location. The tools interface is user-friendly and features customizable task lists, project timelines, calendars, and collaborative tools.

Asana also integrates with other popular apps such as Trello, Slack, and Google Drive. There are various pricing plans available, including a free basic version and a premium version with advanced features suitable for larger teams.

As shown in the Asana reviews, its a comprehensive and versatile tool that can enhance productivity and organization for individuals and teams of any size.

What Is Asana Used For?

Individuals and teams use Asana project management software to manage and monitor their work progress. It simplifies communication, collaboration, and task administration, which helps teams to stay organized and on schedule with their projects.

With Asana, users can create tasks, allocate them to team members, set deadlines, and track their advancement. In addition, Asana provides a range of features like custom fields, project templates, calendars, and integrations with other tools that enhance its functionality.

Companies of all sizes and sectors use Asana to improve efficiency, reduce email overload, and ensure that everyone is on the same page concerning project management.

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How Does Asana Work?

Asana is software that operates through the cloud, allowing access from any device that has an internet connection. Its accessible as a web application and has mobile applications for both iOS and Android devices.

To use Asana, you need to create an account and add your team members, after which you can import projects from other project management software like Trello or Basecamp.

Once you have transferred your projects to Asana, you can begin assigning tasks to team members and setting deadlines. Users can also create subtasks to divide projects into smaller sections.

It can be observed that team members are able to utilize the free version of the platform to leave comments on tasks for the purpose of asking questions or providing updates.

Who Asana is Best For?

Asana is a project management tool that has a wide range of applications for various individuals and teams. Its cloud-based platform is particularly useful for remote teams as it enables them to collaborate on projects from any location.

Creative teams can benefit from Asanas visual project planning feature, which allows them to manage projects and assets in a visual manner. Marketing teams can use Asana to handle marketing campaigns, keep track of deadlines, and collaborate on content development.

For software development teams, Asanas integrations with tools like Jira and GitHub make it an excellent option. It offers discounts for non-profit organizations, making it an affordable choice for such entities.

In conclusion, Asana is suitable for anyone who needs to manage projects and tasks, stay on top of deadlines, and collaborate effectively.

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Asana Pricing

Asana provides different pricing options to cater to teams and businesses of different sizes, which include Basic, Premium, Business, and Enterprise packages.

Basic

The free Basic plan allows for up to 15 collaborators. It offers project organization tools such as list and board views, unlimited task creation, communication, activity logs, integration with other tools, and team and project management.

While this plan is suitable for individuals and freelancers looking to improve their project management skills at no cost, it may not be adequate for larger and more complex projects that require greater team collaboration and interdependence.

Premium

Asana Premium is the least expensive paid plan, priced at $13.49 per user per month on a monthly basis and $10.99 per user per month on an annual basis.

Users of Premium can take advantage of advanced project management features including milestone setting, task dependencies, customizable dashboards, and a workflow builder.

This tier is especially useful for small and mid-sized teams. It provides a comprehensive overview of complex projects for project managers and enables managers to access important features for team coordination.

Business

The Business plan is available for growing teams and comes with extra features. It costs $30.49 per user per month if billed monthly, and $24.99 per user per month if billed annually. The plan provides an overview of all active projects a team has through its Portfolios feature.

The Workload feature displays the amount of work assigned to each team member. Additionally, the Business plan includes the ability to use forms, proofing, and lock custom fields, setting it apart from other plans.

The tier is particularly advantageous for bigger corporations and institutions, as it enables them to effectively monitor all their projects, improve coordination between different projects and departments, and enhance the customization of their project management procedures to a great extent.

Enterprise

Asana has a customized Enterprise plan designed to cater to large enterprises. This plan includes features such as SAML, user provisioning, data export and deletion, and custom branding. Its important to mention that this is the only plan that provides 24/7 support.

Unfortunately, the pricing details for this plan are not publicly disclosed, and interested users will have to reach out to Asanas sales team for more information.

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Asana Features

Asana is a user-friendly platform with incredible functionalities that are worth exploring. A detailed analysis of the remarkable features of Asana is presented below.

Feature-Rich Free Plan

When it comes to the best project management software, many free plans are lacking. However, Asana stands out as the exception. Compared to other project management software that we tested, Asanas free plan is the best.

Other PM softwares free plans are often too limiting for small businesses. Still, Asanas free plan offers unlimited support for teams, projects, messaging, activity logs, file storage, and multiple project views.

If you have fewer than 15 users and need to manage basic projects, you can use the free plan indefinitely without needing to upgrade.

Asana even allows integration with time-tracking tools at no additional cost, which is uncommon for PM software. Overall, Asanas free plan is an exceptional value.

Multiple Project Views

Asana provides various ways to view projects and handle tasks, such as Kanban boards, calendars, lists, portfolios, timelines, and workloads. Unlike other project management tools that offer limited options, Asana offers all the necessary choices.

This allows each team member to manage their tasks efficiently, resulting in increased productivity. Additionally, project managers can get an overall picture of the projects status by switching between views.

Moreover, Asana allows the customization of project dashboards that update in real-time, enabling users to see crucial information at a glance.

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Process Management Automation

With Asana, automating processes, repetitive tasks, and workflows that extend to other business tools is incredibly simple. Asanas graphical workflow builder makes it easier than ever to set up customized rules, triggers, and actions.

The automation capabilities range from basic functions such as cascading due dates, assigning tasks to the next person in line, checking off boxes, or sending alerts to your team in Slack once a project is completed, to complex workflows that involve numerous users, tools, and tasks.

Automating processes not only ensures that things are done correctly but also frees up time for more crucial activities by eliminating repetitive tasks.

Team Collaboration

We have tested various project management tools, but they usually lack adequate collaboration features, which forces us to seek out other software to meet our needs.

Nonetheless, Asana stands out as one of the rare tools that can serve as a centralized platform for sharing various file types, such as PDFs, JPGs, and Google docs, as well as facilitating team and group communication. This is particularly advantageous for companies with teams located in different parts of the world.

The main difficulty encountered by remote workers is the need to communicate effectively and work collaboratively as a team. Asana, a project management tool, is highly recommended for its ability to facilitate coordination among team members, regardless of their location.

In Asana, users have the ability to delegate tasks to their team members, establish task relationships, prioritize tasks, set and modify deadlines, and communicate with one another through a single card, which serves as a centralized hub for all project-related information.

With the calendar feature, team members can coordinate with each other and keep track of any updates or changes without resorting to email correspondence. The platform also facilitates project discussions and task lists.

Additionally, Asana can be integrated with email applications and third-party messaging software, catering to the communication preferences of different teams.

Agile and Scrum Support

Asana is a highly flexible project management tool that can support the agile philosophy. Whether you need to plan sprints, track bugs, launch products, manage work requests, create roadmaps, give feedback, or track task iterations, Asana provides everything you need to work in a way that suits you.

Unlike many other project management tools that are too rigid, Asana is highly adaptable and can support various methodologies, including Kanban, Agile, Scrum, and more.

Asana is committed to helping you succeed with Agile on its platform. It has even created a glossary and guide to help you match its terminology with standard Agile vocabulary and set up your Agile projects within the platform.

With these resources, implementing an Agile project management approach in Asana is made much simpler.

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Versatility

Asana is a project management software thats highly versatile and adaptable, making it suitable for various management methodologies, business sizes, and industries. Its particularly useful for marketing, sales, product development, operations, human resources, IT, finance, and other such departments.

The software is an excellent choice for facilitating collaboration among different departments, as it can be customized for hundreds of different use cases.

Whether its event planners managing thousands of attendees, marketing teams handling multiple campaigns across various channels, or sales teams tracking leads through the pipeline, Asanas flexibility makes it ideal for a wide range of businesses.

Powerful Integrations

Asana has the capability of integrating with more than 100 commonly used third-party applications including Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, Zapier, Tableau, Zoom, and Salesforce.

These integrations are highly beneficial for enhancing the functionality of Asana. For instance, with the integration of Slack, your team can receive notifications instantly whenever a task or project is modified in Asana.

However, it should be kept in mind that some advanced integrations, such as Salesforce and Tableau, may not be accessible with every subscription plan.

Smart Design

Asanas dashboard is designed in a user-friendly way that makes it simple for beginners to learn its fundamentals. The left side of the screen displays the primary features of Asana, allowing you to access them easily.

Moreover, navigation is made easy with the help of tabs located across the top of the screen. In case you wish to view more information on the screen, you can hide the navigational features temporarily.

Furthermore, you have the option to customize the dashboards appearance to highlight specific features that your team may require.

Advanced Search and Reports

The advanced search function of Asana is highly efficient and thorough. It allows the user to specify their search for either a task or a conversation, along with default fields such as Assigned to, In Projects, and Followed By.

The search can be further refined by adding filters for Tags, Dependencies, Subtasks, and Custom Fields. The user can even narrow down their search by specifying if the task has an attachment, if its completed, and its due date.

If the user is unable to find what they are looking for with these tools, its likely that it does not exist.

With Asana, its simple to create interactive reports for complex searches and save them in the left-hand menu for easy access. These reports remain up-to-date as new items match the search terms, and modifications can be made to the search terms at any time.

This characteristic is particularly useful for managers who wish to monitor employee productivity, and for individuals who want to track their personal progress over an extended period.

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Privacy and Security

Asana ensures secure connections to its website by utilizing the TLS 1.1 protocol and storing its data in secure SSAE16 audited data centers through Amazon in the United States. Additionally, Asana has implemented a bug bounty program to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

The company has undergone SOC 2 Type I and Type II audits, which confirm the companys security measures and capabilities have been validated by an independent third party. Similarly, Asanas status can be monitored through an online dashboard, similar to Slacks service.

Asana App and Interface and In-Use

The Asana app is available across multiple platforms, which include the web, desktop versions compatible with macOS and Windows, and mobile versions for both Android and iOS operating systems.

The interface of the Asana app is user-friendly and responsive, and it has an attractive design without being too cluttered. It also includes celebratory animations that can be turned off if desired.

Asana apps settings section has a feature called Hacks that provides additional functionality and personality to the platform. For example, enabling the related hack allows users to enjoy a bit of feline fun by pressing TAB+B.

In the profile settings, users can add essential account information, manage notifications, change display preferences and visual effects, and set up connections with other applications like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Harvest, Slack, Figma, and more.

The Asana app provides nearly all the functionalities that are present in the web-based version. Nevertheless, based on the volume of tasks and input generated by your team, it could be preferable to access the Asana app on a larger display.

Nevertheless, working on a phone is still productive, and the ability to access Asana app from anywhere with an internet connection is advantageous.

Furthermore, the Asana app has offline capabilities. If you work offline, youll see gray clouds indicating that the content hasnt synced yet, and your collaborators wont be able to see it until your device reconnects and syncs.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Provides a dictionary of words and options for organizing sprints

Assigning project deadlines, and priority is made simple with the use of in-app chat

Connectivity with other services like Slack, and Zapier streamlines communication

Cons:

The Premium plan costs $10.99 per month per user , while the Business plan costs $24.99 per month per user when paid annually. Even more, money is spent on the Enterprise plan

$10.99 per month per user Unable to assign more than one task to a team member, making it challenging to distribute work that calls for numerous team members

Sends several email notifications, which some users may find too many

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Asana Customer Service and Support

Apart from providing detailed tutorials, Asana app offers various resources including an online community forum and an academy where you can access interactive training courses and webinars taught by their Customer Success team.

Additionally, they have a chatbot that can assist with basic inquiries. If you encounter a more complicated problem, the chatbot can file a ticket for you to connect with a customer support representative.

Asana Reviews from Real Users  How Legit is it?

In order to provide a comprehensive answer to the question of whether Asana is a legitimate and effective service, we have conducted extensive research by reviewing numerous online Asana reviews written by actual users who have shared their personal experiences with the service. Reading the Asana review will save you time and offer valuable insights into what real people think of the Asana app.

Based on seven Asana reviews, it has received a consumer rating of 4.29 stars, indicating that the majority of its customers are content with their purchases. Among the various Project Management websites, Asana holds the ninth position in terms of ranking, as shown by the Asana reviews.

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Alternatives to Asana

For business users who want a single platform for project management, team collaboration, and remote work, Asana is a feasible choice. However, there are certain limitations associated with Asana. As a result, here are a few other options to consider as alternatives to Asana.

Monday.com is an online tool for managing projects that operate in the cloud. It offers a visually appealing and customizable system for team collaboration, tracking tasks, and managing projects.

The software is equipped with features such as custom workflows, automation, Gantt charts, time tracking, and integrations with various commonly used tools. Its easy to use and can be adapted to your teams needs with a range of pricing plans based on the number of users and features required.

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ClickUp is a software for managing projects thats based in the cloud. Its a platform that offers a range of tools for team collaboration, task management, and project planning.

Some of its features include customizable task views, calendars, Gantt charts, time tracking, and integrations with other well-known tools. ClickUp offers different pricing plans based on the number of users and features required for the project.

With its user-friendly and visually appealing interface, managing intricate projects and working efficiently with team members is made simple.

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If you run a small business or work in a team that needs to manage projects, Basecamp is a great option for you. It provides a straightforward approach to project tracking and is equipped with different functionalities like lists, files, and calendar views.

As for the Asana app, it has more options to choose from, including timeline, calendar, board, list, and workload views. It also offers over 50 templates, which is a lot more than what Basecamp provides, as Basecamp only has custom templates available.

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Asana Review  Frequently Asked Questions

If there are still any uncertainties, we have compiled a list of our most commonly asked questions for your convenience, which could potentially provide solutions.

Is Asana Free?

The Basic plan of Asana is available for free and includes a wide range of features such as unlimited tasks, projects, messages, activity logs, and file storage. In addition, users can benefit from over 100 integrations, multiple project views, and collaboration with up to 15 team members.

If users opt for a paid plan, they will have to pay $10.99 per user per month for an annual billing cycle, while it will cost them $13.49 per user per month for a month-to-month billing cycle.

Is Asana HIPAA-Compliant?

By October 2022, the Asana app has achieved complete compliance with HIPAA regulations. If you want to know more about Asanas adherence to HIPAA, you can refer to the companys fact sheet on the same topic.

Can I Use Asana Offline?

Its possible to use it without an internet connection by using the Asana app. With this app, you can perform various tasks such as creating projects, tasks, and conversations. You can also check notifications, make comments, assign due dates and assignees, and complete tasks offline.

Is There a Desktop App for Asana?

The software Asana has a desktop application available for download on their website, catering to both Mac and PC operating systems.

Asana Review  Bottom Line

In our Asana review of the top project management tools, Asana was one of the options that we considered. While it didnt make it to the top spot, it could still be the preferred choice for certain individuals.

Furthermore, the Asana app was also included in our list of recommendations for managing remote teams and promoting collaboration among dispersed workforces.

Asana stands out for its user-friendly interface and ease of use for employees. Additionally, it offers more comprehensive automation triggers compared to most of the other tools we reviewed. These factors may be convincing enough for some users to opt for Asana.

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If youre looking for instructions on how to perform a background check in California, youre in luck as you have come across the most extensive guide available online. None of the information about conducting a background check California has been left out in this guide.

In addition to providing comprehensive information on background check California, we will also introduce you to top-notch background check services to make the process effortless. However, its important to note that accessing public records in California may not be a straightforward task.

Even though public records contain information, it can be difficult to locate specific background details on an individual due to the overwhelming amount of documents and data to search through.

Therefore, we suggest utilizing background check California services as they provide the quickest and most reliable method of obtaining precise information.

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7 Best Background Check California Services

BeenVerified  Best Overall for Background Check California

PeopleLooker  Best for Fast & Accurate Results

TruthFinder  Best Value for Money

Intelius  Best for Accuracy

Instant Checkmate  Best for Speed

Spokeo  Best for CA Reverse Email Lookup

US Search  Best for API Integration

What is a Background Check California?

Background check California involves a comprehensive examination of all state and federal public records related to an individual. By utilizing personal identification data like name, phone number, or email, one can search public records to obtain additional information.

Its important to ensure that no information is overlooked during the background check process.

When you conduct a criminal background check CA, you will be provided with a range of information, which includes personal details, educational and employment history, potential family members and acquaintances, whereabouts history, legal records, sex offender details, social media accounts, and property ownership records.

If you choose to search public records manually, its unlikely that you will be able to access all the necessary information. Using background check California services gives you a greater chance of obtaining accurate background details about a person.

When utilizing background check California services, the data you provide is utilized to search through vast amounts of federal and California public records within their database in order to locate pertinent information, leaving no information unturned.

This information is then condensed into a user-friendly and comprehensive criminal background check CA report that can be easily shared with others.

A standard Background check California report may include:

Financial assets

A full name

Social media profiles

Educational background

Aliases

Professional licenses

Liens

Photographs

Age and date of birth

Civil court records

Weapons permits

Employment history

Bankruptcies

Criminal and arrest records

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How to Run a California Background Check?

If you want to perform a background check California, there are two ways to do it: the difficult way and the easy way. The difficult way involves manually contacting various public offices to obtain public records, requesting those records, and then sifting through them to find the information you need.

To perform a background check California, using a people search service such as BeenVerified or TruthFinder is a simple option. All you need to do is enter the name, city, or phone number of the individual youre searching for.

Additionally, reverse phone lookup tools can also be utilized to search for someone using their email address. Its essential to include all the information present in the original text while paraphrasing.

All you need to do is input the fundamental details about an individual, and the Background check California facility will go through its database. The procedure may take a few minutes, but if it takes more time, it indicates the availability of a considerable amount of genuine information.

How Can I Access Public Records in California?

It can be a challenging task to obtain public records in California, despite the fact that theyre maintained by various departments. Those who have attempted to access these records are familiar with this difficulty.

According to the California Public Record Act and the California Constitution, individuals in California have the right to access records held by state and local agencies. This includes a wide range of information that falls under the category of public records in California.

Court records

Inmate records

Vital records

criminal background check CA records

In California, its important to provide all necessary information when making a request for public records, as there are only a few exceptions allowed. Its also crucial to respond promptly to such requests. If your request for California records is denied, there is no option to appeal the decision.

If you need access to public records in California, you can request them from any government agency. However, every agency has its own set of rules, steps, and fees when it comes to obtaining these records.

To obtain the documents you need, you will have to follow the specific procedures of the record-keeping organization and make your request via mail, email, or phone.

Some agencies still require paper forms and its important to note that different government departments may have varying rules when it comes to accessing their records.

The specifics of a public records request are as follows:

Documents title

Specification of when youd want to get the documents

Your contact details

Method of delivery (by email or snail mail)

Be sure to contact and enquire about business hours and processes before going to the California government building or public organization.

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California Background Check Laws

With a few exceptions, background checks are typically permitted in California. According to California law, businesses that engage in activities for the purpose of recruitment are bound by an array of regulations and restrictions.

The following are the background check laws in California:

The Los Angeles and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinances Californias Ban the Box Law The California Information Privacy Act (CIPA) The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Anti-discrimination Laws

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

Employers have two responsibilities under the FCRA. All employers have duties in these areas.

Take the applicants signed permission into account before doing a background check Notify the candidate if theyre not hired due to background check results

The FCRA applies to employers who hire outside companies to undertake background investigations; internal background checks are exempt from the law.

CA Anti-discrimination Laws

Its against state and federal law for California employers to discriminate against job applicants because of:

Sexual orientation

Race

Ethnicity

Its crucial to remember that California employers may break the law if they adopt a rule that automatically disqualifies any applicant with a criminal background check CA records.

The California Information Privacy Act (CIPA)

Many of the elements of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act are duplicated in the California Investigative Protection Act. For instance, CIPA mandates that employers must request consent from a candidate before doing a criminal history check.

An employer must abide by the following requirements if it conducts an internal background check:

The Employer shall, upon request, deliver a duplicate of the Report to the Applicant or for him to inspect the Report

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Californias Ban the Box Law

Californias ban the box law, AB 1008, went into effect on January 1, 2018. The law:

Before issuing a conditional job offer, an employer isnt permitted to inquire about a job individuals criminal history

The once-familiar interview question, Have you ever had a felony conviction? is now illegal. The only businesses impacted by this rule are those with 5 employees or more. The hiring process may include checking a candidates criminal history.

Yet there are requirements before making a job offer. Examples of such situations include

Screening of the applicants criminal background check CA , (if applicable)

Successful completion of a criminal background check CA

The new rule mandates that if an employer learns an applicant has a history of criminal convictions, the company must conduct an independent assessment of the applicant. The employer must take several factors into account when deciding on whether or not to recruit a candidate.

These issues include:

How much time has elapsed since the crime was committed or the punishment was served

Crime level, context, and severity of the behavior

How the applicants criminal record could affect their ability to do their job

The specifics of the task being done or sought

After this examination, an employer is free to reject a candidate as long as the organizations requirements inform the decision. The candidate must be informed in writing of the decision in cases like this.

No later than 5 business days from receiving this notification, the applicant must respond.

Any comments given must be taken into account by the business. The business may choose to do one of 2 items in light of this information:

Reject a job candidate because of details in their criminal background check CA history Employ the candidate

The Los Angeles and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinances

Los Angeles and San Francisco both managed to pass fair chance ordinances that offered comparable protections prior to the ban the box law.

They provide a fair chance due to the following reason:

The term adverse action refers to the process through which a potential employer rejects a job candidate because of information found in a criminal background check CA. In order to convince the committee that they should be hired, the candidate may submit supporting documentation.

Because it gives job seekers more robust protections, both municipalities updated their rules to comply with the ban the box act.

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How Far Back Does a Background Check Go in California?

In California, employers can only look at the past 7 years of an applicants history when doing a background check California.

Employers in California can legally conduct a criminal history check 7 years prior to making a conditional offer of employment (with some exceptions). Companies are not allowed to reject applicants because of convictions that are over seven years old.

What Can You Find With a Background Check California?

You wont believe how much can be learned about a person through a background check in the state of California. Background check reports from services like TruthFinder, BeenVerified, PeopleLooker, and Intelius typically include the following information.

Personal Information

Individual details that let you verify that you have the right candidate at the outset of every background check report. Included in this data could be personal information like their full name, date of birth, aliases, and photos.

Jobs and Education

Next, theres information about their education and employment history, which can include details like their high school and university attended and places of employment in the past.

Background check services that follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibit their clients from using the results of these checks for employment or tenant screening.

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Possible Relatives and Associates

In this area, we provide a list of people who may be connected to the person youre searching for, including friends, acquaintances, and coworkers. In the process of locating a long-lost relative, you can come upon your own background check.

CA Contact Information

If youre looking for leads, the background check California report can provide you with contact details and email addresses. This article will prove especially helpful if youre a California business owner conducting a background check on a current or prospective employee.

CA Criminal Records

Its recommended that criminal background checks CA and arrest histories be compiled using data from all available public law enforcement and court records in California. If they were brought before a judge, you can find out details about the type of trial they faced, when it took place, where it took place, and who presided over the case by consulting the case number and court name.

CA Property Information

This part is helpful if youre trying to gauge a persons financial stability. Information on current property ownership, property taxes, market price, cost of land, mortgages, registered vehicles, and ownership details are all available.

Related Links

All websites that can lead you to the person youre searching for are collected here. In the event that there are some, you can look for them on the internet in the form of websites, blogs, news stories, and social media accounts.

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How Long Does a Background Check Take In California?

It also depends on the specifics of your planned background check California. When you use a trustworthy people search service like BeenVerified, you can get a complete background check report in only a few minutes.

In practice, this means that you can conduct as many checks as you like and still get accurate results every time.

In contrast, a manual background check California could take anywhere from one to three business days.

7 Best Services for Background Check California

Now that you know how easy its to use a background check service in California, well take a closer look at the five best options in the state. Were going to look at each of these apps briefly to figure out what sets them apart.

You can also learn which individual persons search website in California is best for a given need while conducting a background check.

BeenVerified  Best Overall for Background Check California

BeenVerified, the industry leader in background checks California, offers a wide range of options for investigating a persons past.

That could provide a fuller picture of their history. The company employs dependable data sources and has access to Californias vast public record archive to ensure the accuracy of its reports.

One of BeenVerifieds benefits is that it has a straightforward interface that facilitates fast and simple searches. The platforms search interface and guidelines for navigating the reports are both uncomplicated and user-friendly.

Monthly subscription costs and pay-per-search choices are just two of the companys flexible pricing strategies, making it accessible to individuals and enterprises operating on a shoestring.

To aid with any questions or issues that may arise during the background check process, BeenVerified also offers customer support. The company has a team of professionals who can explain the system and help you interpret the data it produces.

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PeopleLooker  Best Background Check California for Fast & Accurate Results

The PeopleLooker public records search tool allows users to find information on individuals, including criminal background check California, contact information, and more. If youre looking into doing a background check in California, PeopleLooker may prove to be a useful tool.

PeopleLooker asserts access to various public records in the Golden State. These purportedly accessible documents include court records, criminal background check California histories, and more. This suggests that its background checks may provide more information than those of competing providers.

Its straightforward interface makes using background checks possible even for Internet novices. This can be helpful for individuals or businesses that need to do background checks but lack the necessary expertise.

Californias background check service has different pricing categories to accommodate customers with varying background check needs. Its costs are often considered fair, which is great news for consumers and businesses alike who are on a tight budget.

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TruthFinder  Best California Background Check Service for Value

TruthFinder is the first in the state of California for background checks. Its website is so user-friendly that you can quickly and simply look up information using a persons name, phone number, or email address.

Because of its access to the largest Californian public record databases, it can produce a vast amount of verified information about a given individual.

If you use TruthFinders background check services and darknet monitoring tool, you may be able to access information that isnt publicly accessible.

TruthFinder is priced at $46 for a two-month subscription, or $28.05 each month. Learn why doing a background check with TruthFinder is your best bet. Please read our detailed analysis of the state of California.

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Intelius  Best California Background Check Service for Accuracy

When it comes to California background checks, Intelius is on par with TruthFinder. The pinpoint accuracy of the results is the best element of this comprehensive national database.

Its very similar to TruthFinder in terms of functionality, and its database of over 20 billion public documents gives you access to an enormous amount of data on every person living in California.

In comparison to TruthFinder, Intelius is more affordable because of its $24.86 monthly subscription price. If you select the 2-month plan, you will pay a total of $42.25.

Like TruthFinder, but with a smaller price tag because it doesnt monitor the deep web. Check out our review of Intelius if youre interested in a California background check service.

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Instant Checkmate  Best California Background Check Service for Speed

If you need fast results from a background check California, Instant Checkmate may be your best bet.

As well as providing instant findings, this background check company also boasts a convenient mobile app. Its quite improbable that a competing California background check service would have this option.

Instant Checkmate uses a massive database of public records to produce reliable historical data. This service is more expensive than average, with monthly plan prices of $34.78. It offers a three-month plan for $83.47, up from the previous two-month plans price of $53.

Instant Checkmate is not only lightning fast, but also very careful with its users data. Visit our Quick Checkmate Review for more details.

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Spokeo  Best Background Check California Service for Reverse Email Lookup

With the use of reverse email lookup, you can find out a lot of information about a person by utilizing simply their email address. You may do company research and generate leads in California with the help of Spokeo because its the best email lookup background check service.

In addition to an email lookup, Spokeo is one of the best options for California background checks because it allows you to search by name, phone number, or physical location.

It also offers one of the cheapest monthly subscriptions, at only $19.99 per month. For just $44.85 for a three-month subscription, its one of the cheapest California background check services. See our Spokeo review if you want the whole story.

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US Search  Best for California Background Check Service for API Integration

US Searchs quick start wizard makes it easy to do background checks. If the service you use doesnt live up to your standards, you can get your money back.

If youre just looking for basic background checks in California, dont be put off by their very rudimentary web interface; they may be all you need.

US Search charges $3 for each background check request in the state of California. If you have a long-term or frequent need for extensive searching, the $19.86 monthly subscription is a good value.

If you want to learn more about US Search, check out the review I wrote.

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What Does the California Public Records Law Say?

The California Public Records Act guarantees the publics right to view records that pertain to matters of public concern.

The California Public Record Act excludes records that contain solely private information, even if that record is available to the general public.

The state of California has a law that requires all executive and government agencies to respond to requests for public records within 10 days. You dont have to be a California resident to get a background check, but if youre denied, you have no recourse.

California Criminal Records  Background Check California

In California, criminal records can refer to any documentation of contact with the law or the judicial system, rather than just arrest and conviction histories.

The Justice Department of California keeps a record of criminal records. Depending on the law in question, this may or may not cover breaches of the traffic law.

Arrest date

Charge

Felony or misdemeanor charge

Guilty Pleas

Convictions

Prosecution date

Felony or misdemeanor charge

As part of the hiring process, certain companies may research a candidates criminal history. The California Attorney Generals Office provides access to criminal records for the purpose of conducting background checks on nonprofit organizations.

Whats on a California Criminal Record?

The legal history of an individual may be carefully documented by some institutions. Background checks in California can look up arrests, indictments, and jail time served from the states online database of public criminal records.

Specifically, the following data might be uncovered in a criminal history record search or background investigation in the state of California:

Identification data (name, birth date, nationality)

Law enforcement agencies or the California State Police made the arrests

Mugshot

The commission of any offense, whether minor or major

Fingerprints

Identifying marks on ones body, such as scars, tattoos, or moles

Detailed Accounts of the Offense(s)

Status as a sexual offender

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Where Can I Find California Criminal Records?

In California, both the State Department of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General maintain criminal records.

The OAG and other law enforcement agencies in California make available criminal records through the California State Records Online Database, which can be accessed through the California State Archives Online Database.

Criminal histories are never released without the consent of the person whose records are being checked, thus fingerprints must be submitted to the government for background checks.

Criminal Inmate Records  Background Check California

Anybody curious about a specific inmates present status, criminal record, or scheduled transfers can submit a request for this information to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The prison population is tracked in detail by each state.

Whats on a California Inmate Record?

Personal details and history of arrests and incarceration can be found in several California records. Among the many things the general public might learn from detainee records are:

Gender

Name

Birth Date

Arrest Records

Mugshot

Inmate registration I.D. number

Jail transfer info

Custody status

Inmate location

Where can I Find California Inmate Records?

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has a webpage where you can learn about inmates and locate resources to help victims and advocates. The California Inmate Lookup provides access to a prisoners public record information.

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Criminal Court Records  Background Check California

Court records in the state of California contain a wealth of information gleaned from past cases. Obtaining public court records is somewhat more challenging than acquiring other documents due to the courts unpredictable hours and complex procedures. The components of Californias judicial system are

Superior Courts

Courts of Appeal or California Appellate Court

The Supreme Court

Whats on a CA Court Record?

The records of separate courts may differ from one another.

Find the following in California case files:

:

Court minutes

Judgment documentation

Orders of the court

Case number

Witness documentation

Dockets

Jury records and files

Where Can I Find California Court Records?

Although certain court data are available online, requests for California court records must be filed in person at the courts. The California Judicial Branch maintains all official court records. Because of legal restrictions, companies cant ask for court records.

California Vital Records  Background Check California

The vital records for the state of California are kept by the California Department of Public Health. The following data can be found in Californias vital records:

Birth Certificates

Marriage Licenses

Divorce Decrees

California Death Records

The format of requests for copies of vital public records vary widely depending on the relevant law.

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Background Check California  Frequently Asked Questions

These are a few of the most frequently asked questions in relation to criminal records checks in the Golden State. This should address any concerns you have that werent addressed above.

Can I Get a Free Background Check California?

A thorough background check in California requires sifting through a lot of data, and it can be difficult to locate vendors who offer free, high-quality reports.

If youre going to get a free background check California, you should be very careful about whatever company you choose to conduct it.

In reality, free background checks in California are useless. Finding free versions of premium background check websites like BeenVerified, PeopleLooker, or TruthFinder is exceedingly unlikely. Check out the best no-cost background check sites for more information.

How Much Is a Background Check California?

Background checks California cost between $24 and $28 monthly with services like BeenVerified, PeopleLooker, TruthFinder, and Intelius. Background checks can be performed indefinitely with this one-month membership.

US Search, which offers background check services in California for $3 per check, allows you to purchase individual reports.

What Background Check Service Is Best for California?

BeenVerified is the best California background check service because of its comprehensive database of public documents, advanced email, and phone search tools, and capacity for dark web surveillance.

PeopleLooker is the second-best background check California service because of its user-friendly layout and inexpensive prices.

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Can a Public Record Request Be Submitted by Non-residents in California?

The state of California allows any resident, as well as any other government agency or American citizen, to conduct a background check California and request public papers in the state.

Is There a Records Custodian in California?

Unlike other states, California does not have a central repository for official documents. A request for public documents in California must be made directly to the relevant department in accordance with the states Public Record Act.

What Exemptions Exist in Background Check California?

If releasing the information would not be in the public interest, its not required to be released in the state of California.

Even documents that are usually considered public, such as safety regulations, construction blueprints, health and medical records, and the like, may be kept in some circumstances.

Despite its name, the Fair Credit Reporting Act does not apply to all requests for public documents.

How Long Does California Have to Respond?

Where can I file a grievance if my California public records request is denied? In a large number of other countries, there is no such system in place. Is there a time limit on getting back to people? The CPRA makes no such requirement (California Public Records Act).

Can a request be appealed if its denied? No. But, any organization is free to develop its own appeals process if it so chooses. Californias state legislature has left the door open to instituting an administrative appeals process.

What Fees Are Associated With Requesting a Background Check California?

In California, different state agencies have different fees, processes, and laws for interacting with the general public. Before doing anything, you should check with the asking department to see if there are any potential fees involved. Certified copies are often the only fee-based service offered by government agencies.

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Bottom Line on Background Check California

Whether you need a background check California for professional purposes, to find a long-lost relative or friend, or to find out the truth about a potential spouse, the services weve outlined can help you obtain trustworthy information quickly and easily.

Verifying Ones Past Its not easy to get public documents in California since you need to contact multiple government agencies. When youve paid for every request, theres still more work to be done. You still need to go through the paperwork you receive to find the information you require.

This is the most comprehensive verification of your past that has ever been done. The Golden State of California makes it easy to do. Just enter the name, number, email, or physical address of the individual youre interested in finding, and the search service will immediately compile a comprehensive report on that persons background in California.

Run a Background Check California With BeenVerified >>

DISCLAIMER: You may not use the non-FCRA approved services mentioned in this article or the information they provide to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. These services dont provide consumer reports and are not consumer reporting agencies. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (FCRA), which are incorporated herein by reference.)

The information available on our website may not be 100% accurate, complete, or up to date, so do not use it as a substitute for your own due diligence, especially if you have concerns about a persons criminal history. The services we mention do not make any representation or warranty about the accuracy of the information available through our website or about the character or integrity of the person about whom you inquire. For more information, please review each services Terms of Use.

This is a Partnered Post.
Welcome to the intriguing world of LLC creation expenses! Understanding the financial ramifications is essential whether youre a young entrepreneur or an existing business owner wanting to build your organization.

In this blog article, well explore the nuances of creating an LLC, the cost to form an LLC, break down the costs involved, and provide you priceless tips to empower you to negotiate the cost landscape.

Lets set out on a budget-conscious quest to create your ideal company structure, considering everything from the cost to form an LLC, the filing fees, as well as legal services to unforeseen costs.

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How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC?

One of the most effective instruments accessible to business owners is a Limited Liability Company (LLC). It offers tax flexibility and shields them from personal liability arising from corporate obligations. For all their strength, the initial cost to form an LLC fees are rather low compared to other investments youll make in your company.

The starting cost to start an LLC and the LLC maintenance costs are the two basic types of LLC expenses. The cost to form an LLC mostly depends on the state in which its formed. The upkeep of your LLC entails additional continuing expenses. What you should know about the cost to form an LLC is as follows.

LLC Startup Costs

The preparation and submission of the legal paperwork necessary to establish an LLC is subject to a number of expenses. Additional to the cost to form an LLC, there are certain incidental expenses related to filing your LLC with state and municipal authorities.

For instance, ensure that you have all the permissions, licenses, and certifications that the local, state, and federal governments demand. In the end, how much you pay depends on your desire (or capacity) to do it yourself.

Reserving an LLC Name

Before you begin completing the formation documents for an LLC, several states need that you reserve a company name for it. An LLC name reservation cost to form an LLC normally costs between $10 and $50. However, its often not required to reserve a business name prior to incorporation.

You may reserve a name for your LLC for anything between one and two months, and sometimes even up to 120 days.

Filing Fees

Typical costs: $50 (legal services) plus $50 to $800 (filing fee, state-specific)

Most entrepreneurs initial cost to form an LLC will be mostly made up of filing fees. Although you dont need a lawyer to submit the articles of organization to create an LLC, using an LLC filing service doesnt harm, particularly when you take into account the reasonable rates connected with these costs to form an LLC.

A number of companies will register your Limited Liability Company for less than $50 plus the state charge.

Its quite affordable to use a legal services provider. It may lessen the chance of submitting papers incorrectly, which might result in extra cost to form an LLC to correct the application or just reapplynot to mention all that lost time.

State LLC LLC Filing Fee LLC Annual/Biennial Fee Alabama LLC $200 Minimum of $50 (each year) Alaska LLC $250 $100 (every 2 years) Arizona LLC $50 $0 (no fee and no report of information) Arkansas LLC $45 $150 (every year) California LLC $70 $0 (The formation of California LLCs is free until June 2023!) $800 (annually) plus $20 (every two years). Colorado LLC $50 $10 (every year) Connecticut LLC $120 $80 (every year) Delaware LLC $90 $300 (every year) Florida LLC $125 $138.75 (every year) Georgia LLC $100 $50 (every year) Hawaii LLC $50 $15 (every year) Idaho LLC $100 $0 (though an annual information report is required) Illinois LLC $150 $75 (every year) Indiana LLC $95 $31 (every 2 years) Iowa LLC $50 $30 (every 2 years) Kansas LLC $160 $50 (every year) Kentucky LLC $40 (I mistakenly stated $90 in the video) $15 (every year) Louisiana LLC $100 $35 (every year) Maine LLC $175 $85 (every year) Maryland LLC $100 $300 (every year) Massachusetts LLC $500 $500 (every year) Michigan LLC $50 $25 (every year) Minnesota LLC $155 $0 (though an annual information report is required) Mississippi LLC $50 $0 (though an annual information report is required) Missouri LLC $50 $0 (no fee and no report of information) Montana LLC $70 $35 $20 (every year) Nebraska LLC $100 $13 (every 2 years) Nevada LLC $425 $350 (every year) New Hampshire LLC $100 $100 (every year) New Jersey LLC $125 $75 (every year) New Mexico LLC $50 $0 (no fee and no report of any kind) New York LLC $200 $9 (every 2 years) North Carolina LLC $125 $200 (every year) North Dakota LLC $135 $50 (every year) Ohio LLC $99 $0 (no fee and no report of information) Oklahoma LLC $100 $25 (every year) Oregon LLC $100 $100 (every year) Pennsylvania LLC $125 $70 (every 10 years) Rhode Island LLC $150 $50 (every year) South Carolina LLC $110 $0 (no fee or information report, unless the LLC is taxed as an S-Corporation). South Dakota LLC $150 $50 (every year) Tennessee LLC $300 $300 (every year) Texas LLC $300 $0 for most LLCs, but every year they have to make a No Tax Due Report and a Public Information Report. Utah LLC $54 $18 (every year) Vermont LLC $125 $35 (every year) Virginia LLC $100 $50 (every year) Washington LLC $200 $60 (every year) Washington DC LLC $99 $300 (every 2 years) West Virginia LLC $100 $25 (every year) Wisconsin LLC $130 $25 (every year) Wyoming LLC $100 Minimum of $60 (each year)

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Operating Agreement

Typical costs: $0 to $200

An operating agreement is a contract that outlines the internal operations of your LLC, the responsibilities and contributions of the owners (members), and the process for making decisions.

An operating agreement may be made on ones own at no cost by anybody. However, you need contact specialists to ensure that everything is done appropriately while splitting earnings and losses among ownership.

You may engage a local lawyer or have legal service providers perform the process for anywhere from $50 to $200 being an additional to the cost to form an LLC. To guarantee every person agrees and prevent future arguments, its a little price to pay.

Publication

Typical costs: Varies depending on the costs of the state and local newspapers therein

There are extra LLC charges to the initial cost to form an LLC in the form of publishing for business owners in New York, Nebraska, or Arizona. Briefly stated, LLCs in these states are required to issue notifications for a certain amount of time in one or more newspapers distributed across one or more towns or counties.

Business Licenses and Permits

Your firm may need federal, state, and municipal permissions or licenses to lawfully operate, depending on your sector and location. Whether you set up an LLC or another kind of company structure, this is true as part of your cost to form an LLC.

LLC Maintenance Costs

After registering, youll need to pay the ongoing expenses connected with running your LLC. Included in this are local, state, and federal taxes, filing fees, and the price of any services required to keep the LLC operational.

Taxes

Typical costs: Varies depending on the state

Like any other person or entity, LLCs are subject to taxation. The LLC makes its contribution without directly paying the federal government. Due to the revenues of the owners, its regarded as a pass-through revenue.

However, LLCs may write off up to $5,000 of their first cost to form an LLC for things like legal bills, market research fees, equipment, office space, and so forth.

Like the federal government, states often tax LLC income using the individual tax returns of members. A few states also charge required LLC franchise costs. For instance, California levies a minimum $800 yearly franchise tax whereas Delaware charges a $300 franchise fee.

Reporting costs may apply to LLCs at the state government level. State-by-state variations in reporting costs result in an annual average of around $100.

Registered Agents

Typical costs: $0 to $300

The LLCs primary point of contact with the state is via a registered agent. In addition to receiving office mail, the registered agent may receive service of process for lawsuits and other legal papers.

Any adult who is at least 18 years old, resides in the state where the LLC is established, and is accessible during business hours may serve as the registered agent. Because there are no limits, firms dont have to pay anything to name a registered agent. There are companies that will act as your registered agent for between $100 and $300 per year being an additional recurring cost different from the cost to form an LLC.

Franchise Tax

A franchise tax, which certain states levy on LLCs annually, is one such charge. This amount is often fixed, although in other jurisdictions it could vary based on your LLCs annual revenues.

Annual/Biennial Report

Most states require LLCs to submit an annual or biannual report that details any alterations to the LLCs address, name, or ownership. The cost to file reports varies by state.

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How to Register an LLC Yourself?

Self-forming an LLC is simple. Our state-by-state instructions for forming and the cost to form an LLC break the procedure down into just five easy stages.

Step 1: Name Your LLC

When deciding on a name for your LLC, keep the following in mind:

Complies with naming regulations in your state

Is accessible as a domain on the web

Is accessible for usage in your state

Step 2: Choose a Registered Agent

In most states, LLCs are required to choose a registered agent. The primary point of contact for your LLC with the state is a registered agent. If your company gets sued, theyre most crucially tasked with receiving service of process.

As a registered agent, one must:

Accessible during regular business hours to receive process serving

Maintain a physical presence in the LLCs state

Having reached the age of 18 or older

Step 3: File the Articles of Organization

An LLC is created by filing articles of organization, sometimes referred to as certificates of formation or certificates of organization, with your state. Depending on your state, the cost to submit the articles of organization ranges from $0 to $500.

Step 4: Create an Operating Agreement

What exactly is an operational contract? An LLCs ownership and management are described in its operating agreement, a legal instrument.

Why is it crucial to have operational agreements? All company owners will be on the same page thanks to a thorough operating agreement, which also lowers the possibility of future disputes.

Step 5: Get an EIN

An EIN is what? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is a nine-digit number, to identify a firm for tax filing. A companys EIN functions as the equivalent of a Social Security number (SSN).

I need an EIN, but why? Having an EIN is necessary for the following things:

For State and Federal taxes

For establishing a business bank account

To employ personnel

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Hiring an LLC Service Provider

Should you work with a qualified LLC creation company? The establishment of your company is made simpler by LLC service providers, although theyre unnecessary.

Here are the top five LLC creation services to help you along the way.

ZenBusiness  Best LLC Service Overall

The finest solution for founding an LLC is provided by ZenBusiness, which has an interactive approach that walks you through the procedure by asking you questions about your company goals through a chat function.

To assist you in exploring fresh concepts for growing your organization, they also provide free materials and training. You may be confident that your LLC will be founded quickly and easily with their excellent services.

Three LLC service options are available from ZenBusiness: Starter, Pro, and Premium. The Starter Plan cost to set up an LLC offers necessary services and solely charges state filing costs. Theres no yearly fee.

An Operating Agreement and EIN registration are included in the Pro Plans complete assistance, with the cost to set up an LLC for $199 per year. An extra advantage of the $299 yearly Premium Plan cost to set up an LLC is speedier filing, compliance monitoring, as well as a worry-free guarantee.

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Swyft Filings  Best LLC Service for Quick Turnaround Time

Time is of the importance for company owners that value efficiency in launching their operations. In this regard, Swyft Filings excels as the top LLC service choice. It lives true to its name and outperforms most other company creation services in terms of speed, with turnaround times as little as 7 to 10 working days.

Three LLC cost to set up an LLC service tiers are available from Swyft Filing: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The $49 cost to set up an LLC Basic plan includes state filing costs, articles of incorporation/organization preparation and submission services, a name availability check, and a one-year registered agent service.

For $49, the cost to set up an LLC Standard package offers the same services, guaranteeing a solid LLC framework. A professional website, domain, company email, phone number, and an extensive business licensing report are included in the $299 cost to set up an LLC Premium package. Select the cost to set up an LLC strategy that best meets your requirements to get premium LLC services.

Visit Swyft Filings to Start Your LLC >>

Tailor Brands  Best LLC Service for Branding Solutions

The top LLC service provider, Tailor Brands, aims to empower business owners by providing a complete and practical solution to the cost to set up an LLC.

LLC creation, compliance, as well as branding/online presence is all part of their offerings. Although they have three different cost to set up an LLC plan, we strongly suggest the cost to set up an LLC Elite Plan since it has all the tools a professional business needs to successfully reach their target market.

Three price tiers are available from Tailor Brands for our services: Basic, Standard, & Premium. With the Basic plan cost to set up an LLC, you may pay the yearly charge ahead and get a monthly rate of $3.99 instead of the standard monthly pricing of $9.99. With an upfront annual purchase, the Standard plans cost to set up an LLC typical monthly price of $19.99 is reduced to $5.99.

The Premium plan cost to set up an LLC provides two pricing options: a reduced cost of $12.99 per month with an upfront annual purchase, or $49.99 per month. Choose the cost of an LLC plan based on your requirements and financial situation.

Visit Tailor Brands to Start Your LLC >>

Northwest Registered Agent  Best LLC Service for Registered Agent Service

We strongly advise using Northwest Registered Agent if you want to incorporate an LLC and need a registered agent service. As part of their cost of an LLC entry-level package, they provide registered agent and LLC creation services. Their Corporate Guide service may assist you in effectively meeting all of your needs.

For $225 a year, Northwest Registered Agent provides top-notch LLC formation services. Their cost of an LLC full package consists of registered agent services for a year, articles of organization preparation and submission, and name availability confirmation.

They provide practical and adaptable company solutions with online document access, free sending of legal and tax paperwork, and compliance reminders. The best option for hassle-free LLC formation is Northwest Registered Agent.

Visit Northwest Registered Agent to Start Your LLC >>

Incfile  Best LLC Service for Affordability

After doing a comprehensive analysis of the cost of an LLC and LLC creation services, we have discovered that Incfile is the best affordable choice for individuals beginning a company on a tight budget.

With Incfile, you simply have to pay the state filing costs and get a year of free registered agent service. Even if there can be further fees beyond the first year, Incfile is still the best option for launching your company on a shoestring budget.

Silver, Gold, and Platinum are the three costs of an LLC creation package offered by Incfile. The only costs associated with the Silver package cost of an LLC are the state fees. Priced at $199 plus state fees for the Gold package cost of an LLC and $299 plus state costs for the Platinum package cost of an LLC.

To start the establishment of your LLC, choose the cost of an LLC package that best fits your requirements and price range.

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How Much Does It Cost to Form an LLC?  Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Have to Pay for an LLC Every Year?

There may be an annual franchise tax and/or yearly report charge in certain states. To find out precisely what recurring costs could be necessary in your state, go to an LLC annual report guide, then choose your state.

Is an LLC Really Necessary?

Limited liability protection is offered by an LLC. This implies that in the case of a company loss, such as a lawsuit or unpaid debt, an LLC protects your personal assets. We advise forming an LLC for any small firm that has even the slightest risk or responsibility.

Can I Pay Myself a Salary From My LLC?

You may take a salary from your LLC, but if the IRS taxes your LLC in the default manner, the IRS would refer to it as a draw or distribution.

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Bottom Line on How Much Does It Cost to Form an LLC?

To sum up, an LLC Operating Agreement is the skeleton of a limited liability business, providing its members with structure, security, and clarity.

It creates the framework for productive partnerships and reduces disputes by outlining management, ownership, and decision-making procedures. This important document provides a strong basis for the efficient functioning of the company while protecting individual interests and laying out the way for expansion.

Making the effort to create a thorough Operating Agreement is an investment well worth making, whether youre beginning a new business or want to reinforce an existing LLC.

Remember, its not simply a legal necessity. Its also a potent instrument that enables company owners to create successful enterprises while promoting responsibility, transparency, and long-term success.

This is a Partnered Post.
Apple iPhone 15 Launch: The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple is gearing up to host its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, September 12. During this event, the company will introduce its latest iPhone 15 models, which include the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra.

Alongside the iPhone 15 series, the brand is also expected to unveil new smartwatches  Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 and new AirPods featuring a USB-C port.

The company will host the Wonderlust event on Tuesday at 10:00 AM in Apple Park, California. Apple will also livestream the event, which will start with Apple CEO Tim Cook keynotes. In India, interested viewers can watch the iPhone 15 launch event live from 10:30 PM IST onwards. You can watch the iPhone 15 launch event on Apples website, Apple TV app and YouTube.

Reports have also suggested that the new iPhones are expected to be open for pre-orders starting on September 15 and the iPhone 15 series could go on sale on September 22. However, there are rumors that the iPhone 15 Pro Max might come out a few weeks later than the other models. This delay could be because of issues with getting enough periscope camera parts.

As per leaks, the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will come in new colours, including Midnight (Black), Starlight (White), Light Green, Yellow, Blue, and Orange (Coral Pink). On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will offer colour options like Dark Blue, Silver-Gray, Space Black, and Titanium.

In terms of pricing, the iPhone 15 Pro is anticipated to be priced $100 higher than its predecessor, with a starting price of $1,099 in the US (around Rs. 81,200). On the other hand, the 15 Pro Max is rumored to have a $200 increase in price, potentially starting at $1,299 (around Rs. 95,800).

On the other hand, the base models are likely to be available in a similar price range, like every year. The iPhone 15 is expected to start at $799 (around Rs. 59,000), while the iPhone 15 Plus may start at $899 (around Rs. 66,400).
After researchers from a popular digital watchdog group Citizen Lab found a big security problem in Apple devices related to the controversial Israeli company NSO, Apple, in response, has rolled out security updates that fix two serious security issues.

The Israeli firm has been blacklisted by the US government since 2021 for alleged abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists.

Recently, Citizen Lab, in a blogpost, said that they have found a serious security problem last week  a zero-click vulnerability. It means that hackers can attack without the person receiving the malware having to click on anything, like an attachment. They also said the vulnerability was used as part of an exploit chain designed to deliver NSO Groups malware, known as Pegasus.

The exploit chain was capable of compromising iPhones running the latest version of iOS (16.6) without any interaction from the victim, Citizen Lab wrote in a blogpost. Once they found the vulnerability, the researchers reported it to Apple, which released a patch on Thursday.

The Cupertino-based tech giant also patched another vulnerability and attributed its finding to the company itself. A report from TechCrunch suggested that the company might have found the second vulnerability while investigating the first. Meanwhile, Citizen Lab did not provide further details on the affected individual or the organization, said Reuters.

Meanwhile, Apple is gearing up to host its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, September 12. During this event, the company will introduce its latest iPhone 15 models, which include the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra.

Alongside the iPhone 15 series, the brand is also expected to unveil new smartwatches  Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 and new AirPods featuring a USB-C port.

The company will host the Wonderlust event on Tuesday at 10:00 AM in Apple Park, California. Apple will also livestream the event, which will start with Apple CEO Tim Cook keynotes.
Google Pixel 8 Launch: After recently announcing the launch date for the upcoming Pixel 8 series smartphones, the US-based tech giant Google took to the micro-blogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to reveal the design of the next-gen Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones and also teased the new Pixel Watch 2.

Google has scheduled its Pixel launch event for October 4 in New York City, US. The event for the Google Pixel 8 will start at 7:30 PM IST on Tuesday. The company has also announced that pre-orders for both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones will start from October 4.

Sharing the teaser video of the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones, the company wrote on X: Save the d8. Meet #Pixel8 and Pixel 8 Pro at #MadeByGoogle on October 4th at 10am ET. In another teaser video posted by Made by Google, the company confirmed the launch of the Pixel Watch 2 and the new Pixel Buds Pro on October 4. Gr8 things are coming. Tune in to #MadeByGoogle on October 4th at 10am ET, the company said.

Save the d8.Meet #Pixel8 and Pixel 8 Pro at #MadeByGoogle on October 4th at 10am ET. Sign up for updates and learn more at the Google Store: https://t.co/jtj0y28scu pic.twitter.com/jq01DFPnkc  Made by Google (@madebygoogle) September 7, 2023

Gr8 things are coming.Tune in to #MadeByGoogle on October 4th at 10am ET and sign up for updates at the Google Store: https://t.co/sPT67T3LsR pic.twitter.com/yZt2qAkjV2  Made by Google (@madebygoogle) September 7, 2023

According to the teaser shared by Made by Google, both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones will maintain a similar appearance to last years Pixel 7 models. They will arrive with a horizontal camera arrangement on the rear side with rounded edges.

The regular Pixel 8 phone is likely to come with two rear cameras, while the Pixel 8 Pro will arrive with a triple camera setup. As per reports, The Pixel 8 Pro might come in a Porcelain White option and the Pixel 8 will have a peach colour option.

The upcoming Pixel Buds Pro was also shown in a new Porcelain color, which matches the phone and the watch. According to reports, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are expected to come with a more powerful Google Tensor G3 chipset.

The Google Pixel launch event will be live-streamed for everyone. You can watch live streaming on Googles YouTube page and the Google Store website.
Apple has released a critical iOS 16 security update for iPhones and iPads to patch a particularly malicious bug that could allow a hacker to take over your device with no action on your part. The "zero-click, zero-day" exploit allows attackers to install NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, which could let them read a target's text messages, listen in on calls, pilfer and transmit images, track their location and more.

The exploit (referred to as "Blastpass") was first discovered by Citizen Lab, which immediately disclosed it to Apple. It was reportedly used to install Pegasus onto the iPhone of an employee from a Washington DC-based organization. It's capable of compromising devices running the latest 16.6 version of iOS "without any interaction from the victim," the group wrote.

Apple has released iOS 16.6.1 to counter the vulnerability, stating simply that "a maliciously crafted attachment may result in arbitrary code execution." In addition, Citizen Lab even advised "all at-risk users to consider enabling Lockdown Mode as we believe it blocks the attack." It's believed that the attack involved PassKit (an SDK that allows developers to put Apple Pay in their apps), hence the Blastpass name, along with malicious images sent by iMessage. For obvious reasons, Citizen Lab didn't release any other details.

Lockdown mode is a recent iOS feature designed to severely restrict the functions of Apple devices and is aimed at a "very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security," Apple has stated. The company has faced a number of threats of late, including a vulnerability from February 2023 that "may have been actively exploited," Apple said at the time.

The exploit also brings Pegasus back into the news, following a ban by the Biden administration earlier this year. Developed by the Israel-based cyber-arms company NSO Group, it created a furor after it was used by multiple nations to spy on journalists, activists and others. In one notorious case, it was reportedly used by Saudi Arabia to spy on journalist Jamal Kashoggi, who was later murdered in Turkey.
An X user was taken by surprise while he was ordering Biryani from a food delivery app. Taking to the micro blogging platform, a user, who goes by the name Monarch, shared how he was stunned to see a bizarre measuring unit being used by a restaurant. In the screenshot shared by the user, the measuring unit for Biryani says Bachelor. This is what has shocked people online. While some are amused by the restaurants new concept, others are in a bit of a shock.

Also Read: Star Repeatedly Shredded, Consumed By Black Hole Observed By Astronomers

Priced at Rs 284, the Special Masala Chicken Biryani (Bachelor) is nothing but a common chicken masala biryani with just a bizarre measuring unit. When did we become a measuring unit? wrote Monarch while sharing the image. Here, have a look for yourself:

When did we become a measuring unit? pic.twitter.com/sUDvcK0cwx Monarch (@basbhaimomo) September 7, 2023

linguistics in the wild! wrote an X user. Another person mentioned, They need to be specific. Is it meant for a bachelor, or was the chicken involved in the preparation, a bachelor?

The food industry respects its patrons. Unlike the real estate industry The Product Life  (@TheProductLife) September 8, 2023

In their defence, it sounds better than food for a single person . NIMI VASHI (@nimivashi15) September 8, 2023

They might not allow this to be delivered in some societies. Family unit preferred. Rishi Jasapara (@rishijasapara) September 8, 2023

Claiming banger. Ashish Singh (@ashzingh) September 7, 2023

2 Questions1. Is this in bangalore2. Does it have more quantities than what's otherwise expected? The Keto Me (@theketome) September 8, 2023

I would like to see the bachelorette portion https://t.co/XM77ch88ti Yovanie Ganesh (@Yovanie) September 8, 2023

When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.  Goodhart's Law https://t.co/CHrTHLUJpA  Ranjeet Rane (@OldWonk) September 8, 2023

Also Read: Mumbai Man Performs Dangerous Stunts on Local Train, Police Responds to Viral Video New

What do you think?
All of us know which fruit is known as the king of fruits, that is mango. A pulpy, juicy mango is a favorite to many. Now if there is a king, there must be a queen of fruits, and she is known as mangosteen.

You may not be aware but mangosteen is called the queen of fruits. It is mainly found in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand etc. To describe the taste of this fruit, it is sweet, tangy, juicy, and a bit fibrous. The flavor can be described as exquisitely luscious and delicious.

The mangosteen trees can reach up to a height of 100 meters, and only flourish in temperatures between 4 degree Celsius, and 38 degree Celsius. For the fruit to finally come out, the tree can take up to seven to nine years, and for the best harvest you have to wait ten to twenty years. The scientific name of the fruit is Garcinia mangostana.

The title of queen of fruits was given by the American plant explorer, and botanist David Fairchild in his book Exploring for Plants, in the year 1903. According to reports, the mangosteen fruit consists of antioxidants and vitamins, which could help against diseases, and may slow down the process of aging. These antioxidants could give protection from ailments like common cold and flu, and can also reduce the risk of cancer and heart ailments.

It is the national fruit of Thailand, and its outer layer is colored purple, while the inner pulp is a creamy white, divided in parts, with seeds. It goes by different names in India like mangustan in Hindi, kaattampi in Malayalam, kokam in Marathi, hannu in Kannada, and bao in Bengali. Mangosteen was a favorite of Queen Victoria of Britain. Reports say that the queen promised a reward of 100 pounds sterling to anyone who brought her the refreshing queen of fruits.

In another news, the US banned the fruit because reportedly it was a major cause for the increase in Asian flies. However, in 2007 the ban was lifted.
Not just Shah Rukh Khan fans but even Google is celebrating the release of Jawan. Dont believe us? The all new Jawan Easter Eggs are proof. For those who dont know, Google has added Easter eggs into many of its products and services even before. Easter eggs are hidden features inserted into media. On searching, Jawan, SRK would answer the walkie-talkie that is appearing on the screen. He would say, Ready.

Also Read: SRK Fans Celebrate Kings Iconic Bollywood Dialogues After Jawan Rules Hearts Across India

Yes, you will now be able to speak to our very own Jawan. Also, your browser gets all bandaged up as you speak with your favourite. lol if you search jawan on google, then a smol walkie talkie appears. and if you press that, srk says ready & your browser page gets bandaged up, wrote X user Pramit as he shared the great news.

Here, have a look:

lol if you search "jawan" on google, then a smol walkie talkie appears. and if you press that, srk says "ready" & your browser page gets bandaged up. pic.twitter.com/0B241sOUWW Pramit (@pramitheus) September 8, 2023

This is so cool Never before anything like this for a Bollywood film really cool, wrote an X user. Another person wrote, What a stress relievertrying to cover the whole screen with the bandages. Im at peace, now.

Meanwhile, during the release of Barbie, Google enabled its Easter Eggs feature for the page of Greta Gerwig,

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. When you typed, Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling, you would see the screen turning pink and all sparkly. Pink confetti-like pieces form on the screen and become bigger. It was just a special feature paying homage to the movie.

Also Read: From Nagpur Police, A Witty Promotion Post Using SRKs Jawan To Raise Cybersecurity Awareness

Just some time back, Google gave a special reference to the Friends cast, celebrating the shows 25th anniversary. When people typed the names of the main characters on Google, they saw a specialised icon just below their name on the right-hand corner of your screen. For instance, there was a sofa set for Ross, a bucket and mop for Monica, a wig for Rachel, pizza for Joey, a reclining sofa for Chandler and a guitar for Phoebe.
A 78-year-old war veteran, Stephen Jones, found himself unexpectedly bumped from his business class seat on a recent Qantas flight. Jones, who had served in Vietnam, was returning home to Adelaide with his wife after a trip to Christchurch, New Zealand. While waiting to catch his connecting flight in the business class lounge at Melbourne Airport, he was surprised to hear his name called over the intercom. About half an hour before his flights departure, an airline employee informed him that he had to give up his seat to an off-duty pilot.

Recounting the incident during an interview with Australian radio station 3AW, Jones said, It didnt register at first. I wasnt quite sure what bumped meant. I asked, What and she said, Ill have to reissue your ticket for economy class. We have a pilot who is flying to Adelaide and his contract states that he must fly in business class.

Following the incident, Stephen Jones lodged a complaint with Qantas upon his arrival in Adelaide. Surprisingly, he received a response from the airline the next morning, which he considered quite quick. As a goodwill gesture, the airline offered him 5,000 Qantas points as compensation for the inconvenience he had experienced.

I was a little irritable and said, Look thanks for your very very generous offer, but I dont really think I can take it and be a hypocrite because anything is going to change until theres ramifications from Qantas when they upset their customers, Jones said.

During the interview with Ross and Russ, Qantas Airlines clarified the situation, stating that one of their pilots needed to travel from Melbourne to Adelaide and as per their agreement, pilots flying to another city to operate a flight must be provided with a seat in the business class cabin. Since the business class was fully occupied, the decision was made to downgrade Stephen Jones to economy class. The airline expressed their apologies to the customer and provided an explanation for the necessity of the downgrade. In such cases, they offer affected customers a partial refund.

Justin Lawrence, a Partner at Henderson Ball Lawyers, explained that Qantass actions in downgrading Stephen fall under a term known as involuntary downgrading. This term is used in situations where airlines need to reassign passengers from their originally booked class to a lower class due to various reasons.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday left for India to participate in the historic G20 Summit in New Delhi to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Biden will follow the Covid-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wifes positive test, but his results were negative. Less than an hour before his departure for India, the White House said, The President tested negative for Covid.

The First Lady was quarantined at her Delaware house after testing positive and is not travelling with the president to India and Vietnam. On Thursday, her office said, The First Lady tested negative for Covid today. Travelling with the US president onboard the Air Force One include US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Staff Jen OMalley Dillon, and Director of Oval Office operations Annie Tomasini.

Also accompanying the president are Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Director of Speechwriting Vinay Reddy, Director of Communications Ben LaBolt, Director of Scheduling and Advance Ryan Montoya, Acting Chief of Protocol Ethan Rosenzweig, NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby, Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein, Deputy Director of Communications Herbie Ziskend, Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council Eileen Laubacher, among others.

According to the White House, Biden would arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening, with a refuelling stop at Ramstein, Germany. The US president is looking forward to a successful G-20 Summit and advancing several of the causes dear to his heart like climate change, and reforms of international forums like the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds.

On his maiden trip to India as the president of the United States, Biden would welcome the African Union as a G20 member, an Indian move that has been supported and cheered by world leaders. He is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on Friday itself.

During the meeting, the two leaders are likely to review the progress made on the decisions that they took during Prime Minister Modis official state visit to Washington in June. Prominent issues that could feature during the meeting could be Ukraine, critical and emerging technology and some of the deals that were announced like that of the drones with General Atomics and jet engines with General Electric.

The next day President Biden will participate in an official arrival and handshake with Modi. Thereafter he would participate in a series of G20 Leaders Summit meetings including Session 1: One Earth; and Session 2: One Family. He will also participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event and then end the day with a dinner and cultural programme with G20 leaders.

Before leaving for Hanoi in Vietnam, the President will visit the Raj Ghat Memorial with G20 leaders, the White House said.

On Wednesday, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby told reporters that Bidens focus will be on delivering economic opportunity for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people such as climate and technology, and showing the US commitment to the G20 itself as a viable, if not vital, forum to tackle these issues.

Of course, were grateful for Prime Minister Modis leadership during Indias presidency of the G20, and the President is certainly looking forward to his bilateral meeting with the prime minister shortly after his arrival in New Delhi. He is also looking forward to warmly welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20. We believe that the African Unions voice will make the G20 even stronger than it already is, Kirby added.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

He hoped that the G20 countries would be able to issue a joint statement. We know that the Indians also would like to see a joint communique if you will, so well see where it goes. Oftentimes the sticking point tends to be the war in Ukraine because countries like Russia and China are less likely to sign on to language that the rest of the international community is more uncomfortable signing on to, so well see where it goes, Kirby said.

Apart from President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among the G20 leaders who have already confirmed their participation in the summit.

Prime Minister Modi will hand over the baton of the G20 Presidency to Brazilian President Lula on September 10. Brazil will formally assume the G20 Presidency on December 1. The G20 grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.
A Hindu temple in Canadas British Columbia province became the target of vandalism with an anti-India message spray painted in black, marking the latest attack on Hindu places of worship in the country. This incident at the Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Devi Society in Surrey has again sparked concerns over the growing frequency of such incidents that seek to instill fear within communities.

Images of the graffiti spread on social media showed messages like Punjab is not India. Sameer Kaushal, the News Director at Radio AM600 in Richmond, BC, took to social media platform X and said, SurreyBC A Hindu temple Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Devi Society has been vandalized with black spray paint. These kinds of cowardly attacks are on the rise to create terror amongst the community. @SurreyRCMP has been notified.

#SurreyBC A Hindu temple Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Devi Society has been vandalized with black spray paint.These kinds of cowardly attacks are on rise to create a terror amongst the community. @SurreyRCMP has been notified.Video courtesy @Waqar4578350869#HindusUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/uFnGHltr5b Sameer Kaushal  (@itssamonline) September 8, 2023

According to Kaushal, the Surrey Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been alerted to the incident and have launched an investigation.

The incident in Surrey comes less than a month after another prominent temple in British Columbia province was vandalised by Khalistani members. On August 12, two unidentified people defaced a temple in Surrey with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti.

Notably, such incidents have spiked in is recent past as similar acts of vandalism have previously been reported in Canada. Earlier in April, the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Ontario province was also vandalised with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti, which law enforcement categorised as a hate-motivated incident.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the past has condemned these acts of vandalism against Hindu temples in Canada. The Indian government has called for action against the perpetrators and has expressed concern about the rise in hate crimes against Indians and anti-India activities by Khalistan supporters in the country.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the US will advance its relationship with India at the G20 Summit and increase collaboration in aiding global agriculture and food security.

We hope to move forward our efforts such as supporting the global agriculture and food security program. Continuing to advance the US-India relationship will be a priority this week. We highly value our bilateral relationship with India. The United States is the home to the largest Indian diaspora outside Asia and is Indias largest export market, Yellen said.

Yellen also said that the US is carefully monitoring the Chinese economy amid reports of a slowdown in the worlds second largest economy and the effects it will have on global growth.

China faces a variety of both short and longer term global challenges, economic challenges that weve been monitoring carefully, Yellen said. She also highlighted that Chinas labour force is beginning to shrink.

(China challenges are) less of a pick up in consumer spending that had been anticipated in the aftermath of the Covid restrictions, as well as long standing issues with respect to the property sector and debt related to that, she further added.

With Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, not attending the G20 Summit, US bid to keep the G20 the main forum of global economic cooperation will be impacted. It is important to emphasise that the G20 is a prime solution to the global challenges. We see it as a premier organisation on a global basis that is taking on critical challenges facing the global economy and particularly the global South, Yellen said.

She also highlighted that despite global issues the G20 has been extremely effective, especially under Indias leadership.

Our goals for the G20 have coincided closely with those of India. We have tackled very important challenges. I think we have had considerable success in changing the way the entire multilateral development system is operating, Yellen further added.

Yellen criticised Russia for its role in the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War and said that if Russia halts the war it would be beneficial for global economy and spur global growth.
The US, Saudi Arabia, India and the United Arab Emirates may discuss an infrastructure deal, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, connecting the Gulf countries by railways and then connecting them via a port to India in a bid to reconfigure trade between Western Asia and Southern Asia, news agency Reuters reported.

A separate report by Axios said that the leaders want to make the announcement on Saturday itself, which will be the first day of the G20 leadership summit but US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said he could not confirm if such talks will be held, but said that it is an initiative in which we have invested effort in with our partners.

Axios in May reported that the NSAs of the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and India met and discussed a major joint infrastructure project which connects the Gulf nations and Arab countries via a network of railways which shall be connected to India via shipping lanes from ports in the Western Asian region.

The idea came up during the I2U2 forum talks held last year. This multilateral forum includes the US, Israel, the UAE and India and seeks to deepen economic cooperation among each other in six focus areas: water, energy, transportation, space, health and food security.

Connectivity from India to Europe via the Middle East is incredibly important that gives economical strategic benefits, Sullivan said.

The talks, according to Reuters, which have also included Europe, may also not lead to definite results or announcements following a possible meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Leadership Summit.

The US is slowly losing its grip in the Middle East region as evidenced by Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects and its recent diplomatic push to present itself as a viable partner by helping restore relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The war in Ukraine has also seen Western Asian powers like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE draw closer to Moscow than to Washington.

The White House has chosen not to reveal much but only say the US President Joe Biden will attend a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event on Saturday.

If the reports are to be believed, then the four nations may finalise the negotiations in the next two days, after which the leader would have to sign a memorandum of understanding highlighting the key facts about the possible infrastructure deal between the four countries.

Israel also stands to gain from the project because if relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh were to normalise, it could also be a part of the railway project and increase its connectivity with Europe via its seaports.
The UK accused Beijing of obstructing measures to tackle climate change and also refusing to condemn Russia for its role in the Ukraine War in the run-up to the meeting of the G20 leaders in New Delhi, news agency Bloomberg reported.

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said that China is objecting to proposals on Ukraine and climate change due to which G20 nations are yet to reach an agreement on a joint statement following the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Were not there yet, Sunak was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Sunak landed in New Delhi on Friday and said that the job can only be done if all leaders come together. Ive landed in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done, Sunak posted on X following his arrival.

China later responded to the criticism by saying that it attaches great importance to the G20.

China attaches great importance to the G20 and has participated in the consultations and discussions on the G20 New Delhi Summit document in an active and constructive way, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular ministry briefing.

Welcome @RishiSunak! Looking forward to a fruitful Summit where we can work together for a better planet. https://t.co/xYYq9a9E0m Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming Sunak said: Welcome UK PM Rishi Sunak! Looking forward to a fruitful Summit where we can work together for a better planet.

Sunak said the negotiations between government officials so far have been challenging, referring to the aforementioned disagreements between partners.

The report by Bloomberg said that when it comes to climate change and action to prevent it, China has raised the issue of access to semiconductor technology to help developing and emerging economies transition to clean energy.

The report said that the only reason China is raising this issue is to highlight the issues it has with Washingtons wide-ranging export controls which has been imposed on Beijing on semiconductors.

To this the US responded by saying that it is not a sign of taking responsibility when a nation holds climate hostagefor its own priorities.

Ive said many times that the Peoples Republic of Chinas (PRC) effort to link climate to Americas actions on other issues is not a game we are going to play, and thats true in the G20 context as well, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

Even though Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, has skipped the G20 meeting, Chinese officials, according to several media outlets, is pushing back on Ukraine war and climate change.

Rishi Sunak in a separate post on LinkedIn said the UK will work with world leaders to protect the worlds most vulnerable.

Well continue our work with world leaders to protect the most vulnerable. Its why the G20 exists  because there are some issues we cannot deal with without all the worlds major economies working together. And thats something Im looking forward to doing this week, Sunak said.
UK PM Rishi Sunak on Friday said that his government is working very closely with India to tackle pro-Khalistani extremism in the UK. He referred to the recent talks held between the UK and India on rising instances of Khalistani extremism and said no form of extremism is acceptable in the UK.

Sunak landed in New Delhi on Friday with first lady Akshata Murty for the G20 Summit.

No form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And thats why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle PKE Pro-Khalistan Extremism, Sunak was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

I dont think its right. Our security minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism, Sunak said.

The UK security minister Tom Tugendhat in August announced a new funding worth Rs 1 crore to enhance the nations capability to tackle pro-Khalistan extremism after his meeting with Union minister for external affairs S Jaishankar.

Khalistani separatists earlier this March attacked the Indian High Commission in London and vandalised the premises and also disrespected the tricolour. They threatened the staffers inside the high commission premises. Similar attacks were carried out on missions across Canada, the US and Australia.

Its not right and I wont tolerate it in the UK, Sunak further added.

Rishi Sunak highlighted that Indias G20 Presidency has been a huge success during an interview with the news agency and said New Delhi is the right host at the right time to hold the summit.

G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this, Sunak was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Feel we will have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made, Sunak further added.

Sunak also reflected on the ongoing UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) deal talks between London and New Delhi and said he hopes that both nations will sign an ambitious agreement. Both Modiji and I are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between our two countries. Trade deals always take time, they need to work for both countries. Although we have made enormous progress there is still hard work to go, Sunak was quoted as saying by ANI.

Rishi Sunak also said that he and Prime Minister Modi are keen to further deepen and broaden UK-India ties. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that, which is why it remains our priority. I hope we can conclude a successful FTA, Sunak said.

He also said that both nations are eager to strengthen the security relationship. Something Im particularly excited about is increasing the collaboration between our incredible researchers, our scientific community, and our universities. The UK and India are two of the leading science technology superpowers of the world. And I think if we work more closely together, we can create jobs, create new businesses, he said.
No, there wasnt any mass flamingo zoo breakoutjust Hurricane Idalia. The Category 3 hurricane made landfall in Florida on Aug. 30, causing over 9 billion U.S. dollars in damage and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. The catastrophic storm surge, made worse by a rare blue supermoon that rose on the same night, and destructive winds damaged and destroyed many homes.

While flamingos are not considered to be migratory birds, they are very strong flyers and can easily travel long distances. The flamingos, who were likely flying from Mexico to Cuba when the storm blew through, ended up being blown far off course and far from their destination.

ALSO READ: The birds and the breeze: Looking to birds to observe the weather

Flamingos have since been spotted in coastal states such as Texas, Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas, roughly following Idalias path after making landfall. But they have also been spotted in inland states such as Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.

(NOAA) Hurricane Idalia August 30 2023

Hurricane Idalia as it made landfall in Florida on Aug. 30, 2023 as a Category 3 storm. (NOAA)

More flamingos have even been spotted in Florida. Despite Florida being part of their natural habitat range, hunting in the state since the early twentieth century has made them a rare sight.

Story continues

Visit The Weather Network's hurricane hub to keep up with the latest on tropical developments in Canada and around the world

Hurricanes have been known to push birds off course in the past. Most birds travelling across the Gulf know to wait for good conditions so as not to get caught by a storm. But every once in a while, they can be caught off-guard. Usually, though, these are smaller migratory birds, not large flamingos.

Birds that are strong flyers, such as the flamingo, can actually use a storm to their advantage by carrying themselves along the frontal winds.

DON'T MISS: How a mammoth hurricane rapidly intensifies in mere hours

However, Hurricane Idalia underwent rapid intensification as soon as it entered the Gulf of Mexico, which could have resulted in the iconic birds being blown off course if they were trying to use the winds to their advantage.

We could end up seeing more events like this happening as oceanic temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, resulting in more frequent and more powerful storms going forward.

But fear not, because birds are resilient creatures and excellent at finding their way home. Its more likely than not that the flamingos will enjoy their vacations for a little longer before flying back to their original destination.

In the meantime, birders can enjoy seeing the pink, flamboyant birds without having to go on a tropical vacation themselves. Just remember to watch the flamingos from a respectful distance and dont scare them away!

Thumbnail image of flamingos in front of a sunset in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico by Trip in Mexico/Pexels.
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and Jamaat-e-Dawah (JUD) leader Riaz was killed in an internal rivalry in Pakistans Punjab province on Friday. He was gunned down by some unidentified attackers during the Friday prayer at a mosque in Pakistans Rawalakot.

Deceased Riaz was a leader of the banned organization Jamaat-e-Dawah and was also known by the alias Abu Qasim Kashmiri. He is said to have been the key person in transporting Jihadis to POK for infiltration.

According to sources, Indian intelligence agencies are verifying the report.

Last month, in an intelligence-led joint operation of the Army and Police, one Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant was killed near Shivaji Chowki in Jammu, foiling the infiltration bid, according to top intelligence sources.

The militant belonged to the group of Sajid Jatt, who is known for training hardcore militants.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the countrys Hindu community not to consider themselves minorities, saying the Muslim majority nation to everyone irrespective of caste, creed and religion as they fought for its independence against Pakistani occupation forces in 1971.

Why would you call yourselves a minority?  There is nothing like minority and majority here, Hasina said during an interaction with leading Hindu community leaders coinciding with Janmashtami at her official Gano Bhaban residence here. A copy of her remarks was posted by Awami League on X.

rather, all citizens will live here enjoying equal rights. Dont undermine yourselves as a minority. Why are you doing so when you are the people of this country? she added.

Prime Minister #SheikhHasina today asked people of the #Hindu community not to consider themselves #minorities, and that they should instead lead life enjoying #equalrights. She said, Those who were born on this soil, are the children of this soil.https://t.co/mlzijt8s5t pic.twitter.com/V54ulbbORg Awami League (@albd1971) September 7, 2023

I want you all to practice your respective religions properly, Hasina said and simultaneously called for constant vigil against the bid to destroy Bangladeshs religious harmony.

Hasina stressed that her government always tries to maintain religious and communal harmony in Bangladesh and keep social solidarity where one wont undermine another and all the people will lead life enjoying equal rights. We know there are some vested people everywhere, who want to create some problems. All will have to pay attention so that none can create problems, she said.

Without naming any names, she said there are some people who malign Bangladesh going abroad. I would like to request all to be alert in this regard.

Hasina also recalled that the non-communal spirit of Bangladesh was damaged after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. People of the Hindu community were subjected to repressions time and again after military ruler Ziaur Rahman grabbed power illegally, she said.

Noting that secularism means people from all religions will practise their respective religions freely, she said her government has restored the non-communal spirit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Joe Biden on Friday for a bilateral meeting ahead of Saturdays G20 Leadership Summit.

Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a pic.twitter.com/Yg1tz9kGwQ Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Happy to have welcomed United States President Joe Biden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good, PM Modi posted on X, following his meeting with Joe Biden.

Both world leaders met at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi and discussed a wide range of issues and measures to further deepen the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Washington DC.

Prime Minister @narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBiden are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA.   pic.twitter.com/PWGBOZIwNT  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 8, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA, the Prime Ministers Office said in a tweet.

The US has been supportive of Indias G20 Presidency and earlier in the day Biden staffer, the US commerce secretary Janet Yellen, lauded the actions and achievements made by India during its tenure as G20 President.

Our goals for the G20 have coincided closely with those of India. We have tackled very important challenges. I think we have had considerable success in changing the way the entire multilateral development system is operating, Yellen said.

Yellen also said that despite global issues the G20 has been extremely effective, especially under Indias leadership.

All eyes are also on Joe Biden, PM Modi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabian Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to see if these four leaders announce an infrastructure deal, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, which shall connect the Gulf countries by railways with Western Asian nations and then connect them via a port to India.

Biden will be keen to build closer ties with West Asian and Gulf leaders as China emerges as a key player in the region. If the project is discussed and announced, then it would also help nations in the region avoid the Chinese debt trap in which nations have fallen when they opted to be a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Prince Harry paid tribute on Thursday to the late Queen Elizabeth as he returned to Britain to attend an awards ceremony a day before the first anniversary of his grandmothers death.

Harry only occasionally comes back to Britain since his move to California with his wife Meghan after the couple stepped down from their official royal roles in 2020, and then fell out with the other Windsors, including his father King Charles and elder brother Prince William.

As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away, he said in a speech at the annual ceremony staged in London by WellChild, a charity supporting children suffering from serious illnesses, for which he is a patron.

As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her and thats precisely why I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together continuing to spotlights such an incredible community, he said.

The timing of the annual WellChild ceremony and other events meant that both Harry and Meghan happened to be in Britain when the queen died at her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle, on Sept. 8 last year.

Harry pulled out of last years ceremony following news the queen was seriously ill, and travelled north separately from the rest of the royal family, indicative of their recent feud.

He said in his memoir published in January that his father had told him that Meghan was not invited. Kate, Williams wife, also did not go to Balmoral.

The royal family will not be gathering together to mark the anniversary on Friday, and media reports said Harry would not be seeing them during his trip. He is due to head to Dusseldorf in Germany for Saturdays start of the Invictus Games.
A New York-based rights watchdog said on Thursday that Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are committing the crime against humanity of gender persecution against women and girls. Since assuming control of the war-torn country in August 2021, the UN says that the radical Islamic group has systematically deprived women and girls across the nation of their basic rights solely based on their gender.

The Talibans cruel and methodical denial of the basic rights of women and girls to remove them from public life has received global attention, said Elizabeth Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). Coordinated support by concerned governments is needed to bring the Taliban leaders responsible to justice.

In a report released today, HRW points out that the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) defines crimes against humanity as a range of prohibited acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.

According to the rights group, the crime of persecution is the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group based on grounds international law recognizes as impermissible. Persecution committed against people because of sex characteristics, or the social constructs and criteria used to define gender, amounts to gender persecution, it added.

In the report, HRW said that its research on Afghanistan since 2021 has found that the crime against humanity of persecution targeting women and girls has been imposed through various written or announced decrees. These decrees have placed severe restrictions on freedom of movement, expression, and association; prohibitions on virtually all employment; bans on secondary and higher education; and permitted arbitrary arrests and violations of the right to liberty, according to the group.

It has called on Taliban authorities to dismantle all forms of repression and discrimination that deny women and girls their fundamental rights. Afghanistan is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. On October 31, 2022, the court authorised the ICC prosecutor to resume its investigation into the Afghanistan situation, which was first authorized in 2020, the group said.

Evenson said that the ICCs investigation in Afghanistan could provide a path toward accountability for the crime against humanity of gender persecution. Governments should ensure that the court has the resources and needed cooperation so that its prosecutor can investigate this crime alongside other grave rights violations committed, she added.
European Council President Charles Michel criticised Russia on Friday for withdrawing from the UN Grain Agreement and accused Moscow of obstructing Ukrainian seaports to halt grain shipments.

Its frankly scandalous that Russia, after having terminated the Black Sea grain initiative, is blocking and attacking Ukrainian ports. This must stop, Michel told reporters in the national capital ahead of a G20 summit. Michel said that Russia is violating the UN Charter and fundamental principles for an international rules-based order.

VIDEO | Russia is violating the UN Charter and fundamental principles for international rules-based order, says Charles Michel, President of the European Council at European Union, at a press conference in Delhi.#G20SummitDelhi #G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/mX0YDUIMBP Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

Russia pulled out of the Turkey-mediated grain agreement in July following the escalation in the Ukraine conflict. Western media reports say that Moscow is now mounting attacks on Ukrainian export hubs and Kyivs forces targeting Moscows naval ports and warships.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership, India is hosting the G20 on September 9 and 10 with a focus on developing countries, particularly the African Union. The forum encompasses the worlds wealthiest countries in the Group of Seven, as a bloc, along with Russia, China, and others. The Russia-Ukraine war and Chinas growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region have added friction among the most powerful G20 countries.

Over a question on the Russia-China ties amid the Ukraine conflict, he said, When we have a permanent member (Russia) of Security Council taking a decision to long shot an attack, a war it is a blatant violation of the UN Charter. This is something very serious. So, we are acting very united and very firm in supporting Ukraine and sanctioning Russia.

on the inside, we see the relationship with China  we feel that we (feel there is a) need for China to play a positive role at a global level into different UN Charter, into the sovereignty of Ukraine, he was quoted as saying by ANI.

At this years G20 in New Delhi, the European Council President said that the 27-member bloc has also focused on the existential challenges of climate change, which threatens humanitys survival. Climate change spares no one, global warming will hit each one of us, he said.

Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi asked a question  Can the G20 go further? Can we shift our fundamental mindset for the benefit of all humanity? I believe we can and thats why we are  to work towards making the world a favourable place for everyone no matter where they live, Michel said.

He further thanked India for its leadership and its priorities.
A disgraced Turkish crypto founder who fled to Albania and his two brothers have been sentenced to 11,196 years in jail each, the Anadolu state news agency reported Friday.

Prosecutors had asked for Thodex boss Faruk Fatih Ozer, 29, to be sentenced to 40,562 years in prison for money laundering, fraud and establishing a criminal organisation.

If I were to establish a criminal organisation, I would not have acted so amateurishly, Anadolu quoted Ozer as telling the court.

His two brothers, Serap and Guven, received the same sentence, which was issued late Thursday after a brief trial, Turkish media reports said.

Turkey is known for issuing massive prison sentences, which became more common after it abolished the death penalty in 2004 to help its efforts to join the European Union.

Ozer was initially reported to have fled Turkey in April 2021 with $2 billion in investor assets, although that figure has since been disputed.

Prosecutors said Ozer had transferred 250 million liras in user assets (worth about $30 million at the time) to three secret accounts when he fled Turkey in April 2021, with much of the money ending up in a Malta bank.

The indictment said the Ozer brothers had caused 356 million liras of damage to clients in all.

The case grabbed local headlines because it coincided with a Turkish crypto boom that has since largely subsided due to heavier government regulation.

Turks began turning to various crypto currencies as a defence against a deep slide in the value of the lira that began more than two years ago.

Ozer gained further celebrity status after being pictured meeting with ultranationalist pro-government figures.

He was arrested last year in Albania on an international arrest warrant from Interpol.
King Charles III on Friday thanked the public for their support in his first year as monarch, as he marked the one-year anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. In a short statement, the 74-year-old British head of state recalled the great affection for his mother, her life and public service.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all, he added. Commemorations will be low key on Friday, with the king  who is at his sprawling Scottish Highland estate of Balmoral  not expected at any official engagement.

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023

His mother, who was on the throne for a record-breaking 70 years, died at Balmoral aged 96 after a period of declining health. Throughout her reign she did not publicly mark her accession, as it was also the anniversary of her own father King George VIs death in 1952. Last year, when she began her Platinum Jubilee year on February 6, she spent the day in private at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England.

 Gun salutes 

In London, the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery will mark Charless accession by firing a 41-gun ceremonial salute in Hyde Park from 12:00 pm (1100 GMT). Members of the Honourable Artillery Company  the oldest regiment in the British Army  will fire a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London from 1:00 pm.

Both regiments were involved in firing the Death Gun salutes to mark the queens death, and the Proclamation salutes to mark Charless new reign. The kings eldest son and heir, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, are expected to carry out royal duties and deliver a message in honour of the late queen.

Williams estranged younger brother, Prince Harry, was in the UK for a charity event on Thursday but was not expected to meet members of his family.

As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away, Harry told the charity event. She would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and thats precisely why I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy were together.

Relations between Harry and his father and brother have been strained since he and his wife, Meghan, quit royal life and moved to North America in 2020. Ties have been frayed further by their criticisms of the family in television interviews, a docuseries and Harrys autobiography.

 Memorial 

Elizabeth IIs death was a seismic event in British life. For most Britons alive, the queen was the only monarch and head of state they had ever known. During the 10-day official mourning period, tens of thousands of people queued for up to 25 hours to file past her flag-shrouded coffin as it lay in state in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament.

Even more packed the streets of London and the route west to Windsor Castle for the state funeral, which was beamed around the world to a television audience of millions. The queen was interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor, alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021, her father and mother and the ashes of her younger sister, Princess Margaret.

Earlier this week, the government announced that a national memorial to the late monarch will be commissioned in due course. In London on Thursday, there were mixed views about Charless first year. Some felt he had been right not to introduce sweeping reform too early. Hes got a hard act to follow but he will I think change things, Joanne Hughes, 61, told AFP outside Buckingham Palace.

But despite 161 official engagements and tours of all four nations of the United Kingdom, others were indifferent about the new king  and the monarchy in general. The monarchy is dying, said nursing student Mimi Jaffer-Clarke. If he wants it to not die, then he needs to try to get the younger generation to like him  and we just dont.
Republican Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has backed mayor Eric Adams amid growing alarm over the financial strain New York faces as thousands of asylum seekers arrive each month. Despite being a GOP candidate, Vivek supported the Democratic mayor saying I dont care if hes a Democrat. This is the TRUTH.

Addressing a public meeting on Wednesday, Adams the migrant issue will destroy New York City. He said 10,000 migrants are arriving each month from all over the globe and that 110,000 people have shown up since Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, began sending migrants to New York aboard buses.

We have to feed, cloth, house, educate the children, wash their laundry sheets, give them everything they need, healthcare, he said. In addition to New York, Abbott has been sending migrants to other cities governed by Democrats, including Washington and Los Angeles. Other Republican governors, and some Democrats, have followed suit and began transporting migrants out of their jurisdictions.

Sending migrants to Democratic strongholds has become a political cudgel for the American right as a means of denouncing President Joe Bidens immigration policy, which they say has allowed undocumented migrants to cross the border with Mexico in large numbers.

Mayor Adams, a former police officer who hails from the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, estimated last month that providing support services to the incoming migrants at USD 12 billion over three years. New Yorkers compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not, he said in early August.

Slamming the Texas governor as a madman, Adams said that the federal government currently under his partys control was not adequately addressing the issue. Were getting no support on this national crisis and were receiving no support, the mayor said.

(With AFP inputs)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday ahead of the G20 Summit on September 9-10.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/Dpe2B0jfJ9 ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Both leaders were accorded a warm welcome at the New Delhi Airport to attend the G20 Summit from September 9-10.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hold a bilateral meeting, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/P59ttdu9mK ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated Indias commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South, PM Modi said following his meeting with the Mauritius Prime Minister.

PM @KumarJugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated India's commitment pic.twitter.com/L6BDSpIAIV Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

PM Modi said he held fruitful discussions with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last 9 years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more, PM Modi said.

Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations in the last 9 years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas like connectivity, commercial linkage and more. pic.twitter.com/IIuAK0GkoQ Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

PM Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next three days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit. He will hold another bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden on Friday evening.

PM Modi said that these meetings allow India to bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days. I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation, PM Modi posted on social media site X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development, he further added.

Bilateral meetings with heads of states of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy are scheduled to be held on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 events. A working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled for Sunday, news agency PTI reported.
Streetwise: Lost School Buildings of the Western Neighborhoods

by Frank Dunnigan

September 2023

Many educational institutions on San Franciscos west side have changed significantly over the years with new buildings, relocations, or sometimes even complete closures. This month, we take a look back at a few different places.

SUNSET NURSERY SCHOOL (now known as SUNSET CO-OP NURSERY SCHOOL)  Begun as a WPA project in 1940, the school had a long association with City College of San Francisco, though that relationship changed in 1994 when the school became fully independent. Families of students each volunteer one half-day per week to augment the work of paid teachers and administrative staff. In 2005, an engineering report noted serious issues with the building shown here in March 1972 at Great Highway and Lawton Street. More than 60 years of harsh weather so near to the ocean resulted in serious decay, requiring extensive repairs or a complete rebuilding. Families rallied around the school and in 2010 a new building was opened at the site.

PARKSIDE SCHOOL  This Parkside School building, opened in 1923, replaced an earlier school house at 31st Avenue and Taraval Street (which was a wooden structure that was recycled in 1917 into the St. Cecilia Church building at 15th and Taraval). Parkside School served the neighborhood (including this authors time in Kindergarten and Low 1st Grade in 1957-58) for more than 50 years before closing in 1975 for a planned earthquake retrofit. That retrofit never happened, and the site was used as school district offices for nearly 20 years before the building was demolished in 2004 and replaced by a totally new structure named Dianne Feinstein Elementary School (at the Parkside Campus). Read more about the Parkside School on WNPs website.

ST. IGNATIUS COLLEGE  This wooden structure and the adjacent church building at left were hastily erected in 1906 on the south side of the 2200 block of Hayes Street between Shrader and Stanyan to replace the previous campus at Hayes and Van Ness that was relatively unscathed by the 1906 earthquake, but lost to the ensuing fire. The temporary church shown here was replaced in 1914 by a new structure that still stands today at nearby Fulton Street and Parker Avenue. The classroom building, affectionately known as the Shirt Factory for its simple design, housed both the college and high school departments for many years (and until 1912, also a grammar school department). In 1927, the college was relocated to a new building at 2130 Fulton Street that was subsequently expanded into todays University of San Francisco. Two years later, the high school moved to new quarters at 222 Stanyan Street, where it remained until its 1969 relocation to 37th Avenue in the Sunset District.

ROOSEVELT SCHOOL  This 1915 image shows the old wooden structure that was once Roosevelt School. Built at the northeast corner of Geary and Arguello (then known as First Avenue), it was replaced with a larger and more architecturally significant building in 1928, which was known as Roosevelt Junior High School, and then later, Roosevelt Middle School. Based on the time of the schools founding, its clear that it was named for President Theodore Roosevelt and NOT the later President (and Teddys distant cousin) Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Note the building at left, located across the street at the northwest corner of Arguello and Geary. It is the long-time Larkins Building that has housed many different institutions over the years, including: a bakery and warehouse, a carriage company, a car barn for the Geary Park & Ocean Railroad Company, a garage, a MUNI bus storage facility, a variety of car dealerships, and currently a retail outlet of an office supply company with a parking garage. Hear more about the history of Roosevelt as an educational institution on the Outside Lands podcast, and read more about the history of the Larkins Building.

SAN FRANCISCO RIDING SCHOOL  Located at Haight and Stanyan Streets, the school was a holdover from the days when horses represented a popular form of transportation on city streets. This image shows the institution in 1935. The business remained active until the post-World War II years, when a massive fire destroyed the buildings and many of the animals housed there.

ULLOA SCHOOL  Shown here in 1953 in a photograph that was capturing an adjacent auto accident, Ulloa School was built on 39th Avenue and Ulloa Street to serve the needs of the rapidly growing Sunset District in the 1940s. A new, larger school opened in 1952 nearby at 42nd Avenue and Vicente, and the older buildings from the World War II era became the Ulloa School Annex.

AFFILIATED COLLEGES  The Affiliated Colleges brought together a number of medical training facilities in the Parnassus Heights neighborhood in the late 1890s. See Arnold Woodss A CLOSER LOOK column from May 2020 for a detailed history of how the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center came to be the school that we know today.

RIVENDELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL  Located at 46th Avenue and Irving Street, the private school was housed in a former food store. It thrived for many years until its closed at the turn of the millennium. The structure shown here was then demolished and replaced by a new multi-unit residential building constructed on the site.

JEFFERSON SCHOOL  Following a devastating arson fire near the end of the school year in 1959, Jeffersons students were dispersed to several different nearby schools for the next academic year. The 1920s-era Jefferson School building at 19th Avenue and Irving Street was demolished and replaced with a modern structure, still with a red-brick facade. Only the schools original auditorium, shown here at left, was saved and is still in use today.

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Its been 10 years since animation master Hayao Miyazaki made a film and 12 years since GKIDS took over North American distribution for the studio he co-founded and helped make iconic. But though The Boy and the Heron  which opened to raves out of TIFF on Thursday  is likely the last Miyazaki film GKIDS will have the privilege of releasing, its also the distributors first.

The Wind Rises in 2013 was still released domestically by Disney and Touchstone (it made $5.2 million). And though the distributors annual Ghibli Fest has grown year over year in spreading the gospel of Ghibli and Miyazaki, as the distributors president Dave Jesteadt puts it, having a new film from the man himself is a different challenge entirely.

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Id be lying if I said I didnt feel tremendous pressure. Thats also joined by a feeling of tremendous honor, Jesteadt told IndieWire. This is not someone who creates a new film every year. So it really does need to be handled in the most special way.

Jesteadt says hes not worried about the economics of the film and is confident audiences will show up. But he does want to make sure The Boy and the Heron finds the audience this film deserves.

To that end, GKIDS is treating The Boy and the Heron as its biggest release in its 15-year history. Though Jesteadt doesnt yet have specific numbers for its Dec. 8 opening, the plan is a nationwide release for The Boy and the Heron that should easily surpass the 1,300+ screens that last years Belle opened on, the widest release in its history that ultimately earned $4 million domestic. It will also open across IMAX screens, where in Japan it brought in $1.7 million of the total $13.2 million opening weekend on just 44 IMAX screens, a fraction of the overall footprint.

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Studio Ghibli, with the exception of a request to change the films international title from the Japanese How Do You Live?, is largely letting GKIDS call the shots.

We have a phrase in Japan that could translate to When in Rome, do as the Romans do, Junichi Nishioka, Ghiblis VP of International, said via a translator. We know very deeply about Japanese domestic marketing and audiences, but we dont know that much about international efforts. So we basically are leaving it up to GKIDS to work on the promotion.

Hayao Miyazaki WireImage/Getty

GKIDS has made one notable change to the marketing strategy Ghibli employed in Japan, which was to not do any promotion at all (GKIDS put out a teaser ahead of its TIFF premiere on Thursday night). How Do You Live? opened in Japan on July 14, but did so without releasing any movie stills, a trailer, or other promotional materials beyond an early sketched poster of the title gray heron. In yen at 1.83 billion, that was the highest Ghibli opening in history, even if its $52.9 million take hasnt yet legged out to the heights of The Wind Rises or some of Miyazakis earlier films like Howls Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, which remain some of the highest grossing movies in Japan of all time.

Nishioka says that was a real gamble on the part of producer Toshio Suzuki, who recalled seeing movies as a kid without any pre-awareness and always going in with a fresh mind. How Do You Live? is not based on the famous 1937 Japanese book of the same name, but Nishioka explained that the title combined with Miyazakis own name recognition were strong enough in Japan to take a chance.

He thought, what would happen, in these days when there are lots of ads and tie-ups and trailers even before the film is released, what would it be like if we had no promotion, Nishioka said. Will the film be received well? Will it be accepted? So it was a big risk and a bet that he made and thought up. But I think the result shows that we won that bet. I dont think we can do this kind of thing again, but this time it was successful.

Even with Miyazakis name and the excitement around what is likely his last movie, The Boy and the Heron will not be an easy film for GKIDS to market. The first challenge is reaching the core Ghibli fans while also letting newer audiences understand why this movie is an event. The growth of Ghibli Fest has done a lot to prepare audiences for this moment, in which he says new generations are growing up with Howls Moving Castle and Ponyo rather than My Neighbor Totoro and Kikis Delivery Service.

Were going to continue to find ways to both make sure that the film can reach its widest possible audience while staying true to a lot the marketing and the integrity that Studio Ghibli has, Jesteadt added. We dont foresee a world where were trying to make this film something its not.

The Boy and the Heron Studio Ghibli

The second is conveying the many layers and tones Miyazakis film evokes, one that references and borrows elements from just about every prior film in his career. Despite largely being a fantasy, The Boy and the Heron opens with a chilling and riveting sequence depicting a hospital fire that echoes how Miyazaki lost his own mother. It is also most definitely not a childrens film, hewing more closely to the violent anime of Princess Mononoke than the cuddly charm of My Neighbor Totoro, though the adorable floating marshmallow-looking characters known as Warawara might make you think otherwise.

One of the reasons that we chose some of the shots and chose the music and emphasis of it was to give people just a taste that this is going to be a Miyazaki film unlike what theyve seen before. Theres a level of intrigue, of fantasy and maybe a little bit of horror, Jesteadt said. For me, if I were 10, 11-years-old, I would be blown away.

Theyll also have to sell the movie largely without Miyazaki himself. Jesteadt says it was pretty clear even years ahead of time that the 82-year-old Miyazaki was unlikely to be an active participant in the promotion of the film, though that could change.

He is his own person. I cant say anything for certain, but my understanding is that were looking to find a way to really celebrate his legacy. Being older, we want to respect the difficulty of traveling, Jesteadt said. And this film is deeply personal for him. The film is the statement. Were trying to treat it that way. He created this semi-autobiographical story I think really touches on so many aspects of his life, his relationships, and his thoughts in a really exciting, fantasy-adventure setting. That is the testimony in some ways.

Nishioka though hesitates to call The Boy and the Heron Miyazakis swan song, even though every headline youll see along with Miyazakis own retirement comments suggest otherwise.

At Studio Ghibli, we dont consider this to be Miyazakis last film. So we believe that this will not be his last film, Nishioka said. However, Miyazaki is 82-years-old. Yet he comes and works very intentionally and energetically at the studio on new projects.

But Miyazaki did not accompany the film for its TIFF premiere, and its unlikely hell make his way stateside anytime soon, including for GKIDS Animation Is Film festival in October. Hes not thinking about its Oscar chances either.

Were not doing this to promote our chances for the Oscar. Were doing it to promote showing the film. GKIDS might disagree with us, Nishioka said. Studio Ghibli is not thinking of having this film be in competition with other films. We dont want to think that films have wins and losses attached to them. Miyazaki just wants people to see the film and to enjoy the film.

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The White House said the United States is working towards a joint declaration at the end of the two-day G20 Summit. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US officials are working day and night for the joint statement.

We have been working all day and all night for a joint statement. In that we bring a spirit of compromise to a lot of the different issues that are contentious so that we can find a text that everybody can live with, Jake Sullivan said.

A report by news agency ANI pointed out that the New Delhi G20 Summit is being held amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and that several western powers want Russia to be painted as aggressor but on the other hand, China and Russia do not want, in the Delhi Declaration, a mention of the ongoing war.

(There is) some distance to travel before a final joint statement is released. I will not make a prediction on that, I will say that the United States is ready to do our part to deliver a joint statement and we think there is a joint statement to be had and the question is will every country step up, be responsible, be constructive, Sullivan said.

If the answer to that is yes, then we will get a joint statement but its too soon to tell, Sullivan further added.

John Kirby, US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, said earlier this week that there is a possibility that the G20 Summit may end without a joint declaration as Russia and the Western nations continue to bicker over Ukraine.

During the fourth and final meeting of G20 Sherpas in Haryanas Nuh an attempt was made to reach a consensus over the proposed Delhi Declaration which would be then adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of G20 nations over the weekend following the 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit.

However, the US signalled that it will be difficult to get Russia and China to sign the declaration. The ANI report, however, pointed out that an agreement on a final communique is within reach, despite the geopolitical tensions.
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit UW-Madison in the coming weeks as part of a monthlong college tour highlighting the Biden administrations policies, including reproductive rights, climate action and voting rights.

The White House announced the tour Thursday, with stops in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. No date has been set for the UW-Madison visit.

The tour is intended to mobilize young people on key issues that tend to have an outsize impact on them, the White House said in a statement.

This generation is critical to the urgent issues that are at stake right now for our future, Harris said in a statement.

It is young leaders throughout America who know what the solutions look like and are organizing in their communities to make them a reality. My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything.

This will be the fourth visit to Wisconsin from the Bidens or Harris in a handful of weeks: First Lady Jill Biden visited Exact Sciences and the Verona Area School District on Aug. 31 to promote cancer screenings and public education before a state fundraiser. President Joe Biden made a DeForest-area manufacturing facility his first stop in February, and both Biden and Harris made stops in the state to tout the economy and infrastructure investments in August.

Wisconsin has been a hotspot for national political figures in the past few weeks, as the 2024 presidential race gets underway and the Republican presidential hopefuls visited Milwaukee last month for the first debate.

Dane County is a Democratic bastion in the state, with its high participation rate and heavy favoring of liberal candidates over conservatives helping flip ideological control of the state Supreme Court to liberal this year with the election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz in April.

Some state Republicans have called for restricting college students from voting on college campuses and have brought forward nonbinding resolutions requiring students to vote absentee in their home districts, which was tabled at the Wisconsin GOP convention in June because of opposition from the Dane and Milwaukee county chairs.
A 91-year-old retired Catholic priest, previously named by the Archdiocese of New Orleans as being "credibly accused" of sexual abuse, is now facing charges over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage boy in 1975. A Louisiana state grand jury has indicted Lawrence Hecker on felony charges including aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature, and theft. He's accused of choking a teen unconscious under the guise of showing him a wrestling move before sodomizing him at a church attached to a Catholic high school. The boy, 15 or 16 at the time, and his mother filed a report with the school but nothing was ever done, the alleged victim's lawyer tells the Guardian .

This is one of several accusations against Hecker spanning his decades in the ministry. His abuse of teenage boys was "chronic and sustained," another lawyer for the alleged victim tells the New York Times. A man claims Hecker groped him and his classmates at St. Joseph's Catholic School outside New Orleans in the late 1960s while supposedly demonstrating a hernia examination, per the AP. Another alleged victim says Hecker had altar boys strip naked so he could inspect their bodies and fondle their genitals inside a changing room at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in 1983.

In 1999, Hecker admitted to the archdiocese that he'd engaged in "overtly sexual acts" with at least three boys in the 1960s and '70s and had close relationships with four other boys into the 1980s, the Guardian previously reported. He was sent to an out-of-state psychiatric treatment facility, where he was diagnosed as a pedophile. Yet he was allowed to continue his work in the ministry, including around children, until he retired in 2002. The archdiocesewhich paid more than $332,000 to settle five sexual abuse allegations against Heckerwouldn't publicly identify him as a suspected predator until 2018. However, a rep claims it "reported Lawrence Hecker to law enforcement authorities in different jurisdictions (multiple) times since 2002."

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In announcing the charges Thursday, New Orleans district attorney Jason Williams said "the fact that a child went to [his school] and told them what happened and nothing happened is a sin and a shame," per the Guardian. He added Hecker "should have been prosecuted a long time ago" but "we've had to fight very vigorously through the courts and behind the scenes for disclosure of any and all information and evidence." Now, "we're going to use every single word that has ever been uttered by Mr. Hecker against him," he said, per NOLA.com. A lawyer for the alleged 1975 victim says the indictment came after his client sat for multiple interviews with authorities over the course of a year, per the Guardian. In Louisiana, there is no statute of limitations for rape cases. (Read more priest sex abuse stories.)
It's been more than a week since Danelo Cavalcante escaped from a Pennsylvania prison, and the family of the woman he murdered is "terrified," says the Chester County district attorney. "They do have protection, and they are terrified. They haven't left their home," DA Deb Ryan told reporters Thursday, per NBC News. "They're barricaded inside and very concerned about their safety. We do have police details around them 24 hours a day, but I know they're very, very worried." Cavalcante fatally stabbed his former girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in front of her children, then ages 7 and 4, in 2021. "I haven't slept for many days. Since (his escape) I have been waking up with fright at night. I nap and wake up with fright," Brandao's sister, who is taking care of her sister's children now, tells CNN.
Heavy rain in Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, with hundreds evacuated and two deaths reported in Hong Kong. Hong Kong authorities said during a joint news conference Friday that the extreme weather was expected to last until at least midnight, with widespread flooding and heavy disruptions to public transport in multiple districts. An official from the Hong Kong observatory said the city had recorded over 23 inches of rain so fara quarter of the city's average annual rainfall. The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 6.2 inches of rain in the hour between 11pm Thursday and midnight, the highest recording for a single hour since records began in 1884.

Hong Kong police said that two bodies were found floating in waters in different parts of the city, the AP reports. The city's fire services department said it had evacuated 110 people and assisted 20 injured people. The city's response to the rain and floods has drawn criticism from residents online, who questioned the authorities' preparedness for such an emergency. Hong Kong's No. 2 official, Eric Chan, said that the predictability of rainfall "cannot be compared with that of a typhoon." Videos circulating on social media show flooded streets in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong province, with vehicles driving through the water and rescue teams using rafts to navigate the streets

Water rushed down the stairs and escalators of a flooded subway station in Hong Kong, and cars were caught in muddy water on flooded streets, including in the cross-harbor tunnel that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon. On the mainland, more than 11,000 people were evacuated from water-logged areas in Meizhou, a city in Guangdong province, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Beijing issued a flood disaster warning for several districts of the Chinese capital, forecasting heavy rainfall through Saturday night. The city observatory attributed Friday's rain to a trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of a recent typhoon.

(Read more Hong Kong stories.)
North Korea has unveiled what the government says is a "nuclear attack submarine" that extends the country's nuclear capabilities by "leaps and bounds." State media released photos of Kim Jong Un at a launch ceremony this week for the "Hero Kim Kun Ok," named after a North Korean historical figure, the BBC reports. State media said the submarine was designed to launch tactical nuclear missiles from underwater and will join the fleet that patrols between the Korean peninsula and Japan, reports Reuters . Photos suggest the sub could carry up to 10 nuclear missiles, analysts say.

Analysts say the sub appears to be a converted Soviet-era Romeo-class vessel. North Korea is believed to have around 20 diesel-electric Romeo-class subs, which have limited range and are noisy compared to modern submarines. "This submarine, though heavily modified, is based on 1950s Soviet-origin technology and will have inherent limitations. Nevertheless, in terms of complicating the targeting challenges that the US and its allies will face, the submarine will serve North Korea's purposes," Ankit Panda at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace tells the AP.

South Korean military officials said there "are signs of deception or exaggeration" and images of the sub released by North Korea suggest it could not be "operated normally." But it could still represent a "huge leap in capabilities for North Korea," Al Jazeera reports, and Kim might seek to trade weapons for more advanced submarine technology when he meets Vladimir Putin later this month. (Read more North Korea stories.)
A Reedsburg lawyer who stole more than $1.6 million from the trust of a deceased client and friend was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in federal prison.

The family of the man who had appointed Kristin Lein to oversee the trust said her plunder effectively erased the dream he had to endow a nursing scholarship at South Dakota State University, his alma mater, in honor of his late first wife, which was to be a significant portion of the trust. He died in 2019.

Other beneficiaries were to be his second wife and his two daughters.

She destroyed his dream, the mans widow, 89, said in court. She described her husband as her last love, and her best friend. She added that she felt set up for this whole thing by the lies that Lein told her about the healthy balance in the trust, and for that I feel guilty.

But U.S. District Judge William Conley, who sentenced Lein to 45 months in prison, said nobody but Lein should feel they were to blame. A trusted friend, nobody suspected what Lein was doing, he said.

The notion that you should have somehow realized you were being lied to your face, Conley said, is unspeakable.

Lein, 61, pleaded guilty in June to wire fraud, money laundering and filing a false income tax return for stealing more than $1.6 million from her clients estate trust account between 2019 and 2022 while acting as its trustee.

Lein used the money for myriad personal expenses, including the purchase of several vehicles and pieces of equipment, a large pole barn on her property and improvements to her rural Reedsburg home. According to a sentencing memorandum by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner, Lein spent more than $151,000 at Amazon.com and more than $90,000 at Chewy.com. She also spent more than $100,000 on construction and improvements at Richland Area Rescue, an animal shelter.

The malevolence of the defendants actions is magnified by the fact that she did not need to do what she did, Wegner wrote. The defendant was not driven to commit her crimes by need, desperation, or the inability to legitimately earn a living. Despite the significant advantages the defendant enjoyed  including a first-rate education and a successful career as an attorney  she chose to steal a massive amount of money from clients who unfailingly trusted her. The defendants shocking betrayal of her clients left lasting emotional and economic damage that will never be fixed.

It was a sentiment echoed by Conley: It is hard to overstate the level of betrayal here by anyone, especially by a lawyer, he said.

In a sentencing memo, Leins attorney, federal defender Joseph Bugni, said Leins crimes cannot simply be passed off as greed, but result from childhood trauma that led her to help animals as a way to cope with her mental health struggles. To that end, he wrote, she turned her home into a rescue with scores of cats and a half-dozen raccoons all being housed and provided for with not just food but extreme medical care.

In court, Lein was contrite.

I dont have the words to express how sorry I am, she said. I didnt mean for this to happen. I know that makes me delusional. I know nothing I say will make this right.

But Conley said theres plenty she can do to demonstrate her remorse, most importantly working harder to sell her home and paying back the victims.

And secondly, he urged Lein to seek meaningful treatment to address the childhood trauma that he said has led to her obsession with animals. Amid that obsession, he said, she lost track of humanity in the process.

While she took more than $1.64 million from the estate, she had paid back some of the money by making occasional payments to the mans widow to lull her into a false sense of security. Pursuant to a plea agreement, she was ordered to pay back the remaining $1.34 million.
Friday marks one year since the death of Queen Elizabeth II , and the royal family has circulated a never-before-released portrait of the late monarch in commemoration. "We recall with great affection her long life, devoted service, and all she meant to so many of us," King Charles III noted in a short video that highlighted the photo of Elizabeth at age 42. The BBC notes that Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, also appeared at a prayer service at the small Crathie Kirk church, near Balmoral, while the Prince and Princess of Wales attended a similar service at St. Davids Cathedral in Wales.

The Mirror notes the king looked "visibly moved" and close to tears" after the church service. Meanwhile, Prince Harry, in London this week to attend a charity event, paid his respects at St. George's Chapel, where the queen is buried, per ABC News, which notes that Harry isn't expected to meet with either his father or brother during this trip. "I know ... that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we're together," Harry said Thursday of his grandmother at the WellChild awards ceremony.

As the royals continue to mourn and remember, CBS News takes a look at how Charles has done at winning the hearts and minds of his nation's people since his mother's death. "I think it's a very difficult role to play after the queen, and a difficult job in the first place, so I think he's done a good job," one observer outside Buckingham Palace on Friday told the news outlet. Still, support for the monarchy has dropped in recent years, with polls showing a 5% dip in such support over the past year. (Read more Queen Elizabeth II stories.)
You could once see Stephen Grasty's face, with a thick black tire mark running from top to bottom, on billboards and buses across Washington, DC. In 2013, Grasty became the face of Street Smart, a pedestrian and bicycle safety campaign that urged drivers to yield to walkers and cyclists when appropriate. As a message next to Grasty's face read at the time, "Pedestrians don't come with airbags." Grasty's mom, Shelly Grasty, couldn't help but see the irony early Sunday when she found her son seriously injuredwith road rash across his facefollowing a hit-and-run in the city, reports the Washington Post . "My son did not deserve this," she tells NBC4 .

According to police, the 29-year-old was riding a scooter home from his job as a nightclub manager around 4am when a car veered into him near the Washington Monument. "He was screaming in pain" when he FaceTimed his mother from the scene, Shelly Grasty tells NBC4. When she arrived at the Washington Monument, she found his ear was bleeding, he had road rash across his face, and his shoes had flown off. He was taken to a hospital and treated for a broken leg, foot, and vertebra. His C6 vertebra was "hanging on a hair," his mother tells the Post, though she adds her son has undergone surgery on his neck that should prevent permanent damage.

Police are still investigating. A witness who was driving behind the vehicle that allegedly hit Grasty followed it to Virginia and reported its tag number, according to a police report. The vehicle is described as a possible 2013 Nissan Sentra with Virginia tags, per NBC4. "I just want to thank her for being here and for having the courage to chase this vehicle," Shelly Grasty tells the outlet of the witness. As for the person who hit her son, "I don't know how you're sleeping at night." Clark Mercer, executive director of the nonprofit that runs Street Smart, says the incident involving the program's "marquee face" is "a painful reminder that we can all do more to protect pedestrians and cyclists on our roadways," per the Post. (Read more Washington, DC stories.)
Scientists have for the first time identified living descendants of people whose skulls were pillaged from Africa under German colonial rule. Since 2017, Berlin's Museum of Prehistory and Early History has been working to trace at least 1,100 of 7,700 skulls it acquired from a local hospital museum in 2011. They are thought to have been taken from German colonies in Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as trophies, but more often to be used "for now-discredited research to prove the racial superiority of white Europeans," per the BBC . Their poor condition and lack of records has made tracing the skulls difficult, though numbers and words written on some of the skulls have offered clues to their origins, Insider reports.

After much investigation, researchers recently learned enough about eight of the skulls to request DNA samples from 10 people viewed as potential descendants. Two came back as a "likely" match, while one was a perfect match, Insider reports. It confirms a person living in Tanzania is a descendant of an individual whose skull was inscribed with the word "akida," a title applied to advisers to tribal chiefs under German rule. This particular "akida" is thought to have been a high-ranking advisor to Mangi Meli, ruler of the Chagga people from the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania (part of the former colony known as German East Africa), whose own skull was taken to Germany after his execution for rebelling against German colonialists in 1900.

"Finding a match like this is a small miracle and will probably remain a rare case even despite the most meticulous provenance research," says Hermann Parzinger, president of the Berlin-based Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), which oversees museums around Berlin, per AFP. "The relatives and the government of Tanzania will now be informed as soon as possible," SPK adds in a statement. SPK has previously returned skulls representing victims of the genocide of the Herero and Nama tribes to Namibia, formerly known as German South West Africa. (It has also returned Hawaiian ancestral remains.) Skulls taken from Africa remain in other European countries. After years of pleas, Britain's Natural History Museum agreed last year to return some skulls to Zimbabwe, per the Telegraph. (Read more Tanzania stories.)
It appears Lindsey Graham dodged a legal bullet in Georgia. The special grand jury that investigated former President Trump recommended charging many more people who did not ultimately get indicted, including the South Carolina senator, two former senators from Georgia (Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue), and longtime Trump ally Michael Flynn, according to a report released Friday. In all, the panel recommended charges against 39 people, although only 19 were indicted, per the AP . Parts of the report had been released in February, but a judge had delayed the release of any recommendations for specific charges against specific people until after last month's indictment of the 19. The newly released full report is here .

The panel spent seven months hearing from some 75 witnesses before completing a report in December with recommendations for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. It was not immediately clear why Willis chose not to bring charges against Graham and the others. Graham testified before the grand jury in November after losing a legal fight to avoid doing so. As CNN reports, he had called Georgia state officialsincluding secretary of state Brad Raffenspergerafter the election on Trump's behalf. "He claimed that Graham, on one call, appeared to be asking him to find a way to set aside legally cast ballots," per the Washington Post.

(Read more Georgia indictment stories.)
With the world far off track on its 2015 pledge to curb global warming, a new United Nations report central to upcoming climate negotiations details how quickly and deeply energy and financial systems must change to get back on a safer path. "The window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all is rapidly closing," Friday's report warned, per the AP . The globe has to cut its emissions of heat-trapping gases by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and 60% by 2035, the report said. To get there, "the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels is required," said the report, using a phrase international climate negotiators have shied away from before. It also said phasing out the internal combustion engine would be a huge help.

And the way money flowssuch as investments, subsidies, loans, grants, and payments for people and places hurt by warming's extreme weatheralso has to change, the report recommended. It said countries need to stop $450 billion in annual subsidies for coal, oil, and natural gas. "Halting and reversing deforestation" and adopting better crop-growing practices are critical to fighting climate change, the report said. It noted that about 95% of deforestation is in the tropics, but global consumers drive the tree loss. "We must urgently disrupt business as usual and unite like never before to move from ambition to action and from rhetoric to real results," upcoming international climate negotiations president Sultan Al Jaber said in a statement.

The report, called the "global stocktake" on climate-fighting efforts, put such an emphasis on change that it used variations of the word "transform" more than 50 times in 47 pages. This comes as leaders of the top 20 economies, responsible for 80% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, meet in India. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told them to act quickly on warming because "the climate crisis is worsening dramatically." In 2015, as part of the landmark Paris Agreement , the countries of the world agreed to try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) or at least 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. It's already warmed about 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-1800s.

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Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is another window of opportunity that is rapidly closing, the report said. Earlier this year, the World Meteorological Organization said there's a two-out-of-three chance that in the next five years, Earth will exceed that threshold for a year. The report "feels like a final warning," said Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare, a climate scientist. "'If you guys don't get your act together, we're going to cook.'" The world just baked through the hottest summer ever recorded, and ocean temperatures keep smashing records.

(Read more climate change stories.)
Spc. Christopher Anderson, a Fire Support Specialist with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team Ghost, 2nd Infantry Division, adjusts the antenna on top of the mission command platform during operational testing of the Command Post Integrated Infrastructure at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Under development in two increments, termed Increment 0 and Increment 1, the Soldiers are testing Inc. 0 of the Command Post Integrated Infrastructure.(Photo by Tad Browning)
Top leaders from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, its seven Army Field Support Brigades, ASC-Army Reserve Element, 279th Army Field Support Brigade, and LOGCAP Support Brigade gather in front of ASCs headquarters building Aug. 24 during the Senior Leaders Forum at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois from Aug. 21  25. The SLF was an opportunity to bring together key ASC leaders and ASC headquarters staff to refine and improve planning efforts, share best practices, execute the commands Corps Logistics Support Element and Division Logistics Support Element missions, and build team cohesion across the command. (Photo by Jon Connor)
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Amy Yeager, district director, Bell County Public Health, Maj. Matthew Nestander, Chief of Inpatient Pediatrics and NICU Medical Director, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Cavazos, and a host of infants and mothers stand by as Nicole Koenen, WIC Director, Bell County Public Health, cuts the ribbon for the new Fort Cavazos Milk Depot during its grand opening ceremony Aug. 23 at the Shoemaker Center. (Photo by Rodney Jackson, CRDAMC Public Affairs)
In this episode of Mapped Out Radio, Instagram Vs. Reality segment, Amber Long and Cosmic Venus, aka Khadeja, take us on another voice notes journey to Soulshine Festival that just took place Labour Day weekend in Blackstock, Ontario. Soulshine is a beautiful creation from the minds of aware organizers who perfectly curated workshops, performances, and delicious food to give as an offering to the community. The result was an interconnected weekend where strangers became friends and friends became family. With camping onsite and plenty to keep the soul shining, this is one Ontario festival highly recommended for next year. The mix provided is from the LIA Series, hosted by Amber Long and mixed by Cosmic Venus herself. Tunes in this episode are to ignite some nostalgia in you. Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam Fatboy Slim - Right Here, Right Now (Grenno Remix) Donna Summer - I Fell Love (Afrojack Remix) Ultra Nate - Free (Mood II Edit) Rozalla - Everybodys Free (To Feel Good) Haddaway - What is Love

There are no tracks in this playlist.
FRIDAY, Sept. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Eczema and psoriasis are skin conditions that can each affect a persons quality of life.

The best way to know which one you have if you have an itchy rash or burning feeling on your skin is to see an expert.

Both eczema and psoriasis can impact your sleep, mood and quality of life, so its important to seek help if you are struggling with these conditions, said Dr. Catherine Emerson, a dermatologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Understanding the differences between psoriasis and eczema can ensure that youre getting the right treatment and making choices that can help you avoid flare-ups.

Both conditions can appear as dry, flaky skin with itching or burning.

Both can emerge at any age, through eczema usually begins in childhood. It often develops along with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Together these conditions are sometimes called the atopic triad.

Eczema tends to be itchier than psoriasis. It can appear inside the elbows and behind the knees.

Itch is a defining feature of eczema, Emerson said in a center news release. In fact, it is often called the itch that rashes. It can present as dry patches, bumps or even fluid-filled blisters.

While psoriasis can also cause itchiness, sometimes it doesnt.

It is marked by red, thick and scaly plaques with defined edges.

Psoriasis classically involves the scalp, elbows and knees but can also involve skin folds such as in the groin or genital region, as well as the hands and feet, Emerson said.

Its easy for a dermatologist to tell the difference between the two.

Genetics and environmental factors underlie both conditions. They also result from overactive immune responses that lead to inflammation.

We think that eczema is related to a defective skin barrier that doesnt do a good job of keeping water in and irritants and allergens out, Emerson said.

Both overly hot showers and harsh soaps that remove oil from the skin can cause eczema to flare up. Wool, fragrances in laundry detergent or perfumes can also be triggers.

Environmental factors increase the risk of developing psoriasis. Beta-blockers and drugs to treat malaria have been linked to psoriasis. Other medications, such as those used to treat depression and mental health issues, can worsen the condition, too.

Obesity, smoking and some infections can increase the risk of developing psoriasis.

People who have either eczema or psoriasis may experience disrupted sleep and mental health issues. Excessive scratching or dryness can also lead to breaks in the skin, which can lead to secondary infections.

The overactive immune response involved in psoriasis can lead to inflammation not just in the skin, but in other organs of the body. People with psoriasis are at higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome and arthritis, among other conditions.

Psoriatic arthritis can develop in about 30% of individuals with psoriasis, Emerson said.

Its important to get treatment for both conditions to prevent rashes and to protect overall health.

Treatments may begin with topical anti-inflammatory medications for mild cases of either condition. A dermatologist can prescribe these creams and lotions and explain how to use them and possible side effects.

A dermatologist may suggest switching to a less harsh soap and using moisturizer after bathing.

For more severe cases of either eczema or psoriasis, treatment options may include light therapy, oral immunosuppressant drugs or injectable medications.

Oral and injectable medications that treat both the skin and the joints may be prescribed for psoriasis patients.

A dermatologist can talk with you about the benefits and risks of these different options and come up with a treatment plan that works for you, Emerson said.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on skin conditions.

SOURCE: Rush University Medical Center, news release, Sept. 7, 2023
PM to hold three bilateral meetings with Mauritius PM, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and US President at his residence in New Delhi

New Delhi, Fri, 08 Sep 2023 NI Wire

In a X post, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has informed that he will be having three bilateral meetings with Mauritius PM, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bangladesh PM, Sheikh Hasina and US President, Joe Biden at his residence in New Delhi today evening.

Shri Modi also said that these meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

The Prime Minister posted on X;

This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence. I will be meeting Mauritius PM @KumarJugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and @POTUS @JoeBiden. The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

Source: PIB
MONTREAL, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - SCALE AI, Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster, is proud to present the first edition of ALL IN , the country's largest gathering dedicated to Canadian artificial intelligence (AI), held at the Palais des congres de Montreal on September 27th and 28th. This SCALE AI initiative, co-organized with CEIMIA, Mila - Quebec AI Institute, and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, will bring together leading AI experts, members of the industry, startups, investors, researchers, as well as many federal, provincial and municipal government stakeholders, to share their insights and explore how AI is transforming the Canadian economy.

The event will feature more than 60 case studies of AI projects successfully deployed in various industries and showcase Canada's top 100 AI startups. Executives from Canada's leading businesses and renowned researchers will also discuss key challenges regarding AI applications within areas such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, supply chain management, retail, and the environment, demonstrating how AI can revolutionize these sectors and improve Canadians' lives. The importance of better regulation and governance of AI to ensure responsible, fair, and equitable access to AI for all will also be addressed.

Over 1,400 participants are expected on site, including 300 members of foreign delegations, as well as over 10,000 participants online.

High-profile speakers include AI and business leaders from organizations such as Bombardier, Air Canada, Wealthsimple, Cohere, Coveo, Kruger and many others. Several professors, including some from McGill University, Universite de Montreal and the University of British Columbia, will also be sharing the fruits of their AI research.

The full program and the list of confirmed speakers are available here . More about ALL IN in this video .

Quotes

The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, says: "ALL IN is not only a tribute to Canadian expertise in artificial intelligence, it's also an opportunity to consolidate our position as a world leader in this promising and transformative field, whose opportunities we know how to seize. That's why our government is proud to support this event, which will enable us to establish partnerships, exchange knowledge and propel the next wave of artificial intelligence innovation in Canada."

Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for Montreal and the Metropolitan Region, says: "Montreal's inaugural edition of ALL IN reaffirms our position as an international AI industry hub. In this fast-growing sector, ALL IN will contribute to the analysis of related issues of both current and future relevance. It is a one-of-a-kind forum designed to raise awareness among the various stakeholders of the importance of setting clear benchmarks aimed at ensuring the responsible and prudent development of AI."

Julien Billot, CEO, SCALE AI, explains: "ALL IN is a world-class event showcasing real-life AI applications, services and solutions developed here at home. These cutting-edge innovations will be adopted by companies around the world, transforming the way we do business."

Helene Desmarais, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, SCALE AI, adds: "This incredible event is a great occasion for the AI community to come together and be inspired by the best in AI. Come explore how top Canadian businesses have integrated AI into their operations to optimize their activities and strengthen their position as leaders on the local and international scenes."

Sophie Fallaha, Executive Director, CEIMIA, states: "ALL IN is an exceptional event that will cover some of the most pressing challenges regarding the ethical and societal impacts of AI. The program reflects the importance of promoting multistakeholder expertise and resources to advance the development and responsible use of AI for the benefit of our society."

Yoshua Bengio, Founder and Scientific Director, Mila, mentions: "As AI continues to advance at a rapid pace, it is our responsibility to ensure that its development is done responsibly. ALL IN is an opportunity to address the complex issues of ethics, transparency, and fairness."

Michel Leblanc, President and CEO, The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, comments: "We are very pleased to welcome the Canadian AI ecosystem to Montreal. This major event confirms the city's position as a global hub for the sector and a leader in ethical AI. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have increased the urgency of a national discussion on the potential of these technologies. As Canada's largest AI event, ALL IN will be the place to be for this conversation."

This event is organized with the support of numerous public and private-sector partners - the full list of partners is available here .

Media Accreditation

Media accreditation can be requested by contacting Eric Aach at [email protected] . Any questions, press-related inquiries or interview requests can also be addressed to the media team.

About Scale AI ( scaleai.ca )

As Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster, Scale AI acts as an investment and innovation hub that accelerates the rapid adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and contributes to developing a world-class Canadian AI ecosystem. Based in Montreal and funded by the federal government and the Quebec government, Scale AI works with more than 500 industry partners, research institutes, and other players in the field of AI. The organization develops programs to support investments in companies that implement real-world applications of AI and encourage the emergence of future Canadian flagships in the sector, all while facilitating the development of a highly skilled workforce.

SOURCE Scale AI

For further information: Eric Aach, [email protected], 514-569-3594
New plaque, video, and interpretive panels help communicate the importance and complex history of the site.

ROCKY POINT, PE , Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Heath MacDonald, Member of Parliament for Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, commemorated the national historic significance of SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst National Historic Site with a special ceremony to unveil a new Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque at the site. The announcement was made on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault.

Left picture: New interpretive panels at SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst National Historic Site Credit: Parks Canada Right picture: SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst National Historic Site Credit: Parks Canada (CNW Group/Parks Canada)

The Mi'kmaq have inhabited Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island) for millennia and the area of Skmaqn  traditional Mi'kmaw for "waiting place" on the present-day shores of Rocky Point, has long been an important site. In 2018, in the spirit of reconciliation and on recommendation of the Mi'kmaw leadership of Prince Edward Island, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada added "Skmaqn" to the name of the National Historic Site. The three-part name "SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst" has been in use since that time, and the new plaque commemorating the significance of the site has now been officially unveiled.

The name "Skmaqn" is thought to have its origins in the years 1725-1758 when Mi'kmaw and French leaders met annually at the site to renew their relationship and military alliance, during a time when the French and British empires were fighting for supremacy in North America. One of the first permanent French settlements on the island, Port-la-Joye was the seat of that colonial government and a port of entry. From this site, surrendered to Great Britain in 1758 and renamed Fort Amherst, the British organized and carried out the deportation of more than 3,000 Island Acadians to France.

During today's event, new interpretive media for SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst National Historic Site, created in collaboration with L'nuey, was also launched and shared with attendees. New outdoor exhibit panels installed near the Visitor Centre have been produced in English, French and Mi'kmaw, while new trilingual panels have been installed at the earthworks of Fort Amherst and site of the Hache-Gallant homestead. Through rich historical descriptions and artistic as well as photographic imagery, the panels showcase the complex human history of the site.

A vibrant and engaging new 16-minute video  produced in Mi'kmaw, French, and English versions  was also screened during the event. The video tells the story of this important site; where three cultures, each with their own beliefs and aspirations, experienced hardships and struggles, but also successes. The video will be available for viewing at the Visitor Centre during the July-August operational season as well as online for public viewing.

Parks Canada is committed to working collaboratively with Indigenous peoples and honouring their contributions to our shared heritage, history, and future. Collaborating with numerous Indigenous communities across Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places.

Quote

"The Government of Canada is committed to reconciliation and a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples, based on a recognition of rights, respect, collaboration, and partnership. On behalf of the Government of Canada, we commemorate the national historic significance of SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst National Historic Site. I am pleased to unveil the new plaque and interpretive media at this important site, which has been historically important to many different people and cultures and continues to be a treasured place for local Islanders and visitors alike. National historic sites and designations commemorate all aspects of Canada's history, both positive and negative. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster better understanding of Canada's history."

Heath MacDonald

Member of Parliament for Malpeque

Quick Facts

SkmaqnPort-la-JoyeFort Amherst National Historic Site is located in Rocky Point, Prince Edward Island , across the harbour south of Charlottetown . Thanks to its strategic location at the harbour entrance, the site was a gateway and gathering place for centuries. As its three-part name suggests, it has played an important role in Island history and has distinct significance for Mi'kmaw, Acadian, and British-descendent communities. Here, between 1720 and 1768, events took place which helped shape the future of Prince Edward Island .

, across the harbour south of . Thanks to its strategic location at the harbour entrance, the site was a gateway and gathering place for centuries. As its three-part name suggests, it has played an important role in Island history and has distinct significance for Mi'kmaw, Acadian, and British-descendent communities. Here, between 1720 and 1768, events took place which helped shape the future of . Parks Canada works closely with Mi'kmaw leaders, communities and individuals on PEI and aims to strengthen the connection that the Mi'kmaw, as well as Acadian, French and British cultural stakeholder groups, have to the site. The new interpretive products have been produced through a contribution agreement with L'nuey, the Mi'kmaq Rights Initiative, which has been in place since 2019.

works closely with Mi'kmaw leaders, communities and individuals on PEI and aims to strengthen the connection that the Mi'kmaw, as well as Acadian, French and British cultural stakeholder groups, have to the site. The new interpretive products have been produced through a contribution agreement with L'nuey, the Mi'kmaq Rights Initiative, which has been in place since 2019. The Framework for History and Commemoration outlines a new, comprehensive, and engaging approach to sharing the stories of Canada's history through diverse, wide-ranging, and sometimes complex perspectives, including the difficult periods of our past. In particular, the Framework ensures that the history and voices of Indigenous peoples are incorporated at Parks Canada's administered sites.

history through diverse, wide-ranging, and sometimes complex perspectives, including the difficult periods of our past. In particular, the Framework ensures that the history and voices of Indigenous peoples are incorporated at Parks Canada's administered sites. Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national historic significance of persons, places, and events that have marked history in Canada . Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized, and these important stories are shared with Canadians.

advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national historic significance of persons, places, and events that have marked history in . Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized, and these important stories are shared with Canadians. The majority of nominations brought forward for the consideration of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada originate from members of the public. To nominate a person, place or historical event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.

Related Links

Skmaqn-Port-La-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site

Parks Canada Website

National historic designations

Framework for History and Commemoration

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Stacey Evans, Partnering, Engagement and Communications Officer, PEI Field Unit, Parks Canada, 782-377-2340, [email protected]; Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected]://www.twitter.com/parkscanada
From trunk-or-treats to fundraisers, costumes, window decor and everything in between, Columbus is gearing up for the last of its Halloween ac
TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Research has just been published that provides data to support investing in home and community care in Ontario.

Economic Evidence for Home and Community Care Investment: The Case for Ontario PSW Wage Parity, published this month in Longwoods Healthcare Policy, uses available personal support worker (PSW) wage data to build an evidence-based business case to demonstrate that even with equitable pay for point-of-care providers working in the sector, home and community care remains a less expensive option for delivering care in Ontario.

PSW wages by sector (CNW Group/Ontario Community Support Association) Patient costs per day (CNW Group/Ontario Community Support Association)

"This evidence aligns with the government's announced plans to invest more than $1 billion to help more Ontarians age in place," noted Deborah Simon, CEO of Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA). "While other investments are also needed, ensuring PSWs are compensated equitably across the health sector will mean support for more Ontarians and significant cost savings for the province."

"Working alongside family caregivers, home and community care PSWs support clients to live independently at home, often caring for those with complex needs and requiring specialized care. However, they are paid significantly less than PSWs working in institutional long-term care homes (ILTC) or in hospitals," shared Simon.

PSWs in the home and community care sector provide the bulk of paid care to over a million Ontarians each year. But more than 30% of Ontarians who require home or community care supports cannot access them because of a serious shortage of PSWs in the sector.

"Even if wages for home care PSWs were increased to match those working in ILTCs, the cost per patient per day would still be lower for home care than for care provided in a long term care setting. This would result in significant cost-savings for our publicly-funded health care system by delaying entry to ILTC for those who are able to remain in community with homecare support," noted health economist Dr. Katherine Zagrodney, Senior Research Associate, Quantitative Lead at VHA Home HealthCare, who conducted the research for OCSA.

This new analysis uses the example of wages for PSWs to show that even with investment to align wages between home and community care and ILTCs consistent, home and community care remains the most efficient way to deliver care. The wage discrepancy between sectors experienced by PSWs also exists with other healthcare roles. Future analyses could examine wages for nursing or rehab therapy roles, or the impact of investment in administrative and other supporting functions for home and community care.

"Given the increased demands on health care, we need to ensure we have an appropriately resourced and sustainable system. This research demonstrates that investing in home and community care is fiscally responsible and will allow more Ontarians to receive care when and where they want it, enabling more seniors to age at home where most people want to be," added Simon.

Economic Evidence for Home and Community Care Investment: The Case for Ontario PSW Wage Parity is published in issue 19.1 of Longwood's Healthcare Policy.

SOURCE Ontario Community Support Association

For further information: Rhiana Alfadili at OCSA at [email protected].
Julius Abure, national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has asked supporters of the party not to be discouraged by the judgement of the presidential election petitions tribunal.

On Wednesday, the tribunal struck out the various charges filed by Peter Obi and the LP, challenging President Bola Tinubus victory in the February 25 election.

Abure, in a statement on Friday, said the tribunal verdict would be appealed, adding that the partys participation in the 2023 elections changed the political landscape in the country.

Let me start first by thanking all our supporters, Labour Party members and the Obidient members for their immense support towards the party, Abure said.

Out of their support for the party, we have in our kitty today a governor, 35 members of the House of Representatives, 8 distinguished Senators and several House of Assembly members.

Our participation in the 2023 general election, no doubt has changed the political landscape in the country.

All these achievements by the Labour Party could not have been possible if not for the support of members of the public, the Obidient family and well-meaning and right thinking Nigerians who genuinely wanted change for the country.

I am indeed very appreciative of their efforts, their financial contributions and moral support and how they came out to vote for the party in the presidential election which we believe we won irrespective of whatever the tribunal has said.

Even the judgement is also a step towards reclaiming our country. I am therefore admonishing all our supporters not to be discouraged at all. We are preparing our papers and we are definitely moving from here to the Supreme Court.

For us as a party, we are going to sustain this momentum and we are also calling on all our supporters to sustain this momentum to take over the country and to reposition it for greatness.

It is not an easy task but I am happy that we have started, we have put our hands on the plough and we will definitely not look back.

I am therefore admonishing our supporters to remain committed to the movement and remain committed to Nigeria. Nigeria belongs to all of us and it must definitely work.
A roast beef sandwich sent Katie Voelker to the hospital in June 2022.

Six hours after dinner, she woke in the middle of the night with hives, an itchy throat, nausea and dizziness.

I had no idea what was happening to me, the Lincoln resident said. So I had my husband rush me to the hospital, worried my throat was going to close up.

Voelkers mind raced, eventually arriving at a memory of an incident from a month earlier while turkey hunting at nearby Pawnee State Recreation Area. She had been bitten by a tick, but it didn't look like Nebraskas most common blood-feeding arthropod, the American dog tick. Instead of a splotchy white band on its back, it had a single white dot.

Voelker identified it as a lone star tick, a carrier of a syndrome that can cause an allergy to red meat.

I mentioned the lone star bite to a hunting buddy and joked about how ironic it would be if I, a hunting enthusiast, ended up with a meat allergy  Voelker said.

She didnt give the bite another thought  until the sandwich incident a month later.

Until this summer, alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) was a relatively obscure disease known by scientists, researchers and a few doctors.

Then in late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that a five-year study determined up to 450,000 Americans may have been affected by AGS since 2010  nearly the combined populations of Lincoln, Columbus, Kearney and Grand Island.

If testing trends continue alongside the geographic expansion of the lone star tick, researchers wrote, the number of AGS cases in the U.S. will increase.

The syndrome causes a hypersensitivity to a sugar molecule found in most mammals outside primates. Those affected must avoid beef, pork, lamb, venison, rabbit  basically any meat from a mammal.

Experiences vary. Some peoples reactions may be mild and others life-threatening. There is no cure, but mild reactions can be treated with antihistamines.

The first few months were the hardest, said Voelker, who confirmed her infection with a blood test. My sensitivity was highest at that point, and I not only had to cut out all red meat, but dairy and other foods with mammal-derived ingredients as well.

Central to this emerging illness is one of natures most persistent pests. When ticks hop aboard a new host, they find a patch of skin  often behind the knees, the head or ankles  and cut into it with hooks that are just one part of a mouth adapted to parasitic life.

Their saliva can have anesthetic properties, preventing hosts from realizing theyve been bitten.

Its also the vessel for disease, said Jody Green, an educator with Nebraska Extension. And its getting more difficult to avoid tick spit when spending time outdoors.

Nowadays, everywhere you go thats fun is a tick-infested habitat, Green said.

Lone star ticks appear to be on the move. The arachnids historic range went as far north as extreme southern Iowa and as east as New Jersey.

In recent years, though, the tick has migrated to southeast Nebraska.

Research on the lone star tick and others has led some scientists to believe climate change is among the factors driving ticks into higher latitudes and elevations.

Environmental conditions altered by climate change do indeed influence range expansion, said Nebraska state climatologist Martha Durr. There are other factors at play as well. But this will likely be a concern for us locally.

Joseph Fauver, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Public Health, said there are other factors likely contributing to the lone star ticks presence in Nebraska.

Increasing populations of host species, such as small mammals, rodents and white tail deer, give ticks more places to feed. Development on the outskirts of towns brings people closer to the habitats ticks call home.

Were encroaching on wild spaces, he said. Surely some part of that is happening here.

The University of Nebraska and public health officials conduct ongoing tick surveillance efforts in order to monitor potential threats to people and pets. One method, tick flagging, involves dragging a piece of white fabric over grass. Ticks latch to the fabric and are identified at a lab.

Fauver and his colleagues are surveying Nebraska health care providers, physicians and agricultural operators to grasp their level of awareness regarding tick-borne illnesses.

In its announcement, the CDC cited a survey of health care professionals that found nearly half of respondents had not heard of AGS.

Were trying to gauge who knows about this, Fauver said. Are they up to speed?

The public is encouraged to report their findings to a UNL citizen scientist surveillance program, Tick Tag Go. If someone encounters a tick, they can take a photo with their phone and upload it to the site, along with location details. The submissions are then identified by local scientists.

American dog ticks lead the pack with 437 observations, but lone star ticks are not far behind at 113.

Its been great to see what ticks are out there, Green said.

Scientists, educators and public health officials dont want people to be afraid of going outside, Green said. Instead they want to empower people through awareness, and that starts with safety measures.

She tells people to wear light-colored clothing when outside, making it easier to spot ticks before they have a chance to attach. Tucking pants into socks, shirts into pants and long hair up into hats adds another barrier to entry. She also encourages carrying tweezers and a lint roller to remove any ticks found while outside.

Full-body tick checks should be done after spending time outside, and clothes worn during those activities should be tossed into a dryer on high for 30 minutes upon returning home. If you have a dog, she recommends frequent checks and applying tick prevention treatments throughout the year.

Applying insect repellents to the skin is important, but those have limitations, Green said. Among the most effective chemical prevention tools is something called permethrin, which can only be applied to clothes.

If you find a tick, Green encourages submitting an entry to Tick Tag Go for identification. If its attached, remove it with tweezers, pulling it straight out to ensure the head is removed.

Experts discourage using heat to force ticks to detach, as it can cause the parasite to vomit any potential pathogens into your bloodstream. Afterward, pay close attention to your health and any odd developments.

If you have something that cannot be explained, then you need to go to a doctor, Green said.

Fauver, an outdoor enthusiast, said vigilance is key in preventing debilitating vector-borne diseases.

If youre going to be in these spaces, just be really diligent, he said. They are here and we need to do our best to prevent them.

Voelker hasnt let AGS prevent her from hunting or spending time outdoors, but she does take more precautions. She read that people with AGS report more severe attacks after multiple bites.

Permethrin has been a game changer. I can't overstate how grateful I am to have such an effective and relatively simple solution to my tick problem  without it I'd be stuck inside six months out of the year, she said.

And though she still avoids red meat, Voelker reported her reactions to dairy have become less intense.

I was scared to eat out, scared to travel, she said. Things have recently taken a turn for the better though  I tolerate dairy pretty well now. I still have the occasional reaction, but it's worth it to have cheese back in my life.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
An operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly opened fire inside Garki market in Abuja on Thursday.

Stray bullets were said to have hit two persons afterwards.

According to Zagazola Makama, a security and counter-insurgency publication, a customer had called in some DSS operatives to arrest a tailor who had failed to meet an agreed deadline on delivery of clothes.

On learning of the presence of the DSS operatives, some of the tailors colleagues stepped in to prevent the arrest.

The intervention did not sit well with the DSS agents. One of the personnel allegedly fired a shot that injured the tailor, with a stray bullet hitting a sales girl who was sitting in her shop.

Enraged by the gunfire, the tailors colleagues tried to obstruct the departure of the DSS operatives from the market.

A footage showed alleged DSS personnel scurrying from the scene, with traders pelting their fleeing van with stones.

WE INTERVENED TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY

Reacting to the development in a statement issued on Friday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said officers prevented the situation from degenerating.

An altercation arose between market occupants and certain individuals, including a DSS personnel and a tailor named Muhammad Habibu, Adeh said.

The Garki Divisional Police station mobilized officers in response to a received distress call reporting the invasion of the market by these individuals who fired shots at this tailor.

This incident led to some of the local youths reacting angrily and attempting to confront the DSS personnel involved.

In response, the police intervened to rescue the individuals and protect public safety.

During the incident, there was damage to a section of the police outpost as some of the irate youths acted in a disorderly manner.

The police spokesperson said weapons used in the commotion have been recovered, and normalcy has been restored.

WEVE COMMENCED INVESTIGATION

Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson, said in a statement that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

He added that personnel found culpable will face disciplinary measures.

The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to an incident that occurred a few hours ago (today, 7/9/2023) between its staff and a mob at the Garki Market, Abuja, the statement reads.

Information at the disposal of the Service was that its FCT Command responded to an SOS from their field operatives who allegedly came under a mob attack in the said market.

Consequently, the Service has commenced an investigation into the matter.

The public is assured that details of the inquiries will be communicated as soon as possible.

The Service assures that it will not hesitate to mete out proper disciplinary measure(s) to its staff if found culpable or running foul of Standard Operating Procedures on dealing with a member of the public.




The wife of Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has condemned the killing of a female student of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Miss Deborah Modupe Atanda.





She commiserated with the family of the deceased and the university community mourning the loss of a promising student.





She described the killing as an act of sheer wickedness, shocking in its brutality, heartrending to the core, and absolutely condemnable.





According to her, such act of violence has no place in a civilized academic community where future leaders are nurtured.





She emphasized that a university should serve as an environment for academic pursuits and the exchange of ideas, and it should never become a site of tragedy where the destinies of the next generation of leaders are cut short.





Oyebanji pleaded that the security operatives should exert every possible human effort to identify and bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.
The National Association of Nigerian Students has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the management of the University of Lagos to reverse fee hike in the institution.

NANS executive members, led by the National Public Relations Officer, Giwa Temitope; National Vice President, External, Akinteye Afeez; and the Deputy Senate President, Ekundina Elvis among others, on Thursday, condemned the arrest of students who were protesting fee hike at UNILAG Junction on Wednesday.

Some of the protesters, Adeyeye Olorunfemi, Philip Olatinwo, Aduwo Ayodele and the Giwa, among others, were later released by the police in the evening. The security agencies had fired teargas to disperse the students at UNILAG Junction during the protest.

The Lagos State Police Command had on Tuesday said the students should inform the police of its protest plans for adequate measures to be provided but the students kicked against this, saying protest is a fundamental human right.

Addressing a press conference at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, the student leaders said, We want to state that the repression that was meted out during our protest on Wednesday against the astronomical increase in fees payable at the University of Lagos is condemnable.

According to NANS, the decision to protest the fee hike was reached after the management of the University of Lagos allegedly failed to meet the terms of the agreement met with the students on August 2, 2023 where the Vice Chancellor assured us that the fee would be reversed and reviewed through a joint body of students and management staff of the university.

When contacted for a reaction on Wednesday, the Head, Communications Unit, UNILAG, Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, said the management was not against lawful protest. She directed the students to channel their grievances to the right channel.

The university is not against lawful and peaceful protests by our students. Our students, who are currently on vacation, are enjoined to channel all grievances through the Dean, Student Affairs, who is officially empowered to interact with students, Alaga-Ibraheem said in a chat with our correspondent.

But insisting that the student body would storm UNILAG again, the NANS leaders said, The management of the University of Lagos is hereby given 48 hours ultimatum to immediately reverse the fees as agreed upon and refund students that must have paid the astronomical fees.

Consequently, all students union presidents, NANS leadership, and the Nigerian students are hereby put on notice to begin mobilisations. We shall be hitting the UNILAG gates again. The country is bleeding economically and education cannot be traded for illiteracy. It is our fundamental human right to be educated. The police authority must henceforth stop the repression of students and peoples protests. We warn all higher education and Unity Schools never to add a kobo to the fees, they added.

The UNILAG management in July 2023 increased fees from N19,000 to N190,250 for students studying medicine while for courses that require laboratory and studio, the students were to pay N140,250. The management cited prevailing economic realities as reasons.




The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has revealed that he tried to reconcile with The Osun Progressives, TOP, a faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State.





TOP is loyal to Rauf Aregbesola, his predecessor and former Interior Minister.





Oyetola, who was Osun governor from 2018 to 2022, also revealed that his efforts were on for three years.





He made this known in Osogbo on Thursday while speaking at a reception by party members to celebrate his appointment as Minister.





He commended the party leadership in the state for the steps taken to sanitise the party.





While urging members to accommodate members who are sober and ready to return to the party, he assured them that the party will return to power in 2026.





In his words, I want to assure you that we are going to reclaim Osun in 2026 by the grace of God. I want to applaud all the party loyalists and leadership of APC in Osun.





Some members of the party did anti-party, but I want to commend you for your steadfastness. I was welcomed into the state with massive respect, right from Asejire, Ikire, Gbongan, Akoda-Ede, and finally, here. I am so glad. APC is strong in Osun.





I am in support of measures taken to sanitize the party by suspending those that did anti-party within APC. This party is what I am giving my all to see to its success. Many of you have aspirations within this party, so when some people want to wreck and destabilize it, they should be dealt with.





I want to implore the remaining members to be loyal and steadfast. Those who are yet to mingle with factional groups should be considered. There is room for reconciliation, it is good, I am in support of it but anybody that you will reconcile must show remorse and be sober, he should admit his mistake and vow not to repeat same, Oyetola said.





Recall that the APC in Osun expelled and suspended some of its members.





It was alleged that the expulsions and suspensions targeted Aregbesola loyalists and TOP members.





The Osun APC defending its action, had said the affected members were involved in anti-party activities.




President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reflected on the trajectory of his life, which prepared him for leadership.





The president spoke to a gathering of Nigerians in India; where he is attending the G-20 summit.





Tinubu told a story of his slow start to greatness, including working as a security guard and a tutor in school.





Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the president of Nigeria, he said.





I started small. I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student.





I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education.





When I joined them, I asked them, do you have branches in Nigeria? and they said, we have a lot of clients that will take you, if you want to go home.





Thats how I got to Exxon Mobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer, until I joined politics with a can-do attitude.





You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from, the president exclaimed.
A young Nigerian lady (name withheld) has died aboard Egypt Air flight on her way to London, United Kingdom.

The lady was said to have left Nigeria for London onboard Egypt Air MS 876 flight to Cairo on Monday through the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos when she died on board.

A family source who confirmed the incident however said the corpse was dropped in Cairo, the Egypt Capital by the airline.

The family said the Airline didnt inform them, but rather they got a message from the consular office in Cairo informing them of her death on board the flight. Please they need to know what exactly happened and how to get her corpse back to Nigeria, a source close to the family said.

Our correspondent learnt that the lady was going to London on a student visa and boarded Egypt Air on connecting flight to London.

She was to connect to London via Egypt Air MS777 the following day.

There was no immediate response from Egypt Air as of press time as a source close to the airline said they were still awaiting information from Cairo on the incident.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, has given the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) two weeks to clear all the pending passport applications.

Tunji-Ojo gave the order on Thursday during a meeting with Caroline Adepoju, acting comptroller-general of immigration, in Abuja.

The meeting was also attended by Yinka Fisher, managing director of Iris Smart Technologies, the company in charge of the production of Nigerian passport booklets.

The minister said the order was in fulfilment of his promise to remove all bottlenecks in the acquisition of Nigerian passports and other immigration documents.

Delays in the processing and enrolment of passports in Nigeria have been a source of frustration for citizens, causing significant delays in obtaining crucial travel documents, NAN quoted Tunji-Ojo as saying.

Having to deal with about 200,000 backlogs calls for a national emergency.

As far as I am concerned, the issue of passport is a national emergency; I keep getting emails daily from Nigerians complaining.

We cannot continue like this. It has become an embarrassment to President Bola Tinubu. I represent him here as your minister.

That embarrassment is mine now. I am not changing my words. I need the backlog cleared in two weeks.

I get daily reports on enrolment from NIS on my phone. This is my best way to be in the know of the situation.

Nigerians deserve the best. It is their right to own a passport if they can afford it. We will also ensure that our debts are cleared by November.

My position remains that the delay in the process of obtaining the passport must end.

In their remarks, Adepoju and Fisher assured the minister that all necessary resources and measures would be deployed to clear the backlog of passport applications.

Adepoju said while the number of enrolments as of Thursday morning spills into 200,000 across the country, the NIS has secured enough booklets to clear the backlog.




North Korea, in defiance of United Nations, has launched its first operational tactical nuclear attack submarine.





The Submarine No. 841, named Hero Kim Kun Ok, has been assigned to the fleet that patrols the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, state media said on Friday.





Leader Kim Jong Un said at the launch ceremony on Wednesday that the submarine will be one of the main underwater offensive means of the naval force of North Korea,





Analysts said the vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s and began producing domestically. Its design, with 10 launch tube hatches, showed it was most likely armed with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, analysts said.





But such weapons wont add much value to the Norths more robust land-based nuclear forces, because the ageing submarines used as the core of the new design are relatively noisy, slow and have limited range, meaning they may not survive as long during a war, said Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who works with the 38 North project in Washington.





North Korea speaks on U.S. military defector Travis King

When this thing is field deployed, its going to be quite vulnerable to allied anti-submarine warfare, he said. So I think from a sort of hard-headed military standpoint this doesnt make a lot of sense.





South Koreas military said that the submarine didnt appear ready for normal operations, and that there were signs North Korea was attempting to exaggerate its capabilities.





At the launch ceremony, Kim said arming the navy with nuclear weapons was an urgent task and promised more underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons for the naval forces, news agency KCNA reported.





North Koreas nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the submarine launch drew condemnation from South Korea and Japan.





North Koreas military activity is posing graver and more imminent threat to our countrys security than before, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a briefing.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Abdullahi, has said the party is yet to recover from the shock of the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Abdullahi wondered why the judges ruled that there was nothing wrong with the last presidential election.

On Wednesday, the tribunal dismissed all petitions from the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart from Labour Party, Peter Obi against President Bola Tinubu.

The court had affirmed Tinubus victory in the February 14 presidential election.

Reacting to the tribunal outcome, Abdullahi said it would have made much sense if the tribunal had ordered a rerun.

Featuring on Arise Television on Friday, Abdullahi said there was enough evidence provided by the PDP to nullify the election.

According to Abdullahi: There was a lot of evidence that was provided by the parties to nullify the election.

If the judges had nullified the election and ordered a rerun, it wouldve made a lot of sense.

But for the respected judges to say that from the beginning to the end, theres nothing wrong with the election; its a shock to us. We are yet to recover from the shock.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday, described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the mother of all political parties in the country.

He said even the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, would not have existed if not for the PDP.

Atiku addressed the press in Abuja on Thursday, to air his view on the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu.

Let me finally give hope to some of the delusional or disappointed members of our party, Atiku said.

I am one of the foundational members of this party, and Im still strong, Atiku said.

This party gave birth to any other party you can think of in this country today.

Whether you are APC, or APMwhatever you call yourselfyour mother is the PDP.

This is the only party since the creation of Nigeria that is as old as it is today.
WAYNE  A former Winside Public Schools teacher was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for having sex with a 17-year-old male high school student.

Cali Heikes, 26, of Winside, faced up to six years in prison after pleading guilty in July in Wayne County District Court to a reduced charge of criminal attempt  first-degree sexual abuse by a school employee and one count of second-degree sexual abuse by a school employee.

Both charges had sentencing ranges of zero to three years in prison. District Judge Mark Johnson sentenced Heikes to two years on each charge. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended the sentences be served concurrently, or at the same time. A second count of second-degree sexual abuse by a school employee was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

After completing her prison sentence, Heikes will serve 18 months of post-release supervision and must register with the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.

Heikes was arrested Jan. 22 after the Wayne County Sheriff's Office investigated a tip about her ongoing relationship with the student. Heikes later submitted her resignation as a family consumer science teacher and librarian.

She was the second Winside teacher sentenced this year for having inappropriate contact with a student.

Rachel McPhillips, 29, of Norfolk, who taught art at Winside, was sentenced in April to 180 days in jail and two years' probation on charges of disturbing the peace and attempted child abuse. She was charged with having sexual contact with a 15-year-old male student.
Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has advised Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to dump their bid to challenge Wednesdays verdict of Presidential Election Petition Tribunal affirming the victory of Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress, APC.

Wike spoke on Channels Television said this in reaction to announcements by Obi and Atiku that they will challenge the dismissals of their challenge to the declaration of Tinubu as winner of 2023 presidential election by the PEPC.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had declared Tinubu the winner of the 2023 presidential election, described as the most competitive ever in Nigeria with 8.79m votes.

Atiku and Obi came second and third respectively among the 18 candidates that contested the election with 6.98m and 6.1m votes.

On Wednesday, the five-man panel of PEPC led by Justice Haruna Tsammani dismissed the petitions of the two candidates over the failure of the petitioners to provide proofs that the election was marred by irregularities and that Tinubu was not qualified to participate in it.

But at different press conferences on Thursday, Atiku and Obi said they would challenge the victory of the PEPC at the Supreme Court.

However, Wike a lawyer, said the PEPC only affirmed the will of Nigerians while commending the PEPC for affirming Tinubus victory.

He accused the opposition candidates of relying on propaganda and social media to win their cases at the PEPC instead of presenting evidence and facts.

The Minister who said he sat down to watch the live transmission of the PEPC judgment for over 10 hours commended the PEPC judges for the painstaking manner they dealt with the petitions.

I sat down for not less than 10 hours. Look at how the justices painstakingly took each item one by one, from the preliminary objections to the motions, down to the objections on documents and exhibits, down to substantial issues, the minister said.

He also accused Obi of hypocrisy, noting that the LP candidate did not take issues with the judiciary when he was able to retrieve his mandate as governor of Anambra State through the Supreme Court in 2007.

Did Peter Obi not win at the Supreme Court when he was removed as governor? Did he pay a bribe? Let him tell the world now, Wike said.

When he was removed as a governor, did he not reclaim his mandate at the Supreme Court? Judiciary was right but now that the decision happened, the judiciary is wrong.

Wike also said he supported Tinubu rather than Obi and Atiku in the presidential election because he knew the LP candidate cannot win the February 25 presidential election.
A Camden County wildfire that has been burning since late last month continued to spew smoke into the area, officials said.

The fire started on Aug. 20 and burned through about 1,700 acres of the Wharton State Forest in Camden County before it was declared 100% contained three days later, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The wildfire is still considered 100% contained.

Residents in Burlington and Camden counties were warned to expect a smoke condition stemming from the blaze, dubbed the Dragway Wildfire, to continue until significant rain falls over the area, the service said in a social media post.

Towns most impacted by the smoke include Berlin, Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Shamong, Voorhees and Waterford, fire officials said. Residents in those towns with respiratory conditions were asked to keep their windows closed and limit outdoor activity.

The smoke condition is being caused by the fire burning down into the duff layer of soil of the forest that is made up of partly decaying organic material, authorities said. This is common with summer fires and the higher humidity in the evening and overnight hours has caused the smoke to lay low to the ground.

The fire is not a threat to any homes or other structures, the service said.

Forest Fire Service crews were still on scene to improve containment lines, mop-up hotspots along the fire perimeter and monitor the area, officials said.

The Wharton State Forest is the largest single tract of land in New Jerseys park system. It spans more 110,000 acres in Atlantic, Burlington and Camden counties.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Some schools in New Jersey are again sending students home early Friday though New Jerseys heat wave is starting to let up, if only with slightly lower temperatures today.

New Jerseys second largest school district, in Jersey City, had an early dismissal on its first day of classes Thursday, and students are again being sent home early on Friday.

The Freehold Regional High School District in Monmouth County is opting for a third consecutive day of early dismissals due to the lingering heat impacts in our buildings after this weeks high temperatures, according to an announcement on its website.

Some other districts are resuming full schedules. The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, which had early dismissals Wednesday and Thursday, is resuming a full schedule Friday. Students in West Orange will have a regular day, following an early dismissal Thursday.

The states largest school district, in Newark, kept with a full schedule this week, prompting criticism from the teachers union president.

Friday is expected to be the sixth straight day that parts of the state reached at least 90 degrees.

Here are some of the districts with early dismissals Friday due to the weather:

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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
The driver of a fatal crash with a tractor trailer in Jersey City last week has been charged with death by auto, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

Newark resident Gabriel Melo, 22, was arrested on Thursday and brought to Hudson County jail in Kearny, pending his first court appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13, Suarez said.

At around 2:15 a.m., Jersey City police responded to the area of the Route 1&9 north ramp and Route 139 West and found a 2018 Audi had flipped onto its roof after a crash with a tractor trailer.

A passenger of the Audi, Bloomfield resident Daniella Rosario, 21, was killed in the crash. Three others, including Melo, were taken to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The 53-year-old driver of the tractor trailer was not injured, Suarez previously said.

Melo was initially issued a motor vehicle summons.

At the time, it was the fourth fatal crash on Hudson County roadways since Aug. 13.

Officials with Hudson County last month announced to creation of a Vision Zero task force in an attempt to eliminate roadway fatalities.

Earlier this year the county was awarded a $480,000 federal grant for the Hudson County Action Plan project funded by the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, a competitive grant program created by the Federal Department of Transportation to improve roads and address traffic fatalities.

The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the Jersey City Police Department are actively investigating this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at (201) 915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.
EDITORS NOTE: NJ Cannabis Insider, NJ.coms B2B cannabis industry trade journal and events vertical, is hosting the states foremost business conference on Oct. 12. Tickets are limited.

Recreational legal weed consumers in New Jersey are one step closer to placing orders for delivery of their favorite strain as the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission begins accepting applications for wholesaler, distributor and delivery services later this month.

The launch of these new cannabis business license classes represents a significant step in the continued growth and diversification of New Jerseys cannabis industry, said Commission Chairwoman Dianna Houenou in a press release.

The three new classes of licenses will help facilitate a wider access to cannabis, allow for better consumer privacy, and possibly push prices in New Jerseys expensive legal weed market lower, according to industry experts.

What this will do is it will create more access to cannabis, both medical and non-medical, said John Fanburg, co-chair of the cannabis practice at Roseland-based law firm Brach Eichler.

Although approximately 70% of the states municipalities have opted out of allowing legal cannabis businesses, Fanburg said these towns wont be able to prevent recreational cannabis products from coming inside their borders with the new delivery licenses.

The way the law is set up, a municipality cannot prevent a home delivery from coming into their municipality from a retail establishment in a town where they have a license, Fanburg said.

The change may cause some communities to think twice about prohibiting dispensaries, Fanburg said, especially when the product is being delivered within their borders anyway.

Right now, consumers must pick up their orders in-person at one of the 47 shops where adults can buy recreational weed in New Jersey. Whereas, medical cannabis dispensaries have been allowed to deliver products to their patients at home since June 2020, a change that was made to ease patient access and allow people to stay away from dispensaries to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Businesses are expecting a very high demand for delivery services, said Tiyahnn Bryant, founder of Roll Up Life Inc., the first Black-owned CBD delivery and logistics cannabis company in the state.

Not only is delivery convenient for the consumer, but it also allows for a more private purchasing experience for customers who dont want to visit a dispensary, Bryant said.

Roll Up Life is working on a new software platform that will allow recreational consumers to view dispensaries near them licensed for delivery and then choose from participating delivery companies on the platform to execute their order. Bryant said the technology will allow consumers to select who they want to deliver their order, if they have a preferred delivery service. If there is no preference, the order will be given to the closest delivery service.

However, Bryant wont be able to apply for a delivery license until at least December. The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission is only accepting applications from social equity businesses starting Sept. 27. This means the business owner has lived in an Economically Disadvantaged Area of the state or has convictions for cannabis-related offenses, expunged or not.

Social equity applicants are prioritized in the business license application process, according to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Diversely owned companies  meaning minority-owned, woman-owned, or disabled veteran-owned  can apply starting Dec. 27. All others can apply starting March 27, 2024.

Since Bryant does not have a criminal conviction and his address does not qualify as part of an Economically Disadvantaged Area, he has to wait until after Christmas to apply for a delivery license. The delay was disheartening for Bryant, who created Roll Up Life in 2019 after observing the lack of minority representation in the cannabis industry.

But, were trying to do what we can and make the best of it. Were strongly ready to apply come December, Bryant said.

Another experienced applicant who will have to wait to enter the delivery market is Claudia Post, founder of MOST Consulting Group, a cannabis marketing company. In 2021, Post also launched Scarlet Express, a dispensary delivery service providing cannabis deliveries to patients in every state.

Businesses are going to have to do their homework if they want to enter delivery, said Post, who has more than 20 years of experience in transportation, logistics, supply chain and chain of custody.

Theyll need to understand not only the compliance piece and all the different regulations with cannabis, but they have to also be cognizant of what it takes to do deliveries, said Post.

The three new categories of licenses differ slightly from one another.

A delivery license would allow a business to transport retail purchased cannabis and cannabis products to consumers. A wholesaler is a business that stores, buys and/or sells bulk cannabis and cannabis products. Meanwhile, a distributor transports bulk cannabis and cannabis products.

Recreational cannabis businesses may integrate vertically, meaning operators can hold any combination of a cultivator license, a manufacturer license, a retailer license, and a delivery service license simultaneously. Operators may also hold a wholesale and a distributor license simultaneously. All recreational license holders can have only one business in each class.

Cannabis retailers will not need to apply for a delivery license if they choose to deliver to customers.

In addition to discussing the new license categories, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission is expected to discuss the expansion of edible cannabis products, approve more retail stores to open and an adjustment of the social equity excise fee at its next monthly meeting on Friday at 1 p.m.

All public meetings of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission are available via live stream or recorded on the commissions YouTube channel.

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
Four men from New Jersey have been arrested on accusations they used their New York City jewelry stores as fronts to run illegal money transmitting businesses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.

Raj Vaidya, 26, Rakesh Vaidya, 51, Shrey Vaidya, 23, and Neel Patel, 26, all of Edison, along with Youssef Janfar, 57, of Great Neck, New York, were charged by complaint with operating and aiding and an unlicensed money transmitting business.

The men are accused of using the jewelry stores they own in Manhattans Diamond District to process more than $673 million in transactions without the proper license, according to the complaint.

The services they offered to customers included wire transfers and converting cash into checks, authorities said. They collected substantial fees for the services  up to 2.7% on transactions that totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars  and at times moved millions of dollars in cash in a single day, according to the complaint.

The businesses involved in the operation were Karats & Carats, Diamspark  Lab Grown Diamonds, Royal Diamonds, Royal Arya Jewellery, Sarah Jewells, Raj Gold and Diamond Inc. and Raj Gold and Diamond LLC, prosecutors said.

The attorneys on the case did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday evening.

All five men appeared in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel on Thursday and were released on an unsecured bond.

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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
UPDATE: Body cam video shows rogue N.J. alligator make a run for it as cops chase him down the street

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A rogue alligator that forced a park in Middlesex Borough to close for more than two weeks has been captured alive and is headed to a new life through a Cape May County Zoo relocation program.

Police responded to a call just after 10 p.m. Thursday from a concerned citizen who spotted the 4-foot alligator near Second Avenue in the Possumtown neighborhood in Piscataway, said Gene Wilk, spokesman for Piscataway Police Department.

Many officers from the afternoon and night squads responded and the alligator was subdued and restrained by Patrol Officer Ian Paglia until the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections Fish & Wildlife Division took custody of it, Wilk said in a press release.

Body camera footage captured the moment officers finally tracked down the alligator Thursday night on the road in front of a residence. As several officers surrounded the alligator, it scrambled onto a nearby lawn before one officer placed his foot on the reptiles tale to prevent it from going any further, according to the video.

Footage shows the officer moved his foot onto the reptiles jaw to keep it closed while he pulled out a leash and secured it around the alligator to ensure it couldnt get away while waiting for wildlife officials to arrive.

The capture came after officials in neighboring Middlesex Borough said they thought they may have shot and killed the reptile. Prior to Thursday night, there had been no confirmed sightings of the alligator in or near Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex Borough since Aug. 26, when an officer fired a single, nighttime shot at the reptile in the Ambrose Brook.

Officials believe the rogue alligator was living in the suburban waterways near the Piscataway-Middlesex Borough border since at least last month. It is unclear how it came to the area or if it was a pet that someone released. Alligators are not native to New Jersey.

The presence of this alligator in our waterways posed a threat to the public safety of our community, which is our paramount mission as a police department, said Middlesex Borough Chief Matthew P. Geist.

The reptile was relocated to the Cape May County Zoo, Geist said.

The alligator has been relocated temporarily to Cape May County Zoo and will head to a sanctuary in Florida this fall. (Photo courtesy of Cape May County Zoo)

The Piscataway alligator, which arrived at the Cape May County Zoo early Friday afternoon, is not expected to be put on display, said general curator and supervising animal keeper Kevin Wilson.

Instead, it will be part of the zoos alligator relocation program and kept in a separate isolated area outside of the reptile house. Alligators in the relocation program are usually kept at the zoo until the fall, when Wilson drives them to Croc Encounters, a wildlife sanctuary in Tampa, Florida.

Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex Borough, where the alligator was spotted, has been reopened to the public, officials said. But, fishing and swimming are not still permitted.

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Staff Writer Rob Jennings contributed to this report.

Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
A New Jersey mother whose 2-year-old son died after he ingested fentanyl while in her care last year was sentenced to 15 years in state prison.

Natalie M. Sabie, 35, of Lacey, was sentenced to 10 years for aggravated manslaughter and five years for endangering the welfare of a child, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said Friday.

Sabie found the toddler unresponsive before police arrived at her home on Sept. 7, 2022, officials said. Emergency workers treated the boy and brought him to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Toxicology results released on Oct. 12 revealed the child had a significant amount of fentanyl in his system. Two other children also resided in the home at the time.

Sabie was arrested two days after the toxicology results were released and has been since held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

She was indicted in April and pleaded guilty to both charges on July 12.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
Environmentalists looking to stop the Tennessee Gas Company pipeline expansion through North Jersey won a victory last week when an appellate court said state officials should reconsider the project.

The appellate court sided with environmental groups in a ruling issued last week that invalidated an exemption the gas company used to get approval for the controversial project as a routine upgrade. The appellate court judges said the project should go back to the state Department of Environmental Protection for reconsideration.

The ruling effectively threw a wrench into Tennessee Gas $246 million project to increase its pipeline capacity through New Jersey to deliver more natural gas to New York.

Construction of a brand new, $108 million compressor plant in West Milford in Passaic County is already underway, as are improvements to existing compressor units in Sussex County and Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

Tennessee Gas argued the project was a routine upgrade of its natural gas delivery system  and not subject to the stricter environmental standards of the Highlands Act, the 2004 New Jersey law that protects open space and natural resources in part of North Jersey.

The language of the Highlands Act, while somewhat ambiguous, allows for public utilities to do work inside the ecologically-sensitive Highlands Preservation Area as long as the projects are considered routine.

The state Department of Environmental Protection issued an exemption allowing the construction after the gas company said the project was routine. Three environmental groups  Food and Water Watch, the Sierra Club, and the New Jersey Highlands Coalition  responded with a lawsuit, arguing that the expansion project was anything but routine.

Environmentalists argue without the exemption, the project cannot continue. They called on Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Department of Environmental Protection to issue a stop work order.

Once this ruling came down, the DEP had all the information that it needed to issue a stop work order, said Matt Smith, the New Jersey director of Food and Water Action. The burden of proof is no longer on the public.

Smith said construction of the new compressor at the site of an old quarry off Burnt Meadow Road in West Milford has continued since the court ruling. The nonprofit group has drone footage of construction crews working the site earlier this week, which Food and Water Action officials shared with NJ Advance Media.

State Department of Environmental Protection officials said they are reviewing the project.

This matter, which was remanded by the court to the Department of Environmental Protection for further consideration, is under active departmental review. As further regulatory determinations are made, they will be made available to the public, said Larry Hajna, a department spokesman.

A spokesman for Kinder Morgan, the parent company of Tennessee Gas, declined to comment on the appellate ruling or the companys plans moving forward.

The governors office and the Attorney Generals office declined to comment.

In a statement following the court ruling, Anjuli Ramos-Busot, the New Jersey director of the Sierra Club, said the states exemption for the gas pipeline expansion was a rubber stamp on what she termed another unnecessary fossil-fuel project.

Now, the NJDEP needs to stop Tennessee Gas Pipelines illegal construction going on, she said. More importantly, Gov. Murphy must clearly see that this project is not needed and shut it down.

Elliot Ruga, a communications director for the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, said the environmental groups are considering a new lawsuit to force the state to stop the project. Ruga said the three non-profits notified the state on Wednesday they are considering a lawsuit under the Environmental Rights Act to compel the state Department of Environmental Protection to enforce the Highlands Act.

Tennessee Gas operates nearly 12,000 mile of pipeline, pumping natural gas from Louisiana and Texas through the southern states and into Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The company is a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, the countrys largest supplier of natural gas.

According to the Kinder Morgan website, Tennessee Gas wants to increase its capacity to meet the needs of ConEdison customers in New York. To do that, the company needs to modify its two existing compressors and build a new one with its own power station on a piece of land off Route 511 and Burnt Meadow Road in West Milford.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued permits for the project, known as the East 300 Upgrade, in April 2022. Environmental groups in New Jersey lined up against the project, citing the potential for explosions, the destruction of habitat and the threat to the water supply.

New Jersey doesnt get any of the gas. All we get is the pollution and the risk, said Smith, the New Jersey director of Food and Water Action. Its clear that the climate crisis is deepening, and the Murphy administration has gone to court to argue in favor of this project. The governor likes to say that New Jersey is the greenest state in the union, but this is hypocrisy.

Adopted in 2004, the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act is a sweeping land-use bill that covers 88 municipalities and parts of Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties. The goal of the legislation was to contain sprawl and protect the water supply used by half of New Jerseys residents.

The legislation divides the 800,000-acre Highlands region into two zones. The Preservation Area, which is about 398,000 acres, comprises the most ecologically sensitive lands with the strictest regulations. The compressor being built in West Milford is in the Preservation Area.

The other zone is Highland Planning Area, where regulation is less restrictive and sensible, Smart Growth development is encouraged.

The Highlands Act allows for 17 exemptions. Among them is an Exemption 11 for public utilities to do routine maintenance and operations, rehabilitation, preservation, reconstruction, repair, or upgrade of public utility lines, rights of way, or systems as long as the activity is consistent with the goals and purposes of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, according to the appellate ruling.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.Richard Cowen may be reached at rcowen@njadvancemedia.com.
Severe thunderstorms on Friday and periods of rain on both Saturday and Sunday in New Jersey will make for a weekend less than ideal for outdoor plans, forecasters say.

While it will still be hot on Friday and Saturday, conditions wont be nearly as stifling as they have been this week, which has featured five consecutive days of 90-plus degrees in parts of the state.

The strongest of the thunderstorms on Friday could fire up as early as 2 p.m. and include winds gusts as high as 60 mph as well as hail, the National Weather Service said. On-and-off storms could pop up until about 10 p.m.

Isolated storms are also possible on Friday morning.

A heat advisory remains in effect for Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and western Union counties until 6 p.m. as heat indexes of 95 to 100 are expected.

At least a dozen New Jersey school districts called for early dismissals again on Friday due to the heat.

There are no other heat advisories for the rest of the state, though highs will still climb to the upper 80s to low 90s.

Thunderstorms are possible in New Jersey this afternoon and evening Strong wind gust and hail are also a threat.National Weather Service

Saturday will be a touch cooler with more periodic showers and thunderstorms expected. The day wont be a washout as periods of dry weather are expected. Highs will be in the low to mid 80s.

Sunday is likely to be a similar story, but with a higher chance of rain, the weather service said in its Friday morning forecast discussion. Flooding wont be much of a threat either day except for urban areas with poor drainage. Highs will be in the low 80s.

Hurricane Lee intensified into a category 5 storm on Thursday. It won't be known for several more days if Lee might impact the U.S.AccuWeather.com

Hurricane Lee has intensified considerably in the past 24 hours as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean and is now a Category 5 storm, the most severe. Its winds have grown by about 80 mph since Thursday morning. While models indicate it wont threaten New Jersey, its far too early to be certain.

It is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast late next week, especially since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwest Atlantic, the hurricane center said.

As of 5 a.m. Friday Lee was packing maximum winds of 165 miles per hour and was 630 miles west of the Leeward Islands, churning west-northwest at 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Rip currents from the hurricane are expected to affect the Atlantic coast of the U.S., including New Jersey, as soon as next week.

Current weather radar

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
China Looks to Make ASEAN Digital Yuan Move  CBDC Breakthrough Imminent?

Source: Opgrapher/Adobe

China is planning to showcase its digital yuan to the ASEAN nations, and could seek to make cross-regional use of its CBDC in the bloc.

Some of the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members are politically aligned with China.

But others are have closer ties to Washington.

Per the China News Network, the cities of Nanning and Fangchenggang, in the Guangxi region, are planning to build a digital [yuan] application pilot demonstration zone for the ASEAN.

Fangchenggang is Chinas southernmost port city and is a hub of trade with ASEAN nations.

Nanning, meanwhile, is home to the China-ASEAN Plaza and last year hosted the China-ASEAN expo.

The new zone will feature free trade-related developments that will seek to boost China-ASEAN cooperation.

The same media outlet noted that the state-run commercial bank, the Bank of China, has been active in exploring possible ASEAN-wide applications for the digital yuan.

The banks local branch has participated in commercial tests for a multilateral CBDC bridge project that has been jointly implemented by the central banks of four countries.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN witnessed the handover of the ASEAN Chairmanship from the Republic of Indonesia to Lao PDR at the closing ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits today in Jakarta. pic.twitter.com/GyV7GvnpXg  ASEAN (@ASEAN) September 7, 2023

The outlet noted that the bank was close to achieving a breakthrough in the cross-border use of digital yuan.

Chinese Hoping for ASEAN Digital Yuan Progress?

Beijing has been keen to promote the use of the yuan (in place of the US dollar) in international trade deals.

But it thus far has held back on involving its CBDC in these efforts.

However, the governments rhetoric on the CBDC has taken a decided change this year.

Whereas the central Peoples Bank of China (PBoC) was once insistent that the e-CNY was a purely domestic project, it has this year launched a number of cross-border CBDC pilots in Hong Kong and Macau.

Both are Chinese territories, but Hong Kong and Macau also have their own economies and currencies.

The PBoC has spoken on numerous occasions this year about a willingness to explore the cross-border potentials of the coin.

Recent Beijing allies such as Minsk and Moscow, meanwhile, have sped up the issuance of their own CBDCs.

Both have emphasized the importance of CBDC cross-border capacities.

Senior Russian politicians have openly spoken about possible CBDC interoperability with China.

Chinas government and the PBoC have remained relatively tight-lipped on these matters.

The ASEAN nations. (Source: RizkyJogja [CC BY-SA 4.0])

But ASEAN nations have actively been perusing de-dollarization efforts, and Beijing is hopeful its CNY will help fill any voids left by such efforts.

Per ASEAN Briefing, central banks in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are already using dollar-free contactless QR code payment systems that do away with USD-powered intermediaries.

Cambodia, an early CBDC pioneer, could well be interested in exploring the notion of CBDC-powered trade with nations like China.

Indonesia, which this month launched a de-dollarization task force, is actively exploring its own CBDC options.

The Bank of Indonesia last year noted in its CBDC white paper that it wanted to include cross-border usage contexts in the framework of its digital rupiah project.
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Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Sunny skies during the morning giving way to clouds and a few showers late. High 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 31F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
While in high school, Orlando Gilbert got a handle on New Orleans brass band songs like Paul Barbarins Second Line and Gimme My Money Back playing alongside his father, John Prince Gilbert, in the Treme Brass Band at standing Tuesday night gigs at d.b.a.

But it wasnt until he was working in London during the pandemic that he realized how meaningful his connections to New Orleans music were.

I was working for this school, World Heart Beat Music Academy, Gilbert says. They had me teaching New Orleans music. The students had already learned Do Whatcha Wanna, and I was like, do you know who was one of the members of that group? I was like, people across the world are playing my fathers music, but they dont know who my father is. So I decided, its time to make an album to try to lift him up while also making my debut.

Orlando and John Gilbert celebrated the release of the album, A Crescent City Connection, with a show at Vaughans Lounge during Labor Day weekend. Orlando Gilbert continues Saturday night shows at Vaughans through September, mixing traditional New Orleans brass band songs and contemporary jazz originals.

A Crescent City Connection is bookended by songs featuring John Gilbert. The albums final two songs, Freedom and Do Whatcha Wanna are Rebirth Brass Band classics. John Gilbert was an early Rebirth member who is featured on the original recording of Do Whatcha Wanna.

We Gunna Have a Good Time is a cover of a song written by Shamarr Allen and John Gilbert, and built on one of Gilberts saxophone riffs.

My dad is one of the great innovators of New Orleans brass band saxophone tradition, Orlando Gilbert says.

John Gilbert spent much of his early career with Rebirth, later joined New Birth Brass Band, and has spent the last decade with Treme, where hes handled more lead singing.

Most songs on the album feature different lineups, and contributors include Shannon Powell on drums and Chris Severin on bass. Orlando Gilberts New Orleans Party is steeped in New Orleans traditional sounds and local references, and features Herlin Riley on drums.

The album was recorded at Troy Trombone Shorty Andrews studio, who provided use of the space. Last week, Andrews brought Orlando Gilbert to Miami to play in his band in a tribute to Lil Wayne at BMIs R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.

The Gilberts share saxophone parts on many tracks. But the more modern jazz tune, Wildman has Orlando paired with his mentor Donald Harrison Jr. Gilbert met Harrison in the Tipitinas Internship Program, and that helped propel him to the Berklee College of Music.

At Berklee, Gilbert studied under Bill Pierce, who had played in Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers with Harrison, Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis. The tune Messenger Interlude is an homage to some of those mentors.

Lilt and Chime is a sophisticated modern piece composed by pianist Karen Shiraishi, who plays on most of the albums tracks.

One of the most moving works on the album is the ballad When You Stopped My Heart, which Orlando wrote during the pandemic. While battling Covid complications in the hospital, John Gilberts heart stopped beating for nearly two minutes, Orlando Gilbert says.

That scare underscored the impulse to make the album.

The album was about how New Orleans musical families and family connections are so important to the city, Orlando Gilbert says. This album is supposed to shine a little light on this musical interaction thats so important for our culture. I wanted to show the progression of a lineage. I have had all these different experiences and been able to come back and share that with my father and all these different people.

A Crescent City Connection is available on CD and at orlandogilbert.bandcamp.com. Orlando Gilbert performs at 8-11 p.m. Saturdays in September at Vaughan's Lounge.
Coinbase Pushes Toward Global Expansion, Sets Sights On Regulated Markets

Source: Adobe / Rafael Henrique

Digital asset exchange Coinbase sets out plans for a global expansion flagging jurisdictions outside the United States as near-term priority markets.

In a recent blog post , the company highlighted several challenges in the US markets citing bottleneck regulations leading to an exodus of both investors and creators.

Today, 83% of G20 members and major financial hubs have made progress toward regulatory clarity for crypto. But the US is an outlier.



A picture paints a thousand words. https://t.co/DpxoKFr4yV pic.twitter.com/KvQ4q0zlsn  Coinbase  (@coinbase) September 7, 2023

Nana Murugesan and Tom Duff Gordon, Coinbases vice presidents for international business and international policy, noted that the expansion plans will target Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and the European Union.

Going further, the executives noted that these countries are currently edging toward clear rules on digital assets while the United States continues to miss out.

Every part of the world is seeing progress on crypto-forward regulation except for the U.S., which is opting for a strategy of enforcement of existing rules and new regulations through the courts.

In its expansion plans termed Go broad, Go deep, the exchange highlighted the next step to drive products in other markets. The firm would focus on licenses, registrations, and flagging off new operations in the above-mentioned jurisdictions.

The duo also added that they were in the final stages of selecting a MiCA hub in Europe following an established regulatory framework in the continent.

Go broad, Go Deep- Coinbase keen on new markets

Per the blog post, the exchange is set to expand its Go Broad products with forward-thinking regulators. The products include the International Exchange launched under the supervision of the Bermuda Monetary Authority and Coinbase Wallet which aims to make web3 safer and more versatile globally.

 @coinbase announced the launch of Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS), a set of wallet infrastructure APIs that allows any company to onboard their users to #Web3.  Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) March 9, 2023

They further disclosed plans for a working partnership with banks and payment service providers to expand and integrate more systems making transactions hassle-free as well as its derivatives market.

The expansion plan efforts entail steps to become compliant with the laws of every country including local events for community development.

Were committed to helping to update the global financial system and providing more economic freedom and opportunity, and wont stand idle just because the U.S. is.

Regulation: American nightmare, EUs blessing

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alongside the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed several cases against digital asset firms leading to many terming US regulators as hostile in their approach towards digital assets.

This year, the SEC instituted lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance for allegedly offering unregistered securities, a claim that the exchange refutes.

The ongoing regulatory debacle has resulted in Brian Armstrong, Coinbase CEO noting that the firm could relocate from the United States although he later clarified that an exit is not even in the realm of possibility.

The company also stated in its release that 83% of G20 members are big on regulatory clarity as well as a renewed drive by EU nations and Hong Kong to grant Virtual Assets Service Provider Licenses (VASP).

The exchange highlights Europes growing stance in the market as it hosts about two-thirds of blockchain opportunities and is now almost at par with the US in terms of developer roles at 29%.

In a related development, observers have stated that the exchange commitment to Brazil will pay off as the country will take over the leadership of the G20 in December 2023.
One year after officials announced they would move certain high-risk teens to a temporary facility on Louisiana State Penitentiary grounds, attorneys for some of the youth have filed an emergency motion seeking to remove them from the prison, saying they have been confined in sleeping quarters without air conditioning, held in extended isolation and forced to shower while shackled and handcuffed.
The already-low Mississippi River is set to reach levels so low by the end of the month that some decades-old records could be broken.

A report released Wednesday by the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center said there's been a lack of rain over the entire Mississippi River basin, which includes part or all of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. That has caused the river to drop to near-record lows in multiple states.

In Louisiana, at least one record is expected to fall, while others are expected to come close. Recent drought years that resulted in low river levels include 2000, 2012 and 2022, and forecasters said it was likely that those years' record low river levels would be challenged or exceeded.
Kenner police accused Coleman, a friend of the victim's family, of kissing the teen several times before she began having sex with him at the Kenner lakefront.

The teen's mother discovered the relationship when she questioned him in late July after noticing a change in his behavior, Cunningham said.

Coleman was booked under the state's carnal knowledge law, which makes it illegal for a person over 17 to have consensual sexual intercourse with a person who is older than 13 but less than 17, police said.

During an Aug. 10 bond hearing in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court, Criminal Commissioner Patricia Joyce issued a protective order barring Coleman from any kind of contact with the teen or his family.

But Coleman is accused of using an Instagram account to message the 15-year-old, starting on Sept. 1, Cunningham said. The two chatted back and forth, with Coleman using a feature of the app that automatically deletes messages after a certain period of time, police said.
Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office investigators said they believe a group of gunmen are responsible for a series of 12 retaliatory shootings on the West Bank between January and April that left an 18-year-old man dead and two others wounded.

So far, detectives have arrested two stepbrothers believed to have taken part in the shootings as retribution for the killings of their father and a 16-year-old friend. Authorities allege the two are part of a gang that has operated in and around the West Bank neighborhood near Westwego where most of the violence has taken place.
At the invitation of the government of the Russian Federation, Zhang Guoqing, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, will attend the eighth Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia from September 10 to 12.

CCTV: China has announced Venezuelan President Maduros visit to China. How does China view the current China-Venezuela relations? Can you share the program and Chinas expectations for this visit?

Mao Ning: China and Venezuela are each others comprehensive strategic partners. In recent years, thanks to the personal commitment of President Xi Jinping and President Maduro, the China-Venezuela relations have withstood the test of the evolving international landscape and remained rock-solid. The two countries political mutual trust has grown more solid, and our cooperation in various sectors has further deepened.

Through President Maduros visit, China hopes and stands ready to work with Venezuela to draw a blueprint for the growth of bilateral relations in the new era, bring the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, and make new contribution to world peace and stability as well as international fairness and justice.

Xinhua News Agency: China just announced that the Zambian President will visit China. Could you share with us the program of this upcoming visit and Chinas expectations? How does China view its relations with Zambia?

Mao Ning: Zambia is an important country in southern Africa. China and Zambia enjoy a traditional friendship. The two countries have deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation and maintained sound cooperation in international and regional affairs. The year 2024 will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia.

During President Hakainde Hichilemas visit, President Xi Jinping will hold a welcome ceremony and banquet for him, and the two heads of state will hold talks and jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji will meet with President Hichilema. President Hichilema will also travel to Jiangxi, Fujian and Shenzhen. We believe that President Hichilemas visit will give a new boost to the all-round, in-depth growth of China-Zambia relations and further advance our friendly cooperation.

CRI: China just announced that Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend the eighth Eastern Economic Forum in Russia. Could you elaborate further on Chinas expectations for this visit?

Mao Ning: Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations have been strong and robust with steady progress of cooperation in various sectors. The Eastern Economic Forum serves as an important platform for countries in the Asia Pacific to pool consensus on cooperation and seek common development. President Xi Jinping attended the Eastern Economic Forum twice in 2018 and 2021 upon invitation and delivered important speeches. In his remarks, President Xi elaborated on Chinas proposals for growing China-Russia relations, participating in Far East development, and advancing regional cooperation, which were warmly received.

Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend events under the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia and meet Russian leaders. China hopes to work with Russia through this visit to deliver on the common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, deepen Northeast China-Russian Far East cooperation, and jointly advance the development of the region.

Beijing Youth Daily: We noted that China International Communications Group announced today that 10 foreign nationals are given the inaugural Orchid Awards. Do you have more details on that? Whats the significance of the awards to people-to-people exchanges between China and the world?

Mao Ning: China supports cultural exchanges and mutual learning with the rest of the world. We noted that China International Communications Group presented inaugural Orchid Awards to 10 foreign friends, including sinologist, translator, educator, artist, civil society founder and documentary director. Despite their different nationalities and life experience, the laureates, as friendly envoys of enhancing understanding, exchanges and cooperation, are committed to promoting global cultural exchanges and the development of human civilization.

China stands ready to work with the international community to uphold the spirit of the Global Civilization Initiative, advocate the common values of humanity and promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations with concrete actions.

Reuters: Zambias President is visiting China from Sunday. In order to formalize the debt restructuring deal, Zambia reached with its bilateral creditors, including China, at the Paris summit in June, it needs bilateral creditors to sign a memorandum of understanding. Will China offer Zambia further guarantees on providing debt relief and sign the required MOU next week?

Mao Ning: Thanks to the joint efforts of the Creditor Committee for Zambia and other parties recently, significant progress has been made in the settlement of Zambias debts and China made important contributions. China will maintain close communication with the Creditor Committee and other sides and jointly advance the following work.

DPA: Last years G20 statement included a part on the war in Ukraine, saying that most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine. I wonder if China is going to agree to a similar part on Ukraine at this years G20 summit?

Mao Ning: We believe that the G20, as a premier forum for international economic cooperation, needs to focus on its mandate, enhance macroeconomic policy coordination and boost world economic growth.

On the issue of Ukraine, Chinas position is consistent and clear.

Hubei Media Group: The 160th Arab League Council of Foreign Ministers passed a resolution recently which reiterates that Arab countries support the one-China principle and the Belt and Road Initiative, stand ready to step up cooperation with China and appreciate Chinas diplomatic effort in promoting regional peace and security. Do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: This is the 43rd time in a row that the League of Arab States adopted such a friendly resolution related to China at the level of foreign ministers. We highly appreciate that. The resolution takes stock of what Arab countries and China have achieved in our cooperation and reiterates that Arab countries support the one-China principle and the Belt and Road Initiative and stand ready to step up cooperation in various fields with China, which fully indicates Arab countries commitment to growing their ties with China.

The resolution commends Chinas diplomatic effort in supporting the Arab cause, advancing the peaceful settlement of regional crises, and promoting international and regional peace and security. It applauds the reconciliation agreement signed in Beijing and restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran as a result of President Xi Jinpings initiative, which shows once again that strengthening dialogue and consultation and enhancing solidarity and coordination is the shared desire of China and Arab countries.

China and Arab countries enjoy a traditional friendship and firmly support each other on issues concerning each others core interests. We have achieved fruitful outcomes on Belt and Road cooperation. Both sides are committed to promoting regional peace and stability and upholding international fairness and justice and we are each others trusted strategic partners. China stands ready to continue to lend firm support to each other with Arab countries, engage in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and bring more benefits to both peoples. We will continue to stand on the side of peace, stability and justice, step up solidarity and coordination with Arab countries in international and regional affairs and take more solid steps toward building a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.

Reuters: US President Joe Biden does not intend to meet with Premier Li Qiang during the G20 summit this weekend in New Delhi, the White House said last night. Did China want Premier Li to meet with President Biden? And what is your comment on the White Houses remarks?

Mao Ning: I have no information to offer.

Dragon TV: We noted that China and Australia jointly held the 7th Meeting of China-Australia High-level Dialogue yesterday. Can you share more details with us? How will the dialogue contribute to the growth of China-Australia relations?

Mao Ning: The 7th Meeting of China-Australia High-Level Dialogue was successfully held in Beijing on September 7. It brought together 36 representatives from various sectors of the two countries for in-depth and constructive discussions on a wide range of issues concerning China-Australia relations in a candid, friendly and warm atmosphere. After the meeting, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a group meeting with the Australian delegation, during which he elaborated on Chinas policy and position on growing China-Australia relations.

Representatives of both sides at the dialogue agree that the momentum towards stabilizing and improving China-Australia relations hasnt come easy. The two sides need to be guided by the important common understandings reached by our leaders during their meeting in Bali, promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and work for the sound, steady and sustained growth of bilateral ties.

The dialogue is a platform launched in November 2014 during President Xi Jinpings state visit to Australia. It has played an important role in deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation and enhancing friendship between China and Australia. We stand ready to work with Australia to act on our leaders common understandings, stay committed to mutual respect and mutual benefit, seek common ground while shelving differences, and seek steady and sustained progress in our comprehensive strategic partnership.

Bloomberg: Bloomberg has reported that India is studying possible responses to a potential war in Taiwan, according to senior Indian government officials. About six weeks ago, Indias top military commander commissioned a related study to examine the wider impact of any war in Taiwan and what action India could take in response, Bloomberg reported. The order came after the US raised the issue in several different forums, according to these people. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Mao Ning: Taiwan is part of China. The Taiwan question is Chinas internal affair. How to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese people and brooks no foreign interference.

By hyping up the Taiwan question on various occasions, the US has been creating tensions, provoking confrontation, and seeking to turn the Taiwan question into an international issue. This is highly dangerous. The most effective way to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is to adhere to the one-China principle and unequivocally oppose Taiwan independence.

Bloomberg: The UK Prime Minister has said that China is objecting to proposals on Ukraine and climate, and so the G20 nations had yet to reach agreement on a joint statement going into the summit. In addition, in the discussions on climate action, China has raised the issue of access to semiconductor technology to help emerging economies transition to clean energy, according to people familiar with the talks. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that holding climate hostage to a particular countrys priority is not the height of responsibility. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on these remarks?

Mao Ning: China attaches great importance to the G20 and has participated in the consultations and discussions on the G20 New Delhi Summit document in an active and constructive way. We stand ready to work with other parties toward positive outcomes at the New Delhi Summit under the principle of consensus-building.

On climate change, we hope parties will accommodate each others concerns, follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and jointly respond to the challenge.

Bloomberg: The US government has begun an official probe into an advance made in China chip in Huawei latest smartphone, which has set off a debate in Washington about the efficacy of sanctions. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Mao Ning: We oppose politicizing trade and technology issues and overstretching and abusing the concept of national security. The US has abused state power to suppress Chinese companies. This violates the principle of free trade and international trade rules and destabilizes the global industrial and supply chains. Such practice serves no ones interest. I want to stress that sanctions and curbs will not stop Chinas development. They will only strengthen Chinas resolve and capability to seek self-reliance and technological innovation.
London Fintech Owner Accused of Facilitating Massive Drug Money Laundering via Crypto

Source: AdobeStock / Mary

A fintech owner in London is under scrutiny for allegedly assisting notorious drug traffickers in laundering hundreds of millions of euros through a crypto exchange platform.

Caio Marchesani, the 38-year-old Italian owner of Trans-Fast Remittance, a regulated payments business, is accused of knowingly hoarding cash for Sergio Roberto De Carvalho, a Brazilian drug lord, and managing crypto accounts for Flor Bressers, a Belgian criminal known as the finger cutter.

Authorities in Belgium, who started an investigation into Marchesani three years ago, are seeking his extradition from the UK as part of their effort to dismantle a transnational gang, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

Per the report, the investigation gained traction after Dutch customs officials seized over 12 tonnes of cocaine, worth more than 260 million ($283 million), at Rotterdam port.

The authorities traced the drugs to Bressers and De Carvalho, eventually leading them to Marchesani through decrypted communications.

So far, 33 suspects from different countries, including Brazil, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and France, have been identified.

The investigation also revealed that Marchesani stored significant amounts of cash in an apartment near the US embassy in London, which was guarded round the clock.

Additionally, he was found with approximately 1.5 million ($1.9 million) worth of cryptoassets, frozen by authorities.

Marchesani Used Binance Accounts to Launder Money

Belgian prosecutors revealed that Marchesani managed 14 Binance accounts for Bressers and held cash for De Carvalho, charging exorbitant fees of up to 9% for fund transfers.

The underground network involved in the money laundering scheme reportedly combined new technology with the ancient hawala money transfer system, primarily practiced in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for Binance has reportedly said that the exchange cooperated with law enforcement, providing practical operational assistance as part of the investigation.

Belgiums lawyer, Amanda Bostock, described Marchesani as a dark banker who mixed and moved money at the will of the criminal organization to obscure its origins.

However, Marchesanis lawyers vehemently denied the allegations, stating that the money used for his bail surety came from a legitimate UK company focused on healthy eating.

They argued that none of the allegations against Marchesani relate to his business interests in the UK.

Marchesanis lawyers plan to challenge his extradition, citing inconsistencies in the investigators presented cases.

If convicted, Marchesani could face a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment in Belgium, despite never having visited the country, according to his lawyers.

The Belgian prosecutor aims to conclude the probe by early September, with plans to take the case to a full criminal trial.

In another legal case relating to the crypto sector, Faruk Fatih Ozer, the founder and former CEO of Thodex, a prominent Turkish cryptocurrency exchange, has been handed an 11,196-year prison sentence for fraud and other crimes.

As reported, Ozer was convicted on various charges, including fraud, leading a criminal organization, and money laundering.
John Schroder, Sharon Hewitt, Stephen Waguespack, Hunter Lundy and Shawn Wilson take part in the first televised debate of the Louisiana governorOs race at the WWL-TV Studios in New Orleans, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. The debate was sponsored by the Advocate, WWL, WBRZ, KATC, KBTS, PAR and Urban League. (Pool Photo by Sophia Germer)
I haven't talked to all the Black people in New Orleans, but I'm here to tell you that people are disappointed, shocked and stunned that New O
Police have named a man who died after a crash near Okehampton on Sunday, September 3.

Dane Forester, 35, from Okehampton, suffered serious injuries when he was involved in a two-vehicle collision at around 4.40pm on the B3215 near Sampford Courtenay.

He was airlifted to hospital where he later died.

The family of Mr Forester have paid tribute to him.

They said: Dane Forester, who died aged 35, was an award-winning tattoo artist and loving father to two daughters aged 10 and 8.

Dane moved to Devon from West Sussex ten years ago, living first in South Zeal and then in Okehampton.

He established Image Tattoo studio in Exeter which soon became very successful. His work was in high demand and his style was sought after by many clients.

He was joined by several other artists and loved his business. He won several awards for his artistic talent.

Dane was a devoted father to his two daughters, a committed and thoughtful Dad who was always there for them.

When not tattooing, he could be doing anything from climbing mountains - having recently climbed in Iceland; fishing, and a passion for keeping fit.

Not just a tattoo artist, he also did sign writing and had just begun motorbike resprays which were already sought after.

He enjoyed life to the full, from an evening of poker with friends, to distilling his own rum and gin, to competing in a strong man competition.

Dane will be very deeply missed by his family, his work family, and all his friends.

Officers continue to make enquiries to establish the circumstances of the collision.

If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam footage that could help with enquiries, please contact police via our website here or by calling 101 quoting log 641 of 3/9/23.
Taiwans Crackdown: Offshore Crypto Exchanges Must Comply or Exit

Image Source: Pixabay

Taiwan is set to impose restrictions on offshore cryptocurrency exchanges operating within its jurisdiction unless they gain the required registration.

The countrys Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) has drafted ten guiding principles for virtual asset services providers (VASPs) to establish self-regulatory rules, according to a report by Taiwans semi-official Central News Agency.

The guiding principles, expected to be officially released by the end of this month, will focus on various aspects.

More specifically, the guidelines are expected to strengthen information disclosure, establish review standards for virtual asset listing and delisting, and ensure the separation and custody of companies and customers assets.

FSC to Ban Unregistered Overseas Firms from Soliciting Business

The FSC plans to strictly prohibit illegal business solicitation by foreign crypto firms.

It will mandate foreign VASPs to register in accordance with company law and declare their compliance with anti-money laundering regulations to the FSC.

Failure to do so will result in these firms being barred from soliciting business within Taiwan or from domestic residents.

Taiwan has recently appointed the Financial Supervisory Commission as the chief regulator for virtual-asset service providers as the country aims to introduce detailed guidelines by the end of September.

Taiwan has two financial regulators: the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwans official name) and the FSC.

The Central Bank regulates monetary policy and foreign exchange regulations while the FSC has a broad remit over everything from banking regulation, securities, and futures, to anti-money laundering.

Meanwhile, the FSC wont be regulating non-fungible tokens (NFT).

To further promote the development of self-regulatory guidelines, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan recently proposed the addition of a new business category in relevant regulations.

The move is aimed at enabling cryptocurrency-related companies to establish industry associations, paving the way for enhanced self-regulation.

Binance Seeking to Register in Taiwan

Last month, it was revealed that Binance, the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange, was seeking registration in Taiwan to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering measures.

While Binance is currently unregulated in Taiwan, it has established a local entity called Binance International Limited Taiwan Branch (Seychelles) as per the Department of Commerces database.

The registration information indicates that Binances company registration was approved on May 12, 2023, with a registered capital of NT$30 million ($937,000) in Taiwan.

In July, Binance also engaged with Taiwans Criminal Investigation Bureau, collaborating to aid over 200 law enforcement officers in tackling digital asset-related crime.

As reported, telecommunications giant Taiwan Mobile is also in talks with local crypto platforms about potential partnerships and even an investment in one of the businesses.

The government-licensed wireless service provider is exploring opportunities for collaboration with blockchain-enabled financial institutions, including Taiwan-based XREX.
SCRANTON  A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from the theft and sale of human body parts taken from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary.

Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Thompson, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He now faces up to 15 years in prison, but it wasnt known Friday if a sentencing date has been scheduled.

Pauley admitted that he bought human remains from multiple people, knowing the remains were stolen, and also admitted to selling many of the stolen remains to others, including at least one person who also knew they had been stolen.

East Pennsboro Township Police arrested Pauley after body parts were discovered in his Enola home in August 2022.

Pauley was among seven people indicted in the case in June. Trials are still pending for the other defendants, including Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, who is accused of stealing dissected portions of cadavers that were donated to the medical school in the scheme that stretched from 2018 to early 2023. The body parts were taken without the schools knowledge or permission, authorities have said, adding that the school has cooperated with the investigation.

Lodge sometimes took the body parts  which included heads, brains, skin and bones  back to his home while some remains were sent to buyers through the mail, authorities allege. Lodge also allegedly allowed buyers to come to the morgue to pick what remains they wanted to buy. Lodges wife, Denise, 63, also faces charges in connection with the case.

Both Lodge and his wife declined to comment on the charges during an initial court appearance in June.

Bodies donated to Harvard Medical School are used for education, teaching or research purposes. Once they are no longer needed, the cadavers are usually cremated and the ashes are returned to the donors family or buried in a cemetery.
VALPARAISO  After watching his sixth lawyer withdraw Friday from his nearly decade-old real estate fraud case and hearing a judge tell him it's time for the case to finally go to trial, Porter resident Donald Johnson opted to represent himself.

Johnson, 58, who was repeatedly stopped by Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer from repeating complaints about his former attorneys, declined an invitation by the court to accept the legal help of a public defender.

Johnson said he feels he's best-positioned to represent himself.

Clymer, who was clearly frustrated at times while seeking to keep Johnson on track in what he deemed a serious matter, said jury selection will begin in the trial on Nov. 13. He told Johnson he could face years behind bars if convicted.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.

Johnson, 58, is accused of bilking former clients, co-workers and even fellow church members out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by illegally soliciting and investing their money, which went missing without investors being immediately informed, according to court records.

He was charged with 17 felony counts of selling unregistered securities and selling securities without having the proper registration, according to court records. He also faced felony counts of forgery and theft, but Clymer said Friday two of the charges have been dismissed.

UPDATE: Valpo officials deny gender discrimination claims by long-time employee "Ms. Gralik has experienced and observed various forms of gender-based discrimination and harassment, but the city disregarded and thwarted her efforts to fight against workplace misconduct and unlawful employment actions."

Johnson's Indianapolis-based attorneys, Julie Treida and Robert Hammerle, filed their request to withdraw from the case Aug. 28, saying, "As of August 18, 2023, there has been a breakdown of the attorney client relationship," records show.

Johnson followed Aug. 29 with his own motion supporting the withdrawal and then went a step further by requesting the court to order the refund of his entire $150,000 payment to the law firm so he can hire new counsel.

Johnson accused the attorneys in his motion of fraud and an ethics violation, in part, for failing to let him know of their intention to seek "a plea rather than dismissal or acquittal as agreed."

Johnson further says he was led to believe his "all-inclusive" fee to the firm included through trial, yet there is no evidence the firm has prepared for trial or intends to take the case to trial after more than five years of representing him.

Clymer said the breakdown in attorney client relationship is clear, but said Johnson's request for a refund appears to be a civil matter. The judge pointed out to Johnson that his attorney did succeed in having two of his criminal charges dismissed.

"It is time to have a trial," Clymer said.

The judge said that the alleged victims in the case have a right to see the case wrapped up.

Johnson's request for a bench, instead of a jury, trial was taken under advisement by Clymer.
Epic Burger is swallowing up the Meatheads chain that once had two locations in Northwest Indiana.

Meatheads previously had locations in Shops on Main in Schererville and Lake Business Center in Munster. Its Munster location on Calumet Avenue was open for nearly a decade before shuttering earlier this year. Now the Meatheads chain itself will vanish from the landscape.

Chicago-based Epic Burger is buying Meatheads' six remaining Illinois locations. Epic Burger, which turns 15 years old this month, now has 11 locations.

We are thrilled to be adding more locations in the Chicago area and other parts of the state, said David Grossman, CEO of Epic Burger. In just 15 years, weve become a beloved burger destination in the city and the suburbs. With eleven locations, burger lovers, including Epic Burger loyalists and newcomers alike, will have several locations to choose from."

The deal expands Epic Burger's footprint to downstate Illinois, where Meatheads originally got started. The deal will give it a footprint in college towns like Bloomington and Champaign, where it hopes to appeal to university students.

It plans to convert all the Meatheads locations to the Epic Burgers brand. All the signage and menus will be switched out by December 1.

We want to spread the word about our extraordinary concept and menu, Grossman said. Acquiring the Meatheads locations gives the Epic family access to a large swath of burger lovers who, if history serves, will come to experience for themselves the Epic in Epic Burger.

Epic Burger now has locations Lincoln Park, South Loop, Skokie, Gold Coast, Evanston, Barrington, Bloomington, Champaign, Lake Bluff, Naperville and Northbrook.
Korellis won a Governor's Half Century Award recognizing its longevity.

The Hammond-based roofing company, one of the largest roofing contractors in Northwest Indiana and greater Chicagoland, was founded in 1960. It was honored for its 63 years in business at the recent Indiana Economic Development Corporation's Governors Century and Half Century Business Award ceremony in Indianapolis.

Vice President of Operations Juli Tattersall was presented the award by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana Economic Development Corp. Chief Operating Officer David Rosenburg.

Based out of Hammond since it was founded, the company was long owned by the Korellis family. It recently became employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan.

George Korellis originally started the business out of his home, mainly working on residential roofs. His son Pete Korellis joined the firm in the 1980s, looking to shift to large industrial and commercial clients and landing Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant on the far South Side.

The contractor has gone on to do work at steel mills, power plants, casinos, schools, office buildings, government offices and churches. It's tackled major projects like the LaPorte Civic Auditorium, Crown Point High School, Northwest Health Hospital, Munster Med Inn, Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the BP Whiting Refinery, the Homewood-Flossmoor Racquet Club, the Marina District Plaza, St. Demetrious and Astor Place in Chicago.

It has expanded beyond just roofing to work on entire building envelopes, including sheet metal, wall panels and masonry. It often works on construction projects with challenging conditions like structural deck replacements, severe slopes, and poor logistics, striving to complete the job cost-effectively, on time and safely.
GARY  The city broke ground on the second phase of a multimillion-dollar sanitary sewer force main replacement project, Thursday morning.

Once complete, U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan says the sewer improvements will send a clear message:

"Gary's open for business and open for residents."

Mrvan joined city officials and representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Thursday groundbreaking ceremony. Once the project is complete, over a mile of deteriorating sewer force main will be replaced. Daniel Vicari, president of the Gary Sanitary District's governing board, said much of the existing force main was installed in the 1960s. With a 42-inch diameter, the current force main is also too small. Vicari explained that the Gary Sanitary District goes beyond just Gary, treating wastewater from Merrillville, Lake Station and Hobart. As these communities continue to grow, the sanitary district's capacity will have to grow as well.

The new force main will be 48 inches in diameter, allowing the Chase Street pump station to handle as much as 80 million gallons of water a day.

"This pump station represents more than just a project for the city of Gary," Vicari said.

Phase one of the project replaced 1,700 feet of combined sewer force main, extending from the Chase Street pump station to just shy of 25th Avenue. Phase one was completed at the end of May and cost just over $5 million.

Phase two will extend from 25th Avenue to 23rd Avenue; it will cost almost $3.5 million. Because the project is authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 1992, the total costs will be shared with the city paying for 25% and the federal government paying for 75%. The force main improvements are part of the Army Corps' Calumet Region Environmental Infrastructure 219 project.

Col. Kenneth Rockwell, District Commander of the Army Corps' Chicago District, thanked Mrvan for advocating for Northwest Indiana and bringing federal funding to important infrastructure improvements.

Army Corps Project Manager Imad Samara said the third phase of the project will likely begin in the fall of 2024, depending on the availability of funding. The third phase will stretch to 19th Avenue.

The city is working with Highland-based Grimmer Construction Inc. and Indianapolis-based American Structurepoint Engineering.

Mrvan called the project an "economic tool" and said it will allow the city to bring in more businesses and will reduce the risk of flooding for residents. Vicari said having deteriorating, undersized force mains increases the risk that the Little Calumet River and the sewer system could overflow.

"It's a wonderful day for Gary's future," Mrvan said.

PHOTOS: Groundbreaking for phase II of sewer improvement project in Gary Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II Groundbreaking for the Calumet Region Gary Sanitary District Force Main Replacement Phase II
Region Recovery Riot 2022 The first Region Recovery Riot took place last year at the Gary Aquatorium. This year's event will take place Saturday, Sept. 16.

GARY  September is National Recovery Month, and a team of advocates in Northwest Indiana are working to ensure anyone who is recovering from substance abuse has a place to feel at home.

Gary Harm Reduction will host the second annual Region Recovery Riot from 2-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Gary Aquatorium on the Marquette Park Pavilion at 6918 Oak Ave. The event will include volleyball, a DJ, arts and crafts, yoga, hiking, and a memorial room for those who have lost their life due to substance use. Social service organizations from around the state will have booths set up with their offerings. Members of the planning committee met monthly to coordinate the event.

The goal of the event is to "increase visibility of folks in recovery and people who use drugs," said Kristen Martin, founder of Gary Harm Reduction.

I thought itd be cool to destigmatize this in Gary," Martin said. "So much of substance use disorder is in isolation. We just wanted to bring everyone together because we heal in community.

The event is open to those who are in any period of recovery, Martin said, in any way they choose to define it.

Recovery is defined by the individual," Martin said. "It can be any positive change."

Kristina Majstoric, a community outreach organizer for the event, said there are many different avenues to recovery. While they focus many of the services on recovering from substance use, everyone is welcome to join the event and celebrate those who have lived experience.

"There are different structures and programs for recovery," Majstoric said. "This is a welcoming space for anyone who says theyre in recovery or those who are a family member of someone in recovery.

Vendors include Regional Health Systems, Limelight Recovery, local halfway houses, holistic wellness businesses, local recovery clubhouses, advocacy centers, housing resources, medicated assisted treatment centers and more. Martin and Majstoric said compared to those who pursue abstinence, there is not always as much support for people who choose alternate pathways when trying to recover from substance use. This can include use of medicated assisted treatment, changing your relationship with drugs and use of harm reduction services, which help those who use drugs and equip them with "life-saving tools and information to create positive change in their lives and potentially save their lives," according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This can include equipping them with overdose reversing medication naloxone, fentanyl testing strips for drugs, needle exchange programs and more.

The goal is to offer compassion, Martin said, and meet people where they are.

"There are a lot of resources that Lake County isnt privy to," Martin said. "There is still a heavy stigma attached to people who use drugs. The community needs education. They just dont know what is available to them.

The event is free to the public. More information is available on the Region Recovery Riot's website and Facebook page.
The inaugural Creatures Great and Small Festival will focus on kittens, puppies, donkeys and other familiar animals  plus a ball python goodwill ambassador for the reptile realm and well-loved stuffed toy animals competing in a whimsical contest.

The festival, set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Scottsville Pavilion, will offer a costume contest for pets and their owners, a best pet trick contest and a best stuffed pet contest for kids, and kids at heart, said organizer Alexander Stone of the James River Good Works Group. Well have every conceivable animal you could think of. Its kind of a Noahs Ark with all these animals.

Look for a barbecue and funnel cake fundraiser, and keep in mind that 20% of food vendors sales will benefit 12 Central Virginia animal rescue organizations that will be represented at the festival, Stone said.

Theres no loser, because everybody will get money, he said.

He said he looks forward to seeing Scottsville Pavilion filled with animals and the people who advocate for them.

Its a nice pavilion. Its very spacious, and it has a great layout, Stone said. There is ample space for the groups to showcase their animals.

Quite a range of critters will be on hand from a dozen groups, including miniature horses, baby donkeys, goats, pigs, bunnies and a variety of reptiles. The festival offers visitors a chance to learn more about animal care, feeding and other needs.

In addition to opportunities for fostering and adoption, there will be childrens activities starting at 1:30 p.m., and raffle winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. And, yes, there will be plenty of opportunities for adorable selfies.

The James River Good Works Group is a network of volunteers who want to improve our community and help our neighbors, Stone said. Thats what we do. We are a network. We do not have memberships or meetings or membership dues.

What the volunteers aim for is to identify needs in the community and then fill them. A project already is underway to organize Thanksgiving baskets for families who need them, and Stone said the case-by-case helping model works well for people who want to make a difference but cant always commit to ongoing participation in service organizations.

Stone said he realized after working with a variety of service-oriented groups that struggle to attract busy volunteers that maybe a different model would work better  getting volunteers on a project-by-project basis.

Visitors will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite exhibits as well. Every person that attends the festival will get a program and a ballot, so you pick your favorite three, Stone said.

Admission is free, and pets are welcome. Learn more at www.facebook,com/jrgoodworks or email jrgoodworks@gmail.com.
Lear and the United Auto Workers leadership hope the third time's a charm.

The first-tier auto supplier, which supplies seats for the Ford Explorer and other vehicles made at the Chicago Assembly Plant, has reached a third tentative contract with UAW Local 2335 in Hammond.

More than 92% of workers rejected the first contract proposal and more than 75% shot down the second tentative agreement.

The new proposal would increase the top wage rate to $27.07 an hour and the ratification wage rate to $26 an hour, according to a UAW Local 2335 contract summary.

It would increase wages by $1.56 an hour upon ratification and pay a seniority bonus of $1,100.

Journeymen would make a top wage rate of $34 an hour and maintenance workers $32 an hour after four years, according to the contract summary.

The contract would include no increases to weekly medical plan premiums and no changes to the health reimbursement arrangement plan, HRA plan premiums and dental plan.

The company would contribute $500 more to the 401(k) plans of employees who contribute 5% more over a six-month period.

The tentative deal restored job security language and included one week of pay for every year of service in the event of severance.

The union has sought raises to bring pay in line with other seat plants around the country and an end to a two-tier system that pays new hires less to do the same work as more senior employees. Local 2335 President Fausto Rodriguez said he has been trying to find a sweet spot both sides could agree on.

UAW Local 2335 workers went on strike back in 2014 when the job paid as little as $13 an hour. They've secured pay increases in the last two contracts.
The final and fatal decision of 14-year-old K'Mari Mack is similar to what many of us did as teenagers. We made mistakes. We did foolish things. We disobeyed orders. We felt invincible.

The only difference is that we survived those brash, reckless and impulsive decisions without drowning in our youthfulness. This is what happened to Mack, who drowned Monday in Lake Michigan near Jeorse Park in East Chicago. He didnt survive the rip currents of adolescence.

The East Chicago teen was pronounced dead at a hospital after being pulled out of the lake, where he jumped off the breakwall with friends, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Witnesses report that a group of juveniles were jumping off the breakwall after being advised not to by East Chicago Marina staff," the DNR stated in a release. (Mack) began to struggle in the water before disappearing below the surface."

How many of us as teens disappeared below the surface of adult supervision to do risky things that endangered our health or life? I can instantly recall a handful of incidents from my youth that could have gone sideways if I wasnt rescued by luck, fate or outside assistance.

When I was 18, I went for a nighttime joyride with two friends through the Miller section of Gary, near the lakefront where the streets are hilly and curvy. We labeled that neighborhood the circuit and acted as if it was a makeshift racetrack. We drove our car as fast as possible at every hairpin turn, gunning the gas pedal, then jamming the brakes.

At one turn on the side of a hill, my friend Mark tested his impressive driving skills as the three of us sat in the front panel seat of his car. We slid back and forth like we were riding a Tilt-a-Whirl at a carnival. Sharp to the left, then sharp to the right, we were three knuckleheads bouncing back and forth like a pendulum balls game.

And then, in a split second, our car skidded out of control and into a wooded area of trees. Mark attempted to dodge the trees as his car ripped through the woods. He hit the brakes. I grabbed the dashboard. We came to an abrupt stop as the car engine whined.

The three of us looked around at the scene. We somehow missed every tree. We looked at each other with shock on our faces. And then we did what most teenage boys might do in that situation. We laughed. We laughed hard. We laughed as if we had just defied death. Because we possibly did.

Without a doubt, we were under the influence of youth. We were fearless. We felt invincible. We navigated our car out of the woods and we kept joyriding. Music turned up. Windows rolled down. Intoxicated by our own laughter. It was quintessential teenage behavior.

Looking back, we could have easily been killed or injured if our car struck a tree or rolled over. We may not have been found by anyone for hours. We lucked out. We survived our own adolescence.

Mack, who would be entering high school, wasnt as lucky or as fortunate. He got caught in a deadly undercurrent of being a teenager, possibly from peer pressure or boldness or feckless abandon. Or maybe just in the name of fun.

It cost him his life.

Macks manner of death was ruled an accident caused by asphyxia due to drowning. One second he was likely having fun with friends. The next second he was underwater, unresponsive, then dead. Poof. Gone.

Sometimes when were little kids we do silly things. But we never expect it to turn into tragedy, Mary Schones, of the East Chicago Public Library, told NBC-5 Chicago. Its just a terrible accident.

Just imagine how many terrible accidents you somehow escaped, for whatever reason. Many of us have dodged a landscape of dangerous trees, figuratively speaking, throughout our youth. At the time, we didnt realize our luck or good fortune. We just put ourselves back in gear and sped away to the next adventure.

If Mack didnt drown, he would have someday boasted about the time on Labor Day, 2023, when he and his friends daringly jumped from the breakwall into the lake. Or he would have forgotten about it entirely, just as most of us have forgotten all those incidents that could have killed us. Only in hindsight we chalk it up as a distant memory, not as a premature eulogy.

Our life jacket of adulthood kept us buoyed amid riptides of deadly outcomes. We may wonder about all the future dangers that could take our life. But we dont wonder enough about all the past escapades that should float to the surface after an incident such as Macks death.

Most of us have thoughtlessly jumped from the breakwall of common sense into dangerous situations without thinking twice about the consequences. And we survived.

Unlike the rest of us, Mack will never be able to look back and question his deadly decision.
You know what would go great with this coffee? A plum torte. Thats the intro. [MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, everybody. My name is Vaughn. I am a video journalist for NYT Cooking. And today Im going to be making one of  I think I say this every time, but this time I really mean it. This is probably the most sacred NYT Cooking recipe. Today Im going to be making the original plum torte. And Im going to pick and choose some of my favorite suggestions and amendments from readers. Im going to make it maybe once, twice more, and have a big plum party after that. So lets get baking. Im going to start by preparing my plums just so I have them off to the side. So you use plum halves or really whatever fruit is in season. So this recipe calls for 12 pitted and halved plums. Theres no way that 24 halves of plums are going to fit into this thing. So use your best judgment. If you buy too many plums, thats not a bad problem to have. So Im going to just have these, put them off to the side before I get going with my cake batter. Butter goes in. The recipe will say 3/4 to 1 cup sugar. A lot of that depends on how ripe or naturally sweet your fruit is. It wont change the chemistry of the bake too terribly much if you do 3/4 cup to 1 cup thicker into high gear. Now, in a lot of cake recipes, I would venture to say most types of cake recipes, this is where you would then add your eggs and your vanilla. Here the recipe calls for you to just kind of dump everything in at once. Flour, baking powder, a nice little pinch of salt. Im going to start on low, just kind of let it go for a minute. You dont want to over-mix. But I am going to let it kind of get well incorporated. So just use a little offset spatula to kind of smooth it all out. You dont want to press the plums into the batter itself because there is a lot of leavener in there. It is going to rise. Its going to puff up. So just kind of nestle the plums. Squeeze some lemon on top and then granulated sugar and some cinnamon, just a whisper. Im going to put it in the oven for about an hour. The plum torte is a recipe that was published in 1983 and ran every single summer after that from 1983 to 1989. Then in 1990, the editors of The Times said, you know what? Enough is enough. Were going to run this one last time. People were outraged. A lot of people had some very colorful things to say. I have some real fun ones right here. A reader in Tarrytown, New York, said, the? Appearance of the recipe like the torte itself is bittersweet. Summer is leaving. Fall is coming. Thats what your annual recipe is all about. Dont be grumpy about it. Perhaps, one New Yorker wrote, it has become the adult version of Septembers shiny new notebook for school. So its a very beloved recipe. And when this recipe went away, people were very sad about it, which is where we get comments like, Who do you think you are? Take your torte and shove it. Thats a fun one. Anyway, while my original plum torte bakes, Im going to do some variations. For this first variation, Im going to use browned butter. The brown butter is only going to add this enhanced nutty flavor. What Im going to do is Im going to put my butter on the stove, wait for those fast, really sputtery bubbles, and then once they start to subside, I know that a lot of the moisture is cooked out of the butter. Thats when its becoming more viscous, and the milk solids are starting to brown. And Im going to actually remove that from the stove top. And Im going to put it in an ice bath. Stir it around in the ice bath, and then it kind of becomes more of that softened butter consistency that we used for the original recipe. Im going to zest my lemon before I squeeze it on top. Lemon zest is delicious in a lot of things. I think itll pair really nicely with that fruit. A lot of readers suggested that, said it was delicious. And then another big ingredient change-up was instead of the cinnamon on top to do cardamom. So Im going to use some cardamom. Im going to use a cast-iron skillet. I think that a cast-iron skillet is something that a lot of people have. Not a lot of people have a springform pan. So were going to bake it in here and see how it turns out. Cool. So lets get going. [MUSIC PLAYING] Great. Shes ready to go in the oven for an hour. I read a lot about using alternative flours. So for this variation, Im going to change out a 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour for semolina. I did see that some people had some great success with olive oil for our dairy-free friends out there. So I feel like the semolina and the olive oil is going to give it kind of this Italian countryside. Its giving Call Me By Your Name. Its giving like Oliver and Elio eating a plum torte by the pool. This is my fantasy plum torte. [MUSIC PLAYING] Wow. Look at all my children. They look good enough to eat. So lets cut into them, shall we? Oh, my god. Its so good. The texture is so great. The sugar on top gives it a little crunch. That cinnamon is like, oh, what is that? Is that cinnamon? And then the plums. This is something that makes the fruit the star. Im very excited about this one. This is the brown butter with lemon zest, the turbinado sugar on top, and baked in a cast-iron skillet. Holy Moses. Wow. Thats really good. The lemon zest adds this brightness. The brown butter adds this nuttiness. The turbinado sugar on top makes it even crunchier than the original. Its extremely good. And it baked up really well in the cast iron. O.K., this is our olive oil, semolina one. This is my Italian fantasy plum torte. Wow. That ones really good. The olive oil really comes through. The semolina adds this really nice bite to the overall texture of everything. And the fruitiness of the olive oil makes this really sing. I kind of love all of them. I think that my ultimate version could be the cast-iron version just because I like brown butter. I like lemon zest. I like turbinado sugar. But this one is also fabulous. And you can never go wrong with the original. The beauty of recipes is that they are living entities that people can and should adapt to their tastes. If there is a recipe in the NYT Cooking database that is meant for people to add their personalities into it, it is this recipe. This is one of those that takes on many lives of its own. And it works with any fruit too. So you can make it year round. It is the perfect recipe. Full stop. Thats it. Thats the video. [MUSIC PLAYING]
New York and federal authorities handed back 12 looted antiquities valued at $9 million to Lebanon on Thursday, including three objects removed from the Metropolitan Museum of Art last year during a flurry of multimillion-dollar seizures there.

Taken from the museum were twin marble statuettes of the Greek mythological figures Castor and Pollux, valued at $800,000, and a bronze sculpture on loan to the Met from Shelby White, an art patron and museum trustee, which depicts a nude male worshiper and is valued by authorities at $1.2 million.

The three items were seized as part of an investigation by the Manhattan district attorneys office into several international smuggling rings. The investigation last year led to the seizure of another 27 ancient artifacts valued at $13 million from the Met. The seizure of the three Met items returned on Thursday had not been previously disclosed by investigators.

In a statement, museum officials said, Each of these objects has unique and complex circumstances, and with all, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has been fully supportive of the Manhattan district attorneys office investigations.
I guess theres the hope somebody may see my photographs and think, thats a wonderful animal, maybe its worth making an effort to save, she told the Knight-Ridder News Wire in 1977. But at least Im effective in making a record of something before it all gets ruined.

She began making trips to the Everglades in the late 1960s. One picture shows an alligator, illuminated by Ms. Caulfield, with its mouth open and framed by tall grass. Another is of a snail climbing a tree.

Her book The Everglades (1970) presented 66 of her photographs and was accompanied by selections from the work of the writer and naturalist Peter Matthiessen and an essay by John G. Mitchell, the editor in chief of the Sierra Club, which published the book.

Reviewing the book for The Miami Herald, John Pennekamp, a columnist and Everglades conservationist, called the photographs extraordinary and wrote that its big appeal is the unusual circumstances under which the pictures must have been made.

Patricia Marie Caulfield was born on March 17, 1932, in Chicago. Her family moved to New Hampton, Iowa, when she was in the second grade. Her father, John, was an ear, nose and throat doctor. Her mother, Marie (Schilling) Caulfield, was a nurse.

As a child, I was very animal-oriented, Ms. Caulfield said in an interview in 1978 with Backpacker magazine, which called her probably the most successful female nature photographer in the country. She added, I had a secret image  a jungle girl  and I wasnt happy in Iowa farm country.
There are many good things to eat at Libertine, a new French bistro in the West Village that I reviewed this week. But theres one French-bistro standby you will not find there.

Were not serving fries, Cody Pruitt, one of the owners, told Pamela Vachon of Resy. You can get fries anywhere.

Maybe thats true. But we dont want the kind of fries you can get anywhere. No, we want great fries. We want fries that, once youve eaten the first one, dominate your consciousness until they are gone. Fries so powerful no amount of Ozempic will silence them. Fewer than 20 restaurants in New York put out fries like that.
The story starts after the passing of Toulas father, Gus, the patriarch played with grumbling affection by Michael Constantine, who died in 2021. To honor Gus, a grab-bag of family members takes their first-ever trip to Greece to visit his mountainous childhood home, a near-abandoned hamlet near(ish) the beach. Only six people remain in the village, and two of them are secretly dating  the seriess core trope remains a hushed romance.

This and dozens of other tiny conflicts ripple through the movie, resolving themselves with a hug or an absent-minded cutaway before any one problem swells into something worth our concern. The oddest disposable gag comes when Toula blurts her sexual attraction to a mustachioed stranger (Alexis Georgoulis). The man immediately reveals himself to be a relative.

The ancient Greeks wrote tragedy after tragedy warning against hubris. Yet, Vardaloss flailing crowd-pleaser needs a shot of self-confidence and logic. Why has Toula, a micromanaging former travel guide, flown her relatives overseas without thinking to book a hotel? Why would we believe that her square daughter (Elena Kampouris) is, with zero evidence, a wild child on the edge of sabotaging her life? And why do some of the rural Greeks speak English with a better accent than Aunt Voula? Nothing adds up.

Not that I begrudge Martin a single one of her quips. If Vardalos is no longer comfortable at the center of the franchise, hand the whole thing over to her.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Rated PG-13 for a suggestive scene on a nude beach with strategically placed slices of watermelon. Running time: 1 hour 31 minutes. In theaters.
The police in South Carolina said on Thursday that they were investigating whether a court clerk improperly communicated with jurors who later convicted Alex Murdaugh for the murder of his wife and son in one of the most famous criminal trials in the states history.

The investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was opened two days after Mr. Murdaughs lawyers made explosive claims about the clerk, Rebecca Hill, and asked for a new trial for Mr. Murdaugh, the scion of an influential legal family who was sentenced to life in prison in March. Two jurors signed sworn affidavits saying that Ms. Hill had warned jurors not to be fooled by Mr. Murdaughs defense.

Ms. Hill, who later wrote a book on the case from her own point of view, has not responded to the allegations or commented on the defenses motion.

The law enforcement investigation was opened at the request of the South Carolina attorney general, Alan Wilson, whose office prosecuted the case. It is yet another unexpected development in a yearslong legal saga that began when Mr. Murdaughs wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, were shot to death on the familys rural hunting estate in June 2021.
A U.S. appeals court issued an order on Thursday temporarily ensuring that a barrier of floating buoys in the Rio Grande that was placed by Texas to discourage illegal crossings could stay in place while the court considered a full decision.

The order, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, came a day after a federal judge had ordered Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to remove the barrier because it was an impediment to navigation on the river and a threat to human life. The U.S. Justice Department filed a suit in July that argued that the barrier violated a federal law that prohibits structures in navigable waterways without federal approval.

Lawyers for Mr. Abbott and the state of Texas argued in court documents filed on Thursday that a border-security disaster had prompted the state to place the roughly 1,000-foot barrier in front of the U.S. banks of the river to prevent illegal crossings and that no evidence showed the buoys obstruct any navigable capacity of the river.

The states lawyers also said in their motion that a temporary stay was necessary because Texas has clear constitutional authority to defend its territory against the invasion of migrants and smuggled drugs.
Islamist militants staged separate attacks on a passenger ferry and a military camp in northern Mali on Thursday, the government said, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers in a region of the West African nation that is increasingly controlled by armed groups.

At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed in the attacks, and the army killed about 50 assailants, the government said in a statement.

The attacks were carried out by an affiliate of Al Qaeda, according to the Malian government. They came as Islamist groups have strengthened their grip on northern Mali, including by imposing a blockade on Timbuktu, a fabled site of Islamic influence in the 15th and 16th centuries that is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At least 33,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of the blockade in mid-August, according to the United Nations.
The family behind three already-popular Thai restaurants in the Charlottesville area has opened another, this one on Pantops.

The crowd of dozens that gathered at the grand opening last week said they hope the restaurant will not only be a successful business but a successful gathering spot for the fast-developing area just outside city limits.

It is very important to have a hub for a large community like this, Dick Ruffin, chair of the Pantops Community Advisory Committee, told The Daily Progress. This is going to bring all the neighborhoods together.

Maple Pine Breakfast & Thai Kitchen, just off Stony Point Road near Darden Towe Park and Riverside Village, held a soft launch in June but waited until last week for a ribbon-cutting grand opening, where guests were treated to a large buffet of Thai dishes.

It is the latest addition to Kitty Ashis collection of eateries in the area, which already includes Monsoon Siam off the Downtown Mall and Pineapple Thai Kitchen off Preston Avenue in Charlottesville and Coconut Thai Kitchen in Crozet. She also owns another Monsoon Siam in Madison, Wisconsin.

I always came to Darden Towe Park, and Id drive past it and think, I love this location, Ashi told The Daily Progress.

Judging from the crowd at the grand opening, other people love the location too, Ashi said.

Were surprised that word is spreading so fast, she said.

Ashi has no worries of oversaturating the Charlottesville market; she creates a special menu for each location.

Her Pantops venture will have a special focus on breakfast, not available at her other enterprises. That includes a Thai breakfast, with rice soup, egg dishes and spicy chicken, as well as traditional American breakfast options such as French toast and pancakes.

The French toast with fresh fruit is an early favorite of Albemarle County Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, who represents the area on the countys board of supervisors and attended the grand opening with fellow Supervisor Ann Mallek.

The food is delicious. Ive eaten here five times for breakfast, lunch and dinner, LaPisto-Kirtley told The Daily Progress, specifically highlighting the floral arrangement atop the French toast. The presentation is beautiful, similar to French cuisine.

LaPisto-Kirtley attended not just because she enjoys the food, but because not many new restaurants have opened in the Pantops area recently. Several closed during the pandemic.

But theyre coming back, she said. This one was important, because the Riverside community supported it and really wanted a restaurant here. And when we found out it was going to be a Thai restaurant, that did it. Everyone was supportive.

Natalie Masri, president of the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce, was also in attendance and echoed LaPisto-Kirtleys sentiments.

A couple years ago none of this was here, Masri told The Daily Progress of the recent development in Pantops. There are certainly lots of opportunities with folks moving to town to be opening businesses and certainly we all eat, so having more restaurants is a good thing.

Two other restaurants previously occupied the same space, but both closed. Is that a concern for Ashi?

Not really, she said. Were really confident that all of our food is really comfy and easy to consume and healthy.

LaPisto-Kirtley isnt concerned either.

Anyone in Pantops also knows that the other end of this building is Grit Coffee, which is doing very well, she said. Its a beautiful location with plenty of parking.

Ashi opened the restaurant for a soft launch in June and has been encouraged with the response so far. She started Maple Pine with one of her brothers and former employees at Monsoon Siam.

I saw they have a really good dream to own something that would be fun for the neighborhood, she said. I lived in Pantops a few years ago, and I was like, Oh my God. This area has no Thai food.

LaPisto-Kirtley, a Democrat who is running for reelection against more conservative independent candidate and used car dealer T.J. Fadeley, said the early success of Maple Pine is proof that business can boom in Albemarle County.

This tells the world that the county of Albemarle is supporting small businesses. And for someone that doesnt cook, having restaurant in the area is very important to me, the supervisor said with a laugh.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has made several official visits to Rostov-on-Don since the start of the war. His most recent visit was on Aug. 19, when he received reports from Valery V. Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff of Russias armed forces, and various commanders and senior officers, according to the Kremlin.

As a matter of official policy, the Ukrainian government does not comment on whether it has had a hand in the growing number of strikes across the border in Russia. But officials in Kyiv have become increasingly vocal in defending such strikes as warranted. President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the strikes as a fair and just way to bring the war home to Russia.

Last week, a wave of exploding drones targeted six Russian regions, including an airfield near the border with Estonia, a NATO member, where military cargo planes were damaged. In recent days, the airports around Moscow have had to temporarily suspend flights nearly every morning because of drone activity.

The forays are a sign, analysts say, that even as Kyiv has begged Western allies to supply long-range weapons, its own arms makers have built a homegrown arsenal that is capable of hitting Russian territory at a great distance by land, air and sea.
Marshall Price was joking when he told employees at Duke Universitys Nasher Museum of Art that artificial intelligence could organize their next exhibition. As its chief curator, he was short-staffed and facing a surprise gap in his fall programming schedule; the comment was supposed to cut the tension of a difficult meeting.

But members of his curatorial staff, who organize the museums exhibitions, embraced the challenge to see if A.I. could replace them effectively. Professions of all kinds  military pilots, comedians, firefighters, advertisers  are confronting how artificial intelligence will change longstanding responsibilities, as well as assumptions they have about the technology.

We naively thought it would be as easy as plugging in a couple prompts, Price recalled, explaining why curators at the North Carolina university have spent the past six months teaching ChatGPT how to do their jobs.
This September, audiences will at last possess a more dynamic, more elegant  and just plain improved  sense of how New York Citys jazz and classical scenes converged in the 1940s.

Was eight decades a galling length of time to have waited? Naturally. But better late than never.

The belated occasion is because of a pair of new recordings. Each one has located and dusted off a holy grail artifact, dating from an era when Black composers with sway in jazz circles dared to pursue hybrid musical styles, all while meeting various forms of resistance or disrespect. Their classical works were discussed as they premiered, yet were rarely programmed twice. Nor were they properly documented on recordings.

That last bit of the story is whats changing, starting this week. One CD, out Friday from the Naxos label, brings the world premiere recording of De Organizer: a one-act opera on labor politics jointly conceived by the composer-pianist James P. Johnson and the Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.
He doesnt like talking about himself, Marja Kantola-Panula said, gesturing to her husband, Jorma Panula, across their dining table while he sat silently. He had been asked a question about his sprawling presence in classical music as arguably the worlds most influential conducting teacher. But instead of answering, he took a bite from a pastry.

When Panula, 93, does speak, its brief and authoritative, at times abrasive and absolutely clear. At his home, a modest yet paradisiacal retreat tucked among trees in the countryside northwest of Helsinki, he explained, I was in the orchestra, and most musicians, they hate talking.

He is not so different in the classroom, where he is famous for quietly listening, happy to offer advice if students ask for it but otherwise saying little, gruffly, and certainly never lecturing. His approach hasnt really changed in the half-century he has spent shaping young conductors  at the storied Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and now through master classes and his own school.

Think of major Finnish conductors working around the world today  there are a disproportionate number of them  and chances are they studied with Panula. If this country is the worlds top exporter of conducting talents, then he is something like a farmer, cultivating generations of artists: those leading the field, like Susanna Malkki and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and those emerging in a blaze, like Klaus Makela.
At the same time, Thomas wondered, was it another chore for Prentice?

Orgeman agreed that there would have been some pressure, if not coercion from Prentices employer for her to sit for that portrait that was not meant for her. Yet theres a lovingness to this portrait as well, the curator said. She noted that the artist lived within a block and a half of the MacGregors in Boston and would likely have been familiar with Prentice.

Maybe it was even the desire from the artist to want to paint her, Thomas proposed, because of that proximity and her awareness of the real relationships between Prentice and the MacGregor family members.

The exhibition goes on to open up possibilities for the other historical portraits about which much less is known. Within the spare dim interior, each is mounted on glowing illuminated shelves for a gemlike presentation that draws attention to the subjects self-presentation  their sartorial choices as a reflection of refinement or the objects they hold as tools of their trade.

I rarely feel so emotional about works, Thomas said. You want to just peer into them.

She has positioned other beacons of light throughout the space, including Bermudez-Silvermans 2021 replica of her childhood dollhouse, cast in translucent sugar and lit from within, a reference to her ancestors enslavement on a sugar plantation in Puerto Rico. As a bookend to Prentices portrait, a 1975 assemblage by Saar, the only late-career artist in the mix, places a Jim Crow-era mammy figurine holding a grenade in a box lined with a bill of sale of an enslaved woman and her children. Saar juxtaposes a delicate drawing on its lid of a Black mother and her own infant.

I think of it as the punctuation mark on the whole show, Orgeman said.
Deadlocked is nothing if not ambitious.

Nearly four hours long, the docu-series tells the sometimes inspiring, often infuriating history of the modern Supreme Court, beginning with the momentous years of the Warren Court  desegregating schools, legalizing interracial marriage  and wrapping up in June, around the time reports about luxury travel provided by wealthy Republican donors to Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito prompted a broader conversation about Supreme Court ethics.

By that time, the director Dawn Porter had been working on Deadlocked for three years, and as much as she would have liked to have included, say, something about Thomass private jet trips or Alitos fishing vacation in Alaska, she knew she couldnt.

We had to end the series somewhere, she said.

Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court premieres on Sept. 22 on Showtime and is the most expansive of Porters projects to date. Past Porter films have focused on single individuals at pivotal periods in history, like Pete Souza, the former White House photographer during the Reagan and Obama administrations (The Way I See It), and John Lewis, the congressman and civil rights leader (John Lewis: Good Trouble). Others have illuminated the lives of small groups of people working within political crucibles, like the abortion providers under siege in her 2016 film Trapped. Her films have won numerous awards, including a special jury prize at Sundance and a Peabody.
For decades, Americas corporate chieftains saw China as a money spinner. They gushed about its hundreds of millions of consumers, called it one of the biggest opportunities and made predictions that this would be Chinas century.

Now, those executives have come away from recent visits to the country with a more sober view. Western companies doing business in China are facing pressures that were unimaginable several years ago. The countrys economy is floundering, and its relationship with the United States is strained. Three years of border restrictions and an effective commercial lockdown have opened cracks that have yet to heal.

Nine months into the countrys post-Covid reopening, companies are grappling with a tough reality: Chinas $18 trillion economy is fraught with peril but remains impossible to ignore and difficult to leave. A retreat could mean losing an edge to future global competitors. Many Western companies still see their China operations as a long-term bet, but the payoff is tempered with hazards.

There is a recognition among C.E.O.s that they need to mitigate some risks, said Myron Brilliant, a senior counselor at Dentons Global Advisors-ASG. They dont want to ignore the market, but everyone has their eyes wide open in this environment.
Hundreds of people at Chevrons liquefied natural gas plants in Western Australia halted work on Friday, an industrial action affecting two giant projects that account for about 6 percent of the worlds supply of the essential fuel, prompting prices to move higher.

At 1 p.m. local time, about 500 employees began work stoppages  lasting up to 11 hours each day  and bans on some types of work, after union negotiations over pay and working conditions stalled.

The stoppages are scheduled to continue until Thursday. At that point, if the impasse remains, the unions will escalate with rolling strikes of up to 24 hours a day, for up to two weeks, according to the Offshore Alliance, a collaboration of two unions representing energy workers.

If the strikes lead to a prolonged halt of shipments from the Australian facilities, the impact could ripple through the global gas market. Japan, whose electric utilities and other industrial customers take about 45 percent of the fuel from these facilities, would likely be hit the hardest.
Background: Pharmacy chains have been settling opioid claims.

Kroger is the latest in a growing group of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains that have agreed to large settlements with state and local governments that accused them of seeding a public health disaster.

Three large pharmacy chains that compete with Kroger  Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart  reached similar settlements last year totaling about $13 billion. Another, Rite Aid, has not yet announced a nationwide settlement.

The claims against Kroger and its competitors have focused on the role of their pharmacies in flooding communities with legal painkillers. In lawsuits against Kroger, the attorneys general in Washington State and West Virginia accused it of failing to investigate overprescribing and of withholding data from its pharmacists that could help them safely dispense the pills.

Why It Matters: Opioid settlement money is funding recovery efforts.

As other opioid settlement payments have begun to be disbursed, states, municipal governments and Native American tribes have said they are using the money to fund services for opioid abuse victims and to buy drugs to reverse opioid overdoses.

The attorney general of North Carolina, Josh Stein, who helped lead the negotiations with Kroger, said in a statement on Friday that Krogers settlement will help save lives, and we will make sure these companies cant repeat their mistakes.

Whats Next: A grocery mega merger.

Kroger, which operates stores in different parts of the country under grocery brands like Harris Teeter and Ralphs, has been trying to complete a merger with another chain, Albertsons, announced last year. Kroger said on Friday that the opioid settlement agreement would not impede the merger.

Kroger said on Friday that it planned to divest more than 400 stores, primarily in Western states, in an effort to assuage concerns from antitrust regulators.

Jan Hoffman contributed reporting.
Liberty Safe, which calls itself Americas #1 heavy-duty home and gun safe manufacturer, came under intense criticism from gun owners and conservative commentators this week after it acknowledged that it had voluntarily given the F.B.I. the access code to one of its safes to help in an investigation.

As a backlash mounted in conservative outlets and on social media, the company quickly backtracked, saying it would give law enforcement officials access codes only if it received a subpoena. Until now, it had cooperated when investigators had a search warrant for a customers property.

The controversy underscored the distrust of the F.B.I. among many conservatives, who sharply questioned Liberty Safes commitment to protect their firearms from federal agents.

Heres what we know about the search, part of a Jan. 6 case.

Nathan Earl Hughes, 34, of Fayetteville, Ark., was arrested on Aug. 30 on felony and misdemeanor charges that accused him of storming the Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
A conservative womens group rallied nearly 100 people last month to raise the alarm about the growing threat of human trafficking to local children  despite a dearth of local cases.

Human trafficking is all around us, we just dont know it, Alcinda Hatfield, a community ambassador with Anti-Trafficking International, told The Daily Progress at the Aug. 8 event at Novum Baptist Church in Reva.

Shes wrong, at least according to police.

Law enforcement officials from Madison, Greene and Culpeper were in attendance for Hatfields presentation hosted by the Moms for America group. None of them were able to detail any cases of someone within their jurisdictions being traded for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery or commercial sexual exploitation.

Sex trafficking cases we dont have a lot of, if we have any, Culpeper Police Capt. Tim Chilton told The Daily Progress.

Nevertheless, Hatfield and the Madison-Culpeper Moms for America want the Anti-Trafficking International Just Ask Prevention Curriculum to be taught in schools across the commonwealth.

We would love to put this program into more schools in the commonwealth, Hatfield said. Schools are very hesitant, unfortunately. With the time constraints and funding issues. We have grants and private donors, but even still some schools have not signed on for whatever reasons.

While local school boards may not be on board, the group has backers in Richmond.

Maggie Cleary previously served as deputy secretary of the state Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security under Gov. Glenn Youngkin; she is now special counsel to Attorney General Jason Miyares. Cleary said combatting human trafficking is Youngkins top priority.

The first lady mentioned this while they were campaigning in 2021, but this is really their top priority, Cleary said. As someone who worked in the office with him, it was reiterated to us multiple times that stopping human trafficking, fighting human trafficking were Glenn Younkin and Suzannes top priority.

Were the curriculum detailed by Hatfield to be adopted, Virginias students would be taught in class the signs of sex trafficking. Hatfield said students could learn about trafficking from real-life stories such as Susan Youngs daughter, who was trafficked and exploited by the MS-13 gang in Fairfax County.

Young was at the Aug. 8 event.

She met a young boy at a local movie theater who pretended to be her boyfriend for all intents and purposes. They became friends, had an online friendship, eventually started dating him. This young boy introduced her to MS-13 affiliates at her high school, and at the time we did not know they were MS-13, and these affiliates begin bullying her, threatening her and then she kind of was aware of who they were and what they were kind of wanted, Young said.

Youngs daughter asked for help multiple times, she said. When no one came to her rescue, she said, the gang retaliated.

She reached out to the school 22 times to her counselor for help, Young said. No one came to her rescue or simply answered her request. So the gang got wind that she was trying to get away from them, so they took her to a secluded part of the school property where they hit her over the head and they gang-raped her while they videotaped.

The video was used as blackmail, which then led to the trafficking, Young said.

So she right after that was trafficked every day after school, Young said. She would be taken to a nearby house where eight to 10 gentlemen were waiting and she could not leave until she was done. She had to come home and pretend as if nothing had happened, but my husband and I knew there was something wrong, we just didnt know what, and we tried to get her to talk any way we could to tell us what was going on because her behavior was just spiraling out of control and she couldnt for fear of safety and retaliation from the gang.

Young decided to change her daughters school, she said, then she went missing for four days.

So we decided we were going to pull her out of school and put her into a private school, and the day before we were going to do that the gang got wind, and thats when they came and took her, Young said. Thats when she was missing and she was trafficked over the DMV area. We were able to rescue her and she was at brief home for about four months recovering, and again, we had no idea what had happened because she never disclosed. She was afraid.

The gang didnt stop there, according to Young.

She was taken again and she was missing for 10 days and she was recovered in Prince William by a Prince William County gang unit where they were selling her to an out-of-state gang for $2,000, Young said. They were going to transport her to New York, and if that had happened, we probably never would have seen Courtney again.

Youngs story, and those like it, are rare. The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 140 human trafficking cases in Virginia in 2021, the latest numbers available. By comparison, there were 562 homicides, 11,638 vehicle thefts and 10,464 burglaries and burglary attempts reported that same year, according to Virginia State Police data.

What is more common than what is considered typical human trafficking is something called sextortion. Its a form of blackmail, usually targeting teenagers, in which someone threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video of the victim unless they pay a ransom or meet other demands.

A lot of the kids are getting into this same kind of scenario. A kid gets friended by a real pretty girl online and obviously the girls are fake, Chilton said. Once they do that, the scammers start pushing the kids to send them pictures. As soon as they threaten to leak the photos, they make money.

Part of what is fueling the fear of human trafficking in the U.S. is media. Shelley Burnham, co-director of Moms for America, said the recent event was planned to coincide with the release of the film Sound of Freedom.

What we wanted to do was let people know not only is it a problem around our country, but how is it a problem here, why is it a problem here and what you can do about it, Burnham said. So we did host this on the heels of that movie because so many people had seen it and wanted to know does this affect my community and what can I do about it.

Sound of Freedom depicts the story of a former government agent who rescued girls from sex traffickers in Colombia. In the five weeks between its release and the Aug. 8 event, it had already grossed more than $155 million.

The movie has been criticized for peddling conspiracy theories about trafficking. Its star, James Caviezel, is a prominent promoter of outlandish QAnon conspiracy theories about elites abusing and killing American children. One of its funders, Fabian Marta, was charged on July 21 with accessory to child kidnapping.

While the Moms for America group said the Aug. 8 event wasnt politically motivated, the organization has a habit of endorsing right-wing candidates in school board races, such as Terese Matricardi who is running for a seat on the Culpeper County School Board. Matricardi is a vocal supporter of schools outing children who have not conformed to gender norms to their parents and has argued that Christians and Conservatives are primary targets of bullying in schools.

While trafficking remains a less common crime, political experts say there has been a significant uptick in discussion of it, especially in places such as Virginia.

Discussion of sex trafficking and transgender issues have really ramped up in Virginia in the past several months as the elections have drawn closer, said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a professor of political science and international affairs and the director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. It would be useful for people talking about these issues to draw more attention to specific cases to give people a sense of whether this is a greater threat to students than gun violence in schools, for example.

Every day, 12 U.S. children die from gun violence and another 32 are shot and injured, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Trafficking has been used for years as a tactic to stoke fear and rally political support.

Fear is a common motivator to increase turnout, and Democrats and Republicans have been using issues they consider to be valuable for that end for years, Farnsworth said.

Much of todays rhetoric surrounding human trafficking resembles the white slavery panic of the early 20th century. According to the National Institute of Health, white slavery was the term used to describe organized coerced prostitution. While anyone could be a target of slavers, the primary concern was White women.

Efforts to stop white slavery share many of the hallmarks of moral panic: crusaders often used misleading statistics and shocking narratives of abduction that obscured the economic context of prostitution, sex work, and trafficking, Brian Donovan, a sociologist at the University of Kansas, wrote in an article for the Social Science Research Council. Narratives of innocent white girls abducted into sex work formed a justification for anti-immigrant policies and ideologies.

Like the Progressive Era crusades against coercive prostitution, many contemporary antitrafficking efforts are about more than stopping sexual violence, Donovan continued.

Back in Reva, Cleary told the audience gathered that the best thing they could do to stop the surge of trafficking would be to watch Sound of Freedom and then go vote.

Watch Sound of Freedom and learn about this, Cleary said. You should talk to people who are running. Talk to your candidates and see what they want to do. Then, vote, vote, vote, vote. Please, please, please, vote in local elections. They matter.
The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon apologized to his staff on Thursday afternoon after a news article described the set of his show as being a toxic workplace.

Mr. Fallon, whose show has not aired new episodes for more than four months because of the writers strike, told the staff during a virtual meeting: Its embarrassing, and I feel so bad.

The article, published by Rolling Stone, said 14 former staff members and two current employees alleged that Mr. Fallons erratic behavior had helped to fuel an unhealthy work environment.

If I ever mistreated anybody, or made you feel bad, that was not my goal, he said in the meeting, according to a staff member who was present. I want this show to be fun. It should be inclusive for everybody. It should be funny. It should be the best show, the best people. I just wanted to say I miss you guys.
A princess ascends from the water like a siren. The stony gaze of an African mask lures a beautiful maid homeward. The Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene rendered myth a visual map that rescued the African past from the sullying grasp of empire. In place of demigods and antiheroes, women were his preferred orbit.

The director revealed his enduring preoccupations in the Sembenian heroine: Broadly speaking, she was principled, defiant, inclined to revolt, however outwardly hopeless her odds appeared. Where colonial literature either struggled to translate the finer contours of traditional African gender arrangements or offered only a cursory sketch of their subjection, Sembene stayed attuned to the shades of womens displacement. He understood, for instance, in Xala (1975) how a woman who was too imperious to enter the house of her husbands second wife could bear, in somber silence, when he took a third, even younger bride, and fractured further what little love was left to her, his first and eldest wife.

Feminine multiplicity animated Sembenes (literary and cinematic) corpus, and he took the cost of his characters bravery seriously. Their triumphs come hard-won or not at all. They frequently become the cherished apotheosis of liberation or, where denied by earthly circumstance, rebellion. The director nursed an abiding suspicion of all religion, but his films betray him: If he surrendered in faith to anything, it was the African woman.
He added that she had demonstrated that she was capable of the single most important responsibility of any lieutenant governor  stepping in as acting governor when Mr. Murphy leaves the state.

Ms. Way will also continue to serve as secretary of state.

Ms. Oliver, 71, had been serving as acting governor in late July as Mr. Murphy vacationed in Italy. She was rushed to the hospital on July 31 and died the next day.

Ms. Way said Ms. Oliver, a former speaker of the State Assembly, was a mentor, friend and role model  to fellow Black women in office, and to women in general.

I will have the solemn honor of building upon her towering legacy, Ms. Way said of Ms. Oliver. She said her guiding principle in office would be freedom, fairness and equal justice for all.

Mr. Murphy had 45 days to name a successor to Ms. Oliver. Next month, he is expected to travel to Asia on an economic development trip lasting more than a week, a period that is likely to be one of Ms. Ways first opportunities to step into the role of acting governor.
But different doesnt necessarily mean more realistic. Its accurate enough to say that Tolkiens trilogy doesnt dramatize the kind of moments in history when evil appears wearing one mask or another, and good and bad seem intermixed on different sides. But there are also real-world moments when masks slip, the lines are starker and you can see a Barad-dur rising in the distance. And Tolkien was working in such a moment, in the 1940s, not the 2020s: As much as he hated being accused of doing World War II allegory in his depiction of the War of the Ring, nonetheless, it mattered that he was writing his novels in the shadow of two of the bloodiest totalitarian dictatorships the world has ever known.

Some might argue that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union didnt immediately and automatically appear as Mordors to the outside world, that they seemed fair at first to Adolf Hitlers conservative apologists or the socialist intellectuals who celebrated Joseph Stalin. But they didnt try all that hard to disguise themselves: The Nazis wore lightning bolts and deaths heads on their uniforms and Hitler barely veiled his eliminationist ambitions; Communism raised architectural monstrosities that would be at home on the Plateau of Gorgoroth while ruling over lands sickened by industrial pollution. And they were just the starkest case studies in a 20th century that offered plenty of proof that people dont always need a deceptive glamour, a false fairness, to ally themselves with darkness.

So sometimes its realistic, not naive, to portray the darkness itself as the glamour, the appeal of an evil power as the point. The devil appears to some people as Lucifer the light-bringer, yes  but his darker visage finds worshipers as well. And when we talk comfortably about Tolkiens supposed unrealism and naivete, maybe were really expressing our discomfort with that cold and bitter truth.

Finally, a shorter comment on a different way that Tolkien might be accused of unrealism  in his romanticism and pastoralism, his hostility to modern material progress, his association of technology and industry with, well, the stink of Mordor. I wrote a column recently about the preservationist impulse in England, Tolkiens home, and while I used a Philip Larkin poem, Going, Going, as a way into the subject, I could have just as well used Tolkiens arcadian laments. And just as my column argued that a fear of sprawl and development has left King Charles IIIs dominions embalmed, stagnant, struggling to build or grow or welcome children, a Tolkien anniversary essay from Niall Gooch worries that the spirit of Hobbitism now enjoys too much influence in Tolkiens island home:

At least two incidents in The Lord of The Rings  the refortification of Isengard and the Scouring of the Shire  are clearly intended to portray development and increasing economic sophistication in a negative light. The problem is that in the modern era, conservative-minded peoples too-frequent aesthetic and cultural disdain for the engines of prosperity, such as construction, finance, energy exploration and container ports, has genuine costs. It means more expensive housing and fewer, less well-paid jobs. It means less growth, which means less money for warships and hospitals and roads. [] None of this should be regarded as a wholehearted planting of my flag on the terrain of progress at all costs. I am a Hobbit by temperament and lifestyle. I love the line given to Bilbo Baggins in the Jackson films: Things are made to endure in the Shire, passing from one generation to the next. But I am also a patriot who wants Britain to prosper, and to recover her national mojo. Ours is no longer the world in which Tolkien grew up, nor even the one in which he spent his last years. We must resist the temptation toward stasis, the impulse to coast on the delightful but diminishing legacy of a vanishing England. Tolkien himself was very careful to note that the Shire is not self-sustaining, dependent as it is on outsiders for security.

I obviously endorse this point, but I think the last line undersells how much Tolkien subjected his own pastoral nostalgia to critique. It isnt just that the Hobbitlands are obviously dependent on bolder men and stronger civilizations for protection. Its also that the chief of those protective civilizations, the kingdom of Gondor, is itself frozen in a kind of preservationist sickness, a backward-looking decadence, a conservatism unto death.

Because Tolkien is a reactionary, the solution to that sickness is the return of a king of ancient lineage. But because Tolkien is a subtle writer, its clear that ancient lineages alone are not enough, and that a fixation on the past for the pasts sake is its own kind of trap  less destructive perhaps than the machinery of Isengard or Mordor, but a kind of doom for any civilization nonetheless. Here is how Faramir, the captain of Gondor, describes the arc of his native land:

Yet even so it was Gondor that brought about its own decay, falling by degrees into dotage, and thinking that the Enemy was asleep, who was only banished not destroyed. Death was ever-present, because the Numenoreans still, as they had in their old kingdom, and so lost it, hungered after endless life unchanging. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living, and counted old names in the rolls of their descent dearer than the names of sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry; in secret chambers withered men compounded strong elixirs, or in high cold towers asked questions of the stars. And the last king of the line of Anarion had no heir.

This passage mildly counters my earlier concession that Lord of the Rings never dresses evil in fairness, since what is Faramir describing if not a fairness and nobility turning sour and corrupted underneath? Here you have an image of decadence thats arguably more relevant to the current museum-house condition of England than Tolkiens horror at factories or deforestation. And here you also have a judgment that might apply to various forms of right-coded politics in our own day as well  forms which sometimes pine for a return to the deep past, sometimes compound elixirs to restore manly vigor or lengthen life, but so far seem insufficiently generative to avert the decline that they deplore.
To the Editor:

Re Liberals on Their High Horse About Rich Men, by Nicholas Kristof (column, Aug. 31):

Thank you, Mr. Kristof, for once again opening eyes with your column about Oliver Anthonys song Rich Men North of Richmond.

I will admit to being one of those liberals ready to dismiss the song without listening to it. After reading the column I did listen to it, and I recognize it as continuing the tradition of protest songs that many in my generation embraced wholeheartedly in the 60s, expressing the frustration of the working class in its struggle for the dignity and respect we all crave.

It is time that those of us who have had the privilege of higher education and rewarding career paths put ourselves in the shoes of those who have had neither. We need to recognize the resulting widespread anguish and despair as a failing of our society, and embrace our own responsibility to proactively work toward healing these widening cracks in our democracy before it is too late.

Barbara Wilson

Altadena, Calif.

To the Editor:

Nicholas Kristof writes, Liberals are properly attentive to racial injustice but have a blind spot about class, driven in part by unfair stereotypes that members of the white working class are invariably bigots.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, my mother, Michaela Ferrigine  a stock exchange trader only five days back from maternity leave after the birth of my sister Olivia  had been scheduled to go to a meeting on a high floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. But the night before, the meeting was postponed. She went instead to her office at 111 Broadway, the Trinity Building, next to the towers. She was there when jihadists plunged the first plane into the north tower, and along with everyone else in her building, she fled.

Mom was on a street below near the south tower when the second plane struck. She fell as she tried to run and was trampled by stampeding crowds until two men she didnt know helped her up. Ash-caked, bleeding, dazed by the chaos, Mom eventually found her way to the pier at East 35th Street, where she was questioned as an eyewitness and hosed down to rid her of toxic residue. When she boarded the ferry home to Monmouth County, N.J., her blue dress suit, now gray, was still wet.

The people shed planned to meet in the south tower had died.

Since then, my mothers experience of that day has remained woven tightly into the fabric of my family, yet still somehow enduringly out of sight.

In the days and weeks that followed, my mother was despondent, unable to get out of bed or look up at the sky without hallucinating a jetliner. Loud noises shook her, and a smoky, chemical smell  a sinister remnant from the charred pile of rubble that she passed each day on her commute to work  lingered in her dark hair for months.
During the first Republican debate of the 2024 presidential primary campaign last month, Donald Trumps rivals were asked to raise their hands if they would support his candidacy, even if he was convicted in a court of law. Mr. Trumps effort to overturn the 2020 election wasnt just a potential criminal offense. It also violated the cardinal rule of democracy: Politicians must accept the results of elections, win or lose.

But that seemed to matter little on the debate stage. Vivek Ramaswamys hand shot up first, and all the other leading candidates followed suit  some eagerly, some more hesitantly and one after casting furtive glances to his right and his left.

Behavior like this might seem relatively harmless  a small act of political cowardice aimed at avoiding the wrath of the base. But such banal acquiescence is very dangerous. Individual autocrats, even popular demagogues, are never enough to wreck a democracy. Democracys assassins always have accomplices among mainstream politicians in the halls of power. The greatest threat to our democracy comes not from demagogues like Mr. Trump or even from extremist followers like those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 but rather from the ordinary politicians, many of them inside the Capitol that day, who protect and enable him.

The problem facing Republican leaders today  the emergence of a popular authoritarian threat in their own ideological camp  is hardly new. It has confronted political leaders across the world for generations. In Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, mainstream center-left and center-right parties had to navigate a political world in which antidemocratic extremists on the Communist left and the fascist right enjoyed mass appeal. And in much of South America in the polarized 1960s and 70s, mainstream parties found that many of their members sympathized with either leftist guerrillas seeking armed revolution or rightist paramilitary groups pushing for military rule.
Last year, for a column I was writing about the power that large asset managers like BlackRock and Vanguard exert over the global economy, I called up Vivek Ramaswamy. He was delighted to hear from me.

I dont mean this as self-aggrandizement. Ramaswamy was set to start Strive, an asset management company he hoped would take on the BlackRocks and Vanguards of the world, and was about to publish his second book, so he had good reason to court media attention. Still, I found his enthusiasm noteworthy; as a journalist who covers Silicon Valley, Im used to chatting up smooth-operator entrepreneurs eager for coverage, but Ramaswamys media hustle was of a different order.

He told me I could call him anytime Id like to bounce ideas off a thought partner. He sent me a PDF of his upcoming book  No one has seen an advance copy yet  and followed up to ask, seemingly earnestly, for my thoughts on his thesis. And when I joked, in my piece, that the title of his first book, Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate Americas Social Justice Scam, sounded as if it had been formulated in a lab at Fox News to maximally tickle the base and trigger the libs, he texted me with an explanation that he suggested I append to the published column:

My publisher (Hachette) and I selected the book title long before the word woke had become weaponized in the culture wars. Today, I mostly dont even use that word anymore; its not part of my vernacular today. It was suggested to me as a title by a self-identified far-left friend in early 2020. The word took on a different valence between then and late 2021 when my book was published. I just wanted you to know that, since I saw you mused about the etymology of the title in your piece. It certainly wasnt cooked up in a Fox News lab, and in all honesty the goal wasnt to trigger anyone. If anything, my goal with the book was to provide a unifying voice across culturally fraught questions, and I think most left-wing readers of the book would agree that it was at least clear I tried to do that.

Maybe that was all really the case. But I got the impression that he was also trying  a little too hard  to paint himself in a light that he thought might appeal to a lefty Times columnist.

In the wake of his breakout performance at last months Republican primary debate, much has been made of Ramaswamys irrepressible annoyingness  is it a bug that could prevent him from winning the G.O.P. presidential nomination, or is it the feature that could help him secure it? But what I found striking about Ramaswamy, both in our conversations and on the debate stage, was not that hes especially irritating (how many people who run for president arent?) but that he represents a distinct, very familiar flavor of irritation: Hes the epitome of millennial hustle culture, less a Tracy Flick know-it-all than a viral LinkedIn post come to life. The guy whos always mining and nurturing new connections, always leveraging those connections into the next new thing, always selling and always, always closing.
Republicans have more than enough votes in the Wisconsin State Assembly to impeach Justice Protasiewicz and just enough votes in the State Senate  a two-thirds majority  to remove her. But removal would allow Governor Evers to appoint another liberal jurist, which is why Republicans dont plan to convict and remove Protasiewicz. If, instead, the Republican-led State Senate chooses not to act on impeachment, Justice Protasiewicz is suspended but not removed. The court would then revert to a 3-3 deadlock, very likely preserving the Republican gerrymander and keeping a 19th-century abortion law, which bans the procedure, on the books.

If successful, Wisconsin Republicans will have created, in effect, an unbreakable hold on state government. With their gerrymander in place, they have an almost permanent grip on the State Legislature, with supermajorities in both chambers. With these majorities, they can limit the reach and power of any Democrat elected to statewide office and remove  or neutralize  any justice who might rule against the gerrymander.

Its that breathtaking contempt for the people of Wisconsin  who have voted, since 2018, for a more liberal State Legislature and a more liberal State Supreme Court and a more liberal governor, with the full powers of his office available to him  that makes the Wisconsin Republican Party the most openly authoritarian in the country.

Of course, there is nothing yet written in stone. Wisconsin Republicans might, for the first time, show an ounce of restraint and refrain from taking this radical step against self-government. If they choose otherwise, Justice Protasiewicz could sue, citing her First Amendment right to free speech: The Republican case against her, after all, is that she disparaged their gerrymander in her campaign, making her biased. The scheme could also backfire; if Protasiewicz were to resign following an impeachment, the state would hold a new election next year. Wisconsin Republicans might then face an angry and mobilized electorate in a presidential year.

Regardless of how this specific situation plays out, it illustrates a broader problem in the structure of American political life. In the absence of national regulation  and against the backdrop of a federal Supreme Court that is, at best, apathetic on issues of voting rights  states are as liable to become laboratories of autocracy as they are to serve as laboratories of democracy. And without federal intervention to enforce a republican form of government, as the Constitution phrases it, the voters themselves have no other choice but to leave for greener pastures if they hope to govern themselves.
The pretext for impeaching Protasiewicz is that she wont agree to recuse herself from redistricting cases, given her campaign comments about the states unfair maps, and the $10 million that the Democratic Party put into her race. This is, to put it mildly, a flimsy rationale. Wisconsins Judicial Commission has already dismissed a complaint that she violated court strictures by weighing in on contentious issues that might come before her as a judge. And the conservative majority on Wisconsins Supreme Court adopted a rule in 2009 that justices did not need to recuse themselves from hearing cases involving their campaign donors.

If Republicans move ahead with this impeachment, it will be for one reason only: because they think they can. Republicans feel deeply entitled to their gerrymandered majority, said Charlie Sykes, once a powerful right-wing radio host in Wisconsin and now a founder of the Never Trump conservative publication The Bulwark. For them, this is an existential issue.

Impeachment, which requires only a simple majority of the Assembly, may be easier for Republicans than removal, which requires a two-thirds vote in the State Senate. (Given the size of their Senate majority, they couldnt afford to lose a single vote.) But some observers think that even if Republicans impeach Protasiewicz, they have no intention of actually holding a Senate trial. Once impeached, a justice is suspended from hearing cases while the process plays out. But since the state Constitution is silent on a timeline for that process, Republicans could impeach Protasiewicz and then leave her in legal oblivion indefinitely.

In that case, the Democratic governor, Tony Evers, would never be able to appoint a replacement, and the court would be deadlocked, unable to do anything about either the gerrymandering or the abortion ban.

Senate Republicans in Wisconsin are basically saying, Yeah, were not going to have a trial. We wont do anything, said Sykes, whose ex-wife is a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. So in other words, she would never get to due process. And she would sit in limbo, theoretically, forever. So they just wipe away the election.
A woman has been charged in the death of a man found in the 11th Street Garage near the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Tabitha Lynn Head, 47, of Lebanon has been charged with the voluntary manslaughter of Brian Patrick Kiser, also of Lebanon.

UVa police said they arrived on the scene around 4 p.m. Thursday.

Upon their arrival, officers observed an individual laying on the ground with what appeared to be medical personnel administering life-saving procedures, the university police department said in a statement released Friday. Further medical assessment at the scene revealed the subject sustained what appeared be a puncture wound to the torso.

While investigating the scene, officers said they found what appeared to be an edged weapon that may have been used to stab the man.

Investigators believe that Head and Kiser are well-acquainted and that they traveled together to the University of Virginia Medical Center earlier in the day, police said.

Head was booked at Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail at 1:36 a.m. Friday, according to jailhouse records. She remains in custody there.

Police said they do not believe there is an active or ongoing threat to the community.

To protect the integrity of the investigative process, no further updates will be released at this time, they said in the Friday statement. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

UVa Police Chief Tim Longo said his officers worked throughout the night to gather facts, but their work is not complete.

While I am pleased, we came to a resolution in the timeliest way, I am saddened by the impact this incident had on our University community and the families whose lives have been forever deconstructed, he said in a statement provided to The Daily Progress on Friday. Well remain focused on our fact finding and investigative steps and will keep our community reasonably apprised as this case moves forward.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact the UVa Police Department at (434) 924-7166.
Kimberly Ann Alexanders friends had urged her to do some fine-tuning of her Hinge profile when she joined in May 2020. I kept getting pushback, like, Thats not going to help you get to know anyone, she said.

Of particular concern was her answer to the prompt name a random fact you love. Instead of something flirty, Dr. Alexander, a clinical psychologist who was new to Hinge but experimenting at the onset of the pandemic, led with a fact that spoke to her as a scientist. You cant actually multitask, she wrote. Your brain has to switch back and forth.

When Oladipo Akinkunmi Fatade read that answer while browsing Hinge two months later, he resisted the urge to multitask and paid attention. It gave me a window into her personality, he said. For him, the facts randomness, combined with her lighthearted answers to other prompts, spelled jackpot. She was gorgeous, and it seemed like she didnt take herself too seriously. I was like, Thats the girl for me.

Dr. Alexander wasnt sure, however, that he was the guy for her when they met for a first date on June 28, 2020, at Bryant Park in Manhattan.
George C. Wolfe can pinpoint the exact moment that sparked his career as a director and dramatist. When he was a fourth grader, his all-Black elementary school in Kentucky was preparing for a visit to a nearby white school to mark what was then known as Negro History Week. We were supposed to sing this song, recalls Wolfe, 68. And our principal told us that when we got to a certain line, we should sing it with full conviction because it would shatter all the racism in the room. To this day, he can remember standing with his classmates singing, These truths we are declaring, that all men are the same, and then suddenly belting out, that libertys a torch burning with a steady flame. Thats why Im a storyteller, he says. Because someone told me when I was 10 that if I fully committed with my passion and my intelligence and my heart to a line, I could change people.

That belief led him to become both a Broadway powerhouse  a co-writer and the director of the hit musical Jellys Last Jam (1992) and the director of Tony Kushners Angels in America (1993)  and the producer of the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, for which he conceived Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk (1995). In recent years, hes devoted more time to making films, including The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) and Ma Raineys Black Bottom (2020). His latest, Rustin, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obamas Higher Ground and coming to theaters on Nov. 3 and to Netflix two weeks later, tells the story of Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist who was instrumental in planning the 1963 March on Washington, helping to recruit his friend Martin Luther King Jr. to take part. But Rustin, who was, in Wolfes estimation about as out as a Black man could be in 1960s America, was largely pushed aside by civil rights leaders who feared that his sexuality would bring shame on the movement. Here was this monumental human being who changed history, and then history forgot him, says Wolfe, himself a gay man, who has lived in New York City since 1979. Telling stories like Rustins, he says, is a means to share, to inform, to challenge, to confront the world.

For the multidisciplinary artist Carrie Mae Weems, 70, those same objectives have influenced more than four decades of photographs, installations and performances exploring themes of class, gender and, most notably, race. The first Black artist to have a retrospective at Manhattans Guggenheim Museum (2014s Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video), the Portland, Ore., native who now lives between Brooklyn and Syracuse, N.Y., not only built her reputation as one of Americas most influential photographers but has also elevated fellow artists like Julie Mehretu and Lyle Ashton Harris with her convenings, for which she recruits artists, writers and scholars to come to various institutions for multiday conferences. With works like her Museum Series (2006-present)  for which she photographed herself, back to the camera, standing in front of institutions, including the Tate Modern in London and the Pergamon in Berlin  and Thoughts on Marriage (1989), which depicts a bride with her mouth taped shut, she has created indelible images of humanity in the face of injustice.

Though contemporaries in adjacent disciplines, Wolfe and Weems had never had a real conversation before meeting on a steamy July day in a downtown Manhattan studio. Here, the two discuss their childhoods, art as activism and what they feel is still left to accomplish.
The other American was arrested after arriving in Russia on July 27 and accused of trying to kidnap his 4-year-old son, a Russian citizen, and to spirit him across the border into Poland, according to a statement released on Thursday by the Investigative Committee, which did not name the man.

Regarding the teacher, the Russian government disbanded the Anti-Corruption Foundation in Russia in 2021 by declaring it an extremist organization, sending the groups main investigators fleeing into exile, where they continue to work. Various Navalny supporters have faced criminal charges in Russia as the Kremlin has ratcheted up repressive measures, especially those trying to silence critics of its war in Ukraine.

A conviction for financing an extremist organization carries an eight-year jail sentence.

Mr. Startsev was born in Russia but moved to the United States as a child after his mother married an American, according to an interview he gave a few years ago as well as accounts in the Russian press. After moving to the Chicago area, he attended high school and Northern Illinois University, according to his online biography.

He moved back to Russia to pursue a teaching career. At the time of his arrest, he was teaching English for a Moscow company called the American Club of Education, which offers both online and in-person courses. He had also taught at a private school in Oryol, a provincial city more than 220 miles southwest of Moscow. He was jailed there on Thursday, a day after being detained in Moscow, Russian news media reports said.

There have been several recent cases of Americans being arrested on unlikely spying charges in Russia. Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, is incarcerated in Moscow facing trial, and Paul Whelan, 53, a former Marine, is serving a 16-year sentence. Last December, Brittney Griner, an American basketball star imprisoned in Russia on drug charges, was released after nearly 10 months of captivity in a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer known as the Merchant of Death, who is now running for office.
The authorities in Washington, D.C., were still searching on Friday for a murder suspect who escaped from custody on Wednesday after he assaulted an officer who was changing his handcuffs at a hospital, the police said.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement on Thursday that the man, Christopher Haynes, 30, was arrested on Wednesday in Manassas, Va., about 30 miles southwest of the capital, in connection with a killing in Northeast D.C. in August. He has not yet been to court in the matter.

Several hours after his arrest, Mr. Haynes complained of ankle pain from a pre-existing injury, and two officers took him to George Washington University Hospital for treatment, the police said. While one of the officers was changing Mr. Hayness handcuffs, he physically assaulted the officer and fled with handcuffs dangling from his right wrist, the police said.

The officers were unable to catch him.

The escape prompted George Washington University to cancel evening in-person classes, events and activities on Wednesday before lifting a shelter-in-place order later in the day.
As long as there have been prisons, there have been people trying to break out of them.

Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer who escaped prison late last month outside Philadelphia, was on the run for nearly two weeks before being recaptured, the authorities said on Wednesday. In Britain, a manhunt for a British Army soldier who faces terrorism-related charges and escaped from a London prison ended with his capture on Saturday. And the authorities in Washington, D.C., were searching for a murder suspect who escaped custody at a hospital.

Numerous famous escapes have captured public imagination and attention over the years. In the 1930s, news accounts closely followed the hunt for John Dillinger, the Depression-era bank robber who twice escaped from jail, once with the use of a fake gun.

Here are some other notable escapes from recent history.

1962

Escape from Alcatraz
The Florida Supreme Courts conservative justices repeatedly questioned on Friday whether the states privacy rights extend to abortion as they considered whether to uphold a ban on the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy  a decision that could overturn decades of legal precedent and trigger a far more restrictive ban.

Such a decision would cement Floridas transformation from a haven for women seeking abortions in the American South to a state with some of the most severe restrictions on the procedure, which were enshrined into law by Republicans who have also shifted the ideological balance of the high court from liberal to conservative.

Should the court affirm the 15-week ban, as expected, that would trigger the more recently approved six-week ban to take effect 30 days later, a dramatic policy shift for a state that up until last year allowed abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Few women know they are pregnant by six weeks, and abortion rights backers say such an early ban amounts to near total prohibition. The justices did not indicate when they would rule.

During a closely watched oral argument in Tallahassee on Friday, a lawyer for Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and several abortion providers argued that the court should not narrow the scope of the privacy rights that Floridians have relied on for 40 years. The states solicitor general countered that the court erred in extending privacy rights to abortion, as it first did in 1989.
A special grand jury that investigated election interference allegations in Georgia last year recommended indicting more than twice as many Trump allies as prosecutors eventually sought to charge, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the former senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, and Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser.

In its final report, which a judge unsealed on Friday, the panel also recommended charges against Boris Epshteyn, one of former President Donald J. Trumps main lawyers, as well as a number of other Trump-aligned lawyers, including Cleta Mitchell and L. Lin Wood.

Mr. Trump and 18 allies were charged in a racketeering indictment that was handed up last month by a regular grand jury in Fulton County, Ga. But the special grand jury, whose role was advisory, recommended bringing charges against an even wider web of Trump allies who tried to change the election results.

Officials with the Fulton County District Attorneys office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment on Friday. But the report provides a window on the offices exercise of prosecutorial discretion, with prosecutors seemingly concluding that some of the people named in the report had committed acts that would be too difficult to prove were criminal.
The partial collapse of a six-story brick building in Davenport, Iowa, in May was caused by construction errors made during repair work in the days before the disaster, investigators concluded in a 113-page report commissioned by the city.

Three people were killed in the sudden and devastating collapse at the apartment building on Main Street in downtown Davenport, a city of 100,000 people on the Mississippi River about halfway between Des Moines and Chicago. The 116-year-old structure, once a hotel, was plagued by flaws that went unaddressed, even after concerned residents who rented inexpensive apartments in the building repeatedly raised alarms.

Two companies with expertise in engineering and construction were hired to investigate the causes of the collapse and present their findings to city officials. Residents and survivors of victims have contended that the buildings owner and the city were negligent in construction work and oversight.

Two major factors caused the collapse, the report concluded: the removal of bricks from a bearing wall, leaving it compromised, and a failure to properly support the wall during repair work.
But the F.B.I.  after collecting various lists from shelters, the Red Cross and the Maui Police Department and cross-referencing them  whittled the number down to 385 people a week ago. After receiving hundreds of updates by phone and email, the F.B.I. has determined that only 66 of those individuals remain unaccounted for.

The authorities have said that they have confirmed 115 deaths, either by collecting sets of remains analyzed by DNA or through the discovery of bodies that were mostly intact; 60 of those have been identified, leaving 55 whose names remain unknown.

The last time the death toll changed was on Aug. 21, the day that President Biden visited Lahaina, a span of time that reflects the new phase of the recovery effort, as well as the likelihood that many peoples bodies were reduced to unrecoverable ash.

The actual death toll is unlikely to be determined for weeks or months. The lack of new information about the death count at this stage is similar to the aftermath of other disasters like the Camp fire, the 2018 Northern California blaze in which 85 people died, said Stephen Meer, the chief information officer of ANDE, a Colorado-based company whose rapid DNA technology has been used to identify victims in Lahaina.

He said that ANDEs technicians have left Maui, and that determining the final death toll would now largely rely on slow-paced detective work  for instance, interviewing the family and friends of those missing to determine if they were in Lahaina that day and where. The authorities will have to determine whether their investigative results are sufficient to declare those still missing as dead.
In the urgent debate over how U.S. schools teach children to read, few figures have been as central as Lucy Calkins, the literacy professor and curriculum entrepreneur.

For four decades, her organization, the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and her widely purchased curriculum inspired passion among many educators. But there was also fierce pushback. Critics said Dr. Calkins downplayed phonics and overlooked a large body of scientific research on how children become skilled readers.

Now her group has been dissolved by Teachers College, Columbia University, according to a recent announcement. Her organization, which was housed on campus and consisted of a nonprofit branch and several private companies, has long shared some of its revenues from consulting and publications with the college.

It marks the end of an era for Teachers College and perhaps another setback for balanced literacy, the embattled movement in which Dr. Calkins is one of several prominent leaders.
A Chabad Jewish center is coming to Corvallis to serve members of the religious community in and around Oregon State University, especially students.

The center, called Chabad of Corvallis and OSU, will be led by Rabbi Menachem Angster, who said the Chabad center is opening up to a very interested and excited Jewish community.

Doors will open come Tuesday, Sept. 26 at his home.

"We are not a temple and at this time are not offering services. We are opening Chabad to provide a safe, loving place for every Jew to express and celebrate their Judaism and Jewish pride with Shabbat meals, holiday programs and learning opportunities for all ages," Angster said by email.

Chabad is an observant Hasidic movement. Angster said he saw a need to introduce the sect to Corvallis after several visits in the past year and spending time with the Jewish community in and outside of Oregon State.

"Everywhere you see a Jewish community, there is Chabad there," Angster said by phone.

"There was a lot of warmth and a lot of excitement," he said about the visit and the idea of bringing Chabad to Corvallis.

Angster envisions the Chabad of Corvallis and OSU as a community center where Jews can steep themselves in the teachings, wisdom and centuries-old traditions of the faith with which he fell in love as a young boy growing up in Baltimore.

He said he hoped that the center would join the citys lone synagogue in enriching the spiritual lives of the members of the local Jewish body.

Angster strikes Rabbi Phil Bressler of Corvallis Beit Am Synagogue as warm and energetic, he said, adding he is happy to welcome Chabad of Corvallis and OSU to the community.

"I think Rabbi Angster and Chabad will bring an aspect of the diversity of Jewish practice (namely, traditional Hasidism) that hasn't been represented institutionally here," Bressler said by email.

His congregation, Bressler said, is a pluralistic Jewish community that welcomes a spectrum of perspectives when it comes to Jewish practices.

"And at the same time, we're strongly committed to values that are, for us, core Jewish values, like egalitarianism, inclusion of interfaith families, and full inclusion of LGBT folks," Bressler said via email.

"Therefore, some practices, like gender-separated seating for prayer for example, are just not something we can accommodate," he said, adding that it is gratifying to know that the needs of some members of community will be met by the new addition.

In response, Angster said Chabad serves not only Orthodox Jews.

"In fact, Chabad across the world helps non-Jews in various ways as well. We are welcoming to Jews regardless of denomination, affiliation or background," he wrote in an email.

Angster said anyone with interest in learning about or participating in the traditions and practice of the Hasidism are most certainly welcome.

"Were not here to step into other peoples traditions or practices, Angster said.

Editor's note: This article was edited to clarify the description of Chabad.

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A Philadelphia police officer was charged with murder after he fatally shot a 27-year-old man who was in his car at near point-blank range, prosecutors announced on Friday, weeks after top police officials announced that body camera footage of the killing showed a different account than what the officer initially described.

In addition to the first-degree murder charge, the officer, Mark Dial, was charged with voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment of another person and official oppression in the shooting death of Eddie Irizarry, prosecutors said at a news conference on Friday.

Mr. Dial fatally shot Mr. Irizarry around noon on Aug. 14 after what the police initially said was a car chase ending in Mr. Irizarry lunging at them with a knife. But police officials said two days later that body camera footage showed that the man was still in his car when the officer shot him. The fatal shooting and changing account sparked community anger and protests.

In an unusual move, Judge Christian DiCicco of the Philadelphia Municipal Court set bail for Mr. Dial at $500,000. According to court records, a third party posted the requisite $50,000 deposit on Mr. Dials behalf, allowing him to be released.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Friday rejected demands from Democratic lawmakers that he recuse himself from a coming tax case after a lawyer involved in the matter interviewed him for The Wall Street Journal.

In an unusual four-page statement attached to an otherwise routine list of orders concerning pending cases, Justice Alito dismissed calls for him to step aside as unsound.

There is no valid reason for my recusal in this case, Justice Alito wrote. Any notion that his vote might be affected by his connection to the lawyer, he added, fundamentally misunderstands the circumstances under which Supreme Court justices must work.

The statement was his first public response to criticism that he had breached an ethical line after sitting down for multiple interviews with a lawyer in the case, David B. Rivkin Jr., who writes for the opinion pages of The Journal. The interviews prompted Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Richard J. Durbin, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to urge Justice Alito to step aside when the court hears the case in the coming term, saying that they cast doubt on his ability to be an impartial arbiter.
The president plans to use the trip to shore up his relationship with the G20 host, Mr. Modi, who is using the economic-focused meeting to showcase the promise and potential of a juggernaut Indian economy. Mr. Modi is so intent on a successful event that his government declared a three-day national holiday surrounding the meeting, closing many businesses and restaurants and increasing security throughout the capital.

Mr. Biden, who hosted Mr. Modi for a state dinner in Washington in June, met the prime minister shortly after his scheduled arrival in New Delhi on Friday evening. He plans to attend meetings with other leaders on Saturday and visit the Raj Ghat memorial to Gandhi on Sunday before leaving for Vietnam, where he will seal a strategic agreement.

What Modi has demonstrated, and what the U.S. is leaning into, is a leader who is willing to make bets on the future of the country, Nirav Patel, the chief executive of the Asia Group and deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific under President Barack Obama, said in an interview. The diplomatic as well as political stability that Modi enjoys allows this relationship to be more fruitful, and Biden has leaned into that.

Mr. Modi, who is seeking a third term next year, has been criticized for his governments record on human rights and faces concerns that he is presiding over a backsliding democracy. During Mr. Modis state visit to Washington, Mr. Biden coaxed him into answering questions from reporters during a news conference, one of the rare times the nationalist prime minister has done so in his nearly decade-long tenure.
On the debate stage last month, Mr. DeSantis declined to raise his hand when a moderator asked the Republican candidates if they thought human behavior was causing climate change. His campaign and the governors office did not respond to requests for comment about his views.

Instead, Mr. DeSantis has seemingly reverted to an old Republican Party line that climate change is happening naturally, without being accelerated by human behavior like the burning of fossil fuels. Decades of scientific research contradict that position. And it is also out of step with what polling shows many Americans believe.

On the 2024 campaign trail, Mr. DeSantis has promised to ramp up domestic oil and gas production and fight against mandates on the introduction of electric vehicles  the kinds of steps that could worsen the sea-level rise that is flooding coastal cities in Florida and around the world. Mr. DeSantis says he is simply being realistic about the countrys economic and national security needs.

Asked to describe his climate plan in an interview on Fox Business last month, Mr. DeSantis said: Its going to be to rip up Joe Bidens Green New Deal. (Mr. Bidens policies do not actually go as far as the so-called Green New Deal, a wide-ranging climate proposal from progressives in Congress.)

As the governor of a traditionally purple state on the front lines of climate change, Mr. DeSantis has been confronted with clear evidence that the environment is changing. But he has largely tried to treat global warmings symptoms  funding local projects to address flooding and storm surge, for instance  rather than take steps to address what climate scientists say are the human-made underlying causes, such as by cutting back on the use of fossil fuels.
Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts, a liberal Democrat, has declared a state of emergency, activated the National Guard and started petitioning the White House for help.

The migrants on state-funded buses from Texas are a fraction of the total number arriving in northern cities. Texas brags that its Operation Lone Star has sent more than 13,100 migrants to New York City since August 2022, but the overall strain there stems from the total, more than 110,000. Some of those migrants have family in New York, while others are attracted to the citys history of welcoming immigrants.

Still, the rising clamor is creating a rare convergence between the two parties, which for years have fought in seemingly parallel political universes. Democrats focused on issues like abortion, the preservation of democracy and expansion of health care, while Republicans warned of a migrant invasion and railed against woke liberal ideology, socialism and expanding L.G.B.T.Q. rights. Endless Republican news conferences at the border and threats to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, were dismissed as political bluster.

Now, suddenly, some Democrats are sounding remarkably like Republicans.

Upstate New Yorkers shouldnt be forced to bear responsibility for decades of failed immigration policy, dysfunction and stupidity out of Washington, Albany and places like New York City, said Josh Riley, the Democratic candidate seeking to unseat Representative Marc Molinaro, a Hudson Valley Republican. Mr. Riley added that it was time for Mr. Biden to to step up and help out.

For Republicans, the response to Mr. Abbotts gambit has gone beyond what they could have hoped for  a spreading of the pain, as millions of migrants stream across the southern border, fleeing violence and poverty, drawn to what they see as a more welcoming administration in Washington and plentiful work.
Im emancipated now! an ebullient Ms. Pelosi said in a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times.

Even after Ms. Pelosi made clear she would stay on after giving up her leadership post, some Democrats assumed that she would leave Congress early, potentially clearing the way for her daughter Christine Pelosi, a party activist and a Democratic National Committee executive committee member, to run for her seat.

Ms. Pelosis decision to carry on with her 36-year career in the House comes at a moment of renewed scrutiny on the advanced age and health status of the countrys leading public servants  including President Biden, 80, and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, 81, the longtime Republican leader  and questions about whether they have overstayed their time in power. Ms. Pelosi managed to somewhat insulate herself from those critiques when she decided last year to step down from leadership, essentially giving herself a demotion.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, another California Democrat who at 90 is the oldest member of Congress, plans to retire after her term ends next year. But she is facing calls to step down sooner amid a precipitous health decline that has raised questions about her ability to do her job. Ms. Pelosi recently attributed those calls to sexism.

A major factor in Ms. Pelosis decision to not only finish her term but to seek another, according to people close to her, was the health of her husband, Paul Pelosi, who was brutally beaten with a hammer at the couples home in San Francisco last year by an assailant who later said he had been targeting the speaker. With Mr. Pelosi on a solid path to recovery, allies said, Ms. Pelosi did not feel it was necessary to step away from a job she loved.
Last October, a few months before he went to trial on sedition charges linked to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, got an invitation: The federal prosecutors in charge of his case asked him and his lawyers to sit down for a meeting.

During that meeting, Mr. Tarrio recounted on Friday in a phone interview from jail, the prosecutors told him that they believed he had communicated in the run-up to the riot with President Donald J. Trump through at least three intermediaries.

The prosecutors, Mr. Tarrio said, offered him leniency if he could corroborate their theory.

Mr. Tarrio said he told them they were wrong. And the discussion with prosecutors  which took place in Miami, Mr. Tarrios hometown  apparently went nowhere. Mr. Tarrio was later convicted of seditious conspiracy in federal court in Washington and was sentenced on Tuesday to 22 years in prison.
The walls, built from sustainably harvested wood, hide what officials say are the most sophisticated technologies in the American arsenal for keeping the room secure. Last upgraded in 2006, the room and the surrounding offices have been closed for a year while contractors gutted the old facility and carried out a complete overhaul.

It was the intelligence arms race that led the president to approve the upgrade. Computer monitors and servers that seemed modern in 2006  the year before the iPhone was announced  had become old and creaky. The signal-blocking technology was in need of modernizing in the era of high-tech sparring with China and Russia. Even the furniture had become worn from seven-day-a-week use.

(When President Barack Obama wanted to monitor the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, Mr. Gustafson said, the main conference room did not have the technology to stream the Defense Department feed, forcing the president and his top aides to watch in a cramped room next door. That has been fixed, he said.)

Movies and spy novels describe the Situation Room as a single place where presidents meet with their aides to make top-secret decisions in a crisis. In fact, it is a warren of rooms that represents what White House officials describe as the most technologically secure spaces in the country.

What had become over the years a slightly grungy workplace now gleams  and smells a bit like a new car, with leather chairs in every room. The reception room feels like entering the lobby of a luxury hotel, with the White House seal etched into a marble slab sourced from a Virginia quarry. Down the hall from the staff entrance is the V.I.P. door, used only by the president and vice president.
Likewise, an applicant should not oppose affinity groups divided by race, ethnicity and gender, as that would demonstrate that the candidate seems not to be aware of, or understand the personal challenges that underrepresented individuals face in academia.

To argue that diversity statements politicize academia and impose a point of view is also a mistake, according to the faculty diversity work group at Santa Cruz. Social justice activism in academia seeks to identify how systemic racism and implicit bias influence the topics we pursue, the research methods we use, the outlets in which we publish and the outcomes we observe.

A cottage industry has sprouted nationally and in California to guide applicants in writing these statements. Some U.C. campuses post online reading lists of antiracist books and examples of successful diversity statements with names redacted.

The entire process has long troubled a number of senior faculty members at Berkeley. If you write: I believe that everyone should be treated equally, you will be branded as a right winger, Vinod Aggarwal, a political science professor at the university, said in an interview. This is compelled speech, plain and simple.

Professor Soucek, at Davis law school, said ideological diversity is not the point.

Its our job to make sure people of all identities flourish here, he said. Its not our job to make sure that all viewpoints flourish.
Two days after escaping a roaring blaze by slithering down a curtain with his 15-month-old daughter strapped to his chest, and hours after burying two fellow Malawians who didnt survive, Yasini Kumbasa was stopped in downtown Johannesburg by police officers demanding to see his passport.

Hed lost just about everything in the fire, but the officers were unmoved when he tried to explain that his passport was destroyed. Accusing him of being in South Africa illegally, they locked him up and demanded at least 1,500 rand, or $78, about what he paid in rent each month, for his release, Mr. Kumbasa said.

After spending three nights in a downtown police station, Mr. Kumbasa, 29, said he got out with money his wife borrowed from a Malawian acquaintance.

As South Africans furiously debate the decades of failed government policy, overlooked warnings and ineffective leadership that led a derelict building occupied by hundreds of squatters to go up in flames last week, immigrants again find themselves in the cross hairs and feeling more vulnerable, even as they carry the heaviest trauma from the blaze.
Cuba has arrested 17 people in connection with what its government says is a network recruiting its citizens to fight in Russias war in Ukraine, according to a Cuban government official.

The head of Cubas criminal investigation department, Cesar Rodriguez, said late Thursday on Canal Caribe, a state-run news channel, that one of the people arrested was responsible for organizing efforts to recruit inside Cuba.

This week, Cubas Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the government had begun criminal proceedings against a human trafficking network that was recruiting people to fight in Ukraine. The ministry has not said how many people were affected, or whether any had traveled to Russia or Ukraine.

The accusations have not been independently verified. Russia has not commented on the issue.

None of the people arrested have been named. The recruiters were looking for Cuban citizens interested in military action, especially those with antisocial behavior and a criminal record, Mr. Rodriguez said.
When President Biden arrives in Vietnam on Sunday, he is set to celebrate a new phase in the Washington-Hanoi relationship that would bring two historical foes closer than theyve ever been, drawn together by Chinas mounting ambitions.

During his state visit to Vietnam on Sunday, Mr. Biden is expected to oversee the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership with Hanoi, a symbolic but significant status long coveted by the United States. Vietnam has until now reserved this status for only four countries: China, Russia, India and South Korea. For years, it had resisted granting this distinction to the United States out of fear of offending China.

But as Beijing continues to encroach on waters claimed by Vietnam and as the United States looks for more partners to counter China in the Indo-Pacific, the former enemies have found common ground. Some experts believe Hanoi may take the unprecedented move of raising Washingtons designation up two notches, from the bottom tier of Vietnams bilateral ties hierarchy to the highest.

It is a very remarkable event because we all know that Vietnamese foreign policy is very cautious, said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS  Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. Whenever they try to upgrade any significant bilateral relations, they normally tend to do it step by step because of the fear that it may cause some concern, especially from Beijing.
Torrential rains have pounded southern China, flooding low-lying homes and roads, choking expressways, and prompting officials to suspend classes while the record-breaking storms lingered over the region.

By Friday morning, Shenzhen, a southern Chinese commercial city next to Hong Kong, had endured nearly eight inches of rain overnight, in the most intense downpour since records began in 1952, according to the citys official news service. Hong Kong was hit by about six inches of rainfall in several hours. The Hong Kong Observatory headquarters recorded over six inches in just one hour, the most in that spot since its records began in 1884, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email.

Invasive species are the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss in Australia, a new United Nations report found this week. And feral cats are the most invasive in the countrys landscape, killing an estimated two billion animals per year, according to Australias environment minister, Tanya Plibersek.

The Australian government announced this week that it is declaring war on these cats, releasing a draft action plan that includes measures like creating programs for recreational hunters to shoot feral cats, and euthanizing some cats caught in the wild.

This isnt exactly new  the Australian government also declared war on feral cats back in 2015  but the recent proposal contains some new elements. Authorities are also considering putting more limits on domestic cats, like keeping them indoors at night, enacting a cap on the number of cats each household can own, and creating more cat-free suburbs.

This consultation paper will ask really important questions, like, Should we have a cat curfew? Should local governments have more opportunity to restrict the ownership of cats in their area? Ms. Plibersek told local news media yesterday.
North Korea said on Friday that its first submarine capable of launching nuclear missiles was now operational, a development that would give the country a new, harder-to-detect means of launching a nuclear strike.

The new tactical nuclear attack submarine, a remodeled Soviet-era vessel equipped with multiple launching tubes, was unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday, state media reported. In a speech, Kim Jong-un, the Norths leader, vowed to similarly convert more of its existing submarine fleet, calling it an urgent task of the times to arm the navy with nuclear weapons.

But South Koreas military expressed skepticism about the submarine on Friday, saying that it doesnt look capable of normal operation and that there were signs of deception and exaggeration in the Norths report.

The United States and its allies have been closely watching the Norths attempts to develop a sub that could launch nuclear and other ballistic missiles. The capabilities of the one introduced this week, originally a Romeo-class Soviet submarine, are unknown; there is no evidence that North Korea has test-launched a missile from the vessel.
A top adviser to Ukraines president accused Elon Musk of enabling Russian aggression, after the billionaire entrepreneur acknowledged denying satellite internet service in order to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian naval fleet last year.

The Starlink satellite internet service, which is operated by Mr. Musks rocket company SpaceX, has been a digital lifeline in Ukraine since the early days of the war for both civilians and soldiers in areas where digital infrastructure has been wiped out.

On Thursday, CNN reported on an excerpt from Walter Isaacsons upcoming biography Elon Musk, later published by The Washington Post, that said the billionaire had ordered the deactivation of Starlink satellite service near the coast of Crimea last September to thwart the Ukrainian attack. The excerpt said that Mr. Musk had conversations with a Russian official that led him to worry that an attack on Crimea could spiral into a nuclear conflict.

Later on Thursday, Mr. Musk responded on his social media platform to say that he hadnt disabled the service but had rather refused to comply with an emergency request from Ukrainian officials to enable Starlink connections to Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean peninsula. That was in effect an acknowledgment that he had made the decision to prevent a Ukrainian attack.
Elon Musk foiled an attack on Russias Black Sea fleet last year by refusing to let Ukraine use his satellite network to guide its drones, Mr. Musk has acknowledged, provoking a furious response from a top official in Kyiv and renewing questions about the global power wielded by a multibillionaire businessman.

Ukraines military forces have relied heavily on the Starlink satellites owned by Mr. Musks SpaceX company for communications since Russia disabled Ukraines internet services as part of its invasion in early 2022. But Mr. Musk would not allow the network to be used for an attack last September with maritime drones on the Russian naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia illegally seized in 2014 and then annexed.

At the time of the attempted attack, Mr. Musk spoke with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly I. Antonov, who had told him an attack on Crimea could lead to a nuclear response, according to a biography of Mr. Musk by the historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Copies of the book were obtained by The New York Times from a bookstore on Friday, though it is not set to go on sale until Tuesday. The account was included in an excerpt from the book published on Thursday by The Washington Post.

Mr. Musk confirmed elements of the story, writing on his social network X, formerly Twitter, If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.
African leaders allied with Russia had grown used to dealing with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the swaggering, profane mercenary leader who traveled the continent by private jet, offering to prop up shaky regimes with guns and propaganda in return for gold and diamonds.

But the Russian delegation that toured three African countries last week was led by a very different figure, the starchy deputy defense minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov. Dressed in a khaki uniform and a telnyashka  the horizontally striped undergarment of Russian armed forces  he signaled conformity and restraint, giving assurances wrapped in polite language.

We will do our best to help you, he said at a news conference in Burkina Faso.

The contrast with the flamboyant Mr. Prigozhin could not have been sharper, and it aligned with the message the Kremlin was delivering: After Mr. Prigozhins death in a plane crash last month, Russias operations in Africa were coming under new management.
Shabtai Shavit, who as director-general of the Israeli intelligence agency the Mossad in the 1990s helped broker a peace agreement with Jordan, oversaw the assassinations of Islamic terrorists and navigated the global fallout from the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday during a vacation in Italy. He was 84.

His death was announced by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. No cause was identified.

David Barnea, the Mossads current director, described Mr. Shavit as a pillar of the world of operations, intelligence, security and strategy of the state of Israel.

While the Mossad was credited with, and criticized for, numerous clandestine operations  among them targeted assassinations of terrorists, which Mr. Shavit defended  he and the agency were widely praised for their role in bringing Israel and Jordan to the table to sign a treaty in 1994, ending a state of war between the two countries that had existed since 1948, when Israel was founded.

The treaty  Israels first with an Arab country since the pact with Egypt in 1979  provided for the establishment of diplomatic relations and assurances that neither Israel nor Jordan would allow another country to use its territory as a staging ground for military strikes.
Efforts to extract an American explorer who became ill more than 3,400 feet underground in a cave in southern Turkey expanded on Friday, as international rescue teams installed communications equipment and blasted open narrow areas to allow the passage of a stretcher, officials involved in the rescue said.

The caver, Mark Dickey, 40, was part of an expedition exploring the Morca cave in southern Turkey when he suddenly suffered from abdominal bleeding last week. Unable to communicate from underground, one of his colleagues made the arduous, hourslong climb to the surface and sounded the alarm last Saturday.

In the days since, more than 180 people from eight countries, including Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the United States, have joined the rescue effort, many of them camped out near the caves opening in a remote part of the Taurus Mountains in Turkey  and up and down the cave itself.

Mr. Dickeys medical condition and the depth and confines of the cave will make his rescue a highly complicated logistical feat.
Greece was recently shocked by the tragic death of a man who drowned in the waters of the Mediterranean after being pushed in by the crew of a ferryboat for coming aboard at the last minute.

The incident occurred in Piraeus Harbor, close to the Greek capital of Athens. CCTV footage shows a man running down the ramp of the Blue Horizon ferryboat, just as its getting ready to leave the port. At this point, the sea vessel is still connected to dry land, but as two crew members attempt to stop the man from coming aboard, the boarding ramp retracts and the man falls into the gap between the ferryboat and the port. At this point, the crew appears to do absolutely nothing to help the man, who is clearly struggling. The boat simply continues its journey to the island of Crete, before being ordered to return to Piraeus by the port authorities.

Videos shot by ferryboat passengers and eyewitnesses on land show the man trying to stay afloat, but no one actually does anything to help. Its unclear how much time passed until the Coast Guard finally arrived, but one thing is for sure  by the time they pulled him out of the water, the man was unconscious, and he was later pronounced dead.

 | El incidente ha conmovido a toda Grecia. Por las redes, televisiones y diarios circulan los dos videos registrados. En ambos se ve a cinco empleados acudir a la rampa y observar quietos a Kariotis, que peleaba por mantenerse a flote. La tripulacion, que habia causado el pic.twitter.com/5xNtWsNVaz  Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundial2) September 6, 2023

An investigation into the poor mans death is currently underway, but based on the evidence available so far, a prosecutor has already filed criminal charges against a ferry captain and three crew members. One crew member was charged with possible attempted murder and the other two with complicity, while the captain was accused of several regulatory violations related to navigation.

 | Tragico momento en el que empujan a un pasajero al mar: Un hombre de 36 anos, murio tras ser empujado al mar por un miembro de la tripulacion del ferry Blue Horizon en Grecia. Sucedio en el puerto de Pireo, en Atenas, Grecia, un miembro de la tripulacion detuvo a un pic.twitter.com/CwZmUMxDQu  Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundial2) September 6, 2023

Yesterdays shameful incident is not indicative of the kind of country we want, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said, describing the incident as a combination of irresponsible behavior and cynicism, contempt and indifference.

 | Tragico momento en el que empujan a un pasajero al mar: Un hombre de 36 anos, murio tras ser empujado al mar por un miembro de la tripulacion del ferry Blue Horizon en Grecia. Sucedio en el puerto de Pireo, en Atenas, Grecia, un miembro de la tripulacion detuvo a un pic.twitter.com/CwZmUMxDQu  Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundial2) September 6, 2023

Greeces merchant marine minister, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, said that the crews behavior was a vile insult to Greek sailors, clarifying that the victim had bought a ferry ticket and was just trying to get back on board after briefly leaving it for reasons that we may never know.
Two Chinese workers were recently arrested for irreparably damaging a section of the Great Wall of China by smashing through it with heavy machinery to create a shortcut.

Chinas Great Wall, one of the very few man-made structures visible from space, was built over several centuries from the third century BC. Long sections of the giant structures are still around today and are protected as heritage sites, but that didnt stop two ignorant workers from simply smashing through a part of it that just happened to be in their way. The two suspects, a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, were working near the affected area and got tired of having to go around the wall in order to reach their destination. They decided to extend a gap in the centuries-old structure to then drive their excavator straight through, instead of going around.

After being alerted about the damage to the wall, police in Shanxi province followed the tracks left by the excavator straight to the two suspects, who eventually admitted to widening an existing gap in the Great Wall so that their excavator could pass through. Unfortunately, the damage caused to the wall has been described as irreparable.

The damaged section of the Great Wall is far away from the restored sections that you usually see in photos and that tourists visit, but it is still part of a Unesco World Heritage site. Now it has a dirt road going through it



Currently, the two suspects have been criminally detained in accordance with the law, and the case is continuing to be investigated, Chinese state-controlled media outlet, CCTV reported.

Its ironic how a structure that had endured for centuries and played a central role in the success of several Chinese dynasties couldnt survive two workers who couldnt be bothered to go around it.
Finn Partners is handling Travel Albertas $6M three-year PR services push under its contract that went into effect June 15.

The independent firm is charged with the development of an annual media relations strategy with the goal of driving consideration for travel to Alberta among high-value travelers in the U.S. and from key international markets, according to the pact.

It is to identify and secure opportunities for earned media coverage through creative and reactive pitching and have a constant pulse on current events and market trends for opportunistic Alberta story placements.

Travel Alberta also wants to increase collaboration with its destination management organization partners, including Tourism Calgary, Explore Edmonton, Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, Indigenous Tourism Alberta, Tourism Jasper and Tourism Canmore Kananaskis.

Finn Partners is to assist Travel Alberta in executing four to eight group media visits and 10 to 15 individual media to the province each year.

That assistance includes pitching, vetting and inviting media, providing feedback on story angles and itinerary timing, and working closely with the client on travel logistics and expectations.

Samantha Lacher, partner, leads the firms Travel Alberta account team.
Bill Daley

Bill Daley, vice chairman for public affairs at Wells Fargo, will retire at the end of the year.

Joining Wells Fargo from BNY Mellon in 2019, Daley assumed the newly created PA post that included government relations, corporate communications, branding, community relations and the banks foundation.

Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said Daley has been an invaluable asset to the company.

During his time at Wells Fargo, weve strengthened our relationships with the communities we serve; established new programs in housing, small business, and other areas that have had an impact on hundreds of thousands of people; and worked to rebuild our reputation both nationally and locally, said Scharf.

Daley, a key player in Democratic politics, was chief of staff to president Obama and commerce secretary in the Clinton administration.

Wells Fargo, which has $1.9T in assets, will announce plans for its PA group at a future date.


United Help Ukraine Seeks Pro Bono PR Tue., Oct. 24, 2023 United Help Ukraine, which was formed in DC in 2014, is seeking pro bono support to build a national PR plan to increase awareness and donations to support the people of Ukraine since the invasion by Russia.
IFA members from Laois and Offaly IFA took part in the organisation's picket outside the Department of Agriculture Buildings in Kildare St, Dublin.

IFA sent a clear message to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue that the delay in payments and changes to the current Nitrate regulations is not acceptable and needs to be re-negotiated.

IFA President Tim Cullinan said that the time for discussion and updates had passed and that it was time for the Minister to deal with the problems.

The statement by the Minister in relation to cuts in the Nitrates Derogation, following an online meeting with the EU Commissioner, has further angered farmers. It is a flawed decision and it must be revisited. Derogation farmers have already implemented 30 measures on their farms, but these are not being given a chance to work, he said.

IFA withdrew from the Charter talks before the summer in protest at the Ministers decision to write to farmers advising that certain payments including ANC and the Basic Payment would be paid later in 2023 compared to previous years. However other farm organisations stayed in the talks.

IFA examined the draft document for the proposed Charter meeting. Despite all the talking, absolutely no progress has been made on the 2023 payments dates.

In addition, the Departments failure to approve TAMS applications for 2023 is causing huge issues for farmers who cannot proceed with building before the winter.

IFA Deputy President Brian Rushe, who headed IFAs original delegation to the Charter talks, said the talks are a sham as payment dates for 2023 have already been announced by the Minister. The Minister has decided, with a shoulder shrug, that ANC payments will be a month late and the Basic Payment will be two weeks late.

The Minister must revisit his late payments plan for 2023. These talks are bogus and anyone participating in them is just giving the Minister cover, he said.

We now see that the TAMS scheme is a mess with no approvals granted. Farmers who have urgent works to carry out for the winter are in limbo with no indication of when it will be resolved, he said.

The Department is grinding to a halt. The Department is prioritising being the best people in the class with the EU above farmers. he concluded.
Family Research Council and FRC Action Announce Annual Summit to Feature DeSantis, Pence, Trump and Other National Leaders

Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Donald Trump and Other Leaders to Address Annual Summit



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Family Research Council

Sept. 8, 2023



WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- Next week, Family Research Council and FRC Action will hold the third annual Pray Vote Stand Summit, which replaced FRC Action's previous flagship event since 2006, the Values Voter Summit. The Pray Vote Stand Summit will address issues such as protecting the unborn, the importance of the nuclear family, domestic and international religious freedom, the growing indoctrination in our nation's schools, gender ideology, the military, election integrity, and much more. The summit will return to the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. from September 15-17, 2023.



Family Research Council President and FRC Action Chairman Tony Perkins commented:

"Our nation stands at a critical juncture. America needs leadership that will confront the cultural and spiritual crisis facing our country. As we move into the 2024 presidential election cycle, we are working to ensure the issues impacting faith, family, and freedom are understood and advanced. Our focus will be ensuring that the sanctity of human life, upholding the true, God-given purpose of human sexuality, and the myriad policies that affect the family -- ranging from religious freedom to tax policy -- remain front and center. We look forward to having a conversation with those seeking the support of Christian voters who are coming together from across the nation for this year's Pray Vote Stand Summit."

WHAT: 3rd annual Pray Vote Stand Summit



WHEN: September 15-17th 2023



WHO: Confirmed speakers include:



Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R)



Former Vice President Mike Pence



Former President Donald Trump



Former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson



Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)



Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)



Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.)



Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey



Tony Perkins, FRC President and FRC Action Chairman



Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, FRC Executive Vice President



Former Congressman Jody Hice, Senior Vice President at FRC and President of FRC Action



More confirmed speakers at prayvotestand.org/speakers



WHERE: In-person at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. (2500 Calvert St NW, Washington, DC 20008) and online at prayvotestand.org.



Registration required, and available at http://prayvotestand.org



To obtain media credentials for this event, please email media@frc.org.



Family Research Council (FRC) is a sponsor only of the educational portion of Pray Vote Stand Summit. FRC does not sponsor the appearance of any candidate for public office, nor does it support or oppose any candidate for elective public office.



SOURCE Family Research Council



CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao, 866-FRC-NEWS or 866-372-6397


Bengal: TMC Wrests Dhupguri Assembly Seat From BJP In Bypoll

India

oi-PTI

The ruling TMC wrested the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Friday from the BJP in a by-election, officials said. TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a college professor, won the seat by over 4,313 votes.

He bagged 96,961 votes, while his nearest rival BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021, got 92,648 votes, they said. CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, who was backed by the Congress, was at a distant third spot with 13,666, they added.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the people of Dhupguri embraced politics of development over hatred and bigotry. "Saluting every AITC worker for their tireless efforts in connecting with the people. We're committed to leaving no stone unturned in ensuring Dhupguri's all-round development," he posted on X.

Puthuppally Bypoll Result: UDF's Chandy Oommen Registers Thumping Victory

BJP's Bishnu Pada Ray won the seat in the 2021 assembly elections, and his death on July 25 necessitated the bypoll. The counting of votes was held amid tight security at the Jalpaiguri II campus of North Bengal University. The polling for the by-election was held on September 5. A voter turnout of 78 per cent was recorded.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 16:37 [IST]
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BJP, JDS Join Hands In Karnataka Ahead Of 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to join hands with the JDS in Karnataka ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had recently met BJP Chief JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to discuss over the alliance in Karnataka.

Reportedly, Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy had placed the proposal of seeking 5 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after discussions with all the JD(S) stakeholders.

The five Lok Sabha seats demanded by the JD(S) include Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru, Chickballapur, and Bengaluru Rural.

LS Polls: Cong Will Win 15-20 Seats In K'taka Amid Talks Between JDS-BJP For Alliance: Siddaramaiah

This comes after the Deve Gowda claimed that the JDS would fight the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka independently without any tie up with the BJP-led NDA in the recent past.

"Whether we (the party) win five, six, three, two or one seats, we will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", Deve Gowda was quoted saying.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa has informed that the Modi-led BJP and the JDS have finalised four seats in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state.

While addressing the media over the alliance of BJP and JDS in Karnataka, BJP leader Yediyurappa said, "I am happy that Deve Gowda ji met our Prime Minister and they have already finalised about 4 seats. I welcome them."

#WATCH | Bengaluru | On alliance with JDS in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Former Karnataka CM and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa says "I am happy that Deve Gowda ji met our Prime Minister and they have already finalised about 4 seats. I welcome them..." pic.twitter.com/phJGCCvtLj  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Karnataka has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 25 seats, while a party-backed candidate also emerged victorious. The Congress and JD(S) secured one seat each. In the JDS bastion of Hassan, Deve Gowda's grand-son Prajwal Revanna had won.

JDS Not Part Of Opposition Meet In Bengaluru, Awaits NDA Invite

Deve Gowda will not be able to attend the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi owing to his health issues. However, he extended his support to the Centre for such an initiative. He also said that he has communicated his decision to the government and wished the G20 Summit a grand success.

"I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success," the Janata Dal (Secular) president wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Bypoll Results: BJP Wins Dhanpur, Boxanagar Assembly Seats in Tripura

India

oi-PTI

The BJP won the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripura's Sepahijala district on Friday, according to the Election Commission.

BJP's Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, which has around 66 per cent minority voters, by 30,237 votes. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) got 3,909 votes.

BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the Dhanpur seat, which has a significant tribal population, by 18,871 votes. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) got 11,146 votes.

Bypoll Results LIVE: BJP Wins 2 Seats In Tripura, SP Ahead In Ghosi

Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI(M) boycotted the counting of votes. The two seats witnessed a one-on-one fight between the ruling BJP and the CPI(M) with the other two opposition parties, Tipra Motha and Congress, not fielding any candidates.

The polling for the by-elections was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats. The counting was held at the Sonamura Girls' School amid tight security.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque. Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur necessitated the by-election in that seat. The BJP won the Dhanpur seat for the first time in the assembly polls held seven months ago, and retained it in the by-election.

The ruling party wrested the minority-dominated Boxanagar seat from the CPI(M) in a significant victory in the bypoll. With these victories, the BJP's tally in the 60-member assembly increased to 33. Its ally IPFT has one MLA, while the opposition Tipra Motha has 13 MLAs, CPI(M) has 10 and the Congress has three MLAs.
Bypolls Results 2023: Oppn Takes 4 Of 7 Seats In First-Ever INDIA vs NDA Contest

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The inaugural electoral face-off between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) concluded on Friday, resulting in the Opposition securing four seats, with the BJP emerging victorious in the remaining three.

The constituencies subjected to the bypolls included Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri assembly seat in Jharkhand, Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats in Tripura, Bageshwar in the hill state of Uttarakhand, and Puthuppally seat in Kerala.

A significant contest unfolded in BJP-governed Uttar Pradesh, where the joint candidate from the INDIA bloc, Samajwadi Party's Sudhakar Singh, clinched victory with a substantial margin of over 40,000 votes. He defeated BJP candidate and incumbent MLA Dara Singh Chauhan, who had resigned from the SP, necessitating the bypoll. Singh secured 1,24,427 votes, while Chauhan garnered 81,668 votes. The victory in the Ghosi bypoll seat bolsters the morale of the INDIA bloc as they chart their course for challenging the Narendra Modi-led government in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

DUMRI: Another significant battle unfolded in Jharkhand's Dumri, where the Opposition's joint candidate, Bebi Devi from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, retained the seat previously held by her late husband and sitting MLA Jagarnath Mahto. The INDIA bloc nominee secured approximately 1,35,480 votes, while the NDA candidate Yashoda Devi received around 1,18,380 votes.

PUTHUPALLY: The Congress celebrated Chandy Oommen's victory, the son of the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, who retained the Puthuppally assembly constituency in Kerala by a substantial margin of over 36,000 votes in the bypoll. The veteran Congress leader had represented the constituency for 50 years. The ruling party, CPI(M), fielded Jaick C Thomas as its candidate from this constituency.

From Aadhaar To e-Sanjeevani, India To Showcase Its Digital Infra Projects At G20 Summit

BOXANAGAR, DHANPUR: The BJP secured victory in the by-elections for the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripura. The BJP candidate, Tafajjal Hossain, won the Boxanagar seat, wresting it from the CPI(M). In Boxanagar, the Left fielded Mizan Hussain, son of the late MLA Samsul Haque, whose passing necessitated the bypoll. Hossain secured 34,146 votes, while his closest rival, Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M), received 3,909 votes.

In Dhanpur, BJP candidate Bindu Debnath clinched the seat, which has a significant tribal population. Debnath secured 30,017 votes, while his closest competitor, Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M), received 11,146 votes. This constituency was once considered a Left stronghold, but the BJP won it for the first time in the assembly poll held seven months ago.

BAGHESHWAR: Another BJP victory occurred in Uttarakhand, where its candidate Parvati Das triumphed by 2,405 votes, retaining the seat previously held by her late husband and sitting MLA Chandan Ram Das. She secured 33,247 votes, while the Congress candidate Basant Kumar received 30,842 votes.

DHUPGURI: In West Bengal, a unique contest unfolded within the INDIA bloc itself as the Trinamool Congress faced off against the Congress-CPI(M) alliance. The TMC prevailed in the seat as its candidate, Nirmal Chandra Roy, secured victory in the Dhupguri bypoll by over 4,000 votes.

Roy, a history professor, contested against the BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who was tragically killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021. Roy garnered 96,961 votes, while his BJP rival received 92,648 votes.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 21:05 [IST]
CBSE Exams 2024: Submission Of Exam Forms For Class 10, 12 Commences From September 12

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Class 10 and 12 students who have been placed in the compartment list can fill the Central Board of Secondary Examination form from September 12 on the official site of CBSE at cbse.gov.in.

The list of candidates who can submit the forms include- students who have been declared essential repeat in the result, students who have been placed in compartment in the exam, students who have been placed in compartment in 1st chance compartment exam, failed/ essential repeat students of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, passed out students of 2023 who wish to appear for improving their performance in one or more subjects, passed out students of 2022, 2023 who wish to appear in an additional subject etc.

According to the official notice issued by the CBSE, the online submission of forms of the above mentioned categories will commence from September 12, 2023. The examination will be conducted as per the syllabus available on the Board's official website.

The eligibility of a student appearing for the exam depends upon the fulfillment of the eligibility conditions prescribed by the Board.

Mode of payment should be online through net banking/ debit card/ credit card (both National/ International). Students are not allowed to pay fees in offline mode i.e., DD/ Postal Order/ Money Order/ cheque etc.

CBSE Board Exams 2024 will be conducted in February/ March/ April 2024 for private students. For more related details candidates can check the official site of CBSE.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 18:21 [IST]
Check Out The List Of Guests Invited To G20 Dinner

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Ahead of the G20 Summit that is going to take place in New Delhi on September 9 and 1o, President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday hosted special dinner for all cabinet and state ministers, all Chief Ministers, all Secretaries to the Government of India, and other distinguished guests.

Former Prime Ministers Dr Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also been invited to the special occasion.

Chief Ministers Nitish Kumar, Hemant Soren, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal, and Bhagwant Mann are among those guests who will attend the dinner on Saturday.

Kharge Not Invited To President's G20 Dinner, Rahul Hits Out At Govt

However, Congress chief and the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge is not included in the invited guest list to the G20 dinner. Leaders from the political parties have also not been invited.

The dinner will take place at the multi-function hall of the Bharat Mandapam, the revamped India Trade Promotion Organisation complex at Delhi's Pragati Maidan.

Muktesh Pardeshi, who is a special secretary (operations) of the G20 and is heading the operations and logistics for the summit in a brief conversation with NDTV said, a short cultural programme accompanying the dinner is organised for the guests..

Apart from President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is all set to welcome the leaders of all countries individually at the venue has organised lunch on Saturday for all the global dignitaries.

Modi-Biden Meet Ahead Of G20 Meet: 6 Deals On The Table

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next three days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the summit. On Saturday, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.

Reportedly, he will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. A meeting with Canadian counterpart is also scheduled to take place. Besides, he will have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria.
NC President Farooq Abdullah Champions G20 Forum over UN, Cites Rotational Meetings as Advantage

Farooq Abdullah, National Conference president, praises the G20 forum's approach of hosting rotational meetings in member countries. He views it as a more effective platform than the United Nations for discussing and resolving issues.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The G20 forum, a gathering of government and central bank representatives from 20 major economies, is superior to the United Nations in terms of addressing and finding solutions for pressing issues, according to National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. Speaking at a party function in Srinagar on Friday, he emphasized that the annual G20 Summit meetings take place in each member country on a rotational basis.

G20: A More Effective Forum

"G20 meeting is a normal process. It rotates between the 20 countries. It is an excellent platform where these nations come together to discuss their problems and seek solutions," Abdullah told reporters present at the event. He further argued that this format offers more focused discussions compared to the UN's broader approach involving numerous countries.

Remembering Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah

The occasion also saw Farooq Abdullah along with his son Omar Abdullah - who serves as vice president of the National Conference - paying homage to NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah on his 41st death anniversary.

Implications for India Hosting G20

In response to questions about what it means for India hosting such an important global summit, Mr. Abdullah reiterated that these meetings occur in every member nation based on rotation. "Did the G20 not take place in other countries? It will happen in Brazil next year, then rotate again," he pointed out.

Awaiting Invitation Confirmation

However, when asked if he had received an invitation for dinner associated with such high-level international gatherings, no clear answer was provided by him during this interaction with media personnel.

In conclusion, while acknowledging the importance of international forums like UN due its inclusivity of all nations irrespective of their economic status or power rankings globally; Farooq Abdullah's statement underscores how smaller but powerful gatherings like G20 can have a more significant impact in resolving issues. Such forums allow for focused discussions and quicker decision-making processes, thereby potentially leading to more effective solutions. As India prepares to host such an important event, it is indeed a moment of pride but also one that comes with the responsibility of upholding the essence and objectives of this forum.
G20 Summit Highlights: Delhi's G20 Summit Concludes, India Passes Presidency Baton To Brazil

India

oi-Prakash KL

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden and other top leaders of the world's wealthiest economies began deliberations on pressing global challenges at the G20 Summit on Saturday under the shadow of the Ukraine war that has significantly fragmented the global geopolitical order.

Hosting the big-ticket summit for the first time, India is looking at producing tangible results in areas of financing for climate transition, digital public infrastructure, accelerated implementation of sustainable development goals, framework for cryptocurrency and reform of the international financial institutions.

Majority of priorities of the Indian G20 presidency were aimed at benefiting the Global South or the developing countries. Indian negotiators involved in drafting the leaders' declaration are confident that most of New Delhi's proposals would be endorsed by the top leadership of the grouping.

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G20 Summit: India Has Done Right Thing Amid Russia-Ukraine War, Says Manmohan Singh

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh extended his support over India's biggest event G20 Summit that is going to take place on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. He said he is happy with the Centre's initiative of putting India's sovereign and economic interest amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

While expressing happiness for the central government's move over nation's economic and sovereign interest, Singh said, "India has done the right thing in putting its sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace."

The former PM further said that foreign policy had become far more important to domestic politics than during his time. It was important to be restrained in using diplomacy for party politics.

G20 Summit: PM Modi To Have Over 15 Bilateral Meetings With World Leaders Over 3 Days

"I am very glad that India's rotational chance for the Presidency of the G20 came during my lifetime and I am witness to India hosting world leaders for the G20 summit. Foreign policy has always been an important element of India's governance framework, but it is fair to say that it has become even more relevant and important to domestic politics today than earlier," Singh said in a media statement.

He further added, "While India's standing in the world should rightfully be an issue in domestic politics, it is equally important to exercise restraint in using diplomacy and foreign policy for party or personal politics."

Emphasising on the G20 Summit, Singh was quoted saying as, "When two or more powers are caught in a conflict, there is immense pressure on other nations to choose sides. I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace. The G20 was never envisaged as the forum for settling security-related conflicts."

"It is important for the G20 to set aside security differences and keep its focus on policy coordination to tackle the challenges of climate, inequality and confidence in global trade," he said.

Reportedly, who was Prime Minister for two terms between 2004 and 2014, is among the invited guest to a G20 dinner on Saturday.

G20 Summit: US President Doesn't Intend To Meet Chinese Premier

Further discussing over the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the event, he said he hoped Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take all steps necessary to protect India's territorial and sovereign integrity claiming that he would not like to offer advice to the government.

"It is not right for me to offer advice to the Prime Minister on how to handle complex diplomatic matters. It is unfortunate that the Chinese President Xi Jinping has chosen not to attend the G20 summit. I hope and believe the Prime Minister will take all steps necessary to protect India's territorial and sovereign integrity and defuse bilateral tensions," said the veteran Congress leader.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 12:05 [IST]
G20 Summit: PM Modi To Have Over 15 Bilateral Meetings With World Leaders Over 3 Days

India

oi-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold over 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders between Friday and Sunday as India hosts the G20 summit meeting over the weekend. Official sources said he will hold bilateral meetings with the US president and the Bangladeshi prime minister on Friday at his official residence.

He will also hold a meeting with the leader of Mauritius. On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events. Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, the sources said.

PM Modi to Host Dinner Tonight For President Biden, Wide Array of Topics to Be Discussed

The Prime Minister will also have a pull-aside meeting with his Canadian counterpart. He will also have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria, they said.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 11:15 [IST]
G20 Summit: Rishi Sunak Says 'Won't Tolerate Khalistani Extremism In UK'

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who arrived in Delhi on Friday to participate in the grand G20 Summit, has emphasized the United Kingdom's commitment to collaborating with the Indian government in addressing the Khalistani issue. Sunak made it clear that he will not tolerate any form of violent Khalistani extremism within the UK.

This statement comes amid growing concerns in India regarding the activities of pro-Khalistan elements in the UK, particularly following the attack on the Indian High Commission in London on March 19. The attack triggered strong condemnation from Indian Americans, who called for swift action against those responsible.

"We are working very closely with the Indian government, especially to counter 'PKE' (Pro-Khalistan Extremism). I don't think it's right. Our security Minister recently visited India and held discussions with his counterparts. We have established working groups to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism," Sunak stated during an interview with news agency ANI.

#WATCH | G-20 in India | On the Khalistan issue, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ANI says, "It's a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that's why we are working very pic.twitter.com/443p1vz1pS  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

UK PM Sunak With Wife Akshata Murthy Arrives In Delhi For G20 Summit

In response, India registered a strong protest with the UK, and the Delhi Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) for a crime committed abroad. Subsequently, the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Rishi Sunak, accompanied by his wife Akshata Murthy, arrived in India for the G20 Leaders' Summit, scheduled to span the next two days in New Delhi. Upon arrival, Sunak expressed his commitment to collaborating with world leaders to address challenges that affect everyone.

"I've arrived in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done," Sunak shared in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 23:45 [IST]
Unclear Consensus on Ukraine Issue Ahead of G20 Summit

As the G20 summit approaches, no clear consensus has been reached regarding the description of the Ukraine crisis in the joint leaders' declaration. Both Russia and China had agreed last year but have backtracked this year, creating difficulties for India.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The global political landscape is a complex web of alliances and disagreements, often requiring delicate diplomacy to navigate. A recent example of this intricate dance can be observed in the run-up to the G20 Summit, where an agreement on the text describing the Ukraine crisis for inclusion in the joint leaders' declaration has been elusive. The primary roadblock seems to be China's stance on this contentious issue.

Consensus Eludes G20 Leaders

A day before the start of the G20 Summit, sources revealed that no concrete consensus had been reached concerning how to address the Ukraine situation in their joint statement. Despite ongoing negotiations among G20 Sherpas  high-level diplomats responsible for preparing international meetings  a satisfactory resolution remains out of reach.

G7 Countries Hold Firm

Further complicating matters are reports that countries belonging to Group 7 (G7) refuse to endorse any leaders declaration that does not reference the conflict in Ukraine. While these nations acknowledge other contentious issues at play within discussions, they remain optimistic about finding mutually acceptable solutions.

The Principle of Consensus

The G20 operates under a principle of consensus, meaning all member states must agree on a course of action or statement before it can be implemented or released. This principle raises concerns that without common ground on key issues such as Ukraine's crisis, there may not be a joint declaration at all following this year's summit.

Russia and China: Backtracking from Commitments?

Intriguingly, both Russia and China had previously agreed upon two paragraphs addressing the Ukrainian conflict during last year's Bali declaration. However, they have seemingly backtracked from these commitments this year; an action which presents challenges for India as it seeks to uphold its presidency over key meetings including those involving finance and foreign ministers.

Implications for India

This lack of consensus has significant implications for India, as it presided over many key meetings under its G20 presidency. The inability to produce a joint statement following these discussions not only reflects poorly on the country's diplomatic efforts but may also impact future negotiations and international relations.

In conclusion, the ongoing negotiations surrounding the Ukraine crisis text in the G20 leaders' declaration highlight the complex dynamics at play within global politics. While countries strive towards consensus, differing national interests and perspectives often create stumbling blocks that require careful diplomacy to navigate. As nations continue their dialogue ahead of and during the G20 Summit, observers worldwide will be keenly watching how this situation unfolds.
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G20 Summit: US President Biden's First Stop - PM Modi's Residence In Delhi

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

US President Joe Biden arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the G20 Summit and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, situated in the heart of the national capital.

Prior to President Biden's arrival in Delhi, American National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the bilateral meeting would build upon discussions held during Prime Minister Modi's state visit to Washington DC in June. These discussions include the GE jet engine deal, India's procurement of Predator drones, cooperation in the 5G/6G realm, and civil nuclear cooperation. Additionally, Biden plans to engage with Modi on matters related to the "critical, fundamental values" that the US advocates for.

During a briefing on Air Force One while Biden was en route from DC to Germany, where a refueling stop was made before heading to Delhi, Sullivan emphasized the US's deep interest in guiding the G20 and ensuring its continued role as a central mechanism for global coordination on major challenges. The US is set to assume the presidency of the G20 in 2025-2026.

Sullivan noted that coordinators had been working diligently on a joint statement for the summit but acknowledged that there was still some way to go before reaching a final communique. He affirmed the US's readiness to contribute to a joint statement, provided that every country acts responsibly and constructively. Sullivan's remarks alluded to perceived obstructionism from Russia and China.

VIDEO | United States President @JoeBiden lands in New Delhi for #G20India2023. pic.twitter.com/9uHgt1XT4A  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

Reports suggest that the summit's sidelines may witness the unveiling of a significant infrastructure announcement by the I2U2 group, consisting of India, Israel, UAE, and the US. Sullivan highlighted the importance of connectivity spanning from India through the Middle East to Europe, emphasizing its potential economic and strategic benefits for all involved nations.

Regarding the nature of the bilateral meeting with Modi and press access, Sullivan pointed out that it would take place at the PM's residence. He explained that this visit differs from a typical bilateral visit to India, given the G20 host's role and the protocols set by Prime Minister Modi. Nevertheless, Sullivan pledged to provide a transparent and comprehensive readout of the meeting.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 19:53 [IST]
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G20 Summit: US President Doesn't Intend To Meet Chinese Premier

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

President Joe Biden who would grace India's biggest event G20 Summit on September 9 and 10 has no plans to meet Chinese Premier.

An official statement from the White House claimed that President Biden would not intend to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the G20 meet in India.

While addressing the media, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to President Biden, informed reporters on the summit agenda after the President left Washington on the trip, which will also take him to Vietnam.

President Joe Biden Heads to India Amid COVID Concerns: G20 Summit & Bilateral Talks Await

"We don't have a plan for the president to engage with the Chinese premier at this time," Sullivan said.

Early this week, Biden said he hoped that Chinese President Xi Jinping would grace the occasion in India.

"I hope he attends," Biden told reporters on Thursday (August 31) in Washington while US officials played down the possibility of a Biden-Xi meeting in New Delhi. The officials suggested that it is more likely that the two leaders would meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or Apec conference which is due to be held in San Francisco in the month of November.

After the Chinese President and Russian President Vladimir gave G20 a skip, President Biden tried to seize their absence to inform the nations that that they have tried to influence.

PM Modi to Host Dinner Tonight For President Biden, Wide Array of Topics to Be Discussed

It has been reported that Xi's decision to skip the G20 Summit may be linked to China's rivalry with India. Some media reports also claimed that although absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping's absence at the G20 summit was informed, the reason is not known.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 10:55 [IST]
Amit Shah appeals for votes in MP, says BJP ensured development in all sectors

India-US Friendship to Continue to Play Great Role in Furthering Global Good: PM Modi After Talks With Biden

India

oi-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held wide-ranging talks with US President Joe Biden to further economic and people-to-people bilateral linkages, asserting that the friendship between the two nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good.

On his first visit to India as the US president, Biden arrived in the national capital on a three-day visit to primarily participate in the G20 Leaders' Summit to be chaired by Prime Minister Modi.

In a post on X, Modi said, "Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive."

"We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good," he said.

The Prime Minister's Office, in a post on X, said, "Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and the USA."

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US NSA Jake Sullivan were also present in the meeting from the US side while the Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next two days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit.

PM Modi, Biden Hold Bilateral Meet Ahead Of G20 Summit

The Prime Minister earlier said that these meetings would give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development," the Prime Minister posted on X, adding, "I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days."

"I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," Modi said.

On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.

On Sunday, he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 23:03 [IST]
India-US Joint Statement: Pledge to Build Resilient Global Semiconductor Supply Chain Amid G20 Summit

India

-Krishna Kripa

On September 8, India and the United States expressed their mutual support for the construction of a resilient global semiconductor supply chain. This was announced during bilateral talks held in New Delhi between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joseph Biden. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining high-level engagements between government entities, industry sectors, and academic institutions.

A Strategic Partnership Based on Trust

The joint statement issued after the meeting called upon both governments to continue working towards transforming the India-US strategic partnership across all dimensions. This transformation is expected to be based on trust and mutual understanding. The meeting took place shortly after President Biden arrived in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit chaired by Prime Minister Modi.

Building Resilient Global Semiconductor Supply Chains

In this context, both leaders highlighted their support for building robust global semiconductor supply chains. They noted a multi-year initiative by Microchip Technology to invest approximately USD 300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India. Additionally, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has announced plans to invest USD 400 million over the next five years with an aim of expanding its research, development, and engineering operations within India.

Satisfaction Over Ongoing Implementation of Announcements

The joint statement also mentioned that both PM Modi and President Biden expressed satisfaction at ongoing implementation efforts related to announcements made by US companies such as Micron Technology Inc., LAM Research Corporation, Applied Materials Inc., among others back in June 2023.

Memorandum of Understanding Between Bharat 6G

Furthermore, they welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bharat 6G - an Indian entity presumably involved in telecommunications or technology sector - although further details about this MoU were not provided in the statement.

In conclusion, the bilateral talks between India and the US have underscored a shared vision for a more resilient global semiconductor supply chain. With major tech companies like Microchip Technology and AMD planning significant investments in India, it's clear that both nations are committed to fostering further growth and cooperation within this sector. The signing of an MoU between Bharat 6G adds another layer to this growing partnership, highlighting how collaboration can lead to mutual benefits. This meeting serves as a reaffirmation of the strong strategic partnership between India and the US, one that is based on trust, mutual understanding, and shared goals.
Unprecedented Agricultural Drone Demo Thrills Farmers in Jammu's Raghuchak Village

In a first-of-its-kind event, residents of Raghuchak village witnessed an agricultural drone demonstration organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Over 150 farmers attended the live demo where they learned about the benefits of using drones for spraying pesticides and monitoring crop health.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The residents of Raghuchak village in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir recently witnessed an unprecedented event - a demonstration of agricultural drones. This demonstration was conducted by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, affiliated to Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). The event marked a significant departure from the usual drone-related activities in this border district, which typically involve security agencies educating locals about enemy drones coming from across the border.

Agricultural Drones: A New Chapter

Sher-e-Kashmir University's Chief Scientist Prof Sanjay Khajuria explained that this initiative is part of a project sponsored by the Indian government. "The government has given us this project specifically for the Jammu region," he said. "The aim is to make people aware about these agricultural drones in these 10 districts." Over 150 progressive farmers attended the live demonstration, indicating considerable interest in this new technology.

Functionality and Advantages

Ranjit Singh, a drone engineer involved with this project, elaborated on how such unmanned aerial vehicles work. According to him, you simply have to fill it with water and load a map into its system. Once initiated, it can complete tasks like pesticide spraying within six to seven minutes before returning back to its original location. Moreover, he added that one could also use it to monitor crop health.

The attending farmers were visibly excited about this new development as they saw firsthand how effectively these drones could save time and labor while ensuring comprehensive coverage of their fields without them having to physically traverse them repeatedly. They seemed eager at prospect of being able to manage their crops more efficiently using such advanced technology.

Conclusion

In conclusion, introducing agricultural drones appears as an innovative step towards modernising farming practices in Indias Jammu region. By harnessing the power of technology, farmers can improve productivity and efficiency in their agricultural activities. The successful demonstration at Raghuchak village has set a positive precedent, potentially paving the way for further adoption of this technology across other regions in India. This initiative also serves as an example of how technological advancements can be utilised to uplift traditional sectors like agriculture, thus contributing to overall economic development.
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Looking Forward To Meetings With US Prez, Bangladesh And Mauritius PMs: Prime Minister Modi

India

oi-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was looking forward to his meetings with US President Joe Biden, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on Friday evening.

"The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation," Modi said on X. The meetings are scheduled to be held at the prime minister's official Lok Kalyan Marg residence ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit starting Saturday.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next three days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the summit. On Saturday, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.

On Sunday, he will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said. The Prime Minister will also have a pull-aside meeting with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau. Besides, he will have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria, the sources said.

Where Are The Presidents And Prime Ministers Heading To After G20 Summit?

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has changed his display picture on microblogging website X to that of the Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 summit.

The picture shows a brightly-lit Bharat Mandapam with a Nataraja statue installed there. Modi changed his profile picture from that of the tricolour to his own while doing "namaste".

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 14:12 [IST]
Modi-Biden Meet Ahead Of G20 Meet: 6 Deals On The Table

India

oi-Prakash KL

In less than three months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are set to meet again, this time in New Delhi.

The bilateral meeting is scheduled to take place today and a wide variety of topics are expected to come up during the discussion. The two leaders will discuss bilateral issues including nuclear energy, defence, visas, and consulates.

However, prominent issues that could feature during the meeting could be the Russia-Ukraine war and the polarisation over it within, Indian Express reported citing sources.

Talking about the meeting, White House NSA Jake Sullivan said, "US President Joe Biden will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi and it will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modi's visit to the United States and we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well.

We will mark all of that progress when the two of them meet tomorrow, which shows the breadth of the relationship between our countries. President Biden will also speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements. And then, he'll look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend before we head off to Vietnam."

More importantly, six deals will be part of the discussions. These potential deliverables encompass a range of initiatives, such as exploring a nuclear agreement involving small modular nuclear reactors, developing a specialized academic program for Indian students, advancing discussions on a drone deal, making headway on US Congress approval for a defense agreement concerning jet engines, collaborating on humanitarian aid for Ukraine, implementing a more flexible visa regime for Indians, and establishing new consulates in each other's nations

UK PM Sunak With Wife Akshata Murthy Arrives In Delhi For G20 Summit

Nuclear Reactor

A report in The Indian Express claims that the two countries are having negotiations over building six nuclear reactors in India between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC). During the bilateral meeting, the discussion on developing the next generation small modular reactor technologies will be in full swing.

GE Jet Engine For Indian fighter Aircraft

Both parties are actively expediting the agreement between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the production of GE F-414 jet engines in India, specifically for the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Light Combat Aircraft Mk 2. The recent approval by the US Congress has paved the way for an unprecedented transfer of US jet engine technology, marking a significant milestone in this endeavour.

Drone Facility

Following India's announcement that it will acquire General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs - highly powerful drones, the talks between the two countries are underway to establish a Comprehensive Global MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility by General Atomics. A formal announcement regarding this development is anticipated during the upcoming visit.

Programs Customized For Indian Students

Both parties are actively collaborating on the launch of academic programs customized for Indian students, featuring year-long Master's degree courses in STEM disciplines, each with a unique industry specialization. Upon completing the program, students will have the opportunity to remain in the US for up to three years to pursue employment opportunities.

From Aadhaar To e-Sanjeevani, India To Showcase Its Digital Infra Projects At G20 Summit

India-US joint aid for Ukraine:

Although India and the US have not been on the same page on the Ukraine issue, the two countries are considering sending joint aid to Ukraine.

To date, India has dispatched approximately 100 tons of humanitarian assistance, encompassing critical supplies like essential medicines, medical equipment, blankets, tents, and food. The most recent batch of aid was personally delivered by the Indian ambassador in Kyiv to Zaporizhzhia, the location of the nuclear plant, last month.

A joint humanitarian aid will send a message to Moscow.

US consulate in Bengaluru; Indian consulate in Seattle:

The US will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad while India will establish a mission in Seattle to boost people-to-people relationships. An announcement in this regard is expected.

India, US, Saudi Arabia On Rail, Port Deal?

Meanwhile, the leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia and other countries are in talks on a possible infrastructure deal involving railroads and ports, Reuters reported quoting sources.

As per the American newsletter, this new project can be the key initiative that the White House is pushing in the Middle East where China's influence is growing and the country is a key part of Beijing's Belt and Road vision.

"We believe that connectivity from India, across the Middle East, to Europe is incredibly important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all the countries involved. But where things land with respect to any potential announcements this weekend, as opposed to down the line, I can't say tonight," Sullivan said.
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PM Modi, Biden Hold Bilateral Meet Ahead Of G20 Summit

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. Their discussions encompass a broad spectrum of issues, aiming to enhance the strong bond between India and the USA.

At the meeting held at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi, both world leaders engaged in extensive talks, focusing on a wide range of topics, with the goal of strengthening the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Washington DC.

The Prime Minister's Office conveyed in a tweet, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States are in discussions at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. Their deliberations encompass a wide array of issues, with the aim of further deepening the relationship between India and the USA."

Prime Minister @narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBiden are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi.



Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA.   pic.twitter.com/PWGBOZIwNT  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 8, 2023

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US NSA Jake Sullivan were also present in the meeting from the US side while the Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next two days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit.

The prime minister earlier said that these meetings would give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

Modi-Biden Meet Ahead Of G20 Meet: 6 Deals On The Table

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development," the prime minister posted on X, adding, "I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days."

"I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," Modi said.

On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.

On Sunday, he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said.
PM Modi to Host Dinner Tonight For President Biden, Wide Array of Topics to Be Discussed

India

oi-Prakash KL

US President Joe Biden is on his way to India to participate in the historic G20 Summit in New Delhi to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

The US President is expected to land in India around 7 pm and he will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a dinner hosted at his residence in Lok Kalyan Marg around 7.30 pm.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in June, US First Lady Jill Biden hosted a dinner for him at the White House, and this is seen as a reciprocal gesture.

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The two leaders will discuss bilateral issues including nuclear energy, defence, visas, consulates. However, prominent issues that could feature during the meeting could be the Russia-Ukraine war and and the polarisation over it within, Indian Express reported citing sources.

The outcome of the Summit largely hinges on the degree of flexibility the United States demonstrates in reaching a consensus on a joint communique with all member nations. Tensions have been high between the US-led G7 alliance and the Russia-China bloc concerning the Ukraine conflict, the report adds.

According to the White House, Biden would arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening, with a refuelling stop at Ramstein, Germany. The US president is looking forward to a successful G-20 Summit and advancing several of the causes dear to his heart like climate change, and reforms of international forums like the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds. On his maiden trip to India as the president of the United States, Biden would welcome the African Union as a G20 member, an Indian move that has been supported and cheered by world leaders, PTI reported.

Also, the leaders are expected to discuss some of the deals that were announced during PM Modi's visit to the US like that of the drones with General Atomics and jet engines with General Electric.

The next day President Biden will participate in an official arrival and handshake with PM Modi. Thereafter, he would participate in a series of G20 Leaders Summit meetings including Session 1: "One Earth"; and Session 2: "One Family". He will also participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event and then end the day with a dinner and cultural programme with G20 leaders. Before leaving for Hanoi in Vietnam, the President will visit the Raj Ghat Memorial with G20 leaders, the White House said.

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Travelling alongside the US president aboard Air Force One are key personnel, including US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, and Director of Oval Office Operations Annie Tomasini. Additionally, the president is accompanied by Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Director of Speechwriting Vinay Reddy, Director of Communications Ben LaBolt, Director of Scheduling and Advance Ryan Montoya, Acting Chief of Protocol Ethan Rosenzweig, NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby, Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein, Deputy Director of Communications Herbie Ziskend, Senior Director for South Asia at the National Security Council Eileen Laubacher, and others.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 10:07 [IST]
Kharge Not Invited To President's G20 Dinner, Rahul Hits Out At Govt

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre for not inviting Congress chief and the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge for not being invited at the G20 dinner.

Reacting to the Centre's decision of not inviting Kharge to the G20 Gala dinner, Gandhi said it shows that the Centre doesn't value the leader of 60 percent of India's population. He further said that people should think the cause on not inviting Kharge to the dinner.

"What is contrary about it? They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition. It tells you something. It tells you that they don't value the Leader of 60 percent of India's population. It's something that people should think about - why they are feeling the need to do that and what is the type of thinking that goes behind that," Gandhi said.

Modi-Biden Meet Ahead Of G20 Meet: 6 Deals On The Table

Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda were also invited to the G20 dinner, however, they refused attending the dinner owing to their health issues.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu has hosted a special G20 dinner for all cabinet and state ministers, all Chief Ministers, all Secretaries to the Government of India, and other distinguished guests on Saturday.

Chief Ministers Nitish Kumar, Hemant Soren, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal, and Bhagwant Mann are among those who have confirmed they will attend the dinner gala.

Muktesh Pardeshi, who is a special secretary (operations) of the G20 and is heading the operations and logistics for the summit, in conversation with NDTV asserted that the dinner is all set to take place at the multi-function hall of the Bharat Mandapam, at Delhi's Pragati Maidan followed by a short cultural programme.

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New Delhi is decked up with all the arrangements as India's biggest event G20 Summit is going to take place on September 9 and 10 where global leaders are set to discuss on various issues.

Apart from President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also host lunch for all the global leaders on Saturday.
Wanted Terrorist Riyaz Ahmad Shot Dead Inside Mosque in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir

Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim, affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, was killed by unidentified gunmen inside a mosque in POK. He was involved in the Dhangri terror attack that resulted to seven deaths and 13 injuries.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The Indian security apparatus has been dealt a significant blow by the death of a wanted terrorist, Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim, who was shot dead in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) on Friday. The incident occurred inside a mosque during pre-dawn prayers, marking the fourth such killing of an influential terrorist commander operating from across the border this year.

Riyaz Ahmad, known for his association with the banned group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was one of the chief conspirators behind the gruesome Dhangri terror attack that took place on January 1. This horrific event resulted in seven deaths and left thirteen people injured when terrorists indiscriminately fired upon civilians within Rajouri district's Dhangri village. Moreover, an improvised explosive device (IED) was found at the scene which detonated on the following morning.

Notorious Terrorist Leader

Originally from Jammu region, Ahmad had crossed over to POK in 1999 and rapidly established himself as a key figure within LeT's operations. He was widely regarded as instrumental in revitalizing terrorism activities within twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. His actions led to increased tensions along these sensitive areas further straining Indo-Pak relations.

A Strategic Loss for LeT

Sources quoting reports from POK have confirmed that Ahmad was killed by unidentified gunmen inside Al-Qudus mosque located in Rawalakot area during pre-dawn prayers. Notably, he primarily operated out of LeTs base camp situated in Muridke but had recently relocated to Rawalakot.

Ahmad also held close ties with Sajjad Jaat - Chief Commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba - and played crucial roles beyond planning terror attacks. He managed financial aspects for this outlawed outfit, which is a critical aspect of any terrorist organization's operations. His death marks the fourth top commander of LeT to be killed this year.

While his killing will undoubtedly disrupt LeT's activities in the short term, it remains to be seen how much impact it has on their overall operations. The Indian security forces must remain vigilant against any attempts by such organizations to regroup or escalate their activities following such setbacks.

Conclusion

The killing of Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim is indeed a significant development in India's ongoing fight against terrorism. His demise represents not just the loss of an influential figure within the Lashkar-e-Taiba but also a severe blow to their operational capabilities and strategic planning. However, while this event may serve as a temporary setback for the terror outfit, it underscores the need for continued vigilance and robust counter-terrorism measures by Indian security forces. The fight against terrorism is far from over; every victory counts but complacency can lead to devastating consequences.
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UK PM Sunak With Wife Akshata Murthy Arrives In Delhi For G20 Summit

India

oi-Prakash KL

The United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak along with his wife Akshata Murthy on Friday arrived in Delhi for the G20 Summit.

He was received by MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Before leaving for India, Sunak, speaking to reporters, said that his visit to New Delhi for the G20 Leaders' Summit is "obviously special" as he joked about being referred to as the "son-in-law of India" as the first British Prime Minister of Indian heritage and married to an Indian in Akshata Murthy.

The 43-year-old British Indian leader said he was excited to be back in India, "a country that is very near and dear to me". He is joined on the visit by his wife, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, and is scheduled for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit.

"I'm heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable," tweeted Sunak as he embarked on the three-day tour.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives in Delhi for the G 20 Summit.



He was received by MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey. pic.twitter.com/NIHgQ00P23  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

"It's obviously special. I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India's son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately," he told reporters travelling with him.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been flagged as a key topic on the agenda for the UK during the summit discussions, with Downing Street saying India's role and influence is "vital".

"Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality. The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction," Rishi Sunak told reporters.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva were among the top leaders who arrived here on Friday for the G20 summit.

The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances by various troupes and a smiling Georgieva danced to the beat of the music at the airport. Meloni and Hasina were received at the airport by Union Ministers Shobha Karandlaje and Darshana Jardosh respectively.

Sunak was received by Union Minister Ashwini Choubey while Fernandez was welcomed by Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste. Comoros President Azali Assoumani also arrived here to a rousing welcome.
UN To Accept India's Name Change To Bharat If Formalities Completed

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The United Nations has stated that it will change India's name to Bharat in its records once New Delhi completes all the necessary formalities, a spokesperson for the global body told NDTV today. United Nations Secretary-General's chief spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, explained, "When India completes the formalities to change the name, they will inform us, and we will change the name in the UN records."

This statement comes in the wake of a recent controversy surrounding the transition from India to Bharat in the dinner invitation extended by President Droupadi Murmu to foreign leaders attending the G20 summit this weekend. Dujarric, speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi, remarked, "It's not for the UN to comment on the debate."

He further clarified, "As long as the formalities are completed, the UN will change the name too. It's a bureaucratic matter when it comes to what the UN needs to do."

India To Be Renamed As Bharat? Check Out The List Of 11 Countries That Changed Their Names

India would not be the first country to undergo a name change if it happens. Numerous countries have changed their names for various political, social, or other reasons.

Dujarric also cited the example of Turkey changing its name to Turkiye last year and noted that "history has shown that it has happened a number of times for several countries."

Amidst the debate over India's name change, the Opposition has accused the Centre of intending to drop "India" and retain "Bharat" as the country's name. Several ministers and BJP leaders have emphasized that there should be no controversy as "Bharat" has been in use since ancient times.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the issue during his interaction with the Union Council of Ministers, urging them to avoid the political dispute surrounding the Bharat issue and emphasizing that it has been the country's historical name.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General also highlighted the significance of India's presidency during a "very critical time." Dujarric stated, "The presidency comes at a very critical time. India is a leading voice in the Global South. India is also a bridge builder politically and geographically, and the theme for this G20, 'One Earth, One Planet,' is exactly what we need at this time."

The G20 Summit, under India's presidency, is taking place in Delhi on September 9 and 10, with the participation of several heads of state from around the world, including US President Joe Biden.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 23:55 [IST]
United States and India Bolster Collaborations in Quantum Field: A Joint Statement Report

Following a meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US has reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with India in the quantum domain. This includes welcoming Indian institutions into international quantum exchanges.

India

-Krishna Kripa

On Friday, the United States reiterated its commitment to collaborate with India in the field of quantum technology. This bilateral cooperation will also extend through the Quantum Entanglement Exchange platform, designed to foster international exchange opportunities in this sector. The announcement was part of a joint statement issued following a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden.

India's Participation in Global Quantum Research

The US welcomed India's SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata into the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QEDC). The QEDC is an industry-driven group that aims to enable and grow the quantum industry by fostering the development of a robust commercial supply chain, standards and protocols, workforce development, and highlighting use cases and grand challenges across sectors.

In addition to this recognition, it was noted that one of India's premier educational institutions - Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has joined hands with Chicago Quantum Exchange as an international partner. This collaboration further strengthens Indias position on the global stage when it comes to advanced technological research.

Biden-Modi Meeting: A Step Towards Stronger Technological Collaboration

The joint statement came after a significant meeting between PM Modi and President Biden in New Delhi. Biden is currently visiting India to attend the G20 Summit scheduled over this weekend. Both leaders expressed their satisfaction over recent developments aimed at deepening scientific cooperation between both nations.

Fostering Scientific Collaborations

The two countries hailed an Implementation Arrangement signed between US National Science Foundation (NSF) and India's Department of Biotechnology which aims at enabling scientific collaborations in biotechnology and bio-manufacturing innovations.

Furthermore, they appreciated NSFs call for proposals released jointly with Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. This initiative seeks academic-industrial collaboration in several key areas including semiconductor research, next-generation communication systems, cybersecurity, sustainability and green technologies, and intelligent transportation systems.

These recent developments underline the growing technological partnership between India and the United States. As two of the world's largest democracies with strong scientific capabilities, their cooperation is expected to yield significant advancements in technology that can benefit both countries and potentially have a global impact.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this joint statement reaffirms the commitment of both nations towards fostering a productive relationship in advancing quantum technology research. The inclusion of Indian institutions into international consortia signifies recognition of Indias scientific prowess on an international platform. Through these collaborations and initiatives, both countries are poised to make significant strides in various fields ranging from biotechnology to cybersecurity. This not only strengthens bilateral ties but also contributes positively towards global scientific progress.
Where Are The Presidents And Prime Ministers Heading To After G20 Summit?

India

oi-Prakash KL

Leaders from across the globe will be in India to attend the G20 Summit which will be held on September 9 and 10.

The G20 grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

US President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among the G20 leaders who have already confirmed their participation in the summit.

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So, what will the leaders do after attending the event?

US President Biden will be visiting Vietnam after attending the G20 Summit in India.

According to a CNN report, Biden's trip to Vietnam comes as his administration works to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region and after he said last month that he would soon visit Hanoi "to change our relationship," comments that reflected the current era of tension in Asia.

"Biden will meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other key leaders to discuss ways to further deepen cooperation between the United States and Vietnam. The leaders will explore opportunities to promote the growth of a technology-focused and innovation-driven Vietnamese economy, expand our people-to-people ties through education exchanges and workforce development programs, combat climate change, and increase peace, prosperity, and stability in the region," US Embassy in Vietnam said in a statement.

On the horizon is a potential enhancement in the bilateral relationship between the two nations, a development occurring in under five decades since the conclusion of a war that resulted in the loss of millions of Vietnamese lives and over 58,000 US service members.

"For decades, the US and Vietnam have worked to overcome a painful shared legacy of the Vietnam War," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing this week. "This visit is a remarkable step in the strengthening of our diplomatic ties, and it reflects the leading role that Vietnam will play in our growing network of partnerships in the Indo-Pacific as we look to the future," he said..

It has to be noted that at this stage Vietnam only has ties at the same level with Russia, India, South Korea and China.

G20 Summit: PM Modi To Have Over 15 Bilateral Meetings With World Leaders Over 3 Days

Saudi Prince To Stay Back

Following the G20 Summit this weekend, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to undertake a state visit to India. This visit will serve as an opportunity to engage in discussions regarding bilateral relations and cooperation across various sectors.

Next week, Saudi Arabia and India are set to co-host an investment forum that will concentrate on projects in the fields of chemicals, energy, manufacturing, and technology. The crown prince will hold discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Notably, India ranks as one of the top customers for Saudi crude exports, establishing itself as the kingdom's second-largest trade partner last year, second only to China. This trend reflects India's shift towards Middle Eastern crude, particularly as Russian oil cargoes become increasingly expensive.

French President Macron to visit Bangladesh

After the G20 meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on September 10. This will be the first time a French president visits the South Asian nation in 33 years. However, he will be having a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving to Bangladesh.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 12:45 [IST]
Nikki Haley Only Republican Presidential Aspirant Who Can Defeat Prez Biden: CNN Poll

International

oi-PTI

Indian American Nikki Haley is the only Republican presidential aspirant who can defeat President Joe Biden in the November 2024 polls, a CNN poll has revealed. More than half a dozen Republican leaders, including two Indian Americans - Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy -- are seeking to be the party's presidential nominee.

The race is currently being led by former president Donald Trump who is far ahead of others. Releasing the results of its latest presidential polls, CNN said, "Hypothetical matchups... suggest there would be no clear leader should Biden face one of the other major GOP contenders, with one notable exception: Biden runs behind former South Carolina Gov.

Nikki Haley." In an early gauge of a hypothetical Biden-Trump rematch, CNN's poll finds that registered voters are currently split between Trump (47 per cent) and Biden (46 per cent), with the demographic contours that defined the 2020 race still prominent. Biden is about even with Ron DeSantis (47 per cent each), Mike Pence (46 per cent Pence, 44 per cent Biden), Tim Scott (46 per cent Scott, 44 per cent Biden), Vivek Ramaswamy (46 per cent Biden, 45 per cent Ramaswamy), and Chris Christie (44 per cent Christie, 42 per cent Biden).

American Author Slammed For Racist Comments Against Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy

"Haley stands as the only GOP candidate to hold a lead over Biden, with 49 per cent to Biden's 43 per cent in a hypothetical match between the two," CNN reported. That difference is driven at least in part by a broader support for Haley than for other Republicans among White voters with college degrees. She holds 51 per cent of that group, compared to 48 per cent or less for other Republicans tested in the poll, the news channel said. The Haley campaign welcomed the polls saying, "This poll confirms what many Democrats and Republicans are saying: Democrats are terrified of running against Nikki Haley."

"When you ask President Joe Biden who they're really worried about, you'll hear one name. 'If they nominate Nikki Haley, we're in trouble," said a senior Democratic strategist close to the Biden campaign. The Hill said those results are good news for Haley, a former United Nations ambassador under President Trump who is looking to build on a strong performance in the first GOP presidential debate late last month to challenge her former boss for the Republican nomination.

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Story first published: Friday, September 8, 2023, 9:05 [IST]
Ex-Trump Official Peter Navarro Found Guilty in Congressional Probe into Jan. 6 Attack

Peter Navarro, a former Trump administration official, has been convicted on charges of contempt for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the attack on the US Capitol that took place on January 6th, 2021.

International

-Sathish Raman

The former White House official under President Donald Trump's administration, Peter Navarro, has been convicted of contempt of Congress charges. The conviction came about after accusations were made against him for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Navarro served as a White House trade advisor during Trump's tenure and was also known for propagating baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election that Trump lost.

Navarro: Second Trump Aide Convicted

Interestingly, Navarro is not the first aide from the Trump administration to face such charges. He was preceded by Steve Bannon, another former White House advisor. Bannon was found guilty on two counts and sentenced to four months in prison but has remained out free pending an appeal process.

The prosecutors argued that Navarro behaved as if he were "above the law", blatantly defying a subpoena issued for documents and deposition by the House Jan. 6 committee. He faced two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress, each carrying a potential sentence of up to one year behind bars.

Defense Argument

In response to these allegations, Navarro's defense attorney presented an argument stating that his client did not ignore the congressional subpoena outrightly. Instead, he had instructed committee staffers to contact President Donald Trump regarding any material potentially covered by executive privilege - something they allegedly failed to do.

Judgement Passed By US District Judge Amit Mehta

The case was presided over by US District Judge Amit Mehta who passed judgement on this high-profile case involving one of President Donald Trump's closest confidants during his term at office.

In conclusion, this verdict marks yet another significant event in American politics where officials from President Donald Trump's administration are being held accountable for their actions. The conviction of Peter Navarro, following Steve Bannon's earlier sentence, sends a clear message about the consequences of refusing to cooperate with congressional investigations. It also underscores the importance of adhering to legal procedures and respecting the rule of law, irrespective of one's political affiliations or positions in government.
President Joe Biden Heads to India Amid COVID Concerns: G20 Summit & Bilateral Talks Await

US President Joe Biden is en route to India where he will attend the G20 summit and engage in bilateral talks with PM Narendra Modi. This comes as First Lady Jill Biden tests negative for COVID-19 following an earlier positive result.

International

-Sathish Raman

US President Joe Biden has embarked on a crucial journey to India, where he is scheduled to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi and engage in bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes at a time when global cooperation is paramount for tackling issues such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Biden's Commitment to Health Safety

In light of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, President Biden will adhere strictly to the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) throughout his stay in India. This commitment underlines his administration's dedication towards not only safeguarding their own health but also that of those they interact with during this important international event.

First Lady Tests Positive for COVID-19

The First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week which added an unexpected twist to the presidential visit. Following her diagnosis, President Biden underwent tests on Monday and Tuesday, both of which returned negative results. The White House confirmed less than an hour before his departure that "The President tested negative for Covid."

President Biden's Schedule in India

Upon arriving in New Delhi on Friday evening, it is anticipated that President Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi later that night. His interactions with Modi and other world leaders during and around the G20 Summit will be governed by stringent adherence to CDC-established COVID-19 protocols.

The First Ladys Health Status

Jill Biden was quarantined at her home in Delaware following her positive test result and hence did not accompany her husband on this trip to India and Vietnam. Her office provided an update on Thursday stating that "The First Lady tested negative for Covid today." While it is unfortunate she could not make the journey, her health and safety remain a top priority.

In conclusion, President Biden's visit to India underscores the importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing global challenges. His adherence to COVID-19 protocols sends a strong message about the seriousness with which his administration is taking the pandemic. It also sets an example for other world leaders on how international diplomacy can continue safely amidst a global health crisis. This trip will undoubtedly strengthen ties between India and the US while emphasizing their shared commitment to tackling pressing global issues.
Who Is Behind The Kerala Serial Bombing? The Alleged Accused Surrenders

Puthuppally Bypoll Result: UDF's Chandy Oommen Registers Thumping Victory

Kochi

oi-Prakash KL

Opposition UDF candidate Chandy Oommen registered in the bypolls for the Puthuppally Assembly seat.

Son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, the Opposition Congress-UDF candidate has won the seat by over 36,000 votes.

Bypoll Results: BJP Wins Dhanpur, Boxanagar Assembly Seats in Tripura

While Chandy gained a clear edge since the initial round, his nearest rival and ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas could never gain a lead in any rounds. The CPI(M)-led LDF lost ground even in its stronghold areas, and BJP candidate Lijin Lal was nowhere in the picture when the counting was over.

Chandy Oommen, currently chairman of the Youth Congress's national outreach cell, could well surpass his father's record of margin of 33,255 votes in the constituency, which the late Congress leader represented Puthuppally in the state assembly for over five decades.

The bypoll is being seen as politically significant as the Congress aims to retain its traditional stronghold while the ruling CPI (M) wants to make new inroads by clinching it, as the bypoll comes a few months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The voting for the seat, left vacant by the demise of Oommen Chandy, was held on September 5.

On the Puthuppally by-elections result, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said, "The spectacular victory in the Puthuppally by-elections is a clear message to the PM Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan governments. Both BJP and CPM have been thrown by the people of Puthuppally...No by-election in Kerala has got such a landslide margin. The message is very clear..."

"I was expecting these results because people of Puthupally were waiting to punish those people... It is a punishment by the people's court in Puthupally against those people...My request to CPM and government, please tell the people of Kerala that 'we are sorry about what we've done'," Congress leader AK Antony said.
Kim Kardashian is sending a message to President Joe Biden in the hopes of preventing another Armenian Genocide ... asking him to help cut ties with Azerbaijan. In a Rolling Stone piece released Friday by Kim and Dr. Eric Esrailian, she starts by
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The 'standard map' of China, released recently, has sparked off protests in Nepal and India, and in all of south-east Asia. New Delhi termed the depiction of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh as part of China as 'absurd' and stated that it will not help China take over these territories. Arunachal Pradesh, a state in India's far northeast, has long claimed by China as "southern Tibet". It was the site of fighting during the 1962 war between the two nations.

China's reaction was along predictable lines. In so many words, Beijing told India to forget about its territorial and cartographic aggressions but engage in bilateral dialogue basically to expand trade ties that are heavily loaded in favour of the Middle Kingdom.

Timing is what matters in politics and diplomacy as well. The timing of the 'standard map' is therefore significant. It appeared soon after Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and when the countdown for G20 summit in New Delhi started. And the homily by Chinese foreign office spokesman Wang Wenbin that India "stay objective and calm", shows that the bamboo capitalist lives on a one-way street. Flexibility or give and take is alien to the Chinese, as their interlocutors have learnt the hard way down the years.

Well, the G-20 summit in Delhi offers an opportunity to focus attention on how Chinese hegemonic ambitions have upset the region. But it became a closed chapter with President, Xi Jinping, deciding to shy away from the summit apparently because of worsening economic troubles at home.

There is also speculation that 'unprecedented scolding' by party elders could be the reason behind Xi Jinping's no-show at G20 summit in India. The decision to abstain (from G20 summit) may have been linked to internal politics being played out in China, Times of India reported, and quoted Nikkei Asia to say that the root of the political shakeup can be traced back to this summer's Beidaihe meeting - the annual gathering of incumbent and retired leaders of the Chinese Communist Party at the Beidaihe seaside resort. Sources told Nikkei Asia that at this year's meeting, a group of retired party elders "reprimanded" Xi, who has assumed near -cult status in the country and questioned him in ways they hadn't till now.

Whatever be these ifs and buts, there is a difference between the absence, even if deliberate, of heads of state or government at previous G-20 summits and the one that Delhi is hosting. There can be no doubt that the Chinese leader has taken a conscious decision, reflecting the frosty bilateral relations between the two Asia giants.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, too will not be present at G-20 'event' in Delhi. The explanation for his absence is that he risks arrest on account of an international warrant of arrest against him. He had not travelled to Johannesburg for the same reason. But the so-called arrest warrant or whatever it is, cannot be executed in India, which is not part of the protocol under which his arrest is sought.

Could it be that relations with Russia are sliding on account of US pressure on India? But there is no apparent reason for the bilateral ties with Russia to dip low even as the supply of 'cheap' Russia oil to India has come down in August. India's relations with Russia are in a different league than China.

Some of the south-east Asian countries have reacted in stronger words than India in denouncing China's 'standard map' which, for reasons not very clear, China likes to issue every year. Such is the Chinese arrogance of its heft that it thought nothing of annoying even Nepal, a country over where China has been assiduously working to weaken the age-old and traditional ties with India. The Mayor of Kathmandu has cancelled his scheduled visit to China as a mark of protest.

The 'standard' Chinese map even depicts a 135-square-mile island on the confluence of two rivers on the Russia-China border as its own. Russia has been silent over it, proving how pathetically it has become dependent on Chinese support as the world condemns Russia invasion of Ukraine.

But Russia, once considered the second most powerful nation (after the US) in the world, compromised its border claims with China way back in 2005, signing a mutual agreement.

China has been bullying all its South-east Asia neighbours while laying claim on their (mostly) maritime boundaries and adopting a threatening posture on the maritime route that sees shipping trade worth $3 Trillion across the region. These nations have been opposing the 'made-up' claims of China.

On occasions they have not hesitated to launch strong verbal attacks on China, which has extended its maritime territory into the Economic Zones of its south-east Asian neighbours. Malaysia and Taiwan, joined to criticize China's claims over nearly the entire South China Sea and over self-ruled Taiwan. The Philippines said also "rejected" the map's depiction of Chinese maritime claims. And reminded China that its maritime claim has no basis under international laws, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Manila has also referred to a 2016 Arbitral Award, which invalidated the so-called nine-dash line drawn on the seas by China and limited China's maritime entitlement.

China behaves as though it cares nothing about international laws or, for that matter, what the rest of the world thinks about its expansionist policies. As domestic troubles mount, President Xi Jinping may be tempted to return to the old school of patriotism. Well, unless the cartographic aggression gets a strong rebuff. Taiwan is already on notice!
Doral, FL - September 5, 2023 - Millennia Atlantic University (MAU), a renowned educational institution based in the city of Doral, Florida, is pleased to announce the signing of a significant agreement in collaboration with the Consulate of the Dominican Republic in Miami. The primary objective of this agreement is to offer up to 100 partial scholarships to Dominican students, both in the Dominican Republic and in South Florida. The signing 
ENTERPRISE  Its been a year in the works, but the first of six UH-60 Black Hawks ordered by the Portuguese Air Force is completed. It has been a true team effort, said Steve Soler, Arista Program Manager and liaison with the Portuguese government on the contract, as he welcomed pilots and supports crew members from the Forca Aerea Portuguesa to Enterprise Monday to accept the keys to the first of the six refurbished Black Hawks, now fully customized to provide firefighting service in Portugal.

The project is the first time the firm that specializes in modernizing surplus U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters has contracted with a foreign government.

This is a huge milestone for Arista, said Daryle Pilkinton, Arista Vice President of Business Development, as he watched finishing touches put on the helicopters. Every inch of the aircraft is touched and refreshed, customized to meet the customers needs.

Soler said Arista teamed with ACE Aeronautics from Guntersville to provide cockpits for the aircrafts and USATS from Titusville, Florida, for pilot training. Maintenance Training has been provided through Huntsville-based Pinnacle Solutions.

Through this partnership of companies we are satisfying the requirements of the Portuguese Air Force for an aircraft to use to help fight their fires, train their pilots, and then train their maintenance personnel, said Soler. Every aircraft we produce is custom-made.

Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula. Bordered by Spain on the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west and south, Portugal is the 18th largest country in Europe. Unfortunately, fires are a common occurrence, and while other southern European countries also fall victim to them each summer, Portugal is by far the hardest-hit.

The Portuguese Air Force signed a contract with Arista in October last year for six Sikorsky-built UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to boost its capability to fight wildfires. The contract includes the supply of material and tools, technical maintenance support until 2026, and training for six pilots and 21 mechanics.

The UH-60 Black Hawk will allow transport of 12 firefighters and their equipment and has the capacity to carry up to 780 gallons of water, Soler said.

The helicopter is an extremely versatile aircraft, allowing it to be used in a variety of military, government and private sector operations, said Soler. Arista has taken these aircraft to the next level with instrumentation advancements and accessory upgrades, allowing the expansion of usability, and providing these workhorses second lives in many industries in addition to the firefighting mission of the six Blackhawks for Portugal, to include passenger and equipment transportation, police work, drug enforcement, air ambulance, traffic/weather reporting and high altitude observation.

Arista is an FAA Part 145 Repair Station and provider of MRO services regardless of the airframe, said Pilkinton said. Arista specializes in depot level repairs, custom painting, custom avionics upgrades, structural enhancements, and other repairs as needed. Arista also offers airframe modification and retrofit into different configurations for a variety of industries.

Soler said the contract with the Portuguese Air Force includes the delivery of six aircraft over the next three years, training for six pilots and 21 mechanics, and five years of onsite maintenance and logistical support.

With the addition of these helicopters, Portuguese Air Force aerial firefighting capabilities are greatly enhanced, as each Arista-modified Black Hawk will have the ability to quickly transport 12 firefighters and over 750 gallons of water to rural areas when needed.

Arista Aviation was founded more than 10 years ago with the mission to provide a one-stop shop for our customers, said Soler. Our leadership team and employees have been performing rotary-wing maintenance for over 40 years.

Every member of our workforce is highly skilled with a diverse array of backgrounds from FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) licensing, to military trained professionals, he added. For maintenance, modifications, or component overhauls, we are mission ready both here and internationally.
Robert Jesenik, the former chief executive of Aequitas Capital, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday for his lead role in the massive investment fraud that emerged in the companys collapse.

Two other executives of the defunct Lake Oswego finance firm, Andrew MacRitchie and Brian Rice, were also sentenced Thursday. MacRitchie got 5 years and 10 months, and Rice just over 3 years.

U.S. District Judge Michael Simon announced the sentences after a hearing that lasted most of the day.

Simon also ordered the three defendants to forfeit money they earned during the course of the Aequitas fraud: more than $1.5 million from Jesenik, nearly $700,000 from MacRitchie and just over $116,000 from Rice.

Simon did not order any of the three defendants into custody. Instead, he will allow the trio to self-report to federal prison. Its unclear when those prison sentences would start.

Its not yet known whether any of the defendants will appeal the verdict, delivered by a jury in May after three days of deliberation.

Bob Jesenik and other former Aequitas executives cheated their investors out of millions and went to extraordinary lengths to cover up the rapidly-declining financial condition of their company, said Ethan Knight, chief of the economic crimes unit in the U.S. Attorneys Office for Oregon. The sentences imposed today reflect the seriousness of these crimes and should serve as warning to other executives or financial professionals contemplating fraud as a viable path to wealth.

Prosecutors had asked for significantly harsher sentences. They had recommended 20 years for Jesenik, 17.5 years for MacRitchie and 10 for Rice. They dubbed Aequitas the greatest swindle this district has ever seen. Investors lost an estimated $364 million.

Attorneys for the defense argued that the loss figure is grossly inflated. When you take into account the proceeds from lawsuits against Aequitas law firms, accounting firms and other third parties, investors recovered all but about $20 million.

Aequitas, defense lawyers said, was not some giant Ponzi scheme. It was a real company with real assets that fell into a fatal liquidity crisis.

Thursdays day of reckoning was seven years in the making.

It was 2016 when Aequitas ran out of money needed to repay its investors. The companys lucrative student loan business all but disappeared overnight when its large for-profit college partner in the deal went bankrupt.

In March 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission took control of the company.

The case went criminal in August 2020, when the Department of Justice indicted Jesenik, MacRitchie and Rice, along with three other Aequitas executives, Brian Oliver, Olaf Janke and Pat Gillis.

Oliver, Jeseniks long-time second-in-command, agreed to plead guilty and to testify against his former colleagues. Janke, former chief financial officer for the company, did the same.

By the time Oliver took the stand last spring, he was visibly ill. He died July 7 at age 59 from pancreatic cancer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Bounds, the lead prosecutor in the case, began Thursdays hearing reading excerpts of The Aequitas Way, a corporate manifesto pledging the company would adhere to faith-based values like honesty and full disclosure.

We focus on God, not on money, the statement read.

It wasnt God, but rather Simon who sat in judgment Thursday. And Simons work is not done. He will oversee a restitution hearing to determine how much, if any, the trio of defendants will have to repay to victims of the fraud.

--Jeff Manning; jmanning@oregonian.com
At her familys small Italian restaurant in Nogales, Arizona, Nicole Davison Leon dreamt of being the first in her household to attend college.

I was a person who liked everything, she recalled. I thought I was going to be everything from a psychologist to a journalist, from a lawyer to a surgeon.

Watching her parents daily work long hours to send her to college inspired her to tell stories centered on Latino communities, she said. That led her to the Portland Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Last month, the organization named Leon its new executive director.

Its an honor to represent an organization that celebrates and highlights the diversity in the Latino community, " she said. My hope is that we continue to showcase the many talents of our community, from a small local bakery shop to a manufacturing company.

This is not Leons first stint at the chamber. She served as a scholarship and individual development account program coordinator in November 2019. There, she facilitated annual awards of $160 million in scholarships for Latino students in Oregon and southwest Washington.

It was really the first organization that aligned with me personally and professionally, she said.

But Leon did not always know her career would intertwine with her Latina identity. In fact, she planned to follow an entirely different path.

Leon graduated with a degree in international affairs from Northern Arizona University in 2017. She said she intended to pursue a profession in world development, but a deep-seated desire to live in the Pacific Northwest spurred her elsewhere.

My partner decided to go back to school and get his Ph.D. as a pharmacist, she said. And I think Oregon was always a place I hoped to live. When his opportunity came, it worked out perfectly.

So Leon packed up her things and took up residence in the Portland area. After working as a scholarship coordinator for two years at the chamber, she moved to education programs and operations manager in February 2021.

She took a job in December as the economic opportunity manager at Fourth Plain Forward, a Vancouver nonprofit that supports low-income and systematically disadvantaged residents. Leon saw the potential to grow her passion for economic development and Latino advocacy.

Nicole came to us with a wealth of experience working with business communities, said Paul Burgess, executive director of Fourth Plain Forward. She was really quite seminal in building out strong relationships with large members of our community.

Though Leon settled at Fourth Plain Forward for nine months, she came to realize that her place was with the chamber, she said. So when the offer for executive director came to her from the board of directors, she did not hesitate to take it.

Nicole gained more experience after she left the organization, so she had developed relationships in Vancouver and expanded her knowledge, said Gale Castillo, the chambers board chair. What wouldve taken someone a year to find their compass, she was ready to go. And people respected her ability to communicate; she had a great presence.

The Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce assists with economic advancement, wealth creation, and equity for Latinos in Oregon and southwest Washington. It especially addresses first-generation immigrant families, which is why Leon said her title just makes sense for her.

As a first-generation student and as somebody who grew up with a family business, I really think I got to see the personal aspect of who the chamber hopes to serve, she said. Now, seeing the opportunities that we can do, I feel very lucky to be able to blend my personal passion with my professional passion.

The chamber will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. Leon replaces Carmen Castro, who led the chamber since early 2020.

She said she plans to lead the organization and help advance its mission for a long time.

I want to support businesses that are already thriving, while also addressing the disparities that exist within the Latino community.

-- Kayla Nguyen, knguyen@oregonian.com
A man was killed in Rockaway Beach in an apparent confrontation with state police and a Tillamook County sheriffs deputy, authorities said Friday.

A state trooper had gone to a house in the small coastal town around 6 p.m. Thursday to help the deputy who had asked for assistance with an agitated suspect. After the trooper arrived, officers fired their weapons, Oregon State Police said in a statement. The suspect was declared dead at the scene, they said.

The shooting was in the area of North Juniper Street, the sheriffs office wrote on social media.

State police provided no details about the man who was shot or the shooting.

The agency said it has asked the Clatsop County Major Crimes team to investigate the shooting.

Do you have a tip? Get in touch.

 Fedor Zarkhin

Office: 503-294-7674; Cell: 971-373-2905; fzarkhin@oregonian.com
Students in Camas will finally head back to school on Friday.

Camas teachers went on strike on Aug. 28, when the 2023-24 school year was due to begin. But on Thursday, the southwest Washington districts 460 educators overwhelmingly voted to ratify an agreement that negotiators for the union and the district reached late on Wednesday night, said Kate Gooding, an English teacher at Camas High School.

Under the agreement, teachers will get a 6.4% salary bump during the 2023-24 school year and a 6.6% increase the following year. The 7,000-student district had previously offered raises of 5.7% and 5.9% in the two-year period.

The two sides also negotiated over class sizes and teacher workload, with the district agreeing to cap kindergarten class sizes at 22 for the upcoming school year, and grades 1 and 2 at 23; previously caps had been set at 24, with teachers receiving $10 per student per day for any overages.

People move to Camas for the schools, Gooding said. Of course, there were people who were frustrated, who were going on social media and airing complaints, but the overwhelming support we received on the picket line, and at school board meetings was so impressive.

An entry-level teacher in Camas currently makes $63,278 annually; an educator at the top of the salary scale makes $118,363, according to figures provided by the district.

Educators at the Evergreen School District in neighboring Vancouver, the largest district in southwest Washington, remain on strike. Meanwhile, teachers and district negotiators in Portland met Thursday for the second of three scheduled meetings with a state mediator in an attempt to hammer out a contract and avert a strike that could begin as soon as November.

Camas Superintendent John Anzalone said via a news release that the new contract, reflects our shared dedication to providing the best possible educational experience for our students.

 Julia Silverman, jsilverman, @jrlsilverman

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A veritable glut of art overtakes Portland and the surrounding area this fall. Overlapping biennials, intersecting festivals, and group shows feature some of the best artists practicing in the region, not to mention national and international artists whove been brought in to show alongside them. Its a time to show some hometown pride. Here are 10 shows to start the party.

Yishai Jusidman's painting "Dachau" (2014) is included in a show of his work at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education as part of Converge 45.Courtesy of Converge 45

Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship

An extended opening weekend of the city-wide art festival produced by Converge 45 swooned over Portland for four days at the end of August. Many of the truly exceptional shows and associated events programmed for and around the festival continue through the fall. With very few exceptions, admission is free for all sites. As in previous years, a map created for the initiative provides a handy go-to guide of a good swath of the citys art venues and organizations that will have a shelf life beyond the end of the festival.

Multiple locations with various closing dates, converge45.org.

Guided by Our Stars (We Were Never Lost) (2021), a lithograph created by Lehuauakea during their residency at Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts.Collection of the Crows Shadow Institute of the Arts, CSP 21-114

Crows Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial

Each year, this arts organization invites between three to six artists  many of whom dont count printmaking as their primary medium  to collaborate with a master printer at their facility, which sits 10 miles outside of Pendleton on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Since 2006, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art has hosted a biennial to showcase work produced during these two-week residencies. This years show of just over 20 prints by a selection of artists who came through the program from 2020 to 2022 was organized by Rebecca Dobkins, the museums curator of Indigenous art. She includes haunting work by Emily Arthur; vivid prints by John Hitchcock; prints by Lehuauakea that recollect their Native Hawaiian heritage; work by collage artist Cory Peeke of La Grande; sharp work that comments on consumerism and colonialism by Fox Spears; and work by Portland based artists Jeremy Okai Davis, Ralph Pugay, and Wendy Red Star.

Through Dec. 2, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, 700 State St., Salem, Oregon; willamette.edu/arts/hfma or 503-370-6855.

Heather Lee Birdsong's "A Doubtful Dream" (2021), gouache on hot pressed paper.Courtesy of Heather Lee Birdsong

Heather Lee Birdsong: Imaginary Shelter

The sharp angles, stylized curlicues and dusky jewel tones of artist Eyvind Earles drawings made 1959s Sleeping Beauty my favorite Disney movie growing up. It was also a favorite of Heather Lee Birdsong. Her solo show of paintings and intaglio prints are from an ongoing series that evokes the same dreamy ambiguity. Planting architectural shapes and structures into landscapes, the work creates windows onto the natural world  sometimes the desert Southwest, where Birdsong was raised, sometimes the tangled nature of the Pacific Northwest where she has lived since 2005.

Through Oct. 1, Carnation Contemporary, 8731 N. Interstate Ave., No. 3; carnationcontemporary.com.

Photographer Shedrich Williames' "Untitled" (1972), gelatin silver print.Courtesy of Portland Art Museum

Black Artists of Oregon

We are lucky to have a practitioner of Intisar Abiotos generosity working in Oregon. A 2018 Oregon Humanities fellowship started her research into the history of artists of African descent in Oregon. The inquiry has proved fruitful, begetting exhibitions and performances  Abioto has a background in dance  across the state in 2019. Black Artists of Oregon, an ambitious exhibition that has been years in the making, includes the work of nearly 70 artists and spans more than a century. Both a revindication and a celebration, the show draws attention to artists who lived and worked unremarked in the state, those who achieved prominence, and a vibrant cadre of contemporary practitioners who are making their mark now.

Sept. 9-March 17, 2024 (closure for construction Nov. 26-Jan. 17, 2024), Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave.; portlandartmuseum.org or 503-226-2811.

Detail of "Microscope," a work by mixed-media artist Thea Kinner.Courtesy Alliance of Oregon College of Art & Craft Alumni

The Close Read: OCAC Alumni 2023 Biennial

While the Oregon College of Art & Craft (OCAC) closed in 2019, its impact continues to reverberate in the Portland art world through its alumni, faculty and an extended community of practicing artists and others involved in local arts organizations. Alumna Jennifer Viviano, the managing director of X Gallery Art & Storage, provides the venue for the second biennial showcasing work of both alumni and those closely affiliated with the school. Curated by Sam Hopple, who adroitly managed OCACs galleries from 2016-2019, the group show will feature the work of nearly 30 artists whose associations with the beloved institution span 25 years.

Oct. 7-29, X Gallery & Art Storage, 815 S.E. Grant St.; xgalleryart.com or 971-200-1984.

Claire De Lune 2023 Editorial, by Yun Qu of Videmus Omnia.Photo by Bochun Cheng

CLOTH, Construct, CULTURE: fashion builds a story

Over the month of October, the city revels in its deeply ingrained craft heritage for Portland TextileX Month, an annual citywide festival started four years ago to celebrate all things textile. Parallax Art Center approached fashion industry analyst and curator Rhonda P. Hill to develop an exhibition about fashion for this years festival. The gallery has a mission to raise social and environmental awareness. So, too, Hill and the 10 contemporary designers she chose to showcase. The 50 ensembles selected for the show address current global issues through their concepts, design and construction. Featured designers include Kyle Denman, Isabella Diorio, Korina Emmerich (Puyallup), Karen Glass, Alena Kalana, Ruree Lee, Maital Levitan, Maryanne E. Mokoko, Abiola Onabule, and Yun Qu. Some focus on zero waste and sustainable couture, others recall their cultural heritage in the beautifully crafted, handmade pieces.

Oct. 24, 2023-Jan. 24, 2024, Parallax Art Center, 516 N.W. 14th Ave.; parallaxartcenter.org or 503-286-4959.

"Family Album #13" (2023), a collage by Joe Feddersen.Courtesy of Adams and Ollman

Joe Feddersen

The graphic qualities of Joe Feddersens early printmaking work inform his later work, such as his contemporary take on the traditional sally bags used by the tribes of the Columbia Plateau. He also works in ceramic, collage and glass, using the mediums to realize a visual vocabulary thats a mashup of historical and contemporary symbols and references. His solo show at Adams and Ollman will include new small-scale collages and a new, large-scale glass charm piece, an installation of cascading bands of individual glass fish traps, bikes, trucks, stick figures, canoes, peace signs, airplanes, wayfinding arrows, transmission towers, animals and reptiles. The shadows cast by the abbreviated, linear shapes seem to write another layer of petroglyphs on the wall behind.

Oct. 27-Nov. 25, Adams and Ollman, 418 N.W. Eighth Ave., adamsandollman.com or 503-724-0684.

Lisa Jarrett's lithograph, "Untitled" (2022) created during her residency at Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts.Courtesy of Crows Shadow Institute of the Arts

Lisa Jarrett: It cut a sky

Lisa Jarrett will be represented in multiple shows across Portland this fall, including Black Artists of Oregon at the Portland Art Museum and Assembly, the multi-venue group show convened for Converge 45. She gets a solo turn at Russo Lee Gallery in November. Among the new work shell show are pieces created during her three artists residencies over the past year: At Crows Shadow Institute of the Arts in Pendleton, she worked with a master printer to translate her vision  and her medium, which is generally her own hair or synthetic hair -- into three groups of lithographs. At the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, she returned to an ongoing series, Migration Studies, to make large-scale, colorful portraits composed of objects sourced from beauty supply stores. At the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the Oregon coast, she commandeered a photocopier to scale her New Orleans work for collages that she likens to the quilts of the Underground Railroad, said to contain signs and symbols, encoded messages that guided people to safety.

Nov. 2-Dec. 2, Russo Lee Gallery, 805 N.W. 21st Ave.; russoleegallery.com or 503-226-2754.

Jenine Marsh's mixed media piece "Wish Fulfillment (blue)" (2023) will be included in the winter group show at ILY2.Courtesy of ILY2

I am a city of bones

Launched in 2020, ILY2 (I love you, too abbreviated) became one of the newer galleries in the Pearl when it took over the former PDX Contemporary Art space on the Park Blocks this past spring. Updates to the space make it a cool kids hangout. Founder Allie Furlotti brings something of a rockstar vibe to the endeavor, which is anchored by the serious art world credentials of veteran gallerist and art advisor Jeanine Jablonski. The gallery wraps its first year in its new location with a group show that meditates on the idea of the body. The intriguing mix of local, national and international artists, who work in a range of media, includes Dylan Beckman, Mona Kowalska, Martin Soto Climent, Timothy Yanick Hunter, Jenine Marsh, and Portland-based artists Corinne Hamilton and Pace Taylor,

Nov. 12-Jan. 13, 2024, ILY2, 925 Flanders St.; ily2online.com.

A 20-foot image mounted on the largest wall at One Grand Gallery will be framed by lights as part of an installation by Leslie Vigeant.Courtesy of One Grand Gallery

Leslie Vigeant: Cloud X

The walls of this gallery on a busy corner of East Burnside are often enlivened by unexpected work that runs the gamut of mediums. Curator Luiza Lukova programs the space, which she likened to a blank canvas. Artists are invited to transform it; they arent dissuaded from using the floor, walls, ceiling, wherever. Portland based artist Leslie Vigeants work should jell nicely with this setup. Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary. Her more recent exploration of textiles has resulted in tufted rugs that incorporate provocative words and phrases. Her solo show at the gallery, a site-specific installation, will commingle many of these elements, including a collage enlarged to be a 20-foot printed panel -- for the gallerys largest wall -- framed in by lights.

Nov. 17, 2023-Jan. 2, 2024, One Grand Gallery, 1000 E. Burnside St.; ogpdx.com, @onegrandgallery.

 Briana Miller, for The Oregonian/OregonLive
The former Kmart building in Northeast Portland, gutted by a fire in July, is about to be demolished.

Digging machines began taking down its walls on Wednesday after San Francisco-based Prologis received an emergency demolition permit late last week to tear down the building, except for the slab base and parking lot trees.

Prologis hopes to turn the site into a massive freight warehouse.

The city approved the emergency demolition to address the hazards of unsupported walls caused by the fire.

The blaze spewed ash and chunks of burnt material across the neighborhood, blanketing local parks and lawns. Some of the debris tested positive for asbestos, spurring health precautions and a cleanup effort. The fire remains under investigation.

A local resident who lives near the site has filed a class-action lawsuit against Prologis and RFC Joint Venture, the property owner, alleging they hadnt properly maintained the site.

The emergency demolition is expected to take about six weeks, Prologis spokeswoman Mattie Sorrentino said via email. The company plans to obtain the regular demolition permit, which covers a broader scope, at a later date, she said. That demolition permit has been in approved-to-issue status since June 28, 2022. The companys building permit application is still under review.

Neighborhood groups and Parkrose School District officials have strongly opposed the Prologis warehouse project, saying it will bring more diesel pollution to an already polluted area. They have called for a moratorium on large warehouse projects, but city officials have said they can do nothing to stop the warehouse because it meets local zoning laws.

 Gosia Wozniacka; gwozniacka@oregonian.com; @gosiawozniacka

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Portland is on the verge of dramatically overhauling how it polices its police, hitting a major milestone this month with plans for a tougher oversight board that will independently investigate and  for the first time  discipline officers for misconduct.

The Police Accountability Commission tasked with creating Portlands new police oversight system finished its proposal Aug. 31, outlining the format, responsibilities and powers of the new board, which could begin launching investigations as soon as late next year.
The Columbia once produced more salmon than any other river on earth, according to the leaders of the nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper. Twenty years ago, Pacific salmon were found to have disappeared from 40% of their native rivers and streams across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. Scientists estimate that the number of wild salmon returning from the ocean has decreased by as much as 98%, and 28 populations of West Coast salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

This year, the nonpartisan American Fisheries Society reported that if Snake River basin salmon and steelhead are to be saved, then policymakers and stakeholders at all levels will need to implement appropriate processes and funding provisions to breach the four dams on the Lower Snake River, as well as implement all necessary habitat rehabilitation.

Aug. 31 was the court-imposed deadline for the Biden administration to outline its plan to recover Columbia River salmon and replace the electricity, transportation, and irrigation services that the Lower Snake River dams currently provide. The administration and a coalition of tribes and environmental groups asked for a 60-day extension to continue talks.

We, the people in this democracy, have an urgent collective responsibility to save the iconic Columbia and Snake River salmon. There is no legitimate scientific debate about whether Snake River salmon need dam removal. The threat of salmon extinction is real, and its our responsibility to save them.

Richard Thompson, Prineville

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
Oregons new paid family and medical leave program is seeing early signs of greater-than-anticipated demand, while money collected to fund the benefits is slightly coming up short.

Preliminary data suggest applicants are requesting more leave time than forecast, potentially incurring greater costs. In contrast, contributions collected from both employers and employees seem to be slightly trailing expectations.

The program, which reached a milestone Sunday as it began to offer benefits, has received over 11,300 applications as of Tuesday, according to data shared this week with its advisory committee. The majority of those claims were for bonding with a new child and for medical leave  about 5,900 and 3,418, respectively  while just over 1,200 applications were for family leave, the data showed. Roughly 750 were for safe leave for people who experienced sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence.

While the average length of requests for family and medical leave  about seven weeks each  align closely with the states forecasts, the length for bonding leave requests seem to be about a week longer than initially anticipated. According to the data shared to advisory members, the state anticipated the average request for bonding leave to be around 9.5 weeks, but applications submitted so far show an average request of 10.45 weeks.

Karen Madden Humelbaugh, the director of Paid Leave Oregon, said in some cases the small number of applications is skewing the data. For example, the average safe leave request is several times longer than officials anticipated, but Humelbaugh said they represent only about 1% of claims received, adding that theyre not going to have a really large impact on the trust.

The Oregon Legislature established the program in 2019, making Oregon one of just 11 states, along with Washington, D.C., to offer paid family and medical leave.

Oregons program is funded by a payroll tax of 1% on gross wages. Employers with 25 or more workers pay 40% of the contribution while employees pay 60%.

As of the end of June, the program had collected about $413 million, about $3.75 million short of what officials projected that the program would collect in the first two quarters of this year.

Earlier this year, collections had fallen short, and the Legislature passed a bill giving the employment department the flexibility to further delay its launch  originally scheduled for January  if it wasnt adequately funded, but department officials elected to go ahead with the September launch.

This is exactly why we want to keep an eye on all those data points, whether it be the amount of wages going out or the amount of time people are applying for and then the actual numbers of claims were getting, Humelbaugh said during a media briefing Thursday. We are looking at that literally on a daily basis.

As of Sunday, the program had approved just over 1,800 applications, according to Humelbaugh. She added that applications have been taking longer to process, often slowed because applicants havent yet supplied required documentation.

Humelbaugh said that employees should have their documentation ready before they start the process. Employees can find out what documents they need through Paid Leave Oregons toolkit and guidebook. The state has put together an application checklist, as well as a video to help employees through the application process.

In a presentation to advisory members on Wednesday, Humelbaugh said that program officials have adjusted their forecasts according to the early trends theyre seeing. For example, officials now expect to see closer to 68,200 applications by the end of the year, compared to 43,000 that they initially anticipated to receive.

Humelbaugh said that theyve also shifted their assumptions for the average duration of bonding leave, as well as safe leave. Officials now anticipate bonding leave requests to average around 9 1/2 weeks, and two weeks for safe leave requests.

Obviously, our assumptions in our forecasting on contributions werent 100% accurate, and they likely wont be for benefits, Humelbaugh told advisory members on Wednesday. If the current trend continues, we may need to adjust the forecasts of some of these leave types and see what that does to the inputs and outputs.

And the program may also ask the state Legislature to reduce benefits or increase contributions to keep costs in line with funding.

She said that if the program continues to see a high volume of applications, longer leave requests and high weekly benefit amounts, then we would need some statutory help in the 2024 session, in order to keep everything moving along.

--Kristine de Leon; kdeleon@oregonian.com

CORRECTION: Paid Leave Oregon officials now expect to see 68,200 applications through the end of 2023. The story originally included an incorrect number. Additionally, a quote from Karen Madden Humelbaugh, the director of Paid Leave Oregon, was reported incorrectly. It should have read: If the current trend continues, we may need to adjust the forecasts of some of these leave types and see what that does to the inputs and outputs. The story has been updated.
MONTGOMERY  United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced Wednesday the sentencing of 64-year-old Cheryl Lynn Pytleski, a resident of Chancellor, to 12 months in prison for violating the civil rights of her neighbors.

According to her plea agreement and other court records, on Oct. 18, 2019, Pytleski hung racially offensive homemade dolls on the fence of her next-door neighbors, an African American family, in an attempt make the family move away.

Pytleski pleaded guilty to a criminal violation of the Fair Housing Act in March of this year. In her plea agreement, Pytleski specifically admitted to using the threat of force to intimidate her neighbors because of their race and because they were occupying a dwelling next to her.

A person violates the Fair Housing Act if he or she uses force, or threatens the use of force, to willfully injure, intimidate, or interfere with, any person because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, who is or has been engaged in the selling, purchasing, renting, financing, occupying, or contracting or negotiating for the sale, purchase, rental, financing, or occupation of any dwelling.

The 12-month sentence, ordered on Sept. 6, is the maximum allowed under the federal statute. There is no parole in the federal system.

The FBI and the Ozark Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Brett J. Talley prosecuted the case.
As the day of the annular solar eclipse grows closer, big events and watch parties are popping up around Oregon to see the Oct. 14 happening.

From the coast to the valley and the high desert, people are making plans to see the ring of fire eclipse, an astronomical experience that wont happen again in Oregon until 2046. Events range from massive campouts to casual gatherings in beautiful places, some with scientific presentations and live music.

However you see it, the annular eclipse promises to be a fascinating show.

A solar eclipse occurs when a new moon lines up between the Earth and the sun, blocking out our view of the sun. An annular eclipse happens when the moon is too far away to block out the sun completely, leaving a ring of light around its edges.

Because the sun wont be completely blocked out, viewers wont be able to see the suns corona  the main attraction of a total solar eclipse. However, people may be able to see a phenomenon known as Bailys beads, where the sunlight seems to bead as it comes through the rugged surface of the moon. Unlike a total eclipse, specialized eclipse glasses are needed the entire time to protect your eyes.

Those who want to see the maximum eclipse will need to find their way into a 90-mile-wide band that will make landfall on the south-central Oregon coast, crossing over Eugene, Roseburg, Crater Lake and the Alvord Desert on its way across the southwestern U.S., Central America and South America, according to NASA.

Those outside that band, including everyone in the Portland area, will see a partial eclipse, not unlike the view for those outside the path of the total solar eclipse in 2017.

Events are happening all across the state, but here are a few big happenings to consider:

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away to completely block out the sun, leaving a "ring of fire" in the sky.NASA

ECLIPSE FEST 2023

Expected to be the biggest eclipse event in Oregon, Eclipse Fest 2023 will take over a 175-acre parcel of land outside Klamath Falls, where attendees can expect a multi-day immersive experience including live music, family-friendly activities and the big eclipse viewing itself. Tickets are sold separately for the festival, concert and camping. Buy them online at eclipsefest23.com.

ECLIPSE INTO NATURE

Running Y Resort in Klamath Falls has teamed up with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as well as the Oregon Institute of Technology for its two-day Eclipse Into Nature Event. An Oct. 13 star party will feature a presentation from both OMSI and Oregon Tech, alongside representatives from the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin tribes. Tickets for that event will go on sale Sept. 11, available at runningy.com. On the day of the eclipse, a public watch party at the resort will include food, music, games and presentations. The watch party will be free, but attendees will need to pay for parking.

SHORE ACRES STATE PARK

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is hosting an eclipse viewing of its own at one of the most beautiful spots on the southern coast. The public is invited to a watch party at Shore Acres State Park, starting at 8 a.m. Oct. 14. The event is free, but parking costs $5 per vehicle at the park (or display of an annual state park pass). Carpooling is encouraged.

Sunset at the Coquille River Lighthouse, found at Bullards Beach State Park in Bandon.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

BANDON WATCH PARTY

Eclipse watchers will gather at Bullards Beach in Bandon the morning of Oct. 14, for what the city is describing as a festival of light watch party. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. and will take place on the beach just north of the Coquille River Lighthouse.

CRATER LAKE

The National Park Service has not announced any official events at Crater Lake, but as one of the most scenic destinations in the path of the eclipse, we can expect to see a lot of people make their way out to the park for the big day. All lodging inside the park is already booked up. Look for private events that offer transportation to the park, like this eclipse tour offered by Bend-based Wanderlust Tours.

SUNRIVER OBSERVATORY

The Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory south of Bend, which is just in the path of totality, is hosting an eclipse event of its own. Tickets for the event are $15 and come with eclipse glasses and access to a presentation from the observatory staff. Register online at snco.org.

FORT ROCK

Wanderlust Tours is hosting a guided eclipse experience at Fort Rock State Park in central Oregon, a place of scenic beauty and cultural significance. The event is currently sold out, according to the tour companys website, but a wait list is available should any spots open up. With or without a guided tour, Fort Rock should be a special place to see the event.

 Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB

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When hikers look across the Central Cascades skyline, its easy to pick out Broken Top as a bucket list trek. But the summit is not the only worthy destination on the mountain. Tucked between the jagged basalt peaks and moraines is No Name Lake, a turquoise gem popping out from the surrounding black rock.

What sets this lake apart is not just its distinctive color, but also its quiet solitude hidden in a valley of late summer wildflowers, its seasonal floating icebergs  sometimes all the way into August  and, of course, the rewarding hike it takes to get there.

The best time to make this Three Sisters Wilderness hike is July through mid-October, when the access roads and trail are mostly free of snow. The shortest route to get to No Name Lake is only 5.5 miles round trip with 1,400 feet of elevation gain and begins at Broken Top Trailhead. However, the forest road to access this start point is notoriously rough and requires a high-clearance, all-wheel drive vehicle.

Todd Lake Trailhead is a great alternative, as long as hikers are comfortable with the mileage increasing to 13 miles round trip and about 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Backpacking in this area is also an option, as long as campers do not set up their tents within a quarter of a mile of the lake.

The route from Todd Lake starts out in shady pine forest before crossing through wide open alpine meadows and over sparkling clear creeks. The final one- to two-mile stretch, after it meets with the Broken Top Trail, gets much steeper and rockier as it heads up onto the flank of the extinct volcano.

According to Oregon Glaciers Institute, No Name Lake is all that remains of East Bend Glacier, which carved out the basin where the body of water is located. The bright blue color of the water is caused by fine silt, or rock flour, that was created by the glaciers movement across the mountain. Suspended in the water, the rock flour absorbs the shortest light waves  indigo and purple  and reflects back green and light blue.

If you go, be prepared with a Central Cascades Wilderness Permit from recreation.gov, plus lots of water and leashes for your four legged friends. If you are coming from out of the area, be sure to check on local fire and smoke conditions before hitting the trail.

Read more:

 Haley Nelson
Members of the Washington County Tactical Negotiations Team, a multi-agency police unit, shot and killed a Hillsboro man Thursday after the man fired on officers, Beaverton police said.

Ryan Herinckx, 39, died in the 1400 block of Southeast Duke Drive in Hillsboro around 3:15 p.m. after Hillsboro police tried to arrest him on allegations of criminal mischief, stalking, violation of a courts stalking protective order and third-degree escape.

Police said the events began before noon when Hillsboro officers tried to arrest Herinckx in his driveway. He went inside his home and then refused to come out. Officers then called the Washington County Tactical Negotiations Team and the Washington County Crisis Negotiation Unit.

Around 2 p.m., a court issued a warrant for law enforcement to search the home, but when the tactical team tried to serve Herinckx the warrant, he came outside and fired on officers with a handgun, police said. Members of the team fired back, inflicting multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

Beaverton police did not identify the officers who shot the man. No officers were injured.

 Beth Slovic; bslovic@oregonian.com; 503-221-8551

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OZARK  An Ozark man is sentenced to 70 years in prison after pleading guilty in Dale County Court to three felony sex crimes against a child under the age of 12.

Jeremy C. Morris, 34, pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree rape and two charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 12 before 33rd Judicial Circuit Judge Bill Filmore at the Dale County Courthouse in Ozark Thursday afternoon.

Filmore sentenced Morris to 30 years in prison on the first-degree rape charge and 20 years each on the two first-degree assault charges, to run concurrently. Filmore told Morris that he is not eligible for parole under the terms of the plea agreement, he has waived his right to appeal the sentence, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

Morris was arrested in September 2022 after the Dale County Sheriffs Department received a call for assistance from the Tallahassee, Florida, police in reference to an online undercover operation involving electronic solicitation of children. TPD told them that they were communicating with a man in Ozark who was soliciting sexual contact from children from an undercover officer, Dale County Sheriff Mason Bynum said at the time of Morris arrest.

Based on this information we executed a search warrant on the suspects residence in Ozark, Bynum said. As a result of that search warrant and interviewing other individuals, additional evidence was uncovered that led us to charge Jeremy Morris with first-degree rape, and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12.

This case started because somebody saw something and said something, said 33rd Judicial Circuit District Attorney Kirke Adams, calling Tallahassee Police Department Detective Paul Osborn a hero. Law enforcement did a fantastic job on an investigation that covered multiple jurisdictions, Adams said, commending Caroline Jackson with the Dale County Sheriffs Office, Steve Sanders and Sam Redmon with the SBI, and Heather Whelan-Holt with the FBI.

Bynum echoed the praise. I applaud Lt. Caroline Jackson and her team along with our state and federal partners who aggressively go after those who choose to prey on our children, Bynum said. This is another example of us delivering on our promise to stand up for and protect our most valuable resource, our children.
Juba, South Sudan (PANA) - Dwindling resources amidst growing needs have forced humanitarian agencies to prioritise the delivery of vital life-saving support which risks leaving millions behind, the United Nations has warned
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation in the Government of National Unity, Ali al-Abed al-Rida, Thursday discussed with the Executive Secretary of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), Ado el Hadji Abou, the possibility of holding a conference of labour ministers from the community's countries in Tripoli, the Libyan capital
New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended law enforcement agencies around the world on Thursday stressing that more women in policing will build a safer future for everyone
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Tunisian President, Kais Saied, has dismissed the Director General of Public Security at the Ministry of the Interior's Directorate General of Tunisian National Security, according to a communique from the Presidency of the Republic
Paris, France (PANA) - The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Thursday called on governments to regulate the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in education and research, including age limits for users
Photo: (Photo : Elsa / Getty Images)

Following the heart-wrenching death of a 14-year-old boy, the viral sensation "One Chip Challenge" by Paqui is facing unprecedented scrutiny, pushing the company to pull the product from the shelves and highlight the potential perils of such extreme spicy chip challenges.

Viral Challenge That Went Too Far

Since 2016, the "One Chip Challenge" has gained immense popularity, especially among the younger generation. Participants devour a single spicy chip and film their reactions, often sharing their experiences on platforms like TikTok where the hashtag #onechipchallenge boasts over 2 billion views. But the thrill of the challenge has now been overshadowed by tragedy.

Harris Wolobah, a teenager who decided to take on Paqui's One Chip Challenge, became the center of this heartbreaking incident.

His family suspects complications from the One Chip Challenge were behind his tragic passing. Lois Wolobah, Harris's mother, recounted the harrowing experience, stating that Harris ate the spicy chip and soon complained of a stomachache. Though there was a brief moment of relief, Harris's condition rapidly deteriorated, eventually leading to his unfortunate death.

Behind the Heat: Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper Peppers

Paqui has always been distinct, priding itself on using real peppers to deliver the heat, instead of relying on artificial ingredients.

The Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper are the main culprits behind the scorching spiciness of the chip.

The One Chip Challenge doesn't hold an "official Scoville rating," but with the Carolina Reaper boasting 1.7 million Scoville units and the Naga Viper trailing close behind at 1.4 million units, it's evident that this chip is not for the faint-hearted.

To put it in perspective, a habanero pepper, considered extremely spicy by most, only registers between 100,000 and 300,000 Scoville units.

Read Also: California Judge Temporarily Blocks School District's Controversial LGBTQ+ Parental Notification Policy

Rising Concerns Over the Spicy Chip's Health Implications

The recent incident has thrown the risks associated with the One Chip Challenge into the spotlight.

Paqui responded promptly by updating their website with a disclaimer emphasizing that the product is specifically for adults. They caution against its consumption by children, individuals sensitive to spicy foods, those with allergies, pregnant women, or those with underlying health issues.

However, this isn't the first time concerns about the One Chip Challenge have surfaced. Previously, school districts in California and Massachusetts issued warnings when the spicy chip challenge went viral.

The health repercussions of consuming extremely spicy food are not to be underestimated. Symptoms can range from vomiting and diarrhea to severe headaches and chest pain, particularly for those unaccustomed to spicy food.

Dr. Allan Capin, in a recent report from the Cleveland Clinic, mentioned, "Most people aren't used to that level of heat and are going from zero to 100 when they do something like the 'One Chip Challenge.' It's akin to setting off a bomb in your stomach if you're unprepared."

In conclusion, while the world awaits the autopsy results to determine the exact cause of Harris Wolobah's untimely demise, the tragic event underscores the potential hazards of the One Chip Challenge.

The growing concerns surrounding the product make it imperative for consumers to exercise caution and prioritize safety over virality.

Related Article: Late Summer Heatwave Forces Early Dismissals, Online Classes in Schools Across Multiple States
The Dale County Republican Party will meet Monday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. at Hoppergrass in Ozark. The speaker for this meeting is Bryan Taylor who is a candidate for the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Taylor is a co-founding member of the law firm of Bachus Brom and Taylor, LLC. He concentrates his practice in Constitutional law, appellate law, election law, business law and business litigation, and public policy.

Taylor is licenses to practice law in both Alabama and Texas. He earned his B.A. in communication cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1998. He went on to receive his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin in 2001. During his first year of law school, Taylor served as a legal intern under Texass then-Gov. George W. Bush. While in law school, he also worked as a legislative aide in the Texas House of Representatives and was the founding president of the Texas Law School Republicans.

Taylor is also an Iraq veteran and served four years on active duty as an Army Judge Advocate and military prosecutor. He served a combat tour in Iraq and a tour in Honduras. He received the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq. After serving honorable on active duty, Taylor served another 16 years in the Alabama National Guard before retiring. He held the positions as the States Chief of Operational Law and the Senior State Defense Counsel.

Before returning to private practice, Taylor held senior positions in three Republican governors administrations, mostly recently as Gov.Kay Iveys chief legal advisor. In 2010, he became the first Republican ever elected to the State Senate from the 30th District, defeating a seven-term Democrat incumbent.

As a freshman state senator, Taylor spearheaded passage of sweeping reforms to strengthen Alabamas ethics laws. He led the charge to repeal the legislatures pay raise. He applied common-sense fiscal conservatism to state budgeting.

As chairman of the Senate Constitution and Elections Committee, Taylor advanced legislation to curb election fraud and improve election integrity such as the law that requires voters to show a photo ID at the poles. Taylor also sponsored several bills to curb government interference with the 2nd Amendment rights. He also promoted respect for the right to life. He is a fierce advocate of term limits and a citizen legislature.

Taylor did not run for re-election in 2014 and decided to concentrate full-time on his law practice. Taylor lives in Shelby County with his three children and their one-year-old Australian Shepherd dog.

Taylor said he is stepping down as legislative counsel for the Alabama Republican Party to focus on his campaign. The primary election will be on March 5, 2024.

When Taylor announced his candidacy for chief Justice he said in a press release. I am uniquely qualified to lead our statejs court system. My experience as an attorney, Army Judge Advocate and military prosecutor, along with my service in the executive and legislative branches of state government has given me a unique perspective that will benefit Alabamas courts and other justices in the administrative side of the job  managing the court system and working with the governors office and the legislature to advocate for the needs of the judicial system. Im the candidate best prepared to do that.
Microsoft Paint is finally testing background removal, the killer feature of Microsofts Paint 3D that we hoped theyd save. And they finally have!

In 2021, Microsoft pulled Paint 3D from Windows, ending its run of 3D VR applications. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Windows Mixed Reality bombed and they began quietly removing apps like Paint 3D and 3D Viewer. (Paint 3D lives on as a Microsoft Store app, however.)

The idea behind Paint 3D and 3D Viewer was that you would create VR holograms that could be viewed by either the HoloLens or a third-party ecosystem of VR hardware. Paint 3D was fun, even though the idea of 3D dioramas never caught on.

But Paint 3Ds best feature, Magic Select, had nothing to do with 3D. Magic Select was a 2D feature, a Photoshop-like way to lasso a particular part of a scene, like a person, and edit them out of the photo. In 2019, this was pretty revolutionary. Since then, this function is now part of Adobe Photoshop; Google Photos Magic Eraser, which is now a Google One perk, and other editing apps.

How Microsoft Paints background removal will work. Microsoft

Wed like to say that we were responsible for Microsofts decision and maybe we were. In 2020, as the company was killing off Remix 3D (the repository of 3D digital assets that you could incorporate into Paint 3D), we begged them to let Magic Select survive. And it has! (Theoretically, Microsoft could always pull it before it hits the stable version of Paint, but lets not dwell on that.)

Background Removal in Paint hasnt hit your desktop yet, even if it most likely will. If youre a Windows Insider in the Canary or Dev Channels, you can download the new version of Paint (version 11.2306.30.0) and start using the new tool, which will appear in the Image section. Paint will use AI to remove what it thinks is the subject of the image so that you can use it elsewhere. Alternatively, you can use the rectangle select tool to do the same.

So, this isnt quite perfect yet. Using a rectangle has always struck me as a little odd since a lasso would be better. But Paint has never been a precision tool and using a rectangle certainly pushes you to trust Microsofts AI a bit more, which might be the idea.

But theres a move Microsoft hasnt made yet, too. The most obvious use for a tool that uses background removal isnt Paint, its Photos. Sure, you can argue that Paint is an editor and Photos is designed to view photos. However, Microsoft already re-inserted the Auto Enhance tool back into Photos, which uses AI to improve the photos lighting, contrast, and more. Spot Fixagain, which Microsoft pulled, then quietly added backalso uses AI to identify specks of dust and grit and intelligently remove them from the photo. If these editing tools are already there, why not add background removal, too?

Well, perhaps Microsoft will. And if Microsoft does, wed humbly suggest that Photos will be a better app because of it. Just dont take three years, okay?
The University Students Association of Ghana(USAG) bring to the attention of the entire university community in Ghana and the public that the President of USAG, Dr. Christian Ntsiful Anderson, is alleged to have been involved in financial improprieties, including the unlawful collection of funds, unauthorized disbursement of the funds, hoarding of association funds and absconding with these funds.



USAG has alleged that the President unlawfully instructed his sister (a relative who is not an executive) to collect dues and capitation paid by member institutions at congress grounds.



"This is a breach of ARTICLE 33, clause 2(a). The flippant disregard for the USAG constitution by the president is extremely alarming," a press statement issued by the Association said.



"Furthermore, the President, Dr. Christian Ntsiful Anderson has not been forthcoming with the entire executive body concerning the finances of the entire administration and the just ended congress in any official meeting whatsoever. Efforts to reach the president has proven futile as he has deliberately refused to respond to calls. He has eluded meeting with the entire executive body since after congress ended," it added.



Christian Ntsiful Anderson is a student Doctor of Optometry of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been elected the President of the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG).



Christian Ntsiful Anderson was declared winner after beating four other contestants during the 21st Annual Delegates Congress of the Association at the North Campus of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) last year.



Ntsiful Anderson is also the 12th speaker of the KNUST Students Representative Council (SRC), Parliamentary Council and former General Secretary of Unity Hall and NUGS Public Relations Officer of KNUST.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The founder of Eastwood Anaba Ministries, Reverend Eastwood Anaba, has said that there are good politicians in Ghana who truly have the country at heart but these politicians are castigated for no reason.



He touted President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama as two of these politicians he has had personal encounters with.



Recounting for example, an instance where the former President Mahama showed him some kindness, Eastwood Anaba, while speaking to his congregation in a viral video sighted by GhanaWeb said Mahama helped save the life of a pastor of International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr Mensa Otabils church, when he was in office.



According to him, Dr Otabil called him to ask Mahama for help to transport one of his pastors who was severely injured in an accident in Wa, to Accra.



I was in Lagos, a pastor had an accident in Nandom, his head was broken. He must get to Accra otherwise he would die. Dr Mensa Otabil, my good friend called me  and said Eastwood I have an emergency, one of our pastors (a pastor of ICGC), his head is broken, can you help by calling the government so that they call the air ambulance to pick the guy otherwise we are going to lose him.



I called President Mahama and told him I have a problem. A pastor friend of ICGC has had an accident in Nandom and we need an air ambulance to transport him, he narrated.



Eastwood Anaba said that Mahama within 10 minutes called him back and told him that the Air Force Commander would call him back and give him the needed assistance.



By the time he (Mahama) put down the phone, the Air Force Commander called me. He (the commander) said The president has given me your assignment, consider it done. By tomorrow your patient will be in Accra'.



The plane went all the way to Wa Hospital; picked up Pastor Peter Akagara to Accra. And up to today, Pastor Akagara is alive, he said.



He urged Ghanaians not to believe the lies told about certain politicians.



I came to announce to you to stop listening to liars. There are people that can help you and because they know who they are, they accept who they are, they are acting who they are; people accuse them of pride and they drive them away from you.







Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Sir Sam Jonah has called on professional bodies in the country to speak up on issues of misgovernance, rising corruption and general hardships being experienced by the populace.



In his view, professional bodies cannot remain silent because they are major stakeholders in the affairs of the country and must play their role as Civil Society Organizations.



He was speaking at the 2023 annual general conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSG) held at the Air Force base in Takoradi on Wednesday, Sept 6.



Ghana, he said in his keynote address was going through excruciating times and it was "only fair to be truthful and acknowledge that people are enduring immense hardship."



He said "Confidence in key institutions are on the decline. Checks and balances which are desperately needed for the progress of any nation are seriously compromised."



"Corruption and greed have eaten deep into the fabric of our nation. Young people are fast losing hope and the dignity of labour. Public services, which are already paid for by taxpayers money are subject to bribes solicited by public officials in order to speed up processes or to exempt people from necessary procedures."



He cited three instances in recent past in which senior government officials had lamented the rising spate of corruption.



From Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo's comments at a Presbyterian Church of Ghana event to the ministers of foreign affairs and roads' admission that people under their ministeries were actively engaged in corrupt practices.



Sir Sam Jonah expressed worry that, "today, despite all that is happening, one hardly hears from professional bodies regarding the welfare of the nation.



"Most associations will only be heard when it concerns their salaries or businesses. Teachers associations, journalists, nurses, doctors, surveyors, lawyers, accountants, architects, planners, social workers, psychologists etc. are all present in this country," he said.



"Your civic responsibility enjoins you to be active citizens in the affairs of the nation. Keeping silent is not the way to do that. If you see things going on that are not right expect your society to speak up so that your members become active citizens," he added.







Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Rwandan police have arrested a 34-year-old suspected serial killer who is alleged to have murdered more than 10 people and buried them in the kitchen.



Police discovered the crime after the man was evicted from his rented accommodation in Kicukiro, a suburb of the capital, Kigali.



They were called after the suspect had defaulted on rent payments for months.



A police officer told local media the victims appeared to have been sex workers. They included men and women.



Murder is relatively uncommon in Rwanda and this case has shocked the country.



An unnamed police official told Rwanda's private newspaper The New Times that the man had put up a fight when officers went to evict him on Monday.



"He apologised and cried excessively, which raised our suspicions. It is at the police station where he confessed to having killed some people, prompting Rib [Rwanda Investigation Bureau] to investigate," the official said.



A number of bodies have been recovered but the exact number would be determined after forensic investigations, said Rib spokesman Thierry Murangira.



"He operated by luring his victims, mostly prostitutes, to his home where he would rob them of their phones and belongings and then strangled them to death and buried them in a hole dug in the kitchen of his rented house," Mr Murangira said.



He is yet to be formally charged.



The man had reportedly been arrested in July for allegedly robbing, raping and threatening some women, but released as there was insufficient evidence.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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An Austrian couple on honeymoon is missing in Greece after torrential rains swept away the house they were staying in.



Emergency services have told the BBC they are searching for the couple and several other missing people.



People in central Greece were trapped on the roofs of their houses after floods set whole villages under water.



More than a dozen people are now known to have died since Storm Daniel hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria this week.



The Austrian couple decided to shelter inside the bungalow they had rented for their honeymoon as heavy rainfall swept central Greece, the owner of the accommodation, Samaras Thanakis said.



But the house in the beach resort of Potistika, near Mount Pelion, was then washed into the sea by flash floods, he told the BBC.



He and other guests had left for higher ground and had advised the couple to do the same.



"The situation was very bad. It's very difficult to decide what to do in a moment like that," Mr Thanakis said.



He added that the couple, from the Austrian city of Graz, had married shortly after arriving on their holiday.



The Greek fire brigade said it had a team in the area searching for missing people, including the newlyweds.



Some Greek regions received up to 800mm (31.5 inches) of rain in recent days - more than normally seen in a whole year.



The Karditsa plain in central Greece was described as having turned into a lake, with villages around Palamas drowned in water.



The mayor of Palamas, Giorgos Sakellariou, made a dramatic appeal for help on Greek TV, saying people were stranded in their homes and facing immediate danger.



"The situation in Palamas is tragic," he was quoted as telling Skai TV. "People are trapped in their houses. We will have people drowning."

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Police Service has suspended the interdiction of three senior police officers, who were implicated in a leaked tape allegedly plotting the removal of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, which is now a subject of Parliamentary probe.



Following the interdiction of COP/Mr George Alex Mensah, Supt/Mr Emmanuel Eric Gyebi and Supt/Mr George Lysander Asare in connection with the leaked audio tape, the Police Administration would commence disciplinary proceedings into their conduct upon completion of the ongoing probe by Parliament.



In order not to prejudice the ongoing probe, the Police administration has suspended their interdiction, the statement signed by ACP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Public Affairs said.



The three police officers were interdicted on Thursday, September 6, after a leaked tape emerged with the content suggesting a plot to oust the IGP, according to a former NPP Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu, who claims he recorded the conversation secretly.



The officers are Director General Technical of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Alex George Mensah, Supt. George Lysander Asare and Emmanuel Gyebi.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Never forget, was the theme of retired Rear Admiral Kent Daviss remarks to those attending the opening ceremony for the Week of the Wall at the NPF Fairground Amphitheater Thursday evening.

The largest replica of Vietnam Wall is in the Wiregrass through Monday and the public is invited to the view it at Dothans National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds until Monday evening. The traveling tribute is billed as the kickoff for the Wiregrass Honor Flight Program, which will fly veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the original Vietnam Memorial Wall there.

Davis, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner, said that 58,279 service members died in theater in Vietnam. Some 61% of those were younger than age of 21. The average age of those killed was 23.

It is an honor to stand at the traveling wall, Davis said. We are reminded of the importance of honoring the veterans. It is absolutely essential that we honor them and their families.

Davis outlined the history of the United States involvement in Vietnam that started with an initial deployment of advisors in the 1950s, grew incrementally and then expanded with the deployment of full combat units in July 1965. On March 29, 1973, the last combat troops departed Vietnam and the last American personnel were evacuated in April 1975 with the fall of Saigon.

Davis urged looking at the names on the wall with respect. We must never forget, he said. Remember them.

Davis said he had visited the grave at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery of Eutaw native Sgt. Matthew Leonard, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Americas highest military decoration, for his actions in the Vietnam War. Telling his story is not to minimize the thousands of others, it is simply a reminder that we must never forget the people who sacrificed all.

Born in 1929, Leonard entered the service in 1947. The father of five who had married his high school sweetheart served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

On Feb. 28, 1967, Leonard was serving as a platoon sergeant with Company B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, near Suoi Da, South Vietnam when his platoon came under attack, Davis said. Despite suffering several wounds, he continued to command and eventually charged an enemy machine gun. He was wounded once more during the charge and died soon after. For his actions on that day, Leonard received the Medal of Honor which his widow, Lois, received during a ceremony on Dec. 19, 1968.

Despite stories such as this and countless others in one of the saddest episodes in American history, Vietnam veterans received little or no recognition and gratitude when the returned to the United States, Davis said . Thank God that has changed and we now properly honor our great Vietnam veterans, patriots who served their nation.

More than 300,000 were also wounded during the Vietnam War, Davis said. More than 700 Americans were taken prisoner of war, 114 died in captivity, 37 escaped, and 684 returned alive including 591 who were released in early 1973 as a result of the Paris Peace Accord.

In 1973, the United States listed 2,646 Americans as unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. By October 2022, 1,582 Americans remained unaccounted for, Davis said. They are missing but not forgotten.

Davis noted that in addition to the 3,000 killed during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, 7,000 service members have died in combat in the 22 years since them.

Davis said that some 120,000 veterans have died by suicide over the last 22 years. That is a tragedy that we simply cannot ignore, he said.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is three-fifth the size of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington and the names are listed on panels by year of death. There is also book containing a list of the 58,000 names listed alphabetically with the panel number the name is on at the site.

During the opening ceremony Thursday, three Huey helicopters flew over the event grounds in a circle in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 607 from Montgomery participated in the opening ceremony as part of the color guard.

Saturday, a 5K Ruck for the Wall, starting and ending at the memorial wall, is planned. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with 8 a.m. shotgun start. Participants will carry 25 pounds on their backs in the form of a ruck and make their way along the 5k course. Participants are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue and walk or run. All proceeds will benefit the Wiregrass Honor Flight.

Also Saturday is a Ride for the Wall convoy bringing supplies to the Bill Nichols V.A. Home which begins at 10 a.m. at the Dothan Harley Shop and makes pickups in Ozark, Troy, and Montgomery.

The Ozark-based Friends of Army Aviation will be providing rides in a Huey helicopter from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance at friendsofarmyaviation.org.

The Vietnam Wall exhibit is also open to the public Sunday and Monday from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Also Monday the city of Daleville is hosting a 9/11 Patriot Day Ceremony at Culpepper Park at 9 a.m. and the public is invited.
Tullow and its Jubilee Partners - Kosmos Energy, GNPC, Petro SA and Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited - have celebrated the delivery of "first oil" from the Jubilee South-East (JSE) project, offshore Ghana.



The JSE project is an expansion of the Greater Jubilee Field production area. The project has increased oil production at the Jubilee field beyond 100,000 barrels per day, a significant achievement that further elevates Ghana's status as an oil-producing country in West Africa. The success of the JSE project reflects a concerted strategy by Tullow to invest in its producing assets, in line with a $4 billion Ghana Value Maximisation Plan (GVMP) for the period 2021 to 2030.



Ghanas President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was joined by dignitaries, including Ministers, Parliamentarians, Traditional Leaders along with Senior Officials from Tullow and Jubilee partners, to herald this historic event at a colourful ceremony held in Takoradi, 120 miles west of Ghanas capital city, Accra.



Delivering his remarks as Special Guest of Honour, His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said:



Our unwavering commitment to the oil and gas sector stems from its continuing impact in transforming our economy, developing sustainable wealth, creating job opportunities and supporting community development. It is in our interest to continuously create an enabling environment that makes players in the oil and gas sector comfortable to operate, invest and support our economy. I want to also reemphasize that, as a follow-up to this landmark achievement, we are committed to expediting discussions to reach mutually acceptable terms for a combined gas sales agreement between Tullow, its Joint Venture Partners and the Government of Ghana.

This step will increase revenue generation, expand the use of domestic natural gas, and also support nearly half of our countrys electricity demand.



Phuthuma Nhleko, Board Chairman, Tullow said: The success of Jubilee South East represents a very significant step we have taken in our ambition to maximize value from the Jubilee Field for all stakeholders.



I am confident that we are well positioned to continue delivering value for Ghana through sustained oil and gas production and the broader socio-economic benefits that our presence and the industry bring. We look forward to working with the Government of Ghana to deliver the full potential of both Jubilee and TEN fields in years to come



Tullow successfully began production from the South-East Area of the Jubilee field on July 13, 2023. The project's success is generating enormous economic benefits for Ghana. Tullows commitment to local content has also been on great display with the project, including local fabrication of some of the complex sub-sea infrastructure used. Additionally, close to 90% of the projects human resources were Ghanaians.



Tullow and its partners have invested c.US$1 billion over the last three years on the JSE Project.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a lecturer at the Central University, has advised the New Patriotic Party to amicably address the concerns of Alan Kyerematen for which reason he has withdrawn from the party's November 4 presidential election.



Dr. Otchere-Ankrah warned the party not to trivialize the speculations of Alan breaking away from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).



He noted that Alan leaving the party to run as independent candidate or form his own political party will have dire consequences for the NPP.



Though admitting Alan will not win the 2024 elections, he, however, stressed Alan's breakaway will gravely affect votes for the ruling party.



"The party is at the crossroads. If they don't take care, it will disturb them hugely especially going into 2024. If he forms his own party, he won't win or get any significant votes" but "it is dicey" for the New Patriotic Party, he said while discussing Alan's withdrawal on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo".



He urged the party to quickly engage Alan Kyerematen and resolve the conflict.





Alan Kyerematen on Tuesday, September 5 announced his withdrawal from the upcoming presidential election of the New Patriotic Party despite coming third on the list of the top five candidates to contest the flagbearership on November 4th.He said in a press statement that "after having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant", adding "the level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen regions, is unprecedented in the history of our Party".He also stated "the fact that my Polling Agent in the North East region has suffered severe damage to his eye sight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will forever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the Party. This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other Voting Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable"."I wish to confirm that I am honourably withdrawing from the process that will lead to the Presidential Primaries to be held on the 4th of November 2023", he emphasized.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Atik Mohammed has implored Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to reach out to Mr. Alan Kyerematen as the latter withdraws from the New Patriotic Party's presidential election on November 4.



According to him, "it will serve him much better to reach out to Alan Kyerematen", stressing "every vote from the Alan camp is very necessary".



Alan Kyerematen has withdrawn from the election accusing the party of disregarding the pockets of violence and intimidation that characterized their Special Delegates Conference on Saturday, August 26.



"After having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant. The pronouncements made by some leading Members of our Party both before and after the elections, also lend weight to my observations," he said in a press statement.



He noted, "the level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen regions, is unprecedented in the history of our Party".



"...the fact that my Polling Agent in the North East region has suffered severe damage to his eye sight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will forever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the Party. This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other Voting Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable", he further said and in view of this, stated "I wish to confirm that I am honourably withdrawing from the process that will lead to the Presidential Primaries to be held on the 4th of November 2023".



To Atik, "in the spirit of togetherness", Dr. Bawumia, who came tops on the list of top five candidates to contest in the November 4 election, should rope in Alan Kyerematen in the interest of the New Patriotic Party.



"There has to be some serious level conversation involving the sitting Vice President and maybe Kennedy Agyapong and everybody else who is interested in the forward march of the NPP," the former PNC General Secretary stressed while making his submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu has reposed ultimate confidence in the New Patriotic Party to win the 2024 elections in spite of the party's current internal conflicts.



The New Patriotic Party is yet to conduct its presidential election to elect their flagbearer but already one of their candidates has withdrawn from the contest.



Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, on Tuesday, announced his decision to bow out of the race citing intimidation, violence and the NPP super delegates election results skewed in favor of a candidate as his reasons.



"After having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant", he said, asserting "the level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen regions, is unprecedented in the history of our Party".



"The fact that my Polling Agent in the North East region has suffered severe damage to his eye sight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will forever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the Party. This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other Voting Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable," he further said in a press statement.



To some critics, looking at the state of Ghana's economy under the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration and Alan's withdrawal adding up to the ruling party's troubles, this will inure to the benefit of the opposition National Democratic Congress, come 2024.



But to Charles Owusu, what the NPP is facing has nothing to do with their chances in the 2024 elections.



"If the elections are held today, NPP will still retain power," he stated emphatically.



However, he cautioned the party to put their things in order stating if they don't, what happened to the party in 2008 will reoccur.



The New Patriotic Party lost the 2008 elections and some political researchers claim the party's complacency coupled with some internal conflicts contributed to their defeat.



He stressed "the 2024 election starts from now. If NPP is not united, there is no way their dream that they want to break the eight, they can break that eight but if they are united, I believe that they will be able to do their heart desire".



Charles Owusu made these submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme Friday morning.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Enthusiastic NPP delegates and party supporters came out in their numbers to welcome Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on day one of his tour of the Oti Region.



Fresh from his landslide victory in the NPP Super Delegates Conference, NPP stakeholders made up of polling station executives, electoral area coordinators, constituency executives and Council of Elders as well as party supporters in Buem, Guan and Nkawanta constituencies thronged in their numbers to welcome Dr. Bawumia as he resumed his interactions with delegates at the constituency level.



Massive endorsements for Bawumia



In Guan constituency where Dr. Bawumia commenced the tour, the Constituency Chairman, Daniel Kudjo Aidoo in the presence of party stakeholders of the constituency, announced their collective decision to support Dr. Bawumia to lead the NPP to next year's elections.



"What I'm coming to say here, is not from me, but from all of us," the Chairman said.



"I have had a meeting with the patrons, the council of elders all the coordinators and executives. What we are saying is that, we have resolved and we are all going to vote for Dr. Bawumia.



"What I am saying is it is not from me but from all of us. We are all human beings here and I cannot give the Vice President 100%. There may be some people who may spoil the vote; you cannot tell so I cannot give him 100%. But I can give him 99%", he added.



In Buem constituency, the Chairman, Arnold K. Agble, spoke on behalf of the constituency stakeholders and declared their support for Dr. Bawumia.



He also commended the Vice President for his dedication to public service and the NPP party.



"Dr. Bawumia is a real party man who has dedicated his entire life to public service," he stated.



He continued; "The road to the presidency requires is a challenging one. It requires one with a strong commitment to the people and deep understanding of issues facing people and the nation and the ability to take bold decisions to create a better future for all of us."



"It is on record that Dr. Bawumia is the most competent, humble, innovative, creative, affable and hardworking Vice President Ghana has ever hard since independence," the Guan constituency Chairman added.



The story was not different for Dr. Bawumia in Akan constituency with the Constituency Chairman, Larry Yaw Osei also announcing the constituency's decision to reward Dr. Bawumia for his hard work during the November 4th election.



The Vice President emerged winner of the recent NPP Super Delegates Congress in which 5 out of the 10 candidates contesting the NPP flagbearership were selected for the final congress in November.



He polled over two thirds of the votes cast, leaving his closest contenders overwhelmingly trailing behind him.



The Vice President is widely tipped to be elected the NPP flagbearer for next year's election, following the irresistible support he enjoys at all levels of the party.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Dollar Tree is rolling back its prices on hundreds of items.

GoBankingRates.com reported the discount chain is planning on changing some of its prices back to $1, from $1.25, due in part to competition from other retailers.

Its pretty hard to have a banner like (Dollar Tree), and you have an item that everybody else has at $1, and youre at a buck and a quarter, Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dreiling told an investors conference last week, according to the reports.

Chief merchandising officer Rick McNeely estimated the change will involve as many as 400 of the 8,000 items sold by Dollar Tree, roughly 5%.

Prices will be labeled on the shelves and packaging, McNeely said.

Dollar Tree announced in 2021 it was changing its price model to include items up to $5. At the time, the company said it was being done to allow it to provide additional products.

Chesapeake, Virginia-based Dollar Tree operates 15,865 stores across 48 states, including more than two dozen in central Pennsylvania.

More:

Heres when a Five Below store in Dauphin County will open

Dollar General store in Dauphin County closes for remodeling
What was thought to be a way to equalize the tuition rate for students at Millersville University by charging them on a per-credit basis has turned out to drive some students away.

Next year, the Lancaster County-based university will go back to a flat rate where undergraduate in-state students will pay the same regardless of whether they take 12 credits or up to 18 credits.

The State System of Higher Educations governing board at a special meeting on Friday unanimously approved the universitys request to return to the standard flat rate tuition model used by eight other of its sister universities in the system.

Millersville switched to this controversial per-credit model in the fall of 2014 as part of a tuition experiment that as encouraged by its former chancellor Frank Brogan.

The idea behind this model that was copied or considered being copied by several other system universities is it would attract more students and avoid students taking 12 credits from subsidizing the education of those taking 18 credits.

But this model led to Pennsylvania students who wanted to graduate in four years by taking 15 credits a semester paying $9,570 a semester whereas students who attended a system university charging the flat rate paid $7,716 per year.

As a result, Millersville officials report they saw a decline in enrollment and its market share of full-time in-state students dropped. They also saw lower numbers of students it accepted choosing to enroll, lower credit-taking patterns amongst its students, and fewer lower-income and minority students enrolling and graduating.

This move will help our students and their families struggling with the rising cost of living, said Millersville University President Daniel Wubah in a statement. Going back to a flat rate tuition model will allow our students to take 15 credits per semester at the cost of 12. By taking 15 credits every semester, students can graduate in 4 years. This move will make us more competitive to recruit new students and retain current students.

The university plans to increase the amount of financial aid it makes available for its students made possible by its Imagine the Possible campaign that raised over $110 million, allowing for 230 new scholarships worth $2 million combined to be awarded annually.

Id like to do whatever we can to reduce costs for Millersville University students and their families, said Douglas Zander, who is new to the role of associate vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions. The move to a flat rate tuition will help make us more competitive in the challenging Pennsylvania market.

Last year, Indiana University of Pennsylvania reverted back to the flat-rate model after seeing its enrollment dip.

At this point, Shippensburg University is the only one among the 10 system schools that still operates a per-credit tuition model.

Shippensburgs spokeswoman Megan Silverstrim said the university continues to be committed to student affordability. Within the last year, Ship conducted a comprehensive tuition pricing flexibility analysis and continues to assess the ability to reduce costs while navigating potential impacts to the institutions comprehensive sustainability plan. We put our students at the center of our mission as a public university and will continue our efforts to address affordability in the coming year.

Other universities in the State System include Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Slippery Rock and West Chester as well as Commonwealth University, comprising Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield campuses and Pennsylvania Western University comprising California, Clarion and Edinboro campuses.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @JanMurphy.

Read more on PennLive:

Penn State poised to ask state for millions more next year while awaiting current funding

Pa. Senates call for two-year tuition freeze at state universities sets off alarm bells
While Penn State trustees are pinning their hopes on a break in the deadlock that has held up the release of this years state funding for the university, they are looking ahead to next year and asking for more money.

The trustees on Friday voted to approve an appropriation request that would bring $368.1 million in state support for the universitys 2024-25 operating budget, as had been recommended by a board committee on Thursday.

That represents a 42%, or $108.8 million, increase over the $259.3 million it expects to receive this year.

That is the lions share of the requested state funding that Penn State has relied on for decades to support its university operations and various entities including Pennsylvania College of Technology, Penn State Health and College of Medicine, Penn State Agricultural Research and extension services.

In total, the university is requesting a record high $434.4 million next year from the state to support all of its entities, according to data on the university budget office website. That represents a 33% increase over the $363.3 million it anticipates receiving this year to help fund them.

Sara Thorndike, senior vice president for finance and business, said the basis for the state funding request for the universitys operating budget is to bring its $5,757 in-state per-student funding up to the same level as the $8,754 per student that Pennsylvanias State System of Higher Education receives.

The additional money for the university would be directed to support investments in the priority areas to support the needs of the commonwealth including healthcare, education and STEM fields; facilities upkeep; a 3% merit increase for faculty and staff, and student aid and success, she said.

Trustees made no public comment about the deadlock in the state House of Representatives that has caused the state funding delay.

The holdup centers around dozens of House Republican members desire to see tuition rates frozen and more transparency about how the university spends the state dollars it receives. A bill that would have provided funding to Penn State as well as Pitt, Temple and Lincoln universities fell six votes shy of the required two-thirds majority needed to pass the 203-member House in July.

Some GOP lawmakers took an even stronger stance and called for cutting off institutional funding to Penn State and instead giving the money directly to students.

Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the university has been in regular communication with the House Republicans but declined to share details about those conversations, saying it would be inappropriate.

Attempts to get a comment from House Republicans were not immediately successful.

Penn State trustees in July approved a two-year freeze on in-state tuition for students attending its branch campuses while approving a 2% increase for in-state students at its University Park campus this year and again next year.

That increase for University Park students brings this years two-semester tuition charge for a Pennsylvania freshman to $19,672. Tuition for many juniors and seniors at that campus ranges from $21,222 to $25,234, depending on their majors.

The trustees approved the appropriations request without any opposition although Education Secretary Khalid Mumin abstained.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @JanMurphy.

Read more on PennLive:

Millersville University returns to charging a flat tuition rate rather than by the credit

Pa. university among top 10 toughest to get into: report
A rogue alligator that forced a park in Middlesex Borough, N.J., to close for more than two weeks has been captured alive and is headed to a new life through a Cape May County Zoo relocation program.

Police responded to a call just after 10 p.m. Thursday from a concerned citizen who spotted the 4-foot alligator near Second Avenue in the Possumtown neighborhood in Piscataway, said Gene Wilk, spokesman for Piscataway Police Department.

Many officers from the afternoon and night squads responded and the alligator was subdued and restrained by Patrol Officer Ian Paglia until the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections Fish & Wildlife Division took custody of it, Wilk said in a press release.

The capture comes after officials initially said they may have killed the reptile. Prior to Thursday night, there had been no confirmed sightings of the alligator in or near Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex Borough since Aug. 26, when an officer fired a single nighttime shot at the reptile in the Ambrose Brook.

Officials believe the rogue alligator was living in the suburban waterways near the Piscataway-Middlesex Borough border since at least last month. It is unclear how it came to the area or if it was a pet that someone released. Alligators are not native to New Jersey.

The presence of this alligator in our waterways posed a threat to the public safety of our community, which is our paramount mission as a police department, said Middlesex Borough Chief Matthew P. Geist.

The alligator has been relocated temporarily to Cape May County Zoo and will head to a sanctuary in Florida this fall. (Photo courtesy of Cape May County Zoo)

The Piscataway alligator, which arrived at the Cape May County Zoo early Friday afternoon, is not expected to be put on display, said general curator and supervising animal keeper Kevin Wilson.

Instead, it will be part of the zoos alligator relocation program and kept in a separate isolated area outside of the reptile house. Alligators in the relocation program are usually kept at the zoo until the fall, when Wilson drives them to Croc Encounters, a wildlife sanctuary in Tampa, Florida.

Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex Borough, where the alligator was spotted, has been reopened to the public, officials said. But, fishing and swimming are not still permitted.

Staff Writer Rob Jennings contributed to this report. Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.

More:

Return of the reptiles: Another alligator has been spotted in this western Pa. river

Pet alligator named Fluffy was in deplorable state when found by landscapers: reports
Celebrities are everywhere these days, with social media and the 24-hour news cycle circulating names that get repeated over and over again even if the everyman could really care less.

Despite that, everyone has that one name theyre unfamiliar with, and a new study has found those top who is searches in each state, Pennsylvania included.

Casino.org  which touts themselves as the worlds #1 guide to online casinos and gambling thats been around since 1995  conducted and published a study which analyzed related Google Search trends to the keywords who is across the United States. Results  which were set to a parameter of the last 90 days  were then divided by location.

Pennsylvanians appear to be typing in Who is the richest person in the world? the most, the top query in six other states: Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri.

But what was the number one who is people were typing across the nation, you may ask? That would be Who is Grimace? as in, the gigantic purple whatever-he-is mascot of McDonalds.

When McDonalds released the Grimace Birthday Meal on June 12, over half (56.8%) of Americans were intrigued by the mighty, purple mascots purpose and origin story, the study elaborates. For those wondering, the Grimace Birthday Meal consists of a Big Mac, medium fries, and a medium Grimace Birthday Shake  a berry-flavored purple milkshake.

There were some outlier states, like there always are, such as Montana, who was the only one to ask Who is Kim K dating? above anything else.
Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov received a delegation led by First Vice-President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Jurgen Rigterink, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry.

The multilateral energy cooperation with the Bank in the field of energy was highly appreciated at the meeting. The sides discussed the possibilities of expanding the Azerbaijan-EBRD cooperation, as well as the projects implemented with the Bank's financial support. In this regard, information was given on the progress of the processes related to holding renewable energy auctions within the EBRD support projects and the preparation of the draft law on the regulator in the field of energy and utilities. The approval of the regulation "Selection of an electricity producer in the territory of renewable energy sources" was highlighted as one of the important advances. The studies conducted to strengthen the electric power network in connection with the implementation of renewable energy capacities in Azerbaijan were also discussed. There was an extensive exchange of views with the bank on cooperation in this direction.

The sides reviewed the current status of the implementation of the 240 MW Khizi-Absheron Wind Power Plant and the Caspian Sea-European Union Green Energy Corridor projects. It was noted that the European Commission supports the Green Energy Corridor, and the European financial institutions are interested in participating in the project. During the conversation, the sides also discussed the prospects for cooperation with the EBRD in the Southern Gas Corridor expansion project, as well as other issues arising from the Memorandum of Understanding on technical support for the development of the electirical engineering sector in the Republic of Azerbaijan signed in December last year.
Australias Smart50 Awards program, which honors growth, innovation, and resilience among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), is making a return.

Entries are now open to Australian businesses with a minimum annual revenue of $500,000 that have operated for at least three years.

As the Smart50 Awards mark their 15th year, the focus in 2023 remains on recognising businesses that have played a pivotal role in shaping the Australian business landscape. SmartCompany has unveiled that the previous years Smart50 winners collectively generated $690,552,293 in revenue, employed 2,430 Australians, and remarkably created 1,000 new jobs during the fiscal year 2021/22.

To further celebrate Australias business champions, a new accolade, the Smart and Lasting award, will be presented to a Smart50 finalist who has consistently secured a spot on the list in recent years, embodying qualities of resilience, community, and innovation.

Past Smart50 winners have attested to the substantial impact of these awards on their growth. Athan Didaskalou, co-founder of July and a winner at The Smart50 Awards 2022, emphasized how the recognition generated positive press and enduring connections.

SmartCompanys special features editor, Ben Ice, highlighted the awards legacy, spanning 15 years, in uncovering Australias most resilient and innovative business talents. He remarked that the Smart50 alumni list reads like a whos who of iconic Australian brands and groundbreaking disruptors.

Businesses keen to participate in the Smart50 can take advantage of a discounted early-bird entry fee of $150 AUD + GST, available until September 1, 2023. Afterward, the full price of $200 + GST will apply, with the deadline for entries closing on 15 September, 2023.

The much-anticipated Smart50 and category award winners will be announced during an event in Melbourne on the evening of November 16, 2023.

Entries for the 2023 Smart50 Awards are now open. Nominate your business here.
By AUDREY McAVOY and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, The Associated Press

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP)  Richie Olsten has been in Mauis helicopter tour business for a half century, so long hes developed a barometer for the tourism-dependent economy: rental cars parked at the islands airport.

There are so many since wildfires killed at least 115 people in the historic town of Lahaina that Olsten is worried about a full-blown economic catastrophe. Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers, and unemployment is surging.

State tourism officials, after initially urging travelers to stay away, are now asking them to come back, avoid the burn zone and help Maui recover by spending their money. Airlines have started offering steep discounts, while some resorts have slashed room rates by 20% or are offering a fifth night free.

Unused rental cars are parked in an overflow lot at Kahului Airport in Kahului, Hawaii, on Aug, 14. 2023. (George F. Lee/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)AP

I know what a terrible disaster that was. But now were in crisis mode, Olsten said. If we cant keep the people that have jobs employed, how are they going to help family members and friends that lost everything?

The number of visitors arriving on Maui sank about 70% after the Aug. 8 fire, down to 2,000 a day.

Olstens Air Maui Helicopters now operates one or two flights a day, compared with 25 to 30 before the fires.

As Air Mauis director of operations, Olsten said his company has laid off seven of its 12 dispatchers. Pilots have been spared because they only get paid when they work. Typically, they fly eight times a day, four to five days a week. That has fallen to one day a week, and only one or two flights.

Many Maui hotels are housing federal aid workers and Lahaina residents who lost their homes. Even so, only half of available hotel rooms are occupied, said Mufi Hannemann, president of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association.

Even those in South Maui, 30 miles south of Lahaina, are half empty. Hannemann called the situation pretty grim.

One of Mauis most venerable restaurants, Haliimaile General Store, laid off about 30 workers and temporarily closed after business shrank to one-tenth of pre-fire levels.

It just fell off a cliff, said Graeme Swain, who owns the place with his wife, Mara.

Food trucks which mostly cater to tourists from hotels in the area remain closed several weeks after wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Kahana, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)AP

Mass layoffs are showing up in government data. Nearly 8,000 people filed for unemployment on Maui during the last three weeks of August compared with 295 during the same period in 2022.

University of Hawaii economists expect Mauis jobless rate to climb as high as 10%. It peaked at 35% during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in July was just 2.5%. And this time, there are no pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans for businesses, nor any enhanced unemployment checks for the jobless.

Mauis not closed, Mayor Richard Bissen said in a recent interview.

People shouldnt go to Lahaina or the surrounding West Maui area  Its not a place to stare, Bissen said  but the rest of Maui needs tourists. Respect the West, visit the rest, is the motto some have adopted.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority drafted and publicized a map showing Lahaina and West Maui in relation to the rest of the island, highlighting just how much was still open. The authority is also launching a $2.6 million marketing plan to lure tourists back.

More: In Maui fires, many had no warning and no way out. Those who dodged barricades survived
In a scathing new report, the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday found that New Jersey systematically violated the rights of residents of the Veterans Memorial Homes at Menlo Park and Paramus, the troubled state-run nursing facilities that care for veterans and their families.

The federal investigation, launched in October 2020 as COVID-19 was spreading through many of the nations long-term care facilities, found that the state failed to implement adequate infection control protocols, provide adequate clinical care and provide oversight of the facilities in a manner that keeps the residents of the Veterans Homes safe from harm.

During the first wave of the pandemic, the two homes had the some of the highest number of publicly reported resident COVID-19 deaths of all long-term care facilities in New Jersey. Overall, COVID claimed the lives of more than 200 residents and staff in all Menlo Park, Paramus and a third facility in Vineland. Federal officials said the actual number of COVID-related deaths was likely much higher.

A 43-page report issued by the Justice Department noted that the pandemic devastated the facilities in Paramus and Menlo Park in Edison.

One worker described the situation (during the height of the pandemic) in Paramus as pure hell, the report noted. Another described Menlo Park as a battlefield.

Even by the standards of the pandemics difficult early days, it said the two facilities were unprepared to keep their residents safe.

Those problems continued even as the impact of the pandemic was winding down. Last year, inspectors concluded that residents at Menlo Park had been placed in immediate jeopardy over serious shortcomings in care  citing the nursing home for major medical mistakes, abuse of a resident who had not received medication, and improper infection controls to stop a new COVID outbreak.

Problems with management, accountability and staff skill levels persist to this day, according to the report.

The facilities inability to communicate and implement crucial clinical care policiesand the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs failure to ensure that this happensharms residents and places them at risk of harm, the report said.

The new findings, sent to Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday by U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger, found reasonable cause to believe that conditions at the veterans homes violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the civil rights of residents there.

Attorney Paul M. da Costa of Roseland, who represented many families whose loved ones died at Paramus and Menlo Park and received nearly $70 million state settlement, agreed the veterans homes should no longer be under the supervision of the current department.

Some massive change needs to happen on the most expeditious timeline possible to make sure these residents are no longer at risk and get not just adequate care, but the best care, da Costa said. It is inexcusable to have these veterans, who gave so much to their country, to be in a situation where this investigation finds that the homes continue to be unable to implement the most basic of infection control practices and cannot provide adequate medical care. The leadership and oversight are not competent.

The attorney said he represents 42 employees in a pending case against the state for mishandling the pandemic response and putting their lives at risk. With this report in hand verifying what his clients have told him, da Costa said he will be speaking with other families who lost loved ones.

I think that these veterans and their families deserve so much better, he said.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio
An arrest has been made in the death of Baby Mary nearly 40 years after the infant was found in a Morris County, New Jersey, park on Christmas Eve.

Officials announced that the babys mother was arrested in South Carolina on April 24, more than 38 years after she left her daughter to die in a secluded park in Mendham Township, officials with the Morris County prosecutors office said.

The woman, who was 17 at the time, has been charged with manslaughter, which would be a second-degree crime if committed by an adult, Prosecutor Robert Carroll said at a press conference Thursday morning. Her identity is not being released because she is being charged as a minor, Carroll said.

She is not in custody, but is being monitored, Carroll said. She faces up to three years in jail if found guilty.

The death and abandonment of this baby girl is a tragic loss, and even after 40 years remains just as heartbreaking, Carroll said.

The babys father also was identified, Carroll said. The man, who was 19 at the time, was unaware the baby was born and was not involved in her death. He died in 2009.

A possible motive or reason for abandoning the baby was not provided.

Baby Mary was found by two boys next to a stream near Mount Pleasant Road on Christmas Eve in 1984, Carroll said. Her umbilical cord was still attached, and she was wrapped inside a towel inside of a plastic bag, Carroll said.

She was still alive when she was abandoned, Carroll said.

Information about the mother was limited. The babys parents both lived in Morris County, and the mother was attending school in 1984, Carroll said.

A breakthrough in the case came several years ago when a DNA match between Baby Mary and the father was made, Carroll said. He declined to say if any genealogy websites were used in solving the case.

Investigators hunted down hundreds, if not thousands of leads to identify the mother, Carroll said. Law enforcement agencies at the local and state level in New Jersey, the FBI, and several agencies from Florida and South Carolina were involved in the investigation in recent years.

But despite advancements in DNA testing, officials were quick to stress the reliance on old-fashioned police work that lead to the arrest.

Dubbed Baby Mary by the Rev. Michael Drury, Mendham Townships police chaplain, the investigation stalled after five years, and the case was closed without being solved. She was buried in the cemetery at St. Josephs Church in Mendham.

But Father Mike, as he is known, never gave up his efforts to keep Baby Mary at the front of peoples minds. Every Christmas Eve, he held a graveside service to honor the baby and pray for her.

Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson thanked Drury for his involvement in the case, and for bringing the community together in supporting Baby Mary.

The efforts of all involved paid off, eventually bringing justice for this infant who never had a chance to fight for herself, Johnson said.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch.
BOISE, Idaho  For the second time, the University of Idaho is delaying the destruction of the Moscow home where four students were slain in November, now deciding to do so indefinitely after the trial of murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was recently postponed to an unspecified date.

University leaders met Thursday and chose again to wait on tearing down the off-campus property on King Road in October under their previous plan. The school, which took ownership of the six-bedroom home earlier this year, initially planned to demolish the most visible reminder of the students deaths before the start of the fall semester last month.

The U of I has not set a new demolition date but committed to hold off until at least mid-December, after the semester ends, university spokesperson Jodi Walker told The Idaho Statesman on Thursday. No plans have been made for what will come of the property once the home is gone, she said.

The King Road house will not come down this semester, Walker said in a phone interview. We will be moving forward, continuing to prepare for that eventual end.

The university is trying to balance whats right for students, continues to focus on their education, and do right by the memories of the students that were lost, she added.

The four victims were U of I seniors Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21; and junior Xana Kernodle and freshman Ethan Chapin, both 20. The three women rented the King Road home with two housemates who went unharmed in the attack. Chapin was Kernodles boyfriend and stayed over for the night.

Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing the four students with a large, fixed-blade knife on Nov. 13. He faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Prosecutors announced they plan to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.

The university ran into pushback from some of the victims families after it announced its plan to raze the home in August. Three of the families questioned destroying it  and any possible remaining evidence with it  ahead of Kohbergers then-October trial date, Shanon Gray, attorney for the Goncalves family, told the Statesman at the time.

The university changed course and agreed to wait to pull down the property until October. But Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial late last month, delaying his capital murder trial indefinitely, and raising questions about the homes demolition timeline yet again.

I think all of the families assumed that the King Road address would not be demolished until the trials over, Gray told the Statesman by email after Kohbergers trial was delayed.

A private security officer sits in a vehicle, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in front of the house in Moscow, Idaho where four University of Idaho students were killed in November, 2022. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

The university, however, was noncommittal Thursday about waiting until after Kohbergers future trial date, which has yet to be set. The court previously cleared the home for destruction, and the prosecution and Kohbergers defense have raised no issues with that plan, Walker said.

I think anythings possible, she said. We certainly want to do what is best for our students, the university and keeping in mind the families as well. Its a huge decision and a huge moment in their lives.

The university will provide advance notice of two weeks before the home is destroyed once it is scheduled, Walker said.

Gray did not immediately respond to a Statesman request for additional comment Thursday afternoon.

Kevin Fixler of the Idaho Statesman wrote this story.

2023 Idaho Statesman. Visit at idahostatesman.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A former Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver who was sitting in his car turned himself in Friday morning and will face murder charges in the fatal shooting.

Former Officer Mark Dial surrendered on a criminal warrant and was scheduled to be arraigned later Friday. The district attorney said the charges against Dial include murder, official oppression and other counts. His attorney said the shooting was justified.

The district attorneys office also released police bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry. It showed Dial firing his weapon through the drivers side window of Irizarrys sedan during a vehicle stop on Aug. 14. Dial shot Irizarry about seven seconds after getting out of a police SUV and striding over to Irizarrys car, according to the video. Six shots were fired.

The videos, pulled from Dials body-worn camera and the camera of a second officer on the scene, are crucial evidence in the case and in many ways they speak for themselves, District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference.

Dials attorney, Fortunato N. Perri Jr., said a vigorous defense was planned.

Despite what has been portrayed to the media, the facts will unmistakably show that Officer Mark Dial was legally justified in discharging his weapon while fearing for his life, Perri said in an email to The Associated Press.

FILE - Philly Boricuas, a local Puerto Rican community and activism group, rallies in support of Eddie Irzarry in Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (Charles Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)AP

Authorities have said Dial shot Irizarry as he sat in his car after officers spotted the car driving erratically around noon Aug. 14 and followed it for several blocks. Then, officers approached as the driver turned the wrong way down a one-way street and stopped.

The department backtracked after initially claiming the officers made a traffic stop and shot a person outside the vehicle after he lunged at police with a knife. Outgoing Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said a review of the officers body-worn cameras made it very clear that what we initially reported was not actually what happened.

Dial, who has been on the force for five years, was suspended with intent to dismiss after officials said he refused to cooperate in the investigation of the killing.
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board on Wednesday filed charges against Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight and asked that she once again be suspended.

The board complaint alleges that McKnight on multiple occasions violated the Rules Governing Standards of Conduct of Magisterial District Judges and the state constitution.

She was previously suspended in 2021, from Feb. 9 through Aug. 18.

The allegations included failing to recuse herself in cases when she should have; not showing up for night court duties earlier this year, which forced other judges to cover for her; and soliciting for a product on her Facebook page that identified her as a judge. The board also accused McKnight of telling her office manager not to file or docket a civil complaint that had been received at her office against her by a former employee who said she did not repay a personal loan of more than $2,000. McKnight told the office manager to act like the complaint was never received, according to the boards complaint.

You can view the full complaint at this link.

McKnight will have a chance to defend herself, according to the complaint, during a trial. If the court determines that any of the charges have been proven by clear and convincing evidence, it will schedule a hearing to determine whether any sanctions should be imposed. Those could include censure, suspension, fine or removal from office.

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A group of state lawmakers announced plans Friday to introduce bills they say would improve safety and security in county jails in the wake of a daring escape in Chester County by a man convicted of murder.

The package of five bills planned by Republican lawmakers would increase funding for infrastructure enhancements, change hiring rules, add new consequences for people who attempt to escape from jail and create a statewide alert system for when someone does escape.

A bill expected from Rep. Craig Williams, of Chester and Delaware counties, would provide increased state funding to bolster infrastructure at dozens of county-run jails in Pennsylvania.

Williamss bill is expected to include funding for increased security measures as well as other infrastructure improvements like air conditioning and heating.

Jails locally and across the country which do not provide adequate cooling in cells have faced significant issues, including heat related deaths, this summer.

In Dauphin County, 45-year-old Jamal Crummel died in his cell in January 2022 after developing hypothermia twice in the aging jail. The county later announced it would spend $500,000 to provide ventilation directly to cells on multiple blocks.

Pennsylvanians deserve to know that our county jails are safe and secure, and we must do more to improve working conditions for our county corrections officers to enhance recruitment and fill staffing shortages, wrote Williams, whose district includes Chester County where Danelo Cavalcante  a man who had recently been convicted of murder and was awaiting transfer to state prison  escaped from jail by scaling a wall.

The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday reported that the guard on duty, a 20-year-veteran, was fired from. Chester County after the escape.

Locally, Rep. Sheryl Delozier, of Cumberland County, plans to introduce a bill that would allow counties to hire off-duty corrections officers from other counties, as well as the Department of Corrections.

Delozier said the bill is meant to help deal with significant staff shortages that jails across the country are facing.

Dauphin County is currently short roughly 20 percent of its corrections officers, leading to millions in overtime costs and extended lockdowns confined in their cells for incarcerated people.

A persistent problem facing county jail facilities is the lack of trained staff to undertake the important public safety function of keeping inmates at county jail facilities in custody, Delozier wrote.

Other bills in the package include a bill from Rep. Kathy Rapp, of Warrant and Forrest counties, which would bar parole for people who attempt to escape from jail, a bill from Rep. John Lawrence, from Chester County, that provides the Department of Corrections with the ability to conduct investigations into escapes from county jails and a bill from Rep. Mike Stender, of Northumberland and Montour counties, that would create a public alert system activated when someone escpaes from incarceration.

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A longtime Dauphin County political activist has filed a federal lawsuit to try and keep former President Donald Trump off the Republican primary ballot next year in Pennsylvania.

Gene Stilp, a Middle Paxton Township Democrat, filed his suit against Trump in Harrisburg on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District.

Stilps argument is based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone from holding office who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, but also says that Congress may vote by a two-thirds majority in each chamber to do so.

It gave me great pleasure (Thursday) to put my filing in an envelope, address it to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and send it off, Stilp said Friday. Actually suing Donald Trump gave me great pleasure.

Chatter about using the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off state ballots has increased in recent weeks after two conservative law professors concluded that Trumps actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol amounted to insurrection, according to a New York Times story on Wednesday reporting on a similar lawsuit filed in Colorado state court.

The Times also reported that Free Speech for People, a liberal group, asked the secretaries of state in Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin to keep Trump off their ballots, and that an obscure Republican presidential candidate has filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire to ban Trump.

PennLive contacted the Trump campaign, but did not receive a response.

Stilp said that he expects more cases like his will be filed and that eventually they will be combined into one case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 advantage.

The evidence against Trump, who faces four criminal indictments, is solid, Stilp said, particularly Special Counsel Jack Smiths case against the former president for taking and mishandling classified documents from the White House.

Trump also watched on Jan. 6 as a mob of his supporters, who had attended a rally he had addressed earlier, stormed the Capitol and assaulted officers, Stilp said.

Once you light the fuse, you cant control the outcome and when he could control the outcome, he didnt, said Stilp.

Stilp suggested that those doubting the merits of his lawsuit read Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

People who are skeptical should take a wait-and-see attitude, he said.
By Patrick McDonnell

Our legislators are leaving a significant amount of money on the table, and thus, a way to address current and future needs of Pennsylvanians.

Pennsylvanias rocky journey to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) still holds the promise of a cleaner and greener future, and with it  a consistent revenue stream to sustain it.

The initiative, which was meant to place a price on carbon emissions from power plants in the state, helped the 11 states currently participating reduce carbon emissions 10 percent more than the rest of the country while growing their economies 13 percent more and reducing energy bills by 3 percent (compared to over 7 percent increases in the other states).

But for Pennsylvania, this promise remains unfulfilled. Nearly two years of legal challenges and court delays have stalled the implementation of the regulation, resulting in an alarming setback: a lost opportunity of $1 billion in proceeds.

Opponents of RGGI argue that Pennsylvanians are saving on their electricity bills by not joining. Yet, this argument presents a short-sighted perspective. The collected funds from RGGI will be reinvested into energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This, in turn, would reduce our overall energy consumption, cutting down costs in the long run. The direct correlation between such investments and savings on electric bills cannot be understated.

The money from RGGI isnt about penalizing Pennsylvanians but investing in their future.

Moreover, the cleaner energy projects powered by the $1 billion would have directly translated to new job opportunities. Like Texas, Pennsylvania can be at the forefront of a green employment revolution, reaping the dual benefits of economic growth and environmental preservation. Instead, with each passing day of inaction, were ceding ground to other states that are aggressively pursuing a sustainable future.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, since taking office, made efforts to address the impasse by forming a working group of environmentalists, labor leaders, and industry representatives. While the intent behind this move is commendable, the lack of transparency is concerning. How RGGI will be implemented is a decision that will shape the states energy future for decades, and the public deserves to be in the loop. Pennsylvanias residents have a right to know the membership of this working group and the proceedings and discussions held therein.

As RGGIs future remains in the courts, its essential to note the pressing environmental challenges that remain unaddressed. Communities, especially those burdened by environmental injustices, face worsening air quality, impacting the health and well-being of their residents. These communities look to RGGI not just as an economic opportunity but as a beacon of hope for a healthier environment.

The delay in joining RGGI has come at a significant cost for Pennsylvania, both environmentally and economically. The lost $1 billion isnt just about missed revenue but a missed chance at a healthier environment, a boost in green employment, and the acceleration of our states transition to a more sustainable future.

As we move forward, its crucial for the leadership to prioritize transparency, listen to the concerns of its residents, and act swiftly. The clock is ticking, and with each passing day, were losing ground in the battle against climate change and air pollution. Its time for Pennsylvania to reclaim its lost opportunity and lead by example.

Patrick McDonnell is President & CEO of PennFuture.
WASHINGTON  A federal appeals court in Washington on Tuesday partially reversed a lower court judges decision giving the Justice Department access to the phone seized from Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., in a government search last year.

But the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia didnt provide any detail about its reasoning in a case that has largely proceeded out of the public eye. The order only noted that it partially reversed a lower court judge and sent the case back.

The notice on the court docket said only that the district court judge should apply the correct standard to Perrys communications with individuals outside the federal government, members of Congress and of the executive branch regarding alleged election fraud from the time before Congress voted to certify the 2020 election result and its March vote on an elections bill backed by Democrats.

The order from the three-judge panel followed months of legal wrangling after Perry disputed the search of his cell phone by federal agents. The case revolves around the Constitutions protections for speech or debate by members of Congress that are meant to provide lawmakers with immunity from criminal or civil liability for doing their jobs.

John Rowley, Perrys attorney, told the appellate judges at oral arguments in February that District Judge Beryl Howell overstepped her bounds by giving the DOJ access to Perrys phone. Rowley said the phone included messages about the joint session to certify Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021, and a Democratic-backed election bill that the government shouldnt have access to because they go to the core of Perrys work as a legislator.

The government argued that extending the speech or debate protection too broadly could give members of Congress broad immunity to almost any kind of investigation.

Howells ruling came in December and Perry appealed. The reasons for the DOJ search and seizure remain unclear. During oral arguments, the parties said the phone was seized subject to a grand jury subpoena.

Judge Neomi Rao, appointed by President Donald Trump and one of three appellate judges on the case, said at the time that the judges would have to draw a tricky line over how far to extend the protections for individual members of Congress.

Much of the case remains under seal, including the opinion underlying the order issued Tuesday. The order is one of the few public documents in the case. The same order otherwise affirmed Howells ruling.

The appellate panel also entered an order in the case directing Perry and the government to submit briefs next week over whether to unseal the entire opinion.

The order noted that the 29-page opinion was written by Rao with a six-page concurring opinion by Judge Gregory G. Katsas, who was also appointed by Trump. The third judge on the panel, Karen L. Henderson, was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush.

Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional speaks at PA Leadership Conference on Saturday Morning. Jimmie Brown. | jbrown@pennlive.com. | April 1, 2023.

A representative for Perry could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

FBI agents seized the phone last August while he was on vacation with his family, Perry said. He accused the DOJ of a partisan attack and invoked the search of former President Trumps private club, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, that occurred a few days later.

Perry filed a civil lawsuit last year seeking an order barring the Justice Department from searching his seized phone but dropped the suit in October. The case covered by Tuesdays order proceeded separately.

Michael Macagnone of CQ-Roll Call wrote this story.

2023 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. Visit at rollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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A saola seen in Thua Thien-Hue Province in central Vietnam in around 1998. Photo courtesy of WWF-Vietnam

Authorities of the central province of Quang Binh are embarking on activities to save saola, one of the rarest and most threatened mammals on the planet, from the brink of extinction.

The activities are part of a project on sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation in Quang Binh.

The saola, scientifically known as Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, inhabits the Truong Son mountain range in Vietnam and Laos.

Found by scientists in 1992, saola is critically endangered and is listed in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Red Data Book of Vietnam.

The project will provide urgent and direct support to identify and mitigate threats to the species within priority areas in the central Truong Son region while raising public awareness to increase the ability to detect the presence of saola within its habitat range.

The saola population has been very small since its discovery. The species is distributed thinly, scattered, and mainly inhabits the upstream rocky areas at an altitude of over 200 to 600 meters. It is also impossible to determine how many individuals are left. Conservation of the typically shy, deer-like species is extremely difficult.
By Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Americans think New York is more dangerous than New Orleans, even though the Crescent Citys homicide rate is 12 times higher this year.

Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents rank Washington, D.C., as one of the countrys safer big cities, above cities like Miami, where the homicide rate is much lower. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents see Seattle as ominously dangerous, even though Houston has twice the homicide rate this year.

Americans are worried about crime ahead of the 2024 elections, but few have an accurate sense of the problem, according to a Los Angeles Times review of crime data and a recent Gallup poll that asked adults to judge whether 16 major cities are safe places to live or visit.

Los Angeles, which has the fifth lowest homicide rate this year among the 16 cities in the survey, was ranked as the third most dangerous. Forty-one percent of Americans described L.A. as a safe place to live or visit, the highest number Gallup has ever recorded for the city.

L.A.s results showed that partisanship plays a huge role in Americans perceptions of crime and safety. Sixty-four percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents ranked L.A. safe, while only 21% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents gave it the all-clear, the biggest gap in the poll. The gap between the two coalitions assessments of cities in the survey was 29 points on average. Thats new: Political affiliation barely affected the results in 2006, the last time Gallup asked Americans about big-city safety.

People are bad at perceiving crime rates, said Jeff Asher, a crime data analyst and consultant who runs a widely used website. Theyre not good judges of what is or what is not safe in another city.

Assessing cities safety is tricky. Homicide rates spiked across the country during the pandemic and have since fallen, but are still likely to be higher this year than they were in 2019. Auto theft is surging nationally, but some cities are experiencing a small decline. And rates for almost all types of crime have fallen since the early 1990s.

Voters opinions probably are being informed by partisanship, media portrayals  including an increase in neighborhood websites and email listservs  and factors such as public homelessness, drug use, shoplifting and other signs of disorder, policy and political experts said.

Asher called the Gallup survey the bane of my existence. The results made so little sense to him that he abandoned a column he tried to write on the subject. Although he tracks crime closely, he says it is nearly impossible to fully characterize national trends on safety in real time, in part because FBI data on violent crime can lag years behind and because it is difficult to define which offenses detract most from community security.

Cities such as Miami and Dallas that are in states with Republican governors appeared to get a boost in their reputations for safety compared with their record, while Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, which are in states with Democratic governors, took a hit, according to Anna Harvey, a political scientist and founder and director of the Public Safety Lab at New York University.

Republicans have painted Democratic-run cities as dens of crime and disorder since at least the 1960s. Candidates at the Republican presidential primary debate last month talked over one another to decry hollowed-out cities, a national identity crisis and Democrats who have been talking about defunding the police for the last five years.

GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has tried to channel that energy in his presidential run, claiming in a recent video he posted from San Francisco that he saw people defecating and using crack cocaine and other drugs on the street, and warning of a collapse resulting from leftist policies. Fox News has reinforced those impressions with frequent segments on homelessness and drugs in big cities on the West Coast.

The political rhetoric is public nuisance crimes, Harvey said. That may not be correlated with where the most serious violent crime is happening.

Yet voters do have cause for concern, she and others say. Experts do not yet know whether homicide rates will continue to fall. Localized problems, including carjackings in New Orleans, rattle entire communities. Violent crimes, which appear to be falling, are still more common than they were in 2019, before the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the resulting protests, according to a July study by the Council on Criminal Justice.

Harvey said Democrats should come out swinging in places where homicide and other violent crimes have subsided, such as Boston, L.A., Seattle and San Francisco, and be more vocal that crime in Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia represents a serious policy problem that needs serious policies.

Just ignoring it or trying to change the subject is not going to be an effective tactic, she said.

Democrats acknowledge that the publics worries about crime are likely to hurt them more than they hurt the GOP, given that Democrats control the White House and most big-city governments. Only 35% of people in an NPR/Marist survey conducted in March said President Biden was doing a good job handling crime, a lower mark than his already low approval rating. He earned similarly poor marks from people of color and those under 45, voters he needs to motivate if he wants to win reelection.

What youve got to do is say, Hey, I know its a serious issue and heres what Ive done, said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster who has worked for Biden, pointing to a mayors work in hiring and recruiting police and taking guns off the street as examples.

Republicans are not about to let up. Whit Ayres, a veteran Republican pollster, pointed to an effort by residents in the higher-income Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta earlier this year to secede from the city, which he said was driven by fear of crime.

Georgia has become a crucial swing state in presidential elections and, in recent elections, for control of the Senate. Ayres argues that that catapults the issue into national importance, and he scoffs at those who say his party is overhyping it.

Tell that to the people who are scared to go shopping at Lenox mall in Buckhead, he said. They are not making that up. And having some economist or political analyst downplay their fear is a good way to whistle past the graveyard for Democratic candidates.
UPDATE: Central Pa. could see a repeat of Thursdays storms with 60 mph winds, hail on Friday

Note: This story has been updated to reflect more current outage numbers.

More than 15,000 people across multiple central Pennsylvania counties were without power after severe thunderstorms and high winds rolled through the area on Thursday evening.

MetEd reported 5,278 people in York County and 1,643 people in Lebanon County with no power.

Thousands of people are without power in York, Lebanon, Dauphin and Lancaster Counties after Thursday's storms.

PPL Energy also reported more than 9,000 people in Dauphin and Lancaster counties, and 2,008 in York County, without power.

A severe thunderstorm watch was in place across most of central Pennsylvania until 9 p.m. Thursday.

Power crews are responding to the various outages across multiple counties, but there are too many outages for all repairs to be made at once.

A large number of the PPL outages say they are expected to be repaired by midnight. MetEd did not provide estimated repair times for a majority of their outages.

As of 9:40 p.m., PPL is reporting 395 outages in York County, 422 in Dauphin County and 2,134 in Lancaster County while MetEd lists 4,457 in York County, 711 in Dauphin County, and 1,691 in Lebanon County.

You can report an outage to PPLor MetEd through their websites.

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FILE - The exterior of the South Carolina Supreme Court building in Columbia, S.C. is shown Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. Justices threw out a deal, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, cutting 16 years off the 35-year sentence of as man convicted of murder, saying a prosecutor and judge shouldn't have allowed the process to happen in secret. (AP Photo/James Pollard, File)
On August 23, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or North Korea, attempted to launch a spy satellite into space. The launch of the carrier rocket violated United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban any launches by North Korea using ballistic technologies.

The DPRKs ballistic missile program, which is part of its continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, poses a threat to international peace, stability, and security.

One of the major obstacles to DPRKs ballistic missile development is lack of funding. Beginning in 2006, after North Korea performed its first nuclear test, a number of countries and international bodies, including the United States, imposed international sanctions against its government. Today, most sanctions imposed on North Korea are tailored to hinder its nuclear weapons program, including the means to finance it.

In the wake of the failed launch on August 23, OFAC, the United States Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, designated Jon Jin Yong, Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov, and Intellekt LLC, pursuant to Executive Order 13687, for their involvement in generating revenue for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas unlawful development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.

Jon Jin Yong, who is based in Russia, was designated for being an official of the Workers Party of Korea, which was sanctioned on March 15, 2016. Jon Jing Yong worked with Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov to coordinate the use of North Korean construction workers in Russia. He also led a team of North Korean information technology workers in Russia and worked with Russian nationals to obtain identification documents to validate his teams accounts on freelance IT work platforms.

Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov assisted Jon Jin Yong in the procurement of items commonly used in the ship-building industry. Kozlov was designated for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Jon Jin Yong.

OFAC designated Intellekt LLC for being owned or controlled by Kozlov.

The U.S. Treasury Department is targeting supporters of the DPRKs Weapons of Mass Destruction and ballistic missile programs, including those who help finance it. The United States will continue to implement and enforce existing sanctions while urging the DPRK to return to a diplomatic path and abandon its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
In his fourth visit to Ukraine since Russias full and unprovoked invasion in February 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new U.S. assistance package totaling more than 1 billion dollars.

The United States is committed to empowering Ukraine to write its own future. In the crucible of President Putins brutal and ongoing war, the United States and Ukraine have forged a partnership that is stronger than ever and growing every day, he said.

The assistance package includes $175 million that will provide significant support for Ukraines air defenses; $100 million in Foreign Military Financing to support longer-term military requirements; and $90.5 million in humanitarian demining assistance.

Ukraine is now the worlds most heavily mined country, he said. Russias weapons of war have killed hundreds of civilians and threatened to put millions at risk for years, even decades to come.

The United States will also provide Ukraine with $300 million for law enforcement efforts in liberated areas; and $203 million for support to institutions bolstering key reform efforts aimed at anti-corruption, the rule of law, and accountability.



In addition, the United States is transferring $5.4 million in forfeited oligarch assets to support Ukrainian military veterans. Those who have enabled Putins war of aggression should pay for it, said Secretary Blinken.

Even as the United States maximizes its support for Ukraine to counter the current Russian aggression, it is also committed to helping Ukraine build a force for the future that can deter and defend against aggression.

Twenty-eight other countries are making similar commitments through the G7 declaration of support for Ukraine, said Secretary Blinken:

They recognize  that Ukraines security is integral to the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic community and indeed, its integral to security around the world because of the principles that are being challenged here, as well as Ukrainian lives and livelihoods. Together, these 29 countries that are committed to supporting Ukraine over the long term will coordinate and share the burden of that long-term support.

To the Ukrainian people Secretary Blinken said, Just as we have stood with you to ensure your nations survival over these past 20 months, so we will stand with you as you determine your future and rebuild a free, a resilient, a thriving Ukraine.
Three Ontario Poker Players Win Bracelets On WSOP.ca, Five More To Go!

September 08, 2023 Jon Pill Contributor

Turnout was consistently high for the three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet events held on WSOP.ca this month.

However, when compared to the record-breaking fields at this year's WSOP, these online events, with their fields of 800-2,000-ish, may well represent some of the best chances for Ontario poker players to earn some WSOP gold.

Not to mention that you can take your shot at home, without having to leave the province.

The final day of each event is spaced out by a week, with plenty of Day 1 flights appearing on WSOP.ca ahead of the last push. So far there are three bracelets already awarded and eight bracelets total.

So, Ontario poker players still have a shot at five other events by signing up to WSOP.ca.

In the first week of the series, Event #1: $300 Gladiators of Poker Ontario Opener saw Mahmut "PokerKeeng" Zor take down the first bracelet, earning $38,304* in the process.

Here's what went down with the other two bracelets.

* All $ amounts are in CAD unless otherwise specified.

Mahmut Zor Makes Back To Back Final Tables

After winning a bracelet in The Opener, Zor wasn't done. By the time his shiny new bracelet slipped onto his wrist, he was already playing Event #2: $210 Mystery Millions.

Zor managed to make the final table of this mystery bounty event, earning himself $2,754 (not including bounties) for his ninth-place finish.

That also gave Zor the rare distinction of making back-to-back WSOP final tables.

With Zor out, the battle to be Ontario's second 2023 WSOP Online braceleter really got underway, eventually going to Hyundong "fishw33d" Kim who took down $27,298 for first and $7,590 in bounties, for $34,888 total.

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WSOP Ontario Online Event #2: $210 Mystery Millions Final Table Results

Position Player Prize (not including bounties 1st Hyundong "fishw33d" Kim $27,298 2nd Steve "SqueezEmOut" Petrusevski $20,474 3rd Steven "TheAccount" Belanger $15,360 4th Benjamin "ThatGuyChief" Underwood $11,525 5th Anirudhan "AndyG" Ganapathy $8,649 6th Jayson "AbuseYou" Ducharme $6,493 7th Steven "mearrrrl" Filipovic $4,876 8th Mitchell "Nylander88" Gleaves $3,663 9th Mahmut "PokerKeeng" Zor $2,754

Justin Ouimette Wins Bracelet For Ontario MILLION$ Mini Main Event

The bracelet for Event #3: $100 Ontario MILLION$ Mini Main Event went to Justin "Justin Ouimette" Ouimiette.

Ouimiette' topped out a field of 2,004 entriesthe biggest of the series so farnetting himself a gold bracelet and the $25,369 first-place prize.

To win the event, Ouimiette had to take on Shahraz "Kyle Gene" Khan in a short heads-up confrontation that ended when Ouimiette picked up the A9 on the button. With blinds at 125,000/250,000 with a 60,000 ante, Ouimette raised to 525,000.

Ouimiette had roughly twice Khan's chip stack of 6,314,249. So when Khan moved in over Ouimette's bet with KQ, he was putting himself in danger.

Ouimiette called and held as the board ran out 710232. Khan won $19,029 for second place.

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WSOP Ontario Online Event #3: $100 Ontario MILLION$ Mini Main Event Final Table Results

Position Player Prize 1st Justin "Justin Ouimette" Ouimette $25,369 2nd Shahraz "Kyle Gene" Khan $19,029 3rd Bradley "Viktor Hovland" Lampman $14,277 4th Ian "Brother Baby" Townley $10,712 5th Igor "Igzcole" Kolpak $8,040 6th Jordan "KingSilvs" Silveira $6,035 7th Christopher "cuca" Mehes $4,532 8th Marcus "HosrHero" Lepkowski $3,405 9th Tyler "Meep89" Zielinski $2,560

Stick with PokerNews for Ontario news, views, and gossip, as well as all the info on the upcoming tournament series and poker festivals that are coming your way.

WSOP Online Ontario At WSOP.ca Bracelet Winners

Date Event Player Prize Entries Prize Pool Aug 21 Event #1: $300 Gladiators of Poker Ontario Opener Mahmut "PokerKeeng" Zor $38,304 851 $237,429 Aug 28 Event #2: $210 Mystery Millions Hyundong "fishw33d" Kim $34,887 (inc. bounties) 1,796 $359,200 Sep 4 Event #3: $100 Ontario MILLION$ Mini Main Event Justin "Justin Ouimette" Ouimette $25,368.54 2,004 $184,368

Upcoming WSOP.ca Bracelet Events

Date (Final Day) Time (ET) Event Buy-in Guarantee Sun, Sep 10 18:00 $2,013 MILLIONAIRE MAKER in Paradise [Live Final 9] $2,013 $6,722,000 Mon, Sep 11 18:00 #5: $400 PLOSSUS [Bounty, Final Stage] $400 $100,000 Mon, Sep 18 18:00 #6: $400 COLOSSUS [Final Day] $400 $200,000 Mon, Sep 25 18:00 #7: $1,000 WSOP Ontario MAIN EVENT [Final Day] $1,000 $500,000 Mon, Oct 2 18:00 #8: $525 The Closer [Bounty Turbo, Final Stage] $525 $150,000

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Sharelines The WSOP.ca awarded three bracelets, read more about the winners ihere.
The chips were moving early and often on Day 1a of Event #3: $2,200 No Limit Holdem at the PokerStars Summer Series hosted by Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia.

As expected, the last event here at the PokerStars Summer Series attracted some notable talent from around the tri-state area who all wanted their shot at the $500,000 guarantee. Multiple players with big poker resumes were in attendance. However, it was a relative unknown who won his seat through a PokerStars.com online qualifier that ended up bagging a massive chip lead.

Alexander Rolfe (1,033,000) was not playing with scared money when it came to being involved in the action. Early in the day he was seen putting chips in the middle, playing hands, and getting in the mix. This led to the accumulation of a healthy stack midway through the day. By the time the field was down to two tables he was already sitting with a top 10 stack.

Final 12 Players From Day 1a

Place Player Country Chip Count 1 Alexander Rolfe United States 1,033,000 2 Chan Kim United States 810,000 3 Brian Altman United States 593,000 4 Joe McKeehen United States 464,000 5 Christopher Moon United States 455,000 6 Abraham Gordon United States 416,000 7 James McCoy United States 301,000 8 Frank Funaro United States 208,000 9 Ryan Dodd United States 179,000 10 Kevin Grabel United States 139,000 11 Angel Lopez United States 79,000 12 Anthony Maio United States 70,000

It was a massive hand on the bubble between Rolfe and three-time WPT Champion Brian Altman that rocketed him to the top of the leaderboard after he hit a flush on the turn against Altmans pair plus straight draw. He will be taking a very healthy stack into Day 2 and will hope to run good when it matters most.

Abraham Gardon, Cory Payne

There were 12 players in total that found a bag on Day 1a and some notable names were in the mix. WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen (464,000) bagged a top 5 stack for the second week in a row, bracelet winner Frank Funaro (208,000) was up and down but still found a bag, while Altman (593,000) bagged a top-three stack for Day 2.

Speaking of Altman, he was holding the chip lead for most of the back half of the day. It was thought to be a forgone conclusion that he was going to bag the chip lead as the bubble approached. However, a huge hand broke out between him and the would-be chip leader that would knock him out of the top spot. He will still be entering Day 2 with plenty of chips to accompany his world-class play.

Brian Altman

Today saw a total of 95 total entrants when late registration ended. This is the third event in this series and the first two over doubled the guarantees. This tournament is off to a great start and still has two more flights to go but the question remains about if this event can double the massive $500,000 guarantee. The big-name players will be here firing, so dont miss out on this action on Day 1b and beyond.

Stay locked into PokerNews for all the updates from the tournament floor at the PokerStars Summer Series.
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The Georgia Special Grand Jury report was not supposed to contain any bombshells, but it did have at least one. The grand jury recommended indictment for Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Georgia special grand jury had recommended charges against Lindsey Graham, David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler. They werent charged. https://t.co/G0siQlwbhN pic.twitter.com/5yS8rPV4id  Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 8, 2023

Sen. Graham along with former Republican Georgia Senators Perdue and Loeffler was recommended for indictment for his participation in the plot to try to overturn the 2020 election for Trump. Former Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn was also recommended for indictment.

Sen. Graham argued that he was acting in his official capacity as a US Senator when he made phone calls to election officials in Georgia and suggested the use of Georgia law as a pretense for throwing out votes for Joe Biden in 2020. Graham tried to use the official capacity immunity to get out of testifying in Georgia but was rejected by the courts.

This is the first piece of evidence in a legal document that shows current and former members of the Senate involved in the plot to overturn the election.

Any who thinks that many of these Republicans who are still in Congress wont try to overturn an election for Trump again in 2024 is mistaken.

The threat to democracy is within the Republican Party. It is not limited to just Donald Trump.

Did Lindsey Graham flip on Trump and cooperate to avoid criminal charges?

It is unknown, but Graham came much closer to being indicted than anyone knew before the Special Grand Jury report was released.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham claimed that he was doing his job when he pressured Georgia election officials to overturn the 2020 results, and he said on Friday that he would do it again.

Graham told reporters, I called around different states, including Georgia, as a sitting United States senator, chairman of the judiciary committee. I eventually certified the election in all states including Georgia. I didnt find any evidence of mass voter fraud, but I did have concerns about the mail-in ballot systems in Georgia and other places. This is troubling for the country. We cant criminalize senators doing their job when they have a constitutional requirement to fulfill. It would be irresponsible for me in my opinion, as chairman of the committee, not to try to find out what happened.

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It was the second part of Grahams comments, not in the video above, that were troubling:

GRAHAM: "But one thing I want people to know, I am standing with President Trump. I am proudly supporting him. He can be a handful at times but I thought he was a good president. And I'm not gonna be deterred campaigning for him and working with him."  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 8, 2023

Here is what Graham reportedly did, and it was a lot more than doing his job as a sitting senator:

In their conversation, Graham questioned Raffensperger about the states signature-matching law and whether political bias could have prompted poll workers to accept ballots with nonmatching signatures, according to Raffensperger. Graham also asked whether Raffensperger had the power to toss all mail ballots in counties found to have higher rates of nonmatching signatures, Raffensperger said.

Raffspenger said he was stunned that Graham appeared to suggest that he find a way to toss legally cast ballots. Absent court intervention, Raffensperger doesnt have the power to do what Graham suggested, as counties administer elections in Georgia.

Sen. Graham was likely not indicted in Georgia because prosecutors didnt have enough evidence to prove that Graham wasnt acting in his official capacity as a US senator, and a protected legal fight with Graham over whether he was acting as a member of the Trump campaign or a senator would be costly, time-consuming, and could delay the legal process.

America has been warned. Trump and his co-conspirators tried to overthrow the election in 2020, and Lindsey Graham seemed to be suggesting that they will do it again in 2024.
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The overturning of Roe was a huge policy win for Republicans, but it had the unfortunate impact of revealing what the pro-choice side had been warning about for years: Abortion is life and health saving care for women and girls. It is not, actually, a religious issue but rather a medical issue.

New polling reportedly revealed to Republican Senators showed that pro-life is not resonating with voters anymore (now that they know what it actually means in effect).

So now Republicans are considering rebranding pro-life as pro-baby.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., summarized the closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill as being focused on pro-baby policies,' NBC reported.

At a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans this week, the head of a super PAC closely aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., presented poll results that suggested voters are reacting differently to commonly used terms like pro-life and pro-choice in the wake of last years Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, said several senators who were in the room.

In the 2022 midterms, abortion and election denial beat Republicans into the ground as their red wave dissolved into a barely red squeak in the House. What will Republicans do about this problem? Will they examine their policies to see if maybe being anti-life for women and girls and anti-democracy in a democracy are not great ideas?

No. Republicans will simply RENAME their bad policy. Theyve been doing this for over a decade now every time a bad idea gets outed in an election post mortem.

What intrigued me the most about the results was that pro-choice and pro-life means something different now, that people see being pro-life as being against all abortions  at all levels, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. is reported to have said in an interview with NBC.

Cramer is almost there but missing the actual point. Abortion is simply a matter of human rights. It is medical care. Republican anti-choice laws that are currently in place have deprived women and girls of life and health saving medical care, impacting their future fertility and at times imposing torturous pain and emotional distress. There is no need for any of this because again, abortion is a medical issue. It is not an issue to be legislated by people who clearly do not understand the basics about it and if they do, are denying the reality of their policy on real women and girls.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), most known for fleeing from the insurrection he helped to egg on, thinks the problem is that most voters dont understand what pro-life means, when the problem is actually that many people supported pro-life in theory but do not support it now that they see what it actually means.

Many voters think [pro-life] means youre for no exceptions in favor of abortion ever, ever, and pro-choice now can mean any number of things. So the conversation was mostly oriented around how voters think of those labels, that theyve shifted. So if youre going to talk about the issue, you need to be specific, Hawley said on Thursday, as reported by NBC.

The head of the Senate Leadership Fund Super PAC claimed that this was not a strategy session, per se, but just a discussion. Yes, a discussion about how polling shows that their messaging on pro-life is an election killer and an attempt to rebrand this now busted messaging.

The pro-choice message is now so impactful Ohio voters rejected a Republican-led proposal to make it harder to protect abortion rights. Brookings Institute wrote, Issue 1s voter approval requirement was unusually high, and the proposed signature requirement was also singularly onerous.

This rebrand effort should be laughable given Republican policies for actual babies, which is to say they are against healthcare, food, shelter, and any basic help for babies. This is an empty promise and dare I say, a lie.

In the New York Times, the Republican protection of children was explored by Jamelle Bouie who wrote in an opinion piece that while Republicans were willing to ban drag shows and keep children from leaning about our real history, they would not take steps to help hungry children. The Republican Party will not, for example, support universal school lunch to protect children from hunger. When Minnesota Democrats pushed the measure in the most recent session of the states Legislature, for example, one of their Republican colleagues strenuously objected. I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that says they dont have access to enough food to eat, Steve Drazkowski, a state senator, said. He, like most Republicans in the Legislature, voted against the bill.

This Republican has yet to meet a person who doesnt have enough to eat? He needs to get out more, obviously.

Bouie continued noting the many Republican-led states that refused to expand Obamacare, which deprives millions, including children, of healthcare.

We could also touch on the Republican refusal to regulate guns and how children face mass shootings in schools and public events now all too often or how guns impact children in the home. The list of how Republican policies punish babies as takers and welfare leeches is too exhaustive to innumerate in this piece.

The bottom line is pro-baby is just another empty promise on par with my wife doesnt understand me and the check is in the mail.

Its just words. Pretty words that sound good but have very ugly, dangerous impact on women, girls, and babies. A party that wants to force births to the point of harming pregnant people and endangering their lives should at the very least be pro-baby, but the Republican Party is not pro-baby.

It turns out that a majority of Americans support pro-choice now that they understand what it means. There arent many people who will agree that the state should force women and girls to carry a pregnancy even when it puts their lives at risk. And while Republicans deny that this is their intent, it is the impact of their pro-life laws.

And lastly, what the overturn of Roe has done is cause many who are anti-choice themselves to realize that they do not feel entitled to force others to comply with their religious beliefs over a medical professionals best recommendation for their patient. No one wants to stand by laws that force a ten year old rape victim to carry a pregnancy, but that is what pro-life means.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. Much cooler. High 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 37F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
LS Energy Solutions ("LS-ES"), a leading provider of grid-connected energy storage solutions, announced today (Sept 7) that the company is deploying 200 MW/400 MWh of energy storage to a site in Southern California. Gore Street Energy Storage Fund (LON: GSF) is developing the Imperial County project, named Big Rock, which will use 137 AiON-ESS units in the largest LS-ES installation yet. The site will provide resource adequacy (RA) and ancillary services to the CAISO market, contributing to a more reliable grid for one of the world's largest power grids.

The all-in-one AiON-ESS containers at Big Rock can store energy for two-hour duration and, like other AiON-ESS Energy Series installations, integrate DC and AC components inside each container and provide AC output ready to be fed into medium voltage transformers. Each unit has a power rating of 1.5 MW and can store 3.5 MWh. Along with tier-1 lithium-ion batteries, the 137 containers include over 1,300 of LS-ES's modular 140 kVA AiON-SIS string inverters.

The site will be one of the largest energy storage projects in Imperial County and joins over 5.6 GW of energy storage serving CAISO, California's grid operator. Big Rock will be operated at 100 MW of deliverability to supply 400 MWh and meet the four-hour discharge needs of an RA contract. This management by Gore Street Capital, the Investment Manager of GSF, will contribute to the available capacity and reserves needed by CAISO to maintain supply and demand in real time.

"The Big Rock energy storage system is a major step forward for Gore Street Energy Storage Fund and for LS Energy Solutions. GSF has amassed an impressive energy storage portfolio in the UK, mainland Europe and the US, with assets in Texas and California. We are thrilled to partner with the Company on its first large scale system in the US," said Steve Fludder, CEO and President of LS Energy Solutions.

"We are also very grateful for our partnership with Avantus and look forward to working with them during project completion."

Gore Street Energy Storage Fund acquired the Big Rock site in February 2023 from Avantus, which will continue to provide administrative and development services for the installation. Big Rock joins other energy storage investments by the Gore Street Energy Storage Fund in Texas, Ireland, Great Britain, and Germany.

Alex O'Cinneide, CEO of Gore Street Capital, said: "The Big Rock project marks GSF's most recent acquisition, and the Company's biggest to date. As the Investment Manager, we are thrilled to have the project in our portfolio under management and to work with LS Energy Solutions in bringing the project to fruition.

"As the Company's first project in California, Big Rock will be an important addition to the CAISO grid, helping to deliver stability to a rapidly decarbonising energy system. Our in-house technical team is looking forward to working with LS-ES and its containerised units as construction at Big Rock progresses, and we're excited to participate in the CAISO market."

In addition to supplying AiON-ESS containers, LS-ES also expects to provide commissioning support and operational services including extended warranty, preventative maintenance, capacity maintenance and system remote monitoring for the life of the project.

Construction will soon be underway at Big Rock, and the site is expected to come online in the second half of 2024. The AiON-ESS containers will join several other deployments of the LS-ES energy storage in the United States, and the Big Rock announcement follows the first commercial deployment of the AiON-ESS Energy Series earlier this year.

Visitors to the RE+ clean energy trade show in Las Vegas September 11-14 can walk around one of the actual AiON-ESS containers being used in the Big Rock project. The unit will be on display at the ACE Engineering booth at 17114, with representatives of Gore Street Capital also onsite during the event.

About LS Energy Solutions

LS Energy Solutions, an LS Group company, is a leading provider of grid-connected energy storage solutions. The company brings over a decade of experience innovating energy storage and related technologies, from the first grid-connected lithium-ion storage system to now having over 1.5 GW and 2.5 GWh deployed across 300 projects. The company offers a flexible range of battery and power electronics systems for front-of-the-meter applications, supported by an advanced global manufacturing and testing infrastructure. LS Energy Solutions is a convenient and competitive one-stop supplier for energy storage, from advanced inverters and associated components to fully integrated all-in-one systems. For more information visit www.ls-es.com.

About Gore Street Energy Storage Fund

Gore Street Energy Storage Fund plc ("GSF" or "the Company") is London's first internationally diversified listed energy storage fund, launched in May 2018. It holds a portfolio totalling 1.17 GW spread across battery storage facilities in Great Britain and Ireland, Western Mainland Europe and the US. It is listed on the Premium Segment of the London Stock Exchange and included in the FTSE All-Share Index. For more information visit www.gsenergystoragefund.com

About Gore Street Capital

Gore Street Capital was formed in 2015 as a global platform to acquire and manage renewable energy solutions. As an experienced renewable energy, infrastructure, and private equity investment manager, it supports robust businesses and high-performing assets that contribute towards the transition to a low-carbon economy.

In 2018, Gore Street Capital created the UK energy storage investment class, listing Gore Street Energy Storage Fund (LSE: GSF) on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange. As the Investment Manager of GSF, it has played a material impact in the growth of GSF from 30m to finance the acquisition of a 10 MW seed portfolio in Great Britain to a market cap of over 502m.

Gore Street Capital comprises a team of almost 40 energy professionals in GB, Ireland and the US working across finance, construction, engineering, legal and more as it continually brings roles in-house to support the fund. It believes energy storage is crucial in the fight against climate change. For more information visit www.gorestreetcap.com

Media Contact

Justin Williams

Trevi Communications for LS Energy Solutions

justin@trevicomm.com

+1 (978) 539-7157
The Aiken City Council plans to meet in executive session Monday evening to discuss the plan to construct a building that could potentially house a workforce development center for the Savannah River National Laboratory.

A meeting notice indicates the council will meet between a 5 p.m. work session and its 7 p.m. regular meeting to discuss "the proposed purchase, sale and/or leasing of property for the Savannah River National Laboratory."

The notice adds the council will go into executive session pursuant to S.C. Code Ann.  30-4-70(a)(2) of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act ("Discussion of negotiations incident to proposed contractual arrangements and proposed sale or purchase of property").

The notice does not specify what property has been proposed for the site of the building.

However, several potential sites have been suggested.

At the state of the city address in January, Aiken Mayor Pro Tempore Ed Woltz said the city council's initial thoughts were to demolish the 1981-built Holley House, the Warneke Cleaners building and "possibly the old gun shop on Richland" (Taj Aiken) and then construct the building on that site.

Aiken Economic Development Director Tim O'Briant said in May the city also considered the empty space on Newberry Street that was once the location of the Busbee, Hunter and Bodenheimer law firm.

He also said the city considered the parking lot next to the new Municipal Building.

Tracey Turner, the new developer of the old Aiken County Hospital, offered space at that site in July.

Members of the public have also suggested the former Department of Public Safety headquarters on Laurens Street, places closer to the Savannah River Site including the Applied Research Center and the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative which is under construction at USC Aiken.

It will likely be up to the City Council to decide where to construct the building. But the Aiken Corporation will have input.

Via Aiken County, the city is the recipient of $20 million allocated by the South Carolina General Assembly from the state's settlement with the Department of Energy over plutonium stored at the Savannah River Site.

O'Briant said in May the city was planning to use the example of the Amentum Center when it constructs the new building. In that example, the city constructed the building then executed a 99-year "ground lease" to the Aiken Corporation.

And it is the Aiken Corporation that's hosting an open house Sept. 14 to reveal the results of a feasibility study for the new building.

The Savannah River National Laboratory won't be part of the decision.

An SRNL spokesman said recently the national laboratory would have no role in selecting the location. He added the national lab has only expressed an interest in leasing office space downtown should it become available.

Monday's executive session will be at least the second executive session held by the city council to discuss the building.

The executive session notice adds the city council will also discuss the potential purchase of a property near Oak Grove Road for the planned Powderhouse Connector.

At the 5 p.m. worksession, the city council plans to discuss improvements to Smith-Hazel Recreation Center.

At its 7 p.m. meeting, the council will consider the second readings of ordinances:

 adopting an update to the city's comprehensive plan (The plan has been updated to remove listed but not pursued road expansions, a non-existent park and to add Governor Aiken Park.);

 approving four commercial building facades at the redeveloped Aiken Mall; and

 amending the city's budget.

There are no first readings of ordinances scheduled for the meeting.

There are requests to approve the allocation of additional accommodations tax revenue and the purchase of property for the Powderhouse Connector.

There are also proclamations recognize Constitution Week and direct support professionals.

The council will also consider the reappointments of:

 Charles Cummings and John Wallace to the Recreation Commission;

 Steven Simmons to the Planning Commission;

 Scotty Myrick to the Community Development Committee; and

 Charity Hefley-Leigh to the Building Codes Appeals Committee.

The work session and regular meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building located at 111 Chesterfield St. S.W.
Boeing Co. expects profit margins on the 787 built in North Charleston to rebound beyond post-pandemic levels in the coming years as long as the supply chain remains stable and idled jets are finally delivered to customers.

Brian West, the planemaker's chief financial officer, told analysts at this week's Jefferies Industrial Conference that Dreamliner production issues should be in the rearview mirror by 2025 or 2026, paving the way for greater cash generation from the wide-body program.

"We feel good about where that's headed," West said, adding "there is work to do from now to then as we move through the next year-plus."

Boeing has set up a second factory near Seattle to fix roughly 100 completed Dreamliners that were put into inventory a couple years ago after paper-thin gaps were discovered in the fuselage sections.

Those planes are slowly being delivered after getting the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration, but West said the backup factory and financial concessions to customers whose planes weren't delivered on time have been a drag on profits.

Meanwhile, Boeing is increasing the production rates at the South Carolina Dreamliner assembly plant off International Boulevard  from the current four jets per month to five by the end of this year and 10 by 2025 or 2026.

Once the ramp-up is complete and all of the inventoried planes are delivered, West said he expects to see clear skies  and double-digit profit margins  for the Dreamliner's future.

"There is a massive amount of productivity that we will harvest" by increasing production and shutting down the Seattle-area factory, he said. "We will have this opportunity to take highly skilled labor that's been working on the inventoried airplanes and pointing them toward new production airplanes, and we expect that to be significant."

Also boosting profitability will be the increasing popularity of the 787-10, the newest and largest Dreamliner variant that sells at a premium to the program's two smaller models.
A Charleston real estate investor who helped reshape a swath of the upper peninsula over the past decade has sold a patchwork of properties in the area to a single buyer for $94 million after acquiring them for a fraction of the price.

In the largest transaction, a business affiliated with Steve Zoukis, the founder and CEO of Raven Cliff Co. LLC, was paid $49.5 million for the Pacific Box & Crate site at 1505 King St. Extension, according to county land records filed last week.

At the same time, he sold 15 other parcels between Meeting Street and Morrison Drive, including the 100,000-square-foot Half-Mile North development, for $41 million.

Another property on Brigade Street fetched $3.5 million.

Altogether, Zoukis paid $12.78 million for the 17 properties between 2012 and 2016. He then proceeded to spend an undisclosed sum on various improvements to attract commercial tenants to the area.

The new owner is an affiliate of Charlotte-based real estate investment firm Asana Partners, which bought part of the dual-hotel Midtown development on upper King Street in 2019.

An Asana representative did not immediately respond for comment on the purchase or the company's plans for the new acquisitions.

Zoukis, a Sullivan's Island resident, also did not respond to requests for comment.

Zoukis was an early investor in the revival of the Morrison Drive corridor, which has been transformed over the past 10 years or so from a gritty industrial area once described as "ramshackle" into an uptown hot spot and technology hub.
Some of Dominion Energy's South Carolina ratepayers are urging regulators to reject the company's proposal to meet electricity demand because the three-year plan relies too heavily on fossil fuels and needs to incorporate more renewable power sources.

More than 30 customers registered to take advantage of what was described as rare opportunity to present oral testimony late last month before the S.C. Public Service Commission.

Utilities like Dominion are in the process of submitting proposals known as an integrated resource plans to the regulatory panel. The filings detail what kind of power sources they'll need to build or invest in to meet future demand as coal-fired plants are being phased out.

The Dominion plan includes adding more than 5,000 megawatts of solar energy over 23 years, beginning in 2026, and 1,600 megawatts of battery storage.

It also calls for the company to retire its Wateree Station coal plant in Richland County by 2028 and delay to 2030 the retirement of A.M. Williams Station in Berkeley County to buy time to build a natural gas-fired generating unit, possibly with state-owned Santee Cooper.

Dominion is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Elizabeth Best, director of strategic planning, told regulators during the Aug. 28 hearing in Columbia.

She said that since 2005, the Richmond, Va.-based energy giant has reduced its carbon output across its operations by 46 percent.

Best also said that commitment wont prevent the need for some form of the proposed gas-fired unit to meet demand when the Williams site is shut down.

Customers, convinced that the use of renewable energy sources is a better way to build Dominion's power supply, voiced concerns about the high costs of building the plant.

The proposed joint project with Santee Cooper will be expensive, guaranteed, said David Quick, who identified himself as a Dominion customer from Mount Pleasant.

"Dominion already has extensive natural gas resources  enough already," he added.
COLUMBIA  A dozen federal lawsuits have been filed against Richland County for problems at the jail, with attorneys promising another amid reports of sexual assaults and an additional stabbing in recent weeks.

The Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, which has been under increased scrutiny on a state level since an inspection found a host of problems in October, faces claims that guards facilitated violence, jail staff failed to provide immediate or adequate medical care, and detainees were left unsupervised, allowing attacks.

"How many more beatings, stabbings, sexual assaults and deaths need to happen on their watch before Richland County takes some meaningful action?" attorney Alexandra Benevento of Strom Law Firm, which represents a majority of the detainees suing the county, said in a Sept. 8 news release.

"Alvin S. Glenn is hell on earth. It is a war zone. Every single member of the public should be outraged by these horrific failures."

In the coming month, Strom Law Firm attorneys plan to file another lawsuit claiming a detainee was raped by other detainees and a guard. The Aug. 26 sexual assault was the latest in a string of incidents at the jail, including a number of stabbings and fights that injured at least 30 detainees as of July.

Richland County has denied the claims in filings for multiple lawsuits. County officials are in the midst of renovating the jail to fix the problems identified in state inspections, including remodeling the kitchen, replacing malfunctioning locks and installing new toilets throughout the jail. Officials are also continuing to hire corrections officers to address understaffing.

Sexual assault

The rape to which Benevento and fellow attorney Bakari Sellers pointed corresponds to one under investigation by Richland County sheriff's deputies, according to an Aug. 28 news release.

Less than two weeks later, on Sept. 3, the same detainee told deputies about being sexually assaulted two days prior by two other detainees, according to a Sept. 5 news release.
Columbia, SC (29201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 38F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Septic tanks are an invisible source of coastal pollution in the Lowcountry. Two environmental groups are requesting a "temporary pause" on some new septic tanks in South Carolina's coastal counties, at least until the state adopts a permit process more in step with rising seas and increasing storms.

At a Sept. 8 hearing, the Charleston Waterkeeper and Coastal Conservation League requested a brief ban on septic tank approvals in Charleston County Circuit Court. This proposed ban only pertains to large-scale housing developments, as well as homes within 200 feet of state waters in coastal counties. Single-family homes replacing an existing tank, for example, would likely not be impacted.

When I say 'this is a crisis,' Im not exaggerating, said attorney Leslie Lenhardt, explaining the threats posed by densely clustered septic tanks near Lowcountry waterways. Lenhardt is a senior managing attorney for the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. She represents the two environmental groups.

In November 2022, the groups filed a lawsuit against the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to force the state to consider coastal vulnerabilities when approving septic tank permits in the coastal zone. The state currently takes coastal considerations into account for other permits it reviews, like new docks, but not for septic tanks.

South Carolina has the weakest set of rules for installing and maintaining septic tanks in the Southeast. This has become problematic as more septic-dependent developments  with densely-clustered individual tanks  are popping up across the region. The plaintiffs maintain that septic-dependent development has become widely popular; it is considered a cheap workaround to building suburban neighborhoods in ecologically sensitive areas that are far from municipal sewer systems.

Earlier this year, The Post and Courier analyzed thousands of septic tank and water-quality records from South Carolina. The newspaper found that the states housing boom has brought with it a surge in septic tanks in coastal counties. At the same time, a growing number of waters in the region are testing positive for fecal coliform, E. coli or enterococcus, a strong indicator of human and animal waste.
Organizers used phrases like amazing turnout and exceeded our expectations in describing what has become one of the most popular wooden boat shows in the United States. Read moreAfter drawing 'incredible' crowd, Georgetown Wooden Boat preparing for next year
Eversource and rsted today have also announced the execution of a Tax Equity Capital Contribution Agreement for South Fork Wind. Eversource will use a portion of the proceeds from the lease area sale to provide its anticipated tax equity investment for South Fork Wind. The contribution for Eversource's new tax equity member interest is expected to be approximately $545 million. Eversource expects to recover this tax equity member interest investment primarily in the form of investment tax credits as turbines are placed in service for South Fork Wind. These credits will be utilized to reduce federal tax liability, including refunds expected over the next nine months. Eversource also expects to receive approximately $273 million of this contribution as a distribution from the project prior to its commercial operations date, as it currently remains a managing member of the project, along with rsted. Construction of South Fork Wind commenced in early 2022, with commercial operation expected in late 2023. Eversource's tax equity investment in South Fork Wind is expected to close in the third quarter.

"Eversource is fully committed to being a catalyst to the region's clean energy transition, with our regulated companies procuring power from offshore wind as well as building many of the facilities that will enable more than 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind generation to reach the homes and businesses of Southern New England. We share the same goals as the states in which we operate when it comes to building the clean energy delivery systems of the future," said Joe Nolan, Eversource's president, chief executive officer, and chairman. "With rsted as the 100% owner of this lease area, we are confident it will play a critical role in decarbonizing the generation mix of Southern New England and New York."

As a result of Eversource completing its Offshore Wind Strategic Review, Eversource announced that it is in the best long-term interest of the company to advance the sale of its existing 50 percent interest in its three jointly owned contracted offshore wind projects (South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind, and Sunrise Wind) with a total capacity of 1,758 MW. This process continues to progress and Eversource expects to announce details of this transaction soon.

Eversource has engaged Goldman Sachs as its financial advisor to assist with the transactions and Ropes & Gray serves as its legal counsel.

Eversource Energy operates New England's largest energy delivery system and serves approximately 4.4 million electric, natural gas and water utility customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

This document includes statements concerning Eversource Energy's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, assumptions of future events, future financial performance or growth and other statements that are not historical facts, including the anticipated timing for the closing the tax equity investment, as well as the anticipated contribution and distribution amounts and potential future tax credits and the timing for any update on the potential sale of Eversource's offshore wind investment. These statements are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, readers can identify these forward-looking statements through the use of words or phrases such as "estimate," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "project," "believe," "forecast," "should," "could" and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations, estimates, assumptions or projections of management and are not guarantees of future performance. These expectations, estimates, assumptions or projections may vary materially from actual results. Accordingly, any such statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to, and are accompanied by, the following important factors that may cause our actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contained in our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: cyberattacks or breaches, including those resulting in the compromise of the confidentiality of our proprietary information and the personal information of our customers; disruptions in the capital markets or other events that make our access to necessary capital more difficult or costly; changes in economic conditions, including impact on interest rates, tax policies, and customer demand and payment ability; ability or inability to commence and complete our major strategic development projects and opportunities; acts of war or terrorism, physical attacks or grid disturbances that may damage and disrupt our electric transmission and electric, natural gas, and water distribution systems; actions or inaction of local, state and federal regulatory, public policy and taxing bodies; substandard performance of third-party suppliers and service providers; fluctuations in weather patterns, including extreme weather due to climate change; changes in business conditions, which could include disruptive technology or development of alternative energy sources related to our current or future business model; contamination of, or disruption in, our water supplies; changes in levels or timing of capital expenditures; changes in laws, regulations or regulatory policy, including compliance with environmental laws and regulations; changes in accounting standards and financial reporting regulations; actions of rating agencies; and other presently unknown or unforeseen factors.

Other risk factors are detailed in Eversource Energy's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). They are updated as necessary and available on Eversource Energy's website at www.eversource.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All such factors are difficult to predict and contain uncertainties that may materially affect Eversource Energy's actual results, many of which are beyond our control. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as each speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by federal securities laws, Eversource Energy undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
The home at 12 Parkins Oak Court in Greenville is loaded with high-end features, from the 400-bottle double wine cooler off the dining room to the 600-square-foot pool house in the backyard. Transformed by a recent renovation, the 2016 build gleams with new paint, new fixtures and new applia Read moreGreenvilles resilient luxury market evident in $3.2 million Parkins Mill sale
The future of Charleston's John C. Calhoun monument is now in the hands of a state circuit court judge, after both sides in the fight presented their arguments for more than an hour.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal maneuvers that various groups have filed in hopes of reinstating the statue to public display. Attorneys representing the city requested that Judge Jennifer McCoy dismiss the case. She will issue a ruling later.

Court arguments on Sept. 6 touched briefly on Calhoun's legacy but largely centered on whether the statue was taken down legally and what recourse plaintiffs have to see it reinstated in Marion Square in downtown Charleston.

Suing are a group of Calhoun descendants and the Ladies Calhoun Monument Association, as well as current members of the Board of Field Officers of the Fourth Brigade  a historic militia formerly called the Washington Light Infantry Sumter Guards and recognized as the original owners of Marion Square.

Toward the end of his argument, plaintiff's attorney Bill Connor said the initial decision to take the statue down was made hastily amid an isolated period of social unrest and that it should be revisited.

"During a certain time in 2020, states and cities made some decisions that many would find precipitous and we dont need that happening again in South Carolina," he said.

The city's attorney, Armand Derfner, said the case does not center on Calhoun's legacy but whether the plaintiffs have the right to insist it be reinstated.

"We don't mean to disparage John C. Calhoun," Derfner said. "That's not what the case is about."

While McCoy takes time to review the argument, the statue remains in storage.

A congressman and vice president, Calhoun died years before the first shots of the Civil War were fired in Charleston Harbor. But he is remembered as an ardent defender of slavery, at one point delivering a speech calling it a positive good.

The 12-foot-tall statue of Calhoun stood atop a 125-foot perch in Marion Square for decades. It was erected well after the Civil War by the Ladies Calhoun Monument Association.
NORTH CHARLESTON  The community advocate who filmed the shooting of Walter Scott by former police officer Michael Slager eight years ago is endorsing former police Chief Reggie Burgess for mayor.

Feidin Santana, 32, said Burgess' passion to unite the community is significant.

"He has shown a lot of interest to help our community and also to reform or to change law enforcement practices," Santana told The Post and Courier on Sept. 8.

"That was one of our main concerns during those times," said Santana, who is Afro-Latino and from the Dominican Republic.

On April 4, 2015, Santana recorded a video on his cellphone of police violence against an African American man that led to a nationwide call for accountability and reform. The video showed Slager, who is White, firing eight rounds as Scott fled a traffic stop that turned to a foot chase.

Five bullets struck the 50-year-old Black man in the back.

Burgess, who served as the assistant police chief at the time of the shooting, said Santana showed the nation and the world Slager's wrongdoing, which became a catalyst for reviewing and revising best training practices for police officers.

Scott "losing his life was not in vain," said Burgess, who worked for the police department for 34 years. "He changed a lot of law enforcement procedures and policies."

Burgess, the city's first Black police chief, retired from the department in March ahead of his campaign for mayor. He is one of 10 candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot looking to succeed retiring Mayor Keith Summey.

Burgess added that Slager followed a procedure that was not taught at the department or at the police academy.

"He took the law into his hands," Burgess said.

Slager was charged federally and in state court in the killing after the cellphone video of the shooting was released to the public. In May 2017, he pleaded guilty in federal court to civil rights violations and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Slager is serving his sentence at a low-security federal prison in Colorado.
In a contest where Pence's exit amounts to more of a shoulder shrug than a major shift, political watchers agree that his biggest contribution could be what he represents: the first major domino to fall. Read moreMike Pence exits 2024 race after paying little attention to South Carolina
Said Brian Wendzik, Theres something really special here."

Wendzik and his wife, Sheryl Wendzik, both serve on the board for the Beautification Foundation. Brian said the synergy hes seen in North Augusta and the unison in working together has made him optimistic for the citys future.

The city is currently in the process of applying for 501(c)3 status for both foundations. Each of the non-profits has already been appointed a non-voting ex-officio member from city administration who will act in an advisory role to the boards of directors.

North Augusta Department of Public Safety Chief John Thomas or, under his designation, Lt. Kevin Hayes, is ex-officio for the Public Safety Foundation. Karl Waldhauer, superintendent of facilities and programs at North Augusta Parks & Rec, is ex-officio for the Beautification Foundation.

Were excited about this. Weve been talking about this for a long, long time, Chief Thomas said. Were just honored and privileged for us to go forward because weve got so many things we need to do, and this will allow us to do it.

Waldhauer said hes looking forward to putting an exclamation point on what weve got going on in the city.

Once the foundations are able to take contributions, those who donate will be able to get a tax break for it. Though people can donate to the city, as was done with the gazebo near Brick Pond Park and the Municipal Building, donations currently do not give the donor a tax write-off.

Donors will also be able to contribute anonymously and have their contributions earmarked for specific projects.

Its something that's already in practice in other South Carolina cities.

If youve ever heard me talk, you know Im a big fan of Greenville, South Carolina.  Greenville, in my opinion  especially the downtown  theyre just doing a lot of things right. And one of the things Greenville has done very well is, they have gotten a lot of projects funded by donations, Mayor Williams said. So much in that downtown has been [because of] dollars that have been donated by citizens. And what that has allowed Greenville to do, is free up those other taxpayer dollars to put toward other ways to contribute to quality of life.
Our society is facing many challenges, but one that seems to lie just beneath the surface is a decline in empathy. We don't understand one another. We just aren't able (as the saying goes) to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. We can't see what motivates others, what makes them tick. As sy Read moreStevens: We need more empathy, and reading more can help
The city of North Charleston soon will undergo a seismic political transformation, not only because longtime Mayor Keith Summey is not seeking reelection but also because five members of City Council have opted not to run again. Adding to the unknowns are the city's regrettable method of ele Read moreEditorial: Eight picks for North Charleston City Council
CFPP LLC is a subsidiary of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems.

It was created to oversee the demonstration of a six-module NuScale VOYGR power plant at Idaho National Laboratory. The Carbon Free Power Project demonstration is projected to receive more than $1.3 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over the next ten years, pending appropriations from Congress.

CFPP submitted its limited work authorization application to the NRC in late July with support from the DOE funding as part of the combined license application (COLA) process.

If approved, it will clear the way for the company to perform early-construction work, such as building excavation and road improvements at the proposed site.

This is the first time ever a limited work authorization application was submitted to the NRC ahead of the remaining COLA and would allow the project to start prepping for nuclear-grade construction while they wait for an approved license.

"The acceptance of the LWA application is a result of the dedicated and strategic efforts put in by the CFPP and also emphasizes the significance of early interactions between the project management team and the NRC," said CFPP President Mason Baker. "Furthermore, we are appreciative for the invaluable partnership we've formed with the DOE as this collaboration has been instrumental in driving our shared goals forward. This progress is not only a major milestone for CFPP as a specific entity but also within the broader context of nuclear energy."

"This innovative approach gets a lot of work done at very low risk and will hopefully keep new reactor projects like this one on time and budget," said Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. "I appreciate the coordination between the CFPP, the NRC, industry, and our colleagues to try new approaches to getting things done and look forward to the review process."

NRC approval of the limited work authorization could allow preconstruction activities to start by mid-2025.

CFPP plans to submit the remaining COLA application to the NRC in January 2024.

Learn more about the Carbon Free Power Project.
FLORENCE  Florence County School District 1 students have another reason to excel in class  the school district's new food truck.

The district unveiled its green and gold food truck Sept. 6 at Sneed Middle School. The food truck, which also is outfitted with district logos, served cheeseburgers and pizza to the students.

The district will use the truck as an reward for students with perfect attendance, outstanding test scores and other student achievements, district Chief Financial Officer Laura Showe said.

Chartwells School Dining Services, the districts food service partner, also will use the truck as an opportunity to test new menu options that could wind up in the cafeteria.

It's just really exciting because it gives kids something to look forward to, said Lily ONeal, an eighth-grade student at Sneed.

The district is one of several in South Carolina that have opted to roll out lunches on wheels.

The Lexington-Richland Five school district has had a food truck since 2016.

It has used the truck to serve hot meals at two apartment complexes during the summer, as well as at family, adult education, field day and teacher lunch events.

The district still has the truck and plans to use it during the 2022-23 year, Lexington-Richland Five spokeswoman Amanda Taylor said in an email.

Greenville County School District has had a food truck for more than five years and added a second to the fleet in 2020.

Greenville County School District's Director of Food and Nutrition Services Joe Urban said he saw food trucks as an opportunity to bring something different and exciting to students.

It's used for a variety of reasons, Urban said. One, to sample new items but two, primarily as a reward vehicle for student achievement.

Florence 1 School sees the truck as an opportunity to reward students.

Eventually, the truck will run on a schedule in Florence schools.

Initially rolling it out to the schools, it'll all be incentive driven just so that they kind of have a feel for it Showe said.
The Georgia special grand jury that investigated former President Donald Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election recommended charges against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., although Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to include him in her criminal case.

The grand jury's full report released Sept. 8 listed Graham among multiple names investigated in the probe but Willis did not charge Graham, a staunch Trump ally, when she announced indictments against Trump and 18 co-defendants on racketeering charges last month.

In Georgia, district attorneys hold ultimate authority on whom they will charge in a case. Willis could still charge Graham, but she's not given any indication either way.

Graham drew prosecutors' attention after vocally contesting Trump's 2020 election loss and making a controversial phone call to Georgia's election chief.

At an appearance in the Upstate after details of the Georgia filing were released Sept. 8, Graham pushed back on the recommendation when he spoke to the media.

"To suggest I'm part of some grand scheme to overturn the election makes no sense given my actions," Graham said ahead of a lunchtime appearance at a Rotary Club in Westminster, a small town in the northwestern corner of the state.

"It speaks to where we're at," he continued. "It's me today, it could be someone else tomorrow."

Graham, who seemed exhausted by questions about his role in the post-election events, said he was fact-finding about the election as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"We can't criminalize senators doing their job when they have a constitutional requirement to fulfill," Graham said.

Graham's detractors say his actions to contest Trump's loss went far beyond anything he was required to do.

The senator also reaffirmed his full support for the former president who now faces 13 charges in the Georgia case as well as four federal charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the election.
Hunter Biden has been deposed by counsel for John Paul Mac Isaac in the defamation lawsuit brought by Mac Isaac that includes a counterclaim by Biden. The best defense is sometimes a good offense, but I doubt that the adage applies in this case. Biden has apparently denied under oath that he left his infamous laptop with Mac Isaac or that the infamous laptop is in fact his. Miranda Devine  who else?  has taken a look at motion papers that quote the deposition transcript:

Hunter Biden testified recently that he was embarrassed by offensive content published from his laptop after he dropped it off for repair at The Mac Shop in Wilmington, Delaware on April 12, 2019  but still denies that the laptop or its contents are his.

The First Son provided confusing and often contradictory testimony under oath on June 29 during a six hour deposition related to a defamation action brought by John Paul Mac Isaac, the owner of the now defunct computer repair shop, who accuses Hunter of falsely insisting the laptop was not his, or was stolen, or that his information was hacked.

Hunter is countersuing Mac Isaac, accusing him of illegally distributing his personal data, and invading his privacy.

Portions of Hunters deposition are revealed for the first time in the opening brief of a motion filed by Mac Isaac, in Delaware Superior court late Thursday, to dismiss the countersuit with prejudice.

Hunter refused to admit in his deposition that he visited The Mac Shop twice in April 2019, despite Mac Isaac presenting evidence that Hunter signed a work order and provided his contact information.

Bank records which Hunter was required to hand over to Mac Isaacs legal team also show frequent uses of Wells Fargo ATMs where significant withdrawals were made  all within a few miles of Mac Isaacs shop, the filing says.

Although Hunter claimed he is without knowledge as to his whereabouts on April 12, 2019, Mac Isaac knows exactly where he was.

Hunters confused and dishonest responses prove fatal to all facts alleged in his counterclaims.

Hunter claimed he was embarrassed by publication of private material that would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, according to the filing, yet much of the material that a reasonable person would find most offensive, such as sexually explicit photos, was voluntarily shared by [Hunter] Biden with others through the website, Pornhub.

The use of the reasonable person standard should clearly not apply to Biden It seems what would embarrass a reasonable person does not embarrass Biden.

Material on the laptop also shows Hunters lack of concern about using his fathers political ties to close deals with foreign countries, some of whom are considered adversaries with the United States (i.e., Peoples Republic of China), the filing asserts.
Fox News reports that the Western Heights School District in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has installed a drag queen as principal of the John Glenn Elementary School. Fox has confirmed that the new hire, Shane Murnan, is a drag queen who goes by the name of Shantel Mandalay. Although Mandalays Facebook account has since been deleted, the article provides screenshots of him in his full drag glory.

According to Fox, Murnan was employed as a drag queen at a venue called The Boom.

In 2002, Murnan faced charges for child pornography, which were later dismissed.

Fox News Digital found records from over 20 years ago, showing that when the charges were filed, all of Murnans electronic devices were subject to a subpoena. According to a local report that covered the story, the charges were dismissed because it could not be proven that the images were of individuals under the age of 18. In a post on its Facebook page, the district acknowledged the prior charges. It said, Recently we were made aware of previous charges that were dismissed years ago. We are very excited about his vision for John Glenn and for the community, the district added.

Understandably, Murnans hiring has caused quite a commotion among parents and district officials alike. The states superintendent of education, Ryan Walters, spoke to Fox about what the sane among us see as a crisis. Walters calls the choice of Murnan unimaginable and said, This individual is not fit to lead a school district. It has to stop.  This is the liberal insanity every parent wants out of the classroom.

Walters said:

Its outrageous to have a drag queen running a school, you know, here in Oklahoma that doesnt line up with Oklahoma values. I hear from parents every day that are concerned with this woke left-wing indoctrination or schools, this gender theory that continues to be thrust upon our kids. Its completely inappropriate. I think that the left has absolutely an agenda for our kids, that they are at war with our kids in the classroom. What they are doing is injecting this ideology for an end goal here. Their end goal is to absolutely break down a childs mind, break down the classroom, break down the family, and you see the results that have come from this. They want kids to turn on their parents and only listen to their leftist ideology.

Walters is concerned that the Left is turning children against their parents.

And how do you do it? You start. breaking them apart and say, listen, youre gender-fluid. Listen, you can change your pronouns. Look at the sexual material. When the kid takes it home and their parent is outraged by it, the kids turn on their parents. This is absolutely trying to break down that family unit, so the kid is more susceptible to the most radical Marxist gender ideology weve ever seen to pit groups of people against each other. And frankly, its to create Democrat voters.  No parent wants to send their kids to school knowing that they could be exposed to this radical gender theory in any capacity. This woke war on our kids has to stop. We will not allow it in Oklahoma.  We will not allow our kids to be part of their radical-left game for pushing ideology and furthering their end goal, which is creating social justice warriors instead of students that understand how education is a path for success for them. We will not allow it. This will stop.

Walters is, of course, right. Although the assault from the Left on traditional American values and the family unit has been building for decades, it has accelerated since President Joe Biden took office. The Left no longer even tries to hide their agenda. And just when we think it cant get any worse, they find a new way to up the ante.

There are the die-hard liberals who will continue to support the hijacking of the U.S. public school system however far it goes. But, conservatives and most independents see the situation far more clearly.

Look at Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkins 2021 upset victory against the states former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe. Biden won the state by 10 points in 2020.

Youngkin won by exposing the Lefts indoctrination of students and shouting it from the rooftops. He gained the support of many independents and even some Democrats because he understood that parents dont want the government to mess with their kids.

This is a winning issue for Republicans in 2024.
After being a source of copper for many years, the Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana now holds a contaminated lake which has long been a source of strife. But the water in the Pit has now been shown to be the source of something much more positive: rare earth elements.

West Virginia University has received $3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to establish a resource recovery site at the Berkeley Pit, along with two sites at coal mines in West Virginia.

Rare earth elements like neodymium, dysprosium, cerium, lanthanum, yttrium, praseodymium and europium have a wide range of uses and are key ingredients for technologies such as electric and hybrid cars, smartphones, lightbulbs, Special Forces gear, and the nations missile guidance systems.

This isnt the first time Butte has been a source of metals useful in national defense.

The Berkeley Pit literally got us through two world wars, said Mark Thompson, vice president of environmental affairs for Montana Resources.

During World Wars I and II, the demand for copper ramped up for use in bullets and other weaponry, and Buttes mines were able to supply it.

Rare earths have historically been sourced from countries like China, which has had a hold on the rare earth market for years but has recently seen a decrease due to extensive mining. Still, China continues to dominate the global market, accounting for more than two-thirds of the worlds rare earth metal production, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Domestic rare earths

Rare earths have been a popular topic in the U.S. government over the last couple of years. Specifically, there has been a lot of talk about sourcing rare earths domestically.

Enter Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute, which operates out of West Virginia University. Ziemkiewicz has also been involved with advising on acid mine drainage from the Berkeley Pit for approximately 25 years, so he has relationships with hydrogeologists from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology and Montana Resources.

Ziemkiewiczs journey with extracting rare-earths from local sources started in 2015, when the U.S. Department of Energy sent out a solicitation for proposals regarding extraction of rare earths from coal-related wastes.

He said it occurred to him that rare earths could possibly be found in acid mine drainage, so he asked the DOE if the proposal would be within the scope.

Sure enough, enriched in rare earths, Ziemkiewicz said.

In 2020, he asked Ted Duaime, hydrogeologist at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, to send him a sample of the Berkeley Pit water for analysis at the lab at West Virginia University. The lab found the Pit had 10 times the amount of rare earths found in coal drainage.

Duaime said although it was as recent as 2020 that he sent the Berkeley Pit water sample to Ziemkiewicz, the lab at the Bureau of Mines has known for as long as two decades that the Berkeley Pit water has elevated concentrations of neodymium.

So weve known theyve always been there, Duaime said. Its just trying to get people that have the money to come forward and say, OK, you know, lets look at this in more detail. And West Virginia was able to give us just a much more complete list of all the rare earths that are there.

Samples of Berkeley Pit water taken at a depth of 166 feet showed elevated levels of several rare earths, the top four being cerium, neodymium, yttrium and lanthanum. There were lesser concentrations of gadolinium and dysprosium, according to a graph provided by Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Hydrogeologist John Metesh.

Metesh helped complete an application that ultimately secured a grant from the United States Army Research Laboratory that has funded seven projects in the Bureau of Mines, and eight in Montana Technological Universitys metallurgical and materials engineering department.

The projects through the Bureau of Mines include looking for rare earths in abandoned mine sites, coal wastes, large waste sites and a few other locations.

In 2021, Ziemkiewicz and his team at West Virginia University put in a grant application to the U.S. Department of Energy with a proposal to test and demonstrate the process of extracting rare earths from the Berkeley Pit. That proposal wasnt funded, but the WVU team then submitted a similar application for $3 million to the U.S. Department of Defense in early 2023. This summer they received word that this grant request has been funded.

This funding allows significant broadening of our feedstock supply to include acid mine drainage from Appalachian coal mines as well as hard rock mines in the West, Ziemkiewicz said. This project also focuses on feedstock supply to a central rare earth elements and critical minerals refinery by including large as well as small AMD sources.

Hard rock mining sites such as copper mines tend to collect AMD on a much larger scale than coal mines and, often, the REE/CM concentrations are substantially higher. This means that relatively few hard rock AMD sites can generate very significant volumes of high grade preconcentrate.

The Berkeley Pit produces about 5,500 gallons of AMD per minute, Ziemkiewicz said, while the coal mine plant at Bismarck, West Virginia, which is operated by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, treats up to 1,000 gallons per minute. At the other end of the scale, the capacity at the site at Fola, West Virginia would be about 100 gallons per minute.

The project team will also collaborate with Continental Heritage at Fola. Much of West Virginias coal AMD-based REE/CM feedstock is currently produced at small, remote discharges like Fola with flow rates in the range of 10 to 200 gallons per minute.

Together, they add up to a lot of potential REE/CM, Ziemkiewicz said. We need to demonstrate that it can be done at scale while producing clean water and a revenue stream for the operators.

Ziemkiewicz explained the team is using a patented WVU process that will recover preconcentrate that can be transported to a central refinery for processing to REE/CM products for the domestic market.

Ready to get startedThompson said now that the funding for rare earth extraction is in place, they are doing testing at the Berkeley Pit this summer.

We will use the various stages at the Horseshoe Bend Water Treatment Plant, which was built in 2003, to selectively precipitate the REE by manipulating the pH of the Berkeley Pit water and making a rare earth rich sludge, Thompson said. The sludge will passively be dewatered to a transportable moisture and sent to West Virginia for processing.

Thompson said Montana Resources, which operates an open pit copper and molybdenum mine next to the Berkeley Pit and is involved in the ongoing, long-term project of cleaning up the water in the Pit, will make many contributions to the rare earth extraction project, including the use of the water treatment plant, work done by the operators, maintenance work, lime, reagents, equipment, a laydown area, Berkeley Pit water delivery, and power. This will all count as a match to the grant.

The process which will be used to extract rare earths from the Berkeley Pit is not unlike what Montana Resources already does at its Horseshoe Bend Plant to get the water to drinking standards. Its a multi-phase process that involves changing the pH-levels of the water multiple times to extract contaminants.

To extract the rare-earth metals, the treatment plant will use slightly different pH-levels and possibly experiment with additional levels to get the most out of the water, Ziemkiewicz said.

The process being proposed by West Virginia University is not dissimilar from the process that we use anyways to treat the Berkeley water, so its happening anyway, Thompson said. And Im comfortable that we can do this and that we can sustain this.

He added that hes excited about the prospect of the Berkeley Pit becoming an asset when its been known for so long as a liability.

Based on previous, small-scale tests, Ziemkiewicz expects the Berkeley Pit and the two sites in West Virginia to produce a uniform feedstock to which a grade/specification and value can be assigned.

This means the central refinery can purchase feedstock from suppliers and process it with minimal adjustment related to the source of the concentrate, he said. Nearly all of the infrastructure needed to install our technology is in place and operational at each site.

The sites will be continuously operated, Ziemkiewicz added, and the WVU Rare Earth Extraction Facility will evaluate the preconcentrate.

The WVU research team also recently earned $8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to undertake a study to design and evaluate the economics of a full-scale central refinery to produce REE/CM products using AMD-based feedstock.

Our team at WVU and Virginia Tech, the West Virginia DEP and our industry partners have worked hard to bring this concept to successful pilot scale testing, Ziemkiewicz said. Thanks to the continued support of our congressional delegation through DOE and now, DOD, we will push this novel source of REE/CM out of the lab, toward commercial reality.

Montanas congressional delegation have also been active supporters of the production of rare earth elements and critical minerals from Montana. Sen. Jon Testers office has been working with the Bureau of Mines, Montana Tech and Ziemkiewicz to advance the extraction and use of rare earths from the Berkeley Pit.

Boosting research and development of rare earths in Butte is one of my top priorities and will ensure that the Richest Hill on Earth continues to create good paying jobs, supports our national defense interests, and lowers costs for consumers, Tester said in a statement to the Montana Standard.

Sen. Steve Daines co-sponsored a bill in June 2022  the Homeland Acceleration of Recovering Deposits and Renewing Onshore Critical Keystones Act, or the HARD ROCK Act  that aims to wean the country from dependence on China for rare-earth elements by working with allies to develop new supply chains.

Montana Standard reporter Kasey Faur contributed to this story. 
Never mind the latest polls showing Trump running even or ahead of Biden in a head-to-head matchup which are causing political panic among Democrats. More immediate is the rebellion of blue states and blue cities against Bidens open borders policy, as related yesterday. This is shaping up as a political disaster for Democrats.

So what is Biden going to do about it? Close the border! Finally! Oh, waithes going to close the border around Texas, not the border to the United States:

Biden administration considers forcing migrant families to remain in Texas The Biden administration is considering forcing some migrant families who enter the country without authorization to remain near the border in Texas while awaiting asylum screening, effectively limiting their ability to travel within the U.S., three U.S. officials told The Times. Administration officials have been considering the idea as a way to stem recent increases in the numbers of migrant families crossing the southern border, which reportedly reached an all-time high last month. Supporters of the remain-in-Texas idea, which has yet to be finalized, hope that it would help the administration advance its goals of quickly deporting families who fail initial asylum screenings and deterring other families from crossing in the first place. But the proposal, which recalls President Reagans efforts to limit asylum-seekers movements in the late 1980s, is likely to draw fierce opposition from immigrant rights groups and border-state officials. Since 2022, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has bused thousands of migrants out of his state to Democrat-run cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. The Biden plan would force certain migrant families to remain in Texas  or possibly other border states  by tracking their location through GPS monitoring devices, such as ankle bracelets, according to the three officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Im not sure about the legality of this, but if it is implemented I hope Governor Abbott and other border state governors will simply defy it, and send more migrants to sanctuary cities.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 22:35:48

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AbbottNORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / As a global company with a broad range of businesses, operations in over 160 countries and 115,000 people around the world, diversity is inherent to our business and organization.The Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR) is an organization dedicated to inspiring America's leading companies to expand and grow their work with diverse businesses across the country. They set a high bar - to join the BDR, companies need to spend $1 billion or more with diverse suppliers, every year. It's an important benchmark for demonstrating the positive impact that businesses can have in improving lives and advancing opportunity in diverse communities.At the annual BDR Summit recently held in Chicago, Abbott was proud to be inducted into the exclusive group of Billion Dollar Roundtable members. We've made significant progress in expanding our work with diverse suppliers in recent years. We currently work with more than 1,300 diverse suppliers, including certified minority-, women-, disabled-, LGBTQ-, and veteran-owned businesses, spending $1.7 billion in 2022, an increase of 63% from the prior year.Supplier diversity is an integral part of our broader work to build a resilient and sustainable supply chain, and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. A wider pool of potential suppliers helps strengthen supply chain resilience and ensure business continuity, and also promotes competition in the supply chain, which can enhance products and services and decrease costs.This work is having a significant economic impact as well. A recent analysis showed that our supplier diversity efforts have supported over 7,500 jobs and generated over $4.5 billion in economic impact in the communities where we operate across the U.S.Delivering Even Greater Impact in the Years AheadOur inclusion in the Billion Dollar Roundtable is an important milestone. But we know it's not just about purchasing more products and services from diverse companies.Diverse owners of small companies face real barriers in growing their businesses. Half of diverse businesses can't get a loan. And in healthcare, strict regulations and systemic budget challenges make it hard to compete with bigger, more established rivals.That's why we're working with others to help address these gaps. One example: the Abbott-LISC Initiative to Support Diverse Businesses in Health is investing more than $37 million to provide diverse small businesses with the resources and support they need to compete, grow and create jobs in the healthcare industry. For more on these efforts, please see our story on the LISC collaboration.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Abbott on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: AbbottWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/abbottEmail: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Abbott
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 09:43:11

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FORT MYERS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Align Equity Group (AEG) recently announced the launch of an investment strategy aimed at benefiting small to medium-sized businesses generating revenues between 2 and 15 million dollars. Founded by entrepreneur Nick Ayala, AEG is disrupting the industry by focusing on an overlooked niche that larger equity firms tend to neglect.The introduction of this investment strategy from Align Equity Group has already caught the attention of the business community. Setting itself apart from large cap investments, AEG aims to forge partnerships with founders, management teams and sponsors in order to drive long term value and consistent growth for all companies within its portfolio.Nick Ayala, the visionary behind Align Equity Group plays a role in driving the organization. With his vision and dedication to innovation Nick has laid down the firm's philosophy and strategies. Now, AEG eagerly seeks collaborations with scaling businesses in order to transform them into powerhouses amidst a world brimming with investment opportunities.The new investment strategy implemented by AEG primarily targets businesses with potential for capital appreciation. Particular interest lies in companies operating under a recurring revenue model that generates cash flow and promises favorable long-term growth. The firms main focus concentrates on Professional Services, such as Accounting firms, as well as Home Services like HVAC, Plumbing, Paving and more. In addition to capital investments in the senior care, healthcare and ecommerce.According to Ayala, having cash flow is important in assessing a company's well-being and its ability to generate extra cash after covering operational expenses. AEG's focus on acquisitions and internal growth creates opportunities for mergers enabling partner companies to reach heights.In addition, AEGs latest initiative, called "SHIFT" aims to revolutionize the landscape of business ownership and business brokers. The AEG team actively supports mortgage, real estate, insurance and other brokers in transitioning into the M&A world that offers growth prospects. The SHIFT program opens doors for business owners making the transition smoother. By leveraging and building upon its current network, SHIFT brings buyers and brokers together to get deals done faster and more efficient. Ayala says, "Generally, the biggest hurdle for buyers is finding enough of the right deal flow. In addition, the biggest problem for brokers and sellers is finding enough of the right buyers. We are working to bridge that gap. The goal of SHIFT is to build the best network of M&A professionals so that everyone wins. From the sellers, buyers, brokers, financiers, lawyers and CPA's, more transactions can happen, and those transactions happen faster.We are determined to shift the minds of how deals can get done and introduce this incredible world called Mergers & Acquisitions." AEG is not solely a firm; it also promotes mentorship and professional development through its strategies. The company nurtures a culture of learning and skill enhancement that benefits everyone within the organization by helping them refine their skills and set goals. At AEG, emphasis is placed on effort and determination rather than just success.The announcement of AEGs investment strategy has sparked discussions, among experts and analysts who're eager to see how this unique model will reshape the landscape of small and middle market investments. This approach is specifically tailored to meet the needs of businesses as they strive for growth ambitions.Align Equity Group (AEG) is playing a role by facilitating the exploration of growth opportunities for businesses and challenging traditional investment norms. The introduction of AEG's investment strategy is paving the way for investment prospects in the business landscape. This marks a milestone not for AEG but also for the wider investment community. With a focus on promising small to medium enterprises, this strategy aims to foster valuable partnerships that benefit both sides. Ayala likes to refer to this as being a "Noble Capitalist." As industry observers witness this advancement in the investment arena, AEG is gradually reshaping the future of investments for middle market companies.About Align Equity Group (AEG):AEG is a known firm based in South Florida that specializes in relationship investing. Their diverse investment portfolio spans industries such as e-commerce home services, senior care, professional services, and healthcare. This diversification minimizes risk while also providing AEG with flexibility and adaptability to navigate the changing market landscape. At its core, AEG seeks alignment with businesses that wish to partner with founder owners, management teams, and sponsors to build middle market enterprises.Media DetailsWebsite URL: https://alignequitygroup.com/Company Name: Align Equity GroupEmail address: nayala84@ gmail.com SOURCE: Align Equity Group
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 15:58:31

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First Parcel Plus Opens For Shipping and Office Services in British ColumbiaSAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 6, 2023 / Annex Brands, Inc., a franchisor of seven brands offering packing and shipping, private mailbox rentals, business services, and notary services, is pleased to announce its expansion into the Canadian market with the introduction of its Parcel Plus brand. Licensed and operated by Safcan Logistics, Ltd., Master Licensee of Annex Brands, Inc., the first Parcel Plus location in Canada is now open in Abbotsford, British Columbia, marking a significant milestone in Annex Brands' North American growth."We're thrilled to embark on this North American expansion into Canada with the establishment of the Parcel Plus brand," said Patrick Edd, Chief Executive Officer of Annex Brands. "Our brands are dedicated to empowering customers and small businesses by offering more shipping and business services options." The newly launched Parcel Plus in Abbotsford will offer a comprehensive range of services such as packing and shipping with UPS, FedEx and USPS, mailbox rentals, business services, passport photos, and more to meet the needs of local residents and businesses."We're so happy to be able to serve the Abbotsford community, it's been such an amazing experience so far," said Vinoshnee Reddy, Canada Master Licensee and owner. "Our goal is for this location to become a benchmark for the quality of services and customer experience Parcel Plus provides." Annex Brands, Inc. continues to expand its various brands across the United States with 50+ new franchise locations since 2020. The company is currently a franchisor of seven retail and commercial service brands: PostalAnnex, Pak Mail, AIM Mail Centers, Parcel Plus, Sunshine Pack & Ship, Navis Pack & Ship and Handle With Care Packaging Store. While this is the first Parcel Plus location in Canada, Safcan Logistics, Ltd. plans to open and license 92 locations over the next 20 years as the prominent Master Licensee for Parcel Plus in Canada.For more information on Annex Brands, Inc. franchise opportunities, visit https://www.annexbrands.com/opportunity About Annex Brands:Annex Brands, Inc. licenses and franchises over 800 locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico under the brands PostalAnnex, Pak Mail, AIM Mail Centers, Parcel Plus, Sunshine Pack & Ship, Navis Pack & Ship and Handle With Care Packaging Store. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Annex Brands has been providing business ownership opportunities since 1985. Its franchisees offer business services such as private mailbox rental, notary public service, shipping options via carriers such as UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL, copy service, freight shipping of large, awkward, high-value or fragile items, custom packing solutions through individually tailored wooden crates, cartons and more. For more information, visit www.annexbrands.com ###Contact:Michelle McKeePhone: (619) 563-4800Email: media@ annexbrands.com SOURCE: Annex Brands
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 17:01:34

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PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Billiard Factory, a leading name in quality game room products, is celebrating its entrance into the Phoenix market with two new Phoenix locations on September 23 while partnering with Sunshine Acres Children's Home.For Billiard Factory, the ties with Sunshine Acres are personal. One of its affiliate owners was raised under the compassionate care of Sunshine Acres. Ryan Stick on the alliance, "The bond between Billiard Factory and Sunshine Acres Children's Home is more profound than mere corporate philanthropy. Our ethos resonates with the idea of enabling families and friends to cherish invaluable moments together, one game room at a time. It's about bestowing these children with spaces that foster bonding and camaraderie." A sentiment echoed by Kevin Humphrey, Executive Director of Sunshine Acres Children's Home, "We rely heavily on the generosity of private donors, eschewing direct child-care funds from federal or state bodies. Notably, Sunshine Acres Children's Home saves the Arizona exchequer a whopping $3,168,200 annually. While our core mission is the well-being of our children, we are also conscious contributors to the state's financial health." He further adds, "Without the relentless support of our community, selfless volunteers, generous donors, and conscientious businesses like Billiard Factory, our journey since 1954, touching the lives of over 2000 children, would have been a dream." As Billiard Factory enters the Phoenix market, we invite the public to celebrate the Grand Opening of its two new stores. Join us September 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for free food and giveaways. We will be collecting donations both online and in stores; the proceeds donated through September 23rd will be matched to Sunshine Acres Children's Home, enhancing the lives of its residents with premium game room products. The celebration is being held at:Billiard Factory Scottsdale15090 N. Northsight Blvd.Scottsdale , AZ 85260Billiard Factory Tempe1746 W. Ruby Drive #106Tempe, AZ 85284Billiard Factory extends an invitation to the residents of Phoenix and media houses to be a part of this event.For an in-depth understanding of the event or the partnership:Billiard Factory's WebsiteSunshine Acres Children's Home WebsiteOr initiate a direct conversation with:Ryan StickBilliard FactoryOffice: 281-943-2312Kevin HumphreySunshine Acres Children's HomeExecutive DirectorDirect Line: 480-832-2540About Billiard FactorySince 1975, Billiard Factory has operated retail locations in Texas, Florida, Nevada, and now Arizona. Family-owned and operated, the retailer has become the largest in its category with 13 locationsAbout Sunshine Acres Children's HomeWith an enduring legacy of over 69 years, Sunshine Acres stands as a beacon for children separated from their loved ones. Rooted in its Christian values, the institution is dedicated to instilling core principles, fostering enduring relationships, and sculpting paths towards a rewarding future. For families in need or those interested in experiencing the magic of this place, call 480-832-2540.Contact InformationRyan Stick CEO rstick@ billiardfactory.com 2819432312SOURCE: Billiard Factory
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 02:57:08

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 6, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc.As we celebrate World Entrepreneurs' Day on August 21, it is interesting to reflect on how an established company like Cisco-a Fortune 500 company with more than 80,000 employees-relates to entrepreneurship.Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Cisco. In fact, the qualities that define an entrepreneur such as risk taking, creativity, perseverance, and passion are foundational to the way we operate and pursue opportunities to serve our customers and communities. In fact, the very reason Cisco started in 1984 was born from personal desire to solve an urgent issue and need for personal connection.Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner were not able to email each other from their respective offices at Stanford University because they were on different networks with different local area protocols. They developed the multiprotocol router, and that's how Cisco was born!Their entrepreneurial spirit lives on in a company that strives to solve business challenges for our customers today. Not only that, but Cisco also helps businesses large and small to seize the opportunities of tomorrow.Training future entrepreneursFor more than 25 years, Cisco Networking Academy has trained people to build and maintain networks utilizing the latest technology. But it has done so much more than that. As part of the process, learners are encouraged to work collaboratively, and the program fosters a mindset of identifying and solving problems.These are core entrepreneurial skills. Numerous Networking Academy learners have gone on to use those skills, not only in networking, but in business too.Antonius, from Indonesia, had never encountered a computer until a tsunami brought rescue workers to his hometown, where he saw the value-and opportunity-in tech. He went on to study at Networking Academy and earn CyberOps Associate certification. In one of his first jobs after studying, Antonius used his problem-solving skills to conclude that the network of the large organization where he worked had been hacked, and that rebuilding the system from scratch was the best solution.Niels, in Belgium, took a different path. After working in kitchens from a very young age, Neils decided to embark on Networking Academy study. "I have been in love with tweaking computers all my life," he says. While he found the study challenging at times, with support from the Networking Academy community, he went on to attain CCNA certification. Niels credits the program with giving him the self-belief necessary to start his own penetration testing company.Doing moreObviously, the tech revolution has seen a vast increase in the demand for the sort of hard skills that are the basis of Cisco Networking Academy, and those skills continue to be indispensable.The World Economic Forum found over 85% of organizations surveyed for the 2023 Future of Jobs Report identified increased adoption of new technologies and broadening digital access as the trends most likely to drive transformation in their organization.The same report, however, finds that technological literacy is only the third in the list of skills businesses see as growing in importance over the next five years. Creative thinking and analytical thinking rank as numbers one and two, respectively.Recognizing that technical skills alone are not enough for success in today's business environment, Networking Academy has recently launched several new courses on our Skills For All platform:Engaging Stakeholders for Success provides essential skills for any professional, regardless of the industry. Learning to effectively engage with stakeholders is a core skill in any workplace. In this course, learners gain the insights and tools to identify, prioritize, and engage with stakeholders for success.Discovering Entrepreneurship offers a solid foundation for anyone interested in developing entrepreneurial skills. The course covers entrepreneurship fundamentals, including the entrepreneurial perspective, identifying opportunities, and crafting an entrepreneurial story.The big ideaObviously, no course can teach the entrepreneurs of tomorrow how to have the big idea that drives a new business or industry. But by helping learners recognize that idea and teaching them the analytical and personal skills to make that idea grow, we can help them along that journey.A problem as simple as being unable to send your partner an email saw the founding of the company that would grow into the Cisco we know today. What's your big idea?View original content hereView additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc.Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-incEmail: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 18:59:42

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Feb. 21, 2019 - Aug. 14, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Oct. 31, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/DFS Contact An Attorney Now: DFS@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) Securities Fraud Class Action:The complaint alleges that Defendants made false and misleading statements and failed to disclose that: (1) DFS maintained deficient risk management and compliance procedures; (2) as a result of these deficiencies, DFS had, among other things, failed to comply with applicable student loan servicing standards, misclassified certain credit card accounts, overcharged customers, and failed to stem its ballooning credit card delinquency rate; and (3) these issues, when they became known, would subject DFS to significant financial exposure, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational harm.The truth began to emerge on July 20, 2022, when DFS announced that it was suspending its share repurchase program "because of an internal investigation into its student loan servicing practices and related compliance matters." Then, on July 19, 2023, DFS disclosed that it had misclassified certain credit card products over an approximate 15-year period as a result of an acknowledged compliance failure. DFS stated that correction of the misclassifications negatively impacted its retained earnings and certain previous interim period net income.DFS also revealed that it received a proposed consent order from the FDIC in connection with an unrelated regulatory matter.Finally, on Aug. 14, 2023, DFS announced that Roger C. Hochschild resigned from his position as CEO and President and as a member of the company's board. The same day, DFS reported a significant increase in its credit card delinquency rate."We're focused on investors' losses and are investigating whether DFS may have concealed problems with its compliance and risk management practices," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Discover Financial Services 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 Discover Financial Services 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 DFS@ 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.Attorney advertising.Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 13:00:20

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Live DJ, margaritas, tacos, trip giveaway to Mexico, food trucks and more set for October 14thFORT WORTH, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / You won't want to miss the Fort Worth Tacos & Margarita Festival, presented by Texas Festivals at Panther Island Pavilion.Fort Worth Tacos & Margarita Festival Sample the best Tacos & Margaritas in Fort Worth On Saturday, October 14th, from noon to 6 p.m., join 4,000 other taco and margarita lovers for the Annual Taco & Margarita Festival, and sample some of the best tacos and margs that Fort Worth has to offer.All margaritas will be featuring Premium tequila.Here's how it works:Purchase a ticketReceive Sampling Vouchers for margaritas, tacos and other specialty items.Use Sampling Tickets to purchase tacos and margs from different vendorsEach Sampling Ticket is good for one item (Taco, 3.5 oz Margarita Sample, Elote, Paletas and more)Additional vouchers available for purchase at the Festival for $4 eachA portion of the proceeds benefits Alexiam Foundation, benefiting Children's CharitiesMore than just tacos and margaritas, in addition to offering a margarita lover's dream lineup, the festival will have street tacos, food trucks, fun vendors and live music so guests can fiesta like there's no manana all day long.And if you weren't already convinced to attend, one lucky partygoer will win an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. Every Sampling Ticket purchased gives you one entry, every VIP ticket gives you two entries, and additional raffle tickets are $5 with 100% of the proceeds going towards Children's Charities. The winner will be drawn at 6:15 p.m.The festival will take place at The Shack at Panther Island Pavilion, located at 395 Purcey St, Fort Worth, TX 76102. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Texas Festivals website at FWMargaritaFest.com About Texas FestivalsTexas Festivals is the curator and organizer of fun, safe and interactive food/drink/music festivals in the great state of Texas. With a track record of over 1,200 events since 2009, Texas Festivals continues to curate unforgettable experiences for festival-goers.Contact InformationSam Sameni Marketing Manager sam@ texasfests.com 214-213-1511Related FilesFort Worth TMF 23 Release.pdf SOURCE: Texas Festivals
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 19:01:49

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HE) equity and bond investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Feb. 28, 2019 - Aug. 16, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Oct. 23, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/HE Contact An Attorney Now: HE@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) Securities Fraud Class Action:The complaint alleges that, unknown to investors, (1) Hawaiian Electric's wildfire prevention and safety protocols and procedures were inadequate to meet the challenges for which they were ostensibly designed, and (2) accordingly, despite knowing the degree of risk that wildfires posed to Maui, the company's inadequate safety protocols and procedures placed Maui at a heightened risk of devastating wildfires.On Aug. 12, 2023 (after historic wildfires broke out in Maui, killing dozens of people and causing billions of dollars of damage), The Washington Post reported that "[b]efore the Maui wildfires, Hawaiian Electric did not have a plan - adopted widely in California and other states - to shut off power in certain lines in advance of dangerous winds." According to the Post "Hawaiian Electric was aware that a power shut-off was an effective strategy, documents show, but had not adopted it as part of its fire-mitigation plans, according to the company and two former power and energy officials interviewed by The Washington Post." Citing a former member of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, the Post reported that the decision to avoid shutting off power "is reflective of the utility's struggles to bolster its aging and vulnerable infrastructure against wildfires[.]"Then, on Aug. 16, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hawaiian Electric is in talks with restructuring firms and is exploring options to address its financial and legal challenges arising from the Maui wildfires.The next day, the WSJ reported that, while knowing of wildfire threats, Hawaiian Electric spent less than $245,000 between 2019 and 2022 on Maui wildfire-specific projects.This news drove the price of Hawaiian Electric shares and bonds sharply lower."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Hawaiian Electric misled investors about its operational safeguards necessary to comply with state safety requirements," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Hawaiian Electric 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 Hawaiian Electric 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 HE@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 04:29:14

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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until October 23, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HE), if they purchased the Company's securities between February 28, 2019 and August 16, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Hawaiian Electric and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-he/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by October 23, 2023.About the LawsuitHawaiian Electric and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company's wildfire prevention and safety protocols and procedures were inadequate to meet the challenges for which they were ostensibly designed; (ii) accordingly, despite knowing the degree of risk that wildfires posed to Maui, the Company's inadequate safety protocols and procedures placed Maui at a heightened risk of devastating wildfires; and (iii) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.The case is Bhangal v. Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-04332.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/ Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
ELKO  Kinross Gold Corp.s proposed Juniper Project at its Bald Mountain Mine in White Pine County has won a second endorsement from Elko County Commissioners, who voted to send a letter of support to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the mine project that benefits Elko County.

We are asking for your support to keep families employed in northern Nevada, along with the partners we work with, Stephanie Hallinan, environmental superintendent for Bald Mountain, told commissioners on Sept. 6.

Elko County originally endorsed the project in 2022 before the BLM began the draft environmental impact statement, and now the agency is taking comments on the draft EIS before issuing a final EIS and record of decision.

One of the benefits to the county is that most of the Bald Mountain workers live in Elko County.

Matt Miller, community relations professional for the Bald Mountain Mine, said that out of the little more than 600 people employed at the gold mine 60 miles northeast of Elko near the Elko County line, 435 of them live in Elko County. The remainder of the workers live in Eureka or Ely.

Bald Mountain pays $88 million in yearly wages and benefits, and most of those wages go to Elko County residents, he said.

The Bald Mountain presentation to the county states that the mine has provided $632 million in total economic output, paid $38.5 million in public taxes, including $9.2 million that benefits the local area that includes White Pine and Eureka counties, and that more than 50% of the direct benefit footprint distribution is spent in the local area for wages, suppliers, and taxes.

The Juniper Project would add 11 years to the life of the large open pit, heap leach operation, which Kinross acquired in 2016 from Barrick Gold Corp, and Miller said that we hope to stay around for quite some time. Kinross also owns the Round Mountain Mine in Nye County.

Miller said Kinross-Bald Mountain is involved in the Elko community, including Elko County schools, such as mine employees recently cleaning and restoring the Spring Creek Elementary School playground and mine rescue employees teaching students.

Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi said commissioners are aware of the community projects Kinross supports and appreciate all the road work Bald Mountain performs.

Kinross also is working with the Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority and other mining companies on spending more locally for supplies and services, he told commissioners. That would entail recruiting more businesses, too.

Miller said the companys priority is the health and safety of employees, and Bald Mountain is committed to managing its environmental footprint.

The expansion will be of the North Operations Area, adding roughly 3,969 acres of new surface disturbance on public and private lands. Bald Mountain has 14 mine areas in varying stages of development and/or concurrent reclamation, according to the presentation.

Hallinan said Bald Mountain has worked with the Nevada Department of Wildlife for years because of the mule deer corridors in the north area of the mine and has received reclamation awards for those efforts.

The Juniper Project is an expansion of the existing mine, said Hallinan.

According to the draft EIS, the Bald Mountain expansion involves expansion or modification of seven authorized open pitsthe Redbird, Rat, Top, Poker Flats, Bida, Saga and Winrock Southand development of the Royale and South Duke pits, along with the development of three waste rock disposal areas.

Hallinan said by phone Sept. 7 that the Royale is a new mine area, but South Duke is more of an extension.

The draft EIS also states that the project could include re-establishing the Top Pit underground mine, which was never in production. The draft document states that a decline was planned within the Top Pit footprint to access high-grade ore using contract miners, but the project was delayed and later removed from the plan of operations in the 2016 final EIS.

We do see it as a future development, Hallinan said in the call.

There also would be modifications or development of heap leach facilities, haul roads, inter-pit areas, process areas, ancillary areas and infrastructure, the document states, as well as planned concurrent reclamation.

Attention to the mule deer corridors will continue, according to the draft EIS, which also states that no greater sage-grouse leks would be directly disturbed by the mine expansion, although potential noises could impact leks in the area, and mine-related disturbances would result in the loss of sagebrush habitat.

Bald Mountain also has submitted an eagle-take permit with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking to remove eagle nests because of the expansion, the draft document says. Mitigation would be required.

The draft document additionally reports that there will be no mine dewatering with the expansion.

A history of Bald Mountain shown in a presentation to county commissioners states that there were early mining activities in the area from 1869 to 1956, and Placer Dome partially acquired the mining district in 1976. Barrick took over Bald Mountain in 2006 after its acquisition of Placer Dome. Kinross acquired Bald Mountain in 2016, but Barrick kept 50% of the central zone for joint venture exploration.

Kinross obtained the remaining 50% of the joint exploration venture in 2018, consolidating its ownership of Bald Mountain, which has produced nearly 1.32 million gold equivalent ounces since Kinross took over.

The final EIS is tentatively scheduled for release this fall, followed by a record of decision in the winter of this year or early next year, according to the Federal Register Notice of Availability published Aug. 18.

Hallinan said the BLM is taking comments through Oct. 5 on the draft EIS, and there will be an in-person, public meeting on the project from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Ely BLM office.

Comments can be emailed to blm_nv_eydo_juniper_eis@blm.gov or mailed to the BLM Bristlecone Field Office, Attention: Bald Mountain Mine project, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, NV 89301.
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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP( www.ktmc.com) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. ("Hawaiian Electric") (NYSE:HE). The action charges Hawaiian Electric with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the company's business, operations, and prospects. As a result of Hawaiian Electric's materially misleading statements and omissions to the public, Hawaiian Electric's investors have suffered significant losses.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/hawaiian-electric-industries-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=he&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERELEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE:OCTOBER 23, 2023CLASS PERIOD: FEBRUARY 28, 2019 THROUGH AUGUST 16, 2023CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:Jonathan Naji, Esq. at (484) 270-1453 or via email at info@ ktmc.com Kessler Topaz is one of the world's foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.HAWAIIAN ELECTRICS'S ALLEGED MISCONDUCTThe Class Period begins on February 28, 2019 when Hawaiian Electric filed its Annual Report which stated, among other things, that the company had "appropriately responded to environmental conditions." In early August 2023, a series of severe wildfires broke out in Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. The most destructive fire began in West Maui near the town of Lahaina on the morning of August 8, 2023. By that afternoon, intense winds had knocked down approximately 30 utility poles throughout Maui, resulting in at least 15 separate outages impacting more than 12,400 customers. Moreover, videos captured by local residents showed that downed power lines belonging to Hawaiian Electric appeared to have ignited at least several of the fires. Ultimately, the wind-driven fires prompted evacuations, caused widespread damage, and have killed at least 114 people, with some 850 others still missing in Lahaina.On August 12, 2023, news outlets began reporting that Hawaiian Electric lacked the proper policies and procedures to mitigate the impact of the wildfires. Specifically, it was revealed that, at the time the wildfires began, the company did not maintain a public power shutoff plan-i.e., a plan in which electricity is intentionally cut off to areas where strong wind events could cause the fires to spread. On this news, Hawaiian Electric's stock price fell $10.94 per share, or 33.76%, to close at $21.46 per share on August 14, 2023.Then, on August 16, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hawaiian Electric is meeting with firms that specialize in restructuring advisory work and exploring options for the various financial and legal challenges that the company faces as a consequence from the Maui wildfires.Finally, on August 17, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hawaiian Electric had for years been aware of the threat posed by wildfire but waited years to act. Specifically, the report stated that between 2019 and 2022, Hawaiian Electric spent less than $245,000 on wildfire-specific projects on Maui and did not seek state approval to raise utility rates to pay for broad wildfire safety improvements until 2022. Following this news, Hawaiian Electric's stock price fell $2.54 per share, or 17.43%, to close at $12.03 per share on August 17, 2023.WHAT CAN I DO?Hawaiian Electric investors may, no later than October 23, 2023, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPor other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages Hawaiian investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. The class action complaint against Hawaiian Electric, Bhangal v. Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., et al., Case No. 23-cv-04332, is filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASEWHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLPKessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com CONTACT:Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPJonathan Naji, Esq.280 King of Prussia RoadRadnor, PA 19087(484) 270-1453info@ ktmc.com SOURCE: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. ("Hawaiian Electric" or the "Company") (NYSE:HE) and certain of its officers.Class Definition:This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Hawaiian Electric securities between February 28, 2019 and August 16, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case.Case Details:The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically,Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:(1) Hawaiian Electric's wildfire prevention and safety protocols and procedures were inadequate to meet the challenges for which they were ostensibly designed; (2) accordingly, despite knowing the degree of risk that wildfires posed to Maui, the Company's inadequate safety protocols and procedures placed Maui at a heightened risk of devastating wildfires; and (3) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.What's Next?A class action lawsuit has already been filed. You may review a copy of the Complaint. You may also contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 332-239-2660. If you suffered a loss in Hawaiian Electric you have until October 23, 2023 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.Contact:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 6, 2023 / McDonald's CorporationRMHC is a global network of more than 260 Chapters that help families access medical care for their children and family support services in more than 60 countries and regions throughout the world. Ronald McDonald House Charities and RMHC are trademarks of McDonald's Corporation and its affiliates. RMHC programs provide families with somewhere to stay in or near leading hospitals and healthcare services, helping to ensure they are fully supported along their child's healthcare journey. RMHC is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization.In total, McDonald's, our Franchisees and customers donated over $182 million to RMHC in 2022, helping the charity provide more than 2.2 million overnight stays for RMHC families around the world.All donation and monetary figures have been converted to U.S. dollars and are approximate.2022 HighlightsMcDonald's Corporation donated $20 million as part of our five-year, $100 million commitment to support families when they need it most.More than 28,000 individuals in the McDonald's System - including Owner/Operators, Developmental Licensees, employees and crew - actively volunteered with RMHC Chapters."Round-Up for RMHC" - providing customers with the opportunity to round up their purchase to the nearest whole number - continued in select markets, raising over $32 million across participating restaurants.More than $24 million was donated worldwide through RMHC Donation Boxes at restaurant counters and Drive-Thru windows.What Ronald McDonald House Charities DoesThrough three core global programs and hundreds of local programs, RMHC provides stability and vital resources to families around the world.Ronald McDonald House programs - More than just a place to sleep, each House is near the hospital and provides meals and a range of supportive services to families with a hospitalized child.384 Ronald McDonald House programs48 countries9,649 bedrooms for families around the world every nightRonald McDonald Family Room programs - Located within the hospital, this program offers families a place to recharge, rest and have a snack, all within a few steps of their child's bedside.269 Ronald McDonald Family Room programs29 countriesAccommodating more than 3,400 visits by families every dayRonald McDonald Care Mobile programs - In partnership with a clinical services provider, these mobile units provide medical, dental and healthcare resources to children and families in underserved communities around the world.39 Ronald McDonald Care Mobile programs9 countriesServes more than 76,000 children a yearOur Strategy: McDonald's & RMHC Working in PartnershipWhen our communities need us, we show up. Collective support from McDonald's, our Franchisees, suppliers and customers helps RMHC continue offering the important programs that keep families in or near leading hospitals and healthcare services, ensuring they have access to the medical care their child needs. McDonald's ongoing support of RMHC is a central pillar of our commitment to have a positive impact on the communities where we operate, and we are proud to be more than a founding partner of RMHC - we are its forever partner. See our Community Impact & Philanthropy page for more information. McDonald's, along with individual donors and corporate partners, plays a key role in supporting RMHC in its efforts to keep families together during their child's medical journey.In some countries or regions, McDonald's donates a percentage of the sale of specific products or runs other special promotions in restaurants. We make it easy for our customers to support RMHC too, through a range of on-site and modernized giving opportunities.1In 2022, McDonald's Corporation donated $20 million as part of our five-year, $100 million commitment to support families when they need it most. The gift is helping RMHC deliver its mission through:Direct financial support to Chapters, including capital expansion grants.Chapter capacity building and consultation services in areas such as operations, infrastructure, financial management, fundraising, branding and people development.Resource development for the RMHC system and advancement of key global initiatives in financial management, leadership training and systems/ technology improvement.McDonald's Actions in 2022The McDonald's community has provided their time, funds, and in-kind services, all of which have helped RMHC to positively impact millions of children and their families since 1974. The actions we take - alongside our customers, Franchisees and suppliers around the world - have enabled us to continue to support families, despite unforeseen global challenges. Here are just a few examples from 2022:More than 28,000 individuals in the McDonald's System - including Owner/Operators, Developmental Licensees, employees and crew - actively volunteered with RMHC Chapters. Some even volunteer as RMHC Board members, helping shape the ways in which local Chapters meet the critical needs of children and their families in their local community. Volunteers are vital to RMHC, helping offset costs and allowing the charity to direct more donations to services supporting children and their families.When McDonald's Portugal redesigned the uniforms of all 9,500 crew members, the team developed an innovative circular economy initiative to recycle the more than 18,000 used uniforms. These uniforms were transformed into recycled textile yarns and converted into new textile bags, and 5,500 bags were then donated to RMHC Portugal to be used as "Family Welcome Kits" with items to improve families' well-being.Tyson Foods provided six branded food programs across Ronald McDonald House programs in the U.S. The programs enabled guest families to access quick meals around the clock and also offered refrigerators/freezers and products to the Houses in core Tyson markets.UL Solutions became the first RMHC partner solely dedicated to supporting its global sustainability efforts. In alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, UL Solutions offers building assessments to evaluate the indoor air quality of several RMHC programs. The partnership galvanizes UL Solutions' network of employees to give back and volunteer at their local RMHC Chapters, and provides educational resources to reinforce sustainability priorities for more than 260 RMHC Chapters across the globe.Relief Response Around the GlobeAs our communities navigated through adversity, McDonald's - along with our global community of customers, suppliers and Franchisees - continued supporting RMHC Chapters around the world. Our efforts to help families with sick children during very difficult tim
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*FRENCH VERSION TO FOLLOW / VERSION FRANCAISE A SUIVREWith gratitude, we acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island and we affirm our ongoing commitment to principles and processes of reconciliation and to the TRC 94 Calls to Action.TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 6, 2023 / Social Value Canada (SVC), the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI), and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) announced the release of the first Technical Specification (TS) for Impact Statements' issued by for-profit entities seeking to report credibly on impact and sustainability performance.Moving Canada Forward on Sustainability Reporting PracticesWith the increasing demand for credible non-financial reporting within ESG and sustainability reporting, this Technical Specification (TS) for Impact Statements for Profit- Oriented Entities offers essential guidance for all companies seeking to report credibly on the social, environmental, and financial impact linked to their operations, goods and services, and relationships.Developed by a technical committee of leading Canadian experts in sustainable finance, impact measurement, and reporting, the technical specification is aligned with international standards and norms in the field of non-financial reporting. This includes UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP), Impact Management Project Norms hosted by Impact Frontier, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the SDG Impact Standards, the Social Value International Principles and Standards, the European Union Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the Corporate Sustainability Responsibility Directive (CSRD) regulations, and the Draft Canadian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy."The Digital Governance Standards Institute is happy to lend our expertise to the development of the Technical Standard", said Darryl Kingston, Executive Director of the Digital Governance Standards Institute. "Canadian companies face an increasing demand to produce credible sustainability reports and we hope the reporting process outlined will be of great benefit to those tasked with creating those reports." "A major challenge to companies is to develop a process to consistently report on impact", said Chantal Guay, CEO of the Standards Council. "This Technical Specification offers guidance in an area that is an increasing corporate priority." Aligning with Global LeadershipWith federal net zero and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals clearly in mind, Canada joins other nations, including Britain, France, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Japan, in raising expectations for corporate non-financial disclosure. "The development of this TS was an opportunity for technical experts in impact reporting to come together and share expertise to the benefit of sustainability reporting", said Stephanie Robertson, Acting Executive Director, Social Value Canada and International Co-Chair of Social Value International. "The TS benefited greatly from the combined efforts of the Technical Committee which included experts from Rally Assets, Raven Capital Partners, The Common Approach, and impak Analytics, and from the highly valuable feedback received through public consultation." By providing a clear structure for transparent and high-quality impact statements that avoids greenwashing and ensures relevant data is included, the TS will serve as a cornerstone for Canada's non-financial reporting for listed and private companies."This giant step towards corporations' sustainable accountability is also the very first step towards a transition plan and the generation of more positive impacts. This pioneering initiative will not only help the Canadian financial sector's sustainable transformation, but its entire economy," explains Paul Allard, CEO of impak Analytics.For more information or any questions about the standards development activities, please contact Darryl Kingston.More about the Lead OrganizationsThe Digital Governance Standards Institute develops digital technology governance standards fit for global use. The Institute works with experts, as well as national and global partners and the public to develop standards that reduce risk to communities, business and governments adopting and using innovative digital technologies in today's digital economy. The Institute is an independent division of the Digital Governance Council. Learn more at dgc-cgn.org Social Value Canada is Canada's professional network for social value and maximizing impact. As part of a global movement transforming how the world captures and assigns value in decision-making, the network extends across all sectors of the Canadian economy and throughout Canadian society. New tools and methods are developing, and assurance standards and practices are emerging, all toward the goal of maximizing the well-being of people and the planet. Learn more at socialvalue-canada.org About The Standards Council of CanadaThe Standards Council of Canada (SCC) was created by the Government of Canada as a Crown corporation in 1970. SCC leads and facilitates the development and use of national and international standards and accreditation services in order to enhance Canada's competitiveness and well-being.scc.ca/en For media inquiries:Adam Pillsbury Social Value Canada adam@ socialvalue-canada.org Darryl Kingston Executive Director Digital Governance Standards Institute darryl.kingston@dgc-cgn.org *en francaisNouvelles directives publiees visant les entreprises canadiennes pour la comptabilite de leur impact durableTORONTO, ON / 6 septembre, 2023Avec gratitude, nous reconnaissons que nous vivons, travaillons et jouons sur les territoires traditionnels de nombreux peuples autochtones de l'ile de la Tortue et nous affirmons que notre engagement continu en faveur des principes et processus de reconciliation et des 94 appels a l'action de la Commission de verite et reconciliation.TORONTO, Canada, le 6 septembre 2023 - Social Value Canada (SVC), l'Institut des normes de gouvernance numerique (INGN) et le Conseil canadien des normes (CCN) ont annonce la publication de la premiere  Specification technique pour Bilans d'impact  pour les entites a but lucrative cherchant a comptabiliser de maniere credible leur impact et leur performance en matiere de durabilite.Elever le Canada dans les pratiques en matiere de rapports de durabiliteFace a la demande croissante de rapports non-financiers dans le cadre ESG et de durabilite, cette
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The global persea americana oil market report is a comprehensive report that provides a detailed analysis of the current status and future trends of the persea americana oil market worldwide. This report provides valuable information to industry stakeholders by offering an in-depth perspective on market dynamics, competitive landscape, growth opportunities, and key challenges faced by industry participants.From the perspective of market dynamics, this report explores the factors driving the growth of the persea americana oil market. This includes the increasing demand for persea americana oil products due to changes in consumer preferences, technological advancements, and the demand for more efficient and sustainable solutions. Additionally, government regulations and initiatives to promote the adoption of persea americana oil products also contribute to market growth. On the other hand, this report identifies and analyzes factors that may hinder market growth, such as economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and intense competition in the market.Request for Sample Report:The competitive landscape section of the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the leading companies operating in the persea americana oil market. It introduces the major companies, their business strategy, product portfolio, recent trends, and financial performance. This analysis provides valuable insights for market stakeholders to understand the intensity of competition in the market and gain an insightful view of the strategies adopted by major market players to maintain their position.Some of the major companies in the Persea Americana Oil market are as follows: Aceites Especiales, Aconcagua Oil & Extract, Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil, AvoPacific, AvoPure, Avoolio, Bella Vado, Bio Planete, Cate de mi CorazAn (Madivi), Chosen Foods, Da Gama Avocado Oil, Grove Avocado Oil, Grupo Industrial Batellero, Grupo Oleo, Hain Celestial Group, Kevala, La Tourangelle, Mt. Kenya Fresh Avocados, Olivado, Proteco Oils, Sesajal, Tron Hermanos, Westfalia, YasinBy segmenting the market, the report provides a detailed understanding of each segment by analyzing market size, growth potential, and key trends within each segment. Through this detailed analysis, industry participants can identify profitable opportunities, develop strategies tailored to specific customer segments, and allocate resources effectively.Market Segmentation:Type: Refined Persea Americana Oil, Crude Persea Americana OilApplication: Edible Oil, Cosmetics & Skin Care Products, OthersIdentifying growth opportunities is crucial for companies operating in the persea americana oil market. This report focuses on highlighting these opportunities by analyzing emerging technologies, market trends, and changing customer needs that have the potential to shape the future of the market. By identifying untapped market segments, geographies with high growth potential, and innovative product development strategies, this report supports stakeholders in harnessing these opportunities and leading business growth.In addition, this report addresses the key challenges faced by industry participants. It provides insightful information on challenges such as intense market competition, price pressure, regulatory compliance, and technological confusion. By understanding these challenges, companies can develop effective mitigation strategies and adapt to a constantly changing market environment. This enables them to ensure sustainable growth.The regional analysis section of the global persea americana oil market report thoroughly evaluates the market in various regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. This section provides valuable information on market size, growth potential, and key market trends specific to each region.Market by Regions:North AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.FranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaThis report provides a comprehensive assessment of the persea americana oil market in these specific regions, enabling stakeholders to understand regional differences, market potential, and growth prospects. This provides valuable insights that help make informed decisions related to market entry, expansion strategies, and resource allocation. Additionally, understanding the regulatory landscape and market dynamics in each region is useful for companies to comply with regulatory requirements and adjust their business strategies to fit specific markets.Overall, the global persea americana oil market report strives to provide comprehensive and practical information to industry stakeholders. By offering a deep understanding of market trends, competitive dynamics, growth opportunities, and potential risks, this report plays a valuable role as a tool for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and investors. Through this information, they are able to make informed business decisions and execute successful strategies in the dynamic and evolving persea americana oil market.
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Program designed to provide state-of-the-art training vessels to five state maritime academiesPHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Philly Shipyard, Inc. ("Philly Shipyard"), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA (Oslo:PHLY), today delivered the Empire State, the first of five new purpose-built, modern training vessels for America's state maritime academies. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) new vessel program - known as National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) - was designed to provide world-class training for America's future mariners and to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need. This first vessel, Empire State, was delivered to MARAD and will serve SUNY Maritime College."We are beyond proud to deliver the Empire State today, our first government newbuild in the history of Philly Shipyard." said Steinar Nerbovik, President & CEO of Philly Shipyard. "We are honored to be trusted with this important project, and on behalf of all of our skilled workers, we are confident that the Empire State will provide a safe, reliable and state-of-the-art training platform for generations of future mariners." Philly Shipyard was awarded the contract to build the NSMVs by TOTE Services, LLC ("TOTE Services"), a U.S.-based company that was hired by MARAD to oversee the construction of the training vessels as the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM). The NSMV Program is the first government sponsored ship building program to utilize the VCM model. This model places the responsibility for the selection and oversight of the shipyard on a government contractor that utilizes commercial best practices to manage the project.The next training vessel, NSMV II, destined for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, is scheduled to be delivered in 2024. Meanwhile, the keel laying for NSMV III (Maine Maritime Academy) and steel cutting for NSMV IV (Texas A&M Maritime Academy) were recently completed. Construction of NSMV V (California Maritime Academy) will commence later this year with all vessels to be delivered by 2026."Today's delivery of the Empire State is a historic moment for the American maritime industry made possible by the U.S. Government's investments in our nation's industrial base," said TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon. "These investments are on full display as we look to build the next generation of domestic mariner training ships more cost effectively - and on schedule - using commercial innovation and best practices. We must also give credit to the dedicated and skilled workers at Philly Shipyard, whose tireless efforts in the face of unprecedented challenges helped make this milestone possible." The NSMV program is an important investment in America's shipbuilding industry, which supports nearly 400,000 U.S. jobs. Each NSMV will feature numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and accommodations for up to 600 cadets to train in a first-rate maritime academic environment at sea. State maritime academies graduate officers who manage vessels that help keep cargoes and our economy moving. Many of these merchant mariners also support U.S. national security by crewing military sealift vessels.Today's delivery of the Empire State marks the delivery of the first government ship built using the VCM contract model. This innovative approach enables shipyards to apply commercial best practices for design and construction to government vessels. There is growing interest in the VCM contract model and its potential applicability to government shipbuilding programs to reduce costs, accelerate delivery times, and build more vessels.###About the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) ProgramThe U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration's (MARAD) NSMV program is designed to provide a purpose-built, state-of-the-art training platform for the state maritime academies in New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Texas, and California, respectively.This next-generation training fleet will address a critical shortage of qualified officers necessary to crew government and commercial owned sealift ships. In addition to providing world-class training for America's future mariners, the NSMVs will be available to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need.The NSMV will feature numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and have space for up to 600 cadets to train in a first-rate maritime academic environment at sea. State maritime academies graduate more than half of all new officers each year-the merchant mariners who help keep cargoes and our economy moving. Many also support U.S. national security by crewing military sealift vessels.In addition to being a state-of-the-art training and educational platform, each ship will feature modern hospital facilities, a helicopter pad, and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people in times of humanitarian need. Adding to the NSMV's capability, it will provide needed roll-on/roll-off and container storage capacity for use during disaster relief missions.Ship specifications will be compatible with the pier length, draft restrictions, and mooring limitations at each of the maritime training academies.Vessel specifications:Length: 159.85 mBreadth: 27.00 mDraft, scantling: 7.50 mTotal berthing: 760 peopleSpeed: 18 ktsDeadweight: 8,487 MTAbout Philly ShipyardPhilly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) is a leading U.S. shipbuilder that is presently pursuing a mix of commercial and government work. It possesses a state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility and has earned a reputation as a preferred provider of oceangoing merchant vessels with a track record of delivering quality ships, having delivered around 50% of all large ocean-going Jones Act commercial ships since 2000. PSI is the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. Philly Shipyard ASA is listed on the Euronext Expand Oslo (Oslo: PHLY) and is majority-owned by Aker Capital AS, which in turn is wholly-owned by Aker ASA (Aker). Aker is an industrial investment company that exercises active ownership to create value. Aker has ownership interests in oil and gas, renewable energy and green technologies, maritime assets, marine biotechnology and industrial software, and its portfolio includes companies like Aker BP, Aker Horizons, Aker BioMarine, Cognite, and Aker Solutions. For more information about Philly Shipyard, please visit www.phillyshipyard.com About TOTE ServicesTOTE Services, LLC ("TOTE Services") is a U.S.-based ship management company that provides full technical services and crewing to meet the needs of commercial, privately-owned, and U.S. Government vessels. Since 2015%2
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BOSTON, MA and OXFORD, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / Preservica, a global leader in Active Digital PreservationTM archiving, has partnered with AM, a global publisher whose digital collections and technology platforms enrich the study, research and teaching of primary sources.This collaboration will result in an integration that enables users of AM's Digital Asset Management (DAM) system, Quartex, to publish engaging, interactive, and accessible digital archives and to effortlessly preserve their collections, including assets and metadata, to prevent loss and degradation in the future using Preservica's Active Digital Preservation technology.Quartex, AM's innovative DAM and website creation tool, empowers its customers to publish customizable digital collection websites that comply with WCAG accessibility guidelines. Additionally, Quartex offers tools such as digital exhibits, the IIIF compatibility, and a suite of transcription services for print, handwritten and audio-visual collections that enhance users' ability to discover and interrogate digital objects.Preservica's Active Digital Preservation system, brings information forward over time, moving files from old formats to current formats, ensuring it remains readable. Preservica's digital preservation system automatically ensures nothing is lost during transitions through fidelity and fixity of data conversion and keeps all the original files alongside a full audit trail of preservation actions. Additionally, Preservica's technology supports over 2,000 file formats, allowing libraries to streamline their long-term, high-value digital collections from multiple departments and systems into a single repository for long-term care and choose which assets remain private and which are made publicly available through Quartex.Together, Preservica and AM Quartex offer libraries a well-rounded digital ecosystem to protect and publish their digital assets.Deirdre Joyce, Head of Digital Stewardship and the Digital Library at Syracuse University said, "Best in class modularity of our systems is key to our vision for the digital library at Syracuse University Libraries. By partnering with companies like AM for both our DAMS and the public interface of our digital library and Preservica for our long-term digital preservation needs, we are better able to pinpoint and manage the granular, unique needs of our digital objects and collections for our diverse user constituencies throughout the digital curation lifecycle." To learn more about how Preservica and Quartex complement Syracuse University's digital collections program, visit the Charleston Hub.Preservica and AM both serve the global library community and share a growing list of customers, notably within the academic, public library and special library communities.Joanne Fitton, Deputy Director of Libraries, Museums and Galleries at the University of Liverpool said - "The integration between Preservica and AM Quartex was really appealing to us as we look to develop our approach to both preservation and access for digital collections simultaneously. Each system offers solutions to different pieces of the puzzle, and ultimately, the integration will ensure we create seamless workflows to support our small team, keeping the user experience at the forefront of our development and working creatively with our stakeholders." Anticipated for release later this year, the teams will actively engage with shared customers to gather feedback and insights, ensuring that the integration evolves to meet their specific needs. This collaborative approach aims to maximize the investment in both systems and deliver a seamless user experience.Preservica and AM's partnership represents a significant milestone in digital preservation and asset management. It offers enhanced capabilities and value not only to their shared customers but also to organizations seeking to implement a comprehensive digital collections program. By combining the power of Active Digital Preservation technology with a cutting-edge DAM and website creation system, this collaboration empowers institutions to preserve, manage, and unlock the full potential of their digital collections for researchers, educators and future generations.To further inform libraries about the benefits of utilizing both Preservica and Quartex, Preservica and AM will be hosting a webinar on October 18th. Hosted through the Library Journal, the webinar will provide valuable insights into the synergies of both systems and demonstrate how the integration works. To learn more about Preservica and AM and to receive an invitation to the Library Journal webinar, register your interest here.About PreservicaPreservica is transforming the way organizations around the world protect and future-proof critical long-term digital information. Available in the cloud (SaaS) or on-premise, our award-winning Active Digital Preservation archiving software has been designed from the ground up to tackle the unique challenges of ensuring digital information remains accessible and trustworthy over decades.It's a proven solution that's trusted by thousands of businesses, archives, libraries, museums and government organizations around the world, including the UK National Archives, Texas State Library and Archives, MoMA, Yale and HSBC. www.preservica.comTwitter: @PreservicaLinkedIn: @PreservicaAbout AM QuartexAM's digital collections and technology platforms enrich the study, research and teaching of primary sources. With over 30 years' experience working with librarians, educators and archivists, AM is inspired by archival materials and passionate about the technology that brings them to life. AM partners with libraries, archives and heritage institutions to digitise the world's historical and cultural knowledge. Developed to present AM's own primary source collections, Quartex helps customers bring archival materials to life. www.amdigital.co.uk/quartex Twitter: @AdamMatthewGrpLinkedIn: @adam-matthew-digital-ltdMedia ContactAleeza GoodmanYork IEaleeza@ york.ie SOURCE: Preservica
PR-Inside.com: 2023-09-08 06:05:20

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ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE AND AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGENot for release to US wire services or distribution in the United StatesSUBIACO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / The Board of RTG Mining Inc. ("RTG", the "Company") (TSX:RTG)(ASX:RTG) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the issue of 81,037,020 Chess Depository Instruments ("Securities") at a price of A$0.048 per Security to institutional and sophisticated investors under Tranche 2 of the private placement announced by the Company on 4 July 2023 ("Private Placement").Tranche 2 of the Private Placement raised proceeds of circa A$3.8 million (before costs).In addition, the Company issued 193,286,828 free attaching unlisted options pursuant to the Private Placement ("Attaching Options"). Two (2) Attaching Options were issued for every three (3) Securities issued, exercisable at 7.5c with a 12 month expiry from the date of issue.A Notice of Meeting to approve Tranche 2 of the Private Placement was sent to shareholders on 2 August 2023. Shareholders approved Tranche 2 at the Extraordinary General Meeting on 31 August 2013.Euroz Hartleys and Foster Stockbroking, together with INTE Securities LLC and M2-Advisors (the "Agents"), acted as Joint Lead Managers to the Private Placement.ABOUT RTG MINING INCRTG Mining Inc. is a mining and exploration company listed on the main board of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Australian Securities Exchange. RTG is currently focused primarily on progressing the Mabilo Project to start-up having now received a mining permit for the Project, with a view to moving quickly and safely to a producing gold and copper company.RTG also has a number of exciting new opportunities including the Panguna Project in Bougainville, which it remains committed to while also considering further new business development opportunities.RTG has an experienced management team which has to date developed seven mines in five different countries, including being responsible for the development of the Masbate Gold Mine in the Philippines through CGA Mining Limited. RTG has some of the most respected international institutional investors as shareholders including Franklin Templeton, Equinox Partners and Sun Valley.ENQUIRIESJustine MageePresident & CEOTel: +61 8 6489 2900Email: jmagee@ rtgmining.com Jaime WellsUS Investor Relations ContactTel: +1 970 640 0611Email: jwells@ rtgmining.com Sam BurnsAustralia Investor and Media ContactTel: +61 400 164 067Email: sam.burns@sdir.com.au COMPLIANCE STATEMENTDate: 8 September 2023Authorised for release by: By the Board of DirectorsCAUTIONARY NOTE STATEMENTThe Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed nor does it accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.This announcement includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this announcement, other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements, including statements made or implied relating to the anticipated timing, closing, size, structure of and exemptions utilized under the Private Placement, the use of the net proceeds from the Private Placement, the timing of the shareholder meeting to approve Tranche 2 of the Private Placement, the Company's opportunities to diversify its Philippine interests and to participate in the redevelopment of the Panguna Mine in Bougainville, the Company's objectives, strategies to achieve those objectives, the Company's beliefs, plans, estimates and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, plans for further exploration. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on certain factors and assumptions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RTG's expectations include uncertainties related to market conditions and demand for the Private Placement, the receipt of requisite shareholder and regulatory approvals, fluctuations in gold and other commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, recovery rates, production estimates and estimated economic return; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the development of RTG's mineral projects; the need to obtain additional financing to develop RTG's mineral projects; the possibility of delay in development programs or in construction projects and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones for RTG's mineral projects and other risks and uncertainties as discussed in RTG's annual report for the year ended December 31, 2022 and detailed from time to time in our other filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities available at www.sedar.com . The forwardlooking statements made in this announcement relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. RTG will not release publicly any revisions or updates to these forwardlooking statements to reflect events, circumstances or unanticipated events occurring after the date of this announcement except as required by law or by any appropriate regulatory authority.NOT FOR RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATESThis announcement has been prepared for publication in Canada and Australia and may not be released to US wire services or distributed in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Any securities described in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act), except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, registration under the US Securities Act and applicable US state securities laws.SOURCE: RTG Mining Inc.
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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until October 2, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE:RTX), if they purchased the Company's securities between February 8, 2021 and July 25, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of RTX and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-rtx/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by October 2, 2023.About the LawsuitRTX and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company's Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine that powers hundreds of aircraft across many airlines had been affected by a quality control issue from at least 2015-2020; (ii) the quality control issue would require the Company to recall and reinspect many of its GTF airplanes, affecting customers and harming its business; and (iii) as a result, RTX's statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.The case is Peneycad v. RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation, et al., No. 23-cv-01035.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/ Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until October 19, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Shift4 Payments, Inc. (NYSE:FOUR), if they purchased the Company's securities between November 10, 2021 and April 18, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Shift4 and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-four/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by October 19, 2023.About the LawsuitShift4 and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On April 19, 2023, Blue Orca Capital reported that "Shift4 [is], in reality, a roll-up of low-tech POS systems and payment processors which is substantially less profitable, generates far less cash, and is materially more levered than investors are led to believe," and that in 2022, the Company "engaged in a string of highly questionable and hyper-aggressive accounting maneuvers seemingly designed to keep the stock afloat, from cash flow manipulation to inexplicable distributor acquisitions that enabled it to capitalize a major component of COGS [cost of goods sold]."On this news, shares of Shift4 fell $5.95 per share, or 8.68%, to close at $62.59 per share on April 19, 2023.The case is O'Meara v. Shift4 Payments, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-03206.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/ CONTACT:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has released its final report on the Jan. 23, 2023 fatal accident at the Meikle Mine in Nevada Gold Mines Goldstrike Underground operation. The Goldstrike Mine is in Eureka County north of Carlin.

The report said Alejandro Castaneda, a 49-year-old technician with over 19 years of experience, was killed while standing on a scissor lift along with another miner to remove a chiller pipe suspended from the mine roof. As the other miner removed the pipes coupling, the pipe forcefully came apart, and a rush of water pushed Castaneda off the scissor lift and he fell to the floor below.

Following its investigation of the accident MSHA issued an order and two citations to Nevada Gold Mines. One citation said NGM did not ensure that the miner used fall protection while working where there was a danger of falling. The other said there was a failure to conduct an adequate workplace examination to make sure there was not water pressure in the line before work began.

MSHA has not yet issued the proposed penalties for the violations.

Following a fatal accident at NGMs Cortez underground operations on Feb. 14, 2022, in which a lube truck backed over the edge of an open stope, MSHA said NGM engaged in aggravated conduct constituting more than ordinary negligence and issued two orders and one citation to NGM after the investigation of the accident was completed in 2023. The citation and one of the orders each carried a penalty of $85,580, and the penalty for the other order was $54,918, for a total of $226,078. The MSHA website says these penalties are currently being contested.

MSHA penalties issued to NGMs underground operations so far in 2023 come to a total of $232,194. The total penalties issued to NGM underground operations were $42,282 in 2022, $83,025 in 2021, $15,432 in 2020, and $6,076 in 2019.

The MSHA report on the Jan. 23 fatality at the Meikle Mine said Castaneda and the other miner disconnected and removed a 20-foot section of the empty supply-side water pipe without incident. When the return-side pipe forcefully came apart and the water pushed Castaneda off the scissor lift, the miner who had removed the coupling was inundated with water. The report said this miner was seriously hurt in the incident. A third miner moved the scissor lift forward to get away from the flow of water. The two miners went back to Castaneda, who was about ten feet down the travelway.

The accident happened at around 12:35 p.m. A fourth miner who was tramming a mucker/loader through the area called mayday over the mine communication system. Mine Emergency Medical Services came to the accident scene and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Castaneda and transported him to the surface. A MedX AirOne flight crew arrived and took over care of Castaneda. A doctor pronounced Castaneda dead at 1:52 p.m.

The MSHA report explained that the two ten-inch metal pipes being removed were part of a closed loop chiller system that had been abandoned. The chiller pipe system ran from the chiller buildings on the surface to the 1600-foot underground level.

Both the supply and return pipes had isolation valves. One set of isolation valves was about 60 feet away from the accident location. These valves were closed. The report said the closed valves on the return pipe near the thrust block, along with the closed isolation valve on the return line 60 feet away from the accident site left water trapped in the return chiller pipe which was pressurized by up to 1,600 feet of water column all the way back to the surface.

If full, this entrapped water column pressurized the return chiller pipe with an estimated 700 pounds per square inch of water pressure due to gravity, the report said.

The MSHA investigator was not able to determine how much water was in the pipe at the time of the accident.

According to the report, NGM has a procedure in place which requires miners to identify and isolate all energy sources, turn off and lock the main feed valves, and open relief valves to release stored energy. On the day of the accident, the miners did not follow these steps before removing the pipe.

The report said all three miners at the scene had conducted workplace examinations, but these examinations were not adequate because they did not identify that there was pressurized water in the pipe. Two of the examination records were found on the travelway but were illegible due to the water and mud.

The scissor lift had multiple tie-off posts for D-rings on the deck. The report said Castaneda had a fall protection harness on but was not tied off to anything.

The MSHA report said NGM has retrained miners in their existing policy to know and use fall protection procedures while working from the scissor lift, and has retrained miners in their existing procedure to check for all forms of stored energy in systems and equipment prior to beginning work and to ensure that proper lock out/tag out procedures are implemented before conducting any task.

The MSHA report on the investigation of the Goldstrike Underground fatality on January 23, 2023, is a reminder to us all that nothing is more important than the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees and contractors, NGM said in a statement. We mourn the loss of our fellow miner, Alex Castaneda, and our thoughts and prayers remain with Alexs family, friends, and coworkers. NGM is focused on ensuring the personal safety of each and every one of our employees and contractors in the workplace.
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DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / A remarkable landing in front of 584,000 subscribers just took place. In an exciting venture that merges their passions for engaging with the community and the booming trend of live streaming, Carl Runefelt, founder of cryptojobs.com , and Maurizio Pedrazzoli Grazioli, also known as Mr. M, are proud to announce the launch of their groundbreaking show, The Moon Show'. This show is set to take viewers on an insightful journey through the crypto and web3 landscape, offering an in-depth exploration of market trends, news, updates, and technical analysis.Both hosts bring their unique expertise and perspectives to the show. Carl Runefelt, renowned for his analytical skills, will delve into the technical intricacies/aspects of the crypto and web3 market. Mr. M, on the other hand, will provide a fresh and comprehensive take on trends and news shaping these emerging industries."We are thrilled to unveil 'The Moon Show' to the world," said Carl Runefelt, founder and co-host of the show. "Our aim is to create a dynamic platform where viewers can not only stay informed about the latest happenings in the crypto and web3 space but also gain valuable insights from industry leaders and experts." Maurizio Pedrazzoli Grazioli aka Mr. M (left) and Carl Runefelt (right)Mr. M, co-host of the show, expressed his excitement by saying, "The crypto and web3 space is evolving at an unprecedented pace. With 'The Moon Show', we intend to offer viewers a front-row seat, ensuring they're equipped with the knowledge they need to navigate this exciting market." 'The Moon Show' will feature a diverse array of guests, including top industry leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and key opinion influencers. The hosts are committed to fostering a collaborative environment that encourages meaningful and insightful discussions."Our vision for 'The Moon Show' extends beyond delivering information," shared Carl Runefelt and Mr. M. "We aim to provide a platform where our viewers can actively engage with us. We encourage our community to ask questions, share their insights, and learn directly from our expertise. As a token of our gratitude, we are excited to introduce interactive segments, giveaways, and rewards that will make every episode a valuable experience for our dedicated audience." Maurizio Pedrazzoli Grazioli aka Mr. M (left) and Carl Runefelt (right) in their new studioThe show will be available exclusively on YouTube, hosted on the channel @TheMoon in the live section. Viewers can look forward to regular episodes packed with insights, discussions, and engaging content that promises to captivate both hosts and seasoned enthusiasts of the crypto and web3 industry.Carl Runefelt (left) and Davinci Jeremy aka DavinciJ15 (right)Davincij15, the pioneer who saw the potential of Bitcoin when it was just a dollar, shared his thoughts on 'The Moon Show': "Crypto is the future of money, shaping fair and honest transactions. It's new and initially challenging, but once individuals like us step out and proactively share and teach, you will realize how surprisingly easy it is. Let's share, learn, and embrace this transformative technology together on 'The Moon Show'."For media inquiries, please contact:Maurizio Graziolishow@ moongroup.com For more information about "The Moon Show," visit The Moon Show Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKwrPzkZfas&list=PLAKjsN7aFBfKt6rZaCgAEXdWN_O-IVeNU SOURCE: The Moon Group
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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / AcreCommentary from Paddy Balfour for Asian Investor, published on 23.07.23, original source: Talent hunt intensifies as Singapore family offices top 1,100, Author: Indira VergisAs the number of single family offices in Singapore soars, demand for professionals across sustainability, client relationships and investment advisory is set to climb further.Singapore's family office boom is fueling demand for all sorts of skilled professionals -- a trend that is set to continue in the medium term.Single family offices in the city-state jumped to 1,100 at the end of 2022, according to the government, up from 700 at the end of 2021.A government minister noted that at mid-March this year, there were at least 200 single family-office applicants waiting for approval to set up in Singapore."There is likely to be a whole wave of demand [for talent] with the growth in family offices," said Stanley Teo, managing director for asset and wealth management and corporate and investment banking practices in Singapore at Profile Asia, an executive search consultancy.These families come not just from Asia, but also Europe and the US. In turn, this has led to growing demand for professionals with related expertise.BATTLE FOR TALENTCurrently, areas such as client relationship management, compliance, and investment advisory are experiencing a dearth of skilled professionals, according to Prashant Tandon, managing director and CEO for Dubai at wealth management firm Lighthouse Canton told AsianInvestor.Tandon is among the entity's leadership team that caters to non-resident Indians in different jurisdictions, including Singapore.Another category that industry professionals have singled out as climbing in importance is sustainability-related roles."Family offices are seeing an increasing demand, given their ingrained culture around philanthropy combined with generational change and a more sophisticated approach to impact investing," said Paddy Balfour, executive director at Acre, a specialised recruitment firm for sustainability-related roles.Sustainability has gained considerable traction over the last few years."The industry is being nudged in that direction, even from a regulatory perspective. For instance, regulators worldwide, including those in Singapore, are increasingly recommending the incorporation of an ESG score in the strategy and decision-making processes" said Lighthouse Canton's Tandon.That sentiment is shared by other experts: "We are educating and holding hands of lots of families as they embark on the journey of sustainable and impact investments," said Manish Tibrewal, co-founder of multi-family office Farro Capital.Tibrewal told AsianInvestor earlier that the industry also lacks people who understand how to align the overall mission and vision of a family office to the family values, as well as design and implement family governance, philanthropy and similar non-finance aspects.MORE TO COMEThe search for talent is not unique to Singapore and is part of a broader issue for the financial services industry in many markets,Government restrictions on immigration after the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore and around the world, while justified, have complicated the hiring of talent, said Lighthouse Canton's Tandon.For families looking to set up a family office in an international jurisdiction, the motivation is often to diversify beyond their home bias and become tax efficient."In Asia, much of the wealth has been built up in the last two generations and families still tend to retain the original businesses from which the wealth was created," said Mohit Ralhan, global CEO and managing partner at TIW Capital Group."In the US and to an even greater extent in Europe, wealth has been accumulated over several generations, and the family businesses were sold a long time ago, or otherwise converted into financial assets." As more liquidation events take place to remove concentration risk, more family offices will be set up in the region, he said."So, creating and expanding family offices in Asia is just in its first phase.Over the last 10 years, assets under management (AUM) in Singapore has grown more than three-fold in Singapore. Of this incremental AUM two- thirds have come from abroad. The trend will likely continue as more wealthy families especially China and India set up offices in Singapore." Even additional requirements to encourage more local hiring and investing is unlikely to dent Singapore's appeal.DIFFERENT FAMILIES, DIFFERENT OFFICESSingle family offices that applied and received tax incentives in Singapore employed about 1,400 locals and permanent residents at the end of June 2022, senior government minister Tharman Shanmugharatnam said in early July.At least two-thirds of them earned more than S$5,000 ($3,791) per month.There are certain characteristics that most family offices share, although there is no one-size-fits-all model."Family offices, especially single-family offices, don't hire lots of people. At most, a single-family office can consist of five or so people, which means the people they hire tend to be quite senior and in terms of investment expertise has to be a very strong asset allocator across asset classes," said Profile Asia's Teo."Depending on how they grow, the more established firms in Singapore will have specialists in fixed income, equity and maybe even real estate to manage the portfolio. But the initial plan is always to provide a level of robustness in the asset allocation. And strategy abilities." Multiple family offices, meanwhile, want to grow their assets so they need senior people who can increase AUM, so they tend to hire from private banks or asset managers, he added."Then they decide whether they want to have their own internal investment capabilities or outsource those capabilities," he said.Amid the increasing need for skilled expertise, Singapore government is proactively deploying significant resources to develop talent through institutions such as Wealth Management Institute (WMI), said TIW Capital's Ralhan.WMI, backed by state-owned Temasek and GIC and supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, has accepted more than 1,200 enrolments for family office-related programmes since 2020.It is gearing up to reach 5,000 enrolments into family office programs by 2025. "Talent is available and the efforts are in the right direction," said Ralhan.In addition to training, Singapore has built a strong ecosystem of capabilities to support family offices in the form of trust companies, philanthropy organisations and ancillary service providers such as tax
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With a Grand Opening in late August, this Hot Pot & Korean BBQ restaurant brings a delicious All-You-Can-Eat experience to New Jersey.DELRAN, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / Top Pot & Korean BBQ announces new location at Hartford Corners in Delran, New Jersey. It is located at 1311 Fairview Blvd, Delran, NJ 08075. Upon entering, customers can embrace the modern interior and bask in the "Top Pot experience" of authentic ingredients and an unforgettable All-You-Can-Eat meal.Top Pot encourages gathering with friends and family, as their values promote inclusion, enjoyment, and a culturally-enriching environment for all. Having hot pot, Korean barbeque, and liquor options from their full bar, customers can expect to hear the sizzle of barbecue, feel the steam rising from each broth base, and craft hot pot to personalized perfection."At Top Pot, we're passionate about creating a dining experience that inspires long-lasting memories," said founder Eddie Zheng. "Our All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ and Chinese hot pot are the perfect way to come together and enjoy a variety of flavors and cultures. We're excited to open our doors in Delran and can't wait to be a part of the community." Comfortable seating options ranging from cozy booths to communal tables allow diners to feast together. The welcoming design furthers Top Pot's mission of providing an inviting atmosphere where people can enjoy authentic food that reflects the cultural richness of China and Korea.Top Pot customers at the Delran location have the option of traditional Korean BBQ proteins such as pork and beef, along with fresh selections of chicken, seafood, and vegetables. Unlimited banchan, small side dishes for sharing, offer a variety of flavors to satisfy every palate.Hot pot options are equally diverse, with eight soup bases ranging from rich mushroom broth to spicy szechuan. Vegetables, thinly sliced meats, noodles and more are on Top Pot's menu for visitors to enjoy. Their full bar contains a variety of drinks from classic cocktails to wine and beer for every special occasion and happy hour treat.The innovative restaurant is expanding, bringing Korean BBQ and Chinese hot pot to customers across the United States. Following Top Pot's founding in 2010, locations have opened in Maryland, Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania. More are on the way, including the long-anticipated Delran location. The upcoming restaurant is opening its doors, ready to welcome diners looking to enjoy an sizzling and delicious All-You-Can-Eat experience.About Top Pot & Korean BBQ Founded in 2010, Top Pot & Korean BBQ has been serving a hot pot and barbeque experience unlike any other. The company operates on three core values: Quality, Service, and Affordability. Their wide range of spices and sauces cater to even the most adventurous diners.Media Contact:Milenna Huangpr@ nu.marketing (315) 304-6359SOURCE: Top Pot & Korean BBQ
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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / September 6, 2023 / In a testament to its unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability, the Town at Trilith proudly unveils its highly anticipated Aurora Collection. These cutting-edge homes, slated for release this spring, represent a remarkable fusion of forward-thinking design and energy-saving technology. Nestled within the vibrant community adjacent to Trilith Studios, these homes are poised to redefine modern living while embracing nature's bounty and reducing environmental impact.A Vision of Efficiency: Aurora Collection's Unique IdentityThe Aurora Collection, a masterpiece crafted by the renowned Trilith Development team, introduces a fresh perspective on modern living. Comprising 14 distinctive homes, this collection exudes light-heartedness, innovation, and a profound connection with the natural world. Each home is a canvas where architecture, landscaping, and natural light converge to create an oasis of tranquility-a retreat from the demands of daily life.Sustainability Meets Innovation: Net-Neutral LivingAt the core of the Aurora Collection lies a steadfast commitment to sustainability. These homes embrace net-neutral living through a combination of electrification, geothermal power, and cutting-edge energy-saving technologies. Smart battery-operated packages and energy-efficient appliances amplify the homes' eco-friendly footprint. The roofs are designed with optional solar panels in mind, while the parking structures integrate solar arrays to further slash monthly costs and promote sustainability. Homeowners can anticipate energy savings of over 70% compared to similar residences in Atlanta.Crafting the Future: Aurora's Architectural AestheticsThe Aurora Collection captivates with its blend of stucco, wood, and metal facades, harmonizing with the natural surroundings. Comprising three bedrooms and three bathrooms, each home is a testament to meticulous craftsmanship and a futuristic vision of courtyard living. The interiors are thoughtfully oriented towards private courtyards, allowing homeowners to bask in abundant natural light and find solace in the embrace of nature.Trilith's Commitment Continues: Embracing Green LivingBrett Baker, Director of Residential Construction at Trilith, affirms the commitment to environmentally friendly living. "Our aim is to create not only beautiful homes but also environmentally conscious living spaces," says Baker. Each residence adheres to the highest standards of sustainability and craftsmanship, ensuring that residents not only experience luxury but also play a part in conserving the planet.About Trilith: Where Innovation and Creativity ConvergeNestled within the scenic expanse of south metro Atlanta, the Town at Trilith emerges as a beacon for creatives, storytellers, and visionaries alike. This meticulously planned 235-acre master-planned residential and mixed-use project stands adjacent to Trilith Studios, the iconic film studio renowned for hosting the Marvel's Avengers and Spider-Man films.A Canvas for Creativity: Trilith's Grand VisionEnvisioned as a gathering place for artists, makers, and those who cherish the art of storytelling, Trilith presents a European-inspired community that redefines modern living. Comprising a tapestry of 750 single-family homes, 600 multi-family lofts, 300 hotel rooms, and an impressive 270,000 square feet of remarkable restaurants, retail, office, and commercial space, Trilith seamlessly blends creativity with commerce.Green Spaces and Geothermal Communities: A Sanctuary of NatureNature finds its home at Trilith, with an astonishing 51% of the development dedicated to lush green spaces, currently adorned with over 1,000 trees. This commitment to preserving the natural world extends to the creation of the largest geothermal community in the United States, a testament to Trilith's harmonious relationship with the environment. Residents will savor 15 miles of nature trails, 54 acres of pristine forest, and meticulously landscaped parks that invite both leisure and reflection.Architects of Vision: The Trilith Development TeamAt the helm of Trilith's transformation stands President Rob Parker, a visionary leader committed to shaping a community that transcends boundaries. Collaborating with the likes of town planner and residential designer Lew Oliver Inc., commercial real estate firm Pace Lynch Corporation, and the esteemed Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties' New Homes Division led by President Lori Lane, Trilith's development team brings together a symphony of talents to craft a truly remarkable living experience.With an unwavering commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the art of storytelling, Trilith emerges as more than just a community-it's a canvas where dreams find a home, where creativity flourishes, and where every corner is an invitation to reimagine what's possible.Contact:New Homes Division - Lori Lane of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices GA PropertiesEmail: newhomes@ bhhsgeorgia.comOrganization: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices GA PropertiesAddress: 100 Mansell Court East Suite 115, Roswell, Georgia 30076Phone: (678) 352-3314Website: https://newhomesdivisionga.com SOURCE: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices GA Properties - New Homes Division
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NEW YORK, NY and SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, a preeminent national consumer rights law firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of victims of the Forever 21 data breach. Forever 21 has about 500 retail locations and an online store.On March 20, 2023, Forever 21 became aware of a cyber-incident that impacted it systems. After an investigation, Forever 21 determined that an unauthorized third party accessed certain Forever 21 systems at various times between January 5, 2023 and March 21, 2023 (the "Data Breach").The unauthorized third party obtained select files from certain Forever 21 systems during this time period. The files involved contained the personal information of 539,207 of Forever 21's current and former employees, such as their names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, bank account numbers (without access code or pin), and information regarding their Forever 21 health plans, including enrollment and premiums paid.On or around August 29, 2023, Forever 21 began notifying current and former employees of the Data Breach. If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH from Forever 21 and you reside in the United States and if you wish to discuss this investigation, or if you have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this matter, please contact Wolf Haldenstein immediately by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at byrd@ whafh.com , or visit our website at www.whafh.com PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT CONTACT FORMWolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP has extensive experience in the prosecution of consumer rights litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas and offices in New York and San Diego. Courts have repeatedly recognized the reputation and expertise of this firm and have appointed it to major positions in complex litigation.Contact:Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLPGregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial AnalysisRachele R. Byrd, Esq.Email: byrd@ whafh.com or gstone@ whafh.comTel: (800) 575-0735 or (619) 239-4599Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcomeSOURCE: Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on Thursday said it is not against the sale of shares of Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC) to Oando Plc (OOL).

The NNPCL said this in a statement by GarbaDeen Muhammad, the chief corporate communications officer of the company.

Oando had on Monday announced it had agreed to buy the Nigerian exploration and production unit of Italian oil major Eni.

The consummation of the deal is subject to ministerial consent and other regulatory authorisations, a statement by Nigerias leading indigenous energy solutions provider said.

The agreement is expected to clear the way for Oando to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC), which has interests in four onshore blocks and two onshore exploration leases in the country.

It will ramp up Oandos current participating interests in OMLs 60, 61, 62 and 63 from 20 to 40 per cent.

It increases Oandos ownership stake in all NEPL/NAOC/OOL Joint Venture assets and infrastructure, which include forty discovered oil and gas fields, of which twenty-four are currently producing, approximately forty identified prospects and leads, twelve production stations, approximately 1,490 km of pipelines, three gas processing plants, the Brass River Oil Terminal, the KwaleOkpai phases 1 & 2 power plants (with a total nameplate capacity of 960 MW), and associated infrastructure, the statement said.

The transaction also expands Oandos exploration asset portfolio via the purchase of a 90 per cent stake in OPL 282 and a 48 per cent stake in OPL 135.

NAOCs participating interest in Shell Production Development Company Joint Venture (operator Shell 30 per cent, TotalEnergies 10 per cent, NAOC 5 per cent, NNPC 55 per cent) is not part of the deal and so will be retained in Enis portfolio, Oando said.

However, following the transaction, the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) raised concerns over the deal.

In a letter with reference number E&P/MD/0523 dated 4 September, addressed to the Managing Director, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited and signed by the Managing Director, NEPL, Ali Zarah, the oil form said its yet to confirm the authenticity of the Oando agreement with ENI for the acquisition of its shares of NAOC.

We are yet to confirm the authenticity of the said divestment, we would like to note that the purported assignment, if true, would have the following far-reaching contractual/legal implications in relation to the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) dated July 1991 governing the operations of the NAOC/NEPL/OOL Joint Venture, it reads.

The letter explained that clause 19.1.1 of the JOA provides that No party may assign or transfer its interest or any part thereof without the prior written consent of the other Parties, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

By virtue of this provision, it said, a Party seeking to transfer part or the whole of its participating interest in the Joint Venture is obligated to seek the prior written consent of the other parties.

In this instance, it said, NAOC did not inform NEPL of any proposed assignment of its participating interest to OOL or any other party neither did NAOC seek and obtain the mandatory pre-divestment written consent and approval from NEPL in accordance with Clause 19.1.1. of the JOA.

NNPCL reacts

Reacting on Thursday, the NNPCL said a routine communication in the form of a letter written by NEPL to NAOC is being interpreted to suggest that NNPCL is opposed to the sale of the shares.

It has come to our notice that a routine communication in the form of a letter written by NNPC E&P Limited (NEPL) to its JV Partner, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC) is being interpreted to suggest that NNPC Ltd is opposed to the sale of NAOC shares to Oando Plc. This is not correct, Mr Muhammad said.

He said that the letter was sent by NEPL, an NNPC Ltd subsidiary but nowhere was opposition or objection to the transaction mentioned in the letter.

NEPL is only drawing attention to certain important clauses in the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) between it, NAOC and OOL; which might have been overlooked in error. Adherence to those clauses will protect the transaction, now and in the future, he said.

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Former President Muhammadu Buhari has highlighted the significant relevance of Femi Adesinas book on software of the past administration.

Mr Buhari made the remarks in a forward in Mr Adesinas yet-to-be-published book Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser Media and Publicity.

Mr Adesina, a Nigerian journalist, worked with the ex-president as the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity during his eight-year administration from 2015 to 2023.

Mr Buhari, in the forward, hailed Mr Adesinas effort to put the book together.

He said the book, which revolves around their administration, deserved to be put out by the journalist.

If anyone qualifies to write about our service to our country for eight years (2015 -2023), Femi Adeshina does because he was there from the beginning to the end.

It is one way to combat revisionism and set records straight. A country must have records to protect its history.

The ex-president expressed his gratitude towards Mr Adesina for considering it worthy of documenting their administration in a book, particularly honouring him with the foreword.

I am pretty glad that Adesina has asked me to write the foreword to this book. It is the least I could do for a loyal aide who gave all to serve me and serve the country. I salute his dedication, patriotism, and steadfastness.

About the book

Aside from the released foreword, which captured Mr Buharis notes, not much detail is known about the forthcoming book by Mr Adesina.

The crux of the book, from its title, aims to chronicle the experiences, stories and facts revolving around Buharis eight years of administration.

Admonishing the book, the ex-president noted that Mr Adesina is writing about software and not hardware of his administration.

He noted that the book would reveal hidden details about his time that many Nigerians didnt see beyond the surface.

It is exciting. Yes, he sat with me many times both in the office and at home, and so he heard and observed many things not generally known.

He commended his special aides attentiveness to details, saying,  I am impressed by his memory and sense of duty.

Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser Media and Publicity is a book Im delighted to read. I believe those who read it will find much more pleasure through this very stimulating and detailed memoir.

The former president further appreciated Mr Adesinas service not just to him as a president but to the country at large.

About the Author

Mr Adesina started his career in journalism as a writer for Radio Lagos, and he later joined Vanguard Newspapers.

Mr Adesina, who won the Editor of the Year in 2007 at the Nigeria Media Merit Awards, wrote for Vanguard Newspapers and National Concord Newspapers before joining The Sun Newspaper, where he became editor-in-chief.

He also served two years as president of the Nigerian Board of editors. Although re-elected for a second term as Guild president, Adesina stepped down after receiving his government appointment.

He also stepped down as editor-in-chief of The Sun. In 2015, Mr Adesina was sworn in as a special adviser on media and publicity to President Buhari.

After the tenure of his service to the former president, he recently resumed as the executive vice chairman of The Sun Newspapers.

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In what has been described as a historic moment for Africa, political and business leaders in Kenya, on Wednesday, adopted the Nairobi Declaration by committing $23 billion to accelerate green growth, mitigation and adaptation efforts in Africa.

The adoption of the historic climate pact followed a three-day extensive deliberations among African leaders and leaders from across the world, who were in Nairobi, Kenyas capital city, to rewrite the narrative of climate change to include Africas leadership, resources and ability to make a sustainable difference globally.

The just concluded Africa Climate Summit (ACS) is the first of its sort on the continent. It focuses on delivering climate-positive growth and finance solutions for Africa and the world.

The pact announced on Wednesday and dubbed The African Leaders Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change, further renewed the continents leaderships readiness and commitment to global climate action and sustainable development, infusing it with a distinctive African character.

During an engagement at the summit, African leaders repeatedly called for collective global action in resource mobilisation for both development and climate action as they challenged the global community to honour its commitments, citing the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.

At the summit, championed by Mr Ruto and AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki, the leaders urged development partners to align their technical and financial resources towards promoting sustainable utilisation of Africas natural assets.

Other dignitaries spotted at the declaration ceremony include South Sudan President Salva Kiir, Julius Maada (Sierra Leone), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Isaias Afwerki (Eritrea) and Idriss Deby (Chad) and DRC Congo Prime Minister Sama Kyenge.

Others were First Lady Rachel Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Angola Vice President Esperanca da Costa, Namibia Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo and alongside 66 ministers from different countries, organisers said.

The Nairobi Declaration

While announcing the new Africa-driven climate change pact on Wednesday, President Ruto said the African Leaders shared understanding became clearer at the summit that Africa is not only the cradle of humanity, it is its future.

The Kenya leader described Africa as the last frontier of untapped potential in the form of hundreds of millions of young men and women who are educated, skilled, motivated, innovative, ready and willing to drive the enterprises and industries that will unlock the possibilities promised by its immense endowment of natural assets, mineral resources and green energy potential.

This, he said, will unleash opportunities and prosperity for Africa and the world on an unprecedented scale.

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At the Summit, the leaders said they made it clear that they are aware of the unjust configuration of multilateral institutional frameworks that perpetually place African nations behind, through costly financing which plunges the continents economies into a debt trap and denies them resources needed to mitigate and adapt in response to climate change crisis threatening lives and livelihoods.

As a continent, the African leaders said they have developed their common position which encapsulates their ambitions for socioeconomic transformation and climate action agenda.

This position, the leaders said, is anchored on the potential that Africa holds to decarbonize the global economy and sets the stage for green industrialisation throughout the world.

Key demands

Among several demands brought to the fore and captured in the declaration document, the African leaders are demanding a fair playing ground for their countries to access the investment needed to unlock the potential and translate it into opportunities.

We further demand a just multilateral development finance architecture, to liberate our economies from odious debt and onerous barriers to necessary financial resources, Mr Ruto said.

We are clear in our minds and hearts that the international community must walk with us in this journey into a future of prosperity and security in an ecologically balanced, thriving planet.

The African leaders said they are determined to have difficult conversations, take hard decisions and make uncomfortable changes, to set international consensus on an Afro-centric and globally inclusive path into an African future.

On his part, the AU chairperson, Mr Faki said the Nairobi declaration has been endorsed unanimously, demonstrating the continents desire to mitigate climate change.

The Africa Union will work out a road map for the implementation of this declaration, he said.

He called on African leaders to continue pushing for climate justice, concrete action and honouring commitments.

Mr Faki called for teamwork and unity in ensuring Africas voice is heard.

Youth inclusion

The African leaders posited that the climate pact message would not be fulfilled without the vibrant youth the continent is endowed with.

On a continent as young as Africa, it is impossible to imagine the future without the youth, Mr Ruto said.

Our young men and women, in every African country, are the primary stakeholders who will define and drive our agenda for green transformation and sustainable opportunity.

Based on this, the president said their message will not be clear if the voice of the youth is missing.

Our efforts to achieve prosperity will not succeed if there are no opportunities for the youth. And our journey will be long, hard and in vain if the youth are not coming with us, he added.

Climate Change and Concerns for Africa

Over the last decade, extreme weather conditions such as flooding, heatwaves, drought, coastal erosion, wildfires and storms, have become more persistent across Africa and globally.

The aftermath of these extreme climatic events has resulted in significant losses of lives, livelihoods, and biodiversity and has plunged millions of people into unprecedented hardship across Africa and globally.

While this natures prevalent changes have been attributed to climate change effects exacerbated by the continuous emissions of Greenhouse Gases, Africas emission footprint is only a fraction of the global emissions. Yet, the continent is grappling with the consequences of climate change at an unprecedented scale due to poor climate adaptation and mitigation financing.

The aftermath of the climate change catastrophe is evident in the surge in food insecurity, disruptions of ecosystems and economies, displacement and migration of people due to weather crises and worsening threat of conflict amidst dwindling resources.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) state of climate in Africa 2022 report, the rate of temperature increase in Africa has accelerated in recent decades, with weather- and climate-related hazards becoming more severe.

Meanwhile, the continent barely receives 10 per cent of the global financing for climate adaptation. According to the report, more than 110 million people on the continent have been directly affected by weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2022, causing more than $ 8.5 billion in economic damages.

Also, the continent recorded about 5,000 fatalities, of which 48 per cent were associated with drought and 43 per cent were associated with flooding, according to the Emergency Event Database. Reports suggest that these figures could be much higher than what was quoted due to underreporting of the issues.

While the region is plagued with a deficit of infrastructure, technology and financial capacity to effectively and efficiently respond to the climate crisis due to debt distress and economic shocks, several promises made by world leaders to upscale climate financing in Africa have not been fulfilled, which formed part of the major reason behind the inaugural ACS 2023 Summit in Kenya ahead of the forthcoming 28th Edition of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP28) later this year in the UAE.

With the conclusion of the Summit and announcement of the Nairobi Declaration, the event recorded significant milestones and impactful discussions.

It emphasised Africas readiness to take control of its destiny as a green leader and economic powerhouse, organisers said.

Many climate activists believe the occasion of the ACS 2023 summit and the Nairobi Declaration adopted, would mean the African Group of Negotiators would go into the next COP negotiations table as a united entity. This underscored the continents commitment to proactive climate action, paving the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.

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The African Union (AU) will likely be admitted as a permanent member of the G20 at the latters summit in New Delhi this weekend. To date, the AU has only attended summits of the G20  the worlds foremost club for addressing global issues  as a guest.

The G20 comprises 19 of the worlds systemically most important economies plus the European Union (EU). South Africa is an outlier, brought in largely to represent Africa.

But now Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the gathering, and other key G20 leaders, have backed the AUs bid for a permanent seat. The continental body looks fairly certain to be accepted into what would presumably become the G21.

The Chief Executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs, Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, suggests that inviting the AU in is something of a guilty charm offensive by G20 leaders. This is because of its double standards, of its rhetorical support for developing country concerns, which have not been matched by action (such as vaccine apartheid, debt sustainability and development finance), and of its own violation of some of the principles of the UN Charter when it suited it.

Even so, the AU would be joining at a fraught moment in the G20s history, as the elite club increasingly exhibits symptoms of fracturing under the pressure of a polarising global order.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend last years summit in Indonesia and is not expected at this one either, because of tensions with the West since Russia invaded Ukraine. And there are now strong suggestions that Chinese President Xi Jinping wont be at the summit, though that hasnt been officially announced. Whether this is because of friction with the United States, India or both, is not clear.

John Kirton, director of the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto, told ISS Today he was sure Mr Xi would not attend because of competition with Mr Modi about who should represent and lead the global south. Some of those tensions were apparent at last months BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

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That meeting was deemed a success for Africa as Egypt and Ethiopia were admitted to BRICS, along with four other countries. The blocs membership expanded for the first time since accepting South Africa in 2010.

BRICS Plus, or the BRICS11, boasted that it now had a bigger collective gross domestic product in purchasing power parity terms than the G7. But as British economist Jim ONeill, author of the BRICs concept, told Daily Maverick last week, the important thing was not for the G7 or BRICS to be stronger than the other. It was to ensure that the G20, which encompasses both of them and other major countries, functions properly.

Which it is not doing at the moment, evidenced by its failure to address Russias aggression against Ukraine head-on. Yet the G20 has become more important than ever because the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, have been paralysed, mainly by the Ukraine war.

So the AU would be entering choppy waters, forced to navigate the Ukraine issue, rising tensions between China and the West, and seemingly now also those between China and India.

Africa does not have a common position (unsurprisingly) on any of those issues. That is true of other countries and regions too, but the AU would be in a unique position. Its membership has been advocated largely on the grounds that the EU is already a member. But the EU is different because its a supranational and not just an intergovernmental body like the AU, and so has a more (though not completely) coherent foreign policy.

The EU also has a more focused institutional structure. It is represented at the G20 (and elsewhere) by both the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and its EU Council President, Charles Michel. The AU would be represented by the AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, and AU Chairperson, Comoran President Azali Assoumani.

The difference though is that the AU chair rotates every year, while the EU Council president is elected for a two-and-a-half-year term, which can be renewed once. This gives the position continuity that the rotating AU chair lacks.

As a result, says Paul-Simon Handy, ISS Regional Director for East Africa and AU representative, and analyst Felicite Djilo, the AU should be represented at the G20 by the AU Commission chairperson. As a long-term position, it provides the necessary continuity. Others have suggested having a former head of state represent the AU for a multi-year term.

These analysts all agree the AU would have a lot of preparatory work for G20 membership, including formulating common African positions. As Handy and Djilo observe, the G20 covers a range of subjects, and so the AU would have to devise policies on many issues it probably has not considered, such as North Koreas nuclear weapons. Or worse, issues it is deeply divided on, like whether Israel should be an observer at the AU.

Many matters before the G20 are, however, extremely pertinent to Africa, like global tax reform and other methods of tackling illicit financial flows, debt relief, addressing climate change and democratising international financial institutions.

Either way, this will require assembling the sort of infrastructure South Africa  currently the only African representative  has had to mobilise for its G20 membership, including appointing sherpas, facilitating think tanks and the like.

The AU and the global south are clear in their demands for a greater voice in global economic and political governance  and rightly so. Gaining a seat at the G20 table will give the AU a chance to redress these deficits. But it will also test whether the AU can translate rhetoric into reality.

Peter Fabricius, Consultant, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).

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The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has rejected the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), affirming the election of President Bola Tinubu. Atiku said the judgement is bereft of substantial justice.

He said he has asked his lawyers to appeal the judgement.

Atiku stated this at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.

Gentlemen of the press, I take great pains to tell you that the decision of the court of first instance on this matter utterly falls far short of that expectation. I am therefore here to tell you that, though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgment that I refuse to accept. I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice. However, the disappointment in the verdict of the court can never destroy my confidence in the judiciary.

Consequently, I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in the instance, is the Supreme Court. It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate.

I believe that such is the only way through which our democracy can have a manifest expression of its true meaning. Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my effort in ensuring an order of credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for the future generations to evaluate, the former vice president said.

Atiku and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, as well as the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) had filed petitions challenging the victory of Mr Tinubu of the APC in the 25 February presidential election.

The court dismissed the petitions on Wednesday.

Atiku explained that he is challenging the outcome of the last presidential election because he wanted the electoral process of Nigeria to be devoid of corruption.

READ ALSO:

It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate. I believe that such is the only way through which our democracy can have a manifest expression of its true meaning.

Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my effort in ensuring an order of credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for the future generations to evaluate, he said.

Atiku urged his supporters to remain steadfast and have hope in God that he will reclaim his mandate at the supreme court.

On this note, I urge all my supporters to remain steadfast. I urge them to take solace in an immortal lesson I learned from my leader and mentor, the late Shehu YarAdua, that losing a battle is less important than losing the war. We might have lost a battle yesterday, but the war is well ahead of us. And I believe that with our hopes in God, we shall win the war of restoring confidence in our electoral system.

Read the full text of the conference

Good afternoon, Gentlemen of the Press.

I am here today to give my official reaction to the judgment delivered yesterday by the Presidential Election Petition Court on the 2023 presidential election.

As you already know, I approached the court following the declaration by INEC that the APC and its candidate are the winners of the February 25, Presidential Election.

My decision to go to court is anchored in my belief that the court is the sanctuary of justice. The journey of my political career, as you know, holds so much to the courage and fearless decisions of our judiciary.

Indeed, I am no stranger to legal battles, and I can say that I have a fair idea of how the court system works. All through my career as a politician, I have been a fighter, and I must say that I have found the judiciary as a worthy pillar to rest on in the pursuit of justice.

The last presidential election in our country and the way it was managed by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, leaves behind unenviable precedents, which I believe the courts have a duty to redress. Our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the deployment of technology was heavily compromised by INEC in the way it managed the last presidential election, and I am afraid that the judgement of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, failed to restore confidence in our dreams of free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations.

Like I did say at the beginning of this legal battle when I instructed my lawyers to file my petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election, my ultimate goal in this pursuit is to ensure that democracy is further strengthened through the principles and processes of fair hearing.

Gentlemen of the press, I take great pains to tell you that the decision of the court of first instance on this matter utterly falls far short of that expectation. I am therefore here to tell you that, though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgment that I refuse to accept. I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice. However, the disappointment in the verdict of the court can never destroy my confidence in the judiciary.

Consequently, I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in the instance, is the Supreme Court. It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate. I believe that such is the only way through which our democracy can have a manifest expression of its true meaning. Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my effort in ensuring an order of credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for the future generations to evaluate.

On this note, I urge all my supporters to remain steadfast. I urge them to take solace in an immortal lesson I learned from my leader and mentor, the late Shehu YarAdua, that losing a battle is less important than losing the war. We might have lost a battle yesterday, but the war is well ahead of us. And I believe that with our hopes in God, we shall win the war of restoring confidence in our electoral system.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the Press, I thank you for your attention.

Atiku Abubakar, GCON

Waziri Adamawa

Vice President of Nigeria (1999  2007)

2023 PDP Presidential Candidate

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President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr. President,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and your people on the occasion of the national day of the Republic of North Macedonia - Independence Day.

Azerbaijan and North Macedonia are bound together by relations of friendship and cooperation. I believe that we will make joint efforts to strengthen friendly ties and to continue our fruitful cooperation both on a bilateral and multilateral basis by taking advantage of the existing opportunities for the welfare of our countries.

Hoping to meet with you soon, I wish you good health, happiness, success in your activities, and your friendly people everlasting peace and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 5 September 2023
Tyree T. Adams, 24, of Elko was arrested Sept. 4, 2023, at 1400 Mountain City Highway on a felony warrant for possession of stolen property, possessing a gun by a prohibited person, carrying a concealed weapon, coercion with force or threat of force, domestic battery, driver disobeying peace officer endangering others, destroying the property of another, and disturbing the peace. Bail: $609,420

Anthony R. Bair, 35, of West Wendover was arrested Sept. 1, 2023, on a state prison hold.

Steven L. Greenfield, 52, of Spring Creek was arrested Sept. 3, 2023, at 378 Spring Valley Parkway for assault with a deadly weapon and battery. Bail: $201,280

Raul Guerrero, 32, of Las Vegas was arrested Sept. 4, 2023, on Interstate 80 for felony possession of a controlled substance, conspiracy to furnish a controlled substance to a state prisoner, driving under the influence, and driving without a drivers license. Bail: $20,995

Tyler M. Morris, 23, of Spring Creek was arrested Sept. 3, 2023, at 318 Marbel Drive for attempted home invasion. Bail: $50,000

Miguel Perez Jr., 26, of West Wendover was arrested Sept. 1, 2023, at 1860 Butte St. for possession a credit or debit card without cardholders consent. Bail: $2,500

Amber M. Smith, 40, of Elko was arrested Sept. 2, 2023, at Clarkson Drive and 12th Street for driving under the influence, using or being under the influence of a controlled substance, and violation of probation or condition of suspended sentence.

Joseph M. Willis, 45, of Elko was arrested Sept. 3, 2023, at 1448 Silver St. for attempted burglary of a business, possession of burglary tools, and destroying the property of another. Bail: $20,340

Amber L. Donohue, 46, of Elko was arrested Sept. 6, 2023, at 811 Westwood Drive for unlawful contact with a minor or mentally ill person. Bail: $5,000

Stacy M. Shook, 33, of Carlin was arrested Sept. 6, 2023, at 3920 E. Idaho St. for violation of probation or condition of suspended sentence.

Rubyjo M. Cordova, 37, of Aztec, New Mexico was arrested Sept. 7, 2023, in Winnemucca for violation of probation.

Albert O. Hankins, 68, of Elko was arrested Sept. 7, 2023, at 526 S. Sixth St. on a felony warrant for driving under the influence resulting in substantial bodily harm. Bail: $100,000

Caden L. McClellan, 25, of Elko was arrested Sept. 7, 2023, in Winnemucca for violation of probation.
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has not issued any statement congratulating President Bola Tinubu on the outcome of the election petition tribunal in Abuja

Reacting to a purported statement allegedly from Atiku, congratulating Mr Tinubu on the judgement of the tribunal, the media adviser to the former Vice President, Paul Ibe, said that it is fake news being orchestrated by those are desperately looking for validation for the usurpation of the mandate of Nigerians.

According to Mr Ibe, Atiku couldnt have validated electoral banditry because doing so would have amounted to a rape on the conscience of Nigerians who have struggled for years to entrench electoral integrity.

He noted that if their conscience is clear and they are convinced that their victory is valid, they dont have to blackmail their political opponents into congratulating them through fake news.

Why should a man be desperate for validation? Does truth require validation? Why should you issue a congratulatory statement and attribute it to Atiku if your conscience is not troubled by the electoral heist you have perpetrated, he queried.

He said contrary to the fake news being circulated by Mr Tinubu propagandists, Atiku has already asked his lawyers to proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement of the election petition tribunal.

To confirm that the purported message is fake and pedestrian, it was addressed to the President-elect. Though we know it is a pyrrhic victory, is it not ridiculous to still address Bola Tinubu as President-elect five months after swearing-in?

According to Mr Ibe, this struggle is not about Atiku; its about Nigeria and the future of our democracy. By allowing election riggers to get away with their misdeeds, our democracy will be in greater jeopardy. Consent is essential to democratic mandate; ruling people against their will undermines everything democracy stands for.

He also explained that the PDP presidential candidate is not going into retirement and will instead continue to be part of the struggle to deepen democracy in the country.

The Waziri has nothing personal against President Tinubu. He owes him no ill will. Let me, however, make it very clear that this struggle is about principle and justice. He is not in this struggle because he hates Tinubu. He is in it to ensure that people who rigged elections are not allowed to get away with it. Injustice and rigging promote bitterness and division. No leader should be proud to lead angry and aggrieved citizens, Mr Ibe stressed.

Signed:

Paul Ibe

Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar

Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election.

Abuja

7th September, 2023.

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Although the European Union (EU) and ECOWAS delegations are accredited to observe Nigerias elections, their reports on the elections are valueless and inadmissible in Nigerian courts, a senior judge ruled on Wednesday.

Moses Ugo, a judge of Nigerias second highest court, the Court of Appeal, said this while reading his ruling as a member of the Presidential Election Petition Court.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the five-member panel on the PEPC dismissed the appeals filed by three opposition parties against the election of President Bola Tinubu.

While declaring support for his fellow judges on the panel, Mr Ugo spoke on why the EU and ECOWAS reports which criticised parts of the 2023 presidential election were inadmissible in court.

The EUEOM report on the 2023 presidential elections and I dare to add even the ECOWAS report of the same elections tendered by second and third respondents is completely valueless and inadmissible, he said.



The EU-EOM, in its final report on the 2023 presidential poll, said though the elections showed the commitment of Nigerians to democracy, it also exposed enduring systemic weaknesses and therefore signalled a need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability.

In his ruling, Mr Ugo said the EU report tendered by both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was inadmissible since the makers of the report did not present themselves in court to face cross-examination to authenticate their opinions.

The impression given by both petitioners is that the said report is like the gospel truth of what happened in the election and so must be accepted by this court and the conduct of the presidential election declared corrupt or at the very least declared below par regardless of whether or not the authors of the said report presented themselves in court to defend their opinions, the judge ruled.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how all five members of the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, unanimously affirmed Bola Tinubu as the validly elected President of Nigeria, a judicial resolution of the credibility questions that have hovered around his election for over six months.

In its over-12-hour-long judgement, the panel of judges led by Haruna Tsammani dismissed all three petitions challenging Mr Tinubus election in his lead judgement.

The other members of the panel  Stephen Adah, Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf (the only female on the bench), Moses Ugo, and Abbah Mohammed  took their turns to adopt the reasoning and conclusion of the lead judgement.

The petitioners were Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was declared as the first runner-up in the election; Peter Obi of the Labour Party, the second runner-up, and the All Peoples Movement (APM).

The panel unanimously stressed the total lack of credible evidence adduced by the petitioners to support their cases and described some of the legal arguments of Atiku and Mr Obi as fallacious and ridiculous.

From the foregoing, therefore, it is very clear and certain that the petitioners have failed to prove that the 2023 presidential election and the return of the 2nd respondent (Mr Tinubu) was invalidated by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, Mr Tsammani declared.

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Security agencies have accused some Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), including oil companies and communities in the Niger Delta, of colluding to steal the countrys oil.

The security agencies said this when they appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating crude oil theft and loss of revenue accrued from oil and gas in Abuja on Thursday.

A representative of the Nigerian Army, Gabriel Esho, a brigadier-general, who is in the armys department of operations, said actors responsible for oil theft are often encouraged by the agencies of the Federal Government. He said the international actors are the main perpetrators by lifting crude oil beyond approved license.

He said there is also sabotage on the part of employees of oil companies, adding that the issue around the overlapping effect of militancy was also a factor.

He said because of the huge market demand for products, there is a huge community involvement in bunkering and illegal refineries.

To check oil theft in Nigeria, Mr Esho called for local involvement and investment in technology, prosecution of oil theft, legalising local refineries and remodeling of existing pipelines.

What police are doing

A representative of Nigeria Police, Alabi Abiodun, said, agencies of the Federal Government play a role in oil theft and some oil companies because of their skills including domestic and foreign involvement.

He said the police were able to put in place the task force to assist other security agencies in arresting those attacking oil facilities, and listed the factors responsible for oil theft to include attachment of people to their land, adding that they assumed that they must have a say or benefit from their land.

He added that this often forced them to embark on some activities whenever they felt neglected, adding that the inaccessibility of Nigeria Police to reach some areas gave room for illegality in the region.

In addressing the menace, Mr Abiodun said perpetrators should be handed over to the Nigeria police so as to prosecute them properly.

He said holistic implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) would also give the community more sense of belonging.

He added that the exhibit should be accompanied with suspects when they are being handed over to the police.

Limited access for Nigerian Air Force

Also speaking, Hassan Abubakar, air vice marshal in charge of operation in the Nigerian Air Force, said oil theft had impacted negatively on the countrys economy.

He expressed worry on the level of theft in the oil sector, saying are we sure that the money gotten from oil theft is not what is used to destabilise this country.

He said the air force had been carrying out surveillance, adding that the challenge is that our access is limited.

Continuing, he said, So what we decided is to have dedicated access to only the Niger Delta region and we need the help of the National Assembly.

He said, Over 90 per cent of oil theft takes place in the night, some of the courses I have attended only solve half of the problem. Only a kinetic approach can go far to solve the problem.

Navy should monitor production facilities

Speaking, Zacharia Muhammad, a rear admiral and chief of training in the Nigerian Navy, said there must be collaboration between the security agencies and government agencies to tackle oil theft.

According to him, We must facilitate law and policies to ensure collaboration and facilitate the return of the Nigerian Navy to monitor key production facilities.

We are not represented in what is loaded on the ground and this is disturbing. We see pilfering of oil wells and pipelines that can easily be breached in the Niger Delta.

He said the factors that aided oil theft include collaboration and syndicates because oil theft could not be done by one agency alone, adding that it involved value chains of oil production.

We have people that compromise, including domestic and foreigners who are all culpable.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser, the State Security Service, and the Norwegian Embassy attended the committee hearing.

(NAN)

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The junta in Gabon said it has released ousted president Ali Bongo who had been under house arrest since the coup on 30 August.

Given his state of health, the former President of the Republic Ali Bongo Ondimba is free to move about. He may, if he wishes, travel abroad for medical checkups, Gabons military spokesman, Ulrich Manfoumbi, said in a statement read on national television on Wednesday evening.

Mr Bongo suffered a stroke five years ago and had not had access to his doctors since his ouster.

The statement announcing the release of Mr Bongo was signed by the new head of state, Brice Nguema, who was sworn in on Monday.

The new head of state is Mr Bongos cousin and also served late Omar Bongo as his bodyguard after whose death he was posted out of the country to serve as a military attache at different missions. He returned to Gabon in 2019 and served as head of the countrys republican guard, an elite military unit.

The coup of 30 August brought an end to Mr Bongos 14-year rule and his familys 56 years hold on power in Gabon. The junta said the coup was as a result of recent elections which were not credible. Mr Nguema at his swearing in on Monday noted that a free and fair election will be held to return to civilian rule.

He, however, did not give any timeline for this.

According to Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from Dakar, Senegal, For his (Bongo) family, its another issue. His wife was held on the fourth floor of the presidential palace with his son Noureddin. All of them are accused of high treason.

And according to the countrys new ruler, Mr Nguema, they will have to face justice as they have been accused of stealing money from state coffers.

Although celebrated by the Gabonese people, the coup has been widely condemned in the international community and Gabon has been suspended by the African Union.

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The US is repositioning troops and military equipment in Niger, CNN reported.

According to the news agency, a military official said troops will move from Air Base 101 near Niamey, Nigers capital, to Air Base 201 in Agadez, in central Niger from which the US conducts intelligence and reconnaissance missions.

The US will also remove some non-essential personnel. It however did not state how many personnel will be removed.

Although the intelligence and reconnaissance missions have been suspended since the 26 July coup, the US has maintained its military footprint in Niger.

The move was done out of an abundance of caution and it does not represent a significant change in the overall numbers of military personnel within the country, CNN quoted the official as saying.

The US has about 1,100 troops stationed at the two air bases and the embassy in Niamey.

The move of troops and military equipment between the two bases  more than 450 miles apart  was done in coordination with the Nigerien military, the official said.

The US has yet to describe the political situation in Niger as a coup rather it continues to say that it is focused on diplomatic solutions.

The coup occurred at a time when the US had no ambassador in Niger. It later deployed Kathleen FitzGibbon to lead its mission in Niger where, according to the government, her diplomatic focus will be to advocate for a diplomatic solution that preserves constitutional order in Niger and for the immediate release of President Mohamed Bazoum, his family, and all those unlawfully detained.

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The Osun State Government has shut down the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, over the resumption of its suspended rector, Tajudeen Odetayo.

Mr Odetayo was escorted back to the school on Thursday by officers of the State Security Service (SSS) after the National Industrial Court voided his suspension by the state government.

The government had suspended him on 11 July for alleged financial recklessness and abuse of office, but he said he was never queried over any issue before the announcement of his suspension.

The state government had replaced him with Kehinde Adeyemi, in an acting capacity, and set up a committee to investigate the allegations against him.

After being led into the premises of the school by armed operatives of the SSS on Thursday, Mr Odetayo was accompanied into his office by his associates and some staff of the polytechnic.

Addressing those who received him, Mr Odetayo expressed surprise that he was suspended without being queried.

He said he returned to the school having secured an order of court which had restrained the governor from appointing another rector.

I was really surprised when my suspension letter came in because, prior to that, I didnt receive any query or call for any meeting.

I am resuming office because the court has given an injunction on the matter and there is a stay of execution.

I know our governor is a listening person and I want to appreciate him for allowing the rule of law to take its course.

I am back to continue working towards moving the polytechnic forward, Mr Odetayo said

However, in his reaction to the development, the acting rector, Mr Adeyemi, in a statement described Mr Odetayos return as a forceful invasion but called for calm.

Following the forceful invasion of the office of the Osun State Polytechnic Irees Rector, by the suspended Rector of the institution, as the Acting Rector of the Polytechnic, I appeal to members of the Polytechnic Community to remain calm, he said in the statement.

I urge you to remain calm and go about your normal duties without any protest.

The government has taken steps to ensure that normalcy returns.

Later on Thursday, the state Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, announced the closure of the school for two weeks, through a statement.

This is to inform the general public, particularly members of staff and students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, to proceed on a two-week break with immediate effect.

The immediate break is a necessary action to maintain peace in the institution following the forceful return of the suspended Rector, Dr Odetayo.

The general public should also note that school accounts have been frozen with immediate effect, and it is imperative that everyone cooperates fully and adheres to these directives.

The National Industrial Court, ruling in a suit filed by the suspended rector, had granted an interim order restraining Governor Ademola Adeleke and 14 others from appointing a rector for the institution.

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has advised the Chairpersons of the six Area Councils in FCT to constitute a Surveillance Committee in their respective councils to curb insecurity.

Mr Wike advised while responding to the challenges outlined by the councils chairpersons during a familiarisation meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, the surveillance committee will help in checking insecurity and activities of illegal mining in communities, which creates an avenue for insecurity.

Earlier, the Chairperson of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, outlined inadequate funds, sanitation, public transportation, land allocation and insecurity, particularly kidnappings as the major challenges affecting the area councils.

Mr Chiya disclosed that 19 persons were kidnapped in Bwari Area Council today (Thursday) and urged the minister to come to their aid.

On land allocation, the chairperson said that peoples backyards, graveyards, and churches were being allocated to individuals.

The Chairperson of the Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya, urged Mr Wike to carry the council chairpersons along in land allocation and development to enable them to monitor the allocated land development process.

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His counterpart, the Chairperson of Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Sabo, also lamented the menace of illegal miners in the area councils, stressing that they were constituting a security threat.

Mr Sabo said that a landslide in one of the mining sites took the lives of about 30 persons, adding that when investigated, it was discovered that the miners do not have a mining licence.

Responding to the issues, Mr Wike said he would call for an emergency security meeting with the Director, Department of State Services and Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, to look at the issue.

He called for the cooperation and support of the council chairmen, saying that we cannot achieve anything without the support of the area council chairmen, it is not possible.

We must collaborate and work together for the interest of our people, he said.

On shortage of funds, the minister advised the chairpersons of prudent use of available resources while assuring them that they would get whatever was due to them under his watch.

He also called for a working synergy with the area councils to improve sanitation in the city.

On land allocation, the minister explained that land allocation by law, was under the purview of the FCT Administration.

He, however, agreed with the council chairpersons to carry them along so that they would put an eye on the development process.

Involve the area council when giving out land for development so that they will checkmate what is going on.

We are not everywhere, how many times do we go out? By the time you know people have developed, then you will go and demolish, and it will cause problems.

But if we carry them along then they become our eyes in those areas. That is how it is supposed to be. I can assure you I will change all these things, he said.

On illegal mining, Mr Wike assured the chairpersons that he would discuss, with the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, to eliminate illegal mining in the FCT.

Earlier, Minister of State, FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, and the Permanent Secretary in the FCTA, Olusade Adesola expressed the willingness of the administration to continue to partner with the councils chairpersons for inclusive development of the capital territory.

(NAN)

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The The cyberattack against the Somali Journalists Syndicate could not have come at a worse time. A distributed denial-of-service attack, known by its acronym DDoS, flooded the local press freedom groups website with traffic in early August and knocked it offline. Days later, authorities arrested SJS staff member and Kaab TV editor Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul in connection with his reporting on alleged corruption. The tandem crises placed major strain on the organization.

It was a very traumatic week. Sleepless. Very stressful. We could not publish our statement, the first statement of Mohameds detention, SJS secretary general Abdalle Ahmed Mumin told CPJ in an interview from the U.K., where he fled earlier this year after he was repeatedly arrested by Somali authorities. Imagine someone attacking your team, detaining one of your team, and youre not able to communicate to the international world because your website has been taken down.

SJS found some relief when it connected with Qurium, a Sweden-based nonprofit that began hosting SJSs website. But a week after the initial attack, another DDoS flood hit the website. This time, Qurium was able to protect SJS from going offline. Quriums analysis of these additional attacks also found that a U.S. company, RayoByte, had provided the tools used in the attack.

Sprious, which owns RayoByte, told Qurium in an email, which CPJ reviewed, that it had removed the abusive user from its network and added the SJS site to its blacklist to prevent it from being targeted further.

SJS isnt the only news outlet that has suffered a DDoS attack using RayoBytes services. News outlets from at least five other countries  Kosovo, Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, and Turkmenistan  have faced similar attacks over the last two years, according to Quriums analysis. These incidents provide a rare look at the mechanics of online censorship efforts and how private corporations can profit from them.

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Sprious declined CPJs requests for an interview and did not directly answer a list of written questions. But in emailed statements to CPJ, Sprious said it was deeply concerned about reports that its services were allegedly used in DDoS attacks. We firmly stand against any form of online harassment or harm, including cyber-attacks, especially when it concerns entities that play a crucial role in promoting press freedom and the safety of journalists, it said.

Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, RayoByte, formerly known as Blazing SEO, is one of many companies that sells clients access to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, unique numbers assigned to internet-connected devices, for scraping, a method for extracting large amounts of data from websites. RayoBytes website lists a range of prices for access to IP addresses based on variables including type and speed.

One way to conduct scraping is through repeated requests to visit a site with different IP addresses. Journalists and researchers use scraping as a research technique, but when IP requests are directed quickly and en masse toward a specific site in order to overwhelm it and knock it offline, this constitutes a DDoS attack.

CPJ has documented DDoS attacks against outlets conducting critical journalism around the world. These cyberattacks also often take place alongside other threats to journalists safety and press freedom.

Quriums analysis shows that it blocked nearly 20,000 IP addresses from hitting the SJS website with millions of requests on August 18 and 19. The largest portion of the traffic (nearly 50%) came via RayoByte and its hosting partners, the analysis said. The second half of the traffic came through several other online channels, including virtual private networks (VPNs).

We were very effective at mitigating the attack because within a few hours we realized we had seen this type of traffic before, Quriums technical director Tord Lundstrom told CPJ. We have met this [attacking] infrastructure in the pastthis infrastructure is no joke.

Similar DDoS attacks began almost immediately after Kosovo-based news site Nacionale began publishing in March 2022, covering local politics and social issues, co-founder Visar Arifaj told CPJ in a recent phone interview. Our website would be down quite often. Because we were still fresh in the news market, it really had an impact for us to reach our audiences, Arifaj said. For us to be down a couple of hours during the day was a huge blow.

Qurium began hosting and defending Nacionale in September 2022, and in March and April 2023 Qurium notified Sprious that attackers had been using its services against the outlet.

In emails from March, Qurium informed Sprious of attacks lasting several hours non-stop. One of the attacks sourced millions of web requests from IP addresses publicly advertised by Rayobyte/BlazingSEO, Qurium said. Sprious responded that it had blacklisted access to Nacionales website and it had barred the user responsible  which Sprious did not name  from accessing its services, but in April Qurium again tracked a DDoS attack against Nacionale involving RayoByte. In response to Quriums email about the April attack, Sprious said it had discovered an issue with its security controls, and had addressed it to prevent further traffic.

However, RayoByte-sourced internet traffic to Nacionales website did not stop and featured in DDoS attacks against the outlet in July and August, Lundstrom told CPJ. While Kosovo police arrested and prosecuted one man in connection with the cyberattacks and Qurium has successfully prevented the continued attacks from taking Nacionale offline, Lundstrom told CPJ that incoming traffic shows attackers continuing to harness IPs from a combination of proxy services, VPNs, and other sources.

Alongside the cyberattacks, Nacionales staff have been subjected to constant online harassment for their work and were recently physically attacked on the job, though those attackers have been arrested, Arifaj told CPJ. This constant pressure, even when it doesnt get to the journalists physically and in a direct manner, you can see that it does a lot for their burnout, he added. It does take a toll, mentally, on everyone.

Since 2022, Qurium has additionally tracked DDoS attacks with IPs sourced from RayoByte against four other outlets: Peoples Gazette from Nigeria, Kloop from Kyrgyzstan, Bulatlat from the Philippines, and Turkmen.news, which reports on Turkmenistan from exile. The attacks on three of the four outlets, excluding Kloop, also involved traffic via VPNs.

In its statements to CPJ, Sprious said it investigates reports of DDoS attacks using its services and takes appropriate actions with the end user that we believe is responsible and steps to mitigate the reported issues, including, but not limited to, blacklisting associated domains and working diligently to remove abusive users. The statements did not respond directly to CPJs requests for details of the customers responsible for these attacks and how the company responded in each case.

Lundstrom told CPJ that Sprious has yet to respond to Quriums emails concerning the attacks on Peoples Gazette, Kloop, Bulatlat, and Turkmen.news, as well as the additional attacks on Nacionale in July and August.

Proxies and VPNs have valid and important uses for ensuring internet users, including journalists, can maintain privacy online. Rights organizations, including CPJ, recommend the use of VPNs to defend against surveillance; individuals can use it to avoid state-backed online censorship, and companies use them to safeguard proprietary information. But Lundstrom described the use of proxy and VPN services to conduct DDoS attacks as a weaponization of these tools. Youre hiding in a tool [made] for another purpose, he said of the attackers. I think its a strategic decision.

DDoS attacks are illegal under a section of the [U.S.] Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Gabe Rottman, director of the Technology and Press Freedom Project at the U.S.-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides legal support to journalists, told CPJ. But he said that it is not necessarily illegal for proxy or VPN companies to provide services that are then used in DDoS attacks.

That doesnt mean service providers cant take actions. You can have technology providers doing appropriate things to protect their users and others at the same time as they build their service in a way that protects privacy, Rottman said. If  you become aware of bad actors doing bad things, notify the authorities, stop them from using your service, mitigate the damage.

Attacks on the SJS website have continued, Lundstrom told CPJ, though none of the IPs have come via RayoByte since Qurium and CPJ contacted Sprious for comment. Nevertheless, Lundstrom wants RayoBytes leadership to do more to address the fact that attackers have repeatedly come to the companys services to target media sites. [RayoBytes] making all the money, he said. And we have to do all this extra work and build new infrastructure to deal with all this shit.

As for SJS, Abdalle remains worried about his colleague, who is still behind bars. But he says hes confident that the press freedom groups website will remain accessible. He still doesnt know the identity of the person or people who launched the cyberattack, but he imagines what they might be thinking: Now they are witnessing, they are coming into a new reality that even after the attack SJS is still resilient. SJS is still active. SJS is still available and is able to work and operate effectively both online and physically inside Somalia.

Editors note: The first name and title of Quriums technical director Tord Lundstrom was added in the 11th paragraph.

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Nigerias Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has stopped payment of road contractors in the South-east over the high cost of projects.

Mr Umahi, a former Governor of Ebonyi State, disclosed this on Thursday in Enugu during the inspection of some ongoing construction and rehabilitation of federal roads across states in the South-east.

Some of the roads inspected included the Ozalla-Akpugo-Amangunze-Isu Onicha Road with a spur to Onunwere in Enugu State and, rehabilitation of Old Enugu-Onitsha Road.

The projects are being handled by Arab Contractors.

Others were the construction of the Nenwe-Nomeh-Mburubu-Nara Road with a spur from Obeagu-Oduma Road, the rehabilitation of Nsukka-Ikem Road in Enugu and the rehabilitation of Eha AmufuNkalagu Road in Ebonyi State.

READ ALSO:

The minister expressed surprise that only four bridges and three kilometres were costing N15 billion.

I have directed directors in the ministry to sit with the contractors and review it, he said

I strongly believe that there is no way that the project will cost us more than N3 to N4 billion, and when a project is too expensive, and the budgeting process is very low, then contractors will remain on site for 10 to 15 years, the minister stated.

No additional projects

Mr Umahi also stopped additional works on some road projects in the region until a review of the contracts was carried out.

The minister explained that the cost of additional projects was exceeding the amount budgeted for them.

The road projects are being funded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

We have only N9.8 billion in our budget with NNPCL and we already have a total contract sum of N23 billion. How are we going to do it? So, I am directing that all the spurs, additional works be stopped, he stated.

Saving cost

Mr Umahi directed contractors handling one side of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway to use concrete in the road construction to save costs and ensure its durability.

I discovered something unprofessional where contractors put a binder course and leave it up to five to eight years, and within that period, the binder course fails.

Henceforth, no contractor will leave the binder course for more than one month without covering it because the binder course admits water which affects subgrade, he said.

The minister, an engineer, argued that most Nigerian roads were failing mainly because of bad asphalt placed on them.

So, the fight of turning to concrete is a continuous one, and we will not give up until our roads are able to last up to 30 years to 40 years without maintenance when built.

At Enugu Section Three to Port Harcourt Section Three, I have also directed that the second carriage be totally done on concrete as we are safer with concrete in south-east roads, he said.

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The Chairman of Heirs Holdings Group and United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, has urged Indian investors to leverage an array of opportunities in Nigeria, adding that now is the best time to invest in Africas largest economy.

Mr Elumelu disclosed this on Wednesday at the Nigeria-Presidential Roundtable and Conference in New Delhi.

He is attending the conference alongside prominent business magnates including Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Cosmas Maduka, Jim Ovia, Allen Onyema and Razak Okoya, all as invitees of President Bola Tinubu, who is in the South East Asian country to attend the G20 summit.

Nigeria is a huge market; over 200 million people with the largest economy on the continent, Mr Elumelu said.

We have a cohort of young people who are there to consume, and we also have people who are intelligent, energetic, hardworking, who provide the human capital that investors need to drive their businesses.

Nigeria is trying to attract investments to boost its sluggish economy, whose growth rate slowed to 2.5 per cent in the three months through June, rather than fund key infrastructures via debt.

Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, told lawmakers in August he would be looking to attract investment fund and equity fund, not debt from those around the world interested in investing in the Nigerian economy.

This week, Mr Tinubu secured commitments totalling $14 billion from various Indian investors, following his assurance to create a safe haven for foreign investments.

READ ALSO:

While Jindal Steel and Power vowed to plough $3 billion into the Nigerian steel industry, Indorama Corp committed to ramping up its petrochemical plant in the country by an additional $8 billion.

Jitender Sachdeva, the founder of SkipperSeil Limited, promised an investment worth $1.6 billion in power generation in northern Nigeria targeting 2000 MW.

Bharti Enterprises pledged an extra investment of $700 million while an agreement of $1 billion was reached with the Indian Government to help the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria attain 40% self-sufficiency in local manufacturing and production of defence equipment in three years.

This is the time to invest in Nigeria. I speak as a private sector investor in Nigeria, the companies in our Groups investment portfolio demonstrate the opportunity, Mr Elumelu said.

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ELKO  The Humanities Center at Great Basin College and the Noowuh Knowledge Center are excited to host Southern Paiute comic artist Theo Tso live in Elko during the 3rd Annual Ruby Valley Treaty Conference at Great Basin College, scheduled Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, 2023.

Theo Tso is an enrolled member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe and is the creative mind behind Captain Paiute: Indigenous Defender of the Southwest. He is also the owner and operator of War Paint Studios. Tso has worked on issues of Masked Men and Peace Party, and his artwork has been featured in Phil Yeas Winged Tiger series.

Tso will give an artists talk on Friday, Sept. 29, at 10:30 a.m. and share his personal journey creating Native American superheroes while showcasing examples of his work. Later that day, he will lead a hands-on comic workshop to create a simple comic for youths 12-17 years old. On Saturday, Tso will offer an additional workshop open to all ages, 10 and up. Adults are welcome.

In a recent interview, Tso spoke of his original inspiration behind creating Captain Paiute: ... after noticing that there werent any comics that were written, drawn, or even created by Native Americans, I saw that there was a need for a superhero that was Native American, who would deal with Native issues coming on and off the reservations of the Southwest.

We hope that the comic workshop will inspire western Shoshone youth to learn their history and through this, connect to their cultural heritage and identity, which could be telling the story of the Ruby Valley Treaty, tribal history or family history, said Mary Gibson, NKC Director.

The NKC is a recently formed Elko-area nonprofit whose mission is to educate, preserve and protect western Shoshone and Great Basin Indians culture, history and stories.

Theos work makes a significant and relevant contribution to the world of comics, Native American and Nevada history. He blends his colorful comic style with his tribal traditions and current social issues, such as land and water preservation; all current-day topics that the guest speakers at the RVTC will discuss, said Gail Rappa, Humanities Center Coordinator at GBC.

The artist talk, comic workshops, and Ruby Valley Treaty Conference events are all free, but space is limited and registration is required.

For more information and to register for the Theo Tso Comic workshop, visit https://humanities.gbcnv.edu/humanitiesatgbc.html. To learn more about the other free speakers and programs included in the Ruby Valley Treaty Conference, visit www.noowuhkc.org/events.

These events are open to all and made possible by Nevada Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities, Noowuh Knowledge Center, and Great Basin College.
The Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Hassan Kukah, says the current quarrelsomeness in Nigeria is a consequence of the ignorance of the younger generation about the history of the country.

Mr Kukah stated this in Lagos on Thursday evening at an event organised to honour two eminent Nigerians, Christopher Kolade and Emeka Anyaoku.

Mr Kolade, a former Nigeria high commissioner to the United Kingdom; and Mr Anyaoku, a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, were celebrated at the Nonagenarian Concert & Presentation of the book titled: The Spirit of our treasures at the Church of Nativity Auditorium, in Ikoyi

The event was put together by the Heritage for Life Foundation to celebrate the duo whose lives the organisers said have set a positive example for Nigerians to emulate.

The foundation secretary, Lemuel Iyalla, said that the book is centered around the experiences of the nonagenarians who became successful while upholding great virtues and values.

Keynote speech

Delivering the keynote address at the event, Mr Kukah spoke on the challenges of nation-building in Nigeria.

l accept all the accolades that have been poured on the lives of these wonderful men but I think we must also take cognisance of the fact that for building a nation, the challenges are far more than we can understand and the success of the challenges lie in if we use relay race as a metaphor. Because no matter how good you are as a relay team, your success depends on the quality of your collaboration and cooperation and how successfully we pass the baton, Mr Kukah, said.

The cleric said the challenge before Nigerians is how to hold the collective narratives of their nation today.

And yet there is no greater guide than history because without history, our lives will be an endless, frustrating chain of accusations and counter accusations; ball passing, praise singing and condemnation.

And yet, in reality history is a contest of ideas, because it continues with a culture of interrogation and the more we interrogate the events of history, the better it is for us. But of course, if this interrogation is not sustained, memory lapses.

The bishop said it is not true that history has been taken out of the Nigerian syllabus.

The late Professor Obaro Nkime, who was the president of the Historical Society of Nigeria,

perhaps one of the worlds greatest historians, actually did say that nobody took history out of a syllabus, he said.

But what happened was that over time in the 1990s, as the banks with this artificial prosperity made in Nigeria, fewer and fewer and fewer young people decided they wanted to read history. People who are looking for courses that will help them in future.

What I was saying was that actually, it was a deliberate decision by young people to gravitate towards the kind of courses that were worthy and we have ended up with a generation that is quite ignorant about the history of our country and that has tremendous consequences for us; how we see ourselves, how we define ourselves, and the culture of quarrelsomeness that have become part and parcel of our society today.

Biography of the nonagenarians

Mr Kolade who will turn 91 in December was born in 1932 in ldo Faboro in Ekiti state to devout Christian parents, Reverend Abraham and Lydia Kolade.

He started his early education at Christ School in Ado Ekiti in 1945 after which he proceeded to Government College, Ibadan on a government scholarship and graduated with the legendary class of 46, which produced several notable Nigerians.

He started his career as an education officer at Government College, Ughelli, Delta

State. He moved on to become the first education officer in the region and was later appointed as Western Region Controller of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and later moved to the Nigerian Television Service (NTS) where he eventually rose to become the DG of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation at the age of 40.

The father-of-two was later to join Cadbury Nigeria PLC and eventually rose to become the CEO.

His retirement as Chairman of Cadbury was described by many as the end of an era in Nigerian business. Mr Kolade joined the faculty of the Lagos Business School until his appointment in 2001, as Nigerias High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

On his part, Mr Anyaoku was elected third Secretary-General of the Commonwealth by Heads of Government at their meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 1989 and took office in July 1990 and served, after re-election, for two terms of 5 years each up to 2000.

He was born in 1933 and educated at University College, Ibadan, where he studied classics as a college scholar, graduating with a London University honours degree in 1959.

The father-of- four was Nigerias Foreign Minister in 1983 before the military coup detat at the end of that year.

Mr Anyaoku has had extensive international exposure and service. Among his many groundbreaking achievements; he was the first African Chief Executive of a global inter-governmental organisation before Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan at

the United Nations; the first African International President of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)- an office previously held by HRH Prince Philip Duke of

Edinburgh; the first African to have a professorial chair named after him in a British University; and the first African Trustee of the British Museum.

Tributes to Anyaoku

In his tributes to Mr Anyaoku, former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him as

detribalised Nigerian.

At the time that he came here to marry Bunmi, it was not fashionable, he wrote in his tributes.

He believes in the world that he lives in. He made a success of the time when he served as an officer in the foreign service under Chief Simeon Adebo, who was also a man of sterling qualities, in every sense. He is a hard worker.

I saw it when he was rising through the ranks of the Commonwealth Secretariat to become substantive head of that secretariat. I worked with him when I was a member of the Eminent Persons Group in Africa.

He was with us. We had occasions when the two co-chairmen, Malcolm Fraser and myself did not see things in the same light. Emeka acted as arbitrator. Hes that sort of man, a peacemaker

Hes a lover of humanity generally, but he is also a lover of Nigeria. Many people dont know, but we live near each other. His Abeokuta home is a walking distance from mine and sometimes when hes in town. I simply walk over to see him.

Yakubu Gowon, a former head of state, said the retired diplomat is a man of exceptional qualities who exemplifies what a good Nigerian should be.

He has led an exemplary life in everything. As Commonwealth Secretary General, he made Nigeria proud by the way he conducted himself and the affairs of the Commonwealth, to the glory of God, the honour of his country and that institution, the Commonwealth, Mr Gowon wrote.

On his part, President Bola Tinubu called the first African Trustee of the British Museum a signpost of what is best and possible about Nigerians and Nigeria as a country.

He wrote that Mr Anyaoku demonstrates beyond doubt that Nigeria is a blessed and not a cursed country and that if true leadership exists, Nigeria can produce a dozen and more Anyaokus.

Tributes to Kolade

In her tribute, a former president of the National Post-Graduate Medical College of Nigeria, Ajesola Majekodunmi, said her path crossed with the former high commissioner of Nigeria to the UK in 2000 where we met at Ogudu GRA where we both reside.

Soon, we were both elected into the Board of Trustees of the Residents Association and that brought us closer.

He was unanimously elected as our Chairman of BOT. The way he conducted our meetings and related with the members showed his wealth of experience garnered from the board room. He is a good listener, disciplinarian and leader who gave a good summary of our discussions at the end of each meeting. We held him in high esteem.

Soon Dr Kolade became my confidant with whom I could chat or discuss any matter. He was knowledgeable and can never be found wanting in any field. Indeed in time of trouble, by the time you finished your discussion with Dr. Kolade, he would have put smiles on your face.

He has a way of restoring your self-confidence, bringing out the best in you.

In his goodwill message to Mr Kolade, Canon Ogundipe, a cleric said the celebrants life is worthy of emulation.

Indeed Dr Christopher Olusola Kolades life is worthy of emulation by all. Like Daniel in the Bible, he remain impeccable in his services both to God and human, he said.

He worked in the public notices and remain uncorrupted. A faithful servant in the Church of God who served as an organist for several years free of charge.

No wonder, he was made a Lay Canon of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in the Diocese of

Guildtord, England. There is no better way to make it known to the world and the coming generation than in writing a book such as The Spirit of Our Treasures.

Yemi and Titi Akinsanya said that in a world often bereft of role models, Mr Kolades legacy will not be of wealth or worldly achievements, of which he has more than enough.

But, much more than these, it will be a spirit consistently radiating a sense of unwavering goodness and a life that inspires those around him to be better.

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Some residents of Ijebu Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State have given the council chairman, Babatunde Emilola-Gazal, 48 hours to explain how he had spent federal allocations to the council since he assumed office two years ago.

The development is against the backdrop of a controversy in the state over an allegation by the chairman of Ijebu East LGA, Wale Adedayo, that Governor Dapo Abiodun was diverting the allocations.

Following the allegation last week, council chairpersons in the state, under the aegis of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), led by Mr Emiola-Gazal, rushed to the Government House in Abeokuta to absolve Governor Abiodun and dissociate themselves from Mr Adedayos allegation.

Mr Adedayo has since been suspended by his councillors in Ijebu East LGA for alleged financial maladministration and detained briefly by the State Security Service (SSS).

However, some residents of Ijebu Ode LGA seemed to have turned against Mr Emiola-Gazal over his assertion that the governor does not interfere in the management of council finances.

In posters that appeared at strategic places in Ijebu Ode on Thursday evening, the unnamed residents demanded that he account for the funds of the council.

In the note, the residents wrote: You are hereby given 48 hours to furnish the Ijebus (with) how you spend(sic) the allocations. Failing to do this will lead to protests within the local government. By Concerned Citizens.

Speaking on the posters, a resident, Adeola Balogun, told PREMIUM TIMES that he agreed the council boss should explain how he was spending the money of the council.

He shouldnt even have waited for us to ask him before explaining with concrete evidence. For him to have led the protest against what the Ijebu East chairman said, it means he has been receiving his (councils) allocations and we are interested in knowing how he had spent the money.

But, speaking with our correspondent, Mr Emilola-Gazal said the posters were sponsored by his political opponents.

You are aware of what happened as regards a letter written by Wale Adedayo. He raised issues and also made requests and we had an amicable understanding that the issues should be resolved in-house henceforth.

We all agreed that internal mechanisms should be explored to solve all issues because what will you gain if we keep dragging ourselves to the media? Even me, I have been maligned, I am being maligned, he said.

He said he was not bothered by the demand for accountability but queried the point of the ultimatum.

Giving an account is the easiest thing for me to do but nobody should give me an ultimatum. When it is time we shall come out and explain things.

But let me just say this, this has been orchestrated by some persons within the local government. Yes! A few of them. I can tell you that authoritatively we have an idea of who they are. They are trying to cause a breach of the peace of the society and the appropriate authorities will take them up.

An official of the council had said Mr Emiola-Gazal had not been in his office since the controversy began.

Asked if this was true, the council boss said:

Yes, I have stayed away from the office, we shall come out as appropriate at the right time and give account.

Mr Adedayo had alleged that Governor Abiodun was mismanaging local government funds in the state.

READ ALSO: SSS detains Ogun council chair who accused Governor Abiodun of impropriety

The Ijebu East council boss made the allegation in a letter to a former governor of the state and a leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Olusegun Osoba.

Shortly after the content of the letter was reported in the media, Mr Emilola-Gazal led his colleague chairpersons to meet the governor and deny Mr Adedayos claims.

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The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has notified the state House of Assembly of his resumption of duty after being abroad for three months on medical leave.

Mr Akeredolu returned from Germany on Thursday.

Receiving a letter from the governor, on Friday, the Speaker of the House, Olamide Oladiji, said it was in line with Section 190(1)of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

According to the letter which was received today during the Parliamentary meeting of the House, the Governor resumed duty today, Friday, 8th September,2023, a statement signed by Mr Oladiji said.

Mr Oladiji, who expressed appreciation to God for bringing the Governor back home hale and hearty, said the entire people of the state were glad to see him back in office.

The governor, in a letter dated 4th June, had informed the House of his proceeding on medical leave and later extended it on 4th July.

The Governor in his letter, expressed gratitude to the Lawmakers for their good wishes, the statement further said.

READ ALSO: Governor Akeredolu not yet fit to return to work Ondo government

The governor arrived in the country on Thursday and met with members of his cabinet in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He has been treating an undisclosed illness in Germany after his health deteriorated shortly after the presidential election.

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The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room says the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the 2023 presidential election may erode the progress made in the use of technology in elections.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Situation Room said the verdict may present challenges for the innovative reforms achieved through the Electoral Act of 2022.

The statement was jointly signed by the three co-conveners of the Situation Room: Y.Z Yau, Mimidoo Achakpa and Franklin Oloniju.

The PEPT had on Wednesday, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the petitions of Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Obi of the Labour Party.

The five-man panel ruled that the petitioners failed to prove the case of irregularities and other issues raised, and therefore, affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The panel ruled that the petitioners did not prove how they were affected by the failure of INEC to electronically transmit the result.

The Electoral Act 2022 provided safeguards indicating the need for INEC to be innovative in developing procedures that will help eliminate the human element regarding the conduct of elections. It seems to us that these innovative reforms may now face challenges as the Tribunal has opened the implementation of these reforms to INECs human discretionary powers. This is indeed worrying for our electoral system, the Situation Room said.

Read the full statement

(Situation Room), on Wednesday, 6th September 2023, observed the delivery of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the 2023 presidential election.

As a group with significant years of knowledge and experience in elections  both in the field and the policy space, Situation Room is concerned that the judgment may have raised questions regarding the gains made with the passage of the Electoral Act 2022, particularly reforms that introduce technology in elections and require INEC to issue guidelines for the elections and implement it.

It will be recalled that the 2022 Electoral Act was hailed by stakeholders as a milestone achievement and progressive legislation mostly due to the incorporation of technological innovations in the electoral legal framework. For many, the innovations were expected to promote transparency in the electoral process. Of note are the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which were described as game changer that would guarantee transparency and seamless management of elections.

The Electoral Act 2022 provided safeguards indicating the need for INEC to be innovative in developing procedures that will help eliminate the human element regarding the conduct of elections. It seems to us that these innovative reforms may now face challenges as the Tribunal has opened the implementation of these reforms to INECs human discretionary powers. This is indeed worrying for our electoral system.

While some discretion may be necessary for flexibility in election administration, it is important that there are accountability mechanisms to prevent arbitrariness. Citizens look to the Judiciary to serve as a check on this discretionary power to ensure that administrative decisions are implemented in a transparent manner, and most importantly, in the public interest.

It is also important to add that public funds were appropriated by the National Assembly and invested in these technological innovations, which were developed and publicised by INEC.

Situation Room notes that it is within the rights of the contending political parties to further dispute or accept the judgment issued by the Tribunal on the elections and will be watching developments regarding further actions by the political parties involved.

Situation Room will continue to monitor closely how litigations around the general elections evolve especially at the Supreme Court level and will be pursuing further legislative advocacy that will require INEC to mandatorily implement reforms passed by Nigerias Legislature.

-

SIGNED:

Y.Z Yau

Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

Mimidoo Achakpa

Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

Franklin Oloniju

Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

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Detained Nigerian environmental journalist, Damilola Ayeni, of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), regained freedom Friday night in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, after one week of incarceration at Benins northwestern Pendjari National Park.

Police authorities initially detained Mr Ayeni at the Commissariat Central, Parakou Police Station, in Parakou, and later moved him to Cotonou, on grounds of alleged terrorism and espionage for taking pictures at the park, claiming he had no authorization to be at the spot.

Charges were subsequently dropped following intense clamour for his release and a concert of civil society and diplomatic intervention led by Olukayode Aluko, Nigerias ambassador to Benin, and support from Debo Adesina, the ambassador to Togo, who was a former editor of the Guardian newspapers in Lagos.

The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF), home to 15 Nigerian newspapers and human rights organisations, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the West African investigative journalism group, CENOZO, based in Burkina Faso, and the local Benin office of Amnesty International all called on Beninois police and prosecutor authorities for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Ayeni, and that all charges against him be dropped and he should be allowed to work safely.

Fisayo Soyombo, FIJ publisher who spoke to the CPJ, denied the allegations against Mr Ayeni and said the reporter was at the park to report on an environmental conservation story. Since an incident of terrorism was spotted at its northern borders, Beninois authorities have been edgy on media reporting around the park. Last year, police at the Pendjari park arrested three journalists, Flore Nobime of the local AFP office, Dutch journalist Oliver van Beemen, and a French TV 5 reporter, for similar reasons, according to Rachida Houssou, the BBC Africa correspondent in Benin.

ALSO READ: Nigerian journalist arrested in Benin Republic

President of the Union of Media Professionals of Benin, Zakiath Latoundji, told CENOZO that efforts to reach Mr Ayeni were hindered for most of Friday in an apparent effort to quickly charge him. However, the union helped secure the services of an attorney, Elie Dovonou, to announce representation for the journalist before the Special Prosecutor at the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism, CRIET, the Beninois body that tries terrorism cases.

Receiving Mr Ayeni later at the Nigerian embassy, Mr Aluko joked about the prestige and value of being a journalist such that the whole world stood up for the reporter to secure his freedom. I cannot recall the number of calls I got on this one case, from local and international organisations to our ambassador to Togo, to his employers and even from the Villa, a reference to the Nigerian presidency.

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We can only wish the best for Mustapha Gajibo and his Phoenix Renewable Energy Group. His passion for solving problems is exactly what is needed in Nigeria today. His vision of the use of environmentally cutting-edge technologies to address the problem of urban mass transit is what we need for our future. His can-do attitude is inspirational. Keep it up dear Mustapha.

After some discussions on the encouraging story of a young entrepreneur on our Barewa Old Boys WhatsApp group, a couple of classmates and I decided to visit Mustapha Gajibo to better understand his engagement in renewable energy and project of the design and production of Nigerian electric vehicles. We were all impressed with his vision, drive, ambition and, above all, commitment to seeking modern workable solutions to Nigerias challenges. From his base in Maiduguri, he has been producing electric cars since 2017. We should recall that in 2017, there was no electricity in Maiduguri because the supply line had been blown up by Boko Haram. Hence, wasnt it quite audacious to think of producing electric cars in a city that did not even have electricity at the time, I asked. His response was that it was precisely for that reason that solutions needed to be sought, importantly; and if the city had no electricity, it had a lot of sunshine, which could be harnessed to charge the vehicles.

The restless Gajibo had opted out of his University of Maiduguri Mechanical Engineering course at 300 level, because he considered the curriculum to be outdated and did not adequately cover his passion and interests in modern technology, and renewable energy in particular. At that time, he already had successful businesses he was running. He had, for example, designed solar powered phone charging stations, where he was beating the competition by charging phones at N30 each, while his competitors, who were running generators for the same service, could not go below N50 per phone.

While in secondary school, Mustapha Gajibo had discovered the intricacies of solar power, because his father had bought solar charging lamps to provide light in the house. He started studying how it worked and decided that in addition to the light produced, he would use the solar system to power an electric fan. He studied how fans operate, designed and produced one, which he linked to the solar panel to provide him some relief from the Maiduguri heat. All his life, he has been studying how things work and designing and producing them out of interest. Increasingly, also, his interest in entrepreneurship grew and his vision, from his teenage years, has been how to invent and produce original products for industry.

He started by building the prototype of a 16-seater vehicle that can go for as long as 200 kilometres on one charge. He also converted the keke napep into an electric vehicle by fitting it with solar panels, to add to the charge from the vehicles rechargeable battery. The problem, he explained, is that the Keke Napep was not designed as an electric vehicle and it is too heavy to run with the battery and solar panel.

His vision was focused on what meets the eye in Maiduguri and other cities  the omni-presence of tricycles or keke napep as the dominant form of urban mass transit. He considered the keke very deficient, as it is unstable, leading to many accidents in the city, with hospitals establishing special wards to care for the numerous accident victims brought in daily. His first decision was that he was going to ensure that these vehicles are eliminated from Nigerian roads to be replaced by an electric four-wheel version that he would design and produce. Secondly, he was very conscious of the high level of pollution the tricycles produced and decided that by transiting to electric vehicles, city residents would be able to breath fresher air. The third issue he considered was the design of the tricycle, to make it the preferred form of urban transit. It is cheap and its basic design of an open vehicle without doors, which people can easily jump into and out, fits the pocket of the teaming poor in our cities. As such, the vehicle he decided to design would be as cheap and simple, so that there is a huge market to tap into. The electric vehicle he decided to invent that fits the political economy of our urban centres, does not exist anywhere in the world. He hoped to make a lot of money in the process.

He started by building the prototype of a 16-seater vehicle that can go for as long as 200 kilometres on one charge. He also converted the keke napep into an electric vehicle by fitting it with solar panels, to add to the charge from the vehicles rechargeable battery. The problem, he explained, is that the Keke Napep was not designed as an electric vehicle and it is too heavy to run with the battery and solar panel. Having been working on so many prototypes since 2017, he has finally settled on the electric vehicle that will be designed for mass production. It is a seven-seater vehicle that has a high clearance, open doors and a good suspension. This is the upcoming replacement for thr Keke Napep. He would have loved to produce it in Nigeria but unfortunately the country has no iron and steel base, and no cheap electricity to produce the components, so he has patented it in China and found a partner there that would produce it. The vehicle will be called Kaandi, Ours in Kanuri, and the first seven hundred are currently being produced, with the production being anticipated to rise to 5,000 annually. They would come in as completely knocked down parts (CKD) and then assembled in Nigeria. He complained that there is no financing for start-ups in Nigeria and he has had to finance his passion for the electric car by running other businesses.

This 31-year old entrepreneur is full of brilliant ideas and has over 30 prototypes in his kitty. I love his engagement on numerous fronts Although he never graduated from the university, the irony is that many Nigerian universities are currently seeking his partnership in the automotive and renewable energy fields.

The major economic activity he is currently engaged in is converting petrol vehicles into the use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). He is scaling up the business and establishing a factory that can convert 100 petrol to CNG vehicles daily. A 15 kilogramme tank of CNG costs only N4,500 and can run for 300 kilometres, making it much cheaper than petrol, in this era of no fuel subsidy. As he continues to pursue his ambition to drive out petrol vehicles from Nigeria, CNG is the transition mechanism. He is currently building two CNG filling stations in Abuja.

This 31-year old entrepreneur is full of brilliant ideas and has over 30 prototypes in his kitty. I love his engagement on numerous fronts. He said he has been in business virtually all his life and from the age of seven, he was already running a Hausa sweets business with his mum, while till in primary school in Bauchi. Although he never graduated from the university, the irony is that many Nigerian universities are currently seeking his partnership in the automotive and renewable energy fields. Having walked out of the university as a student, one of his goals is to build the type of new technology cutting edge university he wanted to attend but did not find in Nigeria. We can only wish the best for Mustapha Gajibo and his Phoenix Renewable Energy Group. His passion for solving problems is exactly what is needed in Nigeria today. His vision of the use of environmentally cutting-edge technologies to address the problem of urban mass transit is what we need for our future. His can-do attitude is inspirational. Keep it up dear Mustapha.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.

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The servant will continue to have his supplications answered as long as he does not ask for a sin or cutting of ties and he is not impatient. They said, O Messenger of Allah, what is its impatience? The Prophet said, He says: I have supplicated again and again, but I have not seen an answer. He becomes frustrated with that and gives up supplicating.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His servant and Messenger.

Dear brothers and sisters, have you ever felt upset about something that recently happened to you? Have you ever felt so worried to the point that your head spins? Have you ever felt so angry that you just feel like reacting irrationally? Are you in social, financial, economic, leadership, marital, family, physical, mental or spiritual problems?

Remember, when in doubt, pray it out. The power of prayer has led Prophet Musa, Peace be upon him, to split the two seas. It has led Prophet Ibrahim, Peace be upon him, to cool down the Fire for him amid his execution by Namarud (Nimrod), the most atrocious and tyrannical leader in the world. Most importantly, it has led our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), in victoriously winning many battles in which their armies are substantially outnumbered! The power of Dua has brought many miracles to the Prophets of Allah, Companions of the Prophet, the awliya and other Muslim brothers and sisters who sincerely believe in Allah.

Respected brothers and sisters, Dua means invocation  to call out  and is an act of supplication, meaning asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly. For Muslims, it is an act of worship in which we ask Allah for His forgiveness and mercy, to grant us His favours and answer our requests.

Dua is one of the most important tools handed by Allah to humanity, an immensely personal means for us to communicate and connect with the Almighty.

The Quran is the word of Allah, revealed by our beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) as guidance for humanity. It is permanent and unchanging, its words permanently etched into eternity.

A Dua is our conversation with our Creator, the relay of our thoughts and words to Him. We can use any words, ask for anything, for good in this life and the Hereafter. We can ask for ourselves, for our friends, for our families, for strangers, for those in need, for the Ummah and humanity.

It is more than just a channel of communication or a ritual, however. Dua has been described as the essence of worship, for by turning to Allah we are affirming that He alone has the power to grant or deny our wishes, desires, hopes and ambitions.

A Hadith recites that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stated that:

Dua is [that act which is worthy of being called true] worship. [At-Tirmizi]

Dear brothers and sisters, Dua (pronounced Dua) literally means a request, invocation or supplication. According to Imam al-Khattabi, Dua is the asking of a servant for his Lord for help and for His continued support. It is a form of Ibadah (worship) and Zikrullah (remembrance of Allah).

There are numerous Dua with various purposes in the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). We are highly encouraged to recite these Dua from both sources for our benefits in both worlds. Also, we can personalise our Dua by making it in our own words and in a language we are comfortable with for better contemplation. Even if our expressions in the Dua may sound opaque or not well organised, Allah Almighty knows best of our thoughts and intentions.

 The power and merits of Dua/supplication

1. Dua/supplication is a reminder of Allahs closeness to His servants, Allah Almighty says:

And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be on the right path. [Quran, 2:186]

2. Dua/supplication keeps us humble

By making Dua, we admit that we, being His flawed servants, are in dire need of His help. Thus, admitting such dependency helps overcome pride and arrogance. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

Allah will be angry with those who do not make requests from Him. [At-Tirmizi]

Sheikh Al-Mubarakfuri, the author of Tuhfat al-Ahwazi, the explanation of the AHadith narrated by Tirmizi, said:

It is because not asking (making Dua) is arrogance and an expression of self-sufficiency, and these attributes are not permissible for a servant.

3. Allah Almighty will answer Dua and remove difficulties of those in distress. He says in the noble Quran:

Is it not He Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil. [Quran, 27:62]

This Quranic verse illustrates the benefit of making Dua in general. Despite that, some exceptional cases should be brought to our attention. Some Dua may not be immediately or completely granted by Allah Almighty. And He may eventually bestow with something else that is even better. And some Dua may not be answered at all for some reason. This is due to the fact that Allah Almighty is Al-Hakim (All-Wise) and Al-Alim (All-Knowing) about what is best for His servants. What we think is good for us could be otherwise in reality, and vice versa.

 The Blessed Times for Dua

As we earnestly hope to have our Dua/supplication/prayer answered, look out for these best times known as Saat al-Ijabah or Saat al-Istijabah (Times of answered prayers), so that Allah Almighty may fulfil our prayers the best way possible:

1. In the depths of the night

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him? [Muslim]

2. Before saying Salam in a prayer

According to the Hadith reported by Abu Umamah (RA), It was said:

O Messenger of Allah, which Dua is heard? He said, In the last third of the night, and following every prescribed prayer. [At-Tirmizi]

In interpreting dabr al-salawat al-maktubah (following the prescribed prayers) some scholars are of the view that it is before the Salam. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

The word dabr refers to something that is part of a thing, like dabr al-hayawan (the hindquarters of an animal).

3. Between the Azan and the Iqamah

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

A Dua/supplication offered between the Azan and Iqamah is not rejected. [At-Tirmizi]

4. Saying Dua during free time and in good health regularly

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

If anyone finds pleasure in receiving an answer from Allah in times of difficulty, he should make many supplications when times are easy. [At-Tirmizi]

In his book, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi, Sheikh al-Mubarakfuri explained that:

Al-rakha (when times are easy) means good health and free time.

5. Between Asar and Maghrib on Fridays

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Friday consists of twelve hours. There is one in which a Muslim who asks Allah for something will have it granted to him. Seek it in the last hour after Asar. [An-Nasai]

6. Between two Khutbahs of a Friday prayer

Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said while talking about the merits of Friday:

There is a time on Friday at which a Muslim, while he is performing a prayer and is supplicating, will be granted whatever he (or she) is supplicating for. And he pointed with his hand to indicate that this period of time is very short. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

7. During Sujud in a prayer

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

The nearest a servant can be to his Lord (Allah) is while doing sujud, so increase in supplication. [Muslim]

8. While drinking the water of Zamzam

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for. [Ibn Majah]

9. During Ramadan  especially before breaking fast, on the last ten days, and the Lailatul-Qadr (Night of Power)

Ramadan, as the best month of all, is filled with great blessings when a servant does good deeds that include Ibadah in the form of Dua. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

There are three people whose Dua is not rejected; the fasting person until he breaks the fast, the just leader, and the oppressed person, whose Dua Allah lifts above the clouds and opens unto it the doors of Jannah, and Allah says: I swear by My Honour, verily I shall assist you, even though it may be after some time. [At-Tirmizi]

And as the last ten nights of Ramadan are deemed the best nights of all in a year, it is therefore greatly encouraged to say Dua during those nights. Regarding Lailatul Qadr, Aisha (RA) said:

I asked the Messenger of Allah: O Messenger of Allah, if I realise Lailatul Qadr, what should I supplicate in it? He said, Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me. [At-Tirmizi]

10. At times of adversity

Allah Almighty says in the noble Quran:

And (remember) Zun-Nun (Prophet Yunus), when he went off in anger and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamities which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): None has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) are You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers. So We answered his call and delivered him from distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness). [Quran, 21:87-88]

11. While performing Hajj, on the first ten days of Zul-Hijjah and on the day of Arafah

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

There are no days during which the righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah Almighty than these (first ten) days (of Zul-Hijjah). [Ibn Majah]

And in another Hadith, he (Peace be upon him) said:

The best of Dua is Dua on the day of Arafah. [At-Tirmizi]

 Etiquettes of Dua

There are etiquettes (Adab) that should be observed so that our Dua will be offered in a proper manner in hopes that they will be granted. Some of these are as follows:

1. Be sincere

Having Ikhlas (sincerity) is a prerequisite of the acceptance of Dua. Allah Almighty says in the noble Quran:

And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him). [Quran, 98:5]

2. Glorify and praise Allah Almighty, and recite Salat (salutation) upon the Prophet

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

When any of you prays, he should begin with the glorification of his Lord and praise Him; he should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (Peace be upon him); thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes. [At-Tirmizi]

3. Include Allahs glorified names

Seek to learn and understand His glorified names. There will always be at least one name that is apt for what we are asking for in our Dua. Allah Almighty says in the noble Quran:

And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who believe or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they used to do. [Quran, 7:180]

 Things that Hinder the Acceptance of Dua/supplication

Nothing worries more than not having our Dua granted especially when our lives are at stake. Therefore, it is imperative to learn the reasons why our Dua is not being answered as below:

1. Engaging in unlawful activities

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Allah is good and accepts only what is good, and He has given the same command to the believers as He has given to the Messengers, saying, O Messengers, eat of what is good and act righteously (Quran, 23:51) and also, O You who believe, eat of the good things which We have provided for you (Quran, 2:172). Then he (the Prophet) mentioned about a man who makes a long journey in a dishevelled and dusty state, who stretches out his hands to heaven saying, My Lord, my Lord, when his food, drink and clothing are of an unlawful nature, and he is nourished by what is unlawful, how then can his supplication/Dua be accepted? [Muslim]

Despite the committed sins, individuals who erred should not lose hope in Allah Almighty and thus, establish Tawbah (repentance) and gradually improve themselves with what is made obligatory and other good deeds. Allah Almighty affirms His mercy for the wrong-doers:

Say (O Prophet, that Allah Almighty says), O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allahs mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Quran, 39:53]

2. Making inappropriate Dua and showing a lack of patience and conviction

Making Dua for something against the Islamic principles will result in not having the Dua/supplication to be answered. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

The servant will continue to have his supplications answered as long as he does not ask for a sin or cutting of ties and he is not impatient. They said, O Messenger of Allah, what is its impatience? The Prophet said, He says: I have supplicated again and again, but I have not seen an answer. He becomes frustrated with that and gives up supplicating. [Muslim]

 Making Effort While Praying for the Best

As much as Muslims are encouraged to make Dua, they should also put in the effort to help realise their wishes, before leaving the outcome to Allah Almighty. Effort should be made due diligence based on the individuals capacity. It may also require one to review themselves from time to time for better results, as part of the effort altogether.

In fact, the true meaning of Tawakkul comprises both effort and reliance, unlike Tawakul which includes only the latter. The following Quranic verse serves as a general guideline to ensuring one exerts himself for self-improvement:

Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves. [Quran, 13:11]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) taught us to establish effort accordingly, as reported by Anas Ibn Malik (RA) that a man said:

O Messenger of Allah! Shall I tie it (camel) and rely (upon Allah), or leave it loose and rely (upon Allah)? He said, Tie it and rely (upon Allah). [At-Tirmizi]

What If the Outcome is Different Than What We Prayed for?

As servants of Allah the Benevolent, our responsibility is to do our due diligence in the form of Dua, effort and reliance on Him to meet our wishes. Nevertheless, we must have unwavering faith in Allah Almighty as His infinite knowledge is way beyond ours, and it includes the predestination of all things.

Our belief will signify husn al-zann (good opinion) towards Him for whatever result, good or bad, that may come eventually. Allah Almighty says in the noble Quran:

Though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know. [Quran, 2:216]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) illustrated how Allah Almighty fulfils ones Dua:

Any Muslim who makes a supplication containing nothing which is sinful or which involves breaking ties of relationship will be given for it by Allah one of three things: He will give him a speedy answer, or store it up for him in the next world, or turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil. Those who heard it said, We would then make many supplications. And the Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied, Allah is more ready to answer than they were to ask. [Musnad Ahmad]

Allah Almighty employs various approaches to address the Dua/supplication of His servants as He knows what is best for each of them, and how His blessings will affect them, positively or otherwise at any point in their lives. For instance, if we make Dua to be blessed with an abundance of worldly wealth, peace, unity and progress, Allah Almighty knows how it will impact us in the short and long terms.

Although we have observed all the etiquettes while making this Dua, Allah Almighty may not grant it immediately as it may corrupt us out of greed. Thus, He may fulfil it at a later time when we are more ready spiritually and morally to hold the responsibility of bearing great wealth.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Safar 22, 1445 AH (September 08, 2023).

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On Friday, there was panick in parts of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, as operators of tricycles, commonly called Keke NAPEP, protested the killing of one of their colleagues, Yahuza Abdullahi.

The tricycle of the deceased was also allegedly stolen.

The protest, which started in the morning, forced many shopowners to close their shops.

A Keke NAPEP rider, Ibrahim Hassan, told PREMIUM TIMES that the protest, which was meant to be peaceful, was hijacked by hoodlums and soon became violent causing tension in the city, and forcing residents to scamper to safety.

The protest forced many shop owners to close their shops as the hoodlums attempted to break into shops to loot shops.

Mr Umar said:  There have been reported cases of Keke theft in Jalingo. This issue has been on for a while now until we decided to carry out a protest today over the killing of one of us.

The state chairman of the Tricycle Riders Association, Abdullahi Bello, said the protest created tension but the police and the military quickly intervened to avoid further crisis.

Mr Bello said, Hoodlums hijacked the protest and turned it violence, even my office was destroyed.

Soldiers and police officers deployed to the area dispersed the protesters, he said.

Motorists and other road users along Michelin, Nukkai and ATC were trapped as they were asked by security operatives to keep off the route for restoration of normalcy.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi, confirmed the incident.

We got information this morning that a corpse was cited around Nukkai and we mobilised our men to go and evacuate it, but on reaching there the Keke NAPEP riders hijacked the corpse, barricaded the roads and attacked our men.

However, we have been able to restore calm and the Command has launched an investigation into the incident, he said.

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ELKO  Elko County Commissioners took the first step toward establishment of an advisory panel on school projects required by new state law that also provides $64.5 million for a new school in Owyhee, approving Commissioner Jon Karr as chairman.

Karr, who served on the Elko County School District Board of Trustees before becoming a county commissioner, becomes panel chairman based on AB519, which states that one member will be the chairman of the commissioners or the chairmans designee and that person will chair the panel.

Board Chairman Rex Steninger designated Karr, and the county will be soliciting interest in nominees to fill another county spot. AB519 states that one member will be a county resident with experience in financing public works projects, and Steninger will make that appointment.

The five-member advisory panel also will include a school trustee and a school board appointee who will have experience building school facilities to be appointed by the school board.

AB519 requires a tribal representative to round out the five-member panel.

Karr told commissioners on Sept. 6 he wasnt sure how the appointment of a tribal representative will work since there isnt one single tribe, but they will have to figure it out.

At Owyhee, Shoshone and Paiute tribes are together on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, and the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone has colonies in Elko, Wells, South Fork, all in Elko County, and in Battle Mountain in Lander County. The Te-Moak Tribal Council is over the colonies.

AB519 states that one member will be a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe or nation located in whole or in part within the boundaries of the county, appointed by the executive head of the federally recognized Indian tribe or nation.

Will Adler of Silver State Government Relations, who represented Duck Valley in the efforts to call attention to the need for a new school, worked with the Nevada Legislature and helped call attention to a contamination plume in the town of Owyhee, thanked commissioners by phone for being proactive in starting the advisory panel early in the process.

Along with providing the $64.5 million for a new school at Owyhee 100 miles north of Elko and ordering the advisory panel, the bill provides for two $25 million grant funds  one for tribal schools throughout Nevada and the other for any rural county to seek matching grants.

Additionally, the bill singles out Elko County, requiring the county to levy a tax of between a penny and 25 cents for school projects, including any extra costs for the Owyhee school above $64.5 million. The county hasnt yet set a tax or decided to use a portion of current tax levies to meet AB519 demands but must decide by June 30, 2024.

The bill also allows any county with a population of less than 100,000 to levy a tax for schools, even if it goes over the state tax cap of $3.64 per $100 assessed valuation.

Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi said he would like to delve into the regulations more, to learn more about AB519 and who will be the ultimate decision-maker on school projects. He suggested Rand Greenburg, the countys chief civil deputy district attorney, could study the bill.

Karr said he envisions the advisory panel making recommendations to county commissioners.

Elko County School District Superintendent Clayton Anderson told commissioners that were coming to find out theres a lot of opportunities with this bill.

ECSD has already established a special fund for the $64.5 million that will be coming from the state for the new school in Owyhee, and Anderson earlier told trustees that the school district will manage those funds and must return any that might be left over to the state general fund.

The countys capital projects fund will be separate from the Owyhee school money, with revenue coming from the designated tax levy, grants and donations, and the advisory panel will be tracking that fund and considering potential school projects that would use money from that fund.

In the past, ECSD paid for new school projects out of a 75-cent pay-as-you-go property tax, but voters defeated that tax in 2020, and voters rejected a $50 million bond issue for school construction in 2021. Those actions left the district without a revenue source for new construction.

Elko County took 50 cents of the 75-cent tax levy that had been for pay-as-you-go and designated it for community projects. Cities in the county took portions of that 75-cent levy, too.
CENTENNIAL, Colo. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AlloSource, one of the United States leading innovators and manufacturers of cartilage for joint preservation, today announced that its research on positive prospective clinical outcomes for the repair of focal articular cartilage defects in the knee using ProChondrix CR will be shown at the 17th International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society's (ICRS) World Congress from September 9-12, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. ProChondrix CR Cryopreserved Osteochondral Allograft is a single-stage, cryopreserved, articular cartilage allograft.

The poster titled, "ProChondrix CR Prospective Clinical Outcomes for the Repair of Focal Articular Cartilage Defects in the Knee" evaluates the prospective clinical outcomes of patients who received ProChondrix CR in focal cartilage lesions of the patella and femoral condyle of the knee. Significant improvements were revealed in all patient reported outcome scores, up to 36 months, suggesting ProChondrix CR is an effective chondral lesion treatment, specifically for active patients who want to return to a physically demanding lifestyle after injury. The study calls for data collection on outcomes for up to 60 months.

AlloSource announced positive prospective clinical outcomes using ProChondrix CR will be shown at ICRS Post this

"This ICRS poster showcases the promising results surgeons are having treating their patients with ProChondrix CR," said Carolyn Rorick, AlloSource Senior Director Product Development, Innovation and Clinical Affairs. "This year's ICRS World Congress theme of "Time for Action: Advancing the Science and Treatments for Cartilage and Joint Preservation" aligns perfectly with the important work we are doing at AlloSource to develop innovative cartilage solutions."

ProChondrix CR is a single-stage, living cellular cartilage product that contains functional chrondrocytes and other biological components necessary for repair and replacement of damaged articular cartilage tissue. Created with AlloSource's proprietary cartilage cryopreservation process, ViaTrue, ProChondrix CR has an average chondrocyte viability of 94.97% after two years of cryopreserved storage.1 The two-year shelf life helps to alleviate inventory management challenges and provides surgeons with more flexibility for their patients.

The ICRS is the main forum for international collaboration in cartilaginous tissue research. Recognizing that there is a continuum from cartilage injury to degenerative joint disease, ICRS brings together basic scientists, clinical researchers, physicians and industry. For additional detail on ProChondrix CR's clinical outcomes visit the ICRS poster showcase or E-Poster online #208.

About AlloSource

AlloSource, one of the largest human tissue providers, honors tissue donors by creating innovative dermis, cartilage, tendon, fascia, bone and amnion allografts to help heal patients. Since 1994, the Colorado-based nonprofit organization has continued to advance its allografts to improve patient outcomes, serving as a trusted tissue partner to the medical community. AlloSource is registered with the FDA as a tissue establishment and accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks. Learn more at allosource.org.

Rorick et al. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research - 2020.

Media Contact

Cindy Mason

AlloSource

720. 873. 4744

[email protected]

SOURCE AlloSource
SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Anycubic, a leading name in the 3D printing industry, celebrated its 8th anniversary in grand style with the A-Creators Fest, which concluded on September 2, leaving attendees and participants in awe. This milestone event marked not only Anycubic's journey through eight years of innovation but also showcased their remarkable achievements and future prospects.

1. Stellar Performance at Formnext+PM South China

Anycubic set the stage for the A-Creators Fest with an exceptional performance at the Formnext+PM South China exhibition, which ran from August 29 to 31. The company's booth was a hub of innovation, drawing visitors with their latest cutting-edge 3D printing technologies and products. The newly revealed Anycubic Kobra 2 family product series makes a strong impression with its debut, while the newly released Anycubic Max cleaning and curing machine, with its elegant pearl-white appearance and large capacity, has attracted a lot of attention.

2. Unveiling the Kobra 2 Series with an Online Launch

On August 31st, Anycubic, in partnership with @itsboyinspace's Ben Pendergast, orchestrated a spellbinding online launch event to unveil their latest innovation - the Kobra 2 Series. The occasion was further enhanced by the esteemed presence of Anycubic's co-founder, James Ouyang. The livestream unveiled four highly anticipated high-speed new Kobra 2 Series. The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max boasts an impressive 88-liter printing volume and is 10 times faster. The Anycubic Kobra 2 Plus offers a large 41-liter printing volume and is also 10 times faster. The Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro provides lightning-fast speeds at 10 times the regular pace, while the Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo offers a 5-times faster entry-level option. These large-size, high-speed, high-quality new products are here to provide players with even more creative tools to choose from. The Kobra 2 Series, which has already captured substantial interest, pledges to provide the 3D printing community with unparalleled speed, all within an accessible price range.

3. Exclusive Visits and Shenzhen City Tour - Discovering Local Culture Beauties and Technological Charms

Anycubic extended a warm welcome to esteemed users and media representatives who were invited to their headquarters for an exclusive tour on August 31. The visitors had the unique opportunity to witness the inner workings of Anycubic's cutting-edge facilities and experience the company's commitment to quality firsthand. As part of the fest's cultural exchange, attendees also embarked on a Shenzhen city tour, immersing themselves in the local culture's beauties and technological charms.

4. Engaging Salon: Providing In-Depth Insights for Users and Anycubic

On September 1, Anycubic continued the festivities with an engaging Salon event at their headquarters. All users, influencers, and media were invited to participate in this interactive session. The Salon provided a platform for attendees to engage in in-depth discussions about Anycubic's latest products and technologies. Participants had the opportunity to delve into the behind-the-scenes stories of research and development, ask questions, and exchange ideas. The event was a happy and memorable gathering, reflecting the resilience and spirit of Anycubic's community.

The A-Creators Fest and Anycubic's 8th-anniversary celebrations have truly ignited innovation and unveiled technological marvels. Anycubic's commitment to pushing the boundaries of 3D printing and fostering a strong and engaged community of creators was evident throughout the event. As the fest concludes, Anycubic looks forward to another year of innovation and growth, continuing to inspire and empower creators worldwide.

For more information about Anycubic and its latest innovations, please visit Anycubic's official website

About Anycubic

Since its establishment in 2015, Anycubic has been committed to propelling 3D printing technology to ensure that 3D printing is accessible and affordable to people from all walks of life. We are happy to see people unleash their imagination and creativity into reality. Anycubic has made its presence in over 200 countries and regions since 2015.

SOURCE ANYCUBIC
DALLAS, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Kita, Of Counsel at Arias Sanguinetti based in Dallas, TX, was victorious in an ongoing civil rights case in a venue that is often unsympathetic to police shooting claims.

In this case, the siblings of a mentally ill man called the police and asked for officers to check in on their brother as they hadn't heard from him in several days. When the man saw the officer and his sister in his house, he violently attacked them both. The officer shot and killed the mentally ill individual, leading the family to sue the officer, alleging the officer's actions were unconstitutional and a civil rights violation. Complicating the case further, after the family sued, the sister of the deceased man died herself of natural causes.

A trial judge in the Eastern District of Texas ruled that his clients had enough evidence to proceed with trial. However, defense immediately appealed the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Court held that this is not the type of case where an immediate appeal is allowed.

"What the court did is important, because it actually applied well-established law regarding when you can and cannot seek an appeal in the middle of a case," Mr. Kita said. "Eliminating these unnecessary appeals is essential if we want to get justice for our clients. And in this case, the court ruled nearly three years after the appeal was filed."

With this victory, Mr. Kita prevented opposing counsel from making new and dangerous precedent that would allow for these dilatory appeals. This police shooting lawsuit is ongoing.

The case is Laveria Harper v. Jeff McAndrews, United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit, Case No. 20-40754.

About Arias Sanguinetti

Arias Sanguinetti's civil rights attorneys are licensed in Texas, California, and Nevada and represent people who have suffered serious harm or injury at the hands of law enforcement, employers, corporations and more. We also handle civil rights appeals cases, working closely with other law firms to make sure verdicts and cases are protected. Our premier team of lawyers has been honored by legal publications and peer groups for obtaining top results for clients in seriously complex matters.

SOURCE Arias Sanguinetti
Outstanding contribution to design inspired by the heritage, landscape and artistic legacies of AlUla, Saudi Arabia

PARIS, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arts AlUla announced the ve winners of the AlUla Design Award at Paris Design Week on September 07, 2023. The Award forms part of an exciting development of ambitious design initiatives in AlUla including the groundbreaking Madrasat Addeera Editions exhibited during Paris Design Week and the announcement of the upcoming inaugural Design Residency and opening of Design Space AlUla.

AlUla Design Award

AlUla Design Award Winners Second Edition, Arts Alula (PRNewsfoto/Arts AlUla)

The Award received an overwhelming response from established and emerging designers, who showcased their talent by conceptualizing and developing exceptional design retail items across six categories inspired by the heritage, landscape and artistic legacies of AlUla.

After a rigorous selection process, 10 nalists were chosen by a jury comprising recognized leaders from the design sector, to exhibit at Paris Design Week. The ve winners are:

Tawa by Shaddah Studio (Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia) Naba Tea Tifn by Ikkis, Gunjan Gupta (Indian, based in India) AlUla Terrains: Dates Serving Set by Teeb (Lebanese and Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia Incense Heritage Collection by Sarra Hafaiedh (Tunisian, based in Tunisia) Oil Lantern by Imane Mellah (French, based in Paris)

The AlUla Design Award aims to support the winners by commissioning some of the designs, providing assistance throughout the production process, and facilitating their promotion within AlUla and its inuential network of regional and international activities. The exhibition in Paris, conceived by acclaimed designer Herve Sauvage, features prototypes of all 10 nalists, at 21,Rue De Turenne, 75003 Paris from 8 to 16 September 2023, 10am - 7pm (til 9pm on 9 September).

Nora Aldabal, Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries Royal Commission for AlUla said, "The winners of the AlUla Design Award have brilliantly interpreted the landscape and heritage of AlUla through their designs. We are excited that the Award sits alongside several AlUla design initiatives including the trailblazing Madrasat Addeera Editions, also exhibiting in Paris; the rst Design Residency which begins in October in AlUla; and the Design Space AlUla which opens in early 2024. These initiatives exemplify AlUla's commitment to pushing the boundaries of design in dynamic and innovative ways whilst fostering creativity and cross-cultural connections. We look forward to nurturing these ambitious initiatives which are making AlUla a design hub in the region, engaging local and international design communities alike."

Madrasat Addeera Editions

Madrasat Addeera in AlUla is dedicated to developing artisanal skills and craft programs among the local population to support the growth of a sustainable, vibrant, and authentically creative artisan and design industry.

Madrasat Addeera Editions is a new initiative and is exhibiting its limited edition statement pieces for the rst time. The four pieces have been designed and produced by renowned Saudi and international designers and artisans from more than eight countries. The designs reect a fusion of local heritage and contemporary design, whilst demonstrating the vast potential of crafts. The pieces draw inspiration from the rich local culture and narratives of AlUla, blending traditional crafts with modern innovative techniques and sustainable materials.

The pieces are designed by renowned and award-winning designers including Dr Zahrah Alghamdi, Cristian Mohaded, TAKK (Mireia Luzarraga and Alejandro Muino), and GTECNOCrafts. The exhibition will be held from 8 - 16 Sept at Galerie Joseph, 66 Rue Charlot Paris 10am - 6pm.

Design Residency

Building on the success of the AlUla Artist Residency launched in 2021 by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the French Agency for AlUla Development (Afalula), Arts AlUla is excited to announce the inaugural AlUla Design Residency.

The Design Residency seeks to embark on a comprehensive examination and experimentation of design methodologies, forging a symbiotic relationship with parallel design initiatives spearheaded by Arts AlUla. Encompassing a research-intensive residency across three months, this initiative will unfold within the vibrant environs of AlUla, and aims to pioneer a novel phase of creative exploration in the region.

These exciting design initiatives reect AlUla's commitment to developing ambitious strands of design, nurturing creativity within their communities, absorbing and preserving heritage, whilst pushing the boundaries of design, and making it a dynamic hub for artistic and design excellence in the region.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2205532/AlUla_Design_Award.jpg

SOURCE Arts AlUla
DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Logistics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2023-2030 - By Product, Technology, Grade, Application, End-user and Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global logistics market has experienced consistent growth over the years, primarily due to its critical role in globalization and the evolution of trade methods. Key factors contributing to the growth of the logistics market include:

Globalization: Logistics plays an integral role in facilitating global trade. As businesses expand their reach beyond domestic markets, the demand for efficient logistics services to transport goods across borders has increased. E-commerce Industry: The emergence of the e-commerce industry has been a significant driver of the logistics market. Last-mile delivery solutions and supply chain optimization have become essential to meet the demands of online shoppers. Increased Online Shopping: The growing number of online shoppers, improved internet connectivity, and higher bandwidths have boosted the e-commerce industry. Logistics providers have capitalized on this trend by offering efficient delivery solutions. Agility During the Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of logistics in times of crisis. Logistics companies demonstrated agility by providing solutions for delivering essential and non-essential items to end-users during lockdowns. Risk Assessment and Resilience: The logistics industry quickly assessed risks posed by the pandemic and implemented resilient solutions. Safety protocols, alternative transport modes, and adaptation to changing demands helped the industry cope effectively. Digitization: The adoption of digital technologies, such as IoT, improved tracking mechanisms, and unmanned vehicles, has transformed the logistics landscape. Real-time tracking and increased visibility have enhanced supply chain efficiency. Asia Pacific Growth: The Asia Pacific region has seen remarkable growth in the logistics market, driven by a thriving e-commerce industry, rising online shopping, increasing disposable incomes, and efficient transportation mechanisms. Delivery Robots: Industry players are focusing on no-contact delivery solutions, with companies like Amazon Robotics experimenting with robots for packaging and transportation.

Key Players in the Market:

Some of the key players in the global logistics market include DB Schenker Logistics, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Americold Logistics, DSV A/S, DHL Supply Chain, Expeditors International of Washington, FedEx, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Ceva Holdings, Kuehne + Nagel, Penske Logistics, SNCF Logistics, Ryder Supply Chain Solutions, United Parcel Service, The Boeing Company, and XPO Logistics, among others.

The global logistics market presents opportunities for industry participants, investors, and professionals looking to capitalize on the evolving dynamics of the logistics sector, driven by globalization and the growth of e-commerce.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7l68jo

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2023-2030 - By Product, Technology, Grade, Application, End-user and Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market is expected to experience significant growth and surpass a valuation of over US$200 billion by the end of 2030.

This growth is driven by the increasing demand for clean energy alternatives in electricity production, with a growing emphasis on distributed power and utility initiatives.

Key Findings:

The global LNG market is projected to exceed US$200 billion by 2030.

by 2030. Multiple industries are contributing to the accelerated demand for LNG, driving market growth.

Asia Pacific is expected to maintain a leading position in the global LNG market.

is expected to maintain a leading position in the global LNG market. Key players in the market include Apache Corporation, BG Group Plc, Veresen Inc, Cheniere Energy Inc, ConocoPhillips, and Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Growth Drivers:

Expanding LNG Production: The global LNG market is experiencing robust growth due to the increasing production of liquefied natural gas. Advancements in the global supply of coalbed methane, shale gas, and tight gas have made natural gas one of the fastest-growing fossil fuels. This surge in natural gas production, particularly in the United States with its shale oil and gas reserves, has resulted in increased LNG production. Natural gas is being converted into LNG for export to countries with limited domestic natural gas production, driving market growth. Commoditization of LNG: The growing number of LNG producers and consumers has led to the rise of floating liquefaction and regasification plants, along with increased LNG sales. This has resulted in the commoditization of LNG, creating a more open, efficient, and liquid market environment. The commoditization of LNG has made it a widely traded commodity, offering opportunities for stakeholders. The cost-effectiveness of LNG has prompted a shift from coal to natural gas, further accelerating trading activities and benefiting vendors. Improved interconnectivity and flexibility in LNG trading are expected to positively influence the market.

Key Segments:

Power Generation: The power generation segment held the largest share of the global LNG market in 2021. The rising demand for natural gas in power generation meets energy needs while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The cost-effectiveness of natural gas has led to its extensive use in transportation and power generation sectors.

Regional Segment:

Asia Pacific : This region is expected to have a major share in the global LNG market, with Australia as a prominent exporter. Significant LNG projects in Queensland and Western Australia have contributed to the region's position as a major LNG exporter. India is also anticipated to become an attractive destination for exporters and manufacturers due to increased LNG infrastructure development. New LNG supply capacity projects are set to commence operations by 2025, further driving the LNG market in the region.

This region is expected to have a major share in the global LNG market, with as a prominent exporter. Significant LNG projects in and have contributed to the region's position as a major LNG exporter. is also anticipated to become an attractive destination for exporters and manufacturers due to increased LNG infrastructure development. New LNG supply capacity projects are set to commence operations by 2025, further driving the LNG market in the region. Europe : Europe , with the second-largest share in the global LNG market revenue, is influenced by increasing population and growing demand for power generation from clean energy sources.

Key Market Entities:

Prominent players in the LNG market include Apache Corporation, BG Group Plc, Veresen Inc, Cheniere Energy Inc, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Dominion Resources Inc, Kinder Morgan Inc, Qatar Petroleum, Sempra Energy, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, and Woodside Petroleum Ltd. These players specialize in specific sectors to establish a robust presence in the market.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gl24md

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
Aspen secures an agreement with JD-Next, envisioning a new and effective path for future legal professionals.

TUCSON, Ariz. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Publishing has secured an exclusive license to JD-Next, a groundbreaking law school admissions test. Developed over the past five years by the University of Arizona Law, with active participation by more than 40 law schools, colleges and universities and thousands of students across the country, JD-Next now enters a new phase under Aspen Publishing's administration, aiming to provide aspiring law students from all backgrounds with valuable resources for their educational journey.

Aspen Publishing has secured an exclusive license to JD-Next, a groundbreaking law school admissions test Post this Aspen Publishing Books

JD-Next was designed to bridge the gap in law school preparation and offer a reliable measure of a student's ability to learn and succeed in law school. The fully online program includes an eight-week course which covers doctrinal concepts and legal skills workshops. The course culminates in a final exam that tests participants' grasp of the material.

This past June, the American Bar Association's Section of Legal Education and Admissions Council approved a variance for law schools to use the program in lieu of other admissions tests including the LSAT and GRE. Numerous law schools have already been approved to accept the test as part of their admission process.

"The JD-Next course is designed to empower students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in law school and beyond; the JD-Next test is designed to assess a person's potential, not to judge their past. Aspen Publishing has long been a leader in legal education, and this partnership ensures wider access, skilled administration, and unlimited potential for this transformative program," said Marc L. Miller, Dean of University of Arizona Law. "We are excited to see the impact JD-Next can have on legal education and the legal profession under Aspen's leadership.

Aspen Publishing is a trusted leader in legal education, offering a comprehensive range of educational content and digital solutions to law schools globally. Renowned for its authoritative textbooks, including the iconic "red and black" casebooks in the Aspen Casebook Series, Aspen also produces study aids such as PracticePerfect and technology tools such as Connected Quizzing which are designed to increase student engagement and improve learning outcomes.

"JD-Next aligns with our mission of providing top-tier resources for students and law schools," said Joe Terry, Vice President and Publisher at Aspen. "Our collaboration with University of Arizona enhances our shared goal of preparing learners for a successful journey. For students, it's not just about what you know, it's about what you are capable of, and JD-Next demonstrates this perfectly."

The JD-Next initiative was championed by Dean Miller alongside Jess Findley, current Principal Investigator and Director of JD-Next, and Christopher Robertson, Founding Principal Investigator of JD-Next and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives at Boston University School of Law. Since development in 2019, the program has been supported by over $1.2 million in financial backing, including contributions from the AccessLex Institute and the ETS Foundation, and has already been implemented at 26 law schools nationwide and has an alumni base of more than 2,000 successful students.

As part of Aspen's involvement with JD-Next, test administration going forward will be conducted by Territorium, a global education technology company with more than 12 million users worldwide, which creates industry-leading comprehensive learner records (CLRs) that include personalized assessments and best-fit job opportunities for learners.

With the mantle now passed to Aspen Publishing, JD-Next emerges as a promising alternative to traditional admissions tests and heralds a new era of equitable and effective law school admissions, fostering a diverse community of successful legal professionals.

The next course date will begin on Monday, October 2, 2023, with the examination offered on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, and Saturday, December 9, 2023. Limited seats are still available. For further information, please visit https://www.aspenpublishing.com/programs/jd-next.

Media Contact:

Gregg Chalk

Aspen Publishing

[email protected]

Ali Bridges

University of Arizona Law

[email protected]

520-621-3956

About the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law:

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law stands as a pioneering institution, offering an unparalleled educational journey in legal studies. With a commitment to practical training, a legacy of accomplishment, and an environment that fosters growth, the College of Law is dedicated to preparing individuals for success in the legal arena and beyond. For more information, please visit law.arizona.edu.

About Aspen Publishing:

Aspen Publishing is the trusted leader in educational content and digital learning solutions to law schools in the U.S. and around the world. Aspen provides best-in-class solutions for legal education through authoritative textbooks written by renowned authors and breakthrough products such as Connected eBooks, Connected Quizzing, and PracticePerfect.

The Aspen Casebook Series (famously known among law faculty and students as the "red and black" casebooks) encompasses almost 400 highly regarded textbooks in more than eighty disciplines while study aids such as the Examples & Explanations and Glannon Guide series, both highly popular collections, help law students master complex subject matter.

SOURCE Aspen Publishing
EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - AutoCanada Inc. ("AutoCanada" or the "Company") (TSX: ACQ), a multi-location North American automobile dealership group, and CanadaOne Auto Group ("CanadaOne Auto"), a multi-location automobile dealership group operating dealerships across Canada, announced today that they have agreed to resolve the legal proceedings between AutoCanada, Patrick Priestner and CanadaOne Auto that were commenced in 2019. Mr. Priestner was previously the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of AutoCanada.

As part of this resolution, AutoCanada has agreed to sell to CanadaOne Auto properties on which two of CanadaOne Auto's dealerships are located, and CanadaOne Auto has agreed to amend the leases for two AutoCanada dealerships located on properties owned by CanadaOne Auto. The parties have also agreed to co-operate on certain commercial matters for each other's mutual benefit, and plan to work together on certain charitable initiatives. Neither party has admitted any wrongdoing or liability.

About AutoCanada

AutoCanada is a leading North American multi-location automobile dealership group currently operating 83 franchised dealerships, comprised of 28 brands, in eight provinces in Canada as well as a group in Illinois, USA. AutoCanada currently sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Infiniti, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Audi, Volkswagen, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MINI, Volvo, Toyota, Lincoln, Acura, Honda and Porsche branded vehicles. In addition, AutoCanada's Canadian Operations segment currently operates 3 used vehicle dealerships and 1 used vehicle auction business supporting the Used Digital Retail Division, 12 RightRide division locations, and 11 stand-alone collision centres within our group of 27 collision centres. In 2022, our dealerships sold approximately 100,000 vehicles and processed over 900,000 service and collision repair orders in our 1,367 service bays generating revenue in excess of $6 billion.

Additional information about AutoCanada is available at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's website at www.autocan.ca.

For further information about AutoCanada contact:

Azim Lalani, Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 780-732-3157

Email: [email protected]

About CanadaOne Auto

CanadaOne Auto is a multi-location automobile dealership group, currently operating 29 dealerships across Canada in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Our 2500+ employees proudly sell and service vehicles from some of Canada's top automotive brands, including Subaru, Honda, Kia, Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, and Corvette.

Additional information about CanadaOne Auto is available at www.canadaoneauto.com.

For further information about CanadaOne Auto contact:

David Gordey, Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 780-224-2980

Email: [email protected]

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information (collectively "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. We hereby provide cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "projection", "vision", "goals", "objective", "target", "schedules", "outlook", "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "could", "should", "plan", "seek", "may", "intend", "likely", "will", "believe", "shall" and similar expressions) are not historical facts and are forward-looking and may involve estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict.

Accordingly, these factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this press release.

The Company's Annual Information Form and other documents filed with securities regulatory authorities (accessible through the SEDAR website at www.sedarplus.ca) describe the risks, material assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results and which are incorporated herein by reference.

Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE AutoCanada Inc.
Seven Chinese nurses were presented the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international award given to a nurse, at the 49th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday.

This year, the award was bestowed upon 37 nurses from 22 countries across the globe, and China stood out with the largest number of recipients, bringing the total to 90 since 1983."

China News Service interviewed two recipients of the Florence Nightingale Medal this year, both of whom once engaged in medical assistance missions abroad.

"Compassion knows no borders"

Zhao Xuehong is deputy head of the Nursing Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

One of her most unforgettable experiences was in 2015, when she volunteered to combat the Ebola outbreak with a Chinese medical team in Liberia, West Africa.

Zhao Xuehong takes interview with China News Service in Beijing, Sep 5, 2023.

One evening, on her ward rounds, Zhao noticed a child who refused to fall asleep.

"His eyes were wide open, and he seemed to be in extreme fear," Zhao recalled, "so I asked him why he couldn't sleep."

The boy replied in somewhat hesitant English, "I'm scared. I dare not sleep because I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, I might die."

"Don't worry, child. I promise to cure your illness. I'm here to take care of you, put your mind at rest," she replied.

After that, she would visit the ward every night, accompanying the child until he fell asleep.

All medical team members wore multiple layers of protective gear, so patients couldn't see their faces.

But when the boy finally recovered and left the Ebola treatment center, Zhao called out his name, and the boy was delighted, saying, "I recognized your voice. You're the Chinese mom."

Since 1963, China has dispatched 30,000 medical members to 76 countries and regions, treating 290 million patients.

"Interactions between people should be sincere, as sincerity transcends borders. Compassion, too, knows no borders," Zhao said.

Nursing expertise is needed worldwide

In April 2020, Chinese medical experts in the fight against COVID-19 were dispatched to Ethiopia and Djibouti. Among them was Jiang Yan, director of the Nursing Department at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Ethiopia has an average elevation of 3,000 meters, and Djibouti is often referred to as a boiling pot due to its scorching temperatures reaching nearly 60 degrees Celsius.

Chinese medical team aid to Djibouti.Photo provided to China News Service

However, the most significant challenge was not the hot and humid climate but rather the shortage of medical supplies and medications.

Due to a scarcity of water resources and almost no mask production enterprises, effective measures for controlling the spread of the epidemic such as frequent handwashing and wearing masks were challenging to implement.

Jiang Yan realized that China's experience in combating the pandemic could not be directly replicated in Africa. Instead, it was essential to adapt strategies to suit the specific circumstances."

For instance, they attach faucets to water drums and add pedal-operated mechanisms, creating makeshift handwashing facilities. They also used locally available materials, such as tape, to fashion personal protective equipment.

We also suggested to the local government to engage local businesses in mask production," Jiang said.

As the Chinese expert group was about to leave Ethiopia, the country's health department specially invited them for nationwide training, hoping that more local healthcare workers can learn these prevention and treatment practices.

Jiang emphasized that the goal of the Chinese medical expert team was not to rigidly impose Chinese medical expertise on local healthcare workers but to assist them in adapting the best methods for protection and hospital infection control while considering local medical conditions.

Over the past 60 years, China's foreign medical teams have not only provided medical services but have also trained over 100,000 healthcare professionals in recipient countries.

When asked if she would participate in international medical assistance work again, Jiang's response was clear: "I would."

"I believe the nursing profession is needed globally and I take pride in this profession," she said.
BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Longtime broadcaster and BEK TV host, Trent Loos, is announcing the release of his unique brew, 'On The Loos Scotch Ale', in collaboration with Kinkaider Brewing Co, of Nebraska. The ale emerges not just from a personal passion for rich, smooth dark beers, but also symbolizes a tribute to the American spirit, local craftsmanship, and our intrinsic need for fellowship.

Beer Can

Trent Loos is a sixth-generation cattle rancher. As a broadcaster known for his candid conversations, insightful observations, and deep-seated passion for American culture and traditions, he tells the stories of the American producer and business owner in the industry, educating Americans about modern farming and ranching, in hopes of returning our country to its founding principles. Always carrying a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his pocket, Loos says, "I hope my new brew is seen as a parallel between the camaraderie of beer and the constitution's formulation. Our constitution was crafted in taverns 247 years ago. Beer fosters not just a spirit of enjoyment, but also unity and fellowship."

"On a flight to Australia years ago, I watched the documentary "How Beer Saved the World," says Loos. "I realized that it was not just a catchy tagline, but literally what we as humans need for humanity." Loos says the actions of the government during Covid reminded us that we are social beings and need interaction with one another.

Loos encourages consumers to support local producers, the men and women who make up the heart of our nation. "We need more local choices in our country, and we need fair distribution of food and beverages," says Loos. After the Bud Light debacle, Loos says he hopes to part be part of a drive to counterbalance the industry dominance of the big beer companies.

Most perceived dark beers are bitter, but 'On The Loos Scotch Ale' shatters that myth. "The response has been overwhelming," says Loos. "During the sample testing, the most common response we received was, 'I didn't think I liked dark beer, but this is really smooth!'"

Join Trent in raising a glass of 'On the Loos Scotch Ale', now available for purchase by contacting Trent Loos at [email protected].

To learn more about this, log onto https://bekbuzz.com/post/bek-tv-host-unveils-on-the-loos-scotch-ale-to-celebrate-american-experience

Contact:

Julie Skaret, BEK Media Relations

1.701.475.1318 | 365058@email4pr.com

SOURCE BEK TV
Actually Avocado cleans & soothes your skin without stripping the skin flora, and is actually made of avocado oil!

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blendily introduces Actually Avocado Soap, in bar & liquid versions.

Discovering clean skincare products can often be a challenging and intimidating task. However, Blendily alleviates the anxiety associated with finding a straightforward soap that effectively cleanses without stripping the body of its natural oils.

Blendily's Actually Avocado soaps are made of one ingredient: Saponified Avocado Oil

Crafted from a single ingredient, saponified avocado oil, Blendily 's Actually Avocado excels at purifying the skin, ridding it of unwanted dirt and impurities, without stripping the skin flora.

What makes this soap exceptional is one single ingredient: Avocado Oil. Avocado Oil boasts innate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, making it an ideal choice for soothing irritated or inflamed skin. With Blendily's pure soaps, simplicity is key. Blendily's pure soaps contain only one single ingredient, guaranteeing that you are not investing in unnecessary fragrances or potentially skin-irritating additives. It's the ultimate calming solution for cleansing your skin from head to toe!

QUOTE:

"I find it difficult to shop these days as a consumer. I'll be browsing to buy a cosmetic product that has apricots all over the packaging, and discover that the ingredient list is a mile long and apricot is the last ingredient listed. Natural fragrances, proprietary blends etc. etc. It's a lot to digest and research.

That's the inspiration for the development of Blendily's pure soap line, one single ingredient, true to what is reflected in the name of our product. We are pleased to launch our new soap, Actually Avocado, made of, actually, avocado oil!" - Blendily Founder Ivy Chuang.

URL Link: https://www.blendily.com/products/actually-avocado

Address: 2206 NW Market St. Seattle, WA 98107

1532 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211 Store Hours: Open 11-6pm except Holidays

About Blendily: Blendily operates botanic kitchens where bioregional medicinal plants are blended with exotic botanicals to create a spectrum of wellness products for selfcare head-to-toe. Blendily's botanic kitchens operate just like 'farm-to-table' restaurants, taking inspiration from the surrounding landscapes and seasonal offerings. Blendily is a Taiwanese-American woman owned business.

PR Contact:

Ivy Chuang

[email protected]

(206)488-6481

SOURCE Blendily
BridgeFT's received the Industry Disruptors award, recognizing the impact its WealthTech API has on transforming the way financial institutions access critical data.

CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BridgeFT, an API-first, cloud-native wealth infrastructure software company that enables financial institutions, fintech innovators, and registered investment advisors to deliver better, data-driven outcomes for their clients, announced today that it has been received the Industry Disruptors award in the WealthManagement.com 2023 Industry Awards.

The prestigious award recognizes the impact BridgeFT's WealthTech API has had on transforming the way financial institutions and FinTech companies build next generation WealthTech applications.

"This is an incredible validation of the innovations BridgeFT is bringing to the wealthtech ecosystem," said Joe Stensland, BridgeFT's Chief Executive Officer. "Since the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards set the standard for highlighting the best in our industry, it is truly an honor to be recognized at this level by our peers."

BridgeFT's WealthTech API is the industry's first WealthTech-as-a-Service platform, offering a single, open API to trade-ready, multi-custodial data, analytics, and application services. BridgeFT's WealthTech API empowers clients to reimagine the potential of their financial data and technology stack. WealthTech API removes the need for individual data feeds from a range of custodians and back-office providers, allowing wealth management firms and FinTech companies to create differentiated, next generation wealth management applications.

Custodians hold a range of data that drives the investment ecosystem, from positions and balances to client holdings and trades. Each individual custodian has its own data policy, structure, and systems, forcing FinTech companies and other financial institutions to build custom programs for each custodian to ingest the data. This adds both development time and cost. By simplifying access to the underlying data, WealthTech API allows financial innovators to rethink and streamline their own tech stacks and create differentiated tools and solutions for their own clients with BridgeFT's applications and developer-to-developer support.

This year, BridgeFT launched its WealthTech API Marketplace, which allows clients access to a BridgeFT-curated group of partners that are reshaping wealth technology with an API-first approach to delivering application services that are pre-integrated with BridgeFT's WealthTech API infrastructure.

Now in its ninth year, the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards, known as the Wealthies, is the only awards program of its kind to honor outstanding achievements by companies, organizations and individuals that support financial advisor success. A panel of judges made up of top names in the industry, led by WealthManagement.com director of editorial strategy and operations David Armstrong, chose the winners.

BridgeFT was a finalist in three categories: Industry Disruptors, Technology Disruptors, and Technology Providers / Innovation Platforms.

Earlier this year, BridgeFT was "Best Data, Information or Business Intelligence Provider (US)" at the Second Annual WealthBriefing WealthTech Americas Awards.

About BridgeFT

BridgeFT is a cloud-native, API-first Wealth Infrastructure software company that enables financial institutions, FinTech innovators, TAMPs, and registered investment advisors to deliver better, data-driven outcomes for their clients. Leading financial services firms and technology companies trust BridgeFT to power their digital wealth management ecosystems and automate critical back-office operationsseamlessly aligning essential wealth data, proactive client insights and reporting, and portfolio management automation to deliver a truly personalized client experience. From an integrated advisor solution to the industry's only WealthTech-as-a-Service platform offering open APIs, BridgeFT delivers the infrastructure needed to power next generation wealth management applications. For more information, visit bridgeft.com.

About WealthManagement.com

WealthManagement.com, an Informa business, provides everything wealth professionals need to know to stay knowledgeable about the industry, build stronger relationships, improve their practice, and grow their business. WealthManagement.com offers financial services organizations a broad array of marketing services designed to help them influence the industry's leading audience of wealth management professionals.

Contact

For BridgeFT

[email protected]

SOURCE Bridge Financial Technology
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As summer comes to a close, Carolwood Estates presents its Summer 2023 Edition.

After setting a new precedent in the Los Angeles luxury real estate market with the successful launch of our Beverly Hills penthouse office late last year, Carolwood Estates continued to perform at a high level through the spring and into the summer of 2023.

Carolwood Estates launches its Summer 2023 Edition on Issuu.

The firm's single office of 100 elite licensed associates currently represents over $2 billion in current inventory. This season the brokerage brought some iconic properties to the market including the Wave House by architect Harry Gesner, the William C. Hay House by architect Charles H. Kyson and the House on Busch project by the firm Preliminary Research Office.

Carolwood Estates' selective roster grew this season as it welcomed Barry Watts, Andrew Beyer, the Davis Saadian Group, Anthony Bundak, Tyler Convery, Eric Carreiro, Hanna Ginsberg and Jared Page to the brokerage.

Twelve of Carolwood Estates' agents and teams were ranked among the top 1% in the Nation by RealTrends' The Thousand and America's Best (featured in the Wall Street Journal): Drew Fenton, Linda May, Resnick & Nash, Bjorn Farrugia, Susan Smith, Cooper Mount, Justin P. Huchel, the Davis Saadian Group, Kays & Mogharrabi, The Advisory, Nichole Shanfeld and Stephen Sigoloff.

Carolwood Estates' associates achieved the highest sales year to date in the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills P.O., Los Feliz (Brad Pitt's $38.5 million compound), Brentwood, Holmby Hills and Hollywood Hills. The sale of 2571 Wallingford Drive currently ranks as the highest sale in the City of Los Angeles and was notably sold to Hollywood power couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.

This unrivaled pool of diverse talent has helped Carolwood Estates to maintain a dominant 28% market share of the $20 million+ residential market year to date in Los Angeles, a leading 20% market share of the $10 million+ market in its core neighborhoods and over $1.1 billion in total sales volume year to date.

Carolwood Estates closed 24 deals priced $10 million and above year to date and 30% of our deals priced $11 million and above were done in-house with fellow associates now at the brokerage.

Not exclusive to just luxury, the firm has sold over $200 Million worth of properties priced $4 million and below year to date.

SOURCE Carolwood Estates
BEIJING, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "We have full confidence in and expectation for the comprehensive revitalization of the northeast in the new era," said Chinese President Xi Jinping during an inspection tour in China's northeast region in August last year.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi has made multiple visits to the northeast region and hosted several symposiums deliberating the comprehensive revitalization of the region, illustrating the importance the Chinese president has attached to the area.

The northeast region, encompassing Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, has made great strides towards economic revitalization, an achievement Xi approved of on Friday during another tour in Heilongjiang Province. He also stressed the need to further advance technological innovation, which is key to promoting important industries in the region.

Building upon the region's existing industrial foundation, it must diligently advance the high-quality development of advanced manufacturing, expedite the upgrading of traditional industries and harness the augmentative power of technological innovation, which involves a continuous optimization of the economic and industrial structure, Xi said.

The region boasts a cluster of strategic industries that hold paramount importance for both the national economy and security. It offers substantial room for development and harbors immense potential, actively contributing to the expeditious establishment of a contemporary industrial ecosystem.

A rising share of high-tech industries within the region's internal economic framework has marked promising signs of resurgence in the region. In the first half of this year, the value-added output of high-tech manufacturing in Heilongjiang's industrial sector increased by 18 percent year-on-year, surpassing the national average by 16.3 percentage points. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector saw a 15.7 percent year-on-year growth in value-added output, while the aerospace and equipment manufacturing sector recorded a remarkable 24.2 percent increase.

This trend signifies that the industrial transformation is entering a phase of accelerated growth with the capacity to engender a multitude of fresh catalysts for advancement. In the meantime, the commencement of a slew of new projects in the three provinces has signaled a positive response to the government's expansion of market access, which corresponds to Xi's remarks on Friday.

"We should better coordinate trade, investment, transportation, and platform construction, boldly explore and pioneer in aspects such as market access, factor mobility, and institutional openness, and create a comprehensive new pattern of opening-up to the outside world," Xi said.

In Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning, over 730 projects worth more than 100 million yuan ($13.6 million) were launched in the first half of this year, marking a year-on-year increase of 14.5 percent. Notably, international and domestic giants such as BMW and EVE Energy intensified their presence in the industrial city, focusing on the electric vehicle sector and expanding their investments. The total investment from these companies reached tens of billions of yuan.

In Jilin, the construction progress of several "mega-projects" focusing on new energy and ecological restoration is also accelerating. From January to July, the province attracted 233 projects worth more than 1 billion yuan, representing a growth in investment of 23.7 percent.

The northeast region is also known for being an agricultural hub in China, which Xi said should be the bedrock for guaranteeing the country's food security.

The region needs to give greater prominence to the development of agricultural technology while simultaneously promoting technology-driven agriculture, environmentally friendly agriculture, quality agriculture and branded agriculture, he said.

In Lishu County, which was once visited by Xi, an exemplar of the region's development of technology-driven agriculture has been on full display. Located in Jilin, a major commodity grain base, the county has transformed traditional tillage into a process that exhaustively conserves black soil, which is key to the province's grain production. Over the past three years, the tillage areas under "the Lishu model" have been doubled to 3 million mu (200,000 hectares), contributing to an agricultural output of 81.6 billion jin (40 million tonnes) in Jilin in 2022, a record high.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-09-08/China-s-northeast-region-to-advance-revitalization-via-tech-innovation-1mVZp8F42jK/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
BEIJING, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years have passed since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a project aimed at promoting participating countries' development and global economic growth through cooperation and connectivity.

To commemorate BRI's 10th anniversary and plan high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with all partners, China has decided to hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The BRI, a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, was initiated by China in 2013 to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

A decade of practice has demonstrated that it has become an important global public good, and China shares its development dividend with countries and the world as a whole in pursuit of prosperity.

'A message of goodwill'

Over the past 10 years, China has signed more than 200 cooperation documents on the joint construction of the Belt and Road with 152 countries and 32 international organizations, covering 83 percent of the countries with which China has established diplomatic relations, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's national economic planner.

Figures have proven that BRI cooperation has brought tangible benefits to both China and the participating countries.

Once a long-stalled project, the Gwadar Port in Pakistan is on its way to becoming a regional hub of connectivity benefiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia after Chinese enterprises took over.

It has been constructed as a key development area of BRI's flagship project the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The port has handled more than 600,000 tonnes of cargo over the past 14 months. More than 30 enterprises related to overseas warehouses, fisheries processing, edible oil processing, furniture manufacturing, electric vehicle assembly, trade and logistics have been settled in the first phase of the Free Zone of the Gwadar Port.

"The BRI ... is a message of goodwill from China to other developing countries. It allows emerging economies to learn from China and to seize the opportunities presented by China's sharing of the dividends of development," said Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar of international relations.

'A game changer' in global arena

The BRI, formed as a new platform for international economic cooperation, has acted as a strong impetus to facilitate poverty alleviation, promote trans-regional connectivity and boost advancement of new economy.

Official data showed that under the 3,000 BRI cooperation projects, around 420,000 jobs were created, lifting nearly 40 million people out of poverty.

According to the World Bank, by 2030, BRI transport infrastructure, if fully implemented, is expected to increase global real income by between 0.7 and 2.9 percent, lifting 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million people from moderate poverty.

Infrastructure connectivity between regions and continents has also become more accessible through Belt and Road cooperation.

The China-Europe Railway Express has reached 211 cities in 25 European countries, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, has connected China's central and western regions with more than 300 ports in over 100 countries.

Meanwhile, BRI partners have worked actively to carry out international cooperation in emerging areas, such as digital economy. The Digital Silk Road, as part of the BRI, is becoming a digital bridge facilitating a new type of globalization.

"In past 10 years, the BRI was a game changer in the global arena, bringing more multilateralism in the world than before and also creating better conditions for the countries that are on the direction of this initiative," Boris Tabic, former president of Serbia, told CGTN.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-09-07/How-China-shares-development-dividend-with-world-through-BRI--1mPdMMoSENO/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
BEIJING, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth," the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit concluded on Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a series of positive outcomes.

Deepening ASEAN-China cooperation would benefit people on both sides, said Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn on Thursday.

Regional economic integration

Addressing the 26th China-ASEAN Summit on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang urged China and the ASEAN countries to enhance connectivity, deepen cooperation on industrial and supply chains, strive to complete in 2024 the negotiations on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) 3.0 and steadily advance regional economic integration.

During the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, Li noted that in June this year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) entered into full effect, which brought new opportunities for regional economic integration.

"We need to further bring out the potential of the agreement, boost the free flow of factors, and expand and upgrade our trade and investment. We need to advance our comprehensive, mutually beneficial and high-quality economic partnership, and move toward an integrated regional market that is more open and vibrant," he said.

China has proposed to accelerate ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Negotiations and strives to conclude negotiations in 2024, according to a list of China's cooperation initiatives for the ASEAN-related summits.

The Version-3.0 China-ASEAN FTA will bring tangible benefits to local residents, said Shi Zhongjun, secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Center, adding that the unilateralist, protectionist policies pursued by some countries outside the region have had certain impact on cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, including that between China and ASEAN.

Belt and Road cooperation

During the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, a joint statement was issued on mutually beneficial cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

China welcomes the active participation of ASEAN countries in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Li said on Wednesday.

Under the BRI cooperation framework, China and ASEAN have enhanced cooperation on infrastructure and regional cooperation.

The China-Laos railway had made a total of 20.09 million passenger trips as of April 16, with the section of the railway within China handling 17.09 million passenger trips and that outside China handling three million passenger trips since it went into operation in December 2021, according to data from China Railway.

The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, a BRI flagship project in Cambodia, has become the Southeast Asian country's largest industrial zone, accommodating up to 175 factories so far.

Fruitful cooperation results

During the China-ASEAN Summit, a series of outcome documents were adopted, including a joint statement on deepening agricultural cooperation between China and ASEAN, an action plan on China-ASEAN green agricultural development (2023-2027), an initiative on enhancing bilateral e-commerce cooperation and an initiative on jointly implementing a China-ASEAN science and technology innovation enhancement program.

Data from China's Ministry of Commerce showed that the trade volume between China and ASEAN reached $975.3 billion in 2022, up 11.2 percent year on year and surging by 120 percent from the level of 2013.

As of the end of July, the cumulative two-way investment exceeded $380 billion, and China had set up more than 6,500 enterprises with direct investment in ASEAN.

The past decade also saw ASEAN become China's top trading partner in 2020, surpassing the European Union and the U.S.

"Looking ahead, I think ASEAN-China bilateral trade will increase three fold in the next 20 years, and the investment will increase accordingly," said Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian ambassador to China.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-09-08/Regional-economic-integration-promotes-China-ASEAN-common-prosperity--1mW7i3aFKlW/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
BEIJING, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, during which he stressed efforts to accelerate post-disaster reconstruction and ensure the safety of the affected people.

From late July to early August, several areas in northern and northeastern China experienced rare levels of rainfall and floods after Typhoon Doksuri and Typhoon Khanun moved inland, causing casualties and inflicting damage.

Xi's visit came as post-disaster restoration and reconstruction became pivotal in these regions now that the floodwater has receded.

Accelerating reconstruction

In early August, Shangzhi City suffered the largest rainfall recorded since 1957, which affected 79,000 people. The city, an important grain-producing area, had nearly 420,000 mu (28,000 hectares) of crops hit by the rainfall.

In the village of Longwangmiao, where Xi inspected, 58.8 percent of its cultivated land was damaged and 149 out of 193 permanent households in the area suffered home damage.

Xi walked through the fields of the village to check the impact of the flood on the rice crops. While walking along the streets, he inspected the work on the restoration of damaged houses and infrastructure.

Noting winter season comes earlier and lasts longer in the northeastern regions, Xi urged local authorities to carefully and thoroughly consider affairs related to people's daily life and work, and make plans and launch actions in advance.

He urged efforts to repair the damaged houses, accelerate the post-disaster reconstruction, minimize agricultural losses caused by the disaster, and ensure the safety of the affected people.

Visiting villagers' homes to learn about their losses and the supply of daily necessities, Xi encouraged them to bolster their confidence to overcome difficulties. He expressed the hope that they will soon be able to resume normal work and life, and that their lives will continue to improve.

Reinforcement of previous call

Xi's visit to Longwangmiao is a reinforcement of his call for post-disaster reconstruction work since the start of the country's flood season.

He gave instructions on flood prevention and disaster relief in early July, demanding authorities at all levels give top priority to ensuring people's safety. This came after continuous heavy rainfall hit regions including southwest China's Chongqing Municipality that caused heavy casualties and property losses.

During an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province in late July, he called for efforts to make preparations for flood control and disaster relief and minimize casualties and property losses to the greatest extent, as July and August mark the time the Yangtze River basin enters the main flood season.

On August 1, Xi gave a new instruction when extreme rainfall in north China and the regions along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers triggered floods and geological disasters and caused heavy casualties in Beijing and Hebei.

The safety of the people's lives and properties, as well as social stability, must be ensured with utmost efforts, Xi stressed in the instruction.

Under Xi's instructions, Chinese authorities at all levels have launched massive rescue and relief efforts, and the central government has allocated more than 9.68 billion yuan (nearly $1.32 billion) in various flood prevention and relief funds for disaster-stricken areas since the beginning of this year's flood season.

As China has made significant achievements in flood prevention and disaster relief, a meeting was held by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in mid August to arrange further work on post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.

"In China, if the people encounter difficulties, we shall give full play to our socialist superiority, that is, when trouble occurs at one spot, help comes from all quarters, with the full support of the state," President Xi told Longwangmiao villagers.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-09-08/Xi-stresses-post-disaster-reconstruction-in-NE-China-visit-1mW4GACDQxa/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
Dr. McConnell recognizes the rich history of Saint Joseph's while looking forward to the University's future growth and development.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 8, 2023 On Friday, Saint Joseph's University inaugurated Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD, as the 29th  and first female  president in the University's 172-year history. Saint Joseph's students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and religious and community leaders gathered for a ceremony in the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena to celebrate the historic event.

Dr. McConnell addresses Saint Josephs community members after being inaugurated as president.

Dr. McConnell, a 35-year veteran of Jesuit higher education, was unanimously elected by the University's Board of Trustees and the presidential search committee in March 2023.

"It is such a unique and humbling honor to be here today in the presence of so many people, all bonded together by our love and admiration for Saint Joseph's University," said Dr. McConnell upon her investiture by Board Chair James M. Norris '85 (MBA). "My heart is full as I look out and see all of us who share in and support this journey  who believe in our shared mission to develop students to achieve personal excellence, professional success and to be engaged citizens."

Local religious and community leaders greeted Dr. McConnell, including Rev. Philip G. Bochanski, vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; Thomas P. Foley, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania; Michael F. Tunney, S.J., provincial assistant of higher education of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus; and Stephen Surovick, S.J., senior director of mission and ministry at Saint Joseph's Preparatory School and superior of the Jesuit community at Arrupe Hall.

"Dr. McConnell's dedication to teaching, to scholarship, to spiritual formation and to student development made her an excellent choice," said Foley, welcoming Dr. McConnell to the Pennsylvania higher education community. "Her degrees and publications are so impressive, but I personally think Cheryl's most important qualification is the dynamic of her personal story. Cheryl is a first-generation college graduate who has immersed herself in the twin Jesuit traditions of spirituality and of service."

James M. Norris '85 (MBA), chair of Saint Joseph's Board of Trustees, placed the presidential chain over Dr. McConnell's shoulders following her investiture, symbolizing the official change in leadership.

"You will be responsible for ensuring that a Saint Joseph's education cares for the whole person, seeks God in all things, encourages moral discernment and promotes justice, as St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, conceived," said Norris.

Following the inauguration, Saint Joseph's community members gathered for a celebratory reception. Inauguration events started earlier in the week, with SJU's annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Thursday, Sept. 7. The Mass, which is a ceremonial start of the school year, was also the inaugural Mass for President McConnell.

Prior to her presidency, Dr. McConnell served for three years as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, where she oversaw the University's academic enterprise with a particular focus on expanding the academic portfolio to meet market needs and student demand. Additionally, she was responsible for an increased and more effective focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, launching an annual, University-wide Day of Dialogue featuring lectures, workshops and events.

Dr. McConnell led the historic integration of University of the Sciences, coordinating the acquisition of dozens of academic programs in health and science, along with state-of-the-art campus facilities. As interim president, she finalized another merger agreement with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, expected to close in January 2024.

For more information about Dr. McConnell's inauguration, please visit www.sju.edu/inauguration.

SOURCE Saint Joseph's University
DOVER, Del., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 12, 2023, Management from Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK) (the "Company") will participate in the New York Stock Exchange's ("NYSE") Energy & Utilities Virtual Investor Access Day. The Company will virtually join members of investment firms, including existing and prospective investors, in a series of one-on-one meetings as scheduled through the NYSE. A copy of the presentation materials will be made available prior to the conference in the "Investors" section of the Company's website, sub-section "Events and Presentations  Other Events" ( www.chpk.com ).

About Chesapeake Utilities Corporation:

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a diversified energy delivery company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation offers sustainable energy solutions through its natural gas transmission and distribution, electricity generation and distribution, propane gas distribution, mobile compressed natural gas utility services and solutions, and other businesses. For more information, visit www.chpk.com .

Please note that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has no affiliation with Chesapeake Energy, an oil and natural gas exploration company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

For more information, contact:

Heidi Watkins

Shareholder Services Manager

[email protected]

302.538.4764

SOURCE Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
Mohan Port on China's border with Laos has cleared a total of 1,000,541 individuals hailing from 64 countries and regions this year, according to port authorities.

Sengdala Nittiya, a Laotian China-Laos Railway crew member, on Tuesday became the millionth person to pass through the land port in southwest China's Yunnan Province this year, receiving congratulations and flowers from staff at the Mohan border checkpoint.

Entry and exit traffic at the land port has been increasing since the beginning of the year, rising from an average of 3,000 people per day to a maximum of 8,000 people.

Since the China-Laos Railway launched its cross-border passenger services on April 13, such passenger flows at the Mohan railway port have also shown a steady growth trend, with the daily average number of inbound and outbound passengers surpassing 500.

Mohan Port is the largest land port between China and Laos. It has evolved into a crucial hub for the Belt and Road Initiative and a significant gateway to countries in the Indochina Peninsula.
SHANGHAI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A business forum on China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Kazakhstan on September 7.

Yu Xiantao, economic and commercial counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, attended the forum and expressed his willingness to further encourage Kazakhstan companies to participate in the CIIE and showcase their high-quality products.

China International Import Expo holds business forum in Astana, Kazakhstan on September

Yu added that he is looking forward to seeing more Kazakhstan companies and agencies join the 6th CIIE, which will take place from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

Five years on, the CIIE has been a witness to closer China-Kazakhstan cooperation.

According to a representative of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), which is the venue for the CIIE, Kazakhstan has always been a significant participant of the CIIE. Over the past five editions, hundreds of Kazakhstan enterprises participated in the Business Exhibition and occupied a combined exhibition area of 2,000 square meters.

President Tokayev of Kazakhstan even once described the CIIE as a "golden gate" for global commodities to enter the Chinese market.

Many Kazakh companies have achieved commercial success at the expo, with the intended turnover generated by these companies over the years totaling $430 million. Several of Kazakhstan's renowned goods like candies and dairy products have also become well-known to Chinese consumers thanks to the CIIE.

Egemberdieva Asel Yerikovna, deputy CEO of QazTrade, said during the forum that Kazakhstan is upbeat about its economic and trade cooperation with China as bilateral trade between the two rose 34 percent year-on-year to $24.1 billion in 2022.

Speaking of QazTrade's preparations for this year's expo, Egemberdieva said that the organization will once again help more Kazakh enterprises enter the Chinese market and make their products known to the world.

During the forum, a CIIE delegation updated the audience about the preparations for this year's event. According to the delegation, over 360,000 square meters of exhibition area has already been booked by more than 2,000 enterprises. The number of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises taking part this year is also more than that of the last edition.

Notably, the physical Country Exhibition will make its return this year. In addition, the World Openness Report 2023 will also be released at the 6th Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a key component of the CIIE.

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GLENOLDEN, Pa., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CipherBlade, a leading name in blockchain forensics, will collaborate closely with MacNerd, a pioneering force in blockchain technology and software development. While both companies bring unique strengths to the table, this collaboration will predominantly focus on bolstering crypto security and investigation services.

CipherBlade's track record of recovering millions of dollars in stolen cryptocurrency, coupled with MacNerd's technical prowess, creates a formidable alliance. This partnership will offer:

CipherBlade and MacNerd Unite to Fortify Blockchain Security

Enhanced Blockchain Security: MacNerd and CipherBlade's collaboration will result in heightened security measures for clients involved in blockchain technology. By pooling their resources and expertise, they will provide increased protection against cyber threats, making the blockchain ecosystem safer for users.

MacNerd and CipherBlade's collaboration will result in heightened security measures for clients involved in blockchain technology. By pooling their resources and expertise, they will provide increased protection against cyber threats, making the blockchain ecosystem safer for users. Comprehensive Crypto Forensics: CipherBlade's proficiency in investigating cryptocurrency -related crimes will merge seamlessly with MacNerd's technical capabilities. This union ensures a more thorough and effective approach to detecting and recovering stolen crypto assets.

CipherBlade's proficiency in investigating -related crimes will merge seamlessly with MacNerd's technical capabilities. This union ensures a more thorough and effective approach to detecting and recovering stolen assets. Rapid Response: In the event of cryptocurrency incidents, clients can count on a swift response from MacNerd and CipherBlade. Their joint resources, including exchange partnerships, legal support, advanced technology for risk detection, and top-tier expertise, ensure a quick and efficient response to mitigate losses and initiate investigations promptly.

Steve (Mac) McKeon, CEO of MacNerd, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: "This is an exciting collaboration between two pioneering companies in the blockchain industry. Working with CipherBlade gives us the opportunity to strengthen our existing client relationships and cultivate new ones. This partnership will help protect them all from black hats and bad actors, and keep their data, networks and servers secure."

"We are excited to partner with MacNerd to expand our reach and offer our services to a wider audience," said CipherBlade's CEO of America, Justin Maile. "Our partnership with MacNerd reflects our commitment to delivering actionable solutions that empower individuals and organizations to protect their digital assets. Together, we're taking a proactive stance against crypto-related crimes, and our expertise will shine a light on the path to a more secure blockchain ecosystem."

About CipherBlade

CipherBlade is a blockchain forensics agency that provides cutting-edge solutions in cryptocurrency investigations. With a team of experienced investigators, they track cryptocurrency in all cyber enabled cases using blockchain forensics. CipherBlade's services cover a variety of ways to tackle cryptocurrency related crimes, from the basic scam cases to extensive cryptocurrency exchange hacking incidents. Their record of success and close collaboration with law enforcement, regulators, cryptocurrency exchanges, intelligence communities and law firms make them the go-to agency for digital asset investigations. For more information, please visit https://cipherblade.com .

About MacNerd

MacNerd is a software development company specifically dedicated to security in the blockchain space. The company was created to explore the near-endless application possibilities for the technology and to ensure that the security this technology provides underscores its need for adoption. A part of the FBI InfraGard, MacNerd also works hand-in-hand with local and federal organizations on certain cases, providing deep technical forensics to help resolve data breaches, cyberattacks and hacking incidents. For more information, please visit macnerd.io .

Press contact:

Chip Turner

5703693306

[email protected]

SOURCE MacNerd
The growth of the global confidential computing market is driven by surge in need to comply with regulatory standards, growing concerns regarding data security and privacy.

PORTLAND, Ore, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Confidential Computing Market by Component (Hardware, Software, Service), Deployment Mode (On-premise and Cloud), Application (Data Security, Security Enclaves, Pellucidity between Users, and Others), End User (BFSI, IT and Telecom, Healthcare, Retail and E-commerce, Manufacturing, Government and Public Sector, and Others), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032." According to the report, the global generated $4.1 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $184.5 billion by 2032, witnessing a CAGR of 46.8% from 2023 to 2032.

Confidential computing is a cloud computing technology that encrypts and stores sensitive data of an organization in a secure portion of a computer's processor. In addition, it can also be used to protect proprietary business logic, analytics functions, MI algorithms, or entire applications.

Prime determinants of growth

Surge in need to comply with regulatory standards, growing concerns regarding data security and privacy, and increasing need for secure cloud computing primarily drive the growth of the confidential computing market. However, implementation and integration challenges hamper market growth to some extent. Moreover, the increasing need for secure AI solutions is expected to provide lucrative opportunities for market growth during the forecast period.

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Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $4.1 Billion Market Size in 2032 $184.5 Billion CAGR 46.8 % No. of Pages in Report 341 Segments covered Component, Deployment Mode, Application, End User, and Region. Drivers Growing need to comply with regulatory standards Growing concerns regarding data security and privacy Increasing need for secure cloud computing Opportunities Increasing need for secure AI solutions Restraints Implementation and integration challenges

Covid-19 Scenario

The COVID-19 pandemic had significantly affected the scale of the confidential computing market. The virus's spread rapidly increased the digital revolution in a number of industries, including healthcare, finance, and government, increasing the need for computer solutions that protect users' privacy and security.

The pandemic had brought to light the dangers and vulnerabilities linked to data breaches and cyberattacks, highlighting the significance of confidential computing for maintaining data security and privacy.

The pandemic also had a substantial effect on the confidential computing business in the healthcare sector. The healthcare sector handled very private patient information, such as medical records, identifying information, and research data.

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The software segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on component, the software segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than three-fifths of the confidential computing market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to protect their data, especially during processing or when sharing it with outside parties, due to the surge in sophisticated cyberattacks and data breaches. However, the hardware segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 49.6% from 2023 to 2032, owing to enormous volumes of sensitive data as a result of the development of digital technology and the emergence of data-driven decision-making.

The on-premise segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on deployment mode, the on-premise segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than three-fifths of the confidential computing market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to data privacy, satisfies compliance and regulatory standards, and protects against insider threats within the company. However, the cloud segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 49.7% from 2023 to 2032, owing to hardware-based security capabilities such as Intel SGX (Software Guard Extensions) and AMD SEV (Secure Encrypted Virtualization). These secure enclaves offer separated, encrypted settings for the safe processing of sensitive data and calculations.

The BFSI segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on the end user, the BFSI segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, owing to benefit that financial information is handled with the highest care and security, which helps to increase customer trust and confidence. However, the retail and e-commerce segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 52.8% from 2023 to 2032 and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period, owing to the growing reliance on digital platforms and the acquisition of enormous volumes of client data.

Asia-Pacific region to maintain its dominance by 2032

Based on region, the North America segment held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the Confidential Computing market revenue, owing to increasing digitization of businesses and the proliferation of sensitive data requires protecting this data from unauthorized access, even from cloud providers themselves. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 51.6% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the adaption of smart technologies such as AI, ML and virtual machines escalates the demand for confidential computing.

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Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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Leading Market Players: -

Microsoft Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Intel Corporation

Google LLC

Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Fortanix

Cyxtera Technologies Inc.

Alibaba Cloud

Ovh Sas

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the confidential computing market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different countries. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The copper products market size is expected to grow by USD 59.34 billion from 2022 to 2027. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will progress at a CAGR of 5.36% during the forecast period, according to Technavio. Growing communication and electrical and electronics industries are notably driving the copper products market. However, factors such as fluctuations in copper prices may impede market growth. The market is segmented by Application (Building and construction, Electrical and electronic products, Industrial machinery, Transportation, and Others), Product (Copper wire, Copper pipes and tubes, Copper foil, Copper sheet, and Others), and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). We provide a detailed analysis of 20 companies operating in the copper products market, including Aditya Birla Management Corp. Pvt. Ltd., Aurubis AG, Aviva Metals Inc., Baroda Extrusion Ltd., Bhagyanagar India Ltd., Gupta Metal Industries, Hindustan Copper Ltd., Indian Copper, Indigo Metalloys Pvt. Ltd., KGHM Polska Miedz SA, KME Germany GmbH, Kobe Steel Ltd., Liljedahl Group AB, Madhav Copper Ltd., Mehta Tubes LTD., Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Nexans SA, RAJSHREE METALS, Rio Tinto Ltd., and Shanghai Metal Corp. The report offers an up-to-date analysis of the market, and to know the exact growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate, Request a Sample Report.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Copper Products Market 2023-2027

Copper Products Market 2023-2027: Company Analysis

Aditya Birla Management Corp. Pvt. Ltd. - The company offers copper products under the brand Hindalco.

This report provides a full list of key companies, their strategies, and the latest developments. Buy Now for detailed company information

Copper Products Market 2023-2027: Segmentation

Application

The market share growth by the builders and construction segment is significant during the forecast period. Residential and commercial building structures use copper products such as copper wire for electrical wiring, owing to their high strength, efficiency, and performance. Additionally, the growing number of electrification activities in tunnels and bridges has increased the demand for copper products. Furthermore, factors such as the augmenting number of government initiatives, the rising number of residential projects in countries, and the focus on the development of public infrastructure will drive the growth of the global construction industry. Hence, such factors fuel the growth of the builders and construction segment of the copper products market during the forecast period.

Other segments include products (copper wire, copper pipes and tubes, copper foil, copper sheet, and others)

Geography

APAC will contribute 69% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The regional market growth can be attributed to factors such as industrialization, urbanization, infrastructure development, and the growing electrical and electronics sector. Furthermore, the region constitutes the world's largest consumer and producer of copper. Factors like the growing population, expanding urbanization, and infrastructure development initiatives of the country give rise to the necessity of copper wire in construction projects, electrical wiring, power transmission, and telecommunication. Hence, such factors fuel the growth of the regional copper products market in APAC during the forecast period.

will contribute to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The regional market growth can be attributed to factors such as industrialization, urbanization, infrastructure development, and the growing electrical and electronics sector. Furthermore, the region constitutes the world's largest consumer and producer of copper. Factors like the growing population, expanding urbanization, and infrastructure development initiatives of the country give rise to the necessity of copper wire in construction projects, electrical wiring, power transmission, and telecommunication. Hence, such factors fuel the growth of the regional copper products market in APAC during the forecast period. Other regions include North America, Europe , South America , and the Middle East and Africa .



Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View PDF Sample Report

Copper Products Market 2023-2027: Key Highlights

Historic Market Size 2017-2021

CAGR of the market during 2023-2027

Detailed information on factors that will assist copper products market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the composite rebar market size and its contribution to the parent market

Forecasts on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the copper products market

Analysis of the competitive landscape and detailed information on companies

Comprehensive details of factors that will impede the growth of copper products market companies

Related Reports:

The copper sulfate market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.76% between 2023 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 369.15 million. This copper sulfate market report extensively covers market segmentation by application (agriculture, chemical, and others), type (pentahydrate, anhydrous, and others), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa). The growth of the agricultural industry is a key factor driving the growth of the market.

The Copper Wire Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% between 2022 and 2027 and the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 44.9 billion. This report extensively covers market segmentation by application (electrical and electronics, building and construction, telecommunication, transportation, and others), type (low voltage, medium voltage, and high voltage), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The growing communication and electrical and electronics industries are a major driving factor for the growth of the global copper wire market during the forecast period.

Copper Products Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.36% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 59.34 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 4.86 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 69% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Aditya Birla Management Corp. Pvt. Ltd., Aurubis AG, Aviva Metals Inc., Baroda Extrusion Ltd., Bhagyanagar India Ltd., Gupta Metal Industries, Hindustan Copper Ltd., Indian Copper , Indigo Metalloys Pvt. Ltd., KGHM Polska Miedz SA, KME Germany GmbH, Kobe Steel Ltd., Liljedahl Group AB, Madhav Copper Ltd., Mehta Tubes LTD., Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Nexans SA, RAJSHREE METALS, Rio Tinto Ltd., and Shanghai Metal Corp. 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, Market condition analysis for 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.

ToC:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Sizes

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Application

Market Segmentation by Product

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, & Trends

Company Landscape

Company Analysis

Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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
GRAPEVINE, Texas, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DealerBuilt, a leading software provider to franchised auto dealerships, is thrilled to announce its third acquisition in just fifteen months: iService Auto.

iService's solution is a key piece in a comprehensive M&A strategy that unlocks the ability for DealerBuilt customers to run all their departments on one integrated platform, without switching between systems. The DealerBuilt platform features a robust range of capabilities, including enterprise accounting, parts & service management, customer relationship management (CRM), business insights, and, following the iService acquisition, a world-class fixed ops solution.

DealerBuilt Pulls Into the Service Lane with Acquisition of iService Auto Post this

Founded in 2017 by the visionary Tandon Noplos, iService builds simple and intuitive fixed ops software that spans video MPI, scheduling, interactive quoting, BDC, and reconditioning tools  all designed to build trust between the dealership and their customer while making it easier to surface revenue opportunities inside the service lane.

"iService is a perfect fit in the DealerBuilt ecosystem. Much like DealerBuilt, iService was born inside a dealership and was built by dealers, for dealers. Our company's roots have always been deeply intertwined with dealerships, and as we engaged with our valued customers, we identified a pressing need for contemporary, fully integrated solutions within their fixed operations departments," remarked Max Longin, CEO of DealerBuilt.

"This acquisition shows how committed we are to becoming the obvious choice for dealers who are serious about leveraging their customer data," Longin said. "For too long, automotive solutions companies have fallen short on providing just that - solutions. Dealers have had to settle for products that didn't serve them, and worst of all, no one listened because the options were so limited. At DealerBuilt, we're changing that. First with the way we built our DMS product, and now with the wave of M&A we've completed over the past fifteen months, culminating in our acquisition of iService."

"I couldn't be happier to be part of the DealerBuilt family", Tandon Noplos said, following the acquisition. "We have already hit the ground running, and we cannot wait to deliver more value to more dealers. There is a gap in the market for modern, proven dealer software, and DealerBuilt is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of dealers with a comprehensive integrated suite. iService will be a big part of that, and it really feels like we're just getting started". As part of the acquisition, Tandon will join DealerBuilt's Executive Leadership Team, adding a seasoned dealership expert to an existing team of software and automotive veterans.

About DealerBuilt

DealerBuilt is a pioneering provider of Dealer Management System (DMS) software that transforms how auto dealerships operate. With an unwavering commitment to innovation and tailored solutions, DealerBuilt empowers dealerships with an integrated suite encompassing enterprise accounting, parts & services management, CRM, business insights, and a comprehensive fixed operations suite. Founded on dealership expertise and customer-centric ideals, DealerBuilt reshapes the future of dealership software.

About iService

Founded in 2017, iService Auto is a trailblazing innovator in fixed operations solutions for auto dealerships. From Multi-Point Inspection to Customer Engagement, Scheduling, and Interactive Quoting, iService's suite of offerings empowers dealerships to elevate their service lane operations. With a strong foundation of innovation, iService Auto brings modernity and efficiency to dealerships' fixed operations, resulting in heightened customer satisfaction and operational excellence.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Tandon Noplos

630-362-1144

[email protected]

SOURCE DealerBuilt
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Orthodontic Details today announced the ordering platform has been adopted by more than 100 orthodontic practices, representing 160 offices across the United States and Canada. These practices ordered from 158 different suppliers in August alone, showing impressive reach by the new platform.

Details, the ordering platform built specifically for orthodontics, gives practices one place to order from any supplier. Aimed at helping practices focus on patients rather than procurement, the company has struck a chord with orthodontists and their staff.

VP of Strategic Partnerships Addison Wissel shows the Details Platform Details President Nick Wangler greets a supplier partner.

"Details is an invaluable partner," shared Anu Nellissery, DMD, MS. "What has truly exceeded my expectations is the exceptional customer service. They go the extra mile, which has allowed my clinical staff to focus on patient care rather than ordering. I wholeheartedly recommend them."

Sought-after speaker and Host of The Digital Orthodontist Podcast Kyle Fagala, DDS, MDS added: "I love seeing tech and innovation like this in our profession. Details is clearly making a positive impact in our practice."

This week, the company launched "Insights", which gives practices a real-time view of their supply spend, across suppliers. Practices can see their spend broken down by month, supplier, and category, all in one place .

"What really makes Insights valuable is what we as orthodontists can do with the data," shared Details Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Biggs, DDS, MS. "I've always wanted better visibility into our practice's supply spend. But that data is spread across suppliers, and a pain to try and reconcile in Quickbooks. With Details, that spending data is centralized, automatically, unlocking amazing insights."

Details has been quietly piloting "Insights" through the summer, which the company shared is more than just a way to track spend. "We've been experimenting with Artificial Intelligence (and Large Learning Models in particular) since long before ChatGPT launched," shared Details CTO Tom Pritchard. "We know our customers don't just want to see data, but want help making connections that can save them time and money. That's where AI comes in, and Insights is just the beginning."

Practices are seeing the impact features like Insights bring, with Lance Christensen, Office Manager for Christensen Family Orthodontics sharing: "Details makes it easy to quickly order products from multiple vendors, compare prices, and track our spending, which not only saves us time, but allows for better decision making when it comes to purchasing."

Alongside practice growth, Details has seen a rapid increase in usage of the platform. "Practices submitted more orders to suppliers in the first half of Q2 than all of Q4 last year combined." shared Details Vice President of Practice Success Carrianne Garrison Ford. "This shows that customers are deeply integrating us into their business, and trust us as they make purchasing decisions."

Details' growth and deep integration with customers has helped the company continue to secure supplier partners, since announcing partnerships with 3M Oral Care, G&H Orthodontics, Dynaflex, Reliance, and others in April of 2023.

Most recently, the company added Komet USA, Great Lakes Dental Technologies, Dental City, PUL Technologies, and Second Story Promotions, with practices ordering from more than 158 unique suppliers in August alone. "Working with these partners has been amazing," Garrison Ford shared. "They care about the best possible outcomes for our mutual customers, and we feel honored to work with them!"

The release of Insights kicks off what Details Co-Founder and President Nick Wangler describes as an "ambitious" second half of 2023, with multiple announcements coming soon. "As a technology company, we're constantly working on new stuff based on feedback from our customers. Our current pipeline includes some of the coolest projects I've been a part of in my 15 years in tech. I can't wait to show our customers what's next!"

Media Contact:

Nick Wangler

815-252-4159

[email protected]

SOURCE Orthodontic Details
SHANGHAI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dingdong (Cayman) Limited ("Dingdong" or the "Company") (NYSE: DDL), a leading fresh grocery e-commerce company in China, today announced the appointment of Mr. Song Wang, the Senior Vice President, as the director of the Company effective from September 30, 2023. Mr. Wang is currently primarily responsible for managing the Company's finances and investor relationship affairs.

With nearly 17 years of experience in China's consumer and retail industry, Mr. Song Wang is no doubt an industry veteran with deep insights of the sector the Company competes in. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Wang worked in a handful of China's leading e-commerce and new retail companies, endorsed by Alibaba (NYSE: BABA and HKEX: 9988). He served as the financial director of Ele.me, the chief financial officer of Lianhua Supermarket (HKEx: 0980), and head of the finance department of Hema Fresh. Prior to that, Mr. Wang worked in finance department of several companies, managing and running their finance activities. He served as the senior financial director of Yiguo E-Commerce, the head of Financial Shared Service Center of Yihai Kerry (more commonly known as Jinlongyu, SZSE: 300999), and the financial manager of Huawei Technologies. Mr. Wang holds a bachelor's degree in management from Tiangong University.

Mr. Wang stated: "I am thrilled to serve as a director of Dingdong, and believe Dingdong is well positioned for continued growth in the fresh grocery e-commerce sector during an opportune time. I will work closely with our strong team of dedicated professionals to execute on our business strategy."

"We are pleased to have Mr. Wang as a board member. I firmly believe Mr. Wang will bring a wealth of financial expertise to our already strong management team and these skills will serve our investors well," commented Mr. Changlin Liang, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

The company also announced that Ms. Le Yu, a director and Chief Strategy Officer of the Company, has tendered her resignation to step down from her current positions due to personal reasons. Ms. Yu's resignation will be effective from September 30, 2023. Ms. Yu's resignation was not the result of any dispute or disagreement with the Company or the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") or any matter relating to the operation, policies or practices of the Company. Ms. Yu will remain with the Company in an advisory role to the Board.

"On behalf of the Company and the Board, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Ms. Le Yu, for her tremendous contributions and invaluable service since joining the Company in 2015," commented Mr. Changlin Liang, Chairman and CEO of Dingdong, "we wish her the best of success in her future endeavors."

About Dingdong (Cayman) Limited

We are a leading fresh grocery e-commerce company in China, with sustainable long-term growth. We directly provide users and households with fresh produce, prepared food, and other food products through a convenient and excellent shopping experience supported by an extensive self-operated frontline fulfillment grid. Leveraging our deep insights into consumers' evolving needs and our strong food innovation capabilities, we have successfully launched a series of private label products spanning a variety of food categories. Many of our private label products are produced at our Dingdong production plants, allowing us to more efficiently produce and offer safe and high-quality food products. We aim to be Chinese families' first choice for food shopping.

For more information, please visit: https://ir.100.me.

Safe Harbor Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident," "potential," "continue," or other similar expressions. Among other things, business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Dingdong's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Dingdong may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its interim and annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Dingdong's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Dingdong's goals and strategies; Dingdong's future business development, financial conditions, and results of operations; the expected outlook of the fresh grocery ecommerce market in China; Dingdong's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; Dingdong's expectations regarding its relationships with its users, clients, business partners, and other stakeholders; competition in Dingdong's industry; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to Dingdong's industry, and general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement and in the attachments is as of the date of the announcement, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE Dingdong (Cayman) Limited
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Metrea announced that the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) recently selected Metrea Simulations (MSIM) as the sole software provider for their Virtual Training for Air Dominance (VTRAD) program, in support of the 19th Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC). Using NOR, MSIM's simulation platform, VTRAD will enable affordable and scalable ultimate-fidelity training for Air Force fighter and bomber pilots in training. MSIM will deliver a high-fidelity virtual T-38C flight model and cockpit prototype as well as a synthetic training environment that can support the virtual training syllabus events of FBF.

Metrea is on contract with DIU to create a T-38C prototype within NOR - an ultimate-fidelity simulation. Post this Metrea is on contract with DIU to create a T-38C flight and model and cockpit prototype within NOR, an ultimate-fidelity simulation for military users. Using NOR, MSIMs simulation platform, VTRAD will enable affordable and scalable ultimate-fidelity training for Air Force fighter and bomber pilots in training. MSIM will deliver a high-fidelity virtual T-38C flight model and cockpit prototype as well as a synthetic training environment that can support the virtual training syllabus events of FBF. In addition to the T-38C prototype, Metrea has also developed a F-16 fighter within NOR - allowing military users to immerse themselves in a hyper-realistic simulation.

The NOR simulation platform leverages the power of the commercial gaming ecosystem, using Unreal Engine 5 to deliver fully immersive and physics-based simulation, from an individual pilot with a VR headset, through mixed-reality sim rigs, up to full physical simulators.

"Billions of users around the world are driving constant innovation in the commercial gaming ecosystem, but all too often military simulation users are stuck decades behind," said Niclas Colliander, Managing Director, MSIM. "With NOR, Metrea has been building a simulation platform for military users that will constantly benefit from the improvements of the commercial gaming industry. We are super excited to partner with DIU and the 19th Air Force to deliver this capability to help new pilots train better, faster, and orders-of-magnitude more affordably."

Metrea Simulations will be demoing NOR at AFA's Air, Space, and Cyber Conference next week, at booth #202. Contact [email protected] to reserve a time slot on the sim rigs.

About Metrea

Metrea Simulations (MSIM) was established with the aim of leveraging the power and innovation of the commercial gaming ecosystem to support better simulation tools for national security users. MSIM has built their simulation platform, called NOR, on top of Unreal Engine, one of the leading commercial gaming engines.

Metrea Simulations is a part of Metrea. Metrea provides effects-as-a-service to national security partners in five domains and over a dozen mission-centric solution areas, including airborne ISR, electronic warfare, communications, aerial refueling, space-based ISR, and advanced simulation. MSIM is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden in order to benefit from the strong gaming industry. Metrea is headquartered in Washington, DC with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU.

MEDIA CONTACT:

[email protected]

SOURCE Metrea
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The financial planning software market by component (software and services), application (financial advice and management, portfolio/accounting/trading management, wealth management, and personal banking), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa) - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027" report has been added to Technavio offering. With ISO 9001:2015 certification, Technavio has proudly partnered with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years. The potential growth difference for the financial planning software market between 2022 and 2027 is USD 4.69 billion, according to Technavio. The increasing complexity of financial management is a key factor driving market growth. The complicated management of finance is becoming more complex for individuals and businesses, as they are required to navigate a labyrinthine set of rules, regulations, and investment strategies. This complexity is greatly simplified and managed using finance planning software. Furthermore, with the ability to automatically generate calculations and processes, which reduce management complexity, Financial Planning Software provides a centralized platform for managing all finance in one place. Hence, these factors are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Get deeper insights into the market size, current market scenario, future growth opportunities, major growth driving factors, the latest trends, and much more. Buy the full report here

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Financial Planning Software Market 2023-2027

Market Dynamics

Significant Challenge

Data privacy and security concerns are significant challenges restricting market growth. The ability to track, retrieve, and analyze data from connected servers is provided by big data and artificial intelligence. These technologies also modify the functioning of servers through algorithm changes based on AI capabilities. In addition, because the Cloud is a multitenant environment and could affect different applications that are hosted within it, its infrastructure is more prone to errors caused by source code. The hackers will be able to easily access cloud-based data storage systems. Hence, these factors are expected to restrict market growth during the forecast period.

Learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio. Read Sample PDF Report Now

Segmentation

The financial planning software market is segmented by component (software and services), application (financial advice and management, portfolio/accounting/trading management, wealth management, and personal banking), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The market share growth by the software segment will be significant during the forecast period. The growth of the software segment's revenue is being driven by factors such as data storage and organization to make better decisions, planning, budget forecasting, or expense classification. In addition to cash flow analysis, the software also provides plans for tax strategies and longer-term planning. Several key companies are active in the market and offer finance planning software. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period.

North America is estimated to contribute 36% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

View the Sample Report for insights into the contribution of all the segments and regional opportunities in the report.

Key Companies in the financial planning software market:

Accutech Systems Corp., AssetBook LLC, BlackRock Inc., Ebix Inc., Economic Security Planning Inc., eMoney Advisor LLC, Empower Annuity Insurance Co. of America, Envestnet Inc., Fin365 Pty Ltd., Instream Solutions LLC, InvestCloud Inc., Morningstar Inc., Nest Wealth Asset Management Inc., Orion Advisor Solutions Inc., Quicken Inc., RightCapital Inc., SAP SE, Wealthcare Capital Management LLC, WealthTec LLC, and WealthTrace LLC

Related Reports:

The Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.85% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 2,046.52 million. This enterprise asset management market report extensively covers market segmentation by deployment (on-premises and cloud-based), end-user (large enterprises and SMEs), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The growing number of partnerships and acquisitions is the key factor driving the growth of the market.

The synthetic data generation market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 43.13% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 1,072 million. This synthetic data generation market report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (healthcare and life sciences, retail and e-commerce, transportation and logistics, IT and telecommunication, and BFSI and others), type (agent-based modeling and direct modeling), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The rising demand for privacy protection is driving growth in the synthetic data generation market.

Financial Planning Software Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 16.85% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 4.69 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 15.98 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 36% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and the UK Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Accutech Systems Corp., AssetBook LLC, BlackRock Inc., Ebix Inc., Economic Security Planning Inc., eMoney Advisor LLC, Empower Annuity Insurance Co. of America, Envestnet Inc., Fin365 Pty Ltd., Instream Solutions LLC, InvestCloud Inc., Morningstar Inc., Nest Wealth Asset Management Inc., Orion Advisor Solutions Inc., Quicken Inc., RightCapital Inc., SAP SE, Wealthcare Capital Management LLC, WealthTec LLC, and WealthTrace LLC 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.

ToC:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Sizes

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Component

Market Segmentation by Application

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, & Trends

Company Landscape

Company Analysis

Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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
TECNO's first-ever flip phone, PHANTOM V Flip 5G, is expected to deliver an advanced form factor and fashion-forward design.

The new smartphone, as well as the TECNO MEGABOOK T1 2023 14inch laptop, will be launched at the TECNO Flagship Product Launch Event 2023 Singapore on September 22 .

LONDON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative technology brand, TECNO, today announces that its latest premium flagship device, PHANTOM V Flip 5G, will be launched on September 22 at the Flip In Style TECNO Flagship Product Launch 2023 in Singapore. Encouraging the world to Flip In Style, the event will bring together the worlds of luxury-level aesthetics and advanced technologies, celebrating a new icon of design and a more elegant way to flip. The new smartphone will be launched together with the new TECNO MEGABOOK T1 2023 14inch laptop.

TECNO Flagship Product Launch 2023 in Singapore will see the launch of two groundbreaking new flagships.

As TECNO's debut flip smartphone, PHANTOM V Flip 5G reflects TECNO's commitment to exploring new form factors and redefining the style and functionality of flip phones for passionate, fashionable, and forward-looking audiences. The new device is the latest revolutionary smartphone from TECNO's premium sub-brand, PHANTOM, a pioneer in pushing the boundaries of creative and innovative smartphone design and pioneering in technology innovations.

PHANTOM V Flip 5G is the latest innovation to stem from TECNO's "Go Premium" strategy. This global business strategy sets TECNO apart with its focus on building a product range that integrates the most state-of-the-art technologies with unparalleled stylish designs to deliver uniquely premium devices. As a result of this strategy, TECNO has consistently delivered groundbreaking products and enriched its product portfolio spearheaded by flagship smartphones and laptops. PHANTOM V Fold, for example, integrated an ultra-clear 5-lens photography system into an exceptional foldable form factor with an optimally sized flagship dual screen, while TECNO MEGABOOK S1 delivered highly efficient computing in a super streamlined form. The strategy is also reflected in the PHANTOM Ultimate concept device, unveiled in August with an innovative rollable screen design. The imminent launch of PHANTOM V Flip 5G promises to further advance TECNO's premium offering with imaginative, cutting-edge technological and aesthetic design.

As well as PHANTOM V Flip 5G, TECNO will also launch its new flagship laptop, TECNO MEGABOOK T1 2023 14inch, at the upcoming TECNO Flagship Product Launch Event 2023. The event promises to reflect Singapore's international and futuristic atmosphere, while encompassing TECNO's pioneering style and forward-looking brand spirit for an unforgettable occasion.

SOURCE TECNO Mobile Limited
Chongqing is the bustling metropolis that marks the connection point of the Belt and Road and Yangtze River Economic Belt.In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, starting the process of BRI cooperation. Chongqing, a vital hub for the Belt and Road, has gained fruitful achievements.

Chongqing has several cross-border corridors. One of the prominent routes is the China Railway Express to Europe (Chengdu and Chongqing), which starts from our Chongqing Western International Logistics Hub Park, crosses the border in Xinjiang, and passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, and reaches Duisburg, Germany, with a total length of about 11,000 kilometers. The journey takes only 13 days, the transport price is 1/5 of aviation, and the running time is 1/4 of maritime transport. From January to May this year, the number of China Railway Express to Europe (Chengdu and Chongqing) reached 2,319, an increase of 52% year-on-year.

Based onland transportation, Chongqing has also innovated and designed new models, such as rail-sea intermodal transport, further expanding the International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) to 393 ports in 119 countries and regions worldwide. Itsbecoming a successful regional strategy under the BRI. From here, a network of trading routes extends across continents, forging new connectivity paths and revolutionizing global trade.

The BRI also profoundly impacts the lives of people in participating nations. TakeVietnam as an example. It has become Chongqing's largest trading partner in ASEAN countries. Vietnamese logistics enterprises hope to supply goods to South, West, and Central Asia through Chongqing as a hub to explore more international markets.

Anotherachievement of Chongqing is that the loans and financing are now more secure.The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI) has greatly enhanced the opening up of Chongqing's financial sector to the world by promoting a series of financial openness and innovation policies. By the end of 2022, cross-border financing under the CCI exceeded US$18.5 billion, more than ten times more than the pre-Chinese-Singapore cooperation.

Over the past ten years, the achievements have also included policy communication, cooperation in science and technology, education, cultural tourism, health, etc. Chongqing's active participation has brought prosperity not only to the city itself but also to communities outside of China. It has played a crucial role in the growth and well-being of nations along the Belt and Road. We are building bridges, connecting nations, and shaping a brighter future for all.

Click here to watch the video.
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The fresh pet food market in US is expected to grow by USD 5.34 billion from 2022 to 2027, according to Technavio. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will progress at a CAGR of 29.34% during the forecast period. New product launches are notably driving the fresh pet food market in the US. However, factors such as Lower shelf life compared with processed pet foods may impede market growth. The market is segmented by Product (Dog food, Cat food, and Others), Distribution Channel (Offline and Online), and Type (Fish, Meat, Vegetables, and Others). Technavio provides a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast along with research methodology. The sample report is available in PDF format

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Fresh Pet Food Market in US

Key Segment Analysis

The offline segment will account for a significant share of market growth during the forecast period. The offline segment mainly consists of supermarkets and hypermarkets; specialized pet stores, pet clubs, veterinary clinics; and convenience stores. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are the main distribution channels in the offline segment, with the highest sales of pet food products. Furthermore, some well-known companies include Target Corp. (Target), Walmart, Meijer Inc. (Meijer), Whole Foods Market Inc. (Whole Foods Market) and The Kroger Co. (Kroger). For example, in July 2022, according to the US FDA, Stormberg Foods recalled multiple sizes and batches of Beg and Barker Chicken Breasts, Billo's Best Friend Chicken Breast Strips, and Billo's Food for Dogs.

Furthermore, Green Coast Pets Chicken Chips Dog Treat may be contaminated with Salmonella. The availability of a wide range of fresh animal food in different brands by supermarkets and hypermarkets, which provides pet owners with the possibility to feed their animals easily, is one of the major reasons why these markets have high market shares. Select from a variety of brands of fresh pet food that are available on demand. For example, in May 2022, Freshpet Inc. announced an expansion of operations in the Lehigh Valley. The company plans to build a 99,000-square-foot creative kitchen less than a mile from its site in Hanover Township, Northampton County. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period.

To know additional highlights and key points on various market segments and their impact in coming years, View the PDF Sample Report.

Company Insights

The fresh pet food market in US is fragmented, and the companies are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market companies, including Arrow Reliance Inc., Artemis Pet Food Co., Carnivore Meat Co. LLC, Cooking4Canines, Fromm Family Foods LLC, Great American Dog Food Co., Havegard Farm Inc., JustFoodForDogs LLC, Mars Inc., My Perfect Pet Food Inc., NomNomNow Inc., Pauls Custom Pet Food LLC, Primal Pet Foods Inc., Rabbit Hole Hay Inc., Raised Right Pets LP, The Farmers Dog Inc., The J.M Smucker Co., Whitebridge Pet Brands LLC, Freshpet Inc., and Nestle SA

View the PDF Sample Report to find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by companies and their product offerings.

Related Reports:

The pet food market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.71% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 35.75 billion. This pet food market report extensively covers market segmentation by product (dry food, wet food, and snacks and treats), type (dog food, cat food, and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The rising demand for grain-free and freeze-dried pet food is a key trend in the pet food market growth.

The wet pet food market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.61% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 9,735.38 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by product (cat food, dog food, and others), distribution channel (pet-specialty stores and vet clinics, supermarkets and hypermarkets, convenience stores, and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East & Africa). Increasing demand for organic wet pet food is the key factor driving the growth of the global wet pet food market.

Fresh Pet Food Market In US Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 29.34% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 5.34 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 27.02 Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Arrow Reliance Inc., Artemis Pet Food Co., Carnivore Meat Co. LLC, Cooking4Canines, Fromm Family Foods LLC, Great American Dog Food Co., Havegard Farm Inc., JustFoodForDogs LLC, Mars Inc., My Perfect Pet Food Inc., NomNomNow Inc., Pauls Custom Pet Food LLC, Primal Pet Foods Inc., Rabbit Hole Hay Inc., Raised Right Pets LP, The Farmers Dog Inc., The J.M Smucker Co., Whitebridge Pet Brands LLC, Freshpet Inc., and Nestle SA 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 you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get customized segments.

ToC:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Sizes

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Product

Market Segmentation by WRITERSDistribution Channel

Market Segmentation by Type

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, & Trends

Company Landscape

Company Analysis

Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As public opposition mounts to the still-secret, back-room insurance bailout deal in Sacramento, Consumer Watchdog urged vigilance until the Monday, September 11, deadline for new legislation to be put in print passes.

"Until lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara say they are not going to pursue the insurance industry's billion-dollar bailout plan, California consumers must remain alert for an 11th hour smash and grab," Consumer Watchdog said.

Lara's central place in the secret bailout deal has become clear over the last days. A memo written by insurance lobbyist John Norwood, circulated Wednesday evening, asked legislators to back "the plan" endorsed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.

Commissioner Lara's public calendar entries from May to July, which only just appeared on the CDI website yesterday, reveals a flurry of meetings with industry executives as well as state officials. Not a single consumer advocate or consumer advocacy group met with Lara in those months; written requests from Consumer Watchdog have been ignored. Public interest groups have been locked out of the entire process.

In the last 24 hours, broad based opposition to any last-minute bailout or deregulation scheme has grown.

The San Diego Union Tribune weighed in: "September is a scary time in the Capitol. As the Legislature hurries to finish its work before adjournment, state lawmakers have a history of making decisions on complex issues that come back to haunt Californians. Newsom and the legislature must not rush through huge changes to property insurance."

Bay Area Congressman John Garamendi, who as the first elected Insurance Commissioner implemented Proposition 103's requirements, said, "The insurance industry seems to be writing the playbook. If they succeed, [it's] guaranteed California policyholders will once again be screwed by the insurance industry."

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader urged state legislators yesterday "Deregulation of Prop 103's protections by California officials will lead to immediate and enormous increases in what people will pay for insurance in California."

Consumers Excluded from Secret Talks With Industry, Lara, Lawmakers

The insurance industry's scheme centered on keeping the public in the dark until it was too late to stop it.

The outline of the industry's proposal was published only a few weeks ago and its impact on consumers analyzed by Consumer Watchdog. The insurance industry's game plan to "jam" the deal through during the final days of the legislative session was confirmed by a former industry lobbyist boasting to passengers and flight crew on a Southwest flight to Sacramento recorded by Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court.

Background on the Insurance Industry Crisis in California

Scapegoating climate change and the threat of wildfire, an increasing number of insurance companies have refused to sell or renew home insurance in California over the preceding months, threatening that unless lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara derail Proposition 103's reforms and make state homeowners bailout insurers for losses in the FAIR Plan, they will continue to disrupt the insurance marketplace. Insurance companies are also restricting access to auto insurance. Consumer Watchdog has asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate insurance company collusion, which is a violation of Proposition 103 and the antitrust laws.

Read Consumer Watchdog's May 2023 analysis of the insurance industry's misinformation campaign.

Proposition 103 requires auto, home and business insurance companies to open their books to public scrutiny and prove they need rate increases before they can take effect. It requires that auto premiums be based on driving safety record rather than zip code, and mandates a 20% discount for good drivers; applies the state's antitrust, civil rights and consumer protection laws to the industry; gives consumers the right to challenge violations of the law by insurance companies or the insurance commissioner in court; and made the insurance commissioner an elected position. Over $1.2 billion in refunds were issued by insurance companies after the passage of Proposition 103; Californians have saved $154 billion on auto insurance alone since voters enacted Proposition 103 in 1988, according to a 2019 analysis by Consumer Federation of America. The insurance industry spent over $63 million in its unsuccessful campaign against the grassroots backed initiative.

Read more about Proposition 103 here.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog
FARGO, N.D., Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Establishing a local and customized treasury management strategy is proving to be more crucial than ever for businesses of all sizes, especially those looking to drive both short- and long-term growth. Partnering with the right financial institution is the first step toward success  with knowledgeable, experienced and community-focused experts being key.

Better Service  For a Better Way of Life.

In today's fast-paced business world, where simplifying cash flow and improving the bottom line are top priorities for any venture, there's no better team to work with than the treasury management consultants at Gate City Bank.

"At Gate City Bank, we're proud to provide treasury management solutions that create a better way of life for business customers boldly pursuing their vision," said Chris Lee, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. "Every business is unique, which is why our consultants invest the time and care necessary to get to know them, so we can deliver customization that leads to growth."

Additionally, Gate City Bank's treasury management consultants stand out in the industry because they're part of an incredible culture that thrives on philanthropic giving. Team members are invested in the communities where they live and work, generously offering support through paid volunteer time and charitable contributions.

Contact Gate City Bank today to chat with a helpful treasury management consultant  and start streamlining operations, increasing profits, mitigating risk and maximizing efficiency.

About Gate City Bank.

A $3.4 billion mutual bank founded in 1923, Gate City Bank is the region's leading financial institution and the #1 mortgage lender in North Dakota. Celebrating its 100th year in 2023, the bank employs more than 770 team members at 44 locations in 23 communities across North Dakota and central Minnesota. The bank believes in creating a better way of life for customers, communities and team members, and it has contributed $36.6 million in philanthropic giving and more than 285,000 volunteer hours since 2003.

Additionally, for the third consecutive year, Gate City Bank has ranked in the top four of Forbes' World's Best Banks list, claiming the #4 spot in the U.S. for 2023. It has received a five-star rating from BauerFinancial for the past 27 years, and has been named one of the "50 Best Places to Work" 10 years in a row by Prairie Business magazine.

CONTACT:

Dain Sullivan

[email protected]

SOURCE Gate City Bank
DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Digital Health Market: Analysis by Technology (Tele-healthcare, mHealth, Healthcare Analytics and Digital Health Systems), By Component (Hardware, Software and Service), By Region Size and Trends with Impact of COVID-19 and Forecast up to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global digital health market, valued at US$235.70 billion in 2022, is on a trajectory of extraordinary growth, projected to reach an astounding US$612.40 billion by 2028. This remarkable expansion is propelled by a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.25% during the forecast period of 2023-2028.

Key Factors Driving Digital Health Demand:

The surge in digital health is attributed to several factors, including the widespread adoption of smartphones, reduced medical treatment costs, rapid urbanization, government initiatives, and the growing demand for remote monitoring services. The adoption of remote monitoring has revolutionized healthcare delivery, allowing physicians and general practitioners to extend their services to remote and underserved areas, ushering in a digital transformation of the healthcare landscape.

Emerging Trends Reshaping Healthcare:

Additional transformative trends include the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, the expansion of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), remote patient monitoring, and the utilization of Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) in healthcare. These innovations are set to revolutionize the conventional healthcare system, enhancing healthcare services and driving the demand for digital healthcare solutions.

Tele-Healthcare Takes Center Stage:

In 2022, the tele-healthcare segment captured the majority market share and remains the fastest-growing segment. Tele-healthcare enables long-distance patient and clinician interactions, offering care, advice, reminders, monitoring, and remote admissions via audio or video calls, leading to significant cost and time savings for patients.

The demand for tele-healthcare has surged due to factors like advancing internet technology, a tech-savvy population, the high cost of traditional care, and the increasing need for patient retention. In the US, 80% of respondents accessed healthcare via tele-healthcare in 2022, up from 72% in 2021.

Services Segment Facilitates Adoption:

The services segment dominated the market in 2022 and continues to experience rapid growth. Integrating digital health solutions into large healthcare institutions can be complex. Service providers specializing in digital health offer expertise in navigating these complexities, ensuring seamless adoption and minimal disruption to existing operations.

Factors such as training, education, continuous support, expansion of tele-healthcare and remote patient monitoring, ongoing technological advancements, and innovation contribute to the services segment's growth in the digital health market.

Regional Highlights:

North America Leads: North America commanded the largest market share in 2022, driven by the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), a high prevalence of chronic diseases, an aging population, and the widespread adoption of remote digital services and health & fitness apps. The US, with its focus on cutting-edge technology, is a global leader in digital health.

Asia Pacific's Rapid Growth: The Asia Pacific digital health market is poised for the fastest growth due to consumer expectations, digital tools, and innovative technology. Factors such as chronic diseases, an aging population, remote healthcare consultations, and digitalization investments have spurred the adoption of smartphones, connected wearables, telehealth, and electronic medical records.

China's Dominance: China leads the Asia Pacific region due to increased smartphone and internet penetration, growing awareness of remote healthcare services, a burgeoning elderly population, and the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The Chinese government's commitment to AI research has fostered a robust startup and innovation ecosystem.

Global Digital Health Market Dynamics:

Rising demand for remote monitoring services has the potential to boost the growth of the digital health market. As, remote monitoring enables healthcare providers to monitor patients' health conditions and vital signs remotely, eliminating in-person visits. This technology uses sensors, wearables, and apps to collect data and send notifications.

Demand for remote monitoring services is growing due to chronic diseases, aging population, and efficient resource management. It reduces strain on facilities, lowers costs, and plays a crucial role during emergencies. Digital health companies are investing in advanced monitoring technologies and data analytics to transform healthcare delivery worldwide. Further, the market is expected to increase due to rising penetration of smartphones, rapid urbanization, reduced cost of medical treatment, government support and regulatory initiatives, and healthcare data explosion etc.

Security Concerns can present several challenges for the digital health market. Unauthorized access and hacking are primary concerns, as attackers may attempt to gain access to devices, intercept patient's sensitive data, or execute malicious activities. Other challenges that digital health market faces is knowledge gap and interoperability issues.

A major trend gaining pace in digital health market is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning as it assists in drug discovery, disease prevention, clinical research, clinical decision support, medical imaging, and diagnostics, and much more in no time.

Also, AI enables faster and more effective utilization of data collected from genetic testing, health records, medical facilities, clinical trials, and research. AI in personalized healthcare further aids in faster and more targeted drug discovery. This reduces patient-specific complications and facilitates treatment development for rare diseases.

More trends in the market are believed to augment the growth of digital health market during the forecasted period include, use of AR/VR in healthcare, emergence of 5G technology, cloud-based healthcare, internet of medical things (IoMT), rising popularity of telemedicine and telehealth, out of hospital care, blockchain technology, etc.

Impact Analysis of COVID-19 and Way Forward:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had positive impact on the global digital health market. The pandemic has driven digital transformation and telehealth and remote monitoring saw a rapid surge in adoption, enabling healthcare providers to conduct virtual consultations.

Post-COVID, the impact on digital health continues to drive sustained growth as healthcare systems embrace telehealth, remote monitoring, and digital tools to enhance patient care, improve efficiency, and increase accessibility to healthcare services.

Competitive Landscape and Recent Developments

Global Digital Health market is fragmented. The key players are constantly investing in strategic initiatives, such as adoption of new technologies, introducing their services to emerging markets and more, to maintain a competitive edge in this market.

For instance, in May 2023, Ontario hospitals launched health information exchange with Oracle to reduce administrative overhead and improve care coordination for patients transitioning from acute to long-term care.

Market Dynamics

Growth Drivers

Rising Penetration of Smartphones

Rapid Urbanization

Reduced Cost of Medical Treatment

Government Support and Regulatory Initiatives

Increase in Demand for Remote Monitoring Services

Healthcare Data Explosion

Challenges

Data Security and Privacy Concern

Knowledge Gap

Interoperability Issues

Market Trends

AI and ML in Healthcare

Emergence of 5G Technology

Cloud Based Healthcare

Use of AR/VR in Healthcare

Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

Out of Hospital Care

Telemedicine and Telehealth

Blockchain Technology

Key players of global Digital Health market are:

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Oracle Corporation (Cerner)

Qualcomm Technologies

AT&T Inc.

Veradigm Inc. (Allscripts Healthcare Solutions)

Nextgen Healthcare, Inc

International Business Machines Corporation

Samsung SDS

Siemens Healthineers

Epic Systems Corporation

AdvancedMD

Athenahealth

eClinicalWorks

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l0bqe2

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ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Research and Markets

DUBLIN, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Hospital Market Report and Forecast 2023-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global hospital market is poised for substantial growth, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.70% during the forecast period of 2023-2031. This growth is expected to be primarily driven by the increasing healthcare expenditure worldwide.

Introduction to the Hospital Market

Hospitals serve as vital medical facilities providing comprehensive care, treatment, and services to individuals in need of medical attention. They are pivotal components of the healthcare system, offering a wide spectrum of medical services and specialized treatments across various medical disciplines. Key attributes of hospitals include:

Medical Staff: Hospitals boast diverse teams of medical professionals, comprising doctors, nurses, surgeons, specialists, and allied health professionals, collaborating to deliver medical care and treatment to patients.

Hospitals boast diverse teams of medical professionals, comprising doctors, nurses, surgeons, specialists, and allied health professionals, collaborating to deliver medical care and treatment to patients. Inpatient and Outpatient Services: Hospitals provide both inpatient services, accommodating patients overnight or for extended periods, and outpatient services, where patients receive medical care without hospitalization.

Hospitals provide both inpatient services, accommodating patients overnight or for extended periods, and outpatient services, where patients receive medical care without hospitalization. Emergency Care: Hospitals house emergency departments that provide immediate medical attention to individuals with critical and life-threatening conditions.

Hospitals house emergency departments that provide immediate medical attention to individuals with critical and life-threatening conditions. Specialized Departments: Hospitals typically host specialized departments such as cardiology, oncology, pediatrics, neurology, orthopedics, and more, catering to specific medical needs and conditions.

Types of Hospitals

General Hospitals: These facilities offer a broad spectrum of medical services and treatments, catering to patients with various medical conditions.

These facilities offer a broad spectrum of medical services and treatments, catering to patients with various medical conditions. Specialized Hospitals: Specialized hospitals focus on specific medical areas, including children's hospitals (pediatric hospitals), cancer hospitals (oncology centers), heart hospitals (cardiac centers), and more.

Specialized hospitals focus on specific medical areas, including children's hospitals (pediatric hospitals), cancer hospitals (oncology centers), heart hospitals (cardiac centers), and more. Teaching Hospitals: Affiliated with medical schools, teaching hospitals play a crucial role in medical education and the training of healthcare professionals.

Key Trends in the Global Hospital Market

Several key trends have emerged in the global hospital market:

Adoption of Digital Health Technologies: Hospitals are increasingly integrating digital health technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and mobile health apps, to enhance patient care, operational efficiency, and communication among healthcare professionals.

Hospitals are increasingly integrating digital health technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and mobile health apps, to enhance patient care, operational efficiency, and communication among healthcare professionals. Focus on Patient-Centric Care: Hospitals are placing greater emphasis on patient-centric care, aiming to enhance the patient experience and satisfaction. Strategies such as patient engagement, personalized treatment plans, and improved communication between patients and healthcare providers are being implemented to achieve this objective.

Hospitals are placing greater emphasis on patient-centric care, aiming to enhance the patient experience and satisfaction. Strategies such as patient engagement, personalized treatment plans, and improved communication between patients and healthcare providers are being implemented to achieve this objective. Growth of Specialized and Super-Specialized Hospitals: The number of specialized and super-specialized hospitals focusing on specific medical areas, such as cancer treatment, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, and women's health, has seen a significant increase. These hospitals cater to specific medical needs and offer advanced treatments and facilities.

The number of specialized and super-specialized hospitals focusing on specific medical areas, such as cancer treatment, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, and women's health, has seen a significant increase. These hospitals cater to specific medical needs and offer advanced treatments and facilities. Telemedicine Expansion: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine services worldwide. Hospitals have implemented telehealth platforms to provide remote consultations, monitor patients' health, and ensure continued care during and beyond the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine services worldwide. Hospitals have implemented telehealth platforms to provide remote consultations, monitor patients' health, and ensure continued care during and beyond the pandemic. Medical Tourism: Medical tourism remains a significant trend, with patients traveling internationally for medical treatments and procedures. Some hospitals strategically target international patients by providing high-quality care at competitive prices.

Global Hospital Market Segmentation

The market is segmented based on ownership, type, type of care, bed capacity, type of services, and region.

By Ownership

Public

Private

Semi-Government Hospital

Voluntary Agency Hospital

By Type

General

Multi-Specialty

Specialty

Teaching Cum Research Hospital

By Type of Care

Primary Care

Secondary Care

Tertiary Care

By Bed Capacity

Small Hospital (Up to 100 Beds)

Medium Hospital (101-300 Beds)

Large Hospital (More than 300 Beds)

By Type of Services

In-patient Services

Outpatient Services

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Key Drivers in the Global Hospital Market

Several key drivers are propelling the growth of the global hospital market:

Increasing Global Healthcare Spending: Escalating healthcare expenditures by governments, private sectors, and insurance companies are driving market growth. The growing demand for healthcare services, infrastructure development, and advancements in medical technologies contribute to increased spending.

Escalating healthcare expenditures by governments, private sectors, and insurance companies are driving market growth. The growing demand for healthcare services, infrastructure development, and advancements in medical technologies contribute to increased spending. Aging Population and Chronic Diseases: The global aging population fuels demand for hospital services, as older individuals often require more medical attention due to a higher incidence of chronic diseases. Conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer are becoming more prevalent, leading to increased hospital workloads.

The global aging population fuels demand for hospital services, as older individuals often require more medical attention due to a higher incidence of chronic diseases. Conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer are becoming more prevalent, leading to increased hospital workloads. Technological Advancements: Hospitals are investing in advanced medical technologies, including robotic-assisted surgeries, minimally invasive procedures, telemedicine, and digital health solutions. These technologies improve patient outcomes, enhance efficiency, and expand the range of medical services available.

Hospitals are investing in advanced medical technologies, including robotic-assisted surgeries, minimally invasive procedures, telemedicine, and digital health solutions. These technologies improve patient outcomes, enhance efficiency, and expand the range of medical services available. Demand for Specialized Healthcare: The rising prevalence of complex medical conditions and the need for specialized treatments drive the growth of hospitals with specialized departments, such as oncology centers, cardiovascular institutes, and women's health centers.

The rising prevalence of complex medical conditions and the need for specialized treatments drive the growth of hospitals with specialized departments, such as oncology centers, cardiovascular institutes, and women's health centers. Global Medical Tourism: Medical tourism, where patients seek medical treatments and procedures in other countries, contributes to market growth in certain regions. Hospitals offering high-quality care at competitive prices attract patients from around the world.

Key Players in the Global Hospital Market

Leading players in the market include:

Ramsay Health Care Limited

Community Health Systems, Inc.

Spire Healthcare Group plc

Tenet Healthcare Corporation

Universal Health Services, Inc.

IHH Healthcare Berhad

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited

HCA Healthcare, Inc.

Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

ORPEA Group

Netcare Limited

Aster DM Healthcare Limited

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9ni5r4

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ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIJING, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fifth "Silk Road Maritime" International Cooperation Forum kicked off on Thursday in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, drawing more than 1,000 representatives from domestic and international enterprises in the maritime transport sector and related industries, aiming to further upgrade the global transport network.

Chen Zhiping, chairman of Fujian Provincial Port Group Co, told the Global Times during a press conference that "Silk Road Maritime" has developed 116 sea lines to reach 131 ports in 43 countries.

The "Silk Road Maritime," an international shipping association, was founded in December 2018. The number of members has reached 317 from various fields such as ports, maritime transport, services, production, retail and wholesale along the industry chain.

"By the end of August, more than 12,096 freight vessels had operated along the sea routes under the 'Silk Road Maritime,' transporting more than 14 million standard containers worldwide," said Chen.

Malik Adams, a representative from the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority, told the Global Times on Thursday that Ghana, the first member of the "Silk Road Maritime" in Africa, is a major player in ports and shipping in West Africa, and cooperation with the "Silk Road Maritime" had enhanced Ghana's connections with international organizations.

Malik stressed that cooperation with Chinese companies has huge potential. "We believe that the initiative 'Silk Road Maritime' will encourage other African countries to join and serve our people," he noted.

In terms of green development, Karim Fahssis, representative of international shipping company Maersk, said that China's abundant resources, technology and sophisticated industry chain will largely benefit Maersk's low-carbon development strategy as well as China's master plan of carbon reduction.

During the two-day forum, attendees will discuss topics in four keynote sub-sessions, exchanging points of view on how to boost the development of the global shipping industry as a whole.

SOURCE Global Times
DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Urea Formaldehyde Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global urea formaldehyde market has experienced robust growth, reaching a size of US$ 9.5 billion in 2022, and is poised to continue its upward trajectory, projected to reach US$ 12.1 billion by 2028. This growth is marked by a commendable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.11% from 2022 to 2028.

Urea formaldehyde, a thermoset synthetic resin derived from the chemical combination of urea and formaldehyde, finds diverse applications across industries. It serves as a fundamental component in the production of plastics, particle boards, bottle caps, and even artificial snow for use in movies and amusement parks.

Notably, urea-formaldehyde foams exhibit excellent insulating properties, making them indispensable as thermal insulators in construction, especially within walls, where conventional insulation is essential. The rapid growth in construction activities driven by an expanding global population contributes significantly to the increased demand for urea formaldehyde.

Furthermore, urea formaldehyde plays a vital role in agriculture, functioning as a source of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. It enhances soil permeability, binds soil particles, regulates release rates, and fosters the development of a well-structured soil framework, supporting healthy plant growth.

In addition to its agricultural application, urea formaldehyde fertilizers are environmentally beneficial as they decompose in the soil through microbial action, ultimately breaking down into urea and formaldehyde. This breakdown supplies nitrogen, promoting foliage and fruit development.

Another key driver for the market is the rising utilization of urea formaldehyde in papermaking, where it enhances paper wet strength and minimizes the production of lackluster paper sheets, addressing concerns related to plastic's environmental impact. Moreover, the automotive and electronics industries increasingly demand high-quality, cost-effective adhesives and resins, further propelling the growth of the urea formaldehyde market.

Key Questions Answered in This Report:

What was the size of the global urea formaldehyde market in 2022?

What is the expected growth rate of the global urea formaldehyde market during 2023-2028?

What are the key factors driving the global urea formaldehyde market?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global urea formaldehyde market?

What is the breakup of the global urea formaldehyde market based on the application?

What is the breakup of the global urea formaldehyde market based on the end use industry?

What are the key regions in the global urea formaldehyde market?

Who are the key players/companies in the global urea formaldehyde market?

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being

AB Achema (Koncernas Achemos Grupe)

Acron Group

Asta Chemicals Sdn. Bhd.

BASF SE

Borealis AG (OMV AG)

Foresa

Gruppo Frati S.p.A

Hexion Inc.

Mansoura for Resins & Chemical Industries Co. (MRI)

Metafrax Chemicals.

Key Market Segmentation:



Breakup by Type:

Urea Formaldehyde Powder

Urea Formaldehyde Solution

Breakup by Application:

Particle Board

Medium Density Fibreboard

Plywood

Adhesives and Coatings

Molding Compounds

Others

Breakup by End Use Industry:

Furniture

Building and Construction

Transportation

Electrical and Electronics

Others

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1v608l

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



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SOURCE Research and Markets
SHANGHAI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 8, 2023, Grit Biotechnology announced the completion of a Series B financing round, raising over 60 million USD. The investment was led by CICC with participation from Qianhai Ark, Liando Group, Yuanhe Capital, HeFangTian Venture Partnership and existing investors Sherpa Healthcare Partners, Decheng Capital and Matrix Partners China.

The financing will support Grit Biotechnology's Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) pipeline development, including the pivotal Phase II trial for GT101 and the advancement of next-gen gene-edited TIL products. Founded in 2019, Grit Biotechnology is a pioneering cell therapy company focused on delivering transformative cancer treatments. GT101 is currently the fastest-developing TIL therapy in China and will enter a Phase II trial by the end of 2023.

Grit Bio has four core technology platforms central to its TIL development: StemTexp, StaViral, KOReTIL and ImmuT Finder, a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening platform. These platforms have enabled the development of next-generation gene-edited TIL products.

GT201, a genetically engineered TIL product by Grit Biotechnology, boosts T cell survival and function by expressing a vital membrane-bound cytokine. It surpasses traditional TIL therapies in proliferation, tumor-killing and persistence with reduced reliance on IL-2. GT201 IND is approved by CFDA and entered Phase I clinical trials.

GT316, Grit Biotechnology's next-gen TIL product, enhances TIL performance through knock-out of immunoregulatory targets identified via ImmuT Finder CRISPR/Cas9 screening. In PDX mouse models, GT316 effectively eliminates tumors supported by low-dose IL-2 support with minimal toxicity. It offers substantial clinical benefits compared to conventional TIL products and is currently in IIT clinical trials in China.

With 100+ experienced professionals and a 10,000 sqm GMP-level cell therapy manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, Grit Bio is a leading player in cell therapy field in China aimed at expediting the development of GT101 and next-generation TIL pipelines and addressing the unmet medical needs of solid tumor patients.

About CICC Capital

CICC Capital is the flagship platform of China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) for its global private equity businesses and has become a leading internationally influential comprehensive alternative investment brand in China. Currently, CICC Capital runs various categories of RMB private equity funds, including real estate and infrastructure, fund of funds and USD private equity funds.

About Qianhai Ark

Qianhai Ark Asset Management Co., Ltd. is one of the leading and top-tier fund managers in China, jointly founded by Mr. Jin Haitao, a representative figure in China's venture capital industry who currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Asset Management Association of China, and Shenzhen Capital Group (SCGC) along with leaders from the financial investment industry. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen, with branch offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Qingdao, and other cities. Qianhai Ark currently manages its funds portfolio includes FOFs, regional funds and specialized funds and manages nearly CNY 70 billion in assets. Qianhai Ark covers various sectors such as information technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Qianhai Ark possesses a vast industrial resource pool, facilitating industrial synergy, and providing substantial support to its portfolio companies.

About Liando Group

Liando Group was founded in 1991, focusing on industrial services and park operations. It has developed into an industrial conglomerate with nationwide influence. Its core enterprise, Liando U Valley, currently invests and operates 432 industrial parks in 83 cities across the country, providing services to over 16,000 emerging manufacturing and technology-oriented companies. Liando Group strategically directs its equity funds through direct investment and venture capital to key emerging industrial areas such as life sciences, intelligent manufacturing, and digital technology.

About Yuanhe Capital

Yantai Yuanhe Capital (hereinafter referred to as "Yuanhe Capital") was established in 2019 as the equity management institution for external investments of Yantai Financial Development Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yantai Financial Group"). As of 2023, Yuanhe Capital has successfully launched 17 funds, managing a total fund size exceeding 3.6 billion yuan and engaging in over 154 investment projects. Yuanhe Capital specializes in providing comprehensive entrepreneurial support and investment opportunities in various sectors, including semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals, and advanced manufacturing. As a dedicated value investor, Yuanhe Capital upholds the core principles of "trust, value, sharing, and cooperation." The firm's primary goal is to invest in and assist visionary and creative entrepreneurs in realizing their entrepreneurial aspirations with success.

SOURCE Grit Biotechnology
New York fashion brand, HIROMI ASAI, develops men's wear made of Japanese Kimono textiles since 2017. HIROMI ASAI presents Spring/Summer 2024 collection on New York Fashion Week runway with Flying Solo designers at 5pm EST on September 9, 2023. The theme of this collection is UNIVERSE, which represents all in the universe including all creatures and spirits, inspired by Japanese traditional craftsmanship. The show is livestreamed on Instagram @flyingsolonyc.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New York based fashion brand, HIROMI ASAI, (www.hiromiasainy.com) has been trying to revive the essence of Japanese Kimono for modern luxury fashion. The designer, Hiromi Asai, first presented authentic Kimonos on runway at the New York Fashion Week in 2016. Then, HIROMI ASAI has been developing men's wear made of Japanese Kimono textiles, which were presented at Pitti Uomo, New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, and/or Paris Fashion Week every season since 2017. HIROMI ASAI has been getting international acclaims for its unique styles and concepts, and outstanding qualities.

HIROMI ASAI SS24 Collection, UNIVERSE, debuts at New York Fashion Week on September 9 2023 HIROMI ASAI SS24 Collection, UNIVERSE, debuts at New York Fashion Week on September 9 2023

HIROMI ASAI presents Spring/Summer 2024 (SS24) collection on runway at Flying Solo New York Fashion Week Show starting at 5pm Eastern Time on September 9, 2023. The collection title is "UNIVERSE," which represents all in the universe including all creatures and spirits. The design motifs of this collection include flowers, animals, birds, trees, surface of the moon, the universe and more. Some of the prominent pieces are overalls inspired by Japanese priests' formal clothes which may connect this world and the next. As always, HIROMI ASAI respects Japanese tradition and evolves traditional Japanese textiles to worldwide high fashion by progressive forms with all details inspired by Kimono. Japanese craftsmen, who usually manufacture textiles for authentic Kimono by various traditional techniques, and Hiromi Asai developed new textiles for this collection. The collection was tailored by Japanese unparalleled techniques. HIROMI ASAI SS24 collection could be recognized as treasures created by Japanese artisanship. Cumulatively, HIROMI ASAI demonstrates luxury fashion with unique prominent textiles and sophisticated designs.

The show is held in person in New York, and this show is also livestreamed on Instagram (instagram.com/flyingsolonyc), starting at 5pm ET on September 9, 2023.

"HIROMI ASAI SS24 collection is named UNIVERSE, which represents all in the universe including all creatures and spirits. I hope many people can feel and touch the vast universe through our collection." Ms. Hiromi Asai said, "We are always respectful to Japanese tradition, but the essence of Kimono is in the fabrics rather than its form. We are evolving Japanese traditional textiles to luxury high fashion which people worldwide love and enjoy wearing."

HIROMI ASAI Spring/Summer 2024 collection will be unveiled next during the Paris Fashion Week at La Galerie Bourbon, Paris on October 1, 2023.

HIROMI ASAI SS24 collection will be available at the boutique and showroom in New York; Flying Solo (flyingsolo.nyc) or its online store (flyingsolo.nyc/designer/hiromi-asai) soon. In addition, some of the new collection will appear at Collet on Sunset in West Hollywood, California (www.instagram.com/coletteonsunset).

DETAILED INFORMATION OF THE SHOW

HIROMI ASAI @ Flying Solo

Spring/Summer 2024, Flying Solo Show at New York Fashion Week

Date and Time: Saturday, September 9, 2023; 5:00 pm Eastern Time

Location: SoHo, Manhattan, New York (only by invitation)

Livestream: https://www.instagram.com/flyingsolonyc/

DETAILED INFORMATION OF SALES and SHOWROOM

For Sales

Flying Solo, The Store

420 W Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA

646-982 1133

https://flyingsolo.nyc

Also available at Online Store

https://flyingsolo.nyc/designer/hiromi-asai

For PR and Showroom

Flying Solo PR - The Copper Room

419 Broome St, New York, NY 10013, USA

https://www.the-copper-room.com

Colette on Sunset

8285 Sunset Blvd #14, West Hollywood, CA 90046, USA

https://www.instagram.com/coletteonsunset/

HIROMI ASAI WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA

HP: https://www.hiromiasainy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiromi.asai

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modeandclassic

Media Contact:

Hiromi Asai

+1- 646-242-4156

[email protected]

SOURCE HIROMI ASAI - Mode & Classic LLC
U.S. military hegemony and the actions resulting from it put humanity at risk by keeping the threat of a new war always latent.

People hold placards during a protest rally against the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises in front of the gate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters in Quezon City, the Philippines, April 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

U.S. military hegemony is humanity's "biggest enemy" and prevents countries from exercising their sovereignty, according to an expert.

Jaime Tamayo, a political scientist from the University of Guadalajara, told Xinhua in an interview that this hegemony and the actions resulting from it put humanity at risk by keeping the threat of a new war always latent.

"It is essential to be clear about who the enemy is," Tamayo stressed, considering that the United States "is a country that lies, deceives and uses supposed arguments of a false humanism to continue maintaining one of the cruelest empires."

He added, "If we look at the number of displaced people, deaths, crimes, exploitation, even modern slavery that it has caused with all this ... we can see that it is one of or perhaps the cruelest empires that has existed in the history of humanity."

The academic noted that the United States has been at war for about 230 of its almost 250 years as an independent nation.

This photo taken on July 14, 2023 shows cluster bomblets left by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war at a museum in Hanoi, Vietnam.(Photo by Pham Dinh Duc/Xinhua)

According to Tamayo, this belligerence is compounded by the fact that the United States has the largest military presence in the world, with about 750 military bases in at least 80 countries at present.

This reality fosters "a growing awareness" that a single power cannot dominate the world but that there must be a balance that allows countries to decide more freely on their sovereignty and form of government and their social, political and economic organization.

Tamayo said the United States knows that its dominance is in decline, adding that this is why it attacks any expression that it sees as affecting its hegemony.

Tamayo highlighted the report published Tuesday by Xinhua Institute, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, on the "origins, facts and perils" of the U.S. military hegemony.

The report "highlights the great enemy of humanity at this time," said Tamayo, adding that it attempts to provide a basis, a historical explanation and an understanding of what is happening today in this regard.

The report also shows the usual justifications and tricks by which the United States has undertaken military and destabilization actions to interfere in the affairs of other countries and maintain its global hegemony.

This photo taken on March 29, 2023 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The expert explained that one of the most frequent justifications or arguments used by the United States to intervene in the affairs of other countries is the so-called defense of human rights and democracy.

He stressed that "this is simply very dubious because there are different forms of democracy, which the United States does not recognize."

Tamayo explained that "U.S. rules serve precisely to justify its expansionism, its arms race that has never stopped ... while its eagerness to maintain hegemony has cost many lives, displacements and is one of the main causes of migration."

Tamayo said the United States is "an empire that to some extent is a decadent empire, but which, nevertheless, remains, is sometimes the one that takes even more violent actions."
HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoymiles, a leading smart energy provider and microinverter manufacturer, has released its new high-powered single-phase HYS-LV-EUG2 hybrid inverter series in South Africa. This addition enhances the company's energy storage portfolio, ensuring a reliable solar power supply for South African homes while promoting energy independence.

1

South Africa frequently experiences power outages, making it necessary for households to seek robust backup solutions to keep the power flowing during long-term blackouts. Hoymiles' latest high-powered hybrid inverters cater perfectly to this demand, ensuring uninterrupted power.

What gives Hoymiles hybrid inverters an edge?

With a power class of up to 12.0 kW, the HYS-LV-EUG2 hybrid inverters are ideal for homes with high-power appliances, and are set to match the energy demands of the South African market. When paired with batteries and generators, they guarantee families uninterrupted power both on and off grid. The inverters support low-voltage batteries which are widely adopted in South Africa.

The models have a maximum MPPT current of 32A, giving them unparalleled compatibility with a wide range of PV modules, including the main-stream 182 high-power PV modules as well as the less common bifacial ones. With double MPPT trackers, the inverters are ideal for home use. The intelligent EMS function supports self-consumption mode, economic mode, and backup mode for diverse scenario applications and user needs.

Additionally, these inverters integrate all EPS ports, including the PV side, battery, generator, and the grid, simplifying installation and operation while saving a lot of space. If power needs increase, the system can be expanded by adding with more hybrid inverters and batteries, supporting up to 10 hybrid inverters connected in parallel.

Users can also monitor real-time data and remotely manage O&M via a data transfer stick (DTS), enabling better understanding of power consumption and easy issue detection.

Making open energy more accessible

"To better meet energy needs in different markets, we are constantly involved in product iteration and function improvements," states Neutron Wang, Hoymiles' Product Director. "The hybrid inverters released this time build on the previous EUG1 technology and take into account the specific energy demand in the South African market which experiences outages frequently. We believe in open energy and hope that the latest models will make South African families more energy resilient."

Model details:

HYS-8.0LV-EUG2 8.0 kW

HYS-10.0LV-EUG2 10.0 kW

HYS-12.0LV-EUG2 12.0 kW

For more information, please visit: https://www.hoymiles.com/products/energy-storage/

Media Contact:

Joseph pan

[email protected]

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SOURCE Hoymiles Power Electronic Inc
BANGALORE, India, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hydrogen Energy Storage Market is Segmented by Type (Compressed Gas, Cold Compressed Liquid Hydrogen, Solid Compound Hydrogen Storage and Distribution, Organic Liquid Hydrogen Storage and Distribution), by Application (New Energy Automobile, Chemical, Aerospace): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2029.

The global Hydrogen Energy Storage market was valued at USD 1397.8 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 4337 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 20.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

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Major Factors Driving the Growth of OF Hydrogen Energy Storage Market:

The Hydrogen Energy Storage market is anticipated to develop as demand for hydrogen energy storage, which uses extra electric power, increases. The market is anticipated to develop as more end users begin to adopt hydrogen storage as a fossil fuel replacement. Governments all over the world are putting more of an emphasis on sustainable power sources, hence the market is anticipated to rise steadily throughout the forecast period.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF HYDROGEN ENERGY STORAGE MARKET:

More nations and governments are placing bets on this resource and funding hydrogen-related technology. Many European nations, like Germany and the United Kingdom, have made the decision to invest billions in the low-carbon hydrogen industry, with millions of those dollars going particularly to fuel cells and hydrogen stations. A practical technique to store renewable energy for a long time is hydrogen. Storage and intermittency are both major problems for renewable energy sources. Batteries are now less cost- and energy-efficient than what is required for the global energy shift. The use of hydrogen as a storage medium will support and encourage the use of renewable energy sources and aid in the fight against global warming. Sustainable hydrogen energy, also known as green hydrogen, can dramatically lower carbon dioxide emissions and aid in reducing climate change through various channels. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

Hydrogen is adaptable since it can be compressed into petrol or liquefied to make transportation simpler and more affordable. It may also be used as a fuel source in a variety of industries. The majority of hydrogen is currently used in chemical plants or refineries. In hydrogenation reactions, unsaturated molecules are converted chemically into saturated compounds by the addition of hydrogen atoms. Various items, such as margarine, medicines, and edible oils are produced using this procedure. The Haber-Bosch process, which produces ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gas, relies heavily on hydrogen as a crucial component. Modern agriculture requires fertilizers, which are produced using ammonia as a key ingredient. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

A net zero home heating option is also provided by hydrogen. Electric heat pumps might not be appropriate for all properties, even though electrification has benefited from government policy in the UK. Depending on the situation, the expense, and the availability of a supply, hydrogen might be the answer. In the future, switching from a gas boiler to a hydrogen-ready boiler might be simpler and easier. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

Additionally, hydrogen has a place in the transportation industry, particularly in hard-to-electrify areas like heavy-duty freight, specific trains and buses, ferries, and ocean-going vessels. Before any aircraft powered by hydrogen can be seen in the skies, it might take decades. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Hydrogen Energy Storage Market.

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HYDROGEN ENERGY STORAGE MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS:

North America comes in second with a share of the market of around 30%, followed by Asia-Pacific with about 35%.

The top 2 businesses in the world market for hydrogen energy storage, which accounts for nearly 10% of the total market share, are Iljin Hysolus and Iwatani.

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Key Companies:

Iljin Hysolus

Iwatani

The Japan Steel Works

Faurecia

Kawasaki

Chart Industries

Toyota

Gardner Cryogenics

Hexagon Composites

Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Equipment

Faber Industrie

Whole Win ( Beijing ) Materials Sci. & Tech

) Materials Sci. & Tech PRAGMA INDUSTRIES

Hydrogenious Technologies

Chiyoda Corporation

Hynertech Co Ltd.

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SIMILAR REPORTS

- Hydrogen Storage and Distribution Technology market was valued at USD 1397.8 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 4337 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 20.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Integrated Equipment for Hydrogen Production and Storage Market

- Hydrogen-alcohol Generator Market

- Ammonia for Energy Storage Market

- Liquid Air Energy Storage Systems market was valued at USD 594 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 1432.3 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 15.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- PEM Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Equipment Market

- Green Hydrogen Energy Storage System Market

- Liquid-cooled Industrial Energy Storage System Market

- Offshore Energy Storage market Offshore Energy Storage market is projected to reach USD 1572.5 million by 2028 from an estimated USD 200.1 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 41.0% during 2023 and 2028.

- Hydrogen Fuel Cells market size is estimated to be worth USD 4526 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 25510 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 33.4% during the review period.

- Hydrogen Storage Technology Market

- Compressed Air Energy Storage System Market

- Liquid Cold Plates for Energy Storage Market

- Hydrogen Solution Market

- Super Capacitor Energy Storage System Market

- Mechanical Energy Storage Market

- Solid State Hydrogen Storage Solution market was valued at USD 81 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 423.9 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 31.6% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Long-Duration Energy Storage Market

- Thermal Energy Storage (TES) market size is projected to reach USD 6019.7 million by 2028, from USD 3817.1 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 6.3% during 2022-2028.

- Battery Energy Storage System (ESSmarket was valued at USD 2252.9 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 12470 million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 27.7% during 2021-2027.

- Energy Storage Market is estimated at USD 2437.4 million in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of USD 5350.1 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period 2022-2028.

- Hydrogen Compressor market was valued at USD 425.6 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 664.8 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Hydrogen Electrolyser market size is estimated to be worth USD 216 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 423.6 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 11.9% during the review period.

- Hydrogen Generation market size is estimated to be worth USD 265.6 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 445.5 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 9.0% during the review period.

- Global green hydrogen market size was valued at USD 0.3 Billion in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 9.8 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 54.7% from 2021 to 2028.

- Hydrogen Fuel Cells market size is estimated to be worth USD 4526 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 25510 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 33.4% during the review period.

- Residential Energy Storage market size is projected to reach USD 13910 million by 2027, from USD 6716.5 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period 2022-2027.

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CLEVELAND, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Family Wealth, the family office division of Key Private Bank, announced it has received a 2023 Wealth Management "Family Office" Industry Award, recognizing the best client initiative in wealth management.

Key Family Wealth was selected for "Family Office Best Client Initiative" from a shortlist of three exceptional family office firms. The award recognizes Key Family Wealth's family governance framework which has helped to better prepare family members to responsibly manage generational wealth. Our enhanced, highly customizable Key Family Wealth Milestone experience ensures that the preservation of a family's legacy is rooted in their shared history and vision, now and for years to come.

"We are honored to be recognized by WealthManagement.com for our family office platform for the third year in a row," said Gary Poth, executive vice president and head of Key Family Wealth. "Being recognized for the quality of our comprehensive family wealth planning highlights the quality of our expertise and capabilities dedicated to serving first-generation entrepreneurs and their families."

"We are delighted by the recognition of our legacy planning enhancements," said Carey Spencer, national director of Family Governance for Key Family Wealth. "Our framework has helped our advisors empower families to achieve their financial and interpersonal goals now and in the future."

Now in its ninth year, the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards honors the outstanding achievements by companies, organizations and individuals that support financial advisor success. More than 1,000 submissions were received this year, and only 253 companies were selected as finalists in one or more of the 92 company, organization, and individual awards categories.

A panel of independent, industry-leading wealth management experts, including trusted advisors and consultants, chose the finalists and winners recognizing the firms and individuals who brought new innovations to market that make a real difference to the daily activities of financial advisors. The judging process is based on an evaluation of quantitative measures, including the initiative's scope and scale, as well as qualitative measures, such as innovation and creativity.

About Key Family Wealth

Key Family Wealth, the multi-family office division of Key Private Bank, is one of the largest and oldest multi-family offices in the country managing more than $18.4 billion in AUM and $6.4 billion in AUA at June 30, 2023. Key Family Wealth develops and implements impactful investment, tax, and estate strategies to help ultra-high net worth families grow, retain, and protect wealth across generations. Clients receive a dedicated team of advisors with expertise in investments, tax, philanthropic, credit and estate planning who are focused on delivering a world class client experience.

About KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY)

KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $195 billion at June 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

SOURCE KeyCorp
NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The kiwi fruits market is expected to grow by USD 2.74 billion from 2021 to 2026, according to Technavio. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will decelerate at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period. Rising urbanization and changing consumer lifestyles are notably driving the Kiwi fruit market. However, factors such as the presence of stringent government rules may impede market growth. The market is segmented by distribution channels (supermarkets and hypermarkets, online retailers, and others) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa). Technavio provides a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast along with research methodology. The sample report is available in PDF format

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Kiwi Fruits Market 2022-2026

Key Segment Analysis

The market is segmented by distribution channels (supermarkets and hypermarkets, online retailers, and others) and Geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The Kiwi fruit market share growth by the supermarkets and hypermarkets segment will be significant during the forecast period. The most accessible places for fruit purchases are supermarkets and hypermarkets. There are many products to choose from, including general goods and foodstuffs. It tends to focus on low-margin sales and high volume. It is a good convenience for the customer since they do not have to spend time moving around from store to store to purchase other products.

In addition, as retailers struggled with the issue of how to ship and store their products on a day-by-day basis, they were forced to bear additional costs during 2020. To guarantee a secure and reliable shopping experience for consumers, grocery stores and hypermarkets have also taken strict precautionary measures aimed at ensuring that all people access the products they must be able to eat every day. Due to the shift in customer behavior towards internet shopping, as well as reduced physical interactions, visitor numbers at offline shops have decreased. The segment of supermarkets and hypermarkets is therefore expected to grow at a moderate rate over the forecast period.

To know additional highlights and key points on various market segments and their impact in coming years, View the PDF Sample Report.

Geographical Market Analysis

Europe is estimated to contribute 29% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. In Europe, there will be strong growth of the kiwifruit market over the forecast period due to an increase in consumer health awareness. In addition, the major markets for kiwi fruit are Italy and Greece. APAC is another region that is growing at a significant rate. Due to rising health awareness among consumers, this region is experiencing a strong demand for kiwi fruits. There is a rich supply of nutrient content in the fruits, including vitamins C, E, K, copper, choline, magnesium, and phosphorus. The biggest producer and consumer of kiwi fruit is China. The FAO reports that there were 2,230.01 thousand tons of kiwi fruit produced in China in 2020. Thanks to their nutritional benefits, the demand for kiwi fruits is high. Hence, such factors are expected to drive the growth of the market in the region during the forecast period.

Company Insights

The Kiwi fruits market is fragmented, and the companies are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market companies, including BandC Lifestyle BV, Birchwood Packhouse Ltd., Consorzio Dori Europe Srl, DMS Progrowers, Fresh Fruits Co., Kiwi Produce Ltd., Kiwifruit Processing Co. Ltd., Mount Pack and Cool, Punchbowl PackCo, Salix Fruits, Seeka Ltd., Siraf Marine Services.LLC, SPERCHIOS KIWI, The Riverlock Group, Trinity Fruit Co., and Zespri International India Pvt. Ltd.

View the PDF Sample Report to find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by companies and their product offerings.

Related Reports:

The vegan food market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.07% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 20,034.3 million. This vegan food market report extensively covers market segmentation by distribution channel (offline and online), product (dairy alternative, meat alternative, and eggs and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and the Middle East and Africa). Growing number of vegan consumers is the key factor driving the growth of the market.

The frozen food cold chains market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.36% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 214.02 billion. This frozen food cold chains market report extensively covers market segmentation by type (refrigerated warehouse and refrigerated transportation), product (frozen meat fish, and seafood, frozen fruits and vegetables, frozen ready meals, and others), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). One of the key factors driving the frozen food cold chain market growth is the growing demand for convenience food.

Kiwi Fruits Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2021 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 4.3% Market Growth 2022-2026 USD 2.74 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 4.69 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution Europe at 29% Key countries US, China, New Zealand, Italy, and Greece Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled BandC Lifestyle BV, Birchwood Packhouse Ltd., Consorzio Dori Europe Srl, DMS Progrowers, Fresh Fruits Co., Kiwi Produce Ltd., Kiwifruit Processing Co. Ltd., Mount Pack and Cool, Punchbowl PackCo, Salix Fruits, Seeka Ltd., Siraf Marine Services.LLC, SPERCHIOS KIWI, The Riverlock Group, Trinity Fruit Co., and Zespri International India Pvt. Ltd. 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.

ToC:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Sizes

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, & Trends

Company Landscape

Company Analysis

Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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
TOKYO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, KOSE Corporation, one of Japan's leading cosmetic companies with a portfolio of iconic skincare, makeup, and wellness brands, announces the US launch of ADDICTION TOKYO, a makeup artist brand born in Tokyo that reflects the quality, creativity, and sensibility of Japanese formulation. The mission of the brand is to create makeup as a medium for self-discovery and a celebration of the artistry within every individual. It embodies the essence of Tokyo where beauty knows no bounds. ADDICTION TOKYO is where beauty is not defined, but instead, liberated in its most authentic and vibrant form.

"I deeply connect to the brand philosophy and its roots in makeup artistry," says KANAKO TAKASE, Global Creative Director Post this KANAKO TAKASE, Global Creative Director, ADDICTION TOKYO. ADDICTION TOKYO Fall 2023 Collection "So Prismatic" Photographed by Richard Burbridge.

The brand's global creative director, KANAKO TAKASE, is a renowned makeup artist who resides between Tokyo and New York and works with the world's top fashion magazines, designers, and photographers. She sees the world from the Tokyo-minded perspective, and her work on set with the editorial community globally and backstage at runway shows helps inform her work for the brand.

"I deeply connect to the brand philosophy and its roots in makeup artistry," says KANAKO TAKASE, Global Creative Director, ADDICTION TOYKO. "My goal is to help people everywhere by creating quality makeup products that have pro performance in mind yet are easy to use so that everyone can discover the artist in themselves. I want people to enjoy and embrace their own beauty but not be afraid to explore and experiment with a variety of looks, colors, textures, and products."

A pop-up will launch today at Bloomingdale's iconic 59th Street Flagship New York Store introducing customers to an immersive ADDICTION TOKYO experience. Customers will be encouraged to discover and play with the products across the eye, cheek, and lip categories. Special focus will be on the brand's acclaimed 99 shades of eyeshadows that come in a variety of textures that can be layered, mixed and matched.

"We are thrilled to be launching ADDICTION TOKYO in the United States. We believe now is the right time to introduce the brand to the American consumer as it has been a favorite in Japan for over 14 years," says Akira Matsubara, CEO of KOSE America; Executive Director in charge of Marketing Strategy Div. and Europe and America Business Div. of KOSE Corporation. "We think the brand will be a compelling discovery for the customer here especially since we have seen growing interest in the market in Japanese beauty. At KOSE, we continue to be committed to brightening the world for our customers globally through cosmetics, and to being a company with diverse brands that are a source of beauty for everyone."

The backdrop for the launch of ADDICTION TOKYO is New York Fashion Week which is at the forefront of shaping trends in the fashion and beauty industries. The brand's unique approach to style and artistry, as well as its cutting-edge creativity and pro performance align to the week of global fashion and color expressions. KANAKO will be working behind the scenes at select fashion shows with her team of makeup artists creating new beauty looks with the ADDICTION TOKYO products. These hot off the runway looks will be accessible to the customer via the brand's social media platforms, the website, and the pop-up.

For more information, please go to https://kose-usa.com/

About KOSE Corporation

KOSE Corporation was founded in Japan in 1946 by Kozaburo Kobayashi with a vision and passion to provide people with hope and dreams during the post-war period. Today, with over 14,015 employees, KOSE continues the legacy of its founder with a commitment to consumers around the world of creating quality skincare, makeup, fragrance, body, and hair care products that exceed expectations. With research and innovation at its core, KOSE has over 800 registered patents and a portfolio of 37 brands that sell around the world in over 30 countries and regions across multiple channels including department stores, specialty stores, drug stores and direct.

CONTACT:

CeCe Coffin

[email protected]

SOURCE KOSE Corporation
CINCINNATI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) has reached an agreement in principle with plaintiffs to settle the majority of opioid claims that have been or could be brought against the Company by states, subdivisions, and Native American tribes.

Along with the execution of certain non-monetary conditions that remain in discussion, Kroger has agreed to pay up to $1.2 billion to states and subdivisions and $36 million to Native American tribes in funding for abatement efforts (both to be paid over 11 years in equal installments), and approximately $177 million to cover attorneys' fees and costs (to be paid over 6 years in equal installments). The timing of the settlement payments over multiple years, most of which are tax deductible, results in an after-tax net present value to Kroger of approximately $870 million. Initial payments would begin in December 2023. Kroger expects to recognize a $1.4 billion charge during the second quarter of 2023, which will negatively impact earnings per diluted share of $1.54 on a GAAP basis. This does not affect adjusted earnings per diluted share results for 2023, which are provided on a basis that excludes adjustment items.

States, subdivisions, and the Native American tribes will have an opportunity to opt-in to participate in the settlement, and Kroger will have full discretion to determine whether there is sufficient participation for the settlement to become effective. If all conditions are satisfied, the settlement would allow for the full resolution of all claims on behalf of participating states, subdivisions and tribes.

This is an important milestone in the Company's efforts to resolve the pending opioid litigation and support abatement efforts. Kroger has long served as a leader in combatting opioid abuse and remains committed to patient safety.

This settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability by Kroger and Kroger will continue to vigorously defend against any other claims and lawsuits relating to opioids that the final agreement does not resolve.

The Company will provide more detail on the settlement during its Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Call on Friday, September 8 at 10:00AM ET.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

This press release contains certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" about the agreement in principle and the future performance of the company. These statements are based on management's assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Such statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "achieve," "committed," "confidence," "continue," "expect," "future," "guidance," "positions," "strategy," "will," and "target". Various uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including the risks relating to or arising from our proposed nationwide opioid litigation settlement, including our ability to finalize and effectuate the settlement, the scope and coverage of the ultimate settlement and the expected financial or other impacts that could result from the settlement. See also the risk factors identified in "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K for our last fiscal year and any subsequent filings.

Kroger assumes no obligation to update the information contained herein unless required by applicable law. Please refer to Kroger's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.
New entity backed by private equity firm looks to create super-regional competitor in foodservice distribution by combining mid and upper tier foodservice distributors

RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Food Group announced today the acquisitions of Keck's Food Service, Inc. ("Keck's"), M&V Provisions Co. ("M&V"), Thomsen Foodservice, Inc. ("Thomsen"), and Legacy Foodservice Alliance ("LFA"), supported by an investment from Quad-C Management, Inc. ("Quad-C") a private equity firm in Charlottesville, VA.

Existing owners of new partner companies will retain an ownership interest in Legacy Food Group. Each operating division will retain its current name and management team and will operate with autonomy in the local market as an owned subsidiary of Legacy Food Group. All associates will remain in place.

Legacy Food Group was created to acquire high-quality regional independent distributors that will become operating divisions of a new firm that will provide a welcome new option for customers on a super-regional scale. Each operating division will enjoy new services and expertise that come from achieving scale. This includes enhanced supplier relationships, consolidated purchasing benefits, coordinated sales and marketing support, and many other resources to build upon each company's regional success.

Industry veteran Steve Push serves as CEO and a Member of the Board of Directors at Legacy Food Group, directing his focus on new deal origination and strategic oversight.

"Legacy Food Group was conceived from the premise of foodservice people working with foodservice people, powered by a strong, experienced private equity partner," said Push. "Our objective is to maintain the exceptional customer service and other benefits of local ownership and management, while combining to achieve the scale benefits and broader service to customers seeking a new option capable of serving a larger region. We will be able to offer a compelling option that will resonate with owners who do not want to sell to a large corporate distributor."

"During Quad-C's 30 plus year history, a key focus of our firm has been investing alongside successful owner operators and family business owners to help their companies grow and take them to the next level," said Michael Brooks, Partner at Quad-C. "We have been active investors in distribution across a range of industries and have been specifically pursuing the highly attractive foodservice sector for the last several years in partnership with Steve Push. We are thrilled to be joining forces with Steve and the impressive teams at Keck's, M&V, Thomsen, and LFA, and we see tremendous growth and value for the prospects of Legacy Food Group as we continue to partner with additional distributors going forward."

The new entity is formed by the following four founding Members, which will operate as divisions of Legacy Food Group. The owners of the below companies will retain a meaningful equity position in Legacy Food Group. This convergence of the four companies will take place concurrently, marking a pivotal consolidation of resources.

Keck's Food Service Inc., located in Millerton, PA.

Founded in 1964, Keck's Food Service is a broadline foodservice and bakery ingredient distributor, complemented with a USDA fresh meat and portion control program, serving the finest independent restaurants and non-commercial foodservice establishments, bakeries, and regional and C-store chains within a market area spanning approximately 150 miles from Millerton, PA. Keck's Food Service is led by CEO and Chairman Brian Keck , and through its team of dedicated professionals, takes considerable pride in delivering the finest quality, value, service and support to its customers with a comprehensive product selection of approximately 5,000 SKUs.

Keck's Food Service is led by CEO and Chairman , and through its team of dedicated professionals, takes considerable pride in delivering the finest quality, value, service and support to its customers with a comprehensive product selection of approximately 5,000 SKUs. M&V Provisions Co., located in Ridgewood, NY .

Founded in 1949 as a manufacturer of ham and bologna, M&V Provisions is now a fourth-generation, family-owned re distributor catering to the "jobber" community as well as other wholesalers. Under the leadership of Partners Mike Ciuffo and Joe Vallario , M&V Provisions continues to thrive in the foodservice deli, bodega and bagel shop market. Their exceptional customer service, competitive prices and high-quality product selection, highlighted by their trusted Northside Brand, make them a leader in this sector.

, M&V Provisions continues to thrive in the foodservice deli, bodega and bagel shop market. Their exceptional customer service, competitive prices and high-quality product selection, highlighted by their trusted Northside Brand, make them a leader in this sector. Thomsen Foodservice, Inc., located in East Providence, RI .

Founded in 1951, Thomsen Foodservice, Inc. is a broadline distributor that services a diverse base of independent restaurant customers in Rhode Island , Massachusetts , and Connecticut . Thomsen Foodservice pairs personalized service, starting with CEO Ed Thomsen , with an expert sales staff, professional drivers, dedicated front office team, and an extensive product selection to exceed customer expectations and foster new growth.

, , and . Thomsen Foodservice pairs personalized service, starting with CEO , with an expert sales staff, professional drivers, dedicated front office team, and an extensive product selection to exceed customer expectations and foster new growth. Legacy Foodservice Alliance, located in Richmond, VA .

Founded in 2009, Legacy Foodservice Alliance is a foodservice supply chain alliance with more than 120 foodservice distributors spanning North America , Central America , Bermuda , and the Caribbean that includes a global network of supplier partners. Legacy Foodservice Alliance thrives on uniting their foodservice Members, fostering Member success through shared buying power, advanced technology, industry expertise, and personalized service.

In addition, Legacy Food Group is presently engaged in active negotiations to partner with multiple independent foodservice distributors who appreciate the opportunity of greater resources without the bureaucracy of the large distributors.

An experienced team of foodservice professionals will join Push, starting with CFO Heidi Moore. Moore brings experience in a wide variety of industries, including a successful run as the CFO for Ace Endico Corporation, a major broadline foodservice distributor in Metro New York. The company is also currently looking to fill other senior executive positions.

Several other notable industry veterans will form Legacy Food Group's Board of Directors, including:

Barry Friends , a respected figure with extensive experience as a Sysco Operating Company President, US Foods Zone President, and Reinhart Senior Vice President. Friends is a founding partner of the industry think-tank, Pentallect, Inc.

, a respected figure with extensive experience as a Sysco Operating Company President, US Foods Zone President, and Senior Vice President. Friends is a founding partner of the industry think-tank, Pentallect, Inc. Russell Libby , who held significant leadership roles at Sysco Corporation for over a decade, will contribute his deep industry knowledge to the project. As Sysco's EVP Administration and Corporate Secretary, Libby's responsibilities included merger and acquisition activities.

, who held significant leadership roles at Sysco Corporation for over a decade, will contribute his deep industry knowledge to the project. As Sysco's EVP Administration and Corporate Secretary, Libby's responsibilities included merger and acquisition activities. Brian Keck , CEO and Chairman of Keck's Food Service, Inc., is an industry leader and well-respected name within the foodservice industry.

"Our team is excited to focus on distributor acquisition, expansion, and organic sales and profit growth to become a leading, entrepreneurial alternative in the industry. We're excited about the future of Legacy Food Group," Push stated.

Legacy Food Group will also partner with UniPro Foodservice as a Stockholder Member, which has already received approval from the UniPro Board of Directors, and the Stockholder Members.

About Legacy Food Group:

Legacy Food Group is a new holding company created to acquire high-quality regional independent distributors that will become owned operating divisions. By knitting together multiple distributors, Legacy Food Group will achieve macro-scale with micro-market nimbleness, preserving the differences that work for independents while achieving synergies that can greatly benefit Members. Learn more about Legacy Food Group at www.legacyfoodgroup.com.

About Quad-C:

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, Quad-C is a mid-market private equity firm focused on investing in established specialty distribution, industrials, transportation / logistics, business and consumer services, healthcare, food & beverage, and consumer products companies. In its three-decade history, Quad-C has invested more than $4.4 billion of capital in 83 platform companies. Learn more about Quad-C at www.quadcmanagement.com.

About UniPro Foodservice:

UniPro Foodservice, the pinnacle of foodservice cooperatives in the USA, has evolved from the merger of nine former buying groups. With a rich history of industry integration, UniPro continues to lead the sector by providing unparalleled support, innovation, and value to its diverse Membership base. Learn more about UniPro at www.uniprofoodservice.com.

Contact:

Steve Push, CEO

Legacy Food Group

[email protected]

(804) 404-2009

SOURCE Legacy Food Group
Rubenstein Prize recognizes efforts to improve literacy in the U.S. or abroad

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The News Literacy Project today received the highest honor from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program, the David M. Rubenstein Prize, in recognition of NLP's outstanding efforts to help people of all ages identify misinformation and help stop its spread.

The awards are given annually on Sept. 8, which UNESCO has designated as International Literacy Day.

"The David M. Rubenstein Prize is a testament to the real, measurable impact of our programs," said Charles Salter, president and CEO of NLP. Post this

The David M. Rubenstein Prize ($150,000) goes to an organization in the U.S. or abroad that has shown an "exceptional and sustained" commitment to advancing literacy while meeting "the highest standards of excellence in its operations and services." Past awardees include Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and Reading is Fundamental.

NLP, a national nonpartisan education nonprofit, is the leading provider of news literacy education, offering free resources, tools and programs for educators and the public.

"The News Literacy Project is committed to ensuring a future founded on facts. The David M. Rubenstein Prize is a testament to the real, measurable impact of our programs. We are honored to receive this recognition from the Library of Congress," said Charles Salter, president and CEO of NLP.

About NLP

The News Literacy Project is building a national movement to advance the practice of news literacy throughout American society, creating better informed, more engaged and more empowered individuals  and ultimately a stronger democracy.

Founded in 2008 by Alan C. Miller, a Pulitzer Prize winning-journalist with the Los Angeles Times, the organization helped launch the field of news literacy. Today, NLP offers free training and resources to educators and the public in all 50 states and more than 120 countries.

NLP's signature offerings include the Checkology virtual classroom , an e-learning platform that teaches users how to navigate today's challenging information landscape; National News Literacy Week, an annual public information campaign that involves major newsrooms from across the country; and webinars and in-person training for educators, students, journalists and the public to help them learn to recognize fact from fiction.

In 2022, the organization launched RumorGuard , a platform that debunks viral misinformation and teaches people how to evaluate the credibility of online content.

About the awards

Established in 2013 and generously supported by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program recognizes organizations that provide exemplary, innovative, sustainable and replicable strategies to promote literacy and reading.

The Literacy Awards also include an American Prize ($50,000) and International Prize ($50,000). Up to 15 organizations each year are named Successful Practices Honorees ($5,000).

For additional information on the awards and previous winners, as well as an interactive program map, visit the Library of Congress website .

SOURCE The News Literacy Project
- Earnings Call Scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET on September 15, 2023 -

SINGAPORE, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LITB) ("LightInTheBox" or the "Company"), an apparel e-commerce retailer that ships products to consumers worldwide, today announced that it will release its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 before the open of U.S. markets on Friday, September 15, 2023.

LightInTheBox's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 15, 2023 (8:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time on the same day).

Preregistration Information

Participants can register for the conference call by going to https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10033153-fue64r.html. Upon registration, participants will receive dial-in numbers, an event passcode, and a unique access PIN.

To join the conference, simply dial the number in the calendar invite you receive after preregistering, enter the event passcode followed by your unique access PIN, and you will be connected to the conference instantly.

A telephone replay will be available two hours after the conclusion of the conference call through September 22, 2023. The dial-in details are:

US/Canada: +1-855-883-1031 Singapore: 800-101-3223 Hong Kong, China: 800-930-639 Replay PIN: 10033153

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's Investor Relations website at http://ir.lightinthebox.com.

About LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd.

LightInTheBox is an apparel e-commerce retailer that ships products to consumers worldwide. With a focus on serving its middle-aged and senior customers, LightInTheBox leverages its global supply chain and logistics networks, along with its in-house R&D and design capabilities to offer a wide selection of comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and visually interesting apparels that bring fresh joy to customers. LightInTheBox operates its business through www.lightinthebox.com, www.miniinthebox.com, www.ezbuy.sg and other websites as well as mobile applications, which are available in over 20 major languages and over 140 countries and regions. The Company is headquartered in Singapore, with additional offices in California, Shanghai and Beijing.

For more information, please visit www.lightinthebox.com.

Investor Relations Contact

Investor Relations

LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd.

Email: [email protected]

Jenny Cai

Piacente Financial Communications

Email: [email protected]

Brandi Piacente

Piacente Financial Communications

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd.
CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- H.W. Lochner, Inc. (Lochner), a leading provider of infrastructure planning and engineering services, has been selected by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to conduct a Project Development & Environment (PD&E) study of transportation challenges at the SR 714/Monterey Road intersection with the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad Crossing.

SR 714 is an essential hurricane evacuation route, stretching from Kanner Highway to east of SE Dixie Highway and encompassing Martin County's Witham Field Airport. It also includes five signalized intersections along SR 714 at Kanner Highway, Willoughby Boulevard, Monterey Extension Road, US 1, and Dixie Highway. The study aims to alleviate congestion while minimizing potential impacts on the environment and the community.

"Lochner is committed to enhancing safety along the State's corridors in alignment with FDOT's Target Zero initiative to improve how Florida connects, interacts, plans, designs, operates, and maintains its transportation system," said Lochner's Regional Manager and Vice President Don Skelton, PE. "We look forward to collaborating with FDOT and local stakeholders to develop safe and effective solutions for this critical multimodal intersection and railroad crossing."

Currently, the crossing accommodates approximately 25 daily trains, with an additional 15 expected from the new inter-city Brightline rail route connecting Miami and West Palm Beach. The train volume significantly contributes to traffic congestion and poses safety concerns for travelers. Furthermore, the proximity of SR 714/Dixie Highway and SR 714/US 1 intersections compound the issue.

Under the contract, Lochner will develop study alternatives aimed at improving traffic flow, supporting transportation needs, enhancing multimodal connectivity, and reducing emergency evacuation and response times while adhering to the Target Zero safety initiative. Lochner will also strategize to minimize adverse effects on the natural, social, cultural, and physical environments. The study is expected to result in a Type II Categorical Exclusion classification. Given the project's coastal location and its role as a hurricane evacuation route, resilience will be a critical consideration.

About Lochner

Founded in 1944, Lochner provides planning, environmental, design, construction engineering and inspection, right-of-way, and drainage services for surface transportation, aviation, and water clients across the United States. The company is ranked No.128 in Engineering News-Record's list of the Top 500 Design Firms.

CONTACT: Laura White



Director of Marketing and Business Development



[email protected]



737.704.3080| 701.269.2110 (cell)



SOURCE LOCHNER
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)

Son spoke highly of the ambassadors active role in arranging high-level visits and events, thus contributing to deepening bilateral ties in a practical and effective manner.

He suggested the diplomat continue promoting the exchange of visits at all levels, maintaining the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and working with the Vietnamese partners to deepen the strategic partnership on climate adaptation and water management and the strategic partnership on sustainable agriculture and food security through practical and context-appropriate projects and programmes.

The minister also proposed that both sides efficiently carry out high-level agreements, maintain effective cooperation in traditional areas such as politics and diplomacy, trade and investment, while enhancing joint work in areas of the Netherlands' strength and Vietnam's needs, such as circular economy, high technology, renewable energy, and more.

Kees van Baar, for his part, thanked the minister and relevant Vietnamese agencies for supporting the embassys activities to expand ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands in various areas.

He affirmed that the Netherlands attaches importance to the comprehensive partnership with Vietnam on the back of reliable political relations and close cooperation at multilateral forums, supports high-level exchanges and the expansion of cooperation in potential areas such as hi-tech, climate change adaptation, water management and sustainable agriculture.

On the global and regional issues of shared concern, they highlighted their support for peace, cooperation and development, as well as the settlement of disputes and conflicts through peaceful means in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law./.
Highlights:

Luminex has signed an agreement with an additional 17 artisanal miners in a recently constituted local entity, Minera Nupers S.A.S, most of whom hold historical operating permits granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mines within the Condor Project's mineral concessions.

The negotiated agreement is the second such agreement and is part of an ongoing strategy aimed at progressing the development of Luminex's Condor Project.

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Luminex Resources Corp. (TSXV: LR) (OTCQX: LUMIF) (the "Company" or "Luminex") is pleased to announce that it has reached a mediated agreement (the "Agreement") with an important group of informal miners in the Condor North portion of its Condor gold project in southeast Ecuador (the "Condor Project"). Last month, the Company announced a ground-breaking agreement with the Association La Pangui S.A.S. This second agreement is similar in content and structure and resulted from a process whereby the Company entered into mediated negotiations in February 2022 with two important associations of informal miners in the vicinity of the Condor Project.

Figure 1: Planned concession areas to be transferred in the Condor North area (CNW Group/Luminex Resources Corp.)

The counterparty is Minera Nupers S.A.S. (the "Local Entity"), which primarily incorporated members of Asoproper, a neighbouring association of informal miners. The Local Entity has 17 shareholders (all operators), and the Agreement to create 63 hectares of formalized concessions is expected to benefit many additional individuals within the area of influence of the Condor Project.

The Agreement enables the Company to further secure areas in strategic proximity to the Condor North portion of its Condor Project and, at the same time, satisfies the long held desire of these informal artisanal miners to gain legal concession rights over informal mining properties in the Company's Viche Conguime 1 concession, Enma area (see Figure 1). The majority of the shareholders of the Local Entity were granted artisanal mining permits to work within the Viche Conguime 1 concession area following the Government of Ecuador's 2010 Artisanal Mining Census, which registered a number of artisanal miners with long-term operations in the area of the Condor Project.

Over the past decade, the Company has improved its understanding of the areas that might be necessary for mine development, as well as identified areas of mineral value that, owing to economic and technical reasons, will not be incorporated into its plans for the Condor Project. In order for the Condor Project to advance successfully towards production, a sustainable solution to the issues with the informal miners was desirable. The mediation process, and ensuing agreement, provided a forum that enabled both parties to build trust and negotiate positive outcomes that ensure their long-term economic and technical viability. Pursuant to Article 47 of the Ecuadorean Law on Arbitration and Mediation, the mediation act has the effect of a final judgment, effectively making the agreement between the Company and the Local Entity final and legally binding.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company agrees to execute a material division of its Viche Conguime 1 concession in order to create four new mining titles, two of which will be transferred to the Local Entity. Transfer of this title to over 63 hectares will ensure that the Local Entity has legally secure and long-term mining properties, along with the obligation to obtain all the regulatory and environmental permits and licenses necessary for the mining operations. Based on past exploration and technical studies, the Company determined that these areas were not needed for the development of the Condor Project now or in the future.

In addition to relinquishing their permits and committing to not request any new rights or undertake operations in any areas where the Company has mining rights, the shareholders of the Local Entity collectively, and individually, have agreed to collaborate with the Company to help restrict the entrance of illegal miners to the Condor Project. The Local Entity and their shareholders also commit to conduct environmental audits that may be requested by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of its operations, as well as to remediate any environmental impacts their operations may have caused and assume responsibility for any environmental liability that may arise as a result of their past activities. They also grant the Company a right of first refusal over any future sale of the mining title, and commit that if this right is not exercised, any future purchaser of the mining title will commit to abiding by the terms of the Agreement.

The parties are bound to make their best efforts to execute their respective commitments, staggered across three defined phases. The process of implementing the Agreement is expected to take approximately two years to complete, depending on regulatory approvals.

The agreements reached with the two mining associations have resolved long running issues between the Company and over 35 artisanal mining operators. After these are implemented, only five additional small and isolated operations will remain. Over time, the Company intends to negotiate with each of these parties in furtherance of the long-term development of the Condor Project.

About Luminex Resources

Luminex Resources Corp. (TSXV:LR, OTCQX:LUMIF) is a Vancouver, Canada based precious and base metals exploration and development company focused on gold and copper projects in Ecuador. Luminex's inferred and indicated mineral resources are located at the Condor Gold-Copper project in Zamora-Chinchipe Province, southeast Ecuador. Luminex also holds a large and highly prospective land package in Ecuador.

Further details are available on the Company's website at https://luminexresources.com/.

To receive news releases please sign up at https://www.luminexresources.com/contact/contact-us/.

Follow us on: Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook.

LUMINEX RESOURCES CORP.

Signed: "Marshall Koval"

Marshall Koval, CEO and 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 news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future mining at Condor and transfer of concessions to the Local Entity. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur or be achieved.

With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, the Company has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions, the prices of gold and copper, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

Although management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws (including regulations respecting mining concessions); and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities administrators. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Luminex Resources Corp.
DALLAS, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mammoth Holdings LLC, America's premier express car wash platform, announced the recent opening of its newest location, PureMagic in Powell, Tennessee. The new site, located just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee aligns with Mammoth's dual growth strategy of developing greenfield locations while also acquiring existing brands.

"We're pleased to serve the town of Powell with a state-of-the-art facility and world class customer service," said Dave Hoffmann, Chairman and CEO of Mammoth Holdings. "The Powell location is the company's 8th greenfield opening this year and represents another step forward towards our goal of 500 sites."

Mammoth Holdings Expands Reach Across South Post this

With nine locations now in the Knoxville market, the Powell location is set to become a go-to destination for car owners in the area, providing convenience and top-notch service to every car and every customer. The site is the ninth Mammoth location under the PureMagic Car Wash brand.

Mammoth Holdings is the first car wash platform formed by industry insiders and has 120 operating locations. Mammoth is customer-focused operationally; operator-focused in its approach to acquisitions; and seeks to be the partner-of-choice for car wash operators who desire liquidity, growth capital, and a tax-deferred equity investment opportunity.

Mammoth Holdings' multi-brand portfolio includes Busy Bee Car Wash, Coastal Carwash, Finish Line Car Wash, In & Out Express Carwash, Jax Kar Wash, Lulu's Express Car Wash, Marc-1 Car Wash, Mr. Squeaky Car Wash, Pals Carwash, Pitstop Car Wash, PureMagic Carwash, Silverstar Car Wash, Speedy Clean Car Wash, Suds Car Wash, Swifty Car Wash, Ultra Car Wash, Wash Me Fast, Wash-N-Go Express Car Wash, and Wiggy Wash.

Mammoth has significant growth capital and is actively seeking acquisitions and development opportunities.

In October 2018, Mammoth partnered with Red Dog Equity LLC, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, which, through its partnership with Tom Pritzker's family business interests (Advised by The Pritzker Organization), provides the equity for Mammoth Holdings' corporate development initiatives. Monroe Capital and Morgan Stanley provide Mammoth Holdings' debt financing.

About Mammoth Holdings

Headquartered in Dallas, Mammoth Holdings operates 118 conveyor car washes under the Busy Bee Car Wash, Coastal Carwash, Finish Line Car Wash, In & Out Express Carwash, Jax Kar Wash, Lulu's Express Car Wash, Marc-1 Car Wash, Mr. Squeaky Car Wash, Pals Carwash, Pitstop Car Wash, PureMagic Carwash, Silverstar Car Wash, Speedy Clean Car Wash, Suds Car Wash, Swifty Car Wash, Ultra Car Wash, Wash Me Fast, Wash-N-Go Express Car Wash, and Wiggy Wash brands in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Utah, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Florida.

Mammoth Holdings was founded by Gary Dennis and Chip Hackett in 2002. To learn more, please visit mammothholdings.com.

About Red Dog Equity LLC

Red Dog Equity LLC is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market companies poised for strong growth in partnership with driven, entrepreneurial business leaders ("Red Dogs"). To learn more, please visit reddogequity.com.

About The Pritzker Organization

The Pritzker Organization is the merchant bank for the business interests of the Tom Pritzker family. Additional information can be found at pritzkerorg.com.

SOURCE Mammoth Holdings
The firm's newly published research explains that by using machine learning techniques, AI can automate many activities surrounding master data management to ease manual processes and improve accuracy.

TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - As organizations delve deeper into the digital era, enterprises are grappling with exponential data growth from various internal and external sources, leading to a labyrinth of fragmented, inconsistent, and sometimes duplicated information shared across systems. Designed to untangle and align crucial data streams, master data management (MDM) can turn data chaos into actionable intelligence, detecting data relationships, resolving duplicates, and ensuring data availability for necessary stakeholders. To support CIOs and IT teams navigating this transformative approach, Info-Tech Research Group has released its latest research, Develop a Master Data Management Practice and Platform. The new resource is positioned to empower organizations to leverage MDM to its fullest potential, setting the standard for the future of data management.

Info-Tech Research Group's blueprint, "Develop a Master Data Management Practice and Platform," outlines a two-phase methodology to aid IT teams in the development of an MDM practice and platform. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group)

Highlighting the rapidly advancing MDM technological landscape, the firm explains that choices in MDM tools have expanded like never before, with artificial intelligence (AI) at the forefront of MDM innovation. With the integration of machine learning (ML) algorithms, AI is streamlining many MDM processes, including automating data profiling, workflow management, duplicate detection, and intelligent match-merge suggestions, ultimately enhancing precision while reducing manual interventions.

"The most crucial and shared data assets inside the firm must serve as the foundation for the data maturing process," says Ruyi Sun, research specialist at Info-Tech Research Group. "This is commonly linked to master data such as customers, products, employees, and locations. Every organization has master data, but not every organization has a master data problem."

As outlined in the industry resource, MDM plays an invaluable role, especially during mergers or acquisitions. In such scenarios, there's a pressing need for consolidated master data to serve as a single source of truth. Nevertheless, achieving a cohesive perspective on an organization's most crucial data definitions and corresponding record systems can often present some challenges. Organizations often encounter difficulties pinpointing master data discrepancies or fully understanding their data requirements. Conflicting viewpoints and definitions of data assets across business units can pose further complications.

"Master data issues are rooted in an organization's business practices, such as mergers and acquisitions and federated multi-geographic operations," explains Rajesh Parab, research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "To address this issue, organizations will require an MDM solution and the necessary architecture, governance, and support from very senior champions to ensure the long-term success of the MDM initiative. Approaching MDM with a clear blueprint that provides a step-by-step approach will aid in developing an MDM practice and platform."

Info-Tech emphasizes the significance of understanding prevalent business strategies and the underlying master data challenges for the efficient execution of MDM. The firm recommends the following:

Phase 1: Build a Vision for MDM

Assess the Master Data Problem: Build a comprehensive foundation of knowledge surrounding MDM and identify the problems that the organization faces in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, omnichannel strategies, multi-product line management, and multi-ERP setups.

Identify the Master Data Domains: Determine which data domain contains the most critical master data in the organization for an MDM strategy.

Create a Strategic Vision for the MDM Program: To effectively implement MDM, understand its goal of meeting master data users' needs. Develop a plan to secure organizational support and formalize the project by recording key metrics, responsibilities, and MDM goals.

Phase 2: Build the MDM Practice and Platform

Document the Current Data State: Understand the roles of data strategy, governance, and architecture in MDM and document the organization's current data state for MDM.

Document the Target Data State: Consider the various implementation styles for MDM deployments and document target MDM implementation systems.

Develop MDM Practice and Platform: Design a master data management platform and consider the next steps for the MDM project.

Info-Tech explains that an MDM implementation's end goal is to ensure investment in MDM technology delivers the promised business results. By supplementing the technology with rules, guidelines, and standards around enterprise data, organizations will ensure data continues to be synchronized across data sources on an ongoing basis.

To learn more about implementing master data management, download the complete Develop a Master Data Management Practice and Platform blueprint.

For media inquiries on the topic or to get exclusive, timely commentary from Ruyi Sun or Rajesh Parab, experts on master data management, please contact [email protected].

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

For more information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The melt blown polypropylene filters market is expected to grow by USD 980.45 million from 2022 to 2027. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will progress at a CAGR of 6.95% during the forecast period, according to Technavio. Growing demand for melt blown polypropylene filters in different end-user industries is notably driving the melt blown polypropylene filters market. However, factors such as fluctuating raw material prices used in the production of melt blown polypropylene filters may impede market growth. The market is segmented by Type (Liquid and Air), End-user (Wastewater treatment, Food and beverages, Chemical, Pharmaceuticals, and Others), and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). We provide a detailed analysis of 20 companies operating in the melt blown polypropylene filters market, including 3M Co., American melt blown and Filtration Inc., Borealis AG, Brother Filtration Equipment Co.Ltd, Clack Corp., CLEAR Solutions Inc., Dewdon Filtration Pvt Ltd., Eaton Corp. Plc, Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, Gopani Product Systems, H2O Distributors Inc., Hangzhou Darlly Filtration Equipment Co. Ltd., Hongtek Filtration Co. Ltd., Lenntech BV, Pall Corp., Parker Hannifin Corp., Serv A Pure Co., Shanghai Melko Filtration Co. Ltd., Trinity Filtration Technologies Pvt. Ltd., and Xinxiang filson filter co. ltd.The report offers an up-to-date analysis of the market, and to know the exact growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate, Request a Sample Report.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Melt Blown Polypropylene Filters Market 2023-2027

Melt Blown Polypropylene Filters Market 2023-2027: Company Analysis

3M Co. - The company offers melt-blown polypropylene filters such as micro klean RT series.

This report provides a full list of key companies, their strategies, and the latest developments. Buy Now for detailed company information

Melt Blown Polypropylene Filters Market 2023-2027: Segmentation

Type

The liquid segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The liquid filtration media which is formed from melted plastic material, shall be described as a melt blown Liquid Filtration Media. To effectively remove impurities, particulates, and contaminants from liquids, melt-blown fluid filtration media are specially intended to be used as a filter in drinking water applications. For liquid filtration applications, melt blown filter media offers several advantages. It's very effective at filtration, allowing particles of various sizes to be removed from liquids. The media surface area is high enough to allow for better particle retention and absorption. Moreover, melt blown polypropylene liquid filtration media, which has a high degree of compatibility with chemicals, is capable of being used for a broad range of liquid filter applications in various sectors. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period.

End-user (wastewater treatment, food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and others)

Geography

APAC is estimated to contribute 45% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The region is the largest manufacturing hub in the world and has a large industry base, driving demand for melt blown polypropylene filters across different sectors. Rapid industrialization and infrastructure development have been seen in countries such as China , India , and Japan . This has led to a rise in demand in sectors including water filtration, chemicals, foodstuffs and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and motor vehicles for melt-blow polypropylene filters. In addition, environmental protection and stringent water treatment and emission control regulations are under focus by several governments in the region. To satisfy compliance requirements, there has been a requirement for efficient filtration solutions including melt plastic polypropylene filters. In addition, advanced filtration technologies are also being developed due to rising concerns for water scarcity and air pollution in the Asia Pacific region. Hence, these factors are expected to drive market growth in the region during the forecast period.

North America, Europe , South America , and Middle East and Africa

Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View PDF Sample Report

Melt Blown Polypropylene Filters Market 2023-2027: Key Highlights

Historic Market Size 2017-2021

CAGR of the market during 2023-2027

Detailed information on factors that will assist melt blown polypropylene filters market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the market size and its contribution to the parent market

Forecasts on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the melt blown polypropylene filters market

Analysis of the competitive landscape and detailed information on companies

Comprehensive details of factors that will impede the growth of melt blown polypropylene filters market companies

Related Reports:

The coating resins market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.97% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 18.22 billion. This coating resins market report extensively covers market segmentation by type (acrylic coating resin, polyurethane coating resin, epoxy coating resin, alkyds coating resin, and vinyl and other coating resins), application (architecture coating, general industrial coating, automotive coating, high-performance coating, and other coatings) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The growing construction industry is a major factor notably driving the market growth.

The synthetic rubber market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.67% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 12,757.69 million. This synthetic rubber market report extensively covers market segmentation by type (solid and liquid), application (tire, automotive components, footwear, industrial goods, and others), and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa). Increasing demand for tires from rising sales of electric vehicles is the key factor for the growth of the market.

Melt Blown Polypropylene Filters Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.95% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 980.45 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.87 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 45% Key countries US, Canada, China, India, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled 3M Co., American melt blown and Filtration Inc., Borealis AG, Brother Filtration Equipment Co.Ltd, Clack Corp., CLEAR Solutions Inc., Dewdon Filtration Pvt Ltd., Eaton Corp. Plc, Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, Gopani Product Systems, H2O Distributors Inc., Hangzhou Darlly Filtration Equipment Co. Ltd., Hongtek Filtration Co. Ltd., Lenntech BV, Pall Corp., Parker Hannifin Corp., Serv A Pure Co., Shanghai Melko Filtration Co. Ltd., Trinity Filtration Technologies Pvt. Ltd., and Xinxiang filson filters co. ltd. 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.

ToC:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Sizes

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Type

Market Segmentation by End-Users

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, & Trends

Company Landscape

Company Analysis

Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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
WACO, Texas, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighborly , the world's largest home services company, announced today with profound sadness the sudden and unexpected passing of its President and CEO, Mike Bidwell. All of the Neighborly associates and franchise owners around the world mourn his loss and extend heartfelt condolences to the Bidwell family, including his wife, children and grandchildren.

Mike Bidwell

The company's leadership team said: "We will all miss Mike more than words can express, and we are fortunate to have worked for such an amazing leader who was smart, compassionate, and insightful. He put a strong team together  and in times like this, we stand together to honor him by carrying his vision for Neighborly forward."

Bidwell, 65, has been a part of the Neighborly family for almost 40 years. He began his career in April 1984 when he opened a Rainbow International Carpet Cleaning & Restoration franchise in Tucson, AZ. In 1987, Bidwell became the first multi-concept franchisee and area developer when he started the first Worldwide Refinishing Systems  now known as DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen. He later added a third franchise brand to his portfolio, Mr. Rooter Plumbing in 1992. Bidwell was a highly successful multi-unit franchisee, being named Franchisee of the Year for Rainbow International and Top Gun for each franchise brand he owned.

His success as a franchisee led Neighborly to recruit him to the world headquarters in Waco, Texas in 1995. Before being appointed the President and CEO of Neighborly in January 2014, Bidwell's tenure at Neighborly included being its Chief Operating Officer and President for three different franchise brands.

Effective immediately, Jon Shell, our Chief Financial Officer since 2015, is appointed Interim President & CEO of Neighborly; Mary Thompson, our Chief Operating Officer since 2015, will continue to lead Neighborly franchise owner relationships with the support of other Neighborly Corporate Leadership; current board member David Brandon, Executive Chairman and Former CEO of Domino's Pizza, is appointed Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for Neighborly.

Bidwell embodied the company's Code of Values built on Respect, Integrity, Customer Focus and Having Fun in the Process. Management will continue to operate Neighborly in honor of his lasting presence and legacy by maintaining those Code of Values and striving each day to reach the company's vision, "to be so remarkable we become a beloved household name."

About Neighborly

Neighborly is the world's largest home services company with more than 30 brands and 5,000 franchises collectively serving 12 million+ customers in six countries, focused on repairing, maintaining, and enhancing homes and businesses. Through the Neighborly mobile app, Neighborly connects consumers to local service providers that meet rigorous franchisor standards across 18 service categories. More information about Neighborly, and its franchise concepts, is available at Neighborlybrands.com . To learn about franchising opportunities with Neighborly, click here .

SOURCE Neighborly
BCC Research analysts predict that green ammonia prices may plummet as low as $250/ton as manufacturers develop and deploy new technologies.

BOSTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As a carbon-free carrier for fuel cells, ammonia is a green energy linchpin. But manufacturing gray ammonia itself runs counter to many green-energy goals. Gray ammonia's Haber-Bosch production process generates 2% of the world's CO2e emissions every year. Green ammonia's much smaller carbon footprint will propel what was a $24.3 million market in 2022 to a $719.4 million global market in 2028.

In their recently published Global Green Ammonia Market, BCC analysts explore:

Growing demand for eco-friendly fertilizers and biofuels. These and other factors will double the demand for green ammonia by 2050, sources at Thyssenkrupp AG predict.

These and other factors will double the demand for green ammonia by 2050, sources at Thyssenkrupp AG predict. Blue ammonia as a transitional step between the gray ammonia present and the green ammonia future.

as a transitional step between the gray ammonia present and the green ammonia future. Technologies driving green ammonia industry growth , such as hybrid PV-wind power plants, anion-exchange membranes (AEM), offshore wind, and alkaline water electrolysis.

, such as hybrid PV-wind power plants, anion-exchange membranes (AEM), offshore wind, and alkaline water electrolysis. Green ammonia technology startups to watch , such as HOELLER.

, such as HOELLER. Mining's shift to green ammonia how major players like Enaex and Fortescue Metals Group are driving the transformation.

how major players like Enaex and Fortescue Metals Group are driving the transformation. Companies investing heavily in green ammonia, including ITM Power, YARA International, and Siemens Energy.

Global Green Ammonia Market is a must-read for professionals working in fertilizer manufacturing, chemical production, agriculture, mining, biofuels, green energy, shipping and transport, ammonia trading, and environmental regulation.

For further information or to make a purchase, please get in touch with [email protected].

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BCC Research provides objective, unbiased measurement and assessment of market opportunities with detailed market research reports. Our experienced industry analysts' goal is to help you make informed business decisions, free of noise and hype.

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Data and analysis extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying BCC Research LLC as the source and publisher. For media inquiries, email [email protected] or visit www.bccresearch.com/media to request access to our library of market research.

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SOURCE BCC Research LLC
Agreements worth US$1.88 billion signed at Agri-Food Investment Forum

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new agreement defining the main priorities of international cooperation on food security was announced during the International Conference on Food Security (Thursday 7  Friday 8 September).

The government of Uzbekistan hosted the conference, with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the conference took place at the Silk Road Samarkand complex. It was attended by ministers and diplomats from more than 30 countries, as well as representatives of international organizations and financial institutions.

The participants recognized climate change, water depletion and land degradation as the main food security challenges.

The Samarkand Declaration sets the following objectives for participating countries:

Developing agriculture in an environmentally friendly and biodiversity-promoting way, while making the best use of water resources;

Encouraging the promotion of healthy eating habits among the public, particularly children and teenagers, through the implementation of all-encompassing nutritional initiatives in schools;

Expanding women's rights and opportunities in rural areas, to increase their participation in agro-food systems;

Supporting small and family farms at a state level, increasing their access to financial support and their ability to produce and utilize natural resources.

This conference "is an important opportunity to review the state of global food security in the context of agrifood systems transformation, on the path towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)," said Dr Qu Dongyu, Director-General of FAO, in his opening remarks to the conference.

Part of the solution, Qu said, is to "improve production and at the same time offer a sustainable supply through international trade and through smooth logistics, food availability, food accessibility, and food affordability."

Aziz Voitov, Uzbekistan's Minister of Agriculture, said:

"Now more than ever, it's vital to support our farmers and agribusinesses. The government is restructuring Uzbekistan's agro-food network, and we plan to attract the world's leading scientists to strengthen the potential of our agriculture sector and provide quality food for the population. The need to deliver new solutions and innovations around the world were discussed during the conference, and formed the basis of the Samarkand Declaration."

Charlotte Adriaen, Ambassador Of The European Union To The Republic Of Uzbekistan, said:

"This conference is about joining forces to ensure access to safe and nutritious food. The EU is working with the Ministry of Agriculture on water and irrigation projects, to ensure people in Uzbekistan have access to good, healthy food at affordable prices.

Agreements worth US$1.88 billion were signed at an Agri-Food Investment Forum on 8 September, that took place alongside the main conference.

The agreements included:

Direct investments  24 projects worth US$857.3 million ;

; Grants and funds from international financial institutions  14 projects, totalling US$707.5 million ;

; Trade agreements valued at US$319.2 million .

More than 100 companies from 26 countries participated.

Round table discussions involved 150 foreign scientists from 26 countries and 200 scientists from Uzbekistan also took place during the conference. The scientists considered the possibilities of working together on future research projects.

For more information about the conference, visit https://icfs.agro.uz/.

To access FAO's press release concerning the conference, visit https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/fao-international-conference-food-security-uzbekistan-2023/en.

SOURCE Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Uzbekistan
NEWPORT, R.I., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nocturne Luxury Villas ("Nocturne"), together with Gladstone Investment Corporation ("Gladstone Investment"), announced the completion of its investment in Exclusive 30A Rentals, LLC ("Exclusive 30A"), a leading villa rental management company operating along Florida's Scenic Highway 30A. Exclusive 30A complements other iconic brands already under the Nocturne umbrella, including Exceptional Stays/Telluride Rentals, St. Barth Properties, West Indies Management Company, Cabo Villas and Paradise Retreats.

Seacret to Life Villa, South Walton, FL

Founded in 2009 by design professional and luxury travel entrepreneur Jacque Hamilton, Exclusive 30A manages and markets for rent more than 100 exclusive properties, stretching from Dune Allen to Inlet Beach, including the iconic waterfront communities of Santa Rosa Beach, Watercolor, Seaside/Seagrove, Seacrest, Watersound, and Rosemary Beach. The Company's homes range from private luxury villas to tucked away bungalows and to beachfront condominiums, all professionally designed and serviced and offering guests a full range of amenities.

Ms. Hamilton, Founder and CEO of the Company, commented: "Before creating Exclusive 30A, I was a homeowner and a member of the community. In forming the business, I never aspired to be the biggest rental manager, but I did want to be the best, and the team at Nocturne recognized that and shares my approach. I'm thrilled to now be a part of the Nocturne family of best-in-class luxury villa rental managers and working alongside them."

Nocturne Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Scott Simmons, added: "Jacque and her team bring a unique blend of exquisite taste and design talent, and an innate five-star hospitality ethos focused on exceeding their homeowners' and guests' expectations at every turn. We look forward to preserving and building upon Exclusive 30A's legacy of excellence."

Gladstone Investment partnered with Aureus Capital and senior management in the formation of Nocturne, a platform for acquiring and integrating luxury vacation rental management companies. Nocturne, which was founded by Scott Simmons, Marshall Calder and Carl Colletti, recently welcomed travel veteran, Scott Wiseman, as its CEO.

For additional information, visit: www.nocturneluxuryvillas.com .

SOURCE Nocturne Luxury Villas
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In accordance with a resolution taken at the Annual General Meeting of AB SKF, this is to announce the members elected by the four largest shareholders by number of votes per 31 August 2023, who, together with the Chair of the Board constitute the Nomination Committee in preparation of the Annual General Meeting 2024.

The Nomination Committee consists of:

Marcus Wallenberg, FAM

Philip Ahlgren, Cevian Capital

Anders Algotsson, AFA Forsakring

Anders Jonsson, Skandia, and

Hans Straberg, Chair of the Board

The Annual General Meeting of AB SKF will be held in Gothenburg on Tuesday, 26 March 2024.

Shareholders who wish to submit proposals on members of the AB SKF Board, Board Chair, Board fees, Chair of the Annual General Meeting 2024 or amendments to the instruction for the Nomination Committee, may, at the latest two months before the Annual General Meeting 2024, contact the Chair of the Board of AB SKF on e-mail: [email protected]

Aktiebolaget SKF

(publ)

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

PRESS: Carl Bjernstam, Head of Media Relations

tel: 46 31-337 2517; mobile: 46 722-201 893; e-mail: [email protected]

INVESTOR RELATIONS: Patrik Stenberg, Head of Investor Relations

tel: 46 31-337 2104; mobile: 46 705-472 104; [email protected]

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/637/3831967/2284001.pdf 20230908 Nomination Committee of AB SKF for the Annual General Meeting 2024

SOURCE SKF
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvilab, a pioneering AI startup specializing in sustainable food solutions, is pleased to announce its achievement of securing the second place in the Circular Economy category during the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20 DIA) startup pitching session held in Bengaluru, India from August 17th to 18th.

The G20 DIA Event Venue and Nuvilab Trophy

This event, held ahead of the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting, brought together key stakeholders in the digital economy innovation space, including startups, investors, and government agencies, as part of the G20 member countries' efforts to collaborate on digital agendas. Nuvilab received an exclusive invitation to participate, recognizing its excellence in the circular economy sector.

The pitching session featured over 150 startups from 29 countries worldwide, spanning six different domains including circular economy, healthcare, agricultural technology, and digital infrastructure. Nuvilab delivered a compelling presentation centered around their vision of "innovating food services through data-driven decisions using AI" and clinched the second position in the Circular Economy category.

Mr. Logan Kim, CEO of Nuvilab, expressed his excitement, stating, "We are delighted that Nuvilab's technology and accomplishments in reducing food waste and supporting cafeteria operations by analyzing food scraps and leftovers have been acknowledged on the global stage." He added, "We are committed to establishing ourselves as a global leading solution that enhances the sustainability of food services, akin to an ecosystem."

Founded in 2018, Nuvilab has been developing AI-based solutions, including the AI Food Scanner and NutriVision AI, both built upon their advanced vision AI technology. These solutions measure and analyze food types and quantities, particularly useful for commercial and institutional food services. By analyzing food waste, leftover food, and consumption data, Nuvilab's solutions contribute to achieving net-zero waste goals and provide tailored healthcare solutions. To date, Nuvilab's solutions have been adopted by over 100 institutional cafeterias globally, including schools, kindergartens, and hospitals.

SOURCE Nuvilab
Ms. Tran Thi Trung Thanh (second from left) and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (second from right) visited

the Gac Ma soldiers' memorial site in July 2023 (Photo: thoidai.com.vn)

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, born in 1944, overseas Vietnamese in Thailand, said that in 1962, she attended the National Day celebration (September 2) in Vietnam and was sat next to the aisle of the delegates. When Uncle Ho passed by, was introduced: "This is an overseas Vietnamese from Thailand". He stopped to shake hands, visit and encourage each person.

A few years later, Ms. Thuy worked as a worker at the Eight March Textile Company in Hanoi. Uncle Ho visited the factory. He didnt go to the living room but visited the kitchen first.

After the visit, Uncle Ho advised the factory leaders to take good care of each person's meal, so that the workers could be healthy and do better in production.

The two times meeting Uncle Ho left a deep impression on Ms. Thuy.

"Uncle Ho was always interested in overseas Vietnamese. Even though he was very busy with hundreds of jobs, he still didnt forget to tell factory leaders to take care of each meal for workers," Ms. Thuy said.

Ms. Tran Thi Trung Thanh, born in 1946, said that on September 2, 1969, she and her comrades at the Navy Command received news of Uncle Ho's death. Her unit organized a delegation to Hanoi to visit Uncle Ho. She and her comrades saw Uncle Ho lying there as if in a peaceful sleep, they could not hold back their tears. The image of the leader who dedicated his life to fight for peace, friendship and democracy is always etched in the hearts of her and her comrades.

The example of President Ho Chi Minh and the love for Uncle Ho had become the driving force that helped Ms. Thanh overcome the hardships of wartime and the highly disciplined environment of the military to fulfill her duties well. Later, when she no longer worked at the Navy Command in Hai Phong, Ms. Thanh still maintained that discipline and strong spirit. She said that spirit has helped her overcome illness to live a happy and healthy life at the age of 80./.
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) market by End-user (Telecommunication, Cable TV, Private enterprise network, Military, and Aerospace), Type (Full-feature OTDR, Hand-held OTDR, and Fiber break locator), and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa) - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027" report has been added to Technavio offering. With ISO 9001:2015 certification, Technavio has proudly partnered with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years. The potential growth difference for the optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) market from 2022 to 2027 is USD 76.43 million. Increasing demand for tier-2 certification standards is a key factor driving market growth. For networks of communication within organizations, optical fibers are becoming a core network. Several companies choose to switch from copper cabling to fiber cables for a variety of reasons including the fact that there is lower attenuation, higher return on investment, and support for large bandwidth applications. The installation must be tested and certified to ensure the reliability and worth of the network when it has been set up with a fiber optic cable. The Tier-2 testing is performed by the OTDR, which measures the total optical loss due to reflections in the link, such as reflections from the fiber itself (Rayleigh backscatter) and link components, such as the head and splice (Fresnel reflector) to calculate the overall link loss. Hence, these factors are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Get deeper insights into the market size, current market scenario, future growth opportunities, major growth driving factors, the latest trends, and much more. Buy the full report here

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Market 2023-2027

Market Challenge

The growing market for rental test equipment is a significant challenge restricting market growth. A substantial capital investment is required in a high-performance OTDR. The high average selling price (ASP) of high-end, application-specific OTDRs has driven demand for used and rental OTDRs for testing purposes. OTDRs, mainly used in fiber optic network deployments, have significant initial purchase costs. Therefore, to get a better total cost of ownership (TCO), companies are turning to the OTDR rental market, where they have access to these devices for a specific period will help them reduce costs. In addition, several companies in the market have cooperated with various companies to rent or lease measuring and testing equipment. Hence, these factors are expected to restrict market growth during the forecast period.

Learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio. Read Sample PDF Report Now

The optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) market has been segmented by End-user (Telecommunication, Cable TV, Private enterprise network, Military, and Aerospace), Type (Full-feature OTDR, Hand-held OTDR, and Fiber break locator), and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The market share growth by the telecommunication segment will be significant during the forecast period. Telecommunications, also known as telecommunications, is the exchange of information over long distances. It is a general term that relates to different fields, but each is related to the sender and the receiver. This growth is driven by the increasing deployment of fiber optic cables to connect mobile stations and data centers. In addition, the growing use of FTTx applications has become an important driving force in the telecommunications sector, as they enable last-mile connectivity with fiber optic cables. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period.

North America is estimated to contribute 30% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

View the Sample Report for insights into the contribution of all the segments and regional opportunities in the report.

Key Companies in the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) market:

Aishwarya Technologies and Telecom Ltd., Anritsu Corp., Briticom, Circuit Globe, Connectix Ltd., Corning Inc., EXFO Inc., Fibertronics Inc., Fluke Corp., Fortive Corp., Fujikura Co. Ltd., GAO Tek Inc., INNO Instrument Inc., Multicom Inc., ShinewayTech, Teledyne Technologies Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., VeEX Inc., Viavi Solutions Inc., and Yokogawa Electric Corp.

Related Reports:

The Optoelectronics Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.27% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 30.64 billion. This optoelectronics market report extensively covers market segmentation by component (LED, /image sensors, laser diode, optocouplers, and others), end-user (consumer electronics, automotive, information technology and communication, aerospace and defense, and others), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa). One of the key factors driving the optoelectronics market growth is the expanding automotive industry.

The Fiber Optic Cable Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.61% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 8,335.11 million. This fiber optic cable market report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (telecommunication, energy, and power, healthcare, aerospace, and defense, and others), type (single-mode and multi-mode), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). One of the key factors driving the fiber optic cable market growth is the rise in Internet penetration and data traffic.

Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.51% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 76.43 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 4.71 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 30% Key countries US, China, Japan, India, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Aishwarya Technologies and Telecom Ltd., Anritsu Corp., Briticom, Circuit Globe, Connectix Ltd., Corning Inc., EXFO Inc., Fibertronics Inc., Fluke Corp., Fortive Corp., Fujikura Co. Ltd., GAO Tek Inc., INNO Instrument Inc., Multicom Inc., ShinewayTech, Teledyne Technologies Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., VeEX Inc., Viavi Solutions Inc., and Yokogawa Electric Corp. 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.

ToC:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Sizes

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by End-User

Market Segmentation by Type

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, & Trends

Company Landscape

Company Analysis

Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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
LONDON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Although advanced economies have displayed resilience in the first half of 2023, the outlook for 2024 appears less optimistic. Unexpectedly, only Germany entered a recession among G20 advanced nations, suggesting that the impact of 2023's aggressive monetary policy tightening may be less severe. The past three months have certainly been marked by a mix of both positive and concerning trends. Adaptation and vigilance have never been more crucial for navigating this evolving global landscape.

With technology revolutionising any number of industries, the financial services sector is no exception. From mobile banking apps to artificial intelligence-powered wealth management platforms, Fintech companies are revolutionising the way we manage our finances. Moreover, there has been a renewed emphasis on financial inclusion, aiming to extend access to financial services to underserved populations. Governments, regulators, and financial institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of bringing the unbanked and underbanked into the formal financial system. The front cover article of the Pan Finance Q3 2023 edition explores how cashless societies can impact financial inclusion and uncovers the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for financial service providers.

Furthermore, Pan Finance continues to shine a spotlight on leading examples of best practice across the world of finance. Established to be a true measure of excellence, the Pan Finance awards look beyond the realm of the balance sheet alone, measuring success through innovation, stewardship of the environment and positive impact on society.

Frank Breuss, Co-Founder and CEO of Nikulipe said, "We are incredibly proud to have won the prestigious Pan Finance 2023 Award for "Most Trusted Local Payment Method Enabler - Europe and Africa". Nikulipe provides online merchants access to new customers in Fast-growing and Emerging Markets, by providing seamless access to Local Payment Methods (LPMs). Today, millions of people in Europe and Africa are still excluded from buying goods and services online, as they lack access to credit cards or even bank accounts. Nikulipe leverages its own payments- and banking infrastructure, to provide PSPs and global merchants uniform access to those Local Payment Methods, which are available and popular in those markets. This award is a great recognition for the hard work and dedication of our whole team, striving to make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people in Europe and Africa, by connecting them to the global economy."

Commenting on receiving the award as the Best Remittance Solutions for the African Diaspora - USA, Nairagram's Chief Business Officer and Co-founder, Gbolahan 'GK' Obanikoro, said, "Our entire team is incredibly proud of this achievement, as it underscores our unwavering dedication to creating efficient, secure and user-friendly remittance solutions that caters to the unique needs of the African community in the diaspora. At Nairagram, we believe that access to efficient and affordable remittance solutions is not just a financial service but a bridge to connect families, support communities, and foster economic growth. Ultimately, facilitating remittances to loved ones such as "mama," "papa," "sista," "broda," or "padi" in a hassle-free, and efficient manner is where we derive our Joy!". The President and Co-founder of Nairagram, Idris Ibrahim, said, "This award inspires us to continue pushing boundaries, fostering financial inclusivity, security and growth on the African continent, as well as delivering innovative and exceptional financial services to the African diaspora. We look forward to a future filled with even greater accomplishments, driven by our dedication to excellence and customer-centricity. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our talented team whose hard work has made this achievement possible.

"UniTeller's recognition as the Best Remittance Processing Solution and Excellence in Financial Inclusion speaks to our commitment to delivering exceptional solutions in the remittance industry." said Alberto Guerra, CEO, UniTeller Financial Services. "Through our Cross-Border and Remittance APIs and Digital Solutions, UniTeller facilitates efficient and secure payments uniting people and companies around the world."

Pan Finance is delighted to announce the following award winners in the Q3 2023 edition:

Allianz SE - Best Insurance Company - APAC 2023 -

Digido - Most Innovative Digital Lending Platform - Philippines 2023 -

Fineco Asset Management - Most Innovative Asset Management Company - Ireland 2022 -

HSBC Poland - Corporate Bank of the Year - Poland 2023 -

Nairagram - Best Remittance Solutions for African Community - USA 2023 -

NICE Actimize - Most Innovative Fraud Detection Technology - EMEA 2023 -

Nikulipe - Most Trusted Local Payment Method Enabler - Europe and Africa 2023 -

Qi Card - Fintech Company of the Year - Iraq 2023 -

Qi Card - Most Innovative Card - Iraq 2023 -

Santander Asset Management - Most Innovative Investment Manager - Europe 2023 -

Smartpay - Most Innovative Digital Financing Solution - Japan 2023 -

TD Bank - Banking Innovator of the Year - Canada 2023 -

UniTeller Financial Services - Best Remittance Processing Solution - USA 2023 -

UniTeller Financial Services - Excellence in Financial Inclusion - USA 2023 -

Wesco International - Most Innovative B2B Supply Chain Solutions - North America 2023 -

Worldremit - Most Secure International Transfer App - United Kingdom 2023 -

To learn more about these award winners, pick up the latest issue of Pan Finance magazine, available now:

Pan Finance Magazine Q3 2023

Featuring articles from:

Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Former Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning of Nigeria;

Andres Velasco, Former Presidential Candidate and Finance Minister of Chile, is Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science; Takatoshi Ito, Former Japanese Deputy Vice Minister of Finance, is a Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

About Pan Finance

Each quarter Pan Finance delivers key information through time-sensitive financial news covering world markets, industry analysis and c-suite level interviews. Content from renowned academics and leading professionals provides an accessible view of global trends, with a focus on finance, economics, infrastructure, technology and sustainability - www.panfinance.net

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TSXV: PGZ | OTCQX: PGZFF

Canada Honda copper-gold mineralization extended to 600m down-dip at east end of a 2km long east-west gravity anomaly

down-dip at east end of a 2km long east-west gravity anomaly Zarcita drilling intersects narrow intervals of higher-grade copper within a wider zone of stockwork and alteration

Drilling at Escacena now focused on highly prospective western extension of the La Romana copper-tin-silver mineralization at Romana West

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Pan Global Resources Inc. ("Pan Global" or the "Company") (TSXV: PGZ) (OTCQX: PGZFF) is pleased to announce positive results for its follow-up drilling at the Canada Honda and Zarcita targets at the 100%-owned Escacena Project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southern Spain. Both targets are located 4km north of the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery where ongoing drilling is extending mineralization at Romana West. Three follow-up drill holes have been completed at the Canada Honda copper-gold target and an additional 13 drill holes have been completed at the Zarcita copper target.

Figure 1  Simplified geology map with Canada Honda and Zarcita drill hole locations. Cross section location (A-A) shown in Figure 2. (CNW Group/Pan Global Resources Inc.) Figure 2  Geology cross section 737250mE, A-A, showing new results for follow-up drill holes CHD05 and CHD-7, and previous holes CHD03 and CHD04. The results show the main Cu-Au zone extending 600m down-dip from a historical mine tunnel, and multiple Au veins in the hanging wall. Approximately 150m separates CHD04 and CHD05, and 190m separates CHD05 and CHD07. (CNW Group/Pan Global Resources Inc.) Figure 3  Canada Honda target map showing a large gravity anomaly extending west of the drill holes, DHEM conductors, soil and rock sample copper-gold anomalies. (CNW Group/Pan Global Resources Inc.)

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the Canada Honda and Zarcita drill results and also provide an overview of current exploration and drilling at Romana West. An open Q&A session will follow a short presentation. For webcast details please see information at the conclusion of this release.

"The follow-up drilling at Canada Honda confirms copper-gold mineralization coincident with a gravity anomaly, and extends the copper-gold mineralization from surface to 600m down-dip where it remains wide open. The new results highlight additional gold potential in the hanging wall. The drilling is at the eastern end of a 2km long east-west gravity target, indicating potential for the mineralization to significantly expand, making this a compelling, high priority target for additional drilling," said Tim Moody, Pan Global's President & CEO.

Currently, drilling at Escacena is focused along the highly prospective western extension (Romana West) of the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery. In addition to the 12 geophysical targets that are being sequentially prioritized for drill testing, exploration on the 5,760-hectare Escacena Project continues to identify new drill targets. Initial assay results from the first set of drill holes at Romana West are expected soon.

Canada Honda and Zarcita drill hole locations are shown in Figure 1 below. Drill hole assay results for Canada Honda are summarized in Table 1 and collar details are presented in Table 2 below. Drill assay results for Zarcita are summarized in Table 3 and collar details provided in Table 4.

Canada Honda Highlights

New drill hole results include:

CHD05  20m at 0.5% Cu, 0.8g/t Au, 1.9g/t Ag , including 5.1m at 1.3% Cu, 0.5g/t Au, 3.9g/t Ag (reported July 4, 2023 ); and new results including 2m at 1.6g/t Au

, including (reported ); and new results including

CHD06  7m at 0.6% Cu, 0.8g/t Au, 6.5g/t Ag , including 3m at 1.1g/t Au, 5.5g/t Ag

, including at 1.1g/t Au, 5.5g/t Ag

CHD07  5m at 1.1g/t Au, 0.2% Cu, 2.3g/t Ag

Surface rock samples up to 9g/t Au

New untested DHEM conductor anomalies

The follow-up drill program included holes CHD05, CHD06 and CHD07. Drill hole CHD05, testing 150m down-dip from previous drill hole CHD04 and approximately 330m down-dip from a historical mine tunnel, confirmed copper-gold mineralization coincident with the targeted gravity anomaly. CHD06, located 100m east of CHD05, intersected copper-gold mineralization coincident with a DHEM target. Hole CHD07 tested a resistivity low anomaly 190m down-dip from CHD05. Each of the drill holes also intersected additional gold mineralization in the hanging wall.

DHEM in holes CHD06 and CHD07 confirmed new off-hole conductor anomalies for future drilling to test the potential for stronger sulphide mineralization. See Figure 3 below.

Anomalous gold assays from 28 rock grab samples at Canada Honda indicate a gold anomaly extending 200m west of the historical mine tunnel and up-dip from the recent drilling, with several samples reporting >0.1g/t Au up to 9.0g/t Au.

Table 1  Canada Honda drill results summary (all intervals close to true thickness); Results in italics for CHD05 were first reported on July 4, 2023.

Hole ID From To Interval Cu Au Ag Co Pb Zn

m m m % g/t g/t ppm ppm ppm CHD05 65.00 66.00 1.00 0.28 1.41 14.8 367 3430 4100

100.00 102.00 2.00 <0.01 1.61 0.5 414 37 39

203.00 204.00 1.00 0.06 0.41 9.3 603 3900 1.32 %

287.00 307.00 20.00 0.50 0.28 1.9 102 38 124 inc. 296.00 307.00 11.00 0.76 0.44 2.4 117 36 147 inc. 296.00 301.10 5.10 1.31 0.47 3.9 182 39 154 inc. 296.00 296.50 0.50 10.3 1.42 29.2 592 114 371 CHD06 57.00 58.00 1.00 <0.01 1.23 <0.5 155 8 45

73.00 76.00 3.00 0.47 0.05 1.1 109 7 82

101.00 102.00 1.00 0.06 1.13 17.8 41 6180 9380

120.00 122.00 2.00 0.11 1.36 0.5 54 6 35

188.00 195.00 7.00 0.64 0.80 6.5 240 390 412 inc. 188.00 189.00 1.00 0.80 1.32 20.3 117 2140 2280 inc. 191.00 194.00 3.00 0.91 1.10 5.5 413 91 96 CHD07 75.00 76.00 1.00 <0.01 1.13 3.6 266 261 299

241.00 246.00 5.00 0.19 1.09 2.3 219 525 1151 inc. 244.00 245.00 1.00 0.94 4.39 9.0 741 1760 3860

258.00 259.00 1.00 0.02 1.17 1.2 115 129 94

428.00 433.00 5.00 0.34 0.30 0.9 125 9 53 inc. 430.00 431.00 1.00 1.33 0.69 2.7 145 23 92

Table 2  Canada Honda drill hole collar information (3 holes 1,238.95m)

Hole ID Easting1 Northing1 Azimuth (o) Dip (o) Depth (m) CHD05 737208 4156446 180 -70 443.40 CHD06 737336 4156389 180 -75 320.40 CHD07 737286 4156582 180 -75 475.15

1 Coordinates are in ERTS89 datum UTM29N

Zarcita results commentary

"The recent exploration drilling and mapping at Zarcita has highlighted a 2.1km long trend with anomalous copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. The highest potential remains centered on the historical Zarcita mine workings where drilling has intersected narrow intervals of higher-grade copper within a wider zone of stockwork and alteration. While untested down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) conductors, gravity and IP anomalies define prospective targets for future campaigns at Zarcita, the Romana West and Canada Honda targets are key near-term priorities," said Tim Moody, Pan Global's President & CEO.

Zarcita highlights

New drill hole results include:

ZAD05: intersected copper mineralization from surface, including 14.45m at 0.2% Cu before entering a 10.5m assumed historical mine cavity

at 0.2% Cu before entering a assumed historical mine cavity

ZAD06: 5.5m at 0.7% Cu from 106.2m , including 1.85m at 1.6% Cu, 0.15g/t Au, 2.4g/t Ag

The completed drill program at Zarcita includes 17 holes for a total of 4,363m, along a 2.1km east-west trend. The holes were designed to test a combination of geophysical, geological and geochemical targets, and to acquire mineral alteration information to assist in identifying vectors to potential higher-grade mineralization. Results from the first four holes, ZAD01 to ZAD04, drilled on a single north-south section, were reported on January 17, 2023 showing copper grades increasing to 400m down-dip and narrow intervals of higher grade (e.g., drill hole ZAD04: 17m at 0.3% Cu, including 1.9% Cu over 1.1m). The new drill-holes, ZAD05 to ZAD17, were drilled on a 100m to 600m spacing along the trend. Much of the strike potential to-date has only been tested by single wide-spaced drill holes.

The most promising results are from a 600m section of the 2.1km trend, coincident with the Zarcita mine workings. This includes thin bands of semi-massive and massive sulphide intervals within a wider zone of stockwork veining and chlorite-sericite alteration. DHEM in holes ZAD01 and ZAD05 identified untested off-hole and below-hole anomalies, representing potential nearby stronger sulphide mineralization.

Drill hole ZAD05, intersected 0.2% Cu (oxide zone) over 14.85m from surface followed by 10.5m with no core recovery in an assumed historical mine cavity, and trace chalcopyrite continuing in the drill core below the cavity. Drill holes ZAD06 and ZAD15, intersected narrow intervals of high-grade copper. The mineralization remains open down-dip and along-strike within the historical mining area.

Table 3  Zarcita drill results summary (all intervals close to true thickness to >90%)

Hole ID From To Interval Cu Au Ag Co Pb Zn

m m m % g/t g/t ppm ppm ppm ZAD05 0.00 14.45 14.45 0.19 0.02 0.3 33 60 281

14.45 24.95 10.50 No drill core - assumed historical mine cavity ZAD06 106.20 111.70 5.50 0.67 0.06 1.0 173 30 487 inc. 106.20 108.05 1.85 1.61 0.15 2.4 392 73 737 inc. 146.10 146.35 0.25 1.40 0.13 5.9 197 869 3680 ZAD07 No significant results ZAD08 130.00 132.00 2.00 0.10 0.06 1.2 12 245 2.09 % ZAD09 185.00 186.00 1.00 0.03 0.07 1.6 9 566 1.07 % ZAD10 No significant results ZAD11 158.00 159.00 1.00 1.04 1.44 4.4 146 77 314 ZAD12 51.00 54.00 3.00 0.08 0.01 5.3 24 6513 1.04 % ZAD13 No significant results ZAD14 No significant results ZAD15 41.50 42.00 0.50 1.93 0.41 6.5 362 186 1105 ZAD16 No Significant results ZAD17 No Significant results

Table 4  Zarcita drill hole collar information (13 holes 3221.15m)

Hole ID Easting1 Northing1 Azimuth (o) Dip (o) Depth (m) ZAD05 738291 4156973 180 -70 179.40 ZAD06 738351 4157082 130 -55 305.00 ZAD07 738180 4157081 180 -50 241.10 ZAD08 737986 4156899 180 -55 201.85 ZAD09 737985 4156900 0 -90 203.50 ZAD10 737984 4157098 180 -70 356.25 ZAD11 737439 4156993 180 -55 275.35 ZAD12 738984 4157026 180 -60 230.20 ZAD13 738984 4157027 0 -90 179.50 ZAD14 738987 4157027 140 -55 124.40 ZAD15 738984 4157027 220 -55 117.70 ZAD16 737095 4157069 180 -60 360.90 ZAD17 739264 4157060 215 -55 446.00

1 Coordinates are in ERTS89 datum UTM29N

Investor Call to Discuss Drill Results and Escacena Exploration Update

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the Canada Honda and Zarcita drill results and provide an overview of current exploration and drill testing at Romana West. An open Q&A session will follow a short presentation.

Date: Monday, September 11, 2023

Time: 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time | 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time

Please register in advance:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcumgqTksH9Qjcmz0fzUGukwCwrpLAVng

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Investors are encouraged to send questions or topics of interest in advance to [email protected] to be addressed following the presentation. A link to the webcast will be available on the Company's website at: https://panglobalresources.com following the live broadcast.

About the Escacena Project

The Escacena Project comprises a large, contiguous, 5,760-hectare land package controlled 100% by Pan Global in the east of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Escacena is located near operating mines at Las Cruces and Riotinto and is immediately adjacent to the former Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mines where Minera Los Frailes/Grupo Mexico is in the final permitting stage with construction anticipated to start in 2023. The Escacena Project hosts the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery and a number of other prospective targets, including, Romana West, Canada Honda, Bravo, Barbacena, El Pozo, Zarcita, Hornitos, La Jarosa, Romana Deep, Romana North, and San Pablo.

About Pan Global Resources

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively targeting copper-rich mineral deposits, given copper's compelling supply-demand fundamentals and outlook for strong long-term prices as a critical metal for global electrification and energy transition. The Company's flagship Escacena Project is located in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in southern Spain, where infrastructure, mining and professional expertise, and support for copper as a Strategic Raw Material by the European Commission collectively define a tier-one jurisdiction for mining investment. The Pan Global team comprises proven talent in exploration, development, and mine operations - all of which are committed to operating safely and with utmost respect for the environment and our partnered communities.

QA/QC Procedures

Core size was HQ (63mm) and all samples were  core. Nominal sample size was 1m core length and ranged from 0.5 to 2m. Sample intervals were defined using geological contacts with the start and end of each sample physically marked on the core. Diamond blade core cutting and sampling was supervised at all times by Company staff. Duplicate samples of  core were taken approximately every 30 samples and Certified Reference materials inserted every 25 samples in each batch.

Drill core and rock samples were delivered to ALS laboratory in Seville, Spain and assayed at the ALS laboratory in Ireland. All samples were crushed and split (method CRU-31, SPL22Y), and pulverized using (method PUL-31). Gold analysis was by 50gm Fire assay with ICP finish (method Au-ICP22) and multi element analysis was undertaken using a 4-acid digest with ICP AES finish (method ME-ICP61). Over grade base metal results were assayed using a 4-acid digest ICP AES (method OG-62). Over grade tin was determined using peroxide fusion with ICP finish (method Sn-ICP81x).

Qualified Persons

James Royall, Vice President Exploration for Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information for this news release. Mr. Royall is not independent of the Company.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

www.panglobalresources.com

Forward-looking statements

Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this news release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE Pan Global Resources Inc.
Ana Brnabi c , Prime Minister of Serbia visited the SK bioscience headquarters.

SK bioscience signed a memorandum of understanding with the Serbian government and Frontier Biopharma to support the vaccine manufacturing environment in Serbia by utilizing its vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and commercial capabilities.

SEONGNAM, South Korea, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SK bioscience, an innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced that Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia (Serbia) has visited the SK bioscience headquarters and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the company to establish a strategic partnership in vaccine development and manufacturing between the two countries.

(From Left) Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery, Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, and Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma Ltd. pose after signing a Memorandum of Understanding at the SK bioscience headquarters on September 8th.

The MOU ceremony was attended by Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia, Nemanja Grbic, Serbian ambassador in South Korea, Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma Ltd., Jae-Woong Lee, Korean ambassador in Serbia, Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery, and Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience.

This marks the first visit by a Serbian prime minister to South Korea in 13 years, dating back to 2010. Additionally, it is the current prime minister's only visit to a biopharmaceutical and vaccine company in South Korea during her stay.

Along with the MOU, SK bioscience, and Frontier Biopharma agreed to sign a contract within the year for collaborating to establish vaccine manufacturing facilities in Serbia with support from the Serbian government.

According to the MOU, SK bioscience will utilize its own vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization capabilities for strengthening the vaccine manufacturing environment to a global-certified level, transferring technologies and know-how for pandemic preparedness, commercializing products, training human resources, and supporting the vaccine R&D in Serbia. The newly established platform will supply Serbia and other European and emerging markets from a hub in Serbia.

The Serbian government will provide administrative support related to the project and cooperate for possible supply of drug products in Serbia. Frontier Biopharma will be in charge of overall operation of the project.

The demand for localization of vaccines in Serbia where most medical devices and medicines are currently imported from Europe and the United States is growing significantly.

According to the 'Status of Korea-Serbia Cooperation Areas' report recently released by the 'Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA),' Serbia is actively seeking international collaborations and investing in biopharmaceutical and medical industry.

Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia said, "This MOU with SK bioscience and Frontier Biopharma is another proof of both Serbia's commitment to investments in BIO4 areas of biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biodiversity, as well as Serbia's attractiveness to the best global biopharmaceutical companies. Serbia will be happy and proud to host SK bioscience as its hub for the region and Europe."

Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma said, "As the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of the most established pharmaceutical manufacturers in Serbia, we are delighted to be partnering with the Government of Serbia and SK bioscience on this landmark project. SK bioscience has a world-class vaccine development and manufacturing platform which delivers access to innovative, next-generation vaccines that prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. Over the next year we will work closely with our partners to establish a manufacturing hub that will serve Serbia and international markets with products of the highest quality."

Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery said, "The demand for vaccine self-sufficiency has increased in the world due to the pandemic. This collaboration demonstrates that SK bioscience can contribute to global health. In addition to strengthening the Serbia's vaccine industry, we will continue to promote public health in the world."

About SK bioscience

SK bioscience is an innovative vaccine and biotech company, committed in vaccine development and manufacturing to enable more equitable access of vaccines in the world. In leveraging strengths on cutting-edge technologies, SK bioscience has been dedicated to promoting human health from prevention to cure across the globe. With cooperation of domestic and international governments, regulatory agencies, healthcare providers, doctors and medical experts, all of the SK colleagues are passionately committed to providing high-quality vaccines to those who need them and better public healthcare solutions.

About Frontier Biopharma and Zdravlje AD

Frontier Biopharma is the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of the most established pharmaceutical manufacturers in Serbia, established in 1953. The Company supplies approximately 40 markets around the world (including the EU, UK, Asia-Pacific, South Africa and Latin America) with world-class pharmaceutical products from its EU-GMP approved facilities in Leskovac, Serbia.

Contact

SK bioscience Communications Team

Changhyun Jin ([email protected])

Jeannie S. Pak ([email protected])

Tae-Gyun Kim ([email protected])

SOURCE SK bioscience
Ana Brnabi c , Prime Minister of Serbia visited the SK bioscience headquarters.

SK bioscience signed a memorandum of understanding with the Serbian government and Frontier Biopharma to support the vaccine manufacturing environment in Serbia by utilizing its vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and commercial capabilities.

SEONGNAM, South Korea, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SK bioscience, an innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced that Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia (Serbia) has visited the SK bioscience headquarters and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the company to establish a strategic partnership in vaccine development and manufacturing between the two countries.

(From Left) Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery, Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, and Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma Ltd. pose after signing a Memorandum of Understanding at the SK bioscience headquarters on September 8th.

The MOU ceremony was attended by Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia, Nemanja Grbic, Serbian ambassador in South Korea, Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma Ltd., Jae-Woong Lee, Korean ambassador in Serbia, Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery, and Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience.

This marks the first visit by a Serbian prime minister to South Korea in 13 years, dating back to 2010. Additionally, it is the current prime minister's only visit to a biopharmaceutical and vaccine company in South Korea during her stay.

Along with the MOU, SK bioscience, and Frontier Biopharma agreed to sign a contract within the year for collaborating to establish vaccine manufacturing facilities in Serbia with support from the Serbian government.

According to the MOU, SK bioscience will utilize its own vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization capabilities for strengthening the vaccine manufacturing environment to a global-certified level, transferring technologies and know-how for pandemic preparedness, commercializing products, training human resources, and supporting the vaccine R&D in Serbia. The newly established platform will supply Serbia and other European and emerging markets from a hub in Serbia.

The Serbian government will provide administrative support related to the project and cooperate for possible supply of drug products in Serbia. Frontier Biopharma will be in charge of overall operation of the project.

The demand for localization of vaccines in Serbia where most medical devices and medicines are currently imported from Europe and the United States is growing significantly.

According to the 'Status of Korea-Serbia Cooperation Areas' report recently released by the 'Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA),' Serbia is actively seeking international collaborations and investing in biopharmaceutical and medical industry.

Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia said, "This MOU with SK bioscience and Frontier Biopharma is another proof of both Serbia's commitment to investments in BIO4 areas of biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biodiversity, as well as Serbia's attractiveness to the best global biopharmaceutical companies. Serbia will be happy and proud to host SK bioscience as its hub for the region and Europe."

Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma said, "As the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of the most established pharmaceutical manufacturers in Serbia, we are delighted to be partnering with the Government of Serbia and SK bioscience on this landmark project. SK bioscience has a world-class vaccine development and manufacturing platform which delivers access to innovative, next-generation vaccines that prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. Over the next year we will work closely with our partners to establish a manufacturing hub that will serve Serbia and international markets with products of the highest quality."

Chang won Chey, Vice Chairman of SK discovery said, "The demand for vaccine self-sufficiency has increased in the world due to the pandemic. This collaboration demonstrates that SK bioscience can contribute to global health. In addition to strengthening the Serbia's vaccine industry, we will continue to promote public health in the world."

About SK bioscience

SK bioscience is an innovative vaccine and biotech company, committed in vaccine development and manufacturing to enable more equitable access of vaccines in the world. In leveraging strengths on cutting-edge technologies, SK bioscience has been dedicated to promoting human health from prevention to cure across the globe. With cooperation of domestic and international governments, regulatory agencies, healthcare providers, doctors and medical experts, all of the SK colleagues are passionately committed to providing high-quality vaccines to those who need them and better public healthcare solutions.

About Frontier Biopharma and Zdravlje AD

Frontier Biopharma is the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of the most established pharmaceutical manufacturers in Serbia, established in 1953. The Company supplies approximately 40 markets around the world (including the EU, UK, Asia-Pacific, South Africa and Latin America) with world-class pharmaceutical products from its EU-GMP approved facilities in Leskovac, Serbia.

Contact

SK bioscience Communications Team

Changhyun Jin ([email protected])

Jeannie S. Pak ([email protected])

Tae-Gyun Kim ([email protected])

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2205342/Photo_1.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1979527/SK_bioscience_Logo.jpg

SOURCE SK bioscience
The Business Research Company's global market reports are now updated with the latest market sizing information for the year 2023 and forecasted to 2032

LONDON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per The Business Research Company's analysis, the global professional services market is poised for significant expansion, with projections indicating robust growth. It is anticipated that the market will increase in size from $7,770.09 billion in 2027, with a commendable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0%. This remarkable growth trajectory is underpinned by the expectation of stable economic growth in numerous developed and developing countries, which in turn fuels the demand for a wide array of professional services.

In this dynamic and competitive landscape, staying informed and making strategic decisions is crucial for businesses in the professional services industry. The Business Research Company (TBRC) offers invaluable support to businesses through its comprehensive reports.

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1. Electronic Contract Manufacturing and Design Services Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/electronic-contract-manufacturing-and-design-services-global-market-report

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The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in fleet management is a prominent trend that is rapidly gaining traction in the market. IoT refers to a system comprising interconnected digital and mechanical devices, objects, and computing equipment capable of transmitting data across a network without the need for human-to-human interaction. Businesses are increasingly emphasizing the integration of IoT within fleet management to automate a range of processes and streamline trip planning.

4. Healthcare Workforce Management System Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/healthcare-workforce-management-system-global-market-report

The healthcare workforce management system market is witnessing a significant trend centered around the development and integration of cutting-edge technologies. The progress of technologies like Cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is notably enhancing the overall customer experience across diverse applications within the healthcare sector.

5. Home Decor Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/home-decor-global-market-report

The home decor market is projected to expand to $788.47 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%. This growth is anticipated to be driven by the rising prevalence of smartphones and the growing adoption of e-commerce, which are expected to fuel the expansion of the home decor market in the foreseeable future.

6. Log Management Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/log-management-global-market-report

The log management market is poised to reach $4.2 billion by 2027, with a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.3%. This significant growth can be attributed to the increasing dependence on information technology and the substantial volume of log data being generated, which is driving the expansion of the log management market.

7. Product Engineering Services Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/product-engineering-services-global-market-report

The product engineering services market is forecasted to reach $1352.29 billion by 2027, exhibiting a noteworthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3%. This substantial growth is anticipated to be driven by the rising adoption of internet services, which is expected to fuel the expansion of the product engineering services market in the coming years.

8. RF Components Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/rf-components-global-market-report

The RF components market is poised to reach $58.36 billion by 2027, with a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.0%. This remarkable growth is primarily propelled by the increasing adoption of robots, which is driving rapid industrial automation and, in turn, fueling the expansion of the RF components market.

9. Robo Advisory Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/robo-advisory-global-market-report

The robo-advisory market is undergoing significant transformation due to advancements in technology. Innovations in areas like advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing are expected to greatly enhance the effectiveness of robo-advisory services. These technological strides are poised to empower robo-advisors to strengthen their value propositions and exert a more substantial influence throughout the value chain.

10. Single-cell Analysis Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/single-cell-analysis-global-market-report

The single-cell analysis market is projected to reach $5.62 billion by 2027, demonstrating a substantial compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4%. This notable growth is being driven by the increasing global emphasis on personalized medicine, which is making a significant contribution to the expansion of the single-cell analysis market.

11. Engineering Research And Development (ER&D) Outsourcing Global Market Report 2023 https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/engineering-research-and-development-outsourcing-global-market-report

The engineering research and development (ER&D) outsourcing market is anticipated to expand to $1,037.5 billion by 2027, with a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.3%. This substantial growth is primarily attributed to the increasing demand for outsourcing services, which is expected to be a key driver for the growth of the engineering research and development (ER&D) outsourcing market in the foreseeable future.

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Philadelphia Sign Company (PSCO), a leading provider of signage and branding solutions, today announced the launch of its new parent company brand, PSCO Sign Group. The move comes after the company's recent growth and national footprint expansion.

PALMYRA, N.J., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia Sign Company (PSCO), a leading provider of signage and branding solutions, today announced the launch of its new parent company brand, PSCO Sign Group. The move comes after the company's recent growth and national footprint expansion.

"We are excited to launch our new brand, PSCO Sign Group, to better align our company with our customers and our mission to make signage and branding easy for them," said Bob Mehmet, President and CEO of PSCO. "This new brand reflects our commitment to providing our customers with the best possible service, no matter where they are located."

Over the past several years, PSCO Sign Group has expanded its family of companies and services to meet its customers' needs better. The company has added ID Associates, Inc. in the Southeast, formed PSCO Kieffer in the Midwest and entered into a strategic global branding alliance through its international division, TISA. In addition, the organization is continually evolving to meet customer needs and market demands. Recent initiatives include expanding its maintenance and lighting division, creating a disaster preparedness team, and enhancing its wayfinding services.

The new brand will be rolled out across all PSCO Sign Group's companies, with a single website, social media channels, and marketing materials. This consolidation will improve the customer experience by making finding needed information easier and connecting with the company. The company also integrates aspects of its operations to serve its customers better.

"We believe that the launch of PSCO Sign Group is a major milestone in our company's history," said Mehmet. "This new brand will help us to better connect with our customers and to continue to grow our business."

PSCO Sign Group is the parent company of Philadelphia Sign, ID Associates, and PSCO Kieffer. We are a leading signage and branding solutions provider with over 115 years of experience. Our organization is a privately held family-owned business that understands the industry and is committed to making the best decisions for our customers. We have over 587,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities and offices in Palmyra, NJ, Pennsauken, NJ, Littleton, MA, Dothan, AL, Palmetto, FL; and Sheboygan, WI. These are complemented by additional sales and service locations nationwide to connect our customers' brands with their audience  globally, regionally, and locally.

Follow PSCO Sign Group on LinkedIn or our website - www.pscosigngroup.com for more company news and project updates.

Media Contact:

Carly DeGrasse

***@pscosigngroup.com

8568291460

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12983261

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE PSCO Sign Group
Private bridge operating company to discuss its plan to fund with 100% equity upfront, build on a 3-year construction schedule, and operate a new bridge.

LEONARDTOWN, Md., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As follow-up to United Bridge Partners' presentation before the Commissioners of St. Mary's County (CSMC) on April 18, where it demonstrated its track record of previously deploying over $900 million across five states, and rebuilding, and operating six bridges in need that were perpetually unfunded, and how it could deliver a similar solution for the Thomas Johnson Bridge, the company is hosting public forums to hear directly from the community.

The company is hosting four meetings in the county where it will present, provide two-minute timeslots for direct public comment and questions, and offer a survey. The meetings in the county will result in a report to be presented to the CSMC.

The meetings will take place from 7  8 p.m. at the following times and locations:

Thursday September 28  Lexington Park Library

21677 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Blvd , Lexington Park, MD 20653

Tuesday, October 3  Lexington Park Library

21677 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Blvd , Lexington Park, MD 20653

Thursday October 5  Leonardtown Library

23630 Hayden Farm Ln , Leonardtown , MD 20650

About United Bridge Partners: United Bridge Partners funds, designs, builds, owns, and operates private toll bridges across the United States. Its mission is to creatively deliver and operate transportation infrastructure for America's Communities. UBP is responsible for all long-term operations and maintenance, customer service, and tolling back office activities and integrates into the community by creating economic opportunities, opening a permanent local office and actively participating in local events  www.unitedbridgepartners.com.

For More Information Contact:

Addison Smith

Alta Crest LLC

Ph: (202) 277-6678

E: [email protected]

SOURCE United Bridge Partners
BELOIT, Wis., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regal Rexnord Corporation (NYSE: RRX)

Regal Rexnord Corporation ("Regal Rexnord") today announced its decision, effective immediately, to change its corporate address from 200 State Street, Beloit, Wisconsin 53511 to:

111 West Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203

The new corporate location, one of the Company's largest offices, is already the headquarters for its Industrial Powertrain Solutions business segment. Its Power Efficiency Solutions business segment headquarters are located just north of Milwaukee, in Grafton, WI, and the Milwaukee area is home to several other Regal Rexnord facilities.

Regal Rexnord, formerly known as Regal Beloit Corporation, was headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin for over 30 years and currently has two facilities within the Beloit-Stateline area.

CEO Louis Pinkham commented on the news, noting, "We are pleased to make this change, recognizing our increased presence in Southeastern Wisconsin. We honor our roots and appreciate the wonderful relationship we continue to maintain with the Beloit-Stateline area."

The Company confirmed that none of the Regal Rexnord associates making up various functional and business teams in Beloit and South Beloit are being displaced as a result of this address change.

Mr. Pinkham added, "While we anticipate some of our leaders spending more time in Milwaukee, we are a decentralized organization, and we continue to collaborate effectively among all our RRX sites, for the benefit of all our stakeholders. Changing our headquarters address does not change that approach to collaboration."

About Regal Rexnord

Regal Rexnord Corporation is a global leader in the engineering and manufacturing of factory automation sub-systems, industrial powertrain solutions, automation and mechanical power transmission components, electric motors and electronic controls, air moving products, and specialty electrical components and systems, serving customers around the world. Through longstanding technology leadership and an intentional focus on producing more energy-efficient products and systems, Regal Rexnord helps create a better tomorrow  for its customers and for the planet.

Regal Rexnord is comprised of four operating segments: Automation & Motion Control, Industrial Powertrain Solutions, Power Efficiency Solutions and Industrial Systems. Regal Rexnord is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities worldwide. For more information, visit RegalRexnord.com.

SOURCE Regal Rexnord Corporation
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States military has reached an all-time low when it comes to recruitment. Through incompatible ideals, differing beliefs, and socio-cultural factors, recruiters are struggling to connect with the younger generation. As a member of Generation Z himself, Second Lieutenant Matthew Weiss tackles the source of the problem and proposes solutions in his best-seller We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z.

"The current status of military recruiting in the United States is terrifyingly grim," says Weiss. "Recruitment levels are at their lowest since the Vietnam era." Through personal stories and macro analysis, Weiss recalls the issues that Gen Z has with the military and proposes potential solutions. Weiss organizes his point into four parts: Recruiting Fundamentals, Workforce Parity, Sociocultural Influences, and Scope of Service. Broken down further into 21 key points, he explores the meaning behind work, the digital age, modern healthcare, gender-based disparity, preparing for the future, and much more.

This book provides viable solutions to the shortfall in Gen Z recruits.

Grady Harp, USMC Battalion Surgeon, Vietnam,

Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer

"Often the biggest personal driver for Gen Z is the desire to feel needed. Overall, being needed is perhaps the biggest self-interest trigger of all. When one is needed, one feels a deep call to answer that need to win true self-satisfaction and community approval. Uncle Sam needs Gen Z, it's time we show it," Weiss says.

An impeccably researched and thoughtful guide not just for military leaders,

but for leaders of all institutions.

John Della Volpe, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics

As the premier Generation Z military figure, Matthew Weiss speaks from his own experience as well as his extensive research into the subject. Weiss sums up the key message of his book: "We must rebuild the value proposition of military service by demonstrating the benefits of the world's greatest physical social network." The book is #1 in Amazon's Military Life & Institutions category and #8 in Military Policy.

Available on Amazon and the author's website: https://www.unclesambook.org/

Second Lieutenant Matthew Weiss is an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Previously, he worked in mergers and acquisitions at a cutting-edge defense technology company. He holds a BS and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Weis was recently interviewed by the NY Post about the Gen Z recruitment crisis. https://bit.ly/NY_Post_Gen_Z

Media Contact: Scott Lorenz of Westwind Book Marketing at [email protected] or 248-705-2214. Twitter @abookpublicist.

SOURCE Matthew Weiss
Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang and delegates listened to an introduction about the Ho Chi Minh Space in the Museum of Living History at Montreau Park. (Photo: VNA)

After the incense offering ceremony, the delegation led by Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang offered flowers at President Ho Chi Minhs Monument and visited the Ho Chi Minh Space at the Museum of Living History at Montreau Park.

In his speech, Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang affirmed Uncle Ho's great contributions to the country, Vietnamese people and modern Vietnamese diplomacy. He emphasized that activities commemorating President Ho Chi Minh are even more meaningful in 2023, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and France, because Uncle Ho was devoted to fostering friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries.

Speaking at the flower offering ceremony at President Ho Chi Minhs Monument at Montreau Park, Ms. Le Gourrierec, City Council Member in charge of Heritage, expressed her pride in standing side by side with Vietnam's just struggle in the past and to continue to cooperate on local channels, and especially honored to be the place to preserve relics of a period of revolutionary activities on President Ho Chi Minh's journey to find a way to save the country in France.

The delegation visited the Ho Chi Minh Space at the Museum of Living History, where many images and artifacts about Uncle Ho are preserved./.
MORRISVILLE, N.C., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sparta Biomedical, a privately held medical device company specializing in partial knee resurfacing, is excited to announce Dr. Adam Yanke's presentation at the 2023 ICRS World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Yanke is renowned for his years of dedication as a researcher, instructor, and clinician in knee cartilage repair. At the can't-miss Innovation Den at the congress, he will be sharing Sparta Biomedical's novel breakthrough device, Ormi and its compelling preclinical data to peer surgeons and a panel of academic experts. This will be a unique opportunity for conference attendees to hear firsthand about Ormi's potential to redefine partial knee resurfacing.

The presentation will be held on Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 7:15am.

About Sparta Biomedical

The Company has developed a first-of-its-kind device, Ormi, to treat knee osteoarthritis. Ormi was granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the US FDA.

The impact of knee osteoarthritis cannot be ignored, with a staggering 651 million people worldwide affected by this debilitating condition. The associated morbidity and cost of this disease are significant, making it crucial to find effective solutions. This is where Ormi comes in - unlike other technologies that focus on cartilage regeneration approaches which can take a long time to grow and not as strong as the original, Ormi is different. It mimics the properties of healthy human cartilage right from day one, providing an innovative and groundbreaking solution to this widespread problem.

For more information, please visit https://www.spartabiomedical.com/

Ormi is not approved by the FDA and not commercially available. It is in development. Approval timelines are subject to testing, results, and the FDA review process.

SOURCE Sparta Biomedical Inc
DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Special Mission Aircraft Market Report 2023-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report explores the dynamics of the special mission aircraft market from 2023 to 2033, predicting substantial revenue growth during this period. With an anticipated value surpassing US$16.14 billion in 2023, the report highlights the organizations poised for success. By understanding the capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects of key players, businesses can position themselves advantageously in the market.

Market Overview:

In a global context of increasing security complexities, governments and defense organizations are prioritizing airspace safeguarding and asset protection. Special mission aircraft emerge as indispensable assets, offering surveillance, intelligence gathering, and reconnaissance capabilities. These aircraft equipped with cutting-edge sensor suites enable real-time intelligence for decision-makers, crucial in counter-terrorism, border security, and detecting illicit activities.

Market Dynamics:

The report examines the driving forces, constraints, and opportunities shaping the special mission aircraft market:

Driving Factors:

Increasing global security threats demand specialized capabilities.

Growing demand for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Technological advancements in avionics, sensors, communication systems, and unmanned technologies.

Rise in natural disasters bolstering the need for special mission aircraft.

Restraining Factors:

High acquisition and operating costs associated with specialized aircraft.

Regulatory and certification challenges.

Limited availability of skilled personnel.

Risk of technological obsolescence.

Market Opportunities:

Growing demand for border security and surveillance.

Expansion of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Rise in environmental monitoring and research.

Emergence of commercial special mission applications.

Segments Covered:

The report categorizes the market by point of sale, aircraft type, platform type, payload type, and application. Additionally, it offers revenue forecasts for leading national markets across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Leading Companies:

Profiles of key players in the special mission aircraft market are included in the report. These include:

AeroVironment, Inc.

Airbus SE

BAE Systems PLC

Bombardier Inc.

Elbit Systems Ltd.

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

L3Harris Technologies Inc.

Leonardo S.p.A

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Saab AB

Textron Aviation Inc.

Thales Group

The Boeing Company

This report is an essential resource for industry leaders, stakeholders, and companies looking to expand into different industries or regions. It provides invaluable insights into the special mission aircraft market, helping businesses make informed decisions to thrive in this dynamic landscape.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vlgen5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Development of the Taiwan Information and Communications Technology Industry, 2023 and Beyond" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides an overview of the Taiwan information and communication technology industry with statistical facts.

It examines the development of the Taiwan information hardware industry, analyzing shipment value and volume by product category, including notebook PC, desktop PC, tablet, motherboard, and server system.

It also investigates the growth of the Taiwan communications hardware industry, assessing shipment value and volume by product category, such as smartphone, WLAN NIC, DSL modem, cable modem, PON CPE, cable STB, IP STB, and OTT STB.

Furthermore, the report delves into the future prospects of both the Taiwan information hardware and communications hardware industries, offering production value forecasts for the period 2023-2026.

Key Topics Covered:

Development of the Taiwan Information and Communication Technology Industry

Development of the Taiwan Information Hardware Industry

Development of the Taiwan Communications Hardware Industry

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Amazon

AMD

Applied Materials

ASML

Dell

Google

Merck

Meta

Micron

Microsoft

Mitsubishi Chemical

NXP

Qualcomm

Supermicro

Synopsys

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nlszgu

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
TOKYO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TeraBox, the cloud storage brainchild of Japanese technology firm Flextech Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, is proudly marking the first-year milestone of its highly successful Referral Program. Under the banner of "share to be rich," the TeraBox Referral Program has gathered significant traction, rallying users worldwide to join its ranks. TeraBox marks its anniversary with the #TeraBoxLifeUpgrade TikTok challenge, attracting participants, including KOLs, to showcase Referral Program earnings and benefits, gaining 20 million views.

The Referral Program, a cornerstone of TeraBox's success, beckons prospective users with its simple five-step enrollment process, involving "register, select a plan, upload files, share links, and collect rewards", enabling them to monetize their participation in the Referral Program. The community's resounding choice of the program's official slogan, "share to be rich," exemplifies TeraBox's vision of fostering a culture of sharing that leads to financial prosperity, attracting a diverse range of users. It comes as no surprise that TeraBox has become the talk of the town.

TeraBox's impact goes far and wide, reaching 214 countries and regions around the world. From India to Indonesia, Brazil to the United States, TeraBox has gained a loyal following of diverse webmasters who help spread the wealth. The program's success has attracted webmasters from all corners of the globe, with India leading the way with approximately 90,000 webmasters. Indonesia follows with 40,000, while Brazil and the United States each boast 20,000. And it doesn't stop there-countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan have all jumped on board, contributing to TeraBox's global presence.

With over 500,000 webmasters across the globe, the program has become a lucrative avenue for income generation. Webmasters are reaping an average daily income of $83, with some achieving staggering single-day earnings of up to $7,636. Notably, since its inception, TeraBox has witnessed one webmaster amass a remarkable $109,947 in earnings within a year, setting a new benchmark of success.

The TeraBox Referral Program has successfully operated for over 365 days, achieving remarkable success thanks to the unwavering support of its users and webmasters. TeraBox launched the #TeraBoxLifeUpgrade challenge on TikTok to celebrate the remarkable journeys of our Referral Program participants. This captivating challenge has witnessed over 50 active participants, including renowned KOLs, proudly displaying their monthly earnings from the Referral Program, amassing an impressive 20 million views. Through engaging videos, they've spotlighted its key benefits, including generous profit-sharing, user-friendly operations, and swift withdrawal processes.

Lately, the company launches the TeraBox Paid Content Plan, enabling the users to turn creativity into tangible income. Photographers, illustrators, and original video creators alike can now set flexible prices for their premium content, with users must pay to access and enjoy uploaded videos. It's worth emphasizing that TeraBox takes no fee, allowing creators the possibility of earning up to $100 per link, with their creativity rightfully compensated under the TeraBox Paid Content Plan.

TeraBox App is available for download on Android, iOS, and Windows devices, data can also be accessed online at www.terabox.com.

To learn more about the TeraBox Referral Program for additional income, please visit https://terabox.onelink.me/yqcq/ij4vgrdg

About TeraBox

TeraBox, powered by Flextech Inc. in Japan, is a leading global cloud storage solution. With its Tokyo headquarters, TeraBox proudly serves over 100 million users globally, providing a simple yet powerful way to store and manage data. Offering a generous 1TB of free storage, TeraBox ensures your files are safe and accessible anywhere.

SOURCE TeraBox
YANCHENG, China, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 World Coastal Forum will be held in Yancheng from September 25 to 27, aiming to create a global cooperation platform in the field of coastal ecology with clear orientation, diversified participation, strong actions and rich products, according to the Information Office of Yancheng Municipal People's Government.

The World Coastal Forum originated from the Yellow (Bo) Sea Wetland International Conference, which has been held for four consecutive sessions in Yancheng. With the theme of "Our Coasts: Green and Low-carbon Development", the conference will hold four themed forums and more than 10 special seminars.

Yancheng has the largest coastal wetland on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, the largest coastal wetland on the edge of the Asian continent, and the vast lake wetland in the Lixia River area. Yancheng has two international business cards of "World Natural Heritage" and "International Wetland City". In recent years, Yancheng has actively practiced the concept of "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", planted a solid ecological foundation, and painted a new picture of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, providing a copyable and scalable Yancheng Plan for global coastal ecological protection and restoration. During the continuous protection of rare and endangered wild animals and plants in the wild, habitat protection and restoration, Yancheng observed the successful natural reproduction of wild red-crowned cranes for seven consecutive years. The milu deer population in the protection area reached 7,840, including 3,356 in the wild.

The current Yancheng is deeply participating in international ecological governance dialogue and cooperation, advocating and building an ecological economic circle around the Yellow Sea, and carrying out pragmatic cooperation in ecological mutual learning and economic integration. From assisting the protection of migratory birds, to holding the World Coastal Forum, to promoting the application of the Yellow (Bo) Sea region for World Natural Heritage, and preparing for the establishment of the World Coastal Wetland Cities Alliance, Yancheng actively builds an exchange and cooperation platform for coastal wetland cities around the world, creating an "ecological environment" "Circle of friends", gathering global wisdom, conspiring with poetry and distance.

SOURCE The Information Office of Yancheng Municipal People's Government
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Legal Finance Association (ALFA) objects on behalf of its 30 members to the Case Management Order No. 61 issued by U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers on August 29, 2023 in the 3M Combat Arms Earplug Product Litigation. The Order prohibits claimants in the Litigation from obtaining consumer legal funding without court approval, and does not cite any applicable factual basis or legal precedent for such an order. The Order was issued without providing any due process to ALFA members whose funding contracts are in demand by claimants.

Credit: The American Legal Finance Association (ALFA)

"U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers Case Management Order regarding Litigation funding in the 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation goes well beyond the current treatment of such fundings by the Federal judiciary and exceeds the Court's authority under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," said Jack Kelly, ALFA Managing Director. "While a small number of Federal courts have required the disclosure of pre-settlement funding deals, no Federal court has barred plaintiffs their constitutional right to contract for necessary financial assistance while they wait for recovery in the Litigation.

Legal and economic experts widely agree that responsible consumer funding of the type offered by ALFA members provides a vital lifeline for claimants to pay living and medical expenses during a lengthy litigation process, and to avoid resorting to other sources of money that are considerably more expensive and can have very negative credit consequences. Those benefits should be freely available to claimants in this Litigation who are represented by counsel.

The American Legal Finance Association recognizes the Court's concern that some irresponsible providers of consumer funding, who are not members of ALFA, have engaged in predatory practices in another large mass tort settlement. ALFA filed an amicus curiae brief in that case to support joint enforcement action of the New York Attorney General and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Board against those funding firms. ALFA has also spoken out against bad industry actors and strongly advocates for fair, ethical, and transparent funding standards across the consumer legal funding industry.

While ALFA recognizes the Court's desire to protect claimants from abuse, Judge Rodgers' Order prohibits claimants in the Litigation from exercising their constitutional right to contract for financial assistance, an act that no other judicial body, federal or state, has ever taken. That is objectionable, and should be reconsidered based on a more complete record.

About the American Legal Finance Association (ALFA): ALFA represents the leading consumer legal funding companies nationwide. The organization supports sensible regulation in the industry that protects consumers through increased transparency while ensuring access to consumer legal funding. Learn more at https://www.americanlegalfin.com/ .

SOURCE The American Legal Finance Association
GLENDORA, Calif., Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The B.R. Companies announces the appointment of Merrill Eisenhower Atwater as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). In this pivotal role, Merrill will spearhead key growth initiatives for both The B.R. Companies (BR) and The Legacy Group, a sister company.

B.R. Companies appoints Merrill Eisenhower Atwater as Chief Strategy Officer to lead growth initiatives. Post this Merrill Eisenhower Atwater. Chief Strategy Officer for the BR Companies

Merrill, a lifelong business executive, has experience in national sales, marketing, operations, international business, diplomacy, and healthcare. His operational expertise and business growth initiative experience have been tested in numerous markets across various business sectors nationwide. Merrill joins BR with a remarkable track record and a wealth of experience in strategic growth and business development. His addition to the team marks a strategic step forward in the development of BR's overall strategy.

In his capacity as CSO, Merrill will play a central role in driving growth strategies that are integral to the vision of BR. With his deep-rooted passion for community development, he will be a driving force in realizing the shared goals of BR and Legacy. Merrill's commitment will assist the company in furthering the growth in the Midwest region. His efforts have already yielded substantial progress, and his ongoing involvement promises to bring even greater achievements.

As the great-grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Merrill is regularly called upon to be the guest of governmental and cultural international leadership. His international business accomplishments and accolades have seen him named the Honorary Ambassador of and received several international awards.He sits on the International Board of Directors for People to People International, the Menaul School, and the United States Congressional Award Foundation. He serves as the Honorary Ambassador to Chuncheon City, South Korea and sat on the National Association of State Aviation Officials. His awards include the Federal Aviation Administration's prestigious Impact Award and Ingram's 40 Under 40 in Kansas City. He sits on the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Leadership Circle and was selected by Who's Who for his work as a businessman.

The B.R. Companies is a real estate, development, construction, and finance company with six locations throughout the United States and three in Mexico.

The Legacy Group is focused on developing rural America, with a primary focus on solving healthcare challenges in these communities through Legacy Health Foundation 501(c)3. The company currently operates in the Midwest and has plans to expand its programs throughout the United States in collaboration with local community leaders and businesses.

SOURCE The BR Companies
All-Clad, an American company founded in 1971 in Canonsburg and a brand of Groupe SEB since 2004, that has built on its heritage of craftsmanship and quickly established its reputation in the world of professional gastronomy. For over 50 years, All-Clad has been constantly innovating to design and manufacture premium cookware that meets the demands of the world's greatest professional chefs.

It is logical that, faithful to its values of gastronomic excellence, All-Clad becomes Main Partner of the Bocuse d'Or - an event of the Sirha Food ecosystem - from September 2023 and official supplier during its French selection at the "Grand Palais Ephemere" in Paris. Because the Bocuse d'Or competition has been honoring the technique, the commitment and the human values of chefs and professionals of the "Haute Cuisine" for 30 years, the two brands intend to carry on the legacy of Paul Bocuse together.

Stanislas de Gramont, CEO of Groupe SEB reveals: "We are proud to join the Bocuse d'Or family as a Major Partner and to support all the selections that will take part in this prestigious competition. Groupe SEB is even prouder to be able to support the Chefs during the competitions with cookware from our iconic American brand All-Clad. This is the brand's major comeback outside the USA, where it has a strong presence. A symbol of robustness and excellence for over 50 years, the brand is constantly innovating to equip Chefs and cooking enthusiasts with exceptional products for this exciting and constantly evolving world. Building on the values bequeathed to us by our founders over 165 years ago, we design and manufacture products that facilitate and embellish the daily lives of consumers and contribute to better living, everywhere in the world."

Beyond its commitment to the Bocuse d'Or with All-Clad, Groupe SEB supports Sirha Omnivore - also in the Sirha Food ecosystem - the festival of "Young Cuisine" that celebrates its 20th anniversary from 10th to 12th September in Paris, with the brand Lagostina as Main Partner.

"To celebrate Italian cuisine, which is the focus of this edition of Sirha Omnivore, Groupe SEB has chosen the Lagostinabrand, the finest ambassador of Italian "savoir-vivre" in the world. Lagostina'sexpertise is a blend of tradition and modernity that appeals to lovers of a certain Italian art of living, combining elegance, aesthetics and high performance in tableware and top-of-the-range cookware" adds Stanislas de Gramont, CEO of Groupe SEB.

Founded in 1901 in Omegna, Italy, Lagostina joined Groupe SEB in 2005. For over 120 years, thanks to a unique industrial know-how, passionate and inventive teams have been designing and manufacturing culinary collections combining exceptional cooking performance, preserved taste and food quality, and extreme durability. Values shared by Sirha Omnivore since the beginning in 2003, following the example of the "Young Cuisine" chefs who, with an acute awareness of their territories, producers and environment, creates a wild, personal and distinctive cuisine.

"The creation of Sirha Omnivore in 2003 was a response to the need to bring together chefs, restaurateurs, producers, craftsmen, winegrowers and food professionals, to give them a platform for exchange and meetings. A need that is just as valid today, explains Luc Dubanchet, Founder of Sirha Omnivore et Director of Sirha Food. 20 years later, we are proud to move forward with a new industrial partner as Lagostina to defend shared values like innovation and sustainability. It is also a step forward that we are taking together with Groupe SEB thanks to this two- years commitment to Sirha Food events. Because the world of food today can only be considered in terms of porosity, in moving territories, alive, concludes him."

To meet Groupe SEB during Sirha Food events in September:

Bocuse d'Or France  8 September 2023  Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris

Press and accreditations contact: [email protected]

Sirha Omnivore  10-12 September 2023 - Parc Floral in Paris

Press meeting in the Lagostina stand: Sunday 10th September at 6:30pm.

Press and accreditations contact: [email protected]

Find us on www.groupeseb.com

World reference in small domestic equipment, Groupe SEB operates with a unique portfolio of 35 top brands including Tefal, Seb, Rowenta, Moulinex, Krups, Lagostina, All-Clad, WMF, Emsa, Supor, marketed through multi-format retailing. Selling nearly 350 million products a year, it deploys a long-term strategy focused on innovation, international development, competitiveness, and client service. Present in over 150 countries, Groupe SEB generated sales near 8 billion in 2022 and has more than 30,000 employees worldwide.

SOURCE Groupe SEB
Fostering Medical Research and Knowledge Transfer that Transcend Borders

HONG KONG, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation (the Foundation) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) today made an announcement regarding a donation of 1 million (equivalent to approximately HK$10 million) from the Foundation to RCSEd. The donation will be allocated towards the establishment of the RCSEd Dr Li Shu Fan International Professorship (the Professorship), a ground-breaking initiative launched in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd).

The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation donates 1 million& to establish the RCSEd Dr Li Shu Fan International Professorship. Dr Walton LI Wai Tat (right), Medical Superintendent of Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, CEO of HKSH Medical Group, and Chairman and Board of Governors of The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation and Professor Michael GRIFFIN OBE (left), Past President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh signed an MoU which marks the collaboration between the Foundation and RCSEd in fostering surgical education and research.

The establishment of this pioneering professorship highlights the Foundation's commitment to promoting international knowledge exchange, connections and driving medical excellence and innovation. It aims to enhance surgical education and research while advancing knowledge and practices through collaborations and exchanges. This endeavour will make a significant contribution to the development of the surgical field in the global medical community.

Thanks to the funding provided by the Professorship, a distinguished fellow of the RCSEd, based in either Hong Kong or the United Kingdom, will receive an annual award to facilitate them undertaking research activities during the Professorship.

In addition to the Professorship, the Foundation and RCSEd have collaborated to establish the prestigious "Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Presidential Lecture" series in Hong Kong. The inaugural lecture, delivered by Professor Michael GRIFFIN, the Immediate Past President of RCSEd, took place at the Li Shu Pui Symposium hosted by the HKSH Medical Group (HKSH) on 3 September 2023. This annual lecture series will feature distinguished RCSEd fellows sharing new developments in international surgical education and research, reinforcing the commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and expertise in the field.

Dr Walton LI Wai Tat, Medical Superintendent of Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, CEO of HKSH Medical Group, and Chairman and Board of Governors of The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation, explained the reasoning behind the launch of the new professorship. "As the oldest surgical college in the world with a global reputation for medical excellence and innovation, RCSEd has played a pivotal and historic role in shaping the development of surgery in Hong Kong and beyond. The establishment of the RCSEd Dr Li Shu Fan International Professorship is a momentous milestone in our ongoing commitment to fulfilling the vision of advancing medical education and research. It signifies our shared vision with the RCSEd to foster global collaboration and innovation in medicine."

"Through this professorship, we aim to cultivate a platform for international knowledge exchange. By harnessing the collective expertise and resources of both institutions, this initiative will enable us to explore innovative approaches to healthcare, surgical practices, and medical education so that we can achieve our aim of advancing healthcare globally, improving clinical outcomes, and leaving a lasting legacy for future generations," Dr LI continued.

Dr LI highlighted the historical significance of the newly established professorship, stating, "Dr LI Shu Fan was the first Hong Kong surgeon elected as a Fellow of RCSEd in 1922. His unique bond with his alma mater not only enriches the depth and significance of the collaboration with RCSEd but also underscores the Foundation's longstanding dedication to healthcare and innovation, rooted in a strong heritage."

Professor Rowan PARKS, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Foundation for its steadfast support. Professor PARKS said, "It is an honour to partner with the Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation in establishing the Professorship and lecture series, which will provide a sustainable source of funding for our membership to conduct impactful and meaningful research and educational activities on an international scale. The Professorship represents a significant stride towards strengthening global medical connections and fostering excellence and innovation. We look forward to advancing the frontiers of medical knowledge and delivering exceptional healthcare outcomes together in the years to come."

Past President, Professor S Michael GRIFFIN OBE, a key architect of the new Professorship said, "I am thrilled to witness the realisation of this significant initiative. We have worked hard with the Foundation to ensure the Professorship is impactful and global in its ambitions. Hong Kong plays a crucial role in our international endeavors, and I have always advocated for close collaboration to maximise shared learning and opportunities. I am immensely grateful that HKSH Medical Group shares our ambitions in this regard. We are building on an important past and investing in an exciting future for our membership and in the longer term, patients worldwide. "

The Professorship is named in honour of Dr LI Shu Fan (1887-1966), the founding member and former medical superintendent of Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital (HKSH). Admitted in 1922, Dr LI was the first Fellow of the RCSEd from Hong Kong. He also served as a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong as well as head of the Canton Kung Yee University Medical School in Guangzhou. Dr LI Shu Fan was a distinguished leader in the medical profession and played a major role in pioneering Western medicine in China and promoting the health of his compatriots. This same vision is encapsulated in his decision to establish The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation in 1963, which is dedicated to promoting medical education, research, and supporting medical charity.

In addition to recognising the achievements of dedicated clinicians in different fields, the Professorship also demonstrates HKSH's and RCSEd's commitment to promoting advanced scientific research and patient care which will have a global impact for patients.

About The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation

The Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation was inaugurated in March 1963 to promote and support medical education, research and charity in Hong Kong. Since its inception, the not-for-profit Foundation has also been a major driving force of the development and improvement of the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital as well as the HKSH Medical Group in terms of medical research, educational activities and service improvement.

About HKSH Medical Group

Officially launched in September 2017, HKSH Medical Group promotes public health and advanced medicine through a multi-faceted, coordinated approach across clinical services, medical education, scientific research and public health education. Members of the Group, including Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, HKSH Healthcare and HKSH Eastern Medical Centre, are dedicated to offering top-quality holistic care to patients, upholding the motto 'Quality in Service, Excellence in Care.'

Established in 1922, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital is one of the key members of HKSH Medical Group and a leading private hospital in Hong Kong. Living up to its motto of 'Quality in Service, Excellence in Care', the Hospital is committed to serving the public as well as promoting medical education and research.

For more information, please find www.hksh.com.

About the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSE d)

RCSEd was first incorporated as the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1505 and is based in Edinburgh and Birmingham. It is one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world with a worldwide membership of more than 30,000, which includes 15,000 members in the UK. The College also has a significant global presence with members in over 100 countries worldwide. The College promotes the highest standards of surgical and dental practice through education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical and dental workforce. It is also home to the UK's only Faculty of Surgical Trainers, open to all those with an interest in surgical training regardless of College affiliation.

For more information, please find www.rcsed.ac.uk, on Twitter, on Facebook, and Instagram.

SOURCE HKSH Medical Group; the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd)
DETROIT, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranks University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) among the top higher education institutions in the United States for 2024.

This year, UDM was ranked No. 52, making it:

The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranks University of Detroit Mercy among top universities nationwide Post this

Michigan's second highest-ranking university on the list.

second highest-ranking university on the list. Fourth among Catholic institutions behind Georgetown , Boston College and Notre Dame .

, and . The third-highest ranked Jesuit university and only Mercy institution ranked.

UDM also ranked well in the following categories:

No. 48 in social mobility, which rewards universities with the highest proportion of students coming from lower-income families and maintain high graduation rates. It weighs in favor of schools that have a positive impact on the salaries of graduates, and that keep the costs of attending low.

No. 65 in salary impact, which lists schools in order of their impact on graduates' salaries in relation to the cost of attending.

No. 137 for student experience, based on a survey of more than 60,000 college students.

Each year, Detroit Mercy works to improve the experience of all students. For example, in June the College of Health Professions opened the Simulation, Technology and Research (STAR) Center, which represents the future of healthcare education. More at https://healthprofessions.udmercy.edu/about/star-center/.

This fall, UDM welcomed 558 freshmen, the largest incoming class in more than 14 years. Of this number, 260 will be the first in their family to earn a bachelor's degree. And these students are smart: 18 students graduated from their high schools as valedictorians and salutatorians, and the average GPA for this year's class was 3.65 on a weighted 4.0 scale.

To learn more about the 2024 WSJ/College Pulse rankings, please visit https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/wsj-best-college-rankings-princeton-12c44c47.

About University of Detroit Mercy

University of Detroit Mercy is Michigan's largest and most comprehensive Catholic university, sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy and the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Today's University boasts the heritage of two founding institutions: the University of Detroit, founded in 1877 by the Jesuits, and Mercy College of Detroit, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1941. The two consolidated as University of Detroit Mercy in 1990. Detroit Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional academic degrees and programs through seven schools and colleges. Detroit Mercy educates the whole person, focusing on the value of excellent academics, service to the community and a deeper spirituality to prepare graduates to live lives of purpose and conscience. For more information, please visit www.udmercy.edu.

SOURCE University of Detroit Mercy
Qabil Ashirov

The relationship between Armenia and Russia is getting tense. In an interview with Italian media, Pashinyan lashed out at Russia and called it a big mistake to rely on Russia. Later, Armenia recalled its permanent representative in the CSTO. Meanwhile, the Spokeswoman of Russian Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova, and the Press Secretary of Russian President Sergeyevich Peskov slammed Pashinyan. It seems that the relationship between Russia and Armenia has entered a deadlock.

However, the Economist, and politician Natig Jafarly told in a comment to AZERNEWS that it is an illusion. He called the happenings a mutual combat.

I don't believe in Armenia-Russia "tension", it looks like a mutual combat. Despite being pro-West, Pashinyan is not stupid. He knows well the level of his country's dependence on Russia and the steps that Moscow can take. It is well-known who gunned the Armenian parliament, and in addition, Russia has a military base in Armenia, and it controls all power structures and economy of Armenia, he said.

Natig Jafarly opined that Russia is deliberately overrates Pashinyan's "political price" in the West. He pointed out that in the wake of the Ukraine war, the West imposed sanctions against the Kremlin, and tightened them almost every month. Russia immediately began to use the Eurasian and Customs Union countries which are under its control to circumvent the sanctions. A special place was allocated to Armenia - this country began to buy semiconductors from the West and export them to Russia.

With the help of this scheme, the trade turnover between the two countries ramped up. In 2021, the trade turnover totaled $2.6bn, and Armenia's exports to Russia amounted to $710m.

In 2022, the trade turnover between the two countries doubled and reached to $5bn. and Armenia's exports to Russia amounted to $3bn, i.e., exports increased 4.3 times in 1 year and reached $3bn. Of course, this is not organic and natural growth.

In the first 7 months of 2023, the trade turnover of these countries is $3.7bn, and the Armenian export to Russia totaled $2.1bn. By the end of the year, the turnover is expected to reach $5.9bn and Yerevan's export to Moscow will be $4bn. That is, it will increase by 5.7 times. It is clear that the Kremlin makes good use of Armenia, and mostly acquires "dual purpose" products through Armenia. In the last 2 years, Russia received semiconductors which costed $3bn through the Milur Electronics company and its branches which is registered in Armenia, the Economist noted.

He said that the sharp increase in trade turnover of Armenia's exports to Russia relates to this factor. As is known, Semiconductors mean rockets, and drones and it is, a very important issue for the Kremlin.

The West had already imposed some sanctions against Armenia, but preparations were underway for greater sanctions. As a "coincidence", Russian-Armenian relations "spoiled" at this time - Zakharova and others quickly began to stigmatize Pashinyan, saying that he was pro-Western, and began to "inflate his price" in the West; Armenia for the first time sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine; Pashinyan's wife went to Kyiv and gave a speech, and met with Zelensky. All this serves to create an image of Pashinyan "fighting with Russia," to prevent further sanctions, he said,

He added that in this mutual combat, Russia wins because it gets semiconductors to produce sophisticated weapons; Armenia wins because its economy and population are gaining money from "exports" to Russia; and the West sells its semiconductors.

The only loser is Ukraine. Now is the time for Kyiv, to use its influence on the world political elite and explain that the semiconductors supplied by Armenia to Russia means drones and missiles that rained down on Ukraine. Ukraine should demand sanctions on Armenia, he emphasized.
Guests participate in a mooncake making workshop during a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sept. 3, 2023. Hungary's second-largest city, Debrecen, came alive with cultural splendor as it hosted on Sunday a delightful celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which will fall on Sept. 29 this year. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

by Geza Molnar, Chen Hao

DEBRECEN, Hungary, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hungary's second-largest city, Debrecen, came alive with cultural splendor as it hosted on Sunday a delightful celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which will fall on Sept. 29 this year.

Jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the China Cultural Center in Budapest, the Hungarian Tourism Office in Budapest, the Confucius Institute at the University of Debrecen and a local public welfare company, the event at Debrecen's Kolcsey Centre attracted a diverse crowd of local residents.

Beyond mooncake making -- a central tradition in Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the event also featured a Suzhou City Photo Exhibition, a fashion show of Hanfu (an ancient clothing traditionally used to be worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese), folk musical instrument performances, rabbit lamp making, and Chinese tea tasting.

Bernadett, a 14-year-old girl, marveled at Chinese culture's beauty, from the architecture to the kindness of the people. She found the Hanfu show and the photo exhibition deeply meaningful, expressing her appreciation for the culture. "The buildings are so amazing and people are so kind," she told Xinhua.

Another young participant, Greta Szaszi, a high school student in Debrecen, admired the sophistication and family orientation of Chinese culture, noting its similarity to Hungarian culture. She also found the complexity of mooncakes intriguing, as it reflected the dedication and soul Chinese people put into their culinary creations.

Speaking to Xinhua during the festivities, Debrecen's Vice Mayor Istvan Puskas highlighted the event's success in fostering a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.

Deeming Chinese culture as a part of Debrecen for decades, with elements like Chinese gastronomy, sports, and music finding their place in the city's fabric, Puskas emphasized this event, featuring mooncakes, was a unique opportunity to delve into the culture behind these delectable treats.

"It's not just about the sweetness of mooncakes, but understanding their significance in Chinese daily life and festivities," said Puskas.

Sun Jie, the cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy, highlighted the significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of reunion and harmony for the Chinese people, adding that the event is hoped to bring Chinese and Hungarian friends together to share in the festival's blessings and experience its charm. 

Debrecen's Vice Mayor Istvan Puskas speaks at the opening ceremony of a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sept. 3, 2023. Hungary's second-largest city, Debrecen, came alive with cultural splendor as it hosted on Sunday a delightful celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which will fall on Sept. 29 this year. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Sun Jie, the cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, speaks at the opening ceremony of a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sept. 3, 2023. Hungary's second-largest city, Debrecen, came alive with cultural splendor as it hosted on Sunday a delightful celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which will fall on Sept. 29 this year. (Xinhua/Chen Hao)

Guests participate in a mooncake making workshop during a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sept. 3, 2023. Hungary's second-largest city, Debrecen, came alive with cultural splendor as it hosted on Sunday a delightful celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which will fall on Sept. 29 this year. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Editor: JYZ
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy consumer and retail industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a Pumpkin Spice Frosty from Wendy's and a new home office line from Martha Stewart.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the consumer and retail industries stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

PR Newswire Weekly Consumer Press Release Roundup, Sept. 4-8, 2023. Photo provided by The Wendy's Company. https://prn.to/3LeB3hU

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Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

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Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

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PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

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SOURCE PR Newswire
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy energy industry press releases from PR Newswire, including investments in lithium, solar, and portable power.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the energy and natural resources industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

PR Newswire Weekly Energy Press Release Roundup, Sept. 4-8, 2023. Photo provided by American Battery Technology Company. https://prn.to/3Z4RjYg

Read more of the latest energy-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNenergy on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy technology industry press releases from PR Newswire, including the world's 100 most influential people in AI.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the business technology industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

PR Newswire Weekly Technology Press Release Roundup, Sept. 4-8, 2023. Photo provided by NASA. https://prn.to/3PgjoHU

Read more of the latest business technology releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtech on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
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MIAMI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance released today in Miami a statement it has received from 30 deputies of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (parliament) condemning the military support allegedly provided by the communist regime in Cuba to the Russian invasion of their homeland. Among the signatories are deputies Olena Shulyak (Leader of the Servant of the People party), Oleksandr Merezhko (Chairman of the Rada's Committee on Foreign Relations), and Maryan Zablotskiy.

View PDF Statement from members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine - unicameral parliament of Ukraine to Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (Translation) (CNW Group/Assembly of the Cuban Resistance)

"We, people's deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, are deeply concerned about the presence and participation of forces and mercenaries loyal to the dictatorship in the Republic of Cuba in the genocidal invasion of the territory of Ukraine," the statement from the members of the Rada reads. "The military component of the cooperation of the Republic of Cuba with the Putin regime is a clear signal to the free world about the threat posed by the regime in Havana today."

The deputies' statement comes following news that approximately 1,000 Cubans have traveled to Russia, some knowing what they were going into, others not. Despite the Havana regime's claim that these Cubans were trafficked abroad, the Ukrainian government has hacked into Russian government databases confirming the means of travel and identities of those Cubans sent to Russia. This is an addition to the established presence of Cuban Black Berets (special paramilitary forces) receiving special training in Belarus and regular Cuban armed forces fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine.

In response to the involvement of Cuban citizens in the invasion of their country, deputies of the Rada have called on the regime in Havana to immediately cease its support for the Russian Federation. In the statement, they also "call on the international community, the European Union and the Paris Club to take all possible response measures aimed at ending economic cooperation with the regime in Havana, in particular, funding from European institutions."

"We commend and thank the deputies of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada for standing up and calling out this flagrant attack on their nation by the communist regime in Havana," said Dr. Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, Coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance who received the statement. "As a Cuban who is in constant contact with ordinary Cubans, my heart breaks knowing that our young soldiers are participating in the evil and destructive conflict that has claimed the lives of so many innocent Ukrainians. In particular, for those doing so against their will. I join the deputies in their call for the regime in Havana to withdraw from the conflict and for institutions like the EU and the Club of Paris to immediately cease their financial support of the regime."

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance echoes a call from the deputies of the Rada to those Cubans fighting in Ukraine to return home and fight for freedoms in their own country.

About the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance:

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance is a parliament in exile, comprised of a host of non-governmental organizations working together to bring freedom to the oppressed people of Cuba.

Contact: Silvia Gutierrez-Boronat, Directorio Democratico, [email protected], 786-287-0775

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SOURCE Assembly of the Cuban Resistance
Largest career preference survey in Canada details prioritization of salary expectations, over support for diversity and inclusion in the career priorities of students, and lists the Most Attractive Employers in Canada.

TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian college and university students do not prioritize a company's support for diversity & inclusion or gender equality in their career decisions. Instead, students prioritize high future earnings. This according to a talent study from Universum, the global leader in employer branding research. In 2023, students from Canada are expecting CA$66,678 in salary before bonuses and "high future earnings" is the single most important attribute when considering a potential employer. This based on the largest talent study in Canada from Universum, the global leader in employer branding research.

Universum surveyed over 28,000 Canadian students to understand their career goals, aspirations and perceptions of 200 employers worldwide. Each year we ask students to identify the employers they think are most relevant on campus, and this feedback forms the basis of our employer list. Find the full list of the Most Attractive Employers in Canada here.

Notable findings from the 2023 Canada research include:

Soft economy lifts "practical" priorities. Given slowdowns in hiring, students are more focused on compensation-related employer attributes like high future earnings (the #1 choice) and competitive base salaries (up seven points to #5), and putting less weight on "soft" qualities like leadership opportunities and opportunities to make an impact (both down multiple points in 2023).

Remote work is a need-to-have, but concerns persist. This year 80% of students say they're interested in working remotely at least part of the time, up two points since last year; however, students have complicated feelings about remote work. 55% worry they will miss out on social connections with colleagues, up 6 points from last year.

Quality-of-life factors remain strong for Canadian students. In previous economic slowdowns, quality-of-life factors tended to drop down the priority list; yet in 2023, flexible work and work-life balance remain at #3 and #4  a sign these two issues are non-negotiables for many young people.

"In 2023, young university students are undergoing a significant shift in their expectations and priorities," notes Jason Kipps, CHRL, Managing Director of Universum. While factors like job security concerns may change with a stronger economy, the enduring trend is the emphasis on improving quality of life in their careers. To attract diverse candidates, companies must move beyond tokenistic diversity content and instead focus on authenticity. Longer-form content is more effective in conveying their genuine diversity story."

To view the full list of the Most Attractive Employers in Canada, visit here.

About Universum

Universum is the world's leading data-driven, insight-led employer branding agency. Founded in Stockholm, we are now active in over 60 countries, with key hubs in Toronto, Paris, Berlin, London, New York, Singapore and Shanghai. We help ambitious employers attract the right talent through unparalleled insights, expertise and data-led actions. Universum possesses the largest database of talent preference data in the world, giving us an exclusive perspective on what is relevant to talent to help employers position their communication strategies.

Media Contacts:

Jason Kipps CHRL

Managing Director, Canada

[email protected]

416-938-4411

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2108607/Universum_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Universum
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Uzum Market, the leading e-commerce platform in Uzbekistan, has launched a line of FMCG products under its own brand, Oila Tanlovi ("Family Choice" in Uzbek). The product line offers the most popular items matching the needs of the customers, ranging from cleaning supplies to sauces and food products provided by best-in-class local and international manufacturers.

Uzum Market, the national e-commerce champion in Uzbekistan, is launching its own FMCG brand, Oila Tanlovi

"The quality of the Oila Tanlovi's curated product offering is ensured by high-quality local and international suppliers. Over the last three months, food product sales on our platform have soared by 50% compared to the previous months, while the demand for household and personal care products during the same period has grown by 40%. Uzum Market has effectively transformed into a one-stop shopping solution for millions of our customers all over the country across various product categories. We continue to expand our product range in close collaboration with our entrepreneurial partners," says Ilshat Khametov, the CEO of Uzum Market. "In addition, it's our priority to provide local entrepreneurs with a new and efficient platform allowing them to focus on selling products nationwide while Uzum is taking care of naming promotion, etc."

Currently, Uzum Market offers more than 600,000 SKU's from local companies and entrepreneurs. In July, Uzum Market set a national record by delivering over 1 million orders throughout the country. By the end of the year, Uzum Market plans to expand its product range to more than 800,000 unique listings and its geographical coverage to over 75 cities across the country, including smaller towns and locations.

For additional information, please contact: [email protected].

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2205314/Uzum_Market_Oila_Tanlovi.jpg

SOURCE Uzum Group
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vehere, a leading cybersecurity company specializing in network intelligence, is thrilled to introduce NDR 1.3, the latest release of their Network Detection & Response solution. This release includes several exciting features that enhance the product's efficiency and user-experience, thus making it more impactful.

Some of the highlights of this release are:

Addition of new rules to identify the latest threats.

New simplified dashboards for better visibility

Also, a host of feature enhancements have been implemented in the latest release to improve the functionality of the product as a whole.

Commenting on this incredible feat, Vijay Gullapalli, VP of Engineering, said, "This is a groundbreaking moment for Vehere, as countless hours of hard work and dedication were invested by our talented Engineering team to bring our NDR product to fruition. The new release has all the features that provide NDR 1.3 with the competitive edge essential for our continued penetration in the field."

Expressing his thoughts on the new release, Vehere's Co-founder Praveen Jaiswal said, "We are now armed with a potent NDR product, and I am confident that we will be a game-changer in the NDR space. Our newly launched NDR 1.3 will enable us to cater to the ever-evolving needs of our customers and is indeed a significant milestone for all of us."

Vehere Network Detection and Response empowers enterprises to identify attacks at the earliest possible stage and stop them before they become breaches. It is an AI-driven solution that ensures lossless packet monitoring, real-time threat detection, threat hunting for emerging threats, support for millions of IOCs & IOAs and comprehensive network forensics.

About Vehere:

Vehere is a revolutionary cybersecurity company boldly merging the realms of national security and enterprise security through a single, powerful platform. Established in 2006, Vehere is a global corporation with offices in prominent locations.

Visit: https://vehere.com/

Media Contact:

Sreya Sengupta

Email ID: [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2156424/Vehere_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Vehere
SEATTLE, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant leasing development, Commodore Interbay Industry Center, Seattle's recently renovated industrial property, is thrilled to announce a long-term partnership with Vertical World, America's pioneering climbing gym. This 15-year lease, covering an expansive 42,337 square feet of space, comes on the heels of Seattle's new zoning measure passed in July, and underscores Commodore's position as a prime location for premier businesses in Seattle.

North Looking View into Vertical World's Space North Entry and Loading East Side of Commodore Building

Vertical World, renowned for its distinction as the first climbing gym in the U.S., will utilize this new space as a strategic expansion, enriching their services and offering an enhanced experience for their members. With this expansion, Vertical World continues its tradition of providing top tier climbing facilities and related services, furthering its commitment to climbing enthusiasts in the community.

"Having this opportunity to work with SKB in expanding our operations in Seattle is a big step forward in serving youth climbing programs. This concept has been a strategic goal for a while now, and we are excited about fulfilling that vision for team and youth climbers."  Rich Johnston, Founder of Vertical World.

For Vertical World, this move represents more than just physical growth. It's an opportunity to broaden their horizons, introduce new and improved services, and cater to a growing clientele that seeks exceptional climbing experiences.

For their part, Commodore ownership is excited to play a small part in the gym's aspirations to expand their offerings:

"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Vertical World to Commodore, especially because this expansion will allow them to provide their specialized youth programs to a greater number of kids in Seattle. The folks at Vertical World are not just experts in the climbing gym industry, they are caring individuals contributing to the betterment of our community. We are proud to align with them as they continue to grow."  Jo Ann Williams, Vice President Asset Management

About Commodore:

Located on the corner of West Commodore Way and 24th Avenue West, Commodore Interbay Industry Center is a recently renovated 213,066 square foot industrial project. This unique property offers 3,000+ amps of power, ample parking, secured entrances, operable cranes, dock high doors, and 18' clear heights to its fully insulated buildings.

About Vertical World:

Established as America's first climbing gym in 1987, Vertical World has long been at the forefront of climbing culture and innovation. The gym caters to climbers ranging from beginners to professionals, emphasizing safety, community, and top-notch climbing experiences.

Bryan Hester and Andrew Stark with CBRE represented landlord on the deal.

Media Contact:

Jo Ann Williams

425.209.4774

SOURCE SKB
Founding CEO Tom McAlpin to retire as CEO and transition to Chairman of the Board of Directors. President and CXO Nirmal Saverimuttu named CEO.

MIAMI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin Voyages (the "Company"), the multi, award-winning cruise brand from Richard Branson's Virgin Group, today announced it has closed on a $550 million capital raise to accelerate its growth plans. The funding round was led by funds managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management ("Ares"), a leading global alternative investment manager, and also includes additional capital from existing investors including Virgin Group and Bain Capital. The new funding raise will enable Virgin Voyages to strengthen its financial position while supporting the brand's rapid expansion into international markets, with a relentless focus on creating an outstanding and innovative customer experience.

As Virgin Voyages looks ahead to its next phase of growth, the Company further announced that founding Chief Executive Officer, Tom McAlpin, is retiring as CEO and transitioning to the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors. He will continue to support the brand and team at an executive and industry level. Nirmal Saverimuttu, who currently serves as President and Chief Experience Officer, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer.

Virgin Voyages announced it has closed on a $550 million capital raise to accelerate its growth plans. Post this

"It is hard to express just how proud I am of all that the Virgin Voyages Crew has created and the strong endorsement we are receiving from Ares. We have won numerous industry awards and received many five-star reviews because of our passion for this brand," said McAlpin. "While I will miss the day-to-day, I believe it is the right time to step aside as CEO. Nirmal is a great friend and experienced leader who lives and breathes the Virgin Voyages culture. I know he will help take this amazing brand and Crew to new heights, and I look forward to continuing to support the leadership team as Chairman."

Virgin Voyages officially launched in August 2021 and currently operates three ships, servicing the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and by the end of the year, Australia and New Zealand. The brand is already making waves, including being named No. 1 in the mega-ship category in the 2023 Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards and a recent clean-sweep of the five cruise categories in the 2023 Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards.

"With this new investment alongside our partners at Virgin Group and Bain Capital, we believe the Company is on strong footing to capitalize on its differentiated product and value proposition in the growing cruise industry," said Aaron Rosen, Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of Special Opportunities in the Ares Private Equity Group. "We believe that Virgin Voyages continues to be at the forefront of industry growth, and we look forward to working with Tom, Nirmal and the entire management team on this next chapter," added Jordan Smith, Partner in the Ares Private Equity Group.

"The success of this capital raise shows how much Virgin Voyages has achieved and how much further it can go. We are very proud of the experience that Virgin Voyages has created and continues to deliver every day across its fleet," said Josh Bayliss, CEO of the Virgin Group. "At Virgin, we have always aimed to create extraordinary experiences and challenge the status quo while putting purpose at the core of everything we do. With Tom at the helm, Virgin Voyages has established itself as a company that can do that consistently. We are so grateful for his and the team's leadership in creating a truly brilliant business and look forward to this next phase of the Company's growth."

Saverimuttu was a founding leader of Virgin Voyages and joined the business as Chief Commercial Officer in 2014 from the Virgin Group after successfully closing the first investment round. In early 2021, he took on the expanded role of President and Chief Experience Officer.

"I want to send our deepest thanks, on behalf of all our Crew and the Board, to Tom for his leadership and passion for the business. We are so grateful for all he has done and are thrilled to continue to partner with him as our Chairman," said Saverimuttu. "Virgin Voyages is a beloved brand because of our Crew's dedication and passion for delivering epic experiences for our guests. I am looking forward to working with the Ares team and our existing investors to deliver on our growth and expansion plans as we look ahead to our very bright future."

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and sole placement agent to Virgin Voyages. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Virgin Voyages. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel to Ares.

About Virgin Voyages

Promising to Create an Epic Sea Change for All, Virgin Voyages is the award-winning, exclusively adult cruise line founded by Sir Richard Branson. Delivering unforgettable, relaxing vacations at sea, Virgin Voyages launched at the end of 2021. Inspired by superyacht design, its fleet of "Lady Ships" exemplify an elevated, boutique hotel at sea with contemporary spaces that strike the perfect balance of nautical chic and glamour. Currently departing from the sun-soaked cities of Miami, Barcelona and Athens - and soon to include Melbourne - the fleet offers more than 60 unique itineraries, sailing to 100 incredible ports of call. On-board, 20+ eateries feature culinary experiences from Michelin-star chefs, stylish workout spaces and group fitness classes are offered daily, and a festival-like line-up of intimate and larger-than-life shows are on the agenda. Paired with modern, tech-savvy cabins, designer suites fit for a rockstar and a mermaid-inspired spa and thermal suite, the brand is taking the industry by storm. In 2023, Virgin Voyages won Travel + Leisure's highly coveted World's Best Award for the best mega-ship ocean cruise line and swept the Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards - the first time a brand has won in all five categories.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of June 30, 2023, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $378 billion of assets under management, with over 2,600 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com .

Media Contact:

Brittany Cash, +1 212-301-0347

[email protected]

SOURCE Virgin Voyages
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, walks into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

HARBIN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

In the village of Longwangmiao, Xi walked into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops. He also inspected the work on the restoration of damaged houses and infrastructure while walking along the streets.

Visiting villagers' homes to learn about their losses and the supply of daily necessities, Xi encouraged them to bolster their confidence to overcome difficulties. He expressed the hope that they will soon be able to resume normal work and life, and that their lives will continue to improve. 

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, walks into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the work on the restoration of damaged houses and infrastructure in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a villager's home to learn about the losses and the supply of daily necessities in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with villagers and workers in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Editor: JYZ
BRANCHBURG, N.J., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VOLLERS , a family-owned full-service civil construction solutions provider, has named Todd Andrews its new Chief Financial Officer. This milestone is the latest advancement in the company's strategy and signals a continued commitment to growth through acquisitions. His contributions will enhance the success of the VOLLERS organization, as well as its partners, clients, employees, and communities.

Todd Andrews comes to VOLLERS with over 20 years of experience with well-known firms in the heavy civil construction industry. Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer for The Stavola Companies based in Tinton Falls, NJ, another long-standing family-owned company, and major supplier of construction materials in New Jersey. Previously, he spent 17 years with Moretrench American Corporation in Rockaway, NJ, an employee-owned nationally recognized leader in civil, geotechnical, and industrial construction, prior to their acquisition by Keller North America in 2018.

"Todd is an accomplished executive with an eye for strategy and process improvement. He has a track record of growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions, by building professional teams and effective systems," says Brendan Murray, President of VOLLERS. "His appointment as CFO is a significant step in our strategic growth plan, as we expand our reach in the industry and continuously look for ways to better serve our customers and communities."

In his new position, Andrews will direct all financial operations of Vollers, Inc. This will allow him to lead the evolution of enterprise financial systems and advise on all strategic initiatives. He will serve all VOLLERS business units and partner entities including Vollers Excavating and Construction, Vollers Demolition, HVI Services, Aspen Landscaping, and ABI Concrete, with more expansion to follow. He will serve as a key member of the executive team, drawing on his years of experience to provide leadership and direction. He holds a BS in Business Administration majoring in Finance from Iowa State University, and an MS in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Todd, his wife Sally, their son Evan, and their greyhound Norma live in Bridgewater, NJ.

"VOLLERS is a proven industry leader and I'm thrilled to join the team.", says Todd Andrews, "I've always been impressed by their people, capabilities, and reputation for doing business the right way. I've had the good fortune of working with many talented and respected people in our industry, for which I'm very grateful. I'll draw from those experiences as I help strengthen the VOLLERS organization and set the course for the future."

To stay informed about VOLLERS growth and upcoming projects, follow us on LinkedIn .

To learn about building your professional career at VOLLERS, please visit the careers section of our website at vollerscompany.com/careers.

About VOLLERS:

For over 70 years, VOLLERS has facilitated private, commercial, and public projects through an unparalleled level of experience, innovation, proficiency, and safety. Inspired from a legacy shaped by founders Herb and Nancy Vollers, the VOLLERS team continues to maintain and strengthen the company's commitment to customer satisfaction and timely delivery of services with an unequivocal devotion to job site safety.

From site preparation to a wide range of utilities and infrastructure enhancements on private and public projects, Vollers stands alone in its capabilities and dedication to client satisfaction and employee safety.

SOURCE Vollers Inc.
White Castle was the first nationwide fast-food chain and largest restaurant group to serve the Impossible Slider

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle, America's beloved fast-food restaurant and CPG brand, is celebrating five years since its trendsetting and groundbreaking introduction of the Impossible Slider in Castles. In 2018, White Castle became the first fast-food hamburger chain and largest restaurant group to partner with Impossible Foods when it launched the plant-based Slider in all its restaurants.

White Castle in 2018 was the first nationwide fast-food chain & largest restaurant group to serve the Impossible Slider Post this The Impossible Slider is served with pickles and onions on White Castles signature bun and can be customized to customers desires, with or without cheddar cheese.

The Impossible Slider is served with pickles and onions on White Castle's signature bun and can be customized to customers' desires, with or without cheddar cheese. This hot and tasty signature sandwich sizzles, tastes and smells like meat, but is made from plants.

"It is in White Castle's soul to be innovative and take pioneering first steps in this industry, and we lived up to the billing with the Impossible Slider," said Lynn Blashford, chief marketing officer at White Castle. "The introduction of a plant-based burger systemwide five years ago set a new standard that, like the Original Slider's debut a century ago, others quickly decided to follow."

White Castle wants to ensure everyone takes part in this five-year anniversary celebration! Now through the end of September, White Castle is offering members of its loyalty program, Craver Nation, a coupon for $1 Impossible Sliders (tax not included). The coupon is available through the White Castle app.

The Impossible Slider was an instant hit when in debuted in April 2018 at 140 White Castle locations in New York, New Jersey and Chicago. Based on the overwhelming success of the pilot program, White Castle expanded availability of the Impossible Slider in September 2018 to all of its restaurants. The Impossible Slider was an instant hit with customers and quickly gained a loyal following, especially among Cravers who liked having another non-meat Slider option on the menu.

"White Castle was the first fast-food hamburger chain to launch Impossible Burger back in 2018, and has been a true leader and partner in launching the plant-based movement with Impossible Foods," said Erin Reynolds, vice president of food service sales at Impossible Foods. "We're so glad the Impossible Slider has experienced such enduring success with White Castle Cravers and fans."

About White Castle

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders since 1921. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the family-owned business owns and operates more than 350 restaurants as well as a retail division providing its famous fare in freezer aisles of retail stores nationwide. As part of its commitment to offering the highest quality products, White Castle owns and operates its own Slider Provider meat plants, bakeries and frozen-Slider retail plants. White Castle has earned numerous accolades over the years including Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time" (2014, The Original Slider) and Thrillist's "Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger" (2019, Impossible Slider). In 2021, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle, which earned the Great Place to Work Certification in 2021 and 2022, is known for the legendary engagement of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for the business for at least 10 years. White Castle is beloved by its passionate fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app makes it easy for Cravers to sign up for the Craver Nation loyalty program, access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

SOURCE White Castle
The United Nations global fund for education in emergencies issues results report showing it has now reached close to 9 million children.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the world celebrates International Literacy Day  and the power of education to build sustainable and peaceful societies  Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies, is calling on world leaders to scale-up financial support.

According to its Annual Results Report issued today, ECW and its global strategic partners have reached 8.8 million children with quality, holistic education since the Fund's inception in 2016, including 4.2 million in 2022 alone.

ECW and its strategic partners are responding with record speed. On average, it takes just 9 weeks to respond to acute emergencies and 15 weeks to respond to escalating crises.

"The achievements outlined in ECW's new results report tell a story of a breakout global fund moving with strength, speed and agility, while achieving quality. While donors are stepping up, the funding gap has actually widened, and only 30% of education in emergencies requirements were funded in 2022. We must rise to this challenge by unlocking more financing for education," said The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of the ECW High-Level Steering Group.

ECW faces a funding gap of approximately US$670 million to fully finance results under the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, which will reach 20 million children over the next three years.

"With hope and courage, we can rise to the challenge of a world set afire by climate change, brutal conflicts and forced displacement. We can do so by mustering the courage to boldly invest in education for those left furthest behind," said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait.

To date, ECW has financed education programmes across 44 countries. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools across the globe, ECW responded by repositioning its programming, reaching an additional 32.2 million children.

ECW's investments are making important strides to reach the world's most marginalized children. Of the 4.2 million children reached in 2022, 21% were refugees and 14% were internally displaced.

In 2022, ECW responses included a strong focus on the climate crisis through grants for the drought in Eastern Africa, and floods in Pakistan and Sudan. ECW also approved new funding in response to the war in Ukraine and renewed violence in the Lake Chad Region and Ethiopia.

SOURCE Education Cannot Wait
BEIJING, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fujian Dehua County Investment Promotion Meeting and Ceramic Enterprise Supply-Demand Matchmaking Meeting were held in Birmingham of the United Kingdom on September 4.

Fifteen ceramic enterprises from Dehua County of Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, brought over 2,000 excellent Dehua ceramics to the Birmingham Autumn Fair in the UK.

As early as 3700 years ago, Dehua had started making ceramics, becoming an important birthplace of Chinese ceramic culture. Ceramics are now the most important leading industry in Dehua, with products from over 4000 ceramic companies being exported to more than 190 countries and regions, said Huang Wenjie, party chief of the Dehua County.

In 2015, Dehua was awarded the title of "World Capital of Ceramics" by the World Council for Handicrafts of the United Nations, Huang added.

The establishment of a Dehua porcelain display area in the fair provides a valuable platform for supply and purchase parties to better know each other, he said.

"We established new contacts with Chinese manufacturers this year, allowing buyers to see that all manufacturers not only have beautiful products but also adhere to responsible purchasing principles," said Nicola Meadows, Divisional Managing Director for the Retail, Manufacturing and Engineering Division of Hyve Exhibition Group.

Four Dehua porcelain companies conducted promotional demonstrations at the event. An official of Fujian Quanzhou Shunmei Group Co., Ltd. told that the company has already established business dealings with several large retailers in the UK and hopes to further expand cooperation and market development through this expo.

The Dehua delegation also visited the famous British ceramic brand Wedgwood's Ceramic Culture Park and the Cross-Border E-commerce Oversea Exhibition Centre.

The Autumn Fair was first held in 1976. It is a long-standing and influential consumer goods fair in the UK. This year's fair attracted over 600 exhibitors and over 19,000 buyers from around the world.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/336010.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
Japanese Composer and Musician Has Donated a Total of 30 Million Yen in Support of Humanitarian Crisis

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 30, YOSHIKI made a donation of 10 million yen to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which was announced during his appearance on the popular Japanese television program "24 Hour Television". This is the third time YOSHIKI has donated to the organization, bringing the total amount to 30 million yen.

YOSHIKI made the donation through his 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation Yoshiki Foundation America to support emergency relief operations in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

Rock star YOSHIKI has donated 30 million yen to support emergency relief in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Post this Rock star YOSHIKI has donated 30 million yen through his 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation Yoshiki Foundation America to support emergency relief operations in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

IOM is the UN organization specializing in migration. They provide emergency relief to people around the world who are suffering from the effects of disasters or wars, such as the survivors of the earthquakes in southern Turkiye or the war in Ukraine.

YOSHIKI has performed on "24 Hour Television" four times so far this year, donating his appearance fee to charity each time. In his performance on August 27, YOSHIKI performed a live piano rendition of "Let It Go" and "ENDLESS RAIN" at the Kokugikan Arena, accompanied by a vocal performance from Amelia Anisovych, an 8-year old Ukrainian girl. The performance deeply resonated with the audience, moving them with the performers' shared prayers for peace in Ukraine and gratitude for charity support.

YOSHIKI is internationally recognized for his long-term philanthropic activities and has donated over 2 million dollars to charity through Yoshiki Foundation America. For his prolific philanthropic endeavors, he was chosen by Forbes as one of "Asia's Top 30 Heroes of Philanthropy" in 2019 and received a Medal of Honor from the Japanese Government in 2021 for his support of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine and ongoing charitable works.

In 2021, YOSHIKI established an annual grant of $100,000 for MusiCares, a partner of the Recording Academy, to help music creators and industry professionals affected by mental health concerns. Previously, YOSHIKI donated $100,000 to MusiCares to help music professionals affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and worked with MusiCares to deliver $100,000 in disaster aid to Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas in 2017.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM is part of the United Nations system, as a related organization.

IOM supports migrants across the world, developing effective responses to the shifting dynamics of migration and, as such, is a key source of advice on migration policy and practice. The organization works in emergency situations, developing the resilience of all people on the move, and particularly those in situations of vulnerability, as well as building capacity within governments to manage all forms and impacts of mobility.

The Organization is guided by the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, including upholding human rights for all. Respect for the rights, dignity and well-being of migrants remains paramount.

https://www.iom.int/who-we-are

Donate to IOM here: https://donate.iom.int/ukraine

YOSHIKI Website: https://www.yoshiki.net/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/yoshiki

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoshikiofficial/

Yoshiki Foundation America: https://yoshikifoundationamerica.org/

SOURCE YOSHIKI
Artists of the Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe perform in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 5, 2023. A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

NAIROBI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night.

Hasnick Omondi, a student at the University of Nairobi where he is pursuing a degree in the Chinese language and tourism, praised the performance for the vivid depiction of the rich culture of China.

"I was motivated to watch China's local opera, and see what I have been learning in class," Omondi said.

Felix Kiplagat, a student at the University of Nairobi, said the performance was an enlightening experience because of the use of traditional Chinese cultural costumes and instruments to entertain the audience.

The 23-year-old student said Chinese culture is gaining popularity in Kenya as more and more locals get an opportunity to watch live performances by Chinese artists.

Wu Opera, also known as Jinhua Opera, has a history of more than 500 years and is the second major regional operatic genre in Zhejiang Province. It first grew in popularity in Jinhua and its surrounding areas, and was named after Wuzhou, the name of Jinhua in ancient China.

The Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe showcased nine performances, including the "9-Pieced Segmented Dragon", Suona Solo "Picking Dates", "the Sedan Ride" and "Three Triumphs Over the Skeletal Demon", using well-choreographed and acrobatic moves.

Michael Pundo, chief executive officer of the Kenya Cultural Center, said the traditional Chinese performance enlightened Kenyans about the classical rhythms and melodies of China.

Lou Sheng, a Wu Opera actor, said he was pleased to be in Kenya because it is his first visit to the East African country. He revealed that the repertoire for Africa was carefully selected to include martial arts, which have intense movements so as to enhance the experience of the audience.

"We hope that through the performance, we can establish a real communication with African audience so that they can fall in love with traditional Chinese culture," he added.

The event, which was jointly sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, the Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism as well as the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, aims to further improve bilateral ties as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kenya.

Wang Xiaoping, director of the Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center, said he hoped that the performance will help deepen the Kenyan audience's understanding of Chinese culture, and promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. 

Artists of the Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe perform in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 5, 2023. A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Artists of the Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe take their curtain call after the performance in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 5, 2023. A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Artists of the Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe perform in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 5, 2023. A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

An artist of the Zhejiang Wu Opera troupe performs in Nairobi, Kenya on Sept. 5, 2023. A thrilling performance of Wu Opera by a troupe from east China's Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Center showcased Chinese dramas and musical compositions to the delight of the audience in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday night. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Editor: JYZ
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Stockholm, Sep 8 : An 800-square km restricted zone is set to be imposed in central Sweden after the country's first case of African swine fever was discovered in the area, authorities announced.

Access to the forest in the area around the small town of Fagersta will be prohibited, and people will not be allowed to leave the roads to hunt or forage for mushrooms and berries, the Swedish Board of Agriculture said on Thursday. However, the area will not be evacuated.

The decision was taken immediately after African swine fever was detected in one of seven wild boars that have been found dead in the area since late August. The viral disease poses no danger to humans, but can be devastating to pig farms, Xinhua news agency reported.

By restricting access to the forest, authorities hope to minimise the risk that the virus could spread on boots, tools and vehicles.

Since the virus can also be spread by dogs, owners will have to keep their pets on a leash to prevent them from venturing into the forest.

"The restrictions will remain for months, and possibly longer," Erika Chenais, an associate professor at the Swedish National Veterinary Institute (SVA), told Xinhua.

The disease has been present in the EU since 2014, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

"Over the last decade, African swine fever has had a dramatic impact on the pig farming sector in the EU, and continues to disrupt local and regional economies," EFSA's Executive Director Bernhard Url said in May, when the 2022 statistics were released.

During that year, the disease was found in pigs in eight EU countries, and in wild boar in 11 EU countries, EFSA said.
Johannesberg, Sep 8 : South Africa will get a boost in tourism safety in the next few weeks with the deployment of 2,200 tourism monitors to key tourist areas in all nine provinces to tackle crime, a senior government official said.

South Africa's Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said on Thursday that the department has allocated 174.5 million rands (about $9.11 million) for this financial year for the deployment of the tourism monitors, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have worked with the private sector to revise and improve the training curriculum for tourism monitors which also includes training by the South African police," De Lille added at the Tourism Business Council of South Africa leadership conference in North West province.

Between 2022 and 2023, there were two incidents where tourists were killed and that caused "untold damage" to the country's tourism industry, according to the Minister, who noted that President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the legislation on the use of audio and visual link to present evidence in court.

"This entails instituting virtual court proceedings, which would allow tourists to be part of the proceedings even if they had left the country before the conclusion of a case, and alternatively tourists could connect through audio-visual link at the South African missions in their countries of origin," she said.

De Lille said they are confident to surpass the pre-Covid tourist levels by March next year, judging by the increase in visitors and spending in the country.
Lucknow, Sep 8 : 'Ajay to Yogi Adityanath', a graphical novel based on the life of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has made history with its launch at 67 locations.

The 67th launch was recently held in Bengaluru.

The book has earned a place in the Asia Book of Records for achieving the highest number of launches.

The book has been launched at various locations, and there are plans to introduce it at numerous other places.

Written by Shantanu Gupta, the book chronicles Yogi's journey from the days of struggle to public life.

Shantanu Gupta is a famous writer who has penned two bestseller novels. His latest graphic novel based on the life of Yogi Adityanath has so far been launched in eight states, namely, UP, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

This novel has been introduced in 29 locations within Uttar Pradesh and seven locations in National Capital Region (NCR).

An inaugural event marked its simultaneous release on June 5, 2023, coinciding with the 51st birthday of Chief Minister Yogi, at more than 51 venues across 25 districts in Uttar Pradesh.

'Ajay to Yogi Adityanath' is actually the voyage of Ajay Singh Bisht, a young boy born in the hinterland of Uttarakhand along with six other siblings. His father Anand Singh Bisht was a junior forest officer and his mother Savitri Devi was a housewife.

Since childhood, Ajay was fond of taking care of the family, and cows, listening to stories of freedom fighters and participating in school debates. They all lived in a small house in a remote village named Panchur, presently in Uttarakhand.

From here Ajay became the Mahant of Gorakhnath Math and then moved ahead to become the youngest member of the Indian Parliament and the Chief Minister of the most populous state of the country, Uttar Pradesh.
Delhi court overturns JJB's order, two juveniles to be tried as adults in murder case. Image Source: IANS News

Prayagraj, Sep 8 : The Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail plea of Samajwadi Party MLA, Ramakant Yadav, in a spurious liquor case in which nine people died in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh last year.

However, the court directed the trial court to conclude hearing in the case in six months.

"If the trial does not make any substantial progress within a period of six months, it will be open for the applicant-accused to apply for bail afresh," the high court said in its order.

Justice Rajveer Singh dismissed Yadav's bail plea.

Yadav said he was a four-time MP and a five-time MLA and was being falsely implicated because of political enmity.

The state government's counsel argued that Yadav's involvement was revealed during investigations and he was named in the charge-sheet on the basis of sufficient evidence.

"Nine people died by consuming spurious liquor, purchased from the licensed shop, which was in the name of co-accused Rangesh Kumar Yadav but its actual control was with the applicant," the government counsel argued while opposing the bail plea.

The court, while dismissing the bail plea, observed, "In view of the aforesaid facts and considering the submissions of learned counsel for the parties and all attending facts and circumstances of the matter, no case for bail is made out at this stage. Hence, the bail application of applicant Ramakant Yadav is hereby rejected."

An FIR was registered in February 2022 at Ahraula police station in Azamgarh after nine people died allegedly after consuming spurious liquor. Though Yadav's name was not mentioned in the FIR, it was introduced in the case later in September 2022.
Miami, Sep 8 : A retired Colombian army officer pleaded guilty in a US court to conspiring and supporting a plot to kill Haitian President Jovenel Moise, shot dead in his bedroom two years ago, a brazen assassination that created a destabilising power vacuum, the media reported.

According to the signed US court document, German Rivera, known as Colonel Mike, was part of the convoy which headed towards Moise's hillside Port-au-Prince residence on July 7, 2021, days after he relayed information that the plan was not to kidnap Moise but instead to kill him, Reuters reported.

The document also says Rivera provided material support, training and personnel to support Moise's kidnapping or murder. The case's criminal docket details three counts for materially supporting the plot and conspiracy.

Escalating turf warfare, largely centered around the capital, has driven a humanitarian crisis leaving nearly 200,000 internally displaced, according to UN estimates, amid frequent shootings, ransom kidnappings and sexual violence.

Meanwhile, the unelected government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry has struggled as critics accuse it of corruption.

Since Moise's death, armed gangs have greatly expanded their control across the impoverished Caribbean nation, Reuters reported.

Rivera is one of 11 defendants in the case, which includes businessmen accused of helping obtain vehicles and firearms from Florida.

Rivera's plea follows that of Haitian-Chilean citizen Rodolphe Jaar, who in June was sentenced to life in prison after he said he had provided funds that were used to buy weapons and bribe the President's security detail, Reuters reported.

"The battle for justice is intensifying," Martine Moise, the late president's widow who was wounded during the attack, wrote on social media platform X.

"It will continue as long as the people, thirsty for justice, don't get the expected results."

Rivera's sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 27 at the US District Court in Miami.
Actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life for two rapes. Image Source: IANS News

Los Angeles, Sep 8 : US actor Danny Masterson has been sentenced to serve 30 years to life in prison for raping two women, the media reported.

Masterson starred on 'That 70's Show', a TV series that was airing at the time of his crimes in the early 2000s, The BBC reported on Thursday.

Prosecutors argued Masterson, 47, had relied on his status as a prominent Scientologist to avoid accountability.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo allowed the victims of his crimes to read impact statements in court ahead of his sentencing.

Prominent former Scientologist and actress Leah Remini attended Thursday's sentencing hearing and comforted the women before and after they delivered their statements.

"I wished I had reported him earlier to the police," one of the women said, according to US media.

Another woman told Masterson: "I forgive you. Your sickness is no longer mine to bear," according to Reuters.

Masterson remained silent throughout the hearing, The BBC reported.

As the judge read his sentence -- the maximum penalty allowed -- his wife, Bijou Phillips, was seen in court breaking down in tears.

Masterson was found guilty in May at a re-trial after the first jury was unable to reach a verdict in 2022. After his conviction, Masterson was deemed a flight risk and was taken into prison custody.

The actor was convicted after three women testified that he had sexually assaulted them at his Hollywood home from 2001-03 -- during the height of his television fame.

The jury heard testimony that he had given them drugs before he assaulted them.

He was found guilty of rape against two of his three accusers. The charges brought by the third accuser were declared a mistrial and prosecutors said they do not plan to retry the case.

Alison Anderson, a lawyer representing two of the victims, said in a statement sent to BBC News that the women "have displayed tremendous strength and bravery, by coming forward to law enforcement and participating directly in two gruelling criminal trials".

"Despite persistent harassment, obstruction and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today," she said, adding that the women will continue to speak out about the role the church allegedly played during their abuse, The BBC reported.

In court on Thursday, one woman described being shunned by her mother, who is still a practicing Scientologist.

"She texted me and told me to never contact her again," she said, reported the LA Times.

"She had warned me ahead of time she wanted to see Danny Masterson locked away for what he'd done to me, but not at the expense of her religion."

Another woman said she had been victimised by the church ever since she first spoke out.

"Since the week I came forward to police I have been terrorised, harassed and had my privacy invaded daily by the cult of Scientology for almost seven years now," she said, adding: "But I don't regret it."

Masterson was first accused of rape in 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement. He denied the accusations and said each of the encounters was consensual.

Charges came after a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Prosecutors did not file charges in two other cases because of insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations expiring.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that the Church of Scientology had helped cover up the assaults -- an allegation the organisation has categorically denied.

At the time of the assaults, Masterson and all three of his accusers were Scientologists. Several of the women said it took them years to come forward because Church of Scientology officials discouraged them from reporting the rape to police.

Scientology officials told one survivor she would be kicked out of the Church of Scientology unless she signed a non-disclosure agreement and accepted a payment of $400,000 (A320,000), according to prosecutors.

During the trial, Judge Olmedo allowed both sides to discuss the dogma and practices of Scientology, angering the organisation.

In its statement after the verdict in May, the Church of Scientology said there was "not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers".

Thursday's sentencing was also attended by Jessica Barth, who founded "Voices in Action" in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Barth was one of the women to publicly accuse disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of abuse. Her non-profit works to encourage others to come forward and report abuse.

Before the hearing, a motion for a new trial by Masterson's defence team was denied by the judge, according to an Los Angeles court official.
(Satirical cartoon created by AI creator )

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a 20.7 billion yen ($141 million) emergency fund for seafood exporters on Sep. 4, 2023, amid Fukushima wastewater release concerns, adding to a previous 80 billion yen ($547 million) allocation to restore the industry's reputation.

While Japanese ministers attempt to convince the public by consuming Fukushima's sashimi during televised broadcasts, lingering concerns persist. A disillusioned fisherman and mother, Haruko, shared her worries, "Our family eats seafood from Fukushima all the time, but now I hear people say that they wont buy it. They certainly dont want to give it to their children." The head of Japan's fisheries cooperative added, "The fishing communities of Japan are growing increasingly anxious as they witness this unfolding situation."

Despite the evident harm to Japanese fishermen's livelihoods caused by the discharge of nuclear wastewater, the Japanese government obstinately clings to its position.

Editor: ZAD
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands for a summit in Vladivostok on April 26, 2019.(Yonhap/IANS). Image Source: IANS News

Seoul, Sep 8 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may opt for an unexpected route when he travels to Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Earlier this week, The New York Times had reportedthat Kim plans to travel to Vladivostok, possibly by an armoured train, later this month for talks with Putin about the possibility of supplying Russia with more weaponry for its ongoing war in Ukraine and other military cooperation.

"As it was revealed to the New York Times, there is a possibility of Kim Jong-un making a surprise move by choosing a different route than what is expected," Yonhap News Agency quoted an NIS official as saying during a parliamentary intelligence committee meeting on Thursday.

During the meeting, NIS Director Kim Kyou-hyun said the agency is closely monitoring the planned visit and sharing intelligence with other national spy agencies as a summit between the North and Russia would have a big effect on the international situation.

The New York Times report said a delegation of some 20 North Korean officials traveled to Vladivostok in late August.

"One potential stop for Mr. Kim after Vladivostok, an official said, is Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space launch centre," said the report, noting North Korea may be seeking to secure advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines from Russia in exchange of its weapons.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has not been invited for dinner to be hosted by President on Saturday.

Sources at Kharge's office told IANS, "He has not been invited for dinner to be hosted by the President till now (Friday morning)."

Earlier on Wednesday, a Congress source had said that many Union ministers and chief ministers have been invited for the dinner to be hosted by the President, but Kharge was not sent an invite.

He had also said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was invited for the dinner.

The G20 Summit is being held in New Delhi on September 9-10 under India's Presidency this year.

--IANS

aks/dpb
Bamako, Sep 8 : At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed in a dual terrorist attack in northern Mali, the government said in a statement.

Claimed by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the two attacks targeted the passengers of the boat "Tombouctou" and a military camp of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in Gao region on Thursday, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The river was traveling on the River Niger from Gao to Mopti.

"In response to this double attack, a combined air-land action by our valiant FAMa made it possible to neutralise around 50 terrorists," the statement said.

"Immediate arrangements were made to evacuate all passengers and secure the places which are still the subject of sweeping and surveillance."

A few hours after the attacks, Mali's interim president, Assimi Goita, declared a three-day national mourning.

Mali has been ruled by a military junta since 2020.

An insurgency with links to the Al Qaeda and Islamic State terror groups took root in the north of Mali in 2012.

Since then, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies, jihadist incursions, and inter-community violence that have left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Ankara, Sep 8 : Turkey is poised to experience above-average temperatures in September this year, following a summer plagued by a series of heat waves attributed to climate change, according to scientists.

Levent Kurnaz, director of the Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies at Istanbul's Bogazici University, cautioned that the El Nino effect is expected to elevate temperatures to unprecedented levels this month, Xinhua news agency reported.

"In Turkey, the peak of summer heat typically occurs at the end of July and the first week of August, followed by a cooling trend. However, September this year is likely to be notably warmer than usual," Kurnaz told local media.

El Nino is a climate pattern that occurs every few years in the Pacific Ocean. It is characterised by the warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

This warming causes changes in weather patterns around the world, including changes in rainfalls, temperatures, and storms.

"We anticipate significantly higher temperatures in 2024 compared to this year, with the potential for daily temperature records to be broken regularly," stated the scientist.

The warming weather has also led to severe rainstorms in certain regions of the country, resulting in loss of life and property.

As of Wednesday night, flash floods in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, and the neighboring province of Kirklareli had claimed at least seven lives, with more than 30 others injured.

"Hot weather and climate change are to blame for such weather events," said Dilek Caliskan, a meteorological expert with the private NTV news channel.

August witnessed exceptionally high temperatures in Turkey this year, marked by multiple heat waves that pushed temperatures to 45 degrees Celsius in southern regions and 40 in the capital Ankara.

The southern province of Hatay reported a temperature of 50 degrees on August 15, marking the country's highest-ever temperature on record.

Meanwhile, droughts are becoming more frequent and severe in Turkey, impacting major cities like Istanbul and Ankara, which are grappling with rising temperatures.

Data from the General Directorate of Meteorology shows that Turkey's average temperature in 2022 was 14.5 degrees Celsius, surpassing the 1991-2020 average of 13.9 degrees Celsius by 0.6 degrees.

Adil Tek, head of Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory Meteorology Laboratory, emphasised that Turkey, like other nations worldwide, is suffering from the consequences of the climate crisis, including soaring temperatures.

In a n interview with Xinhua, Tek underscored a notable increase in the number of hot days, particularly days with tropical nighttime temperatures above certain thresholds.

The climate crisis is also significantly affecting agricultural production in Turkey.

Agriculture expert and writer Ali Ekber Yildirim emphasized in a recent video blog that the climate crisis has emerged as a major problem for Turkey's agriculture.

"Hailstorms, frost, and numerous disasters have led to significant losses in production, efficiency, and quality this year for many crops such as raisins, potatoes, and tomatoes," he noted.

Yildirim also highlighted that the reduced yield contributed to rising prices for fruits and vegetables this summer.

In another worrying development linked to climate change, Turkish scientists have documented the rapid retreat of glacial ice on one of the nation's highest peaks.

A late July research conducted by Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Faculty of Engineering in the glacier of Mount Cilo, located in the southeastern province of Hakkari, revealed alarming levels of ice melt, as reported by private Haberturk news channel.

The glaciers on Mount Cilo are crucial water sources for many cities and irrigation in the surrounding agricultural plains.

Continued glacial retreat threatens water supplies for millions downstream in the coming decades, according to researchers.
New York, Sep 8 : A Democratic leader of Indian and Sri Lankan descent from the US state of Minnesota has said she was beaten and bloodied by four young men in front of her children in a carjacking incident, which took place outside home.

Shivanthi Sathanandan, a Minnesota DemocraticFarmerLabor (DFL) Party official, said the attack, which occurred on Tuesday morning, left her with a broken leg, deep lacerations on head, and bruising and cuts all over her body.

"You could have been reading the obituary for me and my children today. But instead I'm here. To write this... I have a broken leg, deep lacerations on my head, bruising and cuts all over my body. And I have rage," Sathanandan wrote in a Facebook post shared on Wednesday.

"Four very young men, all carrying guns, beat me violently down to the ground in front of our kids. The young men held our neighbours up at gunpoint when they ran over and tried to help me. All in broad daylight," she said.

Sathanandan, the Second Vice Chairwoman for the DFL, a Democratic party affiliate, said her four-year-old daughter "screamed non-stop" and her seven-year-old son wailed for help "because bad guys are murdering his Mama in the backyard".

Sharing her bloodied picture on Facebook, Sathanandan called for tougher crime laws after being beaten with "guns, kicks and fists".

"Look at my face. These criminals will not win. We need to take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this," Sathanandan wrote.

"I'm now part of the statistics. I wasn't silent when I fought these men to save my life and my babies, and I won't be silent now. We need to get illegal guns off of our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and hold them in custody and prosecute them."

Confirming the incident, the Minneapolis Police said in a statement to KSTP channel that Sathanandan's vehicle was later abandoned by the suspects and recovered, but no suspects have been arrested so far.

Sathanandan, who had pledged to "dismantle" the Minneapolis Police Department three years ago, thanked Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Jacob Frey, paramedics, neighbours, friends and DFL family, who came to her rescue "during this terrifying experience".

Sathanandan made history as the first woman of colour and first South Asian woman to be elected as Second Vice Chair of Minnesota's DFL.

She has been involved with the party since 2006.

Since then she has served as Vice Chair of the 4th Congressional District, a member of the State Outreach and Inclusion Committee, co-chair of the State Credentials Committee, a board member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, and a board member of the Minnesota Asian Democratic Association (also a constituency caucus of the DFL).

Daughter of immigrants, Sathanandan grew up in St Paul and is a University of Minnesota graduate.

--IANS

mi/ksk
New Delhi, Sep 7 : On the eve of the two-day G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi, security has been intensified across the national capital, with curbs on traffic regulations coming into force on Friday.

From early Friday morning, police personnel were seen checking vehicles in areas across Central Delhi and other adjoining regions.

Officials are also diligently monitoring city developments through a state-of-the-art control room, which utilises a network of 5,000 CCTV cameras strategically placed throughout the city.

According to the police, the control room receives district-wise visual feeds, and two security teams work in shifts to provide continuous, round-the-clock surveillance.

From Thursday midnight, non-essential vehicles were directed to use the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways and other alternate routes from the city borders.

"This restriction applies to Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs), and Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), which will not be allowed to enter Delhi. However, goods vehicles transporting Essential Commodities like milk, vegetables, fruits, and medical supplies, with valid 'No Entry Permissions,' will have entry permission," says a traffic advisory.

In view of the high-profile event starting from Saturday, Delhi Police have implemented various security measures, including the deployment of skilled markswomen and armed forces at key locations, intensifying border area patrolling, and conducting thorough security checks.

To bolster their efforts, Delhi Police is receiving support from a force of over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads, and mounted police units.

Security forces are also on high alert to prevent any potential incidents.

Police have increased patrolling efforts and stationed additional checkpoints at crucial installations.

Citizens have been encouraged to report any suspicious activities to the police.

Highlighting the multifaceted security concerns associated with the Summit, police emphasise the national and international dimensions.

"Previous summit locations have experienced law and order challenges stemming from protests by both international pressure groups and local organisations," said an official.

To ensure the safety of G20 delegates visiting the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat in central Delhi, police have collaborated with civic agencies to address the issue of monkeys and dogs in the area.

"We have requested the relevant agencies to deploy catchers to mitigate the monkey and dog presence during the delegates' visit. The nearby jungle area has prompted us to engage snake catchers as well," said the official.

These catchers will continually monitor the Rajghat vicinity and provide updates to the security personnel.

--IANS

ssh/ksk
Kolkata, Sep 8 : After the second round of counting for the bypoll to the Dhupguri Assembly constituency in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, the BJP candidate Tapasi Roy is ahead of Trinamool Congress' Nirmal Chandra Roy by a margin of 1,018 votes.

After the second round of counting, the total number of votes going in favour of BJP was 18,165 as against 17,147 votes for the Trinamool Congress.

The Congress-backed CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy is in the distant third position after the second round securing just 2,089. The trend indicates a close contest between the BJP and Trinamool Congress.

Altogether there will be ten rounds of counting and the final results are expected to be declared by around 2 p.m., said an official from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.

"Morning shows the day," was the initial reaction of Tapasi Roy, the widow of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Jagannath Roy, who was martyred in a terror attack at Lawaypora in Jammu & Kashmir on March 25, 2021.

However, Trinamool Congress leadership has claimed that the scenario will change in the forthcoming rounds of counting.

The bypolls to Dhupguri were necessitated by the sudden demise of the erstwhile BJP legislator Bishnu Pada Roy on July 25. He came to Kolkata to participate in the monsoon session of West Bengal Assembly and was admitted to a city-based hospital after he complained of chest pain. He died soon after at the hospital. The Dhupguri bypoll is witnessing a three cornered fight among Trinamool Congress, BJP and Congress- backed CPI(M).

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, BJP's Bishnu Pada Roy defeated Trinamool Congress' sitting MLA Mitali Roy by a margin of 4,355 votes. Being denied re-nomination in the bypolls, Mitali Roy joined BJP just a couple of days ago.
Los Angeles, Sep 8 : Actress Leah Remini, best known for her role in the series 'King of Queens' has spoken out about the sentencing of Danny Masterson for rape, saying that justice is finally served.

The 'That 70's Show' star was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment following two counts of rape, after he was found guilty, proceeded to rip the actor a new one.

Taking to X, she wrote: "I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organisation with tax-exempt status. Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them and some of the very Scientologists who terrorised them over two decades were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of."

"The women who survived Danny's predation fought tirelessly for justice. Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible. For that, we will forever be grateful," she added.

The actress further penned her gratitude to the Los Angeles Police Department and the city's District Attorney for the sentencing. "To the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorney's office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury, we thank you for your fair and impartial approach to this case and trial."

Prosecutors had alleged that Masterson, who was arrested and charged on three counts of forcible rape in 2020, sexually assaulted three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home, Eonline reported.

Masterson's first trial in 2022 was declared a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach unanimous decisions for the three rape charges.

However, during Masterson's retrial, which took place earlier this year, the jury found him guilty on two counts. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third court.
Los Angeles, Sep 8 : Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has found love again and has reportedly settled down with the Italian model Vittoria Ceretti.

The aWhatas Eating Gilbert Grapea star has reportedly been dating Vittoria, 25, for at least two months and they were spotted kissing in a nightclub in Ibiza earlier this week, reports Mirror.co.uk.

Leo, 48, is 23 years older than Vittoria with whom he appears to be smitten.

The actor has notoriously only dated women under the age of 25 and appears to break up with his significant other when they reach the milestone. But sources close to the aWolf Of Wall Streeta star now say that he has found true love.

As per Mirror.co.uk, one insider claimed that he is "besotted" with Vittoria and that she is being called his "girlfriend". He has allegedly spent the summer jetting around the world with his new love.

One friend close to him told the Daily Mail: "Vittoria is a beautiful girl, but Leonardo is of course surrounded by many beautiful girls most of the time. But he adores her and she adores him. They have been spending a lot of time together this summer, travelling around on romantic trips. It has obviously led to much chatter within his circle that Leo is ready to hang up his lothario ways. There have been many women pictured with him, partying with him, but what he has with Vittoria is much more serious."

The daughter of designer Francesca Lazzari, Vittoria has seemingly rubbed shoulders with many mutual acquaintances of Leonardo, including his alleged former flame Gigi Hadid.
Hyderabad, Sep 8 : Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy has come down heavily on MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi describing him as another Nizam.

Revanth Reddy also claimed that the Owaisi family is not from Hyderabad but came to the city from Maharashtra.

"There is another Nizam who lives on Shastripuram hillock. He says Hyderabad is our city but they actually came from Sholapur, Maharashtra," the Congress leader said in what is seen as the first direct attack on the

Hyderabad MP ahead of the Assembly polls.

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president went on to say that this time Congress will defeat Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM).

Addressing a rally at Necklace Road in Hyderabad on Thursday night, he questioned Owaisi over his support to Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

MIM, which is a key political force in Hyderabad, has been backing KCR since the formation of Telangana state.

Revanth Reddy said this time Muslims of Telangana will not accept support to KCR, who is standing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"You are supporting thieves. You are repeatedly asking people to elect KCR.

Why because he supported Modi in the Parliament on triple talaq Bill, Article 370, backed BJP in the election of the President and the Vice-President and supported demonetization and GST," the Congress leader asked.

Alleging that KCR looted one lakh crore rupees, the TPCC chief wanted to know from Owaisi what was his share in this.

"The father son duo are looting the state. The time has come to chase them away," he said, targeting KCR and KTR.

Revanth Reddy recalled that it was the Congress government which provided four per cent reservations to Muslims and which sanctioned the Metro rail line for the old city but KCR kept the work pending.

The Congress leader said poor Muslims in the old city have not been given double bed room houses or loans from Minorities Finance Corporation.
The international agricultural research company Corteva Agriscience has increased 2.6 times the number of Pioneer brand corn seed hybrids that are grown on the production fields of the company's seed complex in Poltava region, to 24, according to its press release.

According to the report, the portfolio of Ukrainian-produced corn seeds in 2024 will, in particular, include hybrids from the Pioneer Optimum AQUAmax line.

In addition, in 2023, the seed team began growing corn hybrids popular in European Union markets, as its long-term strategy for production in Ukraine is to increase its share of exports to the EU.

The company recalled that in 2022, Corteva increased export volumes to the EU 16 times.

In the current season, according to the company, 80% of seed crops were grown in irrigated fields, and StripTill technology was introduced in 15%, which helps preserve soil moisture and prevent erosion. Precision farming has been implemented in more than 80% of production areas. A system of differential crop density has been introduced.

"During the 10 years of operation of the Corteva seed complex in Ukraine, everything is being done to provide farmers with high-quality seeds of Ukrainian production... We are convinced that seed production in Ukraine has a great future and Corteva strives to be a leader here," Production Manager in Ukraine at Corteva Agriscience Oleksiy Turchynov was quoted by the press service.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : Congress on Friday said the start of the 18th summit with India's rotational presidency is a moment for reflection, revealing one of the "biggest failures of the NDA (No Data Available) government" as it has failed to conduct the "decadal Census" that was due in 2021 due to which an estimated 14 crore citizens are excluded from their food entitlements.

The Congress also demanded the government to stop denying 14 crore Indians their basic rights under the NFSA, increase the beneficiary quota until the Census is carried out, conduct an updated national caste census and end of suppression of data inconvenient to the government.

Hitting back at the government for not conducting census, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "The start of the 18th G20 summit today with Indiaas rotational presidency is a moment for reflection, revealing one of the biggest failures of the NDA (No Data Available) Government -- it has failed to conduct the decadal Census that was due in 2021."

He said that nearly, every other G20 country has managed to conduct the census, despite Covid-19, including other developing countries like Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa.

"The Modi government is so inept and incompetent that it has been unable to carry out Indiaas most important statistical exercise that has been conducted on schedule since 1951. This is an unprecedented failure in the history of our nation," the Congress communication in-charge said.

He said that the Modi governmentas failure to conduct the census has led to an estimated 14 crore (140 million) Indians being excluded from their food entitlements, according to a recent media report.

"This is a categorical denial of a fundamental right to the citizen guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution, which was implemented by the UPA government through the landmark National Food Security Act (NFSA). The Modi government was forced to rely on the NFSA as a critical lifeline for families across India, providing the much needed safety net for the poorest during the COVID19 pandemic," he said.

Ramesh said that since the Modi government failed to conduct the census in 2021, it only offers NFSA coverage to 81 crore people based on the 2011 Census, whereas 95 crore Indians are entitled to the NFSA coverage, going by the current estimates of population.

He said that due to no census work carried out new beneficiaries are not being added and in July 2022, the Supreme Court had noted this issue and directed the Modi government to rectify this untenable situation by using population projections.

"But no change was made. This massive failure shows not only the Prime Ministeras contempt for the Supreme Court, but his disdain for the Constitutional rights of the people of India," he alleged.

He also accused the government and said that the Socio-Economic Caste Census that was conducted by the UPA government in 2011 remains suppressed.

"It has even opposed the Bihar governmentas attempt at a state-level Caste Census in the Supreme Court," Ramesh said, adding that as highlighted by former party chief Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and reiterated by the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in a letter to the Prime Minister on April 16, 2023, it is absolutely critical to have an up-to-date and reliable Caste Census.

"Without establishing the count, categorisation and characterisation of the most numerous OBC population, it is impossible to ensure adequate development and social justice for all Indians. We firmly believe in the principle of parity not charity, for which the Caste Census is essential," he said.

He also cited the examples of the National Sample Survey 2017-18 on unemployment data and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of 2019-20 on open defecation and the prevalence of anaemia and said that the government discredits collecting any data that it finds inconvenient to its narrative.

Putting forth the demands of the party Ramesh said, "Stop denying 14 crore Indians their basic rights under the NFSA, and increase the beneficiary quota until the census is carried out. Conduct an updated national caste census, and stop opposing statelevel caste census efforts. And end the suppression of data inconvenient to the government, like the 2017-18 NSS and the 2022-23 CES, stop manipulating NFHS to hide failures in health indicators, and restore faith in Indiaas historically robust statistical system."
Mumbai, Sep 8 : Actor Aayush Sharma, who will be soon seen in the upcoming film 'Ruslaan', has shared that the film's Azerbaijan schedule has helped the team to add versatility to action sequences in the film.

The film, directed by Katyayan Shivpuri, embarked on an extensive two-month shooting schedule in Azerbaijan, immersing themselves in its captivating landscapes and culture. Recently, the team returned for a final seven-day stint, bringing the journey to a close.

Talking about the shoot, the actor said, "The film's shoot in Azerbaijan helped us add some versatility to action sequences of the film. The country has a unique range to offer. We shot in Quba, which is four hours away from Baku. The village is interesting because it's known as the spy village. The locals are relatively conservative and don't visit the mainland a lot."

It was a conscious effort to take a visual detour from the overexposed locales of Hindi movies.

The actor further mentioned, "Audiences today deserve to have something different. Locations add value to the project. We wanted to add a fresh visual palette. Showing scale and grandeur in a different fashion is key."

Aayush made his Bollywood debut with the lead role in the 2018 release aLoveyatria opposite debutante Warina Hussain. He received praise for his work in the 2021 release aAntim: The Final Trutha in which he portrayed the role of a gangster alongside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan who essayed the role of a cop. The film is a Hindi remake of the hit Marathi film aMulshi Patterna.
Agartala, Sep 8 : The ruling BJP, which on Friday won both Dhanpur and Boxanagar Assembly constituencies thrashing its CPI (M) rivals with a massive margins of votes, created history in Tripura as for the first time a minority Muslim candidate won as a saffron party nominee.

The BJP wrested the Boxanagar seat from the CPI-M and retained the Dhanpur seat even as the two assembly constituencies were once strongholds of the Left parties.

Election officials said that BJP candidate Taffajal Hossain, with 34,146 votes, won in Boxanagar by a margin of 30,237 votes defeating his CPI (M) opponent Mizan Hossain, who bagged 3,909 votes only.

BJP nominee Bindu Debnath (30,017 votes) won the Dhanpur constituency beating his CPI-M challenger Kaushik Chanda (11146 votes) by a margin of 18871 votes.

The 51-years-old Muslim leader Taffajal Hossain, first Muslim nominee elected to Tripura assembly as BJP nominee, unsuccessfully contested the February 16 assembly polls from the same Muslim-dominated Boxanagar constituency.

He lost to CPI-M's Samsul Haque, who died on July 19 following a cardiac attack necessitating the bypolls, by a margin of 4631 votes.

The by-election to the Dhanpur seat was necessitated after Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik resigned from the Assembly, days after she was elected from the seat as a BJP nominee in the February Assembly elections.

The bypolls were held on Tuesday, and the voter turnout stood at 86.56 per cent, with 93,495 eligible voters casting their ballots.

The Congress and the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), the other two main opposition parties in the state, had earlier announced not to field candidates in the two seats to prevent division of vote share.

The leaders of TMP headed by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, however, two days before the by-elections, had declared not to support the CPI-M or the BJP in the by-elections, leaving the choice to the voters and party workers.

Congress leaders, led by state party President Ashish Kumar Saha campaigned for the CPI-M candidates.

"To defeat the BJP and to ensure victory for the INDIA alliance, we have campaigned in both the Assembly segments," Saha told IANS.

After the formation of the opposition alliance -- Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)  September 5 by-elections was its first electoral battle.

Alleging large-scale intimidation, rigging and irregularities by members and workers of the state's ruling BJP on the polling day and the Election Commission's "inactiveness" to deal with the "terror and misdeeds", the CPI (M)-led Left Front has boycotted the counting.

With this victory in the two assembly seats, the BJP's tally increased to 33 in the 60-member assembly while CPI-M's strength went down from 11 to 10.

In the February 16 assembly polls, the ruling BJP won 32 seats while its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) secured one.

On the other hand the tribal based Tipra Motha Party (TMP) became the second single largest party after BJP securing 13 seats while CPI-M managed 11 seats and the Congress three.

The CPI-M and the Congress contested the February assembly polls in a seat sharing arrangement.

Though the CPI-M, Congress and the TMP initially decided to fight against the BJP and try to prevent vote division of opposition parties but subsequently TMP was out of the electoral scene.

The latest development took place after the meeting between TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on August 26.

In other setbacks for the opposition parties in the two assembly segments, one of the prominent Muslim CPI-M leader and former Minister Shahid Chowdhury's brother Farooq Chowdhury and top Congress leader and former Minister Billal Mia joined the BJP just before the by-elections boosting the ruling party.

Many top BJP leaders and Central Ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P.Nadda and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated the party candidates for their success.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
New Delhi, Sep 8 : As India geared up for the much-anticipated G20 Summit here in the capital over the weekend, researchers from homegrown cyber-security company CloudSEK on Friday uncovered a plan by multiple hacktivist groups from Pakistan and Indonesia to launch cyber attacks on India.

CloudSEK's contextual AI digital risk platform, XVigil, observed that the government's digital infrastructure is the primary target of hacktivists.

"This orchestrated campaign, known as #OpIndia, is motivated by a complex web of political factors, with many attacks seen as retaliatory strikes in the ongoing hacktivist warfare between nations. The primary attack methods anticipated in this campaign are Mass Defacement and DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks," the researchers noted.

The ominous call for action was sounded on September 7, when Team Herox, a hacktivist group, issued a message on encrypted messaging platform Telegram.

"They sought support from fellow hacktivist organisations to join forces for a series of attacks scheduled for September 9-10, aligning perfectly with the G20 summit's timeline," the researchers informed.

The hacktivist groups have been plotting cyberattacks on both public and private Indian organisations in the past, with tactics ranging from DDoS attacks to compromised account takeovers and data breaches.

"These hacktivists consistently exploit significant political events like the G20 Summit to gain visibility, making the government's digital infrastructure a prime objective. The coordinated efforts by hacktivist groups from Pakistan and Indonesia to target India's G20 Summit with planned cyberattacks are a stark reminder of the digital threats nations face," said Darshit Ashara, Head of Security Research and Threat Intelligence at CloudSEK.

The researchers highlighted a similar insight into a recent hacktivist campaign that targeted over 1,000 Indian websites as part of their Independence Day campaign in August.

The campaign, orchestrated by hacktivist groups from various countries, utilised tactics such as DDoS attacks, defacement attacks, and user account takeovers, echoing the patterns previously highlighted in CloudSEK's hacktivists warfare report.

The report also reveals a significant spike in hacktivist attacks during the first quarter of 2023 with India emerging as the primary focus of attacks.

"Our mission is to stay ahead of these evolving risks and empower organisations and individuals to fortify their digital defenses," Ashara added. CloudSEK urged organisations and authorities to remain vigilant and bolster their cybersecurity measures to thwart these malicious activities.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : Actor Alia Bhatt's conscious clothing brand of kids and maternity-wear, Ed-a-Mamma, signs a joint venture with Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. (RRVL) for a 51 per cent majority stake. RRVL aims to take the brand on a dynamic growth trajectory by closely collaborating with founder Alia Bhatt and leveraging the management strength of its subsidiary Reliance Brands Limited to spearhead the business. This partnership also marks a significant step forward in promoting sustainable fashion for the younger generation.

Ed-a-Mamma founded by Alia in 2020 as an apparel brand for 212 year-olds, resonated deeply with both young parents and children through its emphasis on natural fabrics and nature themes all designed to inspire a love of nature among children. From its online debut to its offline presence in department stores, Ed-a-Mamma quickly established itself as a favored choice among discerning consumers.

In a significant stride last year, the brand expanded its range to include maternity-wear which was thoughtfully timed to coincide with Bhatt's pregnancy which was soon followed-up with a line for infants and toddlers - further demonstrating the brand's versatility.

Ed-a-Mamma continues to gain popularity and build the brand with innovative eco initiatives such as not using plastic buttons to repurposing waste fabric for hair-ties. The brand's commitment to nurturing a connection with nature is exemplified by its inclusion of seedballs with each garment which encourage kids and parents to interact to participate in building a green future.

"At Reliance, we have always admired brands that lead with a strong purpose and embody a unique design ethos exemplified perfectly by Ed-a-Mamma and its founder Alia Bhatt. With sustainability as its core proposition the brand has garnered acclaim for its meticulous attention to detail, using ethically sourced materials and eco-conscious production processes. This aligns seamlessly with Reliance Brands' vision of fostering a more responsible future for the fashion industry." said Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd.

"Alia's daughter and my twins are two weeks apart and we pretty much went through our pregnancies at the same time coincidentally wearing Ed-a-Mamma maternity, and now dressing our children in Ed-a-Mamma kidswear, which they love! So, this is special  The product, brand and the partnership are especially close to my heart." added Isha Ambani on a personal note.

Speaking about the joint venture, Bhatt said "Isha and I found a wavelength as two new moms discussing what mothers want. I told her what we were already doing at Ed-a-Mamma and how there's scope to do so much more. She said Reliance can bring strengths in everything from supply chain to retail to marketing. With this joint venture, we look forward to taking Ed-a-Mamma to many more kids and parents and continuing to inspire a love for nature through everything we do."

The partnership will see the brand grow into new areas like personal care and baby furniture while retaining its core values of being child-friendly, parent-friendly, and planet-friendly. Also on the anvil is children's story books and an animated series that will breathe life into the enchanting world of Ed-a-Mamma.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Dehradun, Sep 8 : The BJP on Friday retained the Bageshwar Assembly seat in Uttarakhand by defeating Congress with over 2,000 votes.

BJP candidate Parwati Das defeated Congress' Basant Kumar by 2,321 votes.

After the win, she expressed gratitude to the people of Bageshwar for her victory.

With the BJP retaining the seat, party workers are celebrating the win.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated Das and thanked people for reposing their faith in the BJP.

Taking to social media, the chief minister posted in Hindi, "The people of Bageshwar have voted for the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the policies and public welfare schemes of the state government."

"It is a tribute to former state minister Chandan Ram Das. Works envisioned by him will be completed," he said.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : The teaser of Kiran Rao's directorial 'Laapataa Ladies' released on Friday, and gave a sneak peek of a mess created around the search for two young lost brides. Kiran had earlier directed the 2010 film 'Dhobi Ghat' starring Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, and Kriti Malhotra in the lead roles.

Now, Kiran has once again collaborated with Aamir for aLaapataa Ladiesa. The teaser of aLaapataa Ladiesa looks extremely entertaining while it transports us to the backdrop of rural India. While, it exudes the vibes of a clear mess set around the search for the two lost brides, it brings along humour in every frame.

The teaser starts with the character of newly wed groom Deepak Kumar, who is travelling in a train with his wife. After three days of marriage, while returning home, Deepakas bride goes missing from the train. Deepak can be seen reporting an FIR in the police station along with his friend. Ravi Kishan is introduced as inspector Shyam Manohar.

In another scene, a man can be seen reporting to a different police station, about the disappearance of his wife. The teaser shows confusion among the authorities and the family members of the brides, questioning that two ladies went missing from the same train.

The quirky narrative is supported by the cast that includes Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan.

The film was also screened at the grand premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Presented by Jio Studios, 'Laapataa Ladies' is directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan and Jyoti Deshpande.

The film has been made under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Productions, with the script based on an award-winning story by Biplab Goswami.

It will release on January 5, 2024.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : A potential infrastructure agreement encompassing ports and railroads being discussed by the leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia and other nations supported the outperformance of all railway stocks on Friday, said Vaibhav Vidwani, Research Analyst at Bonanza Portfolio.

After news broke on Friday that the Ministry of Power planned to launch a tender to buy 4,000 MW of gas-based energy for around 20 days between September and November, shares of power were up by 1-4 per cent.

Niche sectors like power, defence and shipping continue to garner interest. Railway stocks were in momentum following media reports of potential deal to connect Gulf and Arab countries via railways, said Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Retail Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

Nifty surged by an impressive 2 per cent, while mid-cap stocks soared an astonishing 4 per cent this week, said Shrey Jain, Founder and CEO at SAS Online.

Nifty Bank, not one to be left behind, posted a solid 1.5 per cent gain.

Among sectors, it was all green except pharmaceuticals. Capital goods, oil & gas, power, and realty indices all enjoyed gains ranging from 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent, painting a vibrant picture of the market's vitality.

An interesting aspect of this week's activity is the mixed participation from Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs). While FIIs engaged in some minor selling, DIIs demonstrated strong buying activity, underscoring domestic investor confidence.
Kolkata, Sep 8 : A unique PIL was filed at the Calcutta High Court on Saturday alleging rampant trafficking and illegal selling of elephants from West Bengal to other states and even other countries.

Claiming that elephants being public property cannot be sold or purchased in such a manner, the petitioner, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has sought the intervention of the Calcutta High Court to prevent their trafficking.

The petition alleged as many as 28 elephants have been trafficked from West Bengal to other states or even foreign countries during the last couple of years.

The petitioner especially mentioned a case where three elephants were found at an ashram in Bihar. On inquiry, the petitioner found that the elephants originally belonged to a circus company which gifted them to the ashram authorities.

The petitioner argued that since elephants are public properties, selling, purchasing or even gifting them is not permitted under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Wildlife activists also agreed with the petitioner that elephants have to be retained in the state where they are registered.

"Although elephants can move freely through the elephant corridors from one state to another or even from one country to another, that movement has to be spontaneous without any human intervention.

"It has to be seen whether the three elephants that the petitioner referred to were registered in West Bengal. If they were, then handing them over to an ashram in Bihar was an illegal act," said a city-based wildlife expert.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Friday said that priorities of the Global South are central to the modalities of G20.

Addressing a pre-G20 summit press conference, he, replying to a question on Russia and China being seen as a separate block within G20 and concerns between Global South and independent economies, said: "Yes, independent economies come from a different economic base, but priorities of Global South are central to the priorities and modalities of G20."

He added that India has been on the forefront of speaking on priorities of the Global South at various platforms.

On India being under pressure during negotiations for the final declaration, the Foreign Secretary said that India's aim is to build consensus among all member nations and this will reflect in the final outcome document of the G20 summit.

Replying to a question on whether the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin from the G20 summit could lead to removal of Ukraine conflict's reference from the final outcome document, Kwatra said that the priority should be multilateral.

"There should be consensus, which needs to be representative, accountable, transparent and inclusive and it will be ensured that this reflects in the final declaration," he said.

On the inclusion of the African Union in the G20, the Foreign Secretary said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had written to all the member nations regarding this. "The Prime Minister had written to all member nations to accept African Union as a full member. I hope all member nations will take it into consideration," Kwatra said.

--IANS

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the famous British actor Stephen Fry discussed a variety of aspects of Ukrainian life.

Stephen Fry and I had a cordial and friendly meeting. We talked about a variety of aspects of Ukrainian life: culture, resilience, and our people's bravery, Zelenskyy said on Twitter Thursday evening.
Jaipur, Sep 9 : Although going 'faceless' into the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, the BJP has given a push to its poll campaign with posters branding it as the 'World's Largest Political Party'.

The central leadership of the BJP had announced that the saffron party will go faceless in the elections, following reports of factionalism within the state unit of the party.

Now posters have been put up in the party office here with no faces but only the lotus symbol and catchy slogans on them, the main being 'World's Largest Political Party'.

Narayan Panchariya, who has been assigned the role of Election Management Committee chairman, told IANS that BJP is proud to be the largest party in the world.

"Earlier, this tag was with China (Communist Party of China), but things have changed now," he said.

"There is a story behind this success. Our 'panna pramukh' model has taken the party into the interiors. There is a lean hierarchy in the party which is quite simple. I have been a 'panna pramukh' since 2018, dealing with issues at the grassroots level despite handling other responsibilities. This is the beauty of our party's model which is strong at its base," Panchariya said.

Meanwhile, one big poster outside the party office continues to have pictures of former CM Vasundhara Raje, leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore and state unit chief C.P. Joshi alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda.

Earlier, Raje' pictures were removed during the tenure of then state BJP chief Satish Poonia citing that the party is following the rule of using pictures of the Prime Minister, the national President along with state unit chief and leader of opposition in states where the party is in opposition.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for Security Council to reflect realities of today's world.

Guterres, who arrived earlier in the day in New Delhi to attend the G20 summit, while speaking on UN Security Council (UNSC) reforms, noted: "Some people think that if the world is multipolar, then peace will come by itself. It's not true. Multipolarity requires strong and reformed multilateral institutions. But when one looks at the Security Council of the United Nations, they do not reflect today's world. They reflect the world at the end of the Second World War."

He added that many things have changed and "So it is clear that if we want multilateral institutions to work properly, we need to adapt their structure, their organisation...we need to adapt them to reflect the reality of today".

This, Guterres said, "is true for the Security Council, multilateral institutions, true for institutions related to trade, science and many other aspects".

"We need to reform multilateralism to face the challenges of today," he said.

India for long has been calling for reforms in the UNSC, while seeking it's membership.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Sep 8 : The opposition parties in Telangana on Friday termed the death of a home guard, who self-immolated citing not receiving salary on time and harassment by seniors, as a murder by the BRS government.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President A. Revanth Reddy alleged that Ravinderas suicide was a murder by the state government.

He along with other Congress leaders met DGP Anjani Kumar on Friday and demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao be booked for murder.

Revanth Reddy also demanded Rs 25 lakh compensation for the deceased home guardas family and a government job for a family member. He said the government should also bear the expenses for the education of Ravinderas children.

Later, Revanth Reddy called on Ravinderas family members. He said the governmentas negligence was responsible for the death of the home guard, claiming that nobody from the government even consoled the family while no action was taken against the officials responsible for his self-immolation.

The Congress leader also asked all the home guards to teach a lesson to the government for its negligence.

Union minister and state BJP President G. Kishan Reddy also called Ravinderas self-immolation a murder by the state government.

He alleged that the BRS government is not giving minimum respect to the home guards and is harassing them. He also appealed to home guards not to take any hasty step but fight to get their problems solved.

Kishan Reddy had visited the DRDO Apollo Hospital on Thursday and met Ravinder's family members. He alleged that the BRS government failed to fulfil the promises made to the home guards.

He recalled that Chief Minister KCR had promised to improve the working conditions of home guards and to treat them on par with the state government employees, but nothing was done.

YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) leader Y.S. Sharmila also held the KCR government responsible for the home guardas death, as she demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation for the deceased's family.

Ravinder (36), who had attempted self-immolation in Hyderabad four days ago, succumbed to his injuries on Friday.

He had set himself ablaze after pouring petrol on Tuesday at the Commandant Home Guardas office near the Goshamahal police stadium.

Ravinder, who sustained 60 per cent burns, was rushed to the Osmania General Hospital. When his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the DRDO Apollo Hospital. He was put on a ventilator but the efforts of the doctors to save him proved futile as he breathed his last on Friday morning.

Ravinderas wife Sandhya sat on a protest at the Osmania Hospital, demanding justice. She called off her protest in the evening after a senior police officer assured her that a job will be provided to a family member.

Meanwhile, the police have booked a case against ASI Narsing Rao and constable Chandu for allegedly harassing Ravinder.

Sandhya had demanded stringent action against the ASI and the constable, alleging that they unlocked Ravinderas phone and deleted data from it.

Sandhya also said that her husband discharged his duties honestly for 17 years, but he was forced to end his life by his seniors.
Kolkata, Sep 8 : The state government employees in West Bengal demanding enhanced dearness allowance (DA) at par with their Central government counterparts and the arrears accrued on it have decided to make the decision of the state government to hike the salaries of minister and legislators by Rs 40,000 a month a major agenda to press for their demands.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced to hike the salaries of all ministers and MLAs by a whopping Rs 40,000 a month. After the hike, the monthly payment received by the legislators, including salary, allowances and perks, will increase to Rs 1.21 lakh from the current Rs 81,000. Similarly, the monthly payment received by ministers, including salary, allowances and perks, will go up from the current Rs 1.10 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh.

Bhaskar Ghosh, the convener of the joint forum of state government employees, the umbrella organisation spearheading the movement on the DA issue, said that while the state government is spending crores of rupees behind wasteful and avoidable expenditures, they are denying the state government employees of their legitimate dues.

"The state government has enough money for such an exorbitant hike in the salaries of ministers and legislators, but it does not have enough money to pay our DA. We will be going for a massive agitation in the coming days, including cease-work, and this issue of salary hike for ministers and MLAs will be our principal agenda," he said.

The future agitation programme includes ghearo of police stations in all districts on September 10, rallies in front of all block development offices on September 18, march to Raj Bhavan on September 24, and two-day cease-work on October 10 and October 11.

Already the leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikri, has announced that the BJP legislators will reject the enhanced salary.

"We are against receiving this enhanced salary. Our legislative team has met Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and requested him not to give assent to the proposal for salary hike for ministers and MLAs that was passed on the floor of the House on Thursday," Adhikari had said soon after the Chief Minister made the announcement.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : India and Bangladesh on Friday expressed appreciation for operationalisation of settlement of bilateral trade in Indian rupee and encouraged the business community on both sides to utilise the mechanism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina held bilateral discussions, which covered the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation including political and security cooperation, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development cooperation, cultural and people to people ties.

Current developments in the region and cooperation in the multilateral fora were also discussed, official sources said.

The two leaders also looked forward to beginning of negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), covering trade in goods, services, and protecting and promoting investment.

The leaders welcomed the operationalisation of the agreement on the use of the Chattogram and Mongla Ports and commissioning of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

Expressing satisfaction at the implementation of development cooperation projects, they looked forward to the joint inauguration of following projects at a convenient date later.

These include opening of the Agartala-Akhaura rail link, operationalisation of the Unit-II of the Maitri power plant and that of the Khulna-Mongla rail link. They also welcomed the exchange of MoUs for strengthening bilateral cooperation in digital payment mechanisms between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Bangladesh Bank.

Another pact on renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) between India and Bangladesh for 2023-2025 was also exchanged. An agreement between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) is to be cleared soon, sources said further.

Regarding the regional situation, Modi expressed appreciation of the burden shouldered by Bangladesh in hosting over a million persons displaced from Rakhine state in Myanmar, and conveyed India's constructive and positive approach to support solutions towards safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.

The Indian side welcomed the Indo-Pacific outlook announced by Bangladesh recently. The leaders agreed to continue working together to intensify their wide-ranging engagement.

Sheikh Hasina is visiting India as its guest country to participate in the G20 leaders summit on September 9 and 10.

--IANS

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Agartala/New Delhi, Sep 8 : The CPI-M led Left Front on Friday termed the results of the by-elections to two Assembly constituencies -- Dhanpur and Boxanagar -- as manufactured verdict managed by the ruling BJP with the help of a section of police and civil administration in league with the Election Department.

Alleging large-scale intimidation, rigging and irregularities by members and workers of the state's ruling BJP on the polling day and the Election Commission's "inactiveness" to deal with the "terror and misdeeds", the Left Front has boycotted the counting of votes on Friday.

From the results of the by-elections to two Assembly seats indisputably vindicated the allegation of the Left Front that the election in both the constituencies on Tuesday was totally rigged and reduced to mockery of democracy in the name of elections, the Front said in a statement.

It said that the voting witnessed the widespread capture of polling booths by the BJP followers mobilised from outsides who resorted to rampant manipulations in most of the polling booths in front of the electoral personnel and police forcing the Left Front to raise demand to countermand the election and arrange a fresh poll in both the constituencies.

But the Election Commission did not pay cognisance to this genuine demand, the statement said adding that the results of the by-election, announced on Friday shows that, the BJP candidates in Boxanagar and Dhanpur have won the election securing 89 per cent and 71 per cent of total polled votes respectively.

In the history of state elections, except former Chief Minister Dasaratha Deb in Ramchandraghat Assembly seat (in 1978 and 1983), there is no record of any candidate getting such a high percentage of votes in any genuine election, the Front said.

They said that in the general election held in February this year, the CPI-M won in Boxanagar and lost Dhanpur with a marginal difference in the triangular contest.

Within six months, nothing happened in the state political scenario that may lead shifting of such a huge number of voters towards the ruling party, rather, during this period discontent of the masses has escalated over the performance of the government to address the crisis of livelihood of the people and that in other sectors, the statement said.

The Left Front urged the people to out rightly reject the results and intensify their struggle for restoration of democracy in the days to come.

The CPI-M politburo also in a statement, issued in Delhi, reiterated its demand that these by elections be countermanded and fresh polls be conducted under strict supervision of the Election Commission.

According to the results, BJP candidate Taffajal Hossain, with 34,146 votes, won in Boxanagar seat by a margin of 30,237 votes defeating his CPI (M) opponent Mizan Hossain, who bagged 3,909 votes only.

BJP nominee Bindu Debnath (30,017 votes) has succeeded in the Dhanpur constituency beating his CPI-M challenger Kaushik Chanda (11146 votes) by a margin of 18871 votes.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : India and the US on Friday, while sharing a vision of secure and trusted telecommunications, resilient supply chains, and global digital inclusion, welcomed the signing of a pact between Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Alliance, operated by Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, as a first step towards deepening public-private cooperation between vendors and operators.

In a joint statement issued by India and the US after the bilateral discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden, the endeavour towards building resilient global semiconductor supply chains was re-emphasised.

In this respect, the two leaders noted a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology, Inc, to invest approximately $300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India and Advanced Micro Deviceas announcement to invest $400 million in India over the next five years to expand research, development, and engineering operations in India.

The leaders welcomed completion of the Congressional Notification process on August 29 and the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India, and recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal.

Biden congratulated Modi and the scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Chandrayaan-3as historic landing at the south polar region of the Moon, as well as the successful launch of Indiaas first solar mission, Aditya-L1.

Having set a course to reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation, the leaders welcomed efforts towards establishment of a Working Group for commercial space collaboration under the existing India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group.

"Determined to deepen our partnership in outer space exploration, ISRO and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have commenced discussions on modalities, capacity building, and training for mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024, and are continuing efforts to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of 2023," the statement said.

India and the US also intend to increase coordination on planetary defence to protect the Earth and space assets from the impact of asteroids and near-Earth objects, including US support for Indiaas participation in asteroid detection and tracking via the Minor Planet Center, it added further.

The leaders expressed satisfaction at the ongoing implementation of announcements made in June 2023 by US companies, Micron, LAM Research, and Applied Materials.

They further acknowledged the setting-up of two joint task forces focussed on collaboration in the field of Open RAN and research and development in 5G/6G technologies.

A 5G Open RAN pilot in a leading Indian telecom operator will be undertaken by a US Open RAN manufacturer before field deployment. The pact was signed in the presence Modi and Biden.

The two leaders reaffirmed technologyas defining role in deepening their strategic partnership and lauded ongoing efforts through the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains, based on mutual confidence and trust, which reinforce shared values and democratic institutions.

The US and India intend to undertake a midterm review of iCET in September to continue to drive momentum toward the next annual iCET review, co-led by the National Security Advisors of both countries, in early 2024, the statement added.

The leaders lauded the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between them. This follows the unprecedented settlement of six outstanding bilateral trade disputes in the WTO in June.

During their meeting, which took place shortly after Biden landed in India to participate in the G20 Summit, the two leaders continue to look forward to the participation of Indian companies in the US Rip and Replace Program, and the President also welcomed Indiaas support for a Rip and Replace pilot in the US, according to the joint statement.

"The United States reiterated its commitment to working together with India in the quantum domain, both bilaterally and through the Quantum Entanglement Exchange, a platform to facilitate international quantum exchange opportunities; and welcomed the participation of Indiaas S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, as a member of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium. It was also recognised that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange as an international partner," the statement added.

The leaders applauded the conclusion of a second Master Ship Repair Agreement, with the most recent agreement signed by the US Navy and Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders, Ltd, in August.

Both sides recommitted to advancing Indiaas emergence as a hub for the maintenance and repair of forward-deployed US Navy assets and other aircraft and vessels. The leaders also welcomed further commitments from US industry to invest more in Indiaas maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and facilities for aircraft.

President Biden welcomed the issuance of a Letter of Request from the Indian Defence Ministry to procure 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of Indiaas armed forces across all domains, the statement said.

Reiterating the importance of nuclear energy as a necessary resource to meet the two nationsa climate, energy transition, and energy security needs, Modi and Biden welcomed intensified consultations between the relevant entities on both sides to expand opportunities for facilitating India-US collaboration in nuclear energy, including in development of next generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode.

The US reaffirmed its support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and committed to continue engagement with like-minded partners to advance this goal.

The leaders welcomed the inaugural meeting of the India-US Renewable Energy Technologies Action Platform (RE-TAP), in August, under which the two countries will engage in lab-to-lab collaboration, piloting, and testing of innovative technologies; collaboration on policy and planning to advance renewable energy and enabling technologies; investment, incubation and outreach programmes; and training and skill development to accelerate the uptake and adoption of new and emerging renewable technologies and energy systems.

Reiterating the importance of decarbonising the transport sector, the leaders welcomed progress to expand electric mobility in India, including joint support for a payment security mechanism financed through both public and private funds. This will accelerate the procurement of 10,000 made-in India electric buses including those for the Indian PM e-Bus Sewa programme that will include the associated charging infrastructure.

The two countries are committed to working together to help diversify the global supply chain for e-mobility. India and the US are also advancing the creation of investment platforms to lower the cost of capital and accelerate the deployment of greenfield renewable energy, battery storage and emerging green technology projects in India.

Towards this end, Indiaas National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and the US Development Finance Corporation exchanged letters of intent to each provide up to $500 million to anchor a renewable infrastructure investment fund.

Modi and Biden also hailed the signing of an Implementation Arrangement between the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and Indiaas Department of Biotechnology to enable scientific and technological research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations. They welcomed the call for proposals released by NSF and Indiaas Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to foster academic and industrial collaboration in semiconductor research, next generation communication systems, cyber-security, sustainability and green technologies, and intelligent transportation systems.

"Reaffirming their commitment to building resilient technology value chains and linking defence industrial ecosystems, the leaders recommitted their administrations to promoting policies and adapting regulations that facilitate greater technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities between Indian and US industry, government and academic institutions," the joint statement said.

They also welcomed continued engagement through an inter-agency monitoring mechanism under the auspices of the bilateral Strategic Trade Dialogue, launched in June 2023. The leaders welcomed the signing of an MoU between Indian universities, represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council), and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute, with a combined initial commitment of at least $10 million.

The Global Challenges Institute will bring together leading research and higher-education institutions from across our two nations, including beyond AAU and IIT membership, to advance new frontiers in science and technology, spanning collaboration in sustainable energy and agriculture, health and pandemic preparedness, semiconductor technology and manufacturing, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science. B

iden and Modi also welcomed the growing number of multi-institutional collaborative education partnerships, such as those between New York University-Tandon and IIT Kanpur Advanced Research Center, and the Joint Research Centers of the State University of New York at Buffalo and IIT Delhi, Kanpur, Jodhpur, and BHU, in the areas of critical and emerging technologies.

The leaders affirmed the importance of efforts to close the gender digital divide in the digital economy, noting a G20 commitment to halve the digital gender gap by 2030 and expressed support for the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative, which brings together governments, private sector companies, foundations civil society and multilateral organisations to accelerate progress toward the closure of the digital gender divide, the joint statement added.

--IANS

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Guwahati, Sep 8 : The Assam Cabinet on Friday decided to recommend to the Central government to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act from the entire state.

The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Speaking to the reporters after the meeting, Sarma said: "AFSPA and the Disturbed Areas Act have been in effect in Assam since 1990. Today, after reaching a decision, we are officially moving towards our aim to withdraw both Acts completely as per our commitment."

Earlier on Monday, Sarma met Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in Delhi to discuss the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state.

It is also to be mentioned that Sarma had previously announced the repeal of the AFSPA from the entire Assam in his Independence Day speech on August 15.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday took a pot shot at the BJP over the bypoll results, saying that clearly, the winner is INDIA and the BJP and its money power are not unbeatable.

Chidambaram, in a post on X, wrote: "The news of the day is not the arrival of G20 leaders for the Leaders' Summit. The top news is the overall result of the seven by-elections that were announced today. Clearly, the winner is INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance). INDIA beat the BJP 4:3"

He said that the BJP won in two seats in Tripura and the lone seat in Uttarakhand.

"The BJP lost in Kerala, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Of these, in U.P., the BJP is the ruling party with a formidable majority. The BJP and its money power are not unbeatable. The INDIA alliance has demonstrated that the BJP can be defeated even in the BJP's fort. The results today are a good augury for the success of the INDIA alliance," the former Union minister said.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Sep 8 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said the state was not able to release the stipulated amount of water to Tamil Nadu from the Cauvery river, adding "having drinking water was our priority".

Answering a question by reporters who sought to know if the release of water to Tamil Nadu was stopped, he said: "We are not getting the expected inflow of water. We are not able to release the quantity of water directed by the Supreme Court.

"We are expecting rainfall and it is important for us to protect the interests of the farmers. We are committed to it. There are protests seeking stoppage of water release to Tamil Nadu. The situation was managed as there was some rainfall in Bengaluru, Ramanagara region," he added.

The senior Congress leader further said that "the standing crop and drinking water are our priority".

Criticising the BJP, he said "let the party leaders first get the required permission for the Mekedatu and Mahadayi projects from the Centre before making allegations against the Congress government".

"They don't have the capacity to select a Leader of the Opposition. They can't tolerate women travelling freely across the state, people getting zero electricity bills and other guarantee schemes," he said, adding, "there has been no government in India which has implemented four guarantee schemes in 100 days after coming to power".
The Yermak-McFaul international group on sanctions against Russia has prepared two new documents, in particular, on strengthening energy sanctions and on the importance of confiscation of Russian state assets, the presidential press service reported.

According to Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, energy sanctions are working, but they need to be significantly strengthened. According to him, in a new analytical document, the group provides detailed proposals for improving and strengthening the sanctions pressure on the energy sector of the aggressor country. The Head of the Office of the President emphasized that improving compliance with the sanctions and adopting the new proposals of the group would further reduce Russia's energy revenues by at least half.

"We have to be realistic: the aggressor is actively working to circumvent sanctions even through direct fraud, so we cannot let the Kremlin get back some of the lost revenue," Andriy Yermak said.

According to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Secretary of the International Sanctions Group, according to their estimates, sanctions are now reducing Russia's revenues by about $5-7 billion a month.

"The sharp fall of the ruble confirms the existence of problems in the economy. But this is absolutely not enough," he said.

In his opinion, only the improvement of the mechanisms for implementing the existing sanctions can further reduce Russia's oil and gas revenues by another $2-4 billion per month.

According to the published document, among other things, it is proposed to strengthen compliance with the oil price cap, in particular, to ensure that only traders from the "white list" can be issued price confirmations for Russian oil cargoes. It is also proposed to limit Russia's use of its shadow fleet. To do this, it is planned to require all tankers transiting through environmentally sensitive European territorial waters to confirm that they have proper oil spill insurance.

According to Andriy Yermak, in the second document, the International Sanctions Group explains the importance of confiscating Russia's international reserves frozen by leading countries.

"The arguments against confiscation do not stand up to any professional criticism, and the international expert group explains this in detail," said the Head of the Presidential Office.

According to him, Russia invaded Ukraine for no legitimate reason, and the aggressor must pay for all war crimes - mass murder, torture, rape, the complete destruction of dozens of settlements, the daily deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the abduction of tens of thousands of our children.

The President's Office also noted that central bank reserves should be the first acceptable target.

According to the authors of the document, the proposed process of confiscation of Russian state funds is not only completely moral, but also legally binding in accordance with the principle of international law on state responsibility.

"Ukraine has proposed to its partners the concept of a special international compensation mechanism. It will provide for the establishment and operation of an international register of losses, an international commission that will review applications and award compensation, and a compensation fund from which payments will be made. This mechanism was proposed on the basis of the UN General Assembly resolution of November 14, 2022," the presidential press service said.
Panaji, Sep 8 : Goa police have busted an international sex trafficking racket and rescued five women with the arrest of two female Kenyan nationals.

Superintendent of Police Nidhin Valsan told mediapersons that the sex racket was busted with the collaborative efforts of Anjuna Police in North Goa and an NGO named ARZ.

The accused persons have been identified as Maria Dorcas (28) and Wilkista Achista (22), both natives of Kenya.

The five rescued women, all natives of Kenya, have been lodged at a shelter home in Merces.

According to the police, young, educated and vulnerable Kenyan women were falsely promised jobs in the hospitality industry by agents working on behalf of the traffickers based in Goa.

"After being brought to India, the traffickers seized the women's passports and visas and forced them into prostitution under the threat of violence," the police said.

"The racket, a close-knit group involving the trafficker duo Maria and Wilkista, operated largely online, leveraging escort websites to solicit clients. ARZ, the NGO, became aware of the operation when the victims were taken to Bengaluru for prostitution.

"Following a tip-off from a partner organization, ARZ successfully located the victims in Goa and facilitated a meeting with DSP Jivba Dalvi and Anjuna Police Inspector Prashal Dessai to share the information," Valsan said.
New Delhi: Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh addresses during a press conference at Aicc Headquarter in New Delhi on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS). Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Sep 8 : The Congress on Friday hit back at External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, saying the first international conference in Delhi was held even before Independence.

Slamming the government, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said: "The very first international conference in New Delhi was held even before our independence, between March 23 and April 2, 1947. It is known as the Asian Relations Conference and many books have been written on it. Twenty-eight countries participated.

"In the current ruling dispensation, the External Affairs Minister would alone understand its significance and impact -- even if he chooses to devalue it today," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

He said that the first international conference was held publicly under a big pandal in Purana Qila, and also had Australia, US, USSR, UK and the UN as observers.

"Mahatma Gandhi spoke at the closing and his speech is available on Youtube," he said, sharing the link of Mahatma Gandhi's speech.

The Congress has been critical of the government at the Centre and has alleged it of running an "election campaign" using the G20 Summit in India to divert people's attention from real issues.

The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled to be held on September 9-10.
New Delhi, Sep 8 : Several top leaders on Friday arrived in India to attend the G20 Summit, including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida among others.

Ahead of the summit's formal commencement on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening held bilateral discussions with leaders, including Biden, and his counterparts from Bangladesh and Mauritius.

After the bilateral talks, the G20 leaders were treated with an Indian vegetarian platter with various delicacies.

The dignitaries were treated to vegetarian food, with the menu including tossed Indian green salad, pasta and grilled vegetable salad, sundal soup, roasted almond and vegetable broth, and in the main course, paneer lababdar, potato lyonnaise, subz korma, kaju matar makhana, penne in arrabiata sauce, jawar dal tadka, pyaz jeera ki pulao, tandoori roti, butter naan, kulcha with cucumber raita, tamarind and date chutney, mix pickle and plain curd.

The G20 Summit will begin in New Delhi on Saturday, which will take place at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan here. The Summit will also see the participation of top administrators from international organisations such as the United Nations, IMF and the World Bank.

--IANS

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Ahmedabad, Sep 9 : The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Friday arrested a suspect from Jharkhand who was part of a criminal syndicate responsible for illicitly extracting e-memo fines from countless vehicle owners, falsely claiming to represent the Ahmedabad Traffic Police.

The accused operated a counterfeit website, masquerading as a government platform, to deceive victims into making payments under the guise of e-challans.

Providing insights into the case, ACP Bharat Patel said: "As part of the Smart City project, Ahmedabad Police has deployed CCTV cameras that capture images of traffic violations, which are then transmitted to the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

Subsequently, Ahmedabad Police issues traffic challans. However, the arrested suspect and his accomplices posed as traffic police officers to identify individuals who had committed traffic violations.

The suspects' modus operandi involved visiting an official government website, randomly inputting vehicle numbers from the GJ01 and GJ27 series.

By doing so, they identified traffic offenders with outstanding fines.

They leveraged these numbers on an insurance company's website to access vehicle owner and violator information, available through the Sundaram Finance Company's insurance portal.

Armed with this data, the suspects would contact traffic rule violators, impersonating Ahmedabad Traffic Police and demanding payment for purported fines.

Victims initially fell prey to the scam, believing the calls to be genuine, only to discover later that they had been duped, Patel explained.

Following a thorough investigation, the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch filed a case against Sudhanshu, a.k.a. Chiku Mishra, hailing from Deoghar District in Jharkhand.

Sudhanshu and his associates orchestrated scams targeting numerous traffic violators.

Additional individuals implicated in the scheme, known as Rajesh and Saptam Kumar, are based in Kolkata.

Thus far, the investigation has identified fraudulent activities within Gujarat.

However, as the inquiry unfolds, instances from various states may emerge.
New Delhi: Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh addresses during a press conference at Aicc Headquarter in New Delhi on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS). Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Sep 9 : Congress on Friday claimed that despite multiple requests by US President Joe Biden's team, India has not allowed the media to ask questions of him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their bilateral meet.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, taking to microblogging site X, said: "President Biden's team says despite multiple requests India has not allowed media to ask questions of him and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi after their bilateral meeting. President Biden will now take questions in Vietnam on Sept 11th from the media accompanying him. Not surprising at all. This is how democracy is done Modi-style," he added.

The US President arrived in the national capital on Friday evening and was received by Minister of State of Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation General V.K. Singh.

He also held bilateral talks with Modi on Friday evening at the Prime Minister's residence here.

The US President has arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 summit that is being held on September 9 and 10.
Zaluzhny discusses needs of Ukrainian army, issue of military training with head of French Air Force

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny, during a telephone conversation on Thursday, discussed with chief of the Joint Staff of the French Armed Forces, Army General Thierry Burkhard, the needs of the Ukrainian army and the issue of military training in France.

"In a conversation with General Burkhard, we separately focused on the needs of the Ukrainian army and the issue of training our servicemen on the territory of France," the Ukrainian commander-in-chief said on the Telegram channel.

During the discussion of the current situation in the combat zone, Zaluzhyny also spoke in detail about all areas where Ukrainian defense and offensive operations are continuing.

Also, the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted the advance of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, reflecting the attacks of the Russians despite the density of enemy engineering barriers, the multiple advantage of the enemy in the air, manpower, artillery and shells.

"I thanked the allies for their support, agreed to stay in touch and jointly make efforts to de-occupy Ukraine," Zaluzhny summed up.
Occupiers carry out air strike on Otradokamyanka of Kherson region: three civilians killed

In the village of Otradokamyanka, Beryslav district of Kherson region, three civilians were killed by an enemy aerial bomb, and four more local residents were injured, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

"The enemy shelled Kherson region. In Otradokamyanka, a Russian aerial bomb killed three civilians: two women and a man. Four local residents were injured," the Interior Minister wrote on the Telegram channel on Friday.

"Investigative teams, criminologists, rescuers and volunteers are working to eliminate the consequences of the shelling. We are recording another war crime of the Russian Federation," Klymenko added.

As reported, on September 7, as a result of the morning shelling of Otradokamyanka, three people were injured, one of them died in hospital from his injuries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on international partners to condemn the insignificant and arbitrary actions of the Russian Federation to conduct illegal elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and not to recognize the legitimacy of any "administration" that will be created based on their results, as well as any decisions that will be taken by them.

"Persons involved in the conduct of these pseudo-elections, including the Administration of the Russian Federation, representatives of the occupation administrations and electoral structures must be brought to justice. We are also initiating the imposition of new international sanctions on them," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Russian Federation announced the holding of illegal "elections" to local occupation administrations on September 8-10 in the temporarily occupied parts of the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The ministry noted that these actions of the Russian Federation grossly violate not only the legislation, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, but also the norms of international law, in particular the UN Charter.

"Russia's pseudo-elections in the temporarily occupied territories are negligible. They will have no legal consequences and will not lead to a change in the status of the Ukrainian territories captured by the Russian army. By organizing fake elections in the Ukrainian regions and Crimea, the Kremlin continues to delegitimize the Russian legal system," the Foreign Ministry said.
In July, HarperCollins Focus launched a new Spanish-language publishing imprint, HarperEnfoque. The imprint will offer original works in Spanish as well as translations of bestselling English-language books, focused on empowering lives and fostering change, according to an announcement. The imprint is directed by Cris Garrido, v-p and publisher of HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) and v-p and publisher for Spanish, and falls under the HCCP division.

In addition to original works, HarperEnfoque is incorporating numerous titles from HarperCollins Mexico, as well as from the backlist of Grupo Nelson, another HCCP division.

The first titles from Harper-Enfoque will be published later this year and will include Spanish-language editions of Pablo Munoz Iturrietas Turn Off Your Phone and Turn On Your Brain, Margarita Pasoss I Could and You Can Too!, and Sara Huffs How to Manufacture a Feminist. Additional titles are forthcoming from such authors as John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Brian Tracy, and Zig Ziglar. HarperEnfoque plans to publish four to eight titles annually.

Our vision is to hand-select an exclusive number of projects each year that are uniquely positioned to capture the interest of readers through content that challenges and inspires the mind and helps them to change their world, Garrido says. HarperEnfoque will be a natural extension of the HarperCollins Focus overall position in the marketplaceone that equips readers to lead a life of significance, integrity, and purpose.

While Garridos HCCP division primarily focuses on Christian titles, he saw an opportunity to sell the same audience other books that align with their interests. We have got good at reaching religious conservative audiences and can sell them books that are not religious, such as books about business, leadership, and self-improvement, he says, citing Daniel Habifs. Inquebrantables, a self-help motivation book that has sold more 500,000 copies, and conservative political pundit Agustin Lajes Generacion idiota as examples of bestselling Spanish-language HarperCollins titles.

Garrido says that one difference between working in Spanish and English is that the company is not actively being pitched titles, as there are far fewer active literary agents working in Spanish. Half the people we work with have not written a book before, he says, and we approach them with the idea, then help them craft the work.

Garrido argues that people tend to think Latinos are a homogenous group, but they are not. Their reading habits tend to depend on what region they are coming from, as well as where they fall on the social, economic, and education spectrum, he says. In Miami, for example, first-generation immigrants tend to be conservative, while their children are liberal. Doing one thing to serve all Latinos doesnt work.

Making inroads in the trade

To this end, in addition to HCCPs Spanish imprintswhich, along with HarperEnfoque and Grupo Nelson, include Vida and CLIEHarperCollins also runs a general trade division imprint, HarperCollins Espanol, which is part of HarperOne and is overseen by Judith Curr as publisher and Edward Benitez as executive editor. HarperCollins Espanol publishes 1624 titles per year, 80% of which are translations of existing HarperCollins titles; the other 20% are originals. The backlist amounts to 300 books, and bestsellers include Spanish-language editions of Paolo Coelhos works, including The Alchemist, which has sold more than 400,000 copies; Mark Mansons The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, which has been a top 10 bestseller for several years running; and books by such authors as Gary John Bishop, Karen Slaughter, and Daniel Silva.

Among its originals, one bestseller for HCE has been Naturalmente bella by Daniel Campos. Its a book about how to create your own beauty products at home, Benitez says. He is Cuban and based in Miami, writes for People en Espanol, and has a big social media following. It has been a bestselling book for us in the U.S.

Benitez too emphasizes that Spanish-speaking readers are not a homogenous group and this makes the market especially complicated and difficult to reach. People hear that there are tens of millions of Spanish-speakers in the U.S., so they assume that we must be selling truckloads of books, but it doesnt work quite like that, Benitez says. Yes, in Miami there is an entire population that has no interest in reading in English, but the places where we are seeing the most growth are not those you might expectits North Carolina, Georgia and Arkansas, and we have to be creative in reaching those markets. Libraries, in particular, are working hard to catch up with demand (see EBSCO Helps Librarians Build Spanish Collections, p. 20). In addition, e-books and audiobooks, which HCE produces in-house, are growing exponentially for the imprint, Benitez says.

Looking ahead, Benitez identifies several big projects, including new Spanish-language editions of C.S. Lewiss oeuvre, Elizabeth Acevedo s Family Lore, and Cristina Henriquezs The Great Divide, among others.

For our segment, for adult trade publishing, we are known for publishing quality projects and books for the Spanish-market, and that is what we will continue to do, Benitez says. We expect to continue to see our sales grow year after year.
The European Union on Friday granted Turkiyes special Milas Yagli Zeytini olives the status of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Milas Yagli Zeytini protected designation of origin covers table olives of the Memecik variety grown in the Milas province near the Aegean Sea, the European Commission explained in a statement announcing the decision.

The olives were listed as protected because of their quality closely linked to the climatic conditions of the region and to the local know-how of fermenting them in brine and preserving with olive oil obtained from Memecik variety olives and fresh lemon slices, the decision added.

This is the 13th Turkish food product that has received EU protection, including Giresun Tombul Findigi premium hazelnuts from the Black Sea Region, Suruc Nari pomegranates from Sanliurfa, and desserts like kunefe from Antakya and baklava from Gaziantep.

The European Union maintains a register for the names of agricultural products, foodstuffs, and drinks that enjoy protection across the bloc, featuring geographical indications, product qualities, and legal protection instruments.




As a result of a missile strike by Russian occupiers on an administrative building in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, one person was killed, 54 were injured, nine of whom were police officers, said Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko.

"Search and rescue operations have been completed in Kryvyi Rih. As of 13:30, 55 victims are known: one killed and 54 injured. There are nine police officers among the injured," Klymenko on Telegram on Friday.

According to the Interior Minister, additional police groups from neighboring regions arrived in the city to strengthen it. Tents have been deployed near the site of the shelling, where specialists provide psychological assistance and mobile reception points for applications from victims.
The study looks at broadband and mobile availability and coverage across the UK and the latest edition, based on findings from April and May 2023, revealed that availability of gigabit-capable broadband continues to improve at a rapid pace, with nearly 22.4 million UK homes (75%) now able to access them. This is up from 21.9 million (73%) a year ago and says Ofcom has been driven by the continued rollout of full-fibre broadband. Over half of UK homes (52%), equating to 15.4 million households, now have access to full-fibre services.Ofcom noted that the growth in fibre has been driven mainly by the l arger fibre operators b ut also supported by a number of smaller providers across the UK serving individual communities and regions.The study also found that the vast majority of UK properties can access decent broadband  defined as offering at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speed. Availability of superfast broadband, offering download speeds of at least 30 Mbps, remains at 97% of UK homes. Ofcom suggested that the final 3% of properties are likely to be in harder-to-reach areas, which more recent publicly-funded schemes could help.In terms of mobile, the study found that coverage remained stable, with network upgrades on the way. While there hadnt been a significant increase in coverage since the previous Connected Nations report, the report said the mobile industry continues to develop coverage.Around 93% of the UK is predicted to have good outdoor 4G coverage from at least one operator, and Ofcom expected to rise to 95% by end of 2025 as a result of the Shared Rural Network.
Proposed changes to the U.S. citizenship exam have renewed the question of how many natural-born American citizens could pass this basic civics test. The troubling answer is that one in three cant. Healthy democracy requires not only popular participation but an understanding of who we are, where we came from, and how and why our system of government functions the way it does.

For years, I, along with other former Secretaries of Education, have called for a national renewal of civics education to provide our citizenry with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to engage in our democracy in a meaningful and constructive way.

Unfortunately, recent educational assessment data warns that were moving in the wrong direction.

In May, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released the nations report card for civics education. For the first time since 1998  the year the federal government began testing eighth-grade students for civics acumen  scores declined. Nearly 80% of students, the results reveal, are not proficient in civics  a jaw-dropping statistic for anyone concerned with Americas staying power. The need for creative approaches to civics education could not be more urgent.

Thankfully, theres an exciting new model for renewing interest in civics by making it fun.

Last month, middle school students from across Texas assembled at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas hoping to stake their claim as the states first-ever National Civics Bee champion. These students wrote an essay about a community issue, prepared for months and were first victorious at regional competitions held this spring throughout Texas, organized by local chambers of commerce.

These events arent unique to Texas. In fact, the idea to launch these competitions sprang from an innovative partnership between the Daniels Fund  a private charitable organization based in Denver, Colorado  and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C. More than 50 communities in nine states held their own National Civics Bee competition this year, and the plan is to supersize this approach to civic engagement by expanding to several more states in 2024.

Big problems demand bold solutions, and philanthropic organizations are uniquely suited to tackle the challenge of civics education  one which government intervention risks politicizing. Voluntary associations like the partnership between the U.S. Chamber Foundation and the Daniels Fund can move swiftly to solve a community problem that benefits everyone.

Civics cant be an afterthought if American democracy is to endure. Hanna Skandera, president of the Daniels Fund, remarked at the recent Texas competition that from the very beginning, the founders of our country understood that for the American form of government to thrive, its citizens would need to be informed and engaged in our processes. No doubt. In fact, her organization and the U.S. Chamber Foundation are making a major bet that this unique approach to civics education can catch fire. But they cant do it alone.

Heres how you can help: If youre an elected official, step up to be a judge at a local or state competition. Inspire your local chamber to host a local competition. If youre a business, coordinate with your local chamber to help sponsor and facilitate these important events. As a parent, take a proactive role in encouraging your son or daughter to participate in next years competition.

Our democracy has undergone a number of stress tests in recent years, and there will be more to come. By renewing interest in history and civics among our students, families, and businesses, we can equip all Americans with the knowledge and resources needed to bridge our divides. Americas future depends on all of us doing our part to ensure its vibrancy and endurance, and the National Civics Bee is a wonderful and worthy experiment on which to build.
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Russian President Vladimir Putin was determined to take over the country. For years, the Russian president published false information, stating that Russians and Ukrainians were one people, that Ukraine was not a real country, and that Ukraine should be part of Russia. In the initial stages of the war, the Russians gained much territory. The invaders entered Ukraine through the north, east, and south. The Russians also believed they would conquer the country in a matter of days. But the Ukrainians held their ground. They defended their capital, and after a few months, they successfully forced the Russians out of northern Ukraine. As the war progressed, the Ukrainians continued to succeed on the battlefield, impressing the international community. Aside from Ukrainian resilience, grit, and determination to defend the homeland, the international community also has provided billions in defense, humanitarian, medical, and financial aid to Ukraine. These factors have allowed Ukraine to be successful, helping it inch closer to a total victory.

By September 2022, Putins war was turning. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have died, numerous high-ranking officers have been killed, and billions of dollars of equipment were destroyed. The Ukrainians were also on course to liberate Kerhson, the only major Ukrainian metropolitan area Russia captured during the second invasion in 2022. In an act to defy reality, the Russian Federation announced that it would host referendums in the Ukrainian oblasts (provinces) of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. In a set of fabricated elections, where votes were predetermined, Putin falsely claimed that Ukrainian citizens in these four oblasts voted to become part of Russia. The international community swiftly condemned the falsified ballots. Countries throughout the world stated that the referendum and its results were illegal and a farce. Russia disregarded these condemnations.

One year later, the Russian Federation seeks to further dig into the Russian-occupied territories. In a set of documents received exclusively from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the Russians are preparing to host sham elections in the four Russian-occupied oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy stated that the Russians will host forced elections on September 10. The pseudo-elections, votes, and results and will be nothing more than Russian propaganda.

According to the documents, the Russians are using terror to force citizens in the regions to play a part in [the election] propaganda show. Hosting falsified elections in the four oblasts is another Russian attempt to try and legitimize its illegal and unnecessary invasion of Ukraine, and the results of these elections will not be recognized by Ukraine or the international community. Instead, the globe will reject the upcoming elections, similar to how the sham referendums were treated in the regions last year.

These recent developments suggest that the Russians continue to live in an alternate reality, where the Russians believe that somehow their actions are being justified. To date, numerous resolutions have been supported and passed at the United Nations, where most of the globe continues to condemn Russias actions in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Russia continues to do as it pleases in eastern and southern Ukraine.

To be fair, the international community has imposed stiff penalties on Russia throughout the war. Over the past 19 months, thousands of international companies left the Russian Federation. Several Russian banks were removed from SWIFT. Numerous Russian oligarchs and politicians have had their assets frozen or seized, and some have been prevented from traveling to Western countries. Finally, Russia was suspended from international organizations such as the Council of Europe, United Nations Human Rights Council, FIFA, and UEFA. These events saw Russia lose roughly 4% of its GDP in 2022.

Despite the impact of these sanctions, the Russians have continued to launch their unnecessary war in Ukraine. This will only lead to the additional loss of life, and prolong the war.

As a result, the international community must continue to provide aid to Ukraine. It must also be ready to impose greater sanctions on Russian officials as they prepare to host these sham elections in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. 19 months into the war, Russia has yet to change its behavior, and financial penalties have not altered its actions. It is time for the international community to increase the penalties imposed on Russia. Only this, as well as an ensured Ukrainian victory, will end the war.
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Comedian, podcaster, political columnist and Fox News contributor Kat Timpf says her new memoir, You Can't Joke About That, is intended to entertain and enlighten people of all walks of life, regardless of who they vote for.

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Timpf can be seen five nights a week on the 10 p.m. talk show, Gutfeld!, and she will be in Texas on Saturday and Sunday to headline live comedy shows and promote her best-selling book.

"My book is not a political book. My book has one chapter about politics that's called 'Sorry This One is About Politics,'" Timpf told UPI in a phone interview Wednesday.

"It's a human book about human stuff," she said. "I talk about near-death experience. I talk about body-image issues. I talk about terminal illness. I talk about death. Human stuff, not political stuff."

You Can't Joke About That is, at its heart, a personal, honest look at the power of words and humor and how differently people can interpret and react to these.

Timpf decided to write the book after her first ileostomy surgery to treat a life-threatening perforated bowel three years ago.

"My dad was saying, 'Kat, you're only 32, but what have you not been through?' And I said, 'Everything you go through is building a connection with everyone else who has been through it, too," she said.

"When I thought about it more, I thought, 'What's the use if we can't talk about it?'"

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When she was recovering from surgery, she said, she was too embarrassed to discuss it with many people, mainly because she didn't want them to treat her differently.

This experience, she admitted, made her realize how she tended to keep her feelings to herself during tough times, such as when her mother died.

"Humor is what helped me get through. I really think the rules we have set up for speech are the wrong ones and they are actually hurting the same people they are purportedly supposed to help," Timpf said.

She said she doesn't think conversations should put free speech and comedy on one side and sensitivity on the other.

"That's the wrong way to look at it," Timpf said.

"I'm a very sensitive person. I've got a lot of feelings, and I think if someone hurts your feelings, you should say that and talk about that, right?

"But there is a difference between that and expecting the world to revolve around your feelings. Once we can express ourselves more freely and openly, then there are no limits to how we can connect to each other."

She emphasized in the book how important intention is and how often context is missed in the repeating of words, particularly in the age of social media.

"If somebody didn't intend to hurt your feelings, if someone is just trying to make a joke, then we should weigh that in how we respond," Timpf said.

"That's not to say that you can't be hurt by something because, of course, you can, but we should really keep in mind that the way we respond, other people will be watching and paying attention.

"That might make somebody afraid to make a joke about another subject that might be something you're going through and a joke you might actually need at that time of your life."

She offered as an example the conservatives who condemned comedian Kathy Griffin holding up what appeared to be the bloody head of President Donald Trump in 2017.

"I didn't enjoy that as art, but I was also disturbed by conservative calls for her to be prosecuted criminally for it," Timpf said.

"No one really thought Kathy Griffin, star of My Life on the D-List, was going to kill the president," she added. "The intention there was art. She was trying to make a joke."

The writer and TV star doesn't like that free speech has been weaponized according to people's agendas.

"We're really all in this together," she said, noting this has become crystal clear to her as she tours the United States with her stage show.

"We have a lot more in common, I think, than some people want us to believe. Everything's really polarized right now."

As an independent voter and "small 'L' libertarian," Timpf catches criticism from people on both the left and the right wings of the political and media spectrum because her own beliefs might align with one group's, then the other's, depending on the issue she is discussing.

"I work at Fox News, so people on the left don't like that I work here. I'm a libertarian, though. I've never voted for a Republican or a Democrat," she said.

"So, on some issues, maybe I might not be conservative enough for the Fox News audience."

But a lot of different people come to her live shows, and that forces her out of the New York media bubble and makes her feel hopeful about the country.

"A lot of them are different ages, different backgrounds," she said.

"They want to come. They want to laugh. They want to connect. I think we really have a lot more in common than politicians and even media really want us to believe that we do."

She attributes the power of social media to making it look like the country is totally divided and for causing companies -- that should be focusing on creating good products that appeal to the most amount of people -- to wade into controversies they should probably stay out of.

"It can feel so overwhelming -- like everyone hates you -- if you look at social media," Timpf said.

"But it's not real life," she added. "Back before social media, you didn't read constant criticism about yourself.

She also wondered what kind of people feel the need to attack strangers online.

"People are afraid of mobs, one way or the other," she said. "Often, the extremes are the loudest voices and they do get the most attention on social media."

For the past year, Timpf has co-hosted a nightly version of the former Saturday evening program, Gutfeld!, with Greg Gutfeld and Tyrus.

Even before the Writers Guild of America strike put other late night shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers into reruns, Gutfeld!'s comedic look at topical issues outpaced them in viewership numbers. (Gutfeld! writers are not part of the union.)

"It's been a lot of fun. It's been wild. I was very excited to have the show go five nights a week," Timpf said about the program, which includes comedians, pundits and politicians on its guest list.

"I love to have the platform. I'm fully myself. I can fully express myself," she added. "Me, Greg and Tyrus are all very different and I think that makes it more interesting to watch."

The show also occasionally features pre-taped comedy sketches.

"I wish we had time to do more of them!" Timpf said. "We're a small staff, but it's something I want to more of, for sure."
Do you own things you want to keep safe? Maybe guns, valuables, or important documents? If so, there is a good chance you own a safe to keep those items in. You might also believe you are the only one that has access to the safe. Sadly, you might be wrong.

For charges related to the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol Building, the FBI obtained warrants to arrest and search Arkansas resident Nathan Hughes's person and property. On August 30th, Liberty Safe was contacted by the FBI and requested that Liberty Safe provide the FBI with access codes needed to complete their search of Hughess property.

Liberty Safe complied. The codes were provided, and the FBI gained access to the Liberty Safes in question.

Hughes's charges are irrelevant. What is deeply concerning is Liberty Safes willingness to assist the FBI in accessing his safe. While the FBI seems to have had full right by law to search his safe because it had a valid warrant, the actual act of doing so is on them. The choice of cooperation in accessing the safe should be held only by Hughes. Instead, Liberty Safe provided access codes the public didnt even know existed.

To be clear, Liberty was not the target of the warrant or of a subpoena. From what is known, the company was not legally obligated to provide the FBI with the ordered code. It did so merely at the request of the FBI and because the agency provided a copy of the warrant for Mr. Hughes.

Liberty Safe's first statement on the matter

ARE BACKDOOR CODES STANDARD?

RECOIL did some digging and talked to a number of gun-safe manufacturers that produce models with digital locks. The first to respond was SecureIt, who said:

It Is SecureIts belief and protocol, that the protection of personal property and 2nd Amendment rights of American citizens are paramount. Our full line of fast access modular safes are not built with any override system, giving our customers full control.

Hornady is also on record, saying that its systems do not have backdoor codes. Once the code is reset by the owner that is the only code.

On top of that, Old Glory Gun Safes, Cannon, and Vaultek have also confirmed they do not have access codes or backdoors into your safe.

Thanks to one of our readers, we were made aware that Winchester Safes has a code recovery program. We've reached out to Winchester for additional information but have not heard back at time of writing. According to their website, if you provide sufficient proof of ownership, the company will provide an owner with a recovery access code to their safe. This could mean it has backdoor access to all of their safes, but is not yet confirmed.

Winchester's policy about sharing codes with law enforcement is also not known.

THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME

We are not lawyers, and this is not legal advice. As we understand it, Liberty Safe didnt break any laws. Technically speaking, the results would have been the same if the FBI gained access to the safe with or without Libertys help.

This wasnt the first safe the FBI has come across, and it wont be the last. The agency is very good at getting access to whatever it needs access to. If the owner had cooperated and provided the code that could be used as evidence the owner had knowledge of what was inside the safe and had access to it. Generally speaking, your defense attorney wouldnt recommend giving that to the police.

However, if the owner didnt comply, then the FBI would have broken in anyway.

It can be argued and is being argued online that Liberty Safe providing the code saved the owner the cost of a new safe.

If the idea of your safe company providing an access code to the federal government to save you from incriminating yourself or having your safe damaged is comforting to you, then you know who to buy from.

Its A Feature, Not A Bug

In the interest of balanced reporting, its fair to say Liberty having backdoor access to your safe does provide a safety net in the event that you lose or forget your own code. Liberty Safe has a process to recover access to a safe involving filling out a form, having it notarized and providing ownership verification.

According to Liberty, some 4,000 customers per year take advantage of this program.

However, this inherently weakens the system. Several years ago, Apple was asked and later ordered to provide access to cell phones owned by terrorists. Apple refused because backdoor access didnt exist. The FBI was demanding that Apple create the backdoor so that the FBI could access the phones.

Apple refused. Primarily, this refusal was because doing so would create a backdoor on every iPhone, and this would, by its very nature, greatly diminish the security of the phones.

Any access point to a system is a security risk and weakens the system as a whole. From your home to your phone, and your safe.

REPLACE YOUR SAFES DIGITAL LOCK

If you have a safe that uses a digital lock and the company that made it is a bit too free and easy with the access codes, it is possible to fix that problem. Replace the keypad.

While your mileage may vary depending on your pad and safe, it is generally pretty easy to hit Amazon and get a new keypad.

That, plus a YouTube video, should have you well on your way to peace of mind.

If youre not the DIY type a local locksmith can help.

LIBERTY SAFE SECOND STATEMENT

As one might expect, the backlash against Liberty has been immediate and intense. On Wednesday evening, Liberty released a second statement on the matter.

Bottom line, the company is changing its policy so it will only cooperate with law enforcement if Liberty is served with a court order to do so. It is also redesigning its access code program so that customers have the ability to opt-out.

Current customers can request their override code be destroyed, and in the near future, new customers can request the same when they order their safe.

A little over a year ago, we published our guide to the best gun safes you can buy. In it, Liberty Safe is recommended. In light of these events, we are changing that recommendation and removing them from our guide.

While Liberty Safe has been a long-standing brand that many in the firearms community have bought and recommended, the obvious security risk it presents is unacceptable. The opt-out program is a step in the right direction to correcting its mistakes, but it isnt enough.

We will revisit the guide next year, but for now, were taking Liberty off the list.
Nine children have been returned to Ukraine, two of them have been in the temporarily occupied territory for a long time (temporarily occupied territories), said Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

"...Two children have been on the temporarily occupied territories for a long time, and now, finally, it was possible to return them to their parents. We also managed to return a young man to his homeland, whom the Russians accused of blowing up the bridge, kept in prison for a month and interrogated. He went through all the circles of hell, including filtering. But now he is with his mother, in Ukraine," Lubinets wrote on the Telegram channel on Friday.

The Ombudsman explained that the details of the return were not disclosed for security reasons.
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If you are new to Athens or just want to take a look around, there are a variety of tours available, each concentrating on different aspects of the town. With something for everyone, these Athens tours encapsulate what the city is all about.
The Athens-Clarke County Library, with the help of the University of Georgia's Plant Biology Graduate Student Association, got their first seed library on Aug. 19. This seed library allows people to check out a seed packet, plant it and let it grow to maturity.
United States President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to make meaningful advancements on the GE jet engine deal and civil nuclear technology during their bilateral talks, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was cited in a Reuters report.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden at the White House, in Washington, DC on June 22, 2023. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Earlier this year, US General Electric (US GE) announced that it had inked an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the government's aerospace and defence manufacturing firm, to jointly manufacture engines in India to power fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.

Biden departed from Andrew's air base on Thursday for the 18th G20 Summit to be held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Before boarding the flight for India, Biden posted on his social media account X, 'I'm headed to the G20 -- the premier forum for international economic cooperation -- focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver.'

US-based company GE opened its gates for the transfer of technology to India for the indigenous manufacture of jet engines in April this year.

The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 engines in India.

The effort is part of the Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft Mk2 programme.

The agreement will advance GE Aerospaces earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the Indian Air Force as part of the LCA Mk2 programme.

In addition, GE will continue to collaborate with the Indian government on the AMCA Mk2 engine programme.

On the commercial side, Air India had also announced the biggest-ever purchase by an Indian airline of aircraft, including 400 single-aisle and 70 twin-aisle planes powered by engines built by GE and CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines.

The blockbuster deal, ranking near the top of all deals worldwide, signalled the recovery of commercial aviation after years of Covid shutdown.

GE had also announced agreements that deepen the company's investment in India's military.

HAL continues to assemble the GE F404 family of engines that have powered each generation of the Tejas, the light combat aircraft (LCA) that evolved from that project.
The Bharatiya Janata Party will have an understanding with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal-Secular for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Friday, an announcement that shot up political temperature in the State.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with former prime minister H. D. Devegowda during their meeting in Parliament in New Delhi on November 30, 2021. Photograph:@narendramodi/X, formerly Twitter

The veteran leader, who is also the BJP parliamentary board member, said that as part of the poll understanding, the JD-S will contest in four Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, which has a total of 28 constituencies.

"I'm happy about that, Deve Gowda ji has met our Prime Minister, and already they have finalised four seats. I welcome that.... I feel happy, BJP and JD-Swill have an understanding. Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) has agreed to give four Lok Sabha seats (to JD-S)," the four-time Chief Minister said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "this has given us great strength, and this will help us in winning 25 or 26 Lok Sabha seats together."

The BJP swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka by winning 25 seats, while an independent (Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya) backed by it won in one seat. The Congress and JD-S won one seat each.

In the elections to the 224-member Assembly held in May this year, the Congress bagged 135 seats, while the BJP secured 66 and the JD-S 19.

Following the Assembly poll results, there were reports that JD-S would enter into an alliance with the BJP to fight the Lok Sabha polls. It was also said that the JD-S leader had met BJP central leadership in Delhi in this regard.

However, subsequently JD-S supremo Deve Gowda, had indicated that the party will contest Lok Sabha polls alone.

JD-Shad contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Congress, as both parties were then running an alliance government under the Chief Ministership of Gowda's son H D Kumaraswamy.

While Gowda had then lost the polls in Tumakuru, his grandson Prajwal Revanna, was the only winning JD-S candidate, who had emerged victorious in the party's home turf of Hassan.

According to BJP sources, the talks on understanding have taken place between BJP central leadership and JD-S top brass, and state leaders don't have much clarity on this.

BJP may cede Hassan and Bengaluru Rural seats, where it doesn't have sitting MPs, to JD-S, sources said, adding that after deliberations things may be clear in the days to come about the seats, as names of seats like Mandya, Tumakuru, Kolar and Chikkaballapura are also doing rounds.

Responding to a question on poll understanding with JD(S), state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel said, "discussions have begun. Now we have 25 plus one 26, we will do all the preparations required to win all the 28 seats."

In the days to come a plan of action will be arrived at, he said, adding "we will sit and discuss in the days ahead regarding the poll strategy and preparations."

Another former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said, "we have jointly fought against this evil (Congress) government both inside and outside the legislature on several issues. Naturally, to save Karnataka it is necessary for the opposition parties to unite. In that context these discussions are significant. Everything will come out in the days to come."

Kumaraswamy in July had said that his party had decided to work together as an opposition with the BJP, in the interest of the state, and both parties had tried to corner the Congress government unitedly, during the monsoon session of the state legislature recently.

Following the Assembly poll debacle, the BJP, wary of its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, is open for an alliance with JD-S, aimed at regaining maximum number of seats, sources from both parties said, adding, it hopes JD-S votes may get transferred to it, especially in the old Mysuru region where the regional party has significant presence.

For JD(S), it is a matter of survival, and the party hopes to better its prospects by forging an alliance with BJP in the backdrop of Congress' reported attempts to weaken it by wooing its leaders, they said.

Not willing to make any comment on the development, JD-S state President C M Ibrahim said, party national President Deve Gowda will make a detailed statement on this.

"So far no discussions have taken place regarding this on the party forum. On September 10, we have called a party workers meeting, we will gather opinions there. There is a Core Committee headed by senior party MLA G T Devegowda, after touring across the state whatever report they will give, based on that we will take a decision," he said.

JD-S Core Committee chief G T Devegowda said, "Kumaraswamy has good relationship with BJP leaders and they are in talks with him and me, but the decision will be arrived at after discussion based on certain yardstick."

Alleging atrocities by the Congress dispensation on JD-S workers and leaders in various places, he said the party is of the view that to defeat Congress in Lok Sabha polls, it is necessary to have an alliance with BJP. This was brought to the notice of the party leadership and national president at a recent meeting.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he is not bothered about the poll pact between the BJP and JD-S for the Lok Sabha elections saying the people will back the Congress party.

Speaking to media persons he said, "Whether there will be an alliance or whether they will fight separately, I am not bothered".

"We will appeal to the people to vote. People are with us. They will vote for us," the chief minister said when his reaction was sought.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, termed the development as not new.

"Let them do it (have an understanding)....earlier too they had done it when Ashokanna (BJP leader R Ashoka) and Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) had come together in the previous (BJP-JDS coalition) government. Nothing wrong, let them do anything for their survival. But my question is how their (JD-S) ideology works? Deve Gowda in earlier situations had ruled out alliance with BJP," he said.

Raising questions on JD(S)' survival in the future, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said, "It is left for them. They would have built a party based on an ideology... I don't know what will happen to their party, their legislators, former legislators. It is left for them."

JD-S had earlier formed governments in coalition with both BJP and Congress respectively for 20 months from January 2006, and for 14 months from May 2018, with Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.
Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda will not attend the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for world leaders on Saturday due to 'health reasons'.

IMAGE: An inside view of the International Media Centre as it stands ready for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Ayush Sharma/ANI Photo

Sources said former prime ministers and Chief ministers, including opposition-ruled states among others, have been invited to the gala dinner.

Both Singh and Deve Gowda have conveyed to the central government about their inability to attend the dinner. "I wish the G20 summit a grand success", Gowda said on X.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has confirmed their presence at the event.

According to sources, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are also likely to attend the G20 dinner.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is also coming to the national capital on September 9 to attend the President's dinner, his close aides confirmed.

There are also reports that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may also attend the dinner.

Meanwhile, Congress sources said Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition, who is equivalent to a Union minister rank and holds a constitutional position, has not been invited to the dinner.

Asked about Kharge not being invited to the G20 dinner, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "They have decided not to invite the Leader of the Opposition, it tells you something."

"It tells you that they don't value the leader of 60 percent of India's population. And it's something that people should think about. Why do they feel the need to do that and what is the type of thinking that goes behind that," he told reporters in Brussels when asked about it.

Banerjee will be travelling to New Delhi on Friday afternoon to attend the G20 dinner, officials said and added that during her stay in the national capital, she will also meet leaders of different political parties.

However, chief ministers of Congress-ruled states of Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are unlikely to be present.

There was no confirmation available about Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's presence at the dinner.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is also not attending the President's G20 dinner, sources close to him said.

President Murmu will host the dinner on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the G20 summit of world leaders.
The parliamentary summit of the G7 countries adopted a declaration, in which it once again condemned Russia's war, called on the aggressor state to withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine, to return Zaporizhia NPP to the competent authorities of Ukraine, as well as supported the strengthening of far-reaching sanctions against Russia and Belarus, condemned Russia's withdrawal from the grain initiative, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk said.

"The result of the G7 parliamentary summit was a declaration in which the G7 countries' speakers and the European Parliament once again most strongly condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, noted the importance of investigating the crimes committed and punishing those responsible, calling on Russia to immediately, completely and unquestioningly withdraw its forces and military equipment from all over the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine," the Ukrainian parliament's chairman said on his Facebook page on Friday.

"Expressed unwavering solidarity with the Ukrainian people and supported the initiatives of their governments to strengthen forward-looking sanctions against Russia and Belarus, condemned Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and called on it to return to it and ensure the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports, condemned Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its announcement of the intention to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, called for the return of Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to the competent authorities of Ukraine," Stefanchuk said.

The Verkhovna Rada chairman is on a working visit to Japan as a special guest on September 6 to 10. In Tokyo, he takes part in the parliamentary summit of the G7 countries. The visit program includes a number of bilateral meetings and Stefanchuk's speech before the participants of the G7 parliamentary summit.
New Delhi is illuminated like a shaadi mandap awaiting the arrival of the G20 baraat this weekend.

IMAGE: Thr illuminated Bharat Mandapam, venue for the G20 Summit. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

IMAGE: Another view of the Bharat Mandapam. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Flags of G20 nations outside the Bharat Mandapam. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Security personnel posted near the Bharat Mandapam. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

IMAGE: The G20 leaders will meet at the Bharat Mandapam on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: A couple takes a selfie outside the Bharat Mandapam. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

IMAGE: The Supreme Court of India. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: A view of Kartavya Path. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Police personnel patrol Kartavya Path. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo

IMAGE: The magnificent Qutub Minar. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: The National Gallery of Modern Art. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Security tightened outside Vayu Bhavan, the Indian Air Force headquarters. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo

IMAGE: The Vikas Minar illuminated in tri-colour. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Security is tight in the capital's Lutyens Zone, where the G20 leaders will travel from the hotels to summit venues. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: An installation on a skywalk on the route that leaders will take to summit venues. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
The biggest question looming over the summit is whether there will be a joint leaders' declaration in view of the sharp differences between the West and the Russia-China combine on the text to describe the Ukraine conflict in the document.

IMAGE: A G20 logo with the theme 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'-One Earth, One Family, One Future, is placed at the Bharat Mandapam as part of the beautification work for the G20 Summit, at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Mohd Zakir/ANI Photo

India is set to make a dash for a goal line at the two-day G20 summit beginning Saturday in addressing some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, consequences of the Ukraine conflict, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders of the G20 grouping as well as chiefs of many leading world bodies like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are converging in the national capital for the summit.

It is for the first time that India is hosting the annual summit of the G20 and New Delhi has pulled out all the stops in rolling out a grand welcome to the leaders and making the summit a success.

The city has also undergone a major makeover to host such a high-profile event in decades.

However, the biggest question looming over the summit is whether there will be a joint leaders' declaration in view of the sharp differences between the West and the Russia-China combine on the text to describe the Ukraine conflict in the document.

No consensus has been achieved yet on the contentious issue and top negotiators are still holding hectic parleys to thrash out the differences.

The G20 operates under the principle of consensus and lack of a common view may result in the summit ending without the declaration.

The silver lining for India's presidency is likely to be support by almost all G20 countries to its proposal to include the African Union as a permanent member of the bloc that has emerged as perhaps the most influential multilateral forum after the United Nations.

In the last few years, India has been positioning itself as a leading voice, flagging concerns, challenges and aspirations of the Global South or the developing nations, especially the African continent.

The prime minister has been leading from the front on the issue of the African Union's membership of the G20.

In June, Modi wrote to the G20 leaders, pitching for according the African Union the full membership of the grouping at its New Delhi summit.

"The European Union is looking forward to welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20," President of European Council Charles Michel said on Friday, indicating consensus on the proposal.

The African Union (AU) is a significant organisation comprising 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.

Some of the key issues facing the G20 summit are reshaping international debt architecture, offering loans to developing nations, having some kind of regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence.

"There is a growing understanding that many of the solutions that the world needs are already being successfully implemented in our country, with speed and scale," Prime Minister Modi told PTI in a recent interview.

"Many positive impacts are coming out of India's G20 presidency. Some of them are very close to my heart," he said.

Officials indicated that there would be a positive outcome at the summit on some of the pressing issues facing the world.

There is an expectation of positive outcomes for India's proposals on issues such as digital public infrastructure, climate finance, sustainable development and clean energy.

India's G20 presidency has marked a significant milestone in its global leadership role as it steered discussions among the world's major economies in dealing with complex global challenges.

As the G20 president, India has been focusing on issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access.

By leveraging its presidency, India is fostering collaborative solutions that not only benefit its own population but contribute to the broader global well-being, reinforcing its spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' or the 'World is One Family'.

Besides the G20 member nations, India has invited leaders of Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, Oman, Nigeria and the Netherlands.

After assuming the presidency of the bloc on December 1, 2022, India held around 200 meetings related to G20 across the country on a range of its priority areas.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed is accompanying her mother during her trip to India to attend the G20 summit, officials of the neighbouring country said.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi receives Sheikh Hasina at a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, September 6, 2022. Photograph: Amlan Paliwal/ANI Photo

The appearance of Wazed at a second high profile international event after a trip with Bangladesh's President Mohammed Shahabuddin to Indonesia earlier this week to attend the Asean summit where her candidature for a World Health Organisation post was announced to a global audience, has also sparked speculation that she may in time be given a larger political role in the ruling Awami League.

Hasina will be inaugurating a rail link with Tripura and the second unit of the Rampal power plant along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, virtually from Delhi at functions on the sideline of the G20 meet.

She will also sign several agreements including a deal which will facilitate a Rupee-Taka card for citizens of both countries to pay in local currency instead of in dollars while travelling to the other.

"Saima Wazed will be in Delhi during the G20 talks," a top official of the Bangladesh foreign ministry confirmed.

"The question of a succession plan in Awami League has long been thought about. We believe that it will be done in a democratic manner, but democracy does not eliminate familial ties that a person may have with a political party," said ambassador Sarvajit Chakravarti, who has served two stints in Dhaka and is currently associated with a think tank Ceners-K.

The G20 summit which will be held in New Delhi over the coming weekend will be attended by most of the top leaders of the world.

This is possibly the first time Hasina's daughter will be by her mother's side during an official visit to close neighbour and ally India, and analysts believe this to be significant in many ways.

Wazed, an autism expert who is standing for election as regional director for South-East Asia Region at World Health Organisation, will be looking for India, one of 11 countries in the region, to endorse her.

Bangladesh's top diplomats are believed to have lobbied for her election among ASEAN countries.

India will have to choose between her and Nepal's Shambhu Prasad Acharya for the WHO job.

Given the importance that India attaches to its ties with both Bangladesh and Nepal, the choice is likely to be a tough one.

"A visit by Sheikh Hasina's daughter to India at a global meeting is an interesting development. Besides her nomination for an international organisation, it bears watching if she will opt for a larger role in Bangladesh," said Shantanu Mukherjee IPS (Retd), former national security advisor to Mauritius and a Bangladesh expert.

Added Prof Omprakash Mishra, an expert in international relations and former VC of North Bengal University, "India has always been supportive of our increasingly impotant neighbour (Bangladesh) in multinational forums."

Sheikh Hasina has yet to indicate any potential successor to the leadership of Awami League, though her son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, or Joy Wazed as he is popularly known, was at one time seen by many as a potential candidate.

Wazed who has been an advisor to the WHO director general on Mental Health and Autism as well as a member of WHO expert advisory panel on Mental Health, has till now shown no inclination to enter politics.

"We have not seen Sheikh Hasina suggest any succession plan as yet though over the years we have noted that her son Sajeev being given responsibilities on IT etc by the Awami League. Now, Saima Wazed has also come into the picture. One can only presume that both are being groomed for a political role in the future," said Dr Sreeradha Datta, former director Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies and currently fellow with National University of Singapore.

Bangladesh is headed for a general election in the coming winter months where the ruling Awami League will be looking to win for an unprecedented fourth time.

However, the principal opposition party, BNP, led by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, which has earlier accused the Hasina government of vote rigging, has said it will boycott the elections unless Hasina steps down and allows a caretaker government to conduct the elections, a demand unlikely to be conceded by the Awami League-led government.

While the US has some four months back announced a policy which reserves the right to deny visas to individuals including officials and politicians involved in hindering free and fair elections in the country, many other countries seem to be endorsing Hasina's leadership of a buoyant Bangladesh which is now being seen as a rising economic star in Asia.

French President Emanuel Macron will be visiting Bangladesh right after the G20 summit in Delhi, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Dhaka ahead of the summit.
A day ahead of the G20 summit, there was no clear indication on Friday of a breakthrough in arriving at a consensus on the text to describe the Ukraine crisis in the joint leaders' declaration with negotiations to bridge the differences on the contentious issue going down to the wire.

Multiple sources told PTI that China emerged as the main stumbling block to reach a consensus on the Ukraine conflict as well as some other proposals including on climate change.

The negotiations on all the sticky issues are continuing and there is hope of positive outcomes, they said.

Two sources said the G7 countries are not agreeable to any leaders' declaration without reference to the Ukraine conflict, adding there are other sticky issues as well.

"But we are hopeful of overcoming them," said a source.

The G20 operates under the principle of consensus and there have been apprehensions that the lack of a common view may result in the summit ending without a joint leaders' declaration.

Both Russia and China had agreed to the two paragraphs on the Ukraine conflict in the Bali declaration last year, but they backtracked from it this year creating difficulties for India.

Almost all key meetings held under India's G20 presidency including those of finance and foreign ministers, could not come out with consensus documents in view of opposition from Russia and China to any text referring to the Ukraine conflict.

India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said New Delhi Leaders' Declaration will reflect the voice of the global south and developing countries.

"Our New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it because this declaration will be recommended to the leaders during the summit and the leaders will then accept it and only after it is accepted by the leaders, we will be able to talk about the actual achievements of this declaration," he said.

"India's expectation is that all G20 members will move towards a consensus and we are hopeful of a consensus on the communique," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in response to a question on the possibility of Ukraine conflict holding up an agreement on the New Delhi Declaration.

European Council President Charles Michel told reporters on Friday that the European Union (EU) supports India's efforts to finalise a consensus leaders' declaration but asserted that the EU is firm and united in backing Ukraine in the face of Russia's aggression.

"I don't know if this is possible or not to have an agreement on a final communique, we will see. But we will defend our principles and will also support the efforts made by India," Michel said when asked on the possibility of the Ukraine crisis holding up the leaders' declaration.

Michel said Russia is isolating itself from the international community even as he referred to the consequences of the Russian invasion on developing countries in terms of food and energy security.

In this context, he referred to Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"I sincerely hope this G20 meeting is one more occasion to clarify Russian behaviour. Because by launching this war against Ukraine and by transforming the Black Sea into a battlefield, in fact, Russia is shooting a food missile against the developing countries," Michel said.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said G20 has been a huge success for India and it is the "right country at the right time to be hosting this.

IMAGE: United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and UK First Lady Akshata Murty arrive at Palam Airforce Airport for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, September 8, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

The UK PM, who arrived in New Delhi along with his wife Akshata Murty on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10, said that he will make sure that G20 under India's presidency achieves success.

"I'm very keen to support Prime Minister Modi and making sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally," he said.

G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made, the British Prime Minister added while highlighting that the coming two days will witness hectic deliberations.

Emphasising that various issues are on agenda at the G20 under Indias leadership.

He said: Im confident that well make very good progress on a range of different issues.

IMAGE: Rishi Sunak (second from left) and the UK's First Lady Akshata Murty (third from left) receive a warm welcome from Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey (second from right). Photograph: ANI Photo

Referring to the theme of the 18th G20 Summit Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which translates to "One Earth, One Family, One Future", Sunak said: I think its a great theme. I am an example of the incredible living bridge that Prime Minister Modi described between UK and India.

Mentioning on the progress to be made on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, Sunak said, "Well I think the bilateral relationship is in good health and Prime Minister Modi and I are keen to deepen and broaden our relationship. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that which is why it remains our priority and as I said there is hard work to go. But I hope we can conclude a successful FTA."

India and UK have held 12 rounds of talks for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement. It was held on August 8-31, and was conducted in a hybrid fashion. A number of UK officials travelled to Delhi for negotiations and others attended virtually.

The thirteenth round of negotiations is due to take place this month.

Sunak said almost two million people of Indian origin live in the UK.

So, its very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family is from, he said.

'Proud to see India doing so well on the world stage'

Expressing pride for his Hindu roots, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his hope that he will find time to visit a temple, here in India, during his stay for the G20 Summit.

Sunak said that he has enormous respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he is keen to support him in making G20 an enormous success.

He also spoke about celebrating Raksha Bandhan.

IMAGE: Sunak and his wife Akshata pose for a picture with the students during his visit to the British Council, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Rishi Sunak said, I am a proud Hindu. Thats how I was raised, thats how I am. Hopefully, I can visit the Mandir while I am here for the next couple of days. We just had Rakshabandhan, so from my sister and my cousin, I have all my Rakhis.

I didnt have time to celebrate Janmashtami. But hopefully, as I said I can make up for that if we visit a Mandir this time, he added.

He further said that faith is something very important as it gives strength and resilience during stress.

It is something that is important to me. I think faith is something that helps everybody who has faith in their lives, particularly when you have these stressful jobs like I do. Having faith gives you resilience, gives you strength that is important and it provides an outlook on life which I find particularly valuable, Sunak added.

On being asked about his equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sunak said, "Yes, and I have enormous respect for Modiji and he's been personally very warm and kind to me and we're working very hard as I said on our shared ambition of concluding an ambitious and comprehensive trade deal between India and the UK, because both of us think that would be a good thing and both of us need to make sure it works for our two countries."

The UK PM also called his visit to India as fantastic and said that he has enjoyed his first few hours here.

It is fantastic for me to be back in India. Obviously, it's personally very special for me to be here, particularly with Akshata, and we thoroughly enjoyed the first few hours of our trip so far, he said.

He also recalled the days he used to spend time with his wife Akshata Murthy in Bangalore and expressed his desire to visit one of his favourite restaurants.

Well you know obviously you know my wife is from Bangalore, we got married in Bangalore. We used to spend lots of time together before we had children in Delhi and were trying to figure out if we can go to one of our old favourite restaurants this evening, Sunak said.

Expressing happiness on coming to India in his present role, Sunak said he is very proud to see India doing so well on the world stage.

He added, But look, it's personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It is a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But to come here in this role to represent the UK, to find ways to forge closer links with India and play a part in making sure that India has an incredibly successful G20 and I'm very proud to see India doing so well on the world stage.

'Not for me to tell India what position to take on Ukraine war'

Sunak said that India respects the rule of law and it was not his position to advise it on what position to take on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Well, it's not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues. But I know India rightly cares about the international rule of law, the UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity. I think those are things that are universal values that we all share. Those are things that I believe and India I know believes in those things too" Sunak said.

India's position has been that Russia needs to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.

Sunak said that he was looking to highlight the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the summit.

"When it comes to Ukraine and Russia in conflict one thing I will be doing is highlighting the devastating impact that Russia's illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world, particularly on food prices. Russia recently pulled out of a grain deal that was shipping grain from Ukraine to many poor countries around the world and now you've seen food prices have gone up. That is causing suffering for millions of people, Sunak said.

"It's not right, and one of the things I'll be doing is making people aware of that impact of Russia's illegal war" the UK Prime Minister said.

Russia is being represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will be attending the summit on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

When asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict casting a possible shadow on the outcome of the meeting of the Group of 20 Developed Economies, Sunak said that he believed that the G20 under India's presidency would make "good progress."

"I think there will be many things that we will be discussing here at the G20 under India's leadership, and I am confident that we will make very good progress on a range of different issues," Sunak said.

"I think G-20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this and I feel we're going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made," said the UK Prime Minister.

Sunak arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata.

Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Sunak and his wife at the airport.

A group of dancers performed a traditional dance to welcome Sunak and his wife.

It is Sunak's first visit to India as prime minister since he assumed office in October last year.

Ahead of his arrival in Delhi, Rishi Sunak said that he is heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus, which includes estabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable.

"Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that  Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Sunak said in a post on X.

"At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the worlds most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putins war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy," UK Prime Minister's Office said.

PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Sunak on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year and discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement and the talks started in 2022.

Meanwhile, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra has said, "The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PM's personal leadership and direction.

"It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 family...This is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India," Kwatra said.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

One of the takeaways of Indias G20 presidency is the revolutionisation of Digital Payment Infrastructure, as initially very few people knew about it, but it has taken forward extensively, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday.
US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday exuded confidence that the outcomes of the G20 summit will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation and building consensus around inclusive economic policies to address greatest global challenges.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, September 8, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

In their over 50-minute talks, Modi and Biden vowed to "deepen and diversify" the bilateral major defence partnership while welcoming the forward movement in India's procurement of 31 drones and joint development of jet engines.

The two leaders also deliberated on cooperation in nuclear energy, critical and emerging technologies such as 6G and artificial intelligence, and ways to fundamentally reshape multilateral development banks.

A joint statement issued at the end of the talks said President Biden lauded India's G20 Presidency for further "demonstrating" how the G20 as a forum is delivering important outcomes.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds bilateral talks with United States President Joe Biden, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo

His comments came a day before the leaders of the Group of 20 large economies are set to hold deliberations on pressing global challenges and ways to deal with them at the bloc's annual summit in New Delhi.

Biden arrived in Delhi at around 7 pm on his first visit to India as the US president. He was greeted at the airport with songs and a musical show.

"The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders' summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks," the statement said.

The joint statement said the "leaders re-emphasised that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship".

IMAGE: PM Narendra Modi receives President Joe Biden on his arrival prior to bilateral talks. Photograph: ANI Photo

The PMO said in a statement that Modi conveyed his appreciation for President Biden's vision and commitment to further strengthen the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is based on shared democratic values, strategic convergences and strong people-to-people ties.

It said the two leaders commended the progress in implementing the futuristic and wide-ranging outcomes of the prime minister's historic State visit to the US in June 2023, including under the India-US Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology.

"The leaders welcomed the sustained momentum in bilateral cooperation , including in the areas of defence, trade, investment, education, health, research, innovation, culture and people-to-people ties," it said.

"President Biden warmly congratulated the prime minister and the people of India on Chandrayaan-3's historic landing near the lunar south pole and highlighted deepening cooperation between the two countries in Space," it said.

The two leaders agreed that India- US partnership was beneficial not only for the people of the two countries but also for global good.

The joint statement said the US President welcomed issuance of a Letter of Request from India's defence ministry to procure 31 MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft from American defence giant General Atomics.

The two leaders also welcomed completion of the Congressional notification process and the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India.

They "recommitted" to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal, the joint statement said.

Modi and Biden also reaffirmed technology's defining role in deepening the India-US strategic partnership and lauded ongoing efforts through the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains, based on mutual confidence and trust.

"The United States and India intend to undertake a midterm review of iCET in September 2023 to continue to drive momentum toward the next annual iCET review, co-led by the National Security Advisors of both countries, in early 2024," the statement said.

In a post on X, Modi said, "Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive."

"We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good," he said.

On his part, Biden said on X, "Hello, Delhi! It's great to be in India for this year's G20."

The joint statement said Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again India's candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29.

"The leaders once again underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system so it may better reflect contemporary realities and remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council," the statement said.

The two leaders reiterated their support for building resilient global semiconductor supply chains, noting in this respect a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology, Inc, to invest approximately $300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India.

They also referred to Advanced Micro Device's announcement to invest $400 million in India over the next five years.

Modi and Biden also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Alliance, operated by Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, as a first step towards deepening public-private cooperation between vendors and operators.

The two leaders also reaffirmed the importance of Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific.

It said PM Modi looked forward to welcoming President Biden to the next Quad leaders' summit to be hosted by India in 2024.

The two leaders also called on their governments to continue work on transforming the India-US strategic partnership across all dimensions and reiterated their support for building resilient global semiconductor supply chains.
The results for bypolls to seven assembly seats in six states will be declared on Friday in what is being seen as a major test for the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the polls in five states later this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

IMAGE: Voters stand in a queue to cast their vote for the Dumri bypoll, at Roshan Tunda in Giridih district on September 5, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

The counting of votes began at 8 am at centres set up in the respective states.

The seven seats -- Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura -- went to polls on September 5.

The by-election saw the INDIA alliance putting up a united front in the Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh where the polling percentage was 50.77 and in Jharkhand's Dumri where a total of 64.84 per cent of 2.98 lakh voters exercised their franchise.

Out of the seven seats, three (Dhanpur, Bageshwar and Dhupguri) were held by the BJP and one each by the Samajwadi Party (Ghosi), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (Boxanagar), the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Dumri) and the Congress (Puthuppally).

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ghosi seat fell vacant after the resignation of SP MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who rejoined the BJP.

For the Bageshwar assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand, the counting will be done at 14 tables with 130 polling personnel on the job, District Magistrate Anuradha Pal said on Thursday.

The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of its MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das in April this year. He had won the seat four times since 2007.

In Jharkhand, INDIA bloc and NDA candidates are keeping their fingers crossed ahead of the counting to Dumri assembly bypolls. The counting centre has been set up at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district, an election official said.

"In all, 24 rounds of counting will be held and over 70 officials have been deployed for the exercise," Giridih Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Naman Priesh Lakra told PTI.

"Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and various wings of the Jharkhand police have been deployed to ensure free and fair counting," he said.

In Tripura, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken necessary steps to conduct the counting in a transparent way, a senior poll official said on Thursday.

Counting of votes to both the seats -- Boxanagar and Dhanpur -- will take place at Sonamura Girls' HS School.

"There is tight security at the counting centre," Sepahijala District Magistrate Vishal Kumar told PTI.

BJP's Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI-M nominee Mizan Hussain from there.

On Wednesday, the CPI-M announced it would boycott the counting, alleging large-scale rigging in the two constituencies during voting.

In West Bengal's Dhupguri, personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the state police are guarding the strong room on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri, an official said.

Around 76 per cent of 2.6 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the by-election.

CPI-M's Ishwar Chandra Roy is contesting as the candidate of the Congress-Left alliance, while the ruling TMC has fielded Nirmal Chandra Roy, a teacher.

The BJP has nominated Tapasi Roy, the widow of a Central Reserve Police Force jawan who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir a few years back.

The bypoll to the seat was necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.

Dhupguri, a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, has nearly 50 per cent Rajbanshi people and 15 per cent minority population.

Kerala is also anxiously waiting for the result of the Puthuppally bypoll that saw an intense battle between the UDF and the LDF to fill the seat left vacant by the demise of Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy.

The constituency in southern Kottayam district witnessed a war of words over the past few weeks as the September 5 by-election was a prestigious battle for both the ruling and opposition fronts in the state.

According to Election Commission sources, the counting of votes would begin by 8 am at the special counting station in the Baselius College. Postal and service ballots would be counted first, they said.

The total number of booths in Puthuppally was 182 and the counting of votes in the electronic voting machines would be conducted in 13 rounds.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said he was not very hopeful of a peace solution to the Russia-Ukraine war in the "immediate future".

IMAGE: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses during a press conference at We The Peoples Hall of the UN House in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo

He was addressing a press conference in New Delhi ahead of the G20 Summit.

"I am not very hopeful to have a peace solution in the immediate future. I believe the two parties are still decided to move on with the conflict," Guterres told reporters here when asked about India's role as a possible mediator to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Obviously, we need to pay tribute to all those that with good intention tried to do everything possible for this dramatic situation to find an end," he said.

Asked whether it was the failure of the United Nations that issues such as the Ukraine conflict were coming in the way of a joint declaration at the G20 Summit, Guterres said it was easy to blame the United Nations for the actions of its member states.

"It was not the UN that invaded Ukraine, it was not the UN that created the conditions for this conflict.

"The responsibilities of member states must be assumed by member states and let's not make the UN the scapegoat of the failures or of the negative actions that are committed by member states," he said.

In his opening remarks, Guterres said, "Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up, and trust is eroding, which together raise the spectre of fragmentation, and ultimately, confrontation."

"This fracturing would be deeply concerning in the best of times, but in our times, it spells catastrophe," he said.

Guterres said the world was in a difficult moment of transition. "The future is multipolar, but our multilateral institutions reflect a bygone age," he said.

"The global financial architecture is outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair. It requires deep, structural reform. And the same can be said about the United Nations Security Council," the UN secretary-general said.

"We need effective international institutions rooted in 21st Century realities and based on the UN Charter and international law," Guterres said, adding that he has been advocating for bold steps to make global institutions truly universal and representative of today's realities, and more responsive to the needs of developing economies.
As world leaders converge at the G20 summit in New Delhi, hosts India on Friday said the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration will reflect the voice of global south and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the conclave will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development.

IMAGE: United States President Joe Biden received by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General (Retd.) VK Singh, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and others on his arrival at the airport ahead of the G20 Summit scheduled to be held on September 910, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo

Refusing to be drawn into the specifics of contentious issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war and climate-related topics, India's top G20 officials told a news conference on the eve of the two-day summit that the Declaration was "almost ready" and they were hopeful of clinching a joint communique by consensus.

United States President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other leaders of the G20 grouping as well as chiefs of many leading world bodies like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gathered in the national capital for the summit beginning Saturday.

The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances by various troupes and a smiling IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva danced to the beat of the music at the airport.

Security was beefed up across the national capital, especially in New Delhi district, ahead of the eighteenth G20 summit to be held at the iconic Bharat Mandapam, with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies keeping a hawk-eye vigil. It is for the first time that India is hosting the summit of the 19 countries and the European Union, representing the world's major developed and emerging economies.

India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said New Delhi Leaders' Declaration will reflect the voice of the global south and developing countries.

"Our New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it because this declaration will be recommended to the leaders during the summit and the leaders will then accept it and only after it is accepted by the leaders, we will be able to talk about the actual achievements of this declaration," he said.

IMAGE: An inside view of the International Media Centre as it stands ready for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi . Photograph: Ayush Sharma/ANI Photo

"India's expectation is that all G20 members will move towards a consensus and we are hopeful of a consensus on the communique," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in response to a question on the possibility of Ukraine conflict holding up an agreement on the New Delhi Declaration.

The silver lining for India's presidency is likely to be the support by almost all G20 countries to its proposal to include the African Union as a permanent member of the bloc that has emerged as perhaps the most influential multilateral forum after the United Nations.

On the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 bloc, Kwatra said he expected that the summit would take a "suitable decision" on it.

"The European Union is looking forward to welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20," President of European Council Charles Michel said, indicating consensus on the proposal. The African Union (AU) is a significant organisation comprising 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.

The biggest question that has cropped up in the run up to the summit was whether there will be a joint leaders' declaration in view of the sharp differences between the West and the Russia-China combine on the text to describe the Ukraine conflict in the document.

The G20 operates under the principle of consensus and lack of a common view may result in the summit ending without the declaration.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hoped India's presidency of G20 will help drive the transformative changes that the world desperately needs as he warned against the catastrophe of growing divisions and eroding trust in a fragmented world.

Addressing a press conference here shortly after his arrival for the G20 Summit, he said the phrase of 'One Earth, One Family and One Future' adopted by India as G20 theme inspired by the Maha Upanishad finds profound resonance in today's world.

IMAGE: A glimpse of Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo

"If we are indeed one global family, today we resemble rather a dysfunctional one," he added.

Guterres said India has been doing everything possible to fully represent interests of Global South in preparation of G20 Summit.

He also said G20 leaders must show leadership on climate and achieving sustainable development goals.

On Russia-Ukraine conflict, Guterres said he is not very hopeful of a peace solution in the immediate future.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been flagged as a key topic on the agenda for the UK during the summit discussions, with Downing Street saying India's role and influence is vital.

India has a vital role to play as the world's largest democracy in calling out Russia's assault on human rights and indeed democracy itself. We will use meetings with Modi or elsewhere to encourage them to use that influence to bring an end to Putin's brutal invasion," Sunak's spokesperson said.

Asked whether the G20 will be able to come out with the leaders' declaration at the summit in view of differences over the Ukraine conflict, President of European Council Charles Michel said it is still being negotiated.

The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed in a news release that the Group of seven industrialised countries(G7) are putting "pressure" on India in an attempt to have their unilateral approaches to the situation in Ukraine reflected in the final documents of the G20 summit.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Modi said on X that it is important to emulate his mission of serving the underprivileged, the very last person in the queue, as he underlined India's great emphasis on a human-centric way of furthering progress.

IMAGE: A view of the International Media Center during G20 Summit, at Pragati Maidan. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo

Rooted in our cultural ethos, India's G20 presidency theme, 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future', deeply resonates with our world view that the whole world is one family, he said.

"India's G20 presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented. We actively voiced the developmental concerns of the Global South."

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development," said Modi, who will be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and heads of delegations to further deepen bonds of friendship and cooperation.

Modi said he will be chairing sessions on 'One Earth', 'One Family' and 'One Future', covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community. These include furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth, he added.

In a riot of brown, green and shades of vivid orange, hundreds of trees lining roads through which heads of states and foreign delegates will travel during the G20 Summit were adorned with garlands of marigold, as the city wore a festive look.

As officials from India and other countries worked to address some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment, officials indicated there would be a positive outcome at the summit on some of the pressing issues facing the world.

There is an expectation of positive outcomes for India's proposals on issues such as digital public infrastructure, climate finance, sustainable development and clean energy.

Besides the G20 member nations, India has invited leaders of Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, Oman, Nigeria and the Netherlands.

After assuming the presidency of the bloc on December 1, 2022, India held around 200 meetings related to G20 across the country on a range of its priority areas.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
The by-election results for seven assembly seats in six states declared on Friday were a mixed bag for the BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc, with the saffron party winning three seats and one each going to its rivals Congress, JMM and TMC and Samajwadi Party.

IMAGE: Samajwadi Party supporters celebrate the party's victory in Ghosi by-election, Lucknow, September 8, 2023. Photographs: ANI Photo

The opposition alliance tasted victory in the Ghosi assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh, where it backed the Samajwadi Party, and in Jharkhand, where the JMM retained the Dumri assembly seat.

The BJP maintained its hold on the Bageshwar assembly seat in Uttarakhand and Dhanpur in Tripura and wrested the Boxanagar assembly seat from CPI-M in the northeastern state, where the INDIA alliance parties had joined hands, but lost the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

"I would like to congratulate all those who beat the BJP to win the bypolls. The BJP has lost four bypolls out of the seven held on September 5. This is a big win for INDIA," West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said.

The Congress also said the victory of opposition INDIA candidates proves that the people have accepted the bloc as an alternative to the BJP.

However, BJP leaders hailed the party's victory in Tripura and Uttarakhand and its in-charge of the northeastern region Sambit Patra said the results have shattered the arrogance of the "ghamandiya" alliance of opposition parties.

The bypolls were the first electoral test for the INDIA alliance of 28 parties formed recently to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls next year. Of the seven seats where the by-election was held on September 5, three were earlier held by the BJP, and one each was with the Congress, SP, CPI-M and JMM.

The opposition Congress-led UDF in Kerala retained the Puthuppally assembly constituency in Kerala as its candidate Chandy Oommen, son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, trounced the ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas.

While Oommen gathered 80,144 votes, Thomas could get only 42,425 votes. BJP candidate Lijin Lal finished a distant third with 6,558 votes.

The Congress and the Left, which are part of the INDIA alliance but are the main rivals in the southern state, contested against each other and poll observers said the sympathy generated by the demise of his hugely popular father played out to the advantage of Chandy Oommen.

In Ghosi, Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh defeated the BJP's Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls on the Samajwadi Party ticket but returned to the BJP recently.

"It is a win for positive politics and a defeat for negative communal politics... It is Bharat starting towards INDIA's victory," SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said.

Singh defeated Dara Singh Chauhan by 42,759 votes.

Chauhan was a minister in the first Yogi Adityanath government and had switched to the SP before the last UP assembly polls.

This time, Chauhan was supported by NDA partners Apna Dal-Sonelal, Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, a former SP ally.

On the other hand, INDIA bloc constituents -- Congress, Left parties, RLD, AAP, and Suheldev Swabhiman Party -- extended support to the SP.

Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said the win of candidates of INDIA alliance including the decisive victory of SP's Sudhakar Singh has "proved that public has accepted INDIA as an alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party".

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Bebi Devi won in Dumri in Giridih district by defeating AJSU's Yashoda Devi by over 17,000 votes, according to a district administration official.

The JMM candidate who is also the INDIA block nominee got about 1,35,480 votes while NDA candidate Yashoda Devi got about 1,18,380 votes, the official said.

IMAGE: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (candidate Baby Devi arrives at the voting booth after winning the by-election from Dumri, September 8, 2023.



Bebi Devi is the wife of former Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto, whose death in April necessitated the by-election. She termed her victory as a 'true tribute' to Mahto who had represented the seat since 2004.

TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a college professor, won the Dhupguri seat by over 4,313 votes.

He bagged 96,961 votes, while his nearest rival BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021, got 92,648 votes, officials said.

CPI-M candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, who was backed by the Congress, was a distant third with 13,666 votes, they added.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the people of Dhupguri embraced politics of development over hatred and bigotry.

BJP's Parwati Dass defeated the Congress's Basant Kumar by more than 2,400 votes in Bageshwar in Uttarakhand. Dass is the wife of BJP leader Chandan Ram Dass whose death in April this year had necessitated the bypoll.

Her husband had been winning the seat consecutively since 2007.

This is the fifth time in a row that the BJP has bagged the seat. The three other candidates from Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Samajwadi Party and Uttarakhand Parivartan Party lost their deposits.

IMAGE: BJPs winning candidate Parwati Dass with former minister of state for textiles Ajay Tamta after the party's victory in the Bageshwar by-election, September 8, 2023.



"The victory of the BJP in the by-election to Bageshwar assembly seat in Uttarakhand is people's seal on the development works of the party's double engine government under the guidance of respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji," BJP chief J P Nadda said in a post on X, thanking people of the state.

Nadda also congratulated BJP state unit chief Mahendra Bhatt, the party workers and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

In Tripura, BJP's Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, which has around 66 per cent minority voters, by 30,237 votes. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI-M got 3,909 votes.

BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the Dhanpur seat, which has a significant tribal population, by 18,871 votes. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI-M got 11,146 votes.

IMAGE: BJP's Tafajjal Hossain shows the victory sign on winning the Boxanagar assembly bypoll, Sipahijala district, Tripura, September 8, 2023.



Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI-M boycotted the counting of votes and demanded a re-election.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated due to the death of CPI-M MLA Samsul Haque. Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur led to the by-election.

"We were sure about winning the by-elections because of the double-engine government's developmental works. I thank the people for reposing faith in PM Modi and CM Manik Saha. The CPI-M, which ruled the state for years, will be extinct in the near future," BJP state president Rajiv Bhattacharjee told reporters.
Three bomb disposal technicians from The HALO Trust organization, involved in humanitarian mine clearance operations in Kherson region, hit a Russian mine, Head of Kherson Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin has said.

"A 24-year-old man was seriously wounded in head and neck. He is currently undergoing surgery. The doctors are doing all they can to save the injured man's life. Two more men, 32 and 31, suffered shrapnel injuries. They are receiving medical aid," he said on the Telegram channel on Friday.

As reported, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation with the international mine clearance foundation The HALO Trust in September 2022.

The HALO Trust is an international non-governmental organization that has been working for more than 30 years in the field of mine action in 28 countries of the world, with the support of the British royal family and the U.S. Department of State.

The organization has been involved in mine clearance operations in Ukraine since 2014. It has cleared more than 4.2 million square meters of Ukraine's territory from unexploded mines and munitions.
Ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the Tibetan Youth Congress Friday held a protest in north Delhi's Majnu ka Tilla against the participation of Chinese delegates in the Summit.

IMAGE: Members of Tibetan community stage a protest against the Chinese government on the eve of G20 Summit, near Majnu ka Tilla, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Amit Sharma/ANI Photo

Holding banners and raising anti-China slogans, protesters carried out a peaceful demonstration amid heavy personnel deployment, the police said.

Some of the protesters had 'Free Tibet' slogans painted on their faces and bodies.

Tibetan Youth Congress President Gonpo Dhundup said, "This protest is not against India or India hosting the G20 Summit. We are raising these slogans against the Chinese participation in the G20 Summit."

Asserting that the Tibetan community felt honoured that India is hosting the G20 Summit, Dhundup said the demonstration was aimed at raising their voice against the alleged illegal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese government.

"The current situation in Tibet is very critical. We have asked protesters to keep the protest peaceful. Not even a single protester breached any kind of law and order and they were following the rules and regulations of the Delhi Police. Our main motive behind the protest was to deliver the message that China's diplomatic assurance is never to be trusted," he added.

To maintain law and order in the area, a heavy police force and paramilitary personnel were deployed at Majnu ka Tilla, which is a Tibetan settlement in New Delhi.

As the protest began, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi immediately reached the spot and directed the police personnel to barricade a certain portion of the area, the police said.

"We had received a protest request at our Timarpur Police station from the Tibetan Youth Congress. We had rejected their request in view of the G20 Summit. Later, we received information that protesters would gather. So we chalked out a robust plan," Kalsi said.

He added that even though the summit venue is far away from the protest site and no restrictions are in place at Majnu ka Tilla, a portion of the area was barricaded and the demonstrators were requested to keep their protest peaceful.

"Our focus was to maintain vehicle movement properly. The protest continued for around half an hour, after which they dispersed peacefully and no untoward condition prevailed," DCP Kalsi said.

Ahead of the G20 Summit, security has been beefed up across the national capital, especially in the New Delhi district, with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies maintaining a hawk-eye vigil in the city.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was greeted with the salutation of "Jai Siyaram" by Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey who received the visiting dignitary upon his arrival here on Friday to attend the G20 summit.

IMAGE: United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the First Lady Akshata Murty receive a warm welcome from Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey on their arrival for the G20 Summit, at Palam Airforce Airport, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo

Choubey informed Sunak that he is an MP from Buxar which, he noted, is an ancient town of religious significance and is believed to be the place where Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman had studied under the tutelage of Vishwamitra, the minister's office said in a statement.

The British prime minister, who is of Indian origin, has often emphasised his Hindu roots and said he is proud of it.

"Sunak keenly heard the spiritual and cultural story of India," the statement said, adding that the minister welcomed him and his wife Akshata Murty, daughter of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, as India's son-in-law and daughter as well.

"India is a land of your ancestors. Everybody is enthusiastic at your arrival," Choubey told them.

The minister gifted Sunak a rudraksh, Bhagavad Gita and Hanuman Chalisa, the statement added.
Air Force One with United States President Joe Biden on board left Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 1645 local time (0215 IST) on Thursday afternoon.

First Lady Jill Biden remains in quarantine after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Biden will stop over at the US' Ramstein air base in Germany before flying ahead to New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit.

IMAGE: President Biden is greeted by Colonel Angela F Ochoa, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews Air Force Base, 'who is responsible for worldwide special air mission airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications support for the President' of the United States. All Photographs: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

IMAGE: Earlier, Biden boarded Marine One, the US presidential helicopter, on the lawns of the White House on his way to the Andrews air base, here and below.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

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WEST ARLINGTON  Today is the last day of the year that the "OPEN" message painted by hand on the side of an A-frame sign will be turned to fa
People head out to look at the damage across the region on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, after the rain storm that caused widespread flooding.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 48F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low around 30F. Winds light and variable.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the speed of the Ukrainian counteroffensive exceeds the speed of adoption of new sanctions packages.

"Our steps are faster than the new sanctions packages... We are moving forward, we will reach the end, but not to the end of our state, but to the end of the life of our neighbor on our territory. On his territory, let that neighbor do what he wants, but without interfering in our moral space, in our independence and in our homes. And we will definitely do this, as we are confident in this," he said, speaking at the opening of the annual meeting of Yalta European Strategy (YES) in Kyiv on Friday.

Speaking about arms supplies, Zelenskyy said "there is a specific influence of specific weapons. The more powerful and long-range it is, the faster the counteroffensive and liberation of our territory goes. If we are not in the sky, but Russia is there, everything is very simple  they stop us from the sky, stop our counter."
Isaac Evans-Frantz is the executive director of a national nonpartisan organization that campaigns for U.S. policies to save lives around the world. He is the founding chair of the Vermont Democratic Partys LGBTQI+ caucus and was the first student voting member of the Vermont State Board of Education. He serves on the executive committee of the Sierra Club Vermont chapter. He lives in Brattleboro, where he was raised, with his family. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
This coming winter, Vladimir Putin will "scare" the world with the use of nuclear weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes.

"In my opinion, Putin has one step left  to 'scare' the world with nuclear weapons. He will intimidate the entire West, not Ukraine, although it is primarily Ukraine and Ukrainians who suffer, but he will. He found this fragile place of unity among Western partners," he said, speaking at the opening of the annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy in Kyiv on Friday.

According to the president, Putin will "put pressure on the West, and, above all, on the United States, as they will also be at a fragile time, as this is an electoral time and I would like to draw attention to this."

"We need President [Joe] Biden to have no doubt that peace is stronger than any weapon. It is necessary for states that are still balancing a little... to understand that we have the same moral values, although we have different enemies, in the opinion of, for example, Israel. Although I believe that in the end Russia is an investor in any enemy of peaceful life," Zelenskyy said.

"There will be intimidation with nuclear weapons. I think we just need to pass this time. This will be a winter like this, there will be an attempt at blackouts and along with the intimidation of nuclear weapons. Since Putin has no arguments for aggression. He's blown away as a person and a politician," Zelenskyy said.
The preparation of the 12th EU sanctions package against Russia is currently progressing, within the framework of which Ukraine, in particular, continues to insist on introducing restrictions on the Russian defense industry and Rosatom, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak has said.

"This package is being prepared. But now it's hard to say exactly when it will be agreed upon. We all understand that each subsequent package is approved with more efforts invovled than it was at the beginning. It is logical, because a lot of things have already been done. Our recommendations have already been provided," he said at a briefing devoted the work of the Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions.

"We continue to insist on sanctions against Rosatom, sanctions against the Russian defense industry," Yermak added.

According to him, the Yermak-McFaul group responds very quickly to requests and information from the military to minimize the Russia's ability to manufacture missiles and drones.

"We are very uncompromising in this regard. If we find elements produced even in the countries of our partners, we talk about it openly. And our partners react very quickly and effectively," Yermak said.

In addition, as he said, "today, while working on sanctions against the Russian Federation, it is necessary to maintain the opportunity to not allow Russia to circumvent the sanctions that have already been adopted by Ukraine and its partners and for which the Russian Federation is fighting in terms of their removal."

The head of the President's Office also said that he is "optimistic about everything that concerns the adoption of this new 12th package of sanctions." "And that's why our group works 24/7. More than 50 experts from all over the world. Everyone is full of energy, enthusiasm, no one is tired, our work continues," he said.

Asked whether the EU and U.S. plan for the confiscation of public and private property of the Russian Federation and Russian citizens in these countries is ready for this autumn, Yermak said that there are still difficulties in national legislation.

"Each country has its own legislation. And therefore this complicates the adoption of a single decision that would suit everyone today. But we are working with our partners. Everyone understands that today, we are talking about supporting Ukraine during the war, about its restoration. And therefore all countries understand that it will be impossible to do this without confiscation of Russian assets. Therefore, everyone is committed to this. Each country is looking for its own path. I think that today, it is fundamentally important to consolidate that everyone is in this position. And, I think, mechanisms will be found," he said.
A batch of ten Leopard 1 tanks for the Ukrainian Armed Forces has already arrived in the territory of Ukraine, according to the press service of the Danish Armed Forces.

"The first ten Leopard 1 tanks are already in the territory of Ukraine, and more are on the way. They may become a part of the offensive Ukraine has just started. The work, which has been going on since spring, does not stop. The training takes place in Germany, where Danish tank instructors, together with the German defense, train crews and transfer tanks to Ukraine," it said on Friday.

The second batch will also consist of ten tanks, the press service said.

The tanks were handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine within the framework of a joint program of Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, which was announced in February 2023. The program includes the restoration of tanks which had not been used for several years and training of Ukrainian tankers.

The first ten tanks have been sent to Ukraine. Ten more thanks were delivered from the plant.

"This is a very important task. Denmark sent some of our best tank instructors to Germany to train Ukrainians to make the most of this weapon. And I have no doubt that this will help them win the defensive battle they are fighting now," Chief of the Danish Army Command Arpe Nielsen said.
As a result of the Russian missile attack on Kryvy Rih, some 73 people were injured, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Lysak said.

"According to updated information, there are 73 victims in Kryvy Rih. Of these, 35 are in the hospital. Doctors still assess the condition of a 34-year-old and two 28-year-old men as serious. One person died," Lysak said on the Telegram channel.

He said some 62 apartment buildings and seven private ones have been damaged in the city. More than 50 cars have been damaged. Utility crews are still clearing the area of debris. Almost 210 tonnes of destroyed structures have already been removed.

Previously, it was known about one death and 60 injuries.
Xi wants to boost his image without getting his feet wet or facing an angry public, analysts say.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is skipping the G20 weekend summit in India for a tour of northeastern Chinese villages hit by flooding a month ago in a bid to burnish his image at home, political commentators said on Friday.

Xi's appearance in Heilongjiang province is part of a carefully choreographed public relations campaign to paint him as a hands-on, caring leader, yet appears to ignore the torrential flooding in the southern province of Guangdong and Hong Kong, analysts told Radio Free Asia.

Ironically, the tranquil scenes of Xis inspection tour were in stark contrast to massive flooding that hit the southern province of Guangdong and neighboring Hong Kong this week, as rainstorms in the trailing edge of Typhoon Haikui dumped record amounts of rainfall on the Pearl River delta.

Instead, Xi appeared on state television and on the front page of party newspaper the People's Daily, visiting villagers near Shangzhi city and inspecting reconstruction work a month after the area was devastated by Typhoon Doksuri.

"I am concerned about places hit by disaster," Xi says in footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV. "In China, when the people encounter difficulties, we must give full play to the superiority of our socialist system."

State news agency Xinhua chimed in: "In the village of Longwangmiao, Xi walked into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops," adding: "He also inspected the work on the restoration of damaged houses and infrastructure while walking along the streets."

"Visiting villagers' homes to learn about their losses and the supply of daily necessities, Xi encouraged them to bolster their confidence to overcome difficulties," the agency said. "He expressed the hope that they will soon be able to resume normal work and life, and that their lives will continue to improve."

PR campaign

U.S.-based veteran political commentator Hu Ping said the People's Daily and state broadcaster CCTV have Xi in the headlines nearly every day.

"It doesn't matter if something's happening or if nothing's happening  he has to have it this way," Hu said. "Of course he wants to make these moves."

"So he heads to Heilongjiang to inspect the disaster-hit area and to boost his public image."

Torrential rains flood parts of Yangshuo county in Heilongjiang province, Aug. 5, 2023. Credit: Gu Jingkun/Xinhua via Getty Images





Xinhua's English website also carried gushing descriptions of Xi's virtues, including a quote from former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying he was "a man of sincerity and ... a man of integrity.

A feature article described how Xi admired late model party official Jiao Yulu, who "often stayed in poor farmers' simple mud huts, eating and working with them."

"Like Jiao, Xi is also known to be down-to-earth and interested in conducting on-site research and investigation to solve problems," the article said.

Far cry

U.S.-based current affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan said Xi hasn't been to a live disaster zone in years, and his profile as a leader is a far cry from the glowing propaganda that is written about him.

"Since Xi Jinping took office, particularly since the 19th party congress, he has behaved very strangely," Tang said. "Whenever he needs to be seen to be there to inspect when natural disasters are happening, even if it's just for show, he will only go there once it's over."

"When there was flooding in Zhengzhou, he was off in Tibet  that's a pretty typical example."

Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits Laojie, Shangzhi city, Harbin in Heilongjiang, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Credit: Screenshot from CCTV video





Tang said Xi's personal security measures have gotten tighter and tighter over the years he has been in power, citing his visit to the northern city of Xi'an during the China-Central Asia Summit in May, when residents were ordered to evacuate from any street he walked along beforehand.

"If he were to visit Shenzhen which is being flooded now, he would be worried that the chaotic situation and public dissatisfaction could pose a threat to his power or to his life," Tang said. "He thinks about himself, not about the people."

No speech

Xi was also notably absent from devastating floods that hit western areas of Beijing and Zhuozhou city in neighboring Hebei province last month, sparking questions about his leadership.

Curiously, Xi didn't turn up to give his own speech at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. State media reported the speech as if Xi had delivered it himself, and officials refused to explain his absence.

Rescue personnel evacuate residents from a flooded area following heavy rains caused by Typhoon Haikui in Xiamen, in China's southern Fujian province on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Chinese leader Xi Jinping "can't set the scene, like walking down a catwalk, so he daren't go [to a live disaster area]," says U.S.-based veteran political commentator Hu Ping. Credit: AFP





Tang said Xi may be too worried about a possible attempt to remove him from power to leave the country.

"There've been similar things in the history of the Chinese Communist Party before," he said. "Both [late former premiers] Hua Guofeng and Zhao Ziyang were removed from power on their return to China from a foreign trip."

"He's very afraid of that right now, because China's economy is in serious crisis, which has seriously damaged Xi Jinping's political prestige."

Chen Li-fu, who heads the Taiwan Association of University Professors, said there has also been speculation that Xi's recent absences from international events are linked to health problems.

"It could be his health, that he can't keep up his normal schedule," Chen said, adding that other concerns could also be in play.

"The G20 summit is a pretty major event, with a lot of things out of his control, he said. He can't control what happens at the venue or at the meetings."

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Robotic arms assemble cars in the production line for Leapmotor's electric vehicles at a factory in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China, April 26, 2023.

The number of Chinese automakers at the International Automobile Association Mobility Conference in Munich this week has spooked some European auto sector bosses.

Its a Chinese takeover, came the text from an alarmed senior executive, standing amid a vast array of gleaming Chinese vehicles at the show, reported sector analyst Michael Dunne on social media.

China invades Germany, said another auto watcher.

China could be exporting 9 million cars a year by 2030, Dunne, who heads an EV market consultancy, added.

As the world watches Chinas broader economy slump amid post-pandemic weak demand, with consumers and businesses paying down debt rather than spending, at least one sector in the Chinese economy gives every appearance of operating in overdrive.

Commenting on a Wednesday New York Times article, economist and Carnegie Endowment senior fellow Michael Pettis said in a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter: Overall exports of Chinese goods, everything from furniture to consumer electronics, slumped 5.5 percent in the first eight months of this year. But this year, exports of cars surged 86 percent through July.

Chinas auto sector  in particular electric vehicles (EVs)  is expanding at such breakneck speed that competitor manufacturers everywhere from Germany to South Korea are lamenting that the entire sector faces being flooded and going into crisis.

Auto powerhouse Germany is losing its competitiveness and is now in an acute situation in which investments have to be made, said Hildegard Mueller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, to attendees of the Munich AII on Tuesday.

A NIO ET7 car model is presented at the NIO House, the showroom of the Chinese premium smart electric vehicle manufacturer NIO Inc. in Berlin, Germany August 17, 2023. Credit: Reuters/Annegret Hilse

Demand for Chinese-made affordable vehicles, both gasoline- and electric-driven is such now that the biggest obstacle to selling more abroad is a lack of specialized ships to carry them, the New York Times reported.

The report continued that a building frenzy is underway in shipyards along Chinas Yangtze River, manufacturing floating parking lots that can carry 5,000 cars at a time to markets worldwide.

Step aside tech giants

Not so long ago, Chinas towering private businesses were almost all internet giants  Tencent Holdings, Alibaba Group, Didi Global.

Thats changed.

In 2018, nearly U.S.$40 billion in venture capital flowed into Chinas Internet sector compared to around U.S.$5 billion for the electric and hybrid vehicle sector. By 2022, the internet sector was attracting just U.S.$5 billion and electric and hybrid vehicle makers  as well as battery makers  were seeing capital venture inflows of U.S.$15.2 billion.

In part, as was widely reported at the time, Chinas internet sector was forced to beat a retreat under the eye of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, which regarded the tech titans  some of which operated their own scaled economies for buying anything and with their own financial payments systems  as a threat.

The EV sector, on the other hand, is aligned with Chinas focus on tech and innovation, which is central to its aim of becoming a tech superpower by 2050. EVs have the support of the central government, unlike the internet giants.

Incentives

In fact, the Chinese government has propped up the domestic EV sector in the form of generous government subsidies, tax breaks, and other policy incentives  including, on the local level, tempters such as rent-free land for factories etc. The result is an army of homegrown EV brands that now present a challenge to the auto sector worldwide.

Some analysts say China was almost pushed into making the move.

Tu Le, managing director of Sino Auto Insights, a business consulting firm that specializes in transportation, noted earlier this year that, while China in the early 2000s had no shortage of manufacturers of internal-combustion vehicles it had no car brands.

They realized  that they would never overtake the US, German, and Japanese legacy automakers on internal-combustion engine innovation, says Tu, adding that this led to a risky but eventually successful EV revolution.

The question is success at what future costs.

An employee carries a battery as he works on an assembly line of electric cars at a factory of Shandong Shifeng (Group) Co. Ltd. in Jinan, Shandong province April 6, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

The popularity of EVs in China is such that demand for gasoline-powered vehicles has collapsed, while between 2020 to 2022, annual sales of EVs in China grew from 1.3 million to 6.8 million.

But if demand for non-EVs has collapsed in China, manufacturing hasnt stopped.

Notes economist Pettis, Demand for gasoline-powered cars has collapsed within China, but rather than close down manufacturing facilities, they are kept open with subsidies and easy access to credit. The only option, in that case, is to expand exports.

He adds: This places enormous pressure on foreign car producers, who simply cannot compete with manufacturers that don't have to worry about budget constraints or access to credit.

However, according to economists, the burden of cost wars should be contrasted with the burden on China.

When a stagnant economy is being highly subsidized areas for which there is little demand at home, the economy must increasingly rely not just on unsustainable increases in debt, but also on unreliable  and highly politicized  foreign demand to prevent the economy from slowing, noted Pettis, who uses the term soft budget restraints to refer to incentivizing easy money.

Chinas booming car exports are not signs of rude good health, said Pettis on social media. Theyre symptoms of weak domestic demand, structural imbalances, and an over-reliance on soft budget constraints.

Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
Visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed Canberras support for Manilas South China Sea claims Friday, as the two allies upgraded their defense ties amid Chinese efforts to block Philippine supply boats in disputed waters.

Meanwhile, the Philippine government announced that it had completed another resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II-era ship that serves as Manilas military outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

Albanese met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the presidential Malacanang Palace in Manila, where they signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership. This upgrades the bilateral partnership to include possible joint patrols in the South China Sea, as well as more and larger joint exercises between Philippine and Australian forces.

Both men arrived from Indonesia where they had attended a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners. Other countries represented at the meetings in Jakarta included China and the United States, another Western ally that backs the Philippines in the territorial dispute.

Australia and the Philippines were bound by strategic trust, shared values and mutual cooperation, Albanese said on Friday.

Our friendship is underpinned by trust and respect as well as shared vision for the region, the Australian PM added, stressing that his government would keep working with Manila to shape a region where sovereignty is uphill and economic cooperation is underpinned by international rules-based trade.

Marcos thanked Albanese for Australias staunch backing of the Philippines, which has been engaged in a diplomatic tussle with China over the South China Sea.

In early August, the China Coast Guard fired water cannons at a Philippine Coast Guard ship as its escorted civilian boats delivering supplies to the Sierra Madre. Later that month, Chinese ships harassed another resupply convoy.

On Friday, the latest resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre was completed successfully, although Chinese coast guards ships tried to block the supply ships, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said.
Retired teachers appeal to the city government in Jiutai city in Chinas Jilin province after they did not receive their pensions, Sept. 4, 2023, in this screenshot from video.

Cash-strapped local authorities across China are struggling to pay public employees, people connected to officialdom say, as a burst property bubble and dwindling exports depict an increasingly grim outlook for the worlds second-largest economy,

In recent interviews with Radio Free Asia, people with connections to the government from Shandong and Wuhan to Nanjing told similar stories of unpaid wages, pensions and government funding.

The accounts add to the multiplying economic problems in China even as President Xi Jinping pins his hopes of an economic recovery on boosting domestic demand and investment rather than relying on exports.

Weak consumer demand has tipped the world's second largest economy into deflation  with growing pressure on Beijing to deliver a bigger economic stimulus package in the form of public spending.

Trade figures released on Thursday pointed to weakening exports  a key driver of China's economic growth for decades  which fell by 8.8% in August month-on-month to US$284.87 billion, the fourth consecutive monthly decrease this year. Imports fell by 7.3% month-on-month to US$216.51 billion.

And unpaid government wages are likely to compound the lack of consumer demand.

A retired civil servant from the eastern province of Shandong who gave only the surname Zhou for fear of reprisals said his former colleagues in the Binzhou district government haven't been paid in more than a month.

"Civil servants in the Binzhou government system who are still working haven't been paid, starting last month," Zhou said. "This used to happen in a district once in a while, but now most districts haven't paid out wages in more than a month, and neither have public institutions."

"The government has no tools left in its toolbox," he said, adding that civil servants are less likely to protest as they have other, "gray" income streams to rely on.

Ever-mounting debt burden

Local governments have seen their coffers drained by three years of society-wide COVID-19 restrictions, as well as a sharp fall in land transfer fees  which once made up 40% of local fiscal revenues  and other property-related income.

They are now struggling with an ever-mounting debt burden, prompting officials to borrow more to pay back old debts, and to raid the coffers of medical insurance funds to make ends meet, resulting in cuts to medical benefits and mass protests in major cities in February.

Container ships are seen at Nanjing port in Chinas eastern Jiangsu province, Aug. 6, 2023. Chinas exports fell by 8.8% in August, the fourth consecutive monthly decline, according to trade figures released Thursday. Credit: AFP

A resident of the northern port city of Tianjin told Radio Free Asia that at least four district governments in that city, including Hebei district government, are in financial dire straits, with civil servants across many departments owed several months' wages.

And a resident of Shandong's Jiaozhou city who gave only the surname Zhang, citing security concerns, said many civil servants and public employees in the city have been unpaid for several months.

"The salaries of civil servants in Qingdao, Weifang city, Gaomi city, and in several of our local townships have gone unpaid since Spring Festival [Lunar New Year in February]," Zhang said. "Either that, or they've only had part of [what's owed]."

"There are many instances now of civil servants unable to receive their salaries, and government finances in deficit," he said.

We need to survive

Civil servants in the eastern city of Nanjing have also gone unpaid this month, with the municipal government pooling resources with the Jiangning district government to help out financially stricken Gaochun district, while many local construction projects have ground to a halt for lack of funding and factories are "almost silent," a resident told Radio Free Asia.

A group of more than 30 protesters held up a banner outside the Guilin Municipal Radio, Film and Television Bureau in Guangxi in a video clip posted to social media, saying they hadn't gotten paid in six months.

"No wages in six months," the banner read. "We need to survive."

People work at a residential building construction site in Beijing, Sept. 6, 2023. Local governments have seen a sharp drop in land transfer fees, which once made up 40% of local fiscal revenues, and other property-related income. Credit: Tingshu Wang/Reuters

The Guilin branch of China's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration, issued a statement on WeChat on Thursday denying the state broadcaster was in financial trouble.

Calls to the Guilin Municipal Radio and Television Bureau went unconnected during office hours on Thursday.

Guizhou issued a rare public appeal to the central government for assistance in April, despite warnings from Beijing in January that there would be no bailouts, sparking fears that it could be the first Chinese province ever to go bankrupt.

Last month, authorities in Guangzhou eased the rules on mortgage lending in a bid to shore up the local market and the flagging economy, in a move Beijing hopes will boost consumer demand.

The move came amid ongoing worries about contagion from debt repayment troubles at major Chinese property developers, and slower-than-expected retail sales, industrial output and investment.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
North Koreans say Kim's use of 'Republic of Korea' is a display of respect, but experts see it as mockery.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the training command post of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this picture taken on Aug. 29, 2023 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 3. Blurring in photo is from source.

UPDATED September 8, 2023, 10:58 a.m. ET

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently slammed South Korea for participating in joint military exercises with the United States, but his choice of words shocked and confused his people.

He referred to the South as Daehan Minguk, the Republic of Korea  its official name  instead of the usual term used for its southern neighbor, South Choson.

We must thoroughly respond to the military exercises of the American and Republic of Korea military gangsters, Kim was quoted in state media as saying last month while visiting a top-level military facility.

Many North Koreans were baffled, viewing his phrasing as a breach of ideological dogma  and even a sign of respect for a place frequently derided as a de-facto American colony.

When he called South Korea Daehan Minguk, many elderly people reacted, saying that The Republic of Korea must be a strong country, a resident of North Pyongan province told Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Kims wording made them think it might be because South Korea is prosperous, she said.

Whats in a name?

The term Kim used for Korea is key to understanding the significance.

As with so much on the Korean peninsula, language reflects a shared history and culture divided by politics.

North and South Korea use different words in their names that are both translated as Korea when rendered in English  Choson in the North and Hanguk in the South.

Both terms have been used by previous governments, but use of one term or the other is often seen as a political statement.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the training command post of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this picture taken on Aug. 29, 2023 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 3. Blurring in photo is from source. Credit: AFP/KCNA via KNS

Because the North and South both claim to be the only legitimate government on the peninsula, they almost always use their own name to refer to the whole peninsula.

So North Koreans call the South South Choson, and South Koreans typically call the North North Han.

Choson, if used in the South, is almost exclusively to refer to a historical period, the 1392-1897 Choson Dynasty.

Use of Hanguk in the North to refer to the South, however, is sometimes even a punishable offense.

And here Kim was using the full official name, Daehan Minguk  which, when literally translated, means the Great Korean [Han] Peoples Country  to refer to the South.

Deeper meaning?

That perplexed North Koreans accustomed to the South being described as a puppet regime of the United States.

Seeing that the South was called by its official name, Daehan Minguk, some are now saying that [North Korea] is admitting that it is outclassed by South Koreas military power, said a woman who lives in South Pyongan province.

For some, use of the term was seen as a sign that reunification could occur soon, she said.

Intellectuals such as university graduates said that they think that the reason why the leadership called South Korea as Daehan Minguk seems to be because South Korea is an economic powerhouse, the South Pyongan resident said.

So it is not possible to compete with their system, she said. It seems to be an intention to go for unification.

Mockery

But some experts viewed Kims use of Daehan Minguk as a form of mockery.

This has the nuance of a disparaging remark, like the so-called Republic of Korea," Cho Han Bum of the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, told RFA

Chairman Kim Jong Un may have used the term Daehan Minguk this time, but North Korea continues to use expressions like the puppets in the South, or the group of traitors when talking about [the administration of South Korean President] Yoon Suk Yeol.

Also, the state media reports put the term in quotation marks.

North Korea uses a lot of quotation marks when they write expressions about something they don't acknowledge, said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Department of Unification Strategy Studies at the Sejong Institute in Seoul.

"It sure seems like it was written with hostility, but we have no proof that it was, he said.

Ken Gause of the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses think tank told RFA that it might be part of efforts by Kim Jong Un to normalize the North Korean state and to that end, redefining how the South is viewed.

I think that he is starting to look at the relationship on the peninsula between the two Koreas in a slightly different way and probably using the official name of South Korea as opposed to, you know, calling it a puppet of this or that is it is just a different way of approaching the situation, said Gause. But, we really need more evidence to kind of really put a finer point on why he may be using this sort of language at this time.

It may also have been just a way to draw attention to his criticism of the South as gangsters, Gause said.

It may not be something more profound  we're going to need to have more evidence  to be able to put it in the context of what it means in the bigger picture.

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Updated to add comments from Ken Gause.
Kim finds it exhilarating the new vessel will pose a challenge to the enemys invasion fleet: state media.

A view of what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on September 8, 2023.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a fresh warning to the U.S. and its allies of a preemptive underwater nuclear strike, as he commissioned the authoritarian states first operational "tactical nuclear attack submarine" into waters that divide the Koreas and Japan.

"These submarines will be equipped with a vast array of nuclear delivery vehicles of varying power and will be poised to launch preemptive and retaliatory strikes at any time underwater," Kim said, according to the Norths official Korean Central News Agency Friday.

The North Korean leader, who attended the launch ceremony on Wednesday, said arming his navy with nuclear arsenal was an urgent task, and has pledged to equip more submarines with tactical nuclear weapons. He said that it was exhilarating to imagine the elite nuclear underwater fleet that will pose a challenge to the enemys invasion fleet."

Pyongyang has increased its nuclear provocations in recent weeks while allying more closely with Russia and China, as the U.S., South Korea and Japan strengthened trilateral security cooperation in the region.

The unveiling of the submarine came on the eve of North Koreas 75th founding anniversary, and is seen as a display of its escalating nuclear capability. North Korea has usually unveiled new weapons at the event that could pose a nuclear threat to the U.S. and its regional allies.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this handout image released September 8, 2023. Credit: KCNA via Reuters





Named after a prominent North Korean historical figure, Submarine No. 841, or Hero Kim Kun Ok, was assigned to undertake its duties off the Norths eastern coast, KCNA said. The state media boasted that the submarines launch was ushering in a fresh era in enhancing naval prowess.

While the exact details of the new submarine is unknown, a South Korean military authority said that it is believed to be a modified 3,000t Romeo-class. North Koreas version of the Romeo-class submarines, capable of carrying its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Pukkuksong-1, is the diesel-electric Sinpo. The submarine has a range of 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles). It is therefore widely seen as yet to acquire the ability to launch blue-sea operations. Even when factoring the Pukkuksong-1s operational range, it could be widely seen to fall short of posing a direct threat to the U.S. mainland, which is around 10,000 km from North Koreas eastern coast.

Still, submarine-launched ballistic missiles present a challenge to the U.S. and its allies defense system due to their inherent stealth and unpredictability. Operating underwater complicates the existing radar detection system and makes it difficult to track North Koreas military movements, disabling a preemptive strike.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this handout image released September 8, 2023. Credit: KCNA via Reuters





The ROK military has been using joint surveillance assets to track North Koreas submarine activities in advance in coordination with the U.S., South Koreas Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement Friday.

Based on our analysis of the North Korean submarine's appearance to date, we believe that it appears to have increased the size and shape of some parts, such as the bridge, to accommodate missiles, but it does not appear to be operational, the statement added, raising the possibility that North Korea may have exaggerated its capability.

The modified submarines put South Korea and Japan under its range, and in theory, Guam as well, said Cha Du-hyeogn, South Koreas former presidential secretary for crisis information who is now a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

However, questions remain regarding its actual capabilities. It is still unconfirmed whether the submarine can withstand a missile strike, move silently underwater, or effectively launch an SLBM from beneath the surface.

According to the KCNA report, Kim Jong Un has also revealed his intention to further enhance North Koreas technological capability and expedite the creation of nuclear-powered submarines, which would enable blue-sea operations.

Kims ambition may inversely show North Koreas lack the capability to construct a nuclear-submarine, Cha pointed out.

While North Korea is interested in acquiring it, building one in the short term presents significant technical challenges. Military collaboration with Russia may occur in part to address this gap. But it would be difficult to imagine Moscow supplying Pyongyang with nuclear submarines or transferring relevant technologies. Even with the transferred technology, constructing a nuclear submarine within a short time frame remains a challenge to North Korea.

Edited by Elaine Chan and Mike Firn.
The entrance to Monywa Prison in Myanmars Sagaing region, is seen in an undated photo.

Fourteen political prisoners went on hunger strike at a Sagaing region prison on Friday to demand the return of confiscated items  including books and blankets  and the removal of restrictions on mail delivery.

The hunger strike is the latest effort by prisoners to protest harsh conditions at Monywa Prison.

Prison guards raided the cells of the political prisoners on Friday, according to the Monywa Peoples Strike Steering Committee.

Authorities from multiple departments  including police, soldiers and the prison  confiscated prisoners books, clothes, pots, dishes and blankets, and left them with a bare wardrobe, steering committee member Lwin Moe Thant told Radio Free Asia. They took all their belongings.

The reason for the raid was unknown. There are nearly 700 political prisoners being held at Monywa Prison.

A similar raid took place on political prisoners at the facility in January 2021, Lwin Moe Thant said.

In April 2022, guards shot at protesting inmates who were chanting anti-junta slogans, sources at the time told RFA. At least one prisoner was killed.

Lwin Moe Thant said the 14 prisoners who went on hunger strike on Friday come from each ward at the prison. More inmates could join the hunger strike if demands arent met, he said.

RFAs calls to the junta spokesman for the Sagaing region, Tin Than Win, went unanswered on Friday.

Authorities have responded to past protests over ill-treatment by political prisoners in Yangons Insein Prison and Mandalays Obo Prison by beating protesters, denying them medical treatment and putting them in solitary confinement.

More than 24,000 people, including pro-democracy activists, have been arrested since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). The association says almost 20,000 are still being detained across Myanmar.

Translated by Htin Aung Kyaw. Edited by Matt Reed.
Churches in Chin state accounted for almost half of those demolished.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Kayan Tharyar (South) village, Loikaw township, in eastern Myanmar's Kayah state, was severely damaged by artillery shells fired by junta forces, May 24, 2021.

Myanmars junta has destroyed nearly 200 religious buildings across the country since the military seized power in February 2021, with most of the devastation in areas with a strong armed resistance, according to data compiled by Radio Free Asia.

The armys bombing and torching of Buddhist monasteries, Christian churches and mosques across the Southeast Asian nation is part of ongoing post-coup surge in violence targeting civilian populations.

The data, based on figures released by religious leaders, right groups and local residents, indicate that most of the buildings were located in western Chin state, where junta forces leveled 85 ethnic Chin Christian churches.

Soldiers set the structures ablaze or hit them with air strikes and ground artillery, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization.

After Chin state, northwest Myanmars Sagaing region saw the second most buildings destroyed with 50  most of them Buddhist monasteries.

Junta forces demolished 39 places of worship in Shan and Kayah states, 19 in Magway region, and five in Kayin and Mon states and east Bago region, for a total of 198 structures.

In August alone, the military destroyed seven churches in Chin state and an artillery shell hit a church compound, said Salai Timmy Htut, secretary-general of the Chinland Joint Defense Committee, a rebel group formed in response to the 2021 coup to protect Chin state from the military junta.

These attacks suggest the junta is increasingly targeting churches lately, he told RFA.

Amid the attacks, worshipers are holding religious services in safer, albeit less convenient locations, he said.

Rev. Bishop Loon Mont, general secretary of the Chin Baptist Federation, said those displaced by fighting pray wherever they have taken temporary shelter or go to secure places.

In Sagaing, junta forces have destroyed 40 Buddhist monasteries, a nunnery, six churches and three mosques.

The presiding abbot of Sagaings Myauk Yamar Monastery said locals have not yet been able to repair the damaged monasteries and fear that soldiers will destroy them again, once they are rebuilt.

We are really brokenhearted to see these religious buildings damaged, he said. This should never have happened in Myanmar. A leader of the country committing these sins is unforgivable.

On Aug. 27, a Buddhist monk was injured and two monasteries were damaged by junta artillery fire from boats sailing down the Chindwin River during an attack on riparian villages in Sagaings Salingyi township, residents said.

Campaign of intimidation

In Magway region, Yu Ko, a member of the Htee Lin-Gangaw relief group, said monasteries damaged in fighting have yet to be repaired, and residents are helping the Buddhist monks who fled.

As the entire villages of some residents were burned down to ashes, their whole population fled to camps for the displaced, he said. They have built temporary shelters with bamboo and leaves for their monks.

Banyar, founder of the Karenni Human Rights Group, told RFA that churches in Kayah state were mostly damaged by aerial bombardments.

The most recent church the junta attacked was obviously visible as it was located in the middle of the village, he said. No military forces were stationed there.

RFA could not reach junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment.

The junta is targeting places of worship to intimidate civilians, said Ngai Tam Maung, deputy minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management under the shadow National Unity Government, or NUG.

The juntas deliberate attacks on religious buildings should never have been done against the people, he said.

The NUGs Ministry of Human Rights is maintaining records of such attacks so that junta leaders can one day receive the due punishment that they deserve for their terrorist activities, he said.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Joshua Lipes.
PJSC Ukrnafta has announced a tender for the purchase of scientific and technical services in the field of engineering for the study of the Velykobubnivske field in Sumy region, which has a complex tectonic structure.

"This project involves seismic exploration using 3D reflection wave technology using the common depth point (CDP) method," the company said in a press release on Friday.

The expected purchase cost is almost UAH 131.35 million (excluding VAT).

As Ukrnafta explained, in previous years 2D studies and additional drilling were carried out at the field. New data obtained using modern 3D technology will help create a 3D geological model of prospecting objects and better reveal the hydrocarbon potential of Sumy region.

The procurement requirements are available in the ProZorro system, and offers can be submitted until 12:00 on September 15, 2023.

As reported, PJSC Ukrnafta began drilling a new horizontal well at the Velykobubnivske field with a design depth of more than 2,700 meters.

The company's specialists have prepared two projects for 3D seismic exploration in 2023 with a total area of 180 square kilometers.

Ukrnafta, which has been completely under state control since the end of 2022, sets a strategic goal of doubling oil and natural gas production to 3 million tonnes and 2 billion cubic meters by 2027 respectively. In 2023, the company plans to increase oil production by 5.8% (0.077 million tonnes) compared to last year, to 1.447 million tonnes, gas production  by 0.3% (0.003 million cubic meters), to 1.04 billion cubic meters.

On November 5, 2022, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief decided to seize the shares of Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta (with the exception of, respectively, the controlling and blocking stakes in NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy) into state ownership as military property for the duration of the martial law. Before the seizure, the structures of Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Boholiubov owned about 42% of the shares of Ukrnafta, and together with other partners, a controlling stake in Ukrtatnafta.

As of the end of March 2023, Ukrnafta had 89 fields with 23 million tonnes of proven reserves and 1,806 active oil wells and 152 gas wells. The company operates 537 filling stations, of which 28 have been modernized. Sales volume for them this year is expected to be 350,000 tonnes, or about 7% of the market.
The sacked workers demanded they be paid according to a floating euro exchange rate.

A global faith-based humanitarian group has fired more than 80 local Burmese employees working in western Myanmars Rakhine state following a strike over demands for a fixed euro exchange rate for salaries, some of the terminated workers said.

The Lutheran World Federation, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, has operated in Myanmar since 2008 and provides humanitarian and educational assistance to Rohingya refugees and others affected by armed conflict in Rakhine.

The laid-off employees said the group emailed them termination letters on Sept. 4, saying they were let go because they had violated the rules of its branch in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state.

All the workers went on strike on Aug. 14, but the organization did not address their grievance about the exchange rate, said one of the affected employees who declined to be identified so as not to not risk any retribution for speaking to the press about the incident.

We have been asking to be paid at the current exchange rate for years, but they havent done anything about it, he said.

The employees had contracts stating that they would be paid in euro equivalent. Instead, they were paid at a fixed exchange rate of 2,100 kyats (US$1) to the euro.

Our salaries are usually transferred to us by a private bank, but we do not receive our pay according to that banks euro exchange rate, the affected employee said.

Employees have one-year to three-year labor contracts, he said.

Those fired, including married and pregnant women, have not received their salaries for the past month, nor have they received any compensation for their termination, he added.

Radio Free Asia emailed David Mueller, the Lutheran groups country representative in Myanmar, and Ruth Ait Bah, regional finance and administration manager, for comment on the staff dismissals, but did not receive responses.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
It said they were rounded up in an operation launched with Chinese authorities.

United Wa State Army troops handing over people, allegedly Chinese nationals involved in online fraud, to Chinese authorities at the border.

Myanmars rebel United Wa State Army has captured more than 1,000 people it said were working for online fraud gangs and handed them over to Chinese police at Shan states border with China, a Wa Liaison Office representative told Radio Free Asia on Friday.

The officer, Nyi Rang, said the ethnic army carried out two days of raids on Wednesday and Thursday with the assistance of the Chinese police, and deported those arrested immediately. He said they were all Chinese nationals.

The United Wa State Army controls Shan states Special Administrative Region, known as Wa state. It has an estimated 30,000 soldiers and maintains close ties with China.

RFA Burmese called junta Deputy Information Officer Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun to confirm the reports but nobody answered.

RFA also sent an email to the Chinese Embassy in Yangon but had not received a reply as of Friday evening local time.

Chinas Ministry of Public Security said Myanmar transferred 1,207 suspects including 41 fugitives to China, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Scammers are known to operate in the Special Administrative Region, luring Burmese and foreign nationals with offers of fake jobs, then forcing them to use Facebook and Telegram accounts to defraud people with fake cryptocurrency deals and other scams, as well as laundering money.

A resident of Mong Pauk town, 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with China, said he witnessed the arrested being taken away.

I saw that the arrested were taken in six military trucks yesterday. And more than 100 were caught today, said the local who didnt want to be named for fear of reprisals.

They all are fraudsters. The arrested Chinese citizens are being sent [to China] at the border gates in Panghsang [Pangkam].

Some people posted photos and videos on Facebook and TikTok showing hundreds of police leading away groups of men and some women and taking them to the border. RFA has not verified the images.

One Mong Pauk resident who works in labor affairs urged people to try to get their children back from the scam centers.

Right now, families need to contact their children who have been sold to money laundering gangs as soon as possible, the person said.

I also want to encourage parents to call their children if they know where they have been sold.

Residents said fraud gangs are operating in United Wa State Army controlled areas of the region, including Pangkam and Mong Pauk towns, along with Laukkaing and Chinshwehaw in northern Shan state, as well as Shwe Kokko in Kayin state.

On Aug. 26, the Chinese Embassy in Yangon said Myanmar police had handed over 24 Chinese nationals, including the leader of an online fraud gang.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar are being threatened and tortured by criminal gangs and forced into online scams, according to a U.N. report released on August 29.

It said that over 120,000 people in Myanmar and 100,000 people in Cambodia are being forced to commit financial fraud online. These gangs are active in the border areas of countries with political and military conflicts, the U.N. said.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
The upgrade of ties between the US and Vietnam is as much about the economy as it is about China and security.

President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up as he walks with first lady Jill Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 14, 2023.

U.S. President Joe Biden touches down in Hanoi on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi, with the United States and Vietnam expected to announce a formal upgrade in ties.

In making the trip, Biden will become the first U.S. president to make a dedicated state visit to the Southeast Asian country since Barack Obamas high-profile visit in May 2016, when he famously dined at a small noodle shop in Hanoi with celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.

While Bidens visit might take place with less fanfare, it will be viewed as no less vital by Vietnams leaders amid Beijings increasingly assertive nine-dash line claims to the South China Sea.

The fact Biden chose to visit Hanoi while skipping the ASEAN Summit, would be viewed by Vietnams leaders as evidence of U.S. commitments to the country, said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow in Vietnam studies at Singapores ISEAS  Yusof Ishak Institute.

This visit coincides with China's harassment of regional claimant states in the South China Sea, including Vietnam and the Philippines, which many in Vietnam will interpret as a gesture of support from Washington for these countries, Giang told Radio Free Asia.

Chinese Coast Guard ships block the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cabra, while escorting a civilian boat [not pictured] delivering supplies to Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre in the disputed South China Sea, Aug. 22, 2023. (Ted Aljibe/AFP)

But the economic element of the trip cant be ignored, Giang said.

China is just one factor under consideration, he said, with Bidens visit also seen by Hanoi as enhancing Vietnams role in the U.S. de-risking strategy, which seeks to diversify Americas supply chains toward friendlier countries in a practice known as friendshoring.

Upgrade in ties

The most tangible result of Bidens trip is an expected upgrade of relations. The United States is currently ranked in the lowest tier of partners in Vietnams diplomatic system, a comprehensive partner, which was unveiled under then-President Barack Obama in July 2013.

Hanoi keeps a hierarchy of relations, with 13 comprehensive partnerships, 13 strategic partnerships and just four comprehensive strategic partnerships  Russia, China, India and South Korea.

It seems an open secret that they will announce at least an elevation to a strategic partnership, said Gregory Poling, the director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and theres a lot of rumors that they may well skip that altogether and go right to comprehensive strategic partnership.

Poling said that may sound like word soup to those of us in the U.S. But for Vietnam, a communist state with a pretty rigid kind of Leninist hierarchy of diplomatic relations, he said, this stuff actually matters.

Yet the shift is not only about Hanoi and Washingtons concerns about Beijings growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Its being driven as much by the slowing of global economic growth plus Chinas economic difficulties, said Carl Thayer, a Vietnam expert and emeritus professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra, with Hanoi, too, looking for more trade opportunities.

A crane operator works at the Tan Vu container port in Hai Phong, Vietnam, Aug. 29, 2023. U.S. President Joe Biden is looking to boost economic ties with Hanoi. (Nhac Nguyen/AFP)

Vietnam will be at pains to mollify China that it is not joining an anti-China coalition, Thayer said, with any upgrade ultimately not changing too much in the substance of the bilateral relationship.

What sets these three tiers apart is the seniority of members on the bilateral coordinating mechanisms and the frequency of meetings, he said. Generally, high-level officials from strategic partners gain access to Vietnams four pillars of leadership: party general secretary, prime minister, state president and chairman of the National Assembly.

Its the economy

Vietnam has been one of the main beneficiaries of American efforts to ease supply-chain reliance on China in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid fears Beijing could weaponize a reliance on it for key goods.

Nearly half a century after the Vietnam War, the country of 97 million people is now the 7th largest source of imports into the United States  behind only Mexico, Canada, China, Germany, Japan and South Korea  according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

So far this year, the department of commerce figures say, Vietnam has already sold $62.8 billion of goods to the United States, which is now its largest export market, according to data from the World Bank.

Nobodys benefited more from the China plus-one strategy of companies seeking to diversify supply chains more than Vietnam, said Poling of CSIS. He added that the Philippines and Vietnam are likely to have the fastest growth in the region this year and next.

Diversifying U.S. supply chains to friendly countries like Vietnam has also become an explicit aim of the Biden administration, with Trade Representative Katherine Tai visiting the country in February and Secretary of State Antony Blinken also making the trip in April.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Hanoi in July and said in a speech that Vietnam is a key partner in the U.S. friendshoring strategy, which she said aims at diversifying our supply chains among many trusted partners like Vietnam to mitigate against global shocks.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sits on an electric scooter and takes a selfie with CEO of Selex Motors Nguyen Huu Phuong Nguyen as she visits the Selex Motors production plant in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 20, 2023. (Nhac Nguyen/AFP)

For Vietnams leaders, the economic upshots of closer ties with the United States alone make upgrading ties worth it, said Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii and an expert on Vietnam, China and the South China Sea.

Many Vietnamese understand that their country needs a closer relationship with the U.S. to boost its security and prosperity, said Vuving, but an elevated relationship with the U.S. would give Vietnam more than just a better counterweight to China.

Many in the Vietnamese leadership hope that it will give Vietnam more U.S. support for Vietnams economic development, he said. This upgrade signals a substantial raise, not just a symbolic shift.

Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Vietnam has reversed progress on religious freedom, US group says

A family of ethnic Hmongs in Vietnam from Lao Cai provinces Bac Ha district, who are members of the God Loves Us Church, are told not to follow the church anymore by Doan Xuan Nam, head of the Bac Ha police in this screenshot from video.

In the video that went viral in Vietnam recently, a police officer forbids a church member of a group not recognized by the government from joining online services  and threatens his family members if he doesnt obey.

Now, I must tell you the following: I forbid you to access Zoom to learn religious dogma and laws and listen to or follow [church founder] Klao Jer Vue, said Doan Xuan Nam, head of the Bac Ha police department in northern Vietnam.

Can you do it? If not, your wife and children must be careful, he says. The village wont allow you access to its water resources.

The incident involving the God Loves Us Church highlights Vietnams continued restrictions on religious freedom, which is guaranteed in its constitution.

In fact, Vietnam has reversed modest progress and become more oppressive in this regard, the U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom said on Tuesday, ahead of U.S. President Joe Bidens weekend visit to Hanoi.

Recent crackdowns on civil society, increased pressure on independent religious communities, alarming reports of forced renunciations of faith, and other growing religious freedom violations add up to a clear reversal in that once-positive trajectory," it said.

Requirements that religious groups register with authorities also goes against Hanois commitment to religious freedom, the report said.

"Government authorities continue to closely monitor all religious activity, often harassing, detaining, or otherwise preventing unregistered faith communities from exercising their fundamental right to religious freedom," it said.

Monitored and harassed

The video depicting the threats against the family of Giang A. Chu, ethnic Hmongs from Bac Ha district in the northern province of Lao Cai, was filmed on March 29, but spread on social media only recently.

Since that warning was issued, Chus family told RFA Vietnamese that police set up a checkpoint near their home and two or three security staff are stationed there around the clock.

Police also confiscated their mobile phones and returned them only after deleting all the apps they were using to watch online services. Also, the familys power generator, which was installed in a stream nearby, was stolen in early May, and they dont know the perpetrators.

I forbid you to access [the online meeting platform] Zoom to learn religious dogma and laws and listen to or follow [church founder] Klao Jer Vue, said Doan Xuan Nam, head of the Bac Ha police. Credit: Facebook/Montagnards Stand for Justice

According to a report by Chang A Pao, a leader in the God Loves Us organization, local authorities have regularly harassed adherents for many years, including a recent incident at Paos home in Lai Chau province.

On August 27, 2023, a group of local police officers and public servants came to his home to disperse his fellow adherents from a gathering.

That Sunday, government officers of provincial, district and commune levels came and banned us from practicing the religion together, another group leader, Sung Phai Ta, who was among the attendees at Paos house, told RFA.

Local authorities then arrested four people, including Vang Ca Lung, Chang A Pao, Sung Va Hoa, and Vang Thi May, Ta said.

They even forced one of them  Hoa  to sign a declaration renouncing his faith, Ta said, but he refused.

Once they put him down on the ground, he came back to the house, and then they carried him out again, said Ta. They did it three times!

Asked to recant faith

Since 2017, many followers of the religious group have been invited to police stations to sign statements renouncing their faith, a letter from one of its members, Thao A Chang, to both the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and the U.S. Embassy to Vietnam.

Under pressure from local authorities and police, 103 out of a total of 794 followers recanted, the letter said.

Vietnamese authorities consider the God Loves Us Church to teach heresy, and accuse its leader, Vu Thi Do, who lives in Wisconsin and is also known as Klao Jer Vue, of separatism.

She has been using the Internet to disseminate content and information that divides the great national unity, encourages the idea of separatism and self-rule, and calls for the establishment of a 'separate state,' according to a post on Lai Chau Provincial Polices website on Aug. 15.

The Vietnamese state-owned media does not know the truth, Vu Thi Do said in an email to RFA. They accused us of attacking orthodox religions and committing other bad things as if we were a bad political organization plotting to overthrow the government.

She said the government paid other Hmong people to bear false witness against the church.

Our followers in Vietnam dont sabotage the governments assets or violate the central governments rules and regulations, she said. Meanwhile, local authorities come to our members homes, threaten to put them in jail, confiscate their cell phones, laptops and even destroy their food.

She also said all the information about her church published by state-owned media was wrong and the crackdown against it should come to an end.

Abuse and violation of civic rights should be stopped, she said. Hmong people are Vietnamese citizens. They should be treated fairly and equally as other Vietnamese.

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
Le Trong Hung planned to run for National Assembly before his arrest

Prisoner of conscience Le Trong Hung has gone on hunger strike at Prison No. 6 in Vietnams Nghe An province, his wife told Radio Free Asia.

Do Le Na said Thursday her husband wants to protect the countrys constitution, claiming that many officials have violated it without punishment.

The 44-year-old is known for livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube videos on controversial social and political issues, particularly land rights cases that have been at the center of controversies in Vietnam.

He was arrested in March 2021 on charges of disseminating anti-State materials under Article 117 of Vietnams Penal Code, shortly after nominating himself to run for Vietnams National Assembly elections in defiance of the ruling Communist Party.

Hung was later sentenced to five years in prison and five years of probation.

Na said her husband started his hunger strike on Sept. 3 and plans to continue until Vietnams Law Day on Nov. 9.

She said Hung made his plans known to her during a visit last month.

After returning to Hanoi, she sent a letter to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the deputy of the National Assembly's People Relations Committee and a number of other National Assembly members to present Hungs wishes.

Firstly, my husband wants the competent people of the National Assembly of Vietnam as well as the National Assembly deputies to be able to come to Prison No. 6 to meet and listen to his wishes, Na said.

If so, he will petition the National Assembly of Vietnam to immediately establish a constitutional court. There have been quite a number of individuals, organizations and agencies in Vietnam that have seriously violated the Constitution of Vietnam.

Na said her husband was also going on hunger strike to raise the issue of prisoners rights, such as the right to receive proper medical examinations and treatment, and the right to send letters to family members.

Na said her family had not received any letters from Hung for more than six months even though he had written many.

Na, a teacher at a school for disabled children in Hanoi, said her family was very worried about Hung's health because he announced that he would only stop going on a hunger strike when the National Assembly deputies came to see him in prison.

It would be unprecedented for a National Assembly deputy to visit any political prisoner.

Recently, two activists Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and Dang Dinh Bach, who are also in Prison No. 6, said prisoners with knives threatened them.

After telling his family Bach said he was beaten by prison guards.

Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
The country has jailed more than 150 political prisoners and restricts freedoms.

A policeman blocks photographers from taking pictures during a protest in front of the Opera House in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2012.

Relatives of dozens of Vietnamese prisoners of conscience have called on U.S. President Joe Biden to speak up for political activists imprisoned in Vietnam when he arrives in Hanoi this weekend.

Vietnam and the United States are expected to announce a formal upgrade in diplomatic ties after Biden touches down on Sunday. The two countries are looking to solidify trade relations while also addressing common concerns about Chinas aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

But the relatives are calling on Biden to also remember Vietnams political prisoners when he visits the country on his way home from the Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi.

As of July 5, Vietnam has jailed more than 150 political prisoners according to New York-based Human Rights Watch.

We believe that with the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights that American people cherish, attach importance to, and protect, the upgrading of the two countries diplomatic relationship will create an impact on the currently dire human rights situation in Vietnam, said a Sept. 1 letter from the families.

Vietnams one-party state ignores the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international covenants that Hanoi has signed and ratified, the letter states.

We wholeheartedly call on President Biden to pressure Vietnam to improve its human rights situation, particularly to stop taking revenge against prisoners of conscience (PoCs) at detention facilities, provide proper treatment to sick PoCs, release all of those suffering from groundless accusations, and stop using PoCs as trade-offs in negotiations with the governments of free states, the relatives wrote.

A coalition of 37 Vietnamese diaspora pro-democracy organizations made a similar plea in a joint open letter released in late August. Biden should insist that Vietnam offer greater freedoms to its people, the coalition said.

Specifically, the U.S. should voice its support for freedom of expression and independent labor unions in Vietnam, as conditions for diplomatic upgrade of bilateral relationship, the letter said.

Thach Cuong of Tra Vinh province was one of three members of Vietnams Khmer Krom minority arrested in July on suspicion of distributing books about indigenous peoples rights. Credit: Vietnam Peoples Public Security





A minimum of common values

Reporters Without Borders and seven other human rights organizations also urged Biden to address the dire situation of press freedom and the right to information in Vietnam in a separate joint letter sent on Sept. 5.

A strategic partnership between the two countries will contribute to protecting Vietnam, the letter said. However, for this partnership to be beneficial in the long term for both peoples, it is essential that the two countries share a minimum of common values.

Biden administration officials also heard from representatives of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation during a meeting at the White House on Sept. 5.

The nearly 1.3-million strong Khmer Krom live in a part of Vietnam that was once southeastern Cambodia. They have faced serious restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and movement.

Federation Executive President Prak Sereivuth told Radio Free Asia that he asked that Biden urge the release of Khmer Krom people arrested in July for distributing books about indigenous peoples rights.

He also asked that the president try to persuade Vietnam to allow Khmer Krom to have freedom to practice their cultural and religious ceremonies. When Khmer Krom want to become monks, they need to ask permission from the Vietnamese government  a new restriction, he said.

Translated by Anna Vu and Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

Pakistani border guards and Afghan Taliban fighters exchanged fire on September 6, the latest flare-up along the disputed border. Both sides accused each other of starting the firefight.

In response, Islamabad has closed a key crossing, leaving hundreds of trucks and thousands of people on both sides of the border stranded.

On the same day as the border clashes erupted, the Pakistani military said four soldiers had been killed in clashes with militants in the northwestern Chitral district, which borders eastern Afghanistan.

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group, which is believed to be based in Afghanistan, said in a September 6 statement that a large number of its fighters had entered Chitral.

In response, Islamabad called on the Afghan Taliban to rein in the TTP, which has close organizational and ideological ties with the Afghan militant group.

Why It's Important: The border clashes have highlighted the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out over the Afghan militant groups alleged support to the TTP.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 has bolstered the TTP, which has intensified its attacks against Pakistani security forces. Peace talks held last year between Pakistan and the TTP, which were mediated by the Afghan Taliban, failed to end the violence.

The location of the TTPs latest attack in Pakistan is also significant. Chitral, located in the remote north of Pakistan, has been a relatively stable area that has not witnessed major militant activity. The TTPs attacks there suggest the militants could be trying to open a new front in their war against Islamabad.

What's Next: More border clashes and closures are expected as relations between Pakistan and the Taliban continue to deteriorate.

The Afghan Taliban is unlikely to crack down or expel the TTP. If the TTP continues its attacks inside Pakistan, Islamabad could resort to military action inside Afghanistan. Such a scenario would likely escalate tensions even further.

What To Keep An Eye On

The UN's World Food Program (WFP) said a massive funding shortage has forced it to cut emergency assistance to 2 million Afghans.

The WFP says it will only be able to provide food aid to 3 million people -- out of a population of around 40 million -- starting in October.

Amid already worrying levels of hunger and malnutrition, we are obliged to choose between the hungry and the starving, leaving millions of families scrambling for their next meal," Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP's country director and representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement on September 5.

The WFP is seeking an additional $1 billion over the next six months to provide 21 million Afghans with lifesaving aid. The UN body estimates that more than 3 million Afghans are on the brink of starvation.

Why It's Important: Cuts in emergency aid are likely to further worsen the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the worst in the world. It is also likely to add to fears of a widespread famine in the country.

In June, the UN revised its annual aid budget for Afghanistan from $4.6 billion to $3.2 billion this year, citing reduced funding from international donors.

The cash-strapped Taliban government, which is unrecognized and under international sanctions, appears unable to fill the gap.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

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The United States has condemned a violent anti-Semitic event at an airport in Russia's predominantly Muslim region of Daghestan in which a mob overran the airport and threatened an aircraft arriving from Tel Aviv.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington condemned the incident, adding at a briefing with reporters on October 30 that the storming of the airport "looked like a pogrom to me" in videos of the incident that he had viewed.

"We call on Russian authorities to publicly condemn these violent protests, to hold anyone involved accountable, and to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in Russia," Miller said.

The violence occurred on October 29 when dozens of protesters, angry over the situation surrounding the current war between Israel and Hamas militants, broke through doors and barriers at Makhachkala airport, with many of them chanting "Allahu akbar" (God is great) as they stormed the runway after the aircraft arrived.

Riot police and reinforcements, including National Guard units, were subsequently sent to "ensure the safety of arriving passengers, according to the Baza Telegram channel.

Officials said more than 20 people were injured -- two critically -- in the unrest, with 10 of those injured needing hospitalization, while Baza said six police officers were among the casualties.

It was not clear whether any Israeli citizens were on the plane that arrived from Tel Aviv or whether any passengers were among the injured.

The RIA Novosti news agency reported on October 30 that more than 60 people were detained at the airport.

In a statement on October 30, the head of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, Rabbi Aleksandr Boroda, said the incident "undermined the basic foundations of our multicultural and multinational state."

"The events of October 29 at the Makhachkala airport, as well as previous incidents...clearly show that the conflict in the Middle East has already affected the lives of people in Russia, and that anti-Israel sentiment has now turned into open aggression toward even Russian Jews," Boroda said.

The incidents Boroda referred to include a suspected arson attack on a Jewish center under construction in the city of Nalchik and reports that crowds gathered in front of two hotels in the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt demanding "refugees from Israel" leave the premises.

Russia's aviation authority closed the airport and said it would remain out of operation until November 6, but later changed its stance and as of late on October 30, air traffic had resumed.

Flights from Israel, however, were being temporarily rerouted to other cities in Russia.

The Investigative Committee, meanwhile, said it had conducted searches of the residences of some of those involved in the unrest.

"Participants in the mass unrest are being interrogated under the relevant criminal case...records from video surveillance cameras have been retrieved," the committee said.

Anti-Jewish protests have broken out in several cities in the region in the face of Israels war with Hamas, rulers of the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry on October 29 demanded that Russia protect Israelis and Jews and to apprehend anyone threatening them.

"Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis," a statement said.

The Kremlin blamed the unrest on "outside interference," and without showing any evidence accused Ukraine of involvement.

Ukraine rejected the accusation, saying that the Russian Foreign Ministry was attempting to "shift responsibility from a sick person to a healthy one." Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko added on Facebook that the events in Makhachkala "reflect deep-rooted anti-Semitism of Russian elites and society."

The United States also rejected the Russian accusation about Ukrainian involvement. "I've seen their comments about blaming Ukraine. They are absurd," Miller said.

Late on October 29, videos and photos from the scene published by RFE/RLs Caucasus.Realities indicated that protesters had stormed onto the Makhachkala runway, attempting to gain entry to the incoming plane.

Some media said the mob gathered at the airport after a Telegram channel said "uninvited guests" would be on the plane and that they should be met in "adult fashion" and forced to go elsewhere.

A local news Telegram channel reported that protesters were attempting to check the identities of arriving passengers, seeking to prevent Jews from leaving the airport, including searching police vehicles.

A protester was seen in one unconfirmed video carried a sign saying, "Child killers have no place in Daghestan."

Daghestani officials accused "enemies of Russia" of instigating the anti-Semitic sentiments after the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus called on authorities to prevent refugees from Israel from entering the republic, according to the Caucasian Knot news website.

The Interior Ministry said that, "against the background of the situation in Makhachkala, the identities of all those who take part in the riots will be established, since video surveillance works at the airport."

"We recommend that all persons who have violated the operating procedures of the [airport] to cease the illegal actions and to not interfere with the work of airport employees," a Telegram statement said.

"It is not easy for each of us to stand and watch the inhumane massacre of a civilian population -- the Palestinian people, the government statement said.

"Still, we urge residents of the republic not to succumb to provocations of destructive groups and not to create panic in society."

Anti-Semitic rallies took place over the weekend in other cities of the North Caucasus protesting against Israels military campaign.

The Middle East conflict broke out after Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, killing hundreds of people and taking more than 200 hostage. Israel retaliated with a military campaign against Gaza, leading to the deaths of some 8,000 people and the destruction of much of Gaza City.

On October 28, a rally was held in Cherkessk, the capital of the Karachayevo-Cherkessia region, demanding that residents of Israel not be allowed in.

On the night of October 29, residents of Derbent in Daghestan protested after false reports of the settling of refugees from Israel in local hotels.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and RIA Novosti
There are no terms ready for a possible normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the UN national security adviser said on Friday, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Safak.

"Many of the elements of a pathway to normalization are now on the table," Jake Sullivan told journalists in a press briefing.

He said that no terms are ready to be signed between Israel and Saudi Arabia, stressing that "there is still work to do."

The top aide said, however, that there is a "broad understanding of many of the key elements" between them.

In recent weeks, several US officials have visited both Israel and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to pave the way for a possible normalization deal. The officials also met with Palestinian officials to understand their position on such a step.

Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and opposes normalization with Tel Aviv until it ends the decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Six Arab countries have diplomatic ties with Israel, starting with Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain in September 2020, and then Sudan and Morocco later that year.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the partners' sanctions pause has become too long.

"Meeting with members of our sanctions group, working under the leadership of Andriy Yermak and Michael McFaul. A report on what has already been achieved in working with our partners for the sake of sanctions against Russia. Guidelines for the near future. Now we see too long a sanctions pause on the part of our partners. Russia's very active attempts to circumvent sanctions. It is critical to add solutions to the free world, which must defend itself," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Friday.

"And even more so, we must avoid any attempt to use the companies of the free world, the technologies of the free world, the products of the free world, to fight against freedom," he said.

Zelenskyy identified three priorities: "further sanctions against the Russian energy sector, real restrictions on the supply of chips and microelectronics in general to terrorists, and the subsequent blocking of the Russian financial sector. The sanctions offensive of the world must be restored."

According to him, he also held today "an important preparatory meeting for an international event, which we are planning for the near future  this September. Details will be a little later. We are preparing an important defense package for our soldiers."
The mother of a murdered 5-year-old girl broke down in a court in Kazakhstan on September 7 after a judge ruled that a suspect from the country's Turkestan region was guilty of her murder. Saidolim Gaibnazarov was sentenced to life in prison and chemical castration for sexually assaulting and killing the child in a case that shocked the Central Asian nation.
Don't expect many surprises in local and regional elections being held across Russia -- and, problematically, in occupied Ukraine. Do look for clues as to how the Kremlin will orchestrate next year's presidential vote, when Vladimir Putin is expected to run yet again.

In dozens of regions across Russia, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people are choosing local mayors, local legislatures, regional governors, city councils, and even a handful of members of Russia's lower house of parliament.



September 10 is the day designated for in-person ballot casting, while in some regions, people have been voting early.



Those regions include four in Ukraine that are partially occupied by Russian military forces, an effort that has been internationally derided. The Council of Europe called the effort to hold a vote in war-ravaged Ukrainian territories, where millions of people have been displaced, "an illusion of democracy." The United States called it "nothing more than a propaganda exercise."



Russia's elections mostly lost the veneer of free and fair competition years ago, as the Kremlin, to achieve target results, moved away from what one adviser once called "managed democracy" to outright vote manipulation, last-minute rule changes, the use of "municipal filters," and lavish coverage on state-controlled media.

What this means is that this weekend's local voting is, as the embattled election monitoring watchdog Golos described it, "very tranquil, much like a graveyard."



"The Kremlin wants to maintain the sense of normalcy and stability in the context of war, social tension, and anxiety," said Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, director of King's College Russia Institute in London. "Elections are one such mechanism to signal to the population that things are calm, normal, stable. [But] if drastic measures are introduced -- such as canceling elections -- the signal might be 'Hell is breaking loose.' "



"These elections mark an important milestone in the metamorphoses of Putin's vertical power structure," Andrei Pertsev, a journalist and close watcher of Kremlin politics, wrote in an analysis. "The system is returning to Soviet practices of 'partisanization' of the bureaucracy."



Here are four things to know about the elections:



What Officials Say Is Going On (And What Is Really Going On)



Balloting is happening across 85 regions across Russia and occupied Ukraine (more on that later). Many of the elections are happening at a local level: people choosing city councilors or members of regional legislatures.



In 22 regions and federal districts, governors or mayors are being chosen. Governors tend to have substantial authority in managing the affairs of their regions, though not unfettered. As with all elections, the Presidential Administration -- a powerful, domestic policy-making executive body within the Kremlin apparatus -- tries to keep close tabs on which governors are effective, which are loyal, which are despised, and which are corrupt, for example.



The mayoralty for Moscow is one of the most powerful elected positions in the country. Sergei Sobyanin, a Kremlin loyalist who is seen as an effective bureaucrat, is all but certain to win reelection.

The oddities of the Russian political system that evolved under "managed democracy" mean that there is United Russia, which dominates the country's political scene and controls both houses of the national parliament. There are also four parties dubbed "systemic opposition" -- parties that are supposed to challenge or oppose United Russia or Kremlin initiatives but rarely do so in a substantive way.



Candidates for those parties -- the Communists, the Liberal Democrats, A Just Russia, and New People -- are running in most of the local elections.



The liberal party Yabloko party used to be a "systemic opposition" party, but the Kremlin engineered the system to push the bloc out of national representation.



What about the "nonsystemic opposition," you ask?



Those are considered political figures and groups who are basically barred from fielding candidates, running campaigns, registering, or anything else that might allow them to participate in a meaningful way. Corruption crusader Aleksei Navalny is the best example. He spent years building a national movement, tapping into Russians' frustration with corruption and graft. He and his team also built a system called "Smart Vote," which aims to identify and endorse candidates who have the best chance at beating United Russia candidates -- at the national and local levels.

For his persistent efforts, Navalny ended up nearly dying after being exposed to a powerful Soviet-era nerve agent and then being thrown in prison on what his allies say are politically trumped-up charges. He's been all but silenced.



"We see the same direction toward further safe-proofing the elections in terms of predictability of their results," Sharafutdinova said in an e-mail. "Over the last years, the system was evolving in terms of widening the window for the authorities to control the outcomes -- [by] increasing the days when voting is allowed and through electronic voting."



"They have seen it work and this is what is being used even more this time," she said.



Voting In Occupied Ukraine



For some of those paying close attention, the voting in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine is the focus. But not because people are on the edges of their seats, expecting the effort to be fair, competitive, or free of manipulation.



Last year, seven months after the start of the February 2022 full-scale invasion, the Kremlin declared four regions of Ukraine -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson -- annexed and a part of Russia after a referendum vote that the Kremlin professed was an expression of voters' true will.



Never mind that the regions are only partially occupied by Russian forces, with Russian-installed proxy administrators. And never mind that nearly 6 million people have been displaced across Ukraine by the war -- scattered mostly across the rest of Ukraine, Europe, and Russia -- with a good proportion of them coming from the partially occupied regions.

In the voting that kicked off on September 8, people in the occupied Ukrainian regions will choose regional legislatures, which in turn will appoint regional governors. There are also dozens of local councils being chosen throughout the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and hundreds of candidates are competing for those seats.



While some of those who have remained in the Russian-occupied regions are genuinely supportive of being part of Russia, and voting in local elections, others who have remained say it's impossible to conduct free and fair elections under military occupation.



"When there's an armed person standing in front of you, it's hard to say no," Ivan Fyodorov, the Ukrainian mayor of the Russian-controlled southern city of Melitopol, told The Associated Press.



So, No Surprises At All Then?



Far from Russia's center of gravity -- Moscow and, to a lesser degree, St. Petersburg -- local issues do still animate voters, who sometimes thwart the intentions of Kremlin election planners, or United Russia.



Protests over a controversial landfill in the northern Arkhangelsk region led to the resignation of the local governor there in 2020 and a new governor who pledged to halt the project.



In 2018, in the Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk, voters bucked Moscow's wishes and elected a popular local official, Sergei Furgal. But Furgal ended up being arrested two years into his term on what many saw as politically motivated charges. He was whisked off to Moscow and earlier this year was sentenced to 22 years in prison on murder charges.

Also in 2018, controversial government plans to overhaul the country's pension system sparked widespread protests and led to the shuffle of several governors that had been preferred by Moscow.



The region that experts are watching closely this year is Khakassia, located in southern Siberia, about a five-hour flight from Moscow. There, in 2018, Communist Valentin Konovalov rode the resentment over the pension reforms to win victory as governor of the remote region. His victory came despite eyebrow-raising maneuvering among his competitors.



This year, United Russia picked a veteran of the Ukraine war to challenge Konovalov. But last week, just eight days before in-person balloting began, the candidate, Sergei Sokol, withdrew citing illness. According to Pertsev, the Presidential Administration has considered canceling the Khakassia election on a sham pretense.



Electronic voting -- people casting ballots online through a nominally secure web portal -- is one tool that election officials have tried to harness, though many Russians, already jaded by past practices of ballot-box stuffing or "carousel voting," are deeply skeptical.



Officials have also used other tools to achieve results: cajoling public sector workers to vote, increasing local social welfare subsidies, arresting independent activists on flimsy charges. "Municipal filters" is the short-hand term to describe bureaucratic hurdles put in place to make it harder for prospective candidates to collect signatures of endorsement.

"For now, it is clear that [the Presidential Administration] is using regional elections to explore what works well in ensuring control and stability," Sharafutdinova said.



Tinkering with the system has gotten harder, as election watchdog Golos argued, and that was even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.



"They are forced to more and more limit the real participation of Russian residents in political decision-making, even at the level of issues of local and regional significance," the organization said. "As a result, significant groups of voters feel separated from public politics. All this leads to people's disillusionment with legal politics, the consequences of which we saw in Rostov-on-Don during the June uprising" -- a reference to the brief mutiny launched by the late Wagner Group mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.



What About Putin?



For the moment, the biggest uncertainty hanging over next March's presidential election is whether Putin will actually run again. He's allowed to, thanks to controversial constitutional amendments that were rammed through parliament and endorsed by voters in 2020.



At this stage, 18 months into the biggest land war in Europe since World War II, a war that is estimated to have killed and wounded more than 100,000 Russian troops, the likelihood of Putin bowing out is seen as incredibly remote. Moreover, stepping aside at this stage, without laying the groundwork for a successor, might spark instability and political chaos, which would endanger the war effort.

The "special military operation" in Ukraine -- the euphemism Russians use, along with the acronym SVO -- is expected to be a prominent, if not dominant, element of the presidential campaign, Russian political experts have said, though it's unclear if it will focus on extolling the soldiers fighting or supporting the widows and children of those maimed and wounded in the war.



In regional elections, United Russia has tapped 117 veterans of the war to be candidates on various ballots, according to one tally. In the central Volga region of Samara, an online ad exhorting people to vote featured wives of soldiers circulated on local channels and social media pages.



The war "has become a factor directly influencing the electoral agenda and the course of election campaigns," political analyst Aleksandr Asafov wrote in an analytical piece online. "Today there is a steady trend: SVO participants, their wives, mothers, and other people, one way or another connected with the special military operation, enjoy increasing public support."



Other glimpses of the goals the Presidential Administration, which is led by Sergei Kiriyenko, a once liberal-minded prime minister who is now a committed architect of Putinism, intends to pursue came earlier this year in a report by the Kommersant newspaper. The administration came up with nationwide voting targets: 70 percent turnout among all Russian voters and a 75 percent vote for the winning candidate.

"The Kremlin sees no problems with achieving new goals. The president's support is high, [and] the main thing is the legitimacy of the campaign," one unnamed source was quoted by Kommersant as saying.



Indeed, a July opinion poll taken by the Levada Center, which is considered one of the last independent pollsters in Russia, showed that nearly 70 percent of Russians thought Putin should continue as president after the end of his current term. Unnamed officials told the online news site Meduza that administration officials want Putin to receive 80 percent of the winning vote.



"This election will essentially be a referendum on confidence," said Andrei Kolesnikov, a political commentator at the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment For International Peace.



"Indeed, it seems to me that in these circumstances, the Kremlin can count on fairly high figures, more than before, because all this will take place under the circumstances of a 'special military operation.' And in military circumstances, people tend to support the leader who wages the war itself," he told Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.



Mikhail Svetov, an opposition blogger and leader of a libertarian political party, argued Russians should go to vote, just as Jews pray at Jerusalem's Western Wall, a holy site that is believed to be a remnant of a Jewish temple destroyed some 2,000 years ago.



"There is no temple, but there is a Western Wall, and Jews went to this wall for 2,000 years and as a result the state of Israel appeared," he said in a Telegram post.



"Russian people should treat going to the polling stations the same way," he wrote. "There is no temple, there are no elections, but we need to go to the polling stations, because only by preserving the symbol and memory of what is due, we will be able to return Russia to ourselves."
4 Jarova was working at the school when a Russian missile attack began. She ran outside after her dog, Victory, when the second strike occurred, destroying the building she had just left and killing seven people.
For right or wrong, Ukrainian tycoon Ihor Kolomoyskiy has come to epitomize for many in Washington and Brussels the endemic corruption that has held Ukraine back economically and politically since its independence more than three decades ago.

The 60-year-old businessman, who is blacklisted by the United States, has over the years sent armed men to take over companies, threatened officials, cheated state-owned companies, and bought off parliamentarians to stall crucial Western-backed reforms, among other brazen acts.



"He is really numero uno in terms of doing active damage. He is the one protecting corrupt interests against the reform tide," John Herbst, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told RFE/RL.



But Kolomoyskiy's Teflon-like ability to escape criminal consequences for decades may have come to an end on September 2, when he was arrested in Ukraine on suspicion of fraud and money laundering in relation to a state-owned company and handed a 60-day, pretrial detention.



The dramatic jailing of Kolomoyskiy, once the nation's third-richest man according to Forbes, is the latest in a series of high-profile arrests in Ukraine over the past year as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tries to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader.



While Ukrainian leaders have for decades promised to tackle corruption with little to show for all their talk, the issue has grown in urgency since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian citizens, suffering from the deprivation of war, are showing little patience for graft. Meanwhile, some politicians in the West are trying to use Ukraine's reputation as endemically corrupt as an excuse to curtail crucial military aid. For both Ukrainians and their Western allies, no other arrest could send such a strong signal that Ukraine is determined to fight corruption than that of Kolomoyskiy.



"He is the most well-known name in Ukraine and abroad to showcase the fight against corruption," Tetiana Shevchuk, a lawyer with the Anti-Corruption Action Center, a Kyiv-based NGO, told RFE/RL.

It was always toxic for Zelenskiy that the oligarch closest to him was being investigated by the United States."

In an interview with Current Time -- the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA -- Vladimir Fesenko, a Kyiv-based political analyst, said his arrest was "a demonstration that there are no untouchables."



Ukraine is scheduled to hold elections in the spring of 2024 and, while the war could push it back indefinitely, the spate of corruption-related arrests will undoubtedly bolster Zelenskiy's ratings.



For those politicians in Washington who back aid to Ukraine, Kolomoyskiy's arrest is a "wonderful talking point," Herbst said.

Congress is currently debating whether to approve President Joe Biden's $40 billion emergency spending bill, more than half of which will go toward crucial military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine as it tries to drive Russian forces out of its territory.



A vocal minority of Republicans have balked at giving so much aid to Ukraine, often highlighting the country's notorious reputation for corruption despite notable improvements in anti-graft reform and investigations.



Kolomoyskiy is arguably the most notorious of the Ukrainian tycoons who emerged from the wreckage of the Soviet Union's collapse and snapped up former state assets at rock-bottom prices, sometimes deploying extralegal or violent methods.

A native of Dnipro, a major industrial city in southeastern Ukraine, Kolomoyskiy has owned banks, energy firms, metals companies, airlines, and one of the nation's most influential television channels.



Over the years, as they consolidated their assets, many of the original tycoons tried to clean up their image, stepping back from bare-knuckle tactics. Kolomoyskiy, for the most part, did not, experts say.



Until Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, those tycoons wielded immense power behind the scenes, using their wealth and media assets to win the loyalty of politicians, judges, and parliamentarians and push policies that benefited their companies.



Kolomoyskiy's television station backed Zelenskiy's presidential election campaign in 2019 and is credited with helping the political novice win in a landslide against the incumbent, President Petro Poroshenko.



It raised alarm at home and abroad that Zelenskiy might be beholden to Kolomoyskiy, especially after he tapped the tycoon's former lawyer as his chief of staff. Foreign executives working in Ukraine feared it represented "a return to the old ways of doing business," according to a 2019 U.S. Embassy cable. Zelenskiy continued to be dogged by suspicion even after he passed legislation hurting Kolomoyskiy's interests.



The pressure on Zelenskiy to publicly distance himself from the notorious tycoon only grew after the FBI announced in August 2020 that it was investigating Kolomoyskiy for allegedly embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from his Ukrainian bank and using the proceeds to purchase commercial real estate in the United States.



Seven months later, the U.S. State Department blacklisted Kolomoyskiy for corruption and undermining democracy at home, in what many experts viewed as a signal to Zelenskiy to bring him to heel.



"It was always toxic for Zelenskiy that the oligarch closest to him was being investigated by the United States," Shevchuk said.

In 2021, Zelenskiy signed into law an "anti-oligarch" bill that essentially gives tycoons a tough choice: either refrain from politics or sell your media assets. However, the bill was criticized by experts at home and abroad as a "populist" measure that could be abused to target political opponents or their backers. The bill was part of a broader campaign that Zelenskiy called "de-oligarchization," or the curtailing of tycoons' power.

In a 2021 report, Andrew Wilson, a Ukraine expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the "key test" of Zelenskiy's campaign to rein in tycoons would be how he handled Kolomoyskiy.

"The Ukrainian government had to pursue [Kolomoyskiy] to demonstrate its reformist credentials to the U.S.," he wrote at the time.



As Zelenskiy pursued his campaign, Kolomoyskiy appeared to carry on as usual. Former U.S. Ambassador Herbst told RFE/RL that "it was Kolomoyskiy who seemed to act as if he could do what he wants."



The tycoon continued his fight to recover Privatbank, the nation's largest lender, which was taken over by the state in 2016 after the central bank said it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The West, which has given billions of dollars over the years in financial aid to Ukraine, vehemently opposed any move to return Privatbank to Kolomoyskiy.



Kolomoyskiy was also making new enemies. According to Forbes' sources, Zelenskiy's administration was angered that Kolomoyskiy did not step up enough in the early phases of the 2022 war to help the government financially. The tycoon did play a large role in helping Ukraine defend its territories in 2014-15 when Russian fighters first tried seizing land.



Five months after the start of Russia's 2022 invasion, rumors spread that Zelenskiy had revoked Kolomoyskiy's Ukrainian citizenship, though there has never been confirmation from either side. As Ukraine does not extradite its own citizens, such a move potentially opens the door to Kolomoyskiy's extradition to the United States should the FBI ever file criminal charges.



Analyst Fesenko said that Kolomoyskiy's ties to Zelenskiy had always been exaggerated. He didn't so much support Zelenskiy as he sought the ouster of his nemesis, Poroshenko, he said.



In a clear reference to Kolomoyskiy's arrest, Zelenskiy thanked Ukrainian law enforcement for bringing cases to court "that have been hindered for decades."



While Kolomoyskiy's arrest sends a strong message, there are still voices who doubt the sincerity of Zelenskiy's commitment to the anti-corruption cause. Western officials have long viewed the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office, the security services (SBU), and the courts as mired in corruption and incapable of going after high-profile figures. No tycoons had ever been convicted by a Ukrainian court. In exchange for much-needed financial aid following Ukraine's 2014 revolution, the West required Kyiv to create independent anti-corruption bodies.



But rather than being seen as onboard with those initiatives, Zelenskiy set off alarm bells in the West with what appeared to be attempts to control these new, supposedly independent institutions. After failing to put his preferred choices at the helm of the anti-corruption bodies, two weeks ago, Zelenskiy proposed equating large-scale graft to treason. That would allow the SBU, which is overseen by the presidential administration, to take over cases from the anti-corruption bodies, experts said. The president's plan was met with pushback from activists and officials at home and abroad.



In a possible sign of Washington's concern about the proposed legislation of equating graft with treason, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan met at the White House on September 1 with the heads of the anti-corruption institutions to discuss "safeguarding [their] autonomy."



The following day, Kolomoyskiy was detained by the SBU.

The Ukrainian anti-corruption investigative body NABU, which had been investigating Kolomoyskiy since 2019, announced on September 7 that Kolomoyskiy was a suspect in a case involving alleged embezzlement at Privatbank.



Fesenko said he expects to soon see more examples of this type of competition between the independent, anti-corruption institutions and the SBU over high-profile corruption cases.



As for Kolomoyskiy's future, analysts are hesitant to predict what will happen next. Herbst said Kolomoyskiy is "not the type of personality who backs down."



And Fesenko said the tycoon has the resources and the lawyers to drag out the case in Ukraine for a long time.

"The topic of Kolomoisky is not closed. I think this is just the beginning of this [television] series," he said.
The police found 80 Russian dungeons and places of captivity in Ukraine, Deputy Interior Minister of Ukraine Kateryna Pavlychenko has said.

She said this during a meeting with UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Alice Jill Edwards, the ministry said on the Telegram channel on Friday.

According to the statement, "recently, investigators of the Main Investigation Department found another prison in the territory of de-occupied Bucha. Russian military illegally detained 151 people there on March 3-7, 2022. The occupiers did not give those people medicines, food and water."

"We should not forget that many servicemen and rescuers still remain in captivity. And the families of these people have no proper access to information about their detention. There also civilians in Russian captivity. In fact, they are hostages. All these issues require special attention of the international community," Pavlychenko said.
MHP and Saudi Arabia's DHV set up 45/55 JV to invest over $50 mln in poultry farming in Saudi Arabia

MHP Agroholding, the largest Ukrainian poultry producer, has signed a shareholder agreement to establish a joint venture with Desert Hills Veterinary Services Company Limited (DHV), a subsidiary of Tanmiah Food Company, a leading supplier of poultry and other meat products listed on the Saudi stock market in the Middle East.

This partnership will allow DHV and MHP to join forces to invest more than 200 million Saudi riyals (about $53 million at the current exchange rate) in farms with a capacity of more than 1 million breeder flocks, which are expected to produce approximately 175 million hatching eggs per year, in a modern hatchery and poultry feed mill," MHP said in a statement on the London Stock Exchange on Friday.

According to the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year, DHV will hold a 55% stake and MHP will hold a 45% stake in the joint venture.

According to the agricultural holding, this year MHP and DHV signed a memorandum of understanding, which consolidated their partnership to join efforts to develop farms with a capacity of more than 1 million birds, which will annually produce about 175 million hatching eggs. A modern poultry incubator and feed mill will also be created in Saudi Arabia.

"The deepening of our alliance with Tanmiah is a strategic turning point in MHP's global reach. This partnership symbolizes our shared vision of integrating international experience with local knowledge and ensures Saudi Arabia achieves its food security goals. Our collective strength will catalyze transformational achievements in the poultry sector, contributing to innovation and setting new standards of excellence," said MHP Executive Chairman John Rich.

"Our cooperation with MHP is more than just a partnership, it reflects our commitment to strengthening Saudi Arabia's food security system. Using our local knowledge coupled with global best practices, our portfolio of industry-leading, premium products, services and solutions demonstrates a commitment to ... a broader goals of the Vision 2030 program, emphasized Zulfiqar Hamadani, CEO of Tanmiah Food Company (a subsidiary of DHV).

According to the release, the signing of the shareholders' agreement is a critical step in establishing the joint venture after obtaining the necessary approvals, including approval from the Saudi Arabian Competition Authority and other relevant jurisdictions.

Tanmiah Food Company is a leading supplier of poultry and other meat products in the Middle East, listed on the Saudi stock market. The company was founded in 1962. Its business model combines businesses in agriculture, primary processing and marketing of products sold in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Kuwait.

As of June 30, 2023, Tanmiah operates 114 farms, as well as six hatcheries, two feed mills and four primary processing plants (slaughterhouses). It sells its products through a network of wholesalers, retailers and food service outlets, as well as through its e-commerce platform.
Deloitte CEO Romel Shetty

India is already home to 200 startups operating in this field: Romel Shetty

NEW-DELHI: India needs to maintain an annual growth rate of 8-9 percent for the next two decades to realize its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, according to Romel Shetty, CEO of Deloitte South Asia. This assertion aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to work diligently toward achieving developed country status within the next 26 years.

Shetty emphasized that India possesses a unique advantage in the global economic landscape and could leverage a "China plus one" strategy to further its growth ambitions. He pointed out that no other nation offers the same operational scale and vast market potential as India.

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Speaking about the burgeoning space sector in the country, Shetty highlighted that India is already home to 200 startups operating in this field. He projected that investments worth a staggering $100 billion could flow into India's space sector by the year 2040, underscoring the potential for growth and innovation in this critical domain.

To attain the goal of becoming a developed economy by 2047, Shetty emphasized the imperative of sustained high growth rates. He stated, "We need to grow at least at 8-9 percent till 2047 to become a developed economy." Shetty acknowledged that sustaining such growth levels is no small feat, and only a handful of countries in the world have managed to consistently achieve an annual growth rate of 8-9 percent.

Prime Minister Modi, in a recent interview, expressed confidence in India's future economic trajectory, asserting that the country is on track to be among the top three global economies. He stated, "I am sure that by 2047, our country will be among the developed countries. Our economy will be more inclusive." India currently holds the position of the world's fifth-largest economy, following the United States, China, Japan, and Germany.
G-20 Summit 2023 in Delhi

Some Notable Figures will be Notably Absent

NEW-DELHI: The National Capital is abuzz with preparations as it gears up to host the highly anticipated G-20 Summit, scheduled to commence on September 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed this event as a historic moment for India. The summit is set to witness the participation of several world leaders, though some notable figures will be notably absent.

- US President Joe Biden, as confirmed by the White House, will be attending the G-20 Summit in New Delhi. Prior to the two-day summit, President Biden is slated to engage in bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi. Unfortunately, First Lady Jill Biden will be unable to accompany him due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

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- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, of Indian origin, will also grace the summit with his presence, marking his first official visit to India since taking office.

- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to lead the charge in addressing Russia's actions in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend the G-20 Summit after making a pit stop in Indonesia for the ASEAN Summit.

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- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to be part of the G-20 Summit as part of his three-nation tour, which will also include stops in Indonesia and the Philippines.

- While Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang will represent China. This marks the first time a Chinese president will not be present at a G-20 leaders' summit since its inception in 2008.

- South Korean President Yoon Sok Yeol will be present at the G20 summit and may address the growing concerns regarding North Korea's missile provocations and nuclear threats.

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- French President Emmanuel Macron is slated to attend the G-20 summit and is expected to engage in bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi on various matters.

- Although an official confirmation is awaited, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia had previously agreed to attend the summit, indicating improving relations between India and Saudi Arabia.

- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed full support for India's G20 chairmanship, making it likely that he will attend the event.

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- Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina is also expected to participate in the G-20 summit in New Delhi.

- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will be in attendance, addressing a range of issues, including climate change.

- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has confirmed his participation in the G-20 Summit, underscoring the importance of the event.

- Argentine President Alberto Fernandez is set to attend the G-20 summit in New Delhi.

- President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu is ready to participate in the G-20 summit, adding a diverse range of perspectives to the discussions.

Notably, As New Delhi prepares to host these world leaders, the G-20 Summit promises to be a platform for critical discussions on global issues, with leaders from across the globe converging to address the pressing challenges of our time.


G-20 Summit in India

A total of 19 countries and the European Union will be Pparticipating in the Summit

NEW-DELHI: As the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, scheduled for September 9 to 10, approaches, preparations are in full swing. The event has already commenced with the arrival of distinguished guests representing G-20 member nations. Among the notable arrivals were Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who arrived in New Delhi accompanied by his wife, Akshata Murthy. The welcoming party included Union Minister of State Ashwani Chaubey.

Furthermore, Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister was cordially received by Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje. A total of 19 countries and the European Union will be participating in the summit, with an additional nine countries invited as guests for the convention.

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Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to engage in bilateral talks with 15 world leaders during the G-20 summit, three of which are slated to take place at his residence. Today, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with leaders from the United States, Bangladesh, and Mauritius. In addition, the United States President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in India at 6:55 pm.

The Heads of state from five major countries are set to arrive in Delhi by the night of September 8, just ahead of the G-20 summit. Among the distinguished arrivals will be Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

However, it is notable that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G-20 Summit in India. Instead, Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, in place of President Putin. This development underscores the significance of the G-20 Summit as a crucial platform for global leaders to address pressing international issues and foster cooperation among nations.
For Representative Purpose Only

Further Legal Action would be Initiated based on the Evidence: Superintendent of Police

FEROZEPUR: Startling allegations of links between 11 policemen, including a Station House Officer (SHO), and drug traffickers and gangsters have come to light in the Ferozepur district of Punjab. These serious accusations were brought forward by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the region. A formal complaint has been lodged with higher authorities, urging immediate action in response to the allegations. It's worth noting that this is not the first instance where law enforcement officials have faced allegations of connections with smugglers.





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The Complaint filed provides extensive details about the alleged activities of the smugglers and how they manage to evade police raids, even when the law enforcement teams possess accurate information. Shockingly, despite having precise intelligence, these operations often yield no results. Some Punjab Police personnel and the implicated SHO are believed to be the sources leaking this critical information.

Notably, The SHO named in the complaint is responsible for overseeing the border station in Ferozepur. This position has raised suspicions about his associations with numerous drug traffickers operating in the area. Superintendent of Police, D Randhir Kumar, acknowledged being informed about the matter and stated that further legal action would be initiated based on the evidence at hand. A dedicated team is currently gathering all pertinent evidence, which will be instrumental in determining the course of action moving forward.

Order
Waterways in Punjab

Water Resources Minister Meet Hayer convened a meeting to gather information about the missing canals & waterways

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has initiated an investigation into the startling discovery that approximately 1400 kilometers of canals and rivers have gone "missing" across the state. These historical waterways, established during the British colonial period, have long remained unaccounted for, and their disappearance largely went unnoticed. The revelation came to light as the Water Resources Department undertook a review of departmental records, uncovering the extensive disappearance of waterways, most of which have fallen victim to unchecked urban expansion.

It's worth noting that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched the "Har Khet Pani" campaign several months ago, aiming to provide canal water access to as many agricultural farms as possible. The Chief Minister had also instructed the Water Resources Department to identify department-owned properties to address illegal encroachments.

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Significantly, The Current data indicates that Punjab boasts approximately 13,000 kilometers of canals. The introduction of free electricity for the agricultural sector in Punjab led to a reduction in the demand for canal water, and the utilization of river water also saw a decline. Unfortunately, this neglect of water resources resulted in a deepening of groundwater levels, leading to the declaration of hundreds of blocks as "dark zones" due to over-extraction.

In response to this alarming situation, Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer convened a meeting to gather information about the missing canals and waterways. Subsequently, the Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department, Krishna Kumar, launched an extensive effort to compile records of all departmental assets, with the goal of safeguarding the properties owned by the canal department.

Records have revealed that a staggering 60 percent of the missing 1400 kilometers of waterways have been encroached upon by burgeoning urban areas, resulting in their virtual disappearance. Cities such as Jalandhar have witnessed the vanishing of several vital waterways, and Ludhiana's Sarabha Chowk is among the affected areas. The Search for 100 kilometers of missing waterways is currently underway in Patiala district, while in Bathinda district, residential structures have been erected on what was once a riverbed, a situation that escaped the notice of the canal department for an extended period.
Arrested Suspects

All Three Arrested Suspects have been Implicated in 5 Murders & Many other Criminal Cases

MOHALI: The Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), working in conjunction with central agencies, has successfully apprehended the close associates of Harvinder Rinda.

The Arrests were made in a joint effort, with one individual apprehended near the Indo-Nepal border and the other two apprehended in Gurugram. All three arrested suspects have been implicated in five murders, seven attempted murders, and numerous other grave criminal offenses.

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Initial investigations have revealed that these arrested individuals executed sensational criminal acts in Punjab based on directives from gangster Sonu Khatri. Subsequently, following the commission of these crimes, they sought refuge in various regions across the country and even hid out in Nepal.

This Successful Operation by the AGTF marks a significant breakthrough in curbing the activities of notorious criminals and their associates. It underscores the dedication and collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies to bring individuals responsible for heinous crimes to justice and maintain public safety.
The United States, in coordination with the United Kingdom, sanctioned eleven members of the Russia-based Trickbot cybercrime group that has targeted the U.S. Government and U.S. companies.

Concurrently, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed indictments against nine individuals in connection with the Trickbot malware and other ransomware schemes, including seven of the individuals designated.

The individuals targeted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control are key actors involved in management and procurement for the Trickbot group, including administrators, managers, developers, and coders who have materially assisted the network in its operations.

The designated individuals are Andrey Zhuykov, Maksim Galochkin, Maksim Rudenskiy, Mikhail Tsarev, Dmitry Putilin, Maksim Khaliullin, Sergey Loguntsov, Vadym Valiakhmetov, Artem Kurov, Mikhail Chernov and Alexander Mozhaev.

This designation is part of continued collaborative efforts by the U.S. and the UK to disrupt Russian cybercrime and ransomware, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

In February, the U.S. and the UK had jointly designated some other members of the Trickbot group.

First identified in 2016 by security researchers, Trickbot was a trojan virus that infected millions of victim computers worldwide, including those of U.S. businesses and individuals. It has since evolved into a highly modular malware suite that provides the Trickbot group the ability to conduct a variety of malicious cyber activities, including ransomware. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, the Trickbot group launched a wave of ransomware disruptions against hospitals and other healthcare centers across the United States.

Members of the Trickbot group are associated with Russian intelligence services. The Trickbot group's preparations in 2020 aligned them to Russian state objectives and actions taken by the Russian intelligence services. This included targeting the U.S. Government and U.S. companies.

Russia has long been a safe haven for cybercriminals, including the Trickbot group.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Crude oil prices climbed higher on Friday amid concerns about tightening oil supplies following Russia and Saudi Arabia's decision earlier this week to extend their supply cut till the end of the year.

West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for October ended higher by $0.64 or about 0.7% at $87.51 a barrel.

Brent crude futures were up $0.72 or 0.8% at $90.64 a barrel a little while ago.

Oil prices were also supported by Thursday's data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which showed a big drop in U.S. crude inventories in the week ended September 1.

The EIA data showed U.S. crude inventory dropped by 6.307 million barrels last week. Gasoline stockpiles declined 2.666 million barrels last week, substantially larger than an expected drop of 0.950 million barrels.

Meanwhile, distillate stockpiles increased 0.679 million barrels last week, nearly three times the expected increase of 0.239 million barrels, the data showed.

Saudi Arabia announced its decision to extend its voluntary oil output cut of 1 million barrels per day for another three months.

Russia also extended its voluntary decision to reduce its oil exports by 300,000 bpd to the end of this year, raising speculation that prices will remain elevated through 2023.

Worries about the outlook for oil demand from China where the still remains fragile, limited oil's uptick.

According to a report released by Baker Hughes this afternoon said the oil and gas rig count in the U.S. increased by one to 632 this week. However, the total count is still down 127 or 17% compared to the count around this time last year.

The report said oil rigs rose one to 513 this week, while gas rigs fell by one to 113, the lowest count since January 2022.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Rhodes University honorary doctorate recipient and Pick 'n Pay founder, Dr Raymond Ackerman.

It is with great sadness that Rhodes University has learnt of the passing of the founder of Pick n Pay and one of the University's esteemed honorary doctorate recipients, Dr Raymond Ackerman. Dr Ackerman was conferred with a Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) by Rhodes University in 1986, in recognition of his role as a foremost entrepreneur, a committed humanitarian and the immense contribution he made to business and society. In a ceremony comprising a multitude of individual celebrations of students' achievements, there was a collective celebration of the unique achievement of Dr Ackerman. The conferral served as a significant inspiration to many, many students.

His passing leaves a void that will indeed be difficult to fill. Dr Ackerman's association with the University extends over a lengthy period and across several touchpoints.

In 1988, the Raymond Ackerman Chair in Business Administration in the Department of Management at Rhodes University was established. The first person to occupy the Chair was Professor Gavin Staude, who held the position concurrently with that of Head of the Department of Management until he was appointed the first Director of the Rhodes Business School. Prof. Staude has fond memories of Dr Ackerman, who always met with him when he travelled to Cape Town. They would have long philosophical discussions about the future of business in South Africa. Prof Staude referred to Dr Ackerman as a friend of Rhodes University and the Department of Management, a philanthropist and an incredibly generous person. "Being the Raymond Ackerman Chairperson in the Department of Management and being associated with Dr Ackerman and Pick' n Pay was a privilege," commented Prof Staude.

The current Chair, Prof. Lynette Louw, assumed the Raymond Ackerman Chair on 1 August 2006. As the second occupant of this esteemed position, she warmly recollects the letter of congratulation from Dr Ackerman on her appointment and her encounter with him, during which she was struck by his humility and unwavering commitment to fostering a more equitable society in South Africa. "I consider it a distinct privilege to occupy this Chair and to be associated with Dr Ackerman," she reflects. While Dr Ackerman established Pick n Pay in Cape Town in 1967, Prof. Louw views him as much more than a mere entrepreneur. Throughout his lifetime, he profoundly influenced the retail sector and the South African economy, alongside his dedicated and generous philanthropic efforts.

The Raymond Ackerman Academy for Entrepreneurial Development is a notable example of this philanthropy. The University of Cape Town initially ran this collaborative initiative and was later joined by the University of Johannesburg. The Academy has played a pivotal role in nurturing numerous emerging business proprietors, many of whom have provided employment opportunities to others.

Featured prominently in the Rhodes University's Department of Management corridors, for all to read, is a Certificate of Appreciation celebrating the establishment of the Ackerman Fund in 1988. The Fund was established to advance the academic project, including teaching and learning, research, networking (inter-institutionally and between the Department and leading members of commerce and industry), and international collaboration. With the generous funding provided by Dr Ackerman at the Fund's inception, the work of many staff members has benefitted, and numerous initiatives have been launched because of the Fund's financial support.

The Head of the Department of Management at Rhodes University, Mr. Trevor Amos, commented that as a role model in leading and maintaining high standards of business ethics and in encouraging the business community to promote reform, Dr. Ackerman is identified in Management texts as a prime example of a South African Business leader who has made a meaningful difference. Such a difference has been through establishing time-honoured organisations, providing vision & direction in the business world, and transforming organisations into socially responsive entities and contributing positively to society. Incidentally, it is most appropriate that the quotation featured on the Certificate of Appreciation hung in the Department of Management is as follows:

"We use wealth for the purpose in hand, not for ostentatious show, and we regard the failure to combat poverty more disgraceful than poverty itself" Pericles, 431 B.C.

"In an age where we seek and need ethical business leadership role models, Dr Ackerman remains such a role model. The Department of Management continues to be indebted and appreciative of all of Dr Ackerman's contributions over many years. He will be sorely missed," said Mr Amos.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, said Dr Ackerman's leadership and entrepreneurial spirit will be remembered not only in retail but also for his innovative approach to deregulating the price of petrol cementing his legacy as a role model of what it means to be a business leader. In addition to his leadership, he is also remembered as an author. His publication entitled "The Four Legs of the Table" exemplifies his ability to influence thinking, principles and business practices while focusing on people and social responsibility.

"Dr Ackerman was an embodiment of humility and gentleness. He was integrity and kindness personified. He epitomised noble commitment and dedication to social justice, freedom, human rights and human dignity. He was a quintessential gentleman. Our nation and humankind owe him an unpayable debt of gratitude," said Professor Mabizela.

Rhodes University extends its sincere condolences to Dr Ackerman's wife, Wendy, his children, family, and friends.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. We have been Azerbaijans longstanding partner for over three decades now and have a strong relationship with the countrys public and private sectors. But we still think that this is just the beginning, First Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Jurgen Rigterink, told Trend in an exclusive interview.

Visit to Baku as another milestone in expanding EBRD-Azerbaijan partnership

I am glad to be back to Azerbaijan which I last visited right before the pandemic. It is great to see Baku now back to its full vibrance.

The county has come a long way since our historic cooperation on the Southern Gas Corridor, when we invested 1.7 billion euros in Shah Deniz II, TANAP and TAP pipelines.

The economy has overcome many challenges and has become more resilient and more forward-looking as well.

There is now an ambitious decarbonization agenda underpinned by Azerbaijans Paris Agreement pledges. We also see that the countrys vision for 2030 prioritizes market-oriented reforms, business-friendly governance, and trade liberalization.

And now we are back to ask the question: how can we help to achieve your renewed priorities?

After our meeting in Davos earlier this year, I was delighted to have a great meeting once again with President Ilham Aliyev. We discussed concrete steps towards accelerating the EBRDs activities in the country and beyond, and I would like to thank President Ilham Aliyev and his administration for this opportunity.

We also held sector-specific discussions with several key government ministers and stakeholders and had an opportunity to discuss further cooperation with some of our private sector clients as well. The essence of these meetings and the warm welcome we received fill us with expectancy that our partnership with Azerbaijan will grow significantly for the years to come.

EBRD's role in Azerbaijans decarbonization agenda

We play an active role in Azerbaijans decarbonization agenda, both in terms of domestic green energy generation and its export. Our support has a strong focus on investment, combined with complementary policy dialogue and technical assistance.

On the investment side, last year was a historic one as we supported the construction of the first privately owned, utility-scale solar power plant in Garadagh. I am confident that this project will be one of many in Azerbaijan.

In terms of policy support, our teams have been working with Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy on the renewable energy auctions schemes, and we are expecting the launch of the first such auction already by the end of this year.

Concurrently, we have been working with our Azerbaijani partners to assess the prospects for a low-carbon hydrogen production. Our study found that the country is more than capable to produce it at internationally competitive prices.

These measures coupled with our joint efforts towards grid improvements across the country provide a good start, but there are a few significant steps that need to be made for the countrys green ambitions to materialize.

Azerbaijan needs to develop a national hydrogen strategy prioritizing sustainable development laws and frameworks that would also be aligned with the relevant international regulations. The country also needs to further strengthen its power grid.

Much will also depend on potential milestone projects like repurposing investments in existing gas pipelines and the findings of the feasibility studies of ambitious projects like the Black Sea Submarine Cable.

We are looking at these developments with great interest and stand ready to offer further support to Azerbaijans quest towards greener and more sustainable future.

EBRD is keen to support the capacity development of the Middle Corridor

Until recently, up to 95 percent of freight traffic between China and the European Union went through the Northern Corridor. But the war on Ukraine has shown everyone the urgent need to diversify away from this route.

We can see that international carriers are increasingly looking for alternatives, leading to greater interest in the so-called Middle Corridor.

This development opens new trade opportunities for the Caucasus and for Central Asia to facilitate and reap benefits from China-Europe rail freight transportation.

We are supporting Azerbaijan and other countries on this route to make the most of this potential pivot, and one of the ways to do this is to invest in logistics and transport hubs across these countries.

We are actively supporting our clients, private or sovereign, involved in bridging Central Asia to the Caucasus. To name a few, we have recently invested in a storage facility near Baku, financed railway modernization in Kazakhstan, and engaged with the Maritime Agency of Georgia to help improve its port management systems.

Moving forward, our support to Azerbaijans transport and logistics potential will remain one of our core priorities in the country.

EBRD launches public-private partnership for technical and vocational education

Yesterdays event was a testament to the merits of cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Avrora is our steadfast partner and a leader in the countrys food production industry. We supported the company in identifying skills gaps in its sector and co-developed a program to equip young female and male students to acquire the relevant skills.

With our support, Avrora will now partner the Azerbaijans State Vocational Education Agency to pilot a new Technical and Vocational Training.

The parties also signed the memorandum of understanding, joining forces to help address the skills shortage within the wider industry, in an inclusive and gender responsive way.

Apart from the benefits to the broader economy, such projects make real impact by opening new economic opportunities for all. I am confident that this will be one of the many other successful public-private partnerships in Azerbaijan.

EBRD Green Cities thrives in Azerbaijan's Ganja

The EBRD Green Cities program is attracting more and more cities with over 50 participating now to sustainably address their infrastructure and environmental problems.

Ganja is the only city in Azerbaijan that has joined the program so far and we have already signed two projects there.

The first is set to improve the citys solid waste management, improving the citys environment and public health. The second aims to modernize the citys street lighting leading to significant energy savings and better road safety.

We are proud to be improving the urban environment for more than 300,000 people in Azerbaijans second largest city, but we would be delighted if even more cities joined.

If, and when, requested by the relevant authorities, we will be happy to evaluate investment opportunities in other regions of Azerbaijan as well.

EBRD's broad support for Azerbaijani banks and SMEs

To date, we have made the majority of investments in the private sector. We are actively working to do more in this direction, and where possible, to provide loans in the local currency.

One of our key priorities now is to strengthen local financial institutions so the private sector has better access to finance for growth. As part of this effort, we are actively looking to extend the number of our partner banks in 2023 and beyond.

Additionally, we are working towards supporting the growth of financial markets at the regional level, while increasing our involvement in trade finance.

We are also seeking ways to increase our lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and to support SME competitiveness, green finance, women-led businesses, and youth employment opportunities.

Opportunities are plenty, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us. Our team in Baku will keep you updated on our progress.
Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela and alumnus and Distinguished Alumni Awardee, Anele Siswana.

By Siviwe Mxuma

Each year, Rhodes University proudly recognises its outstanding alumni who have excelled in their respective fields and significantly impacted society. The recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award 2023, chosen by the Old Rhodian Union selection committee, are exemplary individuals who embody the values of Rhodes University: excellence, leadership, and service. This year, the University celebrate the remarkable achievements of Anele Siswana, Charles Breen, and Roy Lubke, who have each left an indelible mark in their respective domains.

The President of the Old Rhodian Union, Prof Rod Walker, said: Rhodes University prides itself in producing not only leaders but well-rounded and noble individuals. The three distinguished winners for this year are a true reflection of this ethos. It is pleasing that this year, we acknowledge individuals who have contributed to the generation of knowledge and have inspired a new cohort of academics in the field. Mental health is one of the key focus areas for the University, and it is heart-warming to note that one of the recipients this year is championing this worthy cause.

Mr Anele Siswana: Pioneering Mental Health Advocate

Anele Siswana, a distinguished graduate in clinical psychology from Rhodes University, stands as a thought leader and trailblazer in the field of psychology. As a registered clinical psychologist with the Helping Profession Council of South Africa (HPCSA), Anele's journey has been characterised by a relentless commitment to transforming mental health care and making it more accessible to all South Africans.

A Rhodes University Master of Arts (MA) graduate in clinical psychology and a Nelson Mandela University BPsych (Counselling) alumnus, Siswana has not only enriched his academic credentials but also diversified his knowledge by obtaining a higher certificate in Theology through Theological Education by Extension College (TEEC). His journey has taken him from Fort England Psychiatric Hospital in Makhanda to Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Gara-Nkuwa, Pretoria, where he contributed significantly to improving mental health care.

Siswanas dedication to mental health extends beyond clinical practice. He is the driving force behind "MIND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH with Anele Siswana," an initiative to increase access to mental health care services through seminars, social media engagement, and discussions on crucial psychosocial and cultural topics.

Additionally, Siswanas impact transcends professional boundaries. He has emerged as a prominent brand influencer, partnering with various campaigns focusing on mental health, culture, identity, diversity, and inclusion. His role as a corporate wellness consultant further highlights his commitment to raising awareness about mental health and providing essential psychological and consulting services.

Prof Charles Breen: Outstanding Botanist and Environmentalist

Charles Breen, an esteemed alumnus of Rhodes University, obtained his PhD in Botany under the supervision of Professor Edgar Twyman in 1970. After completing his PhD, Breen joined Indiana University and spent one year as a Post-doctoral Fellow. A few years later, he returned to South Africa and joined the University of KwaZulu Natal as a Senior Lecturer in Plant Ecology. Breen was excited to discover that the University quickly became a meeting place for researchers who brought the real world to the lecture halls. While at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Breen jumped at the opportunity to work on a project that became a world-renowned aquatic ecosystem. At the time, Breen had never heard of the Pongola Floodplain. The study was part of a broader national response to the growing awareness of eutrophication, which prompted one of the most comprehensive environmental studies ever undertaken on freshwater systems under the leadership of Breen and Heeg. Breens contribution to the project has received worldwide recognition from scholars in the field.

Breen has held numerous leadership positions and has published extensively on aquatic ecosystems, including estuaries and their relationship with society. His peers regard him as the authority on social and ecological issues and praise him for his sharp mind, creativity, unsurpassed innovation, and visionary leadership and thinking.

Breen has also contributed extensively to various communities and societies through environmental workshops, establishment of advisory committees and as a member of review panels for various South African ministries and state-owned enterprises.

Prof Roy Lubke: Pioneer of Environmental Impact Assessment

Roy Lubke is a proud Old Rhodian and instrumental citizen of Makhanda who embodies the spirit of Ubuntu in the true sense of the word. Lubke has dedicated nearly fifty years of his professional career to Rhodes University and is regarded as a pioneer of environmental impact assessment in the Eastern Cape and South Africa. He has written numerous consultancy reports and publications on biodiversity, coastal ecology, conservation of endangered plant species, subtropical thicket and savanna vegetation, reclamation and stabilisation of mine dumps, coastal drift sands and riverbanks. He has supervised numerous postgraduate students inspired by his wealth of knowledge in the field, emulating his leadership and dedication in their professional careers.

He is an active member of local and international professional conservation societies, some of which he has been a member since 1962. He is one of the founding members of the South African Institute of Ecologists and Environmental Scientists.

Lubke has shaped the lives of many Botanists in the Eastern Cape. While he officially retired from the University in 2002, he continues to visit the Botany Department daily to participate in lively class discussions and presentations.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, said the recipients of Rhodes University's Distinguished Alumni Award serve as beacons of inspiration for the Rhodes University community and beyond. Their achievements in psychology, entrepreneurship, and accounting underscore the University's commitment to nurturing leaders who drive positive change in society. As we celebrate these exemplary alumni, we are reminded that dedication, innovation, and resilience can lead to remarkable success and profound impact, echoing the values Rhodes University holds dear. Hearty congratulations to all three of them, and we, their alma mater, wish them well in all their future endeavours, said Professor Mabizela.
Weather Alert

...Icy Roads Possible This Morning... Temperatures have dropped to near and below freezing across much of the region this morning. This has allowed any water remaining on roadways from yesterday's rain to freeze, resulting in icy patches, especially on elevated surfaces such as bridges. Motorists are urged to slow down and use caution this morning. Be aware that roads that appear wet may in fact be icy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Double taxation between Azerbaijan and Slovakia can be eliminated, Trend reports.

The issue of approving the "Agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Slovak Republic on the elimination of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and the prevention of tax evasion" has been discussed during a meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament's Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations.

This agreement applies to taxes between the contracting states or their administrative and territorial units or local authorities, regardless of the method of taxation.

The current taxes to which the agreement applies, include personal and corporate income taxes in Azerbaijan and Slovakia.

Back on June 7 this year, the two countries have signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of income tax evasion.

The agreement was signed during the visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Slovakia.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  Insurance swindler and former international fugitive Martin Frankel on Thursday was ordered into a residential program for ex-convicts, his second stop since being released from federal prison last month.

Frankel was sentenced in 2004 to 17 years behind bars for devising a plot to cheat insurance companies out of $200 million to pay for a luxurious lifestyle that included a mansion in Greenwich, fancy cars and diamonds the size of nickels.

He was released to a halfway house in Massachusetts last month but was sent back to prison after authorities say he violated the rules at that home.

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During a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court, Frankel agreed to spend the next six months in a military-style program in Hartford run by the Salvation Army. They are wonderful people, Frankel told Judge Janet C. Hall.

Public defender Tracy Hayes said Frankel viewed the Massachusetts halfway house as almost another jail because it had bars on the windows and that is what led to his problems there.

Frankel was sent to prison for defrauding insurance companies that he purchased in several states through a trust set up to hide his involvement, since he had been barred from securities trading because of a similar scheme he committed years before in Ohio.

Each month, Frankel and his associates drew up phony statements showing company investments paying off. He set up a bogus Roman Catholic charity, the Saint Francis of Assisi Foundation, to own the insurance companies.

In 1999, he set off an international manhunt when he disappeared from his Connecticut mansion. He was arrested in Germany four months later. He pleaded guilty to 24 federal charges of fraud and racketeering, and cooperated with authorities in prosecuting other defendants in the case.

Prosecutors said he was motivated by greed, sexual desire and a lust for the high life. His lawyers said he was mentally ill.

The scheme left a trail of victims, including policyholders, the insurance companies, their employees and the public because fraud drives up premiums, officials said.

Frankel remains under a court order to pay more than $200 million in restitution. Authorities recovered some of the money, in part by auctioning hundreds of diamonds Frankel obtained with the ill-gotten gains.

Frankel was one of 17 defendants in the case.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Israel views Azerbaijan as a key strategic partner, Eugene Sova, a member of the Knesset from the "Israel Our Home" party and former vice-speaker, told Trend in an exclusive interview.

According to him, regardless of who is in power in Israel, strong connections are maintained with Azerbaijan.

"Good relations exist between Azerbaijan and Israel not only at the leadership level but also among the peoples. Azerbaijan, as a country with significant influence, especially in the Muslim world, has great prospects to play a role in improving Israel's relations with its neighbors. Azerbaijan has also played a significant role in improving relations between Israel and Turkiye," he said.

Eugene Sova noted that he is pleased to lead the Israel-Azerbaijan Friendship Group during this visit.

"The Friendship Group is chaired by Knesset member Vladimir Belyak, but unfortunately, due to medical reasons, he couldn't come. Three other members of the Knesset have accompanied me to Azerbaijan. This is an official delegation from the Israeli parliament as part of the activities of the Israel-Azerbaijan Friendship Group. Therefore, in addition to the official meeting with Sahiba Gafarova, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament), we also had meetings with the head of the working group on Azerbaijan-Israel relations of the Azerbaijani parliament, Anatoly Rafaelov, and the Deputy Minister of Economy and Deputy Foreign Minister," he said.

The Knesset member believes that cooperation between parliaments is a positive sign for investors, and it contributes to the investment climate.

"We would like to see an event in the Azerbaijani parliament in connection with International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, as it is held in many parliaments around the world. I raised this issue during the meetings as part of this visit. For us, this is very important, as it is essentially a day to combat global anti-Semitism. Of course, we know that there have never been any cases of anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan, and we are grateful for that. Even during Soviet times, Jewish people here felt like part of the entire Azerbaijani society. There was no discrimination against Jewish people in terms of employment based on their nationality, for example. Azerbaijan is an ally of Israel, and this alliance is highly valued in our country," he added.

As for attempts by Armenians to compare the Holocaust with the alleged "genocide" in Karabakh, Eugene Sova emphasized that the Holocaust is unique in its scale and uniqueness in a negative sense.

"I am aware of attempts to make such comparisons. We categorically oppose any comparison with the Holocaust," he said.

The Knesset member added that the issue related to Iran was also raised during the meetings held in Baku.

"We also discussed the problems related to Iran's destabilizing role in the region. Iran is the main destabilizer not only in the Middle East but in the world as a whole. In this situation, our common interests allow us to expand and strengthen cooperation in all areas, from the military-industrial complex to intelligence and international support. In this regard, Azerbaijan undoubtedly represents a paramount strategic interest for us. It is worth noting that before the Islamic Revolution, Israel and Iran had very good relations. If a secret vote were conducted today among the residents of Iran regarding their feelings toward Israel, I am confident that the majority would have a positive response," he said.

Eugene Sova noted that as part of the visit, the delegation visited Azerbaijan's Cybersecurity Center, which was established with the assistance of the large Israeli polytechnic institute, Teknion Israel Group Ltd.

"A few months ago, Azerbaijan received a proposal to open a center in the country for cybersecurity training to counter cyberattacks. Teknion Israel Group Ltd. sent its instructors here, and the Azerbaijani government opened a special center. We want the people involved in cybersecurity in Azerbaijan to benefit to the maximum extent from Israel, to gain maximum information. The training is conducted entirely in English. This project is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars," he said.

According to the MP, the question of expanding cooperation in water resource management was also discussed, particularly in addressing the issue of water scarcity.

"Israel is one of the global leaders in this field. Nearly 80 percent of the water we drink from the tap is desalinated seawater. In the last 15-20 years, water purification technology has advanced significantly in Israel. The Azerbaijani side is extremely interested in cooperation in this area," he said.

Eugene Sova noted that during the meeting with the Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, the possibilities of increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries were also discussed.

"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had around 24 flights per week, whereas today, due to various estimates, this figure is no more than ten. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in decrease in tourist traffic. The number of visitors from those two countries accounted for about 15 percent of the total tourist flow. From Azerbaijan, the number of tourists is around 30-35,000 per year. Azerbaijan is one of the countries from which more tourists should come to Israel, and to achieve that, we need to increase the number of flights," he said.

Furthermore, the Knesset member emphasized that Azerbaijan is the top supplier of oil to Israel.

"We need oil only for the production of petroleum products, not for electricity generation. Israel has natural gas for that," he added.

According to Eugene Sova, there are significant prospects for further expanding cooperation in the fields of agriculture, energy, and healthcare.

"As mentioned during the meeting with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, there is currently a discussion about the possibility of building an Israeli medical center in Azerbaijan. This would allow us to invite Israeli doctors to Azerbaijan and provide training for local medical professionals. Additionally, it could facilitate the sale of Israeli medical equipment here," he noted.

In conclusion, the Knesset member extended his warm wishes for the upcoming Jewish New Year.

"In two weeks, we will celebrate Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, followed by Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). I wish the entire Azerbaijani people and the Jewish community in particular a happy New Year. May you be sealed in the Book of Life. While here on your land, I wish for the Azerbaijani people a successful new year, a year of peace, further economic development, and the expansion and strengthening of relations between Israel and Azerbaijan. We will do everything required of us to achieve this," said Eugene Sova.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Azerbaijan is a safe country for Jews and Israelis, Ambassador of Israel George Deek said at a conference dedicated to the heritage and culture of Jews in the Northeast Caucasus, Trend reports.

"Both countries share an understanding of threats, opportunities, strategic, and regional issues. Azerbaijan is visited by 50,000 Israelis annually," he noted.

Furthermore, Deek emphasized that with the assistance of the big polytechnic institute Teknion Israel Group Ltd., a Cyber Security Center has been established in Azerbaijan.

Over the past 30 years, Azerbaijan and Israel have established strong and friendly interstate relations that have evolved into a strategic partnership. The ties between the two countries also encompass the energy sector, demonstrating a robust and multifaceted partnership.

Economic indicators reflect a significant growth in bilateral trade, reaching $1.7 billion. In the coming years, both countries will focus on diversifying their trade relations.

---

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured a stunning image of the globular cluster Terzan 12, a vast, tightly bound collection of stars in the constellation of Sagittarius.

Globular clusters are stable, densely packed collections of hundreds of thousands or even millions of stars, gravitationally bound into a single structure about 100-200 light-years across. The word globulus, from which these clusters take their name, is Latin for small sphere.

They are among the oldest known objects in the Universe and are relics of the first epochs of galaxy formation.

Our own Milky Way Galaxy hosts at least 150 globular clusters and a few more are likely to exist hidden behind the Galaxys thick disk.

Globular clusters are not uncommon in the Milky Way, Hubble astronomers said.

Around 150 are known, mostly in its outer halo, and Hubble has revolutionized their study since its launch in 1990.

However, examining clusters like Terzan 12, highly obscured by interstellar dust, is complicated by the resulting reddening of the light.

When starlight passes through an interstellar cloud it can be absorbed and scattered by particles of dust, they said.

The strength of this scattering depends on the wavelength of the light, with shorter wavelengths being scattered and absorbed more strongly.

This means that the blue wavelengths of light from stars are less likely to make it through a cloud, making background stars appear redder than they actually are.

We refer to the color change caused by the scattering and absorption of starlight as reddening, and it is responsible for the vibrant range of colors in the new image of Terzan 12.

Relatively unobscured stars shine brightly in white and blue, whereas creeping tendrils of gas and dust blanket other large portions of Terzan 12, giving stars a sinister red hue.

The more dust that lies along our line of sight to the cluster, the more the light of the stars is reddened.

Terzan 12, also known as ESO 522-1, is located about 15,000 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius.

The cluster was discovered by the Turkish-Armenian astronomer Agop Terzan approximately a half-century ago.

There were actually only 11 clusters discovered by Terzan. The mix-up results from an error made by Terzan in 1971, when he rediscovered Terzan 5  a cluster he had already discovered and reported in 1968  and named it Terzan 11.

Terzan attempted to fix his mistake, but the confusion caused has persisted in scientific studies ever since, astronomers eventually settling on the odd convention that there is no Terzan 11.

Some of the stars in the photo of Terzan 12 appear starkly different in color to their near neighbors, the astronomers said.

The brightest red stars are bloated, aging giants, many times larger than our Sun. They lie between Earth and the cluster. Only a few may actually be members of the cluster.

The very brightest hot, blue stars are also along the line of sight and not inside the cluster, which only contains aging stars.

The reddening of stars usually poses problems for astronomers, we were able to sidestep the effect of gas and dust by comparing the new observations made with the razor-sharp vision of Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3) with pre-existing images.

The observations should shed light on the relation between age and composition in the Milky Ways innermost globular clusters, comparable to our understanding of the clusters spread throughout the rest of our Galaxy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and your people on the occasion of the national day of the Republic of North Macedonia - Independence Day.

Azerbaijan and North Macedonia are bound together by relations of friendship and cooperation. I believe that we will make joint efforts to strengthen friendly ties and to continue our fruitful cooperation both on a bilateral and multilateral basis by taking advantage of the existing opportunities for the welfare of our countries.

Hoping to meet with you soon, I wish you good health, happiness, success in your activities, and your friendly people everlasting peace and prosperity," the letter said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. In accordance with the training plan approved by the Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, live-fire training classes were held with the Air Defense Units, Trend reports via the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.

"During the training classes held to improve practical skills and increase the combat capability of the military personnel, combat firing was carried out.

The combat tasks on detecting and destroying the conditional enemys air targets were successfully fulfilled by the use of portable anti-aircraft missile systems," the ministry said.

Training classes aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of servicemen, as well as maintaining a high level of combat training continue in various types of troops of the Azerbaijan Army.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a telephone conversation with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the Foreign Ministry told Trend.

The current situation in the region was discussed during the telephone conversation, as was the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov informed in detail about the current situation in the region, noting that Armenia's accusations of a "tense humanitarian situation" and a "blockade" are unfounded and are an integral part of Armenia's political manipulations.

The refusal of Armenia and the separatist regime created by it to accept Azerbaijan's proposals to organize the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and the Lachin road for the transportation of goods through the International Committee of the Red Cross proves the falsity of the allegations about the "humanitarian situation".

In general, the source of the threat is Armenia's provocative steps that hinder efforts to establish peace and security in the region in the post-conflict period, including statements in support of the separatist regime established in the Azerbaijani territories and the fact that Armenia has not yet withdrawn its armed forces from Azerbaijani territories.

During the telephone conversation, the German side was informed in detail about the ongoing military provocations of Armenia and the mine threat.

In addition, the sides exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
Motherson, one of the largest global companies specialising in manufacture of wiring harnesses for commercial and other special-purpose vehicles, has opened its new facility in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez).

The company, which has base in 41 countries across five continents, employs over 180,000 people and is a key supplier to German, Spanish, French, US Japanese and Indian automotive manufacturers.

This is Motherson's eighth facility in the region, with others located in Dubai and Sharjah, said a statement from the group.

The new plant was inaugurated by HH Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, today in the presence of other senior officials including Rakez Managing Director Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Motherson Chairman Vivek Chaand Sehgal.

Sheikh Saud said the emirates vision for sustainable development was strengthening its position as a leading destination for investments and that its local economy was evolving to increase its contribution to the overall growth of the UAE.

"In Ras Al Khaimah, we have an integrated strategy to diversify the economy and achieve balanced growth across all sectors in a manner that ensures the sustainable development of our emirate and adherence to our national objectives," he stated.

The new Motherson factory will be a strong addition to the thriving manufacturing sector in Ras Al Khaimah, which contributes about 30% to the emirates GDP, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a telephone conversation with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on September 8, 2023, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend.

The current state of affairs in the area as well as the process of rapprochement between Azerbaijan and Armenia were discussed over the phone call.

It was emphasized that Armenia and the so-called regime's rejection of Azerbaijan's proposals regarding the coordination of the Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin roads for the transportation of goods via the International Committee of the Red Cross proves the fallacy of the claims about the "humanitarian situation."

It was noted that the source of the threat is Armenia's provocative steps hindering efforts to establish peace and security in the region in the post-conflict period, including statements in support of the so-called regime established in Azerbaijani territories and not withdrawing the armed forces from Azerbaijani territories.
Atlantic Lithium announced a non-binding heads of terms with Ghana's Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Friday, which if finalised, would see MIIF invest $32.9m in both Atlantic Lithium and its Ghanaian operations, to further the Ewoyaa Lithium Project and the encompassing Cape Coast Lithium Portfolio.

The AIM-traded firm said the investment breakdown would consist of MIIF channelling $27.9m into the company's Ghanaian affiliates, enabling them to acquire a 6% contributing interest in the Ghana Portfolio, including the Ewoyaa Project.

That interest mainly consisted of the funding for the project's development, exploration, and associated studies.

Looking at the equity arrangement, Atlantic said MIIF was planning to purchase 19,245,574 shares of Atlantic Lithium for 25.98 US cents per share, totalling $5m.

That would account for 3.05% of the total shares issued by the company.

If the strategic investment agreement was actualised, MIIF would secure rights to nominate one individual to the boards of each Ghanaian subsidiary.

Additionally, they would participate in the upcoming competitive process for Ewoyaa's off-take, and also receive one warrant for every two shares they acquire, priced at a 40% premium.

Atlantic Lithium said MIIF's proposed strategic involvement signified strong support from an African sovereign wealth fund.

The company did note, however, that the current agreement was non-binding, with no guaranteed assurance that MIIF's proposed strategic investment would materialise or, if it did , under what terms.

At this important stage in the project's development, as we advance towards first production, we are delighted that the Minerals Income Investment Fund of Ghana has agreed to invest $32.9m in the company to support of Atlantic Lithium's flagship Ewoyaa Lithium Project and broader lithium portfolio in Ghana, said executive chairman Neil Herbert.

We strongly welcome MIIF's ongoing support as a key shareholder.

MIIF's investment, at both the listed company level and via Atlantic Lithium's Ghanaian subsidiaries, represents a huge endorsement of the company's work to date and its belief in Atlantic Lithium to establish Ghana as a major producer of spodumene concentrate.

Herbert said the company considered Ewoyaa as a Ghanaian project for Ghanaians.

Having MIIF as a shareholder not only de-risks the project from a funding perspective but, equally importantly, further aligns the company with the best interests of its Ghanaian stakeholders, who we are proud to represent.

Furthermore, an investment by Ghana's sovereign wealth fund demonstrates the Government of Ghana's conviction in the project, showcasing its intent to support the critical minerals agenda and position the country as a leading mining investment jurisdiction in Africa.

In Ewoyaa, Ghana has a new pillar in its diversified minerals offering, further developing its esteemed mining credentials, which date back over a century.

Neil Herbert added that MIIF's investment in the company's Ghanaian subsidiaries would be used towards ongoing development, exploration and study expenditure across Ewoyaa and the company's broader portfolio.

MIIF's contributions will significantly derisk the success of the project.

In this way, we feel MIIF will share ownership in Ghana's efforts to drive the country's position in the global electric vehicle supply chain.

At 1008 BST, shares in Atlantic Lithium were up 19.71% at 24.9p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
The significant exposure that Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) has to Rolex is both the group's main investment appeal and a key risk, according to broker Stifel which kicked off coverage of the stock with a 'hold' rating on Friday.

WOSG is a leading retailer with long-standing partnerships with all the major Swiss luxury watch brands in the UK and US. It has "untapped penetration potential" in the US and Continental Europe via M&A and selective boutique openings, Stifel said.

Currently, Rolex accounts for around half of WOSG's group revenues, and the recent acquisition of Bucherer by Rolex "creates some clouds over the long-term horizon and somewhat changed the equity story", the broker said.

"Bucherer under Rolex ownership may increase competition for M&A in the US and make it harder for WOSG to penetrate new markets in Continental Europe with Rolex potentially embracing DTC (direct to consumer) in the future, following the steps of all other leading Swiss luxury watch brands," Stifel said.

The stock trades at just 11 times forward earnings, which looks "cheap" considering its revenue and profit growth potential.

"However, a challenging US/UK macro backdrop and the emergence of long-term clouds post the Rolex-Bucherer deal may keep a lid on multiples," the broker said.

Stifel gave a 680p target price for the stock, which was up 0.6% at 590.50p on Friday morning.
There would be little in the way of new company or economic reports for investors to chew on at the end of the week.

In the euro area however, at 0700 BST Germany's ministry of finance would release a reading for consumer prices in August.

Those figures woud be followed by reports on French and Spanish industrial production for the month of July.

No major economic reports were scheduled for release in Asia, the UK, or the US.

Friday 8 September

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Jlen Environmental Assets Group Limited NPV, Gear4music (Holdings), Berkeley Group Holdings (The)

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Base Resources Ltd

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Berkeley Group Holdings (The), Iomart Group

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Avon Protection, Baronsmead Second Venture Trust. Conduit Holdings Limited Com Shs (DI), Baronsmead Venture Trust, Moneysupermarket.com Group, Ecofin U.S. Renewables Infrastructure Trust, Chemring Group, Ecofin U.S. Renewables Infrastructure Trust, Keller Group, Gabelli Merger Plus+ Trust, Lookers, Nichols, Tyman, Aquila European Renewables (GBP), Abrdn New Dawn Investment Trust, Aquila European Renewables

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The UK competition regulator has said that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made some errors in determining the lower price cap that Heathrow should charge airlines, but said that most of its calculations had been correct.

The ruling, by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is expected to have only a "small net impact" on the price cap, the regulator said on Friday, which will come as a blow to both Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) and a number of airlines that appealed the proposed new fees.

"Where we have provisionally found that the CAA has made errors, we have provisionally decided to require the CAA to reconsider them," the CMA said.

"While it is not possible now to quantify any changes in the price cap that could result from CAA reconsideration of these aspects, we would expect any such changes to have only a small net impact relative to the CAAs overall price control decision, particularly as they may work in opposite directions."

The CMA now has until 17 October to decide whether to allow or dismiss the appeals.

HAL is regulated by the CAA, which sets the maximum charge per passenger that HAL is allowed to charge airlines for using the airport. Every few years the CAA sets this price control to make sure charges aren't overly high but high enough to allow HAL to finance its current and future activities.

Back in March, the CAA declared that the average charge per passenger that airlines must pay Heathrow should be cut to 25.43 between 2024 and 2026, down from 31.57 this year.

HAL and airlines British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic had appealed the CAA's decision. HAL complained that the cut would limit investment, while the airlines said the cuts didn't go far enough  with both parties arguing that the price control limit was not in the interests of consumers.

"Many of the issues in these appeals had, as a common theme, the extent to which HAL and its investors should be relieved of bearing the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on air travel - with airlines and their customers consequently bearing a greater share of those costs by way of higher airport charges - as well as who should bear the risks of any future major downward shocks in passenger numbers," the CMA explained.
The Restaurant Group (TRG) has announced that its chair Ken Hanna is stepping down next year "due to personal reasons".

The company, which owns 380 restaurants and pubs across the UK including Wagamama and Frankie & Bennys, said Hanna has decided not to seek re-election at its next AGM in 2024, but will stick around until a successor is appointed.

A "comprehensive search process" is now underway, TRG said.

Hanna, who has served as chair since January 2022, said: "It has been a privilege to work at TRG and I will be leaving the company in great shape with the business trading really strongly, outperforming the market and making good progress on its strategic options."

Chief executive Andy Hornby thanked Hanna for his "outstanding contribution".

The news came just two days after TRG's interim results, in which it reported a 10% increase in revenues and 15% jump in adjusted EBITDA, as it raised its forecasts for the full year.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold hearings on the situation in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on September 14, the committee said, Trend reports.

The Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of the US Department of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Yuri Kim, and the Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, Louis Bono, will speak at the hearing.

To sum up recent happenings around Azerbaijan's Karabakh and in the vicinity, Armenia, by distributing false information about the purported "blockade" and "humanitarian crisis" in Karabakh, which obstructs the peace process, consciously worsens the situation in the region.

The Azerbaijani Red Crescent Society organized the delivery of food on August 29 to meet the needs of people of Armenian origin living in the Karabakh Economic Region of Azerbaijan.

A food convoy sent from Baku has been waiting for 11 days on the Aghdam-Khankendi road. Two trucks with 40 tons of flour are waiting in front of the Russian peacekeepers' post on the Aghdam-Khankendi road.

Employees and volunteers of the Azerbaijani Red Crescent Society spend the night in tents set up on the territory.
Air India has entered into an interline partnership with Bangkok Airways that will allow Tata group airlines customers seamless connections to 10 Southeast Asian destinations beyond the Thailand capital. The two carriers have also entered a Special Prorate Agreement that allows them to file through fares on routes covering each others networks. This arrangement means that a passenger can have a single fare for a single ticket covering all destinations in an itinerary. The partnership enables Air India passengers to take convenient connections via the airlines Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore gateways to and from 10 destinations in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on Bangkok Airways route network.

An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airlines own flight numbers are used. The collaboration with Bangkok Airways also includes Inter Airline Through Check-In (IATCI) implementation. This will enable guests to receive their boarding passes at the first point of departure for all the travel sectors on a single ticket, and have their baggage checked-in through to their final destinations, Air India said in the release.

Currently, Air India operates daily flights to Bangkok from Delhi and Mumbai, to Singapore from Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, and thrice a week to Hong Kong from Delhi. Moreover, Air India passengers taking connecting flights on Bangkok Airways will also receive complimentary access to the Thailand-based airlines boutique lounges and courtesy corners at available airports, irrespective of the class of travel, it said. One of our strategic priorities at Air India is to offer our guests the choice of flying to more places through our own as well as an augmented global network, Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer at Air India, said.

Air India passengers can connect to Chiang Mai, Lampang, Sukhothai, Trat, Koh Samui, Phuket, and Krabi in Thailand through Bangkok Airways. The destinations outside Thailand include Luang Prabang in Laos; and Phnom Penh, Siem Reap in Cambodia, as per the release. The airlines passengers can also choose to fly to Koh Samui via Singapore and Hong Kong. We are entering in an interline partnership with Air India to strengthen our respective route networks and offer business and leisure travellers with unprecedented and convenient access to new gateways, Chulin Kocharoen, Vice President for Network and Product Development at Bangkok Airways PLC, said.
The ASEAN-India leaders expressed their commitment towards maintaining and supporting ASEAN as the epicentrum of global growth and to increase concerted efforts between ASEAN and India in sustaining supply in the food trade supply chain despite disruptions. The ASEAN leaders, aiming to strengthen food security and nutrition in response to crises, decided to exchange information on national policy frameworks particularly for rice and other priority crop commodities as well as agricultural diversity to enhance food security and nutrition, a joint statement said.

The joint statement was issued after the ASEAN-India summit, which took place in Jakarta with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending it. The grouping also acknowledged nutritional richness, climate resilience, health benefits and ecological sustainability of millets, considering that millets are good for the consumer, cultivator and climate; and supported efforts to mainstream the cultivation and harvesting of millets for ensuring global food security, promoting biodiversity and transforming agri-food system. It also decided to support ASEAN-India preparedness for long-term resilience and sustainability of agri-food system, including by strengthening local and regional food value chains.

The leaders also committed to encourage financing climate-friendly technologies, in partnership with Multilateral Development Banks and development finance institutions on ASEAN-India mutually agreed terms, and adopting a climate-smart approach based on agricultural system models for sustainable agricultural production. It has also decided to collaborate on rapid actions to strengthen food security and nutrition in response to crises, including by ensuring unimpeded trade and flow of foodstuffs and other essential agricultural inputs, including the supply of fertilisers, pesticides, and their raw materials as well as enhancing market connectivity and distribution networks for agriculture and food products. Most significantly, the grouping has also decided to promote efforts for public food stockholding, wherever relevant, for food security programmes and explore exports of food grains from public stocks on a government-to-government basis for humanitarian purposes in times of crises.
Biocon Ltd and Biocon Biologics Ltd Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been appointed as Regent of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSed), a Biocon release. On her appointment as the latest member to the Colleges Court of Regents, Mazumdar-Shaw said, "I am humbled and deeply honored to be appointed Regent of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh.

As the oldest surgical college in the world, with just under 30,000 members in 100 countries, the RCSed has been championing the highest standards of surgical and dental practice by providing high-quality medical education. I look forward to contributing to the College's mission and advancing the frontiers of surgical excellence." The Court of Regents comprises a group of distinguished and accomplished individuals in their field who provide the college with advice and expertise.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is a prestigious Scottish medical association that was founded in 1505 by Royal Charter granted by King James IV. It is the oldest surgical college in the world, with nearly 30,000 members in 100 countries, and about half of them are from overseas, touching every stage of the career path from medical students to consultants.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The units of the Armenian Armed Forces from their positions located in the direction of the Garakils district periodically shelled the positions of the Azerbaijani army located in the direction of the Ordubad district of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan on September 8 from 13:35 (GMT+4) to 13:45 (GMT+4), the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, Trend reports.

The Azerbaijan Army Units took retaliatory measures in the mentioned directions.

Moreover, at about 14:00, illegal Armenian armed detachments in the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily stationed, attempted to dig new trenches in order to approach the Azerbaijan Army positions stationed in the direction of the Aghdam region.

The conducted work was immediately stopped as a result of the urgent measures taken by the Azerbaijan Army Units.
Reliance Industries and chip maker Nvidia announced a collaboration to develop India's own foundation large language model trained on the nation's diverse languages and tailored for generative AI applications to serve the country. Nvidia will provide access to the most advanced Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip and Nvidia DGX Cloud, an AI supercomputing service in the cloud. GH200 marks a fundamental shift in computing architecture that provides exceptional performance and massive memory bandwidth. "With the most advanced AI computing infrastructure, Reliance can build its own large language models that power generative AI applications made in India, for the people of India," Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, said in a statement.

The Nvidia-powered AI infrastructure is the foundation of the new frontier into AI for Reliance Jio Infocomm, Reliance Industries telecom arm. To serve Indias vast potential in AI, Reliance will create AI applications and services for their 450 million Jio customers and provide energy-efficient AI infrastructure to scientists, developers and startups across India. "As India advances from a country of data proliferation to creating technology infrastructure for widespread and accelerated growth, computing and technology super centres like the one we envisage with Nvidia will provide the catalytic growth just like Jio did to our nations digital march," said Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.

Moreover, the company said that the AI infrastructure will be hosted in AI-ready computing data centres that will eventually expand to 2,000 MW. Execution and implementation will be managed by Jio, which has extensive offerings and experience across mobile telephony, 5G spectrum, fibre networks and more. "Together, we will develop a state-of-the-art AI cloud infrastructure that is secure, sustainable and deeply relevant across India, accelerating the nations journey towards becoming an AI powerhouse," said Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm. The collaboration with Nvidia also aligns with its strategy of serving as a large, comprehensive digital, cloud and networking platform for both consumers and business customers.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island man was arrested last month for allegedly stealing a car from a livery driver in Brooklyn, after missing a court appearance the day prior in state Supreme Court, St. George.

At the time of his latest run-in with police, Eric McMichael, 24, of Mariners Harbor, had nearly met the conditions of a plea agreement reached in a 2019 sex abuse case, which wouldve resulted in a misdemeanor and three years probation. They included two-years of a mental health program, the Community Re-Entry Assistance Network (CRAN), and avoiding another run-in with police.

He was scheduled to check in with the court for possible sentencing in the 2019 case on Aug. 21, but failed to show.

He was then arrested Aug. 22 in the Brooklyn case.

The defendant has been diagnosed with mental health issues and is prescribed medications, said sources, who noted he was staying at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn around the time he was a no-show.

He was transported to the Staten Island Courthouse in St. George Thursday by city corrections officers for a scheduled appearance, at which point Justice Mario F. Mattei ordered psychiatric care on Rikers Island and adjourned the 2019 case to Oct. 12.

The defendant was remanded without bail following his arrest in Brooklyn.

His attorneys in both cases declined to comment at this time.

2019 CASE

McMichael was arrested Oct. 31, 2019, in connection with the ongoing sex abuse case, court records show.

The incident, involving a female victim, had occurred more than a month prior inside a Graniteville residence, according to law enforcement.

A criminal complaint furthered that McMichael stole the victims cell phone on his way out.

CO-DEFENDANT IN BROOKLYN CASE

It was around 10:40 p.m. when McMichael, acting alongside co-defendant Christopher Figueroa, 25, stole a livery drivers car near Atlantic Avenue and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn Criminal Court.

An NYPD officer who pulled over the 2023 Honda Accord for an alleged traffic violation ran the plates, which came back stolen, authorities said.

Hes currently being held on $35,001 bail or $125,001 bond.



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 26-year-old man who was caught doing graffiti in broad daylight blasted an NYPD officer in the face with spray paint and made threats against the lives of cops who were attempting to arrest him in New Springville, authorities allege.

Nicholas Kirsheh of Grasmere Avenue in Grasmere previously was convicted in a road-rage incident where he allegedly vandalized and then purposely crashed into a victims car, causing that victim to suffer a severe back injury, according to authorities.

During the alleged assault on Wednesday, the criminal complaint alleges that Kirsheh said to officers, I will splatter your guts on the ground. I will shoot you. I will shoot you and your partners.

The encounter began around 8:15 a.m. when eagle-eyed officers spotted Kirsheh allegedly using spray paint to create two lines on the street near Richmond and Nome avenues.

About three minutes later, officers allege they spotted Kirsheh spraying the tag NGK314 on the fence of a home in the vicinity of Stephen Loop and Nome Avenue.

The suspect then sprayed red paint in the face of a male officer, causing injuries that included trouble breathing and blurry vision, the complaint alleges.

When officers tried to place Kirsheh under arrest, he allegedly resisted by flailing his arms and tensing his body.

Kirsheh has been charged with assault, making graffiti, obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and possession of graffiti instruments.

The suspect has pleaded not guilty and bail has been set at $50,000 bond/$25,000 cash. He is due back in Criminal Court on Sept. 12, according to public records.

Defense attorney Mario Gallucci defended his client.

Mr. Kirsheh completely denies the allegations that he intentionally spray painted the officer, Gallucci said. I believe that the body worn cameras will demonstrate that, during the arrest process, the officer accidentally sprayed himself.

ROAD RAGE LAST YEAR

Kirsheh pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in the third degree and was sentenced to nine months in jail in connection with a road-rage incident where the victims were an adult and young child, according to prosecutors.

He was arrested on Nov. 18, six months after the frightening episode on May 18 at about 4:05 p.m. in the vicinity of Travis Avenue and Lewiston Street in New Springville, according to court documents.

The adult victim was a 29-year-old man who was a stranger, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Prosecutors alleged that Kirsheh wielded a metal cane as he exited a 1998 Jeep and used the weapon to strike a 2018 Dodge occupied by an adult and child multiple times.

The suspect is quoted in court documents as shouting to the victim, Im going to kill you.

The suspect returned to his Jeep, sat behind the wheel and then allegedly backed his car into the Dodge three times.

Kirsheh fled the scene without providing his identification or insurance information, according to prosecutors.

The front bumper, headlights and passenger-side door were among the parts of the car damaged by the suspect.

The victim suffered substantial pain to his shoulder and back and sought medical treatment for seven herniated disks, according to court documents.

A young child was a passenger in the car, according to authorities.

Kirsheh also pleaded guilty and was convicted of reckless endangerment in the first degree on September 22, and was sentenced to nine months incarceration on that same date, according to court documents.

Police respond to the corner of Nome and Steinway avenues on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

__

OTHER STATEN ISLAND NEWS:

>> Man, 66, reported missing from Staten Island, NYPD says

>> Staten Island man charged in murder of 63-year-old man discovered in Mariners Harbor apartment building

>> House fire on Staten Island chars home, triggers massive FDNY response

>> NYPD identifies 2 women, both 22, who died in Staten Island Expressway crash

>> Man pleads to hate crime in scary encounter with priest at Staten Island church

>> NYPD: Staten Island man, 31, robbed, beat gas station worker; attacked 2nd victim
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 47-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a 63-year-old victim who was found dead inside his apartment building in Mariners Harbor last month, according to police.

Enrique Scott, 47, was arrested Thursday at around 4:10 p.m. within the confines of the 121st Precinct. He has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Scott is listed as residing in the same apartment building -- 35 Holland Ave. -- as the victim.

The body of Anthony Williams, 63, was badly decomposed when a security guard made the tragic discovery, a source told the Advance/SILive.com.

The body of Williams was found when police responded on Aug. 27 at about 12:40 p.m. to a 911 call of a man needing assistance inside the apartment complex, police said.

The 63-year-old was unconscious and unresponsive with trauma to his body when officers arrived. EMS responded and pronounced Williams dead at the scene, according to a police statement.

A possible motive for the killing has not yet been determined.

Defense attorney information for Scott was not readily available.

This is a breaking news story. More information will be added once it becomes available.

:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- 9/11 began like so many other early September days: the sun was shining as people headed to work and children went to school.

That quickly changed.

Al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners -- crashing one into the World Trade Center's North Tower, a second into the South Tower and a third into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. After learning about the attacks, passengers and crew members on the fourth plane attempted to take control of it. The plane eventually crashed into an empty field in Shanksville, Pa.

It took 158 minutes from the time the first flight departed until the last plane crashed. In less than three hours, lives were changed forever.

Below is a timeline of events from that day, beginning with the departure of the first plane:

7:59 a.m.

American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767, departs Boston for Los Angeles with 92 people on board.

8:01 a.m.

United Airlines Flight 93 departs Newark International Airport for San Francisco with 45 people on board.

8:14 a.m.

United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767, departs Boston for Los Angeles with 65 people on board.

8:45 a.m.

American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

9:03 a.m.

United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

9:31 a.m.

President Bush calls the crashes an "apparent terrorist attack."

9:40 a.m.

American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757, crashes into the north side of the Pentagon, collapsing a side of the building. It was en route from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles with 64 people on board.

9:50 a.m.

Two World Trade Center -- the second tower hit -- collapses.

10:29 a.m.

One World Trade Center collapses.

10:37 a.m.

United Airlines Flight 93 crashes 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, in Shanksville, Pa.

10-11:30 a.m.

Government buildings around the country are evacuated, including the Capitol and White House. The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down airports nationwide. The United Nations closes. The Securities and Exchange Commission closes all U.S. financial markets for the day.

2:51 p.m.

The U.S. Navy sends missile destroyers and other equipment to New York and Washington, D.C.

5:25 p.m.

7 World Trade Center, which was damaged during the morning's crashes, collapses.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A former telephone customer service representative for E-ZPass who filed a lawsuit claiming she was unfairly fired from the Staten Island offices has since accepted a settlement agreement in Brooklyn federal court for $120,000, court records show.

The disability discrimination suit filed in 2022 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claimed Lorraine Peters had been assured by superiors who hired and trained her in 2019 that her partial hearing loss and use of hearing aids would not prevent her from being able to do the job.

Then, weeks after she started, she notified supervisors with Broadleaf Results, Inc.  an employment agency for New York E-ZPass  and Conduent State and Local Solutions, Inc.  a business services provider that operates the state agency  that she was having difficulties hearing customer calls on a company-provided headset, court documents alleged.

She requested an accommodation for her hearing-related condition, ultimately requesting a meeting with management to discuss the status of her request, the complaint alleges, but was met with a response from her manager in sum and substance, If you cannot hear, then you cant do the job.

The woman  who at one point submitted a written document stating, Yes I have a disability  suffers from moderately severe to severe bilateral hearing loss which substantially limits her ability to hear, according to her attorneys.

The settlement amount covers lost wages and other financial damages, in addition to non-monetary relief meant to prevent both companies from engaging in future discrimination against workers, the EEOC stated in a May 11 press release.

An attorney for Broadleaf told McClatchy News in May that the company denies the womans accusations and has admitted no wrongdoing under this settlement.

The company agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid costly litigation, she said.

A spokesperson for Conduent said the company entered into the agreement with the EEOC to avoid further litigation and is denying any wrongdoing or liability.

Following the womans termination, which the EEOC said was in protest, Conduent allegedly failed to take corrective action within its control to remedy Broadleafs termination decision, which the company knew or should have known was discriminatory.

[The woman] told [her manager] that she needed to have her headset adjusted. However, [the manager] told her dont make this a black and white issue, the complaint read.

The manager asked [the woman] to turn over her headset, fill out exit paperwork, and told [staff] to escort her out of the building.

In the press release issued Thursday by the EEOC, trial attorneys for the independent federal agency, Anastasia Doherty and Edumin Corrales, furthered that in 2023, there is a vast array of adaptive and assistive technologies that employers and employees can explore to identify reasonable accommodations for employees with hearing-related disabilities.

Employers should bring a creativity and interest to the interactive process, rather than resist it.



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The New York Blood Center (NYBC) will be hosting a day of service to encourage New Yorkers to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11 by donating blood, volunteering at a blood drive or signing up to host a future blood drive.

Blood donations in the region have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, as fewer schools, businesses and organizations are hosting blood drives. Currently, the blood supply in the region stands at a four-day level, with type O- especially needed, according to NYBC, a non-profit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world.

September 11 is a National Day of Service and Remembrance, and it is an annual tradition for communities across New York to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks through life-saving blood donations.

New Yorkers always show up for their neighbors, rallying around each other, especially during times of tragedy, said Andrea Cefarelli, senior vice president of New York Blood Center. This September, we are calling on all New Yorkers to honor those who lost their lives 22 years ago by helping to ensure there are life-saving blood donations available for those who need it most. In the spirit of giving back to the community, we encourage all eligible donors to sign up to donate blood today, one hour of your time can save up to three lives.

NYBC has 18 area donor centers and hosts numerous blood drives across the region, including several Staten Island locations. Blood donors can find their nearest donor center listed at nybc.org.

NYBC will also host the following Staten Island blood drives on Monday, Sept. 11, to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks:

St. Sylvester Church (856 Targee St., Concord), from 3 to 9 p.m.

JCC Staten Island (1466 Manor Rd., Sea View), from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lifted eligibility restrictions for individuals who lived in Europe during certain periods of time. To view current eligibility guidelines, visit nybc.org or call 800-688-0900.

To make an appointment at a blood drive near you, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit nybc.org. Cant donate blood? You can still support NYBCs mission by texting NYBC to 20222 to give $25.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Swirling menacingly in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Lee is rapidly intensifying into a major hurricane and could become the first Category 5 system of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, Jamie Rhome, the deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, told the Advance/SILive.com.

Carrying winds topping 100 mph as of early Thursday afternoon, Rhome said there appears to be nothing stopping this from becoming a major hurricane.

As the system has developed, concern over its path has grown. The National Hurricane Centers five-day forecast indicates Lee will pass to the north of the Caribbean, but past that point a variety of factors make the systems next steps uncertain.

Heres what we know about Hurricane Lee:

The National Hurricane Center's five-day forecast for Hurricane Lee. (NOAA)

LEES ULTIMATE PATH IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN

So-called spaghetti models have proliferated on social media as Hurricane Lee continues to churn in the Atlantic Ocean. Rhome, however, urged extreme caution at the reliability of those models past the span of a few days.

Unfortunately, those models are not reliable at all at those timeframes, said Rhome.

The National Hurricane Centers five-day projection currently has Lee passing north of the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands early next week. While the chance for tropical storm conditions in those areas is decreasing, residents there could still see impacts from the storm.

After Tuesday, Rhome said the steering conditions that push Lee will begin to weaken. At that point, Lee will slow down and potentially sit stationary until another weather pattern interacts with the system.

That will ultimately determine its its future beyond five days, said Rhome.

Even the period leading up to that point could have drastic implications for the fate of Lee. If, for example, the system slows down or speeds up by 12 hours, Rhome said its path could alter.

I think the best thing we can say for now is its probably going to turn northward beyond day five, but how close it gets to the eastern United States and what impacts it may or may not have  its just too soon to say, said Rhome.

Coastal flooding at Midland Beach is shown in this file photo. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

RIP CURRENTS LIKELY IN N.Y. NEXT WEEK

While the prospect of a direct impact with the U.S. East Coast is currently unknown, Rhome said it is nearly certain that rip currents will become an issue in the middle part of next week.

A storm of that size and power, when it does move into the western Atlantic is going to present a tremendous rip current risk for everybody along the East Coast of the United States, said Rhome.

Regardless of Lees track, those impacts are likely, he said. The National Weather Service said 75 people have been killed while swimming on the East Coast this year; nearly all of the deaths were due to rip currents.

As Lee grows in size, it will produce massive ocean waves that push away from the systems center and rush toward the East Coast. That will push the rip current risk really, really high because that much ocean energy striking the coastline is going to have ramifications, said Rhome.

Just as former Hurricane Franklin caused shoreline impacts on Staten Island while hundreds of miles away at sea, Rhome said Lee may trigger coastal flooding issues on the boroughs coastline, though the extent of flooding risk will largely be determined by Lees path later next week.

The National Hurricane Center's two-day tropical weather outlook on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (NOAA)

WHAT FACTORS ARE AT PLAY?

A large area of high pressure northeast of Lee is currently pushing the system to the northwest; however, an area of low pressure that is expected to form on the U.S. East Coast will likely slow the storm down significantly, said Rhome.

From there, questions about the strength and persistence of the area of low pressure will be watched closely by hurricane forecasters. The massive hurricane itself could also exert its influence on the environment and change the calculus of its forecast.

Presently, said Rhome, those are things that nobody can really predict right now with great certainty.

Rhome likened the uncertainty to a comparison all Staten Islanders are familiar with: Rush hour traffic.

If I asked you to predict how long it would take me to go one block in rush hour, you could probably predict that pretty accurately, said Rhome. When that prediction extends to a mile, the uncertainty increases as unknown issues like accidents and construction become a factor. When going to LaGuardia Airport during rush hour, the variables multiply to a point where it makes it borderline impossible to predict travel time.

The same is true with storms, said Rhome. Predicting them for a small amount of time in the future  five days, pretty good predictability ... Then things start to get uncertain as more and more variables come into play.
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki met with the Head of the representative office of Azerbaijan in Palestine, Ilham Nazarli, Trend reports.

Riyad al-Maliki highly appreciated the relations between Palestine and Azerbaijan based on friendship and brotherhood, excellent historical ties and close historical and cultural values that unite the peoples of both countries.

He said that Azerbaijan's decision to open a representative office in Palestines Ramallah is a very positive step that will strengthen cooperation between the two countries in many areas, especially in tourism and education.

In addition, the minister also said that Azerbaijan's solidarity with Palestine, the positive vote in the UN and other international circles on resolutions about the Palestinian issue, and the fulfillment of the obligation to support the UNRWA are of great importance for Palestine.

The Palestinian minister wished Ilham Nazarli success in his new position at the end of the meeting .

Moreover, he said that for the successful diplomatic activity of the Azerbaijani representative in Palestine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine and other sectors of the structure are ready to support it in all possible ways.

Ilham Nazarli, conveyed greetings of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Riyad al-Maliki, expressed Azerbaijan's firm position to support the Palestinian people in creating an independent country and solving the Palestinian problem.
Shes right. But Tully and Joyce seemed to think that they were the ones drawing the line in this exercise. Ultimately, Joyce decided to make a concession. He told the airlines to start answering some of the phone calls from customers who wanted back the half-billion dollars in flight credits Qantas had stashed. A special Joyce touch? He presented this as some sort of special treatment  Qantas called it a concierge service. Others call it answering the phone. Illustration: John Shakespeare. Credit: And the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is now pursuing Qantas in the Federal Court for deceptive conduct for allegedly selling tickets to 8000 flights it had already decided to cancel. And yes, Qantas abused its workers, of course. No less an authority than the Federal Court has ruled illegal its 2020 decision to outsource the jobs of 1700 ground crew so the company could cut their wages and conditions. The Transport Workers Union describes it as the biggest illegal mass sacking in Australian history. The High Court is expected to rule on Qantas appeal against this decision next week.

Either way, this was just one small part of Joyces larger problem of degrading his staff. Qantas has dispersed its workforce among 38 companies including 17 subsidiaries and 21 external suppliers so that, altogether, 48 per cent of its employees have agreements with companies other than Qantas. Workers on less pay and worse conditions while Joyce took some $100 million in pay over the 15 years of his tenure. But he also abused the airlines quasi-monopoly position and plundered the national Treasury. When the pandemic struck, the Morrison government let Virgin go to the wall but paid Qantas $2.7 billion in subsidies to keep a flag carrier in operation. This taxpayer support included $900 million in JobKeeper payments which the airline took. Then cut its staff anyway  illegally, as the Federal Court found. And once it was back in profit it refused to repay any of the federal subsidies. Even now, Qantas is granted special privileges because of its flag-carrier status yet it acknowledges no special responsibilities. This week the opposition instigated a Senate inquiry into whether the Albanese governments Transport Minister, Catherine King, was protecting Qantas profits when she knocked back a Qatar Airways request to fly 28 more flights into Australia per week. Joyce took the flying kangaroo and turned it into a rapacious boar. Ultimately, it was public opinion, with senators holding the stick, that drew the line in the sand for Joyce. Yet he resigned only a couple of months earlier than planned, and leaves with a reported $24 million in bonuses pending.

This is a classic Joyce move: pretend to take responsibility while pocketing obscene amounts of money, thundered TWU national secretary Michael Kaine. He wants the bonuses withheld. Loading Some big investors are unhappy too. Australian Council of Superannuation Investors chief executive Louise Davidson has called on the Qantas board to carefully consider the matter: The question investors will ask is, how does the board justify any bonus outcomes given the legacy issues Mr Joyce is leaving behind. Yet why should we have expected anything different? Qantas was a publicly owned entity that the Keating government privatised. Joyce might have been worthy of criticism in the way he ran the business, but in essence he did what the CEO of a private business is expected to do under the theory of shareholder value. Milton Friedmans theory was published in 1970 under a New York Times headline: A Friedman Doctrine: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits.

In other words, a corporation has no responsibility other than to its shareholders. Qantas shareholders were happy with the returns Joyce made for them. Shareholder value theory has dominated. The Spirit of Australia, by government decree, was profit maximisation. Joyce was acting within that spirit. Privatisation is now going through a reckoning. Qantas is one case study. A business that should have public responsibilities was allowed to renounce them. Anthony Albanese said last month that he probably wouldnt have sold off the Commonwealth Bank, a process that began in 1991 under Keating. Albanese said he supported a market economy because its a pretty useful way to allocate resources, he told Neil Mitchells podcast, but government intervention was necessary at times of market failure: I also think that there is a role for state-owned enterprises in competing, in keeping the private sector a bit honest.

Privatisation became a dirty word in Australia around decade ago. It was a reason for the 2015 rejection of the Campbell Newman government in Queensland. The pendulum has started swinging back. Last year, Victorias Daniel Andrews returned electricity supply to public ownership. Loading Yet the problem is not necessarily privatisation. Or socialisation. The problem is establishing a sensible balance of responsibilities. Its about governance, not ideology. One example is Australia Post, which was corporatised by the Hawke government. So its still in government ownership but run along corporate lines and generates a modest profit. Critically, it has public responsibilities in its charter  running a mail delivery service foremost among them. Its boss wants to close the mail service because it loses money. But thats the price of serving the community. Could privatisation still have a useful place? Yes it could, but not according to the Joyce doctrine. For example, the model that the Rudd government proposed for the National Broadband Network. The original plan was that the federal government would build a nationwide, high-speed fibre network with a mixture of public and private investment. The service would repay the government investment over the course of a decade and a half. Then itd be sold to the private sector. The nation would establish the infrastructure, be repaid its investment, and the private sector ultimately would own and operate it. Of course, the Abbott government, opposed ideologically and politically, eviscerated it, left the copper wires in place and Australias half-arsed internet system is the result.

Its amazing that we somehow managed to get universal water supply, sewerage and electricity throughout our cities. Loading Its possible to have well-functioning, responsible businesses that are in private hands. Or public hands. Theres been too much emphasis on ideology and not enough on governance. This is where the Albanese governance is headed now with Qantas. Its not proposing to re-nationalise the airline. In launching a discussion paper this week on how to make the aviation sector more competitive, Catherine King floated the idea of imposing a charter of consumer rights on Qantas. Alan Joyce need not be an argument against privatisation, just a case study in poor governance structure. Many of the economic ideas that attained dominance in the 1980s, not only privatisation, are subject to a new reckoning. Including the role of market forces in labour markets and supply chains. And the theory of shareholder value is now fighting to survive in the era of corporate social responsibility.
The board of mining billionaire Andrew Forrests green energy business Fortescue Futures Industries is now defunct, but former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is not expected to join the list of senior figures exiting the company.

Fortescue has been rocked by a recent string of shock departures, including the head of its iron ore division Fiona Hick and the divisions chief financial officer Christine Morris.

Malcolm Turnbull joined Fortescue Futures Industries in February 2021 as its chairman. Credit: Andrew Meares

Their departures were followed by the exit of former Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Guy Debelle from the board of Fortescue Futures Industries.

With Fortescues main board the key forum for all corporate decision-making, Fortescue Futures Industries CEO Mark Hutchinson said the renewables businesss board had become redundant.
For decades, London-based Australian designer Marc Newson has been acclaimed internationally for creating stylish upmarket products for famous brands.

They include luggage for Louis Vuitton, pens for Montblanc and Hermes, first-class lounges and business-class seats for Qantas, a speedboat for Riva and champagne containers for Dom Perignon. His 1986 Lockheed Lounge chair became the worlds most expensive design object when one sold at auction eight years ago for a staggering $5.3 million.

I just thought it was a fantastic project: Marc Newson has won the Australian Design Award for his career achievements. Credit: Gagosian

So, it is a surprise to learn that one of Newsons most-recent projects  unveiled in January  was for something decidedly less glamorous: a public toilet in Tokyo. He was one of 16 designers commissioned by a Japanese foundation to renovate toilets to make them more welcoming, comfortable and accessible to everyone regardless of gender, age or disability.

I just thought it was a fantastic project because it was all free, and its the highest tech thing that you can imagine, Newson said. It caters to all types of people, with all types of disabilities, and its just incredibly well-conceived, well-maintained and well-operated in a way you just wouldnt see anywhere else in the world.
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 Name one facet of Australian culture that has unquestionably improved over the last 50 years. Movies? TV? Popular music? Literary fiction? You could argue, if you wanted to, that some or all of these things are better than they used to be. But in each case the claim would be debatable, as such claims generally are. Cultural judgments are nearly always a matter of opinion, not of objective fact. But I think theres one element of our culture that is measurably, and irrefutably, better than its ever been. Food. What serious human being would claim that food was better 50 years ago than it is now? When I say food, I mean everything to do with food. I mean the range of ingredients available in delis and supermarkets. I mean home cooking. I mean pub food, club food, cafe food and restaurant food. I even mean takeaway food. You can buy them secondhand. You can wait for the paperback, or opt for the digital version. Credit: Aresna Villanueva At the heart of all this opulence is the cookbook. What other kind of book is in such vibrant good shape? When moving house not long ago, I was obliged to throw out a lot of books. My cookbooks, I found, were the volumes I was least ready to part with. My copy of Little Dorrit could easily go. I can always get another one, if I want to read the book again. Cookbooks are less replaceable. After a while, a favourite cookbook becomes a sacred object  a book of memories, a catalogue of our triumphs and fiascos, a battle-scarred relic of kitchens and houses past.

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And heres another thing Ive found about cookbooks. Theyre the one kind of book Im still willing to pay top dollar for. With other books you can skimp. You can buy them secondhand. You can wait for the paperback, or opt for the digital version. You cant do that with cookbooks. Kindle cookbooks are a waste of money. They strip away the visual and tactile glories of the three-dimensional work. Secondhand cookbooks are out for hygienic reasons. Much as I love the sensual attractions of a good cookbook, I draw the line at wanting to scratch and sniff the petrified gravy stains of the books previous owner. A favourite cookbook becomes a sacred object  a catalogue of our triumphs and fiascos, a battle-scarred relic of kitchens and houses past. David Free No: cookbooks must be bought brand-new, in hardcover if possible. They must be leafed through and chosen in an actual bookshop. I cant remember the last time I coughed up 50 bucks for a new work of fiction. For a decent cookbook, 50 bucks still feels like a sound investment. Apparently many other people feel the same way. Witness the success of Nagi Maehashis cookbook Dinner. Since its publication last October, Dinner has broken all sorts of records. It was the best-selling non-fiction book in Australia last year. Its sold more units here than any other cookbook this century. Its the most successful debut work by an Australian author of any stripe. Cook books are the one kind of book Im still willing to pay top dollar for. In a way, the books popularity seems counter-intuitive. Nagi rose to fame as an online chef. On her website, RecipeTin Eats, you can get around 1200 recipes for free, including several of the recipes published in Dinner.

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And yet people are still buying her book. They want to have and hold the magnificently heavy physical object, which brims with lavishly photographed recipes from all parts of the world. Cookbooks werent always so sumptuous. I still have a few of my mothers cookbooks from the 1960s and 70s. Ive kept these for sentimental reasons, not culinary ones. Theres nothing in them I would ever want to cook. The oldest surviving cookbook from my mothers collection is Step by Step Cookery (1963), by the prolific British food writer Marguerite Patten. In the 1950s, Patten hosted a BBC show called Cookery Club. She was one of the first TV chefs, and modern foodies like Nigel Slater have hailed her as a pioneer. Nagi Maehashi of RecipeTin Eats. Her cookbook Dinner has broken all sorts of records. Credit: James Brickwood Step by Step Cookery, which was published in association with the Australian Womens Weekly, is a spartan work by todays standards. It contains six glossy plates of colour pictures, but all the other photos are in unappetising black and white. One of Pattens recipes is for jugged hare. Ask the shop to joint hare and give you the blood if available, Patten writes. Cook liver separately and if possible sieve and add to liquid with a little port wine and the blood. If youre not into sieved hares liver, there is an adjacent recipe for boiled rabbit. Chop up a rabbit, then throw it in a pot with some parsley, bacon and root vegetables. Simmer in a pint of water until the rabbit is tender, then thicken the brew with some flour and milk.

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In the 1960s, Australia still took its culinary cues from Britain. In several ways, this was regrettable. Post-war food rationing continued in Britain until the mid-1950s, and the after-effects lingered well into the 60s. In books like Pattens, the emphasis still lay on getting people fed with minimal fuss and expenditure. Indeed, Patten saw herself not as a chef, but a home economist. Outside Britain and Australia, a world full of tastier cuisines beckoned. Writers like Elizabeth David were already urging Brits to try the delights of Italian and Mediterranean cooking. A revolution was waiting to happen: a Cambrian explosion of styles and flavours. But migration and globalisation hadnt yet knocked down the walls. Fortunately the revolution was underway by the early 1990s, when I began buying cookbooks of my own. One of them was the book that kick-started my adventures in serious cooking: Far-Flung Floyd (1993), by the British TV chef Keith Floyd. Floyd was a new kind of TV chef. He didnt just stand in a studio cooking stuff. He went to distant places and soaked up their cuisines. Far-Flung contained the fruits of his travels in South East Asia. Id never heard of lemongrass until I bought Floyds book. I knew that lime trees had leaves, but I didnt know you could eat them. Nor were such ingredients generally available in Australian supermarkets in the early 1990s, even in a major city. Luke Nguyen: indispensable. These days my shelves are full of indispensable cookbooks by Asian-Australian chefs like Luke Nguyen and Sujet Saenkham. But it was Floyd who got me started. He was an infectiously freewheeling cook. At the climax of his recipe for Dynamite Drunken Beef, he enjoined his readers to flame the wok with a generous tot of whiskey. Making the dish for the first time, I recklessly overdid the tot. The wok unleashed a Krakatoan shaft of fire that almost took my face off, and left a permanent scorch mark on the ceiling. Although crammed with good recipes, Far-Flung Floyd was not, by current standards, a great-looking cookbook. But as the 90s went on, cookbook design became an art form in itself. Stephanie Alexanders The Cooks Companion, first published in 1996, was as delicious to look at as it was to cook from.

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The book is now rightly viewed as an Australian classic, and some of the recipes in it still strike me as definitive. When I roast a chook, or make beef bourguignon, I always do them Stephanies way. Why meddle with the classics? In the foreword to his book Asian After Work, Adam Liaw says something profound about cookbooks. To get your moneys worth from one, you dont have to try every single recipe in it. If a book can add just one or two meals to your repertoire, its already changed your life for the better. Liaws own books prove the point. His latest, Tonights Dinner 2, helped get me out of a major cooking rut. I was spinning my wheels. I badly needed some new recipes to restoke my enthusiasm, and to remedy some of my self-imposed blind spots. For example, Ive always had a mental block about making my own pizza dough. I thought it was too much trouble. Liaws book cured me of this folly with a simple dough recipe that involves, in his words, no rolling, no flour on the bench, no mess. Thanks to those nine words, my own work in the pizza space has been revolutionised. At this point I should probably mention that Liaw, like Nagi Maehashi, writes recipes for this masthead. This fact has no bearing on my enthusiasm for either author. Id be praising them even if they wrote for the Daily Worker. Back in 2010, Matthew Caldicott, Adam Liaw and Claire Winton Burn brace themselves in MasterChef. Credit: Channel Ten Publicity The great cookbook writers are demystifiers. They know how to talk your language. Liaw may be a MasterChef winner, but he hates getting flour on his bench too. Jamie Oliver, the most beloved of the celebrity chefs, has a similar knack for imparting hard-won knowhow in user-friendly form. It isnt just the big bold flavours that people buy his books for. Its the down-to-earth hacks and tips.

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Children who have mastered eight core skills when they start their first year of school have a greater chance of success in primary-age tests of reading, writing and maths, a national analysis of 2500 students has revealed.

A study by the government-funded Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) found that children who have certain skills before starting school  including being able to count to 20, write their name and match letters to sounds  have a head start on their peers and achieve higher results in year 3 NAPLAN tests.

Teacher Madeleine-Jane Smith with students in year 1 at Hunter Valley Grammar in Ashtonfield. Credit: Peter Stoop

The report underscores the need to renew efforts to identify children at risk of falling behind, said the head of AERO Jenny Donovan, who also called for a national standardised screening test in the first weeks of school.

Students who already have key skills as they start formal schooling have a greater chance of success in national tests than those from similar socio-economic backgrounds, she said. The sooner we target children who are more likely to slip behind the better their outcomes will be.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. A group of racist crooks and fascist criminals under the name of the "Armenian government" will be held accountable for the crimes they committed against the people of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijani Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Vagif Sadigov in response to a provocative post by Armenian Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Tigran Balayan against Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

Sadigov noted that Armenia's defeat in the 44-day war that it launched against Azerbaijan in September 2020 and the signing of the capitulation act on November 10, 2020, effectively ended the 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

Sadigov also listed some of Armenia's criminal acts against Azerbaijan:

1. Massive human rights violations and ethnic cleansing in Western Azerbaijan (now Armenia) against Azerbaijanis, who constituted 10 percent of the population at the time As a result, more than 300,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from their historical lands, and hundreds were killed during deportation.

2. Ethnic cleansing was carried out against 50,000 Azerbaijanis in 19901992, and hundreds of them were killed by Armenian militants.

3. Violation of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in 19921994 and occupation of 20 percent of its internationally recognized territories (16,000+ square kilometers), which was reflected in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions of 1993.

4. Ethnic cleansing of over 700,000 Azerbaijanis in seven occupied regions of Azerbaijan; destruction and annihilation of nine towns and hundreds of villages.

5. More than 600 civilians, including elderly people, women, and children, were killed by Armenians in Azerbaijan's Khojaly in February 1992.
The 700-pupil college - which charges fees of up to 49,000 ($97,000) a year for tuition and boarding  is still partly housed in a network of its original medieval buildings, and serves as a key pipeline into Oxbridge. It counts dozens of politicians, archbishops and six chancellors among its alumni, including British prime minister Rishi Sunak. The move to allow girls being described as a possible death knell for elite British male-only schools, leaving its main rival Eton and just a handful of others (Harrow, Radley, Sherborne) to continue the all-boys tradition. This is a school where you go into the chapel, and you know that boys have been kicking the back of the pews for more than 600 years, Stone says. We need to be really aware that girls have to be welcomed as full citizens. Its got to be their place, as much as it is the boys. After a century of deliberation, Winchester College in Hampshire is admitting girls. Credit: Getty After spending almost a decade at Queenwood, she is diplomatic when quizzed on co-education versus single-sex schools. Although more Australian private boys schools are coming under pressure to switch to co-ed, Stone believes girls schools are far more likely to resist change. Theres a more obvious case for girls schools to stay girls schools. There are particular advantages to single-sex education, for both, and each come with their own particular problems. I used to think the relatively high number of single-sex schools in Australia  and NSW  was just kind of normal. But girls and boys-only schools have virtually disappeared in other states and territories except for NSW, and the same phenomenon is happening in the UK. Of the 68 independent single-sex schools in NSW, just over half are all-boys.

For the British school, the decision to embrace co-ed was made after more than a century of deliberation over the matter. In an interview in 2021, former head Tim Hands said: We can no longer see any good reason not to allow girls access to Winchesters unique approach to learning. As our meal arrives, the conversation shifts back to her decision to leave law for school teaching. I ask what it was it about teaching maths  in particular  that she was drawn to? Because thats the subject kids are most phobic of, she explains. Ahgoras chicken with tzatziki, salad and pita. Credit: James Brickwood If a child finishes year 4 and 5, and they dont really understand fractions, then thats it. It becomes this huge black hole. It can then affect their ability to grasp higher level maths concepts  like algebra and calculus  if a child falls behind. This is not a music class they have once a week, it is maths, they are doing it every day. Their self-esteem can fall through the floor. Helping turn that around, it has this knock-on effect for their confidence, relationships, and how they see themselves, she says, adding that quick recall of times tables in primary years is also essential. Without it there is a massive brake on learning because it takes up so much working memory that students cant concentrate on harder stuff, like factorising a quadratic in year 10.

After moving into deputy and principal roles, Stone has continued to teach maths, mostly year 7 and 8 maths classes, but occasionally older years too. Teachers are often nervous about letting others observe their practice and provide professional criticism. You can feel very exposed. Im no different  which is why I need to push myself to do it too. One of the most significant changes moving to a private British school will be adapting to boarding life and much longer school hours, she says. The day starts at 8:30am and three days a week stretches until 6pm. Lessons are held on Saturdays, with sport in the afternoons and two hours of supervised homework at night. After chapel on Sunday morning, there is free time from around midday until Monday morning. This is a boarding school pattern that doesnt exist in Australia, she says, except for maybe at Geelong Grammar. Theres a small minority of teachers who dont live on campus, but pretty much everyones in school housing, its all fully integrated. The red cabbage salad at Ahgora in Glebe. Credit: James Brickwood But previous experience working in British schools has eased the pressure of taking on a principal role in a new system. In 2008, after three years as a maths teacher at Barker, she moved her young family to south-east England where she spent a few years teaching maths at Winchester, then became vice principal of another top school, Cheltenham Ladies College, just south of Birmingham.

Its partly completely implausible that I would have ended up the head of a school like Winchester. You know, how has this Australian woman ... ended up there? But I think my experience in both single-sex and co-ed schools, in law, and in school management in the UK, really helped. Teaching, and working as a school deputy and principal, has become increasingly complex in the two decades since she took her first maths class, she says. Compare the job of a teacher 40 or 50 years ago to now. Its been massively expanded. And its not just extra workload pressures that are often cited, like playground duty, excursions, administration. The spanokopita at Aghora. Credit: James Brickwood Theres been regulatory changes, the rise of social media, changes to parental expectations. And these huge expectations to respond to mental health issues, and problems of school refusal. The procedural burdens for managing student disciplinary issues are unbelievable. It chews up so much time, attention and resources. Its changed the job. We used to be much more robust with kids. We used to be more robust with parents. While principal at Queenwood, she decided to ban laptops and iPads in the school until year 9, and a few years ago introduced a program where all 900 students have a mandatory 20 minutes of reading before the school day starts in a bid to counteract the decline in reading for pleasure among device-devoted students. Its a counter-cultural technology policy. We delay devices as long as possible.

The 50-year-olds no-nonsense approach seems, at least in part, influenced by her own education at eastern suburbs private girls school Ascham. She graduated in 1990 while it was under the famously strict control of redoubtable headmistress Rowena Danziger. She admired Danzigers approach, she says, because she knew what she stood for. She is a force of nature, and I have no doubt I imbibed a model of school leadership under her. You knew what you stood for, articulated that and held firm. Its so easy to go with the zeitgeist. Its attractive to have someone who knows what they believe. Former Ascham School headmistress Rowena Danziger. Credit: Steven Siewert In the decades since, Stone says curriculum expectations have expanded massively, despite no change to school hours or the number of school days in a year. We have loaded up the responsibility on schools to teach students about so many things  from nutrition, drugs, sexual consent, safe driving, the list goes on. It is shifting the burden of what is expected of teachers so substantially. She believes one reason for the increased demands on schools is because they are one of the few community institutions left. And so thats where people are consistently turning.

It is a topic she spoke about in detail in June while on a panel for the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, where she has also served as a board member for the past six years. If schools operated 24/7, I might have a shot at pulling it off. But theres no time in the school day. And theres a big cost, including time lost to the things that we know we can  and should teach  like reading, and writing well. The bill. I ask her if she can ever imagine returning to the legal profession or to universities as a lecturer or an academic. Actually, for a while I was doing stamp duties law, which sounds dry, but its actually incredibly interesting. I really enjoyed it. Its like cracking a puzzle. But at the end of the day, the best I could say in terms of the good that Id done for the world was that maybe I made the economy slightly more efficient. And that felt like it was a very remote good. The bottom line in teaching is the good  the higher purpose  they have names, and they come up and talk to you. Even when you have your difficult spells, your dry spells, never do you wonder whether what you are doing is worthwhile.
Guns, cash and drugs have been seized by the police squad set up to stem Sydneys cocaine-fuelled gang war in raids that put nine people, including the sister of a high-profile Comanchero boss, in handcuffs.

The arrests, top police say, are vital steps toward solving the brazen shootings that shocked the city in recent months. The Herald does not suggest any of those arrested were involved in or responsible for those shootings.

Asmahan Azzie Zahed has been arrested by Taskforce Magnus, the police anti-gang squad designed to stop Sydneys underworld war.

Task Force Magnus was set up in July this year following a series of murders and shootings that erupted after the assassination of cocaine kingpin Alen Moradian, in Bondi Junction.

Those arrested in raids on Thursday including Asmahan Azzie Zahed, the sister of Comanchero boss Tarek, at an Auburn home.
A teenage boy has been remanded in custody over the abduction and armed robbery of a schoolboy after a Melbourne court heard he was already out on bail for unrelated offences at the time of the incident.

Police charged the 14-year-old with multiple offences, including theft of a vehicle and intentionally causing serious injury, after his arrest on Thursday. He is expected to apply for bail on the new charges at a later date.

Police are investigating after a teenager was seriously injured in an attack in south-east Melbourne earlier this week. Credit: Nine News

The charges relate to an attack on a 14-year-old Glen Eira College student who was allegedly forced into an SUV at Glen Huntly in Melbournes south-east on Monday. He had items stolen and was then ejected from the moving vehicle.

The court heard on Friday that the teenager charged over the incident had been on supervised bail for undisclosed offences at the time.
A Preston father of three who died of a heart attack would have had a good chance of surviving if not for a shocking delay connecting to Victorias triple-zero service, the coroners court has heard.

Nick Panagiotopoulos, a civil engineer adored by his wife Belinda and daughters, began to feel unwell after assisting his neighbours with a concreting job in the early afternoon of October 16, 2021.

Nick Panagiotopoulos could have survived his heart attack if a triple zero call had gone through when it was supposed to. Credit: Wayne Taylor

But a call by the 47-year-old for an ambulance, and then calls by a relative, a neighbour and another person, could not be connected to the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, which manages dispatches of the states ambulance, fire and police services.

Calls for an ambulance should be answered within five seconds. The time between Nick first calling triple zero and ESTA eventually answering one of the calls was 16 minutes and five seconds.
This masthead has discovered that the PNG government is now in talks with a corporation partly owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch to revive a project to mine Binns smoker.

The strange underwater world Binns stumbled upon that day  where immortal jellyfish glow and whales dive to bone-crushing fathoms to hunt giant squid  may soon become the site of the worlds first deep-sea mine.

We call them black smokers, explains Binns. When he winched his camera back on deck, chunks of copper and gold were still lodged in its casing. The yield was unusually pure  with 15 to 30 times as much metal as ore mined on land.

Binns had spent five years searching the Pacific for them but that day, to outrun a cyclone, he ordered the CSIROs Franklin vessel into the Bismarck Sea off Papua New Guinea. And, suddenly, the ships instruments told him they were right above a vent.

Thirty years ago, Australian geologist Ray Binns threw a camera over the side of his science ship and hit a goldmine on the bottom of the sea. A kilometre down, his camera had slammed into a hydrothermal vent chimney: a tall spire of copper and gold reaching up from a seafloor hot spring .

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Now the UN is poised to open these waters to mining. But an investigation by this masthead has found a small group of companies are likely to reap the greatest rewards.

Over decades of negotiation, high-value areas of this seabed have been set aside for developing countries.

The latter is seen as the mother lode  the high seas cover about half the planet. In the 1980s, nations agreed that the riches there are the worlds common heritage, to be used for  the benefit of mankind .

There are two routes to this treasure: deal with nations in their territorial waters, such as PNG, or stake claims in international waters where the rules are still being thrashed out.

The prize is billions of dollars in metals on the seafloor, including those urgently needed for the clean energy transition .

If production begins next year as planned, it would kickstart the race to mine valuable metals from the deep  and Australians are among the key players pushing for this new frontier to open.

At the front of the pack is Nasdaq-listed The Metals Company (TMC), run by Australian chief executive Gerard Barron. It has contracts for about half of the seabed that the ISA has so far allocated to developing nations (via partnerships with the island nations of Nauru, Tonga and Kiribati) and hopes to start mining the Pacific in 2025 .

Its a Wild West, says Sandor Mulsow, a marine geologist who held top positions at the ISA before leaving in 2019. The seafloor is all of our common heritage. But a monopoly is forming. 

If something goes wrong, scientists warn, everything from the planets carbon cycle to our seafood could be affected.

High-stakes decisions about one of the most important places on Earth are now being made behind closed doors at the International Seabed Authority (ISA)  a little-known but powerful UN regulator with a competing mandate to oversee deep-sea mining and protect its unique environment.

These companies have partnered with small island nations to access their seabed claims. And the same people are behind many of them, including a shipping magnate who tried to name the worlds biggest ship after his Nazi father; an Australian mining executive convicted of insider trading; and a man once called Russian president Vladimir Putins favourite oligarch.

This masthead confirmed that TMCs founder, Australian David Heydon, is also the majority shareholder and financier of Circular Metals.

Allseas ultimate ownership of the licence hadnt been disclosed , not even by the ISA in public documents. Together with its large stake in TMC, Allseas is linked to nearly two-thirds of the seabed so far allocated for developing nations. We plan to develop our licence block parallel to our endeavours with [TMC], an Allseas spokesman confirmed.

This masthead has now discovered that The Metals Companys major investor and partner, the private shipping giant Allseas, has its own ISA licence ( through a subsidiary sponsored by Jamaica).

The company has spent millions of dollars on environmental research, even contracting Australias CSIRO to develop a management plan, and promises investors billions in profit. It also has a colourful history, including an attack by a short-seller in 2021 that triggered lawsuits from shareholders, and an SEC investigation . No public findings of wrongdoing have yet been made.

The risks are high too. The extreme conditions of the deep are often compared to space, and scientists fear storms of sediment stirred up by mining machines could spread for tens of kilometres, smothering important ecosystems. Toxic metals and even radioactive particles could be released back into the food chain.

TMC estimates the haul from its claim in the Pacific alone could electrify 280 million electric cars , about the size of Americas entire car fleet.

In 2019, one of TMCs sponsoring states Nauru ceded its seat at the ISA council to Gerard Barron so he could speak directly to member countries.

Some economists expect electric battery metals will become as important as oil is today as demand soars , and Barron argues these metals can be harvested with less impact under the sea than on land, where reserves are dominated by China , Russia and Africa, and mines run off the back of deforestation (and sometimes child labour ).

TMCs Barron is sometimes styled as Australias Elon Musk . Hes cast deep-sea mining as critical to both accelerating clean energy and lifting island nations out of poverty.

Its like the Gulf of Mexico, says Heydon of the new deep-sea frontier. OK, there was one prospector at first, but once they showed how to do it, others moved in, costs fell and an industry sprung up. Were first so its hard, but were also first .

Sir David Attenborough and other experts say its beyond reason to open the deep for mining until more is understood about the impact, and pressure is building on Australia to join more than 20 nations (and about 800 scientists and experts) calling for a global moratorium.

Speaking to this masthead as the ISA met in July, Barron laughed off the Musk comparison as ridiculous. But am I pushing new frontiers? Sure, he said. Its not easy to get a new industry started and disrupt another one at the same time.

The keys to the kingdom

Barron s dive into the deep began more than two decades ago when he invested in Nautilus, the Australian start-up that secured the worlds first deep-sea mining licence. To Barron, it sounded like the start of a mining revolution.

Nautilus was chasing copper and gold on Binns hydrothermal vents in PNG.

Back then, Binns discovery had made headlines around the world. But when he returned to shore in 1993, only one journalist came to see samples from this Broken Hill beneath the sea: Sydney mining writer Julian Malnic.

Binns didnt realise that Malnic was also a geologist. Or that, within months of photographing his research, Malnic would stake a claim for the very same smoker with the PNG government  founding Nautilus.

I used Rays charts, everything, but I didnt tell him, says Malnic, whose great-uncle was an explorer in the Pacific. Ray was really upset until he realised it was a great idea. I couldnt believe no one else was moving on this.

Still, Malmic did return to offer Binns and the CSIRO a stake in the venture. It wasnt the done thing then, so we had to say no, says Binns.

Binns went on to work for Nautilus as a science adviser, diving down in submersibles through a ring of undersea volcanoes to map PNGs particularly rich metal deposits.

Malnic also staked claims for smokers in Tongas coastal waters, and for polymetallic nodules (containing key battery metals) out in the high seas.

The Tongan mining act was only a page and a half long then, Malnic recalls. They gave me the keys to the kingdom, their office, one weekend, sweet people. And I literally wrote up the mining forms myself, covering a huge tract of seafloor. I put in a fee for $300 dollars Tongan for each licence; I just made it up.

He says the Tongan government later reverse-engineered its mining act to grant his applications.

But Nautilus went bust in 2018, costing the PNG government $A170 million in lost investment and sparking fury from locals.

By then, Barron, Malnic and Heydon had all cashed out. Barron and Heydon, along with other Nautilus figures, were chasing polymetallic nodules in international waters through a new company, TMC, which picked up some of those original Nautilus licences.

If were going to do all the heavy lifting starting an industry, I thought we should position ourselves with some of the key locations for those offshore resources, says Heydon.

Meanwhile, SEC filings reveal that when Nautilus collapsed, it was largely bankrolled by two shareholders  Omani oil billionaire Mohammed Al Barwan and oligarch Alisher Usmanov, one of Russias richest men.

Jonathan Mesulam leads the Solwara warriors of PNGs New Ireland coast fighting against deep sea mining and the old Nautilus project.

Sharks and oligarchs

Solwara warrior Jonathan Mesulam lives only 25 kilometres from the old Nautilus site Solwara-1 on PNGs New Ireland coast. He recalls how its early exploration work chased sharks out of the bay.

The sea is what has kept us for generations, he says. The cost of mining was just too high for a quick buck.

Now the sharks are back. But so is Nautilus. Locals and conservationists fear PNG is now being used as a guinea pig on a venture that could disrupt the wider marine food chain Pacific nations rely on  and potentially funnel profits back to sanctioned oligarchs.

Solwara warriors have protested for years against deep sea mining on PNGs New Ireland coast.

Today, the project is completely owned by a private group called Deep Sea Mining Finance (DSMF), which bought Solwara-1 from the corporate wreckage of Nautilus.

The PNG government has confirmed that DSMF plans to start testing this year - and production the next, under the projects original licences.

DSMF is headquartered in tax haven the Virgin Islands, and its chief executive is listed as Australian Chris Jordinson, who was convicted of insider trading in 2014. But this masthead can reveal that the company was created by Metalloinvest and USM Holdings, the sanctioned companies of the oligarch Usmanov, as well as Al Barwanis MB Holding, in 2017.

PNG Mining Minister Sir Ano Pala told this masthead that he wasnt personally aware of who owned DSMF but that some further checks and environmental approvals may be needed before mining begins.

The main thing is we want them to explain how they will pay back the money they lost us, hundreds of millions, he said. Potentially doing business with a sanctioned oligarch may be a bigger issue for the government to look at, he added.

References to USM and Metalloinvests ownership of DSMF were scrubbed from its website in April 2022 (shortly after Usmanov was sanctioned by the United States, Australia, the EU and Britain over the war in Ukraine), yet official meeting notes from recent talks between DSMF and the PNG government leaked to this masthead suggest the oligarchs companies still own half.

Court records also list another key figure at DSMF: Matthias Bolliger, who was disqualified as a director by authorities on tax haven the Isle of Man in 2021 for money laundering breaches, and flagged in the Panama Papers for his links to Usmanov.

In an information memorandum prepared for the PNG government, DSMF claims the undersea mine will pull up 182 kilotonnes of ore annually, running 300 days a year, and that new target zones have been identified for further mining beyond the original site, creating local jobs.

Its happening behind closed doors. The people wont stand for it. Sir Arnold Karibone Amet, former PNG attorney-general

Heydon secured $100 million in investment from Usmanov when he was at the helm of Nautilus, alongside other mining giants such as Anglo-American.

Usmanov owned half of Russian iron ore and steel, and brought a lot to the table on shipping, Heydon says. He only had one board seat then, so his influence was limited and no money flowed back to him in the end. Still, now [after Usmanovs sanctions], youd think the PNG government would be concerned.

Whos keeping watch on the high seas?

If the smoker in PNG is set to be the first deep-sea mine, it is the high seas where the real money will be made, even as the rule book is still being written.

Companies such as TMC have their eyes on a huge stretch of ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico that is so studded with polymetallic nodules it is said to hold more rare metals than all the reserves on land.

Countries at the UNs ISA need to adopt a deep-sea mining code before any commercial mining in international waters can begin.

The original Nautilus mining ship which was reclaimed by its Chinese owners when the company failed to pay its debt.

After the ISA councils latest sitting, the secretariat conceded the code wouldnt be adopted until 2025 (rather than this year as it had flagged), sending TMCs share price into a nose dive.

But, even with that delay, some countries worry that the ISA secretariat is itself trying to push through mining rules without robust environmental safeguards and company oversight  or even a fair means of divvying up the proceeds for the benefit of mankind.

ISA observers including NGO environmental lawyer Duncan Currie say a number of country delegations received suggested talking points from the secretariat encouraging them to raise the urgent need for battery metals during council debate on the code, in an apparent attempt to influence deliberations.

Especially countries new to the ISA, says Currie. The dot points they were given all steer the debate towards the need for mining.

We need to understand the inventory of our planet  We need more metals but land is rare. The most common spot on the planet is 3200 metres below sea level. We should start there. David Heydon

Diplomats from Germany, Costa Rica and elsewhere have accused ISA secretary-general Michael Lodge of stepping out of line in his efforts to get the code through the council.

Lodge has played down scientific concerns about mining and appeared at promotional events for companies (including in an ad for TMC in a company hardhat), but has defended the authoritys neutrality and integrity. The ISA did not answer an extensive list of questions and declined an interview request for Lodge.

Previously, Lodge has noted that the ISA was created to open the deep sea to mining, but has called it the slowest gold rush in history because of the authoritys careful checks and balances, especially concerning environmental protection, praising companies for their investment in research and technology.

There are many complicated and delicate trade-offs to be made, Lodge has said of environmental concerns, stressing the metals required for the green energy transition need to come from somewhere.

Now an obscure rule could mean companies may no longer have to wait for the mining code to get mining licences. As of July, the ISAs operational arm  the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC)  can consider commercial, not just exploratory, applications.

First to use the loophole will be TMC, after its sponsoring state Nauru opened it with a notification two years ago. TMC says it will apply next year.

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If the LTC grants the application, the ISAs structure will make it difficult for country delegates to rescind the licence.

The ISA was designed that way to avoid politicising mining, lessening the power of country blocs, says marine law researcher Pradeep Singh. But in practice, he says, it has allowed key decisions to be made behind closed doors by a powerful few  lawyers and geologists on the Legal and Technical Commission, sometimes with ties to industry.

The ISA charges half a million dollars for a licence, and hasnt rejected an application yet.

And the same people are behind many of these claims, says Singh. It was thought states would be the ones that monopolise this  you know, China having five contracts  but I think whats more dangerous is company monopolies.

And once they get a contract, control can shrink down even further, he says, as ownership is changed or offtake agreements and subsidiaries are structured.

The seabed could very well end up in the hands of a few.

So far, the LTC has refused to name or penalise companies not complying with the requirements of their exploration, such as environmental surveying. It has also rejected requests from diplomats to hold open meetings. When it approved its most recent licence, to Blue Minerals Jamaica, for example, the ultimate owner Allseas was referred to publicly only as an unnamed multinational enterprise with offshore experience.

Sandor Mulsow sat in closed-door LTC meetings for years and thinks its public reports were not just brief  two or three pages to summarise reams of documents  they were watered down.

Our final warnings to companies became, The LTC notes not all contractors have submitted data accordingly, he says. I thought it was my English being bad at first.

In 2016, Mulsow and another ISA scientist sounded the alarm over the quality of contractor environmental surveys, concerns echoed in an audit of the ISA that year that found the authority was not yet fulfilling its obligations to ensure that activities  are carried out for the benefit of mankind.

By 2016, some contractors had collected just one biological sample for every 10,000 square kilometres of their licence area. Mulsow recalls a company that included amphibians in its species survey.

There are no frogs in the deep sea, he says. When I rang them, they said it was a mistake and that whole column of numbers vanished. Where did they come from?

That company was not TMC, which has just uploaded another large tranche of environmental data  more, it says, than any other licence holder.

But, in the past, data has flowed both ways between those at the company and the ISA. Documents leaked to The New York Times show that, starting in 2007, the ISA sent confidential data to key people at Nautilus (now at TMC)  information meant to give developing nations an advantage finding the most mineral-rich mining sites.

Heydon admits his memory is hazy on how Nautilus got the data first, but he says, We werent given any confidential information that wasnt available to others if theyd asked, as far as I understand.

When asked about a potential monopoly forming, Heydon notes only a handful of companies typically have the skills for complex offshore work. You turn to these Halliburtons of the world. Now Allseas has developed more deep-sea expertise, at its own cost, so countries will partner with them because they know the chance of success is higher. Still, he adds, theres plenty of room out there.

Benefit of mankind?

The deep-sea rush was meant to be different. But Currie and Singh say deals intended to give poorer countries a stake in mining have instead put companies in control.

Literally, they just need an office and a business registered there, says Singh. TMCs subsidiary NORI has an office in Nauru, for example. But if something goes wrong, TMC can cut the rope to NORI and leave.

When NORIs licence was approved by the ISA in 2011, it said it was a Nauruan company not owned or affiliated with any foreign entity or person. Yet, Heydon confirmed that he was on NORIs board of directors at the time, and that TMC already provided funding. Heydon even signed its licence agreement with the ISA.

Currie, Singh and other experts view these kinds of arrangements as predatory.

Barron insists they will benefit TMCs partner nations, who would otherwise not have the technology or money to develop the new industry.

If youre an island in the middle of the Pacific, watching the sea levels rise, this is an opportunity that just wouldnt come your way, he says.

Most of Nauru is itself uninhabitable, stripped by the phosphate mining of colonial powers in the last century. Heydon says he saw in Nauru a chance to put the ISA vision of benefiting mankind into practice, helping mining give back to the tiny nation without actually touching it.

That giving back comes in the form of royalties to the sponsoring country and the ISA. TMCs royalty deal with Nauru has not been disclosed, but Barron says it is a little more than the $2 a tonne previously quoted by a Nauruan official, which worked out to less than 1 per cent of expected profit.

Its less than five dollars a tonne, Barron concedes.

Even after an extra royalty (probably between 2 and 10 per cent) is paid to the ISA and its member states, the lions share of profit will still go to companies, not nations.

Naurus deal with TMC appears to also waive corporate tax, usually about 25 per cent. Barron says that Nauru and TMC have just put it on hold.

Were back negotiating that amount now, he says.Because normally, when a country taxes someone, its for services provided. Whereas Nauru, we dont plan to process there or put any infrastructure there other than we have an office there.

After tax, TMC expects its profits from the claim with Nauru to total $US30 billion over its life.

Barron argues that the alternative is a government-type entity mining. And these assets are typically more successfully developed in private hands. But to do that, youve got to attract a lot of capital and offer [a return].

Barron sees the benefit for mankind as more than profit, but the nodules themselves  battery metals that will turbocharge the clean energy transition and, once in the system, can be recycled. He keeps one in his pocket at all times so he can show people the ancient rock.

Still, some economists are sceptical that deep-sea metals will ever rival land mining, or even offer the right chemistry mix, as battery technology evolves.

Currie, meanwhile, worries it will be developing nations left with costly clean-ups if something goes wrong.

The Nautilus failure stands as a warning for the Pacific, says Australian environmental campaigner Helen Rosenbaum, who has worked across the region. I cant believe PNG is considering risking that again.

Financial expert Andy Whitmore has been tracking what he calls the quiet privatisation of the seabed for Rosenbaums NGO Deep Sea Mining Campaign, and says prospectors can make a career out of failure.

Theyre selling potential, he says. Didnt Twain say a gold miner is a liar standing over a hole in the ground?
WILLESTAD:--- On Friday, August 25, 2023, at the initiative of the Social and Economic Council (SER) of Curacao, an exchange of views took place with Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas. The discussion focused on the draft National Air Quality Ordinance. Prime Minister Pisas, acting in his capacity as minister without portfolio in charge of agriculture, environment, and nature, was assisted by experts from the Ministries of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN) and General Affairs (AZ).

During this discussion, experts from both ministries provided detailed insights to the SER members on the draft bill before them. This informative presentation led to clarification on key points of the draft land regulation, which now enables the SER to issue a thorough and well-considered opinion.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the constructive nature of the dialogue after the meeting. A roadmap was jointly established for the further development and consideration of this legislative initiative.

Afterward, Prime Minister Pisas emphasized the significance of this meeting as a crucial step forward in realizing the legal and social responsibilities that the government bears. This implies the active pursuit of a livable Curacao, where the environment, nature, and public health are adequately protected, in accordance with the State regulation and other applicable laws and regulations.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, September 7th, a heartwarming discussion was held between NV GEBE's Special Representative/Temporary Manager, Troy Washington, Commercial Manager Iris Arrindell, and the Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), the Honorable Omar Ottley. During the discussion, Minister Ottley mentioned that while he understands the current financial situation of NV GEBE, it would be beneficial to both consumers and the company if a more feasible repayment method is devised. Mr. Washington stated that he has been exploring options to offer financial relief to customers, which includes the reduction of the required deposit for (re)payment plans to 25% of the outstanding amount, as opposed to the 50% that is currently required.



This initiative, driven by a joint effort among the Minister's social responsibility and NV GEBE's commitment to corporate citizenship, aims to alleviate the financial burden faced by members of the community.



Over the past few weeks, Minister Ottley's office has been overwhelmed with calls from residents expressing their concerns about NV GEBE's demands to settle outstanding electricity and water bills to avoid disconnection. According to Minister Ottley, the majority of calls were persons expressing their worry about the requirement by NV GEBE that they pay 50% of their total due on electricity and water bills upfront to establish a (re)payment plan,".



Mr. Washington shared that the situation that we now face arose due to a unique set of circumstances. Since March 2022, NV GEBE has grappled with a cyber event that disrupted its computer systems, making it unable to provide monthly bills to some customers. Nonetheless, NV GEBE has been working diligently to ensure that all customers continue receiving utility services, without regular invoices or ongoing payments, to sustain NV GEBE's continuous operations during this period.



Recognizing the potential financial hardship this situation posed, NV GEBE took proactive steps to encourage its customers to make ongoing payments until the billing issues were resolved. The intention was to prevent the accumulation of unmanageable debt for the community's continuous electricity and water consumption.



However, NV GEBE maintained the long-standing company policy, which indicates that customers with outstanding bills, who would like to establish a repayment plan, are required to pay 50% upfront and payment arrangements for the remainder of the outstanding balance. In response to this challenge, many persons have even sought assistance from the Social Services Department within the Ministry of VSA. Some seniors' monthly pension incomes did not afford them the financial flexibility to make upfront payments, especially when faced with the accumulation of bills that could amount to larger than the average lump sums.



Minister Ottley and Mr. Washington both understand the predicament faced by customers and engage in meaningful discussions to chart a plan that demonstrates corporate responsibility and empathy for the community.



Minister Ottley said, "This collaborative effort between NV GEBE and the Ministry of VSA is a shining example of how public and private entities can come together to support their community during challenging times."



In closing, Mr. Washington stated: "Through our dedicated efforts, we have been working non-stop to serve the community of St. Maarten. While we understand the plight of some consumers, we are also balancing the demands of NV GEBE's rising operational costs to ensure the company's long-term sustainability. We are in full support of this joint effort to extend relief to the community of St. Maarten. With the reduction of the payment plan deposit to 25%, we are looking forward to increased customer compliance with timely bill payments."
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS:--- The Caribbean Employers Confederation (CEC), through funding from The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the European Union (EU), is pleased to announce the implementation of Phase II of its Spotlight Workplace Initiative.

The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the European Union and the United Nations dedicated to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. The UNFPA-CEC collaboration aims to implement comprehensive programs to advance the cause of gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence within the context of the Caribbean workplace.

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: September 13, 2023

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Venue: Ocean 2 Hotel

Speakers:

 Minister of Labour, Social Security and The Third Sector, The Hon. Colin Jordan, M.P.

 President, Caribbean Employers Confederation, Wayne Chen

 Director/ Representative, UNFPA Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, Arnold Talbert

 Director, ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, Dennis Zulu

 Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Malgorzata Wasilewska

The launch event will feature distinguished speakers who will provide important insights into this theme while highlighting the key objectives and strategies of the second phase of the UNFPA-CEC Spotlight Initiative. There will also be a number of regional and national businesses on hand from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago signing their commitment to develop gender-based workplace policies.

We cordially invite members of the media to attend and cover this press launch. This provides an excellent opportunity to gain valuable insights, capture compelling stories and raise awareness about this critical issue affecting women and girls globally.



To RSVP or request further information, please contact:

The Caribbean Employers Confederation

Secretariat

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We look forward to your presence and support in highlighting the UNFPA-CEC implementation of the Spotlight Initiative toward creating a world free from gender-based violence and harmful practices.

About UNFPA:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the leading UN agency promoting reproductive health, gender equality, and the rights of women and girls. UNFPA works in over 150 countries, delivering programs and initiatives to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. As of today, 108 families (526 people) have been resettled in Agali village of Zangilan district, 20 families (90 people) in Talish village of Terter district, 247 families (956 people) in Lachin, 70 families (247 people) in Fuzuli, and 20 families (88 people) in Zabukh village of Lachin district, the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons told Trend.

It was noted that the process of returning the population to the Azerbaijani lands liberated from Armenian occupation within the framework of the I State Program "Big Return," approved by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, continues.

Yesterday, another group of former internally displaced persons, 25 families, returned to the restored town of Fuzuli.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. On September 8, 2023, a briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the participation of Minister of Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev, and Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments Elchin Amirbayov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

During the briefing, the following major points were highlighted:

The normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia faces serious challenges;

What we observe in the behavior of the Armenian side is the replication of the pattern that has been typical for this country for 30 years: imitation of talks, back-stepping from previous agreements, and escaping from implementation of undertaken commitments through resorting to various political, military, and other provocations;

Armenia is engaged in a world-wide smear campaign against Azerbaijan and exploits all opportunities to abuse individual states and international organizations against Azerbaijan on the basis of false and groundless allegations of "blockade" or "humanitarian crisis".

Before going into specific details, one thing needs to be highlighted and underlined: in all engagements through different international actors, such as the Russian Federation, United States, European Union, or ICRC, Armenia escapes from real negotiations, behaves insincerely, and torpedoes all previously reached arrangements and understandings.

Armenia pursues one goal: to sustain separatism in the territory of Azerbaijan through all possible ideological, political, military, financial, and other means. For this purpose, Armenia tries to win time and escape from real steps to allow progress in negotiation in all tracks;

The situation with respect to the delivery of goods to the Karabakh region to meet the needs of Armenian residents is a clear example in this respect. The history of negotiations in this respect conducted through different third parties proves one thing: Armenia is not interested in seeking solutions at the negotiation table:

Armenia abused the Lachin Road for almost two and a half years for illegal military and other purposes. All our calls were neglected, and no action was taken to address Azerbaijans legitimate and fact-based concerns;



On April 23, 2023, Azerbaijan established a border check point on the state border as a means to prevent the abuse of the road while ensuring rightful, transparent, and regulated passage across the border. Despite all the allegations, the checkpoint functioned in an exemplary manner under very sensitive conditions;



Azerbaijan consistently appealed to the Armenian side for the establishment of working contacts between the relevant state structures, customs, and border services to ensure that cross-border passages are facilitated in a smooth manner. These were not reciprocated.



Armenia continued to challenge the very right of Azerbaijan to establish a checkpoint on its border and tried to exploit the International Court of Justice and other instances. Having failed in all such attempts and in view of intensified use of the checkpoint by local Armenian residents, Armenia resorted to an open military provocation on June 15. It put at risk the residents passing through the checkpoint, as well as the staff of the ICRC, which were in close proximity to conduct a pre-planned medical evacuation operation;



This was followed by a reckless attempt at smuggling in ICRC-hired vehicles. This was acknowledged by the ICRC;



Despite these provocations, passage through the checkpoint for medical evacuations and other urgent purposes has been continuous to date. Since June 15, the ICRC has conducted 27 operations; 312 Armenian residents accompanied by 208 others (totaling 520) traveled to Armenia, while 380 others returned to Karabakh having completed their treatment. For these operations, the passage of 425 vehicles of the ICRC was registered in both directions. While returning to Karabakh, they also bring essential goods, such as medicines and baby formula. Thus, the claim that since June 15, no goods have been transferred to Karabakh has no basis and is simply not true.



While facilitating passages through the checkpoint, Azerbaijan officially offered the use of other roads for the delivery of goods to meet the needs of local residents.



While continuing to facilitate the passage through the checkpoint for medical evacuations and other urgent purposes, Azerbaijan officially offered the use of other roads for the delivery of goods to meet the needs of local residents;



This was extensively discussed at the meeting of the leaders on July 15, with the participation of Charles Michel. It was not a coincidence that this matter was reflected in the statement of Mr. Michel following the meeting;



On July 25, in Moscow, the use of multiple roads in a synchronized manner was again the topic of discussion at the trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers. It was a formula proposed by the Russian side. Azerbaijan expressed its readiness to consider such an option and eventually gave its consent. Armenia demonstratively escaped from concrete discussions;



Instead, the following day, Armenia resorted to another pre-planned provocation by sending a so-called "humanitarian convoy" to the border. This was pure provocation to manipulate international public opinion and to create the ground for further steps;



The Russian Federation, the United States, and the European Union engaged intensively with the parties to facilitate the implementation of the synchronized use of Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads and the organization of meetings between the central governments special representative and local residents.



Finally, on August 4, agreements were reached with respect to both issues. The sequential opening of roads and the organization of the meeting in Yevlakh were agreed upon. All involved stakeholders, including the ICRC and peacekeepers, were prepared to facilitate the implementation. Yet, again, at the last moment, the Armenian side backtracked from both agreements by using politically motivated, illegitimate pretexts;



This was followed by an intensified smear campaign worldwide to lay the groundwork for the UNSC's engagement in the matter. Armenias attempt to exploit the UNSC for anti-Azerbaijani steps failed. Instead, the majority of UNSC members spoke against the politicization of humanitarian delivery, called for the opening of all routes for such delivery, and underlined the necessity for direct dialogue.



Azerbaijan continued engagement with all partners to realize the well-received algorithm of synchronized use of Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads.



During recent high-level contacts with the United States, the simultaneous use of the Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin roads was again discussed in detail. In order to accommodate the concern of the Armenian side communicated through the American side, Azerbaijan agreed to change the sequential opening of the roads to simultaneous delivery of goods through both roads. The US side positively received this as a sign of constructiveness. Relevant US negotiators were tasked with taking this message back to the Armenian side and working towards the realization of the deal. Again, it failed to materialize.



The Azerbaijani National Red Crescent Societys two trucks wait on the ground to be able to deliver the flour to the Armenian residents.



Azerbaijan is interested in finding a solution and has proven it in its sincere engagement with all those who offered their good offices and mediation services. In all instances, without exception, the Armenian side violated previously reached agreements under different pretexts. The true reason is one and the same: to prolong the situation, artificially ignite tension, and ultimately derail the normalization process.

One thing is crystal clear, and there should be no doubt on that: what Armenia tries to impose on the international community as a "humanitarian" matter is indeed a brazen political campaign targeting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

If the situation were humanitarian, it could have been solved weeks ago on the basis of the proposal of synchronized use of multiple roads. Under the pretext of the humanitarian needs of the Armenian residents of the Karabakh region, Armenia in essence took hostage these people to its policy of separatism and continues to spread the idea of intolerance and hatred;

As a matter of fact, Armenia has consistently put obstacles in the way of the ICRC Azerbaijan Delegation exercising its mandate too.

The situation around the issue of delivery of goods is not isolated from Armenias increased military and political provocations targeting Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Armenias close to 10,000-strong armed forces continue to be illegally stationed in the territory of Azerbaijan. Dozens of tanks and other armored vehicles, more than two hundred heavy artillery pieces, including multiple rocket launchers, dozens of different types of radio electronic warfare equipment, and close to two hundred mortars are currently deployed in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent has been temporarily deployed;

Armenia provides technical, military, logistical, and financial support to sustain these forces in violation of its obligations and commitments. The armed formations in Azerbaijans territory are financed directly from the state budget of Armenia.

Recent days have witnessed even more intensified military provocations accompanied by an increased military buildup, both along the undelimited border and in the Karabakh region. Armenia digs new trenches, builds fortifications, and accumulates personnel and equipment in an apparent effort to go into another military adventure.

Despite its earlier statement regarding Armenias recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which includes the Karabakh region, the Prime Minister of Armenia took yet another extremely provocative step by issuing a so-called "congratulatory message" on the occasion of the so-called anniversary of the establishment of the illegal puppet structure in the territory of Azerbaijan.

The Prime Minister once again referred to the so-called "right to self-determination of Armenian residents" and confirmed that Armenia would continue to intervene with issues related to these residents under the pretext of their security and rights. As such, he essentially nullified his previous statement on the recognition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Just to recall, this has been used for 30 years by Armenia to maintain its occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan. The Prime Ministers message is nothing other than yet another confirmation that Armenia has not abandoned territorial claims against Azerbaijan and has no intention to stop fueling separatism in our territory by all available means, including by providing political, military, and financial support;

Armenian diplomatic missions accredited at different international organizations continue to distribute different types of documents on behalf of the illegal regime, again despite Armenia's expressed recognition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan;

The planned so-called "elections" of the "president" of this illegal entity are yet another extremely provocative step. This is a clear violation of Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity and is by no means admissible or tolerable.

The mentioned provocations by Armenia negatively affect the normalization process and undermine the efforts of international actors in this regard. An adequate understanding of the risks and threats posed by Armenias irresponsible and destructive behavior and appropriate measures to persuade Armenia to refrain from such actions are required.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo actively helps Armenian separatists in Karabakh, Trend reports.

This is stated in an article by the Romanian online publication Stiri pe surse.

The authors of the article said that the mayor of the French capital has been charged with allocating funds to support the activities of Armenian separatists in Azerbaijan in August 2023.

The article emphasizes that Hidalgo often travels to Armenia and holds regular meetings with separatists. Moreover, she sent letters to the French foreign minister asking for recognition of the so-called Artsakhthe name given to Azerbaijans Karabakh by the separatists.

While Hidalgo is concerned about the lives of Karabakh separatists, the French media and civil society criticize her activities in the French capital.

The authors cite a quote from one of the French publications criticizing the work of the mayor, which states that "the activities of Anna Hidalgo are objectively very bad. The catastrophic state of finances in Paris, the poor quality of life, and the ever-increasing level of pollution confirm this".

France sent several vehicles in the direction of the Lachin border checkpoint in August, allegedly as part of a "humanitarian cargo", accompanied by senior officials (including Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo) of several French cities.

Hidalgo should have paid more attention to the pressing problems of Parisians. Such provocations are part of a campaign by the Armenian authorities and the diaspora aimed at aggravating the situation in the region. Despite the fact that the French authorities declare their desire to "support the establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia," their actions only aggravate the situation.
Unfortunately, the opportunity for elected officials to fix the OSB in the legal text has passed, and its implementation now falls to unelected regulators. Whats to say, Ofcom wont attempt to break end-to-end encryption, just as Parliament empowered it to do? The legality of its actions would then be decided by more unelected officials in the courts. This is a dereliction of duty by Parliament, a failure of the democratic process, and an affront to British citizens rights.
It has been a privilege to work at TRG and I will be leaving the company in great shape with the business trading really strongly, outperforming the market and making good progress on its strategic options

Ken Hanna, TRG's chairman
ABF is unlikely to provide a firm profit figure so close to the end of its financial year, but investors will be hoping it provides some guidance as to whether it is likely to meet targets or perhaps even provide another upgrade.
He said: Without question, India is going to be one of the most significant countries geopolitically over the next years and decades, and it is vitally important for the UK to deepen our ties particularly economically and more broadly with India.
The Arriva-owned operator last year introduced trial rolling stock which used batteries in combination with a diesel engine in a bid to reduce emissions in city centres. But it has since abandoned the project with the train no longer in service at present. The firm said increased costs meant the technology was no longer viable.
He added: As part of people reporting into someone else, I wanted to make sure they understood the importance of sanctions regimes and compliance and risk matters but it was in the course of my duties as a director to report that.
A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said: Insurers appreciate these continue to be tough times for many households coping with the rising cost of living and continue to do all they can to keep premiums as competitive as possible.
Holland, who also cowrote the screenplay, has divided her film into chapters that follow the trajectories of various characters: the Syrian family and Afghan woman seeking asylum, the Polish border guard who battles with his conscience, the activists who work with refugees in the forest, the psychologist who lives adjacent to Polands exclusion zone and who is traumatised and then galvanised into action by events on her doorstep. Each of these characters stories are given their own space but also seep into other chapters as the protagonists lives become interwoven. The languages shift and overlap as the various characters come together.
Then theres the narrative thread concerning blonde love interest Aristotle (Elias Kacavas). The spit of Troy Donahue, Aristotle attends NYU with Toula and Ians daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris). Though Toulas aunts barely know him, they decide the youngster is a keeper and trick him into coming to Greece. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Toula fights for the right to choose her own mate. Here, the invasive aunties are better than a dating app. Theyre watching and know what you need. Sweet baby Jesus, how is that not sinister?
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Armenia is waging a smear campaign against Azerbaijan around the world by making false and unjustified allegations about the claimed presence of a "blockade" and a "humanitarian crisis" in the region. It does this by taking advantage of any and all opportunities for abuse by some nations and international organizations, Trend reports.

This was stated at the Foreign Ministry's briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan.

The Armenian side's current actions are typical of this nation, which for 30 years has engaged in feigning negotiations, breaking previous agreements, and avoiding its obligations through a variety of political, military, and other provocations.

The briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in the country on September 8 was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the participation of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov.
On the follow-up, she plays with double meanings. Its called Guts, as in it takes guts to spill em, you see? Her song Get Him Back!, which has a groovy, Beck-like indie-rap shuffle, is about revenge but wanting to rekindle something at the same time. Its a suitable seam for the 20-year-old to mine, because she spends most of the album tying herself in knots trying to enjoy her blessed youth while simultanously feeling like a lucky fraud whos terrible at love. On the piano ballad Teenage Dream, shes fed up of being patronised for her age. On the Eighties-leaning Pretty Isnt Pretty, she cant cope with the contorted double standards torturing all women.
The reformed group are still planning on embarking on their UK and Ireland arena tour later this year, which they said will be a celebration of all the hits.
Throughout her life, she adopted the styles of the day but avoided committing to trends, and relied heavily on custom looks by a stronghold of her trusted dressmakers. Sir Norman Hartnell was one favourite, and designed for the monarch for over 40 years. The man behind her wedding dress was regarded for his sense of theatre, use of extravagant fabrics and jewelled embroidery. He would send sketches to the Queen and samples to approve, and she would instruct him to send her compliments to the seamstresses, saying: Tell your girls, their work is fabulous.
2018 had started well at Superdry too, with an all-time-high share price  but things went rapidly downhill. By the end of the year, shares had slumped by more than 80%. Dunkerton couldnt bear to watch from the sidelines. In December, he started complaining to press and fellow shareholders that he didnt like the direction the brand was heading in, and that he should be brought back. A fraught campaign ensued, with directors opposing his return and claiming that before hed left, hed overseen the design of the very collections that were now bombing. Nevertheless, by April 2019, with the support of 51% of the shareholders, Dunkerton returned as chief exec; the entire board resigned in protest.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Mr Murphy said: This was a really busy area of London and weve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalifes ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.
IOPC investigators have viewed CCTV from inside the police van that transported Mr Tekeste to custody following his arrest and have determined that two officers who were in the vehicle may have failed to appropriately supervise Mr Tekeste during this time, said a spokesperson.
Anyone with information that could assist in locating Mboob should call police on 101, Tweet @MetCC or call Missing People on 116000, quoting 23MIS028958. If seen, officers urge the public not to approach him but dial 999 immediately. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at the Crimestoppers website.
This is the first seizure of those chemicals in the UK and as such legislation will be amended later this year to include these drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class A substances. Stopping the manufacturing of these drugs has removed a significant risk to the public.
Detective Constable Amanda Mead said: We think these men may have information about the attack on these women, one of whom now requires plastic surgery on her face following the assault.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: If we do see 30C all the way through until Sunday, which it looks fairly sure it will be, that will be six days in a row that we have reached 30C.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Armenia's goal is to preserve separatism on the territory of Azerbaijan by all possible ideological, political, military, financial and other means, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said, Trend reports.

Armenia is trying to gain time and is avoiding real steps that can ensure progress in all areas of negotiations, said the ministry at a briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan.

"The situation with the supply of goods to the Karabakh region to meet the needs of Armenian residents is a vivid example of this. The chronology of the negotiations conducted through various third parties proves that Armenia is not interested in finding solutions through negotiations," the ministry said.

The briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in the country on September 8 was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the participation of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov.
Seager, who stars in the play, said it is a love story that spans 50 years of our couples relationship, Arthur and Jane, and its about how they meet and how they fall in love and then also, throughout their life, how he gets diagnosed with Alzheimers disease and his dementia journey.
The original plan was to have the Tube fully connected by the end of next year. 4G, which effectively allows a smartphone to be used in the same way as above ground, was first introduced on the Tube in a trial on the eastern end of the Jubilee line.
The key thing is this: this is a reminder that the next mayoral election is going to be a two-horse race. Only two people can win this  me or the Conservative candidate. That is why I am encouraging Londoners to lend me their vote if they want a city that is greener, fairer and safer.
Speaking at an Assembly meeting on Thursday - the first since the Telegraphs articles were published - Lib Dem AM Caroline Pidgeon said: "We called for an investigation at City Hall into what has or has not happened, in order that we could have more facts - because I think Londoners need to know the facts on this
The pact, first signed in July 2022 and extended every three months for a year, led to 33 million tonnes of grain and food exports leaving Ukraine, with the majority going to areas of the globe struggling with nutrition supplies, according to the UN.
What you need is leaders who are prepared to stand up to that and be prepared to say: 'We cannot blame everybody else for our problems. We have got to solve our problems ourselves

Gordon Brown
I mean, my issue with her was that, having been bold on the entry  for me, it was a total capitulation at the end. And, I think, I felt let down, frankly, he said.
I arrived just before 6pm for the meeting. Everybody was there waiting around and we waited for a few minutes and then the news arrived that the Queen would no longer be able to do the meeting. And that was the first I heard of it. But clearly it was a very ominous sign, she told GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker.
The town hall said it learned of the arrest on May 13, 2022, he was suspended by Labour three days later and resigned his seat.
People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her Late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories.
The Indian-Saudi Investment Forum, which kicks off on September 11 in New Delhi, India, will see the two countries explore investment opportunities across major sectors including the ICT, entrepreneurship, chemicals, energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.

The forum will take place on the sidelines of the official state visit to India by HRH Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) delegation led by Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih will co-host the Forum, where high-level government representatives from both countries will be in attendance, including Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry of India and, Nivruti Rai, Managing Director and CEO of Invest India and President of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).

The Indian-Saudi Investment Forum follows several MISA events hosted with investment counterparts from countries such as Italy, Japan, Brazil and France.

It is part of initiatives that are designed to attract foreign direct investment to Saudi Arabia in line with its Vision 2030 and the National Investment Strategy, which seeks to unlock $3 trillion in investment opportunities.-TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. A meeting of the joint Azerbaijani-Iranian military commission will be held in Baku on September 9, Trend reports, citing Tasnim News Agency.

The agency mentioned a telephone conversation held on August 22 this year between Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan disseminated information on August 22 that Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces discussed the situation in the region and held a detailed exchange of views on security issues. During the telephone conversation, prospects for the development of military cooperation between the two countries were also discussed.
Mr Sunak, asked by reporters whether he had a message for Mr Lavrov at the G20, said: When it comes to Lavrov, the message is, the fact that Putin is not there demonstrates his isolation in the global community.
"I know a lot of countries in the world see it as a European problem and part of the reason that the Prime Minister is going to the G20 and talking to nations around the world, not just India, is to highlight the fact this is not just a European issue.
Asked if police are looking into whether it was an inside job, the commissioner said: It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? Was he helped by people outside the walls or was it simply all of his own creation?
He is accused of eliciting or trying to elicit information that could be useful for a terrorist on August 2, 2021, and breaching the Official Secrets Act by gathering information that could be useful to an enemy between May 1, 2019, and January 6, 2022.
They are known for being among the fastest animals on the planet, reaching speeds of up to 200mph when they dive on prey from height, known as stooping.
It was definitely one of the worst (prisons) wed come across and they had real problems in having enough staff in place and of course, that immediately is a big issue for the prison because it means that all the systems in the prison are put under strain as a result of it.
The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie, minister of Crathie Kirk, who officiated at the event, said: "It was a simple reflective time, a time where we were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognise the poignancy of this day for that family and this community, as well as the nation and Commonwealth.
The little girl shook her head and her mother explained she had been on the boat but not out on the water while Albie interjected and said: Me.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has carried out 27 operations for the passage of Armenians through the Lachin border checkpoint since June 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said, Trend reports.

In general, 312 residents of Armenia, accompanied by 208 people (520 people in total), went to their homeland, and 380 people returned to Karabakh after the completion of treatment.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly appealed to the Armenian side in connection with the establishment of working contacts between the relevant state structures, including customs and border services, to ensure unhindered border crossing. However, there was no feedback regarding these appeals.

Armenia continued to protest against Azerbaijan's right to establish a checkpoint on its border, trying to abuse the International Court of Justice and other organizations in this direction.

In addition, Armenia has failed in all these attempts to stop the use of the border checkpoint by local Armenian residents. On June 15, Armenia carried out a military provocation, thereby putting at risk residents passing through the checkpoint and ICRC staff who were nearby for a pre-planned medical evacuation operation.

Moreover, an attempt was made to use ICRC vehicles for smuggling purposes. This fact has also been confirmed by the ICRC.

"The transition from the checkpoint for medical evacuation and other urgent purposes continues to this day. During these operations, 425 passages of ICRC vehicles in both directions were recorded. Returning to Karabakh, they bring with them such necessary goods as medicines and baby food. Therefore, the statement that no products have been transferred to Karabakh since June 15 does not correspond to reality," the ministry said.

The briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in the country on September 8 was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the participation of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov.
In the photograph taken by Kate at Balmoral last summer, the late Queen is pictured with: (back row, left to right) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, (middle row, left to right) Lena Tindall, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips, Prince Louis, and (front row, left to right) Mia Tindall holding Lucas Tindall, and Savannah Phillips.
He said: I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.
People across the UK  whether they had the good fortune to meet Her Late Majesty or not  will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all, he added.
The MAIB report stated: There was no effective lookout during the watch leading up to the collision as the 2/O was continuously distracted by his tablet computer and his focus on it would have used much of his cognitive function.
Debate over whether the Sussexes children would use  or even get to keep  the titles of prince and princess that they became entitled to, when the Queen died, were resolved in March when Harry and Meghan announced Princess Lilibet had been christened, and it emerged there had been correspondence with the King on the matter.
Everyone brings different skills to their work and that should be recognised, but the role of our members is fundamental to the effective operation of this important site.
William and Kate made their first visit to Wales as the nations new prince and princess just a few weeks after the Queens death, travelling to Anglesey, their first home when newly-weds, and where they raised their eldest son Prince George for the first few months of his life.
The Nobel laureate, 78, who was once hailed as an outstanding example of the power of the powerless, was arrested as part of a military coup and has only been seen once since the 2021 coup in images taken in a courtroom in Naypyid. She has appealed against all her sentences.
One national guard unit fighting in the east and two in the south he mentioned included the 12th brigade, which has soldiers of the Azov brigade who last year defended the Azovstal steel works in the besieged city of Mariupol. Military analysts said they had been holding Ukrainian positions in the northeast.
The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained," the report states.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. On September 8, at 19:05 (GMT+4), illegal Armenian armed detachments in the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, attempted to install long-term fortification facilities in front of the Azerbaijan Army positions stationed in the direction of the Shusha region, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan said, Trend reports.

The work was immediately stopped as a result of urgent measures taken by the Azerbaijan Army units.
When India elected its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, he was of the opinion that all three names were equally legitimate and acceptable. In his book The Discovery of India, he explained: Often, as I wandered from meeting to meeting, I spoke to my audiences of this India of ours, of Hindustan and of Bharata, the old Sanskrit name derived from the mythical founders of the race.
Three people were also killed on Friday after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, Mr Klymenko said, while three people were also injured in a Russian missile attack in the eastern city of Sumy.
Prosecutors said that much of the material the committee sought was already publicly available and that Navarro should have handed over what he could and flagged any questions or documents believed to be protected under executive privilege.
Asked separately about the war in Ukraine, he said: Im not very hopeful that well have a peace solution in the immediate future. I believe the two parties are still deciding to move on with the conflict.
Inside, the bar will feature wooden panelling and low-lit lighting, much the same as his New York establishment, and bar snacks  sadly no details on these yet  will be available.
Joining the Koyn bar team for three days in September will be Francesco Bonazzi from 1930 bar in Milan, currently ranked 35th in the Worlds 50 Best Bars list; Lukas Stafin from Sohos Opium, which holds the 24th position; and Max Venning from Three Sheets in Crouch End, which once climbed as high as 16th on the list.
Set up in 2016, the organisation makes use of the three million tonnes of surplus edible food generated by the food industry each year, which it distributes around the country to help the 4.7 million adults in the United Kingdom who struggle to afford to eat, as well as the two million children at risk of missing their next meal.
The painting, which measures more than two metres wide, is described as bold and innovative in its use of altered perspective and time shift to portray the city and the stages of life of its inhabitants by the estate of Gray.
During his visit, Fry was rushed into an air raid shelter which was followed an hour later by an announcement which said: Your attention please, there are explosions in the city stay in your shelter, he said on Instagram.
This is the second year of the awards for Soho House, which is a members club with branches all over the world. It boasts many stars and creatives, who are primarily movers and shakers in the arts, as its members.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov has held a telephone conversation with High Representative of the EU for External Relations and Security Policy, Vice-President of the EU Commission Joseph Borrell, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union, the current situation in the region and the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia were discussed during the telephone conversation.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov brought to the attention of his interlocutor the position of Azerbaijan regarding the recent situation in the region. He emphasized that the ongoing military-political provocations of Armenia, statements against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan do not serve peace and stability in the region. He noted the importance of preventing these provocations by Armenia.

Detailed information was given that Armenia has continued to illegally use the Lachin road for military and other purposes for almost two and a half years, while allegations of a humanitarian situation in the region are now political manipulation without any basis. Despite the agreement reached on the simultaneous transportation of goods along the Agdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads, it was brought to the attention of the interlocutor that the violation of these agreements and the obstacles committed in relation to transportation once again prove this.

It was emphasized that the Armenian armed forces, which have not yet been withdrawn from Azerbaijani territories and are directly supported by Armenia, are the main source of threat in the region.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.
Ministers suggest its possible to safeguard children and fight crime while ensuring everyday encryption for messaging privacy with some not yet invented future tech, allowing police and the authorities 'backdoor' access - but is that even possible?
I am pleased to say we have been able to draw on our own expertise and that of organisations from across the UK healthcare landscape to produce an easy-to-apply set of principles which will ultimately benefit everyone who turns to YouTube seeking trustworthy health information.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. To ensure peace and stability in the region, it is necessary to support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci wrote on his page on X (Twitter), Trend reports.

"Took part in the event organized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbekov for representatives of the diplomatic corps in Azerbaijan, regarding the current situation in Karabakh," the ambassador noted.

The diplomat stressed that Turkiye supports efforts to assist the Armenian population living in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan to meet their needs within the framework of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Turkiye believes that to ensure peace and stability in the region, it is necessary to support the territorial integrity, sovereignty and humanitarian efforts of brotherly Azerbaijan, and avoid statements and actions that will further aggravate the situation," the publication says.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Deputy Chief of the Executive Power (EP) of Nakhchivan city Tahmina Mustafayeva has been dismissed from her post, Trend reports.

The relevant decree was signed by the head of Nakhchivan city Executive Power Mirsanani Seyidov.

Mustafayeva was also dismissed from the post of the head of the department on socio-political and humanitarian issues of the EP.
Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that the Government is discussing on Friday the impact by the war in Ukraine on Romania's state budget, in order to later transmit the data to Brussels.

"We need to discuss today, with clear figures, which we already have, about the impact that the war in Ukraine caused on the state budget. We have already analyzed this aspect in Brussels, last week, and the European officials understand Romania's situation and are waiting for us to send them updated figures in this regard," the prime minister said, at the beginning of the Government meeting, agerpres reports.

On 1 September, Marcel Ciolacu declared, after the meetings in Brussels with the European leaders, that there is flexibility regarding the presentation of a new plan regarding Romania's budget deficit, and a decision will be made by the end of the year.

"It is obvious that, following Romania's effort to support Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and it is obvious, as a border country, we have the longest border with Ukraine, a country in a totally unfair armed conflict with Russia, that we have negative influences, from insurance, from interest for loans, because we are a country with a higher risk, compared to Austria, for example, which is further away from the conflict with Ukraine," said Ciolacu, when asked if the European Commission accepts the increase in the budget deficit of Romania.
The Romanian Navy and the US Navy jointly organise, September 11-15, the "Sea Breeze 23.3" multinational military exercise in the area of responsibility of the Romanian Navy in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta.

According to the Romanian Navy Chief of Staff, participating in the exercise led by the Vice Admiral Ioan Georgescu Command of the Navy are forces and capabilities designed to fight against explosive devices from Bulgaria, France, the UK, Romania, the US, Turkey, and Ukraine, agerpres reports.

"The Romanian Navy deploys for the multinational exercise its 30 Sublocotenent Alexandru Axente maritime minesweeper, the fast diving ship Venus, the 179 armoured fast patrol boat Posada, high speed rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB), EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) specialists , specialists from the Mine Combat Data Center opertaing under the authority of the Maritime Hydrographic Directorate, a platoon of marine infantrymen, three armoured amphibious research transporters, assault boats and staff officers," according to the statement.

Joining from the US are a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, and EOD divers with specific boats and hardware, while from the other participating countries are divers, EOD specialists as well as staff officers.The main objective of the "Sea Breeze 23.3" exercise is to develop operational and tactical interoperability among the participating countries in the area of combating explosive devices, especially drifting sea mines, in order to secure freedom of navigation.Prior to the training activities within the exercise, the Romanian Navy, jointly with the US Navy, organised on September 5-6, in Constanta, a meeting of the commanders of the navies of the NATO member states from the Black Sea (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey) , which was also attended by the commander of the French Naval Forces in the Mediterranean Sea, officials of the British Royal Navy, the commander of the US 6th Fleet, the commander of the Allied Maritime Command of NATO and a delegation from Ukraine."The conference led by the Romanian Navy Chief of Staff Mihai Panait and commander of the United States Sixth Fleet Thomas E. Ischee, contributes to the development of a synchronised vision at the level of NATO components and partner states related to security concerns in the Black Sea region and the safety of naval traffic amidst the ongoing Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine and the danger generated by drifting sea mines."The official opening ceremony of the multinational Exercise "Sea Breeze 23.3" will take place on Monday at the Passenger Terminal in the port of Constanta, where state leaders participating in the training sequences of the exercise will be present
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and lawyers for those suing to overturn the state's restrictions on transgender medical care are clashing over whether a new judge should be assigned to oversee the case.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer last month ruled a law barring gender-affirming care for minors, and banning Medicaid payments for such treatment for adults, could take effect as both sides continued to argue their cases in court.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case  including doctors, LGBTQ+ organizations, and three families of transgender minors  on Tuesday asked Ohmer to assign a new judge in the case, following his order last month against temporarily blocking the law.

The plaintiffs, in their Tuesday filing, said they are exercising their right to one change of judge pursuant to a Missouri Supreme Court rule. But in response, the Missouri attorney general's office said Wednesday the other side had already "exhausted" its right to a change of judge.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 22.

In a post Wednesday on the social media site X, Bailey accused the plaintiffs of shopping for a more favorable venue after a major loss in court last month.

He said the ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal, which are representing plaintiffs in the case, "are forum shopping to evade our decisive legal victory in court."

"It's an embarrassing attempt to skirt the law after they've already used their one permitted change of judge," Bailey said. "They won't get away with it. Not on my watch."

In their Tuesday motion, the plaintiffs said the case was originally assigned to Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker, and that the attorney general's office requested a change of judge.

The case then was assigned to Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green, who recused himself, and then to Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem, the filing said.

Beetem, the plaintiffs said, couldn't meet that side's request for a three-day evidentiary hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction prior to the law taking effect on Aug. 28.

So the Missouri Supreme Court assigned Ohmer to the case.

"Plaintiffs have not yet exercised their right to apply for a change of judge," attorneys with the ACLU, Lambda Legal and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner said Tuesday.

Not so, the Missouri attorney general's office said Wednesday.

The state said in a court filing that plaintiffs "exercised and exhausted" their right to one change of judge in early August.

Green recused himself from the case after the plaintiffs said Aug. 3 they "will" ask for another judge if he is assigned.

"Plaintiffs expressly informed the Court that they 'will' take the change of judge if it is assigned to Judge Green," the state said. "The case was then assigned to Judge Green, who clearly took Plaintiff at their word and entered a quick recusal."

Bailey said the other side also requested a second change of judge, noting the plaintiffs' request for a ruling on the preliminary injunction prior to Aug. 28.

Because Beetem couldn't accommodate that schedule, he asked the Supreme Court to reassign the case, Bailey's office said.

"Having already obtained not just one but two changes of judge (one as of right  and one discretionary), Plaintiffs seek yet another bite at the apple," the state said.

The plaintiffs, in their lawsuit, argued the law, approved this year by Missouri's Republican-controlled Legislature, was discriminatory.

But Ohmer ruled Aug. 25 that the plaintiffs' arguments were "unpersuasive and not likely to succeed."

"The science and medical evidence is conflicting and unclear. Accordingly, the evidence raises more questions than answers," Ohmer wrote in his ruling. "As a result, it has not clearly been shown with sufficient possibility of success on the merits to justify the grant of a preliminary injunction."

The law allows minors currently receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy to continue with treatment. The law expires in August 2027.

One plaintiff, a 10-year-old transgender boy, had not yet started puberty and consequently had not yet started taking puberty blockers.

His family was worried he will begin puberty after the law took effect, meaning he would not be grandfathered in and will not have access to puberty blockers for the next four years until the law sunsets.

Proponents of the law argued gender-affirming medical treatments are unsafe and untested.

Bailey's office wrote in a court brief that blocking the law "would open the gate to interventions that a growing international consensus has said may be extraordinarily damaging."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
JENNINGS  The Jennings City Council on Thursday voted to reinstate a contract for a long-awaited $11 million city hall and community center canceled in recent weeks by Mayor Gary Johnson and give itself permission to hire an outside lawyer to fight a legal battle with Johnson over control of the city.

The moves, approved by a 5-0 vote in an emergency meeting, were the latest response from a narrow council majority in an entrenched political battle with Johnson, a former councilman elected mayor in April, and his supporters.

Johnson wasn't at the meeting. Neither were three of the eight council members, the city clerk or attorney.

The council majority said they called the meeting to avoid a potential lawsuit from the contractor hired last November to build the city center, who threatened to sue for breach of contract and as much as $100,000 in damages.

"It's our job to protect the city and be good stewards of our tax dollars," Councilman Terry Wilson said in an interview after the meeting. "We're upholding our duty as a council."

Johnson could not immediately be reached for comment after the vote Thursday night, the latest fallout in a chaotic gridlock in Jennings, a municipality of 13,000 in north St. Louis County, along St. Louis citys northwest border. Recent resignations by top city employees and disagreements between the mayor and city council members on hirings, firings and other personnel matters have left Jennings city government on hold. And both factions last month scheduled separate meetings without involving one another.

The rift in the city emerged after Johnson narrowly defeated Mayor Yolanda Austin, who is also Wilson's mother, by 469 votes to 435 in the April election, after a campaign in which Johnson had accused Austin of misspending. Austin and Wilson were both elected in 2016, after the council impeached former Mayor Yolanda Fountain-Henderson under accusations she signed contracts without council approval, illegally obtained and removed personnel records from city hall and suspended an employee without due process.

Last month, the longtime city attorney, Sam Alton, and clerk, Deletra Hudson, resigned and alleged Johnson had tried to oust them illegally and created a hostile working environment. Three other employees had also quit in protest. Alton also is an attorney for other north St. Louis County suburbs and is St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell's chief of staff.

A council majority then called the emergency meeting Aug. 18 to reinstate the employees, but neither Hudson nor Alton have since returned. Johnson attempted to stop the meeting, and St. Louis County Police had to intervene when Johnson and a council member began shoving each other. Police intervened again as council members argued among themselves during the meeting, while residents' questions about city businesses went unanswered.

Five of eight council members later issued a public letter declaring no confidence in Johnson, accusing him of carrying out "personal vendettas" and seeking to "dismantle city government."

Johnson last month sued the council and asked a St. Louis County judge to declare the council's votes invalid, arguing the council called the emergency meeting without public notice required by law and should not have allowed Hudson, who had formally resigned as city clerk, to preside over the meeting.

The council majority also criticized Johnson for ordering a halt to the long-sought project for a new city hall and community center. The contract, signed under Austin's administration, had called for construction to be completed by February 2024.

But Johnson questioned the need for the city hall and community center project, pointing toward a pending audit of the city's budget. The city had paid $150,000 to a construction manager for the new city hall project, he said, but nothing had yet been built. He instead pushed an economic development plan centered around rehabilitating abandoned properties.

Last week, the contractor Hankins Construction, fired back in a letter accusing Johnson of costing the company more than $100,000 in damages. Hankins President Stephen Hankins said the company would be willing to restart work for the city if the council extended the project deadline and paid the damages Hankins claimed the company was owed.

On Thursday, the council majority said that while they shared Johnson's concerns about whether the project was the citys most urgent need, he never discussed it with them.

"The council has had zero communication about this at any time," Councilwoman Nadia Quinn said. "None of us had any of this information to make an educated decision."

The council hoped that by reversing the stop order, they could avoid a potential lawsuit from Hankins demanding payment for damages, including work done on architectural and design plans and hiring of subcontractors.

Theres going to be some kind of fines, theres no way around it, Quinn said. There are consequences for breach of contract."

Despite the rancor of recent weeks, the council delayed a vote to formally approve its August letter declaring a vote of no confidence in Johnson by reading it into the city record. The move, they said, was meant as an olive branch to Johnson and other council members to invite them to discuss city business in a public meeting of the full council.

But that didn't stop the council majority from accusing Johnson of withholding information from them about why city employees were resigning or being fired, nor information about how he had selected replacement hires. Among other moves, Johnson had hired a public relations firm and distributed monies without council input, they said.

Wilson, in a lengthy address, said the council wanted to discuss the moves with Johnson in public meetings but the mayor and his staff wouldnt cooperate.

It doesnt work like that, its not a dictatorship, Wilson said. We have certain powers and the mayor has certain powers, but we cant overstep our powers and he cant overstep his powers."

The council's comments were greeted with applause from some of the more than two dozen people in the crowd, including Austin, the former mayor. But the applause was mixed with jeers from several people who appeared to be supporters of Johnson.

"Lies!" one woman shouted. Another woman left the building while shouting obscenities at the council.

During scheduled public comment, Geraldine Silas, 65, criticized the council for furthering division in the city. In her 40 years living in Jennings, she said, she had never seen improvements in her neighborhood until Johnson became mayor.

Nothing happened until Mayor Johnson got in, Silas said. Grass cutting, houses being torn down. New houses being built.

Dorothy Howard, 68, said Silas was seeing the fruit of work the previous administration had put in motion.

Everything you're doing right now is what the other mayor was already doing, Silas said.

The council majority Thursday was comprised of Wilson, Quinn, Alan Stichnote, Jane Brown and Jeannie Roberts.

Absent from the special meeting were Johnson, the city attorney, the city clerk and three of eight council members: Kimberly Morton, Lorraine Clower, and Denise Woods.

Updated at 9:36 p.m. Thursday with more details
ST. LOUIS  Man killed in Dutchtown: A man was found shot to death Wednesday inside a vacant building in south St. Louis.

Levar Cummings, 29, was discovered about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday in the 4100 block of South Grand Boulevard. The scene was in the city's Dutchtown neighborhood.

Cummings lived in the 5500 block of Tennessee Avenue.

Officers found Cummings dead inside the building. He had been shot in the head, police said.

FERGUSON  Man charged with beating his mother to death: A man was charged this week with beating his mother to death after her body was found hidden in his backyard.

Rodney Hubbard, 32, is accused of killing his mom, 62-year-old Rochelle Hubbard, then trying to hide her body underneath plastic, a bed sheet, a wheel barrow, tree branches and a comforter.

Hubbard and his mother both lived in the home, in the 7400 block of Blanding Drive in Ferguson. Officers said they found the body around 2:30 a.m. Monday after they were called to the home for a wellness check, and Hubbard made multiple statements incriminating himself.

Hubbard was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence. He is being held on a $2 million, cash-only bond.

ST. LOUIS  Police shoot man: Police shot a man Thursday in north St. Louis.

Police initially said the man fired at officers, but later Thursday said he pointed a gun at them and there was no indication he fired.

No officers were injured in the incident, which happened around noon in the 5500 block of Martin Luther King Drive. A condition was not available for the man who was shot.

Police said the man was armed with a semi-automatic gun with an extended magazine, and they found it at the scene.

The scene was on the edge of the city's Wells-Good-fellow and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods.

At least two vehicles were in the road, and medics were seen taking an injured man away in a stretcher.

ST. LOUIS  Blues forward accused of drunken driving: Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen has been accused of aggravated drunken driving in Finland, according to Finnish national media.

Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported Thursday the case was brought to court in late August but provided few details. In Finland, drunken driving cases are considered aggravated if the driver's blood-alcohol content is above a certain limit.

Yle said further information would only be made available after a court hearing set for February.

Kapanen, 27, was claimed off waivers by the Blues in the middle of last season after playing more than seven years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. He appeared in 23 games for the Blues, scoring eight goals and recording six assists.

Kapanen was born in Kuopio, Finland, and played for the country's national team.

Neither Kapanen's agent nor a Blues spokesperson immediately responded to a request for comment Thursday.

CLAYTON  Woman told police her boyfriend tripped, landed on knife: A St. Ann woman charged with murder told police her boyfriend tripped and fell on the knife that killed him.

Danyale T. Riley was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with evidence in the death of David Humphrey, who was fatally stabbed Tuesday at a home the 9900 block of Fox Hall Court in St. Ann.

Charges say Riley initially called her father, who then called police. Officers went to the home and found Humphrey on the floor with a stab wound to his chest. Riley was sitting nearby.

Riley told investigators that she and Humphrey struggled over the knife before he tripped and the weapon stabbed him in the chest, according to charges.

Police did not recover the weapon underneath Humphrey's body but took knives from the kitchen for further testing, according to court documents.

Riley is being held on a $2 million bond.

ST. LOUIS  Police ID man killed in Dutchtown: St. Louis police on Wednesday identified the man who was fatally shot two weeks ago in the city's Dutchtown neighborhood.

The victim was Luis Fernanado Cruz Cruz, 31. St. Louis police Sgt. Charles Wall said investigators think he was homeless.

The victim was found shot about 3 a.m. Aug. 24 in the 3600 block of Keokuk Street. He was found on the ground, unconscious but breathing.

He was taken to a hospital, where he died two days later.

Detectives have no suspects in the case.
Some of her fellow teens think writing poetry is old-fashioned, Shangri-La Hou says.

My peers think its an archaic form of art, but its not at all.

In fact its so not archaic that Shangri-La has won $5,000, an invitation to the White House and the chance to share her writing with other students in the St. Louis area.

The John Burroughs senior was chosen last month as one of only five National Student Poets who will spend a year as poetry ambassadors.

I was pretty shocked about it, the 17-year-old from Lake Saint Louis says.

The program looks for high school poets whose work exhibits exceptional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise. The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers partner in the program, which urges applications from students who have already won gold or silver medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Shangri-La will head to Washington late this month and believes she may meet first lady Jill Biden. In the meantime, shes brainstorming how to spread poetry among young people in a community service project.

Poetry is an inspiring medium for art and emotion, she says. I think its important to spread awareness about it and to get more people writing.

She says she mostly writes free-form poetry, often focusing on her own identity or the natural world. Although shes always liked to write, she became more serious about poetry as a sophomore and now listens to the podcast Poetry Unbound to learn about other writers. Pursuing artistic endeavors is an outlet that helps Shangri-La figure out what her own viewpoint and feelings are. She acknowledges a drive to learn and curiosity about various subjects.

Among other interests are drawing, digital artwork and birdwatching  another pastime she describes as sometimes seen as an old person thing.

Like poetry, birding is something more young people should be involved in, Shangri-La says. People just dont appreciate birds and wildlife enough.

She also enjoys math and science, saying I like watching math videos in my free time. Over the summer, she had a research internship in microbiology at Washington University that was really fun.

Her family moved here from New Mexico a few years ago, and Shangri-La says she misses the mountains and desert. The daughter of immigrants (her father came to America from China and her mother from Hong Kong), she was born in Florida, where the family lived before New Mexico.

Her father, Feng Hou, moved the family here when he got a new job. Hes now chief information officer at St. Louis Community College. Her mother, Michelle (Yu) Peh, is a stay-at-home mom who runs the blockchain business Whitefish.one, and her sister, Meona, 14, also attends John Burroughs.

Feng Hou calls being named one of five National Student Poets a great honor for Shangri-La. Its a really interesting journey for her.

Although Shangri-La hasnt decided what shell study in college, she says medicine is one possibility. Her father notes shes practical about college, leaving unsaid that most parents wouldnt call poetry a lucrative career path.

But Shangri-La doesnt want to totally give up creative writing, and she hopes to publish poems or short stories one day.

For the new poetry ambassador, the process of writing and rewriting poetry is a way to unearth a lot of things I didnt know before, both internally and externally.

Maybe getting my poetry out there will help people go through the same process.

'Cardinal Direction'

By Shangri-La Hou

Im no ornithologist. But when youre wading through

shin-deep snow with no jacket, no manufactured layer differentiating

you from your wildness, you become the same as all of the other animals

in the last reaches of winter: waiting out that singular purpose of survival.

If some other Bible-bound man saw you running out, eyes widened upward,

hed say you were looking for God in that infinite and thawing sky.

Could you prove him wrong? Your eyes dart from red to red on coniferous green,

the searching like a drawl the tongue holds against the hungry cave of its mouth,

or the patient pushing, every year, of bird song against silence.
Nar has presented valuable gifts to the first ten applicants who scored the highest points at the entrance exams to higher education institutions in the 2022-2023 academic year. Thus, each student received a gold number from Nar, with a balance of 700 AZN and modern smartphones. The event took place with the media support of the Modern.az Information Agency.

Well-known state and media representatives who participated in the award ceremony congratulated the highest scorers of the year and wished them success. Aziz Akhundov, the head of Public Relations Department at Nar, also wished them success in their future studies and careers. "You have become an example for future applicants with this high score achieved through great perseverance and hard work. I believe that you will be an example to your fellow students with your knowledge and achieve even greater success in your university studies", he noted.

Nar has been organizing an award ceremony for seven years, bringing together applicants with the highest scores to further motivate them in their academic journey. The strategic focus on education as part of its corporate social responsibility policy underscores Nar's commitment to creating a positive and sustainable impact on both individuals and the wider community. Detailed information about the projects implemented by the mobile operator is available at nar.az/projects.

Nar currently provides high-quality communication services to 2.2 million subscribers. Nar has been the leading mobile operator in the country according to the Net Promoter Score for the last 4 years. The mobile operator adheres to a customer-centric strategy and provides best-in-class service at an affordable price.
CLAYTON A Berkeley man admitted Thursday to beating his girlfriend's 2-year-old son to death in a Florissant apartment last year.

Dajuan Louden, 27, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the death of toddler Jayceon Skaggs.

Louden was originally charged with the higher level offense of abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, but reached a plea deal with prosecutors in the case.

Louden admitted that on Feb. 1, 2022, he "aggressively grabbed" and punched Jayceon in the back, leading to the boy's death, according to court documents.

The boy died after the beating at an apartment in the 3200 block of Cross Keys Drive.

Louden will receive credit for about one year and seven months of time served, according to court documents.
ST. LOUIS  Washington University plans to join a list of elite campuses that have eliminated federal student loans from their financial aid packages.

Starting next year, students who qualify for financial aid will receive scholarships and grants from Washington U. in place of loans. About 16% of the universitys 7,700 undergraduate students take out federal loans and graduate with a median $17,500 in debt, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

We want to get them here, support them during their time here, and prepare them to do great things. Now, when they graduate from WashU, they will do so debt-free, said Chancellor Andrew Martin in a statement.

In 2001, Princeton University became the first in the country to remove loans from financial aid packages, followed by other Ivy League institutions. The dozen other universities with no-loan policies tend to be highly selective with large endowments.

The average borrower in the U.S. has more than $40,000 in student loan debt, according to the nonprofit Education Data Initiative.

Student debt is expected to be a hot-button topic in the 2024 presidential election. Federal loan payments will resume next month after a lengthy pause during the pandemic. And a relief plan from the Biden administration, which would forgive up to $20,000 in loans, was rejected in June by the U.S. Supreme Court.

At the same time, colleges have been competing for a shrinking number of students as enrollment continues to trend downward. Over the past few years, Washington U. has become known for one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country.

In fall of 2020, the university started offering full rides to any student from Missouri or southern Illinois whose family income is under $75,000.

The WashU Pledge covers the costs of tuition, room and board and fees for applicants who meet the financial requirements and are admitted as full-time undergraduates. About 5% of incoming freshmen have received the Pledge award, including 98 this school year.

When it was launched, Chancellor Martin said the program was part of being a good neighbor to St. Louis.

I wasnt even able to consider WashU until I heard about the Pledge program, said Elise Thompkins, a senior majoring in psychological and brain sciences. It has made the college experience much less stressful and more accessible.

Thompkins, who graduated from Pattonville High School, is taking graduate courses in occupational therapy, which are also covered by the scholarship.

My plan was not to stay in St. Louis whatsoever, but here I am staying for college and grad school, Thompkins said. Thats really just because I couldnt pass up such an amazing opportunity as a WashU education.

The university moved to need-blind admissions in 2022, meaning an applicants ability to pay is no longer a factor in undergraduate admissions decisions.

That program, called Gateway to Success, invested $1 billion in financial aid after the universitys endowment earned a record 65% return in fiscal 2021 to reach $15.3 billion. The endowment dropped to $12.3 billion last year, still placing it among the top 15 in the country.

The sticker price for undergraduate tuition, room and board at Washington U. this school year is about $84,000. The average student receiving financial aid pays $27,595, according to federal data.

The university received national media coverage in 2014 for its lack of economic diversity, then enrolling the fewest number of underprivileged students among elite institutions. In the last decade, the university has increased the number of low-income students who qualify for federal Pell grants from 5% to 21% of the total enrollment.

Schools like Washington U. should meet a goal of 20% low-income students in part to justify their tax-exempt status, according to researchers at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.
JEFFERSON CITY  Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is running for governor, is using taxpayer funds to pay a campaign donor to represent him in a high-profile lawsuit.

Instead of using the Missouri attorney generals office to fight a challenge to new investment rules being pushed by Ashcroft, the Republican hired the politically connected Kansas City law firm of Graves Garrett to represent his office.

Among a trio of Graves Garrett lawyers on the case is Edward Greim, who contributed the maximum amount of $2,825 to Ashcrofts gubernatorial campaign in June.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association sued Ashcroft in August arguing that a new state rule designed to limit the impact of environmental, social and governance factors in investment decisions conflicts with federal securities laws.

The organization said the rule fails to acknowledge that federal law already requires financial advisers to act in the best interest of their clients when providing personalized investment advice.

The 43-page suit alleges that the rules violate the constitutional right to free speech by requiring brokers to stick to a script outlined in the new rule.

The government cannot compel professionals to make policy statements on political issues, the lawsuit says.

Ashcroft issued the rules  the first in the nation  after a similar anti-woke investing proposal died in the Legislature this spring.

Ashcroft, who is facing Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Sen. Bill Eigel in the August 2024 GOP primary, is using the lawsuit to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign.

I implemented new rules requiring Wall Street bankers and money managers to notify their customers when they choose to invest their retirement savings in woke ESG investments, rather than investments that generate the best return, Ashcroft said in a campaign memo to supporters earlier this month.

Ashcrofts office spokesman JoDonn Chaney referred questions about the fundraising scheme to the secretarys campaign team.

Campaign spokesman Jason Cabel Roe said in an email, This case requires specialized understanding of securities law. After conferring with several law firms, we chose Graves Garrett, because they have attorneys with the necessary technical knowledge and experience with the Western District of Missouri.

In hiring Graves Garrett, Ashcrofts office notified Attorney General Andrew Baileys office in an Aug. 16 letter, saying the firm has the expertise in the securities industry and will be beneficial to the defense of the rule.

Baileys office signed off on the hire but denied Ashcrofts request to pay for the outside lawyers with a fund overseen by the attorney general.

Bailey chief of staff James Atkins said in an Aug. 24 letter obtained by the Post-Dispatch that hiring Graves Garrett is not eligible for that funding source.

Retaining independent counsel removes AGO oversight and thus negates coverage, Atkins wrote.

Greim and the law firm are politically active. Partner Todd Graves, a former head of the Missouri Republican Party, was named to the University of Missouri board of trustees in 2021 and Greim was mentioned as a possible pick for attorney general when Eric Schmitt vacated the post to become U.S. senator.

Greim also has represented witnesses involved in the U.S. House investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Greim also represented the Office of the Governor in 2018 when former Gov. Eric Greitens was under investigation for possible impeachment.

The law firm has done occasional work for state clients. In 2021, for example, taxpayers paid $432,000 to the firm for legal representation.

Ashcrofts campaign committee paid Graves Garrett $1,190 in 2022 for legal consultations.
ST. LOUIS  A block-long stretch of Grand Boulevard, one of the citys main north-south arteries, has been closed to traffic for almost six weeks  ever since chunks of masonry fell off a 14-story apartment building.

Repairs recently began on the 106-year-old University Club building. But city officials say they dont know how soon it will be safe enough to reopen the Grand Center arts district thoroughfare near the Fox Theatre and Powell Hall.

The closure isnt only affecting motorists who have to detour around the stretch, between Washington Avenue and Samuel Shepard Drive. A restaurant on the buildings ground floor, Garys Fine Dining, has shut down temporarily as a safety precaution.

Its killing us, said Tracey Hawkins, the restaurants manager. Her boss, owner Gary Johnson, says hes lost thousands of dollars in business and Im losing workers left and right.

The sequence of events began when stones and other debris fell to the sidewalk and street in the early morning of July 30. No one was injured and no vehicles were hit, officials said.

The debris fell from the northeast side of the building but a later inspection indicated possible problems on the southeast side, where Garys is located, said Dawn Kleinschrodt, chief financial officer for Kohner Properties. Kohner manages the building for the owner, University Club Associates.

Nick Dunne, a spokesman for Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, said Grand in both directions was closed out of caution and detour signs went up. The sidewalk in front of the building on Grand also was blocked off.

The citys building commissioner, Frank Oswald, said a repair plan submitted by a contractor hired by the building was approved a week ago by his office. Masonry falling from old buildings in the city isnt unheard of, he said. It happens every few years.

We inspect it as they go along, Oswald said, adding that the city also will have to approve the final work.

He said in such situations, his office and the city Streets Department typically decide jointly when the street can be used again after getting a recommendation from the buildings engineer for the repair work.

Kleinschrodt said the contractor believes that the work, to be done in three phases, will take about nine weeks.

She said she believes that its possible that Grand might reopen after the first phase but that that decision would be up to the city. During the initial period of up to two and a half weeks, she said, work crews will remove any remaining stones that appear to be loose and in danger of falling.

Thats the most urgent, so theyre addressing that first, Kleinschrodt said.

The next phases, she said, include work on the decorative cornice near the top of the building, followed by replacing the stones and other items that fell.

Kleinschrodt said a handful of people living in the 87 units, known as the University Plaza Apartments, will have to stay out of their residences for a few hours during part of the work. But she said details and timing have yet to be determined. City records indicate that the repair work is estimated at $1 million.

Johnson, the restaurant owner, said he voluntarily closed at the recommendation of a city building inspector. He said the inspector had told him that if the restaurant didnt do so, it would be ordered to shut down.

He has become increasingly frustrated with the situation. Theres no way we want anyone to get hurt, he said. But, he said, Im in danger of losing my business.

Dunne, the mayoral spokesman, said he was unable to reach the inspector Thursday and thus couldnt comment on what he had told Johnson. Dunne said it is not uncommon for Building Division officials to make recommendations for the safety of building tenants and others up to and including temporary closure.

Kleinschrodt said Thursday that the city building inspector wants the restaurant to remain closed another four to five weeks, until the contractor erects scaffolding that would protect people entering and leaving the eatery.

Johnson said he doesnt understand why he cant reopen sooner by using a side entrance on Washington, noting that Washington and that sidewalk hasnt been closed.

Meanwhile, Metro Transit says its #70 Grand bus route, the most used in its system, hasn't had any problems because of the closure and detour. A spokeswoman said there is time routinely built into bus schedules to deal with such traffic issues.

And two nearby businesses indicated that the shutdown of Grand hasnt been a major headache for them.

Jenna Phillips, director of sales and marketing for the Angad Arts Hotel directly across Grand from the apartment building, said it makes it a little tricky sometimes for guests when they arrive in the neighborhood.

But the hotels entrance is at the rear of its building, off Samuel Shepard Drive.

The scariest part was when it happened, she added, referring to the falling debris.

Phil Schreiber, owner of Best Steak House a block south, said the closure affects access for some customers but that people find a way to get around to get here.

Updated at 4:30 p.m. Friday with information on the Grand bus route
Two counties in Missouris Bootheel suffer from cancer mortality rates drastically higher than the state or national average.

On the border between them lies a manufacturing facility in Portageville that for more than 50 years has pumped out parts for cars  and according to some residents, also released carcinogenic metals and chemicals into the local drinking water.

SRG Global Coatings LLC, the company that owns the factory, has denied any misconduct or negligence. But in recent weeks, attorneys and environmental experts have sought records from the city of Portageville, which is in both New Madrid and Pemiscot counties, and held a public forum with residents about possible exposure to toxic materials.

They filed a lawsuit earlier this year against SRG and asked the court to grant class-action status for possible plaintiffs.

SRG has acted with complete indifference and conscious disregard for the health and safety ofclass members who have been exposed to hazardous chemicals and metals that are carcinogenic and/or hazardous to human health, says the lawsuit.

While the allegations against SRG are new, southeast Missouri is no stranger to its biggest industries causing massive environmental harm.

The region includes Missouris old lead belt, where mining and smelting operations poisoned children and left waterways contaminated. An aluminum smelter and coal plant have filled the air above New Madrid County with triple the limit of sulfur dioxide set by environmental regulators.

Seven of the 10 Missouri counties with the highest cancer mortality rates are located in southeast Missouri, including three in the Bootheel.

Filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri in February on behalf of Portageville resident Michelle Peeler and other unnamed plaintiffs, the lawsuit against SRG contends that contaminants have migrated from its manufacturing facility into the groundwater the town draws from for drinking. Those contaminants include hexavalent chromium, chromium, nickel and per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS.

According to a flier from an environmental consulting group that held a town hall late last month in Portageville, those contaminants can increase individuals risk of developing several types of cancers, increased cholesterol, skin problems and issues with their respiratory, reproductive or gastrointestinal systems.

Portageville, Missouri has rates of Hexavalent Chromium in their water that's 128,000 times HIGHER THAN the rates that led to Erin Brokovich's investigation & movie...



PFAS levels 500 times HIGHER THAN the levels for the Dark Waters movie...



Our people have been poisoned  pic.twitter.com/4ZcKvck37M  Randi McCallian, MPH, IBCLC (@RandiMcCallian) September 7, 2023

Already, New Madrid and Pemiscot counties suffer from cancer mortality rates 40% and 60% higher than the national average, respectively, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Peeler and other Bootheel residents allege SRG withheld information from residents about the extent of the contamination, the lawsuit says.

Initially, the lawsuit sought damages on three counts, but the judge assigned to the case dismissed a charge. It requests class action status, compensatory and punitive damages and orders from the judge requiring that SRG disclose any studies or reports it has performed related to the contamination and that SRG resolve the problem.

Neither the plaintiffs attorneys nor SRG and its attorneys immediately responded to requests for comment Thursday afternoon.

The lawsuit against SRG claims the company was negligent in failing to sample soil and drinking water for contamination, warn plaintiffs, prevent migration of the contamination plume and characterize and remediate the pollution. It also claims the facility has created a nuisance in the community.

SRG denied the allegations in its answer to the lawsuit, filed in April.

The company said in its filing that it did not cause any damages to the plaintiffs, has always followed regulations governing its operations, used state of the art technology and acted reasonably, in good faith, and with skill prudence and diligence.

Plaintiffs claims are barred, in whole or in part, because the injuries and damages alleged were not known to SRG, nor did SRG have reason to know of the alleged risk of harm, the companys response says.

Plaintiffs attorneys have issued a subpoena to the city of Portageville for a number of records, including documents related to the contamination and communications with SRG and state environmental regulators.

According to a case management order filed by Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., the case is expected to be in discovery for more than a year and go to trial in October 2025.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and X.
Sept. 8, the Friday after Labor Day, marks National 401(k) day. Its the day Americans are encouraged to check in on their retirement readiness.

But what about all the 401(k)s out in the ether? If youre not sure where one of your 401(k) accounts is, now is as good a time as any to find it.

According to Capitalize, a company that helps consumers find and transfer retirement accounts, there were 29.2 million lost 401(k) accounts in May 2023, worth about $1.65 trillion.

Even if you've left a small balance behind, it could be valuable when you retire.

Whats so great about 401(k)s, anyway?

Adrianna Vargo, a certified financial planner at Domain Money in Cleveland, Ohio, sees a myriad of tax benefits with the 401(k) plan. Contributing to a pre-tax traditional 401(k) reduces your taxable income, while a Roth 401(k) allows you to contribute after-tax money but enjoy tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals.

Another key advantage of the 401(k) is the employer match, if its offered. If you put a certain percentage of your paycheck into a 401(k), let's say 3%, some companies will match that percentage.

You essentially get free money just for contributing," Vargo says.

And whether you leave your job, you get laid off, or youre fired, that 401(k) money is yours to keep.

Why look for a lost 401(k)?

I think its worth the effort for several reasons, Vargo says. The first one being so that you don't lose track of it long term. And if it goes too long without having your eyes on it, you may completely forget about it. And we don't want to lose out on that money.

She also says that investment options and strategy change over time, depending on your money goals and how close you are to retirement. Keeping all your accounts in one place gives you an overview of how its invested and where it stands.

When you leave your job, you have four options with your 401(k), each one with its own pros and cons, says Thao Truong, a CFP with Morton Wealth in Calabasas, California.

Cashing out is one option, but that would mean paying taxes and early withdrawal penalties. Or you could roll it over to your new employers retirement plan. Another option is to roll it over into an individual retirement account (IRA). The last option would be to leave the account at your current company.

You dont have to make any decisions, Truong says, but the problem is that you can easily forget about it.

How do I find my lost 401(k)?

Contact your previous employer

If you think you have a 401(k) from a previous job, finding it could take some effort. Start with the human resources department of your last employer. The department should be able to connect you with the plan administrator or tell you if the account has been transferred to a new provider.

If you have an old statement, you can skip this step and contact the plan administrator directly.

Search databases

You can use your Social Security number to search for old retirement plans in various databases, either by yourself or with the help of a financial advisor.

Try government websites, such as the Department of Labor's Abandoned Plan Search and the U.S. Pension Guaranty Corp. for unclaimed pensions.

You could also use databases such as the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators site MissingMoney.com, and FreeErisa, an employee benefits database. These databases compile information on lost retirement accounts and are publicly accessible.

Other websites, such as Capitalize, also allow you to search retirement accounts for free but charge for premium services such as certain rollovers and account management.

Ive found my 401(k). Now what?

Once youve found your 401(k) account, the options are the same as when you leave an employer, Vargo says. Cash it out, roll it over or leave it where it is. Do whats right for you, she says, but rolling over has its benefits.

Keeping it all in one house and  knowing what it's invested in and where it stands is really important.

If you choose to roll your old 401(k) over to a new one or into an IRA, it does not count toward your annual contribution limit.

You can contribute up to $22,500 to a 401(k) in 2023 as an individual, and an additional $7,500 as a catch-up contribution if youre 50 or older. For IRAs, you can contribute up to $6,500 per year ($7,500 if you're 50 or older).

After you make your plans, you have a good opportunity to review your retirement accounts. Vargo recommends doing this periodically throughout the year, especially when you know what your income was for the prior year and what you think it might be in the next year.

With the caveat, though, if you do have a big change in income or a change in your family dynamic, maybe you had a baby or something along those lines, those life-change events are always a good time to review, too, and make sure that where youre saving your money each month aligns with your long-term and short-term goals.

Then, for the most part, try not to think about it, Vargo says.

Truong also says you dont need to check your fattened-up 401(k) account daily.

Youre investing for the future, not tomorrow, she says. The more you look at it, the easier you get emotionally attached to market movement, and market movement happens every day. If you get emotional  youre going to buy and sell.

Instead, she recommends reviewing your plan once per quarter, or once a year, to make sure your plan is growing according to your goals.

The perfect time each year to check in? Maybe the Friday after Labor Day, National 401(k) Day.
Ten leading forestry companies, managing almost 9 million hectares (22 million acres) of forests in 27 countries worth tens of billions of dollars, unite to help solve some of the world's largest environmental challenges.

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 7, 2023 / Prompted by the urgent call to action on climate change, biodiversity loss, reducing emissions by halting and reversing deforestation, some of the world's largest forestry companies are today launching a new initiative.

The group, known as the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC), includes founding members Dasos Capital, F&W Forestry, Gresham House, Marubeni, Mitsui & Co., Ltd (Mitsui), New Forests, Oji Holdings Corporation, Rayonier, Stora Enso and UPM.

Collectively these companies manage almost 9 million hectares of forests in 27 countries being Australia, New Zealand, USA, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Ireland, UK, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, France, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique.

Executive Director of the ISFC Ross Hampton said, "ISFC's mission is to advocate for increasing the global provision of renewable materials in the context of a circular bioeconomy; supporting growth that is compatible with climate and nature recovery imperatives; embedding science-based principles in policy and incentives; and increasing benefits to rural and Indigenous Peoples."

"The ISFC is committed to help solve the challenges laid out in the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, being progressed by the Forests and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP). The private forestry sector is a vital partner to mobilize capital at the scale required to deliver on these ambitions and the applicable United Nations Sustainable Development Goals."

Convening Chair of the ISFC, and Chair of nature-based real assets manager, New Forests, Dr. David Brand said, "For the forestry sector to play a greater role in the overarching sustainability transition it needs to engage more directly with the Climate Change and Biodiversity COPs, with initiatives such as the Forests and Climate Leaders Partnership and with other policy processes related to the conservation and sustainable management of forests.

"There is an expectation that the forestry sector needs to grow and contribute to a transition to greater use of sustainable, renewable, naturally decomposable materials in society; to a sustainable built environment; and to thriving rural communities. This will require expanded investment, but also an approach that creates and perpetuates landscapes which effectively balance conservation and production functions."

The ISFC will undertake activities during New York Climate Week and at COP28 in Dubai.

Mark McHugh, President, Rayonier said, "Sustainably managed working forests will play a vital role in supporting the transition to a circular bioeconomy. At Rayonier, we are committed to realizing the full potential of our forests in meeting the needs of society, and we are pleased to join the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition with a view towards achieving this vision."

###

Notes to Editors:

The ISFC Position Paper can be downloaded here.

For more information about ISFC please visit www.isfc.world.

Dr. David Brand and several other senior members of the ISFC companies will be present in New York during Climate Week (17-24 September) and available for media interviews.

Contact: Ross Hampton, ISFC Executive Director

[email protected]

+44 7930629814

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Rayonier on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Rayonier

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/rayonier

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Rayonier

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. A contract has been signed between Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (Azersu) and the Israeli national water supply operator Mekorot Water Company for the provision of technical consulting services as part of a seawater desalination project, Trend reports.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mekorot Water Company Amir Lang noted that in his country, 90 percent of the drinking water needs are met by their company, and approximately 60 percent of the water is supplied through seawater desalination.

The Mekorot Water Company and its subsidiary companies cooperate with several countries around the world in the field of seawater desalination and water resource management.

Back on October 2022, Baku and Tel Aviv have signed a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation for the establishment of the plant in Azerbaijan on the desalination of the Caspian Sea water.

The document was signed between Israel's I.D.E. Water Assets Ltd company and the Azerbaijani Investment Company OJSC.
Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of ABM Industries (NYSE: ABM) to Hold from Buy, lowering the price target to $43 from ...

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SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of bbb+ (Good) of Co-operative Life Limited (Co-op Life) (New Zealand). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Co-op Lifes balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. In addition, the ratings factor in a neutral impact from the companys ultimate 100% ownership by The Co-operative Bank Limited (Co-op Bank).

Co-op Lifes balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, which was at the strongest level as of fiscal year end (31 March) 2023, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best expects the companys risk-adjusted capitalisation to remain at the strongest level prospectively, supported by appropriate retention of operating earnings. A favourable balance sheet strength consideration is the companys conservative investment strategy, with a focus on cash and high-quality fixed-income securities. Offsetting balance sheet strength factors include the companys small absolute capital base, which increases the sensitivity of its capital adequacy to stress scenarios, as well as to changes in future performance, dividend payouts and the size of intangible assets.

The company has a track record of strong operating performance, with a five-year average return-on-equity ratio of 20.6% (fiscal years 2019-2023). Profitability continues to be driven by Co-op Lifes favourable claims experience, modest expense ratio and robust net investment income. Prospectively, AM Best expects a robust pricing strategy for its underwriting operations, as well as continued positive investment income, to sustain the strong operating performance assessment over the medium term.

AM Best considers Co-op Lifes business profile as limited, principally reflecting the companys small-scale of operations, as well as its limited product and geographic diversification in New Zealand. The companys product offerings are mainly comprised of term life and loan protection insurance products and it has a market share of less than 1% in the New Zealand life insurance industry, based on gross premiums written. As part of the Co-op Bank group, Co-op Life benefits from good distribution capabilities through its parents banking network, albeit maintaining a relatively low penetration rate among the banks customer base.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908645070/en/

Yi Ding

Senior Financial Analyst

+65 6303 5021

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

[email protected]

Michael Dunckley, CFA

Associate Director, Analytics

+44 20 7397 0312

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of bbb+ (Good) of The Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire Insurance Company Limited (HIHF) (Guyana) and the Hand-in-Hand Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited (HIHL). Both entities are referred to as Hand-in-Hand Group. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings of Hand-in-Hand Group reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

HIHF is the oldest insurance company in Guyana, established in 1865, and is the second-largest carrier in the countrys insurance industry. The company writes property/casualty lines of business with a market share of approximately 9.8%, based on premiums. As of December 2022, its business portfolio was composed mainly of fire and motor coverages, although it also operates heavily in the accidents and liability market. The company has taken a cautious approach to the recent economic growth in the country, by selecting its risks driven by profitability and proper reinsurance support.

HIHL was incorporated in 1966, and as a mutual company, it is owned by policyholders with a small amount of preferred shares issued to HIHF. The company is engaged predominantly in underwriting group health and life insurance, with a significant portfolio of ordinary life and annuities. Its market share is estimated at 21.0% of premiums. Overall, the Guyana insurance market experienced premium growth of 29.4% in 2022 to USD 95 million.

Hand-in-Hand Groups balance sheet strength assessment of very strong reflects each members stable capital base, with responsible asset-liability management and proper reinsurance coverage. Investment risk is an important component of the required capital, due to the limited available securities in the market in which both companies operate. As mutual companies, the quality of the capital is very good because of their stability and main outflows come from their triennial profit-sharing with entitled policyholders.

Operating performance at Hand-in-Hand Group is considered adequate with manageable loss and benefits paid ratios; nevertheless, the group has seen some volatility in premium growth and reported bottom-line results, with positive results for 2023, albeit lower than in 2022 in HIHF as investments valuations have leveled out after a year of strong appreciations in 2022. Hand-in-Hand Group shares policies and procedures and performs stress tests as part of its ERM and is continuously strengthening its risk management capabilities.

The stable outlooks for Hand-in-Hand Group reflects AM Bests expectation that the group will continue to perform within the adequate assessment of operating performance in terms of underwriting quality and profitability.

Positive rating actions for HIHF and HIHL could take place if the companies continue their positive trend in risk-adjusted capitalization, while building up their capital bases in a consistent manner. Conversely, negative rating actions for HIHF and HIHL could occur if there is a significant decline in the companies capital bases or if operating performance experiences deterioration over time from sustained underwriting or net losses.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Eli Sanchez

Director, Analytics

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 122

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

[email protected]

Alfonso Novelo

Senior Director, Analytics

+52 55 1102 02720, ext. 108

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Performance Assessment (assessment) of PA-2 (Excellent) of Delta Insurance New Zealand Limited (New Zealand) and Delta Underwriting Private Limited (Singapore). The companies are assessed on a consolidated basis under their parent, Delta International Limited (Delta). The outlook of the assessment is stable.

This assessment reflects Deltas strong underwriting capabilities, excellent governance and internal controls, strong financial condition, excellent organizational talent, and strong depth and breadth of relationships.

In AM Bests view, the two affiliated companies exhibit several commonalities with one another and are regarded as strategically and financially important to Delta, providing access to business in certain geographic jurisdictions in the Asia Pacific region. The organization was founded in 2014 with local ownership and operates from offices in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

Since launching in 2014, Delta has recorded profitable underwriting results across a variety of liability lines in the Asia Pacific region, along with property coverage only in New Zealand. Underwriting capabilities are strengthened further from Deltas in-house underwriting staff and claims handling. Delta has a well-developed technology base that provides insurance services and has allowed the organization to increase its gross premium writings annually and expand coverage options.

AM Best considers Deltas governance and internal controls to be excellent. Delta has implemented a sophisticated framework for selecting capacity providers, which elevates the products and coverage it can provide to its policyholders. The ability to provide these products is complemented by Deltas extensive use of internal audits, policies, procedures, quality reviews and monitoring.

AM Best assess Deltas financial condition as strong. Delta has shown a record of profitable operations since inception, with stable income sources and continued positive net worth. Earnings are allocated generally to reinvestment into operations. Results have remained consistent during periods of scaling premium, policyholder counts or geographic expansion. The organization does not retain any insurance risk.

Deltas senior management is highly experienced across its lines of business and the geographic region in which the group operates. The knowledge and training base within Delta further benefits its underwriting capabilities. AM Best would expect the quality and quantity of Deltas staff to develop and increase accordingly as the organization continues to grow.

AM Best assesses Deltas depth and breadth of relationships as strong. While Delta has a relatively compact history, most capacity providers have partnered with the organization since its founding. Multiple programs across a wide-ranging footprint provide appropriate diversification. The longer-term ability of Delta to retain and sustain relationships has opportunity for advancement and development.

This press release relates to Performance Assessments that have been published on AM Bests website. For all information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the Performance Assessments referenced in this release, please see AM Bests website. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Performance Assessments, please view Guide to Bests Performance Assessments for Delegated Underwriting Authority Enterprises. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Riley Parnham

Financial Analyst

+1 908 882 2229

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

[email protected]

Robert Raber

Director

+1 908 882 2261

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good), as well as downgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to bbb (Good) from bbb+ (Good) and the Mexico National Scale Rating to aa.MX (Superior) from aa+.MX (Superior) of Dentegra Seguros Dentales, S.A. (DSD) (Mexico). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect DSDs balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

DSDs ratings were downgraded and placed under review with negative implications in February 2023, following the announcement that Auna S.A.A. (Auna), a Peruvian health-focused company, had acquired 100% ownership of DSD. DSD is no longer affiliated with Delta Dental companies (Dentegra Group); consequently, it no longer benefits from the operational leverage through common systems, procedures and ERM practices, which translates into rating support from being a member of the group. The previous under review with negative implications status reflected the minimal information that AM Best had at the time regarding DSD's new shareholders.

The current stable outlooks reflect AM Best's expectations that the change in ownership will bring commercial opportunities to DSD, while allowing it to continue working under its established practices and guidelines, which have historically rendered positive bottom-line results and through the reinvestment of earnings strengthened its capital base.

The ratings of DSD are limited by the recent change in ownership, as there is still a certain degree of implementation risks that AM Best will monitor as the strategy of Auna unfolds. Auna (Peru, 1989) offers oncology treatments and other healthcare plans in Mexico, Peru and Colombia. The acquisition of DSD is part of Aunas expansion strategy, adding dental and vision insurance to its products in Mexico.

DSD initiated operations in Mexico in 2007 and successfully implemented its growth strategy to achieve its break-even point within five years. The company continues to be ranked as a market leader, holding over 60% of the dental insurance market. DSD operates through a network of independent agents, local brokers and other insurance companies as a complement to its medical expense plans. The company holds commercial relationships with more than 4,000 dentists throughout Mexico. These positive factors are offset by the companys concentration in two products, dental and vision insurance and the niche nature of these markets.

DSDs risk-adjusted capitalization stands at the strongest level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The company is susceptible to underwriting risk as it retains 100% of its premiums, followed by investment risks. DSD follows a conservative investment strategy, in line with local guidelines, which provides a steady flow of revenues.

Operating performance is considered adequate, given DSDs track record of positive bottom-line results over the years. The company has demonstrated strong underwriting practices, and these have resulted in positive technical performance, further strengthen by investment income.

AM Best considers the companys ERM assessment as appropriate for its risk appetite and as being strongly supported by its ERM infrastructure and practices, as well as the expertise from its management team.

Positive rating actions could take place if DSD is able to grow its capital base through the reinvestment of earnings, while maintaining its risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level. Negative rating actions could take place should the change in DSD's ownership cause volatility in the company's capital base or modify its underwriting tenets prompting a deterioration in operating performance.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Inger Rodriguez

Financial Analyst

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 108

[email protected]

Eli Sanchez

Director, Analytics

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 122

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) today announced it has been named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN for the fourth consecutive year. Ameriprise earned the distinction after receiving a score of 90 percent on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), which measures tangible actions companies take in an effort to support disability inclusion including culture, leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement and supplier diversity.

We are committed to inclusion in every part of the Ameriprise experience so that all employees and advisors feel that they belong, can grow and develop in their careers with us, said Rudy Rodriguez, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Ameriprise Financial. Being named a Top Scorer on the Disability Equality Index for a fourth year symbolizes our support for employees with seen and unseen disabilities, and we are proud to be recognized among the top companies that foster an inclusive and accessible workplace.

Ameriprise has demonstrated its commitment to disability, inclusion, equality, and broader social issues through a spectrum of initiatives including:

Sponsoring an employee-led business resource network, STRIVE, that offers education and support for employees with seen and unseen disabilities, and for those who want to learn about differing abilities. The network focuses on eliminating the stigma around physical and mental health issues and providing resources for those in need. Each year, the network hosts an annual Polar Plunge event to raise money for Special Olympics Minnesota.

Participating in recruiting events with organizations that reach diverse candidates, including people with disabilities.

Partnering with Lifeworks, a nonprofit that supports more than 3,000 individuals with disabilities and their families through services that provide choice and foster community.

"These top-scoring companies understand deeply that people with disabilities represent a tremendous source of talent and innovation for their workforce and market share for their brands, and they are trailblazers in our journey towards full disability inclusion in business," said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD.

To learn more about diversity and inclusion at Ameriprise, visit ameriprise.com/about/diversity-equity-inclusion.

About Ameriprise Financial

At Ameriprise Financial, we have been helping people feel more confident about their financial future for more than 125 years. With extensive investment advice, asset management and insurance capabilities and a nationwide network of approximately 10,000 financial advisors1, we have the strength and expertise to serve the full range of individual and institutional investors' financial needs.

About the Disability Equality Index

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nations largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.

About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.

About Disability:IN

Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 500 corporations partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social impact through the worlds most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index (DEI); best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

2023 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

1 Ameriprise Financial Q3 2022 Earnings Release.

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Allison Harries, Media Relations

612.678.7035

[email protected]

Source: Ameriprise Financial
BlakYaks is awarded the title of Best Overall in the UKs Best Workplaces in Tech 2023 List in the Small category

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BlakYaks, a leading Microsoft cloud native partner based in the UK has been recognised with the title of 'Best Overall' in the Small category of the UKs Best Workplaces in Tech 2023 List, as awarded by Great Place to Work (GPTW). This recognition underscores BlakYaks' commitment to fostering a transparent and inclusive workplace culture.

GPTW UK recently unveiled its UKs Best Workplaces in Tech list for 2023, celebrating companies that excel in creating collaborative environments that drive innovation and personal growth for their employees. BlakYaks' dedication to nurturing such an environment has not only secured its position as a top tech workplace in the UK but also earned it the 4th position on the 'UKs Best Workplaces' 2023 Small category List earlier this year.

The recognition is the result of a comprehensive Trust Index employee survey conducted by GPTW UK, where tech professionals across the UK provide anonymous insights into various aspects of their workplace. BlakYaks' employees spoke highly of their workplace, highlighting key factors contributing to the company's success:

Collaboration across all teams is built into the companys DNA.

"Working in an environment where you feel that your voice is heard is very important, and at BlakYaks, everyones opinion is valued.

BlakYaks places a strong emphasis on building an inclusive and diverse culture where every employee is encouraged to be their authentic selves and respect one another's viewpoints. This approach fosters open and honest communication, creating a positive working environment that drives learning, team collaboration and mentoring, and accelerates the delivery of innovative solutions to customers.

Dirk Anderson, CEO of BlakYaks, expressed his pride in the team's achievement: I am proud of our team and the work we do alongside great customers. Our culture is a fundamental pillar of our success, and being recognised in this way means a great deal to me and the whole Yaks team.

BlakYaks' recognition as 'Best Overall' in the UKs Best Workplaces in Tech 2023 Small category List reaffirms its position as a leading employer in the UK's tech industry. This achievement underscores its commitment to creating a workplace where professional growth and well-being are not only valued but actively nurtured, ensuring that every member of the BlakYaks team thrives both personally and professionally.

About BlakYaks

BlakYaks is a leading cloud native consulting, engineering, and managed service business that deploys and operates Microsoft Azure platforms and solutions entirely with code. Their team of experts build and manage secure and compliant cloud platforms that support modern application development technologies including PaaS, Microservices and serverless.

With deep Azure platform expertise and proficiency in GitOps, DevSecOps, Containerisation and IaC, BlakYaks offers end-to-end highly automated cloud native solutions, tailored to meet each customer's specific needs, with the goal of optimising costs, improving security posture, and accelerating the journey to cloud native.

Visit BlakYaks website, blog and LinkedIn.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, on a mission to make every company a great workplace for all. Every year, they receive direct feedback from over 10 million workers around the world telling them how they really feel about their employer. Only those employers who have the highest levels of trust, job satisfaction, and who empower ALL their employees to thrive both in and outside of work are awarded official Best Workplaces recognition.

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Sofia Haltrup

BlakYaks

[email protected]

Source: BlakYaks
Renowned Leader in Healthcare Technology Including AI Joins Esteemed Clinicians and ICU Physicians on Advisory Board

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CalmWave, the company leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to bring Operations Health to hospitals, today announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Schaefer, Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO) of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to the company's board of advisors. Dr. Schaefer, a renowned leader in healthcare technology including AI, has spent over 20 years leveraging emerging technologies in the development of end-to-end healthcare technology solutions. Dr. Schaefer has spent years looking at the intersection of AI and clinical practice. He has written and published studies on clinical evidence-based medicine which highlights the criticality of transparent AI in clinical applications.

Dr. Schaefer is at the forefront of using data and analytics to deliver the best healthcare solutions for our veterans. In our first meeting, Dr. Schaefer said 'Ive worked on clinical alarm fatigue for many years and Ive never seen anything like what CalmWave is building,' said Ophir Ronen, Co-Founder and CEO, CalmWave. We are thrilled to welcome him to our advisory board. We have strong momentum as we utilize transparent AI to present clinicians with a clearer, more insightful understanding of vast volumes of data, making it more understandable and actionable. Dr. Schaefers two decades of clinical, informatics, and technology experience will be invaluable as we move into our next phase of growth.

CalmWave is solving an important problem for hospitals today and their approach to AI is exactly what we need in the healthcare system: explainable, trustworthy, and reliable information, said Dr. Schaefer. I have seen firsthand the impact of alarm fatigue on clinicians. CalmWave is the first to develop a solution that works. I look forward to working with Ophir as it is rolled out to hospitals in the U.S. and around the world.

As CHIO for the Kansas City VA Medical Center, Dr. Schaefer has worked on multiple projects related to artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, technology development and implementation and quality improvement in the VA. He has more than 20 years of experience working with VHA data and has served in multiple operational and leadership roles regarding data governance and big data analytics. This includes serving as the Pharmacy Data Migration Lead for the Department of Veteran Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization program. Dr. Schaefer also serves as the AI Solutions Architect for the VHA National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII), a sub-branch of the Office of Research and Development (ORD). He is also a funded investigator on multiple proposals regarding AI assessments in Veterans, including active proposals with ORD and the Department of Defense. Dr. Schaefer serves on the VA Data Governance Technical Sub-council. Given his experience, he serves as a subject matter expert on VHA data and cloud computing on a national level.

About CalmWave

CalmWave is focused on improving the lives of patients and providers. Our mission is to address alarm fatigue and eliminate non-actionable alarms, bringing us to more stable and quieter ICUs. Alarm fatigue, which is endemic in the modern healthcare system, causes great stress for providers, their patients, and their families, ultimately impacting patient outcomes and staff retention. The CalmWave platform remediates alarm fatigue, improves staff retention, and transforms Operations Health through data science and AI. CalmWave is the fastest company to go from inception to funding at the AI2 Incubator, a startup incubator at the Allen Institute for AI (AI2). Headquartered in Seattle, CalmWave has raised a pre-seed round led by Bonfire Ventures with participation from Tau Ventures, AI2 Incubator, Seachange Ventures, Hike Ventures, and the co-founders of PagerDuty. Visit CalmWave.ai or email [email protected] for more information and partnership opportunities. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230907890280/en/

[email protected]

Source: CalmWave
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Douglas Emmett, Inc. (NYSE: DEI), a real estate investment trust (REIT), announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend on each share of its common stock of $0.19, or $0.76 on an annualized basis, to be paid on October 17, 2023 to shareholders of record as of September 29, 2023.

About Douglas Emmett, Inc.

Douglas Emmett, Inc. (DEI) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), and one of the largest owners and operators of high-quality office and multifamily properties located in the premier coastal submarkets of Los Angeles and Honolulu. Douglas Emmett focuses on owning and acquiring a substantial share of top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities in neighborhoods that possess significant supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities. Please visit our website at www.douglasemmett.com for more information about Douglas Emmett.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the historical facts, the statements in this press release regarding Douglas Emmetts business activities are forward-looking statements based on the beliefs of, assumptions made by, and information currently available to us about known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control or ability to predict. Although we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, they are not guarantees of future performance and some will inevitably prove to be incorrect. As a result, our actual future results can be expected to differ from our expectations, and those differences may be material. Accordingly, investors should use caution in relying on forward-looking statements to anticipate future results or trends. For a discussion of some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2022, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Stuart McElhinney, Vice President  Investor Relations

310.255.7751 [email protected]

Source: Douglas Emmett, Inc.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Zhuyeqing Tea is regarded as the gift of China in the New Silk Road after it was highly praised on 2023 international Tea day in Paris.

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Gift of China: Zhuyeqing Tea Celebrates 10th Anniversary of the New Silk Road

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the New Silk Road Initiative and the 20th anniversary of Les Annees Chine-France (the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism), while 2024 will see the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, indicating further deeper cultural exchanges.

The 10th anniversary of the Initiative is an important opportunity to learn from cooperation achievements and deepen friendship. China has launched a series of celebrations to look back on the ten years of foreign exchanges. Recently, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency kicked off the "Chasing Dream On the Belt and Road" programme, which now arrived in Kazakhstan, the first stop of the initiative. Zhuyeqing Tea was presented as a "Gift of China" to Nugerbekov Serik Nugerbekovich, Chairman of the International Secretariat of Kazakhstan's state strategy agency G-Global, at Nazarbayev University. On the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhuyeqing Tea embodies the profound meaning of understanding the world through a cup of tea and good wishes: Though thousands of miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.

Tea has always been a precious gift in China's foreign exchange activities, and has shone through its importance in economic and trade exchanges along the Silk Road. Since the 18th century, the tea trade has helped to strengthen ties between China and France. Today, tea is deeply rooted in France as an essential part of life. The Gift of China Zhuyeqing Tea, featuring tea buds harvested in high mountain regions before the Qingming Festival, has been the top-selling premium green tea in China for 15 consecutive years. It is famous globally and has been presented as a gift to guests of honor from 60 countries. On this years International Tea Day, Zhuyeqing arrived in Paris as the "2023 UNESCO International Tea Days Special Recommendation", helping to promote exchanges between countries as a medium.

From Kazakhstan, the Gift of China Zhuyeqing Tea will travel through fourteen Eurasian countries along the Xinhua News Agencys Programme. It will soon come to France. Zhuyeqing Tea brings Chinas friendship and the potential for global cooperation and mutual benefit.

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LING CHEN

+86-28-85293333

[email protected]

http://zhuyeqing-tea.com

Source: Zhuyeqing Tea
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. More than 2,500 Azerbaijani victims were interrogated by the General Prosecutor's Office on the fact of their deportation from Armenia in 1988-1991, the Head of the investigative department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan, Nemat Zamanov said, Trend reports.

According to him, Azerbaijanis were subjected to four stages of deportation.

"All this is being investigated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan. During these deportations, thousands of Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native places. Many of them were killed with extreme cruelty. Their property was taken away. A criminal case has been opened on the deportation of Azerbaijanis in 1988-1991, an investigation is underway, interrogations are being conducted," Zamanov said during a live broadcast on the department's page on Instagram.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA is pleased to announce the assignment of preliminary ratings to 14 classes of BBCMS 2023-C21, a $679.3 million CMBS conduit transaction collateralized by 32 commercial mortgage loans secured by 152 properties.

The collateral properties are located throughout 47 MSAs, of which the three largest are New York (12.0%), Boston (9.7%), and San Diego (9.2%). The pool has exposure to all major property types except multifamily, with five types representing more than 10.0% of the pool balance: retail (34.2%), office (22.0%), mixed-use (16.7%), industrial (13.2%), and lodging (10.4%). The loans have principal balances ranging from $6.2 million to $65.0 million for the largest loan in the pool, Healthcare Trust MOB Portfolio (9.1%), which is secured by 62 medical office properties spread across 19 states that together contain 1.2 million sf. The five largest loans, which also include Fashion Valley Mall (9.2%), RTL Retail Portfolio (9.2%), Cipriani NYC Portfolio (8.8%), and Rhino Retail Portfolio 2 (8.1%), represent 44.9% of the initial pool balance, while the top 10 loans represent 69.0%.

KBRAs analysis of the transaction incorporated our multi-borrower rating process that begins with our analysts' evaluation of the underlying collateral properties' financial and operating performance, which determine KBRAs estimate of sustainable net cash flow (KNCF) and KBRA value using our U.S. CMBS Property Evaluation Methodology. On an aggregate basis, KNCF was 11.1% less than the issuer cash flow. KBRA capitalization rates were applied to each assets KNCF to derive values that were, on an aggregate basis, 38.3% less than third party appraisal values. The pool has an in-trust KLTV of 87.1% and an all-in KLTV of 87.8%. The model deploys rent and occupancy stresses, probability of default regressions, and loss given default calculations to determine losses for each collateral loan that are then used to assign our credit ratings.

To access ratings and relevant documents, click here.

Click here to view the report.

Related Publications

Disclosures

Further information on key credit considerations, sensitivity analyses that consider what factors can affect these credit ratings and how they could lead to an upgrade or a downgrade, and ESG factors (where they are a key driver behind the change to the credit rating or rating outlook) can be found in the full rating report referenced above.

A description of all substantially material sources that were used to prepare the credit rating and information on the methodology(ies) (inclusive of any material models and sensitivity analyses of the relevant key rating assumptions, as applicable) used in determining the credit rating is available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) located here.

Information on the meaning of each rating category can be located here.

Further disclosures relating to this rating action are available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) referenced above. Additional information regarding KBRA policies, methodologies, rating scales and disclosures are available at www.kbra.com.

About KBRA

Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA) is a full-service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered as a CRA with the European Securities and Markets Authority. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK Limited is registered as a CRA with the UK Financial Conduct Authority. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider.

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Analytical Contacts

Samuel OConnell, Associate (Lead Analyst)

+1 646-731-1300

[email protected]

Patrick McQuinn, Senior Director

+1 646-731-2445

[email protected]

Nitin Bhasin, Senior Managing Director (Rating Committee Chair)

+1 646-731-2334

[email protected]

Business Development Contact

Daniel Stallone, Senior Director

+1 646-731-1308

[email protected]

Source: Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On August 18, 2023, KBRA affirmed the issuer rating of BBB- for Private National Mortgage Acceptance Company, LLC (PNMAC). The Outlook for the rating is Stable. PNMAC is a principal subsidiary of publicly traded PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: PFSI).

To access rating and relevant documents, click here.

Click here to view the report.

About KBRA

KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., the EU, and the UK, and is designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada. KBRAs ratings can be used by investors for regulatory capital purposes in multiple jurisdictions.

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Shannon Servaes, CFA, CPA, Managing Director

+1 301-969-3247 [email protected]

Ian Jaffe, Senior Managing Director

+1 646-731-3302 [email protected]

Business Development



Justin Fuller, Senior Director

+1 312-680-4163 [email protected]

Source: KBRA
Federal Court of Australia Orders Convening of Scheme Meeting and Dispatch of Scheme Booklet

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM, TSX: NGT) has announced a special meeting of stockholders and the filing of its definitive proxy statement in connection with the Companys proposed acquisition of Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX, TSX, PNGX: NCM) by way of a Scheme of Arrangement (Scheme). Newmont notified stockholders that the meeting will take place virtually on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time.

Newmont stockholders will be asked to vote on, among other proposals, the issuance of shares of Newmont common stock in connection with the Scheme. Newmonts Board of Directors unanimously recommends that Newmont stockholders vote in favor of each of the proposals that are included in the definitive proxy statement.

Newcrest also announced that the Federal Court of Australia has made orders:

That Newcrest convene a meeting of Newcrest shareholders to consider and vote on the Scheme (Scheme Meeting); and

Approving the dispatch of an explanatory statement providing information about the Scheme, together with the notice of Scheme Meeting (together, the Scheme Booklet), to Newcrest shareholders.

Newcrests shareholder vote will be held in person and online on Friday, October 13, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

Once approved, Newmont and Newcrest shareholders will own an unmatched portfolio of gold and copper assets, including 10 Tier 1 operations, each with the scale, mine life and cost profile to sustain profitable production and best-in-class sustainability performance decades into the future, said Tom Palmer, Newmonts President and Chief Executive Officer.

On May 14, Newmont announced its definitive agreement to acquire Newcrest. The combination would create a world-class portfolio of assets with the highest concentration of Tier 1 operations, primarily in favorable, low-risk mining jurisdictions. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company would deliver a multi-decade production profile from 10 large, long-life, low cost, Tier 1 operations, and increased annual copper production primarily from Australia and Canada. The combined business is anticipated to generate annual pre-tax synergies of $500 million, expected to be achieved within the first 24 months, while also targeting at least $2 billion in cash improvements through portfolio optimization in the first two years after closing.1

About Newmont

Newmont is the worlds leading gold company and a producer of copper, silver, zinc and lead. The Companys world-class portfolio of assets, prospects and talent is anchored in favorable mining jurisdictions in North America, South America, Australia and Africa. Newmont is the only gold producer listed in the S&P 500 Index and is widely recognized for its principled environmental, social and governance practices. The Company is an industry leader in value creation, supported by robust safety standards, superior execution and technical expertise. Newmont was founded in 1921 and has been publicly traded since 1925.

At Newmont, our purpose is to create value and improve lives through sustainable and responsible mining. To learn more about Newmonts sustainability strategy and initiatives, go to www.newmont.com.

Additional Information about the Transaction and Where to Find It

This communication is not an offer to purchase or exchange, nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities of Newmont Corporation (Newmont) or Newcrest Mining Limited (Newcrest) nor the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction nor shall there be any such issuance or transfer of securities of Newmont or Newcrest in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. This communication is being made in respect of the transaction involving Newmont and Newcrest pursuant to the terms of a scheme implementation deed dated May 15, 2023, as amended by a letter dated September 4, 2023 (the Scheme Implementation Deed) by and among Newmont, Newmont Overseas Holdings Pty Ltd, an Australian proprietary company limited by shares, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Newmont, and Newcrest and may be deemed to be soliciting material relating to the transaction. In furtherance of the pending transaction and subject to future developments, Newmont filed a definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on September 5, 2023 and may file other documents with the SEC. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement, the scheme booklet or other document Newmont or Newcrest has filed or may file with the SEC or Australian regulators in connection with the pending transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF NEWMONT AND NEWCREST ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, SCHEME BOOKLET AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSACTION AS THEY DO AND WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PENDING TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to Newmont stockholders. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement, the filings with the SEC that were or will be incorporated by reference into the proxy statement and other documents containing important information about the transaction and the parties to the transaction, filed by Newmont with the SEC at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. The disclosure documents and other documents that are filed with the SEC by Newmont may also be obtained on https://www.newmont.com/investors/reports-and-filings/default.aspx or by contacting Newmonts Investor Relations department at [email protected] or by calling 303-837-5484.

Participants in the Transaction Solicitation

Newmont, Newcrest and certain of their respective directors and executive officers and other employees may be deemed to be participants in any solicitation of proxies from Newmont shareholders in respect of the pending transaction between Newmont and Newcrest. Information regarding Newmonts directors and executive officers is available in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2023, as updated by the current report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on July 20, 2023, and its proxy statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 10, 2023. Information about Newcrests directors and executive officers is set forth in Newcrests latest annual financial report dated August 11, 2023, as updated from time to time via announcements made by Newcrest on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Additional information regarding the interests of these participants in such proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, are contained in the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on September 5, 2023 and other relevant materials that have been or will be filed with the SEC in connection with the pending transaction.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Australian securities laws. Where a forward-looking statement expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance and financial condition; and often contain words such as anticipate, intend, plan, will, would, estimate, expect, pending, proposed or potential. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to (i) the pending transaction to acquire the share capital of Newcrest, timing and closing of the pending transaction, including receipt of required approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions; (ii) estimates of expected synergies; (iii) estimates of expected incremental cash flow generation and portfolio optimization opportunities; and (iv) other expectations regarding the combined business.

Estimates or expectations of future events or results are based upon certain assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Risks relating to forward looking statements in regard to the combined business and future performance may include, but are not limited to, gold and other metals price volatility, currency fluctuations, operational risks, increased production costs and variances in ore grade or recovery rates from those assumed in mining plans, political risk, community relations, conflict resolution, governmental regulation and judicial outcomes and other risks. In addition, material risks that could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements include: the inherent uncertainty associated with financial or other projections; the prompt and effective integration of Newmonts and Newcrests businesses and the ability to achieve the anticipated synergies and value-creation contemplated by the pending transaction; the risk associated with Newmonts and Newcrests ability to obtain the approval of the pending transaction by their shareholders required to consummate the pending transaction and the timing of the closing of the pending transaction, including the risk that the conditions to the pending transaction are not satisfied on a timely basis or at all and the failure of the pending transaction to close for any other reason; the risk that a consent or authorization that may be required for the pending transaction is not obtained or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties and others related to the Scheme Implementation Deed; unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the pending transaction, the response of business partners and retention as a result of the announcement and pendency of the transaction; risks relating to the value of the scheme consideration to be issued in connection with the pending transaction; the anticipated size of the markets and continued demand for Newmonts and Newcrests resources and the impact of competitive responses to the announcement of the transaction; and the diversion of management time on pending transaction-related issues. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors, see Newmonts Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2023, as updated by the current report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on July 20, 2023, as well as Newmonts other SEC filings, including the definitive proxy statement, filed with the SEC on September 5, 2023, available on the SEC website or www.newmont.com. Newcrests most recent annual financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 as well as Newcrests other filings made with Australian securities regulatory authorities are available on ASX (www.asx.com.au) or www.newcrest.com. Newmont and Newcrest do not undertake any obligation to release publicly revisions to any forward-looking statement, including, without limitation, outlook, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued forward-looking statement constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on forward-looking statements is at investors own risk.

Synergies and value creation as used herein are management estimates provided for illustrative purposes and should not be considered a GAAP or non-GAAP financial measure. Synergies represent managements combined estimate of pre-tax synergies, supply chain efficiencies and Full Potential improvements, as a result of the integration of Newmonts and Newcrests businesses that have been monetized for the purposes of the estimation. Because synergies estimates reflect differences between certain actual costs incurred and management estimates of costs that would have been incurred in the absence of the integration of Newmonts and Newcrests businesses, such estimates are necessarily imprecise and are based on numerous judgments and assumptions. Synergies are forward-looking statements subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual value creation to differ from expected or past synergies.

As used herein, Tier 1 / World-class asset is defined as +500k GEOs/year consolidated, average AISC/oz in the lower half of the industry cost curve and a mine life >10 years in countries that, on average, are classified in the A and B rating ranges by Moodys, S&P or Fitch.

1 See cautionary statement for additional information.

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Media Contact

Omar Jabara

720.212.9651

[email protected]

Investor Contact

Daniel Horton

303.837.5468

[email protected]

Source: Newmont Corporation
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Maritime Launch Services Inc. (NEO:MAXQ, OTCQB: MAXQF) announces Canadas launch capabilities and Nova Scotias position as a global space sector innovator gains significant momentum as the Province of Nova Scotia approves Spaceport Nova Scotia  Canadas first commercial spaceport  as an eligible project for the Nova Scotia Capital Investment Tax Credit Program (CITC).

Spaceport Nova Scotia, located near Canso, Nova Scotia, is currently being developed by Maritime Launch Services.

Stephen Matier, President and CEO, Maritime Launch Services, says Spaceport Nova Scotias CITC approval will accelerate benefits for the Province and Canada. Companies around the world are racing to get their technology launched into space, and the CITC program will help us expedite our project to serve this global demand, says Matier. The Government of Nova Scotia understands the time is right, and we must work now to fully leverage this opportunity for Nova Scotia to become a global space sector destination.

We are proud that Nova Scotia is home to Canadas first commercial spaceport and recognize the critical role Maritime Launch will play in offering a satellite launch facility to the global market, said Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia. Our government is focused on nurturing innovation to grow our economy and increase local prosperity. Spaceport Nova Scotia is an exciting project that advances our province on both fronts.

Spaceport Nova Scotias CITC Part A application approval provides a material financial commitment to the Provinces ongoing support for rural economic development and innovation. Specifically, this approval results in an initial qualification of more than $13 million for the project for the current phase of development through the CITC.

The CITC programs threshold was recently increased to 25% for eligible capital equipment projects of up to $400 million with a maximum tax credit of $100 million per project. Maritime Launch intends to apply for the full scope of eligibility.

The economic impact of a project like Spaceport Nova Scotia is clear, with the construction phase projected to add $143 million to the Nova Scotia economy, along with 750 year-round jobs, said Susan Corkum-Greek, Minister of Economic Development. Nova Scotias Capital Investment Tax Credit is designed to encourage businesses to invest and grow in our province. Thats why were pleased to see this project utilize the CITC, knowing it will continue to help Spaceport Nova Scotia be a significant driver of rural investment and innovation.

Earlier this spring, a Conference Board of Canada (CBOC) study projected significant and lasting economic benefits of the Spaceport Nova Scotia project.

Once the project fully ramps up operations, the Conference Board of Canada projects it will add around $300 million to Canadas GDP annually, boost revenue to governments by more than $100 million, and create close to 1,000 annual full-year jobs across Canada.

About Maritime Launch

Maritime Launch Services inc. (NEO: MAXQ, OTCQB: MAXQF) is a Canadian-owned commercial space company based in Nova Scotia. Maritime Launch is developing Spaceport Nova Scotia, a launch site that will provide satellite delivery services to clients in support of the growing commercial space transportation industry over a wide range of inclinations. Spaceport Nova Scotia will allow small and medium sized launch vehicles to place their satellites into low-earth orbit. Spaceport Nova Scotia is Canadas first commercial orbital launch complex.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements.

Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the timing of spaceport construction and ability to launch medium class vehicles.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Companys ability to continue as a going concern; the Companys ability to continue to develop revenue-generating applications; continued approval of the Companys activities by the relevant governmental and/or regulatory authorities; the continued growth of the Company; the Companys ability to finance its operations until profitability can be achieved and sustained.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the potential inability of the Company to continue as a going concern; risks associated with potential governmental and/or regulatory action with respect to the Companys operations; the inability of the Company to provide the enumerated services; and availability of launch vehicles.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Companys expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

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Maritime Launch

Sarah McLean, Vice President,

Communications and Corporate Affairs

[email protected]

www.maritimelaunch.com

902.402.6947

Source: Maritime Launch Services Inc.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Technip Energies (PARIS: TE) (ISIN:NL0014559478) announced today that Bruno Vibert, Chief Financial Officer, will address attendees on Tuesday, September 12, at 14.30 BST at the following event:

Morgan Stanley European Utilities and Energy Summit

Morgan Stanley London Conference Centre, 25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 4QA

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 - Thursday, September 14, 2023

There will be no presentation materials associated with the event.

About Technip Energies

Technip Energies is a leading Engineering & Technology company for the energy transition, with leadership positions in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen and ethylene as well as growing market positions in blue and green hydrogen, sustainable chemistry and CO2 management. The company benefits from its robust project delivery model supported by extensive technology, products and services offering.

Operating in 35 countries, our 15,000 people are fully committed to bringing our clients innovative projects to life, breaking boundaries to accelerate the energy transition for a better tomorrow.

Technip Energies is listed on Euronext Paris with American depositary receipts (ADRs) trading over-the-counter in the United States. For further information: www.technipenergies.com.

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Investor relations

Phil Lindsay

Vice-President Investor Relations

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7585 5051

Email: Phillip Lindsay

Media relations

Jason Hyonne

Press Relations & Social Media Lead

Tel: +33 1 47 78 22 89

Email: Jason Hyonne

Source: Technip Energies
Fashion apparel retailer Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR) today announced that Stewart Glendinning has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Express Board of Directors, effective September 15, 2023. Glendinning succeeds Tim Baxter, who has resigned as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board. Baxter will be available as needed to support a smooth transition.

Glendinning brings to Express more than 20 years of experience in the consumer products industry and a proven record of operating excellence, financial discipline and building high-performing teams to grow iconic brands. He most recently served as Group President, Prepared Foods of Tyson Foods, Inc. In this role, he managed all aspects of the Prepared Foods portfolio, including renowned brands Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm and Ball Park, and guided the business to strong volume performance and market share gains across the retail brand portfolio. Previously, Glendinning was Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods and responsible for worldwide financial planning, finance and accounting functions.

The Express Board is confident that Stewart is the right person to reinvigorate performance and build the strongest possible foundation on which Express can succeed, said Mylle Mangum, Chairman of the Express Board. He is a highly accomplished executive who will bring fresh thinking to the Company and our strategies for profitable growth. Stewart shares the Boards belief that further operating improvements and greater financial discipline are needed to ensure that Express is best positioned to deliver significant, sustainable shareholder value.

Glendinning said, Express has an outstanding portfolio of brands, a high-potential partnership with WHP and a premier omnichannel platform. Through a keen focus on execution and cost discipline, I am confident that we can better capitalize on these differentiators, increase the Companys financial strength and create shareholder value. I look forward to leveraging my experience and to working closely with the Board and Express team to drive value creation for all our stakeholders.

Mangum added, On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Tim for his contributions to Express. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Mr. Baxters resignation is unrelated to the Companys accounting or financial reporting, and the Company reaffirms its guidance previously announced on September 6.

About Stewart Glendinning

Glendinning joins Express from Tyson Foods, where he most recently served as Group President, Prepared Foods. He previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods. As Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, he was responsible for the worldwide finance and accounting functions of the Company and represented Tyson Foods on matters involving investors, banks, ratings agencies, auditors and other financial matters.

Earlier in his career, Glendinning served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors International. He began his career at Molson Coors in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer for Molson Coors UK and subsequently held the positions of Chief Financial Officer for Molson Coors Brewing, President and Chief Executive Officer of the UK Business, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors Canada.

Before joining Molson Coors in 2005, Glendinning worked with KPMG and then The Hackett Group, professional services companies where he held various senior audit and consulting roles.

He serves on the Board of Directors of The North West Company and has served with various organizations within the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Glendinning earned his bachelors degree in accounting from the College of William and Mary and a law degree from the University of Miami.

About EXPR

EXPR is a multi-brand fashion retailer whose portfolio includes Express, Bonobos and UpWest. The Company operates an omnichannel platform as well as physical and online stores. Grounded in a belief that style, quality and value should all be found in one place, Express is a brand with a purpose - We Create Confidence. We Inspire Self-Expression. - powered by a styling community. Bonobos is a menswear brand known for exceptional fit and an innovative retail model. UpWest is an apparel, accessories and home goods brand with a purpose to Provide Comfort for People & Planet.

The Company has 530 Express retail and Express Factory Outlet stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, the Express.com online store and the Express mobile app; 60 Bonobos Guideshop locations and the Bonobos.com online store; and 11 UpWest retail stores and the UpWest.com online store. EXPR is traded on the NYSE under the symbol EXPR. For more information about our Company, please visit www.express.com/investor and for more information about our brands, please visit www.express.com, www.bonobos.com or www.upwest.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact and include, but are not limited to (1) guidance and expectations, including statements regarding expected operating margins, comparable sales, effective tax rates, interest income, net income, diluted earnings per share, cash tax refunds, liquidity, EBITDA, free cash flow, eCommerce demand, and capital expenditures, (2) statements regarding expected store openings, store closures, store conversions, and gross square footage, (3) statements regarding the Company's strategy, plans, and initiatives, including, but not limited to, results expected from such strategy, plans, and initiatives, (4) statements regarding the Companys workforce reduction and other cost reduction actions, including, but not limited to, charges associated with the workforce reduction and the financial benefits (and the timing of the realization of such benefits) expected from such actions, and (5) the anticipated benefits or effects of the Bonobos acquisition, including statements regarding operating results, financial efficiencies, operational synergies, and our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions related to the acquired assets. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words in the future tense and statements accompanied by words such as outlook, indicator, believes, expects, potential, continues, may, will, should, seeks, approximately, predicts, intends, plans, scheduled, estimates, anticipates, opportunity, leads or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict, and significant contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are (1) changes in consumer spending and general economic conditions; (2) the duration and severity of ongoing negative macroeconomic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and their future impact on our business operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flow; (3) geopolitical risks, including impacts from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and increased tensions between China and Taiwan; (4) our ability to operate our business efficiently, manage capital expenditures and costs, and obtain financing when required; (5) our ability to identify and respond to new and changing fashion trends, customer preferences, and other related factors including selling through inventory at an appropriate price; (6) fluctuations in our sales, results of operations, and cash levels on a seasonal basis and due to a variety of other factors, including our product offerings relative to customer demand, the mix of merchandise we sell, promotions, inventory levels, and sales mix between stores and eCommerce; (7) customer traffic at malls, shopping centers, and at our stores; (8) competition from other retailers; (9) our dependence on a strong brand image; (10) our ability to adapt to changing consumer behavior and develop and maintain a relevant and reliable omni-channel experience for our customers, including our efforts to optimize our omni-channel platform through our partnership with WHP Global; (11) the failure or breach of information systems upon which we rely; (12) our ability to protect customer data from fraud and theft; (13) our dependence upon third parties to manufacture all of our merchandise; (14) changes in the cost of raw materials, labor, and freight; (15) labor shortages and supply chain disruption; (16) our dependence upon key executive management; (17) our ability to execute our growth strategy, EXPRESSway Forward, including, but not limited to, engaging our customers and acquiring new ones, executing with precision to accelerate sales and profitability, creating great product and reinvigorating our brand; (18) our substantial lease obligations; (19) our reliance on third parties to provide us with certain key services for our business; (20) impairment charges on long-lived assets; (21) claims made against us resulting in litigation or changes in laws and regulations applicable to our business; (22) our inability to protect our trademarks or other intellectual property rights which may preclude the use of our trademarks or other intellectual property around the world; (23) restrictions imposed on us under the terms of our current credit facility, including asset based requirements related to inventory levels, ability to make additional borrowings, and restrictions on the ability to effect share repurchases; (24) our inability to maintain compliance with covenants in our current credit facility; (25) changes in tax requirements, results of tax audits, and other factors including timing of tax refund receipts, that may cause fluctuations in our effective tax rate; (26) changes in tariff rates; (27) natural disasters, extreme weather, public health issues, including pandemics, fire, acts of terrorism or war and other events that cause business interruption, (28) risks related to our strategic partnership with WHP Global; (29) our ability to realize the expected strategic and financial benefits of the Bonobos acquisition; (30) our failure to regain compliance with the continued listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, or any future failure to meet those requirements; and (31) the financial and other effects of our workforce reduction and other cost reduction actions, including our inability to realize the benefits from such actions within the anticipated timeframe. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the additional information concerning these and other factors in Express, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230907981810/en/

Investors



Greg Johnson



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614-474-4890

Media



Sarah Gordon



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Source: Express, Inc.
The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) and Albertsons Companies Inc. (NYSE: ACI) announced today that they have entered a definitive agreement with C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC for the sale of select stores, banners, distribution centers, offices and private label brands in connection with their proposed merger previously announced on October 14, 2022 .

The proposed merger will create meaningful and measurable benefits for America's consumers, Kroger and Albertsons associates, and communities that both Kroger and Albertsons serve by expanding access to fresh, affordable food and establishing a more compelling alternative to large, non-union retailers. This comprehensive divestiture plan marks a key next step toward the completion of the merger by extending a well-capitalized competitor into new geographies. The divestiture plan ensures no stores will close as a result of the merger and that all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading health care and pension benefits alongside bargained-for wages.

C&S is an industry leader in wholesale grocery supply and supply chain solutions, with a strong track record as a successful grocery retailer. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, retail chain stores and military bases. Grounded in its commitment to feeding families across America, C&S currently operates Grand Union grocery stores and Piggly Wiggly franchise and corporate-owned stores in the Midwest and Carolinas. C&S is deeply invested in the communities where it operates, and this retail expansion will continue its long-standing mission to keep communities fed. Through its wholesale and retail operations, C&S purchases more than 100,000 products, giving it the ability to provide customers with the best product selection and pricing available. In addition to its franchise and corporate owned supermarkets, C&S provides end-to-end wholesale, supply and marketing services to its retailer customers. C&S also brings experience with the merger process, having been an FTC-approved divestiture buyer in prior grocery transactions with a strong track record of successfully transitioning union employees and their associated collective bargaining agreements. In anticipation of the agreement, C&S's 1918 Winter Street Partners retail holding company has been established to ensure a seamless closing process. C&S's depth of industry knowledge, financial strength and commitment to growing its associates' careers makes it the right fit to ensure the divested stores, distribution centers and offices grow and thrive for years to come.

"Following the announcement of our proposed merger with Albertsons Cos., we embarked on a robust and thoughtful process to identify a well-capitalized buyer who will operate as a fierce competitor and ensure divested stores and their associates will continue serving their communities in the ways they do today. C&S achieves all these objectives," said Rodney McMullen , chairman and CEO of The Kroger Co. "C&S is led by an experienced management team with an extensive background in food retail and distribution and has the financial strength to continue investing in associates and the business for the long run. Importantly in our agreement, C&S commits to honoring all collective bargaining agreements which include industry-leading benefits, retaining frontline associates and further investing for growth."

McMullen continued, "We appreciate our incredible associates who support and serve our customers and communities, and who help both of our companies succeed. C&S will offer exciting opportunities for associates to advance their careers  from frontline associates and store leaders to merchants and other professionals. We are confident the associates joining the C&S family will have an amazing opportunity to continue to build a thriving career in the food industry in one of the largest private companies in our country. C&S's strong operational focus and financial resources, along with a comprehensive operational infrastructure included as part of the divestiture agreement, will position it to successfully operate and continue to grow these iconic brands for years to come. C&S is a values-driven organization that is committed to ending hunger while creating healthier communities  now and for future generations."

The divestiture plan fulfills the commitments Kroger and Albertsons Cos. set out in their original merger agreement in October 2022 with regard to divesting stores, including:

Extending a competitor to new geographies through the sale of stores to a well-capitalized buyer that is led by seasoned operators with a strong balance sheet and a sound business plan;

Ensuring that no stores will close as a result of the merger;

Maintaining all current collective bargaining agreements, which include industry-leading healthcare and pension benefits, bargained-for wages, and ensuring frontline associates remain employed; and

Committing to invest in associates and stores for the long term.

Kroger took several steps to ensure a thoughtful and comprehensive divestiture plan. The terms of the plan support C&S's ability to operate divested stores effectively and efficiently by providing:

Strong teams, with deep industry expertise and the ability to operate at scale, and to drive growth and operational advancements in the divested business;

A cohesive set of stores in each geography supported by two regional headquarters as well as banners, and private label brands with strong consumer recognition that will provide C&S with an established base on which to grow its store network; and

A robust operational infrastructure, including distribution centers and offices to support both the immediate and long-term success of the divested business.

"I have long respected C&S and its leadership team," said Vivek Sankaran , CEO of Albertsons Companies. "I am thrilled that C&S's outstanding capabilities and financial strength will ensure these divestiture stores can continue to grow and serve their communities as they do today. Most importantly, they have made a clear commitment to continuing to invest in and care for associates, including by honoring all collective bargaining agreements currently in place. I echo Rodney's confidence in the bright future ahead for the associates joining the C&S team."

"We look forward to welcoming thousands of new associates to the C&S family and providing them the opportunity to build long and successful careers," said Eric Winn , Chief Operating Officer and designated Chief Executive Officer (effective October 2 ) of C&S Wholesale Grocers. "As a leader in the grocery industry, we have a strong heritage of value and customer service that is enabled by a deep commitment to our consumers, employees and communities. Today's announcement is another exciting opportunity for C&S to further expand into the retail market, which is an important component of our growth and future success. We look forward to providing a superior shopping experience that delivers both quality and value to our customers."

Transaction Details

The divestiture transaction includes 413 stores, along with QFC, Mariano's and Carrs brand names. Stores currently under these banners that are retained by Kroger will be re-bannered into one of the retained Kroger or Albertsons Cos. banners following the close of the transaction. In the four states where C&S will have the license to the Albertsons banner, Kroger will re-banner the retained stores following the close of the merger with Albertsons Cos. Kroger will maintain the Albertsons banner in the remaining states. In addition, Kroger will divest the Debi Lilly Design, Primo Taglio , Open Nature, ReadyMeals and Waterfront Bistro private label brands.

The number of stores contained in the divestiture plan by geography is as follows:

WA: 104 Albertsons Cos. and Kroger stores

stores CA: 66 Albertsons Cos. and Kroger stores

stores CO: 52 Albertsons Cos. stores

OR: 49 Albertsons Cos. and Kroger stores

stores TX/LA: 28 Albertsons Cos. stores

AZ: 24 Albertsons Cos. stores

NV: 15 Albertsons Cos. stores

IL: 14 Kroger stores

AK: 14 Albertsons Cos. stores

ID: 13 Albertsons Cos. stores

NM: 12 Albertsons Cos. stores

MT/UT/WY: 12 Albertsons Cos. stores

DC/MD/ VA : 10 Harris Teeter stores

The above stores (regardless of banner) will be divested by Kroger following the closing of the merger with Albertsons Cos.

Additional Terms of the Transaction

The definitive purchase agreement has customary representations and warranties and covenants of a transaction of its type. The transaction also provides a comprehensive operational infrastructure including eight distribution centers, two offices, five private label brands, and expert district, division and functional associates, to ensure C&S can continue to operate the divested stores competitively and cohesively with no disruption to the associate or customer experience. All fuel centers and pharmacies associated with the divested stores will remain with the stores and continue to operate.

Subject to fulfillment of customary closing conditions, including FTC and other governmental clearance, and the completion of the Kroger-Albertsons merger, C&S will pay Kroger an all-cash consideration of approximately $1.9 billion , including customary adjustments.

Prior to the closing, Kroger may, in connection with securing FTC and other governmental clearance, require C&S to purchase up to an additional 237 stores in certain geographies. If additional stores are added to the transaction, C&S will pay to Kroger additional cash consideration based upon an agreed upon formula.

As a result of the comprehensive divestiture plan announced with C&S, Kroger has exercised its right under the merger agreement to sell what would have been the SpinCo business to C&S. Consequently, the spin-off previously contemplated by Kroger and Albertsons Cos. is no longer a requirement under the merger agreement and will no longer be pursued by Kroger and Albertsons Cos.

Merger creates meaningful benefits for customers, associates and communities

The divestiture plan is another key step toward the completion of the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons Companies. The combination will bring together two complementary companies and create meaningful and measurable benefits for customers, associates and communities. The combination will advance Kroger's Leading with Fresh, Accelerating with Digital strategy, which is grounded in Fresh, Our Brands, personalization and seamless. By doing so, the combined company will continue to invest in improving the customer experience and serving more communities across the country with fresh, affordable food. With a family of well-known, trusted brands, the combined company will offer customers lower prices and more choices for the fresh foods customers need, want and love  all with a seamless, omnichannel shopping experience.

The combination will allow Kroger and Albertsons Cos. to unlock significant benefits, including:

Advancing a Brighter Future for Our Associates. The combined company will benefit associates seeking to grow their careers. Kroger added more than 100,000 good-paying union jobs since 2012, and it anticipates continuing on this trajectory. The retailer committed to investing $1 billion in improving associates' wages and comprehensive benefits post close. This commitment builds on the $1.9 billion in incremental investments Kroger made in wages and comprehensive benefits since 2018. The combined company has also committed to providing associates with programs aimed at continuing education and financial literacy following the completion of the merger. The combination will create a compelling alternative to large, non-union competitors.

The combined company will benefit associates seeking to grow their careers. added more than 100,000 good-paying union jobs since 2012, and it anticipates continuing on this trajectory. The retailer committed to investing in improving associates' wages and comprehensive benefits post close. This commitment builds on the in incremental investments made in wages and comprehensive benefits since 2018. The combined company has also committed to providing associates with programs aimed at continuing education and financial literacy following the completion of the merger. The combination will create a compelling alternative to large, non-union competitors. Serving More of America with Fresh, High-Quality and Affordable Food. Kroger built its business model on a foundation of bringing customers lower prices and more choices for the foods their families need to thrive. The retailer committed to investing $500 million beginning day one post close to reduce prices for customers in stores across the U.S. An incremental $1.3 billion will also be invested to enhance the customer experience. The combination advances Kroger 's work to make its products more affordable and accessible to more families, ultimately supporting a food system that will feed people across the U.S. for years to come.

built its business model on a foundation of bringing customers lower prices and more choices for the foods their families need to thrive. The retailer committed to investing beginning day one post close to reduce prices for customers in stores across the An incremental will also be invested to enhance the customer experience. The combination advances 's work to make its products more affordable and accessible to more families, ultimately supporting a food system that will feed people across the for years to come. Driving Meaningful Improvements Where It Matters Most. The combination will create more opportunities to invest in communities across America as the company continues its journey to eliminate hunger and food waste. In June 2023 , Kroger announced its commitment to donate 10 billion meals as a combined company upon completion of the proposed merger to families across the country by 2030. Putting this commitment into context, ten billion meals are enough to feed every person in the cities of Seattle , Denver , Chicago and Boston every meal, every day, for nearly two years. As a result of a strategic focus on donating surplus fresh food and charitable giving, the combined company will accelerate its ability to feed its neighbors and reduce waste, especially food waste.

The merger remains on track to close in early 2024, subject to the receipt of required regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions, including receipt of clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Kroger and Albertsons Cos. remain committed to working cooperatively with the regulators and all other interested parties to complete the transaction and unlock the many benefits it offers.

Read more about the combined company's commitment to customers, associates and communities at www.krogeralbertsons.com

Kroger Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Results and Conference Call

In a separate press release issued today, Kroger reported its second quarter 2023 results.

Kroger's quarterly conference call with investors will be broadcast as scheduled at 10 a.m. (ET) on September 8, 2023 at ir.kroger.com. An on-demand replay of the webcast will be available at approximately 1 p.m. (ET) on Friday, September 8, 2023 .

Advisors

Citi and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are serving as financial advisors and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP are serving as legal counsel to Kroger.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Credit Suisse are serving as financial advisors and Jenner & Block LLP is serving as corporate legal counsel and White & Case LLP and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP are serving as antitrust legal counsel to Albertsons Cos.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

About Albertsons Companies, Inc.

Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States . As of June 17, 2023 , the Company operated 2,272 retail food and drug stores with 1,726 pharmacies, 401 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The Company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia with 24 banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci's Food Lovers Market. The Company is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2022, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company contributed more than $200 million in food and financial support, including more than $40 million through our Nourishing Neighbors Program to ensure those living in our communities and those impacted by disasters have enough to eat.

About C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC

C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC is an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the United States . Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 100,000 different products. We are an engaged corporate citizen, supporting causes that positively impact our communities. To learn more, please visit www.cswg.com.

This press release contains certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements regarding the effects of the proposed transaction and divestiture plan. These statements are based on the assumptions and beliefs of Kroger and Albertsons Cos. management in light of the information currently available to them. Such statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "accelerate," "anticipates," "create," "committed," "confident," "continue," "deliver," "driving," "expect," "future," "guidance," "positioned," "strategy," "target," "synergies," "trends," and "will." Various uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include the specific risk factors identified in "Risk Factors" in each of Kroger's and Albertsons Cos.' annual report on Form 10-K for the last fiscal year and any subsequent filings, as well as the following: the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the proposed transaction and divestiture plan, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory clearance of the proposed transaction and divestiture plan; the impact of the proposed divestiture plan; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement or divestiture agreement; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties and others following announcement of the merger agreement and proposed transaction or divestiture plan; the inability to consummate the proposed transaction or divestiture plan due to the failure to satisfy other conditions to complete the proposed transaction or divestiture plan; risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of Kroger and Albertsons Cos.; the ability to identify and recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, including expectations and synergies; the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to the proposed transaction or divestiture plan; and the ability of Kroger and Albertsons Cos. to successfully integrate their businesses and related operations; the ability of Kroger to maintain an investment grade credit rating; risks related to the potential impact of general economic, political and market factors on the companies or the proposed transaction. The ability of Kroger and Albertsons Cos. to achieve the goals for the proposed transaction may also be affected by their ability to manage the factors identified above.

The forward-looking statements by Kroger and Albertsons Cos. included in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made. Neither Kroger nor Albertsons Cos. assumes the obligation to update the information contained herein unless required by applicable law. Please refer to the reports and filings of Kroger and Albertsons Cos. with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of the risks and uncertainties that affect them and their respective businesses.

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SOURCE The Kroger Co.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alta Copper Corp. (TSX: ATCU; OTCQX: ATCUF; BVL: ATCU) (Alta Copper or the Company) is very pleased to provide an update on significant developments and progress to date on several fronts which will now set the stage for further development at its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project.

Highlights

Optimized Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") advancing as planned with recent positive developments incorporating 3D Geological Modelling with results targeted to be published in Q4;

Updated 3D Geological Model Identifies Significant Mineralization Potential and High Priority Drill Targets which will provide the foundation for a staged 20,000-meter drilling program in two phases which is targeted to commence in early 2024; Drilling will focus on the under explored Canariaco Sur porphyry copper gold deposit, the undrilled Quebrada Verde porphyry target and further enhancement of the Canariaco Norte deposit;

40 Platform drill permit application for up to 47,000 meters of drilling is nearing completion; and

Community Relations advancing by way of a Benefits Agreement with the community closest to the Canariaco Project while also further ratifying future commitments for the development of sustainable projects in the area.

Joanne C, Freeze, President & Chief Executive Officer, commented We are very excited to see the recent results of Whittle Consulting optimization work inclusive of the expected benefits of the 3D Geological Model which will incorporate Canariaco Sur and higher-grade copper at Canariaco Norte. We are equally pleased with the recent gains with the Community which we will continue to advance as we further engage by way of our community offices and field activities in preparation of the upcoming 20,000-meter drilling program.

Preliminary Economic Assessments Whittle Consulting Pty Ltd (Whittle) was engaged for purposes of advancing project optimization which involves a rigorous analytical and computational process using Whittle's Strategic Mine Planning software and Integrated Strategic Planning concepts (Refer to Alta Copper News Release dated April 27, 2023 for more details). To date, Whittle has completed 63 iterations on the mine plan pit shells and will be conducting additional iterations as soon as the new 3D Geological Modelling is incorporated. The new 3D Geological Model has identified some very compelling alteration effects on the deposit, which are linked to higher copper grades.

Based on what are considered positive developments with our 3D Geological Modelling, more fully described below, the Company is now targeting to publish the optimized PEA by Q4-2023 which will be jointly prepared by Whittle and Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc.

Updated Geological ModellingAn updated geological model for the Project is nearing completion with the re-interpretation of district-scale and project-specific geology while identifying significant mineralization potential and numerous high priority drill targets which will provide the foundation for a planned 20,000-meter drilling program targeted to commence in early 2024.

Recent geological modelling has identified several high-grade copper zones with previously untested potential depth extension. These zones will be drill tested with the goal of further enhancing the current substantial mineral resource already defined at Canariaco.

Geological modelling to date has identified approximately fourteen prospective drill targets from eight (8) platforms in Canariaco Norte. Additionally, six geotechnical holes are planned for feasibility study purposes to further support an improved open pit slope which is expected to capture additional mineral resources and improve economics.

Drill holes have been targeted to cross and fill in the recently identified zones of high-grade copper extending to depth which are not currently included in the current mineral resource estimate due to drill spacing between the holes and limitations of drill data at depth. The remaining thirty-two Platforms will be used to drill the Canariaco Sur and Quebrada Verde porphyries, targeting extensions of known mineralization laterally and at depth and near surface geochemical anomalies and mineralization exposed in creek beds.

A further update will be provided in Q4 that will further summarize in detail the results of the current 3D Geological Modelling and exploration plans for Alta Copper's 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project.

Drill PermitsWork has been ongoing and continues to advance for purposes of obtaining drill permits for Canariaco Sur, Quebrada Verde and Canariaco Norte which together make up a 4 kilometres ("km") northeast-southwest trend in northern Perus prolific mining district.

While the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") studies completed to date by YAKU Consultores ("YAKU") would allow for an "ESIA semi detailed application" the Company intends to apply for a Declaracion de Impacto Ambiental (DIA) which is expected to facilitate a shorter timeframe for approvals.

At this time the Company will be making an application by way of a DIA to drill approximately 95 drill holes from 40 platforms from which several holes may be drilled at various angles and depths. The proposed 95 drill holes would allow for up to 47,000 meters of drilling but the Company intends to drill total of 20,000 meters in two separate phases of 10,000 meters in 2024.

The amount of drilling proposed by way of the DIA is deemed appropriate in view of the drilling completed to date of 85,183 meters in 289 holes which currently represents a significant mineral resource most of which is included in the measured and indicated category.

Community Relations and Field ActivitiesAlta Copper continues to advance its long-term involvement with the community in a fashion that will benefit all stakeholders. In March 2023, a new Benefits Agreement (the Agreement) was reached with the portion of the community closest to the Canariaco Project. This Agreement allows Alta Copper to conduct environmental studies in 2023. Discussions are underway regarding the longer-term Impact and Benefits Agreement required for the upcoming drill program.

Alta Copper has also ratified its commitment to contribute 750,000 soles (US$ 200,000) for the development of sustainable projects in the area. These projects are to be managed by a committee made up of community members, Canariaco Copper team and the Lambayeque Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the ESIA studies by YAKU, Alta Copper currently has field personnel working with locals and consultants preparing for the upcoming drill program. The team has been conducting maintenance work on our field camp as well as other various environmental tasks and archeological studies required for the drilling. In addition to the technical aspects, this work allows us increased community engagement.

Since February 2023, three additional community offices have opened (for a total of four), allowing the Alta Copper team many more opportunities to connect with the local community. The dialogues and the exchange of information with the local community are much more frequent and continuous now. Both the engagement allowed by the offices and that through the increased field presence on the project indicates a greater interest and adhesion in the community for the project to advance more quickly.

Within the last few months, several meetings have been held with various authorities introducing the new Alta Copper Community Relations team, discussing Company activities, the potential benefits of mining, legal regulations and permissions required for exploration to mining including an Impact and Benefits Agreement for the upcoming drill program. Meetings have also been conducted with management of Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Chamber of Commerce of Lambayeque, Universidad Cesar Vallejo and authorities of the Canaris community.

Precious Metals Summit Beaver CreekAlta Copper will be presenting and providing a corporate update at 2023 Precious Metals Summit Beaver Creek. Management will also be participating in the One-on-One Meetings during the conference with several prospective investors and strategic groups.

Website: https://www.precioussummit.com/event/2023-precious-metals-summit-beaver-creek/Date: September 12th to 15th, 2023Location: Beaver Creek, Colorado, USACorporate Presentation: Thursday, September 14th at 3:30pm MT

About Alta CopperAlta Copper is focused on the development of its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project. Canariaco comprises 97 square km of highly prospective land located 150 km northeast of the City of Chiclayo, Peru, which include the Canariaco Norte deposit, Canariaco Sur deposit and Quebrada Verde prospect, all within a 4 km NE-SW trend in northern Perus prolific mining district. Canariaco is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not held by a major.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the effective date of the consolidation and name change of the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

On behalf of the Board of Alta Copper Corp.

Joanne C. Freeze P.Geo., President, CEO and Director

For further information please contact:

Joanne C. Freeze, President, CEO and Director [email protected] +1 604 512 3359 or

Giulio T. Bonifacio, Executive Chair and Director [email protected] +1 604 318 6760

Source: Alta Copper Corp.
TORONTO, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Each year, the Alzheimer Society Research Program funds the best and brightest dementia researchers across Canada by providing millions of dollars in awards and grants. This years competition is now open. Dementia researchers can kickstart their big idea by applying for funding at alzheimer.ca/Apply.

The Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) is led by the Alzheimer Society of Canada, with lead partner Brain Canada Foundation, and support from Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation and Fonds de recherche du Quebec  Sante. The programs goal is to help serve people living with dementia and caregivers, to better understand dementia and find ways to mitigate against it.

The ASRP is one of our flagship initiatives each year, said Dr. Louise Scrocchi, Research Executive, Alzheimer Society of Canada. We are excited to see what the next group of researchers brings to us so that we might help them improve the lives of people living with dementia. We are also grateful to donors and partners who continue to provide support to help shape the future of dementia in Canada.

The ASRP is one of Canadas most innovative hubs for dementia research, helping dementia researchers accelerate their work  from ideas to impact. First launched in 1989, the ASRP has provided nearly $73 million in research funding to hundreds of researchers. In 2023, the Alzheimer Society funded 44 researchers, the largest number to date. The grants and awards include Doctoral Awards, Postdoctoral Fellowships, the New Investigator Operating Grants and Proof of Concept Grants.

We take great pride in collaborating with our partners, including Alzheimer Society of Canada, to support and drive groundbreaking research in the field of dementia, says Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada. Investing in research is crucial to understand and improve the quality of life of seniors in this country.

The ASRP has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the government of Canada (through Health Canada), the Brain Canada Foundation, and the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

Brain Canada is a long-time funding partner of the ASRP. As lead partner in the 2024 research cycle, Brain Canada has committed $600,000 for up to 12 Proof of Concept grants, and $200,000 for up to two New Investigator grants.

Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation is contributing $100,000 in 2024 toward Proof of Concept, Doctoral and Post-doctoral awards, and grants.

Fonds de recherche du Quebec  Sante is contributing the following:

Doctoral awards  $12,500 per year for the first three years and $25,000 for the fourth year

Post-doctoral awards (PhD)  $22,500 per year for two years; post-doctoral awards outside of Quebec (PhD and MD)  $22,500 per year for two years with a $10,000 supplement per year; and post-doctoral awards (MD)  $23,250 per year for two years.

Unfortunately, each year, promising work goes unfunded. More investment and funding for dementia research is needed so that we do not leave potentially life-changing ideas unexplored. You can give directly to support dementia research in Canada by visiting alzheimer.ca/donate

Applications for the ASRP competition are due by November 3rd, 2023, at 5:00 PM EST. Results will be announced in the late spring/early summer 2024, and funding will be dispersed starting July 2024. See the full application details at alzheimer.ca/Apply.

About the Alzheimer Society The Alzheimer Society is Canadas leading nationwide health charity for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Active in communities across Canada, the Society provides information, programs, and services to those living with a diagnosis and their caregivers. The Alzheimer Society Research Program is Canadas leading funder of research into better understanding the causes of dementia, improving treatment and care, and towards finding cures.

About Brain Canada Brain Canada plays a unique and invaluable role as a national convenor of those who support and advance brain research. A greater understanding of how the brain works contributes to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of disorders of the brain, ultimately improving the health outcomes of people in Canada and around the world. Visit Braincanada.ca or @BrainCanada

About Saskatchewan Health Research FoundationThe Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation funds, supports and promotes the impact of health research that matters to Saskatchewan.

About Fonds de recherche du Quebec  SanteDisease prevention. Better care. Our scientists are looking for solutions so that we can live healthier lives. At the Fonds de recherche du Quebec  Sante offers financial support while ensuring the strategic and coherent development of health science research in Quebec.

For more information, please contact:

James Harrison, Communications Manager Alzheimer Society of Canada [email protected]1-800-616-8816 ext. 2955

Source: Alzheimer Society of Canada
Washington, DC, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 2026 will mark Americas Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Nation. In commemoration of this momentous anniversary, the United States Mint (Mint) will be minting and issuing redesigned 2026-dated circulating coins. This one-year design change is for 2026 only.

The Mint is considering a variety of possible themes for these special circulating coins and we invite all Americans to take a brief survey about the thematic concepts being considered. Please visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/semiq to take the survey, which is open now through October 10, 2023.

As authorized by Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act (CCCRA), the designs for the 2026 circulating coins will be selected in accordance with a design selection process developed in consultation with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and with recommendations from the general public. A select group of Federal advisors from the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, and National Park Service participated in the development of the proposed thematic concepts that appear in the survey.

During the one-year period beginning January 1, 2026, the CCCRA permits the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue redesigned coins in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial. This includes both the obverse and reverse sides of each circulating coin, including up to five different quarter designs emblematic of the Semiquincentennial, one of which must be emblematic of a womans or womens contribution to the birth of the Nation or the Declaration of Independence or any other monumental moments in American History. The Mint is also planning new 2026 designs for its numismatic coins.

About the United States Mint

Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nations sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Visit https://www.ccac.gov/ for additional information about the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

Visit https://www.usmint.gov/about for information about the United States Mint.

Subscribe to United States Mint electronic product notifications, news releases, and public statements.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Christina Lake Cannabis Corp. (CSE: CLC) (OTCQB: CLFFF) (FRANKFURT: CLB), (the "Company" or "CLC" or "Christina Lake Cannabis"), a leading producer of high quality extracts, advanced products and sun grown cannabis, is pleased to provide details regarding a proposed non-brokered private placement.

The Company announces that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement with gross proceeds of up to $5,000,000 (the "Offering"). The Company will be issuing convertible promissory notes (Notes) secured by land and buildings. The Note bears interest at a rate of 15% per annum over a term of 36 months (the "Term"). Repayment of the Note shall be in the form of interest only payments for the first 15 months and a blended principal and interest payment for the remaining Term. Outstanding principal and interest from the Notes will be convertible into common shares at a conversion price of $0.06 per common share during the Term. The Company shall also have the right to redeem or repay the Notes at any time during the Term. The proceeds from the Offering are expected to be used for repayment of outstanding debentures, working capital and general corporate purposes. The first tranche of the Offering is expected to close on or about September 11, 2023, or such other date or dates that the Company may determine, subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approval, including acceptance of the CSE. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the closing date, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

Certain directors and officers of the Company may acquire Notes under the Offering. Such participation will be considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company anticipates relying on exemptions from the minority shareholder approval and formal valuation requirements applicable to the related-party transactions under sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(b), respectively, of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the Notes to be acquired by the participating directors and officers nor the consideration to be paid by such directors and officers is anticipated to exceed $2,500,000.

The securities issued under the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and were not to be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the 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 the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

The Company has also entered into an agreement for the purchase of additional processing equipment to fulfill growing demand for our high-quality outdoor flower. Under the agreement the Company will purchase $277,675 CAD (+HST) worth of equipment, with monthly repayments extending for 36 months, beginning on October 15, 2023. Payments for the first 15 months of the term are interest only, with blended principal and interest payments commencing after December 15, 2024.

About Christina Lake Cannabis Corp.

Christina Lake Cannabis is a licensed producer of cannabis under the Cannabis Act with a standard cultivation license and corresponding processing amendment from Health Canada as well as a research and development license. Christina Lake Cannabis facility consists of a 32-acre property, which includes over 950,000 square feet of outdoor grow space, offices, propagation and drying rooms, research facilities, and a facility dedicated to processing and extraction. Christina Lake Cannabis also owns a 99-acre plot of land adjoining its principal site. CLC focuses its production on creating high quality extracts and distillate for its B2B client base with proprietary strains specifically developed for outdoor cultivation to enhance extraction quality.

On behalf of Christina Lake Cannabis:

Mark AikenMark Aiken, CEO

For more information about CLC, please visit: www.christinalakecannabis.comJennifer SmithInvestor Relations and Media Inquiries[email protected]902-229-7265

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, likely, probably, often, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the size of the Offering, the completion and terms of the Offering, the use of the proceeds from the Offering, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, harvesting results, and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include future growth potential of the Company, fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions, fluctuations in securities markets, expectations regarding the size of the future harvest, the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives, plans for expansion, inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards and general market conditions. Additional factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Companys disclosure documents which can be found under the Companys profile on http://www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Source: Christina Lake Cannabis Corp.
SINGAPORE, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OKX, a leading Web3 technology company, has issued updates for the day of September 8, 2023.

OKX Gives Away 100 Free Tickets to 'Rewrite the System: An OKX Web3 Party'

OKX will be giving away 100 free tickets to its upcoming event, 'Rewrite the System: An OKX Web3 Party.' The event, which will take place on September 14 from 6:45pm to 11:00pm (UTC+8) at MARQUEE Singapore, coincides with the second day of Asia's premier Web3 and crypto conference Token2049, of which OKX is a Title Sponsor.

OKX Web3 partners, including Polygon, Lido, DWF Labs and Orbiter, as well as media partner, CoinTelegraph, will attend 'Rewrite the System: An OKX Web3 Party,' which is sponsored by zkSync, CoreDAO, Solana, Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, Chainge Finance, Cubic, Orion Protocol and Lifeform.



'Rewrite the System: An OKX Web3 Party' will feature a series of activities, including on-site games, lucky draws, a photo booth, a NFT printer and two panel discussions. The first panel will focus on on-chain ecosystem growth, featuring speakers from the OKX Web3 team and its partners. The second panel will focus on Web3 infrastructure development, featuring speakers from OKLink, OKX's OKB Chain team and OKX Web3 partners.



To attend 'Rewrite the System: An OKX Web3 Party,' submit an RSVP to the event here or join OKX's ticket giveaway here.

For more information, please visit the Support Center.

For further information, please contact:

[email protected]

About OKX

A leading global technology company driving the future of Web3, OKX provides a comprehensive suite of products to meet the needs of beginners and experts alike, including:

OKX Wallet: The world's most powerful, secure and versatile crypto wallet which gives users access to over 70 blockchains while allowing them to take custody of their own funds. The wallet includes MPC technology which allows users to easily recover access to their wallet independently, removing the need for traditional, 'written down' seed phrases. In addition, OKX Wallets account abstraction-powered Smart Account enables users to pay for transactions on multiple blockchains using USDC or USDT, and interact with multiple contracts via a single transaction.

DEX: A multi-chain, cross-chain decentralized exchange aggregator of 300+ other DEXs and approximately 15 bridges, with 200,000+ coins and more than 20 blockchains supported.

NFT Marketplace: A multi-chain, zero-fee NFT marketplace that gives users access to NFT listings across seven top-tier marketplaces including OpenSea, MagicEden, LooksRare and Blur.

Web3 DeFi: A powerful DeFi platform that supports earning and staking on about 70 protocols across more than 10 chains.

OKX partners with a number of the world's top brands and athletes, including English Premier League champions Manchester City F.C., McLaren Formula 1, The Tribeca Festival, Olympian Scotty James, and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.

As a leader building innovative technology products, OKX believes in challenging the status quo. The company recently launched a global brand campaign entitled, The System Needs a Rewrite, which advocates for a new paradigm led by Web3 self-managed technology.

To learn more about OKX, download our app or visit: okx.com



Disclaimer

The information displayed is strictly for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute and shall not be considered as an offer, solicitation or recommendation, to deal in any products (including any NFT or otherwise), or as financial or investment advice. Both OKX Web3 Wallet and OKX NFT Marketplace are subject to separate terms of service at www.okx.com.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gatos Silver, Inc. (NYSE/TSX: GATO) (Gatos Silver or the Company) today reported that its stockholders voted in favour of all items of business at the Companys Annual Meeting of stockholders held on September 6, 2023 (the Meeting). A total of 57,943,220 votes were cast or represented by proxy at the Meeting representing 83.78% of the outstanding shares of common stock as of the record date. A total of 53,617,959 votes (including for and withheld but excluding non-votes) were voted in connection with the election of directors.

The results on the election of directors are set out below (excluding non-votes).

Name of Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Janice Stairs 47,792,924 89.14 5,825,035 10.86 Dale Andres 53,368,392 99.53 249,567 0.47 Ali Erfan 53,256,482 99.33 361,477 0.67 Igor Gonzales 53,259,442 99.33 358,517 0.67 Karl Hanneman 51,841,262 96.69 1,776,697 3.31 Charles Hansard 47,794,427 89.14 5,823,532 10.86 David Peat 47,795,085 89.14 5,822,874 10.86 Daniel Muniz Quintanilla 53,292,047 99.39 325,912 0.61

At the Meeting, stockholders also ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the year ending December 31, 2023. The results are 57,269,555 votes for, representing 98.84% votes cast or represented by proxy.

About Gatos Silver

Gatos Silver is a silver dominant exploration, development and production company that discovered a new silver and zinc-rich mineral district in southern Chihuahua State, Mexico. As a 70% owner of the Los Gatos Joint Venture (LGJV), the Company is primarily focused on operating the Cerro Los Gatos mine and on growth and development of the Los Gatos district. The LGJV includes approximately 103,000 hectares of mineral rights, representing a highly prospective and under-explored district with numerous silver-zinc-lead epithermal mineralized zones identified as priority targets.

Investors and Media Contact

Andre van NiekerkChief Financial Officer[email protected]+1 604 424 0984

Source: Gatos Silver, Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newcore Gold Ltd. ("Newcore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NCAU, OTCQX: NCAUF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Branden Fraser, P.Eng. as Vice President, Projects, effective September 8, 2023. Newcore is also pleased to announce it has commenced the process of engaging an independent engineering firm to prepare an updated National Instrument 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") study for the Companys 100% owned Enchi Gold Project ("Enchi" or the "Project") in Ghana.

Luke Alexander, President and CEO of Newcore stated, "We are very excited to welcome Branden to our team. His significant experience in mine development, both with study management as well as in construction and operations, will be a significant benefit as we continue to advance the development of our Enchi Gold Project in Ghana. Concurrently we are excited to be kicking-off the process to complete an updated PEA for the Project, incorporating the updated Mineral Resource Estimate that was announced earlier this year, along with the significant metallurgical testwork that has been completed on the Project since the last economic study was completed in 2021. We continue to advance and de-risk the development of our Enchi Gold Project and look forward to creating significant value for our shareholders."

Mr. Fraser, P.Eng., has over 10-years of on-site experience in construction and operations in both mining and processing roles, as well as significant study management and consulting experience. His contributions span diverse regions including South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, and subarctic Canada. Beginning with five years in trades roles within mining and milling operations, Mr. Fraser transitioned to project and field engineering positions with Canadian Northern Mining Corp. and JDS Mining and Energy Inc. in 2014. Notably, he acted as Project, Field, and Commissioning Engineer for the construction and commissioning of JDS Silver's Silvertip Mine in 2015 and Victoria Gold Corp.'s Eagle Gold Mine in 2017. Following the successful commissioning of the Eagle Gold Mine in 2019, Mr. Fraser assumed the role of the sites Heap Leach Engineer. Simultaneously, he provided consulting support for preliminary and Pre-Feasibility designs and assessments for several heap leach projects, including Newcore's 2021 PEA. Before joining Newcore Gold, Branden was a Process Engineer and Project Manager at BBA. Mr. Fraser holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering from Montana Technological University and is a registered professional engineer with Engineers & Geoscientists British Columbia.

Newcore has granted 300,000 stock options at a price of $0.12 per share for a period of five years to Mr. Fraser. These options are subject to regulatory approval and are granted under the Companys long-term incentive plan and include vesting provisions.

About Newcore Gold Ltd.

Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold Project located in Ghana, Africas largest gold producer (1). The Project currently hosts an Indicated Mineral Resource of 743,500 ounces of gold at 0.55 g/t and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 972,000 ounces of gold at 0.65 g/t (2). Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 20% equity ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchis 216 km2 land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghanas prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including the Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcores vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Newcore Gold Ltd.

Luke AlexanderPresident, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations+1 604 484 4399[email protected] www.newcoregold.com

(1) Source: Production volumes for 2022 as sourced from the World Gold Council(2) Notes for Mineral Resource Estimate:1. Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") definition standards were followed for the resource estimate.2. The 2023 resource models used ordinary kriging (OK) grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids and constrained by pits shell for Sewum, Boin and Nyam. Kwakyekrom and Tokosea used Inverse Distance squared (ID2).3. Open pit cut-off grades varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.25 g/t Au based on mining and processing costs as well as the recoveries in different weathered material.4. Heap leach cut-off grade varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.19 g/t in the pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs.5. CIL cut off grade varied from 0.25 g/t to 0.27 g/t in a pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs.6. A US$1,650/ounce gold price was used to determine the cut-off grade.7. Metallurgical recoveries have been applied to five individual deposits and in each case three material types (oxide, transition, and fresh rock).8. A density of 2.19 g/cm3 for oxide, 2.45 g/cm3 for transition, and 2.72 g/cm3 for fresh rock was applied.9. Optimization pit slope angles varied based on the rock types.10. Reasonable mining shapes constrain the mineral resource in close proximity to the pit shell.11. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability. Numbers may not add due to rounding.12. The resource estimate was prepared by Todd McCracken, P. Geo, of BBA E&C Inc. in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Todd McCracken is an independent qualified person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. A full technical report, prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and is available under Newcores SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes statements that contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussion with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always using phrases such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: statements about the estimation of mineral resources; timing and completion of an updated PEA; results of metallurgical testwork, results of drilling, magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programs; and future exploration prospects.

These forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business. The assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Newcore. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of Newcore believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Newcore cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking information also involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: risks related to the speculative nature of the Companys business; the Companys formative stage of development; the Companys financial position; possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery rates; actual results of current exploration activities; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold and other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, unusual or unexpected geological formations); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Source: Newcore Gold Ltd.
NEW WESTMINSTER, British Columbia, Sept. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Using the program offered by www.RelexInc.ca, Sea to Sky Law is offering a unique service to home sellers  free closing costs and free legal advice when they retain Sea to Sky Law to list their home BEFORE they sign any MLS listing agreement. This offer means that home sellers can save on both their legal fees for the normal conveyance sale closing costs and have the peace of mind that comes with free comprehensive legal advice from the start of their listing.

These savings can be thousands of dollars, in addition to the Seller having the benefit of both a Lawyer and a Realtor from the start of the home sale process. The common sale process is that a home seller signs a standard MLS agreement that says only the real estate agents are paid. Then, after a binding sale agreement is signed usually without legal advice, the Seller has to find a lawyer or notary to complete the conveyance legal requirements commonly called Closing Costs. These Closing Costs are in addition to the MLS commission, and the Home Owner usually has no legal advice from the start of the months-long sale process unless the Seller pays extra to a lawyer separate from the services of their Realtor who cannot provide legal advice. Instead, using the program designed by RelexInc.ca, registered Lawyers and Realtors can cooperate to provide the services of both professionals for no additional cost to the Seller. The MLS commission can pay for both professionals from the start of the sale listing process - but only if the Seller retains Sea to Sky Law first who then helps the Seller choose a registered Realtor.

This offer comes at a unique time for sellers in the current real estate market. Sea to Sky Law has decades of successful experience helping thousands of different people. Were proud to be able to offer Sellers closing costs and legal advice for no additional cost when they list their home with us before they sign any MLS listing agreement, said Andrew Liggett, President of The Sea to Sky Law Corporation. Smart sellers know that retaining us first before signing any MLS listing agreement can save them a lot of time and money.

If you are considering selling your home, dont miss out on this unique offer from The Sea to Sky Law Corporation. Contact Sea to Sky Law today and get free closing costs and free legal advice for smart sellers.

The Sea to Sky Law Corporation makes no representation or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions therein.

The Sea to Sky Law Corporation

About The Sea to Sky Law Corporation The Sea to Sky Law Corporation is an experienced law firm serving all of British Columbia, with its Head Office located in the centre of Metro Vancouver, in Sapperton, New Westminster, British Columbia. Their experienced team offers comprehensive legal services for all the usual legal needs of their communities including Family Law, Estate Law, Immigration, and Real Estate sales.

The Sea to Sky Law Corporation is committed to helping their clients make informed decisions, and providing legal advice and services tailored to individual needs.

Source: The Sea to Sky Law Corporation
Largest Clean Energy Event in North America

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three Sixty Solar Ltd. (NEO: VSOL) (OTC: VSOLF) (Three Sixty, Three Sixty Solar, or the Company), an innovative alternative energy design, manufacture, and sales organization focused on solar equipment supply to the global marketplace, is pleased to announce it will be exhibiting at the highly anticipated RE+ solar industry event in Las Vegas, Nevada from September 12th to 14th.

Industry leaders SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) and SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance) have come together to produce RE+ which is the evolution of Solar Power International (SPI), the flagship tradeshow in the solar industry for over a decade. The event is considered a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. For more information visit https://www.re-plus.com/.

Three Sixty Solar will be presenting product information and providing one-on-one meeting opportunities in booth #5268 during the event being held at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center.

RE+ 2022 boasted a record-breaking attendance, and the organizers are looking forward to doing it again in 2023. Highlights of statistics from the 2022 event indicated that,

27,000+ attendees from more than 100 countries attended,

5,500 C-Suite and VP level attendees participated.

Of particular interest to Three Sixty Solar, Construction/EPC Contractors and Project Developers were the #2 and #3 largest industry sectors represented.

Interested attendees who wish to pre-book an in-person meeting with a Company representative are invited to email [email protected] indicating available times and dates along with reply contact information. All attempts will be made to accommodate your interest subject to availability.

Three Sixty Solar CEO Brian Roth says, Im very excited to be returning to RE+ this year, the largest clean energy event in North America. Last year we connected with a large number of potential customers, and I anticipate the same warm welcome this year. As we move projects down the pathway towards construction, events like these help to connect us with potential customers as well as additional technology vendors to complement our solutions.

The Company further invites you to visit its website and to watch our informative introductory video.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

--Brian Roth

Brian Roth,Chief Executive Officer & DirectorThree Sixty Solar Ltd.www.threesixtysolar.com

About Three Sixty Solar Ltd. (NEO: VSOL)

Three Sixty Solar Ltd. is an all-Canadian enterprise which focuses on solar equipment supply to the global market. The companys premier product line is the patent pending SVS series commercial solar tower. According to Statistics MRC, the solar farm sector is set to grow to around $296 billion by 2028. Three Sixty Solars unique tower concept is a high density, clean energy solution that uses up to 90% less land space than conventional solar farms and can co-locate adjacent to homes, retail, agriculture, and industry, thus minimizing line loss and maximizing energy delivery in places where renewables have been difficult to install until now. In multi-tower applications, developers can utilize the spaces between towers to better leverage land assets through additional revenue generating activities. Designed to withstand major instances of extreme weather, Three Sixty Solar offers a clean energy solution with minimal environmental and habitat impact. To find our more, visit: www.threesixtysolar.com and please watch our video. To stay informed, please sign up to receive news alerts.

Forward Looking Information Disclaimer

This letter contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information may include financial and other projections, as well as statements regarding future plans, objectives, or economic performance, or the assumption underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as may, would, could, will, likely, except, anticipate, believe, intend, plan, forecast, project, estimate, outlook, or the negative thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys participation in the RE+ Innovative Technology Exhibit and the expected attendance of the event.

Forward-looking information is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis, and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. The material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking information contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, key personnel and qualified employees continuing their involvement with the Company; the Companys ability to secure additional financing on reasonable terms; the competitive conditions of the sector in which the Company operates; and laws and any amendments thereto applicable to the Company.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks relating to the future business plans of the Company; risks that the Company will not be able to retain its key personnel; risks that the Company will not be able to secure financing on reasonable terms or at all, as well as all of the other risks as described under the heading Risks Factors in the Companys annual information form dated December 29, 2022filed under the Companys profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Companys management to predict all such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information or events after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law, including securities laws.

Neither the Neo Exchange Inc. nor any securities regulatory authority has approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Three Sixty Solar Ltd.Investor RelationsEmail: [email protected] Telephone: +1 (778) 383-6743

Sales & InquiriesEmail: [email protected] Telephone: +1 (877) 684-1972

Source: Three Sixty Solar Ltd.
ATLANTA, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The attacks on September 11th, 2001, changed the lives of many Americans, including the over 1.9 million military personnel who were called to serve in the wars that followed. As the 23rd anniversary of that pivotal day approaches, Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB), a nonprofit organization forging Americas leading health and wellness community for veterans, will host more than 90 9/11 Stair Climb events in remembrance.

The 9/11 Stair Climb, a Team RWB Monthly Mission presented by TD Bank, encourages participants to climb 2,200 stairs  the same number of stairs first responders climbed on their way up to the 110-story World Trade Center. For an additional challenge, participants will wear a 45-lb rucksack, mirroring the weight of gear worn by firefighters.

"September 11th marks a moment of profound significance for our nation. It not only united us in grief but also galvanized the spirit of service that defines our veterans," said Mike Erwin, Founder and Executive Director of Team RWB. "The 9/11 Stair Climb is an opportunity for us to remember the fallen, honor the sacrifice, and stand alongside veterans as we look ahead with resilience and hope."

As a nonprofit serving Americas veterans, Team RWB plays a vital role in not only ensuring our nation never forgets the victims legacies and heroism displayed that day, but also offers those who served a space to reflect on the events that deeply impacted their service. Before beginning the climb, participants will have the opportunity to share their stories and connect with others with shared experiences.

"We are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Team RWB's 9/11 Stair Climb," said Ernie Diaz, Head of U.S. Consumer Distribution, Wealth and TD Auto Finance, TD Bank, and Executive Sponsor of TD Salutes, TD's Veterans and allies business resource group. "Here at TD Bank, we honor the enormous sacrifices, dedication, bravery and commitment of all military personnel, and we look forward to participating in the climb and honoring our nation's heroes."

As an additional symbol of hope and courage - participants will be eligible to win gift cards from DFND, a 9/11 Stair Climb sponsor. DFND is a compression and performance gear company adopted by the U.S. Military, First Responders, and Elite athletes.

To learn more about participating in, supporting, or learning more about Team RWBs 9/11 Stair Climb event, please click here.

About Team RWB:Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) is a nonprofit organization forging the nations leading health and wellness community. Founded in 2010, Team RWB supports veterans as they prioritize their well-being by offering events, training, and programming to build a healthy lifestyle. For more information about Team RWB and its 200,000 members visit teamrwb.org.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the largest banks in the U.S., providing over 10.0 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US and www.twitter.com/TDNews_US.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com/us.

MEDIA CONTACT:Margaret Britten[email protected](978) 833-3952

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/db89eb62-70e9-47c8-b725-81aeab17f68d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/85939ddd-dd36-458c-8629-a03bcac11b93

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6757fe8b-da37-4f2a-b458-581ccb5cfac1

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d3a5ea1-a059-4055-91b9-dbd3ae4cec08

911 Stair Climb Graphic for Team RWB's 911 Stair Climb Empty Sky Memorial Team RWB Photo Team RWB members stand in front of a 9/11 Memorial. Empty Sky Memorial Team RWB Photo 2 Team RWB members stands in front of the Empty Sky Memorial with an American flag. Team RWB Stair Climb 2 Team RWB member runs up stairs in New York City with an American flag.

Source: Team Red, White & Blue
Investing.com -- Billionaire Ryan Cohen is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over his decision to sell shares in Bed Bath & Beyond during a spike in excitement over so-called meme stocks, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the paper said the regulator has asked Cohen for information about his trades as well as communications with officers and directors at the home goods company. The SEC is also seeking records from its former and current board members, the WSJ added.

Cohen raked in a profit of almost $60 million from his sale of an 11.8% stake in Bed Bath & Beyond in August 2022, which came only days after he posted positively about the business on social media.

A figure followed closely by many retail investors, Cohen had previously taken an interest worth $120M in Bed Bath & Beyond in March 2022 -- a move that was viewed as a push to bring sweeping changes to the retail chain. The purchase sparked a rush of trading that sent the firm's share price up by 34% in one day.

The stock was given a later boost on August 12 last year when Cohen tweeted a picture of the face of the moon in response to a negative news story. Days after this message, Cohen sold his holdings in Bed Bath & Beyond.

In a lawsuit filed in Washington D.C. federal court, a group of investors have alleged that Cohen knew bad news about the company and used the tweet to spread misinformation to inflate the stock before the sale. A U.S. judge has called the trading actions "sketchy," although Cohen has denied that he misled the market.

Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy in April and has shuttered hundreds of locations in the last year.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Barksdale Resources Corp. (TSXV: BRO) (OTCQX: BRKCF) ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the United States Forest Service ("USFS") has approved the Sunnyside Plan of Operations ("PoO"). This is the final regulatory approval needed for Barksdale to execute its proposed drilling program at Sunnyside. The Company expects to begin mobilizing equipment on or around September 15, 2023.

Rick Trotman, President and CEO of Barksdale, states, "We are thrilled to have completed the permitting process at Sunnyside and look forward to mobilizing our first drill to site."

Over the past four years our team has successfully navigated federal and state permitting processes and has received approval from the United States Forest Service, the Army Corp of Engineers, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to initiate its proposed drill program at Sunnyside. The approved permit gives Barksdale up to seven years to complete drilling activity on up to 30 drill pads. The locations of these pads are floating, which will allow the Company flexibility in executing a program that follows the best geology, as additional information will update our model with the completion of each drill hole.

Further to the press release dated September 6, 2023, the Company has been notified that the Plaintiffs have appealed the Federal District Court's ruling, denying their request for a preliminary injunction to prevent drilling at Sunnyside. To be clear, the Federal District Court's ruling in Barksdale's favor is unlikely to be reversed, not only because of the District Court's detailed ruling on the merits, but also because most appeals are unsuccessful. As such, Barksdale continues to advance its plans to commence drilling next week. The Company will continue to provide timely updates.

Barksdale Resources Corp., a 2023 OTCQX BEST 50 Company, is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., that is focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of highly prospective base metal projects in North America. Barksdale is currently advancing the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects, both of which are in the Patagonia mining district of southern Arizona, as well as the San Javier copper-gold project in central Sonora, Mexico.

ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP.

Rick Trotman

President, CEO and Director

[email protected]

Terri Anne Welyki

Vice President of Communications

778-238-2333

[email protected]

For more information please phone 778-558-7145, email [email protected] or visit www.BarksdaleResources.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to the proposed nature, size, timing, targets and impact of the Company's planned drilling program on the Sunnyside project and the ability of the Company to obtain the requisite staffing and financing therefor; and the potential impact of seasonal drilling restrictions on the ability of the Company to effectively carry out such program. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of available capital, actual results of exploration activities, environmental risks, future prices of base metals, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry.. The Company's proposed drilling program at Sunnyside is an exploratory search for commercial quantities of ore, the discovery of which cannot be assured. There are currently no NI 43-101 resources or reserves on the Sunnyside property. There is also uncertainty about the continued spread and severity of COVID-19, the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising inflation and interest rates and the impact they will have on the Company's operations, supply chains, ability to access mining projects or procure equipment, supplies, contractors and other personnel on a timely basis or at all and economic activity in general. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180013
Denver, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - CBD of Denver, Inc. (OTC Pink: CBDD), is pleased to announce the closing of the acquisition of HOLISTICH GmbH a Swiss based company with a location in Vienna, Austria. HOLISTICH is focusing on cannabis tissue cultures offering Cannabis production facilities high quality cannabis clones.

HOLISTICH has an existing wholesale distribution and clone business that will immediately add revenues to Luxora. HOLISTICH is a great addition to the Luxora new business model as it already has a presence in Austria with the ability to ship products throughout the European Union. HOLISTICH has strong relationships with major shipping companies to expedite and limit the challenge of shipping. HolistiCH currently has a partnered portfolio of over 240 Cannabis strains and with the efforts of Luxora will be adding 30 new exclusive strains to its portfolio. This is all being prepared to execute on the roll out of the cannabis club model as soon as legislation is finalized with the German government. HOLISTICH will be able to provide seeds and clones to our cannabis club clients with exclusive strains which the company believes will separate Luxora from the other competion. This is an important step forward for the whole group as this acquisition offers us an excellent opportunity to access the European market. HOLISTICH is established as a player in the wholesale business in the DACH-Region of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and has long standing relationships to several players in the EU," comments LUXORA CEO Jan Schwager. "Additionally, the company has established good relationships in the area of cannabis clones' business which can be developed when the German and other European Markets are further opened."

The company will be integrated into the LUXORA Group in the coming weeks with LUXORA CEO Jan Schwager, taking over the role of the Managing Director for the Swiss Office and the Vienna Branch for the time being.

Additional updates from CBD of Denver

During the second quarter Libra9 generated revenue of approximately $179,000, with Luxora generating approximately $468,000 in revenue. While certain notes are coming due in September, there remains a two-year holding period before any shares into which the notes are convertible could be sold. Therefore, the Company does not expect that any of those shares would be able to come into the trading market. Please listen to our last Investor call for additional information.

The company wants to maintain a transparent relationship with its shareholders and please visit our websites and ask any question you feel is missing from our websites and public disclosures.

About CBD of Denver, Inc. (BERLINER INNOVATION)

CBD of Denver, Inc. is focused on acquiring profitable assets at attractive valuations to create value for shareholders. The company's team is dedicated to sourcing high-margin, innovative products that align with its values. The Company is offering a number of innovative consumer products through Libra 9 GmbH, such as the Magic Lappen and the BerlinR13 Anti-Slip solution.

Follow Magic Lappen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more information and updates.

Follow The Magic Lappen on Instagram: @themagiclappen

Shop on our website: https://www.the-magic-lappen.com/

Visit the CBDD/ Berliner Innovation: www.berlinerinnovation.de

See our innovative Anti-Slip product: www.berlinr13.de

For questions, please contact us at: [email protected]

About LUXORA LLC

LUXORA LLC is a trailblazing entity in the European cannabis industry, with offices spanning the USA and Europe. Our core expertise revolves around unlocking the potential of the legalized cannabis market, offering Plug & Play solutions tailored to the dynamic needs of this rapidly expanding sector. With a profound understanding of the opportunities and challenges brought forth by legalization, our experienced team is dedicated to pioneering the future of the legal cannabis market in Europe. Our offerings range from consulting and market research to product development and distribution solutions, aimed at simplifying the path to legalization for our esteemed clients.

For inquiries, please contact Investor Relations: [email protected]

For more information, please visit: www.luxora-holding.com

Follow Us: Twitter| Instagram

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180020
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The installation of a seismic station in Shusha will be completed soon, the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS) told Trend.

Orhan Tatar, head of Turkiye's Emergency Situations Prevention and Elimination Department (AFAD), said this at a meeting held in the building of the ANAS Presidium on September 8.

During the meeting, the President of ANAS, academician Isa Habibbeyli noted the close cooperation between the Republican Seismological Service Center of ANAS and AFAD and stressed that the memorandum of understanding signed between the parties on earthquake observation systems will bring the ties between the structures to a new level.

It was noted that one of the points reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding is the establishment of a seismic station in Azerbaijan's Shusha by AFAD, and this work will be completed in the near future. The ANAS President also noted that such elements as the establishment of seismic stations in the territories liberated from occupation, joint research, and the exchange of experience and software are reflected in the document. He noted that today's meeting will contribute to achieving the set goals.

Stating that the transfer of AFAD's technologies to Azerbaijan is one of the main goals of the organization, AFAD Head of Department Orhan Tatar noted that the installation of a seismic station in Shusha, which is the first step in this direction, will be completed soon.
HIGHLIGHTS

Three new lithium bearing pegmatite drill targets identified through mapping and rock chip sampling at the Estrella prospect, located within the Borborema Project area

Rock chips of up to 7.6% Li 2 O taken from outcropping spodumene rich pegmatites at Estrella

Two additional drill rigs being mobilsied to explore both Borborema and Jaguar Projects

First three holes from Jaguar are at the lab and awaiting assays, 12 holes have now been completed

Due diligence period for Jaguar currently being re-negotiated to allow systematic evaluation of the Project's potential

West Leederville, Western Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 7, 2023) - Solis Minerals Limited (ASX: SLM) ("Solis" or the "Company") is pleased to provide exploration updates for the Estrella prospect, located within the Borborema Project area and the Jaguar Project. Both Projects are located in Brazil, which is rapidly developing into an exciting and globally significant high grade lithium region.

Executive Director, Matthew Boyes, commented:

"We are pleased to advise that exploration at the Borborema Project is delivering on expectations, yielding positive results from the preliminary reconnaissance mapping program.

"The identification of three new lithium bearing outcropping pegmatites and rock chip samples returning up to 7.60% Li 2 O, is highly encouraging. The team is looking forward to completing the full geochemical soil program in the area, and then drilling the three outcropping pegmatite dykes.

"We are currently re-negotiating an extension for our due diligence period on the Jaguar Project which will allow the necessary time to evaluate the asset more adequately and systematically. With a large track mounted drill rig currently on its way to site, we will begin to see some tangible progress at Jaguar over the coming months.

"We are located in the right region at the right time as Brazil continues to grow into a leading, tier-one, high-grade lithium region. I look forward to keeping shareholders informed of progress on both of our compelling lithium projects over the coming months."

Brazilian Lithium Projects

Borborema Lithium Project area - Estrella prospect

The Company's Borborema Project has seen notable progress, with an additional exploration team mobilised to site to commence reconnaissance work on the targeted areas of the Project area. This work will be focused on ground checking, as well as commencement of a full geochemical soil program to assist with additional target development.

Within the Estrella prospect, Solis has already identified three large outcropping pegmatites with confirmed spodumene present (Figure 1). Float and rock chip samples have confirmed these pegmatite bodies are lithium bearing, with assay results up to 7.6% Li 2 O reported.









Figure 1: Rock chip and float sampling results with tenement outline and mapped outcropping pegmatites at the Estrella Project



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/180005_60ac1c63b45cd971_012.jpg







Figure 2: Spodumene (green) and quartz rich pegmatite sample from Estrella, OM00048 returned an assay of 3.97% Li 2 O

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/180005_60ac1c63b45cd971_013full.jpg









Figure 3: The southern Borborema Lithium Project tenement areas



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/180005_60ac1c63b45cd971_014full.jpg

Results shown on Figure 1 of rock chip and float samples taken from outcropping pegmatites on the Estrella tenement are listed below in Table 1.

Sample_lD Tenement Northing Easting Li 2 O % OM00048 848223/2015 9271363.8 763023.57 3.97 OM00049 848223/2015 9270438 763471.1 1.66 OM00050 848223/2015 9271186.4 764165.46 3.52 OM00051 848223/2015 9271363.8 763023.57 7.62 OM00052 848223/2015 9271363.8 763023.57 0.38 OM00053 848223/2015 9271363.8 763023.57 0.72

Table 1: Rock chip samples from Estrella





Figure 4: Outcropping pegmatite with altered spodumene (displaying Muscovitization)



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/180005_60ac1c63b45cd971_015full.jpg

Jaguar Lithium Project

Solis is currently re-negotiating an extension to its due diligence periodat the Jaguar Project. To date, initial drilling rates and progress have not been sufficient for the Company to test all available target areas over the 300-hectare lease area.

In order to adequality test all available targets, the Company is negotiating an additional six months before committing to the binding option agreement currently in place.

At this time, Solis' management are considering the quantum of the payments pending under the option agreement and believe the extension period of due diligence is required to act in the best interest of its shareholders and to allow the Company to complete all the required and planned drilling to fully assess the potential of the Project.

Samples from three drill cores have been submitted to SGS Laboratories in Minas Gerais, with results scheduled to be reported later this month.

This announcement has been authorised for release to ASX by the Board of Solis Minerals.

For further information, please contact:

Australia

Matt Boyes

Executive Director

Solis Minerals Limited

+61 8 6117 4795

Jonathan van Hazel

Investor Relations

Citadel-MAGNUS

+61 (0) 411 564 969

North America



Jason Cubitt

VP of Administration

Solis Minerals Limited

+1 (604) 209 1658

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.

About Solis Minerals Ltd.

Solis Minerals is an emerging lithium explorer focusing on Latin American battery minerals.

The Company owns a 100% interest in the Borborema Lithium Project in NE Brazil, covering 25,600ha. The Company has extended the due diligence period for the option agreement to acquire 100% of the Jaguar Lithium Project in Bahia state, Brazil.

Brazil is rapidly growing in global importance as an exporter of lithium to supply increasing demand of battery manufacturers. Both of the Company's projects cover highly prospective, hard-rock lithium ground on which early-stage reconnaissance mapping and sampling have verified. Drilling programs are either underway or due to commence shortly.

In addition, Solis also holds a 100% interest in 35,700ha of combined licences and applications of highly prospective IOCG (iron oxide copper/gold) and porphyry copper projects in southwestern Peru within the country's prolific coastal copper belt - a source of nearly half of Peru's copper production.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that relate to future events or performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected, including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labour issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law.

Qualified Person Statement

The technical information in this news release was reviewed by Derrick Strickland, P.Geo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101).

Competent Person Statement

The information in this ASX release concerning Geological Information and Exploration Results is based on and fairly represents information compiled by Mr Matthew Boyes, a Competent Person who is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Boyes is an employee of Solis Minerals Ltd. and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the exploration activities undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australian Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Boyes consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Boyes has provided his prior written consent regarding the form and context in which the Geological Information and Exploration Results and supporting information are presented in this Announcement.

APPENDIX 1

JORC Code, 2012 Edition - Table 1

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representativity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.



In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information.

At the Estrella Lithium Project sampling at the surface was predominantly rock chips. Sampling was focused on confirmation of mineralisation of Lithium from selected mineral species. In the case of Estrella this is near fresh Spodumene in float and outcrop from pegmatite outcrop. Samples are not considered to be representative of exposed widths of the pegmatite body, samples were not collected over standard widths or perpendicular to orebody orientations.

Samples size ranged between 0.5-2kg which is considered an acceptable weight to ascertain a representative sample for preparation and assay.

All Li 2 O assay results in this ASX were assayed at SGS GEOSOL Laboratories LTDa Brazil. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face- sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). All drill holes completed to date at Jaguar are diamond drillholes with core being drilled at HQ and NQ diameters with standard tube set up. A REFLEX ACT digital core orientation tool has been utilised on all except the first drill hole completed at Jaguar. No drilling has been completed on the Estrella site. Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.

Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. Diamond core was reconstructed into continuous runs with depths measured from the core barrel and checked against core block measurements in trays.

JADDH00001 to JADDH00003 all reported in excess of >90% core recovery in oxidised and fresh material. JADDH0002 suffered an estimated 20-25% core loss in the mineralised core section of the pegmatite due to washing out of the weathered friable spodumene crystals and clay. This will likely result in a bias to under report grade due to core loss.

Solis has requested a triple tube system is utilised in future shallow drilling to limit potential wash out of oxidised material. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography.

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. Solis geologists logged all sample noting mineralogy, lithology, alteration and weathering state of samples obtained.

Logging is both quantitative and qualitative in nature.

All samples including any submitted CRM material are individually photographed before submission.

All core is photographed and orientated. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry.

For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representativity of samples.

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Samples were taken to check the grades of exposed spodumene mineralisation, no systematic sampling across known exposed pegmatites was completed, samples were rock chips only and no systematic channel sampling has been completed to date.

Duplicate samples were taken and stored for future reference.

Samples are considered to be representative of exposed spodumene crystals within Jaguar open pit and of appropriate size with respect to sampled material.

Diamond drill core has been sampled via cutting half core over preselected intervals with a diamond core and dispatching 1 full half of the core for analysis. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. All samples from Estrella were assayed at SGS GEOSOL Laboratories Ltda Brazil.

Analysis procedures are considered to be appropriate for lithium and multielement analysis.

Rock chips and grab samples are assayed via ICM90A (fusion by sodium peroxide and finish with ICP-MS/ICP-OES) for a 56-element suite at the SGS Geosol Laboratorios located at Vespasiano/Minas Gerais, Brazil.

If lithium results are above 15,000ppm, the lab analyses the pulp samples just for lithium through ICP90Q (fusion by sodium peroxide and finish with ICP/OES).

Solis inserted industry standard OREAS CRM for analysis, standards utilised were OREAS 750 and OREAS 22h, reported values are within 1SD of CRM certified values. Verification of

Sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

The use of twinned holes.

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Discuss any adjustment to assay data. All Solis data is verified by the Competent Person. All data is stored in an electronic Access Database.

Assay data and results is reported, unadjusted.

Li 2 O results used in this ASX release are converted from Li results by multiplying this value by the industry factor 2.153. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Specification of the grid system used.

Quality and adequacy of topographic control. Data is shown using the UTM SIRGAS 2000 zone 23 South grid system.

All samples and drill hole collar locations were captured using a handheld GPS and are to be surveyed in with a DGPS once arrives on site. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.



Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.



Whether sample compositing has been applied. No set sample spacing or pattern has been applied due to the preliminary nature of the sampling programme. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. Drill holes JADDH0002 and JADDH0003 were both orientated utilising a digital downhole tool confirming the orientation with respect to lithological contacts and known country rock stratigraphy. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. All drill core has been cut, sampled and bagged onsite under supervision of Soils staff, all bags are then sealed and couriered to SGS laboratories with all relevant submission documentation, all samples once received are logged into the lab and notice of each sample received is sent and cross checked with sample dispatch. Audits or

reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. There have been no detailed external audits or reviews undertaken.

Solis has conducted an internal technical review of the available geological and other publicly available data.

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.

The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. The Jaguar Project area consists of 2 exploration licences held in the name of Marica Mineraao Ltda, and Ingramar Ltda. Onca Mineracao has signed a binding option agreement sheet with both companies giving Onca the right to purchase 100% of each licence.

See ASX release dated 31 May 2023 for terms of agreement.

Exploration Licences: 871427/2006, 872376/2021

Borborema exploration licences with work completed referred to in body of text are 848041/1985.

Licences are in good standing and have no known environmental or other liabilities of any kind. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. N/A - the Company is not aware of any previous formal exploration being undertaken within the tenements. Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. Prospective potential host units for the mineralised pegmatites are similar to the suite hosting the Colina-Salinas pegmatites held by Latin Resources Limited (ASX:LRS) in the state of Minas Gerais. They consist predominantly of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks (schist, gneiss and quartzites) located close to the large granitoids from the G3 suite with batholiths, stocks and dykes represented. Pegmatites are located within 0-5km of the granite contacts. Drill hole

Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: easting and northing of the drill hole collar elevation or RL (Reduced Level - elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar dip and azimuth of the hole hole length

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. Refer to tables presented in report and notes attached which provide all relevant details. Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g. cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.

Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high-grade results and longer lengths of low-grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.

The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. N/A no new drilling data is included in this report. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results.

If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.

If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g. 'down hole length, true width not known'). N/A no new drilling data is included in this report. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. The Company has included various maps and figures showing the sample results and geological context. Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced avoiding misleading reporting of Exploration Results. N/A Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. Geochemical rock chip and float sample results from previously unsampled pegmatites on the Estrella tenement are include in the body of text under Table 1; Rock Chip samples from Estrella. Samples are point samples only and considered to be off sufficient size or industry standard weight. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).

Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Solis will undertake extensive validation field confirmation and sampling of the regional geological setting including all known outcropping pegmatites at Estrella and Jaguar.

Solis has signed a diamond drill contract for 2,500m of HQ diameter drill core to be performed on existing targets and below the known outcropping mineralisation at the Jaguar project.

It is premature to provide diagrams of possible extensions.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180005
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (TSXV:GMG) ("GMG" or the "Company") is pleased to advise that Mr Jack Perkowski, based in New Jersey USA, has joined the Company's board of directors effective 7 September, 2023.

Mr Perkowski founded ASIMCO Technologies in 1994, and from 1994 to 2008, served as the Chairman of ASIMCO's Board of Directors and the company's Chief Executive Officer. Under Mr Perkowski's leadership, ASIMCO became one of the most important players in China's automotive components industry and gained a reputation for developing local management and integrating a broad-based China operation into the global economy. ASIMCO was later sold to Bain Capital in 2010 and is still regarded as one of the most successful automotive component manufacturing companies in China. Prior to moving to China, Mr Perkowski worked for twenty years on Wall Street where he was the head of Investment Banking at Paine Webber, a major securities firm that was eventually acquired by UBS in 2000. After leaving ASIMCO, Mr Perkowski founded JFP Holdings, a merchant banking firm focused on China, where he now serves as Chairman.

GMG's CEO Craig Nicol stated, "I'm very excited to see Jack joining as a Director of the Company to support our progression into a commercial manufacturing operation - his finance and manufacturing entrepreneur experience and knowledge will be a great addition to the company and board - I very much look forward to working with him."

Guy Outen, GMG's Chair added, "I'm delighted to welcome Jack to the board. His past successes at Paine Webber and ASIMCO and his knowledge in manufacturing and finance give me confidence that he will be a great asset to the board and in supporting GMG's significant aspirations."

About GMG

GMG is a clean-technology company which seeks to offer energy saving and energy storage solutions, enabled by graphene, including that manufactured in-house via a proprietary production process.

GMG has developed a proprietary production process to decompose natural gas (i.e. methane) into its elements, carbon (as graphene), hydrogen and some residual hydrocarbon gases. This process produces high quality, with low cost inputs, scalable, 'tuneable' and low/no contaminant graphene suitable for use in clean-technology and other applications. The Company's present focus is to de-risk and develop commercial scale-up capabilities, and secure market applications.

In the energy savings segment, GMG has focused on graphene enhanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning ("HVAC-R") coating (or energy-saving paint), lubricants and fluids. In the energy storage segment, GMG and the University of Queensland are working collaboratively with financial support from the Australian Government to progress R&D and commercialization of graphene aluminium-ion batteries ("G+AI Batteries").

For further information, please contact:

- Craig Nicol, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Company at [email protected], +61 415 445 223

- Leo Karabelas at Focus Communications, [email protected] , +1 647 689 6041

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends", "expects" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or will "potentially" or "likely" occur. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding the effective date on which Mr. Perkowski will join the board of director, and the contributions Mr. Perkowski will make to the Company in his capacity as a director.

These forwardlooking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the effective date on which Mr. Perkowski joins the board of directors, and his contributions as a director differing from management's current expectations.

In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, assumptions regarding the effective date on which Mr. Perkowski will join the board of directors, and the positive impact Mr. Perkowski will have on the Company's development in that role.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180028
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Interra Copper Corp. (CSE: IMCX) (OTCQB: IMIMF) (FSE: 3MX) ("Interra" or the "Company") The Company provides the following summary of its exploration and drilling activities at its 16,080 Ha Tres Maras Copper Project ("Tres Marias" or the "Project"), located approximately 18 km southwest of the city of Calama in the Antofagasta Region of Chile. The Phase 1 drilling program was completed in June 2023.

Six (6) RC holes totalling 1,896 meters were completed and processed chip samples were sent to ALS Global in Santiago for analysis. This drilling represents testing of the first target and roughly 1/5th of the initially planned exploration program, which was planned to consist of a total of 10,500 m of reverse circulation ("RC") drilling across three target areas within 16,080 ha of contiguous concessions. The objective of the program is to test a number of targets identified to date, utilizing reprocessed historical airborne ZTEM and 3D inversion of this airborne data, a 504 km UAV high-resolution magnetic survey, and a 29 line-km GDAS 3D induced polarization survey completed by Alto Verde Copper.

The initial phase of drilling of the combined geological-geophysical-geochemical anomalies did not intersect substantial economic copper mineralization, however the assays highlighted several important anomalies in the six-hole program. Most notably hole TM23R-003 (Eastern Zone - Figure 1), intersected a dacite dyke with moderate quartz-sericite alteration, along with veinlets of hyaline quartz with halos of sericite and grey sulphides, and very thin and irregular veinlets of pyrite, grey sulphides, and specific pyrite-molybdenite sections. Numerous geochemical anomalies were noted, including:

Zinc: average of 350 ppm Zn and a peaks of 1450 ppm Zn;

Lead: average of 178 ppm Pb and a peak of 1960 ppm Pb;

Molybdenum: average of 12 ppm Mo and a peak of 180 ppm Mo;

Copper: anomalous concentrations and a peak of 211 ppm Cu; and,

Silver: anomalous concentrations and a peak of 6.7 ppm (g/t) Ag.

The results from hole TM23R-003 are interpreted to potentially represent a distal base metal front emanating from a porphyry copper system and may warrant follow-up work. Figure 1, provides an overview of the Eastern Zone with drill hole locations (Interra 2023 and historical) with respect to outlines of deeper intrusives, largely interpreted from geophysics and field observations, and the two main north-south structures (Guacate East and West).





Figure 1. Interra 2023 RC drill hole collar locations, historical Freeport-McMoran Exploration Corporation ("Freeport") drill hole collar locations, interpreted intrusives from geophysics, and structural geology overlain on MVI geophysical results, Eastern Zone, Tres Marias Copper Project, Chile.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7923/180066_interra1.jpg

Principal Components Analysis ("PCA") of the geochemical results from drill hole TM23R-003 suggest a strong association with Pb-Zn-Cd-Mo-Re-Ag-S, which is interpreted as anomalous mineralization resulting from a distal copper system, such as that of a porphyry. Figure 2, shows the results of the PCA along with several notable intersections from hole TM23R-003.





Figure 2. Selected intersections from RC chip assays (left) and results of the Principal Components Analysis (right) completed on drill hole TM23R-003.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7923/180066_interra2.jpg

Two of the six drill holes, TM23R-001 and TM23R-004, returned some localized anomalous concentrations in Pb, Zn, Cu and lesser Ag.

Drill holes TM23R-002, TM23R-005, and TM23R-006, did not return and significant values but were elevated in zinc over the entire length of each hole.

Historical Drill Programs

Among the results of previous (historic) drilling, are selected drill intercept highlights:

Drillhole TMD-15-02 intercepted a 2.4 m mineralized manto between 263 and 265.4m with abundant covellite in thick nodules, which returned grade sof 3.1% Cu and 19 ppm Ag.

Drillhole TMD-15-05 intersected a broad zone of anomalous Zn-Pb mineralization with an average of 1,162 ppm Zn and 363 ppm Pb. Between 214 m and 348 m, a hydrothermal breccia was cut with the margins returning values of 12m @ 0.5% Zn - 0.11% Pb and 22m @ 0.16% Zn - 0.07% Pb respectively following which the hole encountered a dacite-andesitic porphyry until the end of hole at 386.50 meters.

Drillhole TMRC-18-01 intercepted 4 meters @ 4.5% Cu and 121.5 ppm Ag in a manto from + 218-222 meters.

Drillhole TMRC-18-02 intercepted constant Zn and Pb mineralization, 476m @ 662 ppm Zn and 355 ppm Pb, includes 238-272m 34m @ 0.31% Zn and 0.26% Pb.

Follow-up Work

Based on initial analysis of the results including historic drilling - the highest priority area is interpreted to occur in the Eastern Zone between Interra drill-hole TM23R-003 and historical drill holes TMD-15-02, TMD-15-05, and TRMC-18-01 completed by Freeport an area of about 1.5 km x 0.7 km (Figure 3). Interra remains optimistic and aims to secure funding to continue work on its Tres Marias property and other Chilean projects. The company has 3 years remaining on the Tres Marias acquisition terms, and up to 8,000 meters of drilling if warranted as per the initial exploration plan for the Project. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the next priority target for work on the Tres Marias Project.





Figure 3. Priority Target and Generalized geology and structures of the Eastern Zone with locations of historical (black), current (blue), and planned (red) drill hole collars.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7923/180066_afffb13cb497fb53_004full.jpg





Figure 4. "Eastern Zone" Target - Section view of simplified geology, structures and interpreted Manto-style feeder mineralization toward the east.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7923/180066_afffb13cb497fb53_005full.jpg

Laboratory Procedures and QA/QC

In total, 888 chip samples were collected from the six RC drill holes and analyzed in the ALS Global laboratory by multi-acid digestion ICP ME-MS61 + Au ICP 21 method (30 g Fire Assay). The chip sampling interval was systematic at every 2 metres except for 11 composite samples taken over 10 m intervals from holes TM23R-001 (8 samples) and TM23R-006 (3 samples). For the laboratory's respective QA/QC control, duplicate samples (51) were collected every 20 samples, with an alternating high-grade (26) and low-grade (27) copper standard inserted every 20 samples. In addition, a blank (26) was inserted after every high-grade copper standard. A total of 130 standard and control samples were assayed representing approximately 13% of the total 1,029 samples assayed, No samples were sent to a referee laboratory.

Technical Disclosure/Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo., PhD, PMP), Principal Geoscientist and Managing Director at Caracle Creek Chile SpA and an independent consultant and Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.

About Interra Copper Corp.

Interra Copper Corp. is focused on building shareholder value through the exploration and development of its portfolio of highly prospective/early-stage exploration copper assets located in Chile S.A. and British Columbia, Canada.

The Company's portfolio includes three copper projects located the Central Volcanic Zone, within a prolific Chilean Copper belt: Tres Marias and Zenaida in the Antofagasta Region, and Pitbull in the Tarapaca Region. The Company now holds a significant land package covering an area of 20,050 ha with the projects situated amongst several of the world's largest mines owned by the largest global mining companies including Glencore, Anglo American, Teck Resources and BHP among others. The Company also owns two exploration projects in Northern British Columbia: Thane and Chuck Creek. The Thane Project is located in the Quesnel Terrane of Northern BC and spans over 20,658 ha with 6 high-priority targets identified demonstrating significant copper and precious metal mineralization.

Interra Copper's leadership team is comprised of senior mining industry executives who have a wealth of technical and capital markets experience and a strong track record of discovering, financing, developing, and operating mining projects on a global scale. Interra Copper is committed to sustainable and responsible business activities in line with industry best practices, supportive of all stakeholders, including the local communities in which we operate. The Company's common shares are principally listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the symbol "IMCX". For more information on Interra Copper, please visit our website at www.interracoppercorp.com.

On behalf of the Board and Interra Copper Corp.

Rick Gittleman

Interim CEO & Chairman

For further information

Katherine Pryde

Investor Relations Contact

[email protected]

Twitter

LinkedIn

Forward-Looking Information

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to exploration on the Company's Tres Marias Copper Project, and the potential results of exploration work on the project. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the Company's website. We seek safe harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180066
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Johnathan Dewdney ("Johnathan") announces that he has filed an early warning report under National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues for the purpose of reporting that his securityholding percentage of the total outstanding common shares of US Critical Metals Corp. ("US Critical") decreased to less than 10% on a partially diluted basis pursuant to certain warrant exercise agreement described below.

On September 8, 2023, Johnathan and Crowsnest Holdings Inc. ("Crowsnest"), a company controlled by Johnathan, entered into a warrant exercise agreement (the "Exercise Agreement") with US Critical (which has a head office at Suite 2300, 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 2B5), under which Johnathan and Crowsnest, have agreed, subject to certain conditions, that any exercise of 5,541,371 transferable share purchase warrants of US Critical (the "Warrants", with each Warrant exercisable to purchase an additional common share ("Common Share") of US Critical) held by Johnathan and Crowsnest, on a full or partial basis, is subject to a standard undertaking given by them to US Critical to not exercise such Warrants such that the number of Common Shares held by Johnathan, would result in equal to or greater than 10% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares (the "Transaction"). Furthermore, pursuant to the Exercise Agreement, Johnathan and Crowsnest have agreed that it will not be able to exercise such additional Warrants, unless the prior written approval of US Critical is obtained.

Assuming Johnathan proceeded to exercise the Warrants in full, it would, prior to entering into the Transaction hold 11,579,408 Common Shares representing approximately 17.1% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis or after the Transaction approximately 6,212,329 Common Shares or 9.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis upon purchasing the maximum number of shares it is entitled under the Exercise Agreement, assuming no further issuances of Common Shares by US Critical.

Immediately prior to the time that Johnathan and Crowsnest entered into the Exercise Agreement, Johnathan had ownership or control, directly or indirectly, over 6,038,037 common shares of US Critical, which 558,066 Common Shares are held jointly by Johnathan and Crowsnest, representing approximately 9.7% of the number of Common Shares of US Critical then issued and outstanding, on a non-diluted basis, and approximately 17.1% of the number of Common Shares of US Critical then issued and outstanding on a partially-diluted basis.

As a result of the Exercise Agreement, Johnathan's ownership in US Critical decreased to less than 10% on a partially diluted basis.

Immediately following the Exercise Agreement, Johnathan continued to beneficially own, and exercise control or direction over 6,038,037 Common Shares and 5,541,371 Warrants, subject to the Exercise Agreement, representing approximately 9.7% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis, resulting in a decrease to his diluted holdings of approximately 7.1%.

Any securities of US Critical acquired by Johnathan in connection with the transactions described here will be for investment purposes. Johnathan may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease beneficial ownership or control in the securities of US Critical, or otherwise deal with such securities in such manner as deemed advisable through market transactions, private agreements or otherwise.

This news release is being issued in accordance with National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues. A copy of the early warning report will be filed on US Critical's SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the early warning report filed in respect of this press release, contact Johnathan Dewdney at 700 - 1090 W Georgia St Vancouver BC V6E 3V7.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180034
Scheme Booklet registered by ASIC

Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 7, 2023) - Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) (TSX: NCM) (PNGX: NCM) refers to the announcement made on 7 September 2023 in connection with:

the proposed acquisition of Newcrest by Newmont Overseas Holdings Pty Ltd, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Newmont Corporation, by way of a scheme of arrangement (Scheme); and

the orders made by the Federal Court of Australia that Newcrest convene a meeting of Newcrest shareholders to consider and vote on the Scheme (Scheme Meeting) and approving the distribution of an explanatory statement providing information about the Scheme and the Notice of Scheme Meeting (Scheme Booklet) to Newcrest shareholders.

Scheme Booklet and Independent Expert's report

Newcrest confirms that the Scheme Booklet has today been registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). A copy of the Scheme Booklet is available on Newcrest's website (www.newcrest.com/investor-centre/schememeeting). For details of how you will receive the Scheme Booklet, please refer to Newcrest's announcement made on 7 September 2023.

The Scheme Booklet includes a copy of the Independent Expert's report prepared by Grant Samuel & Associates Pty Limited (Independent Expert). The Independent Expert has concluded that the Scheme is in the best interests of Newcrest shareholders in the absence of a superior proposal. The Independent Expert's conclusion should be read in context with the full Independent Expert's report, which can be found in Annexure 1 of the Scheme Booklet.

Recommendation of Newcrest Directors

The Newcrest Directors unanimously recommend that Newcrest shareholders vote in favour of the Scheme, in the absence of a superior proposal and subject to the Independent Expert continuing to conclude that the Scheme is in the best interests of Newcrest shareholders. Subject to those same conditions, each Newcrest Director will vote, or procure the voting of, any Newcrest shares held or controlled by them, or held on their behalf, at the time of the Scheme Meeting in favour of the Scheme.

Scheme Meeting

The Scheme Meeting will be held at 10.30am (Melbourne time) on Friday, 13 October 2023 in person at RACV City Club, 501 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 and online at https://meetings.linkgroup.com/NCMSCHEME.

All registered Newcrest shareholders as at 7.00pm (Melbourne time) on Wednesday, 11 October 2023 will be eligible to vote at the Scheme Meeting.

All Newcrest shareholders are encouraged to vote either by completing and returning the proxy form or alternatively by casting a direct vote or attending the Scheme Meeting in person, attending online or by proxy, attorney or corporate representative. The Scheme Booklet provides information on how to lodge your proxy form (if applicable).

Extension of time to hold AGM and dispatch Annual Report granted by ASIC

In view of the pending Scheme, ASIC has formally granted Newcrest:

an extension of the period of time by which Newcrest must hold its annual general meeting for the financial year ended 30 June 2023 (AGM) from 30 November 2023 to 29 February 2024; and

an extension of the period for dispatch of Newcrest's 2023 Annual Report until 21 days before the AGM or 31 January 2024, whichever is the earlier.

This follows ASIC's earlier in principle decision that it would grant these extensions, as noted in the Scheme Booklet.

Shareholder Information Line

If you have any questions in relation to the Scheme or the Scheme Booklet, please contact the Newcrest Shareholder Information Line on 1800 425 578 (within Australia) or +61 1800 425 578 (outside Australia), between 8.30am and 7.30pm (Melbourne time), Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

Authorised by the Newcrest Disclosure Committee

For further information please contact

Investor Enquires

Tom Dixon

+61 3 9522 5570

+61 450 541 389

[email protected]



Rebecca Lay

+61 3 9522 5298

+61 438 355 511

[email protected]



North American Investor Enquiries

Vlada Cvijetinovic

+1 604 335 9202

+1 604 240 2998

[email protected]



Media Enquiries

Celina Watt

+61 3 9522 4264

+61 436 677 220

[email protected]

This information is available on our website at www.newcrest.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180008
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - Radio Fuels Energy Corp.(CSE: CAKE) (OTCQB: CKEFF)(the "Company")announces the resignation of Denis Laviolette as a director of the Company. The Company would like to thank Mr. Laviolette for his contributions and wishes him well on his future endeavours.

About Radio Fuels Energy Corp.

The Company is a junior natural resource company focused on providing exposure to uranium and other commodities through the investment, acquisition, exploration, and development of projects and companies.

For further information, please contact:

Cejay Kim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (778) 886-1826

Email: [email protected]

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180037
Toronto, Ontario and New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - September 7, 2023) - Sekur Private Data Ltd. (CSE: SKUR) (OTCQB: SWISF) (FSE: GDT0) ("Sekur" or the "Company"), a leading Swiss hosted secure and private communications platform, is pleased announce that it has signed an agreement with Zimtu Capital Corp. ("Zimtu") to provide to Sekur specific services from its ZimtuADVANTAGE program (https://www.zimtu.com/zimtu-advantage). The Agreement has been dated August 24th, 2023, and shall be effective for a period of 3 months, ending November 23rd, 2023. In compensation, Sekur has issued 218,750 shares to Zimtu for the duration of the 3-month contract. All shares shall have 12 months holding restriction.

About Sekur Private Data Ltd.

Sekur Private Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure and private communications. The Company distributes a suite of encrypted e-mails, secure messengers, VPN, and secure communication tools. Sekur Private Data Ltd. sells its products through its own website at https://www.sekur.com, and approved distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. Sekur Private Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide.

On behalf of Management

SEKUR PRIVATE DATA LTD.

Alain Ghiai

President and Chief Executive Officer

+1.416.644.8690

[email protected]

For more information, please contact Sekur Private Data at [email protected] or visit us at https://www.sekurprivatedata.com.



For more information on Sekur visit us at: https://www.sekur.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guaranteeing future performance. Sekur cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Sekur's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Sekur's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Sekur undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

NOT FOR US DISTRIBUTION OR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/179982
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2023) - West Island Brands Inc. (CSE: WIB) (FSE: 39N0) ("West Islands" or the "Company") announced today that its board of directors has approved a change of the Company's auditors. McGovern Hurley LLP (the "Former Auditor") has been replaced effective August 18, 2023. The audit committee and the board of directors have appointed Zeifmans LLP as the successor auditor (the "Successor Auditor"), effective August 18, 2023, until the close of the next annual general meeting of the Company.

The Company has sent a Notice of Change of Auditor (the "Notice") to the former Auditor and to the Successor Auditor and has received a letter from each, addressed to the securities commissions in each of British Columbia and Ontario stating that they agree with the information contained in the Notice. The Notice together with the letter from the Former Auditor and the letter from the Successor Auditor have been reviewed by the Company's audit committee and its board of directors and are available on SEDAR + at www.sedarplus.ca .

There is a reportable event with respect to unresolved issues, as such terms are defined in National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations (Part 4.11), related to the audit of the Company's 2022 Financial Statements which relate to an external investigation and report commissioned by the previous incumbent board of directors. This report was obtained as part of ongoing disputes between certain incumbent Board members, and senior management of the Company including the Company's CEO. Those incumbent Board members ultimately resigned. The findings and unresolved matters identified in the investigation report relate to alleged unauthorized transactions with related parties that were not approved by the board of directors of the Company, and other internal control issues.

About West Island

West Island is a multi-faceted, innovative company in the Quebec cannabis space. Its subsidiary, RoyalMax Biotechnology Canada Inc. is a Dorval, Quebec based Health Canada Licence Holder with standard cultivation licence, standard processing, medical sales and sales licences.

For more information on West Island Brands please visit the website at: westislandbrands.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

WEST ISLAND BRANDS INC.

Boris Ziger

Boris Ziger, CEO & Chairman

The Company's public filings are available for review at www.sedarplus.ca and www.thecse.com.

For further information, please contact:

Boris Ziger, CEO at:

Telephone: 416-304-9935

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.westislandbrands.com

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Corporation. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Corporation's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. We seek Safe Harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/180065
Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

Air-Tro, a family business and leading provider of heating and air conditioning in the San Gabriel Valley, is proud to announce its remarkable achievement of winning the Readers' Choice Award for the Best Heating and Air Conditioning Company for the tenth year in a row.



To learn more about what sets Air-Tro Heating and Air apart, and the services that they offer for residential and commercial HVAC systems, visit https://www.airtro.com/about/choose-us

This esteemed recognition comes from the readers of Monrovia Weekly, Arcadia Weekly, and the Pasadena Independent, reaffirming Air-Tro's commitment to excellence and outstanding service.

The Readers' Choice Awards are an annual tradition in the San Gabriel Valley, celebrating businesses that enhance the quality of life in the region. Air-Tro's consistent victory in this category reflects its unwavering dedication to providing top-notch HVAC solutions for both residential and commercial customers.

Over the past decade, Air-Tro has continuously demonstrated its expertise and professionalism, garnering not only the trust of its customers but also the accolades of the local community. The company has earned a reputation for delivering reliable, energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions that ensure indoor comfort and long-term reliability.

Bob Helbing, President of Air-Tro, Inc., expressed his gratitude for this prestigious award, saying, "We're thrilled to receive the 2023 Readers' Choice Award for the tenth consecutive year. It's a testament to our team's hard work and commitment to delivering exceptional service. We are deeply humbled and grateful for the trust the San Gabriel Valley community has placed in us."

Air-Tro has consistently been recognized for its outstanding service and commitment to HVAC excellence. The company's dedication to customer satisfaction, combined with its knowledgeable team of professionals, has set it apart as a leading HVAC contractor in Southern California.

As the region's go-to heating and air conditioning experts, Air-Tro remains dedicated to delivering top-quality HVAC products and services that save customers money, reduce energy usage, and promote indoor comfort. Their commitment to courtesy, common sense, and value has earned them the loyalty of countless clients.

For all indoor comfort needs, residents and businesses of the San Gabriel Valley continue to choose Air-Tro as the Readers' Choice for the Best Heating and Air Conditioning services.

About Us: About Air-Tro, Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating: Air-Tro, Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating has been serving the San Gabriel Valley since 1969. As a one-stop full-service HVAC company, they provide factory-trained technicians, state-of-the-art equipment, and leading brands and parts for custom installations, repairs, and maintenance for residential and commercial properties. Air-Tro is widely known for its quality, speed, and unparalleled customer support. They are the pros you can trust for all your heating and cooling needs.

Contact Info:

Name: Bob Helbing

Email: Send Email

Organization: Air-Tro, Inc. Heating & Cooling

Address: 1630 S. Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016

Phone: (626) 357-3535

Website: https://www.airtro.com



Release ID: 89106740

In the event of detecting errors, concerns, or irregularities in the content shared in this press release that require attention or if there is a need for a press release takedown, we kindly request that you inform us promptly by contacting [email protected]. Our dedicated team will promptly address your feedback within 8 hours and take necessary actions to resolve any identified issues diligently or guide you through the removal process. Providing accurate and dependable information is our utmost priority.
SEATTLE , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines Inc. and Horizon Air Industries Inc., today announced it will webcast a fireside chat with CFO Shane Tackett at 3:15 p.m. ET , Tuesday, September 12, 2023 , from the Morgan Stanley Conference. The presentation will be webcast live at https://investor.alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States , Belize , Canada , Costa Rica and Mexico . We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. Alaska is a member of the oneworld global alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline partners, our guests can travel to more than 900 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-air-group-to-webcast-from-the-morgan-stanley-11th-annual-laguna-conference-301922478.html

SOURCE Alaska Airlines
The cybersecurity SDVOSB will help to enable a secure software supply chain for software engineers within the broader DoD community by providing container hardening standards and transparency into container images used within the Platform One ecosystem. Aquia brings its cloud-native and software supply chain expertise to the problem, ensuring secure container adoption across the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense.

MILLSBORO, Del. , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquia Inc., a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) specializing in cloud and cybersecurity professional services, today announced it has been awarded a subcontract from Omni Federal to support its 3-year contract with the United States Department of Defense's (DoD's) Platform One Iron Bank. Iron Bank is Platform One's hardened container image repository that supports the end-to-end lifecycle needed for modern software development.



Through the engagement, Aquia will partner with the Iron Bank team to further enhance its capabilities, building upon the already robust Platform One Big Bang baseline to increase efficiency and unlock the full potential of secure containers.



"The Iron Bank team is at the forefront of driving transformative change within the DoD through the establishment of container hardening standards and its transparent approach to container image management within the Platform One ecosystem and building software supply chain security best practices," said Dustin Whited , director of security engineering, Aquia. "We are honored to be supporting them and the broader DoD community to ensure a more secure software supply chain in a faster and more efficient manner leveraging cloud-native technologies."



This effort is one of several of Aquia's projects supporting Platform One services. Aquia also supports Platform One's Cloud Native Access Point (CNAP), Party Bus, and Big Bang teams.



About Aquia Inc.



Securing The Digital Transformation 



Aquia Inc. is a developer-centric company passionate about the intersection of security and velocity. We maintain a strong bias towards transformational work that disrupts the status quo  delivering elegant, modern solutions to cutting-edge cybersecurity problems.



Founded by military veterans in 2021, we are a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Our team has decades of experience driving transformational change across the public sector, enterprise businesses, and top-tier technology companies.



We value trust, accountability, transparency, diversity, and continuous learning; and we've built these tenants into the DNA of our company. For more information, visit www.aquia.us.



Contact:

Ashling Knight

***@aquia.us



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12983102



Press release distributed by PRLog

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SOURCE Aquia Inc.
EDMONTON, AB , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - AutoCanada Inc. ("AutoCanada" or the "Company") (TSX: ACQ), a multi-location North American automobile dealership group, and CanadaOne Auto Group ("CanadaOne Auto"), a multi-location automobile dealership group operating dealerships across Canada , announced today that they have agreed to resolve the legal proceedings between AutoCanada, Patrick Priestner and CanadaOne Auto that were commenced in 2019. Mr. Priestner was previously the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of AutoCanada.

As part of this resolution, AutoCanada has agreed to sell to CanadaOne Auto properties on which two of CanadaOne Auto's dealerships are located, and CanadaOne Auto has agreed to amend the leases for two AutoCanada dealerships located on properties owned by CanadaOne Auto. The parties have also agreed to co-operate on certain commercial matters for each other's mutual benefit, and plan to work together on certain charitable initiatives. Neither party has admitted any wrongdoing or liability.

About AutoCanada

AutoCanada is a leading North American multi-location automobile dealership group currently operating 83 franchised dealerships, comprised of 28 brands, in eight provinces in Canada as well as a group in Illinois, USA . AutoCanada currently sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick , Cadillac, Ford, Infiniti, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Audi, Volkswagen, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MINI, Volvo, Toyota, Lincoln , Acura, Honda and Porsche branded vehicles. In addition, AutoCanada's Canadian Operations segment currently operates 3 used vehicle dealerships and 1 used vehicle auction business supporting the Used Digital Retail Division, 12 RightRide division locations, and 11 stand-alone collision centres within our group of 27 collision centres. In 2022, our dealerships sold approximately 100,000 vehicles and processed over 900,000 service and collision repair orders in our 1,367 service bays generating revenue in excess of $6 billion .

Additional information about AutoCanada is available at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's website at www.autocan.ca.

For further information about AutoCanada contact:

Azim Lalani , Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 780-732-3157

Email: [email protected]

About CanadaOne Auto

CanadaOne Auto is a multi-location automobile dealership group, currently operating 29 dealerships across Canada in the provinces of British Columbia , Alberta , Saskatchewan , Manitoba and Ontario . Our 2500+ employees proudly sell and service vehicles from some of Canada 's top automotive brands, including Subaru, Honda, Kia, Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Lincoln , Chevrolet, Buick , Cadillac, GMC, and Corvette.

Additional information about CanadaOne Auto is available at www.canadaoneauto.com.

For further information about CanadaOne Auto contact:

David Gordey , Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 780-224-2980

Email: [email protected]

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information (collectively "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. We hereby provide cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "projection", "vision", "goals", "objective", "target", "schedules", "outlook", "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "could", "should", "plan", "seek", "may", "intend", "likely", "will", "believe", "shall" and similar expressions) are not historical facts and are forward-looking and may involve estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict.

Accordingly, these factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this press release.

The Company's Annual Information Form and other documents filed with securities regulatory authorities (accessible through the SEDAR website at www.sedarplus.ca) describe the risks, material assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results and which are incorporated herein by reference.

Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/autocanada-patrick-priestner-and-canadaone-auto-group-settle-outstanding-litigation-301922491.html

SOURCE AutoCanada Inc.
FREMONT, Calif. , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BizLink announced it has been recognized with a 2023 Supplier Award from Lam Research, a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Selected from Lam's global portfolio of thousands of distinguished suppliers, BizLink was one of 12 outstanding companies honored this year for helping Lam drive a resilient, scalable supply chain to meet its customers' needs.

Lam honored suppliers who demonstrated excellence in four categories: Ownership and Accountability, Long Term Commitment and Investment, Rapid Prototype Materials Performance, and New Product Introduction Performance. BizLink received the Ownership and Accountability award, which was presented to companies that met their commitments to Lam with exceptional management of their sub-tier performance. Ed Hussaini , Vice President of North America at BizLink, stated that we are delighted to be recognized by one of our most important customers for our team's hard work, day in and day out. Together, we strive to please our customers by exceeding their expectations.

Lam collaborates with suppliers around the world to source the specialized materials and components needed for its semiconductor manufacturing equipment. 2023 Supplier Award winners were acknowledged in a ceremony during the Lam's annual Supplier Day event held on September 6 . "We are pleased to recognize BizLink with a 2023 Supplier Award for their outstanding achievements over the past year," said Pat Lord , executive vice president and chief operating officer, Lam Research. "Our close collaboration with companies like BizLink plays a critical role in helping Lam drive an agile, scalable supply chain to meet our customers' needs."

About BizLink

BizLink, founded in 1996, is headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA. Our mission is to make interconnection easier and become a leading global supplier of interconnect solutions. We support environmentally conscious industries and enhance the quality of life by providing essential components, wire harnesses, and cables across various sectors such as Industrial, High-performance Computing Industry, Electronics and Peripherals, Optical Fiber Communications, Telecom and Networking, Electrical Appliances, Healthcare, Factory Automation, Machinery and Sensors, Motor Vehicle, Rolling Stock, Marine, and Solar. Moreover, equipped with flexible production resources and global R&D teams in America, Europe , and Asia , BizLink consistently delivers reliable interconnect solutions closely tailored to local markets. BizLink also specializes in offering comprehensive EMS and NPI services according to the customer's needs. At BizLink, our commitment is to collaborate closely with customers, transforming their innovative ideas into tangible reality. For more information, visit www.bizlinktech.com .

Contact

Ed Hussaini

VP of Sales in North America  BizLink Technology, Inc.

+1 915 877 4888

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bizlink-receives-2023-supplier-award-from-lam-research-301921507.html

SOURCE BizLink Technology, Inc.
BEIJING , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years have passed since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a project aimed at promoting participating countries' development and global economic growth through cooperation and connectivity.

To commemorate BRI's 10th anniversary and plan high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with all partners, China has decided to hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The BRI, a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road , was initiated by China in 2013 to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

A decade of practice has demonstrated that it has become an important global public good, and China shares its development dividend with countries and the world as a whole in pursuit of prosperity.

'A message of goodwill'

Over the past 10 years, China has signed more than 200 cooperation documents on the joint construction of the Belt and Road with 152 countries and 32 international organizations, covering 83 percent of the countries with which China has established diplomatic relations, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's national economic planner.

Figures have proven that BRI cooperation has brought tangible benefits to both China and the participating countries.

Once a long-stalled project, the Gwadar Port in Pakistan is on its way to becoming a regional hub of connectivity benefiting Pakistan , Afghanistan and Central Asia after Chinese enterprises took over.

It has been constructed as a key development area of BRI's flagship project the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The port has handled more than 600,000 tonnes of cargo over the past 14 months. More than 30 enterprises related to overseas warehouses, fisheries processing, edible oil processing, furniture manufacturing, electric vehicle assembly, trade and logistics have been settled in the first phase of the Free Zone of the Gwadar Port.

"The BRI ... is a message of goodwill from China to other developing countries. It allows emerging economies to learn from China and to seize the opportunities presented by China's sharing of the dividends of development," said Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar of international relations.

'A game changer' in global arena

The BRI, formed as a new platform for international economic cooperation, has acted as a strong impetus to facilitate poverty alleviation, promote trans-regional connectivity and boost advancement of new economy.

Official data showed that under the 3,000 BRI cooperation projects, around 420,000 jobs were created, lifting nearly 40 million people out of poverty.

According to the World Bank, by 2030, BRI transport infrastructure, if fully implemented, is expected to increase global real income by between 0.7 and 2.9 percent, lifting 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million people from moderate poverty.

Infrastructure connectivity between regions and continents has also become more accessible through Belt and Road cooperation.

The China-Europe Railway Express has reached 211 cities in 25 European countries, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, has connected China's central and western regions with more than 300 ports in over 100 countries.

Meanwhile, BRI partners have worked actively to carry out international cooperation in emerging areas, such as digital economy. The Digital Silk Road , as part of the BRI, is becoming a digital bridge facilitating a new type of globalization.

"In past 10 years, the BRI was a game changer in the global arena, bringing more multilateralism in the world than before and also creating better conditions for the countries that are on the direction of this initiative," Boris Tabic , former president of Serbia , told CGTN.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-09-07/How-China-shares-development-dividend-with-world-through-BRI--1mPdMMoSENO/index.html

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SOURCE CGTN
BEIJING , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth," the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit concluded on Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia , with a series of positive outcomes.

Deepening ASEAN-China cooperation would benefit people on both sides, said Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn on Thursday.

Regional economic integration

Addressing the 26th China-ASEAN Summit on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang urged China and the ASEAN countries to enhance connectivity, deepen cooperation on industrial and supply chains, strive to complete in 2024 the negotiations on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) 3.0 and steadily advance regional economic integration.

During the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, Li noted that in June this year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) entered into full effect, which brought new opportunities for regional economic integration.

"We need to further bring out the potential of the agreement, boost the free flow of factors, and expand and upgrade our trade and investment. We need to advance our comprehensive, mutually beneficial and high-quality economic partnership, and move toward an integrated regional market that is more open and vibrant," he said.

China has proposed to accelerate ASEAN- China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Negotiations and strives to conclude negotiations in 2024, according to a list of China's cooperation initiatives for the ASEAN-related summits.

The Version-3.0 China-ASEAN FTA will bring tangible benefits to local residents, said Shi Zhongjun , secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Center, adding that the unilateralist, protectionist policies pursued by some countries outside the region have had certain impact on cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region , including that between China and ASEAN.

Belt and Road cooperation

During the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, a joint statement was issued on mutually beneficial cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

China welcomes the active participation of ASEAN countries in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Li said on Wednesday.

Under the BRI cooperation framework, China and ASEAN have enhanced cooperation on infrastructure and regional cooperation.

The China- Laos railway had made a total of 20.09 million passenger trips as of April 16 , with the section of the railway within China handling 17.09 million passenger trips and that outside China handling three million passenger trips since it went into operation in December 2021 , according to data from China Railway.

The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone , a BRI flagship project in Cambodia , has become the Southeast Asian country's largest industrial zone, accommodating up to 175 factories so far.

Fruitful cooperation results

During the China-ASEAN Summit, a series of outcome documents were adopted, including a joint statement on deepening agricultural cooperation between China and ASEAN, an action plan on China-ASEAN green agricultural development (2023-2027), an initiative on enhancing bilateral e-commerce cooperation and an initiative on jointly implementing a China-ASEAN science and technology innovation enhancement program.

Data from China's Ministry of Commerce showed that the trade volume between China and ASEAN reached $975.3 billion in 2022, up 11.2 percent year on year and surging by 120 percent from the level of 2013.

As of the end of July, the cumulative two-way investment exceeded $380 billion , and China had set up more than 6,500 enterprises with direct investment in ASEAN.

The past decade also saw ASEAN become China's top trading partner in 2020, surpassing the European Union and the U.S.

"Looking ahead, I think ASEAN-China bilateral trade will increase three fold in the next 20 years, and the investment will increase accordingly," said Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian ambassador to China.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-09-08/Regional-economic-integration-promotes-China-ASEAN-common-prosperity--1mW7i3aFKlW/index.html

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgtn-regional-economic-integration-promotes-china-asean-common-prosperity-301922176.html

SOURCE CGTN
Dr. McConnell recognizes the rich history of Saint Joseph's while looking forward to the University's future growth and development.

PHILADELPHIA , Sept. 8, 2023 On Friday, Saint Joseph's University inaugurated Cheryl A. McConnell , PhD, as the 29th  and first female  president in the University's 172-year history. Saint Joseph's students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and religious and community leaders gathered for a ceremony in the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena to celebrate the historic event.

Dr. McConnell , a 35-year veteran of Jesuit higher education, was unanimously elected by the University's Board of Trustees and the presidential search committee in March 2023 .

"It is such a unique and humbling honor to be here today in the presence of so many people, all bonded together by our love and admiration for Saint Joseph's University," said Dr. McConnell upon her investiture by Board Chair James M. Norris '85 (MBA). "My heart is full as I look out and see all of us who share in and support this journey  who believe in our shared mission to develop students to achieve personal excellence, professional success and to be engaged citizens."

Local religious and community leaders greeted Dr. McConnell , including Rev. Philip G. Bochanski , vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia ; Thomas P. Foley , president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania; Michael F. Tunney , S.J., provincial assistant of higher education of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus; and Stephen Surovick , S.J., senior director of mission and ministry at Saint Joseph's Preparatory School and superior of the Jesuit community at Arrupe Hall.

" Dr. McConnell's dedication to teaching, to scholarship, to spiritual formation and to student development made her an excellent choice," said Foley, welcoming Dr. McConnell to the Pennsylvania higher education community. "Her degrees and publications are so impressive, but I personally think Cheryl's most important qualification is the dynamic of her personal story. Cheryl is a first-generation college graduate who has immersed herself in the twin Jesuit traditions of spirituality and of service."

James M. Norris '85 (MBA), chair of Saint Joseph's Board of Trustees, placed the presidential chain over Dr. McConnell's shoulders following her investiture, symbolizing the official change in leadership.

"You will be responsible for ensuring that a Saint Joseph's education cares for the whole person, seeks God in all things, encourages moral discernment and promotes justice, as St. Ignatius Loyola , founder of the Society of Jesus, conceived," said Norris.

Following the inauguration, Saint Joseph's community members gathered for a celebratory reception. Inauguration events started earlier in the week, with SJU's annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Thursday, Sept. 7 . The Mass, which is a ceremonial start of the school year, was also the inaugural Mass for President McConnell .

Prior to her presidency, Dr. McConnell served for three years as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, where she oversaw the University's academic enterprise with a particular focus on expanding the academic portfolio to meet market needs and student demand. Additionally, she was responsible for an increased and more effective focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, launching an annual, University-wide Day of Dialogue featuring lectures, workshops and events.

Dr. McConnell led the historic integration of University of the Sciences, coordinating the acquisition of dozens of academic programs in health and science, along with state-of-the-art campus facilities. As interim president, she finalized another merger agreement with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, expected to close in January 2024 .

For more information about Dr. McConnell's inauguration, please visit www.sju.edu/inauguration.

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SOURCE Saint Joseph's University
How global science collaborations address U.N. Sustainable Development Goals explored in 300+ sessions Sept. 12 to 29, 2023

Seema Kumar , Cure CEO, opens U.S. Science Summit with plenary on digital science, as special sessions address pandemic preparedness, genomics and more

NEW YORK , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cure, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City , will open and host key events of the Science Summit at the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) taking place September 12 to 29, 2023 . The Summit, with speakers from 116 countries, will focus on developing and launching new science collaborations to help attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Cure's partnership enhances our focus on how collaborations across continents, nations and themes can strengthen and sustain the role of science in achieving the U.N. SDGs," said Declan Kirrane , chairman of the Summit and managing director of the event's organizer ISC Intelligence in Science. "Cure's forward-thinking role in advancing science and technology is helping realize solutions with global potential, which will enhance our Summit discussions."

The event's more than 300 sessions examine how policy, regulatory and financial sectors can increase health science and citizen collaborations across such themes as information and communication technology, nutrition, agriculture and the environment. The Summit's sessions will be in person and the majority will be live-streamed , reaching an anticipated attendance of more than 100,000 globally. Attendees include thought leaders, scientists, technologists, innovators, policymakers, decision-makers, regulators, financiers, philanthropists, journalists, and community leaders.

"At Cure, our mission is to advance healthcare across the ecosystem to accelerate cures, and this mission is squarely aligned with the U.N. SDG goals to improve the health and well-being for people globally. Achieving this goal will require global collaboration in science, technology, and innovation at the intersection of disciplines, sectors and geographies. We are thrilled to be hosting the U.N. Science Summit and look forward to productive discussions and action plans focused on meaningful outcomes," said Seema Kumar , CEO of Cure.

Kumar will open the Summit with a Digital Science Plenary on Sept. 12 . The session's speakers will explore the current and future state of how data-enabled analyses fuel scientific research and development necessary to achieve the UN SDGs. As part of the Plenary, Kumar will moderate a discussion with Alejandro Adem , Ph.D., President of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Bernardo Mariano Junior , Chief Information Technology Officer of the United Nations, and Magdalena Skipper , Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of Nature and Chief Editorial Advisor for the Nature portfolio, published by Springer Nature.

A special session on Sept. 14 will address how the global lessons of COVID-19 are helping to collaboratively build pandemic preparedness, so that vaccines, tests and treatments can be made available within the first 100 days of an identified threat. The session will feature Victor J. Dzau , M.D., President of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Vice Chair of the U.S. National Research Council; and Co-Chair of the 100 Days Mission Science and Technology Expert Group. The panel also includes Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H., U.S. Director, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiatives (CEPI); Shingai Machingaidze, M.D., Ph.D., Ag. Chief Science Officer, Africa CDC; Rick A. Bright , Ph.D., Former Director of BARDA, Strategic Advisor to Cure and Board Member of FIND; Ruxandra Draghia-Akli , M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health R&D; and Mariangela Simao, M.D., M.Sc ., Director, All for Health Institute and former WHO Assistant Director-General for Drug Access, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals.

A plenary on Sept.15 will focus on the Genomics Centres of Excellence in Africa including collaborative research programs and capacity building. The session will feature Francis Collins , M.D., Ph.D., Former Senior Advisor to the U.S. President Joseph Biden and former Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH); Agnes Binagwaho, M.D., Ph.D., former Vice Chancellor of The University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda ; Yenew Kebede, M.D., M.P.H., Head of the Division of Laboratory Systems & Networks, Africa CDC; Harold Varmus , M.D., Chair of World Health Organization Science Council and former Director of NIH, and Nicole Lurie , M.D., M.S.P.H., Executive Director of Preparedness and Response, CEPI, among others.

The complete Summit program and general and press registration can be found on the event website. Space is limited, but most sessions will be available virtually. Sessions held at the Cure campus include:

Tuesday, Sept. 12

Opening Plenary: Digital Science for the SDGs and the UN Summit of the Future ( 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT )

( ) Special Session: Alejandro Adem , Ph.D., President of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ; Bernardo Mariano , Junior U.N . Chief Information Technology Officer; and Magdalena Skipper , Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of Nature and Chief Editorial Advisor for the Nature portfolio, published by Springer Nature, in conversation with Cure CEO Seema Kumar live-streamed as Cure's Sept. 12 Tuesday Talk at 11 a.m. EDT .

Wednesday, Sept. 13

One Health Research : addressing the complex health facing our society, such as ecosystem degradation, food system failures, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance ( 8:45 a.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT )

( ) Science storytelling for the SDGs with Springer Nature and the UN Sustainable Developments Solutions Networks ( 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EDT )

Thursday, Sept. 14

Pandemic Preparedness: defining the UN -level strategy for the Summit of the Future 2024 with the National Research Foundation , South Africa ( 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EDT )

( ) Special Session: 100 Days Mission : The Science of Access to Medical Countermeasures for Pandemic Preparedness ( 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT )

Friday, Sept. 15

Plenary: Agenda setting for the Genomics Centres of Excellence in Africa including Research Cooperation and Capacity Building (8:45 a.m.to 4 :00 p.m. EDT)

Friday, Sept. 22

Supporting Bioeconomies of a Healthy Standing Forest and Flowing Rivers in the Amazon ( 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT )

Tuesday, Sept. 26

The ECHAlliance Global Health Connector Event  Data & Digital ( 9:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. EDT )

( ) The ECHAlliance Global Health Connector Event  Healthy Ageing ( 1:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT )

( ) The ECHAlliance Global Health Connector Event  Green Health ( 4:00 p.m. EDT to 6:00 p.m. EDT )

Wednesday, Sept. 27

The ECHAlliance Global Health Connector Event  Health Ageing II ( 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT )

( ) The ECHAlliance Global Health Connector Event  Women's Health ( 1:30 p.m. EDT to 4:30 p.m. EDT )

ABOUT CURE

An affiliate of Deerfield Management located at 345 Park Avenue South in New York City , Cure is a 12-story innovation campus in the heart of New York City that features cutting-edge wet labs, premium event venues, and office spaceplus tools, mentoring, and other assistance to physician-scientists, entrepreneurs, academics, and nonprofits working across the spectrum of healthcare and biomedicine. Cure's mission is to foster and accelerate the development of therapies and cures and to facilitate critical conversations about the future of healthcare and medicine. For more information, please visit http://wewillcure.com/

About the UN SDGS

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth  all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. Learn more at https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

Media contact: Caroline Drucker , [email protected]

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SOURCE Cure
Available only this fall, these hams are available to be ordered until Sept. 15

AUSTIN, Minn. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foodservice is launching its first-ever limited-time product offering, and there's still time for foodservice operators to order.

The Fortune 500 global branded food company recently unveiled its Cure 81 Pumpkin Spice Ham, available for only a short time this fall. This half-spiral ham is infused with a specially formulated pumpkin-spice blend and comes with a pumpkin-spice glaze packet for an even more festive flavor. Foodservice establishments have until Sept. 15 to order theirs, and they can do so here: www.cure81pumpkinspiceham.com.

"The pumpkin spice flavor is usually the big buzz and crave around the holiday timeframe, and we wanted to respond to that with an innovative flavor twist on an already beloved product," said Carson Williams , senior brand manager for Hormel Foodservice. "Our spiral hams have become a staple for our customers, and now they can utilize that same great Cure 81 taste with the ever-popular flavor profile of pumpkin spice to provide a unique take on the ultimate holiday feast for their guests."

Don't leave the most anticipated seasonal trend off of your menu. Perfect for holiday meal recipes, limited-time offers or carving stations, the Cure 81 Pumpkin Spice Ham is a can't-miss option this time of year.

Hormel Foodservice is a dedicated team of experts trained to consult and innovate around the needs of the foodservice industry by delivering value-added, labor-saving products and custom menu solutions for foodservice operators everywhere. For more information, visit hormelfoodservice.com.

About Hormel Foods  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), based in Austin, Minn. , is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, Skippy, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus , Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit hormelfoods.com and csr.hormelfoods.com.

Contact: Media Relations

Hormel Foods

[email protected]

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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
SACRAMENTO, Calif. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As public opposition mounts to the still-secret, back-room insurance bailout deal in Sacramento , Consumer Watchdog urged vigilance until the Monday, September 11 , deadline for new legislation to be put in print passes.

"Until lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara say they are not going to pursue the insurance industry's billion-dollar bailout plan, California consumers must remain alert for an 11th hour smash and grab," Consumer Watchdog said.

Lara's central place in the secret bailout deal has become clear over the last days. A memo written by insurance lobbyist John Norwood , circulated Wednesday evening, asked legislators to back "the plan" endorsed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara .

Commissioner Lara's public calendar entries from May to July, which only just appeared on the CDI website yesterday, reveals a flurry of meetings with industry executives as well as state officials. Not a single consumer advocate or consumer advocacy group met with Lara in those months; written requests from Consumer Watchdog have been ignored. Public interest groups have been locked out of the entire process.

In the last 24 hours, broad based opposition to any last-minute bailout or deregulation scheme has grown.

The San Diego Union Tribune weighed in: "September is a scary time in the Capitol. As the Legislature hurries to finish its work before adjournment, state lawmakers have a history of making decisions on complex issues that come back to haunt Californians. Newsom and the legislature must not rush through huge changes to property insurance."

Bay Area Congressman John Garamendi, who as the first elected Insurance Commissioner implemented Proposition 103's requirements, said, "The insurance industry seems to be writing the playbook. If they succeed, [it's] guaranteed California policyholders will once again be screwed by the insurance industry."

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader urged state legislators yesterday "Deregulation of Prop 103's protections by California officials will lead to immediate and enormous increases in what people will pay for insurance in California ."

Consumers Excluded from Secret Talks With Industry, Lara, Lawmakers

The insurance industry's scheme centered on keeping the public in the dark until it was too late to stop it.

The outline of the industry's proposal was published only a few weeks ago and its impact on consumers analyzed by Consumer Watchdog. The insurance industry's game plan to "jam" the deal through during the final days of the legislative session was confirmed by a former industry lobbyist boasting to passengers and flight crew on a Southwest flight to Sacramento recorded by Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court.

Background on the Insurance Industry Crisis in California

Scapegoating climate change and the threat of wildfire, an increasing number of insurance companies have refused to sell or renew home insurance in California over the preceding months, threatening that unless lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara derail Proposition 103's reforms and make state homeowners bailout insurers for losses in the FAIR Plan, they will continue to disrupt the insurance marketplace. Insurance companies are also restricting access to auto insurance. Consumer Watchdog has asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate insurance company collusion, which is a violation of Proposition 103 and the antitrust laws.

Read Consumer Watchdog's May 2023 analysis of the insurance industry's misinformation campaign.

Proposition 103 requires auto, home and business insurance companies to open their books to public scrutiny and prove they need rate increases before they can take effect. It requires that auto premiums be based on driving safety record rather than zip code, and mandates a 20% discount for good drivers; applies the state's antitrust, civil rights and consumer protection laws to the industry; gives consumers the right to challenge violations of the law by insurance companies or the insurance commissioner in court; and made the insurance commissioner an elected position. Over $1.2 billion in refunds were issued by insurance companies after the passage of Proposition 103; Californians have saved $154 billion on auto insurance alone since voters enacted Proposition 103 in 1988, according to a 2019 analysis by Consumer Federation of America. The insurance industry spent over $63 million in its unsuccessful campaign against the grassroots backed initiative.

Read more about Proposition 103 here.

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SOURCE Consumer Watchdog
SHANGHAI , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 8, 2023 , Grit Biotechnology announced the completion of a Series B financing round, raising over 60 million USD . The investment was led by CICC with participation from Qianhai Ark, Liando Group, Yuanhe Capital, HeFangTian Venture Partnership and existing investors Sherpa Healthcare Partners, Decheng Capital and Matrix Partners China.

The financing will support Grit Biotechnology's Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) pipeline development, including the pivotal Phase II trial for GT101 and the advancement of next-gen gene-edited TIL products. Founded in 2019, Grit Biotechnology is a pioneering cell therapy company focused on delivering transformative cancer treatments. GT101 is currently the fastest-developing TIL therapy in China and will enter a Phase II trial by the end of 2023.

Grit Bio has four core technology platforms central to its TIL development: StemTexp, StaViral, KOReTIL and ImmuT Finder, a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening platform. These platforms have enabled the development of next-generation gene-edited TIL products.

GT201, a genetically engineered TIL product by Grit Biotechnology, boosts T cell survival and function by expressing a vital membrane-bound cytokine. It surpasses traditional TIL therapies in proliferation, tumor-killing and persistence with reduced reliance on IL-2. GT201 IND is approved by CFDA and entered Phase I clinical trials.

GT316, Grit Biotechnology's next-gen TIL product, enhances TIL performance through knock-out of immunoregulatory targets identified via ImmuT Finder CRISPR/Cas9 screening. In PDX mouse models, GT316 effectively eliminates tumors supported by low-dose IL-2 support with minimal toxicity. It offers substantial clinical benefits compared to conventional TIL products and is currently in IIT clinical trials in China .

With 100+ experienced professionals and a 10,000 sqm GMP-level cell therapy manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China , Grit Bio is a leading player in cell therapy field in China aimed at expediting the development of GT101 and next-generation TIL pipelines and addressing the unmet medical needs of solid tumor patients.

About CICC Capital

CICC Capital is the flagship platform of China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) for its global private equity businesses and has become a leading internationally influential comprehensive alternative investment brand in China . Currently, CICC Capital runs various categories of RMB private equity funds, including real estate and infrastructure, fund of funds and USD private equity funds.

About Qianhai Ark

Qianhai Ark Asset Management Co., Ltd. is one of the leading and top-tier fund managers in China , jointly founded by Mr. Jin Haitao , a representative figure in China's venture capital industry who currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Asset Management Association of China, and Shenzhen Capital Group (SCGC) along with leaders from the financial investment industry. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen , with branch offices in Beijing , Shanghai , Zhengzhou , Qingdao , and other cities. Qianhai Ark currently manages its funds portfolio includes FOFs, regional funds and specialized funds and manages nearly CNY 70 billion in assets. Qianhai Ark covers various sectors such as information technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Qianhai Ark possesses a vast industrial resource pool, facilitating industrial synergy, and providing substantial support to its portfolio companies.

About Liando Group

Liando Group was founded in 1991, focusing on industrial services and park operations. It has developed into an industrial conglomerate with nationwide influence. Its core enterprise, Liando U Valley , currently invests and operates 432 industrial parks in 83 cities across the country, providing services to over 16,000 emerging manufacturing and technology-oriented companies. Liando Group strategically directs its equity funds through direct investment and venture capital to key emerging industrial areas such as life sciences, intelligent manufacturing, and digital technology.

About Yuanhe Capital

Yantai Yuanhe Capital (hereinafter referred to as "Yuanhe Capital") was established in 2019 as the equity management institution for external investments of Yantai Financial Development Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yantai Financial Group"). As of 2023, Yuanhe Capital has successfully launched 17 funds, managing a total fund size exceeding 3.6 billion yuan and engaging in over 154 investment projects. Yuanhe Capital specializes in providing comprehensive entrepreneurial support and investment opportunities in various sectors, including semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals, and advanced manufacturing. As a dedicated value investor, Yuanhe Capital upholds the core principles of "trust, value, sharing, and cooperation." The firm's primary goal is to invest in and assist visionary and creative entrepreneurs in realizing their entrepreneurial aspirations with success.

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SOURCE Grit Biotechnology
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The name of the Azerbaijani-Uzbek investment fund may be changed, Trend reports.

During today's meeting of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis (Parliament) Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Ties, amendments to the "Agreement between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Uzbekistan Republic on the establishment of Azerbaijan-Uzbek Investment Fund" dated February 24, 2023 were discussed.

According to the amendment, the words "Azerbaijan-Uzbek Investment Fund" in the title of the agreement may be changed to "Azerbaijan-Uzbek Investment Company (Fund)".

The agreement was signed in Azerbaijan's Shusha on July 18, 2023.
BRANSON, Mo. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow ( Saturday, September 9 ) is National Teddy Bear Day, which gives us the perfect reason to share news about some new arrivals coming to the Titanic Museum Attraction in the Ozark Mountain community of Branson, Missouri , and its sister site in the Smoky Mountain town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee . Though "black" bears in America have fur in a variety of colors  black, blond, blue-gray, cinnamon and even white  for this year's holiday season, the museums will welcome some incredibly rare red bears  of the stuffed variety.

These critters are a reminder that this is the museums' "Year of the Titanic Children."

These critters, who will appear among the holiday decor throughout the two attractions during the months of November and December, are a reminder that this is the museums' "Year of the Titanic Children." A special exhibit at each site highlights the 135 passengers and crew members who were age 15 or younger when the Titanic set sail, and dozens of artifacts share the very personal stories that demonstrate the lengths families went to in their attempts to protect their next generation. (Of the 135 young passengers, the ultimate outcome was evenly split: 67 survived, 68 perished.) The exhibits represent the largest displays of Titanic children's artifacts ever assembled.

As the museums' crews wondered how to mark the holiday season while also honoring the children aboard the Titanic, they decided to create a special collection of teddy bears (fun fact: a group of bears is called a "sloth" or "sleuth") that visitors can spot amidst a forest of Christmas trees. Those trees are decorated in a manner that pays homage to the Edwardian era, named for the British ruler during the years the ship was built. At that exact same time, Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States , and it's for him that the "teddy" bear was named. Roosevelt, a celebrated hunter, refused to shoot a bear cub because  if legends are to be believed  he said he couldn't have looked his son in the face again if he had.

The museum's new bears are red to symbolize the love between parents and their children. The color makes them a little easier to spot amidst all the holiday decor  and certainly something to catch visitors' eyes in the gift shops, where the fuzzy friends will be ready for adoption.

We know for sure that there was one very well-traveled teddy bear on the Titanic, and he was a Christmas gift in two different ways  but he was definitely not red. "Polar" was the constant companion of 6-year-old Robert Spedden , one of just seven children who traveled in First Class on the fateful journey. When the ship hit the iceberg, Robert arrived on deck clutching the snow-white teddy bear his aunt had given him the previous Christmas, and he fell asleep once safely in a lifeboat. Five hours later, he was put inside a cargo net and hauled up the side of the rescue ship Carpathia. Shortly afterwards, a crew member found a teddy bear on the floor of one of the lifeboats; a steward recognized it and sought out the Speddens on the Carpathia to reunite Robert with his bear. A year later, Robert's mother wrote and illustrated a book that related the story of a bear named Polar who went on an adventure in Europe and ultimately survived the sinking of the Titanic. She presented it to Robert for Christmas in 1913 and shortly thereafter, that book  now called "Polar: The Titanic Bear"  was published widely.

That's just one of thousands of stories that visitors to either of the Titanic Museum Attractions can learn during their time on the ships. The museums' goal has always been to provide a stimulating connection to history that families can experience together. Honoring the memories of all those aboard is at the core of what museum President and Co-owner Mary Kellogg envisioned when the Branson attraction opened in 2006 and the Pigeon Forge location opened in 2010, and that human (and bear!) focus is what makes the Titanic Museum Attraction one of the most visited sites in each of those destinations.

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SOURCE Titanic Museum Attraction
Reaches Transaction Support Agreement with More Than 75% of Secured Letter of Credit Facility Providers, Funded Debt Creditors and Equity Holders

Receives $250 Million in New Capital

The Agreement Extends Company's Loans and Letter of Credit Facilities Three Years, Until Mid-2027

Company to Continue All Operations

No Impairment to Vendors, Projects, or Customers

To Implement the TSA and to Discharge Legal Claims Related to Prior Projects, Intends to Commence Parallel In-Court Proceedings in the Netherlands and UK for Select Non- U.S. McDermott Entities

HOUSTON , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- McDermott International, Ltd ("McDermott" or the "Company") today announced that it has entered into a transaction support agreement ("TSA" or the "Agreement") with more than 75%, in aggregate, of its secured letter of credit ("LC") providers, funded debt creditors and equity holders to initiate a financial restructuring process to strengthen its capital structure, enhance its liquidity position, and further position the Company for long-term success. Additionally, the Company has received $250 million in new capital from a group of its existing equity holders, which will support its ability to operate its business, deliver on existing projects and expand backlog with new client projects.

Under the terms of the Agreement, McDermott will amend and extend its term loans and LC facilities for three years, through mid-2027 with no change in pricing, increase the company's liquidity, and discharge certain legacy legal liabilities. To implement the Agreement, McDermott International Holdings B.V. and Lealand Finance Company B.V. will initiate procedures in the Netherlands under the Dutch Act on Confirmation of Extrajudicial Plans (Wet Homologatie Onderhands Akkoord or "WHOA"). CB&I UK Limited will initiate a Restructuring Plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 ( UK ) in England .

McDermott International Holdings B.V., Lealand Finance Company B.V., and CB&I UK Limited are the only McDermott entities named in these proceedings. Following the completion of the Netherlands and UK processes, McDermott will make a voluntary filing in the United States to secure legal recognition of the international court decisions. The Company expects to continue all current customer agreements, projects, and vendor commitments throughout these processes. McDermott currently expects to complete the processes no later than early 2024.

"Over the past 24 months, our executive leadership has made transformative progress in resetting and implementing our business strategy by leveraging the strength of our operating business and tailoring our approach to our core clients," said Michael McKelvy , President & CEO of McDermott. "We are pleased to have reached this agreement with our key stakeholders, which demonstrates their confidence in the long-term strength and sustainability of our business. These proactive steps ensure that McDermott is strongly positioned to deliver on our growing number of client projects as we continue our important work of accelerating the energy transition in our industry."

The Company has also completed actions to strengthen its world-leading storage business, CB&I Storage Solutions. CB&I Storage Solutions will have dedicated working capital and an independent LC facility separate from the McDermott LC facilities.

"We intend to continue all operations as normal as we move through these processes, including continued delivery on our client projects, and I thank our customers, suppliers and partners for their patience and unwavering support," McKelvy continued. "I also thank our outstanding McDermott team around the world for their tireless work, commitment to safety, and dedication to our values and strategy. As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, we look forward to a long future as one of the few companies in the world with the scope, assets, capabilities, and know-how to meet growing customer and global demand for low carbon solutions and energy transition."

In addition to amending and extending its term loans and LC facilities, the Company intends to discharge certain unsecured claims associated with legal matters related to the Refineria de Cartagena S.A. ("Reficar") project, which was originated by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. ("CB&I") before McDermott acquired CB&I in 2018. The two unsecured claims consist of an arbitration decision issued by the International Chamber of Commerce ("ICC") in favor of Reficar and an in-country order of the Contraloria General de la Republica ("Contraloria"), an administrative agency of the Republic of Colombia . McDermott opposes each claim on the merits; the Company strongly disagrees with and has petitioned to vacate the decision of the ICC and is engaged in arbitration and in-country proceedings to challenge the Contraloria action as improper and without jurisdiction over the Company.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP and NautaDutilh are serving as legal counsel to McDermott, Credit Suisse is serving as the Company's financial advisor and Alvarez & Marsal is serving as restructuring advisor. PJT Partners is serving as financial advisor for an ad hoc group of McDermott's lenders and equity holders and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Loyens & Loeff are serving as the ad hoc group's legal counsel. FTI Consulting is serving as financing advisor for the steering committee of McDermott's bank lenders, and Linklaters LLP and Bracewell LLP are serving as the steering committee's legal counsel.

About McDermott

McDermott is a premier, fully integrated provider of engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry. Our customers trust our technology-driven approach engineered to responsibly harness and transform global energy resources into the products the world needs. From concept to commissioning, McDermott's innovative expertise and capabilities advance the next generation of global energy infrastructureempowering a brighter, more sustainable future for us all. Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott's locally-focused and globally-integrated resources include more than 30,000 employees, a diversified fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and fabrication facilities around the world. To learn more, visit www.mcdermott.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

McDermott cautions that statements in this communication which are forward-looking, and provide other than historical information, involve risks, contingencies and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about McDermott's liquidity and financial prospects, McDermott's credit facilities, and the outcome and impact of legal and other disputes and proceedings. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Those statements are made by using various underlying assumptions and are subject to numerous risks, contingencies and uncertainties, including, among others: adverse changes in the markets in which we operate or credit or capital markets; our inability to successfully execute on contracts in backlog; changes in project design or schedules; the availability of qualified personnel; changes in the terms or scope of the contract, contract cancellations, change orders and other modifications and actions by our customers and other business counterparties; changes in industry norms; our liquidity and ability to obtain additional financing; our ability to continue as a going concern; actions by lenders, other creditors, customers and other business counterparties of McDermott; and adverse outcomes in legal or other dispute resolution proceedings. If one or more of these risks materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. This communication reflects the views of McDermott's management as of the date hereof. Except to the extent required by applicable law, McDermott undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

Contacts:

McDermott Media Relations

Reba Reid

Senior Director, Global Communications and Marketing

[email protected]

Kal Goldberg / Michael Mittelman / Monique Sidhom

[email protected]

+1 (281) 652-5729

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SOURCE McDermott International, Ltd
PHOENIX, Ariz. , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Monport Laser is a well-known manufacturer of laser engraving machines, and has been at the leading level in high-power CO2 laser engraving machines. The Monport 100W, 130W and 150W CO2 laser engravers are specifically designed to deliver exceptional precision and efficiency in deep laser cutting applications, making them ideal for industries requiring intricate and detailed engraving on a variety of materials. High power laser systems produce considerable energy levels compared to typical lasers. While there is no official definition of how much power is "high power," most laser experts agree that high power lasers are at least a few hundred watts. An entry-level industrial-grade engraving machine can be said to be the ideal demand for many high-volume craftsmen.

Monport Built-in Chiller 150W Laser is a technological breakthrough of the Monport team. Monport has launched 100W, 130W and 150W built-in chiller laser engraving and cutting machines. One of the main advantages of Monport high power laser engravers is the ability to achieve deep laser cuts. Available in 100W, 130W and 150W power options, these machines can easily cut through thick materials. Whether it's acrylic, wood, leather, fabric, or the more difficult-to-cut plywood.

Optimal Solution for Large-Scale Wood Engraving Projects

Monport's high-power CO2 engraving machines have become the first choice for CNC wood cutting in the large home furnishing industry. With their exceptional power and precision, these machines enable artisans to create intricate designs and achieve flawless finishes on wooden surfaces. The high-power laser beams effortlessly cut through thick wood, allowing artisans to bring their creativity to life and meet the demands of high-volume production.

One of the standout features of Monport's high-power CO2 lasers is their ability to achieve deep cutting. The intense laser beams generated by these machines can penetrate deep into materials, resulting in clean and precise cuts. This capability is particularly beneficial for artisans in the large home furnishing industry who often require intricate and detailed carvings on thick wooden surfaces. With Monport's high-power CO2 engraving machines, artisans can achieve exceptional depth and detail, elevating their craftsmanship to new heights.

The high-powered laser systems of the Monport engravers ensure clean and precise cuts. The intense laser beam generated by the 100W, 130W, and 150W lasers effortlessly penetrates through materials, producing smooth edges with minimal heat transfer or distortion. Additionally, the high-powered laser engravers come with an efficient automatic height-adjustment system. This feature allows the laser head to maintain an optimal focal distance from the material's surface, even when working with uneven or irregular materials. By automatically adjusting the focus during the cutting process, the Monport engravers ensure consistent and precise cutting depths.

Innovative Advanced Cooling Systems for High-Power Laser

Recognizing the need for enhanced performance, Monport has continuously upgraded its high-power CO2 engraving machines. In 2022, the company introduced a version with a built-in water chiller. This innovative feature ensures stable temperature control during operation, optimizing the performance of the laser engraving machine. The built-in refrigerator effectively regulates the temperature of the laser tube, allowing for prolonged operation without overheating. As a result, users can rely on consistent and reliable performance, even during extended engraving sessions.

Moreover, Monport Laser has been at the forefront of integrating various aspects of industrial laser cutting machines. From the initial upgrade efforts to the current state of integration, Monport has consistently improved their machines to meet the evolving needs of the industry. By incorporating features such as advanced cooling systems, intuitive software interfaces, and enhanced safety measures, Monport's high-power CO2 engraving machines deliver an all-in-one solution for industrial-level laser cutting applications.

"Monport's high-powered laser engravers revolutionize the deep laser cutting industry," said Darren, CEO at Monport Laser. "With the increased power and advanced features of our machines, businesses can now achieve intricate designs and exceptional precision even on the thickest of materials. Our commitment to providing innovative and reliable laser engraving solutions has made Monport a trusted name in the industry."

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SOURCE Monport Laser
SAN JOSE, Calif. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PallyCon, a leading provider of content security and multi-DRM solutions, is thrilled to announce the release of new feature PallyCon DRM License Cipher that will combat the vulnerabilities in software-level DRM solutions.

In today's digital era, the protection of digital content is more crucial than ever. Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems stand as the first line of defense, ensuring that copyrighted content remains secure and accessible only to authorized users. However, vulnerabilities in software-level DRM solutions have posed significant challenges to content security. PallyCon is excited to unveil a formidable solution that combats these vulnerabilities head-on - PallyCon DRM License Cipher.

Understanding the Challenge

Software-level DRM implementations have historically been susceptible to various attacks. Malicious actors exploit weak points in the software to reverse engineer content decryption methods, tamper with license request responses, and compromise sensitive content keys. This not only threatens the content owners' revenues but also tarnishes their intellectual property rights.

A Multilayered Defense: DRM License Cipher

DRM License Cipher is not just another security product; it's a paradigm shift in content protection. PallyCon's solution serves as an impenetrable shield against software-level DRM vulnerabilities, restoring confidence in the security of your digital assets.

Key Features of DRM License Cipher

Advanced Encryption Techniques: PallyCon employs sophisticated encryption algorithms to safeguard license request challenge and response data. By locking down these critical components of DRM communication, PallyCon thwarts attempts to generate forged requests or extract sensitive content keys. Whitebox Cryptography Brilliance: Elevating our solution's security prowess, whitebox cryptography is applied to fortify the custom encryption key. Even if attackers breach the application, they'll face an impenetrable barrier protecting the very heart of content security. AppSealing: Fortifying the Perimeter: Building on this formidable foundation, PallyCon has incorporated AppSealing, a dynamic application security solution that ensures the user's service application is armed against a multitude of threats. Root detection, anti-reverse engineering, tamper detection, memory protection, and screen recording prevention come together to create an impenetrable fortress for the user's content.

Embrace the Future: Empower Your DRM with PallyCon's Countermeasure Solution

As the digital landscape evolves, so do the threats that challenge content protection. PallyCon DRM License Cipher solution represents a quantum leap in securing software-level DRM against vulnerabilities. It's time to safeguard users' content with a multilayered approach that combines cutting-edge encryption, whitebox cryptography, and the unparalleled defenses of AppSealing.

Join the revolution. Strengthen your DRM, protect your content. Unveil the future of content security today with PallyCon's groundbreaking countermeasure solution.



About PallyCon

PallyCon is a premium content protection service from INKA Entworks Inc. Trusted by 200+ customers globally, providing 360-degree, cloud-based end-to-end content security for OTT platforms, such as Multi DRM, Forensic Watermarking, Distributor Watermarking, Anti Piracy services, Transcoding and packaging service and App Security with Quick and Simple integration. It is a ONE-IN-ALL solution for OTT owners.

For more info, visit PallyCon or mail [email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pallycon-introducing-drm-license-cipher-a-shield-against-software-level-drm-vulnerabilities-301921533.html

SOURCE PallyCon
TSXV: PGZ | OTCQX: PGZFF

Canada Honda copper-gold mineralization extended to 600m down-dip at east end of a 2km long east-west gravity anomaly

Zarcita drilling intersects narrow intervals of higher-grade copper within a wider zone of stockwork and alteration

Drilling at Escacena now focused on highly prospective western extension of the La Romana copper-tin-silver mineralization at Romana West

VANCOUVER, BC , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Pan Global Resources Inc. ("Pan Global" or the "Company") (TSXV: PGZ) (OTCQX: PGZFF) is pleased to announce positive results for its follow-up drilling at the Canada Honda and Zarcita targets at the 100%-owned Escacena Project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southern Spain . Both targets are located 4km north of the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery where ongoing drilling is extending mineralization at Romana West. Three follow-up drill holes have been completed at the Canada Honda copper-gold target and an additional 13 drill holes have been completed at the Zarcita copper target.

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 11, 2023 , at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the Canada Honda and Zarcita drill results and also provide an overview of current exploration and drilling at Romana West. An open Q&A session will follow a short presentation. For webcast details please see information at the conclusion of this release.

"The follow-up drilling at Canada Honda confirms copper-gold mineralization coincident with a gravity anomaly, and extends the copper-gold mineralization from surface to 600m down-dip where it remains wide open. The new results highlight additional gold potential in the hanging wall. The drilling is at the eastern end of a 2km long east-west gravity target, indicating potential for the mineralization to significantly expand, making this a compelling, high priority target for additional drilling," said Tim Moody , Pan Global's President & CEO.

Currently, drilling at Escacena is focused along the highly prospective western extension ( Romana West ) of the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery. In addition to the 12 geophysical targets that are being sequentially prioritized for drill testing, exploration on the 5,760-hectare Escacena Project continues to identify new drill targets. Initial assay results from the first set of drill holes at Romana West are expected soon.

Canada Honda and Zarcita drill hole locations are shown in Figure 1 below. Drill hole assay results for Canada Honda are summarized in Table 1 and collar details are presented in Table 2 below. Drill assay results for Zarcita are summarized in Table 3 and collar details provided in Table 4.

Canada Honda Highlights

New drill hole results include:

CHD05  20m at 0.5% Cu, 0.8g/t Au, 1.9g/t Ag , including 5.1m at 1.3% Cu, 0.5g/t Au, 3.9g/t Ag (reported July 4, 2023 ); and new results including 2m at 1.6g/t Au

, including (reported ); and new results including

CHD06  7m at 0.6% Cu, 0.8g/t Au, 6.5g/t Ag , including 3m at 1.1g/t Au, 5.5g/t Ag

, including 3m at 1.1g/t Au, 5.5g/t Ag

CHD07  5m at 1.1g/t Au, 0.2% Cu, 2.3g/t Ag

Surface rock samples up to 9g/t Au

New untested DHEM conductor anomalies

The follow-up drill program included holes CHD05, CHD06 and CHD07. Drill hole CHD05, testing 150m down-dip from previous drill hole CHD04 and approximately 330m down-dip from a historical mine tunnel, confirmed copper-gold mineralization coincident with the targeted gravity anomaly. CHD06, located 100m east of CHD05, intersected copper-gold mineralization coincident with a DHEM target. Hole CHD07 tested a resistivity low anomaly 190m down-dip from CHD05. Each of the drill holes also intersected additional gold mineralization in the hanging wall.

DHEM in holes CHD06 and CHD07 confirmed new off-hole conductor anomalies for future drilling to test the potential for stronger sulphide mineralization. See Figure 3 below.

Anomalous gold assays from 28 rock grab samples at Canada Honda indicate a gold anomaly extending 200m west of the historical mine tunnel and up-dip from the recent drilling, with several samples reporting >0.1g/t Au up to 9.0g/t Au.

Table 1  Canada Honda drill results summary (all intervals close to true thickness); Results in italics for CHD05 were first reported on July 4, 2023 .

Hole ID From To Interval Cu Au Ag Co Pb Zn

m m m % g/t g/t ppm ppm ppm CHD05 65.00 66.00 1.00 0.28 1.41 14.8 367 3430 4100

100.00 102.00 2.00 1.61 0.5 414 37 39

203.00 204.00 1.00 0.06 0.41 9.3 603 3900 1.32 %

287.00 307.00 20.00 0.50 0.28 1.9 102 38 124 inc. 296.00 307.00 11.00 0.76 0.44 2.4 117 36 147 inc. 296.00 301.10 5.10 1.31 0.47 3.9 182 39 154 inc. 296.00 296.50 0.50 10.3 1.42 29.2 592 114 371 CHD06 57.00 58.00 1.00 1.23 155 8 45

73.00 76.00 3.00 0.47 0.05 1.1 109 7 82

101.00 102.00 1.00 0.06 1.13 17.8 41 6180 9380

120.00 122.00 2.00 0.11 1.36 0.5 54 6 35

188.00 195.00 7.00 0.64 0.80 6.5 240 390 412 inc. 188.00 189.00 1.00 0.80 1.32 20.3 117 2140 2280 inc. 191.00 194.00 3.00 0.91 1.10 5.5 413 91 96 CHD07 75.00 76.00 1.00 1.13 3.6 266 261 299

241.00 246.00 5.00 0.19 1.09 2.3 219 525 1151 inc. 244.00 245.00 1.00 0.94 4.39 9.0 741 1760 3860

258.00 259.00 1.00 0.02 1.17 1.2 115 129 94

428.00 433.00 5.00 0.34 0.30 0.9 125 9 53 inc. 430.00 431.00 1.00 1.33 0.69 2.7 145 23 92

Table 2  Canada Honda drill hole collar information (3 holes 1,238.95m)

Hole ID Easting1 Northing1 Azimuth (o) Dip (o) Depth (m) CHD05 737208 4156446 180 -70 443.40 CHD06 737336 4156389 180 -75 320.40 CHD07 737286 4156582 180 -75 475.15

1 Coordinates are in ERTS89 datum UTM29N



Zarcita results commentary

"The recent exploration drilling and mapping at Zarcita has highlighted a 2.1km long trend with anomalous copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. The highest potential remains centered on the historical Zarcita mine workings where drilling has intersected narrow intervals of higher-grade copper within a wider zone of stockwork and alteration. While untested down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) conductors, gravity and IP anomalies define prospective targets for future campaigns at Zarcita, the Romana West and Canada Honda targets are key near-term priorities," said Tim Moody , Pan Global's President & CEO.

Zarcita highlights

New drill hole results include:

ZAD05: intersected copper mineralization from surface, including 14.45m at 0.2% Cu before entering a 10.5m assumed historical mine cavity



ZAD06: 5.5m at 0.7% Cu from 106.2m, including 1.85m at 1.6% Cu, 0.15g/t Au, 2.4g/t Ag

The completed drill program at Zarcita includes 17 holes for a total of 4,363m, along a 2.1km east-west trend. The holes were designed to test a combination of geophysical, geological and geochemical targets, and to acquire mineral alteration information to assist in identifying vectors to potential higher-grade mineralization. Results from the first four holes, ZAD01 to ZAD04, drilled on a single north-south section, were reported on January 17, 2023 showing copper grades increasing to 400m down-dip and narrow intervals of higher grade (e.g., drill hole ZAD04: 17m at 0.3% Cu, including 1.9% Cu over 1.1m). The new drill-holes, ZAD05 to ZAD17, were drilled on a 100m to 600m spacing along the trend. Much of the strike potential to-date has only been tested by single wide-spaced drill holes.

The most promising results are from a 600m section of the 2.1km trend, coincident with the Zarcita mine workings. This includes thin bands of semi-massive and massive sulphide intervals within a wider zone of stockwork veining and chlorite-sericite alteration. DHEM in holes ZAD01 and ZAD05 identified untested off-hole and below-hole anomalies, representing potential nearby stronger sulphide mineralization.

Drill hole ZAD05, intersected 0.2% Cu (oxide zone) over 14.85m from surface followed by 10.5m with no core recovery in an assumed historical mine cavity, and trace chalcopyrite continuing in the drill core below the cavity. Drill holes ZAD06 and ZAD15, intersected narrow intervals of high-grade copper. The mineralization remains open down-dip and along-strike within the historical mining area.

Table 3  Zarcita drill results summary (all intervals close to true thickness to >90%)

Hole ID From To Interval Cu Au Ag Co Pb Zn

m m m % g/t g/t ppm ppm ppm ZAD05 0.00 14.45 14.45 0.19 0.02 0.3 33 60 281

14.45 24.95 10.50 No drill core - assumed historical mine cavity ZAD06 106.20 111.70 5.50 0.67 0.06 1.0 173 30 487 inc. 106.20 108.05 1.85 1.61 0.15 2.4 392 73 737 inc. 146.10 146.35 0.25 1.40 0.13 5.9 197 869 3680 ZAD07 No significant results ZAD08 130.00 132.00 2.00 0.10 0.06 1.2 12 245 2.09 % ZAD09 185.00 186.00 1.00 0.03 0.07 1.6 9 566 1.07 % ZAD10 No significant results ZAD11 158.00 159.00 1.00 1.04 1.44 4.4 146 77 314 ZAD12 51.00 54.00 3.00 0.08 0.01 5.3 24 6513 1.04 % ZAD13 No significant results ZAD14 No significant results ZAD15 41.50 42.00 0.50 1.93 0.41 6.5 362 186 1105 ZAD16 No Significant results ZAD17 No Significant results

Table 4  Zarcita drill hole collar information (13 holes 3221.15m)

Hole ID Easting1 Northing1 Azimuth (o) Dip (o) Depth (m) ZAD05 738291 4156973 180 -70 179.40 ZAD06 738351 4157082 130 -55 305.00 ZAD07 738180 4157081 180 -50 241.10 ZAD08 737986 4156899 180 -55 201.85 ZAD09 737985 4156900 0 -90 203.50 ZAD10 737984 4157098 180 -70 356.25 ZAD11 737439 4156993 180 -55 275.35 ZAD12 738984 4157026 180 -60 230.20 ZAD13 738984 4157027 0 -90 179.50 ZAD14 738987 4157027 140 -55 124.40 ZAD15 738984 4157027 220 -55 117.70 ZAD16 737095 4157069 180 -60 360.90 ZAD17 739264 4157060 215 -55 446.00

1 Coordinates are in ERTS89 datum UTM29N



Investor Call to Discuss Drill Results and Escacena Exploration Update

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 11, 2023 , at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the Canada Honda and Zarcita drill results and provide an overview of current exploration and drill testing at Romana West. An open Q&A session will follow a short presentation.

Date: Monday, September 11, 2023

Time: 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time | 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time

Please register in advance:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcumgqTksH9Qjcmz0fzUGukwCwrpLAVng

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Investors are encouraged to send questions or topics of interest in advance to [email protected] to be addressed following the presentation. A link to the webcast will be available on the Company's website at: https://panglobalresources.com following the live broadcast.

About the Escacena Project

The Escacena Project comprises a large, contiguous, 5,760-hectare land package controlled 100% by Pan Global in the east of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Escacena is located near operating mines at Las Cruces and Riotinto and is immediately adjacent to the former Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mines where Minera Los Frailes/Grupo Mexico is in the final permitting stage with construction anticipated to start in 2023. The Escacena Project hosts the La Romana copper-tin-silver discovery and a number of other prospective targets, including, Romana West , Canada Honda, Bravo, Barbacena, El Pozo , Zarcita, Hornitos, La Jarosa, Romana Deep , Romana North , and San Pablo.

About Pan Global Resources

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively targeting copper-rich mineral deposits, given copper's compelling supply-demand fundamentals and outlook for strong long-term prices as a critical metal for global electrification and energy transition. The Company's flagship Escacena Project is located in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in southern Spain , where infrastructure, mining and professional expertise, and support for copper as a Strategic Raw Material by the European Commission collectively define a tier-one jurisdiction for mining investment. The Pan Global team comprises proven talent in exploration, development, and mine operations - all of which are committed to operating safely and with utmost respect for the environment and our partnered communities.

QA/QC Procedures

Core size was HQ (63mm) and all samples were  core. Nominal sample size was 1m core length and ranged from 0.5 to 2m. Sample intervals were defined using geological contacts with the start and end of each sample physically marked on the core. Diamond blade core cutting and sampling was supervised at all times by Company staff. Duplicate samples of  core were taken approximately every 30 samples and Certified Reference materials inserted every 25 samples in each batch.

Drill core and rock samples were delivered to ALS laboratory in Seville, Spain and assayed at the ALS laboratory in Ireland . All samples were crushed and split (method CRU-31, SPL22Y), and pulverized using (method PUL-31). Gold analysis was by 50gm Fire assay with ICP finish (method Au-ICP22) and multi element analysis was undertaken using a 4-acid digest with ICP AES finish (method ME-ICP61). Over grade base metal results were assayed using a 4-acid digest ICP AES (method OG-62). Over grade tin was determined using peroxide fusion with ICP finish (method Sn-ICP81x).

Qualified Persons

James Royall , Vice President Exploration for Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information for this news release. Mr. Royall is not independent of the Company.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

www.panglobalresources.com

Forward-looking statements

Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this news release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

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SOURCE Pan Global Resources Inc.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Advantage Credit Union is proud to announce the introduction of its first cohort of in-house certified financial counselors. This investment provides personalized financial guidance and assistance to members, giving them the confidence to make sound financial management decisions.

Certified financial counselors are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to provide industry-recognized financial guidance and counseling services tailored to each member's unique needs and circumstances. By investing in this service, Piedmont Advantage's employees are empowered to help members to make informed financial decisions.

Piedmont Advantage's certified financial counselors are trained to address a wide range of financial topics, such as, but not limited to, budgeting, debt management, credit building and homeownership. They work closely with members to develop personalized financial plans, identify areas for improvement and provide ongoing support and guidance throughout their financial journey.

President & CEO Dion Williams expressed his enthusiasm for this new in-house service, which is provided at no cost to the credit union's members. "At Piedmont Advantage Credit Union, we are committed to the financial well-being of our members. We understand that navigating the complexities of personal finance can be overwhelming, and that's why we are thrilled to introduce our in-house certified financial counselors with this first cohort."

The introduction of in-house certified financial counselors aligns with the credit union's Simply Service promise to continuously pursue exceptional member service and support. "A commitment to exceptional service is never-ending. There is always room for improvement, starting with investing in our incredible talent, so that they are empowered to be a difference in the lives of our members," Williams added.

About Piedmont Advantage Credit Union

Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C. , and founded in 1949 to meet the financial needs of Piedmont Aviation and Piedmont Airline employees, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union has grown to serve member-owners, who reside, work, worship, attend school or operate a business in one of the six counties it serves in North Carolina or who are employed by one of its many employer companies. These six counties are Davie , Forsyth , Guilford , Iredell , Mecklenburg and Rockingham . A not-for-profit, cooperative financial institution, Piedmont Advantage still has a strong presence in aviation with its six branches and 10 ATMs throughout the service region.

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SOURCE Piedmont Advantage Credit Union
BELOIT, Wis. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regal Rexnord Corporation (NYSE: RRX)

Regal Rexnord Corporation ("Regal Rexnord") today announced its decision, effective immediately, to change its corporate address from 200 State Street , Beloit, Wisconsin 53511 to:

111 West Michigan Street , Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203

The new corporate location, one of the Company's largest offices, is already the headquarters for its Industrial Powertrain Solutions business segment. Its Power Efficiency Solutions business segment headquarters are located just north of Milwaukee , in Grafton, WI , and the Milwaukee area is home to several other Regal Rexnord facilities.

Regal Rexnord, formerly known as Regal Beloit Corporation, was headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin for over 30 years and currently has two facilities within the Beloit -Stateline area.

CEO Louis Pinkham commented on the news, noting, "We are pleased to make this change, recognizing our increased presence in Southeastern Wisconsin . We honor our roots and appreciate the wonderful relationship we continue to maintain with the Beloit -Stateline area."

The Company confirmed that none of the Regal Rexnord associates making up various functional and business teams in Beloit and South Beloit are being displaced as a result of this address change.

Mr. Pinkham added, "While we anticipate some of our leaders spending more time in Milwaukee , we are a decentralized organization, and we continue to collaborate effectively among all our RRX sites, for the benefit of all our stakeholders. Changing our headquarters address does not change that approach to collaboration."

About Regal Rexnord

Regal Rexnord Corporation is a global leader in the engineering and manufacturing of factory automation sub-systems, industrial powertrain solutions, automation and mechanical power transmission components, electric motors and electronic controls, air moving products, and specialty electrical components and systems, serving customers around the world. Through longstanding technology leadership and an intentional focus on producing more energy-efficient products and systems, Regal Rexnord helps create a better tomorrow  for its customers and for the planet.

Regal Rexnord is comprised of four operating segments: Automation & Motion Control, Industrial Powertrain Solutions, Power Efficiency Solutions and Industrial Systems. Regal Rexnord is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities worldwide. For more information, visit RegalRexnord.com.

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SOURCE Regal Rexnord Corporation
SAN ANTONIO , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan G. Komen , the world's leading breast cancer organization, today announced it will host a MORE THAN PINK Walk in South Texas this fall. The San Antonio MORE THAN PINK Walk will take place on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 .

The events will raise critical funds that support breast cancer patients, advance research and provide patient navigation services to better serve those impacted by the disease.

"We look forward to welcoming walkers to this event to make a difference in our fight against breast cancer," said Monique Stensrud , executive director at Susan G. Komen. "We are excited to be back in San Antonio to unite our community in this important mission and support the people who need our help now."

What: San Antonio MORE THAN PINK Walk



When: Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 , 8:30 AM ; Gates Open at 7:30 AM



Where: The Shops at La Cantera, 15900 La Cantera Pkwy. San Antonio, Texas 78256



Details: Register at komen.org/sanantoniowalk

This year's San Antonio MORE THAN PINK Walk is made possible by the following sponsors: H-E-B, Methodist Healthcare, Caris Life Sciences, Gordon Hartman Family Foundation and Security Service Federal Credit Union.

Please contact Amy Jo Steinbruecker at [email protected] for more information on the event. Interviews with event attendees, Komen staff, and honorees can be granted upon request.

About Susan G. Komen 

Susan G. Komen  is the world's leading nonprofit breast cancer organization, working to save lives and end breast cancer forever. Komen has an unmatched, comprehensive 360-degree approach to fighting this disease across all fronts and supporting millions of people in the U.S. and in countries worldwide. We advocate for patients, drive research breakthroughs, improve access to high-quality care, offer direct patient support and empower people with trustworthy information. Founded by Nancy G. Brinker , who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen , that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy's life, Komen remains committed to supporting those affected by breast cancer today, while tirelessly searching for tomorrow's cures. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at www.komen.org/contact-us/follow-us/.

CONTACT: Amy Jo Steinbruecker

Susan G. Komen

(972) 701-2071

[email protected]

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GLENDORA, Calif. , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The B.R. Companies announces the appointment of Merrill Eisenhower Atwater as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). In this pivotal role, Merrill will spearhead key growth initiatives for both The B.R. Companies (BR) and The Legacy Group, a sister company.

B.R. Companies appoints Merrill Eisenhower Atwater as Chief Strategy Officer to lead growth initiatives.

Merrill, a lifelong business executive, has experience in national sales, marketing, operations, international business, diplomacy, and healthcare. His operational expertise and business growth initiative experience have been tested in numerous markets across various business sectors nationwide. Merrill joins BR with a remarkable track record and a wealth of experience in strategic growth and business development. His addition to the team marks a strategic step forward in the development of BR's overall strategy.

In his capacity as CSO, Merrill will play a central role in driving growth strategies that are integral to the vision of BR. With his deep-rooted passion for community development, he will be a driving force in realizing the shared goals of BR and Legacy. Merrill's commitment will assist the company in furthering the growth in the Midwest region. His efforts have already yielded substantial progress, and his ongoing involvement promises to bring even greater achievements.

As the great-grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower , Merrill is regularly called upon to be the guest of governmental and cultural international leadership. His international business accomplishments and accolades have seen him named the Honorary Ambassador of and received several international awards.He sits on the International Board of Directors for People to People International, the Menaul School, and the United States Congressional Award Foundation. He serves as the Honorary Ambassador to Chuncheon City, South Korea and sat on the National Association of State Aviation Officials. His awards include the Federal Aviation Administration's prestigious Impact Award and Ingram's 40 Under 40 in Kansas City . He sits on the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Leadership Circle and was selected by Who's Who for his work as a businessman.

The B.R. Companies is a real estate, development, construction, and finance company with six locations throughout the United States and three in Mexico .

The Legacy Group is focused on developing rural America, with a primary focus on solving healthcare challenges in these communities through Legacy Health Foundation 501(c)3. The company currently operates in the Midwest and has plans to expand its programs throughout the United States in collaboration with local community leaders and businesses.

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SOURCE The BR Companies
IRVINE, Calif. , Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- University Lab Partners announces CytoRecovery and Vena Vitals as the winners of the 3rd annual Pitch. Launch. Grow. Competition. CytoRecovery and Vena Vitals will each be awarded a 1-year sponsored lab bench at University Lab Partners, the premier wet lab incubator in Irvine, California . In addition, they will each receive a $10,000 cash prize sponsored by Sunstone Management through the Sunstone Community Fund. ULP's life science startups benefit from professional mentoring and consulting with Experts-in-Residence, networking events, and unique access to technical core facilities. Since 2019, ULP has incubated a total 57 companies with over $282M raised and successfully graduated 6 startups.

This year, the competition received over 50 applications competing in 2 tracks (life science and medical technology).

This year, the competition received over 50 applications competing in 2 tracks (life science and medical technology). The 2023 Pitch. Launch. Grow. winners were chosen by an expert panel of judges from Johnson & Johnson, Allergan Aesthetics, Amgen Ventures, Hoag Hospital, Insperity, Snell & Wilmer, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, GSB Health Managment Solutions, Suncoast Ventures, and Xinetix.

"The heart of Sunstone comes from the drive to build good businesses for a brighter future," said John Keisler , Sunstone Management's CEO. "We are pleased to support the next generation of entrepreneurs through events like University Lab Partners' Pitch. Launch. Grow. startup competition."

"CytoRecovery is incredibly excited and honored to have won the Pitch. Launch. Grow.'s life sciences track. The judges' enthusiasm for our cell enrichment and recovery technology validates that we are developing a highly useful tool that can advance life science research and personalized medicine. We look forward to our residency at ULP and connections in the Southern California area which will be instrumental in fostering collaboration, advancing our technology development, and expanding our sales funnel," said Alex Hyler , Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of CytoRecovery.

Ray Liu , Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder expresses, "We are thrilled to win this year's Pitch. Launch. Grow. competition. The judges' confidence in our company provides important additional validation of our work to develop a true non-invasive continuous blood pressure monitor with clinical-grade accuracy. We look forward to further leveraging the advanced facilities and unparalleled ecosystem at ULP to accelerate our technology and upcoming market launch."

Pitch. Launch. Grow. is generously sponsored by Sunstone Management, Biocom California , Insperity , HATCHspaces , NexCore Group , Snell & Wilmer , Suncoast Ventures, and Xinetix. For more information, please visit https://www.universitylabpartners.org/our-events/pitch-launch-grow-demo-day-2023

About University Lab Partners:

University Lab Partners (ULP) is a premier, nonprofit, wet lab incubator located in Orange County, CA. ULP operates 2 facilities in Irvine and Aliso Viejo, CA. ULP offers highly-equipped wet lab facilities along with the benefits of peer-to-peer interactions among a life science-focused entrepreneurial community.

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SOURCE University Lab Partners
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Gas traders have expressed interest for up to 4 billion cubic meters per year of additional capacity for the next few gas years in the interconnection points of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) with the Greek national operator DESFA and the Bulgarian national operator Bulgartransgaz, the ICGB, the pipeline operator, told Trend.

The independent transmission system operator ICGB has declared the successful conclusion of the non-binding phase for the incremental capacity process initiated in July. This phase aimed to gauge market interest in expanding the total technical capacity of the IGB pipeline.

The market interest for a few consecutive gas years is nearly two times higher than our initial expectations. While for now these indications are non-binding for the shippers, this is a great first step towards a potential expansion of the IGB pipelines capacity from 3 bcm/y to 5 bcm/y, said ICGB Executive Officers George Satlas and Teodora Georgieva.

Georgieva noted that 82 percent of the total capacity for the upcoming gas year is already booked.

The IGB gas pipeline connects with the Greek national gas transmission system (DESFA S.A.) and the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP AG) in the area of Komotini (Greece), and with the Bulgarian gas transmission system (Bulgartransgaz EAD) in the area of Stara Zagora. The total length of the gas pipeline is 182 km, the diameter of the pipe - 32'' - and a design capacity of up to 3 billion m3/year in the direction Greece - Bulgaria.

The gas pipeline enables the transportation of natural gas from new sources to other countries in the region as well, including Moldova and Ukraine.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Ahead of the 2023/24 winter season, Winter Park invests more than $100 million into upgrades, including workforce housing, a new lift, and new dining, retail and rental locations

WINTER PARK, Colo., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Winter Park Resort continues to make upgrades and improvements that focus on the employee and guest experience. As the resort prepares for the 2023/24 winter season, it is completing a new 330+bed workforce housing complex that addresses critical housing needs in a big way for both the resort and the community. Winter Park is also finishing installation of a brand new six-person lift in the Vasquez Ridge area of the mountain. Both capital improvement projects mark a nearly $75 million investment into both the employee and guest experience.

In addition to workforce housing and the new lift, Winter Park Resort has invested close to another $30 million into on-mountain and base-area upgrades, including snowmaking, new food and beverage concepts, and new retail and rental experiences. In all, Winter Park has spent more than $100 million in capital improvements and upgrades ahead of the 2023/24 winter season.

The Winter Park Resort employee housing complex, named Conifer Commons , broke ground in the spring of 2022 after both community and resort leaders came together to fast-track the project, which is expected to be completed in mid-Fall when residents will begin moving in. Conifer Commons is one of the largest workforce housing projects to be completed in Colorado this year. With the complex near the resort, residents will be able to walk to work and access other amenities, including public transportation.

The new six-passenger, high-speed detachable Leitner Poma lift with a capacity to move 2,800 people up the mountain in an hour will give guests a new way to experience Vasquez Ridge terrain. The new lift will be called the Wild Spur Express and will include a new mid-point loading zone, allowing guests to make quicker laps on higher-up intermediate and advanced trails. The Wild Spur Express is the only lift that serves Vasquez Ridge terrain, which is nearly 285 acres of mostly blue intermediate trails and more advanced, steeper bump runs. Ultimately, intermediate and advanced skiers and riders will get more on-mountain time on the terrain they want. The new lift is expected to open late November or early December, depending on conditions.

Below is a summary of everything new and improved at Winter Park Resort this winter.

The resort will complete Conifer Commons , a 330+bed workforce housing project.

, a 330+bed workforce housing project. New in the Vasquez Ridge area of the mountain will be a high-speed, six-person chair lift called the Wild Spur Express .

. Winter Park will offer 60-Minute Pro Tips for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders looking for quick one-on-one tips and tricks to improve their skills. 60-Minute Pro Tips will be offered at $99 a session and start at 8 a.m. daily, giving guests early access on the mountain with the rest of their day free to practice what they learned.

will offer for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders looking for quick one-on-one tips and tricks to improve their skills. will be offered at a session and start at daily, giving guests early access on the mountain with the rest of their day free to practice what they learned. New this season, guests can add an Early Ups pass to their season pass or day ticket and gain up to 30 minutes of early, mostly solitary lift and slope access. There will be a limited number of Early Ups for both season pass holders and day-ticket holders. Once the Early Ups are sold out, there will not be another opportunity to gain early access.

pass to their season pass or day ticket and gain up to 30 minutes of early, mostly solitary lift and slope access. There will be a limited number of for both season pass holders and day-ticket holders. Once the are sold out, there will not be another opportunity to gain early access. Winter Park is in the middle of a multi-year snowmaking system upgrade. We made significant improvements in our system, but much of the upgrade won't be noticeable to guests until subsequent seasons. We continue to invest in our grooming and slope maintenance operations to keep sustainably improving the on-mountain experience for everyone.

is in the middle of a multi-year snowmaking system upgrade. We made significant improvements in our system, but much of the upgrade won't be noticeable to guests until subsequent seasons. We to keep sustainably improving the on-mountain experience for everyone. Sundog Tap Room is a new dining and gathering space opening this winter in the heart of the Winter Park Resort base-area Village. The highlight will be a grand tap wall where guests can serve themselves and fill up on more than 30 different taps of beer. Cocktails, wine, and sharable bar nibbles will round out the menu.

is a new dining and gathering space opening this winter in the heart of the base-area Village. The highlight will be a grand tap wall where guests can serve themselves and fill up on more than 30 different taps of beer. Cocktails, wine, and sharable bar nibbles will round out the menu. There will be four new on-mountain pop-up dining spots to meet guests right where they are when hunger strikes. These dining pop-ups will offer mostly hand-held items that are easy to eat on the go, so guests can quickly grab a bite and get back out on the slopes. Pop-ups are planned for the top of the new Wild Spur Express lift, the bottom of the Olympia lift, the Mary Jane base area, and another just outside Lunch Rock at the top of the Super Gauge lift. Each pop-up will feature a different food concept: grilled cheese, Philly cheesesteaks, walking tacos, or quesadillas.

to meet guests right where they are when hunger strikes. These dining pop-ups will offer mostly hand-held items that are easy to eat on the go, so guests can quickly grab a bite and get back out on the slopes. Pop-ups are planned for the top of the new Wild Spur Express lift, the bottom of the lift, the Mary Jane base area, and another just outside Lunch Rock at the top of the Super Gauge lift. Each pop-up will feature a different food concept: grilled cheese, Philly cheesesteaks, walking tacos, or quesadillas. Winter Park is consolidating its premium and demo rental experience in a brand new location adjacent to the gondola. The Zero Creek Gear House will give guests ease and convenience for demo-ing and renting premium gear.

is consolidating its premium and demo rental experience in a brand new location adjacent to the gondola. The will give guests ease and convenience for demo-ing and renting premium gear. Winter Park Resort's parent company, Alterra Mountain Company, acquired Ski Butlers in September of 2022 and is implementing Ski Butlers across several resorts for the 2023/24 winter season, including Winter Park . Ski Butlers brings the whole rental experience directly to guests. Wherever guests happen to be staying, Ski Butlers provides selection, fittings, gear drop-off and pick-up, and on-mountain support, creating a simple and convenient rental experience for everyone.

About Winter Park :

Winter Park Resort, Colorado's quintessential mountain and ski resort, is located less than 70 miles from the city of Denver . Flanked by the dramatic Continental Divide, the resort is defined by its pure natural environment, and its unique Colorado adventure culture. During the winter, Winter Park receives some of the state's most consistent snowfall across its 3000+ acres of world-class terrain and has been voted USA Today's #1 Ski Resort in North America multiple years. During summer, the resort is home to renowned Trestle bike park, and has numerously been nominated as Colorado's Top Adventure Town . For more information, visit www.winterparkresort.com.

Media contact:

Jen Miller

[email protected]

970-726-1570

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SOURCE WINTER PARK RESORT
FILE PHOTO: AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(This Sept. 8 story has been corrected to remove reference to Microsoft being a member of DIGI, in paragraph 8)

By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will make search engines like Google and Bing take steps to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material created by artificial intelligence, the country's internet regulator said on Friday.

A new code drafted by the industry giants at the government's request will require search engines to ensure that such content is not returned in search results, e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.

It will also require that AI functions built into search engines cannot produce synthetic versions of the same material, she said. Synthetic versions of the material are also known as deepfakes.

"The use of generative AI has grown so quickly that I think it's caught the whole world off guard to a certain degree," Inman Grant said.

The code presents an example of how the regulatory and legal landscape surrounding internet platforms is being rehsaped by the explosion of products which automatically generate lifelike content.

Inman Grant said an earlier code drafted by Google, owned by Alphabet, and Bing, owned by Microsoft, did not cover AI-generated content, so she asked them to go back to the drawing board.

"When the biggest players in the industry announced they would integrate generative AI into their search functions we had a draft code that was clearly no longer fit for purpose. We asked the industry to have another go," Inman Grant added.

A spokesperson for the Digital Industry Group Inc, an Australian advocacy organisation of which Google is a member, said it was pleased the regulator had approved the new version of the code.

"We worked hard to reflect recent developments in relation to generative AI, codifying best practices for industry and providing further community safeguards," the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, the regulator registered safety codes for several other internet services like social media, smartphone applications and equipment providers. Those codes take effect in late 2023.

The regulator is still working on developing safety codes concerning internet storage and private messaging services, which have faced resistence from privacy advocates globally.

(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Stephen Coates)
FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of displayed Google logo in this illustration taken on November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Nate Raymond and Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Friday ruled the White House, the FBI and top health officials may not "coerce or significantly encourage" social-media companies to remove content the Biden administration considers misinformation, including about COVID-19.

But the three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed much of an injunction issued by a Louisiana judge that restricted Democratic President Joe Biden's administration from communicating with social-media companies.

The court placed that injunction on hold for 10 days so the administration could seek the U.S. Supreme Court's review. The U.S. Department of Justice, which is defending the administration, declined to comment.

The Biden administration has argued that it asked social-media companies to take down posts it considered to be harmful misinformation, but never forced them to do so.

The lower-court judge found that U.S. officials illegally coerced Meta Platforms' Facebook, Alphabet's YouTube and X Corp, formerly Twitter, into censoring posts related to COVID-19 and allegations of election fraud.

The 5th Circuit agreed with the Republican state attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, who had alleged that numerous federal officials coerced social-media platforms into censoring content in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment's free speech protections.

While officials have an interest in engaging with social-media firms about misinformation, "the government is not permitted to advance these interests to the extent that it engages in viewpoint suppression," the panel wrote.

But the court, in an unsigned opinion by three judges appointed by Republican presidents, vacated much of U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's injunction, with the exception of a provision concerning alleged coercion, which it narrowed.

The 5th Circuit said the narrower injunction applied to the White House, the surgeon general, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FBI, but would no longer apply to other federal officials covered by the lower court order.

"Social-media platforms' content-moderation decisions must be theirs and theirs alone," the court wrote, as it barred officials at those agencies from coercing or significantly encouraging social media companies to remove content.

The ruling was hailed on X by Missouri's Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who said it would stop federal officials "from violating the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans."

The attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, along with several social-media users, had sued last year, saying Facebook, YouTube and Twitter engaged in censorship as a result of repeated urging by government officials and threats of heightened regulatory enforcement.

The lawsuit said the censored views included content questioning anti-COVID-19 measures such as masks and vaccine mandates and allegations of election fraud.

Doughty, whose courthouse in Monroe, Louisiana, has become a favored venue for Republican challenges to Biden's policies, in July sided with the states, finding that the federal government's "Orwellian" efforts violated the First Amendment.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Jonathan Stempel and Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Stephen Coates)
By Nelson Acosta

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban authorities said they had arrested 17 people on charges related to a ring of human traffickers that allegedly lured young Cuban men to serve in the Russian military amid the Ukraine conflict.

Cuba earlier this week revealed authorities were working to "neutralize and dismantle" the network, which it said operated both on Cuban soil and in Russia.

"As a result of the investigations, 17 people have been arrested so far, among them the internal organizer of these activities," Cesar Rodriguez, a colonel with Cubas interior ministry, said late on Thursday on a TV program.

Rodriguez did not name any of those accused of participating in the ring, but said the groups leader relied on two people residing on the island to recruit Cubans to fight for hire on behalf of Russia in Ukraine.

Prosecutor Jose Luis Reyes said those involved in the scandal could be punished with up to 30 years in prison, a life sentence or the death penalty, depending on the severity and type of crimes, which range from human trafficking, fighting as a mercenary and hostile action against a foreign state.

Russia, which has strong political ties with communist-run Cuba, has long been an important destination for Cuban migrants seeking to escape economic stagnation at home.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year signed a decree allowing foreigners signing up for service in the Russian army to receive citizenship via a fast-track procedure.

Cuba says it has no part in the war in Ukraine, and that it rejects the use of its citizens as mercenaries.

(Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Editing by Kim Coghill)
By Johannes Birkebaek and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

COPENHAGEN, Sep 8 (Reuters) - A Copenhagen court heard final arguments on Friday in the case of a man imprisoned over Islamic State ties who says he was an undercover informant for Denmark's intelligence services.

Ahmed Samsam, a Danish national of Syrian origin, was arrested in Spain in 2017 and sentenced to serve eight years.

Transferred to a Danish prison in 2020, the 33-year-old is asking the Danish Eastern High Court to recognise him as a secret agent and thus help overturn the Spanish verdict.

Samsam first travelled to Syria in 2012 to fight for a rebel group. When he returned to Denmark later that year he was incarcerated for an unrelated crime.

While serving this sentence he was approached by Danish secret service PET and agreed to work on their behalf, he said in court documents obtained by Reuters.

In 2013 and 2014, Samsam travelled back to Syria twice to rejoin the rebel group. But this time, he says, with the mission of collecting intelligence on Danish foreign fighters in Syria for PET and the Danish military intelligence service FE.

Cooperation with the services was terminated when in 2015 he refused to join IS, Samsam says.

"The court can set the record straight," Samsam's lawyer Erbil Kaya said in his closing argument on Friday, according to public broadcaster DR.

PET and FE in court refused to confirm or deny that Samsam has worked for them, saying they cannot discuss identities of their informants.

The services also argued that Samsam's conviction in Spain did not depend on work he claimed to have done on behalf of Denmark.

"The circumstances emphasised in the verdict largely occurred outside of the period he claims that the collaboration took place," said Peter Biering, a lawyer representing FE and PET, according to DR.

A number of Danes have been arrested in recent years for aiding IS, including some seeking to supply drones and cash to the organisation as well as a small group of women convicted of supporting the group though marrying fighters.

(Reporting by Johannes Birkebaek, Editing by Terje Solsvik)
FILE PHOTO: Police officers stand guard near a bullet-riddled police car at a crime scene where colleagues were killed in response to prisoner transfers from overcrowded prisons, prompting President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency in two p

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - Poor young Ecuadoreans are choosing to join criminal gangs as an easy way to escape poverty due to a lack of opportunity, according to a UN Special Rapporteur, who urged the country to increase social investment to combat violence.

Lawlessness has soared across Ecuador since the coronavirus pandemic, something outgoing President Guillermo Lasso blames on disputes related to drug trafficking and common crime.

Some 27% of Ecuadoreans live in poverty, while 10.8% live in extreme poverty on a national level, according to the government's statistics office.

Those figures skyrocket in rural areas, to 46.4% and 22.6% respectively.

Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said impoverished youth were easy picking for gangs looking to recruit new members.

"Poverty afflicts particularly the young adults in this country, and many in fact choose either to join the gangs or to migrate to the U.S.," he said in an interview on Thursday.

Improving security in Ecuador cannot just be left to the security forces and measures, De Schutter said, adding that efforts to calm violence most also take on a social aspect.

Lasso, who brought forward elections to avoid impeachment, has repeatedly declared states of emergency in answer to outbreaks of violence.

"Many people propose a law and order response to the rise in insecurity levels, reference was made to Bukele's achievements in El Salvador," De Schutter said, referring to measures enacted by the Central American country's President Nayib Bukele.

"We need a social Bukele, one that takes seriously the links between poverty and the rise in violence," he added.

Presidential candidates Luisa Gonzalez, a leftist protege of former President Rafael Correa, and young businessman Daniel Noboa will face each other in runoff voting on Oct. 15. Both have promised crackdowns on crime and measures to tackle poverty.

Ecuador's new government should lower taxes for those who can least afford to pay, De Schutter said.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
ZURICH (Reuters) - Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo strapped explosive belts around baby twin girls as a booby-trap for security forces - just one incident in a surge in violence against children there, the United Nations said on Friday.

The two girls, aged one-year-old, were found in a village in north Kivu, a region where a militant group known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has stepped up bomb attacks, the UNICEF children's agency said. The explosives were removed by mine experts without detonating.

"The intention was with the arrival of police or Congolese military they would trigger the explosion against the security forces," Grant Leaity, the UNICEF representative in Congo, told a media briefing in Geneva.

The increased use of improvised explosive devices was just one of several "depraved trends" as violence against children reaches unprecedented levels in the eastern part of Congo, he said.

"On a daily basis, children are being raped and killed. They are being abducted, recruited and used by armed groups  and we know the reports we have are only the tip of the iceberg," he said.

The violence in Congo has caused one of the world's worst and longest-running humanitarian emergencies, with more than 27 million people facing food shortages, and nearly 5.5 million forced to flee their homes, according to the U.N. More than 2.8 million children are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

The twin sisters, who have not been identified, are now recovering from malnutrition at a U.N. centre before being placed in foster care. Their parents had been killed in an attack believed have been carried out by the ADF.

Although making a good recovery from malnutrition, the mental scars could last a life-time, Leaity said.

"You would not be able to imagine what they have been through," he added.

(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
FILE PHOTO: White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to reporters following a television interview, outside the White House in Washington, U.S. October 21, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago

By Jack Queen

(Reuters) - Charges against Donald Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows involving efforts to reverse the 2020 U.S. election results will not be tried in federal court, a sign that similar bids by the Republican former president and his co-defendants to move the criminal case to a more favorable venue will fail.

Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones denying a bid by Meadows to move his case from Georgia state court to federal court gave an early win to Fulton County prosecutors, who in August charged Trump and 18 others with conspiring to undo Trump's election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.

Trump also may seek to move his trial from state to federal court, his lawyer said in a court filing on Thursday.

Meadows filed a notice of appeal later on Friday.

A lawyer for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the 2024 election, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. Meadows also has pleaded not guilty.

Meadows is accused of arranging calls and meetings in which prosecutors have said Trump pressured election officials to change the vote count in his favor, including a call in which the then-president urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to deliver him the state, which Biden won.

Prosecutors have argued that those acts were not "necessary and proper" duties for a U.S. president and his chief of staff. Meadows has said they were part of his portfolio as Trump's top White House aide. The law allows defendants to have their cases heard in federal court if the charges against them stem from their official duties.

Meadows could have faced a friendlier jury pool in federal court, which draws from a larger and more politically diverse area than Fulton County, Georgia, the Democratic stronghold where the case was filed.

Moving to federal court also would have let Meadows argue that he is immune from state prosecution because he was carrying out his duties as a federal official.

Meadows, Trump and 17 others were charged in a sprawling indictment in August. Trump has said the criminal case and three others he faces are part of a political plot aimed at preventing him from retaking the White House in next year's election.

Trump faces criminal charges in four cases. He is also under indictment in Florida for his handling of classified documents after leaving office, in Washington for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and in New York over hush money paid to a porn star before the 2016 election. Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in those cases as well.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jack Queen; additional reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Dan Wallis, Will Dunham and Noeleen Walder)
By Tiemoko Diallo

BAMAKO (Reuters) -An al Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility on Friday for a suicide attack on a military base in northeastern Mali, a day after authorities blamed the group for carrying out a dual assault on another military camp and a boat that killed over 60.

At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed when assailants opened fire on a boat on a waterway that connects the northern regions of Gao and Mopti and raided a camp in the Bourem Circle, in Gao region, a hotbed of Islamist activity over the past decade.

Mali's interim government said insurgents from a West African branch of al Qaeda, called Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), were responsible for Thursday's attacks, which Reuters could not immediately confirm.

JNIM separately said on Friday said it was behind a suicide bombing on a military base next to Gao International Airport, the Site Intelligence Group said.

Authorities confirmed the attack in an online statement later on Friday and said that damage and casualties were being evaluated.

Mali is one of several West African countries battling violent insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that took root in Mali's arid north in 2012 before spreading across the region.

Frustrations about growing insecurity have spurred military coups in the three worst-hit countries - Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - since 2020, worrying global powers with strategic interests in the region.

The latest spate of violence began on Thursday when militants fired a shell at the engine of a passenger boat transporting military personnel near Gao, said transport ministry spokesman Ould Mamouni.

Soldiers responded with gunfire, but many passengers jumped overboard in panic. Some could not swim.

"Most of the deaths were more by drowning than by bullets," he said.

The other attack on Thursday was on an army base about 230 km (140 miles) north of the boat attack. It is not clear how many died in each assault.

AIRPORT ATTACK

Attacks have worsened in Mali since the military seized power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, kicked out French forces and the U.N. peacekeeping mission and teamed up with Russian private military contractor Wagner Group.

The U.N., which is in the process of departing, has handed over a series of northern bases to the army.

Islamist groups have stepped up attacks following the void left by the departure of thousands of U.N. peacekeepers, and French soldiers in the north and east.

The violence continued into Friday.

One resident in Gao who did not wish to be named said vehicles exploded at the base and that there was a gunfire exchange between assailants and soldiers.

Access to the city was blocked, the airport was shut and soldiers were deployed in front of government buildings, the resident said.

Videos posted online and reported by local media showed smoke rising from the area around the base while machine gun fire cracked in the background. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage.

(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Sofia Christensen and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Edward McAllister, Alison Williams and Nick Macfie)
By Zarir Hussain

GUWAHATI (Reuters) - Security forces lobbed tear gas and opened fired to disperse a crowd of about 500 people in India's restive northeastern state of Manipur on Friday, killing one person and wounding 20 more, police officials said.

Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence since May, and security forces were trying to stop the crowd of people from the majority Meitei ethnic group from entering a village of the minority Kuki community, a police spokesperson said.

Another police official said a few paramilitary troops were also injured in the clash, which occurred a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit that India is hosting in the capital New Delhi, some 2,500 km (1,553 miles) away.

Groups of gunmen also exchanged fire with security forces in other areas of the state, the police officials said, but it was not clear if this incident was linked to the ethnic violence.

At least 180 people have been killed, and thousands more displaced, since the Meitei and Kuki communities started fighting over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas.

(Writing by Sakshi Dayal; editing by Miral Fahmy)
Model of petrol pump is seen in front of PetroChina logo in this illustration taken March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo

(Reuters) - PetroChina has acquired 100% of electric vehicle (EV) charging firm Potevio New Energy Co Ltd in the latest lower-carbon investment by China's top oil and gas company, parent CNPC said on Friday.

Set up in 2010, Potevio New Energy was among China's first state-owned companies engaged in EV charging network building and operations.

It ran 50,000 charging points in more than 50 Chinese cities as of end-2021, according to its official WeChat account.

CNPC did not disclose the cost of the acquisition. A PetroChina spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

PetroChina last month set up a new entity based in the southeastern city of Putian in Fujian province to focus on investing and operating EV charging facilities.

A year ago, PetroChina joined leading Chinese auto group SAIC Motor Corp. and battery firm CATL in setting up a joint venture to supply swappable batteries for EVs.

China's state energy giants are expanding their investment in low-carbon businesses including renewables, hydrogen and electric mobility as part of the country's goal to be carbon neutral by 2060.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; editing by Jason Neely)
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyi poses for a picture with Ukrainian service members as he visits their position at a front line near the town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine September 5, 2023. Ukr

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday singled out military units in the east and south for their actions against Russian troops and other officials reported some breakthroughs in a counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.

The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces described a "partial success" near the eastern city of Bakhmut, long a focal point of fighting. And it said Ukrainian troops were making gradual progress in their southward advance to the Sea of Azov.

Russian accounts of the fighting said their troops had beaten back Ukrainian attacks near Bakhmut.

Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports of either side.

Ukraine began its counteroffensive in June and has focused on retaking Bakhmut, seized by Russian troops in May, and capturing clusters of villages in the south. They face Russian troops that are well dug in and have benefited from extensive mining operations.

Ukraine has bristled at what critics in the Western media have described as the campaign's slow pace and questionable tactics. But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed "very, very encouraging progress" during talks in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address on Thursday, provided few details of operations.

"Thank you soldiers for very, very effective results in destroying the occupiers," Zelenskiy said. "And results are precisely what Ukraine needs now from everyone."

One national guard unit fighting in the east and two in the south he mentioned included the 12th brigade, which has soldiers of the Azov brigade who last year defended the Azovstal steel works in the city of Mariupol. Military analysts said they had been holding Ukrainian positions in the northeast.

The general staff report said: "As a result of its assault operations, the defence forces have achieved a partial success south of Bakhmut, pushing the enemy out of and reinforcing their own positions."

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told national television that Ukrainian forces were pressing their drive near southward from the village of Robotyne, captured last week.

Maliar said that on the southern front, where Ukrainian forces are trying to sever a land bridge established by Russia between the Crimean peninsula Russia annexed in 2014, and the occupied east, "events are developing rapidly."

Russia's Defence Ministry, in its reports on the fighting, said Moscow's forces had repelled nine attempted Ukrainian advances near Klishchiivka, a village on heights south of Bakhmut seen as critical to securing control of the city.

(Reporting by Nick Starkov and Ron Popeski; editing by Grant McCool)
FILE PHOTO: White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis

By Nandita Bose

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that U.S., Israeli and Saudi leaders have put many of the elements of a pathway to normalization on the table but there is still much work to do.

Sullivan spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden flew to India to attend a G20 summit.

"Many of the elements of a pathway to normalization are now on the table. We don't have a framework, we don't have the terms ready to be signed. There is still work to do," Sullivan said.

He said there was a "broad understanding of many of the key elements," without going into detail.

U.S. officials see a potential deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia as possible after the administration of then-President Donald Trump reached similar agreements between Israel and Morocco, Sudan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Biden said on CNN in early July that Israel and Saudi Arabia were a long way from a normalization agreement that would involve a U.S.-Saudi defense treaty and a civilian nuclear program for the Saudis from the United States.

Biden envoy Brett McGurk was in Saudi Arabia for talks this week that officials said was largely about the Yemen war but was also expected to include discussions on the potential normalization deal.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; editing by Sandra Maler and Jonathan Oatis)
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Purchase and Sale Agreement

On September 7, 2023, Asbury Automotive Group, L.L.C. (Purchaser), a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the Transaction Agreement) with various entities that comprise the Jim Koons automotive dealerships group (the Jim Koons Dealerships). Pursuant to the Transaction Agreement, Purchaser will acquire substantially all of the assets, including all real property and businesses of the Jim Koons Dealerships (collectively, the Businesses) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.2 billion, which includes $740 million for goodwill, and approximately $417 million for the real estate and leasehold improvements. In addition, the Purchaser will acquire new vehicles, used vehicles, service loaner vehicles, fixed assets, parts and supplies for a purchase price to be determined at the closing of the Transaction. The Businesses comprise 20 new vehicle dealerships and six collision centers.

The Transaction Agreement contains customary representations and warranties made by Purchaser and the Sellers. The Purchaser and Sellers have also agreed to various covenants in the Transaction Agreement, including, without limitation, covenants by the Sellers to conduct the operations of the Businesses in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and certain restrictive covenants for certain individuals related to the Sellers. Purchaser and Sellers have agreed to indemnify one another against certain damages (subject to certain exceptions and limitations).

The closing of the transactions set forth in the Transaction Agreement are subject to various customary closing conditions, including (i) receipt of approval of the transactions by certain automotive manufacturers, (ii) receipt of certain governmental clearances, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended,, (iii) the continued accuracy of the representations and warranties of the parties, (iv) the assignment of certain leases and key contracts and (v) the absence of a material adverse effect. The Transaction Agreement is not subject to any financing condition. In connection with the execution of the Transaction Agreement, Purchaser will deliver $10.0 million to a third-party escrow agent (the Earnest Money) to be applied as partial payment of the purchase price. The Transaction Agreement also contains certain termination rights of Purchaser and Sellers. Depending upon the circumstance of any termination, the Earnest Money will either be returned to Purchaser or delivered to Sellers.

The foregoing descriptions of the Transaction Agreement do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, the full text of the Transaction Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure

On September 8, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing the Transaction, a copy of which is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

The information contained in this Item 7.01, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, is being furnished and shall not be deemed filed for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference to such filing.
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

Schedule 13G/A

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. 1)*





PRIVETERRA ACQUISITION CORP.II

(Name of Issuer) Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Title of Class of Securities) 876545104 (CUSIP Number) August 31, 2023 (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:

x Rule 13d-1(b)

o Rule 13d-1(c)

o Rule 13d-1(d)

*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting persons initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be filed for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).
Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., takes a seat at the witness table at the start of a Senate hearing on July 11, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where his nomination to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was considered. Brown stated in a message distributed Friday, Sept. 8, that foreign companies doing business with the Chinese government are targeting and recruiting U.S. and NATO-trained military talent across specialties and career fields. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

Chinas military is conducting a sophisticated exploitation campaign designed to fill gaps in its capabilities by targeting current and former U.S. service members and harvesting specialized knowledge theyve gained, a top general warned in a message obtained by The Washington Post.

The document was distributed to Air Force personnel on Friday. It marks the Pentagons most direct attempt yet to call out and counter what U.S. officials characterized as an aggressive ploy by Beijing to leverage international firms that hire Americans to teach advanced military skills and tactics.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who heads the Air Force and is President Bidens nominee to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the message that foreign companies doing business with the Chinese government are targeting and recruiting U.S. and NATO-trained military talent across specialties and career fields.

By essentially training the trainer, many of those who accept contracts with these foreign companies are eroding our national security, putting the very safety of their fellow servicemembers and the country at risk, Brown wrote, appealing to the recipients sense of responsibility, even after leaving the armed forces, to protect our national defense information.

Officials declined to identify how many U.S. troops and veterans are thought to have been surreptitiously recruited by the Chinese, saying only that they have seen a worrisome rise in such activity.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, did not deny Browns assertions, saying in a statement that the Chinese government urges the United States to respect the normal business activities carried out by relevant companies, and not to generalize and abuse the concept of national security and smear relevant companies. U.S. officials in recent years have been quick to accuse China, he added, affecting normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in a way that is not conducive to the healthy development of bilateral relations.

A special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations - who, like some others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive national security matter - said attempts by Chinas military to exploit Americans have included marketing job openings to them that initially appear innocuous and approaching them directly at defense industry events.

While China routinely targets American pilots, the special agent said, veterans whove held a variety of other roles also are in demand. He cited former aerospace ground equipment maintainers and landing-signals officers as examples, jobs that entail handling specialized equipment and guiding pilots and their aircraft to safety.

The offers come from a mix of privately owned companies and those backed by the Chinese government, and are contracted by the Chinese government, officials said. The solicitations often include language that sounds customary in the defense sector, with references to consulting, advising or training.

A chief concern, the special agent said, is that some will rationalize that the work is legitimate even after they discover the connection to Chinas military.

We want to make sure that people understand: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, he said, describing the effort as insidious.

Officials are urging current and former military personnel to report if they have been recruited to train foreign militaries.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained for years, with the two powers divided on matters such as economic competition, climate change and, more recently, the war in Ukraine. U.S. security support for Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China considers a breakaway province, and other recent steps by the Biden administration to expand military ties in the Pacific have deepened the tension.

The concerns also have prompted the creation of a House select committee on China. Its chairman, Rep. Michael Gallagher (R-Wis.), said in a statement on Friday that U.S. personnel must understand they are targets for espionage and exploitation. Information that Chinese military officials may gain, Gallagher said, could someday be used against them.

Congress needs to work with the Department of Defense to educate our service members and ensure they do not help facilitate their own destruction, said Gallagher, a Marine Corps veteran.

The Pentagons warning to U.S. personnel and veterans comes as senior leaders there have identified China as the United States pacing threat, expressing alarm over Beijings military advancements, and efforts to expand its global footprint and influence.

It follows, too, a move by the U.S. government in June to blacklist dozens of companies across the world for alleged ties to the Chinese government, including several aviation training firms.

Among them are Frontier Services Group, a Chinese state-owned company founded by Erik Prince, the former head of Blackwater Worldwide, and the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, which faced scrutiny after reports that it had hired Western military pilots to train Chinese aviators.

Frontier Services denied in June that it has used U.S. military personnel to train Chinese pilots. It did not respond to questions from The Post about whether it had hired former service members to do so.

The Test Flying Academy of South Africa said in a statement in June that it was disappointed in the decision by the U.S. Commerce Department and alleged that larger American companies also train Chinese pilots. It did not respond to requests for comment.

An Air Force colonel with experience flying F-16 fighter jets said in an interview that he first received an email in 2019 seeking seasoned test pilots. His first thought, he said, was to ask his wife if she wanted to go to South Africa someday.

It did not look particularly suspicious to me, he said.

Two years later, he recalled, the message came to mind when he was briefed by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations ahead of a professional conference and warned that such recruiting was happening.

The pilot shared with The Post a second recruitment pitch that he says he received from the South African company in 2021. It sought helicopter and jet pilots for work in Far East Asia, requiring six years of experience as a test pilot and familiarity with teaching students whose first language is not English.

They can appear very legitimate, to the point that I didnt catch it until I had a little bit more background knowledge, the officer said. I would just say that I was kind of humbled that it basically escaped my detection for almost two years.

Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute in Washington, described such efforts as one piece of a broader initiative, directed by President Xi Jinping, to elevate Chinas standing in the world by having the ability to stand down the Americans in any scenario.

There are also indications, Cronin said, that Beijing is focusing more attention and training of personnel on thwarting U.S. attempts to collect intelligence on the Chinese government.

Recruiting and compromising and understanding how our military moves through our key people and our key technologies is vital to his strategic ends, he said.
Service members and their families take part in an evacuation exercise at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Air Force spouse Stephanie Saylor volunteered to take part in a two-day evacuation drill recently for families and other noncombatants at this airlift hub in western Tokyo.

Saylor, of Poquoson, Va., is new to Japan.

I've never lived on an island, and there are some potential earthquakes and volcanoes  I just wanted to know what would happen if we did need to evacuate, she told Stars and Stripes on the first day of the exercise Thursday.

I wanted to have more information so that, hopefully, I can better prepare our family for the possibility, which hopefully is not really a need, she said.

The exercise tests Yokotas plan to evacuate some of its people from harms way, be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption or a conflict with another country, Maj. Jazmine Hood, emergency evacuation program manager for the drill, told Stars and Stripes on Friday.

Service members and their family members take part in an evacuation exercise at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Yokota evacuated some of its people after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan that crippled a nuclear power plant and released radiation into the atmosphere.

The base became a transportation hub for thousands of military dependents who returned to the United States, and the primary logistical hub for Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. humanitarian assistance effort after the disaster.

So, we are fortunate in the sense that some of our leadership was here for the earthquake in 2011 and their families actually evacuated, Capt. Mark Moore, director of the evacuation control center, said Friday. So, it is very near and dear to our leaderships hearts; the wing here takes it very seriously.

The 79 volunteers role-played as evacuees; another 60 people set up and ran the evacuation center. The Yujo Community Center served as the processing center where the volunteers went through the steps of providing correct documentation and acquiring financial, medical and spiritual support.

David Garrison, regional program manager for the American Red Cross, manned a Red Cross booth during the drill. He helped with disaster relief during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Service members and their families take part in an evacuation exercise at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

I think if people had been a little bit more prepared, things would have gone a little smoother, he said Thursday. There were so many people that weren't prepared. It could happen here, and it is likely it is going to happen again.

Aki Iwata, a veterinarian at Yokota, was also present during the 2011 disaster that killed tens of thousands of Japanese people. At the drill, she reminded people to make pets part of their evacuation plan.

Pet owners should ensure their pets rabies shots and health certificates are up to date and have a noncombatant emergency evacuation card ready for the animals, she said. Printing services may be disabled during a disaster.

No one wants to leave a pet, they are a part of the family, Iwata said.

Yokota plans to hold the drill every year, according to Hood.

We really want military members to understand that this impacts not only them but their families, she said. Thank goodness we have leadership support to actually get us to a place where we can say that Yokota is ready.
An Air Force C-17 transport plane lands at Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany on Sept. 1, 2023, carrying two AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters for the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. (Thomas Mort/U.S. Army)

The Armys mission in Europe now boasts the militarys most state-of-the-art attack helicopter, with the recent delivery of the first of 24 new Apaches to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Germany, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Friday.

Two of the new models were delivered Sept. 1 at the Armys airfield in Wiesbaden, home to USAREUR-AF headquarters and a 12th CAB battalion.

Known as the AH-64E Version 6 Apache Guardian, the helicopter comes equipped with upgraded sensors, software and weapon systems.

This new aircraft gives us so many more capabilities, 1st Lt. Brigit Duffy, a maintenance platoon leader with 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Attack Battalion), said in the USAREUR-AF statement. There are upgrades on so many different aspects of the aircraft, which will better aid our abilities to support our allies here in the European theater.

An Army AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter participates in exercise Defender Europe in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, in May 2022. The Germany-based 12th Combat Aviation Brigade received the first of 24 new AH-64E helicopters last week. (Tobias Cukale/U.S. Army)

The brigade, which is headquartered in Ansbach and has battalions at airfields in Katterbach, Grafenwoehr and Wiesbaden, is expected to eventually receive a total of two dozen new model Apaches, the Army said.

Built by Boeing, the Apache has served as the backbone of the services attack helicopter fleet for decades and can fire an array of armor-destroying rockets and missiles.

The Apaches upgraded instruments also will enhance troops ability to navigate in bad weather, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Michael Weisskopf, the standardization officer for the brigade.

Pilots have received updated training at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence in Alabama to prepare to fly the new aircraft, the service said.
Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division prepare to fire a Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle during the Super Garuda Shield exercise at Puslatpur Marine Base in East Java, Indonesia, Sept. 6, 2023. (Austin Berner/U.S. Army)

American, Indonesian and British paratroopers are preparing a parachute raid from a base in Japan into a training area almost 3,000 miles away in Indonesia, according to the 25th Infantry Divisions commander.

The paratroopers will link up with Japanese troops in East Java for a combined jump on Saturday, Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday from Puslatpur Marine Base, Indonesia.

The forcible entry training is practice for taking terrain from an enemy force, Evans said. The raid involves around 200 paratroopers and is part of the largest-ever Super Garuda Shield, an annual exercise involving 5,000 personnel from seven nations, he said.

Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 15th Wing in Hawaii will fly the paratroopers from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, 25th ID spokesman Maj. Jeff Tolbert said by email Friday. The participating troops are from the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska.

The Armys 8th Theater Sustainment Command used its watercraft to transport Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks to East Java for training with Indonesian Leopard tanks and U.S. troops of the Hawaii-based 25th ID, Evans said.

The division has no tanks of its own but in Indonesia is preparing its soldiers to fight alongside them, he said.

An Australian M1A1 Abrams tank maneuvers trains at Puslatpur Marine Base during a Super Garuda Shield drill in East Java, Indonesia, Sept. 6, 2023. (Austin Berner/U.S. Army)

The war in Ukraine has proved that tanks are not obsolete, according to Grant Newsham, a retired Marine colonel and senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo.

Employed properly there is still a big role for tanks and armor, he said by email Friday. Our enemies know that as well.

The Pacific region includes many areas large enough for tank warfare, Newsham added.

Maybe not like the German invasion of Russia in 1941, but tanks can be extremely useful for fire support when taking on dug-in enemies, he said. A lot less costly than infantry having to close with and destroy the enemy.

Paratroopers are useful anywhere or anytime commanders need to get troops on the ground quickly and sealift or airfields are unavailable, Newsham said.

Japan launched an airborne attack on the Dutch East Indies, as Indonesia was known during its colonial era, in 1942, he noted.

The U.S. Army might use paratroopers in the Pacific for any number of operations, from occupying key terrain to evacuation of American citizens, Newsham said.

Of course, paratroopers can only fight for a matter of days before they need some backup, he said. But sometimes you just want to 'get somewhere first'  and that'll settle the matter.

China has been enlarging and improving its own airborne capabilities to include long-range aerial transports, Newsham added.

Imagine dropping 10,000 paratroopers onto Taiwan, he said. It causes difficulties for the defenders to say the least.
From right, Army Sgt. Justin Sestan, Staff Sgt. Karlos Vasquez and Spc. Jason Xia work with a satellite and monitoring device during exercise Arcane Thunder in Ustka, Poland, on Sept. 4, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)

USTKA, Poland  Human-sized drones and a giant observation balloon took to the skies of northern Poland this week as a unit at the forefront of the Armys modernization process held its first major reconnaissance exercise.

Arcane Thunder is focused on using technology on earth and in space  while stopping an enemy from using theirs  and coordinating electronic means with conventional battlefield attacks.

The drills were scheduled to end Friday and involved soldiers from several Army units and partner countries. The 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, which is running Arcane Thunder, was activated two years ago and is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany.

The task force is taking things from the cyber world, from the space world, from the electronic warfare world and trying to figure out how to fuse all that stuff together, said Lt. Col. Aaron Ritzema, commander of the 2nd Multi-Domain Effects Battalion.

No one has ever done this on this scale and across all these different platforms, he said.

An autonomous aerostat is used during exercise Arcane Thunder, organized by the U.S. Army's 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, in Ustka, Poland, on Sept. 4, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)

The 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force is one of three such units, which the Army deems vital to battlefield success as it focuses on competition with larger and sophisticated forces, such as Russia and China.

The units are designed to allow the Army to synchronize electronic warfare, intelligence and cyber elements with long-range, precision artillery fire.

Inside the Arcane Thunder command post, soldiers search the electromagnetic spectrum for signals in an effort to pinpoint enemy targets. In another corner, members of the battalions space company monitor satellites.

The speed of data drives everything at this point, battalion operations officer Maj. Joe Mueller said. If you are able to pass data quickly, you are able to make decisions quickly and you are able to have that edge and stay ahead.

Task force members have been experimenting with new and existing technologies, and new ways to merge these technologies, as they determine what best supports their nascent mission.

Many specifics of the exercise were classified or restricted for security reasons. Photography also was prohibited throughout much of the command post.

The 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force hopes eventually to get day-to-day operations at its headquarters to mirror the activity seen over the last two weeks in Poland, Ritzema said.

A soldier supporting the Armys 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force monitors a drone flight Sept. 4, 2023, during exercise Arcane Thunder in Ustka, Poland. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)

For now, the task force remains in its initial build phase, as Ritzema described it. It still doesnt have a long-range fires battalion, a critical artillery component of the unit.

Both of the Armys other multi-domain task forces focus on the Pacific region. One is headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state and the other in Hawaii.

The service has plans for two more of the task forces, one of which will be globally responsive. The other is expected to focus on the Arctic.

Europe was chosen as the site of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force in part to counter Russia on the Continent. Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine about five months after the units activation in September 2021.

I think there is a sense of urgency for us to figure out how we can contribute, Ritzema said, when asked about the task forces role in Europe. And I think the current crisis gives us some additional context and information that we can use to really figure out how specifically we would want to do things.

Arcane Thunder is being held about 130 miles from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, but Ritzema said it was not a specific response to any Russian action. Portions of the exercise were held in other locations in Poland, Romania and Germany.

With current and emerging requirements in Europe, being the only multi-domain task force here is incredibly important, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Nick Esser, an electromagnetic warfare technician. This is huge for this theater.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 8. The volume of cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or the so-called Middle Corridor, through Kazakhstan increased by 86 percent, compared to the same period of 2022, and amounted to 1.6 million tons, Trend reports.

Data from Kazakhstan Railways shows that export from Kazakhstan amounted to 1.2 million tons, which is 2.5 times more year-on-year.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his address to the people on September 1 that traffic volume along the Middle Corridor can be increased five times in the medium term. According to him, to do this, we need to join forces with partner countries - China, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye

Middle Corridor, is a multilateral institutional development linking the containerized rail freight transport networks of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the European Union through the economies of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkiye, and Eastern Europe. The multilateral, multimodal transport institution links Caspian and Black Sea ferry terminals with rail systems in the PRC, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye, Ukraine, and Poland.

Middle Corridor serves to increase freight traffic from China to Turkiye, as well as to the European countries and in the reverse direction.

The block train running along this corridor delivers cargo from China to Europe in an average of 20-25 days. This is one of the main advantages of the transport corridor.
DJ Darrick D, also known as Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, plays "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers on the first day of classes at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 21, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  When a party at this airlift hub in western Tokyo needs an experienced beatmatcher at the turntables, DJ Darrick D steps up.

Air Force Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, commander of the 374th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, moonlights as a disc jockey, a sideline he picked up as a student at Fresno State University.

Hes our go-to for any of our major morale events, the 36th Airlift Squadrons commander, Lt. Col. Kira Coffey, said by phone Wednesday. Being a commander myself, I think it is impressive the amount of time and effort he puts into being a DJ on top of being a commander. Its a testament to his passion for doing that and just how phenomenal of a person he is to be able to balance his job and DJing so well.

DJ Darrick D said he started his music venture at age 6 with a drum set bought by his father. Seven years later, he put his drumsticks aside in favor of competitive wrestling. But he couldnt resist the urge to spin vinyl. While at Fresno State in 2000, he bought turntables and records and learned to match beats.

Beatmatching is the foundation of DJing, Duran said. The DJ mixes songs with the same speed and time so the beat syncs up seamlessly while transitioning to the next track.

Duran noticed he had a knack for DJing, so to make extra money, he started working the turntables at Club Dance, a hip-hop and R&B nightclub in Fresno, under a mentor, DJ David Harris.

He was a music lover, and it was easy because he learned fast, Harris said via Facebook Messenger on Sept 1. He had started slightly before I met, and he fit right in.

Duran was working at the Fresno County Health Department when his wife, Alena Duran, talked him into joining the Air Force as a public health officer. He commissioned in 2005.

Duran took command at Yokota on June 28, 2022. By day, he oversees the active-duty clinic at the 374th Medical Group, along with the mental health flight, public health, audiology, optometry and physical therapy.

After I joined the military, I was under this impression that I had to leave the DJ scene, Duran told Stars and Stripes on Aug. 28. My wife and I used to joke about You can't do both; you can't be an officer and a DJ.

How the tables have turned: Since 2009, Duran has been the DJ at squadron holiday parties, group holiday parties and promotion events on Air Forces bases. Most recently he worked the decks at the airlift squadrons combat dining-in and the first day of classes at Yokota High School on Aug. 21.

DJ Darrick D, also known as Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, plays "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers on the first day of classes at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 21, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

The most challenging part of being a DJ is programming an entire event, he said. The Air Force Ball, for example, unfolds in stages, like the social hour, dinner and dancing, which require changing music styles.

At dinner you shouldnt be playing Metallica for a formal event, you would play some smooth jazz instrumentals, songs that people are familiar with so that they can kind of listen and be like Hey, I know that song, Duran said.

Also, the audience is composed of people of various ages and backgrounds, so the DJ must find music that everyone enjoys.

We always call him up because we know that he gets the vibe of whatever we're trying to do, Coffey said. And he goes and researches what kind of music he should be playing so that everyone is in the right mood to celebrate appropriately.

Duran said he is very influenced by 70s soul and R&B; some of his favorite songs are Midas Touch by Midnight Star, Lovely Day by Bill Withers and La Vida Es un Carnaval by Celia Cruz.

I feel like even though it's extra work and time, it's something that I really like doing, Duran said. And it's my way to connect people because music brings people together.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Kevin Saelor teaches Japanese airmen about the deicer used at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Training on vehicle maintenance with their Japanese counterparts is an insurance policy for airmen at this U.S. airlift hub in western Tokyo.

From bulldozers to airfield-repair vehicles, the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron maintains approximately 1,000 government machines worth about $180 million, according to Staff Sgt. Kevin Saelor, a squadron maintenance supervisor.

If we were to go into wartime with minimal manning, if we needed assistance from our Japanese counterparts, conducting this training with them would essentially help us out, he said during Thursdays training.

Saelor and his colleagues joined their counterparts in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for their first joint training session Thursday at Yokota. They covered the fundamentals of maintenance and the regular service of government vehicles.

Saelor, Airman 1st Class Devin Downs and civilian mechanic Hitoshi Kobayakawa helped train four Japanese airmen at the Vehicle Management and Ground Transportation building. The day included shop familiarization, safety requirements and how to service aircraft deicers and snow brooms.

Since we have our Japan Air Self-Defense Force on base, doing this training is good to build a close relationship with our counterparts here, Saelor said.

Airman 1st Class Devin Downs gives Japanese airmen a rundown on a vehicle used to remove ice from aircraft at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes) Japanese airmen familiarize themselves with a vehicle used to remove ice from aircraft at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes) Air Force mechanics teach Japanese airmen about the Global Deicer at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

Airmen keep government vehicles up and running on the installation year-round with extensive maintenance and seasonal rebuilds after heavy use, Master Sgt. Steffan Gray, the vehicle maintenance superintendent, said during the training.

The vehicles are mainly used to support missions at Yokota and several other Indo-Pacific locations, including in Australia, Diego Garcia and Singapore.

We plan to conduct this training with Japans Air Self-Defense Force as needed, Gray said by email Thursday. We are also coordinating to receive training on their vehicles.

Both services benefit from working together, said Capt. Eiichi Okubo, an Air Self-Defense Force security manager who took part in Thursdays training.

The partnership between Japan and U.S. is very important, so this type of opportunity is very good, and I am very happy about it, he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in Delhi, India, on Sept. 8, 2023. (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India/Facebook)

Outside India, there are subdued expectations for the leaders summit of the Group of 20 major economies, hosted in New Delhi this weekend. The absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping has dimmed the geopolitical spotlight on the event; still, it has done little to smooth over the political differences within this diverse bloc over issues ranging from climate change to the war in Ukraine. As President Biden and other world leaders made their way to India, there were even suggestions that the meetings could conclude without a formal joint declaration - an outcome that would mark a blow to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government wants the summit to be the latest sign of Indias arrival as a force on the world stage.

Fourteen years ago, the understandings forged between the powers of the West and the developing world at the G-20 helped lift the global economy out of the morass of an epic financial crisis. At the time, the bloc was hailed by then-British prime minister Gordon Brown as the vehicle of a new world order, one leading the way to a new progressive era of international co-operation.

That progressive era has not come about. The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has deepened the chasm between the Kremlin and a galvanized geopolitical West. The toll of the pandemic and climate change keep exposing, in ways big and small, the grim inequities between the worlds haves and have-nots. The United States and other Western countries have soured on the free-trading enthusiasm of an earlier era of globalization and are increasingly beholden to once-fringe reactionary nationalist movements at home. Outside the West, liberal democracies in myriad countries, including India, are ailing in the face of entrenched, illiberal, majoritarian ruling parties.

Then theres the rivalry between the United States and China. Biden described Xis no-show in New Delhi as disappointing, but U.S. officials are expected to use the forum as a way to tout how Washington, rather than China, can best help with the development of low- and middle-income nations in whats broadly referred to as the Global South. For the White House, the summit is more a backdrop for a clearer geopolitical agenda - after New Delhi, Biden will go to Vietnam for a state visit, during which a slate of major cooperation deals is expected to be announced. That trip, along with the United States efforts to deepen ties with India, showcase how the Biden administration is trying to secure potential Asian bulwarks against China.

The U.S. is courting India ferociously. Paradoxically, the best comparison to make of this courtship is with the ferocious courtship of China by the U.S. to counterbalance the Soviet Union in the 1970s, said former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in a recent interview. Little of substance will emerge from the summit, he added, referring to the weekends meetings. It may well prove to be, like many G-7 meetings, a photo opportunity for the leaders attending it.

The G-20 meetings come in the wake of the recent BRICS summit in South Africa, where Xi did make an appearance. It seems Beijing may view that bloc, which does not include the United States and many top Western allies, as a more useful platform for its international agenda. BRICS appears set to expand its ranks next year, raising new questions about the relevance of an institution like the G-20, which may no longer be the principal forum for the major powers of the developing world.

While China cannot win a battle against a U.S.-led bloc, President Xi Jinping seems convinced that it can take its place as a great power in a fragmented global order, observed Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, arguing that the arena upon which Beijing and Washington are exercising their rivalry is altogether different from the context that surrounded the binary clash of the Cold War in the previous century.

The picture that emerges is of a world in which the superpowers lack sufficient economic, military, or ideological clout to force the rest of the world - in particular, the increasingly confident middle powers - to pick a side, Leonard wrote. From South Korea to Niger to the new BRICS members, countries can afford to advance their own goals and interests, rather than pledging fealty to the superpowers.

The growing influence of the middle powers is changing how we think of global politics. Welcome to the a la carte world, wrote Alec Russell in a smart piece for the Financial Times. As the post-cold war age of America as a sole superpower fades, the old era when countries had to choose from a prix fixe menu of alliances is shifting into a more fluid order.

Russell pointed to countries like Kenya, which are, with alacrity and increasing skill, engaging a host of regional and world powers, from Washington to Beijing, London to Tehran, on their own terms: Participating in a naval exercise here, an infrastructure deal there. This week, Nairobi hosted an inaugural African summit on climate to set the continents common position ahead of U.N.-backed climate meetings later this year. Kenyan President William Ruto has been outspoken about both the West and Chinas obligations to help Africa cope with a climate crisis not of its own making, as well as to redress an inequitable global lending structures that have saddled African economies with huge public debts.

Dont focus on U.S.-China competition, as they are not going to be able to discipline fragmentation as Russia and America did in the Cold War, Ivan Krastev, a prominent Bulgarian political scientist, told the Finatial Times. The middle powers may not be big enough or strong enough to shape the international order, but their ambition is to increase their relevance.

It all may seem a bit confusing, a bit chaotic. But out of this geopolitical muddle, a new world older is lurching into motion.
Two German air force Tornadoes take off at Buechel Air Base in Germany on May 7, 2022. About 20 U.S. nuclear warheads are believed to be stored at the base. The Heritage Foundation said in a report issued last week that some U.S. nuclear bombs positioned in Europe should be relocated to Poland. (Warren Spearman Jr./U.S. Air Force)

Some U.S. nuclear bombs positioned in European countries such as Germany, Italy and the Netherlands should be relocated to Poland, which wants in on NATOs nuclear burden-sharing mission, a new report argues.

While stationing such weapons in Western Europe made sense during the Cold War, adding Poland to the mix would adapt the alliances nuclear strategy to current threats, the conservative Heritage Foundation said in its report, issued last week.

NATOs eastward enlargement following the collapse of the Soviet Union means that allied fighter planes carrying nuclear gravity bombs would have farther to travel to reach enemy targets.

If such distances require a fighter bomber to conduct an aerial refueling before reaching a target, both the fighter bomber and the refueler could be vulnerable to enemy long-range air defenses, the report authors said.

The think tanks report comes amid a public push by Poland to be incorporated into NATOs nuclear burden sharing mission. In June, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Warsaw was seeking to join the initiative, which would require allied approval.

Due to the fact that Russia intends to site tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, we are all the more asking the whole of NATO about taking part in the nuclear sharing program, Morawiecki said in a June 30 statement. We dont want to sit with our arms crossed while (Russian President Vladimir) Putin escalates a different type of threat.

Its still unclear whether the U.S. is willing to give the idea serious consideration. After Polands request, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters I have nothing to say about any conversations of this type.

Any such changes to NATOs nuclear arrangement would ratchet up tensions with Russia, which would consider nuclear weapons in Poland escalatory.

But Russias own nuclear saber rattling and apparent plan to position some of its nuclear arsenal in Belarus justify a countermove by NATO, the Heritage Foundation said.

Doing so would assure those NATO allies closest to Russia that the arsenal remains credible and effective; and better dissuade Russian aggression by increasing the relevance of the nuclear deterrent, the report said.

The NATO nuclear mission involves U.S. tactical bombs that allied fighter pilots would deliver if a conventional conflict turned into an atomic one.

Tactical weapons deliver a smaller explosive yield than more advanced strategic nuclear weapons, which are delivered via long-range bombers, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.

In theory, tactical nuclear weapons could be used for a more limited strike, resulting in less widespread radioactive fallout than their strategic counterparts produce.

While the U.S. does not publicly discuss where its tactical bombs are stored in Europe, watchdog groups have reported that roughly 100 are stored at six bases in five NATO member countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. A NATO document inadvertently released and then deleted in 2019 listed the same locations.

Besides deterring Russian nuclear aggression, the NATO burden-sharing arrangement is intended to assure allies that the U.S. nuclear guarantee is credible and that the strike mission is a responsibility shouldered by the alliance as a whole.

This is all done, in part, by providing a visible, geographic distribution and demonstration of NATOs nuclear capabilities, the Heritage Foundation report said, arguing that bringing those capabilities closer to Russia bolsters alliance credibility.

The presence of U.S. nuclear weapons has been a point of political contention in some of the countries that host them.

For example, a 2020 YouGov poll found that 74% of Italians, 58% of Dutch and 83% of Germans wanted nuclear weapons off their soil.

While Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 may have softened that position, there is a long track record of anti-nuclear sentiment in those countries.

Should an ally in the future ask the United States to remove its nuclear weapons, having Poland in the mix would be a risk-mitigation measure, the report stated.
This video grab taken from footage posted on Telegram shows Yevgeny Prigozhin on March 3, 2023. Maksim Shugalei, one of Prigozhins trusted political influence peddlers, is the first member of his inner circle to speak publicly of possible government involvement in the Aug. 23 crash that killed all 10 passengers and crew aboard. (Wikimedia Commons)

A confidant of Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin said the plane crash that killed the mercenary boss and two top aides last month might have been an internal hit, showing that no one [in Russian leadership] can be trusted - and no one is safe.

Maksim Shugalei, one of Prigozhins trusted political influence peddlers, is the first member of his inner circle to speak publicly of possible government involvement in the Aug. 23 crash that killed all 10 passengers and crew aboard. Many in Russias elite are convinced it was an assassination ordered by the Kremlin. Russian authorities have strongly denied any role.

Western analysts believe President Vladimir Putin was likely to have ordered Prigozhins death as retribution for the rebellion his former ally led in June against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov. Some believe the opportunity to gain control of Prigozhins lucrative commercial empire providing mercenaries and other services in multiple regions was a motivation.

Shugaleis comments on Telegram on Thursday, more than two weeks after the crash, show the still-simmering anger and cynicism among pro-war Russian nationalists close to Prigozhin over his death.

They also highlight the continuing fissures among Russias elite over the conduct of a war that has shattered the countrys military reputation, estranged its most important markets and undermined its global authority, with no clear benefit and no end in sight.

As Russian commanders face questions over the efficacy of the countrys air defenses, two generals responsible for protecting Moscow have been arrested over alleged bribes in a shady land deal, Russian media reported Thursday. Airports in the capital have suffered temporary closures and flights have been disrupted almost nightly in recent weeks amid drone attacks.

Wagner mercenaries fought alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, where they were responsible for key gains. But Prigozhin, once close to Putin, differed with military leaders on strategy. After weeks criticizing Shoigu and Gerasimov, he led his forces on a march toward Moscow on June 23. Wagner fighters shot down Russian helicopters, killed Russian soldiers and occupied Russian military facilities.

Prigozhin called the rebellion off in a deal with Putin brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko that allowed the mercenaries to relocate to a base in Belarus, sign contracts with Russias Ministry of Defense or go home. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time that Putins word guaranteed Prigozhins safety.

Shugalei wrote Thursday of the possibility that internal forces ordered the Wagner chiefs death.

If we are talking about internal forces, this means only one thing to me, he wrote. In our country, no word given by anyone to anyone at any level can be trusted anymore.

Secondly, he continued, no one, no matter what their merits, position or social status, can feel safe.

He acknowledged the crash might have been the work of Russias enemies. But if these are external forces, he said, it demonstrates the failure and paralysis of the Russian security services, which cannot protect high-level people even at home.

Either way, he said, the crash was clearly not a coincidence, because Prigozhin and two top Wagner leaders were together on the same flight, which never happened before.

Shugalei, president of the Foundation for National Values Protection, carried out some of Prigozhins most important geopolitical influence operations. He went to Kabul in 2021 on a mission to foster ties in the Taliban. He was arrested in Libya in 2019 and accused of undermining the nations interests after he met with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late strongman Moammar Gaddafi. Prigozhin financed two action movies about Shugalei, one on his imprisonment.

Russian military leaders are under new scrutiny after a Ukrainian drone landed almost on the doorstep of Russias Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a facility seized by Wagner in the rebellion. The mercenaries held several Russian generals hostage before Prigozhin made the deal with Putin. He left the city to the cheers of local residents

Videos of a fiery explosion that damaged cars and buildings near the military headquarters emerged early Thursday on Russian media. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said it was caused by debris from an intercepted drone. He said a second drone was shot down around 10 miles south of the city. Officials in the Volgograd region in southern Russia, an area not previously targeted, also reported a drone was shot down.

Russian officials routinely report that drones have been intercepted without causing major damage, but recent attacks on airfields deep inside the country have destroyed strategic military aircraft.

Ukraine last week launched its biggest drone attack of the war, targeting six cities including Pskov, more than 370 miles from Ukraine, demonstrating Kyivs ability to launch attacks deep within Russian territory.

The Pskov attack destroyed two Ilyushin military cargo planes and damaged two others, satellite images showed.

Earlier, a drone destroyed a Russian Tu-22M3, a supersonic strategic bomber, at Soltsy air base in the Novgorod region northwest of Moscow, the open-source military analysis group Ukraine Weapons Tracker reported. A Telegram channel with links to Russian security sources confirmed the attack; Russias defense ministry said one plane was damaged.

Maj. Gen. Dmitry Belyatsky and Maj. Gen. Konstantin Ogienko were arrested over an alleged $300,000 bribe. Belyatsky, commander of the 4th Air Defense Division, is under house arrest and is cooperating with investigators, the Kommersant newspaper reported. Ogienko was fired as commander of the 1st Special Purpose Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defense Army of the Russian Armed Forces and arrested in July, Tass news agency reported. He pleaded not guilty and is being held in a pretrial detention center. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on the second day of a visit to Ukraine on Thursday, praised Ukrainians resilience. On a visit to a former farm being cleared of mines, he spoke of the importance of the effort.

Whats hard to get our minds around is that one third of Ukrainian territory has mines or unexploded ordnance on it, he said.

Youre making your land safe for your fellow Ukrainians. Youre saving lives in Ukraine, livelihoods in Ukraine, and allowing Ukraine to once again feed the world.

Blinken also visited Ukrainian border guards and a school where Russians imprisoned civilians.

He said Russian atrocities and the impact its having on Ukrainians of all ages continue to this very day.

But were also seeing something else thats incredibly powerful, and that is the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people.

David L. Stern in Kyiv contributed to this report
Smoke rises in an industrial area in Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine after a Russian missile strike in July, 2023. (Ed Ram for The Washington Post)

Three months into Ukraines inching counteroffensive, Russian occupying forces have largely been able to hold their positions, often by learning from past mistakes.

They have reconstituted decimated units, swapped in new ones and turned from sweeping attacks to the defense of heavily fortified front lines, showing that despite heavy losses, Moscow is willing to dig in for the long haul and wait for the resolve of Ukraines Western backers to diminish.

The relatively well-ordered defense marks a return to long-standing Russian military doctrine and a shift from the early days of the war, when Russia overextended its forces in lumbering advances into territory it could not hold, at great cost.

It is an example of adaptation, said Ian Matveev, a Russian military analyst for the Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. They are using their experience of this war, he said, to fight Ukrainian forces to a grinding standstill.

While Ukrainian forces have claimed limited gains in a push to sever Russias southern land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula, critics say the influx of Western equipment, and months of training by NATO members to conduct complex offensive maneuvers, have not led to the large-scale success for which Washington was hoping, and that Ukraine continues to rely on a stale tactic: lobbing artillery at Russian positions.

A renewed Russian attack on the previously occupied and recaptured northeastern city of Kupyansk has shown that Russia still can advance. But the attack can be understood as part of the defensive strategy, experts say - a move to keep Ukrainian forces from concentrating in the south.

Theyre doing it because the front line in Ukraine is very long, Andriy Besedin, the head of Kupyansks military administration and its de facto mayor, said in an interview. Theyre just throwing their soldiers into the meat grinder.

Russias military suffered great losses amid chaotic advances last year, with some units wiped out almost entirely, according to U.S. assessments.

But it has been able to recuperate, despite signs of low morale and disorder in the upper echelons of military leadership following a June mutiny by Wagner Group mercenaries. The depleted ranks have been replenished, through a partial mobilization that called up hundreds of thousands of men, and by recruitment from prisons, a technique adapted from Wagner.

Britains Defense Ministry estimated in the spring that Russia could field roughly the same number of troops it did at the start of the invasion: some 200,000, divided among 70 combat regiments and brigades, organized under five administrative districts, defending front lines that stretch some 600 miles.

Roughly half of Russias forces are massed in the northeast, according to recent Ukrainian estimates, far from the center of the counteroffensive.

Before the war, Ukraines military numbered an estimated 250,000, with plans to expand. Both Russia and Ukraine have seen considerable casualties, with U.S. and European officials estimating earlier this year that as many as 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the war, as had some 200,000 Russian soldiers - figures that have only grown.

Traditional military theory suggests that an advancing force would need at least three times the number of soldiers defending to make gains.

Everyone uses that number and everyone hates it, said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine officer and defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. But in a situation like this with prepared defenses, you need more than three to one. It could be six to one, 10 to one.

Russian losses have been spread unevenly across its military: While Moscow threw some units or entire districts into the fray, it held others back. Russias Western Military District, designed as the countrys advanced force against NATO adversaries, suffered massively early in the war.

Units from that district, including the once highly regarded 1st Guards Tank Army and the Sixth Combined Army, are involved in the advance on Kupyansk, said Karolina Hird, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think thank. The depleted units appear to have been reconstituted with conscripts.

Theyre barely a shell of what they used to be, Hird said, adding that the 1st Guards had retreated so quickly last year that they became the largest tank donor to the Ukrainian army.

However, Russias Southern Military District, which has assumed primary responsibility for defending occupied territory in the strategically important Zaporizhzhia region, was held in reserve earlier in the war and was able to meet Ukraines counteroffensive with fresh but experienced forces.

These soldiers spent months digging in, preparing for the exact type of defensive operations they are conducting, Hird said.

The Southern Military District, responsible within Russia for territory bordering Ukraine and Georgia, has been a breeding ground for innovation and has performed better than other districts, said Charles Bartles, a Russia analyst with the Foreign Military Studies Office, a research center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

A bicyclist approaches a destroyed Russian tank last October in Pisky Radkivsky in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/for The Washington Post)

Russia has largely sent motor rifle brigades - which comprise around 8,000 infantry troops, along with heavy weaponry such as tanks and artillery - to defend its front lines in the south. Its defense mixes inexperienced units made up of released convicts with more elite ones from the Russian navy and Spetsnaz, or special forces, according to open-source analysts.

The 64th Motor Rifle Brigade, part of the 35th Army from the Eastern Military District, has been reported in the first line of defenses near Orikhiv. The brigade, linked to apparent war crimes in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha at the start of the war, was given an honorary title by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year for mass heroism and bravery.

Russia uses special forces units to plug in as fast reinforcements, according to the open-source intelligence group Black Bird. Some soldiers from these groups, who report to Russian military intelligence, were airlifted to the front line during the beginning of the counteroffensive.

Among them: The 22nd Separate Spetsnaz Brigade, described in leaked U.S. military documents as having suffered high casualties, an attrition rate up to 95 percent, earlier in the war, in part because of Russias reliance on it for front-line operations. It is unclear how it could be back in even partial action so quickly - Spetsnaz units typically require years of training.

Even last year, Russian forces were still thinking that they might go on the offensive again and capture large amounts or even all of Ukraine, said Cancian. Now theyre trying to hang on to what they have already occupied.

In Zaporizhzhia, the southern district and the center of the counteroffensive, occupying troops have not made gains in a year. Instead, they spent months building layered fortifications.

The approach represents a return to a traditional precept of Russian military thinking: a focus on training for defensive operations out of fear of an attack from the West.

Preparing these kinds of defensive positions is something that commanders understand and have had drilled into their head since they were cadets, said Dara Massicot, a Russian military analyst at the Rand Corp., a U.S. think tank.

An April article in Military Thought, the journal of Russias military elite, appeared to offer a rare public admission that Russias emphasis on offense had cost it. Though the article did not mention Ukraine, it outlined a realistic, even pessimistic, tactic of defending key areas against a superior enemy.

Alexander Romanchuk, one of the co-authors, was at the time head of a military academy in Moscow. Since, he has assumed the defense against the counterattack in Zaporizhzhia.

The aim of Russias layered defensive lines is to slow and deplete Ukrainian forces. Even if they push through the front line, they must contend with fresh Russian forces entrenched in a second line, or third.

Russias heavy use of land mines is a key part of its defense. Russian troops use the ISDM Zemledeliye mine-laying system that scatters mines from rockets, allowing rapid re-mining of cleared areas, and use mined trenches and stacked mines to trick advancing forces.

Russian artillery units, also key to defense, are considered sophisticated, able to identify new targets and launch attacks in a matter of minutes.

While the Russian military may be able to stage a competent defense, there are signs that it still suffers from damaging shortages.

It is sometimes staging attacks at a platoon level, involving as few as three tanks and a few dozen troops, according to James Rand, a military analyst with a private intelligence firm Janes. The strategy, while sound, could indicate a lack of resources.

They are getting very short on deployable armored vehicles, Rand said. Open-source intelligence group Oryx said it had confirmed Russias loss of 2,296 tanks in the war - more than half the number with which it began.

After Wagners mutiny, Russias military leadership structure appears to remain muddled. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a lauded military commander, was sidelined for his alleged sympathies with Wagner and removed as air force chief last month.

Wagners withdrawal removed as many as 20,000 experienced fighters from the battlefield. Experts say Wagners exit is evident in the hodgepodge mixture of troops who have replaced it in Ukraines east.

A firefighter works in the ruins of a home destroyed last month by Russian artillery in Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. ()

Russias present strategy could face a new wave of challenges. While units such as the 58th Army were fresh when the counteroffensive began, it has been under attack for months, Massicot said. Russia appears willing to grind the units down to the point where theyre no longer combat-capable.

The units commander announced last month that he had been forced from his position over criticism of this bloody approach.

Moscow could be playing an attritional waiting game, banking on depleting Ukraines ranks or for its backers to lose faith. However, some Ukrainian officials argue that Russia hasnt given up on taking land and that Kupyansk is just the start.

We clearly understand that the enemy has not abandoned his painful hopes of occupation of the entire region, said Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv.

Some pro-Russian military figures seem to agree. Alexander Khodakovsky, a Kremlin-backed commander in the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic, wrote in a widely shared Telegram post last month: You cant win in defense.

Anastacia Galouchka, Siobhan OGrady, John Hudson, Laris Karklis and Julia Ledur contributed to this report.
Marines from the 1st Battalion 24th Marines prepare to depart their home station of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., on Aug. 4, 2015. (Master Sgt. David Kujawa/ U.S. Air Force)

WASHINGTON  The Marine who was found dead last weekend at a base in northern Virginia was identified as Sgt. Jaen Deshun Davis, 24, Marine officials said Thursday.

Davis, assigned to a reserve unit, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, in Selfridge, Mich., was found inside his vehicle on Saturday at Marine Corps Base Quantico, where he was attending a course at the Marine Corps University, a Marine statement said.

No cause of death was released.

Before joining the Michigan unit, Davis was assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 1st Marine Logistics Group at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, near San Diego..

The Marine Corps said Davis had earned several decorations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
President Joe Biden during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, places the Medal of Honor around retired Army helicopter pilot Capt. Larry Taylor, who was recognized for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War when led a mission in 1968 to save a small group of soldiers trapped in a rice field by enemy fire. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service)  Conservative commentators panned President Joe Biden for departing a Vietnam veterans Medal of Honor ceremony Tuesday before the closing benediction.

The White House said Bidens departure was a planned move, after his wife tested positive for COVID-19, to minimize close contact with attendees who were about to participate in the reception that followed. As of Thursday, the White House said, Biden was still testing negative for the virus as he prepared to depart for a summit in India.

On Tuesday, Biden spent time, masked, with Signal Mountains Larry Taylor, before awarding the Army pilot the Medal of Honor for saving four men in Vietnam in 1968. The president then presided unmasked over the roughly 16-minute ceremony at the White House before dignitaries and supporters of Taylor. After sharing a handshake and a salute with Taylor, Biden departed before the closing benediction, a break from past custom.

Critics rejected the White Houses explanation and said Bidens departure demonstrated confusion on his part or disrespect for Taylor  though no attendees of the ceremony told the Chattanooga Times Free Press they felt this way.

The White House announced Sept. 1 that Joe Biden would be awarding Taylor the medal early this week.

Biden then spent the weekend touring hurricane-damaged Florida and at a family home in Delaware with his wife. Then late Monday night, the White House announced the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19.

She remained in Delaware. The president has not experienced symptoms and has repeatedly tested negative for the virus since, according to the White House.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Taylor left the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, walking through a lobby full of people who had gathered, to be taken to the White House by charter bus to attend his Medal of Honor ceremony.

Prior to the ceremony, Biden met with Taylor and his family privately to thank him, and they were masked during that time, said Dhara Nayyar, the White Houses senior regional communications director, in an email Thursday to the Times Free Press.

Guests had already taken their places in the White Houses East Room when the event began and Taylor and Biden  both masked  walked next to one another down a center aisle toward the stage.

President Joe Biden during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, removes his face mask after arriving for a Medal of Honor ceremony for retired Army helicopter pilot Capt. Larry Taylor who received the nations highest military award for valor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War when he led a mission in 1968 to save a small group of soldiers trapped in a rice field by enemy fire. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

Upon reaching the stage, both removed their masks and Taylor went to sit in a distant chair as Biden of how the former Army pilot saved four mens lives in a daring helicopter maneuver in Vietnam in June 1968. When it came time to present the Medal of Honor, Biden approached Taylor, and the two stood together as the medal citation was read aloud.

After Biden placed the medal around Taylors neck, the crowd applauded and the two shook hands and saluted. Biden then left Taylor on the stage, walking down the aisle and leaving the room during the period before the closing benediction was read. In past Medal of Honor ceremonies reviewed by the Times Free Press, Biden has remained on stage during the benediction.

In statements in a news conference Wednesday and to the Times Free Press directly, White House officials maintained Bidens decision to leave following the salute was planned out of an abundance of caution  a claim critics online said disrespected their intelligence, given that Biden had just been standing so close to Taylor, unmasked.

Despite his many negative tests and lack of symptoms, Biden still wanted to be cognizant of his exposure regarding the virus, Nayyar, the White House spokesperson, said in an email.

He removed his mask to deliver powerful remarks about Capt. Taylors service to our nation and for a brief period afterwards, Nayyar said. And then, as planned, he left during a pause in the program in order to minimize his close contact with attendees who were about to participate in the reception.

Following the ceremony, the Times Free Press asked several attendees if anything stood out.

Leroy Petry, the president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, who received the medal himself in 2011, approvingly noted officials gave Taylor a chair and that there seemed to be a lot of room made for family and friends.

One veteran at the reception said he wished Biden had acknowledged his buddy J.O. Ratliff, Taylors co-pilot during the daring action in Vietnam 55 years ago for which Taylor was honored.

No one mentioned the fact that Biden did not stay for the benediction.

Within hours of the ceremony, stories on this and other themes emerged online.

Biden ripped for leaving Medal of Honor ceremony early: ABHORRENT, said a Fox News headline, citing social media posts from conservative writers and activists saying Biden bolted from the ceremony.

Another article suggested Biden was not sufficiently cautious with Taylor, given the medical risk.

COVID-exposed Biden flouts White House mask rule as he stands just inches away from elderly Medal of Honor vet, said the New York Post.

Medal of Honor recipient retired Army helicopter pilot Capt. Larry Taylor leaves a White House ceremony in his honor on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, after he was recognized for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War when led a mission in 1968 to save a small group of soldiers trapped in a rice field by enemy fire. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

Through a mediator, Taylor, 81, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Also in attendance at the White House on Tuesday was Dave Hill, the lone survivor among the four men Taylor saved on June 18, 1968, and a in the appeal effort to get Taylor the medal.

Reached by phone Wednesday evening, Hill said Biden didnt have to approve Taylors Medal of Honor and he was grateful the president did so. Hill thought Biden seemed poised Tuesday, and he said neither he nor any of the Army veterans with whom he attended the ceremony thought anything of Bidens mode of departure.

It was totally unimportant to us, Hill said.

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Family members of Mary Sara gather with local community members for the burial of her brain at Evergreen Washelli, a cemetery in Seattle, on Aug. 29, 2023. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

SEATTLE - Ninety years after a physician took a young Alaska womans brain for a racial brain collection at the Smithsonian Institution, a museum official delivered her brain to her family for burial near the rest of her remains in Seattle.

When Mary Sara, an 18-year-old Sami woman, died of tuberculosis in a Seattle sanitarium in 1933, the doctor treating her removed her brain and mailed it to the curator of the division of physical anthropology at the Smithsonian, Ales Hrdlicka.

For decades, the National Museum of Natural History held her brain in storage, until The Washington Post learned of it earlier this year as part of its investigation into human remains held by the Smithsonian and informed Saras living relatives that it had been taken.

On Aug. 28, a Smithsonian employee flew from the D.C. area to Seattle with Saras brain, which was immersed in preservatives within a sealed container. The brain was later transferred to a cushioned wooden box.

During an overcast afternoon the next day, a small group of relatives and community members gathered at Evergreen Washelli, the northern Seattle cemetery where Saras body had been buried, to lower the box with her brain into a new spot near the top of her existing grave, which has no headstone.

The Evergreen Washelli cemetery in Seattle. Mary Sara's brain is buried in a new spot near the top of her grave there. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

Before the ceremony, Rachel Twitchell-Justiss, a distant cousin of Saras, knelt down to the burial plot. With tears in her eyes, she kissed her hand, held it to the ground and whispered a message. I said, Im so sorry this happened to you and were going to take care of you now, said Twitchell-Justiss, who traveled from Spokane, Wash., for the ceremony.

Saras family petitioned the National Museum of Natural History for the return of her brain shortly after being informed about it by reporters in February. The Post found no documents indicating that Sara or her family had given consent for its removal at the time.

The Post investigation published last month revealed that the Natural History Museum held 255 brains, including Saras, in a Maryland storage facility. The vast majority were collected in the early 20th century at the behest of Hrdlicka, a prominent anthropologist who believed in the superiority of White people. The 254 brains that remain are just a fraction of at least 30,700 human remains still kept by the museum, the majority of which appear to have been taken without consent.

Smithsonian officials said they have returned or offered to return over 6,300 sets of remains over the last three decades. Saras is the fifth brain from the collection to be returned to families or tribes. The other four brains were repatriated to Native American families or communities, because federal law requires the Smithsonian to notify Native American tribes of the remains in its possession. The last brain to be returned was sent to a Tlingit family in Sitka, Alaska, in 2007.

Following the investigation, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III wrote an opinion piece published in The Post in which he apologized for the way the institution collected many of its human remains, calling it the Smithsonians darkest history.

It was abhorrent and dehumanizing work, and it was carried out under the Smithsonians name, wrote Bunch, who took charge of the institution in 2019. I condemn these past actions and apologize for the pain caused by Hrdlicka and others at the institution who acted unethically in the name of science, regardless of the era in which their actions occurred.

Rachel Twitchell-Justiss, left, and Martha Sara Jack, both cousins of Mary Sara's, lower into the ground a suede bag containing a wooden box holding her brain. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

The museum had approved the return of Saras brain earlier this year, and shortly after The Post published its investigation in August, the director of the Natural History Museum, Kirk Johnson, called Saras cousin, Martha Sara Jack, to help arrange the burial. Johnson declined to comment through a spokesman.

Sara had traveled to Washington state in January 1933 from her Alaska hometown to accompany her mother for cataract surgery. Charles Firestone, the doctor who would later restore her mothers eyesight, had invited the two women, who were Sami, or Indigenous people from areas including northern Scandinavia.

Sara became sick with tuberculosis and was sent to a nearby sanitarium, where she would spend her 18th birthday. She died in May while her mother was on a ship back to Alaska, and Firestone offered Saras brain to Hrdlicka on the same day. Hrdlicka told Firestone he was interested but only, he said, if she was full-blood, using a racist term to question whether both her parents were Sami. Firestone sent her brain to the museum.

At the ceremony for Sara last week, cemetery officials set up a small green table and two rows of chairs in front of the grave. On the table, Saras brain sat inside a wooden box placed atop a blue suede bag that Carol Butler, the Smithsonian employee who transported the remains, had sewn for the occasion. On behalf of the Natural History Museum, Butler attended the service as well as a breakfast with the family at a hotel that Sara once visited.

Jacks husband, Fred, played recordings of Christian hymns on an iPad, and Julie Whitehorn, a local Sami community member, used her phone to play traditional Sami songs known as joiks. Jack, who was born 12 years after Sara died, told the small crowd that she had heard about her cousin through stories that were passed down to her. Sara had been close friends with Jacks mother and planned to marry a childhood sweetheart when she returned from Seattle.

Without the knowledge or consent from her family, Dr. Firestone maliciously desecrated Marys young body, said Jack, who had traveled from Wasilla, Alaska. Now, 90 years later, Marys body will be made whole and laid to rest until the Resurrection.

Toward the end of the ceremony, a cemetery worker began to place the bag into the ground before Jack stopped him. Can Rachel and I do that? she asked. Jack and Twitchell-Justiss each took hold of one handle of the bag and lowered Saras remains into the small hole. The family then gathered around as Jacks husband said a prayer to dedicate the site.

Twitchell-Justiss said she was hopeful the return of Saras brain could help the Smithsonian move faster in repatriating remains for other families and communities. I hope the museum makes great strides to fulfill their promises to do better, she said. If they can do that in Marys honor, then all the better.

Rachel Twitchell-Justiss visits the roof of the Hotel Theodore, where her relative was photographed 90 years earlier. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

In 2022, the Smithsonian, which includes 21 museums and the National Zoo, adopted a policy that formally authorized all of its museums to return items or remains in its collections that were collected without consent.

After The Post began reporting on the brain collection, Bunch issued a public apology this April in which he announced the creation of a task force to determine the next steps for the human remains still in Smithsonian custody. In his opinion piece, Bunch also said the institution was in talks with the government of the Philippines to determine what to do with the remains of Filipinos that had been collected by the institution.

As part of the investigation, The Post told the story of Maura, an Indigenous Filipino woman who died after she came to St. Louis to be put on display during the 1904 Worlds Fair. Records suggest that her cerebellum was taken by Hrdlicka in an autopsy for his collection of human brains at the Smithsonian.

Museum officials said the cerebellum appeared to be cremated by the institution years later, and they could not confirm whether it belonged to Maura. Overall, there were at least 27 brains, including the cerebellum, taken from Filipinos.

Officials from the National Museum of the Philippines recently issued a statement in support of the repatriation of the Filipino remains. They said the museum was working with the Smithsonian to ensure the remains would be given to direct descendants or communities related to those whose organs were taken for the collection.

The museum accepts and supports this effort of the Smithsonian [National Museum of Natural History] to do the right thing and facilitate the return of these Filipino remains home as a way of rectifying this unfortunate situation, officials wrote.

Federal law requires the Smithsonian to notify only Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities about the remains in its possession so those communities can start the process of repatriation. An estimated 15,000 sets of remains held by the institution today are from these communities.

Saras brain and the 26 Filipino brains fall outside of current notification rules, which leave about another 15,000 sets of remains from more than 80 countries in limbo. Since creating a 2015 policy for the repatriation of human remains from other countries, the Natural History Museum has returned remains to New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

Officials have said the museum focused primarily on returning Native American remains in accordance with federal law, but it has more recently begun to focus on remains from other communities. In a statement, Jim Wood, a spokesman for the Natural History Museum, said the institution was honored to give Saras brain to her family.

Our museum community remains committed to addressing the historical legacy bestowed upon us and will continue to work with descendants and descendant communities to return or appropriately honor the individuals now under our care, Wood wrote.

Rachel Twitchell-Justiss stands atop the roof of the Hotel Theodore on Aug. 29, 2023. ()

When Sara and her mother went to Seattle in 1933, journalists followed the two Sami women around, taking a picture of Sara on top of the Roosevelt Hotel. The hotel, which is now called the Hotel Theodore, provided the family with free lodging for the burial, and Twitchell-Justiss visited the roof where Sara once stood.

Family members had asked the Natural History Museum to provide money for a burial and a headstone, but officials rejected the request, saying that prior repatriations had not covered such costs. The family started a GoFundMe to help raise money for a headstone for Sara and raised about a third of the overall cost.

The community stepped in: In Alaska, members of the Knik Tribal Council contacted the Jacks and said they would cover the funeral costs. After the service, an official with the cemetery approached Jack to tell her it would contribute a headstone to the family at no cost.

Jacks mouth dropped open in surprise, and she called over Twitchell-Justiss to share the news. As the family began to leave the gravesite, a cemetery worker waited nearby to fill the hole and cover it with a patch of grass. After the family exchanged hugs, a soft rain began to fall.

Its a great burden lifted off, Jack said. Theres no loose end on this part now.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The UK and Kyrgyzstan are maintaining a regular rhythm of dialogue at a working level, both within and outside Government, Ann Herrigan, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Bishkek, told Trend in an exclusive interview.

"For example, in April a trade mission from Kyrgyzstan visited London to establish contacts with British firms and learn more about the UK market and opportunities presented by the Developing Countries Trading Scheme. In the autumn, we expect several other visits from Kyrgyzstan to the UK. We see great potential to make our cooperation even more active and fruitful," she said.

Herrigan reminded that the UK and Kyrgyzstan established bilateral relations in 1992, and since then the mutual ties have steadily grown stronger.

"In December 2011, the British Embassy in Bishkek became operational with the first Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan taking up their position in March 2012. This has given a new impetus to an already strong relationship and political contacts intensified significantly and became more regular. Over the years, the UK has been a reliable partner for Kyrgyzstan and contributed to the countrys sustainable growth and development. Over the first 30 years of diplomatic relations the UK has supported Kyrgyzstan, providing more than $122 million in bilateral development assistance and $80 million through multilateral platforms," she said.

According to Herrigan, the priority areas for the UK have been supporting Kyrgyzstans democratic ambitions, supporting security and fostering sustainable economic growth. Aside from that, the UK has implemented projects in the areas of education, public health, effective governance, and water supply.

She noted that one of the most successful recent programs implemented in Kyrgyzstan recently has been the PEAK Enterprise and Innovation Program that ran from 2019 until April 2023.

"The Program promoted a stronger, diversified and more inclusive private sector in Kyrgyzstan with the aim of stimulating the development of start-ups and MSMEs and thereby drive job creation. From 2019 to 2023, UK spent 8.3 million pounds supporting small business in both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In Kyrgyzstan, the UK funded innovation centres in Bishkek, Osh and Karakol. Branded as PEAK, these centers offered customized business advisory services. PEAK trained 452 entrepreneurs, 313 of which were women (69 percent); 1089 new jobs were created and 660,000 pounds of investment was unlocked. Work is ongoing on a successor program which will build on what was achieved with PEAK," she explained.

Among recent initiatives, Herrigan mentioned the UKs Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) that allows thousands of Kyrgyz citizens to work in the UK.

"In 2022, over 1,500 Kyrgyz citizens worked in the UK under this scheme. This year we are expecting that number to be over 8,000. The Kyrgyz authorities are keen to increase the number of Kyrgyz workers coming to the UK under the scheme, and we want this to be a positive experience for everyone involved. The Embassy was pleased to facilitate the recent agreement that the UKs Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority recently signed with their Kyrgyz counterpart. This agreement will strengthen the protections for Kyrgyz workers coming to the UK," she noted.

On June 19, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) entered into force, the official added, noting that this will provide tariff-free or reduced fees for Kyrgyz goods exported to the UK. The assessment is that 8800 Kyrgyz goods will have access to the UK without customs fees. This scheme will help Kyrgyzstan diversify its trade routes and economy.

In regard with the UK's support for Kyrgyzstan's green energy sector, Herrigan noted that, in March 2023, the Embassy supported a workshop on issuing green bonds for about 40 banking sector professionals on "Green Bonds Issuing". The workshop focused on providing guidance on the process of issuing green bonds as a tool for attracting investments as well as promoting the principles and mechanisms of green finance. One of the banks that attended the workshop very soon after released its green bonds, the first ever bank to do so in Kyrgyzstan.

"In general, climate change, alternative sources of energy and green economy are priority areas for the UK. The UK has worked hard to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and we are ready to share our experience and work with our partners throughout the world on green issues. The UK has demonstrated its political will to tackle climate change and is a global financial hub with its institutions benefiting from a unique ecosystem that attracts capital, know-how and talent. British firms are well positioned to offer green finance expertise and services to realise its commitment to develop green energy projects," she added.
Alan Hutch is a son of Eddie Hutch (59) who was murdered at his home on February 8, 2016

A NEPHEW of Gerry The Monk Hutch has been jailed for six months for snatching a womans handbag in a Dublin pub.

Alan Hutch (41) was sentenced for the theft after a court heard he was extremely ill due to mental health problems, was under high protection in custody because of his surname and his family was falling apart.

Hutch, from Portland Place in the north inner city, pleaded guilty to theft in the incident on September 9 last year.

Dublin District Court gardai said the victim had been in the "Red Parrot" pub on Dorset Street and had put her handbag down on the counter, near a fire exit.

While described as The Red Parrot in court, the name of the premises the incident occurred in is Juno. The Red Parrot has ceased to exist since September 2021.

The bag was taken and contained her iPhone, her sisters iPhone, car keys and a Bank of Ireland debit card.

Hutch was identified on CCTV.

Alan Hutch is a son of Eddie Hutch (59) who was murdered at his home on February 8, 2016, in a revenge attack for the notorious Regency Hotel shooting three days earlier.

His mother Jane Hutch (66) was found dead from a suspected heart attack at the family home in January this year.

Eddie Hutch's brother Gerry Hutch was found not guilty by the Special Criminal Court in April this year of the gangland murder of David Byrne at the Regency.

A psychiatric report before the court stated that Alan Hutch, who was already in custody on remand on other charges, was fit to plead.

His solicitor Yvonne Bambury said, however, that Hutch was severely ill, his mental health had deteriorated and he had been moved to what was effectively a medical wing in Wheatfield prison.

Ms Bambury felt the accused had masked and downplayed his illness because he was concerned about being moved to a psychiatric facility.

His father was murdered in retaliation for the Regency and his mother who had health problems died while he was in prison, Ms Bambury said. His family is falling apart.

When he comes out of custody he will have nowhere to go and Im concerned about his capability for an independent existence, she said.

Because of the fact of who he is, Hutch had to come to court under armed escort.

Although he had never been involved in anything like that, he was under a high level of protection because of his surname and it was extremely harsh for him.

There was no victim impact evidence before the court. Hutch had 76 prior convictions for offences including theft. Judge Smyth backdated the six-month sentence to August 2.
Kavanagh also sat on the woman and repeatedly punched her in the head in the assault, leaving her terrified."

A hairdresser who attacked a woman in a homeless shelter, pulling clumps of hair from her head has been spared jail.

Shauna Kavanagh (35) set upon the victim during a confrontation in the kitchen when the woman accused her of stealing an Easter egg.

Kavanagh also sat on the woman and repeatedly punched her in the head in the assault, leaving her terrified."

Judge Michele Finan gave the accused a three-month suspended sentence.

Kavanagh, of Holy Cross Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the woman.

Dublin District Court heard the incident happened at Novas Centre, Lower Rathmines Road on April 24 last year.

Kavanagh entered the plea in July and the judge suspended the sentence for two years when the case came back before the court for a probation report..

Previously, Garda Sergeant Derek Spain said the victim said she had been in the kitchen when the accused began staring at her. The victim walked over to the accused and said why did you call me a knacker? Youve been calling me a knacker all week. Why did you steal my Easter egg?

(Kavanagh) grabbed me by the hair and dragged me around on the ground, the victim had told gardai.

She said the accused pulled her across the ground, sat on top of her and punched her to the head four to five times with a closed fist.

Kavanagh also pulled clumps of hair out of her head and she said she was terrified.

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The woman received medical attention and suffered bruising and pain but no other injuries.

The court heard Kavanagh had 15 previous convictions including several for assault, as well as criminal damage and theft.

The injured party did not make a victim impact statement.

Defence solicitor John Shanley said of the offence there had been a buildup over a period of time. The accused had another version of events but pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted she should not have acted in the manner she did, Mr Shanley said.

Kavanagh was very young when her mother was killed, Mr Shanley said. The accused later became homeless.

She did courses in hairdressing, makeup and personal training and got full time work but never had stable accommodation until recently.

She was doing extremely well before she went into custody in Mountjoy's Dochas Centre.

The court heard the accused had also completed an anger management course in custody.
A cafe worker who stole hundreds of euro worth of clothing during a theft spree had been hanging out with the wrong crowd and was in a bad relationship at the time, a court has heard.

Ana Vorobat (21) broke up with her ex-boyfriend after he went into custody and she was now embarrassed and ashamed at her behaviour.

The matter was before Blanchardstown District Court for sentencing after a judge previously ordered a probation report.

Finalising the matter, Judge John OLeary ordered Vorobat to enter into a probation bond for one year.

The defendant, with an address at Grange Manor Road in Rathfarnham, had previously admitted stealing clothing worth 145 from Zara; clothing from New Look worth 223; and clothing from Bershka valued at 123, all in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre on May 18, 2022.

She stole Gillette razors, worth 23, from Chemist Warehouse, West End Retail Park, Blanchardstown, on the same date.

She also was caught with a pair of long-nose pliers, which could be used in the course of a theft.

The court heard the defendant had never been in trouble before.

Defence lawyer Ciaran MacLoughlin said Vorobat was originally from Romania but came to Ireland five years ago. She completed her Leaving Certificate and was currently working in a coffee shop, Mr MacLoughlin said.

The defendant was hanging around with a bad crowd at the time of this incident and had been in a bad relationship, which ended when her ex-boyfriend went into custody, the court heard.

Mr MacLoughlin said Vorobat was very remorseful about her behaviour, and was very embarrassed and ashamed about it.

The defendant also got an awful shock when she was arrested.

Mr MacLoughlin asked the judge to be as lenient as possible, saying Vorobat was at low risk of reoffending.
The gang hacked into hospitals across the globe, before stealing patients records and demanding ransom payments

The UK and US have sanctioned 11 members of Russian cybercrime gang (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

US officials have announced charges against nine men they accuse of being members of the Russian cyber-crime gang which hacked into the HSE.

The men were formally indicted following a years-long investigation by the FBI into the Russian-based ransomware gang, known as Conti.

The gang hacked into hospitals across the globe, before stealing patients records and demanding ransom payments.

It is believed they reaped over $100 million in payments in the US alone.

In May 2021, the HSE suffered a major ransomware cyberattack from the Conti group that caused all its IT systems nationwide to be shut down.

The attack caused unprecedented and widespread disruption across the health service and is estimated to have cost the Irish taxpayer 101 million.

In a series of indictments which were unsealed yesterday, the US Justice Department accused the men of helping run Conti and developing Trickbot, a malicious software used to gain access to victims computer network.

This week, US officials also offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of the nine alleged Conti gang members  eight Russians and a Ukrainian  who they claim remain at large.

The offer has been proven to be highly valuable to us and our operations against cybercriminals, a senior FBI official told CNN.

The Treasury Department also slapped sanctions on the men, cutting off their access to funding from the US.

In concurrent statements announcing sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department and the UK government claimed that the alleged cybercriminals have explicit ties to Russian intelligence.

In a statement by the UK government, they said the group have made millions from their victims.

"The National Crime Agency (NCA), who conducted a complex investigation into these individuals, assesses that the group was responsible for extorting at least $180 million from victims globally, and at least 27 million from 149 UK victims.

"The attackers sought to target UK hospitals, schools, local authorities and businesses.

The sanctioned Russians were named as Andrey Zhuykov, Maksim Galochkin, Maksim Rudenskiy, Mikhail Tsarev, Dmitry Putilin, Maksim Khaliullin, Sergey Loguntsov, Vadym Valiakhmetov, Artem Kurov, Mikhail Chernov and Alexander Mozhaev.
The mans body was found at the house in north Dublin when gardai carried out follow-up inquiries into his confession

A man who walked into a garda station and claimed he killed his brother has been found dead in the home they had shared.

The mans body was found at the house in north Dublin when gardai carried out follow-up inquiries into his confession.

After forcing entry to the property in the Artane area, officers discovered the decomposed remains just weeks after the middle-aged man made his statement.

This all goes back to a sudden death during the height of the Covid pandemic in 2020, a source said. Another brother of these two men had died from a suspected drugs overdose.

At that mans funeral, his two brothers had what was described as a vicious row.

One of them died a number of days later, and it became the subject of an investigation that determined he had the Covid virus as well as underlying health issues.

No foul play was suspected, despite gardai being called to the scene at the time.

Nothing more was thought of this matter until his brother arrived in a northside garda station a number of weeks ago, the source said. He said he wanted to make a full confession, that he was sure the row he was involved in was the primary contributor to his brothers death.

He basically said he killed the man by assaulting him and inflicting head injuries. His claims were and are being treated as credible  it seems there was no reason for him to make up what he claimed in great detail.

It seems he personally really needed to come clean after three years about what happened in the course of this row that he was sure led to the death of his brother. Both men were living chaotic lives, but a homicide is still a homicide and a full investigation was set up by Raheny gardai.

However, before they got to talk to the suspect again, he was found dead in his home last week. A file was being prepared in relation to the apparent fatal assault, but that aspect of the investigation has now ceased with last weeks death.

It is possible that if this tragedy had not happened, gardai may have had to get an order to exhume his brothers body to see if there were the head injuries that were described in the detailed statement that was given. This will not happen now.

Gardai said no foul play is suspected in relation to the suspects death, with all indications pointing to his having died from alcohol poisoning.

However, this is not the end of the matter.

Gardai confirmed last night that a peer review will be conducted into the post-mortem carried out on the body of the man who was allegedly killed by his brother.

A garda spokesperson said: Gardai are currently liaising with the state pathologist, who is reviewing the original autopsy to establish if there any indications that the persons death was a result of the row or was due to Covid-19.

As the self-declared suspect is no longer alive, a file is not required to be provided to the DPP, but the deceaseds family will be kept informed.

It is understood the brothers parents are dead but one sibling lives in north Dublin.
Over almost half an hour the drug-fuelled, highly aggressive, menacing trio tortured Mr English, the court heard

Three men who tortured an Irish teenager before he died after falling from an apartment balcony during an armed robbery have been jailed in Australia.

Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, Hayden Paul Kratzmann and Jason Ryan Knowles pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 19-year-old Cian English in Brisbane's Supreme Court.

Kratzmann and Knowles were sentenced to nine-and-a-half years behind bars while Sopar-Lagas was sentenced to eight years due to varying degrees of culpability.

The judge said the defendants' crime, which they filmed, had a "performative element" and was particularly "abhorrent", she said.

English, who was originally from Carlow but lived in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne, was on a weekend getaway at Surfers Paradise in 2020 when he and a friend were attacked by the trio, who falsely accused them of stealing prescription medication.

Over almost half an hour the "drug-fuelled, highly aggressive, menacing" trio tortured Mr English, the court heard.

Kratzmann also stabbed the 19-year-old in the elbow, shortly before he fled to the balcony.

In sentencing the three men, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said it was an "absolutely tragic case".

"Your appalling criminal conduct resulted in the death of one young man, Cian English, very much loved by family and friends, causing unfathomable grief and pain, compounded by the circumstances in which he died," she said.

Justice Bowskill said a particularly "abhorrent" part of the offence was that it was filmed and shared to social media.

"It would have been terrifying. Your conduct, which was not fleeting or brief, was despicable because of the performative element."

The men's behaviour after Mr English had fled to the balcony and fallen four floors to his death was described by Justice Bowskill as "callous and despicable", as they continued to film.

"You did nothing to help him or call for help. You fled."

Kratzmann and Sopar-Lagas who even wore items of Mr English's clothes took photos which were circulated on social media after the attack.

Kratzmann eventually called an emergency number half an hour after Mr English fell, but gave them the wrong address.

Sopra-Lagos's defence lawyer said his client had "expressed genuine remorse".

"He doesn't really possess the words to describe the sorry he feels for [the English family].

"The last thing he sees at night being the face of Mr English  and the first thing in the morning."

He said Sopra-Lagos had attempted to intervene during the attack and did not offend to the level of the other men.

"He did try and pull one of the co-accused back at one point.

"He was in the kitchen when the deceased fell from the balcony.

"I will submit that my client has the lowest criminal culpability for the offences before the court."

Knowles's lawyer said in a near four-hour interview with a psychologist, his client had detailed how "ashamed" he was.

"He understood and had empathy for the deceased's family, who will have to live without their son, and became teary in the course of the interview.

"He indicated to the psychologist that he now has to live with the events of that particular evening, and the consequences ... [and knows] that's not as bad as what the victim's family would be going through.

"He is disgusted with what happened. He has little memory of the [incident].

"He just can't bring himself to think about it again."

Kratzmann's barrister Tim Ryan said his client accepted his role in the attack.

Kratzmann and Knowles will be eligible for parole after six years. Sopar-Lagas will be eligible for parole after three years and three months.

Mr English's family did not make comment when leaving the court. His grandmother held a photo in tribute to her late grandson.

The Irish teenager was living with his parents Siobhan and Vinny and older brother Dylan. The family left Ireland 20 years ago, first to the Caribbean where Cians father worked for Digicel and then settled in Brisbane in 2011.

His ashes were laid to rest in St Marys cemetery, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow several weeks after his death.
SSE Airtricity is the fourth energy provider to cut its prices.

A fourth electricity and gas supplier has said it is cutting its prices, as the energy crisis continues to ease slightly for consumers.

SSE Airtricity, one of the big four suppliers in the market, is reducing electricity unit rates for its household customers by 12pc from November 1.

The price reduction will see a typical electricity customer save 233 (including Vat) a year, it said.

Gas customers will see standard unit rates come down by 10pc.

There is no reduction in its standing charge.

SSE Airtricity said the price reductions will see a typical dual-fuel customer save 384.55 (including Vat) over a year.

All domestic Republic of Ireland gas and electricity customers will automatically have the reduced rate applied to their bills.

SSE Airtricity provides energy to more than 700,000 homes across the island of Ireland.

It comes after the largest electricity supplier in the State, Electric Ireland, this week said it was reducing electricity and gas unit prices and the standing charges from the start of November.

The Electric Ireland reduction in residential electricity unit rates and standing charges works out at 10pc, and equates to an annual saving of 212 on the average electricity bill.

Electric Ireland residential gas unit rates and standing charges are coming down by 12pc, which equates to an annual saving of 217.

This would be a combined annual reduction of 429 for Electric Irelands dual-fuel customers, it said.

Energia announced price reductions of up to 20pc last week, with Pinergy giving its customers two price cuts so far this year.

New entrant Yuno Energy is promising it can save customers more than 500 a year on their electricity bills by closely monitoring their energy usage at home.

SSE Airtricity said that in the coming weeks it will introduce a new fixed tariff product that will provide price certainty for customers who wish to avail of it. Details of this new offer will be announced at the end of the month.

Last year SSE Airtricity became the first supplier to announce it would forego profits in favour of supporting customers through the cost-of-living crisis.

The provider also established the largest customer support fund in the market, valued at 25m, which included charitable donations of 1m to St Vincent de Paul and the development of warm referrals programmes with MABS and Alone.

Managing director of SSE Airtricity Klair Neenan said: Were acutely aware of the pressure people have been experiencing with the cost-of-living crisis and we recognise that this continues to be a difficult time for many.

We recognise that volatility has impacted customers over the past number of years, and we want to provide price certainty for customers who want to manage their energy costs. SSE Airtricity is working on solutions that deliver on this promise in the coming weeks.

Explainer: New electricity provider promises big savings for customers

Despite the cuts, household energy prices remain around double what they were in 2020 before Covid and then the war in Ukraine wreaked havoc with energy prices.

Energy companies acknowledge that wholesale energy costs have fallen but they remain 300pc higher than in 2020.

This week Taoiseach Leo Varadkar promised there will be financial support for businesses and householders with energy bills in the Budget.

The basic principle is that there will be help for households and businesses with energy costs, it will be announced in the Budget. Its being done because we dont believe energy prices will have fallen fast enough by then, he said.

He said that there would be more help for people with energy bills, adding that it was pretty obvious that people will need help with bills during the winter.
Outrage as fisheries watchdog kills thousands of fish for research

Fish caught by Fisheries Ireland as part of their research

Anglers in Monaghan became so furious that Inland Fisheries were deliberately killing fish on a lake for research purposes that they stole their nets in the middle of the night in a bid to thwart them.

The incident happened on Lough Egish in Monaghan just over a week ago but the plan to stop Inland Fisheries from killing fish on the lake failed when they returned with more nets and finished their work.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is the body that takes on illegal fishing and fish kills in lakes and waterways around the country.

However, they also kill thousands of fish including endangered species themselves every year as part of the Water Framework Directive Fish Monitoring Programme.

They have now found themselves at loggerheads with anglers who are questioning the need to kill so many fish.

Ollie Gibson, who is a river tour guide and chairman of the Lisnalong Pike Anglers Club in Monaghan, said he was sent pictures of some of the fish killed by Inland Fisheries using gill nets on Lough Egish just over a week ago while he was away on holidays.

Fisheries Ireland vehicle

Normally when we get pictures like that its blamed on poachers. I couldnt believe when I saw it was Inland Fisheries conducting this practice.

Anglers are pretty much disgusted. If we catch people taking five fish we try to stop them or report them to Inland Fisheries, but lads taking a couple of fish here and couple there is nothing compared to what Inland Fisheries are doing. Theyre taking thousands week after week.

Mr Gibson said he cant understand why so many fish need to be killed.

Im sure the directive says to check stock levels and water levels in the lake but I doubt it says to kill that many fish to do their research. It needs to be done in a different way.

Mr Gibson wasnt the only one unhappy with the practice.

The research project was paused for a number of days after the nets were deliberately removed.

Anglers unhappy with the fish being killed are suspected of removing the nets.

Vulnerable

However, this didnt deter Inland Fisheries workers who returned this week and placed more nets.

Inland Fisheries also kill endangered species as part of their research, including the Arctic char which were killed on Lough Eske in Donegal earlier this year as part of research.

Inland Fisheries describe Arctic char as one of the rarest and most vulnerable fish species in Ireland.

Professional fishing guide Ronan Murray said he did not believe so many fish needed to be killed to check stock levels.

Theyre killing thousands of fish while theyre doing this.

This has been going on a good time. Theyre doing it and people are not realising theyre doing it. Only a couple of people happened to have come across them on Lough Egish. Theyre the law and there is nothing we can do about it as such.

An Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) spokesperson confirmed their nets had been sabotaged.

During our survey at Lough Egish, there was external interference with the project, and survey nets were tampered with.

The spokesperson said the fish stock survey was carried out at Lough Egish from August 21-24 as part of the national Water Framework Directive Fish Monitoring Programme.

They said they later returned to the lake and completed the survey on August 28 and 29.

The programme requires IFI, and other agencies, to survey more than 70 lakes for fish and other biological elements, to assess their ecological status.

All methods used adhere to an EU-agreed standard. These surveys have been scientifically designed, tested, and monitored  and do not adversely affect fish populations.

Fish catches during surveys are proportional to the population present in each lake.

The spokesperson said that in polluted lakes, such as Lough Egish, stocks of pollution-tolerant species  for example, the non-native invasive roach, have exploded, and said catches reflect this.

IFI is always developing and refining its survey methods, and has developed a less-invasive method for sampling endangered fish species in deep lakes, such as Arctic char.
Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed either incident to contact them

A woman in her 80s has died and a man in his 40s is critically injured in hospital following separate hit-and-run incidents in Dublin and Waterford on Friday.

The female pedestrian was killed after she was struck by the car shortly before 11:00am at the junction of Fortunestown Way and Cheeverstown Road (R136) in Tallaght. The road is presently closed for an examination by Forensic Collision Investigators.

The car, which initially failed to remain at the scene, has since been identified and recovered by Gardai and will be subject to a technical examination.

Gardai and emergency services attended the scene and the woman was pronounced shortly afterwards.

Her body has since been removed to the City Morgue at Whitehall where a post mortem will take place at a later stage.

A man in his 40s, also a pedestrian, was struck by a vehicle shortly before midday today at the junction of The Glen and Ballybricken in Waterford City.

The car failed to remain at the scene of the collision.

The male pedestrian was seriously injured in the collision. He has been taken to Cork University Hospital where his condition is described as critical.

The Glen and Ballybricken roads are currently closed and the services of Garda Forensic Collision Investigators have been requested. Local diversions are in place.

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed either incident to contact them.

Any road users and pedestrians who were in The Glen, Ballybricken and surrounding areas this morning between 11.00am and 12.00pm (midday) and noticed any unusual activity is asked to contact investigating Gardai.

Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dash-cam), and who were travelling on Fortunestown Way or Cheeverstown Road, this morning between 10:30am and 11:15am, is asked to make this footage available to Gardai. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

Anyone who may have camera footage (including dash cam) of this area this morning is asked to make this available to Gardai.

Anyone with information which may assist Gardai is asked to contact Waterford Garda Station on 051 305300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
Elizabeth Rehman has pleaded for help to bring her 10-year-old sons body home from Morocco

Amir Itakhchi, 10, the day before he died on August 15

A Belfast mum has pleaded for help to bring her 10-year-old sons body home from Morocco after his sudden death last month.

Elizabeth Rehman learned on August 15 that her son Amir Itakhchi had died suddenly in Marrakesh.

Just 24 hours later she endured the heartbreak of watching his funeral on Facetime.

She still has no idea how her son died but Elizabeth is determined that Amir, who was born and raised in Northern Ireland, will be brought home.

The mum of seven, who has learning difficulties, has asked how a young Irish boy can die and be buried in another country without any official intervention.

Shes asked Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs to help her get answers as Amir had an Irish passport, and to assist her to get his remains exhumed.

Amir, a former pupil at Harberton Special School, spent most weekends with his mum in her Templemore Avenue home and weekdays in his Falls Road home with his father Khalid Itakhchi, a barber in north Belfast, who had custody of the child.

The pair had been in a relationship before Amir was born in Craigavon Area Hospital and spent time in Thorndale Family Centre to assess their parenting skills, before they split up.

Amir Itakhchi, 10, the day before he died on August 15

Elizabeth was aware that her son, who had autism and ADHD and was under the care of a disability social worker, spent time in Morocco with her former partners family and consented to the visits.

Last year his daddy said he was taking him to Morocco because it had the best special needs schools in the world, says Elizabeth.

I spoke to him all the time on the phone, but I hadnt seen him in person since about May last year.

But she was left distraught when Amirs father told her just a few weeks ago their son had died.

He rang me in tears on August 15 and then came to the house and told me Amir was dead. Id got a photo of him in his new tracksuit just the day before.

His father said hed been in and out of hospital, and... said he was looked after by a private doctor.

Just 24 hours later, Amir was laid to rest in Morocco.

Heartbroken Elizabeth Rehman

Elizabeth (37) had barely time to grieve for her son when she found herself watching his funeral in Marrakesh on Facetime.

I got the video call on August 16 to say the child was being buried. I watched it and he was wrapped up and the hole dug, and he was put in it.

I was shouting down the phone they couldnt bury my child, but it was done.

It broke my heart. With the help of an advocate, she insisted on her right to know how her son had died.

Her ex-partner provided an autopsy report dated August 19 from the Cour dAppel de Marrakech.

The autopsy report given to Amirs mother Elizabeth Rehman

She is now seeking help to have it fully translated from French and Arabic to English so she can consult an expert about its findings.

The report states there were no signs of violence or aggression on the young boys body and his death was related to gastroenteritis.

In desperation Elizabeth has tried all available channels to help her find out what happened to her boy, and to bring his remains home.

She contacted the PSNI, the British Embassy in Morocco and the Irish Consulate.

I dont understand how a boy with an Irish passport who had no physical health problems can die in Morocco and be buried there and I wasnt informed by anyone official.

Amir was born here. He grew up here. He went to school here and he has family here.

How can this happen that there is nothing official, just me watching a video of his funeral? How can it happen that a wee boy with an Irish passport is buried in Morocco?

lawyer

I dont even know how or why or where he died.

Shes appealed for help from a human rights lawyer and says shell travel to Morocco if necessary to fight for Amir to be brought home.

Elizabeth has also contacted the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust which has offered its help if she can arrange for Amirs remains to be exhumed to be brought back to Belfast. I want him back. Amir belongs here where he was born and raised, she said.

Im hoping and praying that someone can help me get answers.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland says it is offering Elizabeth support. The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance, where possible.

As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of any specific case, says the spokesman.

Last night the PSNI said: Police in east Belfast were contacted on Wednesday 16th August in relation to the death of a child in Morocco.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland cannot conduct an investigation into the death but have carried out initial inquiries on behalf of the reporting person in an effort to establish the circumstances of the death.

The Sunday World asked Khalid Itakhchi if he would consider Elizabeths wish to return Amirs remains to Belfast but he did not respond.
The question of the day on The Chase asked viewers what part of the United Kingdom the band is from

Question of the Day on ITV's The Chase.

Kneecap unveiled their latest mural on Hawthorn Street in west Belfast in August 2023. Pic by Kevin Scott.

Kneecap unveiling their controversial mural in west Belfast in August 2022. Pic by Kevin Scott.

Irish language hip hop band Kneecap has claimed Northern Ireland is as real as Narnia after taking issue with the answer to a question on a popular ITV gameshow.

The question of the day on The Chase asked viewers what part of the United Kingdom the band is from.

"Kneecap are a hip-hop trio based in what UK country? it read.

Among the three possible answers was Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The latter lit up green indicating it was the correct response when the countdown timer reached zero seconds.

The band, formed in 2017 by west Belfast natives Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai, has shared the clip on social media.

Today on @ITVChase  a place thats about as real as Narnia, it captioned the post on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a lion emoji.

Today on @ITVChase - a place thats about as real as Narnia  pic.twitter.com/bK91gg5zmF  KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) September 7, 2023

Fans have been expressing support for the bands observation and online commentary.

"The irony of that question, one wrote.

Many others replied with laughing emojis while some social media users took a more balanced view.

"In fairness, with a name like Kneecap  still great to see you guys get exposure, one person commented.

Another joked: Scotland needs to produce rival band called Headbutt and youse need to tour together.

"About Wales, I dont know.

Last month Kneecap unveiled a new mural ahead of their Feile an Phobail gig at Falls Park.

It featured the slogan England Get Out of Ireland and depicted a hand extending from a partitioned map of Ireland to grip an arm adorned with a Union flag while fixing a Northern Ireland-shaped piece of land into place.

Both land masses were depicted in the colours of the Irish flag.

The group has built up a reputation in recent years for producing controversial music and have courted controversy on and off the stage.

In 2022 the band unveiled a mural on Hawthorn Street of a burning PSNI landrover with the caption Nil failte roimh an RUC/The RUC are not welcome.

The group has previously admitted they like to use music to get people riled up.

"People have an emotional reaction when we're saying things like 'get your Brits out', but when you're reading into it we're actually talking about getting the DUP [Democratic Unionist Party] for a night out, they told the BBC.

"That's something we play up to - we like people to get riled up before they even know what they're annoyed about.
Customers concerned for their safety in Downtown Tauranga due to antisocial behaviour occurring in the CBD is causing business struggles, according to one restaurant manager.

Amid construction on Devonport Rd and a lack of access to parking, Turkish restaurant Abrakebabra manager Seyda Coskun says crime and homelessness in Tauranga City is another detriment to the business.

Weve had people try smash our windows, glass doors and we had someone break into our shop and steal our laptop with all of our sensitive business information, says Seyda.

Customer safety

Theres just a lot of crime going on and people dont want to go somewhere they dont feel safe. We have a lot of customers complain that theres too many homeless people on the street and that they dont feel safe sending their kids after-school to come and get food anymore  and thats disappointing. Its hard.

Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley says growing antisocial behaviour is one of the main issues for CBD businesses.

There are many stories of in-store intimidation, repeated minor theft, and after-hours vandalism. Businesses are encouraged to contact the Police or log the event at the Polices 10-7 website, says Matt.

Increased patrols

Tauranga Central Police Stations Senior Sergeant Scott Merritt says police have not noticed an increase in antisocial behaviour during recent weeks.

However, Scott says police have increased patrols in the Tauranga CBD to monitor the area and reassure the community.

Rough sleeping, begging or being homeless are in themselves not criminal offences but police are called from time-to-time to deal with issues around matters involving public disorder or complaints about antisocial behaviour, including burglaries.

Tauranga City Council general manager of city development and partnerships Gareth Wallis says ensuring the community and businesses feel safe in the CBD is very important to council.

Many of the issues at hand are complex and addressing them requires a collaborative effort, says Gareth.

He says council has also recently created a new City Safety and Engagement Advisor role to support business owners in the short-term surrounding safety and security concerns.

We are actively working with the Police, Downtown Tauranga and other social agencies to look at ways in which we can help deter antisocial behaviour and provide wraparound support for those people within our community who are in need.

Police are committed to acting on all reports of crime, and the public can help us by reporting incidents of unsafe behaviour to us, says Scott.

If you see any illegal activity in the CBD, call 111 immediately or 105 if it is after the fact.
The National Emergency Management Agency has issued a National Advisory stating there is no tsunami threat to New Zealand following a 6.6M quake in the Kermadec Islands.

The quake occurred at 9pm and at a depth of 84km.

"The above magnitude is provisional and may be increased or decreased as more seismic data becomes available," says a NEMA spokesperson.

NEMA has assessed the information with the assistance of scientific advisors. Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand.

People in the affected area should:

Expect aftershocks and remember to drop, cover and hold. Look after yourself and get first aid if necessary. Help others if you can. Assess your home or workplace for damage. If the building appears unsafe get everyone out. Use the stairs, not an elevator and when outside, watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines. Stay out of damaged areas. Look for and extinguish small fires if it is safe to do so. Fire is a significant hazard following earthquakes. Listen to the radio for updated emergency information and instructions. Do not overload phone lines with non-emergency calls. Help people who require special assistance  infants, elderly people, those without transportation, families who may need additional help, people with disabilities and the people who care for them.

Detailed safety advice will come from local authorities and emergency services in the area. People should act on it promptly. NEMA, local Civil Defence authorities and scientific advisors are closely monitoring the situation.

This Advisory has been issued to all local Civil Defence authorities, emergency services, other agencies and media.

Only messages issued by the National Emergency Management Agency represent the official warning status for New Zealand. Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre messages do not represent the official warning status for New Zealand.

This will be the final message via the National Warning System for this event unless the event parameters change significantly.

Information for emergency managers

Local and regional/Group Civil Defence Emergency Management must:

Activate appropriate response coordination arrangements and communication processes. Establish contact with the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) once they have activated and inform NCMC of actions taken (CDEM Groups only). Local CDEM must act in coordination with regional/Group CDEM. Local emergency services must establish and maintain active response coordination with respective local and regional/Group CDEM.

"The National Emergency Management Agency is monitoring the situation."

Useful websites:

Twitter @NZCivilDefence

Earlier, 9.40pm: The National Emergency Management Agency has issued a National Advisory following a 7M earthquake in the Kermadec Islands.

"The National Emergency Management Agency and GNS Science are assessing whether the earthquake has created a tsunami that could affect New Zealand," says a NEMA spokesperson.

LONG OR STRONG, GET GONE:

"People should be self-evacuating immediately from all places near the coast where the earthquake was felt either for longer than a minute or was strong enough that it was hard to stand.

"In these areas a tsunami may have been generated and may arrive quickly, so evacuate immediately to the nearest high ground or as far inland as possible.

"Do not stay at home if you are near the coast and felt the earthquake LONG or STRONG. Evacuate immediately to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones or as far inland as possible."

NEMA says do not return until an official all-clear message is given by Civil Defence.

"Walk, run or cycle if at all possible to reduce the chances of getting stuck in traffic congestion.
Raquel C. Pico Madrid Compartir Copiar enlace

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If we play the futuristic game of imagining what the world of tomorrow will be like, we think of a society given over to technology. Screens will be everywhere and tech tools will be used for everything. This is a logical projection, since these solutions already play a major role in our daily lives. Schools are not on the fringes of society and its changes and, for this reason, we also imagine the school of tomorrow to be full of technological devices.

After all, technology has already reached the classroom and students are already learning with apps, tablets and computers. Some 78 per cent of Spanish teachers - in both primary and secondary schools - believe that the digitisation of classrooms will grow in the next three years, as revealed in a recent study by Epson. However, for 64 per cent, getting to that point will be a challenge. While 60 per cent of respondents believe it is important to increase the use of technology to achieve hybrid learning, 51 per cent acknowledge that they are not "technologically trained" to deal with the digital transformation at school.

At the same time, some movements have begun to question the role of technology in schools. In Silicon Valley, the epicentre of technological development, new schools aimed at the children of elite workers have started listing the absence of technology in the classroom among their selling points.

The recent case in Sweden - where experts are considering the link between poor reading comprehension test results and technology use - has spurred debate in Europe: are screens holding back learning skills?

Simply blaming screens seems, however, too simple. Edutech, the cluster that brings together companies and organisations in the ICT and education sectors, stresses that Sweden has not abandoned digitalisation, but has asked a group of experts to analyse what changes should be made in the process. And, as Sylvie Perez, psychopedagogue and lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) said that, "it is not that they are withdrawing all technology", but rather that they have put the development of new ideas on hold.

Is it a question of technology or is it something more complex? After all, figures do show that reading comprehension has fallen (and not only in Sweden). Perez stated that reading ability is assessed through written expression (which opens another point of analysis, because reading and writing are not exactly the same thing), but she also frames the data in a broader context, in which children show a slower development, marked, perhaps, by a more protective environment.

"Both the analysis of the causes of the decline in reading comprehension and the impact of technology in the classroom are very complex questions that deserve calm and thoughtful answers," said Josep Lluis Segu, member of the board of directors of Edutech Cluster.

The role of technology

In some ways, the initial problem may not be so much in the technology as in what is done with it. "Using technology in the classroom does not mean that children spend five hours a day at school in front of their computer or tablet," said Segu. "The debate should be about what technology to use, how to use it and what for. We should focus the debate on what is the best way to use technology in schools," he added.

The digitalised school - which is not exactly a school without books, but one in which there are more tools to complement them - implies a transformation that goes beyond adding gadgets. It means rethinking how things are done and how information is transmitted to schoolchildren. "If you incorporate digital blackboards to do what you can do with a book, you don't need them," said Perez. In other words, technology is not just a medium, but functions as a tool that opens up new educational possibilities. "What better way to understand what is going on inside a volcano than by entering an erupting volcano? Seeing and hearing what's going on inside," Segu added.

"Smart use of technology by teachers and students improves educational results" Josep Lluis Segu Member of the board of directors of Edutech Cluster

"Technology also helps teachers to improve their classes," added Sylvie Perez, with resources, information and the possibility of sharing all these elements with others. Edutech also points in this direction. "An intelligent use of technology by teachers and students improves educational results," explained Josep Lluis Segu.

Even good technological practices have an impact in other areas. "Technology is allowing for a democratisation of learning," said Perez. For one thing, it makes it easier for almost all children who have difficulty learning, for one reason or another. Thanks to technology, it is possible to do something as simple but fundamental as playing with the size of the fonts and better reach schoolchildren with visual difficulties. Tablet apps simplify communication with children with autism spectrum disorders.

And, above all, these tools are essential for personalising attention given to students, so that teachers can adapt to their learning needs of their and ensure that no one is left behind. "Some people will understand it by reading it, some students will need diagrams and others will need you to show it to them on video," explained Perez. "The more tools you have, the better you can reach students," she added. This is not a la carte education, but one in which everyone can find a way to get to what they need to learn.

"Technology allows each student to progress in a skill according to his or her ability and pace of learning," Segu explained. "It allows the autonomous work of each student to be adapted according to the previous answers or the help requested to solve each challenge," he added.

"Technology is enabling the democratisation of learning" Sylvie Perez Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

But, of course, technology does not need to be everywhere and at all times. That is one of the starting problems, as Perez said, in what is required of teachers. When technology is incorporated as a sort of total concept - this idea of digitising all classrooms - it adds pressure to the daily work in schools and misses that key point that technology will bring something more. As the expert explained, one can use a digital game to enrich the history lesson and then go back to the same old methods in Spanish. "Technology is not an end in itself. It should always be at the service of the teaching-learning process. It should help in the teaching task without interfering", Segu said.

The world of the 21st century

Finally, the debate cannot ignore another fundamental issue, which is that today's world is dominated by these tools. "Technology is the new literacy," Segu added. "It is totally present in our lives, so students must learn to use technology correctly during their formal education," he said. Closing off the use of technology in schools means eliminating something as common as "playing an educational video", as Perez stated. "We attack the modalities, but that's not the problem," she said. "It's not the mobile phone that is harmful, but how I use it might be," she added.

In fact, for education experts, the debate is about more than the presence and use of technology, it is about the ramifications of who uses what, how and where. Segu said that one of the risks they are most concerned about with the uses of technology - along with inappropriate use - is inequality. "Technology should not increase inequality between students and schools, it should compensate for it, minimise it," he said.
The mysteries of the brain Studies on the most exceptional organ in the human body have advanced more in the last 50 years than in the rest of history, but many questions remain unanswered

Ivan Gelibter Compartir Copiar enlace

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How do our senses work? Are we using only part of our mental capacity? Does telepathy exist? These are three questions directly related to the human brain, but they are only a small sample of all the questions that scientists continue to ask themselves nowadays. Although huge strides have been made in terms of advancing our knowledge in the last 50 years, how the organ that most differentiates us from other mammals truly functions is still not completely known.

The brain has been the most mystifying organ in our entire anatomy. Firstly, because it is hidden inside a closed box to which, until relatively recently, medicine did not have access. "Today that has changed radically," said Pedro Serrano, head of the Neurology service at Malaga's Regional University Hospital, and an expert on the life and works of Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the Spanish Nobel Prize winner regarded as the father of modern neuroscience.

"With the arrival of scanners and, later, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we can now generate a complete image of the different areas of the brain and see how the different areas function. But traditionally it was a mystery, which is why for much of human history the brain has been considered the resting place of the soul, or the place where a person had a connection with the gods and things like that. There was no truly scientific basis for knowledge," said the neurologist.

Ramon y Cajal's discoveries made it possible not only to identify neurons, but also see how they worked

Not all is still hidden. Serrano explained that one of the key moments in history happened when Ramon y Cajal was able to unravel the first of the great mysteries surrounding this organ: what makes up the brain. "He demonstrated that it was made up of individual elements that he called neurons, and that these neurons were the ones that hid the secrets of the brain. Somehow he began to uncover the true structure and the real secrets beneath."

He added that Ramon y Cajal's discoveries went much further because, not only did he identify neurons, but also how they worked, how they were composed, how they transmitted electrical impulses, and how that electrical impulse subsequently passed from one neuron to the next through a structure that would eventually be named as a synapse.

"He discovered that the brain could adapt to certain situations in response to external stimuli, and that there is an almost exclusive capacity for the brain's self-improvement, making it totally different from any other organ in our anatomy," said Serrano.

Thanks to the work of the Nobel Prize winner, we know what the brain is made of and how it is organised, but the true secrets remain to be discovered from a molecular point of view. The main neurotransmitters have been identified, which are those chemical elements that establish connections between neurons. "We still have a lot to learn, for example, about everything related to the basic mechanisms of neuroplasticity. That is an area in which we need to advance, and it is likely to be behind the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases," said Serrano.

The expert explained that neuroplasticity is what causes neurons to develop and adapt to the environment. Degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's not only involve the loss of neurons, but also the loss of synapses. "One of the great lightbulb moments of Ramon y Cajal was also to envisage the brain as an organ in movement. The cells were not still, but were constantly moving and establishing connections with each other. That is the basis, for example, of memory. For us to be able to retain a memory, it is necessary that connections be established between the neurons that are then set in stone so that, in the future, if we want to evoke it, the connection is already there," he explained.

But there are also many other secrets to come to light - for example, the origin of consciousness. "Humans are the only animals capable of asking where they come from and where they are going, and that are aware of themselves. That is something that neuroscientists have not yet been able to figure out."

Intelligence

One of the questions to crop up when talking about the mysteries of the brain is that of the determining factors of intelligence, although Pedro Serrano provides some clarification about the word itself. "The concept of intelligence is fickle, so perhaps it is much more important to talk about the ability to succeed in life or to achieve a goal. It is true that, for example, the mathematical ability to solve a logical puzzle manifests itself in different parts of the organ. The smarter brain is a more interconnected brain, not a larger brain. The key is that it has developed that synapse in a more appropriate way to achieve more objectives."

The Head of Neurology at the Regional Hospital stressed that another of Ramon y Cajal's great discoveries is precisely what he referred to as "brain gymnastics". "Skills can be trained, and the development of interconnections also depends on this training and brain gymnastics. There is a classic experiment in which they measured the number of brain connections in London taxi drivers and found that the areas responsible for spatial orientation were much richer in connections because, over the course of their lives, they had developed the ability to locate a particular street in a city," he explained.

So what are the mysteries that humankind is closest to uncovering about the brain? Serrano believes that perhaps the key point is awareness, but also a better understanding of the world of feelings.

"Because we must not forget that emotions are also generated by, and rooted in, the brain and there is increasing evidence that this is interconnected with other functioning parts of the human body, for example, the immune system. It is increasingly evident that any alterations from an emotional point of view can have an impact on the immune system," he stated. It's like when something troubles us, for example, and that causes a cold sore.

He added: "There is a direct connection between the world of emotions and the world of immunology. The defences drop and the virus that was there takes the opportunity to make itself known. If we transfer this to the world of oncology, we can say that it has a direct association with the ability of the immune system to fight cancer. And this leads us to quite interesting conclusions."

Serrano believes that despite the difficulty, all these mysteries will eventually be resolved.

"I don't know when, but I truly believe that yes, step by step, we are moving in the right direction. What has been achieved in the field of neuroscience in the last 50 years is practically equivalent to everything that had been achieved since the time of Socrates. I am optimistic in that regard; I think we will manage to clarify many things that are currently mysteries," he said.

"There is a social dimension of the brain that is another of the great mysteries. The mystery of mirror neurons, which has traditionally been known as telepathy; certain emotions that one person experiences can be transmitted to another."

When asked if telepathy is possible, Serrano laughed: "We'll save that for another day."
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Malaga is the third most important province in Spain when it comes to foreigners buying homes, behind only Alicante and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This is what can be deduced from the latest real estate statistics from the Colegio de Registradores (the association of registrars), which show that in the second quarter of this year foreign buyers accounted for 32% of property sales in the province, compared to 38% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and 44.67% in Alicante. This year Malaga has overtaken the Balearic Islands in attracting foreign investment for real estate, which is a real milestone, as the property market on the islands has had more international presence than that of the Costa del Sol, every year since 2018.

According to the most recent data, non-Spanish buyers account for 30.38% of the total in the archipelago, which includes Mallora and Ibiza. A year ago, in the second quarter of 2022, foreign investors accounted for 34.60% of the island's real estate purchases, two points higher than in the province of Malaga. The tables have now turned.

This means that of the 8,931 properties sold in Malaga province between April and June, 2,860 were bought by people born outside Spain. While the province is third in Spain in terms of the proportion of foreign buyers, it is fifth in terms of the total number of property transactions, behind only Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante and Valencia, figures which further highlight the importance of foreign investment in the provincial real estate market.

More than in Spain and Andalucia

These figures are well above those for Spain as a whole. During the second quarter of 2023, home purchases by foreigners in the country barely reached 15%. The figure for Andalucia as a whole is even lower than the national proportion: property purchases by foreign buyers in the region accounted for 14.19% of the total between April and June. Within the southern Spanish region, the province that comes closest to Malaga is Almeria, with 20% of transactions involving people born outside Spain. In Seville, the proportion of purchases by foreigners fell to 2.3%.

The study carried out by the the association of registrars also refers to the last twelve months. In this case, foreign buyers accounted for 33.3% of the total, i.e. they accounted for mathematically one in three of the transactions made in this period in the province of Malaga. The total for the 12 months was 38,203, so it is calculated that foreigners bought 12,722 properties.

This proportion of homes purchased by foreign buyers in Malaga in the last twelve months is also above the figure for the Balearics (31.84% of the 16,260 homes sold in total), beating the islands for first time in at least the last five years. Twelve months ago the foreign buyers in the Balearics accounted for 36% of property sales, while in Malaga the proportion was 31.19%. Five years ago, in 2018, foreigners bought 26.71% of the homes sold in the province of Malaga, while in the Balearic Islands the proportion was 29%.

Patricio Palomar, director of alternative investments at AIRE Partners, has said that one of the keys to this change may lie in an announcement made last January by the previous Balearic government: it was considering limiting access to home purchases by non-residents to help curb prices.

This, said Palomar, may have encouraged foreign buyers to be cautious. The analyst has also suggested that the order of the ranking of provinces that attract the most foreign money is influenced by the behaviour of each nationality, because in Malaga it is mainly the British who buy, while in the Balearic Islands there are more Germans. And, according to the registrars association, UK nationals in general have had the greatest influence on property purchases in Spain (8.8%), followed by Germans (7.25%) in the second quarter of the year. In absolute terms, there were almost 2,000 British buyers, compared to 1,619 Germans.

Cristina Arias, director of Tinsa's research department, added that in the Balearic Islands, the controversy over residential prices has led buyers to turn to coastal areas of the Spanish mainland.

Reasons for international presence

In Palomar's opinion, the Costa del Sol is increasing in popularity among foreign home buyers in part thanks to the city of Malaga's real estate promotion abroad, with a presence at the most important trade fairs in the sector - ahead even of Barcelona.

Furthermore, the city and province are in the sights of digital nomads as well as foreign residents, who, although they tend to rent at first, once they are more settled here, they buy. The expert also brings another factor into the equation: the statistics will most likely include operations carried out by investment funds domiciled in other countries.

According to Ferran Font, research director at pisos.com, Malaga is a holiday and residential destination for young and old people with high purchasing power from many European countries, North Africa and the Middle East.

"The presence of foreign investors in Malaga will continue to grow because they have a greater spending power; prices, although they have risen, are still cheap compared to their countries of origin" Patricio Palomar Director of alternative investment at AIRE Partners

"The high proportion of foreign buyers has an impact on the overall market, both in terms of sales and rental prices" Ferran Font Research director at pisos.com

"The presence of foreigners can bring dynamism to some areas. On the other hand, if the concentration of buyers with higher purchasing power than the local population is very high, this could lead to price tension" Cristina Arias Director of research at Tinsa

Similarly, Palomar said that it is to be expected that the presence of foreigners in the Malaga market will continue to grow. And he considers this to be the case due to three factors: the purchasing power of foreigners is greater than that of locals; the natural population growth locally has halted, another factor that plays against the progress of operations among local people and in favour of international demand; and, finally, property on the Costa del Sol - despite being among the most expensive in Spain - continues to be cheap - or competitive - in comparison with that of the countries of origin of international buyers.

Ferran Font added that the high presence of foreigners has an impact on the functioning of real estate markets. He said that this is an important factor behind the rise in prices in both the buy-to-let and rental markets. Malaga has seen some of the biggest rises in both markets in the country. According to Font, his statistics show that the price of housing will have risen by around 17% in the last year, while the increase in rents will have been around 20%.

Font said that it is precisely locations with a high presence of foreign buyers, such as Marbella, Benahavis or Estepona, where prices are the most expensive.

Cristina Arias highlights the two effects of the great importance of foreign investment in a market: "The presence of foreigners can bring dynamism to some areas, stimulates business activity and contributes to GDP. On the other hand, if the concentration of buyers with greater purchasing power than the local population is very high in some areas, this could lead to tension in residential prices."
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The families of the two young Argentinian paddleboarders who have been missing out at sea on the Costa del Sol for 12 days have called a public rally pleading with the authorities not to scale down the search.

Related news Missing persons Families of missing Argentinian paddleboarders on Costa del Sol tell SUR: 'We can still believe in miracles' Irene Quirante

Rescue teams have only located a paddle board since Emanuel, 34, and Maxi, 29, set off from Malaga's Misericordia beach to watch the sunrise at about 7.20am on 27 August. The board was spotted by a sailing boat on 28 August about 15 nautical miles southeast of Malaga and was picked up by a passing vessel. But there was no sign of the two friends.

Relatives and loved ones of the two friends have travelled from Argentina to join in the search. They're now pleading with authorities not to scale down the search after 12 days have passed without any sign of the two young men.

"Their families and friends are moving heaven, earth and sea to find them," they said.

Under the slogan, 'Everyone with Emma and Maxi, we are still looking for them', the families of the two paddleboarders will hold a rally this Saturday 9 September at the Glorieta de Antonio Molina, on the Huelin promenade in Malaga city.

Meanwhile, undreds of people took to the streets in Mar del Plata in Argentina - where the two men are from - to show support for the family. Loved ones in Malaga also met up with the mayor of the city this week to urge search efforts continue.
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It is not known whether this happened by chance or simply because, in the end, human behaviour rarely changes no matter how many centuries pass. Still, the truth is that, we now know, burials in Mijas have been carried out on the same piece of land for more than 2,700 years.

This information has only recently come to light and few locals would be aware that their most distant ancestors practised rituals for the dead next to what is now San Cayetano cemetery. Remains of a Roman necropolis and remains of another necropolis, this time Phoenician, have been found there. The latter is the one that is currently being excavated at the site known as Cortijo de Acebedo.

The first remains appeared in the 90s, during the building of San Cayetano cemetery. However, it was not until 2017, when talks started on the building project for the Gran Parque de la Costa del Sol, (one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by Mijas town), that the importance of these remains was properly analysed.

As explained by Desiree Pinero (in charge of Historical Heritage for Mijas council), back in 2017 everything suggested that a Roman site was located in that area, a fact that ended up being confirmed by the excavations. To date, the digs have documented the presence of a necropolis and a series of kilns, in which construction materials, basic everyday pottery and amphorae were manufactured, the latter being used as containers to transport products such as oil, wine and salted fish or meat.

The first surprise came when, while excavating one of the kilns, "an artifact appeared that was very small, made of ivory, and decorated with a griffon," said Pinero. They did not understand what something like this was doing in the middle of a Roman area used for industrial purposes. So, when they consulted the history books, they saw that these types of items were typically found in burial sites linked to the Phoenicians.

Investigations went no further until, a few years later, the dig restarted and they found a second surprising item in the shape of an urn, and attached to it "dark-coloured earth, bones and a knife with a curved blade". Then it became clear that they were looking at a tomb and its corresponding grave goods, probably dating between the 7th and 6th centuries BCE.

Burial rituals

Little by little, the hypothesis of a Phoenician necropolis gained strength, and today it is fully documented with the discovery of 19 burials, of which 18 have been excavated. As explained by Pinero, what has been discovered so far points to funeral rituals that have little in common with the necropolises of that era found in the province of Malaga. This differentiation is what both Desiree Pinero and her team, consisting of Alicia Benitez and Lucia Cabello, are working on, supported by anthropologist Victoria Pena and a team of other professionals. They have an approved research project that will span six years, with the third annual installment now under way. This project is supported by the University of Malaga and fully financed by Mijas council.

Each of the burials reveals a story, both individual, about the person buried there, and collective, about the beliefs and customs of those who lived in this area at that time. For now, and pending further research, it is known that in one of them there is a woman accompanied by a five-year-old child, who could be her son.

So far, all the burials exhibit similarities, but also differences, making the research even more intriguing because it raises numerous questions. In general terms, rectangular or oval-shaped pits were excavated and the individual was placed in the bottom, lying on a wooden bed, along with their belongings. The body was then cremated in the pit or it was cremated elsewhere and some of the bones placed in an urn in the grave.

During the excavations, some of these urns have been found, and in one of them a silver ring or pendant was discovered. It is engraved with a scarab beetle on one side and, on the other side, an inscription bearing the name of the pharaoh Thutmose III.

Another interesting find unearthed in one of the graves were two plates alongside the deceased. One has the remains of an animal, believed to have been a sheep or a goat, and the other has fish bones which, after analysis at the University, are found to match the vertebrae of a sea bream, perfectly preserved.

There are still over three years of research to come which will cast even more light on the history of the Phoenician people who settled in Mijas. Once completed, "the future must include enhancing the importance of this site," said Pinero, referring to the possibility of creating an archaeological park adjacent to the Gran Parque de la Costa del Sol, to provide a unique cultural, leisure and tourist attraction.
Abu Dhabi-based Adnoc Gas has reached an agreement, in the range of $450 million to $550 million, for supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to a subsidiary of PetroChina Company Limited, one of the leading oil and gas producers and distributors in China.

This agreement underscores Adnoc Gas growing global presence, particularly in the East and South Asian markets.

Natural gas plays a crucial role as a transitional fuel, generating lower-carbon emissions than other fossil fuels, and Adnoc Gas is committed to ensuring reliable supply to its customers worldwide.

CEO Ahmed Mohamed Alebri said: "We are pleased to sign this LNG supply agreement with PCI, further strengthening our presence in one of the worlds fastest-growing gas markets. China continues to be a key market for Adnoc Gas, and this agreement further reinforces our role as a major LNG supplier across East and South Asia and beyond."

"LNG serves as an important raw material in industrial value chains, and its versatility allows its application across a broad range of industries, fostering economic growth," he stated.

On the agreement, PCI Chairman Wu Junli said: "Energy is an important area of collaboration between China and the UAE. We are delighted to partner with Adnoc Gas, a company committed to providing a stable and reliable energy supply with low-carbon emissions."

"This agreement signifies an extension of the cooperation between our two companies and reaffirms PCIs commitment to Adnoc Gas as our global partner," he stated.

This agreement follows several significant international LNG sales agreements, including those with Japan Petroleum Exploration Comapny (JAPEX), TotalEnergies Gas and Power, and India Oil Corporation (IOCL), underscoring Adnoc Gas position as a global export partner of choice.

Adnoc Gas continues to leverage opportunities arising from Adnocs integrated gas masterplan, which links every part of the gas value chain in the UAE, ensuring a sustainable and economical supply of natural gas to meet local and international demand.-TradeArabia News Service
Syracuse, NY  An Onondaga County sheriffs deputy should have turned on his body camera before a confrontation in which he shot and killed two teenage passengers in a fleeing car, experts told Syracuse.com.

That failure reveals a vague sheriffs office policy that leaves too much ambiguity regarding camera use, said several trainers and academics.

The best departments train officers to activate cameras on the way to every scene so they dont forget in case a confrontation erupts, according to experts who served in law enforcement. The sheriffs policy is less precise, saying only that cameras should be used during law enforcement related activity.

The way Wednesday mornings incident unfolded calls into question the sheriffs office rollout of cameras that the department dragged their feet for years to acquire.

Cameras are intended to increase police accountability. Its common practice in other departments, including the New York State Police, New York City Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office, to turn on cameras on the way to a scene or before getting out of a cruiser.

One expert said he might use this incident in training sessions to illustrate mistakes to avoid.

Having a camera and not activating it only raises more questions.

The only way theyre useful is if theyre on, said University of South Carolina criminal law Professor Seth Stoughton, a former Tallahassee police officer.

The deputy, who has not been identified publicly, had time to activate his body-worn camera while making a 3.3-mile drive to confront the suspects at a mobile home park. He knew that two vehicles at the park matched the description of those seen in security camera footage from a burglary earlier that morning, Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley said in a news conference Wednesday.

The deputy knew he was going after, most likely, the suspects from that burglary. And he knew that there were six suspects, Shelley said.

Shelley said the deputy most likely didnt have time to put that body camera on once he arrived at the scene and started to get out of his vehicle. The sheriff said thats when one of the suspect vehicles drove at him and he fired three shots in self-defense, killing two passengers, ages 15 and 17.

What do you mean, he never had time? Stoughton asked. It is possible for someone to either forget or to literally not have time. But Im always skeptical. It takes less than a second to do.

The body camera is activated by tapping twice on a large button on the front of the device, according to the instruction manual.

Lueth Mo, 15, and Dhal Apet, 17, were shot and killed by the deputy Wednesday morning after the stolen car they were in nearly ran over the deputy, the sheriff said. Lueth and Dhal were passengers in the vehicle. The driver was apparently not hit by gunfire and has not been found.

The shooting happened near the Midler Meadows mobile home park on North Midler Avenue in DeWitt.

The deputy involved in the shooting was investigating a burglary at a smoke shop on East Molloy Road when someone called 911 to report suspicious activity at the mobile home park, Shelley said.

The deputy went to the trailer park to investigate. Moments after arriving, Shelley said, one of the suspects vehicles tried to run over the deputy. The deputy pulled out his gun and fired three times, killing the two teenagers, the sheriff said. The deputy was not injured.

A private security camera, which captured the incident on video, showed the deputy didnt have time to get out of the way, Shelley said. That video has not been made public. The deputys body camera was not active, Shelley said. Through a spokesman, the sheriff declined comment for this story.

In this case, if the officer is justified, youd want to capture this incident, said retired Bergen County, N.J. police chief Brian Higgins, now an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Its more difficult for the public to know if the officer acted reasonably without seeing the body camera footage, said Chuck Wexler, head of the Police Executive Research Forum.

Had there been body-worn camera video, people would have been able to decide for themselves what the sheriff is saying, said Wexler, whose group collaborated with the U.S. Department of Justice to write guidance for police-worn body cameras nationwide. Absent body-worn cameras, it makes it more difficult. That was the point of body-worn cameras to begin with.

The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office body-worn camera policy requires deputies to begin recording upon engaging in any law enforcement related activity in a way that maximizes the cameras ability to capture video footage of the deputies activities.

Thats a squishy policy that gives deputies too much discretion as to when to activate the camera, said Daniel Zehnder, a camera consultant and trainer who worked 22 years in the Las Vegas Police Department. Because the policy is so loosely defined, its not clear whether the deputy complied with it, Zehnder said.

Police agencies should train their officers to activate cameras the moment they are dispatched to a call, he said.

In the heat of a life-and-death confrontation, a cop may be unlikely to remember to activate a body-cam. Thats why turning the camera on early is so important, experts said.

Officers need to anticipate that when they jump out of the vehicle, they may be focused on something besides their body-worn camera, said Michael Scott, a former police officer and clinical professor of policing at Arizona State University.

Shelleys defense of the deputy  that he didnt have time to activate his camera after exiting the police car  flies in the face of best practices, Zehnder said. Police officers should be trained not simply to turn on their cameras, but when, he said.

Make it a bright line. As soon as youre dispatched for a call for service, turn the camera on, Zehnder said.

Scott, the Arizona State expert, seconded Zehnders recommendation.

I think ideally the best time to turn it on is when the officer begins responding to the call, he said. That also captures everything that the officer is likely to see approaching the incident.

Stoughton and Higgins each agreed that sooner is better than later.

Its entirely possible he didnt have time at the time of the shooting, Stoughton said. That brings us back to the first question: Why did he not turn it on before?

Such early camera activation is common practice. Syracuse police require an officer to activate the body-worn camera upon being dispatched and prior to commencing any self-initiated activity. New York City police instruct officers to begin recording prior to arrival at incident location. And state police require activation immediately before exiting a patrol vehicle.

Even after the deputy fired the fatal shots, there may have been a chance to preserve body-camera footage of the shooting, experts said.

The sheriff departments Axon 3 body cameras are equipped with an industry-standard feature that continuously records video all the time. When the device is activated, the cameras default settings automatically begin saving video 30 seconds before activation. Its unclear if that function was available to the deputy in this case.

The sheriffs office was one of the last police agencies in Onondaga County to get body-worn cameras. Then-Sheriff Eugene Conway said in 2021 that acquiring the cameras was not a priority.

That prompted County Executive Ryan McMahon and the legislature to provide funding for cameras and force the issue. The sheriffs office outfitted every road patrol deputy with body-worn cameras. The office spends $300,000 to $400,000 a year to maintain them.

Cameras are considered so important that deputies are required to submit a written explanation if they dont activate their camera to record an incident. Deputies can be disciplined if their explanation is inadequate, according to the nine-page body cam policy.

That creates an expectation that the cameras will help document critical situations, Zehnder said.

The use of force may have been perfectly justified, he said. Unfortunately, when the cameras not on in todays world, it doesnt matter what the officer says. It matters whats on the camera. Thats what people want to see, and agencies just cannot afford to have circumstances like this happen.

More Syracuse.com coverage:

2 families grieve teens deaths from a deputys gun: They did not deserve to die

State Attorney General opens investigation into teens fatally shot by deputy in DeWitt

See sheriffs explanation of why deputy fired shots that killed two teens (Video)

2 teens killed in DeWitt by deputy who fired at vehicle which nearly ran deputy over, sheriff says

Two people killed by police in shooting in DeWitt, authorities say

Two teens fatally shot by deputy identified; they attended Henninger High School

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-6070. Staff writer Tim Knauss can be reached at tknauss@syracuse.com or (315) 470-3023.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Projects bringing new life to an abandoned dairy building and the former home of Gustav Stickley are the biggest recipients of the citys $1 million COVID relief fund for distressed properties.

Mayor Ben Walsh on Friday announced eight projects that will split its American Rescue Plan Act Distressed Property Fund.

The Hip Hop Center for Youth Entrepreneurship is one of two projects receiving $250,000. The Good Life Youth Foundation is redeveloping a dilapidated and graffiti-covered 38,000-square-foot former dairy building at 215 Tully St. on the Near West Side to be used as a youth center with a focus on music, art and food. The $9 million project will also have community event space, retail tenants and housing units.

Good Life CEO Hasan Stephens said Friday the citys grant brings total fundraising to about $1.5 million, which also includes a $700,000 workforce development grant recently awarded by the state. Stephens is hopeful these government commitments can lead to donations from larger national foundations that bring the project to fruition.

Were optimistic, he said. COVID really slowed down a lot of this, but we are just now getting geared back up.

The other top grant recipient is the Gustav Stickley House Foundations restoration project at 438 Columbus Ave., which also is getting $250,000. A $3 million project is restoring the Westcott neighborhood home of the furniture maker who lead the American arts and craft movement. The project will allow the property to be operated as a guest house on upper floors with education programming and exhibits on the first floor.

The exterior of famed furniture maker Gustav Stickley's home at 438 Columbus Ave. in Syracuse has been restored to its 1902 appearance. (Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com)Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com

The foundation completed exterior work in 2018, and plans to begin interior work this winter, Board President David Rudd said Friday, noting that the city funds are very important and appreciated. The goal is to have the house open to guests by the middle of 2025.

Here are the other grant recipients:

$125,000 for Moyer Carriage Lofts at 1714 N. Salina St. and 201 Wolf St., turning the Moyer Carriage and Car Factory into commercial and housing space;

$125,000 for City Center at 400 S. Salina St., the former Sibleys department store thats now home to the Redhouse Arts Center;

$100,000 for Ra-Menes Food and Gas at 900 South Ave., remediating a vacant former gas station into a new full-service station;

$50,000 for The Castle, 2110 S. Salina St., restoring the former South Presbyterian Church into a multi-use community center;

$50,000 for Syracuse Bread Factory at 200 Maple St., redeveloping a rare Ward Wellington-designed commercial building;

$50,000 for 757 W. Onondaga St. to be converted into commercial and housing space.

The citys distressed properties ARPA fund and application process is a program of the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development. The city said its $1 million in grants is contributing to projects that are investing more than $140 million in rehabbing distressed sites.

City reporter Jeremy Boyer can be reached at jboyer@syracuse.com, (315) 657-5673, Twitter or Facebook.
By Rick Karlin | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  Gov. Kathy Hochul this week signed a law designed to deter wage theft by allowing prosecutors to charge suspects with larceny.

Sponsored by Capital Region Democratic Sen. Neil Breslin and Queens Democratic Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, the bill was welcomed by labor unions which said wage theft is a serious problem, especially for blue collar workers.

Businesses, though, had said they believe existing laws and federal laws against wage theft were sufficient.

The new law puts wage theft into the category of state penal law rather than labor law. It also makes it easier for prosecutors to charge a suspect with wage theft from multiple people, rather than one person, which can lead to stiffer penalties.

On behalf of union carpenters across New York state, we applaud Governor Hochul for signing legislation that will crack down on wage theft in the construction industry. All blue collar workers are impacted by wage theft, and all blue collar workers deserve to be paid the wages they have earned, Bill Banfield, assistant to the executive secretary-treasurer, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said of the measure in a prepared statement.

According to supporters, wage theft can be particularly pernicious in the construction industry, where contractors may hire laborers or other workers by the day or week, with verbal agreements to pay cash at the end of the week. If the workers are shorted, they have limited recourse.

Wage theft can also occur when an employer fails to pay the legally mandated time-and-a-half overtime rate when hourly and certain salaried employees work more than 40 hours a week.

Unions have said that workers lose an estimated $8 billion a year to wage theft nationwide, with $946 million of that in the construction field.

They have found that construction workers in six cities  Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Nashville  have had $30 million of their wages stolen in a year.

Wage theft has also been a problem with some restaurants and nail salons.

According to Cornell Universitys Worker Institute, wage theft in New York accounts for nearly $1 billion in lost wages annually and impacts tens of thousands of workers.

A Wage Theft Initiative, which was a collaboration between seven local district attorneys offices downstate and the state Attorney Generals Office has resulted in 10 criminal cases and accounted for more than $2.5 million in stolen wages since the end of 2017.

The new law takes effect at the start of 2024.

___

(c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com
Sign up to get positive Black news stories, words of affirmation and weekly curated playlists delivered to your inbox twice a week: Enter your email to subscribe to Black Joy.

Teacher of the week, produced by Black Joys MacKenzie River Foy, is a social-first series honoring teachers who proactively educate students about Black history through a pedagogical lens of belonging, joy and resistance.

Jamaican-American teacher Anthony Worgs renamed himself to Sundjata Sekou twelve years ago  Sunjata, after the first king of the Mali Empire, and Sekou, a Mandika word meaning wisdom and intelligence. The 44-year old is a third grade Math and Science teacher at Mount Vernon Avenue Elementary School in Irvington, NJ. As an educational freedom fighter, Mr. Sekou organizes with his union to support teachers in recognizing Black genius and leads fellow educators in decolonizing their curriculum and pedagogy. His classroom boasts a cross-curricular approach to teaching Black history, not limiting the subject to social studies or one celebratory month in the year.

Dressed for the first day of school in a salmon pink suit over his paisley polo t-shirt, Sundjata lit up when talking about his love for his students, our ancestors, and his fearless confrontation of anti-Blackness from teachers, superintendents and occasionally parents. He shared stories of smuggling banned books into Florida, leading workshops about hip-hop in the classroom, and witnessing the failure of school districts to implement New Jerseys Amistad Bill A1301 which has called on New Jersey schools to incorporate African American history into their social studies curriculum since 2002.

Im proud to recognize Sundjata Sekou as our first Black Joy Teacher of the Week. His indomitable spirit is matched by his deep well of faith in the brilliance of Black children. Our conversation with him was as alive with laughter, curiosity and gratitude. Heres an excerpt:

I was moved by your speech at the press conference in Newark, its raw and infectious energy. Theres a refusal and a challenge in your words  Im not waiting for no superintendent for me to teach Black history. Can you tell me what was feeding you in that moment?

I had recently came back from Florida and dealing with DeSantis issues formaybe a year. And before that dealing with Trump issues, talking about our history and just organizing around that in my union. TJ Whitaker, teacher and cofounder of MapSo Freedom School in Maplewood/South Orange sent me a text saying brotherwere having this press release against whats going on in Florida and their curriculum talking about slavery was a personal benefit.

I went [to Newark] at 4:15pmand all my passion, all my love for our people and the struggle just the ancestors just came through me. I didnt write that down. I was just freestyling what was on my heart, what was on my brain, and the journey that I just came back from Florida. All of that was just on me, and I was just freestyling and thats how it just came out like that.

When I see like people are against our history and attacking our historythat really bothers menot only is the history something I love and I study and I read about it - Its also something thats embedded in my name. I [wanted] to present a name to the world thats going to represent our history, represent our culture, and represent who we are. So what you saw, again, it was just, years of reading, frustration, traveling and being a Black man in America.

Its the same white supremacy every damn where. Theyre always trying to blame the south. Its in the south and its in the north, right? Its in here. Can I tell you just about the state that Im sitting here and your birth state? It was the last state to outlaw slavery really. The last state in the country. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. New Jersey didnt free its last slave until 1866. Throughout New Jersey there was a hotbed of slavery, but Bergen County [especially]. There are schools in Bergen County sitting on top of African burial grounds.

What do you teach? Is there a subject that you teach?

Believe it or not, I teach third grade math and science. Thats my title. [But] I dont wait for no one to tell me to teach black history. I dont care what title yall give me. Im gonna teach it. And what I do in math, I do two things. I let them do a project. I do project-based learning where they do a project about black scientists and mathematicians.

Yes, Harriets great. Malcolm is great. . . All the ancestors are great, but who are the Black scientists or the Black mathematicians? You know about Alice Ball? Im talking about women and men. . . I try to pinpoint those things in math to talk about our people in vast and different ways.

And Im gonna keep on doing it. I remember I was on [a panel] with a sister, and she was like, Brother Sekou, I like what youre saying, but arent you worried about them firing you?

Firing me?! Ill be okay. Trust me, I will be okay, and my district knows about it. If they say Sundjata Sekou you dont have to work right here, I will be just fine. You mean I dont have to worry about a whip, being thrown over a ship, being marched to the coast and leaving my ancestral land name and language? Im not worrying about that? Thats not what youre doing here? I will be fine. Ill get another job. Ill be all right.

The National Education Associations 2023 Conference on Racial & Social Justice was in Orlando. The theme of the conference was Joy, Justice and Excellence. What brought you to the conference and how did you end up bringing almost 200 banned books to your workshop session?

The reason I went to Florida [was] to do the racial literacy circles [and] to talk about the brilliance of Hip Hop griots. I [wanted to] show how you can use hip hop in the classroom. How you can talk about the brilliance of our hip hop people, everyone from Queen Latifah to Lauryn Hill to Nas. Even brought in Lil John. It was just so much that I brought in there for people to see the brilliance of these griots bringing this message and this word and putting all of this together.

2023 NEA Conference on Racial and Social Justice flyer.

I played Wutang on the first day, All That I Got Is You. We talk about poverty and how poverty can affect the household. Then I play CREAM (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) because to me, it tells a story about once you see the poverty in the household, you go out into the streets to make money. The next day I started with Tupac. A lot of times people talk about Tupac, they talk about him in isolation. They dont talk about the Black Panther Party. They dont talk about Afeni Shakur. They dont talk about how these people love their people. They dont talk about the Black Liberation Army, who came after the Black Panthers were infiltrated. And they were literally fighting the US government. But they dont talk about those things. So Tupac is an extension of this community that he came out of. Yeah. So we talked about those things.

I brought [banned books] to the session and I handed em out for free. And I kept on saying, thanks to the good people in New Jersey!. . . I put together an Amazon Wishlist. And these books were just arriving at my house. They were just coming and coming and coming.

And then I brought these books and we just handed them out. Cause we were saying [forget] your banned book law! Were not asking permission from these people, because this is the right thing to do. You just ban the book because they center someone thats LGBTQ+, youre banning the book because theyre centering Black and Brown people. No other reason. I can understand if its too sexually explicit or graphic violence. We get that. But youre going to ban a book about Ruby Bridges? Youre going to ban a book about Roberto Clemente? This is just insane. I see that as an issue, and Im going to say something about it and Im going to organize around it.

Could you tell me what your classroom is like? How does it operate? What does it feel like?

I have a big outline of Africa in the room. I have a Marcus Garvey flag in the room. Black for the people, red for the blood, the green for the land. I have that flag in the room. I have a picture of all the Civil Rights leaders, Malcolm, Martin, Harriet. An artist drew these pictures. I put that up in the room and I also give words of encouragement that you can do it. Whatever you do, you can achieve. I give words of encouragement. So thats what the classroom aesthetic is like.

Now when it comes to the lesson. Students sit in a group, Im more of a facilitator than a lecturer. . . So the students, they answer questions, they work with each other. They are the ones figuring things out. They go up to the board. They answer questions. So thats what the class is in a nutshell.

Sundjata tells me hes looking forward to proposing a session at next years National Education Association conference, which will take place in Chicago. He dreams of a workshop focused entirely on Tupac Shakur. And as for his lesson plans for this year?
ATLANTA (AP)  A report released on Friday revealed that a special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election results recommended indictments against a much larger group than prosecutors ultimately charged, including one current and two former U.S. senators.

The nine-page report showed jurors recommended charges against 39 people, compared to the 18 who were charged along with former President Donald Trump. Those not indicted included Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Parts of the report, which has 19 pages of appendices, had been released in February, but a judge had delayed the release of any recommendations for specific charges against specific people until after last months indictment. While most of the intrigue in the inner workings of the case has diminished with the filing of charges, it is notable that the special grand jury recommended charges for many people who were not actually indicted.

A spokesperson for Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, criticized the release in a statement, calling it biased, un-American.

Graham, Loeffler, Perdue and a lawyer who has represented Flynn did not immediately return messages seeking comment Friday.

The special grand jury included Grahams name in a section about the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden, a Democrat. The South Carolina Republican called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger shortly after the November 2020 election. Raffensperger has said Graham asked him about whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots.

Perdue and Loeffler were sitting U.S. senators who had failed to win enough votes in the November 2020 general election and were forced into a January 2021 runoff, which they both ultimately lost to Democratic challengers. In the weeks after the election, they were vocal in their criticism of Raffensperger, going so far as to call for his resignation.

In an interview on a right-wing cable news channel in mid-December 2020, Flynn said Trump could take military capabilities and place them in swing states and basically re-run an election in each of those states. He also traveled to the South Carolina home of conservative lawyer Lin Wood in November 2020, when Wood has said meetings were held to discuss possible ways to influence the election results in Georgia and elsewhere.

The panel spent seven months hearing from some 75 witnesses before completing a report in December with recommendations for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on charges related to attempts to overturn the election. Willis had said she needed the panels subpoena power to compel the testimony of witnesses who might otherwise not have been willing to appear.

The release of the identities of people recommended for indictment is a departure from ordinary grand jury protocol, which dictates that prosecutors do not disclose the names of individuals investigated but not charged so as to prevent potentially innocent subjects from being unduly maligned.

Special grand juries in Georgia are relatively uncommon and are essentially an investigative tool. They do not have the power to bring an indictment but rather can produce a report with recommendations that are not binding on a district attorney, who must seek an indictment from a regular grand jury to bring charges against anyone.

The special grand jurys report is based on the testimony of the witnesses prosecutors called and the evidence they presented over the second half of last year. In their report, the grand jurors made clear that the panel contained no election law experts or criminal lawyers.

The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained, the report continues.

Of the 19 people ultimately indicted, only one was not included in the special grand jurys recommendations. A former White House aide who served as the director of Trumps election day operations, Michael Roman, was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panels recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect peoples due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury has indicted Trump and 18 other people under the states anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.

Many of those indicted  including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows  are known to have testified before the special grand jury. Trump was never called and did not appear before the panel.

The parts of the report previously released in February included its introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to seek charges for perjury. The panels foreperson had said in news interviews that the special grand jurors had recommended that numerous people be indicted.
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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 8. Turkmenistan and Pakistan discussed the implementation of important joint energy projects, Trend reports.

These issues were discussed during a meeting in Islamabad between the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan, Atadjan Movlamov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Jalil Abbas Jilani.

During the meeting, the Pakistani Minister highly appreciated the foreign policy strategy pursued by Turkmenistan as well as the state of bilateral relations.

At the same time, he noted that joint energy projects such as TAPI and TAP are very important for Pakistan.

Furthermore, at the meeting, the parties also expressed their readiness to further strengthen ties in various areas of mutual interest.

Meanwhile, Atadjan Movlamov held a meeting with the caretaker Minister for Energy, Power, and Petroleum of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali, at the end of August, during which they accelerated the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
Supporting Farmers to deliver Sustainable Food Systems

The appetite at farm-level is strong to deliver a sustainable future food system, and farmers are taking ownership and looking for solutions, according to Dr Stan Lalor, Director of Knowledge Transfer with Teagasc.

The help and support needed includes; appropriate policy and regulation; appropriate reward and incentives; and clarity of a road map for success coupled to reassurance and confidence in the journey.

Dr Lalor was participating in a panel discussion on Action at farm level to deliver a sustainable future food system at the Agricultural Science Association annual conference yesterday, Thursday, 7 September, in Naas, County Kildare.

He said; Sustainability continues to be a holistic challenge that fundamentally boils down to the long-term security of food supply, and the viability of the production systems that we need to produce it, both currently, and into the future. We continue to focus on the three key pillars of sustainability  economic, social and environmental, all of which are vital. 

The environmental agenda is certainly high priority at present and the agriculture sector and the consumers are asking farmers to do a lot. Farmers need support in their decision making and implementation of the technologies that will provide solutions.

Dr Lalor continued; Each farm faces an individual challenge based on their own individual circumstances. They need support to take the right actions in the right place that are right for that farm, and that farm family. Teagasc are setting out to provide on an ongoing basis through advisory, education and knowledge transfer programmes, and specifically within the new Signpost Advisory Programme, enabled by the development of the new AgNav platform, to help farmers engage with the details and the actions most appropriate to their own farms.
sriniadk BHPian



Join Date: May 2023 Location: Trichy, Vizag Posts: 50 Thanked: 230 Times

View My Garage





Re: My Ford Freestyle TDCi (aka Toofan) Ownership Review Introduction about my car journey

I came to know about Team-BHP in my 12th standard when I was searching car for our home in 12th standard. The first review which I read was of the 2014 Alto K10 and the journey started from there. While the Team-BHP craze started for me 8 years ago, the craze for cars and automobiles dates back to my childhood when I used to roam around my home with all toy cars. The main influencer in my conscious was the Maruthi Omni garage which was situated in front of our home in my native place. I used to wait for my summer holidays so that I could go to that garage and sit all day long in that sun. I have changed Stepney, cut windshield glasses, removed battery and the list goes on.



I grew up and I entered that driving age. It was exactly on my 18th birthday when my friend's gate-crashed into my home at night 12 o'clock as a surprise(the best birthday till now). I had already got 2-3 driving lessons from my friend(I consider him my guru in all aspects )in their Xylo car. So we went out for a drive in the streets of my locality. I still remember my friends howling from behind "Bhai ussae gaadi le le nahi toh,aaj birthday mae maut hojayega" . While I was not driving fast nevertheless I also forgot the existence of brake, coupled with the body roll of Xylo they felt it that way.



Many things in my life changed once I completed my 12th grade. After a year of study, I had to leave the college I had been enrolled in since I had been accepted to a superior institution in a different state. Because of this, I used to get only holidays between the Semesters. But that embarked my journey of driving to the next level, as it was a routine to go on a trip every six months along with my friends. In our gang, we were a trio of drivers (with me being the amateur). We 3 never worried about the destination because driving was the main reason for our trips. Over the course of six years, we transitioned from travelling in one car at first to two cars as time went on. We have used a range of vehicles for our journeys, including the Xylo, i20, OG Innova, City (petrol), Innova Crysta, Duster, and Ciaz. But the one major participant for most of the trips was the one and only Alto 800. Alto 800 was simply a legend it never gave up. It has ferried us to most of the destinations, be it the plains of Kanyakumari, the twisting roads of Kolli hills or the Steep roads of Idukki (except for one time when we had to push it from behind as power was not enough to climb that narrow steep upslope with 5 people ). We have covered all the tourist destinations of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and a part of south Karnataka.



Time passed and I got into my job in Gujarat and it was the Covid times going on. My aim to buy a car was slowly growing inside me much more, but Covid really played a spoilsport. Then finally towards the end of 2021, I started looking for my first car. I knew my budget was restricted, so started searching accordingly and was also aware of the fact that I would not be holding on to this car for a long time due to my professional constriction. The various cars that I considered were



1. Toyota Etios Liva diesel

2. Fiat Linea / Punto 1.3 Multijet

3. 1st gen Swift diesel

4. Renault Scala (D) / Nissan Sunny (D)

5. 3rd gen Honda City iVTEC



One thing which you can find as common in all these cars would be DIESEL. Yes, I am inclined towards that Diesel grunt. It's impossible to put into words the rush of excitement you experience when you floor a diesel car and the way it pins you into the seat when the turbo spools. The other car which I have always admired is the Honda City iVTEC. My curiosity for City mainly started off after reading GTO's post about the iVTEC engine. The way he exclaims about the Vtec Kicking and hitting the rev limiter made me more curious. Luckily a close friend of mine bought the 4th gen City in a petrol version. When I got a chance to drive the same, I understood the excitement of GTO and others. My god what an engine that is; I once floored it in second gear and the car pulled like a beast all the way to 7100 RPM and I could see the speedometer cross 100 kilometers per hour. This engine has a mix of both calmness and enthusiasm in it. It will respond to your driving style exactly as you expect.



I spent an entire month, roaming around in the 2nd hand car dealer area, just to get fooled. Every time I get close to a car deal and check its service record, either the meter would have been tampered, or the car was in a haphazard state. That's when I thought why can't I just ask these showroom guys if they have any car that they had got in as an exchange car. Finally, things started falling into place when I went to the Ford showroom. There I found a gentleman (Mukesh), who seemed to be genuine and assured me of getting a car. I found a 2012 Toyota Etios Liva (D) with low run kilometres and asked him to get it to my place for a test drive. So before reaching my place, he gave me a call stating that he also has a 2012 Ford Figo Diesel in pristine condition with a full-service record which has clocked around one and a half lakhs kilometres. I refused him, not to get that car as it has high mileage in its ODO. But still, he insisted me to just drive and see. My initial impressions of driving the Toyota Etios Liva was very bad. The vehicle was constantly pulling towards the left and the suspension definitely needed an overhaul. With a sense of disappointment inside me, I got into the Ford Figo.



The initial impressions were very good, the dashboard felt refreshing and it didn't look like a car that has put on so many kms under its belt. Checked the entire car with my check-off list and surprisingly it ticked most of the boxes. Few niggles which I found in the car were



(a) Rusting on 3-4 places

(b) The bumper was repainted which was evident (Mukesh accepted the same) and the body had scratches in many places.

(c) The Headlamps fail to switch to High beam.



Took the car out for a drive and I felt that the car was way ahead of the Etios which I had driven before. In that rough patch of road, the suspension neither gave any squeaky sounds nor it bottomed out. When I drove it on the Highway, the car pulled off cleanly and even at speeds of above 100 Kmph, the car was very sturdy, balanced and gave great assurance to the driver. After the drive, I informed Mukesh that I would contact him in a few days with a firm decision. Came back to my room and started doing the background research about this car. Then I realised, how I missed this car in my wanted list(mainly because I felt that the 1.4 TDCi was underpowered with the power figures on paper). The only hiccup that was there in my mind was the high mileage on ODO. But my friends gave me assurance that since it is properly company serviced there shouldn't be any problem. So without further delay, I made the decision to purchase the car. I named my Ford Figo as Ironhide( inspired from Transformers ).



Ironhide sighted on the first day.





Finally in my garage





Simple and classic interiors





As soon as I got the car, the first thing which I did was to convert it into a Mustang.





And I also tattooed my Ironhide with the signature stickers





After spending 6 months with Ironhide, I had to let it go as I got transferred to another state. I was in no mood to sell it as the car was in good condition, that's when a close friend of mine approached me and asked whether I was ready to sell it to him. I took the decision to sell the car because I knew that the car was going to stand idle for the next 3-4 months if I had it. A conclusive report about my Ironhide is as follows:



Additive things that I did after getting the car are: Mustang influenced stickering

Iph M612 fog lamps with Nighteye LED

Interior ambient lighting

Led Scuff Plate Likes: Built like a tank

Good driveability with that 1.4 TDCi

Hydraulic steering setup with good steering feedback was a pure delight for the driver

Classic interiors

The stock audio system speakers were good What could have been better: Headlamps were nearly equivalent to non-existence

Even though the 1.4 TDCi had good drivability, it felt underpowered

Low ground clearance, even with 3 people on board, I have hit most speed breakers in my city

Insulation levels -the 1.4 TDCi was very noisy from the outside ( but inside it was somewhat better insulated ) I came to know about Team-BHP in my 12th standard when I was searching car for our home in 12th standard. The first review which I read was of the 2014 Alto K10 and the journey started from there. While the Team-BHP craze started for me 8 years ago, the craze for cars and automobiles dates back to my childhood when I used to roam around my home with all toy cars. The main influencer in my conscious was the Maruthi Omni garage which was situated in front of our home in my native place. I used to wait for my summer holidays so that I could go to that garage and sit all day long in that sun. I have changed Stepney, cut windshield glasses, removed battery and the list goes on.I grew up and I entered that driving age. It was exactly on my 18th birthday when my friend's gate-crashed into my home at night 12 o'clock as a surprise(the best birthday till now). I had already got 2-3 driving lessons from my friend(I consider him my guru in all aspects )in theircar. So we went out for a drive in the streets of my locality. I still remember my friends howling from behind ". While I was not driving fast nevertheless I also forgot the existence of brake, coupled with the body roll of Xylo they felt it that way.Many things in my life changed once I completed my 12th grade. After a year of study, I had to leave the college I had been enrolled in since I had been accepted to a superior institution in a different state. Because of this, I used to get only holidays between the Semesters. But that embarked my journey of driving to the next level, as it was a routine to go on a trip every six months along with my friends. In our gang, we were a trio of drivers (with me being the amateur). We 3 never worried about the destination because driving was the main reason for our trips. Over the course of six years, we transitioned from travelling in one car at first to two cars as time went on. We have used a range of vehicles for our journeys, including the Xylo, i20, OG Innova, City (petrol), Innova Crysta, Duster, and Ciaz. But the one major participant for most of the trips was the one and only. Alto 800 was simply a legend it never gave up. It has ferried us to most of the destinations, be it the plains of Kanyakumari, the twisting roads of Kolli hills or the Steep roads of Idukki (except for one time when we had to push it from behind as power was not enough to climb that narrow steep upslope with 5 people). We have covered all the tourist destinations of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and a part of south Karnataka.Time passed and I got into my job in Gujarat and it was the Covid times going on. My aim to buy a car was slowly growing inside me much more, but Covid really played a spoilsport. Then finally towards the end of 2021, I started looking for my first car. I knew my budget was restricted, so started searching accordingly and was also aware of the fact that I would not be holding on to this car for a long time due to my professional constriction. The various cars that I considered were1. Toyota Etios Liva diesel2. Fiat Linea / Punto 1.3 Multijet3. 1st gen Swift diesel4. Renault Scala (D) / Nissan Sunny (D)5. 3rd gen Honda City iVTECOne thing which you can find as common in all these cars would be. Yes, I am inclined towards that Diesel grunt. It's impossible to put into words the rush of excitement you experience when you floor a diesel car and the way it pins you into the seat when the turbo spools. The other car which I have always admired is the Honda City iVTEC. My curiosity for City mainly started off after reading GTO's post about the. The way he exclaims about the Vtec Kicking and hitting the rev limiter made me more curious. Luckily a close friend of mine bought the 4th gen City in a petrol version. When I got a chance to drive the same, I understood the excitement of GTO and others. My god what an engine that is; I once floored it in second gear and the car pulled like a beast all the way to 7100 RPM and I could see the speedometer cross 100 kilometers per hour. This engine has a mix of both calmness and enthusiasm in it. It will respond to your driving style exactly as you expect.I spent an entire month, roaming around in the 2nd hand car dealer area, just to get fooled. Every time I get close to a car deal and check its service record, either the meter would have been tampered, or the car was in a haphazard state. That's when I thought why can't I just ask these showroom guys if they have any car that they had got in as an exchange car. Finally, things started falling into place when I went to the Ford showroom. There I found a gentleman (Mukesh), who seemed to be genuine and assured me of getting a car. I found a 2012 Toyota Etios Liva (D) with low run kilometres and asked him to get it to my place for a test drive. So before reaching my place, he gave me a call stating that he also has ain pristine condition with a full-service record which has clocked around one and a half lakhs kilometres. I refused him, not to get that car as it has high mileage in its ODO. But still, he insisted me to just drive and see. My initial impressions of driving the Toyota Etios Liva was very bad. The vehicle was constantly pulling towards the left and the suspension definitely needed an overhaul. With a sense of disappointment inside me, I got into the Ford Figo.The initial impressions were very good, the dashboard felt refreshing and it didn't look like a car that has put on so many kms under its belt. Checked the entire car with my check-off list and surprisingly it ticked most of the boxes. Few niggles which I found in the car were(a) Rusting on 3-4 places(b) The bumper was repainted which was evident (Mukesh accepted the same) and the body had scratches in many places.(c) The Headlamps fail to switch to High beam.Took the car out for a drive and I felt that the car was way ahead of the Etios which I had driven before. In that rough patch of road, the suspension neither gave any squeaky sounds nor it bottomed out. When I drove it on the Highway, the car pulled off cleanly and even at speeds of above 100 Kmph, the car was very sturdy, balanced and gave great assurance to the driver. After the drive, I informed Mukesh that I would contact him in a few days with a firm decision. Came back to my room and started doing the background research about this car. Then I realised, how I missed this car in my wanted list(mainly because I felt that the 1.4 TDCi was underpowered with the power figures on paper). The only hiccup that was there in my mind was the high mileage on ODO. But my friends gave me assurance that since it is properly company serviced there shouldn't be any problem. So without further delay, I made the decision to purchase the car. I named my Ford Figo as( inspired from Transformers ).sighted on the first day.Finally in my garageSimple and classic interiorsAs soon as I got the car, the first thing which I did was to convert it into aAnd I also tattooed my Ironhide with the signature stickersAfter spending 6 months with Ironhide, I had to let it go as I got transferred to another state. I was in no mood to sell it as the car was in good condition, that's when a close friend of mine approached me and asked whether I was ready to sell it to him. I took the decision to sell the car because I knew that the car was going to stand idle for the next 3-4 months if I had it. A conclusive report about my Ironhide is as follows:Additive things that I did after getting the car are:Likes:What could have been better: Last edited by sriniadk : 6th September 2023 at 17:58 .
A hot potato: Producing 3D artwork for video games or other projects can be grueling and tedious  a job ideal for AI automation. A young startup is attempting to fulfill that niche, but a recent report alleges that it exports the work to low-wage contractors instead of having a machine do all the work.

According to a lengthy report from 404 Media, AI startup Kaedim's 2D-to-3D generative tools lean more heavily on human labor than initially disclosed. In at least some cases, the AI's output is entirely human-generated.

The company claims its AI model transforms 2D input from users into 3D models for use in games or other productions, shortening an often exhausting step in some workflows. Its cheapest monthly subscription allows users to generate 10 models per month for $150, and the mid-tier option charges $300 for 20 models a month. The premium "Studio" plan allows for an undisclosed number of models at quick turnaround for $1,000 monthly with 1:1 support.

However, sources told 404 that Kaedim employed human artists to rapidly produce the models for about $1 to $4 per model. Furthermore, the company expects them to complete each submission within 15 minutes.

When Kaedim's job listings for 3D artists were first discovered last year, founder and CEO Konstantina Psoma responded with a Medium post explaining that the human artists touch up the AI's output and help train the algorithm. After 404's report, the company updated its website to acknowledge the workers' input more clearly. Kaedim plans to introduce a wholly automated model by the end of this year, open to a broader customer base.

Despite the admission, 404's sources claim that some artists only saw the original 2D image before creating a 3D model from scratch, making their work full-blown production at low pay rather than simple quality control. It's currently impossible for anyone outside the company to know exactly how good its AI model is, but sources say some of its results are outright unusable.

The revelation helps shed more light on the often unacknowledged human labor crucial to generative AI. ChatGPT depends on over 1,000 workers worldwide to maintain its hardware and improve its results. That labor force includes contractors from East Africa who received only a few dollars an hour to filter out extremely graphic content, leaving some traumatized.
In a nutshell: Elon Musk turned off Starlink to foil a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian naval fleet in Crimea last year over fears that Vladimir Putin would retaliate with a nuclear strike, according to a new biography.

In an excerpt of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, CNN quotes a section claiming Musk secretly ordered Starlink engineers to turn off satellite communications near the Crimean coast in 2022 as Ukrainian submarine drones approached the Russian naval fleet for a surprise attack.

Isaacson writes that as the drones neared the vessels, they "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly." Ukrainian officials reportedly begged Musk via text to turn the service back on. They told the CEO about the submarine drones' capabilities, and while Musk said he was impressed by the design, he wouldn't turn coverage back on for Crimea.

Received the second shipment of Starlink stations! @elonmusk keeps his word! Thank you for supporting Ukraine and peace in the entire world! @OMarkarova thanks! pic.twitter.com/hNZwsXkOCT  Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 9, 2022

Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister of Ukraine, was one of those begging Musk to restore coverage. "I just want you  the person who is changing the world through technology  to know this," Fedorov told Musk.

It's claimed that the reason behind Musk's decision was a fear that Russia would respond to the attack with the use of nuclear weapons, which stemmed from the billionaire's conversations with senior Russian officials.

Musk reportedly said that Ukraine was "going too far" in threatening a "strategic defeat" on Putin's forces, referring to the drone attack as a "mini Pearl Harbor."

CNN writes that as the situation continued, Musk was "soon on the phone with President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, the chairman of the joint chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley, and the Russian ambassador to the US to address anxieties from Washington, DC, to Moscow."

"How am I in this war?" Musk asked Isaacson. "Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes."

It's been a rocky road for Starlink in Ukraine. SpaceX has supplied over 25,000 terminals to the country and maintained them since the war began, helping keep the nation's critical infrastructure and its citizens online as Russia continues its assault. This has led to Russia's threat that the satellites could become a legitimate target. Former Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin also made a veiled threat against the Tesla boss' life.

Musk warned in October that with Starlink donations to Ukraine exceeding $100 million, his company could not foot the bill forever, suggesting that the Pentagon should help with costs. But he did a U-turn days later, confirming SpaceX would fund Starlink in Ukraine "indefinitely."

Relations became frostier in February when SpaceX limited Ukraine's ability to use the Starlink satellite service for offensive military purposes.

This is highly likely to be the outcome in the end  just a question of how many die before then  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 3, 2022

Claims that Musk stopped an attack on Russian military equipment are unlikely to go down well in Ukraine, which was particularly angry about the world's richest man's "peace plan" last year. He suggested a redo of the sham elections that took place in occupied areas of Ukraine that led to Putin authorizing their annexation, but this time they are performed under UN supervision, and Russia must leave if it is the will of the people.

Musk did once offer to fight Putin in single combat for the future of Ukraine, but that seems about as likely as Musk fighting Mark Zuckerberg.
What just happened? Microsoft has warned that Chinese operatives have been using artificial intelligence to generate images with the aim of spreading disinformation and influencing US voters ahead of the 2024 election. The content focuses on politically divisive topics, including gun violence, and denigrating US political figures and symbols.

Analysts from Microsoft Threat Analysis Center highlighted the campaign in a report titled 'Digital threats from East Asia increase in breadth and effectiveness.'

The use of AI to generate the images means that the material being produced is "more eye-catching content than the awkward digital drawings and stock photo collages used in previous campaigns," which helps increase user engagement.

These sorts of generated images often come with tell-tale signs that they've been created by an AI, but they're still fooling plenty of people. One example is an image of the Statue of Liberty, complete with the caption "The Goddess of Violence," with more than five fingers on one hand. There's also a poster depicting the Black Lives Matter movement in which a Black man is surrendering while surrounded by bullet holes.

The images were uploaded to "Western" social media accounts affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party and then reposted by others.

Microsoft writes that hours after the Black Lives Matter poster was uploaded, an account impersonating a conservative US voter reposted the image, complaining about racial discrimination under President Biden.

"Unlike earlier IO campaigns from CCP-affiliated actors that used easy-to-spot computer-generated handles, display names, and profile pictures, these more sophisticated accounts are operated by real people who employ fictitious or stolen identities to conceal the accounts' affiliation with the CCP," the researchers wrote.

Another strategy being successfully used by China is its "multilingual internet celebrity studios," which involves more than 230 state media employees and affiliates masquerading as independent social media influencers across all major Western social media platforms. They have a combined following of at least 103 million across multiple platforms speaking at least 40 languages, spreading Chinese Communist Party propaganda around the world.

Microsoft also warned that North Korea is continuing its cyberattacks and intrusions. The country is gathering intelligence on South Korea, the US, and Japan, "targeting the maritime and shipbuilding sectors, suggesting this as a high-priority area for the North Korean government," writes Microsoft. It has also targeted the Russian government and defense industry, despite expressing support for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

It was only last week when Meta said it had taken down thousands of fake accounts that were part of a massive disinformation campaign linked to Chinese law enforcement. While the deleted accounts were on Facebook and Instagram, the network is also present on non-Meta platforms including Reddit and YouTube, spreading positive posts about China and negative comments about the US.
A hot potato: HPC GPUs designed to accelerate AI training cost a lot of money, but TSMC won't be able to satisfy the increasingly high customer demand yet. The world's leading chip manufacturer is still lacking the kind of advanced packaging capability the market is requesting right now.

AI servers are expected to explode to an estimated market value of $150 billion by 2027, and Nvidia currently makes the most sought-after GPUs designed to accelerate algorithmic training for chatbots and generative AI services. TSMC, which is tasked with actually making the GPU-based boards the aforementioned AI servers will employ, won't have enough manufacturing capacity to satisfy market demand for at least one and a half years.

Speaking with Nikkei, TSMC chairman Mark Liu said that the AI accelerator shortage isn't caused by a lack of AI chips designed by Nvidia. The current market situation mostly depends on TSMC's own limited capacity with CoWoS packaging. The Taiwanese company cannot fulfill 100% of its customers' orders right now, Liu stated, but "we try to support about 80%" of manufacturing requests.

Chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) technology is an advanced packaging platform that provides "best-in-breed performance and highest integration density" for HPC hardware applications, TSMC explains. The interposer-based, wafer-level system integration process supports a wide range of HBM cubes and package sizes, the company says.

TSMC currently makes the overwhelming majority of GPUs, FPGAs and other specialized chips designed to accelerate AI computations. Those accelerators employ HBM memory to provide the largest bandwidth possible for AI training, and they are manufactured with the CoWoS packaging technique. Other chipmaking companies also provide similar packaging capacities, but TSMC is likely getting the largest orders coming from the most reputable chip companies including Nvidia and AMD.

According to industry analysts, advanced packaging technologies like CoWoS are costly and financially risky to implement. Therefore, smaller manufacturing companies are likely less motivated to invest all the money they would need to increase and refine their packaging capabilities.

TSMC is spending nearly $3 billion on a new packaging fab that should come online by 2027. The company is committed to increasing its packaging capacity "as quickly as possible," Liu confirmed to investors. The "tightness" in manufacturing output is expected to be released by the end of the next year, TSMC's chairman said, with CoWoS wafers doubling in 2024 compared to 2023.
In context: With the internet permeating nearly every facet of our lives, cyber warfare has emerged as a significant tool for many rogue nations. While it is generally not treated with the same gravity as physical war crimes by human rights advocates, this stance could potentially evolve in the future, as suggested by a recent statement from the lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

According to Karim Khan, the top lawyer at the ICC, The Hague is poised to initiate investigations and prosecutions related to cybercrimes that breach international law. Although many leaders and security experts have long advocated for specialized laws to address cyber warfare, Khan believes that existing international laws are adequate for bringing cybercriminals to justice.

In a recent article from Foreign Policy Analytics (via Wired), Karim asserted that cyber warfare could have a profoundly disruptive impact on people's lives and could be employed to facilitate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Furthermore, it could serve as a means to support physical attacks on sovereign nation-states, underscoring the need for international criminal justice to confront this escalating threat.

Karim noted that while there is no specific provision in the Rome Statute dedicated to cybercrimes, he also highlighted that the International Committee of the Red Cross has unequivocally stated that cyberattacks should exclusively target military objectives and not civilian installations such as power grids and hospitals.

For those unfamiliar, the Rome Statute is a treaty adopted by the ICC in 1998 to address four core international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

Karim explained that his perspective on the gravity of cybercrimes arises from the fact that the lines between physical and digital battlefronts in warfare have long been blurred. The digital realm can generate "damage and suffering comparable to what the founders of the ICC sought to prevent." To tackle cybercrimes that harm civilian populations, Karim affirmed that his office will "collect and review" evidence related to unlawful cyber activities by nation-states.

Since the publication of the article, the ICC has officially announced that it will pursue prosecutions in cases of rogue cyber operations that contravene the Rome Statute.

In a statement provided to Wired, an ICC spokesperson clarified that these cases would only be addressed under "appropriate circumstances" and when "the gravity is sufficiently grave." However, neither Khan nor the spokesperson provided details on how this new policy might be employed to hold Russia responsible for its ongoing cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Google is celebrating 15 years of Chrome since it was first introduced to the world in 2008, and on this momentous occasion for the browser, it is getting a redesign that will freshen it up for users. Chrome is getting the iconic Google Material You themes where users may customize their browsers to match their preferred colors and look to complete the experience.

Since it was released 15 years ago, Chrome has taken the internet world by storm, rising to the top charts as the top used and most popular browser in the world.

Google Chrome is Getting a Redesign

(Photo : Google)

Google's latest blog post via The Keyword has shared that Chrome is getting a redesign, with the company offering a fresh new look for the web browser as part of its 15 years in the industry. The Mountain View giant is leveraging its Material You themes to arrive on Chrome soon, with the company promising a wide range of customization features to personalize the experience.

Alongside this, Google is offering the chance to distinguish different profiles that have its set theme, to better categorize each setup. Moreover, Google claims that Chrome will feature a more easier experience as it offers a comprehensive menu to access Chrome Extensions, Google Translate, Google Password Manager, and more.

Read Also: Chrome iOS to Bring the Address Bar to the Bottom, Taking a Page from Apple's Safari

Chrome at 15: Still at the Top

Fifteen years after Google made Chrome available for all, the browser remains at the top and is still the top choice by different users on various platforms as their browser.

Google said that September is the month of Chrome, with the refreshed look and new features coming in a few weeks, with version 117 releasing its stable build next week.

Google Chrome

This 2023, Google has already put in massive developments for Chrome that change the way it handles data and delivers the browsing experience for users. One of the most important features to have arrived on the browser is the Privacy Sandbox, which went live on Chrome's version 114, a feature that shuns cookies from websites that helps enhance security.

One of the most celebrated news from Google was the UI update from August, as the company revealed that the download bar at the bottom is disappearing and will move to a new location. It was previously raised by users and fans that the download bar below disrupts the experience, with Google taking it to the address bar's right-hand side, hidden on its dedicated tray.

Over the years, Google met significant competition from the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla, Opera, and more, but it has held its position at the top and showed its superiority. Now, it celebrates 15 years since it was first introduced by Google, also bringing with it a new look that will give users the chance to personalize and stylize their browsing on the platform, coming soon for all.

Related Article: Google Chrome Adds Microsoft's Bing AI Chatbot: Artificial Intelligence Feud Over?

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The famed Mountain View giant is making waves on the market as it finally unveils the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, with Google showing off its looks and new colors that expand more of its offers. The company also introduced the world to its new features and capabilities, with AI having a significant role in what it can bring to users, and Google leveraging its development for the smartphone lineup.

Also confirmed for the October showcase of the company is the Pixel Watch 2 which follows up on the debut of last year's wearable tech from the company.

Google Unveils Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2

(Photo : Google Store)

The Google Store has dropped the official looks, features, and the iconic tech that is coming with its Pixel 8 series, with both the base and Pro versions. As Google said, these Pixel devices are "Coming in Hot," with the company dropping a massive unveiling to the world that centers on its new smartphone.

Like other base version smartphones in the world, Google's Pixel 8 would bring the dual-lens camera at its rear visor and would be the version where most of the pop colors would arrive, including the featured Rose Gold. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro would stick with its traditional colors, with Gold unveiled by the company.

Alongside this announcement, Google introduced the accessory that would be joining the smartphone, with the Pixel Watch 2 marketed as the fitting accessory for the Pixel phone.

Read Also: Google to Require Political Adverts Disclose Use of AI

Should Google's Pixel 8 Be Your Next Phone?

Google has three major reasons for what the Pixel 8 series has to offer, with Google AI being its most important feature coming soon. The significant integration of Google AI to the Pixel will help in different aspects of the device, including photo editing, Live Translate, and more up for grabs.

The latest unveiling may only be a teaser as to what the Pixel 8 series would bring, but this is already a good time to start weighing in the pros and cons of owning the Google smartphone, powered by Android, over other models and makes.

Google's Pixel Devices

Towards the end of August, massive buzz surrounded the development of the Pixel 8 series primarily as Google made the clumsy mistake of leaking the device on the Google Store. It was believed by leakers who were quick to save receipts of the incident to be its marketing materials meant for the Pixel 8's unveiling, giving the world a glance at what it would look like.

However, one of the most intriguing here is how Google would only slightly improve its battery's capacity, as well as its charging rates which have been one of its massive claims to edge against the iPhone.

Google has made the Pixel devices the pinnacle of everything Android, being one of the top smartphones in the market since it was introduced by the company. With the company's official unveiling of the new Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2, users may get more information that they can use to help them decide if this new device should be their next buy.

Related Article: Google Pixel 8 Price Hike is Coming Says Leaks-New Smartphone Costs Atleast $150 More

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Microsoft has just officially sent an invite to developers to join the company's developer conference called Microsoft Ignite 2023. Just like the previous event, the participants would all meet in person but certain parts of the events would be live-streamed to everyone worldwide.

The New Event to Happen to Happen at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit Building Portions

According to the story by Neowin, Microsoft's event would be live-streamed worldwide but its in-person participants would meet each other in Seattle, Washington, which would be close to the company's Redmond headquarters.

It was noted that the event would be held on November 14 to 17 and the specific venue for the meeting would be at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit building portions. It was noted that the event is supposed to be for IT developers and executives.

Microsoft Ignite 2023 Event to Include Executives Like Satya Nadella, the CEO, and Other Executives

Microsoft Ignite is designed to cover different software development topics including security as well as data handling. It was noted that the company was already hyping up the Microsoft Ignite 2023 event.

So far, the company is already promoting the conference hard with its keynote addresses. This included different Microsoft executives including Satya Nadella, the CEO of the company, along with other executives.

Tickets Would Cost Up to $1,825 for Buyers Who Make Their Purchase Starting October 11

It was noted that although the live stream would be free for users worldwide, the tickets to join the conference in person would cost participants $1,525. The price of the tickets would even go up on October 11 which is expected to reach $1,825.

Interested participants can register online and it was also noted that companies that decide to purchase three tickets would automatically be given one extra. It was noted that this event would come with access to different important things like keynotes, labs, sessions, and parties, as well as other additions for free.

Difference Between In-Person and Online Attendees

As described by Microsoft, the difference between those online and those attending the in-person event would be that those attending live would be in the room to participate in advanced deep technical interactive labs as well as different live demos.

It was also noted that participants of the in-person event would have access to Microsoft experts directly as well as different other features like MVP experts and Featured Partners, and participants would also have access to other attendees to make connections.

Read Also: Google Chrome Redesign Coming with Material You Look, Celebrates 15th Birthday

The Live Stream for Online Attendees Will be Available on Nov 15 to 16

Microsoft notes that attendees of the live event would also get "event swag" and "digital swag" meaning participants might be getting physical or digital additions. However, the company also didn't highlight what specifically are participants getting from the event.

The live stream event would be free for those online on November 15 to 16 which is where attendees will be able to access breakout sessions, keynotes, and even discussions. Participants online would also get access to the on-demand session catalog, attendee directory, and others.

Related Article: IBM Unveils New Generative AI Models, Features: Here's What to Know About 'Granite'

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Generative AI is the future, with research firm, Forrester claiming in its forecast how much the technology would take over in the future, with as much as 2.4 million jobs in the US seeing the switch. The firm claimed that this number would be reflected by 2030, showing how much impact present developments will do to the future of the US workforce with AI at the helm.

While this is something expected of the future already, this change is not all about replacing humans from their jobs, as it is expected to reshape the future.

Generative AI to Affect 2.4M US Jobs by 2030

(Photo : Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

Forrester released a forecast report about generative AI in the future, with its numbers claiming that as much as 2.4 million US jobs would be seeing its impact by 2030. The report centers on how much it will impact in the future, but not necessarily eliminate or take from humans to be centered on the machine independently.

It claimed that generative AI is already experiencing "hyperadoption" in the present, with the technology being the fastest to routinely engage billions of users. Forrester also regarded that ChatGPT is leading the charge in AI usage now.

While the report centered on generative AI's takeover of 2.4 million jobs in the US by 2030, it is not necessarily ousting humans of their positions, but having these people use the AI to create outputs or content. Still, AI is set to take as much as 30 percent of the job roles towards the end of the decade.

Read Also: IBM Unveils New Generative AI Models, Features: Here's What to Know About 'Granite'

Forrester Suggests Prompt Engineering

Forrester suggested that what employers or individuals may do is to train the workforce in learning the ins and outs of prompt engineering, and this is the new phenomenon that involves humans working with AI in the present.

Prompt engineering is centered on creating the right prompts for AI to follow, and in turn, would decide the quality of a user's output based on what the generative AI received.

Generative AI Integrations

Different industries and companies have already gone large on using artificial intelligence for their technology, particularly with generative AI whose massive presence is known in the world. One renowned media outlet, Fox Sports, has confirmed that it is looking to incorporate generative AI into its content creation, mainly for archived games that it owns via a Google partnership.

However, the tech world also saw massive complaints regarding this from the controversial SAF-AFTRA strike in Hollywood, particularly as there were plans to use generative AI to create content for future productions. This included screenplay and scriptwriters, actors, and other creatives part of the process that would allegedly have "AI replicas."

The different industries that are facing generative AI developments have mixed perceptions about their company's application of the technology, with some embracing it, and others denouncing the tech. In Forrester's forecast, generative AI is inevitable in making its way to 2.4 million jobs in the United States, but in their findings, it is more about reshaping jobs.

Related Article: California Takes Initiative to Examine Risks, Benefits of Generative AI

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A major scientific breakthrough has occurred in understanding our Sun better, revealing hidden aspects of the Sun's outer atmosphere.

(Photo : SDO/NASA via Getty Images)

IN SPACE - JUNE 5: In this handout image provided by NASA, the SDO satellite captures a ultra-high definition image of the Transit of Venus across the face of the sun at on June 5, 2012 from space.

Capturing an Ultraviolet Image of Sun's Corona

A groundbreaking achievement has emerged from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) occulter, as highlighted in a recent announcement by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Through a last-minute modification to the EUI, scientists have successfully captured an ultraviolet image of the Sun's corona, providing an unprecedented view of our nearest star.

This development has unveiled previously concealed details of the Sun's corona, surpassing the capabilities of traditional coronagraphs. Notably, the EUI occulter mode has expanded the scope of solar observation, enabling scientists to delve deeper into the Sun's atmosphere.

The unexpected breakthrough occurred during the construction of the EUI when a last-minute adjustment to the instrument's safety door allowed it to penetrate further into its intended observation area than originally planned.

Taking the Image

Frederic Auchere, a member of the EUI team at Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Universite Paris-Sud, described the innovative solution. It involved attaching a small, lightweight appendage to the instrument's door.

While the camera operates, if the door partially stops when it opens to let in light, this tiny addition acts like a shield. It blocks the incredibly bright center of the Sun, which would otherwise overwhelm the camera.

Thanks to this, Interesting Engineering reported that the EUI can then capture the much fainter ultraviolet light emitted by the Sun's surrounding corona. This light is about a million times less intense but holds valuable information for scientists.

In this ultraviolet image, the Sun's corona is remarkably clear. What makes it unique is the overlay of an ultraviolet image of the Sun's disk. This fusion of data from both missions offers scientists a valuable chance to delve into the intricate dynamics of the Sun.

The EUI occulter mode on Solar Orbiter expands the range of solar observation, enabling scientists to delve deeper into the Sun's atmosphere.

The synchronized capture of images by the Solar Orbiter and STEREO missions highlights the remarkable precision of space science endeavors.

By chance, both missions observed the Sun from remarkably similar viewpoints, leading to a remarkable correlation between the Sun's surface features and those found within its corona.

Also Read: NASA's STEREO-A Spacecraft Visits Earth After 17 Years in Space



Universe Today reported that traditional solar coronagraphs have long been the go-to tools for photographing the Sun's corona. On Solar Orbiter, there's also a coronagraph called Metis.

However, EUI's occulter mode offers a different way to observe the Sun. It combines the abilities to image both the Sun and its corona in a single instrument.

"Physics and magnetic structures in this region are poorly understood, and this novel approach offers an unprecedented opportunity to study it in depth," Royal Observatory of Belgium EUI Principal Investigator David Berghmans stated.

Related Article: India to Send Spacecraft to the Sun After Historic Landing on Moon's South Pole

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Google has expanded its search engine business to smart devices like Nest and even big screens with the help of Google TV. Now, the Chromecast with Google TV is getting a new remote.

Chromecast With Google TV Launched in 2020 but Comes With Android TV Beta

According to 9to5Google, the Chromecast with Google TV has reportedly been available since 2020. The device is finally getting the update it deserves three years after its launch.

It was reported that the Android TV 14 Beta has revealed what might be the new Chromecast remote for Google TV. The operating system recently went live and can be spotted on the Android Studio emulator.

According to Cord Cutters News, the new remote was "certainly for" the upcoming Chromecast with Google TV. The device came with a rounded shape and a navigation pad on top of it.

Chromecast Remote for Google TV Comes With Several Buttons, Including One for YouTube and Another for Netflix

While these features were identical to the existing version, it was reported that it would still come with some important changes. The current version has eight buttons, including the basic ones like Home, Mute, Assist, and the TV power and input buttons.

Users also get the standard volume controls and the D-pad on the back with a button for YouTube and another for Netflix. However, the new remote has some distinct differences with regard to its buttons and their positioning.

New 'Magic' Icon Spotted on a Botton

Some other additions include the D-Pad with two round buttons underneath, which could still be for back and Assistant. At the left part of the remote comes three additional buttons, which were assumed by many to be for home, mute, and shortcuts.

On the right side of the remote, there's a larger button, which, according to 9to5Google, would likely be a volume rocker. It was noted that the new button shows a star icon at the bottom part of the remote.

This icon was called "magic," as revealed in its system files. So far, this is among the limited details shown in the file, but one thing that's quite clear is that the custom shortcut actually surfaced in 2021.

Read Also: Man Uses Game Boy Camera for FaceTime on iPadOS 17

Walmart Could Possibly be Working on a New Google TV Device

The device was reportedly spotted in the pipeline for a few months now, but there was still no direct evidence in the Android 14 building point that refers to the new device. So far, it's unclear when the new remote would arrive.

Aside from the no release date given for the device, it was also noted that the Android TV 14 remained in beta mode. So far, the operating system has only gotten its second update, but Zatz Not Funny! reported that Walmart is also working on a new Google TV device.

Related Article: Samsung 4TB 990 Pro SSD Promises Fastest Random Read Performance-but How Much Will It Be?

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Massachusetts authorities are delving into the untimely demise of 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, a case associated with the viral sensation known as the "One Chip Challenge."

The teen passed away on Sept. 1, with the exact cause of death still pending autopsy results. Wolobah's family believes the challenge played a role in the tragic event, according to a report by ABC News.

Paqui Halts Sale of Chips

Following this incident, Paqui, the Texas-based manufacturer of the fiery tortilla chip, has taken action. They are now working to halt the sale of these individually wrapped chips, a move already mirrored by 7-Eleven.

The One Chip Challenge, retailing for approximately $10, is presented in a sealed foil pouch within a distinctive coffin-shaped box, bearing a stark warning of its fiery intensity intended for adult consumption.

Paqui, a subsidiary of The Hershey Company, expressed deep condolences for the loss of Wolobah and acknowledged the surge in young individuals engaging in the challenge despite explicit warnings.

"The paqui one chip challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions," the company stated in its website.

"We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings. As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves. "

Read Also: TikToker Surprises Woman After Exposing Her 'Smartphone Pinky Dent': Real or Not?

Viral Challenge

This challenge has gained traction on platforms like TikTok, with participants documenting their reactions to consuming the extremely spicy chip. Videos showcase individuals grappling with the intensity, often resulting in discomfort and a desperate need for relief.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early has urged parents to engage with their children about the hazards of such challenges, emphasizing that these chips are designed for adults. Similar incidents from across the United States have seen teenagers hospitalized due to the challenge.

Medical experts have shed light on the potential dangers. Dr. Lauren Rice, Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, outlined the range of symptoms to ABC News, from mild lip tingling to severe abdominal pain or nausea.

Dr. Peter Chai, an associate professor in medical toxicology, warned of the potential fatality in cases of extreme exposure to capsaicin, a key ingredient in these chips.

Wolobah's passing has spurred a call for vigilance. Family and friends attribute his tragic fate to the challenge and advocate for the removal of these chips from store shelves. They emphasize the responsibility to safeguard children from participating in potentially perilous activities.

The packaging of the One Chip Challenge not only challenges the consumer to endure the fiery experience but also issues a strong caution to those sensitive to spicy foods or with medical conditions. It also underscored the need for caution and the importance of seeking immediate medical attention if any adverse reactions occur.

Related Article: Top TikTok Trends for August 24, 2023: Most Popular Songs and Hashtags to Use to Get Your Posts Noticed

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Apple deployed security updates on Thursday to fix actively exploited zero-day security flaws. These flaws, which were previously unknown to the tech giant, can be used to install malware through an attachment or "maliciously crafted image."

These exploits were reportedly used against a member of a civil society organization in Washington, DC, according to researchers who uncovered these vulnerabilities.

Malware Could Compromise Apple iPhones

Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group specializing in investigating government malware, released a blog post outlining its recent discovery of these "Blastpass" bugs, which are also called "zero-click" or "clickless" vulnerabilities, indicating that the victim doesn't need to interact with any elements, like an attachment, for the hack to be successful.

This vulnerability was part of a more extensive exploit chain designed to deliver NSO Group's malware, commonly referred to as Pegasus.

Citizen Lab explained that the exploit chain could compromise iPhones running the latest version of iOS (16.6) without requiring any interaction from the victim.

Following their discovery, Citizen Lab promptly reported the vulnerability to Apple. In response, Apple issued a patch on Thursday, extending their thanks to Citizen Lab for their prompt reporting.

Apple's latest security updates cover three releases: watchOS 9.6.2, iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1, and macOS Ventura 13.5.2. For watchOS 9.6.2, the update will address an issue in the Wallet app for Apple Watch Series 4 and newer models.

It resolves a validation problem associated with crafted attachments that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple said it is aware of reports indicating this issue may have been actively exploited.

In the case of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1, the update primarily focuses on ImageIO. This component is responsible for image processing on iPhone 8 and later models and various iPad models.

The update rectifies a buffer overflow issue related to the processing of maliciously crafted images. Apple also noted that there were reports of active exploitation.

The release also includes a patch for the Wallet app, addressing a validation issue linked to maliciously crafted attachments, which might result in arbitrary code execution.

macOS Ventura 13.5.2, the latest update for this operating system, also centers on ImageIO. The impact is similar, addressing a buffer overflow issue tied to processing manipulated images.

Read Also: UK Government Backs Down in Pursuing Messaging Apps Encryption Rules After Threats From Apple, WhatsApp

Apple and Citizen Lab Worked Together

Citizen Lab's discovery stemmed from a routine device check belonging to an individual working for a Washington, DC-based civil society organization with global offices.

The investigation unearthed an actively exploited zero-click vulnerability, a crucial component in the chain to deliver NSO Group's Pegasus spyware.

The researchers plan to delve deeper into the specifics of this exploit chain in forthcoming publications. Citizen Lab promptly communicated its findings to Apple and actively assisted in the investigation.

Apple reacted by issuing two Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) related to this exploit chain: CVE-2023-41064 and CVE-2023-41061. Citizen Lab stresses the importance of immediately updating devices to safeguard against potential risks.

It also encourages individuals facing elevated risks due to their roles or affiliations to activate Lockdown Mode, which is a protective measure that Apple's Security Engineering and Architecture team confirmed can thwart this specific attack.

Related Article: Apple Developers Invited for App Optimizing Workshop at Cupertino Center: Opportunity to Go to Apple HQ?

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Meta's Threads has just unleashed a game-changing update. Dexerto tells us that the highly anticipated keyword search feature is finally here but arrives amid dwindling user growth.

Threads' Keyword Search Takes Center Stage

Threads, Meta's answer to Twitter, has been steadily expanding its feature set since its launch back in July. Users have enjoyed the recent additions, including a following feed, chronological feeds, a web app, and the ability to revisit their liked posts.

However, the spotlight is now on the platform's newfound ability to search for keywords, making it even more competitive in the crowded social media landscape.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, and Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, recently shared that Threads' keyword search feature is available in most English and Spanish-speaking countries.

Mosseri stated, "Now available in more countries, both mobile and web. We're rolling out keyword search in English and Spanish, in countries where most people post in those languages - such as Argentina, India, Mexico, and the US. Try it out and let us know what you think."

Read Also: Google Implements Stricter Rules for AI-Modified Images, Audio in Political Ads Ahead of US Elections

Threads' Endure User Exodus

Despite witnessing a substantial drop in active users since its initial launch, Threads continues to boast a robust user base, and they are buzzing with excitement over this new feature.

While exact figures have fluctuated, it is no secret that the initial surge of interest has waned.

Data from Exploding Topics tell us that Threads counted a staggering 130 million users in its ranks at the most recent count. The growth, however, has been considerably slower compared to its early days.

It took a mere four days and six hours to reach the 100 million user milestone, but in the 58 days that followed, only an additional 30 million users joined the platform.

The most striking drop in user activity occurred within the first week of Threads' launch, where daily active users plummeted by 52% from 41.79 million on July 6 to 23.6 million on July 14.

Users' time spent on the app has also experienced a significant decline. On July 7, Threads users averaged 21 minutes daily, but today, that number has dwindled to a mere 3 minutes.

In stark contrast, Twitter boasts 200 million daily active users who dedicate an average of 31 minutes daily to the platform.

With Threads' new keyword search feature garnering attention, the platform faces the challenge of reinvigorating user engagement and reigniting growth.

In Other News

To help combat the spread of medical misinformation online, YouTube has recently launched a verification system aimed at UK-based healthcare professionals.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, UK users viewed health-related videos on YouTube more than two billion times, highlighting the platform's importance as a source of healthcare information.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Meta's Threads Finally Rolls Out Web Version

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As per Walter Isaacson's upcoming biography of the billionaire, Elon Musk secretly ordered the shutdown of his company's Starlink satellite network near Crimea last year.

This move aimed to disrupt a potential Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet. What is the reason behind this drastic decision?

The billionaire now offers some explanation.

Musk's Drastic Decision

In response to the assertions made in the biography, Musk stated on X that SpaceX had not deactivated any systems since they were never activated in those regions.

He went on to explain that government authorities had made an emergency request to activate Starlink services up to Sevastopol, aiming to target a significant portion of the Russian fleet at anchor.

"If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

He referred to his apprehensions as a potential "mini-Pearl Harbor" and believed that allowing the Ukrainian attack to proceed could spiral into a catastrophic international conflict.

Starlink's Crucial Role

To understand the gravity of Musk's decision, it is essential to recognize Starlink's importance in the region.

After Russia disrupted Ukraine's communications systems in February 2022, Musk agreed to provide millions of dollars worth of SpaceX-made Starlink satellite terminals.

However, as the conflict escalated, Ukraine began to use Starlink terminals for offensive attacks against Russia. This shift in usage prompted Musk to question his decision to provide the technology for military purposes.

Read Also: North Korean Hackers Breach Russian Aerospace Institute Amid Ukraine Conflict, Microsoft Report Reveals

Musk's Moral Dilemma

In an excerpt from Isaacson's book, Musk expressed his moral dilemma.

"How am I in this war? Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes," Musk remarked.

CNN tells us that Musk engaged with high-level US officials as the situation escalated. Simultaneously, the deputy prime minister of Ukraine was desperately pleading with Musk to restore connectivity for the submarine drones, emphasizing the importance of the technology in the conflict.

This unique situation placed both Ukrainian and US officials in uncharted territory. They found themselves reliant on the goodwill of a businessman for battlefield communications, illustrating the growing influence of tech moguls like Musk in international affairs.

Funding and Fallout

The situation took another turn when SpaceX, the parent company of Starlink, faced a dilemma over who would foot the bill for the satellite terminals.

Initially, SpaceX was reluctant to continue funding the equipment sent to Ukraine. However, after negotiations with the US and European governments, a deal was eventually reached to provide another 100,000 satellite dishes to Ukraine in 2023.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Elon Musk Shut Down Starlink to Prevent Ukraine from Attacking Russia as per the Isaacson Biography

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We test the Dyson Gen5 Detect: it vacuums up to what you can't see

"Everything Happens Without Our Participation": Russian Scientists Come Closer to Unraveling the Processes of the Origin of Life on Earth

The family restaurant that wants to make birria fashionable in Madrid, that Mexican stew that is eaten in a taco and dipped in the broth

Reunion Island targeted by several bomb threats, "no real threat detected", according to the prefect

iPhone 15: Apple has had a BMW problem for weeks  and still no solution

To comply with the Paris Climate Agreement: Global CO budget smaller than previously assumed, according to study

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"It Will Lead to New Scientific Discoveries": Russian Physicist on the Use of Neural Networks in Space Research

Industry Observation: How far is the distance between "me" and celadon?

When it comes to the study and conservation of the Old Summer Palace, what are Chinese and foreign scholars concerned about?

Vegetable prices Radish Chinese cabbage High prices in the first half of November and normal prices in the second half

Guangxi Liuzhou's water quality ranked first in the country in the first three quarters and has been the champion for three consecutive years

(m+) Billionaires in Germany: In a year-on-year comparison, their number has grown by 14 to 226

Hate speech and incitement to kill Palestinians. Is there a way to criminalize it?

Guangxi woman gave up a foreign company with a high salary to accompany her mother to Bama for recuperation and filmed "migratory bird" for recuperation, attracting a large number of fans

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The 2023 Ballon d'Or has been announced Messi has won the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career

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Tax credit for home-based employment: the amount of the immediate advance soon to be capped?

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Zhengzhou's housing provident fund loans "recognize houses but do not recognize loans", and the sales area of newly built commercial residential buildings has declined for five consecutive months

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A teacher from California (USA) Jonathan Swift and his students while using a school telescope discovered that the asteroid Dimofros, into which NASA made the DART spacecraft crash (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), now behaves somewhat erratically. Mission staff have already confirmed the data and put forward a theory for this behavior.

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This is stated in a study published on the arXiv preprint portal. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed by the scientific community.

On September 27, 2022, NASA collided its spacecraft with an asteroid to test a theory about the probability of asteroid redirection. This mission was necessary to see if humanity could change the asteroid's orbit in this way in the future if there is a threat to Earth. It turned out to work exactly as the scientists expected, although not according to plan (read more about it at this link).

Due to the collision, the orbit of Dimorphos circling another asteroid Didymos was shortened by 33 minutes in a matter of weeks.

However, Jonathan Swift, a teacher at Thacher High School in California, noticed that Dimorphos' orbit continued to shrink by another minute more than a month after the collision during observations with his students.

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"The number we got was a little bit higher with a shift of 34 minutes. It was inconsistent at an uncomfortable level," Swift revealed.

He shared his observations with the American Astronomical Society in New Mexico. They confirmed his findings.

"We tried hard to find a mistake in what we did, but we couldn't find anything," Swift explained.

The observations suggest that something forced Dimorphos' orbit to slow down steadily after the collision. One theory is that the asteroid is now falling, as previously its orbit was under the tidal influence of Didymos.

As New Scientist writes, a member of the DART team at the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur in France Harrison Agrusa also noted that there is some evidence of the fall of the asteroid.

He said that there was "significant libration" after the impact, implying that Dimorphos began to wobble in its position towards Didymos, like the Moon do towards Earth.

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"Now there is a possibility that, depending on the inertia, this will develop into a more chaotic fall where it (Dimorphos. - Ed.) could flip over," the scientist said.

However, Agrusa believes that such a situation would hardly lead to a reduction in the orbit of Dimorphos, as it would change randomly.

He believes it is more likely that material lifted from the collision, including boulders up to several meters across, remained in orbit around Dimorphos and subsequently fell back to the surface, causing its orbit to slow down.

"I think that's the most reasonable explanation," he said.

DART project coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland (USA) Nancy Chabot said the team is continuing to observe Dimorphos and will publish the results in the coming weeks.

According to her data, the asteroid did continue to slow down for a while, but by about 15 seconds.

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"We don't see any change after about the first month," she said, referring to observations through the end of February when the asteroid was no longer visible from Earth.

A future European Space Agency mission called Hera scheduled to arrive at the asteroid in 2026 will be able to tell exactly what happened on Dimorphos.

What exactly happened to Dimorphos could have implications for future asteroid redirect attempts, as it is important to know how the space rock will behave after a collision.

"It's really good to know what we did with Dimorphos. These specific details are key for future applications of this technique if it comes in handy," Chabot said.

Earlier OBOZREVATEL reported that NASA warned about 4 asteroids that will fly near the Earth on the Yom Kippur Jewish judgment day.

Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL channels on Telegram and Viber to be aware of the latest events.
 Close Trump claims he wasnt referring to clerk when he violated fraud trial gag order

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On a dramatic day in court in lower Manhattan, Donald Trump appeared on the witness stand for the first time in his multitude of civil and criminal trials.

The former president was called to testify after remarks he made outside the courtroom in a break from his civil fraud trial in New York appeared to break a gag order imposed by New York Judge Arthur Engoron.

All parties are forbidden from speaking or posting about members of the court staff, after Mr Trump posted false claims and a photopraph of the courts chief clerk earlier this month. On Wednesday, he appeared to hit out at her again: This judge is a very partisan judge with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps more partisan than he is.

The former president claimed he had been speaking about witness Michael Cohen, his former lawyer, now a witness in the case against him. The judge found Mr Trumps testimony not credible and fined him $10,000.

Later, when a move for a directed verdict by his legal team was denied by the judge, a clearly frustrated Mr Trump stood and left the courtroom mumbling: Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
Kroger and Albertsons will sell more than 400 stores, including 28 in Louisiana and Texas, and other assets for about $1.9 billion, seeking to clear a path for a merger with antitrust regulators reviewing a deal that would unify two of the nation's largest grocery chains.
his work is supported with a grant funded by the Walton Family Foundation and administered by the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Email Mark Schleifstein at mschleifstein@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MSchleifstein.
On the morning of September 8, Russian war criminals attacked Sumy. A missile hit private houses in the area of Kozatsky Avenue.

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This was reported by the mayor of the city Oleksandr Lysenko and the Sumy Regional Military Administration on Telegram channels. One of the houses is destroyed and several more are damaged.

"All the victims are being assisted. The relevant services are working," Lysenko said.

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On the night of September 7, the Russians hit the city of Sumy with a Shahed-136 drone. They hit a residential neighborhood. There is also damaged civilian infrastructure.

The Sumy RMA reported damage to one private house, two stores and 20 apartments in a high-rise building. Another kamikaze drone was destroyed thanks to the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces.

The commander of the United Forces of the AFU Serhiy Naev inspected the Sumy direction and said that it should be strengthened with Air Defense to protect the Ukrainian sky from enemy attacks. In addition, our soldiers should strengthen the region in case of a new attack by Russian invaders.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

- Ukrainian defenders discovered an enemy SRG near one of the villages of the Znob-Novhorodske territorial community in the Sumy region in August. The AFU forced the Russian occupants to flee by a barrage of fire.

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- On August 8, Russian occupation troops shelled the Velykopysarivska community of the Okhtyrsky district of Sumy region. As a result of this attack, a local farm was damaged.

Only verified information we have on Telegram Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Theres little that can dent the worlds top-performing stock this year, not even its founder being sent to prison for insider trading.

South Korean battery material producer Ecopros blistering run has seen the shares up 919 per cent this year, the biggest gain for any company with a market capitalisation of at least $US10 billion ($15.7 billion) .

Ecopro founder Lee Dong-Chae is him serving a two-year prison term for violating capital markets law.

That rise, courtesy of an army of Korean retail investors, has also created massive wealth gains for Lee Dong-chae, its former chairman and chief executive officer. He and his family have seen their fortune swell by about $US4.5 billion this year to $US4.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

These gains have largely happened while Lee has battled insider-trading charges that resulted in him receiving a two-year prison term and a fine of 2.2 billion won ($US2.6 million) for violating capital markets law.
Student accommodation is in crisis mode as the number of new visas being issued far outweigh the chronic level of low supply of available beds, forcing developers to demand better planning laws to kick-start more construction.

Even though there has been a 7 per cent uplift in supply with new developments, more are needed to satisfy future needs, new data has revealed.

Student accommodation in The Block, Redfern Credit: Nick Moir

The sector, valued at about $17 billion, was one of the hardest hit during the global pandemic when Australia closed its international borders and sent thousands of students home, leaving schools and universities as ghost towns.

Many parents were reluctant to send the children back, but visa numbers are now showing that arrivals are back to pre-COVID-19 levels. Big capital is now following the wave, but developers and investors say more help is needed with zoning and planning approvals for the properties.
They arent, actually. The tech industrys hostility to ageing continues to violate common sense, Joseph Coughlin, the director of Massachusetts Institute of Technologys AgeLab, told me. His lab conducts research on how an ageing population is changing business. He said that companies in the auto industry, financial services, retail and other sectors are coming around to the emerging opportunities of the longevity economy, the 1.6 billion people around the world who will be 65 or older by the year 2050. Young people are just smarter: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems embarassed by Facebooks popularity with older users. Credit: Bloomberg Silicon Valley remains a glaring exception. The tech giants are among the worlds largest and most innovative businesses; if they took a more open-minded approach to ageing  if they considered solving the problems of older customers as eagerly as they chased teen fads  they could establish a model for ageing in a tech-besotted world. Through advances focused on health care, home assistance, transportation, robotics and artificial intelligence, technology will be crucial to address the problems emerging from demographic imbalance. If there are not enough younger people to care for and cater to the needs of the old, we will increasingly lean on tech to add convenience, independence and perhaps even companionship to our lengthening sunset years.

Stuck in the past Yet this trillion-dollar industry that imagines itself inventing the future is stuck in the past, its views of older customers, older employees and how to best serve them hopelessly misaligned with facts, business logic and demographic destiny. The market is ageing. The market is numerous. The market has got more money than the people they have been building products for, Coughlin said. And yet they continue to ignore them. What can Silicon Valley do for older people? One place to look is in health care, where  lured by the vast riches of Medicare Advantage, a program that offers seniors a way to buy private medical insurance paid for in part by Medicare  venture capitalists and entrepreneurs have begun to recognise the market opportunity in ageing. In the past few years, tech investors once wary of products aimed at supposedly techphobic olds have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into startups that use tech to improve health services for seniors. Many of these promise to allow older people a measure of independence from family caregivers or health care facilities. (Ageing in place is a favourite bit of industry jargon.)

Loading There are companies that use in-home cameras, audio devices and biometric sensors to let health care providers monitor homebound seniors from afar, something like Life Alert for the digital age. One heavily funded startup in the US, DispatchHealth, offers house calls to provide complex treatments that might otherwise require hospital stays  a convenience for the patients that might also cut costs for insurance companies. And then there are some ideas farther afield. A startup called MyndVR is using virtual reality to provide a sense of liberation to older people. Your body may be unable to travel, but through VR, you might cross off destinations on your bucket list. The company argues that VR could also be therapeutic  that by providing cognitive stimulation and allowing for escape from dreary health care settings, the virtual world can improve older peoples well-being. Robotics and artificial intelligence could also play a big part in ageing. Americas National Institute on Ageing, within the National Institutes of Health, has funded pilot projects to research the use of AI assistants to help caregivers, to calm people with dementia who become aggressive at residential facilities and to monitor data from home-based sensors to spot signs of cognitive decline.

In a study published in 2021, researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada found that robotic assistants and companions  among them Paro, a robotic baby seal that can react to people and changes in its environment  can reduce anxiety and depression and improve the emotional well-being in people with dementia. If there is more to ageing than illness, Silicon Valley doesnt seem to know it. If there is more to ageing than illness, Silicon Valley doesnt seem to know it. The largest tech companies (Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft) rarely design products with seniors in mind; the few times they have, its been about addressing health problems  for instance, fall detection in the Apple Watch and Amazons service for caregivers to connect to seniors through Alexa. Where they are innovating is based upon a predefined idea of what ageing is, that its a problem, a health problem or an emotional problem, Coughlin told me. But tech aimed at younger people has never been solely about solving problems; its just as often about fun  video games, social networks, streaming apps, hot new gadgets.

Fun for seniors Ive been trying to imagine what fun technologies like these for seniors might look like. Zuckerberg has struggled to get people to hop into the metaverse, his virtual reality world; perhaps hed have more luck if he designed the digital wonderland for older people, selling it as a way to travel the world, seek thrills and socialise without leaving home. Loading Another idea: YouTube abounds with educational videos like college lectures and hands-on how-tos. The company could collect these offerings into structured courses for retirees: Always wanted to learn quantum mechanics? Heres your chance! And games. Im in my 40s and grew up playing video games, but I find most modern action games too quick for my sluggish reaction time. But why should I miss out on Fortnite just because my old fingers move like molasses? Lets have age tiers and tech assists like automatic aiming in multiplayer games. I cant touch a teen gamer, but perhaps one day I could be the GOAT of the senior-level battle royale.
Later this month, Tim Finn will tour the east coast, playing songs from his 40-year backlist. During the lead-up, I chatted with Tim on radio, asking him about that wonderful bubble a musician must know, where the crowd breathes in sync with your rhythm, a secular worship in a way. What does it feel like? I asked.

Like love, said Tim, because what other word was there? As emotions go, love felt right, if not imprecise. After all, we serenade and dance for love, we marry and forgive, we change nappies and feed cats out of love too. Personally, if I was love, Id feel exhausted. Maybe Tim chose love as love is all we need, to borrow from The Beatles.

Tim Finn: perhaps all we need is tarab.

Yet there is an alternative. Turns out the dictionary can help, whether thats an Arabic-English volume, or An Emotional Dictionary (Hachette, 2022) by Oxford lexicographer Susie Dent. The subtitle sums it up: Real Words for How You Feel from Angst to Zwodder. Angst we know (drawn from Greeks ankhein  to strangle), while zwodder is a drowsy state of laziness, origins unknown.

Lying in between is tarab, an Arabic import defined as the emotions that flow from music. Think of the sorcery your favourite song wields. Or dont think, as tarab captures that trance we enter when logic is lulled and the chords take charge. French writer Victor Hugo said music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Cue tarab, perhaps the word Tim Finn was seeking if either of us knew it existed.
She chose Chin Chin in part because of nostalgia  she went to school nearby. I remember saving up for weeks to have a meal [here]. She then clarifies: one of her schools was near here. After moving to Australia from India at age six, Majumdar changed schools a few times. My dad actually watched a clip [about] him for the first time recently, and hes like, Youre obsessed with me. Urvi Majumdar The first school I went to was in a really white suburb, she explains. I felt like a massive outsider. Things changed at her next school in Oakleigh, where she felt the community was a lot more accepting. Her family moved a few more times, and she eventually attended three different high schools. Its her experience at one of these that formed the basis of her stand-up show, Urvi Went To An All-Girls School, which this year was selected as part of the ABCs Fresh Blood initiative. Heading up a team of South Asian writers, Majumdar will produce three short episodes. I think itll be a lot of fun. Its a lot of work, but it will be a really great way to kind of step into screenwriting and filmmaking.

Before she gets stuck fully into that project though, she will travel to Delhi and Bengaluru to take part in the Australia India Youth Dialogue, a four-day conference which aims to deepen connections between the two countries through discussions of major world issues. She points to film as one way of bringing India and Australia closer together, with significant potential for collaboration. While there are no set aims for the youth dialogue, she highlights that previous attendees have made connections and worked together strengthening cultural ties. I would love to meet someone there who is working in community arts or cultural spaces in India. Son In Law Eggs with Thai basil, crispy shallots and chilli jam. Credit: Justin McManus We take a moment to eat some of the food that has been going cold  or for the sashimi, less cold  while weve been speaking. The Son-In-Law Eggs ended up on our list after I flagged it as a weird name for a meal, but they turn out to be a firm favourite. On Majumdars suggestion, we both order a cocktail, and after they arrive, I experience a strong bout of drink envy, not least because hers  the Thai After Time  is the only one on the menu with a pun for a name.

Majumdar is one of the few creatives chosen to take part in the Australia India Youth Dialogue, and explains that it was comedy that led her to her selection. She was asked to perform a set at the end of last years conference. The bill at Chin Chin. Credit: I was really terrified because I was like, OK, so youre talking about politics for four days, and then I just come in and do five minutes about whatever? She ended up speaking about her father. They all really related to it  everyone came up to me afterwards and was like, My dad does that and My dad has an Excel sheet, so it felt like a uniting of people with dads with Excel. Her clear affection and respect for her parents comes across throughout the conversation. Many of her online videos centre on stories about her father. My dad actually watched a clip [about] him for the first time recently, and hes like, Youre obsessed with me, she laughs. Now I need to write a joke about that because Im like, maybe my dad is my muse? I dont know. Hes a big feature in my work. Halfway through the meal, she shares that her father was diagnosed with leukaemia last year. In addition to chemotherapy, hes had a stem-cell transplant, using stem cells donated by Majumdar, who is now also a leukaemia foundation ambassador. Its brought us so much closer together, which has been really beautiful. But also obviously, its cancer. So its difficult, she says matter-of-factly.

She emphasises that her parents have been very supportive but highlights that while growing up, it was difficult to make a case for pursuing a career in the arts, with only a handful of success stories to point to. Other than Bend it Like Beckham and Mindy Kaling, she says, to be able to reassure parents, people who are genuinely afraid for your future, there werent that many examples. Now its growing  and I feel like it would be great to have some Australian examples to grow with as well. Loading In her eight years of performing stand-up, Majumdar has seen things move, at least slightly, in the right direction. When I first started, it was pretty common for an all-white, male line-up, and I feel like it really shifted once MeToo happened, she says. Theres still tokenism  sometimes you can be the only brown woman on a line-up. Its changing a bit now, but there was a period where I wouldnt ever get to be on the same line-up as my friends who are also brown women because youre the one thats allowed. Its frustrating that the job of addressing the lack of diversity in comedy falls to non-white comics. When I first started comedy I was like, I dont want to talk about being Indian because I dont want to be a race comic. And its a weird internal battle.

So I pretty much started off like that, but then I was, like, theres so much comedy in my family and part of my strength is that I have this other experience. But that doesnt mean that I want to only talk about that for the rest of my life. Its annoying to have to actively not talk about it as well to be like seen as someone whos not just talking about race all the time. Talking about your own life, your own experience, shouldnt come with all these other considerations, she says. And your own experience is actually the experience of so many people in Australia. Though she would never say it, Majumdar is well on the way to becoming one of the examples she wished existed as she was growing up. Her next 12 months shape as intense but potentially fruitful. There are episodes to film, a new stand-up show to write and casual relief teaching to pay the bills. So maybe you can do it on the side, after all. Her long-term dream is to drive change in what our storytelling looks like, to make us look at things differently and maybe say them differently, too. Rather than telling the same jokes and narratives the same way we always have, she wants to bring fresh perspectives and show there are more options out there. As for the short term: Im just going to make what I find funny and good, and then worry about the rest later. Its my approach at the moment.
And yet, each year, he only just clears a minimum wage after costs and tax. Lordan would like to employ an apprentice to take on more work and pass on his trade secrets, but he cant afford one. Shrinking rates of leisure horse ownership (there are about 1 million leisure horses in Australia owned by 2 per cent of the population) and small profits ensure his is a labour of love. Theres also the issue afflicting the wider saddlery trade of cheap copies flooding the market from India, China, Mexico and a range of other countries. The industry is remarkably unregulated, Lordan says. Putting a saddle on a horse is a huge safety issue. If the saddle isnt safe, the rider can end up being killed by a bad fall.

The No.1 problem with cheaper saddles is fit, the way they sit on the horses back. An unstable, badly made saddle with cheap fixtures, inferior leather and a poorly designed tree is basically an unsafe saddle. It can break or slip, causing the rider to fall. It might also pinch a horses back or wither, leading the horse to buck or rear. Lordan is one of just a handful of saddlers still making a traditional serge-lined Australian stock saddle. Mail order catalogues featured the saddles of Jack Wieneke of Roma, Queensland. Dubbed the armchair of the bush and the national saddle  and widely hailed by international experts as one of the kindest saddles you can put on a horse  the Australian stock saddle is in danger of disappearing from view as these saddlers exit the trade.

While Jack Wieneke (of German descent) has long been hailed as the creator of the Australian stock saddle  including by R.M. Williams  in fact, the adaptation of English saddle styles to an article more suited to rough and ready Australian bush riding began long before Wieneke entered the trade in the mid-1880s. Newspaper articles and advertisements show saddles were being made in the colony from as early as 1820. Loading A number of famous early saddleries sprang up in the centre of Sydney, including J.P Talty and John Brush & Co., while in Melbourne, Billy Kinnear and Morrisons dominated trade on Bourke Street. R.M. Williams opened in Adelaide in 1932. Today, demand for Australian stock saddles comes mainly from the show set: specifically, the Australian Stock Horse Ladies Association (ASHLA) classes, as well as the odd camp drafter who eschews the more modern half-breed or swinging fender saddle, which combines features of the stock and the American western saddle. Lordan makes a fender style hes called The Mustang in a nod to the American influence.

Only around 10 per cent of my orders are for traditional Australian stock saddles, Lordan laments. Its a beautiful saddle, but its expensive to make. A properly made quality item will cost you around $12,000, versus around $7000 for a good fender. Since Renee Matthews, 31, created her saddlery business in 2010, shes produced mainly American western and fender saddles  and is a five-time winner of the Sydney Royal Easter Shows first prize for saddle making. Renee Matthews with one of her saddles. You dont get anywhere by being on a downer, says Matthews, who is based in Luddenham in Sydneys west, and focuses on the positives of the trade. Im so busy, Ive got 32 saddles on order at the moment. Its such a fulfilling job, Im passionate about it. I stay upbeat and just keep on going. Loading

She learnt to make Australian stock saddles from one of the nations all-time greatest master saddlers, Denis Jackson (1949-2020). However, she hasnt produced many, given her orders are mainly for western and fender saddles. There arent many saddlers around teaching the art of a traditional Australian stock saddle any more, but hopefully it will survive and continue, because those types of saddles are needed, Matthews says. There is at least ongoing demand from the nostalgia set  from the likes of Melbourne property developer Michael Drapac, who has the best collection of Australian stock saddles in the world. Australian-made stock saddles. Credit: Jessica Hromas And theres still demand from Hollywood. Denis Jackson was commissioned by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin to make the spectacular black stock saddles featured in Luhrmanns 2008 film Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.
Disability care worker Thevamanogari Manivel was handed a shortcut  an extraordinary unearned windfall  and could not resist the temptation to try to take it.

She was working a low-paying and physically intensive job when $10.5 million  and not the $100 she was expecting  appeared in her bank account from a foreign cryptocurrency firm.

A previous sketch of Thevamanogari Manivel in Melbourne Magistrates Court. Credit: Nine News

Judge Martine Marich put what happened next down to self-interest: It represented a shortcut to the financial goal that you had previously endeavoured to pursue through your sheer hard work.

It took six months for the crypto firm to realise its error but by then, Manivel had transferred $4 million to accounts in Malaysia. She was later arrested attempting to flee Australia with $11,750 in cash.
A leading Perth community advocate has voiced his outrage at a racist email sent by a local real estate agent amid a dispute with Indian tenants and vowed to take the case to West Australian Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Ethnic Communities Council executive officer Suresh Rajan on Friday said he believed the comments made by Bronwyn Pollitt, from Mavin Real Estate in Victoria Park, fell under the criminal definition of racial vilification.

Bronwyn Pollitt, from Mavin Real Estate in Victoria Park. Credit: Mavin Real Estate

The states Consumer Protection department also slammed the offensive and sickening email, declaring a clear message needed to be sent to the real estate industry that anyone who held racist views was not fit to work.

Commissioner Trish Blake said racism was something which had existed in the industry for a long time.
On September 8, Russian occupants launched an air bomb on Odradokamianka in the Kherson Region. A Russian aerial bomb killed three civilians: two women and a man.

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Four more civilians were injured. This was reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko.

"The enemy shelled the Kherson region. Russian aerial bomb killed three civilians in Odradokamianka: 2 women and a man. Four residents were injured. Investigation and operational teams, criminalists, rescuers and volunteers are working to eliminate the consequences of the shelling. We document another war crime of the Russian Federation," the head of the Interior Ministry said.

He also published the consequences of the Russian attack on a peaceful village.

According to the Kherson Regional Military Administration, two victims were hospitalized in a condition of moderate severity.

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"Two women and one man received injuries incompatible with life due to the hit of a guided aerial bomb. Four more women are wounded. 54 and 62-year-old victims are hospitalized in a condition of medium severity. 50 and 29-year-old injured will be treated on an outpatient basis", the message reads.

Kherson RMA also added that the Russians shelled the settlement of Vesele from mortars.

"A 67-year-old man was wounded. He is in a hospital now," the message says.

The news is being updated...
Workers on Australias biggest LNG facilities have followed through on a threat to down tools after talks between their union and global energy heavyweight Chevron failed to deliver a new employment agreement.

Chevron and the bargaining representatives from Offshore Alliance have met each day this week in front of the Fair Work Commission to strike new enterprise agreements covering about 500 workers at the companys Wheatstone and Gorgon operations. The facilities account for up to 5 per cent of the global LNG supply.

Barrow Island in WA is home to Chevrons massive Gorgon liquefied natural gas plant. Credit: Chevron

The alliance had commission approval to start protective industrial action on Thursday afternoon, which Chevron managed to delay, but by Friday morning negotiations had broken down.

The union, made up of members from the Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Workers Union, announced it would begin rolling stoppages from Friday afternoon.
I find it difficult to envisage successful litigation based on this constitutional change. I dont underestimate the capacity of our lawyers for creative submissions. Most of the time, they are rejected by the courts. Loading If there is litigation arising from the Voice it is most likely to be about the act of parliament which the new section authorises. This frequently happens for Commonwealth legislation. It happened to the Inter-State Commission. The parliament can always change legislation. As a former judge, I find it offensive that some participants in this debate cast doubts on the integrity of our judiciary when predicting what might happen if this addition is made. What is most offensive about this is the fact that they call themselves conservatives. The proposed amendment gives the parliament a wide discretion on how the Voice is structured. The proposal by Peter Dutton to create a regionally focused Voice can be achieved by amending the legislation which the Albanese government enacts. He does not need another referendum. If elected, he can use this one.

The second significant word in the Voice amendment is the reference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Peoples. That was the word used when the discussion on constitutional recognition began. Peoples is also the word used in the United Nations resolution that has guided similar debates throughout the world. Loading Along the way in Australia, some participants in the debate changed peoples to nations. The change reflects the more controversial language of sovereignty and treaty, which some use to scare voters about the Voice. As the Uluru Statement recognises, these are issues to be considered later, together with truth telling. The choice of the word peoples makes it clear that the Voice amendment has nothing to do with those issues, whatever the appendices to the Uluru Statement may say. That is the main reason why some Indigenous representatives say, this is not good enough and advocate a no vote, without giving any reasons why it is not good, or even worse. As Voltaire put it: The perfect is the enemy of the good. The prime minister has correctly emphasised that this is an advisory body. Divisiveness is not created by such a body.

The special status of our First Peoples has long been recognised in many ways, such as with former prime minister Kevin Rudds apology to the stolen generations, which was also decried at the time as not good enough. That special status is manifest most clearly in the recognition of land rights as part of our common law by the High Court in the 1992 Mabo judgment  a decision reinforced by acts of all our parliaments. The referendum question is no more divisive than what we have already created, to the benefit of the whole nation. Many opponents of the Voice may not have shared that view about recognition of land rights or the apology. But they do not advocate repealing the land rights legislation or withdrawing the apology, two developments which, by accepting that Indigenous Australian are entitled to special treatment as First Peoples, have already reduced divisions in our nation. Kevin Rudds 2008 apology to the stolen generations, which accepted that Indigenous Australian are entitled to special treatment as First Peoples, reduced divisions in our nation. Credit: Andrew Taylor Our Constitution may be the only one in the world to confer an express power to make legislation on the basis of race. Divisiveness was with us from the start. The 1967 referendum that enabled the Commonwealth to make laws for Indigenous Australians under the race power reduced divisiveness in our nation. It enabled the Commonwealth to override the long history of discrimination by state legislatures and governments. I witnessed that personally as a student on the 1965 Freedom Ride through NSW. However, the race power can still be used for its original racist purpose. As a barrister, I appeared as the QC for the Indigenous women in the Hindmarsh Island Bridge case, better known as the secret womens business case. I could not convince the High Court that the 1967 referendum had changed the original meaning of the race power, so it could not now be used to pass discriminatory legislation.
Senator and former foreign minister Marise Payne has announced her retirement from politics after more than 26 years in federal parliament.

Payne said she would exit politics on September 30, setting in motion a preselection race, with prominent Voice No campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine and former NSW Liberal minister Andrew Constance considered the early frontrunners to replace her.

Marise Payne, then minister for foreign affairs, reacting to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. Credit: Steven Siewert

It is an extraordinary honour to be elected to represent ones community in the federal parliament, Payne wrote on Facebook on Friday.

To have had the privilege to have served as long as I have, and in the process to have become Australias longest-serving female senator in history, is something of which I am very proud.
Boys in regional and disadvantaged parts of the country are joining the National Disability Insurance Scheme at up to three times the rate of their inner-city counterparts, in a sign the scheme has become a lifeline for families of children who lack school support or the ability to get help privately.

Families who cant get help for learning delay at school or access services such as speech therapy in the private system are driven to the NDIS for support. Once eligible, children can linger on waitlists for months, especially in regional areas where services are in short supply, and stay in the system for years.

Families who need help with development delay are forced into the NDIS, where their sons linger on waitlists for specialist treatment. Credit: istock

More than one in eight boys are on the NDIS in some parts of the country, demonstrating the scale of the challenge that school systems and early childhood centres face when they are asked to step up support for children with autism and developmental delay, who continue to make up the bulk of new participants on the NDIS.

Education ministers are under pressure to turn around results for thousands of children struggling with reading and maths, and to fix a stark achievement gap between students in cities and regions exposed in last months NAPLAN results.
Peter Dutton might just be experiencing a form of wreckers remorse. How else can voters make sense of his campaign this week for a second referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Constitution while he undermines the referendum to be held on October 14 to give them a Voice to parliament?

Perhaps the opposition leader has allowed himself to think ahead to what the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians might look like if the Voice fails. What happens when the first welcome to country is given at an event after the referendum? If Dutton is in the audience, will he feel the room divided by his presence? If he is at the podium, will he acknowledge Indigenous leaders past, present and emerging, as he did for the opening of the federal parliament last year?

Illustration: Simon Letch. Credit:

Or was he was just spooked this week by the Youre the Voice ad from The Uluru Dialogue, which has surprised the official Yes campaign and many in Anthony Albaneses government for its clarity of passion, and generosity of spirit.

Either way, the awkward attempt to deliver a positive message with a second referendum suggests Dutton understands that Australia will change in some fundamental way on October 15 if the vote is no.
The news

Almost 2000 drivers have been incorrectly handed double-demerit points after what has been described as a design fault in Queenslands automated mobile phone and seatbelt camera system.

The issue affected drivers who committed two or more seatbelt offences in a 12-month period, where at least one of them involved a passenger and was detected by the automated camera scheme.

Speaking to media on Friday morning, Transport Minister Mark Bailey apologised for the design fault, which meant 1843 drivers had been incorrectly given the double-demerit points, with 626 of them having had their licences incorrectly suspended.
Children in residential care have been charged with offences including breaking a plate and throwing a sponge, as new data shows one in two children who go into residential care in Victoria are charged with a criminal offence within two years.

An analysis of Victoria Legal Aid clients between August 1, 2019 and August 1, 2022, found that after two years in residential care, every second child was charged with an offence. The service has seen charges brought for property damage during a self-harm attempt.

Joanna Fletcher, Victoria Legal Aids executive director of family, youth and childrens law. Credit: Jason South

There are about 500 children in residential care in Victoria. Almost all of those charged with an offence would use the legal aid services, said Joanna Fletcher, Victoria Legal Aids executive director of family, youth and childrens law.

Two-thirds of children aged 10 to 14 in the setting will have subsequent contact with the justice system, according to Victorian government data cited by the truth-telling Yoorrook Justice Commission in its landmark report released this week.
To provide inspiration, we asked seven Traveller writers, highly experienced in travelling the world alone, to reflect on the most memorable experiences of flying (and every other kind of transport) solo.  Ute Junker Falling for a snake charmer in Vietnam By Ben Groundwater It begins with trepidation, and a snake, and the loss of a few hundred dollars. It ends with a revelation. The setting was Hanoi, a testing destination for any traveller, particularly a kid who had never been to South-East Asia before, who had never travelled solo before, who trusted in the world and its goodness with the utter faith of the uninitiated.

Vietnam can be a learning experience for young travellers. Credit: iStock That was me. I was 24  so, not exactly a kid, though it felt that way on reflection. I arrived in Hanoi at the beginning of a year-long solo adventure. It was the first time Id struck out truly alone, with no-one else to rely on, or team up with, or blame. Id been in the city for about three hours before I got scammed. I was sitting by Hoan Kiem Lake, trying to take it all in, when a local guy approached me, befriended me, and asked if I wanted to go and eat with him. How lucky was I? My first day in South-East Asia and Id already made a local friend, already been invited out to lunch. It took a good few hours to realise I was being swindled. I was taken to a restaurant on the far outskirts of Hanoi, with no idea where I was, and no way to get home. There, Im plied with a meal of snake, a specialty here I was told.

Within a week of being scammed I was in Hoi An, and laughing about the time I paid all that money for a snake. Credit: Getty I never saw a menu. Never thought to ask what it cost. But then the bill arrived at the end of the meal and its more than $US200 ($313)  and apparently I was the only one paying. That was two weeks budget; it was also a huge blow to a novice solo travellers confidence. Was I really cut out for this? But you pick yourself up, and you move on because theres no other choice. Within days, I made real friends, fellow travellers with whom to team up and rely on. Within a week I was in Hoi An, sharing a room with an English backpacker Id met in Halong Bay, sitting out on the street on sultry nights drinking 333 beers and laughing about the time I paid all that money for a snake.

By the end of that year of solo travel I was a completely different person, self-sufficient, confident, resourceful, and far less naive. I can do this, I realised. I have what it takes. And I will never get scammed again (even though I was). Find the rub in Colombia By Ute Junker I arrived in Colombia unprepared. Oh, I had a hotel room booked, and the currency conversion memorised, but I didnt have a single conversation starter. Solo travel is all about connecting with the locals and the best way to do that is to have something to say.

I usually prep before I go. In South America, boning up on the best-loved local music, whether it is salsa or samba, chicha or reggaeton, works nicely, but on a last-minute trip in the early 2000s, when the Internet wasnt as all-encompassing as it is now, I was completely clueless. I looked for a walking tour that would give me some insights but in my first stop, Medellin  a city that was just starting to shrug off its 1990s reputation as the murder capital of the world  offerings were thin on the ground. Plaza Botero is filled with bulbous bronze works by Colombias most famous sculptor, Fernando Botero. Credit: iStock The only option was to join a small group of Colombian tourists on their city tour, and so I did. I only have a smattering of Spanish, so I missed most of the commentary, but I did learn one important thing  Colombians love to laugh.

My fellow guests decided to have fun with the foreigner and took great delight in making me pose for ridiculous photos, particularly at Plaza Botero, filled with bulbous bronze works by Colombias most famous sculptor, Fernando Botero. Loading My companions explained that it was tradition to rub each statue for luck and pointed me to the first one, a giant horse with shiny patches on its legs worn away by countless hands. Cheered on by the rest of the group, I dutifully posed for photos rubbing one of the legs. I already had an inkling where this may end up and sure enough, the highlight of the tour  for my companions, anyway  was when we reached the oversized naked man. Dutifully I posed for photos rubbing the lucky part of his anatomy (yes, it was exactly what you think it is). My companions were so pleased that I was willing to play along that hugs all around ensued.

Colombias tourism scene has changed out of sight since I first visited, and you will find plenty of tourist-friendly facilities everywhere from the picturesque Caribbean city of Cartagena to Bogota and yes, even Medellin. The one thing that hasnt changed is that Colombians still love to laugh. Remember to pack your sense of humour, and you are bound to have some memorable encounters as a solo traveller. Letting go of my emotional baggage in India By Catherine Marshall I was the only foreigner on the flight from Delhi to Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. In the arrivals hall, a rifle-wielding soldier strode towards me and thrust a sheet of paper into my hand.

Fill it in! he barked. I fished for a pen from my backpack and obeyed his order. This encounter was the only desolate moment on my journey to one of the worlds most beautiful  and politically fraught  destinations. My fellow passengers spilled from the tiny airport and into the arms of their families. I stayed behind in the empty arrivals hall and filled out the foreign registration form. My lone suitcase looped around the baggage carousel; it was a fitting metaphor for the solitude of unaccompanied journeys. Solo in Srinagar: not everyone wishes to holiday in places shaped by ideological conflict, no matter how arresting the topography. Credit: iStock But solo travellers are never truly alone. Most often, we are surrounded by people we have yet to meet. A year earlier, on a visit to Allahabad sans companion, Id attended the worlds biggest religious gathering, the Kumbh Mela.

Id wandered the megalopolis of tented camps, roamed ashrams clouded with marijuana smoke and received blessings from naked sadhus. How could I be lonely, when I was amid millions of Hindus coming to perform puja at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers? Now, released from that soldiers glare in Srinagar, I emerged into a sea of alpine air and jostling, curious faces. Id arranged for a guide to meet me. Welcome to paradise, he said. Wedged between India, Pakistan and China, this precipitous territory has long been contested. My fascination with such geopolitics lends itself to solo travel; not everyone wishes to holiday in places shaped by ideological conflict, no matter how arresting the topography.

Loading Though Australians are now cautioned against visiting Kashmir, my journey was skirmish-free; only that cantankerous soldier threatened to rattle my composure. But such trials are mere stepping stones to the ultimate quest: connection with people, place and  most constructively  self. This final undertaking is the true reward of solitary travel: unknown to every last Kashmiri, I had to relinquish my baggage and perceive myself, and this foreign world, through their eyes. There was no room for pride or ego here, no friend who could reassert my rank and status. In the absence of a support system, trust becomes a powerful equaliser. As snow-capped peaks stacked the skies and saffron-filled valleys yawned below me, so my consciousness expanded. It is best to meditate in solitude upon such wonders.

Of sliding doors and spoon sweets in Cyprus By Katrina Lobley Travellers my age dont usually wing it. We arrive at an overseas destination with hotels booked and a plan in hand. Depending on your POV, having no plan is either extremely stressful or wonderfully liberating. The latter attitude prevailed when I landed in Cyprus earlier this year with no plan beyond picking up rental wheels and heading to my first night s hotel. Travel has a way of opening doors: Cyprus Sea Caves, or Palatia (palaces). Credit: iStock

I doubt a travel companion would have appreciated my free-and-easy lets-just-book-as-we-go concept. Dynamic hotel pricing can make this behaviour expensive; luckily, I was travelling well before the countrys summer high season and accommodation was affordable and readily available. Also, I must confess to suffering from choice paralysis. Cyprus is (no thanks to Turkey) a small country; theoretically, I could cover its length and breadth over four days. But I didnt want to race here, there and everywhere. So, I let go of the idea of reaching Pafos and Aphrodites Rock in the south-west. Id flown into Larnaca on the east coast and wanted to explore a few highlights without spending too long driving. Out of curiosity, I headed to Ayia Napa for a stickybeak. From the look of its mega-bars, dance clubs and beachside amusement park, this resort town is like Brighton-by-the-Med for sun-seeking British holidaymakers.

So glad I wasnt staying, but stunning landscapes are nearby, and I pottered around above the Sea Caves  known locally as Palatia (palaces)  near Cape Greco Peninsula (those nimbler than me clamber down the cliffs to snap photos from a cave overlooking those Bombay Sapphire waters). Then I moseyed into the nearby national park to admire the clifftop Agioi Anargyroi Chapels striking blues and whites positioned against sea and sky. My next few days were spent in artisan mountain villages, hiking through pine-scented forests to reach waterfalls and exploring Lefkosia (Nicosia)  the worlds last divided capital. Here, I wandered the old towns cobbled streets, not having to explain my whims to anyone. I bumped up against the Green Line  the UN Buffer Zone thats a painful reminder of all thats been lost  and got chatting with a local.

Within minutes, she ushered me inside her home and offered glyka tou koutaliou (spoon sweets) and a cold drink. Solo travel sure has a way of opening doors. Memories of Mehmet, Ali and Ugur in Turkey By Brian Johnston The second place I ever travelled to solo, Turkey, transformed my life. Its beautiful and sometimes bizarre landscapes, cultural density and most of all its friendliness seduced me into a lifetime of travel. Would it have happened if Id travelled in company? Probably not. Going solo leaves you exposed to every impact, lets you explore at whim and, most all, allows you local interactions that decrease in a twosome.

Uchisar castle, dug from mountains in Cappadocia. Credit: iStock Hitchhiking and riding buses and dolmus (shared taxis), I travelled down the long Aegean coast from Istanbul, then cut back through central Turkey to see Cappadocia and Ankara. It was low-season Easter in the days before mass tourism. Solo travel teaches you to rely on yourself, and hones your independence. I spent a lot of time drinking Turkish tea from tulip-shaped glasses in carpet shops whose owners wanted to practise their English. Or drinking coffee thick as sludge in coffeehouses where locals clacked backgammon pieces and puffed on shishas. I met Ali, who learned English words from slips of paper he kept in his pocket. Mehmet, who was studying for his driving test. Ugur, a chatty local in a Bodrum bar.

Turkish culture places great value on hospitality, and people are unnervingly eager to help. Warnings went off in my head. But instead of being scammed, I was taken into local homes for coffees and meals. I was given directions and even bus tickets by passing strangers. I hitchhiked with truck drivers who went out of their way to drop me off. For solo travel, Turkish courtesy and helpfulness is a godsend. Going solo means you dont have to compromise with anyone else. You lose out on shared experience, but you gain absolute freedom. You can veer off your planned route on a whim, or when encouraged by a newfound but temporary friend. I was never lonely. Travelling solo makes it easy to pick up companions along the way. My diary shows I toured Ephesus with an expat American schoolteacher who worked in Cairo, and in Marmaris had dinner (and lost at backgammon) with an Israeli called Carl. In Kas, I chatted a long time with a Canadian yachtie whod given up regular work to sail the Mediterranean for a decade.

Sometimes I credit him with changing my life. Had I been with someone else that day, walking along the Kas waterfront, Id never have stopped to talk and get inspired. No compromises, no negotiations in Australia By Nina Karnikowski All I could think of was this never would have happened if I hadnt been travelling alone. I was hiking through the Daintree Rainforest with a woman Id met just a few hours ago, rain dripping through the thick palms, cycads and soaring figs, accompanied by the pop and crackle of insects. We reach the river, strip off and throw our bodies into the water, so clear I can see the ancient boulders far below the surface. Lying on my back I let the water hold me, feeling completely fearless and free.

This moment was the pinnacle of a one-month solo road trip I took during the pandemic, when desperation saw me jumping in the car and travelling 2000 kilometres from my home in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, to the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland. During that nature-shrouded month I did all the things I knew would soothe my restless soul, without having to justify myself to anybody. Paronella Park. I visited permaculture farms near Noosa and went kayaking in the Everglades, hiked in beautiful places including the Glasshouse Mountains and the Atherton Tablelands, camped in the back of our Prius (definitely only big enough for one), and had all the time in the world to go beachcombing, write in a journal and dream. There were no compromises or negotiations about where to eat or stay or what to do. When a sign told me to turn off to a place called Paronella Park on my way back home, I had no one telling me we didnt have time, and as a result discovered a fascinating abandoned Spanish castle hidden in the rainforest.

Eating alone can be one of the most daunting aspects of solo travel. In this instance, though, it let me give my full attention to the spectacular sunsets that were unfolding at my beachside camp spots while I was slurping my noodle dinners, with no idle conversation to distract me. When we travel with others our blinkers are usually on. Details can pass us by, and strangers often wont feel as comfortable approaching a couple as they will a single person. Had I been accompanied on that road trip, Im almost certain I wouldnt have met that fascinating mushroom farmer who quit his job in oil and gas to follow his fungal dream in Noosa; that bubbly owner of the A-frame I stayed in on Magnetic Island who remains a friend to this day, or my Daintree skinny-dipping buddy. Most importantly, though, I wouldnt have gotten to know myself quite so well, the ultimate gift of solo travel. My way on the US highways

By Julie Miller Americas car culture makes solo travel so easy. Grab your rental at any given airport, lock your suitcase and valuables in the trunk, then hit the road, cranking up the country music on the car radio. No need to chat to anyone, no need to be polite, just focus on keeping the middle line to your left and watch those tricky right-hand turns. Embrace the silence when driving through America. Credit: iStock On Americas highways, your car is not only your means to an end, its also your safety net, your bunker and your trash can. Travelling on your own, you can dither all you like, take wrong turns, and make spontaneous stops if so inspired. No judgement, no dramas. Even if things dont go to plan, I find it the most stress-free way to travel, with the added rewards of discovery en route. Three decades of exploring the United States by road  sometimes with family, occasionally with friends, but largely on my own  have taught me several things: ground floor motel rooms are preferable if you have luggage; an international data plan on your phone is essential, as GPS navigation isnt standard in hire cars; and continental breakfasts are best avoided. And dont get me started about American coffee.

But more importantly, travelling alone in this populous, gregarious country is never lonely. Americans are always up for a yarn, especially when you open your mouth and Australian vernacular spills out. (Im not sure what you just said, maam, but keep on talking  I love your accent!) And while Im happy to embrace silence (or my off-key singing) in my vehicle, once I arrive at a destination, immersion as a solo traveller in guaranteed. From chatting with barmen during countless Happy Hours, to shooting pool or two-stepping with dusty cowboys at a historic Wyoming hotel, Americans rarely accept the Greta Garbo mantra of I want to be alone and instead will invite solo strangers into their world  or at least into their night out. Call it opportunism or just good manners, but a single female sitting at a bar will generally be proffered free drinks by fellow patrons; and while theres many a time I have broken out the old Im waiting for my boyfriend/husband/girlfriend line to deter unwanted attention, in general, I find the flirtations benign, based on a culturally-acceptable friendliness, curiosity and wonderment that you are, indeed, venturing into the big bad world alone. Take the time in an Idaho honky-tonk when every AC/DC song on the jukebox was selected in my honour; or when an encounter with an old man in a museum in South Dakota ended up being a brush with Lakota royalty, a wise nonagenarian with precious knowledge and stories both heartbreaking and hilarious. Interactions like this would not be possible travelling with a group, or even with friends where itineraries have fixed timetables and agendas. Travelling solo invites the luxury of flexibility and self-indulgence. And thats the way I like it. Five tips for successful solo travel

Practise self-confidence Apart from deterring people with nefarious intentions, this attribute will diminish the self-consciousness solo travellers often suffer from, open you up to new encounters and put you at ease in a foreign environment. Make a lunch date with yourself Daunted by the thought of dining alone every night? Make lunch your main meal with a small snack at night. A solo lunch can feel less confronting and youll also save money, particularly in Spain and Japan where good value set-price lunches are common. Start a conversation

 you never know where it can lead. Say hello, give a compliment, do a good deed or chit-chat with your seat neighbour. You could end up with a ride from the airport, a coffee or lunch date, a fabulous sightseeing tip  or even a friend for life. Take a chill pill Relax when interacting with others. Most people respond to friendliness, and are willing to provide casual assistance. If youre uptight, hesitant or nervous that vibe will likely be returned. Pack a journal Whether youre lonely and need someone to talk to, or just want to capture your travels on something other than your iPhone, a journal is a wonderful way to digest and appreciate life on a deeper level, and is one of the best travel companions.
Hong Kong: Torrential rain has descended on Hong Kong leading to widespread flooding across the densely packed city, submerging streets, shopping malls and metro stations, forcing authorities to shut schools and asked workers to stay at home.

Overnight into Friday, the Chinese special administrative region received the highest hourly rainfall since records began 140 years ago. Cascades of water tumbled down the citys mountainous terrain and residents were warned of landslide risk.

Streets turned into torrents, videos circulating on social media showed, while one clip showed metro workers wading waist deep in a station as they tried to stem the water gushing down from road level.

The cross harbour tunnel, one of main arteries connecting Hong Kong island to Kowloon, was also inundated, while photos showed a waterlogged shopping centre in the Chai Wan district.
But it also found 32 per cent want Australia to transition to a republic as soon as possible, up 12 percentage points on a similar poll last year. That compares with 35 per cent opting to remain a constitutional monarchy. In Britain, the YouGov poll found Charles had an approval rating of 59 per cent, compared to his son William, the new Prince of Wales, with 69 per cent. Past surveys showed only around one-third of the public ever approved of Charles when he was the Prince of Wales. At the time he was criticised as the meddling prince because of his interventions on a range of political issues including climate change. That changed when the Queen died. His ratings shot up to 63 per cent approval and have stayed around that mark ever since.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said Charles first speech to the nation after his mother died was the defining factor. His speech to the nation where he pointed out that, obviously, he would diverge from the activist Prince of Wales that he had been previously  that was what the job entails, Fitzwilliams said. King Charles and Queen Camilla wave alongside Prince William, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince George on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June. Credit: AP The picture is not all rosy, however. YouGovs polling also showed a major generational divide sharpening with 80 per cent of over-65s supporting the monarchy, but support falling to just 37 per cent among those aged 18 to 24. Its clear that the biggest challenge facing the monarchy currently is falling support among the youngest generation, Matthew Smith, head of YouGovs data journalism said.

Fitzwilliams agreed that fallout from the decisions of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Megan, to step back from senior royal roles  and his subsequent memoir and Netflix series  had taken a toll on the monarchy and was part of the reason for the extraordinary imbalance between generations. Youve definitely seen it take a toll because they were the modern face of the family, he said. There is something very, very new in the way that younger people are disillusioned. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said Charles reign had started exceptionally well and he was seeking to stamp his own mark on the job. I just think hes been really, really busy with everything thats happened this year, Seward said. He has his own things to do but first and foremost comes the job of being king.

Unnamed friends told Britains Sunday Times newspaper that Charles had found the workload surprising but had settled into his role. He seems very content and happy, having mourned the loss of his mother, he is settled. His destiny has arrived and he has embraced it, one close friend told the paper, while aides said the King and his officials were being cautious. Polling showing King Charles III with a 59 per cent approval rating in August 2023. Credit: YouGov Media reports say he will soon launch an initiative to combat food waste, something that would help maintain his long-term sustainability advocacy. He was also reportedly looking to scale back staffing levels within his household. Loading

But Charles second year is also expected to involve more travel  so far, his overseas trips have been limited to Europe and Germany. He is due to finally got to France on September 20, after an earlier trip  his first as King  was cancelled last year because of riots. I would definitely expect more on the Commonwealth, Fitzwilliam said. We should expect more very soon, thats very important. Queen Elizabeth used to say I must be seen to be believed. Well, theres no doubt at all that they should be seen. King Charles III, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service in Westminster Abbey last year. Credit: AP Smith said for now Charles benefited mainly from simply existing in the job.
The Ukrainian army managed to break through the Russian defense and made progress in the counteroffensive. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are gradually gaining strength and are advancing despite heavy fighting.

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This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during his speech to MEPs on Thursday, September 7.

The Secretary-General ironically noted that when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, its army was considered the second strongest in the world, and "now the Russian army is the second strongest in Ukraine."

"The Ukrainians are gradually gaining strength, and this proves the importance of our support and our ability and willingness to continue that support... These are heavy battles, but Ukrainian Forces have managed to break through the defensive lines of the Russian forces, they are advancing," Stoltenberg emphasized.

At the same time, he recalled the mined territories, which make it difficult for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to advance. The NATO official noted that one cannot expect victories from the Ukrainian defenders on their own, because this is not the case in war. Partners should be with Ukraine not only in success but also in difficult times, Stoltenberg emphasized.

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"The Ukrainians decided to launch an offensive because they are going to liberate their land, and they are making progress. Perhaps not as fast as we had hoped, but they are gradually making progress, about 100 meters a day.... It is unlikely that we will see only victories for the side we support. There will be bad days and good days. We must be with Ukraine not only in good times but also in bad times," the North Atlantic Alliance Secretary General emphasized.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, according to the General Staff, AFU continue the offensive operation on several sections of the front. The defenders have achieved success and are consolidating on new borders in the Melitopol direction. The soldiers of the Defense Forces also succeeded south of Robotyne and west of Verbove.

Only verified information from us on Telegram Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Honda Tesla-izes, Will Make Tesla Charging (NACS) Standard On New Honda EV Models







Honda joins Ford, GM, Nissan and Fisker in the wave of carmakers that will use Tesla's NACS charging port for their competitive EVs.

TOKYO, Japan September 7, 2023;; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it has reached an agreement with Tesla, Inc. to adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) for the charging port of its EV models that will go on sale in North America starting from 2025.

In 2025, Honda is planning to launch a new EV model in North America equipped with a NACS port. From that point forward, Honda will continue adopting NACS standards for its models.

EV models the company will launch in North America before 2025, which will be equipped with a Combined Charging System (CCS) port, are also being developed to be compatible with the NACS through the use of a charging adaptor.

In North America, Honda recently announced that it has agreed to establish a joint venture among seven automakers* to build a high-powered charging network for EVs with the aim of building a reliable charging infrastructure. In addition to this initiative, Honda has agreed to adopt the NACS to enable its customers to use Tesla Supercharger stations, which will significantly enhance charging convenience.

Honda will continue offering a reliable and convenient charging environment for its customers to achieve widespread EV adoption and support Honda's efforts to realize carbon neutrality.

* BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, Stellantis NV

https://global.honda/newsroom/news/2023/c230727eng.html
Chinese FM meets Australian delegation, calls for enhanced cooperation

Xinhua) 08:32, September 08, 2023

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue on Thursday in Beijing, calling for enhanced cooperation to promote the steady and long-term development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Noting that China-Australia relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with Western countries, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the economies of the two countries are highly complementary, the people of the two countries are friendly to each other, and there are no disputes left over from history or major conflicts of interests between the two countries.

"China will work with Australia to promote the sound, steady and sustainable development of China-Australia relations, bring more benefits to the two peoples and contribute to regional peace, stability and development," said Wang.

He spoke highly of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue, saying that it has played a due role in deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation and enhancing friendship between the two sides.

Wang called on the two sides to continuously make good use of this platform to enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings between the two peoples, and make new contributions and add positive energy to the improvement and development of China-Australia relations.

Noting that the year 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia, Wang said that this year the two sides stand at a new starting point of another 50 years.

"Looking back at the past and looking forward to the future, if we look at bilateral relations with a 100-year horizon, the twists and turns in the past few years cannot define the nature of our bilateral relations, still less can they stop the pace of China-Australia cooperation," he said.

Wang underlined that it is necessary for the two sides to draw useful experience and lessons from the setbacks in the bilateral relations.

He urged the two sides to look at each other objectively, calmly and kindly, not interfere in each other's internal affairs, enhance mutual understanding through communication, and properly handle differences between each other.

China and Australia should remain partners rather than rivals, Wang said, calling on Australia to recognize China's development as an opportunity rather than a threat.

"We need to advance China-Australia relations independently and without any influence or interference from any third party," he said.

Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the two sides should make a fresh start again, comprehensively review cooperation in various fields, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang added.

Craig Emerson, head of the Australian delegation and former Australian Trade Minister, said that Australia is glad to see that bilateral relations are maturing after twists and turns.

"Australia always regards China as an important cooperative partner and is willing to conduct constructive and candid dialogue with China to understand each other, manage differences and develop long-term and stable Australia-China relations," Emerson said.

The two sides should also revitalize cooperation in multilateral institutions, jointly promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and work together for the well-being of the two countries and the world, Emerson added.

Wang said that both China and Australia are supporters and promoters of the multilateral trading system, and China is willing to work with all parties, including Australia, to build an Asia-Pacific community and promote globalization toward inclusive, open and win-win development.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Craig Emerson, head of an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue and former Australian Trade Minister, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
King Koil, the internationally renowned mattress brand,, has announced the opening of its first-ever showroom at Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia.

Located on the bustling King Abdulaziz Street, this showroom promises to bring an exceptional sleep experience to the heart of Al Khobar. This comes following its successful launches in Riyadh and Jeddah.

The new showroom will showcase the latest collection of King Koil mattresses and beds, including the much-anticipated King Koil Intimate Collection mattresses, "Embrace" and "Affinity."

The grand opening of the showroom in Al Khobar marks an exciting milestone in the brand's continued expansion across Saudi Arabia.

"Whether you are seeking the perfect mattress or looking to upgrade your sleep experience, King Koil promises to provide the ultimate solution for a restful and rejuvenating night's sleep," said a company spokesman.

"The King Koil Intimate Collection offers a sophisticated sleep comfort experience, designed to transform your relationship with tomorrow by providing a well-rested tonight. Handcrafted for ultimate comfort and intimacy, these mattresses conform to your body's unique curves, offering unparalleled support and comfort," he noted.

"The Swiss pocketed coil system isolates motion, ensuring undisturbed sleep, allowing you and your partner to wake up feeling closer than ever," he added.

The Intimate Collection features innovative technologies, including the Smart Cushion Aero System (SCAS) for enhanced air flow and cushioning, iFusion for temperature regulation, and Mega Foam for eco-friendliness and comfort.-TradeArabia News Service
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the appointment of a new Defense Minister. In his opinion, this is exactly the person the country needs.

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The head of state said this in his evening address to Ukrainians on September 7. The President noted that Rustem Umerov will be able to reboot the work of the Ministry (to watch the video, scroll to the end of the news).

"I officially presented today the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov. A strong man. Systematic. Well-versed in the field of defense. He has been involved in arms negotiations for Ukraine since the first days of full-scale war and is very sensitive to negotiations in general. Effective. He is also involved in negotiations for the release of our people from Russian captivity. At the same time, Rustem also has important results for Ukraine," Zelensky said.

The President noted that Umerov is "exactly what is needed now".

The head of state also congratulated Ukrainian intelligence officers on their professional holiday.

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"We all realize how cool our officers are. Real courage, strong results. I thank the DIU from all of Ukraine," he said.

The President said that he held several important meetings about our international work. Several quite concrete results in the work with partners are expected in September.

"This includes new weapons for Ukraine. We are preparing news and increasing our diplomatic efforts to unite more countries of the world for the sake of restoring peace throughout our land. We are preparing more world pressure on Russia," Zelensky shared.

The head of state also noted the effective work of the military.

"The 12th Special Forces Brigade, which is fighting in the east of our state, as well as the 3rd and 15th brigades of the National Guard fighting in the southern directions. I thank you, warriors, for the very, very effective destruction of the occupants!" he said.

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Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has announced his intentions to introduce an electronic military card in Ukraine and launch a unified register of conscripts. He also intends to digitalize all the processes of military medical commissions.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada appointed a new Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov on the recommendation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. He replaced Oleksiy Reznikov.

On September 4, Oleksiy Reznikov wrote a letter of resignation. He submitted the relevant document to the Verkhovna Rada. On the same day, Rustem Umerov wrote a statement asking to dismiss him from the post of the head of the State Property Fund.

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On August 5, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the resignation of Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. Reznikov reported on his work as Defense Minister before the vote for resignation.

Only verified information from us on Telegram Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
One Earth, One Family, One Future a perfect theme for G20: Mauritius PM





NEW DELHI,

MAURITIUS Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hailed Indias G20 Presidency and said that there couldnt have been a better them for the summit than One Earth, One Family and One Future, which translates to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Jugnauth said, I must thank the Government of India, particularly PM Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating.

We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change.
BJYM State chief launches State-wide membership campaign from Jabalpur





Staff Reporter

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), following the direction of State leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party, launched a Statewide membership campaign. As a part of the initiative, BJYM State President Vaibhav Pawar officially inaugurated the membership drive from Jabalpur, on Wednesday. He flagged off the membership campaign chariot at partys divisional office.

Speaking on the occasion, Pawar said BJYM is conducting a membership campaign on a large scale across the State to connect youth of Madhya Pradesh with the Youth Wing. He said the State BJP Government and the Central Government have implemented numerous schemes and startup programmes to empower and strengthen youth from various sections of the society. To join them into the party, BJYM has started the task of connecting new youth members through membership drive at regular intervals.
High tea in a condo





BY RAMAN MOHAN

AFTER spending 60-plus years in individual houses in non-gated colonies, my wife and I shifted to Bengaluru post-retirement to live in a condominium with our son five years ago. Before that, we had spent almost 40 years in a district town of Haryana and the remaining in Punjabs most happening city of Patiala. Before my parents built a separate house in Patiala in 1974, we lived in our ancestral house there with the families of my fathers three elder brothers. It was a huge house built by my grandad to accommodate the families of his four sons. There were nine adults including my grandfather, a widower. We were 15 cousins. All the adult males in the neighbouring families were chachas or taus and females were either massi (mothers sister) or bua (fathers sister) depending upon their age and where they came from. A female whose village was near to our mothers village had to be addressed as a massi and if the neighbours village was closer to our ancestral village, she had to be a bua.

There were no aunties and uncles. Sharing whatever was cooked in our kitchens with neighbours happened daily. If needed cots and bedding were loaned to accommodate each others guests. As kids, we never entered the neighbours house from the main door. We jumped over parapets to play with their kids. That was the level of informality. Even after my parents shifted to a new house in 1974, a similar relationship developed with our neighbours effortlessly. The relationships are still going strong. Long after our parents crossed the rainbow bridge and the next generations moved to different cities, the bonds are still strong. When we shifted to Bengaluru. My son and his family were staying in a decent flat they owned. Luckily, my wife and I were able to rent a flat directly opposite theirs. There were four flats on each floor in the tower. We often saw our neighbours outside the lift and also rode in it with them without even sharing a simple hello or a howdy.

There were Whatsapp groups that enabled neighbours to communicate unpleasant things to each other that they would consider rude to say face to face. Here, savour one. Hey neighbour. Your kids keep pacing the floor late at night disturbing my infant son. Tell them to stay in bed in the night. Smoking can raise tempers 20 floors above you. Who the hell is smoking? Why am I exposed to passive smoking? What prompted this transition from neighbours sitting around a hookah and chatting in the olden days? Your guess is as bad or good as mine. It was after several months that we began to say hi to neighbours. Another year passed before we stopped during walks for short chats. The brief stop always ended with please do come over sometime for a cup of coffee. After spending five years in condos we now realise that this invitation means nothing at all. It is like an Englishman asking you how do you do? or hows weather? You just respond: Yeah, sure, without meaning it at all. The moral of the story: theres many a slip between this cup and the lip!
Modi scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Joe Biden today





NEW DELHI,

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are set to hold bilateral talks on Friday evening with a focus on further solidifying the India-US comprehensive global and strategic partnership. The two leaders are expected to review ongoing bilateral cooperation in areas of clean energy, trade, high-technology, defence and how the two countries can contribute in dealing with some of the pressing challenges facing the world. Modi is also likely to hold separate bilateral meetings on Friday with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth.

The US President is visiting New Delhi to attend the G20 summit that is being held on September 9 and 10. It will be his first visit to India as the US President. The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020. Biden is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Friday evening and he will leave for Vietnam on Sunday afternoon at the end of the G20 summit. The two sides may also deliberate on having a more liberal visa regime.
PM presents 12 points to expand India-ASEAN ties





Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the 20th ASEAN-India summit in Jakarta on Thursday. (ANI)

JAKARTA :

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday presented a 12-point proposal to expand cooperation between India and 10-nation ASEAN in a range of areas such as connectivity, trade and digital transformation even as he called for building a rules-based post-COVID world order. Establishment of a multi-modal connectivity and economic corridor linking South East Asia, India, West Asia and Europe and offering to share New Delhis digital public infrastructure stack with ASEAN partners are among the proposals announced by Modi at the annual ASEAN-India summit in this Indonesian capital. In a joint statement on maritime cooperation, the two sides agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership with concrete actions through practical implementation of the Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN-India partnership for peace, progress and shared prosperity.

The document said it was agreed to support Indias connectivity initiatives in the region to ensure seamless connectivity in the Indo-Pacific, besides boosting cooperation in a range of areas including blue economy, space and food security among others. A separate joint statement on food security said the two sides decided to strengthen cooperation on food security and nutrition through promoting mutual trade and investment. The 12-point proposals also included the Prime Ministers call for collective fight against terrorism, terror financing and cyber-disinformation as well as to raise issues being faced by Global South in multilateral fora. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners. In his remarks, Modi reaffirmed the ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific and highlighted the synergies between Indias Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEANs Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). He also emphasised the need to complete the review of ASEAN-India FTA (AITIGA) in a time bound manner. In his address at the summit, Modi said that progress towards a free and open Indo-Pacific and elevating the voice of the Global South is in the common interest of all.

In his opening remarks, Modi described the grouping as the epicenter of growth and that New Delhi is committed to working shoulder to shoulder with it. The 21st century is Asias century. It is our century. For this, it is necessary to build a rule-based post-COVID world order and efforts by all for human welfare, the Prime Minister, co-chairing the summit, said. The progress of free and open Indo-Pacific and elevating the Voice of Global South is in the common interest of all, he said. The Prime Minister also reaffirmed that ASEAN is the central pillar of Indias Act East Policy and it fully supports ASEAN centrality and its outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Our history and geography connect India and ASEAN. Along with shared values, regional unity, peace, prosperity, and a shared belief in a multipolar world also binds us together, he said, adding the grouping holds a prominent place in Indias Indo-Pacific initiative. It was the first summit between the two sides since the elevation of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year. Today, even in an environment of global uncertainties, there is continuous progress in every field in our mutual cooperation. This is a testament to the strength and resilience of our relationship, he said.

The Prime Ministers 12-point roadmap included an ASEAN-India fund for digital future focusing on cooperation in digital transformation and financial connectivity and an announcement on renewal of support to the Economic and Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). The proposals listed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) included Modis call for collectively raising issues being faced by Global South in multilateral fora and an invitation to the ASEAN countries to join the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine being established by the World Health Organisation in India.
Police solve blind murder mystery, arrest accused within 3 days of crime





Staff Reporter

Jabalpur police have solved blind murder mystery of a 30-year-old man killed three days back at Nabbe Quarter Nullah under Sanjeevani Nagar Police Station and arrested the accused who used to work as a construction labourer with the deceased. The accused committed the crime for distribution of money they received from their contractor. Police also seized the victims mobile from the accuseds house and also found the stone used in the crime. Meanwhile, the accused is in police custody where further investigations are on, informed Superintendent of Police Tushar Kant Vidyarthi. SP Vidyarthi was addressing a press conference held at Police Control Room on Thursday to inform about murder case being solved within three days of crime.

He further informed that the accused was identified as Ajay Barkade (20) (Uike), son of Baliram Uike Gond, a resident of village Barbaspur (Bichiya) under Shahpura Thana, Dindori district presently residing close to Coffee House, Kachpura under Sanjeevani Nagar police station. The victim, 30-year-old Sarju Prasad Jhariya, a resident of Shriram Nagar, Madan Mahal, used to work as construction worker with the accused. On September 2, 2023, both Jhariya and Uike consumed liquor and got involved in a heated argument over distribution of money. In a fit of rage, Uike killed Jhariya by thrashing a heavy boulder on his head and threw his body in a pit-hole of Nabbe Quarter nullah, which was later recovered by TI Sanjeevani Nagar, Purva Chourasiya and Humrah Staff on September 3, 2023. Following the directives of SP Vidyarthi, CSP Gorakhpur, HR Pandey, FSL Officer, Dr Neeta Jain and ASP (City South) Kamal Mourya reached the spot.
Senior journalists to get monthly honorarium of Rs 20,000





Staff Reporter

senior journalists will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 20,000 now instead of Rs 10,000. A state-of-the-art State Media Centre will be constructed at Bhopal. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made these announcements addressing a journalists convention at his official residence here on Thursday. Chouhan commended the hard work of media representatives saying that journalists work day and night amidst many challenges and present fact-based news to readers. He said that he respects the media persons. They act as a bridge between the Government and people. The Chief Minister Chouhan made several announcements for the journalistic fraternity. This includes medical assistance, monthly honorarium, insurance, housing facilities, and educational support, among others. In addition, the Public Relations Department will arrange digital technology training for journalists from small towns and villages. State Media Centre: The Chief Minister said that a State Media Centre equipped with modern facilities will be constructed on the land in Malviya Nagar locality Bhopal, which is laying unused. It will include facilities such as an auditorium, library, canteen, and general rooms. The centre will also provide modern amenities.

Announcements: Land has been allocated for journalists colonies at two locations in Bhopal. Steps will be taken to provide land for journalists societies in other cities also after following due procedures, making it easier for journalists to build their houses. The premium amount for insurance was increased by 27 per cent by the insurance company. Journalists need not pay the increased amount. The state government will pay this. Journalists will continue to pay premiums as they did in the previous year. Journalists aged 65 and above will have their insurance premiums paid by the State Government. Premiums for the life partners (husband/wife) of journalists will also be paid by the state government. The deadline for the insurance scheme will be extended from September 16 to September 25. In case of illness, financial assistance for journalists will be increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000. In the case of a serious illness, it will be Rs. 1 lakh. Senior and elderly journalists will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 20,000 now instead of Rs 10,000.

In case of demise of a journalist receiving the honorarium, the family will receive an amount of Rs 8 lakhs. Journalists who have received the honorarium will receive a maximum housing loan interest subsidy amount of Rs 30 lakhs, increased from Rs 25 lakhs. Siblings of journalists getting monthly honorarium will receive a 5 per cent interest subsidy on their bank loans for education of their wards for a period of 5 years, provided by the State Government. Journalists in small towns and villages in Madhya Pradesh will get digital technology training in Bhopal. The Public Relations Department will make necessary arrangements in collaboration with Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Journalism and Communication University, Bhopal. A committee of senior journalists will be formed for drafting Journalist Protection Bill. The State Government will act on suggestions of the committee. Secretary of Public Relations Vivek Porval, Commissioner of Public Relations Manish Singh, Director Ashutosh Pratap Singh and senior officials, media persons from Indore, Sagar, Rewa, Ujjain, Shahdol, Chambal, Gwalior, Narmadapuram divisions were present.
Spacewood Office Solutions receives MIDCs Lalit Doshi Memorial Award





Business Bureau

Spacewood Office Solutions recently received MIDCs prestigious Lalit Doshi Memorial award for Outstanding Performance 2022-23. Nitin Sudame, Founder Director - Spacewood Office Solutions, received the award from Manoj Saunik, Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, in the presence of Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India.

Spacewood Office Solutions (SOS) is Indias most preferred office furniture brand with offices in all the major cities.

The company has a comprehensive product range of modular furniture for corporate offices, schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. The company has a proven track record with the supply of more than 11,000 workstations, and 9,000 projects executed for more than 3,000 customers.

Spacewood Office Solutions has been catering to leading corporates, IT/ITES companies, and manufacturing industries and has been associated with leading architects, PMCs, and design communities to meet their requirements.

All the products at SOS are made on state-of-the-art machines like laser cutting, robotic welding, and many more to ensure world-class quality products. Spacewood Office Solutions has also tied up with London-based renowned designer Tim Wallace.
Fukuoka Financial Group (OTC:FKKFF  Get Free Report) is one of 271 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Fukuoka Financial Group to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and dividends.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Fukuoka Financial Group and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Fukuoka Financial Group N/A N/A -32.14 Fukuoka Financial Group Competitors $3.25 billion $969.88 million 145.13

Fukuoka Financial Groups peers have higher revenue and earnings than Fukuoka Financial Group. Fukuoka Financial 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.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Fukuoka Financial Group 0 1 0 0 2.00 Fukuoka Financial Group Competitors 1051 3059 3055 8 2.28

This is a summary of recent ratings for Fukuoka Financial Group and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 63.93%. Given Fukuoka Financial Groups peers stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Fukuoka Financial Group has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

30.5% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 18.8% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Fukuoka Financial Group has a beta of 0.03, meaning that its share price is 97% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Fukuoka Financial Groups peers have a beta of 0.92, meaning that their average share price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Fukuoka Financial Group and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Fukuoka Financial Group N/A N/A N/A Fukuoka Financial Group Competitors 25.93% 11.03% 0.95%

Summary

Fukuoka Financial Group peers beat Fukuoka Financial Group on 12 of the 12 factors compared.

Fukuoka Financial Group Company Profile

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Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various banking services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts various deposits, such as current deposits, ordinary and other demand deposits, time deposits, and negotiable certificates of deposit, as well as provides loan products. It is also involved in securities, office work agent, loan guarantee, system development and operation, assessment and analysis, credit card, collateral valuation, credit management and collection, consulting, insurance, research and development, investments, and factoring businesses. In addition, the company engages in the movable property and lease of right; M&A advisory service; and provision of information processing and communications services businesses. It operates through a network of branches in Japan and offices internationally, as well as operates ATMs. Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1877 and is headquartered in Fukuoka, Japan.

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Raymond James cut shares of Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG  Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

KRG has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kite Realty Group Trust presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $25.38.

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Kite Realty Group Trust Trading Up 1.1 %

Kite Realty Group Trust Announces Dividend

Shares of NYSE KRG opened at $22.52 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 187.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.40. Kite Realty Group Trust has a twelve month low of $16.42 and a twelve month high of $24.26. The companys fifty day moving average is $22.79 and its 200-day moving average is $21.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 5th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.26%. Kite Realty Group Trusts payout ratio is presently 800.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 107.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,631 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 91.4% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,675 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. WealthPLAN Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.22% of the companys stock.

Kite Realty Group Trust Company Profile

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Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN that is one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets. The Company's primarily grocery-anchored portfolio is located in high-growth Sun Belt and select strategic gateway markets.

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NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX  Free Report) by 110.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,967 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 4,189 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLCs holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 46,022.7% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,914,554 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $270,871,000 after acquiring an additional 1,910,403 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 62.2% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,728,816 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $386,073,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,746 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $157,412,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 548.7% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,125,530 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $149,673,000 after purchasing an additional 952,037 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,014,030 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,917,961,000 after buying an additional 636,301 shares during the last quarter. 87.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of DGX stock opened at $127.12 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50 and a beta of 0.95. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $136.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.24. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $120.40 and a 1 year high of $158.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

Quest Diagnostics ( NYSE:DGX Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The medical research company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 8.37%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.36 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 5th. Quest Diagnosticss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on DGX shares. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, June 29th. They set a neutral rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an equal weight rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a hold rating for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $149.90.

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About Quest Diagnostics

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Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine testing, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.

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Raymond James cut shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT  Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to an outperform rating in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $104.00 target price on the real estate investment trusts stock, down from their prior target price of $115.00.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on FRT. Piper Sandler raised Federal Realty Investment Trust from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $111.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $117.00 to $110.00 in a report on Monday, May 15th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Federal Realty Investment Trust in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Bank of America dropped their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $125.00 to $124.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $91.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Federal Realty Investment Trust has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $112.50.

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Federal Realty Investment Trust Trading Up 0.3 %

Federal Realty Investment Trust Increases Dividend

FRT opened at $97.54 on Tuesday. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a one year low of $85.27 and a one year high of $115.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.22. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $99.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 22nd will be given a $1.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 21st. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.47%. This is an increase from Federal Realty Investment Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $1.08. Federal Realty Investment Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federal Realty Investment Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 1.8% in the second quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,744 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Creative Planning lifted its position in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 3.9% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,840 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 29.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 504 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 0.8% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 15,310 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,482,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its holdings in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 5.7% in the second quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 2,362 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.92% of the companys stock.

About Federal Realty Investment Trust

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Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail-based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, DC to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, Federal Realty's mission is to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through investing in communities where retail demand exceeds supply.

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From inception, Ebonyi North senatorial district seat has been used as gratuity for aged and retiring men. Being the old people's home as it was, Ebonyi North senatorial seat was literally dormant and bereft of vibrancy between 1999 and 2023. However, all that changed since 16th June, 2023 when Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi was inaugurated to represent Ebonyi North in the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For the very first time, Ebonyi North has a voice in Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi; and the resonance of this voice of Ebonyi North has permeated the alcoves and crannies of power to stir up proactive actions that are yielding jinx-breaking projects to Nigerians in general and Ebonyi people in particular.

Senator Nwebonyi started politics as a young man in his grassroots which is Ishieke, Ebonyi State. From day one, Nwebonyi's watchwords in politics seemed to be pristine loyalty laced with humility, diligence and discernment that matched the eagle's. In addition to these, Nwebonyi has the patience of the vulture. All these endeared the unassuming lawyer to the stakeholders of Ebonyi politics and set him on a trajectory of positive referrals and the attendant rises in politics. Onyekachi Nwebonyi was an ex officio member of the Ebonyi State Executive Council of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He was appointed the Coordinator of Mbeke Development Centre in Ebonyi State and, later, Ebonyi State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party. Nwebonyi's days at the helms of PDP affairs was the golden era of PDP when PDP won all elective positions which included the 171 ward councillors, 13 local government chairmen, 24 state legislators, six House of Representatives seats, three Senatorial District seats, and both the Deputy governorship and Governorship seats in Ebonyi State. In 2020 when Nwebonyi's ambitious benefactor switched political camp, Nwebonyi who wore his loyalty to his politically migrant benefactor like a robe was caught in a crisis of trust. The PDP which could not trust Nwebonyi to lead an opposition political party against his benefactor had to use the big axe on the Ebonyi State PDP Executive Council.

With the dissolution of the Nwebonyi-led Ebonyi State PDP executive council, Nwebonyi was appointed into Ebonyi State Executive Council as Honourable Commissioner for Abakaliki Capital Territory. Pursuant to his charge to restore Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi which remained a rural state, to its masterplan, Nwebonyi unavoidably stepped on toes. In the build up to the 2023 general elections Nwebonyi was indubitably one of the most reliable, loyal, exposed, courageous, savvy and energetic. These, combined with the fact that Onyekachi Nwebonyi hailed from Ebonyi LGA which held a record of perennial marginalisation in the rotation of the Ebonyi North senatorial seat, combined to sway the APC Ebonyi North senatorial ticket and ultimately the polls to Nwebonyi. He won so convincingly that his political rivals had no reason to go to the Election Petition Tribunal. By that victory, Nwebonyi broke the jinx of marginalisation of his Ebonyi LGA in the rotation of Ebonyi North senatorial seat. He moved on to demolish the jinx of somnolent representation of Ebonyi North by giving Ebonyi North senatorial district a strong, relevant national voice. It is interesting to note that the first motion of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the urgent need to end police harassment and extortion of Nigerian road users was moved by Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, an easy going political socialite whose face was ubiquitous during the political horsetradings and fireworks which midwifed the leadership of the 10th session of the Nigerian Senate.

As a proactive legislator, Nwebonyi moved another motion on the urgent need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to link Oturkpo in Benue State and his native Ishieke in Ebonyi State with a trunk A road. This all-important Benue - Ebonyi States link road will specifically ease road transport between Northern and Southern Nigeria, enhance food security in Nigeria, open up the food vaults of Nigeria to local and international markets, make farming attractive and minimise the trio of poverty, unemployment and rural - urban migration as well as congestion in the Abuja FCT. Nwebonyi diligently followed up the resolutions of this motion to the point that the jinx of executive ditherance over this necessary and utilitarian 75.4429 KM road project which has been on the Federal Government's cards for long has been broken with the survey and measurement of the road by the Federal Ministry of Works. Nwebonyi is working on a historical gender-sensitive bill to dismantle traditional impediments stacked between women and their rights to inheritance. These milestones have convinced even the political rivals of Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi that the electoral investments of the people of Ebonyi North in Nwebonyi were considered profitable political investments. As Nwebonyi is celebrated across political divides in the entire Ebonyi State and beyond, Ebonyi people and followers of national political developments, crave that it pleases Senate President Akpabio and the APC caucus of the 10th Nigerian Senate to fill the vacant Deputy Majority Leadership position with Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi who has unassailably become a jinx breaker and poster boy of legislative competence.
Abuja, September 7, 2023 Authorities in Benin must immediately and unconditionally release Nigerian journalist Damilola Ayeni, drop all charges against him, and allow him to work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

On August 31, police officers in Benins north western Pendjari National Park arrested and detained Ayeni, an editor with the privately owned Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), as he was taking pictures at the park for his reporting on environmental conservation, according to reports by FIJ and the privately owned LibreExpress news site, as well as Ayenis lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the case, and FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo, both of whom spoke by phone with CPJ.

Soyombo emphasized that Ayeni had gone to Benin on assignment for FIJ and said the arrest was tragically ironic because he believed the local government would have appreciated Ayenis coverage.

The officers accused Ayeni of involvement with a jihadist terror movement and held him at the police station in the northern city of Parakou, until September 5, when they moved the journalist to Cotonou, Benins largest city. He is expected to be questioned by officers with the polices criminal brigade in Cotonou before being presented at the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) in the capital of Porto-Novo and charged with alleged terrorism, according to a separate report by the FIJ, Ayenis lawyer, and a report by the privately owned Benin Web TV news site.

Authorities in Benin should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Damilola Ayeni, swiftly drop all legal proceedings against him and ensure he is able to work freely and safely, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator in Durban, South Africa. Ayenis detention and allegations that he is a terrorist are outrageous. A cursory search online would show that he is a recognized and published journalist, not a terrorist.

Ayenis lawyer told CPJ on September 7 that he had yet to speak with the journalist and could not confirm the status of the case against him or under which laws he may be prosecuted.

Soyombo said that on August 31 FIJ received a text message from Ayeni saying, I have just been arrested, but the message was quickly deleted. An FIJ staffer immediately called Ayenis line. Ayeni picked up and told his colleague that he was only held briefly because there were security concerns in the area and that he had been released, according to the FIJ reports and Soyombo. However, Ayeni was unreachable by phone soon after that call and the FIJ could not determine what had happened to him.

On the night of September 4, a friend of Ayeni told Soyombo that he received a voice message from a man claiming to have been released from a detention facility at the Commissariat Central Police Station in Parakou. That man told Ayenis friend that Ayeni was detained at the same Parakou police station and was scheduled to be tried on allegations of involvement with a jihadist militant movement.

On September 5, Soyombo told CPJ that he received messages from someone claiming to be the commissioner at the Parakou police station saying that Ayeni had been accused of involvement with a jihadist movement. The alleged commissioner also demanded 800,000 CFA (US$1,315) in exchange for Ayenis release, according to Soyombo and another FIJ report. Soyombo said he refused and asked for a video call to confirm Ayenis safety and to see the caller, but the person declined. Soyombo also said the alleged commissioner also did not answer questions about the basis for the allegations against Ayeni.

Soyombo told CPJ that FIJ later sent a representative to the Parakou police station, where police officers confirmed that they had indeed arrested Ayeni but said that he had been released from the station.

Reached by CPJ on September 7, Francisca Omayuli, the spokesperson for Nigerias foreign affairs ministry, did not respond to questions about Ayeni and requested to be contacted via messaging app. She later told CPJ by messaging app that she would make the necessary inquiries and respond, but had not done so by the time of publication.

A Benin police officer at Parakou, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told CPJ that Ayeni was expected to be questioned by the criminal brigade unit, but did not have further details about Ayenis prosecution. The officer who spoke to CPJ is not part of the criminal brigade unit. A spokesperson for the Benin police, Eric Yerima, told CPJ on the same day that he was not aware of Ayenis arrest.

CPJs calls to a contact number listed on the website of the Nigerian embassy in Benin did not connect. CPJ also sent messages to an email listed on the website but received no response.

Benin government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji declined to comment on the matter and asked CPJ to contact the police.

In 2022, police officers in Benin arrested Dutch journalist Oliver van Beemen and Beninese journalist Flore Nobime while they were reporting at Pendjari park and accused them of espionage, according to a report by South Africas privately owned Mail & Guardian news site. The journalists were later released without charge.
Washington, DC.- (Thursday, September 7, 2023).We address you today with heavy hearts, outraged and humiliated by the astonishing judgment by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. As the voice of Nigerians, we vehemently disagree with the judges of this tribunal, whose shaky voices read a judgment that signified compromise and duress.

The judgment delivered by these five judges represents nothing short of the complete shredding of our cherished Nigerian constitutional democracy. It is a disgraceful hijack of our nation by a clique of domestic enemies who have trampled on the ideals our forebears fought so hard to secure.

In their reckless pursuit of political interests, these judges disregarded the fundamental principles of justice and fairness. They also thrashed a precedent set by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. They have forcefully imposed their mere opinions on a settled law in Nigeria, leading us down a treacherous path of judicial chaos. We must remind these judges, as well as retired justice Mary Odili, that they have embraced the legacy of Judge Sisamnes. Their actions echo the ignominious deeds of those who prioritize personal gains over the sanctity of justice; as King Cambyses II of Persia judged Judge Sisamnes, so shall history judge them.

To Nigerians of all stripes, whether civilians or non-civilians, within Nigeria or abroad, we say this: do not cede an inch of Nigeria to unscrupulous and kleptomaniac individuals within the Nigerian executive, legislature, and judiciary. Nigeria belongs to every Nigerian, and we must unite in her defense.

That these five judges could turn the Nigerian Constitution and her settled Law upside down is a grave warning that we must now rise to the difficult task of rescuing Nigeria from the clutches of narcissists.

Every Nigerian must make a choice - to act independently or in groups, invoking every comparative advantage to drive out the enemies of Nigeria. Our brethren in Latin America and other African countries have done so. Here is not the time for passive prayers; this is a time for resolute action.

We must remember that this tribunal is not the highest court in Nigeria. We encourage the plaintiffs to proceed to the Supreme Court. We call upon the Chief Justice of Nigeria and every member of the Nigerian Supreme Court to understand that Nigerians and the world will be watching their every move closely as these cases progress.

The future of our great nation is at stake. We must stand together, resolute and fearless in our pursuit of justice and democracy. Let us prove that Nigerians cannot be broken, that we will not be silenced, and that our resolve is unshakable. Nigeria shall rise!

The NACJD is a non-partisan Washington, DC., Research and Good Governance advocacy non-profit organization in the United States. We educate the US Government, the Congress, and the policy-making community to influence US policies on Nigeria.

NACJD | 4315 50TH Street NW, Ste 100, Washington, DC. 20016 | [email protected]
PAN Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) has berated the legal representatives of the candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, over their failure to diligently deliver their clients at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

It could be recalled that the PEPT, on Wednesday, upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election and dismissed the petitions of Atiku and Peter Obi.

In reaction to that, the National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken Robinson, in a statement, opined that lapses in the presentations by the counsel for LP and PDP were regrettable as the Court of Appeal made an exclusive explanation and detailed ruling on the matter.

He said the judges were clear with facts and did a good job, unlike Peter Obi and Atikus lawyers, who did not do due diligence.

Robinson added that nobody should criticise the judiciary, and those dissatisfied with the verdict should appeal.

He said: We followed the extensive judgment that lasted for about 11 hours, and it was elaborate. The justices of the Court of Appeal made exclusive explanations and detailed rulings on the matter.

For an ordinary man who is not a lawyer, what we saw and witnessed yesterday seems to be sound and the statements that the judges made were explicit that even the ordinary man will understand that the petitioners did not do a good job.

Of course, there is room for appeal by those who are dissatisfied with the judgement of the tribunal. With what we witnessed yesterday, without being preemptive, it was an exclusive judgment and the facts of the matter were very clear. I think the judges did a good job.

With due respect to the learned lawyers, who handled those petitions, perhaps they need to apologise to their masters and principals who gave them those jobs. From what we witnessed yesterday, they did not do a good job.

People will express emotions, but the court does not look at the emotion, but evidence brought before it. For us, we will appeal to those who are dissatisfied with the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to explore the avenue of appeal.

In the interest of Nigeria, National Unity and Peace and overall interest of the development of this country and our democracy, nobody should take laws into their hands.

Nobody should even castigate or go into name-calling of the judiciary. They have done their job very transparently as it should be done. For us in PANDEF, we will call all those who are dissatisfied to explore the avenue of appeal and avoid making statements that will heat up the polity.
Focused on sound pro-business policies critical to reviving the real sector of Nigerias economy, the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) has advised the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.

According to a statement issued by the President, Charles Okonji, CICAN has tasked the minister to hit the ground running by formulating policies that would revitalise the productive sectors vital for diversifying the economy away from oil.

He said the ministers emphasis should focus on how to upgrade the non-oil sector of the economy, while also reviewing the performance and achievements of her immediate predecessor to identify the lacuna and devise strategies to free Nigeria from slavery imposed by other countries on account of over-dependence on oil.

CICAN said, If this problem remains unresolved, all the promises made by the government would remain an idle fancy and mere grandiloquence. Uzoka-Anite must liaise with its counterpart in the Ministry of Power to address this challenge."

On made-in-Nigeria products, CICAN also advised that locally-made products must be marketed abroad, saying that to achieve this, the minister must reinvigorate the activities of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to enable it to project Nigerian products to the outside world.

CICAN noted that, The minister should make this agency more proactive by overhauling its operations to enable it to function effectively. This is where cooperation with the organised private sector becomes imperative.

The minister should take a critical look at the quality of goods produced and exported out of Nigeria very seriously. This is very important because the barometer for measuring the level of economic development and improvement in the quality of lives of the citizenry of a country is the quality and standards of goods and services produced and consumed in that country."

However, it also requested the minister to sufficiently equip the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enable the body to enforce standards in the country.
Airlines to clarify reasons for high fares

BANGKOK: Thai airlines are preparing to clarify the situation in response to accusations of expensive tickets, noting that the aviation industry is poised to face another surge in jet fuel prices due to soaring crude oil prices.

tourismtransporteconomics

By Bangkok Post

Friday 8 September 2023 10:49 AM

Aircraft operated by Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill / Bangkok Post

The Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) will hold a seminar next week to elaborate on the airfare structure and price regulations under the control of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), after consumers cried foul over expensive airfares post-pandemic, reports the Bangkok Post.

Wutthiphum Jurangkool, chief executive of Nok Air, said the significant increase was seen only during long holidays, when the prices were raised based on growing demand.

The price of last-minute bookings usually surge higher than average.

However, he said average prices were not excessively raised in order to make more profit as airlines still had to adjust their prices to cope with surging operating costs, mainly attributed to the cost of jet fuel.

He said the fuel price has been on an upward trend over recent weeks as it surged to US$119 per barrel yesterday (Sept 7), higher than the yearly average of $98.5 per barrel that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated for 2023.

Mr Wutthiphum said amid reduced demand in the low season, it would be difficult for airlines to absorb this cost as they have to avoid incurring losses on each flight.

"Airlines cannot get a strong load factor except during long holidays. With no holiday in September, domestic demand significantly dropped, with the average load factor lower than 80% for Nok Air, while the average price for domestic routes was lower than B1,000 per flight," said Mr Wutthiphum.

He said the ceiling price for domestic routes regulated by the CAAT is too static as it cannot be adjusted to fluctuating operating costs and passenger demand.

Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial operations at Thai Lion Air, said the average load factor for its domestic flights dropped to 75%. It is expected to return to 85% in the high season.

She said the airline is monitoring demand from the Chinese market which is expected to help fill up available seats in October as passengers from the mainland have made advanced bookings for the National Day long holiday, with the load factor of its 10 routes to China reaching 70%.

Despite negative perceptions of Thailand among netizens in China, Thai Lion Air is preparing to resume all 17 routes it operated prior to the pandemic as there is still demand from this market.

She said the market would pick up faster if the government can implement a visa free policy as it pledged to the AAT last month.

Mr Wutthiphum added that air traffic from China dropped in September, but the volume is forecast to surge in the first week of October during the long holiday, with the average load factor of Chinese routes expected at over 90%.

He said Nok Air will fly to eight more cities in China and reintroduce new direct routes from Phuket and Chiang Mai to China, which were cancelled during the pandemic.

IATA yesterday reported an increase of 105.8% for Asia-Pacific airlines in July traffic compared to the corresponding period last year, while load factor increased to 84.5%.
New arrest warrant suggested for ex-minister

BANGKOK: Public prosecutors have asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to seek a new arrest warrant specifying the escape date of former culture minister Itthiphol Kunplome.

crimecorruptionpolicelandpropertypolitics

By Bangkok Post

Friday 8 September 2023 12:30 PM

Itthiphol Kunplome attends an online meeting at the Culture Ministry on Aug 29, 2023. Photo: Culture Ministry

The request aims to prevent the expiration of the statute of limitations in his condominium permission case in Pattaya, reports the Bangkok Post.

Kosolwat Inthuchanyong, deputy spokesman of the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), said yesterday (Sept 7) that Khamnueng Wongthaweesap, region 2 executive director of the OAG, sent an urgent letter to the NACC secretary-general on Wednesday, asking the anti-graft agency to request a new arrest warrant for Mr Itthiphol and two other defendants.

According to Mr Kosolwat, the previous arrest warrants did not specify the date of their absence. The inclusion of this date is crucial due to its impact on the Corruption and Misconduct Procedures Act, so that anyone who evades the law is not entitled to benefit from the statute of limitations.

On Tuesday, the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases issued the previous arrest warrants because Mr Itthiphol and the two other suspects failed to report to public prosecutors for arraignment, as scheduled on Monday. This case revolves around the illegal permission for the construction of the high-rise Waterfront Suites & Residences project in Pattaya, granted in September 2008 when Mr Itthiphol was the mayor of the city. The 15-year statute of limitations of the case will expire this Sunday (Sept 10).

Mr Itthiphol, 50, faces charges malfeasance under Section 157 of the Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of one to 10 years.

The former Pattaya mayor was until recently the culture minister, having been appointed to the second cabinet of former prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in July 2019. He is also the younger brother of former Pattaya mayor Sonthaya Kunplome.

The NACC filed the case with the OAG on Aug 3, and the attorney-general ordered Mr Ittiphols prosecution on Aug 30.

The Waterfront condominium project was built on two-rai (3,200 square metres) of land at the foot of Khao Phra Tamnak hill, adjacent to Pattaya Bay and Bali Hai Pier. The building has been ordered to be demolished due to its incomplete status.
New minister scraps threat to block Facebook

BANGKOK: The new digital economy and society minister has withdrawn his predecessors threat to close Thai access to Facebook in retaliation for its inability to curb rampant scam ads.

technologycrimepolitics

By Bangkok Post

Friday 8 September 2023 09:57 AM

Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Chanthararuangthong greets reporters at Government House on Tuesday (Sept 5). Photo: Chanat Katanyu

Prasert Chanthararuangthong said yesterday (Sept 7) that blocking Facebook access in the country would have widespread impacts on millions of business operators who depend on the social network, and on some 45mn general Facebook users.

Mr Praserts predecessor, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, said last month that he would seek a court order to block Facebook access because his calls for it to remove fraudulent ads had gone unheeded, reports the Bangkok Post.

Facebook-based scams were causing huge damage to Thais, said Mr Chaiwut, a deputy leader of the coalition-member Palang Pracharath Party.

Mr Prasert, also the secretary-general of the coalition-leading Pheu Thai Party, said he would negotiate with Facebook executives in Singapore and Thailand to block scam advertisements.

He admitted that scams were a major issue and he planned to set up a special centre in three months to fight them. The centre would use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect abnormal financial transactions, Mr Prasert said.

Mr Chaiwut complained last month that Facebook had failed to screen out fraud via scammers sponsored pages, despite requests for cooperation from the ministry and related agencies for many years.

Of all the online investment scams that take place in Thailand, around 70% originate on Facebook, he said.

Prae Dumrongmongcolgul, country director for Meta, the parent of Facebook, said the company used AI to detect fraudulent ads and took them down immediately when they were discovered.

However, scammers continue to evolve and Facebook algorithms sometimes need time to catch up with them, she added.
Road to Hotel License unveiled to Phuket small hotels

PHUKET: Phuket officials held a seminar yesterday (Sept 7) to explain how small guest accommodation venues across the island can register and  if they comply with the requirements  be approved to register as a small hotel legally recognised by the law.

tourismeconomics

By The Phuket News

Friday 8 September 2023 12:36 PM

Phuket Vice Governor Danai Sunantarod chaired the event, held at The Pago Design Hotel in Phuket Town, joined by Sinit Bunsit, Director of the Building Control and Inspection Office under the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning.

The event marked five years of small guest accommodation venues, including boutique hotels and resorts, in Phuket appealing for the right to register as hotels, a fight that finally saw the Ministerial Regulations Prescribing Other Types of Buildings for Hotel Business Operations (No. 4) 2023 signed as approved by caretaker Minister of Interior Gen Anupong Phaochinda on June 7, and the new ministerial regulation coming into effect with its promulgation in the Government Gazette on June 20.

However, small hotel operators have continued to wait while a third and final article of legislation comes into effect, allowing local administrations, namely provincial governments, to create a system for accepting applications and issuing approvals for small hotels to be legally registered. That third and piece of final legislation came into effect on Aug 30.

Chinnawat Udomniyom, President of the Phuket Boutique Accommodation Consortium (BAC Phuket), pointed out that 80% of tourist accommodation operations in Phuket were small hotels not legally recognised by the Thai government.

To be able to enter the system to receive a license from the hotel registrar correctly will allow operators to receive cooperation from banks under government supervision, such as the SME Bank, he said.

After obtaining a valid license, it will result in Phuket having a supply side in terms of accommodation that grows to accommodate the increasing number of tourists, and we are about to enter the high season in October, he added.

Wirintra Paphakityotphat, head of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) Region 11 branch, which represents Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, was also present for the event yesterday.

Ms Wirintra has been instrumental in spearheading the need to broaden the legal definition of hotels so that smaller venues may serve tourists legally. She led the charge by making a special appeal in person to then Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in January.

Ms Wirintra pointed out, There will be more than 25-30 million tourists entering Thailand by the end of this year. Small hotels in Phuket have the opportunity to resume business after obtaining a license. Then Phuket will be able to welcome more than 10,000 tourists per day, or 2.19 million people per year, generating more than B16.202 million per year in Phuket.

Small hotels will earn only 10% of their room revenue from tourists, while the other 90% will circulate to other supply chains throughout the province, more than 2,500 places, altogether worth more than B14.585bn baht per year, creating more work for 25,000 people in all tourism industries in Phuket, who all benefit from unlocking the law this time, Ms Wirintra added.
Thai man with golden gun arrested for detaining Russian woman in Patong

PHUKET: Patong Police have arrested a Thai man on charges of illegally carrying a firearm in public after he detained a Russian woman in a hotel room in Patong, threatening to use the gun against her if she attempted to leave. The situation was resolved before 7am today (Sept 8), though Patong Police have not revealed any details about the beginning of the ordeal.

crimeRussianpatongpolice

By The Phuket News

Friday 8 September 2023 02:07 PM

Mr Kittipoom was initially charged with carrying a firearm and ammunition illegally in a town or village. Photo: Patong Police

Kittipoom Mamak, 37, was arrested at a hotel located in a small alley off Phra Mettha Rd in Patong. Officers seized from the suspect a Beretta handgun and 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

According to Khao Phuket, The Phuket News sister newspaper in Thai language, police officers were summoned to the undisclosed hotel to resolve a situation described as "an intoxicated Thai man detaining a Russian woman in a hotel room and threatening to shoot her with a gun if she attempted to leave."

The report does not specify when Patong Police were alerted to the situation. Pictures from the scene, posted by Patong Police on Facebook at 10.11am, do not give any clues about the duration of the standoff if there was any.

As per the report, at 6.30am, the suspect, later identified as Mr Kittipoom, allowed the woman to leave the room. At 6.45am, police officers, led by Capt Teerachai Husso, entered the room, arrested Mr Kittipoom, and confiscated his handgun which turned out to be a golden-bronze Beretta pistol.

The Samut Prakan native was then taken to Patong Police Station and charged with "carrying a firearm and ammunition illegally in a town or village."

It is understood that further charges may follow as Patong Police proceed with the investigation. The name of the Russian woman has not been disclosed.
'Full-scale assault' on Indias democratic institutions by BJP, says Rahul Gandhi

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New Delhi, Sep 8 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Friday that India was witnessing a struggle between two visions these days, one he termed as a fight between Mahatma Gandhis vision and Nathuram Godses vision.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, the first stop of his multi-nation European tour, Gandhi said there were serious issues about the type of actions that are being taken with regards to institutions and democracy in the country.

He told foreign correspondents at the Belgium Press Club: The democratic structures of our country are under attack from the group of people who are running India. I dont think this point is missed by anybody.

Gandhi said there was a full-scale assault on the institutions of the country. It has been commented on internally and globally. Of course, minorities are under attack. So are many other communities. Dalits, Tribals. Lower castes, Indias Opposition leader said.

He said there was also an attempt to change the nature of the country. Our country in the Constitution is described as a Union of States. We believe that the most-critical aspect of our Union is the conversation between its members.

There is an alternative vision, the BJP vision, which believes that power should be centralised. Power should be concentrated. Wealth should be concentrated. And the conversation between members of the Union, between people of India should be suppressed. This is the fight between two visions. I like to term it as the fight between Mahatma Gandhis vision and Nathuram Godses vision. Nathuram Godse being the person who assassinated our leader, Gandhi said. PTI
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Japan launched a rocket Thursday carrying an X-ray telescope that will explore the origins of the universe as well as a small lunar lander.

The launch of the HII-A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan was shown on live video by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA. "We have a liftoff," the narrator at JAXA said as the rocket flew up in a burst of smoke and then flew over the Pacific.

Thirteen minutes after the launch, the rocket put into orbit around Earth a satellite called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, or XRISM, which will measure the speed and makeup of what lies between galaxies.

That information helps in studying how celestial objects were formed, and hopefully can lead to solving the mystery of how the universe was created, JAXA said. In cooperation with NASA, JAXA will look at the strength of light at different wavelengths, the temperature of things in space and their shapes and brightness.

David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute at Rice University, believes the mission is significant for delivering insight into the properties of hot plasma, or the superheated matter that makes up much of the universe.

Plasmas have the potential to be used in various ways, including healing wounds, making computer chips and cleaning the environment.

"Understanding the distribution of this hot plasma in space and time, as well as its dynamical motion, will shed light on diverse phenomena such as black holes, the evolution of chemical elements in the universe and the formation of galactic clusters," Alexander said.
In what could bring much relief to the commuters of Howrah and Hooghly, the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL) has undertaken a survey of extending the Metro network from Howrah Maidan to Chandannagar.

There were about 14 preliminary surveys done by the railway ministry during 2010- 2014. Of this, one survey has again been picked up by the KMRCL and requested the railwayministrytosanctionthe final locations.

The survey is being done for the route from Howrah Maidan-Shalimar-Santragachi Dankuni extending right up to Chandannagar. The Metro network in this part of the state would beast andal one corridor having connections with the East-West Metro Corridor.

Notably, in the year 2016, the state government had proposed to extend the network beyond Howrah Maidan and take it till Santragachi bus stand.

As per the initial plans of the proposal, the route connecting Howrah Maidan to Santra- gachi was to have four addi- tional stations. The project was later stalled for a few years.

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Meanwhile, the truncated partoftheEast-WestMetroproj- ect between Esplanade and Howrah Maidan moved ahead with installation of automat- ic fare collection and passenger control (AFC-PC) gates at the concourse level of Mahakaran Metro station. The KMRCL has started the installation of the gates at the station that is targeted to have 18 AFC-PC gates, including 10 bi-directional ones. The AFC- PC gates enable station staff to control and change the direction of passenger movement during peak hours and would be able to handle 45 passengers per minute.
Poila Baishak which is the Bengali New Year Day will be celebrated as the official Foundation Day of West Bengal. The West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed the resolution this afternoon.

Banglar Mati Banglar Jol, a poem composed by Rabindra Tagore in 1905 to protest against Lord Curzons decision to partition Bengal is to be adopted as the state song.

Addressing the Assembly on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the resolution on the Foun- dation Day became nec- essary as the Centre issued an order which stated that

Thursday.

the foundation day of Bengal would be observed on 20 June.

We had raised objection and wrote to Raj Bhavan. But they refused and the day was observed at a function there. If we had remained silent, then our future generation would have learnt a distorted history,she said. Miss Banerjee said: States like Bihar, Kerala, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand have their foundation day as the states were created during the British period or after Independence. In a most unfortunate incident the British divided Bengal. Thousand of people lost their lives, lakhs became homeless. Criticising the leader of the Opposition, Subendhu Adhikari, who said the BJP would request the Governor not to clear the resolution regarding the Foundation Day, Miss Banerjee said: We care little whe- ther the Governor signs the resolution or not, People will observe the day as the foundation day of Bengal.

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Coming down heavily on the BJP, the Chief Minister said: It is most unfortunate that we will have to learn from those who did not take part in the Independence movement. It is they who killed Mahatma Gandhi and it is a tragedy that they are trying to teach us history.
Raninagar in West Bengals Murshidabad district turned into a virtual battlefield on Friday after Congress workers allegedly ransacked the local police station and a party office of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The angry mob even torched the party office of Trinamool Congress after ransacking it. Four police personnel have been reportedly injured in clashes with the violent mob. Ten persons have been arrested in this connection so far.

It is learnt that on Friday, there was a joint gathering of Congress and CPI(M) at Raninagar to celebrate the victory of the alliance candidate in a zilla parishad seat in the recently-concluded panchayat elections.

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State Congress President and veteran Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who hails from Murshidabad district, was also present on the occasion.

Local police sources said that tension broke out at the end of the meeting and after Chowdhury had left, when some Congress supporters got engaged in an altercation with the police.

The altercation soon took a serious turn as the Congress supporters got engaged in clashes with the police following which the Raninagar police station and the local Trinamool office were attacked.

Till the time of filing of this report, tension was prevailing in the area. A large police contingent has been deputed there to keep the situation under control.

Also read:Metro explores options to extend up to Chandannagar
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena will monitor the security situation in the city from Raj Niwas during the two-day G20 Leaders Summit, which will commence from September 9.

The G20 Summit will be held in the national capital from September 9 to 10 at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan.

According to an official statement from the L-G Office, Saxena will keep a close eye on the security situation in the city and will be in constant touch with the Command Room of the state-to-art Control Room of the Delhi Police Headquarters.

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Saxena will remain in touch with the Police Commissioner, and will keep an eye on every road and hotel detailed for G20 requirements, apart from taking live stock of the development in the City, through the hi-tech gadgets installed at the Control Room, the statement said.

The L-G, who recently visited the control room, held detailed discussion with the Delhi Police Commissioner on the nitty-gritty of the deployment of personnel and also the high-tech security measures undertaken to keep hawks eye over the entire city.

During his visit, he was briefed that live visuals would be captured by more than 5,000 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city.

Two teams comprising 25 security personnel will be monitoring in different shifts, the digital information being beamed into the control room, round the clock. The control room is getting district wise visuals and a special command room has been set up for 30 senior police officials to monitor the minutest of developments in the City and its roads, the statement said.

Besides the normal sized monitors, two giant screens, in which the images can be magnified have been also installed at the control room.

The Police Commissioner apprised the LG that information is being received from each district round the clock and there have been full deployment of the police personnel.

Saxena, who also visited the areas to be used by the delegates, especially enquired about the security arrangements in the highly sensitive places.

Besides the VVIP areas, high resolution CCTVs have also been installed in sensitive parts of the city which in the past have been the nerve centre of mischief, the statement added.
Tight security measures have been put in place in the national capital on the eve of the commencement of the two-day G20 Leaders Summit. The Summit will be held from September 9 to 10 at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan.

Ahead of the international event, traffic regulations have come into force in the city. The New Delhi district has been designated Controlled Zone-I from Friday at 5 am until Sunday at 11.59 pm because of the Summit.

The Delhi Traffic Police said on Friday morning the movement of buses into the city has been stopped with effect from September 8 till September 10.

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Meanwhile, the local police and BSF jawans are keeping a vigil on the Yamuna River by patrolling it on boats in Delhis Shahdara district.

Since early Friday morning, police personnel were seen checking vehicles in areas across Central Delhi and other adjoining areas.

Officials were also diligently monitoring city developments through a state-of-the-art control room, which utilises a network of 5,000 CCTV cameras strategically placed throughout the city.

According to the police, the control room receives district-wise visual feeds,

and two security teams work in shifts to provide continuous, round-the-clock surveillance.

From Thursday midnight, non-essential vehicles were directed to use the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways and other alternate routes from the city borders.

This restriction applies to Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs), and Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), which will not be allowed to enter Delhi. However, goods vehicles transporting Essential Commodities like milk, vegetables, fruits, and medical supplies, with valid No Entry Permissions, will have entry permission, a traffic advisory said.

The Delhi Police have heightened security across the city and continued their security patrols. The specially trained security members of NSGs dog squad Zenon, Ming, Zone, Zozo, and Zinger along with their handlers as well and bomb disposal units have been checking the periphery of Rajghat to ensure a safe and secure summit.

In view of the high-profile event starting from September 9, Delhi Police have implemented various security measures, including the deployment of skilled markswomen and armed forces at key locations, intensifying border area patrolling, and conducting thorough security checks.

To bolster their efforts, Delhi Police is receiving support from a force of over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads, and mounted police units.

Security forces are also on high alert to prevent any potential incidents.

Police have increased patrolling efforts and stationed additional checkpoints at crucial installations.

Citizens have been encouraged to report any suspicious activities to the police.

To ensure the safety of G20 delegates visiting the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat in Central Delhi, police have collaborated with civic agencies to address the issue of monkeys and dogs in the area.

We have requested the relevant agencies to deploy catchers to mitigate the monkey and dog presence during the delegates visit. The nearby jungle area has prompted us to engage snake catchers as well, said the official.

These catchers will continually monitor the Rajghat vicinity and provide updates to the security personnel.
US actor Danny Masterson has been sentenced to serve 30 years to life in prison for raping two women, the media reported.

Masterson starred on That 70s Show, a TV series that was airing at the time of his crimes in the early 2000s, The BBC reported on Thursday.

Prosecutors argued Masterson, 47, had relied on his status as a prominent Scientologist to avoid accountability.

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Judge Charlaine Olmedo allowed the victims of his crimes to read impact statements in court ahead of his sentencing.

Prominent former Scientologist and actress Leah Remini attended Thursdays sentencing hearing and comforted the women before and after they delivered their statements.

I wished I had reported him earlier to the police, one of the women said, according to US media.

Another woman told Masterson: I forgive you. Your sickness is no longer mine to bear, according to Reuters.

Masterson remained silent throughout the hearing, The BBC reported.

As the judge read his sentence  the maximum penalty allowed  his wife, Bijou Phillips, was seen in court breaking down in tears.

Masterson was found guilty in May at a re-trial after the first jury was unable to reach a verdict in 2022. After his conviction, Masterson was deemed a flight risk and was taken into prison custody.

The actor was convicted after three women testified that he had sexually assaulted them at his Hollywood home from 2001-03  during the height of his television fame.

The jury heard testimony that he had given them drugs before he assaulted them.

He was found guilty of rape against two of his three accusers. The charges brought by the third accuser were declared a mistrial and prosecutors said they do not plan to retry the case.

Alison Anderson, a lawyer representing two of the victims, said in a statement sent to BBC News that the women have displayed tremendous strength and bravery, by coming forward to law enforcement and participating directly in two gruelling criminal trials.

Despite persistent harassment, obstruction and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today, she said, adding that the women will continue to speak out about the role the church allegedly played during their abuse, The BBC reported.

In court on Thursday, one woman described being shunned by her mother, who is still a practicing Scientologist.

She texted me and told me to never contact her again, she said, reported the LA Times.

She had warned me ahead of time she wanted to see Danny Masterson locked away for what hed done to me, but not at the expense of her religion.

Another woman said she had been victimised by the church ever since she first spoke out.

Since the week I came forward to police I have been terrorised, harassed and had my privacy invaded daily by the cult of Scientology for almost seven years now, she said, adding: But I dont regret it.

Masterson was first accused of rape in 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement. He denied the accusations and said each of the encounters was consensual.

Charges came after a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Prosecutors did not file charges in two other cases because of insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations expiring.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that the Church of Scientology had helped cover up the assaults  an allegation the organisation has categorically denied.

At the time of the assaults, Masterson and all three of his accusers were Scientologists. Several of the women said it took them years to come forward because Church of Scientology officials discouraged them from reporting the rape to police.

Scientology officials told one survivor she would be kicked out of the Church of Scientology unless she signed a non-disclosure agreement and accepted a payment of $400,000 (320,000), according to prosecutors.

During the trial, Judge Olmedo allowed both sides to discuss the dogma and practices of Scientology, angering the organisation.

In its statement after the verdict in May, the Church of Scientology said there was not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers.

Thursdays sentencing was also attended by Jessica Barth, who founded Voices in Action in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Barth was one of the women to publicly accuse disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of abuse. Her non-profit works to encourage others to come forward and report abuse.

Before the hearing, a motion for a new trial by Mastersons defence team was denied by the judge, according to an Los Angeles court official.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 India Summit scheduled to be held under Indias presidency from September 9-10. The British Prime Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Ahead of the summit, Sunak said that both he and PM Modi are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal between India and UK. He, however, said that there a lot hard work was still pending to finalise the UK-India Free Trade Agreement even as two countries have made enormous progress.

Both Modi ji and I are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between our two countriesTrade deals always take time, they need to work for both countries. Although we have made enormous progress there is still hard work to go, Sunak told news agency ANI in an exclusive interview.

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The UK PM said that India is the right country to host the G20 summit terming it a huge success for the country. The 18th G20 summit is being hold under Indias Presidency on a theme of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam  One Earth, One Family, One Future.

G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. Feel we will have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made, the UK PM said.

UK PM Rishi Sunak tweets, Before meeting the world leaders of today Ive been meeting with the world leaders of tomorrow. Its been fantastic to visit students and staff here at British Council in India- a reflection of the living bridge that exists between the UK and India. pic.twitter.com/uxtcTE2GAP  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

On Pro-Khalistan Extremism

Sunak, the first Indian-origin Hindu Prime Minister of the UK said that Pro-Khalistan Extremism will not be tolerated on British soil and that his government is closely working with New Delhi to tackle the PKE issue. He also informed that British security minister had recently held talks with his Indian counterparts regarding the issue.

Its a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And thats why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle PKE Pro-Khalistan Extremism. I dont think its right. Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism. Its not right and I wont tolerate it in the UK, Sunak said.

On Russia-Ukraine war

The UK prime minister claimed that the Russia-Ukraine war has had devastating impact on millions of people and he will highlight the issue during the G20 summit.

When it comes to Ukraine and Russia  one thing I will be doing is highlighting the devastating impact that Russias illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world, particularly on food prices. Russia recently pulled out of a Grain Deal that we are shipping grain from Ukraine to many poor countries around the world and now you have seen food prices go up. That is causing suffering for millions of people. It is not right. One of the things I will be doing is making people aware of the impact of Russias illegal war, he told the news agency.
Airbus, a pioneer of the global aerospace industry, and Vadodara-based Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a holistic partnership that includes the development of academic curricula, faculty, industrial experience, training and scholarships, and collaboration with international institutes, Airbus said in a release on Thursday.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw.

As per the MoU, Airbus and the GSV, a central university under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, will collaborate in the fields of research, teaching, and training of students to deepen their understanding of the scientific, technological, and management topics pertaining to the aerospace sector.

Both entities will work together to support the development of the academic curriculum as well as the executive programmes relevant to the sector. Additionally, they will explore potential synergies for joint research, partnerships with international institutes and internship and placement opportunities for the students of GSV, the release said.

Speaking at the event, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, We will be signing MoUs with other big companies engaged in logistics and transportation after Airbus as well. The course curriculum will be decided after consulting with the industries.

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The first C-295 aircraft manufacturing facility that is being set up under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will need a skilled workforce of 15000 personnel who will be trained in Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, the Minister added.

Speaking at the signing, Remi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said, We subscribe to the Gati Shakti vision of seamless and efficient connectivity. We are committed to developing India as a global aviation hub and to further supporting the growth of the commercial aviation industry in the country. A core element of the aerospace ecosystem is talent development. Under this partnership with the GSV, we will bring in our global expertise to develop the best diverse talents in India and build a strong pipeline of skilled workforce for the sector.

The Vice Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Manoj Choudhary, highlighted, Being an industry-driven and innovation-driven university, focusing exclusively on the transportation and logistics sector, this partnership with Airbus will very significantly enhance the aerospace and aviation sector in India through the creation of best-in-class talent and joint research programmes.

Airbus shares a long-standing relationship of collaboration and symbiotic growth with India. For more than 50 years, technology and know-how from the company have catalysed the growth of Indias civil aviation sector and supported the modernisation of its armed forces, the press release said.

Together with its supply chain, Airbus supports nearly 10,000 jobs in India. Airbus local footprint in sourcing, engineering, innovation, maintenance and training services is a testament to its commitment to developing Indias aerospace ecosystem.

The C295 Final Assembly Line being built in Vadodara is an example of this commitment as it is the first Make in India aerospace programme in the private sector that involves the development of a complete industrial ecosystem in the country.

Airbus has developed pilot training capabilities in Gurgaon and maintenance training in Bengaluru. The collaboration with the GSV will further support in creation of a skilled workforce for the countrys booming aerospace sector, the release mentioned.
Amid sharpened geopolitical rivalry between the United States, China and Russia, Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivered a forceful call for leaders to ease tensions and avoid conflict in the region.

Speaking Thursday in Jakarta at the opening of the East Asia Summit (EAS), which brings together the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners -- the United States, China, Russia, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, and Korea, Widodo underscored the need for stability for the region to continue its decades-long peace and prosperity.

"Everyone in this room has the same responsibility to not create new conflict, to not create new tension, to not create new wars," he said, speaking in Indonesian. "At the same time, we have the responsibility to lower heated tensions, to thaw frozen state of affairs, to create room for dialogue, to bridge existing differences."

However, leaders of the three major powers -- U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- chose to skip the summit, sending instead their respective representatives, Vice President Kamala Harris, Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

As the outgoing chair of ASEAN, earlier this week Widodo declared that the bloc has agreed not to become a proxy for any power. He reiterated that Southeast Asia will not become the front lines of a new Cold War -- a pledge he made when he took the helm of ASEAN from Cambodia in 2022.

Indonesia's approach on great power politics has been consistent, said Aaron Connelly, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "They view great power rivalry as the primary threat to their interests in the region," he told VOA. "And they see rivalry itself as the threat, not one country creating the rivalry."
Tata Steel Special Economic Zone Limited (TSSEZL) Limited and Avaada GreenH2 Private Limited, the Green Hydrogen arm of the integrated energy enterprise of Avaada Group, on Thursday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a green hydrogen and green ammonia project at Gopalpur Industrial Park in Ganjam district of Odisha.

Under the definitive agreement, Avaada Group will acquire 120 acres of land in TSSEZLs Gopalpur Industrial Park (GIP), to set up a 0.5 MTPA green hydrogen/ammonia production facility.

The MoU was signed between Manikanta Naik, Managing Director, TSSEZL, and Prashant Choubey, President, Avaada Group, in the presence of Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary, Industries Department and Chairman, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) and Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (IPICOL), Government of Odisha, and Bhupendra Singh Poonia, IAS, Managing Director, IDCO & IPICOL.

Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary, Industries Department and Chairman, IDCO & IPICOL stated, Odishas roadmap for the green fuels sector is both comprehensive and ambitious. The addition of Avaada Group to our partnership ecosystem is an endorsement of our strategy. We welcome Avaada to the Odisha family and look forward to achieving new milestones together.

This green ammonia will be produced from green hydrogen, and the production facilities will be powered by renewable energy.

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The green hydrogen and ammonia produced at this facility will be exported to markets around the world from the existing Gopalpur Port facility. The Utility Corridor between Gopalpur Industrial Park and Gopalpur Port will provide a dedicated corridor for smooth logistics and pipeline connectivity.

Manikanta Naik, Managing Director, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone Limited, said, We are happy to sign the MoU with Avaada Group for their Green Hydrogen Project. This is the second investment we have attracted in the green hydrogen/ammonia manufacturing sector. Our industrial park continues to be a preferred destination for investors, given its conducive offerings for setting up a unit. We take this opportunity to once again thank the Government of Odisha for its progressive policies that are attracting investments to the state of Odisha.

We are eagerly looking forward to having more investors at the Industrial Park, which will add to the industrial development of the area, he added.

Vineet Mittal, Founder and Chairman, of Avaada Group, said, We are delighted to announce the signing of a MoU today with Tata Steel SEZ, marking a significant milestone in our journey towards realising our green ammonia project within the Gopalpur Industrial Park. Green hydrogen and ammonia production is a crucial cornerstone in the global shift towards sustainable energy. Avaada is dedicated to contributing to Indias aspiration to become a leading global green hydrogen manufacturing hub. 

Our gratitude extends to the Odisha government for their unwavering support, as it empowers us to take bold strides towards a greener and more sustainable future. We pledge to facilitate the transition towards a low-carbon economy, leaving behind a lasting legacy of value for our stakeholders and society, he added.

TSSEZL signed one MoU with ACME Clean Energy Pvt Ltd on August 25, 2023, for the establishment of a Rs 27,000 crore green hydrogen and ammonia project later at the Gopalpur Industrial Park. ACME will acquire 343 acres of land in TSSEZLs Gopalpur Industrial Park and a 1.3 MTPA green ammonia production facility there.
US President Joe Biden Friday night went into talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a wide range of bilateral issues as well as global developments shortly after his arrival in Delhi to attend the G20 Summit beginning September 9.

The American leader, who is on his first visit to India as US President, was received at the airport by Union Minister Gen (Retd ) V K Singh, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and senior Indian officials.

Biden headed straight to PM Modis residence at the Lok Kalyan Marg from the airport.

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Officials said the meeting between the two leaders will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine deal, the procurement of predator drones, on 5G and 6G spectrum, collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress in the civil nuclear area.

#WATCH | G-20 in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/O83JkS3DOQ  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Also Read: In Delhi for G20 summit, Sunak says keen to see comprehensive India-UK trade deal

There is no confirmation whether the US will announce a major rail deal with India and the Arab world to connect Gulf countries and other Arab countries to counter, what many believe, Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Washington is of the view that connectivity from India, across the Middle East, to Europe is important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all the countries involved.

In a post on X (former Twitter) before his arrival in New Delhi, Mr Biden wrote: Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver.
While accusing the BJP and the BRS of colluding to prevent the Congress from holding its public rally at Secunderabad parade ground, Telangana Congress today said it has tentatively decided to hold it at Tukkuguda, just outside Hyderabad.

The TPCC leaders led by state Congress chief A Revanth Reddy today met DGP Anjani Kumar and submitted a letter requesting security for delegates of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) including president Mallikarjun Kharge, chairperson of CPC Sonia Gandhi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

The meeting will be held on 16 and 17 September at a prominent hotel in Banjara Hills. On 17 September, the Congress tentatively decided to hold its public rally Vijay Bheri at Tukkuguda after the defence ministry denied it permission since the Centre intends to hold a programme to mark Hyderabad Liberation Day at the Secunderabad Parade Ground. Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to be present at the programme.

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Later speaking to the media, the Congress state president accused the BRS and BJP of colluding to deny Congress from holding the grand rally at the Secunderabad Parade Ground. The Congress is expected to announce five guarantees as it did for Karnataka elections.

The five guarantees which are likely to be announced include subsidy of LPG cylinders, free bus rides for women and loan waivers for farmers. Reddy also said that the Congress was holding its first CWC meeting at Hyderabad after it was reconstituted on 17 September to show the importance of Telangana to the grand old party.

On 17 September, 1948, the State of Hyderabad under the last Nizam had merged with the Union of India following the police action.
The Muslim side represented by Anjuman Intejamia Masjid Committee suffered a major setback on Friday when the Varanasi district court gave permission to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) application to complete its survey of the Gyanvapi complex by extending the time by 8 more weeks .

The court of District Judge Dr. Ajay Krishna Vishwesh has ordered an additional time of eight weeks (56 days) to complete the survey.

The Survey work in Gyanvapi was halted since Thursday due to protests by the Masjid Committee. After the court order, the survey will restart from tomorrow.

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Earlier, the District Judges court set a September 2 deadline for completion of the Gyanvapi survey and ASI to submit its report, but this could not happen. On September 2, ASI sought permission from the court to extend the survey of Gyanvapi by 56 days.

Last Monday, the Anjuman Intejamia Masjid Committee had filed an objection saying there was a danger of the mosque collapsing due to the removal of debris and collecting it at one place. The hearing was not held that day due to the lawyers strike.

The hearing took place today and after hearing both the sides, the district judge allowed more time to ASI.

The Masjid Committee, objecting to the extension for ASI survey in the District Judge court, said the survey was being done contrary to the affidavit given in the court.

They pleaded that the ASI had permission to conduct surveys using GPR technology but excavations are being carried out at many places in the Gyanvapi complex. They alleged that the debris was being removed by truck.

The Muslim side said the orders of the high court and the Supreme Court were being violated by the ASI team. In such a situation, justice should be done by not giving more time for the survey, they pleaded.
Two young farmers in Dibai village of Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district died after coming in contact with a high-tension wire, said officials on Friday. The families blamed the electricity department for negligence.

Police said cousins Sumit, 20, and Krishna, 22, died on Thursday when they had gone to their farm to collect fodder.

According to Sumits father Jitendra Singh, a snapped high tension live wire was lying on the field.

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One came in contact with the wire and got electrocuted. The other died while trying to save him. It was all due to the negligence of the electricity department, he alleged.

SHO of Dibai, Chhotey Singh, said, Two young men were taken to a hospital where doctors declared them dead. Their bodies were handed over to families. Prima facie, it appears they died of electrocution. There was an electric pole above them, but it is not clear what actually happened.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Dibai visited the spot to prepare a report. We will register an FIR once we receive a complaint.

The victims belonged to a farming family. Sumit was doing a polytechnic course at a private institute.
G20India Summit Live Updates: Delhi is all decked up for the G20 Summit 2023 being held at newly constructed Bharat Mandapam auditorium under Indias Presidency from September 9 to 10. Massive security arrangements have been made in view of the G20 Summit which will be attended by several top international leaders from 20 countries and special invitees. The Delhi police have announced traffic restrictions and diversions in the New Delhi district and on roads leading to the venue. Schools, colleges and offices have been shut and fighter jets have been deployed to ensure safety and a smooth G20 summit. While head of states of several countries have already landed in Delhi, US President Joe Biden will arrive in the national capital later today. Prime Minister of Argentina has arrived earlier this morning but Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will not be attending the event after being tested positive for Covid-19.

G20 Summit 2023 UPDATES:

9:20 PM: Chinese Premier Li-Qiang lands in Delhi: Li Qiang, Premier of the Peoples Republic of China, arrives in Delhi for the G-20 Summit. Li will represent China after President Xi Jinping decided not to attend the G20 Summit due to unknown reasons not related to India.

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9:00 PM: Sound and fountain show being organised at Bharat Mandapam, in Delhi Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan is all set to host the G 20 Summit on September 9 and 10.

#WATCH | G-20 in India: Sound and fountain show being organised at Bharat Mandapam, in Delhi Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan is all set to host the G 20 Summit on September 9 and 10.#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/04uEaGtPWa  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

8:40 PM: BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden hold bilateral meeting in Delhi. Wide range of issues including clean energy, defence and high-technology likely to be discussed.

#WATCH | G-20 in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/O83JkS3DOQ  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

8:30 PM: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau arrives in Delhi for the G-20 Summit. Turkiye President Erdogan and Indonesian President Joko Widodo has also landed in Delhi.

#WATCH | G-20 in India | Canadian PM Justin Trudeau arrives in Delhi for the G-20 Summit He was received by MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar.#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/QydfUkVVg0  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

7:40 PM: Earlier Visuals: US President Biden left for ITC Maurya where he will be staying during his India visit. He will soon hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

#WATCH | G-20 in India: US President Joe Biden departs for hotel after he arrived in Delhi for the G-20 Summit He will hold a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi later today#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/w9Z1hMbXtG  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

7:00 PM: BREAKING NEWS: US President Joe Biden has arrived in India for the G20 Summit. Biden will soon hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

G-20 in India | US President Joe Biden lands in Delhi for the G-20 Summit pic.twitter.com/zV1JppIZWd  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

6:30 PM: UK PM Rishi Sunak on India-UK FTA: Both Modi ji and I are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between our two countriesTrade deals always take time, they need to work for both countries. Although we have made enormous progress there is still hard work to go.

6:00 PM: Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said arrived in Delhi this afternoon for the G 20 Summit

5:50 PM: On Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasinas bilateral meeting with PM Modi, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, It is important to note that we have invited Bangladesh as a very close and friendly neighbour. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is here and is having one of the early meetings with the Prime Minister and I think it is a very important one

5:30 PM: PM Modi, Jugnauth hold bilateral meet: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hold a bilateral meeting in Delhi.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hold a bilateral meeting, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/P59ttdu9mK  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

3:35 PM: Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra: The coming together of the 41 Heads of delegations, Heads of State/Govt, Heads of international organisations in India, starting yesterday is under PMs personal leadership and direction. It is essentially a celebration of the coming together of the G 20 familyThis is the largest-ever participation of the Global South in India.

3:10 PM: African Union to be formally included in G20: PM who is a great believer in Global South had written to all the leaders and there has been a very positive response and formally that will come before the Summit, says Indias G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.

3:00 PM: Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra: If you really want to get a sense of Indias vision, priorities and approach to the G 20 presidency, I would encourage all of you to read the Op-ed that the PM has written yesterday. It captures a distilled essence of how India envisions and looks at the ongoing G20.

2:30 PM: UK PM Rishi Sunak arrive in India: United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murthy arrive in Delhi for the G 20 Summit. He was received by MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

2:00 PM: What will spouses of G20 leaders do in India: On 9th Sept, they (Spouses of G 20 leaders) will visit the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. They will meet some women farmers and will also see some of the top laboratoriesTheir first experience will be about millet, which is our traditional dietIn the second half, there will be an exhibition called Roots to Roots where we will showcase the oldest chariot in the world, says MoS MEA Meenakashi Lekhi.

1:30 PM: Sheikh Hasina arrive in Delhi, to meet PM Modi soon: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives in Delhi for the G20 Summit. She was received by MoS for Railways & Textiles Darshana Jardosh.

1:00 PM: Ahead of G20India Summit, Tibetan Youth Congress protest against China in Delhi: This protest was organised by Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC)They protested for half an hour and then we requested them to disperseThe dispersal is going onWe had kept the security arrangement intact, says Sagar Singh Kalsi, DCP, North Delhi.

12:30 PM: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives in Delhi to attend the G20 Summit.

12:20 PM: RBI to showcase cutting-edge fin-tech at G20 Summit: Bharat Mandapam will showcase a unique international project  Culture Corridor  G20 Digital Museum. Delegates will be onboarded on UPI One World. Their wallets will be prefunded with Rs 2000, which they can utilise as they desire. RBI will display cutting-edge financial technologies at the G20 Summit, showcasing their potential to revolutionise the financial landscape.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Various exhibitions are being set up at Bharat Mandapam during the G 20 Summit to showcase Indias technological prowess and innovation. Bharat Mandapam will showcase a unique international project  Culture Corridor  G20 Digital Museum. Delegates will pic.twitter.com/t3IF771BGz  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

11:30 AM: US on Biden-Modi bilateral meeting: We will have discussions on several issues. India and the US share a partnership in several sectors including critical emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Education, Student mobility and others. America wants to work with India after seeing the ambition of the youth in India

10:45 AM: HD Deve Gowda says will not attend G20 dinner: I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success, tweets Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

10:40 AM: US on Putin, Xis absence from G20: It is important to emphasise that the G20 is a prime solution to the global challenges. We see it as a premier organisation on a global basis that is taking on critical challenges facing the global economy and particularly the global South. I believe the G20, in spite of obvious problems due to Russias war against Ukraine and Russias general absence from G20 initiatives, has been extremely effective, especially under Indias leadership. Our goals for the G20 have coincided closely with those of India. We have tackled very important challenges. I think we have had considerable success in changing the way the entire multilateral development system is operating

10:30 AM: Heavy security deployed near Majnu Ka Tilla in view of the protest by the Tibetan community.

#WATCH | Heavy security deployed near Majnu Ka Tilla in view of the protest by the Tibetan community pic.twitter.com/JBWdxUYMei  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

10:10 AM: PM Modi to hold 15 bilateral meetings on G20 sidelines: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold at least 15 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 summit. These include bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden today and Frances Emmanuel Macron on September 10. READ Full Story Here

9:50 AM: Congress leader and former PM Manmohan Singh invited for G20 dinner: Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have been invited to attend the G20 Summit dinner hosted by the President, reports news agency ANI citing Sources.

9:30 AM: Intense police checking of vehicles ahead of G20 Summit: Police personnel check vehicles as security tightened up across the national capital on the occasion of the G20 Summit.

#WATCH | Delhi: Police personnel check vehicles as security tightened up across the national capital on the occasion of the G20 Summit. (Visuals from Tilak Marg area) pic.twitter.com/lsFu07v28i  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

9:20 AM: World leaders start arriving in Delhi: Top international leaders from the G20 member countries have started arriving. Argentina President Alberto Fernandez has landed in Delhi for the G20 Summit.

#WATCH | Argentina President Alberto Fernandez arrives in Delhi for the G20 Summit. He was received by MoS for Steel and Rural Development, Faggan Singh Kulaste. pic.twitter.com/hWTmnMb9Ov  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023



9:00 AM: BREAKING NEWS: Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will not attend the G20 Summit 2023 in Delhi. Sanchez has tested Covid-19 positive just hours before his departure for New Delhi, India. Now, First Vice President Nadia Calvino and Minister of Economic Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and

will represent Spain at the Delhi G20 Summit 2023.
National Conference (NC) rank and file, led by Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Vice-President Omar Abdullah on Friday paid floral tributes to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 41st death anniversary at Hazratbal on the outskirts of Srinagar.

They offered flowers and prayers at the Sheikhs grave at Hazratbal.

Sheikh was the first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after independence of the country. Although J&K was a Muslim majority state, but Sheikh decided to stay with India. He was a mass leader of Kashmir.

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A function was also held in the NC headquarters at Jammu where party activists offered floral tributes to the Sheikh.
Muktesh Pardeshi who was recognised for his leadership role in the transformation of passport services in India and received the National Award on e-Governance (gold) in 2014-15 for his contribution is the head of operations for G-20.

Operations include logistics, transportation, planning and stay of dignitaries. So much so that almost every little detail passes through him. The Statesman interviewed Pardeshi to know the challenges that he must have faced during the past year.

Q: Coordination, planning, and execution is the most challenging part of any programme. And a project of this level demands a lot of intricate planning. How challenging was it for you?

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A: Well, I would not call it a challenge. I would say this turned out to be a great opportunity for me. At every step, we have learned. The experience is enriching and believe me it helped us much to understand each state in terms of culinary delicacies, art and culture, and special handicrafts. The theme and vision of the event was to turn an elite diplomatic event into a peoples event with a touch of Indian-ness. And, I am glad we could plan it accordingly. So far through the 200 ministerial meetings, we could see that delegates are enjoying the Indianness in everything. The conference room is more or less similar in every country but in our conferences, we have introduced India-ness through food and handmade gifts.

Q: What is the duration of this mammoth planning?

A: This has been going on for the past one year. The meetings were happening in each and every state of India. From Andaman Nicobar, Daman to Kolkata to every state. Many of the delegates loved the Chingri malai curry in Kolkata when served during lunch. Apart from that, we interacted with a lot of people in Delhi and elsewhere to make it a peoples show.

Q: What was the focus during planning?

A: The focus was to make it a peoples programme. The entire India should feel that the G-20 is happening. Earlier it was only Delhi that probably used to feel the event. Today the country is feeling the G-20. They may not know the details of why and what is happening in the meeting but they do know G-20 is happening. So the focus was inclusivity and to tell people that this event is for all.

Q: You planned for gifts for the visiting dignitaries?

A: Off-course. Gifts have been procured from every state. We have shared it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will select it for the respective guests. But I can tell you that it will be full of Indian-ness.

Q: How were the menus planned since there are different people with different tastes?

A: We have been in touch with the offices of all the dignitaries. We have taken down details from them about the preferences of the guests. Then step two included the Chefs and planned the menus to suit everybodys taste buds.

Q: How many countries are participating altogether?

A: The number of countries including India are 20 and we have invited nine more countries apart from the G-20. So there are altogether 29 countries.

Q: Bharat Mandapam has been renovated and is now hosting a huge programme India never held before. What all has been kept in mind while planning for the welcome and stay of the leaders of 29 countries?

A: We have kept the interests of the countries in mind. There are Islamic countries where members probably would want to offer prayers. The prayer rooms are there. There is an arrangement of the rooms where bilateral talks could take place. Bharat Mandpam is a no drone zone.

Q: Will there be any bilateral talks with the participating countries?

A: Yes. There is a place for the Prime Minister to hold bilateral talks plus if there are other countries interested then they can also hold talks. We have arrangements for that too.

Q: How was the stay of the delegates in the hotels planned since security is a big issue?

A: I have been interacting with the hotels for quite some time. We have had several rounds of meetings to plan and to ensure that they are safe. There are many hotels that have kept the occupancy low in order to ensure safety.

Q: Is the American President Joe Biden coming?

A: Yes. He has confirmed.

Q: All VVIPS have various preferences about food and stay. How difficult was it to manage and accommodate?

A: We have been in touch with their officials. We took care of the minute details to ensure that they were happy and satisfied with the arrangements.

Q: There will be a huge rush at the airport. Do you think IGI is equipped to handle the rush?

A: The VVIPs will land at the Palam technical area. There will be manageable pressure on the regular flights. I would not say there will be no pressure. So the airlines were informed and they worked it out.

Q: Delhi will witness a two-day lock-down on September 9-10?

A: That is not true. The metros will remain functional and a few restrictions at central Delhi are due to VVIP visitors. A little planning on the part of commuters will not create any problems for them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold as many as 15 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Summit 2023 being held in national capital Delhi from September 9 to 10 under Indias presidency. According to sources, the prime minister will hold three separate bilateral meetings with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, US President Joe Biden and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth today.

Bilateral meetings with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japan PM Fumio Kishida, Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be held on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, news agency ANI said, citing sources.

On September 10, Prime Minister will have a separate bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in the form of a lunch. A pull-aside meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudueo and bilateral meetings with leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, EU, Brazil and Nigeria will also be held on September 10.

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Biden to arrive in Delhi today:

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden departed from the United States for New Delhi earlier today. Biden will land in India in the evening. The US President is scheduled to participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, according to a White House press release.

On Saturday, Biden will participate in an official arrival and handshake with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US President will then participate in the G20 Leaders Summit Session 1: One Earth.

Later in the day, he is slated to take part in the G20 Leaders Summit Session 2: One Family of the G20. Biden will also participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event. His day will wrap with a dinner and cultural program with G20 Leaders.

Macron to arrive on Saturday

French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in New Delhi on Saturday for a two-day visit to attend the G20 Summit. Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting likely in the form of a working lunch at the end of the G20 Summit on September 10.

The G20 Summit 2023 is scheduled to be held in New Delhi under Indias Presidency from September 9-10.

(With agency inputs)
In a major setback to the NDA in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh has won the prestigious Ghosi assembly by polls on Friday by defeating BJP candidate and the outgoing MLA Dara Singh Chauhan in a direct contest.

The by-election for the constituency in other words has showcased the real power of the newly-constituted Opposition bloc, INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), against archrival NDA in Uttar Pradesh.

The by-poll, touted to be a semifinal before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state, has boosted the morale of the Opposition with humiliating defeat of the BJP by over 42,000 votes in an one-sided affair.

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The by-election , which was considered to be a nail biting affair, but resulted in humiliating defeat for the former UP Minister Chauhan.

While Sudhakar Singh polled 1,24,427 votes by achieving 57.19 per cent of vote share, Chauhan could muster only 81668 votes and 37.54 % votes. This would be third time Sudhakar Singh to be elected to the state assembly.

Elated by the win , Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has congratulated the party candidate Sudhakar Singh on the results in the Ghosi by-election.

In his post in social media Yadav said infinite congratulations to the people of Ghosi and the winning candidate Sudhakar Singh and best wishes for the bright future of Ghosi. The big thinking of the people has won in Ghosi.

The SP leader and uncle of Akhilesh, Shivpal Singh Yadav in his post said, The Samajwadi Party Zindabad, Akhilesh Yadav Zindabad. He also posted a photo of his and Akhikesh with smiling gesture.

At the same time, RLD President Chaudhary Jayant Singh has also thanked the people of Ghosi. Along with this he has congratulated Ghosis SP candidate Sudhakar Singh and Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav too.

Senior Congress leader and deputy leader of the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said that Ghosi was just a trailer of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in UP.

UP BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chowdhary reacting on the defeat said that his party accepts the mandate and thank the people who had supported the party candidate.  We will review the results by sitting with the party leaders and find out our drawbacks, he said.

Choudhury also questioned the SP and other Opposition leaders whether they will continue in their wild allegations of misuse of EVMs and official machineries in this by polls after this win.

BJP ally Nishad party chief and minister Dr. Sanjay Nishad has accepted defeat. Talking to the media, he said that we respect the sentiments of the people. The mandate should be welcomed and respected.

Sanjay Nishad said that our society voted for BJP and the reasons for the defeat in the Ghosi by-election will be reviewed.

After the crushing defeat in the Ghosi by-election, the tone of Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Omprakash Rajbhar have changed. The disappointment of defeat was clearly visible on the face.

He said that he will review the shortcomings and will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with full strength.

Meanwhile, along with Ghosi assembly win , Samajwadi Party won several seats in the district Panchayat polls whose results were announced today.

SP candidates victories have been registered in Lucknow, Mirzapur, Jalaun and Bareilly districts.

SP has won the Rajgarh District Panchayat Member seat in Mirzapur. BJP has suffered a major setback in the by-election of District Panchayat member in Bareilly. SP supported candidate Jaswinder Kaur has won the by-election for Ward-16 District Panchayat Member of Baheri( Bareilly). He defeated BJP supported Shilpi Chaudhary by 1258 votes.
The U.S. and Britain on Thursday sanctioned 11 people who were part of the Russia-based Trickbot cybercrime hacking group, accusing it of targeting critical government infrastructure and businesses, along with hospitals, during the coronavirus pandemic.

A U.S. Treasury statement said the blacklisted targets included "key actors involved in management and procurement" for Trickbot, which it said had ties to Russian intelligence services although it was taken down in 2022.

Treasury undersecretary Brian Nelson said in a statement, "The U.S. is resolute in our efforts to combat ransomware and respond to disruptions of our critical infrastructure."

Ransomware refers to the type of malicious software hackers use to lock computers and then extort payments from their users to unblock them.
Around 50 people, including women, were injured in different clashes and firing incidents at Pallel in Manipurs Tengnoupal district on Friday, officials said.

Several media reports said that two people were killed in these clashes and firing incidents. However, the police are yet to confirm the casualties.

According to the police, 11 civilians sustained bullet wounds in the clashes between rival armed groups and the security forces.

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As the news of firing spread on social media, hundreds of men and women from Thoubal and Kakching districts rushed to Pallel, but they were stopped by Assam Rifles personnel leading to stone pelting by the agitating people.

Over 30 people, mostly women, were injured after Assam Rifles lobbed teargas shells to disperse the mob.

An Assam Rifles jawan also sustained minor injury.

A large contingent of Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel tried to move to Pallel from Imphal to control the mob, but the protesters blocked the roads at Thoubal leading to confrontations.

More than 10 people including women were injured in the clashes with the RAF personnel.

Though the firing has reportedly stopped in Tengnoupal district and other places just before the evening, the situation is still tense.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body of the Meitei community, and leading tribal organisation Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) gave accused each other for the attacks.

Fridays incidents took place two days after thousands of protesters had gathered at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district to break through army barricades in a bid to return to their houses in Torbung, which they had vacated and took shelter in the relief camps after violence broke out in Manipur on May 3.

In view of the incidents on Friday, curfew relaxation periods have been shortened till 12 noon in different districts.

Manipur police said on X (formerly Twitter): There are posts on social media regarding exchange of fire between Kuki militants and Meitei village volunteers, which are not correct. It is clarified that the incident was related to firing between security forces and armed miscreants at Pallel.

Meanwhile, a womens organisation has called statewide Public Curfew on Saturday and Sunday demanding restoration of peace in Manipur and replacement of Assam Rifles by any other Central para military force.

Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi in an appeal requested the people and all organisations to maintain peace and normalcy and help the law enforcing agencies and the administration to keep the situation normal and prevent all kinds of troubles.
From uniting against China at ASEAN, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the ASEAN nations should be united as far as territorial issues are concerned to the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to have more than a dozen bilateral meetings with world leaders, according to reports.

China has been throwing its weight around and has territorial concerns to address not just with India, but also Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and other countries of the ASEAN. Many islands in the South China Sea are disputed with various countries questioning Chinas claim over it.

ASEAN apart, notably Russias top leadership is giving G20 a miss, while Chinas premier will represent Xi Xinping which gave a lot of food for thought about what may have caused such a scenario, the focus is alsol on a lot of other G20 leaders and Indian PM Modis bilaterals with them.

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He is scheduled to meet with Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius on Friday. Additionally, he will meet privately with US Vice President Joe Biden, which is much anticipated. Meetings with Hasina and Biden are expected to draw a lot of interest. Given its close relationship with Sheikh Hasina, India is strategically important for Bangladeshs next elections. There is a perception that the opposition, the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, is hostile to Indias interests.

Given that the General Electric-HAL fighter jet engine transaction has been cleared by the US Congress, the discussion with President Biden is likely to centre on defence technologies. Its anticipated that the initiative will significantly transfer technology to India.

It will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis trip to the United States, and we will see significant progress on a number of issues, such as the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G and 6G, on collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, and also on advancements in the civil nuclear area. Therefore, we will celebrate all of that success when the two of them meet tomorrow, demonstrating the depth of our countries relations, according to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

On September 9, PM Modi is slated to have separate meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany, and Italy. After his election in late 2022, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will travel to India for the first time. Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, and Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, have all already visited India.
Maps have always played a pivotal role in shaping geopolitical realities. They serve as powerful tools of communication, shaping public perception and, at times, laying the groundwork for territorial aggressions. China understands this power well and has been actively using maps to assert its territorial claims.

Recently, on the eve of G-20 countries meeting in New Delhi, Chinas Ministry of Natural Resources released the 2023 edition of its map that shows vastly dispersed territories that it falsely claims its own. For example, Chibas map includes in its claim the entire Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island, which is located at the junction of the Ussuri and Amur rivers that separate Russia and China.

The dispute, according to Russian Foreign Ministry, was settled 15 years ago. But now when Russia is embroiled in the Ukrainian War and needs Chinas support, China thinks it can get away with its old cartographic claim on the island that was divided between the two countries in 2008. For China mutually agreed international agreements are good enough only so long they serve its interests.

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One of the most controver- sial examples of Chinas cartographic aggressions is the infa- mous Nine-Dash Line. This demarcation, found on Chinese maps, encircles nearly the entire South China Sea, encompassing vast swathes of territory claimed by other countries such as Viet- nam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. Chinas false historical claims do not hold up to international legal scrutiny, but who is talking? Chinas might is its right.

Chinas cartographic overreach is not confined to lines on maps; it also involves the actual creation of territory.

China has embarked on extensive land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, turning submerged reefs into artificial islands. These reclaim- ed islands have military infra structure, raising serious app- rehensions about Chinas strat- egic intentions in the region.

Chinas cartographic aggressions have no doubt strained its relationships with neighboring countries. The Philippines, in particular, challenged Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea through arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on 12 July 2016. The court ruled overwhelmingly in favour of the Philippines, rejecting Chinas historical claims as insufficient under international law. However, China refused to accept the verdict and continued its activities in the disputed water.

In the face of Chinas insidious cartographic aggressions, the international community has not remained silent. The United States, in particular, has increased its presence in the South China Sea through freedom of navigation and naval exercises with regional allies. These actions are meant to challenge Chinas false territorial claims and assert the principles of freedom of navigation under international law.

Chinas cartographic aggressions contribute to regional instability, as neighboring countries perceive China as a threat to their territorial sovereignty. Additionally, the militarization of reclaimed islands escalates the potential for conflict in the South China Sea. The future of the South China Sea, and the worlds response to Chinas cartographic aggressions, will shape the geopolitics of the 21st century.

One of the most notorious examples of Chinas cartographic belligerence is its depiction of Indias territorial boundaries on official Chinese maps. Despite Indias sovereignty over these regions, China has shown Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory.

Chinas false cartographic claims are not limited to maps; it is also evident in its infrastructure development along the disputed border. The construction of roads, military installations, and border outposts has raised concerns about Chinas intentions and its ability to quickly reinforce its positions in case of conflicts.

One of the best known instances of Chinas territorial encroachments in the Himalayas is Aksai Chin, a region in the western sector of the India-China border. China stealthily occupied Aksai Chin in the 1950s and built a strategic highway connecting Tibet and Xinjiang through this area. Indias claims to Aksai Chin have persisted, but Chinas control remains.

In 2017, the Doklam stand-off brought attention to another contentious area. China attempted to extend a road in the Doklam plateau, which is claimed by Bhutan but is also strategically important for India.

India intervened to prevent the roads construction, resulting in a tense standoff that last- ed for over two months before both sides disengaged. China didnt achieve its goal, but it marked an attempt to change the status quo in the region.

In June 2020, violent clashes erupted in the Galwan Valley, an area situated in the eastern Himalayas. This incident resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers. It highlighted Chinas incremental actions to alter the ground realities in disputed regions.

Another hotspot is Pangong Lake, where China has been in crementally advancing its posi- tions. The lake straddles the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC), and China has been building infrastructure and fortifications on its side, leading to stan- doffs and skirmishes.

Chinas nibbling of Indian territory in the Himalayas has significant implications for regional stability and security. It raises concerns about Chinas intentions in the region and its willingness to challenge the status quo. These actions have also led to increased military deployments, heightening the risk of accidental escalation and conflict.

India has responded to Chinas incremental encroachments by strengthening its border infrastructure, enhancing troop deployments, and seeking diplomatic channels to resolve disputes. India has also sought support from the international community, engaging in discussions with like-minded nations that share concerns about Chinas assertiveness in the Himalayas.

While the border dispute and overt military conflicts often take centre stage in Sino-Indian relations, there exists another layer of interaction characterized by micro aggressions from China towards India. These subtle, often diplomatic, actions can have significant implications and require a closer examination.

One prominent avenue for Chinas micro-aggressions against India is through its economic leverage. China has invested heavily in Belt-and-Road infrastructure projects in Pak- istan-occupied Kashmir, an integral part of India, which challenges Indias sovereignty.

Chinas unfounded territorial claims, backed by fake cartographic forays, from the Him- alayas to the South China Sea and other parts of the world such as Russia-China border belie Chinas pretentious claims about peaceful coexistence.

The writer is affiliated with the Graduate Program in Diplomacy and International Relations at Norwich University, US. In early November, under the auspices of Osher Institute at Dartmouth College, he is set to give a Zoom public lecture, Our Freedoms and the Age of Artificial Intelligence
A recent report by the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) has shed light on a troubling fiscal practice in India states violating mandated debt levels through off budget borrowings. These off-budget manoeuvres, which often go unnoticed, have farreaching consequences for individual states and the country as a whole.

Off-budget borrowings are a financial sleight of hand that allow states to borrow funds without reflecting them in their official budgets. This practice, while seemingly harmless, has serious ramifications. Off-budget borrowers may include Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and even governments themselves. These entities borrow substantial amounts of money without it being accounted for in the budget,

potentially masking the true extent of a states liabilities. In 2021, the five southern states Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu together accounted for a whopping Rs. 2.34 lakh crore in debt, approximately 93 per cent of the combined states off-budget liabilities. Telangana emerged as the highest borrower with around Rs 97,940.45 crore in off-budget debt, equal to 9.99 per cent of its gross state domestic product (GSDP). Other southern states followed closely behind.

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The consequences of such off-budget borrowing are two-fold. First, they can distort a states fiscal picture, making it appear more financially stable than it actu- ally is. This can mislead investors, credit rating agenci- es and the public, jeopardising the states economic stability. Secondly, when these off-budget liabilities are considered, the debt-to-GSDP ratio increases significantly. For instance, in the case of Andhra Pradesh, the states debt to GSDP ratio exceeded the permissible 35 per cent limit for the year 2020-21 when off-budget liabilities were accounted for. Similar scenarios unfolded in other southern states, such as Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, where off-budget borrowing inflated their total liabilities. The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act was enacted to ensure fiscal discipline and sustainable debt management. States are mandated to maintain a certain level of fiscal prudence, including limiting their borrowing. However, off-budget borrowings often circumvent these legal constraints, raising ques- tions about the effectiveness of the FRBM Act in curbing excessive borrowing.

The report speculates that states resort to off-budget borrowings due to increasing capital needs. These needs may arise from infrastructure development, public projects, or addressing economic challenges, leading states to seek alternative funding sources out- side their official budgets. The implications of breaching permissible borrowing limits through off-budget tactics are not limited to individual states alone.

They have a ripple effect on the nations fiscal health. When states accumulate substantial off-budget liabilities, it places added pressure on the central government, as it may need to step in to assist financially distressed states. This diverts resources and affects the central governments ability to fund other crucial national projects and initiatives. Addressing this issue requires a collaborative effort between states and the central gover- nment to ensure sustainable debt management and to uphold the principles of the FRBM Act.
Shivon Zilis is a venture capitalist from Canada who specializes in artificial intelligence and technology. she is in the news as for the first time, Tesla owner and entrepreneur Elon Musk was shown with his twins and their mother Shivon Zilis, who works for the billionaire at his Neuralink brain chip company.

One of the twins, who was 16 months old at the time, is shown on Musks lap as he sits cross-legged on a couch.

According to Insider, Zilis, 37, who is seated next to Musk, is holding the other infant.

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According to court records, Zilis gave birth to Musks eighth and ninth children in November 2021. Their identities have never been revealed.

The twins were conceived through invitro fertilization and arrived just a few weeks before Musk welcomed his second child with Canadian music sensation Grimes (real name Claire Boucher).

Zilis disclosed to coworkers that neither she nor her 52-year-old billionaire boss had ever had a sexual connection.

Veteran journalist Walter Isaacson, the author of an impending biography of Musk, revealed the image, which was taken at Zilis residence in Austin, Texas.

Zilis mother is Sharda, a Punjabi Indian, and father is Richard, a white Canadian. Born on February 8, 1986 in Markham, Ontario, Canada, She attended Yale University and earned degrees in philosophy and economics in 2008.

She was one of LinkedIns 35 Under 35 honorees.

For venture capital, Zilis was included in the Forbes Under 30 list in 2015. Zilis works for Neuralink as the head of operations and special projects and is directly responsible to Musk. Through her volunteer work at Open AI, where she served as a board member until 2023, she got to know Musk. She worked as a project director for Teslas autopilot program from 2017 to 2019.

Isaacson, who has reportedly followed Musk for three years for the book, posted the photo on his X account on Wednesday.

In another picture published by Isaacson, Musk can be seen looming over one of the twins as she stands next to a robot.

Musk requested to see Isaacson at Zilis house in March for a conversation that can only be done in person, according to Isaacson, whose book will be released on Sept 12.
To foster a business and industry friendly environment within the state, the Haryana government is reviewing 319 Acts to identify provisions that could be decriminalised.

Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal has directed all administrative secretaries to submit a report on the decriminalisation of laws and Acts in their respective departments within a fortnight.

Kaushal said the primary goal is to avoid registering first information reports (FIRs), imprisoning people, or putting them on trial for minor violations of these laws, which are not serious in nature.

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Instead of treating them as criminal acts, they may be treated as civil offenses or regulated through administrative measures, fines, or other non-criminal penalties, he added.

The Chief Secretary said the goal is to foster a business- and industry-friendly environment within the state, recognising that certain minor transgressions may occur as part of regular work and should not be categorised as criminal offenses.

He said various departments of the state government have taken this initiative enthusiastically and so far, 28 Acts have been successfully decriminalized.

Kaushal said that the departments are actively engaged in the exercise and have been conducting an exhaustive analysis of Acts, Rules, Regulations, and Notifications to reduce the burdensome compliances in the state.

Since the inception of the Reducing Compliance Burden Exercise, Haryana has reduced the burden of over 500 compliances, including the decriminalization of Acts across departments, he said.

The objective of this exercise is to improve the ease of doing business and ease of living for citizens by reducing burdensome compliances prescribed in the Acts or rules. The exercise aims to simplify, digitize, decriminalize, and rationalize compliances, an official spokesperson said.
After four years of attrition, Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday showed signs of reconciliation with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao when she described him as a strong politician with vast experience.

Nevertheless, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan is unlikely to make things easier for the administration by approving Bills or pending files promptly.

The rapprochement between the two came after they held a one-on-one meeting following a swearing-in ceremony of a new minister in the Cabinet and Rao had promptly invited the governor to the inauguration of places of worship in the state Secretariat.

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On the occasion of completing four years in office as Telangana governor, Dr Soundararajan said, Honble chief minister is a strong politician. He has a long standing experience in the political field. I do not want to get into controversies again and again. Four years ago I didnt have any experience of seeing a politician like that. After seeing him, there are so many things to learn, so many things to observe.

She also chided Congress state president A Revanth Reddy for saying that the meeting between the chief minister and governor after bitter fighting indicated that the BJP and the BRS had come to an understanding. She said, Even some of the Opposition parties when I attended the programme (at the Secretariat) drew connection with the party in which I was previously (BJP). Dont identify the governor like that.

When asked if the gap between Pragathi Bhavan (chief ministers camp office) and Raj Bhavan has closed she replied, The distance between Pragathi Bhavan and Raj Bhavan is close. I will do my duty. I may sometimes get the support of the government, sometimes I may not get the support of the government.

At the same time, she warned that approving pending bills or proposals of nominating BRS leaders to Legislative Council under governors quota should not be linked with her relations with the ruling party.

Dont co-relate relationships with the bills, because I am people oriented, said Dr Soundararajan adding MLC under governors quota have to meet certain criteria, I have some hesitation when the candidate does not fit any criteria.

There are two such proposals as she said she was assessing under which category they would be a better fit. Unlike last year, when she had accused the chief minister of discriminating against her and denying her protocol this time Dr Soundararajan made it clear she was not going to wade into any controversy.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High around 40F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 30F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
The National Intelligence Service here has confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to travel to Vladivostok to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kim and Putin are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum on Sept. 10-13 in the Siberian port.

"There is a possibility that Kim will make a surprise move by choosing a different route than expected," i.e. by armored train, People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum quoted an NIS official as saying in a closed-door briefing.
Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com.
Korea and the Philippines signed a free trade agreement on Thursday, a year and 10 months after wrapping up negotiations.

Once the FTA is ratified by both parliaments and goes into effect in the first half of next year, tariffs on Korean cars and processed food will gradually be lifted, while imports of fruit like bananas from the Philippines will increase.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy here said Minister Ahn Duk-geun and his Philippine counterpart Alfredo Pascual signed the FTA on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. Korea has now forged FTAs with 59 countries.

The Philippines holds the world's second-largest reserves of nickel and fourth-largest of cobalt. It is also the world's 12th most populous country with 110 million people.

"The Philippines ranks first in ASEAN in terms of car imports and the FTA is expected to boost exports of Korean vehicles," a ministry official said.
Job Title: Legal Officer (4 Fresher Job Opportunities)

Organisation: Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET)

Duty Station: Yumbe and Lamwo, Uganda

Reports to: Head, Legal Aid and Community Justice

About US:

Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET) is a registered, non-for profit, social Justice and law organization that champions human rights, and gender equality work in the context of HIV/AIDS and Health.

Job Summary: The Legal Officer will work with and support the head of Legal aid and community Justice in the humanitarian Jurisdiction of Yumbe and Lamwo. Legal work is team work and two strong leaders complement each other. The workload will be heavy and require an officer that will ease the load and deliver an effective program.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Prepare, file and plead cases, initiate and pursue legal proceedings on behalf of UGANET clients.

Research and prepare legal opinions on various civil matters in respect of UGANET clients.

Draft and/or review legal documents, contracts and agreements and monitor legal obligations for UGANET and her clients provided under specific agreements to ensure compliance.

Cause to be maintained, a database of the status of all client court and other matters

Provide sound legal advice to UGANET and make recommendations to Management as necessary.

To schedule and professionally carry out mediation and reconciliation amongst UGANET clients, their families and all related parties to the conflicts in question

To liaise with local leaders, community and opinion leaders, family members, the Police institution and Court officials in amicably reaching effective solutions for UGANET clients

To carry out outreach activities in the host communities, Refugee camps, hospitals, HIV service Provision organizations and other localities that house our target clientele.

Submit to the Head of Legal aid timely and detailed and accurate reports of cases handled and status in weekly/ monthly period

To prepare timely and accurate activity and progress reports on the work undertaken on UGANETS behalf.

To attend meetings and represent UGANET at other forums as directed from time to time and prepare reports for the same.

Participate in development of manuals and training material to be used in all UGANET training programs.

Work well and maintain contact with community paralegals

Maintain comprehensive electronic and hard copy files of all cases at the District.

Prepare success stories and material for the Website and other Public relational documents









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Law from an accredited Institution.

Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice; MUST be an Enrolled Advocate of the High Court with a VALID Practicing Certificate.

Two to three years of relevant experience in legal practice/ Court room experience

One year of experience in provision of Legal Aid Services either as a regular staff or Volunteer in a professional setting.

Experience working in the humanitarian setting with knowledge of Local ecosystems

Excellent communication skills, knowledge of other languages and experience in community work is of an added advantage.

He/she should have advanced working knowledge of Microsoft word, PowerPoint, excel and publisher

How to Apply:

All candidates with the necessary qualifications, competences, skills and experience should submit their application letter and a current CV in one Pdf or Word document and copies of their certified academic/professional certificates. Applications should specify the position applied for and the location, indicate their telephone contacts, email address and include three professional referees.

Applications should be addressed to; Executive Director, UGANET Plot 19, Valley Road Ministers Village, Ntinda-Kampala or Send your Application via email: applications@uganet.org

Note;

That any Applicant who applies for MORE THAN ONE POSITION or sends an application letter and CV that are not merged into one Pdf or Word document will be automatically disqualified.

That Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted

Deadline: 13th September 2023 at 5:00pm

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Consumer plea for department stores has thrived over the past year. A department store is a retailer that organises a number of stores that are open in different areas and sells an assortment of goods to customers. The opening of department stores has significantly altered consumer shopping patterns. Many department stores that trade a range of goods, such as clothing, makeup, hardware, sporting interests, home goods, TJ Maxx Luggage and electronic devices, can be established in major cities. Since the second half of the nineteenth century, these department stores have existed. Prominent department stores can be found in Germany, Paris, London, and the United States.

TJ Maxx is one such department store that has evolved to be well-liked by its supporters. There are over 1000 TJ Maxx areas across the country, which is a US department store. When described in relation to other well-known stores, this store's main benefit is that it delivers goods at a very low price. If you would like to know more about TJ Maxx luggage options and its preponderance before introducing it to your shopping index, read this post.

What Is TJ Maxx?

American department store TJ Maxx delivers products at prices that are generally lower than those of other significant, identical retailers. It is one of the gigantic apparel retailers in the nation with more than 1,000 locales across the country. The flagship store of the TJX Companies is TJ Maxx. It proposes clothing and shoes for men, women, and children as well as toys, bath and beauty items, accessories, jewellery, and home interests like furniture, wall decor, and kitchen utensils. It also trades toys online.

With similar geographic traces across the nation, TJ Maxx and Marshalls run as sister stores. Although their prices are almost identical and their store designs are similar, Marshalls has a more upscale appearance than TJ Maxx and frequently offers a wider selection of fine jewellery and accessories. A high-end designer section called The Runway can be found in some higher-volume stores.Ernie Herrman serves as the CEO of TJX .

Origin Of TJ Maxx

Bernard Cammarata and the Zayre chain of discount department stores founded TJ Maxx in 1976 in Framingham, Massachusetts. After failing in his attempt to acquire Marshalls, Zayre hired Cammarata, who had previously served as the retailer's head of merchandising, to found a competing chain. The idea was so well received that in September 1988, Zayre sold the chain bearing its name to a competing discount department store called Ames. The company was renamed "TJX Companies, Incorporated" after Zayre announced a restructuring strategy in December. 1995 saw TJX acquire Marshalls.

TJ Maxx launched the AJ Wright retail chain in the autumn of 1998. This franchise was shut down in January 2007.TJX opened an online store in March 2009. The product line, which at first only sold handbags, later grew to include apparel, footwear, jewellery, other accessories, and some home goods.TJ Maxx is known as TK Maxx in countries other than North America. To avoid being mistaken for the British retail chain T. J. Hughes, the name was changed. Watford, Hertfordshire, serves as the home of the European headquarters.

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President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

"As the North Korean nuclear issue worsens, cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan must strengthen," Yoon told Li, and urged China to play a "responsible role" in addressing the issue, so that it does not become an "obstacle" to relations between Seoul and Beijing.

He said the cooperation framework between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan can "only become stronger" if the North Korean nuclear issue remains unresolved, urging China to fulfill its responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being convicted of raping two women two decades ago. Los Angeles superior court judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down the sentence to Masterson, 47, after hearing statements from the women about the trauma and suffering they experienced, The Guardian reported.



Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape in May. The Church of Scientology was mentioned prominently in the trial, which was a rare prosecution of a Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Reportedly, Masterson used his role in the Church to avoid accountability for the charges.

Masterson starred in That 70s Show alongside Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. One of the women who accused him of rape said, When you raped me, you stole from me. Thats what rape is, a theft of the spirit. The world is better off with you in prison, she said.

Reportedly, Masterson gave them drinks to make them woozy before raping them violently. The assaults took place in his Hollywood area home in 2003. Masterson, in 2016 appeared in another comedy The Ranch, but was written off the show in 2017 when it came to light that he was under investigation by the Los Angeles police for rape.

Masterson's lawyer Shawn Holley said that the former's life with his daughter will be impacted by the sentence.
The BJP has had a clean sweep in both Assembly constituencies in Tripura where the byelections were held, wresting the seat from CPI (M) in Boxanagar and retaining it in Dhanpur.

BJP's Tafajjal Hossain won the Boxanagar seat, which has around 66 per cent minority voters, by 30,237 votes. Hossain got 34,146 votes, while his nearest rival Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) got 3,909 votes.



BJP candidate Bindu Debnath bagged the Dhanpur seat, which has a significant tribal population, by 18,871 votes. Debnath got 30,017 votes, and his nearest rival Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) got 11,146 votes.



While the saffron party won the Dhanpur seat for the first time in the assembly polls held seven months ago, it scripted victory by wresting the minority-dominated Boxanagar seat from the CPI(M). With these victories, the BJP's tally in the 60-member assembly increased to 33. Its ally IPFT has one MLA, while the opposition Tipra Motha has 13 MLAs, CPI(M) has 10 and the Congress has three MLAs.



The CPM had boycotted counting of the votes alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission.



In other seats, INDIA candidate, SP's Sudhakar Singh, is racing ahead of his BJP rival Dara Singh Chauhan with a margin of 4,067 votes as counting enters the fourth round in Ghosi assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Election Commission (EC), Singh has garnered 14,286 votes by 11:30 a.m. while Chauhan got 10,219. There will be 34 rounds of counting.



The byelections are seen as the first major electoral clash between the NDA and the Opposition bloc INDIA.



In West Bengal's Dhupguri bypoll, BJP's Tapasi Roy leads with 1,085 votes. TMC's Nirmal Chandra Roy was at the second spot, while CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, backed by the Congress, was at a distant third spot.



In Jharkhand's Dumri Assembly seat, JMM candidate Bebi Devi, fielded by the INDIA alliance, was leading by 1,341 votes over her nearest AJSU party rival Yashoda Devi after two rounds of counting.



Bebi Devi secured 7,314 votes while the AJSU Party candidate, an NDA nominee, got 5,973 votes. Giridih deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Naman Priyesh Lakra told PTI that the counting of votes began at 8 a.m. on Friday for the by-election amid tight security.



In Bageshwar, the Congress snatched an early lead over the BJP with its candidate Basant Kumar leading by 195 votes over the saffron party's Parvati Das in the initial round of counting on Thursday. At the end of the second round of counting, Kumar had garnered 4,554 votes while Das had polled 4,359 votes so far.


The Delhi Declaration is a work in progress. Negotiations are still on. But India is confident that no other document would have a stronger voice for the Global South and developing countries.

The New Delhi leaders' declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said at a press conference. This declaration will be recommended to the leaders and the leaders will then accept it, and only after that we will be able to talk about the actual achievements of the declaration.

However, one of the agendas that India hopes to get everyone on board is the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member.

While questions on consensus were sidestepped as were queries on President Xi Jinping's absence. It is no secret that China and Russia have been displeased about the language of Ukraine in the G20 meetings. The journey of the joint declaration has only just started, said Kant. He, however, chose to emphasize that China is a multilateral player and bilateral issues are different. The challenge of any multilateral discussion is you have to bring consensus across every issue as every country has veto power. We have been able to work with every single country and bring them on board."

Whether this hints at India inching towards a consensus still remains to be seen. Kant is not the only negotiator trying to find consensus. Brazil and South Africa are also trying to work behind the scenes to forge commonality. We will support Indias ambition to get a joint communique, given the issues the world is facing at the moment. Obviously, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also some of the issues around food security, sustainability, global health," British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said in an interview to Times of India.

The European Union too has thrown its weight behind trying India to craft a joint statement. We hope that it will be possible to have a communique and there is no secret about the position that the EU is defending around the table regarding the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, European Council President Charles Michel said in a media briefing in the national capital recently.

While the West has made its red lines on Ukraine clear, Russia too, has minced no words about the inclusion of Ukraine. In a press interaction, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov stressed the consensus since the creation of the G20 that the bloc should focus on economic and financial matters. Russia did not accept discussion of political issues within the G20, he said, and added that items on which there is no consensus should be removed so that the grouping can discuss topical matters such as climate change, sustainable development and the financial and food crises.

This is very much the argument that Kant made at the press conference too. G20 was an economic platform, he said. In Bali it was felt that the war impact on food and fertilizer was touched upon. This year too, its impact was felt on SDGs. Could this hint at a possible way out? Only Sunday will tell.
The national capital has been decked up to welcome world leaders with just the day left for the G20 Summit to begin. The gathering will see 30 heads of state, including US President Joe Biden, and top officials from the European Union and the guest countries. Over 14 heads of international organisations have also been invited for the two-day summit which begins on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden has left for India and will arrive on Friday evening, after which he will hold a bilateral talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We're grateful for Prime Minister Modi's leadership during India's presidency of the G20, and the President is certainly looking forward to his bilateral meeting with the prime minister shortly after his arrival in New Delhi," the White House said.



Besides Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among the G20 leaders who have already confirmed their participation in the summit.



Some of the world leaders, including Argentina President Alberto Fernandez, have arrived in Delhi.



Security cover



There is a tight security cover in Delhi ahead of the Summit with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies maintaining a hawk-eye vigil in the city.



There is an extensive checking of vehicles in border areas besides the deployment of markswomen and armed forces at strategic locations. Over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads and mounted police are roaming the city. "From the airport to hotels and from hotels to the G20 summit venues, foreign delegates will be provided foolproof security by the Delhi Police during the prestigious summit," a senior official told PTI.



Besides the police, the Indian Air Force, National Security Guard and some of the Central Armed Police Forces are also on their toes to ensure foolproof security. "Picket checking has been increased in the area and communication is being established with locals to give them a sense of confidence. The areas near Yamuna Khadar are being checked regularly. Mounted morchas have also been pressed into service".



A road near Le Meridien Hotel is seen barricaded ahead of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi | PTI

"Checking in the border areas has been intensified. Extra pickets are being installed along the borders. Drones are also being used for surveillance. Regular communication is being held with RWA (Residents' Welfare Associations), MWAs (Market Welfare Associations) and Aman Committee members," an official said.



Nineteen markswomen, who have completed a four-week specialised training session conducted by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at its training centre in Karera, Madhya Pradesh, are also being deployed during the summit.



Officials are also keeping an eye out for protestors considering that many previous summits saw law and order situations due to protests by international pressure groups and local organisations. Analysing past protests, the officials will use chains and bolt cutters to tackle unwanted and unscheduled agitations. These will come into the picture if protesters tie themselves with chains so that they cannot be removed, the officials said.


Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentina President Alberto Fernandez arrived in Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 summit to be held on Saturday and Sunday.

The global leaders will also be attending the G20 dinner hosted by President on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam. Even as all cabinet, state and chief ministers have been invited to the dinner, Congress president and leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge not on the guest list has triggered a controversy.

Congress has confirmed that Kharge was not invited to the G20 dinner. Invites were sent to all secretaries of the government of India and other delegates as well.

Even the heads of the opposition parties as well as floor leaders in Parliament confirmed that they have not been invited to the dinner.

However, Spain's President Pedro Sanchez on Thursday tested positive for Covid-19 and will skip the G20 summit.

Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh, and H. D. Deve Gowda were also invited. However, due to health reasons both Singh and Gowda will not be attending the dinner.

I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success. @PMOIndia @rashtrapatibhvn  H D Deve Gowda (@H_D_Devegowda) September 8, 2023

Among other chief ministers, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Mamata Banerjee from West Bengal, M.K. Stalin from Tamil Nadu and Arvind Kejriwal from Delhi have confirmed that they will attend the dinner gala.

Special transport arrangements have been made to take the delegates to the dinner venue and back. Arrangements were also made to bring all the cabinet ministers, ministers of state, chief ministers and secretaries from their residence to Parliament House as well.

Reportedly , Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka CM Siddaramiah are unlikely to attend due to their scheduled programmes.

According to officials, PM Modi will welcome the leaders of all countries individually at the venue, where he is set to host a working lunch for them on Saturday.

PM Modi is set to reach the venue at 9 am and two sessions are slated to be held on the first day of G20 summit.

There will be over 40 delegations headed by presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, general secretaries and executive directors, said officials.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among the key leaders to attend the event in the national capital.
With a margin of over 25,000 votes, Samajwadi Partys candidate Sudhakar Singh is clearly leading over his BJP rival Dara Singh Chauhan in Uttar Pradeshs Ghosi bypoll on Friday.

According to the Election Commission, Singh has garnered 84,417 votes, while Chauhan so far got 58,684 by 4 pm.

The choice of the BJP candidate proved wrong as Chauhan is considered as a party hopper. Chauhan is unpopular even in his own constituency as he did not do anything good for his constituency when is served minister in the first Yogi government.

The Ghosi assembly seat fell vacant by the resignation of Chauhan, who had won the seat in the UP assembly polls, from the Samajwadi Party in July. Later Chauhan returned to BJP and he was fielded as the partys candidate in the bypoll.

On the other hand, Singh's victory means a united opposition can chip away at the BJP's upper caste vote. INDIA bloc constituents including Congress, CPI(M), AAP, RLD, CPI, and Suheldev Swabhiman Party, have extended support to Singh. If Bahujan Samaj Partys Mayawati too joins the alliance then it would be a tight fight in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The defeat of BJP is an embarassing loss as its the first face off against INDIA bloc.

SP had make numerous complaints against polling officials and police. Had said that Muslim voters were being turned away.

A voter turnout of 50.77 per cent was recorded in Ghosi, Mau district.

Last year, Chauhan had defeated BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Rajbhar by a margin of 22,216 votes.





NDA partners including Apna Dal (Sonelal), Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party extended support to Chauhan.

BJPs Om Prakash Rajbhar who had gloated that many others from the opposition would join the BJP also faces criticism. It is known that even his own party men are not happy with his BJP handshake.

Also, SP had made numerous complaints against polling officials and police. They alleged that the Muslim voters were turned away from the poll booths.

Meanwhile, with the BJPs defeat, there are rumours that the state ministry expansion likely to take place on September 10 wont happen.

Though BJP enjoys a comfortable majority in the state assembly, the bypoll election outcome indicates the road ahead for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections for the INDIA bloc.

Reacting to the results, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party's Om Prakash Rajbhar said, "When the opposition loses it blames the EVMs. This proves that fair elections are held under the NDA. We shall contemplate on our inadequacies and learn lessons. We will win the 2024 election."

Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "This is a victory of the thought of the voters of Ghosi....This is an election where a single MLA has won, but many probable ministers from many parties have lost."

With inputs from Puja Awasthi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at Lok Kalyan Marg on Friday. Our meeting was very productive, Modi said.



The meeting was held soon after Biden arrived in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit to be chaired by Prime Minister Modi. "Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and the USA," the prime minister's office said.

Tweeting about the meeting, Modi said, Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and the USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good.

In a joint statement, the leaders committed to cooperate on issues ranging from democratic values to quantum computing and semiconductor supply chains.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US NSA Jake Sullivan were also present in the meeting from the US side while the Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next two days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit.

The prime minister earlier said that these meetings would give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development," the prime minister posted on X, adding, "I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days."

"I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," Modi said.

On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events. On Sunday, he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said.

(With PTI inputs.)
The dreaded militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) faced a jolt as its top commander Rayaz Ahmed alias Abu Qasim Kashmiri was gunned down in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Friday.

Ahmed was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Rawalakot in PoK where he was managing the Kolti terror camp of LeT.

Ahmed was a resident of Pooch in Kashmir and had fled the country in 1999 to join the Lashkar ranks in PoK where he was handling operations and recruitment. His terror activities had put him on the most wanted list of Indian intelligence and security agencies.

In the last two decades, Ahmed grew to become one of the key commanders managing the Kotli terror camps and launchpad for the terror outfit. Recently, he was believed to have been playing a crucial role in reviving terror activities in Rajouri and Poonch areas of Kashmir. The twin areas have continued to witness attempts at terror infiltrations and encounters with security forces.

The revival of the cross-border terror camps has been one of the key projects of the Pakistan ISI-backed terror outfits post the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K

Intelligence reports revealed that terror camps were running from three key locations in PoKMuzaffarabad, Manshera and Kotli. These camps were desperately trying to recruit more youth and provide them arms training to send them to launch pads at the LoC. The use of drones by terrorist outfits like LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen to drop arms and drugs into Indian territory is also the latest concern for security agencies in the valley who are hot on the chase of the most wanted terrorists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the two-day G20 Summit that will begin on Saturday.

While Biden is expected to meet Modi immediately after his arrival in New Delhi on Friday evening, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will also hold talks with Modi at his official residence on Friday. She will virtually inaugurate a rail link with Tripura and the second unit of the Rampal power plant along with PM Modi.



Hasina is also expected to discuss Ruppee-Taka deal, which will see Bangladesh and India using the Bangladeshi taka and Indian rupee for trade. The Bangladesh Bank will also introduce a debit card dubbed the "Taka Pay Card" which will enable customers to withdraw either rupees or taka.



Modi will also hold a meeting with the leader of Mauritius.



On Saturday, the Indian Prime Minister will meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak where the two will hold talks on the progress of the trade deal the two countries are trying to negotiate. On the cards are bilateral meetings with the leaders of Japan's Fumio Kishida, Germany's Olaf Scholz and Italy's Giorgio Meloni, besides attending the G20 events.



Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. The duo could discuss a defence deal and Frances strategy in the Indo-Pacific region during the pull aside. "It will also be an opportunity to deepen our bilateral relationship with a country that is undergoing rapid economic development, with Frances support, and is seeking to diversify its partnerships," it said.



The Prime Minister will also have a pull-aside meeting with his Canadian counterpart. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-Modi meeting will likely discuss the status of the trade talks with India which is on pause.



Modi will also have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria.


The results of the by-elections to seven seats in six states declared today carry a significance that goes much beyond the ambit of the local dynamics since they are being viewed in terms of what messages they have for the ruling BJP and the INDIA alliance, and both sides have reasons to cheer and ponder about.



Numerically, there isn't much change for the ruling BJP since it entered the by-elections with three seats and has won three today. However, if the BJP has established itself and sidelined the Left further in Tripura, by retaining a seat and wresting another from the CPI (M), and retained a seat in Uttarakhand, it has lost a seat in West Bengal to the Trinamool Congress, a key component of the INDIA alliance.

The BJP won the Boxnagar seat in Tripura, which was earlier held by the CPI (M). Tafajjal Hossain of the BJP won the seat, which has around 66 per cent minority votes, by a big margin of 30,237 votes. While Hossain polled 34,146 votes, the CPI (M) candidate Mizan Hossain managed to get 3,909 votes. The BJP retained the Dhanpur seat in Tripura, with its candidate Bindu Debnath defeating CPI (M)'s Kaushik Chanda by 18,871 votes. Dhanpur was earlier represented by CPI (M)'s Manik Sarkar for five terms.

The Tripura results, if they come as a source of cheer for the BJP, are a major cause for concern for the CPI (M), which appears to have been further sidelined in the Northeastern state, a place which was still not very long ago its bastion.

In West Bengal, however, the Trinamool has wrested from the BJP Dhupguri seat, with the party's candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy defeating BJP's Tapasi Roy by more than 4,000 votes. The TMC was quick to declare that it had vanquished the BJP in its stronghold. The victory is bound to be viewed keenly in terms of the INDIA alliance discussions, especially seat-sharing talks. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described it as a critical election. She said soon INDIA too will show its preference. Jai Bangla! Jai INDIA! is how she wrapped up her victory message on X.

In Dhupguri, the other INDIA constituent but TMC's staunch rival in state politics, the CPI (M), ended up in third place. The CPI (M) had the backing of the Congress in this election. It is still a matter of speculation whether the Congress will ally with the Trinamool or the Left in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls.

The Samajwadi Party held on to Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, with its candidate Sudhakar Singh winning by a margin of over 60,000 votes against BJP's Dara Singh Chauhan, who was the sitting MLA belonging to the SP, but who switched sides to the BJP, necessitating the by-poll. While the SP has retained its seat, for the BJP, the poll outcome comes as a huge setback since the saffron party had made it a prestige battle for itself. Many senior leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had campaigned in Ghosi, and it was being said that if Chauhan, an OBC leader, won, he could find a place in the state cabinet.

The BJP also failed to unseat the JMM in Dumri, where JMM's Bebi Devi won against the NDA candidate Yashoda Devi by 17,000 votes.

In Kerala's Puthupally, the legacy of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy triumphed, with his son and Congress candidate Chandy Oommen registering a massive victory in the constituency. Chandy had passed away recently, necessitating the by-election.

Chandy Oommen aptly said: Appa (father) won for the 13th time. He defeated the LDF's Jaick C. Thomas, a youth leader belonging to the CPI(M). The Congress would like to describe the Puthupally result as a mandate against the Pinarayi Vijayan government. It is being seen by the Congress as an indicator of the public sentiment swaying away from the Left Front government and a precursor to the outcome of a UDF-LDF fight in the Lok Sabha polls.

Despite being INDIA alliance partners, the Congress and the Left are unlikely to get into an alliance in Kerala. Since the state has little presence of the BJP, it is felt that there is no need for an alliance between the two, and whoever wins will mark a victory for the anti-BJP bloc.
An opinion piece that you describe, praises or criticizes, on the whole or partly, to cultural or entertainment work. It must be written by an expert on the matter

With her acting career increasingly on the back burner, French director Jeanne Herry delves into the social work that has been carried out in France since 2014 by so-called restorative justice professionals. Restorative justice is a mediation and support system that provides victims and criminals with the possibility of seeking together a path to reparation and forgiveness.

In All Your Faces, Herry does not conceal her faith in the results of a fragile procedure. To do this, the director constructed her film in a simple and effective way through two therapies, one individual and one for a group; these sessions run parallel and serve to explain what this kind of social reintegration is all about. It is an ensemble film in which the actress Adele Exarchopoulos stands out as a young woman who faces her past, a childhood and adolescence marked by the sexual abuse of her older brother. Also of note is the actor Dali Benssalah as a longtime thief imprisoned after his last heist. Well-known faces of French cinema make an appearance, including Elodie Bouchez, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gilles Lellouche and the directors mother, the veteran Miou-Miou, completing a cast that brings to life therapists, victims and criminals willing to delve into their own worst nightmares.

The cases on the table are violent robberies except for the one starring Exarchopoulos, an actress who once again fills everything she touches with soul. Her character modestly shows the open wound and emotional labyrinths of a victim when her attacker is released and she requires help to avoid his shadow. The chilling final encounter between the two is courageous and gives the film meaning.

All Your Faces has plenty of flashbacks and an overly formatted style when it comes to exposing traumas and processes as painful as those addressed. Still, the film offers some undoubtedly sociological value; the certainty that we live in societies that cultivate hatred so blatantly that they make the work of restorative justice necessary and even subversive.
The Congress pulled off a massive win in Kerala's Puthuppally by-election on Friday with United Democratic Front's Chandy Oommen securing a lead of over 37,000 votes. Chandy Oommen got 78,649 votes, as of 1:17 pm, while his rival LDFs Jaick C. Thomas secured only 41,982 votes, according to the Election Commission of India website.

Reacting to the victory, Chandy Oommen said "Appa (father) won for the 13th time". The initial trend itself suggested a clear victory for the UDF candidate.

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said: "The spectacular victory in the Puthuppally by-elections is a clear message to the Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan governments. Both BJP and the CPM have been cast aside by the people of Puthuppally...No by-election in Kerala has got such a landslide margin. The message is very clear."

The LDF candidate was trailing behind the whole time, unable to go above 30 per cent of polled votes at any time. With only 6.41 per cent votes so far, BJP candidate G. Ligin Lal was nowhere in the scene. This, reportedly, was BJPs poorest performance so far.

AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal MP said that extreme sentiment against the Chief Minister's arrogance was reflected in the Puthupally by-election. "The people of Kerala have sent a clear message to the LDF government through this verdict. The election results are encouraging for all the believers in democracy who want the Congress to strengthen. The UDF's confidence has increased. It is also a success of unity in our organisational system," he said.

Venugopal added that KPCC president K Sudhakaran has camped in the constituency and ensured all the party activities. "The UDF also got the votes of CPM supporters in Puthupally. They are so fed up with the Pinarayi regime. The Congress does not want BJP's support to win. Such an allegation is levelled by the CPM to minimise the impact of the defeat. The by-election result is also an endorsement of Oommen Chandy's popularity. The election results also reflected the public sentiment against the politics of the CPM, which hunted Oommen Chandy even after his demise," he said. Venugopal added that Rahul Gandhi expressed happiness on UDFs victory.

Meanwhile, K. Sudhakaran wrote in Facebook that "Kerala is showing an example of love slaughtering the roots of hatred. "Chandy Oommen is a young man who has all the qualities to follow in the footsteps of his father."

"We guarantee that Chandy Oommen will always be an approachable MLA for any person, working in any political movement. The people unitedly faced the evil of Communism with Congress' politics of goodness," Sudhakaran added.

Oommen Chandys most substantial victory margin in Puthuppally materialised in 2011 when he triumphed by a margin of 33,255 votes against Suja Susan George of the CPI(M). However, the current trend suggests that Chandy Oommen can have a winning margin that would even cross his fathers 2011 record.
When the Election Commission of India announced that Puthuppally by-elections would be held on September 5, with the counting scheduled for September 8, three weeks had passed since the death of veteran leader and former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy. The emotional impact of Chandy's death and the unforgettable farewell he received from the masses still resonated in the state, particularly in the Puthuppally assembly constituency which had favoured Oommen Chandy for 53 years.



The UDF was determined to tap into this emotional sentiment, and shortly after the election commission's announcement, they introduced Chandy Oommen, Oommen Chandy's son, as their candidate. The results on Friday clearly demonstrate that the UDF's strategy was highly successful in the by-elections, as Chandy Oommen won by an unprecedented margin of 37,719 votes.

Although the BJP was also a contender, the Puthuppally by-elections were primarily seen as a direct contest between the ruling LDF and the UDF. The LDF had declared that it would not be a one-sided affair but rather a closely fought battle. Nevertheless, the results reveal that the LDF did not perform well in any part of the constituency. The substantial margin of victory suggests that it was not solely attributable to the emotional aftermath of Chandy's passing; the election outcome also reflects the general sentiment against the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

Strategies gone wrong?

The UDF and their candidate Chandy Oommen employed a straightforward strategy. Chandy Oommen consistently referred to his "Appa" [father] and sought voters' blessings in his father's name. At certain times, his actions and mannerisms bore a resemblance to those of his late father's, although there were claims that he was deliberately emulating Chandy Sr's style.

In previous elections, the UDF lacked a robust organisational structure for campaigning in Puthuppally. However, the name Oommen Chandy alone sufficed to compensate for this deficiency. This time, however, the Congress leadership was attentive to activate its organisational capabilities within the constituency. They were mindful of the fact that in the 2021 elections, LDF candidate Jaick C. Thomas had significantly reduced Oommen Chandy's vote margin from around 27,000 votes in 2016 to less than 10,000 votes. This effort involved regular home meetings and booth-level gatherings. Opposition Leader V.D. Satheeshan and senior members of the Congress leadership actively coordinated the campaign activities.

Despite having grievances following the reconstitution of the Congress Working Committee, leaders like Ramesh Chennithala and K. Muraleedharan maintained silence until September 5 to ensure that internal conflicts did not affect the party's electoral prospects in Puthuppally.

The LDF's strategy was notably intricate, involving several shifts in direction. Minister V.N. Vasavan spearheaded the LDF's campaign efforts. Initially, they aimed to steer clear of discussing Oommen Chandy and instead focus on projecting a forward-looking narrative, emphasising on the lack of development in Puthuppally. The LDF challenged the UDF to engage in debates centred around Puthuppally's development and other LDF-represented constituencies. However, it proved challenging to convey this narrative without attacking Oommen Chandy. Their narrative that Oommen Chandy did not do anything for Puthupally was destined to backfire.

Interestingly, even as they discussed development, the LDF made a concerted effort to avoid making the election a platform for discussing the Pinarayi Vijayan governments major projects like K-Rail. Last year, during the Thrikkakara by-elections following the demise of Congress leader P.T. Thomas, the CPI(M) had based its election strategy on showcasing the "developmental model" of the LDF government. Thrikkakara is predominantly urban, and projects like K-Rail were prominently featured in campaign materials. However, this strategy did not yield success in Thrikkakara.

Puthupally is less urban than Thrikkakara, and the LDF decided to remain silent on major projects. The project's uncertain status, coupled with the fact that Madapallythe epicentre of anti-K-Rail protestsis closer to the Puthuppally constituency, may have influenced this decision.

As the campaign phase advanced, CPI(M) activists themselves shifted their focus away from the "development" issue and adopted more aggressive tactics, particularly on social media. Cyber attacks were directed at Oommen Chandy's daughters, particularly Achu Oommen.

In the last week of the campaign, the CPI(M) raised the allegation that the UDF resorted to cyber attack tactics against the LDF candidates pregnant wife, too. But this counter-allegation could not balance the allegations against CPI(M) cadres. In the final days of the campaign, audio clips and a social media campaign insinuating that Chandy Oommen was responsible for denying proper medical care to his father were also circulated. Additionally, a controversy arose concerning the dismissal of a sweeper from a veterinary hospital in the constituency, reportedly for praising Oommen Chandy on television channels. This controversy stirred significant outrage. The election results indicate that the residents of the Puthuppally constituency perceived all these actions as personal attacks against Oommen Chandy himself.

A verdict against Pinarayi 2.0?

The LDF, especially the CPI(M), is currently grappling with a phase where its leadership is facing multiple allegations simultaneously, including those against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The substantial defeat suffered by the CPI(M) suggests that these controversies did indeed influence the voting pattern during the Puthuppally bypoll on September 5.

One significant controversy soon after election announcement stemmed from a Malayala Manorama report. This report revealed that CM Vijayan's daughter, Veena Thaikandiyil, had allegedly accepted Rs 1.72 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), a contentious company involved in the production of synthetic rutile and Ferric Chloride from ilmenite, under questionable circumstances. The report was based on a decision from the New Delhi branch of the income tax interim settlement board, a quasi-judicial body, which found that Veena, former owner of an IT company, received this sum from CMRL despite not providing any IT services to the company. The quasi-judicial body concluded that CMRL, a company facing various allegations, including those related to pollution, had made payments through banking channels to "individuals associated with a prominent person, claiming it as a deductible expense and asserting compensation for a service that had not been rendered or received."

Despite this serious corruption allegation against his daughter,the chief minister chose not to respond to it. Even during election campaigns in Puthuppally, Vijayan refrained from addressing the issue. The chief minister has not engaged with the media since last February, necessitating the CPI(M) leadership to provide all the defense for the CM and his daughter. Disregarding the findings of the I-T interim settlement board, the state leadership of the party declared the contract between CMRL and Veena's company, Exalogic, as "transparent" and dismissed the controversy as a conspiracy in light of the assembly polls declared in the Puthuppally assembly.

Furthermore, CPI(M) supporters resorted to cyber attacks against Oommen Chandy's daughters, arguing that not only CM Vijayan's daughter but also Achu, a social media fashion influencer, deserved "social media auditing." They misused Instagram content from Achu as part of their "auditing" process, attempting to create the impression that Achu was living a lavish lifestyle. However, this strategy ultimately backfired.

Another incident that significantly impacted the CPI(M) during the election phase was a raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at the residence of former minister and CPI(M) MLA A.C. Moideen. This raid was connected to a Rs 300 crore scam at Thrissur's Karuvannur Cooperative Bank. It is reported that the ED is investigating the case with the assumption that the former minister played a pivotal role in facilitating the disbursement of illicit loans from the bank.

In response to these allegations, the CPI(M) state secretariat issued a statement, highlighting that these accusations coincided with the Puthuppally by-polls, where "false narratives" were circulating about CPI(M) leaders and their family members. The party also reiterated the narrative that the ED raids were part of the BJP government's efforts to utilise Central agencies to target opposition parties, including the CPI(M). Additionally, during the election phase, a financial fraud of Rs 100 crore at Kandala Bank, previously led by LDF ally CPI's leader N. Bhasurangan, also came to light.

The fiscal challenges faced by the state further weakened the CPI(M) and LDF's position in the bypoll. Towards the end of August, actor Jayasurya strongly criticised the government's "failure" to settle debts owed to paddy farmers, during a public event attended by state ministers. Although the minister provided an explanation, the actor's speech went viral and sparked a major controversy. This incident, just a week before the elections, undermined the "welfare politics" and developmental model presented by the LDF. The Pinarayi Vijayan-led government's main defense was that the financial constraints in the state were a result of the Central government's policies. However, Puthuppally clearly indicates that the CPI(M) has to take care of the growing dissatisfaction in the state with the performance of Pinarayi Vijayan 2.0.

Facing a fund crunch, the Kerala government had limited the distribution of free Onam food kits this year only to yellow ration card holders. Last year, 83 lakh ration cardholders were given Onam kits. This year only 6,07,691 persons were eligible.

Changes in two years

Despite Oommen Chandy serving as the MLA in the constituency for 53 years, the LDF has established a strong organisational presence in the area. Currently, the LDF governs six out of the eight panchayats within the constituency and boasts of an estimated 45,000 "party votes." However, in the days to come, the party will need to assess whether their reliable votes also eroded in the electoral wave. This marks Jaick C. Thomas's third consecutive loss in the constituency. In 2021, during his best performance for the LDF in the assembly, he garnered 54,328 votes. Two years later, he experienced a shortfall of 12,684 votes, securing only 41,644 votes. Notably, he could not even reach the vote count he achieved in 2016, which was 44,505, during his first contest against Oommen Chandy.

Interestingly, it is not just the CPI(M) that suffered a significant setback, but the BJP as well. In 2021, the BJP's N. Hari secured 11,694 votes. Two years later, Lijin Lal managed to gather fewer than 7,000 votes in the constituency. A day after the polling, CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan suggested that if the UDF were to win the election, it would be because they received votes from the BJP. Following the counting, KPCC president K. Sudhakaran stated that the UDF had secured votes not only from BJP supporters but also from CPI(M) cadres. He further declared that the UDF was winning over these votes from both the BJP and the CPI(M). The leader from Kannur didn't hold back in criticising the Vijayan government, describing the election result as a strong backlash against the "arrogance" of the CPI(M) and the chief minister.

Significantly, several of the topics that were prominent discussions in the constituency during the 2021 election were conspicuously absent from the narratives shaping the by-elections. One of the major issues that fall into this category is the feud between the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Jacobite Church. Both of these church denominations have a substantial presence in the constituency, which primarily consists of a Christian-Hindu demographic makeup.

Effects of the wave

As the country approaches the general elections, the lessons learned and tested during the by-elections will prove to be critical for all political alliances in the state. The victory in the bypoll will undoubtedly boost the morale of the Congress-led UDF, while the CPI(M) will need to engage in substantial introspection regarding their election strategies. It has become evident that they will also need specialised approaches to counteract anti-incumbency sentiments in the state, even though the elections are for the Lok Sabha.

Although the chief minister and other ministers were not actively involved in campaigning in Puthuppally, unlike their efforts in Thrikkakara, it is highly likely that the CPI(M)'s poor performance may raise questions about the effectiveness of governance. Interestingly, the UDF leadership is striving to portray the victory as purely a "political victory." Such a narrative is crucial for the UDF as it allows them to target the defensive LDF leadership.

The Congress leadership emphasised that they gained votes even from CPI(M) cadres, aiming their criticism at Pinarayi Vijayan. AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, for instance,told media that the Congress received these red votes because these cadres are also "disenchanted with the Pinarayi regime." Notably, the national leader did not criticise the entire CPI(M) party but specifically targeted CM Vijayan. This approach of distinguishing between the central leadership of the CPI(M) and the Kerala CPI(M) under Pinarayi Vijayan's leadership will likely persist when it comes to the Lok Sabha elections as well.

The Puthuppally bypoll marked the first major election faced by the CPI(M) since M.V. Govindan assumed the role of party state secretary in August 2022. It is highly likely that questions will be raised about his leadership at a time when the party and the party-led LDF government are both on the defensive. The response from the Congress leadership also suggests that they are eager to see some internal conflicts within the Kerala CPI(M) following the Puthuppally setback.

Big responsibility

Chandy Oommen is scheduled to be sworn in as the MLA in the state assembly on September 11.

The 37-year-old leader, who embarked on a national padayatra during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, will have two and a half years to demonstrate his capabilities. Given that Chandy Sr was known for his accessibility to all, there are high expectations from Chandy Oommen as well. He must navigate the challenge of living up to these elevated expectations.

Following the release of the election results, Chandy's initial reaction was that his father had once again emerged victorious in Puthuppally. Undoubtedly, the late leader had generated a significant wave of support, but his statement neutralised the partys leaderships stance that this was a political victory. The statement was also used by the CPI(M) state secretary Govindan to evade questions whether this poll debacle is a verdict against the Pinarayi Vijayan government, too.

When asked about his plans for development earlier, Chandy Oommen had mentioned that he had many ideas in mind and would unveil them at the appropriate time. Now, it is incumbent upon him to execute those plans and live up to the considerable expectations set by the people of Puthuppally and his own political party.






In India for the G20 Leaders Summit and addressing a long-felt demand by India and many countries of the global south, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said like the outdated global financial architecture, the UN Security Council too is in need of urgent reforms.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhis UN office on Friday, Guterres said, The global financial architecture is outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair. It requires deep, structural reform. And the same can be said of the United Nations Security Council.

Notably, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday in Jakarta that Gutterres has been a strong advocate for India's inclusion in the permanent seat for UN Security Council.

Dujarric was speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit and East Asia Summit in Jakarta, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Citing the Upanishads, the UN head said on the eve of the two-day G20 top event that begins Saturday that Indias supreme spiritual texts are not just as a timeless ideal, but an indictment of our times and that the world today is a rather dysfunctional one.

We today resemble a rather dysfunctional one. Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up, and trust is eroding  which together raise the spectre of fragmentation, and ultimately, confrontation. This fracturing would be deeply concerning in the best of timesbut in our times, it spells catastrophe.

Our world is in a difficult moment of transition. The future is multipolarbut our multilateral institutions reflect a bygone age.

Upanishads are the esoteric texts of the highest levels of the Indian philosophic tradition.

Hoping that Indias presidency of the G20 will help lead to the kind of transformative change our world so desperately needs, Guterres said, We need effective international institutions rooted in 21st century realities based on the UN Charter and international law.

That is why I have been advocating for bold steps to make those global institutions truly universal and representative of todays realities, and more responsive to the needs of developing economies. We have no time to lose. Wars and conflicts are multiplying but efforts to advance peace are faltering.

New technologies are raising red flags  but actions to contain the risks remain too slow, and too piecemeal, the UN chief said.

I have come to the G20 with a simple but urgent appeal: we cannot go on like this. We must come together and act together for the common good, Guterres added.
Using digital public infrastructure (DPI) like Aadhaar, Jan Dhan bank accounts and mobile phones, India has achieved in a much short time what would have otherwise taken up to 47 years without DPIs, a 78-page report prepared by the World Bank that was released on Friday has said.



The G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) document has been prepared by the World Bank as an implementing partner of GPFI with the guidance of and inputs from the G20 India Presidency, represented by Indias finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The report defines DPI as interoperable, open, and inclusive systems supported by technology to provide essential, society-wide, public and private services, (which) can play a critical role in accelerating this transformation in an inclusive way.

Launched in 2009, Aadhaar is a foundational digital ID system that uses biometric and demographic data to allocate a 12-digit unique identity number to every Indian citizen. The Jan Dhan bank account scheme, launched in 2014, is the national mission to ensure access to financial services namely, banking, savings and deposit accounts, remittance, credit, insurance and pension in an affordable manner.

The report says: In India, the implementation of DPIs such as Aadhaar, along with the Jan Dhan bank accounts and mobile phones, is considered to have played a critical role in moving ownership of transaction accounts from approximately one-fourth of adults in 2008 to over 80 per cent nowa journey that it is estimated could have taken up to 47 years without DPIs.

While DPIs role in this leapfrogging is undoubtable, other ecosystem variables and policies that build on the availability of DPIs were critical. These included interventions to create a more enabling legal and regulatory framework, national policies to expand account ownership, and leveraging Aadhaar for identity verification, it said.

The report also praised DPIs in other countries like Singapores Singpass, the Philippines PhilSys, and the United Arab Emirates UAE-Pass and other digital payment systems.

Fast payment systems, such as Brazils Pix, Indias UPI, Turkiyes FAST, the European Unions TIPS, and Thailands PromptPay and data-exchange platforms such as Indias Digilocker and Account Aggregator, Estonias X-Road, Singapores MyInfo, Australias Customer Data Right, and the United Kingdoms Open Banking also came in for praise.

These effects may translate into faster progress in financial inclusion and enhance productivity over and above that which can be achieved by DFS (digital financial services) provided by financial service providers operating without such shared infrastructure, the report added.

Financial lives are becoming increasingly automated and integratedfrom individuals opening an account without leaving home, to emergency social assistance that transfers into an account shortly after an account holder applies through an SMS text, to individuals transferring funds by a simple click on their phone, to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises accessing credit using their transaction history data as proof of creditworthiness, it said.
Britain's King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, the first death anniversary of the country's longest-serving monarch, and praised her dedication and service to the nation.



Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on September 8 last year.

In a statement recorded at Balmoral Castle the Scottish castle where his mother breathed her last, Charles also thanked people for the "love and support" shown to him and his wife Queen Camilla since then.

Buckingham Palace had previously announced that the royal couple would be marking the solemn occasion privately, with bell-ringing at Westminster Abbey in London to mark the King's first year of reign among the public events on the agenda.

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us, Charles said in his message.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all, he said.

Sunak, in his message, praised the scale of the late monarch's 70-year service and expressed the nation's gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication.

With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her Late Majesty's service only seems greater. Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper, he said.

I treasure my memories of those occasions when I met Her Late Majesty, in particular the private audience I had with her at Buckingham Palace before presenting my first Budget as Chancellor.

"I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit. People across the UK whether they had the good fortune to meet Her Late Majesty or not will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories, he added.

The Opposition Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said the late Queen "always enjoyed a special bond with her people". His message read: "It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject."

Buckingham Palace has also released a new portrait of the late Queen taken by Cecil Beaton in 1968 when she was 42. In it, the late monarch is standing side-on to the camera, wearing her Garter robes and the Grand Duchess Vladimir's Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, will attend a special service at St. Davids Cathedral in St. Davids, west Wales, in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and a 62-gun salute will be fired at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's life may be at risk. Suu Kyi is suffering from symptoms of low blood pressure, including dizziness and loss of appetite; she reportedly also has serious gum disease.



Suu Kyi's son Dannian Kim Arundel Aris has told the Guardian that the 78-year-old ousted leader has been unable to walk at one point, but, hasn't been allowed to see a doctor. According to Aris, Suu Kyi is suffering from vomiting and dizziness and may have problems with her wisdom teeth, Kim Aris said.

Nobody outside the prison has seen her for a long time. Now, being unable to eat puts her life at risk. Given how many people lose their lives in prison in Burma, this is of grave concern, he said. He also said that officers at the prison have requested for medical care, but, authorities have denied it.

US State Department official, Daniel Kritenbrink said on Thursday that several leaders at the summits hosted by Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN this week raised concerns over Suu Kyi's health.

The military government has said that the 78-year-old Nobel laureate is being treated by a prison department doctor. Her son Aris hasn't been able to contact her ever since she's been detained by the military in February 2021, when it ousted her democratically elected government.

Suu Kyi has been seen only once since the 2021 coup and is not allowed to meet her lawyer. The only foreign leader who was allowed access to her was outgoing Thailand foreign minister Don Pramudwinai, who met her in July.



Aris also said that Suu Kyi was not moved to house arrest and she is still at Insein prison in Yangon, even though in July, there were reports about her being transferred to house arrest as part of the clemency action. In August, Myanmar's military-led government reduced Suu Kyi's prison sentences in a clemency connected to a religious ceremony.

This year, her lawyers haven't been able to meet her either nor are they allowed to release information about her cases.
Waving off Russian criticism and allaying long-held fears about the harmful radioactive properties of Depleted Uranium (DU) shells that are to be supplied to Ukraine, the Pentagon or the US Department of Defence has said that DU exposure doesnt lead to cancer or cause any harmful impact on the environment.



On Thursday, Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, said during a briefing: The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has stated that there is no evidence that the depleted uranium rounds cause cancer. The WHO reports that there has been no increase of leukaemia or other cancers andthat have been established following any exposure to uranium or DU.

And, even the IAEA has stated unequivocally that there is no proven link between DU exposure and increases in cancers or significant health or environmental impacts, so I would push back on that.

The DU shellsmeant to pierce through the heavy armour of tanksare being sent to Ukraine to arm the Abrams tanks that will reach Ukraine this autumn.

Singh added: These (DU ammo) are standard issued rounds. These are what these Abrams tanks will use, and many militaries across the world use depleted uranium in their tanks. So we feel that these will be the most effective rounds to counter Russian tanks will help the Ukrainians to defend their territory.

The US is believed to have fired more than 400 tonnes of DU ammunitionboth from fighter aircraft and tanksin Iraq in 1991 and 2003.

Many studies have alluded to the harmful effects of the use of DU.

In 2013, a report by the IKV Pax Christi, an inter-church peace group at Utrecht in the Netherlands, had warned about the radioactive contamination spread by the use of DU ammo in Iraq and had estimated the DU clean-up at $30 million.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs-funded report had documented evidence that DU ammo was fired even on civilian targets and not just armoured vehicles. The report had written about 365 contaminated sites, mostly in southern Iraq.



Media has reported that the US will supply 31 Abrams tanksthe US main battle tankto Ukraine, of which an initial lot of about 6-10 Abrams tanks may reach Ukraine within a month or so.

The tanks will be of the M1A1 version and not the modern latest model which is the A2. Three variants of the Abrams are in operationM1, M1A1, and M1A2.

The tanks will undergo some fitments and upgrades in Germany before being sent to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military personnel have already undergone a 10-week long training programme in Germany in the use and operation of the tank.

The DU shells-equipped Abrams is expected to majorly aid the Ukrainian offensive to bulldoze through the entrenched Russian positions in occupied Ukraine that seem robust at the moment.
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) An Emirates flight from Dubai to Guangzhou was diverted to Delhi on Friday due to a medical emergency, according to a source.

Specific details could not be immediately ascertained.

The source in the know said the flight EK 362 landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital at around 1605 hours on Friday.

The A380 aircraft was flying from Dubai to Guangzhou in China and was diverted due to a medical emergency, the source added.
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held a bilateral meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and discussed G20 priorities.

The bilateral meeting took place a day ahead of the G20 Leadership Summit beginning on Saturday here.

"FM Smt. @nsitharaman and Secretary Ms. @SecYellen discussed key #G20 priorities and bilateral cooperation between the two democracies to address pressing global economic and financial issues," the finance ministry said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Yellen on Thursday had said Russias war against Ukraine has led to the needless loss of lives and stands in direct contradiction to everything the G20 stands for. "We will rally our partners to maintain our collective economic support for Ukraine as well as impose severe costs on Russia," she had said in a post on X on Thursday.

"As @POTUS said last year, India is one of Americas indispensable partners. This will be my 4th visit to India in 10 months and our ties are stronger than ever. Bilateral trade between our two countries reached an all-time high last year, and we expect it to grow even further," Yellen had said.

Sitharaman also held a meeting with Nigerian Minister of Finance and Economy Adebayo Olawale Edun and Nigerian Minister of Budget and National Planning Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, against the backdrop of the G20 Leaders Summit.

The Ministers discussed issues of mutual interest in several areas.

"FM Smt. @nsitharaman conveyed Indias continued support to people of Nigeria in their development trajectory through Indian lines of credit, cooperation between Central Banks, collaboration with NITI Aayog @NITIAayog and exchange on best practices," the finance ministry said in a post on X.

Minister Edun appreciated the rich contribution of Nigerian citizens of Indian origin in the development of the Nigerian economy, it said.
Singapore, Sep 8 (PTI) An opposition Member of Parliament on Friday announced that she has filed a motion requesting the suspension of the Indian-origin Transport Minister of Singapore, S Iswaran, who is being probed by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.

The demand for Iswarans suspension comes 10 days ahead of the 14th session of the Parliament that is to begin on September 18.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) arrested Iswaran on July 11 this year. He is currently out on bail and has been placed on a leave of absence.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Hazel Poa, Progress Singapore Partys (PSP) Non-Constituency Member of Parliament, said that she has filed the motion on Thursday to suspend Iswaran for the remainder of the current session of the 14th Parliament.

This is so that he no longer receives his MP allowance of SGD 192,500 (USD 141,152) per year while he has been requested by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to not perform any official duties during his investigation by CPIB, she added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Lee had said in a ministerial statement delivered in the Parliament on August 2 that Iswaran was currently interdicted with a reduced pay of SGD 8,500 a month until further notice.

This sum works out to be about 15 per cent of the benchmark level of a ministers monthly salary at SGD 55,000, according to the Public Service Division.

In addition to that, Iswaran is still allowed to draw the annual MP allowance of SGD 192,500, according to a report by TODAY newspaper.

Responding to a question by Workers Party MP Dennis Tan, Lee had said that Iswaran can continue to draw an MPs allowance because it differs from a ministers pay and does not come under the Prime Ministers discretion.

Lee added that to remove the MPs allowance, the Parliament has to move a motion to interdict the MP as an MP. Parliament has not done that. Neither in previous cases has the Parliament done that, Lee said, referring to past cases where ministers had been investigated for corruption.

Poas Friday post on Facebook said that the motion was filed for the next Parliament sitting and the debate on the motion is likely to be slated on or after September 19.

She also added that she will introduce a Private Members Bill to amend the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act to ensure that Iswaran is rightly reimbursed, should he subsequently be cleared of any wrongdoing by the CPIB.

The law sets out the privileges, immunities and powers of the Speaker, Members and Committees in Parliament and also regulates the conduct of MPs.

Although there are no details of the nature of the investigation in the public domain, CPIBs probe into Iswaran also involves billionaire Ong Beng Seng, the man widely credited with bringing F1 racing to Singapore.

The F1 event will be held from September 15 to 17.
The charred car was in such a bad state that almost nothing could be retrieved from it. The body inside the trunk was practically reduced to ashes. But the chassis number gave investigators a lead: the vehicle owner was Pedro Rodriguez, a member of Barcelonas local police force, the Guardia Urbana. And the remains of a prosthetic device that did not melt in the fire confirmed that the victim was Rodriguez himself.

Peral and Lopez were arrested for killing a fellow police officer.

It happened on the afternoon of May 4, near the Foix reservoir in Barcelona province. The regional police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, have arrested two people in connection with the case: Rosa Peral, the victims partner, and her former boyfriend Albert Lopez. All three are  or were  members of the Guardia Urbana, and all three had previously been involved in controversial cases and allegations of police abuse.

The judge investigating the case in Vilanova i la Geltru has ordered both suspects remanded without bail, and charged them with either homicide or murder: Which one will be determined as the investigation progresses, she said in a release.

The day after Rodriguez went missing, Peral and Lopez showed up together a lunch

In statements to the judge, both officers accused one another of the death. According to the newspaper La Vanguardia, Rosal Peral told the court that Albert Lopez came to her house, killed her boyfriend and asked her to cover up for him. If you dont help me, I will make your daughters choke on their own vomit, he allegedly told Peral.

For his part, Lopez claimed that he found Rodriguezs body inside the trunk of the car, and that he helped burn it down because he and Peral had gotten back together again, La Vanguardia reported.

Rosa Peral arriving at the courthouse inside a regional police patrol car. EFE

The victim had made news in the past after being suspended by Barcelona City Hall when he physically assaulted a motorist who ran through a road check last summer. His partner, Peral, also made headlines when she reported that an ex-boyfriend  also with the local police force, but not involved in this case  had subjected her to porno-revenge by sending out a sexually explicit photograph of her after she broke up with him.

As for Albert Lopez, he was convicted of assaulting a street vendor, and had been the subject of a complaint on at least one more occasion.

Peral and Lopez were patrol car partners at the Daytime Support Unit, which has among its duties the crackdown on illegal street vendors. In August 2014, one of these street peddlers fell down an embankment and died on their beat. Peral sustained injuries to her neck. The case was dismissed.

When the Mossos arrested both of them as suspects in Rodriguezs death, Peral said that she and Rodriguez had had a fight on Tuesday night, and that he had not come home after that. Yet she did not immediately report his disappearance, or try to reach him in any way. She said that she had been too busy with her daughters that week, and simply thought that he was taking his time coming back.

She was very self-possessed, said people who saw her at the time. The day after Rodriguez went missing, Peral and Lopez showed up together at a lunch with other unit colleagues. Some of them were surprised at seeing them arrive together. Rumor had it that the two had been a couple in the past, and that things had not ended well.

Perals attitude seemed suspicious to some. She attended a small tribute organized by her colleagues at the spot where the burnt car had been found, and asked rhetorically: What were you doing here, Pedro? She also asked her superiors for a bodyguard, claiming she was scared for her safety following Rodriguezs murder. The request was granted.

Deeply in love

The Mossos arrested Peral on Saturday morning, as she was out on duty. They also arrested Lopez. The main theory of investigators is that the two had gotten back together behind Rodriguezs back, that he found out about it, and that this triggered a fatal series of events.

Local and regional officials, as well as the police unions, have come out in defense of the Guardia Urbana. Meanwhile, non-profit groups like SOS Racisme are saying that when an officer is the subject of several complaints, he or she should be investigated.

Rodriguezs friends are still in shock. He was deeply in love, said one of them. His WhatsApp status seemed to confirm it: After the storm comes the calm. I love you, princess!!

English version by Susana Urra.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
London, Sep 8 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the United States, Europe, and India need to create an alternative, competitive model to the Chinese production model that is "coercive."

Gandhi was addressing the journalists at the Brussels Press Club in Brussels on the second day of his visit.

Gandhi is on an almost week-long tour of Europe during which he is to hold meetings with European Union (EU) lawmakers, students, and the Indian Diaspora.

Stating that China is proposing a particular view or particular vision of the planet, Gandhi said, They (China) are putting on the table the idea of the Belt and Road (the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). And one of the reasons they are able to do that is because they have become a centre of global production.

The ambitious Belt and Road Initiative initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 envisions connecting China with Europe and beyond through rebuilding the old Silk Road trade route.

But I dont see an alternative vision coming from our side. That vision requires a vision for production in a democratic environment. What the Chinese have basically shown is that it is possible to produce effectively in a coercive environment, where you dont give people freedom, where you restrict their freedom but you offer them prosperity without political freedom, the Congress leader said in response to a question.

Emphasising that the challenge for us is can we provide an alternative vision where we do production under democratic conditions with political and economic freedom, the Gandhi scion said, There is a lot of cooperation that can happen between the US, Europe and between us and I think thats where a lot of our focus should go. How can we create an alternative to the Chinese production model that is a coercive production model? A competitive vision?

He was answering a question regarding his next political priorities and his world vision on international relations in view of the growing global tensions, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Gandhi had commented on similar lines during his visit to Cambridge in March 2023.

Earlier on Thursday, Gandhi said he had held a closed-door meeting with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

Gandhi is expected to return by September 11, following the conclusion of the G20 Leaders Summit being held in Delhi from September 9-10. India is hosting the summit with over 30 heads of state and international dignitaries in attendance.
Washington, Sep 8 (PTI) US President Joe Biden on Thursday left for India where he would attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative.

Less than an hour before his departure for India, the White House said, "The President tested negative for Covid."

After arriving in New Delhi on Friday evening, President Biden is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi the same night.

His meetings and interactions with Modi and other world leaders during and on the sidelines of the G20 Summit would be driven by the COVID-19 protocols established by the CDC.

The First Lady was quarantined at her Delaware house after testing positive and is not travelling with the president to India and Vietnam. On Thursday, her office said, "The First Lady tested negative for Covid today."

"He (Joe Biden) is very excited about the important initiatives that he will be championing at the G20," White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.

He said Biden's focus is going to be on delivering economic opportunity for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people, from climate to technology, and showing the US' commitment to the G20 itself as a viable, if not vital, forum to tackle these issues.

"Of course, now, we're grateful for Prime Minister Modi's leadership during India's presidency of the G20, and the President is certainly looking forward to his bilateral meeting with the prime minister shortly after his arrival in New Delhi," Kirby added.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
Kathmandu, Sep 8 (PTI) Lawmakers in Nepal on Friday expressed concern over the controversial remarks made by the Chinese envoy relating to trade between the Himalayan nation and India, explicitly warning the ambassador to be more careful while commenting on sensitive matters of other nations.

While speaking at an event titled China in Global Economy and its Impact in Nepal on Saturday, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song claimed that Nepal was facing a trade deficit from electricity trade with India.

"Unfortunately, you have a neighbour like India, but fortunately you have a neighbour like India because India is a huge market with huge potential you can tap into. But at the same time, Indias policy towards Nepal and other neighbours is not so friendly and is not so beneficial to Nepal. So we call that policy of constraints," Chen said during the event organised in Kathmandu by the Foundation for Trans-Himalayan Research and Studies and Friends of Silk Road Club Nepal.

On Friday, parliamentarians in Nepal expressed disenchantment with the Chinese ambassador's remarks.

The parliamentary committee has reportedly asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to probe the remarks of Ambassador Chen on the issue of Nepal-India power trade.

The Parliament's International Relations and Tourism Committee meeting on Friday summoned Foreign Minister NP Saud to inquire about the matter. Members of the committee raised concerns about Chen's recent remarks.

Chairman of the committee Rajkishor Yadav urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the matter and ask the ambassador to be careful while commenting on such a sensitive issue, according to Parliament sources.

Since Nepal is a sovereign state, it is our business what we do and what we don't," Yadav asserted and urged the foreign ministry to inquire about the Chinese envoys remarks.

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of CPN (Unified Socialist) Madhav Kumar Nepal said ambassadors to Nepal should be sensitive regarding Nepal's geo-political situation.

He said everyone must be careful so that one's expression should not exacerbate Nepal's geo-political complexities without directly naming the Chinese envoy.

"Without being aware of the geopolitical sensitivity and without understanding the fact that Nepal is committed to non-aligned foreign policy, no one should make hurtful remarks. Let's be cautious and keep Nepal away from troublesome situations," he pointed out.

CPN-UML Lawmaker Bhim Acharya said it was not good for any country to interfere in Nepal's internal affairs.

"Only after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies on the remarks of the Chinese ambassador, will UML put forth its position," he said, adding that "it is not good for any side to interfere in the internal affairs of Nepal and other countries.

Similarly, CPN-Maoist Centre lawmaker Barshaman Pun said the tradition of third parties commenting on Nepal's internal affairs should not be allowed to continue.

Commenting on others' domestic affairs was inappropriate international diplomacy, he said.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take the initiative to alert the Chinese ambassador in this matter," he added.

Janamat Party Vice-president Abdul Khan said the Chinese ambassador had no right to speak about relations between Nepal and India.

He also sought an explanation from Ambassador Chen regarding his remarks.

Speaking at zero hour of the House of Representatives meeting on Friday, he said, "Attempts are being made to create enmity between long-standing friendly countries Nepal and India.
Jakarta, Sep 8 (AP) Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday pledged USD 21.7 billion in new Chinese investment in Indonesia to strengthen the countries' economic and political ties, an official said.

Li arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday to attend the three-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and meet with Indonesian leaders.

President Joko Widodo hosted Li at the colonial-style Merdeka palace in Jakarta on Friday and discussed ways to expand trade and investment.

He sought China's help in plans to move Indonesia's capital from congested and polluted Jakarta on the main island of Java to Nusantara on Borneo island.

After the meeting, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi announced the new Chinese investment pledge, which follows a previous USD 44.89 billion investment commitment made when Widodo met Chinese President Xi Jinping in July. Details of the new investment weren't announced.

Marsudi said Widodo asked China, Indonesia's largest trade and investment partner, to realise these commitments immediately and urged it to explore investment in other sectors, such as maritime and fisheries.

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of six agreements on e-commerce, support for enterprises, industrial cooperation, agriculture, fisheries and science and technology, Marsudi said.

On Wednesday, Li took a test ride on Indonesia's new USD 7.3 billion high-speed rail line, which was funded largely with Chinese loans.

It connects Jakarta and Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province, and is part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Commercial service on Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway is to begin on Oct. 1 and will cut travel time between the cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes.

Indonesia wants a larger role in supplying nickel and other raw materials for China's fast-growing electric car makers. Nickel smelting plants in Indonesia are part of China's Belt and Road transnational development program.

Indonesia and China are both members of the Group of 20 major developed and emerging economies. The two leaders were to leave Jakarta on Friday afternoon for New Delhi to attend the G20 summit. (AP) FZH
Islamabad, Sep 8 (PTI) Pakistan on Friday drew the world's attention toward the danger posed by the weapons abandoned by the US following its hasty withdrawal from war-torn Afghanistan, saying the weapons have reached terrorists.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said this at the weekly briefing, just two days after rebels from Afghanistan attacked a military outpost and killed four Pakistani soldiers.

We do not blame anyone but weapons left in Afghanistan require global attention since they have fallen in the hands of terrorist groups now, she said, adding that the issue of terrorist attacks from Afghanistan had been taken up with the Afghan interim government.

She said that Pakistan was determined to eradicate terrorism from the country while sharing concerns with the interim Afghan authorities about the recent incidents of terrorism along the border.

The statement comes as White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby on Wednesday disagreed with the suggestion that the US had left behind about USD 7 billion worth of weapons and equipment in Afghanistan and militant groups were now using those weapons against Pakistan, the Dawn newspaper reported.

There was no equipment left behind by American forces. There was a small amount of equipment and some aircraft at the airport when we finished our evacuation efforts, but they were all rendered unusable as we left, he said.

In fact, the only thing that we left that the Taliban could take advantage of was some airport mechanic capabilities: tow trucks and trucks with ladders on them, and some firefighting equipment, he added.

Kirby explained that the equipment that people were saying the Americans left behind, was transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces before the US withdrawal.

As the Taliban advanced on Kabul and other places throughout the country, they (official Afghan forces) abandoned that equipment, not the US, he added.

In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban reached a deal, known as the Doha Agreement, under which the United States agreed to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by May 2021.

Meanwhile, the key Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan had been closed since Wednesday after clashes between security forces of the two countries, causing hardship for the people.
Sidon, Sep 8 (AP) Clashes resumed in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp overnight, with heavy gunfire and shelling wounding at least 20 people and prompting residents of the camp and the surrounding area to flee on Friday.

Earlier this summer, there were several days of street battles in the Ein el-Hilweh camp between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and Islamist groups after Fatah accused the Islamists of gunning down one of their military generals on July 30. Those street battles left at least 13 dead and dozens wounded, and forced hundreds to flee from their homes.

An uneasy truce has been in place since August 3, but clashes were widely expected to resume as the Islamist groups have not handed over the accused killers of the Fatah general, Mohammad Abu Ashraf al-Armoushi to the Lebanese judiciary, as demanded by a committee of Palestinian factions last month.

The committee announced on Tuesday that their joint security forces would launch raids in search of the accused killers.

Maher Shabaita, head of Fatah in the Sidon region, told The Associated Press that the Islamist groups had launched an attack Thursday night in an attempt to forestall plans by Palestinian forces to clear militants out of schools they had been occupying in the camp.

By late morning Friday, the fighting had at least temporarily subsided, but clashes intermittently flared up again. Hundreds of people displaced from their homes were sheltering in a nearby mosque and in the courtyard of the municipality building of the city of Sidon, which is adjacent to the camp.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza in a statement Friday urged the militants to call a truce and vacate the schools. The continued use of the schools by armed groups amounts to gross violations of international law, he said, endangering children's rights to a safe learning environment, and jeopardising their future and the future of their community.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that 20 people were wounded, including an elderly man, and transported to hospitals overnight. Shabaita said the wounded included three civil defence volunteers who came under shelling as they were working to extinguish fires.

Lebanon's General Security agency said that one of its officers suffered a head wound from a stray bullet that hit him outside the camp. Lebanese forces do not go into the camp under a standing agreement but provide security around it.

There were no immediate reports of deaths. The public Lebanese University announced it would close its branches in Sidon and postpone scheduled exams in light of the fighting.

Officials with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, could not immediately give information on the number of casualties or displaced from the camp.

UNRWA appealed last week for USD 15.5 million to repair infrastructure damaged in the last round of clashes in the camp, provide alternative education locations for children whose schools were damaged or occupied by militants, and give cash assistance to people who have been displaced from their homes. (AP)



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Mexico city, Sep 8 (AP) Women's rights activists in Latin America have long looked to the United States as a model in their decades-long struggle to chip away at abortion restrictions in their highly religious countries.

But after a historic Mexican Supreme Court ruling decriminalising abortion on the federal level, some think US activists should now turn to their counterparts south of the border as they navigate a post-Roe v. Wade reality.

In Mexico we have a lot of experience, said Rebeca Ramos, a lawyer and director of GIRE, the organisation behind the Mexican court case. And given the current situation in the United States, it's something we can share with them.



LATIN AMERICA'S GREEN WAVE

Latin America is in the midst of what's come to be known as a green wave, as countries like Mexico, Colombia and Argentina have knocked down major abortion restrictions in recent years.

For decades, green has been emblematic of Latin America's abortion-rights movement, which took hold in the 1980s in Argentina, a country that until recently had some of the region's strictest prohibitions.

Argentine women's activist Susana Chiarotti said she originally proposed adopting the colour for the cause in 2003 as a way of changing the narrative around the issue.

It's the colour that represents life, nature. It was to try to show that we are the ones defending life, the 76-year-old activist said.

Chiarotti said she and others often took inspiration from the United States, such as using language from Roe, the landmark 1973 decision which was overturned in 2022, and borrowing the tactics of both the country's feminist movement and the anti-abortion camp as well.

Just as US conservatives worked for decades to incrementally roll back abortion access and stack courts with conservative justices, abortion-rights groups in Latin America took a similar long-term, bit-by-bit approach.

While grassroots organisations rallied protesters to take to the streets, leaders sought support from international human rights groups and began to take the battle to the courts. Meanwhile they shared strategies with organisers engaged in their own fights in other countries.

We have gone little-by-little because of the massive obstacles we have had to overcome, Chiarotti said.



MEXICO'S ABORTION FIGHT

Some Latin American countries, like Colombia and Ecuador, have since expanded abortion access and eased restrictions. Others, like Chile, have considered such measures but have yet to take action.

Still others, like El Salvador and Guatemala, have total or near-total abortion bans on the books with little prospect for change anytime soon, underscoring the long road still ahead in the region.

Abortion-rights groups in Mexico won their first big victory 16 years ago when Mexico City became the first jurisdiction in the country to decriminalise the procedure.

Then, two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion could not be treated as a crime in the northern border state of Coahuila. A gradual, state-by-state process of pushing for decriminalisation culminated last week when the central state of Aguascalientes became the 12th to do so.

This week's ruling by the high court involved a case brought forward by GIRE, one of the Mexican groups that collaborated with Chiarotti in the early days.

The Mexico ruling is not as sweeping and immediate as Roe was: It does not automatically decriminalize the procedure in the 20 states that still have abortion written into the criminal code. It does, however, mandate that federal health care providers, which cover 70 per cent of the population, provide abortion services.

It also marks a dramatic change in this predominantly Catholic society that could lend momentum to activists across the country.

Despite Mexico's proximity to Texas, which has heavily restricted abortion access, few expect this week's ruling to result in an influx of American women travelling to the country for abortions.

Cathy Torres, a leader at Frontera Fund, a reproductive health organisation near the US-Mexico border in McAllen, Texas, said the closest access to the procedure that women in her community have is in New Mexico, a 14 hour drive away.

Still, "abortions have always happened, Torres said. People have always found a way of living in a border area. People aren't just going to all of a sudden begin going to Mexico.

But some, like Veronica Cruz of the central Mexican group Las Libres  Spanish for free women"  say the cumulative actions of Mexican activists have offered women in the US more alternatives to care either in Mexico or remotely, which are likely only to grow with time.

The Court's decision ... represents more opportunities for women in restrictive areas of the United States, she said.



FROM GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM TO LONG-TERM CHANGE

For 23 years, Cruz's organization has formed networks to provide tele-abortion services, which involve women having medical abortions under the guidance of activists over a call. It was a form of resistance against Mexican laws, she said.

Some calls for that assistance have also come from the United States  largely Texas  and since the repeal of Roe, that number has jumped from 10 a day to around 100. Cruz said such networks and on-the-ground outreach will be crucial for US activists.

We can't stop going out on the streets, and we have to keep working woman by woman, home by home, family by family, community by community, she said. With institutions, there's always a risk that (our work) gets demolished.

Ramos, of GIRE, also sees the Mexican experience as offering lessons for US activists who are now fighting the abortion fight on a state-by-state level. Slowly building support with an eye to effecting long-term policy change is crucial, she said.

What I think we can share is precisely the need in the United States to think of strategies on a local level, Ramos said.

Religious and conservative Mexicans still stand staunchly in opposition to expanded abortion access. In some cases, US groups have also been expanding anti-abortion activism into Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.

The legalisation of abortion erodes the foundations of the rule of law, and distorts the concept and practice of human rights, the Mexican Catholic Church leadership said on Thursday in a statement.

So abortion-rights groups are not the only ones with a keen interest in events in the United States. Activists at the Civil Association for the Rights of the Conceived, for example, are taking a long-term view of this week's court decision.

We're not going to stop, said the group's director, Irma Barrientos. Let's remember what happened in the United States. After 40 years the Supreme Court reversed its abortion decision, and we're not going to stop until Mexico guarantees the right to life from the moment of conception. (AP) PY

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Mumbai, Sep 8 (PTI) After receiving a rebuke from the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra government on Friday said it has appointed senior advocate Raja Thakare as special public prosecutor for the proceedings related to the confirmation of death sentences and appeals filed by the convicts in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case.

A division bench of Justices N W Sambre and Rajesh Patil had on Wednesday pulled up the government for its "lack of seriousness" on the issue.



On Friday, the bench was informed that Thakare has been appointed as special prosecutor to represent the government.



The court said it would begin hearing the confirmation petitions from October 5 on a day-to-day basis.



A lawyer representing one of the convicts requested that the hearing be started two weeks later, but the court declined the request.



You are getting four weeks. This matter is listed time and again before the court and considering its gravity we deem it appropriate to fix the matter for hearing on a day-to-day basis. We direct convicts to commence argument. No adjournment on whatsoever ground will be allowed," the court said.



Seven coordinated blasts ripped through local trains in Mumbai during evening rush hour on July 11, 2006, killing more than 180 people and injuring several others.

Between 2006 and 2008, the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police arrested 13 members of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in the case.



In September 2015, the trial court convicted 12 of them, awarded the death penalty to five and sentenced seven others to life imprisonment. One accused was acquitted.



The state government filed an appeal in the high court seeking confirmation of the death penalty. A death sentence awarded by the trial court has to be confirmed by the high court.



The convicts too filed appeals challenging their conviction and sentences.



However, the hearing in the high court did not start as Thakare, who was the special prosecutor in the trial court, was not willing to serve as prosecutor at the appellate stage and the state government did not take any decision swiftly, leading to the high court observing earlier this week that it was not showing enough seriousness.
Agartala, Sep 8 (PTI) Counting of votes began at 8 am on Friday for the by-elections to the two assembly seats in Tripura's Sepahijala district, officials said.

The polling for the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats.

The counting was being held at the Sonamura Girls' School amid tight security.

Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI(M) was boycotting the counting of votes. The two seats are witnessing a one-on-one fight between the ruling BJP and the CPI(M) with the other two opposition parties, Tipra Motha and Congress, not fielding any candidates.

Sepahijala's District Magistrate Vishal Kumar said all steps have been taken to complete the counting smoothly and transparently.

"Tight security arrangements have been made to ensure peace during the counting and after the counting," he told PTI.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque. Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur necessitated the byelection in that seat.

BJP's Tafajjal Hussain is contesting against CPI(M)'s Mizan Hussain in the Boxanagar seat. It has 66 per cent minority voters of a total of 43,087 electors. In the last assembly elections in February, the CPI(M) retained the seat.

The Dhanpur constituency, once considered a stronghold of the Left, witnessed a fight between the BJP's Bindu Debnath and Kaushik Debnath of the CPI(M). Over 8,000 tribal voters of the total 50,346 electors hold the key in the battle. The BJP won the seat for the first time in the Assembly poll held seven months ago.

The BJP has 31 MLAs in the 60-member assembly, and its ally IPFT has one member. On the other side, the opposition Tipra Motha has 13 MLAs, CPI(M) has 10 and the Congress has three MLAs.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has heeded the call of Gustavo Petro. The president of Mexico  who rarely leaves his country  will visit Colombia this Friday and Saturday. He will accompany Colombian President Petro as they receive the conclusions of the Latin American conference on narcotics, which begins on Thursday, September 7. The Colombian government convened this meeting in Cali, with the purpose of pushing for a shift in the global effort to combat drug-trafficking.

The presidents of the two countries most affected by the violence of the cartels are eager to recruit the rest of Latin America to change the direction of the failed war on drugs. This is one of the main foreign policy goals that Petro has committed to. When the Colombian head of state visited Mexico City this past November  amidst a series of left-wing victories across the region  both presidents smiled for the cameras in the National Palace, underneath murals by Diego Rivera. Following that meeting, their foreign ministries confirmed the convening of a conference to redesign and rethink drug policy  something that Colombia and Mexico will play a central role in. This proposal will begin to take shape in Cali this Thursday.

The first left-wing president in modern Colombian history has called for a refocusing of anti-narcotics efforts. In the long year that he has been in power, Petro has insistently asked legislators and the judiciary to stop criminalizing the weakest links in the chain  the coca growers  and to concentrate efforts on hitting the big criminal organizations that profit from drug-trafficking. The Cali conference is a first step in his quest to achieve this. The expected result is a road map that will lead to a new analysis of global drug policy, as well as the formation of a working group that will eventually lead a global summit of leaders. This is according to Elizabeth Taylor Jay, Colombias vice-minister of multilateral affairs.

Colombia is, by far, the worlds leading producer of coca leaves  the raw material necessary for the production of cocaine. It has reached the largest extent of drug cultivation since records have been kept. The total amount of land used for coca production soared from 353,000 acres to 504,000 acres by the end of 2021, according to the annual report published by the United Nations Integrated System for Monitoring Illicit Crops (SIMCI), which is about to publish the 2022 results. This rising trend (which precedes Petros administration) has led the United States  the worlds largest consumer of cocaine  to loudly voice its concern.

The record numbers in Colombia reveal the failure of Petros predecessor  the conservative Ivan Duque (2018-2022)  who placed an emphasis on eradication, following the more moderate policies of Juan Manuel Santos administration (2010-2018). While Santos advocated for shifting the global fight against drug-trafficking and addressing it as a matter of human rights and public health  as Petro does now  Duque returned to prohibitionism and favored forced eradication, to the detriment of the voluntary substitution agreements that had previously been made with farmers. Petro considers this hard-line way of approaching the problem to be a big mistake. At a speech he gave before the UN General Assembly in 2022, he asked that the world put an end to the irrational war against drugs.

That call has since received many endorsements. The fight against drug-trafficking requires profound changes  such as those requested by Petro  since the prohibition policy has failed, according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Former Colombian presidents

Cesar Gaviria (1990-1994) and Santos ( 2010-2018)  as well as former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo (1994-2000)  are members of this commission. Petro has also obtained the support of the Puebla Group, which brings together certain leftist leaders from around Latin America.

AMLO  as he is known  has backed Petro on several occasions, including since the 2022 presidential campaign that brought him to power. At the moment, the Colombian president is going through a difficult moment, with his reforms stuck in Congress, his son being investigated by the courts and various scandals surrounding members of his inner circle.

I have the best opinion of him, hes a man of principles, the Mexican president said last month, when asked about his counterpart. Mexico is one of the guarantor countries of the peace negotiations between Petros administration and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the last major armed guerrilla group in Colombia. Mexico has already hosted a series of dialogues and is preparing to receive the delegations again this month.

Mexico is very important to Petro, explains Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, a professor of international relations at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogota. When conservative parties were in power across the region, the first government that began a new left-wing cycle was AMLOs, he recalls, in 2018. Many  including Petro  see him as a pioneer [in making] the pendulum swing to the left. [The Mexican president] also echoes Petros foreign policy claims, especially in the realm of drugs, regional integration, peace [processes] and [advocacy for] Venezuela to return to the international scene. Mexico supports the multilateral demands being made by Colombia.

The Colombian government had already mobilized its diplomatic core to convene an international conference on the Venezuelan crisis in Bogota, as well as another one on the Amazon in Leticia  the southernmost city in Colombia  which will be attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the heavyweight of the Latin American progressive axis. With the conference on drugs, Petro appears to be repeating a move that seeks to raise the profile of his foreign policy.

Petro identifies the most visible, outstanding and powerful actors on each of these issues he tries to get these leaders to join him, Jaramillo Jassir observes. Colombia is demanding a place at the table to make decisions, by virtue of the fact that its associating with other countries, adds analyst Sergio Guzman, director of Colombia Risk Analysis. However, he warns that this impulse must be accompanied by concrete actions, so that its all not just about rhetoric.

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New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Ahead of the G20 summit, India on Friday said the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration was "almost ready" and the negotiators were moving towards a consensus.

Refusing to get into the specifics of sticking points such as the Russia-Ukraine war and climate-related issues, India's top G20 officials told a pre-summit press conference that they were hopeful of clinching a joint communique by consensus.

"India's expectation is that all G20 members will move towards a consensus and we are hopeful of a consensus on the communique," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in response to a question on the Ukraine conflict holding up an agreement on the New Delhi Declaration.

The G20 Leaders' Summit gets underway on Saturday and will conclude the next day.

On the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 bloc, Kwatra said he expected that Summit proceedings starting Saturday would take a "suitable decision" on it.

India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great believer in the Global South and had written to all the leaders on the inclusion of the African Union in the G20.

He said there has been a very positive response and formally that will come before the Summit.

India also said its presidency of the G20 has lived up to Modi's vision of being inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and very decisive.

Kant said the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration will be the voice of the global south and developing countries.

Modi had asserted India's presidency should be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and decisive, he said.

"These are the four principles on which we have worked. We have lived up to his vision of being inclusive, action-oriented, ambitious and very decisive during our presidency," Kant said.

"Our New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it because this declaration will be recommended to the leaders during the Summit and the leaders will then accept it and only after it is accepted by the leaders, we will be able to talk about the actual achievements of this declaration," he said.

Over 220 G20-related meetings were held in 60 cities across the country, showcasing India's diversity and federal structure, Kant said.

The Leaders Summit will comprise three key sessions -- One Earth, One Family and One Future besides other side events.

President Droupadi Murmu is hosting a dinner in honour of the G20 leaders on Saturday.

The G20 leaders will visit Raj Ghat to offer tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

India is set to make a dash for the goal line at the summit in addressing some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, consequences of the Ukraine conflict, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment.

Modi, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders of the G20 grouping as well as chiefs of many leading world bodies like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are converging in the national capital for the summit.
Srinagar, Sep 8 (PTI) The G20 forum is better than the United Nations as 20 countries discuss their issues and look for solutions, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said here on Friday.

However, he stressed that the G20 meeting take place in every member country on a rotational basis and it is a normal process.

G20 (meeting) is a normal process. It rotates between the 20 countries. It is a good forum where these 20 countries put themselves together and discuss their issues and look for their solutions. It is a good forum rather than the UN where there are so many countries, Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a party function here.

When asked what the holding of the meeting in India means for the country, Abdullah said such meetings take place in every member country on a rotational basis.

Did the G20 not take place in the other countries? It will happen in Brazil next year, then rotate again, the NC president said.

When asked whether he had received the invitation for the dinner hosted by the President, the Lok Sabha MP said no.

Why should president invite me? I don't see why the president would invite me, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

India is hosting the G20 meeting over the weekend.

To another question about the Bharat-India name change row, the former Union minister said the Constitution has both the names and there is no difference between the two.

If you see the prime ministers plane, both India and Bharat are written there as well. I don't see any difference between the two, if anyone sees any difference, then they know that, I do not. They are both the same things. It is the media which creates controversy," he said.

On the question about "One nation, one election proposal", he said let the government put it before Parliament, we will see what we will do.

On the fresh notification by election authorities in Ladakh for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council polls in Kargil, Abdullah said the notification has been issued and the elections will take place and the people will vote in October.
Lucknow, Sep 8 (PTI) The counting of votes for the Ghosi assembly bypoll -- being seen as the first major electoral clash between the NDA and opposition bloc INDIA -- got underway at 8 am Friday, officials said.

More than 50 per cent of the total electorates in the assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district cast their votes in the polling held on Tuesday.

Ghosi had recorded a polling percentage of 58.59 in the last year's assembly elections.

According to the Election Commission of India, the final voting percentage recorded in the September 5 assembly bypolls was 50.77 per cent.

The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat in the 2022 UP Assembly polls, from the Samajwadi Party in July. He returned to the BJP and was fielded by the party in the bypoll.

The SP has fielded Sudhakar Singh.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Chauhan defeated BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Rajbhar by a margin of 22,216 votes.

In the bypoll, Chauhan is being supported by NDA partners Apna Dal (Sonelal), Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, a former SP ally.

On the other hand, SP candidate Sudhakar Singh has received support from INDIA bloc constituents -- the Congress, CPI(M), CPI, RLD, AAP, CPI(ML)-Liberation and Suheldev Swabhiman Party.

The bypoll will have no bearing on the BJP government, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the 403-member state assembly. However, its outcome could be an indicator of what is in store for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the INDIA bloc.

Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the 543-member Lok Sabha.

A total of 10 candidates were in the fray. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has not fielded any candidate in the bypoll.
Chandigarh, Sep 8 (PTI) Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGFT) of Punjab Police in coordination with central agencies have arrested three absconding shooters from the Indo-Nepal border and Gurugram.

Punjab's Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav posted on X said one person has been arrested from the Indo-Nepal border and two from Haryanas Gurugram.

In a pan-India operation, AGTF-Punjab in coordination with central agencies has successfully arrested 3 absconding shooters handled by gangster Sonu Khatri, a close associate of terrorist Harvinder Rinda," Yadav posted on X.

"Preliminary investigations reveal that arrested accused used to commit sensational crimes in the state of Punjab on the directions of Sonu Khatri and after committing the crime took refuge in hideouts located in different parts of the country and in Nepal," he said

Three foreign-made sophisticated pistols have also been seized by the police, he said.
Chandigarh, Sep 8 (PTI) In a crackdown against the gangster-terrorist nexus in the state, the Punjab Police on Friday raided 822 suspected hideouts of their associates and active supporters.

The simultaneous raids were conducted on the directions of Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.

Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said residential and other premises of associates, relatives and friends linked with the gangsters were searched in all 28 police districts.

All commissioners and senior superintendents of police were directed to depute strong force, headed by inspectors and sub-inspectors, to carry out the searches, aimed at disrupting the nexus among terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers based in India and abroad.

The police teams were asked to round up suspicious people, he added, according to an official statement.

Shukla said 822 places of associates, relatives and friends linked with gangsters were raided by over 350 police parties that included about 2,000 personnel.

"Today's searches were planned after the questioning of several people arrested during the recently-busted modules of gangsters," he added.

Several people have also been detained. The material and data collected during the search operation are being examined, he added.

Such raids help instill fear in criminals and a sense of security among the common people, the police official added.
Srinagar, Sep 8 (PTI) Two militant associates of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit were arrested in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district and incriminating materials were recovered from their possession, police said on Friday.

Acting on specific intelligence input, a search was conducted by police in the apple orchards of Gudoora area of the south Kashmir district, a police spokesperson said.

During the search operation, two terrorist associates -- Suhail Firdous, resident of Mahradpora Utterpora Puchal, and Shahid Gul, resident of Pulwamas Wagum -- were apprehended tactfully, he said.

Incriminating materials were recovered from their possession, the spokesperson said.

The investigation revealed that both the accused persons are terrorist associates of an active terrorist Aqib Sher Gojri linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT, he said.

Preliminary investigation also revealed that arrested terrorist associates were in a conspiracy with Gojri to carry out terrorist attacks in Pulwama, the spokesperson added.

A case has been registered and further investigation has been taken up.
Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Sep 8 (PTI) A court in Jharkhands Chaibasa on Friday sentenced a man to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl in a village under Muffasil police station limit about three years ago.

Additional session judge-I of West Singhbhum district also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict.

The convict, Harilal Bodra, raped the minor girl under threat of bodily harm in October 2020.

A case in this regard was registered under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act.

The police arrested the accused and forwarded him to judicial custody.
New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has issued a show cause notice to a man and asked why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for levelling "unsubstantiated and whimsical" allegations against a high court judge and comparing her to a devil.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula said the allegations by the appellant Naresh Sharma are distasteful and unacceptable and these averments are prima facie aimed at scandalising and lowering the authority of the court.

In our opinion, the statements have been advanced with the malafide intention to interfere with the administration of justice. This court cannot disregard vilification of this magnitude against a judge of this court. There is fine line of distinction which separates critique from allegations fuelled by disdain and a hostile intent to scandalise the court," the division bench said in an August 31 order which was released on September 6.

"The pleadings in the present appeal amount to the latter category and must be taken cognisance of, the bench added.

The objectionable and shocking allegations were made by Sharma against a single judge of the high court in his appeal challenging a judgment delivered by the judge on his petition in July.

The single judge had rejected his plea for a probe into alleged corruption by the government since independence.

The division bench said he could not render an explanation for the averments made in the appeal.

The present appeal contains unsubstantiated and whimsical allegations of criminal acts by learned single judge seeking the punishment of death penalty and a comparison of the judge to the devil, which is distasteful and unacceptable, it said.

The bench said, Considering the above, let notice be issued to the appellant, that is, Naresh Sharma, Punjab, to show-cause as to why proceedings for criminal contempt under Section 2(c) read with Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, should not be initiated against him. The notice shall indicate that, the appellant, shall file a reply to the show-cause notice, on or before the next date of hearing, and listed the matter for further hearing on September 18."




In a speech that has drawn international condemnation, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made controversial statements denying the historical roots of Ashkenazi Jews and propagating Holocaust denial.

Addressing a meeting of Fatahs Revolutionary Council on August 24th, Abbas asserted that Ashkenazi Jews have no ancestral ties to the Middle East. He argued that they were persecuted during the Holocaust due to historic biases against them for their historical role as money lenders.

Nazi leader Adolf Hitler said he fought the Jews because they were dealing with usury and money, Abbas stated, a statement that has raised significant alarm.

Abbas speech, which was translated into English and published by the Middle East Media Research Institute, also put forth the assertion that European Jews were not connected to the land of Israel as documented in the Torah. According to his claims, they were descendants of a Turkish-linked tribe known as the Khazars, who vanished over a millennium ago. Abbas and other Palestinians have used this theory to argue that they are the true Semites, tracing their lineage back to ancient times. They contend that European Jews cannot, therefore, claim the largest share of the label of antisemitism.

The truth that we should clarify to the world is that European Jews are not Semites, Abbas asserted. They have nothing to do with antisemitism.

Abbas denial of the Holocaust is particularly disturbing given his history. It has been noted that he previously wrote a doctoral thesis that denied the occurrence of the Holocaust.

The international community has reacted strongly to Abbas remarks. Germanys Ambassador to Israel, Stephan Seibert, characterized the speech as an insult to the memory of millions of murdered men, women, and children. He expressed the sentiment that the Palestinian people deserve to hear historical accuracy from their leader rather than such distortions.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: Hitler Fought the European Jews Because of Their Usury, Money Dealings, It Was Not about Antisemitism; Jews from Arab Countries Did Not Want to Emigrate, But Were Forced to Do So by Israel #Antisemitism @PalestinePMO pic.twitter.com/k75UmycuyM  MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) September 6, 2023

The European Union joined in the condemnation, describing Abbas speech as false and grossly misleading. The EU emphasized the inflammatory nature of such historical distortions, which they argued could exacerbate tensions in the region and hinder the pursuit of a two-state solution, a stance President Abbas has endorsed. The EU also underscored that these statements trivialize the Holocaust, fuel antisemitism, and insult the memory of Holocaust victims and their families.

The EU reaffirmed its commitment to combatting antisemitism and racism, vowing to strongly oppose any attempts to condone, justify, or trivialize the Holocaust.

United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt, expressed her strong disapproval of Abbas remarks, stating that she was appalled. She condemned the speech for maligning the Jewish people, distorting the Holocaust, and misrepresenting the exodus of Jews from Arab countries. Lipstadt called for an immediate apology from President Abbas in response to his offensive and factually inaccurate statements.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A wanted sign featuring an image of Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier who is suspected of terrorism offences, is displayed, near Wandsworth prison which he escaped from, in London, Britain, September 7, 2023.

A former British soldier awaiting trial on terror charges who appears to have escaped from a London prison by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck remained at large Thursday as police stepped up security checks across the United Kingdom amid concerns he may try to flee the country.

Opposition parties linked the escape to years of financial austerity, while Britains Conservative government said an independent investigation will take place in due course into how Daniel Abed Khalife managed to slip out of the medium-security Wandsworth Prison, which opened in 1851 during the reign of Queen Victoria.

His escape has prompted extra security checks at major transport hubs, particularly in and around the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France.

Britains justice secretary told lawmakers that no stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened as he confirmed an independent investigation into this incident. Alex Chalk also said urgent reviews into prison categorization would be carried out as questions remained over how Khalife wasnt being held at a maximum-security facility such as Belmarsh Prison in east London.

Khalife, 21, is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base and of violating Britains Official Secrets Act by gathering information that could be useful to an enemy. He was discharged from the British army after his arrest earlier this year and had denied the allegations. His trial is set for November.

Chalk said Khalife, who had been working in a kitchen at the prison, escaped at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when a vehicle that had made a delivery left.

Shortly afterward, he said, contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and police were informed. The vehicle, he added, was subsequently stopped and searched by police after the alert was raised.

Strapping was found underneath the vehicle which appeared to indicate that Daniel Khalife may have held onto the underside of it in order to escape, Chalk said.

More than 150 investigators and police staff are on the case, according to Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy, who is the lead investigator.

We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings, he said.

Opposition politicians have sought to pin the blame on the Conservative government, which has been in power since 2010. Many U.K. prisons, including Wandsworth, are over capacity and short of staff. The escape could hardly have come at a worse time for a government that is already scrambling to get all schools to reopen for the new academic year amid concerns over crumbling concrete.

It simply beggars belief that a man being held on suspected terror charges was able to escape a prison by clinging to the bottom of a food delivery van, said Shabana Mahmood, the justice spokesperson for the main opposition Labour Party. How is such an escape even possible?

Charlie Taylor, who scrutinizes detention facilities in England in his role as the chief inspector of prisons, said staff shortages are the source of many problems at Wandsworth.

Taylor said it should be standard practice for vehicles entering and leaving the prison to be checked and a prisoner has to earn a certain level of trust in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

But the issue that we are particularly concerned about is there are too many prisoners in Wandsworth for the amount of staff who are there, he said. And that ultimately is the source of many of the problems in the jail.

In an annual review, published in July, Wandsworth Prison was deemed to be a serious concern. The prison, which is in the middle of a residential area, holds around 1,600 defendants appearing at London courts and offenders due to be released in five wings.

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In a landmark development in the world of kashrus, the Orthodox Union has certified a strain of lab-grown meat as kosher for the first time. The certification was given to Israeli startup SuperMeats lab grown poultry.

The certification followed SuperMeats hosting of two rabbinic delegations and extensive discussions between kashrus authorities and the company regarding halachic concerns and the scientific processes employed in SuperMeats technology. The certification process involved the participation of prominent rabbanim, including Rabbi Hershel Schachter of New Yorks Yeshiva University, Rabbi Asher Weiss, and Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and Jerusalem College of Technology.

Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union Kosher Division, emphasized the importance of this development, stating, Its a big deal because just in terms of the technology itself, not just in poultry but in meat, it may have real significance for the future.

Certifying lab-grown meat presents unique challenges due to the initial use of stem cells derived from living animals in the meat cultivation process, as consuming any part of a living animal is prohibited. The Orthodox Unions guidelines dictate that meat products must originate from a slaughtered animal, and nothing may be derived from a living creature.

SuperMeats approach to lab-grown poultry overcomes this challenge by utilizing stem cells obtained from eggs, a method that has the potential to pave the way for additional kosher certifications of poultry products.

Rabbi Genack expressed his hopes that this development would lead to a consensus among various supervising agencies regarding the standards for lab-grown meat. He said, Were hoping that this will set the trend. One of our goals that we would like to do is to have something that is universally accepted.

SuperMeats unique process involves taking chicken cells from a fertilized egg and cultivating them in a meat fermenter. These cells receive heat, oxygen, and nourishment from a plant-based liquid, mimicking the natural growth process in a chickens body. The meat tissue develops rapidly, doubling in mass within hours. Once ready, the meat is harvested from the fermenter by removing the liquid feed.

SuperMeat touts several advantages of its lab-grown chicken products over conventionally farmed meat. Their process is animal-friendly, environmentally conscious, avoids the use of antibiotics or genetic engineering, maintains high-quality control, and extends product shelf life by eliminating the need for slaughter, a primary source of contamination.

Founded in 2015, SuperMeat makes its products available to the public through The Chicken, an eatery located in central Israels Ness Ziona.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




In a harrowing mid-flight incident, a crazed individual shouting Allahu Akbar attempted to open a door on a flight from Israel to England. A courageous passenger, Victor Troboloni, an Albanian en route to visit his ailing mother in London, intervened by subduing the assailant with the help of fellow travelers.

The terrifying episode unfolded aboard Flight W9 4452, operated by Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air, forcing an unscheduled landing in Belgrade, Serbia.

According to Troboloni, who spoke with The Sun, the situation was very scary, with thoughts racing through his mind that he might never see his mother again.

Once the attacker tried to open a door in the middle of the flight, passengers immediately responded. Troboloni took charge and wrestled the unidentified assailant to the ground, where other travelers joined in to assist. Flight crew members promptly secured the individual using zip ties to prevent further disruptions.

Wizz Air issued a statement regarding the incident: The company is dealing with the onward flight of all customers to London. The safety and security of passengers and crew are the companys top priority. The company regrets the inconvenience caused by this unexpected incident.

Cellphone footage obtained by The Sun captured the intense moments following the security breach. In the video, the attacker could be seen yelling while Troboloni held him in a headlock. Troboloni later explained that the assailant had attempted to open a fire exit, a relatively straightforward task, prompting him to take swift action.

I got the guy down. He was very heavyweight I headlocked him, and the stewardesses tied his hands with plastic cable ties I had to do it, Troboloni recounted.

Troboloni, with the help of fellow passengers, maintained control over the assailant until a flight attendant could locate cable ties to further restrain him. The ordeal lasted for approximately 45 minutes to an hour before the plane safely landed in Belgrade, Eastern Europe.

During the incident, the assailant repeatedly shouted Allahu Akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is most great. Authorities have yet to determine a motive for the attack or establish any connections to terrorist groups.

Before attempting to open the door, the suspect was observed moving between the pilots cabin and the rear emergency exit, raising concerns among passengers. A plane engineer who was onboard noted the suspects unusual behavior and emphasized the gravity of the situation: It was a very scary situation youve got no escape.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




A wealthy Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for his role in a nearly $100 million stock market cheating scheme that relied on secret earnings information stolen through the hacking of U.S. computer networks.

Vladislav Klyushin, who ran a Moscow-based information technology company that did work for the highest levels of the Russian government, was convicted in February of charges including wire fraud and securities fraud after a two-week trial in federal court in Boston.

His sentencing comes as American officials have been working to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen who has been detained in Russia since March. The Kremlin has suggested that its open to a possible prisoner exchange, and President Joe Biden has said hes serious about pursuing a swap, though its unclear whether Klyushin would be involved.

Authorities say he personally pocketed more than $33 million in the scheme, which involved breaking into computer systems to steal earnings-related filings for hundreds of companies  including Microsoft and Tesla  and then using that insider information to make lucrative trades.

Klyushin, 42, has been jailed in the U.S. since his extradition in 2021, and the more than two years hes been detained will be credited to his prison term. He was arrested in Switzerland after arriving on a private jet and just before he and his party were about to board a helicopter to whisk them to a nearby ski resort. After he completes his sentence, hes expected to be deported to Russia.

He thought he could get away with his crimes by perpetrating them from a foreign base, hidden behind layers of fake domain names, virtual private networks, and computer servers rented under pseudonyms and paid for with cryptocurrency, acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in an emailed statement. He found out otherwise, and will now spend nearly a decade of his life in a U.S. prison.

Klyushin, who walked into the courtroom in handcuffs, sat at a table with his attorneys and listened to an interpreter through headphones as lawyers argued over the sentence. At the advice of his attorney, he declined to address U.S District Judge Patti Saris before she sentenced him. He didnt appear to show emotion when the punishment was handed down.

Defense attorney Maksim Nemtsev told reporters after the hearing that they plan to appeal.

Four alleged co-conspirators  including a Russian military intelligence officer whos also been charged with meddling in the 2016 presidential election  remain at large, and even though prosecutors allege in a court filing that theyre still likely sitting at their keyboards, they acknowledge that they four will likely never be extradited to the U.S. to face charges.

Prosecutors had sought 14 years in prison, saying a stiff punishment was crucial to send a message to overseas cybercriminals. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto told the judge that Klyushin has accepted no responsibility for his crimes and that once he serves his sentence, hell return to Russia, where he is a powerful person with powerful friends in the highest echelons of Russian society.

Hackers will be watching this sentence to decide whether its wroth engaging in this kind of conduct, Kosto said.

The judge said she believed nine years was sufficient punishment, noting that hes being held far away from his family in Russia and in a country where he doesnt speak the language.

Prosecutors say the hackers stole employees usernames and passwords for two U.S.-based vendors that publicly traded companies use to make filings through the Securities and Exchange Commission. They then broke into the vendors computer systems to get filings before they became public, prosecutors said.

Armed with insider information, they were able to cheat the stock market, buying shares of a company that was about to release positive financial results, and selling shares of a company that was about to post poor financial results, according to prosecutors. Many of the earnings reports were downloaded via a computer server in Boston, prosecutors said.

Klyushin has denied involvement in the scheme. His attorney told jurors that he was financially successful long before he began trading stocks and that he continued trading in many of the same companies even after access to the alleged insider information was shut off because the hacks were discovered.

Nemtsev called prosecutors prison request draconian, adding that there is no reason to think that he would would risk the well-being of his family again by committing crimes.

Klyushin owned a Moscow-based information technology company that purported to provide services to detect vulnerabilities in computer systems. It counted among its clients the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ministry of Defense, according to prosecutors.

Klyushins close friend and an alleged co-conspirator in the case is military officer Ivan Ermakov, who was among 12 Russians charged in 2018 with hacking into key Democratic Party email accounts, including those belonging to Hilary Clintons presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta, the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Ermakov, who worked for Klyushins company, remains at large.

Prosecutors have not alleged that Klyushin was involved in the election interference.

(AP)




Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the countrys bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs.

The statement released Thursday, the first time the libraries have joined to make such a public declaration, said Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home.

But that interest, it said, is undermined when others see our own house in disarray.

The joint message from presidential centers, foundations and institutes emphasized the need for compassion, tolerance and pluralism while urging Americans to respect democratic institutions and uphold secure and accessible elections.

The statement noted that debate and disagreement are central to democracy but also alluded to the coarsening of dialogue in the public arena during an era when officials and their families are receiving death threats.

Civility and respect in political discourse, whether in an election year or otherwise, are essential, it said.

Most of the living former presidents have been sparing in giving their public opinions about the state of the nation as polls show that large swaths of Republicans still believe the lies perpetuated by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Trump, a Republican, also has lashed out at the justice system as he faces indictments in four criminal cases, including two related to his efforts to overturn the results of his reelection loss to Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Thursdays statement stopped short of calling out individuals, but it still marked one of the most substantive acknowledgments that people associated with the nations former presidents are worried about the countrys trajectory.

I think theres great concern about the state of our democracy at this time, said Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, which supports the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. We dont have to go much farther than January 6 to realize that we are in a perilous state.

Efforts to suppress or weaken voter turnout are of special interest to the LBJ Foundation, Updegrove said, given that President Lyndon Johnson considered his signing of the Voting Rights Act his proudest legislative accomplishment.

The bipartisan statement was signed by the Hoover Presidential Foundation, the Roosevelt Institute, the Truman Library Institute, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the LBJ Foundation, the Richard Nixon Foundation, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, the Carter Center, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, the Clinton Foundation, the George W. Bush Presidential Center and the Obama Foundation. Those organizations all support presidential libraries created under the Presidential Library Act of 1955, along with the Eisenhower Foundation.

The Eisenhower Foundation chose not to sign, and it said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press: The Eisenhower Foundation has respectfully declined to sign this statement. It would be the first common statement that the presidential centers and foundations have ever issued as a group, but we have had no collective discussion about it, only an invitation to sign.

The foundation said each presidential entity had its own programs related to democracy.

The push for the joint statement was spearheaded by David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute. Kramer said the former president did see and signed off on this statement.

He said the effort was intended to send a positive message reminding us of who we are and also reminding us that when we are in disarray, when were at loggerheads, people overseas are also looking at us and wondering whats going on. He also said it was necessary to remind Americans that their democracy cannot be taken for granted.

He said the Bush Institute has hosted several events on elections, including one as part of a joint initiative with the other groups called More Perfect that featured Bill Gates, a member of the board of supervisors in Arizonas Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. The county, its supervisors and its elections staff have been targeted repeatedly by election conspiracy theorists in recent years.

Gates and his family have been threatened by people who believe false allegations of election fraud.

We wanted to remind people that those who oversee our elections are our fellow citizens, Kramer said. Some of them told stories that are almost heartbreaking about the threats they faced.

He said he hoped the joint statement would generate wide support, but he added: Its hard to say whether it will or not in these polarized times.

Melissa Giller, chief marketing officer at the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute, said the decision to sign on was a quick one. The foundation was approached shortly after it launched a new effort, its Center on Public Civility in Washington, D.C. She said the statement represents everything our center will stand for.

We need to help put an end to the serious discord and division in our society, Giller said in an emailed response. America is experiencing a decline in trust, social cohesion, and personal interaction.

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama who is now CEO of the Obama Foundation, said the former president supported the statement.

This is a moment where we could all come together and show that democracy is not about partisan politics, she said. Its about making our country strong, making our country more decent, more kind, more humane.

Jarrett said one of the foundations priorities is trying to restore faith in the institutions that are the pillars of society. To do that has meant taking on disinformation and creating opportunity where people believe that our democracy is on the up-and-up.

She said Obama has led a democracy forum and is planning another later this year in Chicago.

I think part of it is recognizing that we are very fragile right now, Jarrett said, citing the fact that we didnt have a smooth orderly transition of power in the last election along with peoples mistrust of the court system and elected officials.

The wheels on our democracy bus, she said, feel a little wobbly right now.

(AP)




President Joe Biden on Thursday nominated a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew in March after running into opposition from Republican senators.

The White House said Biden nominated Michael G. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator at the FAA. He is currently the chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate working to develop an air taxi aircraft.

Whitakers nomination had been expected for months, and Bidens announcement was praised by several industry and labor groups.

The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nations airspace, has been run by back-to-back acting administrators since March 2022.

The agency faces a number of challenges including a shortage of air traffic controllers, aging technology, and alarm over close calls between planes at major airports. In addition, Congress is deliberating over legislation that will direct the agencys operations for the next five years.

Whitaker worked as a lawyer for TWA, which was absorbed by American Airlines, spent 15 years at United Airlines, where he became a senior vice president and oversaw international and regulatory affairs, then moved to InterGlobe, a travel company in India.

He was deputy FAA administrator  a job that does not require Senate approval  from 2013 to 2016. He is currently the chief commercial officer for Supernal, a Hyundai subsidiary that is working on an electric-powered air taxi  which would need FAA certification to fly in the United States.

The White House said Whitaker holds a private-pilot license.

Last year, Biden nominated Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington, but he withdrew in March after his nomination stalled in the Senate Commerce Committee. Republicans and independent Kyrsten Sinema argued that Washington lacked adequate aviation experience  his background is mostly in city transit systems, having held the Denver airport job only since mid-2021.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who led the GOP opposition to Bidens first pick, gave a noncommittal statement about the second choice.

We must carefully evaluate Mike Whitakers qualifications, experience, and temperament to determine whether he is the right person to lead the agency at this critical juncture, Cruz said.

The FAA has lacked a Senate-confirmed leader since early last year, when Stephen Dickson, who was chosen by President Donald Trump, quit midway through his five-year term.

Since then, the agency has been run by two successive acting administrators. The first, Billy Nolen, who left FAA in June to join another air taxi company, Archer Aviation, praised Whitakers nomination in a recent interview. I cant think of a better choice, he said. He will do an amazing job.

Earl Lawrence, a former senior official at the FAA who now works for Xwing, which is developing pilotless planes to carry cargo, said Whitakers appointment would be a win for companies making drones and autonomous aircraft  in part because of Whitakers time at Supernal.

He knows how to support the airlines because he worked at the airlines, and he has worked with the drone folks, Lawrence said. He will create the environment that its OK to move forward with new technologies.

A range of industry groups praised Whitaker as somebody they can work with  which could raise questions about FAA independence from the companies it regulates.

Nicholas Calio, president of the trade group Airlines for America, said Whitaker has extensive experience including on modernizing the air traffic system. He said Whitaker appreciates the collaborative partnership between industry and government to keep air travel safe.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, urged the Senate to confirm Bidens pick quickly. Whitaker has the experience to step into the role and immediately lead us forward, she said.

(AP)




The construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds, the official congressional watchdog said Thursday.

A report released by the Government Accountability Office offers the first independent assessment of damage caused by the building of more than 450 miles ( 724 km) of wall while in-depth environmental reviews were waived and the concerns of Native American tribes went largely ignored in the rush to finish the barrier.

Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Interior Department should work together to ease the damage, the GAO said. It recommended that the agencies coordinate to decide how much repair work will cost, how to fund it, and how long it will take.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Wednesday that the agency is working on a response to the report. An Interior Department spokeswoman said the agency would have no comment.

What makes Trumps border wall so egregious is that his administration waived dozens of environmental, public health, cultural preservation and even contract procurement laws to build it, said U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, a southern Arizona Democrat who requested the GAO review. Before construction even started, communities, tribes and other stakeholders were raising the alarm about the colossal damage that bypassing such fundamental protections would have.

Grijalva said he is urging fellow lawmakers to transfer at least $225 million from Homeland Security to the Interior Department and Forest Service in the upcoming budget for restoration efforts.

Trump and his supporters have argued that a strong physical barrier along the border is necessary to keep out drugs and people trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

We applied a commonsense, balanced approach in an effort to address environmental concerns while prioritizing our main goal of securing the nations border to reduce a vast set of complex threats from entering the U.S., said Mark Morgan, who was Customs and Border Protections acting commissioner during the Trump administration.

Speaking personally, if we disrupt a butterfly habitat or a few cacti die in exchange for disrupting the cartels operational capacity to threaten our nations safety and national security, Im OK with that tradeoff, said Morgan, now a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington. The wall saved lives and disrupted the cartels ability to improve their operational control of our countrys borders.

Environmental groups said the GAO report confirmed their earlier complaints. They said future repair work could benefit from more involvement by the Interior Department, a lead manager of the federal land where much of the damage occurred.

We hope this report will help people understand the degree of destruction the wall truly inflicted, said Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, among the groups consulted.

A key aspect of the report was identifying the fact that the Department of the Interior needs to play a larger role in repairing the damage, said Michael Dax, Western program director for the Wildlands Network, which also gave the GAO input.

Emily Burns, program director for the ecological group Sky Island Alliance, called it refreshing to see the accountability from the federal government.

The border stretches across nearby 2,000 miles (3,200 km) along California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Sections of what Trump called his big, beautiful wall were installed between January 2017 and January 2021 by contractors for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Defense.

President Joe Biden paused construction after he took office in January 2021.

For the report, the GAO consulted with the federal agencies, as well as the nongovernmental environmental groups. It also sought input from the Tohono Oodham tribe, which has a sprawling reservation that includes parts of Arizona and Sonora, Mexico; and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in California.

Those consulted told the GAO that construction in parts of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas fragmented the endangered ocelots habitat by blocking its cross-border access and putting it at risk of extinction.

The GAO was told lighting along the border harms bird migration and the foraging habits of some species. Larger animals like big cats and pronghorns that previously crossed the border through vehicle barriers with wider openings are now blocked by tall steel bollards erected inches apart.

Many saguaro cactuses in Arizonas Sonora Desert were toppled during construction, and in some areas at least half of those transplanted elsewhere later died.

Damage was also reported at Quitobaquito Springs, an oasis several hundred yards (meters) from the border inside the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The area includes sacred burial grounds of the Tohono Oodham people.

The GAO said that Customs and Border Protection later addressed construction-caused safety hazards, such as building concrete floodwalls to fix earthen levees in Texas Rio Grande Valley.

But the watchdog said more action is needed.

(AP)




The district attorney who brought charges against former President Donald Trump and others over their efforts to overturn the results of Georgias 2020 election sent a scathing letter to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan on Thursday, accusing him of interfering in a state case and pushing outrageous partisan misrepresentations.

The letter from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a close ally of Trumps, came in response to one he sent last month expressing concerns about the motivations behind her investigation and demanding that she provide certain documents by Thursday. Instead, Willis sent him a nine-page retort detailing the inaccurate information and misleading statements in his letter.

Its obvious purpose is to obstruct a Georgia criminal proceeding and to advance outrageous partisan misrepresentations, Willis wrote. As I make clear below, there is no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter, as you attempt to do.

A Fulton County grand jury last month returned a 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 others charging them with state crimes under Georgia law, including violations of the states anti-racketeering law. It accuses them of participating in an illegal scheme to keep the incumbent Republican president in power after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump allies in Georgia and Washington have relentlessly attacked Willis, accusing her of baselessly persecuting the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and demanding she be punished.

State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Georgias northwest corner, on Thursday doubled down on his calls for a special session to take money away from Willis office and consider her impeachment.

Fani Willis is spending millions of our taxpayer dollars to take on political prisoners. Its the most un-American thing that weve ever seen in our lifetime, Moore told the crowd at a rally near the state Capitol, where nearly 100 people vocally expressed their disapproval of Willis, shouting Tyranny! and Treason! and Impeach!

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp dismissed those calls last week in a news conference in which he angrily criticized Moore for running a grifter scam to raise money from Trump supporters. Without Kemps support, a special session is impossible unless Moore can get 60% of all legislators in each house of Georgias General Assembly  thats all Republicans and some Democrats  to sign a petition. So far, hes got the support of just one of the 180 state House members and two, including himself, of the 56 state senators.

Jordans Aug. 24 letter demands documents about federal funds Willis office has received. It also asks for communications between her office and the Department of Justice, including the office of special counsel Jack Smith, who is pursuing two federal prosecutions against Trump. And it asks for any communications between Willis office and any federal executive branch officials having to do with her investigation.

He cites the federal interests at stake and says his committee is trying to determine whether any legislative reforms are appropriate or necessary.

Willis accuses Jordan of violating the U.S. Constitution by trying to interfere with and obstruct her offices prosecution and says his inquiry violates state sovereignty. over matters of state law.

Your public statements and your letter itself make clear that you lack any legitimate legislative purpose for that inquiry: your job description as a legislator does not include criminal law enforcement, nor does it include supervising a specific criminal trial because you believe that doing so will promote your partisan political objectives, Willis wrote.

Addressing Jordans stated concerns about her offices use of federal funds, Willis attached a summary of programs funded by federal grants, including an initiative to process sexual assault kits and prosecute sexual offenders, a hate crimes prosecution program and programs for at-risk children.

Willis, a Black woman, also suggested that Jordan consider directing the Justice Department to investigate the racist threats she and her staff have received because of the investigation into Trump and others, attaching a batch of communications filled with heinous and violent racist insults.

She cited those kinds of messages in a motion filed Wednesday asking the judge in the case to take steps to protect future jurors at any trial involving Trump and the others. It is not yet clear whether all 19 defendants will be tried together or if there will be multiple trials.

Her request came weeks after the information of grand jurors who returned the indictment was posted online with the intent to harass and intimidate them, she wrote. Additionally, the motion said, the personal information of Willis and that of her family and staff have been posted online intertwined with derogatory and racist remarks.

Willis is asking Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to prohibit defendants, the news media or anyone else from creating or publishing images  including video, photos and drawings  of jurors or prospective jurors. She is also asking that the judge prohibit the publication of any information that would help identify them.

Its standard for indictments in Georgia to include the names of the grand jurors, in part because it provides defendants the opportunity to challenge the composition of the grand jury. Jurors in a trial, however, arent generally publicly identified.

(AP)




A report released on Friday revealed that a special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election results recommended indictments against a much larger group than Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ultimately charged, including one current and two former U.S. senators.

The nine-page report showed jurors recommended charges against 39 number of people, compared to the 18 who were charged along with former President Donald Trump. The names of those not indicted included Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of Georgia, former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Parts of the report had been released in February, but a judge had delayed the release of any recommendations for specific charges against specific people until after last months indictment. While most of the intrigue in the inner workings of the case has diminished with the filing of charges, it is notable that the special grand jury recommended many people who were not actually indicted.

They include Graham, former Georgia U.S. Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Graham did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Friday. A lawyer who has represented Flynn did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

The panel spent seven months hearing from some 75 witnesses before completing a report in December with recommendations for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis had said she needed the panels subpoena power to compel the testimony of witnesses who might otherwise not have been willing to appear.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panels recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect peoples due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury has indicted Trump and 18 other people under the states anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.

Many of those indicted  including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows  are known to have testified before the special grand jury. Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was never called and did not appear before the panel.

The parts of the report previously released in February included its introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to seek charges for perjury. The panels foreperson had said in news interviews that the special grand jurors had recommended that numerous people be indicted.

(AP)




Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Chaim Gorens wife and children were attacked by a gang of Eritrean youth Tuesday evening, Goren said after filing a police complaint on Wednesday morning.

My wife and children were attacked during a class at the community center by Eritrean youth, the children of infiltrators, Goren told the press outside the police station. We see how the adults behave. If we dont stop it here and now, it will continue to the next generation.

I filed a complaint with the police against the attackers. This unfortunate incident proves once again that if we do not deal with the problem of infiltrators and illegal residents, we will experience the scenes we experienced last Shabbos and even worse in the years to come when the next generation of infiltrators start causing trouble.

As part of my role as a council member and the one responsible for security in the city, I will continue to act vigorously against lawbreakers who endanger the residents of the southern part of the city, and I will not stop despite the attack on my family members, quite the opposite.

Police officers on Tuesday arrested an Eritrean man who was caught on video [as seen below] carrying an illegal pistol during the riots on Shabbos.

The video below shows Eritreans smashing store windows during the riots.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Home

There has been a dramatic sea-change in Chinuch institutions for American/Yeshiva families that have moved or are contemplating a move to Eretz Yisroel. The landscape is now vastly different than it was a mere twenty years ago. Chinuch mosdos have now entered a phase of Chinuch For Olim by Olim.

And many are extremely satisfied.

Back in the late 1990s and early ought years of the new millennia, there were essentially three main issues that the Yeshiva/like Olim families had:

American parents enjoy a lot of input in their schools and they like having it and exercising it. Israeli schools, however, are run differently. Geveret, I am the menahel here  if you do not like it, you can try to find another mossad, was a refrain that was often heard back then.

The second issue was that the attitude of the hanhallah of the Yeshivos was not to intervene  Just leave him alone and he will be fine. In other words, menahelim and Rebbeim had a hands off approach to issues and or potential problems. American parents are not on-board with this.

The third issue was that limudei chol was taken far less seriously by the mosdos than their current counterparts.

THE LARGER ANGLO COMMUNITIES

Now, however, there is a wide variety of mosdos that are available  at least in the largest of the Anglo neighborhoods. Those communities include Ramat Beit Shemesh, Ramot Bet in Jerusalem, Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem and Rechovot  about 35 minutes from Jerusalem, among others.

Ramat Eshkol, Sanhedria HaMurchevet, Maalot Dafne, Arzei haBirah and French Hill also have large Anglo communities. Many in these areas are Kollel couples in their first one to three years of marriage. Now, however, even the landscape in Yerushalayim education is changing (but more on that in future articles, beh.) When these couples do eventually look for schools, many of them switch their residence to places like Ramat Beit Shemesh. In this article, we will begin the focus bezras Hashem, on the Mosdos in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

[For those who wish to avoid those larger communities, for one reason or another, they may opt to educate in a Chareidi Dati Leumi school  even though they may not be the best fit for their child. Some, however, have made enormous strides in those schools. Even in the communities around the country, including regular Israeli communities, there are Olim that choose to go there and join the regular Israeli schools. Afula and Karmiel have received a number of Olim of late, and, to some extent, these communities have an infrastructure. The real estate there is more affordable too.]

THE BUBBLES

What the American/Yeshiva families have done in Ramat Beit Shemesh is that they have essentially developed Open Bubble Communities that are also relatively soft-landings for the Olim. They are all taught in Hebrew, and the catch-up time is generally between five and six months to acclimate to Hebrew but they have American Yeshiva values. With an estimated population of 152,000 plus residents, there are some 66 different boys Yeshivos in Ramat Beit Shemesh, and there will probably be another half dozen more that will open up shortly.

These Yeshivos have been enormously successful. Rabbi Lavey Friedman, (founder and director) the menahel of Darchei Noam remarked, Last year, we had five new seventh graders, and they are doing fabulously well.

THE PILOT TRIP

Potential new Olim usually make a Pilot Trip to check out the educational possibilities for their children. In this pilot trip, each family should do their due diligence and homework as to where each of their children belong. A mistake can be very costly, because switching schools midstream can be detrimental to a child, who has already left both home and community.

There are mosdos that are similar to schools such as Southshore, there are mosdos that are similar to a Siach Yitzchok, some similar to a Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and there are some that are similar to Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island. Some of the Yeshivos [we are using the term Yeshiva in the American sense  PreK to 8th grade] are more like a Lakewood Cheider as well. Of course, there is certainly crossover and Mosdos vying for the same families  just like schools in the United States. Most of the bigger schools are in Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph.

The schools that more closely resemble a Yeshiva Darchei Torah are Darchei Noam, Mogain Avot, and Torat Moshe. Those that are slightly more to the right are Torat Shalom Mem Shalosh (a sub-neighborhood of RBS Aleph) and Beit Eliyahu. VeZos LiYehudah is located in Ramat Beit Shemesh Gimel and not Aleph. If someone has a Lakewood-type family they would be more comfortable in Beit Eliyahu and VeZos LiYehudah.

GIRLS SCHOOLS

As far as girls schools are concerned, Beis Yaakovs in general are not private schools but are government funded through the Chinuch Atzmai. Ramat Beit Shemesh, however, has a number of private Beis Yaakov type students. (By the way, these schools are run as a private model but in reality they belong to Mayach Chinuch Bnei Yosef- the sefardic version of Chinuch Atzmai.) How did they start? Once again, the theme of By Olim and for Olim comes through. It was the parents who launched the private schools.

Bais Yaakov Mogain Avot is a private school. Bnos Malka is also a private girls school with excellent Chinuch. Beit Yaakov HaRamah is often the school where sisters of Torat Moshe boys attend. (But this comparison can be tricky since RBS can have siblings in various schools as well.) Beit Yaakov HaRamah, Magen Avot and Toras Moshe originally offered remarkable Aliyah coordinator. And now numerous schools offer good Alyah coordinators as well, Twenty years ago, this term didnt even exist in reference to schools!

The high schools educate toward passing and even excelling at the Bagrut tests  equivalent to the NY State Regents. Psychometry, by the way is equivalent to SAT or ACTs in the United States.

Rabbi Shmuel Zalman Eidensohn, the Menahel of Toras Moshe, of Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph remarks, 20 years ago, it was quite challenging. There was only one Yeshiva, Magen Avot, and it was a one size fits all. The Rabbonim felt that there was a need and the three Rabbonim decided that something had to be done. They are Elimelech Kornfeld, head of Kehilas HaGra, son-in-law of Rav Aharon Feldman of Ner Yisroel, and Rav Tzvi HaKohen Dovidovitch (a nephew of the famous sofer), and lehavdil bain chaim lchaim, Rav Malinowitz ztl from Artscroll.

It was on account of the three Rabbonim that schools first opened at different levels. Each school, of course, has their own unique style. This all came about because the parents demanded it and the regular steady growth of Ramat Beit Shemesh allowed them to do it..

The downside to having so many schools is that it is very challenging for the hanhallah. Their budgets are typically, one third government funding, one third fund-raising, and one third from the tuitions.

Toras Moshe is from ages 3 to 14. The graduates are generally split 3 ways: One third go on to a Torah only Yeshiva Gedolah (again, we refer to high school). One third go on to Mesivta, a high school in Ramat Beit Shemesh which opened about ten years ago. One third will go to Maarava, Rabbi Boruch Chaits Yeshiva.

What all this means is that there are options  finally. If parents want to eventually send their children to a high school where they become fully proficient in every Rav Boruch Ber, the Yeshiva Ketana system in Ramat Beit Shemesh can handle it. If parents want full integration in existing Israeli schools, they can  with a full bagrut diploma, and yet maintaining Yeshiva and full Torah hashkafos.

Olim should also be aware of the significant contrast in tuition payments between the US and Eretz Yisroel. An average Bais Yaakov tuition in Eretz Yisroel a mere few hundred NIS a year. The so-called private schools will charge 2-3 thousand NIS a year (around 200-300 NIS a month) and the chadarim can charge a bit more, a few thousand NIS a year, depending on the type of cheder, but this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to American tuitions. Olim should keep in mind, however, that, depending upon age and the type of child- they may be in for a big tutoring bill.

These schools enable chareidi families from NY, Baltimore, Monsey Passaic, Toronto, London, you name it  to not just make it, but to truly thrive in Eretz Yisroel.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
A Russian oil transport ship, docked at the port of Karachi, Pakistan, in June of 2023. AKHTAR SOOMRO (REUTERS)

Ukraines allies are shelving  at least temporarily  any plans to revise the price ceiling that has been imposed on Russias massive oil sales. This information, revealed by the Reuters news agency, implies that the West is completely oblivious to the recent changes in the energy market. After the recent spike in prices, most of the crude oil sold by the Eurasian country is already clearly being priced above the limit that was imposed on Moscow: $60 a barrel.

Since the price ceiling on Russian oil exports was set (in the U.S. and in most EU countries, crude oil imports from Russia are prohibited), the West debated about how much the rope should be tightened around the Kremlins neck. If Ukraines allies opted for a prudent figure, the risk was that Russia would continue to earn whatever was necessary to finance the war. However, if a more ambitious position was taken, the amount of crude oil in global circulation could have fallen drastically, resulting in gas prices going through the roof.

Half-a-year later, the balance leans towards caution: despite the recent rise in the price of Russian oil  and despite their commitment to review the cap periodically  the G7 nations have no intention of doing so in the short-term. A lowering of that threshold would increase the pressure on Moscow, but it doesnt look like such a move is in the cards.

In August, Ural oil  the Russian benchmark  averaged at $74 a barrel, already well above the price ceiling of $60. And that figure still doesnt reflect the growth of recent days, after both Russia and Saudi Arabia announced that they were extending the reduction of their output until the end of the year. Another indicator that reveals how the sanctions may be falling short is the price difference between European Brent and Ural crude  the true measure of the size of the blow to Moscow  which has also narrowed rapidly. Historically, before the war, both mixtures were practically at parity. Last year, with the cap and the sanctions, the discount reached $40 per barrel. Today, were at around $15. Thats thanks to the cap [on Russian oil prices], although it has been less relevant than initially expected, explains Jorge Leon, vice president and head of oil analysis at the Rystad Energy consultancy, in an interview with EL PAIS by phone.

In December 2022, when the cap came into force  which was followed three months later by a price cap on Russian fuels and other derivatives of crude oil  the EU countries promised to review it every two months, adjusting it both upwards and downwards, should market conditions change. The rest of the signatories  the U.S., Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom (all of them members of the G7) and Australia  have instead chosen not to set any regular review, limiting themselves to stating that they would do so when appropriate.

In June or July, there were talks about carrying out a review  or at least discussing it  but it was never formally done, stresses a diplomatic source consulted by Reuters. According to this source, while some EU countries were in favor of lowering the threshold to increase the pressure on Russia, the U.S. and the rest of the G7 members arent willing to introduce changes. Within the EU, meanwhile, sentiments are also mixed: Poland and the Baltic nations have always been more favorable to tightening the screws on the Kremlin, while other EU members have maintained a somewhat more lax position, to avoid a boomerang effect against their citizens, in the form of higher prices for the crude oil and fuels that it imports.

This past March, when the first  and, to date, the last  round of talks was held to revise the cap on Russian crude, resistance from the U.S. and other non-EU countries was enough to keep it at $60. At that time, European Brent was at around $75, compared to $90 today. The differential between European and Russian barrels was $26 six months ago, far from the current $17.

Russian exporters have been trying to get around the sanctions for months. Among other methods, they have utilized a fleet of shadow tankers and an increase in their sales to large Asian countries. This strategy  along with the allies refusal to review the threshold  has made the sanctions less effective. Ural crude oil has been above the ceiling for five weeks this hasnt been addressed, Leon emphasizes. The reason? Russia has developed its national fleet of oil tankers to be able to carry that crude  especially to Asia  and it has gotten Chinese and Indian companies to participate in the transport of that crude. And that makes the cap less effective, because Russia is able to export its crude without resorting to European services, especially British and Greek fleets.

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by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

So how can a person ramp up his or her Yom Kippur like never before? Join a Yom Kippur minyan in a left-wing secular Kibbutz.

Currently, in the wake of the judicial reform protests, Israeli society is being torn apart like never before. It is due to a lack of understanding of how all of us belong to the same people.

Ayelet HaShachar, a kiruv organization that has been hailed as revolutionary by Gedolei Torah, has arranged for some sixty Yom Kippur minyanim in remote Kibbutzim and Moshavim. It is possible that by Yom Kippur, we will have as much as seventy minyanim.

This past Yom Kippur was a different vibe entirely, remarked one secular woman from last year. Watch a video of it here.

If you want to experience a Yom Kippur like never before  come daven with us in a Moshav in a newly established minyan. You will never forget it, says Rabbi Raanan.

Sadly, many Israelis often looks at his fellow religious Jew with a measure of contempt and hatred. You can change that dynamic. Their website can be seen at AyeletHaShachar.org. Rabbi Raanan can be contacted at [email protected].

The author can be reached at [email protected]




Several thousand protesters supporting the Israeli governments judicial overhaul rallied in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Thursday, before a pivotal hearing next week on the legality of the first major bill of the overhaul.

The bill, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition passed in July, bans the Supreme Court from striking down government decisions it deems unreasonable.

With leading politicians signaling they wont respect a court decision striking down the law, the stage could be set for a constitutional crisis. The hearing is set for Tuesday, though a ruling is likely months away.

Brandishing signs with the words end the judicial dictatorship and the elites are taking control, protesters said the overhaul was necessary to rein in the power of unelected justices.

The Supreme Court is on the way to becoming the dictator of Israel, protester Avram Farber said. Its trying to push for making the Israeli government  that enjoys a majority in the parliament  to be illegitimate.

For the first time in Israeli history, all 15 justices of the Supreme Court will hear Tuesdays case.

The court will rule on the legality of a bill that weakens its ability to act as a check on the ruling coalition, headed by the prime minister. The bill bars the court from striking down parliamentary decisions on the basis that they arent reasonable.

The justices have used the standard in the past to nullify government decisions that they view as unsound or corrupt.

This year, for instance, the court struck down the appointment of a Cabinet minister, Aryeh Deri, because of prior convictions for accepting bribes and tax offenses.

The government says the reasonability standard is anti-democratic, because it allows judges to override the decisions of an elected parliamentary majority.

If the justices strike down the law, the stage may be set for a constitutional crisis. The parliamentary speaker, Amir Ohana, hinted this week that he wouldnt accept the courts ruling, saying he wouldnt allow the Knesset to be trampled. Netanyahu hasnt publicly committed to following the ruling of the court, but posted Ohanas comments to social media on Thursday.

The hearing set for Tuesday is the first of three overhaul cases on the courts docket this month.

(AP)
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As an energy company, Cameco faces scrutiny regarding its environmental impact and social responsibility. Adhering to strict environmental standards, maintaining community relations, and ensuring responsible mining practices are essential to mitigate these risks.

Operating in remote locations and managing complex mining and processing operations present operational risks. Ensuring worker safety, optimizing production efficiency, and managing operational costs are ongoing challenges for Cameco.
Shares of Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE:AGI  Get Free Report) (TSE:AGI) have received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.70.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AGI shares. CSFB lowered their price objective on shares of Alamos Gold from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. TD Securities upgraded shares of Alamos Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Alamos Gold in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of Alamos Gold in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th.

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Alamos Gold Stock Down 3.2 %

NYSE AGI opened at $10.93 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.09. Alamos Gold has a 12-month low of $7.08 and a 12-month high of $14.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.31.

Alamos Gold (NYSE:AGI  Get Free Report) (TSE:AGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.03. Alamos Gold had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 6.00%. The company had revenue of $261.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.07 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Alamos Gold will post 0.43 EPS for the current year.

Alamos Gold Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 14th were paid a dividend of $0.025 per share. This represents a $0.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 13th. Alamos Golds payout ratio is currently 24.39%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alamos Gold

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Alamos Gold by 230.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,948 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 2,752 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alamos Gold during the first quarter valued at about $49,000. Antonetti Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alamos Gold during the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alamos Gold during the first quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Alamos Gold during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 54.99% of the companys stock.

Alamos Gold Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Alamos Gold Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and extraction of precious metals in Canada and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It holds 100% interest in the Young-Davidson mine and Island Gold mine located in the Ontario, Canada; Mulatos mine located in the Sonora, Mexico; and Lynn Lake project situated in the Manitoba, Canada.

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Venice continues struggling to combat the massive tourism that is putting the city and its residents life at risk, as UNESCO has repeatedly warned. Venetian authorities have now approved a 5 entry fee to those who come to spend the day. The system will be implemented next summer in the city that now receives around 30 million tourists a year.

The Venetian consistory proposes introducing an entry fee for all tourists who visit the historic center during the day, without spending the night. The local administration plans to implement a trial period of 30 non-consecutive days over spring and summer weekends in 2024.

In the coming weeks, the local administration will approve the details of the project. In a statement, they specified that the ticket will be available for purchase on a multilingual platform, which will be available in the coming months.

Exceptions

Not all day visitors will have to pay. Exceptions include residents of the municipality of Venice, those who are coming for work or school, children below 14 years old, those who need medical treatment, participants in sporting events and families of residents up to the third degree.

The administrations intention is to disincentivize day tourism in certain periods, given the citys delicacy and singularity. The Consistory will not benefit from the introduction of the fee, as, according to tourism minister Simone Venturini, the income will only function to cover the costs of the system. The intention is to guarantee residents a better quality of life, as well as improving the experience of tourists who spend at least one night in the city. The message we want to communicate is that Venice is accessible, open, but visitors, both local and foreign, should understand that there needs to be scheduling to better manage the balance between residence and tourism, councilman Michele Zuin explained.

Gondoliers help tourists climb into their boats in a Venetian canal. Yara Nardi (Reuters)

Venice has long had trouble managing the heightened flow of tourists. Many visitors do not stay in the city, but go only for a single day and move quickly through the main sites in the historic center, using public services like transportation and bathrooms. Day visitors do not pay the tourist fee that is obligatory for those who spend the night. The arrival of large groups of tourists causes problems for residents. Tourism has also contributed to increasing the price of services and real estate, as property owners prefer to rent apartments to tourists over long-term contracts.

The administration announced the project a few days before UNESCO began to examine Venices inclusion on its blacklist of endangered world heritage sites. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will discuss it in a meeting in Riadh, Saudi Arabia, starting September 10.

Risk of irreversible damage

In June, the organism warned that climate change, reform projects and mass tourism is putting the city at risk of suffering irreversible damage. And it denounced that these ancient, but urgent problems with Venice and its lagoon will not be solved by the inefficiency of local and national authorities and their lack of coordination. It also noted that insufficient measures have been taken to improve the situation and lamented the absence of a common global strategic version.

It is not the first time that Venice has introduced an entry fee to decrease the flow of tourists that pass through the city. Two years ago, the Consistory approved a similar measure, with an entry fee of between 3 and 10, which should have gone into effect this year. But the fees implementation has been postponed. Putting it into practice has been more complicated than expected, due to technical, legal and political obstacles. Last year, authorities warned of the risk of massive personal data gathering, which could spread detailed information about peoples habits, movements, behavior or health.

Practical difficulties have also come up, such as the need to create a global information campaign for tourists about the new norms, reach agreements with hotels, platforms and transportation companies and implement systems for payment, entry authorization and sanctions.

The opposition has criticized the new proposal by mayor Luigi Brugnaro, whose government is supported by a right-wing coalition. For some politicians, the fee is too low to be effective. The idea that charging 5 a few days a year can save the city from mass tourism is emblematic of a city government that has no ideas, Monica Sambo, from the Democratic Party, told the Corriere del Veneto. The center-left organization Tutta la Citta Insieme has called the measure a mess, saying, Venice is not a museum that is entered by paying a fee.

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RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. provides reinsurance and insurance products around the world. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Bermuda with offices in Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, and the US.

The company operates through two segments that include multiple underlying businesses and investment vehicles. The two main segments are Property and Casualty & Specialty. The company operates through intermediaries that include DaVinci Resinsurance Inc, Top Layer Reinsurance LTD, and RennaisanceRe Syndicate 1458 among others.

Top Layer Re is the first major venture and was started in 1999. It is a joint venture with State Farm targeting high layers of the US reinsurance business. DaVinci Re was formed in the wake of 9/11 to assist with capacity and it was given added capacity in the wake of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Medici was formed in 2009 and is an open-ended fund intended to spur investment in the catastrophe bond market.

The Property segment writes catastrophic insurance policies to insure insurance and reinsurance companies against natural and man-made catastrophes. These include but are not limited to hurricanes, floods, freezes, and terrorism.

The Casualty & Specialty segment provides a wide range of consumer products including business insurance, malpractice insurance, liability insurance, workers' compensation, mortgage insurance, and health insurance among others.

Among RenaissanceRes Specialty businesses is capital management. The firm offers 6 investment vehicles and has more than $11 billion under management making it the #1 ILS or insurance-linked asset manager in the US. In regards to its credit ratings, the firm and all of its vehicles carry an A or better rating from every credit rating agency.
GE is a multi-national conglomerate that was originally incorporated in 1892. The company was founded by Thomas Edison as the Edison General Electric Company and shortened its name to General Electric following a merger with two other early electric pioneers. The name was later shortened again to GE. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts but has operations on a global scale. One of the original 12 Dow stocks, the company was a component of the index for 122 years until its ousting in 2018.

Originally intended to make and market Edisons incandescent lamp and following products, the company grew over the years through mergers, acquisitions, and natural expansion into newly created fields. Among the many early accomplishments is the creation of RCA and NBC which will both become forces of their own. Other major innovations include the worlds first turbine superchargers, industrial gas turbine engines, and the first jet engine. In the field of computing, General Electric Company is credited as being one of the 8 major computer companies of the 1960s and shares responsibility for todays digital world. In regard to its employees, two were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work with the company.

Today GE operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through four segments including Power, Renewables, Aerospace, and Healthcare although there are plans in the works to split the company into three separate entities. The three new companies would be GE Vernova (power and renewables), GE Health, and GE Aerospace. The spin-offs are expected to be completed by 2025.

The Power segment offers a variety of turbine engines for power production as well as the full range of services from plant construction to retrofit and refit. The Renewables segment is focused on solutions for renewable energy including wind and hydro and the technology to operate them. The Aviation segment manufactures aircraft engines of all varieties and the Healthcare segment offers technology for imaging, monitoring, diagnostics, and drug discovery to health and medical facilities.

General Electric is committed to helping the world transition to a greener way of life and is exiting the new-build coal-fired power industry. Instead, its advancements in wind, grid efficiency, and natural gas are being deployed around the world helping to reduce emissions and generate cleaner energy for businesses, industry, and communities. The company is targeting 2030 for its own carbon neutrality and 2050 for net zero emissions.
The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. 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Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. is a financial technology company that provides software, services and solutions to financial institutions, merchants and other businesses worldwide. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, with operations in more than 110 countries. FIS is a Fortune 500 company and is one of the largest global providers of banking and payment technologies.

FIS offers a wide range of products and services, including core banking and payment processing solutions, risk management, fraud detection, compliance services, mobile banking, digital wallets and other consumer-facing products. The company serves diverse customers, including banks, credit unions, merchants, governments and corporations.

Stephanie Ferris is the CEO and President of FIS. She joined the FIS team after FIS purchased WorldPay. At WorldPay, she specialized in revenue synergies and long-range strategic planning. Other notable team members include John Durrant, the President of Banking Solutions. John has focused on enterprise payment systems, product experience and small-business banking for over a decade.

Over the past few years, FIS has seen a weak financial performance. The company has been reporting losses for approximately three years. FIS's debt levels have increased in recent years due to the company's acquisition of Worldpay in 2019, which added roughly $16 billion in debt to FIS's balance sheet. Since 2019 FIS has maintained a debt level of around $35 billion. With a price-to-earnings ratio higher than the industry average and a price-to-book ratio lower than the industry average, FIS's valuation metrics suggest that the company is trading at a premium compared to its peers. FIS's stock price has performed poorly in recent years, consistently falling since Q2 of 2020.

FIS operates in the financial technology industry, which is experiencing significant growth and disruption. The rise of digital banking and payments has led to increased competition, innovation in the industry and regulatory and cybersecurity challenges.

FIS's primary competitors include global financial technology companies like Fiserv, Square and PayPal. In addition, FIS competes with traditional banks and payment processors investing in digital technology.

FIS has several growth opportunities, including new product launches, acquisitions and expansions into new markets. In 2020, the company launched several new products, including a real-time payments solution and a digital wallet. FIS also acquired the payments technology company Worldpay for $43 billion in 2019. The acquisition has positioned FIS as one of the largest payment processors in the world and has expanded the company's global footprint. It is important to note that in 2023 FIS began discussing spinning WorldPay off into a separate entity.

FIS is also exploring opportunities to expand into new markets, particularly in emerging economies such as Asia and Africa. The company has partnered with regional financial institutions to provide digital banking and payment solutions.

While FIS has seen strong financial performance and growth opportunities, the company has several potential risks and challenges. One significant risk is the increasing competition in the financial technology industry, particularly from new entrants and non-traditional players such as tech companies and fintech startups.

In addition, regulatory and compliance challenges could impact FIS's operations and growth. The financial technology industry is highly regulated, and changes in regulations or compliance requirements could increase costs and limit growth opportunities for FIS.

Cybersecurity threats are another significant risk facing FIS and the financial technology industry. As the company processes and stores sensitive financial data, any breaches or cyber-attacks could significantly damage FIS's reputation and financial performance.

Changes in consumer preferences and behavior could impact FIS's growth and profitability. As digital banking and payment solutions evolve, consumers may prefer alternative solutions, such as cryptocurrency or blockchain-based systems, which could impact FIS's traditional business model.
Sources familiar with the negotiations informed EL PAIS that $3 billion worth of frozen Venezuelan assets will be released in the coming weeks. The United Nations (UN) will manage these assets, which will be used for public works and health projects. The release of the funds was agreed upon in November 2022 during ongoing talks in Mexico between Venezuelas ruling party and opposition leaders. The United Nations expressed concerns about possible legal claims from the governments creditors, but in May, the United States assured that it would protect the assets from such claims. The money will soon be available, our sources said.

President Nicolas Maduros regime prioritized the release of these assets because the promised economic recovery proved to be a mirage for most of Venezuela. By allocating the unfrozen funds to schools, hospitals and public services, the regime aims to polish its image prior to the 2024 elections. This move could also advance the talks in Mexico so that a specific date for the elections is set. Venezuelan opposition parties are expected to unite behind a single candidate.

The primary obstacle to accessing the assets was Venezuelas substantial foreign debt, amounting to billions of dollars in commercial loans and arbitration awards. Some creditors are targeting frozen assets held abroad to recover debts owed by the government and PDVSA, the state-owned oil company. The Bank of England currently holds 31 tons of Venezuelas gold, and the United States also holds substantial assets belonging to the Central Bank of Venezuela. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about a potential legal logjam that would prevent the release of these assets, but the United States said it would offer them special diplomatic protection. Officials from the U.S. State and Treasury Departments are involved in the asset release. Guterres is ready. Its time to get that money, said people involved in the negotiation. The United Nations will manage the funds in New York and ensure they are allocated as agreed.

Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuelas lead negotiator in Mexico, said the funds are legitimate resources of the State of Venezuela and that recovering them expresses our peoples right to utilize and benefit from their own assets and resources that were illegally frozen. The release of the funds is not subject to any concessions by the Venezuelan government, however opposition leaders and mediators from Norway hope that it will advance efforts to resolve the countrys political and social crisis.

The international community, led by Presidents Emmanuel Macron (France) and Gustavo Petro (Colombia), has expressed deep concern over the sluggish pace of the process. It was anticipated that by now, Maduro would have announced a definitive date for the 2024 presidential elections, allowing the participation of opposition politicians currently barred from running. Additionally, the presence of international election observers (much like the EU did in the 2021 regional elections) would be imperative to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the electoral process. These measures would enable the opposition to effectively challenge Maduros hold on power.

In an effort to unite against the current administration, the opposition is strategically fielding a sole candidate in the upcoming elections. Barring any unforeseen circumstances (which are entirely possible), a primary will take place on October 22 to nominate a strong candidate with the pledged support of all opposition parties. The primary will be organized by the opposition without the participation of Venezuelas National Electoral Council (CNE). Maria Corina Machado appears to be the frontrunner, despite being barred from running for public office for the past 15 years. Polls indicate that Machado performs exceptionally well in direct faceoffs with Nicolas Maduro.

The CNE has recently appointed a new director, Elvis Amoroso, a long-time member of the ruling party and personal friend of First Lady Cilia Flores. He has also been responsible for disqualifying several well-known candidates from running for office. Three of the five CNE directors have close ties to the government, and the other two belong to the opposition. The CNEs main responsibility is to organize elections, which both the United States and Europe hope will be conducted fairly. President Maduro has declared that these elections will only be truly free when sanctions are lifted. Venezuela is currently restricted from selling oil, establishing trade deals, purchasing spare parts, hiring services from American, Canadian and European companies, and accessing international credit and frozen funds.

In the past year, there have been some cautious efforts to defrost the U.S.-Venezuelan relationship. Washington has proposed Venezuela as an alternative energy supplier due to Russias ongoing war in Ukraine. U.S. officials met with Maduro in Caracas and agreed to a prisoner exchange that freed nephews of First Lady Cilia Flores detained in the U.S. for drug trafficking. In May, Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez, an adviser to President Joe Biden, secretly met in Qatar to discuss another prisoner exchange.

The two countries are profoundly distrustful of each other. U.S. officials believe that Venezuela consistently finds excuses not to democratize its institutions and electoral processes. They claim to have offered concessions to Maduro, like the license it granted Chevron to revive its oil output and expand operations in Venezuela, but that such gestures are never reciprocated. Meanwhile, Maduro blames Washington for strangling the country with economic sanctions and attempts to overthrow the government by supporting the likes of Juan Guaido, the self-declared interim president of Venezuela.

Now, there is a new opportunity for all parties to come together and bridge their differences with the release of frozen assets. The United States has the final say on releasing the funds, and still holds out hope for a negotiated agreement. It is now up to Maduro and Rodriguez to take the next step by setting a date for the elections. The international community can then work toward a fair electoral process without the frozen asset roadblock in the way.

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Indian PM Narendra Modi shakes hands with Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim in front of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Jakarta. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/POOL (EFE)

India will test its growing global role at the G-20 summit scheduled to be held this weekend in New Delhi. The strength of its economic growth, the success of its lunar mission, its demographic power and its profitable position as an essential partner for the U.S. and Europe in times of frayed relations with China have cemented Indias new presence on the international scene. A G-20 summit that is going to be very complicated, coming as it is in the midst of simmering tension, will portray how much influence India really has and test the viability of its multi-sided game to defend its best interests.

India continues to uphold its traditional mantra of non-alignment in foreign policy while pursuing with increasing conviction the goal of becoming a powerful and independent pole in a multipolar world. The nations most immediate and critical challenge is the fight with China, a rivalry that encompasses a range of issues such as territorial disputes, competition for influence in the region, Beijings support for Pakistan, and other sensitive factors. It is also in this perspective, and not only in terms of the deterioration of international relations, that the announced absence of Xi Jinping from the New Delhi summit, in addition to that of Vladimir Putin, must be viewed.

The difficulties in the preliminary negotiating work suggest that the possibility of the summit ending without a consensus statement is not a remote one. This would be a failure for the group as a whole, but the Indian presidency would certainly come away with its prestige in question. The tension between New Delhi and Beijing does not make things easier.

The tussle with China  which, like others in the modern world, goes hand in hand with a close economic relationship that is very important for India in its infrastructure and manufacturing development objectives  can be seen behind Indias main movements on the world stage: the attempt to set itself up as a spokesperson for the so-called Global South, New Delhis rapprochement with the U.S., and Indias position in the BRICS forum.

As [PM] Narendra Modi and his foreign minister have said, India is aligned with its own interests. Chief among them is the desire to prevent China from becoming hegemonic in the region to such an extent that it prevents India from exercising its influence. This is key, and when you look at New Delhis relationship with the Global South, it should be seen substantially as an attempt to be more influential than China in that area, says Frederic Grare, a European Council on Foreign Relations Fellow who specializes in India. In that fight, China has the advantage of its greater economic power, but India can play with its position outside the Washington/Beijing dichotomy, which in political terms can be an advantage.

Municipal workers clean a sidewalk near a billboard featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of this week's G-20 summit in New Delhi, India. Manish Swarup (AP)

The effort to establish itself as a great representative of the Global South is the main key to reading the Indian presidency of the G-20. New Delhi has tried to push an agenda that, from debt restructuring to the design of global financial institutions, from climate change to food prices, largely takes the point of view of that broad group of countries.

On the other hand, New Delhis rapprochement with Washington because of common mistrust of the Chinese boom is gaining momentum. The movement is not new, but it has gained particular thrust under Modi, who recently made a new state visit to the U.S. in which he was granted the honor of addressing Congress for the second time, a distinction achieved by very few leaders in history. Modi returned home with major defense technology transfer deals under his belt.

The rapprochement is not only with the U.S., but also with its European and Indo-Pacific allies, says Eva Borreguero, a professor of political science at the Complutense University of Madrid who specializes in South East Asia.

The relationship with China also marks Indias position in the BRICS. This is a group that was born from the desire of emerging countries not aligned with the West that demanded a greater international political presence. Now, under pressure from Beijing, it has just taken steps to expand, while the antagonism towards the West has been growing within the group, from Russia and China, who are historical members, to the upcoming incorporation of Iran. India does not share this feeling. Its movements within that group, even if they respond to their own logic, are in keeping with Western interests, says Grare.

Grare notes that Indian foreign policy underwent a change after the collapse of the USSR, which was a major supplier of its weapons. The country continued to maintain a close relationship with Russia, which is one of the reasons why India did not condemn the invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations, but this relationship has become less and less relevant from a global perspective and it has not prevented Modi from launching critical messages against the Kremlin or endorsing a statement at last years G-20 summit that was uncomfortable for Moscow. After the collapse of the USSR, a rapprochement with the U.S. began to take shape and this expert sees a continuity, albeit with a more nationalist tone and the necessary adaptations due to the change in context, but without significant variations in substance.

Borreguero points out how the formal adherence to a non-alignment policy hides underground changes. India has realized that this non-alignment did not serve to prevent wars with China and Pakistan. New Delhi is concerned about its security: without that security, its ability to address internal problems is diminished. And it is in this context that the construction of this new dense network of relations with the U.S. and several of its allies must be viewed, for example, through the QUAD [which brings together the U.S., India, Japan and Australia]. This is not a formal alignment, much less a military alliance, but it is a significant membership in a dedicated forum that seeks to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open, a concept with strategic connotations of the highest caliber.

Another question is whether, and to what extent, the Hindu nationalism promoted internally by Modi and which is provoking a strong rejection from Indias Islamic minority will deteriorate Indias relations with a wide range of Muslim countries. I dont think this is having a significant impact, Grare says. Im not saying its irrelevant, but its not that important, I dont see this affecting international relations.

All these factors will converge at the New Delhi summit, marking, for better or worse, the Indian presidencys capacity for action in the search for consensus. As a senior European official noted, Indonesia, holder of the previous G-20 presidency, achieved a real feat at the Bali summit in 2022 by nailing a consensus statement in a tense global situation. This years event will offer important indications about the state of the world order, and Indias place in it.
She has publicly lectured European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron for picking up the phone to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. She maintains an unwavering position on the solution to the invasion of Ukraine: the unconditional withdrawal of the Kremlins troops from all Ukrainian territory before any talk of negotiations. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is one of the most hardline voices within the EU and NATO in terms of arms supplies to Kyiv and the tightening of economic sanctions against Moscow, to the point of banning the entry of tourists. Her stance has earned her the nickname Europes New Iron Lady, coined by New Statesman.

However, at the end of August, a media investigation reported that a company linked to her husband has continued to do business in Russia during the war. The revelations have shaken Kallas coalition government. The prime minister, whose center-right Reform Party won the elections last March and governs together with the Social Democrats and the liberal Estonia 200 party, was called to appear before a parliamentary committee and although the opposition is threatening a no-confidence motion, it has yet to get off the ground. Estonias president, the independent Alar Karis, lacks the power to dismiss her but has publicly called for her resignation. He has also said as much privately to Kallas herself, as the prime minister has acknowledged, but she is refusing to step down.

The news was broken by Estonian public broadcaster ERR on August 23. Kallas husband, Arvo Hallik, continued to conduct business in Russia through his trucking company Stark Logistics even after the invasion of Ukraine, despite the unequivocal position of his wife on stifling Moscow economically through sanctions and cutting any commercial ties with Moscow. Hallik defended himself against the accusations by claiming that his company was only trying to help another Estonian company, Metaprint, which is part-owned by his business partner, to wind up its activities in Russia. But Halliks partner, Martti Lemendik, admitted in local media that between February 24, 2022, the date of the invasion, and August 24, 2023, his company sold over $32 million in goods on the Russian market.

The icing on the cake was the declaration of interests that Kallas herself had to submit when she was re-elected as prime minister. It features a loan of 350,000 ($375,000) granted by Kallas to Novaria Consult, a company wholly owned by her husband. It is through the latter that Hallik controls a quarter of Stark Logistics, the trucking company. The question being asked by the opposition and her own coalition government is plain: did the Prime Ministers money serve to circumvent the sanctions she so strongly defends? Kallas answer: she and her husband do not talk about business at home.

The main opposition party  the far-right EKRE  has openly called for new general elections due to the scandal. Isamaa, the conservative party that was part of the previous coalition and ruled with Kallas in her second Cabinet until March, is also demanding her resignation. The Social Democrats, with three ministers in the government, are divided on whether she should go, although for now they are maintaining their support. Critics of the government have pointed out that many Estonian companies have posted losses and faced layoffs after cutting commercial relations with Russia.

Meanwhile, the prime ministers popularity is plummeting. According to a poll published Thursday by Norstat Estonia, 67% of Estonians believe she should resign, but Kallas is just as determined to keep her job as she is in calling for tougher action against Moscow. The opposition has a constitutional way to oust me, to file a no-confidence motion. Bullying me until my nerves fail is not constitutional, she said.

Kallas learned of husbands business ties through the press

Two weeks after the scandal broke and despite new details appearing in the press, Kallas remains in office and continues to defend Hallik. My husband doesnt have a Russian business. They did have a very small volume of transport [relating to Russia] before the war started, the prime minister said Monday during her appearance before a parliamentary anti-corruption committee, as reported by ERR. They stopped it a month after this war started. Then they continued to help their majority owner. So how can this be considered a Russian business? If you dont have Russian customers, you dont leave behind a single euro, ruble or dollar there, you dont buy anything there, you dont sell anything there, so upon what basis could it be referred to as a Russian business? she added, stating that she became aware of her husbands Russian business ties when they were published in the press.

When asked about the loan to her husbands company, Kallas confirmed its existence, but denied that the money could have been used toward conducting business in Russia as the firm in question, Novaria Consult, does not carry out any activity other than that of a financial group. She also stated that the loan was provided from the income she received as a lawyer, before taking office, and added that the loan and the corresponding interest had been repaid during the months of June, July and August of this year.

What Kallas was unable to specify in parliament was the exact date on which the loan was granted: whether it was before or after the beginning of the war, a fact that has triggered fresh speculation. Kallas reacted hours later with a post on Facebook. Today, at the Riigikogu [parliament] commission, the opposition surprised me with the question of what day I signed the loan with my husband [...] To prove that I have nothing to hide, I have sent the members of the commission the contract and two annexes, she wrote, adding: The witch hunt against me, due to the activities of my husbands partner, has crossed the limits of tolerance.

Karis  whose position as President of the Republic is more representative than political, but whose statements carry great weight  is clear about what Kallas should do now. After meeting last Monday with the leaders of all the parties in parliament, he said: Personally, I would have liked it if the prime minister had resigned at the beginning of the series of events that have made her the focus of the crisis, ERR reported. It would have spared her, her loved ones, the effectiveness of the government and the credibility of messages coming out of Estonia.

The next steps by the prime minister will show how serious she considers the problem to be and what she believes is the right solution for the Estonian state, Karis said in a statement released on August 28.
[September 07, 2023]

Governments of Canada and British Columbia invest over $58 million to bring high-speed Internet to over 5,400 households

Rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity to high-speed Internet

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

All Canadians need reliable and affordable high-speed Internet, no matter where they live. The governments of Canada and British Columbia are bringing high-speed Internet access to underserved communities.

Today, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, together with the Honourable Lisa Beare, British Columbia's Minister of Citizens' Services, announced over $58 million in federal and provincial funding for Columbia Basin Trust to bring high-speed Internet access to over 5,400 households in 59 rural and remote communities in the Columbia Basin area of British Columbia. Two of these communities are Indigenous.

This funding is part of an existing agreement between the governments of Canada and British Columbia. In March 2022, both governments announced a historic partnership to invest up to $830 million to connect households in all remaining rural, remote and Indigenous communities throughout the province to high-speed Internet.

Today's announcement builds on the Government of Canada's progress toward ensuring that 98% of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026, and 100% by 2030. The Government of Canada will continue to make investments in infrastructure to build strong communities and a more competitive and resilient Canada for everyone.

Quotes

"Internet is no longer a luxuryit's a necessity. That's why our government made a historic commitment to connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026. Today's announcement highlights our commitment to Internet connectivity in rural British Columbia. This investment will provide reliable high-speed Internet access, through the Columbia Basin Trust, to over 5,400 underserved homes in 59 British Columbia communities."

 The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

"Our commitment to connect every Indigenous, rural and remote B.C. community by 2027 ensures that the benefits of high-speed Internet are shared y everyone in the province. This investment makes it possible for people to stay in their own homes and have access to the services, resources, employment and education opportunities they depend on."









British Columbia's

"The Internet is an essential service for all of society, but unfortunately we still have areas of the Columbia Basin that do not have access to the same level of high-speed connectivity and reliability as more populated communities. The Trust is pleased to partner in addressing this gap and in helping bring fibre optic infrastructure to over 5,400 rural households across the Basin."

 Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust

Quick facts

Canada's Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload.

Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload. The Universal Broadband Fund is a $3.225 billion investment by the Government of Canada designed to help provide high-speed Internet access to 98% of Canadians by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100% access by 2030.

investment by the Government of designed to help provide high-speed Internet access to 98% of Canadians by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100% access by 2030. Today, 93.5% of Canadian households have access to high-speed Internet, compared to just 79% in 2014.

In March 2022 , Canada and British Columbia announced a broadband partnership. This agreement represents a plan to connect all remaining rural households in British Columbia to high-speed Internet through a total combined investment of up to $830 million .

, and announced a broadband partnership. This agreement represents a plan to connect all remaining rural households in to high-speed Internet through a total combined investment of up to . Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested nearly $525 million in connectivity projects in British Columbia .

has invested nearly in connectivity projects in . Since 2017, the Government of British Columbia has invested $584 million in connectivity projects in the province.

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
[September 07, 2023] Geotab Celebrates World EV Day: Paving the Path for Commercial Electrification through Data Intelligence Tweet

SINGAPORE, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions in Southeast Asia (SEA) and one that is well placed to drive electrification in the short term. Over the past several years, SEA has witnessed a significant transformation in the commercial sector with a surge in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). According to Mordor Intelligence, the ASEAN EV market is expected to grow from USD 0.86 billion in 2023 to USD 3.54 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 32.73% during the forecast period (2023-2028).This shift is not just a testament to technological advancements but also to the power of data intelligence. With access to quality data insights from commercial vehicles, organizations in SEA can make more informed decisions about how to successfully integrate EVs into their fleets, including a wide range of makes and models. "EVs are playing a key role in reducing our carbon footprint, and they can also offer compelling operational cost savings and increased efficiency," said Neil Cawse, CEO of Geotab. "There is a remarkable transition in EV adoption taking place, and the companies experiencing the greatest success are utilizing data intelligence to inform, adjust and drive decisions that impact their business and the planet. It's truly a double bottom line." "The growing adoption of EVs across the Southeast Asia region signifies a significant stride towards sustainable transportation." said David Brown, Assistant VP, APAC, Geotab. "We are confident in our role as a driving force in supporting this demand and facilitating transformative changes within organizations in SEA. Geotab's solutions such as Electric Vehicle Range Analysis , and Fleet Electrification Knowledge Center provide useful data insights for EV integration to empower businesses across Southeast Asia in their journey towards sustainable and data-driven operations. How data is advancing electrification Benefits to the bottom line According to Geotab's ' Greening the Fleet ' survey, 54% of fleet professionals are embracing EVs. They're witnessing reduced fuel use and CO2 emissions, showcasng a future driven by informed choices. Interestingly, 69% of respondents reported that their fleet sustainability data helped reduce operating costs in the past year.



Real-world impact Shaziman Transport, a petroleum transportation company operating in Southeast Asia , adopted Geotab's telematics system to enhance sustainability while transporting various petroleum products and chemicals. By implementing predictive maintenance, managing driver behavior, reducing idling, and analyzing data insights, Shaziman successfully reduced carbon emissions, minimized fuel waste, and improved overall environmental performance. Data from a wide range of makes and models

Despite the rapid growth of the EV industry, SEA fleet managers face the challenge of a lack of standardized vehicle information. Through Geotab's technology and reverse engineering process, the company offers comprehensive data insights for more than 300 EV makes and models which provides fleet managers in SEA with the information needed to make informed decisions for fleet electrification and sustainability goals, such as vehicle range, efficiency and state-of-charge. Addressing Challenges Geotab's Electric Vehicle Range Analysis , based on more than 3 million EV trips, provides the industry with insights into the interplay of temperature, speed and vehicle range. This real-world analysis aims to increase confidence in EV technology and build awareness of EV optimization strategies.

, based on more than 3 million EV trips, provides the industry with insights into the interplay of temperature, speed and vehicle range. This real-world analysis aims to increase confidence in EV technology and build awareness of EV optimization strategies. Geotab's Fleet Electrification Knowledge Center serves as a comprehensive industry resource, spotlighting the benefits, challenges, and success stories of EV adoption, implementation and optimization for commercial fleets. Fleets play a significant role in the shift to electric vehicles and clean transportation. Data intelligence is essential to informing sustainability plans, measuring progress and scaling decarbonization. To learn more about Geotab's sustainable fleet solutions, visit https://www.geotab.com/sustainability-journey/ . About Geotab Geotab is a global leader in connected transportation solutions. We provide telematics - vehicle and asset tracking - solutions to over 47,000 customers in 150 countries. For more than 20 years, we have invested in ground-breaking data research and innovation to enable partners and customers, including Fortune 500 and public sector organisations, to transform their fleets and operations. We connect over 3.6 million vehicles and process more than 55 billion data points a day so that customers can make better decisions, increase productivity, have safer fleets, and achieve their sustainability goals. Geotab's open platform and Marketplace, offers hundreds of third-party solution options. Backed by a team of industry leading data scientists and AI experts, Geotab is unlocking the power of data to understand real-time and predictive analytics - solving for today's challenges and tomorrow's world. To learn more, visit www.geotab.com/apac, follow @GEOTAB on Twitter and LinkedIn or visit the Geotab Blog. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/geotab-celebrates-world-ev-day-paving-the-path-for-commercial-electrification-through-data-intelligence-301920052.html SOURCE Geotab

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[September 08, 2023] Delta Electronics Thailand Wins Top Rankings at Alpha Southeast Asia's 13th Institutional Investor Corporate Awards Tweet

BANGKOK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL. announced it is ranked among Southeast Asia's top corporates according to the 13th Annual Corporate Institutional Investor Poll 2023 by Alpha Southeast Asia - a leading institutional investment, banking and capital market magazine in Southeast Asia. The poll, conducted from January-June 2023, is based on tallied votes among 586 investors, pension funds, hedge funds, equity and fixed income brokers and analysts with exposure to the Southeast Asia region. In total, 39 companies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand were ranked this year and this list represents the creme-de-la creme of best practices on adherence to corporate governance, financial management, investor relations, disclosure, transparency, integrated reporting, corporate social responsibility, and dividend policy. Among the eightranked Thailand companies, Delta Thailand won the award for 'Best Annual Report In Thailand' and was recognized as 'Most Organised Investor Relations' and 'Most Consistent Dividend Policy'. Delta Thailand also earned the second most votes in 'Best Senior Management Investor Relations Support' category. Such accolades underscore its investor relations performance with best-in-class disclosure for the investing public in conformance to good governance and sustainable development.



Delta Thailand is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and is committed to sustainable growth that benefits all stakeholders. The company publishes an Annual Report and Sustainable Development Report every year and conducts regular Investor Relations activities as part of its ongoing engagement with shareholders and the finance community. About Delta Electronics (Thailand) Public Company Limited

Founded in 1988, Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL. is a global producer of power and thermal management products and solutions. The company is a subsidiary of Delta Electronics, Inc. with the mission statement, "To provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow," which reflects the company's strong belief in sustainable development especially with issues related to the environment.

As an energy-saving solutions provider with core competencies in power electronics and innovative research and development, Delta's business categories include Power Electronics, Automation, and Infrastructure. The company's global presence is supported by its sales offices in key regions around the world; manufacturing facilities in India, Slovakia and Thailand; and several R&D centers located in Thailand, India, Germany and other countries. Delta continues to earn numerous recognitions for its achievements in the region and domestically. Some awards won include the prestigious ASEAN Business Award, Stock Exchange of Thailand's Best Company Performance Award and the coveted Prime Minister's Best Industry Award. For detailed information about Delta Thailand, please visit: www.deltathailand.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/delta-electronics-thailand-wins-top-rankings-at-alpha-southeast-asias-13th-institutional-investor-corporate-awards-301921618.html SOURCE Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL

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[September 08, 2023] ABB Process Industries: Strengthening Recession-Proof Businesses in Southeast Asia Tweet

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ABB (NYSE: ABB), a global leader in automation and digitalization, remains committed to helping industries in Indonesia and Southeast Asia build recession-proof businesses through sustainable automation solutions. As industrial automation gathers increased momentum post-pandemic, global technology provider ABB is supporting companies as they digitalize, expand and reduce costs. ABB appointed Pierre Leretz as the Local Business Line Manager of Process Industries Southeast Asia to bring his perspectives and experience to the table. In an interview, Leretz shared his vision for the company and the importance of building recession-proof businesses through sustainable automation. Sustainable automation, the key to recession-proof growth According to a study, the Asian Industry 4.0 is expected to reach a CAGR of 21.6 percent from 2018 to 2028. Companies in this region are piloting Industry 4.0 principles or automating their industrial processes to use modern, connected technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT). The government has established the Making Indonesia 4.0 initiative as an integrated roadmap to implement several strategies in Indonesia. While in Malaysia, the government has also developed a series of initiatives under Industry4WRD to encourage companies in the country to embrace the adoption of 4.0 technologies. Furthermore, the Singaporean government has implemented support measures to promote Industry 4.0, such as easy ownership transfer, tax exemptions, etc. Many governments back Industry 4.0, and it is consistently rising to transform business operations in Southeast Asia. Yet, despite this growth, there are still concerns over the resilience of specific manufacturing sectors following a continual slowdown in economic activity as overseas demand cools. Industries likely to be affected include food and beverage, chemicals, mining, metals, and cement. As part of the company's three-year plan ending in 2025, ABB is focused on growing its Southeast Asia operations to serve its customers better. Leretz said: "We have a responsibility to our customers to show them we have all the resources needed to help them execute projects, then follow up with service and maintenance activities. As we grow our installed base, we must grow our regional teams too." A key priority for ABB is the development of a centralized service infrastructure. By integrating all regional technical resources under one roof and distributing them regionally, ABB will provide faster response times an enhanced customer competency availability. Leretz highlighted the benefits of this approach: "This group of service engineers will then be managed centrally but be distributed regionally. This will make the response time and competency availability much more at the disposal of our customers."



Leretz emphasized that Southeast Asian companies face two significant challenges: environmental responsibility and increased productivity. He explained: "So the two major challenges are first their responsible attitude with environmental issues and energy efficiency topics, while the second is productivity increase to overcome shortages in world markets." To help address these challenges, ABB is collaborating with its customers to develop roadmaps for GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions reduction and energy efficiency while providing advanced automation solutions to boost production capabilities. Leretz shared the company's role in this process: "At each step, ABB is here to collaborate with our customers to reach their goals. Energy efficiency is a daily topic that I speak about with all of my customers."

According to Leretz, automation is the key to empowering industries in Southeast Asia to develop recession-proof businesses. "We follow an ideology of lean, safe and clean with our customers. It helps our customers remain lean and therefore financially strong when there is a downturn, safe as human errors are mitigated as much as possible and clean as our customers' processes are fine-tuned to avoid waste and therefore protect the planet," he explained. ABB's advanced digital solutions, which utilize artificial intelligence (AI), provide companies with plant information to make informed decisions. Leretz emphasized the importance of these solutions: "The advanced digital solutions of ABB further help reduce the OPEX at the customer side as these solutions help them do as much work, if not more, with even fewer resources." Leretz highlighted the importance of working closely with customers in various industries, such as pulp and paper, mining, data centers, and food and beverage, to help them meet their environmental, energy efficiency, and productivity commitments. He also noted the value of ABB's engineers in this process: "Our customers know our engineers know their processes well. Most engineers worked at our Customers' Plants for years before coming to ABB." Fostering a resilient industry through sustainable automation across Southeast Asia With a rich history of working with ABB since 1999 and a strong belief in respect, collaboration, hard work, and discipline, Leretz is eager to take on his new role and contribute to the company's growth in the Southeast Asian market. When asked about his motivation for taking on this new position, Leretz explained: "I think I can say without hesitation that the attraction I have for the philosophy of this region is the first point. Values are the most important thing in my life. I believe in respect, collaboration, hard work, and discipline. I find all these values in the Southeast Asian culture." Leretz's determination to learn and discover new geographies and industries is also a driving force behind his decision to become Southeast Asia's Local Business Line Manager. He shared, "My knowledge of the region was limited, while now I am discovering it in detail. I was responsible for Process Automation earlier but not as detailed as today in the recent specialization by Business lines." His passion for continuous learning is evident, as Leretz mentioned, "To illustrate to you my curiosity and learning need, I went back to school at the age of 57 to do a Master of Science in Innovation at HEC France." During his tenure with ABB, Leretz has seen the company evolve constantly and adapt to market changes. Reflecting on his accomplishments, he stated, "Among the proudest accomplishments, I can mention the numerous people who reported to me that I advised to take up other positions that lead them to a successful career. It is important to know you help people have a better future, and at the same time, it sends a message that I support the development of people in my organization." As ABB continues to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia, it remains dedicated to providing advanced automation solutions that help businesses become more resilient, environmentally friendly, and efficient. By fostering solid relationships with its customers and understanding their unique needs, ABB is well-positioned to help industries in the region overcome challenges and thrive in an ever-changing global market. ABB's Process Automation business automates, electrifies, and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs  from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps customers in process, hybrid and maritime industries improve performance and safety of operations, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. go.abb/processautomation ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company's solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered, and operated. Building on more than 130 years of excellence, ABB's 105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. For more information about ABB and its sustainable automation solutions, please visit: https://new.abb.com/process-automation View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/abb-process-industries-strengthening-recession-proof-businesses-in-southeast-asia-301921661.html SOURCE PT ABB Sakti Industri

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[September 08, 2023] Microfinance Market size to grow by USD 122.46 billion from 2021 to 2026, The market is fragmented due to the presence of prominent companies like Accion International, Al Amana Microfinance & AL BARAKAH MICROFINANCE BANK, and many more - Technavio Tweet

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The microfinance market is estimated to grow by USD 122.46 billion from 2021 to 2026, growing at a CAGR of 11.61%. The microfinance market is fragmented owing to the presence of many global and regional companies. A few prominent companies that offer microfinance market are Accion International, Al Amana Microfinance, AL BARAKAH MICROFINANCE BANK, Annapurna Finance P Ltd., Banco do Nordeste do Brasil SA, Bandhan Bank Ltd., Cashpor Micro Credit, FINCA International Inc., Fusion Micro Finance Ltd., GENTERA S.A.B. de C.V., Grameen Foundation, IndusInd Bank Ltd., Kiva Microfunds, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., Manappuram Finance Ltd., Opportunity International, Pacific Community Ventures, Pro Mujer Inc., PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Persero Tbk, Stichting BRAC International, and Women World Banking Inc. The report provides a full list of key companies, their strategies, and the latest developments. Download Sample before buying Company Offering: Annapurna Finance P Ltd. - The company offers microfinance services such as Group Loans, MSME Finance, Housing Finance, Samarth Loan, Dairy Development Loan, Solar Loans, Consumer Durable Loans, Home Improvement Loan, and PMSVANidhi Loan. Cashpor Micro Credit - The company offers microfinance services such as Green Micro Credit Initiative which is a modified microfinance loan product to promote tree plantation. For details on companies and their offerings  Buy the report! By Geography, the market is classified as APAC, South America, North America, Europe, and Middle East and Africa. APAC is estimated to contribute 45% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The increasing penetration of the Internet and smartphones, the rapid growth of social media, the growing number of SMEs and startups, and the adoption of platforms. The growing online lending and the presence of global and regional providers are contributing to the growth of the microfinance market. The number of SMEs has increased significantly in the APAC region. For example, according to data provided by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in 2019, the number of startups in India is around 9,500. Hence, these factors are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Download a sample report to get more insights on the market share of various regions and the contribution of the segments. Impactful driver- Quick and easy access to credit

Quick and easy access to credit Key Trend - Rapid growth in APAC

- Rapid growth in APAC Major Challenges - Inadequate risk management Market Segmentation By Type, the market is classified into banks and non-banks. The microfinance market share growth by the bank segment will be significant during the forecast period. Microfinance banks (MFBs) are known as general financial services, including loans, savings accounts, and insurance for low-income people. Microfinance banks are mainly established by individuals, groups of individuals, community development associations, private companies, or foreign investors. Furthermore, these banks mainly target economically poor customers, low-income households, and the unbanked, including the most vulnerable groups such as women and young people, people with physical disabilities, and those who run the informal sector, such as micro-entrepreneurs and subsistence farmers. In developing countries like India and Nigeria, people in the low-income group prefer to use the services of microfinance banks. In addition, the need to provide easy credit and offer small loans to customers without any collateral further increased people's preference for MFB. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period. Technavio Research experts have provided more insights on the market share of segments - View Sample Report Related Reports: The trade finance market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.01% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 14,706.45 million. This trade finance market report extensively covers market segmentation by type (traditional trade finance, supply chain finance, and structured trade finance), end-user (importers and exporters, banks and financiers, and insurers and export credit agencies), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). One of the key factors driving the trade finance market growth is the growing number of exports. The Global Wealth Management Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.02% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 325.56 billion. This wealth management market report extensively covers market segmentation by business segment (human advisory, hybrid advisory, and robo advisory), end-user (banks, trading and exchange firms, investment management firms, brokerage firms, and others), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). One of the key factors driving the wealth management market growth is the rising demand for alternative investment support from the government. Microfinance Market







Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 11.61% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 122.46 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 9.23 Regional analysis APAC, South America, North America, Europe, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 45% Key consumer countries Mexico, China, India, France, and Peru Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Accion International, Al Amana Microfinance, AL BARAKAH MICROFINANCE BANK, Annapurna Finance P Ltd., Banco do Nordeste do Brasil SA, Bandhan Bank Ltd., Cashpor Micro Credit, FINCA International Inc., Fusion Micro Finance Ltd., GENTERA S.A.B. de C.V., Grameen Foundation, IndusInd Bank Ltd., Kiva Microfunds, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., Manappuram Finance Ltd., Opportunity International, Pacific Community Ventures, Pro Mujer Inc., PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Persero Tbk, Stichting BRAC International, and Women World Banking 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.

TOC: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market Sizing Historic Market Size Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation by Type Customer Landscape Geographic Landscape Drivers, Challenges, and Trends Vendor Landscape Vendor Analysis Appendix About US Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact US: Technavio Research

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Website: www.technavio.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microfinance-market-size-to-grow-by-usd-122-46-billion-from-2021-to-2026--the-market-is-fragmented-due-to-the-presence-of-prominent-companies-like-accion-international-al-amana-microfinance--al-barakah-microfinance-bank-and-man-301921483.html SOURCE Technavio

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[September 08, 2023] AgileIP Announces General Availability of Cross-Platform Softphone for Seamless Communication Tweet

Leading Canadian VOIP Provider Enables Flexible Communication for Remote Teams. MONTREAL, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - AgileIP, a leading pan-Canadian Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) provider, announces its cross-platform softphone's official launch. This cutting-edge communication tool is now available for Android, iOS, Mac, and PC, providing users across diverse devices with a seamless communication experience. In the rapidly evolving landscape of remote work, businesses seek versatile tools that bridge communication gaps and maintain seamless collaboration. AgileIP's cross-platform softphone emerges as a robust solution, catering to the specific needs of remote teams spread across various devices and locations. Key Features of the AgileIP Cross-Platform Softphone: Flexibl Work Environments: Remote teams can effortlessly connect and collaborate across diverse devices regardless of their physical location. Intuitive Interface: The softphone's user-friendly interface promotes ease of use, allowing team members to focus on their tasks rather than grappling with complex communication tools. Consistent Quality: The softphone maintains AgileIP's renowned reliability, delivering exceptional voice quality and consistent performance even in remote work scenarios.



www.agileipsoftphone.com As remote work redefines the modern workforce, AgileIP proudly offers a solution that brings colleagues together, transcending geographical barriers.

AgileIP's cross-platform softphone is a pivotal enabler for remote work. It positions the company as a leader in this segment and increases its corporate customers' competitiveness in a fast-evolving market. About AgileIP:

AgileIP is an established pan-Canadian Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) provider, celebrated for its steadfast dedication to security, reliability, and innovation. Catering to a diverse corporate clientele spanning coast to coast, AgileIP empowers remote teams to communicate and collaborate seamlessly in today's dynamic work environment. For more information, please visit www.agileip.ca SOURCE AgileIP Inc.

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President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador doesnt travel much outside of Mexico, at least since he took office nearly five years ago. Lopez Obrador has only visited the United States twice and Central America once. His fourth international trip aims to bolster the emerging progressive bloc in the region when he visits close friend President Gustavo Petro in Colombia. After that, hell go to Chile to participate in the commemoration of the coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende 50 years ago, and meet with President Gabriel Boric, another close ally. This trip is symbolically significant at both regional and local levels. It coincides with a crucial moment in the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), with a leadership transition from the current president to his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, the former head of the Mexico City Government and the partys nominee for president.

Lopez Obradors international tour starts on September 8. After his usual morning briefing, he will depart for Colombia on a military plane, accompanied by a small entourage including Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena; Defense Minister General Luis Cresencio Sandoval; and the Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Jose Rafael Ojeda. Upon landing in Cali in the late afternoon, he will have a private meeting with Petro followed by a state dinner in his honor. The main event the next day will be the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs, aimed at establishing collaborative anti-drug policies, which was initially conceived during Petros visit to Mexico last November.

Petro is highly focused on renewing global efforts to address the failed war on drugs. As one of the countries most affected by drug trafficking and a major political actor in Latin America, Mexicos collaboration is key. Petro and Lopez Obrador have demonstrated their ability to work together and communicate the same message. Lopez Obrador supported Petros presidential campaign, and continues to back him despite Petros recent setbacks, like the arrest of Petros son on money laundering and illicit enrichment charges. Hes been dealing with conservative resistance for quite a while now, said the Mexican president. They want to tear him down and undermine his moral and political authority.

Gustavo Petro and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the National Palace in Mexico City; November 25, 2022. HENRY ROMERO (Reuters)

After the conference in Cali, Lopez Obrador plans to fly to Santiago de Chile, avoiding Peruvian airspace so as not to provoke any nonsense. The relationship between the two countries soured following a major political crisis in Peru. Then-President Pedro Castillo was jailed on December 7 after dissolving Congress and declaring an emergency government. Lopez Obrador became a staunch defender of Castillo and a vocal critic of the subsequent administration led by Dina Boluarte. The Mexican president publicly criticized Boluartes government, calling it de facto, authoritarian and repressive. When Mexico offered asylum to the deposed Peruvian president and his family, Peru declared the Mexican ambassador a persona non grata.

The Peruvian Congress also recently declared Lopez Obrador a persona non grata, dealing another blow to the diplomatic relationship. The Mexican president says he wont need airspace authorization, which is typically required for planes crossing over a country. It will add about an hour to our travel time, said Lopez Obrador. Were not doing this out of rancor. We simply dont want our country to get caught up in an unnecessary controversy if we ask for permission to fly through their airspace and they end up refusing it.

The Mexican presidents agenda lacks specifics about his activities in Chile. It is known that the president will arrive late on September 9 and meet privately with Boric the next day. Later, there will be a meeting with Chileans who sought asylum in Mexico after the 1973 coup against Salvador Allende. It will be quite emotional because the meeting will take place at the Embassy of Mexico in Chile, where many Chileans found refuge during the coup detat. Our asylum policy is something were very proud of, as Mexicans, said Lopez Obrador.

Chile will mark the anniversary of the military coup on Monday, September 11. The entire Mexican delegation, including the two military commanders, is expected to attend. Fifty years have elapsed since the coup and the events that resulted in the tragic demise of President Allende, someone I deeply respect for his unwavering commitment to peaceful reform, and who became a victim of unscrupulous individuals, said Lopez Obrador. The Mexican delegation group will return home after the ceremony.

The four days during which Lopez Obrador will be away from Mexico coincide with a crucial time in the nations political sphere. Just before his departure, the president passed the baton of party leadership to Sheinbaum and surprised everyone by announcing that she will determine the future of the ruling party  hard to imagine considering Lopez Obradors domineering style and influence. While hes away, Sheinbaum will have the chance to take charge and establish herself as the new leader of Morena.

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[September 08, 2023] CoreLogic: Home Equity Increases From Winter to Spring, Reducing Underwater Properties in Q2 Tweet

CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released the Homeowner Equity Report (HER) for the second quarter of 2023. The report shows that U.S. homeowners with mortgages (which account for roughly 63% of all properties) saw home equity decrease by 1.7% year over year, representing a collective loss of $287.6 billion, and an average loss of $8,300 per borrower since the second quarter of 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908681596/en/ Map of Average Year-Over-Year Equity Gain per Borrower (Graphic: Business Wire) However, U.S. homeowners with mortgages gained on average $13,900 quarter over quarter, amounting to a collective increase of $806 billion - or a 5.2% gain - in home equity. And while borrowers in the West continued to experience the largest year-over-year equity losses (as seen in Figure 1), homeowners in states like Hawaii, California and Washington still have the most accumulated equity due to the pace of appreciation over the past decade. "While U.S. home equity is now lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2022, owners are in a better position than they were six months ago, when prices bottomed out," said Selma Hepp, chief economist for CoreLogic. "The 5% overall increase in home prices since February means that the average U.S. homeowner has gained almost $14,000 compared with the previous quarter, a significant improvement for borrowers who bought when prices peaked in the spring of 2022." "Also, while more borrowers are underwater compared with one year ago," Hepp continued, "they are not necessarily concentrated in markets that have seen the largest price declines, as negative equity also depends on the down payment. Natural disasters and related risks also play a substantial role in home equity changes."



Negative equity, also referred to as underwater or upside-down mortgages, applies to borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth. As of the second quarter of 2023, the quarterly and annual changes in negative equity were: Quarterly change: From the first quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2023, the total number of mortgaged homes in negative equity decreased by 6%, to 1.11 million homes or 2% of all mortgaged properties.

From the first quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2023, the total number of mortgaged homes in negative equity decreased by 6%, to 1.11 million homes or 2% of all mortgaged properties. Annual change: From the second quarter of 2022 to the second quarter of 2023, the total number of homes in negative equity increased by 4% from 1.06 million homes or 1.9% of all mortgaged properties. Because home equity is affected by home price changes, borrowers with equity positions near (+/- 5%), the negative equity cutoff, are most likely to move out of or into negative equity as prices change, respectively. Looking at the second quarter of 2023 book of mortgages, if home prices increase by 5%, 128,000 homes would regain equity; if home prices decline by 5%, 178,000 properties would fall underwater.

The next CoreLogic Homeowner Equity Report will be released in December 2023, featuring data for Q3 2023. For ongoing housing trends and data, visit the CoreLogic Intelligence Blog: www.corelogic.com/intelligence. Methodology The amount of equity for each property is determined by comparing the estimated current value of the property against the mortgage debt outstanding (MDO). If the MDO is greater than the estimated value, then the property is determined to be in a negative equity position. If the estimated value is greater than the MDO, then the property is determined to be in a positive equity position. The data is first generated at the property level and aggregated to higher levels of geography. CoreLogic uses public record data as the source of the MDO, which includes more than 50 million first- and second mortgage liens and is adjusted for amortization and home equity utilization in order to capture the true level of MDO for each property. Only data for mortgaged residential properties that have a current estimated value are included. There are several states or jurisdictions where the public record, current value or mortgage data coverage is thin and have been excluded from the analysis. These instances account for fewer than 5% of the total U.S. population. The percentage of homeowners with a mortgage is from the 2019 American Community Survey. Data for the previous quarter was revised. Revisions with public records data are standard, and to ensure accuracy, CoreLogic incorporates the newly released public data to provide updated results. Source: CoreLogic The data provided is for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's publication or broadcast. This data may not be re-sold, republished or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient's parent company without prior written permission from CoreLogic. Any CoreLogic data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from CoreLogic, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany first reference of the data. If the data is illustrated with maps, charts, graphs or other visual elements, the CoreLogic logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis or interpretation of the data, contact Robin Wachner at [email protected]. For sales inquiries, please visit https://www.corelogic.com/support/sales-contact/. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of CoreLogic. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner. This data is compiled from public records, contributory databases and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources. About CoreLogic CoreLogic is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The company's combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com. CORELOGIC and the CoreLogic logo are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908681596/en/

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[September 08, 2023] Xalient Named On the First Ever Global Top 100 Inspiring Workplaces List Tweet

The inaugural Global Top 100 is composed of organizations across North America , EMEA, and Australasia.

Xalient ranks alongside Top 100 companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Concentrix, Experian, Federal Reserve Bank of NY, Gartner, and Rackspace Technology.

Earlier this year Xalient was voted among the Top Inspiring Workplaces in EMEA. LONDON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Secure network and digital identity transformation specialist, Xalient, today announced that it has been included in the first ever Global Top 100 Inspiring Workplaces list. Earlier in the year Xalient was voted among the top best companies in the EMEA Inspiring Workplace Awards 2023. Independently judged, the Inspiring Workplaces Awards 2023 asked each organization to complete an entry form consisting of six key elements. These are elements it believes are fundamental to creating an Inspiring Workplace and include: culture and purpose, leadership, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity, communication and employee experience. Commenting on the award, David Bowes, Chief People Officer at Xalient, said: "I am immensely proud that Xalient has been recognized as an Inspiring Workplace not only in EMEA, but worldwide. We are building a global company and this recognition is important to us as we continue to grow our international footprint and attract the best talet to fuel that growth."



"Our people and our culture are critical to our success, and we have worked hard to ensure that our development programs and other initiatives to nurture our talent are not only inspiring but are a top priority for the business. In the current economic climate, the focus for most organizations is on optimizing the workforce and creating operational efficiencies. The reality is that the only lever you can pull to influence productivity and business performance is people. So, investing in them is critical to the overall success of the company." Matt Manners, Founder, The Inspiring Workplaces Group, commented: "There are no geographical boundaries to an Inspiring Workplace and the people who create them. It is with pride that we publish the Top 100 Global Inspiring Workplaces list for the very first time. Congratulations to Xalient who made both their regional list and the new worldwide accolade."

In August, Xalient acquired Integral Partners LLC, a US-based digital identity consulting and advisory firm with over a decade of experience focused exclusively on IAM. The combination of these two dynamic organizations will accelerate future worldwide growth for Xalient. This new global accolade comes off the back of many other significant recognitions achieved this year, including Xalient being named among Europe's Fastest Growing Companies in 2023 by the Financial Times for the second consecutive year. As well as being listed among 40 Best Employers in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work Awards. To learn more about Xalient and its services, visit www.xalient.com. About Xalient Xalient addresses the challenges large global enterprises?face around networking and security. Headquartered in the UK and with offices in the USA, Xalient counts Kellogg's, Avis Budget Group, WPP and Keurig Dr Pepper among its clients. It was established eight years ago to disrupt the traditional markets for secure networking, taking advantage of the huge shift to cloud technology that has created high demand for flexible, cost-effective global connectivity and protection against increasingly complex cyber threats.? Combining transformative, software-defined network, security, and communication technologies with intelligent managed services with its AIOps Platform- Martina and driving Zero Trust initiatives that keep the world's largest brands more resilient, adaptable and responsive to change.??? View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xalient-named-on-the-first-ever-global-top-100-inspiring-workplaces-list-301921877.html SOURCE Xalient

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[September 08, 2023] $500K Grant to Expand Substance Use Peer Recovery Program to Free Clinics Across Virginia Tweet

A new $500,000 grant from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation will help the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (VAFCC) expand substance use disorder peer-based recovery programs in the Commonwealth to six clinics over the next three years. The Health Wagon, a charitable clinic located in Wise and serving Southwest Virginia, has been selected to initiate the effort in the first year and the remaining five clinics will be chosen in year two and three. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908182703/en/ Representatives from the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia pose with members of the Health Wagon, a charitable clinic located in Wise and serving Southwest Virginia, that has been selected to initiate the expansion of substance use disorder peer-based recovery programs in the Commonwealth. (Photo: Business Wire) Almost half a million adults in Virginia have a substance use disorder, according to statewide data. For more than a decade, fatal drug overdoses fueled by opioids like fentanyl have been the leading cause of unnatural deaths in the Commonwealth. The grant will help fund the replication of a proven peer-focused recovery model pioneered at the Bradley Free Clinic in Roanoke called The HOPE Initiative. Launched in 2018, the program incorporates Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, advocates with lived experience in long-term recovery from substance use disorder who connect patients to a trusted network of treatment and recovery services, while helping people access holistic healthcare services. "One important aspect of the HOPE's program success is that itoperates at a free clinic," said Rufus Philips, CEO of the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. "Free clinics earn the trust of thousands of Virginians every year as they provide comprehensive, quality, and compassionate care to patients. We are thankful for the opportunity to bring the Bradley Free Clinic's proven treatment and recovery model to more clinics thanks to this generous grant."



Unlike traditional recovery programs that operate from substance use disorder facilities or treatment centers, the Peer Recovery Specialists work with patients from within the structure of the Bradley Free Clinic, a community-based healthcare nonprofit. The peer specialists leverage their lived experience to build trust and provide non-clinical, trauma-informed, and strengths-based support for patients during their recovery. HOPE Peer Recovery Specialists work collaboratively with the Bradley Free Clinic's medical, dental, pharmacy and behavioral health treatment teams to reduce barriers to care and serve as patient advocates and supports. Over the years, HOPE has supported over 2,000 people and more than 80% of its patients have completed treatment or recovery. Data from the HOPE program shows improved access to care and treatment outcomes, as well as increased patient engagement and reduced relapse rates.

"The HOPE Initiative is making an important impact in the Roanoke Valley," said Bradley Free Clinic executive director Janine Underwood. "Integrating trusted Peer Recovery Specialists into every aspect of our clinic helps patients feel more comfortable, which results in better patient outcomes and improved quality of life. We're excited to help other clinics implement this successful model." In addition to connecting people to care, association leaders expect the program expansion to help reduce emergency room utilization for patients experiencing substance use disorder in Virginia. "Anthem has been serving Virginia for almost 90 years, and improving the health of humanity is at the core of what we do," said Jennie Reynolds, President of HealthKeepers Plus, Anthem's Medicaid group. "This grant represents one of three selected by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to receive a total of $1.4M over three years to address mental health with an emphasis on substance use disorder and we are proud to support the work of the Virginia Association of Free & Charitable Clinics and The Bradley Free Clinic to improve the health and lives of our future generations." About VAFCC For 30 years, the VAFCC has been the only nonprofit organization whose mission is focused solely on the issues and needs of free and charitable clinics -- and the patients they serve in Virginia. In this role, VAFCC provides essential advocacy, support, and resources to the Commonwealth's free and charitable clinics, helping to ensure Virginia's medically underserved have access to quality health care. To learn more about VAFCC, our membership, and who they serve, visit www.VaFreeClinics.org. About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a philanthropic arm of the Elevance Health Foundation. The Foundation works to address health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable through strategic partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal child health; mental health; and food as medicine. Additionally, the Foundation also responds to disasters when our communities need us the most. The Foundation coordinates the company's year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates' donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the Elevance Health Foundation, please visit www.elevancehealth.foundation and its blog at www.medium.com/elevancehealthfoundation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908182703/en/

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[September 08, 2023] ALL IN 2023: Montreal to host a world-class event dedicated to Canadian artificial intelligence Tweet

MONTREAL, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - SCALE AI, Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster, is proud to present the first edition of ALL IN , the country's largest gathering dedicated to Canadian artificial intelligence (AI), held at the Palais des congres de Montreal on September 27th and 28th. This SCALE AI initiative, co-organized with CEIMIA, Mila - Quebec AI Institute, and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, will bring together leading AI experts, members of the industry, startups, investors, researchers, as well as many federal, provincial and municipal government stakeholders, to share their insights and explore how AI is transforming the Canadian economy. The event will feature more than 60 case studies of AI projects successfully deployed in various industries and showcase Canada's top 100 AI startups. Executives from Canada's leading businesses and renowned researchers will also discuss key challenges regarding AI applications within areas such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, supply chain management, retail, and the environment, demonstrating how AI can revolutionize these sectors and improve Canadians' lives. The importance of better regulation and governance of AI to ensure responsible, fair, and equitable access to AI for all will also be addressed. Over 1,400 participants are expected on site, including 300 members of foreign delegations, as well as over 10,000 participants online. High-profile speakers include AI and business leaders from organizations such as Bombardier, Air Canada, Wealthsimple, Cohere, Coveo, Kruger and many others. Several professors, including some from McGill University, Universite de Montreal and the University of British Columbia, will also be sharing the fruits of their AI research. The full program and the list of confirmed speakers are available here . More about ALL IN in this video .



Quotes The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, says: "ALL IN is not only a tribute to Canadian expertise in artificial intelligence, it's also an opportunity to consolidate our position as a world leader in this promising and transformative field, whose opportunities we know how to seize. That's why our government is proud to support this event, which will enable us to establish partnerships, exchange knowledge and propel the next wave of artificial intelligence innovation in Canada."

Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for Montreal and the Metropolitan Region, says: "Montreal's inaugural edition of ALL IN reaffirms our position as an international AI industry hub. In this fast-growing sector, ALL IN will contribute to the analysis of related issues of both current and future relevance. It is a one-of-a-kind forum designed to raise awareness among the various stakeholders of the importance of setting clear benchmarks aimed at ensuring the responsible and prudent development of AI." Julien Billot, CEO, SCALE AI, explains: "ALL IN is a world-class event showcasing real-life AI applications, services and solutions developed here at home. These cutting-edge innovations will be adopted by companies around the world, transforming the way we do business." Helene Desmarais, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, SCALE AI, adds: "This incredible event is a great occasion for the AI community to come together and be inspired by the best in AI. Come explore how top Canadian businesses have integrated AI into their operations to optimize their activities and strengthen their position as leaders on the local and international scenes." Sophie Fallaha, Executive Director, CEIMIA, states: "ALL IN is an exceptional event that will cover some of the most pressing challenges regarding the ethical and societal impacts of AI. The program reflects the importance of promoting multistakeholder expertise and resources to advance the development and responsible use of AI for the benefit of our society." Yoshua Bengio, Founder and Scientific Director, Mila, mentions: "As AI continues to advance at a rapid pace, it is our responsibility to ensure that its development is done responsibly. ALL IN is an opportunity to address the complex issues of ethics, transparency, and fairness." Michel Leblanc, President and CEO, The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, comments: "We are very pleased to welcome the Canadian AI ecosystem to Montreal. This major event confirms the city's position as a global hub for the sector and a leader in ethical AI. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have increased the urgency of a national discussion on the potential of these technologies. As Canada's largest AI event, ALL IN will be the place to be for this conversation." This event is organized with the support of numerous public and private-sector partners - the full list of partners is available here . Media Accreditation Media accreditation can be requested by contacting Eric Aach at [email protected] . Any questions, press-related inquiries or interview requests can also be addressed to the media team. About Scale AI ( scaleai.ca ) As Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster, Scale AI acts as an investment and innovation hub that accelerates the rapid adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and contributes to developing a world-class Canadian AI ecosystem. Based in Montreal and funded by the federal government and the Quebec government, Scale AI works with more than 500 industry partners, research institutes, and other players in the field of AI. The organization develops programs to support investments in companies that implement real-world applications of AI and encourage the emergence of future Canadian flagships in the sector, all while facilitating the development of a highly skilled workforce. SOURCE Scale AI

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[September 08, 2023] AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Ping An Health Insurance Company of China, Ltd. Tweet

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" (Excellent) of Ping An Health Insurance Company of China, Ltd. (Ping An Health) (China). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Ping An Health's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also reflect the implicit and explicit support that Ping An Health receives from its two major shareholders, Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (Ping An Group) and Discovery Limited, with respect to capital and financial support, business development, investment and risk management. Ping An Health's capital and surplus was boosted significantly to CNY 6.7 billion as of year-end 2022, following a capital injection of CNY 2.6 billion from its shareholders in April 2022. AM Best expects that the expanded capital base will support the company's business growth, and its risk-adjusted capitalisation will remain at the strongest assessment level in the short to intermedium term, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Ping An Health recorded moderate premium growth in 2022 after several years of fast expansion driven by strong sales in its key product offering, E Sheng Bao (ESB) medical insurance. ESB has been the primary source of profitability over the past few years; however, it showed a rising loss trend due to market competition in recent times. The company's net loss ratio continued to edge up in 2022, offset by favourable development in operating expense ratio from an expanded earned premium base. The company recorded approximately 20% growth in underwriting profit with a net combined ratio of 93.9%, based on AM Best's calculations. Ping An Health delivered a return-on-equity ratio of 12.8% and a return-on-assets ratio of 2.8% in 2022. Due to a challenging investment landscape in 2022, the company reported approximately 60% decline in investment returns, together with realised and unrealised losses from fair value change of financial assets reported under profit and loss and other comprehensive income. To improve the investment return stability, the company has continued to reduce its exposure to stock market risk and increase its allocation to bonds and fixed-income investment funds. Thecompany has limited exposure to the real estate sector in Mainland China as of the first half of 2023.



Ping An Health achieved very robust top-line growth in gross premiums written (GPW) to 2021 from 2017. However, the premium growth slowed down in 2022, partially attributed to its expanded premium base, increased health insurance industry penetration and intensifying market competition. In view of market headwinds and growing demand, the company has launched long-term health products and innovative medical products in recent years to secure a first-mover advantage in this segment. As part of Ping An Group, the company has a high level of control over its distribution channels, by leveraging the strong agency force of Ping An Life Insurance Company of China, Ltd. However, the moderate level of product concentration in its underwriting portfolio is an offsetting factor in its business profile. More than half of Ping An Health's total GPW has been sourced from a single individual health product over the past few years. Negative rating actions could occur if Ping An Health's risk-adjusted capitalisation weakens such that it no longer supports the current balance sheet strength assessment, for example, due to higher-than-expected investment risks that materially deviate from the company's risk appetite. Negative rating actions also could occur if the company exhibits a significant deterioration in its operating performance, such as having an ongoing underwriting loss from its concentrated individual health product or major reserve strengthening from long-term health products.

Positive rating actions could occur if the company continues to improve its balance sheet strength fundamental from self-sustaining internal capital generation through positive operating performance. Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908279014/en/

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[September 08, 2023] Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Launches $100 Million Investment in Rural Communities Across America Tweet

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses today announced a $100 million Investment in Rural Communities across the country to support job creation and economic growth. The new initiative, first launching in North Dakota and Arkansas, is an extension of Goldman Sachs' successful 10,000 Small Businesses program, which has served over 14,000 businesses across the country for more than a decade by providing access to education and capital. The initiative will reach rural small business owners in 20 states in the next five years. The $100mm commitment will provide comprehensive support to rural small business owners and includes $75mm to community development financial institutions (CDFIs) - starting first with a partnership with Dakota Business Lending - to provide loans to small businesses, $15mm to fund the 10,000 Small Businesses education program at local community colleges and $10mm in access to capital capacity-building grants. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses already has a proven track record of working with rural small business owners. New survey data released today found that 74% of rural small businesses have grown revenues and 72% have expanded their workforce as a result of this program. "Small businesses are engines of economic growth in our country and that's especially true in our rural communities," said Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon. "I'm excited to expand our 10,000 Small Businesses program to provide more entrepreneurs with the training, tools and access to capital they need to create more jobs and drive our economy forward." While rural small businesses drive job creation and community engagement, the new survey found that they are often overlooked. 89% of rural small businesses support local organizations and causes, yet very few rural small businesses believe that they receive a fair amount of public and private sector resources, 14% and 7% respectively. Furthermore, these businesses are facing a growing workforce shortage, with 68% reporting that attracting workers to live and work in their communities is a challenge (compared to 46% non-rural). The new data shows that these headwinds are intensified by the lack of child care, health care and other quality of life servies in rural America.



The initiative was launched during a special event at the 10,000 Small Businesses academic partner in North Dakota, Bismarck State College, attended by Governor Doug Burgum, U.S. Senator John Hoeven, Congressman Kelly Armstrong, Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon, Goldman Sachs Global Head of Corporate Engagement Asahi Pompey, and numerous 10,000 Small Businesses participants and community stakeholders. "Small businesses are critical to the health of the U.S. economy, and this investment by Goldman Sachs will help train and support our next generation of risk takers and job creators in North Dakota," said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. "As our administration continues to focus on growing and diversifying the economy, we are grateful to Goldman Sachs for bringing its 10,000 Small Businesses program to North Dakota to support our small businesses and entrepreneurs."

"It is always a good day to support our small businesses, and I am grateful to Goldman Sachs for investing resources and training in North Dakota," said North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer. "While they don't often get the attention major corporations do, small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and this significant investment will help owners and entrepreneurs grow and thrive in our state." "North Dakota's economy is powered by small businesses," said North Dakota Congressman Kelly Armstrong. "Goldman Sachs' new initiative is more than just capital, it's training, education, and development that will translate to job creation and economic growth in our state for decades to come." "As a small business owner, 10,000 Small Businesses provided me with the tools I needed when I didn't feel like I had the experience to run a growing business or the support from a community of like-minded entrepreneurs," said Beth Nodland, founder and owner of Juniper and the first graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in North Dakota. "This program was built for people like me who have full-time businesses and full-time lives and I am so proud that Goldman Sachs is committed to expanding the program to reach more small business owners in rural communities." "Small businesses make up a vast majority of businesses in North Dakota but many of us typically lack extra resources to continue to grow and sustain ourselves," said Sara Christianson, owner of Board and Brush Creative Studio and incoming Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses scholar. "I am excited to begin the 10,000 Small Businesses program to unlock growth for my business and connect with other entrepreneurs across North Dakota and the country." Goldman Sachs is committed to reaching a diverse, representative group of small business owners across rural America, where small businesses power the economy. According to recent data from the Small Business Administration, small businesses operate nearly 85% of establishments and employ 54% of workers in rural communities. Through the expanded program, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses will engage stakeholders, including retailers, farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and other business leaders on issues in their communities, creating lasting solutions for rural America. About 10,000 Small Businesses

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing a comprehensive business education program and access to capital and business support services. To date, 10,000 Small Businesses has served over 14,000 small businesses across the United States. The program has reached businesses from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.gs.com/10ksb. About Goldman Sachs

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global financial institution that delivers a broad range of financial services to a large and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908492916/en/

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[September 08, 2023] Top Maui Attorney, Cynthia K. Wong, Files Series of Lawsuits on Behalf of Lahaina Fire Victims Tweet

Maui Attorney Cynthia K. Wong filed lawsuits on behalf of six Lahaina families impacted by the devastating and avoidable August 8th Lahaina fires. "Aloha mai kakou. I am honored and privileged to represent the maka?ainana of Maui who have lost everything in the devastating Maui wildfires. It is my kuleana to ensure, on behalf of our Maui ?Ohana and lahui, that the entities who were negligent and responsible for the losses be held accountable. I am saddened by this foreseeable tragic event that claimed the lives of so many and that continues to devastate Maui. Together, we will forge ahead, rebuild Maui, and honor all of our lost loved ones. Mahalo for entrusting me. Maui No Ka ?Oi!" - Attorney Cynthia Wong This is the first step toward rebuilding for these families who seek accountability from those whose negligence or malfeasance brought about the catastrophe. The fires were the predictable and preventable result of a perfect storm created by a breach of the public trust by county and state agencies, whose responsibility it was to develop and implement effective plans for warning and evacuating the Lahaina community, and by the electric utilities which, despite the tragic history of utility-sparked wildfires, failed to put in place plans and means to deenergize power lines during red flag conditions and to maintain and fortify their electrical facilities. The result is the destruction of over 2,000 homes, apartments, and other structures and the deaths of at least 115 people. On this one-month anniversary of the fire, over 300 people are still missing. The lawsuits seek to hold all parties accountable for the fires. This includes Maui's electric utilities (Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., and Maui Electric Company Ltd), which failed to follow industry standards for protecting the public during red flag and drought conditions. Also included are the County of Maui and State of Hawai'i, which failed to devise effective warning systems and evacuation plans despite knowing that the combination of red flag conditions and extended drought were a recipe for disaster. This is a tragic story where those entrusted with essential public services, such as providing electricity, and those tasked with having an emergency response and evacuation plan in place for the community combined to cause a disaster that was both predictable and preventable. By filing suit today, the law firms of Cynthia K. Wong, Attorney at Law, LLLC, Bostwick & Peterson, LLP, and Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, have combined their resources and talents to address these wrongs and to make sure this never happens again. "Today is the first step forward for six Lahaina families whose lives were irreparably harmed by the August 8 calamity that struck Maui. Their losses were a needless cnsequence of the combined failures of an electric utility company and the State and County officials who ignored basic principles of wildfire risk management and the necessary coordination of public notification and emergency response procedures to cause the deadliest fire in modern U.S. History."



- Attorney Frank Pitre of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP "The devastation wrought upon the people of Lahaina was exacerbated by a fatally flawed response system, however, this disaster could have been entirely avoided if decades of warnings had been heeded and basic, widely used preventative measures had been implemented. We are going to do everything in our power to help the community rebuild and assure such a terrible thing will not happen again."

- Attorney James Bostwick of Bostwick & Peterson, LLP As alleged in the complaints, the Maui fire's impact upon these families is as diverse and unique as the Lahaina community. Plaintiffs include: Patrick Alexander, his partner Amber Sampson, and their two small children. Patrick and Amber lost their home in Lahaina. One of their children-a seven-day-old baby-required medical treatment for smoke inhalation.

Caitlin and Kevin Maratea and their six-month-old baby who lost their home and their scuba diving business in Lahaina.

Kimberly Cuevas-Reyes and her two minor children who lost their home and wireless telephone business in Lahaina.

Jacqueline and Jay Tefft also barely escaped the fire with their two-year-old toddler and four-month-old baby. They lost their home and ability to work because of the fire.

Robert and Leneen Kron were separated from each other and their four children during the evacuation of Lahaina. They eventually reunited, but they lost two homes in the fire.

Abigal Cox and Michael Griffiths barely escaped the fire with their children (ages 10 and 7). They lost their home and two local businesses to the fire. The lawsuits seek damages, including costs of rebuilding, compensation for the terror of having to escape from the fires, including for exposure to toxic smoke and embers and any resultant medical expenses, compensation for lost business income and wages, lost property value, and compensation for the distress, anxiety, uncertainty, and emotional pain of losing their homes and possessions in having to undertake arduous work of rebuilding. Cynthia Wong is working with Hawai'i and California attorney James Bostwick of Bostwick & Peterson and Frank Pitre of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP. About Cynthia Wong Cynthia is a Maui native and graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, the University of Pennsylvania (Bachelor of Arts), and the University of Hawai?i, Richardson School of Law (Juris Doctor). Cynthia has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in Hawai?i by Honolulu Magazine every year since 2016, including having been recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" in 2023. She has also been recognized and named by Best Lawyers and U.S. News - Best Lawyers and "Best Law Firms" for personal injury and insurance litigation. She has been representing victims in Hawai?i since 1995. About Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy ("CPM") CPM is the preeminent wildfire litigation firm in California. CPM has held public utilities accountable for their role in catastrophic wildfires including the Butte Fire (2015), North Bay Fires (2017), Thomas Fire (2017), Woolsey Fire (2018), Camp Fire (2018), Kincade Fire (2019), Dixie Fire (2021), Mill Fire (2022), and McKinney Fire (2022). Frank Pitre has served on leadership committees for wildfire victims of the North Bay Fires (co-lead), Butte Fire, Camp Fire (co-lead), and San Bruno Gas Explosion (co-lead). Donald Magilligan is currently serving on the executive committee for the Dixie Fire cases pending in San Francisco Superior Court. Following PG&E's 2019 bankruptcy, Pitre was selected to serve on the Tort Claimants Committee, which represented the interests of individual wildfire victims before the bankruptcy court. He played a key role in securing $13.5 billion for victims of the North Bay Fires and Camp Fire. He then served as a member of the Trust Oversight Committee, which was established to compensate wildfire victims out of the Trust proceeds. Pitre also served as lead counsel in the PG&E derivative litigation, which held the company's officers and directors personally liable for their role in causing the North Bay Fires and Camp Fire. The officers and directors case settled for $117 million. About James Bostwick Held in high regard by his peers, Bostwick has earned widespread recognition from many invitation-only organizations: Inner Circle of Advocates, limited to the top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in the U.S., and considered the most exclusive trial lawyer organization in the world; The International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a group limited to the Top 500 plaintiff and defense trial lawyers in the U.S.; American Board of Trial Advocates; and the Lawdragon Hall of Fame and top 500, all of which are based on peer selection. He's been named to Best Lawyers in America every year since its inception in 1983 and was named Best Lawyer's Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2012, rated among the Top 4 Trial Lawyers by the California Bar Journal, and featured in Newsweek, Town and Country, and Forbes as one of America's top trial lawyers. He has represented victims in Hawai'i since 1980. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908567770/en/

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[September 08, 2023] Government of Canada Commits Significant Funding for Wildfire Equipment and Provides Update on 2023 Wildland Fire Season Forecast Tweet

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Climate change is causing wildfires to become more frequent and more severe across Canada, threatening our health, economies and wildlife. As this year's unprecedented wildfire season continues in many provinces and territories, the Government of Canada is continuing to support Canadians now while strengthening the country's ability to adapt to a changing climate. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, along with the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada; the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence; the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services; the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages; the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister Responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Prairies Economic Development Canada; and Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, today announced that more than $65 million in federal funding has been committed so far through for six agreements through the $256-million Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate - Equipment Fund .



Single and multi-year agreements with Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Yukon will support the efforts of provinces and territories to strengthen capacities and capabilities in fire management across Canada by procuring specialized wildland firefighting equipment such as fire crew trucks and personal protective equipment. The Ministers also announced that both British Columbia and the Northwest Territories recently signed agreements with the federal government to access the maximum available funding under this program. This will see federal contributions of over $28.5 million for the Northwest Territories and $32 million for British Columbia over five years. With funding already flowing this year, these newly expanded agreements will provide consistent support for British Columbia and the Northwest Territories to secure lifesaving equipment and personnel.



The Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate program provides $256 million over five years, starting 20222023, to support provinces and territories. The six agreements detailed today are the first of many that will further strengthen fire management capacities and capabilities across the country by facilitating the purchase of wildland firefighting equipment to increase capacity to respond and prepare for wildland fires. These agreements build on important actions to date, including through the first phase of the Wildland Firefighter Training Fund that will train up to 630 firefighters and 125 Indigenous fire guardians and pilot Responding to the Interface training for structural firefighters in partnership with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). The Government of Canada has also announced a long-term investment in the one-of-a-kind WildFireSat satellite mission . Additionally, as outlined in the National Adaptation Strategy, the Government of Canada has committed to improving resilience strategies and preparedness efforts to reduce disaster risks. Ministers Wilkinson, Sajjan, Hajdu, Boissonnault and Vandal and MP McLeod also provided an update on the actions that the Government of Canada has taken so far to support communities impacted and threatened by wildfires and how it will continue to support Canadians through this year's fire season and future seasons. Also today, Government of Canada officials provided an updated forecast for the remainder of the 2023 wildfire season. Canada has leveraged its significant resources from coast to coast to coast this wildland fire season to respond to the considerable challenges Canadians are facing. Current forecasts indicate the possibility for increased wildland fire activity in central Canada during September, from eastern Alberta through to central Ontario. Fall is typically when new wildland fire occurrence begins to taper off due to cooler night temperatures and decreases in lightning activity. However, predictions for ongoing warm and dry weather may contribute to new fire starts, and there remains a likelihood that some existing large fires may continue to be active through September and possibly later into fall or winter. By working together with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and our international allies, the federal government is supporting the fight against wildfires and combating the effects of climate change, while ensuring public safety and protecting homes, livelihood and lives.



Quotes "Throughout Canada's worst wildfire season, the federal government has been determined to support Canadians and at-risk communities. As wildfires continue to burn across Canada, we are providing over $65 million in funding to our territorial and provincial counterparts for life-saving equipment and important contracting. This means more resources and more boots on the ground in our fight against these intense and dangerous wildfires."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources "Communities across the country are seeing their daily lives affected by an unprecedented wildfire season. Our government has stood by them and will continue to support them through these difficult times. Today's announcement will provide key support to provinces and territories, firefighters and the entire emergency management community who have been valiantly protecting the health and safety of Canadians since the beginning of this forest fire season." The Honourable Harjit Sajjan

President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada "In British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and across the country, Indigenous communities have been disproportionately impacted by a historically long and severe wildfire season, intensified by climate change. Today, we announced additional funding for firefighting efforts including to buy equipment to continue to fight wildfires. The federal government will be with First Nations every step of the way. We will continue to work with leaders and cover 100 percent of eligible costs for transportation, accommodation, food and mental wellness supports for evacuees. And as the hard work of rebuilding begins, we will be there to support that too." The Honourable Patty Hajdu

Minister of Indigenous Services "This year's wildfire season has been unprecedented and devastating for communities across the country. Evacuations have disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of Canadians, including in many Indigenous communities. In spite of this, Canadians are responding as they always have, by coming together and supporting each other. That's who we are, and that's what we will continue to do." The Honourable Randy Boissonnault

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages "Northerners are resilient, and our government will continue to support them as they continue to face the harsh effects of climate change. This announcement will ensure the Northwest Territories has the resources it needs to fight the wildfires and protect their communities." The Honourable Dan Vandal

Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister Responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Prairies Economic Development Canada "This fire season has been incredibly challenging to residents of the Northwest Territories. The support provided by the Government of Canada has helped local efforts to keep our residents and communities safe. As many evacuated residents are beginning to return to their homes, it is critical that all levels of government work together to help the Northwest Territories rebuild and recover." Michael McLeod

Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories "The Government of the Northwest Territories is incredibly grateful to be able to access its full notional allocation under the Government of Canada's Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate - Equipment Fund. This unprecedented wildfire season has impacted our land, our communities and our residents unlike ever before, and it is still very much ongoing. Our government is humbled by the amount of support it has received from the Government of Canada as well as from provincial, territorial and international partners this season. This generous support has increased our capacity to respond to and prepare for wildfires during the most challenging season in our territory's history." The Honourable Shane Thompson

Northwest Territories' Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Minister Responsible for Youth "Too many people in British Columbia have had their lives upended by wildfire this year  one of our most devastating seasons ever. Some have lost their homes and livelihoods, and impacted communities will be rebuilding for many years to come. In recent years, we made the largest investment in British Columbia's history in wildfire prevention and our firefighting capacity, expanding the BC Wildfire Service's year-round operations and equipment. As we work to prepare for future fire seasons, we are grateful for additional support from the Government of Canada for much-needed equipment and supplies. These investments will be used to upgrade BC Wildfire Service fire camp infrastructure, equipment and mass water delivery systems, helping to ensure the organization is well equipped for future wildfire and natural hazard responses." The Honourable Bruce Ralston

British Columbia's Minister of Forests Quick Facts Seasonal wildfire forecasts use the most recent fire weather indexes and consider drought conditions and temperature and precipitation forecasts derived from two climate model ensembles known as the Canadian Seasonal to Interannual Prediction System ( CanSIPS ), operated by Environment and Climate Change Canada).

), operated by Environment and Climate Change Canada). Current information on national fire conditions is available publicly at all times through Natural Resource Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System . Additionally, during the fire season, the Canadian Forest Service supports emergency and fire management agencies through the development of situation reports (fire weather forecasts, situational awareness) and the delivery of fire growth and behaviour models.

. Additionally, during the fire season, the Canadian supports emergency and fire management agencies through the development of situation reports (fire weather forecasts, situational awareness) and the delivery of fire growth and behaviour models. The Government of Canada , through Environment and Climate Change Canada, is committed to providing support to all partners by supplying weather information including detailed precipitation and wind forecasts, smoke dispersion predictions and air quality forecasts. Access the latest weather information with weather.gc.ca .

, through Environment and Climate Change Canada, is committed to providing support to all partners by supplying weather information including detailed precipitation and wind forecasts, smoke dispersion predictions and air quality forecasts. Access the latest weather information with . The Government Operations Centre (GOC), on behalf of the Government of Canada , is the lead for federal response coordination for emergency events affecting the national interest and works in close collaboration with federal organizations, non-governmental organizations and provincial emergency management partners.

, is the lead for federal response coordination for emergency events affecting the national interest and works in close collaboration with federal organizations, non-governmental organizations and provincial emergency management partners. Under NRCan's Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate program Training Fund , $28 million over five years starting in 20222023 is being provided to train 1,000 new community-based firefighters to reduce the risk from wildfire and support community-based capacity.

, over five years starting in 20222023 is being provided to train 1,000 new community-based firefighters to reduce the risk from wildfire and support community-based capacity. Under NRCan's Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate program's Equipment Fund , provinces and territories can cost-share investments for equipment, such as vehicles, mobile units, avionics upgrades (parts), hoses, pumps, enhanced communications equipment, the repair of aging equipment and training.

, provinces and territories can cost-share investments for equipment, such as vehicles, mobile units, avionics upgrades (parts), hoses, pumps, enhanced communications equipment, the repair of aging equipment and training. Through the agreements announced today:

Alberta purchased additional wildfire equipment including incident supply trailers, ignition trailers, drone units, personal protective equipment, water delivery units, fire pumps and chainsaws. The total project cost is $2,266,500 , shared equally between the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta .

purchased additional wildfire equipment including incident supply trailers, ignition trailers, drone units, personal protective equipment, water delivery units, fire pumps and chainsaws. The total project cost is , shared equally between the Government of and the Government of .

British Columbia will purchase equipment including fleet vehicles and fire crew trucks, all-terrain vehicles, fire camp infrastructure, mass water delivery systems, aerial ignition devices, weather stations, pumps, first-aid and crew safety equipment. The total project cost is $64,000,000 , shared equally between the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia .

will purchase equipment including fleet vehicles and fire crew trucks, all-terrain vehicles, fire camp infrastructure, mass water delivery systems, aerial ignition devices, weather stations, pumps, first-aid and crew safety equipment. The total project cost is , shared equally between the Government of and the Government of .

Nova Scotia purchased wildland fire equipment, including wildfire suppression tools, first responder personal protective equipment, fireline radios and wildfire incident support trailer, and invested in staff Incident Management training. The total project cost is $999,800 , shared equally between the Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia .

purchased wildland fire equipment, including wildfire suppression tools, first responder personal protective equipment, fireline radios and wildfire incident support trailer, and invested in staff Incident Management training. The total project cost is , shared equally between the Government of and the Government of .

Saskatchewan will purchase equipment including handheld two-way radios, protection sprinklers and hoses, and flotation and protection pumps and pump kits. The total project cost is $4,699,000 , shared equally between the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan .

will purchase equipment including handheld two-way radios, protection sprinklers and hoses, and flotation and protection pumps and pump kits. The total project cost is , shared equally between the Government of and the Government of .

Northwest Territories will purchase equipment including purchase specialized wildfire equipment; contract external services such as helicopters; support specific training; and staff key positions related to wildfires, including extending hires past the usual wildfire season. Total project cost is $38,402,412 , of which the Government of Canada is contributing $28,800,000 and the Government of Northwest Territories is contributing $9,602,412 .

will purchase equipment including purchase specialized wildfire equipment; contract external services such as helicopters; support specific training; and staff key positions related to wildfires, including extending hires past the usual wildfire season. Total project cost is , of which the Government of is contributing and the Government of is contributing .

Yukon will purchase equipment including pumps, hoses, radios, fire weather and climate monitoring equipment, and aviation and fuel system equipment upgrades. Total project cost is $741,895 , of which the Government of Canada is contributing $556,421 and the Government of Yukon is contributing $185,474 .

will purchase equipment including pumps, hoses, radios, fire weather and climate monitoring equipment, and aviation and fuel system equipment upgrades. Total project cost is , of which the Government of is contributing and the Government of is contributing . The FMWCC is fully aligned with Canada's National Adaptation Strategy , which lays out a framework to reduce the risk of climate-related disasters, improve health outcomes, protect nature and biodiversity, build and maintain resilient infrastructure, and support a strong economy and workers. Related products Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: Monthly and Seasonal Forecasts

Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy

Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program

WildFireSat: Enhancing Canada's ability to manage wildfires

Wildfires - Canada.ca

Canada's National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy Follow us on LinkedIn SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[September 08, 2023] SurgePE Closes Elite Clinical Network Investment Tweet

On September 8th, 2023, Dallas-based Surge Private Equity, LLC ("Surge") announced that it has formed a new strategic partnership with Elite Clinical Network, LLC ("ECN" or the "Company"), an integrated platform currently operating a network of phase I-IV clinical research sites throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada that has completed thousands of studies. The transaction, valued at ~$200MM, closed with debt financing provided by affiliates of MGG Investment Group LP. Advisors included Merritt Healthcare Advisors as financial advisor to ECN, Houlihan Lokey as diligence provider, and BakerHostetler as lead counsel to Surge.



Established in 2003, ECN utilizes advanced industry knowledge, practices, and technology to move clinical trials efficiently from mandate to completion across a broad spectrum of therapeutic areas for pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations. ECN is a leader in rapid protocol patient acquisition and currently operates a dedicated network of 14 research sites, with more in development across the United States. These sites offer a range of physician specialties and a proprietary database of over 100k research study candidates, which is closely monitored by the corporate management team. ECN often satisfies sponsor enrollment goals for clinical trials within six months of activation, which allows sponsors to quickly launch new vaccines and drugs while reducing costs. Sanjay Gulati, Principal at Surge, said, "We are impressed with the success that management has achieved to date and are excited to partner with CEO David Wilson III to support the next phase of building a national network. With a very high new site launch growth rate, multi-decade customer relationships, strong industry tailwinds, and a significant diversified backlog, ECN is well positioned to continue its expansion as a dominant player in the clinical trial industry."

About Surge Private Equity LLC Founded in 2017, Surge is a Dallas-based private equity firm that seeks majority investments in growing businesses with $3-$30MM of EBITDA. Together with its lending partners, Surge provides entrepreneurs with liquidity and investors with higher yields and greater accessibility. Surge primarily invests in companies where the seller will remain in an ongoing capacity. About MGG Investment Group Founded in 2014, MGG is a private investment firm that provides bespoke investment solutions to mid-size and growing middle market companies. MGG works with owners and management teams to help build lasting value, address immediate needs, and solve complex situations while seeking to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors irrespective of and through market cycles. For more information, visit mgginv.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908122461/en/

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[September 08, 2023] Hamilton ETFs Announces Filing of Final Prospectus for Canada's First Covered Call Bond ETF and Expansion of its Suite of Yield Maximizer ETFs Tweet

Hamilton Capital Partners Inc. ("Hamilton ETFs") is pleased to announce that it has obtained a receipt from the Ontario Securities Commission for the final prospectus of three new products within its suite of yield maximizer ETFs: Hamilton U.S. Bond Yield Maximizer ETF (HBND), Hamilton Technology Yield Maximizer ETF (QMAX) and Hamilton U.S. Equity Yield Maximizer ETF (SMAX). The Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) has also provided its conditional listing approval for these new ETFs. HBND, the first of its kind in Canada, is expected to launch and commence trading on the TSX on or about September 15, 2023, with QMAX and SMAX to follow in Q4 2023. "We are excited to introduce these new yield-focused products to our line-up this fall, including Canada's first covered call bond ETF1. With an initial target yield of 10%2, HBND, is designed for investors looking for higher yield from the fixed income portion of their portfolios. Providing exposure to U.S. treasuries and an active covered call strategy, HBND combines the strength and security of U.S. government bonds with the higher income potential and tax-efficiency of covered calls", said Pat Sommerville, Senior Partner and Head of Business Development at Hamilton ETFs.







ETF Ticker (TSX) Investment Objective Indicated Yield3 Hamilton U.S. Bond Yield Maximizer ETF HBND To deliver attractive monthly income, while providing exposure primarily to U.S. treasuries through a portfolio of bond exchange traded funds. To supplement distribution income earned on the exchange traded fund holdings, mitigate risk and reduce volatility, HBND will employ a covered call option writing program. 10.1% Hamilton Technology Yield Maximizer ETF QMAX To deliver attractive monthly income, while providing exposure to a portfolio of primarily large-cap U.S.-exchange traded technology equity securities. To supplement dividend income earned on the equity holdings, mitigate risk and reduce volatility, QMAX will employ a covered call option writing program. 13.1% Hamilton U.S. Equity Yield Maximizer ETF SMAX To deliver attractive monthly income, while providing exposure to a portfolio of primarily large-cap U.S. equity securities. To supplement dividend income earned on the equity holdings, mitigate risk and reduce volatility, SMAX will employ a covered call option writing program. 12.0%

For more information on HBND, QMAX and SMAX, as well as the rest of Hamilton ETFs' innovative suite of ETFs, please visit www.hamiltonetfs.com. A copy of the ETFs' final prospectus is also available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. About Hamilton Capital Partners Inc. (Hamilton ETFs) With $2.8 billion in assets under management, Hamilton ETFs is one of Canada's fastest growing ETF providers, offering a suite of innovative exchanged traded fund (ETFs) designed to maximize income and growth from trusted sectors in Canada and across the globe. The firm is also an active commentator on the global financial services sector and Canadian banks; and the firm's most recent Insights can be found at www.hamiltonetfs.com/insights-commentary. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with an investment in exchange traded funds (ETFs). Please read the prospectus before investing. ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to a future outlook and anticipated distributions, events or results and may include statements regarding future financial performance. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terms such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend" or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Actual results may vary from such forward-looking information. Hamilton ETFs undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law. 1 Based on the universe of ETFs that trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange, as of September 8, 2023.

2 An estimate of the annualized yield an investor would receive if the monthly distribution remained unchanged for the next 12 months, stated as a percentage of the net asset value per unit on September 8, 2023.

3 Subject to change based on market fluctuations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908645085/en/

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A scant two weeks after Queen Elizabeth IIs death, conservative journalist Charles Moore wrote in The Spectator that the Anglican Church should consider canonizing the deceased queen and supreme defender of the faith. When Pope John Paul II died, the crowds in St. Peters Square shouted Santo subito! And the Polish Pope was indeed made a saint with unusual speed. What about St. Elizabeth, with Windsor as her Compostela?

It has been a year since the passing of the monarch, a moment that deeply affected countless individuals. Her first miracle may be the manner in which the United Kingdom has swiftly adapted to her absence. The image and memory of the late queen have seamlessly integrated into a tapestry of events, kitschy souvenirs, and the heartfelt celebrations that resonate with many Britons. Last Sunday, dozens of corgi owners, the breed of dogs that the queen favored throughout her life, gathered with their beloved pets in front of Buckingham Palace. Adorned in regal attire, some even wearing tiaras atop their heads, the dogs and their devoted owners paid tribute to the late monarch. It was a rare public display of remembrance, as celebrations of life are not common in a country known for its emotional reserve and stiff upper lip.

King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, remained at Balmoral Castle on the anniversary of the former monarchs death, on September 8. Much like the late queen, they often extend their summer holidays in Scotland well into September, without any scheduled public events. Following the example of the late queen, who privately commemorated the anniversary of her fathers death at Sandringham  the British Royal Familys country retreat  the royal couple attended a service of remembrance at a small church nearby.

The king posted a short audio recording on the royal familys Instagram page, saying, In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us. I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

King Charles asked his son and heir, William, along with his wife Kate Middleton, to represent the family at a public event commemorating the anniversary. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited St. Davids Cathedral, situated in Britains smallest city (western Wales). Meanwhile, Prince Harry was photographed by a member of the public leaving St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, the queens final resting place.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend a religious service at Crathie Church in Balmoral; August 3, 2023. POOL (via REUTERS)

Peace in the royal family

Elizabeth IIs second miracle (ironically speaking) is her longevity on the throne. This longevity transformed her successor from an impatient and nervous heir into a revered grandfather figure. King Charles has established a royal family peace in the time after he ascended the throne with clenched teeth and signed royal decrees with a shaky hand. Against the advice of his son, the monarch has decided to embrace his brother, Prince Andrew, after almost four years of isolation following his embarrassing association with American pedophile millionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Photographers were allowed to take pictures of the Duke of York riding a horse at Balmoral on September 7, followed by a drive in the royal Range Rover. The king also invited his brother to the annual end-of-summer family gathering held by the Windsors at their Scottish residence. According to royal experts, this is not the beginning of any formal rehabilitation for Andrew. He will not recover the stripped military titles and royal patronages. With his popularity plummeting and the sharp contempt of most Britons, its hard to imagine a return to public life for Andrew. However, the king wants to preserve the family nucleus, especially considering the anniversary of Elizabeths death. The late queen never hid her preference for Andrew amid all the scandals.

A rapidly fading Prince Harry

Prince Harry at the Well Child Foundation Awards in London; September 7, 2023. TOBY MELVILLE (REUTERS)

The British tabloid press has extensively covered Prince Harrys recent visit to the U.K. While his wife, Meghan Markle, remained in the United States, the Duke of Sussex participated in the annual awards ceremony of the Well Child Foundation, a British charity for children with severe illnesses. Prince Harry has been a patron of this organization for 15 years. However, he was not invited to the family gathering in Scotland, and Frogmore Cottage  the residence he and Meghan used during their stays in England  is no longer available to him. Charles has not been seen with his second son since his coronation ceremony on May 6 and, according to royal family sources, Harry has not spoken to his brother in months.

After 70 years of preparation, Charles III was surprised by the overwhelming workload that comes with being king, say some of his advisors, who prefer to remain anonymous. Nonetheless, he is willing to take on the challenge if he can forge a family truce that will allow him to fully focus on his new role.

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[September 08, 2023] BAXTER 72 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Former Louisiana Attorney General and Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Remind Investors With Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Baxter International Inc. - BAX Tweet

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until September 11, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX), if they purchased the Company's securities between May 12, 2022 and February 8, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Baxter and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-bax/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by September 11, 2023.



About the Lawsuit Baxter and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On February 9, 2023, pre-market, the Company announced its Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2002 earnings results, disclosing that, despite its prior assurances, the problems with its supply chain and the resulting effect on its operations was not under control, that it did not meet its earnings guidance for the year, and that earnings guidance going forward would have to be lowered for the first quarter of 2023. On this news, shares of Baxter fell from $45.68 per share to $41.01 per share, on unusually heavy trading volume. The case is Kelley v. Baxter International, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-04497. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230908078717/en/

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A new nine-storey building will change student life for many at University of Toronto Scarborough and may also, by example, push Torontos architecture in a more sustainable direction.

The tallest structure on campus, Harmony Commons is a long-awaited doubling of student rooms at UTSC, its 764 the first to be finished in two decades for a student population of 14,000.

Sept. 1, the buildings first move-in day, was the end of a nine-year road that included having to redesign and put the project back on the market in 2019.

Developers werent familiar with Harmony Commons passive house design  part of an architectural movement that creates remarkably energy-efficient structures  and they perceived risk, said UTSC chief administrative officer Andrew Arifuzzaman.

Innovation is never easy, he added, as first-year students rolled luggage carts into the building while volunteers in sun hats cheered them on.

Andrew Arifuzzaman talks about the 'passive house' technology used in the Harmony Commons residence. The new nine-storey building for 764 first-year students at University of Toronto Scarborough, practically doubles the number of student rooms on a campus serving 14,000| Dan Pearce/Metroland

Looking after 30 first-years in the second floors west wing was Joshua Cloete, a resident adviser, or RA, who said a brand-new building is a learning curve for everyone.

New students, he said, most frequently ask what items they might need and how they get to meet people.

During his first year in residence, Cloete, whos from South Africa and studying to be a paramedic, met students who couldnt handle the pressure.

They dropped out, they left, their mental health declined, he said, adding as a RA, he stresses balance and resilience and, more importantly, youre not alone.

Cloete has had three weeks of training, and like other RAs can call in therapists, academic advisers and accessibility services for students with physical and mental health needs.

Its very, very easy to reach out for help. Even if you dont need help now, its helpful to talk to someone, he said.

Harmony Commons has the first traditional-style cafeteria on campus, where students can eat three meals a day. Cloete said he doesnt want anyone sitting alone.

Were going to build a community, he promised.

One of the first of his charges to arrive was Reva Birla, a scholarship student from Omaha, on her first day in Canada and starting a five-year program in molecular biology and a biotechnology co-op.

Birla found the building calm and definitely spacious, which I didnt expect.

Students on Sept. 1 moved for the first time into Harmony Commons, a new nine-storey residence for 764 first-year students at University of Toronto Scarborough, which has an enrolment of 14,000. | Dan Pearce/Metroland

UTSC, which had 6,000 students in the 1990s, has long been a commuter-oriented campus where enrolment outpaced accommodation. Students scramble to find places to rent nearby, with many staying in illegal rooming houses around Highland Creek.

A 2011 master plan and a 2018 secondary plan for campus expansion called for more student housing.

UTSCs existing stock includes townhouses with three or four bedrooms, built in the 1970s, and Joan Foley Hall, with suite-style apartments from the early 2000s.

The university believes those places are better suited to upper-year and graduate students; entering university life (for both Canadians and international students from 149 countries) is a big enough adjustment without learning to cook and plan meals, said Arifuzzaman.

Passive house technology is one reason why Harmony Commons took so long. The entire building uses non-carbon sources for fuel; the only gas line connects to an emergency power system and heat from showers and the commercial kitchen is harvested and reused.

The heavily insulated, airtight building, clad in aluminum, is more like a thermos than a standard skeleton which heating and cooling is forced into, Arifuzzaman said.

Breaking ground in 2020, Harmony Commons was the largest passive house project of its kind in North America.

Its triple-glazed windows and some other materials had to be imported from Colorado, Germany and Poland.

Arifuzzaman asked whether a visitor could imagine how much energy would be saved if Torontos condominium towers were built the same way.

He believes students who live here will become ambassadors for passive house design, as will contractors and workers who see how successful it is.

Weve de-risked it for the future, Arifuzzaman said.
It is a historic image. A team of researchers in China has successfully generated a blueprint of a human organ in another animal for the first time. The experiment, conducted with humanized kidneys in pig embryos, represents a step toward the still-distant dream of using other mammals as an inexhaustible source of organs for transplants. These hybrid organisms  called chimeras, after the mythological monster with the head of a lion, the belly of a goat and the tail of a dragon  still pose major ethical dilemmas.

Researchers at the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health have reprogrammed adult human cells to recover their capacity to form any bodily organ or tissue. The team has inserted these pluripotent human cells into pig embryos, which are genetically modified beforehand so that they do not develop porcine kidneys. The human cells have filled that empty niche and generated a rudimentary kidney, an intermediate stage of the renal system called mesonephros. These pig-human embryos were gestated in sows for up to 28 days, about a quarter of the species normal period of pregnancy. Half of the cells in their kidneys are human.

Led by Chinese scientist Liangxue Lai, this work continues down the road initiated by Spanish researcher Juan Carlos Izpisuas team. In 2017, Izpisua announced the creation of pig-human embryos that had barely one human cell for every 100,000 porcine cells. Those pioneering experiments were conducted at the University of Murcia (Spain) and on two Murcian farms. The trials came after intense debate by a committee of experts at the Carlos III Health Institute; ultimately, the committee authorized the trials despite the biological risks inherent in the generation of pig-human chimeras, but with the condition that no animal with human cells could reproduce.

Izpisua applauds the new work, in which he did not participate. It goes a step further and shows that cells can be organized in space and give rise to organized tissue structures, says the researcher, who is the director of the San Diego Science Institute at Altos Laboratories, a new U.S. multinational that seeks to extend healthy human life. It has not yet been possible to develop mature humanized organs in pigs, but this study brings us one step closer, Izpisua observes. Its a major step forward. Worldwide, some 150,000 organs are transplanted every year, but in the United States alone there is a waiting list of 100,000 people and 17 of them die every day, according to official data.

Liangxue Lai and Spanish researcher Miguel Angel Estebans team is now working toward the goal of obtaining mature kidneys, attempting to overcome technical and ethical hurdles. One of the red lines is preventing human cells from escaping the kidney and integrating into the pigs brain or its gonads (testicles or ovaries). The question is whether it is ethical to let pigs be born with mature humanized kidneys. It will all depend on the degree of contribution [of human cells] in other tissues of the pig, Esteban opines. His study, published Thursday in the journal Cell Stem Cell, shows that very few human cells were dispersed throughout the brain and spinal cord of the pig embryos. To eliminate any kind of ethical problem, we are further modifying the human cells so that they cannot go to the pigs central nervous system in any way, says the Spanish physician.

Spanish physician Miguel Angel Esteban (right) and his Chinese colleague Liangxue Lai, at the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health. GIBH

In 2020, a team from the University of Minnesota successfully generated human endothelium  the inner layer of blood vessels  in pig embryos. A year later, the same group, led by Mary Garry and Daniel Garry, created 27-day-old pig embryos with humanized muscles. Nephrologist Rafael Matesanz, the founder and former director of the National Transplant Organization in Spain, notes that this is the first time a human organ has been created inside another animal. Conceptually, it is a very important and significant step, but it is not a prelude to producing kidneys, far from it, the nephrologist says.

Matesanz was one of the members of the committee that authorized Izpisuas experiments in Murcia. In his opinion, it is doubtful that a trial like the one now being conducted in Guangzhou would be approved in [Europe], because of the possibility that some human cells might colonize the pig embryos brain, which has actually occurred. The major risk is for the cells to go to the central nervous system and produce a human-pig. Or for them to go to the reproductive system, [which poses the same risk], he warns. [These experiments are geared] toward China, which has much laxer legislation than [Europe] and the United States, says Matesanz.

The founder of the successful National Transplant Organization believes that a far more promising avenue is producing genetically modified pigs so that porcine organs do not cause rejection in humans. On September 25, 2021, a team of surgeons at New York University successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a brain-dead woman. On January 7, 2022, following an operation at the University of Maryland Medical Center, American David Bennett became the first person with a beating pig heart in his chest. Bennett died two months later from heart failure, but there were no apparent signs of organ rejection, although the heart was infected with a porcine virus.

A 28-day-old pig embryo with a blueprint of a human kidney. Photo courtesy of GIBH. GIBH

Spanish chemist Marc Guell is one of the founders of eGenesis, one of the U.S. companies modifying pig DNA to generate pig organs for human transplants. Guell also applauds these new results. It may help to better understand where the current limits of interspecies chimerism are. What else will be required [in the future]? says the chemist, who is affiliated with the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.

Nephrologist Josep Maria Campistol, the general director of the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, also emphasizes all the possibilities opened up by pig-human embryos. They could be an inexhaustible source of organs, [and offer] the possibility of generating specific, personalized human organs for certain patients, he says. It would be a way to provide a replacement that has a persons specific cells. Campistol also has faith in regenerative medicine. I am convinced that, in the near future, we will be able to regenerate chronically diseased kidneys, livers and hearts, to fully or partially restore their function and avoid transplantation, says Campistol.

Campistol was one of the co-authors of Izpisuas 2017 research, which demonstrated that human cells could be placed in a pig embryo. Another very important element, which we are working on, is that these pig models allow you to test different therapeutic strategies to prove their usefulness before moving on to a human patient, the nephrologist explains. Obviously, there is still a long way to go, but it opens up some really incredible prospects.

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FILE - Crews construct a section of border wall in San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Douglas, Ariz. Construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds, Congress' official watchdog said Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

The construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds, the official congressional watchdog said Thursday.

A report released by the Government Accountability Office offers the first independent assessment of damage caused by the building of more than 450 miles ( 724 km) of wall while in-depth environmental reviews were waived and the concerns of Native American tribes went largely ignored in the rush to finish the barrier.

Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Interior Department should work together to ease the damage, the GAO said. It recommended that the agencies coordinate to decide how much repair work will cost, how to fund it, and how long it will take.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Wednesday that the agency is working on a response to the report. An Interior Department spokeswoman said the agency would have no comment.

What makes Trumps border wall so egregious is that his administration waived dozens of environmental, public health, cultural preservation and even contract procurement laws to build it, said U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, a southern Arizona Democrat who requested the GAO review. Before construction even started, communities, tribes and other stakeholders were raising the alarm about the colossal damage that bypassing such fundamental protections would have.

Grijalva said he is urging fellow lawmakers to transfer at least $225 million from Homeland Security to the Interior Department and Forest Service in the upcoming budget for restoration efforts.

Trump and his supporters have argued that a strong physical barrier along the border is necessary to keep out drugs and people trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

We applied a commonsense, balanced approach in an effort to address environmental concerns while prioritizing our main goal of securing the nations border to reduce a vast set of complex threats from entering the U.S., said Mark Morgan, who was Customs and Border Protections acting commissioner during the Trump administration.

Speaking personally, if we disrupt a butterfly habitat or a few cacti die in exchange for disrupting the cartels operational capacity to threaten our nations safety and national security, Im OK with that tradeoff, said Morgan, now a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington. The wall saved lives and disrupted the cartels ability to improve their operational control of our countrys borders.

Environmental groups said the GAO report confirmed their earlier complaints. They said future repair work could benefit from more involvement by the Interior Department, a lead manager of the federal land where much of the damage occurred.

We hope this report will help people understand the degree of destruction the wall truly inflicted, said Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, among the groups consulted.

A key aspect of the report was identifying the fact that the Department of the Interior needs to play a larger role in repairing the damage, said Michael Dax, Western program director for the Wildlands Network, which also gave the GAO input.

Emily Burns, program director for ecological group Sky Islands Alliance, called it refreshing to see the accountability from the federal government,

The border stretches across nearby 2,000 miles (3,200 km) along California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Sections of what Trump called his big, beautiful wall were installed between January 2017 and January 2021 by contractors for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Defense.

President Joe Biden paused construction after he took office in January 2021.

For the report, the GAO consulted with the federal agencies, as well as the nongovernmental environmental groups. It also sought input from the Tohono Oodham tribe, which has a sprawling reservation that includes parts of Arizona and Sonora, Mexico; and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in California.

Those consulted told the GAO that construction in parts of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas fragmented the endangered ocelots habitat by blocking its cross-border access and putting it at risk of extinction.

The GAO was told lighting along the border harms bird migration and the foraging habits of some species. Larger animals like big cats and pronghorns that previously crossed the border through vehicle barriers with wider openings are now blocked by tall steel bollards erected inches apart.

Many saguaro cactuses in Arizonas Sonora Desert were toppled during construction, and in some areas at least half of those transplanted elsewhere later died.

Damage was also reported at Quitobaquito Springs, an oasis several hundred yards (meters) from the border inside the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The area includes sacred burial grounds of the Tohono Oodham people.

The GAO said that Customs and Border Protection later addressed construction-caused safety hazards, such as building concrete floodwalls to fix earthen levees in Texas Rio Grande Valley.

But the watchdog said more action is needed.

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The Public Administration Minister held a media conference on Monday about office space at Park Court which cost taxpayers $55 million but was not occupied for the past three years
If you're looking to book a flight to Cairo soon and struggling to find anything, then you don't have to worry because flydubai is about to launch an extra daily flight to Cairo from Thursday, Oct. 28.

flydubai will fly passengers from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Cairo's Sphinx International Airport (SPX).

With the addition of this new flight, flydubai will fly to Egypt 17 times a week.

Read More: Egyptian Actor Ahmed Malek Named Regional Ambassador For Dior Men

Passengers travelling on this flight can fly in Business or Economy class aboard the Boeing 737 MAX.

The SPX is the perfect airport to fly to because it is near Egypt's most famous historical and archaeological sites as the Pyramids of Giza are 45 kilometers away from SPX.

If you want your trip to Egypt to go as smoothly as possible, then you can book this flight!

Image source: @flydubai Instagram page
By Jeff Murphy, September 7, 2023



In preparation for Patriot Day, Sept. 11, University of Central Missouri ROTC Fighting Mules Battalion and DET 440 Air Force ROTC cadets, along with staff and students from the Military and Veterans Success Center, placed 2,977 flags on the quadrangle honoring each individual who perished during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that have continued to impact the nation.



WARRENSBURG, MO  In memory of those who lost their lives during the worst terrorist attack on United States soil, the University of Central Missouri is planning the Patriot Day Moment of Silence event beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11 at the quadrangle.



The observance, which is expected to last approximately 15 minutes, is coordinated by the Office of Military and Veterans Services at UCM in cooperation with the Warrensburg Fire Department and UCMs Army ROTC Fighting Mules Battalion. All interested individuals on campus and in the community are welcome to attend.



Courtney Swoboda, director of military and veterans services, will kick off the event with brief remarks. Mmembers of the Fire Department will conduct the ringing of the bell ceremony in memory of those first responders who died on Sept. 11, 2001, when the United States suffered terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the hijacking and crash of a passenger airplane in a Pennsylvania field. Nearly 3,000 individuals, including passengers in four hijacked airplanes, individuals in buildings struck by three of those aircraft, and front-line people who tried to save others, perished during events that took place that day.



Joining public and private colleges and universities and other institutions across the nation, UCM has annually conducted an observance in memory of those whose lives were lost, and in honor of the heroes who emerged during the horrific 9/11 events. Small U.S. flags have been placed on the west side west of the quadrangle flagpole by the UCM Army ROTC Fighting Mules Battalion and DET 440 Air Force ROTC cadets as a way to honor those who died on this date 22 years ago.
In the Melitopol direction, Ukraines Defense Forces have achieved success to the south of Robotyne and to the west of Verbove.

The relevant statement was made by Spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Kovaliov during a nationwide telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Ukraines Defense Forces continue the offensive operation in the Bakhmut and Melitopol directions. In the Melitopol sector, the Defense Forces achieved success to the south of Robotyne and to the west of Verbove. They are gaining a foothold within the recaptured frontiers, Kovaliov told.

In the Bakhmut direction, Ukrainian forces continue offensive actions to the south of the Donetsk regions Bakhmut and are also gaining a foothold within the recaptured frontiers there.

Additionally, Ukrainian warriors are holding back the enemy forces in the Avdiivka, Marinka, Lyman and Bakhmut directions.

The enemy launched 10 missile strikes, 69 air strikes, and opened fire with multiple launch rocket systems 51 times on our positions and settlements, Kovaliov added.

A reminder that, in the past 24 hours, a total of 39 combat engagements have occurred on the front.

Photo: @ZelenskyyUa
Residents of the Russian-controlled area of Ukraines Donetsk region are now receiving Russian-language local news bulletins from one of Russias major broadcast organisations.

The relevant statement was made by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom on the social media platform X, referring to the latest Defence Intelligence update, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

On September 4, 2023, the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) opened a Donetsk franchise and commenced broadcasting in the internationally unrecognised Donetsk Peoples Republic (the so-called DPR).

Local news bulletins are provided by Russias Rossiya 1TV Channel and present the Russian view of the war. This is part of Russias broader effort to assert enduring control of the area, the UK intelligence noted.

Before 2014, Ukraine-based Russian language television and radio stations were freely available in the now-annexed areas. After the invasion, pan-Ukraine providers continued to provide locally sourced Russian-language content.

DPR-government-controlled and aligned broadcasters also rebroadcast Russian national news programming as part of a propaganda campaign but did not provide regional bulletins.

Broadcasting VGTRK in Donetsk has taken over a year to achieve, having first been announced in 2022. According to the UK intelligence, this was almost certainly due to the refusal to work of trained local technicians.

Those sympathetic to the so-called DPR and with the required skills have now likely been brought in from Crimea, Luhansk and elsewhere.

Although blocked over the airwaves, Ukrainian broadcasting is still accessible to a wide audience via the internet. Where Russian filtering restrictions are in force, audiences use VPN or other active circumvention technologies. Mobile phones linked to Ukrainian providers are highly likely unfettered, the UK Ministry of Defence concluded.
Western critics of the Ukrainian counteroffensive should change their focus and use their energy to ensure that Ukraine receives more military equipment and weapons for its war with Russia.

Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces General Rajmund Andrzejczak said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to the Polish general, Ukraine is at war not with a small country or armed group, but with a large country with nuclear weapons supported by Russian society.

"Therefore, I would rather ask these commentators, if they were in the place of the Ukrainians: would they prepare better and have more progress? Therefore, I would change the focus in order to morally support Ukrainians, rather than criticize them. This is immoral from a human point of view," Andrzejczak said.

According to the Polish military officer, this energy should be used better and more military equipment and weapons should be sent to Ukraine, "because for Ukraine this war is about everything, and for the Poles too."

Some Western politicians and military experts have been criticizing the pace of the Ukrainian army's counteroffensive, stressing that it is too slow.

Photo: Sztab Generalny WP
Ukrainian forces are gaining ground, breaking through Russian fortifications and liberating their land, proving that the Russian army, which used to be the second strongest in the world, has now become the second strongest in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in Brussels at the joint meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense (SEDE), according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The Ukrainians decided to launch the offensive because they are going to liberate their land. And they are making progress. Not perhaps as much as we hoped for, but they are gaining ground gradually some 100 meters per day. Meaning that when the Ukrainians are gaining ground, the Russians are losing ground. And you have to remember the starting point. The starting point is that the Russian army used to be the second strongest in the world. And now the Russian army is the second strongest in Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

He noted that it was clear that this counteroffensive would be difficult and bloody because Russia had prepared layers of defensive lines with trenches, with obstacles to battle tanks, "dragon's teeth" barriers, and enormous amounts of mines.

"And that's quite impressive by the Ukrainians. And that's the courage, the will, the commitment, the determination of Ukrainian soldiers that are making this possible," Stoltenberg said.

He recalled that when the full-scale invasion began in February of last year, most experts said that Kyiv would fall within days, and Ukraine would fall within weeks. The Ukrainians proved them wrong by pushing back the Russian invaders, liberating the north, around Kyiv, the east around Kharkiv, and then bigger territories in the south and around Kherson, he said.

"And then the same experts that told us that Ukraine will fall within weeks are complaining about the speed of the defensive. The reality is that Ukrainians are actually exceeding expectations again and again. And we need to remember what's our responsibility, our responsibility to support them. We can advise them, but it has to be the Ukrainian commanders, the soldiers on the ground, that make the difficult decisions. We cannot sit here in Brussels, in the NATO Headquarters or the EU Headquarters and tell them exactly how to fight. That's their task. They're risking their lives and we just support them," Stoltenberg said.

Photo: EFE/EPA
Warriors of the Steel Border unit of the Offensive Guard have raised the Ukrainian flag in the settlements of Stroivka and Topoli, Kharkiv region.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

Warriors of the Steel Border of the Offensive Guard raised the Ukrainian flag in the settlements of Stroivka and Topoli, which are located on the border with the Russian Federation in the so-called gray zone, the report says.

It is noted that after Kharkiv region was liberated from the Russian invaders, it was dangerous to enter this territory due to land mines, but now the border guards have paved the way and raised the national flag of Ukraine.

As reported by Ukrinform, according to Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar, fierce battles continue in all sectors along the eastern front line. In the Lyman sector, the Defense Forces repel about eight attacks every day.
On the night of September 7, Russias Shahed drone hit a residential quarter in Sumy city, damaging a multi-story building, shops and a private house.

The press service of the Sumy Regional Military Administration said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"Last night, an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle of the Shahed-136 type hit a residential quarter in Sumy city," the report says.

Read also: Missile attack damages civilian infrastructure facility in Zaporizhzhia district

It is noted that one private house, two shops and twenty apartments in a multi-story building were damaged by the enemy drone strike. Fortunately, there have been no civilian casualties.

As reported, on the night of September 7, the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed an enemy Shahed drone over Sumy region.
By Keita Nakamura, KYODO NEWS - Sep 7, 2023 - 22:57 | World, All, Japan

Regional summits this week in Indonesia became a missed opportunity for Japanese and Chinese leaders to sit down for full-fledged bilateral talks, with the two sides instead ending up exposing their deep rift over Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

While Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang had a brief exchange on Wednesday, the water issue may have a lasting impact on the relations between the two Asian powers, presenting challenges to Tokyo's efforts to stabilize relations already strained by Beijing's growing military assertiveness.

Benoit Hardy-Chartrand, an adjunct professor at Temple University Japan Campus, called the absence of an official Kishida-Li meeting a "setback, given both sides' apparent desire to arrange it," prior to the water release.

The series of summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta marked the first multilateral event attended by both Japanese and Chinese leaders since the controversial wastewater release from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the Pacific Ocean commenced on Aug. 24.

According to diplomatic sources, Japan had explored the possibility of an official bilateral meeting between the two until the last minute, secretly dispatching a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official to China for arrangements. But Beijing's reaction had been negative.

Hardy-Chartrand, who specializes in East Asian geopolitics and security, warned of the "negative consequences on stability" of Japan-China ties stemming from a "diplomatic winter," recalling "a difficult and unstable period" when Junichiro Koizumi was Japan's prime minister for about five years until 2006.

Koizumi angered China through his repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which many in Asia see as a symbol of Japanese past militarism, leading Beijing to eventually boycott any top-level talks until he was succeeded by Shinzo Abe. Mutual visits between the leaders also did not take place for most of Koizumi's term.

That time serves "as a vivid illustration of the risks of failing to maintain dialogue," Hardy-Chartrand said, noting that such a situation could "make it harder to resolve crises as they arise."

The significance of dialogue between the world's second- and third-largest economies is only increasing as the security environment surrounding Japan is getting more severe.

Repeated intrusions by Chinese ships into Japanese waters around the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims, continue in the East China Sea. Additionally, China's joint military activities with Russia near Japan are increasing in frequency as Beijing and Moscow draw closer amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

Japan has also become more vocal in its concerns over China's growing pressure on Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island that Beijing regards as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

As this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing and enactment of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Kishida is aiming for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November. As part of the preparations, a visit to China by the head of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in August had been planned, as well as talks with Li on the fringes of the summits in Indonesia.

Kishida last met with Xi in November in Bangkok on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum gathering, which was the two countries' first summit in three years.

But Kishida's plans to improve ties have apparently hit a snag as a spat over the Fukushima water release quickly escalated, with China introducing a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports and anti-Japan sentiment growing among the Chinese public. Komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi postponed his planned visit to China.

During a meeting involving ASEAN, Japan, China and South Korea on Wednesday, Kishida criticized Beijing's comprehensive seafood ban as "conspicuous," while Li insisted that the disposal of "nuclear-contaminated water" has created concerns about the marine environment and people's health.

The water issue was also a topic of discussion during brief exchanges between Kishida and Li that took place ahead of the "ASEAN Plus Three" summit, with the Japanese prime minister demanding China scrap the import ban, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

A Japanese government official said earlier that a full-fledged summit would be difficult to realize unless China feels "positive things" can be discussed.

Madoka Fukuda, a Hosei University professor with expertise in international politics in East Asia and Chinese diplomacy, was pessimistic about a swift removal of China's import restrictions.

"The import ban will not be easily lifted, given that it is an extension of the Chinese government's criticisms and protests against the water release," she said.

The bilateral confrontation could drag on for an extended period, possibly making it hard for the two countries to hold high-level meetings, the professor also said.

The possibility of Tokyo filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization to counter Beijing's suspension of seafood imports could further complicate the dispute.

Some conservative members of the LDP, led by Kishida as its president, have called for the tough action, but another Japanese government official has cautioned that such a move might provide China with an "excuse" to prolong the dispute.

Meanwhile, Tsuyoshi Kawase, a professor of international economic law at Sophia University, said China may be looking for the right timing to "back down after having held up its fists."

Beijing might be aware that a protracted dispute would risk bringing "unfavorable outcomes," such as by prompting Japanese companies to shy away from doing business with the neighboring economic powerhouse, he said.

Related coverage:

Japan's Kishida urges China premier to end import ban over Fukushima water

Japan, China spar over import ban after Fukushima water release

China rejects Japan's suggestion of joining Fukushima water framework
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with border guards during his two-day visit to Ukraine.

He said this in a post on the social platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Ukrinform reports.

Visited @MVS_UA border guards to see how they continue to protect Ukraines territory and people. We are providing $300 million in new funding to Ukraines law enforcement sector to continue this important work. The United States remains united with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/glvvb31iOO  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 7, 2023

Visited border guards to see how they continue to protect Ukraines territory and people, he wrote.

He added that the United States is providing $300 million in new funding to Ukraines law enforcement sector to continue this important work.

The United States remains united with Ukraine, the U.S. Secretary of State stressed.

As reported by Ukrinform, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Ukraine on September 6-7.

On Wednesday, Blinken announced that the United States is providing a new assistance package for Ukraine, totaling more than $1 billion, which includes $300 million to support law enforcement efforts to restore and maintain law and order in liberated areas.

Photo: Antony Blinken / 
The United States will provide 190 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for Ukraines border guards and police.

The relevant statement was made by United States Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink on the social media platform X, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Proud to stand with Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland and my colleagues from the Department of State to mark the delivery of the first U.S.-provided Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAP) vehicles to Ukraines border guards and police. The United States will give 190 MRAPs to enable Ukraines brave law enforcement officers to protect civilians  especially those near the frontlines, Brink wrote.

A reminder that, on September 6-7, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is paying a visit to Ukraine. On Wednesday, Blinken announced that the United States would provide a new assistance package for Ukraine, totaling more than $1 billion. This package includes $300 million to support law enforcement efforts to restore and maintain law and order in the de-occupied areas.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is a strong and systemic person who has a good understanding of the defense sector and will be able to restart the work of the Ministry of Defense - this is exactly what is needed now.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his nightly video address at the end of day 561 of the war, Ukrinform reports.

I wish you health, dear Ukrainians!

A brief report for this day.

I congratulated our intelligence officers, our heroes, on the Day of Military Intelligence of Ukraine.

We all realize how cool our intelligence officers are. True bravery, powerful results. I thanked the MID on behalf of the whole of Ukraine.

Today I officially introduced the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov. He is a strong person. A systemic person. He has a good understanding of the defense sector. From the first days of the full-scale war, he has been involved in negotiations on weapons for Ukraine. Very sensitive negotiations. Productive. He is also engaged in negotiations on the release of our people from Russian captivity. Rustem also has important results for Ukraine in this regard.

He can reboot the work of the Ministry of Defense. This is exactly what is needed now.

Today's international talks include a conversation with British Prime Minister Sunak and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Of course, the main topic is security.

I held several important meetings on our international work. This September we have to achieve several very specific results in our work with partners. This includes new weapons for Ukraine - we are preparing the news. And our diplomatic efforts to unite even more countries to restore peace on our entire land. We are preparing more global pressure on Russia.

And our warriors... the National Guard

The 12th special purpose brigade fighting in the east of our country... As well as the 3rd and 15th brigades of the National Guard fighting in the southern areas... I thank you, warriors, for the very, very effective destruction of the occupiers!

The results are what Ukraine needs from everyone right now. At all levels. From everyone who is fighting for Ukraine, who is working for Ukraine, who is supporting us in the world. Glory to all those who bring our common victory closer with their personal results!

Glory to Ukraine!
The White House on Thursday increased pressure on House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy to approve its request to tie aid for Ukraine with increased disaster relief funding ahead of a government funding showdown.

That's according to CNN, Ukrinform reports.

The push comes as tension among GOP congressmen is mounting while lawmakers face a deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The White House has called on Congress to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government running while congressional leaders resolve major differences.

Like Senate Republicans, Speaker McCarthy should keep his word about government funding. And he should do so in a way that acts on these pressing issues  including fentanyl, national security and disaster response  rather than break his promise and cave to the most extreme members of his conference agitating for a baseless impeachment stunt and shutdown, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told CNN.

The White House is also pressing Congress to fulfill Bidens supplemental funding request, which asks for more than $24 billion in additional funding to support Ukraine and $16 billion in disaster relief funds.

While the White House wants those two funding items passed together, McCarthy is considering breaking them apart, according to GOP sources, setting up a showdown not just with the White House but also with Senate Republicans.

Leaders in the Senate want to see the Ukraine aid and disaster relief funding tied to a short-term funding resolution, but the GOP remains sharply divided on Ukraine aid as some hardliners in the House have demanded it be stripped out.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Pentagon announced a new defense assistance package for Ukraine worth a total of $600 million under the Ukraine Security Assistance Package. According to a statement posted on the Pentagon's website, the capabilities in this announcement include equipment to sustain and integrate Ukraine's air defense systems, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 105mm artillery rounds, electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare equipment, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, mine clearing equipment, and support and equipment for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.
The authorities of Russias Bryansk region reported a drone attack on an industrial facility. The Ministry of Defense of Russia claims one of the Ukrainian drones was allegedly shot down and another one  downed by an e-warfare system.

This is stated in the reports of Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz and the Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform saw.

The governor claims that an administrative building caught fire as a result of the attack. There are no casualties.

Local Telegram channels reported smoke coming out of the premises of the Kremniy L plant, which is one of Russias largest microelectronics manufacturing enterprises. According to the Russian mass media, the company manufactures components for the Pantsir air defense systems and the Iskanders. This factory was previously attacked on the night of August 30.

The Russian Ministry of Defense says that they allegedly prevented an attempt by aircraft-type drones to strike objects on Russian soil. According to the officials, air defense system operating in Bryansk intercepted two drones, one of which was destroyed in midair.

Later, Bogomaz clarified that the Russian EW forces allegedly "suppressed" at least one drone, which crashed on the administrative building, which caused a fire. The blaze has already been extinguished.

The Russians blame Ukraine for the attack, but neither the Ukrainian authorities nor the military have yet commented on the case.
In the early hours of Friday, September 8, Ukraines air defense forces shot down 16 out of 20 enemy Shahed-136/131 one-way attack drones over Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

Thats according to Ukraines Air Force press service, Ukrinform reports.

"The enemy launched at Odesa groups of attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type from the south-eastern and southern directions (Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russian Federation, Cape Chauda - TOT, Crimea). A total of 20 Shahed launches were recorded toward Odesa," the report states.

At the same time, it is noted that anti-aircraft missile units, fighter aircraft, mobile fire groups of the Air Force, and air defense units of other elements of Ukraines Defense Forces jointly acted to repel the strike.

"As a result, 16 "Shahed-136/131" were destroyed over Odesa and Mykolaiv regions," the report emphasizes.

As reported earlier, a microelectronics factory caught fire in Russias Bryansk amid a drone attack overnight Friday.
Russia's sham 'elections' in the occupied territories of Ukraine are an attempt to legitimize its unfounded claims to sovereign Ukrainian territory.

This was stated by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the social network X (Twitter), Ukrinform reported.

You can't hold elections in someone else's country. Russia's sham elections in Ukraine are a shameful attempt to legitimise its baseless claims to sovereign Ukrainian territory, James Cleverly wrote.

As reported, the Russian Federation announced the so-called elections to the local occupation administrations in the temporarily occupied parts of the territories of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which will be held on September 8-10, 2023.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has stated that the illegal elections held by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will not have any legal consequences and will not change the status of the Ukrainian territories seized by the Russian army.

European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano condemned Moscow's 'elections' in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Romania is stepping up measures to protect civilians in border settlements on the Danube due to Russia's shelling of Ukrainian ports.

This is reported by Romania Journal, Ukrinform reported.

As noted, the National Emergency Committee of Romania has authorized the Ministry of National Defense to identify areas on the banks of the Danube where it is necessary to take measures to protect the population.

"In view of the recent and repeated shelling of the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail, the committee authorized the Ministry of National Defense to assess and identify areas in Romania... to take special measures to protect the population," the decision says.

In particular, it refers to the notification of the population through Ro-Alert messages in the areas in case of a risk of falling "elements belonging to the military equipment used in the conflict."

Regional emergency inspections will instruct local residents on how to act in potentially dangerous situations.

In addition, shelters will be built in Plauru, Cheatalkioi and other settlements.

As reported, after a night time attack by the Russian army on Odesa region, some of the drones fell on the territory of Romania.

Romania has condemned Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, but does not see a direct threat to itself.
...But the enemy will not succeed. Soon his defense lines will collapse. Zaporizhzhia will be liberated, although the battle is expected to be difficult

A minefield at the Tokmak-Melitopol bridgehead blocked the advance of Ukrainian troops for several weeks while sappers slowly cleared the assault route, but now this barrier has been overcome. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have broken through Russia's first defense line. The second, main line is next.

So what are our prospects in the south in general?

THE ENEMY'S SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE: WILL IT ACTUALLY BE EASIER TO BREAK THROUGH?

Today, many experts, both Ukrainian and Western, constantly emphasize that the enemy's second line of defense, the so-called "Surovikin line," is less fortified and will be much easier to overcome than the first line.

However, are these expectations too high? What problems might the Armed Forces of Ukraine still face?

In a commentary to Ukrinform, Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military and political observer of the Information Resistance group, called the second line of defense of the Russian Federation different, but not easier.

The depth of the second line of defense can be up to 15 km. The difference between these lines of defense is that the first is total mining: hypertrophied minefields. The second line has a mechanized component.

"This is a large number of armored personnel carriers, tanks, and artillery. The equipment is deployed on the border with the third line in order to somehow protect themselves from highly effective counter-battery combat by the Defense Forces of Ukraine," the military and political observer explained. - "If earlier our problem was demining, now it is the destruction of iron.

Our soldiers have already started this process. In August, an absolute record was set for destroyed Russian artillery - 691 units. Mr. Kovalenko says that this exceeds the capabilities of the Russian military-industrial complex to compensate for such a large loss.

Similarly, August was the second highest month in the entire period of the Great War for the destruction of enemy vehicles and fuel and lubricant tanks - 685. More was burned only in March 2022 (865 units), when the occupiers' logistics convoys were destroyed non-stop near Kyiv.

But that's not all.

"There is an interesting nuance. Already during our counteroffensive, the Russians began to use reserves from the second line of defense. And now they have exhausted units on the second line. That is, they have almost no reserves left. They are forced to pull reserves from other footholds. In addition, each unit does not have a full complement of equipment, and the mechanized component is not perfect. So we can say that the Russians on the second line do not have the full functionality of their units to conduct defense."

For example, the staffing of the Dnipro and Vostok groups of troops fighting in the South is among the worst in the combat zone. The occupiers simply do not have time to compensate for their losses and provide the units with equipment.

"From this, we can draw cautious conclusions that the Russians on the second line of defense will put up less resistance than they did on the first line. Although, again, no one is saying that it will be easy for our troops. However, I do not rule out that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to reach Tokmak by the end of September," emphasized Kovalenko.

Colonel Serhiy Hrabsky, a reserve officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, says that the second line of defense of the Russian Federation is not as powerful as the first, but...

"The most important thing is that we already have limited maneuverability there. It is an extremely difficult task to gnaw through corridors in dense, continuous minefields. This is a narrow strip of land through which our units could only infiltrate," the military expert emphasizes. - "With the advance to the second line of defense, we still have less dense minefields. However, it is still difficult, it must be understood. But we get the opportunity to maneuver our armored and mechanized units, which allows us to expand this pressure corridor and create the preconditions for entering the operational space. Without unnecessary pathos, the next few days, a couple of weeks will determine the development of the situation in the southern direction."

BURNING MINEFIELDS TO STOP THE LANDSLIDE: THE EFFECT OF SUCH ACTIONS IS SHORT-TERM, IT SAYS MORE ABOUT THE ENEMY'S CONFUSION

The American edition of The New York Times published a news item: "The Russians have begun using a new tactic in the south, where the Ukrainian offensive continues: they pour flammable substances on their own mined fields, and then, when the Ukrainian army starts moving, they use a drone to drop a grenade, causing fires and explosions."

Well, there are two points here.

First. We must note that the Russian tactic, which the NYT journalists for some reason call "new," is far from new. The combustible mixture known as Greek fire was used in the Middle Ages. In more recent history, a similar tactic was used during the relatively recent war in Yugoslavia.

Second. It is difficult to understand the Russians' intentions, because, in a simple way, by setting fire to their own minefields, they are actually clearing what they themselves have mined. So, should this be to our advantage? So the question is: firstly, why are they doing this, and secondly, will it really help them to deter the Armed Forces of Ukraine?

Oleksandr Stupun, spokesman for the Joint Press Center of the Defense Forces in the Tauride sector, said that the tactic of setting minefields on fire to impede the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not new and has been used by the enemy since 2014. And today it is not a widespread phenomenon.

"Such actions lead to both positive and negative results for the enemy, because in this way they clear their minefields themselves [so we were not mistaken]. But there are a lot of fools in Russia, so maybe they will continue to do this," says Mr. Stepun.

Serhiy Grabsky adds that setting minefields on fire has a short-term effect similar to mortar shelling.

"When a unit enters a certain area of a minefield, they create a zone of continuous fire with explosions. This is dangerous, but I emphasize the key word - short-term. This is a manifestation of the enemy's desperation, which finds no other way to hold back our units," the reserve colonel said. - "And the third factor is the scorched earth factor, the enemy is doing everything possible to turn these areas into a desert while retreating.

Mr. Grabsky added that the occupants, by creating a fire and mine screen in this way, are trying to gain some time, literally half an hour or an hour, to retreat to some positions and gain a foothold there.

This is Mykola Malomuzh, Army General, former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine in 2005-2010: "The enemy's burning of minefields is amateurish, which indicates their confusion. The second and third lines of Russian defense are weaker. We are able to move forward more effectively. That's why the enemy is confused, because they realize that they will not be able to hold their positions. Therefore, on the one hand, they are suspending our movement for a while. But on the other hand, their minefields are exploding as a result of such actions. So once again: this is amateurishness of the Russians, and it has no prospects."

Roman Svitan, a reserve colonel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, believes that the Ukrainian army could also use similar tactics.

"We have known about igniting minefields since the war in Yugoslavia. Volumetric detonation bombs can be used to clear the territories on the contact line," the military expert explains. - "At present, we have not cleared even 1% of all mines laid by the Russian Federation in the Tauride direction. And Ukraine has a sufficient supply of high-explosive bombs, as they have hardly been used before."

TOKMAK: IS IT WORTH TAKING THIS CITY DIRECTLY OR NOT, AND WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

After we have passed Robotyne, we are advancing near Novoprokopivka and Verbove, it is obvious that Tokmak is the goal. There are several questions about this:

1. Is it necessary to physically take this city now, or is it better to bypass it?

2. If we go around Tokmak, are there any risks in this, such as being exposed to an enemy attack from the flank?

3. If we do take Tokmak... There is an opinion that the battle for this city could become a kind of modern Verdun [from the First World War] or a second Bakhmut, however, not for the Russian occupiers, but for the Armed Forces of Ukraine?

We ask experts what they think about all this. A little spoiler: Ukrainian Tokmak will definitely not become the French Verdun, but whether or not to enter the city is a question.

According to Oleksandr Kovalenko, there are two options here: either the Russians will flee Tokmak, i.e. make another "gesture of goodwill," or they will hold the line to the last drop of blood.

The military expert is betting on the first option. And he explains why.

. Kovalenko: "According to the way things are going now, we can say that the Ukrainian defense forces have chosen the main direction - the 0408 road, or rather the right and left flanks of this road.

In addition to it, there is an exit to Ocherevatove with a cut in the 0401 road. So, if we go to Tokmak via the 0408 road and also via the 0401 road, the city will be blocked from the north and northeast.

Finally, from 0408, through the settlements of Chervona Hirka or Sadove, we can go to the P-37 road to block Tokmak from the northwest.

There are many options. It is up to the General Staff to decide what will happen. However, we are indeed capable of semi-encircling Tokmak. And later, we can close Tokmak in an operational environment."

Of course, the occupation command sees and understands all this. But...

"They are not doing well with reserves in the Zaporizhzhia sector. As I said before, significant forces were deployed to prevent the breakthrough of the first line of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, most likely, the Russians will soon make a "gesture of goodwill" and flee Tokmak in order to save the remnants of personnel, to save at least some equipment, and, in the end, to save at least something," the military observer believes.

And this is Pavlo Lakiychuk, head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies "Strategy XXI": "Shoigu is already telling the Russians: "The most tense situation is on the Zaporizhzhia direction". But he is not yet talking about the inevitability of "unpopular decisions". Indeed, we have had success on the Tokmak-Melitopol direction. But it's too early to talk about storming Tokmak or its siege. The enemy is transferring reserves to the flanks of our "wedge", which means it intends to attack from the flanks [between Orikhiv and Robotyne, for example, which are being shelled by Russian artillery.] We have to secure them for further offensive."

If it comes to the liberation of Tokmak, he said, covering it from the east and southeast looks like the most obvious option.

"However, it is up to our command to decide. It may turn out during this time that Tokmak was not the main target. And not even Melitopol. The point of the main attack is in a completely different place. Therefore, we should not compare the offensive in the south with the Battle of Verdun," emphasized Mr. Lakiychuk.

Roman Svitan reminds: "Tokmak itself is a logistics hub. It is from Tokmak that part of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia territories occupied by the Russians are supplied. There are three branches to Tokmak: a railroad from Chernihivka to Tokmak, a highway from Berdiansk to Tokmak, and a highway from Melitopol to Tokmak."

We will start cutting these threads that feed Tokmak.

"Such actions will force the Russians to withdraw from Enerhodar and from Tokmak itself, as they will be able to hold out for only a few days without supplies. The Russians will leave immediately because their equipment needs a constant supply of ammunition. Without ammunition, it's just a pile of iron. They will leave it and go away."

According to the military expert, this is exactly what the Armed Forces of Ukraine are counting on, which is why they are moving mainly only toward Tokmak, not even to Tokmak itself, but a little further east.

"We are now moving from Robotyne to Verbove and then will move south to the railroad. (...) The semi-flooding of Tokmak will lead to the destruction of the Russian front, especially on the left bank of the Kakhovka reservoir," Mr. Svitan summarized.

SIMILARITY OF THE SITUATION TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR? THIS IS EXACTLY THE THESIS SPREAD BY RUSSIA!

After the first wave of talk about the allegedly "slow offensive" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a second wave has risen in the West, with the main message that the situation in southern Ukraine is very similar to the First World War. And the First World War was minefields, trenches, strongholds and anti-tank ditches for hundreds of kilometers, long months of confrontation between two armies with no noticeable progress. How appropriate is this comparison? Optimists say that today, in the twenty-first century, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the modern means, weapons, etc. to avoid such a scenario. One could immediately agree with this if, a hundred years ago, armies were not already armed with tanks, airplanes, and artillery. Of course, they were not as modern as they are now, but still...

"As for the trench warfare of the First World War... This comparison is not entirely appropriate. Why? First, we are talking about completely different times, and second, completely different technologies. The trench warfare that we are currently witnessing in the south cannot be compared to the trench warfare of 100 years ago," says Oleksandr Kovalenko.

Tokmak will not become Verdun, the fighting for it will not be an analog of the First World War, emphasizes the observer of the Information Resistance group: "No one will liberate this city in 10 months, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will do it much faster. The only thing that can be said is that sometime in late November or early December there may be an operational pause at the front, without any large-scale movements, but with positional battles. Can this be called a trench warfare? Only conditionally, because the pause will be caused by weather conditions, not anything else. But as soon as the winter passes, as soon as we step into early spring, the Ukrainian offensive in the south will intensify again."

Pavlo Lakiychuk shares the same opinion: "For those who compare the fighting in the south with the First World War, I would like to remind you that in addition to the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of the Marne, this war is also known for the Battle of Amiens and the Brusilov Offensive. Victory is forged not only by weapons, but also by an unexpected maneuver for the enemy."

However, Yevhen Dykyi, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, scholar, and publicist, believes that this parallel is not unfounded. After all, the Surovikin Line itself is such a powerful, multi-kilometer-long reference to the First World War.

"Looking at it, one might even get the impression that we are fighting crazy historical reenactors," insists Mr. Dykyi. - "During the First World War, the whole of Europe was dug up in lines similar to the 'Surovikin lines' - with dozens of earthen trenches connected by rat mazes, and concrete pillboxes every 5-10 kilometers."

It was in these "Surovikin lines" that the soldiers from Remarque's famous novel All Quiet on the Western Front fought. It was in these "Surovikin lines" that millions of people lived for years and died...

"The Russians have built a miniature copy of the pan-European defense lines of 1914-1918 in the south and are now spreading the idea that if the war in such trench lines lasted for years and did not lead to a change in the front line in the early twentieth century, the same will happen now. Secondly, the Russians have learned to adjust their Psychological operations (PSYOP), they are no longer as "axe-like" and stupid as they were a year ago. After Kharkiv and Kherson, they are no longer floating the legend that "the Russian army always wins" - no one believes in that anymore - but instead they are promoting a new story about the so-called "battle draw" in the south," the expert says.

But this is not true. More precisely, as our interlocutor put it, it is not necessarily so.

"This scenario is the most desirable for the Russians. But it is far from certain that they will cope with this task. - emphasizes Yevhen Dykyi. - The question is how many personnel will be in these trenches and pillboxes, as well as how well these personnel will be provided with weapons and ammunition."

That is why the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently working not so much with trenches and pillboxes as with the occupiers' reserves. And the occupiers have fewer and fewer reserves.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine are working to ensure that at some point these trenches and pillboxes will become empty. Personally, I see reasons for cautious optimism. But more on that later. As far as technology is concerned, not much has really changed in 100 years. When I hear such a phrase as "drone warfare" now, I honestly feel a little funny. It's not a drone war, it's a war of infantry, just like in the First and Second World Wars. And drones and even art with armored vehicles are more or less an auxiliary tool. But first and foremost, this is a war of huge masses of ordinary soldiers," insists the former "Aidar" commander.

As for the breakthrough of the "Surovikin line," he argues that it is also absolutely appropriate to refer to the experience of the First World War. After all, with all the modern technology, humanity has not invented any other way to storm such lines in a hundred years than to first inflict maximum damage on the enemy with artillery, and then, in any case, an ordinary infantryman must either crawl on his stomach or run under fire with a rifle in his hands and jump into the enemy trench.

"And only there [in the trench] does the battle end. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since Remarque's time. In the end, it was during the First World War that the concept of "assault battalions" and "assault companies" emerged - units for breaking through enemy fortifications," says Mr. Dykyi. - "That's where assault infantry comes from - from the First World War, from these huge Surovikin lines."

However, all of the above does not mean that the situation is hopeless.

Yevhen Dykyi: "No defense line protects itself. It is protected by the personnel. And the Muscovites have problems with this - their reserves are melting away." Why do I think so? The first evidence for me was the deployment of Pskov paratroopers near Robotyne from the left bank of the Kherson region, which is also of great strategic value to Russia. If the Russians expose an important piece of the front, it means that there is simply nowhere else to take it. The second evidence is when our GURs destroyed strategic bombers at the "Soltsy" and "Shaykovka" airfields. The operation, as it became known, was carried out on enemy territory - from a neighboring forest somewhere behind a Christmas tree - using copters that fly several kilometers. And when the Russians began to think about "how we came to live like this," it turned out that strategic airfields, where, among other things, nuclear weapons carriers are located, are guarded by... aeromechanics. In their free time, they are given machine guns and placed on the perimeter. However, according to the correct staffing, a strategic airfield should be guarded by an entire motorized infantry battalion. And where did this battalion go? At the time of the GUR's operation in "Shaykovka", this motorized infantry battalion had been at the front for a month. That is, if the Muscovites remove the security of strategic airfields and send them to the front, this is a very clear indicator."

Another indicator is the attempted Russian diversionary offensive on the Svatovo-Kreminna line.

Dykyi said: "This is where they were attacking Lyman, where they are now attacking Kupiansk. Yes, they started all this to draw our forces away from the south. And it was indeed a smart move on the part of the enemy. But it turned out to be a two-sided game. It became known that the Russian Federation had to transfer paratroopers to Robotyne from Luhansk region. So, firstly, they have no reserves in the hinterland, they are removing security from the airfields, and secondly, everything combat-ready is already within the front. And what is called in Russia "Trishkin's caftan" begins, meaning that if you want to hem the right sleeve, you have to cut it off from the left. And that is why I believe that they will not succeed in playing out the World War I version, forcing us to fight for years against the Surovikin Line. Their defense is already cracking. But cracking and already falling apart are different things."

The Russian command is well aware of the price of the issue, and therefore, Mr. Dykyi predicts, they will now throw all their remaining reserves to Tokmak.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine will face a difficult battle. But if we break through Tokmak, I think the enemy will simply not have enough reserves. Therefore, this line should fall apart," the expert summarized.

Myroslav Liskovych. Kyiv
On September 8, 2023, a headquarters of the All-Russian Political Party United Russia was blown up in the Zaporizhzhia regions temporarily occupied city of Polohy.

The relevant statement was made by Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In his words, the party members from Russias Penza were fabricating the election results, when the occupiers headquarters was destroyed.

Referring to local residents, Fedorov mentioned that Melitopol could barely handle all the occupiers coming with burns.

But, there is a detail. Some of them were taken to hospital, and some directly to a morgue, Fedorov added.

A reminder that, on September 8-10, 2023, Russians are holding sham elections in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine. In this way, Russian invaders are trying to legitimize their control over Ukrainian territories.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 8, 2023 - 21:21 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to reshuffle his Cabinet and the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership next Wednesday, government and ruling party sources said Friday.

The LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito intend to maintain their alliance after the reshuffle, the sources said, dispelling speculation that the opposition Democratic Party for the People may also join the bloc.

Kishida conveyed the plan to senior members of his administration over the phone, said the sources. He is currently in India for a Group of 20 summit.

The upcoming reshuffle is apparently intended to freshen up the image of the Kishida administration as approval ratings for his Cabinet have remained sluggish, partly due to errors related to the My Number national identification system.

Among the LDP leadership, Kishida plans to retain Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi and Vice President Taro Aso as they are thought to have maintained stable management of the party, the sources said.

Kishida is aiming to win re-election in the LDP's presidential election next year with the support of Aso and Motegi, who head major intraparty groups, according to the sources.

Motegi, who leads the third-largest group within the LDP, is widely seen as one of the potential challengers to Kishida in the upcoming party presidential race.

However, at a press conference this week, he stated that his current role as the party's secretary general requires him to support the current administration.

Kishida is expected to appoint LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda and industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura to key positions within the Cabinet or the party, the sources said.

Since assuming his post in 2021, Kishida, who himself leads the LDP's fourth-largest faction, has sought to manage the power balance within the party.

Nishimura and Hagiuda belong to the largest intraparty group, once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot in 2022, while Aso, another former prime minister, heads the second-biggest group.

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The National Agency for Corruption Prevention of Ukraine (NACP) has added Turkish Sisecam Group to the list of international sponsors of Russia's war. The company continues to do business with Russia and remains Russia's largest exporter in its industry.

Ukrinform reported this with reference to NACP.

"In Russia, Sisecam's consolidated production volumes of sheet glass, glass containers, and glassware exceed 1.5 million tonnes per year. Total investments exceed USD 1.25 billion. The company provides jobs for 3,414 employees at its factories in Russia, thereby creating jobs and supporting the economy of the terrorist state. The subsidiaries of Sisecam Group, which produce sheet glass, glassware, and glass containers, paid taxes in Russia for over USD 11.2 million in 2022," the NACP noted.

According to the NACP, the company's main business areas are glass and chemical production. It ranks second in the world in terms of glassware production, fifth among glass containers and sheet glass producers, and is the world leader in soda ash and chromium-based chemicals.

In 2022, Sisecam's revenue increased to USD 3.6 billion, while net profit increased to USD 740 million.

"Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, Sisecam Flat Glass has been producing architectural, construction and automotive glass in Russia at the Alabuga special economic zone in the Republic of Tatarstan. It also produces the Shaheds that Russians regularly use to attack Ukraine," the NACP added.

They also reminded that Russian laws require employers to cooperate with the authorities in the mobilization campaign, for example, by providing personal data of employees to the military enlistment office. While a foreign company may claim that the authorities did not ask it to do so, the longer the company stays in Russia, the harder it will be to explain that it managed to circumvent the requirements of these laws.

There were no attempts by the company's management to condemn Russia's war against Ukraine.

As reported, the NACP is the body responsible for developing a compliance system in the private sector. During compliance procedures, contractors are subject to integrity checks, including socially responsible business conduct in accordance with OECD standards.
Russia must end the blockade and shelling of Ukrainian ports, as the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain exports to the world market threatens the lives of at least 250 million people in developing countries.

President of the European Council Charles Michel stated this in New Delhi during a press conference before the G20 meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Right now, Russia continues to attack a sovereign state, Ukraine, killing people and destroying its cities. That's why the EU will continue to stand firmly behind Ukraine and put increasing pressure on Russia. The Kremlin's war is affecting lives far beyond Ukraine, including in South Asia. More than 250 million people are facing acute food insecurity, Michel said.

He noted that the Kremlin, by deliberately attacking Ukrainian ports, is depriving millions of people around the world of the food they desperately need.

It is a scandalous situation when Russia, after destroying the Black Sea Grain Initiative, blocks and attacks Ukrainian seaports. This must stop, ships must have free access to the Black Sea and deliver 32 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to the market, especially to developing countries, at the initiative of Antonio Guterres and the UN. In this context, the Kremlin's proposal to provide one million tonnes of grain for Africa is absolutely cynical, the President of the European Council emphasized.

He reminded that the EU, for its part, is stepping up its efforts to provide alternative export routes for Ukrainian food. According to Michel, 41 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain have so far been exported through the solidarity lanes that were organized at the EU's initiative across Ukraine's land border.

As reported, on Saturday, September 9, a two-day G20 meeting begins in New Delhi, during which world leaders will discuss, among other things, Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences for the world economy and global security.
The Council of the European Union has added six more Russians to the sanctions list for human rights violations in temporarily occupied Crimea.

That's according to data published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Ukrinform reports.

"The Union is concerned about the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula, notably in the context of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine. In that context, six persons should be included in the list of natural and legal persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictive measures set out in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2020/1998," the statement reads.

In particular, the EU sanctioned FSB employees, prosecutors and judges involved in the persecution of Crimean Tatars and journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko.

The decision enters into force from the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

Russian security forces detained Yesypenko on March 10, 2021, saying that they found a hand grenade and a fuse for it in his car. According to the Russian investigation, he allegedly collected explosives from elements found in a cache.

Yesypenko denies his guilt and claims that FSB employees tortured him with electricity after his arrest, and the case against him was trumped up.

On February 16, 2022, the so-called Simferopol district "court" illegally sentenced Yesypenko to six years of imprisonment in a general regime colony and fined him 110,000 Russian roubles.

On August 18, it emerged that the "court" in Crimea had reduced Yesypenko's prison term from six to five years.
Putin's regime is rushing to announce the success of sham "elections" in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in order to hide from the Russians the defeats of its own army on the battlefield.

Ambassador Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the UN, said this at a meeting of the UN Security Council, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The Kremlin is rushing to fabricate electoral successes to hide its military losses in Ukraine from the Russian people," he said.

He added that the Russian "elections" in Ukraine are a complete falsification, and Moscow is well aware of this, but they are trying to create the appearance of legitimacy and somehow increase the "turnout" in the occupied territories.

The diplomat noted that Russia's attempts to hold sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories in no way represent a legitimate expression of the will of the people of Ukraine, who have consistently resisted and bravely fought Russia's efforts to change Ukraine's borders by force for nearly 19 months.

"The United States will never recognize Russia's claims to any of Ukraine's territory. We condemn Russia's continued occupation unequivocally, and we will continue to work with allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the military equipment it needs to defend itself," he said.

In this regard, he called on all UN member states to refrain from taking steps that promote confidence in Russia's fake elections on the sovereign territory of Ukraine.

"We must all call out Russia's egregious violations of international law for what they are: A stain on our collective history as a body founded on maintaining world peace, and an assault on our rules-based international order," he said.

The diplomat noted that Ukraine's fight is not only a fight for its own survival, but a fight in defense of the rules-based international order and its foundational principles.

"That is why it is imperative that we all stand unequivocally with Ukraine," he said.
Turkey and the EU have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in the field of humanitarian aid, including assistance to foreigners.

CNN Turk reported it as saying, according to Ukrinform.

"Migration is a reality of our time. It is a common problem of humanity with its causes and consequences. Migration movements cause a change in some of the habits of society along with the lives of immigrants. Mass migration also affects many political, economic and social indicators around the world," said Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Minister of Family and Social Services of Turkey, at the signing ceremony.

On the EU side, the document, which envisages strengthening Turkey's partnership with the EU in the field of humanitarian aid, including assistance to foreigners, was signed by European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi

As reported, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 844,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Turkey as of the end of May, and 822,000 of them have subsequently left the country.
The panel discussion "Return the Kids to Ukraine: Abduction of Ukrainian Children" was held on September 7 at the premises of the German Bundestag with the participation of politicians, diplomats, experts, lawyers, volunteers, and journalists.

This was reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

"This topic has so far not been adequately covered for German society, so now the Ukrainian side is making efforts so that decision-makers and, most importantly, the general public, are aware of these terrible facts," said Oleksiy Makeiev, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany .

According to him, in order to return every child, Ukraine needs the attention of the whole world because this humanitarian tragedy bears the signs of genocide. Makeiev noted that there is already an agreement that Germanys main TV channels will air reports. In particular, Paul Ronzheimer (who constantly covers the war in Ukraine, in particular, from the front line and does interviews with Ukrainian leaders, and on September 7 took part in the discussion in Berlin - ed.) will make several reports and podcasts.

Russia confirms that its forces took children from Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian authorities do not trust the Russian figures (over 700,000 - ed.), noted Daria Herasimchuk, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children's Rights and Health.

"We consider it exaggerated, just like anything spread by Russian propaganda. We are convinced that the Russians could potentially abduct about 200,000-300,000 Ukrainian children, because this is how many children lived in the temporarily occupied territories," Herasimchuk said. Exactly, the Ukrainian side is aware of 19,546 children deported to Russia or Belarus. So far, only 376 have been returned.

In general, almost 7 million Ukrainian children were affected by the war  either physically or psychologically. The Russians seek to mutilate the lives of children in Ukraine, to cripple them so that they experience maximum mental pressure, and another task of theirs is to Russify and militarize those children so that later they return to Ukraine as Russian soldiers, the Commissioner said. She called for the creation of a global child protection system because this could be a problem for other countries as well.

Ukraine is doing a lot to investigate crimes against children, but also all war crimes committed by Russians on the countrys territory. According to Yulia Usenko, the head of the Department for Protection of Children's Interests and Violence Response at the Office of the Prosecutor General, Ukraine has initiated more than 100,000 criminal proceedings on the commission of war crimes on the territory of Ukraine by the Russian military. Of these, 3,222 are crimes against Ukrainian children. These include murder, torture, sexual violence, abduction, deportation, forced displacement, attacks on schools, hospitals, denial of humanitarian aid, etc. The assimilation of children into Russian society is nothing more than the forced transfer of children from one national group to another.

"On the legal front, of course, we want to see the support of other countries, including Germany, in terms of running joint investigations, for Germany to join the mechanism of universal jurisdiction. All countries that share with us the need for those responsible for committing crimes on the territory of Ukraine to be held accountable should work together with us to obtain evidence on the legal front and show readiness to bring to justice all those involved in the commission of international crimes, despite diplomatic immunity," said Usenko.

Photo: Olha Tanasiychuk

What Russia is doing "bears signs of genocide, of attempts to destroy the nation because cultural destruction is also destruction... Putin and Lvova-Belova bear personal responsibility," said former member of the Bundestag, head of the Liberale Moderne Center Marilouise Beck. She noted that the policy of the West, including Germany, of engaging and doing business with Russia contributed to the war. Now it seems that the West does not really want the complete defeat of Russia, but only hopes that Putin will be weakened. But "Putin has a long breath", in 2-3 years the Russian defense industry will be working at full capacity, so the West should provide modern weapons to Ukraine immediately.

CDU MP Roderich Kiesewetter agrees with Beck, noting the blocking by Berlin and Paris of Ukraine's prospects for NATO membership, Germany's purchase of cheap energy to the point of economic dependence on the Kremlin, the spread of Russian narratives in Germany, and the existence of a strong pro-Russian lobby in the country. And currently the leitmotif is: "the main thing is not to become a party to the conflict."

"We have to do everything now that we would do for our own safety, the MP said.

Volunteers who took part in the discussion spoke of the specific examples of their work in searching for and rescuing children. This was the first such public event held in Germany, dedicated to the problem of child abduction in Ukraine by Russias invasion forces.
Pro-Russian blogger Mika Badalyan and Sputnik Armenia journalist Ashot Gevorkyan were apprehended in Armenia on suspicion of illegal arms trafficking.

This was reported by the spokesman for the Investigative Committee, Gor Abraamyan, Ukrinform wrote with reference to Radio Svoboda.

The spokesman specified Badalyan and Gevorkyan were detained in the Syunik region on September 6 and 7. In total, seven persons were taken into custody in the case of illegal arms trafficking.

The Russian Embassy in Armenia is yet to clarify the circumstances of the incident and is monitoring the developments, as per reports.

The state-owned Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya, of which Sputnik Armenia is part, also reported that it is monitoring Gevorkyan's detention and "expects compliance with all procedural norms."

"Possible provocations aimed at undermining the friendship between the fraternal peoples of Russia and Armenia must be stopped immediately," the company said in a statement.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia criticized the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh, stating that it is not fulfilling its task, and also stated that Armenia's dependence on only one country, namely Russia, was a "strategic mistake". According to the politician, Russia itself is leaving the South Caucasus. He emphasized that none of the Western powers that Russia is talking about are pushing Yerevan to break with Moscow.

As reported earlier, the USA and Armenia will conduct joint military exercises.
The Ukrainian side has managed to bring nine more children back home.

The relevant statement was made by Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Ukraine has managed to bring nine more Ukrainian children back home! The stories of these children are shocking. I have repeatedly emphasized that each return is like a special operation. After all, the destinies of children are different, but each of them had to go through trials, Lubinets wrote.

In his words, two children had been staying within the temporarily occupied areas for a long time, but now they finally joined their parents.

Also, we have managed to return to the Motherland a boy whom Russians accused of blowing up a bridge, who had been imprisoned for a month and interrogated. He went through all the circles of hell, including filtration. But, now he is with his mother, in Ukraine, Lubinets noted.

For security reasons, the Ombudsmans Office cannot disclose many details, Lubinets explained. He posted some photographs from his meeting with the children and their parents.

A reminder that, on September 1, 2023, Kherson Regional Military Administration announced that 11 Ukrainian children who had been forcibly taken by Russian occupiers returned to Ukraine. These children were illegally kept by Russians within the temporarily occupied areas of the Kherson region.
By Ko Hirano, KYODO NEWS - Sep 8, 2023 - 10:51 | All, 3/11 Fukushima, Japan

The release into the Pacific Ocean of treated radioactive water from a crippled nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan is unlikely to have a major impact on Tokyo-Seoul relations and become a key issue in next spring's general election in South Korea, according to a South Korean scholar.

Polls in South Korea show the main opposition Democratic Party's attacks on President Yoon Suk Yeol for giving a tacit nod to the water discharge have not won broad public support, partly due to the International Atomic Energy Agency's conclusion that the Japanese action complies with global safety standards.

"The party is attacking Japan and the Yoon administration with the water discharge but apparently using it as a political issue, rather than a scientifically verified issue -- a tactic China is employing," Park Jung Jin, a professor of international relations at Tsuda University in Tokyo, said in a recent interview.

Unlike China, which has condemned the discharge from the Fukushima Daiichi plant that commenced on Aug. 24, the South Korean government has said it sees no scientific problem with the release though it neither supports nor approves of it.

Referring to Beijing's import ban on Japanese seafood, Park said, "There is a mood in South Korea that the Chinese reaction is excessive."

China is the biggest market for Japanese fisheries products, followed by Hong Kong, the United States, Taiwan and South Korea, according to Japanese government data.

"Seafood safety has drawn attention in South Korea, but I do not expect the Democratic Party's anti-radioactive water campaign to maintain momentum until the National Assembly election slated for April 2024," Park said.

"Given the length of time before the election and a possible shift in Beijing's stance in light of the importance of Japan-China relations, especially at the time of a slowdown in the Chinese economy, it would be difficult for the party to keep pressuring the Yoon administration with this issue," he said.

In South Korean polls released Sept. 1, over 70 percent of respondents opposed or were concerned about the Fukushima water discharge, while a Gallup Korea poll showed the same day that the support rate for the Democratic Party had fallen 5 percentage points from a week earlier to 27 percent, the lowest level since Yoon took office in May 2022.

In a Realmeter poll released Monday, Yoon's approval rating had dropped 2.2 points from a week earlier to 35.4 percent. On Aug. 28, Realmeter said his rating had risen 2 points to 37.6 percent, primarily due to a positive public evaluation of the first standalone summit involving South Korea, Japan and the United States at the Camp David presidential retreat near Washington.

Citing the latest result, a Realmeter analyst was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying the impact of the water discharge was "negligible" as the issue had been reflected in previous polls.

Even before the start of the water discharge, Yoon's support rating had been low. The Democratic Party has not fared well in polls, either, partly because leader Lee Jae Myung has been under investigation over a series of corruption allegations that he claims are fabricated.

Analysts are watching whether the president's People Power Party will win a majority in the National Assembly, currently controlled by the Democratic Party, at the general election, a litmus test for stability of the administration of Yoon, whose five-year term ends in 2027.

On Tokyo-Seoul ties, Park said Yoon has been avoiding exploiting issues linked to Japan -- such as the water discharge and wartime history -- for domestic political gain and trying to promote relations in a broader context in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, an increasingly assertive China and North Korea's nuclear and missile development.

The scholar cited the agreement of Yoon, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden during the Camp David summit on Aug. 18 to institutionalize trilateral cooperation as a good example for managing what some see as a still fragile rapprochement between the United States' two principal allies in Asia.

"Setting up regular meetings between the leaders, foreign ministers, defense ministers, industry ministers and national security advisers of the three countries was significant because they will enhance communications and cooperation between South Korea and Japan," he said.

Asked if the Camp David agreement could be undermined if a post-Yoon administration focuses on history issues and launches an anti-Japan campaign, like Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae In, Park said the current administration should deepen and expand cooperation on security, the economy and other areas with Japan, the United States and other countries in the Indo-Pacific so Seoul and Tokyo can minimize disputes and continue to move relations forward.

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 8, 2023 - 19:28 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima

About 150 residents from prefectures such as Fukushima and Miyagi went to court on Friday to halt the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, making it the first lawsuit of its kind.

In the suit filed with the Fukushima District Court against the central government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the plaintiffs said the water discharge, which started on Aug. 24, threatens citizens' right to live safely and hinders local fishermen's businesses.

They are also seeking nullification of nuclear regulators' approval of facilities installed for the water discharge and a ban to be placed on the release.

An additional lawsuit at the end of October is being planned.

The Japanese government began the disposal of the treated water into the Pacific Ocean, saying it is necessary to carry on with the decommissioning of the stricken reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was devastated by a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March 2011.

Massive amounts of contaminated water have been generated in the process of cooling melted reactor fuel. The water has been kept in around 1,000 tanks installed at the site after going through a liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides except tritium.

But the containers are nearing capacity, resulting in the decision to release the wastewater, which is expected to continue for around 30 years.

The water release into the sea is "fresh misconduct" by the central government and TEPCO following the nuclear accident, Hiroyuki Kawai, a lawyer for the group of plaintiffs, told a press conference.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said it cannot comment on the matter since it has not yet received the legal complaint, while TEPCO said it will "appropriately respond" after it has confirmed the complaint has been received.

The government has said the water discharge will be conducted safely, given that it is diluted to reduce the tritium levels to less than one-40th of the concentration permitted under national safety standards before being released into the sea.

Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is known to be less harmful than other radioactive materials, such as cesium and strontium.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report released in July that the water discharge plan aligned with global safety standards and would have a "negligible" impact on people and the environment.

Nuclear power plants worldwide routinely release treated water containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides into the environment as part of normal operations, according to the IAEA.

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By Maya Kaneko, KYODO NEWS - Sep 9, 2023 - 08:12 | World, All

Chinese President Xi Jinping's absence from the Group of 20 summit this weekend has dashed hopes for an ease in tensions between Beijing and Washington any time soon, although the clock is ticking for the two rivals to make progress before the 2024 U.S presidential election.

The two countries are now believed to be exploring a summit between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco in November. However, experts believe they are not likely to achieve a breakthrough, while the U.S. election campaign would make concessions from Washington even more difficult.

Prior to the G-20 summit in New Delhi, senior U.S. officials, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, held discussions with their Chinese counterparts during recent visits to China with the goal of fostering open communication and reducing the risk of misinterpretations.

Amid an intensifying rivalry, tensions remain high between the world's two largest economies over a host of issues, such as Taiwan and trade disputes, notably tit-for-tat export control measures on items related to semiconductors.

Bruce Dickson, a professor specializing in Chinese politics at George Washington University in the U.S. capital, said Xi's absence was "a missed opportunity on China's part" as the momentum for improved bilateral ties that have been built up through the visits by U.S. officials will not be able to continue.

The professor said it is still possible for Xi and Biden to meet on the fringes of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in the United States. But he does not foresee real progress in improving ties, saying, "chances they're getting much better in the near future are low."

With the two countries' economies mingled together, Beijing and Washington share the recognition that "complete decoupling or even a de-risking is just difficult and may not be beneficial to do," Dickson said.

They are also eager to avoid a military conflict, possibly in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea, and try not to have the bilateral relationship spiral out of control, he added, saying that seems to be "one sign of hope."

But referring to widespread negative sentiment toward Beijing in the United States, where there seems to be "a competition about who can be the toughest on China," the professor indicated any approach for better managing the bilateral relationship should be made by the end of this year due to campaigning for the U.S. presidential election next year.

"The United States is going to take a more conservative, security-oriented approach to China," which will make Xi's overall willingness to compromise with Washington more difficult, said Stephen Nagy, professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told The Global Times on Sept. 1 that the lack of consensus and consistency within the Biden administration regarding its China policy, congressional obstruction and polarization makes the United States move into "a track of habitual confrontation" with China.

The United States has some "extreme China hawks," but if they dominate the White House's foreign policy, the Biden administration will lose its diplomatic function, the tabloid affiliated with China's ruling Communist Party quoted Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as saying.

In addition, Nagy said the presidential election next January in Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island that Communist-led Beijing claims as its own, could also complicate the situation.

Cross-strait relations could further deteriorate if Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party wins the election to succeed Tsai Ing-wen. Beijing sharply reacted to his U.S. transits during a trip to Paraguay in August.

Dickson pointed out that Xi may be more interested in building up institutions that provide an alternative to a U.S.-led system than trying to improve Beijing's ties with Washington.

As an example, he raised an accord reached at a summit of the BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- in Johannesburg late last month to expand the membership of the group.

The addition of six countries -- Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates -- was "a big success" for Xi, Dickson said.

The United States has been leading various frameworks aimed at keeping China in check, such as AUKUS, Quad and the three-way framework involving its Asian allies Japan and South Korea.

During a meeting at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David near Washington last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Biden agreed to hold a trilateral summit at least once a year and hold three-way defense exercises on a regular basis.

Jeff Kingston, professor of history and Asian studies at Temple University Japan, said those frameworks are "all aimed at containing China and thus create an atmosphere of distrust that complicates any diplomatic initiatives."

Dickson also pointed out that U.S. efforts have created a "security dilemma," a situation in which actions taken by a country to increase its security cause reactions from other nations, ultimately resulting in a decrease in security.

"You have this back and forth. People are trying to protect their security, but in ways that make the other country feel threatened. That seems to be a dynamic here" between the United States and China, Dickson said, referring to Beijing's efforts to increase allies, including through the BRICS expansion in response.

Nagy warned that Beijing will "continue to try and drive a wedge" between the United States and its allies and urged Japan and other Western countries to push back against such efforts and support the various U.S.-led frameworks to preserve a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Mekong governments and UNODC agree to a new strategic plan for drug control

The opening ceremony of the Senior Officials Committee Meeting in Beijing, China, gathering the six signatory States to the Mekong MOU and UNODC

Beijing (China), 5 September 2023 - Senior officials from Mekong countries - Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam - and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have gathered in Beijing for the Senior Officials Committee meeting of the Mekong MOU on Drug Control, agreeing on a new plan of action.



Risks posed by organized crime syndicates operating in the region, and surging drug supply and use, were primary topics of discussion. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that severely hit the regional economy, the production, trafficking and use of drugs has continued to expand. The drug market has also increased in complexity and reach across East and Southeast Asia, with the Golden Triangle area of Myanmar, Lao PDR and northern Thailand along the Mekong, at the centre of the problem. Traffickers have adapted to border closures and used alternative methods and routes to continue profiting.

UNODC Regional Representative Jeremy Douglas commenting on the regional drug situation and need to address root causes in the Golden Triangle

Methamphetamine seizures in 2022 were at pre-COVID-19 levels in East and Southeast Asia, with nearly 151 tons seized. Organized crime syndicates have maintained the supply driven market expansion strategy of the past six or seven years, increasing volumes trafficked, lowering the cost of the drug, leading to increased use. This has been in large part facilitated by instability in Shan State, Myanmar, and the Golden Triangle, the loose trade in chemicals and connected illicit businesses, including casinos and underground banking, noted UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Jeremy Douglas.



The region is also confronted by new drug challenges. Ketamine production and trafficking have expanded dramatically, with a record 27.4 tons seized and an increase of 167 per cent he added, remarking also the central role that opium cultivation still plays in the drug landscape in Southeast Asia, which rose by 33 per cent last year in Myanmar, and heroin, which remains a concern.



China, as the rotating host and Chair of the Senior Official Committee Meeting, commented on the urgency of the situation and the need to address the root causes and conditions used by organized crime in the Golden Triangle. Executive Secretary General Wei Xiaojun of the National Narcotics Control Commission of China also nominated Lao PDR to be the host for the Mekong MOU Senior Officials Committee Meeting for 2024.



This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of the Mekong MOU. Progress has been made but there is more to be done to address the drug problem in our region. We continue to move forward, overcoming challenges with a sense of collective ownership, and there is no doubt the Mekong MOU is the most important multilateral drug control cooperation mechanism in the region, remarked Mr. Tsang Wai-hung, Vice Commissioner of the National Narcotics Control Commission of China.



The Mekong MOU has evolved to respond to the changing challenges of the drug market and has more recently considered strategies to address organized crime. Senior Officials from the Mekong and UNODC presented respective plans for the coming years, and agreed to the Twelfth Revision of the Subregional Action Plan (SAP XII) for cooperation, focusing on: (i) strengthening measures to address drug use through prevention and treatment initiatives; (ii) enhancing law enforcement cooperation; (iii) strengthening international judicial cooperation; and (iv) promoting sustainable alternative development programmes to support communities in the Mekong.

Executive Secretary General of the National Narcotics Control Commission of China Wei Xiaojun welcoming Senior Officials from the region

The region and UNODC will continue to work together, implementing the agreement and driving the Mekong MOU towards more practical achievements, remarked Mr. Wei Xiaojun.

Director General of The Counter-Narcotics Police Department of Viet Nam Maj. Gen. Nguyen Van Vien outlining Viet Nams commitment to future cooperation under the Mekong MOU

Mr. Douglas concluded that instability in Shan State and the Golden Triangle and spillover into Laos, Thailand and East and Southeast Asia is real and needs action. UNODC and the UN are committed to cooperation and improving the situation, and remain committed to the Mekong MOU. We hope the discussions and the plan that has been agreed contribute to a change in direction, and we will engage with others as needed to bring resources and pressure to bear help to address the situation.
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Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov during a meeting with Ambassador of Pakistan to the Russian Federation Shafqat Ali Khan in Moscow says we look forward to a further productive energy dialogue between the two countries.

MOSCOW: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Sept 8th, 2023) Russia has expressed keen interest to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in energy sector.

Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov during a meeting with Ambassador of Pakistan to the Russian Federation Shafqat Ali Khan in Moscow said we look forward to a further productive energy dialogue between the two countries.

The two sides also discussed key issues of the current bilateral energy cooperation.

The Russian Minister noted that it is necessary to accelerate the creation of a working group for the preparation and further implementation of a comprehensive plan for the development of the gas industry in Pakistan.
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Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch says Pakistan has communicated its concerns about the latest incident to the interim Afghan authorities.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Sept 8th, 2023) Foreign Office has hoped the interim Afghan government will fulfill its obligations and deny the use of its soil by the terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.

Responding to the queries of media persons in Islamabad today regarding the recent terrorist attack on military posts in Chitral, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan has communicated its concerns about the latest incident to the interim Afghan authorities.

The spokesperson said Pakistan and the United States have a robust dialogue on multiple areas including on security and counter terrorism matters.

She said we have been communicating with the US and other partners both inside and outside the region about Pakistan's security concerns.

She hoped our friends and partners will understand the security compulsions that Pakistan has in this region including the threat of terrorism and the security situation because of the difficult and aggressive posture from our eastern neighbor.

The Foreign Office Spokesperson pointed out that the weaponry that is available in Afghanistan and has now reached terror entities continue to pose a threat to Pakistan. She said this situation needs international attention and everyone should assume the responsibility that they have in this regard.

She reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to eradicate the menace of terrorism.

Responding to a question, the spokesperson said we have invited our partners especially in the Gulf to come and invest in Pakistan. She said we are in touch with them in this regard.
The Speakers at a Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS) seminar titled 'Pakistan Air Force (PAF): Second to None' on Friday said superior training has always been a hallmark of PAF to remain ahead of its adversaries and it had to maintain the highest degree of preparedness, high-quality combat training at all costs

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Sep, 2023 ) :The Speakers at a Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS) seminar titled 'Pakistan Air Force (PAF): Second to None' on Friday said superior training has always been a hallmark of PAF to remain ahead of its adversaries and it had to maintain the highest degree of preparedness, high-quality combat training at all costs.

The CASS, Lahore organized a commemorative seminar titled "Pakistan Air Force: Second to None" that paid tribute to the enduring legacy of the PAF, rooted in Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's vision of being 'Second to None', a news release said.

The 1965 and 1971 wars tested PAF's mettle, resulting in shining victories and showcasing professionalism. The seminar's goal was to extract invaluable lessons from these historical chapters, guiding the PAF's pursuit of becoming a top-notch air force, committed to defending the nation with unwavering excellence.

Director Operations and Admin, CASS Lahore, Group Captain Faisal ul Rehman delivered the introductory remarks which was followed by a keynote address by Air Commodore (R) Kaiser Tufail, who highlighted accomplishments of the PAF in 1965 and 1971 wars. Following the keynote address, Air Commodore (R) Khalid Chishti shed light on the remarkable achievements of PAF war heroes. Additionally, two distinguished war veterans, Air Commodore Abdul Basit (Retd) and Air Commodore (R) Farooq Haider, shared their personal accounts from the 1965 and 1971 wars.

An extensive question and answer session followed the statements by the guest speakers.

President CASS Lahore, Air Marshal (R) Asim Suleiman in his concluding remarks, said that for an effective, watchful, and hard-hitting air force, it is important to have focused training; state of the art equipment and weapons; and self-sufficient industrial base with indigenously developed technologies.

Under the leadership of the current Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, PAF has undergone a strategic reset in terms of combat training along with the acquisition of requisite equipment and infrastructure development, to maintain its legacy of having cutting-edge combat capabilities.

PAF has recently made extensive inductions to stay abreast with modern technologies and state of the art weapon systems. They include induction of PL-15 air-to-air missiles and their integration to the launching platform, J10-C operationalization, offensive air, and ground-launched weapons, an array of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from strategic to tactical usage, a variety of powerful EW equipment, cyber capability in all such domains and launching of PFX Pakistan's Advanced Flight etc. The inductions made in the last two years are strategic in nature and the vision of the Air Chief is to have a long-lasting impact on the PAF's operational preparedness and combat readiness.

The most important takeaways from the seminar were: In air battles, numerical superiority alone does not determine victory; instead, it is the combination of superior training, unwavering morale, and, above all, an indomitable fighting spirit that emerges as the decisive factor.

"PAF must maintain its legacy with tenacity and hard-hitting capabilities, especially in light of India's vast expenditure on its defense budget.

Indigenization and self-reliance for having leading-edge technologies are essential for the future of a modern air force. Force goals and developmental strategy have to be in line with National Security and its manifestation," the speakers said.
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Fashion designer Marc Bohan, who was artistic director of Dior for an unprecedented three decades, has died, the luxury brand said Friday

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Sep, 2023 ) :Fashion designer Marc Bohan, who was artistic director of Dior for an unprecedented three decades, has died, the luxury brand said Friday.

Bohan, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 97, was one of the quieter members of the fashion fraternity, in stark contrast to successors like John Galliano.

But he was a master of the trade who managed to keep the spirit of the label alive after its mid-twentieth century heyday.

Born in Paris on August 22, 1926, Bohan was passionate about drawing and fashion from an early age, encouraged by his mother who was a milliner.

He joined Christian Dior in 1957, responsible for creating collections in London.

His first, "Slim Look", for spring-summer 1961, celebrated the uninhibited women of the era, with shorter skirts and more suits.

In 1961, he took over as artistic director when Yves Saint Laurent was called up for military service.

Bohan was close to icons of the period like writer Francoise Sagan, artist Niki de Saint Phalle and Empress Farah of Iran, whom he notably dressed for the coronation of the shah in 1967.

Farah's style also seduced the American First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, who asked her official designer Oleg Cassini to copy Bohan's Dior look.

He also opened up the label to new audiences with the launch of ready-to-wear lines for women ("Miss Dior"), children ("Baby Dior") and men ("Dior Monsieur").

When he quit Dior in 1989, Bohan became artistic director of London house Norman Hartnell, until 1992.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 8, 2023 - 21:16 | All, World, Japan

Senior diplomats from Japan, China and South Korea plan to hold talks in Seoul, possibly on Sept. 25, despite a feud between Tokyo and Beijing over the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, diplomatic sources said Friday.

It is hoped the planned working-level talks will set the stage for the resumption of annual three-way summits, which have been suspended since 2019. Japan is to be represented by Takehiro Funakoshi, senior deputy minister for foreign affairs, the sources said.

While ties between Japan and South Korea have been improving, there has been renewed tension between Tokyo and Beijing after the treated water release from the nuclear plant began late last month.

China opposes the discharge and has called on Japan to halt the release of what it calls "nuclear-contaminated water." In protest, China has implemented a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, prompting Japan to respond to the measure by calling for it to be scrapped.

South Korea, which has served as chair of the trilateral framework since 2020, is seeking to host a trilateral summit by the end of this year, in an apparent bid to maintain high-level dialogue between the countries and encourage cooperation on regional issues, including North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

The leaders of the three neighboring countries last held a trilateral meeting in China, in December 2019.

Related coverage:

Leaders of China, Japan, South Korea seeking to meet by year-end
Building trust in the digital world, the end of scarcity, the latest efforts to transform finance, supply chain challenges and Wyomings leadership in digital innovation will be discussed by education, technology, business and government leaders during the 2023 Wyoming Blockchain Stampede and Wyobuildathon Sept. 11-15 at the University of Wyoming.

Presented by the UW Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation (CBDI), the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. To preregister and view the agenda, visit www.uwyo.edu/stampede.

Featured speakers include Charles Hoskinson, founder and CEO of Input Output Global; Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce; Allan Day, retired U.S. Air Force major general and vice president of logistics and sustainment of global public sector at Salesforce; Kristen Ragusin, author of The End of Scarcity: The Dawn of the New Abundant World; Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Cheyennes Custodia Bank; Gov. Mark Gordon; UW President Ed Seidel; Lauren Schoenfield, executive director of the Wyoming Innovation Partnership; Robin Sessions Cooley, director of Wyomings Department of Workforce Services; Penelope Shihab, director of UWs Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Julie Hill, a University of Alabama College of Law professor; and CBDI Director Steve Lupien.

Other speakers and panelists include David Pope, a member of the Wyoming Stable Token Commission; Wyoming Banking Commissioner Jeremiah Bishop; attorney Matt Kaufman, a member of the Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology; Tyler Lindholm, state director of Americans for Prosperity; Rocky Case, director of Wyoming Manufacturing Works; Zachary Weiner, founder, and Justin Pauly, co-founder and president, VX Technologies; Christian Goodell, founder and CEO of Valeo Labs; and Derek LaSalle, founder and inventor of the Blockchain Operating Sub-System Powered Content Assurance and Provenance Protocol (CAPPStone) licensing ZeroTrust DApp technology.

Also on the agenda are Reed Scull, a UW associate professor in the School of Counseling, Leadership Advocacy and Design; Marko Ruble, co-founder and CEO of Yerguides.io; Sean Stein Smith, a Lehman College assistant professor of business and economics; Anthony Apollo, founder and CEO of Rensa; Bradley Rotter, chairman of the IPwe Board of Directors; Tony Saliba, CEO of Matrix Holding Group; and Matt Field, CEO of VMAccel.

The Wyoming Blockchain Stampede starts with a Sept. 11-12 meeting of the Wyoming Legislatures Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology in Room 506 of Coe Library. The agenda and associated documents can be viewed at https://wyoleg.gov/Committees/2023/S19.

The remaining events will be held in the Wyoming Union.

On Wednesday, Sept. 13, the UW School of Computings first Wyoming Computing Symposium -- Emerging Computing Approaches, Technologies and Applications -- starts with registration and breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Keynote speakers are Mary Hall, director of the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah; and Rabia Yazicigil, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and faculty affiliate of the Center for Information and Systems Engineering at Boston University.

The afternoon includes a panel discussion, Advancing the Wyoming Economy Through Computing: Vision, Opportunities and Challenges. Diksha Shukla, an assistant professor in UWs Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will moderate the panel. Panelists include Laurel Ballard, Wyoming Department of Education innovation officer; Kristen Pudenz, director of Advanced Research Programs at Atom Computing; Gil Speyer, of the RTO Computational Research Accelerator at Arizona State University; and Gregory White, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Texas-San Antonio.

The 307 Startup Challenge is the second event Wednesday and will start at 4 p.m. Challenge participants each will make a pitch and face a review by a panel of judges in competing for prize money and mentoring to assist in their efforts.

The Wyoming Blockchain Stampede continues Thursday, Sept. 14, starting at 8 a.m. Lunch will feature the governor, who will be introduced by Seidel. Thursday afternoon features two tracks. Track 1 will examine Wyoming digital asset education, blockchain applications and entrepreneurship opportunities. Track 2 features presentations on digital asset entrepreneurs to enhance cybersecurity and trust, DeFi and artificial intelligence.

Events Friday, Sept. 15, start at 8 a.m. Keynote speakers include Hill, Long, Lupien, state Sen. Chris Rothfuss and Hoskinson. Following lunch, UW students are invited to an esports celebration in the Wyoming Union game room. Prizes and snacks will be available. An esports competition will be held Saturday, Sept. 16, with teams from UW, University of Colorado, Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy competing.

Country star Travis Denning will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Indoor Practice Facility in a free concert for UW students, faculty and staff, and those who registered for the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede.

Input Output Global is the title sponsor for the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede. Event sponsors are Microsoft, Custodia Bank, Crypto.com, Ava Labs and Americans for Prosperity/Wyoming. UW partners are the School of Computing; Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; School of Energy Resources; the colleges of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Business, and Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources; the Associated Students of UW; and IMPACT 307.
Planning is foundational and should be a part of every business. However, keeping up with strategic and annual plans can be overwhelming without the right framework and tools. Developing a 90-day game plan for businesses will be the subject of a webinar Friday, Sept. 15.

Tonya Harrison will present a Wyoming Community Navigator Program (CNP) webinar titled 90-Day GAME Plan from 11 a.m.-noon. To register, go here. Registration is free.

The Wyoming CNP, through the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network at the University of Wyoming, provides small-business resources and assistance for traditionally underserved entrepreneurs throughout Wyoming.

This interactive workshop will walk small-business owners through a 90-day framework to learn how to break down their business plans into manageable 90-day sprints to narrow their focus and achieve more. Increasing results is not about doing more things, but about doing more of the right things.

Harrison, founder and CEO of Cignal Partners, is transforming operations and helping small businesses move from being busy and burned out to profitable and productive by integrating automation and the right systems.

Harrison spent 25-plus years helping organizations successfully turn around low-performing departments and develop efficiency through systems and automation. She spends her days hosting techshops and one-on-one strategy sessions, and partnering with organizations to facilitate workshops and webinars to help startups and solopreneurs integrate technology and optimize their operations.

For more information, call Maureen Johnson, marketing, communication and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email mjohn125@uwyo.edu.
An Indonesian expert has said that cooperation between China and ASEAN will help the global economy to prevent further slowdown. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service








Rescuers from across Europe rushed to a cave in Turkey on Thursday, launching an operation to save an American researcher who became trapped almost 1,000 meters below the cave's entrance after suffering stomach bleeding.

Experienced caver Mark Dickey, 40, suddenly became ill during an expedition with a handful of others, including three other Americans, in the Morca cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains, the European Association of Cave Rescuers said.

While rescuers, including a Hungarian doctor, have reached and treated Dickey, it could be days and possibly weeks before they are able to get him out of the cave, which is too narrow in places for a stretcher to pass through.

In a video message from inside the cave and made available Thursday by Turkey's communications directorate, Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.

"The caving world is a really tight-knit group and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," said Dickey. " ... I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge."

Dickey, who is seen standing and moving around in the video, said that while he is alert and talking, he is not "healed on the inside" and will need a lot of help to get out of the cave. Doctors will decide whether he will need to leave the cave on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power.

Dickey, who had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, has stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days, according to a New Jersey-based cave rescue group he's affiliated with. It's unclear what caused his medical issue.

The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and constant medical care. The group says the cave is also quite cold  about 4-6 degrees Celsius.

Communication with Dickey takes about five to seven hours and is carried out by runners, who go from Dickey to the camp below the surface where a telephone line to speak with the surface has been set up.

Experts said it will be a challenge to successfully rescue Dickey.

Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey said that one of the most difficult tasks of cave rescue operations is widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass through at low depths.

Stretcher lines are labor intensive and require experienced cave rescuers working long hours, Ogrenecek said. He added that other difficult factors range from navigating through mud and water at low temperatures to the psychological toll of staying inside a cave for long periods of time.

Marton Kovacs of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said that the cave is being prepared for Dickey's safe extraction. Passages are being widened and the danger of falling rocks is also being addressed.

Turkish disaster relief agency AFAD and rescue team UMKE are working with Turkish and international cavers on the plan to hoist Dickey out of the cave system, the European Cave Rescue Association said.

The rescue effort currently involves more than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics who are tending to Dickey and experienced cavers, Ogrenecek said, adding that the rescue operation could take up to two to three weeks.

The operation includes rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey.

Dickey was described by the association as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association's medical committee.

Dickey was on an expedition mapping the 1,276-meter-deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association (ASPEG) when he ran into trouble about 1,000 meters down, according to Ogrenecek. He initially became ill on Saturday, but it took until Sunday morning to notify others who were above ground.

Justin Hanley, a 28-year-old firefighter from near Dallas, Texas, said he met Dickey a few months ago when he took a cave rescue course Dickey taught in Hungary and Croatia. He described Dickey as upbeat and as someone who sees the good in everyone.

"Mark is the guy that should be on that rescue mission that's leading and consulting and for him to be the one that needs to be rescued is kind of a tragedy in and of itself," he said.

A team of rescuers from Italy's National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team will be flying to Turkey on Thursday night. A total of around 50 rescuers will be at the entrance of the cave early Friday ready to participate in the operation directed by Turkish authorities.

The rescue teams hope that the extraction can begin on Saturday or Sunday. Kovacs said that lifting Dickey will likely take several days, and that several bivouac points are being prepared along the way so that Dickey and rescue teams can rest.

The cave has been divided into several sections, with each country's rescue team being responsible for one section.

The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, made up of volunteer rescuers, was the first to arrive at Dickey's location and provided emergency blood transfusions to stabilize his condition.
Experts say it is unlikely that regional leaders in Central Africa and the international community will be enthusiastic in calling for the reinstatement of deposed Gabon leader Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Gabons military leaders announced Bongo's release from house arrest Thursday, following an apparent coup on August 30. State-run media showed Bongo greeting officials as the military leaders announced that he was free to travel abroad.

On the same day, Gabons military leaders appointed Raymond Ndong Sima, an outspoken critic of the former president and a former opposition leader who ran against Bongo in this years elections, as interim prime minister. Sima, 68, is an economist who previously served as Bongos prime minister from 2012 to 2014.

Less than a week after the coup, the military leaders, calling themselves the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, named General Brice Oligui Nguema, commander-in-chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard, as transitional head of state.

David Otto-Endeley, director of the Geneva Center for African Security and Strategic Studies, said that reactions to the leadership appointment from the regional bloc, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), might go only as far as a condemnation.

ECCAS criticized the militarys move a day after the coup, saying in a statement that it planned an imminent meeting of heads of state to determine how to respond. The regional bloc did not give a date.

I think theres no general desire in a democratic era to see leaders who run in perpetuity in power. This is more or less a dynasty" within "some kind of democratic institution, Otto-Endeley told VOAs English to Africa Service. The international community will be a lot more careful as compared to countries like Niger, where it was clearly a democratically elected president that was overthrown.

Gabon has been seen as some kind of a handover  from father to son and son to father.

He said a rule introduced in July, less than two months before Gabons national elections, put the main opposition candidates  the Alternance 2023 alliance  at a disadvantage because it had not fielded candidates for parliamentary elections.

Otto-Endeley also noted that Saturdays internet shutdown and a curfew in the aftermath of the election gave troubling signals.

I think the signs were clearly written on the wall, he said. Were experiencing another coup pandemic. Its a replica of what weve experienced lately in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Sudan, but this time, the dynamics are quite different.

End of dynastic rule

Otto-Endeley said he thought the Bongo dynasty, which has ruled the Central African state since 1967, coupled with the countrys lack of constitutional term limits, validated theories that Ali Bongo had this coming.

The military has been used for regime protection in most of the dynasties that have stayed for long. And now, the military is seeing itself as the only hope that can liberate the country from this dynasty rule, he said. It seems the beast that the government has been using to attack the population is now eating its owners.

Maja Bovcon, senior Africa analyst at the London-based risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, agreed that there was no interest on the global communitys part in seeking a return of Bongo to power.

The international community and regional bodies are unlikely to go beyond condemning the coup and demanding the restoration of civilian rule, she told VOA. They are aware of the lack of public support for President Ali Bongo and the contentious conditions in which the latest elections were conducted.

Bovcon said that the putsch in Gabon, along with the spate of coups across the region, will put long-serving autocratic leaders on alert.

Cameroonian President Paul Biya and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, have reportedly reshuffled their militarys leadership since Gabons coup. It is not clear whether the changes were connected to the developments in Gabon.

Andrea Ngombet, founder of the Paris-based Sassoufit Collective, an organization that promotes democracy, human rights and anti-corruption efforts across the continent, told VOA that at the heart of the military takeover in Gabon was the desire to quash the dynastic reign of the Bongo family.

He said the coup was a message to multinational companies and international partners who operate in the country that they cannot continue to do business as usual, adding that if global condemnation against the military takeover wasn't measured, there would be a risk of driving the Gabonese people to foreign powers like Russia and China.

If we condemn the coup  just because it is a coup  we will push [the Gabonese people] away to the likes of the Wagner mercenary group, Russia and China, he told VOA, because the "fundamental needs" of the Gabonese are restoring democracy and sovereignty and securing social and economic justice.

This report originated in VOAs English to Africa Service. English to Africas Hayde Adams contributed.
At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed when Islamist militants attacked a military camp and a vessel in northeastern Mali on Thursday, the interim government said.

Many more were wounded, it added in a statement read on national television, noting that the death toll was provisional.

Insurgents attacked a boat carrying civilians across the flooded plains that separate the towns of Gao and Mopti during the rainy season. The vessel was traveling from Gao when it was hit.

Assailants also attacked a military camp in the Bourem Circle, an administrative subdivision of the Gao region in Mali's northeast.

Around 50 assailants were killed in response and three days of national mourning declared, the interim government said.

Mali is one of several West African countries battling a violent insurgency with links to al-Qaida and Islamic State that took root in its arid north in 2012.

Militants have gained ground, spreading across the Sahel and to coastal West African nations, despite costly international efforts to support local troops. Thousands of people have been killed and over 6 million displaced across the Sahel region south of the Sahara.

Frustrations about growing insecurity spurred two military takeovers in Mali and two in Burkina Faso since 2020 -- four of eight coups to hit West and Central Africa over the past three years.
London's Metropolitan Police on Friday reported the first confirmed sighting of a terror suspect who escaped Wednesday from a London medium-security prison and is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

A former British soldier, 21-year-old Daniel Abed Khalife, is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth by leaving the prison kitchen, where he was working, and fastening himself to the bottom of a food delivery van.

In a release, the Metropolitan Police said they received information from a member of the public who said they saw a man fitting Khalife's description walking away from a food delivery van that had stopped not far from the prison shortly after his escape. The man was then seen walking toward Wandsworth town center.

London police also confirmed Friday they were carrying out an extensive search of Richmond Park in London's southwest. The search included 150 officers, The Independent newspaper reports, quoting Metropolitan Pollice Commissioner Mark Rowl.

Discharged from the British army in May, Khalife was awaiting trial on offenses related to terrorism and violations of the Official Secrets Act. He is accused of planting fake bombs at an army base in England and, the BBC reported, collecting sensitive personal information about soldiers from a British Defense Ministry database.

He is also charged with obtaining information that might be "directly or indirectly useful to an enemy." The BBC reported that enemy was Iran. Khalife has denied the charges.

British Justice Minister Alex Chalk briefed Parliament on the escape Thursday and promised an immediate investigation into the prison's protocols and the decision about where Khalife was held. He said a second independent investigation will take place at a later date.

"No stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened," Chalk said.

Some information in this report was provided by Reuters and The Associated Press.
Concern is growing about the health of Myanmar's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been serving a 27-year sentence in a Naypyidaw prison.

According to her son, Suu Kyi has been suffering from severe dental and gum issues, which have left her unable to eat.

This, together with vomiting and dizziness making her unable to stand or walk, gives reason for serious concerns about her overall ill health and treatment during her two and a half years in a military prison, Kim Aris told VOA via text message on Thursday.

A source near Naypyidaw, the military-built capital located in the north of the former capital, Yangon, has confirmed to VOA that the 78-year-old Nobel laureate's health has taken a serious downturn in recent days.

Denied medical care

According to the source, prison authorities were reportedly alerted to her deteriorating health, prompting a visit from the prison's chief medical officer. Despite her worsening condition, the junta has denied Suu Kyi's request to see a dental surgeon, said the source, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.

VOA sought confirmation of Suu Kyi's health condition from Myanmars junta and prison authorities, but no response has yet been received.

Suu Kyi was arrested when the army seized power from her elected government in February 2021. She has been convicted of a string of criminal offenses, mostly on charges brought by the military government. Her supporters and legal experts say the cases are an attempt to legitimize the military's seizure of power while discrediting her and preventing her return to politics.

Health care for detainees a basic right

The military refusing my mother the right to requested treatment by a trusted doctor, is yet another callous and cruel action on the part of the junta, wrote Aris. As the right to health is a fundamental part of our human rights, that must be enjoyed without discrimination.

U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq underscored the right to health care for Suu Kyi at a news briefing Wednesday.

Everyone in detention should be able to have access to health care, thats a basic right, said Haq. We have made clear our concerns about Aung San Suu Kyi, and weve called and continue to call for her release as well as the release of the other leaders of the National League for Democracy.

Concerns about prison conditions

Aris, 46, who is based in the U.K., says his mother has faced appalling living conditions, mistreatment and inadequate food since her arrest and imprisonment. In addition, Aris said that his mother has been denied access to legal counsel.

Given how many people lose their lives in prison in Burma [now Myanmar] this is of grave concern, he told VOA via text message.

Suu Kyi saw her sentence reduced from 33 years to 27 years imprisonment in August. Despite some reports that Suu Kyi had been moved to house arrest, the spokesperson for Myanmar's military junta, General Zaw Min Tun, claimed ignorance in his response to VOA by phone.

Regarding this matter, he said, we have not heard anything.
Rescue crews have begun airlifting hundreds of people trapped in dozens of Greek hamlets after four days of cataclysmic rainfall left at least 7 people dead and an unknown number missing.

Rains from Daniel, the worst storm to hit Greece in 75 years, turned small streets in the country's farming heartland of Thessaly into waterways that uprooted village huts. Rivers swelled, dams burst, and bridges broke.

Hardest hit has been the region of Karditsa, where six people, all elderly women and shepherds, were found under mounds of debris, washed away by floodwaters in their attempt to evacuate their homes.

Officially, six people remain missing, but locals and crew contacted by VOA predict greater numbers. In the village of Palamas alone, on the outskirts of Karditsa, residents phoning into local TV stations spoke of more than 60 villagers missing on Friday.

Authorities liken the storm to what they call a "biblical catastrophe," placing several parts of the Thessaly plain in a state of emergency, and allowing the country's military to be called in to help on Thursday.

But by then, Daniel had wreaked unprecedented damage, and left the nation angry about the government's delayed response.

Emergency services on Friday were seen using divers, lifeboats and 80 all-weather military helicopters to reach stranded people across Thessaly, mainly in Karditsa.

Sofia, an elderly woman who managed to escape to a relative's home, described the horror of her ordeal.

"I was left on the rooftop of my home for days before someone came with a plastic life raft and helped me down," she said. "I would have drowned, because the water had reached 2 meters high."

Like thousands of others in the region, Sofia said she received no notification to evacuate and seek safety on higher ground.

"I am left with nothing. Zero," she said. "The government now has to help us."

Other farmers, including Christos Theodoropoulos, are mad.

"Nothing is left. Nothing," he shouted. "No official has come to help us. I am embarrassed that this is 2023 and this has happened."

In 2020, the region was hit by a ferocious cyclone.

But since then, locals say authorities have failed to build necessary infrastructure to shield the region  leaving it, thousands of residents and livestock at the mercy of nature.
Two U.S. officials have told VOA that military drone flights from bases in Niger have been "limited" since the July coup, a restriction experts believe is likely hindering the international counterterrorism mission in West Africa.

The officials spoke to VOA this week on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive security issues.

The Pentagon has been hesitant to discuss the specifics of its security and counterterrorism operations other than saying that the U.S. military has suspended "security cooperation" with Niger in light of the political upheaval.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder has conceded to reporters that the situation in Niger "clearly" is "not normal" for the U.S. military, while adding that U.S. force posture in Niger remains unchanged, as the U.S. hopes for a diplomatic solution to the situation.

Niger is the U.S. militarys hub for counterterror intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance in West Africa. The region has been battling several militant groups in the region, including the Islamic State group and Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, based in Mali and active in West Africa.

Current and former U.S. officials have raised concerns that the limited intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance will hurt international efforts to help local security forces fight terrorist organizations.

The United States "is barely keeping a lid on this problem, and when you remove that, when you remove all of those enablers that help keep these jihadists from overrunning countries or overrunning regions, then you are giving them an advantage," said Bill Roggio, a former soldier and editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal, which publishes reporting and analysis of global counterterrorism efforts.

The U.S. military can fly drones out of Nigers capital, Niamey, and it set up another air base hundreds of kilometers away, in Agadez, to extend the reach of its surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the volatile Lake Chad Basin area of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The U.S. has flown intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance drone missions out of Agadez since 2019.

Limiting those missions has a significant effect on the militarys ability to conduct counterterror operations, according to retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. military operations in the Middle East.

"It reduces your ability to find targets. It reduces your ability to go to the final stages when youre going to be able to attack," he told VOA.

The jihadist threat is twofold, not only can jihadists use these countries as a hub to try to attack the West and Western interests, they also wreak havoc on local populations.

At least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed in an attack by armed groups near the Malian border last month, according to Nigers Defense Ministry.

The Islamist threat has been growing in neighboring Mali, which has been run by military leaders since a 2020 coup, despite claims by Malis military that Russian Wagner Group mercenaries are turning the tide of their campaign.

Roggio told VOA he worries that the political discord in the region is setting up West Africa as the next place for a country to fall under jihadist control.

"If the U.S. is not able to fly counterterrorism missions from Niger, is Mali the next state to fall after Afghanistan?" Roggio asked.

Air space reopened, U.S. forces repositioning

Earlier this week, a spokesman for Nigers military leaders said they had decided to reopen the countrys airspace to all commercial flights, ending a closure that had been in place since they took control of the government Aug. 6.

However, a U.S. military official told VOA that the change to commercial flight access had not "normalized" U.S. drone flight frequencies this week.

News of the U.S. militarys drone limitations comes as the Pentagon said it was repositioning some of its troops and military equipment within Niger from a base in Niamey to the Agadez base.

"There's no perceived threat, in terms of any threat to U.S. troops, and no threat of violence on the ground. This is simply a precautionary measure," deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday.

The Agadez base, known as Air Base 201, is controlled by Nigerien forces. As of 2019, the U.S. military had exclusive rights to about 20% of the compound.

There are about 1,100 U.S. military personnel in Niger, according to the Pentagon.

Singh said the repositioning of U.S. forces in Niger was "ongoing right now."
SpaceX must take a series of steps before it can launch its mega rocket again after its debut ended in an explosion, federal regulators said Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it closed its investigation into SpaceX's failed debut of Starship, the world's biggest rocket. The agency is requiring SpaceX to take 63 corrective actions and to apply for a modified FAA license before launching again.

FAA official said multiple problems led to the April launch explosion, which sent pieces of concrete and metal hurtling for thousands of feet (meters) and created a plume of pulverized concrete that spread for miles (kilometers) around.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in the accident's aftermath that he improved the 394-foot (120-meter) rocket and strengthened the launch pad. A new Starship is on the redesigned pad, awaiting liftoff. It will fly empty, as before.

During the initial test flight, the rocketship had to be destroyed after it tumbled out of control shortly after liftoff from Boca Chica Beach. The wreckage crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX said fuel leaks during ascent caused fires to erupt at the tail of the rocket, severing connection with the main flight computer and leading to a loss of control.

That flight "provided numerous lessons learned," the company said in a statement.

NASA wants to use Starship to land astronauts back on the moon in another few years. Musk's ultimate goal is to build a fleet of Starships to carry people and supplies to Mars.
On September 6, the Ukrainian parliament approved Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar and avid critic of Russias systematic oppression of his people, as the nations new Defense Minister.

Ukraine watchers interpreted President Volodymyr Zelenskyys choice of Umerov as signaling that Kyiv is steadfast about regaining Crimea from Russian control.

Umerov previously served as the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine. He is the first Crimean Tatar to hold a cabinet post in Ukraine.

Russian state media put a negative spin on Umerovs elevation and denied Russian abuses against the Crimean Tatar population.

The politician [Umerov] has played an active role in spreading blatant propaganda about the alleged mistreatment of the Crimean Tatar community by Russia in Crimea  claims which Crimean Tatar leaders actually living in the peninsula have repeatedly debunked, wrote Ilya Tsukanov, a Moscow-based correspondent for Russias Sputnik news agency.

That is false.

Crimean Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, currently under Russian occupation. The Soviet Union subjected the Crimean Tatars to ethnic cleansing, and Russia continued ethnically profiling them after illegally annexing the peninsula in 2014.

Immediately after the annexation, the Russian occupational administration shut down the Crimean Tatars national movements and forced their leaders into exile.

The new organization Moscow created to imitate the Crimean Tatars leadership is fully controlled by Russia, with its public statements mirroring Kremlin propaganda narratives.

In his Sputnik piece, Tsukanov wrote that "Umerovs biography is straightforward for someone from Ukraines pro-Western political class, noting he was born in 1982 in Soviet Uzbekistan.

Tsukanov omitted that Umerov was born in Uzbekistan because his family was deported from Crimea in the 1940s, along with the rest of the Crimean Tatar population, as part of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalins de-Tatarization of Crimea.

That corresponded with Crimeas Russification, which included a ban on the Crimean Tatar language.

In 2021, Umerov recounted what happened to his and other Crimean Tatar families, writing that the deportation was one of the biggest crimes of the Soviet regime and started by the tyrants in power at the time to exterminate an entire nation.

Umerov wrote that with the occupation of Crimea in 2014, Russia is continuing its repressive policy against the Crimean Tatars, who are again forced to fight for their historical Motherland.

In April, the Council of Europes commissioner for human rights said the Crimean Tatars have been exposed to a never-ending string of human rights violations and unfairly cast out of their ancestral homeland many times in the course of their troubled history.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center, a Ukraine-based non-governmental organization, documented 5,613 rights abuses against Crimean Tatar representatives from 2014 to December 2022.

Human Rights Watch reported in 2017 that under Russian occupation, representatives of the Tatar community and their supporters, including journalists, bloggers, and activists, were the targets of harassment, intimidation, threats, intrusive and unlawful searches of their homes, physical attacks, and enforced disappearances.

In 2015, Valeriya Lutkovskaya, who was then the Ukrainian parliaments commissioner for human rights, described Crimea under Russian occupation as a peninsula of terror.

During Russias invasion and annexation of Crimea in February-March 2014, some Crimean Tatars protested peacefully. Many were subsequently abducted and tortured.

Reshat Ametov was murdered after being abducted in broad daylight while protesting Russias invasion of Crimea in March 2014. His body, which was later discovered in a forest, had clear signs of torture.

To stem opposition to Moscows illegal occupation, Russian authorities outlawed the Crimean Tatars representative body, called the Mejlis, calling it an extremist organization. The Mejlis, like most Crimean Tatars, oppose Russias occupation of Ukraine.

Russian occupation authorities in Crimea also closed the peninsulas only television channel broadcasting in the Crimean Tatar language, ATR.

Former Mejlis chairman Mustafa Dzhemilev has been barred from entering Crimea for nearly a decade. He was convicted in absentia last year for attempting to reenter Crimea illegally in 2014.

In 2021, Mejlis chairman Refat Chubarov was sentenced in absentia to six years in prison for opposing Russias occupation and annexation of Crimea. Russias occupation authorities accused him of organizing mass riots in 2014.

In 2017, another Crimean Tatar leader, Akhtem Chiygoz, was sentenced, following what Amnesty International called a sham trial, to eight years in prison for organizing mass disturbances in 2014.

Mejlis deputy leader Ilmi Umerov was subjected to the Soviet-era practice of punitive psychiatry  being forcibly moved to and kept in a psychiatric hospital.

Occupation authorities similarly charged Umerov with separatism for denouncing Russias annexation of Crimea.

Turkish and Ukrainian authorities managed to secure the release of Chiygoz and Umerov in 2017. Both men returned to Ukraine.

Russian authorities have regularly conflated Crimean Tatars exercise of political and religious beliefs with terrorist affiliation.

In January, five Crimean Tatars were sentenced to 13 years in prison on dubious terrorism charges.

One of those men, Dzhemil Gafarov, died in custody in February after years of medical neglect.

According to the Council of Europe, Russias occupation forces have shown more repressive and discriminatory attitudes toward Crimean Tatars since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In 2022, Dzhemilev told the U.K.s Guardian newspaper that Crimean Tatars have faced 85% of the politically-motivated arrests and illegal searches in Crimea, despite making up 13-15% of the peninsulas population.

Since Russia invaded in February 2022, Crimean Tatars have also been disproportionately targeted for conscription into the Russian army.

CrimeaSOS, a Ukrainian rights organization formed following Russias occupation, said 10,000 people were drafted in Crimea last fall  2.5 times the conscription rate in the Russian Federation.

CrimeaSOS analyst Yevgeny Yaroshenko estimated that Tatars received 90% of those summonses.

Conscription of residents of occupied territories violates the Geneva Convention.

Umerovs appointment, according to Ukrainian journalist Veronika Melkozerova, signals Ukraine is steadfast about regaining Crimea from Russian control.
Former trade adviser Peter Navarro was found guilty Thursday of contempt of Congress for not complying with a subpoena from the House of Representatives committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Navarro, who promoted groundless claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election, refused to testify or turn over documents to the House panel that investigated the insurrection attempt, prompting a 12-member jury to find him guilty of two counts of contempt.

Both charges are punishable by up to one year in prison. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for January 12, 2024.

The verdict came after a one-day trial for Navarro, during which the defense did not present any evidence or call any witnesses.

Ahead of the trial, Navarro said he did not need to comply with the January 6 committees order because then-President Donald Trump had invoked executive privilege.

U.S District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Navarro could not use the defense of executive privilege  which shields some executive branch records and communications from disclosure  because the former trade adviser did not present evidence that Trump formally invoked the doctrine.

The day that Judge Mehta ruled that I could not use executive privilege as the defense in this case, the die was cast, Navarro said outside the courthouse after the ruling. He will appeal the conviction.

Prosecutors said Navarro acted as if he were above the law when he defied a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House committee.

Peter Navarro made a choice, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi said in her closing argument Thursday. He chose not to comply with a congressional subpoena. Our government only works when people play by the rules. And it only works if they are held accountable when they do not.

Navarro is the second former aide to the former president to be convicted for defying orders from the January 6 committee. Steve Bannon was convicted last year on two contempt counts, and his case is on appeal.

Trump, meanwhile, faces a federal indictment in Washington and a state indictment in Georgia over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat to President Joe Biden. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

Some information in this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue on Thursday in Beijing, calling for enhanced cooperation to promote the steady and long-term development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Noting that China-Australia relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with Western countries, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the economies of the two countries are highly complementary, the people of the two countries are friendly to each other, and there are no disputes left over from history or major conflicts of interests between the two countries.

"China will work with Australia to promote the sound, steady and sustainable development of China-Australia relations, bring more benefits to the two peoples and contribute to regional peace, stability and development," said Wang.

He spoke highly of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue, saying that it has played a due role in deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation and enhancing friendship between the two sides.

Wang called on the two sides to continuously make good use of this platform to enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings between the two peoples, and make new contributions and add positive energy to the improvement and development of China-Australia relations.

Noting that the year 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia, Wang said that this year the two sides stand at a new starting point of another 50 years.

"Looking back at the past and looking forward to the future, if we look at bilateral relations with a 100-year horizon, the twists and turns in the past few years cannot define the nature of our bilateral relations, still less can they stop the pace of China-Australia cooperation," he said.

Wang underlined that it is necessary for the two sides to draw useful experience and lessons from the setbacks in the bilateral relations.

He urged the two sides to look at each other objectively, calmly and kindly, not interfere in each other's internal affairs, enhance mutual understanding through communication, and properly handle differences between each other.

China and Australia should remain partners rather than rivals, Wang said, calling on Australia to recognize China's development as an opportunity rather than a threat.

"We need to advance China-Australia relations independently and without any influence or interference from any third party," he said.

Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the two sides should make a fresh start again, comprehensively review cooperation in various fields, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang added.

Craig Emerson, head of the Australian delegation and former Australian Trade Minister, said that Australia is glad to see that bilateral relations are maturing after twists and turns.

"Australia always regards China as an important cooperative partner and is willing to conduct constructive and candid dialogue with China to understand each other, manage differences and develop long-term and stable Australia-China relations," Emerson said.

The two sides should also revitalize cooperation in multilateral institutions, jointly promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and work together for the well-being of the two countries and the world, Emerson added.

Wang said that both China and Australia are supporters and promoters of the multilateral trading system, and China is willing to work with all parties, including Australia, to build an Asia-Pacific community and promote globalization toward inclusive, open and win-win development. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Craig Emerson, head of an Australian delegation to the seventh session of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue and former Australian Trade Minister, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)
The special grand jury that investigated efforts by Donald Trump and others to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results recommended indictments against twice as many people as the 19 ultimately charged by prosecutors, leaving South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham among those not indicted.

The grand jurors' report released Friday showed they recommended charges against 39 people, including Graham, former U.S. senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Released at the request of the special grand jury, the report provides insight into one of the most expansive investigations into Trump, who is also facing two federal indictments along with unrelated state charges in New York City. While critics have accused Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of launching an unwieldy, overly broad case, the report suggests she used her discretion to streamline the case.

There are many reasons Willis might have chosen not to charge all those recommended, including immunity deals with some, federal protections for others or insufficient evidence to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The special grand jury included Graham's name in a section about "the national effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election," which Trump, the incumbent Republican, lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The South Carolina senator, who was the chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger shortly after the November election, and Raffensperger has said Graham asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots.

Perdue and Loeffler were sitting U.S. senators who had failed to win enough votes in the November 2020 general election and were forced into a January 2021 runoff, which they both ultimately lost to Democratic challengers. In the weeks after the election, they were vocal in their criticism of Raffensperger, going so far as to call for his resignation.

Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, blasted the report on his Truth Social site, saying, "They wanted to indict anybody who happened to be breathing at the time."

Graham, who has denied any wrongdoing, said, "It should never be a crime for a federal elected official, particularly the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will have to vote to certify a presidential election, to question and ensure the integrity of that election."

Loeffler, who has stayed involved in politics by founding and funding a Republican-aligned group called Greater Georgia, said she was speaking up for people who felt disenfranchised in the 2020 election.

"Trying to jail your party's leading political opponent ahead of 2024 is election interference. Speaking out in defense of election integrity is not," she said on X, formerly Twitter.

Flynn pointed to his lawyer Jesse Binnall's post on X: "General Michael Flynn will continue to fight for the truth, for America First principles, and for Donald Trump's return to The White House in 2024."

Representatives for Perdue didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The panel spent seven months hearing from 75 witnesses before completing a report in December with recommendations for Willis on charges.

The release of the identities of people recommended for indictment is a departure from ordinary grand jury protocol, which dictates that prosecutors do not disclose the names of individuals investigated but not charged so as to prevent potentially innocent subjects from being unduly maligned.

Special grand juries in Georgia are relatively uncommon and are essentially an investigative tool. They can subpoena witnesses and evidence but do not have the power to bring an indictment. Instead, they can produce a report with recommendations that are not binding on a district attorney, who can then seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

The special grand jury's report is based on the testimony of the witnesses whom prosecutors called and the evidence they presented over about seven months last year. In their report, the grand jurors made clear that the panel "contained no election law experts or criminal lawyers."

Of the 19 people ultimately indicted, only one was not included in the special grand jury's recommendations. A former White House aide who served as the director of Trump's Election Day operations, Michael Roman, was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panel's recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect people's due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury had indicted Trump and 18 other people under the state's anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.
It started with an image of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on her China trip last month, reportedly taken on what the Chinese tech giant Huawei is touting as a breakthrough 5G mobile phone. Within days, fake ad campaigns on Chinese social media were depicting Raimondo as a Huawei brand ambassador promoting the phone.

The tongue-in-cheek doctored photos made such a splash that they appeared on the social media accounts of state media CCTV, giving them a degree of official approval.

VOA contacted the U.S. Department of Commerce for a reaction but didn't receive a response by the time of publication.

Chinese nationalists spare no effort to tout the Huawei Mate 60 Pro  equipped with domestically made chips  as a breakthrough showing China's 5G technological independence despite U.S. sanctions on exports of key components and technology. However, experts say the phone's capability may be exaggerated.

A social media video posted by Chinese phone users shows that after the Huawei Mate 60 Pro is turned on and connected to the wireless network, it does not display the 4G or 5G signal indicator icon. But these reviewers say the download speed is on par with that of mainstream 5G phones.

A test done by Bloomberg also shows the phone's bandwidth is similar to other 5G phones.

Richard Windsor, the founder and owner of the British research company Radio Free Mobile, told VOA a simple speed test is not good evidence that the phone is 5G capable.

"It is quite possible through a technique called carrier aggregation to get the kind of speed that was demonstrated," Windsor said. "You can do that with 4G.  You will see the story on 5G is not [about] speed or throughput but latency efficiency and producing good reception at high frequencies. That's what the 5G story is all about."

Throughput and latency are ways to measure network performance. Latency refers to how quickly information moves across a network; throughput refers to the amount of information that moves in a certain time.

Huawei's official website makes no mention of 5G technology, which also raised skepticism.

"If the new Huawei mobile phone was a 5G phone with an advanced Chinese chipset, Huawei and China would have told the whole world. Huawei and China are not humble people. They love to tell stories," John Strand, CEO of Strand Consult, told VOA.

The research firm TechInsights took the Huawei phone apart and discovered a Kirin 9000s chip produced by Chinese chipmaker SMIC.

While sanctions prevent SMIC from having access to the most cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography tools used by other leading chipmakers  such as TSMC, Samsung and Intel  it could use some older equipment to make advanced chips.

However, experts suspect SMIC won't be able to mass produce the Kirin 9000s chips on a profitable scale without more advanced tools.

"Being able to make a chip that works," Windsor said, "and being able to make millions of chips at good yields that don't bankrupt you in terms of costs are two very, very different things."

VOA asked Huawei and SMIC for comment but didn't receive a response by the time of publication.

Dan Hutcheson, vice chair of TechInsights, said in a press release that China's production of the Kirin 9000s "shows the resilience of the country's chip technological ability" while demonstrating the challenge faced by countries that seek to restrict Chinas access to critical manufacturing technologies. "The result may likely be even greater restrictions than what exist today."

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a White House press briefing Tuesday that the U.S. needs "more information about precisely its character and composition" to determine if parties bypassed American restrictions on semiconductor exports to create the new chip.

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from the U.S. state of Texas, was quoted Wednesday saying he was concerned about the possibility of China trying to "get a monopoly" on the manufacture of less-advanced computer chips.

"We talk a lot about advanced semiconductor chips, but we also need to look at legacy," he told Reuters, referring to older computer chip technology that does not fall under current export controls.

Editors note: An earlier version of this article erroneously identified the chip found in Huaweis Mate 60 Pro phone. The chip is a Kirin 9000s.
An international team of at least 150 rescuers gathered at a Turkish cave Friday and prepared to try to bring out a U.S. explorer who fell ill nearly a week ago while exploring more than 1,000 meters underground.

Mark Dickey, 40, was exploring Morca Cave near Anamur, Turkey, in the Taurus Mountains with a team of about 12 others last Saturday when he fell ill with what was determined to be internal bleeding.

At a depth of 1,040 meters, Dickey was unable to climb out on his own. The Turkish Caving Federation said the team alerted the European Cave Rescue Association.

A Hungarian rescue team that includes a doctor reached Dickey this week, was able to get him medicine and blood infusions, and was monitoring him at a base camp.

Dickey appeared in a video message that the rescuers recorded and released Friday. He appeared to be in good spirits but said he was not healed on the inside yet and would need a lot of help climbing out of the cave.

The head of the Turkish search-and-rescue team, Recep Salci, told the Reuters news agency Friday that Dickey was stable enough to be moved but that the operation would likely take several days.

Salci said that getting to Dickey's location involves many narrow passages and descents where a rope must be used. Some areas can be accessed only by crawling.

Salci said it takes a healthy caver 12 hours to get down to the location and 16 hours to climb up. He said some areas would require explosives to widen.

Salci said many of the operations were already being carried out.

In his video message, Dickey thanked the Turkish government and others who reached him initially with medical supplies, which he said saved his life. He also thanked the international community of cave explorers who have responded.

The European Cave Rescue Association said teams from Turkey, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Poland arrived at the scene over the course of the last week. How long the rescue mission will take depends on whether Dickey will require a stretcher on the way out, Werner Zegler, the associations vice president, told VOA in an interview.

Zegler estimated that it would take three or four days if Dickey did not need a stretcher and up to two weeks if he did. According to Zegler, there were more than 100 rescuers on site. If initial extraction efforts fail, more might be necessary, he said.

Ivana Konstantinovic of VOAs Serbian Service contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
More than a decade after a tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Japans Pacific coast, the country has begun releasing the treated wastewater that has been accumulating on the site of the disaster, sparking anger in the region despite assurances by scientists that the process will not be harmful to the environment.

The water being released into the Pacific has been largely decontaminated of most dangerous elements, but contains small amounts of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that cannot be extracted through any existing treatment method.

Water releases began in late August and will continue sporadically for decades as Japan works to reduce the amount of treated water on the site of the power plant. That water is currently stored in more than 800 tanks. Japanese officials say that it is necessary to drain and remove some of the tanks so that facilities necessary for the decommissioning of the plant can be built.

Japanese officials have gone to great lengths to demonstrate their confidence in the safety of the water surrounding Fukushima. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appeared on television eating sashimi prepared from fish caught in the area after the water releases began.

Despite such displays, as well as assessments from experts, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, that the release of water will not cause harm to the environment, protests have arisen.

Japan and South Korea have been the sites of large demonstrations against the release. The Chinese government has been among the most vocal critics, accusing Japan of behaving irresponsibly and imposing a ban on the importation of Japanese seafood.

2011 disaster

The Fukushima power plant was devastated in 2011, after an earthquake off the coast of Japan generated a massive tidal wave that swept ashore on the east coast of Honshu Island, killing some 20,000 people and inundating entire cities. The wave disabled the systems that the plant used to keep nuclear fuel rods cool, resulting in a catastrophic meltdown of one of its reactors and the release of dangerous amounts of radiation.

The Japanese government was forced to evacuate tens of thousands of residents from the region and has been working ever since to mitigate the damage and prevent further contamination.

That process has involved an ongoing effort to keep the plants fuel rods cool, using seawater. The process causes the water to be contaminated by a number of radioactive elements. The water is retained on site and treated by what is known as the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which removes almost all contaminants, with the exception of tritium.

Nuclear experts measure the amount of tritium present in a substance using units called becquerels. According to the World Health Organization, water containing up to 10,000 becquerels of tritium per liter is considered safe to drink. The treated water discharged from the Fukushima plant is being diluted to the point that it contains approximately 190 becquerels of tritium per liter.

Other countries release tritium

Japan is not the only country to release water containing tritium into oceans and rivers. Many nations that rely on nuclear power for some of their energy supply similarly release treated wastewater.

Despite its criticism of Japans actions at Fukushima, at least four Chinese nuclear power plants also release water containing tritium into the ocean, all of them at significantly greater concentrations than in Fukushima.

Over the length of the plan, Japan expects 22 trillion becquerels of tritium per year to be released. According to data released by the Japanese government, Chinas Qinshan Phase III Nuclear Power Plant in Zhejiang province released 143 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2020. Last year, the report said, Chinas Yangjiang Nuclear Power Station in Guangdong province released 121 trillion, while two other plants released 102 trillion and 90 trillion, respectively.

Other countries with nuclear power plants that release tritium include South Korea, France, Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

There is no clear evidence that tritium-containing water has caused environmental damage or posed a danger to humans or wildlife in the areas where it has been released, in some cases for decades.

Chinas opposition

The Chinese government has taken a very public stand against the Fukushima water releases, despite engaging in the same practice itself.

A statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, in part, "The ocean is the common property of all humanity, and forcibly starting the discharge of Fukushimas nuclear wastewater into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores international public interests."

Criticism from Beijing has resulted in a concerted effort on the part of many Chinese citizens to bombard Japanese government agencies and businesses with abusive phone calls. In some cases, the near-constant barrage of calls has made it difficult for some businesses to conduct their normal operations.

Shihoko Goto, acting director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank, told VOA that Chinas decision to focus so intently on the Fukushima water release is meant to demonstrate the significant "economic leverage" it has over Japan.

"It makes clear that Japan and the Japanese economy  [are] incredibly dependent on China," she said.

The controversy has also served as a distraction at a time when the Chinese economy is stumbling badly.

"That's been standard practice in China in the past. When things are going well, they don't necessarily see the need to lash out," she said. "But given the current circumstances, it's certainly a way for China to distract from the real issues."

Goto said it also demonstrates that "Chinese economic coercion is not going to be limited to small countries. It's also prepared to go against the world's third-largest economy."
North Korea has launched its first operational "tactical nuclear attack submarine" and assigned it to the fleet that patrols the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, state media said Friday.

Submarine No. 841 -- named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a North Korean historical figure -- will be one of the main "underwater offensive means of the naval force" of North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un said at the launch ceremony Wednesday.

Analysts said the vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s and began producing domestically. Its design, with 10 launch tube hatches, showed it was most likely armed with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, analysts said.

But such weapons won't add much value to the North's more robust land-based nuclear forces, because the aging submarines used as the core of the new design are relatively noisy, slow and have limited range, meaning they may not survive as long during a war, said Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who works with the 38 North project in Washington.

"When this thing is field deployed, it's going to be quite vulnerable to allied anti-submarine warfare," he said. "So, I think from a sort of hard-headed military standpoint this doesn't make a lot of sense."

South Korea's military said that the submarine didn't appear ready for normal operations, and that there were signs North Korea was attempting to exaggerate its capabilities.

At the launch ceremony, Kim said arming the navy with nuclear weapons was an urgent task and promised more underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons for the naval forces, news agency KCNA reported.

"The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK," KCNA said, using the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea plans to turn other existing submarines into nuclear armed vessels, and accelerate its push to eventually build nuclear-powered submarines, Kim said.

"Achieving a rapid development of our naval forces ... is a priority that cannot be delayed given ... the enemies' recent aggressive moves and military acts," the North Korean leader said in a speech, apparently referring to the United States and South Korea.

North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the submarine launch drew condemnation from South Korea and Japan.

"North Korea's military activity is posing graver and more imminent threat to our country's security than before," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a briefing.

Nuclear attack submarine

The designation as a "tactical" submarine suggests it does not carry submarine launched ballistic missiles or SLBMs that can reach the U.S. mainland, but rather smaller, short-range SLBMs or submarine-launched cruise missiles, SLCMs, capable of striking South Korea, Japan, or other regional targets, said Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain.

The rear of the submarine's sail - the tower that juts out of the top of the hull - was expanded and 10 vertical launch tubes, four large and sox small, were installed, likely for SLBMs and SLCMs, he said.

North Korea has test-fired both SLBMs and SLCMs.

It is unclear whether North Korea has fully developed the miniaturized nuclear warheads needed for such missiles. Analysts say that perfecting smaller warheads would most likely be a key goal if the North resumes nuclear testing.

North Korea has about 20 Romeo-class submarines, which are powered by diesel-electric engines and are obsolete by modern standards, with most other countries operating them only as training vessels.

Analysts first spotted signs that at least one new submarine was being built in 2016, and in 2019 state media showed Kim inspecting a previously unreported submarine built under "his special attention" that would operate off the east coast.

State media at the time did not describe the submarine's weapons systems or say where and when the inspection took place, but analysts said the apparent size of the new vessel indicated it was designed to carry missiles.

North Korea has a large submarine fleet but only the experimental ballistic missile submarine 8.24 Yongung (August 24th Hero) is known to have fired a missile.

The launching ceremony comes as North Korea is set to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding day on Saturday and follows reports that Kim plans to travel to Russia this month to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss weapons supplies to Moscow.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta, and asked Beijing to do more as a U.N. Security Council member to address North Korea's nuclear threat.
South Korean officials say North Korea has likely been invited to join Russia and China for the first time in trilateral naval exercises that experts see as a response to the newly cemented strategic cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is believed to have proposed the joint naval drills during a visit to Pyongyang in July, according to South Korean lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum. Yoo said National Intelligence Service Director Kim Kyou-hyun briefed about the proposal at a closed-door meeting on Monday.

China and Russia have held annual joint naval exercises for over a decade, but this would mark the first time that North Korea has been invited to participate. The development followed reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss possible weapons transfers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing on Thursday that she did not have information about the proposed drills with Russia and North Korea.

David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, told VOA the proposal for naval drills appeared to be a direct response to what he called JAROKUS, or the new Japan-ROK-US security arrangement, using an acronym for South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea.

He said that arrangement, sealed at a mid-August summit at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, is arguably the most important security arrangement in Northeast Asia in the 21st century and probably in the last seven decades.

'Authoritarian axis'

Maxwell said members of the Moscow-Beijing-Pyongyang authoritarian axis may also feel a need to counter other U.S.-led security alliances, including AUKUS (Australia, the U.K. and the U.S.), the QUAD (Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.) and NATO.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have conducted several joint ballistic missile defense drills of their own this year in response to North Koreas missile launches.

At Camp David, the three countries agreed to hold annual multidomain trilateral exercises and exchange real-time missile warning data. They also committed to consult as necessary on military responses to common threats.

Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, said joint drills by Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang will be pretty preliminary in the beginning as the three militaries learn how to share information and communicate with each other.

That doesnt mean thats where theyre going to end, he said. This would be the beginning of a whole sequence of naval drills and ground and air drills" in which the countries would most likely cooperate.

China and Russia have held annual naval drills since 2012, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry. The militaries of the two countries began training together in 2005, and in 2018, Beijing sent its ground troops and aircraft to join Russias Vostok exercises, according to the RAND Corporation.

In July, Beijing and Moscow held Northern/Interaction-2023 military exercises in the Sea of Japan. It was the first drill they had conducted near Japan.

Reports of the trilateral naval drills came just days before Kim is expected to travel to Russias far eastern port city of Vladivostok to attend the September 10-13 Eastern Economic Forum. While there, he is expected to meet Putin to discuss potential arms deliveries.

The New York Times, citing U.S. and allied officials on Monday, said Putin is likely to ask Kim for artillery shells and antitank missiles for use in his war in Ukraine, while Kim will probably ask for satellite technology and nuclear-powered submarines.

On Friday in North Korea, the state-run KCNA news agency said the country had held a "submarine-launching ceremony" on Wednesday that it said would bolster its naval force. Kim said equipping the navy with nuclear weapons is an urgent task as he inspected what KCNA described as tactical nuclear submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" on Thursday.

Assist to Russian army

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, said the North Korean weapons could help the Russian army persevere in a primarily stalemated war in Ukraine.

But even without the North Korean weapons, he said, Putin is likely to benefit from the trilateral naval drills because they would help divert international attention from Ukraine by elevating security concerns for the United States and its allies in Asia.

Mao, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a press briefing on Thursday that the potential arms negotiations between Moscow and Pyongyang are matters that relate to the two countries, and she declined to comment further.

But other experts said China also stands to benefit from anything that prolongs the war in Ukraine.

The upside for Beijing  is that it depletes U.S. weapons stockpiles and makes it harder for the U.S. to fulfill weapons commitments to Taiwan, said Dennis Wilder, who served as the National Security Council director for China in 2004-05.

It also keeps significant U.S. forces focused on Europe and away from the Indo-Pacific, he said.

Bennett at RAND said the U.S. and its allies had depleted a lot of our weapons stocks, sending them off to Ukraine without adequately replacing anything.

We no longer have a two-major-theater war capability, he said. What do we do if all of a sudden we have three major wars? including the war in Ukraine and potential conflicts over Taiwan and in the Korean Peninsula.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing Tuesday that Russias weapons were depleted as well.

Describing Russias outreach to North Korea as an act of desperation, he said Moscow finds it necessary only because the U.S. and its allies have continued to squeeze Russias defense industrial base.
Kurdish-led Syrian forces have announced the end of a weeklong operation in eastern Syria to put down an attempted revolt by elements of a local affiliate, though analysts say the U.S.-backed group still faces major challenges in the Arab-majority region.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, on Wednesday said it had concluded its military campaign in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, while continuing a sweeping operation at a flashpoint town in the restive region.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has researchers on the ground, said Thursday that the fighting between the SDF and former members of an allied militia had left at least 90 people dead.

The clashes erupted last week between the SDF and its Arab-led affiliate, the Deir el-Zour Military Council, after the former removed the councils commander, Ahmed al-Khubail, also known as Abu Khawla, from his post. The SDF accused Abu Khawla and several other local leaders of criminal activity, corruption and having connections with the Syrian government and Iranian-backed militias.

The SDF is a Kurdish-led military alliance that has been a major U.S. partner in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. Supported by a U.S.-led global coalition, the SDF has controlled large parts of territory once controlled by IS, also known as ISIS or Daesh.

US position

Amid last weeks clashes, the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, or CJTF-OIR, called for an immediate end to the violence.

It is imperative that all local leaders resist the influence of malign actors who promise many rewards but will deliver only suffering to the peoples of the area, CJTF-OIR said in a statement. This poses dire consequences and only allows for a situation that nobody welcomes  the resurgence of our common enemy  Daesh.

The U.S. has about 900 troops in northeast Syria, including in Deir el-Zour, as part of continued efforts to combat IS remnants.

Hoshang Hasan, a reporter at the local North Press agency, said the important thing right now is to return stability to that part of Syria, because IS could take advantage of the recent chaos by regrouping and waging attacks.

But experts said the recent episode of violence in Deir el-Zour highlighted the precariousness of the coalitions position.

It really relies on cohesion between the Kurdish-led portions of the SDF and the Arab tribes in Deir el-Zour, said Calvin Wilder, an analyst at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington. If one side or the other breaks away, then the project is going to struggle to stay viable for any length of time.

Deepened tensions

Deir el-Zours residents are primarily ethic Arabs, but the SDF is strongly under the control of Kurdish groups.

Even the SDF claims about having currently suppressed the uprising, I think the resentment is there, and there is a potential for another round of unrest to happen, said Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Syria researcher at Swansea University in Britain.

The uprising episode showed that there are locals who just wont be satisfied with the SDF at all. Their preference is they just want the SDF entirely out of Deir el-Zour, he told VOA.

Kurdish leaders blamed the Syrian government and Iranian-backed militias, who control parts of Deir el-Zour, for destabilizing the situation in areas under SDFs control.

We have evidence that proves fighters from regime-held areas were crossing the Euphrates River into our areas, said Ilham Ahmed, executive president of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the SDF.

She told VOA that those fighters had been sent by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its main backer, Iran, to target the SDF and U.S. troops.

But Wilder of the New Lines Institute said, There will be a temptation to believe claims that the uprising is entirely a product of malign Iranian or Assadist influence and use that as a pretext to decisively crush it without listening to or addressing any of the local grievances that fueled the fighting.

Damascus and Tehran are attempting to foster instability for their own gain, but that doesn't explain the recent fighting on its own, Wilder said.

He said the tensions in Deir el-Zour started in 2017 after the consolidation of the SDF as the dominant military force in northeast Syria, noting that such tensions also could be attributed to the SDFs ideological commitments to secularism, democratic confederalism and a specific understanding of womens empowerment.

Tribal leaders in Deir el-Zour chafed at the idea of a new, Kurdish-led government attempting to spread its sociopolitical vision in their territory, even if they had areas of mutual agreement - in particular, strong opposition to both ISIS and the Assad regime, Wilder said.

The most important thing for the United States to do is to maintain its position as a mediator and push both sides [the SDF and local leaders] to negotiate actively and in good faith.

VOAs Zana Omer contributed to this report from Hasakah, Syria.
Human Rights Watch said in a report Friday it has concluded that Afghanistans Taliban is committing the crime against humanity of gender persecution against Afghanistans women and girls.

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, it has been widely reported that the group has sought to deny women and girls basic human rights and to remove them from public life.

According to Afghanistan Under the Taliban: The Crime Against Humanity of Gender Persecution, Taliban bans on Afghanistans females include restrictions on freedom of movement, expression, and association; restrictions on employment; restrictions on dress; bans on education; and arbitrary arrests and violations of the right to liberty.

Crimes against humanity can be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court, the report says, but they can also be prosecuted in ad hoc international courts that have jurisdiction, the domestic courts of the country where the crimes took place, and in other countries courts in which the principle of universal jurisdiction applies.

Human Rights Watch is urging the Taliban to dismantle all forms of repression and discrimination that result in the denial of the basic human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The organization is not alone in its criticism of the Taliban, earlier this year, a report from the United Nations Human Rights Councils special rapporteur on Afghanistan said the countrys rulers may be responsible for gender apartheid, exacerbating the plight of women and girls under its austere version of law.

The Taliban has accused the United Nations and Western institutions of spreading "propaganda" against their administration, arguing that Islamic laws are being implemented in Afghanistan and that any opposition is a problem with Islam.
A Russian missile strike hit the central Ukraine town of Kryvyi Rih, killing a police officer and wounding dozens more, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Kryvyi Rih is Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy's hometown.

Meanwhile, Ukraines air force shot down 16 out of 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones over Ukraines Odesa region, launched from Russia, early Friday, according to military officials.

This was the fifth time this week Odesa has been targeted, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

In another attack, at least three people were injured after a Russian strike on the northeastern Ukraine city of Sumy.

Zelenskyy lauded three military units Thursday for very, very effective action against Russian troops on the front in eastern and southern Ukraine as part of Kyivs ongoing counteroffensive.

One national guard unit was fighting in the east and two in the south, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Thank you soldiers for very, very effective results in destroying the occupiers, Zelenskyy said. And results are precisely what Ukraine needs now from everyone.

The praise comes after the Ukrainian military said Thursday its air defenses destroyed 25 of 33 drones that Russia used to attack the Sumy and Odesa regions overnight.

Kiper said the Russian attack hit the Izmail area for the fourth time in five days, injuring one person.

Kiper said the attack also damaged port infrastructure facilities and an administrative building.

Despite the recent praise from Zelenskyy, Ukraines counteroffensive is moving more slowly than many U.S. officials had predicted. That means U.S. President Joe Bidens latest request to Congress for more Ukraine assistance is facing rising opposition from some members of the Republican Party.

In August, Biden asked Congress to approve $40 billion in additional spending, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs and $16 billion for disaster relief.

While Biden may face new challenges to secure additional aid for Ukraine, Ukraines forces kept up their assault on Russia.

Russias Defense Ministry said it destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region, as well as one in Bryansk and another on the outskirts of Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that debris from a downed drone landed in the Ramensky district but did not cause any damage or casualties.

Drone debris was also the subject of a Thursday call between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu. They discussed Romanias investigation into drone debris found in Romania near its border with Ukraine, the U.S. State Department said.

Meanwhile, debris from a downed Ukrainian drone targeting an industrial site in southern Russias Bryansk region on Thursday set an administrative building on fire, the regions governor said, but the conflagration was brought under control.

Elsewhere, a new biography about Elon Musk alleges that he ordered his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near the coast of Crimea last year to hinder a Ukrainian submarine drone attack on Russian warships.

The biography, written by Walter Isaacson, alleges that Musk ordered Starlink engineers to turn off service to the area over concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin would retaliate with nuclear weapons. CNN quoted from the book, set to be released Sept. 12. Neither Musk nor Isaacson responded to CNNs requests for comment.

Zelenskyy introduced new Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Thursday, saying transparency and trust are a priority.

Zelenskyy said he wants Umerov to strengthen the ministrys strategic and coordination functions for the entire defense sector, prioritize individual warriors and cut red tape, develop international cooperation and ensure Ukraine completes its NATO accession homework, and scale up the successes of specific units for all of our defense forces.

Zelenskyy picked Umerov to replace Oleksii Reznikov, who helped secure Western military aid in response to Russias full-scale invasion. The leadership shakeup followed allegations of corruption at the Defense Ministry, which Reznikov dismissed as a smear campaign.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the European Parliament on Thursday that Ukrainian forces are gradually gaining ground and breaching Russian defenses in their counteroffensive. He pushed back against critics who say the counteroffensive has not been successful, citing the unpredictable nature of war and the need to stand by Ukraine through both good days and bad.

"To support Ukraine is not an option, it is a necessity to ensure that to preserve peace for our members, for our countries, and to ensure that authoritarian regimes [dont] achieve what they want by violating international law and using military force, Stoltenberg said.

The NATO chief also said he expects Turkeys parliament to ratify Swedens accession to the alliance as soon as possible when lawmakers reconvene in October.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Thursday his armys operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed more than 560 members of the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, a group allied with Islamic State militants.

Museveni also said he has asked the DRC army to deploy local militia to stop the ADF, a move analysts warned will only cause more trouble.

In an address Thursday night, Museveni, wearing military attire, revealed that since the start of Operation Shuja by the Uganda People's Defense Forces, or UPDF, in 2021, it has killed 567 ADF rebels allied with Islamic State militants in the DRC.

Fifty terrorists were captured alive, and 32 surrendered, he said. Several ammunition depots were recovered.

With permission from DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, Museveni said, the Ugandan army cleared the Rwenzori mountains of ADF rebels. Most of the militants have been pushed toward Mambasa, in the Ituri province, he said.

Still, Museveni said, he learned in a recent meeting with Christian Tshiwewe Songhesha, the commander of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or FARDC, that the ADF is capable of returning to some areas and causing trouble.

In response, Museveni said that the Ugandan army would work with the FARDC to deploy local defense units in villages to help prevent further attacks by the ADF. In that scenario, he said, mobile forces would hunt terrorists, zonal forces would stay in the area and the local militia would guard the villages.

We need a local force to stay there to make sure that they dont come back, he said. We have the capacity to ensure that no force hostile to the government of Congo or to our government can congregate anywhere and survive.

However, Asuman Bisiika, a security analyst, said it will be difficult for the Ugandan army to completely clear the ADF in the DRC. He argued that Museveni doesnt have enough authority and influence with the Congolese government.

Fear among the Congolese people is also a problem, he said.

You give a Congolese human being a gun, he creates his own militia, Bisiika said. So, I look at that strategy as untenable in the long run.

For now, the ADF seems to be striking closer to home for Ugandans. Museveni characterized the militants as desperate, blaming them for planting six improvised explosive devises in different parts of Kampala in the past week. The devices were retrieved and safely detonated by Ugandan security members, he said.

Seven people were arrested for planting the bombs.

The planners are in Congo, Museveni said. We are going for them. So, what we need to do is to make anybody who has got that idea of using these chemicals to kill people  lose appetite for doing that. You do it, we kill you.

Museveni urged Ugandans to stay calm and be vigilant of strangers in their communities.

In July, the British government issued an advisory saying the threat of terrorist attacks remains in Uganda and throughout the region. The U.S. Mission in Uganda has since June warned its nationals of possible attacks, especially within Kampala, even though they may not target foreigners.
TRIPOLI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Thursday expressed concern about the limited evacuation places for asylum-seekers and refugees from Libya to third countries.

"While UNHCR strives to help and facilitate durable solutions for as many refugees and asylum-seekers at heightened risks as possible, unfortunately, evacuation places are limited and are determined by receiving third countries," UNHCR said in a statement.

"UNHCR is extremely worried and concerned about these limited options and is endlessly advocating with destination countries to increase quotas and to speed up the processing as well as ensure a swift departure," the statement said.

UNHCR thanked those countries offering durable solutions to refugees, including Rwanda and Niger for hosting Emergency Transit Mechanisms, and for the support of the Libyan authorities to facilitate departures.

Due to the insecurity and chaos in Libya since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, many migrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya.

So far this year, UNHCR evacuated a total of 644 asylum-seekers and refugees from Libya to third countries. 
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a letter last month that Russia would be eligible to apply for membership and access to the SWIFT banking system for food and fertilizer transactions.

The Russian Agricultural Bank subsidiary in Luxembourg could immediately apply to SWIFT to "effectively enable access" for the bank to the international payments system within 30 days, the United Nations told Russia in a letter, seen by Reuters on Friday.

In an effort to persuade Moscow to return to the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative that had allowed the safe export through the Black Sea of Ukrainian grain, Guterres outlined four measures the United Nations could facilitate to improve Russia's grain and fertilizer exports.

Gutteres told Lavrov the United Nations was immediately ready to move on all measures "based on the clear understanding that their application would lead to the Russian Federation's return to the Black Sea Initiative and the full resumption of operations."

A key Russian demand has been the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payments system. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022 after Russia's February invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed skepticism at the U.N. chiefs proposals in a statement Wednesday.

"Instead of actual exemptions from sanctions, all Russia got was a new dose of promises from the U.N. Secretariat," it said. "These recent proposals do not contain any new elements and cannot serve as a foundation for making any tangible progress in terms of bringing our agricultural exports back to normal."

Russia exited the deal in July, a year after it was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey to combat a global food crisis the U.N. said was worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters.

Zelenskyy speaks out

In other developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin masterminded the death of Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in an unexplained plane crash with his top lieutenants last month.

Zelenskyy did not provide evidence to back up the claim he made in passing during a conference in Kyiv when he was asked a question about the Russian president.

"The fact that he killed Prigozhin  at least that's the information we all have, not any other kind  that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak," Zelenskyy said.

The Kremlin says all possible causes of the crash will be investigated, including the possibility of foul play. It has called the suggestion that Putin ordered the deaths of Prigozhin and his men an "absolute lie."

Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June that Putin characterized as treasonous and a "stab in the back."

Russian strike

A Russian missile strike hit the central Ukraine town of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, killing a police officer and wounding dozens more, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Kryvyi Rih is Zelenskyy's hometown.

Meanwhile, Ukraines air force shot down 16 out of 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones over Ukraines Odesa region, launched from Russia early Friday, according to military officials.

This was the fifth time this week Odesa has been targeted, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

In another attack on Friday, at least three people were injured in a Russian strike on the northeastern Ukraine city of Sumy.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
The United Nations expressed concern Friday over Russia's holding of "elections" in areas of Ukraine currently under Moscow's military control and condemned any actions that could further heighten tensions.

"These so-called elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine have no legal grounds," Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council. "We also recall that, as the occupying power, the Russian Federation is obligated under international humanitarian law to respect, unless absolutely prevented, the laws of Ukraine in force in the areas that it occupies."

Russia has announced it will hold elections for Russian-installed legislatures from September 8 to 10 in areas it claims to have annexed last year.

The international community does not recognize the Kremlin's attempted annexation of the territories, having voted overwhelmingly in the U.N. General Assembly last October to reject it by a vote of 143 to 5.

"Regrettably, one year later, amidst continuing intense fighting and unacceptable attacks against Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, these latest illegal attempts to organize new so-called electoral processes in the occupied areas of Ukraine further undermine the prospects for peace," the U.N.'s Jenca added.

'Staged expression of free will'

Ukraine's envoy said Kyiv would never recognize the outcome of what he called sham elections and urged the international community to impose tough new sanctions on Russia for the move.

"As terrorists force hostages to read a prepared text on camera, Russia makes the civilian population that has stayed in the occupied territories participate in a staged expression of free will," Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the council.

Russia's envoy said elections are taking place for representatives to regional parliaments and municipal bodies.

"Of course, in order for these four regions to fully integrate into Russia legally and administratively they need normal authorities that have the same powers as in other subjects of the Russian Federation," Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said.

No council member endorsed the Russian move, but some refrained from condemning it. However, several recalled the actions taken in the General Assembly rejecting annexation and attempted referenda, and warned elections could undermine a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

'A complete fraud'

The United States was more direct, calling the voting a propaganda stunt that would have predetermined and manipulated results.

"The Kremlin is rushing to fabricate electoral successes to hide its military losses in Ukraine from the Russian people," U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood told the council. "The Kremlin knows full well its elections in Ukraine are a complete fraud."
The United States is providing up to $600 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, in a package that includes weapons for air defense, artillery munitions and other capabilities.

The aid package that the Pentagon announced Thursday is meant to sustain and integrate Ukraines air defense systems with Western weapons, while also providing additional ammunition for HIMARS, an artillery rocket system that has proven very effective on the battlefield.

The package also includes 105 millimeter artillery rounds, electronic warfare and counterelectronic warfare equipment, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, and funds for training, maintenance and sustainment activities.

Funding for the package is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which focuses on future military needs.

The announcement came just a day after the U.S. announced a $175 million security assistance package for Ukraine to immediately provide ammunition and equipment from U.S. military stockpiles. It was the 46th time the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine with military assistance.

Our focus right now is making sure that Ukraine has what it needs on the battlefield, and thats flowing security assistance in when we can and as much as we can, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday in response to a question from VOA.

Wednesdays package included depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks, marking the first time the U.S. is sending the controversial armor-piercing munitions that have the ability to destroy Russian tanks.

Russia has slammed the decision, describing it as a criminal act and claiming the rounds cause cancer.

However, Singh said, The CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has stated that there is no evidence that depleted uranium rounds caused cancer. The World Health Organization reports that there has been no increase of leukemia or other cancers that have been established following any exposure to uranium or DU [depleted uranium]. And even the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] has stated unequivocally that there is no proven link between DU exposure and increases in cancers or significant health or environmental impacts.

Thirty-one U.S. Abrams tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the fall.

Colonel Marty ODonnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, told VOA on Thursday that about 200 Ukrainian soldiers were still training on the M1A1 Abrams tank at U.S. Army training areas in Germany, after recently completing a Combined Arms Battalion force-on-force exercise there.

At the request of Ukraine, the soldiers are maintaining their operator and maintenance proficiency until the 31 tanks the U.S. committed to refurbish and to deliver to Ukraine by the fall are ready. This proficiency training is expected to occur over a weekslong period, ODonnell said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the international community has trained more than 80,000 Ukrainians, he added.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro will visit China over Sept. 8-14, China's foreign ministry said on Friday, marking renewed engagement between the two countries amid deepening tensions between Beijing and Western capitals.

Maduro's arrival will follow meetings between a Venezuelan delegation, including the country's vice president and oil minister, and Chinese officials including foreign minister Wang Yi in Shanghai earlier this week, according to China's foreign ministry.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in a post on X on Friday that the two governments were strengthening bilateral relations, and expanding "strategic cooperation and international joint work, in favor of peace and respect for the principles and purposes of the UN Charter."

The visit coincides with the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, which China's president Xi Jinping will not attend.

Maduro last visited China in 2018, when he met with Xi in Beijing.

Energy investment and cooperation is likely to be a key focus for the trip. China is the world's largest importers of crude oil, while Venezuela has the largest proven reserves.

Despite US sanctions on Venezuelan oil, China imported around 283 million barrels, or around 38.8 million metric tons, of crude from the country last year, according to data from Kpler. Most Venezuelan shipments are transferred via third countries such as Malaysia.

China reported no crude imports from Venezuela in official customs data last year or thus far this year.

Chinese state-owned PetroChina holds a 40% stake in the Sinovensa project in the Orinoco belt alongside Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. The company stopped carrying Venezuelan oil in August 2019 after the Trump administration tightened sanctions against the South American exporter.

Venezuela is also heavily indebted to China following a $50 billion oil-for-loan deal agreed in 2007 by then-president Hugo Chavez. In 2020, the Maduro administration and Chinese banks agreed a grace period for some $19 billion of this debt, according to Reuters reporting.
A suicide attack targeted a military base in northern Mali on Friday, according to the army. There are no details on the death toll. The attack occurred a day after attacks on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali claimed by jihadists killed 64 people.
Home invasions, arson, gang attacks: As violence sweeps Haiti, the country's journalists are being targeted.

In the past two weeks, at least five Haitian journalists have fled their homes in the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.

Haiti has been affected by insecurity since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. In the aftermath of that, gangs have waged a violent battle for power in the capital.

The crisis led Human Rights Watch to say last month that "the Haitian government has failed to protect people" from the attacks, kidnappings and sexual violence taking place.

SEE ALSO: 2 Journalists Killed in Haiti as Gang Violence Spikes One of those who recently left their home is Arnold Junior Pierre, said the Committee to Protect Journalists or CPJ.

On August 31, gang members broke into the radio broadcaster's home and set the building on fire. Pierre and 15 of his relatives fled to safety.

"I'm afraid for my life," Pierre told CPJ, adding that he was not sure what specific coverage may have provoked the attack.

On July 31, a group of men attacked and beat Pierre while he covered a protest in the southwestern side of Port-au-Prince, and he said he also has received death threats from a police officer.

Also in July, assailants set fire to local station Radio Antarctique and several buildings, and two journalists were briefly kidnapped.

SEE ALSO: Haitian Journalists at Risk From Arson, Kidnapping, Attack Some journalists estimate that as many as nine reporters have been kidnapped in Haiti since the start of the year.

The rising violence and targeting of media have journalism groups worried.

"We are watching with grave concern as the situation in Haiti reaches new levels of bloodshed," said Cristina Zahar, Latin America, and Caribbean program coordinator for CPJ in a statement.

The New York-based organization says it believes more journalists will have to leave their homes because of insecurity.

Figures from the United Nations show the scale of the issue.

"Between January 1 and August 15 of this year, at least 2,439 people have been killed and a further 902 injured. In addition, at least 951 people have been kidnapped," United Nations rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva last month.

In its 2023 assessment of Haiti, Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, said the country is one of the region's most dangerous for the media, with reporters "increasingly vilified and vulnerable."

"Haitian journalists were already risking their lives whenever they went into the field but now they are in danger even when at home," Artur Romeu, director of the Latin America bureau at RSF said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday lauded three military units for very, very effective action against Russian troops on the front in eastern and southern Ukraine as part of Kyivs counteroffensive.

One national guard unit was fighting in the east and two in the south, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Thank you, soldiers, for very, very effective results in destroying the occupiers, Zelenskyy said. And results are precisely what Ukraine needs now from everyone.

The praise came after the Ukrainian military said Thursday that its air defenses had destroyed 25 of 33 drones Russia used to attack the Sumy and Odesa regions overnight.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, said the Russian attack hit the Izmail area for the fourth time in five days, injuring one person.

Kiper said the attack also damaged port infrastructure facilities and an administrative building.

Despite the recent praise from Zelenskyy, Ukraines counteroffensive is moving more slowly than many U.S. officials had predicted. That meant President Joe Bidens latest request to Congress for more Ukraine assistance was facing rising opposition from some members of the Republican Party.

In August, Biden asked Congress to approve $40 billion in additional spending, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs and $16 billion for disaster relief.

While Biden may face new challenges to secure additional aid for Ukraine, Ukraines forces kept up their assault on Russia.

Russias Defense Ministry said it had destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region, as well as one in Bryansk and another on the outskirts of Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that debris from a downed drone had landed in the Ramensky district but hadn't caused any damage or casualties.

Drone debris was also the subject of a Thursday call between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu. They discussed Romanias investigation into drone debris found in Romania near its border with Ukraine, the U.S. State Department said.

Meanwhile, debris from a downed Ukrainian drone targeting an industrial site in southern Russias Bryansk region on Thursday set an administrative building on fire, the regions governor said, but the conflagration was brought under control.

Elsewhere, a new biography about Elon Musk alleges that he ordered his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near the coast of Crimea last year to hinder a Ukrainian submarine drone attack on Russian warships.

The biography, written by Walter Isaacson, alleges that Musk ordered Starlink engineers to turn off service to the area because of concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin would retaliate with nuclear weapons. CNN quoted from the book, set to be released September 12. Neither Musk nor Isaacson responded to CNNs requests for comment.

Also Thursday, Zelenskyy introduced new Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, saying transparency and trust were priorities.

Zelenskyy said he wanted Umerov to strengthen the ministrys strategic and coordination functions for the entire defense sector, prioritize individual warriors and cut red tape, develop international cooperation and ensure Ukraine completes its NATO accession homework, and scale up the successes of specific units for all of our defense forces.

Zelenskyy picked Umerov to replace Oleksii Reznikov, who helped secure Western military aid in response to Russias invasion. The leadership shake-up followed allegations of corruption at the Defense Ministry, which Reznikov dismissed as a smear campaign.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the European Parliament on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were gradually gaining ground and breaching Russian defenses in their counteroffensive. He pushed back against critics who say the counteroffensive has not been successful, citing the unpredictable nature of war and the need to stand by Ukraine through both good days and bad.

"To support Ukraine is not an option, it is a necessity," Stoltenberg said, citing the need "to preserve peace for our members, for our countries, and to ensure that authoritarian regimes [dont] achieve what they want by violating international law and using military force.

The NATO chief also said he expected Turkeys parliament to ratify Swedens accession to the alliance as soon as possible when lawmakers reconvene in October.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
YAOUNDE, CAMEROON 

Gabon military leader General Brice Oligui Nguema says former president Ali Bongo, who was toppled in an August 30 coup, has been freed from house arrest.

The junta also announced the creation of a transitional constitutional council.

Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, spokesperson of Gabon's Committee for the Transformation and Restoration of Institutions, declared on Gabon National Television that, for health reasons, Bongo has been released and can seek medical treatment abroad.

Bongo had a stroke in October 2018, which left him physically impaired, with difficulty moving his right leg and arm. He frequently visited foreign hospitals for treatment, according to Gabon's military junta.

The military junta announced Bongo's freedom after Abdou Abarry, head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, met with the deposed leader in Libreville.

Abarry said Bongo is in good health and wants the preservation of peace and social cohesion in Gabon.

Jean Christophe Nang, a secondary school teacher in Bitam, a commercial town on Gabon's northern border with Cameroon, said military leader Nguema  a first cousin of Bongo who led the ousted president's security team  should have prohibited Bongo from leaving Gabon.

Gabon needs Bongo to provide information on the large fortune his family and friends have amassed from the misuse of public funds and corruption in oil exploitation deals, Nang said. He added that Nguema should watch out because Bongo, whose family has ruled for close to 60 years, and his supporters may have plans to destabilize Gabon.

Bongo came to power in 2009 following the death of his father, Omar, who had led the central African country since 1967.

Gabon's opposition says the family ruled with an iron fist and confiscated most of the oil-producing nation's wealth.

Nang said countries should help Gabon recover ill-gotten wealth hidden by the Bongo family.

New constitutional council

The military junta said a transitional constitutional council has been created, and Dieudonne Aba'A Owono, a civilian magistrate, was appointed as president. Civilians were appointed to govern the nine regions that make up Gabon. The junta also appointed Brigadier General Rapontchombo Judes Ibrahim to manage the Libreville city council during a period of transition.

Nguema said officials of the transitional constitutional council will be officially installed in the days ahead.

Gabon's dissolved constitutional council was created by Omar Bongo, Ali Bongo's father, in 1991.

Marie Madeleine Mborantsuo  the country's top magistrate and the elder Bongo's one-time romantic partner  served as president of the constitutional council from its creation until it was dissolved by the military junta last week.

Mborantsuo said she welcomes the creation of another constitutional council because Gabon has entered a new era and all of its institutions need to be rebuilt. She added that she spoke with Nguema and is ready to hand over power to the president of the newly created transitional constitutional council.

Despite the appointment of civilians and the apparent popularity of Nguema, the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community continue to call on Gabon's military junta to hand over power to civilian rule.
Former Vice President Kembo Mohadi, who resigned two years ago for allegedly having improper sexual relations with women, has bounced back.

Mohadi and co-vice president, Constantino Chiwenga, were sworn in by Chief Justice Luke Malaba in Harare today amid political tensions in Zimbabwe as the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change is calling for fresh elections monitored by the Southern African Development Community. (SADC).

Mohadi was initially appointed vice president in 2018, a year after the late former President Robert Mugabe was toppled by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

At the time he resigned, Mohadi said he die this not as a matter of cowardice but as a sign of demonstrating great respect to the office of the president.

He is a former junior intelligence officer of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (Zapu), once led by the late Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.

In an interview today, Mohadi said, Im here to serve the nation. I have been serving the nation since the coming in of the second republic and I continue to do so.

He could not be drawn to discuss his alleged flirtation with women.

Mnangagwa was sworn in a few days ago with the opposition claiming that he stole the vote.

In the preliminary report, SADC, European Union and African Union observers said Zimbabwes elections fell short of regional and international standards.

Meanwhile, Jacob Mudenda of the ruling Zanu PF party was re-elected today as Speaker of Parliament.

Tobias Mudzingwa and Mavis Gama contributed to this article
HEFEI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Scientists believe that 600 million years ago, the Earth's surface twice became entirely or nearly entirely frozen, a stage known as Snowball Earth. Chinese scientists have proposed new mechanisms for the evolution of life during that period.

The Cryogenian Sturtian and Marinoan Snowball Earth glaciations bracket is a nonglacial interval during which Demosponge and green-algal biomarkers first appeared. To understand the relationships between environmental perturbations and early animal evolution, a research group led by Shen Yan'an of the University of Science and Technology of China measured sulfur and mercury isotopes from south China.

Their research, published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday, shows that Snowball Earth may have provided a bottleneck for some preglacial life-forms but also suggests that melt ponds on the surface of ice and zones of sublimation were potential nurseries for the diversification of life.

The research team selected geological boreholes up to 100 meters deep for systematic analysis. They found that in the early period of Snowball Earth melting, the chemical composition of seawater was significantly different from modern seawater, and changes in mercury isotopes suggest enhanced volcanism.

Based on that, the researchers proposed that the sudden deglaciation caused a sudden depressurization of terrestrial magma chambers, thereby inducing magma activity and volcanic eruptions.

"It's like moving a huge boulder from the ground, and the suppressed underground magma suddenly erupted. The volcanic eruptions lasted for about 100,000 years, promoting a chain reaction in the Earth's environment," said Li Menghan, a member of the research team.

According to Shen, their research results have practical significance.

"We are currently in a period of global warming, and some glaciers are melting, which may also induce volcanic eruptions and cause hypoxia in the ocean. These are all warnings that we must pay attention to the possible chain reaction of the Earth's environment," Shen said. 
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amapas, jalisco, Puerto Vallarta (158.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : First experience in earthquake. I have never felt this before, so it was hard to comprehend. I feel nervous now.

196.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

Puerto (159.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : We both felt a very short small movement . And we immediately thought it was a very small earth quake

Rincon de Guayabitos, Nayarit, Mexico. (205.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : I was working online in the living room of our house, everything started moving, I could see the TV moving so we ran outside.

Cofradia de Suchitlan, Comala, Colima (181.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Watching TV, chair started shaking sideways, ceiling fan chains swaying, front door shaking, lasted about 8 seconds.

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (164.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : Puerto Vallarta resort, shaking felt above slightly in the higher floor for a short bit but not sure how others felt being on ground. Noticed it shaking parts of our room a bit

Barra de Navidad Jalisco (76.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Laying down on couch. After three secondsthats an earthquake. I usually dont feel anything under 4

Puerto Vallarta (152.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Km 9.75, Carr. Costera a Barra de Navidad, Zona Hotelera SUR PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO 48390-0631 Working at desk Quake gently shook building - I am on 3 floor. Lasted for 3 to 5 seconds. Small aftershock about a second later. No damage

Tepic, Nayarit (337.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : I was sitting reading from my computer screen when I noticed that the letters began to move slightly from side to side. Likewise the desktop.

Puerto Vallarta Marina District Mexico (161.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Watching tv. Both my dog and I got up. Sliding glass door, chairs, items on tables moved due to shaking that was fairly hard

Cd. Guzman jalisco (212.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Estaba desayunando y senti que se movia el comedor, vi las lamparas y se movian de un lado a otro, si me asuste, porque asi empiezan

Tepic (261.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : Acostada sono una alarma del vecino en su celular al momento senti la cama temblar y para confirmar voltee a ver la ropa colgada de mi closet y tambaleaba

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (163.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was sitting at my desk and I felt very subtle movement side to side for about 5 seconds. It didn't shake any objects in my home. If you were moving around, you wouldn't feel it.

Jalipa, Manzanillo (117.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Was laying in bed, when second quake hit, shaking was stronger than the previous one, but of similar duration.

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (173 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : I was sitting at my computer desk and felt my chair swaying and finally realized it was an earthquake.

Tepic (264.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s : Estaba acostada y se empezo a mover la cama ,estoy a lado de mi ventana ala patio y la puerta del patio se empezo a mover

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Mexico (165.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : In bathroom. Exited and noted television rocking to and fro slightly. Heard creaking noises in my concrete structure and felt entire building moving. It was a roller.

Puerto Vallarta / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Felt a light rattle you just knew it wasnt going to get any stronger it didn't have the noise or first jolt of a bigger one.

nuevo vallarta / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : I am on the 2nd floor and I felt my desk move. My neighbor felt her table move on the ground floor patio.

Nuevo vallarta (172.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Puerto Vallarta (165.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Entire room at hotel was shaking, bed shaking, curtains swaying, etc.

Valle dorado (172.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Tepic (262.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Tepic (262.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Puerto Vallarta (157.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Boca de Tomatlan, Jalisco, MX (147.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 1-2 s

Nueva vallarta (168.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s : Si,senti un ligero movimiento en la silla donde estaba sentado

near San Andres, Mezquitic, Jalisco (347.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

puerto vallarta (161.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Light shaking

Manzanillo, Colima (114.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Dos temblores

Uruapan (354.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 20-30 s
Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Brian Roedel; Atsushi Nishijima/Searchlight Pictures; NEON

This years Venice Film Festival, sapped as it was of movie stars and glamor, had a slightly uncanny feeling. The selfie-seekers outside the Sala Grande, usually clamoring for the likes of Joaquin Phoenix or Lady Gaga, were instead falling over themselves to take photos with, for example, jury president Damien Chazelle, who looked baffled when I saw him yanked into a random cell phone frame as he left the opening night presentation. The press conferences were occasionally perfectly ludicrous  Caleb Landry Jones did the Dogman one with a Scottish accent  but mostly dry; the parties, few and far between and empty of celebrity hijinks, couldnt even excite the tourist who sat across from me at lunch one day and described the gala shed just attended as nothing special. In one screening I sat next to a man who held an unlit wooden pipe in his mouth the entire time.

Fortunately, many of the movies were great  Poor Things, The Green Border, Hit Man, Ferrari, and Priscilla stood out, among others  and a lot of them seemed to be in incidental conversation with each other, repeating themes and ideas that hint at a roiling collective unconscious obsessed by performed masculinity, killing people for money, abject horniness, and Willem Dafoe. Below, I outline the oft-Freudian fixations of the 80th Venice Film Festivals hive mind.

The Trend: Hitmen

Harmony Korines Aggro Dr1ft. Photo: Edglrd/Iconoclast

This years festival featured three separate films about men hired to murder people for money. Harmony Korines Aggro Dr1ft is an 80-minute infrared something (not a movie, as Korine insists and our critic Bilge Ebiri perfectly elucidates in his review) about a Floridian contract killer (Jordi Molla) who repeats over and over again that he is the worlds greatest assassin, though its not quite clear what sort of innovative murder techniques hes invented that earn him this honorific. Mostly he just mopes around, pitying himself and ignoring his wife, who twerks listlessly on their bed while moaning about how lonely she is. I would be thinking harder about this movie than Korine did if I tried to determine whether hes sending up video game tropes or just paying them some weird homage here.

But I loved Richard Linklaters Hit Man, a stealth rom-com about a philosophy professor who moonlights as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department. Glen Powell has never been more charming than he is as the unassuming Gary Johnson, who creates various hitman-like characters  one thats a Patrick Bateman type, another who reminded me of a Tilda Swinton character  in order to catch would-be killers. Along the way, he falls for one of his marks (Adria Arjona) and the movie becomes a rollickingly clever, Whats-Up-Docesque romantic comedy of errors.

Lastly, theres David Finchers The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender as a private-industry contract killer who does yoga, wears bucket hats, smashes a lot of iPhones, and talks to himself a lot. Like Aggro Dr1ft, the movies script is purposefully repetitive; we hear Fassbender explain his approach to life  Empathy is weakness. Weakness is vulnerability, etc.  over and over again while making cringe-inducingly derivative observations on the world around him. New York, he says. The city that never sleeps. Oh?? This one also features a nearly wordless girlfriend who gets caught up in the fray of being a hitmans wordless girlfriend. I think Linklaters movie is the only one that gives the love interest an actual name.

Who did it best?

Movie-wise, Linklater, by a trillion miles. Forced to choose one hitman from the three to hire, I would have to go with Michael Fassbender because his hitman is slightly less annoying than Jordi Mollas.

The Trend: Premiering Terrible Movies By Accused Rapists

Roman Polanskis The Palace. Photo: Malgosia Abramowska

It really does boggle the mind to attend Western European film festivals that proudly and joyfully premiere films by men who have been accused of raping women and children, and then listen to the festivals directors not only defend the choice but present it as an act of benevolent political open-mindedness, the sort that flies bravely in the face of lame American prudishness. It would be one thing if these movies were masterpieces or at least kind of good, but the movies are always absolute garbage. Is the idea just to raise a middle finger to cancel culture, an imaginary concept that regardless seems to really irritate the Europeans and which they ascribe almost entirely to Americans? (Yes.) (Though one person I spoke to suggested I look into the directors Italian mob connections, which I have not yet had time to do, but please email me if you are in the Italian mob and have somehow forced the Venice Film Festival to premiere all of these movies.)

The offerings this time around: Woody Allens Coup de Chance, a movie about a dissatisfied rich French woman having an affair with a high-school peer that feels like it was written by a bot that took all of Woody Allens scripts, translated them into French, translated them back into English, then translated them back into French again for some reason. The characters neither speak nor act like any alive person Ive ever met or heard about, but I suppose its possible that the people in Woody Allens personal illuminati do explain their personalities out loud to one another. Here, the main characters husband says several times, I make my own luck, while her lover repeatedly stresses how much he believes in luck and chance. The protagonist also says over and over again how much she hates hunting, despite growing up in a hunting family. Isnt that hilarious? You would think shed love hunting, but no, she hates it  You get the idea, and if you dont, Woody Allen will explain it 40 more times in the same exact way, dont worry.

Roman Polanskis The Palace was even more wrenchingly tedious, an alleged comedy about a fancy hotel and its inhabitants and employees scrambling to put together a party on the eve of Y2K that currently sits at 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Watching this movie made me wonder if I would ever experience anything as funny ever again or if its facile, deadened, randomly racist tone would seep into my bloodstream and alter me forever. Some moments mined for comedy include a dog pooping out caviar, Russians being thuggish gangsters, Scandinavian men being sissies, Mickey Rourke being himself, American women being money-hungry, and Muslim women daring to exist in the public sphere. The response to The Palace here was so dire that the festivals artistic director Alberto Barbera spoke out defending the movie and criticizing reviewers for treating Polanski with a lack of respect. He did admit that he told Polanski the film was not completely resolved, an incredible conversation to imagine and the only comedic thing about this entire film.

I didnt get a chance to catch Luc Bessons Dogman because probably nobody involved wanted me to, but Jessica Kiangs review is a deliciously brilliant takedown of the movie, in which Jones stars as an abused, wheelchair-bound man who is obsessed with having too many dogs and also cross-dressing. She describes the movie as numbskulled nonsense bludgeoningly obvious, creatively inert, deathly dull. This is, to the word, exactly how I would describe the movies above, so again  what the fuck are we even doing here?

Who did it best?

Forced at Jordi Mollas sadboy gunpoint to choose a film from the two I saw, Id go with Coup de Chance, which is awful but did not leave me with the suspicion that art itself as we know it is dead and humanity is beyond salvation.

The Trend: Willem Dafoe

Photo: Atsushi Nishijima/20th Century Studios

Thank God that Willem Dafoe willemed his way into three different movies at Venice. Every time I saw his warm, crinkly face I breathed a sigh of relief: Here was a man on a screen who would not try to kill me or insinuate that I was being a Pilgrim. In Yorgos Lanthimoss Poor Things, that face is cut to shreds and sewn back together into a strange, beast-like mask, so that he can play a morally conflicted mad scientist who creates, loves, and loses his creation, the reanimated Victorian woman Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). In Finalement Lalba, an Italian period piece about a gaudy Hollywood production filming in Rome in the 1950s, he plays a sweet assistant-cum-driver to Lily Jamess haughty mid-century starlet, later acting as a sort of narrator/translator for the films protagonist, a wide-eyed young Italian girl (Rebecca Antonaci) who auditions as an extra and ends up having a Babylonesque night with her favorite movie stars. And in Olmo Schnabels debut film Pet Shop Days, Dafoe is a dirtbag New York City upper-middle-class dad, cheating on his cancer-ridden wife and trying to defend himself to his teenage kids, drinking alone and fucking his daughters tutor. The mans got range!

Which Willem Dafoe did it best?

Poor Things is a masterpiece, and Dafoe plays a large part in that; he should get a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this one.

Unabashedly Horny Young Women

Sofia Coppolas Priscilla. Photo: A24

The girlies at Venice this year are horny, and they dont care who knows it! First up we have Emma Stone in Poor Things, who discovers masturbation, realizes nobody at home is going to help her achieve orgasm, and thusly goes on the lam, insatiably fucking her way across Europe. Why dont people do this all the time? she asks her lover, played by Mark Ruffalo. In Priscilla, theres a tragic element to the sexual desire: When she finally comes of age, all Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny) wants to do is bone Elvis (relatable). But hes only interested in her as a vessel of purity and virginity and refuses her for years. Fortunately, near the end of the film, we see her flirting with her karate instructor, suggesting that shell get the sex life she deserves when she finally leaves her husband. In The Beast, Lea Seydoux is so desperate to bone George MacKay across all manner of time, space, and cinematic genres that shell even fantasize about him when hes in his 2014 incel phase.

Who did it best?

All of these horny queens deserve our appreciation, but Emma Stones performance is probably the best Ive seen at Venice this year.

Biopics That Are Not Biopics

Bradley Coopers Maestro. Photo: Jason McDonald/Netflix

Dont you dare call these biopics biopics. Theyre not! Biopics to me are linear and shown on the History Channel, so theyre documentaries, and Im not interested in that at all, Michael Mann said of his Enzo Ferrari biopic, Ferrari. Bradley Coopers Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro is a love story. Okay?? El Conde is about the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, but he is a vampire  not a biopic. Priscilla is  actually, Sofia Coppola has not said anything about anyone calling it a biopic, even though the film only shows one small portion of Presleys life, so it actually isnt really a biopic. But you probably can call it a biopic if you want, Sofia seems fine with that.

Who did it best?

Out of the four, the best biopic that isnt a biopic but is sort of a biopic is Priscilla.

Hypermasc Protagonists

Michael Manns Ferrari. Photo: Lorenzo Sisti

Only five women were given competition slots at Venice; the other 16 were given to male directors. Coincidentally, there sure were a lot of movies about hypermasculine dudes at Venice this year. Specifically, the hypermascs were mostly (1) older,( 2) white, (3) moody as fuck because they were (4) making some perceived personal sacrifice in the name of war/cars/money. Three movies were about men in naval crises, and one was about Mads Mikkelsen setting out to tame and conquer the Danish heath. In Michael Manns Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari cheats very calmly and regularly on his wife, mourns his dead child, and tries to figure out if he should recognize his mistresss son as his own. He spends most of the movie storming around Italy in a bad mood because he has to do all of this while making very fast cars that sometimes kill people. The movie briefly flirts with upending the idea that The Cars Were Worth it, that maybe men and their reckless toys do not quite earn the brutal human cost they require, but then at the end its like  no, actually, the cars were worth it.

Many of the Venice films featured a man Making a Big Choice, usually about a problem they invented themselves  in Coup de Chance, for example, a rich financier ponders putting a hit (see: first trend) on his wifes lover and eventually, her mother, whos onto him for the first hit. Some movies were interested in unpacking the performance of masculinity and its accompanying cinematic tropes (war, cars, money, rage, misogyny, contract killing, et al.). Aggro Dr1ft and The Killer play very briefly (and the former just barely) with critiquing these tired totems, but neither goes very far with the idea. Whereas Hit Man plays delightfully and cleverly with notions of identity and gender performance and human mutability  Powells Gary Johnson tries on different varieties of manhood as literal costumes.

Who did it best?

The best direct address of the hypermasc onslaught was from director Liliana Cavani, who was awarded Venices Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on its opening night and gave a powerful speech. Cars are boring, she said. Im sick to death of looking at cars in a movie. Just kidding, she actually said this: Im the first female person to receive this award. There are women writers and directors who are working as well as men. Its not quite right if we dont give them a chance to be seen.
The third time is  whatever is the opposite of a charm. Photo: Courtesy of Yannis Drakoulidis/Focus Features

After it came out in 2002, My Big Fat Greek Wedding became a lot of things: one of the highest grossing indie films in history; the most financially lucrative rom-com of all time; and an Academy Award nominee for its screenplay, written by star Nia Vardalos, who based the love story between the awkward (and Greek) Toula Portokalos (Vardalos) and the dreamy (and non-Greek) Ian Miller (John Corbett) on her autobiographical one-woman play.

Despite all its success, though, this sleeper hit was never a great movie. Elevated by a charming cast, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was mostly a collection of meet-cute cliches, relatable but familiar observations about immigrant families, and way too many jokes about the medicinal properties of Windex. You know who finds Windex comedy  an extremely niche genre  funny? Your grandmother, who, not coincidentally, saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding ten times in the theater.

Because the first entry was so well received, a sequel eventually was released in 2016. And now, seven years later, there is a third Big Fat Greek Wedding. While the first installment focused on the nuptials of Nia and Ian, and the second on a re-wedding for Toulas parents, Maria (Lainie Kazan) and Gus (Michael Constantine), the third hinges upon a reunion to be held in the village where the now late Gus was raised. (Constantine died in 2021 at age 94, adding some poignancy to the notion that Gus is gone too.)

Intent on honoring a request from her father to pass on his journal to his childhood friends, Toula heads to Greece with Ian; their college-age daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouros); Toulas brother, Nick (Louis Mandylor); the outspoken aunts Frieda (Maria Vacratsis) and Voula (Andrea Martin); and Aristotle (Elias Kacavas), Pariss ex who Voula coincidentally hires to be her assistant on the trip. All of them are hoping the visit will allow them to reconnect with their roots. Then they arrive and discover that few people live in Guss village and pretty much no one is coming to the alleged reunion. Naturally, Toula has no choice but to try to track down her dads buddies  a thing she absolutely could have done on the Internet without leaving the comfort of her own home  while everyone else in her family does theoretically amusing things like trimming their nose and ear hair at the breakfast table (Nick) or striking up friendships with local monks (Ian). By the way, if youre assuming that a wedding will eventually break out during this 91-minute film that somehow feels longer than Oppenheimer, well, I dont want to spoil things for you. But I will say this much: Yes, it does.

The scenery in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, largely shot in Corfu and Athens, is gorgeous but everything else about the films construction is an absolute mess. Vardalos, serving as director as well as writer for the first time, should have a better sense of these characters and their journey than anyone. Yet this third chapter in the Greek Wedding saga feels less like a cohesive movie and more like a bunch of scenes that just happened to be placed side-by-side with no sense of broader themes or flow.

In one maddening sequence after another, people have conversations or experiences that screech to a halt before getting anywhere. As previously noted, Ian befriends a monk who lives in a hut by the sea, but their talks basically consist of a couple of sentences and ultimately turn into nothing more than a plot contrivance. Toula and Ian get some alone time on a mini-excursion, but instead of using those onscreen moments to show us what their marriage looks like in the empty-nester phase, the movie delivers a montage of Toula repeatedly falling off a horse, followed by a not terribly revealing speech about how much she worries about her daughter and her mom. (Kazan appears in a few scenes in which Maria struggles with memory loss.)

Any attempts to create genuine conflict  once again, there is a story line that involves a parent objecting to the marriage of a non-Greek to their Greek child  are resolved so quickly they barely qualify as quandaries. And the new characters are somehow even more thinly sketched than the existing ones, particularly Victory, a distant Portokalos cousin and the self-appointed mayor of the village whose catchphrase is Number one, the best, as in Greece: number one, the best or Supermodels: number one, the best. You know, phrases that real people say all the time!

In keeping with My Big Fat Greek Wedding tradition, if a joke is mildly amusing, it will be repeated until it makes you want to jam your head into the cup holder attached to your stadium seat. (If you think its funny when Louis Mandylor shrieks during a cold outdoor shower, imagine how much more hilarious it will be when John Corbett does it again mere minutes later!) But at least there are fewer Windex gags this time around  only two by my count. And as much as I hope this film is the third in a trilogy, I do continue to appreciate the dry-as-butterless-toast line deliveries by the great Andrea Martin, the only person in this movie who genuinely earns some laughs. If the My Big Fat Greek franchise keeps expanding  and it really, really should not  at least one good thing will come out of it: more paychecks for Andrea Martin. Opa!
Nikki Haley and one of her favorite artists, the Killers. Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Getty Images

With more than a dozen candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination, it may feel like the party cant unite over much more than attacking trans people. But Politico reminds us theres at least one more common ground here: music. The site asked a number of presidential candidates, mostly Republicans, to share playlists, and a bit of surprising overlap emerged (shockingly not over Oliver Anthony). Nikki Haley and Chris Christie both get down to Mr. Brightside; Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy sing along to Jolene; and Christie and Larry Elder enjoy some Phil Collins (In the Air Tonight and Take Me Home, respectively).

Sorry if those songs are now forever ruined for you, but thats just the beginning. There are some obvious choices here  of course Vivek Ramaswamy put Lose Yourself, of course former Jersey governor Christie put a Springsteen song, and of course someone as boring as Haley prefers Luke Combss Fast Car cover. But on the other hand, did you know former Texas rep (and CIA officer) Will Hurd listens to Taylor Swift, Destinys Child, and Jamiroquai? Or that Elder, the conservative talk-radio host who tried to oust California governor Gavin Newsom, has impeccable taste in soul music? Meanwhile, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson has only ever heard music at Razorbacks tailgates (judging by his choices of Garth Brookss Friends in Low Places, Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline, and P!nks Get the Party Started). The least surprising thing, though? Ramaswamy really likes Imagine Dragons.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Warner Bros.

For a franchise that spans three interconnected series, with six directors and seven screenwriters between nine movies, the Conjuring Universes lore is remarkably consistent. Annabelle wants souls, demons possess you by puking into your mouth, and no powers of darkness are stronger than the love between spooky mom and dad, Ed and Lorraine Warren. Less consistent, however, is the quality of the films.

The first film in the series, 2013s The Conjuring, was directed by James Wan, whose straightforward-yet-stylish approach to horror is responsible for some of the most successful franchises in the genres history. (Hes also the creator of the Saw and Insidious series.) Wan left the directors chair after helming The Conjuring 2 in 2016 but stayed on as a producer for the multiple follow-ups and spinoffs that followed. None come close to reaching the heights of Wans vision, but there are a few gems and a few real stinkers in the bunch. With the latest entry in the franchise, The Nun 2, in theaters now, were ranking the Conjuring Universe from scary (bad) to scary (good).

9.

Its disappointing that The Nun is so bad, because the premise has so much promise. The origin story of the evil spirit Valak from The Conjuring 2, The Nun stars Taissa Farmiga (sister of Vera) as Irene, a young novitiate and clairvoyant summoned to a convent to investigate a fellow nuns suicide. Given her similar psychic abilities and clear resemblance to her sister, it seemed obvious that Irene would turn out to be related to Lorraine Warren in some way. But nope! The Nun ends on a flashback to a scene from The Conjuring, revealing that Ed and Lorraine performed an exorcism on Maurice, the man who helped Irene defeat Valak but ended up getting secretly possessed in the process.

This strange stunt casting that wasnt aside, The Nun has other issues. There is so much fun stuff you can do with a demon nun in a convent! There are lots of big, spooky spaces and the uniformity means anyone in a habit could be a threat. In fact, the most chilling images in The Nun are of sisters gathered together in an enclosed sanctuary or a black-robed figure ambling down a shadowy hallway. Is that Valak or just a nun going about her business? Unfortunately, director Corin Hardy doesnt use that imagery to build any real tension, resulting in the biggest sin a horror movie can commit: Its just not scary.

8.

Two horror films on the legend of La Llorona, the weeping woman from Mexican folklore who drowned her children in a jealous rage after discovering her husbands affair, were released in 2019. One of them was a slow-burn, atmospheric meditation on the Guatemalan genocide that now sits in the Criterion Collection. The other was a slight-but-somehow-also-ham-fisted movie about a social worker named Anna (Linda Cardellini) who inadvertently allows a clients children to be killed by La Llorona, an evil spirit who then comes after Annas family because of a bargain the mother made to swap Annas kids for her own. This one is the latter.

The social politics of these movies have never been great  the real-life Warrens were, by all accounts, pretty shitty people and not the gorgeous, benevolent forces portrayed by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson  but thats easily dismissed in the name of movie magic. Building a story around a white family using a curandero to fend off a grieving Mexican mother on welfare is a pretty bad look. At least La Llorona is scary.

7.

Its a testament to the charisma of Patrick and Vera that the Conjuring Universe became the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time after this dud of a spinoff. There are a few fun scares (one particular set piece uses a familiar Wan trick of hiding jump scares behind swinging doors that is effective if a tad derivative) but Annabelle is bogged down by a postpartum anxiety metaphor thats trying and failing to be a Rosemarys Baby homage. The Conjuring has a 70s supernatural-horror vibe so it makes some sense that the follow-up would go for a throwback as well. But where Wan borrows techniques from films like The Exorcist and Poltergeist to create his own style, director John R. Leonetti (Wans cinematographer since 2007s Dead Silence) doesnt bring any new ideas to the table, simply leaving you wishing you were watching a better movie.

6.

If theres one thing this franchise loves, its putting Vera Farmiga in a ruffled blouse. If theres one other thing this franchise loves, its referencing 70s horror. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It does both in spades. The 2021 film, which opens with a direct homage to The Exorcist, is based on the 1982 trial of Arne Johnson, who was the first person in the U.S. to claim demonic possession as a defense. As the only entry in the main Conjuring series not to be directed by Wan, its the weakest of the three, but director Michael Chaves has a lot more to work with here than he did in The Curse of La Llorona.

Namely, Ed and Lorraine are here! The supernatural power of their chemistry casts a warm glow over everything around them, which is the key element to what makes the series work. Their love is presented as a talisman against the forces of evil, which The Devil Made Me Do It makes explicit in heavy-handed dialogue. Its cheesy, but Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga sell it so well, with her stoic fragility playing off his gentle strength, that it still rings true.

5.

Blessedly, the follow-up to The Nun improves on the original in every way. At its best, the Conjuring series plays like a sexy, Catholic Supernatural; paranormal investigators look into reported demonic activity and eventually defeat the evil. Its formulaic, but the formula works! The Nun 2 returns to that formula  Sister Irene is tasked with looking into a string of suicides that seem to be the handiwork of Valak  with a much better sense of pacing and tone than its predecessor. Where The Nun suffered from a complete and utter lack of tension, director Michael Chaves uses some classic horror standbys to build suspense. He holds on closed doors, slices through darkness with a flashlight beam, and theres a particularly fun bit of business with a magazine stand which was shown in the trailer. His kills are also a bit more splatter-y than this franchise tends to get. It all works to make The Nun 2 scarier and, just as crucially, funner! A joke and a scare can serve the same purpose  punctuating tension  and the weaker entries in the franchise skip over its humor entirely.

However, The Nun 2 suffers from a dilemma befalling many a midquel: Its boxed in by canon. The audience knows that Maurice will be possessed by Valak at least until he comes into contact with Ed and Lorraine. That dramatic irony works in Chavess favor when it comes to pulling off scares early in the film, but the ending doesnt engage with that contradiction at all. The Conjuring films often have a final shot that indicates the evil is never really dead. But here, when it would make the most sense to do so, we get no such reveal. Its a strange choice that makes it seem like the screenwriters just didnt know what to do with the Conjuring Universes increasingly elaborate storylines.

4.

This directorial debut of screenwriter Gary Dauberman comes closest to emulating James Wans style. Its also the movie outside of the main Conjuring series that features the most Ed and Lorraine. (Patrick Wilson wears a little party hat, which automatically knocks it up a ranking.) Both of those elements make Annabelle Comes Home one of the strongest spinoffs in the franchise. Dauberman, who also wrote the script, is playing in the subgenre of babysitter horror a la Halloween or When a Stranger Calls. Ed and Lorraine are called to investigate a haunting, leaving their daughter, Judy, at home with her babysitter, Mary Ellen. While theyre away, Mary Ellens friend accidentally releases the demonic Annabelle in an attempt to contact her dead father. The three of them  plus Mary Ellens crush Bob  are then tormented by the spirits raised by Annabelle.

The best scenes in the movie are obviously Daubermans horror set-pieces, which feel like Wan ideas (complimentary). A spinning color wheel shows creepy shadows growing and moving across Judys bedroom wall. A TV seems to show events happening a few seconds in the future. One scene, featuring a ghost with silver dollars over its eyes, is nearly as good as the hide-and-clap scene in The Conjuring. The actors are all charming enough to get us through the necessary dialogue until we get to the next scare. Plus, did I mention Patrick Wilson wears a little party hat?

3.

Following in this franchises now-established tradition of the sequel being better than the original, Annabelle: Creation has the most defined style of the non-Wan films. Its directed by David F. Sandberg, who is best known for the Lights Out short that terrified everyone who was on Facebook in 2014. (He later adapted it into a feature.) Sandberg takes this film a little grungier than the rest of the franchise, which matches the 1950s dust bowl setting. The film opens with a technique used to great effect in more prestige-y horror movies like The Quiet Place and Hereditary: the sudden death of a child. Its effectively shocking, and sets a grim tone for the rest of the film, which takes place several years later when the girls father opens his home to a group of displaced orphans. Naturally, the orphans start being tormented by a demon, who was summoned after the girls parents prayed to whatever entity would bring their daughter back. (If you havent guessed by now, her name was Annabelle and the demon possessed one of her dolls.)

The Lights Out short made clear that Sandberg is very good at long, drawn-out scares. He uses those tricks throughout Annabelle: Creation, including one very creepy scene in which two girls hide under a blanket fort while a presence draws closer to them. Another set piece involving a malfunctioning chair lift is excruciatingly tense. Without Ed and Lorraine as our emotional anchor, though, there isnt much to care about between the scares.

2.

The first film in the Conjuring Universe does an incredible job of introducing us to (the movie version of) the Warrens and their whole deal. It opens on the Annabelle case, with Ed and Lorraine explaining to some terrified roommates that the doll is possessed by a demon and extremely dangerous. Right away we see how seriously they take their work, but also how well they play off of each other. Theyre charming, gracious, and beautiful. Its no wonder that everyone, both onscreen and off, wants to hear them talk about demons!

The Perron family certainly wants to hear what they have to say, and they ask the Warrens to investigate their farmhouse, where they have been experiencing unexplained phenomena. Wan teases out those scares slowly, with a meandering handheld camera that lulls us into feeling like were just hanging out with the family. He shows Ed checking out the houses framework and pipes, explaining that sometimes there are perfectly rational explanations for the things that go bump in the night. When the scares do hit, theyre perfectly calibrated. The hide-and-clap scene is probably the most iconic image in the franchise, and for good reason. Its built up so well, with little moments of relief that ratchet right back up again.

But what makes The Conjuring perhaps the tightest film in the franchise is how it fits together thematically. The Warrens are, ultimately, tragic heroes, who see in the Perrons a life they want but cannot have because of their calling. Leaving their daughter and risking their lives to protect others isnt an easy job, the movie posits, but someones gotta do it.

1.

The Conjuring ends by teasing the Warrens most famous case, the Amityville Horror, but The Conjuring 2 smartly doesnt focus on that. Weve already covered that case extensively, with over 20 increasingly ridiculous takes on the story set to film. Instead, The Conjuring 2 opens on that case much like The Conjuring did, with Annabelle. Its a phenomenal scene, with Lorraine Warren walking through the house in a trance, acting out the brutal murders with an invisible shotgun. (This technique was used again, to lesser effect, in The Devil Made Me Do It.) The bulk of the action, however, concerns a lesser-known Warren haunting, which gives Wan more room for interpretation and surprise.

The sequel doubles down on everything that worked about The Conjuring. Ed and Lorraine are the beautiful, tragic saviors of a terrified family confronted with a deep evil, strengthened by the power of their love for each other. This time the devils in the U.K., and children and ghosts are both scarier and funnier with British accents. Wans eye for spooky set pieces is even sharper here; The Conjuring 2 boasts the most chilling scene in the franchise. When the spirit of an old man possessing a little girl makes everyone turn around before hell talk to them, Wan focuses his lens on Patrick Wilsons face. He calmly asks questions while over his shoulder, just out of focus, the girls face contorts into a mask of contempt as the ghost speaks through her. Once its done, the girl spits out the water shed been holding in her mouth. Its a less memeable scene than hide-and-clap, but its a more apt symbol for the franchise in the way it illustrates the sinister banality of evil in the Conjuring Universe. The devil has rules, but they dont make any sort of sense. Ed and Lorraine are our guides to that twisted code, and we couldnt do it without them.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Fire Art:  2023 Ed Ruscha. Photo Paul Ruscha.

As Warhol was patron saint of the New York night, Ed Ruscha is the quintessential artist of Los Angeles and its heartbreaking light. His paintings, books, photographs, films, and works on paper  made with ingredients as disparate as gunpowder, sulfuric acid, chocolate, urine, Pepto-Bismol, tobacco, and rose petals  could only come from someone who embodies L.A.s glamour and chaos, its self-consciousness and banal hopes. Peter Plagens once described Los Angeles as all flesh and no soul, all buildings and no architecture, all property and no land, all electricity and no light, all billboards and nothing to say, all ideas and no principles, a sentiment that Ruscha  85 years old and still a dreamboat  both embraces and turns on its head.

Consider three works by this multidisciplinary genius of Pop Conceptualism, now on display at Now Then, a career-spanning retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. One of his masterpieces, Every Building on the Sunset Strip, epitomizes Sol LeWitts observation that successful works of art are often ludicrously simple. Ruscha mounted a 35-millimeter camera with a large film cartridge on the back of a flatbed truck and drove the one and a half miles of the Sunset Strip. The transcendent result is nearly 25 feet long and seven inches high, folded like an accordion to make a book. If there is any facet of my work that I feel was kissed by angels, Ruscha once remarked, Id say it was my books. Ill say.

Every Building on the Sunset Strip Art:  2023 Ed Ruscha. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Department of Imaging Services, photo Jonathan Muzikar

Every Building on the Sunset Strip features one side of the street running like a ticker tape along the top, and the other side unspooling along the bottom, the buildings flipped so they are facing downward. It resembles a cross between a film reel, a Chinese scroll, and an ancient work of cartography, like that Borges story about the map that is at a one-to-one scale of the empire. The urge not only to know but to catalogue and record runs deep in our species. It is a form of completionism. In Every Building, we see every bit. It is both skeptical and sincere, channeling Plagenss idea of all buildings and no architecture while giving the whole scene an architecture that bends on itself, housed at MoMA in a plexiglass box in the center of a large gallery.

When Warhol saw it, he reportedly remarked, How do you get all these pictures without people in them? I wonder that still. You feel like the only person on earth when you look at it. Ruscha said he moved from Oklahoma to L.A. at the age of 19 because he was drawn by the most stereotypical concepts of Los Angeles, which for him included cars, suntans, palm trees, swimming pools, strips of celluloid with perforations. It is a universe that is evoked here with such deadpan precision  a panorama of exteriors without interiors, a homemade prototype of Google Street views. Even the title of the piece, so deceptively simple, speaks the language of the West, where the sun sets. Strip is a wild term. It is not a street so much as it is a concentration of various commercial and aesthetic forces, a state of mind, and, in this case, a myth reddened by California light. The idea of Every Building on Lexington Avenue doesnt cut it.

Now lets move on to Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Fire. It was first exhibited at Irving Blum Gallery on North La Cienega Boulevard in 1968. The invitation for the show was a Western Union telegram that read: Los Angeles fire Marshall says he will attend. See the most controversial painting to be shown in Los Angeles in our time. The movie-marquee provocation  sensational, ridiculous, exciting  is what we used to call show business. The image itself is 11 feet long, a surreal overhead view of what was then a recently constructed institution. Whereas the real-life LACMA now has qualities of both the city and the desert  a forest of lampposts out front, a megalithic boulder out back  Ruscha turns it into an island complex, the white buildings moated by water and further surrounded by gradient shades of green and yellow, all of it seemingly nowhere at all. A fire rages in the main building, its flames licking the edge of the painting.

Ill Be Getting Out Soon and I Havent Forgotten Your Testimony Put Me in Here Art:  2023 Ed Ruscha. Photo Paul Ruscha.

Even though there had been riots in Los Angeles by then, this doesnt feel like the message. Nor is any beef Ruscha might have had with the museum. He once remarked, perhaps a little slyly, I didnt dislike the art museum  I had no grudges. He went on to say that he liked the idea of painting architecture and that theres no great message here. Its just a picture to look at. This sort of denial of intent is typical of a whole generation of artists who created loaded images and objects, then claimed a totally formal read of the work. It is also a feint that, in Ruschas case, is of a piece with his vision of Los Angeles, a beautiful dream obscuring some pressing reality.

Finally, there are Ruschas word paintings. Like his I Dont Want No Retro Spective, which is hauled out for every one of his retrospectives, including the one at MoMA. My favorites of these, however, are from the 1990s and have no words in them at all. They depict real ransom notes with the words scrubbed out, though the titles give a sense of their meaning: For example, Ill Be Getting Out Soon and I Havent Forgotten Your Testimony Put Me in Here (1994), Do As I Say (1997), and Note We Have Already Got Rid of Several Like You  One Was Found in River Just Recently (1996). Each is playful, sinister, a strange reflection of our own times. The keen observations and careful execution of these paintings speak to a maniacal tendency in America toward anger, billboards that are empty of sentences but have plenty to say.
The Gulag Archipelago is available to stream now via Paramount+ with Showtime. It will make its Showtime debut on Sunday, September 10, at 8 p.m. ET.

If youre feeling restless after five episodes, I assure you youre not alone.

Unfortunately, The Gulag Archipelago, like most of the episodes in this final season of Billions, offered very little payoff. The only significant developments came in the form of Taylor officially joining Wendy and Wags in their fledgling Rebel Alliance/Fifth Column, Wags obtaining investment sign-off privileges  and Dave Mahar wresting the Mike Prince investigation from Chucks firm grip.

The Chuck story line was by far the most disappointing, as it just felt weak. Chuck Rhoades, the man who succeeded in shifting the Overton window regarding his BDSM proclivities, is now spending his time helping his deputy avoid, to quote Ira Schirmer directly, a vanilla sex scandal. SNOOZE.

Ira is mugged one night, and now Chucks BFF is petrified that the explicit videos he made with his wife will go public. Chuck then goes to work pulling every string he can possibly think of to retrieve Iras phone. He starts by fibbing to newly named NYPD commissioner/frenemy Raul Gomez that Iras phone held documents with national security implications. Gomez agrees to Chucks request for CCTV access, but once the mugger is caught, well, theres no way the phone can be handed back over to its owner because its now evidence in a national security matter. Nice going, Chuck.

Now Chuck must attend the party celebrating Gomezs new job and sweet-talk the hell out of the person holding Iras phone hostage. The trouble is, that person is New York Attorney General Dave Mahar. And Chuck isnt one of her favorite people these days. First, he screwed her over when he got impatient with her plan to keep him involved with the Mike Prince investigation. Then, he boorishly rebuffed her when she visited his office earlier, sweet-potato pie in hand, asking to rejoin the Prince case.

Daves demands are simple: Make her First Chair, Special Assistant United States Attorney to any federal prosecution of Michael Prince, and shell hand over the phone. Brava, Dave! She knows how to play hardball, and we know the last thing Chuck wants is for someone else to oversee the conviction of Mike Prince. But as Dave acerbically reminds Chuck, Sharing is caring. And he cares too much about Ira to let him suffer public ruin.

I dont know. Something feels off about how easily Chuck let Dave take over the Prince investigation. Its not just because Ira is his friend. Maybe he needs Ira to stick around should he need an even bigger sacrifice down the line? Who knows.

There was also a half-baked subplot in The Gulag Archipelago that briefly caught us up with Chuck and Kate Sackers former colleague, Bryan Connerty. The onetime lawyer, who went to prison at the end of season four (courtesy of a seasonlong ruse masterminded by Chuck), is now a free man and working as a hibachi chef in Queens. Kate visits Connerty at his new gig because shes afraid he  and his safecracker brother  will be liabilities for her. Kate apparently played a big role in getting him out sooner, but she still worked with Chuck to wrongfully imprison him, so Connerty could be a problem for her political career.

Connerty promises Kate he wont blab, but he advises her to befriend him as well. That way, they both win: She has an ally, and he has someone to help him get his law license back. Ah, there aint nothing better than transactional friendships, am I right?

What I dont understand, though, is why does Kate keep putting off her own congressional run? Does she really think getting Mike Prince into the White House will be the leg up she needs? I do not like whats become of this character at all, someone who once proudly referred to herself as a political animal. Billions has never spent enough time on Kate Sacker, and it shows.

As for the Michael Prince Capital story line and its burgeoning Fifth Column, Im still waiting for anything resembling intrigue. In this episode, we got Taylor staging their own independent scheme that does hurt Prince in the portfolio, but only in the short term. If anything, the best thing that came out of Taylors ruse was Wagss newfound approval privileges. And then, just to wrap things up nicely, Taylor agrees to join Wendy and Wags in their in-house sabotage. Its not exactly captivating stuff, but Asia Kate Dillon talking with a mouthful of helium is amusing enough.

The big MPC conflict this week is Taylor and Philip are chafing under their powerless roles: Any new investments above $500 million require Princes sign-off. While Prince is off courting Killer Mike for a presidential endorsement  achieved by a promise to personally invest in Black-owned banks  Taylor is busy spearheading a huge investment that requires a $600 million-plus buy-in. Ultimately, the MPC crew misses their chance for the buy-in because Prince and Scooter surrendered their phones while meeting with the rapper-activist.

This apparently was all a setup by Taylor. Earlier in the episode, they revealed they werent ready to join forces with Wendy and Wags because Wendy barely had a plan in place (true). But that didnt mean Taylor wasnt willing to try something on their own  and their plan did work in some ways.

By the time Prince and Scooter got their phones back, it was too late: The buy-in window is shut tight, and MPC lost out on a $1.4 billion deal because Prince was unwilling to trust the people he put in charge. Even though Prince totally knows this colossal bungling was on him, he, douche that he is, refuses to take the blame, insisting that Taylor, Philip, and the team wouldve found a way to make the investment happen anyway. Eww. But, hey, at least now Wags has sign-off power!

Later that night, Wendy meets with Wags and Taylor at the MPC offices, where Taylor reveals they engineered the firms latest investment loss. Wendy refrains from giving Taylor a dressing-down like the one she gave Wags last week, but its obvious that these solo shenanigans arent wise in the long term.

The news that Wags has sign-off privileges provides Wendy with the reassurance that they have the tools they need to start putting a solid plan in place. And now that Taylor is officially onboard for a from-the-inside takedown, it is definitely time to send this motherfucker to Siberia, bringing the episode-long references to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns book The Gulag Archipelago full circle.

That and, as I said earlier, you have to admit that all Billions line readings are a lot funnier when said with a mouthful of helium, which was the case here.

Yeah, its great that these three have finally realized they need to work together, but Im still sitting squarely in the middle of my couch. Its going to take a lot more deception and twists from Billions to bring me to the edge of my seat.

Loose Change

 I like the facial hair on Toby Leonard Moore!

 I am not sure I like the idea of a WendyBradford Luke romance.

 Millennials Taylor and Philip pretending theyve never seen The Hunt for Red October by citing Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery cancelations was adorable.

 Best line reading of the episode: Asia Kate Dillons calm and measured Dont call him that, when Ari Spyros makes a President Prince reference.

 Speaking of Spyros, he belongs in the ninth circle of hell just for butchering Van Halen.
Danny Masterson. Photo: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in 2003. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo gave the sentence after hearing statements from women who suffered at the hands of Masterson. He received the maximum possible sentence for his conviction. Mr. Masterson, I know that youre sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you, Olmedo told Masterson before giving the sentence, according to the Associated Press. But, Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice and choice. One way or another, you will have to come to terms with your prior actions and their consequences. She added, You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip, and speculation, per court reporter Meghann Cuniff. The sentencing started the morning of September 7, and Mastersons family appeared in support. A jury found the That 70s Show actor guilty of two counts of rape in May following seven days of deliberation at the Los Angeles Superior Court, and he has been in jail since.

The district attorneys office said justice was served in a statement shared after the sentencing. This has been a long and arduous road for the victims of Mr. Masterson, Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascon said in a statement. They not only survived his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims. This was a very difficult case but due to their hard work, experience and commitment, justice was finally served today. One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women.

A lawyer for the survivors praised the women for their courage to speak up during the painful process. Niesha and Chrissie have displayed tremendous strength and bravery, by coming forward to law enforcement and participating directly in two grueling criminal trials, said Alison Anderson, partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and attorney for the survivors. Despite persistent harassment, obstruction, and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today, and they are not stopping there. They are eager to soon tell the fuller story of how Scientology and its enablers tried desperately to keep them from coming forward.

Defense attorney Shawn Holley told Vulture after the sentencing that Masterson will appeal. The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately, led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence, Holley claimed in a statement. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And thats what happened here. Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and weand the appellate lawyers  the best and the brightest in the country  are confident that these convictions will be overturned.

Masterson was originally charged with three counts of forcible rape that took place at his Hollywood home during his stint on the early-aughts sitcom, but the jury could not reach a unanimous decision regarding the prosecutors allegation that the actor raped his longtime girlfriend. The guilty verdict arrived after Mastersons first trial late last year failed to reach a consensus among the jury and subsequently was declared a mistrial. Prosecutors argued that the Church of Scientology  of which Masterson and the three women were members  shielded him from consequences due to his prominent role. The women testified that they reported him to church officials, who did not believe their claims, and were placed in ethics classes and discouraged from going to the police. The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone  Scientologists or not  to law enforcement, a statement from the church said, per the Associated Press, adding that the testimony about the church was uniformly false.

This post has been updated throughout.
HANGZHOU, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 1 million charging piles have been built in east China's Zhejiang Province to power up electric vehicles (EVs) that are increasingly popular in not only cities but also rural areas.

According to State Grid's Zhejiang subsidiary, by the end of August, Zhejiang had had 119,500 public charging piles and 929,200 private charging points. These charging piles provided more than 3.4 billion kWh of electricity from January to August this year, an increase of 70 percent year on year.

Additionally, Zhejiang's rural areas now have more EV charging facilities than ever. By the end of August, a total of 269,100 private charging piles had been installed in 792 villages and townships. About 84 percent of EV owners in rural areas have private charging piles.

Zhejiang will have more than 2.3 million EV charging piles, including at least 900,000 in rural areas, by 2025 to meet the charging demand of over 4 million new energy vehicles, according to a plan of the province. 
I cannot adequately express to you how perfect Mikkelsen is in this role; that sensuous frown of his has infinite layers. Photo: Henrik Ohsten/Zentropa

Lev Kuleshov would have wet his pants at the sight of Mads Mikkelsen. The Soviet filmmaker and theorist, best known now for stating that the exact same inexpressive shot of an actor could convey any number of feelings depending on what image you cut it with  a phenomenon now known as the Kuleshov effect  believed that montage was at the heart of filmmaking. Actors were models, there for the quality of their faces and the physicality of their bodies, and not so much for their actual acting abilities. They were meant to be molded and bent and reshaped by their directors.

Mads Mikkelsen is a phenomenally skilled actor, but hes also clearly the kind of performer who understands the value of a good, cold, hard stare. Partly this is because of the marvelous quality of his face, one of the greatest in all of cinema. Those deep eyes and those perpetually jutting lips seem like they can evoke rage, pity, bemusement, or desire with almost no effort. Its one of the reasons why so many Mikkelsen roles seem like they were designed in a lab specifically for him. Beyond his actual talents, we can read what we want in the man.

Even with all that, Mikkelsen is uniquely well-suited for the role of Captain Ludvig Kahlen, an impoverished Danish war veteran who sets out in the mid-18th century to try and tame the Jutland Heath, a huge and forbidding area where no crop can grow and where lawlessness reigns. Kahlen was a historical figure, but not much is known about him. (The film is based on the novel The Captain and Ann Barbara by the Danish author Ida Jessen.) We first see him sitting by a fire, polishing his medals. He has nothing else in this world  not even, apparently, a house  but he aspires to nobility and status. He wants to establish a settlement on the heath in the name of the king. The royal advisers, assuming hell fail like everyone else whos tried to do it, give Kahlen the permission to do so, because the King himself has a dream of settling the area and they can pretend to be pursuing this quixotic goal.

The Danish title of the film, Bastarden, translates as the bastard, and could be both a literal and spiritual description of Kahlen. He was born to an unwed servant (most likely the result of her master taking advantage), and he is, at least at first, a tough, at times heartless taskmaster. Hes a stickler for propriety and order, obsessed with his mission and his quest for a title. But he also learns that in order to survive on the heath, he has to learn to rely on others. A fugitive couple, Johannes and Ann-Barbara (Morten Hee Andersen and Amanda Collin), soon join his meager settlement. Despite the grubbiness of his surroundings, Kahlen insists that Ann Barbara serve him his gruel in neat, centered bowls. In his mind, hes already the proper aristocrat he hopes to be. (Again, I cannot adequately express to you how perfect Mikkelsen is in this role; that sensuous frown of his has infinite layers.)

Johannes and Ann Barbara have fled the clutches of a local landowner, a preening and sadistic aristocrat named Frederik de Schinkel (another historical figure, played with flamboyant insolence by Simon Bennebjerg). De Schinkel wants his servants back, and hes also irked at the thought of Kahlen establishing a settlement in the name of the king, which would dilute the noblemans power. Plus, de Schinkel is, to put it mildly, something of a psychopath. This is where The Promised Land transforms from a stately and lyrical tale of rural survival to something more primal and intense; think Terrence Malicks Days of Heaven crossed with Michael Caton-Joness Rob Roy, only with more scenes of people being boiled alive. De Schinkels cruelty and violence force Kahlen into changing his own ways, because here is a confrontation with a repulsive, real-life version of the privilege he seeks for himself. Now, Mikkelsens face takes on the quality of disgust, and of slow-burning vengefulness.

Nikolaj Arcel was one of Denmarks most acclaimed directors (having made the political thriller Kings Game and the doomed historical romance A Royal Affair, which was nominated for an Oscar) when he came to the U.S. and made the much-reviled (and much tampered-with) Stephen King adaptation The Dark Tower in 2017. Some directors, when faced with such disappointment, stick around and continue to try and prove themselves in the Hollywood blockbuster game. Others go back to basics. Arcel seems to have picked up where he left off in Denmark, telling stories of individuals who have bought into the rules of the established order, only to find their devotion, and sometimes their very selves, snuffed out by the ruthlessness of power. But hes also kept a foot in genre, in the visceral storytelling that American movies have traditionally done so well. The result is the kind of ravishing, rousing epic we dont really get much of anymore.
CANBERRA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Authorities have declared the entirety of Australia's Northern Territory (NT) a fire danger area until the end of February 2024.

Following a meeting on Friday, Bushfires NT and the NT Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement that the entire territory -- an area covering more than 1.4 million square km -- will be considered a fire danger area from Saturday to Feb. 29.

Chief Fire Control Officer for Bushfires NT Tony Fuller said forecast higher-than-average temperatures had significantly increased the catastrophic fire risk across the territory.

"Eighty percent of the territory was burnt during the 2011-12 season from wildfires, and due to consecutive La Nina years and above average temperatures forecast this summer, this could repeat again this season," he said in the statement.

Under the NT Bushfire Management Act all landholders in declared fire danger areas are required to obtain a permit to light a fire.

Any person who intentionally lights a fire in a danger area without authorization to do so faces a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

The declaration was made as a large bushfire continued to burn uncontrolled across more than 6,000 square km in the NT's central Barkly Region on Friday.

NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy told a press conference on Friday morning that the blaze was not an imminent threat to life but could impact supply lines.

He confirmed a Territory Emergency Management Council (TEMC) has been activated in response to the blaze.

"It is a huge impact on food and supply lines into the territory," Murphy told reporters.

"But I think it's the safest option at this point in time, and part of the TEMC is looking at supply chains and what other options can be available to make sure there's no immediate shortages for any supply lines." 
Your helping hand in Rome

Need to make a phone call - but scared your Italian isn't up to it? Not sure exactly what that form is telling you to do? Wish you had someone to lean on in Italian-speaking situ...
Hollywood star met Pope Francis on Friday.

Sylvester Stallone received a hero's welcome in the southern Puglia region of Italy this week after travelling there to embrace his family's Italian heritage.

The Hollywood legend and his brother Frank were conferred with honorary citizenship of Gioia del Colle during an open-air ceremony on Wednesday evening.

"100 years ago my grandfather left this city and this was the key to his barbershop" - Stallone told the crowd as he held aloft a large rusty key - "he was brave enough to make that journey and because of that I am here today with my family."

The Rocky and Rambo star, who can trace his family's roots in Puglia back four centuries, is accompanied in Italy by his wife Jennifer Flavin and their three adult daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet.

Stallone, 77, and his family travelled to Rome where they were received in a private audience by Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday morning.
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The arrest and unfortunate death of innocent cobbler Archibald Buttle instead of suspected terrorist Archibald Tuttle in the satirical 1985 movie Brazil is a perfect picture of the blind brutality of industrialized bureaucracy. Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend. ArrowRight British finance has a similar problem. People are losing access to banking and other services after running afoul of the machinery of rules and restrictions linked to anti-money-laundering and terrorist financing law.

This is a hot topic among UK politicians. Several have complained of banks excessive conservatism and invasive questioning of themselves or their family, which results from processes to judge corruption risks among Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs). Following the storm over NatWest Group Plcs decision to ditch the politician-turned-media provocateur Nigel Farage as a client, Britains finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, claimed he had once been denied a bank account by start-up lender Monzo Bank Ltd.

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There is now extra pressure on a regulatory review of banks application of PEP rules, but politicians are far from the only group affected by the cautious and increasingly industrialized and automated approach to the battle against money laundering.

Charities like Oxfam and Christian Aid have faced problems sending money to some parts of the world, while others like Islamic Relief have had accounts closed. Many British Muslims have suffered restrictions and rejection from the domestic financial system for the best part of a decade and figures from the UK Financial Conduct Authority, a regulator, show this demographic group is the most likely to be unbanked.

Anas Altikriti, the founder of a think tank to promote cross-cultural dialogue who was interviewed in a recent Bloomberg News feature, experienced years of financial disruptions and account closures with little explanation until he eventually discovered his name was on a list compiled by a data firm that sells banks information on potentially higher-risk clients.

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More people of Russian origin may also now be hitting barriers since the invasion of Ukraine last year brought more financial sanctions against President Vladimir Putins friends and allies. Alexander Gerko, the Russian-born billionaire founder of UK-based quant trading firm XTX Markets, is suing two UK asset managers for refusing him access to money-market funds even though he has no connection to the countrys leaders, the Financial Times reported this week.

What all these examples have in common is the costs for banks of meeting regulations designed to combat financial crime. There are daily operational expenses and, even worse, huge financial penalties for getting it wrong, especially if US authorities take an interest. Examples of screwing up abound. JPMorgan Chase & Co. will pay $290 million to settle with victims of its longtime client, the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, while Deutsche Bank will pay $75 million. Britains HSBC Holdings Plc paid nearly $2 billion in 2013 to settle charges of handling money for Mexican drug gangs. BNP Paribas SA of France was hit with a $9 billion penalty in 2015 for sending money to Iran and Cuba.

All this might seem a long way from Hunts trouble opening a Monzo account, but it descends from the same international standards issued by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force to fight crime and corruption globally. The banking industrys responsibilities to identify and block dirty money were significantly extended after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and various crackdowns on tax evasion.

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When the FCA launched its review of the PEP regime this week, it reminded banks of the need for enhanced due diligence around senior politicians and military leaders, but also demanded that banks dont create unnecessary barriers for public servants. Domestic officials are meant to be treated as generally lower risk than foreign ones, according to the regulator, because the UK has good rule of law, an independent press, free and fair elections and other civil guardrails.

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But risks of corruption still exist. Michelle Mone, a member of the House of Lords, has been accused of profiteering in the government scramble for protective clothing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the UKs ruling Conservative Party has faced questions over donations received from Russian emigres. Separate from its PEP review, the FCA is surveying barriers to banking services broadly, including for political organizations.

Banks have been put on the front line of defense against financial crime. That makes sense because they have the personal data and handle the money, but it takes a lot of work to check out clients sources of income and business relationships. To speed up the process and limit costs, banks have turned to third-party data firms and automated systems. The bureaucracy has been industrialized. It could be throwing up too many false positives, but it almost certainly is making it hard for individuals who get wrongly classified as risky to overturn those results. Once youre in a database that is replicated and resold many times over, it can be an endless task to get yourself scrubbed from it.

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Politicians have made the most noise and got the regulators attention, but it seems likely to be others suffering bureaucratic nightmares. The FCAs own data shows one in 10 British Muslims dont have access to banking, compared with 2% of all UK adults.

Regulators should look not only at banks policies for applying the rules, but also examine their systems for performing the job.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Barclays Has Much at Stake in the Fintech Future: Paul J. Davies

 Capital Markets Reopen for Europes Banks: Marcus Ashworth

 How British Savers Can Avoid Getting Ripped Off: Stuart Trow

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. Previously, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
HOUSTON, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that Texas can keep the floating barriers it set up to deter migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border river Rio Grande.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the temporary stay but did not provide further details.

Federal District Judge David A. Ezra on Wednesday ordered that Republican-led Texas must remove the floating barriers by September 15 at its own expense and stop building further obstructions in the river.

"Unfortunately for Texas, permission is exactly what federal law requires before installing obstructions in the nation's navigable waters," Ezra wrote in his order.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office immediately appealed Ezra's ruling, saying that the state "is prepared to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court."

The Biden administration filed a lawsuit against Texas in late July, alleging that Texas and its governor violated the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act by building a structure in U.S. water without permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The state argued that the barrier isn't a structure that requires authorization and that it notified the International Boundary Water Commission, the binational body that regulates the Rio Grande, before the installation.

The Mexican government has repeatedly condemned the establishment of water barriers in the Rio Grande as a "violation of our sovereignty." 
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One of the great attractions of living in London is its world-class museums, which offer generally free access to immense quantities of cultural relics from across the globe. Those arriving in the British capital might want to visit sooner rather than later. Before too long, some of those collections might start to shrink.

The theft, loss or damage of around 2,000 items from the British Museum, some of which wound up on eBay, has already led to the firing of one staff member suspected of involvement and the departure of the museums director, Hartwig Fischer. The more far-reaching impact of the scandal, though, is likely to be the impetus it gives to international pressure for the repatriation of artifacts.

Britains museums are genteel palaces populated by modestly remunerated functionaries in often historic buildings that evoke a spirit of detached scientific inquiry. But they are stuffed with the loot of the countrys colonial adventures. As the legacy of empire is increasingly reappraised, more attention has focused on how these institutions came to hold their treasures. Greece, Nigeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Chiles Easter Island, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Africa are among countries and territories that have sought the return of relics.

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The response to mounting calls for restitution has been to emphasize the role of such museums as cultural resources that transcend nationalism. Universal museums that hold encyclopedic collections from across the world enable the study and comparison of cultures in one place, making them available to the widest number of visitors. Some priceless antiquities wouldnt be safe if returned to their countries of origin, the script sometimes runs. In essence, the argument is: Were the professionals; leave it to us.

The contribution of the British Museum theft, then, is to explode the idea that this fading cradle of empire is uniquely well positioned to serve as custodian of the worlds cultural treasures, whether the Parthenon Marbles of Greece, the Benin Bronzes from what is now Nigeria, the Rosetta Stone of Egypt or any other number of anthropological wonders. To lose one artifact may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose 2,000 looks like carelessness, as Oscar Wilde, celebrated satirist of Victorian Britain, might have said.

It was always a convenient argument anyway. The case for preserving a museum that serves as a guardian of our shared human heritage is easier to make when you happen to be the one holding that collection. Why are these institutions in the UK to begin with, though? Londons status as arguably the museum capital of the world cant be separated from the legacy of Britains 19th century colonial expansion.

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The provenance of museum artifacts can be an immensely complex question, and just because some works come from countries that clashed with the British empire doesnt mean that they were obtained dishonestly or unethically. But the idea that these institutions, having benefited from the countrys imperial wealth, can now stand separately as neutral containers of the worlds cultural treasures is becoming harder to sustain.

Shifting perceptions of the nexus between the UKs museum industry and the countrys colonial past are exemplified by The Brutish Museums, an influential 2020 book by Dan Hicks, a curator at the Pitts Rivers Museum in Oxford. Hicks, an advocate of restitution, lays out in graphic detail the violence and looting of bronze plaques and other objects from the kingdom of Benin by British forces in 1897. Nigeria renewed its call for the return of items after the British Museum theft, as did Greece. The Pitts Rivers, along with other British museums, has been in talks with Nigerian authorities on returning them. The last remaining argument against restitution has been lost, Hicks wrote after the incident.

For conservative critics, the restitution movement is self-flagellation and wokery: an expression of colonial guilt that fails to appreciate the more complex and nuanced legacy of empire (the world was different then; and besides, the British did some good things like building railways, creating relatively clean administrations and abolishing slavery, including in Benin).

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Some of these arguments seem flimsy. The reappraisal of imperialism is partly just a matter of learning the full reality of what happened. The scale of the violence may shock some. My history classes at school included plenty on the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Chartists and the Corn Laws (this was the progressive 1970s, after all); I dont remember any mention of the 1860 sacking of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, or any other colonial outrages.

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There are some striking parallels between the tale told in The Brutish Museums and the behavior of British and French soldiers in that episode, a reminder that colonialism was a multinational project with a consistent modus operandi. The destruction of the Beijing complex was such a wanton act of vandalism that it sickened even some of those who took part. You can scarcely imagine the beauty and the magnificence of the places we burnt, Charles Gordon (later famously killed at Khartoum), wrote. It made ones heart sore It was wretchedly demoralising work for an army.

The British Museum incident prompted Chinas Global Times to request the return of all Chinese cultural relics acquired through improper channels. The museum has 23,000 such pieces, including some from the palace. The newspaper is state-owned, though isnt necessarily a reliable guide to policy, having a reputation for wolf warrior-style nationalism.

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If Britain is starting to warm to the moral case for restitution from countries such as Australia, Nigeria and Greece, then what price China, a much bigger and more important economy? And how many more victims of the colonial heyday are likely to come forward? The cloistered world of museum curation has rarely looked so interesting.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 The Elgin Marbles Are Not Britains to Keep: Rachel Sanderson

 Stolen Easter Island Statue Deserves a Trip Home: Mark Gilbert

 Its Time for a Pause in US Hysteria About China: Andreas Kluth

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Matthew Brooker is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business and infrastructure out of London. A former editor and bureau chief for Bloomberg News and deputy business editor for the South China Morning Post, he is a CFA charterholder.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
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When the Trump administration blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co. in 2019 over spying concerns, the move almost wiped out the Chinese companys global smartphone business. Yet it bounced back with the support of Chinas government, and is now at the center of national efforts to achieve technological independence from the West. The remarkable comeback raises questions about whether US efforts to contain Chinas geopolitical ascent have been effective or adequate, and which of the two superpowers will come to dominate in areas such as semiconductor design and artificial intelligence.

1. Why does the US have an issue with Huawei?

The initial US measures targeting Huawei were driven by concerns that the tech giant could use its substantial presence in the worlds telecommunications networks to spy for the Chinese government. In 2020, the Federal Communications Commission designated Huawei and its Chinese peer ZTE Corp. as national security threats and ordered US carriers to pull their equipment from their networks. The sanctions have since morphed into a broader battle with China for technological supremacy. Huawei is one of Beijings chief weapons in that fight, and a major recipient of state support to help develop a range of technologies.

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2. What did the US do to sideline Huawei?

It made it harder for Huawei to sell equipment in the US and to buy parts from American suppliers by adding Huawei to a Commerce Department blacklist. The following year, accusing the company of seeking to undermine those export controls, the department imposed further restrictions on chipmakers using American technology to design or produce semiconductors used by Huawei, meaning suppliers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. could no longer sell to the Chinese company. Under President Joe Biden, conditions on some export licenses were tightened on such components as semiconductors, antennas and batteries, barring their use in Huawei devices that use fifth-generation wireless technology. The FCC established a list of proscribed equipment and moved to reimburse US carriers for implementing the rip and replace order. Under US pressure, allies including the UK, Japan and Australia also ditched Huawei 5G gear, and the cloud of suspicion continues to weigh on its sales worldwide.

3. What is Huawei doing now thats of concern to the US?

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While the US measures hobbled Huaweis growth outside China, the company has become increasingly dominant in its vast domestic market. In August, Huawei reported a third consecutive quarter of revenue growth, driven partly by new businesses like cloud computing and resurgent smartphone sales. That month, an association of global chip companies said Huawei was establishing a network of factories to manufacture its chips after the US sanctions blocked its access to many advanced facilities. In September, an examination of its latest Mate 60 Pro smartphone revealed a Huawei-designed 7-nanometer chip thats just a few years behind the worlds most cutting-edge technology. Chinese state media hailed the advance as a victory against sanctions, and the US Commerce Department said it was investigating the processor, which is made by Chinas Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., a company that  like Huawei  was also blacklisted by the US and restricted from accessing American technology.

4. What triggered the initial ban on Huawei?

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Over three decades, the company grew from an electronics re-seller into one of the worlds biggest private companies, with leading positions in telecom gear, smartphones, chips, cloud computing and cybersecurity, and substantial operations in Asia, Europe and Africa. It plowed money into 5G networks, breaking into the top 10 recipients of US patents in 2019, and helped to build 5G networks across the world. But the US government  like the Chinese and others  was wary of employing foreign technology in vital communications for fear that manufacturers could install hidden backdoors for spies to access sensitive data, or that the companies themselves would hand it over to their home governments. 5G networks are of particular concern because they go beyond making smartphone downloads faster. They also will enable new technologies like self-driving cars and the Internet of Things. UK-based carrier Vodafone Group Plc was said to have found and fixed backdoors on Huawei equipment used in its Italian business in 2011 and 2012. While its hard to know if those vulnerabilities were nefarious or accidental, the revelation dealt a blow to Huaweis reputation.

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5. Who else accused Huawei?

In 2003, Cisco Systems Inc. sued Huawei for allegedly infringing on its patents and illegally copying source code used in routers and switches. Huawei removed the contested code, manuals and command-line interfaces and the case was dropped. Motorola sued Huawei in 2010 for allegedly conspiring with former employees to steal trade secrets. That lawsuit was later settled. In 2017 a jury found Huawei liable for stealing robotic technology from T-Mobile US Inc., and in January 2019 the US Justice Department indicted Huawei for theft of trade secrets related to that case. The same month, Poland, a staunch US ally, arrested a Huawei employee on suspicion of spying for the Chinese government. Huawei fired the employee and denied any involvement in his alleged actions.

6. What did Huawei say?

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It said the US restrictions were not about cybersecurity but were really designed to safeguard American dominance in global technology. Its repeatedly denied that it helps the Beijing government to spy on other governments or companies. The company, which says its owned by founder Ren Zhengfei as well as its employees through a union, began releasing financial results, spent more on marketing and engaged with foreign media. Ren became more outspoken as he fought to defend his company. While he said he was proud of his military career and Communist Party membership, he rejected suggestions he was doing Beijings bidding or that Huawei handed over customer information.

7. What other Chinese companies are feeling the heat?

In late 2020, the Pentagon added four more firms, including China National Offshore Oil Corp. and SMIC, to a list of those it says are owned or controlled by Chinas military, exposing them to increased scrutiny and potential sanctions. Other Chinese tech giants have been blacklisted for allegedly being implicated in human rights violations against minority Muslims in the countrys Xinjiang region. They included Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., which by some accounts control as much as a third of the global market for video surveillance; SenseTime Group Ltd., the worlds most valuable artificial intelligence startup; and fellow AI giant Megvii Technology Ltd. ZTE almost collapsed after the US Commerce Department banned it for three months in 2018 from buying American technology. The US added Pengxinwei IC Manufacturing Co., better known as PXW, to its Entities List in 2022.

--With assistance from Paul Geitner, Stefan Nicola, Colum Murphy and Agatha Cantrill.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
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Once again, House Republicans are putting themselves in an impossible position. This time its over President Joe Bidens request for $40 billion in emergency spending for Ukraine, disaster relief, border security and other priorities popular with voters and all supported by a bipartisan majority in the Senate. However, a group of Republicans who oppose aiding Ukraine want it removed from the bill and barring that want to stop the package from reaching the House floor for a vote.

This leaves the Republican conference in the position of blocking spending that most Americans think is vital and urgent  especially new funding for FEMA in the wake of the Maui wildfire, hurricanes, and other disasters.

Indeed, its likely that a majority of the House and even a majority of House Republicans would support exactly what Senate Democrats and Republicans will end up passing. The last time the House voted on aid to Ukraine, in July, efforts to cut off or even reduce assistance were soundly defeated, with well over half of Republicans joining all the Democrats. Its unlikely that much has changed since then.

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In fact, its likely that sooner or later the House will end up doing what the Senate and Biden want  but only after a fight that will make House Republicans look bad, force many of them to cast votes that could be used against them next fall, and perhaps even threaten Speaker Kevin McCarthys job.

Isnt there some way they can avoid this?

Well, yes. But only if House Republicans in vulnerable seats and relatively moderate mainstream conservatives step up to fight for themselves and their party.(1)

Im not saying that the House Freedom Caucus and other extreme House Republicans are blameless. But they have the right to oppose support for Ukraine. It may be a wrong position, or even a foolish one  I certainly think so, as do most foreign policy experts  but theyre entitled to push for their policy preferences. Thats how Congress works.(2)That includes attempting to wield more control over the outcome than their numbers would suggest, in part by repeating their threat to oust McCarthy if he doesnt do what they want.

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Then theres McCarthy. As usual, hes mainly protecting himself not the members of his party. The truth is that if 50 or so of his members are constantly speaking out against the bill and none of their colleagues are willing to take them on, then McCarthy is in a way just listening to the members of his conference. Hes siding with an intense minority-- the loud group opposing Ukraine aid against an apparently indifferent majority who would vote for aid but not push for it publicly.

Which brings us to the rest of the House Republicans  mainstream conservatives, including relatively moderate ones, some of whom are in tough districts and could be defeated by Democrats in 2024. While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other mainstream conservatives in the Senate are speaking up for this package, their House counterparts are  as usual  missing in action.

They dont have to be. They could fight back. Loudly. In public. They could make it clear that this bill has the votes to pass and that they want a vote on it. They could even mirror the extreme wings tactic: threaten McCarthys job if he doesnt put the bill, including aid to Ukraine, on the House floor.

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Instead, just as they were in the speakership vote and on the debt limit, most House Republicans are either too scared or just too indifferent to bother acting. In doing so, they arent only weakening their own position, but weakening the bargaining power of their party  and making House Republicans as a group an easy and obvious scapegoat for anything that goes wrong.

More From Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:

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 Dont Write Off Ukraines Counteroffensive. Support It.: The Editors



Televising Trumps Trials Is a Mistake: Stephen L. Carter



Texas Republicans Arent Afraid of Ken Paxton: Jonathan Bernstein

(1) There are hardly any real moderate Democrats or Republicans in the House, just mainstream liberals and conservatives and more extreme liberals and conservatives, with a large gap between the least liberal Democrats and the least conservative Republicans.

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(2) Those who oppose aid to Ukraine arent hostage-taking-- the much-criticized tactic in which they demand a ransom before voting for something that they actually want, as they were doing on the debt limit earlier this year. That said, the idea of bargaining to reach a deal is still foreign to many House radicals and hostage-taking is still a tactic theyll continue using.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Its also important to her that other people are honest, but unfortunately that is really a recipe for disaster. The contributing editor and occasional columnist for Vanity Fair since 1997 says now there are no consequences for getting caught lying. People are not embarrassed by it. Truthfully, every time Ive been caught in a lie, Ive been mortified, she says. I dont think Im alone in having that response, but if thats your response, you try to avoid it  at least getting caught. Leibowitz is obsessive about words, a self-confessed psychotic perfectionist when it comes to writing. Even Richard Nixon, hardly a paragon of truth, you know, when those tapes came out, the Republicans who had defended him really up to that second ... When they heard those tapes, they went into his office, played them and said, Youve got to go, she says. Evidence is a meaningless thing now. Such behaviour has been normalised from the highest levels of government, she says. To her mind, Trump is one of the luckiest men alive. Of the 17 people up on charges in Georgia, she can see 16 going to jail; only one is certain to get off. He has never had any consequence for anything hes ever done. He has done the wrong thing practically since birth, over and over again, and people around him go broke, they go to jail, they die, they go bankrupt, they lose their jobs, they lose their house, they lose their wife. But not Trump, she says.

I read and hear a lot of people who I think of as very intelligent saying, no, hes very worried now. But I dont believe that because he has not ever been worried. You dont start worrying at 77. Most people worry their whole life. Two questions are off limits for our interview: smoking (which she brings up herself) and why she doesnt write any more. Her first book, Social Studies, was published in 1981, before that Metropolitan Life, released in 1978; they were combined in a hard cover called The Fran Lebowitz Reader in 1994. She is famously obsessive about words, has had a novel under way for decades  an excerpt was published some years ago but nothing further has been printed since  and her editor says he has the easiest job in the world. I am a psychotic perfectionist when it comes to writing, which makes it very hard, Lebowitz said last year. TAKE 7: THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO FRAN LEBOWITZ Worst habit? Other people would say smoking. I would say laziness. Im incredibly slothful, and thats a habit. My habit of not working. Greatest fear? Rodents. Even a tiny mouse, it doesnt have to be a big rat. Even a minute pet mouse. I would rather have a wolf in my apartment than a mouse. The line that stayed with you? Nothing springs to mind, not one line. Biggest regret? In New York city, its common that your regrets are about real estate. I have never not made a real estate mistake, never. Every single real estate decision has been a mistake so I have many to choose from. I was recently giving someone real estate advice and he said, Who would take real estate advice from you? And I said, Youre right, forget what I said. Favourite room? I am always happy to be in a library or any room that has a lot of books in it. Even if Im walking down the street and I can see in someones apartment that I dont know and it has a lot of books, I think, Oh, what a nice apartment. The artwork/song you wish was yours? I dont know because youre asking me whats my favourite. It is a good question. Ive been thinking about this because in an obvious moment of insanity I agreed to film something at the Met, which has 80 trillion objects, OK, where Im meant to choose and talk about my favourite thing. Its a ridiculous question. I cannot think of favourites because Im too old, thats what I think. You know who has favourites? Little kids and they are very enthusiastic about it, [saying] Thats my favourite flavour! because theyve only had five flavours. Ive had 5 million flavours. If you could solve one thing I know youre supposed to say the climate, I know its the most important thing, how could it not be? But I promise you, I would not be the person to solve it ... The most important thing in American politics - which I do think about - is to get rid of the electoral college, which I know will never happen. Because that is the essence of the problem of this country. It enables a minority of people to rule the majority and I mean rule, not govern. Every state in this country has two senators and its absurd. Wyoming, which is a giant state, bigger than Europe, has fewer than 700,000 people - there are that many people in my building. My building should have a senator, OK, and Wyoming shouldnt have two. The state of New York has two senators, Washington has zero. We dont live in anything like a representative democracy. We have a country that represents acres of land as opposed to humans. In every other country thats a democracy, the popular vote is called the vote. When interviewed on television in the 1970s about her first book, it seemed like she was born to do talk shows. I never cared what people thought about what I thought, OK. I never, ever have thought, like, I care what you think about what I think. And I dont understand why people do. People really worry about whether or not people will agree with what they say. I dont care whether you agree with me or not, its of no interest to me and I dont know why you care.

I always say to people, well, who am I? ... its not like I can change your life: Im not in the Senate, Im not on the Supreme Court, I cant affect these things, so you dont agree with me, so what? I dont mean to give the impression I dont care what people think of me as a person. Of course, the people I know, I do care what they think of me as a person. But theres no one I care about whether or not they agree with me; I never did. This, of course, got me in trouble when I was young. Her mother, in particular, used to say, Wipe that look off your face, even though she often wasnt aware she had a particular look on her face. I wasnt very conscious of it. Im not very conscious of my expressions, Lebowitz says. I know that because people are always saying to me, Why dont you ever smile? Taking a photograph, they go Smile! and I think, I am smiling. Clearly, I am not. Of course, it wasnt just a look on her face: she used to speak her mind, even then. What I do for a living, when I was a child, was called talking back. Ive never suffered at all from whats usually called stage fright. If I did, I wouldnt have done all those things, truthfully. Because I know many people who do suffer tremendously from stage fright  performers, which I dont understand, frankly. OK, I mean if you suffer from that, there are a million other things you could do with your life. I not only do not have anxiety about speaking in public, I enjoy it almost more than anything. Which is lucky because thats how she has made a living for most of her adult life, travelling the world and speaking her mind. Were talking ahead of her Australian tour early next year, during which audiences will be able to ask questions. Young women often wonder what shed say to her younger self. Its an impossible question. No one ever asks it in reverse, what advice would a 20-year-old give to their 73-year-old self.

Andy Warhol and Lebowitz at a party in New York in 1977. Credit: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns On the record is her dislike for Andy Warhol, who, when she was 20, gave her a writing job at Interview magazine; she didnt think he was very smart. Also in her line of fire are Republicans (they are stupid and they are cruel), travelling (theres all these people yelling on planes and going nuts on planes, [its] because they treat customers terribly, thats why ... fewer people flip out in first class and thats because the sheets are better) and tourists. The title of Martin Scorseses Netflix documentary about her, Pretend Its a City, was inspired by her infuriation with the latter, constantly blocking New Yorks sidewalks while staring at their phones or maps. Pretend its a city, she shouts at them. Fellow New Yorkers, Scorsese and Lebowitz are clearly great mates and he finds her very amusing. Saturday Night Live satirised the friendship, depicting the legendary filmmaker losing his mind at her every utterance. In the five years since her last visit to Australia, her work has seen a renaissance, fuelled in part by the doco, as well as a new generation discovering her work. Its not surprising: living without the tools many of us assume are indispensable, she is a one-off.
It was a surprisingly common cry when Oppenheimer opened: three hours is too long to sit in a cinema.

For everyone who was gripped by one of the years best movies, the epic length was well and truly justified. But others will have decided to wait until Christopher Nolans hit movie lands on a streaming service so they can pause it for a break.

The head of Palace Cinemas, Benjamin Zeccola, likes the idea of bringing back intermissions for three-hour movies like the coming Killers of the Flower Moon. Credit: Jason South

The same issue will surely come up when Martin Scorseses Killers of the Flower Moon opens in October. It sounds like a compelling story: a true crime drama about the systematic murder of Native Americans to steal their resources in the 1920s  a top cast headed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. But its almost three-and-a-half hours long, which will test twitchier viewers even more than Avatar: The Way of Water (three hours, 12 minutes) last Christmas.

There is a solution that could attract more viewers to cinemas, however: bring back the intermission.
Like many, I first took the opportunity to grow a beard the day bumfluff morphed into stubble. Every attempt since has been short-lived.

The beard moves in and out of fashion periodically but still somehow stands independent from it. Bushranger lookalikes habituated the inner suburbs over the past 10 years, brewing beer and pulling pork, but theres less now.

From the classic stubble beard to a Chaplin-eque moustache, a mans facial hair is a journey. Credit: Marija Ercegovac

Over the years, Ive worked on variations of facial hair that go beyond the standard beard in a bid to make it more my own. There was the goatee which might work if youre a French painter in the late 19th century, or a middle-aged choreographer. On me, it looked like compensation for the loss of hair on my head.

In 1984, I grew a socialist beard, meant to be a meld of Abe Lincoln meets Che Guevara. It consisted of an anaemic moustache and a scraggly, low-density beard line that edged my jaw.
In 2020, the Court of Appeal deemed Roberts trial a miscarriage of justice, quashed his convictions and ordered a retrial. Roberts is suing over 5627 of the 8001 days he spent in prison. Sergeant Gary Silk (left) and Senior Constable Rodney Miller. The claim deducts his 6-year sentence over a series of armed robberies he committed with Debs in 1998, to which he pleaded guilty. Although no figure has been stated in damages sought, Roberts is likely to demand a multimillion-dollar settlement.

In a similar case in Western Australia, Andrew Mallard, who was wrongfully convicted of a 1994 murder of a Perth woman, was awarded $3.25 million for the 12 years he spent in jail. Robinson Gill principal lawyer Jeremy King, who is representing Roberts, said the 24-year saga warranted forensic analysis. Bandali Debs (right), pictured in 2002, is serving life in jail. Credit: Simon Schluter I think its important to recognise that this case is far from over, King said. This case is going to mean that everything police did will be carefully and critically scrutinised.

We are going to put them under a spotlight and make sure that they are held accountable for what happened to Jason. Loading Roberts acquittal shocked Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, a friend of Silk, who described the outcome of the 2022 retrial as disappointing. The court documents list 24 potential witnesses, all current or former police officers, including Paul Sheridan, the head of the taskforce established to investigate the murders, and his second in command, Graeme Collins; detective George Buchhorn and Glenn Pullin, one of the first officers on the scene. The statement of claim alleges a new police statement was made concerning Millers dying words, months after the original and made in the hours after the Cochranes Road ambush on August 16, 1998.

It alleges multiple police statements were replaced before the 2002 trial and the originals were never found. The Age does not suggest the allegations made in the writ are true, only that they have been made. Roberts claims he is entitled to aggravated and exemplary damages because of the wrongful conduct of police. The ongoing wrongful conduct of members of Victoria Police worsened and prolonged the plaintiffs suffering, the court documents claim. The misconduct of multiple Victoria Police members is demonstrative of a systemic and contumelious disregard for the plaintiff and his rights to a fair trial and are deserving of the courts disapprobation and condign punishment.

The scene on Cochranes Road, Moorabbin, after the shootings on August 16, 1998. Credit: Wayne Hawkins Police conduct surrounding the transcribing of bugged recordings of Debs and Roberts from about October 1999 to mid-2000, when the pair were arrested, is also cited in the writ. These recordings were initially transcribed by civilians employed by Victoria Police and then checked and amended by taskforce investigators. Roberts writ alleges police gave evidence in the initial court hearings that they destroyed all original transcripts. But it emerged before the 2022 retrial that not all the original transcripts, including handwritten amendments, were shredded. Also under scrutiny is a controversial tactic the Lorimer taskforce used to provoke public conversation while police tapped Debs and Roberts phones.

Jason Roberts during his 2002 trial. Credit: Joe Armao Lorimer released a digital image to the media, known as a facefit, and Sheridan described the image as the younger of the two killers. The public were asked to help identify the man and were told the image was the best clue we have in the case. The image was, in fact, manipulated from Roberts drivers licence, which the writ alleges was designed to publicly implicate him in the murders. Roberts interaction with police on July 25, 2000 will form a contentious part of any legal battle. He has long claimed he was tortured in the back of a van by members of the Special Operations Group after they bundled him into an unmarked van from a worksite in Melbournes north-east.

Roberts claims that inside the van, he was hog-tied, had his pants pulled down and was struck to the head with the butt of a rifle. The writ claims he was also sexually assaulted with a gun by officers in black balaclavas and they pulled and hit his genitals. Roberts was questioned and released by taskforce investigators only to be arrested again on August 15, 2000 and charged with murdering Silk and Miller. The writ also cites police for allegedly failing to disclose before his retrial the Clayton Report, an internal Victoria Police probe by Inspector David Clayton into the conduct of officers linked to the Lorimer taskforce investigation. That investigation followed a years-long probe by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) into the practices used by the Lorimer taskforce in taking statements. The IBAC investigation included public hearings in 2019. Victoria Police is yet to reveal any sanctions emanating from the Clayton report, which was submitted in early 2022.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Not far away from downtown Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, a high-speed railway jointly constructed by China and the southeast Asian country is about to see trains run at full steam.

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, a flagship project of China-Indonesia Belt and Road cooperation, is the first overseas high-speed railway project that fully uses Chinese railway systems, technology, and industrial components, and will be the first high-speed railway in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Connecting Jakarta and Bandung, the fourth largest city in Indonesia, the railway is 142 km long and has a design maximum speed of 350 km per hour. It will cut the journey time between the two places from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

The railway is indeed a shining example of the infrastructure connectivity achieved through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China pioneered in the autumn of 2013.

ENHANCED CONNECTIVITY

Many other iconic projects under the BRI have been completed as scheduled and with high quality, including the China-Laos Railway. Since its launch in December 2021, the 1,035-km rail line, which links the Lao capital, Vientiane, with Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, has generated enormous benefits.

With 19 million passengers and 24 million tonnes of freight delivered and its cross-border cargo transport covering over 10 countries and regions, the railway has dovetailed China-proposed BRI with Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub on the Indo-China Peninsula.

"The railway marks a milestone of the two countries' friendship in a new era," said Manila Sombandith, the consul general of Laos in Kunming.

In other directions, the Belt and Road cooperation is also flourishing. According to official data, the China-Europe Railway Express, a flagship project connecting China and Europe, has reached 211 cities in 25 European countries, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has connected China's central and western regions with more than 300 ports in over 100 countries.

"With the BRI, China promotes infrastructure development and connectivity across continents, offering a chance for countries to enhance their trade networks and expand their economic potential," said Seun Sam, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.

Over the past decade, the BRI has also witnessed close collaboration between China and its partners in policy coordination, trade facilitation, financial integration and people-to-people exchanges, achieving fruitful outcomes.

China has signed more than 200 cooperation documents on Belt and Road cooperation with 152 countries and 32 international organizations, covering 83 percent of the countries with which China has established diplomatic relations.

Financial cooperation has also been enhanced. As of the end of 2022, the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved 202 projects with financing exceeding 38.8 billion dollars, making it a crucial financing platform for the BRI.

CHINESE WISDOM

As the world is facing emerging challenges, the BRI, a key platform for building a community with a shared future for humanity, provides Chinese wisdom for the world to achieve lasting peace and prosperity.

With a sluggish global economic recovery, global development needs strong drivers. The BRI has brought more prosperous international investment and trade. The World Bank estimates that the full implementation of transport projects under the framework could increase global income by 0.7 percent to 2.9 percent by 2030, lifting 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty.

According to Julio Rios, a Spanish expert on China, the BRI is widely popular among developing countries. The initiative has become a public good, contributing not only to China but also to the modernization of the world, he said.

The BRI has enabled countries to jointly enlarge the pie of common interests and increased the popularity of win-win cooperation. Following the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, it has promoted true multilateralism and set an example of what is democratic and just global governance.

The BRI has brought tremendous advantages to all participating countries and has become a long-term strategy to promote intra-regional and inter-regional connectivity and cooperation in all areas, such as infrastructure, connectivity, economy, investment, finance, and people-to-people exchanges, said Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think-tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia.

"It is a new global force of peace, security, stability, development, prosperity, and harmony," he said. 
Loading King is clearly exposed over a decision her colleagues did not know about. No wonder she chose to announce her latest policy, a green paper on domestic aviation, far from Parliament House on Thursday. Rather than hold the usual press conference in the building, she arranged a doorstop at Canberra Airport to make it more time-consuming to get there. And she scheduled it for 7am. It was an embarrassing ploy and only advertised the ministers anxiety about taking questions. Qatar Airways needs no barrackers, given it is owned by an oil state that helps it undercut its rivals, but the deeper issue is the communitys growing frustration with Qantas. Albanese and his ministers are exposed to being too cosy with the airline and its former chief, Alan Joyce. The government does not deny that the prime ministers son has a complimentary pass to the airlines chairmans lounge. And it was only a few weeks ago that the prime minister and the airline boss joined up at an event to promote the Yes case at the referendum.

That has given Opposition Leader Peter Dutton an easy shot. The prime minister has been happy to walk the red carpet with Alan Joyce at every top-end-of-town event, he said this week. It is worth noting that Dutton is a member of the chairmans lounge (as well as the equivalent club at Virgin Australia). So when and why did King make her decision on Qatar? Who lobbied her before she made her call? The headlines played up the sense of chaos in question time over these details, but what happened in the past few days was logical. The opposition asked questions of King about her decision. She obfuscated. The opposition asked the speaker, Milton Dick, to tell her to return to the question. Dick gave her the benefit of the doubt. The opposition moved dissent against his ruling. It knew it would lose the vote, but it wanted to highlight her evasion. And it was within its rights to do so. The Coalitions mistake was to get carried away with the shouting and yelling about something that was mostly about tactics few voters would ever notice. The member for North Sydney, Kylea Tink, rebuked them for this hostile and aggressive behaviour, and Dick agreed with her message.

Dick is a good speaker, ruling over the unruly with fair and calm decisions, but ministers put him in a difficult position with their waffle. King was hedging on Wednesday in response to direct questions about whether she had spoken to Joyce. She seemed to assume the Speaker would shield her from having to give a direct answer. King was better prepared and more direct in question time on Thursday, a sign she had learnt from the previous day. Yet she could not say when she told Albanese of her decision on Qatar  only that she made the decision on July 10 and the prime minister knew by the time it was announced on July 18. Did Qantas get any favours? How much support does this airline deserve? These are fair questions for the Senate inquiry set up this week  established, by the way, when the Coalition gained support from almost all the crossbench. The Greens voted with Labor against the inquiry, days after they claimed they wanted more accountability. Albanese and his ministry have been effective on most fronts since the election. They have avoided the travel rorts that cost John Howard so many ministers in his first term as prime minister, as well as any shocks like Tony Abbotts call to give a knighthood to Prince Philip. The government is the most stable in more than a decade.
What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox.

The arrivals hall at Delhi airport is decked out in G20 billboards flashing pink, yellow and blue. People progress, they say. Let us work together for a new paradigm of human centric cooperation. At the centre of them all is a beaming Narendra Modi, Indias prime minister and the countrys most powerful politician in a generation.

One of the billboards decorating Delhi ahead of the G20 this week. Credit: Bloomberg

The face of India is now the face of the G20. The exclusive group makes up the worlds 20 largest economies and its leaders are gathering in the Indian capital this week.

The centre of the city has been cleared out to make way for motorcades carrying dignitaries. Retail has been shut down across New Delhi and facial recognition systems have been installed.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- In an ongoing crackdown on telecom fraud originating from northern Myanmar and affecting Chinese citizens, 1,207 suspects have been transferred from Myanmar to Chinese custody, the Ministry of Public Security announced Friday.

The suspects, including 41 fugitives, were handed over on Sept. 6 in a recent border law enforcement collaboration between public authorities in Pu'er City in southwest China's border province of Yunnan and relevant law enforcement departments of Myanmar.

This new success follows close on the heels of an earlier joint operation between law enforcement authorities in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and Myanmar on Sept. 3, which resulted in the apprehension of 269 telecom scam criminal suspects.

China's public security authorities are now conducting rigorous investigations of the transferred suspects, with those accused of fraud, illegally crossing the border, and other crimes facing full scrutiny under the law. 
BAMAKO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed Thursday during a dual terrorist attack in northern Mali, the Malian government said in a statement.

Claimed by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the two attacks targeted the passengers of the boat "Tombouctou" and a military camp of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in Gao region, it said.

"In response to this double attack, a combined air-land action by our valiant FAMa made it possible to neutralize around 50 terrorists," the statement said. "Immediate arrangements were made to evacuate all passengers and secure the places which are still the subject of sweeping and surveillance."

A few hours after the attacks, Mali's interim president, Assimi Goita, declared a three-day national mourning starting Thursday.

Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies, jihadist incursions, and inter-community violence that have left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. 
Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

JAKARTA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Friday that China is ready to work with Indonesia to make full preparations for the official operation of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR).

In talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Li said China will work with Indonesia to make the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" new flagship projects of Belt and Road cooperation. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends a welcoming ceremony held by Indonesian President Joko Widodo before their talks in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
WSU out for blood during 20th annual Blood Battle

September 8, 2023

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State University will mark 20 years of donating blood with the annual American Red Cross Blood Battle Sept. 11-15 on the Ogden campus.

Blood donations will run daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dee Events Center on Sept. 11-14, with additional slots available on Sept. 11-12 and 14-15 in the Shepherd Union Ballroom.

This event pits WSU against Utah State University in a friendly competition to find out which community can donate more during the five-day blood drive. Each university has a goal to collect 500 units of blood each. The event has led to more than 19,000 blood donations over the last 20 years.

Everybody wins when we donate blood, and there are no losers in this battle. But we do love a little friendly competition, said WSU President Brad Mortensen.

Last year, Weber State provided 332 donations and was the largest blood sponsor for the American Red Cross of Utah in Weber and Box Elder counties.

Michael Smauldon, executive director of the Northern Utah Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the need for blood donations is constant and that students help lead the way to help keep the blood supply stable.

The American Red Cross is thankful for the community for supporting Weber State in hosting this blood drive, he said. For 20 years, this blood battle has really brought the Northern Utah community together to save lives.

Donors can register for appointments beforehand by downloading the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlog.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Use sponsor code Bleed Purple to support Weber State.

All are welcome to donate, including students, faculty, staff and community members.
DUBAI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias in UAE's capital Abu Dhabi on Thursday to discuss ways to further defense cooperation.

The two officials discussed the two countries' friendly relations and strategic partnership and exchanged views on the latest regional and international issues, UAE's official news agency WAM reported.

The UAE's top diplomat highlighted his country's willingness to strengthen ties with Greece to benefit both countries and their peoples.

For his part, the Greek minister commended the strategic ties between the two countries, saying that the leadership on both sides have given full support to the bilateral ties, according to the report. 
Weather Alert

Bulletin: ...FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EDT THIS MORNING... ...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... * WHAT...For the Frost Advisory, low temperatures ranging from 33 to 36 degrees will result in frost formation. For the Freeze Watch, sub-freezing temperatures ranging from 26 to 29 degrees possible. * WHERE...In New Jersey, Sussex and Warren. In Pennsylvania, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton. * WHEN...For the Frost Advisory, until 9 AM EDT this morning. For the Freeze Watch, from late Wednesday night through Thursday morning. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. &&

Info:

Type: Frost Advisory

start_time_local: 2023-10-31T04:00:00-04:00

end_time_local: 2023-10-31T09:00:00-04:00

county_name:

state: NJ

headline: Frost Advisory from TUE 4:00 AM EDT until TUE 9:00 AM EDT

county_fips:

category: Met

url:

urgency: Expected

severity: Minor

certainty: Likely

geographicname: Warren County

state_name: New Jersey
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden wants to show the world at the Group of 20 summit in India and during a stop in Vietnam that the United States and its like-minded allies are better economic and security partners than China.

White House officials said Biden, who departed Thursday evening for New Delhi, will use the annual G20 gathering as an opportunity for the U.S. to highlight a proposition for developing and middle-income countries that would increase the lending power of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund by some $200 billion.

That is an attempt to offer a significant, albeit smaller, alternative to China's massive Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, which the U.S. views as a Trojan horse for China-led regional development and military expansion. Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to skip the summit, where Premier Li Qiang will represent the country.

After the summit, Biden and Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will meet in Hanoi and are expected to announce plans to tighten economic cooperation.

Vietnam and China have robust trade relations, but also deep differences. Vietnam, like Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei, has been in a tense territorial standoff for decades with China, which has claimed authority over waters in the South China Sea that are hundreds of miles from the Chinese coastline.

I think Xis absence at this particular summit, if that comes to pass, really is a big missed opportunity for the Chinese, said Colleen Cottle, deputy director at the Washington think tank Atlantic Councils Global China Hub. And I think it affords the Biden administration even more of a chance to go on the offensive in terms of stepping up and showing ... what their value proposition is to the Global South.

Leaders of the U.S., India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were working to finalize a joint infrastructure deal that could be announced in New Delhi, according to an official familiar with the matter.

If it comes together, the arrangement would involve ship transit between India and Saudi Arabia, then trains through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, likely to Jordan, then ship transit to Turkey and onward from there by train, according to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he could not confirm the deal. He said the initiative is something that we've invested effort into with our partners.:

We believe that connectivity from India across the Middle East to Europe is incredibly important and would bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved, he told reporters accompanying Biden aboard Air Force one.

Heading into the summit, the U.S. has criticized China for reducing the transparency of its reporting on basic economic data in recent months and for cracking down on companies in China that had been providing such data.

At the same time, the White House has tried to improve ties. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who recently returned from China, was the latest administration officials to engage Beijing amid disputes over technology, security, Taiwan and other issues.

Raimondo told The Associated Press that the world is looking for the U.S. and China to responsibly manage our relationship. She said the administration's goal is to have a stable economic relationship in which there is consistent engagement. But Xi's decision to not attend the G20 shows that we have work to do regarding communication between the countries, she said.

Communication is of course, a two-way street, Raimondo said. Communication does need to lead to action.

Biden said he was disappointed that Xi will not be in New Delhi, where the summit is expected to focus on climate, development and the future of the grouping of leading economies.

The U.S. has criticized Chinas lending practices under Belt and Road as "coercive," saying the $1 trillion infrastructure effort that provides Chinese loan assistance to poor countries often comes with strings attached that restrict the restructuring of debt with other major creditor nations. China also frequently retains the right to demand repayment at any time, giving Beijing leverage over other countries.

A recent Associated Press analysis of a dozen countries most indebted to China, including Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Laos and Mongolia, found paying back that debt is consuming an ever-greater amount of tax revenue. Countries in APs analysis had as much as 50% of their foreign loans from China and most were devoting more than one-third of government revenue to paying off foreign debt.

Sullivan said the effort to bolster the lending capacity of the World Bank and the IMF would provide a "credible alternative" to China.

Biden included $3.3 billion for both institutions in the supplemental budget request he has sent to Congress. The administration said the money would help leverage nearly $50 billion from the U.S. alone in lending for middle-income and poor countries and up to $200 billion around the world.

We believe that there should be high-standard, noncoercive lending options available to low- and middle-income countries, Sullivan said

Xi is trying to navigate through one of the most turbulent moments for China's economy in decades.

The Chinese economy is weighed down by a property bubble, local government debt, high youth unemployment and a broader inability to rebound as expected from pandemic lockdowns. Added to that is the longer-term challenge of China's population starting to decline due to aging and lower birth rates.

Most conventional economic analyses assume the U.S. economy and its allies are largely insulated from a Chinese slowdown. There are supply chain risks if factories close in China and global growth struggles. But so far this year, the U.S. economy has outperformed expectations as the Chinese economy has underperformed.

Xi countered in a speech published last month that the U.S. and its allies cannot curb the greedy nature of capital and cannot solve chronic diseases such as materialism and spiritual poverty. He suggested his model of a government with centralized power will do more to serve the interests of the vast majority of people."

How China navigates through its economic headwinds is a big question for the White House. The administration has tried to have a stable trade relationship, even as it has frustrated China by restricting imports of advanced technology for national security purposes. U.S. officials have emphasized the importance of an ongoing dialogue between the governments of the world's two largest economies.

G20 leaders will also discuss the global impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and joint efforts at combating climate change. Any summit agreements on the climate front are expected to be incremental at best. G20 climate and environment ministers, at their July meeting, were unable to agree on a goal of peaking emissions by 2025, moving to clean energy and a tax on carbon as a way to reduce emissions.

Biden is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Modi's residence after he arrives in India on Friday evening.

Biden has put much effort into bolstering his relations with Modi, a conservative Hindu nationalist leading the world's most populous country. The U.S.-India relationship will be vital in coming decades as both sides deal with an ascendant China and the enormity of climate change, artificial intelligence, supply chain resilience and other issues.

Biden hosted Modi in June for a pomp-filled state visit.

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee and Associated Press journalist Tracy Brown contributed to this report.
MAXATAWNY TWP., Pa.  Things are getting spicy in Berks County. If you're one of the many who love a kick to your taste buds, you might want to head to William DeLong Memorial Park in Maxatawny for the 27th Annual Chile Pepper Festival.

You can get your hands on the best sauces from all over the country at the event, which takes place Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9.

"We are selling craft hot sauces, wings, Sriracha, two hot maple syrups, a hot honey," said Adriana DiSaverio with The Spicy Shark. "It's a great lineup of heat from a mild to wicked hot, and then two super hots."

Owners of hot sauce companies come from all over the country. Michael Laviolette traveled from Columbus, Ohio. He showed 69 News one of his best sellers.

"This is called 'Little Monster Under the Bed,' because when you were a little kid, you always had that little monster under the bed," Laviolette said. "This is actually a green Sriracha-style sauce."

It will be Laviolette's fifth year at the festival, showcasing his Flavor & Fire company. He says the festival is worth the hike from Ohio.

"This is probably one of the best festivals that we do around the country, and we've been as far out at Albuquerque, New Mexico," he said.

For many vendors, it's a chance to catch up with friends and meet new people.

"It's a lot of fun," said DiSaverio. "It's a great experience and tons of smiles and great vibes and energy, so it's something to look forward to each year."

And after tasting all that hot sauce, you'll need to cool down your mouth.

That's where Carl Bales can help. He owns Chuck Wagon Old Fashioned Soda.

"We have old-fashioned soda  the sarsaparilla, the root beer, orange cream, vanilla cream, black cherry  the stuff you don't get at a regular soda truck, and it's really good soda," Bales said.

There will be live music performances throughout both days as well.
BETHEL TWP., Pa - A Lebanon County man is facing multiple charges after a car chase with police ended with authorities finding him with nearly a pound of cocaine.

Pennsylvania State Police say Alex Santiago was speeding on I-78 in Berks County Wednesday afternoon.

When troopers attempted to pull Santiago over, he alleged sped away into Bethel Township, Lebanon County before troopers were able to stop the car.

During a search, police say they found 400 grams of cocaine on the shoulder of the road near the car.

Santiago is facing multiple charges.

He's in Berks County Jail unable to post $75,000 bail.
KINGSTON, Pa. - A Luzerne County man accused of murdering a Kutztown University graduate earlier this year is heading to trial.

Walter Zolner III, charged in murder of 22-year-old Ryan Padovani, waived his preliminary hearing Friday.

Padovani, a 2022 graduate of Kutztown University, died from multiple blunt force trauma to the head.

On May 5, his body was discovered by a roommate in an upstairs bedroom of their Kingston residence.

Investigators charged Zolner, who lived next door to the victim, with Padovani's murder.

His case will be moved to the Court of Common Pleas.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) and his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin shake hands during their meeting in Amman, Jordan, on Sept. 7, 2023. Jordan and Ireland on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for political consultations and strengthen bilateral ties. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

AMMAN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and Ireland on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for political consultations and strengthen bilateral ties.

According to a statement from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, the agreement was signed in Jordan's capital Amman following discussions between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin.

The two top diplomats discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in economic, tourism, defense, security and cultural matters, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Safadi expressed gratitude for Ireland's support of Palestinian rights and drew attention to the decline in support for Syrian refugees.

The minister reiterated that it is the international community's duty to provide a dignified standard of living for refugees.

For his part, the Irish minister expressed his keenness to enhance Jordanian-Irish partnerships, describing the MoU as a platform for structured political dialogue and a roadmap for cooperation in various sectors.

Martin also commended Jordan's exceptional role in addressing regional crises, particularly challenges related to refugees, drug trafficking and terrorism. 

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) and his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin attend a joint press conference in Amman, Jordan, on Sept. 7, 2023. Jordan and Ireland on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for political consultations and strengthen bilateral ties. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)
MAXATAWNY TWP., Pa - The largest cannabis-related event in the Keystone State is returning for its 9th year.

The Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival: Fall Marketplace takes place September 23 and 24 at Renningers Farmers Market in Maxatawny Township.

The festival's primary goal is to enlighten the public on the multifaceted world of cannabis and encourage a stronger push for legalization in Harrisburg.

The event, which draws tens of thousands of attendees, showcases numerous non-profit organizations and highlights PA's dispensaries and local businesses.

Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival: Fall Marketplace

September 23 - 24, 2023

10 a.m.  5 p.m.

Renninger's Farmers Market

740 Noble St.

Kutztown, Pa. 19530
READING, Pa. - Reading police say they've made a break in the case of a string of fatal drug overdoses last year.

Investigators say between April 9 and April 15, 2022, police responded to 11 drug overdoses where the victims were either found dead or died in the days that followed.

As a result, the Reading Police Department launched an investigation and announced Thursday that arrest warrants were issued for Jesus Martinez-Espinal, Melanie Emerich and Jesus Santiago-Caceres.

Authorities say Emerich and Santiago-Caceres are in custody. Martinez-Espinal has not yet been apprehended.

All three are charged with multiple counts of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy and related offenses.

Unidentified man Reading Police are asking assistance in identifying the man in this picture in relation to the case.

In addition to these 3 suspects, Reading police are seeking assistance in identifying another male related to this case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Reading Police Department at 610-655-6116 or anonymously to Crime Alert Berks County at 877-373-9913.
Gracedale Nursing Home is fulfilling its mission, a consultant said Thursday, but it pays less than peers and does not reward staff members for sticking with the county facility.



"The two biggest problems I think you have are wages are not competitive and you don't pay for experience," Candace McMullen of Affinity Health Services told Northampton County Council's Human Services Committee on Thursday.



She cited pay rates for registered nurses and other positions that are $6 per hour to $11 per hour below the regional average. Gracedale has a "robust benefits plan" including a pension, she said, but today's workforce is more interested in paying bills and getting money up front.



"Retirement is not on their mind," McMullen said.



The county hired Affinity, based in Indiana, Pennsylvania, earlier this year for $39,980 to study the operations of the facility. County Executive Lamont G. McClure objected, saying Gracedale is already heavily regulated by state and federal agencies, but County Council insisted on the study.



The Upper Nazareth Township home is a public operation and does not reject people for financial reasons, as noted by the Affinity report.



"Gracedale operates with a true county home philosophy - they care for all regardless of ability to pay," the report said. Affinity concluded that the nursing home, run by Administrator Jennifer Stewart, "performs better than its peers."



The home has an official capacity of 681 beds but has been operating with about 485 residents. It faced staff shortages and operational changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Affinity presented various scenarios to reduce the total number of residents. One scenario would reduce the patient count to a maximum of 342.



Gracedale has some rooms set up for three or four residents, while many nursing homes are moving to having just two people per room.



Commissioner Ron Heckman (council members are known as commissioners) noted that "Baby Boomers," the post-World War II generation of people born from about 1946 to 1964, are retiring and will need places to live.



Heckman said he is concerned about reducing the home's capacity.



"I think the need is going to catch up with the facility," he said.



Gracedale provides a place for people who are very ill and difficult to care for, patients who might be rejected by private facilities, Heckman said.



Last year, McClure presented a plan to "save Gracedale" by allocating millions of dollars of federal pandemic-relief aid to the home. The Executive said then that he was determined to keep the home open, keep it public, and provide a place for elderly and ill residents to live.
L. SAUCON TWP., Pa. - The long, slow, painful march of saying goodbye arrived in an instant for firefighter Andy Carr.

"It's been the worst two weeks of my life, the Palmer Municipal Firefighter said through tears.

Carr's best friend and fellow fire fighter John Kalynych died unexpectedly the last week in August.

He has the personality to really get out there and reach out and get things done. That is one of the biggest things we are going to miss with John, Carr said.

The 50-year-old served on four fire departments simultaneously and the Lehigh County DA's Office Municipal Emergency Response Team.

His dedication to public service dates to the 1980's, in too many roles to count.

Dozens of first responders, friends, and family honored Kalynych at Lower Saucon Township's Polk Valley Park for his funeral.

He drove you to want more. He led change and was always promoting growth and progression, said the Chaplin during the service.

Lower Saucon Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Bryan Evans called Kalynych a pioneer in emergency response and instruction, who would stay on scene for hours.

Some of your viewers are going to realize, wow John took me to the hospital and took care of me in my time of need. So the impact is really immeasurable actually, he said.

John, just he had the answer and if he didn't have the answer he was going to find the answer, Lower Saucon Fire Chief Ty Johnson added.

During the ceremony, his two sons were presented the American flag, an emotional moment heightened during Kalynych's last call, played over the public safety airwaves.

During the final passing of his urn, the true meaning of public service was alive and well.

If you ever need a brotherhood, it's the fire service, Carr said.
LIVINGSTON, La. - Authorities in Louisiana say a man is under arrest after a 14-year-old girl that had been reported missing from Allentown was found at his residence.

Investigators with Louisiana State Police Special Victims Unit received information regarding a missing juvenile from Pennsylvania who was possibly brought to Livingston, according to a news release from Louisiana State Police.

Through investigative means, investigators identified Jesus Delacruz, 19, as a suspect and obtained a search warrant for his residence, according to the news release. During the execution of the warrant, investigators recovered the girl who had been reported missing from Allentown, Louisiana State Police said.

Louisiana State Police say that as a result of the investigation, Delacruz was arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center for multiple charges, including second-degree kidnapping and sexual battery.

The case remains under investigation, and additional details will be provided when available, according to Louisiana State Police.
ALLENTOWN, Pa -- The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America says Allentown is the toughest place for people with asthma to be. The nonprofit gathered data from the 100 largest cities in the country for its new report released Thursday.

Allentown was ranked the number one most challenging city to live if you have asthma.

"The three things we used is prevalence, mortality and emergency room visits," said Kenneth Mendez, the president and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. "Allentown ranked fairly high in terms of emergency room visits and prevalence, so that's how it topped the list."

When asked if it is specifically Allentown or the entire Lehigh Valley area, Mendez said, "It's specifically the Allentown area. That's where we pick the data from. The metropolitan, MSA, area."

Also in the rankings is Philadelphia at 8, New York City at 15 and Harrisburg at 16.

"There's a disproportionate effect among certain communities," said Mendez. "Environmental justice issues are really linked to asthma."

This comes as the state Department of Environmental Protection is set to update its environmental justice policy later this month, for the first time since 2004. Work has been underway to revise that for years to ensure fair enforcement of environmental regulations.

In the meantime, what should the Allentown area do about the ranking? The foundation says: think air quality.

"Encouraging public transportation, clean energy, reducing emissions," said Mendez.

Mendez also stresses if you're waking up twice a month from asthma or taking a rescue inhaler a couple of times a week, it could mean your asthma isn't controlled.

"Asthma can be serious," said Mendez. "Over 3,500 people die each year from asthma."

The nonprofit recommends working with your doctor and knowing your triggers.

"Have an asthma action plan, which you can find on our website aafa.org, which really tries to measure how you're feeling and what to do, given various stages," said Mendez.

The foundation says asthma costs the health care system about $82 billion a year, so changes can save both money and lives.
UPDATE: As of 12:52 p.m. Friday, the Carbon, Monroe and Schuylkill County 911 centers are fully back in service.

Northeast Pennsylvania has been hit with a system-wide outage for 911 emergency calls. It's affecting at least 16 counties, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency's Facebook page.

Inside Lehighton Fire Station in Carbon County, volunteer firefighters were standing by for about three and a half hours Thursday night, making sure any folks who were not able to call 911 could come into the fire station.

"We have someone sitting by the phone, because our phone line still works," Chief Patrick Mriss said. "We put the notification out through our social media platforms."

A system-wide outage affecting the Northeast Pennsylvania Region means many folks are unable to call 911 until it's fixed.

According to Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency's Facebook page, 16 counties were listed as affected.

Monroe County's Emergency Management also confirmed it's experiencing a system-wide outage.

PEMA says it has to do with a widespread Verizon outage affecting 911.

"This is very rare," Maryellen Keegan, Director of the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management, said. "We have a very stable 911 system in our areas. Unfortunately, with any technology, things happen...so just like in any emergency situation, we have backups."

Folks are asked to text their emergency to the number 911, just like you'd text a regular number.

"Instead of putting that 10-digit number in that 'to:' line," Keegan said. "Then drop down to your message and write out what your emergency is."

In Monroe County, you can also call: 570-992-9911.

"We're able to dispatch all emergency calls using radio and regular dispatching methods," Keegan said.

If callers receive a busy signal, they're asked to please keep trying.

Meanwhile, back in Carbon County, the Lehighton fire volunteers were eventually able to go home once Monroe County's 911 Center rerouted the calls to its center.

But fire chief Patrick Mriss says local first responders there have several methods of outreach, too; the local police station next door has a non-emergency phone line, he says.

"We're trying all avenues to inform people," he said. "If you know of someone in your area that does not have social media, or may need help with this, please reach out to them, let them know of the situation, that they're aware of that 911 won't work."

Officials say they don't yet have a timeline of when this will be fixed, but say technicians are working to get it resolved as soon as possible, and they'll let everyone know when it is.

Monroe County officials issued the following statement about their 911 system outage on Friday morning:

"The Monroe County Control Center has advised that 911 service over PA was impacted as a result of a Verizon fiber optic cable that was compromised due to a fire. 911 calls are being routed to the Monroe County 911 Center, however, if you feel that your call may not or is not going through please use the following methods to report your emergency: Text: 9-1-1 [or] Phone: 570-992-9911."
The water levels in this canal in Cape Coral, Florida, rose during Hurricane Idalia. That's when five manatees swam in.

But when the water went down, a ledge stopped them from getting out.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife agent said it's the biggest manatee rescue mission he's ever seen. Lots of rescuers were out there to help including crews from Zoo Tampa, the University of Florida and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

We're told manatees love bubbles, so one of the rescuers made bubbles in the water to lure the manatees into a net. They were able to get three of them out that way, but two were still stuck.

"Mom was very, very large, so it's safer for us and for the manatees to make sure that, we have a very large animal like that, we catch her alone with just her calf so that we can do it safely. We can put them back together and keep them together the entire time," said Denise Boys, a Florida Fish & Wildlife marine mammal researcher.

A mother and baby manatee  called a calf  were left behind. They were able to get the calf first, then eventually the mom, and they checked them out on the scene.

After a quick medical check-up, it was off to Horton Park in Cape Coral, where all five were reunited once again.

All three species of manatees in the world are in danger of extinction, so it was good that these five were saved.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Moros will pay a state visit to China from Sept. 8 to 14, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Friday.

China and Venezuela are each other's comprehensive strategic partners. In recent years, thanks to the personal commitment of President Xi and President Maduro, the China-Venezuela relations have withstood the test of the evolving international landscape and remained rock-solid, said Mao Ning, another spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, at a regular press briefing on Friday.

"The two countries' political mutual trust has grown more solid, and our cooperation in various sectors has further deepened," said Mao.

Through President Maduro's visit, China hopes and stands ready to work with Venezuela to draw a blueprint for the growth of bilateral relations in the new era, bring the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, and make new contribution to world peace and stability as well as international fairness and justice, she added. 
Kindness is a big part of Dance to Make a Change, the nonprofit behind this weekend's YOUnited dance workshop.

The workshop is on Sunday at ArtsQuest in Bethlehem, and it's a way for a professional dancer and choreographer who grew up in the Lehigh Valley to give back in a big way.

Dancing helped save Olivia Rush's life  after she says bullying almost ended it.

This is Olivia today. At 22 years old, she's making her mark on the dance world. It's been a long journey.

A bullying assault at a dance studio when she was 14 left her with a traumatic brain injury. Doctors told Olivia she would likely never dance again.

It was a challenge, but Olivia never gave up. She suffered headaches, vertigo and nausea, but with the help of a few beloved dance teachers-  like Leann Hoffer  she pushed on and started dancing again.

Olivia's love for dance never wavered throughout it all, and now she's a professional dancer doing what she loves most.

She says she survived for a reason, so she started the nonprofit "Dance To Make A Change" to create a safe space for kids who have been victims of bullying and trauma. They get to know each other through the dance classes and create a support network that's there after the workshop is over.

Olivia says the goal is to teach kindness, inclusivity and love for all. Proceeds go towards mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

Dance To Make a Change partnered with the Unique Movers Dance for this weekend's workshop.

And with Olivia's connections, she brings in some pretty big names for the workshop  choreographers from Los Angeles and New York will be in town.

There's still time to sign up for Sunday's event, and they take walk-ins that morning as well.

You can follow Olivia on Instagram @dancetomakeachange.
HARBIN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the northeastern province of Heilongjiang to firmly grasp its strategic position in the country's overall development, and strive to open new ground for its high-quality development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection in the province from Wednesday to Friday. 
Tributes have been made to Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.

Today (Friday) marks one year since the death of Britains longest-reigning monarch at the age of 96.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the passing of the late Queen on September 8, 2022, marking the end of her 70-year reign.

The Royal Family are expected to pay their respects privately with Prince William and the Princess of Wales anticipated to lead tributes to the late monarch.

On the occasion of the anniversary of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIs passing and The Kings Accession, The King has issued the following message:

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

The audio message was recorded by His Majesty from Balmoral Castle, where Queen Elizabeth passed.

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majestys death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.



I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023

Maidenhead's MP Theresa May paid tribute on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that read: "On the anniversary of the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the UK mourns the loss of our longest-reigning monarch  but we remember a lifetime of dedicated and selfless service to our country."

On the anniversary of the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the UK mourns the loss of our longest-reigning monarch  but we remember a lifetime of dedicated and selfless service to our country. pic.twitter.com/laRlpQQ8hD  Theresa May (@theresa_may) September 8, 2023

Councillor Neil Knowles, the mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, honoured the Queens legacy with a statement.

He said: Our thoughts are with His Majesty The King and the Royal Family as we mark this first anniversary of the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

All of us remember the poignant scenes in Windsor in the days following the announcement  crowds of mourners silently paying their respects, the sea of floral tributes, the final slow procession up the Long Walk to Windsor Castle.

At the Royal Borough, we continue to feel her loss, but we also use today to again reflect and give thanks for an incredible life of tireless duty and selfless service to the nation.

We were so proud to call Her Majesty one of our residents  she loved Windsor, and Windsor loved and respected her in return. She will always have a fond place the hearts and memories of our communities across the Royal Borough.

Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey has also paid tribute on X, writing:

"Today we pay tribute to our greatest Briton - Queen Elizabeth II. Her devotion to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will forever be an inspiration to people across the globe. We will be eternally grateful for her service. Thank you, Maam."

Today we pay tribute to our greatest Briton - Queen Elizabeth II.



Her devotion to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will forever be an inspiration to people across the globe. We will be eternally grateful for her service.



Thank you, Maam. pic.twitter.com/TfhFNpsrkZ  Joy Morrissey MP (@joymorrissey) September 8, 2023

Slough's MP Tan Dhesi said:

On this first anniversary of the Queens passing, my thoughts and prayers are once again with the Royal Family.

The Queen was among the countrys greatest monarchs, and her service and devotion to our country was truly extraordinary.

"For 70 years Her Majestys was a life of service, grace and wisdom. Her legacy and her enduring presence will live on. May she rest in peace.

Slough council leader, Councillor Dexter Smith said:

A year on from the death of her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I pause to reflect on a life of service to our nation and the entire commonwealth as our longest reigning monarch.

I am pleased to see that the Government is proceeding with a Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Committee to honour her legacy.

Windsor MP Adam Afriyie said:

The passing of Her Majesty The Queen marked the end of an era. She was the face and the voice of our nation across the Windsor constituency, the country and the globe for generations, and we will miss her for years to come.

She represented stability, continuity, understanding and kindness, and her absence serves to emphasise her timeless qualities.

I will miss her gracious presence, incisive wit and enduring charm, and I know that I am not alone.

King Charles III has big shoes to fill, and he has made an impressive start. His inclusive and distinctive style and impressive schedule of engagements locally and nationally bodes well for the future.

Long live the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, and long live the King.
URUMQI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- On a farm in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, water from the Tarim River flows through a canal into a pump house, before being distributed to the roots of the crops by a pressurized irrigation system.

A new technology in the irrigation system, known as the "smart ball valve," has effectively resolved the challenge of manual operation during the water retrieval process.

"A simple click on a smartphone connected to the network will activate the smart ball valve," said Zheng Zhengcheng, the chief consultant of Qingshuihe Farm, located in Heshuo County in Xinjiang.

Based on the required water quantity, the valves can be adjusted to various capacity levels, ranging from 40 to 100 percent, added Zheng.

Compared to traditional mechanical wells, this irrigation system can save approximately 28 percent of water, about 30 percent of fertilizer, and reduce irrigation time by almost half.

Across millions of hectares of farmland in the Tarim River basin, new technologies have been applied to agricultural production, reducing the workload of farmers, conserving water, and improving efficiency.

"My wife and I used to manage over 40 mu (about 2.7 hectares) of land, and it consumed a significant amount of water each year," said Ehmet Hemdul, a worker at Qingshuihe Farm.

Thanks to new irrigation system, the couple now manages a plot of land 10 times larger, with average water usage cut by more than half.

In Weili County, also located in the Tarim River basin, soil moisture meters have been widely installed in cotton fields to inform farmers when irrigation is necessary.

"The device can monitor soil moisture and temperature, assisting us in making irrigation decisions throughout the cotton management process," said Ai Haipeng, the manager of a pilot program called "super cotton field," which employs a high level of autonomous technology.

During the summer, with the rise in the water level of the Tarim River, workers have increased the intensity of patrols using unmanned aerial vehicles to ensure the safety of the power supply along the river.

"We have formed several drone inspection teams to conduct specialized patrols on both sides of the Tarim River," said Wang Zhiliang, a drone operator with the power supply company in Aksu Prefecture, under the State Grid.

Drone patrols not only significantly enhance work efficiency but also effectively ensure the safety of the workers, added Wang. 
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a multinational brewing company and one of the largest beer producers in the world. Headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, the company operates in over 50 countries and has a vast portfolio of well-known beer brands. Anheuser-Busch InBev's mission is to be the best beer company, bringing people together for a better world by brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers.

With a rich history dating back to 1366, Anheuser-Busch InBev has established a strong presence in the global beer market. The company operates numerous breweries and has many products, including popular brands such as Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona, Beck's, and Michelob Ultra. Anheuser-Busch InBev serves a diverse target market, catering to beer enthusiasts across different demographics and geographies.

The company's key customers include distributors, retailers, and consumers worldwide. Its broad product portfolio allows it to meet various consumer preferences and market demands. Anheuser-Busch InBev's commitment to quality and innovation has garnered recognition and numerous awards over the years, solidifying its position as an industry leader.

Anheuser-Busch InBev's management team consists of experienced leaders who bring diverse expertise to the company. The Chief Executive Officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev is Michel Doukeris, who assumed the role in 2021. He has a strong background in the consumer packaged goods industry, previously serving as the President of AB InBev's North America zone.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has delivered strong results in recent years. However, the company has recently struggled with negative press and investor sentiment. The company maintains healthy profit margins, showcasing its ability to generate value for its shareholders. Anheuser-Busch InBev also pays a dividend which is excellent for investors looking for passive income. This demonstrates the company's commitment to returning value to its shareholders.

Anheuser-Busch InBev's stock performance has experienced highs and lows over the past year. Anheuser-Busch InBev's valuation metrics, such as price-to-earnings or price-to-book ratio, should be analyzed in relation to other companies in the brewing industry.

Anheuser-Busch InBev operates in the highly competitive brewing industry. Intense competition, evolving consumer preferences, and regulatory challenges characterize the industry. Despite these factors, Anheuser-Busch InBev has established itself as a dominant player with a solid competitive advantage.

The company's global presence and diverse portfolio of brands give it a significant edge in the market. Anheuser-Busch InBev has successfully built a strong brand image and customer loyalty through effective marketing campaigns and sponsorships of major sporting events. These initiatives help the company stay top-of-mind for consumers and drive product demand.

Anheuser-Busch InBev faces competition from global and local players in its operating markets. Major competitors include companies like Heineken, Molson Coors, and Constellation Brands. To maintain its competitive position, Anheuser-Busch InBev focuses on product innovation, expanding its brand portfolio, and leveraging its global distribution network.

It is worth noting that the brewing industry is subject to regulatory and political factors that can impact operations. This includes regulations related to alcohol advertising, labeling, taxation, and changes in consumer preferences toward healthier alternatives. Anheuser-Busch InBev actively monitors and adapts to these regulatory and industry trends to mitigate potential risks.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has several growth opportunities to capitalize on in the coming years. One significant avenue is the expansion into new markets. Emerging economies present the untapped potential for the company to introduce its brands to a growing middle class with increasing disposable income. Anheuser-Busch InBev can further expand its market share by tailoring its products to suit local preferences and investing in distribution networks.

In addition to geographic expansion, Anheuser-Busch InBev can focus on product innovation to meet evolving consumer preferences. The growing demand for low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages presents an opportunity for the company to diversify its portfolio and capture a broader customer base. Anheuser-Busch InBev has already made strides in this area by launching products like Budweiser Zero and Michelob Ultra Pure Gold.

While Anheuser-Busch InBev has demonstrated resilience and growth, it also faces various risks and challenges. Changes in consumer preferences and the shift towards healthier lifestyles pose a risk to the company's traditional beer offerings. Anheuser-Busch InBev must proactively address this by diversifying its product portfolio and investing in low-alcohol and non-alcoholic alternatives.

Regulatory changes can also impact the company's operations and profitability. Stricter regulations on alcohol advertising and labeling, increased taxes, or limitations on distribution can hinder market growth and increase costs. Anheuser-Busch InBev must closely monitor and adapt to these regulatory changes to mitigate their impact.

Competition remains a significant challenge. The brewing industry is highly competitive, with global and local players vying for market share. Anheuser-Busch InBev must continue to innovate, invest in marketing and strengthen its relationships with distributors to maintain its competitive edge.

To manage these risks, Anheuser-Busch InBev has implemented robust risk management strategies. This includes closely monitoring consumer trends, diversifying its product portfolio, maintaining strong relationships with regulators and policymakers, and conducting thorough market research. By staying agile and adaptable, the company can navigate potential challenges and seize opportunities in the market.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc is a publicly traded mining company that operates primarily in North and South America. The company is in the top ten of the world's largest producers of copper, gold and molybdenum, and its operations include mines, smelters and refineries.

Freeport-McMoRan was founded in 1988 when Freeport Minerals Corporation merged with McMoRan Oil & Gas Company. Both companies had a long history in the mining industry, with Freeport Minerals founded in 1912 and McMoRan Oil & Gas in 1969.

The merger of the two companies created a vertically integrated mining company that could control every aspect of the mining process. The union of the two companies allowed Freeport-McMoRan to become one of the world's largest producers of copper, gold and molybdenum.

Freeport-McMoRan's operations are primarily in North and South America, with mines in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Chile. The company also owns a 48.76% stake in the Grasberg mine in Indonesia, the largest gold mine in the world and the second-largest copper mining operation in the world.

The Grasberg mine is a significant source of revenue for Freeport-McMoRan, accounting for approximately 30% of the company's copper production and 40% of its gold production. The mine has operated since the 1970s and has significantly expanded recently.

Freeport-McMoRan's other major operation is the Cerro Verde mine in Peru, one of the world's largest copper mines. The mine was established as a joint venture between Freeport-McMoRan, Buenaventura and Sumitomo Corporation, with Freeport-McMoRan owning a 53.56% stake.

In addition to its mining operations, Freeport-McMoRan owns and operates smelters and refineries in the United States and South America. This allows the company to process the ore from its mines into finished products, such as copper cathodes and gold bars.

Freeport-McMoRan has a track record of financial performance. The company's revenues have steadily grown over the past decade, driven by increasing demand for copper and other essential metals.

Freeport-McMoRan's strong financial performance has allowed the company to invest in new projects and expand its operations. The company has recently focused on developing new mining projects in North and South America, including the Lone Star copper project in Arizona and the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 copper project in Chile.

Freeport-McMoRan has a solid commitment to sustainability and responsible mining practices. The company has implemented a comprehensive environmental management system designed to minimize its impact on the environment while supporting the communities in which it operates.

One of the critical components of Freeport-McMoRan's sustainability strategy is its focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company has set a target of reducing its carbon footprint by 10% by the end of 2023, compared to its 2018 baseline.

Freeport-McMoRan has also implemented a water management program, which aims to minimize the use of fresh water in its operations and promote water conservation. In addition, the company has invested in technologies that allow it to recycle and reuse water, and it has also partnered with local communities to implement water conservation projects.

In addition to its environmental initiatives, Freeport-McMoRan is committed to supporting the communities in which it operates. The company has implemented a social responsibility program, which includes initiatives to improve education, healthcare and economic development in the communities near its mining operations.

Freeport-McMoRan has also committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The company has established a DEI council and has implemented training programs to promote a more inclusive workplace. In addition, Freeport-McMoRan has set a target of achieving gender parity in its workforce by 2030.

The company is not without its risks. One of the main risks is the volatility of metal prices. Copper and gold prices can be highly cyclical and are influenced by various factors, including global economic conditions, geopolitical events and supply and demand dynamics. As a result, a significant decline in metal prices could harm Freeport-McMoRan's financial performance.

Another risk to consider is the regulatory environment. Mining companies are subject to various environmental and safety regulations, which can impact their operations and financial performance. As a result, changes in laws, or increased enforcement of existing regulations, could increase the cost of doing business for Freeport-McMoRan.
A military helicopter of the Philippine Air Force participates in a live fire exercise as part of the Philippines-U.S. Balikatan 2019 in Tarlac Province, the Philippines, April 10, 2019. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

"U.S. military hegemony has not brought peace and stability to the world. On the contrary, the so-called unipolar moment was characterized by staunch violations of international law and illegal military interventions," a Russian scholar said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. military hegemony is a threat to international peace and stability, a Russian scholar has said.

The United States has long been attempting to promote and preserve its military dominance through its expansionist policies, illegal military interventions, and by undermining the security and stability of other nations, said Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

Xinhua Institute, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a report titled Origins, Facts and Perils of U.S. Military Hegemony on Tuesday, with some experts joining the event in person and virtually, including Suslov.

"U.S. military hegemony has not brought peace and stability to the world. On the contrary, the so-called unipolar moment was characterized by staunch violations of international law and illegal military interventions," he said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

NATO's brutal bombing on Yugoslavia in 1999, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the U.S.-led NATO intervention in Libya in 2011 are just several tragic consequences of America's pursuit of military dominance, said Suslov, adding that these tactics are not new, as they are rooted in U.S. history and its pursuit of military primacy.

Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2020 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The U.S. hegemony, its tradition of equating security and primacy, and its perception of itself as a chosen nation explain why "the United States has never had and cannot even imagine equal non-confrontational relations," he said.

According to the expert, this U.S. tradition was one of the major reasons behind the Cold War, and is currently one of the key reasons behind its confrontational foreign policies.

"As soon as any country becomes powerful enough to challenge the global primacy of the United States, it regards this as a threat and begins to carry out policies of containment and confrontation," Suslov said.

Furthermore, the United States maintains its global primacy through military hegemony. The United States spends the largest military budget in the world, possesses the largest number of military bases, and is a part of many military alliances, said the scholar.

Nonetheless, U.S. global military hegemony is doomed to failure, as many non-Western countries support the formation of a just and multipolar world, he said.
Target Corporation has a long history dating back to 1902. The company began as Goodfellows Dry Goods, operated by George Dalton, and later changed its name via a progression of mergers and acquisitions. The first Target store was opened in Roseville, Minnesota in 1962 as the discount division of the parent company. The idea was discount or low-priced items could still be fashionable and desirable. After meeting great success in the home territory, the concept went public in the late 1960s was later expanded on a national level during the 1980s. Target Corporation is now the 7th largest retailer in the US and is projected to bring in more than $113 billion in revenue for fiscal 2023.

The department stores were shed in 2004 so today Target operates as a general merchandise retailer that serves on-trend items at discounted prices. It is known as a big box retailer and is a member of the S&P 500. The company listed about 2,000 stores in mid-2022 and had plans for growth. The company offers an assortment of everyday, household, and food goods in a bright and cheery atmosphere. It has set itself apart from other low-priced retailers as the chic choice for savvy shoppers. The companys stated purpose is to help families discover the joy of everyday life and it does so by offering quality products that families can afford.

The company sells its products through a chain of stores as well as eCommerce. eCommerce is about 20% of Targets total revenue and was boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Services like delivery, same-day pickup, and access to thousands of necessary and discretionary items are also driving adoption. Target also offers amenities like cafes and opticians, and it hosts Starbucks inside the stores.

Target Corporation has paid and increased its dividend for more than 5 decades. The company issued its 53rd consecutive distribution increase in calendar 2022 bringing the total annual payout to $4.32. In late October 2022, the payout was worth 2.7% in yield and came with a 40% payout ratio and a 9% distribution compound annual growth rate.

Target is a leader in ESG and giving back to the community. Among its many endeavors is to return 5% of its profits to community charities as well as to inspire its employees to volunteer. Volunteers donate more than 1 million man-hours per year.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the 5th largest bank in the world and the largest in the U.S. The current company is the result of a series of mergers that began in the earliest days of American banking history and include more than 1,200 original banks. The oldest predecessor is The Bank Of The Manhattan Company which was founded in 1799 by Aaron Burr. At the time, The Bank Of The Manhattan Company was the 3rd oldest bank in the U.S. and the 31st oldest in the world. The Chase Manhattan Bank, a precursor to JPMorgan Chase, was later formed when The Bank Of Manhattan Company purchased Chase Bank which was established in 1877.

JPMorgan & Co came to life in 1895 in order to finance the United States Steel Corporation. Itself a result of merger, the company also financed other early American businesses as well as aided the federal government by backing a bond offering. It wasnt until the year 2000 and after several more mergers that JPMorgan Chase & Co was born. It will be four more years before the merger with Bank One which is notable because it brings CEO Jamie Dimon into the picture.

JPMorgan Chase & Co was instrumental in aiding the US government during the 2008 financial crisis. It backed the accounts of several major banks including Bear Stearns and eventually took over their operations. Today, JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide with operations on every continent and in more than 60 countries.

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates through four segments that are Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). Services are available in branches in 48 of the 50 US states and around the world. Services are available via ATM, online, mobile, and telephone.

The CCB segment offers traditional banking services to consumers that include but are not limited to deposits, loans, mortgages, and lines of credit. The CIB segment provides investment banking products and services to businesses, institutions, and governments that range from prime brokerage, insurance, corporate strategy, and access to capital markets, to lending, cross-border financing, and derivative instruments. The CB segment provides financial services for small, medium, and large businesses including commercial real estate banking of all types.

The AWM segment provides investment management solutions to institutional and retail investors. This segment also provides retirement products, brokerage, trusts and estates, and investment management products.
Skyline Champion Corp is a leading manufacturer of factory-built housing and related components. The company is headquartered in Troy, Michigan and operates a network of more than 40 manufacturing facilities across North America.

Skyline Champion Corp was formed in 2018 due to the merger between Skyline Corporation and Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC. Skyline Corporation has been known for producing high-quality manufactured homes since 1951. Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC had a strong modular and mobile home manufacturing track record. The merger united two industry leaders and created North America's largest publicly traded factory-built housing company.

Skyline Champion Corp produces and distributes factory-built homes and related components to a diverse customer base. The company's products include manufactured homes, modular homes, park model RVs and commercial structures. Skyline Champion Corp sells its products through independent retailers, builders and developers.

Skyline Champion Corp's management team is led by Mark Yost, the company's President and CEO. Yost has over 30 years of experience in the factory-built housing industry and previously served as the President and CEO of Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC.

Skyline Champion Corp has reported strong financial results in recent years, reporting increased sales and net income. Skyline Champion Corp's profit margins have also improved recently, and its stock price has performed well. Skyline Champion Corp's valuation metrics are generally in line with industry peers.

The factory-built housing industry has seen strong growth in recent years, driven by a combination of factors, including affordability, quality and speed of construction. According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, factory-built housing accounted for approximately 10% of all new single-family homes sold in the United States in 2021.

Skyline Champion Corp operates in a highly competitive industry, with numerous players competing for market share. Major competitors include Clayton Homes, Fleetwood Homes and Cavco Industries. In addition, regulatory and political issues, such as zoning restrictions and financing regulations, can also impact the industry.

Skyline Champion Corp has identified several growth opportunities in the coming years. The company is investing in new product development, including energy-efficient homes and homes with advanced technology features. Skyline Champion Corp is also expanding its geographic reach, focusing on growing its presence in the Western United States.

The company has also made several strategic acquisitions in recent years to support its growth strategy. In 2022, Skyline Champion Corp acquired Pinnacle Park Homes, a park model RVs and cabins manufacturer. The acquisition will allow Skyline Champion Corp to expand its product offerings and strengthen its park model RV market position.

While Skyline Champion Corp has demonstrated strong financial performance in recent years, the company faces several potential risks and challenges. For example, consumer preferences or economic conditions could impact demand for factory-built housing, negatively impacting the company's sales and profitability.

Regulatory changes or political issues could also impact the industry, including changes in zoning regulations or financing requirements. Skyline Champion Corp could also face increased market competition, affecting the company's market share and profitability.

In addition, the company's financial performance could be impacted by fluctuations in raw material costs, such as lumber and steel. Skyline Champion Corp may also face challenges related to supply chain disruptions, such as delays in receiving materials or components from suppliers.
"In recent years, China has made great achievements in medical education. I hope to equip myself with excellent medical skills here," Gozel Bekberdiyeva, a 24-year-old medical intern from Turkmenistan, told People's Daily Online.

Gozel came to study medicine at Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in 2017. She is now an intern at the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospital affiliated with Xinjiang Medical University.

Gozel Bekberdiyeva, an international medical student from Turkmenistan, is now an intern at the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospital affiliated with Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Photo courtesy of Gozel Bekberdiyeva]

In the past years, Gozel has gradually got the hang of learning Chinese, and gained considerable practical clinical experience, bringing her closer to realizing her dream of becoming a doctor.

"I look forward to making contributions to the medical field in my hometown after I return home," she said.

Taking international cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an opportunity, Xinjiang Medical University has aligned itself with international standards in terms of educational content and methods, attracting and cultivating a good number of international students with global perspectives through an all-English curriculum featuring a combination of TCM and Western medicine.

Like Gozel, Nagymetzhan Minar from Kazakhstan is also an international medical student taking an internship at the TCM hospital affiliated with Xinjiang Medical University.

"I came to China in 2016, when I was 18 years old and was very interested in TCM. My father is also a doctor, so I hope I can become a doctor who saves lives like him in the future," said Minar.

Nagymetzhan Minar, an international medical student from Kazakhstan, takes an internship at the TCM hospital affiliated with Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Photo courtesy of Nagymetzhan Minar]

With the support and encouragement of her family, Minar came to study TCM at Xinjiang Medical University. She has been impressed by the progress and development of China's medical field, and has been full of curiosity and thirst for knowledge about the Chinese language and TCM during her studies.

"We have learned TCM practices like acupuncture and massage. They were very hard for me at first, but I have acquired a lot of knowledge step by step," she said, noting that TCM is an interesting and difficult subject for her.

Doctors at the TCM hospital affiliated with Xinjiang Medical University are very warm-hearted toward international students, according to Minar, who added that students can always get patient guidance here whenever they need help.

"China is a heartwarming place. I hope I can continue my studies after graduation and use my medical knowledge to open a clinic when I return home," said Minar.

(Source: People's Daily Online)
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee

Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, walks into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

HARBIN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua)  Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

In the village of Longwangmiao, Xi walked into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops. He also inspected the work on the restoration of damaged houses and infrastructure while walking along the streets.

Visiting villagers' homes to learn about their losses and the supply of daily necessities, Xi encouraged them to bolster their confidence to overcome difficulties. He expressed the hope that they will soon be able to resume normal work and life, and that their lives will continue to improve.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee

Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, walks into the fields to check the impact of the floods on the rice crops in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu]

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee

Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the work on the restoration of damaged houses and infrastructure in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu]

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee

Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a villager's home to learn about the losses and the supply of daily necessities in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu]

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee

Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with villagers and workers in the village of Longwangmiao, Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Xi on Thursday visited flood-affected villagers in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

(Source: Xinhua)
HARBIN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the northeastern province of Heilongjiang to firmly grasp its strategic position in China's overall development, and strive to open new ground for its high-quality development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection in the province from Wednesday to Friday.

Xi stressed that Heilongjiang should turn its strengths into new development impetus and build and strengthen itself as an important national commodity grain production base and a heavy equipment manufacturing base, an important energy and raw material supplier, a vital guardian of ecological security in northern China, and a pivotal gateway for the nation's northward opening up.

He urged the province to play an active part in safeguarding national defense, food, ecology, energy, and industrial security.

At a forest farm in Mohe in the Dahinggan Mountains on Wednesday afternoon, Xi underscored that afforestation and protection of forests should be given equal priority, urging precaution against potential dangers to ensure that long-term achievements will not be swept away overnight.

At the Beijicun, or "North Pole Village," a riverside border village, he stressed the importance of increasing green coverage and protecting forests, calling for measures to enable people to increase their income on the basis of ecological protection.

Noting the importance of tourism sector in achieving high-quality development, Xi urged policy support to ensure that local scenery and snow and ice tourism resources generate more income for local people.

Concerned with the post-flood reconstruction, Xi on Thursday came to a village in Shangzhi City of Harbin, which bore the brunt of the recent flooding, where he checked the damage to rice crops and the reconstruction progress of damaged buildings.

Xi said that he felt reassured seeing that reconstruction was proceeding smoothly and that life and work are ensured.

Urging efforts to make sure those affected by the floods could stay warm during the winter, Xi asked the local authorities to make detailed and sound plans as soon as possible on all matters related to people's livelihood such as food, accommodation, employment, education and health, leaving no loopholes.

He called on the authorities to accelerate post-disaster reconstruction, minimize the agricultural losses caused by the disaster, and guarantee the disaster-stricken people relief and security.

At Harbin Engineering University, Xi underscored the work in education, science and technology and talent, and called for more accomplishments in building China into a leading country in those respects.

In light of the upcoming Teachers' Day, Xi extended festival greetings to faculty members of the university as well as all teachers across the country. 
Weather Alert

...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM CDT /10 PM EDT/ THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CDT /10 AM EDT/ TUESDAY... * WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures between 21 and 27 degrees expected. * WHERE...All of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From 9 PM CDT this evening to 9 AM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This hard freeze will bring an end to the growing season. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above- ground pipes to protect them from freezing. &&
Gulbanur Kurqak and other dancers rehearse a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak gets prepared before a performance at a customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's son (R) and his cousin beat drums in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

Gulbanur Kurqak gets prepared before a performance in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

Gulbanur Kurqak rehearses a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak get prepared before a performance in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

Gulbanur Kurqak rehearses a dance program at a theatre in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak gets prepared before a performance at a customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak watch a dance rehearsal in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

Gulbanur Kurqak and other dancers perform to welcome tourists in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023.

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The art troupe's live performances remain a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through out folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

Gulbanur Kurqak (2nd L) and other dancers rehearse a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak get prepared before a performance in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Bahtiyar Jumahan (2nd L) and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak get prepared before a performance in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak (C) and other dancers perform to welcome tourists in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 2, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Gulbanur Kurqak (front) and other dancers rehearse a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak dance during a break on the way to perform in a village in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 5, 2020. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Gulbanur Kurqak helps her husband Bahtiyar Jumahan to get prepared before a performance in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak picks up her daughter from kindergarten in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak walk in front of their new house in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak put their phones in another room before dinner for better interaction with their family in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak and other dancers perform to welcome tourists in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's mother kisses her grandson who just came home from school in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Gulbanur Kurqak (C) goes back home with children, and Bahtiyar Jumahan's mother welcomes them in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Gulbanur Kurqak rehearses a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak gets prepared before a performance at a customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Gulbanur Kurqak and other dancers perform to welcome tourists in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan picks up his daughter from kindergarten in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

This aerial photo taken on June 6, 2020 shows Gulbanur Kurqak and other dancers performing for villagers in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Gulbanur Kurqak cleans up with her family after dinner in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan, his wife Gulbanur Kurqak and other dancers perform to welcome tourists in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak prepare to pick up their children from school after a performance at a customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's family prepare to have dinner at home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak watch their daughter (R, front) and niece on their way back from school in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak (front) and other dancers rehearse a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's family rest after dinner at their courtyard in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan (2nd L) has dinner with his family at home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak perform to welcome tourists in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak looks towards her husband Bahtiyar Jumahan at their new house in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak rehearses a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan performs to welcome tourists at a customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's mother cooks dinner at home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's family have dinner at home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak (R) pours milk tea for her family at home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak chat during a rehearsal break in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan's family have dinner at home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak gets prepared before a performance at a customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak take their children home in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Gulbanur Kurqak (front) and other dancers rehearse a dance program in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. Bahtiyar Jumahan and his wife Gulbanur Kurqak are members of an art troupe in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County at more than 4,000 meters above the sea level.

The art troupe was founded in 1956 and has retained the tradition of touring among villages in the county to entertain the villagers with live performances.

The performances prove to be a popular attraction as every ethnic Tajik, young or old, enjoys singing and dancing.

"Our performances show a glimpse of real Xinjiang. We hope more and more people can know more about Xinjiang through folk songs and dances," the couple said. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
Faculty, staff and students of West Virginia University spoke with the World Socialist Web Site outside the College of Creative Arts Wednesday afternoon and voiced their opposition to plans to eliminate 169 faculty and slash 39 majors.

Students and faculty protesting against the cuts at West Virginia University, September 6, 2023

About 125 to 150 students took part in a rally called by the West Virginia United Students Union to oppose the cuts. Hundreds of faculty members jammed an assembly that was called to discuss and vote on two motions: one a vote of no confidence in West Virginia President Gordon Gee who was pushing the cuts; the other demanding that all cuts be frozen. Demonstrating the overwhelming opposition to the attack on the land grant university, the faculty passed both motions by 8 to 1.

Most of the students made clear that they were not just protesting for themselves, but for the rights of the entire student body as well as those who had not yet gone to school.

Cheyenne Luzynski, Ph.D is a teaching associate professor of leadership studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. She said:

In the field of leadership, as a scholar and as a teacher who believes in education and sees it as a mission, it is important that were standing up and using our right and exercising our votes. Im against these cuts because I see that its a slippery slope in the democratization of the university system and higher ed at large. I care deeply about this state. I am a transplant to this state. But I see what potential this university can do in a place like this. And I am worried that if we start to minimize and cut down spending and opportunity, that were just eliminating the future of future citizens here. I definitely see this as a response and reaction to a decrease in critical thinking, science [and the] pursuit of truth and understanding, and the dumbing down of America, sadly. I would say that this all started probably in the 80s when we started having our military industrial complex and the attack on education at its root of communities and families. And its been a shifting of priorities. And heres the results. Now were having to fight and stand for just basic human rights and being able to see and create a tolerant, accepting society.

Andrea is completing an English major with a minor in Appalachian Studies. She said that her major is not getting cut entirely, but a number of faculty are being cut.

Andrea, a student at West Virginia University

The faculty was slated to get cut from 40 to 26. We have saved most of those jobs, but we are still losing seven jobs. Three people volunteered to retire early to save the jobs of their co-workers, yet admin [Gordon Gee gets paid $800,000 a year] refuses to take pay cuts so most people have to leave the university and uproot their lives. In my major, if we lose more faculty or graduate students, we cannot finish our programs. I will be forced to leave this university because I cant get the education that I want or need. That is really scary because I cant really afford to go to many other places. There are only two other places I could look in to and Im really freaking mad about it, Im not going to lie. It is really infuriating the more I think about it, how much these administrators make when I am scrapping by, and I can barely pay rent. My mother pays for me to come here with my fathers Social Security and retirement benefits which she gets now because my dad died. So basically, my dad died so I could come to college, that is the only way I could afford it. So, Im going to fight for that, because that is a big sacrifice my family has made for me to send me here, so I want to see it through. These cuts to our international programs are really worrying. It is so hard to connect with people from other countries when you grow up here, because people dont think about it. One of the things about going to college is to learn about the culture that my mom doesnt get to live in anymore. Thats one of the things that I want to save here at WVU.

Asked if she felt these cuts were part of a larger attack on education, both at WVU and throughout the country, Andrea responded:

It is scary. My nieces are about to go to college. One has just started. Im afraid of what is going to happen to their programs. Im afraid for my other friends at different universities, who can just barely afford college education as it is.

Andrea pointed out that by cutting programs, the administration is seeking to push the university towards being a vocational school and sets limits on what students are allowed to think.

What [does] it really means for what we can think, what we are allowed to think? [What] opportunities for our young folks [will remain] and [what are] especially our poor young folks allowed to have, when educational access is restricted?

Asked about the military, Andrea said,

I want people to live healthy, strong lives and not have to worry about these things. (People should) not be in a position to be pushed into the military because they cant afford anything else, because they cant afford an education. That is very common here in West Virgina. Within my own family, my sister went to the military because she couldnt afford (college). There would be so much less crime and illness if you just gave people a baseline to start with and take care of their health. If you would just invest first in your people, there is so much we could do instead of investing in the military.

Alan Bristow, a professor in Physics and Astronomy said:

Faculty and students need to stand together to protect the university. This is an administrative overreach. This is an attack on intelligence. In physics we have written letters on behalf of the programs under review. The university is not a series of individual departments and programs. It is a complex institution constructed of multiple pillars dedicated to providing a liberal arts education.

Tim, a senior working towards a double major in history and womens studies, felt the cuts were aimed at the entire working class. He said:

Im against these cuts because I think they are a blatant bourgeois attack on the working class. That is all about this. They arent touching the business school. They are making some alterations to the engineering school. But those alternations are all about making it so people make more money for the ruling class. It is not even a question. They do not care about the people of West Virginia. They want to make it so the people of West Virginia stop thinking and keep working. Thats all they care about.

Tim pointed out that these cuts are taking place all over, not just at WVU.

The consulting company they used to decide what they are going to cut are currentlyI dont know the exact number of schools that they are reviewing right nowbut it is in the tens at least. It is schools around the country. They are working on setting up some cuts at a school in Taiwan even. So it is going to be a bigger problem than just West Virginia. Ive been a longtime opponent of the militarization of the United States that has been ramping up and up. It is a problem. Seventy-five percent of the national budget goes to defense. We have never been in a war of defense since 1812. It is a joke. I was planning on getting my masters in Public Administration. They just announced either yesterday or the day before that the appeal that the Public Administration department had made was denied. They are still going to cut that. [As for] me personally, it has stopped my ability to advance my career. Its not going to affect me as a senior since I will be able to get my class done and get out. But I have friends here, I have family that might end up coming here and I want it to be better for them. The people deserve better.

Caleb and Cal, music majors at West Virginia University

Caleb and Cal, both music majors, also came to voice their opposition to the cuts.

I am against these cuts, Caleb said. Every time they start cutting, it seems they want to get ride of the smaller departments and the arts first. Very often the attack will then come to others. The school will get more confident that they can cut more and more.
Australian artist John Olsen, who died early this year aged 95, was honoured with a state-sponsored event at the Art Gallery of New South Wales acknowledging his more than seventy-year contribution to the visual arts.

John Olsen at the Mosman Art Gallery, on the donation of his painting, The Rolling Sea and that Streeton Painting March 19, 2015. [Photo by Mosman City Council / CC BY 2.0

Olsen, who continued working in his studio until three days before his death, was acclaimed for his dynamic, semi-abstract and intuitive approach to Australian landscape painting that challenged the previously dominant formal style of the genre.

Olsens large-scale paintings and murals captured the rich diversity of the vast continentits desert interiors, coastal and tropical regions, along with its animals, birds and insects. His free-flowing approach, which he applied to printmaking, ceramics and tapestries, inspired a new generation of artists to reinterpret the countrys rich natural beauty.



Olsen was born in the regional working-class city of Newcastle in NSW. Although there were no artistic works in the family home when he was growing up, he had a burning ambition to be an artist. His first memories, at the age of four, were of drawing in his mothers cookery books, much to her despair.

The Great Depression and World War II directly impacted on the young boys life. The family moved to Sydney in 1935, and when war broke out his father joined the army, serving in the Middle East and Papua New Guinea, leaving his wife to bring up the family.

Olsen left school at 15, got a job as a clerk, then as a freelance cartoonist, and began attending classes at the Datillo-Rubbo Art School in the late 1940s. Soon after he enrolled as a full-time student at Sydneys Julian Ashton School, the countrys oldest fine art school, where he was taught by John Passmore (190484) who became a major influence on the 22-year-old.

Passmore began teaching at the school in 1951, after spending 17 years in Europe. Deeply involved in the geometrical structure and spatial theories of Paul Cezanne (18391906), Passmore brought new ideas to his students while encouraging a certain spontaneity and experimentation.

In January 1953, Olsen and other young artists decided to protest over William Dargie receiving the annual Archibald Prize, Australias most prestigious portraiture award. It was the seventh time that the conservative trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW had given Dargie the prize.

Furious over this decision, about 20 students entered the gallery, standing in front the portrait holding placardsArchibald decisions death to Artand shouting, Three cheers to Picasso!

John Olsen (left) and other students protesting in January 1953 over William Dargie receiving the annual Archibald Prize, Australias most prestigious portraiture award. [Photo by Olsen Family Archive/Sydney Morning Herald]

Years later Olsen, the most outspoken of the group, said, It was not only the sense of predictability that infuriated these vocal artists, but also the academic nature of the portrait [itself] which represented a total lack of vision and support for contemporary ideas.

In 1953 and 1954, two European art exhibitions toured Australia. These shows, which included works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall, had a major impact on the local art scene.

We had seen nothing like it in Australia we were so appallingly isolated. I clearly remember the colours of Chagall [and] the general feeling of freedom it gave of new avenues, Olsen recalled.

Olsens work was animated by his passion for literatureT.S. Eliot, Shakespeare, Gerard Manley Hopkins, W. H. Auden, William Butler Yeats, Dylan Thomas and Australian poet Kenneth Slessoras well as oriental art and philosophy, including Zen Buddhism.

Dylan Thomass Under Milk Wood (1954), which depicted a day in the life of a Welsh fishing village, left a lasting impression. Olsen was infatuated by Thomass ability to simultaneously draw together the plays different personalities and voices into a unified whole. He decided to apply this to his paintings of Sydney Harbour and then, much later, to his journeys in the Australian interior.

View of the Western World No.1 (1956) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

In 1956, some of Olsens paintings were included in Direction 1, a group exhibition of abstract expressionist work by Robert Klippel, John Passmore, William Rose and Eric Smith.

Later that year, Olsen was offered a scholarship to travel and study abroad. Seizing the opportunity for new sources of artistic inspiration, he sailed to Europe where he remained for the next four years, living in London, Paris and in Deia, Spain. Leaving Sydney, he said, was like cutting the umbilical cord.



Olsen attended classes at Atelier 17, a celebrated print-making studio in Paris. The classes were led by S.W. Hayter who fostered collaboration and incorporated Surrealist techniques and so-called unconscious creativity. In Spain, which included an extended period in Majorca, he studied Diego Velazquez (15991660) and Francisco Goya (17461828), and the latest styles and techniques.

Spanish Encounter (1960) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

Returning to Australia in 1960, he painted Spanish Encounter, a two-metre by four-metre three-panel abstract work distilling these experiences. Spanish artistic and cultural life were lasting influences, and he revisited the country in 1967, and once again in 1985 to see Picassos Guernica in situ.

While many Australian artists travelled for inspiration to Europe in the first two decades after World War II, others started exploring the countrys vast arid centre. The better known of these were Sidney Nolan (19171992), Albert Tucker (19141999) and Russell Drysdale (19121981). Nolans exploration of Central Australia in 1949 and the striking paintings from that trip stunned local and international critics.

Five Bells (1963) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

Olsen was asked in 2021 where he should be placed within the history of Australian art and its landscape tradition. He replied: The Australia that we now know began to reveal itself after World War II. There were great artists like Sidney Nolan, [Russell] Drysdale and Ian Fairweather.

When Nolan did the pictures of the McDonnell Ranges outside Alice Springs, he got a lift in the mail plane. He could see this vast landscape and discovered something very valuable He [Nolan] discovered these reddish landscapes and when he showed them in London the critics said he was painting the moon.

Olsen continued to experiment during 1960s and 1970s, combining aerial and spontaneous linear perspectives with brilliant splashes of color in paintings such as Five Bells (1963), Le Soleil (1965) and his giant triptych Sydney Sun (or King Sun) (1965).

Le Soleil (1965) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

In 1972, Olsen was commissioned to paint a mural for the Sydney Opera House. It was called Salute to Slessors 5 Bells and designed to be viewed at night. Dominated by the brilliant blues of Sydney Harbour, and interspersed with colourful sea creatures, it has a dream-like and almost whimsical character reminiscent of the works of Paul Klee (18791940) and Joan Miro (18831983).

Two years later, Olsen made his first visit to South Australias Lake Eyre, a 144-kilometre long, 77-kilometre wide salt lake situated near the Simpson Desert. The lake and its surrounding flora and fauna had burst into life following record floods in 1973.

Lake Eyre 1975 (1975) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

Olsens aerial viewpoints of the lake with its scores of vein-like tributaries, abundant bird life and delicate tracks of tiny creatures inhabiting the area were recorded in a series of brilliant sketches and giant paintings. Although many of these images were done with oil paint, some have the lightness of water colours, with pale blue translucent brushstrokes with the sandy colors of the desert edging onto the lake.

Olsen later described the Lake Eyre series and his artistic modus operandi as writing the landscape My own theory is that European landscape is more geometricalthe essential thing about the Australian landscape is its untidiness. Its like a dogs hind leg, it doesnt conform to those kinds of ordered patterns, the kind of balance is not the same, it sprawls.

I have no interest in paintings that have a foreground, middle distance and background The feeling I like to get in my pictures is the unexpected, things that you encounter in life, that moment that will not be completed again. It is like what the philosopher Heraclitus said, You cant put your foot in the same river twice, he said.



While it is not possible here to provide a detailed analysis of the evolution of Olsens art, three significant and well-attended retrospective exhibitions were held in the last decades of his life and contain important examples of his best work.

The first of these was in 199192. The second retrospective, at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW in 2016, had the quirky, celebratory title, The You Beaut Country. It featured 108 paintingsfrom 1955 to 2016and lesser-known works, such as ceiling paintings, ceramics and tapestries and his sketchpads and journals.

Five years later at the National Art School in Sydney, Olsen staged his final retrospectiveJohn Olsen: Goyas Dogwith 60 works. In contrast to the previous retrospective and his gregarious and generally optimistic persona, it revealed another side.

The Bay and Tidal Pool (1979) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

Although the exhibition included some of his buoyant earlier works, such as Le Soleil (1965) and Bay and Tidal Pool (1979), it also contained darker, more introspective paintings, and indications of artistic doubt (see: Exhibition Walkthrough).



Olsens 2021 show includes Goyas DogLife escaping void (1985), and Donde Voy? Self-portraits in moments of doubt (1989) and other Reflections on Goyas Dog, I, II, III (2021).

Goyas Dog refers to a painting by Goya, one of many images Olsen saw at the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The museum also contains Goyas Disaster of Wars and Black Paintings. Never intended for the public, the Black Paintings were painted directly onto the walls of Goyas home at a time when he was virtually deaf and living alone.

Goyas dog painting, sometimes known as the drowning dog, depicts a black dog looking upward with only its head showing. It is struggling, perhaps sinking, and anxiously appealing to the side for help in a sea of empty space. Regarded by many as one of Goyas many masterpieces, the image exudes loneliness, hopelessness and despair.

Reflecting on his Goyas Dog exhibition Olsen explained how he related to Spanish painting and its more introspective character.

Rather than thinking outwards, he said, Spanish art and its history made you think inwards. Still in Australia today, they like the sunny side of the world, whereas the Spanish like the shadow side of the world. I found that very intriguing.

Olsen, who received numerous government honours and art awards during his lifetime, leaves behind a rich artistic legacy.

Self-portrait Janus-Faced (2004) [Photo by Courtesy of Estate of John Olsen]

In 2005, Olsen won the Archibald Prize for his Self-portrait, Janus-Faced (2004). Like Janus, the Roman god, the 77-year-old Olsen is symbolically looking backwards and forwards and fading into the stark Australian outback.



While often described as an abstract artist, Olsen rejected this label. I have never painted an abstract painting in my life, he said, describing his work as an exploration of the totality of landscape.

Paraphrasing T.S. Eliot, Olsen often remarkedI am in the landscape and the landscape is in me. It was a dictum that animated his lifetime of creative work.
The stage is set for a strike wave of autoworkers. In less than a week, contracts for 150,000 workers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are set to expire, and workers have voted by 97 percent to strike. On October 1, the contract covering over 3,000 Mack workers at plants in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida will expire.

Mack Truck pickets in Hagerstown, Maryland during 2019 strike

Like their brothers and sisters at the Detroit Three, Mack workers are determined to win substantial wage increases, job security, better health care, benefits and working conditions, and the elimination of the hated tier system.

I think $40 an hour is not a bad ask, at minimum, a worker at Mack told the WSWS. With waiting for top rate, thats insane. I got screwed for that. I had five years of [seniority] lost and I just want these people to make things right. Thats a big one for me. I dont want benefits touched either. The points system, I dont like. Its flawed. Thats it man.

Another worker said he wanted more sick days, personal days, and not having to be here for 10 years to get a third week of vacation when we are forced to use our two weeks for shutdown. Wage increase should be in year one, dont spread it over four, right up front and air conditioning.

On August 29, Mack management and United Auto Workers officials started negotiations on the master agreement. In reality, what deal the UAW bureaucracy brings back will be aimed at boosting the profits of Mack Trucks and its parent company, Volvo Group, at the expense of the UAW membership. Mack workers at the Hagerstown, Maryland and Macungie, Pennsylvania plants have said the UAW is tight-lipped on the details of the contract.

Since the 2019 agreementsigned after the UAW betrayal of the 12-day strike by 3,600 Mack Trucks workersprofit margins have soared for the international corporation headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. According to Macrotrends, Volvo Groups first quarter growth this year jumped over 28 percent, bringing in $3.37 billion in gross profit. Annual gross profit in 2022 was $11.07 billion, almost matching a 2019 high of $11.11 billion. The current years profit is expected to shatter these marks.

Mack Trucks played no small part in the profit surge of its parent corporation. In 2022, deliveries increased 13 percent and net sales grew by 35 percent year-over-year. Market share rose to 6.2 percent for the last quarter of 2022 compared to the previous quarter. The financial analyst website Zippia said annual revenue is $1.5 billion. The revenue per employee ratio is a staggering $750,000, demonstrating the grotesque exploitation of Mack workers.

A Mack worker denounced this profit bonanza: I feel as if everybody in here, plant wide has their salaries paid for, big dogs and all, very early on in the year, off the trucks we make, and the rest of the year, I believe, is just profits. The rest goes to investors.

One area of particular concern for the global auto bosses, including Mack, is the transition of the industry from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. The auto corporations view this restructuring of the industry from their cozy, climate-controlled offices and boardrooms as a new gold rush: the slashing of hundreds of thousands of jobs, lower wages, reduced labor costs, additional tiers, and skyrocketing profits. For workers, it will be a jobs bloodbath.

Over the past several years, Mack has begun the transformation toward building electric trucks. The Mack LR Electric was anointed the first electric truck. Production began at the Lehigh Valley Operations in December, 2021. The Roanoke Valley Operations in Virginia launched the 2023 Mack MD Electric, the second electric truck in Macks inventory.

Orders for these historic trucks increased five-fold in 2022 from the previous year to 44. Throughout the life of the contract, electric truck orders will only accelerate, reaching into the thousands and tens of thousands. Mack sold 23,632 trucks in 2021 by comparison.

Mack corporate management is ready to spearhead this assault on workers living standards, using the contract as the opening shot. The companys web site announces that it is seeking to prepare our workforce for future production needs and to invest in the future of Mack by increasing line stability, operational flexibility, and performance.

Macks rank-and-file workers must meet the corporations global cost-cutting strategy with a global strategy of their own. The first step forward is to throw off the dead weight of the UAW bureaucracy, which is every bit as intent as Mack to ensure the competitiveness of the firm by pitting plants against each other within the US and internationallyand by suffocating every stirring of the rank-and-file.

When Mack workers authorized strike action in 2019, the UAW, then led by Ray Curry, refused to call a strike until two weeks after the membership voted for action. The UAW then launched an information black out, repudiating calls to organize solidarity strikes at the Volvo Trucks New River Valley plant in Virginia, as well as appeals to unite Mack workers with the 48,000 striking General Motors workers.

The strike, which lasted less than two weeks, met none of workers demands. Fearful of the rank and file realizing its inherent power, Curry deployed every trick in the book in order to pass an agreement dictated by Mack. Workers were left isolated on the picket line with starvation strike pay of $275 per week, while hundreds of millions of dollars sat in the UAW strike fund.

Shawn Fain, the newly elected president of the UAW, is being presented as a militant carried into office on a wave of rank-and-file anger against the Curry leadership. In fact, Fain secured only 3 percent of rank-and-file workers votes in an election that has been documented as a fraud. The only difference between Fain and his predecessor is phony militant talk. Nothing has changed about what the UAW apparatus isan army of bureaucrats dedicated to the profitability of its corporate partners. It only took weeks before the new leadership sold out a workers struggle, the strike by Clarios battery workers in Toledo, Ohio.

During the UAW presidential election, Will Lehman, a rank-and-file socialist worker at Mack in Macungie, Pennsylvania, ran for union president on a platform that called for the abolition of the UAW bureaucracy and the transfer of power to rank-and-file autoworkers. The UAW worked with the Biden Labor Department and pro-corporate election monitors to deny rank-and-file workers knowledge of Lehmans campaign. Yet Lehman still won the votes of some 5,000 workers.

New centers of rank-and-file power are being developed on the shop floor to fight for the demands of workers. Mack workers first organized the Mack Trucks Workers Rank-and-File Committee (MWRFC) in 2021 to fight for a ban on the handling of scab parts shipped from the strikebound NRV plant.

The committee solidarized with the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee to wage a united struggle against the UAW bureaucracy and the company. Curry deliberately isolated the struggle and forced through a sellout contract by ordering a revote, laced with threats, on the same contract which Volvo Trucks workers had previously rejected.

The MWRFC issued the slogan Remember the NRV strike, the lessons of which need to be carried forward today if Mack workers are going to win their demands.

Workers must build up the MWRFC for the new contract battle. There is no other way forward. If the corporations have an international strategy to accumulate unprecedented profits, then the working class needs an international strategy to counteract it. This is the strategy and perspective of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC), of which the MWRFC is a part. The World Socialist Web Site and the Auto Workers Newsletter stand ready to help Mack workers to organize this counteroffensive. Contact us today.
Do you work at Kaiser? Tell us why youre voting for the strike and what youre fighting for. All submissions will be kept anonymous.

The strike authorization vote by some 85,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the US, continues this week. The workers fall under the umbrella of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions (CKPU), which includes several locals of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and other unions, spanning seven states and Washington D.C.

Voting takes place through mid-September, though many locations have already concluded voting. One notable vote concluded on Monday at SEIU Local 105 in Colorado, which announced that its 3,000 members at Kaiser voted 99 percent to strike. The vote is a sharp reflection of the mood shared by workers across the Kaiser system and the healthcare system as a whole, that a strike is the only way to fight for better wages, benefits and working conditions that have been steadily dismantled by Kaiser, with the tacit agreement of the unions, for decades.

The vote is also an expression of the need to fight back against the spread of COVID-19, which is currently surging. Several subvariants of Omicron are circulating worldwide, including the XBB.1.5 Kraken subvariant and the newly discovered BA.2.86 Pirola subvariant. Every week, millions continue to be infected or reinfected, tens of thousands emerge with new Long COVID symptoms and thousands die.

Kaiser Permanente nurses during a five-day strike in 2019

The WSWS spoke with Kaiser healthcare workers and other members of SEIU in Southern California about their working conditions and their demands for the upcoming contract. All names have been changed to protect the workers from retaliation.

Amanda has been a certified nursing assistant (CNA) for 11 years at Kaiser in the Los Angeles area. Sometimes we are short on staff. Short staffing is a definite issue.

With COVID there's a new surge coming up. The number of cases is starting to go up. We had four yesterday. We usually have two or one on our floor. And they're going up on the other floors, they say. COVID is not over. It's not.

When that happens, it just means that theres going to be more patients in a room. Youve got to be more equipped. Youve got to wear more equipment, which takes more time. They have to bring in more staff. In general, its more work on us. They havent asked us to do overtime, not yet.

Right now they're starting to get more RNs coming in. Before that, the CNAs had to cover almost everything, as much as the RNs, except for medication.

Another thing. Theyre not giving the COVID shots like they normally did before. If you wanted a shot, you could get it. But now people are asking for it, and they wont give it to them. Both the public and the employees.

I got like five shots. Some people only got two shots, and they cant get anymore. Theyre trying, theyre asking, but they wont give it to them. The hospital is supposed to administer it, but for some reason theyre acting like theyre short, they dont have it.

Alyssa has worked for 12 years at a Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. Its not an easy job, to be honest with you. It takes dedication. Youve got to have it in you. But also, its not fair when the upper people are enjoying the benefits while we are the ones here struggling. You know what Im saying?

The CEO of Kaiser made more than $16 million in 2021$16 million! That was two years ago.

Ive been a nurse since 2016, first as a CNA, then as an LVN and now Im an RN. I am tired. It was a busy shift last night because my patients were all bedridden. The ratio is one nurse to four patients. It can be one to five, but usually one to four. Its okay, but they were bedridden, which means youre lifting dead weight. You have to lift them to reposition them.

Jane is a young RN and recently started at Kaiser. Theres unbelievable understaffing. I just got off of a rough shift. Im exhausted. Im an RN, but I was assigned as a sitter for two hours. That means I had to sit with a patient and observe.

We didnt even have a charge nurse. Most of the staff were like 70 percent travelers and 30 percent staff. We're severely understaffed, and it's just not a good experience. Yes, Im stressed.

It's supposed to be a 12-hour shift, but I clocked in at 7:09 last night, and I literally just got out five minutes ago. Its after 8:00 a.m. now. So I'm trying to get home because I'm working tonight.

The WSWS also spoke to a group of Planned Parenthood workers not affiliated with Kaiser, at a San Diego Labor Day Rally headed by healthcare union SEIU-UHW. They noted that, We need a better work life balance. We have to do mandatory overtime which keeps us at work into 6 or 7 p.m. every evening.'

One of the workers said that he felt healthcare needs to be affordable, its crazy that for healthcare workers we still have to pay so much, 100 percent of healthcare should be paid for us.

Another CNA told reporters she makes $22/hour and that many workers in her position make $21-25 an hour. Many of my coworkers have to work two CNA jobs, I dont know how people do it. If it wasnt for my husband Id probably be in that position.

In addition to poor pay she stressed that the shortage in staffing means that she is often floated to other floors where the staff dont know you and sometimes face poor treatment. We get floated to floors we arent familiar with, we suffer and so do patients as we dont know where anything is.

Mia and Jessica are two medical assistants who told the WSWS they believe wages need to increase significantly, by at least 25 percent, with one adding, I cannot afford childcare. I love patient care but cannot live on this. Many of us have training, some of us have bachelors or we are certified. $21 an hour is not enough, we are short staffed, but we also know that at any moment they can take away our positions and that we have no job security.

They agreed that the SEIU-UHW had accepted the poverty wages of workers, and said of the unions they collect their dues money while we are struggling.
Over the last month, serious felony crimes against police officers in three different California departments spread across four federal indictments and two plea deals have been filed. It is expected that more indictments and guilty pleas in connection with those already announced will be released in the coming months.



In an August 17 press conference held in San Francisco, US Attorney Ismail Ramsey announced the four federal indictments, charging 10 police officers, from two different Bay Area, California, police departments, Antioch and Pittsburg, with multiple crimes including excessive force, fraud, distributing anabolic steroids and falsifying police reports. Arrest warrants have already been served in Texas, Hawaii and California.



For over two years, the FBI and the Contra Costa County district attorneys office have been investigating dozens of cops, including in leadership positions at both police departments.



Antioch and Pittsburg are both located in the East Bay area 45 miles northeast of San Francisco. Antioch, with a population of over 110,000, is the third largest city in Contra Costa County, while over 76,000 people, mostly working class, reside in Pittsburg. The largest employer in Antioch is Kaiser Permanente, while top employers in Pittsburg include the Dow Chemical Company and US Steel, both of which operate facilities in the industrial suburb.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Ismail J. Ramsey points to a visual aid during a press conference to announce federal authorities have charged 10 current and former Northern California police officers in a corruption investigation Thursday, August 17, 2023, in San Francisco. [AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez]

The most serious indictment unveiled by Ramsey charges three Antioch police officers, Morteza Amiri, Eric Allen Rombough and Deveon Christopher Wenger, with deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries with it a possible 10-year prison sentence. Amiri and Rombough have been with the Antioch Police Department since 2017, while Wenger was hired in July 2018.



Amiri and Rombough had been previously identified earlier this year by Contra Costa County Judge Clare Maier, as two of at least 17 Antioch police officers involved in a seemingly department-wide text chain in which dozens of police shared racist, homophobic and ultra-violent messages that revealed dishonesty, perjury, abuse of authority, and the violation of individuals civil rights, per a redacted March 27, 2023 Contra Costa County disclosure report.



In April, public defender Ellen McDonnell from the Contra Costa County Public Defenders Office alleged that at least 45 Antioch police officers, nearly half of the 99 in the department at the time, participated in text chains in which cops described criminal activity they had engaged in and/or included language that was racist, homophobic, and violent. Public defender McDonnell revealed at least 16 of the officers were/are in leadership roles.



Theres an internal affairs officer thats part of these messages, McDonnell said, adding, [S]howing once again the police cannot police the police. One of the police officers named is Rick Hoffman, the president of the Antioch Police Officers Association (APOA), which is the citys police union.



In his indictment of Amiri, Rombough and Wenger, attorney Ramsey wrote that while employed at APD, the three police conspired and agreed together and with each other, and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate residents of Antioch, California and the Northern District of California.



The indictment alleges the three cops communicated with each other, and others, about their actual and intended uses of force, including about specific violent acts that constituted excessive uses of force by a police officer



The cops agreed to carry out such violent acts against individuals in and around Antioch even where the force was excessive, knowing that certain of their actions were excessive uses of force by a police officer



Prosecutors allege the police collected trophies from crime scenes and touted unnecessary and illegal deployments of K-9 units and 40 mm less-lethal rounds against the residents of Antioch, and others, who in many cases had never committed a crime or were already detained. The three officers and others gleefully shared photographs of the violence they inflicted on working class residents and offered words of encouragement to each other.



The prosecutors write that as a K9 officer, Amiri, beginning in 2019, messaged multiple police in the department and bragged about the gory pics he would take after siccing his dog named Purcy on residents. Amiri numbered the pictures and would often include commentary, just got #3, #4 on fire [right now] ... [laughing out loud]. The last photograph included in the indictment is number 28.



Rombough and Wegner are accused of using a 40 mm less lethal launcher to inflict similar debilitating and grievous injuries on residents of Antioch. Both men encouraged one another and others to photograph injuries caused by the weapon with their personal cell phones and share it with other police. Rombough is alleged to have collected the spent casings from each time he fired a 40 mm round at a resident as part of a trophy American flag that he was planning to place on his mantle.



Text messages in the indictment show Rombough gloating about beating suspects. ... he got his [a**] whooped in the back and I field goal kicked his head. I tried to knock him unconscious. And he got muzzle thumped 6 times before he gave us his hands.



In their racist and homophobic text messages to each other, the police liberally used the N-word and photos of gorillas in reference to black people, including the mayor of Antioch and current police chief. Prosecutors allege the thuggish cops bragged regularly about violating civil rights and using excessive force as punishment for people they felt had not been appropriately reprimanded by the US criminal justice system.



In one 2020 text exchange, Amiri describes putting his pistol in the mouth of a homeless person he accused of stealing his mail. Lol. Putting a pistol in someones mouth and telling them to stop stealing isnt illegal, he texted to another cop.



In order to cover their tracks, the police often deleted body camera footage, lied in their police reports and encouraged each other to continue the scheme to deprive the individuals in and around Antioch of their constitutional rights.



The FBI procured text messages from the police as part of an over two-year investigation into the police departments of Antioch and Pittsburg, California. In addition to an anabolic steroid drug ring, officers in both departments are accused of running an illegal education scheme in order to defraud taxpayers.



Instead of going to classes, cops hired people to go to classes and take the tests for them. The police would then claim to their departments they had obtained certain college degrees or accreditations in order to be eligible for higher pay. Seven cops across both departments have been indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of this scheme, including the aforementioned Amiri (APD), Patrick James Berhan (Pittsburg PD), Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa (Pittsburg PD and Oakland Housing Authority), Ernesto Juan Mejia-Orozco (Pittsburg PD), Samantha Genoveva Peterson (Antioch PD) and Amanda Theodosy (Pittsburg PD).



Antioch cops Wegner and Daniel Harris were also charged with several counts related to distributing steroids.



As of May 2023, 38 Antioch police officers were on paid administrative leave, while just 34 were on active duty, according to Antioch Chief of Police Steven Ford. Nearly all of the three dozen officers on leave are currently under criminal investigations.



The massive criminality revealed in the court papers eviscerate claims from reformists and apologists for the capitalist system that police violence is relegated to a few bad apples. The police, the front-line soldiers of capital, empowered to terrorize the working class with almost complete impunity, cannot be reformed into serving the interests of the broader population. Under conditions of a growing strike wave and widening inequality, the ruling class is increasingly cultivating backward attitudes and violent tactics, honed on battlefields abroad, in departments around the country.



In a federal plea deal unveiled on Tuesday, former Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Deputy Miguel Angel Vega, 33, of Corona, California, admitted that he falsely imprisoned a 23-year-old skateboarder, identified as J.A., in his patrol car, which he then later crashed in an unwarranted police chase, that left the man injured. In the plea deal, Vega admitted to lying on police reports that J.A. was using drugs in order to cover up for his and his partners criminality.



Vegas former partner, Christopher Blair Hernandez, 37, had previously pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy related to the incident. Multiple press reports have confirmed that Vega was the police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Salvadoran-American Andres Guardado in June 2020 as protests erupted across the country against police violence following the murder of George Floyd.



Autopsy reports confirmed that Guardado, an aspiring mechanic who was enrolled in community college, was shot in the back five times by Vega. While Vega and Hernandez, along with other police, illegally destroyed security camera footage from nearby businesses showing the execution, eyewitnesses have come forward and credibly accused Vega of shooting Guardado in the back.



Vega has yet to be charged in the murder of Guardado. As of this writing, three years after his murder, the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department claims the investigation into the young workers killing is ongoing.
SYDNEY, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia's two most populated states -- New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria -- have been grappling with a cluster of chaos since Thursday, as a cold front continues to envelop the country's southeast.

The storm season in Australia runs from September to March of next year. While the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has tipped a parched spring, damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall that can lead to floods are still inevitable.

Only days after the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) launched its annual storm season campaign urging communities to take precautions, a severe weather warning for damaging winds came into effect on Thursday.

Massive gusts recorded by Thredbo Top Station reached a striking 143 km per hour.

By 12:00 p.m. local time on Friday, the NSW SES had received more than 200 calls over a time span of 24 hours, with much of the damage reported in Sydney's metropolitan area.

"Most of the incidents were for fallen trees, including some very large ones which blocked traffic and impacted powerlines," said NSW SES Metro Zone Commander Allision Flaxma. "Three large trees also caused extensive damage to a property at Frenchs Forest."

Meanwhile, in Victoria, the local emergency service answered 800 incoming calls since midnight.

Victoria SES State Commander David Baker told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that about 24,000 homes and businesses in the state's southwest suffered power outages.

Strong winds also compelled major airlines, including Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia, to delay or cancel their flights at Australia's busiest airports, among which domestic services took the brunt of the disruptions.

At least 106 flights arriving in or departing from Sydney Airport were canceled on Friday, while Melbourne Airport saw the number hit 69.

BOM estimated that the cold conditions and damaging winds in the southeast are set to ease in the coming hours, as the cold front is moving to sea.

"The cold air will linger over southeast Australia during the weekend, with showers, small hail, and low-level snow persisting over Tasmania and southern Victoria," said the weather bureau.

"New South Wales and northern Victoria are set to have dry, sunny weather over the weekend, with frosty mornings inland," it noted. 
A high-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) train for the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway stops at Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have consolidated their ties and reinforced the consensus on wider cooperation during the just-concluded 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits, which are expected to provide greater momentum to building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Between Tuesday and Friday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit, and paid an official visit to the chairing country Indonesia, his maiden visit to an Asian country since he assumed office in March.

This year marks the 10th year that China first proposed building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Now the world's second and fifth largest economies, respectively, China and the ASEAN have blazed a path of long-term friendship and common prosperity despite the global context with profound changes unseen in a century.

BUILDING AN EPICENTRUM OF GROWTH TOGETHER

Themed "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth," the 43rd ASEAN Summit and its related summits focused on establishing the region as an epicenter of economic growth.

"With numerous uncertainties facing the world and East Asian economy, how to increase momentum for the regional economy has become a concern of regional countries," said Liu Qing, deputy head of the China Institute of International Studies.

At the 26th China-ASEAN Summit on Wednesday, Li suggested that China and the ASEAN should work together to build an economic growth center, enhance connectivity, and deepen cooperation in industrial and supply chains. He also called for further cooperation in emerging sectors such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and artificial intelligence.

"China and the ASEAN have a combined population of over 2 billion. If we could work together to develop and preserve this super-sized market, we would unlock enormous potential for economic growth," Li said.

China and the ASEAN remain each other's top trading partners, with their two-way trade value accounting for 15.3 percent of China's total foreign trade in the first seven months of 2023. Being the biggest economy joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, whose negotiation was launched by the ASEAN in 2012, China saw a yearly increase of 7.5 percent in its trade with other RCEP members in 2022 after the agreement came into force.

This year's China-ASEAN Summit witnessed the adoption of a joint statement on mutually beneficial cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, as well as documents on deepening agricultural cooperation, enhancing bilateral e-commerce cooperation and promoting joint science and technology innovation.

"We need to make this (China-ASEAN) cooperation meaningful by realizing concrete and mutually advantageous cooperation," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said at the summit.

EXAMPLE OF REGIONAL COOPERATION

Li said making Indonesia his first stop is for development, friendship, peace and cooperation.

China and Indonesia established a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013, which has continued to deepen and consolidate over the past decade, with the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) being an example of the cooperation achievements.

Connecting the capital city of Jakarta and Indonesia's fourth largest city of Bandung, the HSR is 142 km long and has a design maximum speed of 350 km per hour. It is the first overseas high-speed railway project that fully uses Chinese railway systems, technology, and industrial components.

When inspecting the project, Li said the Jakarta-Bandung HSR is a successful example of developing countries in the region working together toward modernization.

In the long run, the railway will further optimize the local investment environment, increase employment opportunities, and promote business and tourism along the railway, said Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang.

Lu said in the future the two sides will advance strategic cooperation to a higher level and turn the vision of building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future into reality, injecting more certainty and positivity into the region and the world.

JOINTLY MAINTAINING REGIONAL PEACE

The Chinese premier's trip is also a practice of China's neighborhood diplomacy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness.

"What ASEAN countries want is strategic independence. They want to have a say in their own development," said Zhang Jie, a senior fellow on Asia-Pacific studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Upon his arrival in Indonesia, Li stressed that "China firmly supports the ASEAN's central position in regional cooperation and its greater role in international affairs."

In Jakarta, Li reiterated China's firm stance on pursuing peaceful development and pledged to actively work with ASEAN countries to advance the text-based Code of Conduct in the South China Sea consultations. He also stressed the necessity of opposing "picking sides, bloc confrontation and a new Cold War."

The China-ASEAN cooperation has come a long way. "The key reason is that we both have a keen understanding about hardships, a relentless pursuit of peace, a strong aspiration for development, and take real actions to preserve regional stability," Li said at the China-ASEAN Summit.

It has been 20 years since China became the first country to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. In 2021, China and the ASEAN established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Li added that as long as China and the ASEAN keep to the right path, their cooperation will "be as firm as ever and press ahead against all odds." 
Smoke rises from houses in Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo By Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Armed clashes broke out Thursday evening in Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon between members of the Fatah Movement and Islamic militants, local news website Lebanon 24 reported.

Islamic militants carried out a surprise attack on the Fatah Movement centers in the Al-Barakasat neighborhood, the report said, adding the shells hit the city of Sidon.

No casualties have been reported so far.

The Joint Palestinian Action Committee in Lebanon called for a cease-fire to allow security force to reinstate security in the camp.

Clashes between rival groups often occur in the Ain Al-Helweh camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Between July 29 and Aug. 3, clashes between members of the Palestinian Fatah movement and Islamic activists in the camp killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others. 

Smoke rises from houses in Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo By Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Palestinian refugees are seen at a mosque in Sidon, southern Lebanon, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo By Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Palestinian refugees flee from armed clashes in Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo By Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Lebanese paramedics clean a stretcher after transporting a wounded Palestinian in Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo By Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
Live on demand, from American Netflix accounts, its Shane Gillis !

The 35-year-old comedian from central Pennsylvania released his second stand-up special, and first for NetflixShane Gillis: Beautiful Dogson Tuesday. Gillis has topped the streaming platforms daily TV rankings for American viewership each of its first two days. Hes more popular than One Piece, Who Is Erin Carter? or anything else on Netflix.

Where Gillis rising star takes him from here is hard to say. But would he have even gotten this far if hed never been fired (or un-hired) just four days after being announced as a would-be new cast member for Saturday Night Live in 2019?

A quick recap: NBC had announced Gillis as a new SNL hire on Sept. 12, 2019, alongside Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman. Within hours, old podcast clips of Gillis making disparaging marks, including ethnic and gay slurs, started to make the rounds online. NBC, SNL and Lorne Michaels made it clear that they needed an immediate apology out of Gillis. Instead he posted this to Twitter that night: Im a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, youre going to find a lot of bad misses. Im happy to apologize to anyone whos actually offended by anything Ive said.

SNL cut ties with Gillis four days later. So how has he reached such great heights since?

It started with Gillis being able to mock himself for his predicament in the moment, telling anyone whod listen on podcasts or onstage that SNL was right to let him go. He was even onstage making jokes at his own expense at The Stand comedy club in New York City on the very night he should have been making his SNL debut, on Sept. 28, 2019.

From there, Gillis focused on his stand-up and built up a loyal fanbase for the same podcast that derailed his SNL ambitions, the ironically named Matt and Shanes Secret Podcast. The Gilly and Keeves YouTube channel, on which he and buddy John McKeever post original sketches, boasts more than 488,000 subscribers. And Gillis debut stand-up special from 2021, Live In Austin, has racked up more than 14 million views. His podcast, via Patreon, has grown its membership from 9,000 in November 2020 to 69,346 members today. At levels ranging from $1/month up to $50/month, hes already banking millions without factoring in his touring income.

In July 2021, Gillis made his first appearance on Spotifys The Joe Rogan Experience, where he acknowledged that he didnt think much of his podcast riffs when he was so unknown that his listenership was only in the hundreds. I get it. I said something fucked up. This is a corporation, Gillis said of NBC. Now if it wasnt me, Id probably be defending me. He has since returned to Rogans den in Austin 11 more times.

On stage, Gillis has by turns leaned into his anti-woke reputation and taken pains to subvert it. In his 2021 YouTube special, Gillis made fun of his father for being a Fox News Dad, and took the American South to task for its long standing racist traditions. For Netflix, Gillis described his love of history as a sign of early onset Republican, as if it were a disease: Youve got to fight it every day, like a werewolf. He jokingly suggests that old conservative dads probably never decided that they wanted to grow up to be a prick about everything.

Throughout his stand-up career, Gillis has joked about how he looks like someone with Down syndrome. In Beautiful Dogs, he defends what could be seen as an offensive stereotype by sharing loving stories about his Uncle Danny, who has Down syndrome. Gillis confides that having a relative with special needs is very scary at first, until you realize that that person is perhaps your best and most lovable family member.

Gillis has also maintained his love of Donald Trump but couched it in terms of Trump as a funny personality, and not as a politician or president. He employs a slick and funny Trump impersonation, one that could have landed him at the center of the countrys most popular sketch show after Alec Baldwin stepped down from his guest-starring perch.

Would that weekly TV presence have made Gillis a bigger star than he is now? Even the best comedians sometimes have less than stellar track records on SNL, as the size and structure of the show doesnt always make room for everyone to shine (see: Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Rock, or Rob Riggle, whose style and profile perhaps matches Gillis most closely). And had Gillis stuck around as an SNL cast member, what would that mean for James Austin Johnson who landed the coveted Trump role in 2021? Since Johnson does a great Joe Biden impersonation as well, that left one less reason to keep Alex Moffat around in 2022, even though Moffat had just won the Biden role after Jim Carreys ill-fated cameo came to an end following the 2020 election.

Rob Riggle on His Dysfunctional Year at SNL and How The Daily Show May Have Saved His Life

But it wasnt meant to be. Gillis didnt deliver the apology Lorne Michaels and NBC demanded, nor did he think to purge his problematic podcasts from the internet before NBC announced his hiring.

Some critics have suggested hes not entirely to blame, eitherthat perhaps SNL and NBC shouldve done a more thorough background check and avoided any whiff of tabloid fodder. Even some former SNL greats think so. Just last month, Gillis appeared on the Fly On The Wall podcast hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade. Carvey not only reminisced about his own past problematic characters (including at least one racist Asian caricature he did on SNL), but also suggested what the show could do to avoid another potential cast member getting canceled before their debut.

If you have a problem with someone, dont let them audition, Carvey said.

Judd Apatow Addresses Fired SNL Comic Who Called Him Gayer Than ISIS

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90 Day: Sheila Proposes a Life-Changing Move After Getting Engaged to David  But Will Her Son Agree? (Exclusive)

"I will be heartbroken, Sheila says of Jhonreil's potential decision to stay in the Philippines. I love David, but I could never leave my son"

Sheila and David are preparing for their life together  but not without her son Jhonreil.

In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peek of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, the happy couple travels back to Sheilas village in Cebu, Philippines to share the news of their engagement with her family.

On the drive over, Sheila admits she feels worried about Jhonreils reluctance to move to America.

I will be heartbroken, she confesses. I love David, but I could never leave my son.

TLC David and Sheila on '90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days'

Related: 90 Day: David Struggles with Culture Shock  and Panic  Meeting Sheila in the Philippines

The duo sits down with Jhonreil and Sheila's father to announce their engagement. While her father expresses happiness upon hearing about their betrothal, Sheila asks her son how he feels about the news.

Happy, he replies as her father asks if the couple will take the 12-year-old with them when they move abroad.

When Sheila asks if he wants to follow them to America, Jhonreil hesitates before nodding yes. Ill go with you, he says.

The Cebu native grows a big smile on her face as she interprets the news to David, who also expresses his excitement.

TLC Sheila's son Jhonreil and her father on '90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days'

Related: 'Before the 90 Days' Star David Praises 'Beautiful' Girlfriend Sheila for Being 'Better Than Any' Woman He's Dated (Exclusive)

Im excited, Jhonreil continues. In America, I think the houses are very big.

In a conversation with cameras, Jhonreil admits he was a bit hesitant about warming up to David, but eventually got around to the idea of him when he saw how much he cared for his mother.

I was nervous when I first met David, Jhonreil explains. Now I know that he loved my mother and hes a happy person despite being mute. I think I will like it over there in America. I might make many friends there. The food is very delicious.

TLC Sheila's son Jhonreil on '90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days'

Related: 90 Day: David Offers to Pay for Home Fixes for an 'Embarrassed,' Grieving Sheila After Her Mother's Fatal Fall

In previous episodes of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, David opened up about his anxieties about proposing to Sheila. Though he wanted to be with her forever, he admitted the timing of his proposal wasnt great due to the sudden death of Sheilas mother and her sons resistance to moving abroad.

Maybe right now is not the right time to propose because her mother just passed away and Jhonreil doesnt want to move to America. But if I put it off, I dont know when Ill get another chance, he revealed in a confessional.

Though David and Jhonreils relationship started off a little rocky due to his deafness and language barrier, he eventually won his heart through fun little games and having water fights on the beach.

Sheila, David and Jhonreil on '90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days'

Related: 90 Day: Sheila's Jealousy Gets the Best of Her After David Hires New Interpreter and Asks If She's Married

I was concerned about forming a bond with Jhonreil because [he] is very shy, David explained. But when I thought about it, kids, they just like to play around, so the language barrier isnt a big deal. Thats how I communicated with my father all those years ago.

He added, Hes warming up to me and it feels really good.

Jhonreil also shared the same sentiments in a conversation with cameras, When I first met David I was nervous, but I dont feel that anymore. I would like to learn sign language so we can talk a little.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.

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Read the original article on People.
Alabama Barker shared on social media a loving message her father, Travis Barker , wrote to her.

The daughter of the Blink-182 drummer shared on her Instagram Story the sweet message from her father on a post-it note: You are my everything, according to a screengrab captured by E! News.

The aspiring rapper, 17, wrote her dad back in text over the image, Your truly the best dad.

Alabamas heartfelt Instagram story comes days after news of stepmother Kourtney Kardashians recent emergency foetal surgery. Before representatives revealed the reason behind Kardashians hospitalisation, speculation swirled as Barker rushed home to California due to an urgent family matter.

Blink-182 issued an announcement on their Instagram story that, in light of Barkers grave family matter, they had to postpone their Glasgow, Belfast, and Dublin shows. Before boarding a plane back to California, Barker cryptically posted pictures of an airport prayer room on his Instagram story.

In the series of photos, he included two photos, with one showing a blue banner reading, Together We Pray and another showing the inside of the room.

After her brief trip to the hospital, Kardashian, 44, took to Instagram to share what really happened. The Poosh founder revealed to her followers that in order to save her baby boys life, she had to undergo urgent foetal surgery.

She wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of her and her husbands hands intertwined: I will be forever grateful to my incredible doctors for saving our babys life. I am eternally grateful to my husband who rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock. And to my mom [Kris Jenner], thank you for holding my hand through this.

As someone who has had three really easy pregnancies in the past, I wasnt prepared for the fear of rushing into urgent foetal surgery. I dont think anyone who hasnt been through a similar situation can begin to understand that feeling of fear, she admitted, sharing that the experience has put things in perspective.

I have a whole new understanding and respect for the mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant. She concluded, Praise be to god. Walking out of the hospital with my baby boy in my tummy and safe was the truest blessing.

In June, Barker and Kardashian announced that they were expecting with a cheeky reference to an old Blink-182 music video in which the reality TV star jumped up and down as she held up a handwritten sign that said Travis Im Pregnant!

The pregnancy reveal occurred during the bands concert at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. In the clip of the announcement Kardashian later posted to her Instagram, Barker can be seen on stage pretending to be surprised as one of his Blink-182 bandmates says, Someones having a baby!

In addition to Alabama, the famous drummer is father to aspiring emo-rocker Landon Barker and stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya with ex Shanna Moakler. Since marrying Kardashian in 2022, he has also become a stepfather to Mason, Reign, and Penelope Disick, whom Kardashian shares with former flame Scott Disick.
TOKYO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A group of 150 people in Japan, including fishery workers in Fukushima Prefecture, filed a lawsuit on Friday to halt the release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.

In the suit lodged against the Japanese government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the plaintiffs claimed that the ocean discharge violates their fishing rights and threatens the rights of consumers to live peacefully.

In addition, they are seeking nullification of nuclear regulators' approval of facilities installed for the water discharge and a ban to be placed on the release.

The plaintiffs, also including people affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster at the northeastern Japan power plant, filed the suit with Fukushima District Court, making it the first lawsuit of its kind.

Despite raging opposition from home and abroad, Japan started releasing Fukushima radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 24, sparking concerns among many fishermen about their livelihoods. 
Michael Constantine  and his onscreen alter ego Gus Portokalos  may be gone, but his presence is still very much felt in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.

The third film follows Toula (Nia Vardalos), Ian (John Corbett), and the Portokalos family as they travel to Gus' village in Greece in search of his best friends from childhood. Nick ( Louis Mandylor ) also brings along his father's ashes, as they seek to lay Gus to rest and celebrate his memory in his birthplace.

Producer Rita Wilson tells EW how the third film evolved from a story of the family accompanying Gus to Greece to its present form. "Originally we were going to bring the family to Greece with Michael Constantine's character coming back to his childhood village," she says. "But he got older and then he got sick, and then he passed away."

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING

Everett Collection Michael Constantine in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3'

Wilson goes on to explain how bringing Gus' ashes back to his village, coupled with Vardalos' idea of delivering Gus' journal to his childhood friends, created "the window into how we could get the family to Greece." She adds, "We were so thankful to have Michael Constantine's presence with us in the film, even though he's passed away."

Vardalos previously posted on Instagram about how Constantine had given his blessing to the third film before his 2021 death. "He had told me he wouldn't be able to join us for the third film and his wish was that we go on," Vardalos stated. "I wrote the screenplay to reflect Michael's decision and will always treasure his last messages to me, hoping we were filming soon."

Wilson feels all of the Greek Wedding movies will endure as part of Constantine's legacy. "He's so beloved, and fortunately, he lives on in the first and second movie," she notes. "But we wanted him to be with us, and we dedicate the [third] movie to him."

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is now in theaters.

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Ever been invited to a family reunion you had no desire to attend? You may be tired of seeing your relatives and listening to their familiar routines, which can be downright annoying at times. But then you force yourself to go and you find that you have a good time after all, at least for a little while.

Thats roughly the experience of seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the latest chapter in the saga of the eccentric Portokalas family previously seen in the wildly popular 2002 original and its much less successful 2016 sequel (the less said about the short-lived 2003 sitcom spin-off My Big Fat Greek Life, the better). If you enjoyed spending time with Nia Vardalos  Toula and the rest of her extended clan, youll probably have a good time again, even if the characters and jokes are wearing thin with repetition.

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And as a special treat, youll get to hang out with them in Greece, which only makes you wonder why they didnt get there sooner. After Denzel Washingtons Robert McCall went to Italy in The Equalizer 3, this is the second time in as many weeks that a third installment in a popular franchise has been set in a beautiful foreign locale. Forget revenge travel; the new hot trend is revenge location filming.

This installment pays loving tribute to the Portokalos family patriarch Gus, played by the late Michael Constantine, whose character figures prominently in the storyline anyway. His relatives dont head to Greece merely for a family vacation, but also to fulfill one of his dying wishes that his handwritten journal documenting his life be given to his friends with whom he grew up. Of course, they could have sent it via Fed Ex, but then you wouldnt have a sequel.

The mission turns out not to be easy, because the village from which Gus hails is now nearly devoid of citizens, although it does have a very enthusiastic young mayor, Victory (Melina Kotselou), who warmly greets Toula and her clan. Soon after they arrive, they jump into the sea fully clothed, because apparently when you go to Greece you immediately lose control of your faculties.

The vacationers include Toula and her famously non-Greek husband Ian ( John Corbett , on a roll as a middle-aged hunk in this and And Just Like That), their college-age daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), Toulas brother Nick ( Louis Mandylor ), Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin, the series MVP, getting laughs effortlessly), Aunt Frieda (Maria Vacratsis) and Paris ex-boyfriend Aristotle (Elias Kacavas), whom the mischievous Voula has invited to try to get the young couple back together. Staying home are matriarch Maria (Lainie Kazan), now suffering  but not too badly  from dementia, and cousins Nikki (Gia Carides) and Angelo (Joey Fatone), although the latter eventually make their way to the island as well.

The film serves as a virtual travelogue of the country, from bustling Athens to remote mountaintop villages to the gorgeous islands to crowded dance clubs. Vardalos, who scripted and also directs for the first time in the series, has come up with some minor plot elements to accompany the beautiful scenery, including the revelation of a heretofore unknown family relative and a romance between a Syrian refugee (Stephanie Nur) and a young Greek man whose father strongly disapproves. But since this is a comedy and not a hard-hitting drama about Greeces immigration crisis, the conflict is quickly resolved and everyone gets along swimmingly. And spoiler alert: Theres another wedding, although this one is not merely Greek but Greek/Syrian.

Mostly, the film delivers a series of throwaway gags that quickly grow tiresome, such as Nicks constant habit of disgustingly grooming himself in front of the others (Mandylor deserves points for lack of vanity). Other would-be comic highlights involve the visitors repeatedly being offered alcohol, with Toula overdoing it and giggling uncontrollably, and Nikki and Angelo scouring the islands searching for Gus old friends. Lets just say that the hoary jokes will go over much better if youve primed yourself with Ouzo.

Still, its hard to be too curmudgeonly about the film and these lovable characters, all of whom mean well and have their endearing traits. Theres a genuine sweetness at the core of the series that goes a long way toward compensating for its lack of comic sophistication, and Vardalos is such a warm screen presence that its a pleasure to spend time with her. Although maybe next time she can leave some of the family at home.

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At around 4 a.m. last Saturday an unusual thing happened at Burning Man. The event, typically an all-hours hubbub of music, art cars, laughter, weeping, whirring bikes, bass drops and other assorted cacophony went silent.

The only sound was the rain.

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The now infamous near-inch of rain that turned the annual desert gathering into global news as it transformed Nevadas typically bone-dry Black Rock Desert into a gloopy expanse of thick, slippery mud. Mud that stuck to shoes in three-inch slabs. Mud that made it impossible to peddle a bicycle  Burning Mans primary mode of transportation  or drive any type of vehicle without getting stuck or, worse, slice ruts in the roads making driving difficult once the ground dried. Ive been to Burning Man eight times  for fun, for adventure, for work. Id never seen anything like it.

Hoping to save the roads for the mass exodus of 73,000 people that typically happens on Sunday and Monday, a no-driving order was put in place, and everyone was told to stay off the road to the events lone gate. (PLEASE dont be that person, pled the Wet Playa Guide published on the Burning Man website.) No more Burners were let in, and those already on-site were advised not to leave. Some tried to drive away, and those without four-wheel drive and all terrain tires failed. Some, (yes, famously, like Diplo and Chris Rock), got out on foot, walking the six miles from the event site  a seven square mile swath of flat, expansive desert  to the sole paved road that leads back to civilization. Most of us just put on warmer clothes and adjusted to our new reality.

Burning Man festival

Rumors swirled that we might all be stuck there for a few extra days, or maybe a week, or possibly longer, if it kept raining. The ground would need 12-24 hours after the last rain to become drivable, we were told. The burning of the man  the events namesake ritual that typically happens Saturday night before people start heading home  was postponed, as fire trucks couldnt get to the structure and the wood was too damp to burn. The shuttle service meant to return 20,000 Burners back to Reno and San Francisco was suspended. We were advised to conserve food, water and fuel. Between public service announcements, Burning Mans FM radio station played Phil Collins Another Day in Paradise and, looking at the flooded tents and Burners with plastic grocery bags duct taped around their shoes, one couldnt help but laugh. Or cry. Or both.

Theres essentially no cell service at Burning Man. The event is made up of hundreds of camps, small settlements serving as temporary homebases to groups of Burners, and while some have Wi-Fi and Starlink, the Burning Man guidebook notes that its highly discouraged. Burning Mans much-touted 10 principles  a sort of ethical guide for how to exist at the event  includes immediacy, which is of course hard to achieve when doom scrolling or answering emails on ones phone.

This forced disconnection with the outside world is a feature, creating a sense of presence by cutting Burners off from what many refer to as default reality. But as news about what was going on got out, some information also got back in.

Were on the front page of CNN, a fellow camper told me Sunday morning as we gingerly navigated a plywood walkway laid over the gloop. Thanks to (false) rumors about an outbreak on the playa, we heard ebola burning man was trending on fellow Burner Elon Musks social media platform recently renamed X. We heard Burning Man 2023 was being called a national emergency, that FEMA was coming. When I logged onto Wi-Fi at the tent that sells ice, I got 23 texts from family members, friends and colleagues asking if I was safe. If I was scared. If I was OK. You picked a great year to skip Burning Man, texted my dad, who was alarmed to then learn I was actually there.

I was there, and I was OK. Generally, we all were. Its likely people were having breakdowns in the privacy of their tents and RVs as travel plans changed, workdays were missed, and the next few days of our collective existence became a question mark. But also, uncertainty is exciting, and why go to Burning Man but for an unconventional experience? There was a buzz in the air during the hours and days when we werent quite sure what would happen  it was sometimes faced with tears and frustration, and other times laughter, dancing and tequila shots.

Burning Man festival

Every Burning Man tests the mental, emotional and physical limits of its attendees. This year, tickets were unusually easy to get, with many people skipping this go around after calling 2022 their hardest Burn ever. Last year, temperatures hit around 106 degrees, which in comparison made the rain feel like a reprieve. It also  like the extreme heat the year before  demonstrated that the real emergency is the climate crisis. That point was well emphasized by the climate activists that briefly blocked the road into Burning Man as this years event started to protest the private jets that shuttle rich Burners in and out of the event and attendees prolific use of single use plastic and generators.

The rain did change a few things. The speed of Black Rock City, as the Burning Man site is called, slowed from the swift clip of the electric bikes zipping around the playa to a walking pace. A few parties, talks and DJ sets were interrupted. Art cars decorated like dragons and spaceships stayed parked at their respective camps. A man at a nearby RV suffered a mild injury when some buried cables got wet. (He received medical help immediately and was ultimately fine.) There was also one death at the event that was unrelated to the weather. People whod planned to leave early (Burning Man typically ends on Sunday) couldnt. The events airport, the hub for those aforementioned private jets, was closed. But no one went into a panic, and no systems broke down, they just adapted.

Meanwhile, the media portrayed it as a disaster. But it never felt that way on the ground. Maybe people were hoping for it in some perverse way. Thats predictable with anything related to Burning Man, though  its an event thats hard to understand and easy to judge among those whove never been.

What most Burners know  and whats probably lost to the outside world amid the hyperbole of drug use and dusty dancing  is that the event is a major test of self-reliance. Tickets only grant access to the access road in and use of the provided porta-potties. Attendees must bring everything else  their own food, water, shelter, garbage bags, you name it. A survival guide is sent to all attendees along with their tickets. All programming is conceived of, paid for and hosted by attendees. Taking care of yourself and others is intrinsic to the experience. So while we may have been stuck there longer than expected, after an extra day or two there was little threat of Burning Man going down in flames  or floods. In short: For most of us, besides the threat of missing an extra day of work, we adapted, and we were fine.

Im never worried about Burners, a Bureau of Land Management officer told me in 2021, during the unofficial rogue Burn, which was organized by attendees after the official event was canceled due to the pandemic. Burners have their sh together.

Oh, did I mention my tent flooded? Communal effort is among the 10 principles at Burning Man. A nearby RV adopted us, and later the camp rallied to cook up tacos for 200. Minus the momentary silence, a lot of sound camps didnt stop playing music, and a lot of people never stopped partying. One DJ launched his Saturday afternoon set with Purple Rain, attracting a large crowd  many of them wearing just socks on their feet, and many barefoot  that danced in the mud. Those not keen on dancing dropped in on impromptu workshops teaching relaxation breathing techniques. One camp transformed itself into a medical facility. Around the city I was offered water, Gatorade, mezcal, stuffed animals, a popsicle. More than one person observed that if theyd been watching all this on the news, theyd have been disappointed to miss it.

If viewers at home saw tens of thousands of stranded Burners eating tacos and dancing in mud, would they have stopped laughing at us? Probably not. Ands thats fine. The outside world makes fun of Burning Man because Burning Man is easy to make fun of  especially when 73,000 of us clad in faux fur jackets and shoes with plastic bags duct taped to them are indefinitely trapped in a remote mud pit. It was funny to the people at home, but it was fing hilarious to us.

Burning Man festival

Eventually the parties and events wound down, and after two more showers on Sunday, the rain stopped too. By then, Burners with burly enough trucks and RVs started making their way out, despite the no driving order. If there was discord at the event, it was between the faction that immediately left and those that stayed behind. With radical self-reliance as another Burning Man principle, its hard to say there was a real right or wrong.

By Monday afternoon, the sun was out, and the roads were dry and deeply rutted in areas, although even the littlest Hondas and Hyundais were leaving with no problems. (I will not let Burning Man break me! a woman driving an RV announced out the window as she slowly departed.) Many camps were partially or fully dissembled by the time the man burned Monday night, when the playa had dried enough so that all the art cars were able to surround the burn site, as is tradition. If we can burn the Man, some longtime Burners recalled the events late founder, Larry Harvey, often declaring, we have won.

It took me 16 hours to get from camp to Los Angeles on Tuesday. By the time I got home, many of the Burners I follow on Instagram were posting about how this year was their favorite ever.

As of today (Friday, Sept. 8), theres not much left out there in the desert. People who needed to leave early due to the rain are returning to the event site, where theyll have until Saturday to take apart their projects, tear down their camps and remove their things (an opportunity specific to this year, given the situation). An email update sent yesterday by the Burning Man organization notes that all but one of the vehicles stuck in the mud within the closure area have been liberated.

Burning Man doesnt have a merch stand. While one typically returns home with a few trinkets, its cheesy and very Burner-ish but generally also true to say that the real takeaways are the inspiration and the memories. But the experience, mind-blowing the first time, changes you a little less with each outing. One can become inured to the dragons and the spaceships. The rain brought unique challenges that gave the experience fresh opportunities, new forms of fun and renewed potency. Its hard to call that a disaster.

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Film programming, like history, doesnt repeat itself but does rhyme. This is proven by the fact that two highly complementary, equally excellent films about immigration, Me Captain (Io Capitano) and Green Border, both landed in competition at this years Venice Film Festival.

Agnieszka Hollands meticulous Green Border offers a polyphonic examination of the plight of refugees trying to enter the EU through Belarus, but also encompasses the views of local Poles to create a panoramic, intellectually rigorous view of the situation. Italian director Matteo Garrone s emotionally searing but ultimately uplifting epic, on the other hand, confines itself to the experience of Seydou, a 16-year-old boy from Senegal.

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Indelibly played by non-professional Seydou Sarr, offering a remarkably mature performance, he makes his way with his cousin (Moustapha Fall) from their home in West Africa across thousands of miles on a quest to reach Europe. Taking viewers with him every step of the way, its a journey that inevitably burns away Seydous childish innocence. Garrone, however, almost never puts a foot wrong with this painstakingly composed work, an adventure peppered by moments of nauseating horror but also ravishing beauty and grace.

Working for the first time with cinematographer Paolo Carnera (The White Tiger) and venturing far beyond the Italian settings of most of his features, Garrone (Dogman, Tale of Tales, Gomorrah) circles back here to an exploration of the immigrant experience he first delved into with Land in Between (1996) at the beginning of his career. Only this time, Garrone can command a budget that accommodates a transcontinental shoot, scores of characters and background artists, and challenging sea and desert locations, all of which convey the daunting vastness of the distance traveled. Still, while the landscapes, especially in the parched Sahara section of the story, are dazzling, Carneras camera always keeps the focus on the humans, sometimes specks seen from great distances moving through the sand and sometimes studied in close-ups that fill the widescreen canvas.

Outside of Dakar, Senegals capital, Seydou is first met waking up in the one-room house where he lives with his widowed mother (Khady Sy) and an uncountable number of little sisters, some of whom are seen dancing ecstatically in a local ceremony at which Seydou plays drums with his cousin Moussa (Fall). Seydou and Moussa have been secretly working on building sites for months to save money for a trip to Europe, where they hope to earn even more and perhaps become hip hop stars so famous that white people will want their autographs. (Sarr is, in fact, a rapper in real life and gets to show off his skills here.)

However, when Seydou tests the waters with his mother and asks what shed think if he left for Europe, he says it would be to provide money for her and his sisters. Not that it matters to his mom. She flatly forbids him from going, warning that far too many people have died along the way, especially on the boats across the Mediterranean, words of warning that hang ominously in the air.

Although Seydou will defy his mothers wishes, he and Moussa take time before their departure to ask the local shaman to petition their ancestors for their leave to travel. Fortunately, permission is granted, and after paying a substantial amount of their savings to middlemen  thinking this should cover the whole journey to Europe  they set off on a bus headed west.

They pass through Niger and at one point pick up fake passports. Their savings dwindle and the methods of transportation gradually get less comfortable and secure. The first sign of just how dangerous the journey will be, and how ruthless these traffickers are, comes when a man falls off the flatbed truck theyre all crammed into the back of as the driver races recklessly through the desert. Theres no chance that hell stop the truck to pick up the lost man, and it starts to dawn on Seydou that maybe his mother was right after all. (Mothers are always right.)

Many more will be lost throughout the story, including an older woman (Beatrice Gnonko) who cant go on anymore by the time she, Seydou, Moussa and a gaggle of others are walking on foot across the Sahara. Moussa implores Seydou to leave the dying woman behind so that they dont lose track of the guide leading them, but the choice haunts Seydou.

Later, he imagines helping her in a sequence involving striking visual effects that could be read as a dream or maybe as events taking place on some astral plane. Theres a porousness here between the everyday world and the spiritual dimension, a haziness thats often a feature in West African cinema. (See, for instance, 1987 Malian classic Yeelen by Souleymane Cisse or more recently Atlantics by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop.) But while Seydou suffers immensely on his quest both emotionally and certainly physically, theres a sense that he did the right thing by asking his ancestors for permission and that theyre looking out for him most of the time.

Even so, Garrone keeps us guessing right up until the very last moment of the film, ratcheting up the suspense skillfully as we wonder just how badly this will go for Seydou. If there is a crumb of hope in the final scenes, that has to be held in balance with the knowledge that there are many stories out there about immigrants that dont even have that little crumb  and that the next chapter for many migrants will be full of horrors like those seen in Green Border.

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When a novel makes the transition from book to screen, one of the most common criticisms we tend to hear is that the adaptation has strayed too far from the source material. Perhaps the screenwriter has chopped out sub-plots and beloved characters with abandon. Maybe theyve taken the opposite approach and stuffed in a few extra narratives for good measure, after learning that their budget has been bumped up, or unconvincingly turned an ambivalent ending into a big happy Hollywood finale. Its much rarer to hear complaints that a show has stayed too close to the source material  but thats precisely the problem with Apple TV+s The Changeling.

Based on the 2017 novel by Victor LaValle and adapted by Saving Mr Banks and Fifty Shades of Grey screenwriter Kelly Marcel, the eight-part series is dense and self-consciously, overwhelmingly literary. It is packed with allusions to myths and legends, and there are books everywhere  its central couple Apollo (LaKeith Lee Stanfield) and Emma (Clark Backo) are a rare book dealer and a librarian. LaValle himself crops up as the series narrator, speaking in aphorisms that feel written to be read rather than heard, and his characters are constantly quoting from stories. All of this probably makes for rich and rewarding reading, but it also ensures a disorientating viewing experience.

The Changeling begins as a love story of sorts. Apollo falls for Emma when he sees her calmly dealing with a distressed visitor at the public library where she works in Queens, New York City, and starts to turn up there regularly to ask her out. Some may call that stalking, Apollo called it persistence, LaValles narrator says in one queasy voiceover. But Apollos tactics, the show implies, are fine, because his absent father Brian (Jared Abrahamson) used the same method to eventually win over his mother Lillian (played by Alexis Louder in flashback and by Adina Porter in the storys present day)  persistence slash stalking runs in the family, and its not long before Apollo and Emma are married, then expecting their first child.

The baby, named Brian after the dad who Apollo barely knew, has a very dramatic, very New York birth: Emma goes into labour during a power outage on the subway, while a break-dancing group performs to distract the other passengers (the fact that this scene feels among the more realistic and grounded moments in the show speaks volumes).

At first, things are idyllic. Apollo, whose biggest ambition is to be a good father as an act of redress for his own complicated childhood, proudly places a dusty fairytale book he received from Brian Sr on the babys bookshelf, ready for storytime. But this creepy tome, with its references to fairies stealing children away and its weird Arthur Rackham-style illustrations, is the first signal that all is not well with this young family. Soon Emma becomes convinced that baby Brian is not her child; she also starts receiving unsettling photos of her husband and son, which appear to have been taken by some secret observer and disappear within moments.

Queen & Slim director Melina Matsoukas, who helms the first episode, and Jonathan van Tulleken, who takes over after that, both do a good job of conjuring a sense of lurking unease in these early instalments, and it seems that the show is gearing up to serve as a thoughtful exploration of postnatal depression, shot through with some fantastical elements. Backo excels in these scenes, as Emma struggles to reconcile her indifference for her baby with the initial rush of love she felt after the birth, when she vowed to protect him with her breath and soul.

After Emma commits a shocking act, Apollo embarks on a strange journey that will cause him to cross paths with a strange book collector, who has his eye on Apollos first edition copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, travel to a shadowy island ruled over by a group of women, and learn more about his wifes gap year encounter with a Brazilian witch who may or may not have cursed the couple. Throw in a plot line devoted to unpicking his mothers back story, which is under-explored until the very last minute, and the fact that our lead character keeps shouting I am the god Apollo! at key moments, in a way that is more earnest than ironic, and you have a garbled narrative that is constantly on the verge of collapsing under its own weight.

What were left with is a series that is too tonally messy to pull off the interesting allegory it is attempting. Its a shame, and a real missed opportunity: we deserve a bold drama that is unafraid to deal with the alienating effects of postnatal depression and psychosis  but The Changeling is not that show.
Update: 2:39 p.m. PT (Sept. 8, 2023)  Diageo has provided a statement regarding a judges decision to proceed with the lawsuit between the company and Sean Diddy Combs which reads as follows:

While we are disappointed with todays procedural decision, it is important to underscore that this is not a ruling on the merits of the claims, which we maintain are false and baseless. We are currently considering all legal options.

Additionally, the previous version of this story listed the lawsuit date as June and attributed the DeLeon brand to Diddy. The initial lawsuit was filed in May 2023 and DeLeon is a joint venture between Mr. Combs and Diageo.

Original story below



Sean Diddy Combs has made a victorious stride in his pending lawsuit against Diageo. On Thursday (Sept. 7), the Bad Boy mogul appeared in the Supreme Court of New York as the first major developments in the legal battle panned out.

Judge Joel M. Cohen rejected two motions by Diageo, one to dismiss the case and the other to send the case to arbitration, where it would have been decided behind closed doors. The lawsuit will continue in state court, open to the public.

According to an email statement, Judge Cohen listened to 90 minutes of arguments from the attorneys, before taking a recess for a few minutes and returning to announce his decision from the bench.

Sean Diddy Combs performs onstage during the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This case has always been about getting fair and equal treatment, expressed Combs lawyer John Hueston. Todays decision is an important step in the right direction. Diageo tried to end this action. Today the judge soundly rejected that effort.

The Act Bad performer added, Im fighting for fair and equal treatment for everyone. This isnt just about me. I look forward to continuing this fight in court. We all deserve the same 24 hours.

Cans of Ciroc is displayed on ice in the Ciroc booth during the 2022 Bar & Restaurant Expo and World Tea Expo welcome kickoff party at the Azilo Ultra Pool at SAHARA Las Vegas on March 21, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The lawsuit was first filed against the British alcoholic beverage company in June with Combs alleging Diageo has been negligent toward his brand, DeLeon Tequila, with claims that said negligence is racially motivated.

The Harlem native alleges Diageo created a watermelon version of DeLeon Tequila without his consent and referred to the spirit as well as CIROC as urban brands.

Diageo claims Diddy contributed just $1,000 to their joint ventures despite making almost a billion dollars in profit, asserting, Mr. Combs has repeatedly undermined our partnerships and threatened to publicly defame Diageo if we did not meet his unreasonable financial demands.

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The retired racecar driver said she got "stuck 3 times" and eventually escaped the muddy conditions after 4 hours

danicapatrick/Instagram Former NASCAR Star Danica Patrick Escapes Burning Man 'Swamp'

Danica Patrick was one of the many festival-goers stuck at Burning Man this year after severe weather conditions turned the desert locale into a "swamp," she said.

The former NASCAR star, 41, recounted how she "made it out" of this year's chaotic Burning Man in an Instagram Story on Sunday.

"Stuck 3 times and it took 4 hours  but on pavement," Patrick told her followers in the since-expired Story, according to The New York Post.

Despite the harsh conditions of this year's festival, which takes place annually in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, Patrick said the uncertainty brought Burning Man attendees closer together.

Related: Princess Stephanie of Monaco's Daughter Escapes Burning Man as Rain Dampens Event: 'We're Out'

The challenge from weather really helped show everyones true nature at BM and it was to step up and help each other," Patrick wrote. "It is an alternate reality where everyone gives what they can and no money is exchanged."

danicapatrick/Instagram Former NASCAR Star Danica Patrick Escapes Burning Man 'Swamp'

Too bad that couldnt be our full reality but for now . Its one magical week in the desert. Or swamp this year.

On Thursday, the former racecar driver also shared a video of the "yearly clean" she does after Burning Man, and the three pairs of boots she packed for this year's event.

"Time to power wash off Burning Man," she wrote over the video on her Instagram story.

Two of the pairs appeared relatively clean for being stuck in a muddy desert, but the third pair of Patrick's boots shown in her story were covered in dried mud. "Oh my god, they're already making a mess," she said in the story.



danicapatrick/Instagram Danica Patrick shows muddy results of her 2023 Burning Man experience

On Saturday, organizers informed festival-goers on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed. Ingress and egress are halted until further notice. No driving is permitted except emergency vehicles.

Diplo and Chris Rock were among some of the celebrities at the festival, but the 44-year-old DJ made it out, tweeting: Just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up. Diplo also shared a video of him and Rock, 58, riding in the back of a truck through the desert with several others.

just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6  diplo (@diplo) September 2, 2023

The festival turned tragic for others, though. A 32-year-old man identified as Leon Reece died at the location after being found unresponsive around 6:24 p.m. local time as the area was inundated with rain, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement Monday night, per The Daily Beast, The New York Post and The Reno Gazette-Journal.



"Pershing County dispatch received a call regarding a male subject who was on the ground and unresponsive at the Burning Man Festival and medical personnel were administering CPR to the male," Allen said in his statement, per the Post.

Related: Whoopi Goldberg Checks in Remotely on 'The View' amid COVID Diagnosis: Im Not at Burning Man

At this time, a preliminary investigation, which included witness interviews, has not determined the cause of death, the sheriff said.

However, it does not appear that the weekend weather led to his death, per the outlets. A toxicology report is currently underway.

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CNN reported the area received two to three months' worth of rain  up to 0.8 inches  in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday morning.

The Burning Man website describes the city as "a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance" that attracts thousands of attendees every year. Travel Nevada notes that more than 70,000 people attend Burning Man annually.



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LOS ANGELES  The Grammy Museum announced Thursday that it is launching the "Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit," celebrating 50 years of the music and culture's global impact.

The 5,000 square foot exhibit will include rare artifacts such as Tupac Shakur 's handwritten 1992 essay "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"  in which the young hip-hop superstar found parallels between one of the best-known speeches in American history, a cry for freedom given by founding father Patrick Henry at the Second Virginia Convention, and the experiences of being a minority in the U.S.

The exhibit also includes Notorious B.I.G.'s red leather pea jacket, worn in the music video for Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "Players Anthem," and LL Cool J's red Kangol bucket hat.

"Hip-Hop America" goes beyond simple chronology: visitors will explore the music, choreography, fashion, business, activism, car culture, and the history of hip-hop by navigating displays dedicated to regional music scenes, technological advancements, formative media engines like "Yo! MTV Raps" and beyond.

It will open Oct. 7 and run until September 4, 2024.

A celebration: From 'Straight Outta Compton' to '8 Mile': Essential hip-hop movies to celebrate 50 years

Two outfits designed by hip-hop fashion legend Dapper Dan can be found on display: the black leather jacket Melle Mel wore during a performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards and Busy Bee's characteristic black-and-yellow leather bucket hat and jacket.

"Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit" will also feature an interactive "Sonic Playground," which will allow visitors to experiment with DJing, sampling, and rapping.

More: Run-D.M.C. performs for final time, Snoop Dogg, Nas, hip-hop icons celebrate 50 years with blowout bash

"The exhibit has been carefully curated to reach everyone from hip-hop connoisseurs to uninitiated novices," says co-curator Jason King, dean of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. "And we've thrown in a few left curve surprises like sections on hip-hop sonics and car speakers, and on the connections between hip-hop and partner genres like R&B."

He told The Associated Press: "Hip-Hop America is an intriguing look at a thunderous form of 'can't stop won't stop' culture that has continued to shift and push the envelope of innovation for the past 50 years."

A hip-hop party: 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes celebrate generations of rappers ahead of hip-hop's milestone anniversary

More: The AI-generated song mimicking Drake and The Weeknd's voices was submitted for Grammys

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Grammy Museum to launch hip-hop exhibit featuring Tupac artificats
Grimes has reportedly pleaded with Elon Musk to let her see their three-year-old son, X, in a since-deleted tweet.

The 35-year-old musician - whose real name is Claire Boucher - responded to a tweet shared by Walter Issacson, accusing Musk of breaking up her family. Issacson took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on 6 September to post the first images released of Musk with Shivon Zilis - the Neuralink executive with whom he welcomed twins in November 2021- and their two children.

In a message that has since been deleted, Grimes indicated that Zilis had her blocked on the app. Screenshots obtained by the Daily Mail revealed the Canadian artists message. Tell Shivon to unblock me and tell Elon to let me see my son or plz [sic] respond to my lawyer, she reportedly wrote.

Grimes continued: I have never even been allowed to see a photo of these children until this moment, despite the situation utterly ripping my family apart.

Musk and Grimes began their romance in April of 2018, debuting their relationship one month later on the Met Gala red carpet. The couple had an on-again, off-again romance over the next two years. However, fans assumed the pair were back together when Grimes announced she was pregnant with their first child together. They welcomed their first son, named X AE A-XII, in May 2020.

Musk previously admitted to Page Six in September 2021 that he and Grimes were semi-separated. However, it was revealed soon after that they were having their second child - daughter Exa Dark Siderl, who goes by Y - via surrogate. While expecting his second child with Grimes, Musk secretly welcomed twins Strider and Azure with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis in November 2021, just a few weeks before Y was born in December that year.

In July 2022, the 52-year-old billionaire subtly put forth an alleged explanation for having nine kids. Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis. A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far, he wrote.

Ever since imbibing Isaac Asimov stories as a kid, Musk has worried that our robots could turn on us. This Time excerpt of https://t.co/7JGHd10lOC explains why and what hes doing about it. https://t.co/EiXqmMi3E6 pic.twitter.com/loKKgwYoIx  Walter Isaacson (@WalterIsaacson) September 6, 2023

Musk shares his five other children with his former spouse, Justine Wilson. He married the Canadian author in 2000. Two years later, she gave birth to their first baby, named Nevada, who tragically passed away at 10 months old due to sudden infant death syndrome. In 2004, the duo underwent in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and welcomed their twins, Griffin and Vivian. They also welcomed triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian in 2006, two years before Musk and Wilson got divorced.

Earlier this month, Grimes spoke highly of her childrens father during an interview with Wired. She credited Musk with teaching her more about technology and expressed an appreciation for his business methods. When describing their relationship, she confessed it was the best internship ever.

I learned from him, like, the best internship ever. People dont like talking about Elon, but it was incredible to be right there watching all that SpaceX stuff happen, she proclaimed. Thats a masterclass in leadership and engineering and makes you understand how rare it is to have a leader of that quality.

Hes challenged me a lot, Grimes continued. I learned a lot about running my own team and my own life. Im now way tougher and smarter than I used to be.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Grimes for comment.
How much is Hulu worth, exactly?

That is the key sticking point between Comcast, led by Brian Roberts, and The Walt Disney Co., led by Bob Iger, as the two companies inch closer to a window where one side or the other can force Disney to buy out Comcasts 33 percent stake in the streaming service.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

We know theres a floor value of $27.5 billion (which would see Disney handing over $9 billion to Comcast for the stake), but executives at Comcast think thats conservative.

That was just a hypothetical we picked out five years ago. The company is way more valuable today than it was then, Roberts said at a Goldman Sachs conference this week, adding that Hulu was a scarce kingmaker asset.

On Sept. 6, Comcast and Disney amended their previous deal, which would have activated the put/call options in Jan. 2024. The new agreement moves the options up to November 2023, with the value of Hulu assessed as of Sept. 30.

An SEC filing from Disney on Friday afternoon outlines exactly how the companies plan to value Hulu. Its a touchy subject, with Disney almost certainly hoping for a value as close to the $27.5 billion floor as possible (if not below it), and Comcast hoping for a number as high as possible.

But that doesnt seem to be keeping Disney from investing in the streaming service. Amid a high-profile carriage dispute with Charter Communications, Disney on Friday launched a big discount on Hulus Live TV service, which mimics the pay-TV bundle. Normally priced at $77 (as of mid-October), Disney is offering the service for $49.99 per month for three months.

If Disney is successful in driving subscribers, the value of Hulu could rise accordingly.

According to the filing, if Disney and Comcast cant reach a mutual agreement on the value, each company will hire an investment bank to examine Hulus books and come up with a valuation.

If the two determinations are not within ten percent (10%) of each other, then the two investment banking firms select a third firm to make a third determination, in which case the equity fair value shall be the average of the two determinations that are closest in value to each other, the filing continues.

Those investment bank appraisers will base their valuations on Hulus historical financial and operating results, which shall be based solely on audited financial statements; that Hulu is valued as a going concern, carrying on its existing business activities; and Hulus future business prospects and projected financial and operating results, assuming that the assets, contract rights and intellectual property used in Hulus business that are provided by Disney will be continued and available to Hulu in a manner and on terms consistent with past practice.

In other words, it will be numbers-based, with a bit of guesswork based on future projections and IP potential.

But for Disney and Comcast, there are billions of reasons to pay close attention.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

Click here to read the full article.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- As Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brands are under the spotlight at the birthplace of modern automobiles, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed international automakers at the ongoing IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich and encouraged Germany's carmakers to embrace competition from Asian rivals and not be intimidated by the rise of China's EV makers.

Even with late-mover advantages, it was next to unthinkable that Chinese car companies could one day soon make Germans feel "intimidated" a few short years ago. At that time, brands like BYD, Nio and Xpeng were known only to analysts and industry insiders in the West.

Regarding the development of EVs as an important driver to meet the nation's carbon peaking and neutrality pledges, China has become a leader in automobile electrification.

The growing popularity of Chinese EVs in Europe is an indisputable fact. Chinese brands accounted for 8 percent of new EVs sold in Europe in 2023, up from 6 percent last year and 4 percent in 2021, according to auto consultancy Inovev.

That is only one of the factors behind the steadily growing momentum of China's auto exports. Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that in the first half of 2023, exports of new energy vehicles surged 160 percent year on year to 534,000 units.

Facing the trend of Chinese automotive brands entering the European market, expanding partnerships with these rising manufacturers is emerging as a popular strategy for those along the industrial and supply chains.

Auto supplier Bosch expressed its willingness to support car companies from China, the group's largest market in the world, as they seek localized production. Following this very trend, German car rental company SIXT announced a long-term partnership with China's EV leader BYD in October on the purchase of 100,000 EVs for its European fleet by 2028.

China and Europe have a long history of cooperation in the automobile industry. By setting up joint ventures or exporting vehicles, well-known European brands like Volkswagen, Citroen, Volvo and BMW have been favored by a vast number of Chinese consumers.

China is a big market, and so is Europe. The advantages in battery technology innovation and automobile software research and development will help boost Chinese EV makers' development in the European market. Such healthy competition will also prompt their European counterparts to quicken their pace.

Chinese EVs have already established themselves domestically. Seeking to make their mark in the international arena is merely a natural progression. For European car companies, instead of being stunned by the fine quality, advanced functions and competitive pricing of Chinese EVs, wouldn't it be better to embrace the new possibilities for win-win results? 
An Instagram influencer was sentenced to five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1 million.

Danielle Miller stole the identities of others to obtain pandemic-related loans, prosecutors said.

Miller flaunted her lavish lifestyle online, including private jet travel and luxury accommodation.

Instagram influencer Danielle Miller was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for fraudulently obtaining pandemic-related loans and using the money to fund a luxury lifestyle, according to the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts.

The 32-year-old used the stolen identities of more than 10 people to obtain over $1 million in Covid loans between July 2020 and May 2021, the Attorney's Office said, using counterfeit driver's licenses with her photo but her victims' names.

"Ms. Miller isn't an influencer, she is a convicted felon," Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in the statement.

"In a quest for fleeting social media stardom, Ms. Miller relied on fraud to fund a lavish lifestyle of private jets, luxury apartments, and other accouterments of wealth." Levy said, adding that the sentencing should show that creating a high-society social media identity off the backs of "hardworking taxpayers" is a "path to prison, not fleeting fame."

Miller seemingly used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle, which she flaunted on her Instagram account.

In one instance she used a counterfeit ID to charter a private jet from Florida to California, where she booked a luxury hotel room under the same name, the Attorney's Office said.

Miller has over 34,000 followers on Instagram, where she is followed by Anna Sorokin, a convicted fraudster who infiltrated upper-class New York society circles by posing as a wealthy heiress.

Miller told New York Magazine in an interview last year that she considered herself to be a "con artist" who is "really charismatic" and good with people.

She was arrested in May 2021 and indicted by a grand jury a couple of months later.

In March, Miller pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated identity theft, as well as three counts of wire fraud.

This week District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Miller to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay restitution, with the exact amount yet to be determined.

Miller was recently ordered to forfeit some of the luxury items she fraudulently obtained, including a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton bag, and several Rimowa suitcases, as Insider's Kieran Press-Reynolds reported.

The US government also seized more than $600,000 from Miller's residence and bank accounts, according to the Notice of Forfeiture.

Read the original article on Insider
The title alone suggests whats in store. Three years ago, French director Ladj Ly burst onto the international scene with his Oscar-nominated Les Miserables, a brutally tense and adrenalized drama about the tensions between French police and young people of color in a suburb of Paris. And the fact that his follow-up has a similar title, Les Indesirables, suggests that to some degree, were in for more of the same.

Well, we are. Les Indesirables, which had its world premiere on Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival, isnt a sequel by any means, but it is also set in a Paris neighborhood largely populated by immigrants and people of color. And it is also a charged look at systematic injustice that runs on anger and packs a wallop.

It does so from the opening sequence, a tour-de-force of hand-held photography that snakes through a decaying apartment block where a family and friends have gathered to mourn the death of a matriarch who has been laid out in a coffin on one of the upper floors of the hulking structure. When it comes time for the funeral procession, a group of men attempt to negotiate the coffin down impossibly narrow stairs  because, one of them says, the elevators havent worked in years.

Floor by floor, they work to bring the coffin down, traveling through pitch darkness at times, stepping around rubble and debris at other times. Getting down the stairs should be a small thing, but instead its monumental  and when somebody mutters, How can we live and die in a place like this? the simple question hangs over the rest of the movie.

Theres no overt conflict in the sequence, no arguments or fights  its just a group of people trying to perform a simple task that has been rendered all but impossible.

If that opening introduces one side of the conflict that will occupy the film, the next sequence brings in the other side. Its the ceremonial implosion of a building very much like the one weve just seen, a huge apartment block, with the local mayor and other dignitaries on hand to applaud the march of progress. But the explosion is too big, a wave of dust and debris sweeps over the stage and the mayor collapses and dies.

Fans of Les Miserables will recognize the official who becomes the new mayor, because hes played by Alexis Manenti, who was one of the most vicious and corrupt policemen in that earlier film. Here, he looks reasonable at first: hes a pediatrician and he seems mild mannered, until he begins scheming to institute a right-wing playbook that includes demonizing immigrants and deliberately neglecting apartment buildings so they can be condemned and their residents evicted.

A young local woman whos being recruited for a post in the city government, Haby (Anta Diaw), discovers some of the plans and decides to run for mayor herself. But things get more corrupt and uglier; if Les Miserables zoomed in on a specific conflict between police and community, Les Indesirables wades into a chaotic and unfixable morass, a battle on a dozen different fronts.

That makes it a less focused movie, but one that has a cumulative power that grows and grows, particularly at the end of a summer in which protests consumed communities in and around Paris in the aftermath of the police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. (The timeliness also makes the film a prime candidate to be Frances entry in the Oscars Best International Feature Film category, where its chief competition includes the gorgeous The Taste of Things, formerly The Pot-au-Feu, which could not be more dramatically different from Lys movie.)

Throughout Les Indesirables, Ly orchestrates the chaos with precision; he makes sure you feel the fury that runs through the community, but as often as not sets it to placid music and spends time in the boardrooms where violence is done quietly, with paper and pens. The movie courses with anger over how the levers of power are used to oppress, but its also a procedural that doesnt milk the situation and remains relatively placid until things erupt.

And yes, they do erupt. There is government brutality on an appalling level, citizens who rebel in shocking ways, but also a pulse that runs through the film insisting on humanity and even beauty. Ly rages, but he doesnt despair.

Les Indesirables is a sales title at TIFF.

The post Les Indesirables Review: Ladj Ly Unleashes Another Scorching Drama About French Corruption and Brutality appeared first on TheWrap.
Summer House fans are still trying to figure out what is going on between Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard. The pair were all set to get married in November in Mexico. Lindsay was celebrated at her bridal shower by her co-stars. Then Carl decided to end their engagement while cameras rolled.

Rumors are swirling around the couple. Lindsay was reportedly blindsided by Carls decision. There are whispers that the wedding was still on and that the breakup was allegedly staged for ratings. Just like a baby Scandoval  without the mustache this time. Neither Lindsay nor Carl have issued a formal statement about their split.

Now Lindsay has been spotted in Portugal, attending a Summer House alums wedding. Page Six has the details.

Lindsay is a trooper

Lindsay arrived in Portugal to attend Jaclyn Shumans wedding. Jaclyn shared a group photo on her Instagram Story. For what looked like the rehearsal dinner, the group was dressed in white, including Lindsay. Jaclyn showed out in a bright blue dress.

Both Lindsay and Jaclyn were cast members on Season 1 of Summer House. Carl, Cristina Gibson, Ashley Wirkus, Lauren Wirkus, Stephen McGee, Kyle Cooke, and Everett Weston were also on the first season. Jaclyn was a one-season wonder on the show, which premiered in 2017.

This was the first time that Lindsay had been seen since the breakup. Carl was seen leaving the couples apartment in New York City hours after the news hit. He took a flight out of New York, but his destination remains a mystery.

According to an insider close to production, the duos breakup will 100 percent be seen on Summer House. That sounds like it will be a bummer of a summer for Lindsay. The good vibes will be seriously lacking.

TELL US  DO YOU THINK THAT CARL AND LINDSAY ARE REALLY BROKEN UP? WAS IT SURPRISING THAT LINDSAY DECIDED TO ATTEND THE WEDDING GIVEN HER SITUATION?

Ashley Darby

Ashleys skeptical about the whole thing. Reality News Karolina 43 mins ago

Captain Lee Rosbach, Carl Radke

Carl text Lee after the news broke. Reality News Karolina 4 hours ago

Summer House cast

Bring us the sand, sun, and drama stat! Features Jennifer OBrien 4 hours ago

The post Lindsay Hubbard Spotted in Portugal for Jaclyn Shumans Wedding appeared first on Reality Tea.
A concert attendee at a Lil Baby show in Memphis was shot Thursday night, the Memphis Police Department has confirmed to EW.

Authorities responded to the shooting at approximately 10:23 p.m. local time inside the FedEx Forum on Beale Street, where the concert was held. The Memphis PD originally stated that the victim was taken to the Regional One Health Medical Center in critical condition, but a more recent statement says he is not in critical condition now. The event was canceled and evacuated immediately after the shooting with no further incident.

The shooting occurred within the first 30 minutes of the show on the first floor of the arena, and the shooter was not an employee of the venue, Memphis outlet news WREG reported, adding that Lil Baby was promptly rushed off the stage when it took place.

The Memphis police's statement said a preliminary investigation suggested that the shooting was premeditated as a personal attack on the victim, as no other injuries at the concert were reported. It also explained that FedEx Forum uses a private security contractor to screen visitors for weapons before every event, so it is unknown how the shooter brought their weapon into the stadium.

The police are still working to identify and apprehend the shooter.

Representatives for Lil Baby did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Lil Baby attends Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience on February 18, 2023 in Huntington Beach, California.

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images Lil Baby

The next concert on the rapper's It's Only Us Tour, scheduled to take place Friday night in Louisville, has been canceled, according to the venue. Saturday's show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville is still set to take place. The tour, supporting Lil Baby's 2022 album, It's Only Me, concludes in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 22.

The Memphis Police Department will release further information on its social media pages when it is available.

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Midsommar is a 2019 folk horror movie written and directed by Ari Aster. The films story revolves around a young dysfunctional American couple who travel to rural Sweden with a group of friends for the midsummer festival, only to be faced with a horrific realization that they have fallen into the clutches of a sinister cult that claims to practice Scandinavian paganism.

Heres where you can watch Midsommar online.

Where can you watch and stream Midsommar?

You can watch and stream Midsommar online on Paramount Plus via SHOWTIME. Viewers can also stream Midsommar on Paramount Plus via the Apple TV, Prime Video, and Roku Channels, and also on Kanopy and DirecTV. Midsommar can also be rented via Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, and DirecTV.

Watch Billions on Paramount+  Start Your Free Trial Today!

Midsommars cast includes Florence Pugh as Dani, Jack Reynor as Christian, William Jackson Harper as Josh, Will Poulter as Mark, Vilhelm Blomgren as Pelle, Isabelle Grill as Maja, Gunnel Fred as Siv, Ellora Torchia as Connie, and Archie Madekwe as Simon, among other cast members.

How to watch and stream Midsommar online

Viewers who want to watch and stream Midsommar online must subscribe to Paramount Plus and specifically choose the ad-free Premium plan that includes SHOWTIME and all of its content, which costs $12 a month or $120 a year. Paramount Plus offers another plan which is called Paramount Plus Essential. However, this plan costs $6 a month/$60 a year, is ad-supported, and only allows you to stream Paramount Plus content.

When viewers subscribe to Paramount Plus and choose the ad-free premium plan that costs $12 a month/$120 a year, they can stream not only all available films and television shows present in the Paramount Plus catalog, but also film and television content from SHOWTIME, which includes shows such as Yellowjackets, Dexter: New Blood, The Chi, and George & Tammy.

The official synopsis for Midsommar reads:

Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.

For more Paramount Plus content, check out the streaming release schedule for September 2023.

Disney Plus Schedule September 4-10

Disney Pluss new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes the fourth episode of Rosario Dawsons Ahsoka, a Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Max Schedule September 4-10

Maxs new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes Tiny Toons Looniversity, a reboot of the 90s animated Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Paramount Plus Schedule September 4-10

Paramount Pluss new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes the fourth season of the Star Trek: Lower Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Peacock Schedule September 4-10

Peacocks new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes all eight episodes of Chucky Season 2 and a Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 5 days ago

The post Midsommar: Where to Watch & Stream Online appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Observant fans might have noticed that the return of Academy Award nominee Demian Bichir as Father Burke hasnt been promoted in The Nun 2. Since the Roman Catholic priest was pivotal in the first The Nun movie, many people wonder whether he would be back in the 2023 film. Is Father Burke in The Nun 2? If he didnt make an unexpected cameo, why did Demian Bichir not return in The Nun 2? Huge spoilers ahead.

The Nun 2 Father Burke

Why is Father Burke not in The Nun 2?

It is revealed Father Burke died of cholera ahead of the events of The Nun 2.

Buy The Nun in Blu-ray on Amazon

After surviving the encounter with Valak at the Carta Monastery in Romania, things didnt go too well for Father Burke. During Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga)s briefing with the Vatican before being entrusted with stopping Valak again, the woman is told Father Burke has already died. Fans hoping to see Father Burke attempting a new exorcism will be disappointed to hear hes not in The Nun 2.

Father Burke was a Vatican specialist in exorcisms and supernatural phenomena. In The Nun, he investigated the mysterious suicide of a nun in Romania along with Sister Irene. As they delved deeper into the investigation, they uncovered sinister secrets and faced the evil entity known as Valak.

Why didnt Demian Bichir return as Father Burke?

There isnt an official explanation for why Bichir didnt return as Father Burke in The Nun 2.

Neither the actor nor the producers addressed the issue. When asked whether there was a version of the film featuring Father Burke, Michael Chaves joked he considered bringing him back as a zombie. Chaves didnt go any further than saying the team was becoming too big. After all, the new film sees Storm Reids Sister Debra joining Sister Irene and Jonas Bloquets Frenchie. Its unclear whether something happened between the producers and Bichir or the actor simply didnt want to return as Father Burke.

The Nun 2 will haunt U.S. theaters starting September 8, 2023.

For more The Nun 2-related content, check out the scene that almost broke director Chaves. Also, watch this nail-biting clip from the film.

Disney Plus Schedule September 4-10

Disney Pluss new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes the fourth episode of Rosario Dawsons Ahsoka, a Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Max Schedule September 4-10

Maxs new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes Tiny Toons Looniversity, a reboot of the 90s animated Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Paramount Plus Schedule September 4-10

Paramount Pluss new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes the fourth season of the Star Trek: Lower Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Peacock Schedule September 4-10

Peacocks new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes all eight episodes of Chucky Season 2 and a Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Hulu Schedule September 4-10

Hulus new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes Martin McDonaghs latest black tragicomedy film The Banshees of Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 4 days ago

Netflix Schedule September 4-10

Netflixs new TV and movie release schedule for September 4-10 includes Adam McKay and Will Ferrells satirical comedy films Anchorman: Guides Abdul Azim Naushad 5 days ago

The post The Nun 2: Is Father Burke & Demian Bichir in The Conjuring Universe Movie? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
After The Conjuring spin-off The Nun spooked up a franchise-best $366m in 2018, there was little doubt the sinister Valak would wriggle out of the grave she was buried in at the end of Corin Hardys original.

Yet even with series stalwart Michael Chaves inheriting the directorial reins, M3GANs Akela Cooper contributing to the script, and a shift of location from Romania to France, The Nun 2 still ends up being no better than its predecessor and, in some departments, more than a little worse.

Its definitely wanting on the scares front. The ghoulish trifecta of Bonnie Aarons white-faced wimple-wearer, a ghostly altar boy and a demonic goat add up to nary a shudder.

And while the returning Taissa Farmiga does everything that can be expected of her as saintly Sister Irene, reluctantly pressed back into service when a string of suicides and immolations point to an evil reawakened, you cant help sensing both she and Jonas Bloquet (also back as hunky handyman Maurice), are going through contractually obligated motions.

One factor that introduces a soupcon of freshness is the boarding school setting, a fiefdom for mean girls and 50s-era Heathers who take malicious glee in tormenting put-upon waif Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey). Gore-hounds, meanwhile, may derive some pleasure from the way a pair of gouged-out eyes become central to the narrative.

Overall, though, The Nun 2 feels like an unnecessary sequel to a hoary offshoot that was hardly essential in the first place. Best stop now before it becomes a habit

The Nun 2 is in US and UK cinemas on September 8. There's also plenty more upcoming horror movies on the way in 2023 and beyond too.
The late actor, best known for playing Pee-wee Herman, died on July 30

D Dipasupil/FilmMagic Paul Reubens attends the AOL Build Speaker Series to discuss 'Pee Wee's Big Holiday' at AOL Studios In New York on March 25, 2016

Paul Reubens cause of death has been revealed a little over a month after the actor died at age 70.

Reubens' immediate cause of death was listed as acute hypoxic respiratory failure, according to his death certificate, which was obtained by PEOPLE. The condition occurs when your lungs cannot release enough oxygen into your blood, per Healthline.

The late actor also had two forms of cancer at the time of his death. The primary type, which was listed as a sequential underlying cause, was determined to be acute myelogenous leukemia.

Acute myelogenous leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Reubens had also been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer  a cancer which spreads to the other lung or spreads to other parts of your body, per WebMD  in the months before his death.

The Blast was first to report the news.

Bobby Bank/GC Images Paul Reubens on location filming 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday' on May 8, 2015 in New York City

Related: Paul Reubens, Best Known as Pee-wee Herman, Dead at 70 After Years with Cancer: 'A Treasured Friend'

Rubens, who was best known for playing his beloved character Pee-wee Herman, died on July 30 at the age of 70 after keeping his cancer diagnosis private for years.

"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," his rep told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.

"Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit," the statement continued. "A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."

Reubens also apologized to his fans for not going public with the diagnosis in a poignant statement issued after he died.

Please accept my apology for not going public with what Ive been facing the last six years, wrote the comedian. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.

peeweeherman/Instagram Paul Reubens' apology issued after his death on July 31, 2023

Related: Paul Reubens Cared for His Father Dying of Cancer 19 Years Before He Died of Cancer Himself

Reubens debuted Pee-wee Herman at The Groundlings Theatre in 1981 before landing a spot on HBOs broadcast and went on to play the character on the big screen in 1985's Pee-wees Big Adventure and the 1988 sequel Big Top Pee-wee.

On the small screen, Pee-wees Playhouse ran on CBS for five seasons from 1986 to 1990. The show went on to earn 22 Emmy Awards, and Reubens was personally nominated for 14 nominations, winning twice.

Outside of his work as Pee-wee Herman, he played several other prominent roles, including the original film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992 as well as TV appearances on 30 Rock, The Blacklist, Gotham and What We Do in the Shadows.

Related: Paul 'Pee-wee Herman' Reubens Apologized for Not Revealing His Cancer Diagnosis Prior to Death

Photo Courtesy of Art Streiber / August @aspictures8BIM Paul Reubens

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Reuben was not without his controversies. He was arrested in 1991 in Sarasota, Florida, for indecent exposure. He had specifically been caught masturbating while watching a film at an adult movie theater, but he pleaded no contest to the crime and avoided receiving a charge on his record. He was still required to complete 75 hours of community service.

Nearly a decade later, Reubens was arrested again in 2002 after child pornography material was found within his home (he said the images were part of a vintage erotica collection). He turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department and was charged with a misdemeanor for the possession. The charges were dropped in 2004 after he pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor obscenity charge.



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Read the original article on People.
Originally appeared on E! Online

Despite having a grand ring to it, Accession Day can't help but be a solemn occasion for the person who ascended.

Queen Elizabeth II used to spend it privately at Sandringham, the royal residence where her father King George VI died in 1952, rendering his 25-year-old daughter the reigning monarch as soon as he'd drawn his last breath.

And so King Charles III will spend Sept. 8 at Balmoral in Scotland, where his mother's historic seven-decade reign ended one year ago, automatically triggering the beginning of his.

"In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us," Charles said in a statement. "I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."

But, per tradition, he and his wife, Queen Camilla, will otherwise not be heard from as events to honor the late queen carry on around the United Kingdom.

Royal Family at Trooping the Colour 2023

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For Charles, "it's going to be a time of reflection," royal expert Sharon Carpenter told E! News in an exclusive interview. "And it is really a bittersweet occasion. This job you've been preparing for your entire life, you don't actually get to fulfill your destiny until you lose a parent. So the greatest day of your life is most likely one of the saddest days of your life."

Taking the public reins for this tonally unique anniversary, Prince William and Kate Middleton are set to lead a memorial service at St. David's Cathedral in Wales.

The couple, who became Prince and Princess of Wales (as well as a slew of other titles) after William's father became king, have become more important than ever to the monarchy as the institution strives for relevance under its 74-year-old leaderwho ranked fifth in the latest YouGov poll of most popular members of the royal family.

Still coming in at No. 1 was the late queen, followed by William, Kate and Charles' 73-year-old sister, Princess Anne, a reliable favorite because "she's never in the drama," Carpenter noted. "She's very solid."

Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images

But overall, the royal correspondent continued, a majority of people in the U.K. are "feeling good about Charles," who garnered a lot of respect for the way he stepped into his mother's "very large shoes" while simultaneously in mourning.

And, scandalous airings of the family's dirty laundry aside, Charles' first year as head of the Firm has gone about as well as possible, the man meeting the moment. A moment that is wildly different from the one his mother rose to meet 70 years beforehand.

From his first televised address as king last September, to the various stops around the U.K. he made in his mother's honor, to his widely applauded state visit to Germany in March (where he broke out the fluent German most people were surprised to hear him speak), Charles may not have entirely flipped his image as a stodgy old Englishman on its head. But he's injected a bit more feeling into a role that's historically been known for its tight-lipped stoicism.

Royal Family at King Charles III's Coronation Concert

Queen Elizabeth II was famously quoted as saying she needed to be seen to be believed. Charles, who was dinged by royal watchers over the years for being heard from too much on policy issues that were supposed to be separate from the crown, acknowledged when he was still the Prince of Wales that he'd have to rein it in, so to speak, once he reigned.

But while no-comments from the palace still rule the day, Charles is aware that he needs to be seen and heard as a human being more than anything.

Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

"The queen was known for not showing any emotionwhich worked, for her, for a good amount of time," Carpenter explained. "But right now we're in a time where people want someone who is more relatable across the board. And King Charles does get accused of being disconnected and not really knowing what's going on for the average person in the United Kingdom. But what we've seen from King Charles"at the queen's funeral, at his coronation in May, etc."is emotion that's been really powerful."

Even losing his cool when a faulty pen leaked ink on his hand "makes him seem more relatable," Carpenter said. "People like that."

King Charles III's Coronation: Every Must-See Moment

While they were already fan-favorites, William and Kate also seem to be entering a new era of public warmth, willing to lean in for more hugs with well-wishers andin a complete reversal of unwritten protocolpose for selfies. (Which, as Meghan Markle quickly found out when she joined Prince Harry in the royal sphere six years ago, used to be a big no-no.)

Andrew Matthews-WPA Pool/Getty Images

William, who ahead of his 40th birthday last year sold magazines on a London street corner to benefit a local homeless charity, manned the phone at an Indian restaurant in Birmingham this past April, taking a reservation for two and apologizing to staff for possibly mangling the address for the would-be diners.

"He probably could have a role as a front-of-house manager," one of the owners noted in a video later posted online.

You know, if the whole royal thing doesn't work out, which at this point in time is not really an option for the man who's now first in line for the throne.

Andrew Matthews-WPA Pool/Getty Images

Kate and William's new lease on playfulness could simply be attributed to being under new management, "because King Charles is a little more casual with his approach," Carpenter said. "Maybe protocols are loosening up."

Or, she added, it could be because "William and Kate want to show that the way they have been portrayed by Harry and Meghanas sort of cool and a bit coldthey want to show, 'No, we're warm! What are you talking about, we're warm.'"

At any temperature, William and Kateand their kids, second-in-line Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5are the future of the monarchy. And, while it was well known that Charles envisioned presiding over a streamlined (i.e. less costly) institution with fewer members of the family considered full-time working royals, once upon a time it was assumed that Harry and Meghan would be part of that structure.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

For a litany of well-parsed reasons, that didn't work out, so now the onus is really on William and Kate, even more so than it already would have been.

While they spent a fairly quiet summer with their children, their strategic visibilitysuch as Charlotte joining her parents and George in the royal box at Wimbledon for the first timeare "one of the ways that they are winning over younger people," Carpenter said. "The kids are so adorable, and having them out there in the limelight much more than they used tostill being very protective, howeverit's something that charms [those who are anti- or disinterested] into feeling better about the monarchy."

Prince William & Kate Middleton Bring Kids to Air Show

That public vs. private life is still "a juggling act" for Kate and William, she continued. "They want to make sure their kids have as normal a life as possible but they also need to respect what their roles are and understand the importance and history of the monarchy. So, slowly introducing them into the public eyethough George, specifically, since he is the future kingit's just a balance."

And rest assured, there were still critics who didn't think the Wales family was seen enough this past summer after Charles' first Trooping the Colour in June (when the monarch's birthday is celebrated, never mind that Charles was born in November and his mother in April). But with the children now back in school, all three attending Lambrook in Berkshire for the second year, William and Kate are about to be much more out there once again, starting with the Sept. 8 service in Wales.

Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Harry, meanwhile, arrived in London to attend the WellChild Awards (the organization being one of his few remaining patronages) on Sept. 7, but it was unclear whether he'd be seeing any familyor where he'd even stay, since he and Meghan moved out of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, at the king's requestbefore traveling to Germany for the start of the Invictus Games on Sept. 9.

Meghan, who was with Harry for the awards when the queen died last year and last spent time with the royal family at the funeral, was reportedly planning to join him in Dusseldorf, but the Daily Express reported Thursday that her name had been taken off the schedule.

"The royals are kind of phasing Harry and Meghan out," Carpenter observed, noting the removal of Harry's HRH title from the royal website, as well as the lack of an invitation to him and Meghan for Trooping the Colour or the family's annual summer holiday at Balmoral. (Not to mention his hi-and-goodbye appearance at Charles' coronation, during which he and William didn't interact at all, and he was notably absent from the Buckingham Palace balcony from the big family photo op afterward.)

William & Kate Reunite With Harry & Meghan After Queen's Death

After the year started off so explosively with the release of Harry's memoir Spare and all the attendant publicity, Charles "wants people to focus on what's important at the end of the day, to them," Carpenter explained, "which is the work of the royals and what the crown stands for, and how the crown is here to serve the people."

Though many eyes were on Harry's third-row vantage point as his father was crowned, those eyes were also thoroughly trained on Prince Georgewho served as a Page of Honor and at 9 was the youngest future king to ever take part in a predecessor's coronationthe already-charismatic Princess Charlotte and face-maker extraordinaire Prince Louis. And even though a high-fashion moment was expected, Kate had jaws dropping in her regal robe and glittering Alexander McQueen headpiecewhich couldn't have been more by design.

"When you looked at William and Kate at the coronation, you said to yourself, 'Okay, I see the future king. I see the future queen,'" Carpenter said. "That is what they are displaying right now, that we are ready for this role."

Photo by Yui Mok - Pool/Getty Images

And the ability to translate those positive vibes to the people is absolutely crucial to the health of the monarchy.

"It continues to be a period of transition because we're still so early into King Charles' reign," Carpenter said. Being on the throne anywhere nearly as long as his mother is an "impossibility," she continued, "but he has a good ways to go. We'll see how well he does, but right now, he is proving himself to be a solid monarch."

Though Accession Day is a time to focus on the royals, for the most part, people are too occupied with daily life to pay the family much mindso long as they aren't screwing up.

Charles had so far done "a good job showing that the monarchy does stand for the way society looks these days in Britain," Carpenter noted. "As a woman of color growing up in the U.K., every royal event that I would see on television was very whitewashed. So it was pretty incredible to see people of different races, different faiths, all ages" at his coronation, "and we're going to continue to see that."

But though the family may be entering a new era of (extremely relative) openness, Carpenter succinctly summed up Charles' overarching message: "I am a monarch that represents modern day society and we are relevant. And the future looks bright with Prince William, the Princess of Wales and Prince Georgeso you want to keep us around."

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Interim agreements, which are signed by producers to allow SAG-AFTRA members to participate in the production and publicity of projects during the work stoppage that began July 14, have caused much confusion and concern.

Some actors have voiced their support for interim agreements, like Adam Driver who was at the Venice Film Festival for the interim agreement project Ferrari, while others have chosen to abstain from publicity despite starring in projects that have signed agreements. Amanda Seyfried said she would not attend the premiere of Atom Egoyans TIFF drama Seven Veils, which has an interim agreement, writing on social media that it doesnt feel right to head to the fest in light of the strike.

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Common concerns voiced about the interim agreements range from worry about creating content that can be acquired by AMPTP companies, as well as worries over the slow pace at which the agreements are being vetted. (Crabtree-Ireland says they have worked through 400 of the 1,400 applications for interim agreements have been submitted.)

Actor Peter Facinelli  who is currently doing press for his latest feature On Fire, which has an interim agreement  and SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland talked to The Hollywood Reporter about the agreements and the confusion surrounding them.

Peter, what conversations were you having with your producers when they were weighing the option of signing an interim agreement?

Peter Facinelli When I talked to the producers, there were two ways for them to go. They could have gone under the old agreement and the actors werent going to promote their films and they wouldve taken a risk there. Or they sign the interim agreement, which gives us exactly what were asking for, and they support us and our union in hopes that the actors come out and support their film, theatrically. Then, if and when it does go streaming, [they know] that the streamers most likely wont take this film right now. If they did, theyd have to abide by the interim agreement and give us [streaming] residuals. Thats a risk that they were willing to take to support us. I think the optics right now are if actors are doing press for their films, they shouldnt be. Or they shouldnt be doing these interim agreement movies. Duncan is trying to get the message changed and I thought maybe I could help. I have seen friends and [people] on the picket lines having this mentality of shut everything down. For me, we could still do these interim agreements and do independent films and minimize the collateral damage thats happening not just to actors, but to managers, agents, publicists, and crews and get them back to work. If the AMPTP is saying starve the actors out, wait until they lose their homes and the writers lose their homes, and then go back to them and offer them crackers, its important for us to go, Were not going to starve. Were going to continue making our content and our art and were going to continue doing it with people that support us.

Why do you think union members have still been reticent to do publicity for projects that have signed interim agreements?

Facinelli The messaging got off on the wrong foot with these interim agreements. They were being called waivers, which when I first heard about it, I thought, that seems wrong. People shouldnt be getting around something. We should stand in solidarity. Then I looked into it more and I realized this is a positive thing and this is a good thing for our union. I stand in solidarity with my union which is asking us to go out and make these movies and make independent movies and get people to sign an agreement and get them approved.

Duncan, what concerns have you heard from union members about interim agreements?

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland People want to make sure that its not only okay, but helpful to our strike effort to participate in promotion for interim agreement projects, which we very much believe that it is. When we sign an interim agreement with a producer, that is a full-on collective bargaining agreement. Its not some exception to something. This is the producer agreeing to every term that we had on the table with the AMPTP on July 12. There are more than a thousand producers who want to make that deal with us. So once a producer makes that deal, we want their project to be successful, we want them to be able to promote it. We want actors to go out and do all the things they would normally do in connection with a project like that.

There has been a bottleneck when it comes to the approval process for these agreements, especially one seeking them for publicity ahead of the fall festivals. What is behind that?

Crabtree-Ireland Its a fair question. On one level, its the impact of our own success. Weve had more than 1,200 applications for interim agreements that have come in the last six weeks. In a normal year, we process maybe a few thousand productions of that type. So, its like taking six months or more worth of production applications and compressing them into six weeks. Its just hard to do. The other aspect of it is that this is sophisticated work. This requires people to do things like research chain-of-title and look for intellectual property. Were looking for the fingerprints of the AMPTP on these projects. AMPTP studios are very sophisticated. They know how to bury things beneath layers of shell companies and use third parties as their intermediaries. And so we have to do a very thorough job of investigating each of these projects. So, there is a bit of a backlog. We are putting more resources into it and we are streamlining certain aspects of that process to try and push more through. So far weve processed about a third of the applications that have come in, so thats more the 400 applications that we have either granted or rejected depending on the circumstances. I expect that pace to speed up.

At a prior press conference, you said that you think it is unlikely that an AMPTP company will pick up a project that has signed an interim agreement. Heading into the fall festival, where projects are looking for distribution, have you heard this as a concern from members about signing these agreements?

Crabtree-Ireland Ive had questions about it, and I think one of the things that really assuaged those concerns is that ultimately the interim agreement will merge with the ultimate agreement thats made with the AMPTP. So any impact against streaming acquisitions would be temporary. Once the strike gets over, whatever the terms are that are agreed to, will apply to everything. When I explain that to people, usually what I [hear] is, well, I wouldnt have wanted my project to go on one of the streamers during the strike, anyway. That seems to have eliminated most of those concerns knowing that its not a permanent situation. Ultimately, there will be a single deal and their projects wont be at a disadvantage compared to anyone else in terms of streaming acquisition at that point. And then, of course, from my point of view, if projects go on to the platforms under our terms from July 12, thatll be amazing because that will include a 2 precent revenue share from streaming revenue. I dont really expect that to happen, but I definitely want those projects to ultimately have the same opportunity to be viewed on streaming as any other project. Im confident thats what will happen.

So, a streamer could acquire a film out of a fall festival that has signed an interim agreement and sit on it until the ultimate contract is reached, and then release it under the terms of the new contract?

Crabtree-Ireland Right. If they wait until there is an agreement with the AMPTP, then those terms will all merge. Itll be under those same standard terms. So, it is true a streamer could acquire content at a festival and just hold that content and not platform it until after the strike. That is a scenario weve discussed internally. From my point of view, if a streamers acquisition budgets are being used up on buying projects produced under our interim agreement with our members and union crews, instead of being used to acquire content from outside the United States done non-union, then that is also a net benefit to our strike effort. If its not being platformed for the streamer, its not generating revenue for the streamer, its an acquisition cost item without a corresponding revenue entry until after the strike is over. That scenario is OK with us.

Facinelli Ill add that if [producers] dont sign the interim agreements, the streamer could just pick up those movies under the old agreement and put them out on their platforms regardless, and the actors get nothing. So, if producers are signing the interim agreements, and even if the streamer actually takes them and holds them, its still giving us what we want. Thats why I am still trying to figure out what the case is to not have the interim agreement. I havent had anybody explain that to me.

Duncan, what reasons have you heard from producers why they would not be signing interim agreements?

Crabtree-Ireland There have only been two reasons that have been articulated to me. And Ive had so many conversations, as you might imagine, about interim agreements with so many members and so many other folks. The one that I think came out the biggest, which in retrospect I wish we wouldve had more messaging sooner about this to help prevent that from happening, was this is creating a pipeline of content for the companies during the strike. And so there are the reasons you already talked about that clearly it is not creating a pipeline of content for the streamers to platform. Even if they have said this, they dont want to agree to the 2 percent revenue share, so they arent going to put any content on thats going to trigger that obligation for them. The vast majority of these projects, more than three-fourths of them are independent feature films. These are projects that are going to go into hopefully into theaters.

And number two, the other issue, is [interim agreements are] a little complicated to explain. If you read it, its 70 pages long. It is full of details because thats what collective bargaining agreements are. Theyre full of details because the devils in the details. It is hard to explain in a simple soundbite why interim agreements are good or how they work. So thats why I think its taken us more time than I originally anticipated to get that message out and to help make sure our members really understand and everyone understands why this is so important to our strategy.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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MANILA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' total external trade in goods dropped year-on-year by 10.5 percent in July to 16.49 billion U.S. dollars, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Friday.

Of the total external trade, 62.7 percent were imported goods, while the rest were exported goods, the agency said.

The deficit of trade in goods amounted to 4.20 billion dollars, indicating an annual decrease of 30 percent, the agency said. In June, trade deficit recorded an annual decline of 31.9 percent.

China remained the Philippines' largest supplier of imported goods in July. 
For more than a decade, producer Ellen Berman and director Andy Sandberg have been working together to broaden the reach of a play that captivated their minds. As they prepare for the plays London debut, it has taken on new meaning and relevance in the wake of the hit film Oppenheimer.

Alan Brody s Operation Epsilon is based on a true story about 10 German scientists who were taken captive near the end of World War II by British and American authorities. The scientists were thought to be working on nuclear weapons for Germany and were apparently unaware of any advances made by American scientists, led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. The play is based on transcripts of their conversations and interviews in captivity.

This is the other side of the Oppenheimer story, what was going on in Germany, said Sandberg, the artistic director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood who is also a freelance director. In willful denial of the advances and the consequences, both proceeded, the Germans and the allies, with the idea of doing this for science.

Andy Sandberg, artistic director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, and producer Ellen Berman of Sarasota, have been working on developing Alan Brodys play Operation Epsilon for more than a decade. The play has its London premiere in September.

Berman, a part-time resident of Sarasota and the former president of the Consumer Energy Council of America, backed a 2011 staged reading of Brodys play at the Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, with Sandberg directing. Two years later, he also directed the plays official premiere at the Central Square Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In the movie, we see that the Americans are worried about Germany beating us to a bomb, but from the German point of view, they didnt know anything about what we were doing, Berman said. When theyre in Farm Hall in captivity and hear on the BBC radio about the bomb on Hiroshima, they think its a hoax. They start wondering how we could have beaten them.

The London cast of Alan Brodys Operation Epsilon in a rehearsal.

Sandberg said the film and play are complementary stories. There is a new generation learning about this as we try to broaden the reach of history. This story is much less known.

Three Nobel Prize winners were locked up in England in Operation Epsilon, including Werner Heisenberg , Max von Laue and Otto Hahn, who was awarded his prize while he was in captivity for his role in discovering fission in 1939.

Sandberg is working with a large cast of actors who may be familiar from British stage, film and television roles. Hahn is played by Nathaniel Parker, who is most recognized for the title role in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Simon Chandler, who has extensive film and stage credits, plays Von Laue, and Gyuri Sarossy plays Heisenberg. The cast also includes Jamie Bogyo, who starred in the West /End production of Moulin Rouge and a recent revival of Aspects of Love. He plays Professor Carl Friderich Von Weizsacker.

Nathaniel Parker, who starred in the British detective series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, is part of the cast of the London premiere of Operation Epsilon.

Berman said the play reveals that contrary to the Manhattan Project work led by Oppenheimer where everybody is working together, in Germany, each leading scientist was in his own lab, running their own formulas, not collaborating. If they had collaborated they might have beaten us to the bomb.

The play, which features a cast of 11 actors, did well in Cambridge and was extended twice following positive reviews, Sandberg said. But various factors have kept it from moving forward until now.

Berman discovered the play in 2008 when she attended the first reading at MIT, where Brody is a professor of theater. Berman is a longtime member of the MIT Council for the Arts.

I found the play and I wanted to produce it, she said. I felt it needed an audience. The ethical issues in the play are so compelling.

She met Sandberg through a nephew who had been the young director and producers roommate at Yale. And I thought, wouldnt it be wonderful if I could give this young guy his Broadway debut. That was in 2009 and its been a great partnership ever since.

Playwright Alan Brody, author of Operation Epsilon is a professor of theater at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his play had its first reading before a workshop production in Sarasota.

2009 is also the year that Sandberg became the youngest producer to win a Tony Award for his work in bringing a revival of Hair to Broadway.

She has raised money from people who have encountered the play over the years and she has found people who were committed to having this story told.

Arts Newsletter: Sign up to receive the latest news on the Sarasota area arts scene every Monday

A special arts community: Amid national theater crisis Sarasota arts groups are thriving after COVID losses

Actors Nathaniel Parker, left, and Jamie Bogyo rehearse a scene from Operation Epsilon.

Sandberg said a workshop in New York City in 2010 helped unlock a lot of questions, leading to the reading in Sarasota. It was a chance for us to explore the fictional aspects of the play more deeply, Sandberg said of Brody. He wrote a beautiful play that smartly concocted elements of the transcripts. We wanted to get to the core of why are there 11 people in this place, what do we know the about personal relationships. I had the research. I needed to look at this as a director and not as an academic. We did a lot of rewriting between Sarasota and the world premiere.

The production will be presented at the Elephant, a new stage that opened earlier this year at the Southwark Playhouse in a neighborhood on the south shore of the Thames. The play is scheduled to run through Oct. 21. For more information: operationepsilon.com

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Play that tells German side of Oppenheimer gets London premiere
Shots were fired during Lil Babys Its Only Us Tour stop in Memphis, Tennessee last night (Sept. 7), leaving one attendee critically injured.

According to the Memphis Police Department, officers responded to reports of a shooting around 10:23 p.m. at FedExForum. One adult male shooting victim was located and transported to Regional One Health in critical condition. At this time, the identity of the shooter is unknown, a statement on their Twitter account read. No other injuries were reported and all have cleared the facility. Please call 901-528-CASH with any tips on this shooting.

WREG-TV reported Lil Baby was quickly rushed off the stage during his performance. I heard a pop, a showgoer told the TV station. Im not sure what happened, but I had a suite, so I told all my crew, Get down. So we evacuated. Once we evacuated, did a head count. Im still not sure what happened. Its not so sweet tonight, though.

The Atlanta rapper has yet to make a public statement, but GloRilla, who is the opening act alongside Rylo Rodriguez, Gloss Up and Hunxho on the tour, reacted to the incident during an Instagram Live session. What the f**k, cuz?! These folks just got they gun in the f**king arena, fool insane, she said. Yes, yall, Memphis is ghetto as f**k. Weve been on the tour this whole f**king time and today they wanna f**king shoot. There hasnt been a shootout at not one of these shows.

As previously reported by REVOLT, Teyana Taylor was announced as the creative director on The Bigger Picture hitmakers tour. He say, ITS ONLY US. I say, ITS ONLY UP from here! Taylor wrote on Instagram. So lets turn s**t up a notch! Go time, Lil Baby. Thank you, Lil Baby, and [Pierre P Thomas], for trusting The Aunties to [creatively] direct and co-produce the I.O.U. Tour! This one will be one for the books fasho! Musical direction. Choreography. Production. Visual content. Wardrobe. Stage presence. Whew, you def in good hands with one hell of a village, and I cant wait for the world to see how much fun we have with this s**t! Its Only Us Tour [is] coming to a city near you. I.O.U. The Aunties. A Spike Tey joint.

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The newlyweds, who tied the knot in April in France, celebrated Richie Grainge's role as an ambassador for David Yurman

Gotham/GC Images Sofia Richie (left) and Elliot Grainge attend a David Yurman dinner at N.Y.C.'s Casa Cruz.

Sofia Richie Grainge and Elliot Grainge continued their couple-style streak during New York Fashion Week on Thursday, complementing each other in classic looks while celebrating Richie Grainge's exciting new partnership.

The couple, who got married this past April in France, attended a David Yurman dinner at celebrity hot spot Casa Cruz in New York City. Richie Grainge, 25, was seen smiling and holding Grainges arm as he looked casual with his hands in his pockets outside of the restaurant.

Richie Grainge wore a structured black, long-sleeve dress featuring buttons down the front, which she paired with a chic up-do and a matching black headband. Grainge opted for a loose, navy blue cardigan worn with a casual white t-shirt and slacks.

The influencer was recently named the luxury jewelry brands new ambassador. The partnership kicked off with a campaign for David Yurmans new Sculpted Cable bracelet, which was the reason for the Sept. 7 celebration.

Richie Grainge gave her followers a peek at the menu on her Instagram Story, revealing that guests dined on branzino and a citrus salad.

Sofia Richie/Instagram Sofia Richie's Instagram of the menu from the David Yurman NYFW dinner.

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As the news of her ambassadorship was announced this week, Richie Grainge told PEOPLE she is "so excited to be a part of the launch of Sculpted Cable. The collections design is just so iconic and artistic  [and] so effortlessly classic."

"The shape of the bracelets is more modern and a little thinner, but still that classic cable that David Yurman is known for," she added. "I love the way it looks when the light hits it, especially with all the diamonds. The craftsmanship really sets it apart.

As previously reported, the new bracelet will be available in 18K yellow, rose and white gold, and with and without hand-set pave diamonds. Prices in the collection range from $3,900 to $9,500.

Richie Grainge also told PEOPLE that the new Sculpted Cable bracelets are perfect for someone like me, who loves to layer." She added, On its own, the bracelet may look so simple, but when you add them all together, it's really a moment."

Related: Sofia Richie Talks Married Life and Upcoming Fashion Line: 'It's 100% Me'

The model suggested pairing the bracelets from the Sculpted Cable collection with a beautiful gown for a night out  along with some of the more simple sculpted earrings, and a dramatic necklace. I feel like there are ways to play with [them].

Richie Grainge recently celebrated a personal milestone, turning 25 on Aug. 24. She marked the occasion by posting a TikTok video that depicted her dancing to Pradas Casso x Raye x D Block Europe with pal and TikTok star Jake Shane.

The footage shows Richie Grainge and Shane giving a toast with their glasses before Richie Grainge's sister Nicole Richie pops up, dancing in front of the two and donning a black outfit with sunglasses.

Richie Grainge captioned her TikTok post: Ringing in 25.



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Steve Roden , a multidisciplinary artist whose abstract work in painting, sculpture, sound, installation and video fused delicate nuance with vivacious invention, died at home in Pasadena on Wednesday. He was 59. Roden had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease in 2017.

Rodens final solo exhibition at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles, the gallery where he showed regularly for nearly 20 years, was mounted in the summer of 2019. During the subsequent pandemic, he continued to work privately in his studio. Earlier examples of his distinctive aesthetic were featured in recent group exhibitions in California and Europe, including Audiosphere: Sound Experimentation 1980-2020, a major survey of contemporary sound art at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.

Rodens work is scheduled for inclusion in next years Energy Fields: Vibrations of the Pacific at Chapman University, part of the Getty Foundations upcoming Pacific Standard Time initiative exploring intersections between art and science. He was the subject of a 2010 midcareer retrospective at the Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, and his work is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, Greece.

Read more: The shifting, architectural art of Steve Roden

The Vielmetter exhibition cross-referenced elaborate paintings with a pair of projected videos and a sound installation, its sonic form made by blowing into the disassembled wooden reed boxes of a vintage pipe organ. The videos featured the artist manipulating bits of collage into place, although everything is provisional, nothing permanently fixed. Titled detritus (debris) and orrery (a mechanical model of the solar system), all written in lower-case letters, the modest visual narratives have no beginning and no end. The shifting forms, however, were reflected in paintings constructed from crystalline shapes assembled from brightly colored, improvisational marks, almost in the manner of song.

Roden once described painting as the sun around which other art hovers, but those other forms were integral to its making.

Born April 27, 1964, Roden expanded his musical interests at Beverly Hills High School, where he and two friends formed a punk rock band, which they called Seditionaries. The group shared its name with the London punk clothing shop run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. The band, despite its members youth, played gigs with the Circle Jerks and the English group the Damned, and appeared at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. Roden later created the ethereal soundtrack heard at the beginning of the popular Modern Art Notes Podcast.

Steve Roden's final solo gallery exhibition was at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles in 2019 (Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times)

Roden earned a 1986 BFA at Otis Art Institute, now Otis College of Art and Design, when it was located at MacArthur Park near downtown L.A. and affiliated with New Yorks Parsons School of Design. He received a masters degree from Pasadenas Art Center College of Design in 1989. His instructors at the two schools included artists Emerson Woelffer, Roy Dowell, Mike Kelley, Stephen Prina and Gary Panter, many of whom also embraced multidisciplinary forms and cross-cultural influences in their work. With cartoonist Dan Goodsell, Roden would later publish Krazy Kids Food!, a Taschen book of vintage commercial graphic designs.

While still a student, Roden met artist and designer Sari Takahashi, and the couple married in 1993. Five years later they acquired an eccentric 1946 house in Pasadena, known as the Airform Bubble House. Designed by celebrated residential architect Wallace Neff, the landmark is shaped like a large, concrete igloo. Neff envisioned a quick, inexpensive form of mass-produced housing made by inflating a large, industrial-strength balloon, pneumatically spraying it with Gunite (the material often used to coat the surface of swimming pools), then deflating the balloon and pulling it out through the doorway. The process took just 48 hours, using no wood or nails.

Several bubble houses were built across the country, but the Rodens home is the only one that remains. Although curved walls limited functionality, a roughly thousand-square-foot house formed from air was ideal for an artist of Rodens poetic sensibilities. Pointing to the curved, pock-marked ceiling, he once explained to a KCRW reporter that the acoustics were surprising.

It was concrete resting on a balloon being supported by air, so in the areas where theres a little bit of disruption of the surface, you get these pockets, he said. So once in a while, depending on where you are standing, you have a parabolic where you have sound coming directly down into your ear but no one else can hear it.

Read more: Commentary: Donald Trump's campy mug shot gives Andy Warhol's infamous mural some competition

The Getty Research Institute and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, in partnership with MOCA, engaged Roden in 2008 to reimagine Allan Kaprows seminal performance series, 18 Happenings in 6 Parts, first presented a half-century earlier at New Yorks Reuben Gallery. In a remembrance on the Legacy website, curator Meg Linton quoted the GRIs Glenn R. Phillips, who noted, At the heart of [Rodens] work is an incredible sense of play that can delight in taking an idea from the mind to the page, to the canvas, into sound, into space, and then back to the mind again.

Roden was a quintessential "artist's artist," widely admired by his peers. In the Pasadena Armory Center mid-career survey, as well as a related show of new work at the Pomona College Museum of Art (now the Benton Museum), Rodens art embraced a spiritual tradition familiar from such disparate 20th century predecessors as Arthur Dove, Paul Klee and Alfred Jensen. His paintings and sculptures, notoriously difficult to describe, merge logical systems and formal structures with highly personal and improvisational rhythms. The art becomes a field of dynamic engagement.

In addition to his wife, the artist is survived by his mother, Susan Roden. A memorial gathering is being planned.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ambassador Susan Rice is returning to Netflix.

The former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. National Security Advisor is rejoining Netflixs board of directors. She was appointed to the board this week, with her term expiring after next years annual meeting.

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Like all Netflix directors, Rice will receive an annual retainer valued at $300,000.

Rice previously served on Netflixs board from 2018 until December 2020, when she announced her intention to step down and join President Bidens administration. Rice would serve in the Biden administration as its domestic policy adviser, stepping down from that role earlier this year.

Rice joins a board comprising Netflix insiders like founder Reed Hastings and co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, as well as media veterans Anne Sweeney (the former Disney TV chief) and Mathias Dopfner (the head of Axel Springer), tech veterans like Microsoft president Brad Smith, and venture capitalists Jay Hoag and Tim Haley.

And she joins a company that has been resurgent in recent months after a difficult 2022. Subscribers surged last quarter as the password-sharing crackdown took effect, and the company is still in the early stages of growing its advertising business.

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September 16 will mark one year since the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Irans morality police. The event sparked protests in Iran and across the world, activating the countrys extensive diaspora. Irans regime retaliated by attacking its own people with heinous acts. Among these are deforming women by peppering their faces, breasts and genitals with birdshot, poisoning of girls on school campuses, public executions of young men, insidious murders of young women, plus rape and torture of almost 20,000 prisoners.

Creatives are particular targets of Irans dictatorial government whose uneven rule follows an extreme interpretation of the tenets of Islam. Musicians are even more harshly persecuted based on the fundamentalist outlawing of music in Iran. There are many musicians imprisoned in Iran, among them incendiary rapper Toomaj Salehi who has been in solitary confinement for nearly a year.

Members of the Iranian community in Mexico hold banners outside the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mexico City, while demonstrating against the death of Mahsa Amini. (Credit: Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Shervin Hajipour is perhaps the most well-known to Western audiences for his poignant song Baraye, whose lyrics are drawn from desperate social media posts by Iranians. Hajipour and the song won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Song for Social Change. First Lady Jill Biden presented the award while Hajipour remained on house arrest in Iran.

Less than 24 hours before Hajipour was awarded the Grammy, multi-platinum, chart-topper Taylor Hanson had set up camp at Los Angeles famed Henson Recording Studios, in the same room where 38 years prior We Are the World was recorded. Here, Hanson brought together people from all walks of life to sing his reimagining of Hajipours song as Baraye  For Women Life Freedom. Appropriately, this initiative is called the Voices Project. It is the first of its kind for Hansons latest nonprofit, For Women Life Freedom.

In the final version of the song, which is released on September 8, there are other Western musicians who have added their voices to that of Hansons. Among these are Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, Ryan Cabrera, Darren Criss, Cassadee Pope, Kevin McHale, Gus Van Sant and Mark Hudson. Iranian superstars Leila Forouhar, Shahbal Shabpareh and co-producer (and Grammy Award-winning) Hamid Saeidi of Opium Moon also shared their talents. Behind the scenes, co-producer/engineer Jim Scott (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting), engineer/producer CJ Eiriksson (U2) and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Garza (Fiona Apple) lent their expertise. Hanson opened participation on Baraye  For Women Life Freedom to anyone who wanted to share their voice using the Audiobridge app. The result is 16,000 voices raised for the people of Iran.

Hanson has remained diligent in using his platform to speak out about the atrocities in Iran. Here, in his own words, he tells us why this movement for freedom should matter to all people, not just Iranians, and what musics role is in resonating humanity.

Understanding Iran

This project was born because were trying to figure out how we can help tell a human story through music, and how we can bring people to the conversation. Iran has a deep history that we have a very modern understanding of outside of the country, which is not an understanding of Iran at all. Unfortunately, the government of Iran, its treatment of women, its relationship with much of the world has funded terrible acts, and that is the general picture of the country.

I cant fully explain why Im in this seat, but I feel like Ive been called to be here. I was inspired because I had an epiphany which isheres a people that are truly calling for freedom.

We have a connection to the people of Iranbecause of our basic humanity. Because we are parents, because we are siblings, because we have daughters, because we have wives, because we have a desire for the freedoms that we take for granted. Obviously, there are many flaws in any society, but we can live and pursue basic ideas of happiness in this country. We really dont understand what it means to truly have no human rights.

What really inspired me isIve now met people of Iranian/Persian descent that I consider friends. People that are artists, people that are creators, people that are just like me. All of us have a story to tell. If we can connect as humans, and we can say, That could be me. Thats my daughter, thats my sister, thats my wife, thats my brother, thats what The Voices Project is about.

For Women Life Freedom and The Voices Project

For Woman Life Freedom was established to launch projects that could bring people to the cause. The Voices Project is the first. Its an archetype for what can be done to help bring peoples attention, to connect hearts and minds to something that is hard to get your head around. When you can stand with three generations of people of Persian, Irish-American, German, African backgrounds, all singing for women, for life, freedom on one day in the studio in Los Angeles, and have people around the world joining, then weve begun to have a new conversation.

We captured the song, initially, hoping to help amplify the awareness of Iran with the Recording Academy, hoping that the original song could get the recognition it deserved. Incredibly, it won the Grammy for song for social change, which is no small thing. It is a big deal for the movement. But it was also sobering, because the recognition it should have received when winning that award was not nearly what it should have been. Youve got an artist in his mid-20s under house arrest that wrote a song inspired by tweets of a movement led by young women in a country where rights dont exist for women. That recognition should have put Shervin [Hajipour] on the cover of Time magazine.

Thats why, instead of simply immediately releasing our song, weve decided to release it at the most meaningful time, to bring the best attention to the critical movement thats happening in Iran. September is a sobering time because its coming up on one year since the protests began and we want The Voices Project, we wanted the song to help amplify the continued need in this cause for the people in Iran that are still without freedom.

An Iranian woman takes a picture during a rally in support of wearing headscarves at the Shahid Shiroudi Stadium in Tehran, on July 11, 2019. Under Islamic law, since the 1979 revolution, hijab (which requires females to cover their hair and much of their body in loose clothing to prevent their figures being seen) is obligatory for local and foreign women in the country. (Credit: / AFP via Getty Images)

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I dont carry the authority, or the platform but I can say, Im a dad. Im a citizen of a country that has, at least, a very foundational respect for individuals basic freedomsthat we have to fight for every day.

Whats going on in Iran is incredibly challenging and complex. Im not the expert on all the sociopolitical dynamics, but I do know for certain that a girl could walk down the street and be accused of a crime against God for showing hair in public and then be raped and murdered. We have an opportunity to support folks that are willing to risk their lives to fight against that.

We are standing up for Iran not because its likely to see change, but because certain levels of atrocity require good people to do something. Over and over despots and historic leaders across historys shattered past are allowed to destroy human life because of the fear of those that are good. The question for me when dealing with whats going on in Iran is not whether its likely or easy or possible to see real change, thats not actually up to us.

What weve tried to do is to create a project and organize a group of people to amplify something that is important. Im so grateful music actually has a real role to play. Thankfully, social media, the internet, this difficult thing that we have access to, is also very powerful, and has helped amplify a cause.

Baraye  For Women Life Freedom

When we did our session, I stood holding my two-year-old daughter, next to my 10-year-old daughter, next to my 18-year-old daughter, next to my four sons and next to hundreds of guests in the studio, many of whom come from various backgrounds, all of whom were singing those same words. The song was going to be released within a week of recording. It very clearly and quickly became apparent that we shouldnt stop hundreds of people that were sending in uploads of their voices. We needed to get every possible voice. That is a message that cannot help but move the needle for this cause.

Recording Baraye. (Credit Jonathan Weiner)

The Role of Music

Ive spent my whole life talking about the power of music. Weve seen how art, at its most basic, gives people a sense of hope because it gives you a sense youre not alone. Music and art have a role to play in resonating humanity.

In this particular case, weve got a more powerful example than anything Ive ever seen. The power of songs and the power of communication can really amplify social change and advocacy for human rights. A son of Iran, releasing a song on the internet, thats then given an award thats broadcast to billions of different eyes on an award show. Thinking about all the people that have now heard about movement because of the use of that song is really sobering.

Music rarely has the opportunity to be as tangible as it does in this particular case. But it always has a role to play in inspiring action. Im a person that spent my life writing pop songs. I say that with the most pride. A great pop song is a crystallization of a thought made so pure that a nine-year-old and a 90-year-old can both sing it.

For women, for life/We sing freedom, is to bring all the powers of understanding melody and simplicity and the things that make each of us be able to share a story of popular songs into a cause that is truly complicated and challenging and frightening and horrific. And theres something very beautiful about that.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Tesla and Hilton have struck a deal to make EV charging more accessible while attracting guests to the latter's hotels at the same time. The companies have announced that starting in 2024, they will install 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors at 2,000 Hilton properties across the US, Canada and Mexico. This deal expands a previous partnership between the two and will see each chosen property get at least six new chargers.

Matt Schuyler, Hilton's chief brand officer, told CNBC that the second most searched attribute for its hotels is EV charging. Using the "EV charging" filter on its website, we found that there are 1,148 Hilton hotels with EV chargers in the US at the moment, along with 67 properties in Canada and 22 in Mexico. That's but a fraction of what this expansion entails  according to The Points Guy, it would put Hilton ahead of Los Angeles County for having the most chargers in the continent by the time the project is done.

While the companies didn't give a timeline for the installations, their deal has the potential to assuage a lot of people's range anxieties, especially since Tesla's Universal Wall Connectors are designed to work even with EVs from other brands. According to the automaker's website, the wall connector has the capability to add up to 44 miles of range per hour. It's also not exclusively available to big companies like Hilton. Tesla is selling the device for $595, and orders for it will start shipping in October.
Hayao Miyazaki wasnt at the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday for the international premiere of his movie The Boy and the Heron , but three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro was.

Del Toro surprised the crowd for the movies gala presentation tonight and received rapturous applause at Roy Thomson Hall.

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TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey introduced del Toro as Miyazakis most passionate fan.

He knows what makes my fat butt move! quipped del Toro after Bailey asked him to introduce the film.

This is the first audience to watch this movie outside of Japan, beamed del Toro to great cheers. This is the world, god-damn premiere!

Animation is film, and tonights film goes beyond that. Animation is hard, said del Toro.

We are privileged enough to be living in a time where Mozart is composing symphonies, said del Toro. Miyazaki san is a master of that stature, and we are so lucky to be here.

He has changed the medium that he started in, revolutionized it, proved over and over again that is a tremendous work of art, del Toro continued.

RELATED: Toronto Film Festival 2023: All Of Deadlines Movie Reviews

Miyazaki, in my estimation, is the greatest director of animation ever, and he has made his films as full as dialogues and questions as he is. These are not easy films, but these are films that portray him so intimately, that you feel youre having a conversation with him.

And they are paradoxical because he understands that beauty cannot exist without horror, and delicacy cannot exist without brutality.

He repeats motifs over and over again: flying, hope, despair, the power of innocence, the great of innocence. Each of his parables, because they become parables, are full of belief in humanity and full of heartache in humanity. I believe the film we will watch tonight will be no exception.

Its the first time that a Japanese title or an animated movie has opened the Toronto Film Festival.

Del Toro is no stranger to animation, having directed the stop-motion Netflix feature Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio; directed, executive produced and written on the streamers Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia series; and served as EP on DreamWorks Animation features Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians.

He will appear again on stage here in Toronto on Friday for a conversation in the Visionaries section in which hell talk about the liberating potential of fantastical worlds; the magic that exists within the details; and his career crafting intricate and cinematic love letters.

RELATED: TIFF Preview + Hot List: Toronto Has 50 Acquirable Films & Few Stars To Promote Them; Will Hungry Distributors Pounce?

As Deadline reported, The Boy and the Heron, which is making its international premiere as TIFFs opening-night film tonight, has been sold out. Miyazaki, 82, skipped the festival; he hasnt done press for the pic in Japan, where the movie launched sans advance marketing, in an effort to raise the pics mystique.

Miyazakis first movie in 10 years follows a teenage boy and his psychological development through encounters with his friends and uncle. He enters a magical world with a talking grey heron after finding an abandoned tower in his new town.

Previous Miyazaki Studio Ghibli titles that played TIFF include The Red Turtle (2016), The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2014), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), Spirited Away (2002) and Princess Mononoke (1999).

Bailey emphasized to Deadline in July that TIFF is on despite two Hollywood strikes barring several stars from showing up for the festival, which runs through September 17. Still, some pics getting SAG-AFTRA interim agreements have paved the way for such actors as Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Dakota Johnson, Finn Wolfhard and Nicolas Cage among others to make their way north.

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Todd and Julie Chrisley have each had more than a year shaved from their prison terms.

The couple was convicted in November 2022 of tax and bank fraud.

They reported to prison in January.

It's been about eight months since the reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley reported to federal prison to serve their combined 19-year sentence on tax and fraud convictions  and they've already had their release dates moved up.

The couple, who are best known for their roles on the USA Network series "Chrisley Knows Best" and its spin-off "Growing Up Chrisley," were sentenced in Atlanta federal court in November 2022 for defrauding banks of more than $30 million by providing fake financial statements that made it look as if they were wealthier than they were.

Prosecutors proved that the couple used the loans to buy expensive cars, take extravagant trips, and live a lifestyle they couldn't afford while also hiding money from the IRS to avoid paying taxes.

At the time, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and his wife, Julie Chrisley, was sentenced to 7 years  but neither of them had to report to prison until after the holidays in January.

As of Thursday, Todd's prison-release date from FPC Pensacola is scheduled for January 22, 2033, which is about two years short of 12 years, according to federal prison records.

Julie's scheduled release from FMC Lexington is October 19, 2028, which is one year and three months short of 7 years, records show.

"Without a doubt, Todd and Julie are model incarcerated individuals who received exorbitant sentences," the couple's attorney, Jay Surgent, told Insider Thursday. "I believe Todd is down to 10 years and Julie is now at five years."

Surgent believes that the implementation of new sentencing guidelines in November will further reduce their sentences.

Todd and Julie Chrisley in an episode of "Chrisley Knows Best." USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

It's quite common for inmates to serve less than the total sentence handed down by a judge, depending on the programming they participate in, their behavior, and their health.

As of 2018, eligible federal inmates are allowed up to 54 days of "good conduct time" off their sentence for each year of the sentence imposed by the court, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

They may also receive time off for any time served before their sentence or for completing "Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction" programs.

The agency would not comment on the Chrisleys' reduced time specifically, citing "privacy, safety, and security reasons."

Savannah Chrisley, the Chrisleys' daughter, said in May that her mom was struggling to adapt to prison life a lot more than her dad.

"It's definitely harder on her, I think, than my dad," she said in an episode of her podcast, "Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley," noting that Julie Chrisley was "scared."

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The View's Ana Navarro was censored for several seconds on Friday's broadcast while sharing her thoughts on wedding dress codes.

The panelist was in the middle of addressing a recent Reddit post that was shared online by a pregnant woman who was seeking advice about how to handle her future sister-in-law's strict wedding dress code. According to the post, the bride is requesting that women wear long-sleeved, floor-length gowns for the outdoor, black-tie event. When the woman suggested several different dresses due to fear of overheating, the bride allegedly lashed out at her for making the event about herself.

Navarro wasn't having any part of it. "This woman, this bride  I mean, brides often get a little affected. But this lady is cuckoo crazy," she said. "She screamed at the sister-in-law. She told her, 'This time it's not about you and your effing baby.'" She was subsequently censored for several seconds.

THE VIEW- 4/3/23 - ANA NAVARRO on The View, airing Monday, April 3, 2023.

Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty Images Ana Navarro

The audio then returned as Sunny Hostin offered an alternative solution to the woman's problem. "It's a black-tie wedding," she said. "You go, you get a little long-sleeve muumuu and you stay for about 15 [to] 20 minutes and you leave."

Their discussion was cut short moments later by Sara Haines, who shared a trailer for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 before cutting to commercial. EW has reached out to The View for clarification on what was censored.

This isn't the first time that Navarro has been censored on The View. In July, the sound was cut for several seconds after she launched into profanity-laced tirade against Florida's new education standards.

"I live in Florida, I've been spitting mad about the culture wars that Ron DeSantis has been creating, so when he says he has nothing to do with it, that's bulls---," Navarro said as the audio cut out, censoring her choice words. "He has created the environment that's led to this. What they say is they updated the standards now to say enslaved people developed skills that could be applied for their personal benefit. Slavery was the darkest moment of American history. Our biggest shame."

"People got torn from their homelands. Men, women, newborns, put in the bowels of ships, shackled, made to row from Africa to America, then brought here and sold like chattel, separated from their children, beat, whipped, worked to death, raped," she continued. "How dare you, shame on you people in Florida! How dare you try to whitewash slavery."

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported products worth 15.7 billion U.S. dollars in the first eight months of 2023, a slight increase of 0.3 percent from 15.64 billion dollars in the same period last year, said a General Department of Customs and Excise's report released on Friday.

The report said the kingdom's export to China surged by 16.8 percent to 940 million dollars during the January-August period this year from 804.6 million dollars in the same period last year.

China is the third-largest export destination for the Southeast Asian country after the United States and Vietnam, the report showed.

Main items Cambodia exported included apparel, footwear, and travel goods, bicycles, and a number of agricultural goods such as rice, rubber, cassava, bananas, mangos and longans.

Commenting on a significant rise in the export to China, Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) had injected a vigorous impetus into the country's trade growth.

"The two free trade agreements are catalysts for our long-term and sustainable export growth, and they are a magnet to attract more foreign direct investments to Cambodia," he told Xinhua. 
The hosts of The View were stunned on Friday, when Joy Behar suggested suggested that Pennsylvania residents use a gun to defend their homes from an escaped convict currently on the loose. Host Alyssa Farah Griffin marveled that the sentiment was a breakthrough.

Typically, Behar is vocally anti-gun, and has advocated for a complete ban on assault rifles repeatedly on the show. But, when she and her co-hosts were discussing what they would do if they lived in a town where an escaped convict was evading capture, she admitted this is one scenario she might advocate for a gun.

Well you know, Im usually against guns, the AR-15s, I believe, should be taken down, and not be legal, Behar said. But in this case, maybe its a good idea for people to have a legal handgun in their house, get the training  

At that point, she was cut off by the rest of the table as they all marveled at the words she said.

Did you hear that?! Sunny Hostin exclaimed, while Alyssa Farah Griffin excitedly pointed out This is a breakthrough!

Well yeah, because Ive never said Im against all guns, Behar replied. Im against those weapons of mass destruction, is what Im against. But a handgun, when you have training, and youre in your house, you locked the door, somebody comes in, you have a way to defend yourself!

She continued, Thats the second amendment that I appreciate. The rest of it, killing masses of children in schools, no!

The post The View Hosts Stunned When Joy Behar Suggests a Gun for Protection Against Escaped Convict: This Is a Breakthrough! appeared first on TheWrap.
During a recent interview with Big Boys Neighborhood, Yo Gotti admitted that he studies JAY-Zs works as if they are books.

I study JAY. When JAY put out albums, they like books for me, the Memphis rapper said. So for a young hustler, a real hustler who understands what he talking about when hes saying certain things  thats my information. Thats my research catalogue. If you the right hustler, you gon pick up on something.

He continued, If you just listening, you just listening. It might go over your head. Or under your head. I feel like some of my experiences and some of the things Im seeing and learning, Im putting it in the music. Check out the full conversation below:

The Rake It Up hitmaker has always shown love to the Brooklyn rapper throughout his career. In fact, hes been a Roc Boy since 2016. JAY-Zs Roc Nation signed a deal with Yo Gotti, in partnership with his own record label Collective Music Group (CMG), that includes Blac Youngsta, MoneyBagg Yo, EST Gee, GloRilla, and 42 Dugg, just to name a few.

As previously reported by REVOLT, back in 2020, Yo Gotti and JAY-Z also teamed up to file a lawsuit on behalf of mistreated inmates in Mississippi prisons through Roc Nations philanthropic arm Team Roc. Join Team Roc and our partners [Until Freedom,] [REFORM Alliance] [and Color of Change] Friday, Jan. 24 to rally for #msprisionreformnow, an Instagram post from Team Roc read at the time. [Mississippi] location will be announced soon. Let your voice be heard as we hold the #MDOC and the state of #Mississippi accountable for their treatment of prisoners at #ParchmanPrison and all other facilities.

In other related news, the Young Forever hitmaker is set to host a 007-themed party on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Atlantic Citys Ocean Casino Resort to raise funds for REFORM Alliance.

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Not many people can say that theyve earned a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, a Billboard 200 No. 1 album and a mug shot all in the same week  but most people arent Zach Bryan.

The Grammy-nominated country/rock powerhouse was arrested Thursday evening in Oklahoma for obstruction of investigation, according to the Craig County Sheriffs Office. On Friday (Sept. 8), the cover of Spotifys Outlaw country playlist was changed to Bryans brand-new mugshot. While there is still no explanation for the change in playlist artwork, the move is equal parts timely and clever.

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Billboard has reached out to Spotify for comment.

Today, I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Bryan wrote in a social media post. Emotions got the best of me, and I was out of line in the things I said. The sheriffs office where Bryan was booked and photographed is in Vinita, Oklahoma an hour northeast of Tulsa, where he currently lives.

This week has been one of the biggest in Bryans professional music career. He earned his first Hot 100 chart-topper, alongside Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves, with I Remember Everything, and that songs parent album, an acclaimed self-titled effort, concurrently debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking his first No. 1 album in the United States. All 16 songs from the album debuted on the Hot 100, and he also earned the largest streaming week for a rock album in history.

Prior to the seismic success of his newest album, Bryan previously reached the Hot 100s top 10 earlier this year with Something in the Orange (No. 10), his Grammy-nominated breakthrough hit that appears on American Heartbreak, his first Billboard 200 top ten album (No. 5).

Click here to see the updated Outlaw playlist cover.

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As a legal battle begins to brew over whether the 14th Amendment disqualifies Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential election because of Jan. 6 -- which would mark an unprecedented and controversial development -- ABC News recently spoke with the one politician who has been removed from office under that same argument.

Former Otero County, New Mexico, Commissioner Couy Griffin was disqualified almost exactly a year ago after Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) sued to eject him from his role under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Section 3 states that someone isn't eligible for future office if, while they were previously in office, they took an oath to support the Constitution but then "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or [gave] aid or comfort to the enemies thereof," unless they are granted amnesty by a two-thirds vote of Congress. It is not a criminal penalty.

Griffin's Section 3 case was a bench trial decided by a state judge and he has since twice appealed to the New Mexico Supreme Court, to no avail. Griffin was convicted of trespassing at the U.S. Capitol two years ago, though he said he did not enter the building with the mob. He was found not guilty of a disorderly conduct charge.

He served jail time in Washington, D.C., after being found guilty in 2022.

In an interview Wednesday, he insisted that efforts to use the 14th Amendment against politicians are always wrong.

"I don't care if you're talking about a conservative or a liberal -- you shouldn't be able to use a court to remove an elected official," he said from New Mexico. "That was their [CREW's] plan. They started with me. It's never been about Couy Griffin, it's been about Trump."

On Wednesday, CREW filed a lawsuit in Colorado on behalf of six voters seeking to keep Trump from the ballot in the state.

A Trump campaign spokesman said in response, in part: "There is no legal basis for this effort except in the minds of those who are pushing it."

MORE: Trump challenges argument 14th Amendment disqualifies him in 2024, and more trail takeaways

PHOTO: In this May 1, 2020, file photo, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin waves an American flag while riding a horse up Sixth Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. (Gotham/Getty Images, FILE)

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who has vocally pushed back on Trump's baseless claims of election fraud, has also been skeptical of the disqualification argument. "Anyone who believes in democracy must let the voters decide," he wrote in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.

Griffin told ABC News in a phone call that he thinks his case was a testing ground for Trump's potential removal from the presidential ballot under the same constitutional provision.

He said he has seen recent op-eds and articles from some conservative legal scholars about the idea of refusing to put Trump on the ballot based on the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause and wasn't surprised: "Why they did what they did to me was only to get Trump," he contended.

CREW, for its part, said they brought their suit against Trump because "it is necessary to defend our republic both today and in the future," the group's president, Noah Bookbinder, said in a statement.

MORE: Trump may be disqualified for presidency under the 14th Amendment, Sen. Kaine argues

Bookbinder told reporters on Wednesday that "this is obviously a case of tremendous, tremendous importance."

"We look forward to proving our case in the coming weeks," he said.

Griffin, founder of Cowboys for Trump, told ABC News that despite losing his job due to Jan. 6, he still has no regrets about participating in the events of the day because he says his actions were peaceful.

Last year, several New Mexico residents, aided by CREW, sued to have Griffin removed from office under the Civil War-era provision, which had not been used to remove a public official from office for a century.

PHOTO: Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, D.C., June. 17, 2022. (Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP, FILE)

The judge in Griffin's case found that the events of and around the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack constituted an insurrection, that Griffin "engaged in" those events and that Griffin's free speech argument did not pass muster.

The ruling describes Griffin's behavior that day as he spent more than an hour on the inauguration platform speaking into a bullhorn at times and includes testimony from a witness to Griffin's behavior who described him as "very encouraging" to the mob congregated at the Capitol.

"Mr. Griffin aided the insurrection even though he did not personally engage in violence. By joining the mob and trespassing on restricted Capitol grounds, Mr. Griffin contributed to delaying Congress's election-certification proceedings," the judge wrote.

When asked what his intentions were that day if not to overthrow the government, Griffin told ABC News that he was "honoring my oath of office because I questioned the integrity of the [2020 presidential] election from Day 1. I was basically honoring my oath of office, and the hypocrisy is they removed me from office for violating my oath."

There have been no confirmed findings of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and the integrity of the results have been attested to by numerous officials of both parties.

Griffin believes that he should still be in office.

"It should be a will of the people, not of the courts," he said.

ABC News' Hannah Demissie and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.

Official removed from office under 14th Amendment speaks out as Trump case looms originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The near-record gator was hooked in the Mississippi River, where the state's current heaviest record gator was killed.

Two Southern hunters narrowly missed setting a new state record for the heaviest gator ever taken in Mississippi after an all-night battler for a Mississippi River alligator that was longer than their 12-foot johnboat.

"We were about dead," Jumper told the Clarion-Ledger "It was rough. We just didn't know how big it was."

Teddy Coats, who is in his mid 50s, and his brother-in-law Joel Jumper had begun scouting on the evening of Aug. 31 with plans to hunt the following night with a business client, who had state gator tags.

Coats, of Alligator, Mississippi, and Jumper, from Helena, Arkansas, located some gators and had returned to the boat ramp near the town of Friars Point. Thats when they noticed a set of eyes near the boat ramp. Deciding to quickly fill one of their own alligator tags before heading home, they cast a big hook into the gator and begun what they thought was a routine fight.

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"We thought it was going to be a little 30-minute deal, but it didn't work out that way," Coats told the newspaper. "I was in the middle of the boat when I got a second line on him and he came alive. He almost pulled the boat under."

Six hours later, they had harpooned the gator and used a .44 Magnum bang stick, but the creature still wouldnt give up. "It was like fighting a great white shark," Jumper says. "It was intense, it was hairy and it was scary. When he turned the boat sideways I thought it was over."

By 4 a.m. the hard-fighting gator lodged itself under some logs and wouldn't budge. They duo backed out and returned in the morning to recover the gator, when they were able to recover it. They lashed it to their johnboat, got it to shore, and hauled it out with their truck. That's when they realized how huge the gator was.

"It was a monster," Coats explained. "He looked like an old T-rex dinosaur. He had been through a lot of battles."

One of those battles had apparently resulted in a lost leg for the 13 foot 7 inch gator. A game warden told the hunters the lost leg would have added 12 pounds to the reptiles weight of 819.5 pounds, making the gator a Mississippi record for heaviest alligator ever recorded taken from public waters. The heaviest public-water gator on record weighed 822 pounds and was tagged in 2015, also from the Mississippi River. The state keeps separate records for public and private land gators, as well as the longest and heaviest male and female gators within those categories.

"I'm hoping to get the alligator that bit him if I ever get another permit," said Coats. And I'm going to get a bigger boat. It had to be another monster gator that bit him."

Read Next: Mississippi Hunters Land New 14-Foot, State-Record Gator After 7-Hour Fight

The state record for the longest alligator ever killed in Mississippi was broken on Aug. 26 when hunter Donald Woods and his buddies tagged an 802.5-pound gator that measured 14 feet, 3 inches.

Depending on your hunting area and local regulations, there are a variety of methods for alligator hunting. You can bowfish, spot and stalk gators on shore and shoot them with a rifle, or snag them with giant treble hooks and fight them to the boat on heavy tackle. When you get the reptile to the boat, you shoot it in the head or bangstick it. You can read the full story of their hunt over on the Clarion-Legder .
Good-looking storage solutions galore.

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Dont take your kitchen cabinets for granted. A source for both practical storage and decorative charm, cabinets do much of the heavy lifting in the kitchen, but may often go overlooked in favor of hard-working appliances. The truth is that without cabinets, our kitchens would be thrown into chaos. Make the most of critical kitchen cabinetry by paying special attention to effective and efficient storage, as well as their appearance.

If the look of your cabinets isnt up to par with their prominent role in the kitchen, it may be time to consider an update by reimagining cabinet doors and hardware. And of course, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way, adds interior designer Libby Smith. Fortunately, weve got kitchen cabinetry ideas aplenty. Heres inspiration to maximize your kitchen cabinets, accounting for paint, wood, style, hardware, and flair.

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Meet the Expert

Libby Smith is the founder of LIbby Smith interiors in Charlotte, North Carolina.







Bright White

Laurey W. Glenn

"I think white cabinetry in a kitchen is timeless. Its fresh, clean, and versatile. It allows for fabric, art, and light fixtures to really pop and become focal points in a room," says Smith. "I love pairing a crisp white paint color, such as Benjamin Moores Chantilly Lace (OC-65), with a creamy paint to warm up an interior."

Black

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Matthew Gleason

As Smith said, white kitchens are a classic. On the other end of the color gradient however, black offers a striking neutral, especially when alongside other white details.

Camouflage

Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Kiera Coffee

Slather your cabinets in the same paint color as the walls to make them blend right in. Here, deep black walls and cabinets open up the kitchen paired with vibrant details.

Light Blue

Brie Williams Styling: Jennifer Berno Decleene

Not a neutral but still not too bold a color, light blue is a splendid choice for cabinet colors. You won't see this hue going out of style any time soon.

Navy Blue

Laurey W. Glenn

Like light blue, very deep blue is a stellar choice for a subtle inclusion of color. Choose a navy with green undertones for borderline-turquoise cabinets, or a blue with a gray tinge to match a steely color palette.

Slate Gray

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Sophisticated and timeless, you can't steer wrong with a nice and clean gray. They are a reliable foundation kitchens with a neutral color palette or for spaces with brightly colored walls and furniture.

Two-Tone

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Why paint your cabinets all one color when you can choose two? Start by switching the shade of island cabinets to differ from built-in cabinets on the wall.

Go Green

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Matthew Gleason

Green kitchen cabinets are the hight of home fashion these daysand it's not just one shade of green that's shining so brightly. Deep, moody green is just as lovely as hunter green, sage green, and beyond.

Wood-Forward

Laurey W. Glenn; Stylist: Matthew Gleason

Don't feel like you need to go straight for the paint swatches to upgrade your cabinets. Letting wood shine is a stellar way to embrace their natural beauty. For an upgrade, consider trying a new wood stain to change the look of wood-front cabinets.

Keep It Low

Chris Edwards; Styling: Kendra Surface

Depending on your layout and storage needs, cabinets going only so high as the counter top may be all you need. Augment your kitchen with a pantry to make up for spare stuff and decorate the empty space above the countertops with charming open shelving.

Get Inspired By Wallpaper

Laurey W. Glenn; Stylist: Matthew Gleason

For wallpapered kitchens, choose your pattern first before picking a paint to coordinate. In our 2023 Idea House, cabinets are painted a dainty green to match adjacent wallpaper perfectly.

Glass-Front

Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Barbara Schmidt

Glass-front cabinets are a classic kitchen design move, especially when contained to the top cabinets. Beware however, that you'll need to keep the contents inside glass-front cabinets orderly for a neat look.

Curtains

Marta Xochilt Perez; Styling: Page Mullins

If tidy cabinet interiors is too big an ask, or just for some extra flair, decorate glass-front cabinets with a cute curtain. Choose a color or pattern that complements other hues in the room or for more continuity, choose the same fabric to adorn a skirted kitchen sink.

Shaker Style

Alexandra Rowley

"Go for something simple and sleek," advises Smith. "A Shaker style cabinet paired with beautiful hardware can make your kitchen feel updated and modern."

Match To Appliances

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Coordinate the shade of your cabinets with the color of kitchen appliances. Here, the oven doesn't contrast from the cabinets so sharply, but instead blends right in.

Wood Paneling

Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Matthew Gleason

In this kitchen, panels of white oak form stunning cabinets when stained honey-blond. As an added bonus, the cabinets match the floors wonderfully.

Earth Tones

Laurey W. Glenn

Green can be a neutral too, and we can prove it. Create a grounded, earthy kitchen by pairing earth tones like green and brown with nature-inspired textures and a houseplant or two.

Funky Fronts

Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Lizzie Cox

An alternative to glass-fronts, opt for an unexpected cabinet cover like a wire or woven material. This kitchen features gorgeous custom laser-cut metal cabinet fronts that add texture and intrigue.

Elevated Neutrals

Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

The world of neutral kitchens expands far beyond all-whites and all-grays. Instead, designers love combining warm, welcoming neutrals that are dynamic but timeless.

Shabby Sheek

Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Frances Bailey

These reclaimed wood kitchen cabinets are distressed in an absolutely stunning way. The wood is from an old barn on the same property and has been dried in a kiln to kill bugs before being converted into cabinets.

High Contrast Hardware

Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Lizzie Cullen Cox

Opt for soft handles and finishings, or choose bold ones made to standout. Rather than just the medium for opening and closing cabinets, hardware can be a decorative element all on its own.

Living Finishes

These days, designers are flocking towards living finishes for all their metal accents, including kitchen cabinet hardware. Unlacquered brass and polished nickel are standouts that look pretty and will last a long time.

Greige

Photo: Nancy Nolan

Not quite beige and not quite grey, greige is a paint color that's yet to do us wrong in the home. This warm color is a great foundation for a welcoming kitchen full of timeless neutrals.

Pop Of Color

Photo: Christopher Shane

If you're working with an all-white kitchen, liven it up by splashing vibrant paint on the cabinets. As the solo source of flashy color in the room, bright cabinets are sure to make a great impression.

Moody

Joseph De Leo

Light and airy is often the go-to ambience for kitchens across the South, but don't be tricked into the thinking it's the only option. A moodier kitchen with dark cabinets complemented by dynamic textures can be a cozy change of pace.

Decorative Flair

Sarah Stacey Design

Incorporate subtle style through details. These cabinets feature glass-front doors with criss-crossing panels on smaller, square cabinets way up top towards the ceiling.

High Gloss

Reagen Taylor

Sleek, shiny cabinets can be either retro or modern depending on how you go about them. To achieve this look, opt for a paint with a super glossy finish.

Stripped Paint

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The polar opposite from supremely clean, high-gloss cabinets is the equally alluring option of stripped paint. Here, light blue cabinets are intentionally distressed.

Warm Ivory

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Whit paint's creamy cousin, ivory, is a handsome choice for any kitchen. In this case, it adorns demure cabinets and complements bright bursts of color around the kitchen.

Corner Cabinets

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Leigh Anne Montgomery

Don't let a corner stop you from optimizing your cabinets' storage potential. Lazy Susans and other clever accessories can help make the most of these spaces.

The Trim Treatment

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Give your cabinets the same treatment as your trim. This means standardizing the color with foundational details like the wall trim and window pane.

Modern Edge

Jennifer Hughes Photo

Homeowners with a soft spot for modern design can take comfort in the fact that contemporary cabinet options abound, as well. For a modern look, try high contrast colors are sleek finishes with an industrial edge.

Try Bright

Jessica Klewicki Glynn

Neither neutral nor moody, these almost neon cabinets don't shy away from bold color. This tropical color is an exciting and bold addition to the kitchen.

Unexpected Silhouettes

Molly Culver

Unlike traditional shaker-style cabinets with a rectangular shape, these cabinets feature a rounded top. It's a simple design element that makes a big impact for the whole room.

Light Wood

Janet Mesic Mackie

"Cherry wood and dark stained wood cabinets are a thing of the past," says Smith. "People tend to gravitate towards colors that make their kitchen feel brighter."

Match The Hood

Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

Paint the hood of your oven the same hue as your cabinets to help it blend in. This coastal kitchen with a matching hood and cabinets is subtly beautiful.

Handle-Free

Courtesy Sherwin Williams

Can't decide on cabinet hardware? Skip it all together.

Embellishments

John McClain Design and Stephen Allen Photography

Upgrade your cabinets with built-in style like these embellished ones. If going the geometric route, choose details or shapes that complement other motifs in the room.

Island's Time To Shine

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Us Southerners love our kitchen islands. To really make it pop, concentrate your cabinet painting efforts on the island.

Sky-High

Photo: Hector Sanchez

"Not installing kitchen cabinets all the way to the ceiling [is a mistake]. My client recently asked if she should install her new kitchen cabinets to the ceiling or leave a gap between the upper cabinets and ceiling. A gap used to be standard while designing a kitchen, but ultimately you are sacrificing storage and there is nothing worse than inadequate storage in a kitchen," reveals Smith. "Not to mention it is also a dust collector!"

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Read the original article on Southern Living.
American Airlines passenger injures disabled army vet by refusing to put seat fully upright for landing (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A disabled army veteran says that he hurt his knee during an American Airlines flight due to a seat not being put fully in its upright position for landing.

Jeff Snyder, the 56-year-old veteran, told Insider that he was travelling from Omaha, Nebraska, to Tampa, Florida on 20 August.

During his connecting flight to Charlotte, North Carolina amid a bumpy landing, he injured his knee, he explained, as the passenger in front of him refused to move his seat into the upright position. This decision caused a metal post from the other passengers seat to slam directly into Mr Snyders right knee, which had previously been operated on.

The injury hurt like hell, Mr Synder, who said he already suffers from severe PTSD, said. But its not like not like I got shot.

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The 56-year-old described the reclined seat as an FAA safety violation. He also called the flight crew lacklustre and accused them of having a total lack of regard for any type of safety on the plane.

The biggest issue was not that I got hurt  its that nobody cared at all. They just blew me off, the veteran complained to Insider.

The Federal Aviation Administration regulations do in fact spell out that no certificate holder may take off or land an airplane unless each passenger seat back is in the upright position.

Mr Snyder recalled his interaction with the flight attendant after the landing. As he made his way off the plane, he says he notified a flight attendant about his knee injury; the crewmember allegedly responded, OK.

Thats it? a dissatisfied Mr Snyder snapped back. No, are you OK?

At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Mr Snyder said, he requested medical attention, prompting medics to give him a cold compress.

While his knee pain eased slightly, Mr Snyders frustration did not. He told the outlet that he spent the entirety of his four-hour layover trying to get American Airlines staffers to document the incident. But he didnt succeed in doing so, he said.

It was just so frustrating to be in an airport with guest relations people all over the place and not a single person gave  excuse the term  two s***s about what was going on, Mr Snyder recalled.

Eventually, a customer service representative gave him a corporate email address to reach American Airlines, the veteran said.

Days later, the airlines responded to his email  which was reviewed by Insider  writing: I sincerely regret to hear of the injury you sustained when travelling to Charlotte. The email added a flourish: I hope youre feeling better.

Mr Snyder didnt appreciate the reply. He reportedly replied to the email: So thats it? No taking responsibility? Nothing? The veteran also requested to speak with someone. The representative then gave Mr Snyder 7,500 bonus miles as a tangible apology for the situation, according to the email reply.

But for the veteran, bonus miles didnt do the trick. I want them to actually take responsibility for their actions, accountability, and actually speak to me, Mr Snyder explained, adding, Ultimately, I was hoping that they would at least comp my flight.

The Independent has reached out to the airline for comment.
We recently asked the anesthesiologists of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the wildest, scariest, or most bizarre moments they've had on the job. Here are the shocking results:

Note: Some responses were pulled from this Reddit thread by u/Kinten_Queller.

1. "As this woman was waking up and still pretty drugged, she told me that she murdered her husband. I called the police, but an investigation revealed that she had never even been married. I have no idea what that was, but as this was around 20 years ago and she was quite elderly at the time, I assume she is no longer with us."

57, Mexico

Sdi Productions / Getty Images

2. "Anesthesiologist here. While he was falling asleep, a patient told me to make sure his wife doesn't find out about his mistress."

u/gaspain

Getty Images / Tetra images RF

3. "There was a fire in my OR on the last case of my career! On the LAST scheduled case of my LAST day of work prior to my planned retirement, I had just anesthetized the patient for a dental reconstruction when there was a loud bang in the corner of the OR. In stunned amazement, we found ourselves looking at flames that were jumping 4 feet into the air as dark, acrid smoke filled the room."

"(The lithium battery pack in the dentist's portable X-ray machine had exploded.) Someone jumped into action with a fire extinguisher, and I quickly transported the patient to the recovery room and woke him up there. The hospital fire alarm system was triggered, and fire engines arrived in the parking lot. Nobody was harmed. I finished my 38-year career in anesthesiology with a BANG!"

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70, Alaska

Steven Puetzer / Getty Images

4. "I was an anesthesia resident working on the cardiac bypass service. My patient was on bypass. During that time, it was necessary to mix up the drugs you would need in your next case (nitroglycerin, phenylephrine, etc.). This was before it was done by the pharmacy. I was frantically trying to finish this task because they were about to take the patient off bypass. At that time, there was a tower of monitors and other electronic devices, including a printer that would cascade a wide sheet of paper onto the floor showing the vital signs, arterial tracing, ECG, etc., that had occurred during the case. At the bottom of this tower was the defibrillator. The surgeons had been given the sterile paddles, and they asked me to charge up the defibrillator. I pushed the paper to the side slightly and pushed the button to the defibrillator. A clear voice in my ear said, 'Check the setting!'"

"I mentally argued with it for a second, thinking, It is always on 60 joules. The voice was more insistent: 'CHECK THE SETTING!!!' I rolled my eyes and pushed the paper aside to show the setting. It was on 360 joules! The surgeons had the paddles in their hands when I told them not to use them. Their response was the same as mine: 'It is always on 60 joules!' I often think back to that day and what would have happened had the voice not warned me. The patient would have died, and I would have been devastated. I am certain that I would never have recovered. My budding career (which has now spanned 40 years) would have been destroyed. The voice has never spoken to me again. I can only think that this was the intervention of God or an angel. I am forever grateful and humble."

72, Georgia

Stigur Mar Karlsson / Heimsmyndir / Getty Images

5. "My husband is an anesthesiologist, and he tells me some of the wildest stories about when he's sedating patients. One story involved a man who had these peculiar scars on his face. When prompted, he said something to the effect of, 'Oh, you wouldnt believe me.' My husband decides to engage while placing the IV, and the man proceeds to tell him how he was abducted by UFOs as a child."

"He had quite a story  something about a car crash and being beamed onto the ship  but unfortunately, all of it was gibberish after the propofol was running."

35, Pennsylvania

Science Photo Library / Getty Images

6. "My other favorite story from my husband was this lady who was very, very made up for her surgery. Unclear why. We are talking lashes on, full makeup, etc. While she's waking up, she proceeds to declare her love for the surgeon and how she is madly obsessed with him. Unfortunately, my husband took off half of her lash extension when removing the tape from her eyes. He saved it and handed it back to her when she was fully conscious. She was not too happy about her postoperative look."

35, Pennsylvania

Praetorianphoto / Getty Images

7. "I woke up a patient at the end of their colonoscopy, and he slapped at his butt, saying, 'No, buddy.' When he came to, he said he thought his dog was licking him down there."

Anonymous, Minnesota

Me 3645 Studio / Getty Images

8. "I'm a veterinary anesthetist and I've had a couple of patients bark, but I think the worst patient was the one who was sedated for an X-ray and suddenly sat up and tried to bite my face off. He got more drugs!"

u/dashclone

Reza Estakhrian / Getty Images

9. "I'm not an anesthesiologist, but I'm a midwife. I had a patient who had a fully working epidural. Like, 'slept through labor' working. An anesthesiologist came in, gave her the usual top-up of drugs, and off we went. All checks showed, again, a full block from the epidural, so the obstetrician started cutting. The patient pipes up and says, 'Should I be feeling this?' Were all like, 'Oh, its normal to feel some pressure, but as long as it doesnt hurt, youre good.' The patient says, 'Oh, right. Well, this is agony.' Absolutely no outward signs, no screaming, nothing. She just really calmly stated this. The doctor stops operating, and we all stand there like, 'WTF.'"

"I have no idea if she just had a super-high pain threshold or what, but Ive never seen anything like it before or since. She ended up having a general for the section, and that worked fine."

Lottie1986

Fatcamera / Getty Images

10. "We had a man sit up while he was being transferred from the operating table and basically saying, 'F you all  Im going home.' He was trying to get up and walk out the OR, and then suddenly, it was as if a switch flipped, and he couldnt apologize more."

klmy

Nd3000 / Getty Images

11. "When I worked at a main trauma hospital, a patient who had been shot was in cardiac arrest for a few minutes on the operating table. I had the job of updating the family because it didn't look as if he was going to make it. Thankfully, he did live, and when he finally woke up, I was going to explain to him what had happened during surgery and what we had done, and he stated, 'I saw everything.' He was able to tell us details about the surgery  and even my conversation with his mother (while he was technically dead)  that there was NO WAY he could know."

"He detailed his mother's reaction, even though we weren't on the same floor as the OR and he hadn't talked to her yet. It was wild! But it definitely made me believe that we do have a soul or some sort of higher consciousness."

orlel

The Good Brigade / Getty Images

12. "I'm a veterinarian. One of my technicians wanted to watch me neuter her dog. In retrospect, it may not have been the right choice. But she was a newbie with an interest in the field, and I like encouraging it. Sedation, induction, intubation, and surgery all went perfectly. On recovery, once he was off anesthetic gas, he just stopped breathing entirely. His pulse started getting thready, and his tongue started turning blue. The new technician was standing there the whole time. Luckily, she didn't know enough to know the panic my surgical technician and I were going through."

"I reversed his sedation, and he immediately started breathing and his color came back. He was very slow to fully wake up and extubate. To this day, I'm not sure what went wrong, because all his vitals had been perfect until that moment. And I don't think she knows how close to dying her dog was while she stood there and watched."

32, Virginia

Herraez / Getty Images/iStockphoto

13. "Middle-aged man coming out of anesthesia for a hemorrhoidectomy said, 'Now that you've seen my a-hole, I think it's only fair that I see yours.'

u/choruruchan

Sturti / Getty Images

14. "When I was a resident, one of the anesthesia attendings would always say to the patient as he began sedation, 'Now I want you to count backward from 5,000.' Some would start and, as per usual, not get very far at all. However, one gentleman started, '5,000, 4,999, 4,998, 4,997, 4,996, 4,995...4,995...4,995..." He kept repeating and repeating the number. This anesthesia was only twilight, so after 15 minutes of '4,995' and eyes all over the OR begging for it to stop, the anesthesiologist said, 'Welllll, that's enough of that!'"

"Then you heard the patient snoring and, well, a collective sigh of relief from all present."

u/JRyda2016

Hispanolistic / Getty Images

And finally...

15. "My father was a neuroanesthesiologist at a trauma center in Chicago. He worked on a lot of the gang violence victims. He's heard and seen a lot of sad stuff from patients. Nothing he wanted to repeat."

"Also, he performed on the first open brain surgery done on a gorilla. Removed a brain tumor successfully, and the gorilla lived many years after. But there were concerns about it waking up during surgery."

u/Goofypoops

Solskin / Getty Images

Fellow anesthesiologists or other medical professionals, what's the wildest thing you've encountered on the job? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Ben Gravy is one lucky dude.

The self-proclaimed New Jersey novelty wave surfer has been scoring all sorts of places most people have never thought to surf. He's surfed Italy's cave of doom, storm waves in Belgium, Germany's longest wave, a hurricane swell in the Netherlands, and most recently, ginormous Italian bombs.

In his latest vlog, he's torn between saying "arrivederci" to Italy and chasing waves to New Jersey, or sticking around for more "gelato." Decisions, decisions...

Gravy captioned the video above:

"As I wrapped up my Italy trip I was getting calls & texts about how the swell of the year was on its way to New Jersey.

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"Even though I had the feeling I needed to pull the plug & come home early I'm very happy that I didn't. Experiencing Venice, Italy could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

"Surfing a 5ft @ 13 Second hurricane in New Jersey is, most likely going to happen a lot. However, the mind games were real, but I'm glad I made the decision that I did. Thanks for everything NUB NATION for the win!! - Ben"

Gravy and his wife, Jordan, have been venturing around Italy for quite some time.

In his latest vlog, Gravy decides not to chase Hurricane Franklin back to New Jersey (Gravy served up the spoiler alert in his caption above, FYI), so they take a surfboard to Venice via water taxi.

The adventures continue from there, and you'll have to press play above to watch the rest of the Gravy's European surf trip.

And for the die-hard East Coast surfers, fret not, because they mix in some of the hurricane swell back in Jersey.

The best of both worlds.

***

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MOGADISHU, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare has wrapped up his four-day visit to Somalia, pledging that the UN will ramp up its support for stabilization efforts in the country.

"I am happy that the institutions of the government of Somalia are preparing themselves to assume the security responsibilities which are their sovereign responsibilities," Khare said in a statement issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday evening.

He said the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) would do all in its power to ensure that the Somali security forces are able to take full control of security responsibilities as troops from the African Union (AU) Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) gradually withdraw.

Khare stressed that for a successful transition to be achieved -- as envisaged by the AU and the UN -- Somali security forces must take over full security responsibilities from the ATMIS with the help of the UNSOS.

Khare, who also visited Dhusamareb, the capital of Galmudug State, and met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other senior officials, discussed the ongoing military offensive against al-Shabab militants, ATMIS troop withdrawal, and UNSOS' support in post-ATMIS Somalia.

"I am confident that under the leadership of the president, Somalia will win the war against al-Shabab and other armed groups that try to disturb the peace and security and thereby compromise the economic prosperity and development of this country," Khare said.

He reiterated that the UNSOS would continue providing medical casualty evacuations for Somali security forces on the battlefield, adding that between Jan. 1 and the end of August, 739 casualty evacuations were conducted.

Somali Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalid Omar Ali thanked the UN for the logistical support offered in the ongoing transfer of security responsibilities. "We are growing up, and we hope the UN will help us to grow more and become self-sufficient," Ali said.

The ATMIS is expected to scale down its troop numbers this month by a further 3,000 personnel after successfully withdrawing 2,000 troops and handing over six military bases to Somali forces in June. 
It's fair to assume that you'll come in contact with germs whenever youre flying. But a recent series of events involving biohazards on commercial flights may leave you wondering what exactly is on or near your airplane seat.

A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Barcelona, Spain, was forced to go back to Atlanta late last week after a passenger had severe diarrhea. Delta Flight 194 on Sept. 1 from Atlanta to Barcelona returned to Atlanta following an onboard medical issue, Delta said in a statement to NBC News. Our teams worked as quickly and as safely as possible to get our customers to their final destinations. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans. (Delta did not respond to Yahoo Life's request for comment.)

Audio posted on LiveATC.net and shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) captured someone, reportedly the pilot, saying, This is a biohazard issue. Weve had a passenger who had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.

John Hurdt, who identified himself as a passenger on the plane, said on X that it was a mess, adding, The pilots made the right decision to turn around.

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This isn't the only biohazard situation on a commercial flight recently: Air France passenger Habib Battah told CNN in July that there was a pool of blood under his seat after a passenger on a previous flight had what was described as a hemorrhage. He was later told by Air France officials that there were feces in the mix too. Ive been covering Beirut for 20 years as a journalist. Ive lived through wars, airstrikes, seen assassinations, car bombs and narrowly survived the port explosion. I thought Id seen it all. I didnt expect to find more blood than Ive seen in Beirut on an Air France plane, Battah said.

Then there were the Air Canada passengers flying from Seattle to Montreal who said they found their seats covered in vomit, USA Today reports.

And those are just the recent incidents that made the news.

So what types of biohazards might you find on planes, how are they handled by airlines and what are the chances theyll make you sick? Heres what you need to know.

What are the most common biohazards you may see on a plane?

Experts say the biggest ones you may encounter include vomit, diarrhea, urine and blood, typically after a passenger becomes sick or has an injury. However, an airline industry insider (who wished to remain anonymous) tells Yahoo Life that these situations are extremely rare, and notes that the vast majority of flights have no issues.

How likely are they to make you sick?

It depends. Anytime one encounters a body fluid, there is a chance for pathogen transmission, infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life. That is why in health care settings, people wear appropriate personal protective equipment when the chance of contact with body fluids is high.

On airplanes, its unlikely passengers will be wearing gloves, and as a result, there is an infection risk, Adalja says. Pathogens that could be transmitted include diarrheal pathogens [such as] norovirus and, with blood, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, he says. If someone comes into contact with a body fluid without appropriate personal protective equipment, they should immediately wash that body part with soap and water.

But Adalja says people shouldnt panic over this: Unless a person had exposure through their mouth, their eyes, nose or through broken skin, this is really not a major threat.

How do airlines handle cleaning the plane in general?

Airlines use specialized cleaning crews between flights, and theyre ready to spring into action when needed, Hannah Walden, communications manager for Airlines for America, tells Yahoo Life. The health and safety of passengers is the top priority of U.S. airlines, and crews are trained to respond to a range of incidents, including in-flight medical emergencies, she says.

Biohazard and cleanup specialist Cory Chalmers, president and founder of Steri-Clean, tells Yahoo Life that planes are always cleaned between flights, but procedures have changed slightly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to COVID, the cleaning between flights was simple  remove trash, run a vacuum and that was about it, he says. Once COVID hit, the airline was forced to change their entire marketing strategy to almost solely focus on how they are cleaning their planes.

Many airlines now add hospital-grade air filtration, which exchanges the air on a plane every few minutes, not just between flights, and also apply disinfectant to all surfaces and use an antimicrobial spray, notes Chalmers.

Today some of this remains and some of it was phased out, but it honestly varies by airline, Chalmers says. I fly exclusively on Delta, so am a lot more familiar with their procedure, which includes removing trash, vacuuming, applying disinfectant through electrostatic guns on high-touch points  seat belts, armrests, tray tables, TV monitors, etc. (An electrostatic gun, Chalmers explains, is a battery-operated device that delivers a fine mist with a positive electric charge that makes the disinfectant want to bond with surfaces, versus just flying around in the air.)

Other than that, deep cleaning only occurs about every two to six months when the plane goes in for maintenance, Chalmers says. Then it gets a complete deep clean where the interior, exterior and even engines are deep-cleaned.

How do airlines clean in biohazard situations?

Delta did not respond to Yahoo Lifes request for comment on its cleaning procedures. However, the Daily Mail reports that the plane that turned back due to a passengers diarrhea underwent a five-hour cleanup that included replacing the carpet.

Chalmers says planes are usually cleaned as soon as they land on the ground if blood, bodily fluids or other potentially infectious materials are present. Depending on the size of the spill will dictate who cleans it, Chalmers says. Most airlines have cleaning crews trained to handle small biohazard spills. However, this is only when the plane is at one of their hubs. If the plane is at a smaller airport, they will either make the seats not available until they can get back to a hub, or have an emergency cleaning performed by an outside company trained to handle such biohazards.

In most situations, biohazard spills are small and able to be quickly cleaned and disinfected, according to Chalmers.

The majority of the time, the airline flight crew or ground staff can take care of this with little if any interruption to the flight schedule, he says. However, if the incident is a large spill or more complicated in nature due to access, it may not be a quick process. The flight could be delayed or canceled while they wait for professional cleaning companies to arrive or the plane is taken out of service.
Chrissy Teigen made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2010, when she was named Rookie of the Year. Right from that moment, there was no denying she would become a star. The model, entrepreneur, mom of four and culinary star was first photographed for the magazine by Walter Iooss Jr. in the Maldives. She returned to the pages of SI for seven consecutive years after that, traveling to tons of cool new places, including the Philippines, Seychelles, Indonesia, Chile and Zanzibar.

In 2014, the 37-year-old landed the coveted cover of the iconic 50th anniversary SI Swimsuit issue alongside Nina Agdal and Lily Aldridge following her photoshoot with James Macari in the Cook Islands.

I think just my confidence level changed a lot, but once you get there and you see [editor in chief] MJ [Day] rooting you on and this team of people just rooting you on, youre happy to do it, she told People in 2017 about posing for the publication postpartum after the birth of her first child. But I was for sure nervous, I still had my belly line, I mean, I had my stitches. I could get into a lot. You dont even want to know!

She explained in an interview with SI Swimsuit that stripping down in front of the magazines team is different than doing so anywhere else.

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Its not hard being naked in front of this group of people, because everyone is so, first of all, warm and welcoming about like a curvy body and a beautiful silhouette, so thats different, Teigen said. Everyones really reassuring of the female, feminine body here, so its really nice.

Below are six of our favorite photos from her SI Swimsuit debut.

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!
Editors Note: This article was updated with the final sale price and other details following the auctions conclusion

A baby grand piano that once belonged to Freddie Mercury sold for over 1.74 million ($2.2 million) at a Sothebys auction Wednesday.

Bought in 1975 and imported to England from Japan, the Yamaha G2 was used by the Queen frontman to compose his seminal track Bohemian Rhapsody that same year.

The instrument was among dozens of items to go under the hammer in the first of six auctions dedicated to the musicians private collection of some 1,400 possessions. Among the other top lots was a previously unseen early draft of Bohemian Rhapsody  complete with annotations suggesting that the song may have initially been titled Mongolian Rhapsody  that fetched 1.38 million ($1.74 million).

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The 59 lots sold at Wednesdays auction, which fetched a total of 12.2 million ($15.4 million), included stage costumes, jewelry and paintings from Mercurys extensive art collection. Other items ranged from the historic silver sequined catsuit worn on the News of the World tour in the late 1970s to everyday items owned by the artist, such as a collection of chopsticks and a Sony D-50 CD player.

Mercurys piano attracted the evenings biggest bid, despite falling short of pre-auction estimates. Sothebys had initially predicted that it would fetch between 2 million and 3 million ($2.5 million to $3.8 million).

Mercury used his Yamaha G2 to write "Bohemian Rhapsody." - Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

The trove of possessions has been put on sale by Mercurys close friend Mary Austin, who inherited most of his estate and looked after his former London home following his death in 1991.

In a Sothebys press release prior to the sale, Austin said that the piano was so cherished by Mercury that he saw it as an extension of himself and kept it in immaculate condition. He would never smoke at the piano or rest a glass on top of it, and would ensure nobody else did either, she is quoted as saying.

In addition to Bohemian Rhapsody, the instrument was used to write some of Queens best-known songs, including Dont Stop Me Now and Somebody to Love, according to Sothebys.

Mercurys hallowed piano was among around 1,200 other auction items  acquired from various periods of his life, from his early school days through to the height of his fame  that went on display in London ahead of the sale. Sothebys reported that over 140,000 visitors attended the month-long exhibition.

The remaining five auctions will take place in London and online through Tuesday.

CNNs Oscar Holland contributed to this report.

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From the time she arrived in Hollywood in 1925, Greta Garbo bounced around from one rented home to another. So the story goes, in 1937, around the time of the release of George Cukors costume drama Camille, the Swedish-born actress briefly took up residence in a brand-new Beverly Hills home with her freshly divorced friend (and rumored boyfriend) Leopold Stokowski, the snowy-haired British orchestra conductor who went on to marry designer jeans pioneering American socialite Gloria Vanderbilt , aka Anderson Coopers mom. By most accounts, Garbo had moved on to another rented house by the time Ninotchka came out in 1939.

Cleaved to a steep hillside in the coveted Crest Streets neighborhood, a low-key area with winding streets and no through traffic, Garbos former home has just been put back on the market with Markus Canter and Cristie St. James of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties for $10 million. The current asking price is a substantial reduction from the $12 million asked when the property first popped up for sale with another agent affiliated with another brokerage in early 2022.

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The dining area overlooks the step-down living room.

Though there are hints and whispers of the homes original Jazz Age moderne stylings, such as the camber of the front facade that echoes the sweeping curve of the street, the home bears few of its original details since an extensive transformation in the early 2000s by HGTV-featured interior designer Nicole Sassaman. The home last changed hands in 2006, for almost $7.5 million, when Sassaman sold up to its current owner, a Nevada-based corporate concern connected to Russian film producer and tech investor Arcadiy Golubovich.

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There are five (and easily six) bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus a powder room, dispersed among the almost 4,700-square-foot homes three stories. Configured to take advantage of the canyon-framed view of the downtown skyline, there are two fireplaces, one of them in one of the main-floor guest bedrooms, and a trio of balconies, one off the primary bedroom and another outside an ensuite office/bedroom tucked down a private staircase beneath the street-level two-car garage.

The top-floor primary bedroom spills out to a private terrace with epic views.

A petite, infinity-edge swimming pool and a large spa hug the back of the house with endless views over the city. In fact, its possible to open one of the sliding glass doors in the living room and step directly into the pool. Below the pool are a pair of grassy terraces, and below that, out of sight and shielded by great plumes of verdant foliage and retractable awnings, is an intimate alfresco lounge.

Fiercely private, Garbo retired in 1941, at 36 years old and at the peak of her fame, and after be-bopping about for a dozen years, she finally settled in New York City, where she bought a three-bedroom co-operative apartment at the Campanile building in the swanky Beekman Place neighborhood, where she lived until her death in 1990 at 84 years old. Still owned by her family, the elegant fifth-floor apartment was listed last year at $7.25 million, but with no takers, it was removed from the market later in the year.

Click here for more photos of Greta Garbos former home.

Greta Garbo House Beverly Hills

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Officials near Yellowstone National Park caught and euthanized a grizzly bear that is suspected of killing a hiker in Montana earlier this summer. On September 2, the bear and its cub broke into a house near West Yellowstone, a small town a mile from Yellowstone National Park.

According to a news release from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the bear and her cub came in through the kitchen window and swiped a container of dog food. The homeowner was present at the time of the break-in and called authorities, who arrived on the scene and trapped the bears. Local law enforcement shot and killed the bear "due to an immediate public safety threat from the bear's food-conditioned behavior."

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Using genetic analysis and "other identifiable characteristics," authorities determined that the 10-year-old female grizzly is the same bear that fatally mauled a hiker in Custer Gallatin National Forest on July 22.

"This bear was euthanized because it entered somebodys home, which is very unsafe behavior, very unnatural behavior for bears," Morgan Jacobsen, a spokesperson for Region 3 of Montana's wildlife department, told news station KBZK. The cub, a 46-pound male, is being held at a wildlife rehabilitation center while arrangements are made to transfer the animal to a zoo.

Officials made multiple attempts to locate and trap the bear following the fatal attack in July. The victim, 48-year-old Amie Adamson, of Derby, Kansas, was found dead on a trail eight miles west of West Yellowstone. The incident happened near homes, campgrounds, and popular trails.

In 2020, the same bear injured a person near Henrys Lake State Park in Idaho.

The Yellowstone ecosystem's grizzly bear population increased from 136 in 1975 to 1,063 in 2021, according to the National Park Service.

"Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year," state wildlife officials said in the release.

To avoid conflicts with bears, the agency advises people to properly secure food and garbage, avoid animal carcasses, and stay at least 100 yards away from bears.

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It was actually the experience of getting tested for HIV over two decades ago that first led Pedro Coronado to his career in community health work.



Well actually, it really all started when I went to go get an HIV test. I think I was 19 years old, after a breakup, Coronado recalls. A friend of mine referred me [to a local clinic] and hes like, Oh, theres a place in downtown Brownsville, you can get tested there and you can get condoms. But when I went to go get tested, they had a sign that they were hiring for a youth advocate, to work with youth and try to get them to get tested and all of that good stuff.

So I got tested  and this was 20 years ago, when they had to draw your blood, send it outyou had to wait two weeks, he says. When I came back two weeks later, they were still hiring. I got my results; it came up that I didnt have HIV. And then I said, Hey, this is pretty cool what you all do. Are you all still hiring for that position? I applied again and I kept bugging them for three months until they hired me. I was persistent.

Pedro Coronado speaks at the 2023 National Latinx Conference on HIV, HCV, & SUD in Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Ironically, Coronado says that the first person he ever gave positive HIV test results to was the same friend that he went to get tested with previously at the clinic. He says this personal connection only fueled his passion further for working in HIV prevention and care.

Weeks later he ended up at the hospital diagnosed with AIDS, that was stage 3 HIV, and then I think thats what reallyjust at that moment, I was like, This is where I need to be at, he recalls. I need to make sure that my community gets tested, my friends, everybody that I care for. Even those that I dont care for, they need to get tested anyway, know about their status. And starting within that position, just doing different things in this organization have alwaysdriven me to do more because Im never going to be done here until we find a cure.

In the 20 years since his hiring, Coronado has worked his way up at Valley AIDS Council, a health care network that provides HIV prevention, education, and testing as well as medical care and supportive services for people living with HIV. VAC primarily serves the Rio Grande Valley area near to the U.S./Mexico border, located at the southernmost tip of Texas. This is also where Coronado was born and raised.

Coronado (far left) listens to Demetre Daskalakis, the director of the U.S. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (center), during a panel discussion at this year's conference in New Orleans.

After his initial position at VAC as a youth outreach worker, Coronado moved on to work with people living with HIV. He created support groups, a peer mentor program, and managed the food pantry program. In 2012 Coronado and a colleague started a Linkage to Care program, which expanded to a Retention to Care program, and eventually added case management and Ryan White eligibility. Today he is the vice president of access and continuity of care and the South Central AETC manager at VAC.

Coronado is also part of a multidisciplinary team that launched the annual National Latinx Conference on HIV, HCV & SUD, which focuses on the best practices for those working in health care within the Latinx community. He currently serves as the conferences director and says he and his fellow organizers have really tried to infuse a lot of fun and positivity into the event  because after all, sex and sexual health should go hand in hand, shouldnt they?

This time around, for some reason it just felt like we got this jolt of energy from everybody, Coronado says of 2023s conference, which took place in May in New Orleans. So we did quite a few different things this time around, also being in New Orleans. We did a parade down Jackson Square all the way to Bourbon Street. We incorporated a lot more art, [gave it] an artsy feel. We did an Unplugged session, like MTV Unplugged, with one of our hep C providers in one of the general sessions. We literally had a band that would play music, and it was music relating to harm reduction, and then the clinician would jump in and talk about how they would relate that to hep C work. It was really, really interesting.

Some participants having fun during La Marcha del Amor (the March of Love), which was part of this year's conference in New Orleans.

Coronado says they continued to use unconventional, outside-the-box tactics throughout the conference, which proved to be a bit hit with attendees.

We closed it off with a kink and fetish talk at the very end, he says. We talk about Latinx communities [and] that kink and fetish are not just for white people or heterosexual people. We wanted to make sure that anybody who serves Latino communities, that they also understand that. Hey, we also live in this world of kink and fetish, and it should be celebrated. And we need to understand so we can better serve our communities.

Coronados own adventuring into the fetish world has helped him see the unique opportunity this connection provides. It certainly is a fun and fresh way to start conversations around sex, health, and HIV rather than overwhelming, or worse yet, boring people with the often colder, clinical approach many similar conferences have utilized in years past.

Ive been trying to connect a lot of what I do in my own personal life with the work that I do, because this is it, right? he says. My life is everything about what I do here at work. So recently, Ive been involved in the leather competitions. I competed for a local title, then I got the title of Mr. RGV [Rio Grande Valley] Leather. My thing with that is to be able to promote sexual health awareness and normalize that, hey, people have their kinks and fetishes and whatever, and we want to make sure people feel comfortable talking about it and talking to their health care provider about it. So in a lot of the messaging of any events that Im at, its always like, Hey, if youre not on PrEP, get on PrEP, and I can get you connected. Or, Hey, if youre a person with HIV, remember U=U [undetectable equals untransmittable].

Organizers and participants of the 2023 National Conference on HIV, HCV, & SUD take a quick moment to pose for a pic.

Coronado also explains why the conference specifically combines the issues of HIV, HCV (hepatitis C virus), and SUD (substance use disorder).

The first thing that came to mind when we put this conference together is addressing three chronic conditions  and one of them has a cure, hep C  but these conditions, for the most part, all carry stigma, he says. So the whole goal of the conference has always been to be able to provide any health care provider with additional tools or knowledge on how to better serve the Latinx community. One size does not fit all, even for our community, having so many different Latin American countries and people that represent those countries here in the U.S.
Funds will be used to improve access to healthy drinking water in Indian Country. (Photo/IHS)

More than 36,000 American Indian and Alaska Native households will benefit from $702.6 million in funding announced by the Indian Health Service (IHS) on Thursday.

The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It will provide critical infrastructure for essential sanitation facilities throughout Indian Country, according to the IHS press release. Included in the improved services will be robust drinking water sources, reliable sewage systems, and effective solid waste disposal facilities.

The projects funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are critical towards making substantial improvements in clean water and sanitation systems in our tribal communities, IHS Director Roselyn Tso (Dine) said. The IHS will continue to leverage the use of multiple strategies and available authorities to ensure timely and efficient distribution of this historic funding.

The improved sanitation facilities have the potential to reduce inpatient and outpatient visits related to respiratory, skin and soft tissue, and gastroenteric disease. The IHS estimates each dollar invested in water and sewer infrastructure could yield savings of $1.18 in avoided direct health care costs for these diseases.

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Thursdays announcement is the 2023 allocation of $3.5 billion that is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated to the IHS between 2022 and 2026.

These allocations align with recommendations from tribal leaders, prioritizing projects that have progressed through planning phases and can seamlessly transition into the design and construction stages. The commitment to securing adequate funding for planning and design activities remains paramount.

The IHS launched an interactive website in April to furnish insights into projects funded through theBipartisan Infrastructure Law. The new platform will be consistently updated with information, encompassing project funding amounts, tribes served, homes impacted, and project statuses.

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
Steins Gate Darlings Embrace band scene

A Japanese man has been sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 1 million yen (approximately $6700) for sharing and monetizing gameplay videos, and for posting spoilers about popular anime. The man, named as Shinobu Yoshida in the case, apparently uploaded and monetized a number of videos with content from games and anime, in violation of Japanese law.

The report comes courtesy of The Verge, which translated an article from Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, and says Yoshida was arrested in May for content that was posted in 2019. Yoshida reportedly uploaded videos of Steins;Gate: My Darlings Embrace, a visual novel that was originally released on Xbox 360 in 2011, and subsequently ported to Nintendo Switch and PS4 in 2019.

Hes also said to have posted videos summarizing the plot of episodes of popular anime like Spy x Family, and more Steins;Gate, though its unclear if he posted clips of these episodes or just discussed them. Japanese anti-piracy group Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) said that Yoshida [maliciously posted] videos containing content and endings without permission from the rights holders.

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The prosecution in the case also reportedly claimed that Yoshidas malicious actions disincentivized viewers from purchasing the content by uploading videos of it and condensing the plot so others wouldnt have to watch or play it to experience it. The prosecution reportedly said that the actions trample on the effort of content production, which seems a bit far.

The main issue seems to be that Yoshida monetized the content, and less that he posted it in the first place. This is apparently the first conviction of its kind in Japan, but its generally believed that Japans copyright laws are very restrictive, and harsh penalties can apply for those who run afoul of them, as seen in this case.
MUNICH, Germany, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 70 Chinese carmakers and suppliers, including BYD and Xpeng, showcased their products and services at the ongoing 2023 International Motor Show (IAA), one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs, and attracted interests from visitors and other exhibitors.

"Everybody here at the IAA is excited to have so many Chinese brands here," said Peter Fintl, vice president of technology and innovation at Capgemini Engineering.

He told Xinhua that the professionalism of Chinese brands impressed visitors a lot, just as the way these companies build their brands and products.

This year, around 41 percent of exhibitors at the show are from Asia.

BYD, China's leading new-energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, is unveiling a full range of electric passenger cars to consumers in Munich.

"We are delighted to bring six of our latest NEV models to IAA, giving customers greater choices for eMobility," said Michael Shu, managing director of BYD Europe.

Another Chinese EV maker, Leapmotor, made its debut at the auto show, showcasing its latest models.

"In the next two years, Leapmotor will introduce five globally-oriented products ... offering intelligent mobility experiences to automotive consumers worldwide," said Leapmotor CEO Zhu Jiangming.

This year at the IAA Mobility, China's EV battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) presented a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery named "Shenxing". This allows for "superfast charging capable of delivering 400 kilometers of driving range with a 10-minute charge."

This new technology aims to provide lower-cost vehicle batteries, and make fast-charging technologies more affordable to consumers, CATL cell design engineer Gao Pengfei said.

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius said that it's "an absolutely natural development" for Chinese brands to try their luck in international markets as they are established in the domestic market.

In the past few years, China's automotive industry has been strongly innovative and competitive, and this is driving the rapid development of the automotive industry, Kaellenius said.

China's auto industry is "further ahead in the electric transition and becoming increasingly innovative," Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.

Almost 750 exhibitors from 38 countries and regions are present at this year's IAA, which runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 10 in the southern German city of Munich. 
Check your fridge for these items.

Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a recall of more than 15,000 pounds of smoked sausage produced by the Hillshire Brands Company. The smoked meat products are being pulled from shelves because they may be contaminated by extraneous materials, specifically bone fragments.

The recalled meat-and-poultry smoked sausages are labeled Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage Made with Pork, Turkey, Beef and were sold in 14-ounce packages. The potentially affected products have the lot codes in the form of the establishment number, line number, and time of production, which read "EST. 756A 20 19:00:00 through 21:59:59 and EST. 756A 21 19:00:00 through 21:59:59. The packages also have the use-by date Nov 11 23 printed on the front label.

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FSIS was notified of the potential contamination by Hillshire Farm, and the company said that it had also received consumer complaints about bone fragments in the sausage. As of this writing, there has been one oral injury related to eating the affected sausages, but there have been no illnesses or hospitalizations related to eating the recalled products.

Related: These Are the 10 Foods Most Likely to Be Recalled

According to FSIS, the recalled Smoked Sausages were sold in supermarkets and other retailers in seven states: California, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. (And, as always, this recall is specific to this one product with the establishment number, line number, and use-by date listed above. Any other Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage products are not included in the recall and are safe to consume.)

Anyone who has purchased one of the recalled sausages is encouraged to either discard it or return it to the point of purchase for a refund. Any Hillshire Farms customers who have questions related to the recall can contact the company at 1-855-382-3101.

This is the FSISs second meat-related recall within the past few days. Last week, it announced the recall of 245,000 pounds of Conagra Brands frozen chicken strips, as the affected products may contain pieces of plastic. The recalled chicken strips were sold in 8.9-ounce cartons labeled Banquet Chicken Strips Meal, and have Best If Used By Dates of December 11, 2024, January 01, 2025, or January 07, 2025. The lot numbers printed on the sides of the cartons are 5009317120, 5009319220, or 5009319820.

The recalled chicken strips meals were distributed to retailers throughout the United States and available to purchase online. Anyone who bought one of the potentially affected packages has been advised to throw it away or return it to the retailer where it was purchased. Banquet customers who have questions about the recall can reach out to Conagra Brands by calling (800) 921-7404 or emailing consumer.care@conagra.com.

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In our exclusive interview, the 'Songs for Littles' YouTube star talks about how much this means to her.

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We all know how awesome Ms. Rachel is. But seeing her walk into a room full of toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents takes it to a whole other level. The "Songs For Littles" creator and star was in New York City on September 8, 2023 for a huge announcementMs. Rachel (aka Rachel Griffin Accurso) is now the latest ambassador to join the non-profit Save the Children.

Her YouTube channel "Songs For Littles" has more than six million subscribers. She's touched so many lives by helping little ones with speech development, teaching preschool skills, and entertaining children along the way. But with her new title, Accurso will be able to help even more children around the world.

Sari Hitchins Ms. Rachel performs during an event with Save the Children in New York

Working with Save the Children

The mission of Save the Children is just as it soundsto save children's lives. The focus is on health, education, protection, poverty, advocacy, and emergency response. Save the Children works to help give children the safe and healthy start in life that they deserve and respond when children are in crisis and are at their most vulnerable. One example of this is the work they do during natural disasters.

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Ambassadors help to advance Save the Children's mission. They are often artists, celebrities, and influencers who advocate for children in various ways. Ms. Rachel joins a list of names including Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Enrique Iglesias, and Camila Cabellojust to name a few.

In an exclusive interview with Parents, Accurso says she's honored to join this roster of amazing ambassadors. "I've always been passionate about advocating for children's rights and being an ambassador is a wonderful opportunity to do that in partnership with an organization with a record of success, directly serving children around the world," she says.

At the announcement event in New York, the President and CEO of Save the Children Janti Soeripto told Parents it was Accurso's passion for early childhood education that made her a natural to be the organization's next ambassador.

"It's fantastic to have somebody who's so passionate about kids, who deeply understands the importance of early education which of course we care so deeply about in the United States but also the world," Soeripto says.

Soeripto also recognizes the organization's need to adapt to the ever-changing, modern landscape. "Save the Childrenwe've been around for over 100 years, but I think for us to continue to be relevant and to be reaching the right audiences through different channels with different kinds of celebrities and ambassadors like Ms. Rachel is incredibly important for us," she explains.

Sari Hitchins

Focus on Early Childhood Education

Accurso's focus as a Save the Children ambassador will be on her passionearly childhood education. "Making sure that all children have access to early learning is so important to me and that's exactly why I started the show. I wanted to help deliver skills and techniques for early learning to anyone who could watch online," Accurso says.

In October 2021, about 63 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in school overall. The enrollment rate was higher for 5-year-olds than for 3- to 4-year-olds (86 vs. 50 percent). For both age groups, enrollment rates were lower than they had been in October 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic. A closer examination of the changes in enrollment rates over time shows the following:

"Ninety percent of their brain development happens by age five and getting them early childhood education is proven to help them have success their whole life," explains Accurso. "I just think it's so important that no matter where you live, no matter how much money you have, you have that access."







"I just think it's so important that no matter where you live, no matter how much money you have, you have that access [to early education]."

Rachel Accurso







Accurso has already been involved in programs through Save the Children. She's promoted a campaign called Make Summer Fair, which helps get books to kids living in rural communities over the summer as well as help provide meals. Now that she's an Ambassador, Accurso is looking to get more involved in some of Save the Children's core programs. One is called KinderBoost which is a two-week program over the summer that helps kids get ready for kindergarten.

Another year-round program is Save the Children's Early Steps to School Success. "It helps parents with being their kid's first teacher and initiating learning and development activities, which is something we also are so passionate about with our show," Accurso says. "We try to help parents and kids simultaneously by teaching them different techniques and ideas for play."

The Early Steps to School Success program focuses on providing "high-quality early childhood development services to children ages 0-5 and their families in 14 states."

These are all programs Soeripto says she hopes Accurso will be able to take part in. "I would certainly be interested to have her look at some of our early education work that we're doing particularly in rural America," she explains. "It'll be really interesting to get Ms. Rachel's take on the content we're providing there and [use] her ability to reach kids even if it's hard to do so in person. So I think there's a host of opportunities we can be looking at with her."

Accurso's involvement with Save the Children won't stop at the U.S. border either. "Her reach is global," adds Soeripto. "Our work that we do globally is actually quite similar to what we do in the United States around early education in particular."

It's definitely something Accurso is open to. "Children deserve to have these rights met and it's so important that all children in the world have the fundamental right to education. And I want to be involved as much as I can," she says.

Ms. Rachel's Impact on Children

When you talk to Accurso, you immediately get the sense of just how invested she is in bettering the lives of children. I asked her if when she started "Songs for Littles" whether she ever thought she'd be where she is today. You could just feel her emotion come through her words.

"No, no. And it brings me to tears," she describes. "I was praying the other night. I was thanking God for letting me be Ms. Rachel. I just started crying because I was so happy. I'm still in shock."







"I was praying the other night. I was thanking God for letting me be Ms. Rachel."

Rachel Accurso







She told me a story about an email she received from a pediatrician. It was about a child in the hospital without a family. But, the doctor said in the email, that the child was making such great progress due to Ms. Rachel's videos. The pediatrician ended by thanking her for being there for the child.

"I was like, we're not even there really, but I can't believe that the videos are helping this little guy. And I have those emails saved to my desktop," Accurso says. She says getting emails like those is what keeps her pushing forward with her work.

Her profound impact on children will make Accurso an amazing advocate for Save the Children. After the big announcement, Accurso performed for a roomful of eagerly awaiting children and their parents along with her husband Aron on keyboard and Simon Kafka on guitar.

Sari Hitchins Ms. Rachel gives a thumbs up to a toddler during an event in New York

The kids were singing and dancing, their faces lit with pure joy, mesmerized by Ms. Rachel. The children sang classic songs and their Ms. Rachel favorites, including "Icky Sticky Bubble Gum." During the meet-and-greet portion, a toddler who couldn't have been older than 18 months ran up to Ms. Rachel and gave her the biggest hug.



"I'm really passionate about just every child or I just want every child to have the things they need to thrive. Like healthy foods, a place to live, an opportunity to learn, and a safe community," Accurso reiterates. "I'm so excited to join an organization that's helping so many little ones, and I'm so excited to see what we can do. These opportunities are why I want to be Ms. Rachel."

The opportunities seem endless for Ms. Rachel and her mission to educate the youngest minds. She's already collaborated with Blippi for crossover episodes. And we're hearing about some more exciting collaborations in her future. As they say, stay tuned.



Related: Here's What Black Parents Need in a Preschool, According to a Mom and Early Childhood Education Expert

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No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This isnt a render from an upcoming instalment of the Gran Turismo franchise, its actually a full scale model (or concept car, to you and me) of Polestars Synergy Design concept  an electric car with serious curves..

A brief sent out to various designers across the globe at the end of last year centred around the experience of performance, providing an advanced technical story that enables this in a sustainable way. Despite the slight ambiguity, the entries flooded in.

The Polestar Synergy is actually a winning combination of three designs, two exterior offerings from Devashish Deshmukh and Swapnil Desai - both Parisian pensmiths, while the interior design was offered up by China-based Yingxiang Li. He created a cabin with a performance-orientated seating position that offers a new experience focused on floating comfort and control.

Drink it in. The awesome concept sits at just 1.07 metres tall and 4.56 metres long, boasting all of the proportions of a highly futuristic electric supercar, while simultaneously riffing on Polestars in-house design language.

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Polestar Synergy Design Concept

Inside, there is a single seat and cockpit that revolves entirely around the driver, with a paper-thin digital head-up display and malleable digital screens festooning the doors cards and centre of the yoke-style steering wheel.

Although merely a design concept for now, the proportions and packaging are surprisingly on-point, with enough room in that svelte body to house powerful electric motors and the latest battery technology.

Maximillian Missoni, Polestars Head of Design, said: Its not often student designers receive such exposure at the start of their career, something the Polestar Design Community on Instagram does so well, amplified this year by the 1:1 scale model and its planned tour of Polestar locations around the world.

The decision to produce a full-scale model was clearly made to tantalise fans of fast cars, but it was also designed to announce Polestars partnership with Mattels Hot Wheels brand, with the EV makers vehicles being immortalised as Hot Wheels and Matchbox collectibles in the future.

As a result, the scale model will make its way to the US and begin its tour as a feature model at the Hot Wheels Legends Tour in El Segundo, California this October.

It will join a whole host of other real life, full-sized Hot Wheels cars that have captured Mattels attention to the point they have been immortalised in tiny toy car form.
Prabal Gurung has partnered with Hanky Panky for a limited-edition capsule collection of intimates this fall.

The collection consists of over 30 pieces, including underwired bras, bralettes, thongs, teddys, bodysuits, dresses and a limited-edition silk and lace blazer, among other pieces. Sizes go from XS to XL, with under-wired bras ranging from 32A to 36DD.

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A look from the Hanky Panky and Prabal Gurung collaboration.

Inspired by the rhododendron, the collection is made of luxurious fabrics, and includes high-end details, featuring Hanky Pankys U.S.-made lace.

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Beginning Sept. 27, the collection will be available on hankypanky.com, in its two Hanky Panky stores on Bleecker Street in New York and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and in select retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Anthropologie, ShopBop and Revolve, starting in October. It will also be featured on Gurungs web site, but linked to Hanky Pankys website for fulfillment.

Hanky Panky will introduce a digital and social movement called Behind the Petals, shining a light on the craftsmanship and behind the scenes making of the collection and encouraging the wearer to share their personal stories with the hashtag #behindthepetals.

A style from the Hanky Panky and Prabal Gurung collaboration.

Asked how Hanky Panky and Gurung got together, Brenda Berger, chief executive officer of Hanky Panky, said she and her team have followed the designers career and that he has stood out for his commitment to craftsmanship, advocacy for women, and his inclusivity. A mutual connection brought them together, and they subsequently discussed their values, intentions and what they care about.

The collaboration is starting as one season, with a look to the future, said Berger. Previous Hanky Panky collaborations have been done with designers/brands such as Monique Lhuillier, Stony Clover and Cynthia Rowley, all for one season. This one we see a lot of potential, especially with the inclusivity and the audience we can reach and were excited to see where it goes, said Berger.

Gurung said he has always wanted to design an intimates collection. I always say I want to be part of this womans life, one dress or one clothing item at a time, step by step. My history in the fashion industry working with Cynthia Rowley, Donna Karan and Bill Blass, and especially with Donna and Bill Blass, Ive seen the lingerie market and the intimates market, it has such a massive reach. Ive been wanting to do it, and I want to build my brand, said Gurung.

For me what really gave me comfort, is people who work with Brenda, knew her, and her team spoke really highly of her. When we had the first meeting what was really amazing for me was it was all women. You can talk about womens empowerment and inclusivity, and 90 percent of the time its all talk. To see it in action and consistently what theyve been doing, it gave me a level of comfort. I wanted what we put out there to come through a female gaze, rather than a male-driven gaze, said Gurung.

Asked if hes considered setting up an intimates division at his own company, Gurung said, Of course.

He said when he was growing up in Nepal, women may not have had access to ready-to-wear, but they had access to the lingerie or the lipstick. I still remember my first foray into fashion was the Chanel lipstick my mom had, or the YSL lipstick that she had. Or the lingerie that she had. We would talk about all this stuff. I was so fascinated. Ive always wanted to have this. You want to expand your narrative and your story-telling. Nowadays, intimate apparel is no longer a hidden thing. Now I see how my nieces, who are going to college, wear lingerie inside out, said Gurung.

Discussing the advantages of teaming with an expert, the designer said, Whenever I do a launch or venture into something, I want to learn as much as I can. Hanky Pankys expertise and knowledge was really important to me.Collaborations are an easy and first way of testing out is this for you? I told all my girlfriends and they wear Hanky Panky and are excited to see it.

For the collection, Gurung said he was inspired by the rhododendron, which is typically found in the mountains in Nepal and he found it while trekking. He wanted to tell the story of this flower that has inspired him and had a lot of memories for him. We took the colors, the textures, the patterns and mainly the shape of it, and the cut and the embroidery. It started off with that.

Berger called Gurungs designs both feminine and powerful, comfortable and sexy, and inclusive and glamorous. She pointed to a Hexagon moment which stands out in the collection. It is clasps that are edgy and feminine on bra straps and bodysuits.

The collection starts at $32, which is 20 percent higher than Hanky Pankys core product, and goes up to $600. We pushed the envelope and the retailers were excited, she said.

Berger recalled that Gurung was particularly excited by a garter included with a panty, which is one of the most expensive pieces on the line. We would not have put that out under Hanky Panky alone. It really requires a collaboration with Prabal, said Berger. She said there are also some beautiful silk dresses.

Some of the pieces will be shown on the runway Friday evening during Gurungs fashion show on Roosevelt Island.

The collection is mainly manufactured in New York City, with some of the more intricate pieces being produced in Colombia.

Berger declined to disclose sales expectations for the collection since theyre still selling it. Theres certainly a strong initial response. Some of our really important specialty store businesses tend to wait a little closer to the date. We certainly produced to what we thought our expectations would be, and were excited to see what happens, said Berger.

Marketing will include leveraging Gurungs fashion show, editor and intimate events, and events at department store accounts such as Bloomingdales, along with social media.

Berger said generally their designer collaborations have done very well. Its certainly important to our partners. We have quite an extensive omni-channel business. For this collaboration, we have a great collaboration with our Japanese distributor and theres going to be a nice push for this collaboration there.

She said the collaborations bring freshness to the customers expectation. As Prabal said, push it, and we pushed it. I think that the customer always shows up and well be delighting Prabals customers as well, said Berger.

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Samsung's massive investments in its foundry business seem to be finally paying off. The company's contract chipmaking unit is gaining market share and increasing revenue, according to data from TrendForce. Furthermore, the company is on track to start mass production of chips on its 4 nanometer-class process technology in the U.S. by the end of 2024, ahead of TSMC's Fab 21 in Arizona.

Samsung Foundry is optimistic about its position in the semiconductor market and is gearing up to challenge TSMC more aggressively than before, said Kyung Kye-hyun, co-CEO of Samsung, at a special lecture at Seoul National University, reports the Korea Herald. The company's upcoming fab near Taylor, Texas, will be the company's first leading-edge production facility in the U.S. in years and Samsung pins a lot of hopes on it as it will enable it to address numerous clients in the U.S. and challenge both Intel Foundry Services and TSMC.

If everything goes as planned, Samsung's new fab capable of producing chips on the company's 4nm-class process technologies (SF4E, SF4, SF4P, SF4X, and SF4A) will start high volume production by the end of 2024. While this will hardly have an immediate effect on the foundry market, Samsung will be able to say that it has beaten TSMC with the U.S. 4-nm push.

Samsung Foundry will still be behind Intel Foundry Services, which is set to initiate making of chips on its 20A (2nm-class) node in 2024 and 18A (1.8nm-class) node in 2024  2025, but it will still be ahead of its largest rival.

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Samsung Foundry's market share on the market of contract chipmaking surged to 11.7% in Q2 2023, up from 9.9% in Q1, while revenue reached $3.234 billion, up from $2.757 billion in Q1. While TSMC maintained its dominant position, its market share declined to 56.4% on $15.656 billion revenue, according to data from TrendForce.

TrendForce
A panel of more than 20 industry veterans, editors, designers and stylists named Drexel Universitys Carla Pierini the winner of the 16th annual Supima Design Competition Thursday.

The competition tasked Pierini and finalists chosen by other top design schools with creating eveningwear capsule collections entirely from Supimas American-grown cotton. The students presented their final designs Thursday at a live runway show at The Prince George Ballroom as part of New York Fashion Week.

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Pierini, a Venezuelan immigrant herself, said she drew inspiration from her experience visiting a refugee camp last year. Her collection ultimately looks to tell the story of the ongoing refugee crisis, of rebuilding oneself and starting over.

I wanted to tell this story, but it wasnt only about me, Pierini said during her acceptance speech. Its about my people. Im just representing people working for what they want in life.

In addition to Pierini, graduating seniors from seven other schools participated in the event: Amber Kuia from Academy of Art University, Alexander Ziemba from L.A.s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Hee Jin Hwang from Fashion Institute of Technology, Wendy Wang from Kent State University, Tianze Wu from The New Schools Parsons School of Design, Sahara Clemons from Rhode Island School of Design and Mariana Espinosa of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Each designer was assigned a faculty mentor in May and provided material from Supimas fabric partners, including Albini, Colorich, Metro Dyeing LLC, Olah Inc, Olimpias, Rainbow, Tintex and KAIHARA Denim. Supima tasked participants with creating five looks from five types of fabric: twill, shirting, jersey, denim and velveteen. CFDA Award-winning eveningwear designer Bibhu Mohapatra mentored this years finalistshis ninth time doing sooffering insight, support and counsel throughout the program.

Former Moschino creative director and Making the Cut judge Jeremy Scott, the host of this years fashion show, said the competition is a great space for up-and-coming talent to find mentorship and gain exposure.

I think theres a lot of potential, Scott told Sourcing Journal. I mean you have a room full of professionals who are able to talk about it, get their names out there.

Each collection was evaluated by a panel of more than 20 judges, including Scott and Mohapatra. Designs were evaluated on originality, execution and ability to showcase Supima. As the winner, Pierini will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Scott had a chance to meet each of the finalists one-on-one Wednesday and learn about the intricacies and passion behind each cotton-rich collection.

It was so sweet to hear all their different stories, the passion behind what they were doing, what they were trying to say, Scott said. Each one has a story that was very heartfelt.

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Earlier this summer, Field & Stream reported on two separate river otter attacks in the Golden State, including one in mid-July at Serene Lake near Lake Tahoe. At around noon on September 3rd, the otters at Serene Lake struck again.

Matt Leffers, a 69-year-old general contractor from San Francisco, was staying at a lakeside family cabin for summer vacation when the incident occurred. Leffers had heard about the July attack, but he's training for a Triathlon and decided to brave the waters of Serene Lake anyway, he said.

Normally I would swim around the lake, but I knew where she got bit, so I didnt go over to that side of it, Leffers tells Field & Stream. I was swimming back to the cabin, and I felt something tug hard on my right calf.

Leffers initially thought his wife had swum out and was trying to surprise himbut when he looked back, nobody was there. Soon, he spotted two otters. Im like, Oh, shit, he recalls. They bit me at least ten times and would not let me escape. I got bit on every single limb.

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Leffers had heard that in the case of an attack from a marine mammal its best to make yourself look uninteresting. So he tried to ignore the otters and float on his back. Then they bit my ass, says Leffers. It really hurt. They had me trapped. They were so fast. I could only see them when they popped their heads out of the water near me. I started screaming for help, but there was nobody on the lake.

Then, out of the blue, my wife came in on a paddle board, he adds. Shed heard his shouts from the cabin. I had never been more relieved in my life because Id thought I was a goner. I thought I was done.

Leffers managed to scramble up onto the paddle board, and his wife Kristie paddled back to shore. Leffers was treated for his wounds at the Tahoe Forest Hospital ER by Dr. Martin Rosengreenthe same doctor who treated several other otter attack victims in the area earlier this summer.

Rosengreen irrigated Lefferss puncture wounds, gave him 8 stitches for a deep cut on his arm, and administered the first of a series of rabies shots. I seem to be healing up pretty quick, except when I roll over it hurts, because the bites are pretty deep, he says.

Read Next: Grizzly Bear That Killed Hiker Earlier This Year Euthanized After Breaking into West Yellowstone Home

Leffers reported the attack to the California Department of Parks and Wildlife but has not heard if the agency will take action. River otter attacks are unusual but they do occur. The small, semiaquatic mammals are known to become aggressive when they feel cornered, territorial, or when protecting their young. Earlier this year, three women were attacked by aggressive otters while tubing on a popular river in Montana , one of whom had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.

It was like escaping a life-or-death situation. I cant tell you how traumatic it was. It was a nightmare, says Leffers. I love to swim and have a big triathlon coming up in October. I cant wait to get back in the water, but I am not getting back into Serene Lake this year.
This tiny Kentucky town is home to both the birthplace of KFC and the magnificent Cumberland Falls.

Courtesy of Corbin

If youve ever had the pleasure of eating at a Kentucky Fried Chicken, then youve experienced just a little bit of the magic of Corbin, Kentucky. The town in southeast Kentucky is not only the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken, but its also home to Cumberland Falls, a breathtaking 125-foot-wide waterfall thats often called the Niagara of the South. Corbins two main claims to fame are reason enough to visit, but when you add in everything else this Southern Kentucky charmer has to offer, you may be kicking yourself for not making the trip sooner.

As the middle point between Knoxville and Lexington, Corbin has long been thought of a road trip pitstop, but its high time for the town to shed that identity and step into the spotlight. The tiny town of fewer than 8,000 people is part of the Kentucky Wildlands, a 14,000-square-mile region spanning eastern and southern Kentucky that includes the Daniel Boone National Forest and has one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. When youre not adventuring in Corbins ancient forests, misty mountains, and sparkling cliffsor chowing down on fried chickenthe town has plenty of other surprises in store. Keep reading for all our recommendations on spending a weekend in Corbin.

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The Best Things To Do In Corbin, Kentucky

The first thing to do in Corbin is spend ample time exploring Cumberland Falls State Resort Park located deep in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The main attraction here is of course Cumberland Falls, which measures 68 feet tall, 125 feet wide, and is the second largest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. Its also the largest waterfall (as measured by water volume) in the Eastern United States outside of Niagara Falls. If youre lucky, you might catch the cascades rare moonbow, a lunar rainbow created by the light of the full moon rather than sunlight. Moonbows are caused by the refraction of light in water droplets, so they only arise near waterfalls. In addition to Hawaii and California, Corbin is one of the only places in the U.S. to host this stunning natural phenomenon.



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Other activities to consider in Cumberland Falls State Resort Park include hiking several trails, fishing in the Cumberland River, mining for gemstones and fossils, and horseback riding through the forest. For just $25 per person, you can spend 45 minutes traversing a guided trail atop a beautiful mare. If youre looking for a rush, sign up for a guided whitewater rafting trip on the Cumberland River, a 10-mile-long course with plenty of great views and Class 3 rapids. If youre still seeking more time on the water, head to Laurel River Lake, where youll find 206 miles of beautiful tree-lined shoreline and endless opportunities to fish, boat, and participate in water sports.

Courtesy of Shewoltee Adventure Resort

Make your way out of the woods or the water and onto Main Street. In this revitalized section of downtown Corbin, youll find everything from antique stores to locally-owned boutiques and restaurants. Take your time strolling the old-fashioned streets; just be sure to make time to stop at 101 Depot Street, an outdoor railroad museum where you can see the last steam engine built in South Louisville in 1922, as well as an original L&N caboose.



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The Best Places To Eat In Corbin, Kentucky

Your first meal in Corbin should be at Sanders Cafe and Museum, where can see the original KFC location as it appeared when it opened in the 1940s. Colonel Harland David Sanders started selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in North Corbin during the Great Depression. Over the next 75-plus years, his secret recipe would go on to spawn more than 20,000 KFC locations worldwide. At the original cafe and museum, you can not only get your fill of the legendary fried chicken, but you can also see replicas of an original KFC dining room, as well as Colonel Sanderss office and the kitchen where he developed the recipe. The rest of the museum is filled with displays of authentic KFC memorabilia.

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For a finer dining experience, head to The Wrigley, an Appalachian eatery and taproom helmed by chef and owner Kristin M. Smith. The farm-to-table restaurant specializes in Appalachian cuisine served alongside an impressive menu of craft beer, plus 60 bourbons and a creative cocktail menu. At this casual but elevated eatery, you can order everything from a New York strip covered in miso butter to the Baloney Holler, a stacked-high sandwich featuring house-smoked fried baloney, American cheese, potato chips, lettuce, and honey mustard on toasted Texas toast.



If youre in search of something sweet, head to Sweeties Ice Cream and Mini Donuts on Main Street. The old-fashioned scoop shop is a Wonka-esque wonderland for those with a sweet tooth. In addition to super-premium ice cream flavors served in waffle cones, on ice cream sundaes, and in floats, the dessert shop is also famous for outrageous milkshakes and hot, fresh-to-order mini donuts. Donuts come by the half or whole dozen and can be topped with anything from cinnamon and sugar to peanut butter or maple glaze. Get the full Corbin experience by ordering the Moonbow Fantasy milkshake, a vanilla milkshake with Fruity Pebble additions that pays homage to the towns famously colorful spectacle.



Courtesy of Sheltowee Adventure Resort

The Best Places To Stay In Corbin, Kentucky

During your stay in Corbin, dont settle for a traditional hotel roomthough there are Best Western, Baymonts, and Hampton Inns, galore. Instead, book a night or two at the one-of-a-kind Sheltowee Adventure Resort, an outdoor-focused resort located just five miles from Cumberland State Resort Park. Shelowee offers lodging options that range from cabins and campsites to covered wagons. Each Old West-style covered wagon is outfitted with electricity, AC/heat, a microwave and mini fridge, and beds to sleep up to six people.



For another rustic but cozy stay, consider the historic DuPont Lodge located in Cumberland State Resort Park. The expansive stone lodge is exactly what youd imagine. Solid hemlock beams, knotty pine paneling, and warm leather furniture surrounding wood-burning fireplaces create exactly the type of atmosphere you dream of for an outdoor escape. The lodge features 51 rooms, a full-service restaurant, and a sprawling observation deck that overlooks the Cumberland River.



Related: 8 Charming Small Towns Near Louisville, Kentucky

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Bison are the largest land mammals in North America, but it's not often that you see one challenging the continent's top apex predator. That's what happened earlier this year when a bison chased a grizzly bear up a steep hillside in a popular wildlife viewing area in Yellowstone National Park. The encounter was filmed and posted to Youtube by Pete Speer on May 30. See it for yourself below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0LFlKeAmeg

The two-minute-long video was shot in the Lamar Valley, which sits near the eastern edge of the 2.2 million-acre park. It starts out with the bison galloping at a steady clip toward a grizzly that's grazing in a field of grass and sage brush. The bear keeps on going about its business until the charging bison gets so close that it can no longer be ignored.

Related: Watch Two Yellowstone Bison Rescue a Newborn Calf from Attacking Wolves

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For a second, the bison stops running and just walks toward the bear. Then, when the bear takes off up the hill, the bison picks up speed again and resumes its chase. "What's gonna happen here," someone asks from behind the camera. "Oh my gosh, the bear can go up probably...better than the bison."

The bear quickly leaves the lumbering bison in its dust. Within a matter of seconds, there's well over 100 yards between the two animals, and the video cuts out. It's unclear what sparked the altercation, but it appears that the bison was completely unprovoked in its audacious challenge of the big grizzly.

Read Next: Watch a Young Grizzly Bear Take Down a Bison After a Protracted Battle

While it's somewhat shocking to see an ungulate running off a large carnivore like a grizzly bear, it might be more common than you think. "Ive seen multiple cases where small groups of bison have been able to run bears off," Yellowstone National Park bear management biologist Kerry Gunther told F&S contributor Steven Hill in a 2022 interview . "Often youll see big bulls lying in a meadow, and they might not even get up if a grizzly walks by, theyre so confident in their ability [to protect themselves].
This photo taken on Sept. 8, 2023 shows a view of the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

XIAMEN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) opened Friday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Various research reports on investment will also be released during the event.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization.

More than 1,000 organizations and enterprises from all over the world participated in the exhibitions.

With several international organizations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization present at the fair, this year has seen an increase in both the number and level of participation compared to previous editions.

Brazil, Serbia and Qatar are the guest countries of honor at this year's fair.

First launched in 1997, the CIFIT has become an important platform to boost bilateral investment and facilitate global development. 

A new energy vehicle is on display during the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 8, 2023.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Guests pose for a group photo at the Thai Pavilion during the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 8, 2023.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

This photo taken on Sept. 8, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) and International Investment Forum 2023 in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Guests visit the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 8, 2023.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

An unmanned helicopter is on display during the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 8, 2023.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

This photo taken on Sept. 8, 2023 shows the Signing Ceremony of Fujian Key Investment Projects during the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province.

The 23rd CIFIT opened here on Friday to boost investment and bolster global economic recovery.

The four-day event, themed "Open and Integrated: Key to High-Quality Development," kicked off with an opening ceremony, and will encompass a range of activities including forums, seminars, exhibitions, and business matching sessions.

Covering around 120,000 square meters, the event has a distinct focus on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon development, as well as rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
It was supposed to be a quick trip to pick up her kid from summer camp.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International, was buckled up and ready for takeoff from Chicago to Portland, Maine, with her husband, David. The plane was full and hot - too hot, perhaps, for the passenger sitting next to them. As they taxied down the runway, there was an unsuccessful scramble for a barf bag, followed by a clasping of the hands over the mouth, and then disaster.

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"The vomit sprayed directly all over my husband . . . over everything . . . everywhere," Nelson said.

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Nelson's misfortune did not make headlines. Neither did the stomach-turning recent experiences shared by a dozen travelers, such as coming across feces spread on lavatory walls to airplane seats covered with fresh chewing gum and puppy poop. There was the traveler stuck sitting next to a passenger in first class who soiled themselves on a flight from Minneapolis to D.C.

Then there are the incidents that do make the news, like the deeply unfortunate Delta flight that had to make a U-turn over the weekend due to a passenger suffering from "diarrhea all the way through the airplane." Or the travelers who were removed from their Air Canada flight after refusing to sit in vomit-soaked seats on Aug. 26.

The rapid-fire dose of gross has us reeling with questions. Namely: what, dear god, is happening? And should we be worried? Are airlines capable of keeping planes clean? Are we doomed for disgusting flights?



The past, present and future of gross

Unlike the recent Delta flight, Nelson's flight stayed the course. The sick passenger was asked to find a change of clothes in her carry-on bag while the rest of the cabin managed their secondhand queasiness. "Sympathy vomiting" can be a real issue, Nelson says. She recalls an all-nighter from San Francisco to Boston she took before the pandemic on which a passenger vomited 30 minutes before landing, causing a "chain reaction" among roughly 50 people and a "waterfall of puke going into the aisle," she said.

Nelson tells the horrifying story to illuminate her point: The recent spate of bodily disasters on planes isn't new. Gross stuff happens all the time on planes. Scott Keyes, founder of Going.com, brings up a famous example from 1975 when 197 people got food poisoning onboard a Japan Airlines flight from Alaska to Copenhagen that sent 144 people to the hospital.

Delta Air Lines spokesperson Morgan Durrant said in an email that "the vast majority of air travel is safe, uneventful and even, on Delta anyway, enjoyable." In his 19 years in the aviation industry, the recent Atlanta flight was the first he'd heard of something of its kind happening.

But even though it's not new or impacting the majority of flights, Nelson does believe we're seeing more cases of gross. She credits the uptick to more people flying, as travel volume this summer exceeded 2019 levels.

Nelson also believes the pandemic kept more sick people at home, and that sick people may be more inclined to travel these days.

It doesn't help that airlines have struggled with cleanliness with labor shortages and pandemic-cleaning procedures dropping. "Planes are not getting any kind of deep clean in the day unless there is a specific action to pull the plane out of service - and we frankly rarely see that."

United, American, Southwest and Frontier did not respond to requests for details on their cleaning protocols. Allegiant Airlines said in a statement to The Washington Post that aircraft surfaces are cleaned on a daily basis, including seat belts, tray tables, galleys and lavatories.



What do airlines owe passengers?

Keyes says if you were to get a broken seat, airlines are required to move you, but if your seat is dirty, the rules aren't as clear.

"I don't know of any law or item in the airline's contract of carriage that requires reseating due to disgusting-but-not-unsafe-per-se conditions," Keyes said in an email. "In fact, social media is rife with pictures of planes that have been inadequately cleaned, including vomit residue and other unwelcome sights from a previous flight."

While there may not be a legal requirement for airlines to move you, if there's a seat available "airlines will almost always reseat you away from the soiled area," Keyes said. "And if the mess is so widespread that it's unavoidable for some passengers - and especially if it's illness-inducing - then the pilot may consider it a safety issue and choose to divert."

When the flight is full, as was the case with the vomit-covered seat on Air Canada, flight attendants may not have a place to move you. It's airline discretion what happens next, Keyes says. Most airlines may put passengers on the next flight, but he's not aware of a legal or contractual right to cleanliness the way there is with safety protections.

"In some ways this is an unfortunate side effect of airlines' focus on on-time departures - cutting corners on cleaning," he said.

After the flight, ask for some token of compensation in-person or via the airline's customer service email. Keyes says what you'll get is within the airline's discretion, but more often than not you can expect some flight credit or frequent flier miles. Nelson recommends the same, and also adds that travelers can ask flight attendants to "alert the ground" of the situation so that by the time you land, staff will be there to assist you with the situation on-site.

Air Canada didn't respond to questions from The Post on whether it refunded two passengers who were kicked off a flight after refusing to sit in soiled seats.



Should travelers be worried about their health?

In case of biohazards, flight attendants have protocols to follow from OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There should be biohazard gear on planes to deal with contamination to keep passengers and flight attendants safe.

Kari Debbink, an associate scientist and virologist with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said the risk of contracting a serious illness such as Ebola or HIV from a passenger's bodily fluids is low. However, travelers exposed to infected particles could come down with norovirus, a gastrointestinal disease often associated with cruise ships.

Even if the airline thoroughly sanitizes the site of the incident, norovirus could still be a threat. The highly contagious disease can travel a distance and linger on surfaces for days, infecting unsuspecting passengers.

"If someone does a good job of cleaning up, it could still be on a surface around you. You could touch it, eat a sandwich and not even realize that you were in contact with it," she said.

Debbink said if you become infected, you'll experience symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain within 24 to 48 hours. The virus typically lasts for a day or two.

Household bleach will kill the virus; however, the Transportation Security Administration bans liquid bleach in checked and carry-on luggage. Debbink said passengers can wipe down surfaces with an alcohol-based sanitizer, but warns that pathogens are finicky. "They may work against some pathogens, but they may not work against all of them," she said.

To protect yourself, she recommends wearing a mask and washing your hands and any objects that might have been exposed to the bodily fluids.

Overall, Debbink said passengers do not have to worry too much about falling ill from another passenger's vomit, diarrhea or blood - unless they have a strong gag reflex.

"There's really not that much of an actual disease transmission concern," she said, "but it's gross."

Stacey Rose, associate professor of infectious diseases and internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said particles from profuse vomiting or diarrhea can spread far and wide.

"Particles tend to land places and then you end up touching those surfaces, getting contaminated, and then touching your own mouth or eyes or nose or mucous membranes."

She said a passenger could pick up an infection from a simple act such as pulling out a stick of gum to unpop their ears.

Blood-borne diseases are less of a threat than germs transmitted the fecal-oral route. "A blood-borne pathogen would be unlikely to transmit if it was something where you sat down and saw blood on the seat or on the tray table. Usually blood-borne pathogens are not going to survive for long periods of time on a surface. So as long as someone is wiping it down with alcohol-based or bleach-based cleaning products, I don't see that as posing a huge risk," she said.



How travelers can protect themselves

For a better chance at getting a clean seat (or getting a flight that's not full, so there are more seats open in case of emergency), Jen Moyse, VP of product for the travel app TripIt, recommends booking early-morning flights, "though even overnight cleaning may not be helpful for vomit," she said in an email.

On the personal responsibility front, Rose reminds passengers to avoid flying if they are feeling unwell. The repercussions could ripple through the entire plane. These recent viral incidents are "a reminder that we have to be mindful of the potential for us to introduce potentially contagious microorganisms into our environment," she said.

Nelson adds that travelers should avoid eating anything risky ahead of flying, to use the restroom before boarding and keep your shoes on throughout your trip, both because it's gross for other passengers and you run the risk of picking up fungus, germs and bacteria that can cause infections or warts.

"Nobody wants to see or smell your feet on a plane," she said. "But first and foremost, we're concerned about your safety."

Lastly, if you are feeling queasy on your travel day, locate a barf bag as soon as you take your seat. While they're supposed to be in every seat-back pocket, sometimes they're missing, or tucked away tighter than you want in an emergency. Don't wait until it's too late to find out.

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Fifteen alleged members of a multi-million-dollar drug trafficking organization tied to Kansas City have been indicted on federal criminal charges, prosecutors said Friday.

A grand jury called in the Western District of Missouri returned a 63-count indictment with charges of methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution along with gun crimes, including the illegal possession of machine guns.

The group is accused of committing the offenses over the past 16 months and profiting from a drug network valued at nearly $8 million.

The fifteen charged in the alleged conspiracy are Jermel McCray, 28; Jermon McCray, 28; Devion Miles, 21; Armeer Asad, 33; Kyrie H. Fields, 28; Adonijah Moody, 23; Gary Young, 31; Zamewick McCray, 30; Dollahead Finney, 21; Dawn Keating, 52; Makenna Glynn, 23; Clayton Hammons, 21; Brandon Kline, 25; and Chase McNichols, 25.

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Several of those charged were already in federal or state custody when the indictment was unsealed Thursday, following the arrest and initial court appearance of one defendant.

Among them was Jermel McCray, of Kansas City, who was arrested and charged in January under a criminal complaint following an attempted traffic stop and police chase in Independence. He allegedly carried a modified Glock handgun with a converter switch that makes the gun fully automatic.

The federal case was investigated by several area local law enforcement agencies alongside the FBI, DEA and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A brown wooden gavel is struck against a hardwood sound block atop a table by a hand jutting out of a black robe. Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General is suing a Langhorne-based dental clinic alleging predatory lending that targeted elderly patients and swindled them out of more than $500,000.

The lawsuit alleges Infinity Dental Management knowingly used Medicare as a prop in the scheme to defraud countless patients.

"This business lured older Pennsylvanians into their office with free dinner events, lied to them about whether their insurance would cover their care, and then enticed them to take out loans without notifying them of the specific terms and conditions, Attorney General Michelle Henry said in statement. "Patients who needed care suddenly found themselves saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt they could not afford."

Infinity Dental Management allegedly used network of lies in scheming the elderly

The attorney general alleges Infinity Dental Management managing member Arpan Nalin Patel and employee Cheryl Snyder preyed on elderly patients who needed dental procedures by promising that Medicare would reimburse them funds.

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Infinity Dental Management also operates as Alpha Dental Services. The attorney general alleges that Patel also operates Infinity Dental Staffing, which is named in the suit as well.

The lawsuit alleges defendants would promise Medicare coverage, only to come back to the client after the procedure was complete to inform them that Medicare denied their claim and they would have to pay for the dental work either out of pocket or through a loan.

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Patel and Snyder, the government alleges, assisted patients by preparing and submitting patients financing applications, and charged patients an extra 5% fee above the standard cash price on the total cost of services for financing assistance.

The lawsuit lists Snyder as a treatment coordinator who was instrumental in the scheme, noting that Snyder had "authored, approved, endorsed, formulated, ratified, directed, controlled, or participated" in the plot.

From Jan. 1, 2015, until Aug. 9, 2022, Patel and Snyder collected an estimated $509,774.37 in extra financing fees, attached to services billed by defendants to patients in excess of $10 million total.

"Defendants have also misled patients about the cost of services. In at least one instance, defendants misrepresented the cost of dentures, and convinced a patient to take out financing to pay for the total cost of the services," read a portion of the lawsuit. "Midway through the treatment, however, defendants presented the patient with an additional bill they now said would have to be paid in order to complete services."

Infinity Dental Management charged with two counts, AG looking for more victims

Alpha Dental Management, Patel and Snyder are charged with one count of violating the unfair trade practices and consumer protection law.

They have also been charged with one count of violating the credit services act.

In seeking redress, the attorney general stopped short of calling for Patel's license. Instead, the lawsuit urges that Alpha Dental Management, Patel and Snyder be bared from offering any future financial services related to dental procedures; that restitution is paid to Alpha Dental Management's affected clients; and that a civil penalty is enforced that will cause each to pay up to $1,000 for each violation, which will increase to $3,000 for each violation involving a victim age 60 or older.

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Henry is requesting that any client of Alpha Dental Management to contact the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office at www.attorneygeneral.gov, call 1-877-888-4877, or email healthcare@attorneygeneral.gov.

"This lawsuit seeks to recover hundreds of thousands in ill-gotten gains as well as impose civil penalties to the full extent of the law," Henry said. "We are also asking anyone else who fell victim to this scheme to contact our office."

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Infinity Dental Management sued in alleged $10M Medicare scam
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report)  A roadside ambush has left four police officers dead and two others with gunshot wounds in a town in Guerrero between the state capital of Chilpancingo and the tourist resort of Acapulco.

Image: City of Escudero, Mexico

The city of Escudero identified the deceased as Police Chief Juan Carlos Vitrago and officers Joel Galindo Suastegui, Jesus Alejo Sanchez and Gustavo Molotla Ramos. They were shot around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday while riding a vehicle in the Vista Alegre neighborhood in a suburb of Escudero called Tierra Colorada, the Guerrero Attorney Generals Office said.

The AGs Office said state police, the Mexican army and National Guard were patrolling the area near Federal Highway 95 and looking for suspects. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the ambush.

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Soldiers and state officers also are looking for five young men and a woman who went missing a few days ago in the Pacific resort of Acapulco.

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The missing include Daniel Moy Abarca Garcia, an LGBT rights activist, and five others who were last known to be attending a meeting at a drug rehab clinic in Acapulco, Mexican media reported. The reports identify all of the missing as members of the LGBT community.

Relatives of the missing young men and women meet with state police investigators in Acapulco, Mexico. (courtesy Guerrero Attorney Generals Office)

On Tuesday, relatives of the missing took to the streets of the city with signs and banners demanding their relatives be returned dead or alive.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

The Guerrero AGs Office later met with the families to brief them about the ongoing investigation.

The U.S. State Department on Aug. 22 urged Americans not to travel to the state of Guerrero due to crime.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
BALTIMORE  Immigrants rights activists rallied outside of Baltimore City Hall Thursday morning, calling on President Joe Biden to extend temporary protected status for people who fled their home nations to escape political persecution and destruction caused by natural disasters.

Baltimore is a welcoming city, said Baltimore City Councilwoman Odette Ramos , a Democrat representing District 14. We made that official many years ago to say that we want, we need, we have to have immigrant community in our city and we welcome everyone.

Ramos and Catalina Rodriguez-Lima of the Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs joined advocates from CASA of Maryland and immigrants and their families to ask Biden to extend temporary protected status to people fleeing Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Cameroon and Nepal, and to grant the status to Guatemala.

Temporary protected status is a designation granted by the Department of Homeland Security to immigrants from countries that are not safe to return to due to civil war or natural disasters. Once a person has been given temporary protected status, they are not able to be removed from the United States by their country of origin, are able to work once they obtain employment authorization documentation and are ineligible to be detained by the Department of Homeland Security based on their immigration status.

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Ramos said Thursday that she intends to introduce a resolution later this month calling on Biden to extend temporary protection status for people from Central America, Nepal, Cameroon and others that need that status.

We as a council think that this is very important, and Im honored to be able to introduce this resolution calling on the president to do the right thing, she said.

There are currently 16 countries whose citizens have been granted temporary protected status by the Department of Homeland Security.

Cameroonians will lose their temporary protected status in December. El Salvador will lose its protected status in Spring 2025. Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua will lose theirs that summer. Guatemala does not have temporary protected status.

Please dont allow us to get deported to our deaths, said Denis Taponju, who fled Cameroon to come to the United States after he was arrested and accused of treason for advocating for the rights of English-speaking Cameroonians.

Taponju said was detained for days and was almost killed by the Cameroonian military.

[Temporary Protected Status] for Cameroon comes as a savior for thousands of Cameroonians, and to me and my family, in particular, he said.

Olga Urbina left Nicaragua with her husband and three children because a group of people called the colonos were killing people in her area and taking their land. She said her family lives in fear of being deported, returning to Nicaragua and being killed.

My family and I had to leave behind our lives, our home and my father there alone to save ourselves, Urbina said through a translator. In my country, there is no freedom.
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is deploying more National Guard troops to the border to help fight the opioid crisis.

According to the governors office, anywhere from 40 to 60 additional soldiers will be sent to the four U.S. ports of entry along the California-Mexico border to support the interdiction of illicit drugs, especially fentanyl.

Newsom believes U.S. Customs and Border Protections narcotic search operations require further support in light of nearly a six-fold increase in the amount of seized fentanyl in California last year.

The troops will operate vehicle X-ray systems used for detecting the transportation and concealment of narcotics and will not be involved with the interdiction or processing of migrants.

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Last year, according to the governors office, CalGuards efforts helped law enforcement seize 28,765 lbs of fentanyl in California, an amount with an estimated street value of more than $230 million.

The seizures represented a 594 percent increase since California troops were sent to the border five years ago.

As of July 1, CalGuard helped seize over 11,760 lbs of fentanyl so far this year.

Lawmakers want $4 billion for border security, migrant processing

A majority of fentanyl is smuggled into the U.S. at ports of entry by U.S. citizens, not by migrants seeking asylum, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Fentanyl is a deadly poison ripping families and communities apart, said Newsom. California is cracking down and today were going further by deploying more CalGuard service members to combat this crisis and keep our communities safe.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

California National Guardsmen were first sent to the border by then-Gov. Gerry Brown in 2018.

Their deployment is being funded through a $30 million investment proposed by Newsom and enacted in the state budget to expand the departments existing drug interdiction efforts.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com.
A California bill that aims to protect workers from violence within their workplace has cleared a major hurdle and is headed toward a full state Assembly vote.

Senate Bill 553 would require all employers statewide to establish, implement and maintain a workplace violence prevention plan that employees will have a hand developing.

The measure was introduced by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose).

The bill defines workplace violence as any act of violence or threat of violence that occurs in a place of employment, which includes but is not limited to threat or use of physical force against an employee and incident involving a threat or use of a firearm or other dangerous weapon.

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Democratic lawmakers in the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance the measure with amendments. Some employers exempt from the bill include businesses with less than 10 workers and remote employees working from a location that their employers do not control, according to the bills text.

Similar protections have been in place for health care workers since 2007.

The California Chamber of Commerce, which lobbied for changes to the measure, withdrew its opposition due to the recent amendments.

A study from Californias Department on Industrial Relations found that 57 people died from workplace violence, and nationally, an average of 1.3 million nonfatal violent crimes in the workplace occurred annually from 2015 to 2019.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com.
SOUTH BEND  The St. Joseph County Council will vote Sept. 12 on a resolution asking Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner to take one of many steps toward breaking off and creating a separate South Bend school district  ultimately to save Clay High School.

The resolution, originally introduced by council member Amy Drake, who represents a district that includes Clay, encourages Jenner to conduct a study. The study would look into the creation of a new school corporation  apart from the South Bend Community School Corp.  to serve the unincorporated parts of St. Joseph County.

The resolution also states that the state secretary of education can reorganize and divide a school district if its needed to improve educational opportunities, citing Indiana Code 20- 23-4-38(b).

Aug. 9, 2023: Save Clay group seeks county council's help to ask for new school district, accountability

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Clay is due to close at the end of this school year, a decision that the South Bend school board made with a 4-3 vote in April.

Robert Smith, a board member of the group Save Clay, emphasizes that the resolution only calls for a study, not for the county councils endorsement of a separate district. On June 15, the resolution states, Save Clay had asked Jenner to do the study. The council's action would support that request.

He said its just trying to investigate all of the possible angles.

But, as much as its just a request, it would mark these county officials first formal step into advocating in South Bend school issues. Drake and fellow Republican Carl Baxmeyer, president of the county commissioners, have been meeting with the Save Clay group since their campaigns for election last fall. Both are sympathetic to Save Clays concerns about the loss of a school and their questions about how the district has been handling its efforts to rightsize the district.

Now, fellow Republicans on the council are listed as co-sponsors for the resolution, including Joe Thomas, Dan Schaetzle and Randall Figg.

And this isnt the very first foray into seeking a separate district. As The Tribune reported in June 2022, a small group of Clay High alumni, led by Josh Gobel and Patrick Malloy, were consulting with leaders in the only other Indiana school district to successfully make such a split: southern Indiana's former West Clark Community Schools. But, unlike South Bend, that was an amicable split with interest on both sides.

June 8, 2023: Could Clay Township become its own school district? Heres what it would take for a split.

The reality, as the story pointed out, is that the effort for Clay would likely be a long, uphill battle, possible only after seeking multiple layers of local, state and federal support.

South Bend school board President John Anella told The Tribune recently that he didn't think creating a new school district is "in the best interest" of Clay Township and its existing schools. He said it isnt "sustainable" to keep Clay High open while hundreds of student seats are open, especially if it means pouring millions into building upgrades. He noted that more kids in the Clay district go to Adams High School than to Clay.

South Bend Community School Corp. Board President John Anella

And Anella pointed to Swanson Traditional School as a National Blue Ribbon School and Darden Elementary and Clay International Academy as "thriving schools in the township.

After the boards April vote to close Clay, Gobel and Malloy stepped away from the district-splitting effort because Gobel was focused on his career and Malloy was in Indianapolis. Smith said that Save Clay is now leading that effort.

The group would seek a separate, independent district to encompass Clay High, Clay International Academy, Swanson and Darden.

Superintendent Todd Cummings from the South Bend Community School Corp.

Drake said one original part of the resolution has been deleted: It would have asked South Bend schools Superintendent Todd Cummings to meet with the council and answer its questions about plans for school closings and the districts overall stability. Cummings and Anella did that promptly at the councils Aug. 22 meeting.

Aug. 23, 2023: St. Joseph County Council hears from South Bend superintendent about closing Clay

South Bends rightsizing has included closing or repurposing seven other schools since 2018 and moving to close its downtown administration center. As of this spring, it had lost more than 1,700 students in 17 years, causing a $12 million drop in its budget. Although Clay would close, district officials said theyd also fulfill public requests to create a career center and expand pre-kindergarten programs.

Cummings has said the massive facilities plan began with 92 community meetings and 17 surveys to be sure were not spending money on empty seats.

In 2020, voters approved a $220 million dollar bond referendum, raising taxes to generate money for building upgrades, teacher raises and new literacy specialists, among other things.

Meanwhile, there are filings in federal court that allege that Clays closure could violate the federal court-ordered consent decree governing racial balance in South Bend schools. They were filed by the law firm of local attorney Pete Agostino, a Save Clay member. The school district has filed counter-claims. Oral arguments will be heard in federal court on Sept. 26.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 in the downtown County-City Building.

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County Council to vote on study Save Clay school district
A federal court Tuesday vowed to draw a new Alabama congressional map including a second Black-majority district after the Republican-dominated state refused to obey its previous order to rectify its violation of the Voting Rights Act.

Accusing the state of deeply troubling defiance, the three-judge panel ruled a special master will draw a map in time for the 2024 election with two Black districts instead of just one.

The law requires the creation of an additional district that affords Black Alabamians, like everyone else, a fair and reasonable opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, the judges wrote. (Alabama) plainly fails to do so.

The scathing 198-page ruling slaps down Alabama for effectively ignoring its previous order, which was upheld by the conservative dominated U.S. Supreme Court.

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The panel, which includes two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump, will now draw its own map to replace the states map that Republicans conceded included only one Black district.

Alabama is expected to appeal the new ruling to the Supreme Court, arguing it should not be forced to consider race in drawing districts. But its considered a long shot since the top court ruled against it once already.

Alabama has just one Black lawmaker for its seven congressional seats despite Black Alabamians making up 28% of the population.

The court ruled that set-up violates the federal Voting Rights Act and ordered the state to add a second Black-majority district. The state instead merely tweaked one district to slightly increase the number of Black voters, but left it far short of a majority.

With time running short before the 2024 election, the court wont give the state another bite at the apple.

Voting experts say it will be a simple task to draw a new map with two Black districts that would comply with the Voting Rights Act.

The aggressive ruling could help Democrats flip a handful of seats in other Deep South states that have used the same strategy of cramming Black and minority voters into as few congressional districts as possible.

Lawsuits have challenged congressional maps in states including Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, where the GOP used a similar tactic to limit the power of the fast-growing Latino community.
Harrison Floyd, one of President Donald Trump s 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case, was charged in May for assaulting an FBI agent who came to serve him a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, DC.

Floyd threatened two FBI agents who served him the subpoena at his apartment in Rockville, Maryland on February 23 by running after them and striking one agent chest to chest, an affidavit states.

Floyd, a leader of the organization Black Voices for Trump, is charged with simple assault on a federal officer.

CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment.

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According to The Washington Post, which first reported his arrest, Floyd was being subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury convened by special counsel Jack Smith to investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the matter.

According to the affidavit, Floyd falsely claimed the FBI agents had not identified themselves or shown their identification before following him up a staircase and serving him with the subpoena.

At one point in the interaction, Floyd allegedly yelled at the officers to get out and to back away, screaming that he didnt know who they were, even though the agents said in the affidavit that they showed their FBI credentials and explained they were there to serve him with a grand jury subpoena.

The officers, according to the affidavit, said they were backing away and left.

Floyd, who called police after the incident, told officers the two agents had accosted him, which the agents denied, the affidavit said.

Floyd also told the police officers that when he saw one of the men had a gun, he almost went for it and added that after putting down his daughter who he was with, he slammed his apartment door behind the two agents so he could get a weapon from his kitchen, the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Floyd told the officers that the agents were lucky I didnt have a gun on me, because I would have shot one of them.

Floyd separately faces charges of violating Georgias racketeering act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and influencing witnesses in the Fulton County District Attorneys investigation into efforts to overturn the election results in the state.

As CNN previously reported, Floyd had arranged a meeting between Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman and Trevian Kutti, a former publicist to musicians R. Kelly and Kanye West. During the meeting, videotaped by police, Kutti allegedly pressured and threatened Freeman, citing baseless claims that she was involved in voter fraud.

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ISTANBUL, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Consulate-General of China in Istanbul has taken concrete steps to facilitate visa application procedures, China's consul general in Istanbul Wei Xiaodong said here on Thursday.

Among the measures, the Chinese Visa Application Service Center has increased daily visa appointment quotas and extended the daily appointment hours, he said during a meeting with representatives from Turkish travel agencies and other associations.

"China attaches great importance to facilitating the mutual traveling of the Chinese and Turkish people," said the Chinese envoy, adding the new measures have taken into account the Turkish people's demand.

From January to August, the number of all types of visas issued by the consulate exceeds 12,000, which is "ten times the total number of visas in 2022. Now, visa applications have reached the pre-pandemic levels," he noted.

Wei said China's Belt and Road Initiative, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, has led to the positive development of Turkish and Chinese strategic cooperation.

Davut Gunaydin, vice president of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association, said the new measures would promote tourism activities between the two countries. 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis erupted at a Black audience member during a Jacksonville news conference Thursday after the unidentified man questioned state policies he said have led to the deaths of Black people in the state.

"You have allowed weapons to be put in the street and the hands of immature, hateful people that have caused the deaths of people who were murdered a couple weeks ago," the man said, referring to the racially motivated, fatal shooting of three Black people by a white gunman at a Jacksonville Dollar General late last month.

As the man then began to talk about Trayvon Martin, a Black teen who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla. in 2012, DeSantis abruptly cut him off.

"First of all, I did not allow anything with that," the 2024 presidential candidate said of the recent shooting. He then told the man he would not accept his accusation and argued that the Jacksonville gunman should have been ruled ineligible to own a firearm under the Florida Mental Health Act.

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"I'm not going to let you accuse me of committing criminal activity. I am not going to take that!"

As the exchange intensified, the audience member repeatedly called to DeSantis to "let me finish" and "allow me to speak my truth, sir" as the governor continued to deny the accusations. "You have allowed people to hunt people like me," the man eventually said when DeSantis paused.

"That is nonsense. That is such nonsense," DeSantis replied, rejecting the man's remarks. The man was then escorted out of the room as the Republican launched into a rundown of Florida's crime rate and the audience applauded.

DeSantis signed a bill in April that allowed state residents who legally owned a firearm to carry concealed guns without a permit, legislation that sparked contempt among Democrats. At a vigil for the victims of the Jacksonville shooting, the conservative governor was met with boos and chants of "Black Lives Matter" from the crowd of attendees as he spoke.

You have allowed people to hunt people like me:



A Black audience member gets into a back and forth with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at a Jacksonville news conference after questioning state policies he says have led to violence against Black people. pic.twitter.com/7G99npsvZ8  The Recount (@therecount) September 7, 2023
Last week, a Delta flight U-turned after a passenger had diarrhea "all the way through" the plane.

The story went hugely viral and became the center of much online discussion and amusement.

One TikToker shared why she thinks people should not laugh about the incident.

A TikToker has gone viral for coming to the defense of a Delta Air Lines passenger who made headlines for having explosive diarrhea on a flight.

On September 1, a Delta Airbus A350 flying to Barcelona, Spain, made a U-turn and returned to Atlanta where it had departed to be cleaned due to a "medical issue" issue on board, Insider previously reported. In an audio clip that has gone viral on X, a pilot on the flight could be heard describing the situation as a "biohazard issue," saying, "We've had a passenger who's had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta."

The situation became the subject of online amusement and discussion after various news outlets reported on it, and a video purportedly filmed inside the aircraft appeared to show feces strewn across the floor was circulated on social media.

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But on September 6, a TikToker who goes by the username @mariamas.trench posted a video urging people to be wary of laughing "too much" at the passenger. Her take has gone viral on the app, receiving 1.3 million views.

"The way y'all are going in on that passenger that caused the plane to turn around due to the fact that they had explosive diarrhea all over the plane is crazy cause I don't think y'all understand how it feels like for your stomach to hurt at the wrong place at the wrong time," they said.

The TikToker speculated that there were probably a limited number of toilets on the plane and the flight was likely several hours long.

"Did you think that person was gonna, like, hold it in?" she asked.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

She also offered a different perspective on the fact the story about the passenger had been covered by news outlets and talked about all over social media, saying, "If I was this person I'd be completely mortified, cause like me personally, I'm not gonna laugh at something that I know that could easily happen to me."

The TikToker said it would be easy to accidentally eat something on vacation or at the airport that would make you sick on the way home, and she went on to criticize people who called the situation "weird" and "embarrassing" and urged people to be more empathetic.

"Come on guys, let's be for real. Let's use our human senses and common sense and just understand and have empathy  and know that this could happen to you," she said.

"So don't laugh too much now, 'cause you're going to be real shocked when you're the next person on the plane, and that all happens to you," she added.

This creator appears to be the first person to have gone viral on TikTok for defending the Delta passenger, but many commenters under the post agreed with her viewpoint, expressing sympathy toward the passenger. Others shared concerns or fears that something similar could happen to them.

"I literally feel so bad for them like I can't imagine both having that happen and then having it go viral," one comment with over 9,000 likes read.

Shocking travel stories have previously gone on to create viral storms on the internet. In July, a TikTok post showed an American Airlines passenger having an outburst where she insisted that another passenger was "not real." The video became a hugely widespread meme as online users began to speculate what she might have meant by the unusual statement.

The passenger, Tiffany Gomas, was later identified in a report by The New York Post, and in August, she spoke about the social-media attention she received in a video, saying, "While it has been really comical for everyone, and I have highly enjoyed so many of the memes, on the flip side it is very invasive and unkind."

The passenger in question aboard the Delta flight has not been identified.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

Read the original article on Insider
Last year, the British Army established a detachment of its beleaguered Watchkeeper drones at the U.S. Army's Fort Bliss in New Mexico/Texas. Exercise Athena Eagle, as the detachment from the British Army's Watchkeeper Flying School has been called, began on September 22, 2022, and is designed to improve interoperability between U.K. and U.S. sensor platforms.

In total, four Watchkeeper drones are currently based at a small airfield inside Training Area 4D of Fort Bliss' Dona Ana Complex, New Mexico. Roughly 45 members of the 47th Regiment, Royal Artillery, have deployed to Fort Bliss to provide support to the Watchkeeper Flying Schools 24 personnel, including instructors and students. According to a British Army spokesperson, the Watchkeeper Flying Schools temporary deployment to the United States is currently due to last until Dec[ember] 26 of 2023.

A Watchkeeper 450 pictured during Project Convergence 2022. British Army

The Watchkeeper UAV fulfills the role of a "tactical unmanned aerial system," or TUAS for the British Army. The TUAS is a short-range option for airborne intelligence gathering at the brigade level.

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The Gray Eagle UAS Complex at Fort Bliss  a pair of runways with a 50,000 square-foot hangar  was built in 2016 to support the new MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs being added to the 1st Armored Divisions Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB). The main 5,000-foot-long runway was designed specifically to support the Gray Eagles, while the smaller 1,000-foot-long runway was for the existing RQ-7 Shadows already in service with the 1AD CAB. This makes the Gray Eagle UAS Complex perfectly suited for Watchkeeper operations, with its similar operating requirements and mission scope to that of the RQ-7.

Area photo of Fort Bliss Dona Ana Complex in New Mexico, Aug. 30, 2021. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Luis Santiago

In October 2022, two of the detachment's Watchkeeper drones went to California to participate in Project Convergence 2022 at Fort Irwin. Just a month later, one of the airframes that participated in Project Convergence crashed while on a planned flight out of Fort Bliss.

At Project Convergence 22, Watchkeeper drones were used to learn how to better reduce complications with the "sensor-decider-effector-sustainer" chain, which integrated the U.K.'s sensor platforms with other participating nations' sensor platforms to provide a more complete picture of the battlefield. Three months later, the Twitter account for the British Army staff in the U.S. posted a photo showing three Watchkeeper airframes inside a hangar at the Grey Eagle UAS Complex at Fort Bliss, noting that this was a detachment of the 47th Regiment RA.

British Army personnel pose with three Watchkeeper drones. British Army Staff USA via Twitter

In his book , British Army Aviation in Action: From Kosovo to Libya, Tim Ripley writes that as part of Operation ENTIRETY in May 2010, the 47th Regiment RA was officially reorganized to focus on UAVs instead of operating them as a secondary responsibility. Prior to this, the 47th Regiment RA served a smaller role alongside the 32nd Regiment, Royal Artillery, using hand-launched UAVs such as the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk and, at that point, leased Hermes 450s under Project Lydian to support operations on the ground.

The reorganization of the 47th Regiment RA paved the way for them to operate Watchkeeper when it was cleared for use by the British Ministry of Defense in 2014. In 2016, the 32nd Regiment RA was scaled down and many of its personnel were redistributed, with most of the personnel trained in UAVs transferred to the 47th Regiment RA.

Prior to the introduction of Watchkeeper drones, the first TUAS operated by the British Army was the GEC-Marconi Phoenix, which saw use in Kosovo between 1999 and 2001. The use of Phoenix as part of Operation Agricola, the U.K.'s contribution to the eventual deployment of land forces in Macedonia and Kosovo, showed that the Phoenix could operate as an intelligence asset as well as directing artillery fire.

BAE Phoenix on display outside The REME Museum of Technology. Orp20 via Wikimedia Commons

However, the Phoenix had flaws. In 2003, when Phoenix was deployed to Iraq, it became apparent that it could not operate effectively in the Iraqi heat. Thales U.K. and Elbit's offering for the Watchkeeper program, a modified Hermes 450, was selected to replace the Phoenix in 2004, shortly before the Phoenix was retired in 2006.

Watchkeeper was not ready to fill this capability gap in Iraq, and so Thales U.K. was contracted to fulfill an urgent operational requirement for Hermes 450 drones. Known as Project Lydian, Thales U.K. provided eight H450 airframes which saw service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Project Lydian drones racked up over 100,000 hours of flight time during their service with the Army. It took until 2010 for a Watchkeeper airframe to make its first flight, and after multiple setbacks and delays it took another four years for Watchkeeper to be declared fully operational .

47th Regiment Royal Artillery Watchkeeper UAV ready for flight at RAF Akrotiri, July 2021. U.K. Ministry of Defense

Watchkeeper has spent much time outside of the U.K. for training, with deployments to Ascension Island (Exercise Aries Spider from 2016 to 2017) and Cyprus (Exercise Athena Rebus, starting in 2019) for the final phase of pilot flight training. This is at least in part because Watchkeepers could not deal with the poor British weather. A report from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism in 2015 noted that the British Army was worried about the effect of the English climate on the airframe. At least one Watchkeeper was lost due to poor weather . WK042 crashed in 2017 just off the coast of Wales due to precipitation affecting the ability of the aircraft to determine its airspeed. Thus, warmer and drier climates were required. Fort Bliss meets the criteria, with similar weather to other successful Watchkeeper training areas.

In a written report submitted to Parliament in March 2023, former Watchkeeper Capability Manager David Chaytor spoke at length on the overall failings of the Watchkeeper program. He noted the drones failure to meet 11 Key User Requirements, having met only one as of November 2018 when full operational capability (FOC) was declared. Chaytor indiacted that, Despite FOC being delivered on paper in November 2018, 47 Regt Royal Artillery have never proven that they can deliver this capability. It is doubtful that they could deliver 15% of the capability defined in the FOC definition statement.

A Watchkeeper WK450 Remotely Piloted Air System RPAS in flight over the U.K. during a test flight. Watchkeepers have reportedly struggled to operate in the British climate. British Army

As part of the initial requirement for Watchkeeper, the MOD expected the program to deliver up to 6,000 flight hours per year. Between the initial FOC declaration in November 2018 and November 2022, the total hours flown was only 1,191, far short of the expected 18,000 hours. Chaytor also indicated that the 47th Regiment RA has never tested the 16-hour endurance capability in practice, due to, among other things, RAF Akrotiris limitations on Watchkeeper flight time: the drones are limited to a 6-hour flying window, Monday through Thursday and only at night.

Chaytor further noted that while Watchkeeper has an estimated operating cost of 8,000 per flight hour, the actual cost per flight hour is over 88,400 due to the low flying rate. He estimates that on top of the existing 1.173 billion already spent, as of October 2021, on a system that does not work, an additional 1.149 billion will be required to bring it up to the standards set in the original 2007 contract and support it until its planned end of life in 2042.

Moreover, at least eight Watchkeepers out of a total fleet of 54 are known to have crashed, several of which were due to weather or system failures. The causes of these crashes ranged from unexpected precipitation to human error .

It should be noted that the Royal Air Force has looked to other uncrewed platforms of late, notably working with General Atomics in California to develop Protector, a variant of the MQ-9 Reaper. The RAF accepted the first airframe in October 2022, just before the British Army mentioned that their Watchkeepers were participating in Project Convergence 22 100 miles away. Protector will serve an armed medium altitude, long endurance role as a replacement for the leased MQ-9s currently in use by the RAF. It is a customized sibling of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, with the capability to be equipped with offensive weapons and a wide variety of sensors, communications systems, and electronic warfare pods. The MQ-9 offers significantly longer endurance, higher altitude, and more sensors and weapons capacity than the Watchkeeper, fulfilling a much broader role as required by the RAF.

Protector RG MK 1 (MQ-9B). Royal Air Force

The expansion of Watchkeeper training operations in the U.S. may allow for more frequent joint drone operations practice, and intelligence sharing between the U.S. and the U.K. The proximity of the British and U.S. Army drones to each other could allow large exercises with the purpose of developing new technologies and techniques such as Project Convergence and the Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event , commonly referred to as EDGE, to experiment with international UAV collaboration on a larger scale. The ability for British UAV pilots to learn Watchkeeper and also gain an understanding of U.S. Army drone infrastructure is something not found at other Watchkeeper training sites.

With that said, however, it remains to be seen if the RAF can finally overcome the persistent problems it has experienced with Watchkeeper drones to date and turn the program into anything remotely resembling a success.

Contact the editors: thomas@thedrive.com , oliver@thewarzone.com
The former Eastern Kentucky prosecutor charged with murdering his wife had his trial date set and received a bond reduction Thursday, according to a special prosecutor.

Donald Deskins, 49, of Kimber, was indicted Aug. 31 for the murder of his 46-year-old wife, Judith Dean Deskins, and charged with two counts of evidence tampering. Thursday morning, a tentative trial date was set for July 2024. Deskins has requested to represent himself as co-counsel to his attorney, Steve Owens.

Deskins, a former assistant Pike County attorney, also had his bond was also lowered at the hearing, attorneys said. The previous $250,000 bond is now $100,000.

If he were to post the bond, Deskins would be placed on home incarceration, prosecutor Anthony Skeans told the Herald-Leader.

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Skeans said he did not object to the bond reduction because $100,000 is a standard bond amount for a murder charge in the Pike County jurisdiction.

Owens could not confirm if Deskins would be able to post bail, but said he is doing well, considering.

Judith Deskins family was not present in the courtroom Thursday, according to Skeans.

Deskins indictment says he caused blunt force trauma to Judith Deskins with the intent to cause her death. The indictment also says he tampered with physical evidence at the residence and on his laptop. Police were called to Donald Deskins residence on Meathouse Road in Kimper in April 2021 after he called police and reported his wife was dead inside the home, according to court documents.

Investigators determined foul play was suspected.

If Deskins is permitted to serve as co-counsel, he will have access to discovery and other pleadings. He has served as an attorney since 2001, and his license to practice law is active, according to the Kentucky Bar Association. Deskins is currently being held at the Pike County Detention Center, which his attorney said Deskins has no concerns about.

While a trial date has been determined, the defense will work to gather discovery evidence and other pretrial hearings will take place.
Classes have begun for the fall semester at New Mexico State University, at our main campus in Las Cruces, at our community colleges around the state, and for students attending our NMSU Global Campus. Im delighted to report that while we are still a few days away from our official census date, it appears as though we will see a second consecutive year of strong enrollment gains. These increases are thanks to the hard work of many of our university employees. These increases are also thanks to the states Opportunity Scholarship, championed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and funded by the New Mexico Legislature.

As a land-grant university, our mission is to provide education, research, and Extension and outreach services to the people of New Mexico. I want to recognize our world-class faculty and staff for their efforts on each of these fronts. In support of providing education to our students, NMSU faculty members deliver the academic rigor our students need to be competitive in their careers after graduation. They also provide the compassion and support students need to succeed while earning their degrees. Faculty and support staff at NMSU are also responsible for research and outreach activities, and work each day to advance knowledge and to take that knowledge and other resources to the people of New Mexico to help in bettering their lives.

Intrim Chancellor and former New Mexico State University President G.Jay Gogue April 11, 2023. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)

We are in the process of searching for the next long-term leader for NMSU. I applaud our Board of Regents for their efforts to travel the state, from Gallup to Raton to Deming to Hobbs and many points in between, conducting listening sessions to learn what priorities our community members have when selecting our next leader. This kind of endeavor  meeting people face-to-face in a state as large as New Mexico  is no small task. The commitment of our Regents to seek input on our campuses and to visit so many communities highlights how they genuinely want to hear from the people. This effort is also a reflection of how much they truly care about our university.

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As you may know, a university regent is a volunteer position in New Mexico. To serve in these roles, it only works if you have a passion for the university and want to ensure its future success. Were fortunate at this time in our history to have such a dedicated board. Credit, again, to Governor Lujan Grisham, for her thoughtful selection of this group to help lead the university.

For more information about our presidential search, to provide feedback of your own, or to nominate someone to be the next NMSU President, I encourage you to visit https://nmsu.edu/president-search/.

To our faculty, staff and students, I wish you a wonderful fall semester and thank you for the excellent work you do every day to make this a transformative learning environment for our students. To our community members and stakeholders around the world, New Mexico State University is on the right path and well positioned for continued success.

Go Aggies!

JayGogueis interim president of New Mexico State University. He may be reached at president@nmsu.edu.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: The future is bright for NMSU
Gastonias Highland School of Technology was ranked 8th in the state in a U.S. News and World Report assessment.

What makes Highland stand out? According to Highland Principal James Montgomery, the admissions process, servant-style leadership, and hands-on learning make the difference.

Highland school aims to teach the kids, How do you win, but yet, do it the right way?

Admission

The fate of every Highland Student hangs in the balance of a lottery.

Freshman students looking to attend Highland, a merit-based magnet school, submit an application, which is then randomized, at the push of a button, according to Montgomery.

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The randomized list of names is then reviewed by administration all summer long.

According to Montgomery, they start at the top, looking at a few factors including whether or not the student meets the enrollment requirements.

You just go down the list until you have 145 students, Montgomery said.

The classroom

The average student to teacher ratio at Highland is 13 students per one teacher.

This enables teachers to give more attention and personalized instruction to each student, according to Montgomery.

The power of the Highland education is that our graduates will graduate with an understanding of every course they take, all 32 of them, Montgomery said.

U.S. News and World report ranks schools based on five factors.

Those include college readiness, state assessment proficiency and performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rate.

In those categories, Highland School was ranked 51st in college readiness statewide, 6th in state assessment proficiency, 12th in state assessment performance, 64th in college curriculum breadth, and tied for first place in graduation rate.

The U.S. News and World Report also ranked Highland 424th out of more than 17,000 schools in their national report.

Principal James Montgomery poses near a mural of the school Thursday morning, Aug. 31, 2023, at Highland School of Technology.

Beyond the classroom

A teaching that works well in the classroom, but is also designed to help Highland students navigate life after high school is, leadership through service, according to Montgomery.

We train kids to lead, and give them opportunities to lead and serve, Montgomery said.

Teaching servant-style leadership to their students is an important factor in Highlands success, and makes a huge impact on the learning environment, according to Montgomery.

People say, oh, kids today are the worst, Montgomery said. Thats not true.

Montgomery has been in education for 32 years, and has spent the last five of them at Highland.

As a child, Montgomery actually attended Highland when it was a junior high school.

The facility became Highland School of technology in 2000, when the administration decided to open up what Montgomery calls, a grand experiment.

The experiment was designed to see if they could make Highland a school that people would want to attend, rather than one they had to attend.

They had no clue the experiment would become a top school in North Carolina, Montgomery said.

Matthew Renegar teaches calculas Thursday morning, Aug. 31, 2023, at Highland School of Technology.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston school ranked in the top 10 in North Carolina
ATLANTA  A report released on Friday revealed that a special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results recommended indictments against a much larger group than Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ultimately charged, including one current and two former U.S. senators.

The nine-page report showed jurors recommended charges against 39 people, compared to the 18 who were charged along with former President Donald Trump . The names of those not indicted included Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Parts of the report, with 19 pages of appendices, had been released in February, but a judge had delayed the release of any recommendations for specific charges against specific people until after last month's indictment. While most of the intrigue in the inner workings of the case has diminished with the filing of charges, it is notable that the special grand jury recommended many people who were not actually indicted.

Graham spoke to reporters Friday afternoon at an announced stop in Westminster.

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"If it ever becomes impossible or politically dangerous or legally dangerous for a United States Senator to call up people to find out how the election was wrong, God help us all," he said. The next election, if I have questions, I'll do the same thing.

"But one thing I want people to know, I am standing with President Trump. I am proudly supporting him. He can be a handful at times but I thought he was a good president. And I'm not gonna be deterred campaigning for him and working with him."

Watch: Sen. Graham Responds to Recommended Jury Charges in Georgia Case - MarketWatch

Graham booed at Trump rally in Pickens: From Trump supporters, here's why.

The panel spent seven months hearing from some 75 witnesses before completing a report in December with recommendations for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis had said she needed the panel's subpoena power to compel the testimony of witnesses who might otherwise not have been willing to appear.

The release of the identities of people recommended for indictment is a departure from ordinary grand jury protocol, which dictates that prosecutors do not disclose the names of individuals investigated but not charged so as to prevent potentially innocent subjects from being unduly maligned.

The special grand jury's report is based on the testimony of the witnesses prosecutors called and the evidence they presented over the second half of last year. In their report, the grand jurors made clear that the panel "contained no election law experts or criminal lawyers."

"The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained," the report continues.

Willis was not bound by their recommendations. Of the 19 people ultimately indicted, only one was not included in the special grand jury's recommendations. A former White House aide who served as the director of Trump's election day operations, Michael Roman, was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the report in February but declined to immediately release the panel's recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect people's due process rights.

McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that the due process concerns were moot since a regular grand jury has indicted Trump and 18 other people under the state's anti-racketeering law. All have pleaded not guilty.

Many of those indicted  including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows  are known to have testified before the special grand jury. Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was never called and did not appear before the panel.

The parts of the report previously released in February included its introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to seek charges for perjury. The panel's foreperson had said in news interviews that the special grand jurors had recommended that numerous people be indicted.

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Jill Colvin in New York, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., and Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I, contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Lindsey Graham recommended for indictments in Georgia investigation
(NewsNation)  Authorities are investigating a possible connection between accused Gilgo Beach Killer Rex Heuermann and a South Carolina woman who has been missing since 2017.

Julia Ann Bean, 37, was last seen alive on May 31, 2017, in Sumter, South Carolina, according to the Sumter County Sheriffs Office.

Investigators have been poring over the information they have recently received to determine if there is any evidence linking Bean with Heuermann, the Sumter County Sheriffs Office said in a press release this week. Yet there are no confirmed facts that confirm or deny the possibility of a connection.

That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson gets 30 years to life in prison

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South Carolina police asked the FBI to help investigate the possible connection after Beans daughter recently came forward saying her mother was last seen with a man resembling Heuermann, the sheriffs office said.

Beans daughter, Cameron, also said the unfamiliar man was driving a dark truck, the sheriffs office said. A truck similar to what she described was hauled from Heuermanns South Carolina home.

Investigators are interviewing individuals and looking into reports that she may have been seen with the Gilgo suspect.

Miss Bean may have a connection with the serial killer in New York, Rex Heuermann, sheriffs office spokesman Mark Bordeaux recently told local news outlet WLTX. Its still unclear, but theres enough hope that our investigators are doggedly pursuing an answer.

Masked suspects shoot at van during planned robbery on Colorado highway, investigators say

Heuermann, a New York City architect, has been arrested in connection with three of the 10 victims linked in the Gilgo Beach murders in New York.

The bodies of Milissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello were discovered along Ocean Parkway on Long Island in December 2010.

Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard Barnes, who disappeared in 2007.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan security forces have discovered a weapon cache in north Afghanistan's Baghlan province, the provincial police headquarters said on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, the security personnel launched operations in Doshi and Andarab districts of Baghlan on Thursday and seized weapons, including nine rifles, five night-vision scopes, a rocket launcher, 10 hand grenades, and several mortar shells, the police said in a statement.

The security forces destroyed a weapon cache in eastern Wardak province on Monday.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to collect arms and ammunition from anyone outside the security organs. 
Its almost the end of summer, which for autumn lovers is a welcome new beginning, full of pumpkin spice and apple cider drinks, scary Halloween movies and chunky sweaters.

But for some, the start of fall means mourning a summer that wasnt as fruitful as they had imagined. And theres one particular culprit to blame for missing out on outdoor activities like swimming, hiking and picnicking: the extreme heat that stole the summer from Texans. It will go down as Texas second hottest summer ever, with an average temperature of 85.3 degrees between June and August, a recent report from the Texas Tribune found.

One Reddit user this week wrote a post entitled Depressed after coming back to Fort Worth from a trip, which yielded 447 upvotes and 380 comments from users who felt the same way. The user said they had just gotten back from a trip to Portland, Oregon, where it was the perfect weather. The poster said coming back to Fort Worth this time felt very different as they were hit with the heat as soon as they walked out of the airport.

This summer has just been so draining with the heat and not being able to go outside. I love hiking I love going to the state parks and I love swimming in rivers, user loveevolloveevol writes. But I am afraid of the bacteria that has been growing in the heat wave affecting me or my dogs. I literally cant hike because Ill get heat stroke or burn to a crisp.

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We spoke with a local clinical psychologist to explain why so many Texans feel this way, and how the heat may have worsened post-summer, post-vacation blues this year.

Hot weather has affected Texans mental health

Weather can have a significant impact on mental health, said Dr. Kenleigh McMinn, a clinical psychologist at Baylor Scott & White Health. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression linked to seasonal changes.

While these impacts are usually seen in the winter months when the days are shorter and is it cold and gray outside, there is more and more evidence that heat can have a negative effect on mental health as well. Not much is known yet about exactly why this happens, McMinn said, but it is theorized that multiple factors such as spending more time inside to avoid the heat, physical discomfort due to the heat and longer days interrupting normal sleep cycles may contribute.

Heat may affect mental health in a myriad of ways, varying between individuals. Some people might feel more irritable, others could struggle with motivation or just an overall feeling of blah or even apathy.

With the extreme heat weve experienced this summer, many people have had to cancel or alter plans they were looking forward to and can feel like they missed out on the summer they wanted, which can be disappointing or make it feel like you havent gotten a break, McMinn told the Star-Telegram.

As for post-vacation blues, its normal for people to have trouble getting back to their normal routine and responsibilities after time away for a vacation, McMinn says, as vacations are usually focused on escaping from our daily lives and giving us a break from a lot of what causes us stress. The contrast of coming back to reality after time away can be difficult and its normal to miss the feeling of relaxation or lower stress from vacation.

But weather could potentially worsen this feeling, especially if you were on vacation somewhere with cooler or nicer weather and came back home to the extreme heat, McMinn explained.

Tips to overcome the post-summer, post-vacation blues

If you are currently experiencing or are prone to feeling post-summer or post-vacation blues, it may be helpful to plan something else to look forward to, McMinn recommends.

Whether that is your next vacation or finding events locally, try to have something in your calendar that you know you will enjoy, she said.

Its also important to make sure you get back to your normal routines and self-care activities. Although the post-summer and post-vacation blues will usually pass on their own with some time, they can be helped by engaging in activities you usually enjoy.

Despite there being an end in sight to this extreme heat, people may still have a feeling of cabin fever when they are stuck inside trying to avoid the heat. Until the weather cools down, try to find indoor activities to keep you occupied and spend some time outdoors during times of day when the temperatures are more tolerable. Also, make sure you are staying safe by not being out in the heat for long periods of time and keeping hydrated with water and electrolytes. Know that some medications make you more sensitive to the sun and heat, which could increase the risk of overheating, so be sure to check any medications you are taking and take precautions as needed.
"Home is Here," is an ongoing series that explores norteast Wisconsin's growing racial and ethnic diversity.

GREEN BAY - Join the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Appleton Post-Crescent, Wisconsin Public Radio and the other NEW (Northeastern Wisconsin) News Lab partners for a storytelling event Sept. 20 at the Brown County Central Library.

The NEW News Lab produced "Home is Here: Stories Behind the Census" series last year. The project went beyond census data to tell the stories of the growing number of Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic residents in the region.

Five of the participants in the stories wrote personal essays about life in northeastern Wisconsin. Maureen McCollum of Wisconsin Public Radio captured their stories for her Wisconsin Life series.

The NEW News Lab is a partnership among Wisconsin media organizations, including the Green Bay Press-Gazette and The Post-Crescent in Appleton.

The Home is Here event at the library will feature some of these participants telling their stories about living here. Join us from 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in the library's auditorium in the lower level. The event is free but we ask guests to register on Eventbrite because space is limited.

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A reception with light refreshments will precede the event at 5:30 p.m.

Meet the NEW News Lab partners

The NEW News Lab is a local news collaboration in northeastern Wisconsin made up of six news organizations: the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Appleton Post-Crescent, FoxValley365, The Press Times, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Watch. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bays Journalism Department is an educational partner. Microsoft is providing financial support to the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region to fund the initiative. The mission of the lab is to collaborate to identify and fill information gaps to help residents explore ways to improve their communities and lives  and strengthen democracy.

The Home is Here series was published in 2022. This year we are working on the fourth series, "Families Matter," covering issues important to families in the region.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 'Home is Here' participants tell their stories Sept. 20 in Green Bay
VENICE, ItalyThere are several enormous instances of Chekhovs Gun in Memory.

The film, which premiered Friday at the Venice Film Festival, opens at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is celebrating her 13th year of sobriety. We later see her padlocking her front door. The instinct of most viewers would be to expect these things to turn up later in the narrativea certain type of Hollywood drama calls for characters to fall off the wagon, or be forced to confront their worst fear.

But, in a scarcely believable developmentespecially considering that Michel Franco, this films director, has always indulged his penchant for cruelty and manipulationMemory doesnt serve up the whole platter of trauma porn that it had seemed to be preparing. What remains is a somewhat odd object, whose wealth of ideas and initially gritty outlook are gradually subsumed into a more conventional story, with performances that are perhaps a touch self-regarding.

Peter Sarsgaard plays Saul, a man with dementia who follows Sylvia home after meeting her at a school reunion. This obviously prompts her, a survivor of abuse in her youth, to panic and fear for herself and her teenage daughter, over whose life and behavior she exerts a rigid control. After a series of minor contrivances, Sylvia patches things up with Saul and she is employed by his brother (an underused Josh Charles) as his caregiver. An evident bond is born between these two damaged soulsSylvia desperate to forget and Saul unable to remember.

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Franz Rogowskis Passages Wardrobe Is a Sexy, Genderfluid Revelation

Memory is evidently torn in two directions. On the one hand, it chooses the path of sobriety, giving a measured view of Sylvia and her life in some well-described scenes at work, at an AA meeting, and with her daughter. We see how firmly she refuses alcohol at various shindigs, and how omnipresent that temptation is; from a scene of her cleaning her apartment, we observe what force of will she has clearly had to draw on in order to make a life for herself and her child. Chastain excels at showing Sylvias constant tension, with a face set in determination and a permanently stiff back portraying her permanent social discomfort. Those shoulders drop a little, eventually, in the presence of Saul, who is gentle and similarly lost.

But though Memory is capable of restraint and has the resources to establish its characters in ways that feel lived-in and convincing, it also resorts to shortcuts, and to underlining its intent. That comes out in an early scene that skews too dramatic, where Sylvia mistakenly confronts Saul about his having abused her in their youth. This is a misstep in several ways.

First, it allows an unfortunate note of doubt to creep in, which creates suspense around the question of whether or not Sylvia is telling the truth about her ordeal. This feels coarse and gratuitous. Second, it fits poorly with the work of characterization that we have seen so far, making the moment feel thin. Third, it obstructs the narrative, because we are supposed to believe that after this moment, Saul and Sylvia begin a romance together.

That tendencya cheapening instinct to exploit pain for the sake of theatricsrears its head a few more times, making for an uneven film with a somewhat compromised tone. Ultimately, Sylvias big breakdown scene, which is in the cards from the moment we see her, sounds a few false notes because it plays its drama too easily. Faced with a mother who never believed her, and having floated the possibility that Sylvia might indeed be a compulsive liar, Memory stages a family argument that tells rather than shows. Its not my fault youre a failure, and other such barbs from Sylvias mother (played with a little too much emphasis by Suspirias Jessica Harper), are overstated and unconvincing. Chastain shows well how Sylvias composure is at all times close to crumbling, and is ably supported by the ever-excellent but underused Merritt Wever as Sylvias sister, whose impotent, awkward body language in this scene speaks volumes about her own suffering.

As Saul, whose own character is sort of phased out by Sylvias storyline, Sarsgaard is faced with a nightmare of a role. He ends up describing this kind, forgetful man as a generous spirit, but an inevitable blankness remains, and Saul is really only identified by his ordeal and smiling sweetness. Its debatable whether his chemistry with Chastain quite prepares us for the romance between them, or for their sex scene. Sauls illness is circumscribed very loosely, so were unsure what this man is able to remember and notice, leading to an unfortunate vagueness around him. Still, the camaraderie between the actors comes out in a few scenes of much-needed levity, such as a scene where Saul orders the usual at a restaurant without knowing what that might be. Sylvias shy pleasure, never fully committing to belly laughter, rings true here.

Bradley Coopers Maestro Crackles With ShowmanshipSometimes Too Much of It

The subject of two wounded creatures finding solace in one another is hardly new territory for cinema, and Memory doesnt reinvent that particular wheel, but the odd moment of truth still shines through the deja-vu every once in a while, convincing us with the force of its own self-evidence.

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Lebanon City Police are asking for help in finding a missing person.

Michael San Giacomo, 35, was reported missing by a relative on Aug. 29.

Michael San Giacomo was last seen leaving the Calvary Chapel at 740 Willow St. on Wednesday Aug. 23. at around 12 p.m.

He was last seen leaving the Calvary Chapel at 740 Willow St. at around 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 23.

San Giacomo is intellectually disabled and is without his medication.

He is not from the Lebanon City area and does not have friends or family in the area.

If you have information on his whereabouts, contact the Lebanon City Police Department at (717) 272-6611.

Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at DLarlham@LDNews.com or on X, formerly twitter @djlarlham

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon Pa. police searching for 35-year-old missing man






Key Takeaways

A poll taken this summer found that many people dont yet know about the new RSV vaccines.

The FDA approved two vaccines to protect against RSV in adults aged 60 and older in May.

RSV produces mild symptoms in many adults, but can advance to severe disease in older adults and young children.







Pharmacies and doctors offices are now stocking an important vaccine adults 60 and over should consider getting this fall. But many people who might benefit from the shot dont know it exists.

The vaccine offers protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In fact, there are actually two RSV vaccine options: both a shot from pharmaceutical company GSK and a shot from Pfizer earned FDA approval in May.

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Related: FDA Greenlights a Second RSV Vaccine for Older Adults

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that older adults talk to their doctor about getting the shot, a new survey by researchers at AARP and the University of Michigan found that almost half of the 2,000 people surveyedwho ranged in age from 60 to 80didnt know about the vaccine. Close to 40% said they were not interested in getting it.

"As we prepare for the first RSV season when a vaccine will be available for older adults, these early data suggest a need for public health officials, primary care providers, pharmacies, and others to target their outreach and awareness-building efforts, Preeti Malani, MD, a senior advisor to the poll and an infectious disease specialist at Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigans academic medical center, said in statement.

Why Are Older Adults At Risk for Severe RSV?

According to Scott Roberts, MD, associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale Medicine, we lose immunity as we age and become more susceptible to infections, including RSV.

RSV is common and usually causes only mild, cold-like symptoms. But it can be serious in both older adults and infants. Between 60,000 and 160,000 U.S. adults over the age of 65 are hospitalized for RSV each year, and 6,000 to 10,000 die from the virus and its complications.

Roberts suspects people are at higher risk than usual because of waning RSV immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mask wearing and social distancing prevented the typical spread of RSV. While that's a good thing, it also means RSV came roaring back after stay-at-home orders: In November 2022, the RSV hospitalization rate for older adults was 10 times higher than usual for that time of year.

Related: What Causes RSV in Adults and Children?

Treatments for RSV include over-the-counter medications and staying hydrated, and most people recover in a week or two. But if symptoms worsen and RSV moves to the lungs, it can result in pneumonia, or make other existing conditions worse, such as asthma and congestive heart failure.

That's why a preventive vaccine matters. There's currently only one at-home test for RSV, so it may be hard to know exactly what you're sick with and which treatment to seek, Kathryn Boling, MD, a family medicine physician affiliated with Mercy Medical Center-Baltimore, told Verywell. Symptoms for RSV, COVID, and flu can be similarincluding coughing and feverand the three viruses are expected to converge this fall.

How to Get a Vaccine

The RSV vaccines are now available at doctors offices and many pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS.

When it comes to timing your fall vaccines, Roberts suggests getting an RSV shot now, the updated COVID vaccine once it becomes available in mid-September, and the flu shot in October. Talk to your doctor, though, about getting two or three of the shots together if you might not be able to make separate visits for the vaccinations.

Related: Here's How to Plan For Your Seasonal Vaccinations This Fall

The vaccines are covered by Medicare Part D, the prescription benefit portion of Medicare. But there are already reports of coverage denials for people on Medicare who do not have Part D, resulting in costs upward of $300.

Some private insurers are covering RSV vaccines and some are not, in part because of the CDC's decision to include a caveat in its recommendation.

Rather than fully recommending the vaccine, the CDC is advising that people 60 and older "may" get an RSV vaccine and should discuss it with their health provider. Thats because a few people in clinical trials developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GSK's vaccine was also linked to 10 cases of atrial fibrillation.

Both vaccines were more than 80% effective in clinical trials to test them.

"One could argue that the benefits of these vaccines far outweigh the risks; for instance, the protection afforded against severe RSV disease is greater than the small risk of Guillain-Barre in this situation," Roberts said.





Related: How to Prevent RSV in Adults and Children

Expect to Start Seeing More Messagingand More IncentivesFor the Vaccines

Since the RSV vaccines were only approved this spring, its taking a while to get the word out. Several organizations, including the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, have been holding briefing sessions for health reporters to encourage them to write about the vaccines.

"Physicians are not required to bring up the vaccine at well check-ups, but most electronic health records will provide alerts [to patients] for vaccines," Malani said.

Jessica Masuga, a spokesperson for Walgreens, told Verywell the pharmacy chain is using text, email, video, social media, and search options to educate patients about RSV vaccine.

"Our expert pharmacists are also having one-on-one conversations with patients about how they can protect themselves this respiratory season," she said.







Vaccine Incentives

Walgreens is offering a $5 Walgreens Cash reward through the end of December for consumers who get vaccines at its pharmacies, and a $10 Walgreens Cash reward through the month of September.

CVS is offering consumers who get any CDC-recommended vaccine a coupon for or $5 off $20 to use on in-store purchases (in most states).







The companies that make the RSV vaccines are doing education efforts of their own, including TV commercials.

"We aim to reach adults where they are, and we currently have ads running on all major network stations and online, Kate Kanaby, a spokesperson for GSK, told Verywell. We expect to keep up the momentum after the start of RSV season."



Read the original article on Verywell Health.
In memory of Queen Elizabeth on the one year anniversary of her death, Prince Harry visited St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle this morning, where his late grandmother was buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in the Royal Vault. A number of other royals also reportedly visited the chapel today. St. George's Chapel has other significance for Harry, too: It is where he and Meghan Markle tied the knot in 2018.

Yesterday, at the WellChild Awards in London, Prince Harry spoke about Queen Elizabeth, whose death led him to miss last year's award ceremony. "She would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her," he said. "I know, exactly one year on, that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we're together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community."

WPA Pool - Getty Images

Prince Harry's Invictus Games begin tomorrow in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Meghan is set to join him during the competition. Last year, the Sussexes were in Europe for a series of charity eventsincluding the "One Year to Go" event for the Invictus Gameswhen Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth was placed under medical supervision.

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Prince Harry then rushed to Balmoral to be with his family, but as he later wrote in his memoir, Spare, he found out she died from the BBC. "When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: 'Call me when you get this.' I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King." Prince Harry and Meghan subsequently remained in the UK for the official mourning period.

Since Queen Elizabeth's funeral, Meghan hasn't returned to the UK, but Harry has been back a few times, including for his father's coronation in May and in June to testify in his phone hacking lawsuit.

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Owner Elliott Denkers at Elliott School of Music on East Marion Street in Shelby.

Shelby residents have new options when it comes to music lessons.

Tucked away on bustling Marion Street near Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Elliott School of Music opened a few weeks ago and is filling a void in the local music scene.

Founded by Elliott Denkers in 2022 in Gastonia, the business has since expanded to several Gaston County locations and opened one in Shelby last month.

Were closing in on 100 students weekly in Gastonia, Denkers said.

Denkers opened his Shelby location at 231 E. Marion St. a few weeks ago and said he has already had a ton of interest from the community.

Brandon Davidson teaches guitar to Jasmine Davidson Friday morning at Elliott School of Music on East Marion Street in Shelby.

He said Shelby Music closed a few years ago, and he noticed there was a lack of private music lessons in the county.

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We saw a need in the area, really, Denkers said.

Since he had opened locations in Gastonia, he was familiar with the concept of expanding into a new market.

Elliott School of Music now serves all of Gaston County in addition to Lincolnton, Cleveland County and the greater Charlotte area.

Originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina, Denkers said he worked in music retail for a decade, working in sales, store management and teaching.

He said he grew his personal schedule of students beyond what he could manage himself and decided to open his own business.

I have a really fond memory of my guitar teacher, Randy Foster, as I was learning and growing up, and I enjoy being that person for someone else, Denkers said. Its super fun.

Brandon Davidson, one of the Shelby music teachers, said he gives lessons in guitar, ukulele and bass. He completed music theory and guitar through Berkley online.

Davidson, who has years of teaching experience, is also a professional musician and has signed with a record label.

He said he got into teaching because he wants to pass on his knowledge and love of music to the next generation and share that passion with the world.

Poster line the walls at Elliott School of Music on East Marion Street in Shelby.

Its very rewarding, he said. More so than being on stage, honestly.

He said he has students of all ages, from 6 years old to 52 years old, wanting to study rock, heavy metal and everything in between.

Some people are beginners, others are returning to music, and some students want to dive into music theory.

There are three teachers at the Shelby location and between the three, they offer lessons in guitar, bass, vocal, piano, woodwind and brasswind instruments.

Denkers said guitar and piano are tied for most popular closely followed by vocals.

They teach all ages and children as young as 4 can sign up.

Lessons are available through the week and weekends and are 30-minute sessions once a week for $130 a month.

We approach lessons in more of a personal way than other companies do, Denkers said.

He said as a small business, they are able to provide a personal touch that larger companies cant and are able to tailor lessons to the individual needs of the students.

In the spring, they host a student show to showcase what the students are working on for friends and family.

Davidson and Denkers said the school plans to be active in the local community with live music and food trucks planned for the future.

For more information on Elliott School of Music or to sign up for lessons, visit elliottschoolofmusic.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Elliott School of Music opens Shelby location
The Michigan Attorney General's Office found no criminal violations after a review of an unannounced active intruder drill at the former Hawthorn Center youth psychiatric hospital in Wayne County just days before Christmas.

Danny Wimmer, press secretary for the Attorney General's Office, told the Free Press in an email Friday that the office "conducted an exhaustive analysis of any applicable criminal offenses that may have fit the actions taken by the Hawthorn Center and individuals responsible for the drill ... Our extensive investigation did not find any violations of any relevant criminal statutes connected to the drill."

Wimmer said the office ensured separation between attorneys investigating the drill for criminal violations and attorneys representing the state agencies involved in civil lawsuits filed in various courts after the incident.

The former Hawthorn Center in Northville Township, which is to be replaced with a new psychiatric facility by the state.

Wimmer said the office's Health, Environment and Family Services Division represents the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which owned and operated the facility in Northville Township.

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Attorneys investigating the incident for any violations of criminal statue were in the Criminal Trials and Appeals Division of the office, Wimmer said.

Panic in the hospital

A separate, internal review of the armed active intruder drill earlier this year indicated no policies or work rules were violated when the facility held the drill four days before Christmas, terrifying many patients and staff and bringing dozens of police officers to the site with guns drawn.

Lawsuits recount panic in the building, with employees gathering children and barricading them into spaces with no windows. Frantic adults stacked heavy furniture, such as mattresses, against the doors and armed themselves with items such as hot coffee, brushes and combs.

Some called 911, talking in hushed tones, while others texted their loved ones with what they thought might be their final messages.

More: It was a drill, not a real shooter. But no one told workers or children at youth hospital.

A State Hospital Administration investigator who reviewed the Dec. 21 drill found it was conducted hastily  just a day after the decision was made to have it  with poor communication and inadequate staffing for the circumstances.

The investigator's March 22 memorandum was to Hawthorn Center Director, Dr. Victoria Petti, and was among hundreds of emails and documents obtained by the Free Press through a Freedom of Information Act request with the state health department.

Based on the above findings, there is not enough evidence to indicate any work rule or other policy violations on the part of any Hawthorn Center staff members. The hospital emergency operations manual and the safety committee dictate when and what types of drills are to be held. However, there are no specific instructions about how the drills are to be run, according to the conclusion in the memorandum.

How the drill was planned

The memorandum and other documents stated that Derek Leppek, the centers safety officer, decided to conduct the exercise, discussing it with members of a safety committee in a meeting the day before it took place.

Michigan State Police reports within the FOIA show that Leppek texted Petti at 9:52 a.m. the day of the drill stating: Im going to be doing an active shooter drill sometime this morning Im just giving you a heads up. Petti gave a reply thumbs up on the text message. The active intruder drill began at 10:29 a.m., per the state police report.

Several staff members called 911 after hearing an announcement that two armed intruders were in the building. The memorandum stated Leppek said he used two center workers to role-play as the shooters, who walked the building but had no weapons. The two workers were detained by responding officers and released after police confirmed the situation was a drill.

Both role-playing workers, Brandon Woodruff and Hawk Kennedy, as well as a half-dozen other employees and two sets of parents of children at the center that day, filed lawsuits against the state health department and/or, Petti, Leppek and two other center officials.

Brandon Woodruff, 32, was asked to role-play during an unannounced active shooter drill at his workplace in December, Hawthorn Center in Northville Township.

Kennedy's lawsuit was filed last month in Wayne County Circuit Court, while the other lawsuits in that circuit court and the Michigan Court of Claims were filed in May.

Robin Wagner, an attorney representing Woodruff, employees and parents in four of the five lawsuits, said the state and the specific actors violated their clients' civil rights, and they want to hold the state accountable for these violations of their civil rights.

"And we will have a day in court for our clients to get justice for these awful violations of their civil rights. And we want discipline for the people who caused such trauma to our clients," Wagner said.

"We have asked the courts for an additional period of time as we negotiate with the state for an early resolution of this, to bring justice to our clients expeditiously," Wagner said, adding the next court dates are in November for the sides to continue negotiations.

State Police investigated the incident and referred the matter to the state Attorney General's Office for review of possible criminal charges and potential charging decisions, Wimmer said in May.

In July, state Sen. Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills, requested a formal audit of the facility. He sent a letter to Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler after concerns about the unannounced drill, children escaping the facility and temporarily relocating youth in the center into an adult psychiatric facility  the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland  while the youth center is razed and a new facility is built.

More: Michigan legislator wants audit of Hawthorn Center after unannounced active shooter drill

Last month, Webber announced that the Office of Auditor General will consider his request in its 2024 audit cycle. According to a release from Webber's office, Ringler said in his reply to the request: "We believe most items from your request could be effectively reviewed in a wider-scope audit of the Office of Recipient Rights (ORR). We can commit to considering ORR during our next audit planning cycle for 2024."

The most recent audit of the center was conducted in 2014, according to Webber's office.

After the Free Press report Friday, Webber said in a release that concerns related to the center "run much deeper than one disastrous emergency drill" and stories from families and former patients range from "heartbreaking to tragic and they deserve answers and accountability."

"While criminal activity may not be found in relation to this one event," he said, "many questions relating to proper care and other potentially unlawful actions remain unanswered. It is my hope that this recent announcement by the attorney general's office is just the beginning of an expanded and more comprehensive investigation. More must be done on behalf of individuals and families who have suffered in the center's care."

Webber asked for the audit after a listening session for families of loved ones who said they have suffered in the care of the center and the state health department's Child Protective Services. In June, Webber also sent letters to Senate committee chairs requesting a legislative hearing to investigate ongoing problems at the center.

Hawthorn Center patients and staff were moved to a separate unit at the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital at the end of June, Lynn Sutfin, state health department spokesperson, previously said. She said as of July 1, Hawthorn Center is no longer an accredited entity.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan AG: No criminal violations in Hawthorn Center shooter drill
Meanwhile, prominent attorneys who have obtained almost celebrity status for their connections to the Murdaugh crime saga are being pulled in  or see themselves as jumping in to the rescue.

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Murdaugh attorneys Richard Harpootlian and Jim Griffin announced filings with the S.C. Court of Appeals alleging that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill had engaged in improper communications and conduct with the jury that convicted Murdaugh March 2 and demanded a hearing and possible a new trial.

On Thursday, The S.C. Attorney General's Office, which is prosecuting all of the Murdaugh criminal cases, and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which investigates those cases, issued a joint statement:

"South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson requested the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigate allegations of jury tampering involving the Colleton County Clerk of Court. The States only vested interest is seeking the truth. As with all investigations, SLED and the South Carolina Attorney General's Office are committed to a fair and impartial investigation and will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead."

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New tell-all memoir: Alex Murdaugh read true crime books in his holding cell during trial

Becky Hill yells down to the attorney general Alan Wilson as he thanks her during a press conference after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty on all four counts at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool

But should SLED investigate its own murder conviction?

When Murdaugh's guilty murder verdicts were read  ironically by Hill herself  SLED agents and prosecutors alike celebrated, hugging each other in the courtroom, eyes misty, patting the backs of their fellows.

And with good reason. SLED had spent more than two years investigating a complex web of alleged criminal activity by Murdaugh, only to be much maligned by his defense team during the internationally televised murder trial and accused of shoddy police work and of downright lying to the S.C. State Grand Jury in order to have Murdaugh indicted on circumstantial evidence.

So should SLED now investigate matters that could overturn Murdaugh's guilty verdict and throw years of police work out the window? Murdaugh's attorneys say no.

SLED's announcement comes after Harpootlian and Griffin boldly asked them to "stand down."

Attorney General Alan Wilson and Johnny Ellis James, Jr. hug during deliberation in the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, SC on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

"We request that SLED stand down on initiating any investigation of these allegations since they are heavily invested in maintaining Alexs conviction," stated Murdaugh's legal team, adding that if the allegations are true, Murdaugh's civil rights to a fair trial were violated.

Also submitted along with the Sept. 5 motion was a letter to United States Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs asking for an "urgent federal investigation" into Hill's conduct during the trial, and asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, to investigate these allegations and interview the parties alleged involved.

The letter added that the "professionalism and integrity" of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents are "unimpeachable" and no juror would attempt to deceive an FBI agent, adding that "...The same can not be said of any investigation conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, who has a vested interest in upholding Mr. Murdaugh's conviction."

"If FBI agents interview the jurors the truth will be known, whatever the truth may be," Murdaugh's attorneys contend.

Alex Murdaugh's attorneys Phillip Barber, from left, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin speak at a news conference after filing an appeal of Murdaugh's double murder conviction on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The attorneys say the elected clerk of court influenced jurors by telling them not to be fooled by the defense's evidence during the trial and had private conversations with the jury foreperson. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) ORG XMIT: RPJC102

Murdaugh case-related attorneys involved on both sides

The S.C. Attorney General's Office has ten days from Sept. 5 to respond to Murdaugh's recent motions and allegations, and then the S.C. Court of Appeals must consider the motion and decide whether or not it warrants an evidentiary hearing.

Meanwhile, celebrity attorneys with deep roots into the Murdaugh web of criminal and civil cases are now getting involved.

In making their allegations, primarily centered on the sworn statements of two jurors, Harpootlian announced that attorney Joe McCullough Jr. would be representing those jurors.

McCullough, who attended most of the murder trial  and some media outlets say is a friend and colleague of Harpootlian  represented Connor Cook, one of the survivors of the fatal 2019 Murdaugh boat crash, in a civil suit and was able to help Cook secure a million dollar settlement.

The Hampton County Guardian confirmed Thursday that Hill is being represented by Justin Bamberg, a Bamberg, S.C. attorney who also represents several of Murdaugh's alleged financial crime victims, and Will Lewis, a former assistant U.S. District Attorney known for prosecuting high-profile white-collar cases.

Dick Harpootlian and Eric Bland talk in Alex Murdaughs trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, February 9, 2023. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool

Another attorney who made a name for himself by representing many of Murdaugh's alleged financial crime victims also leaped into the fray yesterday.

During Tuesday's press conference, Harpootlian reportedly suggested that all of the jurors be questioned and might need legal representation.

Early Thursday afternoon, attorney Eric Bland, who represented the Satterfield family and estate in their legal battles against Murdaugh and other parties, took to social media and called Harpootlian's remarks "offensive" and "threatening" to the jurors.

Bland then posted on X, formerly Twitter, that if any Murdaugh murder trial juror felt threatened and needed legal advice or representation in the upcoming investigation, he would provide pro bono legal services.

Before 5 p.m. that afternoon, Bland tweeted that he now represented two of the Murdaugh jurors.

"They stand ready to participate in any proceedings that may follow, but we will ensure that they will not be harassed in that process," Bland wrote.

Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt, the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network will continue to follow the ongoing criminal and civil cases surrounding the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Twitter at @mmdewittjr and support his local and national journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Murdaugh trial jury tampering allegations: SLED investigating objections
The then-presidential candidates utilised various online platforms to convey their messages and establish a personal connection with voters. (PHOTO: Facebook/TanKinLian, Instagram/Tharman.sg and Instagram/NgKokSongofficial)

SINGAPORE Elections in Singapore have undergone significant transformation over the years, particularly in political campaigning.

Where once it was dominated by fiery rallies with huge turnouts, the last two election in the city-state - the 2020 general election and the recent presidential election - have seen candidates increasingly turning to social media as an avenue to promote their manifestos and attract more voters.

Fuelled by the digital age, the role of social media has indeed emerged as a potent force, reshaping the strategies embraced by political candidates and parties. Moreover, the rise of social media influencers has introduced a fresh dimension to the campaign landscape.

Will it eventually make political rallies a thing of the past? Yahoo Southeast Asia spoke to several experts who gave their views on such a development.

How did social media gain popularity during elections?

Dr Tracy Loh, a senior lecturer at the Singapore Management University (SMU) specialising in social media campaign strategies, highlights the pivotal role of social media in contemporary elections.

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She observes that social media has assumed a central position, working in tandem with, rather than replacing, traditional campaign methods.

"Social media is no longer optional," she asserts. "In the past, you could get away with just traditional campaigning, but it is no longer a choice. You have to be online as well."

Dr Loh points to notable examples, such as former presidential candidate Ng Kok Song's campaign, which demonstrated that running a digital campaign is viable.

Ng had made the decision not to employ physical banners and posters, citing limited resources and a commitment to environmental sustainability. Instead, he emphasised social media as the cornerstone of his strategy, aiming to engage younger Singaporeans who could then convey his message to their older family members.

Dr Loh notes that the rise of social media as a political campaigning tool began during the 2015 and 2020 general elections, as both the People's Action Party (PAP) and the Workers' Party (WP) stepped up their social media efforts. WP, in particular, utilised sleek videos to connect with the electorate.

"In the 2015 election, the Workers' Party made a significant impact with their sleek online presence," Dr Loh recalls. "The PAP had consistently maintained a good social media presence as well, with many of their MPs actively engaging online."

"Smaller parties have harnessed social media to reach a broader audience, although their approach may not be as curated and sleek as that of the WP or PAP. Parties like Singapore Democratic Party and Progress Singapore Party have come close, but others tend to rely on a more individualistic approach."

Dr Loh believes that social media has played a crucial role in levelling the playing field for smaller parties, in providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional media.

"Without a doubt, social media has enabled smaller parties to connect with the electorate in ways traditional media wouldn't, given its high costs. These smaller parties lack the resources to blanket Singapore with posters or ads. Social media has, to some extent, equalised the playing field," she says.

Dr Alan Chong, senior fellow at the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), believes that social media amplifies candidates' connections with their target audiences through mass broadcasting or personal interaction.

"Social media serves as an amplifier for candidates' engagement with their target audiences. In the past, opposition parties and their leaders faced challenges in maintaining a presence between elections, let alone covering their constituencies during election periods," he notes.

The changing landscape of social media platforms

Regarding the evolving landscape of social media platforms, Dr Loh observes, "I think we are seeing a move towards certain platforms coming into prominence. (Political campaigning) used to be more or less on Facebook, but now we see candidates venturing into TikTok and Instagram, mainly to reach younger audiences."

She goes on to highlight that presidential candidates Ng and Tharman Shanmugaratnam had recently created Instagram accounts and successfully gained significant numbers of followers.

Tharman started his Instagram account in the lead-up to Presidential elections, and he now has 100,000 followers. He has also gained over 42,000 followers on TikTok.

Ng has quickly garnered more than 100,000 followers after creating his official page on 17 July. His short videos on Instagram, known as reels, receive tens of thousands of views.

The third presidential candidate, Tan Kin Lian, is active on Facebook and has about 70,000 followers on that platform, with his videos garnering thousands of views.

From Facebook to TikTok and Instagram, political candidates are embracing new avenues to connect with younger audiences, according to political experts. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

The role of influencers in modern political campaigns

On the role of influencers in politics, Dr Loh draws parallels with corporate brands, highlighting the value of influencers in reaching audiences that the candidates may not ordinarily connect with.

She notes that political candidates have been collaborating with young content creators like SGAG, as well as participating in podcasts to cater to diverse audiences. These platforms helped to present a more relatable, human side of the candidates.

"When you share your message through influencers, you're essentially providing free publicity to the political candidate. It's almost like free advertising and reaching out to an audience that wouldn't typically follow you. It's an effective strategy to expand your reach," she remarks.

Dr Chong, on the other hand, believes that while influencers can act as propagandists, one does have to exercise caution against their overly-simplified content which can distort complex political issues.

Indeed, the over-simplification of political discourse through social media could have an adverse effect on Singapore's long-term interests, and Dr Chong advises voters to recognise the complexities of governance and not rely solely on candidates' social media presence to gauge their capabilities.

The recent presidential election - which Tharman won with a convincing 70.4 per cent of the votes - showed that voters are capable of making nuanced decisions despite the influence of social media.

"Consider how close the percentages of the two losing candidates were. This shows that some people were actually putting the two losing candidates almost on par. After all, 14 per cent and 16 per cent are not very far apart," Dr Chong says,.

"When you put those two so-called losing percentages together, it amounts to 30 per cent of the electorate. This indicates that social media influencing can only go so far. At the end of the day, people still think of the presidency as a part of Singapore's complex equation of governance."

The enduring significance of traditional campaigning

Social media has become an integral tool in modern political campaigning, but both political experts which Yahoo Southeast Asia spoke to agree that traditional media still holds enduring value.

In Singapore's historical election campaigns, traditional methods like door-to-door canvassing, public rallies, and printed materials like posters have played a significant role.

During this year's presidential election, the Elections Department (ELD) encouraged candidates to harness platforms capable of reaching a wide audience, including broadcasts and social media.

It notably discouraged in-person rallies, with no designated rally sites for presidential elections. Its reasoning was that rallies, given their nature and format, could potentially be divisive, and "not congruent with the unifying role of the elected presidency".

Supporters of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) show their support during an election rally in Singapore May 5, 2011. The general election will be held on Saturday. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Edgar Su)

Dr Chong believes that, for general elections, rallies remain crucial in energising the voter base and engaging dedicated supporters.

"You have to realise that even the PAP relies heavily on rallies to excite their voter base and card-carrying supporters. The National Day Rally, for instance, continues to be a live event, despite the option to watch it via live stream on social media. This preference for live rallies suggests that the appeal lies in the genuine connection between candidates and voters," he explains.

Dr Loh shares a similar perspective, "When you have a new party challenging an incumbent like the PAP, building recognition and connecting with the constituents are crucial. Nothing beats the personal touch  shaking hands, offering a friendly arm around the shoulder, and engaging in face-to-face conversations.

"While social media is a valuable tool, it can't replace the human touch. It's somewhat the lazy way out. People still want to see candidates actively walking the ground, working hard to earn their votes, rather than just sitting behind a computer screen."

It is clear that social media will be a pivotal aspect of political campaigning. However, both experts emphasise that it must be regarded as just one facet of a multifaceted approach.

Traditional campaign methods, face-to-face interactions, and rallies will continue to play a significant role in effectively engaging voters.

And with social media influencers trying to shape the political landscape, it will be more important that ever that voters are equipped with the abilities of discernment and critical thinking, in order to ensure that democracy thrives in the digital age.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.

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by Marwa Yahya

CAIRO, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China, through years of dedicated efforts in desert control, is now a major driving force behind global green development and a source of inspiration for African countries, Magdy Allam, an Egyptian environment expert has said.

"Turning deserts into forests is an inspiration for African countries that are battling land degradation," Allam, an advisor to the Global Environment Facility, also secretary-general of a federation for Arab environmentalists, told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday.

China's successful management of climate risks such as drought and heatwaves as well as its actions for addressing global warming is a real contribution to global ecological conservation, according to the expert.

During the year 2012 to 2022, China's accumulative afforestation area reached 960 million mu (64 million hectares), while 165 million mu of grassland was improved, and more than 12 million mu of wetlands were added or restored, official data showed.

"Adaptation to different climates, soil, locations and ecosystem, China has established green belts around many cities, and cultivating large swaths of land controlling desertification or soil loss," Allam said, stressing that "China is a real model for adaptation to climate change."

Most African countries are struggling with land degradation linked to human activities and climatic shocks, the expert said, adding that China has found out the experience for desert control, offering solutions for African nations.

The Green Great Wall, an initiative launched in 2007 by the African Union, aims to restore the continent's degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in the Sahel.

Joint China-Africa programs on the environment, including in the above initiative, enable China to provide technology and expertise to African nations on halting the spread of deserts and encroachment of sand in agricultural areas, Allam noted.

He believed that green belts, a Chinese successful model, are effective ways to reduce the negative impacts of sand dunes and protect traditional crops from extinction.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, approximately 46.2 percent of the Earth's land surface, which hosts a three billion population, corresponds to drylands. 
WORCESTER  Worcester Polytechnic Institute is one of the countrys least economically diverse campuses, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

In its College Access Index, published Thursday, The Times looked at the share of first-year students receiving Pell Grants  financial aid available to college students from low-income households  at nearly 300 of the countrys most elite colleges in 2020-21.

Among those 286 colleges, 25 are in Massachusetts, and are were in Worcester: WPI, College of the Holy Cross and Clark University.

The average share of first-year students at those schools receiving a Pell Grant is 21%, the analysis said, a two percentage point decrease from 10 years previous.

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All three of the schools fell below that average, with WPI at 10%, Holy Cross at 13%, and Clark at 20%.

Only 15 colleges had a percentage of freshmen receiving Pell Grants in 2020-21 as low as or lower than WPI, according to the analysis.

In a statement Friday, WPI said the share of students receiving Pell Grants has improved since then:

"WPI has been seeing a steady increase in the number of Pell Grant recipients in recent years. While the reports published by the New York Times lists the 2020-2021 first-year class, WPIs recent incoming classes reflect gains: 10.7% (2021-2022), 13.1% (2022-2023) and we are on track for 14% this year. This is a result of a focused effort to expand access and affordability which is a pillar of the Universitys Strategic Plan. Through programs such as the Great Minds Scholars, pre-collegiate outreach initiatives and partnerships with community-based organizations we expect to see continued growth."

The discussion about economic diversity on college campuses comes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court that banned race-based affirmative action in college admissions decisions.

College leaders from around the city and state voiced their disappointment with the Supreme Courts decision, and said they would look at diversifying campuses in other ways.

Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau said one plan was to go out into communities, and meet students and their families directly, as well as work with nonprofits and community organizations to encourage students to apply.

The Times found that the majority of the 20 most selective and highly endowed colleges had become more economically diverse between 2011 and 2021, although the majority of their students were still disproportionately from affluent backgrounds. Still, the majority of the 286 colleges analyzed saw Pell shares fall over the same decade. At Holy Cross, it said, the drop was seven percentage points; at WPI it was five percentage points.

In response to The New York Times report, Holy Cross released the following statement:

"Holy Cross has a strong history of not only recruitment but also successful graduation rates for first-generation and Pell-eligible students, with graduation rates for Pell-eligible students coming in well above the national average. And while, like many institutions, the number of students in these categories has fluctuated around the pandemic, that percentage is trending upwards, with the Class of 2027 including more students of color, Pell-eligible students and first-generation college students than the preceding class.

"The colleges new strategic plan Aspire fortifies our commitment to ensuring that a Holy Cross education is accessible to the very best students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. To that end, we are proud to work with organizations like QuestBridge and the American Talent Initiative to improve our outreach to and support of Pell-eligible and first-generation students, and continue growing these student populations at Holy Cross."

At Clark the percentage of freshmen receiving Pell Grants increased slightly between 2011 and 2021.

Clark provided the following statement:

"In our community of learners at Clark, its vitally important that our student body  and our community overall  reflects, embraces, and celebrates all kinds of diversity, including diversity of lived experiences, of race and nationality, of geography, and economic diversity. We are proud that our 5-year average of Pell grant recipients in an incoming class increased from 15.9% between 2008 and 2012, to 21.2% in the past five years. Our intention is to continue that movement forward. It remains a priority for us to ensure that a Clark education is accessible for individuals from all economic backgrounds."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: WPI, Holy Cross get low marks in NY Times economic diversity report
"Crossroads: Change in Rural America" incorporates the stories of rural towns in Mississippi with a nationwide look at how the United States has changed over time.

What does rural America look like to you?

Is it rolling hills of green pasture with cows lazily chewing hay? Or maybe it's that little white church sitting like a guardian angel keeping watch over the surrounding cotton fields?

For some, it's that small town with little more than a gas station, a post office and a dollar store where people stop to chat with neighbors they haven't seen for a few days.

Whatever your vision of rural America, the truth is, like everywhere else, the landscape is changing.

"Crossroads: Changes in Rural America" is a Museum on Main Street exhibit by local communities and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and it is coming to Wiggins, Mississippi.

Wiggins is hosting the Smithsonian exhibit, "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," which incorporates the stories of rural towns in Mississippi with a nationwide look at how the United States has changed over time.

Stone County is proud to kick off the 'Crossroads' exhibit, said Betsy Rowell, executive director of Stone County Economic Development Partnership. "Our business community is thrilled to have people visit from all over the region for the weeks to come."

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The exhibit offers small towns a chance to look at their own histories and highlight how they have changed over the past century, including the ups and downs with a glimpse into the area's future.

"Crossroads" explores how Americans have shifted from living in small rural communities to forming clusters around large industrialized cities and back.

Wiggins is the first town in Mississippi to host the "Crossroads" exhibit. In addition to the Smithsonian's panels built around rural America, Stone County officials compiled a timeline featuring the events and industries that helped shape the Pine Belt community.

"Crossroads: Change in Rural America" incorporates the stories of rural towns in Mississippi with a nationwide look at how the United States has changed over time. The exhibit will travel to six cities in Mississippi.

Local themes include the area's rich timber industry, music, food, recreation and technology.

The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 9 at the Ferris B. ONeal Senior Center, 1240 South Magnolia Drive in Wiggins. Exhibit hours are 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Admission is free. School and group tours may be arranged by calling (601) 928-5418.

"Crossroads" will make five additional stops in Mississippi. Each will include local features along with the Smithsonian panels.

Other stops on the tour include:

Lawrence Franklin Regional Library in Brookhaven

Quitman County Arts and Culture Museum in Marks

West Point Clay County Community Growth Alliance in West Point

Mississippis Lower Delta Partnership in Rolling Fork

Pontotoc Historical Society in Pontotoc

Related events

Events will take place alongside the exhibit at Ferris B. ONeal Senior Center, 1240 South Magnolia Drive in Wiggins.

State scholar Leah Kemp will make a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

There will be an interactive blues presentation at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 16

A children's reading session will be at 11 a.m. Sept. 23

The Pine Hill Dulcimers will perform at 11 a.m. Sept. 30

Former Mississippi Arts Commission Director Malcolm White, a Stone County native, will speak at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 3, when there will also be a pickle contest.

For more information and a list of other events, visit stonecounty.com/events.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Smithsonian's 'Crossroads' exhibit in Wiggins
Ukrainian servicemen conduct work on the site of a destroyed market in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, that was the result of a Russian missile strike on Wednesday. Russia on Friday began elections in four illegally occupied regions of Ukraine. File Photo by Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine/UPI

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- In the face of international condemnation, Russia on Friday began to hold local elections in regions of occupied Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin declared annexed nearly a year ago and that Moscow has yet to gain control over amid its ongoing war.

Eleven months ago, Putin signed federal laws formally approving the illegal annexation of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson, and on Friday elections in those regions began for Kremlin-installed legislative assemblies as more than 4,000 local and regional elections were being held over the weekend across Russia.

Polling stations opened Friday morning and will close Sunday night, according to Russian state-run TASS news agency, which said elections in the four regions of Ukraine were to seat deputies in their legislative assemblies.

The elections are expected to be widely condemned as Putin's declaration of annexation nearly a year ago was overwhelmingly rejected at the United Nations by nearly 150 countries.

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Russia has pointed to referendum it held a month prior to Putin's signing of the declarations as proof that the Ukrainians in the four regions wish to join the Russian federation.

But the United States had long warned prior to and after the referendums were held that they were shams, as would be any elections that would follow.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed his accusations that Russia was conducting "sham elections" a year after it staged "sham referenda" to support its illegal usurping of Ukrainian land.

"The Kremlin hopes these predetermined, fabricated results will strengthen Russia's illegitimate claims to the parts of Ukraine it occupies, but this is nothing more than a propaganda exercise," Blinken said in a statement, warning those who support it will be at risk of sanctions and visa restrictions.

"The United States will never recognize the Russian Federation's claims to any of Ukraine's sovereign territory."

The Russian Embassy in Washington characterized Blinken's statement in one of its own on Friday as meddling in its internal affairs, while pointing to the widely discredited referendums as proof that Ukrainians in those regions wanted to join Russia.

On Sunday, the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organization, also condemned the elections.

"It constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, which Russia continues to disregard, as it was the case with the pseudo-referendums last year," it said in a statement.

"Holding local elections in occupied territories only creates an illusion of democracy but clearly violates the right of citizens to participate in the conduct of local public affairs."

Kyiv's Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine is warning that the number of voters, turnout and results in the election are expected to be falsified.

"Russia's pseudo-elections are accompanied by terror against the occupied population, who are forced to play a part in this propaganda show. Any declared pseudo-election results are void. They will not be recognized by anyone," it said in a statement.

"Ukraine will eventually free its citizens from Russia. We remember everyone in occupied territories. All those responsible for terror will be held accountable."
Russia is holding sham elections in its occupied territories in Ukraine in an attempt to give its presence more legitimacy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday during his visit to the war-torn nation.

Local and municipal elections are being held in four fully or partially occupied regions of eastern Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The Russian Federation is in the process of conducting sham elections in occupied areas of Ukraine, Blinken said in a statement. The Kremlin hopes these pre-determined, fabricated results will strengthen Russias illegitimate claims to the parts of Ukraine it occupies, but this is nothing more than a propaganda exercise.

Early voting ends Thursday and voting will run through the weekend in certain areas, according to Russian media.

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Earlier in his visit, Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba while in Kyiv.

While on the surprise visit, he announced an additional $1 billion in aid for the country to support its war effort against Russian invasion. He also complimented the countrys counteroffensive against Russian forces in the southwest, which has picked up in recent days, saying the Ukrainian military has made real progress.

The elections come a year after Russia organized referendums to annex the four Ukrainian regions, a move that was denounced and not recognized by Ukraine and its allies, including the U.S. Nearly 150 countries denounced the annexations in a United Nations resolution.

The voting this week corresponds with Russian elections taking place across the country and features a slate of mostly pro-Kremlin candidates often running unopposed, The New York Times reported.

The Council of Europe also condemned the elections this week, saying the votes are a flagrant violation of international law which Russia continues to disregard, and create only an illusion of democracy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Two Valley cities will receive a total of $49 million of federal funding for flood control projects, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema 's office announced Wednesday.

Apache Junction, located in the east Valley and home to about 40,000 residents, will receive the bulk of the funding at more than $44 million. On the other end of the region, Buckeye will receive $4.5 million to launch the Storm Water Flooding Mitigation Improvement Project. The city has been one of the fastest-growing in the country in recent years and is home to just over 100,000 people.

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

The funding is coming from the Sinema-led bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. About $7 billion of the total $1.2 trillion was allocated towards the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help protect communities from natural disasters like floods.

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Communities like Buckeye and Apache Junction regularly experience floods that threaten the safety of Arizona businesses and families. The funds I secured in our bipartisan infrastructure law will help our state better prevent and recover from future floods so Arizona communities can have peace of mind, Sinema said in the announcement released by her office.

Sen. Mark Kelly also helped to shape the bill, citing the need to protect the two communities.

As extreme weather events become more common and more severe, we must do more to proactively protect Arizona communities. This funding will help protect Apache Junction and Buckeye so they can continue to grow and invest in their future, Kelly said in the announcement.

Apache Junction will use the funding to build a flood control facility to make the downstream community safer and reduce the need for search and rescue operations in flooding events.

Mayor Chip Wilson told the Arizona Republic the city is in the midst of designing the flood control facility near Weekes Wash in the north area of Apache Junction. The federal funding will cover nearly 50% of the total project cost, he said.

About 400 homes are at risk of flooding when heavy rains hit the city, Wilson said. Over the past few years, there have been many instances when public safety has rescued residents during flash floods. This type of facility will reduce the need to respond to flooding events, he said. This is a safety issue for everybody, not only the public, but also the police and fire, he said.

The flood control project will have a twofold function, he said. It's water retention for preventing water coming through the city, but also is a recharging network to recharge the aquifers as well, he said.

Although the project will take years to complete, Wilson said affected residents are excited for it to be built in part because it could bring down home insurance costs because they are within the FEMA-designated flood area.

Buckeye has experienced flooding each year, especially in the city's downtown area. The Storm Water Flooding Mitigation Improvement Project will connect the city's drainage system to existing irrigation canals and see a new floodwater retention basin built. The system will divert floodwaters away from existing infrastructure and improve road safety.

The project will enhance the safety of over 7,000 homes in downtown Buckeye, according to a statement from a Buckeye spokesperson.

Most flooding there is caused by the natural layout of the land. The project will prevent property damage to homes and flash floods along roadways, as well as improve groundwater restoration. And during the dry seasons, the retention area can be used for outdoor activities like sports.

Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn.

Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn said a previous project in 2010 completed drainage in parts of the downtown area, but the new funding will allow the project to take care of the areas along the Monroe Avenue corridor and the southern area of downtown. The retention basin will also be located south of the downtown area. The city has been discussing further drainage projects for years, but the funding was not available, Orsborn said.

The downtown area experiences some sort of flooding whenever there is a significant amount of rainfall, Orsborn said, causing significant water to flow in the gutters. But the new project will help to mitigate those issues, Orsborn said.

"We're grateful for our senators and the work they're doing to bring funding to the state of Arizona and specifically Buckeye to take care of long-standing infrastructure needs," Orsborn said.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on Twitter @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sen. Sinema, Kelly announce $49 million for Arizona flood control
JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report)  Police have pulled eight bodies wrapped in blankets from a clandestine landfill in Juarezs lower valley in the past two days.

Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui confirmed the Wednesday afternoon find of the first six bodies and said it is linked to recent violent events in the area. A Chihuahua state police spokesman on Friday confirmed two more bodies were found at the site on Thursday afternoon.

We do have insights, but we wont disclose them. We know this has to do with events that happened in Ciudad Juarez recently, Jauregui said in a Thursday morning news conference on Facebook Live. He added that 98% of homicides in this city still ranked amongst the worlds most dangerous are traced to organized criminal activity.

The landfill is located near the Juarez-Porvenir Highway, an area Sinaloa drug cartel cells are known to control but which of late is being disputed by rival La Linea. An early August rolling gun battle in the new Samalayuca-Guadalupe toll road left at least four men dead.

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18 bodies found in Bajas Narco Cemetery

The two transnational criminal organizations are also killing each other off for control of migrant smuggling in the state of Chihuahua, Jauregui said.

He confirmed that nine of 10 bodies recently found buried in a pit near the town of Coyame (60 miles west-southwest of Presidio, Texas) are part of a group of migrants missing since September 2021.

They were victims of a fight for control of trafficking of migrants in the area between La Linea and Sinaloa. In those disputes, the ones who lose their lives in an atrocious way are (the migrants), Jauregui said.

Ambush leaves police chief, 3 officers dead near Acapulco

Chihuahua chief state forensic expert Javier Sanchez said initial reports pointed to 14 migrants stopped on their way to the United States and taken captive by criminals. One of the abductees, an underaged boy, was released, leaving 13 missing men, he said.

Site where skeletal remains of migrants found across the border from Presidio, Texas. (State of Chihuahua)

Of the 10 bodies found near Coyame, nine have been positively identified through DNA testing and the ID of another is pending contact with relatives, Sanchez said. The forensic work has required the intervention of anthropologists due to bones getting mixed and very small fragments being pulled from the earth, he said.

The whereabouts of the other three missing Mexican migrants are unknown as of now, he said.

Man, woman dispute who crashed car carrying 4 migrants

Jauregui said the number of kidnappings in Chihuahua, which borders Texas and New Mexico, has grown exponentially because of continuous migration from South America, Central America and southern Mexico to the United States.

We dont have the same type of kidnappings we used to: Businesspeople being abducted (for money). But we are having a disproportionate arrival of migrants, and what happens is abuse by organized criminals that see the possibility to bleed them for money, more money in addition to what they already paid to be brought to the U.S. border, Jauregui said.

Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui talks about an exponential growth in migrant kidnappings in his state bordering Texas and New Mexico. (State of Chihuahua)

He added state police officers daily rescue migrants, receive information about kidnapped migrants or arrest migrant kidnappers. The state police this year has liberated 113 migrants held against their will and arrested 28 alleged kidnappers, according to the AGs Office.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

Jauregui said state officers recently killed a migrant kidnapper and injured another in a shoot out while investigating reports of migrant stash houses.

Irregular migration along the Southwestern border of the United States fell substantially in June but rose in July  according to CBP data  and again by tens of thousands in August, according to preliminary information obtained by the Washington Post.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
A swimmer died after he was pulled from the ocean off the coast of North Carolinas Outer Banks, officials say. His death was the third in three days.

The death toll in the Outer Banks rose on the evening of Sept. 6 when ocean rescuers attempted to save a 36-year-old man from Connecticut, according to a news release from Nags Head officials.

Nags Head Fire and Ocean Rescue and Police Departments responded to a call of a man in distress in the ocean, about 50 yards north of the fishing pier.

An Ocean Rescue guard pulled him out of the water and began performing CPR until Dare County Emergency Medical Services took him to a hospital, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

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His death marks the third off the coast of the Outer Banks since Sept. 4, when a 28-year-old woman from Washington, D.C., disappeared below rough surf and was seen floating face-down, according to the National Park Service.

She died in Avon, about 45 miles south of Nags Head.

On Sept. 5, a 68-year-old man from Hillsboro, Ohio, was swimming in the water off Cape Hatteras National Seashore when bystanders heard him call for help, officials said in a release. The bystanders pulled him to shore, but after CPR was performed, he was pronounced dead.

High energy surf conditions, including large waves and life-threatening rip currents, are forecast to be present all week, park officials said in the release. Visitors wading into the surf, even as shallow as waist deep, may be overcome by large waves, suffer injuries, and may be overtaken by rough ocean conditions making it difficult, if not impossible, for all but the strongest, most experienced swimmers to survive.

More swimmers have been swept out by rip currents, even if they werent in deep water.

A woman posted in an Outer Banks Facebook group thanking a lifeguard for rescuing her husband, who she said was caught in a flash rip current Sept. 6.

My son and husband were playing in the waves when a flash rip current swept my husband away from our son and out to sea, she wrote. It was the scariest thing seeing my son come out of the ocean without his dad.

She said the ocean looked calmer than it had all week, and they stayed in waist-high water. The flags are no joke, she wrote.

What is a rip current?

Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that happen on the coasts of the U.S. and in the Great Lakes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

About 100 people are killed by rip currents each year in the U.S., NOAA reported. Lifeguards rescue thousands of people from rip currents annually.

Experts say people can take steps to stay safe from rip currents, including:

Check the local water conditions before getting in.

Talk to a lifeguard at the beach about the conditions.

Only swim at beaches where lifeguards are present.

Dont assume great weather means good swimming conditions.

Second tourist has died in the waters off NCs Outer Banks within 24 hours, park says

Woman visiting the Outer Banks found dead on Labor Day, North Carolina park says

Two swimmers bitten at shark breeding ground in one day, Florida officials say

Boyfriend and girlfriend  both 18  drown in rough water in Wisconsin lake, cops say
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report)  A federal grand jury this week returned a multi-count indictment against three men accused of sexually assaulting a Salvadoran migrant inside a South Texas detention facility.

The alleged assault occurred in the early hours of July 16 at the LaSalle County Regional Detention Center, a correctional and detention facility run by the county that holds federal detainees by contract, federal court records show.

The victim was being held at the center as a material witness in the federal prosecution of a migrant smuggling case; his attackers allegedly had previously warned him regarding testifying against and providing information against any Mexican citizen in any alien smuggling case, according to court records.

The pod or cell block where the alleged attack took place holds a mix of individuals being held as material witnesses in pending criminal cases as well as migrants detained for illegal re-entry into the United States.

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South Texas man accused of sharing child porn, sexually assaulting minor

The indictment and a preceding criminal complaint allege that detainees Heriberto Sifuentes Cobos, Arturo Puente Sifuentes and Kliffer Ojeda Colmenarez approached the victims bed and one of them began to assault him. The victim defended himself against the attacker but one of the other men came at him from behind, wrapped a towel around his neck and placed a knee on his back to cut off his air supply.

According to the court documents, the victim lost consciousness, and when he woke up, he reported serious bodily injuries resulting from the sexual assault to a correctional officer and was taken to Laredo Medical Center for treatment, court records show.

Sifuentes Cobos, Puente Sifuentes and Ojeda Colmenarez have been charged by the grand jury with six criminal counts including aggravated sexual abuse, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. The first count carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

Border Report reached out to the LaSalle County (Texas) Sheriffs Department for comment and is awaiting a response.

A Futuro Media news teams investigation published last July by PBS turned up 308 sexual assault and sexual abuse complaints filed by migrants held at detention facilities nationwide between 2015 and 2021.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
Kimberly Hodgkinson

As Hospital Sisters Health System continues to grapple with the fallout from a cybersecurity attack, a top administrator is out.

Kimberly Hodgkinson, senior vice president and chief financial officer since July 2022, left the Springfield-based healthcare company effective Thursday.

Kelly Barbeau, Illinois Division director of marketing/communications for HSHS, would not say Friday if Hodgkinson was dismissed, resigned, or whether her departure was related to the system-wide outage.

Here's the latest on what we know about the cybersecurity attack on HSHS systems

"Our policy is to not publicly discuss personnel matters," Barbeau said in a text message to The State Journal-Register.

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Hodgkinson previously was the chief financial officer for the Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System and has 30 years of experience in healthcare finance.

HSHS president and chief executive officer Damond W. Boatwright confirmed Sept. 1 that the system, which includes 15 hospitals and a number of medical clinics in Illinois and Wisconsin, was the target of "a cybersecurity incident."

This embedded content is not available in your region.

HSHS publicly acknowledged the outage in a social media post on Aug. 27.

Among the hospitals the not-for-profit Catholic organization operates is HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield and HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield.

Boatwright has said that federal authorities were involved in the investigation. According to a post, the FBI is the lead agency for investigating cybersecurity attacks.

Earlier this week, the health system gained access to the internet and phones, though some phone service was intermittent.

Most HSHS sites in Illinois and Wisconsin remain open, though there are some individual closures in Southern Illinois due to the outage. HSHS St. John's Hospital and HSHS St. Francis Hospital have not reported any closures. None of the HSHS clinics in Springfield have closed.

Workers are still trying to restore the clinical, administrative, and communications systems that were impacted by the attack, including MyChart communication, which helps patients schedule, manage, and check in for appointments; message care teams; pay bills; get test results and after-visit instructions and request prescription refills.

HSHS said it is working "diligently" and "making steady progress" to bring all of its systems back online, though it hasn't confirmed a timeframe.

The system also hasn't indicated whether patient medical records have been compromised by the attack.

Contact Steven Spearie: (217) 622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Kimberly Hodgkinson, the chief financial officer at HSHS, is out
GAZA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli authorities have decided to reopen the Kerem Shalom border crossing for commercial goods leaving the Gaza Strip after a five-day closure, Palestinian authorities said on Friday.

"Israel has officially informed us that goods exports through Kerem Shalom will restart on Sunday," the coordinating commission run by the Palestinian Authority said in a press statement to Xinhua.

Israel on Tuesday halted commercial goods leaving Gaza through Kerem Shalom, the sole crossing point for exports from Gaza to Israel, after thwarting an attempt to smuggle explosive materials at the crossing, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.

Israel accused the armed Palestinians in Gaza of assisting the militants in the West Bank in manufacturing explosives for use in attacks against the Israelis.

During the five-day suspension, the Gaza-based businessmen, workers, and human rights organizations have called on the international community to pressure Israel to revoke its decision and reopen the crossing.

Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2.3 million people, since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) seized control of the enclave in 2007.

Since then, the economic situation in the strip has deteriorated, leaving its residents struggling in dire living conditions. 
TUNICA CO., Miss.  A Tunica, Mississippi, man who had just been sentenced to probation for burglary is accused of burglarizing Tunica County Sheriffs Office vehicles and stealing a used car.

According to the Tunica County Sheriffs Office, 26-year-old Cordearld Gordon is charged with burglary of a vehicle, the taking of a motor vehicle, burglary of a business, and trespassing.

The sheriffs office says that at around 1:07 a.m. Friday morning, Gordon came to the sheriffs offices Old Mhoon Landing Road location and burglarized several vehicles, including patrol units.

Woman shot in downtown Memphis: MFD

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Gordon then reportedly burglarized H&H Used Cars on U.S. Highway 61 and stole a vehicle from the property.

The sheriffs office says Gordon then traveled to Hamilton, Alabama, and tried to sell the stolen vehicle. The Hamilton Police Department reportedly detained Gordon, who is now also facing criminal charges in Alabama.

The sheriffs office says that Gordon had just been sentenced to four years of probation for charges related to three separate business burglaries. Gordon was reportedly arrested on November 3, 2022, and was sentenced on August 21, 2023.

The sheriffs office says that Gordon is still in custody in Alabama and is awaiting extradition to Tunica County.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
ADRE, Chad  The U.S. will send $163 million in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by Sudan's civil war, U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced this week as she toured a sprawling refugee settlement housing 200,000 civilians who have fled the violence.

Thomas-Greenfield also announced new sanctions against the leaders of one of the two main warring parties.

What needs to happen is that the two warring parties have to stop. They have to stop fighting so that people can find peace, Thomas-Greenfield told NBC News in Chad on the border with Sudan.

The amount of aid Thomas-Greenfield unveiled Wednesday will be in addition to $547 million the U.S. had committed to the emergency response this fiscal year.

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The U.N. says it needs more than $1 billion in additional aid to support the 1 million people who have evacuated Sudan, including nearly 400,000 to neighboring Chad.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield (John Minchillo / AP file)

The ambassador met with some of those refugees, largely women and children, including many suffering from malnutrition. Some are mothers who are unable to nurse, while others are dying of hunger. Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, has established a makeshift hospital at the camp to care for the sick.

It is overwhelming. I think thats the only word that I can use, Thomas-Greenfield said. I see those little children. I saw a 6-month-old who looked like a newborn. And I was told by the doctors that actually she was doing better, showing that what we do actually saved lives.

Many in the camp had fled because they feared they had seen their friends raped, they had seen men killed, and they feared for their lives, she said.

Patients sit on the beds at a makeshift MSF hospital (Michelle Nichols / Reuters)

The refugees are fleeing a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis, with Sudans armed forces fighting against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and their affiliated militias. Fighting broke out in April, a few years after both sides jointly deposed longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in a coup.

The U.S., the U.N. and human rights groups say that sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in the conflict. The number of victims of gender-based violence is believed to have been grossly underreported, according to a U.S. official.

The U.N. has also authorized the International Criminal Court to investigate whether a genocide is unfolding in Sudan, with reports of massacres and ethnic cleansing mainly carried out against the Masalit tribe and other non-Arab communities.

In June, Sudans doctors union reported that more than 1,100 people had died in El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, in just the first two months of the civil war, according to Human Rights Watch.

Thomas-Greenfield announced sanctions against a leader of the RSF, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, as well as visa restrictions for Dagalo and the RSFs commander in the West Darfur region of Sudan, where the U.S. is accusing the RSF of engaging in ethnically motivated killings and other atrocities. Dagalo is the brother of the RSFs leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks with Sudanese refugees (Michelle Nichols / Reuters)

Observers warn that the past is repeating itself in Sudan. Nearly 20 years ago, a genocide in Darfur carried out by Janjaweed militias against non-Arab tribes killed more than 300,000 people, according to the U.N. Those militias have evolved into todays RSF.

You know it did change but now we are seeing the evidence of it starting again, Thomas-Greenfield said when asked whether anything had changed in the years since. What we see happening in Darfur right now portends to what we saw happening in Darfur in 2004. So, we have gone backwards in those years. And that is why it is so important that we hold those responsible accountable.

The International Criminal Court still has outstanding arrest warrants for the accused perpetrators of the genocide in the 2000s. (The U.S. and Sudan are not parties to the ICC.)

Andrea Mitchell and Abigail Williams reported from Chad and Owen Hayes from Washington.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The US is repositioning some troops and military equipment within Niger and removing some non-essential personnel from the country six weeks after a military coup toppled the democratically elected government, according to a US military official.

The troops will move from the Air Base 101 near Niamey, the Nigerien capital, to Air Base 201 in Agadez, a facility in central Niger from which the US conducts intelligence and reconnaissance missions, the official said. Those missions have been suspended since the coup occurred, but the US has maintained its military footprint in the central African nation until now.

The move was done out of an abundance of caution, the official said, and it does not represent a significant change in the overall numbers of military personnel within the country. The US has about 1,100 troops stationed at the two air bases and the embassy in Niamey.

The US military official declined to say how many non-essential personnel would be leaving Niger.

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Reuters first reported the repositioning of US troops.

The move of troops and military equipment between the two bases  more than 450 miles apart  was done in coordination with the Nigerien military, the official said. The US has conducted extensive training and exercises with the Nigerien military in the past, but that cooperation has been suspended since the coup.

The Biden administration has not designated the toppling of the democratically elected Nigerien government as a coup, instead pushing for a diplomatic resolution.

As far as Niger goes, I dont have any new announcements to make, said Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder at a news briefing Tuesday. Again, we remain focused on a diplomatic solution.

Niger serves as a critical base in the region for the US military, allowing the Defense Department to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in neighboring trouble spots like Mali and Burkina Faso.

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A 40-year-old woman has been arrested in connection to a fatal stabbing that occurred in 2022 at a Greenacres-area apartment complex.

Amy German was taken into custody Wednesday and faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and possession of methamphetamine. Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators allege that German was involved in the stabbing death of a 47-year-old man on the night of May 26, 2022, at an apartment on Greengate Circle, near Purdy Lane and South Haverhill Road.

A man identified in a PBSO arrest report as German's boyfriend, Yoannes Aleman, is listed as a co-defendant. Records show that Aleman, 45, has been in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections since March following his conviction on unrelated robbery charges.

During a hearing Thursday at the Palm Beach County Jail, County Judge Ted Booras assigned German a public defender and ordered that she be held without bail on the murder charge.

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Investigators did not disclose the name of the man who died, citing a 2018 state constitutional amendment modeled after California's Marsy's Law. The amendment allows victims of crimes or their families to request that their names be withheld from public reports.

Boynton Beach: Police searching for leads in I-95 on-ramp homicide death

A woman told investigators she was with the man as he drove to the apartment complex to meet with German. The woman said the man went into an apartment and returned to the vehicle a short time later, stating that German and her boyfriend had stabbed him.

She attempted to drive him to a hospital, but stopped to call 911 after the man began to lose consciousness. The man was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center to be treated for multiple stab wounds. He died days later.

Investigators say dispute centered around money, drugs

According to German's arrest report, a review of text messages between German and the 47-year-old man revealed that he intended to collect money he believed was owed to him. A further review indicated German and the man were arranging a possible drug transaction, deputies said.

German met with PBSO investigators days after the attack to give a voluntary statement.

During the interview, she told investigators she invited the man to her apartment because he owed her $40 for maintenance performed on a vehicle. She stated that she asked the man to wait at the door upon his arrival, then alleged that the man entered the residence and forced himself on top of her while holding a knife.

Palm Springs: Man found stabbed near park dies six days after attack

She told investigators Aleman responded to the sound of her screams and began fighting with the other man, eventually taking his knife away. She reported that Aleman hit the other man several times, but denied seeing him stab the man.

When asked about the text communications, German denied that she was speaking about drugs, but later changed her story in telling deputies she was speaking about marijuana, the report said. Deputies located Aleman weeks after the attack and took him to PBSO's Greenacres substation.

However, he refused to give a statement. Investigators say DNA evidence collected from a small plastic bag of methamphetamine found during a search of the apartment was a match to both German and the man who died. DNA from blood collected in other areas of the apartment matched the man who died and Aleman, the report said.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at@JuliusWhigham. Help support our work:Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBSO arrests woman in 2022 Greenacres-area stabbing death
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posed with Ukrainian spy chief Kyrylo Budanov in front of a Mi-8 helicopter.

The Mi-8 helicopter appears to be the one a Russian pilot flew to Ukraine in a daring defection.

In August, the pilot flew low and with his radio off into Ukraine after six months of planning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posed for a photo with the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov in front of a Mi-8 helicopter.

The helicopter in question appears to be the one flown by a Russian pilot into Ukraine in a daring defection carried out on August 9, 2023.

News that a Russian pilot defected to Ukraine in the same type of helicopter emerged in August, and additional details about the secret plot were revealed in a dramatic video released by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence in early September.

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The Mi-8 helicopter in the photo, taken to commemorate the Day of Military Intelligence of Ukraine, has the number "62" on it as does one shown in the video released by Ukraine.

Mi-8 helicopter from Ukrainian video of the defection of the Russian pilot. Defense Intelligence of Ukraine

The additional information about the defection included an interview with the pilot, Maksym Kuzminov, a 28-year-old former captain in Russia's 319th separate helicopter regiment, in which he encouraged others to defect and explained why he chose to leave Russia.

"What is happening now is simply genocide of the Ukrainian people: both Ukrainian and Russian," Kuzminov said, adding that he defected because he didn't want to be involved in committing war crimes.

The Russian pilot who defected speaks in an interview. Defense Intelligence of Ukraine

Kuzminov reached out to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence at the end of 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported, and the plan was then put into motion. He communicated with Ukrainian defense officials via the encrypted messaging app Telegram and came up with a plan to fly the stolen Russian helicopter into Ukraine.

Kuzminov's parents were taken out of Russia before he defected.

The pilot said he flew at an extremely low altitude and in radio silence mode to avoid detection during the defection on August 9.

Ukraine has sought to incentivize Russian troops to defect since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a law last year courting demoralized Russian troops, offering monetary rewards to Russians who defected with their equipment .

A helicopter fetches the equivalent of $500,000, the legislation says, and a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson confirmed this week that Kuzminov will get the full payout.

Two other crew members were on board who were not aware of the defection, and when they tried to flee they were "eliminated," Budanov told Radio Free Europe in August.

Read the original article on Business Insider
When Christine and Dan Switzer bought the old Thompson place, they bought a piece of Cowiche
You are the owner of this article.
Fei Junlong (C), Deng Qingming (R) and Zhang Lu, astronauts of China's Shenzhou-15 crewed mission, meet the press in Beijing, capital of China, July 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Three astronauts from the Shenzhou-15 crewed mission were awarded medals for their service to China's space endeavors on Thursday.

Fei Junlong was honored with a second-class aerospace achievement medal, while Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu received third-class medals and the honorary title of "heroic astronauts."

The awards were given by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission.

Fei, the Shenzhou-15 mission commander, also participated in the Shenzhou-6 crewed spaceflight mission and was the first astronaut to perform extravehicular activities after China's space station Tiangong was completed.

Deng, who got the chance to fly to space after 25 years of preparation, excellently performed a series of experimental tasks. The flight was also Zhang's first space mission.

Launched on Nov. 29, 2022, the Shenzhou-15 spaceship sent the trio to China's space station core module Tianhe, where they lived and worked for six months.

They performed extravehicular activities four times and conducted a series of space science and technology experiments during their stay.

The trio returned to Earth safely on June 4, 2023. The Shenzhou-15 mission wrapped up the last stage of China's space station construction and commenced the first stage of its application and development. 
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Incentive mechanisms can be a feasible path to achieving net-zero emissions, according to a report released in Beijing by the Boao Forum for Asia Academy on Thursday.

It estimates that from 2021 to 2025, the transition of the global energy industry will require an annual investment of 2.4 trillion U.S. dollars, which would account for about 70 percent of the total investment in the transition of all industries.

Although 40 percent of the 2,000 largest listed companies ranked by Forbes have set net-zero goals, we should not be optimistic that their commitments will be fulfilled, the report notes.

Therefore, establishing incentive mechanisms through carbon markets and carbon pricing is an important pathway to addressing significant financing gaps and promoting technological advancements, per the report.

Attention should be paid to issues such as the use of free quotas, the interaction of various markets, the characteristics of carbon prices and carbon price floors in the process of building and improving carbon markets.

The report regards carbon neutrality as a systematic, long-term project that requires national-level administrative planning and a market mechanism. It lauds China's work in publishing the "1+N" policy framework to achieve the country's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

In particular, the report stresses that power systems are the top priority of major countries' carbon reduction work, and suggests the development of renewable energy without shutting down fossil energy facilities in haste. It also calls for an upgraded power grid that is smart, and the creation of a price incentive mechanism that promotes peak shaving and energy storage.

The intermittency of renewable energy power generation requires improved reserve capacities and storage to ensure the low-carbon transformation of power systems, according to the report.

It also calls for more financial support in the global research and development of green technologies, including those related to carbon sinks in ecosystems, nuclear energy and nuclear fusion, and the capture, utilization and storage of carbon dioxide. 
SURSE: Noua Lege a pensiilor ar putea trece de Parlament pe 20 noiembrie

[ad_1] Vorbim despre o reforma care vine cu schimbari uriase in sistemul de pensii, si vdem asta din documentul pe care Realitatea PLUS l-a obtinut pe surse. Daca vorbim despre formula de calcul, aceasta se schimba in noua lege a pensiilor. Concret, daca [citeste mai departe]
Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- European natural gas prices jumped after a halt in Egyptian imports raised the risk of LNG flows from the country while the Israel-Hamas conflict intensified, according to Bloomberg. December futures surged as much as 7.1% on Monday before paring some of the gains. Prices are about 30% higher than

- Jens Stoltenberg, secretarul general al NATO, a declarat ca se asteapta ca Suedia sa devina foarte curand membru deplin al Aliantei, dupa ce Turcia a dat semnalul ca va ratifica in Parlament cererea de aderare. Sunt bucuros ca am reusit sa gestionam ingrijorarile legitime ale Turciei legate de securitate,

- NATO is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea following recent damage to undersea infrastructure in the region, the transatlantic military alliance said on Thursday, according to Reuters. The increased measures include additional surveillance and reconnaissance flights, including with maritime patrol

- Romanian authorities said Thursday they found a crater from a suspected drone that may have exploded on impact on its territory near the border with Ukraine, reviving concerns about a possible spillover of Russias war in Ukraine onto a NATO member country, according to AP news. The pre-dawn discovery

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- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will agree bilateral initiatives with Belgium, Bulgaria and Serbia on Thursday aimed at tackling organized crime linked to illegal migration, his office said, according to Reuters. At a European Political Community summit in Granada, Spain, Sunak will call for more

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- In timp ce majoritatea romanilor se plang de pensii prea mici, exista si persoane in Romania care incaseaza lunar sume incredibil de mari. Cea mai mare pensie bruta este de 95.423 de lei, in timp ce a doua ajunge la 71.147 de lei. Romania continua sa fie o tara extremelor in conditiile unor discrepante

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- Romanias consumer prices rose by 8.8% on the year in September, following a 9.4% annual increase in August, the national statistical office, INS, said on Thursday, according to See News. The average inflation rate over the last twelve months was 12.6%, INS said in a statement. Food prices jumped by

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- Una dintre cele mai frumoase cascade din Romania, Cascada Clocota din Geoagiu Bai, s-a prabusit. Jumatate din peretele cascadei cu ape termale a cazut fix in locul unde turistii faceau baie de obicei. Din fericire, la momentul prabusirii, niciun om nu se afla in preajma. O parte din versantul cascadei

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Thursdays meeting of Parliaments welfare committee had no quorum as neither Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, who was meant to be heard concerning the scandal involving Chinese respirators, nor governing party MPs were present, committee chairman Zoltan Varga told an online press conference.

Varga, a Democratic Coalition MP, said Pinter, who also oversees healthcare, would have been asked whether anybody will be held responsible after three years for the Chinese respirators that were bought for Ft 300 billion, only to be unusable and gathering dust today in warehouses.



The Democratic Coalition said the Orban cabinet had cost Hungarian taxpayers twice over with the Chinese ventilators, procuring them overpriced and then wasting more money on the storage payments when the respirators were not used even once.



After Transparency International fought a two-year litigation battle, it emerged in late August that the government has not sold any of the 17,000 respirators.



Direkt36 reported that the company that sold the respirators did not undertake to maintain them and that is why hospitals struggled to use the machines, which were found to often lack components.



HUF 300 Billion worth of ventilators go unsold



After several years of litigation, the government admitted that not a single ventilator was sold from a stockpile of about Ft 300 billion compiled during the coronavirus epidemic, Transparency International Hungary (TI) said in a statement.



During the Covid epidemic, Hungary acquired 16,000-17,000 ventilators , mostly from China, for a total of approximately Ft 300 billion, while even the worst-case scenario at the time did not envisage more than 8,500 patients to be ventilated at the same time.



The transactions went through intermediary companies, some newly created, whose owners made several billions in profit, before shutting the companies down within a short time.



MTI photo: Marton Monus
SYDNEY, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Police in the Australian state of Victoria confirmed that one person was killed on Friday with five others injured after a car crashed into pedestrians and then hit two other vehicles in Melbourne's central business area.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday evening, Victoria Police Superintendent Zorka Dunstan said that at about 6:20 p.m. local time, a white Toyota sedan struck three pedestrians at a tram stop when traveling east on Bourke Street near the corner of Swanston Street.

The driver then continued and slammed into two other vehicles, a Hyundai and a Mazda, at the intersection of Bourke Street and Russell Street.

According to Dunstan, the driver of the Hyundai died as a result of the crash. Three pedestrians and two occupants of the Mazda have been transported to hospital with minor injuries.

Police arrested the offender, a 26-year-old man from Melton West, at the scene, who is currently remaining in custody and undergoing a mental health assessment.

Dunstan assured local communities that there is no ongoing threat and the area will remain closed while the investigation continues.

"At this early stage, there is nothing to suggest any terror links," said the police official. 
In light of recent attempts to block former President Donald Trump from running in next years presidential elections in the United States, the government will not accept any criticism from the US on the state of democracy in Hungary, the foreign minister has said.

Answering a question at a press conference held after meeting his North Macedonian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto said that we do not want to hear remarks anymore from the Americans about the state of democracy in Hungary, how institutions work and what the situation with the state of the rule of law is.



He said Hungary would not accept any criticism over its political system from a country where a candidate who has the most chance might be disqualified from the presidential race.



Szijjarto said the exclusion of Trump would be very bad news also because he is the one to trust when it comes to creating peace.



Also, he insisted that the former US president had been the only politician to have achieved success in stabilising the situation in the Middle East in the past decades.
Deer roaring is one of the unique autumn phenomena in Hungarys forests, providing a one-of-a-kind experience even for regular hikers.

More and more people want to see and hear the red deer, the king of Hungarian forests, up close, which is why many venture into the forest at night. However, it's important to know that male red deer primarily engage in roaring to maintain their reproduction and not to dazzle the public.



During the mating season, the excited males focus on keeping rivals away and conquering female deer. Excessive human interest can disturb the animals' peace and even hinder reproduction.



To ensure the animals tranquillity and the safety of nature enthusiasts, Pilis Park Forest kindly requests that everyone get to know the deer's mating behaviour through guided tours and refrain from individual night outings in the forest. Approaching excited, combat-ready stags is not safe at all, so it's essential to follow the signs placed by the forest authorities.



The guided tours in the Park Forest ensure that you can observe the red deer's important moments without causing disturbance, while tour guides share valuable information.



Keep in mind that the events during the tours depend on nature, so some luck is needed to hear the roaring. In the most ideal circumstances, you may even hear the clash of antlers as competing stags engage in combat.



This year, the Pilis Park Forest is organising tours to witness the autumn deer roaring, while Budakeszi Wildlife Park welcomes September with night visits.



In each case, weather-appropriate clothing and a flashlight or headlamp are required.



Tour dates

Szentendre & Budapest Forestry

Dates: 11 September - 1 October.



Meeting points:

For Budakeszi, assemble at 4.45pm at the Budakeszi Wildlife Park car park; for Szentendre, 6pm in Pilisszentlaszlo, outside the Kisrigo restaurant. Tour length: 2-3km.



Participation fee with online advance payment:

4,000 forints, under-14s 3,000 forints.



Registration & information:

tinyurl.com/pilisiszarvasboges



Visegrad Forestry

Dates: Visegrad, 13 September; Pilismarot, 20 September.

Meeting points:

For Visegrad, 5.30pm at the Visegrad Nagyvillam car park; for Pilismarot, 5.30pm, at the end of Miklos Deak utca.



Tour time: 6pm-8.30pm.

Tour length: 3-4km.

Participation fee payable in cash on-site:

4,000 forints, under-14s, 2,000 forints.



Email Kiss.balazs@pprt.hu with your phone number, no later than 10am on the day of the tour.



Godollo Forestry

Dates: 15, 23 & 28 September, 6pm at the Galgamacsa hunting lodge.

Tour time: 6.30pm-8.30pm.

Tour length: 3-4 km.

Participation fee payable in cash on-site:

7,000 forints.



Email batky.daniel@pprt.hu with your phone number, no later than 10am on the day of the tour, or by Friday at 10am for weekend tours.



Valko Forestry

Dates: 13, 16, 17, 26 September.

Meeting point:

Erzsebet-piheno entrance (GPS: 47.576896, 19.429145, before the barrier) at 4.30pm (4pm 26 Sept). Binoculars also recommended.



Tour time 3 hours.

Tour length: 3-5 km.

Participation fee to be paid in advance:

7,000 forints.



Registration:

No later than 4pm on the day before the tour, or by Friday at 2pm for weekend tours. Email jaszberenyi.mark@pprt.hu with your phone number.



In addition to deer roaring tours, Budakeszi Wildlife Park offers four night guided tours through the autumn. Participants can observe the nocturnal life of animals on two walks, Enchanting Animals and Night of the Big Game.



More:

budakeszivadaspark.hu/hirek/ejszakai-szakvezetes-2023-osz/



Words by Peterjon Cresswell for Xpatloop.com

Peterjon has been researching the byways of Budapest for 30 years, extending his expertise across Europe to produce guidebooks for Time Out and his own website liberoguide.com
The owner of a Lincoln towing company crashed a car through his storefronts garage in an attempt to evade a cohort of law enforcement officers who had surrounded his business Wednesday morning to arrest him, authorities said.

Metro Fugitive Task Force investigators went to Jeremie Garrisons northeast Lincoln-based business, ALLways Towing Inc., at about 8 a.m. Wednesday after the 44-year-old failed to appear at a hearing last week in a felony court case against him, according to authorities and court filings.

Prosecutors in June charged Garrison with false imprisonment and terroristic threats for allegedly telling a 43-year-old he would smash (her) face in amid a confrontation at Garrisons southwest Lincoln house June 18, according to court records.

After Garrison failed to appear at a hearing in that case last week  marking the fourth time he has skipped a court appearance in the case, according to court filings  task force investigators went to ALLways Towing, at 5657 N. 57th St., to arrest him Wednesday, Chief Deputy Sheriff Ben Houchin said.

The 44-year-old first tried to run from authorities before retreating into his storefront, beginning a standoff that lasted nearly three hours Wednesday morning, Houchin said.

After negotiating with authorities, Garrison rammed a Dodge Charger through the towing companys garage and crashed into a law enforcement vehicle in his second attempt to escape, Houchin said.

He then retreated inside the business  where, Houchin said, he had a firearm  before investigators could apprehend him.

Garrison emerged from the garage with his hands in the air at 10:44 a.m., Houchin said, surrendering himself to authorities. Deputies took him to the Lancaster County Jail.

Houchin said he expects prosecutors will hit Garrison with additional charges for the alleged incident Wednesday.

We feel very fortunate that no law enforcement, innocent civilians or Mr. Garrison was injured in any way, the chief deputy said.

Judge Susan Strong signed an emergency protection order against Garrison in June that prohibits him from possessing or purchasing guns. But law enforcement officers dont seize weapons when they serve such protection orders.

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Kolkata/Lucknow/Kottayam: The outcomes of the bypolls in seven assembly seats across six states are set to be unveiled on Friday, marking a significant test for the INDIA alliance, the opposition conglomerate, as it faces off against the BJP-led NDA. These results are being closely watched ahead of impending state elections later this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Vote counting is scheduled to commence at 8 AM at designated centres within each respective state. The seven constituenciesBageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Puthuppally in Kerala, Dhupguri in West Bengal, Dumri in Jharkhand, and Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripurawent to the polls on September 5.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ghosi seat became vacant following the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan, who subsequently joined the BJP. The INDIA alliance rallied in the Ghosi constituency, where voter turnout reached approximately 50.77 per cent. In Jharkhand's Dumri, voter participation stood at an impressive 64.84 per cent out of 2.98 lakh eligible voters.

Among the seven seats, three were held by the BJP (Dhanpur, Bageshwar, and Dhupguri), while the SP (Ghosi), CPI(M) (Boxanagar), JMM (Dumri), and the Congress (Puthuppally) held one each.

In Uttarakhand, for the Bageshwar assembly bypoll, District Magistrate Anuradha Pal announced that counting will be conducted with 130 polling personnel at 14 tables. The Bageshwar seat became vacant following the passing of MLA and cabinet minister Chandan Ram Das earlier this year.

In Jharkhand, the INDIA alliance and NDA candidates await the results of the Dumri assembly bypolls. The counting center is situated at Krishi Bazar Samiti, Pachambha, in Giridih district, with over 70 officials overseeing 24 rounds of counting to ensure fairness. A joint security force, comprising the Central Armed Police Force and various Jharkhand police units, has been deployed.

In Tripura, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken measures to ensure transparent counting for both Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats, with the counting venue being Sonamura Girls' HS School. The tight security measures have been put in place for a smooth process.

In West Bengal's Dhupguri, personnel from the central armed police forces and state police are safeguarding the strong room located on the second campus of North Bengal University in Jalpaiguri. This by-election witnessed around 76 per cent of 2.6 lakh eligible voters exercising their franchise.

Kerala is also anxiously awaiting the results of the Puthuppally bypoll, where the UDF and LDF engaged in a fierce contest to fill the seat vacated by the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy. The constituency, situated in the southern Kottayam district, witnessed intense campaigning, making the September 5 by-election a matter of prestige for both ruling and opposition fronts in the state.

Vote counting in Puthuppally will commence at 8:00 AM at the special counting station in Baselius College. The initial tally will include postal and service ballots, with electronic voting machine votes counted in 13 rounds. The total number of booths in Puthuppally was 182.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asserted that the age-old Sanatan Dharma has withstood numerous challenges throughout history and will continue to thrive, impervious to the ambitions of "parasitic creatures" hungry for power. His comments came in the midst of a controversy triggered by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, who allegedly made remarks against Sanatan Dharma.

"The Sanatan Dharma that Ravana's arrogance couldn't erase, the Sanatan that Kansa's fury couldn't shake, and the Sanatan that remained unscathed despite the atrocities of Babur and Aurangzeb, will not be erased by these power-hungry opportunists," Adityanath stated in a concise verse shared via an X post, accompanied by a video of his statement.

The Chief Minister made these remarks during a cultural program held at the Police Lines in celebration of Janmashtami. Stalin had purportedly expressed that Sanatan Dharma is incompatible with concepts of equality and social justice, seemingly equating it to diseases like coronavirus and malaria, suggesting they should be eradicated.

Without naming anyone directly, Adityanath suggested that pointing fingers at Sanatan Dharma is a malicious attempt to disrupt humanity. He likened Sanatan Dharma to the sun, a source of boundless energy, stating that only a fool would attempt to spit at the sun, as it would inevitably return to the spitter's face. Adityanath also took a dig at opposition parties, predicting that their future generations would be ashamed of their actions, emphasizing the need to take pride in India's traditions.

The Chief Minister pointed out that history is replete with instances of those who attempted to harm the divine and faced their own destruction. He recalled how figures like Ravana, Hiranyakashyap, and Kansa faced dire consequences for their malicious endeavours, emphasizing that Sanatan Dharma is an eternal truth that cannot be harmed.

Wishing everyone on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami, he highlighted Lord Krishna's role as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, sent to establish religion, truth, and justice.
New Delhi: Asserting that no form of extremism or violence is acceptable in the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that his government is working closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle pro-Khalistan extremism and it will not be tolerated. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Sunak also spoke about his sense of pride in his Indian roots and the FTA negotiations between the two countries. Answering a question about concerns in India about activities of pro-Khalistani elements in Britain, the UK Prime Minster said the two countries have working groups to share intelligence and information so that this kind of violent extremism can be rooted out.

"It's a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that's why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle 'PKE' Pro-Khalistan Extremism, Rishi Sunak told ANI.

I don't think it's right. Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism. It's not right and I won't tolerate it in the UK," he added.

The National Investigation Agency is probing the attack on Indian High Commission in London by pro-Khalistan elements in March this year. The anti-terror agency has registered a First Information Report (FIR) based on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and began its probe into the incident in which the Tricolour at the Indian high commission in London was pulled down. India had lodged strong protest with the UK over the incident.

Rishi Sunak reached India earlier in the day to take part in the G20 Summit being held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty.
New Delhi: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida landed in India on Friday to attend the G20 Leaders Summit scheduled to be held in the national capital. At the airport, Kishida was received by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Kumar Choubey. At the G20 summit in India, Kishida plans to show Japan's stance of proactively contributing to various global issues, based on the results of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Japanese media reported.

"The agenda in India will include global food security, which has been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as development, digital transformation and other international issues," according to NHK. (Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: World Leaders Arrive In India, Receive Tradition Welcome! Check PICS)

Earlier this year, PM Modi met his Japanese counterpart in Hiroshima, where he attended the G7 Summit. During the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Modi spoke with partner countries on subjects such as peace, stability, and prosperity of a sustainable planet; food, fertiliser and energy security; health; gender equality; climate change and environment; resilient infrastructure; and development cooperation. (Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: PM Modi-President Biden Bilateral Talks Today, Here's What's On AGENDA)

The cooperation between India and Japan continues to deepen over time as the two nations share historical linkages with exchanges between the two countries being traced to the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced in Japan.

As both nations deal with the challenges provided by an aggressive China in the Asian region, India's political ties to Japan have grown significantly over the past few decades.

The commitment of India and Japan to a free and open Indo-Pacific, boosting economic cooperation, and encouraging people-to-people interactions is highlighted by their most recent strategic discussion.

In the lead-up to both the G20 and G7 summits, the visit of Japanese PM Kishida to India in March bolstered further commitment between the two countries to work together for the realisation of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.

India and Japan have already developed various frameworks of security partnership including a 2+2 Dialogue involving Foreign and Defence ministers. The two countries regularly participate in joint military exercises such as the Malabar Exercise and have various partnership agreements ranging from defence equipment trade to military logistics.

Japan is India's 13th-largest trading partner, whereas India is Japan's 18th-largest. With Japan's private sector investment in India steadily increasing, it is among the top five foreign investors in India.

India and Japan's joint efforts to foster a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region demonstrate the strength and potential of their ever-strengthening relationship.
By Dr. Suresh Ramanathan: India is hosting the G20 Summit for the first time and foreign dignitaries and delegates have started arriving for the meet. US President Joe Biden is also scheduled to arrive this evening. According to PM Modi's post on X, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting today. This is a valuable endeavor that can foster economic growth, technological advancement, and cultural exchange between the two nations. Both India and the USA possess unique strengths and expertise in various fields, and leveraging these strengths can create a win-win situation for both countries.

Some key areas of focus include education and skill Development, joint research initiatives and faculty collaborations, technology and innovation, (IT, AI, biotechnology, renewable energy, infrastructure etc.), entrepreneurship and startups, trade and investment, cultural exchange programs (in arts, media, tourism etc.), Professional exchange programs for working professionals, Knowledge sharing platforms etc.

Some of these are already in place - Indian and American tech companies often work together to develop cutting-edge products and services by establishing research and development centers in each other's territories to leverage local talent and expertise; Increased partnerships in the startup ecosystem in both countries is evident, with capital and jobs flowing in both directions; Many universities in India and the USA have established partnerships and exchange programs allowing for dual certification and international immersion (Columbia University and the IITs, Chicago Booth and Cornell with Great Lakes Institute of Management etc.); The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA have partnered on various space missions (ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission  Mangalyaan); Healthcare and Medical Research collaborations, clinical trials etc. have benefited both countries through medical advancements and improved healthcare practices (Merck and Biocon to develop and market a biosimilar version of a biologic drug for the treatment of diabetes  affordable medicine); MIT - Tata Center to develop technologically sophisticated solutions to some of Indias most pressing challenges in agriculture, environment, health, energy, water and housing.

Tech Mahindra and Virginia Tech's 5G Innovation Lab developed and tested 5G solutions for global markets; Defense collaboration including joint military exercises and the sharing of defense technologies has already enhanced the security capabilities of both nations while promoting regional stability; US-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) promotes energy security and access, and facilitates technology transfers in the energy sector leading to joint research projects, clean energy initiatives, and investment in renewable energy; Organisations such as the US-India Business Council (USIBC), a business advocacy organization, TiE Global (The Indus Entrepreneurs), diplomatic missions etc. promote and facilitate dialogues between government and industry leaders, identifying opportunities for association and addressing challenges faced by businesses in both countries. In fact, even Bollywood and Hollywood have created co-produced and cross-border film projects!

Even so, there is so much more that could be done in this space that requires a strategic and proactive approach. Some suggestions for entrepreneurs/corporates to create/strengthen this area:

1. Identify Key Areas of Collaboration where joint efforts using complementary strengths can generate synergies;

2. Engage in Professional Networking individually as well as through business associations and Chambers of Commerce and partner with Educational Institutions to identify opportunities, qualified talent, next & best practices etc.

3. Explore government programs and initiatives that offer grants, funding, and incentives for research, technology development and trade partnerships between India and the US.

4. Organize skill development programs, workshops and training sessions that align with the needs of both countries' industries.

5. Offer internships and exchange programs that allow students and professionals from both countries to gain experience in different work environments and build long-term relationships and enable knowledge sharing.

6. Create platforms that support startups and entrepreneurs from India and the USA. These platforms can facilitate investment, mentorship and networking for budding entrepreneurs looking to expand their ventures internationally.

7. Along similar lines, create platforms for Industry and Academics to work together to provide sustainable solutions to societys pressing issues.

8. Utilize social media, professional networks, and online forums to connect with potential collaborators and talent. Building an online presence can help in establishing organizations as credible entity.

9. Keep abreast of policy changes and regulations in both countries - being aware of the legal and regulatory environment will help ensure smooth operations and compliance.

Overall, building talent connections and fostering collaborations between India and the USA requires consistent effort, patience and a commitment to building long-term relationships. By leveraging the strengths of both countries and promoting mutual benefits, this can lead to shared prosperity and advancements in various fields.

(Disclaimer: This Article Is Authored by Dr. Suresh Ramanathan, Dean and Principal, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. Views Expressed In The Article Are Personal Opinion Of The Author And Zee News Does Not Confirm This.)
NEW DELHI: President Of India, Draupadi Murmu is set to host a prestigious G20 special dinner this Saturday in Delhi, and the guest list is generating considerable buzz. The distinguished attendees include all Cabinet and state ministers, Chief Ministers from across India, Secretaries to the Government of India, and other notable guests. Adding to the significance of the event, former Prime Ministers Dr Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also received coveted invitations to join the gathering. However, the JD-S patriarch has decided to skip the mega event due to his poor health.

However, in a noteworthy exclusion, political party leaders have been left off the guest list. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, who holds a cabinet minister rank, did not receive an invitation to this exclusive G20 dinner, said sources.

Other confirmed attendees at this gala affair include Chief Ministers Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Hemant Soren (Jharkhand), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), and Bhagwant Mann (Punjab).

This development follows a recent controversy surrounding President Draupadi Murmu's invitation, which referred to her as the "President of Bharat" instead of "President of India." Sources indicate that the guest list comprises cabinet and state ministers, chief ministers, government secretaries, and other distinguished individuals.

Inportantly, Mallikarjun Kharge, a Member of Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and President of the grand old party, remains uninvited possibly due to his non-ministerial status within the central or state governments, according to sources.

While Mamata Banerjee's attendance may seem surprising given her previous objections to the invitation's wording, sources suggest that her presence could be attributed to her friendship with Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who is also expected to be in attendance. The Trinamool Congress chief has a warm relationship with Sheikh Hasina, and the CPI(M) speculates that Banerjee might have additional engagements in New Delhi.

Senior Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha expressed his support for Banerjee's decision to attend, highlighting the importance of representing West Bengal on this global stage.

The G20 Summit's gala dinner will be held at the Bharat Mandapam's multi-function hall, located within the revamped India Trade Promotion Organisation complex at Pragati Maidan in Delhi, with ample seating capacity. The evening will feature a brief cultural program alongside the sumptuous dinner.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will personally greet each visiting head of state at the venue and host a working lunch for them on the same day. The G20 Summit, occurring under India's presidency, is scheduled for September 9 and 10 in Delhi, attracting heads of state from around the world, including US President Joe Biden.
NEW DELHI: The highly anticipated G20 Summit is set to grace the newly constructed Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in the heart of Pragati Maidan in the national capital, from September 9 to 10. In anticipation of this monumental political gathering, the vibrant city of Delhi has undergone a stunning transformation, with decorative lights and vibrant flowers taking centre stage in this remarkable metamorphosis.

Numerous landmarks and historical buildings, including the Jama Masjid and the Qutub Minar, as well as all the main roads leading to the G20 Summit venue, prominent hotels such as The Taj Palace in Chanakyapuri, have been adorned with special lights, vibrant flowers, and decorative umbrellas.

The Taj Palace Hotel, set to host several world leaders, now stands brilliantly illuminated in the colours of the Indian Tricolour. Even historical marvels like the Qutub Minar and the Red Fort have been bathed in radiant lights, while the city's streets shimmer with colourful illuminations.

In an 11-second video shared by the news agency ANI, the Taj Palace Hotel can be seen adorned with the colours of the Indian flag. Initially reserved for Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Taj Hotel has been allocated to China's State Council Premier, Li Qiang, who will represent China at the G20 Summit.

#WATCH | Hotel Taj Palace in Delhi illuminated in colours of the Tricolour as it prepares for the G20 Summit. pic.twitter.com/LvS6NvnXFl  ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2023

To enhance the city's ambience, striking G20 logos have been prominently displayed on footpaths and roundabouts surrounding the Pragati Maidan tunnel. Additionally, the India Gate area has been adorned with numerous decorations, infusing an air of grandeur into the surroundings.

#WATCH | Delhi | The area around Jama Masjid decorated with colourful lights, decorative umbrellas and flowers ahead of the G20 Summit. pic.twitter.com/3H5regAcLz  ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2023

Delhi's roads have undergone extensive renovations, with pavements adorned with flowers and life-size posters of India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in preparation for his scheduled bilateral talks with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

#WATCH | Delhi: Delegates of the G20 Summit to be served in silverware and gold utensils pic.twitter.com/1f2Zm0wGTL September 6, 2023

The cityscape now boasts nearly 700,000 flower pots, with flowers adorning roundabouts, while vigilant police personnel ensure a safe and harmonious atmosphere. Delhi has undergone a massive transformation in preparation for the G20 Summit, which will be held on September 9 and 10 in the national capital, attracting world leaders and delegates to India. Roads have been refurbished, pavements beautified, and boundary walls freshly painted. Metro stations have received artistic murals, adding vibrancy to the city's landscape.

In addition to road development, the Delhi government has embarked on extensive beautification projects, including the installation of 31 statues, and 90 fountains on PWD roads, the planting of 1.65 lakh plants, and the installation of decorative lighting.

Multiple agencies, including the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the Public Works Department (PWD), and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), have joined forces to elevate Delhi's aesthetics for the G20 Summit. Earlier, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) took readiness initiatives at the Delhi airport, including the setup of special immigration counters for the arriving guests.

India, which assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022, under the theme 'One Earth, One Family, One Future,' is hosting the mega Summit this year. The event, hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, will see the participation of over 30 heads of state, top European Union officials, invited guest countries, and 14 heads of international organizations.

A G20 Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the Summit, affirming the leaders' commitment to the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the ministerial and working group meetings.
TEHRAN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran arrested 10 suspects on Thursday after it seized more than 1 million liters of smuggled diesel off the coast of the southern province of Hormuzgan, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The smugglers had stored the fuel in clandestine depots and attempted to transfer it to a number of regional Arab states in plastic containers pulled behind their vessels, IRNA quoted Hormuzgan Police Commander Ali Akbar Javidan as saying on Thursday evening.

He added the fuel was intended to be smuggled out of the country through the bay of the Kolahi port in Minab County, but was seized in a joint operation by the Iranian police and naval forces.

The operation also uncovered 50 plastic and metal containers as well as more than 100,000 meters of underground land-to-sea fuel transfer pipelines, said Javidan.

Iran's government offers fuel subsidies, making fuel smuggling a lucrative business. 
Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States of America has arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit, hosted by India for the first time ever. Joe Biden, 78, the oldest president in the history of the USA landed at the Delhi International Airport in the Air Force One, the safest plane in the world. While he flew for several hours to reach India in the "flying oval office", Biden is now travelling in "The Beast", the safest and most advanced vehicle in the world to reach the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

All About Joe Biden's Cadillac One

1) The presidential car is a duo of specially made limousines by Cadillac, an American automaker. Two identical Cadillac One travels together wherever the US President travels.

2) Fondly called "The Beast", the new Cadillac One was taken into the Presidential Secret Service fleet in 2018 after spending a great time in R&D.

3) The Beast is made using military-grade armour which is five inches thick and the doors of the vehicle are armoured-plated with eight inch thickness, making the vehicle bulletproof and bomb proof.

4) Five layers of polycarbonate and glass, along with the chassis made up of reinforced stainless steel plates keeps the President of the United States of America extremely safe.

5. Not just the body, the tyres are reinforced with the hardest possible material, Kevlar and are puncture resistant and can drive the President at high speed even after a bomb attack.

#WATCH | G-20 in India: US President Joe Biden departs for hotel after he arrived in Delhi for the G-20 Summit



He will hold a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi later today#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/w9Z1hMbXtG  ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

6) The Beast gets its own oxygen supply for the cabin in case of an emergency and the President has access to the panic button which provides car cabin with oxygen.

7) The Beast houses a satellite phone which has a direct hotline to the Vice President and the Pentagon.

8) The trunk of the car houses smoke-screen dispensers, tear gas and a complete firefighting system in it along with pump-action shotguns and tear gas cannons.

9) There's also blood bags of the President's blood group in case of emergency and the driver is trained to perform extreme escape and evasion manuevers, including the 180-degree 'J-turn'.

10) The car weighs more than 7000 kg due to the heavy armour and its sheer size and is fitted with a 7.5-litre V8 diesel engine which produces 214 horsepower.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit set to be held under India's Presidency on September 9-10, according to sources. On September 8, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts of Mauritius and Bangladesh at Lok Kalyan Marg, according to sources he will also hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.

On September 9, PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with UK counterpart Rishi Sunak, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. He will hold a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. Furthermore, the Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

On September 10, PM Modi will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will be having a pull-aside meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He will have bilateral meetings with leaders from Comoros, Turkey, South Korea, UAE, Nigeria, Brazil, the European Union and the European Council, according to sources.

India is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on September 9-10. World leaders have started arriving in India to attend the G20 Summit.

So far, Mauritius Prime Minister Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, European Council President Charles Michel, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and several other leaders have arrived in India for the G20 Summit.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. Formed in 1999, the G20 was setup to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.
New Delhi: US President Joe Biden arrived in India on Friday for the G20 Summit during which he will engage with other leaders on issues facing major economies of the world. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation Gen VK Singh (retd). US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti was present at the airport with his daughter. President Biden interacted with her as also had a brief chat with the union minister. He also cheered the group of dancers who performed a traditioinal dance to welcome him.

Biden is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Modi on Friday itself. This is his first visit to India as US President. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One earlier that G20 hosted by India will be an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time. As we head into the G20, were looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we think are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world, Sullivan said.

And that goes from climate, to energy security, to food security, to global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank reform initiative that President Biden has been working on. And so, we think this will be a  an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time, he added.

The 18th G20 Summit is being held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. The bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Biden will be held on Friday evening.

"Im headed to the G20  the premier forum for international economic cooperation  focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver," Biden had said on X before leaving for Delhi.

Prime Minister Modi was on a state visit to the US from June 21 to 24. Sullivan said the bilateral meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modis visit to the United States.

We will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well, he said.
New Delhi: Several world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and UN Secretary General Antonia Guterres, arrived here on Friday to attend the G20 summit, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he looks forward to productive discussions with them over the next two days. The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances by various troupes and a smiling IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva danced to the beat of the music at the airport.

Responding to a post by Georgieva on X on arrival here to attend the summit, Prime Minister Modi said he appreciates the affection she has shown for India's culture when she landed here. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hasina were received at the airport by Union Ministers Shobha Karandlaje and Darshana Jardosh respectively.

Sunak was received by Union Minister Ashwini Choubey while Argentine President Alberto Fernandez was welcomed by Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste. Comoros President Azali Assoumani also arrived here to a rousing welcome. He is also the chairperson of the African Union.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also arrived for the summit. On his arrival, Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said was received by Ashwini Choubey and he witnessed dance performance by cultural troupes.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, "I am confident that our guests will enjoy the warmth of the Indian hospitality." "I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," he added.

The G20 leaders will deliberate on pressing global issues at the grouping's annual summit here on September 9 and 10. India is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current G20 chair.

The leaders of the influential grouping are being welcomed at the airport with cultural performances.

In its G20 presidency, India has been focusing on various issues such as inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience and equitable global health access.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc scored four seats against the BJP's three in the by-elections for seven assembly constituencies across six states announced on Friday. The BJP secured three seats and one seat each went to Congress, SP, JMM and TMC. The BJP held on to the Bageshwar assembly seat in Uttarakhand and Dhanpur in Tripura and snatched Boxanagar assembly seat from CPI(M) in the northeastern state, where the INDIA alliance parties had teamed up, but conceded the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The Samajwadi Party maintained its Ghosi Assembly seat in a direct contest with Dara Singh Chauhan of the BJP in the by-poll. The BJP hailed its triumph in Tripura bypolls, claiming that it was the end of the line for the communists in the northeastern state, which was once regarded as a Left stronghold. BJP's spokesperson for the northeastern region Sambit Patra said the results are a knockout blow to the "arrogant" coalition of opposition parties.

The opposition alliance tasted victory in Jharkhand, where the JMM retained the Dumri assembly seat, and in the Ghosi assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh, where it supported the Samajwadi Party. "It is a win for constructive politics and a defeat for destructive communal politics... It is India moving towards INDIA's victory," SP leader Akhilesh Yatra said, declaring his party's victory even though the official result was yet to be declared.

The bypolls were the first electoral test for the INDIA alliance of 28 parties formed recently to challenge the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls next year. Of the seven seats where bypolls were held on September 5, three were previously held by the BJP, and one each was with the Congress, SP, CPI(M) and JMM.

The opposition Congress-UDF in Kerala retained the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as its candidate Chandy Oommen, son of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, defeated ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas.

While Oommen collected 80,144 votes, Thomas could get only 42,425 votes. BJP candidate Lijin Lal finished a distant third with 6,558 votes.

The Congress and the Left, which are part of the INDIA alliance but are the main rivals in the southern state, contested against each other and poll observers said the sympathy generated by the demise of his hugely popular father played out to the benefit of Chandy Oommen.

Jharkhand Mukti Moracha's Bebi Devi won in Dumri in Giridih district by overcoming AJSU's Yashoda Devi by over 17,000 votes, according to a district administration official. The JMM candidate who is also the INDIA block nominee got about 1,35,480 votes while NDA candidate Yashoda Devi got about 1,18,380 votes, the official said.

Bebi Devi is the wife of former Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto, whose death in April necessitated the by-election. She termed her victory as a 'true tribute' to Mahto who had represented the seat since 2004.

TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a college professor, won the Dhupguri seat by over 4,313 votes. He bagged 96,961 votes, while his closest rival BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021, got 92,648 votes, officials said. CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, who was backed by the Congress, was a distant third with 13,666, they added.

"I would like to congratulate all those who beat the BJP to win the bypolls. The BJP has lost four bypolls out of the seven held on September 5. This is a big win for INDIA," West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the people of Dhupguri embraced politics of development over hatred and bigotry.
Brussels: Dubbing the India vs Bharat controversy a "distraction tactic" and a "panic reaction", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the government is little scared and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "disturbed" to the extent that he wants to change the country's name which is absurd.

Addressing a press conference here, Rahul Gandhi, who is on a week-long Europe visit, said: "I am happy with the names that we have in the Constitution. India that is Bharat works perfectly for me. I think these are panic reactions, there is a little bit of fear in the government and it is a distraction tactic.

He said that the opposition parties came out with the name INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) for "our coalition and it's a fantastic idea as it represents who we are".

"We consider ourselves the voice of India so the word works very well for us. But it actually disturbs the Prime Minister very much that he wants to change the name of the country which is absurd. But that's what it is," he said.

While discussing Manipur violence he said that his party is very much for democratic rights and peace and the democratic and institutions are under attack in the country. Rahul Gandhi said, "Our position on Manipur was very clear and I actually visited Manipur and I think we are very much for democratic rights, harmony, peace between people."

"And as Sam Pitroda said I walked for over 4,100 kms (during Bharat Jodo Yatra) for that very purpose (unity and peace) and I think that there is a sense in India that the democratic structures of the country and the institutional structures of the country are under attack from the group of people running India. I dont think this point is missed by anybody, I think anybody who has knowledge of India knows this," he said, adding that of course there are other considerations, when you are dealing with India these days as you will be well aware.

The democratic fight and the fight for democracy in India is ours and its our responsibility and we will take care of it and we will make sure that the sort of onslaught on our institutions and our freedom is stopped and the opposition will make sure that it happens, he said in response to a question that he raised the Manipur issue here.

He held a roundtable meeting with the Members of the European Union (MEP) to discuss the human rights situation in Manipur. The meeting was not on the official agenda, so it was held behind closed doors.

According to sources, the meeting went well and Rahul Gandhi was able to raise the issue of human rights in Manipur with the MEPs. The MEPs were reportedly concerned about the situation and expressed their support for the people of the state.

To another question on Kashmir and the role of international diplomacy, the Congress leader said, "Kashmir is an integral part of India so it's nobody's business other than India's."

"Our position is very clear and even in a resolution of the CWC we have mentioned it. But I feel that democratic structures and institutions need to be protected and the voice of people need to be protected and defended and that goes across India including Kashmir," Rahul Gandhi said.

When asked about Pegasus and if he was still being spied on, he said, "I mean the fact that Pegasus was on my phone is a known fact. I don't know the details of how I am tracked but I am tracked, I am certainly sure."

Rahul Gandhi arrived in Brussels on September 6 and will visit some other nations like France, Netherlands and Norway till September 11 and participate in several interactive programmes and also meet businessmen and diaspora. He is scheduled to return on September 12 after wrapping up his visit.
During the upcoming G20 summit weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to engage in a series of bilateral meetings with over 15 world leaders from Friday to Sunday. Official sources have confirmed that on Friday, Prime Minister Modi will host bilateral discussions at his official residence with the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Additionally, he will hold a meeting with the leader of Mauritius.

On Saturday, PM Narendra Modi's agenda includes bilateral meetings with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Italy, all while actively participating in various G20 events. Sunday will see PM Modi convening a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, further enhancing diplomatic relations.

In addition to these formal meetings, the prime minister will also have a pull-aside meeting with his Canadian counterpart. Further bilateral meetings are scheduled with the leaders of Comoros, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, the European Union/European Commission, Brazil, and Nigeria. This flurry of diplomatic engagements underscores India's active role on the global stage and its commitment to fostering international cooperation and partnership.
Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet has made a recommendation to the Centre to withdraw the Disturbed Areas Act and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the entire state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. Earlier, Assam CM Sarma on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital and pleaded for the complete withdrawal of the AFSPA from the state. In the course of the meeting that lasted for 30 minutes, Chief Minister Sarma and Union Home Minister Shah discussed threadbare the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from Assam, as per the Assam government release.

The Chief Minister cited the significant improvement in the law and order situation, the surrendering of scores of underground cadres of extremist outfits with huge caches of arms and ammunition following the signing of several peace accords and the drastic fall in deaths of security personnel and civilians as reasons for the complete lifting of AFSPA from Assam.

It may be noted that the Disturbed Area notification has been in force since 1990 in the whole of Assam. On April 1, 2022, the AFSPA was removed from the entire State of Assam except for nine districts, including one subdivision of another district. From April 1, the districts under the AFSPA in Assam were further reduced to eight as the Act was withdrawn from the Lakhipur subdivision of Cachar district.

The law empowers the Armed Forces and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed in Disturbed Areas to arrest a person without a warrant and enter or search premises without a warrant along with some other actions.
New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Friday lauded Indias G20 presidency for further demonstrating how the grouping, as a forum, is delivering important outcomes. He and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address their greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks, a joint statement issued after the bilateral meeting between the two leaders said.

Biden, who arrived in India on Friday evening to attend the G20 summit, which is scheduled to take place between September 9 and 10, along with Modi, reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific. Modi looked forward to welcoming Biden to the next Quad Leaders Summit to be hosted by India in 2024, the statement said.

India welcomed the US decision to co-lead the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Pillar on Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, further to the US decision to join IPOI in June 2023.

Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again Indias candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29.

The leaders once again underscored the need to strengthen and reform the multilateral system so it may better reflect contemporary realities and remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council.

Earlier Modi welcomed Biden to India, reaffirming the close and enduring partnership between India and the US. The leaders expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground breaking achievements of Prime Minister Modis "historic" June visit to Washington, the joint statement said.

The two leaders called on their governments to continue the work of transforming the India-US Strategic Partnership across all dimensions of their multifaceted global agenda, based on trust and mutual understanding.

"They re-emphasised that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship," the joint statement noted.
A 30-year-old Bangladeshi national was arrested here for allegedly sexually harassing a female flight attendant on board a Muscat-Dhaka flight travelling via Mumbai, a police official said on Friday. The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday some time before the Vistara flight was scheduled to land at the Mumbai international airport, he said.

"The accused, identified as Mohammed Dulal, who is a Bangladeshi national, was going to Dhaka from Muscat via Mumbai on a Vistara flight. Half an hour before the plane was to land in Mumbai, Dulal got up from his seat, hugged a female flight attendant and tried to kiss her," the official said. He also tried to flash at other cabin crew members and passengers when they tried to intervene, he said.

Also read: Mumbai Airport Receives India's First Level 4 ACI Customer Experience Accreditation

The accused flyer also did not listen to the flight captain when the latter was reading out a red warning card, declaring him an unruly passenger, he said. After landing at the Mumbai airport, the accused was handed over to security officers, who took him to the Sahar police station, the official added.

Based on a complaint lodged by the flight attendant, a first information report (FIR) under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the accused and he was placed under arrest, he said. He was produced in a local court, which remanded him in police custody till Friday, he said.

In a statement, a Vistara spokesperson said, "An incident regarding an unruly passenger was reported on Vistara flight UK 234 operating from Muscat to Mumbai on 6 September. In view of the gross misconduct, the captain issued a warning letter and made the decision to restrain the customer."

"In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival," the airline official said.

The customer has been taken into custody for further investigation by the security agency at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai. The incident has been reported to the local authorities as per the SOPs, the statement added.

"Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety, security, and dignity of its customers and staff," the spokesperson said.
MANILA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has resumed exporting fresh mangoes to Australia with an initial shipment of 1,500 kilograms of Carabao mangoes this week after an interruption of 10 years, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture said Friday.

The department said the Philippines sent the first shipment on Wednesday, a day before the two-day state visit by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the first Australian head-of-state to visit the Philippines since 2003.

The mango shipment to Sydney and Perth marked the first fresh export from the Philippines to Australia in 10 years.

Agriculture department's Assistant Director for Research, Development and Production Support Services Herminigilda Gabertan said the Philippines last exported mangoes to Australia in 2013. "So this is a big step towards our mango industry development," she said. 
New Delhi: ZEE5 recently announced a film based on transgender community and the repercussions they face throughout their existence. Ever since the trailer dropped, audiences across the country have been talking about it be it Nawazuddin Siddiquis never seen before look to Anurag Kashyaps portrayal as a bad-ass politician. The film has made noise for all the right reasons. Haddi is anunconventional revenge dramabecause of its unique and thought-provoking sequences that challenge stereotypes and societal norms. The film intricately weaves together a narrative that delves into the lives of marginalized individuals while addressing larger societal issues.

These five sequences showcase the film's ability to break free from cliches, providing audiences with a fresh and thought-provoking cinematic experience:

100 transgender women getting killed by an influential man and destroying the hijra gharana

One of the remarkable elements that sets Haddi apart from typical revenge dramas is its portrayal of a powerful individual orchestrating the demise of the Hijra Gharana. This tragic incident not only establishes the movie's tone but also devastates the closely-knit transgender community. The repercussions of this heart-wrenching massacre reverberate throughout the film, shining a spotlight on the strength and fragility of these marginalized lives.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui's [Haddi] Vendetta Against Anurag Kashyap

Nawazuddin Siddiqui who plays the role of transgender in the movie, joins forces with a gang of transgenders in the heart of Delhi. Their collective aim is to avenge the loss of the Hijra Gharana, led by Anurag Kashyap's character which serves as a representation of the societal prejudice and injustice experienced by the transgender community. This audacious act of seeking retribution introduces intricate dimensions to the storyline, effectively shedding light on broader societal concerns.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui [Harika] falling in love

Breaking stereotypes, Nawaz's character finds unexpected love in Zeeshan Ayyub's character, a fellow member. This unorthodox romantic angle defies societal norms, challenging the audience's preconceived notions about relationships. The delicate portrayal of their affection adds a layer of tenderness to the otherwise gritty and intense storyline.

Transgender woman [Harika] getting married to a boy of her own choice

Another revolutionary aspect of the film emerges as Harika, portrayed by Nawazuddin, fearlessly enters matrimony with Irfan, portrayed by Zeeshan  a union born out of her personal inclination. This scene resonates as a celebration of the characters' self-determination and empowerment, shining a spotlight on their entitlement to shape their own destinies. The movie defies established norms surrounding identity and marriage, presenting a compelling argument for embracing love in its diverse and all-encompassing manifestations.

Fearless Against All Odds

Nawaz emerges as an indomitable force throughout the movie. Regardless of the adversary's status  be it a high-profile individual or an everyday person, Nawaz fearlessly stands up against injustice. This attribute sets Nawaz apart as a relentless protagonist who fights not only for personal vengeance but also for the dignity and rights of the transgender community.
Bengaluru: The BJP will have an understanding with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Friday, an announcement that shot up political temperature in the State. The veteran leader, who is also the BJP parliamentary board member, said that as part of the poll understanding, the JD(S) will contest in four Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, which has a total of 28 constituencies.

"I'm happy about that, Deve Gowda ji has met our Prime Minister, and already they have finalised four seats. I welcome that.... I feel happy, BJP and JD(S) will have an understanding. Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) has agreed to give four Lok Sabha seats (to JD(S))," the four-time Chief Minister said in response to a question. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "this has given us great strength, and this will help us in winning 25 or 26 Lok Sabha seats together." .

The BJP swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka by winning 25 seats, while an independent (Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya) backed by it won in one seat. The Congress and JD(S) won one seat each.

In the elections to the 224-member Assembly held in May this year, the Congress bagged 135 seats, while the BJP secured 66 and the JD(S) 19. Following the Assembly poll results, there were reports that JD(S) would enter into an alliance with the BJP to fight the Lok Sabha polls. It was also said that the JD(S) leader had met BJP central leadership in Delhi in this regard.

However, subsequently JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, had indicated that the party will contest Lok Sabha polls alone. JD(S) had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Congress, as both parties were then running an alliance government under the Chief Ministership of Gowda's son H D Kumaraswamy.

While Gowda had then lost the polls in Tumakuru, his grandson Prajwal Revanna, was the only winning JD(S) candidate, who had emerged victorious in the party's home turf of Hassan. According to BJP sources, the talks on understanding have taken place between BJP central leadership and JD(S) top brass, and state leaders don't have much clarity on this.

BJP may cede Hassan and Bengaluru Rural seats, where it doesn't have sitting MPs, to JD(S), sources said, adding that after deliberations things may be clear in the days to come about the seats, as names of seats like Mandya, Tumakuru, Kolar and Chikkaballapura are also doing rounds.

Responding to a question on poll understanding with JD(S), state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel said, "discussions have begun. Now we have 25 plus one 26, we will do all the preparations required to win all the 28 seats.". In the days to come a plan of action will be arrived at, he said, adding "we will sit and discuss in the days ahead regarding the poll strategy and preparations." .

Another former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said, "we have jointly fought against this evil (Congress) government both inside and outside the legislature on several issues. Naturally, to save Karnataka it is necessary for the opposition parties to unite. In that context these discussions are significant. Everything will come out in the days to come." Kumaraswamy in July had said that his party had decided to work together as an opposition with the BJP, in the interest of the state, and both parties had tried to corner the Congress government unitedly, during the monsoon session of the state legislature recently.

Following the Assembly poll debacle, BJP, wary of its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, is open for an alliance with JD(S), aimed at regaining maximum number of seats, sources from both parties said, adding, it hopes JD(S) votes may get transferred to it, especially in the old Mysuru region where the regional party has significant presence.

For JD(S), it is a matter of survival, and the party hopes to better its prospects by forging an alliance with BJP in the backdrop of Congress' reported attempts to weaken it by wooing its leaders, they said.

Not willing to make any comment on the development, JD(S) state President C M Ibrahim said, party national President Deve Gowda will make a detailed statement on this.

"So far no discussions have taken place regarding this on the party forum. On September 10, we have called a party workers meeting, we will gather opinions there. There is a Core Committee headed by senior party MLA G T Devegowda, after touring across the state whatever report they will give, based on that we will take a decision," he said.

JD(S) Core Committee chief G T Devegowda said, "Kumaraswamy has good relationship with BJP leaders and they are in talks with him and me, but the decision will be arrived at after discussion based on certain yardstick.".

Alleging atrocities by the Congress dispensation on JD(S) workers and leaders in various places, he said the party is of the view that to defeat Congress in Lok Sabha polls, it is necessary to have an alliance with BJP. This was brought to the notice of the party leadership and national president at a recent meeting.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he is not bothered about the poll pact between the BJP and JD(S) for the Lok Sabha elections saying the people will back the Congress party. Speaking to media persons he said, "Whether there will be an alliance or whether they will fight separately, I am not bothered".

"We will appeal to the people to vote. People are with us. They will vote for us," the chief minister said when his reaction was sought. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, termed the development as not new.

"Let them do it (have an understanding)....earlier too they had done it when Ashokanna (BJP leader R Ashoka) and Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) had come together in the previous (BJP-JDS coalition) government. Nothing wrong, let them do anything for their survival. But my question is how their (JDS) ideology works? Deve Gowda in earlier situations had ruled out alliance with BJP," he said.

Raising questions on JD(S)' survival in the future, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said, "It is left for them. They would have built a party based on an ideology... I don't know what will happen to their party, their legislators, former legislators. It is left for them." .

JD(S) had earlier formed governments in coalition with both BJP and Congress respectively for 20 months from January 2006, and for 14 months from May 2018, with Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that the Opposition parties in India share the same view as the Government on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. He was addressing a press conference at the Brussels Press Club as part of his European tour organised by the Indian Overseas Congress. He said that India has a relationship with Russia and he does not think that the Opposition would disagree with the Governments stance on the conflict, when he was questioned about Indias increasing crude oil purchases from Russia despite the Western sanctions.

"I think the Opposition, by and large, would agree with India's current position on the conflict (between Russia and Ukraine). We have a relationship with Russia. I don't think the Opposition would have a different position than what the Government is currently proposing, Rahul said.

LIVE: Brussels Press Club | Media Interaction | Belgium, Europe https://t.co/OSwHnWXD2o September 8, 2023

The Wayanad MP also said that Indias oil imports are based on its national interest and its large consumer base, and that India wants Russia to follow the path of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

Moreover, when he was asked about the Governments decision to not invite the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to the G20 Summit, he criticised the Government for not respecting the Leader of 60 per cent of Indias population. He asked people to think about the reason and the mindset behind this decision.

Gandhi also said that he will visit Paris and meet with French lawmakers, and then go to Norway to meet with its parliamentarians in Oslo, before returning to India.

The former Congress president said that as the Lok Sabha elections are approaching next year, the 28-party Opposition bloc - INDIA - is preparing a wider strategy to counter the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.
New Delhi: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived here on Friday to attend the G20 Summit being held on September 9 and 10. He is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty. Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey received Sunak and his wife at the airport.

A group of dancers performed a traditional Indian dance to welcome Sunak and his wife. It is Rishi Sunak's first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed office in October last year. (Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: World Leaders Arrive In India, Receive Tradition Welcome! Check PICS)

Ahead of his arrival in Delhi, Rishi Sunak said that he is heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable. (Also Read: G20 Summit 2023: PM Modi-President Biden Bilateral Talks Today, Here's What's On AGENDA)

"Im heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that  Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine," Sunak said in a post on X.

"At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the worlds most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putins war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy," UK Prime Minister's Office said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak on September 9 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, sources said.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year and discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement and the talks started in 2022.

The 12th round of negotiations for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) took place from August 8 to 31. The negotiations for the UK-India FTA were conducted in a hybrid fashion, with a number of UK officials travelling to Delhi for negotiations and others attending virtually.

In August this year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UKs Secretary of State for Trade Kemi Badenoch took stock of the FTA and agreed on ways to progress the negotiations. The 13th round of negotiations is due to take place in September.

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the Summit being held in India for the first time.
New Delhi: In a celebration of India's diverse musical heritage, a virtuoso ensemble of instrumentalists, each representing various classical and contemporary music styles, is set to enthral world leaders attending the G20 Summit, as revealed in an official program brochure. The performance, titled 'Bharat Vadya Darshanam' or 'Musical Journey of India,' is presented by the 'Gaandharva Aatodyam' group and will take centre stage during the ceremonial dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in honour of the G20 leaders on September 9.

Conceptualized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the presentation will feature an array of Indian classical musical instruments, including santoor, saranagi, jal tarang, and shehnai, among others. The brochure describes the ensemble as a "unique and groundbreaking musical presentation, a harmonious journey of Bharat through music." It promises to showcase prominent musical styles, such as Hindustani, Carnatic, folk, and contemporary music, all of which encapsulate India's rich musical tapestry.

"This journey will take us through all parts of India through their representative music. Our co-traveller will be the 'Gaandharva Aatodyam' with an ensemble of 78 traditional instrumentalists from all over the country," states the official brochure.

"This pioneering program celebrates the rich tapestry of Bharats musical heritage, bringing together virtuoso instrumentalists who infuse their unique styles into a mesmerizing symphony of sounds. With this innovative blend, the ensemble not only showcases the cultural depth of India but also creates an auditory experience that transcends regional boundaries," it continues.

The musical performance will commence with compositions in Vilambit Laya (slow tempo), followed by Madhya Laya (medium fast tempo), and conclude with pieces in Druta Laya (fast tempo), according to officials.

The ensemble comprises 34 Hindustani musical instruments, 18 Carnatic musical instruments, and 26 folk musical instruments from various regions of India. Among the 78 artists involved are 11 children, 13 women, six differently-abled (divyang) artists, 26 young men, and 22 professionals, as indicated in the brochure.

The brochure highlights that the musicians will immerse themselves in ancient Vedic musical instruments, tribal instruments, and folk instruments, alongside classical musical instruments, creating a captivating auditory landscape. The musicians will be adorned in traditional attire representative of their respective regions.

Officials also mention that this pioneering initiative exemplifies the profound impact of music in celebrating India's diverse artistic expressions in a truly aesthetic manner. The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled to take place at the newly constructed international convention and exhibition centre, Bharat Mandapam, in Pragati Maidan from September 9-10.

The G20 dinner, hosted at Bharat Mandapam for heads of states and other top leaders, will be a remarkable event. In the official invitation sent by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu is addressed as the "President of Bharat."
Migrants celebrate after they arrived in Eagle Pass, Texas, the United States on July 25, 2022. (Photo by Nick Wagner/ Xinhua)

The increase in child migration is reflected in the increased number of refugee and migrant children apprehended at the southern border of the United States.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Spurred by violence, instability, poverty and climate-related events, children are migrating through Latin America and the Caribbean in record numbers, a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) official said on Thursday.

"Gang violence, instability, poverty and climate-related events are, alarmingly, gripping the region and pushing more children from their homes," said UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean director Garry Conille. "More and more children are on the move, of an increasingly young age, often alone and from diverse countries of origin, including from as far away as Africa and Asia."

A UNICEF press release quoted Conille as saying that when the children cross several countries, and sometimes the entire region, disease and injury, family separation and abuse may plague their journeys. Even if they reach their destination, their futures often remain at risk.

UNICEF said record numbers of children move via three major migration routes in Latin America and the Caribbean: through the treacherous Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama, outward migration from South America, and at key transit points in northern Central America and Mexico.

According to the UN agency, the nature of migration in Latin America and the Caribbean region has changed dramatically in the last decade.

At least 29,000 children made the perilous Darien crossing in 2021, UNICEF said, adding that an estimated 40,000 children made the crossing in 2022 and more than 60,000 children crossed the Darien jungle in the first eight months of 2023.

Photo taken on Sept. 19, 2021 from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, shows immigrants attempting to cross the river Rio Bravo on the border between Mexico and the United States. (Xinhua)

The increase in child migration is reflected in the increased number of refugee and migrant children apprehended at the southern border of the United States.

Conille told reporters in a briefing that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency recorded more than 149,000 children crossing in fiscal year 2021 and more than 155,000 in fiscal year 2022. In the first seven months of fiscal year 2023, more than 83,000 children entered the United States from across the southern border.

The U.S. fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

UNICEF said the proportion of children moving along major migration routes in Latin America and the Caribbean hit a record high in the past three years. Globally, children comprise 13 percent of the migrant population, but in this region, about one in four people on the move is a child, up from 19 percent in 2019.

The agency said the figures are only rivaled by Sub-Saharan Africa, where children account for 25 percent of the migrant population.

"Increasingly, it is younger children who are making these perilous journeys, with those under 11 years now accounting for up to 91 percent of all children on the move at some key transit points," UNICEF said. "This new reality poses challenges to national migration policies and humanitarian responses in countries of origin, transit and destination." 
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at his official residence in New Delhi. The two leaders had a fruitful meeting and exchanged views on various issues that will enhance the economic and social connections between India and USA. They also reaffirmed their commitment to work together for the common good of the world. The meeting was held soon after Biden arrived in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit to be chaired by Prime Minister Modi.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), PM Modi said, "Happy to have welcomed US Prez Joe Biden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good."

Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a pic.twitter.com/Yg1tz9kGwQ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary o and will further deepen the bond between India and the USA," the prime minister's State Anthony Blinken and US NSA Jake Sullivan were also present in the meeting from the US side while the Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

The bilateral meeting between the two leaders will be an opportunity for both leaders to pick up from where they left off during PM Modi's maiden State visit to the US in June. The bilateral meeting is expected to see meaningful advancements on the GE jet engine deal and civil nuclear technology, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next two days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the Summit. The prime minister earlier said that these meetings would give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.

"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development," the prime minister posted on X, adding, "I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days." "I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," Modi said.

On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events. On Sunday, he will have a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, sources said.
Madrid: Spain's President Pedro Sanchez has tested positive for COVID-19 and will skip the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in India. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Sanchez said, "This afternoon I have tested positive for COVID and will not be able to travel to New Delhi for the G20 Summit. I feel fine."

Spain at the G20 Summit will be represented by the First Vice President Nadia Calvino and Minister of Economic Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, he added. Sanchez is the third world leader to have pulled out of the G20 Summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are the other two leaders who will not be visiting Delhi.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the G20 Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam. This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under Indias presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates.

Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both Indias soft power as well as modern face. Formed in 1999, the G20 was formed to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.
NEW DELHI: The bustling city of New Delhi is poised to host the prestigious G20 Summit from September 9-10, welcoming an assembly of influential world leaders to the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan. During this three-day gathering, global dignitaries will engage in discussions spanning diverse topics, including the economy, the environment, infrastructure, and sustainable development.

In anticipation of the summit, authorities have introduced a series of measures aimed at facilitating smoother traffic flow throughout the city. As part of these efforts, schools, colleges, and offices in the city have been instructed to remain closed for the duration of the summit. It is important to note, however, that these restrictions do not constitute a full-scale lockdown, and Delhi residents will still have the freedom to move about the city, with certain area-specific constraints in place to ensure security.

Furthermore, the city of Delhi has been adorned with captivating murals, statues, fountains, and greenery along the routes that world leaders will traverse during the event.

Key Traffic Restrictions & Key Information For Delhiites:

Educational and Business Closures: Schools, colleges, and all offices will remain closed, along with business establishments such as restaurants and malls in the New Delhi district. Tourist destinations and hotels will also be temporarily closed.

Commercial Activity Ban: Commercial activities will be suspended from Friday to Sunday within the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) area. As the G20 event will take place at Pragati Maidan, restrictions will be in effect in the vicinity of this location, including areas like Connaught Place and the Cantonment area.

Essential Services Open: Essential services such as medical shops, grocery stores, milk booths, and fruit and vegetable markets will continue to operate in the NDMC area and across Delhi. ATMs will remain functional.

Transportation: Commercial vehicles and buses will be permitted to travel on Ring Road and the road network extending beyond Ring Road toward the Delhi borders.

Taxi Services: Taxi services within the New Delhi district will be temporarily unavailable from Saturday at 5 AM. However, tourists with confirmed hotel bookings and residents with valid tickets will not face restrictions. Travellers bound for the New Delhi airport on Saturday or Sunday are advised to use the metro, although vehicles with passengers holding flight tickets are not expected to encounter obstacles.

Restricted Zones: Vehicle restrictions will commence from midnight on September 7 and last until 11:59 pm on September 10. During this period, goods vehicles, commercial vehicles, interstate buses, and local city buses will not be allowed on Mathura Road (beyond Ashram Chowk), Bhairon Road, Purana Quila Road, and inside Pragati Maidan Tunnel.

Designated Zones: New Delhi District will be designated as "Controlled Zone-I" from 5 AM on September 8 until 11:59 AM on September 10. The area within Ring Road (Mahatma Gandhi Marg) will be considered a "Regulated Zone" during the same timeframe.

Metro Services: Only the Supreme Court metro station on the Blue Line will be closed on Saturday and Sunday. Metro services will commence early at 4 AM on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Online Deliveries: Online food delivery services, including Swiggy and Zomato, will not be available in the NDMC zone. Additionally, online delivery of other items, such as those from Flipkart or Amazon, will also be restricted in this area. However, medicine delivery is expected to continue.

Gurugram Work From Home: Offices located in Gurugram have been advised to implement work-from-home arrangements on Friday due to traffic regulation measures on NH-48.

In preparation for the G20 Summit, these measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and efficiency of the event while minimizing disruptions to daily life in New Delhi.
Washington: US President Joe Biden on Thursday left for India where he would attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative. Less than an hour before his departure for India, the White House said, "The President tested negative for Covid." After arriving in New Delhi on Friday evening, President Biden is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi the same night.

His meetings and interactions with Modi and other world leaders during and on the sidelines of the G20 Summit would be driven by the COVID-19 protocols established by the CDC. The First Lady was quarantined at her Delaware house after testing positive and is not travelling with the president to India and Vietnam. On Thursday, her office said, "The First Lady tested negative for Covid today." "He (Joe Biden) is very excited about the important initiatives that he will be championing at the G20," White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.

He said Biden's focus is going to be on delivering the economic opportunity for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people, from climate to technology, and showing the US' commitment to the G20 itself as a viable, if not vital, forum to tackle these issues.

"Of course, now, we're grateful for Prime Minister Modi's leadership during India's presidency of the G20, and the President is certainly looking forward to his bilateral meeting with the prime minister shortly after his arrival in New Delhi," Kirby added.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
US President Joe Biden has arrived in India for the G20 Summit, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 9-10, 2023. India is hosting the G20 Summit for the first time and leaders from across the G20 nations have started to arrive in the capital. Latest to land at the Delhi International Airport is Joe Biden, the President of the United States. He has arrived in his world-famous Air Force One, which is also termed as a fortress in the sky or the Flying Oval Office.

Key Facts About The Air Force One

1. Air Force One refers to one of the two retrofitted Boeing 747 commercial airliners with tail codes 28000 and 29000, while the Air Force designation for the aircraft is VC-25A.

2. The Air Force One is one of the most recognizable symbols of the US President's office and serves as his office in case of any adverse situation, giving it the name Flying Oval Office.

3. The Boeing 747 is maintained by Boeing, and flown by the United States Air Force pilots and has a sophisticated cabin for the President to relax and hold office meetings.

4. The Air Force One is also termed as a fortress due to its defence systems which includes onboard electronics to save against electromagnetic pulse. The Air Force One boasts of advanced secure communication equipment that make it a mobile command center in case of an attack on the United States.

5. The Air Force One gets a familiar Blue and White livery, which Donald Trump decided to change to red colour during his tenure, but the decision was rolled back.

6. The cabin of Air Force One has 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, besides a dedicated medical suite with an operating room, permanent onboard doctor and containers carrying blood for the President.

7. The plane can feed 100 people at a time as the President usually flies with a large entourage, including journalists, senior advisors, Secret Service officers, and other guests. The Air Force One can carry 102 passengers, including 26 crew members.

8. Ahead of the arrival of the Air Force One, several cargo planes fly to provide the President with services needed in remote locations, including The Beast limousine.

9. Air Force One or Boeing 747-200 was first delivered in 1990 during the administration of President George HW Bush and can be replaced with Boeing 777 in the future.

10. Air Force One became popular due to its presence in various Hollywood movies, giving it a cult status.
New Delhi: India is set to make a dash for the goal line at the two-day G20 summit beginning Saturday in addressing some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, consequences of the Ukraine conflict, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders of the G20 grouping as well as chiefs of many leading world bodies like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are converging in the national capital for the summit.

It is for the first time that India is hosting the annual summit of the G20 and New Delhi has pulled out all the stops in rolling out a grand welcome to the leaders and making the summit a success. The city has also undergone a major makeover to host such a high-profile event in decades. However, the biggest question looming over the summit is whether there will be a joint leaders' declaration in view of the sharp differences between the West and the Russia-China combine on the text to describe the Ukraine conflict in the document.

No consensus has been achieved yet on the contentious issue and top negotiators are still holding hectic parleys to thrash out the differences. The G20 operates under the principle of consensus and lack of a common view may result in the summit ending without the declaration. The silver lining for India's presidency is likely to be support by almost all G20 countries to its proposal to include the African Union as a permanent member of the bloc that has emerged as perhaps the most influential multilateral forum after the United Nations.

In the last few years, India has been positioning itself as a leading voice, flagging concerns, challenges and aspirations of the Global South or the developing nations, especially the African continent. The Prime Minister has been leading from the front on the issue of the African Union's membership of the G20. In June, Modi wrote to the G20 leaders, pitching for according the African Union the full membership of the grouping at its New Delhi summit.

"The European Union is looking forward to welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20," President of European Council Charles Michel said on Friday, indicating consensus on the proposal.

The African Union (AU) is a significant organisation comprising 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.

Some of the key issues facing the G20 summit are reshaping international debt architecture, offering loans to developing nations, having some kind of regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence.

"There is a growing understanding that many of the solutions that the world needs are already being successfully implemented in our country, with speed and scale," Prime Minister Modi told PTI in a recent interview.

"Many positive impacts are coming out of India's G20 Presidency. Some of them are very close to my heart," he said.

Officials indicated that there would be a positive outcome at the summit on some of the pressing issues facing the world. There is an expectation of positive outcomes for India's proposals on issues such as digital public infrastructure, climate finance, sustainable development and clean energy.

India's G20 presidency has marked a significant milestone in its global leadership role as it steered discussions among the world's major economies in dealing with complex global challenges. As the G20 president, India has been focusing on issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access.

By leveraging its presidency, India is fostering collaborative solutions that not only benefit its own population but contribute to the broader global well-being, reinforcing its spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' or the 'World is One Family'.

Besides the G20 member nations, India has invited leaders of Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, Oman, Nigeria and the Netherlands. After assuming the presidency of the bloc on December 1, 2022, India held around 200 meetings related to G20 across the country on a range of its priority areas.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
NEW DELHI: In a momentous development, the United Kingdom has agreed to return the legendary 'wagh nakh,' a dagger reminiscent of tiger claws that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj wielded to assassinate Afzal Khan, the general of the Bijapur sultanate, in 1659.

This iconic historical artefact has been on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. State Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is scheduled to visit London later this month to formalize the return through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Anticipation is building, and if all goes according to plan, the revered 'wagh nakh' may find its way back home this year. Minister Mungantiwar announced, "We have received confirmation from UK authorities that they are willing to return Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's 'wagh nakh.' We are considering bringing it back to coincide with the anniversary of Shivaji's slaying of Afzal Khan, based on the Hindu calendar. We are also exploring alternative dates and making arrangements for the transportation of the 'wagh nakh.'"

This historic artefact holds immense significance, symbolizing a pivotal moment in Maharashtra's history. Afzal Khan's demise is commemorated on November 10, according to the Gregorian calendar, but the government is working to determine a date in accordance with the Hindu tithi calendar.

Mungantiwar further emphasized the importance of this endeavour, stating, "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's 'wagh nakh' is a priceless historical treasure, and the emotions of the people of the state are deeply connected to it. The transfer must be carried out with the utmost personal responsibility and care."

To facilitate this significant return, a team comprising Mungantiwar, Dr Vikas Kharge (Principal Secretary, Culture), and Dr. Tejas Garge (Director of the State's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums) will visit the Victoria and Albert Museum and other museums in London. The government resolution from the Cultural Affairs Department outlines an estimated expenditure of approximately Rs 50 lakh for this six-day visit, scheduled from September 29 to October 4.

The 'wagh nakh' itself is a remarkable piece of history, crafted from steel and featuring four claws mounted on a bar with two rings for the first and fourth fingers. Its return to Maharashtra promises to be a momentous occasion, rekindling the connection between the people and their rich heritage.
New Delhi: Popular Pakistani actress Nausheen Shah is in the news for her explosive statements against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. Nausheen lashed out at the Queen actress on a chat show titled 'Had Kar Di with Momin Saqib'. She opined that the Indian actress talks derogatory stuff about Pakistan without having knowledge about the country.

'Will Give Two Slaps To Kangana Ranaut...'

On Had Kar Di with Momin Saqib, Nausheen was asked if there was any actor from Bollywood she would like to meet. While replying to this, she took Kangana's name and said, "The way she says sh*t about my country, the way she says a lot of crap about the Pakistan army, I salute her audacity. She has no knowledge but talks about the country, that too someone elses country. Focus on your own country, focus on your acting, your direction focus on your controversies and ex-boyfriends and whatnot."

Adding more she said, "How do you know people are mistreated in Pakistan? How do you know about the Pakistan Army? How do you know about our agencies? We ourselves dont know, the agencies are in our country, the Army is our countrys, and they dont share these things with us. They are secrets, are they not?'"

The Pakistani actress did praise Kangana for her brilliant acting skills but called her an 'extremist'.

Kangana Ranaut's Upcoming Bollywood Movies

On the work front, Kangana has Chandramukhi 2 in the pipeline. The film is set to release on September 19, 2023. She also has Emergency - which marks her directorial debut. The actress will be seen essaying former Prime Minister Of India - Late Indira Gandhi.

Kangana also has Tejas in her kitty.
Chennai: Renowned director-actor G Marimuthu passed away on Friday due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Chennai. He died of cardiac arrest today around 8:30 a.m at a private hospital in the city. Marimuthu collapsed while dubbing his voice for a television serial. Then, he was rushed to a private hospital in Vadapalani, where he was declared dead.

The actors fans, family members and friends pay tribute to him at his residence in Chennai. He will be taken to his native place in Theni District by 6 pm today and last rites will be performed. Marimuthu was recently seen in Rajinikanth starrer 'Jailer' movie.

After learning of the filmmaker's death, the members of the film industry took to social media to pay their condolences.

Condolences! Your work has been impeccable and irreplaceable. Rest in peace #Marimuthu pic.twitter.com/cdT2LgThwY September 8, 2023

Sun Pictures, which produced Jailer took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and posted, Condolences! Your work has been impeccable and irreplaceable. Rest in peace #Marimuthu."

Extremely saddened to hear that #Marimuthu sir is no more. Remembering the times we worked together. Condolences to the family.#RIPMarimuthu  Silambarasan TR (@SilambarasanTR_) September 8, 2023

G Marimuthu began his career as a filmmaker with 'Kannum Kannum' in 2008. In addition to directing films, he has played a number of interesting roles in Tamil films. He collaborated with lyricist Vairamuthu in the early stages of his career. In Tamil films, he also served as an assistant director.

His memorable performances include 'Vaali,' 'Jeeva,' 'Pariyerum Perumal,' and 'Jailer,' to name a few. He has been a part of the Tamil television series 'Ethir Neechal' since 2022. Marimuthu was a YouTube sensation whose opinions trend on social media platforms.
New Delhi: Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna's starrer 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' remains one of the most hyped and anticipated movies of Indian cinema. The first part of the film "Pushpa: The Rise" created euphoria at the global level and the craze among the masses was unmatchable. The audience went berserk over the character of Allu Arjun as Pushparaj which took sensation.

The first look poster was released this year on the eve of Allu Arjun's birthday, kickstarting the hunt for Pushpa - elevating the excitement to the next level. To pump up the adrenaline rush, National Crush Rashmika Mandanna who has played the character of Srivalli has shared an exclusive still from the sets of the film.

Rashmika Mandanna has shared a picture from the sets of "Pushpa 2: The Rule" which transports the audiences into a world that is going to be massier and grandeur and will give an insight into the canvas of the film. Taking to social media, the beautiful actress shared the picture with the caption which says,

The Still from 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' shows a grand set of a bungalow constructed for the film. With this exclusive still, the anticipation around the film is going to be next level among the impatiently waiting fans who are waiting for the film to release.

Pushpa 2: The Rule is directed by Sukumar and stars Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil. Produced by Mythri Movie Makers and Muttamsetty Media, the film is all for its release on 22nd December 2023.
CHONGQING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A medical team from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality departed for Barbados on Friday, aiming to provide medical aid for a one-year period.

The medical team, led by the first affiliated hospital of the Chongqing Medical University, is the sixth team dispatched by Chongqing to assist Barbados. The team includes experts in pediatrics, anesthesiology, nuclear medicine, acupuncture and other fields.

As of August this year, five teams of 44 people had been sent from Chongqing to the country. They dealt with more than 38,000 clinical cases, performed 1,323 operations, and introduced 145 new technologies in areas such as nuclear medicine and orthopedics.

This new team will seek to offer medical support in line with Barbados's medical needs and actual situation, and will promote exchanges involving many specialties such as anesthesiology and surgery. 
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New Delhi: Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new malware campaign that targets Mac users through malicious ads for Google searches, tricking them into installing the "Atomic Stealer (AMOS)" malware, a new report has said.

According to the cybersecurity company Malwarebytes, AMOS is being delivered to unsuspecting searchers via a Google ad scheme.

"AMOS was first advertised in April 2023 as a stealer for Mac OS with a strong focus on crypto assets, capable of harvesting passwords from browsers and Apple's keychain, as well as featuring a file grabber. The developer has been actively working on the project, releasing a new version at the end of June," the researchers said.

Criminals who purchase the toolkit distribute the malware primarily through cracked software downloads, but they also impersonate legitimate websites and use ads on search engines such as Google to lure victims in.

According to the report, users who want to download a new programme naturally go to Google and search for it. Threat actors are purchasing advertisements that look like well-known brands and tricking victims into visiting their site as if it were the official one.

Once the user clicks the link, they are presented with a normal-looking page. The attackers create a near-perfect clone of the website users expect, so they click through and download the software.

After opening the file, a fake prompt for the system password appears repeatedly until the user relents and enters their password. It then extracts as much information as it can from the user's Keychain, file system, and crypto wallets and sends it to the malware's operator, the report explained.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of the Republic of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema will pay a state visit to China from Sept. 10 to 16, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Friday.

"Zambia is an important country in southern Africa. China and Zambia enjoy a traditional friendship. The two countries have deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation and maintained sound cooperation in international and regional affairs," spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press briefing, when responding to a question on the visit.

The year 2024 will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia.

She said during President Hakainde Hichilema's visit, President Xi Jinping will hold a welcome ceremony and banquet for him, and the two heads of state will hold talks and jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will meet with President Hichilema. President Hichilema will also travel to Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, and Shenzhen City.

"We believe that President Hichilema's visit will give a new boost to the all-round, in-depth growth of China-Zambia relations and further advance our friendly cooperation," Mao added. 
XIAMEN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will unswervingly promote high-standard opening up, said Wang Yong, vice chairman of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, on Friday.

Wang made the remarks when attending the opening ceremony of the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT).

China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, Wang noted.

As one of the most influential international investment events in China, the CIFIT has become an important platform for promoting international investment cooperation and mutually beneficial development in the new era, Wang said.

The Chinese government will unswervingly promote high-standard opening up, further improve the environment for foreign investment, firmly safeguard the multilateral trading regime, continue to deepen two-way investment cooperation with other countries and regions, strive to achieve a broader agenda of win-win cooperation across more areas and in greater depth, and jointly build an open global economy, according to Wang.

Wang also visited some pavilions of CIFIT and exchanged views with relevant guests and exhibitors before the opening ceremony.

The 23rd CIFIT opened Friday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province. 
CAIRO, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has established two service areas at its borders with Sudan for Egyptian truckers queued up for clearance, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Transport.

The areas were set up in the Egyptian border towns of Wadi Karkar and Abu Simbel in the southern province of Aswan, and is equipped with cafeterias, healthcare facilities and restrooms, the ministry said in a statement.

It mainly serves Egyptian trucks travelling from the two land crossings of Argeen and Goustol to the neighboring country, said the statement, adding the service area is in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent and Aswan Governorate to facilitate the drivers' trip to the Sudanese side.

The ministry claimed that the congestion was due to the slow customs clearance procedures and few working hours at the land crossings on the Sudanese side.

It noted that Minister of Transport Kamel al-Wazir has contacted the concerned Sudanese authorities to take necessary measures to speed up the border-crossing of trucks.

Border crossings between Egypt and Sudan have been very busy since the ongoing bloody conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in mid-April. 
Madagascan Foreign Minister Yvette Sylla (front) speaks at a reception to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sept. 7, 2023. Sylla hailed "dynamic and fruitful" cooperation between Madagascar and China at the reception on Thursday. (Photo by Sitraka Rajaonarison/Xinhua)

ANTANANARIVO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Madagascan Foreign Minister Yvette Sylla hailed "dynamic and fruitful" cooperation between Madagascar and China at a reception to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in the capital Antananarivo on Thursday.

China and Madagascar established diplomatic ties in 1972. "Over the years, our two countries have worked hand in hand to promote multifaceted, dynamic and fruitful cooperation in many areas of development," Sylla said, adding that the two countries are promoting cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, health, education and culture, agriculture, renewable energy and digital innovation.

Since China and Madagascar established a comprehensive partnership of cooperation in 2017, the bilateral cooperation "is reflected in the implementation of concrete projects both bilaterally and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation," she said.

These cooperation projects help support the priorities of the Madagascan government and contribute to improving the daily lives of the local population, she added.

Sylla reaffirmed Madagascar's determination to further strengthen the friendship and deepen cooperation with China, with a view to achieving shared prosperity and sustainable development through building a community with a shared future.

Guo Xiaomei, the Chinese ambassador to Madagascar, spoke highly of the "mutual attraction" between the Chinese and Madagascan people and their expectations for even closer cooperation.

Guo praised the comprehensive partnership of cooperation between the two countries which has yielded fruitful results. 
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia saw the number of unemployed people in the Southeast Asian country decline further to 579,200 in July, with the unemployment rate remaining unchanged at 3.4 percent as in June, official data showed Friday.

The labor market in Malaysia continued to expand moderately, recording a steadily increasing number of employed people, while the number of unemployed is decreasing, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement.

According to the DOSM, the number of employed people in July recorded an increase of 0.2 percent month-on-month to reach 16.34 million, registering a higher labor force participation rate at 70.1 percent.

In line with the positive business expectations for the third quarter, supported by the stability in job market, an increase in domestic tourism and more optimistic prospects in the health tourism industry, the DOSM said the country's labor force market is expected to remain positive and expand moderately in the upcoming month as Malaysia's short-term economic outlook is anticipated to moderate. 
MANILA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and South Korea have signed a free trade agreement (FTA) aimed at enhancing market access between the two Asian countries, the Philippine government said on Friday.

The trade ministers of the two countries signed on Thursday the trade agreement during the ASEAN-South Korea summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, said the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) of the Philippines.

Leaders of both countries, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, witnessed the signing.

With the FTA inked, the Philippines expects that South Korea could open its market access to Philippine agriculture products, including tropical fruits, the PCO said.

The partnership can also lead to strategic investments in priority sectors and industries, such as manufacturing and exports, the PCO added.

South Korea is a major economic partner of the Philippines. In 2022, it ranked fourth to the Philippines in total bilateral trade valued at around 15.45 billion U.S. dollars, and sixth in total approved investments valued at 90.62 million dollars.

Marcos called the FTA "a big step" and the bilateral relationship "vibrant and accelerating," looking forward to a further expansion of the trade agreement that can go "beyond the government-to-government partnerships."

Yoon said South Korea is keen on expanding opportunities for overseas Filipino workers under the "employment permit system." 
Exhibitors from China display a product during the 2023 China Smart Industry Trade Exhibition and Digital Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sept. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Strong cooperation and collaborative efforts with Chinese partners will help boost Malaysia's drive towards digitalization, a Malaysian official said on Friday.

Cooperation between Malaysia and China in telecommunications and digital economy will benefit both countries, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Teo Nie Ching said in her speech at the 2023 China Smart Industry Trade Exhibition and Digital Forum.

"Malaysia and China have complementary strengths in the telecommunications and digital economy, and we can work together to create new opportunities for businesses and consumers," she said.

The Malaysian government has introduced Malaysia Digital (MD), a national strategic initiative that seeks to grow the digital capacities and capabilities of the nation as well as raise the overall ecosystem value, according to her.

"We look forward to seeing more investment by Chinese companies in Malaysia's digital economy, as well as significant steps in the cooperation between Malaysia and China in the field of digital telecommunications," she added.

In his video message to the forum, Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the burgeoning collaboration between Malaysia and China in the field of science and technology further strengthens bilateral relations.

"As we jointly venture into the realm of artificial intelligence, we unlock immense potential for its application in key areas such as healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. Malaysia and China's collaboration efforts extend to the development of new energy technologies, crucial in mitigating pollution and addressing climate change," he said.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said that China and Malaysia share much in common in social and economic development strategies. Both countries take science, technology and innovation as the important driver for social and economic growth.

China's investment in Malaysia's high-tech fields and related cooperation keep increasing and the exhibition and forum will help promote science, technology and innovation cooperation between the two countries, he said.

Organized by the China Entrepreneurs Association in Malaysia (PUCM), the forum brings together experts from both countries to exchange views and share insights on the latest developments in high-tech industries.

According to PUCM president Keith Li, more than 100 enterprises and organizations from both countries participated in the exhibition and forum. 
Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

ATHENS, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Greek Civil Protection and Climate Crisis Minister Vassilis Kikilias had confirmed the deaths of four people, with another six missing.

In addition, at least 64 people were trapped in their houses in villages in the Thessaly region, the most affected by the floods, he said.

"(Rescuers) will continue search operations door-to-door in villages that have been cut off, evacuating people to safety (during the night)," Kikilias said in a televised statement on Thursday evening.

So far, the Fire Brigade has rescued 820 people throughout the country, and taken them to safety. Since Tuesday morning, it has received 4,870 calls for assistance in evacuating people, pumping water and removing trees from the streets.

Firefighters and the Civil Protection Ministry's forces, assisted by the army, are working in flooded areas, attempting to approach the most remote sites in Thessaly by helicopter and boat. Hundreds of houses in villages are submerged beneath water and mud, while parts of the road network have been destroyed, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

The most severe situation was reported between the cities of Trikala and Karditsa, where a dam broke and a river has overflown, Kikilias said.

Farmland, livestock units and businesses have been affected, while water supply and electricity have been disrupted.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit the flood-stricken areas of Thessaly on Friday, ERT reported on Thursday.

His scheduled visit to northern Greece this weekend, to inaugurate the Thessaloniki International Fair and deliver a speech on economic policy, has been postponed until next weekend.

The bad weather front that has been sweeping Greece since Monday, hit hard in the wider area of Volos city port on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, settlements were still cut off as roads and a bridge have suffered major damage, and waters were still high in some parts, AMNA reported.

Damage has also been caused to the Neolithic excavations at Dimini near Volos, AMNA said, while the Culture Ministry announced on Thursday that waters from a heavy storm in Athens on Wednesday had reached the basement of the National Gallery. However, no works have been affected.

The extreme weather phenomena will recede on Thursday evening, according to the National Meteorological Service. 

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2023 shows a flood-effected area in Karditsa, Thessaly region, Greece. The death toll from extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in central Greece this week has reached six, with the bodies of two elderly women recovered in the Thessaly region on Thursday afternoon, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported. (Photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos/Xinhua)
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. military hegemony over the past decades has brought chaos and conflicts worldwide, trampled on human rights and violated other countries' sovereignty, while causing damage to itself, experts have said.

The United States has a long and bloody history of military intervention and expansion, causing immense human suffering and instability around the world, said Mohamed A. Elchime, professional associate of political science at Helwan University in Egypt.

"The United States must change its ways and adopt a more peaceful and cooperative approach to foreign policy," said Elchime.

Contrary to the hegemonic stability theory, the U.S. military hegemony has not brought peace and stability to the world, said Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

"On the contrary, the so-called unipolar moment was characterized by violations of international law and illegal military interventions," Suslov argued.

Speaking of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago, Jalal Bazwan, a lecturer at Kardan University in Kabul, said it damaged America's reputation in the world.

The United States was seen as a superpower that could project its power and influence around the globe. However, the withdrawal from Afghanistan has shown that the United States is not invincible, and that it can be defeated by determined adversaries, Bazwan said.

"This has led to a decline in confidence in the U.S., and made it more difficult for the U.S. to build alliances and maintain its influence in the world," he said.

"We are in a transition of the world system, with very profound changes," noted Gabriel Merino, adjunct professor at the National University of La Plata, Argentina.

"It should be noted that the United States reproduces the pattern of development of the Western powers, combining capitalism, militarism and imperialism," Merino added.

The experts made the comments upon the release by Xinhua News Agency's think tank of a report that uncovers the damage and threats of U.S. hegemonic pursuits.

Xinhua Institute on Tuesday published "Origins, Facts and Perils of U.S. Military Hegemony," which outlines the formation of the U.S. military hegemony, summarizes the means Washington has adopted to maintain it and delves into its perils through facts and data. The institute also held a seminar attended by multiple experts either in person or virtually.

"We see how Washington, today more than ever, is promoting this war-military hegemony, and it is in this way that we applaud the report recently prepared by Xinhua in the part referring to the war-military expenditures of the United States, mainly around new zones of influence that Washington is increasingly trying to control," said Ignacio Martinez Cortes, a researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"Within the United States, military spending is having an increasing impact on taxpayers. And it is at this point that we have this dilemma: U.S. military spending is increasing, but inwardly, U.S. human development is becoming weaker and weaker," said Cortes.

Since 2001, the United States has launched wars and military operations in more than 80 countries worldwide in the name of "anti-terrorism," which have directly resulted in the death of about 929,000 people, including 387,000 civilians, and displacing about 38 million people, the report said.

"History has shown us that hegemony in whichever form is neither necessary nor sufficient for global order. In most cases, the quest for hegemony or dominance has resulted in instability among civilizations," said Dennis Munene Mwaniki, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute.

U.S. military hegemony is bound to backfire. "The pursuit of absolute security, political exclusion and military containment ...will not help establish a security framework, but lead to a dilemma and even turmoil," the report said.

The report is "of historic significance," said Zivadin Jovanovic, president of Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals.

"I have no doubts that this document will play an important role in strengthening global understanding, solidarity and coordination of efforts toward building a polycentric, more just, inclusive, truly democratic new world order," Jovanovic said. 
In this article, we will take a look at the 20 most consumed fruit in the US. If you want to skip our discussion on the fruit industry, go to the 5 Most Consumed Fruit in the US.

According to Zion Market Research, the global fruit and vegetable processing market was valued at approximately $8.5 billion in 2022. The market is projected to reach $14.1 billion by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.5% from 2023 to 2030. China, India, and Brazil are among the top 20 fruit producing countries in the world. While tomatoes claim the title of the most consumed fruit in the world, it's interesting to note that consumer choices vary widely when it comes to the discussion of the most popular fruit by country. In 2022, China's fruit exports contracted by 8% in volume and 15% in value compared to 2021, with the total reaching 3.26 million metric tons and $4.6 billion. Meanwhile, the US reported its fresh fruit exports at $4.1 billion, reflecting an 8% YoY decline in value. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the farm value of fruit production in the United States is projected to rise to $24 billion by the year 2032. In terms of volume, the report suggests that the combined production of fruits, tree nuts, and vegetables is expected to reach 172 billion pounds. This represents a modest increase from the 165 billion pounds recorded in 2021. Among these projected volumes, fruits in the USA are expected to contribute approximately 30% to the total output, while vegetable and pulse crops are expected to contribute 70%. The most popular vegetables in the world, such as carrots and potatoes, are among the key components of global diets.

In the post-pandemic era, the fruit industry has witnessed significant changes in consumer preferences. Health-conscious individuals are increasingly seeking out fresh fruits due to a growing awareness of the importance of a healthy diet. Similarly, environmental concerns and a focus on sustainability have resulted in greater demand for organically grown fruits. The convenience factor has also come into play, with busy lifestyles encouraging consumers to explore options like pre-cut fruits, smoothies, and dried fruit snacks. In recent years, the fruit industry has had to navigate through various challenges, all while adapting to evolving consumer preferences. Erratic weather patterns and extreme events have posed threats to fruit production, leading to fluctuations in crop yields and quality. Furthermore, political conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict led to disruptions in supply and high logistical costs. Argentina, a major exporter of fruit to Russia, felt the financial implications of these disruptions as approximately 25% of Argentina's total export volume is absorbed by Russia and Ukraine. These shipments typically amount to around 40,000 to 50,000 tons each year.

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Key Players in the Industry

There are multiple notable players operating in the fruit industry, such as Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE). Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) is a Dublin, Ireland-based agricultural company founded in 1851. The company is amongst the largest fruit and vegetable producers in the world. In Q2 2023, Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) reported revenue of $2.1 billion, reflecting an increase of 4.4% over the previous quarter. Furthermore, net income for the second quarter observed an increase of 8.1%, reaching $52.3 million. Additionally, Dole plc's (NYSE:DOLE) EBITDA witnessed a 9.7% growth, totaling $122.7 million in the second quarter. You can read the companys Q2 2023 earnings call transcript here.

Another key player in the fruit industry is Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (NYSE:FDP). The company reported a total revenue of $4.43 billion over the past twelve months. This figure represents a slight decrease compared to the $4.44 billion in revenue generated in the year 2022. To expand its operations, Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (NYSE:FDP) has initiated sustainability measures and aims to adopt more responsible sourcing practices. Greenyard NV (EBR:GREEN) is another popular company operating in the fruit industry. Over the course of the fiscal years from March 2019 to 2023, the company's average revenue was around $4.3 billion. Greenyard NV (EBR:GREEN) has ambitious plans for the future, with the goal of introducing a pure plant powerhouse by 2030.

20 Most Consumed Fruit in the US

Our Methodology

To shortlist the 20 most consumed fruit in the US, we referred to multiple reputable sources, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). The IFPA research examines the consumption behaviors of 100,000 households in the United States, spanning various regions of the country. The fruits have been ranked in ascending order of the average household consumption levels as of 2022.

Most Consumed Fruit in the US

20. Mangoes

Household Consumption Rate: 9%

The United States is responsible for 13% of the global mango production each year, with significant cultivation taking place in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and California. Nonetheless, the US imports approximately 80% of its mango supply from Mexico.

19. Grapefruit

Household Consumption Rate: 13%

The United States serves as a primary exporter of grapefruit and cultivates this fruit in states like Florida, California, and Texas.

18. Kiwi

Household Consumption Rate: 14%

In the US, kiwi is mostly grown in Florida and California. In 2021, the country acquired 174,000 tons of fruit from Florida, 156,000 tons from California, and 96,000 tons from Texas. Additionally, the US also relies on New Zealand, Italy, and Chile for Kiwi imports.

17. Limes

Household Consumption Rate: 14%

Most of the lime cultivation in the US takes place in Florida, while the imports are mostly from Mexico. According to Mordor Intelligence, the lime market in the United States is estimated to be valued at $2.3 billion in 2023. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% and reach $2.8 billion by 2028. In 2021 and 2022, the price of imported limes observed consistent growth in the US. The price is anticipated to peak at $76.3 per package in 2023, reflecting an increase of 70.9% compared to the peak price of $44.7 in 2022.

16. Lemons

Household Consumption Rate: 25%

States like Arizona, California, and Florida lead in the production of lemons in the USA.

15. Pears

Household Consumption Rate: 27%

Overall, 95% of pears in the US come from California, Oregon, and Washington, while the rest are either imported from Argentina, China, or Chile.

14. Blackberries

Household Consumption Rate: 31%

Oregon, Washington, and California lead the production of blackberries in the US. In the early months of 2022, there was a noticeable rise in the supply of Mexican blackberries in the US compared to 2021. Michoacan, the primary blackberry producer in Mexico, contributed to 94% of the country's overall production.

13. Cherries

Household Consumption Rate: 35%

Around 90% of US cherries are produced in Washington, California, and Oregon. The primary cherry varieties produced in these states include the sweet and popular Bing cherries and the Rainier cherries.

12. Raspberries

Household Consumption Rate: 36%

The majority of raspberries in the US are cultivated in California. In 2021, the US cultivated raspberries on a total of 16,700 acres. The fresh raspberry production from this harvest amounted to 113,490 pounds, valued at $3.6 per pound. Additionally, there was processed raspberry production totaling 65,120 pounds, valued at $1.8 per pound. The US also exported 47.6 million pounds of fresh raspberries in 2021, with a collective value of $172.3 million. The country exports around 75% of its total raspberry exports to Canada.

11. Pineapple

Household Consumption Rate: 46%

Most of the Pineapples in the US are grown in Hawaii, followed by Puerto Rico. The US also imports pineapples from Costa Rica.

10. Peaches/Nectarine/Plums

Household Consumption Rate: 49%

Peaches are mostly produced in South Carolina, New Jersey, and California in the US. In 2022, peach production in the US was estimated at nearly 626 thousand tons. During the same year, California emerged as the top producer among the states, contributing around 475 thousand tons to the total national production, which accounted for approximately two-thirds of the overall output.

9. Oranges

Household Consumption Rate: 49%

In 2022, orange production in the US totaled 3.47 million tons, decreasing from nearly 4.4 million tons in 2021. The US has seen a steady decrease in its orange production since 2000, when it totaled approximately 13 billion tons. The states producing most of the oranges in the country include Florida, Arizona, Texas, and California.

8. Mandarins

Household Consumption Rate: 51%

Mandarins are mainly produced in southern California. To meet consumer demand, the US also imports mandarins from Spain, Morocco, Chile, and Peru.

7. Blueberries

Household Consumption Rate: 53%

In 2021, the US cultivated a total of 660 million pounds of blueberries, including highbush and rabbit eye varieties. Out of this production, approximately 354 million pounds were sold as fresh blueberries, while the remaining 306 million pounds were sold in processed forms. The combined value of both fresh and processed cultivated blueberries in the US amounted to $720.2 million. Georgia held the distinction of being the leading producer of cultivated blueberries in the US in 2021. The state's production reached 4.2 million pounds, with a total value of $130.4 million. Over 10 states grow blueberries in the US, including North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Washington, Georgia, Oregon, New Jersey, Minnesota, California, and Michigan.

6. Avocados

Household Consumption Rate: 56%

About 98% of Avocados in the US are imported from either Mexico, Chile, or Peru. In 2021, the US imported about 3 billion avocados and exported 31 million.

For investors keen on capitalizing on the fruit industry's growth, several prominent companies such as Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE), Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (NYSE:FDP), and Greenyard NV (EBR:GREEN) offer investment opportunities.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Most Consumed Fruit in the US. Suggested articles:

Disclosure: None. 20 Most Consumed Fruit in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Some 24 Albertsons or Safeway stores in Arizona, roughly one-fifth of the locations that Albertsons Cos. owns here, will have new ownership, under a divestiture agreement announced Friday thats pegged to the Kroger-Albertsons merger.

The stores will be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers under an agreement with Albertsons Cos. and Kroger Co., which are planning to merge under a deal announced last October. The companies currently each own about 130 stores in Arizona, raising the specter of excessive overlap in certain communities.

Kroger, which owns Frys Food Stores in Arizona, and Albertsons, which also owns Safeway, said the divestiture plan marks a key next step toward the completion of the merger introducing a well-capitalized competitor into Arizona and other states. The deal is currently under review by the Federal Trade Commission.

The divestiture plan ensures no stores will close as a result of the merger and that all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue and associates will continue to receive industry-leading health care and pension benefits alongside bargained-for wages, the companies said in a statement.

Now hiring: Albertsons, Safeway stores in Arizona to host job fairs

All told, 413 stores in 17 states and Washington, D.C., will be sold under the plan. Most are located in Western states. Specific Arizona locations that will be affected, and those in other states, were not disclosed.

C&S is a leader in wholesale grocery supply. It was founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores and today supplies more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, retail chain stores and military bases. It currently operates the Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly chains in the Midwest and Carolinas.

"Following the announcement of our proposed merger with Albertsons Cos., we embarked on a robust and thoughtful process to identify a well-capitalized buyer who will operate as a fierce competitor and ensure divested stores and their associates will continue serving their communities in the ways they do today. C&S achieves all these objectives," said Rodney McMullen, Krogers chairman and CEO, in a prepared statement.

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"C&S is led by an experienced management team with an extensive background in food retail and distribution and has the financial strength to continue investing in associates and the business for the long run," he continued. "Importantly in our agreement, C&S commits to honoring all collective bargaining agreements which include industry-leading benefits, retaining frontline associates and further investing for growth."

Future unclear: Planned Kroger-Albertsons merger brings worry over prices, jobs, closures

Against merger: Gallego, Stanton oppose grocery merger, citing possible price hikes and store closures

Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 24 Albertsons stores in Arizona to be sold as part of Kroger merger
In this article, we look at the 25 most educated small towns in America. You can skip our detailed analysis on educational attainment in micropolitan statistical areas, and head over directly to the 10 Most Educated Small Towns in America.

The US Census Bureau in February 2022 released statistics detailing educational attainment levels in the country. According to the data, 37.9% of Americans aged 25 and above had completed education up to bachelors degree, or higher. Nearly 15% had some college education, while 10.5% held associate degrees. Later that year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) established in a report the direct positive relationship that exists between income and educational levels. You can read more about the findings of BLS in our article, 20 Most Educated Cities in the US.

Educational institutions have, for decades, been a lifeline for small towns, by enabling the youth access to steady, well-paying jobs. Better school and college education boosts academic achievements, opening the doors for long-run economic prospects, not just for the students but also for their regions. Educational support programs initiated by large corporations have also aided students belonging to smaller, underserved areas. TechSpark, for example, is a national civic program started by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in 2017 to accelerate economic growth and job creation in rural, micropolitan, and smaller metropolitan areas targeting specific communities in Washington, Texas, Virginia, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Wisconsin.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)s TechSpark program is focused on digital and career skills development, and has done wonders in Northeast Wisconsin where now 88% of the schools offer computer education. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is also offering free cyber security training to students at the Jackson State University in Mississippi to upskill them as per the requirements of the workplace.

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Several companies have also come up with their education fee reimbursement programs to encourage their employees to seek college education. Many companies even offer to sponsor tuition and fees for children of their employees. With rising costs of living and given the fact that residents of smaller towns and cities tend to have lower median household incomes compared to their compatriots settled in larger cities, these fee reimbursement programs offer a great opportunity for the youth in smaller towns to pursue education.

FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) offers delivery services across the 50 states and employs more than 500,000 workers across large metropolitans and small towns. Its tuition reimbursement program allows ground package handlers to claim up to $5,250 to pay for tuition and fees. Moreover, a partnership between the company and Robert Morris University offers FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) employees to get enrolled for online university education at a discount.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) too, in 2021, announced that it would spend a whopping $1.2 billion on education and training programs for its workforce. Employees working on an hourly wage would be eligible for coverage up to 100% of the cost of tuition and fees for their college education. This program is likely to benefit up to 750,000 employees.

In addition to offering incentive programs to promote education, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is also undertaking measures to make education more accessible and affordable for all. The company will be launching 3,000 satellites under Project Kuiper to provide affordable broadband services to underserved communities and regions. If the project succeeds, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) will be enabling millions of people across the world to access high quality education services over the internet.

Methodology

We have ranked the 25 most educated small towns in America using data released by the Census Bureau in its 2021 American Community Survey on education levels in micropolitan statistical areas in the United States. The maximum population cap was set to 75,000. Micropolitans include principal cities or towns along with surrounding areas nearby.

Two metrics have been considered in our analysis  percentage of the population aged between 18 and 24 with some college or associate degree, and percentage of the population that is 25 and above and holds a bachelors degree or higher. Equal weightage has been assigned to these two metrics, after which their scores were aggregated.

Towns are ranked in ascending order of these scores. In case where scores were equal for two or more towns, we outranked one over the other by considering which of these had a higher percentage of bachelors degree or higher education.

25 Most Educated Small Towns in America

Let's now head over to the list of the most educated small towns in America.

25. Lake City, FL Micro Area

Population: 69,698

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 33.1%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 18.3%

Score: 0.51

Lake Citys bachelors degree attainment level is about half the rate of Florida, but when it comes to college education, the micropolitan not only fares better than the state, but also has a 25% higher rate than the United States on the whole.

24. Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI Micro Area

Population: 74,207

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 33.6%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 18.4%

Score: 0.52

47% of the population in Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield is aged below 40. The micropolitan has a median household income of $52,627, which is about three-quarters of what an average American earns. 5% of the people aged 25 and above hold a postgraduate degree in Wisconsin-Rapids-Marshfield.

23. Baraboo, WI Micro Area

Population: 65,763

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 22.2%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 29.8%

Score: 0.52

More than half of the population in Baraboo is aged above 40. It ranks among the most educated small towns in America with 94.1% of the population having completed at least high school graduation. The micro area fares better in terms of higher education attainment compared to college education, which is a rare occurrence.

22. Marion, OH Micro Area

Population: 65,359

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 39.4%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 13.8%

Score: 0.53

Marion, in Ohio, has one of the highest rates of high school graduates in the United States, and its college or associate degree attainment levels are also higher than both the national and state average. However, only 13.8% of its population has completed at least a bachelors degree.

21. Fort Payne, AL Micro Area

Population: 71,608

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 40.2%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 13.6%

Score: 0.54

Fort Payne has a rich history in textile manufacturing and is often referred to as the sock capital of the world. It has a high ratio of the youth completing their college or associate degree, but at the same time, an estimated 22% of the population has no degree  not even high school.

20. Hobbs, NM Micro Area

Population: 74,455

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 38.9%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 16.5%

Score: 0.55

Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs micropolitan statistical area of New Mexico. The settlement was founded in 1907 and expanded after discovery of oil in the area in 1927. There are two prominent educational institutions offering college education in Hobbs  New Mexico Junior College, and the University of the Southwest which was initially called College of the Southwest.

19. Rio Grande City-Roma, TX Micro Area

Population: 65,920

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 43.9%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 12.7%

Score: 0.57

The population of Rio Grande is predominantly Hispanic. 99.6% of the teachers here are licensed and have at least three years of experience, according to US News. The student-to-teacher ratio in Rio Grande is 13:1. It is one of the most educated small towns in America with high rates of college or associate degree attainment in the country.

18. Roanoke Rapids, NC Micro Area

Population: 66,093

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 41

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 15.6%

Score: 0.57

The Roanoke Rapids micropolitan comprises Roanoke Rapids plus two counties of North Carolina. There are about 21 colleges in Roanoke and surrounding areas within 50 miles. More than 170,000 students are enrolled in these colleges. 6% of the population in the micro area hold a postgraduate degree.

17. Mount Airy, NC Micro Area

Population: 71,359

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 36.9%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 20.1%

Score: 0.58

Mount Airys rate of college education is 20% higher than the state average in North Carolina. It is one of the most educated small towns in America. Mount Airy High School is considered among the top ten schools in the state of North Carolina. 8% of the population aged 25 and above have completed a masters or another advanced degree.

16. Alamogordo, NM Micro Area

Population: 67,839

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 36.7%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 21.1%

Score: 0.59

Alamogordo, in New Mexico, has a median household income of $51,214, which is close to the state average. More than 80% of the population here is under the age of 65. Alamogordos youth has a high rate of educational attainment. 33% of the population in the town has completed high school education, which is 25% higher than the national average.

15. Shawnee, OK Micro Area

Population: 72,454

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 42.4%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 19.1%

Score: 0.62

Next on our list of the most educated small towns in America is Shawnee in Oklahoma, which is an agricultural center for the growth of cotton, potatoes, and peaches. Shawnee is home to two universities and several public schools and colleges.

14. Greeneville, TN Micro Area

Population: 70,152

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 40.6%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 21%

Score: 0.62

Greeneville is a small town in Tennessee that is named after General Nathanael Greene, a Revolutionary War hero. 89.1% of the population here has at least a high school diploma, which is nearly the same rate in both the state of Tennessee and the United States. Greeneville micro area is home to several top educational institutions, including the Walters State Community College and Tusculum University.

13. Morehead City, NC Micro Area

Population: 67,686

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 29.9%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 32.5%

Score: 0.625

Morehead City is a highly educated town in North Carolina. It has a median household income of nearly $63,000 which is higher than the state average, and over 90% of the amount in the United States. 14% of the population aged 25 and above in Morehead has completed a postgraduate degree.

12. Somerset, KY Micro Area

Population: 65,034

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 46.6%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 16%

Score: 0.63

Nearly half of Somersets youth have a college or associate degree. The micropolitan statistical area is one of the most educated small towns in America. There are about 10 colleges in the micro area. More than 13,000 students in 2021 completed degree programs in and around Somerset.

11. North Wilkesboro, NC Micro Area

Population: 65,969

Percentage of population aged between 18-24 with a college or associate degree: 44.8%

Percentage of population aged 25 and above with a bachelors degree or higher: 19.5%

Score: 0.64

North Wilkesboro is a town in North Carolinas Wilkes County. It is one of the most educated small towns in America. More than 80% of the youth in the micro area have completed at least a high school diploma, while more than two-fifths hold a college or associate degree. The Appalachian State University is located 28 miles from North Wilkesboro and has more than 20,000 students enrolled.

Click to continue reading and see the 10 Most Educated Small Towns in America.

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Disclosure: None. 25 Most Educated Small Towns in America is originally published on Insider Monkey.
In this article, we will list the 30 Most Profitable Businesses You Could Start in 2023. If you want to skip our detailed explainer on how to start a business, visit the 10 Most Profitable Businesses You Could Start in 2023.

Although most experts predicted a recession at the end of 2022, the US economy continued to weather the storm. The economy showed continued growth. Inflation and interest rate hikes did make things difficult for Americans, but we may have avoided a recession. The inflation is also gradually losing momentum, and supply chain bottlenecks are being resolved. So, it is a good time to start your own business. With that backdrop, we have compiled a list of the 30 Most Profitable Businesses You Could Start in 2023.

How to create and market your brand?

The success of your business depends on the brand you create. Building and sustaining a brand has never been easier than it is today. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META)s Facebook is highly adept at showing your brand to the relevant audience. With some digital marketing skills that you can learn within weeks online, you can place your ads on Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META)s Facebook and Instagram and show them to the right audience. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META)s algorithm optimizes your ads according to the people who interact with them and presents them to similar people. Reels, a relatively new feature on Instagram, will help your brand reach thousands of people. As evident from the following comment by Baron Fifth Avenue Growth Fund in the second quarter of 2023, more and more people are adopting Instagram reels:

"Meta reported continued growth in Instagram Reels adoption and other new advertising products. In addition, the companys advancements in AI continue contributing to its targeting and measurement capabilities, while GenAI innovation presents an opportunity for new products and incremental monetization."

An essential component of your brand is its creative assets. If you want to take the professional route, tools like Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) Illustrator, and Photoshop can do those for you. These are industry-standard tools that are easy to learn, but a little challenging to master. However, with the plethora of tutorials online, pulling off good-looking creative assets using Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE)'s Illustrator and Photoshop is not an issue. Still, if that feels like alot of work, Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) Fireflys generative AI will create your creatives over simple prompts. If everything else fails, you have freelancing sites like Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ: UPWK) to outsource your work. Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ: UPWK) is a great place to find freelance human resources for your business. All you need to do is post a job and set a budget. Upwork Inc.'s (NASDAQ: UPWK) platform will show your job to related freelancers, who then submit proposals for you to choose from.

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How do you make your digital storefront?

With content management systems such as WordPress, you do not need to learn coding or web designing. Many people post free WordPress tutorials on YouTube, that will teach you how to host, design, create, and manage a website for your business. WordPress offers drag-and-drop features and third-party plugins to customize your website. If you are opening an online retail store, then Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP)'s e-commerce platform will make it a breeze for you.

It lets you create your own e-commerce store with a few clicks. With services like Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), you do not need to worry about backend processing and databases. Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP) also lets you build a customer database for marketing. Alternatively, you can open your e-commerce store on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s marketplace, which lets you create your own store. With a store on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) marketplace, you can easily attract traffic since it already has significant engagement and traffic. For a comprehensive list of the most trending products on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s e-commerce platform, visit 20 Most Searched Products on Amazon.

How to get clients for service-based business?

Finally, if you run a service business you would want clients. The freelance sites you used for outsourcing, can also be used for attracting new clients. However, there is also an abundance of localized services marketplaces. One of these is Bark. It lets people post jobs and hire local services. As a business owner, you pay Bark for leads and get access to potential clients. After getting leads from Bark, all that's left to do is to cold call or email your potential customers.

These business activities, such as setting up a company profile, marketing, making creatives, hunting clients, and reaching out to them cost only a fraction of what they used to a decade ago. So starting your own profitable business has never been easier. If you are wondering which industry you should get into, check out the list of 15 Most Profitable Industries In America In 2023.

30 Most Profitable Businesses You Could Start in 2023

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Methodology

We used a combination of sources such as New York Universitys Stern Schools Margin By Sector report, CSI Market, and Step by Step Business, among others, to determine the average net margin for industries and sectors. We picked out industries with the highest net margins and compiled a list of businesses in each industry. Then, we ranked the businesses based on their individual average net margins as reported by reputable sources.

30 - Food Truck

Average net margin - 9%

If you have always wanted to dip your toes in the restaurant business but are short on budget, see if you can open a food truck. Its margins are higher than a fine dining restaurant and costs less to set up. It costs roughly $10,000-$120,000 to set up a food truck. Do remember that with food trucks, the concept is everything, so work hard on that.

29 - Property Management

Average net margin - 10%

Setting up a property management company will require working relationships with several vendors. However, if you can get good clients, the 10% net margin makes it an attractive business.

28 - Funeral Homes

Average net margin - 10%

The cost of starting a funeral home ranges from $150,000 to $300,000, which includes downpayment on building preparation of the space, equipment, and hearse. However, it is a business that will never go out of demand.

27 - Home-Building

Average net margin - 14%

Starting a home-building business requires at least a $50,000 investment. In addition, you would need to establish contacts with subcontractors and obtain licenses and permits. However, with a 14% profit margin and steady revenues, the investment of time and money is worth it.

26 - Information Systems and SAAS Companies

Average net margin - 15%

One of the most rewarding things you could do is to open up a software company. You do not need any coding knowledge, but you do need to familiarize yourself with the industry and its trends so you can hire the right talent. The average net margin for this business is 15% because of large blue-chip companies. Your net margin can go up 60% or even higher, which is why it is one of the most profitable businesses.

25 - Dropshipping

Average net margin - 15%

The dropshipping business model has always existed but it has been in the limelight after people started using Shopify to drop-ship products. The best thing about dropshipping is that you do not have to store the inventory. You put someone elses products on your website at a higher price and collect the difference. Margins for dropshipping can be as high as 60%. This is one of the best businesses to start with little money as you can start with $1000.

24 - Graphic Design Services

Average net margin - 15%

If you are a graphic designer, you can offer your services on freelance websites. Alternatively, you can open up your graphic design agency and offer services to other businesses.

23 - Travel Agency

Average net margin - 15%

Travel agencies have always been one of the most profitable businesses. For this one, you need to connect with hotels and airlines and create lucrative packages that you can market on social media.

22 - Investment & Asset Management

Average net margin - 16%

Starting an Investment and Asset management company requires registration with the securities and exchange board of your country. If done correctly, this can be a very lucrative business.

21 - Computer Peripherals

Average net margin - 17%

Computer peripherals such as keyboard and mouse will always be in demand. Given the rise of PC gaming and work-from-home culture, more and more people are looking for computer peripherals. You can source your products from China after a proper quality check and sell them through a Shopify website. You can also dropship PC peripherals.

20 - Legal Services Business

Average net margin - 17%

If you are a lawyer, you can open up a legal services business. Hire a team of lawyers and specialize in a particular area.

19 - Renewable Energy

Average net margin - 18%

Renewable energy business is one of the most profitable businesses and its demand is ever growing. You can source panels and renewable energy generators from manufacturers and create your brand.

18 - Social Media Management

Average net margin - 18%

As a social media management agency, your company will look after your client's social media accounts, create ads, bring in engagement, and run paid ads. You might require a graphic designer, social media copywriter, and digital marketing expert.

17 - IT Support, Technology Consulting, and Repair

Average net margin - 18%

As an IT support company, you will provide technical support to other businesses and fix problems with their technology. This is also one of the easiest businesses to start as you can get started with less than $10,000.

16 - Delivery Services

Average net margin - 19%

Starting a delivery services company would require hiring delivery boys and vehicles. It can be an extensive business so we recommend starting with one city and then moving up from there. You can also specialize based on the type of items you deliver.

15 - Gaming Software

Average net margin - 21%

Building a gaming software company requires hiring game developers among others that your business will need. You can also hire someone who works on game concepts and outsource the coding. This business can be capital and expertise-intensive, so we recommend starting with easier platforms and simpler games.

14 - Bookkeeping and accounting

Average net margin - 26%

If you have an accounting background, starting a bookkeeping and accounting business can be very lucrative. Hire a bookkeeper, finalize a bookkeeping software, and market your services to your potential clients.

13 - Stock Brokers

Average net margin - 26%

You can expect to spend anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000 to start a brokerage. However, if you have a successful trading background and portfolio to show, you can easily turn your investment into profit through a 26% net margin.

12 - Tax Preparation

Average net margin - 26%

Starting a tax preparation company requires knowledge about tax filing and laws. The business can easily generate a 26% profit on revenue.

11 - Cake Business

Average net margin - 30%

If you aspire to run your own bakery one day, you can get started with a cake business. If you know baking and are good with cakes, a 30% net margin is attractive, given that you can run the business from your home. You would need to set up your website and social media pages, receive orders online, and fulfill them using a delivery service.

Click to continue reading and see the 10 Most Profitable Businesses You Could Start in 2023.

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Disclosure: none. 30 Most Profitable Businesses You Could Start in 2023 is originally published on Insider Monkey
Suriyawut Suriya / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Few things are less inspiring than riches-to-rags stories about people who built a fortune thats the envy of average earners only to lose it all.

But it happens.

Read: Money Expert Jaspreet Singh Says You Can Use ChatGPT To Become a Millionaire  Heres How

See: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS

Acquiring wealth is only half the battle  preserving it often proves to be the hard part. If youre progressing on your journey to financial security, the mistakes you avoid will be as important as the successes you achieve. Here are the wealth-wrecking missteps to avoid when you finally do get rich.

Financial Mismanagement Can Ruin the Rich, Same as Everyone Else

The rules of money management and healthy financial hygiene dont change whether you earn $30,000 a year or $3 million. The traps of overspending, reckless investing and failure to keep track of your finances can foil the average and affluent alike.

The biggest way rich people can lose their wealth is from a lack of financial management, said Alexa Cruz, personal finance expert with Finder.com. This means not keeping tabs on what theyre earning versus spending, skipping out on budgeting and making high-cost investments with no research.

That last one is crucial because the more you earn, the more people youll have bombarding you with cant-lose investment opportunities.

But the biggest danger is complacency, which can creep in when you build what feels like inexhaustible wealth.

Easy come easy go, said Jason Moll, CPA. Oftentimes, wealthy people dont maintain the same discipline that they had when they built their wealth. Wealthy people should try to preserve their assets and live off of their earnings. You should be mindful that if youre not moving forward, you might be drifting backward.

Jaspreet Singh on the 75/15/10 Rule: This Is How the 1% Manage Their Wealth

Their Wealth-Generating Businesses Can Fail

Most wealth comes from success in business, said John Jennings, president and chief strategist of the St. Louis Trust & Family Office.

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He said virtually all the truly high-net-worth individuals he works with  those with tens of millions of dollars  earned it by pouring all their energies and their entire savings into all-or-nothing entrepreneurial endeavors.

When it works, they get rich. When it fails, they go bankrupt  but it can fail even after it works.

Rich people who run businesses can face big problems, said Baruch Silvermann, financial expert and CEO of The Smart Investor. Even if they have a lot of money, they can still lose it because businesses might fail or investments might go wrong. This can happen because the economy gets worse, what people want to buy changes, more companies compete, or the business is not managed well. If a business fails, they not only lose the money they put in, but also the money they could have earned in the future if the business did well. Its also possible that if their business fails, they might owe money personally because of the business, and this could put their personal belongings in danger.

Divorce Is Expensive  Especially for the Rich

According to Duke University research, wealthier couples have lower instances of divorce. But theyre hardly immune  and the results can evaporate personal wealth.

When rich couples decide to split up, they sometimes have to share their stuff, Silvermann said. This includes things like companies they own, houses and money they invested  and this sharing can make them lose a lot of money.

In 2006, Ohio State University released research thats still widely cited, showing that personal wealth drops by 77% after divorce.

In 2020, research from the Journal of Marriage and Family showed that if anything had changed 14 years later, it changed for the worse. It revealed 82% and 76% reductions in personal wealth of men and women, respectively.

And the rich are no exception.

For instance, MacKenzie Scott, who is Jeff Bezoss ex-wife, received 25% of the stake in Amazon  worth about $144 billion at the time  which was worth about $36 billion, said Silvermann, who also cited Bill and Melinda Gates as an example.

While its hard to feel bad for two guys worth a combined $270 billion, the situations and net worths of Gates and Bezos are extreme outliers. In more typical cases, divorce can do to the rich the same thing it does to everyone else  cast their lives into financial disarray.

They Can Lose It for Posterity by Failing To Plan

Some wealthy people lose their money after they die. While they wont miss it, their heirs certainly will.

A lack of estate planning is a sure way to lose wealth, said Renee Fry, CEO of the estate planning service Gentreo.

Like average earners, the wealthy sometimes avoid planning for the inevitable because they dont want to confront the uncomfortable subject matter, dont know where to start, are unsure how to divide their assets among their children or simply dont get around to it.

No matter the reason, dying without a will  or better yet a trust  leaves their wealth and their wishes at the mercy of the courts or, even worse, squabbling heirs.

Wealth can be lost due to a lack of estate planning when assets are not properly allocated or protected, leading to unnecessary taxes and legal expenses, Fry said. Without a clear plan, family disputes and inefficient distribution of assets can further erode the wealth accumulated over lifetimes.

Even those who plan for their estates can forfeit a fortune if they dont revise those plans as their circumstances evolve.

I had a client who failed to update his will, Morrison said. When he passed unexpectedly, the legal fees and disputes almost halved his estates worth.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Biggest Ways Rich People Can Lose Financial Security
Assyrian-Style Vegan Meat and Rice Balls

This is Food editor Joe Yonan's take on the traditional rice-studded meatballs called kufteh that his aunts and grandmother made on his childhood visits to Chicago, a center of Assyrian American culture. As a vegetarian, he uses vegan ground beef, and he couldn't resist creating a quick but nontraditional lemon-butter sauce out of the cooking liquid left in the pan. The cornstarch is used if you want to make the sauce thicker and silkier, but it's optional. Note that an Instant Pot version can save you hands-on time. Serve with bread and a salad, if you'd like.

Beyond's plant-based ground beef comes in 16-ounce bulk packages. Impossible's product comes in 12-ounce packages, so this recipe would require 2 of those, with 8 ounces left over.

Make ahead: The meatballs can be formed and refrigerated for up to 3 days before cooking.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

From Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan, loosely based on recipes by Kathryn Pauline on her Cardamom and Tea blog and "Assyrian Mothers' Cookbook: Our Heritage" (1995) published by the Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation of Chicago.

Ingredients (Servings: 4)

1/2 cup basmati rice

4 cloves garlic, halved

3 scallions, trimmed and cut into large pieces

1 celery stalk, cut into large pieces

1 banana pepper or small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into large pieces

1 pound vegan ground beef, such as Impossible or Beyond Meat

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vegan butter, such as Miyoko's

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions
The rental market has been steadily becoming more expensive; but, in some locations across the country, the prices have risen much faster. A new GOBankingRates study found that there was a 24.75% rent increase from 2018 to 2023 in the national median rent price.

Im a Real Estate Agent: These Will Be the Best States To Buy Property in the Next 5 Years

Learn: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS

But in some states, that figure is almost double.

Indeed, in the last five years, five states have seen massive rent spikes: Arizona, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire and New Mexico have all experienced a whopping 40% increase.

The five states, which have seen substantial rent spikes in the past five years, all share a common characteristic: the absence of rent control laws, said Sipho Simela, CEO and founder of Matrix Rental Solutions. This key distinction has allowed landlords in these states to swiftly respond to evolving market conditions and fluctuations in demand.

According to Simela, unlike regions with rent control measures in place, where rent increases are more gradually absorbed into the market, these states have provided landlords with the latitude to adjust rents according to the prevailing market dynamics.

Another factor, Simela said, is that remote work has played the most significant role in the changing market dynamics in these states. During the pandemic, the appeal of these states was significantly heightened by their easy access to beaches, mountains and vast outdoor spaces, he said.

In summary, the combination of unrestricted rent adjustments  coupled with factors such as population growth, limited housing supply, growing economies, urbanization and the influence of remote work trends  has contributed to the notable rent spikes, particularly in urban areas within these states, he added.

Also: More Americans Can Afford To Buy a Home in These 20 Cities

Arizona

Average rent in 2018: $1,030

Average rent in 2023: $1,491

Increase: 44.8%

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According to Justin Albertynas, CEO of RatePunk, the influx of tech companies and startups, especially in cities such as Phoenix and Tempe, has driven demand for housing.

Arizona is quickly becoming a tech hub, he said, and coupled with Arizonas popularity among retirees and its ever-increasing reputation as a more affordable alternative to California, the housing market has seen considerable upward pressure on rents.

Delaware

Average rent in 2018: $1,100

Average rent in 2023: $1,621

Increase: 47.4%

Delaware enjoys a strategic geographic advantage, nestled near major urban hubs such as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

This positioning makes it an attractive proposition for those who desire proximity to these cities but opt for residences in less densely populated areas, said Andrew Latham, CFP and director of content at SuperMoney.

In addition, Delawares corporate-friendly laws have turned it into a hub for business headquarters, ensuring a steady influx of professionals and consistent job growth, added Latham.

Also contributing to the rent spike, especially in coastal areas, he said, is the increasing popularity of its beachfront properties.

Maine

Average rent in 2018: $842

Average rent in 2023: $1,207

Increase: 43.3%

Maine has witnessed a boom in its tourism sector, which has a domino effect.

Indeed, as more properties are transformed into short-term rentals to cater to tourists, Latham said, the housing stock available for long-term residents dwindles, pushing rents higher.

The states scenic beauty, rich culture and high quality of life have further added to its allure, drawing many newcomers, he said. Yet, the housing developments havent scaled up proportionally to meet this growing demand, exacerbating the housing crunch.

New Hampshire

Average rent in 2018: $1,192

Average rent in 2023: $1,682

Increase: 41.1%

According to Latham, New Hampshires growth story is twofold.

On the one hand, it has experienced consistent economic growth, with more businesses finding homes in the state, which is attracting a workforce from various regions.

On the other hand, its relative proximity to Boston plays a significant role, Latham said. Many individuals prefer residing in New Hampshire, with its comparatively lower living expenses, even if they work in Boston. Additionally, the states reputation for offering quality education acts as a magnet for families prioritizing academic opportunities for their children.

New Mexico

Average rent in 2018: $843

Average rent in 2023: $1,295

Increase: 53.6%

New Mexico stands out due to its rich blend of cultures and vibrant art scenes, offering a unique living experience.

Latham explained that cities such as Albuquerque are educational hubs, drawing students and professionals alike.

Sectors such as clean energy, film and aerospace have seen impressive growth in the state, he said, leading to enhanced economic opportunities, which naturally increased housing demands.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These 5 States Have Seen Massive Rent Spikes in Just 5 Years
Shutterstock.com

Americans consider relocating to other states for a variety of reasons, from getting a new job to enhancing their quality of life. But for high earners, the mathematics of taxation often plays a big role. High earners often have their own businesses or a large amount of investments, two sources of income that don't necessarily tie you to a specific state.

See: 10 Affordable U.S. Small Towns With a Great Quality of Life

Find Out: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS

With some states assessing double-digit tax rates and others charging nothing at all, it's inevitable that at least some high earners will move to a more tax-friendly home. This simplistic observation is borne out by migration data, which shows a major influx of high-earning Americans into zero-tax states while high-tax states suffer outflows. Here's a look at where high earners flocked to and fled based on 2020 and 2021 data from SmartAsset, with "high earner" defined as having a minimum of $200,000 in adjusted gross income.

RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images

States High-Earning Americans Are Moving To

The top five states in terms of net migration of high earners all generally have warmer climates and lower income taxes. In fact, the top two, perhaps unsurprisingly, have no state income taxes at all. Here they are in order.

Real Estate Agents Say: Buy Property in These 5 States To Be Rich in 5 Years

Housing Market 2023: These 15 Cities Are Poised for the Most Stable Growth and Are Likely To Keep Their Value

CampPhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Florida

Inflow: 40,134

Outflow: 12,567

Net Migration: 27,567

Florida has long been touted as a destination for seniors, and there's no doubt that many of the state's 27,000-plus newly minted, high-earning residents are attracted to its climate. But the fact that the Sunshine State also has no state taxes may play an even larger role.

I'm a Real Estate Agent: Buy Real Estate in These 10 Cities To Be Rich in 10 Years

halbergman / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Texas

Inflow: 22,751

Outflow: 13,743

Net Migration: 9,008

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Everything is bigger in Texas -- except state income taxes. In addition to warm weather, booming industry and some of the most famous cities in the world, Texas has no state income tax, making it particularly welcoming for high-earning Americans.

Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

North Carolina

Inflow: 11,437

Outflow: 5,991

Net Migration: 5,446

North Carolina isn't exactly known as a tax haven, but it's certainly not burdensome on its residents. In fact for tax year 2023, the state actually cut its individual levy to 4.75%, down from 4.99% in 2022.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Arizona

Inflow: 9,763

Outflow: 5,200

Net Migration: 4,563

Arizona assesses a flat (and low) 2.5% income tax rate on state residents, and it doesn't tax Social Security benefits. The state has low property taxes as well, with a median of just 0.63%, and programs are in place to reduce the tax benefit on seniors even more.

Find Out: Why Retirees Are Expected To Sell Their Homes in These 10 Cities

Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

South Carolina

Inflow: 7,312

Outflow: 2,802

Net Migration: 4,510

Individual income tax rates can top out at 6.5% in South Carolina -- down from 7% in 2021 -- but the lowest rate is still 0%. The overall cost of living in the state, however, is still quite low compared with destinations like California and New York.

Dancestrokes / Shutterstock.com

States High-Earning Americans Are Moving From

Just like low-tax states seem to draw high earners, it's no surprise that they are generally fleeing higher-tax states. That's certainly the case for the top state on the list, but it's true also for the other major net losers.

Alex Potemkin / Getty Images

California

Inflow: 18,237

Outflow: 45,578

Net Migration: -27,341

California has a large population, so it's not surprising to see it high on the list of net migration. The fact that it's the biggest loser, however, is no doubt due in large part to its top tax rate of 13.3%. highest in the nation.

See: More Americans Can Afford To Buy a Home in These 20 Cities

OlegAlbinsky / iStock.com

New York

Inflow: 11,690

Outflow: 31,485

Net Migration: -19,795

New Yorkers love their state but they can't stand the taxation, which has driven nearly 20,000 high earners away in recent years. The top state income tax rate is 10.9%, but property taxes and local sales taxes are also quite high, particularly for those who live in New York City.

Pgiam / Getty Images

Illinois

Inflow: 5,731

Outflow: 14,862

Net Migration: -9,131

Illinois doesn't make tax headlines as often as high-cost states like California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. However, it's still a burden for high earners. Average property and sales tax rates are among the highest in the country, even though its individual income tax rate of 4.95% is not particularly egregious.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

Massachusetts

Inflow: 6,623

Outflow: 9,741

Net Migration: -3,118

In some circles, Massachusetts still has the nickname "Taxachusetts," no doubt driving some of the negative net migration from the state. In fact, state residents just approved a 4% surtax on those earning over $1 million annually, something that may have pushed some top earners away.

Find Out: 5 Reasons the Housing Market is Reversing

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

New Jersey

Inflow: 10,920

Outflow: 13,537

Net Migration: -2,617

In 2023, New Jersey was ranked as having the sixth-highest tax burden among all U.S. states, with property taxes in particular being onerous. This combined levy can be even more damaging for high earners than just a high individual income tax rate -- although New Jersey's top rate of 10.75% is also among the highest in the country.

All migration data is sourced from SmartAsset.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 States Where High-Earning Americans Are Moving To  and 5 Theyre Leaving
Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Bloomsbury Publishing's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

A total of 11 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership

Insiders have been selling lately

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (LON:BMY), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. With 85% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Bloomsbury Publishing.

See our latest analysis for Bloomsbury Publishing

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Bloomsbury Publishing?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Bloomsbury Publishing already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Bloomsbury Publishing, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

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Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Bloomsbury Publishing. Our data shows that BlackRock, Inc. is the largest shareholder with 9.0% of shares outstanding. Charles Stanley & Co. Ltd, Asset Management Arm is the second largest shareholder owning 7.4% of common stock, and Canaccord Genuity Asset Management Limited holds about 5.5% of the company stock. Additionally, the company's CEO John Newton directly holds 1.9% of the total shares outstanding.

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. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.

Insider Ownership Of Bloomsbury Publishing

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. It has a market capitalization of just UK331m, and insiders have UK7.1m worth of shares, in their own names. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 12% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Bloomsbury Publishing better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Bloomsbury Publishing , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Edward Blum has filed dozens of lawsuits challenging racial preferences in American life, from affirmative action to voting rights. His most recent win came when he sued Harvard over its race-conscious college admissions policies.

Now fresh off that landmark affirmative action victory, Blum has set his sights on the private sector.

His organization, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, recently filed two racial discrimination lawsuits. In August, he sued an Atlanta firm, Fearless Fund, that backs Black women entrepreneurs. He also sued two major law firms, Morrison Foerster and Perkins Coie, for offering fellowships to diverse candidates. Morrison Foerster this week quietly opened its diversity fellowship to students of all races. It did not respond to a request for comment.

Blum's quest to dismantle corporate diversity initiatives began in 2021 when he took the state of California and the NASDAQ stock exchange to court over board diversity mandates.

The anti-affirmative action activist says he has more lawsuits planned.

Racial classifications and preferences need to be handled with the most delicate of gloves or corporations and other institutions will be in violation of the law, Blum told USA TODAY in an interview.

Edward Blum, a long-time opponent of affirmative action in higher education and founder of Students for Fair Admissions, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina on Oct. 31, 2022.

Conservatives seize on affirmative action ruling to attack diversity programs

Corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives  DEI for short  were already under fire from GOP leaders like Florida Gov. and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis. Republican criticism only intensified in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in June that struck down affirmative action.

Though it does not apply to employers, conservative activists seized on the high court ruling, saying it raises fundamental issues about how corporate America addresses workplace inequality.

The decision was clear that all Americans have the same civil rights, and those rights forbid discriminating for or against anyone on the basis of race, sex or orientation, said Scott Shepard, director of the National Center for Public Policy Researchs Free Enterprise Project which challenges DEI and other "woke" initiatives in corporate America.

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Since then, the nation has seen an uptick in legal challenges from conservative activists.

America First Legal  a conservative group founded by Stephen Miller, former senior adviser to former President Donald Trump, and other former Trump administration officials  has filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against diversity programs at more than a dozen companies including Starbucks, McDonald's and Morgan Stanley. In a blog post, America First Legal claimed that all DEI programs are illegal.

If a major corporation said in proxy statements to shareholders or in the HR section of their website, we are going to increase the white composition of our workforce by 15% this year, I think most folks would say, well, thats kind of racist and that seems wrong, Gene Hamilton, vice president and general counsel of America First Legal, told USA TODAY in an interview.

From ESG to CRT, the conservative backlash against big business is spreading

From environment, social and governance principles to critical race theory, the conservative backlash against corporate Americas embrace of social issues is the nations latest cultural wedge.

DeSantis and other GOP leaders have accused corporations of running diversity programs that paint all white people as racist and abandoning colorblind systems based on merit to hire and promote people of color.

Daniel Morenoff, executive director of the American Civil Rights Project, which for years has pressured companies like Coca-Cola and McDonalds to back off diversity programs, says the Supreme Court ruling has energized conservatives to block the increasingly leftward tilt of big business.

I think it would be safe to say that there appears to be greater interest in the activity in this sphere, Morenoff told USA TODAY.

Immediately after the Supreme Court ruling, Republican state attorneys general warned large employers like Microsoft and Walmart against race-conscious practices in hiring and contracting.

Democrats fired back, accusing GOP state attorneys general of attempting to intimidate corporations into abandoning permissible diversity efforts.

Top lawyers from seven states promised legal cover to companies whose DEI programs face challenges from GOP officials.

We write to reassure you that corporate efforts to recruit diverse workforces and create inclusive work environments are legal and reduce corporate risk for claims of discrimination, the Democrats wrote. In fact, businesses should double-down on diversity-focused programs because there is still much more work to be done.

The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and six other civil rights groups this week filed an amicus brief in support of the Fearless Fund, a program that awards $20,000 grants to small businesses owned by Black women that was sued by Blum. Black women receive less than 1% of venture capital funding.

Fearless Fund founders Arian Simone and Ayana Parsons have retained prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump to fight the lawsuit.

In the face of persistent, systemic discrimination against Black people and all people of color arising from our countrys long history of racism, Ed Blum and his recently-created front group are bent on dismantling programs benefiting the Black community," Damon Hewitt, president and executive Director of Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement. "They seek to kneecap any effort to undo entrenched racial inequalities.

Students and others gather at Harvard University's Science Center Plaza to rally in support of affirmative action after the Supreme Court ruling on July 1 in Cambridge, Mass.

Corporate diversity programs are not affirmative action, law professor says

Most Americans say companies should not take race and ethnicity into account in hiring and promotions, according to a 2019 survey from the Pew Research Center.

But federal law already prohibits employers from considering race and other protected characteristics, according to Joan Williams, Sullivan professor of law and director of the Center for WorkLife Law, at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

Conservatives are attempting to mislead the public by conflating diversity programs with affirmative action, Williams said. And this," she said, "is just nonsense.

By casting a wide net for qualified workers from different backgrounds, initiatives to attract diverse talent help employers make their workforces less homogeneous and their workplaces more inclusive, she said.

Joan Williams, Sullivan professor of law and director of the Center for WorkLife Law at UC Law SF.

Williams has worked with scores of companies over the years. In a database of nearly 20,000 professionals, 80% to 88% of white men report fair access to career-enhancing assignments while the proportion among women of color plunges as low as 50%.

The bottom line is what the Supreme Court said is that you have to have a meritocracy, she said. What a good DEI program does is produce a true meritocracy.

Conservative backlash is 'bluster,' diversity advocate says

In the fight to level opportunities for underrepresented groups, the stakes are high, according to Shijuade Kadree, director of tech equity and the tech accountability coalition at the Aspen Institute.

The unfolding conflict is a modern civil rights struggle for people of color who historically have been excluded and discriminated against in the workplace, Kadree said.

They are using the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action as a proxy to attack any DEI initiative, she said. And that attack is stemming from a fear of losing power.

The top ranks of Americas largest corporations are still predominantly white and male, while women and people of color are concentrated at the lowest levels with less pay, fewer perks and rare opportunities for advancement, a USA TODAY analysis found.

Despite pledges to improve racial equity following George Floyds murder in 2020, little progress has been made.

Students and others gather at Harvard University's Science Center Plaza to rally in support of affirmative action after the Supreme Court ruling on July 1.

White men today are more likely than their grandfathers to be managers even as the workforce diversifies and research studies show that diverse companies outperform peers.

At current rates, it could take decades  if not centuries  for corporate leadership to reflect the demographics of the workforce, researchers have found.

Kadree says shes worried about the backslide in corporate diversity commitments she's observed over the last year and a half. For companies looking to reduce staff and initiatives, the Supreme Court affirmative action decision is a convenient scapegoat, she said.

The flurry of legal actions from conservative groups has prompted some companies to retreat from public targets for racial diversity in their executive ranks and from leadership training programs geared to underrepresented groups. Others are removing diversity from job titles.

Most companies, however, are looking to the future and know they have a lot of work that remains so that their workforces and leadership will one day better reflect the changing demographics of the country and their customers, Kadree said.

They get that its a lot of bluster, Kadree said.

Shijuade Kadree, director of tech equity and the tech accountability coalition at the Aspen Institute

GOP activists face key challenge in taking on big business diversity initiatives

The conservative pushback has run into obstacles.

A federal judge in August dismissed a lawsuit against Starbucks board of directors that opposed the coffee giants diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices.

The lawsuit was brought by the National Center for Public Policy Research over hiring goals for Black and other workers of color, awarding contracts to diverse suppliers and linking executive pay to diversity goals.

Scott Shepard, director of the National Center for Public Policy Researchs Free Enterprise Project, says the political right is submitting shareholder proposals to battle the unchecked influence of liberal politics in the executive suite and the boardrooms of major corporations. Center-right Americans were asleep at the switch for a long time, he said.

Chief U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian in Spokane, Washington, rejected the claims, saying the courts have no business interfering with legitimate and legal decisions made by the boards of directors of public corporations.

Historically, the courts have given boards of directors wide discretion, assuming they act in good faith and in the best interests of the company.

"If the plaintiff doesn't want to be invested in woke corporate America, perhaps it should seek other investment opportunities rather than wasting this court's time," Bastian said.

Shepard said the National Center for Public Policy Research is surprised and disappointed by the result.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Affirmative action wars: Why the GOP is targeting diversity programs
Value-focused investors are constantly on the lookout for stocks priced below their intrinsic value. American Tower Corp (NYSE:AMT) is one stock that demands attention in this respect. Currently priced at 182.55, the stock recorded a daily gain of 2.55% and a 3-month decrease of 3.58%. According to its GF Value, the fair valuation of the stock stands at $289.42.

Understanding GF Value

The GF Value represents the current intrinsic value of a stock, derived from an exclusive method. This value is calculated based on historical multiples, GuruFocus adjustment factor, and future estimates of business performance. The GF Value Line on our summary page provides an overview of the fair value that the stock should be traded at.

Is American Tower (AMT) Too Good to Be True? A Comprehensive Analysis of a Potential Value Trap

However, before making an investment decision, investors need to delve deeper. Despite its seemingly attractive valuation, certain risk factors associated with American Tower should not be overlooked. These risks are primarily reflected through its low Altman Z-score of 1.06. This suggests that American Tower, despite its apparent undervaluation, might be a potential value trap, underlining the importance of thorough due diligence in investment decision-making.

Decoding the Altman Z-Score

The Altman Z-score is a financial model that predicts the probability of a company entering bankruptcy within a two-year time frame. A score below 1.8 suggests a high likelihood of financial distress, while a score above 3 indicates a low risk.

A Closer Look at American Tower Corp (NYSE:AMT)

Operating as an REIT, American Tower owns and operates more than 220,000 cell towers throughout the U.S., Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. It also owns and/or operates 25 data centers in eight U.S. markets after acquiring CoreSite. The company's revenue is primarily generated by the top few mobile carriers in each market.

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Is American Tower (AMT) Too Good to Be True? A Comprehensive Analysis of a Potential Value Trap

Interpreting American Tower's Low Altman Z-Score

A breakdown of American Tower's Altman Z-score suggests possible financial distress, indicating that the company's financial health may be weak.

Operational Efficiency: The Asset Turnover Ratio

A vital indicator for American Tower's operational efficiency is its asset turnover. The decreasing trend in this ratio over the past three years (2021: 0.18; 2022: 0.16; 2023: 0.16) signifies reduced operational efficiency. This could be due to underutilization of assets or decreased market demand for the company's products or services. This shift in American Tower's asset turnover underlines the need for the company to reassess its operational strategies to optimize asset usage and boost sales.

Conclusion: The Value Trap Dilemma

Despite its seemingly attractive valuation, American Tower (NYSE:AMT) presents certain risks that could potentially make it a value trap. The company's low Altman Z-Score and declining asset turnover ratio suggest possible financial distress and operational inefficiency. Therefore, investors should exercise caution and conduct thorough due diligence before making an investment decision.

GuruFocus Premium members can find stocks with high Altman Z-Score using the following Screener: Walter Schloss Screen .

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


(Photo by Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Apple's stock is currently the single biggest short for hedge fund investor Dan Niles.

"Sold $AAPL & now our largest single stock short," the Satori Fund founder said in a Thursday post on X.

Niles cited three reasons for his bearishness toward Apple, including China's crackdown on iPhone usage.

Hedge fund investor Dan Niles says he's betting hard against iPhone maker Apple, which is now his largest single-stock short position.

"Sold $AAPL & now our largest single stock short," the Satori Fund founder and senior portfolio manager said in a post on X Thursday.

Niles cited three reasons for his bearishness toward the Big Tech giant - including worries about China's iPhone ban. The Asian nation recently ordered its central government officials not to use Apple's iPhone or phones from foreign brands at work, as tensions between Beijing and Washington heat up, according to the Wall Street Journal .

It follows the US barring equipment sales from Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE during the Donald Trump administration.

Shares in Apple took a beating on Thursday thanks to reports of Beijing's iPhone crackdown, leading to a $191 billion loss in the tech titan's market cap in just two days.

Other risks for Apple include rising competition from Huawei, Niles said, following the release of two new smartphones by the Chinese company.

Meanwhile, the forthcoming resumption of student loan payments in the US could squeeze Americans' spending power, potentially weighing on iPhone demand, Niles added.

Lastly, Apple's slowing revenue over the past few quarters "will force investors to question 29x CY23 PE w/ no major AI play vs S&P at 21x," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Chevron gas station at the intersection of Thomas Road and North 70th Street in Scottsdale, Ariz., sells both regular gasoline and diesel for $4.59 per gallon on Aug. 25, 2023.

Arizona gas prices saw a slight hike since last week, rising by 2 cents, while the national average for a gallon changed by the same margin but in the opposite direction.

Arizona markets continued to add to their average total for a gallon of gasoline, albeit now at a slower pace, but the state still ranks high among the worst areas to top off.

As of Thursday, Arizona remains the seventh most expensive state in the U.S., where residents are paying an average of $4.34, about 54 cents more than the country as a whole, according to AAA data.

The national average, at $3.80, was about 2 cents less than it was this time in August and 4 cents less than it was in 2022. AAA said in its weekly report that even despite a recent jump in oil prices, pump prices were able to register a slight decrease.

Pump prices appear to be defying the odds at the moment, despite the surge in the cost of oil, AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in the release. This uneasy balancing act may last until we get beyond hurricane season and its threats to Gulf Coast oil and gas production and refining.

Fresh data reported by the Energy Information Administration, as cited by AAA, saw gas demand increase last week, going from 9.07 million barrels per day to 9.32 million. On the flip side, total domestic stocks of the resources tapered off, tumbling from 217.4 million barrels of crude oil to 214.7 million.

The Energy Information Administration also added that total domestic commercial crude inventories registered a hefty decline as well, falling from 422.9 million barrels of crude oil to 416.6 million.

Wednesday's close to the formal trading session had West Texas Intermediate stocks climb by 85 cents, bringing the price to $87.54.

Top 10: Who's paying the most?

California: $5.35 (+0.06)

Washington: $5.08 (-0.02)

Hawaii: $4.79

Oregon: $4.74 (-0.02)

Alaska: $4.61

Nevada: $4.57 (+0.06)

Arizona: $4.34 (+0.02)

Utah: $4.27 (-0.05)

Idaho: $4.16

Illinois: $4.01 (-0.05)

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County-by-county breakdown

Relatively moderate increases were sprinkled throughout Arizona's gas pumps since last week, with some seeing better prices than others.

For the most expensive county, it's no surprise that Maricopa took the top spot. The Grand Canyon state's most populous county only added 2 cents to its total since the week before, but it was still ahead of second-place Pinal at $4.55.

The biggest gain took place in Coconino, where the high country county tacked on 11 cents to its average, bringing the price to $4.21.

While a handful of counties stayed neutral, only Pima County recorded a price drop, losing 4 cents off its average, bringing the average cost to about $4.04.

As for the best price in Arizona, that's found in Greenlee. The county has gone up by 17 cents over the last two weeks, but it still holds as the cheapest spot to fill up at $3.97.

Here were this week's rankings:

Maricopa: $4.55 (+0.02)

Pinal: $4.41

Coconino: $4.21 (+0.11)

Mohave: $4.20 (+0.05)

Santa Cruz: $4.17

Yavapai: $4.16 (+0.04)

Graham: $4.11

La Paz: $4.10

Gila: $4.06 (+0.01)

Pima: $4.04 (-0.04)

Cochise: $4.04 (+0.01)

Apache: $4.01 (+0.03)

Navajo: $3.99 (+0.01)

Yuma: $3.98 (+0.04)

Greenlee: $3.97 (+0.06)

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona gas prices rise while national average for a gallon falls
We noticed that transportation and trucking companies, everyone from carriers, broker, shippers, they just werent getting the full value of technology that was available, said Dhruv Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Axle. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

While digital highways are connecting more and more of the global supply chain  including linking every tractor-trailer in the U.S. to the internet  the founders of Axle said most trucking companies and logistics operators are still missing out on a wealth of data.

We noticed that transportation and trucking companies, everyone from carriers, broker, shippers, they just werent getting the full value of technology that was available, Dhruv Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Axle, told FreightWaves.

Gupta co-founded Axle in 2022 with Jinyan Zang, who serves as the companys COO. Axle is a universal application programming interface for the trucking industry, with goals that include improving supply chain resilience, reducing fuel costs and ultimately making trucking a well-paid and sustainable career.

Last year, Gupta and Zang generated $2.6 million in a first-round fundraise that included One Way Ventures, NewBuild VC, Supply Chain Ventures, Agya Ventures, Ford Street Ventures, SNR, Helene Ventures, MAGIC Fund and Phoenix Fund, as well as the founders of Tive (Krenar Komoni) and Swoop (Sameer Bhalla).

Gupta and Zang met at Harvard several years ago and bonded over shared interests in data science, logistics, transportation and micromobility.

Axle really came about because of both of our shared interests and the stars aligning and it was time to kick off a company together to build something for truckers, Zang said. It was taking all that expertise that we have when it comes to technology and this industry, which has seen an explosion of new companies, and the need for data to power all these new services.

According to the American Trucking Associations, there were 13.86 million single-unit (two-axle, six-tire or more) trucks registered in the U.S. in 2021, representing 5% of all motor vehicles registered.

There are currently more than 750,000 active U.S. motor carriers that own or lease at least one tractor. The trucking industry accounted for over 67% of North American freight movements in June alone, totaling almost $90 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

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Axles universal data platform gathers intelligence from various sources  such as electronic logging devices and transportation management systems  into a framework that allows tech companies to offer more solutions to freight transporters and logistics companies.

The primary data source were starting off with is ELD data. That gets into both the telematics information from the vehicle as well as the corresponding information, such as the driver and the hours of service of that driver, Zang said. TMS data is another example of this. Where theres a lot of different TMSs out there that people use for different reasons, at the same time, if youre in logistics and trucking, you have to talk to other companies. We want to make sure to make the data sharing as easy as possible.

While fleets are required to install ELDs in all their vehicles to ensure driving hours are accurately tracked, the devices can also be used to gather valuable information.

For trucking companies, they spend a lot of time on routing optimization, fuel cards, fraud, spending a lot of human time on things like compliance and different workflows, Gupta said. At the same time, weve seen this explosion of firms that are trying to serve trucking companies to solve all of these problems.

Gupta said many FreightTech firms that aim to help trucking companies improve their bottom line dont have the right data.

The main thing that we saw was that all of these software companies, they were trying to solve these core problems that trucking companies and truckers needed, but they didnt have any of the core data that was required to enable real-time visibility, trying to figure out where the vehicles and drivers actually are, how are they driving, can they drive further? Gupta said. That became this core bottleneck with a deep data problem for these companies that we wanted to solve.

Axles customers include companies such as AtoB, FleetOps and LogRock.

We have some companies that are data sources to us, like Samsara and Geotab, Gupta said. These are the devices that keep track of where the actual vehicles and drivers are. They flow data up to us so that our customers, which are logistics and tech software companies, can use our data and then serve their customers, their customers being trucking companies.

Watch: FW Now takes a look at Convoys new fraud detection system.

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Noi Mahoney.

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The post Axle aims to empower trucking companies using big data appeared first on FreightWaves.
Transparency Market Research

Rise in customer awareness about the need for insurance, availability of personalized insurance solutions, surge in digital platforms, and increase in partnerships between businesses and insurers are key factors augmenting B2B2C general insurance market demand

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The B2B2C general insurance market on a global scale is poised for substantial growth, with a projected 10.0% CAGR spanning from 2023 to 2031. According to the research study by TMR, the market is expected to attain a valuation of approximately US$ 827.3 billion by 2031. As of 2023, the B2B2C general insurance market is forecasted to reach a value of about US$ 381.8 billion.

Increase in disposable income, growth in digitization, and surge in usage of social media platforms have resulted in increased awareness and spending on insurance instruments, drives the growth of the B2B2C general insurance market. Increase in government initiatives & supportive policies, and easy availability of suitable products. This, in turn, is bolstering the growth prospects of B2B2C general insurance.

Technologies such as predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, telematics, and chatbots have stimulated B2B2C general insurance market growth, as insurance providers are allowed digital issuance of policies

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Connect with our team of research specialists and unlock the optimal solution for driving your business growth

Market Snapshot:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue US$ 347.1 Bn Estimated Value US$ 827.3 Bn Growth Rate - CAGR 10.0% Forecast Period 2023-2031 No. of Pages 170 Pages Market Segmentation Product Type, Industry, Nature of Business, Application, Enterprise Size, Distribution Channel Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America Companies Covered Aditya Birla General Insurance,AXA SA,Allianz SE,Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A.,Berkshire Hathaway Inc.,ICICI Lombard,Prudential plc,UnitedHealth Group Inc.,BNP Paribas S.A.,Edelweiss General Insurance Company Limited,Tata-AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd.

Key Takeaways from the Market Study

As of 2022, the B2B2C general insurance market was valued at US$ 347.1 billion

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By enterprise size, the large enterprises segment to enjoy high demand, accumulating a high revenue share during the forecast period.

Based on product type, the property insurance segment is anticipated to dominate the industry during the forecast period.

Based on end-user, the commercial segment is expected to generate high revenue during the forecast period.

B2B2C General Insurance Market: Key Trends and Opportunistic Frontiers

The rapid growth in EV manufacturing industry is expected to create lucrative opportunities for established as well as new B2B2C General Insurance companies over the coming years.

Increasing demand for lightweight automotive components, expansion of the transportation industry, rising focus on research and development of advanced materials, and surging sales of vehicles around the world are key factors that are estimated to boost B2B2C General Insurance demand.

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B2B2C General Insurance Market: Key Trends and Opportunistic Frontiers

Businesses are becoming more aware of the need for risk management and insurance. This increased awareness encourages them to seek out insurance solutions, driving growth in the B2B2C market.

B2B2C insurers play a pivotal role in helping businesses identify, assess, and mitigate risks effectively. This heightened risk consciousness fuels demand for insurance coverage and risk management expertise.

The growing threat of cyberattacks and data breaches compels businesses to invest in cybersecurity insurance. Insurers offer specialized policies to protect against cyber risks.

Insurers are continuously innovating their product offerings to address emerging risks and evolving customer needs. This includes coverage for new technologies like autonomous vehicles, drones, and IoT devices.

B2B2C General Insurance Market  Regional analysis

Asia Pacific is the dominant region and is anticipated to account for significant share during the forecast period. This can be ascribed to the increase in awareness about the need for insurance, favorable government initiatives, rise in disposable income, and higher population of the insurable people in the region.

B2B2C general insurance market holds strong growth potential in North America owing to the, increase in adoption of insurance solutions, and availability of of supportive government policies in the region.

Competitive Landscape

According to the B2B2C general insurance market analysis, the industry is fragmented, with the presence of large number of companies.

Aditya Birla General Insurance

AXA SA

Allianz SE

Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

ICICI Lombard

Prudential plc

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

BNP Paribas S.A.

Edelweiss General Insurance Company Limited

Tata-AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd.



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Key Developments in the B2B2C general insurance market

In October 2020 - Allianz had signed agreement with Jubilee Holdings in September 2020 to acquire 66 percent stake in its general insurance business in East Africa. Allianz now has presence in the general insurance market in Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Mauritius and Kenya.

In February 2022: Digital Insurer, Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI), has launched an AI Voice Bot, a digital transformation initiative to enable its customers intimate motor claims in a convenient and seamless manner. This end-to-end AI Voice Bot is the first in the General insurance industry in India, and is powered by Yellow.ai, the worlds leading next-gen Total Experience (TX) Automation Platform recently recognised in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Conversational AI Platforms.

In March 2023, Aditya Birla Health Insurance, one of the leading insurance providers, announced its bancassurance partnership with a leading public sector lender, UCO Bank, for the distribution of health insurance products through the banks branches across India.



B2B2C General Insurance Market  Key Segments

Product Type

Health Insurance

Property Insurance

Vehicle Insurance

Accident Insurance

Others (Travel, Asset Insurance, etc.)



Industry

Banks & Financial Institutions

Automotive

Utilities

Retailers

Travel

Housing

Others (Telecom, Lifestyle, etc.)



Nature of Business

Brick & Mortar

E-commerce

Multi-channel

Non-commercial

Service Company



Application

Individuals

Corporates

Enterprise Size

Large Enterprise

Small & Medium Enterprise

Distribution Channel

Online

Offline

Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

South America



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About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. The firm scrutinizes factors shaping the dynamics of demand in various markets. The insights and perspectives on the markets evaluate opportunities in various segments. The opportunities in the segments based on source, application, demographics, sales channel, and end-use are analysed, which will determine growth in the markets over the next decade.

Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision-makers, made possible by experienced teams of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants. The proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques we use always reflect the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in all of its business reports.

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Warmth marks Sino-Australian talks

09:00, September 08, 2023 By Zhang Yunbi ( China Daily

An affectionate sense of reunion and a warm group photo session were among highlights on Thursday in Beijing of the seventh Meeting of the China-Australia High-level Dialogue, the first such gathering of the two delegations since a meeting in 2020 in Sydney.

It was also the first meeting in the post-COVID 19 era, gathering incumbent and retired senior officials, business leaders, scholars and media workers from both nations.

The spirit of having no time to lose in repairing bilateral ties and accelerating the resumption of collaboration dominated the semiofficial dialogue.

"There are a lot of old friends as well as a lot of new ones here today," Li Zhaoxing, head of the Chinese delegation, said at the meeting. Li, a former Chinese foreign minister, is also honorary president of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Observers noted that the event was held as China-Australia relations have shown consistent improvement since last year, with diplomatic, defense and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides gradually resuming.

After its election victory last year, the Australian Labor Party expressed a willingness to improve ties with China, to which Beijing responded positively.

In November, President Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Bali, Indonesia, "charting the strategic direction" for a turnaround in relations, Li said.

"The influence of both sides is expanding in the Asia-Pacific region, and the regional and global impact of China-Australia relations is also on the rise," he said, adding that the ties' future improvement relies on "whether the two sides have a proper perception of each other".

Li said Australia is one of the countries that enjoyed the most dividends from China's development over the past few decades.

"China has not posed any threat to Australia in the past or at present, and will not in the future," he said, adding that Australia's bonds with its allies should not be in conflict with its ties with its partners.

The two sides should "reject the ideology-based Cold War mentality", promote exchanges and dialogue at all levels and in various fields, and "properly handle differences in a constructive way", he said.

Craig Emerson, head of the Australian delegation and former Australian minister for trade, said, "I welcome the recent positive developments in the bilateral relationship, but we know that there is more work to do."

He hailed the meeting of Premier Li Qiang with Albanese on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Indonesia on Thursday.

"The timely and full resumption of normal trade is in the interests of both our countries," Emerson said. "Finding a way to address these issues will help us to take the relationship forward and to a new level."

He said there are many areas of shared interest in which both countries can collaborate, including climate change, people-to-people connections, health and science.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the Australian delegation on Thursday in Beijing. He said the two countries have no unsettled disputes, Beijing upholds consistency in its Australian policy, and the two sides are expected to further boost bilateral friendship through using the high-level dialogue.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade volume reached $58.8 billion in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 10.9 percent.

Chen Hong, professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre of East China Normal University in Shanghai, said, "The relations' repair and growth not only serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but are also conducive to advancing peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

"China is not opposed to Australia's efforts to play an important and positive role in the Asia-Pacific region," he said. "Canberra needs to act with adequate political wisdom, determination and foresight, properly perceive China and its development, and see China as a partner rather than a rival."

According to Ruan Zongze, Chinese consul general in Brisbane, "Three years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese students have finally ceased online learning and returned to Australia, as have Australian friends who came to China for work, travel and cultural exchange.

"Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations." Ruan said in a recent video speech.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Assyrian-Dutch Minister Pursues Dialogue With Turkish People About Turkey's Criminal History

Attiya Gamri. Turkey is one of the nations that has the highest amount of persecution targeting its Christian citizens. The decades-long Christian persecution in the country includes a genocide, a pogrom, deportations, unlawful confiscations of property, official and non-official discrimination, as well as destruction of cultural and religious heritage, among others. The organization Open Doors explains what Christian persecution looks like in Turkey:

"Nationalism and Islam are intrinsically linked and anyone who is not a Muslim, particularly someone who openly lives out a different faith, is seen to be a disloyal Turk. Christians are therefore not regarded as full members of Turkish society."

Severe Christian persecution in the country has led to a collapse in the population of the community. Although most Christians could not live in safety and peace in Turkey, many of those who left to stay alive have thrived in the West. One of them is Attiya Gamri, an Assyrian-Dutch political leader serving as a minister in North- Holland, government for the PvdA (Labor Party).

Gamri was born in the village of Arbo close to the town of Midyat in Tur Abdin, the Assyrian heartland of southeast Turkey. Gamri has been involved in Assyrian causes from a young age. She is a founding member of the Assyrian Federation of the Netherlands and was the first chairwoman of the Assyrian Confederation of Europe. Since 1997, she has been involved in politics in the Netherlands.

Today Gamri lives near Amsterdam and serves as a local minister at the Department of Social Care and Construction for the Labor Party.

In an interview with this author, Gamri said her Assyrian family left Turkey in 1980. When I asked her the reason, she responded:

"Because of the war between the Turkish military and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) in the region, there was no protection for Assyrians from the Turkish government. The Assyrians had no friends and were defenseless in the face of persecution in Turkey."

Gamri relates a personal story:

"I remember my mother would travel to the town center to sell eggs. But locals, who were Muslim Kurds, attacked and harassed us. My mother was always anxious that they would hurt her children. We did not feel safe. We saw our people killed and persecuted every day. So we had to leave our lands.

"We Assyrians were not a participant in the war between the PKK and the Turkish Army. Yet, Turkey did not provide us with rights, security, or protection. Everybody could go to the region where we lived and kill us as much as they could without being held accountable for their actions, or they could seize our properties whenever they wanted, and we could do nothing. We had nowhere to go for legal justice or safety -- not even the courts or the police. We could have been killed any time; the situation was not safe at all, particularly for Assyrian children."

Witnessing the injustices Assyrians were exposed to in Turkey motivated Gamri to become a political leader:

"My grandfather was the mayor of the Assyrian village of Arbo in southeast Turkey. My mother told me a lot about him. I learned from his life story that political leaders can make a difference for their people. And beside this, I have seen how Kurdish men mistreated and hurt my mother, and other Assyrians in southeast Turkey. I remember asking my mother many times 'why do they hurt us?'

"She could not answer my question, and this made a lot of impact on my thinking as I grew up. I saw how my people were persecuted for their religion and ethnicity. It was so unjust and unfair. I decided to change this situation as much as I could for Assyrians. So I wanted to learn how to help my people. And I've learnt a lot about political advocacy in the Netherlands and Europe, and I can say that I understand the situation of the Assyrians much better now."

1894-1924 Christian Genocide in Turkey

Between 1894 and 1924, three waves of genocidal violence were committed against Christians across Ottoman Turkey. Those indigenous Christians had previously accounted for 20 percent of the population. By 1924, they were reduced to 2 percent. Today, Christians comprise only around 0.1 percent of Turkey's whole population. Christian persecution has never ended in Turkey.

The victims of the genocide were the Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks. Assyrians are an ancient, indigenous people in the Middle East who ruled the world's largest empire from 900 B.C.E. to 600 B.C.E. They have contributed tremendously to civilization in fields such as written language, literature, the invention of the 360-degree circle, the law, as well as building roads, and are credited with many other technological, artistic, and architectural achievements.

Assyrians were also one of the first peoples to embrace Christianity and due to their faith, they were subject to numerous atrocities over the following centuries.

Today, Assyrians are stateless and persecuted in countries where they reside: mainly Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey.

Most Assyrians are Christian and speak Assyrian (also known as Syriac, Aramaic, or neo-Aramaic), one of the world's oldest languages and the language of Jesus.

Historians Benny Morris and Dror Ze'evi, the authors of the 2019 book The Thirty-Year Genocide: Turkey's Destruction of Its Christian Minorities, 1894--1924, note:

"Turkey's Armenian, Greek and Assyrian (or Syriac) communities disappeared as a result of a staggered campaign of genocide beginning in 1894, perpetrated against them by their Muslim neighbors. By 1924, the Christian communities of Turkey and its adjacent territories had been destroyed."

Joseph Yacoub, whose family was murdered and dispersed, wrote the 2016 book Year of the Sword: The Assyrian Christian Genocide -- A History, documenting "the systematic killings, looting, rape, kidnapping and deportations that destroyed countless communities and created a vast refugee diaspora."

Assyrians call the genocide "Seyfo," which means "sword" in their native language, or "Shato D'Seyfo," meaning "Year of the Sword." Many victims were killed by the sword of the Turks or Kurds in the region.

Violence and discrimination against Assyrians did not end after the genocide. In 1923-24, Assyrians in Hakkari were exposed to yet another massacre and deportation by the Turkish military. According to the book "The Hakkari Massacres: Ethnic Cleansing by Turkey 1924-25" by Dr Racho Donef,

"The events that transpired in the province of Hakkari were tantamount to a crime against humanity and the Turkish Republic was responsible for this crime. Officers and soldiers... committed despicable acts such as massacres, rape and looting."

Moreover, after the Turkish Republic was established in 1923, Assyrians were not officially recognized by the government. Scholar Susanne Gusten wrote a comprehensive report about the modern history of Assyrians/Syriacs in Turkey, entitled "A Farewell to Tur Abdin." She noted:

"Unlike Greeks, Armenians, and Jews, the Syriacs [Assyrians] have never been recognized by the Turkish state as a non-Muslim minority under the Treaty of Lausanne. As a result, they were not granted even the limited minority rights accorded to those groups, such as schools and the right to safeguard their language and culture."

Ayse Gunaysu, a prominent human rights advocate from Turkey, visited Tur Abdin in 2019 and noted that the atrocities committed for decades against Assyrians following the genocide included murders, the kidnapping of girls, the beating of Assyrians in the streets, injuring them, threats, harassment, intimidation tactics, as well as seizing their fields, homes, forests and other properties.

Sizable Assyrian communities still lived in southeast Turkey until the 1990s when the war between the Turkish military and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) escalated. Assyrians got stuck between the two forces and had to leave their historic lands when their villages were burnt or evacuated by the Turkish military. Assyrians were also targeted and persecuted by their own Muslim neighbors, many of whom were Kurdish.

Gamri says that many Assyrians in the West would like to return to their ancestral lands in Turkey.

"If Assyrians were granted wider human rights and better legal protection in Turkey, many Assyrians would return. But currently, the lack of safety and human rights constitute a major problem."

In May, Gamri attended as a speaker the "Tur Abdin Symposium" in southeast Turkey. The participants discussed many issues about the past and present of the region. See Gamri's opening remarks here.

Gamri emphasizes the significance of dialogue with Turks and Kurds.

"I always try to engage in dialogue with people when I visit Turkey. Some just run away from us. They are in denial or completely clueless, or they listen. And I find this very inspiring. I really want to help them understand the true history of Turkey and what the State and society of Turkey have done to Assyrians, Armenians, Greeks, Yazidis, and other minorities. Those minorities are currently on the verge of extinction in Turkey.

"There are many highly educated, beautiful people in Turkey as well as the Turkish and Kurdish diasporas. Through a genuine dialogue and understanding of history based on honesty and truthfulness, I believe many Turks and Kurds could change their minds and hearts. And some are already aware of many facts regarding Turkey's history and crimes committed against Christians and Yazidis.

"A Kurdish man in Diyarbakir, for instance, told me his Muslim grandfather had kidnapped an Assyrian girl from a village. And she had to convert to Islam. She could not tell anyone she was Christian. That girl was his grandmother. He was so sad, he apologized to me. He told me: 'We are Assyrian Muslims. We were Kurdified and Islamized after the 1915 Genocide. Assyrian Christians had two options: either convert to Islam or die. In the face of such fatal pressure, the head of the village decided they needed to be Muslim to stay alive.' I told him I was happy he had the courage to speak about these painful injustices. These conversations, accepting truths in humility, will heal Kurds and Turks too. There were tears in his eyes.

"I really want Turkey to be a country like the Netherlands where citizens are treated equally, fairly and humanly. The only way for Turkey to become a free and civilized nation is for its citizens to recognize their own past and current atrocities and make amends. For if you don't face your history, the same atrocious history will be your future."

Gamri added:

"I, as a migrant child in the Netherlands, never felt fear there. The Netherlands has given me endless opportunities and motivated me to work hard and be a government minister. I was an indigenous child in Tur Abdin, where my ancestors have lived for thousands of years. But I was anxious there as I saw how my family and my people suffered. I remember living in fear as a child in Tur Abdin as I saw what Muslim locals did to my people.

"But when I returned to Tur Abdin years later as a Dutch citizen with my two children, I saw that my children were totally unafraid. I think this is the difference between growing up as an oppressed child in a tyrannical environment and a free child who grew up in a safe European nation. I hope with all my heart that Turkey will one day reach the same level of human rights and liberties as Europe.

"Today, a lot of Turks and Kurds are suffering at the hands of the Turkish government. Their rights are violated, and their freedoms are restricted. So I think they can now start establishing more empathy with us. We really should build a new country together -- a freer, more civilized one for all its citizens. And the beginning of this is learning about and acknowledging historical truths.

"This is a long and challenging path. The Turkish educational system and historiography is largely shaped by distortions and mistruths. But this situation can't stay like this together. Turks and Kurds deserve and need to know the truth. And the truth shall set them free."
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE:BNED) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript September 6, 2023

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. beats earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $0.86, expectations were $0.73.

Operator: Good morning. My name is Rob and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Barnes & Noble Education Fiscal 2024 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speaker's remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] Thank you. Hunter Blankenbaker, Vice President of Investor Relations, you may begin your conference.

Hunter Blankenbaker: Good morning, and welcome to our fiscal 2024 first quarter earnings call. Joining us today are Mike Huseby, Chief Executive Officer; and Jonathan Shar, Executive Vice President, BNED Retail and President, Barnes & Noble College; Mike Miller, EVP, Corporate Development & Affairs and Chief Legal Officer; and Jason Snagusky, SVP and Treasurer, will also be available during the Q&A session. As referenced in our first quarter slide presentation, which can be found on our Investor Relations website, I'd like to remind you that the statements we make on today's call are covered by the Safe Harbor disclaimer contained in our press release and public documents. The contents of this call are the property of Barnes & Noble Education and are not for rebroadcast or used by any other party without prior written consent of Barnes & Noble Education.

Most Consumed Products in the World

Pixabay/Public Domain

During this call, we will make forward-looking statements with predictions, projections and other statements about future events. These statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those contained in our press release and public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements that may be made or discussed during this call. And now I'll turn the call over to Mike Huseby.

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Michael Huseby: Thanks, Hunter. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Fiscal 2024 is off to a solid start with first quarter consolidated total revenue increasing almost 4% and adjusted EBITDA improving by approximately 22%. Our first quarter results reflect clear evidence that we are executing against our strategic initiatives to deliver profitable growth. Thanks to the focus and dedication of the BNED team, our efforts to drive operational efficiencies and cost reductions are taking hold and our First Day Complete equitable access model continues to demonstrate strong momentum. Before providing a more detailed review of the first quarter, Jonathan and I would like to highlight how the successful execution of these two strategic initiatives are impacting our results.

First, I'll discuss our continued focus on operational improvement and efficiency. Within our retail segment, total sales of $245.5 million increased by $9 million or 3.8%. We achieved this growth despite operating 117 fewer stores, including 67 physical and 50 virtual stores versus a year ago, as we focus on winding down underperforming less profitable stores and satellite locations. Gross comparable store sales were up 5.9% driven by strength in course materials, supply products and graduation items. This growth combined with our disciplined cost management drove significant operating leverage. Retail, selling and administrative expense as a percent of revenue decreased by 520 basis points to 28.2% from 33.4% in the prior year period. This improvement is the direct result of our fiscal year 2023 cost restructuring activities, which yielded a $9.8 million year-over-year quarterly reduction in selling and administrative expense.

Our store teams are operating with their characteristic commitment and increased focus on cost discipline to achieve these results. During our current fall rush, their performance has been exceptional as they continue to provide an unmatched in-store experience while implementing demanding new productivity standards tied to actively managing variable costs, including deep rigor on staffing levels and optimizing our labor mix of full and part-time team members. Further, our teams have adapted well to make sure our stores are meeting customer needs for fall rush despite the later arrival of certain inventory versus prior years. As we discussed with you last quarter, we successfully closed the amend and extend of our credit facilities on July 28th.

These amendments provide us with the necessary financial flexibility and operating runway to actively pursue a more permanent capital structure to complete our business model transformation. However, certain vendors delayed shipping inventory until we received and applied the liquidity enhancements provided by the amendments. Our store teams supported by MBS and our retail shared services teams have been working nonstop to expedite receiving and present such inventory for sale to mitigate any impacts of such delays on our customers or our early rush period sales. Our second key initiative is the acceleration of our Equitable Access program, First Day Complete, which is one of the cornerstones of our long-term profitability growth plan. In the first quarter, First Day Complete revenue increased 55% year-over-year and First Day by course revenue grew 27%.

The growth of our First Day models drove total course material sales up by 8.4%. Now I'll turn the call over to Jonathan Shar, President of Retail, to discuss the significant impact First Day Complete is having on students, higher education and on our business.

Jonathan Shar: Thanks, Mike. It's been an exciting fall back-to-school season thus far as we now have a 157 campus stores using our First Day Complete subscription-like model, representing enrollment of nearly 800,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, a 46% increase over the fall of 2022. Based upon the current pre add/drop enrollment and participation levels, we expect FDC billings for the fall term to be up more than 46%, which will be recognized as GAAP revenue primarily in the second quarter with a smaller relative amount recognized in our third quarter of fiscal year 2024. As I visited many campus stores over the last few weeks, it's clear that FDC, our equitable access model, is having a very positive impact on the student experience, which is why FDC's acceptance in the market has such positive momentum.

The marketplace reaction to FDC strongly supports our strategy and conclusion that FDC will be the primary course material distribution model in the near future. As we shared with you last quarter, based on survey results from our Barnes & Noble College Insights platform, students reported overwhelmingly that through First Day Complete, they had a better customer experience, we're better prepared, saved money and ultimately achieved improved academic success. These benefits have been on full display throughout this fall rush. For students, acquiring required textbooks and course materials is one of the first tasks they need to accomplish at the beginning of each new academic term. First Day Complete has turned this initial task list item into a welcoming positive event through the ease of the First Day Complete process, leveraging our proprietary technology and commitment to service.

As an example, at Emporia State University, which just launched FDC this fall term, a student nominated the Barnes & Noble College bookstore team for a Heart of a Hornet award which recognizes campus community members that go above and beyond in service excellence for how welcoming quick and easy the FDC program made acquiring course materials. The way First Day Complete has transformed the student experience is striking and provides further motivation to work with all our partner institutions to accelerate their adoptions to the First Day Complete model. We believe we are best positioned to deliver on the Equitable Access Model and continue to be the clear marketplace leader. We've invested in advanced proprietary software, such as our student-facing and personalized FDC customer platform, the adoption and insights portal for faculty and academic leadership and the seamless integrations we have with an institution systems like registration, student information, ERPs, learning management systems and single sign-on.

Additionally, MBS is a critical component of our FDC fulfillment engine with unmatched warehousing and logistics capabilities and the industry's largest single source of affordable use textbooks. Being these unique mix of assets and capabilities, coupled with our experience in executing at scale have allowed us to provide flexible and customized solutions for the colleges and universities we serve, enabling us to add a record number of schools to the First Day Complete model this fall. First Day Complete also provides economic benefit to BNED. Since inception, the First Day Complete model has delivered increased predictability, higher revenue and improved gross margins and EBITDA at a school post transition. To demonstrate this, we examined the cohort of stores that transition the First Day Complete in the fall of 2022 from the a-la-carte model in the fall of 2021.

On slide nine of our investor presentation, you can see that when a cohort of stores move to the First Day Complete, their course material sales increased by 82% year-over-year due to the ease of the subscription-like service and the much higher sell-through rate versus the a-la-carte model. Taking this a step further, the gross profit dollars of this cohort nearly doubled, increasing by 96% and drove a 200 basis point improvement in the gross profit margin to approximately 31% from 29%. Furthermore, as schools use FDC year after year, we are able to increase student participation rates. And as a result, the gross profit dollars of First Day Complete stores in fall of 2022 that also operated FDC in the fall of 2021 increased by 5.2% in fiscal year 2023.

All this, of course, is only possible through the talent and passion of our BNED team. I'd like to recognize and thank some of our outstanding operating executives and their teams, like Brian Stark, Bill Dampier, Celeste Risimini-Johnson, Chris Sackett and others for their outstanding leadership and commitment to serving our clients and customers. It's inspiring to see our team members who are committed to our mission of serving all who work to elevate their lives through education. Now I'll turn the call back over to Mike to review our results in more detail.

Michael Huseby: Thanks, Jonathan. Turning to a focus on the first quarter results and related matters. Consolidated first quarter revenue from continuing operations of $264.2 million grew by 3.7% or $9.5 million. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA grew by 21.8% or $7.5 million to a negative $26.8 million. As a reminder, our first quarter is a seasonally low volume period primarily consisting of summer classes, graduations and preparation for fall rush. Fiscal 2024 first quarter total retail segment revenue increased by $9 million or 3.8% to $245.5 million driven by an 8.4% increase in course material revenue and strong graduation and supply product sales. Within course material, our total First Day and First Day Complete revenues increased 37%.

First quarter retail gross profit of $50.3 million decreased by $3.7 million or 6.9%, while retail gross margin of 20.5% decreased by 230 basis points from the prior year period. Course materials gross margin declined due to higher markdowns, including markdowns related to closed stores as well as a higher percentage of lower-margin digital course material sales. These decreases were partially offset by lower contract costs resulting from contract renewals and a favorable sales mix of higher margin graduation products. Additionally, as noted last quarter, first quarter retail gross margins were impacted by lower contractual commissions for emblematic general merchandise sales as part of the Fanatics and Lids partnership agreement. Effective August 1, 2023, under the terms of the July 2023 term loan credit agreement amendment, the commission rates for emblematic general merchandise increased for an estimated one year period.

Each of these trends and margin impacts are reflected in the guidance we have provided. Retail EBITDA increased by $6.1 million to negative $18.9 million due to increased revenue, offset by a lower gross margin as noted and the $9.8 million year-over-year reduction in selling and administrative expense I mentioned earlier. Importantly, we believe we've adjusted and will continue to adjust the cost structure of the retail business to fundamentally change the profit profile of the business. This was evident in our lower volume first quarter, and we expect these expense reduction benefits to continue during our much higher volume second and third quarters. Moving onto wholesale. First quarter sales increased by $1.7 million or 4.6% to $38.8 million.

The increase is primarily due to higher gross sales of $5.1 million compared to the prior year period partially offset by higher returns and allowances of $3.4 million. Wholesale gross profit was $5.8 million or 14.9% of sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to $6.9 million or 18.6% of sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Gross profit and gross margin rate decreased in the first quarter of fiscal 2024, primarily due to higher product costs and an increase in the returns and allowances, partially offset by lower markdowns. First quarter wholesale selling and administrative expenses decreased by 18% to $3.4 million. This decrease was primarily due to cost savings initiatives comprised of lower payroll and incentive plan compensation expense.

Wholesale non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $2.4 million, down by $360,000 due to the lower gross margin. Moving onto the balance sheet and cash flow. Our cash balance was $7.7 million at the end of the quarter with outstanding borrowings of $278 million as compared to borrowings of $259 million in the prior year period. Cash flow used in operating activities increased due to timing of payables to vendors and increased receivables related to increased adoption of our First Day programs in the summer term. Merchandise inventories were down 17% or $79.4 million to $384.2 million versus the prior year. This reflects the delay in inventory delivery from the first quarter to the second quarter that I discussed earlier. First quarter capital expenditures decreased by $3.3 million to $4.2 million from $7.5 million due primarily to lower store build-out and internal systems spend.

Regarding guidance, we're maintaining our fiscal 2024 adjusted EBITDA expectation of approximately $40 million. While the inventory delays during the first two weeks of fall rush resulted in lower sales than expected, we believe the current and expected First Day sales and our disciplined management of store payroll and other costs will limit the financial impact of the delayed inventory receipts. Before closing, I want to thank departing board members Emily Chiu and Dan DeMatteo for their contributions to the company. We are pleased to welcome two new directors Steve Panagos and Ray Wallander to the BNED Board. Both new directors bring fresh perspectives and highly relevant experience to BNED's continued transformation and we look forward to working closely with them.

In addition, we are very pleased to announce this morning that Kevin Watson is joining us as our new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective tomorrow. As you get to know, Kevin, I'm confident you'll agree that he has a strong addition to our senior management team at a very important time in BNED's strategic transformation. In summary, we had a solid first quarter, and we're encouraged by further scaled proof points that our strategy is working. Our First Day Complete equitable access model is having a significant positive impact on students, institutions and BNED. Our cost reduction and efficiency actions are improving profitability and we are on the path to consistently improving adjusted EBITDA and cash flows. I want to thank our people who daily show through their actions and unwavering commitment to our mission, customers and each other.

The field and operating teams that Jonathan mentioned as well as our corporate affairs and legal team under Mike Miller's senior leadership. Our exceptional treasury team, led by Jason Snagusky and Joe Loraine and our finance and accounting teams led by Seema Paul and [indiscernible] have all made significant contributions as have others that are instrumental positioning us for success this fall and beyond. We believe in our opportunity to create value for all stakeholders. Our model transformation has clearly proved that this opportunity is within our grasp at scale. What really excites us is a significant market opportunity that's still in front of us and how well positioned we are to translate that opportunity to increase and sustainable value.

I'll now turn the call over to the operator to open the line for questions. Operator?

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Q&A Session

Operator: [Operator Instructions] And your first question comes from the line of Ryan MacDonald from Needham. Your line is open.

Ryan MacDonald: Hi. Thanks for taking my questions. Mike maybe just to start on the clarification on the inventory delays. Can you just provide a little more color about where you were feeling that most, whether it was on the course material side around the emblematic or general merchandise side? And what, if any, knock-on effects we should expect as a result of that for the fall rush?

Michael Huseby: Yes, Ryan, thanks. We wanted to point this out. We don't consider this to be -- have any impact on our guidance for the year, but we did want to mention it because it's probably obvious, if you look at our balance sheet at the end of July, we had a huge payables balance as we are working to complete the amend and extend, which we did on July 28th, it became effective on the 31st when we got our clean opinion from our outside auditors. So there was a lot of pent-up cash that needed to be released to creditors, whether they were trade vendors, partners, whether they were publishers or in general merchandise both. We got that done fairly quickly. And fortunately, the delay was not in the two largest weeks of the first two weeks of August, in other words, they're not the most significant start dates for fall rush.

That starts to happen really in the third week and fourth week of August and then you know guys that we have Labor Day and right after like where we are right now. So to answer your question directly, our priority was making sure that we got all the course materials vendors cleared up first. And in general, publishers reacted very swiftly and we're very helpful in terms of getting the inventory released to us. There were other categories of general merchandise that we didn't prioritize quite as highly in terms of trade stores and convenience and food and beverage and that type of thing. But nonetheless we doubled all of it pretty much in the first two weeks of August because we want the in-store experience for the students when they come into a rush to be a complete one.

So we didn't want to overplay this. I don't think this is going to have a significant impact on our fall rush financial results or on the year but it's something that was so obvious. We thought we had to mention it. So it's across the board, but we did prioritize moving in courseware and related supplies that kids needed to get back to school or students need to get back to school. And then the other categories of general merchandise, we're being taken care of in parallel, but we're not prioritized in terms of payments quite as highly.

Ryan MacDonald: All right. I appreciate the color on that. On First Day Complete, great to see the interesting and good results there. I'm curious, as you've gone into the fall rush here. First, what have opt-in rates looked like amongst the student population on the newer cohort of schools that have started? And then as we think about pipeline development for spring of 2024, how that continues to develop and what you've got kind of lined up for the spring rush as well? Thanks.

Jonathan Shar: Yes. Ryan, it's Jonathan. Thanks for the question. And in the First Day Complete model, there's, just to clarify, there's sort of two models. One is it's built into tuition at certain schools where there isn't an opt-out. And then we have where it's listed as a course charge and students can opt=out of those. So we don't have an opt-in model per se. It's either included or opt-out -- and the -- for the schools that have opt-out, the opt-out period runs through the add/drop period, which we haven't hit at many of the institutions yet, which will come up in the next few weeks. So we don't really know, although the initial view is that participation rates are strong and one of the things we're seeing is the second and third years that an institution runs First Day Complete and there's cohorts that have experienced that, that participate patient rates grow or opt-out rates decline over time.

So that's an exciting sort of metric that we're tracking and something that we've seen to be positive so far this year, although we haven't hit those add/drop periods, I don't know for sure where it will land, but some good trends in what we're seeing with First Day Complete is based on the overall experience and impact that it's having on the student experience and driving affordability and providing access to materials for all the students at those institutions.

Ryan MacDonald: And maybe just on the second part of that pipeline for spring of '24, how is that looking so far?

Jonathan Shar: Yes. We're in active conversation still with many schools to launch First Day Complete for spring. In fact, we have some signed amendments and agreements already in place. And then we're having still daily hundreds of conversations with schools focused on launching in the next academic year, which will be a year from now in fall of calendar 2024, which is really exciting. So those conversations are active. They have accelerated and we're really optimistic about the continued growth of institutions participating in First Day Complete. And it's really based on the impact that we've seen on student outcomes, access, affordability and convenience.

Ryan MacDonald: Excellent. Maybe just one more for me for Mike. I think you talked about 117 fewer stores year-over-year and doing a nice job of driving more profitable business off of -- despite sort of fewer stores. Can you give us a sense of what the runway looks like here for additional store wind-downs? And sort of how much is there left to go in terms of sort of winding down those unprofitable contracts? And when we might sort of hit the trough, I guess, of impact and start to benefit on the other side of this? Thanks.

Michael Huseby: Yes, it's a great question. It's something that we look at constantly. As you know, Ryan, our overall strategy is based on serving stores profitably. And we're continuing to work with stores to improve profitability. So the trough, as you call it, is really going to be dependent upon our success in converting some stores, many stores to First Day Complete and thereby increasing the profitability, getting it at a level that's a good, long-term, healthy relationship for both us and the school. As you said, our store count was down 117 and that included 67 fiscal 50 virtual stores versus a year ago. So that is evidence that we're following the strategy that's reflected in the results. In terms of giving you guidance on the runway and that type of thing, we're not going to do that, but we'll do it each quarter because of what I just mentioned, it's very dependent upon, and Jon said, as Jon said, we're engaged in a lot of conversations with school still about not just converting to First Day Complete, but the other economic terms that impact our relationship with the commission rate that we pay the schools and we're controlled doing a great job.

Our field teams doing a great job of controlling the payroll. So there are different levers we can pull to achieve profitability in stores. And so how successful we are in pulling those levers renewing contracts and making that strategy work is going to answer the question of where is the trough. I mean we expect to go to a lower number of stores next year than where we are this year. But at some point in time, as First Day Complete penetration, as I would call it, our sell-through really becomes a much higher percentage we should start adding back to that number stores at some point. I don't know when that's going to happen. But our expectation is that all stores will be on some form of equitable access at some point in time.

Ryan MacDonald: Thanks for taking my questions. I'll hop back in the queue.

Michael Huseby: Thanks, Ryan.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Alex Fuhrman from Craig-Hallum Capital Group. Your line is open.

Alex Fuhrman: Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my question. Can you talk a little bit about what the impact has been on general merchandise sales at schools that have transitioned the First Day Complete. Has there been any sort of a negative traffic impact just from having fewer students making that first trip to the bookstore to shop for their books? And then would love to just kind of further unpack your comments about driving really strong merchandise sales on a smaller number of bookstores? And can you just kind of help us understand what was driving that increase? Obviously, this is a seasonally slower period of the year for you, but just trying to understand what that's going to look like as we get into the rest of the year?

Michael Huseby: Alex, it's Mike. I'll make one general comment and then Jon has been spending a lot of time in our stores during rush can pick it up. First off, there aren't fewer students driven to the store through First Day Complete, if anything, there are more. Because most of those programs result in students coming in to pick up their First Day Complete package, of course, we're on or before the First Day. So that as opposed to more of a random who's going to show up when from a student perspective, it's fairly predictable in terms of store traffic, in terms of the scale of students that are showing up to pick up First Day Complete. So and I don't think our results having analyzed this would not indicate that we have any falloff in a general merchandise sale kind of on a per student basis as we change the model then I'll let Jon give more details.

Jonathan Shar: No, that's exactly right. We're actually seeing more students come into the store post transition to First Day Complete based on the fact that we're serving nearly all of the students at that institution. And the primary sort of fulfillment channel is in-store pickup. We can ship the materials to students if they select, but most of them from a convenience standpoint come into the store and pick up their materials or go through the process in real time and have us pick them and sort of box up their materials for them for distribution. So it's actually an opportunity through some of the merchandising strategies and cross merchandising strategies that we have to increase the sales of everything else in the store like general merchandise items that we sell to students as part of that visit.

So we're actually optimistic that, that's going to have a positive impact. And just from a store traffic point alone. So we think that the model works well with the other parts of our business that we are looking to continue to drive growth in.

Alex Fuhrman: Okay. That's really helpful. And then just the other part of the question, just thinking about the strong merchandise sales despite the pretty significantly smaller number of stores that you were operating during the quarter. I mean can we interpret that to mean that your biggest, most kind of long-standing profitable stores we're experiencing really strong increases in sales during the summer months or was it part of that maybe just driven by the fact that the 100 something stores that you're no longer operating were just pretty small contributors to merchandise?

Michael Huseby: Yes, I think it's a combination of both of those. And as we called out in some of the prepared remarks, we had very strong summer, early summer first quarter in graduation products, which was somewhat of a surprise to us, quite frankly, we planned on. We did a lot of great things in our merchandising group to make that happen. But if you recall last year in the spring and summer of '22. There are many schools that actually had commencement ceremonies to include more than just one graduating class because of the impacts of COVID and the fact that many schools weren't able to walk graduating classes in prior years. So even with that as a benchmark, the graduation products performed better year-over-year and much better and of course with our expectations.

So that was a big part actually of the contribution of general merchandise growth. As it relates to the other categories, we continue to see good performance, but graduation was one that really stood out for us in the first quarter. The other thing I would say is that it impacts both the digital kind of the digital weighting of sales and the margin and also a number of students on campus. There were many schools this year that had online virtual courses this summer more than actually in the number we expected. So even with that and not having as many students on campus for the summer, general merchandise sales did well.

Alex Fuhrman: Okay. That's really helpful. Thank you.

Operator: And we have reached the end of our question-and-answer session. I will now turn the call back over to Mr. Hunter Blankenbaker for some final closing remarks.

Hunter Blankenbaker: Great. Thank you, Rob. That does conclude our call and we're going to get back to Fall Rush here. We look to -- forward to speaking with you in early December on our second quarter call. Thank you.

Operator: This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.
A Bitcoin ETF will likely be approved in the U.S. by the end of 2023. The general public has no idea this is about to happen. Even crypto natives, dismayed by depressed markets and a decade of rejections by the Securities and Exchange Commission, are somehow brushing off the current state of affairs.

Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have been highly sought after since 2013 when the first application was submitted to the SEC and subsequently rejected. Over the past 10 years, the SEC has denied each of the several dozen ensuing proposals, including over 30 just since 2021. There are currently 10 active applications from major institutions. An uninformed observer may expect more of the same rejection, but this would be naive.

Two substantial developments in the past three months have drastically improved the prospects of an approval. Lets take a look at these developments and consider whether or not a spot ETF could revitalize Bitcoin and lift crypto out of its bear market.

Development 1: BlackRocks ETF bid

Momentum kicked off on June 15 this year when BlackRock made waves by unexpectedly submitting a Bitcoin ETF application.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has spoken favorably about Bitcoin since then. Bitcoin has a differentiating value versus other asset classes, but more importantly, because its so international its going to transcend any one currency, Fink said. His change of tune is remarkable as he previously denounced Bitcoin as an index of money laundering back in 2017.

BlackRocks track record of ETF application approvals is nothing short of superb. The asset management giant has submitted 576 applications and all but one have been approved. Have the Bitcoin ETF tea leaves adjusted, and BlackRock taken note? BlackRocks 99.8% approval rate suggests so.

Several other high-profile institutions including Fidelity and Ark Invest have followed suit with pending applications under review. Their filing dates and decision deadlines are largely identical. There are four deadlines during the review process in which the commission may, and often does, opt for delay and further review.

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Whether the SEC decision arrives early or not until final deadlines, the caliber of the institutions currently applying and their optimism are signaling one result: approval.

Development 2: Grayscales court win

A separate but equally significant development in the direction of ETF approval is the Aug. 29 federal court ruling that the SEC was wrong to deny Grayscale Investments filing for a spot Bitcoin ETF. Grayscale previously applied to convert their Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) to an ETF. The SEC denied this application, and Grayscale responded with a lawsuit arguing that the decision was incorrect. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with Grayscale in its decision stating In the absence of a coherent explanation, this unlike regulatory treatment of like products is unlawful. The court also ruled that the SECs denial of Grayscales proposal was arbitrary and capricious.

The court ordered the SEC to once again review Grayscales application, effectively reversing the previous rejection.

While the ruling does not equate to automatic approval, it strengthens the odds that approval is on the horizon. The SEC would need to provide strong support for further rejection. This begs the question: If such support exists, would it not have been included in their original rejection?

Odds of approval

While the SEC recently delayed all ETF applications on Sept. 1, as most applicants first deadline for review was on Sept. 2, the delays were largely expected. The market responded accordingly with Bitcoin dropping about 5% from the delay announcement to around US$25,700 at the time of this writing. Despite the delays, the path to a spot ETF approval is much clearer after Grayscales win in court. JPMorgan analysts believe this, as well as former SEC Chair Jay Clayton who says approval is inevitable.

It is reasonable to expect the SEC to approve several or even all of the filings at once. The applications are structured very similarly, and it may be considered unfair to grant any of the applicants a head start. Cathie Wood, the CEO of Ark Invest, told Bloomberg: I think the SEC, if its going to approve a Bitcoin ETF, will approve more than one at once. Ark Invest has the earliest final deadline for its filing, which is slated for Jan. 10, 2024.

Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, believes there is a 75% chance of a spot Bitcoin ETF getting SEC approval this year. He ups the odds to 95% by the end of 2024.

Screen Shot 2023 09 07 at 1.22.09 AM

If SEC approval is inevitable, how might we expect markets to respond?

What crypto markets will do, post-ETF

Bitcoin ETFs already exist in the European Union, Canada, Brazil and Dubai. But as the U.S. is the center of world financial markets, including crypto markets, approval by its government would undeniably be a major event.

An ETF would shuttle new money into Bitcoin. While crypto exchanges such as Coinbase are the primary avenue for entering crypto today, the average American understandably has trust issues with them. KYC (know-your-customer) procedures and having to transfer funds to purchase crypto are also onerous as opposed to simply buying an ETF share. Crypto wallets, private keys and self-custody complicate matters further.

The institutions applying for a Bitcoin ETF deeply understand these hurdles. They know an ETF is an opportunity for a large segment of the population, who have thus far remained sidelined, to comfortably begin adding crypto exposure to their portfolio.

Bitcoin spot ETFs, in contrast to futures ETFs  which have traded in the U.S. since 2021  may be particularly constructive to crypto markets. Spot ETFs, the type that all current applicants are applying for, would require the offering institutions to back the ETF with real Bitcoin. This differs from futures ETFs, which merely enable investors to trade an indexed derivative. In the case of futures ETFs, Bitcoin does not actually change hands. A new buyer of a spot ETF has a genuine positive impact on the price of the underlying asset.

Another way of thinking about a futures-based ETF is like two people betting on how the price of something will change. Its more akin to a side bet on what will happen. Their bet has no direct effect on the price of the asset they are betting on.

A Bitcoin spot ETF issuer such as BlackRock or Fidelity must buy bona fide Bitcoin to back the shares of the fund that their customers hold. A Bitcoin spot ETF buy or sell will actually change the price of BTC.

The new source of fund flows into the space may provide the spark the industry needs to recover from a series of blows in 2022. The news itself will almost certainly cause a rush of buying in the short term. The volatility will breathe new life into the markets which have largely been subdued throughout this summer. The Grayscale decision on Aug. 29 produced a near immediate 6% Bitcoin price increase from US$26,100 to US$27,700. This increase fully re-traced on news of the SECs choice to delay all of the outstanding applications on Aug. 31 as the first decision deadline for most filings approached.

If the ETF is approved, it is possible that market gains will extend longer than only in the short term.

In the short to medium term, a reflexivity loop may be created whereby:

Bitcoin price increases on ETF approval news.



Investors desire Bitcoin allocation due to price increases.

 

Investors purchase shares in a spot ETF, which drives Bitcoin prices up further.

In the long term, we will see BlackRock et al shepherding clients to diversify part of their portfolio into Bitcoin. Passive investors will buy and hold for the long term. As Bitcoins supply is finite, the price is bound to be driven upward.

Gold appreciated eight years in a row after the initial spot Gold ETF was approved back in 2004. For all proclamations of Bitcoin as digital gold, it would be fitting for Bitcoins next upward cycle to similarly commence following ETF approval.

The world is not paying attention to Bitcoin at the moment. That will change before the year ends.
All Faiths Food Banks leadership team: chief financial officer Timothy Taylor, left; chief program officer MJ Horen; chief people officer DD Goerke; CEO Sandra Frank; chief development officer Denise Cotler; and senior director of operations Ryan Beaman.

All Faiths Food Bank was recently named one of Floridas Best Companies To Work For. The annual Best Companies list ranks 100 companies in small, midsized and large employer categories.All Faiths was ranked No. 20 in the midsized companies list and was one of only four nonprofits to make the cut in this category, comprising 41 employers.To participate, companies or government entities were required to have at least 15 workers in Florida and to be in operation at least one year. The companies underwent an evaluation of their workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics.

The process also included a survey to measure employee satisfaction. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking.The Best Companies program is managed by Workforce Research Group and Florida Trend and is endorsed by the HR Florida State Council.

Neurosurgeon Peter Mayer, left, and radiation oncologist Larry Silverman.

Treating brain tumors with 'tiles'

A tiny implant, about the size of a postage stamp, is bringing new hope to people with life-threatening brain tumors.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital has begun the use of a novel technology, GammaTile Therapy, to target and treat malignant tumors inside the brain.

The first new FDA-cleared treatment for brain tumors since 2011, GammaTile was approved in 2018 to treat aggressive, recurrent brain tumors; the FDA expanded its clearance in 2020 to include newly diagnosed malignant brain tumors.

Sarasota neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Mayer, and radiation oncologist Larry Silverman, members of Sarasota Memorials Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, brought the new treatment to Sarasota Memorial Hospital this year. The hospital is one of about 100 treatment centers in the nation, and the first in Southwest Florida, offering GammaTile to select patients.

While the treatment is not recommended for all brain tumor patients, it may be appropriate for those with certain ones, such as gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas and brain metastases.

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After removing as much of the tumor as safely possible, neurosurgeons implant one or more of the collagen tiles at the tumor site to eliminate any residual cancer cells that might be hiding in surrounding tissue.

Wedding Expo in Wellen Park

Wellen Park, in Venice, will host its first Wedding Expo at Solis Hall, the regions newest waterfront venue, in Downtown Wellen on Sept. 16. The Wedding Expo will feature more than 20 local vendors in the wedding industry to help couples plan their big day.

Interested guests can register to attend one of two sessions taking place 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and must be purchased in advance at https://wellenpark.com/events. Attendance is limited to 80 people per session.

The Wedding Expo will give those soon-to-be-married a chance to mix and mingle with a curated selection of local wedding industry vendors, including photographers, musicians, florists, wedding planners, bakeries, hair and makeup artists and stationery providers.

Guests also may explore Solis Halls indoor and outdoor venue spaces.

MMH recertified as stroke center

Manatee Memorial Hospital, in Bradenton, has achieved its recertification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.

To be certified health care organizations must demonstrate compliance with national standards. The certification is effective through 2026.

Certification by ACHC reflects a commitment to meeting standards that facilitate a higher level of performance and patient care.

In July 2023, MMH received the American Heart Associations Get With the Guidelines  Stroke GoldPlus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Receiving Golden Image Awards at the gala were Erin Hoffer, KSC, left; Muffy Lavens, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall; Elise Ramer, Premier Sothebys International Realty; Hunter Carpenter, First Watch; and Alyssa Holcomb, Florida Swimming Pool Association.

PR chapter wins Golden Image Awards

The Central West Coast chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association was recognized recently for excellence in public relations during FPRAs 84th annual conference in Orlando.

The organization was recognized with Presidents Awards for Community Relations and Sponsorship Development. In addition, five members earned awards during the prestigious Golden Image Awards Gala.The Golden Image Awards competition is conducted annually by the Florida Public Relations Association to recognize outstanding public relations programs in Florida and to encourage and promote the development of public relations in our state.

The following local organizations and practitioners received awards in this years competition:Division A  Public Relations ProgramsHunter Carpenter/First Watch earned a Golden Image Award and Judges Award in the Integrated Marketing category for Sip, Sip, Hooray!

Premier Sothebys International Realty and PHMG earned a Golden Image Award in the Other category for Being Premier at Abbey Road Studios. (accepted by Elise Ramer).

NAMI of Sarasota and Manatee Counties and KSC Inc. earned an Award of Distinction in the Integrated Marketing category for its entry, 2022 Giving Challenge (accepted by Erin Hoffer).

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Marketing Department earned an Award of Distinction in the Community Relations category for The Healing Power of Music (accepted by Muffy Lavens).Division B  Digital Tools of Public RelationsFlorida Swimming Pool Association earned an Award of Distinction and a Judges Award in the Digital Promotion category for FSPAs Hurricane Ian Relief Fund Campaign (accepted by Alyssa Holcomb).

Podcast offers financial advice

Jared Motzenbecker, director of wealth services for Gulfside Wealth, a wealth management group affiliated with Gulfside Bank, and Beth Green, director of private banking for Gulfside Bank, have teamed up to host Gulfside Chats, a new financial advice podcast.

Each episode runs 20 to 30 minutes and focuses on a single financial topic with a conversation about real-world examples and personal stories that help relay the information in a way that is easy to grasp for nonfinancial experts.

Gulfside Chats is produced monthly and hosted on Buzzsprout. You can find each episode listed here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2126530.

Gulfside Wealth is based in Sarasota.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Food bank named one of the best companies to work for in Florida
At least two businesses fell victim to robbers Thursday night as the city floats a proposal to have Chicago Police Department officers work as security in liquor stores and bars to slow down an uptick in robberies.

Some aldermen are looking to make Chicagos moonlighting rules more lenient for police officers. A panel of City Council members are expected to explore renegotiating rules, some of which prevent officers from bartending or owning taverns.

Recently, armed robberies have plagued businesses citywide with robbers working as crews of two or more people.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m., three men entered a shop in the 700 block of West Randolph Street on the Near West Side and approached the counter, authorities said. The men made their way behind the counter and took money from the register before fleeing the scene, Chicago police said.

Shortly before 9:45 p.m., police responded to a liquor store in the 3500 block of West Lawrence Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood where two robbers came in and approached the counter, authorities said. One of the robbers was armed with a handgun and demanded money from the register, police said.

The employee complied and the robbers fled the scene.

Other armed robberies took place overnight Thursday on the West and North sides.

Around midnight Friday, a man and a woman were walking in the 1800 block of West North Avenue in the Wicker Park neighborhood when they were approached by two males who pulled out a gun and demanded their belongings. The couple complied and the robbers fled in a gray sedan, police said.

On the West Side, around 12:25 a.m., a 47-year-old woman was walking in the 2900 block of West Madison Street when she was surrounded by four males, two of whom were armed. They pointed their weapons at the woman and demanded her personal belongings, police said. She complied and the robbers fled the scene.

About 10 minutes later, a man and a woman were victims of armed robbers in the 1300 block of North Wood Street on the Near West Side. The couple was approached by three males holding handguns demanding their belongings. The victims complied and the robbers fled in a dark-colored sedan, police said.

No injuries were reported in any of the robberies and detectives were investigating.
Months after the close of a special government investigation into claims of Chinese electoral meddling and hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticised Beijing for hindering engagement, Canada announced the launch of a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference in its democratic institutions.

The government will appoint Marie-Josee Hogue, a judge on the Court of Appeal of Quebec, to lead the inquiry.

"Justice Hogue will be tasked with examining and assessing interference by China, Russia and other foreign states and non-state actors, including any potential impacts to confirm the integrity of, and impact on, the 2019 and 2021 general elections at the national and the electoral district levels," Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Thursday.

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Hogue's selection as the commissioner and the terms of reference for the investigation were agreed to by all the opposition parties in parliament, LeBlanc added.

The announcement comes after months of urging by Canadian opposition parties, following a probe into foreign interference led by former governor-general David Johnston that was criticised for being rushed and lacking transparency.

Johnston's selection drew objections over his ties to the Trudeau family, Liberal Party stalwarts, despite his appointment as governor-general by a former Conservative Party prime minister.

Ahead of the inquiry announcement, Trudeau criticised Beijing's actions, saying there was currently no political space within Canada for a "rapprochement" with China.

"China has made decisions over the past years that have made it more difficult - not just for Canada but for other countries - to engage," Trudeau told Bloomberg in an interview in Singapore on Thursday.

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On top of establishing the inquiry, the government would proceed with a foreign agents registry, similar to those in the US and Australia, the prime minster said.

The Canada-China relationship has struggled to recover since the episode of the "two Michaels" - when Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were detained by Beijing after Ottawa arrested Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant in 2018. Last month, China left Canada off a list of countries approved for travel by tour groups due to what it called "hyped-up" claims of Chinese interference.

Beijing has repeatedly denied interference in Canada. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the inquiry and Trudeau's remarks.

After a two-month investigation that concluded in May - one focused primarily on China despite its wider mandate - Johnston wrote in an interim report that allegations of Chinese electoral interference were unsupported or false. He said the Trudeau government did not knowingly fail to act on relevant information it received from the intelligence community.

David Johnston, Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference. Photo: Reuters alt=David Johnston, Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference. Photo: Reuters>

Johnston described having "unprecedented" access to raw intelligence and Canadian national security officials in reaching his findings.

He also recommended against a public inquiry, arguing it would be expensive, lengthy and unlikely to add fact-finding value given the classified nature of some of the information.

Weeks after releasing his findings, the former governor-general resigned, citing the "highly partisan atmosphere" surrounding his work.

Public inquiries in Canada do not lead to civil or criminal liability. Commissioners have the power to summon witnesses and hold hearings, with the goal of allowing the public to see and hear evidence and compare it with the commissioner's conclusions.

As head of the inquiry, Hogue would assess interference and also examine the flow of information to senior decision-makers, including elected officials, LeBlanc said on Thursday.

While some parties had called for the investigation to focus solely on China, he said the inquiry's scope would be broad, adding: "China is not the only foreign actor that seeks to undermine democratic institutions in Canada or other Western democracies".

LeBlanc explained that the choice to add non-state actors came about because "some of the interference may be by non-state actors that are affiliated with some of these regimes in various ways".

Hogue is required to deliver to the public an interim report by February 29 and a final report by December 2024. LeBlanc said it would be within her discretion to ask for additional time and that she was selected despite her lack of "detailed experience" in national security matters so she could bring a "fresh set of eyes".

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.
Dr. McConnell recognizes the rich history of Saint Joseph's while looking forward to the University's future growth and development.

Dr. McConnell addresses Saint Josephs community members after being inaugurated as president.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 8, 2023 On Friday, Saint Joseph's University inaugurated Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD, as the 29th  and first female  president in the University's 172-year history. Saint Joseph's students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and religious and community leaders gathered for a ceremony in the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena to celebrate the historic event.

Dr. McConnell, a 35-year veteran of Jesuit higher education, was unanimously elected by the University's Board of Trustees and the presidential search committee in March 2023.

"It is such a unique and humbling honor to be here today in the presence of so many people, all bonded together by our love and admiration for Saint Joseph's University," said Dr. McConnell upon her investiture by Board Chair James M. Norris '85 (MBA). "My heart is full as I look out and see all of us who share in and support this journey  who believe in our shared mission to develop students to achieve personal excellence, professional success and to be engaged citizens."

Local religious and community leaders greeted Dr. McConnell, including Rev. Philip G. Bochanski, vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; Thomas P. Foley, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania; Michael F. Tunney, S.J., provincial assistant of higher education of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus; and Stephen Surovick, S.J., senior director of mission and ministry at Saint Joseph's Preparatory School and superior of the Jesuit community at Arrupe Hall.

"Dr. McConnell's dedication to teaching, to scholarship, to spiritual formation and to student development made her an excellent choice," said Foley, welcoming Dr. McConnell to the Pennsylvania higher education community. "Her degrees and publications are so impressive, but I personally think Cheryl's most important qualification is the dynamic of her personal story. Cheryl is a first-generation college graduate who has immersed herself in the twin Jesuit traditions of spirituality and of service."

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James M. Norris '85 (MBA), chair of Saint Joseph's Board of Trustees, placed the presidential chain over Dr. McConnell's shoulders following her investiture, symbolizing the official change in leadership.

"You will be responsible for ensuring that a Saint Joseph's education cares for the whole person, seeks God in all things, encourages moral discernment and promotes justice, as St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, conceived," said Norris.

Following the inauguration, Saint Joseph's community members gathered for a celebratory reception. Inauguration events started earlier in the week, with SJU's annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Thursday, Sept. 7. The Mass, which is a ceremonial start of the school year, was also the inaugural Mass for President McConnell.

Prior to her presidency, Dr. McConnell served for three years as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, where she oversaw the University's academic enterprise with a particular focus on expanding the academic portfolio to meet market needs and student demand. Additionally, she was responsible for an increased and more effective focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, launching an annual, University-wide Day of Dialogue featuring lectures, workshops and events.

Dr. McConnell led the historic integration of University of the Sciences, coordinating the acquisition of dozens of academic programs in health and science, along with state-of-the-art campus facilities. As interim president, she finalized another merger agreement with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, expected to close in January 2024.

For more information about Dr. McConnell's inauguration, please visit www.sju.edu/inauguration.

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Tourists swarm outside the Apple Store on Nanjing Road pedestrian street in Shanghai, China, April 5, 2023.

China has reportedly barred government officials from using Apple's iPhone and other foreign tech devices for work and/or bringing these into the office.

Following the news (reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)), Apple stocks have reportedly plunged over 3.5% during the day, closing at $182.91.

The ban comes as the latest effort into Beijing's policy of cutting its dependence from foreign technologies. At the same time, it also echoed similar moves taken by the US government against China-owned Huawei products and video-sharing app TikTok.

US/China tech war

Despite the WSJ report not mentioning other brands beside Apple, it talks about workplace chat groups and meetings giving employees instructions of the new rules. At this stage it isn't yet clear, though, how widely the orders were being distributed.

At the same time, an anonymous source dealing with Chinese central government agencies told CNN about an "unwritten rule of shunning iPhones since before the pandemic" adding that officials now tend to use smartphones manufactured by domestic companies instead.

One of the many reasons behind the beef among the two super tech powers, Chinese firm Huawei has long been the target of US efforts to limit its products abroad. Nonetheless, with its new Mate 60 5G smartphone, the company proved an unexpected resilience of its domestic chip market in spite of US-led export restrictionsReuters reported.

In what looks like the next chapter into the US/China tech war, Apple shares keep plummeting over the rumors that one of its biggest markets began getting restricted.

#Apple drops by 1.75% in the U.S. pre-market session, on report about #China seeks to broaden the iPhone ban. $AAPL https://t.co/dDX4p5CDjg pic.twitter.com/FK3AvBZ0SfSeptember 7, 2023

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Beside posing a harm to tech investments across the country, such a ban might also raise allegations over security dangers linked to the use of Apple and, more generally, US-developed devices.

After all, the Chinese ownership of TikTok is one of the main reasons why many US politicians deemed the popular app a "threat to national security." Tensions escalated by the end of 2022, with President Joe Biden signing an unprecedented order to bar TikTok from all federal government devices on December 30.

This move was followed by a wave of governmental bans among US allies, including the EU, UK, Canada, and New Zealand. The US government is also evaluating a new law, the RESTRCT Act, which could create a legal framework to ban this and other foreign adversaries' services for all Americans despite experts and civil societies warnings of the risks posed on citizens' freedoms by such a regulation.
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies on Friday started presales for its Mate 60 Pro+ smartphone, adding a new version to a series that has captured global attention for revealing the Chinese tech firm's success in beating back against U.S. sanctions.

With no prior advertising, as it did for the launch of the Mate 60 Pro smartphone last week, the company announced on its official online store that it would start taking orders for the phone from 10:08 a.m. (0208 GMT) with delivery by Oct. 9.

Specifications the company provided for the phone touted its capability to link-up to two satellites concurrently and larger internal storage versus the Mate 60 Pro. It did not release its price.

Speed tests shared by buyers on Chinese social media have suggested that the Mate 60 Pro is capable of download speeds exceeding those of top-line 5G phones.

A tear-down analysis firm TechInsights has also found that the phone is powered by a new Kirin 9000s chip that was made in China by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC).

The discovery is seen as a breakthrough for Huawei, whose access to chipmaking tools essential for producing the most advanced handset models has been restricted since 2019 by the U.S. This previously left the company only able to launch limited batches of 5G models using stockpiled chips.

The company on Friday also launched the Huawei Mate X5, a new version of its foldable phone series.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Stephen Coates)
When US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pitched to Congress the idea of rejoining Unesco in March, it was clear that the competition with China in the field of artificial intelligence was well under way.

Washington, he said, should reclaim its seat at the United Nations body as "they are working on rules, norms and standards for artificial intelligence".

"China right now is the single largest contributor to Unesco. That carries a lot of weight. We're not even at the table," he said.

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John Bass, undersecretary of state for management, added that if the US was "really serious about the digital-age competition with China ... we can't afford to be absent any longer".

Fast-forward to June, Washington received the green light to rejoin Unesco, a move experts had said would open another front for the US-China rivalry, particularly over setting global standards on AI.

China hosted the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July. Photo: Reuters alt=China hosted the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July. Photo: Reuters>

Observers say there are now growing indications that rivalry in the emerging field is set to intensify, against a backdrop of heightened anxieties and distrust between the two superpowers.

Each country has its own competitive advantage and it is too early to determine how the AI battle will unfold, but some experts say Beijing and Washington should put aside their competitor mentality and take steps to cooperate - at least on some issues.

In the latest signal that the rivalry is intensifying, US President Joe Biden last month outlined plans for fresh restrictions on investments American firms can make in Chinese entities, including in "certain artificial intelligence systems".

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There have long been signs suggesting how important a sector AI would be and how it could shape up to be a key arena of competition between the US and China.

The Chinese government in 2021 specified AI as one of seven "frontier technologies" to develop. And in July, China hosted the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, drawing 400 enterprises in what was a show of its ambitions.

Chinese tech firms have also poured growing resources into the space following the explosion of ChatGPT, the AI chatbot launched in November.

Analysts noted that both sides have attached increasing importance to developing AI - which could have a profound impact on their economic and power balance - and that recent developments could be just the start of a rivalry that is fast heating up.

Justin Sherman, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative, argued back in 2019 that AI would become more important for state power in the coming decades, particularly as it accelerates economic growth and improves military capabilities.

He wrote in an essay that AI would play an "important role in the balance of international power and the future of world order", and that the nation with superior use of AI would set important global norms that could influence governance in countries around the world.

For China, at least, an analysis by McKinsey & Company predicted that AI could help buoy the Chinese economy by adding over US$600 billion in economic value annually, including in some sectors where it has lagged behind its global counterparts like transport and manufacturing.

Weifeng Zhong, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Centre at George Mason University, said there had been greater emphasis placed on AI as it appeared to be the "natural next step" in the era of data.

"There are plenty of venues for extracting valuable intelligence on and making predictions about competitors and adversaries from the vast amount of data available in the public domain," he said.

"This is of particular importance to Chinese intelligence against Western countries because using open sources has long been the first resort for Beijing whereas in the US, espionage (or human intelligence) is still taking the main stage."

Observers say that as the competition intensifies, the US is likely to ramp up efforts to maintain an edge over China.

Chris Meserole, director of the Brookings Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, said the two powers simply "aren't going to see eye to eye", particularly on how AI should be developed and deployed.

"As a result the export controls announced last fall will be just the tip of the iceberg," Meserole said, referring to Washington's tech curbs introduced in October.

"What's coming are outbound investment controls on AI start-ups in China, as well as measures meant to restrict access within China to advanced cloud computing services abroad and potentially even to leading-edge general purpose AI models."

Matthew O'Shaughnessy, a visiting fellow of technology and international affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, added that Washington was unlikely to "let up" on attempts to reduce China's access to important inputs, such as advanced semiconductors.

He said the US had meanwhile been pouring money into AI research, talent and its semiconductor manufacturing sector.

The US has led the way in AI investment - it spent some US$26.6 billion in the year to mid-June, compared to US$4 billion for China, Bloomberg reported earlier, citing figures from consultancy firm Preqin.

The number of AI venture deals was also higher in the US but in terms of journal citations, China has been in front. The US appears to be leading the race when it comes to generative AI but China is ahead on image recognition.

Zhong from George Mason University pointed out that the AI rivalry between China and the US has so far been about computation, which involves machine learning using vast amounts of historical data to train an algorithm.

When the competition is about computation, China has an advantage as it has a large population and its government faces fewer constraints on data collection, he said.

But computation requires hardware such as advanced semiconductor chips, where the US and its allies excel in design and manufacturing.

"Tensions are no doubt on the rise, with the US trying to cut off China's access to advanced chips and their dual use in military applications by the People's Liberation Army," Zhong said.

"China is also becoming more defensive about its data advantages, implementing a series of cybersecurity [and] data laws meant to keep the voluminous data home and under the [Communist Party's] control."

According to Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, China appears eager to compete with the US when it comes to cutting-edge technologies such as AI.

He said the rivalry could easily heighten as Beijing has the advantage of mobilising resources within the country into a particular sector.

"China has been preparing for [the competition] for a while but now they have become much more emboldened to push for the development of AI and other technologies," Wu added.

Both the US and China view AI as an important strategic technology - especially given the perceived leverage they could gain - but O'Shaughnessy suggested that there was currently "not much trust to draw on".

"That makes for a challenging environment for agreements on things like military use of AI," he said.

Wu was similarly sceptical that the world's two largest economies could work together, especially when there has been a lack of agreement on other global issues such as climate change.

He said both sides had been wary of each other and the two governments were "constrained by domestic public opinion" amid a rise in nationalism.

According to Zhong, heightened tensions meant conflicts between the two countries were now more likely.

However, some experts suggest that there could still be certain issues Washington and Beijing could cooperate on.

O'Shaughnessy said this was particularly so as both sides struggled with a similar set of domestic policy questions - from the kind of transparency required from AI developers to the best ways to mitigate privacy risks.

"That probably won't look like formal cooperation and the US and China probably won't end up with the same approaches. But there's plenty of room for Washington and Beijing to learn from each other's regulatory successes and failures," he said.

Meserole from the Brookings Institution, the American think tank, suggested that one potential area of cooperation was AI safety.

"Neither side has an interest in autonomous vehicles crashing, much less weapon systems misfiring. There's a lot of room for joint action or information sharing around [that]," he said.

China's permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, in July urged countries to work together on safely advancing AI, saying it was an urgent issue that could pose a major threat to international peace and security.

"China has always participated in the global cooperation and governance of artificial intelligence with a highly responsible attitude," he told a UN Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence and security.

Wang Yiwei, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said it was "only logical" for the US and China - two major powers leading the AI field - to work together.

"If China and the US do not cooperate, humankind will encounter huge difficulties in the governing and exploration of artificial intelligence," he said.

Wang said that while the US was still ahead on AI, the development of new technologies in China had been rapid and it had the "most extensive market applications", meaning there was room for "complementary cooperation" between private firms from the two countries.

But he said that if the US and China failed to cooperate on - and have control over - AI on the military front, there could be increased risk of an armed conflict.

A report released in July by the Centre for a New American Security think tank similarly warned that China's advances in military AI could bring revolutionary changes and were likely to raise the risk of armed conflict with the US.

The report, which noted that AI played a "key role" in China's military ambitions, comes as both countries are rapidly integrating the technology in their militaries and as tensions rise in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Wang said both powers needed to stop the rivalry from escalating into "vicious competition".

"China and the US should be responsible to the world," he said. "At this time, cooperation between China and the US should be aimed at the future of mankind, not only for the benefit of both sides."

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.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed the importance of unity as he wrapped up a series of meetings with East Asian leaders in Jakarta on Thursday.

"[The region] has learned the challenges of development, the importance of opening up, and the preciousness of peace. We all have had the immediate experience of how unity leads to prosperity while division brings decline," Li said at the East Asia Summit.

Li entering the East Asia Summit meeting with, from left, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday. Photo: Reuters alt=Li entering the East Asia Summit meeting with, from left, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday. Photo: Reuters>

In the face of "new development and challenges", the region should "make good use of strategic dialogue and increase mutual trust with each other", he was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying.

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Without naming them, Li also called on countries outside the region to "fully respect" the negotiation of the South China Sea code of conduct between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The summit gathered leaders of important players in the Indo-Pacific, including Asean member states, Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.

Calling for closer regional cooperation, Li urged the Southeast Asian grouping's leadership to "take care of all parties' demands and respect each other's interest".

Li, who became premier in March, arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday for the Asean summits and meetings with regional leaders. Indonesia was the first Asian country Li has visited since taking office.

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On Thursday, Li met a number of regional leaders, including Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as both sides sought to ease their sour trade relations.

He also met South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has built increasingly close ties with Japan and the US, and expressed a wish to improve political trust.

The Chinese foreign ministry said that Li's sideline conversations in the trip also included counterparts from Vietnam and Japan.

Li's call for unity contrasted with his warning against "a new cold war" on Wednesday during a meeting with officials from Asean members, Japan and South Korea.

He said that countries should manage their differences with Beijing which, he added, sometimes stemmed from misconceptions or perceived conflicts of interest, while at other times arose because of "some undue external interference" - a possible veiled dig at the US.

Li also attended the China-Asean Summit on Wednesday, telling attendees that Beijing and the 10-member bloc had built "firmer" political mutual trust over the past decade.

Asean has become an increasingly important strategic partner for Beijing as it navigates a regional rivalry with the US.

While trade between China and Asean countries have increased significantly, competing maritime claims in the South China Sea have roiled Beijing's relationship with its neighbours.

Just last week, Beijing released a new "standard map" laying claim to most of the disputed waters, as well as territory claimed by India and Japan, drawing strong protests and rejections by many of the affected nations.

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.
SHANGHAI, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A business forum on China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Kazakhstan on September 7.

China International Import Expo holds business forum in Astana, Kazakhstan on September

Yu Xiantao, economic and commercial counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, attended the forum and expressed his willingness to further encourage Kazakhstan companies to participate in the CIIE and showcase their high-quality products.

Yu added that he is looking forward to seeing more Kazakhstan companies and agencies join the 6th CIIE, which will take place from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

Five years on, the CIIE has been a witness to closer China-Kazakhstan cooperation.

According to a representative of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), which is the venue for the CIIE, Kazakhstan has always been a significant participant of the CIIE. Over the past five editions, hundreds of Kazakhstan enterprises participated in the Business Exhibition and occupied a combined exhibition area of 2,000 square meters.

President Tokayev of Kazakhstan even once described the CIIE as a "golden gate" for global commodities to enter the Chinese market.

Many Kazakh companies have achieved commercial success at the expo, with the intended turnover generated by these companies over the years totaling $430 million. Several of Kazakhstan's renowned goods like candies and dairy products have also become well-known to Chinese consumers thanks to the CIIE.

Egemberdieva Asel Yerikovna, deputy CEO of QazTrade, said during the forum that Kazakhstan is upbeat about its economic and trade cooperation with China as bilateral trade between the two rose 34 percent year-on-year to $24.1 billion in 2022.

Speaking of QazTrade's preparations for this year's expo, Egemberdieva said that the organization will once again help more Kazakh enterprises enter the Chinese market and make their products known to the world.

During the forum, a CIIE delegation updated the audience about the preparations for this year's event. According to the delegation, over 360,000 square meters of exhibition area has already been booked by more than 2,000 enterprises. The number of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises taking part this year is also more than that of the last edition.

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Notably, the physical Country Exhibition will make its return this year. In addition, the World Openness Report 2023 will also be released at the 6th Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a key component of the CIIE.

For more information, please visit our official website https://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/ or follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok!

ContactMs. Cui Yan

Tel.0086-21-968888

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Crypto isnt dead for everyone. GOBankingRates surveyed 1,091 Americans aged 18 and older from across the country in August and found that most millennials and Gen Xers arent ready to turn away from crypto just yet. Nearly 20% of 25- to 34-year-olds, 18% of 35- to 44-year-olds and 19% of 45- to 54-year-olds are still invested in crypto or want to be.

Learn: How ChatGPT Made $2,000 a Month Investing $20K in Stocks and Crypto

See: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

In comparison, boomers are in the single digits. Its clear that cryptocurrency still has its loyal supporters, and itll be interesting to see how this trend develops in the years to come.

What Is the Future of Cryptocurrency?

The global market in crypto assets has been experiencing a crypto winter. Cryptocurrencies have lost approximately $2 trillion in value since the peak in November 2021, with Bitcoin down over 60% since its all-time high of nearly $69,000.

So, whats next for crypto?

Short-Term Outlook (1-5 years)

Ziad K. Abdelnour, seasoned investment banker and founder of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., believes cryptocurrency has been experiencing and will continue to experience ongoing short-term volatility influenced by regulatory changes, market sentiment and technological advancements.

This volatility can be both a boon and a bane, offering opportunities for quick gains but also carrying the risk of substantial losses, he said.

If youre a short-term investor, Abdelnour suggests prioritizing caution, portfolio diversification and staying well-informed to navigate these fluctuations.

Long-Term Outlook (5+ years)

The future of cryptocurrencies looks bright, according to Abdelnour.

When I look beyond the next few years, the cryptocurrency landscape appears promising, he said. The transformative potential of blockchain technology suggests that cryptocurrencies could become more stable and widely accepted.

Plus, governments worldwide, like El Salvador, are recognizing the potential of cryptocurrencies, with some even exploring the creation of their own digital currencies. A growing number of businesses are also beginning to accept digital currencies as payment options. However, Abdelnour warns that the pace of this evolution likely will hinge on regulatory developments and market maturation.

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Should You Put Money Into Crypto?

Whether you should put money into crypto depends on factors like financial goals and risk tolerance level. As weve seen by cryptos track record of boom and bust cycles, these assets can offer potentially higher rewards but with much higher volatility. So, no matter which way you slice it, crypto is risky.

As an investment, crypto does not yield any income and has no intrinsic economic value. The only way you can profit on a crypto acquisition is to sell it to someone else at a higher price, said Thomas Brock, CFA, CPA and expert contributor for Annuity.org.

Also, given its highly volatile nature and uncertain future, its difficult to time a purchase and sale properly.

I categorize buying crypto as a speculative gamble rather than an investment, Brock said. That said, it can have some diversifying benefits to a portfolio comprised of stocks, bonds and cash.

Still, he believes you should be OK with losing most, if not all, of the position if you buy crypto.

Even if you can stomach the risk, Brock suggests limiting positions to 5% of your total investment holdings.

Positions in cryptocurrencies can be established by entering into futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a safe and highly regulated platform, he said.

But if youre uncomfortable trading futures, Brock recommends getting the same exposure via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to Bitcoin and Ethereum futures.

Of course, if you know how to safely purchase cryptocurrencies through exchanges like Coinbase, thats also an option. But youll be responsible for protecting and securing your crypto wallet.

Understand the Risk of Owning Cryptocurrency

Putting money in cryptocurrency is not for the faint of heart. As Robert R. Johnson, Ph.D., CFA, CAIA, professor of Finance at Creighton Universitys Heider College of Business, notes, crypto is speculative, and the price is determined solely by what someone is willing to pay for it in the future.

Even talking about investing in cryptocurrencies gives the commodity a sense of legitimacy that is not warranted, he said. Simply put: Any commitment of capital to cryptocurrencies should be labeled as speculation and not investment.

Its easy to be tempted by the success stories of crypto millionaires who struck it rich with their involvement in these digital assets. However, cryptocurrency is different from stocks, bonds or real estate.

Its purely speculative and is akin to gambling, Johnson said.

So, before you jump onto the next big crypto wave, take some time to educate yourself on the subject. It could save you from unnecessary financial loss.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Crypto Isnt Dead for Everyone: A Surprising Number of Millennials, Gen X Are Still Invested
David Solomon defends his leadership of Goldman Sachs on CNBC. 'I don't recognize the caricature that is painted of me.'

David Solomon defends his leadership on CNBC screenshot

David Solomon took to cable news network CNBC to defend his leadership of Goldman Sachs.

The wide-ranging interview follows unrest at the highest levels, as Insider's Dakin Campbell has reported.

Solomon attributed the complaints to lower bonuses and strategic changes to the operation.

David Solomon defended his leadership of Goldman Sachs in an interview with CNBC on Thursday, attributing complaints about his leadership to lower bonuses and operational changes.

"It's not fun," he said when CNBC's David Faber asked him about the "avalanche" of bad press. "I don't recognize the caricature that is painted of me," he said.

The appearance follows a string of new stories questioning his leadership, including a New York magazine article published last month titled "Is David Solomon Too Big a Jerk to Run Goldman Sachs?" Insider's Dakin Campbell has also chronicled complaints by high-ranking Goldman partners, some of whom debated going to the board of directors earlier this year.

Solomon called the complaints "noise" created by lower 2022 bonuses and changes in operations, including consolidation in the bank's asset management division. He said performance at Goldman has been strong and that he hasn't heard these complaints reflected in his conversations with colleagues or shareholders.

"I understand why this is interesting and attractive to the media, but it's not what the people of Goldman Sachs are focused on," he said.

Asked about his future as a record-spinning DJ, which has also been a focus of some of the criticisms, Solomon replied: "I'm focused on Goldman Sachs."

Since taking over as CEO in 2018, Solomon has made a lot of changes, including three reorganizations. Dozens of senior executives have left in the process, but Solomon said the departures are par for the course.

"What matters is performance and we've done a lot in five years," he said. "We're focused on running the firm."

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Last year, Solomon was forced to walk back his consumer banking ambitions amid criticisms that it was losing billions, leading to yet another reorganization. Since then, the bank reported a 58% drop in profit, its worst earnings in years, although Solomon explained the loss as a bump in the road as the bank transitions to a more diversified bank, sending the stock higher.

The stock is up about 37% over the last five years. Solomon took over as CEO from Lloyd Blankfein in 2018.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Disney drops part of its lawsuit against DeSantis to focus on free speech claims

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has amended its lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his hand-picked oversight board, dropping all of its claims except one.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court, now focuses solely on the claim that DeSantis and his allies allegedly weaponized their political power to retaliate against the company for exercising its First Amendment right to free speech.

A targeted campaign of government retaliationorchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disneys protected speechnow threatens Disneys business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights, the lawsuit said.

Florida Governor and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023. (Photo by Sergio FLORES / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images) - Sergio Flores/AFP/Getty Images

The lawsuit is part of an ongoing conflict between Disney, one of Floridas largest taxpayers and employers, and DeSantis. Tensions rose last year after Disney spoke out against a bill championed by DeSantis that banned certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, dubbed the Dont Say Gay bill by critics. The bill passed and DeSantis signed it into law in March 2022.

The amended lawsuit claims that DeSantis has illegally punished the company since it spoke out. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for DeSantis pointed to a motion filed by his team last month that said Disney effectively concedes many of the claims it made in its initial lawsuit.

A representative for DeSantis on Thursday pointed CNN to this passage in that month-ago filing: The Governor welcomes Disneys surrender on all of its claims challenging his legislative acts. As for the claims Disney continues to press, Disney lacks standing to sue the Governor for those actions.

Disney initially filed its lawsuit against DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential hopeful, in April, after DeSantis appointed a board made up of his political allies to oversee the special taxing district that contains Walt Disney World Resort. In May, the oversight board voted to file its own lawsuit against Disney to maintain its control of the district.

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While Disneys claims of contract and due process violations regarding its special taxing district have been dropped from the federal lawsuit, those issues will still be heard in the separate state court lawsuit filed by DeSantis oversight board.

The amended lawsuit comes less than one month after DeSantis encouraged Disney to drop its lawsuit in an interview with CNBC. Theyre gonna lose that lawsuit, he said.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Metrea announced that the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) recently selected Metrea Simulations (MSIM) as the sole software provider for their Virtual Training for Air Dominance (VTRAD) program, in support of the 19th Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC). Using NOR, MSIM's simulation platform, VTRAD will enable affordable and scalable ultimate-fidelity training for Air Force fighter and bomber pilots in training. MSIM will deliver a high-fidelity virtual T-38C flight model and cockpit prototype as well as a synthetic training environment that can support the virtual training syllabus events of FBF.

Metrea is on contract with DIU to create a T-38C flight and model and cockpit prototype within NOR, an ultimate-fidelity simulation for military users.

The NOR simulation platform leverages the power of the commercial gaming ecosystem, using Unreal Engine 5 to deliver fully immersive and physics-based simulation, from an individual pilot with a VR headset, through mixed-reality sim rigs, up to full physical simulators.

"Billions of users around the world are driving constant innovation in the commercial gaming ecosystem, but all too often military simulation users are stuck decades behind," said Niclas Colliander, Managing Director, MSIM. "With NOR, Metrea has been building a simulation platform for military users that will constantly benefit from the improvements of the commercial gaming industry. We are super excited to partner with DIU and the 19th Air Force to deliver this capability to help new pilots train better, faster, and orders-of-magnitude more affordably."

Metrea Simulations will be demoing NOR at AFA's Air, Space, and Cyber Conference next week, at booth #202. Contact events@metrea.aero to reserve a time slot on the sim rigs.

About Metrea

Metrea Simulations (MSIM) was established with the aim of leveraging the power and innovation of the commercial gaming ecosystem to support better simulation tools for national security users. MSIM has built their simulation platform, called NOR, on top of Unreal Engine, one of the leading commercial gaming engines.

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Metrea Simulations is a part of Metrea. Metrea provides effects-as-a-service to national security partners in five domains and over a dozen mission-centric solution areas, including airborne ISR, electronic warfare, communications, aerial refueling, space-based ISR, and advanced simulation. MSIM is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden in order to benefit from the strong gaming industry. Metrea is headquartered in Washington, DC with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU.

MEDIA CONTACT:

communications@metrea.aero

Using NOR, MSIMs simulation platform, VTRAD will enable affordable and scalable ultimate-fidelity training for Air Force fighter and bomber pilots in training. MSIM will deliver a high-fidelity virtual T-38C flight model and cockpit prototype as well as a synthetic training environment that can support the virtual training syllabus events of FBF.

In addition to the T-38C prototype, Metrea has also developed a F-16 fighter within NOR - allowing military users to immerse themselves in a hyper-realistic simulation.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diu-selects-metrea-simulations-for-game-engine-based-training-software-301921978.html

SOURCE Metrea
Ken Fisher

The best investors will often tell you that one vital ingredient for stock market success is an overlooked and underappreciated one: patience.

With this years bull market appearing to stall, billionaire stock picker Ken Fisher reminds investors that its a quality needed to weather the more difficult periods, which are also a natural component of any bull market.

Volatility isnt a flaw in this bull market. It is a feature of all bull markets, which proverbially climb a Wall of Worry, the Fisher Investments founder recently said. The bull market born last October should keep delivering worthy returns, but sporadically. Reaping them requires patience, which can be difficult for some.

But sticking with it is Fishers advice: Dont be fooled  this bull market has legs, and it is crucial you dont get scared of it now.

Fisher has decades of stock market success behind him and has a net worth of $7.1 billion, so he most definitely knows what hes talking about here. For investors looking to get ahead in the market, its worth finding out which stocks hes patiently counting on to bring the goods once the upward curve resumes.

Weve started this process and have taken a look at a pair of equities that make up a meaningful chunk of Fishers portfolio  both holdings exceed $1 billion in value. But its not only Fisher showing big faith in these names; according to the TipRanks database, the analyst consensus rates both as Strong Buys. Lets see what makes them so.

Charles Schwab (SCHW)

Fisher holds a big position in one of the most prominent companies in the investing world. Charles Schwab is a brokerage firm that has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of online investing and financial services. Founded in 1971 by Charles R. Schwab, it has grown to become one of the largest and most respected financial institutions in the US.

The company offers a wide range of services, including stock and bond trading, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), retirement accounts, and wealth management services. Charles Schwab provides a user-friendly and technologically advanced platform for investors and was a pioneer in introducing online trading, which revolutionized the way individuals manage their investments. With a market cap over $106 billion, the company is the U.S.s biggest publicly traded investment services firm, with ~$8 trillion in client assets.

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That said, 2023 has been no easy ride, especially earlier in the year when the stock got caught up in the fallout of several prominent bank collapses. The shares went through an almost 40% drop between January and early March. The stock has bounced back a bit since, aided by a better-than-expected Q2 print.

While revenue fell by 8.4% year-over-year to $4.66 billion, the figure exceeded Street expectations by $50 million. Likewise, adj. EPS of $0.75 beat the consensus estimate by $0.04.

Meanwhile, Fisher must have sensed the pullback offers an opportunity to load up. He bought 1,302,697 shares in Q2, upping his SCHW stake by 8%. His total holdings now stand at more than 18 million shares, currently worth ~$1.04 billion.

Assessing the companys prospects, Piper Sandler analyst Patrick Moley thinks the future looks bright for this financial giant.

While eBrokers typically fall out of investor favor at the end of rate hiking cycles, the unprecedented pace of rate hikes this cycle provides a unique opportunity for NIM expansion and earnings growth even if the Fed starts cutting, Moley explained. In our view, SCHW remains a 24/25 story as (1) a return of deposit growth, (2) the paydown of temporary ST funding, (3) NIM expansion, and (4) the realization of AMTD integration synergies and incremental expense saves converge to produce strong earnings power and an attractive valuation for LT investors into this industry leading financial services franchise.

As such, Moley rates SCHW shares as Overweight (i.e., Buy), with an $86 price target, indicating potential for ~49% growth over the coming year. (To watch Moleys track record, click here)

Most on the Street agree with Moleys take. Based on 13 Buys, 2 Holds and 1 Sell, the stock claims a Strong Buy consensus rating. At $73.80, the average target points to 12-month upside of 28%. (See SCHW stock forecast)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG)

Patience might be one quality investors should adhere to, but diversification is often seen as another. And in that sense, it is fitting that the next Fisher-backed stock well look at is of an entirely different hue. Fisher holds 4,444,151 shares of medical device maker Intuitive Surgical. These command a market value of more than $1.32 billion.

In one way, Intuitive Surgical is similar to Charles Schwab above  it is also a pioneer in its field. It is a healthcare tech company that has revolutionized the field of minimally invasive surgery. The Sunnyvale, California-based firm is best known for its da Vinci Surgical System, a groundbreaking robotic surgical platform. The da Vinci System enables surgeons to perform complex surgical procedures with enhanced precision, dexterity, and control through minimally invasive techniques. This innovative technology has found applications in various medical specialties, including urology, gynecology, general surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery, making it a vital tool in modern healthcare.

Its usage is on the up, too. In the most recently reported quarter, for 2Q23, worldwide da Vinci procedures increased by around 22% compared to the same period last year while the company placed 331 systems, vs. the 279 placed in 2Q22. As of the end of the quarter, the installed base stood at 8,042 systems, representing a 13% year-over-year uptick.

These activities led to outperformance in both the top and bottom lines. Q2 revenue climbed by 15.8% year-over-year to $1.76 billion, edging ahead of Street expectations by $20 million, while adjusted EPS of $1.42 beat the forecast by $0.09.

Piper Sandler analyst Adam Maeder has been keeping a tab on ISRGs progress and he points out a specific opportunity that might be somewhat underappreciated.

We recently took a renewed look at the China opportunity for Intuitive, which we believe is quite sizable in the coming years, the 5-star analyst noted. Not only will ISRG likely place a substantial amount of systems under the new quota, da Vincis in China are some of the highest utilized systems in the worldwhich should also bode well for procedure growth. Our math suggests that system placements from the new quota coupled with robust procedure volume from a growing install base should result in nicely accretive growth in 2023-2027. We believe ISRGs China revenue could more-than-double from ~ $300M in 2023 (our estimate) to roughly $650M in 2027. While the Street views China to be an important growth contributor, we do not believe models are fully incorporating the magnitude of this potential growth lever.

These comments underpin Maeders Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating while his $385 price target implies shares will appreciate by ~30% over the next year. (To watch Maeders track record, click here)

Turning now to the rest of the Street, most other analysts are on the same page. With 12 Buys and 2 Holds assigned in the last three months, the word on the Street is that ISRG is a Strong Buy. Additionally, the $377.14 average price target brings the upside potential to ~27%. (See ISRG stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
By Emily Chow and Lewis Jackson

SINGAPORE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Workers at Chevron's liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Australia, which produce 5.1% of the world's supply of the super-chilled fuel, went on strike on Friday after mediation talks ended without a deal.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Unions kicked off action with short work stoppages and bans on certain tasks, but plan to escalate to a total strike within two weeks if there is no deal.

Until next Wednesday, workers will stop work for up to 11 hours in several blocks per day and refuse to perform certain tasks, including working overtime. If there is still no deal by then, the unions will completely stop work for two weeks.

A week of negotiations run by a federal mediator ended on Friday without agreement, and no further talks are planned for now.

A union representative who declined to be named told Reuters on Friday the union remained available for talks but added: "we'll be digging in for extensive [protected industrial] action."

Chevron has said it would continue to take steps to maintain operations if any disruptions occur, without giving details.

WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT ON PRICE AND OUTPUT?

Australia was the world's largest LNG exporter last year, shipping out 80.9 million metric tons of the fuel in 2022 versus 79 million tons in 2021, according to the International Gas Union.

The bulk of LNG exports from Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities head to Japan, followed by South Korea, China and Taiwan.

"We expect an unscheduled outage will likely deliver some short-term spot price volatility, given we believe the global LNG market remains finely balanced," said National Australia Bank (NAB) analyst Baden Moore.

"Duration of the outage will be critical."

Based on preliminary calculations by data intelligence firm ICIS, the work stoppages through to Sept. 14 would see limited impact, with around 95,000 tons or one-and-a half cargoes worth of LNG output removed from the market.

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Escalations into a full-scale strike would see a wider-ranging impact on output.

HOW LONG WILL INDUSTRIAL ACTION LAST?

Several industry experts have downplayed the risk of a prolonged strike, pointing to short delays this week by the union in starting action, as well as the recent resolution of a similar impasse with LNG workers at Woodside Energy Group, as positive signs.

NAB's Moore said that Woodside's negotiations with the unions are likely to provide a useful benchmark to finalise terms for Chevron.

WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR LNG MARKETS?

A prolonged strike could disrupt exports and raise prices of LNG, which is used for electricity generation.

European gas prices have been volatile in recent weeks over the labour unrest in Australia and spiked as much as 14% after Friday's news.

Volatility in global gas prices despite relatively high inventories across Asia and Europe underscores market sensitivity to potential disruptions, which has increased for most commodities after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year led to a spike in prices.

WHAT'S THE DISAGREEMENT?

The two sides are at odds over issues including pay, job security, rosters and rules around overtime and transfers between Chevron facilities.

The failure to reach a deal contrasts with Woodside, which averted strikes at its nearby North West Shelf LNG facility last month in a deal with the same unions. The agreement included higher salaries for workers, and made it harder for the company to hire contractors or change rosters.

The same union alliance also secured agreements last year with Shell and Inpex at their LNG facilities in Western Australia. The deal with Shell was preceded by prolonged strikes that ultimately cost the company about $1 billion in lost exports from its Prelude floating LNG site.

Chevron said the unions had demanded terms "above and beyond" others in the industry. The unions said pay demands were in line with agreements struck at Shell, Inpex and Woodside.

The union alliance has previously said it locked in base annual pay between A$265,000 and A$365,000 in its deal with Woodside.

(Reporting by Emily Chow, Lewis Jackson and Florence Tan; Editing by Tony Munroe and Miral Fahmy)
By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Reserve's top regulatory official said on Friday the central bank is "a long way" from any decision on whether it would issue its own digital currency, and added it would not do so without official support in Washington.

Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said while officials are investigating a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Fed was far from any decision. He added it would only proceed with one with "clear support" from the president and authorizing legislation from Congress.

"In my view, as both the issuer of U.S. currency and an operator in the payments system, the Federal Reserve must understand these developments and the tradeoffs [CBDCs] introduce," said Barr in prepared remarks to a fintech conference in Philadelphia. "Of course, investigation and research are very different from decision-making about next steps in terms of payments system development, and we are a long way from that."

Barr's comments echo those of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who also has said the Fed would not move to issue a digital currency without explicit authorization from Congress. The notion of such a currency has been met with skepticism by the banking industry and some members of Congress, wary of granting so much power to the Fed.

On the matter of digital currencies issued outside official agencies, Barr said he remained "deeply concerned" about so-called stablecoins gaining a strong foothold in the financial system without significant oversight.

Stablecoins, which are digital assets whose value is meant to be pegged to a currency like the U.S. dollar, have attracted the attention of regulators and lawmakers, who say the product lacks a sufficient regulatory framework and oversight.

Barr said banks interested in dealing with such assets must clear the activity with their supervisors, who will check to ensure the firms have sufficient risk management in place to handle these newer products.

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But he cautioned that the Fed's policy on this only applies to banks it directly supervises, leaving space for banks subject to monitoring by other government agencies to go further.

"If nonfederally regulated stablecoins were to become a widespread means of payment and store of value, they could pose significant risks to financial stability, monetary policy, and the U.S. payments system. It is important to get the legislative and regulatory framework right before significant risks emerge," he said.

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Andrea Ricci)
Federal and local law enforcement officials are investigating a prominent construction contractor that hired several workers who were in the country illegally, including a man who was later charged in connection with the death of a Pinellas County sheriffs deputy last year.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri confirmed his office is involved in an investigation into the firm  technically a partnership of two construction companies, Archer Western and The de Moya Group. He said the investigation has been going on since September 2022, when Deputy Michael Hartwick died after being struck by a front-end loader being operated by a construction worker at a roadwork site on Interstate 275.

A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations also said that there was an ongoing investigation. The Department of Homeland Security houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gualtieri declined to give a timeline for the investigation. He said state or federal charges are possible.

Gualtieri previously said the contractor had hired a bunch of migrants not able to legally work in the U.S., but the existence of the investigation has not previously been reported.

Gualtieri said Friday that the investigation into the company was warranted after the facts of the case prompted concerns about their practices in hiring and verification and fictitious identification. He added, There were indications it was beyond just the limited circumstance of the worker who was charged in connection with Hartwicks death.

Archer Western, a subsidiary of the Walsh Group construction company, is headquartered in Atlanta but has an office in Tampa. The de Moya Group is based in Miami. Neither company responded to requests for comment made by phone and email.

The Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture does millions of dollars worth of business with the state of Florida on various highway construction projects, and it has been paid more than $37 million by Gov. Ron DeSantis administration in the year since Hartwicks death, records show. Locally, it was hired to complete the Gateway Expressway project, which includes constructing new toll roads to connect U.S. 19 and I-275, plus widening the interstate to create express lanes from south of Gandy Boulevard to Fourth Street North.

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The joint venture employed Juan Ariel Molina-Salles, a Honduran immigrant in the U.S. without legal authorization, when law enforcement said he hit Hartwick with a front-end loader, killing him instantly. Hartwick was directing traffic away from the work crews near Roosevelt Boulevard.

Molina-Salles was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a first-degree felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years and a mandatory minimum of four years. Another worker, Elieser Aurelio Gomez-Zelaya, also in the country without legal authorization, took Molina-Salles construction vest and helmet and hid them in the woods while he ran away, deputies said. Gomez-Zelaya was charged with being an accessory after the fact, a felony. Both criminal cases are ongoing and both men have pleaded not guilty.

DeSantis, who has made cracking down on illegal immigration a major part of his presidential campaign, attended Hartwicks funeral last year. He also referenced the killing during a 2022 debate as he sought reelection, saying he didnt hear any of the outrage about Hartwicks death while Democrats criticized DeSantis move to charter planeloads of migrants to liberal cities like Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Logos for Archer Western can still regularly be seen at an active construction site in the same area as last years incident, on I-275 in St. Petersburg.
Key Insights

Institutions' substantial holdings in Fidelity National Financial implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price

51% of the business is held by the top 13 shareholders

Using data from analyst forecasts alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 75% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. Hence, having a considerable amount of institutional money invested in a company is often regarded as a desirable trait.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Fidelity National Financial.

View our latest analysis for Fidelity National Financial

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Fidelity National Financial?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

We can see that Fidelity National Financial does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Fidelity National Financial, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

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Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. It looks like hedge funds own 5.4% of Fidelity National Financial shares. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 14% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 10% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 5.4% by the third-largest shareholder.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 13 shareholders have a combined ownership of 51% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. 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 Fidelity National Financial

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

We can report that insiders do own shares in Fidelity National Financial, Inc.. Insiders own US$600m worth of shares (at current prices). we sometimes take an interest in whether they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 15% stake in Fidelity National Financial. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Fidelity National Financial .

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Florida Presbyterian Homes in Lakeland has agreed to an affiliation with Westminster Communities of Florida, a nonprofit based in Orlando.

Florida Presbyterian Homes is getting married after nearly 70 years of independence.

The Lakeland retirement community has agreed to an affiliation with Westminster Communities of Florida, the largest not-for-profit senior living provider in Florida. Florida Presbyterian Homes will become Westminsters 11th Life Plan Community, the term for facilities with progressive levels of care, from independent living to skilled nursing.

The arrangement will increase the financial stability of Florida Presbyterian Homes, founded in 1955, CEO Joe Xanthopoulos said.

Right now, after COVID, so much has changed in terms of economics, Xanthopoulos said. Operating a community like ours, being a standalone facility, made it very challenging in terms of the ability to best meet the needs of our residents. And this was a great option for us to be able to strengthen ourselves significantly and be part of one of the best providers in the country. Its a much stronger position, better for our residents and our staff.

Neither organization revealed financial terms of the agreement. Wes Meltzer, director of marketing and communications for Westminster Communities of Florida, said the nonprofit is not buying or acquiring Florida Presbyterian Homes. The agreement requires approval from state and federal agencies.

Xanthopoulos said Florida Presbyterian Homes pursued the association with Westminster, based in Orlando.

We went through a pretty extensive process to identify organizations that we would want to align with, and they were number one on our list, he said. And we then approached them.

Xanthopoulos emphasized the commonalities between the two nonprofits. Westminster Communities of Florida is one year older, forming in 1954 to oversee Westminster Manor in Bradenton. Like the Lakeland community, Westminster is loosely associated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Florida Presbyterian Homes in Lakeland is forging an affiliation with Westminster Communities of Florida. The Lakeland senior community with be the 23 property in Florida for the Orlando nonprofit.

Xanthopoulos said he thinks the alignment will benefit residents because I've seen what they've done in other communities, and I'm excited about what they can do here. Based on what I've seen, I feel really good about it.

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Though Meltzer said the agreement is not a takeover, once it is complete Westminster Communities of Florida will operate and manage the Lakeland community. Xanthopoulos said Westminster will be responsible for the management and governance and all of the assets and liabilities for the organization going forward.

Florida Presbyterian Homes covers a large expanse on the east side of Lake Hunter. It contains houses and apartments for residential and independent living, a 27,500-square-foot assisted living building and the Porter-McGrath Health Center, a skilled nursing facility that also offers rehabilitation services.

The community has about 700 residents and 125 employees, Xanthopoulos said.

Senior facilities have faced increasing financial pressures since the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought new costs and yielded reductions in occupancy. A statewide shortage of workers has pushed facilities to bolster pay rates, though Xanthopoulos said Florida Presbyterian Homes is almost fully staffed.

Lakeland artist enlivens view for senior facility residents with sprawling lakeshore mural

Westminster oversees 22 properties, all in Florida. Along with the 10 existing Life Plan Communities, the nonprofit has 12 affordable housing communities, Meltzer said. Those offer rentals at or below market rates, through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the Westminster website.

Westminster, which is guided by a volunteer board of directors, has no current properties in Polk County. The affiliation with Florida Presbyterian Homes seemed a natural expansion, Meltzer said.

Florida Presbyterian Homes in Lakeland has about 700 residents and 125 employees.

It's a good geographic fit for our organization, being between our communities in Orlando and our communities in St. Petersburg and Bradenton, he said. It's a good mission fit for our organization and for their organization. We have similar histories as historic ministries of the Presbyterian Church.

Xanthopoulos, who has been with Florida Presbyterian Homes for nearly five years, said he expects to depart soon.

We're going to do a transition, he said. We'll have a new executive director here at some point in the transition.

Its too early to say whether the affiliation might result in a new name for Florida Presbyterian Homes, Meltzer said. Both Xanthopoulos and Meltzer said they dont expect any dramatic changes for residents.

Our belief is that they're going to definitely come in and do good things for the benefit of our residents, based on what they've done in other communities theyre affiliated with all across Florida, Xanthopoulos said.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Florida Presbyterian Homes in Lakeland aligns with Orlando nonprofit
The founders of defunct autonomous self-driving car startup Argo AI are launching an autonomous trucking company. (Photo: Stack AV)

The founders of shuttered self-driving car startup Argo AI, which was abandoned by Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG, are starting an autonomous trucking business with $1 billion in backing from Japans SoftBank Group Corp.

With our proprietary technology and expertise as well as the commitment from our long-term partner in SoftBank, we are confident we will revolutionize the trucking and freight industries, Bryan Salesky, founder and CEO of Stack AV, said in a news release.

The move is surprising given an overall contraction in autonomous trucking companies.

Embark Trucks, once considered a technology leader in autonomous trucking, ran out of money. Alphabet Inc. reduced its investment in Waymo and refocused its business on ride-hailing instead of its Waymo Via trucking operations. One-time autonomous leader TuSimple is considering leaving the U.S. market to focus on China and Japan.

Some built-in advantages for Stack AV

They obviously arent starting from zero, and they have some built-in advantages. But theres still a lot of work to become competitive, Mike Ramsey, Gartner Inc. vice president and an industry analyst, told FreightWaves. It will be a challenge to catch up even with their talent and experience.

The financial investment from SoftBank provides a solid financial runway. Stack AV is based in Pittsburgh where Argo AI was located. Another autonomous trucking startup, Aurora Innovation, is also based there. It recently raised more than $850 million in new capital from current investors. That suggests the freeze-up of venture capital may be thawing.

I know Bryan has always been bullish on the delivery market for AVs, Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for Guidehouse Insights, told FreightWaves. Even with Argo, that was going to be a big part of what they were doing  last-mile and middle-mile deliveries.

Stack AV envisions AI-powered systems

Stack AV is confident it can revolutionize the trucking and freight industries. It is focused on driving improvements in efficiency and safety and alleviating supply chain constraints, Salesky said.

Story continues

The new company will leverage its know-how of advanced AI-powered autonomous driving systems to improve supply chains and make the most of transportation routes and energy efficiency, President Peter Rander said.

SoftBank is supporting the Stack AV company with capital, resources and deep expertise in AI to help accelerate its growth and technological developments.

The transformative power of AI is undeniable and will have a significant impact on our society, said Kentaro Matsui, head of the New Business Office at SoftBank Group and managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. The next decade will be defined by AI, where all social systems will be linked by this technology to solve the most complex societal issues.

Stack AVs leadership team  Salesky, Rander and Chief Technology Officer Brett Browning  have more than seven decades of combined experience. Stack AV has 150 employees across its headquarters and in 15 states.

Going to the trucking space is probably a good step for them to be taking, Abuelsamid said. I think they probably have as good a chance of succeeding as anybody.

Related articles:

Aurora Innovation raises $820 million in fresh capital

TuSimple prepares to exit US autonomous trucking market

Embark Technology goes private in $71M deal

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Alan Adler.

The post Founders of shuttered Argo AI launch autonomous trucking startup appeared first on FreightWaves.
PARIS, September 08, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zhuyeqing Tea is regarded as the gift of China in the New Silk Road after it was highly praised on 2023 international Tea day in Paris.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230904625082/en/

Gift of China: Zhuyeqing Tea Celebrates 10th Anniversary of the New Silk Road

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the New Silk Road Initiative and the 20th anniversary of Les Annees Chine-France (the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism), while 2024 will see the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, indicating further deeper cultural exchanges.

The 10th anniversary of the Initiative is an important opportunity to learn from cooperation achievements and deepen friendship. China has launched a series of celebrations to look back on the ten years of foreign exchanges. Recently, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency kicked off the "Chasing Dream On the Belt and Road" programme, which now arrived in Kazakhstan, the first stop of the initiative. Zhuyeqing Tea was presented as a "Gift of China" to Nugerbekov Serik Nugerbekovich, Chairman of the International Secretariat of Kazakhstan's state strategy agency G-Global, at Nazarbayev University. On the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhuyeqing Tea embodies the profound meaning of understanding the world through a cup of tea and good wishes: "Though thousands of miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together."

Tea has always been a precious gift in China's foreign exchange activities, and has shone through its importance in economic and trade exchanges along the Silk Road. Since the 18th century, the tea trade has helped to strengthen ties between China and France. Today, tea is deeply rooted in France as an essential part of life. The "Gift of China" Zhuyeqing Tea, featuring tea buds harvested in high mountain regions before the Qingming Festival, has been the top-selling premium green tea in China for 15 consecutive years. It is famous globally and has been presented as a gift to guests of honor from 60 countries. On this years International Tea Day, Zhuyeqing arrived in Paris as the "2023 UNESCO International Tea Days Special Recommendation", helping to promote exchanges between countries as a medium.

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From Kazakhstan, the "Gift of China" Zhuyeqing Tea will travel through fourteen Eurasian countries along the Xinhua News Agencys Programme. It will soon come to France. Zhuyeqing Tea brings Chinas friendship and the potential for global cooperation and mutual benefit.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230904625082/en/

Contacts

LING CHEN

+86-28-85293333

lingchen@zhuyeqing-tea.com

http://zhuyeqing-tea.com
The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City

(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs is planning for another round of job cuts for employees who are deemed underperformers, which could come as soon as late October, the Finanical Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The plan would typically result in between 1% and 5% of company-wide employees losing their jobs and Goldman is targeting a number at the lower end of the range in parts of its core investment banking and trading divisions, according to the report.

This is an annual exercise that the bank does, as part of performance reviews, according to a source familiar with the matter. The bank reinstated the review last year after it was halted during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The bank cut 500 employees in September 2022, Reuters had reported earlier, citing sources.

Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

In June, Goldman's managing directors were invited to meetings to receive an ominous message: take even more painful steps to cut costs.

Belt-tightening on the agenda for meetings of Goldman's top executives is another sign that the firm's ongoing push to cut $1 billion in costs is now accelerating as managers target smaller and smaller line items and contemplate more job cuts

Goldman reduced its headcount by about 3,200 in the first quarter in its biggest round of layoffs since the 2008 financial crisis. It also cut about 250 jobs in May.

The Wall Street giant's profit slumped 60% in the second quarter, missing estimates, as writedowns on its consumer businesses and real estate investments weighed on earnings.

(Reporting by Juby Babu in Bengaluru and Saeed Azhar in New York; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.

So, the natural question for Kobo Resources (CVE:KRI) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.

View our latest analysis for Kobo Resources

When Might Kobo Resources Run Out Of Money?

A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at June 2023, Kobo Resources had cash of CA$2.8m and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through CA$2.2m. That means it had a cash runway of around 16 months as of June 2023. While that cash runway isn't too concerning, sensible holders would be peering into the distance, and considering what happens if the company runs out of cash. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Kobo Resources' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Kobo Resources isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. Its cash burn positively exploded in the last year, up 288%. Given that sharp increase in spending, the company's cash runway will shrink rapidly as it depletes its cash reserves. Kobo Resources makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

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Can Kobo Resources Raise More Cash Easily?

While Kobo Resources does have a solid cash runway, its cash burn trajectory may have some shareholders thinking ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.

Kobo Resources' cash burn of CA$2.2m is about 7.6% of its CA$28m market capitalisation. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

So, Should We Worry About Kobo Resources' Cash Burn?

On this analysis of Kobo Resources' cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Even though we don't think it has a problem with its cash burn, the analysis we've done in this article does suggest that shareholders should give some careful thought to the potential cost of raising more money in the future. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 5 warning signs for Kobo Resources (4 are a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
The smartphone in your pocket hasnt changed for years.

Sure, its camera and screen have gotten a few updates, and its processor is more powerful, but overall, its been the same black rectangle for as long as you can probably remember.

But Samsung is leading a charge among smartphone makers to develop a new class of smartphones that fold and flip open. Changing peoples habits, though, is tough. Especially when it comes to their most important gadget.

So to get the lowdown on how Samsung plans to make that happen, I traveled to South Korea to attend the companys "Unpacked" event, where it debuted its Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones. I also toured the companys facilities, getting an up-close look at how the tech giant builds its newest foldables.

Samsung versus Apple

Samsung has been outfitting its phones with wireless charging, massive displays, and high-powered zoom on its cameras well before Apple (AAPL) was doing any of that. And the company is continuing that history with its latest foldables.

Tune in to Yahoo Finance's Next.

The smartphone industry is ruled by both Samsung and Apple. According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung controlled 22% of the global smartphone market as of Q1 2023. Thats just above Apples 21% market share and well ahead of Chinese rivals including Oppo and Xiaomi.

In the US, though, Apple's iPhone reigns supreme, capturing 57% of the smartphone market, according to StatCounter. Samsung, meanwhile, has 27%.

But in South Korea, its a different story.

There, the company controls a whopping 63% of the smartphone market, while Apple has 31%. Its a difference thats as clear as day the minute you step off of your plane at Incheon International Airport. Everywhere you look, people are using Samsung smartphones.

Its a stark contrast to the US, where if youre the person with a green bubble, the telltale sign of an Android phone in your group chat, you might get some snide remarks from your friends.

Flipping and folding phones

Samsungs foldable efforts were front and center during the event. The $1,799 Fold 5 has a slightly slimmer front-cover display than your average smartphone but unfolds like a book to a massive 7.6-inch screen.

Story continues

The Z Flip 5 starts at $999 and has a clam-shell design. Up front is a 3.4-inch cover screen. But when you unfold it, youre met by a 6.7-inch display. Apple's iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999.

Building and getting these folding phones is different from putting together candy bar-style smartphones. And so, to see how Samsung managed to put together a pair of handsets that fold in half, I visited the companys smartphone manufacturing facility in Gumi, South Korea.

Samsung repeatedly opens and closes it's foldables to test how well the screens hold up. (Image: Samsung)

Before I stepped up to the assembly line located on the third floor of one of a series of buildings on Samsungs campus, I had to strap on a pair of blue booties. The line, which manufactures the printed circuit boards for Samsungs Galaxy smartphones, is set up in a semi-clean environment where workers monitor everything from the temperature and humidity to sound levels.

Custom-made robotic arms grab strips of printed circuit boards and place them onto conveyor belts where another machine lines them with a series of tiny components, some no larger than 2 millimeters.

These tiny electronics allow your phone to do everything from browsing the web to shooting photos, and Samsungs machines place them in their exact spots in the blink of an eye. From there, the boards move through a giant oven that solders the components in place.

Once the boards move through this line, robots bring them to the second floor where they are placed into phone bodies. I watched as one of the lines put together Samsungs Galaxy S23 while another built the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

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Each line does everything from pressing on the rear panels of new phones to testing their cameras and cellular connectivity.

Robots play a key role on the line. Arms move phones from one section to another, initialize the phones software, and ensure their displays and ports work correctly.

Its a symphony of electronic beeps and mechanical whirring noises that ends when a robotic cart picks up a bundle of completed smartphones and moves them to the shipping area.

After a quick lunch in the company's cafeteria, I was off to see how it builds the basics of its devices, the bodies that hold everything in place.

I walked through an area where CNC machines milled pieces of aluminum to create molds for various parts of future phones and saw how the company strengthens its foldable displays to ensure theyre strong enough to withstand being bent over and over again.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5. (Image: Howley)

On the last stop on my tour, Samsung brought me to an area where it performs basic tests on the phones. That includes things like how well they work with various third-party chargers, making sure face recognition works across various genders and ethnicities, and how well they run while using Googles Android Auto.

Are foldables in your future?

After spending a week in South Korea and touring Samsungs facilities, its easy to see why the company believes it can make foldable smartphones the go-to design for the future. But does that mean itll actually happen? Will you eventually have a folding phone in your pocket rather than that same old rectangle?

Its still difficult to tell.

Samsung and its Chinese competitors have embraced the form  and Motorola has reinvigorated its Razr branding with its flip phone-style Razr Plus. But the 800-pound gorilla that is Apple has yet to offer the slightest hint that its working on such a device.

But one might just be coming.

In 2021, Bloomberg journalist and Apple soothsayer Mark Gurman reported that Apple was developing a foldable iPhone to rival Samsungs offerings. More recently, however, he said that Apple is looking to develop a foldable iPad before an iPhone.

While thats far from a certainty, its looking more and more likely that Apple will, eventually, join the folding party. And if the worlds two largest smartphone makers are on board, that boring old rectangle in your pocket just might not be too long for this world.

To watch the first full episode of NEXT and find out more about Samsungs quest to take on Apple, click here.

Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He's been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.

Click here for the latest technology business news, reviews, and useful articles on tech and gadgets

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
We have selected seven stories from this week's news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues.

Huawei Technologies' latest flagship smartphones have been met with enthusiasm in China, where some consumers see the device as a symbol of national pride and evidence that the country can break through US sanctions targeting Chinese home-grown technology champions.

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.

Read the full story here.

The judicial challenge was lodged by detained activist Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit. Photo: Felix Wong alt=The judicial challenge was lodged by detained activist Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit. Photo: Felix Wong>

Hong Kong's top court on Tuesday handed a gay activist a major victory by ruling the government must formulate an official framework for recognising same-sex partnerships, which could pave the way for a landmark change making the couples eligible for marital entitlements given to their heterosexual counterparts.

Read the full story here.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend this weekend's G20 in India, the foreign ministry has confirmed. Photo: dpa alt=Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend this weekend's G20 in India, the foreign ministry has confirmed. Photo: dpa>

Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend Group of 20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed.

Instead, the ministry said Premier Li Qiang will attend the international forum, marking the first time the Chinese leader will miss the landmark meeting amid simmering tensions with the West.

Read the full story here.

China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier is close to undergoing its first sea trials, latest photos posted online by military buffs suggest, taking the giant warship a step closer to becoming an actual combat platform.

Story continues

Read the full story here.

The fast food giant said on Facebook it would discontinue its ground and premium roast coffee, including both hot and iced versions. Photo: Dickson Lee alt=The fast food giant said on Facebook it would discontinue its ground and premium roast coffee, including both hot and iced versions. Photo: Dickson Lee>

Hongkongers on Monday expressed frustration and disappointment over McDonald's decision to discontinue two legacy coffee products to make way for its premium sub-brand McCafe.

Read the full story here.

The Belt and Road Iniative was launched in 2013 as a way of enhancing China's trade links with the world and expanding its global influence. Illustration: Henry Wong alt=The Belt and Road Iniative was launched in 2013 as a way of enhancing China's trade links with the world and expanding its global influence. Illustration: Henry Wong>

Amid ongoing Western efforts to de-risk their supply chains away from China, moves that have led to disappointing trade with the likes of the United States and the European Union, a silver lining appears to have emerged.

Read the full story here.

A restaurant chain in China has apologised for the juice incident, blaming lack of supervision and management style for poor hygiene standards. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin alt=A restaurant chain in China has apologised for the juice incident, blaming lack of supervision and management style for poor hygiene standards. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin>

A restaurant in China is embroiled in a food hygiene scandal after an employee was caught on camera mixing tap water from a floor mop sink with orange juice.

Read the full story here.

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.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday pledged $21.7 billion in new Chinese investment in Indonesia to strengthen the countries' economic and political ties, an official said.

Li arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday to attend the three-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and meet with Indonesian leaders.

President Joko Widodo hosted Li at the colonial-style Merdeka palace in Jakarta on Friday and discussed ways to expand trade and investment. He sought China's help in plans to move Indonesia's capital from congested and polluted Jakarta on the main island of Java to Nusantara on Borneo island.

After the meeting, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi announced the new Chinese investment pledge, which follows a previous $44.89 billion investment commitment made when Widodo met Chinese President Xi Jinping in July. Details of the new investment weren't announced.

Marsudi said Widodo asked China, Indonesia's largest trade and investment partner, to realize these commitments immediately and urged it to explore investment in other sectors, such as maritime and fisheries.

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of six agreements on e-commerce, support for enterprises, industrial cooperation, agriculture, fisheries and science and technology, Marsudi said.

On Wednesday, Li took a test ride on Indonesia's new $7.3 billion high-speed rail line, which was funded largely with Chinese loans. It connects Jakarta and Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province, and is part of Chinas Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Commercial service on Southeast Asias first high-speed railway is to begin on Oct. 1 and will cut travel time between the cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes.

Indonesia wants a larger role in supplying nickel and other raw materials for Chinas fast-growing electric car makers. Nickel smelting plants in Indonesia are part of Chinas Belt and Road transnational development program.

Story continues

Indonesia and China are both members of the Group of 20 major developed and emerging economies. The two leaders were to leave Jakarta on Friday afternoon for New Delhi to attend the G20 summit.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report.
Intel is one of the latest companies to invest in Arm, joining the ranks of Samsung, Alphabet, Nvidia and more, Tom's Hardware reports. The move comes as Softbank preps Arm for its IPO, with plans to offer 95.5 million shares at $47 to $51 each. The company is valued at $52 billion  more than the almost deal selling Arm to Nvidia for $40 billion that fell off in 2022 (barriers included the Federal Trade Commission suing to block it).

Investing in what is, essentially, its competitor allows Intel to expand beyond its x86 chips  which are not nearly as efficient as those Arm is currently manufacturing. Stuart Pann, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Intel Foundry Services, confirmed the investment during the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference Call. "80 percent of TSMC's wafers have an ARM processor in them," Pann said. "The fact that our organization, the IFS organization, is embracing ARM at this level, investing in ARM, doing partnerships with ARM, should give you a signpost that we're absolutely serious about playing in this business because if you're not working with ARM, you can't be a foundries provider." As an anchor investor, Intel should have better access to Arms future chip design IP which it can then produce via its burgeoning contract factory plans.

As part of this expansion, Pann added that the company would be focusing more on other low-power chipsets, including RISC-V, which he said is where the volumes are at in the new world of mobile-first computing. After all, the point of Intel opening up its factories to third parties in the first place was to admit that its own efforts in this space hadnt been as successful as its much-smaller rival.

Intel's decision to invest in Arm comes at a time of tremendous growth in (and incentives to grow) the chip manufacturing industry. Earlier this year, the Biden administration released funding applications for companies to get a piece of $39 billion devoted to semiconductor manufacturing. More recently, Apple extended its licensing deal with Arm until 2040. The iPhone maker was a founding backer of the company, first using its technology in its (ultimately doomed) Newton and now, more recently, as the backbone of its entire lineup.
Reuters/Mike Segar

As central banks pile up gold reserves, investors are also accumulating the precious metal, JPMorgan reports.

The bank estimates gold accumulation to be at the highest level since 2012.

But its uncertain the central bank momentum will last, with buy ups normalizing last quarter.

A fixation among central banks on expanding their gold reserves since 2022 has driven investors to also allocate more of the safe haven asset, JPMorgan said in a note on Thursday.

While the bank has found that global traders have largely been underweight non-gold commodity allocations in the past year, their estimated exposure to the yellow metal has increased to its highest level since 2012.

"In other words, investors' allocation to gold looks rather high by historical standards at the moment and one needs to assume a structural increase in central bank demand beyond historical norms (due to fear of sanctions or general diversification away from G7 government bonds) to be bullish on gold," JPMorgan wrote.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, foreign central banks have added to their gold reserves in an effort to be less dependent on the US dollar. Though the world's staple reserve currency, the greenback's weaponization against Russia served as a warning to other countries with large exposures to the US currency.

But while central banks added 228.4 tons of gold in the first quarter  a 176% increase from a year prior  JPMorgan said that continued momentum is uncertain. The note cited a second quarter slowdown, where net purchases normalized at around 100 tons.

However, this could have been due to turmoil in Turkey's local gold market, causing its central bank to increase sales.

Though this normalization trend may only be temporary, it would help restore a more traditional balance between gold price levels and real bond yields. Central bank demand has driven the commodity's price beyond what would be suggested by real 10-year Treasury yields.

Story continues

JPMorgan added: "While before the pandemic gold ETF flows was the demand component exhibiting the highest correlation with gold prices, and thus the most important flow to watch, after the pandemic it has been central bank flows showing the highest correlation with gold."

A Wednesday report from The World Gold Council cautioned that gold may begin to underperform as long-dated Treasury yields keep climbing, typically an bad sign for gold. It's for this reason that it declined a marginal 1% in August. This also contributed to $3 billion in global gold ETF outflows that month.

Read the original article on Business Insider
FILE - A Hamas security officer checks a truck entering Gaza at the gate of the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing with Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on June 21, 2021. Israel will reopen the main commercial crossing to Gaza Sunday Sept. 10, 2023, Israeli authorities said, after a nearly weeklong closure that stymied the flow of goods and harmed producers across the embattled territory. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel announced plans to reopen the Gaza Strips main cargo crossing on Sunday after closing it earlier this week, claiming authorities had found explosives headed out of the embattled territory. The closure was a severe economic blow to producers across the coastal strip.

The Kerem Shalom crossing was closed on Monday after authorities said they found the explosives hidden in a clothing shipment bound for the occupied West Bank  one of the main markets for Gaza's tiny export sector. Officials feared the explosives were intended for militants in the West Bank.

After an investigation and necessary adjustments, the crossing was deemed safe to reopen, said COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.

Palestinian fishermen, businessmen and rights advocates said the closure marked a form of collective punishment against Gazas 2 million people, including tens of thousands of laborers who heavily depend on exports to Israel and the West Bank to stay afloat.

Nearly all the goods that enter and exit Gaza pass through Kerem Shalom.

Challenges faced by Gazas fisherman during the closure were particularly acute. Their surplus stock perished before it could reach markets in Israel. Gazas main fishermens union reported $300,000 in losses due to the closure, a significant blow. Fish accounted for 6% of all Gazan exports in July.

The reopening promises a reprieve for fishermen like Khalid al-Laham, a 35-year old father of five who lives in the southern city of Khan Younis. Al-Laham was forced to borrow food from shops to feed his family during the closure.

The financial and living conditions will certainly improve, al-Laham said. "I will be able to feed my family and live a decent life.

While the reopening promises to relieve producers across the territory, Gazas economy remains hamstrung by a dual Egyptian-Israeli blockade in place since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.

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The blockade, which Israel says is needed to keep Hamas from building up its military arsenal, has pummeled the local economy by choking off access to external markets and limiting movement from the territory.

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Associated Press writer Issam Adwan in the Gaza Strip contributed to this report.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said one way his companys dispute with the Securities and Exchange Commission could get resolved is if someone else replaces Gary Gensler as chair of the agency.

"Maybe" that will happen in 2024, he said in an interview Thursday with Yahoo Finance Live (video above) at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Tech Conference. Someone else doesnt need to be in that seat for Coinbase to thrive, he added, but "that would certainly help."

Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The SEC sued Coinbase (COIN) in June as part of a crackdown on the crypto world. It alleged the company had been operating an unregistered exchange because Coinbase allowed the sale of certain crypto tokens the agency considers to be securities  and therefore part of the SEC's jurisdiction.

The question of what constitutes a security is key in this case as well as the agency's larger campaign to rein in a variety of players in the crypto world. The regulator has charged 20 different crypto actors with violating securities laws since the beginning of 2023.

Armstrong has been outspoken about his opposition to the lawsuit as well as the SEC's approach and stuck to that stance Thursday.

"I do think the leadership there has taken a very hostile view towards crypto ... regulation by enforcement posture instead of just engaging in rulemaking as they're required to by law."

Armstrong added that Coinbase has "really good relationships" with the "staff" that is at the SEC and "many of the commissioners."

He said he does expect there eventually to be clarity on how the crypto industry operates in the US, whether it is from the courts or from legislation written by Congress.

"Or maybe next year we'll have a different SEC chair," he said. "Somehow this is gonna get resolved in the US."

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

In a blog post Thursday, Coinbase said it was entering a new phase of international expansion, with a focus on acquiring licenses and registering and establishing operations in markets "that are enacting clear rules." Some priority markets include Europe, Canada, Brazil, and Australia. It officially launched in Canada in August.

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Coinbase has made it clear it has no plans of leaving the US. Armstrong told Yahoo Finance Thursday that "Coinbase is going to be a US company with a multinational reach."

He also expects crypto to become an issue in the 2024 presidential campaign, and said the candidates running thus far "see it as an opportunity to challenge" policies of the current White House "that they view as not in line with what the American people want."

One GOP candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, made some forceful comments on social media after a key court decision went against the SEC. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington said last month that the SEC had been "arbitrary and capricious" when it denied an application from an asset manager to convert its bitcoin trust into a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund.

A spot bitcoin ETF would allow investors to get exposure to the worlds largest cryptocurrency without having to own it, possibly expanding mainstream acceptance of digital assets.

"The shadow government in D.C. is out of control & the federal courts are our only remaining line of defense against the unlawful rogue behaviors of 3-letter government agencies," Ramaswamy said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This decision is strong and clears a path to keep Bitcoin & blockchain innovation in the U.S."

The shadow government in D.C. is out of control & the federal courts are our *only* remaining line of defense against the unlawful rogue behaviors of 3-letter government agencies. This decision is strong and clears a path to keep Bitcoin & blockchain innovation in the U.S. https://t.co/FsykKyQEVG  Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 30, 2023

Armstrong said Thursday that "I think this could become a hot topic in the presidential race in 2024."

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Long-established in the Semiconductors industry, JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd (NYSE:JKS) has enjoyed a stellar reputation. However, it has recently witnessed a decline of 3.09%, juxtaposed with a three-month change of -28.67%. Fresh insights from the GuruFocus Score Rating hint at potential headwinds. Notably, its diminished rankings in financial strength, growth, and valuation suggest that the company might not live up to its historical performance. Join us as we dive deep into these pivotal metrics to unravel the evolving narrative of JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd.

Is JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd (JKS) Set to Underperform? Analyzing the Factors Limiting Growth

What Is the GF Score?

The GF Score is a stock performance ranking system developed by GuruFocus using five aspects of valuation, which has been found to be closely correlated to the long-term performances of stocks by backtesting from 2006 to 2021. The stocks with a higher GF Score generally generate higher returns than those with a lower GF Score. Therefore, when picking stocks, investors should invest in companies with high GF Scores. The GF Score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 as the highest rank.

Based on the above method, GuruFocus assigned JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd the GF Score of 67 out of 100, which signals poor future outperformance potential.

Understanding JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd Business

JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd, with a market cap of $1.48 billion, is a key player in the photovoltaic industry. The company has built a vertically integrated solar power product value chain, manufacturing from silicon wafers to solar modules. It sells solar modules under the JinkoSolar brand. The company's product includes Silicon wafers, Solar cells, and Solar modules. Its geographical segments are China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (except China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan), and the Rest of the world. The company's sales stand at $14.75 billion with an operating margin of 4.89%.

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Is JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd (JKS) Set to Underperform? Analyzing the Factors Limiting Growth

Financial Strength Breakdown

JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd's financial strength indicators present some concerning insights about the company's balance sheet health. The company's interest coverage ratio of 4.62 positions it worse than 79.78% of 633 companies in the Semiconductors industry. This ratio highlights potential challenges the company might face when handling its interest expenses on outstanding debt.

The company's Altman Z-Score is just 1.28, which is below the distress zone of 1.81. This suggests that the company may face financial distress over the next few years. Additionally, the company's low cash-to-debt ratio at 0.26 indicates a struggle in handling existing debt levels.

The company's debt-to-equity ratio is 2.93, which is worse than 98.21% of 782 companies in the Semiconductors industry. A high debt-to-equity ratio suggests over-reliance on borrowing and vulnerability to market fluctuations. Additionally, the company's debt-to-Ebitda ratio is 7.59, which is above Joel Tillinghast's warning level of 4 and is worse than 89.5% of 657 companies in the Semiconductors industry.

Next Steps

Considering the company's financial strength, profitability, and growth metrics, the GuruFocus Score Rating highlights the firm's unparalleled position for potential underperformance. While JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd has a commendable history in the Semiconductors industry, its current financial indicators suggest a challenging road ahead. Investors should tread carefully and consider these factors when making investment decisions.

GuruFocus Premium members can find more companies with strong GF Scores using the following screener link: GF Score Screen

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


BALTIMORE  A federal judge has moved Marilyn Mosbys case from Baltimore to Greenbelt, and ordered that the former city states attorney have separate trials for her perjury and mortgage fraud charges.

Rather than standing trial for all of her charges on Nov. 2, Mosby will be tried that day only for the two counts of perjury she faces, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby ruled Friday. She did not yet schedule the second trial for Mosbys mortgage fraud charges.

Griggsby found that Mosbys lawyers met the low legal burden for moving the case within the state, citing evidence the defense presented about extensive pretrial publicity, some of which, the judge said, cast the defendant in a negative light.

It was the second time Mosby asked for her case to be moved to the federal courthouse in Prince Georges County, with Griggsby having denied the request last year from Mosbys previous lawyers.

Griggsbys ruling means that no Baltimore resident will serve on the jury that decides Mosbys case.

The courthouse in Greenbelt, known as the Southern Division of the U.S. District Court for Maryland, pools jurors from Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince Georges and St. Marys counties, while the courthouse in Baltimore, the Northern Division, summons jurors from the city and 18 other counties in the state.

Mosbys lawyers hired an expert to survey potential jurors from both regions.

That expert, Dr. Bryan Edelman, found that slightly fewer survey respondents from the Southern Division had heard about the case or believed Mosby was guilty than people questioned from the Northern Division. Some 45% of those questioned in the Northern described Mrs. Mosby as somewhat or very corrupt, compared to 26% in the Southern.

Federal Public Defender James Wyda told Griggsby she had the opportunity and obligation to move the the case because theres a chance to make things a little bit more fair for Ms. Mosby.

Convinced that the pool of jurors in the Southern District would hold less bias towards Mosby than the Northern, Griggsby said giving Mosby the best chance of receiving a fair trial outweighed any potential inconveniences of holding her case in Greenbelt.

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Her ruling came over the strong objection of prosecutors, who hired their own expert to refute the study conducted by Edelman. The government also said witnesses who lived in Baltimore would be burdened by commuting to Greenbelt to testify.

Neither the prosecution nor the defense had been able to identify a case moved within the federal court district in Maryland throughout its 234-year history, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky said in court Friday.

It hasnt happened, Zelinsky said. This courthouse has seen trials of sitting members of Congress, governors.

He and the other attorney handling Mosbys prosecution, Sean Delaney, also opposed Mosbys request to split the case into two trials.

Delaney said Mosby began looking at properties in Florida in the spring of 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold across America.

According to her indictment, Mosby claimed to have suffered adverse financial consequences because of the COVID-19 crisis to make a pair of early withdrawals from her city retirement savings account under the CARES Act, Congresss first pandemic relief package. Prosecutors allege she suffered no such hardship.

Mosby used the roughly $80,000 from her retirement account for down payments on two properties in Florida: An eight-bedroom house near Orlando and a condo on the states Gulf Coast.

This case weaves together a complete narrative, Delaney told Griggsby, later adding, Theres simply no way to prove this case to a jury without doing an extensive analysis of her finances.

Among several arguments, Mosbys attorneys said that having her stand trial on the different charges at the same time limited her ability to present a defense.

While Mosby wants to testify in her defense against one set of charges, she wants to preserve her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, against self incrimination, on the other charges, Assistant Federal Public Defender Maggie Grace told Griggsby on Friday. Grace did not specify which set of charges Mosby was considering testifying on.

The defense explained the legal conflict in greater depth for Griggsby in a court filing that was kept under seal, and not disclosed to prosecutors. Griggsby said the law warranted such ex-parte communication.

In her ruling, Griggsby said she could come up with no other way to protect Mosbys constitutional rights other than to split the trial.

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Supermarket giant Kroger is based in downtown Cincinnati.

Supermarket operators Kroger and Albertsons announced Friday they will sell off 413 stores for $1.9 billion in connection with their planned $25 billion merger.

The divestiture to New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers is part of a move to mollify antitrust regulars at the Federal Trade Commission.

The deal will give an enlarged retail operation of more than 500 stores to the private company, which supplies nearly 7,500 supermarkets nationwide.

Most of C&S Wholesale's retail operations are more than 100 Piggly Wiggly stores in Wisconsin and the Carolinas and 11 Grand Union stores in New York and Vermont. The company also supplies and franchises the Piggly Wiggly name to independent owners, which spreads the Piggy Wiggly brand to more than 500 supermarkets nationwide.

The deal will also affect "thousands" of Kroger and Albertsons workers, though the companies offered no further specifics or estimates.

In a busy Friday, Kroger also announced its second fiscal quarter results and a tentative $1.2 billion national opioid settlement.

As part of the store divestiture deal, Kroger will sell off two of its store banners: Marianno's in Chicago and QFC in the Pacific Northwest, while Albertsons will shed the Carrs nameplate in Alaska and grant exclusive license to its own name in Arizona, California, Colorado and Wyoming. Kroger noted the companies will rebrand some stores that will lose their current banner name as part of the deal.

Kroger and Albertsons to shed stores in 17 states

Stores in 17 states and the District of Columbia will be affected:

-104 Albertsons Cos. and Kroger stores in Washington

-66 Albertsons Cos. and Kroger stores in California

-52 Albertsons Cos. stores in Colorado

-49 Albertsons Cos. and Kroger stores in Oregon

-28 Albertsons Cos. stores in Texas and Louisiana

-24 Albertsons Cos. stores in Arizona

-15 Albertsons Cos. stores in Nevada

-14 Kroger stores in Illinois

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-14 Albertsons Cos. stores in Alaska

-13 Albertsons Cos. stores in Idaho

-12 Albertsons Cos. stores in New Mexico

-12 Albertsons Cos. stores in Montana, Utah and Wyoming

-10 Harris Teeter stores in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia

The deal is subject to Kroger and Albertsons closing their merger. The companies added the deal may require C&S Wholesale to purchase an additional 237 stores from Kroger and Albertsons, in conjunction with securing regulatory approval.

Kroger and Albertsons are also selling off eight distribution centers, two offices and five private label brands as part of the transaction.

Albertsons employee Shelly Elmquist gathers shopping carts at the Albertsons parking lot located at the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix in early 2023.

Kroger, Albertsons, C&S Wholesale seek to assure skeptics

C&S Wholesale will honor existing union contracts of workers affected by the transaction. Kroger and Albertsons said the deal fulfills their promise their merger won't result in store closures or layoffs.

Looking to quell potential criticism that Kroger and Albertson are pawning off stray stores on smaller operator, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement they sought out a strong, viable competitor to take over stores they need to part with due to regulatory antitrust concerns.

"(After announcing the Albertsons deal), we embarked on a robust and thoughtful process to identify a well-capitalized buyer who will operate as a fierce competitor and ensure divested stores and their associates will continue serving their communities in the ways they do today," McMullen said.

Ditto, said Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran: "I am thrilled that C&S's outstanding capabilities and financial strength will ensure these divestiture stores can continue to grow and serve their communities," Sankaran said in a statement.

The 2015 bankruptcy of Washington-based grocer Haggen following the acquisition of 146 divested stores from the Albertsons-Safeway merger has been cited by deal skeptics as Kroger and Albertsons pitched their transaction to regulators.

Incoming C&S Wholesale CEO Eric Winn (currently the chief operating officer) also offered an early welcome to thousands of workers that would join his company.

"We look forward to welcoming thousands of new associates to the C&S family and providing them the opportunity to build long and successful careers," Winn said in a statement.

Last fall, Kroger announced a proposed $25 billion takeover of supermarket rival Albertsons, a deal that would be one of the largest retail mergers in history. Until now, the deal would have given Kroger nearly 5,000 stores and 700,000 workers before an undetermined number of divestitures. The new math would give Kroger around 4,600 stores with a lower, but unspecified worker headcount.

Consumer and union groups have opposed the deal, claiming it will hurt competition and ultimately raise prices and harm workers. Regulators have declined to comment as they decide whether to block it. Kroger executives have vowed to fight for the deal in court.

Kroger results miss Wall Street forecasts as grocer settles opioid lawsuits

In other news, Kroger posted on Friday a $180 million loss on sales of $33.9 billion, missing Wall Street expectations.

The supermarket giant swung to a loss as it booked a $1.4 billion charge in connection with its opioid settlement, which included a $1.2 billion payment to states and other governments as well as $177 million in atttorney fees and costs. Excluding one-time items, Kroger's profit exceeded analysts' forecasts, but its sales fell short of the $34.3 billion consensus estimate, according to Zacks Investment Research in Chicago.

Identical store sales excluding fuel increased by 1% during the fiscal quarter that ended Aug. 12  a key metric that measures sales growth excluding new or closed stores. Last year, Kroger posted a $731 million profit in the second fiscal quarter on sales of $34.6 billion.

In addition to Kroger stores, the Cincinnati-based grocer operates several regional supermarket chains in 35 states, including Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Mariano's, Fry's, Smith's, King Soopers, QFC and others. The company has more than 2,700 stores and employs 430,000 workers.

For the latest on Kroger, P&G, Fifth Third Bank and Cincinnati business, follow @alexcoolidge on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger, Albertsons sell stores to C&S Wholesale Grocer in merger
One of the major brand names in Chicagos grocery landscape will change hands as giants Kroger and Albertsons shed stores in hopes of securing federal approval for their megamerger.

The companies announced Friday they would sell off more than 400 grocery stores, including 14 in Illinois, to C&S Wholesale Grocers for $1.9 billion. The companies also said they would sell off the Marianos brand name as part of the deal.

The divestiture plan comes as the companies, which are the two largest traditional grocery operators in the country, attempt to secure Federal Trade Commission approval of their $24.6 billion merger, which they first proposed last October. Marianos parent Kroger is planning to acquire Jewel-Osco parent Albertsons.

In a statement, Marianos spokesperson Amanda Puck confirmed some Marianos stores would be sold off as a result of the divestiture plan.

Because we are still in the regulatory process, we are not able to share the specific locations included in the agreement, Puck said. She said C&S, a wholesaler that also operates Piggly Wiggly and Grand Union grocery stores, had agreed to honor all existing collective bargaining agreements.

Fourteen Kroger-owned grocery stores in Illinois are slated to be sold off. Kroger owns about 44 Marianos grocery stores in Illinois in addition to about 10 Food 4 Less stores.

Any Marianos stores that are retained by Kroger will be re-bannered into an existing Kroger or Albertsons brand after the deal closes, the companies said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Jon Hauptman, founder and president of retail consultancy Price Dimensions, said it is possible Kroger would choose to operate those Marianos stores under the Jewel-Osco banner, which remains a brand with strong name recognition in the Chicago area.

Theres a good chance that well just see more Jewels in the area, he said.

Hauptman added that over time shoppers could see the selection at their local Jewels change under Kroger ownership if and when the deal closes. Kroger is particularly likely to consolidate private label brands across the two banners, he said.

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Kroger and Albertsons will also sell off the QFC and Carrs brand names, as well as some distribution centers and private-label brands.

Kroger said in an SEC filing that the deal, which is still subject to approval by the FTC, is on track to close in early 2024.

The company said Kroger may require C&S to buy up to 237 additional stores in certain geographies in order to secure FTC approval of the deal.

Hauptman said he would not be surprised to see additional divestitures in the Chicago area, where some Marianos and Jewel locations are located almost on top of one another. The plan calls for significantly more divestment on the West Coast; in Washington, more than 100 stores are set to be sold off. The companies have agreed to sell 66 stores in California and around 50 each in Colorado and Oregon.

Fourteen seems sort of low, Hauptman said.

Jewel has about 183 stores in Illinois and a handful in Indiana and Iowa.

Kroger and Albertsons first announced the proposed merger last October. In an earnings call Friday, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said the company had landed on C&S after a robust and thoughtful diligence process that included reviewing dozens of buyers spanning from private to public to union to nonunion domestic and international players.

Labor unions and various elected officials raised concerns about the merger in the months after it was announced, particularly in regards to the potential for consolidation to lead to higher food prices and the loss of union grocery jobs.

Kroger has said it plans to reinvest approximately half a billion dollars in cost-savings achieved through the merger into lowering prices for consumers.

The company has cited competition with low-cost, nonunion competitors such as Walmart as a rationale for the merger; lower prices could help the combined company woo customers from those lower-cost options.

Critics, however, have noted Kroger ultimately has no obligation to pass any cost savings achieved in the merger along to consumers.

In their announcement Friday, the companies said C&S would honor existing collective bargaining agreements, that no stores would close as a result of the merger and that all front-line grocery workers would keep their jobs.

In a statement, Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents workers at both Kroger and Albertsons, said UFCW staff will be analyzing every aspect of this proposed deal and will assess the impact, positive or negative, that it may have on our UFCW members, the customers we serve, and the communities we call home.

Claire Kelloway, food programs manager at the Open Markets Institute, a nonprofit focused on the prevention of monopolies, said stores could still end up closing, with resulting job losses, should C&S not end up being able to effectively operate more than 400 additional grocery stores in a variety of regional markets. Those stores would need to compete against the combined power of a Kroger-Albertsons behemoth.

Its just impossible to know if theyll be able to handle that, Kelloway said.

C&S operates about 160 retail locations, the companys chief operating officer and incoming chief executive Eric Winn said in a news release Friday. Winn said those stores demonstrate C&Ss ability to deliver solid retail performance.

Marianos was founded by Dominicks executive Bob Mariano in 2010. The demise of the former major local grocery player Dominicks, which was shuttered by parent company Safeway in 2013, paved the way for Marianos growth.

Kroger bought the chains parent company, Milwaukee-based Roundys, for $800 million in 2015.
SAN FRANCISCO & LAS VEGAS, September 08, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ripple, the leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, announced today it has agreed to acquire Fortress Trust, a subsidiary of Fortress Blockchain Technologies. Fortress Trust is a financial institution that provides licensed Web3 financial, regulatory and technology infrastructure for blockchain innovators.

Through its technology and licensing, Fortress Trust provides critical infrastructure to address the growing enterprise crypto market that complements Ripples business and product roadmap. This news follows Ripples recent acquisition of crypto custody provider Metaco for $250M  one of the largest deals in the space in 2023.

"As an early investor in Fortress Blockchain Technologies, weve had a chance to get to know the team, its vision and technology. Since their launch in 2021, theyve built an impressive business with recurring revenue and a strong roster of both crypto-native and new-to-crypto customers," said Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple. "Were excited to bring on this team and its technology to accelerate our business and continue pressing our advantage in the areas critical to crypto infrastructure."

With this acquisition, Ripples growing portfolio of regulatory licenses expands, as Fortress Trust holds a Nevada Trust license. Ripple and its other subsidiaries collectively hold a NY BitLicense, more than 30 Money Transmitter Licenses across the U.S., and an in-principle Major Payment Institution License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the countrys Central Bank.

"Licenses are a powerful enabler to build and deliver best-in-class customer experiences for enterprises using Ripples crypto infrastructure across our payments and liquidity solutions," said Monica Long, President at Ripple. "Acquiring Fortress Trust affords us a lot of optionality to both improve the current customer experience in our existing products and explore new, complementary products  all in service of becoming the one-stop shop for enterprises looking to convert, store, and move value on blockchain around the world."

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Best known for its flagship payments products, Ripple was the first company to address the multi-trillion dollar pain points in cross-border payments utilizing blockchain and cryptocurrency. The company focused on building blockchain-enabled payments infrastructure from the ground up, before expanding its product offerings to address new use cases like liquidity management, tokenization and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Today, Ripple serves hundreds of customers in over 55 countries and 6 continents with payout capabilities in 70+ markets.

"Were extremely pleased that Fortress Trust will be acquired by Ripple, one of the largest and most innovative companies in the industry  its a testament to the team and business that weve built in a short period of time. Furthermore, we look forward to continuing to collaborate and deepening our partnership with our Web3 payments solution," said Scott Purcell, CEO of Fortress Blockchain Technologies.

Ripple became a minority investor in Fortress Blockchain Technologies in 2022 as part of its seed funding. Following the closure of the deal, Ripple plans to invest in parent company, Fortress Blockchain Technologies and its FortressPay services, which will leverage the global technology Ripple has built to deliver new and innovative payment solutions to B2B customers around the world. The deal closure is subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals.

About Ripple

Ripple is the leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, transforming how the world moves, manages and tokenizes value. Ripples business solutions are faster, more transparent, and more cost effective  solving inefficiencies that have long defined the status quo. And together with partners and the larger developer community, we identify use cases where crypto technology will inspire new business models and create opportunity for more people. With every solution, were realizing a more sustainable global economy and planet  increasing access to inclusive and scalable financial systems while leveraging carbon neutral blockchain technology and a green digital asset, XRP. This is how we deliver on our mission to build crypto solutions for a world without economic borders.

About Fortress Trust

Fortress Trust Company is a financial institution that provides Web3 financial, regulatory and technology infrastructure for blockchain innovators from Fortune 500 businesses to fintech startups who are building blockchain-based services that will transform the world. Fortress is the back-end infrastructure layer for payments, asset tokenization, regulated custody, compliance, and other services that enable B2B clients to launch quickly and scale effortlessly. For more information, visit Fortress.io.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230907884721/en/

Contacts

Megan Katz

press@ripple.com
Hes an egomaniacal man-child, but is Elon Musk really the dark lord? Twitter seems to think so.

Oh, wait. It was Twitter before Elon Musk bought and ruined it. Now its X, a do-everything-satisfy-nobody app that most of its users hate, but use anyway. But thats not even the worst outrage.

Musks latest offense is his decision to deny Starlink communication services to Ukrainian forces when they attempted a substantial drone attack on Russian ships in the Black Sea, near the occupied Crimean Peninsula. This happened a year ago, but its only coming to light now, because historian Walter Isaacson uncovered the episode while researching his new book on Musk, due out Sept. 12.

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Musks company SpaceX gave hundreds of Starlink terminals to Ukraine, providing troops in the field desperately needed Internet access to aid battlefield communications and help beat back the Russian invaders. SpaceX bore the cost, which Musk estimated at $80 million. Ukrainian commanders praised Musk and said it would be hard to operate without Starlink.

By last September, Ukraine had managed to drive back Russian forces and establish a bit of offensive momentum. One gambit was to send a half-dozen naval drones packed with explosives after Russian ships in the Black Sea. Those drones needed Starlink to navigate to their targets. Musk learned of the effort and told SpaceX engineers to deny Starlink coverage in that part of Crimea. The drones were unable to navigate and washed ashore harmlessly, according to an account Isaacson published in the Washington Post on Sept. 7.

Musk confirmed Isaacson's story, saying, "There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol. The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor." He didn't say which government authorities, or even which country, made the request. He declined the request, because "SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

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Since he essentially protected Russia's military capability, Musk's critics have accused him of collaborating with the barbaric Russians in their war against a European democracy. Anders Ostlund of the Center for European Policy Analysis charged Musk and SpaceX with escalating the war  on Russias side  and contributing to the deaths of Ukrainian civilians. Historian Ian Garner called Musk a maximum Bond level villain. A pro-Ukraine Twitter account with 67,000 followers dubbed Musk a witting agent of the Russian Federation.

[Drop Rick Newman a note, follow him on Twitter, or sign up for his newsletter.]

But theres a huge missing piece many of Musks critics ought to be aware of: Private-sector corporations and their leaders should not be the ones making decisions about how to aid a US ally in wartime. Ukrainian forces are using equipment provided by virtually every major US defense contractor, but the CEOs of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Navistar, and so on arent personally making those decisions. Instead, those contractors sell equipment to the US government, which then decides what to do with it.

SpaceX is a contractor to the government, through arrangements with NASA that date back to 2014. But thats for commercial space flights, not for defense. It appears SpaceX did not have a deal with the Pentagon involving its Starlink satellites when the Ukraine war started, which is why Musk provided that Starlink gear to Ukraine voluntarily.

More important in his own mind? Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, last June. (Gonzalo Fuentes/REUTERS)

In April 2022, the US Agency for Intl. Development said it had delivered 5,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine as part of a public-private partnership with Ukraine. It didnt spell out the terms, though. In June of this year, the Pentagon issued a terse statement saying it did finally have a contract with SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite service to Ukraine. It didnt say when that contract started. Its also possible, and perhaps likely, that the CIA or some other intelligence service has been making sure Ukraine has uninterrupted Starlink service, given how crucial it is to basic military functionality on the battlefield.

So something is fishy about Musk being able to unilaterally stop Starlink service near Crimea on his own authority last September. If SpaceX was still providing Starlink service to Ukraine on its own dime, seven months into the war, and Musk had sole authority over whether to turn it on or off, then thats a big mistake that rests with the Biden administration, not with Musk. That would be like the CEO of General Dynamics deciding whether to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine, rather than the president, the secretary of state, and all the other government decision-makers.

It's possible SpaceX was under contract to the Pentagon, and Musk still made the decision to turn off the service near Crimea, perhaps in violation of the contract. Musk seems to think world peace depends on him, and Isaacson says the impressionable Musk was influenced by a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States, who told Musk that an attack on Russian-controlled Crimea would elicit a nuclear response from Russia.

That is patently false, given that Ukraine has attacked Crimea many times, and also sunk a Russian missile cruiser in the Black Sea, with no nuclear response. Apparently, Musk naively believed that Russians speak the truth. Bidens better-seasoned national security team might have been more skeptical of the Russian ambassadors threat. At any rate, if the CEO of a defense contractor is unilaterally preventing the US government from using a contracted product or service as it sees fit, then its up to the customer  the US government  to rectify the situation.

Elon Musk is an important innovator, and hes even more important in his own mind. Hes irritating and worse, such as when he misleads investors, endorses quackery, and bullies critics. But hes only beyond reproach if everybody who deals with him allows him to be. A lot of things are bigger and more important than Elon Musk, including the war in Ukraine.

Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @rickjnewman.

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Documents filed with San Marcos City Council show the layout of the proposed Hill Country Studios project.

A massive $267 million studio for film and television production is expected to break ground in San Marcos later this year after winning city approvals last month.

Hill Country Studios, a subsidiary of Hill Country Group LLC, first proposed the project  which will be a state-of-the-art TV, film and streaming studio  last year. At the time, the company said the project would be the largest of its kind in the state, and it has garnered city and county incentive deals that could be worth more than $6 million.

Hill Country Studios, which was founded in 2020 by Cory McLoud and Zach Price of Hill Country Group, will focus on virtual production, a type of emerging technology that allows film to be made in a digital environment using technologies such as computer-generated imagery and augmented reality before it goes to a physical set. Last year, the company said virtual production design and management would be led by film technology company Vision.

Jacob Cowan, chief marketing officer of Hill Country Studios, told the American-Statesman the project is expected to break ground by the end of the year. He also said films could be made at the studio as early as 2024 as facilities come online, with some construction continuing through 2025.

Cowan said the approvals were key milestones in the projects roadmap as the company moves towards groundbreaking.

An artist's rendering shows what the planned film, TV and streaming production studio in San Marcos could look like. Hill Country Studios' plans include 820,000 square feet of production offices, commercial space, four workshops, back lots and 12 sound stages.

In August, the San Marcos Council annexed the land, which is located near the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone and rezoned the property to "less intense" zoning classifications. The project will be built on the existing La Cima development near West Centerpoint Road, West Wonder World Drive and RM 12.

The approval followed a July City Council meeting during which the annexation and rezoning were discussed in two items. One item called for rezoning 90 acres to a "Community Commercial District," which would allow it to be used specifically for a film studio. The second called for rezoning 58 acres to a character district, which is designed to preserve open space, according to a San Marcos staff presentation on the change.

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At the meeting, Council Member Mark Gleason said he was glad to see the project moving forward, after receiving questions about the project's timing. Mayor Jane Hughson added the project brings "something different for many other people to participate, work and etc." compared with existing advanced manufacturing in the city.

At the same meeting, La Cima developer Eric Willis said he is committed to community outreach on the project and hasnt heard any feedback that would change the project's direction.

Lisa Marie Coppoletta, a local professor, also spoke in support of the project, saying Hill Country Studios is committed to the community and could compete with other nearby film projects. She said its important to stay on the cutting edge, and said the studio's virtual film focus means it's a cleaner industry. She also said it could bring internship opportunities to local students.

What incentives has the project received?

The approvals come after the San Marcos City Council last year authorized a Chapter 380 tax abatement agreement following a lengthy discussion that raised environmental concerns, and that included talk of the economic benefits and potential partnerships with Texas State University and the San Marcos school district.

Under the agreement, the studio will receive an estimated $4.6 million in property tax rebates over five years, with abatements decreasing year by year starting with a 90% rebate once the studio is built and ending with a 20% rebate in the fifth year. The deal would go into effect in 2025, but before that the city would collect $2.1 million property taxes and estimated it would get $11.4 million in property tax revenue for the project over 10 years.

Last year, Hays County commissioners also approved a separate incentive agreement for the project that granted property tax abatements worth about $1.6 million over five years, starting in 2025.

Both agreements require the company to meet certain performance obligations, including purchasing the land and constructing the studio, as well as obligations related to jobs and business operations.

What will the project include?

Plans on the companys website show the project would be built on 75 acres of a 209-acre property, and include 820,000 square feet of production offices, commercial space, four workshops, back lots and 12 sound stages.

The website also said the property will have a food lot with local food trucks and vendors. The website also mentions a vendor village with onsite services to aid production.

The website shows Hill Country Studios plans to build the project in two stages, starting with seven studios and two workshops. The second phase would add five studios, two workshops and an additional unlabeled building. Original plans filed with the city last year called for an earlier groundbreaking in April 2023 and three phases.

The website also mentions a production office with more than 200,000 square feet, flexible configurations for small and large productions, two concrete pads that are 2 acres, and a backlot for outdoor filming space in a variety of environments.

Documents filed with the city last year show the studio expects it would employ 22 people full time with an average salary of $100,000, a number that could grow to 44 full-time employees once fully built. The filings also estimated the studio could employ up to 1,400 contract workers, averaging about 1,200 workers on production projects, with an average salary around $80,000.

Similarly, Cowan estimated projects filming at the studio could provide about 1,200 contract employee jobs once the project is in full operation.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Hill Country Studios to break ground this year in San Marcos
Michelmersh Brick Holdings (LON:MBH) First Half 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: UK42.0m (up 24% from 1H 2022).

Net income: UK4.68m (up 6.2% from 1H 2022).

Profit margin: 11% (down from 13% in 1H 2022). The decrease in margin was driven by higher expenses.

EPS: UK0.05 (up from UK0.046 in 1H 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Michelmersh Brick Holdings Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 3.8% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 3.3% growth forecast for the Basic Materials industry in the United Kingdom.

Performance of the British Basic Materials industry.

The company's shares are up 1.7% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Michelmersh Brick Holdings.

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.
In July 2016, warships from more than two dozen nations gathered off the coasts of Hawaii and Southern California to join the United States in the worlds largest naval exercise. The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and others sent hundreds of destroyers, aircraft carriers and warplanes. They streamed in long lines across the ocean, symbols of power and prestige.

The USS Freedom had its own special place within the armada. It was one of a new class of vessels known as littoral combat ships. The U.S. Navy had billed them as technical marvels  small, fast and light, able to combat enemies at sea, hunt mines and sink submarines.

In reality, the LCS was well on the way to becoming one of the worst boondoggles in the militarys long history of buying overpriced and underperforming weapons systems. Two of the $500 million ships had suffered embarrassing breakdowns in previous months. The Freedoms performance during the exercise, showing off its ability to destroy underwater mines, was meant to rejuvenate the ships record on the world stage. The ship was historically important too; it was the first LCS built, the first in the water, commissioned just eight years prior.

But like the LCS programs reputation, the Freedom was in bad shape. Dozens of pieces of equipment on board were undergoing repairs. Training crews for the new class of ships had proven more difficult than anticipated. The sailors aboard the Freedom had not passed an exam demonstrating their ability to operate some of the ships most important systems.

As the day to launch approached, the pressure mounted. Top officers visited the ship repeatedly. The Freedoms sailors understood that theirs was a no fail mission with no appetite to remain in port, according to Navy documents obtained by ProPublica.

The Freedoms Capt. Michael Wohnhaas consulted with his officers. Despite crippling problems that had left one of the ships engines inoperable, he and his superiors decided the vessel could rely on its three others for the exercise.

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The Freedom completed its mission, but the accomplishment proved hollow. Five days after the ship returned to port, a maintenance check revealed that the faltering engine had suffered galloping corrosion from saltwater during the exercise. A sailor described the engine room as a horror show with rust eating away at the machinery. One of the Navys newest ships would spend the next two years undergoing repairs at a cost of millions.

It took investigators months to unravel the mystery of the engines breakdown. But this much was clear at the outset: The Freedoms collapse was another unmistakable sign that the Navy had spent billions of dollars and more than a decade on warships with rampant and crippling flaws.

Program filled with problems, cost overruns

The ongoing problems with the LCS have been well documented for years, in news articles, government reports and congressional hearings. Each ship ultimately cost more than twice the original estimate. Worse, they were hobbled by an array of mechanical failures and were never able to carry out the missions envisaged by their champions.

ProPublica set out to trace how ships with such obvious shortcomings received support from Navy leadership for nearly two decades. We reviewed thousands of pages of public records and tracked down naval and shipbuilding insiders involved at every stage of construction.

Our examination revealed new details on why the LCS never delivered on its promises. Top Navy leaders repeatedly dismissed or ignored warnings about the ships flaws. One Navy secretary and his allies in Congress fought to build more of the ships even as they broke down at sea and their weapons systems failed. Staunch advocates in the Navy circumvented checks meant to ensure that ships that cost billions can do what they are supposed to do.

Contractors who stood to profit spent millions lobbying Congress, whose members, in turn, fought to build more ships in their home districts than the Navy wanted. Scores of frustrated sailors recall spending more time fixing the ships than sailing them.

Our findings echo the conclusions of a half-century of internal and external critiques of Americas process for building new weapons systems. The saga of the LCS is a vivid illustration of how Congress, the Pentagon and defense contractors can work in concert  and often against the good of the taxpayers and Americas security  to spawn what President Dwight D. Eisenhower described in his farewell address as the military industrial complex.

There is a lot of money flowing through this vast ecosystem, and somehow the only thing all these people can agree on is more, more, more, said Lyle Goldstein, a former professor at the U.S. Naval War College who is now investigating the costs of war at Brown University. Unfortunately, I just think it might be in the nature of our system.

This year, the Defense Department asked Congress to approve a staggering $842 billion  nearly half of the federal governments discretionary spending  to keep America safe in what the Pentagon says is an ever more perilous world. As House and Senate leaders negotiate the final number, it is unlikely they will spend much time discussing ways to prevent future debacles like the LCS.

A history of misspent taxpayer money on weapons systems

Such a conversation would cover hundreds of billions of misspent taxpayer money on projects from nearly every branch of the military: The F-35 fighter jet, deployed by the Navy, Marines and Air Force, is more than a decade late and $183 billion over budget. The Navys newest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, cost $13 billion and has yet to prove it can reliably launch planes. And the Armys Future Combat System was largely abandoned in 2009 after the military had dedicated more than $200 billion on a battlefield intelligence network meant to link troops, tanks and robots.

The LCS program offers another clear lesson, one seen in almost every infamous procurement disaster. Once a massive project gains momentum and defense contractors begin hiring, it is politically easier to throw good money after bad.

Stopping a weapons program in its tracks means people losing work and admitting publicly that enormous sums of taxpayer money have been wasted. In the case of the LCS, it took an array of naval leaders and two consecutive defense secretaries to finally stop the program. Yet even after the Navy said it only needed 32 littoral combat ships, far fewer than the more than 50 originally planned, members of Congress forced the Pentagon to buy three more.

Ship became a laughingstock after repeated breakdowns

Former Lt. Renaldo Rodgers remembered laboring in San Diego from sunrise to sunset for months to ready the Freedom for a 2012 trial mission to San Francisco, only to have the ship break down during pretrial tests. Rodgers initially thought the futuristic ship looked like something out of Star Trek. But he soon learned it was no Starship Enterprise. It became the laughingstock of the waterfront, with other sailors deriding it as Dry Dock One, because it so rarely left port.

It sucks, he said. The LCS was a missed opportunity.

The Navy has tried to retire many of the littoral combat ships years before they reach their expected lifespan. Ships designed to last 25 years are being mothballed after seeing less than a decade of service.

In response to questions, the Navy acknowledged the LCS was not suitable for fighting peer competitors such as China. The LCS does not provide the lethality or survivability needed in a high-end fight.

The Navy needs a more ready, capable, and lethal fleet more than a bigger fleet thats less ready, less capable, and less lethal, the statement read, saying the money would be better spent on higher-priority alternatives.

The cost of the program has gnawed at John Pendleton, who for years was a top military analyst at the Government Accountability Office and has studied the rise and fall of the LCS as closely as anyone in Washington.

Now retired, but unable to shake what he views as one of the most wasteful projects hed encountered in his nearly 35-year career, Pendleton reviewed budgetary documents and GAO reports for ProPublica going back decades. His conclusion: The lifetime cost of the LCS class may reach $100 billion or more.

In the end, he said, the taxpayers get fewer than 30 limited-survivability, single-mission ships.

'Zombie program' launched and was hard to stop

Pendleton is hardly alone in his assessment. Many regard the tortured path of the LCS as evidence of a damaging strain of hubris that runs rampant in the world of military innovation.

Its this zombie program phenomenon where everybody knows deep down we are going in the wrong direction, said Dan Grazier, a former Marine Corps captain, who now works on Pentagon reform for the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight. But because so much money is involved and so much political capital is invested, you cant stop the train until the problems are so overwhelming that no one can feign support for it.

The two narratives of the ship  unstoppable in Congress, imperiled at sea  intertwined alarmingly during one 10-month stretch beginning in December 2015. During that period, five of the vessels broke down across the globe, each illuminating a new set of problems and effectively proving the critics right.

The Freedom was the third ship to fail. Captured in a Navy investigation more than 600 pages long, the incident stands out as a particularly devastating and detailed example of the Navys plight.

Adm. Vernon Clark gained confidence that the LCS could work after seeing a demonstration of a Danish warship swapping weapons. Credit:

An Admirals vision of a new kind of ship

In 2002, Adm. Vernon Clark stared down from the deck of a Danish warship at a pier in Denmark and watched a demonstration that would shape the future of the U.S. Navy.

A large deck gun sat below. On the orders of a Danish navy official, a crane hoisted it off the pier and installed it on the ship. Within 40 minutes, sailors were rotating the weapon to prepare it for operation.

No American ship could swap weapons on and off deck like that. But the Danes made reconfiguring a vessel to carry out different missions look easy. Clark, the head of the U.S. Navy at the time, marveled at the technology.

This is it. Of course, this is it, Clark remembered telling himself. I didnt know that they could do that.

For Clark, the Danish demonstration crystalized his idea for a new ship that would be different from anything the Navy had done before. It would be small, relatively lightly armed and operated by about 40 sailors  far less than the average warship crew size. The weapons systems would not be permanently installed.

Instead, he envisioned a sort of Swiss army knife for the Navy. Armed with one set of weaponry, it could hunt and destroy submarines. But if the threat shifted, it could be quickly outfitted to detect and clear underwater mines or to fight other warships.

As Clark envisaged it, the new ships could be deployed in coastal, or littoral, waters, where the Navy needed to expand its presence around the world: in the Persian Gulf to participate in the war in Iraq, in the Caribbean to track down gunrunners and in Southeast Asia to help smaller allied navies. They would be one of the fastest warships in the world  able to fight near shore, outrun larger vessels or hunt down the small ones increasingly popular with foes like Iran. The ships would be built quickly, in large numbers and at low cost.

Concerns emerged early on

The first red flags emerged here, at the conception of the LCS. As Clark began sharing his vision, concerns began to brew among Navy shipbuilding experts, who feared it was overly ambitious and technologically infeasible. Clark was unbowed.

He was an unlikely candidate to begin a revolution in shipbuilding. With an undergraduate degree from Evangel College, a small Christian school in Missouri, and an MBA from the University of Arkansas, he hardly fit the mold of a prototypical chief of naval operations who was groomed for leadership from his earliest days at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

A self-professed radical, at times irreverent and impassioned, he wanted to run the Navy like a business, streamlining training, rooting out misspent dollars, retaining sailors who shined and getting rid of those who did not.

He believed the Navy needed a more cost-effective and technologically advanced fleet. Many of the Navys ships had been built during the Cold War. Massive carriers, destroyers, battleships and cruisers were facing retirement, in part because updating them with modern technology was prohibitively expensive, Clark said.

In keeping with his business background, Clark wanted as few people on the new ships as possible. What I really want is an unmanned ship thats got R2-D2 in it, he said, recalling his thinking at the time.

Doubt dogged Clarks dream from the start. Congress agreed to begin developing the ship in 2003  despite a House Appropriations Committee report that warned that there was no road map of how the Navy will achieve the system required.

One former admiral who worked on plans for the ship said Clarks insistence on speed  up to 45 knots, or about 50 miles per hour  created immediate problems. A ship cannot go that fast for very long without running out of gas, which meant it could never stray far from its fuel supply. Its small size  many in the Navy joked that LCS stood for Little Crappy Ship  limited the weapons it could carry.

The former admiral said he raised concerns with his superiors but wished he had been more vocal. As a subordinate naval officer, when your boss tells you, Heres a shovel, go dig the hole, you go dig the hole.

The Navy pushed ahead. In May 2004, it awarded contracts to two teams of defense contractors to build up to two prototypes, each of their own design.

Marinette Marine lobbied hard to win the work

Both teams had lobbied heavily to win the contracts. Lockheed Martin, which partnered with the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, plastered the Washington, D.C., Metro system with advertisements extolling the ability of its proposed ship.

The other team, a joint venture between General Dynamics and Australian shipbuilder Austal, planned to build its version at a shipyard in Alabama.

In response to the Navys goals, the contractors both based their original ship designs partly on high-speed ferries for cars or passengers, an unusual choice for a vessel meant for war not transportation.

With an emphasis on speed and dexterity, the ships were not designed to withstand much damage. Clark saw them fighting under the protection of larger, more lethal ships. To him, investing too much in protecting the ship with extensive armor would make it too heavy to operate near shore.

Show me a ship that can take a direct hit with todays modern weaponry and survive, he said. Why spend all this money pretending?

This argument disquieted lawmakers. Toward the end of Clarks tenure, members of Congress began to ask whether this meant the Navy had deemed LCS sailors expendable.

After Clark left the Navy in July 2005, the Navy responded to the concerns, redrawing the blueprints for the ships as they were being built to better protect sailors.

Costs began to rise dramatically. The ships were originally supposed to cost no more than $220 million dollars each, which had helped sell them to Congress in the first place. But the final price tag rose to about $500 million each.

Robert Work, a former deputy defense secretary who became a key proponent of the ship, said many in the Navy thought the initial estimate was unrealistic. The Navy never believed it, at least the people who had to build the ship, he said.

Despite the rising costs, the LCS soon gained a new champion so devoted to its construction that he led a yearslong campaign to resist efforts by two secretaries of defense to scale back the program.

USS Milwaukee ran into serious problems

On the morning of Nov. 23, 2015, the USS Milwaukee set out across the frigid waters of the Great Lakes for its maiden voyage. The cost overruns had made headlines, but with the fifth ship in the water, Navy officials were hoping the vessels performance would lessen the growing doubts about the project.

The Navy planned to sail the Milwaukee from the shipyard on the shores of Lake Michigan in Marinette, Wisconsin, to its new home port of San Diego. From there, it would eventually join its sister ship, the USS Fort Worth, in helping to counter the Chinese navys expanding presence in the Western Pacific.

In a press tour days before the launch, Cmdr. Kendall Bridgewater evinced confidence, proclaiming that the enemy would be hard pressed to find a vessel that could come up against us.

But the ship wouldnt need a fight to suffer its first defeat. Its worst enemy would be its own engine.

On Dec. 11, about three weeks into the two-month journey, a software failure severely damaged the Milwaukees combining gear  a complex mechanism that connects the ships diesel engines and its gas turbines to the propulsion shafts, producing the power necessary for it to reach top speeds.

A Navy salvage ship had to tow it some 40 miles for repairs at a base near Norfolk, Virginia. The ship hadnt made it halfway down the East Coast  let alone to the South China Sea  before breaking down. If the Milwaukee were a brand new car, this would be the equivalent of stalling on its way out of the dealership.

Some former officers look back on the breakdown and those that followed as a clear violation of a cardinal principle in Navy shipbuilding: to buy a few and test a lot. But with the LCS, the Navy was doing the opposite. Commanders were learning about the flaws of the ships as they were being deployed.

This is a totally foreseeable outcome, said Jay Bynum, a former rear admiral who served as an assistant to the vice chief of naval operations as the ships were entering the fleet. Just think about it, Toyota checks out all of this before the car hits the showroom floor. What if the engineering guys there said, Well, we think this is how the engine will work, but lets just start selling them.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, greets a sailor aboard the USS William P. Lawrence guided missile destroyer January 20, 2016, in waters off Coronado, Calif. Mabus continued to expand the LCS program even as a growing number of senior officers began to criticize the ships.

Do We Want This Ship to Survive?

On a breezy Friday in March 2011, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus addressed a crowd of sharp-dressed politicians and begrimed workers gathered at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.

Mabus, tall and dapper, announced the names for two of the Navys newest littoral combat ships. One would be called the USS Jackson  a reference to the capital of his home state, Mississippi.

As he looked out at the waters of Mobile Bay, Mabus lauded the new class of ships that had emerged from Clarks vision a decade before.

Its a drug runners worst nightmare, its a submarines worst nightmare, he declared, speaking in his soft Southern drawl. Its anybody who wants to do harm to the United States of America or the United States Navy, its their worst nightmare.

In fact, the LCS was on its way to becoming one of the Navys worst nightmares  and Mabus was its biggest cheerleader.

Better known for his political acumen than his military experience, Mabus served three years in the Navy in the early 70s, including time at sea as a lieutenant junior grade on board the USS Little Rock.

Afterward, he rose through Democratic ranks to become governor of Mississippi, an ambassador to Saudi Arabia and eventually the longest-serving Navy secretary since World War I.

During his tenure as the Navys civilian leader, he put his stamp on the service by pursuing a range of progressive policies including gender integration and the use of renewable fuels. He also took advantage of a unique perk: tossing out the ceremonial first pitch at major league stadiums across the country.

His most transformative view on U.S. military strategy was his belief in the need for more ships.

The fleet had shrunk to less than half the 600 it wielded toward the end of the Cold War. China was rapidly expanding its navy and Russia was investing heavily in new submarines.

Mabus, who became secretary in 2009, pursued a plan that would make him one of the Navys most prodigious shipbuilders.

In an interview with ProPublica, he reiterated the sheer importance of numbers for the fleet. He backed the LCS, he said, because it would help meet an array of the Navys needs as fast as possible.

Even as a growing number of senior officers began to criticize the ships, Mabus expanded the program, drawing on his political connections and savvy dealmaking to defend the LCS against powerful opponents on the Hill and in the Pentagon.

Mabus acknowledged that his support of the LCS project put him at odds with some of the Navys top officers and the nations civilian military leadership. He recalled resistance from what he dubbed the Alumni Association, powerful former Navy officers who he said reflexively and unfairly disliked the ship because it was so different from anything else the Navy had built. For Mabus, his key role as civilian leader of a tradition-bound military service was overcoming its hostility to change and innovation.

Chief among the old-school critics, he said, was Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and decorated Navy veteran whose father and paternal grandfather had both been Navy admirals. He, along with Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, had emerged as skeptics of the LCS as leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Both were alarmed by the costs, which had soared to more than $750 million apiece for the initial ships.

In response to such concerns, the Navy lowered the price by pitting the two teams of contractors against each other in a bidding war. Austal and Lockheed Martin turned in two different ship designs with similar price tags. Navy leaders dithered over which to select.

In the fall of 2010, Work, the Navy undersecretary at the time, said Mabus gathered senior naval leaders together to ask a blunt question: Do we want this ship to survive?

When the group answered yes, Mabus proposed a politically adroit solution: The Navy would select both companies to build the new ships in two shipyards, one in Alabama and one in Wisconsin.

Mabus calculated that he would win the support of congressional delegations from both places by delivering thousands of jobs and millions in spending to each, Work recalled. Spreading the wealth would increase the ships chances of survival. But it would also make the program harder to kill when problems arose.

He was looking at the problem in a different way than we were looking at it because he was a professional politician, Work said.

Mabus plan concerned some Navy leaders. The Austal ship, which was the basis for the Independence class, would be an aluminum trimaran  a ship with three hulls. The Lockheed Martin ship, which formed the basis for the Freedom class, would be a more conventional monohull forged of steel. The radically different designs meant that the ships could not trade parts or sailors, making them more expensive to maintain and crew. In addition, the contracts called for the contractors to build a total of 20 vessels, a large commitment for a relatively unproven warship.

But Mabus and his team argued that those additional costs would be dwarfed by the savings the Navy would enjoy in the long run  one top official found that the Navy would save $2.9 billion by awarding long-term contracts to both companies.

To Mabus, it was a win-win for all involved: each ship had its own benefits, taxpayers would get a better price, the Navy would get more ships faster and the shipyards would get more jobs.

He told ProPublica that keeping the shipyards active was always a consideration, but it wasnt the main driver behind the decision. The real incentive, he said, was price, not politics.

But the political payoff soon became evident.

McCain held a hearing, where he excoriated the Navy. The story of this ship is one that makes me ashamed and embarrassed as a former Navy person and as a person whos responsible to the taxpayers of my state, he said. (McCain died in 2018.)

But in a last-minute budget bill to keep the government open in late December, Sen. Richard Shelby, the Alabama Republican, inserted language to buy ships from both shipyards.

He made sure it happened, a Shelby spokesman said at the time.

And Levin, the Michigan Democrat once critical of the ships, now supported them. The Marinette shipyard is just over the Michigan border in Wisconsin. Levin called the plan to build 10 ships there a major boost for the regions economy and applauded the Navy in its efforts to bring costs down. (Levin died in 2021).

As one former vice admiral put it, politics is king in the shipbuilding business.

Another ship suffers a breakdown

Just a month after the USS Milwaukee stalled in Virginia, the ship it was supposed to join in the South China Sea suffered its own embarrassing breakdown.

The USS Fort Worth was nearing the end of an otherwise successful deployment. It had helped with a search-and-rescue operation following an Indonesian commercial plane crash and participated in joint exercises with several allied navies.

But the Navy had decided to frequently rotate the small LCS crews in order to reduce burnout and, in November 2015, a new, inexperienced crew took over.

Even the commanding officer, Michael Atwell, had few opportunities to gain valuable at sea experience before his deployment, according to a later Navy investigation.

On Jan. 5, hundreds of gallons of fuel spilled into the ships main machinery room. The sailors had to spray chemical foam on the fuel to prevent it from catching fire. Then, in grueling, filthy shifts, they took turns crawling into the tight compartment to clean it up with rags and pumps.

The day after the spill, the Fort Worth pulled into a port in Singapore for a week of scheduled maintenance.

There it became clear that the ship had been ridden hard, according to officers interviewed in the Navy investigation. Leaks had sprung out of various parts, the engines were in bad shape, the electric generators needed work and the crew was exhausted. There was no break, no reprieve, just increasing daily tasking, one sailor said of their time on board.

The ships executive officer, the second in command, complained of a lack of support from superiors.

We ask for help, but there isnt enough, he said, adding that he was told they dont have the bodies.

The ship was originally supposed to leave by Jan. 12 for a high visibility port visit in Hong Kong. Atwell and his executive officer described a tremendous amount of pressure to make it happen, according to the Navy investigation.

The crew took shortcuts as it scrambled to test the engine. One of the sailors in charge of starting it skipped a routine step, failing to properly lubricate the combining gears.

I messed up everything because I was going too fast, the sailor later explained.

The mistake damaged the ships combining gear, forcing it to sit for seven months while waiting on replacement parts.

Navy leaders deemed Atwell unfit for command and removed him from his position.

Reached by phone, Atwell declined to comment.

The breakdowns on the Milwaukee and Fort Worth formed the beginning of a pattern that came to punctuate the life of the LCS program:

Ships were rushed to sea with faltering equipment. Shorthanded crews and captains without sufficient training or support tried to make them work. Breakdowns ensued. Then, the pressure to perform and restore the reputation of the program intensified anew and the cycle repeated itself.

Soon it would be the USS Freedoms turn.

The Pentagon.

Critics of program faced severe consequences

In early 2012, sitting beneath the fluorescent glow of a Pentagon briefing room, Rear Adm. Sam Perez received a stern warning.

Weeks earlier, Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert had asked Perez to produce a report that would help him figure out how best to use the dozens of littoral combat ships that would be delivered to the Navy in the coming years.

The results were grim.

Discussing the details around a conference table, one fellow officer raised a finger to his own temple and mimicked a gun going off: Perez, he signaled, was about to risk career suicide.

It was a pattern with the LCS. Officers who criticized the ships faced consequences. An assignment to an undesirable post. Even dismissal.

Perez had found that the crews were too small. Some were stretched so thin that commanding officers had to spend time sweeping the decks, when they could have been studying intelligence reports and focusing on navigating the ship.

Contrary to what Clark observed in Denmark, the various weapons systems would not be easy to swap out. The Navy hadnt factored in the weeks it could take for all the contractors, sailors and others who were needed to fly in from around the world to help outfit the vessels for different missions.

The two versions of the LCS complicated the problems. The designs were vastly different: They could exchange neither parts nor sailors. Perez and his staff worried that the ships would wind up sidelined because they lacked either equipment or trained crew members.

Comparing the LCS to the fleets of potential adversaries, Perez concluded that the vessels were only capable of fighting against lightly armed small, fast attack boats.

A fellow officer warned him that painting this kind of damning portrait for the highest ranking officer in the Navy, the chief naval officer, could hurt his career. At that point, the Navy had already committed to buying at least 20 more ships worth billions of dollars.

Perez had already shared some of his findings with Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark Ferguson, the second highest ranking official in the Navy.

According to a former senior officer familiar with the events, Ferguson told Perez that he was looking at the vessels the wrong way. The small ships performance should be compared to a patrol boat.

Perez objected. Patrol boats arent supposed to clear mines, fight submarines or attack surface warships. They are far smaller, designed primarily for surveillance and interdiction.

The staffers worked on the comparison for about two weeks before they began tearing each other up because we were essentially telling a lie, according to the former officer who worked on the project. After a vote, they decided to stop comparing the LCS to a patrol boat.

Immediately after Perez delivered the report, he received a call from Bynum, a former rear admiral who at the time worked for Ferguson. Bynum told Perez to classify the report secret.

That was absolutely my recommendation, Bynum said in an interview with ProPublica. The report, he said, included a host of vulnerabilities that didnt need to be shared in the open press.

At a PowerPoint presentation of his findings, Ferguson was curt. The former officer said Ferguson only allowed Perez about two words per slide, instructing him to flip to the next image before he could finish the last one.

In an interview with ProPublica, Ferguson did not recall asking Perez to compare the LCS to a patrol boat, but he acknowledged he was disappointed by key aspects of the report. Known to have a brusque style, he said he may well have sped through his presentation.

I didnt dispute any of the critique, Ferguson said. LCS had serious issues. But I wanted more in the way of recommendations on how to go forward; how to integrate them into the fleet.

Soon after, Perez was assigned to the international relations department of the Navy. About a year after that, he became liaison to the State Department. Neither are regarded as ideal assignments for an admiral who had spent a career carrying out missions at sea.

Perez declined to comment.

For his part, Greenert said the idea that Perez was punished for speaking up was nonsense. On the contrary, he said it helped prompt him to increase the staffing and budget for LCS.

Around the same time, Greenert asked another senior officer, three-star Adm. Tom Copeman, to evaluate the LCS as part of a larger report on the surface fleet.

Copeman, then in charge of the fitness of the Navys vessels for combat, echoed concerns about the ships combat abilities. He thought the LCS was not lethal enough. The Navys contract called for 24 ships, with plans to build more than 50. Copeman recommended that the Navy halt building the ships after fulfilling the contract.

In March 2013, the memo was leaked to the trade press. Copeman immediately received calls from one of Mabus top staffers. He told Copeman that Mabus was extremely disappointed that Copeman had publicly disagreed with him. Copeman told him that the memo was never intended for public consumption and that he didnt know how it got out.

As ProPublica previously reported, Greenert asked Copeman to retire early in mid-2013 after he had publicly expressed concerns over the fitness of the Navys ships for combat.

Greenert said Copeman was not asked to retire early. He said Copeman helped to convince him to ask for more weapons on the LCS.

Copeman declined to comment.

The Navy needed a lot more ships, and the LCS program was going to help provide them.

'Fail to sail' issued for the USS Freedom

About six months after two of its sister ships were docked for repairs, it was the Freedoms turn in the spotlight.

But on July 7, 2016, the day before the ship was supposed to begin its part in the global Navy exercise, a string of equipment failures forced its captain into a bad spot: Wohnhaas had to submit a fail to sail message to his superiors  an embarrassing signal that the ship was not ready to go.

Working through the night, engineers on the Freedom eventually realized a part called a cannon plug used in the ships complicated propulsion system needed to be replaced. Without it, the ship couldnt go anywhere.

They discovered one in Port Hueneme, about an hour north of Los Angeles. The engineer battled through five hours of Southern California traffic to pick it up and bring it back. The ship departed its port in San Diego a day late, then suffered another setback.

Three miles outside Mexican territorial waters, a loud metallic noise clanged out, startling the crew. Wohnhaas slowed the ship down but it began to drift. The crew dropped anchor to stop the ship and then steamed back to port.

He was sent back out to sea and senior officers later criticized him for holding up the mission.

Then on the evening of July 11, a leak erupted inside the main machinery room, the mechanical heart of the ship, spraying the electrical system with seawater. An inch or two pooled on the floor. If the leak wasnt stopped immediately, it could cause short-circuiting or even a fire.

One sailor searched for the source of the leak by hand, burning his arm on a hot pipe before finding a hole seeping water. The sailors plugged the hole, but the repair backfired. It forced water to burst through a rubber seal that kept seawater out of the ships lubrication oil system. The water mixed with the oil, pumping a kind of emulsified goo through one of the ships four engines.

Two days later, the crew, again, had to return the ship to dock in San Diego. The engineer responsible for the ship while in port determined that a full repair of the engine could take as long as two weeks. Wohnhaas superiors rejected the idea. Time was running out for the ship to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise, or RIMPAC.

A Navy diesel engine expert proposed a procedure to block further corrosion of the engine with a special rinse.

A Navy expert in Philadelphia, referred to as the guru in the Navy investigation, approved that approach, which would allow the ship to get back to sea more quickly and complete the mission by using the ships three remaining engines.

Throughout the exercise, a parade of high-ranking Navy officials  including two rear admirals, a Marine Corps general, and a commodore  visited the vessel to turn up the heat on the crew and its captain.

They made clear that the Freedoms participation in RIMPAC was crucially important to the entire LCS program and that there was no appetite for the Freedom to delay its departure. Freedoms performance, they believed, would perhaps modulate some of the programs critics, the investigation said.

Given what happened on the Fort Worth and the Milwaukee months earlier, top Navy leaders felt pressure to deliver a win for the program, according to the investigation, which called the pressure on Wohnhaas severe.

One senior officer invoked the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Adm. Scott Swift, as wanting to use the region as a testing grounds for the Navy.

Reached by phone, Swift said he was a believer in the LCS and acknowledged that he had encouraged the Navy to test new weapons systems in the Pacific. But he emphasized that it was not an order to deploy ships at any cost.

We made it clear if you want to take them off line, take them off line, but I am not surprised that people further down the chain didnt feel they had that option, he said. The offer could have been perceived as an order, or taken advantage of by those that wanted to push harder to get a win out of LCS.

As a four star, if you ask for something too often people think of it as a requirement, he said.

On the morning of July 17, 2016, the ship finally seemed ready to go.

The contractors completed the rinse and were packing up to leave. But when the chief engineer looked at samples taken from inside the engine, he was deeply worried.

Holy shit, he thought, according to an interview in a Navy investigation. Theres still water in the engine.

He sent a message to Wohnhaas that he later acknowledged was misleading because it suggested the ship was ready to go. He blamed the mistake on not proof-reading the text prior to sending it.

Sir, the flush is done, he wrote at 9:50 a.m. I [assess] that we are still on track for tomorrow.

Wohnhaas took this as good news and passed it on to his superiors:

Everything is tracking toward an on-time departure, he said in an email sent to his commodore, Warren Buller, at 11:36 a.m.

In fact, the procedure approved by the Philadelphia guru hadnt solved the problem. Investigators would later determine the procedure could not have worked  it was meant to remove grit, not seawater, from engine oil.

The following morning, as the Freedom was preparing to depart, a senior enlisted engineer ran into a contractor he knew as Joe.

Joe told him that the engine was still contaminated.

Alarmed, the engineer discussed the situation with his supervisor, the chief engineer, who was smoking a cigarette on the front deck of the ship.

If they went to sea, the engine would rust, the engineer said. The chief engineer told him he knew it and he was on his way to tell Wohnhaas.

In an interview with investigators, the chief engineer said he told Wohnhaas something to the effect of we cant get underway like this, we gotta do something.

Wohnhaas declined to comment for this story. In his interview with investigators, he said that when he learned of the contaminated samples from the chief engineer, he understood the engine was inoperable. But he was confident he could avoid further damage and complete the mission by relying on the ships other engines.

There was a strong sense that we couldnt have another LCS not meet mission, Wohnhaas said. He did not tell his superior officers the uncomfortable fact that the engine was still contaminated because of the pressure to get underway, the investigation said.

The Freedom sailed out and detected mines in the water. The mission was a success  at least so everyone thought.

But on Aug. 3, five days after Wohnhaas returned the ship, a routine inspection revealed major damage to the engine, corrosion so extensive that the ship was docked in repairs for two years. The engine needed to be replaced.

The Navy investigation found that one failure led to another on the Freedom: The inexperienced crew used the wrong procedure to stop the leak; the Navys technical community then recommended another incorrect procedure to flush the engine; contractors executed it, providing false hope that it would prevent the corrosion.

Wohnhaas key error, according to the investigation: He failed to tell his superiors that the engine was still contaminated by seawater.

Wohnhaas was removed from command over the incident. Others, whose names and titles are redacted from the Navy report, were also recommended for discipline.

By early 2017, Lt. Jett Watson was beginning to wonder whether he had signed up to squander his naval career.

He was in the middle of training to serve as an LCS officer, spending hours inside virtual reality simulators set up in San Diego to make participants feel as if they were driving the ship.

The digital experience was impressive, but getting a real LCS out to sea was more complicated.

Im sure it was funny to watch us get underway just to have a big cloud of smoke go out because an engine went down and then have the tugboats pull us right back into the pier, which happened very often, he said in an interview with ProPublica. I mean, it was almost a game just to watch.

Becoming a full-fledged surface warfare officer in the Navy requires hundreds of hours at sea. In interviews with current and former officers, the LCS program was described as a place where careers go to die. The ships broke down so frequently that officers spent key years in which they were supposed to gain experience at sea sitting around waiting for repairs to be completed.

Watson felt deceived.

A couple of years earlier, he had come under the spell of the LCS as a student at the Naval Academy.

There, recruiters for the program spread the gospel of its small crew size and purportedly aggressive deployment schedule, convincing him that the ship suited only the most elite sailors and officers.

Watson was so taken by the promise of the ship that he became a kind of LCS evangelist, convincing his friends at the academy to join the program with him.

He remembered sweltering beneath the Maryland sun during his graduation ceremony, where Mabus delivered a kind of a final exhortation to the newly sworn in officers.

We are Americas away team, Mabus said. You didnt come to Annapolis to sit at home when you leave here, and you wont be sitting at home. Sailors and Marines, equally in times of peace and at war, are deployed around the world.

Hailing from Lubbock, Texas, Watson thought the LCS would be his ticket to a meaningful and exciting career in the Navy.

He went on to serve on three littoral combat ships, each belonging to the less problematic Independence class.

I would hesitate to say we ever did a mission, he said.

Instead, he and others had to stomach what one current senior noncommissioned officer described as a big shit sandwich when they first came on board.

General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin considered much of the data and equipment on the LCS proprietary  a problem that the GAO has identified throughout the military. As a result, only their employees were allowed to do certain repairs, former officers said. This sometimes meant that contractors would go overseas to help, adding millions in travel costs and often delaying missions. The Navy recently purchased some of the data. A Navy spokesperson would not disclose the price due to proprietary reasons.

Watson and others spent much of their time escorting contractors while on board because so many areas on the ship were considered classified, reducing their ability to do their own jobs, according to interviews with multiple officers who had served on the LCS.

Cumbersome negotiations meant it could sometimes take weeks to get contractors on board. The delays were especially frustrating when trying to fix the computer network that connected everything from the radars, to the weapons systems, to the ships canteen. That system, another former lieutenant said, frequently shut down because of software glitches.

You cant ask for help from your superior commands on shore, said the former lieutenant, who worked as a communications officer on Independence-class ships. And you cant even go buy yourself a soda.

The ships needed constant repairs. But technical manuals were sometimes written only in the native language of the contractor that built the equipment. One former officer said that a manual for a davit, a type of crane used to lower a search-and-rescue boat, was written in Norwegian. He said the Navy had to spend thousands of dollars to fly in a contractor from Norway to change two fuses.

The Navy has recently increased the amount of maintenance performed by sailors.

It just felt like a big joke, said Watson, who left the Navy in 2021. He said many of the highly qualified sailors he worked with sought mental health assistance because they felt that their time on an LCS was a waste, affording them little opportunity to apply their skills or learn new ones.

An average week would consist of 90 to 100 hours in port doing, honestly, nothing, Watson said. It felt ridiculous. Many times we were there just because we had to be there.

At one point, a senior Navy official addressed a group of more than 50 LCS sailors assembled in an auditorium and asked how many would volunteer to come back. Two former officers familiar with the presentation said only a handful said yes.

The ships mounting problems drew attention from the highest reaches of the Pentagon, eventually prompting two successive defense secretaries to try to halt their construction.

The first, in 2014, was Chuck Hagel, a former Army infantry squad leader and U.S. senator. The military was fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it also needed to save money. Hagels advisers told him he could do that by keeping the LCS fleet to 32 ships, abandoning plans to build 52 of them.

Hed be cutting what was already understood to be a deeply troubled vessel. Studies showed that the ship couldnt continue to fight after a missile strike and that the interchangeable warfighting packages  an idea originally at the heart of the LCS  were failing to perform.

Do we want one-fifth of the future Navy fleet to be a ship that cant take a hit and continue its mission? one adviser recalled thinking at the time.

In February 2014, Hagel pledged to make the cut to 32 and asked the Navy to come up with a design for a new frigate  a larger, tougher type of warship. But Mabus pushed back. A Navy task force suggested that the LCS could be transformed into a frigate. The Pentagons top weapons tester told Hagel that was infeasible. But Hagel agreed with the task force, because the Navy was going to have to live with it, and justify it. And count on it, he said in an interview with ProPublica.

In December 2014, in one of his final acts as secretary of defense, Hagel agreed to allow the Navy to build up to 52 smaller ships: a mix of the littoral combat ships and the new frigates, which would be based on the LCS design, but with more weapons.

In response to critics who said he had capitulated, Hagel characterized his decision as a compromise based on the advice of the governments top experts.

We brought in a lot of different people on both sides of it, he said. Thats the only responsible way you can evaluate these big projects as secretary of defense, because you cant know everything about this. Its just, no one person is that smart.

The Navy later awarded a contract to the shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine Group to build a new line of frigates based on a different design.

Defense secretary harshly criticized program

Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who followed Hagel, also took aim at the LCS.

In a sharply worded December 2015 memo to Mabus, Carter said the Navy was guilty of prioritizing quantity over lethality. He told the Navy to limit future purchases to 40 ships, including littoral combat ships and frigates.

Mabus told ProPublica that he was blindsided by the change of course and that it led to heated discussions with Carter in private.

In public, he opposed his boss too: first at a naval symposium, then before Congress, then at a Wisconsin shipyard where he assured LCS builders they were working on the best ship in the world. In March 2016, under questioning from Rep. Bradley Byrne, an Alabama Republican who called the LCS his favorite topic, Mabus told the House Armed Services Committee that the Navy had a validated need for the 52 ships.

Even as Mabus testified, the ships were breaking down at sea with increasing frequency.

Mabus downplayed the severity of the incidents.

We took it seriously, he said. But it did not seem, from what we were looking at, that it was a systemic problem.

The contractors who built the ships defended their performance.

Eric Dent, a spokesperson for the Italian-based shipbuilder Fincantieri, which also built the Freedom ships in Marinette, said it did so to a design from Lockheed Martin and the Navy, referring questions to both.

Lockheed Martin spokesperson Patrick McNally said the company is proud of its work with the Navy and is focused on delivering affordable improvements to the platform.

Australian-based shipbuilder Austal, which constructs the Independence class of ships, and General Dynamics, which built the infrastructure for the ships computers, both declined to comment for this story.

The weapons systems were failing as badly as the ships engines.

Without them, the LCS was only a box floating in the ocean, said former Lt. Cmdr. Mark West, who helped lead the Navys development of the warfighting packages for years in uniform and as a civilian.

To help the LCS find mines, an important mission in 21st-century warfare, the Navy built a remotely operated minisubmarine designed to detect underwater explosives. West and others said it turned out to be too difficult to operate. The Navy is now dependent on an aging fleet of minesweepers that often cannot deploy.

Imagine a 25-year-old sailor trying to remotely control a [minisubmarine] in the water that weighs 20,000 pounds as the ship is going 4 or 5 knots, one current senior enlisted sailor said. Then trying to bring it to the surface as a crane lowers a saddle on top of it to get it out of the water. It was damn near impossible.

After 15 years of development and more than $700 million invested in the remote minehunting system, the Navy canceled it in March 2016.

To hunt submarines, the defense contractors created a sonar device the ship dragged through the water on a long cable from the stern. When the device detected a submarine, it was supposed to send a signal to the ship, which then dispatched a helicopter to hover over the ocean and plunge another sonar device into the water. The helicopter then dropped a torpedo to destroy the sub.

None of these components effectively communicated with one another. And the wake of the LCS made it extremely difficult to launch and recover the sonar, according to one former commodore with direct knowledge of the program.

After pouring hundreds of millions into the module, the Navy shifted the function to its new frigate.

In an interview, West said the Navy never gave the modules the same priority as the ships. They always played second fiddle, West said. Those working on them had to fight and claw to get the time and money necessary to ensure their success.

Breakdowns became a matter of routine

About a month after the Freedoms engine failed, a fourth LCS, the USS Coronado, broke down on its way to Singapore and had to limp back to Hawaii.

The breakdowns had become routine by this point. First came the fanfare over a newly christened ship, with all the requisite flag waving, handshaking, speechmaking and celebratory Champagne bottle breaking. Later, a perilous journey: a few days or weeks at sea, followed by another busted part and another tow back to port.

This time, on the Coronado, a part called a coupling would be the culprit. The device, which helped connect the water jets to the engine, had failed, hindering the ships complicated propulsion system. The Navy discovered it was a problem on several other littoral combat ships, too.

The GAO, which has produced dozens of reports criticizing the ships, later learned that the Coronado failed to sail six times between 2016 and 2017 because it did not not have correct parts on board to fix simple problems.

Important items like circuit card assemblies, washers, bolts, gaskets, and diaphragms for air conditioning units were not on board, the report found. The LCS may not have adequate space onboard to stock these items.

In August 2016, the Navy ordered a 30-day stand down of all littoral combat ships to retrain the engineering crews and improve the fleets performance.

A month later, a fifth ship, the USS Montgomery, suffered a series of mishaps. Over a two-month stretch, its engine malfunctioned, it collided with a tugboat and it then cracked its hull after striking a lock in the Panama Canal.

On May 4, 2017, about three months into the administration of President Donald Trump, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget at the time, Mick Mulvaney, sat for an interview with conservative talk radio show host Hugh Hewitt.

They talked about Game of Thrones, the repeal of Obamacare and a new hire at the OMB before turning to Trumps promise to increase the Navys fleet to 350 ships. How, Hewitt wanted to know, was the president going to achieve that?

Mulvaney said that the day before he had missed a meeting on the Paris Agreement  the international treaty to avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change  in order to discuss whether to buy more littoral combat ships.

The Navy doesnt want them, Mulvaney said.

With the Navy on its way toward building the more powerful frigate, it appeared that the LCS program was on its last legs. The Navy requested funding for only one LCS that year.

But once again, politics intervened.

Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic senator from Wisconsin, fought for more. She wrote to Trump on May 12, casting the LCS as a rare opportunity for her and the president to work together. Both support American workers making American products, she said, but too few of the vessels in the budget would cause her states shipyard to lay off hundreds of workers.

On May 24, in a move that shocked the defense community, the Trump administration inserted one more ship into the budget after it had already been sent to Congress.

The Trump administration had suddenly placed a $500 million order for a new ship that the Navy didnt ask for.

In an email to ProPublica, Baldwin said she takes great pride in representing Wisconsins shipbuilding industry, adding that she supported the LCS because it provided new capabilities and capacity to the Navy.

Over the next year, Congress funded yet more ships, leaving the force with 35, three more than the Navy said it needed. The additions cost taxpayers more than $1.5 billion.

In the years since, both variants of the LCS have continued to grapple with major problems. The Independence version has shown cracks in the hulls of nearly half the class. The Navy determined that a flaw in the combining gear affected the entire Freedom class. The Navy came up with a fix at a reported cost of $8 million to $10 million per ship  an expense split with Lockheed Martin.

Naval experts worry that the failures of the LCS have put the Navy at a greater disadvantage against China, which boasts the largest Navy in the world with some 340 ships and submarines, according to the Pentagons most recent report to Congress on the state of the Chinese military. By comparison, the Navy has roughly 294 ships and submarines.

The Navy has begun to mothball littoral combat ships far before the end of their expected lifespans.

In March 2022, the Navy announced plans to retire nine Freedom-class vessels early because of their inability to hunt submarines.

In a predictable pattern, lawmakers representing states where the ships are based fought to keep more of the ships at sea. They allowed the Navy to decommission only four. The first of those, retired last month, is less than five years old. Three other LCS had already been mothballed.

The Navy is now trying to retire two more, including the USS Jackson, the ship named for the capital of Mabus home state. It wrapped up its first deployment last October. Meant to have a 25-year lifespan, the ship would last only nine.

Kirsten Berg, Mollie Simon and Joshua Kaplan contributed research.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Navy's failed littoral combat ship program a 'boondoggle'
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Nevada Sunrise Metals Corp. ("Nevada Sunrise", or the "Company") (TSXV: NEV) (OTC: NVSGF) announced today that its joint venture partner, CopAur Minerals Inc. ("CopAur"), (TSXV: CPAU) has reported the completion of the 2023 reverse circulation ("RC") and diamond drilling program at the Kinsley Mountain Gold Project ("Kinsley Mountain", or the "Project") located in Elko County, Nevada, USA.

A total of seven (7) RC drill holes and three (3) diamond drill holes comprising 2,285 metres (7,495 feet) were completed at the high-grade Western Flank Zone, Main Pit North, and the new Kinsley Ridge target (see Figure 1 below). All samples, including QA/QC samples, were shipped to ALS Global in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for multi-element analysis and gold fire-assay. Results will be released following their receipt and interpretation by CopAur, operator of the Project.

Figure 1. 2023 Kinsley Mountain RC and Diamond Drilling Target Areas (CNW Group/Nevada Sunrise Metals Corporation)

About Kinsley Mountain

Kinsley Mountain hosts current indicated mineral resources comprising a National Instrument 43-101 compliant gold resource consisting of 418,000 indicated ounces of gold grading 2.63 g/t Au (4.95 million tonnes), and 117,000 inferred ounces of gold averaging 1.51 g/t Au (2.44 million tonnes), at cut-off grades ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 g/t Au1.

Indicated resources are inclusive of 302,000 ounces averaging 6.11 g/t gold hosted within the Secret Canyon Shale at the Western Flank Zone. The Kinsley Mountain property hosts a historical past-producing mine that yielded 138,000 ounces of near-surface, open-pit oxide gold mined by Alta Gold Company between 1995-1999 (Figure 1).

1 Technical Report on the Kinsley Project, Elko County, Nevada, U.S.A., dated June 21, 2021, with an effective date of May 5, 2021, and prepared by Michael M. Gustin and Gary L. Simmons, and filed under New Placer Dome Gold Corp.'s issuer profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

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Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Robert M. Allender, Jr., CPG, RG, SME and a Qualified Person for Nevada Sunrise as defined in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Nevada Sunrise

Nevada Sunrise is a junior mineral exploration company with a strong technical team based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that holds interests in lithium, gold, and copper exploration projects located in the State of Nevada, USA.

Nevada Sunrise owns 100% interests in the Gemini, Jackson Wash and Badlands lithium projects, all of which are located in the Lida Valley in Esmeralda County, NV. The Company owns Nevada water right Permit 86863, also located in the Lida Valley basin, near Lida, NV.

The Company's key gold asset is a 20.01% interest in a joint venture at the Kinsley Mountain Gold Project near Wendover, NV with CopAur Minerals Inc. The Company has elected not to contribute to the 2023 exploration program at Kinsley Mountain and expects to incur dilution of its participating interest in the joint venture to an approximate 19.0% interest.

Nevada Sunrise has the right to earn a 100% interest in the Coronado VMS Project, located approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Winnemucca, NV.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release may contain forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur and include disclosure of anticipated exploration activities. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forwardlooking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forwardlooking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date such statements were made. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Such factors include, among others, risks related to the interpretation and actual results of historical production at Kinsley Mountain, reliance on technical information provided by third parties on any of our exploration properties, including access to historical information on the Kinsley Mountain property as well as specific historical data associated with drill results from the property, information received from CopAur Minerals Inc., current exploration and development activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; failure of CopAur Minerals Inc. to complete anticipated work programs; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Nine Months ended June 30, 2023, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com .

Although Nevada Sunrise has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Nevada Sunrise disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Nevada Sunrise Metals Corporation

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2023/08/c1919.html
Newcore Gold Ltd.

Commences Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Enchi Gold Project, Ghana

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newcore Gold Ltd. ("Newcore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NCAU, OTCQX: NCAUF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Branden Fraser, P.Eng. as Vice President, Projects, effective September 8, 2023. Newcore is also pleased to announce it has commenced the process of engaging an independent engineering firm to prepare an updated National Instrument 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") study for the Companys 100% owned Enchi Gold Project ("Enchi" or the "Project") in Ghana.



Luke Alexander, President and CEO of Newcore stated, "We are very excited to welcome Branden to our team. His significant experience in mine development, both with study management as well as in construction and operations, will be a significant benefit as we continue to advance the development of our Enchi Gold Project in Ghana. Concurrently we are excited to be kicking-off the process to complete an updated PEA for the Project, incorporating the updated Mineral Resource Estimate that was announced earlier this year, along with the significant metallurgical testwork that has been completed on the Project since the last economic study was completed in 2021. We continue to advance and de-risk the development of our Enchi Gold Project and look forward to creating significant value for our shareholders."

Mr. Fraser, P.Eng., has over 10-years of on-site experience in construction and operations in both mining and processing roles, as well as significant study management and consulting experience. His contributions span diverse regions including South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, and subarctic Canada. Beginning with five years in trades roles within mining and milling operations, Mr. Fraser transitioned to project and field engineering positions with Canadian Northern Mining Corp. and JDS Mining and Energy Inc. in 2014. Notably, he acted as Project, Field, and Commissioning Engineer for the construction and commissioning of JDS Silver's Silvertip Mine in 2015 and Victoria Gold Corp.'s Eagle Gold Mine in 2017. Following the successful commissioning of the Eagle Gold Mine in 2019, Mr. Fraser assumed the role of the sites Heap Leach Engineer. Simultaneously, he provided consulting support for preliminary and Pre-Feasibility designs and assessments for several heap leach projects, including Newcore's 2021 PEA. Before joining Newcore Gold, Branden was a Process Engineer and Project Manager at BBA. Mr. Fraser holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering from Montana Technological University and is a registered professional engineer with Engineers & Geoscientists British Columbia.

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Newcore has granted 300,000 stock options at a price of $0.12 per share for a period of five years to Mr. Fraser. These options are subject to regulatory approval and are granted under the Companys long-term incentive plan and include vesting provisions.

About Newcore Gold Ltd.

Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold Project located in Ghana, Africas largest gold producer (1). The Project currently hosts an Indicated Mineral Resource of 743,500 ounces of gold at 0.55 g/t and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 972,000 ounces of gold at 0.65 g/t (2). Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 20% equity ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchis 216 km2 land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghanas prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including the Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcores vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Newcore Gold Ltd.

Luke Alexander

President, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

+1 604 484 4399

info@newcoregold.com

www.newcoregold.com

(1) Source: Production volumes for 2022 as sourced from the World Gold Council

(2) Notes for Mineral Resource Estimate:

1. Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") definition standards were followed for the resource estimate.

2. The 2023 resource models used ordinary kriging (OK) grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids and constrained by pits shell for Sewum, Boin and Nyam. Kwakyekrom and Tokosea used Inverse Distance squared (ID2).

3. Open pit cut-off grades varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.25 g/t Au based on mining and processing costs as well as the recoveries in different weathered material.

4. Heap leach cut-off grade varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.19 g/t in the pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs.

5. CIL cut off grade varied from 0.25 g/t to 0.27 g/t in a pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs.

6. A US$1,650/ounce gold price was used to determine the cut-off grade.

7. Metallurgical recoveries have been applied to five individual deposits and in each case three material types (oxide, transition, and fresh rock).

8. A density of 2.19 g/cm3 for oxide, 2.45 g/cm3 for transition, and 2.72 g/cm3 for fresh rock was applied.

9. Optimization pit slope angles varied based on the rock types.

10. Reasonable mining shapes constrain the mineral resource in close proximity to the pit shell.

11. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability. Numbers may not add due to rounding.

12. The resource estimate was prepared by Todd McCracken, P. Geo, of BBA E&C Inc. in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Todd McCracken is an independent qualified person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. A full technical report, prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and is available under Newcores SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes statements that contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussion with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always using phrases such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: statements about the estimation of mineral resources; timing and completion of an updated PEA; results of metallurgical testwork, results of drilling, magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programs; and future exploration prospects.

These forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business. The assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Newcore. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of Newcore believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Newcore cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking information also involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: risks related to the speculative nature of the Companys business; the Companys formative stage of development; the Companys financial position; possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery rates; actual results of current exploration activities; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold and other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, unusual or unexpected geological formations); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.




Editors Note: Sign up for CNNs Meanwhile in China newsletter, which explores what you need to know about the countrys rise and how it impacts the world.

Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which operates the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund, has started the process of closing down its office in Shanghai, in another sign of big global companies pulling back operations in the worlds second largest economy.

The firm, which manages Norways $1.4 trillion government pension fund, is the worlds biggest single investor in the stock market. As of the end of 2022, it owned shares worth about $42 billion in some 850 Chinese companies. Those investments will be managed in future from its Asia hub in Singapore, it said.

The decision to close its Shanghai office was driven by operational considerations and doesnt affect the funds investments or its investment strategy in China, NBIM said in a statement on Thursday.

There are currently eight people in the Shanghai office, the firm said. It will ensure the closing process is conducted in an orderly manner for everyone affected and will be in line with local requirements, it added.

A pedestrian walks by the Norges Bank building in Oslo in February 2019. Norges Bank is the central bank of Norway. - Odin Jaeger/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File

The retreat appears to be in line with a trend among international investors to diversify their operations away from China as uncertainty grows around doing business in the country.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, one of the worlds largest pension funds, closed its Hong Kong-based China equity investment team earlier this year. The company would no longer have country-focused stock-picking teams based in Asia, a spokesperson told CNN in May.

Forrester Research, a US tech-focused research and advisory firm, also planned to cut the majority of its China analysts around the same time. The firm said in a response to CNN in May that the move was part of its global restructuring, and it would service its clients in China through its global research team.

Chinas economy is in trouble. The real estate market is in a deep slump and could spark a larger debt crisis. Young people are struggling with record unemployment. Households and businesses are losing confidence in the nations future and increasingly unwilling to spend or invest.

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Beijings crackdown on Western firms over national security concerns has also unnerved foreign businesses. Consulting firms have been raided by police, and an espionage law, that was already broad in scope, was expanded in April to cover a wider range of activities.

NBIM set up its Shanghai office in November 2007, a year after the Chinese regulator granted the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund a license to trade directly in mainland Chinas stock exchanges. It was the firms first Asian office.

The firm, which is the investment management division of the Norwegian central bank, said it was in the process of shifting the Asia regions operational functions to Singapore. That office opened in 2010, three years after Shanghai.

Over the years, our Singapore office has increasingly served as the hub for the whole of the Asian region and has been built up to take care of all operational functions, including for China, it said.

In the first half of this year, the fund registered a 10% return, amounting to $143 billion, thanks to an AI-driven tech stock rally and weaker Norwegian currency, it said in an earnings report.

But the return was hampered by a loss on unlisted real estate and renewable energy investments, it added.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Insiders were net buyers of Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CPSS ) stock during the past year. That is, insiders bought more stock than they sold.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for Consumer Portfolio Services

Consumer Portfolio Services Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Director Gregory Washer for US$70k worth of shares, at about US$7.83 per share. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of US$8.77. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

There are 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.

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Consumer Portfolio Services insiders own 35% of the company, worth about US$66m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Do The Consumer Portfolio Services Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no Consumer Portfolio Services insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Consumer Portfolio Services insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Consumer Portfolio Services you should be aware of.

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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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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.
Value-focused investors are always on the hunt for stocks that are priced below their intrinsic value. One such stock that merits attention is Patterson-UTI Energy Inc (NASDAQ:PTEN). The stock, which is currently priced at 15.05, recorded a gain of 3.79% in a day and a 3-month increase of 30.37%. The stock's fair valuation is $24.91, as indicated by its GF Value.

Understanding GF Value

The GF Value represents the current intrinsic value of a stock derived from our exclusive method. The GF Value Line on our summary page gives an overview of the fair value that the stock should be traded at. It is calculated based on three factors:

1. Historical multiples (PE Ratio, PS Ratio, PB Ratio and Price-to-Free-Cash-Flow) that the stock has traded at.

2. GuruFocus adjustment factor based on the company's past returns and growth.

3. Future estimates of the business performance.

We believe the GF Value Line is the fair value that the stock should be traded at. The stock price will most likely fluctuate around the GF Value Line. If the stock price is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher.

Is Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) Too Good to Be True? A Comprehensive Analysis of a Potential Value Trap

Is Patterson-UTI Energy a Hidden Gem or a Value Trap?

However, investors need to consider a more in-depth analysis before making an investment decision. Despite its seemingly attractive valuation, certain risk factors associated with Patterson-UTI Energy should not be ignored. These risks are primarily reflected through its low Piotroski F-score and Beneish M-score. Additionally, the company's revenues and earnings have been on a downward trend over the past five years, which raises a crucial question: Is Patterson-UTI Energy a hidden gem or a value trap? These indicators suggest that Patterson-UTI Energy, despite its apparent undervaluation, might be a potential value trap. This complexity underlines the importance of thorough due diligence in investment decision-making.

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Company Overview

Patterson-UTI Energy is one of the largest land rig drilling contractors in the United States and maintains moderately sized pressure-pumping operations primarily in Texas and the Appalachian region, plus some modest operations in Colombia. It also provides directional drilling services and tool rental services in most U.S. onshore oil and gas basins.

Is Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) Too Good to Be True? A Comprehensive Analysis of a Potential Value Trap

Declining Revenues and Earnings: A Warning Sign

One of the telltale indicators of a company's potential trouble is a sustained decline in revenues. In the case of Patterson-UTI Energy, both the revenue per share (evident from the last five years' TTM data: 2019: 14.25; 2020: 9.23; 2021: 5.12; 2022: 9.26; 2023: 14.19; ) and the 5-year revenue growth rate (-8.1%) have been on a consistent downward trajectory. This pattern may point to underlying challenges such as diminishing demand for Patterson-UTI Energy's products, or escalating competition in its market sector. Either scenario can pose serious risks to the company's future performance, warranting a thorough analysis by investors.

Is Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) Too Good to Be True? A Comprehensive Analysis of a Potential Value Trap

Sluggish Earnings Growth: A Red Flag

Despite its low price-to-fair-value ratio, Patterson-UTI Energy's falling revenues and earnings cast a long shadow over its investment attractiveness. A low price relative to intrinsic value can indeed suggest an investment opportunity, but only if the company's fundamentals are sound or improving. In Patterson-UTI Energy's case, the declining revenues, EBITDA, and earnings growth suggest that the company's issues may be more than just cyclical fluctuations.

Without a clear turnaround strategy, there's a risk that the company's performance could continue to deteriorate, leading to further price declines. In such a scenario, the low price-to-GF-Value ratio may be more indicative of a value trap than a value opportunity.

Conclusion

Despite its seemingly attractive valuation, Patterson-UTI Energy presents a potential value trap due to its declining revenues and earnings. Investors must tread carefully and conduct thorough due diligence before considering an investment in this stock. For finding stocks with good revenue and earnings growth, investors can use GuruFocus' Peter Lynch Growth with Low Valuation Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Prudential Financial's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 39% ownership

Ownership research along with analyst forecasts data help provide a good understanding of opportunities in a stock

A look at the shareholders of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) can tell us which group is most powerful. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 57% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Prudential Financial, beginning with the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Prudential Financial

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Prudential Financial?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Prudential Financial. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Prudential Financial, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

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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 Prudential Financial. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 10% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 8.9% and 4.6% of the stock.

Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Prudential Financial

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 data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Prudential Financial, Inc. in their own names. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own US$60m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 43% stake in Prudential Financial. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Prudential Financial better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Prudential Financial .

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
A school maintenance worker wears sun protection at the Escuela Elemental Santiago Iglesias Pantin school in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Students and teachers are holding class in public schools across Puerto Rico that lack air conditioning amid record heat this year. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Public school teacher Angel Muniz grabbed a thermometer and thrust it into the camera as someone recorded him inside his classroom this week.

It is about 99 degrees (37 C), he said in a video posted on social media as seven fans whirred noisily around him.

It wasnt even noon yet, and an advisory that day warned of a heat index of up to 111 F (43.8 C).

Students and teachers are sweltering in public schools across Puerto Rico that lack air conditioning and are demanding government action as the U.S. Caribbean territory struggles to respond to climate change effects while it bakes under record heat this year.

Last month was the hottest August on the island since record-keeping began. Puerto Rico broke the record of the daily maximum temperature six times and the highest minimum eight times, according to the National Weather Service in San Juan.

It also was the hottest August worldwide, with 2023 the second hottest year on record so far.

Heat advisories for Puerto Rico became the norm this summer, with the island reporting a record 47 nights with temperatures above 80 F (26 C).

Records are being broken almost every day, said Odalys Martinez, National Weather Service forecaster.

Public schools with no air conditioning or whose cooling systems are inoperable due to power outages blamed on a hurricane-battered electric grid are seeking relief, but its unlikely theyll find it soon.

Last month, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi quietly vetoed a bill that called for air conditioning systems for public schools. The move outraged many, with some calling the situation inhumane as students organized protests.

Its irresponsible, because this is an emergency. Its a matter of public health, said Yasim Sarkis, a social worker at an elementary school that often lacks electricity and whose son attends a public high school with no air conditioning.

Her school installed air conditioners in April for its 165 students and some 40 employees, but they have yet to be turned on.

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Theres not enough current, Sarkis said.

In addition, a power outage last week that has yet to be fixed forced her school to start releasing students at 11:30 a.m. since it has no generator. The electrical problems began after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island in 2017 and razed the power grid that crews only recently started to rebuild.

Pierluisi didn't provide a written explanation of why he vetoed the bill. His spokeswoman, Sheila Anglero, told The Associated Press that any project with a significant fiscal impact requires an analysis from the legislatures budget office, a requirement for an island emerging from the biggest U.S. municipal bankruptcy in history.

The projects can make all the sense, but without this, they cannot be signed, she said.

Air conditioning is considered a necessity by many on this tropical island of 3.2 million people, with government offices, businesses and homes running cooling systems round-the-clock, especially in the summer.

But air conditioning remains rare at public schools, which depend on fans and trade winds that blow through windows with metal shutters.

Our classrooms have turned into saunas, and the Department of Education has dragged its feet in responding to the situation, said Edwin Morales, vice president of the islands Federation of Teachers.

It's unknown how many public schools lack air conditioning or have air conditioners that don't work because of electrical problems. The island's education department, an oft-criticized bureaucratic behemoth that oversees one of the largest school districts in a U.S. jurisdiction with more than 259,000 students and more than 850 schools, said it's trying to gather that data.

Meanwhile, Puerto Ricos Association of Teachers said that of 2,500 teachers surveyed so far, more than 83% said they dont have air conditioning in their classroom. More than 50% of public schools also have reported a heat-related emergency.

This is alarming, said Raul Gonzalez, the association's vice president, adding that they've received reports of teachers and students fainting from the heat.

On Friday, the education department canceled classes island-wide in a rush to find solutions to the relentless heat after distributing 21,000 fans the day before. It also has proposed allowing students to wear Bermuda shorts, adding more fruits and liquids to the school menu and modifying schedules, among other things.

The proposals have angered many, including Angel Matos Garcia, majority spokesman for Puerto Ricos House of Representatives.

It is a shame that with a purchase order of $33 million for the replacement and installation of air conditioners, the department only thinks of installing water fountains, giving Friday off and buying fans, he said.

A spokesman for the department didn't return a message seeking comment.

In the meantime, students are fanning themselves with notebooks, teachers are fundraising money for more classroom fans and courses such as cooking and cosmetology have been affected, because the intense heat prevents the use of certain equipment.

Sarkis son, 17, has taken to hiking up his school uniform pants and skipping swim training because the heat is intense and he feels too weak.

He comes home with big headaches, she said.

His school is closing two hours earlier than usual to avoid exposing students to excess heat, but Sarkis said she doesnt mind the abbreviated courses as long as her sons health is protected.

She urged the governor to approve the bill that legislators first filed in October 2021 and vowed to amend and submit again.

Approve it and then figure out where youll get the money from. Because there is money, Sarkis said. This is not going to stop. Global warming is real.

___

Follow APs coverage of the climate at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment
Just over a week after a dispute between Charter Communications and Disney blacked out ESPN channels for Spectrum cable subscribers, officials are now looking to hold the companies accountable for their actions.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Department of Public Service are urging Charter to provide refunds to its affected customers, which the state says includes more than 1.5 million New York cable subscribers, and for Disney "to continue providing its programming under the terms of the prior agreement while negotiations continue."

It's simple: if you pay your cable bill, you deserve to get the services you pay for, Hochul said Friday. An ongoing corporate dispute is forcing customers to miss some of the highest profile televised events of the year  the least these companies can do is provide a refund."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul presents her executive state budget in the Red Room at the state Capitol Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Albany, N.Y.

The state is also urging the two entities to come to an agreement as quickly as possible.

There are 3.5 million Spectrum customers in New York, but not all are cable customers. Most customers are located in the Western and Central regions of the state, with some in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. The blackout, which began Aug. 31, applies to 19 different Disney-owned cable channels, according to Spectrum.

Bills game affected by blackout? Will Spectrum blackout of ESPN affect your Bills vs. Jets game viewing?

Is Charter willing to provide refunds?

It's possible, but unclear exactly whether, and how, customers would see refunds.

Were going to do whats not only required, but whats fair to our customers over time," Charter President and CEO Chris Winfrey said shortly after the blackout began last week. "We will have a strategy to make sure that we treat customers appropriately and fairly as it relates to credit.

And Charter has been working with affected customers individually since the blackout began, a Charter spokesperson confirmed Friday.

STAR checks are arriving When is your NY STAR check coming? Check your hometown

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But New York is pushing the telecommunications giant for more specifics.

While Winfrey reportedly told Charter investors that "appropriate refunds" would be provided to customers, "there is insufficient information about how such credits will be provided," Rory Christian, Chair and CEO of the state's Public Service Commission, said in a letter to Charter on Friday. "That is resulting in customer confusion and an increasing number of customer complaints to our call center."

Christian asked Charter to provide information to the state about the timing, amount and calculation of those credits within 14 days.

More: How to watch ESPN amid Spectrum blackout

New York is pushing Charter Spectrum to provide refunds to New York customers affected by the Disney-Spectrum dispute over programming.

What's happening with the Spectrum-Disney dispute?

The two entities are still in talks over next steps.

As of a Sept. 1 meeting, The Walt Disney Co. has insisted on "unsustainable price hikes," Charter Communications said, and wants "to require customers to pay twice to get content apps with the linear video they have already paid for."

"The current video ecosystem is broken," Charter Communications said. "We have proposed a model to The Walt Disney Company that we believe creates better alignment for the industry and better products for customers."

What's next for Spectrum and its NY customers?

If Charter declines to provide customer refunds, its not clear how far Hochul or the state is willing to go to further pressure the company to do so.

Representatives from the governors office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

In the past, New York sparred with Charter over broadband internet buildout in the state, and even moved in 2018 to kick the company out of New York entirely for allegedly reneging on its promises related to a merger with Time Warner Cable.

Charter agreed to a new internet rollout deal in 2019, vowing to bring broadband to thousands more New York residences and businesses by 2021.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Department of Public Service are urging Charter to provide refunds to its affected customers during a blackout restricting Disney-owned channels.

Emily Barnes is the New York State Team Consumer Advocate Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Barnes at ebarnes@gannett.com or on Twitter @byemilybarnes. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Will Spectrum refund customers for ESPN blackout? NY is pushing for it
An artist's rendering of the interior of the planned Blue Heron restaurant in Asbury Park.

ASBURY PARK - Restaurateur and musician Tim McLoone plans to open Blue Heron in spring 2024, his fourth restaurant on Asbury Park's iconic boardwalk.

The soon-to-be restaurant is located in a 7,341-square-foot space above McLoone's Iron Whale, which is part of the Fifth Avenue Pavilion. Construction is expected to begin in October, with a projected opening around April or May, McLoone said.

It will join McLoone's other restaurants on the boardwalk: Iron Whale, The Robinson's Ale House and McLoone's Supper Club. "We have to make sure it's very distinctive from those places," McLoone said. "We're not going to try to replicate that."

McLoone's Restaurants owns nine restaurants in New Jersey. Beside the spots in Asbury Park, it also has CJ McLoone's in Tinton Falls, McLoone's Pier House in Long Branch, The Robinson's Ale House in Long Branch and Red Bank and The Rum Runner in Sea Bright.

'Villas in the sky': Bell Works' developer gets Asbury Park approval for next big project

An artist's rendering of the interior of the planned Blue Heron restaurant in Asbury Park.

The plans for Blue Heron are "almost completed," McLoone said.

"My initial thoughts about it was that it would be a meeting place," he said. It's a restaurant where customers can come in for a drink and an appetizer, and stay for dinner or go elsewhere for their full meal if they choose, he added

The menu is still in the works. "It's going to be sharing foods for the most part," McLoone said. For instance, there will be a pizza oven and food such as sushi, a raw bar and "a lot of appetizers" as well as entrees and seafood, he said.

"We're trying to keep it from being a formal, sit-down kind of place," he said. "It gonna have a lot of casual seating."

Places to eat: Swim Crush opens on Asbury Park boardwalk with rum buckets, frozen cocktails and burgers

Iron Whale staff prepares to reopen indoor dining in Asbury Park, NJ Wednesday, September 2, 2020.

The restaurant has been years in the making, but the pandemic and other issues got in the way, McLoone said. Now he has signed leases with Madison Marquette for the restaurant space and the adjacent Arthur Pryor Bandshell.

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"We worked our way through everything, so we are good to go," McLoone said.

Tim McLoone, owner, talks about the plans to reopen indoor dining at Iron Whale in Asbury Park, NJ Wednesday, September 2, 2020.

"Our landlord and we have a great relationship and we're all absolutely on the same page with stuff so we're just trying to get it done," McLoone said. "Once we get the thing fully activated, with the bandshell, it's going to be a real jewel, right on the boardwalk."

This past summer, the Asbury Park Concert Band performed free weekly concerts, put on by the Asbury Park Music Foundation, at the bandshell, an arrangement that McLoone said will not be affected by the lease.

Browns Brew: Iraq War veteran in business of making people smile with mobile coffee cart

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There and Press on Your Side columns and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Waterfront restaurants NJ: McLoone putting Blue Heron above Iron Whale
Homes are marked for sale Sept. 5 in the Woodland Park neighborhood in Edmond.

Here's one way to see how much home prices have risen so far this century, even as prices in Oklahoma remain near the bottom: Nationally, Realtors make a lot more per transaction, on average, now than in 2000, even though their average commission rate fell.

Not terribly surprising, since higher prices mean higher commissions if not higher commission rates. Worth a look, since pretty much everybody likes to complain about how much Realtors make.

Home prices are at an all-time high nationally, at an average of $516,500 for a three-bedroom house, up 151.5% since 2000, and Realtors' shared earnings per transaction are, too, at $26,493, up 72.5%, according to Self, a financial technology company that helps people build credit.

That commission is usually split, so that's $13,246.50 for each side, the buyer's agent and the seller's, minus the listing agent's marketing expenses and minus a percentage paid by both agents to their sponsoring brokers.

At the same time, the national average Realtors' commission rate dropped from 5.42% in 2000 to 5.13% in 2023, Self reported, citing numbers it crunched from Federal Reserve Economic Data, FRED, a database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Real Trends; data company Clever Real Estate; the National Association of Realtors; and Zillow.

Realtor logo

Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico: Same Realtor commission rate, different Realtor earnings

Interestingly, Self found that Realtors in Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico all earn the same average commission: 5.59%. That's right at the "5%-6%" that Realtors here will tell you, and close to the "6%" that most other people seem to assume, or say, if you ask them.

The same commission rate yields different commissions, of course, since average home prices are different in each state: $196,761 in Oklahoma, $297,871 in Texas, and $302,991 in New Mexico.

That puts Oklahoma Realtors at the bottom among the three, despite each state averaging the same commission rate of 5.59%: Oklahoma Realtors earn an average of $10,999 to split with the other side; Texas Realtors earn an average of $15,645; and New Mexico Realtors earn an average of $16,937.

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In Oklahoma, low home prices keep Realtors' earnings low compared the country as a whole

Oklahoma Realtors' shared earnings are at the bottom of the three, and near the bottom among all states and the District of Columbia, because average home prices in Oklahoma are near the bottom.

Bottom three average home prices:

49. Oklahoma average home price: $196,761.

50. Mississippi average home price: $185,441.

51. West Virginia average home price: $164,594.

Bottom three Realtors' earnings:

49. Oklahoma Realtors' shared earnings per transaction: $10,999.

50. Mississippi Realtors' shared earnings per transaction: $10,088.

51. West Virginia Realtors' shared earnings per transaction: $8.954.

All of which is to say: When it comes to "how much Realtors make," it's complicated.

All of which is to see why people have been moving to Oklahoma from higher-priced states in droves. Affordable housing is a huge issue in Oklahoma if you live and work in Oklahoma, but not if you're moving here from most other states, and Realtor commissions can get lost in the savings.

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Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize. You can support Richard's work, and that of his colleagues, by purchasing a digital subscription to The Oklahoman. Right now, you can get 12 months of subscriber-only access for $1 a month.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Home prices in Oklahoma mean more in commissions for Realtors
The global smartphone market is a battle between two heavyweights: Samsung and Apple.

According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung controlled 22% of the global smartphone market as of the first quarter of 2023. Thats just above Apples 21% market share  and well ahead of Chinese rivals including Oppo and Xiaomi.

To break up that virtual tie with Apple (AAPL) and capture a greater share of the market, especially in the US where it lags behind its Cupertino, California-based rival, Samsung is going all in on its foldable smartphone. Case in point: At its "Unpacked" event held in South Korea in July, the company positioned its new Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 as its premier devices.

TM Roh, president and head of Samsung's mobile experience business, speaks during the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The foldables feature two unique designs. The Fold 5 folds like a book, while the Flip 5 folds like an old-school clamshell phone. And while these are Samsungs fifth-generation foldables, theyre also the companys best examples of how the future of such phones will look and function.

They also prove that foldables arent just a flash-in-the-pan idea.

Theyre making the smartphone market, well, interesting again. The smartphone wars have really just been large black rectangles and the contest was really just the processor speed and the camera, IDC research director Ramon Llamas told Yahoo Finance.

So for me, it's kind of refreshing that we're going into something that's just a lot more visible, and a lot more different than what we've seen before, he added.

Tune in to Yahoo Finance's Next.

Samsung needs to win over iPhone fans

Samsungs biggest challenge in winning over Apple fans with its foldables will undoubtedly be convincing them to ditch their iPhones for phones powered by Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) Android. And thats no easy task.

Apple and Samsung both work to lock users into their respective operating systems via exclusive apps, accessories like watches and headphones, and subscription services. One of Apples biggest lock-in apps is iMessage, which allows users to text high-quality images and videos. Texting between Android and iOS limits image and video quality.

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Ask any iPhone user how they feel when someone drops a green text bubble into a group chat, and youll see how hard it is to break peoples habits.

Samsungs foldables arent going to change that, but they could help push those users who are on the fence or not as dedicated to the Apple ecosystem to take the leap. Samsung is currently running TV and web ads daring iPhone users to make the change.

Sign up for the Yahoo Finance newsletter.

But Apple could derail that by launching its own foldable, though theres no guarantee such a device is on its way. (According to Bloombergs Mark Gurman, the company is considering a foldable iPad at this point.)

Apple is doing what Apple does. It stands on the shoulders of the giants that came before them until they make their move, IDCs Llamas said.

The foldable phone market is still relatively small, with the industry shipping just 2.52 million units in Q1 2023 compared to the broader market, which shipped 280.2 million in the same time period.

With Samsung posed to lead the market for the time being, it all comes down to whether it can persuade iPhone users to make the switch. Now we just have to wait and see if they'll flip.

To watch the first full episode of NEXT and find out more about Samsungs quest to take on Apple, click here.

Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He's been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.

Click here for the latest technology business news, reviews, and useful articles on tech and gadgets

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Key Insights

Significant control over Seplat Energy by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions

The top 4 shareholders own 51% of the company

Ownership research, combined with past performance data can help provide a good understanding of opportunities in a stock

Every investor in Seplat Energy Plc (LON:SEPL) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 47% to be precise, is private companies. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Meanwhile, individual investors make up 32% of the companys shareholders.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Seplat Energy.

See our latest analysis for Seplat Energy

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Seplat Energy?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

We can see that Seplat Energy does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Seplat Energy, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

It looks like hedge funds own 8.9% of Seplat Energy shares. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Our data shows that PT Pertamina (Persero) is the largest shareholder with 20% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 14% and 8.9% of the stock. In addition, we found that Roger Brown, the CEO has 0.7% of the shares allocated to their name.

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To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 4 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making.

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 is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.

Insider Ownership Of Seplat Energy

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

We can report that insiders do own shares in Seplat Energy Plc. As individuals, the insiders collectively own UK23m worth of the UK736m company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 32% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 47%, of the shares on issue. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks for example - Seplat Energy has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Just a few months ago, Tim Cook was one of the few U.S. CEOs brave enough to venture to China after its reopening. In March, Apples chief executive attended a high-profile government-organized conference, met with Chinas leaders, and proudly declared that Apple and China had a symbiotic kind of relationship.

That relationship is now being tested amid reports that Beijing is stopping some of its state employees from using Apple's smartphone, as China takes a hard line against any official use of foreign technologies.

Beijing is ordering officials in some government departments to stop using iPhones, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Beijing is also considering extending the ban across the government and to state-owned enterprises, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The news hit Apples stocks hard. Shares are now down by almost 7% over the past two days, wiping out $200 billion in market value for the tech company. (Apple is still the worlds most valuable company by far, at $2.7 trillion versus second-place Microsoft at $2.4 trillion.)

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If Beijing really does limit the use of the iPhone, its a potential blow to the close connection between Apple and China. Yet it was a relationship that was already slightly shaky after supply chain disruptions, and is now pressured by the return of a competitor: Huawei Technologies.

How important is China to Apple?

China is key to Apples supply chain and to its sales.

Apple relies on Chinese suppliers to make many of its electronics, including the iPhone, iPad, AirPods and its upcoming Vision Pro headset. About half of Apples smartphones are made in a giant factory complex in Zhengzhou, nicknamed iPhone City, operated by electronics manufacturer Foxconn.

China is also a major consumer market for Apple, as its largest market outside of the U.S. The company generated $15.8 billion in sales from China alone last quarter, just over 19% of its total. And Chinese consumers flock to the iPhone too: Apple has 65% market share for premium phones over $600, according to the Wall Street Journal citing data from research firm IDC. (Apple is in fourth place overall, behind cheaper domestic brands Oppo, Vivo and Honor, according to the South China Morning Post.)

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Apple also complies with Chinese regulations on censorship and data security, including storing the personal data of its Chinese customers in domestic data centers.

But recent events may have pushed Apple to reconsider its reliance on the country. COVID-zero lockdowns, especially in Zhengzhou, drove the company to warn last November that production of the then-latest model iPhones would be lower than expected heading into the U.S. holiday season.

Chinas economic slowdown could also weigh on smartphone sales, though Apple has managed to withstand the drop in consumer confidence thus far. Apple was the only smartphone vendor among the top five in China to increase its sales last quarter, according to CNBC.

Apple is investing in manufacturing elsewhere in Asia to diversify its supply chain. The company now makes 7% of its iPhones in India, and has reportedly started production of the next iPhone in the South Asian country. Apple is also shifting some production of iPads, Macbooks and AirPods to Vietnam.

And the company also hopes that India will be the next big market for its electronics. Cook called the country a hugely exciting market for us in a call with analysts in February, and Apple opened its first retail outlets in the country earlier this year.

Espionage concerns

China reportedly set out a plan in 2019 to remove all foreign technology from government operations within three years. The decision was motivated partly by U.S. sanctions on Huawei, barring it from buying advanced chips. The Chinese company was forced to stop producing its premium phones, revealing U.S. leverage over Chinas tech sector.

Last year, China ordered government agencies to stop using foreign-made PCs and software, diverting them from Western companies like HP and Microsoft towards domestic alternatives like Lenovo and Kingsoft.

Chinese concerns about data security and espionage have even extended to Tesla, with officials at times barring the companys electric cars from sensitive areas.

Of course, the U.S. has similar espionage concerns when it comes to Chinese-made hardware and software. Washington has pushed U.S. telecoms companies to strip Huawei from their 5G networks, and has banned TikTok, from China-based developer ByteDance, from government devices. The U.S. is currently discussing whether to ban TikTok from the U.S. entirely.

An alternative

And another threat for Apple may loom on the horizon.

Huawei, at one point the worlds largest smartphone manufacturer, quietly launched the Mate 60 Pro last week. The phone features performance that keeps pace with Apples iPhone, and a processor thats only a few years behind the cutting-edge. The technological achievement comes despite years of U.S. controls on sales of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to Huawei and China more broadly in a bid to kneecap the countrys semiconductor sector.

On Friday, Huawei announced an even more powerful version of the Mate 60 Pro, which features more memory and connections to Chinas GPS competitor, BeiDou.

While Huawei was muted about the phones release, Chinese state media was not. The resurgence of Huawei smartphones after three years of forced silence is enough to prove that the US extreme suppression has failed, wrote the Global Times, a state-run English-language outlet.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday said it would investigate how Huawei got its hands on the advanced chip, made by the also-blacklisted Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China's largest chipmaker.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Covid is back in the headlines again. Turns out first lady Jill Biden has tested positive for Covid-19, albeit suffering only from mild symptoms. Meanwhile, President Joe Bidens test results have come back as negative.

However, its not only at the White House where the coronavirus is making an unwelcome return. On the back of an upward curve that started toward the end of July, over the past week, Covid hospitalizations have witnessed a 16% uptick in the US. This spike comes against a backdrop of students heading back to school and ahead of a booster shot rollout with a fall vaccination campaign set to get underway.

While the news of Covids resurgence is a negative development for most, one group could stand to benefit: the formerly, hugely popular coronavirus vaccine stocks.

These are the firms that developed approved Covid-19 vaccines and saw their stock prices soar to giddy heights during the peak of the pandemic as investors piled in to ride the coronavirus stock mania. Now, with a resurgence of cases dominating the headlines once again, is it time for investors to consider jumping back into coronavirus vaccine stocks?

Considering the post-pandemic pullback amongst these names, B. Riley analyst Mayank Mamtani certainly thinks so.

The bottoming process to COVID vaccine stocks appears to be underway as the anticipated late summer/fall23 COVID cases spike makes for the underappreciated view of stable demand picture via annual booster paradigm (similar to flu shots totaling 150M dose volume/year) at least in the niche elderly and high-risk population cohorts (50M+ dose volume/year), Mamtani opined.

So, with this in mind, we opened the TipRanks database to dig up the details on two leaders in the Covid-19 vaccine field. Lets see if the analysts think these are worth a punt right now.

Novavax, Inc. (NVAX)

If theres one name that epitomizes the coronavirus stock trend more than any other, it might just be Novavax. In a little over a year, between the start of 2020 and 2021, the shares posted growth of a barley imaginable ~8,000% as investors/the public pinned their hopes on Novavax being the one to win the Covid-19 vaccine race.

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Novavax vaccine (sold under the brand names Nuvaxovid and Covovax), did get eventual approval but it could be said it came a bit too late. After various issues delayed its market entry, the vaccine became the fourth to be authorized in the United States, but momentum had already been somewhat lost and sales proved disappointing. The result has been a stock that now sits a huge 97% below the all-time high reached in February 2021.

That said, the most recent quarterly report was promising with the company swinging to profitability. Novavax delivered net income of $58 million compared to a $510.5 million loss in the same period a year ago. That led to EPS of $0.58, easily trumping Street expectations of -$1.33. Meanwhile, boosted by rising demand of the Covid vaccine, revenue climbed 128% higher to reach $424.43 million, while beating the Streets forecast by $165.44 million.

The company also said it began regulatory filings in the U.S. ahead of the launch for an updated jab targeting the Omicron XBB strain so it can be available for a fall booster shot campaign.

According to B. Rileys Mamtani, the evolving Covid landscape could work in favor of this Gaithersburg, Maryland-based firm.

Increased attention on emerging variants could meaningfully alter vaccine demand (perception), a key variable to reaffirming Streets belief in NVAXs FY23 revenue guidance of $1.3B-$1.5B, said the analyst. NVAX and peers MRNA/PFE have guided to a range of 2H23 vaccine demand expectations in the ballpark of 75-90M shots Post 2Q print, we published a sensitivity analysis exploring U.S. demand, market penetration, and price/shot in context of NVAX meeting revenue guidance. Our analysis indicates NVAX could meet guidance if demand is as expected with 5% market penetration. Importantly, increased vaccination rates above current expectations improve chances of meeting guidance meaningfully.

All told, Mamtani rates NVAX a Buy while his $15 price target implies ~70% upside from current levels. (To watch Mamtanis track record, click here)

Elsewhere on the Street, the stock garners an additional 2 Buys and 1 Sell, for a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The average target is more bullish than Mamtani will allow; at $25, the figure makes room for 12-month returns of 183%. (See Novavax stock forecast)

Moderna, Inc. (MRNA)

If Novavax represents the coronavirus stock that delivered the heftiest returns to investors during the height of the pandemic, one other name can be considered the eras biggest success. Moderna was a little-known biotech when the coronavirus became a growing concern but by the time the pandemic came to an end, it was a global household name.

Thats because unlike the delays that plagued the approval of Novavaxs offering, Modernas Spikevax was beaten to the approval finish line only by Pfizer/BioNtechs offering with its mRNA vaccine instantly catapulting it into the big leagues.

While the company is advancing other vaccines  it anticipates a launch for its respective messenger-RNA-based RSV vaccine and cancer vaccine mRNA-4157 for melanoma in 2024 and 2025  it has also suffered a big comedown and as Covid-19 has retreated so have the vaccines sales dwindled.

In Q2, revenue fell by almost 93% year-over-year from $4.7 billion to $344 million, although the figure still came ahead of the analysts forecast by $38.44 million.

Additionally, its R&D expenses and SG&A costs increased, and the biotech delivered a net loss of $1.4 billion vs. net income of $2.2 billion in the year-ago period. Still, EPS of -$3.62 beat expectations by $0.48.

Looking ahead, Moderna boosted its sales outlook for the year from a minimum of $5 billion to between $6-8 billion, although gross margins are set to suffer with the new guide implying high 40%s compared to low 60%s previously.

These issues are recognized by RBC analyst Luca Issi, although on balance, Issi maintains confidence in the Moderna story.

While we acknowledge that modeling the long term COVID tail remains challenging, we think the short terms dynamics are well appreciated given 2023 guidance ($7b at the mid-point) is actually above $6.5b consensus, and we now know that $1b in advanced purchasing agreements will contribute to 2024 (vs $5.9b consensus), Issi explained. On gross margin, MRNA reiterated that unpredictable volume is compressing margins, but they remain confident that margins will re- expand back to 75-80% once volume becomes more predictable

These comments underpin Issis Outperform (i.e., Buy) rating on MRNA, which is backed by a $190 price target, suggesting shares will push 75% higher over the coming year. (To watch Issis track record, click here)

Overall, 6 other analysts join Issi in the bull camp and with an additional 6 Holds and 1 Sell, the stock claims a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Most analysts consider the shares meaningfully undervalued at current levels; at $167.79, the average target implies gains of 54% lie in store for the year ahead. (See Moderna stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
Ultrapar Participacoes SA (NYSE:UGP) has recently seen a daily gain of 3.38%, with a 3.4% increase over the past three months. Its Earnings Per Share (EPS) stands at 0.24. The question that arises is whether the stock is fairly valued. This article will provide an in-depth valuation analysis, aiming to answer this question. Let's dive into the financials of Ultrapar Participacoes SA.

Company Overview

Ultrapar Participacoes SA is a company that invests in services, commercial, and industrial activities. It operates in three business segments: gas distribution, fuel distribution, and storage. The company's stock price is currently $3.67, with a market cap of $4 billion. The GF Value, an estimate of fair value, is $3.84, indicating that the stock might be fairly valued. Let's explore this further.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA (UGP): A Comprehensive Analysis of Its Market Value

Understanding GF Value

The GF Value represents the current intrinsic value of a stock, derived from our exclusive method. It is calculated based on historical multiples, GuruFocus adjustment factor, and future estimates of business performance. If the stock price is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. Conversely, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA's stock shows signs of being fairly valued according to the GuruFocus Value calculation. This suggests that the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA (UGP): A Comprehensive Analysis of Its Market Value

Financial Strength

Investing in companies with low financial strength could result in permanent capital loss. Ultrapar Participacoes SA has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.4, which ranks worse than 55.73% of 1021 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. GuruFocus ranks Ultrapar Participacoes SA's financial strength as 7 out of 10, suggesting a fair balance sheet.

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Ultrapar Participacoes SA (UGP): A Comprehensive Analysis of Its Market Value

Profitability and Growth

Companies that have been consistently profitable over the long term offer less risk for investors. Ultrapar Participacoes SA has been profitable 10 over the past 10 years. Its operating margin is 2.19%, which ranks worse than 67.63% of 967 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. The average annual revenue growth of Ultrapar Participacoes SA is19.8%, which ranks better than 70.24% of 850 companies in the Oil & Gas industry.

ROIC vs WACC

Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. Ultrapar Participacoes SA's return on invested capital is 9.82, and its cost of capital is 9.72.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA (UGP): A Comprehensive Analysis of Its Market Value

Conclusion

Overall, Ultrapar Participacoes SA (NYSE:UGP) stock shows every sign of being fairly valued. The company's financial condition is fair and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks worse than 53.29% of 820 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. To learn more about Ultrapar Participacoes SA stock, you can check out its 30-Year Financials here.

To find out the high-quality companies that may deliver above-average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Long-established in the Oil & Gas industry, Nabors Industries Ltd (NYSE:NBR) has enjoyed a stellar reputation. It has recently witnessed a surge of 4.2%, juxtaposed with a three-month change of 20.2%. However, fresh insights from the GuruFocus Score Rating hint at potential headwinds. Notably, its diminished rankings in financial strength, growth, and valuation suggest that the company might not live up to its historical performance. Join us as we dive deep into these pivotal metrics to unravel the evolving narrative of Nabors Industries Ltd.

Unraveling the Future of Nabors Industries Ltd (NBR): A Deep Dive into Key Metrics

What Is the GF Score?

The GF Score is a stock performance ranking system developed by GuruFocus using five aspects of valuation, which has been found to be closely correlated to the long-term performances of stocks by backtesting from 2006 to 2021. The stocks with a higher GF Score generally generate higher returns than those with a lower GF Score. Therefore, when picking stocks, investors should invest in companies with high GF Scores. The GF Score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 as the highest rank.

Based on the above method, GuruFocus assigned Nabors Industries Ltd the GF Score of 65 out of 100, which signals poor future outperformance potential.

Understanding Nabors Industries Ltd Business

Nabors Industries Ltd owns and operates one of the world's largest land-based drilling rig fleets and is a provider of offshore platform rigs in the United States and international markets. It also provides performance tools, directional drilling services, tubular running services, and innovative technologies. It has operations in over 15 countries, 300 actively marketed rigs for land-based drilling operations and 29 actively marketed rigs for offshore platform drilling operations in the United States and multiple international markets. The company has five reportable segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The key revenue of the company is generated from International Drilling.

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Unraveling the Future of Nabors Industries Ltd (NBR): A Deep Dive into Key Metrics

Financial Strength Breakdown

Nabors Industries Ltd's financial strength indicators present some concerning insights about the company's balance sheet health. The company's interest coverage ratio of 1.31 positions it worse than 90.65% of 759 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. This ratio highlights potential challenges the company might face when handling its interest expenses on outstanding debt. It's worth noting that the esteemed investor Benjamin Graham typically favored companies with an interest coverage ratio of at least five.

The company's Altman Z-Score is just 0.64, which is below the distress zone of 1.81. This suggests that the company may face financial distress over the next few years. Additionally, the company's low cash-to-debt ratio at 0.17 indicates a struggle in handling existing debt levels. The company's debt-to-equity ratio is 6.23, which is worse than 97.08% of 822 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. A high debt-to-equity ratio suggests over-reliance on borrowing and vulnerability to market fluctuations.

Growth Prospects

A lack of significant growth is another area where Nabors Industries Ltd seems to falter, as evidenced by the company's low Growth rank. The company's revenue has declined by -11.7 per year over the past three years, which underperforms worse than 84.12% of 850 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. Stagnating revenues may pose concerns in a fast-evolving market.

Over the past five years, Nabors Industries Ltd has witnessed a decline in its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). The three-year growth rate is recorded at -1.3, while the five-year growth rate is at -9. These figures underscore potential challenges in the company's profitability. Lastly, Nabors Industries Ltd predictability rank is just one star out of five, adding to investor uncertainty regarding revenue and earnings consistency.

Unraveling the Future of Nabors Industries Ltd (NBR): A Deep Dive into Key Metrics

Conclusion

Given the company's financial strength, profitability, and growth metrics, the GuruFocus Score Rating highlights the firm's unparalleled position for potential underperformance. While Nabors Industries Ltd has a rich history and a significant presence in the Oil & Gas industry, its current financial indicators and growth prospects suggest that it may struggle to maintain its historical performance. Investors should consider these factors when making investment decisions.

GuruFocus Premium members can find more companies with strong GF Scores using the following screener link: GF Score Screen

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Holly Energy Partners LP (NYSE:HEP) recorded a daily gain of 2.94% and a 3-month gain of 27.8% with an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of 1.72. However, the question remains: is the stock significantly overvalued? This article provides an in-depth valuation analysis of Holly Energy Partners LP (NYSE:HEP).

Company Introduction

Holly Energy Partners LP operates a network of refined products and crude oil pipelines, with attendant terminal assets, in several western and southwestern states. It has two reportable segments, namely Pipelines and Terminals and Refinery Processing Unit, with the former generating maximum revenue. Despite a current stock price of $23.1, the GF Value, an estimation of fair value, stands at $17.43, suggesting that the stock may be significantly overvalued.

Unveiling Holly Energy Partners LP (HEP)'s True Worth: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding the GF Value

The GF Value represents the intrinsic value of a stock, calculated based on historical multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor based on the company's past performance and growth, and future estimates of business performance. The GF Value Line gives an overview of the fair value at which the stock should ideally be traded. If the stock price is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued, and its future return is likely to be poor. Conversely, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher.

Given its current price of $23.1 per share, Holly Energy Partners LP stock appears significantly overvalued. As a result, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth.

Unveiling Holly Energy Partners LP (HEP)'s True Worth: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Link: These companies may deliver higher future returns at reduced risk.

Financial Strength

Investing in companies with low financial strength could result in permanent capital loss. Holly Energy Partners LP's cash-to-debt ratio of 0.01 ranks worse than 95.3% of 1021 companies in the Oil & Gas industry, suggesting a poor balance sheet.

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Unveiling Holly Energy Partners LP (HEP)'s True Worth: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Profitability and Growth

Investing in profitable companies carries less risk. Holly Energy Partners LP has been profitable 10 years over the past 10 years, with an operating margin of 41.17%, better than 83.35% of companies in the Oil & Gas industry. However, its 3-year average revenue growth rate is worse than 76.35% of companies in the Oil & Gas industry, and its 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is -4.4%, ranking worse than 73.66% of companies in the industry.

ROIC vs WACC

Comparing a company's Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) to its Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) can also provide insights into its profitability. Holly Energy Partners LP's ROIC is 8.85, while its WACC is 8.21, suggesting the company is likely creating value for its shareholders.

Unveiling Holly Energy Partners LP (HEP)'s True Worth: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Conclusion

In conclusion, Holly Energy Partners LP (NYSE:HEP) stock appears significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is poor, and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks worse than 73.66% of companies in the Oil & Gas industry. To learn more about Holly Energy Partners LP stock, you can check out its 30-Year Financials here.

To find out the high-quality companies that may deliver above-average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Nabors Industries Ltd (NYSE:NBR) has been making waves in the market with a daily gain of 3.33% and a 3-month gain of 19.55%. However, it has reported a Loss Per Share of 5.87. This raises a critical question: Is the stock fairly valued? In this article, we aim to answer this question through a comprehensive valuation analysis of Nabors Industries. So, let's dive in!

Company Introduction

Nabors Industries Ltd, a leading operator of one of the world's largest land-based drilling rig fleets, provides offshore platform rigs in the United States and international markets. With operations in over 15 countries, the company's revenue streams are diversified across five reportable segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The stock price is currently at $125.11, close to its GF Value of $124.6, indicating that it might be fairly valued.

Unveiling Nabors Industries (NBR)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding the GF Value

The GF Value is a proprietary measure that estimates the intrinsic value of a stock. It is computed based on historical trading multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor, and future business performance estimates. If the stock price is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. Conversely, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher.

With a market cap of $1.20 billion, Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) seems to be fairly valued at its current price of $125.11 per share. As a result, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth.

Unveiling Nabors Industries (NBR)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

Financial Strength

Investing in companies with low financial strength can result in permanent capital loss. Therefore, it's crucial to review a company's financial strength before deciding to buy shares. Nabors Industries has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.17, which ranks worse than 72.28% of 1021 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. Based on this, GuruFocus ranks Nabors Industries's financial strength as 4 out of 10, suggesting a poor balance sheet.

Story continues

Unveiling Nabors Industries (NBR)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Profitability and Growth

Companies that have been consistently profitable over the long term offer less risk for investors. Nabors Industries has been profitable 1 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $3 billion and a Loss Per Share of $5.87. Its operating margin is 7.81%, which ranks worse than 51.91% of 967 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. Overall, the profitability of Nabors Industries is ranked 3 out of 10, indicating poor profitability.

Growth

One of the most important factors in the valuation of a company is growth. Companies that grow faster create more value for shareholders, especially if that growth is profitable. The average annual revenue growth of Nabors Industries is -11.7%, which ranks worse than 84.12% of 850 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth is -1.3%, which ranks worse than 70.37% of 820 companies in the Oil & Gas industry.

ROIC vs WACC

One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). ROIC measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. WACC is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the ROIC exceeds the WACC, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, Nabors Industries's ROIC is 0.87 while its WACC came in at 9.17.

Unveiling Nabors Industries (NBR)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Conclusion

In conclusion, the stock of Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) shows every sign of being fairly valued. The company's financial condition is poor, and its profitability is poor. Its growth ranks worse than 70.37% of 820 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. To learn more about Nabors Industries stock, you can check out its 30-Year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliver above-average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


PBF Energy Inc (NYSE:PBF) has recently experienced a daily gain of 3.56%, and a three-month gain of 25.71%. Its Earnings Per Share (EPS) stands at 24. However, the question arises, is the stock significantly overvalued? This article aims to shed light on PBF Energy's valuation, providing an in-depth analysis of its financial performance and future prospects. Read on to explore the company's intrinsic value and make informed investment decisions.

Introduction to PBF Energy Inc

PBF Energy Inc is an independent petroleum refiner and supplier of unbranded transportation fuels, heating oil, petrochemical feedstocks, lubricants, and other petroleum products in the United States. It owns refineries in Delaware, Ohio, New Jersey, California, and Louisiana, operating in two reportable business segments: Refining and Logistics. The company's oil refineries are engaged in refining crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products. PBFX, its logistics segment, operates assets such as crude oil and refined products terminals, pipelines, and storage facilities.

With a current price of $51.19 per share and a market cap of $6.30 billion, PBF Energy's stock appears to be significantly overvalued when compared to its GF Value of $34.22, which is an estimation of the stock's fair value. This forms the basis for a deeper exploration of the company's value.

Unveiling PBF Energy (PBF)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding GF Value

The GF Value is a proprietary measure of a stock's intrinsic value, computed considering historical trading multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor based on past performance and growth, and future business performance estimates. The GF Value Line denotes the stock's ideal fair trading value. If the stock price is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher.

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PBF Energy's stock appears to be significantly overvalued according to GuruFocus Value calculation. Given that PBF Energy is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth.

Unveiling PBF Energy (PBF)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Link: These companies may deliver higher future returns at reduced risk.

Financial Strength of PBF Energy

Investing in companies with poor financial strength has a higher risk of permanent loss of capital. Therefore, it's crucial to review the financial strength of a company before deciding to buy its stock. A great starting point for understanding a company's financial strength is looking at the cash-to-debt ratio. PBF Energy has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.68, which is better than 54.65% of 1021 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. GuruFocus ranks the overall financial strength of PBF Energy at 8 out of 10, indicating that the financial strength of PBF Energy is strong.

Unveiling PBF Energy (PBF)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Profitability and Growth of PBF Energy

Investing in profitable companies, especially those with consistent profitability over the long term, is generally less risky. A company with high profit margins is usually a safer investment than those with low profit margins. PBF Energy has been profitable for eight out of the past ten years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $42.10 billion and Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $24. Its operating margin is 7.6%, which ranks worse than 52.33% of 967 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. Overall, the profitability of PBF Energy is ranked 7 out of 10, indicating fair profitability.

One of the most important factors in the valuation of a company is growth. Companies that grow faster create more value for shareholders, especially if that growth is profitable. The average annual revenue growth of PBF Energy is 22.4%, which ranks better than 75.06% of 850 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth is 56.5%, which ranks better than 86.36% of 821 companies in the Oil & Gas industry.

ROIC vs WACC

Comparing a company's return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC) can also evaluate a company's profitability. ROIC measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. WACC is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the ROIC exceeds the WACC, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, PBF Energy's ROIC is 31.57 while its WACC came in at 8.74.

Unveiling PBF Energy (PBF)'s Value: Is It Really Priced Right? A Comprehensive Guide

Conclusion

In summary, the stock of PBF Energy appears to be significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is strong and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks better than 86.36% of 821 companies in the Oil & Gas industry. To learn more about PBF Energy stock, you can check out its 30-Year Financials here.

To find out the high-quality companies that may deliver above-average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Rationalstat LLC

Global Take Out Containers Market is set to reach US$ 29.1 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of over 5.6%- Report by RationalStat

Wilmington, Delaware, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Take Out Containers Market was valued at US$ 18.8 billion in 2022 and is foreseen to grow at a significant CAGR of 5.6% over the forecast period of 2023-2030, according to the published market report by RationalStat

While shifting consumer preferences regarding food packaging and sustainability have been one of the main barriers to growth, competitors in the industry have been working to provide new options, which has helped to keep the need for takeaway containers strong.

Market Definition, Market Scope, and Report Overview

The demand for takeaway and delivery services has increased as a result of consumers' convenience-driven behaviors and increasingly hectic lifestyles. The demand for takeaway containers has been directly influenced by this. Customers may now order food from a variety of restaurants more easily thanks to the growth of online food delivery platforms and applications. This pattern has increased the demand for appropriate packaging options to maintain food quality while in transit.

Due to the fast-paced nature of city living, takeaway and delivery services frequently experience a rise in demand in urban areas with high population densities. The market for takeaway containers is evolving as a result of the increased demand for environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging choices.

According to a deep-dive market assessment by RationalStat, the global take out containers market has been analyzed on the basis of market segments, including on type, application and geography/regions (including North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific) . The report also offers global and regional market sizing for the historical period of 2019-2022 and the forecast period of 2023-2030.

Market intelligence for the global take out containers market covers market sizes on the basis of market value (US$/EUR Million) and volume (Units) by various products/services/equipment, demand assessment across the key regions, customer sentiments, price points, cost structures, margin analysis across the value chain, financial assessments, historical and forecast data, key developments across the industry, import-export data, trade overview, components market by leading companies, etc.

In addition, the long-term sector and products/services 10-year outlook and its implications on the global take out containers market. It also includes the industry's current state  Production Levels, Capacity Utilization, Tech quotient, etc. Key information will be manufacturing capacity by country, installed base, import volumes, market size, key players, market size, dynamics, market data, insights, etc.

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Request A Customization: https://store.rationalstat.com/store/global-take-out-containers-market/#tab-ux_global_tab

Global Take Out Containers Market: Segmental and Market Share Analysis

On the basis of type, by 2022, 85% of the market for takeaway containers will be dominated by plastic containers. Plastic packaging is best suited for effectively enclosing and safeguarding products during shipping.

On the basis of application, the fast-food market has expanded at a 5% CAGR throughout the projection period. The increase in people's disposable money is a factor in the expansion of the fast-food industry.

Report Synopsis

Report Metrics Details Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Base Year Market Size US$ 18.8 billion Market Size Forecast US$ 29.1 billion Growth Rate 5.6% Key Market Drivers Increasing Number of Restaurant Industry

Expansion of Online Food Delivery Platforms Companies Profiled Groupe Lacroix

Huhtamaki Oyj

Greenmunch

Faerch A / S

Genpak

Earthpak Canada

CiMa-Pak Corporation

Hubert Company LLC

Amcor plc

Silgan Holdings, Inc.

Explore more about this report: https://store.rationalstat.com/store/global-take-out-containers-market/#tab-ux_global_tab

Competition Analysis and Market Structure

These players adopt various strategies in order to reinforce their market share and gain a competitive edge over other competitors in the market. Mergers & acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations, and product launches are some of the strategies followed by industry players. Some of the key developments in the global take out containers market include,

In August 2021, Vegware announced that it is now a part of Novolex. It is envisaged that the acquisition of vegware products will enhance the company's line of eco-products and strengthen its position in Europe.

Some of the prominent players and suppliers operating and contributing significantly to the global take out containers market growth include Groupe Lacroix, Huhtamaki Oyj, Greenmunch, Faerch A/S, Genpak, Earthpak Canada, CiMa-Pak Corporation, Hubert Company LLC, Amcor plc, and Silgan Holdings, Inc. among others.

Get A Free Sample: https://store.rationalstat.com/store/global-take-out-containers-market/#tab-ux_global_tab

RationalStat has segmented the global take out containers market based on type, application and region

Global Take Out Containers Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Type Plastic Containers Paper Containers Others

Global Take Out Containers Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Application Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Fast Food Take-Away Others

Global Take Out Containers Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Region North America Take Out ContainersMarket US Canada Latin America Take Out ContainersMarket Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Western Europe Take Out ContainersMarket Germany UK France Spain Italy Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe Eastern Europe Take Out ContainersMarket Russia Poland Hungary Other CIS Countries Rest of Eastern Europe Asia Pacific Take Out ContainersMarket China Japan India South Korea Australia ASEAN Indonesia Thailand Philippines Vietnam Malaysia Rest of ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Take Out ContainersMarket GCC Saudi Arabia (KSA) United Arab Emirates (UAE) Rest of the GCC South Africa Nigeria Turkey Rest of the Middle East & Africa



For more information about this report: https://store.rationalstat.com/store/global-take-out-containers-market/

Key Questions Answered in the Take Out Containers Report:

What will be the market value of the global take out containers market by 2030?

What is the market size of the global take out containers market?

What are the market drivers of the global take out containers market?

What are the key trends in the global take out containers market?

Which is the leading region in the global take out containers market?

What are the major companies operating in the global take out containers market?

What are the market shares by key segments in the global take out containers market?

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Research Methodology

RationalStat has developed a state-of-the-art research methodology to crunch numbers and provide the best possible real-time insights to clients. We combine a varied range of industry experience, data analytics, and experts viewpoint to create a research methodology for market sizing and forecasting.

RationalStat combines a mix of secondary sources as well as primary research to assess the market size and develop a forecast. Key steps involved in accurately deriving the market numbers are:

Defining the problem by understanding the type of market and data required by the client.

Data gathering and collection through relevant paid databases, publicly available sources, company reports, annual reports, surveys, and interviews.

Formulating a hypothesis to create market numbers, forecasts, influencing factors, and their relevance.

Evaluating and analyzing the data by referring to data sources utilized and leveraged.

Validating, interpreting, and finalizing the data by combining the details gathered from primary and secondary sources with the help of experienced analysts.

Download Key Insights and Market Data: Raise a Query

About RationalStat LLC

RationalStat is an end-to-end global market intelligence and consulting company that provides comprehensive market research reports, customized strategy, and consulting studies. The company has sales offices in India, Mexico, and the US to support global and diversified businesses. The company has over 80 consultants and industry experts, developing more than 850 market research and industry reports for its report store annually.

RationalStat has strategic partnerships with leading data analytics and consumer research companies to cater to the clients needs. Additional services offered by the company include consumer research, country reports, risk reports, valuations and advisory, financial research, due diligence, procurement and supply chain research, data analytics, and analytical dashboards.

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Uzum Market, the leading e-commerce platform in Uzbekistan, has launched a line of FMCG products under its own brand, Oila Tanlovi ("Family Choice" in Uzbek). The product line offers the most popular items matching the needs of the customers, ranging from cleaning supplies to sauces and food products provided by best-in-class local and international manufacturers.

Uzum Market, the national e-commerce champion in Uzbekistan, is launching its own FMCG brand, Oila Tanlovi

"The quality of the Oila Tanlovi's curated product offering is ensured by high-quality local and international suppliers. Over the last three months, food product sales on our platform have soared by 50% compared to the previous months, while the demand for household and personal care products during the same period has grown by 40%. Uzum Market has effectively transformed into a one-stop shopping solution for millions of our customers all over the country across various product categories. We continue to expand our product range in close collaboration with our entrepreneurial partners," says Ilshat Khametov, the CEO of Uzum Market. "In addition, it's our priority to provide local entrepreneurs with a new and efficient platform allowing them to focus on selling products nationwide while Uzum is taking care of naming promotion, etc."

Currently, Uzum Market offers more than 600,000 SKU's from local companies and entrepreneurs. In July, Uzum Market set a national record by delivering over 1 million orders throughout the country. By the end of the year, Uzum Market plans to expand its product range to more than 800,000 unique listings and its geographical coverage to over 75 cities across the country, including smaller towns and locations.

For additional information, please contact: PR@uzum.com.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2205314/Uzum_Market_Oila_Tanlovi.jpg

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uzum-market-the-national-e-commerce-champion-in-uzbekistan-is-launching-its-own-fmcg-brand-oila-tanlovi-301921710.html

SOURCE Uzum Group
China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai during its launch ceremony on June 17, 2022. Li Tang/VCG via Getty Images

Wall Street firms and retired generals will discuss a hypothetical Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The "tabletop exercise" will take place next week in New York, sources told the New York Times.

It comes as the congressional China committee plans to meet with top Wall Street investors.

Wall Street firms and retired generals will meet next week to discuss a hypothetical Chinese invasion of Taiwan, sources told the New York Times' DealBook.

The "tabletop exercise" will take place in New York, and participants will explore the potential geopolitical and business implications of an invasion, the report said.

It comes as the congressional China committee plans to go to New York, where lawmakers will meet with banks, hedge funds and venture capital firms, according to the New York Times.

The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has scheduled a hearing on September 12 at the Council on Foreign Relations called "Systemic Risk: The Chinese Communist Party's Threat to U.S. Financial Stability."

Witnesses include former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, Kynikos Associates founder and President Jim Chanos, as well as J Capital Research founder Anne Stevenson-Yang.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin, appealed last month to the Biden administration to introduce stricter curbs on US investment in China.

"If American capital continues to flow to Chinese military companies, we are at risk of funding our own destruction," he later told the Financial Times.

Meanwhile, the committee is also probing BlackRock and MSCI over the asset manager and the index provider's roles in funneling American investments into shares of Chinese firms that have been flagged by the US over security concerns or human rights abuses, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.

According to the committee, stocks in some of BlackRock's funds or MSCI's emerging markets indexes include those of companies on US "red flag lists," some of which have helped advance Chinese military interests or have been involved in abuses in the China's Xinjiang region, where most of the country's Uyghur population is located.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Berkshire Hathaways chairman Warren Buffett, one of the most famed investors, still holds true to his forever motto that holding steady and being patient are key to successful investing.

See: 10 Stocks That Could Be the Next Apple or Amazon

See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts

The Oracle of Omaha is also known for investments that include safe dividend stocks  stocks that generate returns, which he then pours back into his investments  and the power of value investing.

Many investors revere his advice, which is not surprising. At 93, his fortune stands at $121 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Here are some of his most valuable tips.

The first rule of investment is dont lose. The second rule of investment is dont forget the first rule.

Buffett famously said the above in a television interview. He went on to explain that you dont need to be a genius in the investment business, but you do need what he deems a stable personality.

Our favorite holding period is forever.

Jay Zigmont  PhD, CFP and founder of Childfree Wealth  said hes with Buffett on that one.

There is an older study by Fidelity that found the best investors were dead, said Zigmont. The thing about dead investors is that they just leave their accounts as is and invest for the long-haul. Without knowing it, dead investors are following Buffetts advice to hold stocks forever.

As for the living, what we can learn is that the concept of simple, passive, long-term investing works, Zigmont added.

Jack Bogle  Vanguard founder  said it this way: Dont do something, stand there! Most people would be best off picking ETFs that reflect the market as a whole, buying them, and not selling them unless they need the money. Each time you buy/sell, you incur costs and may lose focus on long-term investing, added Zigmont.

Never bet against America.

In his 2020 shareholder letter, Buffet wrote to never bet against America. He explained that while much of finance, media, government and tech is located in coastal areas, its easy to overlook the many miracles occurring in middle America.

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In its brief 232 years of existence, however, there has been no incubator for unleashing human potential like America. Despite some severe interruptions, our countrys economic progress has been breathtaking. Beyond that, we retain our constitutional aspiration of becoming a more perfect union,' he wrote. Progress on that front has been slow, uneven and often discouraging. We have, however, moved forward and will continue to do so. Our unwavering conclusion: Never bet against America.

If you arent willing to own a stock for 10 years, dont even think about owning it for 10 minutes.

This quote encapsulates Buffetts long-term perspective, as one of his best-known attributes is patience and holding steady.

He wrote this in his 1996 letter to shareholders, stating: Your goal as an investor should simply be to purchase, at a rational price, a part interest in an easily-understandable business whose earnings are virtually certain to be materially higher 5, 10 and 20 years from now. Over time, you will find only a few companies that meet these standards  so when you see one that qualifies, you should buy a meaningful amount of stock.

He added that investors should also resist the temptation to stray from these guidelines.

Im a Self-Made Millionaire: These Are the 6 Investments Everyone Should Make During an Economic Downturn

Be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy.

This quote has been reiterated countless times by Buffett, who initially wrote it in his 2004 letter to shareholders.

As he explained in the letter, Over the last 35 years, American business has delivered terrific results. It should therefore have been easy for investors to earn juicy returns: All they had to do was piggyback corporate America in a diversified, low-expense way. An index fund that they never touched would have done the job. Instead many investors have had experiences ranging from mediocre to disastrous.

He said this stems from several issues: high costs, usually because investors traded excessively or spent far too much on investment management; portfolio decisions based on tips and fads rather than on thoughtful, quantified evaluation of businesses; and a start-and-stop approach to the market marked by untimely entries (after an advance has been long underway) and exits (after periods of stagnation or decline).

Investors should remember that excitement and expenses are their enemies. And if they insist on trying to time their participation in equities, they should try to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful, he wrote.

Buy wonderful businesses at a fair price.

Buffett explained in a speech that hed been taught to look around for things that are cheap and buy on a quantitative basis. While he said he did this for years, he explained that this is not a way to make money. Hence, now, he would rather buy a wonderful business at a fair price, than a fair business at a wonderful price.

Buy only stocks that you can understand.

I have an old-fashioned belief that I should only expect to make money in things that I understand, Buffett once remarked. What Buffett means is that while you dont need to understand the intricacies of what a product is or how it works, you have to understand what the economics of the business are likely to look like decades from now.

Big opportunities in life have to be seized.

He argued that one of the biggest mistakes he made, which ended up costing Berkshire a lot of money, was due to not seizing an opportunity that was right in front of him.

The biggest mistakes he said, by far, are mistakes of omission and not commission. The things I knew enough to do, they were within my circle of competence, and I was sucking my thumb.

Omission is way bigger than commission. Big opportunities in life have to be seized.

The key to investing is not assessing how much an industry is going to affect society, or how much it will grow, but rather determining the competitive advantage of any given company and, above all, the durability of that advantage.

According to Nathan Brunner, CEO at Salarship, Buffetts quote can be distilled into a simple yet profound mantra for investors: Invest in companies, not industries.

For example, there has been a huge hype around AI technologies recently. The mistake I see many investors make is that they want to invest in any company as long as it is AI-related, said Brunner. It is a really bad investment strategy because it doesnt consider the nuances and disparities between individual companies within the AI sector.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Warren Buffett: 9 Money Making Rules To Live By No Matter Your Age
Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Poolbeg Pharma (LON:POLB) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

View our latest analysis for Poolbeg Pharma

When Might Poolbeg Pharma Run Out Of Money?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at December 2022, Poolbeg Pharma had cash of UK16m and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through UK5.0m. Therefore, from December 2022 it had 3.3 years of cash runway. A runway of this length affords the company the time and space it needs to develop the business. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Is Poolbeg Pharma's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Poolbeg Pharma isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. Over the last year its cash burn actually increased by a very significant 67%. Oftentimes, increased cash burn simply means a company is accelerating its business development, but one should always be mindful that this causes the cash runway to shrink. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years.

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How Easily Can Poolbeg Pharma Raise Cash?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Poolbeg Pharma shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Poolbeg Pharma's cash burn of UK5.0m is about 14% of its UK35m market capitalisation. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.

How Risky Is Poolbeg Pharma's Cash Burn Situation?

As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Poolbeg Pharma's cash burn. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. While its increasing cash burn wasn't great, the other factors mentioned in this article more than make up for weakness on that measure. Based on the factors mentioned in this article, we think its cash burn situation warrants some attention from shareholders, but we don't think they should be worried. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 6 warning signs for Poolbeg Pharma (2 are significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
President Xi Jinping's absence at the G20 summit this weekend in New Delhi may prove a disadvantage for China in its competition with India as the leading voice of developing countries across Asia, Africa and South America.

With its growing diplomatic and economic influence on the global stage amid heightened geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, experts said, New Delhi regards the summit as its moment to act as a bridge between the West and the Global South - as Xi has chosen to skip the event.

According to Manjari Chaterjee Miller of the Council on Foreign Relations, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi perceives the G20 presidency as a "big opportunity to showcase" India's credentials - and "of course China has been watching this".

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She said that as a "rising power over the last few years", New Delhi has been aggressively courted by Western countries - a member of the Global South with "very strong partnerships with the West".

China claims a superpower competition with the US, but Miller noted that it continues to call itself a developing country, raising the question of Global South leadership.

And, she said, Xi does not want to validate Modi's bigger stage to speak for the developing world. "You know, 'Yes, we're not going to come to this. We're not going to send President Xi to attend the summit, which has been clearly so important to you for the whole year,'" she added.

Relations between the neighbouring nations have been rocky since deadly clashes along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020, with more than 18 rounds of negotiations failing to ease tensions.

New Delhi also regards Beijing's push to expand Brics - the developing world economic association both belong to - as a threat to its influence in the group.

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Last month, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were invited to join Brics. China is the top trading partner of all the new members, except for Argentina.

However, Miller noted, India's G20 agenda includes a "lot to do with Global South priorities", from climate finance to multilateral development bank reforms to food insecurity.

She added that having the leaders of G20 countries available for meetings on the sidelines would be beneficial for Modi and New Delhi generally.

"President Biden is going to be meeting with Mr Modi, I believe; Mr Modi is scheduled to meet the king of Saudi Arabia as well. And so the fact that Mr. Xi is not coming is not simply a fact that he's not attending G20. It also means that he is not open to these side meetings."

Students give final touches to a painting of Modi and US President Joe Biden, at an art school in Mumbai. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS alt=Students give final touches to a painting of Modi and US President Joe Biden, at an art school in Mumbai. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS>

Heidi Crebo-Rediker, a former chief economist at the US State Department, described the G20 summit in New Delhi as "particularly strategic" with a "sharp geopolitical backdrop".

"President Biden will want to support Prime Minister Modi to try and make the G20 as a platform more inclusive and, really, to cement US commitment as a partner to emerging markets," she said.

Xi's absence was "a big deal" and "a loss for China", Crebo-Rediker said: "I think that Xi is trying to downgrade the platform itself by not showing up."

"The India bilat that will be held ahead of the G20 between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden on the world stage is a great opportunity for both to step into a vacuum that Xi has left in a key relationship," she added.

Miller, however, cautioned that because of divisions on the Ukraine war, none of the group's recent ministerial meetings had been able to produce a joint communique of unified purpose. Failure to produce a leaders' declaration, she said, would be a setback for India's ambitions.

"If you're a country that says 'look, we are the country that can actually be the bridge between the Global South caucus and the Western grouping - and we are unable to bring these countries together.'"

"Well, if you can't produce a statement that actually speaks to that, you're a little bit shooting yourself in the foot with a goal that you set for yourself," she 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.

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Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg has tossed his hat in the ring to be Nebraskas next State Treasurer, confirming to the Tribune on Thursday night the media reports that he had been one of at least four candidates to apply for the appointment to be made by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen.

In a brief statement texted to the Tribune, Spellerberg said his focus will remain on city issues despite his interest in the state treasurer job.

I have applied to be the Nebraska State Treasurer. I was encouraged by many people in Fremont and around the state to apply, Spellerberg stated in his text message. I will follow Gov. Pillens appointment process. My focus remains on our budget, Fremont Transit Program and the many other exciting things happening in our community.

During an 8:30 a.m. ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the kick-off of the new Fremont Transit Program, Spellerberg did not discuss his application with the Tribune or during a brief speech he gave to celebrate the new van ride service.

Spellerberg is in the third year of his first term as as mayor of Fremont, being elected in November 2020 and taking office in December 2020. He has already been campaigning for a second term as mayor, having unofficially declared his candidacy for another term in June and hosting several fundraising events.

According to a news article first reported by the Nebraska Examiner at about 6 a.m. Thursday, Spellerberg was one of four total applicants for the appointment to the state treasurer role. That application period opened on Aug. 30 and ended at 5 p.m., Sept. 6, according to the official website of the governor.

The Nebraska Examiner article reported by Aaron Sanderford stated that in addition to Spellerberg, the three other applicants were: State Sen. Julie Slama; Taylor Royal of Omaha  who was a former treasurer candidate; and Rachel Biar of Dorchester, who is the Nebraska assistant state treasurer. The Examiner article stated that all four had confirmed to the website news outlet that they had applied.

Laura Strimple, a staff member in Gov. Jim Pillens office, confirmed to the Tribune at 7 p.m. Thursday that Spellerberg, Slama, Biar and Royal had submitted applications to be appointed state treasurer. However, Strimple said other applicants had also filed applications but she would not be able to confirm those peoples identities until Friday morning.

The current state treasurer is John Murante. However, he announced his resignation after accepting a new job as director of the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems. Murantes last day of work as state treasurer is Sept. 18, and according to the governors website, Pillen intends to make an appointment quickly.

If Spellerberg is chosen by Pillen to become the next state treasurer, under the Fremont Municipal Code, City Council President Mark Jensen would automatically be appointed as the interim mayor until the next election  which is in November 2024.

On Thursday, Jensen said he was not aware that Spellerberg was seeking to apply for the state treasurer role until he learned of it after the initial story was published online.

No, I did not know about it, Jensen said, adding in the event Spellerberg does get chosen by Pillen, that he would become mayor through the end of Spellerbergs term.

Under Fremont Municipal Code Sec. 2-204  Council President; election; term; duties, if there, a vacancy in the office of mayor, or in the event the mayor is absent or unable to fulfill the duties and obligations of his office, the president of the council shall exercise the powers and duties of the office until the vacancy shall be filled, such disability is removed, or in the case of temporary absence, until the Mayor returns.

In the event Spellerberg is chosen as state treasurer, and Jensen becomes interim mayor, then under the citys Municipal Code Sec. 2-209  Filling vacancies for elective officers, Jensen would appoint a person to replace him as Ward 3 Council Member  a move that would need to be voted on an approved by the other seven council members.

The Mayor shall fill by appointment any vacancy which may exist, caused by death, resignation or disability of any elective officer of the City. Such appointment of the Mayor shall be subject, however, to approval of the majority of the Council in accordance with Neb. R.R.S.  32-560, that section of the code states.

Ward 2 Council Member Glen Ellis  who lost to Spellerberg in the 2020 mayoral election  said in a telephone interview with the Tribune that he learned of Spellerbergs application to be state treasurer only early Thursday morning.

At 5:30 a.m., the article came out, Ellis said of when he saw the news. I was shocked, but I kind of expected it. I always knew he had bigger aspirations.
The new Fremont Transit Program is officially open with Mayor Joey Spellerberg kicking off the new van-based, inner-city ride service on Thursday morning at a small ceremony near the citys municipal building garage at Eighth and C streets.

The new service replaces to a degree the former Eastern Nebraska Office of Aging five-county transit service that ended on June 30. The Fremont Transit Program will only pick up and drop off riders within Fremont city limits and 2 miles extended outward from the citys boundaries. The prior ENOA service covered a five-county region.

Spellerberg briefly addressed a crowd of about two dozen city staff, transit program employees and members of the Fremont Area Transportation Taskforce. That group  also known as F.A.T.T.  was instrumental in helping with the formation of the program, which is 90% funded by state grants.

Ever since the Eastern Nebraska Office of Aging decided not to continue their service, it has been one of my goals within the city, as well as the city council and our staff to get this back going again within the city of Fremont, Spellerberg said. We had great meetings with stakeholders throughout the community. Over 80 people showed up at a meeting to discuss the importance of transit in Fremont. Over the last few months, we have been on this journey to get to this point today where we have our first rides.

Gesturing to the assembled crowd at the ceremony, Spellerberg singled out several people critical to the programs development and kickoff.

There are a lot of people to thank  Angie Olson and Nick Hansen on our city staff really took over this program and got us to where we are at. We have Dakota, our dispatcher, and Tammy, our driver who had driven for ENOA for over 20 years, Spellerberg added. My goal is we really serve the community well. Ive always said, were going to start small and do it right and hopefully expand it in the future. We couldnt have gotten here today without a real team effort within the city and within the community and everybody that made this a priority.

Service detailsThe van ride service operates five days a week  Monday through Friday  and serves only areas within the Fremont City limits and 2 miles outward from the city boundaries. The ride service hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with door-to-door pick up and drop off.

Spellerberg said he hopes residents use the service for all their transportation needs.

We want this to be a benefit to the people of Fremont. If you need to go to a doctors appointment, if you need to go to the grocery store  wherever you need to get around in town, we want the Fremont Transit Program to be there for you, Spellerberg explained. We want to provide a good service. I would just ask the people of Fremont to be patient with us.

When the service begins charging riders on Nov. 4, a fare of $2 will be charged after that date for a one-way ride and $4 for round-trip service. Although fares are set at $2 for one-way trip, to receive that price, riders are required to schedule an appointment for a ride at least 48 hours in advance. No change can be given out by drivers, so anyone paying for a ride with cash must have exact change. Tickets can also be purchased at the Fremont Municipal Building, at 400 E. Military Ave.

To make a reservation, riders can telephone 402-459-2845 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents who are 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, who officials noted, will be responsible for providing, installing and removing any necessary safety or booster seats.

Parents and legal guardians do not ride for free like a personal attendant, and must also pay a fare to ride. The service has a requirement that scheduled riders be ready 15 minutes prior to their pick-up time.

The three vans that were purchased from the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging are ADA-compliant as well as wheelchair accessible. For disabled riders or others with mobility issues, a personal attendant of the rider will be able to join the primary rider at no cost, officials explained in an earlier press release.

Interested riders or caregivers seeking more information can check out the transit page on the citys website: fremontne.gov/984/Fremont-Transit-Program. Questions can also be made by telephone, at 402-459-2845.
The following incidents were responded to by the Fremont Police Department (FPD). All information is received directly from FPD Capt. Kurt Bottorff. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

On Wednesday, Sept. 6, at about 2:13 p.m., officers were dispatched to a parking lot in the 800 block of East 23rd Street in reference to a possible impaired male. The individual was located, and an investigation was completed. Michael T. Mortenson, 29, of Blair was arrested for disorderly conduct.

On Thursday, Sept. 7, at about 12:07 a.m., officers responded to the 700 block of North Broad Street in reference to a physical altercation. An investigation was conducted resulting in the arrest of Martin Pulido Torress, 32, of Fort Bragg, California, for disorderly conduct, and third-degree assault.
Every year, children at Fremont Alliance Preschool take a trip to Hawaii.

Not a real trip to the tropical island, but an imaginary journey that includes a pretend flight to a room where they can munch on pineapple and look for seashells in a sandy area.

Its all part of the fun amid learning for children ages 3 through 6 who attend preschool in the church at 1615 N. Lincoln Ave.

On Saturday, the preschool will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an open house from 2-4 p.m. in the church. Refreshments will be served at the event which is free and open to the public.

Those who attend can see the place where generations of children  an estimated 1,000  have been taught alphabet letters, colors, numbers, shapes and social skills, while also learning Bible stories.

The preschool began in 1983 after three church members  Terry Walters, Linda Von Behren and the late Virginia Nelson  decided to launch it.

They had a dream to create something for little children, who were not quite ready for kindergarten, said Lynnda Johnsen, director and teacher.

After a few years, Virginia Nelson wanted to return to teaching in the public school system. By then, Johnsen had taught with Nelson for three years.

Nelson asked Johnsen if she would take over the preschool. Johnsen didnt think she could do it, but her predecessor knew better.

I know you can do it, because Ive watched you these last three years, Nelson said.

Johnsen said that gave her the confidence to try it and she took the helm in 1987.

It was difficult, at first, because I depended on her (Nelson) and now it was up to me, Johnsen said.

But before long, Johnsens daughter, Julie, came aboard to help.

We were able to finish each others sentences and we work really well together, Johnsen said.

Julie was 18 years old and still in high school when she began helping in the afternoons in 1992.

The next year, Julie became the secondary teacher.

Julie and her husband, Kelly Johnson, married in 1999. Shes called Miss Julie to avoid confusion since she and her mom have very similar last names.

Throughout the years, the women have shared many great memories with children and their families.

Weve had a lot of fun, Johnsen said. Weve had some really great parents, who have given of themselves.

For example, one family has taken kids and teachers on hayrack rides. Another family, who owned a dairy farm, let the children come out and bottle feed calves.

It was so adorable, Johnsen said.

A farmer brought a piglet to the preschool and a variety of other animals and reptiles have stopped by as well.

Somebody brought a lamb, so we had a lamb in the classroom, Julie said. Weve had snakes and hedgehogs.

Someone even brought a horse, which stood outside the church.

Human visitors, like Fremont Police officers, a nurse and a dentist, have paid a visit to the preschool as well.

Throughout the years, children have gone on field trips to various places including a John Deere dealership and the Fremont Fire Department. Theyve gone Christmas caroling at Gifford and Stanton towers.

As a Christian preschool, the women read Bible stories to the children. Colorful posters in the room feature animals and Bible verses.

More than once during the year  which starts in September and ends in May  the preschool classroom becomes a place of adventure. The women have brought in a tent so the children could go camping.

At the end of the year, the children get to pretend to fly to Hawaii. Their backpacks serve as their luggage and they get a ticket to board an airplane made from chairs and table in the church fellowship hall.

Mrs. Johnsen is the pilot and Miss Julie is the flight attendant.

When the plane lands, the children go to a room decorated with paper surf boards and palm trees. Miss Julie, now dressed in a Hawaiian outfit, gives each child a lei and says Aloha.

We have a tasting party with pineapple and kiwi and mango, Johnsen said.

The children sit on beach towels.

Its very fun, Julie Johnson said. We have extra games that day.

The children go bowling with pretend coconuts. They look for seashells in sand in containers on a tarp.

We have a lot of fun here, but more than the snakes and the animals and the field trips, our main goal at the Fremont Alliance Preschool is to share the love of Jesus, Julie said.

The women credit God for keeping the preschool going for four decades.

We pray for which children he wants to come and he brings them, Johnsen said.

The women appreciate all the support from the church and are grateful for the role theyve been able to play in childrens lives. Children theyve had in preschool have gone on to become teachers, government officials, police officers and firefighters. Now, former students are bringing their children to the preschool.

Its coming full circle and its amazing to see how faithful God has been, Julie Johnson said.

The women have seen sad times in the preschool, like when one students father died. Another time, a family lost their home in a fire.

Yet the women have been able to share their love and have seen the preschool community rally behind families during those times.

Weve also seen a lot of joy as families have new babies, Julie said.

The women have many good memories.

Its 40 years of joy, Johnsen said.

And its been years of doing what they love  working with preschoolers.

I love teaching them, Julie said. I love making them laugh and I love helping to love to learn. I love when they get a new concept and the joy on their face when they understand it  and I got to be a little part of it and that makes me happy.

There are still openings for students for this school year. The class for 4- and 5-year-old children is from 9-11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The class for 3-year-old children is from 9-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, call the church at 402-721-5180.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has announced the winners in NDAs annual Poultry Photo Contest.

The contest was open to Nebraska 4-H and FFA members. The winning photographs are featured in a 2024 calendar that includes biosecurity information poultry owners can use to protect their flocks from diseases.

Kelsey Bunn of North Bend was one of the students who submitted a winning photo for this years contest.

NDAs 2024 calendar featuring poultry photo contest photographs and biosecurity information can be viewed and downloaded from NDAs website at nda.nebraska.gov/animal/avian.
In the Colorado Springs area, the need for affordable housing - and fears that growth is not being managed responsibly - is at an all-time high, some economic and development experts believe.

During a town hall meeting hosted by The Gazette and KOAA on Thursday, panelists from several city and El Paso County departments, Colorado Springs Utilities, the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corp. and more weighed in on the topics of water availability, public safety and the job market and addressed discrepancies between what officials and the public may see as "good growth."

The Springs has gained almost 109,000 people over the past 20 years, reaching a population of just over 485,000 at the halfway point of last year, according to the most recent estimate available from the Colorado Demography Office, which tracks population and other demographic trends.

El Paso County's population has grown from about 500,000 to 755,000 since 2000 - a 43% increase - and about 10,500 people are moving to the county each year, according to Tatiana Bailey, executive director of Data Driven Economic Strategies.

"Most of the growth that's happening in the state of Colorado, percentage wise, is here in El Paso County," Bailey said.

Affordable housing

Those surges have made the issue of affordable housing one of the top hot-button topics in recent years and Thursday.

Bailey said that kind of demand warrants a need for roughly 8,500 new permits for multifamily and single-family units per year, but could fall about 14,000 units short by 2028, accounting for projected growth.

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, the percentage of homes sold in the county that were affordable - costing less than 30% of one's household income - was just under 75%, Bailey said.

That number is now 25%, up from 18% at the worst quarter of the pandemic, she said.

According to city chief housing officer Steve Posey, the lack of affordable housing is affecting people across generational and socioeconomic groups.

This is no longer an issue that is just touching lower income households, "Posey said. "This is an issue that is of concern for everybody in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.

The region's average age is trending younger, around 35, and younger people tend to average lower salaries. More and more high school and college graduates are staying in their parents' homes, leaving both groups "stuck" with few options, he said.

Posey said even many of those moving to the region for professional work, like X-ray technicians and other health care workers, for example, qualify for the kind of housing authorized under Proposition 123, an initiative passed in November that will direct $300 million per year in TABOR refund revenues into affordable housing programs statewide.

Residents over age 65, the county's second-largest demographic and many of whom live on fixed income, have also seen home, apartment and senior living rent prices skyrocket, Posey said.

Even so, residents have repeatedly voiced in many a city and county planning commission hearing, online discussion platform and question submitted to the panelists that water use and growth - especially of apartment buildings and massive subdivisions on the urban fringe - has gone too unchecked for too long.

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"I am concerned with the number of multifamily apartment buildings currently in our city in addition to the number of new units being built," one resident wrote. "Why is there such emphasis on this type of housing and high rent costs versus encouraging residents to invest in property and more permanent housing?"

"Why is our housing so low?" another asked.

Meggan Herington, director of planning and community development for the county, said that while nearly everyone recognizes the need for affordable housing, many residents have voiced opposition to the building methods - mixed and high-density land use - experts say are needed to address the issue.

"What we typically hear from citizens is ... that (new development) is 'too dense, there's not enough transition, we don't have enough buffers,'" Herington said. "I ask the question back to the citizens, what does smart growth mean to you?"

Herington said any perception that swaths of project requests brought before the county are rubber stamped is mostly false.

In 2023 so far, her department has received over 400 major development applications, such as for rezoning or subdivision plats, she said. Of the 500 "early assistance meetings" held so far with applicants before submitting plans, only 40 of those were about rezoning, just half of those went forward and even less were approved.

"If you ask me if we have a growth problem, I would say no," Herington said. "I would say that we are doing something right because people want to come and live here."

Bailey said the things that are "working right" are not as "sensationalized" as what's not.

"We do have to compromise and think about what type of growth do we do we want and how can we embrace it?" she said. "Were going to have to make some concessions.

Water

In the arid west, residents and officials agree that development and water discussions go hand in hand.

Lisa Barbato, chief officer of system planning and projects for Colorado Springs Utilities, said its supply of roughly 95,000 acre-feet of water exceeds its customers' current demand of 73,000 acre-feet and is being mitigated through the service's "sustainable water plan," a 50-year "roadmap" for meeting future needs.

That comprehensive plan involves adding water supplies, replacing invasive grass species and using other conservation techniques and mitigating fire danger around watersheds, she said.

"We are using the same amount of water we used 40 years ago with our population on nearly doubling," Barbato said. "Our community has really responded in a responsible way, and that is really allowing us that buffer to grow within our community."

The Colorado Springs City Council in January approved a controversial water ordinance that requires CSU to have 128% of the water necessary to serve existing city demand and the projected demand from new properties, a move that benefits existing developers within the city and could block large annexations planning to build new neighborhoods.

Posey, the city housing officer, encouraged residents to continue to participate in planning hearings regarding new developments, but said many applications that do make it that far have done the work to adhere to master growth plans.

"We should be able to rely on the folks who have done the hard work of figuring out whether or not we've got that supply available," he said. "I hope that we don't need to revisit it every time we get a new subdivision plat ... or a new apartment building that comes up."
The writers address the issue of increasing the age to knowingly possess, purchase, or sell a firearm from the age of 18 to 21 years old.

Point: Sage Naumann

The best of intentions often precedes the drafting of the worst policies. Senate Bill 23-169 is no deviation from that rule. The desire to end gun violence  especially when it victimizes our children  is a universal cause. The unjustified ending of life is not only the gravest violation of liberty but violates our shared morality as a nation.

Though raising the age to own a firearm to 21 seems to check the boxes on paper, it falls short in effectiveness and principle.

On effectiveness, the results are inconclusive.

The Rand Corporations analysis of the handgun age minimum couldnt draw a conclusion on whether the policy prevents mass shootings or violent crime, though it found it might reduce suicides.

FBI data isnt the most comprehensive, but its the best weve got. According to their latest numbers (2020), 59% of firearm murders were committed with a handgun, where the ownership age is set at 21, compared with just 3% for rifles and 1% for shotguns (a whopping 36% is unknown). Raising the age for rifles and shotguns seems to simply be boiling the frog one degree at a time on gun rights, as handgun murders are still leading the pack decades after the federal government banned the sale to those aged 18 to 21.

On principle, Ill begin with a rhetorical question. Why not raise the age to 25, 35, 47, or 72?

I understand. We, as a nation, decided to arbitrarily choose 21 as the age at which an individual can vote (which we then reduced to 18). Then, you had to be that age to have a pint, and eventually to have a smoke. Why not guns? Unfortunately, there isnt much more justification for choosing 21 other than it is consistent with previous policy, and unlike beer and cigarettes, the right to bear arms is a constitutional right.

An 18-year-old is a legal adult. They get the privilege of jail and prison if they violate the law, the privilege to get married (and divorced), to fight in our wars, and vote for the elderly to continue leading our nation (see: last column). Setting the age of adulthood at 18 is also arbitrary, but it is fair in that everybody archives autonomy, agency and liability at the same age. Telling those adults that they get the liability now, but the full autonomy and agency later seems to defeat the point.

The same political party that seeks to raise the age for a constitutional right is also flirting with the idea of lowering the voting age to 16, at least for local elections.

It would be entertaining if it werent serious. If we are to set the minimum age to own a firearm at 21, we should also consider raising the age of adulthood.

Or, if some folks on the left desire to be honest about where this is all truly heading, they should debate the repeal of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

For now, the courts have blocked Democrats attempt to curtail the constitutional rights of 18-to-20-year-olds. Lets hope that sticks.

Counterpoint: Lisa LaBriola

Last legislative session, the General Assembly changed state law to increase the age to knowingly possess, purchase, or sell a firearm from the age of 18 to 21 years old. SB23-169 was created with the goal of lowering gun violence that has been increasingly present among our youth.

The bill did take into consideration (exempting) those who are active members of the U.S. armed forces and those who are peace officers or hold a certification from the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T) board.

As a preliminary count, there have been 470 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. An act that is defined by four or more individuals injured or killed in that single circumstance, a number that has continued to increase annually and does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

In addition to this, the general gun deaths among children in the United States have risen by almost half from 2019 to 2021 with 2,590 children having firearms listed on their death certificates as the underlying cause of death.

Whats more disturbing is the breakdown of those numbers: Homicide was the largest single category of gun deaths among children and teens in 2021, accounting for 60% of the total that year. It was followed by suicide at 32% and accidents at 5%.

Mental and behavioral health have been recurring topics between my good friend Sage and myself and is a dominant conversation in all areas of government.

The COVID pandemic exacerbated this number with studies showing an increase in anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, and tension being the most observed among youths.

We know the brain continues to develop throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. With the additional stressors of the pandemic and the absolute ease in which a child can obtain a firearm, wouldnt we want to increase the age in which one can purchase a weapon to 21?

Wouldnt we benefit from allowing for more time for cognitive and emotional development, which can help individuals better understand the responsibilities and potential consequences associated with owning a firearm?

This additional time could also contribute to making more informed decisions about gun ownership. As we age so does our impulse control and emotional maturity, wouldnt we like to offer a deterrent for the impulsive decisions that lead to acts of violence?

Wherever you might land on this debate can we at least start to understand that this is not an all or nothing solution? That it is incumbent upon us to do all that we can to address this crisis?

Age restrictions exist in every facet of life and while we continue to leave things at status quo and not find solutions, our children are going to continue to be victim to our politics.

Sage Naumann is a conservative commentator and strategist. He operates Anthem Communications and was previously the spokesman for the Colorado Senate Republicans. Follow him on Twitter @SageNaumann. Lisa LaBriola is a principal at Husch Blackwell Strategies and was a Senate Democrat staffer for close to a decade. She served as chief of staff to former Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman and former Senate President Leroy Garcia. Opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect the opinions of any other organizations.
More than a half dozen Colorado judges are still delinquent in updating missing personal financial disclosure statements with state officials, despite a Denver Gazette investigation that flagged them about the problem two weeks ago.

There were 15 judges delinquent as of Thursday  one of them on the Appellate Court bench  but the number more than halved after The Denver Gazette sent each of them an email asking for a comment or explanation why.

The Secretary of State's Office said seven judges from a list of nearly 60 did not have financial disclosure forms on file this year  some of them for even longer  following the Denver Gazette's investigation that ultimately revealed nearly 1 in 6 judges across Colorado had failed to file the document despite a law requiring it.

The disclosures are a financial accounting of a judges personal holdings, as well as those of their family. It is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine up to $5,000 to willingly not file. Public officials  from the governor and legislators to county judges and members of certain boards and commissions  are required to file the disclosures with the Secretary of States Office each January.

The original list of judges without filings grows even longer when senior judges, those who officially retired but remained on the bench in a limited capacity, are added. Nearly all of the senior judges  there are 50  hadnt filed the document with the secretary of state since retiring, some longer than a decade ago, although they do file them with the judicial department as a requirement to be a senior judge. There is no specific exemption that says senior judges are not required to file the document with the secretary of state.

Several judges contacted The Denver Gazette last week to say they had filed the disclosure following the newspapers story, some even producing fax logs or copies of the document as proof. A handful pointed to emails sent to The Denver Gazette when the initial story broke in which they said they had taken care of the problem. Many called the missed filings "an oversight." One said she simply mistyped the email address to make the filing, but did not say whether the email had bounced back undelivered.

A Secretary of States Office spokesman said it double-checked its records and could not find disclosures for the seven, but did for the remainder. The office did not immediately say whether senior judges were in compliance. There is no automatic confirmation when a filing is made that shows its been accepted.

Yuma County Court Judge Kristei Jones hasn't filed a disclosure since he was appointed by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper in August 2018, secretary of state records show. The former mayor and city councilman of Wray on Colorado's Eastern Plains is a rancher with no law degree, other records show. His position is a part-time one and Yuma County is one of the smaller Colorado counties where a county judge need not be a lawyer.

Jones did not respond to emails seeking comment.

When contacted, two judges told The Denver Gazette last week that they were filing the disclosures immediately and offered no explanation why they hadnt done so until now. A third judge said he ignored the initial story, believing he had properly filed the disclosures previously, only to realize now that he had not.

And Denver District Judge Lisa Arnold emailed The Denver Gazette this week to say her current disclosure is filed and that she would file backdated ones as the info  I need to complete them is sent to me.

Arnold had not filed any disclosures since she was appointed to the bench in January 2020, The Gazette previously reported.

One of the seven  Mesa County Court Judge Bruce Raaum  insisted he had faxed his disclosures both times The Denver Gazette contacted him, in July and again in August, and provided fax logs to show he had. The Secretary of State's Office on Friday said it did not have any document from Raaum.

Sedgewick County Court Judge Myka Landry said "although my oversight and the resulting inquiry has caused me much angst," she was "grateful" to learn that it was an email problem that kept her filing in July from getting to the Secretary of State's Office. She said the oversight shouldn't have happened and that she doubted "it will ever happen again."

As before, several judges again did not respond to Denver Gazette emails seeking comment or explanation, including Appeals Court Judge Elizabeth Harris.

Harris had previously told the newspaper in July that she would check on her two missing disclosures  2016 and 2020  but then did not respond to additional emails asking about the outcome of her inquiry. The Secretary of States Office said Harris filed the missing disclosures Thursday, a day after The Denver Gazette emailed her again.

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One new judge, 22nd Judicial District Judge William Furse in Durango, said he doesnt think hes violated any law by not filing. The Denver Gazette had earlier identified him as one of the judges the Secretary of States Office said had not filed a disclosure for 2023.

Furse said he believed the statute applies to him only after he was actually sworn in to the job and not before.

Gov. Jared Polis officially appointed Furse on Aug. 31, 2022 to fill a vacancy that was to come with the retirement of District Judge Douglas Walker. But Furse didnt begin his term until Walker left on Jan. 10, 2023.

The disclosure law only says that judges are required to file by the Jan. 10 following his or her election, reelection, (or) appointment.

Furse, who had been the district attorney for the 22nd Judicial District and had previously filed the annual disclosures until he left that office in 2020, told The Denver Gazette hed file his disclosure as a district court judge next January  a year after hell have already been on the bench  and not before.

Im of the mind that Im not required to disclose until later this year or to disclose information that was before the effective date of my appointment, Furse said in a telephone interview.

Furse added in an email: Again, it is my intent to fulfill my judicial financial disclosure requirements when this time comes on Jan. 10, 2024.

The judicial department has said it does not interpret any laws unless it is a matter of litigation, and it does not interpret laws for individual judges. The department sends out a yearly reminder to all judges about their obligation to file the required disclosure forms, even if there are no changes to report.

Rep. Mike Weissman, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said the spirit of the law shouldnt be ambiguous.

Any judge who is presiding over cases from the bench and deciding Coloradans rights under the law should have a financial disclosure on file, regardless of other provisions in the disclosure laws about timing of those filings, Weissman said. If there needs to be a legislative change to ensure the law is clear on that point, then we will look at that.

That some judges still have not filed their disclosures after the newspaper stories troubled Weissman.

I really hope any judicial officers not yet in compliance with filing requirements will prioritize getting their filings in, Weissman said.

Following The Denver Gazette story, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline requested extensive information about the entire filing history of more than 100 judges  the 56 identified by the newspaper who are still on the bench and the 50 senior judges  from the Secretary of States Office, according to emails obtained through an open records request.

The information provided to the commission showed that some of the judges had a history of missed filings that extended further back than just the years identified by The Denver Gazette, according to the emails.

The commissions work by law is secret so its unclear if its launched a full-blown inquiry. Outcomes of official investigations, under the current rules, are public only when a recommendation for discipline is made to the Colorado Supreme Court.

Censures are generally private, which means the public never learns of them except in an annual report that describes them generally without identifying the offending judge.

Voters will be asked in 2024 to change how the states judicial discipline system works, including when investigations become public.
El Paso County sheriff Deputy Dalton Bridges will not be having his trial this year, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Bridges was scheduled for a motions hearing on Thursday afternoon, where his attorney informed the court that they would be requesting a new trial date.

According to Bridges' attorney, his primary attorney is dealing with a medical issue that required surgery and is prohibiting him from working for the next few months. Bridges' trial was originally scheduled to begin on Oct. 16.

The prosecution did not object to the several-month set over, but noted that the victim would like to see the trial come sooner rather than later.

Bridges was arrested in January after investigators say he made unwanted sexual advances toward a woman, and that when she tried to leave he grabbed her and dragged her back inside the home.

Detectives investigating the case acquired doorbell security camera footage from the night of the incident, and according to an affidavit the woman can be heard crying and repeatedly telling Bridges no, no, no, and I dont want to go in there. Bridges can be heard yelling get the (expletive) back inside before dragging her back inside the house.

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The woman told detectives that Bridges forced her to perform sexual acts on him and to have sex with him, and when she told him that it hurt and asked him to stop Bridges told her I dont care, according to the affidavit.

Before the victim reported the incident to law enforcement, Bridges tried to downplay the incident by sending text messages to the victim saying, You always take it so personally when thats not the case ever, the affidavit states.

Attorneys agreed that Bridges' new first day of trial will be next year on Jan. 22, 2024, but he will return to court prior to that on Dec. 21.

Bridges appeared to court on Thursday out of custody after posting the $50,000 bond to be released from jail after his arrest. Bridges waived his right to a speedy trial to accommodate the four month setback of his trial.
A Colorado Springs man accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Riley Whitelaw in a Walgreens breakroom last year is set to face trial at the end of the month after his attorneys and the prosecution announced Thursday that they were ready for trial.

Joshua Johnson, whose trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 25, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Whitelaw, his co-worker, at the Walgreens on Centennial Boulevard and Flying W Ranch Road on June 11, 2022.

Johnson was scheduled to go to trial May 8, but the case was delayed when the defense requested that Johnson undergo a competency evaluation.

Separate evaluations concluded that Johnson was competent to proceed, and a trial date in September was scheduled.

Whitelaw told her manager that Johnson made her feel 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, her manager told her it would require her to work with Johnson.

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Johnson was arrested a day after Whitelaws death by Colorado State Patrol while walking along Interstate 25 outside Trinidad.

Attorneys said they anticipate Johnson's trial to take around two weeks, with opening statements expected to be given Sept. 26 or 27, depending on how long jury selection takes.

Johnson remains in custody at the El Paso County jail on a $10 million bond.

He and his attorneys will return to court Sept. 22 to discuss which prosecution exhibits of the crime scene can be admitted at trial.
A Colorado Springs pastor and music teacher was arrested following a child exploitation investigation, according to police.

The police department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit on Wednesday received a tip from the FBI office in Colorado Springs about a former church pastor and music teacher in the area who was in communication with a couple from Mexico who were exploiting children.

On Thursday, police arrested 30-year-old Jonathan Shaheen in the 5200 block of Stirrup Point.

Shaheen is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a child.

According to a LinkedIn profile under the same name, Shaheen was employed as the general manager of the School of Rock in Colorado Springs and has worked as a pastor at TimberCreek Church.

The Gazette is working to get more information.
After a 2-year stint of bitter infighting, calls for resignation and voting against the grain, Ivy Liu is no longer a School District 49 board member.

D-49s legal counsel cited her recent move outside of her director district as reason for vacating the position and said she is ineligible for reelection because her candidate petition failed to receive enough valid supporting signatures to make the ballot.

Liu moved houses in August to retain eligibility in Novembers school board election after the lines of her director district were changed last spring. Those boundary changes will not take effect until after the election, meaning that although her move would have allowed her to seek reelection with proper signature support, she is no longer eligible to serve out the remainder of her term. Board members must at all times reside within the districts they represent.

Although it is sort of complicated, bottom line is this is about maps and math, and maps and math are not really subjective, Superintendent Peter Hilts said. The map is, do you or do you not live in the area that you aspire to represent? The math is, did you or did you not get the required number of signatures?

D-49 legal counsel Brad Miller said Liu failed to receive 50 valid signatures supporting her candidacy, the minimum amount required to run for election. Documents Liu shared with The Gazette show more than 60 people signed her petition, including several people she said were from outside her district. As a result, she claims she had 54 valid signatures.

Miller, whom Liu has publicly criticized and who in November launched an investigation into her conduct, said Liu only received 46 valid signatures. Although he did not have anything to do with the verification process  a responsibility reserved for a trained and certified district election officer  it is possible several more signatures were invalidated because the signers did not reside within the correct director district, he said. Liu refutes these claims.

As of Thursday, Lius position was listed as vacant on the D-49 website. Liu told The Gazette she has not yet been notified about her removal nor told she was disqualified from running for reelection after filing her candidate petition last week.

He will keep coming at you until he gets you, and he thinks hes succeeded, but Im not done with it, Liu said of Miller.

Lius school board tenure includes alleged attempts at strong-arming her from her position, she said. She twice endured public censures for her conduct, which the board said violated district policy.

Tensions notably came to a head at a Nov. 10 meeting when a 3-2 board majority passed a resolution asking Liu to resign. Liu had earlier that month come under fire for quoting Hitler on Facebook in what she said was an attempt to point out toxic ideologies and indoctrination infiltrating Americas education system.

She said she helped spearhead the districts moves to ban critical race theory and end its mask mandate. She also regularly challenged the districts approach to improving academic performance, which she says garnered her many enemies right away.

Theyve been trying to get rid of me, Liu said. They are thinking this might be it with the election, but they dont know who theyre dealing with. Im going to do everything I can to fight this.

Voters in D-49 chose in 2015 to transition away from an at-large model, in which all board members represent the district as a whole, to a director district model, in which each board member is elected to represent one of five areas within D-49. Board members must live in the area they represent, and per statute, director districts must be nearly equal in population size.

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Growth has since dramatically changed D-49s layout. Boundaries that in 2015 saw 3.2% variance between director district population sizes had more than 43% by 2023. The board voted 3-2 this spring to redraw its director district boundaries to better comply with statute, thereby writing Liu out of her district in a move she characterized as dishonest gerrymandering.

Theyre counting on the fact that if they just wear you down  they want to take out the enemies, and Im just not going to let them, Liu said. This is it. This is their last resort.

Liu searched for ways to retain her board position despite the new boundaries.

Experts say there is a gray area in state law regarding a school board candidates residency requirements. Whereas state Legislature candidates must live in their districts a year before election, law is less specific for school board elections.

On Aug. 24 Rachel Amspoker, a staff attorney with the Colorado Association of School Boards, told Liu in an email obtained by The Gazette that the statute is unclear whether you need to be a resident of the director district at the time of the election or the time you file the petition and said it would be safer to reside in her director districts new boundaries at the time she files her candidate petition, which had a deadline of Sept. 1. Amspoker sought additional clarity from the Colorado Secretary of States Office.

My interpretation of that statute has been that it is something required of the candidate on the day they are elected. I have based this conclusion on the fact that the statute does not set a time-limit of any kind on how long the candidate must have been at the residence to qualify, Caleb Thornton, the legal, policy and rulemaking manager for the Secretary of States Office, wrote in an email to Amspoker.

Interpretations from CASB and the Secretary of States Office suggest Liu would be eligible for election as long as she moved by Election Day. Liu said she moved on Aug. 25 out of an abundance of caution, but district officials still challenged the legitimacy of her candidacy.

Miller said his legal opinion is that Liu would be ineligible for election based on residency requirements, but that matter is irrelevant because she did not receive enough signatures in her support.

Thats a black and white line, Miller said.

The confusion surrounding Lius candidacy is unprecedented because most school districts do not follow director district models, and candidates rarely go to such lengths for elections, according to Hilts. As such, D-49 is navigating uncharted territory and facing new residency questions.

Its very unusual for a person to try to change their residency for the purpose of establishing a candidacy, so theres not a lot of precedent, and we had to rely on plain language interpretation and guidance from others, Hilts said. Once you know any one of the requirements are missing, then the other ones become either irrelevant or moot.

Before the district reached a final ruling on whether Liu met residency requirements, it found she lacked enough valid signatures.

Headed into November, three of five school board seats will be up for grabs. District two has two verified candidates, district three has three verified candidates and Lius director district, district five, has one verified candidate. Liu is not among them, but her campaign partners Deb Schmidt and Mark Cravens are seeking election to director districts two and three, respectively. She intends to support their campaigns.

In a season when accusations fly and are easy, its more important than ever to trust and verify proven processes. Thats why I have such confidence in our county clerk and recorder and in our elected official because theyre trained, theyre certified, and we trust them with reason to do a great job, Hilts said.
More traffic. More housing. More business.

Colorado Springs is growingfast. But how fast is too fast?

The city has grown by 38% in the last 30 years, and while civic leaders and businesses are embracing it, some residents are concerned the city's growth is not being managed responsibly.

At 5:30 p.m., The Gazette and KOAA will host a panel of local experts in Studio Bee at the Pikes Peak Center to discuss growth in the Pikes Peak region.

Panelists for The Gazette's latest Colorado Conversations town hall include:

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Tatiana Bailey, executive director of Data Driven Economic Strategies

executive director of Data Driven Economic Strategies Lisa Barbato, chief officer of system planning and projects at Colorado Springs Utilities

chief officer of system planning and projects at Colorado Springs Utilities Meggan Herington , El Paso County director of planning and community development

, El Paso County director of planning and community development Theresa Metcalf , VP of economic development at Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC

, VP of economic development at Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC Steve Posey, Colorado Springs chief housing officer

We'll post the discussion online when it's over. Look out for an alert in your inbox and on your phone.

Read the Gazette's special report on growth in Colorado Springs here.
Police are searching for the driver who hit a cyclist and left them to die Wednesday night, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Officials said at 10:46 p.m. police received reports of a hit-and-run crash in the area of Astrozon Boulevard and Hancock Expressway.

Upon arrival, officers discovered a bicyclist who had been struck by a car. They were pronounced dead on the scene.

Initial investigation efforts indicated the bicyclist was traveling south in a northbound lane when a car struck the bicyclist and fled.

No vehicle or driver description was available. The identity of the victim has not been released to the public.
Fair shows confidence in opening up service sector

China Daily) 09:02, September 08, 2023

People visit the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services at China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept 4, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services that concluded in Beijing on Wednesday was a complete success. The five-day event attracted exhibitors from 83 countries and international organizations and nearly 280,000 visitors. The dazzling array of products, the crowds, and the eye-catching transaction data all point to confidence and are a lesson for those in the West who are predicting doom for the Chinese economy.

The United Kingdom, the guest of honor country at the event this year, sent the largest delegation in four years, consisting of more than 60 companies and institutions. The British exhibitors said they did not believe in "decoupling". Even companies from the United States participated actively; Qualcomm and Intel had brought a number of technologies and solutions.

Those who are saying that the Chinese economy is collapsing should see the confidence the world reposes in its second-largest economy. China's large market and the new opportunities presented by the transformation of consumption are the source of this confidence. Offline exhibitors at the fair included more than 500 of the world's Top 500 and leading enterprises, covering most major service sectors and countries and regions strong in service trade.

At present, China is gradually shifting from commodity consumption to both commodity and service consumption, and is constantly expanding the policy certainty of opening-up. China has basically opened up its manufacturing sector to foreign investment and is in the process of opening up its service sector. At this service trade fair, China clearly proposed to expand the opening-up of such service fields as telecommunications, tourism and vocational examinations, and it will accelerate the introduction of a national negative list of cross-border service trade and start the construction of the first batch of national service trade innovation and development demonstration zones. For foreign businesses, a higher level of opening-up, as these moves indicate, means greater development opportunities.

China's continued efforts to move up the value chain are also noteworthy. In 2022, China's total investment in research and development reached about 3.09 trillion yuan ($422 billion), an increase of 10.4 percent over the previous year, and accounting for 2.55 percent of GDP.

Trade in services is a new engine of China's economic growth, which bears witness to the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy. Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese economy has continued to recover and has generally picked up. As many analysts point out, China will remain the engine of global growth for the foreseeable future.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
The American political party of law and order is on the verge of suicide.

Much of the Republican Party struggles to decide which principles define it  other than an unapologetic fealty to Donald Trump. The party of free market economics erupts into applause when Trump proposes a 10% tariff on foreign imports. The party of Reagan  who hastened the demise of a Soviet Union and freed Ukraine from communist control  now demands a brokered peace with Russian aggressors that would undeniably result in parts of Ukraine falling back under control of Vlad the Invader, formerly of the KGB. A GOP that once proudly touted their commitment to law and order, now seeks to impeach, derail, and defund any prosecution it deems politically unworthy.

The methods employed are  predictably  Machiavellian. As with so much of politics these days, the process is an irrelevant hindrance on the way to the proper ends. Who and how a prosecutor is removed is less important than the fact that a prosecution is ended, namely the prosecution of Donald Trump. I am no fan of the cases being prosecuted against Trump.

From my perspective based on my limited exposure to criminal law over the past 28 years, the strongest of the four prosecutions against the once (and future?) POTUS is the Jack Smith/DOJ effort in Florida. It is targeted, restrained and consistent with past applications of an established law. Alvin Braggs indictment could only happen through the tortured application of a felony statute only to extend the statute of limitations to prosecute misdemeanor behavior (at best).

Jack Smiths Jan. 6 DC case, as well as Fani Willis in Fulton County, appear to be ambitious, aggressive prosecutions based upon novel, untested, expansive applications of the law. And that makes them feel like they are motivated by something other than justice. It makes them seem political.

However, I am a fan of our criminal justice system and the checks against an overly zealous prosecutor who brings weak cases to court.

In America, our trust in the outcome of the system  conviction, acquittal or otherwise  is based on a system that demands more from prosecutors than anyone else and is designed to make convictions difficult to achieve and maintain. Trumps cases must be permitted to go through that process.

Elected prosecutors seek indictments from grand juries comprised of members of the community. Those indictments are reviewed by judges accountable to voters (in the state system). Judges rulings on evidence and other matters are appealable to other unrelated judges, whose decisions are also appealable. Juries picked in part by the defendant are told that a finding of guilt only can occur if it is beyond a reasonable doubt  and unanimous. And those verdicts can be appealed and overturned. They could be appealed all the way to a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices. And prosecutors can be recalled or denied reelection by a vote of those they represent.

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For some Republicans, that process cannot be trusted. It must be circumvented in exchange for an expedient end they think best.

In Georgia, some Republican state legislators began urging the removal of elected District Attorney Fani Willis through a newly signed law (S.B. 92) that created a brand-new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission. Each member of the commission is appointed by Republican politicians and is empowered by the law to discipline and remove elected prosecutors for  among other things  the incredibly subjective and vague conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the office into disrepute. All that is required for a complaint made by any person to be entertained is that it is plausible that the prosecutor made the decision to prosecute based on the undefined term undue bias or prejudice against the accused . This law, which goes live Oct. 1, is not altogether unusual, but the GOP-advocated use of it to hijack a Trump prosecution is unprecedented and unwise.

Remember that rules exist across the U.S. that require prosecutors to recuse themselves when there is a conflict of interest in any case they handle, as well as providing for review of the failure to recuse. In Colorado, a statute permits a judge subject to a regular vote of the public to disqualify a DA on a particular case only upon a showing that the district attorney has a personal or financial interest or finds special circumstances that would render it unlikely that the defendant would receive a fair trial.

That is insufficient for those who know the right outcome.

Georgias Marjorie Taylor Greene has bootstrapped any vote to fund the government to the defunding of Special Counsel Jack Smiths prosecution efforts. She is not alone in that proposal. Again, a system centuries in the making is on the verge of becoming overwhelmed by the siren song of political expediency. That it is the Republican Party on law and order and the rule of law leading that charge only makes that effort more perverse and sad.

So, here we are, at a place America has never been  testing the institutions that have defined and sustained our experiment in self-governance. And they  and we  are at risk of being burned to the ground for, well, you know who.

No politician is worth that. Let the process proceed.

George Brauchler is the former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District. He also is an Owens Early Criminal Justice Fellow at the Common Sense Institute and president of the Advance Colorado Academy, which identifies, trains and connects conservative leaders in Colorado. He hosts The George Brauchler Show on 710KNUS Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter: @GeorgeBrauchler.
We recently took exception to a federal court program starting this month that will provide pro bono, or free, legal advice to Colorado inmates representing themselves when filing lawsuits from behind bars. It is only one such program among others in the federal and state prison systems pairing pro bono lawyers with prisoners.

A federal court ruling in Denver this week vindicated our skepticism anew.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit shut down a nearly 3-year-old complaint by a former El Paso County jail inmate about the way his jailers dealt with the COVID pandemic behind bars. It was good riddance to another nuisance lawsuit filed by a jailhouse lawyer with too much time on his hands and an apparent scheme to tie up the system.

As reported by The Gazette, Heshimo Yaphet Carr filed a grievance in November 2020 claiming the jail was failing to protect him from the coronavirus. He wanted the facility to hew to public health recommendations, which of course jails did to the extent possible.

If anything, the system was too accommodating. County jails as well as state prisons came under pressure to release inmates for fear of spreading infection in close quarters. Judges were reluctant to jail suspects. Naturally, crime on our streets soared.

Carr claimed jail personnel intentionally put him in a cell with a COVID-positive inmate, and he filed a second grievance a couple days later. A jail staffer reviewed Carrs grievance and found it very general and that it does not identify an emergency situation.

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Carr then filed a federal lawsuit, acting as his own attorney. Last spring, a U.S. District judge dismissed his claims. The judge found the inmate failed to follow the jails basic protocols for reporting a problem, as required by the Prison Litigation Reform Act. Congress enacted the law in 1996 to curb such frivolous lawsuits by incarcerated plaintiffs. Carr appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, arguing the jail was required to read and respond to emergency grievances like his within 48 hours. He said it didnt, entitling him to file suit.

The appeals court justices in their ruling issued this week, however, agreed with El Paso County that the jailers, and not the jailed, determine whats an emergency. The county in fact accused Carr of lying in wait to sue after 48 hours instead of following the proper steps. The court sided with the county and found that absent an emergency, the jail staff had fully 10 days to respond to Carrs original complaint and had complied with that requirement.

Theres no indication, meanwhile, that Carr ever contracted COVID.

But he does have quite a history with Colorados justice system  both as a plaintiff and as a lawbreaker. A quick check of The Gazettes archives reveals the year after his purportedly harrowing jail stint amid COVID, Carrs name appeared in The Gazette among the, Most wanted in Colorado Springs: Heshimo Yaphet Carr  age 48, 6 feet tall, 194 pounds  sought on suspicion of failure to register as a sex offender, stalking, protection order violation, harassment and habitual offender.

Carrs name also turned up in a 2019 federal lawsuit he filed  you guessed it  over another stay in the El Paso County jail. That time he claimed a detentions deputy had taken religious materials from him. The U.S. District Court found his complaint legally frivolous, and the appellate court deemed it a frivolous appeal. Case closed.
Coloradans now have a seventh minor political party to choose from when casting ballots and registering to vote.

The Colorado Center Party was officially recognized as a minor political party on Wednesday, after at least 1,000 registered voters affiliated with the group by July 1 when it was a qualified political organization, the Secretary of States Office announced.

The Colorado Center Party launched in January 2022, aiming to "bring civility back to politics" and "protect us from the far left and the far right," according to the party's website. The Center Party supports abortion and cracking down on polluters, as well as cash bail systems and securing U.S. borders. It describes itself as fiscally responsible and socially inclusive.

"The Colorado Center Party hopes to attract candidates to run under its banner in the sensible center that are independent minded and would have otherwise run as independents," the party said in a release Wednesday.

Colorado GOP plans to use caucuses, assemblies to pick delegates if lawsuit keeps Trump off ballot

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With its official designation, the Center Party may now nominate candidates for offices in general elections, instead of having candidates petition on to the ballot.

"The two major parties have continued to veer out to the extremes of left and right, leaving an opportunity for the Center Party to attract many of the 47% of Colorados voters who are unaffiliated and fed up with the hyper-partisan views of the two major parties," the party said.

A minor political party is any political party other than Colorado's two major political parties, Democrat and Republican. The Center Party joins six other minor parties in Colorado: the American Constitution Party, Approval Voting Party, Green Party of Colorado, Libertarian Party of Colorado, No Labels Colorado Party and Unity Party of Colorado.

To maintain its status, the Center Party must either have a candidate for statewide office receive at least 1% of the total votes cast within the last two general elections, or keep 1,000 registered voters affiliated with the party within the last two general elections.

State Rep. Marc Snyder to run for Colorado Senate
A federal judge last week declined to order the University of Northern Colorado to return a disabled student to campus for the 2023-2024 school year, weeks after the school suspended him for violating the code of conduct.

In July, a UNC official determined Jackson Vollmer was responsible for defying a no-contact order the school issued between him and another student, and barred him from campus for one year. Vollmer responded with allegations UNC violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to accommodate his disability in the lead-up to his suspension.

On Sept. 1, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer denied Vollmers request for a temporary restraining order that would have required UNC to let Vollmer return for the current school year. Brimmer found Vollmer had failed to show how he would be irreparably harmed without court intervention, and also observed that Vollmer had waited five weeks after his suspension to file suit.

Brimmer subsequently ordered UNC to respond to Vollmers related request for a preliminary injunction by Sept. 15. The injunction would have the same effect as a temporary restraining order, but would not provide immediate relief.

An attorney for Vollmer did not immediately respond to a question about why he did not file suit sooner. Deanna Herbert, a spokesperson for UNC, said the school stands by its investigation into this matter and the outcome of that process.

According to his lawsuit, Vollmer has autism spectrum disorder, a language processing impairment and other conditions that qualify him as disabled under federal law. In 2022, he started school at UNC through its GOAL program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A female student, identified as Student A, reportedly began harassing Vollmer, deluging him with messages and phone calls and causing him distress. In March, UNC issued a no-contact order to both of them.

UNCs notice did not explain the terms or conditions of the order in any way appropriate or reasonable for an intellectually disabled person to understand, Vollmers attorneys wrote.

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Student A allegedly continued to contact Vollmer. Although he ignored many of her attempts, Vollmer did respond to or contact Student A on a handful of occasions.

In March, Vollmer attended a hearing to discuss his violations of the no-contact order. Jala Randolph, a UNC staff member, issued a letter afterward noting Vollmer had contacted Student A on three occasions.

Due to the severity and nature of these violations, you have been assigned the following sanctions and restrictions, she wrote, explaining that Vollmer would be suspended for one year, would not be allowed on campus and would need to write a research paper about setting healthy and clear boundaries in friendships.

Even were Plaintiff not intellectually disabled, this outcome would be startlingly severe, Vollmers attorneys wrote in the federal lawsuit. UNCs hearing officer explicitly acknowledged that Plaintiff repeatedly requested that Student A cease communicating with him, but then blamed him for continuing to communicate with her thereafter.

Vollmer also alleged the no-contact order was not explicit that he was forbidden from replying to Student As communications. UNC failed to account for his disability and his processing capabilities before and during the hearing, and after the imposition of punishment, he argued.

Brimmer found Vollmers motion for a temporary restraining order failed to comply with several requirements, but, fundamentally, Vollmer failed to show why he needed immediate readmission to UNC for the current school year.

While it is true that Plaintiffs suspension denies him the opportunity to attend UNC, which may constitute irreparable harm, Plaintiff fails to show an exigent need to remedy that situation, Brimmer wrote. Further, Plaintiffs TRO motion was filed over a month after he was suspended and was filed after the 2023-2024 school year began.
Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order Thursday to expand apprenticeship programs within state agencies, a move he hopes will help address staffing shortages.

While there are two unemployed Coloradans for every open job in the state, the skills of applicants often don't align with the skills needed for the jobs, Polis said. By offering more apprenticeships, prospective employees can get the necessary training and experience to transition to full-time employment, while being paid during their education period.

"The state as an employer is not exempt from the same trends that are affecting many other employers," Polis said. "We're one of the larger employers in the state and like many companies, organizations, nonprofits and universities in our state, it's difficult to fill all those positions."

The order requires state agencies to increase their number of apprenticeship programs by 50% by June 30, 2024, and directs every department to implement at least two new work-based learning programs by Dec. 30, 2025, such as apprenticeships, internships or fellowships.

Only seven of Colorado's 19 cabinet-level state agencies currently have active apprenticeship programs, state officials said Thursday.

By June 30, 2025, 10 new work-based learning programs must also be created for agencies with high vacancy rates or multi-department positions. Polis named nursing, social work, corrections, transportation, administration and human resources as agencies with the highest need.

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"We need everything from snow plow drivers, to prison guards, to people who process taxes, to park rangers, you name it," Polis said. "We need to do a better job recruiting and retaining great people to work for all of the great career opportunities the state offers."

Colorado has over 300 active apprenticeship programs with more than 6,000 participants, including those within state agencies and in the private sector.

Though focused on state workforce needs, the new executive order will also offer technical assistance and support to the private sector to add 100 new private apprenticeship programs by June 30, 2024.

Polis said he hopes this support, in addition to the state's internal focus on work-based learning, will create a ripple effect inspiring the creation of more apprenticeships throughout the state.

"We call upon companies across Colorado to innovate, as well, in this area," Polis said. "We are showing leadership as a state, moving forward and modeling best practices around work-based learning."

Polis was surrounded by dozens of state officials during the signing at the Governors Residence at Boettcher Mansion. Attendees included Sen. James Coleman, Sen. Tom Sullivan, Rep. David Ortiz, Rep. Sheila Lieder, Office of Economic Development Director Eve Lieberman, Department of Labor and Employment Director Joe Barela, and Office of the Future of Work Director Katherine Keegan.
Colorado Republicans want to use an internal party process to award delegates to next years Republican National Convention if a lawsuit filed this week in state court succeeds in keeping Donald Trump off the ballot in next springs Colorado presidential primary.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday by four Republican and two unaffiliated Colorado voters seeks to prevent Trump from ever appearing on a Colorado ballot again, alleging that the former presidents efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election disqualify him from holding federal office under a provision of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Adopted after the Civil War, the amendment bars anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution from federal office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion. The plaintiffs in the 115-page lawsuit  including a former state Senate majority leader and a former GOP congresswoman from Rhode Island  argue that Trump violated his oath by recruiting, inciting and encouraging a violent mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a futile attempt to remain in office.

Blasting the move as an attempt to weaponize our judicial system, state GOP Chairman Dave Williams told The Gazette the party is preparing a backup plan to pick presidential delegates solely through the caucus and assembly system, instead of basing delegates on the results of the states presidential primary on Super Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

Colorado Republicans are demanding their party fight back and stop these extremists, Williams said in a text message. This ridiculous lawsuit is rallying Republicans across Colorado and will likely have the opposite effect of what was initially planned.

The lawsuit, helmed by liberal DC-based watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, asks the court to expedite the matter so it can be resolved before Colorados primary ballot is finalized. State law sets a deadline of Jan. 5, 2024, for the secretary of state to certify the presidential primary ballot.

Williams said hes been in touch this week with the Republican National Committee and intends to ask the partys state central committee to approve an alternative plan to allocate convention delegates at its Sept. 30 meeting in Castle Rock.

If their lawsuit is successful, then we will push to have all of our national delegates selected through our caucus and assembly process and bypass any rigged presidential primary election entirely, Williams said in an email to state Republicans.

This is not what Colorado Republicans want to do but we will reserve the right to pursue this course of action to counter the crooked schemes of these phony conservatives who are clearly acting as surrogates for Jena Griswold and radical Democrats.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat and the states chief election officer, is charged with certifying state ballots. Shes named as a defendant in the lawsuit, along with Trump.

Williams said he anticipates the lawsuit will fail  the plaintiffs lack standing and its premature, since Trump hasnt qualified for the ballot yet, Williams said  but wants a plan in place in case.

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At a minimum, we will not allow our delegate allotment and allocation process to be influenced by those who want to use the courts to defeat a candidate they oppose. Thats undemocratic, he told Colorado Politics.

Mario Nicolais, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, told Colorado Politics that hes unsure whether the party can put in place what could amount to an end-run around an eventual court ruling but added that he doubts it will matter.

Furthermore, I think other candidates may have a problem with it, the Lakewood-based veteran election law attorney said in a text message. As for our lawsuit, it doesnt make any difference. We dont believe he (will be) eligible to be on any ballot ever again.

The lawsuit asks the court to rule Trump ineligible to be listed as a candidate on the 2024 Republican presidential primary election ballot and any future election ballot.

Added Nicolais: I think if they try to put Trump on regardless, it will be a mess. But I do like that they seem to understand our lawsuit is strong enough that they are worried.

Williams took a direct swipe at Nicolais in an email sent to state Republicans, describing him as being among a group of desperate Never-Trump activists, led by Mario Nicolais, a failed GOP primary candidate who was rejected by voters for being too liberal.

Nicolais lost a bid for the GOP nomination for a legislative seat in 2014. He changed his registration to unaffiliated the day before Trump was inaugurated in 2017, later telling Colorado Politics that he thought Trump was dangerous to our country and to our entire system of government.

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include former Republican Senate Majority Leader Norma Anderson, a Lakewood Republican; Denver Post columnist Krista Kafer; former U.S. Rep. Claudine Cmarada, who represented Rhode Island in Congress when her last name was Schneider and lives in Colorado; and, Michelle Priola, the wife of state Sen. Kevin Priola, the Henderson Democrat who switched parties a year ago after winning election to his seat twice as a Republican. Andersons daughter-in-law, Pam Anderson, was the 2022 Republican nominee for Colorado secretary of state but lost the election to Griswold.

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert on Thursday slammed the lawsuit on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Democrats in Colorado now want to try and keep Trump off the 2024 ballot, the longtime Trump ally said. Imagine calling yourselves the party of saving democracy while actively seeking to block a candidate from the ballot for no particular reason other than you know hell win.

While Trump carried Colorados presidential primary by an overwhelming margin in 2020, when the incumbent faced only nominal opposition, the Republican lost the states general election to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by about 5 percentage points and lost the 2020 election in the state to President Joe Biden by more than 13 percentage points.
A Chabad Jewish center is coming to Corvallis to serve members of the religious community in and around Oregon State University, especially students.

The center, called Chabad of Corvallis and OSU, will be led by Rabbi Menachem Angster, who said the Chabad center is opening up to a very interested and excited Jewish community.

Doors will open come Tuesday, Sept. 26 at his home.

"We are not a temple and at this time are not offering services. We are opening Chabad to provide a safe, loving place for every Jew to express and celebrate their Judaism and Jewish pride with Shabbat meals, holiday programs and learning opportunities for all ages," Angster said by email.

Chabad is an observant Hasidic movement. Angster said he saw a need to introduce the sect to Corvallis after several visits in the past year and spending time with the Jewish community in and outside of Oregon State.

"Everywhere you see a Jewish community, there is Chabad there," Angster said by phone.

"There was a lot of warmth and a lot of excitement," he said about the visit and the idea of bringing Chabad to Corvallis.

Angster envisions the Chabad of Corvallis and OSU as a community center where Jews can steep themselves in the teachings, wisdom and centuries-old traditions of the faith with which he fell in love as a young boy growing up in Baltimore.

He said he hoped that the center would join the citys lone synagogue in enriching the spiritual lives of the members of the local Jewish body.

Angster strikes Rabbi Phil Bressler of Corvallis Beit Am Synagogue as warm and energetic, he said, adding he is happy to welcome Chabad of Corvallis and OSU to the community.

"I think Rabbi Angster and Chabad will bring an aspect of the diversity of Jewish practice (namely, traditional Hasidism) that hasn't been represented institutionally here," Bressler said by email.

His congregation, Bressler said, is a pluralistic Jewish community that welcomes a spectrum of perspectives when it comes to Jewish practices.

"And at the same time, we're strongly committed to values that are, for us, core Jewish values, like egalitarianism, inclusion of interfaith families, and full inclusion of LGBT folks," Bressler said via email.

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"Therefore, some practices, like gender-separated seating for prayer for example, are just not something we can accommodate," he said, adding that it is gratifying to know that the needs of some members of community will be met by the new addition.

In response, Angster said Chabad serves not only Orthodox Jews.

"In fact, Chabad across the world helps non-Jews in various ways as well. We are welcoming to Jews regardless of denomination, affiliation or background," he wrote in an email.

Angster said anyone with interest in learning about or participating in the traditions and practice of the Hasidism are most certainly welcome.

"Were not here to step into other peoples traditions or practices, Angster said.

Editor's note: This article was edited to clarify the description of Chabad.

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Photo: Pixabay

Hi Doctor, I am feeling fatigued, depressed, overwhelmed and disconnected.

Well, nothing really shows up on your physical exam and lab tests. I think you need some noctcaelador.

Nocta-what?

You need to go stargazing

I met John one day by serendipity. He lived next door to my childhood friend Leon.

He was a tall, lanky, late 20s, bespectacled man, with a small van dyke beard and dark, loose, ruffled clothes. He pulled boards at the local sawmill for work and had long slender calloused fingers. John was an accomplished painter and amateur astronomer.

He also showed me his impressive homemade telescopes he made himself. They were large cylindrical tubes that measured up to a foot in diameter and six to eight feet in length. He delicately sanded his own lenses and mirrors. He let me look at the moon, planets and stars with his large powerful telescopes. It was amazing to look at the detail and clarity of these celestial objects. John stirred a passion in me for astronomy and spawned a lifelong interest in stargazing.

There are only a handful of scientific studies on the effects of noctcaelador, or nighttime stargazing, on human health. There is obviously little financial incentive in doing a placebo-controlled double-blind study on stargazing and some aspect of disease. Yet some of the benefits of stargazing may be undeniable.

During a search, I stumbled across the work of an American psychologist, William E Kelly who had a keen interest in studying some of the effects of nighttime stargazing on the health of some college students.

Kelly first coined the term noctcaelador in 2003 when he published a paper on the effect of night time stargazing in relationship to a students approach to academic achievement.

According to Kelly, noctcaelador was associated with greater openness to new ideas and experiences, increased investigative ability, increased artistic proclivity, a more rational approach to problem solving, increased need for cognition and thinking, a propensity to engage in fantasy, a tendency to become focused and deeply involved and being attentive to stimuli of interest and a willingness to consider unusual ideas and possibilities.

In one study, Kelly looked at the relationship between interest in watching the night sky and sleep length and coping mechanisms. One hundred and five college students completed the noctcaelador index. A decrease in sleep length was associated with an increase in night sky watching and was correlated with an increased ability of coping mechanisms. Coping ability was associated with better cognitive and behavioural strategies during stress and tension.

In another study, 251 university students filled out the Kelly noctcaelador index questionnaire. Increased night time stargazing was associated with increased reflective coping mechanisms. Individuals high in noctcaelador had a higher rational approach to reacting to stressful situations and an improved rational approach to problem solving.

And in yet another study, 140 university students completed the noctcaelador index questionnaire where a higher score on the index scale was associated with a higher openness to experience and appreciation of aesthetic values.

Better stress reactions and coping mechanisms were observed. An increased familiarity and tendency towards more traditional values was also observed in those that scored higher on the NI scale.

In August 2003, a total grid power outage left about 50 million people in the north-eastern parts of Canada and U.S. without power. Many calls to emergency services reported an eerie haze or fog in the sky. The haze or fog was simply the visual appearance of the Milky Way galaxy.

Many people didnt realize that they were seeing the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky for the first time. The environmental and human effects of artificial light have not been fully studied. Many people are blinded by the artificial light, especially at night. They cant, or dont, see the true beauty of the night sky. Light pollution is an increased or excessive amount of artificial light upsets the balance of natural darkness.

The renowned cosmologist and physicist Stephen Hawking was once quoted as saying, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you dont just give up.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical advice. All information and content are for general information purposes only.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: The Canadian Press McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna on, Aug. 18.

Canada's record-setting wildfire season is spurring the federal government to consider how to tackle future fires, floods or earthquakes.

Minister for Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan said Thursday that could mean a more national approach to disaster response, as the government announced $65 million in federal funding for wildfire response in six provinces and territories.

"We're looking at all different types of disasters, doing the lessons learned and we'll come out with the appropriate response," Sajjan said at a news conference that included several other federal cabinet ministers and MPs.

"I would say all options are currently on the table, but we don't have an answer for you yet," said the minister responding to a question about Canada forming a national force to battle wildfires.

"We're looking at wildfires, yes, but we also need to look at floods. We also need to be ready for potential earthquakes."

Firefighting is largely a provincial responsibility but provinces have requested federal help from the Canadian Armed Forces and elsewhere this wildfire season. They also put out the call to thousands of international firefighters from countries including the United States, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.

The latest federal government forecast said Canada's already unprecedented 2023 wildfire season could continue late into the fall or winter.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said there is potential for increased wildland fire activity from eastern Alberta through to central Ontario at least until the end of this month, while fires in B.C. and the Northwest Territories will continue to smoulder.

"Indeed, despite the arrival of cooler night temperatures and decreases in lightning activity in the fall, ongoing warm and dry weather may contribute to new fire starts, and their remains a likelihood that some existing fires may continue to be active through September and possibly later into autumn or even winter," Wilkinson said.

He announced $65 million in federal funding for wildfire equipment and other supports for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

B.C. and the Northwest Territories have signed deals to receive their full allotments under Ottawa's wildfire and equipment fund, amounting to $28.5 million for the territory and $32 million for B.C. over five years, Wilkinson said.

The federal government's Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate fund will provide $256 million to provinces and territories through to 2027, he said.

The six provinces and territories are the first to get funding under the program, which will add resources and people to fight wildfires, Wilkinson said.

He said the "big picture" facing Canada is that wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense.

"The science is clear, the root cause of this is climate change," Wilkinson said.

Sajjan said climate change has been having a significant impact across Canada, and preparing for more natural disasters is necessary.

"I've been talking to various community leaders, mayors in B.C. and across the country when it comes to emergency preparedness," he said. "We will be talking to many other countries on how their system works, whether it's systems in the U.S., U.K. (or) Japan."

Wilkinson said the Natural Resources Canada fund will allow provinces and territories to cost-share investments for training and equipment, including vehicles, mobile units and new technology.
Photo: Goodyear Police Dept.

Its probably not the strangest item ever donated to a Goodwill store. But employees of a thrift store in the Phoenix area knew exactly what to do when they saw what looked like a human skull in one of their donation boxes: Call police.

Officers responded to the store in Goodyear on Tuesday night and took possession of the skull, which was covered in spots and had its upper front teeth attached, plus a false eye in the left socket.

Officials with Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona say they followed company protocol by immediately reporting the donation to police.

The skull was transported to the Maricopa County Medical Examiners Office where authorities confirmed that it is in fact a real human skull, police spokesperson Lisa Berry said.

"It appears this human skull is historic and has no forensic significance, meaning there appears to be no associated crime, Berry added of the preliminary findings.

It remains unclear who donated the skull and what would become its final disposition. Berry said police had no additional information to release about the skull Thursday.

Store employees referred all inquiries about the skull to Goodwills corporate office Thursday, but nobody immediately returned calls.
FRIDAY, Sept. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Hypertension and anemia contribute to racial disparities in severe maternal morbidity (SMM), according to two studies published online Sept. 7 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Stephanie A. Leonard, Ph.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues conducted a population-based study to examine the associations between chronic hypertension and several obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Data were included from 7,955,713 pregnancies, of which 2.1 percent were complicated by chronic hypertension. The researchers found that chronic hypertension was associated with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes, with the largest population attributable risks (PARs) seen for preeclampsia with severe features or eclampsia, acute renal failure, and pulmonary edema (22.4, 13.6, and 10.7, respectively). The adjusted PAR percentages for SMM were 5.0, 3.7, 9.0, 3.9, 11.6, 3.2, and 5.5 for American Indian-Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Latino, Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander, White, and Multiracial-Other, respectively.

Irogue Igbinosa, M.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues examined the contribution of antepartum anemia to SMM using data from 3,863,594 births in California from 2011 through 2020. The researchers found that the incidence of antepartum anemia was highest among Black patients followed by Pacific Islander patients (21.5 and 18.2, respectively); incidence was lowest for White pregnant patients (9.6 percent). The PAR percentage for antepartum anemia and SMM was highest for multiracial, Black, and Hispanic patients within each racial and ethnic group (21.4, 20.9, and 20.9 percent, respectively).

"The more evidence we use to standardize our approach to prenatal care, the more we can address and dismantle the effects of implicit bias on health care delivery," Igbinosa said in a statement.

One author from the Leonard study disclosed payment as an expert witness; one author from the Igbinosa study disclosed ties to industry.
Cerro Gordo County Auditor Adam Wedmore and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate are encouraging Iowans to celebrate National Voter Registration Month in September by registering to vote. For Iowans already registered, its important to make sure your information is current. National Voter Registration Day is Sept. 19.

We want every eligible Iowan to vote, and the first step is to register to vote, said Wedmore. September is a great time to register to vote as all voters will get a chance to cast their ballot in the city/school Election this November.

The National Association of Secretaries of State established September as National Voter Registration Month in 2002 as a nonpartisan means of encouraging voter participation and increasing awareness about state requirements and deadlines for voting.

"Voting is the best way to make your voice heard, and I want to see every eligible Iowan participate in the upcoming city and school elections in November," said Pate. "In order to participate in our elections process, it's critical to register to vote and make sure your registration is current. Registering to vote only takes a few minutes, but in voting, Iowans can make a long-lasting impact."

To register to vote in Iowa, you must be at least 17 years old. The deadline to pre-register before Novembers city/school election is Oct. 23.

To check your voter registration status, register to vote, or update your information, visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov.
The city of Clear Lake, Clear Lake Historical Society, and Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the unveiling of the National Register of Historic Places plaque at the iconic Clear Lake Seawall.

The seawall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places after a successful petition by the Clear Lake Historical Society in January.

Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Stacy Doughan welcomed residents and supporters of the seawall restoration. Mayor Nelson Crab remarked that upon his arrival to Clear Lake in the 1960s he was directed to "Meet us at the seawall," a refrain heard over and over in Clear Lake as the historic structure is a favorite gathering place.

The history of Clear Lake's Historic Seawall is one of community collaboration, and it's restoration is no different. City staff worked closely with Historic Preservation Committee members and RDG Planning and Design, including Scotney Fenton, an architect with considerable restoration experience.

In 1931 a flood damaged the pier and dance floor located where the seawall park is now. The loss was tremendous. With such a lovely space and incredible view, the city knew that it must make new plans for the area.

By November 1935, planners had determined that Franklin Roosevelt's second New Deal would allow for workers from the Works Progress Administration group based in Mason City to build what was then called a retaining wall.

Workers used granite stones picked from area fields and hand cut them to size for the structure. A unique mortar with a higher concentration of sand was developed to maintain structural integrity through Iowa's harsh weather changes. It was completed in just four and a half months and opened to the public in May 1936.

Now, in 2023, the seawall has been fully restored and placed on the National Register of Historic Places, guaranteeing it's survival for generations to come.
Members of the newly formed committee hoping to save the historic St. John Baptist Church in Mason City toured the building Tuesday afternoon in a preliminary effort to assess what repairs are needed.

Tricia Sandahl and Kris Urdahl of the Historic Preservation Committee, Mason City Code Enforcement Officer Kyle Peterson, local property developers Tim Latham and Russ Hardy, and other members of the committee looked over the structure to determine what level of restoration the building will need.

They found that structurally, it appears to be in fairly good condition.

JoAnn Hardy, a committee member, looked around the sanctuary with reverence. "I really don't think this is going to be too difficult," she said. "This is a job we can tackle together as a community."

St. John's congregation of mostly Black worshipers began gathering together in 1919. Construction of the church began in the late 1930s using limestone blocks salvaged from the Grant Elementary School location that was demolished in 1937. The congregation dedicated the 24-foot-by-56-foot rectangular church building in September 1940.

The church was vibrant and well-attended until the early 1990s. Eventually, it closed its doors to worshippers, melding with the Manly New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.

In 2002 the church was added to the National Registry of Historic Places, and efforts to preserve it stretch back nearly that long. There was talk in 2011 of restoring it as an African-American museum. In 2013, the idea of using part of the building for services to aid families and children in foster care was explored but came to naught.

Throughout Tuesday's impromptu inspection, members noted areas that need special care as well as those with cultural significance to the community. There are a number of original pieces stored in the building, including the pews, that make the historic church a special place.

Regan Banks feels a special connection to the church. He was baptized there before it was folded into the New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Manly where he now serves as deacon.

"This is a church that welcomed me with open arms as soon as I came to Mason City. It has a lot to do with who I am today," Banks said.

In many small communities, church buildings are repurposed as demographics and residents' habits change. The committee looking to save St. John Baptist Church also is looking to save the rich history and accomplishments of Black residents of the area. Its next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 13 at the North Iowa Youth Center, 138 Fifth St. S.W.
Valerie Jorgensen-Lowe began her career as a teacher in inner city Houston. It was her first job out of college, an Iowa farm kid in Texas. This fall, she will serve as the new K-12 English Language Learner instructor for the Osage Community School District. It has been quite a journey from Houston to Osage.

At Osage, Jorgensen-Lowe has 10 ELL students, many of whom are first generation. English is not their first language.

Last year, she was a high school special education instructor at Central Springs. Before that, after teaching in the Aldine School District in Houston for nine years, she taught for seven years in Des Moines Public Schools.

Love story

Jorgensen-Lowe grew up on a small farm far from inner city Houston. She was the youngest of four children.

My dad was tough, and he didnt have any time or patience for laziness, she said. I learned you do what you have to do to take care of your responsibilities. The biggest thing I learned from my dad is how to make things work.

Jorgensen-Lowe and her husband, Terry Lowe, have a unique love story. He graduated from St. Ansgar, and the two met at a high school sporting event. Jorgensen-Lowes alma mater is Rockwell-Swaledale Community High School, which is now West Fork. They became a couple. But after they broke up and graduated they did not see each other for over 30 years.

The romance did not automatically rekindle. It began humbly as a Facebook friendship in 2011. They did not interact at first, but were only friends in the Facebook sense.

In 2015, Jorgensen-Lowe moved back to Iowa from Houston because her mothers health was failing. She did not have a job at first. She did not have a place to live. Eventually, she became roommates with her future husband to help with rent. They were still only friends.

Later, as the relationship matured, they became a couple again after over 30 years.

Last year, she and her husband moved from the metropolitan area to Stacyville. At that time, she accepted a job at Central Springs. Her husband became Director of Nutritional Services at St. Ansgar.

Her husband has four sons, but Jorgensen-Lowe does not have any children of her own. My students are my kids. Once theyre my student, theyre always my kid.

Once she got married, her students began calling her Mrs. J.-Lowe.

I really enjoy being in Osage, she said. I havent always been able to say that where Ive worked. Everybody has been very welcoming and helpful.

Houston

She wasnt looking for a job in Texas. But Aldine was recruiting teachers out of Iowa, and Jorgensen-Lowe had just graduated from the University of Iowa.

Throughout her career in Houston and Des Moines, she enjoyed teaching third and fifth graders most.

In third, theyre just finding their opinions, and you really can have conversations about things, she said. Theyre able to expand on thoughts, and yet theyre still little kids. Fifth grade, theyre stuck between, Im a little kid, but Im not. I guided them through that and built relationships. Theyve got to feel they have a safe place and are valued. If other things are going on, it makes learning hard.

Relationships have to come first, because a lot of my kids down there did not live in safe places, and youve got to create a safe place for them.

Houston was definitely outside of her comfort zone. Having grown up in rural Iowa, it was quite a first job out of college.

But I do like a challenge, she said. Houston was never on my radar. But I said, Okay, why not? I packed up everything and moved down there. It wasnt always easy, but it was probably the best thing I couldve done as a new teacher. I dont think Id be the teacher I am if hadnt been able to teach in Houston and work with families with different backgrounds and cultures.

One of Jorgensen-Lowes most difficult moments as a teacher came after Houston, when she was teaching in Des Moines. She had several students who were Hispanic. It was just after the presidential election of 2016.

It was her second year, and she was teaching third graders. Donald Trump had been elected president the night before.

We had a lot of families from different backgrounds, she said. My third graders came in that morning in tears and angry and scared.

When one of her students made a suggestion of violence as a solution to the presidential election  which he considered a problem  Jorgensen-Lowe intervened, attempting to help the student, who had a sibling who was Hispanic, to deal with his emotions.

These are third graders, she said. I had a student-teacher, and I told her, Okay, weve got to address this. Because I can teach anything I want, but their brains arent there. So I put curriculum to the side, we talked, I did a lesson on presidential power, and what it takes to pass bills and get things done, and how to use your voice to get heard in a respectful manner.

Then, Jorgensen-Lowe had them write letters. The student angry over the election wrote his to the newly elected president.

And his letter was incredible, Jorgensen-Lowe said. He started it out, Dear President Trump, I know you want to make the world a better place, but the words you say make me afraid. Thats a long way from (talking about violence).

All the letters were absolutely incredible, and I never heard about the election again.

However, Jorgensen-Lowe took flak from other teachers, who questioned her about her decision to veer away from curriculum to address this issue. They were like, What do you mean you didnt teach math? What do you mean you didnt teach reading? And I just said, You did? Because my experience in Houston told me those kids werent ready to learn math and reading.

In another instance, one elementary school student in Des Moines would skip class, insult the teachers with vulgarity, steal and make life miserable for those trying to help him. Even at that age, he had a chip on his shoulder. As an African-American, he felt the staff was racist. It took convincing for Jorgensen-Lowe to show him she cared.

As the student got older, Jorgensen-Lowe told the principal she wanted him in her class. She did not shy away from challenges. It took time to reach him, but she did.

One day, she had to take him home because his mother was having car trouble. As Jorgensen-Lowe was driving him, the student said, Do you know youre the only teacher whos ever liked me?

Thats heart breaking, Jorgensen-Lowe said.

Bullies

Jorgensen-Lowe likes to take the tough cases.

Ive always been the teacher that if I knew a kid was struggling, I would say, Give them to me. I want that kid in my room. A lot of teachers just want to teach the kids who want to learn, with the attitude, If theyre going to struggle with behavior, get them out of my room. Anyone can teach the kids that want to learn.

She learned that lesson in Houston. She saw the most problems with that mindset in Des Moines.

When I make headway with a kid determined  number one  not to learn; and determined  number two  that hes not going to like me, and Im not going to like him  thats my challenge. And to break through that and see them grow both socially and academically is amazing. And then to still be in contact, to follow those kids as they get older, it means something.

The lesson goes farther back even than Houston, back to her high school days.

When I was in school, I had a lot of teachers who werent nice, Jorgensen-Lowe said. I became a teacher to become the teacher I wish I had. I try to notice those kids who arent being noticed, who are struggling, who are slipping through the cracks. I dont care if theyre on my roster or not, I try to notice them and let them know theyre seen and that they need to be heard. Ive got ears.

Because I was one of those kids who went unseen and had a really hard time with peers being unkind. What I would have given for a teacher to say, Are you okay? And I didnt have it. I try to be that teacher for those who need it.

Jorgensen-Lowe was bullied in school. She saw many teachers turn a blind eye to her suffering. Her graduating class had only 28 people, and she begged her parents to let her transfer to a different, bigger district.

If some of the things that happened to me happened now, it would be a major issue  there were some things that went on that were downright inappropriate, she said. I had junior high and high school teachers who joined in  and used me as a way to make the rest of the class laugh. They didnt realize the harm they were doing. I hated going to school.

Last year, in Central Springs, her students  grades nine through 11  called her their school mom.

I was their go-to to come and vent, she said. I asked them, Have you guys always done this with the teacher? They said No. I said, Then Im curious  why me, and why in here? A couple of them said at the same time, You listen.

When Jorgensen-Lowe asked if other teachers did not listen, her students told their school mom, No, they just tell us, Thats school  itll get better. Deal with it. They just needed the connection. They said, Even if you cant solve the problem, youll at least listen. You dont just tell us to get over it.

I had one student who told me she felt invisible in school. We cant assume just because theyre not a problem that they dont need us.

Today, if she sees bullying, as long as she doesnt think itll make the situation worse, she will intervene. In the past, she has brought the bully and the target of bullying together to talk.

Its going to get resolved, Jorgensen-Lowe said. If its something serious, then well take it to the office. Ive been there and done that, and Im not going to allow it to happen to somebody else.

Jorgensen-Lowe has even done couples counseling in school.

She is also keenly aware of the very real danger of youth suicide. Her nephew killed himself when he was 16 years old  that day was the anniversary of his death.

Family

In Houston, she learned some Spanish, but she wishes she was more fluent. She works with many students whose first language is Spanish.

I really enjoyed working with my non-English families in Houston, she said. Im still close to a lot of those families.

Just as she was recruited from Iowa to Houston, she did not apply for the job at Osage. Osage sought her out. She would have been changing buildings at Central Springs, and Osage is closer to home.

Growing pains are expected as she launches into a new semester at a new school. Acquaintances must first be made, and progress is gradual.

Its hard to expect a student to come in and work with you when they dont know you, she said. Right now, my first step is to build relationships with the kids I work with, and then put into place instruction that will support where theyre at with their English. I would also like to involve the families more.

A lot of times, families dont know what they dont know. If theyre struggling with academics, what do you need to do to get your child help?

Its all about family. It always has been for Jorgensen-Lowe. She is not afraid to put that into practice, and she is not afraid to stand up for her students. She will do for them what wasnt always done for her.
An Alzheimers caregivers life is extremely challenging, fraught with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and everything in between. You may find yourself in deep reflection at the end of the day going over myriad things that caused you to lose your patience, become irritable, angry, or even break down in tears.

We asked our Caregivers Support Group members, What gives you or would have given you peace of mind or a lift on any routine day caring for your loved one?

Here are some of their responses:

Not always mentioning me by name, but, acknowledging me with a smile or a touch, a feeling of acceptance and comfortability with my presence.

As the disease progresses, your loved one may forget your name, but it is comforting for the caregiver when you realize how relaxed or safe they feel with you because they know you are someone special to them.

Theres an adult day care in my home town.

Respite care is a necessary and welcome break for the physical and mental health of the caregiver. The time away from the daily routine of being with their loved one allows the caregiver to address and take care of their own needs.

She smiled.

Some days can be so overwhelming that all it takes for the caregiver to have a sense of peace is something as simple as a smile from their loved one.

There is a greater purpose at work in me than I see or understand. God, help me.

It is difficult not knowing what lies ahead when faced with a loved one newly diagnosed with Alzheimers. Attending a support group can provide loving and caring feedback on how to handle issues as they arise. A support group can also give you a glimpse into what is coming your way.

Because my husband died with loving people surrounding him.

Being with your loved one at the end of their Alzheimers journey can be bittersweet. You lost your loved one once already. The second time is the final loss. Having family and friends with you and your loved one can be of immense comfort to you as their caregiver.

I know Im truly doing my best to give my partner as good a life as I can.

There is great comfort and satisfaction in feeling that you are doing your best and being able to recognize that when your head hits the pillow at night.

The best incidence of peace I experienced was once, having showered my Dad and while dressing him, I started humming a song that we had both played years ago when we were in an orchestra together. He started singing it alone and he sang every word. I could not remember the words, only the tune. It was a beautiful moment in time.

This comment speaks to the power of music when caring for someone with Alzheimers. If your loved one is having a particularly difficult day, you may find it helpful to play some of their favorite music. Your loved one may no longer be able to express themselves, but music may help them enjoy their day.

We would like to thank our support group members who so selflessly gave testimony of their daily life experiences in order to give others a glimpse into their life as an Alzheimers caregiver.

Our wish for our support group members and all Alzheimers caregivers: May you find in each day moments of peace and comfort while walking beside your loved one as they navigate through their Alzheimers journey.

Get involved

Were closer than ever to stopping Alzheimers. Please join us on Sunday, September 10, on the North Iowa Area Community College campus in Mason City for the North Iowa Walk to End Alzheimers. Registration begins at 11 a.m., opening ceremonies at 12:30 p.m. and the walk at 1 p.m.

Please visit alz.org/walk for more information or contact the Wentworths at (402) 312-6585 or (402) 312-6718.

If you do not wish to form your own team, but would like to make a donation, you can mail a check (payable to the Alzheimers Association) to The Wentworths, 1512 Limestone Court, Mason City, IA 50401. Donations are accepted through the end of the year.
PiyushK wrote:

A business school event invites all of its graduate and undergraduate students to attend. Of the students who attend, male graduate students outnumber male undergraduates by a ratio of 7 to 2, and females constitute 70% of the group. If undergraduate students make up 1/6 of the group, which of the following CANNOT represent the number of female graduate students at the event?



I solved this question in a different way and stuck:



I considered total students = X



Females 70% of X

Males 30% of X



Male grad to undergrad ratio = 7:2



Therefore male undergrads in X = 2/9 * 3/10 X



= 1/15 * X



1/6 of the group are undergrad, i.e 1/6 * X



Female undergrad = 1/6 * X - 1/15 * X = X/10



Thus, Female grad = (7/10 * X )- X/10 = 3/5 * X



As per my solution Female grad number must be divisible by 3 and all choices are divisible by 3. I am not able to identify any error in my approach.. please help to identify mistake in my solution.

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You get that Number of female grads is (3/5)*X.Note that X needs to be divisible by 10 since number of female is 7/10*X, number of males is 3/10*X etc.So X should be a multiple of 2. Since number of female grads is (3/5)*X, number of female grads should be a multiple of 2 too. So 27 is not possible._________________
Avery Kirby, the man accused in the February bludgeoning death of 61-year-old Dale Marie Jones at the Astoria Hotel on Riverside Drive, was convicted of second-degree murder in Danville Circuit Court on Wednesday.

The jury found Kirby, 49, guilty on a lesser charge after the prosecution sought a first-degree murder conviction for the depraved act.

There was no doubt in anyones mind, including that of the defense, whether he committed the crime. The question was whether he did it with intent or premeditation.

This is not a whodunnit case, Danville Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Jonathan C. Moeller told jurors during opening arguments, pointing to Kirbys detailed confession to police.

Kirby beat Jones to death over the head with the leg of a vanity on Feb. 26 inside room 110 at the Astoria Hotel.

But the defense argued that while Kirbys act came from malice, anger and hatred, it was not willful and premeditated  which would have elevated his crime to the higher charge of first-degree murder.

Hes guilty of second-degree murder, Kirbys attorney, Michael Nicholas, told jurors. The commonwealth wants you to confuse malice with premeditation.

Kirby never specifically intended to kill Jones, Nicholas said.

Kirby told police that he struck Jones with his hands and then a wooden object located at the scene, according to a criminal complaint.

He hit her with his fists at first and then took a leg from a vanity next to the hotel rooms bathroom and bashed her head with it.

The couple had been arguing and Jones said something and laughed.

He told her, Say it again, and he cracked her in the head with the vanity leg, Moeller told jurors.

By the third time [he hit her], Kirby realized Jones was dead, Moeller, said.

Death was the price Dale Jones paid for laughing at Avery Kirby, he told jurors.

The prosecution noted a 16-foot distance from where Kirby and Jones were at a couch to where the vanity was located. The time it took him to walk to the vanity, remove a leg and come back and bludgeon her to death was enough time to make the choice and kill her premeditatively, the prosecution argued.

Photos and video presented during the trial were graphic and disturbing, showing Joness body sitting on the couch, with arms at her sides and her legs stretched out, her battered and bloody face turned to her right.

Investigators discovered blood spattered on the walls, door, curtains and ceiling, as well as a lamp shade across the room from Jones.

Members of the audience gasped and groaned when photos of Joness body and face were shown. Some stood up and walked out of the courtroom and others began sobbing.

Danville Sgt. A. Harn, the lead investigator in the case, testified that Kirbys knuckles were swollen, and that Kirby told him Jones had been nagging him and wanting to set a curfew for him.

Kirby claimed that she was trying to take control of his life, Harn told the court.

Against his attorneys advice, Kirby took the stand and accused Jones of being obsessed with him, refusing to leave him alone and drugging his vodka and sexually assaulting him in his sleep before he killed her.

Ive been trying to get away from this woman for four years to leave me alone, Kirby said.

He also claimed that she would poison his food and drinks and plant drugs in his car to get him in trouble. Before being convicted Wednesday, he had 17 felony convictions in his record, including for robbery and use of a firearm.

He said when he woke up on Feb. 26, My butt was sore. I could tell that something had happened to me.

However, Sgt. William English, a crime-scene technician with the Danville Police Department, said he found no evidence of alcohol at the scene or that a sexual assault had taken place in the room.

Also, Chief Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Petra Haskins questioned whether Kirby ever tried to get away from Jones, pointing out that he had checked out a room with her at the hotel.

Also, if he were drugged and sexually assaulted, why didnt he seek medical attention or tell the police, Haskins asked Kirby while he was on the stand. Why wasnt the assault used as part of the defenses initial argument, she added.

The jury deliberated for nearly an hour and 45 minutes following the day-long trial.

He is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. Oct. 25.
Danville Project Imagine  a community violence intervention program  is teaming together with Danville Public Schools to help guide dozens of high school students away from a path of gangs and crime.

Project Imagine will be taking part in the Community in Schools of Virginia program aimed to address the self-efficacy of students, according to a city news release.

This is another opportunity to do some great work by extending what we do into the school system, Robert David, violence prevention manager for Project Imagine, said. Project Imagine is already deeply embedded into the community.

David termed this as a way to bridge the gap.

Project Imagine is designed to help those under 21 who are considered either at-risk or already affiliated with gangs.

The overall goal is to create a positive image in the mind of the youth to imagine a life away from crime, according to the programs mission.

It does this through many avenues of intervention.

Brenda David will serve as the Community in Schools of Virginia student support coordinator for the Danville school system.

She plans to work with up to 60 students from grades nine to 12 at George Washington High School.

These students will come from referrals by teachers and parents.

The programs operate across the nation by forging partnerships with schools and bringing in community resources  like Project Imagine  to provide support to students.

The goal is to keep students in school so they can gradaute

We want to wrap our arms around students not only during the school day but after school as well, Willie Gillus Jr., director of embedded operations for the CIS of Virginia program, said. We want to extend the learning process

Willis said learning doesnt end when last bell of the school day sounds.

Some students deal with conflict resolution issues, so this is a great opportunity to work with professionals who work with kids and provide awesome support to these students, he said.
GREENSBORO  The children  about 560 in Guilford County alone  already are traumatized.

Theyve been forced to leave their homes because of suspected abuse or neglect. Or their guardian is incapable of meeting their needs.

But theres not enough foster families available to give these kids a place to feel safe  especially in Guilford County.

Post-pandemic we have seen about a 23% decrease in available foster homes in the state, said Shannon Enoch of the Childrens Home Society, North Carolinas largest foster care provider.

There are more than 12,000 children in foster care across the state  but only about 5,000 licensed foster homes.

Before the pandemic, Childrens Home Society was able to place a child about 30% of the time when social workers called.

After the pandemic, that percentage dropped sharply  to about 18%. When that happens, those children sometimes have to be placed outside of the county where they reside. Thats what Matt Anderson of the Childrens Home Society told Guilford County commissioners during a work session last summer.

They cant stay in their school. They cant stay in their community, close to their siblings, their relatives, their church or whatever the case may be, Anderson said at the time.

Or they may have to go into a group home  if a spot is even available.

And when nothing is available, the children will even spend a few nights sleeping in the offices of the Guilford County Department of Social Services.

Julie Smith, a Guilford County spokeswoman, said the children are not allowed to go home with social workers, so those workers have to sign up for shifts to cover 24-hour supervision when needed.

When we dont have families to be able to meet this need, Anderson said, the impact on the child is increased trauma, increased disconnection from their community, their school and their family.

To help address the problem, Guilford County commissioners approved last August of paying Childrens Home Society $350,000 over two years to recruit, train and license foster families. The agency said it expects to gain 150 new foster families. When Childrens Home Society requested the money, which comes from American Rescue Plan Act funds, the organization had 76 foster families in Guilford County.

The county also is using $1.5 million of ARPA funding to support emergency therapeutic services for foster kids who are experiencing persistent mental illness.

While there is a need for foster care at all levels, Enoch said there is a shortage of therapeutic foster homes and residential treatment facilities for children who have a higher level of needs. She said the median age of children needing foster homes is between 7 and 8 years old.

We need people who will take older children and sibling groups, Enoch said. No ones desire is for a sibling group to be split, but often thats reality.

Enoch believes more people would foster children if they were simply aware of the need.

Our kids are resilient, Enoch said. They really just need a safe haven and someone that will pour into them and work with them.

Donations also can be made to the countys Family Justice Center, which assists families in crisis or a nonprofit that assists foster families, such as Family Room in Greensboro. That charity provides beds, clothes, toys and other items to foster families.

Not everyone can be a foster parent, and I understand and I can appreciate that, Enoch said. But these kids deserve ... a place to kind of land and heal as they process the traumas that have occurred that resulted in them being removed from their families of origin.
A Lewis and Clark District Court judge has found St. Peters Health Chief Executive Officer Wade Johnson did not defame oncologist Dr. Thomas Weiner, who claimed he was wrongfully terminated from the hospital, with the judge saying he found "the alleged libelous statements to be true."

In a seven-page addendum filed Friday, 1st Judicial District Court Judge Michael Menahan said that in his Aug. 31 ruling in favor of St. Peters Health for a summary judgment, he did not include a thorough analysis and discussion on Weiners defamation claim. He then outlined his ruling.

St. Peter's repeated its statement from Menahan's Aug. 31 decision, saying it was pleased with the judge's ruling.

"We stand by our commitment to provide safe, high quality care for our community," it said. "Going forward, we will continue our efforts to build a gold standard cancer care program and deliver the very best experience for our patients."

Weiners attorney did not respond immediately to an email query.

Menahan on Aug. 31 dismissed Weiners wrongful termination lawsuit in a 31-page decision that found St. Peters Health officials followed proper due process when they suspended his medical privileges in late 2020 after reviews into patient care.

St. Peters had argued the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA) provided legal immunity for professional review bodies in the belief the action included, among other conditions, that it was in the furtherance of quality health care and adequate notice and hearing procedures were afforded to the physician. Weiner argued that the immunity did not apply.

The judge said in his earlier ruling that Weiner failed to satisfy his burden of producing sufficient relevant evidence that would allow a reasonable jury to conclude by a preponderance of the evidence that the SPH Defendants are not entitled to statutory immunity under HCQIA.

Menahan said as a result, the defendants may not be found liable for damages with respect to the professional review actions and that Weiner could not recover compensatory or punitive damages.

In the decision filed Friday, Menahan noted Weiner offered two specific examples of defamation by St. Peters Health, saying that Johnson, Regional Medical Center President and Chief Medical Officer Shelly Harkins and St. Peter's Health Medical Group President Dr. Todd Wampler breached confidentiality and knowingly made false statements to the Cancer Treatment Center staff (CTC) at a Nov. 17, 2020, meeting.

Menahan said there is nothing under HCQIA or Montanas peer review confidentiality statutes that protects physicians under review.

Weiner also alleged that Johnson libeled him in a Dec. 7, 2020, letter to the Helena Independent Record and to former patients.

He noted the court found four statements in Johnsons letter to the Independent Record that could be defamatory if false. They included a patient receiving unnecessary treatment, failure to meet laws in prescribing narcotics, failing to refer patients to other specialists for appropriate treatments and not meeting requirements for clinical documentation. Menahan said true statements are not defamatory as a matter of law.

Each claim is capable of bearing a defamatory meaning but is only defamatory if false, Menahan wrote. In this case the Court finds the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates the truth of Johnsons statements.

Weiner joined St. Peters in 1996 and had served as chief of staff and chair of the Medical Executive Committee. According to court documents, Weiner was seeing an estimated 300 patients a week, or had nearly 15,000 patient contacts a year.

The hospitals peer review committee sent him a letter in February 2020, requesting an investigation into his patient care, Menahans decision states. This included concerns of manipulation of do not resuscitate status of patients without their consent, substandard care of patients for non-oncological medical issues, concern of application of end-of-life care for patients and continuing cardiotoxic chemotherapy in patients."

St. Peters Health said Weiner had incorrectly treated a patient for lung cancer for 11 years before it was determined that the person did not have the disease at the time of death. The hospitals legal counsel said in court documents that it learned of alarming narcotic prescribing practices by Weiner.

The credentials committee met with him in October 2020 and said they planned to proceed with a suspension.

They noted a review of a treatment of a patient showed he prescribed chemotherapy without documented evidence of malignancy and the patient died.

On Dec. 7, 2020, the hospitals board of directors voted to revoke his medical staff membership.

Since Weiner's departure, St. Peter's has affiliated with Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, saying this will give patients undergoing cancer and hematology care access to more options for treatment and provide top cancer experts.

And it hired Dr. Elizabeth Bigger, an oncologist, to replace Weiner.

The trial was to be moved to Missoula County or to be heard in Helena by a jury of Missoula County residents. Menahan was to remain the judge hearing the case. A trial date had not been set.

A couple of community groups sprouted supporting Weiner. Most members were former patients or family members of former patients. They would carry signs and protest Weiners dismissal weekly in front of the hospital. They also posted yard signs and paid for billboards saying they supported Weiner.

Many of those signs remained on display in the community as of Friday.

Story has been updated to correct the year of the letter to the editor by St. Peter's Health CEO to 2020.
There will be observances Sunday and Monday in Helena commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

An observance will be held 1-5 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Albertsons, 3151 N. Montana Ave. The public may attend.

Its the eighth year of this event, sponsored by Albertsons and Safeway. Last year nearly 500 people attended throughout the day, organizers said. There will be live music, including bagpipers, several emergency response vehicles, including three helicopters landing in the parking lot, said Eric Dowell, store manager of Safeway.

Miss Montana Faith Johnson will sing the national anthem. There will also be six food trucks on scene all day.

There will be a couple of memorial boxes from Honor Defined, a team of service members, given to two first responders.

Another observance is planned for noon Monday. Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the Montana Department of Justice will host a ceremony in the state Capitol Rotunda. The public may attend.

The event will feature Helena Fire Chief Jon Campbell and Montana National Guard Maj. Gen. J. Peter Hronek. It will also feature the Montana Highway Patrol Honor Guard and the Montana State Firefighters Association Honor Guard.

On Sept. 11, 2001, airline hijackings and suicide attacks were committed by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in the United States that included the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon.

A hijacked airliner crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers fought with terrorists to retake the plane.

Some 2,996 people died. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
DECATUR  U.S. Marshals arrested a 32-year-old man in Lake County, Tennessee on a preliminary charge of first-degree murder in the death of a man in Decatur.

According to Lt. Erik Ethell with the Criminal Investigations Division, Decatur police obtained an arrest warrant for Eric L. Hardy in connection with the beating death of 53-year-old Marvin E. Meyer Jr.

Preliminary charges are subject to review by the Macon County States Attorneys Office.

Officials said Meyer was fatally injured in a Sept. 1 assault in the 1600 block of East Wood Street, Decatur. He was transported to Decatur Memorial Hospital in critical condition where he later succumbed to his injuries.

An autopsy was done on Sept. 2 at the McLean County coroners morgue in Bloomington. Preliminary autopsy results showed Meyer died from multiple blunt injuries due to an assault, according to Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day.

The investigation of the incident is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Decatur Police Departments Criminal Investigation Division at 217-424-2734 or Crimestoppers at 217-423-8477.
The Stephen Decatur Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution learned this week of the death of Charlene Leonard.

We wish to extend our gratitude to Ms. Leonard and to the approximately 350,000 women who served our country in the military during WWII. Until her death on August 31st, 2023, Leonard was the last survivor of the seven members of our chapter who answered the call of duty to serve their country during WWII.

Charlene was 16 in 1942 when her brother, Charles [Jack], was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea of North Africa. A pilot in WWII, Jacks name can be found on the fatalities list accessed from the National Archives: WW Army Casualties. As indicated in her obituary, Charlene started training as a nurse cadet with the goal of finding her brother.

Decades later, we worked together on the oncology unit at Decatur Memorial Hospital and at the Visiting Nurses Association where she served as Director. I was always so very grateful for Charlenes nursing service to this community demonstrated by her professionalism, her compassion, and her strong leadership as she mentored nursing students from Millikin University in their Community Health Nursing rotation.

A committed soul to her family, her community, the nursing profession, and her country, Charlene Leonard and her family who came before her have well-honored George Leonard, their American Revolutionary War Patriot, who served in the Virginia Cavalry.

Deborah Slayton-Czerwinski, Decatur
HICKORY  Peace United Church of Christ will officially install the Rev. Sandi Hood during a special service at the church at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10.

All members of the clergy and community are welcome to attend.

During the service, The United Church of Christ, members of Peace United Church of Christ, and Hood will affirm their covenants with one another. Participation by area clergy, special music by Lakeisha Ross Johnson, and a short message by the Rev. Kathy Naish, pastor of Bethany UCC, Claremont, will also comprise the service.

The Rev. H. Warren Casiday, Associate Conference Minister of the Western North Carolina Association of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ, will preside during the installation covenant.

Hood has lived in Catawba County since 1991. She did her undergraduate work in journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her MDiv in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Gardner-Webb University. She previously served in a local congregation from 1998-2013 and has served with Carolina Caring as a bereavement counselor and director of community relations, beginning in 2013.

Hood also served as a volunteer associate and adjunct chaplain for the two local hospitals in Catawba County, is past president of The Hickory Area Ministers, a member of the Hickory Racial Reconciliation Committee, and the Rotary Club of Hickory. In 2013, she was awarded the Spirit of King Award. She is married to David Hood, and they have two adult children, Wilson and Callie.

Founded in 1964 as Church of the Master, Peace United Church of Christ formally changed its name in 2018. Peace UCC is an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ and is located at 2230 29th Avenue Drive NE, Hickory.
In her book, Tatum compares systemic racism to the moving walkway at an airport. When we're born, we're dropped onto that moving walkway and carried along by it. Even if we recognize the system is rigged, nothing will change if we stand still. If we're passive or silent, the walkway will just keep pushing us all forward and keep generating the same unfair and unequal outcomes based on race.

"It's only when you're intentionally taking action and walking in the opposite direction that you actually can begin to interrupt the process," says Tatum. "That kind of active, intentional behavior is what we might describe as anti-racist behavior."

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What does it look like to be an anti-racist? On a practical level, Tatum says that it starts with collecting data. If you suspect that your workplace can improve the fairness of its hiring process, then collect data on the number of applicants of color who are called back for interviews compared to white applicants. If you're concerned that children of color at your child's elementary school are disciplined at higher rates than white kids, then ask the school for figures on suspensions and expulsions.

One of the arguments evoked against the term "systemic racism" by conservative critics is that it implies that any difference between say, the performance level of Black and white children in school must be ascribed to racism, when there could be other things to consider as well. But this is where data comes into play.

"How do you know there's differential treatment until you look at your data?" says Tatum. "And any time we find disparities between racial outcomes, we should be asking the question, what about this system is creating this disparity? Often, we're taught to think it's the individual's fault that they're not being successful, as opposed to asking, what's going on in the system that might be contributing to the disparities?"

It can feel overwhelming to combat something as pervasive as systemic racism, but Tatum says everyone can start with their own sphere of influence. Everybody has some kind of influence in the lives of others. At work, at school, as a parent or a child. On a personal level, there are conversations we can all have, and things we can all do, big and small, that will chip away at racist systems. It starts by opening our minds and hearts to the existence of systemic racism, and then opening our mouths to call it out when we see it.

HowStuffWorks earns a small affiliate commission when you purchase through links on our site.

Now That's Cool Are you ready to have honest discussions about race, but don't know where to start? Try this conversation guide from the National Day of Racial Healing.
Photo: The Canadian Press

SpaceX must take a series of steps before it can launch its mega rocket again after its debut ended in an explosion, federal regulators said Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it closed its investigation into SpaceXs failed debut of Starship, the worlds biggest rocket. The agency is requiring SpaceX to take 63 corrective actions and to apply for a modified FAA license before launching again.

FAA official said multiple problems led to the April launch explosion, which sent pieces of concrete and metal hurtling for thousands of feet (meters) and created a plume of pulverized concrete that spread for miles (kilometers) around.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in the accident's aftermath that he improved the 394-foot (120-meter) rocket and strengthened the launch pad. A new Starship is on the redesigned pad, awaiting liftoff. It will fly empty, as before.

During the initial test flight, the rocketship had to be destroyed after it tumbled out of control shortly after liftoff from Boca Chica Beach. The wreckage crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX said fuel leaks during ascent caused fires to erupt at the tail of the rocket, severing connection with the main flight computer and leading to a loss of control.

That flight provided numerous lessons learned, the company said in a statement.

NASA wants to use Starship to land astronauts back on the moon in another few years. Musk's ultimate goal is to build a fleet of Starships to carry people and supplies to Mars.
Parents and students got help in the form of a laundry facility thanks to a financial gift from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Lake Norman NC Stake to the Iredell-Statesville School Foundation for Excellence in Public Education.

A room in the Unity Center on Salisbury Road will be converted into a laundry room as part of the foundations programs, giving access to a safe and free laundry facility for those in need.

With many children experiencing homelessness, we wanted to help the Food & Clothing Pantry get the equipment necessary to meet basic needs, President Tim Smith said. He is a faith leader for the Church of Jesus Christ in the greater Lake Norman area. Our hope is that, as their needs are met, these children can better focus on their education and create a future of independence and productivity.

Iredell-Statesville Schools Community Engagement Director Marlene Scott said that roughly half of the districts students located in Statesville need some form of assistance, and this is another way of doing that.

What a huge blessing this is going to be for our families and our students. People would not believe how many students and families suffer from not being able to wash their clothes regularly. This is one more way we can reach those families and students.

The laundry room at the Unity Center is expected to be ready near the end of the month and will provide space, equipment, and laundry supplies for families to wash and dry their clothing for no cost and in a safe environment.

Folks can come and go as they need to wash their clothes, and its a welcoming place for those that dont have a washer and dryer to save a little money and Iredell-Statesville School is providing another opportunity and a place to get their clothes washed, Scott said

Once it is up and running, those who have questions or would like to use the facility can contact Marlene Scott at 704-924-2028, ext. 8036, or at 704-253-3188.

The Church of Jesus Christ is sponsoring a laundry supplies drive from Sept 17 to Oct. 29 and invites Iredell County community members to join this initiative. Donations will be accepted on Sundays at the Latter-day Saint church buildings  426 Jane Sowers Road in Statesville, and at 148 Lazy Lane in Mooresville  between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
CONCORD  Cabarrus College of Health Sciences welcomed a record fall class of 344 new students to ring in the start of the 2023-24 academic year.

This incoming class is also part of the largest fall enrollment in the colleges 81-year history, setting a new milestone for total enrollment of 773 students on the first day of classes, 245 more students than last year.

The investment made to the growth of Cabarrus College of Health Sciences over the last few years has provided an avenue for a greater number of people to enter the health care field to meet community needs, said Dr. Kelly Propst, chair of the Cabarrus College Governing Board. It is thrilling to see how the college can collectively change the trajectory of health care by preparing future clinicians to provide compassionate care for all.

Over the last three years, Cabarrus College has experienced unprecedented growth during a time when other four-year private institutions have seen a decline. As hospitals in the region and across the nation continue to experience staff shortages, Cabarrus College continues to be part of the solution, adding new academic programs and improving affordability that will help fill these essential health care positions.

The new semester marked new beginnings for the colleges traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs and the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy program. All three programs celebrated their first cohort of students, bringing the colleges total number of programs to 17 in 10 different disciplines.

Academic additions

The inclusion of two new nursing programs increases the number of nursing programs to five, with a combined enrollment of 454 nursing students. These new programs allow students to begin their health care journey.

I decided from a very young age that I wanted to be a nurse because of my love for helping others, and I am very excited to start my journey at Cabarrus College this fall, said Lauren Harrison, an incoming transfer student into the traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

The breadth of nursing options we now offer is incredible, said Dean of Nursing, Dr. Cris Eudy. Students can now choose between two-year and four-year nursing degrees, they can build on a prior degree to become a nurse with Cabarrus Colleges Accelerated BSN program, or they can advance their careers with the colleges RN-to-BSN and MSN programs.

The colleges new respiratory therapy degree is the most recent addition to its expanding allied health sciences programs. The three-year degree is the only hospital based accelerated bachelors program in North Carolina.

The need for respiratory therapists is particularly acute due to the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Lanny Inabnit, program chair of the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy program. So, the timing is right for us to add this degree.

Recently, a new Master of Health Sciences program received full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and will be accepting new students in January 2024. The program core focuses on the complexity of health care delivery in the United States and the knowledge necessary to be a successful leader, including health care business and finance, statistics, and a survey of the unique legal and ethical issues that confront health care leaders.

Offering health care-specific graduate education like this aligns with our mission and our long-term growth objectives, and were excited to offer this graduate degree that we will continue to build upon, said Cabarrus College President, Dr. Cam Cruickshank.

Cabarrus College is also expected to launch a new Bachelor of Science in Community Paramedicine program next fall to address the changing frontline of health care. This new program will be a bachelors completion degree that prepares certified paramedics for a new role  using their skills theyve learned to save lives in emergency situations to improve lives and long-term health through consistent in-home care.

The future of health care is bringing care to patients where they are most comfortable  at home, said Cruickshank. Cabarrus College is at the forefront of this evolution in health care with our new Bachelor of Science in Community Paramedicine.

Cabarrus College also introduced two new academic minors  Health Professions Education designed for those interested in health care education and Holistic Medicine, which focuses on alternative methods of treatment. In addition to these new minors, Cabarrus College offers a minor in Leadership and Management that prepares students to be in a leadership or supervisory role in health care and a minor in Biology to help students advance into physician assistant school.

Cabarrus College, in partnership with the Cabarrus County System and Atrium Health, launched the Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute (CHSI), an early college high school. CHSI was designed to expand students opportunities for educational and career success in the health sciences. The early college focuses on first-generation college students, low-income families, students of color, students from diverse backgrounds, students who are at risk of dropping out before attaining a high school diploma, and students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction. This fall, 57 CHSI students began classes on Cabarrus Colleges campus.

Making college accessible, affordable for all

Cabarrus College made major strides to increase affordability by creating generous scholarships and financial aid packages. In fact, 95% of students receive financial aid, with awards averaging nearly $14,000+ per year. Direct-from-high school scholarships include the Cabarrus Cares Scholarship, which covers up to 100% of tuition and general fees, after expected family contributions and other grants and scholarships are applied, for students from North Carolina who also demonstrate financial need. Merit Scholarships are also available based on high school academic performance and standardized test scores.

These scholarship programs are helping fuel the health care pipeline to meet community needs. As a recent high school graduate, Ayanah Wehner wanted to receive quality education and support to pursue her aspirations in the nursing field.

Before I enrolled at Cabarrus College, I contemplated which institutions would be the most fulfilling for me. With assistance from the Cabarrus Cares Scholarship, I was granted the opportunity to continue my education through the ADN program, which will provide me with the tools to become the health care provider Ive always envisioned myself to be, said Wehner, a current ADN student.

Cabarrus College understands the importance of transferability, so transfer student scholarships were created to make it easier for transfer students to attend. The college partnered with Central Piedmont Community College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, and Stanly Community College to create a North Carolina Community College (NCCC) Partners Scholarship. This scholarship is a need-based award for new students who enroll full time directly from those three partner community colleges.

Additional transfer scholarships were created for those students coming from any NC community college who are interested in pursuing an allied health or nursing degree. These North Carolina Community College Scholarships are merit-based awards for new transfer students who enroll full time directly from any N.C. community college. A Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Scholarship is also available for new transfer students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for two-year colleges.

N.C. community college partnerships will not only provide financial support in the form of scholarships, but it will also allow for a seamless transition for students as they move from one institution to the other.

I learned about Cabarrus College while I was at Carteret Community College in the radiography program. What caught my attention the most was that it is a school that is dedicated to health care; there arent many schools like that. This gives me an amazing opportunity to grow my network with other health care professionals to prepare for a physician assistant program, said Manan Patel, a recipient of the Cabarrus College Allied Health Transfer Award.

Nearly two years ago, an Atrium Health dependent Scholarship for full-time, dependent (as determined by the FAFSA) students whose parent/guardian is employed by Atrium Health was established. Cabarrus College is affiliated with Atrium Health and is on the campus of Atrium Health Cabarrus. Its students are a part of more than 2,000 degree-seeking students within Atrium Health and are among more than 15,000 learners within Advocate Health. Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health officially combined to become Advocate Health in December 2022.

This fall, Cabarrus College has awarded more than $98,000 in institutional scholarships, with a ten-fold increase in the total number of students receiving institutional scholarships. Across all scholarships and funding, more than $1.3 million has been distributed. The amount distributed is a 10% increase compared to last fall and a 23% increase in the total number of students benefiting from these funds.
Nearly three-fourths of enterprises in India have experienced ransomware attacks in 2022, the technology analyst firm IDC claims, adding that the figure for the Asia/Pacific region, including Japan, was 59%.

More than half of these Indian companies  53% to be exact  had forked out ransoms of up to US$500,000 (A$783,881) to end disruptions which had lasted from a day to weeks, the analyst firm added.

It cited figures from the Computer Emergency Response Team of India which showed that 1.4 million incidents had been recorded in 2021, with slightly less (1.39 million) in 2022.

IDC provided the following highlights from its Future of Trust India Survey:

More than 85% of Indian enterprises stated that security education and awareness is important to reduce the risk profile of an organization.

Sixty-two percent said they would prefer to leverage AI and analytics in cyber-security processes such as threat detection, risk assessments, insights extraction from unstructured data and so on.

More than 45% said they were looking at implementing KPIs to measure progress against compliance-focused goals and investments.

Almost 36% indicated a preference for cloud-based threat intelligence solutions and almost 58% mentioned that the greatest challenge they faced with their current threat detection and response solutions were with respect to cost for tools, maintenance, and personnel.

Approximately 61% were considering the adoption of zero-trust network solutions to enhance identity and access management, particularly in response to heightened risks posed by AI bots.

Staying competitive demands strategic partnerships and continuous innovation," said Sakshi Grover, research manager, Asia/Pacific Security and Services IDC India.

"Our industry is experiencing a pivotal transition towards vendor consolidation, addressing the challenges posed by multi-vendor complexities.

"Indian enterprises are actively pursuing streamlined management and integration to elevate their security infrastructure's efficiency and effectiveness.

"This journey, guided by the fusion of global data and localized insights, strengthens the very fabric of our collective security.
COMPANY NEWS: CyberArk, the identity security company, today announced details of its new Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence.

Drawing upon years of utilising artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology across the CyberArk Identity Security Platform, CyberArk is expanding R&D and product development resources to advance the use of generative AI to improve security for its more than 8,000 customers worldwide.

According to the recently-published CyberArk 2023 Identity Security Threat Landscape Report, 93% of security professionals surveyed expect AI-enabled threats to affect their organisation in 2023, with AI-powered malware cited as the #1 concern.

The Center of Excellence works in close collaboration with CyberArk Labs, which has been researching the impact of generative AI on attacker innovation to help evolve AI-powered defences.

With a team of data scientists, software architects and engineers, the Centre of Excellence is first exploring opportunities to embed AI into existing CyberArk products. Meanwhile, CyberArk continues to execute on a comprehensive long-term roadmap that builds upon its AI foundation and commitment to innovation.

CyberArk has already demonstrated the strategic value of AI/ML to improve identity security threat detection and response within the CyberArk Identity Security Platform. CyberArk recently announced new AI-powered policy creation automation, combining its privileged access management expertise and comprehensive least privilege toolsets to automatically process the data collected by CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager for immediate risk reduction.

CyberArk is working to harness AI/ML to transform identity security approaches in several ways, including:

- Supporting identity risk analysis, risk reduction plans and other recommendations

- Simplifying various user-intensive tasks through automation

- Allowing users to interact with the system using natural language, easy access to documentation and more

The establishment of our AI Centre of Excellence is a natural progression of our product strategy. The time is right to expand our efforts now, especially as we continue to see evidence of generative AI boosting productivity on both sides of the cybersecurity equation  for attackers and defenders, said CyberArk chief product officer Peretz Regev.

One of our goals is to better enable customers to utilise in-product AI-based capabilities to create advantages for their defensive strategies. We see great potential for AI and its ability to influence use cases associated with areas like policy optimisation, risk reduction and threat detection.

About CyberArk

CyberArk is the global leader in identity security. Centered on intelligent privilege controls, CyberArk provides the most comprehensive security offering for any identity  human or machine  across business applications, distributed workforces, hybrid cloud environments and throughout the DevOps lifecycle. The worlds leading organisations trust CyberArk to help secure their most critical assets. Read the CyberArk blogs or follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
Pattern is the worlds leading ecommerce accelerator, has announced Australian brands now have free access to its new Digital Shelf tool. Patterns Digital Shelf tool helps brands take advantage of AI-powered algorithms and extensive data resources to identify their true competitors across Amazons virtual shelves.

"In today's complex economic environment, brands need a comprehensive understanding of the competition to optimise their marketplace position and drive sales," said Merline McGregor, General Manager at Pattern.

"By offering free access to our Digital Shelf tool, brands have an opportunity to increase their virtual shelf space and gain better placement on the Amazon marketplace. Having the right tools and strategy in place for selling on Amazon is becoming increasingly important as the popularity of the platform continues to grow in Australia."

Pattern research recently revealed 52% of consumers reported buying from Amazon over the past 12 months and 59% intended to buy from the platform during 2023.

Pattern's Digital Shelf is built on a database of 27 trillion historical data points, which grows by a further 5 billion new rows of data each month. This vast data pool offers powerful insights and enables brands to make informed marketplace pricing and listing decisions.

Our Digital Shelf tool provides data on over 300 million products, enabling brands to identify and monitor activity of direct competitors in specific product categories on Amazon, explains McGregor. Pattern also monitors three million keywords daily, allowing brands to track market trends and consumer behaviour in real-time.

By providing free access to a tool that can dissect over 30,000 competitive categories, Pattern's Digital Shelf aims to democratise marketplace ecommerce insight for brands of all different categories and sizes.

On a store shelf, brands can easily see their goods in relation to their competitors products. On a marketplace like Amazon, its not so clear, as each time a unique search term is entered, the competing product matrix shifts. Leveraging Patterns data, brands gain clarity on how their goods are positioned and which products compete with their own for impressions, clicks, and dollars. This information allows brands to develop data-driven strategies to increase product visibility, attract more customers, grow sales and benefit from higher customer reviews, added McGregor.

For Australian brands eyeing export markets, Pattern's Digital Shelf tool monitors pricing on 5,000 websites globally. This comprehensive view empowers local brands to expand into different international markets, diversifying their customer base and maximising their global revenue potential.

Brands can learn more by accessing Pattern's Digital Shelf tool.
Engineering and construction projects today have multiple drivers: sustainability, operational optimisation and cost control among them.

In Australia and New Zealand, there's growing pressure on many industries to be more sustainable to combat the impacts of climate change. This pressure is coming from regulators, communities and operators themselves as they move down the path of decarbonisation to meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. Most industrial organisations are committed to reshaping their traditional business models, but will need assistance to do so.

In the current environment, efficient operations also mean cost control. For new and emerging projects, that means having controls in place from day one that ensure the project can progress as close to the original timeline and budget as possible, with early warning of any potential deviances so difficult conversations can be had and mitigations quickly put in place. For already-established assets, it's about having ways to simulate the optimisation of production systems in a way that does not disrupt day-to-day, business-as-usual operating capacity.

Both of these are data-driven challenges that are conducive to the use of digital twin technology. A digital twin is software that replicates a physical entity, such as an asset, process or enterprise, in real-time. It provides insight into a plant's operations, where all the relevant real-time information about the particular facility  every diagram and spreadsheet  is contained within the 'twin'.

Business leaders in many industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, transport, energy, and retail, are increasingly turning to digital twins to capitalise on the potential of their data to drive real business outcomes.

From FEED to functioning asset

One of the trends seen among early adopters of digital twins is their use on engineering and construction projects right from the outset. This means they can provide value right across the project and asset lifecycle from day one.

This approach is supported as best-practice by the likes of McKinsey, which sees a role for digital twins to support the engineering process by creating a digital prototype of the actual final development even in the very early stages of a project  the front end engineering design or FEED stage.

Using a digital twin, engineering teams can validate their complex asset designs in the FEED stage and adjust accordingly through time as they can all work in a single platform. This is particularly useful from a sustainability perspective, since digital twins, combined with predictive analytics and artificial intelligence tools, can help companies to design greener, more efficient plants from the outset.

Specific sustainability targets and goals can be input into the model, and different site designs or plant architectures simulated against those targets, to determine which will perform best, before a purchase decision is made or actual onsite works begin. Teams are able to model the impact of certain decisions on emissions and energy usage across the lifecycle of the asset, and to adjust direction based on the outcome of the simulation.

In addition, in the context of big engineering and construction projects, where  according to KPMG  only half of Australian projects are completed on time, a digital twin that is set up from day one can be a huge advantage in reducing the volatility associated with these large and complex projects. The digital twin can act as a documented audit trail of decision-making and scenario planning, which is useful for ensuring that the project remains well set-up to pass the regulatory and investment gates it needs to, in order to progress beyond the FEED stage.

Having the confidence that their initial design is updated and has the approval of all stakeholders, engineers can safely proceed with their development and execute any adjustments as needed.

A digital twin can also be useful at the point of handover of the completed asset to its owner/operator. In a handover scenario, engineers need to cross reference information from all previous and current stakeholders (mechanical engineers, electrical engineers etc). Without a digital twin, this information may not be centrally stored and accessible, and may take some time to track down and validate. By adopting digital twin technology, engineers can reduce the decision process to a handover scenario, to a matter of minutes.

The utility of the digital twin extends beyond handover, acting as a safe place for the eventual asset owner or operator to test out different upgrade or business continuity scenarios on an ongoing basis, without any impact or downtime for the production asset. This accessibility of real-time information helps owner-operators improve decision-making, change management, and risk mitigation strategies.

For example, Japan's Cosmo Oil deployed a digital twin to optimise its refinery operations by factoring product prices, utility costs, and equipment constraints into production schedules in real-time. Using a digital twin to generate precise operating information enabled teams to improve performance and make informed decisions at an accelerated pace. More efficient processes and yield improvement led to $2.3 million a year in benefits. The team is now looking to use the real-time optimisation process to improve energy efficiency and boost sustainability in their operations.

As demonstrated here, digital twin technology lends itself to uses across the project and asset lifecycle  design, build, operate and maintain  and therefore should be considered a foundational element present in all future engineering and construction projects.




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For the second time in five weeks, Senator Mitch McConnell suddenly froze up during a press conference, staring silently for half a minute or so before trying, unsuccessfully, to field more questions. Eventually his aides led him away from the cameras, as they had when something similar occurred on July 26.

Ironically, McConnell had just been asked whether he planned to run for reelection. He chuckled, seemed poised to answer, then abruptly stopped. He never did reply; his spokesperson said only that McConnell momentarily felt lightheaded while speaking with reporters and would consult with a doctor before his next event. On Thursday, his office released a letter from Congress's attending physician pronouncing him "medically clear" for work.

McConnell is old. He was born in 1942 and has been in the Senate for 38 years; in 2020 he was elected to his seventh six-year term. He is the longest-serving Senate Republican leader in the history of the GOP and the longest-serving senator ever elected from Kentucky. He has been in the Senate longer than all but one of its current members. Iowa's Charles Grassley, who has been a senator since 1981, heads the list. California's Dianne Feinstein, who took her seat in 1992, is in third place.

There are other prominent elderly members of the federal government. President Biden was also born in 1942 and his visible signs of age have grown so worrying that more than three-quarters of the public, according to the latest Associated Press poll, think he is too old to run for another term as president. Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi is 83. At least six House members are older than she is.

Washington is more of a gerontocracy than ever  no president has ever been older and the median age of the current Senate is 65.3 years, a record high. Though some House freshmen are in their 40s or younger, the median age in that chamber, too, is the highest it's ever been. McConnell's brain-freeze episodes, Biden's moments of obvious confusion, and the tragic evidence of Feinstein's cognitive decline keep raising questions about the age and health of America's political leaders. Actually, they keep raising just one question: What do we do about geriatric officeholders who refuse to relax their grip on power?

It is not a new conundrum. In "Master of the Senate," his spellbinding account of Lyndon Johnson's transformation into the youngest and greatest Senate majority leader in history, historian Robert Caro recounts how Capitol Hill's unwritten seniority system  the most powerful positions went to the longest-serving members  had become a "senility system."

For example, Caro describes Arthur Capper of Kansas, who became the ranking Republican member of the Agriculture Committee at the age of 75. By that point Capper was already deaf and so frail that one news account described him as "a living shadow, one hand cupped behind his ear and a strained expression on his face" as he struggled to follow a committee hearing.

"[I]n 1946 the Republicans became the majority party in the Senate," Caro continues, "and seniority elevated Capper, now 81, to Agriculture's chairmanship, although by that time, as another reporter noted, he could neither make himself understood, nor understand others.'"

Another example: Carter Glass, a Democrat from Virginia, took over the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee in 1932, when he was 74. By 1942, he was so ill that he remained at all times in the Mayflower Hotel, never venturing to Capitol Hill. When some of his fellow Democrats proposed in 1945 that Glass, then 87, should step down, his wife replied on his behalf that the suggestion would not be considered.

Has anything changed? When Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2008, it quickly became apparent that he would never again be well enough to do his job. After he had been absent from the Senate for 15 months, I wrote a polite column urging him to resign so that Massachusetts could again have two functioning senators. "Few things are harder for those accustomed to power than letting it go," I commented. "But there is no honor in clinging to office till the bitter end."

Needless to say, Kennedy did cling to office till the bitter end. Like 1 of every 6 senators ever sent to Washington, he hung on to his seat until death. So have other senators since then: Robert Byrd of West Virginia (died while in office in 2010), Daniel Inouye of Hawaii (2012), Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey (2013), and John McCain of Arizona (2018).

Pelosi stepped down from the speakership this year, and it is conceivable that McConnell might decide  or be compelled by his caucus  to do the same thing. But the likelihood that he will agree to voluntarily hang up his gloves and retire from the congressional ring altogether seems close to nil. If Carter Glass, Ted Kennedy, and Dianne Feinstein wouldn't go voluntarily, why should any other superannuated member of Congress?

The Constitution establishes no maximum age for senators, representatives, or presidents  only a minimum. Voters could refuse to elect or reelect a candidate who has lost the cognitive or physical stamina to serve in office, but they almost never do. As with most problems in our democratic Republic, the ultimate solution is in the hands of the people. All we have to do is tell our politicians: No more.

I don't know why that should be so hard. As a matter of policy, I routinely vote against incumbents, regardless of party. If my fellow Americans would join me in doing the same for a few electoral cycles, we'd have that gerontocratic deadwood cleaned out in no time. There is no guarantee that Washington would work better if there were fewer septuagenarians and octogenarians pressing the levers of power. But wouldn't it be refreshing to find out?

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission."
CHARLESTON  Eastern Illinois University has reported a slight decrease in total enrollment for fall semester 2023 offset somewhat by international and graduate student numbers growing to record levels.

EIU reported that increases in international and graduate student populations have helped the university maintain "stable fall-to-fall 10th-day enrollment overall." The universitys headcount for fall 2023 is 8,804 students, compared to 8,857 last year.

Regarding international students, EIU reported that enrollment increased by 15%. This resulted in record highs for both the number of international students, 880, and countries represented, 60.

EIU also reported continued growth in graduate education, including a 1% increase in students from 1,941 in fall 2022 to an all-time high of 1,955 in fall 2023.

"The increase in high-achieving students and internationalization of our student population reflects the quality of our programs and the strength of our faculty and staff, who prioritize relationships with our students," said EIU President Jay Gatrell in a press release.

EIU reported that its commitment to academic excellence and status as a first-choice destination for high-achieving students continues is evidenced by year-over-year increases to the academic profile of new freshman and transfer students, with the highest number of students enrolled who are eligible to participate in the Pine Honors College in the last decade.

As the Pine Honors College continues to grow, EIU reported that it is investing in additional staffing and resources to support the increasing number of students in this program.

Vice President for Enrollment Management Josh Norman said he is proud of what the EIU enrollment management and admissions teams have accomplished despite the residual impact from COVID and the decline of community college enrollment driving the current cycles data.

Norman said its important to celebrate EIU's wins this cycle, but its also important to acknowledge that there is much work yet to be done.

"The members of our campus community focused on recruitment and retention developed over 100 strategic enrollment action plans for this next year, including new scholarships, student support programs, and strategic partnerships, among many other concepts to help the university continue to grow and increase the support of our current students," Norman said.

EIUs figures come from its 10th-day enrollment report, the standard metric for enrollment data tracking in Illinois and the nationally accepted standard for tracking university and college enrollments every semester.

For EIU, the figures showed first-time freshman totals decreased from 863 to 809. The figures also showed a 24% increase in freshman enrollment in the College of Education, which EIU credited to targeted marketing/recruitment initiatives attracting prospective future teachers.

Enrollment figures for other demographics showed decreases for degree-seeking undergraduate students, 4,547 to 4,369, and post-baccalaureate undergraduate students, 44 to 33. The total number of undergraduates dropped from 6,916 to 6,849.

Meanwhile, the figures showed an increase for degree-seeking graduate students, 1,907 to 1,948, and a decrease for post-baccalaureate graduate students, 34 to 7. The total number of graduate students increased from 1,941 to 1,955.

Photos: EIU students paint light poles on courthouse square in Charleston Courthouse background (copy) City Hall backdrop Flower backdrop Jackson Avenue backdrop
Tally, a Kemps ridley sea turtle, is nearing the end of her years-long journey home from the shores of Wales to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo: Flair Airlines. Travellers won't be able to enjoy low-cost flights from Flair Airlines between Vancouver to Montreal in late 2023.

Canada's ultra-low-cost carrier has stopped service on one of the most popular routes out of Vancouver...at least for now.



Flair Airlines quietly removed flights on the route connecting Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), with its final flight departing from YVR on Oct. 27.



Over the past few years, the airline has offered the lowest price on the popular route, offering an affordable option for travellers headed back east to the French province over the holidays. Throughout the year, it has offered one-way flights for as little as $57 including all taxes and fees from YVR.



A spokesperson for the airline told V.I.A. that it is "taking a pause" on the popular route due to a change in market conditions as the weather changes. However, it expects to resume service in the summer of 2024.



Currently, the best remaining price offered on Flair's flights is a one-way ticket from YVR to YUL that departs on Oct. 25 for $89.



Flair will continue service to many other destinations across Canada over the winter from YVR, including the popular Vancouver to Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport (YYZ). It also offers the lowest price on that trip.



Travellers looking for another affordable alternative to Montreal, Quebec over the winter aren't out of luck.



Relative newcomer Lynx Air now offers the lowest fares on the YVR-YUL route. For example, one-way flights on the route can be purchased for as little as $63 on several dates in September, according to Google Flight's price calendar.



Lynx Air first launched flights out of the city in April 2022, with direct service to Calgary. It later added service from the city to Edmonton, Toronto, Kelowna, and Winnipeg.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  A Chicago man who prosecutors said played a key role in a violent mob that broke through a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison.

The 38-month sentence handed down Wednesday to Daniel Leyden in U.S. District Court in Washington was one of the stiffer terms given to the more than three dozen Illinoisans arrested so far in the the Capitol attack.

Leyden, 55, a South Side electrician who previously worked for the Park District, pleaded guilty along with his brother, Joseph, 56, of La Grange, court records show. Joseph Leyden was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden on Wednesday to six months behind bars.

According to prosecutors, the Leyden brothers traveled to Washington to attend the Stop the Steal rally held by then-President Donald Trump. After Trumps speech, the brothers were among one of the first mob of protesters to reach a police barricade at the Peace Monument on the west side of the Capitol.

Capitol police officers attempted to fend off the approaching rioters, who were pushing the metal barricade and attempting to assault officers, prosecutors wrote in a recent court filing.

From his place at the front of the crowd, (Daniel) Leyden was in prime position to assist in achieving the crowds goal of pushing past the metal barricade, the filing stated.

Still images from video footage taken that day were included in the prosecution memo showing Daniel Leyden repeatedly lifting up barricades and pushing against police until the line broke and the mob swept past the barricade and USCP officers, the prosecution filing stated.

After successfully dismantling the barricades with other rioters, (Daniel) Leyden got up on a low wall along the sidewalk leading to the Capitol and marched with the mob toward the building, his arms raised in celebration, prosecutors said. An image of Leyden with his arms in the air was included in the filing.

One of the officers was struck in the head by a barricade as Leyden and other rioters swept past her, suffering a concussion that still affects her today, including random losses of consciousness, according prosecutors. Another officer suffered a severe leg injury during the same melee, but still managed to regroup and help usher rioters out of the Capitol building, according to the filing.

The charges against Joseph Leyden, meanwhile, stemmed from a later confrontation with officers. He admitted in a plea agreement to rushing toward and pushing an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, records show.

In asking for home detention, Daniel Leydens attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, said his client is a hard-working family man and St. Rita High School graduate who went to Washington to see Trump one last time as president, not to try to overthrow the election or start a riot.

Leyden got swept away by the mob, and with it, so too did most of his better judgment and character, Leinenweber wrote in a recent court filing. He is mortified by his behavior and terribly regrets his conduct.

As a result of the charges, Leyden lost his job as a park district electrician that hed held since 1999, Leinenweber said.

The Leyden brothers were among some 40 Illinoisans to be charged in the Capitol breach, an ongoing investigation that has been described by prosecutors as the largest criminal investigation in the countrys history.
Episode 106: Across our nation, millions of students are heading back to colleges and universities, but there is plenty of disagreement about whether those degrees will help prepare young people for the work force.

Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how different generations view the workplace and what responsibilities schools have in preparing students for the future.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

No wonder work ethic is waning. Colleges leave students unprepared. by Mitch Daniels, The Washington Post

3 in 4 managers find it difficult to work with GenZ, Resume Builder

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A total of 10 small businesses in the Triad, including four from Forsyth County, have received grant funding from the N.C. Board of Science, Technology & Innovation. The One N.C. Small Business Program awards incentive and matching grants.

The grants were provided to early stage technology companies to assist in developing and commercializing groundbreaking new technologies with the potential for commercialization.

The incentive program reimburses North Carolina small businesses for costs they incur in preparing applications to the federal government. If successful in winning a Phase 1 award, the matching program supplements those federal funds to further help companies navigate the time between the launch of a business idea and when that idea generates sustainable revenue.

Digital Health Navigation Solutions of Winston-Salem received a $75,000 matching grant to adapt and scale a colorectal cancer screening web application for convenient home use. Incentive grants of $9,000 to F&I Enterprises of Clemmons, $4,195 to Elemance of Winston-Salem and $3,213 to Plakous Therapeutics Inc. of Winston-Salem.

Other Triad matching grants went to: $75,000 to Moires Instruments LLC of Elon; and $73,470 to Vigilant Cyber Systems Inc. of Mount Airy. Vigilant also received a $8,011 incentive grant.

Other Triad incentive grants went to: $12,000 to Soelect Inc. of Greensboro; $8,220 to AxNano LLC of Greensboro; $3,658 to Setter Research Inc. of Greensboro; $1,031 to Noor Brands Co. LLC of High Point.
The Enclave at North Point apartment complex in Winston-Salem has been sold for the second time in three years, this time for $43.8 million to a New Jersey residential real-estate company.

The 28.15-acre complex at 4260 Brownsboro Road contains 370 units.

The buyers are five affiliates of Eminent Capital of Lakewood, N.J.

The seller is Enclave at North Point Owner LLC, an affiliate of Morgan Properties of King of Prussia, Pa.

Morgan gained a substantial and relatively quick return on its investment considering it bought the complex for $27.13 million in October 2020.

In April, a different Eminent affiliate paid $22.35 million to purchase the Park Place apartment complex in Greensboro. The complex at 2 Hilton Place contains 204 units.

The Enclave at North Point sale is one of the largest involving the Forsyth apartments market.

Since early 2018, there have been at least 117 apartment or multi-family complex transactions in Forsyth  with some properties sold two or more times  for a combined value of at least $1.4 billion. The purchases have been primarily fueled by out-of-state groups.

The largest occurred in March when the Plant 64 apartment complex in downtown Winston-Salem was sold for $83.5 million. It was the most ever paid for an apartment complex in Forsyth County history.

TBR Plant 64 Owner, an affiliate of TriBridge Residential, completed the purchase of the 243-unit property at 545 Power Plant Circle on March 8.

This clearly confirms and validates the strength of the downtown residential market, Mayor Allen Joines said in response to the Plant 64 sale. Such positive returns is one reason we are enjoying robust investment in the downtown area.

The luxury West End Station complex was sold for $52.5 million in December 2019. The buyer was an affiliate of EBSCO Income Properties of Alabama.

The previous largest overall apartment complex deal came in March 2021 when affiliates of Harbor Group International of Norfolk, Va., paid a combined $82.5 million for three Forsyth properties: $35.7 million for Braehill Apartments; $25.7 million for The Corners at Crystal Lake; and $21.1 million for Mill Creek Flats.

Driving the Triad apartment selling and building trends, according to economists, are millennials  those born between 1981 and 1996.

An apartment complex offers convenience to millennials with resort-like features, such as pools, gyms and other amenities, said Jennifer von Pohlmann, a spokeswoman for Attom Data Solutions, a national real estate research firm.

Additionally, most apartments are also close to grocery stores, coffee shops and restaurants, making them more compelling to younger people.

Mark Vitner, a senior economist for Wells Fargo Securities, said investors are trying to find what few pockets of value there are left in the apartment market.

Prices have been bid up so much in larger markets, such as Charlotte, Raleigh and Nashville, that investors are increasingly looking to markets that have been overlooked and show great potential for growth.

Winston-Salem and Greensboro are at the top of the list of overlooked markets.
The Communications Workers of America said Thursday it has petitioned Gov. Roy Cooper to review what it called anti-labor activities by Zirrus.

The union, in particular, wants the governor to ensure that Zirrus has not put the states broadband grant at greater risk of scrutiny by the federal government. The governors office received a hand-delivered letter Thursday.

Yadkinville-based Zirrus formerly was known as Yadtel. It has retail stores in Bermuda Run, Mocksville and Yadkinville.

CWA accuses Zirrus of engaging in anti-union activities, which violate workers rights under the National Labor Relations Act. An unfair labor practice charge is under investigation by Region 10 of the National Labor Relations Board.

Specifically, the union alleges that after a supermajority of eligible workers petitioned for union recognition in August, Zirrus management spied on employees engaged in organizing, interrogated employees about their organizing activities, and threatened to eliminate jobs if its workers organize.

CWA said Zirrus management fired a union activist the day after he spoke up at a company meeting. A union election is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the letter.

Zirrus could not be immediately reached for comment on the CWA accusations.

The governors office confirmed Friday that we have received this letter and are reviewing it.

CWA said the alleged actions may make North Carolinas broadband grants vulnerable to scrutiny by the federal government.

In August 2022, the N.C. Department of Information Technologys Broadband Infrastructure Office awarded federal Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants to Davie, Stokes and Yadkin counties through Zirrus.

Zirrus is the internet service provider involved with the Davidson, Davie, Stokes and Yadkin expansions.

The high-speed fiber internet program provides matching grants to internet service providers and electric membership cooperatives that partner with individual N.C. counties to compete for funding to expand high-speed internet service to unserved areas of the state.

Stokes received the largest funding amount of the three Triad counties at $4 million to Zirrus, along with a $2.53 million match required of Zirrus.

Yadkin was at $2.59 million to Zirrus and a $1.11 million match, while Davie was at $595,983 to Zirrus and a $255,421 match.

For the Davidson grant, it was worth $1.96 million to Zirrus, with Zirrus required to provide a $346,470 match.

All North Carolina communities, families and businesses need access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet, Cooper said in an Aug. 2, 2022, statement.

This round of grants means more North Carolinians will be able to take advantage of opportunities to learn, work, access health care and connect to the world.

Under federal regulations, the state has reporting obligations to certify that large projects are either subject to a project labor agreement, or provide a workforce continuity plan detailing how the recipient will minimize the risks of labor disputes and disruptions that would jeopardize timelines and cost-effectiveness of the project.

In the letter to Cooper, CWA ended with we ask that you contact Zirrus management to find out about the current labor dispute and make sure that the state remains in compliance with its American Rescue Plan Act obligations.

Richard Honeycutt, CWA district 3 vice president, said that North Carolina businesses and families deserve better for their tax dollars.

It is time for Zirrus to end their unlawful interference with the right of hardworking people to join a union freely.
Corey Walker has been named the dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity after serving as its interim dean since January, the university said Thursday.

WFU President Susan Wente described Walker as a remarkable leader whose impressive record of scholarship and administrative leadership inform his compelling vision for graduate theological education.

Dr. Walker has served with distinction as interim dean, Wente said, and I am confident he will effectively lead Wake Divinity in strengthening its impact and reach as a catalyst for good in society.

Walker said he is honored to serve in the deans job. He will begin his duties immediately.

Wake Divinity is a distinctive community and a beacon for theological education, Walker said. The school combines a wealth of intellectual talent, institutional commitment and inspiration and passion to serve humanity.

As interim dean, Walker helped launch the new Wake Div Experience, a program to integrate the student experience from the point of inquiry to the point of influence, the university said. In 2024, the school plans to welcome its first class of doctoral students.

Walker, an ordained American Baptist clergyman, preaches and teaches in congregations and universities across the nation and has published works on African-American religion and philosophy, African-American history and culture, and religion and American public life.

Walker joined the Wake Forest faculty in 2020 and established the universitys African American studies program. Before he arrived at Wake Forest, Walker held faculty and academic leadership positions at several universities.

At Virginia Union University, Walker served as vice president, dean of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology and professor of religion and society, WFU said.

Previously, Walker was the inaugural Hanes professor of the humanities and served as the dean of the college at Winston-Salem State University. Earlier in his career, he served as a faculty member in theology, ethics, and culture in the department of religious studies and in African American studies in the Woodson Institute of African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia.

Walker is a graduate of Norfolk State University, where he received a bachelors degree in finance, Wake Forest said.

After a career in the financial services industry, he received a masters degree in divinity from the Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University, a masters degree in theological studies from Harvard University, and doctorate in American studies from The College of William & Mary.
After handling hundreds of estate administrations over the years, I can assure you the best legal problems are the ones which never happen.

The tips in this third and final column on estate administration issues should help you take the best planning steps to avoid common problems in the administration of an estate.

Trusts

Think of a trust as a box or separate account. If you own a deeded interest in real estate, a revocable trust may be less expensive than the cost of a full estate probate administration and less time consuming and easier for your family to complete. Consult your financial advisor and get their advice. Also consider contacting the North Carolina Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, where one can receive a 30-minute conference with an attorney regarding general legal questions for no more than $50. (919.677.8574.)

Trust vs. will

If your will was signed before 2013 and you have a so-called bypass estate tax saving trust that is no longer necessary, a streamlined, straightforward so-called simple will may be all you need.

Inherited real estate

This is an issue for many families in our area who grew up on a farm or in a family which owned acreage. This land is passed on to children  and to their children. Ultimately, the land is now owned by multiple individuals, some of whom may no longer live in the area.

Address the disposition of real estate when the major players (adult children, others) are alive and well. Otherwise, it will become much more complicated when family members die or move away from the area.

Consider contacting an experienced real estate agent who can help you work through the various issues to get the property sold, divided or otherwise disposed of in a productive way.

If you wait for the heirs to get their own lawyers in the mix because of old family rivalries, it is not going to be a happy, or inexpensive, ending. And it is certainly not what your parents or grandparents would have wanted.

Power of attorney

Has your general/durable/financial power of attorney been updated since 2017? It should be.

If you are not competent later when steps need to be taken to plan for your long-term care, alternatives of your agents are going to be limited without the necessary protections and expanded options provided by the 2018 changes in the law. Without these options, circumstances can quickly dissipate the assets of your estate.

Dont forget

Consult your advisors and be sure your overall financial and planning house is in order, including beneficiary designations.

Remember: An informed choice is a smart choice.
A young man, most likely in his mid-20s judging by his unlined brow and a discreet neck tattoo, looked remarkably calm for a guy splayed out on his back while another man approached holding a straight razor.

For a shave.

Its the scariest chapter, said Keith Jones, an instructor at the Winston-Salem Barber School. The straight razor. Only three jobs in the state of North Carolina are allowed to use one. Doctors, firemen and barbers.

The lesson on old-school shaving was just another part of the very hands-on instruction at the school, the largest and oldest of its kind in the state.

The Winston-Salem Barber School has been teaching the finer points since 1935. But unless youre in the industry  or aware that students give the cheapest haircuts in town  its easy to miss it and its mission.

Theres way more to it than picking up electric trimmers and a pair of scissors.

And in a time when people debate the value, practicality and role of higher education in society, vocational institutes such as the Winston-Salem Barber School continue to quietly demonstrate their worth.

I thought I had life all figured out, said Travis Jones, a 34-year-old from Guilford County nearing graduation. But I didnt. I learned so much and Im still learning to this day.

This school has changed my life for the best.

Seizing a chance

The Winston-Salem Barber School  the name is actually a bit of a misnomer as it has a Greensboro campus, too  has been in its present location on Silas Creek Parkway since 1969.

Before that, when F.L. Gobble and M.C. Whitney opened the school, it was at the corner of Sixth and Trade streets long before it became the center of the arts district.

The new campus sits on a busy section of Silas Creek near a couple of used car lots, a discount tire shop, a car wash and a gas station. Another neighboring building has housed in recent years a tattoo parlor and a vape shop.

With all that going on  Forsyth Technical Community College just up the hill  its easy to overlook.

That changed in a big way in recent days when the school decided to offer back-to-school haircuts for $1.

The barber school didnt advertise much, not in a traditional way anyhow. But social media being what it is, it didnt take long for word to spread.

Weve seen a lot of people this week who never knew we were here, Jones said.

Its hard to turn down a $1 haircut. Predictably, the small waiting area near the front desk has been packed.

People were asking what we could do for the kids. I thought, Lets do like we used to, said Jones, pointing to a blown up photograph of a very old poster advertising haircuts for 75 cents. Except we rounded it up to a dollar. Easier to keep track of that way.

The fun part for Jones, other than having a full waiting room, was seeing the chain of pay-it-forward moments as grateful parents left $20s and $50s to cover the next in line.

The catch, though, is that the kids sat for fresh cuts given by students logging the 1,528 hours required to graduate.

And thats before taking a state exam and year-long apprenticeship with a master barber before a final hurdle  a state board licensing exam.

Students must complete 21 distinct sections before being allowed to open up shop. Jones said topics include scalp and skin disorders, facial massage, nails, hair coloring and weaves before they get to sections on how to keep the books and run a business.

Oh, and learning how to use a straight razor without nicking an artery.

Its real intense, Jones said. I hear kids say, I thought Id be cutting hair not taking tests.

At capacity, both campuses of the Winston-Salem Barber School can take 62 students  spots Jones says they have no trouble filling if were fully staffed (with instructors).

Part of the reason boils down to simple math and economics, topics that hes more than happy to work through with interested prospective pupils.

Haircuts can cost as much as $30 to $50, he said. Conservatively, lets say $25. I tell them that if you can do two heads an hour, eight hours a day for five days a week, thats six figures a year.

Thats a pretty good motivator.

Setting an example

Jones would know. He graduated from the Winston-Salem Barber School before joining the Army in 1990.

He was trained as a pharmacist technician before being deployed to Operation Desert Shield in Kuwait. There, his sergeant quickly realized what he had on his hands.

He had me doing haircuts, Jones said with a laugh. I set up with the TVs and the ping-pong tables instead of my regular job.

Adapt and overcome. Its the Army way.

When he returned home, Jones intended to work in a hospital pharmacy. But he ran the numbers, too, and realized the economic opportunity of opening his own business. He could earn as much as he was willing to work for without punching a clock.

He compares running a barbershop to being a pastor, and theres some truth to that. For generations, barbershops have been community gathering places where people check in  and on  their neighbors.

But theres a secret to attaining that status. You have to be dependable, Jones said. If youre not dependable, this is not the job for you. People will take their money elsewhere.

A few years back, he returned to the Winston-Salem Barber School as an instructor. He still runs his own shop but its by appointment only at night and on weekends.

Barber jobs, as you might expect, are plentiful. Job placement for graduates, Jones said, runs to 98 percent.

Because the barber school has been around so long, it enjoys a strong reputation. We get calls from shops all over the state. Mount Airy, Charlotte, High Point, everywhere, he said. You can find a job if youre looking for one.

Similar to morticians, barbering is recession-proof; everybody needs one unless they go bald or they die.

Even then you have job opportunities working for the funeral home, Jones said. They pay more than the living.

He recalls grieving parents asking him for his services after the death of their 24-year-old son from a heart condition.

Id been cutting his hair since he was little, he said. It broke my heart. It was a little eerie at first but when his mom and dad called I went and did it.

Few of the students working in twos on the floor of the venerable Winston-Salem Barber Shop realize that as they learn the art  and the science  of a new profession.

Theres plenty of time for that.

For these students, the beginning is about seizing a chance at the elusive American Dream.

Work hard, open a small business and earn a good living. Save for a house and retirement, raise a family and pass along opportunities to a new generation while being paid fairly for ones hard work.

Exactly right, said Travis Jones, who is no relation to the instructor. Im going to work in a shop (for the apprenticeship), then me and my wife will open our own shop.

And did he ever think that was possible as a know-it-all kid growing up in McLeansville?

No. I definitely didnt, he said. But I do now.

PHOTOS: Winston-Salem Barber School
An active shooter situation is a hell of a way to start a school year  and I do mean hell.

Thats what it was like for students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after Associate Professor Zijie Yan was fatally shot in a science building on the campus.

Police said they arrested graduate student Tailei Qi, 34, of Chapel Hill without force less than two hours after the shooting. Qi was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and a weapons count and jailed without bond. Yan was Qis faculty adviser, and Qi worked with Yans research group.

But the elapsed time felt a lot longer, judging by student accounts that flowed from inside the lockdown zone at the campus. Barely a week after students started the fall semester, they were barricading themselves in classrooms or, in some cases caught by news cameras, jumping out of windows.

To the student journalists at The Daily Tar Heel, the tragedy posed a dilemma that is unfortunately familiar to me and countless other daily journalists: How do we convey the unspeakable horrors of gun-related tragedies to which the public has been desensitized by the seemingly endless repetition of it?

An idea came late Monday night to Emmy Martin, the newspapers editor in chief, while she was in bed looking through the text messages and social media posts that she and other students had received during the lockdown.

And thats kind of when it hit me, Martin later told the Poynter Institute. Everyone was getting these texts, and we were all kind of not having the same experience, but having an experience we all shared together. Thats when I kind of knew that that is our front page. And so it became. She and her fellow editors decided to string together text messages sent by students while they were locked down.

The result, in all caps, was as raw and dramatic as any news reported in real time, the actual time in which the news is occurring, and unburdened by such impediments as punctuation and censorship of raw emotions, although I lightly censored this excerpt:

ARE YOU SAFE? WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU ALONE? GUYS IM SO F-ING SCARED. HEY- COME ON SWEETHEART- I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ANY GUNSHOTS? PLEASE STAY SAFE. BARRICADE THE DOOR OR IF YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN AND GET TO A PLACE THAT CAN LOCK DO SO. MY TEACHER IS ACTING LIKE NOTHING IS HAPPENING AND IM LOWKEY FREAKING OUT. I WISH THESE NEVER HAPPENED. STAY CALM AND SAFE-WE LOVE YOU. I AM SO SORRY THIS IS HAPPENING. I LOVE YOU. WHAT THE F- IS HAPPENING? MULTIPLE VOICES AND LOUD BANGING. IM IN CLASS EVERYONE IS LOSING IT PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY SHAKING. STILL GOING ON AND COMING CLOSER, HOPING ITS COPS. IM GONNA F-ING THROW UP. KINDA WISH I HAD SOMEONE ELSE HERE THOUGH. PLEASE PRAY FOR US. PLEASE STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND KEEP YOUR DOORS LOCKED OR FORTIFIED. LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH. ARE YOU HOME? SOMEONE IS ALREADY SHOT. ITS ALL SO SCARY

As an attention-getter, the page was a roaring success. It went viral on social networks reaching, among many others, President Joe Biden, who expressed his grief in a post on X, formerly Twitter, along with posting a reproduction of the Daily Tar Heels front page.

No student, no parent and no American should have to send texts like these to their loved ones as they hide from a shooter, he tweeted. Ill continue to do all I can to reduce gun violence and call on Congress to do the same.

So do I. But look at how little good that has done.

Unfortunately, anyone who has been paying attention knows where Congress is likely to go as long as the politics of gun safety continue to be locked in partisan gridlock for as far as my mortal eyes can see.

Meanwhile, we increasingly see terms such as active shooter and lockdown drills make their way into daily discourse, deepening the sense that we in the land of the free have locked ourselves into a prison of our own making.
War Pony is the latest movie to look at life on the Pine Ridge Reservation, following Songs My Brothers Taught Me and Chloe Zhaos The Rider.

This one centers on a couple of young Native characters  23-year-old slacker Bill and 12-year-old Matho, a little hustler who lives with his rarely around father  and tells their parallel stories, until, late in the film, the pair comes together.

The picture comes from first-time directors Gina Gammell and Riley Keough along with co-writers Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy, young Lakota men from Pine Ridge whom the directors met during the filming of American Honey.

Sioux Bob and Reddy provided stories that were woven into the film, giving it, for anyone remotely familiar with reservation life, a realistic, lived-in feel thats enhanced by the location shooting and dynamic cinematography of David Gallego.

Again, following in recent reservation movie tradition, the film stars non-actors  Jojo Bapteise Whiting as Bill and LaDainian Crazy Thunder as Matho, both of who seem like naturals in front of the camera, delivering honest performances with enough appeal that youre pulling for them, no matter their misadventures.

Bill is apparently a master of the slacker misadventure. The father of two boys he rarely sees  one of the mothers is in jail and wants him to find $400 to bail her out; the other wont speak to him  Bills constantly on the make, trying to sell a PlayStation 4 or pick up cash in the easiest possible manner

Enter Beast, a poodle that Bill finds and returns to its owner, who offers to sell the purebred to Bill for $1,000, so he can have her bred and makes puppies that sell for $2,000 each. Bill makes the purchase and has to find a way to pay for the dog.

That comes from Tim (Jesse Schmockel), who first gets a ride to his Scottsbluff-area home in Bills jalopy, then hires Bill to work at his place and the turkey processing facility he runs on the rez.

Meanwhile, Matho is hustling in his own way. Having discovered his drug-dealing dads stash of meth, Matho packages it up and sells it to other kids, riding around on his bike with a bunch of friends and using the money to buy candy and pop.

When Dad figures out what Mathos up to, he gives the boy the boot, sending him to live with his aunt, who has only a few rules, most importantly, "Keep your trouble out of my tipi."

That, of course, isnt going to happen. Nor will Bills dog-breeding scheme come to fruition. But thats immediately clear from the time the duo starts their hustle and flow.

War Pony plays, in part, like a slacker/stoner comedy, a coming of age story, a view of the Pine Ridge community and as an examination of reservation life. It also examines the clash between the traditional Lakota culture  it's notable that Bill doesnt speak Lakota, the language Matho is learning in school  and contemporary culture, consumerism and otherwise.

It is to the credit of Gammell and Keough that those elements are successfully fused together, operate with few cliches and result in an impressively insightful, absorbing picture that deservedly won the Cannes Film Festivals debut feature prize.

16 movies set in Nebraska Bad Grandpa Election About Schmidt Boys Don't Cry Children of the Corn Mr. Woodcock Nebraska Peacock The Indian Runner Heaven is for Real Boys Town The Stand Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach Slap Shot 2 Night of the Twisters The Gallows
One of the major brand names in Chicagos grocery landscape will change hands as giants Kroger and Albertsons shed stores in hopes of securing federal approval for their megamerger.

The companies announced Friday they would sell off more than 400 grocery stores, including 14 in Illinois, to C&S Wholesale Grocers for $1.9 billion. The companies also said they would sell off the Marianos brand name as part of the deal.

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The divestiture plan comes as the companies, which are the two largest traditional grocery operators in the country, attempt to secure Federal Trade Commission approval of their $24.6 billion merger, which they first proposed last October. Marianos parent Kroger is planning to acquire Jewel-Osco parent Albertsons.

In a statement, Marianos spokesperson Amanda Puck confirmed some Marianos stores would be sold off as a result of the divestiture plan.

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Because we are still in the regulatory process, we are not able to share the specific locations included in the agreement, Puck said. She said C&S, a wholesaler that also operates Piggly Wiggly and Grand Union grocery stores, had agreed to honor all existing collective bargaining agreements.

Fourteen Kroger-owned grocery stores in Illinois are slated to be sold off. Kroger owns about 44 Marianos grocery stores in Illinois in addition to about 10 Food 4 Less stores.

Any Marianos stores that are retained by Kroger will be re-bannered into an existing Kroger or Albertsons brand after the deal closes, the companies said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

People shop at Mariano's grocery store, March 30, 2020, in the Lakeview East neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

Jon Hauptman, founder and president of retail consultancy Price Dimensions, said it is possible Kroger would choose to operate those Marianos stores under the Jewel-Osco banner, which remains a brand with strong name recognition in the Chicago area.

Theres a good chance that well just see more Jewels in the area, he said.

Hauptman added that over time shoppers could see the selection at their local Jewels change under Kroger ownership if and when the deal closes. Kroger is particularly likely to consolidate private label brands across the two banners, he said.

Kroger and Albertsons will also sell off the QFC and Carrs brand names, as well as some distribution centers and private-label brands.

Kroger said in an SEC filing that the deal, which is still subject to approval by the FTC, is on track to close in early 2024.

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The company said Kroger may require C&S to buy up to 237 additional stores in certain geographies in order to secure FTC approval of the deal.

Hauptman said he would not be surprised to see additional divestitures in the Chicago area, where some Marianos and Jewel locations are located almost on top of one another. The plan calls for significantly more divestment on the West Coast; in Washington, more than 100 stores are set to be sold off. The companies have agreed to sell 66 stores in California and around 50 each in Colorado and Oregon.

Fourteen seems sort of low, Hauptman said.

Jewel has about 183 stores in Illinois and a handful in Indiana and Iowa.

Kroger and Albertsons first announced the proposed merger last October. In an earnings call Friday, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said the company had landed on C&S after a robust and thoughtful diligence process that included reviewing dozens of buyers spanning from private to public to union to nonunion domestic and international players.

Labor unions and various elected officials raised concerns about the merger in the months after it was announced, particularly in regards to the potential for consolidation to lead to higher food prices and the loss of union grocery jobs.

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Kroger has said it plans to reinvest approximately half a billion dollars in cost-savings achieved through the merger into lowering prices for consumers.

The company has cited competition with low-cost, nonunion competitors such as Walmart as a rationale for the merger; lower prices could help the combined company woo customers from those lower-cost options.

Critics, however, have noted Kroger ultimately has no obligation to pass any cost savings achieved in the merger along to consumers.

In their announcement Friday, the companies said C&S would honor existing collective bargaining agreements, that no stores would close as a result of the merger and that all front-line grocery workers would keep their jobs.

In a statement, Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents workers at both Kroger and Albertsons, said UFCW staff will be analyzing every aspect of this proposed deal and will assess the impact, positive or negative, that it may have on our UFCW members, the customers we serve, and the communities we call home.

Claire Kelloway, food programs manager at the Open Markets Institute, a nonprofit focused on the prevention of monopolies, said stores could still end up closing, with resulting job losses, should C&S not end up being able to effectively operate more than 400 additional grocery stores in a variety of regional markets. Those stores would need to compete against the combined power of a Kroger-Albertsons behemoth.

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Its just impossible to know if theyll be able to handle that, Kelloway said.

C&S operates about 160 retail locations, the companys chief operating officer and incoming chief executive Eric Winn said in a news release Friday. Winn said those stores demonstrate C&Ss ability to deliver solid retail performance.

Marianos was founded by Dominicks executive Bob Mariano in 2010. The demise of the former major local grocery player Dominicks, which was shuttered by parent company Safeway in 2013, paved the way for Marianos growth.

Kroger bought the chains parent company, Milwaukee-based Roundys, for $800 million in 2015.
Three Michigan men went to jail Thursday afternoon after a traffic stop on Interstate 80 turned up $16,800 in phony $100 bills, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.

Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said at about 2:45 p.m. one of their interdiction officers stopped a 2021 Mazda CX30 at the western edge of the county for making an improper lane change and following too closely and smelled marijuana coming from the car.

The search that followed turned up the counterfeit cash, which was found throughout the car and on the driver and two passengers, Houchin said.

They also found a small amount of marijuana, numerous $100 pre-paid credit cards and a receipt from the Lincoln Walgreen's at North 14th and Superior streets that reflected a small purchase and $93.50 change being given.

Houchin said a Lincoln officer went to the store, got security video of the purchase and recovered a fake $100 bill.

They arrested Deonta Minor, 29, Curtis Whitfield and Michael Dyre, both 26. All three were charged Friday with criminal possession of a forged instrument, Minor and Dyre both face a first-degree forgery charge, as well. All three are from the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area.

"Here's an example of our criminal interdiction unit helping us in our community out there. This didn't happen someplace else," Houchin said.

The cities with the most break-ins and burglaries Cities With the Most Break-Ins / Burglaries Over the past decade burglary and larceny rates have declined Daytime break-ins of homes are most common Southern states experience the most property crime Small and midsize cities with the most burglaries 15. Dallas, TX 14. Houston, TX 13. Las Vegas, NV 12. Columbus, OH 11. Minneapolis, MN 10. Milwaukee, WI 9. Wichita, KS 8. Kansas City, MO 7. Oklahoma City, OK 6. Bakersfield, CA 5. Seattle, WA 4. Baltimore, MD 3. Detroit, MI 2. Tulsa, OK 1. Memphis, TN
A Lincoln judge sentenced a 41-year-old prisoner to six- to 10 years more Thursday for stabbing a fellow inmate in the face, damaging his optic nerve.

Jason Palmateer pleaded no contest to second-degree assault for what happened May 16, 2019, at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln.

According to the affidavit for Palmateers arrest, Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Pedram Nabegh said a 54-year-old inmate was attacked while sleeping, the wound puncturing his nose and exiting inside his mouth.

He was treated at the hospital and an eye surgeon later determined his optic nerve had been damaged, causing a vision deficit.

Nabegh said video footage showed three inmates, including Palmateer and the injured man, in the room when it happened and Palmateer going to another room to change clothes. The clothes were found and tested for DNA, which tied him to the crime.

A search turned up a broken, paint-roller handle outside the fence with the injured inmates DNA on it, and video showed Palmateer with it in his waistband, Nabegh said.

Lancaster County District Judge Kevin McManaman sentenced him Thursday.

Palmateer is serving the rest of his original sentence of five- to six years in prison for assaulting a man with bolt cutters in Butler County in 2021 and would have been eligible for parole early next year.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
For Emily Hall, the Center for Advocacy, Response and Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has played a big role in her experience on campus.

The senior Spanish and psychology double major began volunteering with the center as a freshman after protests broke out across campus in August 2021 following rumors of an alleged sexual assault at the fraternity commonly known as Fiji.

In those first few weeks of her college career  as hundreds of students stormed the steps on the Nebraska Union night after night  Hall felt inspired to get involved.

I just wanted to be a part of the conversation, she said. I was just sick of it being something that only me and my friends discussed and we didn't really know what we could do or how we could teach others about these topics.

So, she became a CARE Ambassador for two years to help advocate for sexual assault awareness.

Now, shes in her second year as a peer educator, helping run Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence workshops for students across campus.

CARE began offering SARV workshops through a pilot program at the start of last school year, which are run entirely by trained peer educators like Hall. The program was created in response to University of Nebraska President Ted Carters Executive Memorandum No. 44 that mandated all students across campuses receive in-person sexual misconduct training.

While much has been and is being done on the campuses to address sexual misconduct across the NU system, more can be done, Carter wrote in the memorandum.

We intend to focus intensely on the human factor, seeing to it that every individual in our university community is rigorously trained and has the resources needed to ensure a safe, welcoming and inclusive culture for all members of our community.

Workshops are mandatory for all first-year or incoming students, and strongly encouraged for all other students. Around 130 in-person workshops will take place at each residence hall in use at UNL throughout the first semester in order to educate every freshman.

So far, theyve reached an estimated 250 students in their first few training sessions this year, according to Abbey Ragain, prevention program coordinator.

We've got a long way to go still, she said.

The workshops are conversation-based rather than a formal presentation. Peer educators inform students of the university's policies surrounding sexual assault and violence and open the floor for questions and discussion. This allows it to be a more casual and engaging experience, according to Ragain.

"I think when it's someone that's the same age as you, you have sort of a sense of trust with them," Ragain said.

CARE will also host other training events around campus during the school year for students who do not live in the dorms. Currently, they have seven workshops scheduled in September and October.

Any student group or Registered Student Organization can request workshops be done for group members, too. The Multicultural Greek Council held a training in August and the Interfraternity Council is planning to host one later this year.

This year, theyre expanding the program with more peer educators and a goal to reach even more students than last year.

During its pilot year, the program garnered 33 peer educators and trained close to 1,800 students. This year, they have 54 peer educators and are hoping to educate 2,000 students before the school year ends in May.

The growth has been super exciting, Ragain said. I'm really excited for those new folks to get out and experience this because we've had such great feedback from our returning peer educators. I'm really excited for our new ones to experience this, as well.

To be a peer educator, students must be at least a sophomore, have good academic standing with a grade point average of 2.5 or above and go through 32 hours of training.

In past years, the required sexual assault prevention training course was completed online annually. While the online course is still mandatory for all students to complete each year, and only freshmen are required to participate in the peer-educated workshops alongside it, Melissa Wilkerson, director of CARE, believes the new form of prevention training is more effective than the virtual version.

With an online training, you're just listening and reading, and then with us it's peer led, Wilkerson said. So you have students just like you who are taking the information to make it more relatable, because they themselves are students here on this campus. So it's also more hands-on so that it's interactive.

Hall agrees.

She loves CARE  and the work she does with the center  and was attracted to the peer education program because it gave her the opportunity to work with students of all sorts to teach prevention on a personal level.

I was really excited about this program, because that's such a vital year, your freshman year. Knowing what a healthy relationship actually looks like, what is actually consent, when is somebody incapacitated, Hall said.

I was just really excited about it.

Photos: Historic UNL buildings University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings; Architectural Hall UNL CBA building UNL Temple Building UNL Morrill Hall Cather Hall, Pound Hall Teachers College Brace Laboratory Brace Hall University of Nebraska astronomical observatory UNL Architecture Hall University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings; Architectural Hall Cather Hall, Pound Hall University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings; Architectural Hall
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird nominated Bailey Feit, who ran for Lincoln City Council this spring, to fill a vacancy on the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission, she announced Thursday.

Feit would replace Tracy Corr, who is leaving the commission after more than 10 years of service.

The nine-member Planning Commission advises the City Council and Lancaster County Board on planning and development matters. The Mayor nominates members for six-year staggered terms. The City Council must approve nominations.

On behalf of the city, I thank Tracy for a generous and impressive decade of volunteer service as a member of the Planning Commission, Gaylor Baird said in a news release. In her role, she contributed to the strength of our neighborhoods and to historic levels of growth and development in Lincoln.

Feit works for the University of Nebraska-Lincolns College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources as the coordinator of the College Career STEM Focus Program at Northeast High School.

Before that, she taught math at North Star High School for nine years, and was an adjunct business professor at Southeast Community College. She has a masters in education from UNL and both masters and bachelors degrees in education from Doane University.

She ran for the District 2 City Council seat in the May election, but lost to former Lincoln police officer Tom Duden.

Bailey's diverse professional and volunteer background provides her with a broad perspective on local growth and development, and I thank her for her willingness to serve, Gaylor Baird said. Her experience will benefit our work to further Lincolns strong trajectory of growth and our high quality of life.

Feit serves on the board of directors of the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center and chairwoman of the centers Tastes in the Tallgrass event. She previously served on the board of directors of Camp Summergold (an arts and science-based camp for girls) and the Lincoln Education Association and as treasurer for the Eastern Nebraska Literacy Council.

She said in a news release that she is honored to be nominated.

I look forward to supporting city development and infrastructures that attract young professionals, new businesses, conferences, and keep our city thriving, she said. I will work hard to continue Lincolns historic growth while also supporting all the needs in our community.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
Shes always worn a lot of vests. Even as things go in and out of style, shes always had a style of her own. Even going back to the time of Sweeney Todd  I dont know if you call it shabby chic, or grunge  that kind of stuff wasnt really a style at the time. But it kind of became a style, in fashion and in theater. I think she kind of broke some ground with that show," she said.

Lee moved to Florida in 2017.
1. Yes. If KHA cant continue to run it, the city should step in. Its a necessary asset to the area.

2. Yes. The city already uses it as a warming and cooling center. It would be a smart move.

3. No. It may be in the citys interest to help subsidize insurance for the center, but nothing more.

4. No. The city doesnt need the added burden of staffing and insuring the center. Its a bad idea.

5. Unsure. It may be seem like a good idea, but other options should be explored as well.

Vote

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Barbie (PG-13 for suggestive material and brief language) comedy  Director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) fashioned a film around a doll and all her doll friends. The marketing says it all: If you love Barbie, this film is for you. And also: If you hate Barbie, this film is for you. Stars Margot Robbie, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ryan Gosling. Also features Will Ferrell and Rhea Perlman. 114 minutes. The Golden Ticket.

Blue Beetle (PG-13 for sequences of action, violence, language and some suggestive references) action, adventure, fantasy  An alien scarab chooses college graduate Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridena) to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the teenager with a suit of armor thats capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers. Directed by Angel Manuel Soto (The Farm, 22 Weeks). 126 minutes. The Golden Ticket, Cinema 8.

Elemental (PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language) animated adventure  Director Peter Sohn tells the story of an unlikely pair, Ember and Wade, in a city where residents of fire, water, land and air all get along and live together. Features the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen and Jonathan Adams as Flarry. 109 minutes. Cinema 8.

The Equalizer 3 (R for excessive violence, language and some sexuality) action, adventure, thriller  Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall, a man who gave up his life as a government assassin. He travels to southern Italy where he find his new friends are under the control of a crime boss. Robert decides to take on the mafia. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Also stars Dakota Fanning. 109 minutes. The Golden Ticket.

Gran Turismo (PG-13 for intense action, strong language and angry characters) action, adventure, thriller  Based somewhat on a true story about a team of underdogs who decide to take up driving race cars. Features David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Archie Madekwe. Directed by Neill Bomkamp (District 9). Written by Jason Hall, Zach Baylin and Alex Tse. 135 minutes. The Golden Ticket, Cinema 8.

The Hill (PG for thematic content, language and smoking) biography, drama  Based on the true story of Rickey Hill who overcame all the odds to play  well, nobody wants to spoil the movie so well leave it at that. But its a major sport played with a bat. Stars Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn and Joelle Carter. 126 minutes. Cinema 8.

King on Screen (NR) More than 25 directors talk about their association with author Stephen King. The movie looks at the reason why directors find Kings work so compelling. 105 minutes. The World Theatre.

Meg 2: The Trench (PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images, brief suggestive material, fish odors) action, adventure, thriller  A research team encounters a giant shark type of creative that eats just about everything. Stars Jason Statham, Jing Wu and Shuya Sophia Cai. Directed by Ben Wheatley (ABCs of Death). Also features Longxi as Cute Girl on Boat. 116 minutes. Cinema 8.

Sound of Freedom (PG-13 for thematic content involving sex trafficking, violence, language, sexual references, some drug references and smoking) action drama  Based on a true story about a federal agent who turns into a vigilante to rescue children trapped by sex traffickers. Directed and written by Alejandro Monteverde and featuring Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard. Also stars Ariel Sierra as Checho. 135 minutes. Cinema 8

Strays (R for pervasive offensive language, crude and sexual content, drug use) comedy  The film boasts this concept: This is the first live action movie with talking animals to receive an R rating in the US, unlike all the previous talking animal films which were rated G, PG and PG-13. Features the voices of Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Brett Gelman and Greta Lee. 93 minutes. Cinema 8.

Talk to Me (R for strong, bloody and violent content, some sexual material and language throughout) horror thriller  When several friends discover an embalmed hand, things turn nasty as they open to door to the spirit world  and cant close it again. Directed by brothers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou. 95 minutes. Cinema 8

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some stinky language and impolite stuff)  The film follows the Turtle brothers as they work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants. Features the voices Shamon Brown, Micah Abbey and Michael Badalucco. Also includes Jackie Chan and Ice Cube. 99 minutes. Cinema 8.
Gurnee Mills is home to the last Rainforest Cafe in Illinois. For many millennials, the family-friendly, jungle-themed restaurant represents their bygone youth. (Linze Rice / For the Chicago Tribune)

Its 5:30 p.m. on a late-summer Friday. The warm afternoon air cools as you walk through the heavy double doors of Gurnee Mills mall. To the right, a jungle-themed mural guides you down a hallway until you reach a crossroads: Macys, or a mother elephant and her baby, flapping their ears.

You turn and walk down a small city blocks worth of lush and rocky jungle facades, complete with decorative monkeys, birds and butterflies. An animatronic crocodile sits in a small pond surrounded by coins imbued with good luck wishes. Just past a giant spotted red mushroom, you enter through the gift shop as Taylor Swift plays overhead.

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Welcome to the jungle.

An elephant sits in the jungle at the Rainforest Cafe in Gurnee Mills mall. (Linze Rice / For the Chicago Tribune)

Though youre over 3,500 miles away from the Amazon, youre now immersed in the last Rainforest Cafe in Illinois. And in this moment, thats good enough.

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As a kid, I loved this place. Coming from the cornfields of DeKalb County, a meal at the Woodfield Mall location felt like the closest I could ever possibly get to a rainforest. For my family, it was expensive, and therefore quite a treat. And, like many, I sat by the crocodile  terrified but thrilled  tossing in my own good luck coins.

Though gaudy, a trip here is certainly memorable. Nearly everyone I know can offer comments and recall stories about their visits. So when the Woodfield Mall and iconic River North locations became extinct in 2020, it felt like the era of uber-kitschy and over-the-top dining experiences was truly over. Im sure some were happy to hear it, but for a kid who grew up in the middle of nowhere, my inner child was certainly sad.

But then I realized there was still Gurnee Mills.

The 19,000-square-foot restaurant, about a 45-mile drive from downtown Chicago, was installed in June 1996, and I had never visited it. How would it be going now, at 33 years old? Would it be as traumatic as seeing a band of malfunctioning robots a la Chuck E. Cheese? Or had it abandoned its thematic roots for a more upscale, but sterile approach, like the Rock-n-Roll McDonalds?

As I rounded the corner, I quickly discovered it was neither  it was very much the same. Like the remote Amazonian territory of Vale do Javari, the cafes aesthetics and operation were largely unchanged. Its customs and traditions appeared to have remained intact and undisturbed by time or outside influence.

The journey begins in the Retail Village, home of Tracy the Tree  an ornate tree with a moving face that speaks every 30 seconds. She shares facts about the rainforest and reminds you there are many fun toys available for purchase. Her expansive branches and canopy spread across the ceiling, intersecting with flowering vines and toucans.

After a few minutes, our table was ready. We made our way toward a huge aquarium archway that was empty of sea creatures but still bright and bubbling.

An almost overwhelming sensory wave washed over me as I stepped across the thick green and brown patterned carpet, weaving through booths encased in artificial rock formations.

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We were seated along the border of the dining room next to a trickling water feature, with a view of LensCrafters across the hall. Our server, a lovely young man named Timur with three dazzling studs in his ears, was attentive and friendly from start to finish.

The Korean fried chicken lettuce wraps, topped with pineapple salsa and peanuts, at the Rainforest Cafe in Gurnee Mills mall. (Linze Rice / For the Chicago Tribune)

We started off with a round of drinks  a Heineken 0.0 for him and a $14 pina colada in a souvenir glass for me  and an appetizer, Korean fried chicken lettuce wraps for $17.

As we waited, I took in the scene: Above me and just to the right was a deep-blue starry sky painting that glittered and spouted off shooting stars. The entire ceiling is covered in greenery, flowers, birds and chimpanzees. Support beams throughout the dining room are designed to look like ancient trees.

In the corner sits a streak of four tigers who roar and cock their heads. Elsewhere a large pair of leathery elephants squeal, while at least six gorillas and orangutans top rocky bluffs or emerge from the walls. The animatronics appeared in good working order and the dining room was clean and well taken care of.

Animatronic tigers at the Rainforest Cafe in Gurnee Mills mall. (Linze Rice / For the Chicago Tribune)

As was the case over 25 years ago, about every 20 minutes theres a simulated thunderstorm during which the animals cry out as lightning, thunder and drizzling rain fill the room.

Our appetizer and drinks started out bold. The pina colada was refreshing and straightforward, and the lettuce wraps were crunchy and sweet with a nice punch of heat  until I hit a fresh ring of burning chili pepper. My daiquiri heroically stepped up to help cool me off.

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My favorite dish was the $20 China Island Chicken Salad, which had mixed greens topped with grilled chicken, Mandarin oranges, sesame seeds, carrots, crispy rice noodles, green onion, wonton strips and the restaurants China Island dressing. The dressing was lightly creamy and coated the lettuce well enough that there wasnt a soup of leftover liquid at the bottom. It was a light, but flavorful salad with lots of gratifying crunch.

The Cheetah Rita, with Monte Alban silver tequila, Patron orange liqueur and fresh lime juice at Rainforest Cafe in Gurnee Mills mall. (Linze Rice / For the Chicago Tribune)

I washed it down with a Cheetah Rita, the restaurants premium margarita. Bracing for an overly sweet cocktail, I was pleasantly surprised that it was well-balanced and tasty.

For entrees, we split the Taste of the Islands seafood platter and beef Amazon Fajitas.

The aquatic smattering included the fan-favorite Caribbean Coconut Shrimp, as well as mango habanero-glazed shrimp, jerk-seasoned tilapia topped with pineapple salsa, Caribbean rice and green beans for $32. I appreciated the size of the coconut shrimp, but its sauce companion was not vibing. The glazed shrimp were sweet and hot with a nice snap, and the best part was the tender and slightly spicy tilapia. Their version of Caribbean rice and beans paired well with the meal, but the once-frozen green beans had sadly been zapped of any life or flavor.

The fajitas, $28, came with four tortillas, a sizzling plate of beef strips and veggies, rice and black beans, and a boat showcasing all the usual trappings: grilled onions, bell peppers, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cheeses and pico de gallo. The beef was well-seasoned, a bit overdone for my taste, but my husband was pleased. You also had the option of getting a mix of chicken and beef for the same price.

For old-times sake, I also got the dino nuggets kids meal, taxonomically named Jurassic Chicken Tidbits. The three-chamber plastic plate held seven hot and crispy nuggets, above-average fries for a kids meal, and two orange slices  one of which promptly went into my margarita. They were comparable to nuggets found in the frozen aisle but were satisfying nonetheless and hit the nostalgia factor hard.

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The Sparkling Volcano sundae, with a chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream, whipped topping and caramel and chocolate sauces at Rainforest Cafe in Gurnee Mills mall. (for The )

Though the dining room was only about half-full at the nights peak, there were still 13 individual birthdays celebrated. Servers usually came out with a Sparkling Volcano sundae and clapped along to a birthday chant.

The confection is a mountainous chocolate brownie cake served with an inner core of vanilla ice cream and completed with a huge dollop of whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce. Its piece de resistance is a real sparkler on top  a distinguishing feature of this location, as online reviewers have reported silvery tassels at some other restaurants.

We got one, too, but didnt make our server sing a song. The dense chocolate cake tasted like a slightly heartier Cosmic Brownie.

Overall, the food was better than expected  but thats not really what youre there for.

You pay a premium on the dining in exchange for an experience. Its a place where every square inch is an indulgent feast for the eyes, where you can almost get lost in the wilderness of it all  at least until another patrons Lids bag breaks the fantasy.

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I was amazed that kids were still making birthday traditions here. There were even a few other childless couples celebrating and having dinner, maybe also recreating a nearly lost part of their childhood.

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The Gurnee holdout is a Chicagoland rite of passage thats still alive, waiting for your hope-filled coins. Its a relic of an almost bygone era that can still be relished, as if visiting a living museum of itself. Its a more-than-gratuitous novelty that has played host to families for nearly three decades  a cheesy escape from reality, where you can forget about your worries and your strife.

And, like the real rainforest, it should be enjoyed while it lasts.

Linze Rice is a freelance writer.
Every dog has its day, and the same goes for streetcars.

Our Downtown electric streetcars will be celebrated Saturday during Kenosha Streetcar Day.

Every year, the Kenosha Area Streetcar Society and Kenosha Area Transit host this free event at the streetcar barn (officially known as the Joseph McCarthy Transit Center, 724 54th St.).

The big doors of the barn are opened up, and everyone is invited inside to see how the streetcars are restored and maintained.

My favorite part of the event is the Lego city layout, built by members of the Kenosha Lego Users Group.

The Lego city features streetcars (naturally) and Downtown Kenosha landmarks like the North Pier Lighthouse.

This year, the city will also include Lego versions of Franks Diner, Trolley Dogs (sparking the debate: streetcar or trolley?), the historic Rhode Center for the Arts and Simmons Library, along with Big Star Drive-In and Mars Cheese Castle. Those last two landmarks are nowhere near Downtown, but in Lego world, all things are possible.

Making the book

How do you know youve really made it? When youre on the cover of a book!

Yes, thats our very own yellow streetcar on the cover of Secret Wisconsin: A Guide To The Weird, Wonderful And Obscure.

The books authors, Tom and Kristi Manus, will be in Kenosha Saturday to talk about and sign their book during the Streetcar Day celebration.

The writers, who live in Eau Claire, describe themselves as passionate about finding Wisconsins out-of-the-ordinary, hidden and quirky side and sharing the information with the public.

Were not sure Kenoshas streetcars are hidden or quirky, but were happy to spread the word and attract visitors to our beautiful lakefront.

Our section of the book is titled Clang, Clang, Clang  Kenosha Streetcars, with the authors promising readers a captivating ride back in time in Kenosha.

The authors also promise to answer one of the eternal questions of our time: Have you been eating brats the wrong way? (Is there a wrong way to eat a bratwurst? Inquiring minds want to know.)

Theres also an item in the book about aliens and extraterrestrial pancakes. Does iHOP know about this?

Wait, why do we have streetcars?

Like many cities, Kenosha had streetcars in the decades before the American car culture took over and the streetcar lines were scrapped.

When HarborPark was developed Downtown more than 20 years ago, the historic streetcars were part of the plan and started rolling in June 2000.

The city has seven streetcars, each painted in the colors and lettering of a North American city that operated the cars in the 1940s and 1950s: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Toronto, Chicago, Johnstown, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

On Saturday, all the streetcars will be in operation and available for photos.

You should also hop on a streetcar during Streetcar Day and ride the two-mile loop, so bring some cash with you. It costs $1 to ride a streetcar (50 cents for kids ages 5-12; free for kids age 4 and younger). An all-day pass is $3.50. Exact fare is required.

Ironically, streetcars are NOT free to ride on Streetcar Day. For a free ride, wait until the Friday after Thanksgiving, when streetcars run for free during Downtowns Lightin Up celebration.
The Hawaii Wildfires, Public Policies and Public Leadership

by Arthur I. Cyr

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

The devastating wildfires this month on the island of Maui, Hawaii, have so far taken over one hundred lives. Fear in the face of horrible events and great disasters is a natural reaction.

The quotation is from the First Inaugural Address of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 4, 1933. The American economy had collapsed, and much of the world was gripped in depression. Overseas, people embraced dictatorships.

The new president immediately launched an unprecedented effort to use government to address our problems. Leadership was essential.

FDRs struggle to overcome paralysis of his legs from polio is relevant. The speech went on to describe nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed action.

Today, we expect government to provide leadershipand a lot more. Until the twentieth century, natural disasters were regarded as Acts of God. People combatted the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic with stoicism.

The mass media have played a steadily more important role in characterizing terrible events. Photography transformed newspapers by adding sometimes-shocking pictures to text.

Radio and television greatly expanded this impact of information. The Internet and cell phones carry the process further.

Simultaneously, Americans have steadily raised the bar regarding expectations of government. President George W. Bush suffered political damage from initial public perception that he was both ineffective and uncaring in handling Hurricane Katrina devastation in 2005.

A century earlier, President Theodore Roosevelt established the precedent of direct White House involvement to mitigate major disasters. Immediately after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he quickly secured Congressional appropriation of $2.5 million, a radical move as well as substantial sum for that time.

He also involved the military in humanitarian relief. The USS Chicago rescued 20,000 people, still one of the largest amphibious evacuations in history. Soldiers distributed food, water and medical supplies.

Military methods also restored order. An estimated 500 looters were shot by soldiers and police, including 34 men who attempted to rob U.S. Mint and Treasury buildings that contained $239 million in bullion and cash.

There was no FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), created during the Carter administration. Roosevelt instead stressed the role of the Red Cross.

During relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Obama White House web site linked to the Red Cross. Varied volunteer agencies are regularly engaged in public relief efforts.

Herbert Hoover further developed U.S. disaster relief capabilities and involvements, including overseas humanitarian efforts. During and after the First World War, he led the substantial U.S. Food Administration and American Relief Administration, credited with preventing mass starvation in Europe.

In 1927, U.S. Commerce Secretary Hoover spearheaded enormous relief work after Mississippi River flooding, confirming him  temporarilyas a Great American Hero. Hoover locked up the 1928 Republican nomination and election to the White House.

In 1965, Hurricane Betsy became the first Gulf Coast storm creating more than $1 billion in damage. President Lyndon Johnson immediately flew to New Orleans and relentlessly, endlessly visited storm victims, slogging through flood waters to isolated shacks, anxious Secret Service agents and soggy local officials in tow. Federal relief was comprehensive.

Today, government is central in handling public health problems and public disasters. Again, in facing such serious threats, as in the past, effective leadership is crucial.

President Bidens initial no comment reaction to the Maui fires will cost him politically, severely.
NEW YORK  The Boss is taking an unexpected breather and postponing his September shows, citing doctors' orders.

Bruce Springsteen announced on his website Wednesday that he was postponing shows for the remainder of the month while he is treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

The disease causes ulcers to form in the stomach or small intestine that can cause heartburn, nausea and stomach pain.

The postponed shows including scheduled stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Albany and Syracuse in New York, Pittsburgh, Washington, and shows in Connecticut and Ohio.

Over here on E Street, we're heartbroken to have to postpone these shows, Springsteen said in a statement posted on his site and social media. We'll be back to pick up these shows and then some.

Springsteen, renowned for his high-energy, three-hour concerts with the E Street Band, recently performed three nights of shows in his home state of New Jersey.

Springsteen and the E Street Band's first tour in six years kicked off in Tampa, Florida, in February. He was forced to postpone shows planned for Albany, Connecticut and Columbus, Ohio, in March due to illness. He also canceled August shows in Philadelphia for what at the time was an undisclosed ailment. Those shows were rescheduled for August 2024.

The rock legend turns 74 later this month.
A Paynesville, Minnesota, woman who was initially arrested on numerous charges after being stopped for erratic driving on July 23 has been arrested for felony bail jumping.

On July 23, Jennifer Jo Taube, 43, was arrested following a driving complaint and pursuit that originated in Vernon County and terminated in Crawford County, according to a statement from Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson. Taube appeared in Vernon County Circuit Court on July 24 and was released on a $500 signature bond.

On Aug. 28, Vernon County District Attorney Angela Palmer-Fisher filed the following charges: Reckless driving-endanger safety; possess drug paraphernalia; possession of methamphetamine; and vehicle operator flee/elude officer. A court hearing was held Aug. 29, and Taubes initial appearance was rescheduled for Oct. 13.

On Sept. 2, Taube was arrested in the city of La Crosse and booked for knowingly violating a domestic-abuse order and possession of methamphetamine. On Sept. 5, she was transported to the Vernon County Detention Center to face bail jumping charges. Taube appeared in Vernon County Circuit Court Sept. 6 for a bail hearing. Although the district attorney argued for cash bail, the court ordered a $5,000 signature bond, Torgerson said. Taube was released and she is due back in court on Oct. 13.
A high-speed chase Aug. 27 on Interstate 90 ended with state troopers recovering a substantial amount of fentanyl and cocaine, according to a criminal complaint filed in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

Police arrested 23-year-old LaShawn Davis of Milwaukee. He faces felony charges of possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and fleeing an officer.

According to the complaint, a Wisconsin State Patrol officer in Monroe County clocked Davis driving 96 mph in a 70 mph zone shortly after 11 a.m. Davis allegedly failed to pull over and led police on a 23-mile chase. During the chase, Davis took the Highway 27 exit ramp and nearly collided with another vehicle while making a U-turn before returning westbound to the interstate.

Police obtained another reading of Davis driving 96 mph near West Salem. He then stopped three miles from the Minnesota border and fled northbound on foot.

An officer reportedly observed Davis drop a vacuum-sealed bag containing a white substance before scaling a fence. The fence bordered the Black River, which left Davis with limited room to flee. He was cornered by police and obeyed instructions to lie down on his stomach.

The complaint says police recovered 367 grams of fentanyl and 251 grams of cocaine.

Davis is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond. His next court date is a Sept. 20 preliminary hearing.
Holmen fire chief Ryan Ostreng isn't a meteorologist, but he knows how to spot dry weather.

"Just driving through town, you can see a lot of brown and yellow grass," Ostreng said. "I play Frisbee with my dog, and it's nothing but a dust cloud when she jumps and leaps."

Ostreng and other area firefighting professionals have been monitoring the weather with more than casual interest this year. The region has been gripped by a drought since late spring, and the situation reached the point where the Holmen and Onalaska fire departments imposed a burn ban during the Labor Day weekend.

Ostreng said a combination of heat, wind and low humidity convinced to the departments to take action. He said Onalaska Fire Chief Pete Fletty approached him about issuing a joint statement, a first for the two departments.

The burn ban  which covered the city of Onalaska, village of Holmen, town of Onalaska and town of Holland  prohibited campfires, burn piles, burn barrels and use of fireworks. Charcoal grills were still permitted but only when sitting on a noncombustible surface.

Fletty said the two departments have a mutual aid agreement and that it made sense for them to work together.

"With our close proximity, we were both in the same predicament," Fletty said.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported Monday that burn bans across some of the area had been lifted, including in the town of Holland, village of Holmen, city and town of Onalaska as some precipitation had eased the concern.

Still, the DNR noted the area remains under moderate to severe drought conditions and any burning should be done with care.

The predicament dates back to late spring, when the drought began. The fire season got off to a blazing starting in April, when nearly 3,000 acres of woodland and open grass burned in Monroe and Juneau counties.

Most of La Crosse County has remained under severe drought conditions, even as the fire danger level has improved to moderate from severe and in some cases, reached extreme levels. The National Weather Service says precipitation deficits in 2023 range from 7 to 14 inches in the upper Mississippi River Valley, and little precipitation is forecast over the next several days.

Drought conditions are even more severe south of La Crosse. The southeast corner of the county, along with Vernon County, faces exceptional drought. While Onalaska and Holmen lifted their burn bans Sept. 5, the Stoddard-Bergum Fire Department in Vernon County issued a new one Wednesday, but lifted it on Thursday. Burning all combustible materials in the town of Bergen and village of Stoddard was prohibited. Fireworks were banned, and campfires are allowed only in developed camping areas.

"The risk for wildfires in these areas is very high, and there's little relief in sight in the near future with the current weather pattern," the department said in Wednesday's press release.

On Thursday, Brian Lehmann, fire chief of the Stoddard-Bergen Fire Department, noted that fire danger conditions had only improved from extreme to high.

Chippewa County

Drought conditions aren't as severe in Chippewa County. Andrew Sorenson, forestry team leader at the DNR station in Jim Falls, said precipitation has been below normal but that the area has received timely rains.

"We have been seeing a little more rain as opposed to Monroe County, Juneau County and La Crosse County," Sorenson said. "We've had just enough rain every three weeks or so that our grass remains green."

Chippewa County was elevated to high fire risk over the Labor Day weekend. Sorenson said wind posed the highest danger in the county.

Sorenson urged people to know their local burning regulations. Rules that cover DNR protection areas and burning ban updates can be found at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forestfire/permits.

Ostreng and Fletty urged people to be vigilant as dry weather lingers into fall. They said anyone who starts a fire should have a ready water source nearby and never leave a fire unattended.

"All it takes is one glowing ember to blow onto somebody's yard and start a fire," Ostreng said.

They also reminded people to completely extinguish any fire that's started. Fletty said a fire isn't completely extinguished until "it's cold and it's dark. No embers, no nothing."

Ostreng said he isn't aware of anyone who violated last weekend's burn ban. He said most people have been responsible with their burning practices since the drought began.

"I think people understand what is happening," he said. "It has been a dry summer. Thank God we haven't had a whole lot of outdoor fires."
Department of Corrections prisoners approaching their release date could work in the community at market wages under a draft Republican bill that its proponents say could reduce recidivism and address labor shortages in Wisconsin.

The proposed program would allow prisoners to work in the community and wear normal clothing at their jobs as long as they are assessed as low or moderate risk and are within six months of their release date. Candidates for the program would have to have a high school or high school equivalency diploma and be serving a prison sentence followed by extended supervision.

"Creating better work opportunities for the incarcerated plays a role in reducing the recidivism rate, meaning fewer cases to file in district attorney and public defender offices," Reps. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, and Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, and Sen. Jesse James, R-Altoona, said in a memo to legislators. "It will further expand the pool of workers for businesses facing current workforce shortages."

The draft bill would create a program similar to one that used to exist in Colorado, Sortwell spokesperson Zach Pfaffenbach said. That program was suspended in 2022 after a prisoner escaped while on his job site, according to The Colorado Sun.

The proposed program would also be similar to one Congress created in 1979 that encourages state and local governments to find private-sector work opportunities for prisoners. In 2012 Congress expanded that program, Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program, to cover federal agencies as well.

Prisoners working for private companies while incarcerated find employment faster, keep their jobs longer and have lower recidivism rates than prisoners who aren't in any prison program, work in the prison itself or are obtaining a GED, a 2007 National Institute of Justice study found.

The bill authors worked on the proposal with the State Public Defenders Office and the Wisconsin District Attorney Association, Pfaffenbach said.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, is still reviewing the proposal, spokesperson Sidney Litke said.
While signature Guinness brews are sure to draw crowds when the brands Open Gate Brewery opens in Chicago at the end of September, the food menus local touches are likely to charm Chicagoans, as well.

Housemade giardiniera serves as the base of the Chicago Caviar appetizer dip. Chicago purveyors such as Windy City Mushroom and Gotham Greens will supply produce for toothsome dishes with global flair. And early risers will be fueled by Intelligentsia Coffee and the acclaimed Aya Pastry, which will provide croissants and danishes for breakfast.

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I dont think (customers) are going to be expecting the type of food that myself and the other chefs are putting together, said chef de cuisine Taylor Bischof. I think its going to wow people.

After two years of anticipation, Guinness will launch its Chicago brewery at 8 a.m. Sept. 28. Along with the brewery, the former Pennsylvania Railroad Depot, 901 W. Kinzie St. in the West Loop, will house a full-service restaurant, taproom, bakery and cafe within its 15,000-square-foot space.

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A graffiti-covered wall facing the patio of the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago operation is the second in the U.S. for the iconic Irish brand that has been brewing for over 260 years. The first Open Gate Brewery launched in Dublin in 2015, while its first U.S. outpost opened in Baltimore in 2018.

The West Loop iteration will offer 12 to 16 draft beers on any given day, from signatures such as Guinness dry Irish stout  imported straight from Dublin  to rotating experimental drafts made on-site and exclusive to Chicago. An initial lineup includes Kinzie Street Pale Ale, Mango Chile Ale and Corn Maize Cream Ale, made with corn from Iroquois County in Illinois.

The drink menu will also feature beer-infused craft cocktails, while nonalcoholic cocktails use mixers from brands such as Chicagos Pour Souls. The nonalcoholic Guinness 0 will also be served.

[ We taste nonalcoholic Guinness 0  and make a tweak ]

The restaurant menu, designed in partnership with the hospitality groups behind Stefani Prime, Bar Cargo and Broken English Taco Pub, highlights global foods that can pair well with Guinness, said Bischof, who opened Brekkie & Bake Shop in the now-closed Dr. Murphys Food Hall in 2020 and worked with Roanoke Hospitality before joining the Open Gate Brewery team.

We definitely wanted to look at the global footprint of Guinness, so obviously were going to have some of those Irish classics, she said, but we definitely wanted to pull flavors and cuisines from Africa, from the Caribbean islands.

Among the dishes Bischof is most excited for visitors to try is the duck a deux udon, with both duck breast and duck confit playing off the sweetness of ginger, hoisin and carrots. An African-inspired lamb entree boasts warm notes of cinnamon and clove, deepening the marinated lambs flavor after a slow braising in Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

Duck with udon noodles at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

The lamb isnt the only dish kissed with Guinness character. Wings come slathered in Guinness barbecue sauce, a fish sandwich comes with beer-battered halibut, and a beer-brined chicken is served with maitake mushrooms, black-garlic gravy and a sweet potato and Brussels sprouts hash.

Theres also plenty of Irish pub fare  a double smash burger comes topped with Tillamook cheddar and caramelized onion jam, Guinness stew features beef from Slagel Family Farm, and a charcuterie board will come stacked with Paulina Meat Market sausages, Tillamook cheddar fondue and pretzels.

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Its been really exciting for me, as a chef, just to get to innovate and also get to play around with the beer and cook with it, pair our food with it, said Bischof. When I taste beer, the wheels just start turning in my head for how it can be put into food.

The Smashburger at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Caviar (housemade giardiniera) at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Bischof said the team is experimenting with desserts, and there will definitely be some type of chocolate cake and a lot of fun-flavored ice cream made in-house and with North Side-based Milky Milky Ice Cream.

Brunch options, served Saturdays and Sundays, will include a shakshuka pot pie with roasted red pepper, garlic, goat cheese and sourdough; a Maryland crab Benedict with housemade English muffins, an avocado mousse and habanero-basil hollandaise; and a traditional Irish breakfast with fixings such as bacon, sausage, over-easy eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and smashed potatoes.

The team at Open Gate will also be baking scones, muffins and Brewers Bread, the teams stout-infused take on a traditional soft wheat brown bread. The brewery has committed to donating 10,000 loaves of bread to the Greater Chicago Food Depository each year, in addition to what it serves on site.

901 W. Kinzie St., guinnessbrewerychicago.com

sahmad@chicagotribune.com
Since February, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has blocked all senior military promotions requiring Senate confirmation. He is doing so to protest the Pentagons policy of allowing military personnel to travel to get abortions if the state they live in does not allow them. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs case last year overturned Roe v. Wade's guarantee of nationwide abortions, creating a patchwork of state laws.

Tuberville is enjoying his celebrity status as a never back down type of guy a little too much. And Tuberville is taking his superficial Republican anti-wokeism too far by inserting it into military affairs.

Yet the predictions of catastrophic consequences for U.S. national security from Tubervilles symbolic protest are wildly overblown by some members of both parties.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., vaguely railed that Tuberville is prepared to burn the military down with his hold on senior military promotions. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a hawkish Republican candidate for president, complained to Hugh Hewitt, a conservative radio host, We do not have a chief of staff of the army for a first time in 200 years. More than 300 vacancies. Its a mess. Haley said Hewitt should contact Tuberville and ask him to stop screwing up the military because were on the brink of a conflict with China and we cannot have this.

The desired public implication Tubervilles critics want to leave is that the giant bureaucracies of the American military have ground to a halt because some senior leadership positions are temporarily unfilled. The suggest is that this impedes the readiness of our military to deal with any immediate armed contingencies that arise.

Yet based on my long experience working with the Department of Defense, I know its services adapt to run on autopilot quite successfully with acting senior officials. In fact, they regularly do so when Senate confirmations are slow, such as when a new president's administration is in transition. Granted, new policy initiatives may be delayed without senior leadership positions filled in some services, but a catastrophic loss of military readiness will unlikely occur.

Despite the public grousing about Tuberville, his grandstanding will have minor real-world effects. Tuberville's protest also could force Congress to consider pruning the bloated numbers of senior officer positions.

Since World War II, the ratio of flag officers  generals and admirals  to the enlisted ranks has ballooned to nearly the highest in modern military history. Republican congressional leaders are already on the right track in considering slimming down the number of flag officers in the services  currently more than 900.

In 1965, the year of the escalation of the Vietnam War, such generals and admirals were only 0.05% of the total force. In 2018, it had climbed to 0.07% of the force. During World War II, there was one general or admiral for every 6,000 troops. Now, it is one flag officer for 1,400 troops.

More generally, the officer bloat goes below the flag officer level, with a ratio of one officer to 10 enlisted men during World War II soaring to one officer for every four enlisted men in 2022. Col. Gregory McCarthy of the Marine Corps called this phenomenon rank creep.

Though the budget savings of eliminating the salaries of retiring flag officers would be modest, these legislative leaders realize something that the critics of doing so dont  inefficiencies of bloated top-heavy service bureaucracies regularly undermine military readiness and waste too much of the almost $850 billion annual military budget far more than some temporarily unfilled senior positions.

What is required is a considered and systematic examination of whether many of these senior positions are still needed. Whittling down the excessive layers of flag officers to more historical levels will speed decision-making through the ranks in any emergency.
Sept. 7, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Chinas President Xi Jinping unveiling the Silk Road Economic Belt, which together with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are now known as the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, we present excerpts from contemporaneous coverage from China News (as posted by Chinas Consulate in Toronto).

At the time, China had proven, over more than two decades, that they could systematically pull hundreds of millions of Chinese out of severe poverty, and they surprised the defenders of poverty by offering to export their economic model.

On Sept. 7, 2013, President Xi Jinping made a speech titled Promote People-to-People Friendship and Create a Better Future at Kazakhstans Nazarbayev University. He spoke highly of the traditional friendship between China and Kazakhstan, and gave a comprehensive elaboration of Chinas policy of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation toward countries in Central Asia. He proposed to join hands building a Silk Road Economic Belt with innovative cooperation mode and to make it a grand cause benefitting people in regional countries along the route....

We should turn the advantage of political relations, the geographical advantage, and the economic complementary advantage into advantages for practical cooperation and for sustainable growth, so as to build a community of interests. We should create new brilliance with a more open mind and a broader vision to expand regional cooperation. By strengthening the cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Community, we can gain a greater space for development.

Xi Jinping proposed that in order to make the economic ties closer, mutual cooperation deeper and space of development broader between the Eurasian countries, we can innovate the mode of cooperation and jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt step by step to gradually form overall regional cooperation.

First, to strengthen policy communication. Countries in the region can communicate with each other on economic development strategies, and make plans and measures for regional cooperation through consultations. Second, to improve road connectivity. To open up the transportation channel from the Pacific to the Baltic Sea and to gradually form a transportation network that connects East Asia, West Asia, and South Asia. Third, to promote trade facilitation. All the parties should discuss the issues concerning trade and investment facilitation and make appropriate arrangements. Fourth, to enhance monetary circulation. All the parties should promote the realization of exchange and settlement of local currency, increase the ability to fend off financial risks and make the region more economically competitive in the world. Fifth, to strengthen people-to-people exchanges. All the parties should strengthen the friendly exchanges between their peoples to promote understanding and friendship with each other....
The U.S. Department of State says that nearly 90,000 Afghans have come to the United States through a special federal program since 2021. The program is called Operation Allies Welcome.

The U.S. government created Operation Allies Welcome to help resettle Afghans who had worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan until it withdrew.

Farzana Jamalzada fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021. Jamalzada feared that her work with the U.S. government put her in danger.

Jamalzada settled in New York City. The government program gave her permission to live and work in the U.S. for two years. She got a job with an organization that helps people in need, a charity. The job provided her with money to pay for a place to live and other necessities. But the two years ended at the end of August.

She and her family are waiting for an immigration interview for their application to live and work in the U.S. permanently. The document that permits this is known as a green card.

Reuters news agency reported that President Joe Biden's administration extended the permission for two more years in June. But the permission to stay in the country is still temporary.

Difficulty with immigration documents is common for many Afghans who were resettled through Operation Allies Welcome. Their path to legally living in the U.S. permanently is not simple.

A group of U.S. lawmakers from both political parties, men and women who served in the U.S. military and others are working to support a new law to help Afghan immigrants.

The Afghan Adjustment Act aims to create a direct path for Afghans to live and work in the U.S. permanently. The goal would be for many Afghans to become citizens in the future.

But the legislation has not made progress in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Danilo Zak is with Church World Service, a group that assists refugees. Zak said there are many Afghans who simply do not have money for, or cannot find, immigration assistance.

Unlike some others, Jamalzada and her husband do have a path to a green card. They can request a Special Immigrant Visa. The Special Immigrant Visa is for translators, interpreters and others who assisted the U.S. government in the war in Afghanistan.

But Jamalzada had to flee Afghanistan so suddenly that her visa was not fully processed. To get a green card, Jamalzada and her husband must attend a government interview on September 12. Until that time, she and her husband may not legally work.

Jamalzada said she hopes the U.S. Congress passes the Afghan Adjustment Act. She said she wants her friends and family already in the U.S. to not have to worry about their ability to live and work in the country.

"You never know what's gonna happen to you, she said.

Im Gena Bennett.

Josephine Walker reported this story for Reuters. Gena Bennett adapted it for VOA Learning English.

__________________________________________________

Words in This Story

interview n. a meeting to gain information from a person about themselves or others

application n. a written request for a job, admission to a school or an official status

translatorn. a person who changes written materials from one language into another

interpretern. a person who changes information from one spoken language to another

green cardn.(informal) a document that permits a foreign national to live and work permanently in the U.S.
Some of Australias Indigenous communities are hoping a national vote that would change the countrys constitution could give native people more of a voice in the government.

The vote, known as a referendum, would put in the nations constitution a way for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on policies that affect their lives. The vote, officially called Voice to Parliament, will be held on October 14.

Leaders of some Indigenous groups are looking to the process to help save their cultures and languages. Clark Webb is seeking to do that for his native, or Aboriginal, community, the Gumbaynggirr people.

Webb recently led a class of schoolchildren as they danced to native songs. "Opening our own schools, that's sovereignty in action," Webb said.

He and others want to bring back the Indigenous language spoken in Coffs Harbor, a coastal town about 500 kilometers north of Sydney. "And so we need that 'Voice' there to lobby for that."

Webb started the Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School last year. It was the first bilingual Indigenous school in Australias most populous state of New South Wales.

The effort is part of an attempt to bring back dozens of languages that are close to dying out. It is being supported by federal and state governments.

Many of Australia's Indigenous people see the recovery of languages as very important to the survival of their cultures.

Oldest culture

Australias Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander communities are perhaps the worlds oldest. They have a history on the continent dating back tens of thousands of years.

After colonization by Great Britain in 1788, the people increasingly faced discrimination, which continued long after Australia became a nation in 1901.

Government officials often moved Indigenous people from their traditional lands, known as Country. They forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families, resulting in a "stolen generation from the mid-19th century to the 1970s.

As late as the 1980s, officials punished Indigenous people for speaking their languages.

"I think, growing up, I knew there was something missing from my life," Webb said. "And as I got older, I realized that  was our language."

Webb estimates there are now about 30 proficient or highly proficient speakers of Gumbaynggirr. Among them is his nine-year-old daughter.

Language revival

Australia has one of the world's highest rates of language loss in the world.

At the time of European colonization, more than 250 Indigenous languages, including 800 dialects, were believed to have been spoken on the continent.

But the most recent population data shows that more than 150 languages were still being spoken in 2021. However, just 9.5 percent of indigenous Australians reported speaking one or more languages at home.

Ray Ingrey is one of a handful of people fluent in Dharawal. It was the first language heard by British explorer Captain James Cook when he landed in Australia in 1770.

Ingrey heads the Gujaga Foundation. It was founded in 2019 to bring back the language. He said government policies in those days severely hurt the ability to pass the language on from one generation to the next.

Officials had barred the grandparents of Webb and Ingrey from speaking their native languages. And some relatives were threatened by the police for speaking it anywhere.

Author and teacher Jasmine Seymour is leading efforts to revive the Dharug Aboriginal language among hundreds of schoolchildren in Sydney. Most of the children are non-Indigenous.

Seymour is related to Maria Lock, the first Aboriginal person to marry a European settler and one of the first admitted to a school to learn English.

"To be at the other end of history, where my language is being revitalized in school, is completely profound," she said.

I'm Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.

__________________________________________________

Words in This Story

indigenous  adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment

sovereignty  n. unlimited power over a country

lobby  v. o try to influence government officials to make decisions for or against something

proficient  adj. good at doing something

dialect  n. a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations

revitalize  v. to make active, healthy, or energetic again

profound  adj. having or showing great knowledge or understanding
It has been 32 years since a Greek-Canadian native of Winnipeg named Nia Vardalos worked for Second City in Chicago. It has been 26 years since Vardalos scored in the 99-seat Los Angeles theater circuit with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a 45-minute solo stage version of a screenplay Vardalos couldnt sell to the movies. Yet.

Then Rita Wilson saw the show and told her husband (Tom Hanks) about it, and they got the movie made with HBO financing and their own production company. On a modest $5 million budget, the 2002 picture grossed almost 75 times that, worldwide. Money-wise, its still the biggest romantic comedy in the film history. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which came out in 2016, got reamed by the critics but did well enough to lead to My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, written, starring and directed by Vardalos in her second-ever feature behind the camera. (I Hate Valentines Day was the first.)

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So how is the new one? Well, Id love to say its full of surprises, but we both know that cant possibly be the case. This ones a little easier to take than Greek Wedding 2, though, even if it makes the first movie look like a low-key exercise in emotional and comic neorealism. The material, and the direction, add up to one thing; the people on the screen are another  a considerably better thing.

Premise? Another wedding. Plus a family reunion in the Portokalos clans Greek island village back home. This is where the late Gus wanted the family to gather after his passing. (Michael Constantine, who played the beguiling, Windex-slinging ringer from the first two films, died in 2021.) Toula (Vardalos) is on a mission to find her fathers three oldest friends, the ones in a treasured old photograph of four boys, smiling, beckoning.

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Thats one plot hook, as Toulas fractious relatives bang around the old island village (population: six), where the mayor (Melina Kotselou, a plus) hopes to restore the village to a semblance of life. The wedding this time is half-Greek, half-Syrian, which means there are tradition-bound village elders to appease. With a dementia-challenged mother (Lainie Kazan) at home in Chicago, Toula and company feel the weight of time passing. Well, now and then. The bread and butter here, as in Greek Weddings past, is in such lines as: Im cooking! Wear your eating pants! Or this, from the invaluable Andrea Martins Aunt Voula, who dismisses her nieces unwillingness to discuss her romantic complications with a blunt reminder of the Greek way: Find a way to argue it out, using threats and guilt.

John Corbett, Maria Vacratsis, Melina Kotselou, Nia Vardalos, Elena Kampouris, Andrea Martin and Elias Kacavas in a scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3." (Yannis Drakoulidis/Focus Features via AP)

John Corbett returns as the flagrantly non-Greek husband, Ian. Like Toula, he exists largely in reaction shots here, his eyes widened by the sights and sounds everywhere. Of course the scenerys dandy. But the way My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 has been staged, filmed and edited, every new scene and each exchange has a way of being undermined by the filmmaking choices.

Example: The family, just arrived at the Athens airport, waits for their rental car to enter the frame. Punchline: Its a rickety old farmers truck. Theres really only one way to handle that bit. Let the truck roll into the frame, and keep the camera still. You dont need three pushy, intrusive cuts across seven seconds of screen time to punch up a joke that size. But thats what happens here. Director Vardalos, the keeper of her half-billion-dollar franchise, mistakes antsiness for energy, cutting constantly, messing up the rhythms. Who needs the punctuation when you have pros and newcomers alike working the full range of the subtlety-to-shamelessness spectrum?

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3  2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for suggestive material and some nudity)

Running time: 1:31

How to watch: Premieres in theaters Sept. 7.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune
FRIDAY, Sept. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New Swedish research suggests that up to 5% of 70-year-olds have glaucoma, and half of those diagnosed didn't even know they had the disease.

Of those who were diagnosed with glaucoma via the study, 15 people -- or 2.7% of all participants -- were unaware that they had the disease before being examined, said study author Lena Havstam Johansson, a PhD student at the University of Gothenburg and a specialist nurse at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, both in Gothenburg, Sweden. So half of those who turned out to have glaucoma were diagnosed because they took part in the study.

Those who received this diagnosis were able to start treatment with daily eye drops that lower the pressure in the eye and slow optic nerve damage.

Researchers noted that those with glaucoma had similar levels of physical activity and did not smoke more or drink more alcohol than those without the disease. Their overall quality of life was as good as the others. They were not more tired or more depressed.

This was a positive surprise, and was a finding that I hope can bring comfort to many people who have been diagnosed with glaucoma. Its hard to live with a disease that gradually impairs vision, but life can still be good in many ways, Havstam Johansson said in a University of Gothenburg news release.

Yet, those who had glaucoma did report that their vision-related quality of life was poorer.

Its harder to climb stairs, see curbs in the evening and notice things in your peripheral vision. This means that people with glaucoma may avoid visiting others, or going to restaurants or parties, and instead stay at home. They lose their independence, and may feel frustrated about it, Havstam Johansson noted.

This research was part of the H70 study at the University of Gothenburg, which is examining the health of older people. It includes physical and cognitive exams.

There were 1,203 70-year-olds included in the glaucoma study. Most of the participants answered written questions about their eye health and the presence of glaucoma in their family. Eye specialists at Sahlgrenska University Hospital also examined 560 of the participants.

This confirmed hereditary factors behind the disease. Those diagnosed with glaucoma were more likely to have a close relative with the same diagnosis. While glaucoma involves higher eye pressure, a majority of those who were newly diagnosed, 67%, still had normal eye pressure.

The findings were published recently in the journal Acta Ophthalmologica.

The reason people may believe their vision is still normal even after the early stages of disease begin is that the healthy eye can compensate for vision loss.

Given that, what are the signs of glaucoma?

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type, where the eye does not drain fluid as well as it should, according to the American College of Ophthalmology. Eye pressure begins to builds and starts to damage the optic nerve. This type of glaucoma is painless and causes no vision changes at first. Regular eye exams are the best way to find early signs of damage to the optic nerve.

Meanwhile, angle-closure glaucoma happens when someones iris is very close to the drainage angle in their eye, the academy says. When the drainage angle gets completely blocked, eye pressure rises very quickly. This is called an acute attack. It is an emergency, and you should call your ophthalmologist right away or you could go blind.

Here are the signs of an acute angle-closure glaucoma attack:

Your vision is suddenly blurry

You have severe eye pain

You have a headache

You feel sick to your stomach

You throw up

You see rainbow-colored rings or halos around lights

More information

The U.S. National Eye Institute has more on glaucoma.

SOURCES: University of Gothenburg, news release, Sept. 7, 2023; American College of Ophthalmology
Central Nebraska Public Power District will inspect the Johnson No. 1 Hydro plant from Nov. 6-16 during a scheduled drawdown of Johnson Lake.

Hydraulic Project Operations Manager Cory Steinke told the CNPPID Board of Directors at its September meeting that the lake elevation would be approximately 13 feet below normal operations levels during the draw down.

Central is planning to place a temporary dike in the outlet canal of Johnson Lake. This dike would allow dewatering of the outlet canal to conduct a full inspection of the J-1 Hydro plant, CNPPID said in a press release.

With lake levels low, it also provides CNPPID the opportunity to check for and remove any remaining debris in the lake from the tornado occurred this past spring.

Lake residents wanting to perform shoreline maintenance need to contact CNPIID to obtain any necessary permits prior to initiating such projects.

The drawdown is scheduled to begin around Oct. 26 but that date could be adjusted based on flows in the North and South Platte rivers. It will slowly fill during the hydro plant outage and should return to normal water operations by the end of November.

Also at Tuesdays board meeting in Holdrege:

Irrigation and Water Services Manager Scott Dicke reported to the board that the irrigation season is coming to an end.

The headgates are scheduled to be closed on Sept. 8 with typical drain-down water likely being available to irrigators after that date.

Dicke added that the water level at Elwood Reservoir is now stable with no more releases planned and boaters can still have access.

Construction on the Elwood Dam seepage repair project is getting set to begin and the construction trailer will be brought in and mobilized this week.

Half of the boat ramp parking lot will now be fenced off during time of construction.

Directors approved a pricing addendum to a water leasing agreement with the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for $100 per acre with a cap of 3,000 acres, the same terms as the 2023 agreement

The board approved a purchase requisition for $75,768 to Central Nebraska Bobcat for an E35 Bobcat mini excavator.

The board signed a resolution to adopt and enter into the declaration of trust and participate in the Nebraska Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System Trust and the Nebraska Public Agency Investment Trust. These potential investment options offer favorable return rates to the district.

Steinke gave the directors an update on the progression of the bridge work near Midway Lake.

Steinke said an additional bridge near Maxwell suffered significant damage when an overweight vehicle passed over it.

He reminded the board the importance of overweight vehicles exceeding posted weight limits and the immediate danger that could occur.

I was very surprised the vehicle that caused the damage didnt end up in the canal, he stated.

The bridge has been shut down and Centrals crews are repairing it.

Steinke said Lake McConaughys elevation currently is 3,229.1 feet (49.2% of maximum volume). He reported the peak elevation of the summer was 3,235.7 feet on July 18. Inflows are around 600 cubic feet per second and outflows are about 2,400 cfs.

Steinke also reported that CNPPID is assisting with the lowering of water levels as the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission plans for the fall renovation of the Lake Ogallala fishery. Nebraska Public Power District also plans to perform inspections and maintenance on their canals during this time.
These Dawson County 4-Hers received the following ribbon placings at the Nebraska State Fair in the 4-H Contest, Fashion Show Contest, Culinary Challenge Contest, Horticulture Contest, Weed and Grass ID Contest, Tree ID Contest, Insect ID Contest, and Special Awards, according to Andrea Nisley, UNL Extension educator; Sarah Sivits, UNL Extension educator; and Mike Wolff, Extension assistant.

4-H FASHION SHOW

Dawson County 4-Hers Karla Herrarte (Lexington), Sydni Ringenberg (Lexington), Melissa Montano (Kearney) and Aven Zimmerman (Overton) competed in the 4-H Fashion Show. Karla and Sydni received purple ribbons showcasing their constructed garments. Melissa and Aven received a purple ribbon showcasing their consumer skills with a purchased garment. Karla Herrarte received the 2023 Nebraska Make It With Wool 4-H Fashion Show plaque given in memory of Alice Doane, past State Director of the Nebraska Make It With Wool for 28 years.

4-H DESIGN GALLERY EXHIBITS

Wesley Thompson (Lexington) STEAM Clothing 3  A Stitch Further (navy blue wool military coat); and Karla Herrarte (Lexington)  STEAM Clothing 3  A Stitch Further (crimson red wool coat and black/cream/ red plaid wool dress); were selected for exhibition in the 4-H Design Gallery.

4H CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION

Wesley Thompson (Lexington) received the 2023 Nebraska Make It With Wool 4-H Construction Best of Show plaque for his Navy Blue Wool Military Coat. The award was in memory of Alice Doane, past State Director of the Nebraska Make It With Wool for 28 years.

4-H CULINARY CHALLENGE CONTEST

Mollie Spradlin (Cozad) and Paige Walahoski (Overton) received a purple ribbon and ranked 3rd in the 4-H Culinary Challenge Contest using the challenge ingredient sunflower in their 4-H Girls Party Picnic.

4-H HORTICULTURE CONTEST

The following Dawson County 4-Hers participated in the State 4-H Horticulture Identification Contest. Intermediate Division blue ribbon winners were Mollie Spradlin (Cozad), Cassidy Reiman (Cozad), and Brooklyn Reiman (Cozad). Brooklyn Reiman placed 5th and Cassidy Reiman placed 7th. The Intermediate team of Mollie Spradlin, Cassidy Reiman, and Brooklyn Reiman ranked 1st overall. In the Senior Division, Reiker Spradlin (Cozad) received a blue ribbon with Carson Reiman (Cozad) and Wesley Thompson (Lexington) receiving a red ribbon. Reiker Spradlin placed 9th.

4-H WEED AND GRASS IDENTIFICATION CONTEST

The following Dawson County 4-Hers participated in the State 4-H Weeds & Grass Identification Contest. Intermediate Division blue ribbon winners were Cassidy Reiman (Cozad) and Brooklyn Reiman (Cozad). Mollie Spradlin (Cozad) and Wesley Thompson (Lexington) received red ribbons. Cassidy Reiman placed 7th and Brooklyn Reiman placed 8th. The intermediate Team of Mollie Spradlin, Cassidy Reiman, and Wesley Thompson ranked 3rd overall. In the Senior Division, blue ribbon winners were Reiker Spradlin (Cozad) and Carson Reiman (Cozad). Reiker Spradlin placed 9th and Carson Reiman placed 10th. The Senior Team of Reiker Spradlin, Carson Reiman, and Brooklyn Reiman ranked 1st Overall.

4-H TREE IDENTIFICATION CONTEST

The following Dawson County 4-Hers participated in the State 4-H Tree Identification Contest. In the Intermediate Division, Brooklyn Reiman (Cozad) received a red ribbon and placed 3rd . Wesley Thompson (Lexington) received a red ribbon and placed 5th. Reiker Spradlin (Cozad) received a red ribbon and placed 8th in the Senior Division.

4-H INSECT IDENTIFICATION CONTEST

The following Dawson County 4-Hers participated in the State 4-H Insect Identification Contest. Cassidy Reiman (Cozad) placed 4th in the Intermediate Division receiving a purple ribbon. Carson Reiman (Cozad) placed 8th in the Senior Division receiving a red ribbon.

4-H RAINBOW RIBBON RECOGNITION AWARDS

Every 4-H exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair is unique and special in its own way. However, some really stand out in a crowd! The following list recognizes individuals in the various 4-H Exhibit Hall departments that drew special attention.

Clothing Department

Wesley Thompson (Lexington)  Clothing 2 Exhibit- Ham and Roll Sleeve Set  Nice Job on unique project.

MaKennah Sauer (Lexington)  Clothing 2 Exhibit  Wool Jumper- Nice Job Matching Side Seems.

Benjamin Dones (Lexington)  Clothing 2 Exhibit  Beautiful Tailored Jacket, Will Pressed.

Melissa Montano (Kearney)  Clothing 2 Exhibit  Wool Jumpsuit  Zipper Matching is Great!

Jaden Hunke (Lexington)  Clothing 2 Exhibit  Wool Dress  Beautiful Matching of Plaids!

Wesley Thompson (Lexington)  Clothing 3 Exhibit Military Coat  Buttons Sewn on Beautiful.

Krystal Villezcas (Lexington)  Level 2 Crochet Exhibit  Gray Cardigan  Well done in workmanship and appearance.

Photography Department

Reid Wahlgren (Gothenburg)  Photography Portfolio  The creativity and well thought out explanation of each photo.

Emma Luther (Overton)  Photography Level 2  Excellent picture of a Strawberry.

Science & Technology Department

Josiah Rhea (Lexington)  Unit 4 Woodworking Exhibit  Cabinet- Excellent Finish

Wesley Thompson (Lexington)  Rocket Exhibit  Screaming Eagle Rocket- Unique design and details.

Entomology Department

Seth Wahlgren (Gothenburg)  Macrophotography  Hairy Milkweed Beetle Macrophotography
A Chinese delegation led by Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong will visit North Korea to participate in celebrations for its 75th founding anniversary, which is tomorrow, the Norths state media said yesterday.

The report came amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to visit Russia soon for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that could be focused on advancing talks for North Korean arms sales to refill Russian reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.

Pyongyangs official Korean Central News Agency said the visit by Lius delegation comes at the invitation of North Koreas ruling Workers Party. It didnt specify the events the Chinese officials would be participating or whether they would be meeting Kim.

A U.S. official said Monday that Washington expects Kim to make a trip to Russia within this month to meet Putin as the Kremlin tries to acquire military equipment for use in its war in Ukraine.

According to some U.S. reports, the meeting could happen as early as next week in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, where Putin is expected to attend an annual economic forum that runs from Sunday to Wednesday.

In exchange for providing Russian with artillery shells and other ammunition, North Korea could possibly seek badly needed energy and food aid and advanced weapons technologies, analysts say. There are concerns that potential Russian technology transfers would increase the threat posed by Kims growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles that are designed to target the United States and its Asian allies South Korea and Japan.

Amid deepening nuclear tensions with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, Kim has been trying to boost the visibility of his partnerships with Moscow and Beijing as he seeks to break out of diplomatic isolation and have Pyongyang be a part of a united front against the United States.

Kim in July invited delegations led by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong to a huge military parade in Pyongyang where he rolled out his most powerful weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to target the U.S. mainland.

A day before the parade, Kim took Shoigu on a tour of a domestic arms exhibition, which demonstrated North Koreas support for Russias invasion of Ukraine and added to suspicions the North was willing to supply arms to Russia.

Speaking at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged all U.N. member states to fulfill their sanctions obligations under existing Security Council resolutions to limit North Koreas nuclear capabilities, which include a ban on arms trade with the country, his office said in a statement. The office did not elaborate whether Yoon specifically called out Russia while expressing those concerns. punishment. KIM TONG-HYUNG, SEOUL, MDT
Camilo Pessanha, a Portuguese poet who came to Macau at age 27, has become the focus of a book that goes beyond merely praising his poetic achievements but also retells the human stories of his life .

Christopher Chu and Maggie Pui Man Hoi, who have previously published the book Macaus Historical Witnesses to tell the stories behind 22 locations in Macau, launched their new book about Pessanha at the Sofitel Macau yesterday.

It all started when they discovered a government document about the poet, Hoi said yesterday. The document was about the poets work, which inspired the couple to conduct further research on his life, which they discovered was very interesting.

For instance, she noted that, Ana Pessanha, the poets earlier love interest, was a feminist when evaluated by todays standards. However, the poet had two mistresses in Macau, the older of which was a retired flower girl  a euphemism for a sex worker  and the step daughter of the poet. Hoi also noted that during their research, they discovered that historically, it was common for older sex workers to merely listen to their customers. The couple speculated that this was the reason behind the connection between the self-exiled poet and his first mistress.

When asked if the poets descendants were contacted for the project, Chu said that they had attempted to make contact via email but did not receive a response.

Chu and Hoi are correct that most existing documentation about Camilo Pessanha  like that relating to all historic Portuguese figures associated with Macau  are written in Portuguese. Despite being one of the two official languages, Portuguese is not widely spoken in the Chinese community, except for certain creolized references such as tai-ma-di for tomate (tomato in Portuguese) and for-ga for folga (day off in Portuguese).

In fact, the existing Chinese community in Macau may not have the slightest awareness of the poet despite there being a street named after him. Instead, the Chinese community often (if not always) uses another reference for the street  Lou Sek Tong. This is also the reason why they have chosen to write a book on the Portuguese poet, which they reemphasized should not to be read as a history book.

The story of Pessanha has been documented before. In 2018, Portuguese filmmaker Rosa Coutinho Cabral was in Macau to shoot her documentary on the poet, entitled Pe San Ie, which is the Romanization of the poets name in Chinese.
Both he and the chief of the Public Security Police Force (PSP) were dissatisfied with recent communications by the authority, stated Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak.

Last week, a private vehicle was observed travelling at high speed in front of Grand Lisboa Hotel, squeezing between a light bus and a seven-seater vehicle and running two red lights before colliding with a greening area at the door of Hotel Lisboa.

The immediate announcement by the PSP, which only spoke of a crash between two vehicles and a bus, drew criticism from the Macau Journalists Association (AJM) for downplaying the severity of the accident.

Subsequent updates were only released approximately half a day later in response to inquiries from journalists.

The AJM described this approach to information release unhelpful for journalists seeking to critically assess the severity and newsworthiness of road incidents and accidents.

Days later, footage of a PSP van running a red light was captured by a dashboard camera and went viral on social media. However, the PSPs announcement described the incident as involving a private vehicle and a motorcycle.

At a recent press conference, Wong was asked to comment on the matter. He expressed his intention to proactively discuss the matter, adding that the manner of information release for both incidents comprised a multitude of problems.

He acknowledged that while there are incidents of varying seriousness, information released for more serious incidents must be more detailed, timely and accurate.

The official noted that the police must avoid describing incidents in a vague or over simplified fashion. Details such as time, location, severity of injury and people involved should be disclosed. The phase of the investigation should also be disclosed, should the incidents cause be unclear.

He underscored that if the incident features children, the elderly, disabled individuals, or law-enforcement personnel or vehicles among those involved or injured, the incident should be considered serious.

Wong also expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the update, stating that updates should not be delayed until the following day. Promptly announcing the results of investigations is also critical.

[These criteria] are unquestionable and are my requirement. In fact, the requirement within the PSP is consistent [with mine], but problems have arisen during the handling of these two events, Wong said.

Internal communications within the PSP were also problematic, judging from these two recent cases. Wong revealed that mid-level management failed to promptly report the cases and their details to higher management, admitting that he was not aware of the matters when the incidents occurred.

This is problematic, he said. In fact, when severe cases happen, it has always been the practice to inform bureau heads or even the Secretary for Security. Details on the incident, the method of follow-up and the release of information must be conveyed to senior management.

He concluded that the failure to inform senior management of the details is not acceptable. Announcing details of serious and sudden cases is critical to maintaining social stability and upholding the publics right to information, he added.
The United States conducted a joint naval sail with the Philippines in the South China Sea on Monday, an obvious provocative move considering the tensions between China and the Philippines over the Renai Reef dispute.

A Reuters report citing the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command said it was the first time Manila and Washington have carried out a joint sail in the waters west of Palawan island. Perhaps the joint sail, apart from underscoring the Philippines military alliance with the US, was also meant to assert its baseless claims over the disputed waters.

The reckless act to hype the maritime dispute coincides with this weeks series of meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations taking center stage. The US, which has for years used the maritime disputes in the South China Sea to interfere in regional affairs, apparently intends to heighten tensions again so it can fish in troubled waters to fulfill its strategic goals.

The farce the US staged with the Philippines is yet another proof of Washington posing the biggest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea. To cater to its own strategic needs and maintain its global hegemony, the US is turning the sea into a playground for major power competition, totally disregarding the regional countries quest for peace, stability and development.

In order to address issues of common concern, ASEAN has tried to play down geopolitics in the meetings in Jakarta. Many of the blocs members have either refused or are reluctant to take sides in the China-US disputes, because they know that doing so would sow the seeds of division in the region.

China and ASEAN are in the middle of negotiations to finalize a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, which is aimed at maintaining lasting peace and stability in the waters. And the two sides have the wisdom and capacity to resolve their maritime differences and disputes.

The South China Sea is one of the worlds busiest waterways with some 100,000 merchant vessels sailing through its waters every year. Any disturbance in the waters will disrupt the free and smooth flow of goods and global supply chains, slowing down the regions development.

Hence, instead of indulging in selfish calculations and stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, the US should play a constructive role in the region, because peace and stability serves its own interest too. It should heed the call of the countries in the region and respect their efforts to turn the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Editorial, China Daily
I know its going to be a good fall for art viewing when this list is painfully hard to narrow down.

How can I not have included Dala Nasser at the Renaissance Society or Deb Sokolow at Western Exhibitions? What about Rebecca Morris at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Rathin Barman at the Arts Club, or Nnaemeka Ekwelum, with collaborative projects on view at the South Side Community Art Center? The Terrain Biennial turns 10 out in Oak Park, Sapphire & Crystals celebrates its 36th anniversary at the Logan Center and the National Museum of Mexican Art marks the centennial birthday of the late, great Carlos Cortez.

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It was no easy task to choose just the following highlights so, yes, that was me sneaking in a few extras above:

Susan Giles, Space Has Become This Material Thing: In this Chicago artists past sculptures, architectural monuments have gone twisty, sideways and all jumbled together, as if they were malleable stuff. Now shes studying hand gestures, turning the manual language of her subjects  young and old people who recently moved to new homes  into drawings and sculptures, giving permanent physical shape to ephemeral speech. Through Oct. 27 at Columbia College Chicagos Glass Curtain Gallery, 1104 S. Wabash Ave; more information at 312-369-6643 and students.colum.edu

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Jimmy DeSana: Suburban: A fixture of the New York downtown scene and an important contributor to queer mail art networks, DeSanas career was cut tragically short in 1990 by AIDS, but recently revivified with a critically lauded retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum. The highlight of that show was this series, shot between 1979 and 1985, in which nearly nude bodies stage colorful messes of gender, behavioral, social and artistic norms. Prepare to see 12 of the funniest, sexiest photographs ever made. Through Oct. 28 at Document, 1709 W. Chicago Ave.; more information at 312-535-4555 and documentspace.com

Detail of We Do Not All Breathe the Same Air - Massachusetts" (2022) by Tomas Saraceno. Part of the exhibition Earthly Visions at Gallery 400 (provided by Tanya Bonakdar Gallery). (Pierre Le Hors/HANDOUT)

Earthly Visions: Inside the Climate Crisis: Eight artists reveal their own approaches to the extreme weather, warming oceans, rampant pollution, species extinctions and material wastes that have become the reality of our planet. Tomas Saraceno indexes air pollution, Theo Cuthand envisions Indigenous futures, Jeremy Bolen visualizes proposed scientific solutions, Cydney Lewis and Nnenna Okore reimagine trash, Ursula Biemann and Lorraine Gilbert document communities that care for the land, and Terry Evans celebrates the hard-won health of Chicago-area landscapes. Through Dec. 16 at Gallery 400, 400 S. Peoria St.; more information at 312-996-6114 and gallery400.uic.edu

William Estrada: Multiples & Multitudes: Chicago has long been home to a multitude of social practice artists, and for the past two decades Estrada has been one of the most community-minded. In neighborhoods like Little Village and North Lawndale, he has toiled on his own and with collaborators to set up free family portrait studios; host summer art workshops and events; run pop-up printshops for radical messaging; bike and push around a mobile art cart, modeled on Mexican street food vendors but dispensing opportunities to create art; and teach bilingual art lessons for families as Maestro William on YouTube. Through Oct. 29 at Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave.; more information at 773-324-5520 and hydeparkart.org

Wavering Faith from the 2022 series "Phonetic Fragments," by Elnaz Javani. Part of the exhibition Life Cycles at the DePaul Art Museum. (Robert Chase Heishman/HANDOUT)

Life Cycles: Some art takes the passage of life as its subject matter, but all artworks are themselves subject to changes throughout their own existence. Material, legality and meaning can all fluctuate, as can ownership  as when an art object is welcomed into an institutional collection such as DePaul Art Museums. It features vital work by a heterogeneous mix of modern and contemporary artists, including Gertrude Abercrombie, Richard Hull, Laurel Nakadate, Claire Zeisler and Abelardo Morell, plus 10 Chicago artists not (yet) in the museums collection. Through Feb. 11, 2024, at DePaul Art Museum, 935 W. Fullerton Ave.; more information at 773-325-7506 and resources.depaul.edu

Native Futures: Indigenous futurism isnt just science fiction, its also reality, as envisioned by the more than one dozen established and emerging artists from the Great Lakes region featured in the inaugural exhibition of the Center for Native Futures. Chicagos only all-Native artist-operated fine arts organization has hosted virtual events, done advising and mounted a standout booth at last years EXPO, but this fall marks the long-awaited opening of their permanent space in the Marquette Building and an opportunity to see what happens when traditional techniques are evolved by artists like Chris Pappan, Noelle Garcia, Tom Jones and June Carpenter. Sept. 16 through May 2024 at Center for Native Futures, 56 W. Adams St., Suite 102; more information at 773-519-3238 and centerfornativefutures.org

Caguama (2020) by Omar Velazquez. Part of the exhibition entre horizontes: Art and Activism between Chicago and Puerto Rico at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (gift of Marshall Fields). (Shelby Ragsdale/HANDOUT)

entre horizontes: Art and Activism between Chicago and Puerto Rico: Watery vistas aside, Chicago and Puerto Rico have in common generations of artists, many of them with socially and politically engaged practices. Prints, videos, paintings and sculptures  by Candida Alvarez, Angel Otero, Jose Lerma, Edra Soto and Rafael Ferrer, among others  share space with archival materials documenting related community movements, from the Young Lords to the Humboldt Park rebellion. Through May 5, 2024, at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; more information at 312-280-2660 and visit.mcachicago.org

Chicago Architecture Biennial 5: This is a Rehearsal: Right on point with the international trend of collaborative curating, this years edition has been organized by local group the Floating Museum. CAB 5 takes as its theme the never-ending evolution of cities, and it promises to spread the art, ideas and design around town, with plenty of satellite events  including a new sculpture by the infamously playful Viennese collective Gelitin at the Neubauer Collegium and a group show about water at 6018North  in addition to expansive main presentations at the Cultural Center and the Graham Foundation. Various venues and dates, Sept. 21 through Feb. 11, 2024; more information at chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org

Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art: The internet allows us to escape our bodies; the internet fuses our offline and online selves. The internet facilitates free expression and communication; the internet helps governments and corporations surveil our behavior, monetize our choices and control our possibilities. Seventeen artists  among them Keith Piper, Sondra Perry and Joiri Minaya  parse the difference, in works spanning three decades and everything from bioart experiments to online games and 3D printed sculptures. Oct. 13 through Dec. 16 at Wrightwood 659, 659 W. Wrightwood Ave.; more information at 773-437-6601 and wrightwood659.org

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Faith Ringgold: American People: If today activism and art-making so often go hand in hand, craft is no longer pitted against the fine arts, and Black figuration has become the most significant trend, Ringgold is one of the great reasons why. The Harlem-born nonagenarian artist, author, educator and organizer made some of the boldest, most impactful artworks of the civil rights era and never stopped. This survey of her six-decades-long career  including her celebrated story quilts and Black Light series  is as welcome as it is overdue. Nov. 18 through Feb. 25, 2024 at MCA Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; more information at 312-280-2660 and visit.mcachicago.org

Lori Waxman is a freelance critic.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been giving interviews of late, serious interviews. The New York representative is clearly maturing. The celebrity-obsessed lefty has turned into a working member of Congress. That's good for all who want the Democratic fringes to stop attacking their moderates and join them  and moderate Republicans  in preventing a fascistic Trumpian future. If you are sensing distaste of both the far left and the far right, your hearing is fine.

Ocasio-Cortez recently described herself as "evolving, learning, challenging myself, but also rooted and grounded in who I am and why I'm here." Sounds promising. As the second-ranking Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee, all should welcome this great improvement over her early fundraising hailstorms against "enemy" Joe Biden.

Further down in that New York Times interview, Ocasio-Cortez was asked what changed the most about her since she took office. Her answer was short of satisfactory. "We were in transition between an older party and a newer one, in terms of where we were coming from ideologically."

The Democratic Party of Joe Biden looks a heck of a lot like the older party, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt party that did big things in the face of massive conservative opposition. Biden has overseen a nearly $400 billion investment to curb climate change, the lowest unemployment in 54 years and major cuts in health care costs. Perhaps his greatest feat was the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package to fix bridges, roads and public transportation  and expand broadband internet.

Can Ocasio-Cortez win back our love? First she has to win back our respect.

Ocasio-Cortez voted against it.

And that was a turning point for much of her Queens-Bronx constituency, which was also tiring of the nonstop showing off . As a result, Democrats started launching primary challenges against her. Speaking of which, Ocasio-Cortez reportedly tried to find someone to primary Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a fellow New York Democrat, in 2022. His "sin" was moderation. Jeffries is now the highly polished and capable House minority leader.

Can Ocasio-Cortez win back our love? First she has to win back our respect. Democrats can't get things done unless they win elections. For the longest time, Ocasio-Cortez didn't seem to care whether Demo crats won or not. She joined her hero Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in torching Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for president  even after Trump was the Republican nominee. You see, winning elections wasn't as important as building the movement.

Clinton, Ocasio-Cortez explained, was "this consummate insider that was bankrolled by corporate money." This led the interviewer to ask why then has Ocasio-Cortez refused to join other Democrats in abandoning Twitter, now X. It is owned by Elon Musk, a consummate insider with, we hear, a lot of corporate money. Though Musk has used Twitter to frustrate the investigation into Trump's eff orts to overturn the 2020 election, Ocasio-Cortez still feeds his social media company her 13 million followers.

By the way, it's fine with me that she has been working with Rep. Matt Gaetz on legislation to ban members of Congress from trading stocks. Gaetz may be an extraordinarily creepy Florida Republican, but the cause is good.

Ocasio-Cortez conceded that this cooperation might make some in the progressive wing "suspicious" of her. Radicals in both parties take this childish view that their champions commit ideological treason when they share an elevator with the other side. Anyhow, she added defensively, the Republican actually leading on that legislation was the moderate Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

That's progress for a Democrat who, in times past, couldn't even work with moderate Democrats. Ocasio-Cortez is growing up, and that's a good thing.

And so do we love Ocasio-Cortez now? Not yet. First we must forgive her. That will be slow in coming.

Harrop, who lives in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, writes for Creators Syndicate: fharrop@gmail.com.
To much of the world, Richard Davis  whose versatility and mastery of the bass is legendary on recordings such as Van Morrisons Astral Weeks and Eric Dolphys Out to Lunch  was a jazz great. To Madison, he was much more.

Davis, the famed bass player, music educator, recording artist and local advocate for racial equity and understanding, died Wednesday at age 93 after two years in hospice care, according to his daughter Persia.

Davis served as professor of bass, jazz history and jazz ensemble at UW-Madison for decades. A memorial page set up by Davis' family teemed on Thursday and Friday with tributes and fond recollections describing a virtuosic musician who loved his craft.

"He was like a big brother to me," wrote Billy Harper, a jazz saxophonist who played with Davis in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. "Everybody knows him as a great musician, but he was also a great person."

Former students added their memories of Davis as a dedicated educator with a contagious passion for music, equal parts intimidating and approachable.

John Bowen, who said he studied under Davis from 1982 to 1987 as the university's first electric bass major, cited Davis as a profound influence in his life and career.

"My approach to the instrument, my appreciation for Black music history, and how I interact with others were all deeply influenced by Richard," Bowen wrote. "Thinking back, I cannot imagine a musician of Richard's stature enthusiastically taking on a beginning student! But those of you that know Richard know that that was absolutely consistent with his character!"

Born in Chicago in 1930, Davis settled in Madison after 23 years in New York City, where he established himself as one of the worlds premier bass players, performing with stars such as Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon. From 1967 to 1974, he was named Best Bassist in the Downbeat International Critics Poll.

He was wooed from that full-time performance career by UW-Madison and came here as a novice teacher in 1977. But he soon proved himself to be a master at teaching as well, helping to develop the musical skills of students who would become Grammy winners or university professors themselves.

His own musical career bridged many genres. Davis, who in 2014 was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts (joining the ranks of Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Art Blakely), was also known for his classical skills and range, working with musicians from Bruce Springsteen to conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, George Szell, Igor Stravinsky and Pierre Boulez.

In 1993 he created the Madison-based Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, a group that continues to this day with weeklong workshops each spring at the Pyle Center that bring together young bass players and skilled master educators.

Over its three decades the foundation has become a huge family, said executive director Catherine Harris, who met Davis in 2008 when she attended a foundation workshop as a high school student.

Its made up of so many bass players who care about each other and want to pass along their knowledge, she said.

'Let's play it'

Davis himself started playing bass at 15. He told the Wisconsin State Journal in 2018 that he based his teaching style on what he learned from Walter Dyett, his own music teacher at Chicagos DuSable High School.

He didnt put up with any jive  and he made you want to be the greatest, Davis said of his early mentor.

He had ideas about music that made you feel you could do anything. You know, sight-reading is a big thing with musicians. And he would say, Theres no such thing. Youve seen all the music before  just in different forms. And Ive thought that ever since he said it. I think, Oh yes, Ive seen this all before. Lets play it.

Davis also became known in Madison for his work on racial justice and understanding. He created the Retention Action Project at UW-Madison, designed to bring together people to discuss cultural differences, and the Madison Wisconsin Institutes for the Healing of Racism, a forum to explore the history and pathology of racism.

In 2019, the Madison named an East Side street in his honor, Richard Davis Lane, connecting Darbo Drive and Webb Avenue.

Known for his warmth, Davis took special care with the students who were signed up to attend classes in the early days of his foundation. Before they traveled to Madison for the Young Bassists conference, he would phone each participant to introduce himself and calm the young musicians nerves.

I would call the house and say, Is your son or daughter home? Put them on the extension, because I want the kids to know me through my voice, Davis recalled in his 2018 State Journal interview.

That pays a lot of dividends, he said then. On the phone with them, Id say, How do you feel about coming here? And theyd say, Im nervous. Know what Id say? So am I. So right away they felt like this person they hadnt met yet was just like them.

Final years

The last years of Davis's life were a reminder to his daughter Persia of just how loved her father was, she said.

Visitors flocked in from states away to soak up whatever time they had left with the jazz legend, offering support to his family that Persia, 41, says took her aback at times.

"Not many elderly people have so many people in their corner as my father did," she said in a phone interview Friday.

Davis had been in hospice for the past two years, a time Persia says turned her life upside down.

"We really don't talk about how difficult this part of life can be," she said, noting how important it is for aging people to have plans in place.

"A lot of people are not prepared for it," she said.

Even with Davis' passing, his work continues, Harris said. Along with his groundbreaking recordings, the bass musician touched the generations of musicians he trained and inspired, she said.

Even if hes not there with us anymore, hes still with us because he is there, she said. The foundation continues because of those connections he made for us.
A Beloit woman was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in a cocaine dealing operation that previously netted her husband an 11-year prison term, authorities reported.

Dominique Holsten, 35, also was sentenced by Judge William Conley to 3 years of supervised release for distributing cocaine, a charge she pleaded guilty to on May 15, U.S. Attorney Timothy OShea said in a statement.

In 2021, Holstens husband, Depronce Burnett, distributed cocaine and methamphetamine, primarily out of the couples home in Beloit, and even after his arrest by Beloit police on Sept. 30 Burnett directed more sales of cocaine and meth via calls from the jail to Holsten, with sales continuing until police executed search warrants at their Beloit home on Oct. 27, OShea said.

Officers found hidden stashes of illegal narcotics that included more than 900 grams of cocaine, more than 500 grams of meth, and $87,000 in cash, OShea said.

At sentencing, Conley noted that Holsten had no previous history of any involvement in narcotics trafficking and attributed her involvement to the control and direction of her husband, OShea said.

Burnett, who had multiple prior drug dealing convictions, was sentenced by Conley on Aug. 8.

The charges against Holsten and Burnett were the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Beloit and Janesville police, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson prosecuted the case.
A Madison man who was arrested after a fatal crash last month at a Downtown intersection was speeding with nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in his body, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.

The complaint charged Alex C. Yeung, 25, with homicide by drunken driving and a companion charge, homicide by driving with a prohibited alcohol concentration. Yeung also was charged with homicide by negligent driving.

The alcohol-related homicide charges each carry up to 25 years of combined prison and extended supervision, while the negligent homicide charge carries up to 10 years.

The charges all relate to the Aug. 9 crash that killed James E. Wojciehowski, 83, who was making a left turn from South Park Street onto Vilas Avenue, which begins at the end of West Washington Avenue, when his car was struck by Yeung's car.

According to the complaint, an analysis of an event data recorder in Yeung's 2015 Toyota Camry indicated that up until 3.55 seconds before the crash, the car was going about 80 mph as it approached the intersection. About a second before impact, Yeung hit the brake, which brought his speed down to 56.5 mph at the time of impact, according to the complaint.

The speed limit there is 30 mph.

Yeung, who was released from jail on a signature bond on Aug. 15 to await charges, appeared in Dane County Circuit Court on Thursday, where Court Commissioner Scott McAndrew ordered that Yeung remain free on a signature bond. He will be back in court on Oct. 6 for a status conference. In the meantime, Yeung is barred from driving and from using or possessing alcohol.

According to the complaint:

DeForest Police Officer Ben Zeindler had just left the emergency room at UnityPoint Health-Meriter and was waiting to make a turn from South Park Street onto West Washington Avenue when he heard screeching tires to his right and saw a white sedan strike a silver sedan in the intersection.

He first ran to the white sedan and saw a person later identified as Yeung, dazed but conscious. In the other car, he found Wojciehowski, who was badly injured and going in and out of consciousness.

Yeung and Wojciehowski were taken to UW Hospital, where Wojciehowski died from what was later determined to be blunt force trauma of his torso.

On the floor of Yeung's car another officer saw an empty bottle of wine, Tassajara Pinot Noir. At the hospital, Yeung told police he didn't remember anything before being at the hospital, other than "being alive."

He was given medications at the hospital that included fentanyl and ketamine.

Yeung told police he hadn't been drinking and did not have any wine from the bottle found in his car. While Yeung, who had a broken ankle, could not do alcohol impairment tests that required him to stand and walk, he was given other tests to perform by police  eye movement, alphabet and counting tests  but had difficulty following the directions he was given.

A blood sample was taken at the hospital and later analyzed by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, which reported a blood alcohol concentration of 0.146%, well above the 0.08% limit for Wisconsin drivers.

A preliminary breath test taken after the crash had shown a value of just over 0.08%, but that test is only to be used for probable cause purposes and its results are not admissible in court.
Talks are underway to build a $35 million to $40 million public safety communications center near Dane Countys campus off Highway AB, giving 911 dispatchers a new facility and creating space for mental health and training services.

The new center would move dispatchers and other staff from their current cramped quarters in the City-County Building to a 34,000-square-foot space replete with training areas and trauma-informed mental health space to address the stressors of sending first responders out to emergencies and other incidents 24/7.

The dispatch center has been in its Downtown location for 30 years. Staffing has grown but the space has not, said Luis Bixler, the countys director of public safety communications.

Dispatchers typically sit only two to three feet apart, Bixler said. The layout of the space makes it difficult for staff to check security camera video feeds as incidents unfold in real time.

From an employee wellness standard, (the new space) allows them to not be on top of each other, Bixler said.

The facility would sit on Luds Lane and complement other county facilities to its west: the Dane County Medical Examiner and Public Works, Highway and Transportation buildings. Public safety communications backup facility and training space is in a building connected to the Medical Examiner building.

Talks to relocate the 97-person department began about two years ago. Since then, Bixler and other officials toured dispatch centers in Minneapolis, DuPage County in the Chicago suburbs, and Denver to learn what modern communications centers wasted money on and what they still lacked.

During talks about building a new center, officials determined that renovating an existing building would have been more expensive than building a new facility, Bixler said.

The existing facility will be built to accommodate future expansion without disrupting the work of dispatchers, said Greg Abbott, a project manager with the county.

We really tried to take a very comprehensive look to the future, Abbott said. Beyond that, who knows what future technology and functions are going to be, so we tried to incorporate that flexibility going into the future.

Bixler is optimistic about the new space hosting 911 awareness community events and helping new recruits, who now dont get to spend most of their six months of training in the departments main space.

Because the site will be annexed by Madison from the town of Cottage Grove in October, the project faces the citys approval process.

On Wednesday, plans for the facility got a warm reception from Madisons Urban Design Commission, with commissioners voicing support for the sites proposed landscaping and architectural design.

I think its a very handsome building, Commissioner Russel Knudson said.

If the project faces no hiccups in the approval process, the county plans to put out bids for a general contractor by years end, Abbott said. Construction would start next summer, with the facility up and running by the end of 2025.

Photos: Notable Deaths in 2023 Jimmy Buffett Tina Turner Tony Bennett Bob Barker Raquel Welch Lisa Marie Presley Jim Brown Harry Belafonte Sinead OConnor David Crosby Paul Reubens Lance Reddick Richard Belzer Mark Margolis Angus Cloud Clarence Avant Cindy Williams Alan Arkin Gordon Lightfoot Jeff Beck Bobby Caldwell Gary Rossington Wayne Shorter Jerry Springer Jacklyn Zeman John Beasley Michael Lerner Tom Sizemore Charles Kimbrough Julian Sands Cynthia Weil Sheldon Harnick Barrett Strong Willis Reed Tim McCarver Billy Packer The Iron Sheik Treat Williams Bill Richardson Daniel Ellsberg Pat Robertson Robert Blake Ted Kaczynski Lloyd Morrisett Chaim Topol Len Goodman Burt Bacharach Stella Stevens Barry Humphries Annie Wersching Dave Hollis Christine King Farris David Jude Jolicoeur Robbie Knievel Gina Lollobrigida Lynette Hardaway ("Diamond") Adam Rich Bobby Hull Charles White Robbie Robertson Ron Cephas Jones Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher Mohamed Al Fayed Jerry Richardson Sister Andre Tatjana Patitz Russell Banks Cardinal George Pell Ken Block Walter Cunningham Anton Walkes Pat Schroeder Seymour Stein Klaus Teuber Ginnie Newhart Vida Blue Martin Amis Doyle Brunson Hodding Carter III Ray Stevenson Astrud Gilberto Tori Bowie Silvio Berlusconi John Goodenough Coco Lee Jane Birkin William Friedkin Steve Harwell Michael McGrath Fernando Botero David McCallum Brooks Robinson Michael Gambon Dianne Feinstein Tim Wakefield Dick Butkus Michael Chiarello Louise Gluck Piper Laurie
A state Senate committee is scheduled to take up Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfes nomination on Monday, the first step in the Republican-led Senates efforts to fire Wolfe despite widespread disagreement over whether her reappointment is legally before the body.

The action follows a Senate resolution in June declaring that Wolfe has been nominated for reappointment by the bipartisan commission, despite the agency failing to secure the four votes traditionally needed for appointment.

Wolfe has been the subject of scrutiny from legislative Republicans since the commission made changes to certain elections procedures in the 2020 general election in response to the COVID-19 pandemic  changes that have spurred some conservatives to falsely accuse her of malfeasance.

If the Senate does fire Wolfe, it would likely lead to a lawsuit.

The upcoming committee vote follows months of disagreements over whether the agency had actually nominated Wolfe for another term.

In late June the elections commission deadlocked on a vote to reappoint Wolfe in a bid by Democrats to block her nomination from reaching the Senate. The three Republican members of the bipartisan commission voted to nominate her and the three Democrats abstained.

Senate Republicans have since planned to move ahead on her confirmation, arguing that the deadlocked vote actually constituted a majority since the three commissioners who cast votes voted in favor of appointing her.

Connor Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for Senate elections committee chair Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, said the senator is fulfilling his constitutional duties by scheduling a vote on Wolfes reappointment.

But nonpartisan and Democratic legal experts have disagreed with that analysis.

A memo prepared two weeks ago by Wisconsin Legislative Council attorneys Katie Bender-Olson and Peggy Hurley for Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, states that most Wisconsin Elections Commission actions, including the appointment of the agencys administrator, must be affirmed with at least four votes.

Based on the statutory text and conventions of statutory interpretation in Wisconsin, the best interpretation of state law is that appointment of a WEC administrator requires four votes of the commission, the memo states. This is because the provision relating directly to the appointment of an administrator refers to a majority of the members of the commission, and not to a majority of those voting, and because actions of the commission generally require a two-thirds vote.

While state law at times refers to members present and voting in some statutory provisions, that language is not included in a statute pertaining to an administrative appointment, the memo continues.

The Legislature chose not to use similar language for the appointment of an administrator, supporting the conclusion that appointment requires an affirmative vote by a majority of WEC members rather than a majority of members voting, the attorneys wrote.

Separately, in a letter to Wisconsin Legislative Council director Anne Sappenfield, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul wrote that the elections commissions deadlock vote in June means there is no WEC administrator appointment before the Senate.

This is not a close question under state law, Kaul said, adding that the state Department of Justice is representing Wolfe in the matter.

Spokespeople for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Kaul didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Before Senate Republicans introduced the resolution on Wolfes nomination, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, privately expressed doubts about whether the chamber could remove Wolfe if she wasnt first reappointed by the commission, according to an email the senator sent to a group of conservatives.

In an email sent to a group of local Republican leaders and posted on the messaging app Telegram, LeMahieu referenced the 2022 Supreme Court decision that allowed an appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker to serve on the Department of Natural Resources board long after his term had expired until the Senate confirmed his Democratic successor.
Working families in Wisconsin are facing an elder care crisis, as skilled nursing homes across the state are shuttered. Elected leaders in Lincoln County, about 170 miles north of Madison, have put our county-operated nursing home up for sale, making me fear for the well-being of my husband, Ken Purdy.

Ken and I have contributed to our community for the last 30 years. Ken grew up in nearby Langlade County. After high school, he served in the Navy for eight years during the Korean War. While on shore in Japan, he learned the martial art aikido. After his service, Ken became a renowned instructor, teaching in the police science program at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. He also served as a volunteer first responder in Lincoln County, answering calls day and night to rescue our neighbors who were injured in car accidents or facing other medical emergencies.

Ten years ago, Ken was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. Since then, Ive taken care of him in our home. But in the last year, Ken had two severe cases of COVID-19 that left him unable to perform basic activities on his own. When the hospital released him in April, I broke down in tears. I didnt even know how to get him home, much less get him the care he needed. I only knew I couldnt afford to put him in a private nursing home at a cost of $6,000 to $9,000 a month.

Fortunately, a woman whose family members took classes from Ken connected me with Pine Crest, a five-star, county-owned nursing home that provides specialized care for patients with memory loss. The nursing staff at Pine Crest  many of them friends weve known for years  have taken exceptional care of Ken. Since April, hes recovered strength and mental acuity, even as he continues to struggle with advanced Alzheimers.

Quote Ken and I spent our whole lives working hard and looking out for our neighbors. As we age, it's only right that our county should look out for us.

Lincoln County is like many places in our state where we look out for one another. Pine Crest embodies that value. Ken and I spent our whole lives working hard and looking out for our neighbors. As we age, its only right that our county should look out for us.

But now, our County Board has voted to put Pine Crest up for sale, saying we cant afford to provide skilled care to the elderly. But families such as mine know we cant afford not to. By 2040, roughly 1 in 4 Wisconsin residents will be over the age of 65 (and nearly 1 in 3 in many rural counties) meaning the need for skilled nursing homes is growing  even as 23 nursing homes have closed in the state since 2020.

About two-thirds of the residents at these homes are low-income Medicaid recipients with few other options. The closures are fueled in part by short-sighted elected leaders who are determined to slash public programs that families like mine depend on, even though weve lived, worked and paid taxes in Wisconsin for decades.

Here in Lincoln County, my neighbors and I are building on our long history of coming together to find solutions in times of crisis. Weve formed People for Pine Crest, a group of citizens from different walks of life. We dont see eye to eye on everything, but we are united in demanding that our county supervisors and state officials stop the sale of Pine Crest. At our recent board meeting, more than 100 community members showed up, packing the room and calling on our leaders to protect Pine Crest.

Gov. Tony Evers has called the Legislature back to Madison for a special session addressing the child care crisis. It is vital he put elder care on the agenda, too. As the number of older adults in Wisconsin grows, now is the time to protect and expand skilled nursing homes and Medicaid using the $4 billion state budget surplus. Wisconsin residents deserve to get the care they need at every age.
Mary Phelps, a grief massage therapist and Shiatsu bodyworker, gives a client a massage on Aug. 28, 2023, in Chicago. Phelps work focuses on getting the nervous system to calm down. Phelps is a member of the Chicago Death Doula Collective. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

At age 19, Mary Phelps stood at her grandmothers bedside. In mere minutes, she would watch the woman with whom she had shared a home and a life take her final breaths.

She held her grandmothers legs, lightly massaging them as the seconds ticked by. I just remembered her becoming so young in the face and relaxed, Phelps said. Thats when it came to me. Death can be calm and peaceful.

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Phelps perspective toward death and dying would forever be changed.

It was just a really beautiful moment, Phelps said of her grandmothers passing. So to see that, I realized death can be positive.

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Now, six years after that transformative moment, Phelps is one of Chicagos youngest death doulas at age 25.

The role of a death doula is to educate clients on what to expect at the end of life. The little-known field is centered around easing an individuals dying process, such as by informing the person of their burial options, serving as a point-of-contact between the person and their loved ones, and assisting in caregiving. And Chicagos young and diverse end-of-life care workers are striving to provide comfort and representation during an inevitable period of life.

Young doulas say they aim to change the perception that death is laden with gloom.

Phelps, for example, opened the door to her North Center office sporting a messy bun atop her head and a welcoming smile. She pressed her hands together in a namaste symbol and offered a small bow.

With an elephant tattoo on her arm and beads in her hand (a gift for completing her doula training), she sat down, folded her legs in a rolling office chair and began to share her story. When the beads broke between her fingers as she spoke, she smiled and said, must be the energy clearing.

Phelps describes herself as death positive. While the expression may raise eyebrows, she uses it as a way of calling attention to the impact of her work.

I think some people hear the word death and theyre like, What witchcraft is going on here? But its not like that, she said. Its just helping us to give better care to those that are dying, because they get neglected a lot.

Phelps channels better care through touch. She offers massages to hospice patients, fulfilling a need that she feels is underappreciated in the elderly community.

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A lot of times, they may not even be getting hugs or even gentle pats on the back, she said. So the way I see it  touch can help them feel more comforted and safe. It brings a calming presence. Yes, this is a scary time, but this can be a safe space.

The fear surrounding death is something that Phelps has encountered throughout her career. However, she and her partners at the Chicago Death Doula Collective work to help communities unlearn that fear.

Phelps may be one of the youngest death doulas providing care in Chicago communities, but she is not the only one.

Sam Kopas, 34, is new to the death doula scene. While on a thrifting excursion, she spotted a flyer advertising support for elder care, with one of the options listed as death doula.

I thought thats the craziest thing Ive ever heard, Kopas said.

The flyer made her think about her travels through Europe with her husband. She recalled seeing the Prague Astronomical Clock that tolls every hour, reminding her that regardless of your age, death comes for us all.

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I thought that was really metal, she said with a chuckle. With those memories coming to mind, she said she suddenly became acutely aware of the infrequency of open conversations surrounding death in America.

With her interest peaked, Kopas began to research Chicagoland death doulas to learn more about the practice. Soon, she found herself under the tutelage of Catherine Durkin Robinson, the owner of Anitya Doula Services and a death doula and educator.

Kopas became one of Robinsons youngest students.

I love seeing younger people. We need as many people as possible to get into this because so many different kinds of folks feel comfortable with so many different kinds of folks, Robinson said. I want to see more people who are trans, who are part of the LGBTQ community, getting trained to do this work.

I think she brings a really bright perspective to the work, Robinson said of Kopas. Because sometimes when were dying, we want to be around people that have familiar language, that use similar words, sometimes that look the same and are in tune with what were going through.

Robinson said that although younger workers are needed in the field, youth does not come without its challenges. She said some patients prefer an older practitioner. Being in end-of-life work as an older woman, Im thrilled with this process of getting wiser. Thats actually needed in this work, Robinson said. Its comforting; we know a thing or two and weve been around the block.

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Kopas echoed these concerns, saying, I definitely think theres some challenge with clients because when theres an age gap thats so significant, where someones in their 70s or 80s talking to someone whos a good deal younger than them, theres probably even more of that intensity of, What would you know that I dont at this point?

Kopas navigates that resistance by acknowledging the challenge as it arises. She said that holding the client in unconditional positive regard and addressing their discomfort directly is the key.

Just saying, I hear you, this is rough, Kopas said. Im certainly not here to fix the disease or cure it, but to give you the most comfortable space in the end.

When envisioning end-of-life care, Kopas said, a standard kind of patient comes to mind, someone elderly and bound to a hospital bed. But not everyone seeking end-of-life care is elderly. For young patients, doulas can adjust the care and comfort priorities.

Community health care worker Kandis Draw was forced to grapple with such adjustments as she cared for her sister battling liver failure at age 22. While burdened with grief, she discovered the distinct differences of navigating the dying process with someone in their 20s.

When you deal with people who are in their 60s and up, some of them have the attitude, Well, Ive lived my life. I dont have any regrets, she said.

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She recalled one senior saying, When you get old, stuff happens to you. Theres no way around that.

This peaceful acceptance can starkly differ for those who are dying at a young age. According to Draw, 41, young patients can be burdened with a different sentiment. This is not fair. I deserve another chance. I wasnt parented right. I wasnt cared for right. I didnt have the resources. People just threw me out there, Draw said, recounting some of the comments shes heard over the years.

Despite their grief, Draw said she was able to connect with these patients. I think that you can communicate better when its someone thats close to your age. You can have more of an open conversation, she said.

Like Draw, Maureen Burns, who is 38 and a fellow collaborator with the Illinois-based HAP Foundation for hospice and palliative care, considers her work to be heavily influenced by her personal experience with grief and loss.

Hospice is comfort care without curative intent; the patient no longer has curative options or has chosen not to pursue treatment. Palliative care is comfort care for people with a serious illness with or without curative intent.

Burns reflected on the death of her father in 2021. Despite working in health care, it took her a surprisingly long time to realize that her father was a candidate for hospice care. He struggled with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. While his decline in health made daily living and traveling to doctors appointments challenging, she did not consider that those challenges could be addressed by hospice care. I think that informs my work now, Draw said. If it was that hard for me, imagine someone who hasnt heard the word hospice. Imagine what they could be missing out on.

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For Kopas, becoming a doula was a way to bypass structures that imagine a standard patient. I know lots of families that dont think that hospice would be a good fit for them because they dont fit the standard kind of patient or family that would go through it, she said.

Kopas focuses on ensuring that everyone has the information they need. Did you know that green burial is an option? Did you know that palliative care can start early? Did you know that you can opt into hospice and then opt out if you want? she asked. All of this is just stuff that I felt like, if I could be a messenger for that kind of information to people who didnt know it, then that would be a significant improvement right there.

For many of Chicagos end-of-life-care workers, having conversations about a patients legacy and final moments have affected how they plan to move forward in their own lives.

Kopas found death doula work to be her method of leaving a lasting legacy in the world. She recently concluded that parenting might not be for me. This decision led her to ponder what could I still do and bring to the world that would be valuable and helpful, and offer a perspective and nuance and ease someones time here.

The answer was to be there for people when they are at their most vulnerable.

Mary Phelps gives a massage on Aug. 28, 2023, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Phelps open and positive approach toward death isnt limited to her work. She has begun planning for her own death and encourages other young people to consider what a good death would look like for them.

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For her, a good death would take place in her home, after which she would have a water cremation and have her ashes turned into a diamond. Although many young people dont like to discuss death, the 25-year-old said firmly that, Dying does not have to be a scary process.

The work of the citys death doulas also reminds the public that advanced care planning can be pursued at any age.

Death work isnt an exclusively older generation (issue), Kopas said. It can be a regular conversation. Having these chats before anything tragic, terminal or diagnosis-related happens is a large benefit that a lot of people dont think about.

Chicagos young end-of-life specialists provide varied forms of care. Draw hosts conversations with her Englewood neighbors who are navigating existential dread. Phelps massages the shoulders of an Uptown resident who has spent years bearing the burden of grief. Burns sits with Far North Side neighbors planning for a nearly unspeakable reality where they leave their children behind. Kopas spends hours studying the logistics of hospice care options so her client has the information needed for a death with dignity.

Regardless of the day-to-day appearance of their work, one message stays consistent: All of Chicagos communities need end-of-life support.

We need younger workers, older workers, Black workers, Hispanic  we need everybody because everybody is gonna need this type of care. Its not just one group that dies or gets sick, Burns said. Everybody needs it.
At only 7 years old, Aspen Brown made one of the biggest discoveries of the year at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.

Aspen, of Paragould, Arkansas, unearthed a 2.95-carat brown diamond Sept. 1 at the popular park, where visitors are allowed to hunt for real diamonds.

She got hot and wanted to sit down for a minute, so she walked over to some big rocks by the fence line, Aspens dad, Luther Brown, said, TXK Today reported. Next thing I know, she was running to me, saying Dad! Dad! I found one!

The brown diamond was the second-largest rock found at the park this year, according to Arkansas State Parks. A 3.29-carat diamond discovered in March by David Anderson is the biggest found this year and the largest since 2021.

Aspens rock, which KAIT reported is about the size of a green pea, also features a sparkling luster, said Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent.

It is a complete crystal, with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side, created when the diamond was formed, Cox said, KAIT reported. Its certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds Ive seen in recent years.

The massive brown diamond has received an appropriate name by its discoverer  Aspen Diamond. Aspens mom said in a Facebook post her daughter wrote her name down in the books of being one of the youngest to ever find a diamond at the park.

More than 35,000 diamonds have been found at Crater of Diamonds by visitors since it became a state park in 1972. The park allows visitors to keep whatever they found.

Crater of Diamonds is in Murfreesboro, about 90 miles southwest of Little Rock.

The history behind all 63 national parks in the US The history behind all 63 national parks in the US Acadia National Park, Maine National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa Arches National Park, Utah Badlands National Park, South Dakota Big Bend National Park, Texas Biscayne National Park, Florida Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Canyonlands National Park, Utah Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico Channel Islands National Park, California Congaree National Park, South Carolina Crater Lake National Park, Oregon Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada Denali National Park, Alaska Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Everglades National Park, Florida Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri and Illinois Glacier National Park, Montana Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Great Basin National Park, Nevada Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas Haleakala National Park, Hawaii Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Isle Royale National Park, Michigan Joshua Tree National Park, California Katmai National Park, Alaska Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska Kings Canyon National Park, California Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska Lake Clark National Park, Alaska Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Mount Rainier National Park, Washington New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia North Cascades National Park, Washington Olympic National Park, Washington Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona Pinnacles National Park, California Redwood National Park, California Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Saguaro National Park, Arizona Sequoia National Park, California Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota White Sands National Park, New Mexico Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming Yosemite National Park, California Zion National Park, Utah
This week, Idahoans celebrated Labor Day. Its a moment to spend time with family and friends. Its also a time to reflect on the strides labor movements have made and the work we still have to do. Idaho Democrats believe that if you work hard and do your part, you should be able to get ahead.

Unfortunately, Idaho is not delivering on this promise and the Republican supermajority continues to push it further out of reach.

In 2015, McCall residents organized to address the abysmal minimum wage that didnt support the workers who powered the local economy. The question of raising the minimum wage was put on the ballot and failed by a slim margin. It might have passed in future years or inspired other communities to take similar action. But Republican legislators, spurred on by corporate lobbyists, acted swiftly to ensure that no community, by any vote margin, could ever increase the minimum wage, no matter how sorely it is needed. Every Democrat, joined by only one Republican, voted against the new law that took away this power from locally elected officials.

Workers skills are the hard-earned assets they ought to be able to take with them to start a new job or their own enterprise. Sadly, powerful corporate interests saw an opportunity to limit their workers options by claiming ownership over their experience. Republican lawmakers catered to lobbyists by passing a law making it easier for companies to enforce noncompete agreements. This threat coerced employees to stay at a corporation even if wages didnt meet their needs or they simply wanted a change.

While the law was ultimately repealed, it nevertheless sent a chilling message about how far the Idaho GOP will go to put corporations desires over workers freedoms.

Laws to weaken whistle-blower protections and strip public school teachers of their bargaining rights are additional Republican-led efforts to undermine workers rights in recent years. And Idaho lacks many common protections such as heat safety standards for outdoor workers, accommodations for pregnant workers, and the right to discuss compensation with coworkers.

Labor movements and unions have grown the middle class. At different times in our history, Idaho workers joined together to secure fair compensation in Coeur dAlene mines, Lewiston lumber mills, and Pocatello labor halls. Much of modern working life  weekends, health insurance, paid leave, pensions, Social Security and Medicare  were made possible by organized labor. But many of these benefits are still unattainable for too many Idahoans.

While Idahos GOP lawmakers continue to double-down on the false promises of trickle-down economics that dont deliver for working families, Idaho Democrats will fight for policies that make hard work translate into the financial stability workers deserve.
Only one barangay captain is running unopposed in Taguig City for the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

Of the 37 barangay captains in Taguig City, including the 10 former Makati barangays that were transferred to Taguig City, only Marie F. Marcelino, the incumbent barangay captain of Barangay Ususan in this city, has emerged as the sole candidate without opponents.



Known to her constituents as Wonder Kap, the two-termer barangay captain will thus lead one of Taguig Citys most populated barangays for another term.

Marcelino was first elected as barangay captain in 2013 and was re-elected for a second term in 2018. She was also unopposed five years ago.

Ako po ay lubos-pusong nagpapasalamat sa pagmamahal, pagtitiwala at suporta ng aking mga kabarangay. Ang pagtakbo ng walang kalaban sa nalalapit na barangay at SK elections ay isang pagsalamin ng pagkakaisa sa ating barangay, Marcelino said.

To serve my constituents is one of my lifes greatest blessing. I will continue to lead Barangay Ususan forward with integrity, she said.

Marcelino was recently hailed as the Most Outstanding Public Servant in the Dangal ng Lahing Filipino Awards.

The Dangal ng Lahi Awards, a distinguished institution in the Philippines, bestows the coveted award upon individuals who have made significant contributions to elevate the lives of their fellow citizens and foster community development.

One of Marcelinos flagship programs is the provision of free medical services, including laboratory tests and check-ups, to her constituents.

The savings are substantial for our residents. A urine test would cost around P50 to P150, a complete blood count test around P300 to P500, and a complete blood chemistry package priced at P3,200 in private diagnostic centers  all of these services are provided free in Barangay Ususan, Marcelino said.

This program was conceptualized to provide health security among our constituents as part of our poverty alleviation program, which was made possible through the help of Taguig City LGU under the administration of Mayor Lani Cayetano, Marcelino said.

Marcelinos initiatives also include food security program in partnership with Rise Against Hunger Philippines, targeting zero hunger and zero waste in the barangay and improving the barangays disaster resiliency.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed on Thursday the signing of the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Speaking to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, President Marcos said that the agreement would further enhance the vibrant relationship between the Philippines and South Korea.

Well, the signing of the FTA is certainly a very big step in that regard. It can only be a successful arrangement for both our countries. I look forward to the expansion of the trade agreement between your country and mine, President Marcos said.

When I look at the involvement of Korea and the Philippines, I can say that the relationship between our two countries remains vibrant. And I think it is accelerating  I would like to take this opportunity to deepen further that relationship, he said.

President Marcos also hopes that the trade agreement between the Philippines and South Korea will go beyond the government-to-government partnerships, and will include private firms and private sector partners.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that he is eager to elevate the strategic partnership between the Philippines and South Korea as he emphasized that the PH-KR FTA will set another important milestone in the relationship between the two countries.

Im really also eager to elevate our partnership to a strategic partnership as we have proposed the last time. And in this regard, I believe that the Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement signed later today will set another important milestone in our bilateral relations, President Yoon told President Marcos.

President Yoon also emphasized that they are keen on expanding opportunities for overseas Filipino workers in South Korea under their employment permit system as he expressed his interest in the supply chain of critical materials, allowing the Philippines to shift to a nuclear power plant.

President Marcos, meanwhile, thanked Yoon for their financial support for development projects in the Philippines as he looks forward to learning the South Korean experience in terms of energy sources development.

The President also extended his gratitude to the South Korean government for its continued support for the defense and security measures of the Philippines especially on the South China Sea issues and on the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

In terms of the tourism industry, President Marcos also acknowledged that South Koreans remain the top tourists in the Philippines.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual and Trade Minister Ahn Duk Geun signed the PH-KR FTA in the presence of President Marcos and President Yoon on the occasion of the 24th ASEAN-Korea Summit.

For the Philippines, this FTA serves as a clear demonstration of the intent to elevate the current bilateral relations with South Korea to a stronger strategic partnership. The Philippines engagement with South Korea is built on trade through market access, economic cooperation, and investments through collaboration in targeted sectors such as critical minerals and supply chains, Pascual said.

As a milestone to further enhance the Philippines and South Korea partnership through increased trade and investment relations as well as job generation, the FTA is also envisioned to significantly contribute to the Philippines value proposition as a strong market for smart and sustainable investments, especially as a manufacturing and export hub in the region.

With the addition of the PH-KR FTA to its roster of free trade agreements, the Philippines also anticipates major economic gains with enhanced market access to South Korea, which includes exports for key products such as tropical fruits, as well as a comprehensive and robust mechanism for cooperation.

The partnership can lead to strategic investments in priority sectors and industries.

South Korea is a valued trade and investment partner of the Philippines. In 2022, it ranked 4th in terms of total bilateral trade valued at $15.45 billion and 6th in total approved investments valued at $90.62 million.
SENATOR Raffy Tulfo has slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP) for alleged repeated failure to follow police operational procedures.

Meanwhile, the PNP released a report offering comparative insights into the state of criminality in the country for the period January 1 to September 5, 2022 and 2023.

In particular, the Index Crime Volume has shown a decrease of 2,514 cases which translates to an 8.80% decline from 28,558 cases in 2022 to 26,044 cases in 2023.

Due to this. Tulfo filed Senate Resolution No. 767 which seeks to investigate the PNP for alleged abuse, killings, and human rights violations.

The senator cited several PNP failed operations, including those in Pandi, Bulacan and Rogriguez, Rizal.

He recalled the Aug. 12 Pandi incident where police barged inside the property of Rodelio Vicente, claiming they were conducting a manhunt for alias Elmer.

Vicente, who sought Tulfos help through his program Raffy Tulfo in Action, was taken into custody and arrested for allegedly committing direct assault and disobedience to a person in authority.

During the operation, the senator said the police officers were not in uniform, but wore ski masks.

They even physically assaulted Vicentes daughter.

Adding insult to injury, Vicentes son was just visiting his father in the precinct when he was taken into custody by the PNP Pandi Bulacan Police for allegedly committing direct assault and disobedience to a person in authority.

Tulfo also recalled the case of John Francis Ompad who was killed by Cpl. Arnulfo Sabillo of the Rodriguez, Rizal police station on August 20.

Prior to the incident, Sabillo chased John Ace, John Francis brother, for allegedly refusing to show documents and driving away at an Oplan Sita checkpoint.

John Ace purportedly threw his helmet at Sabillo because he allegedly saw the backrider of Sabillo, Jeffrey Baguio, a civilian, pulling something from his waistline.

Sabillo then allegedly tried to shoot John Ace but it hit John Francis instead who was coming out of their house.

Aforementioned two incidents happened within the same month; and just weeks after the death of Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar who was killed by police operatives from Navotas under a claim of mistaken identity. The operation was found to have had several irregularities and non-compliance with the PNP Police Operations Procedure, the resolution read.

The protection of human rights is a fundamental principle enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. And there is a need for the Police to strictly observe their Police Operations Procedure and to ensure strict application of the internal discipline of the PNP, Tulfo stated.

According to the report by the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management Crime Research Analysis Center (CRAC), the top

three most prevalent crimes for both years remained consistent with rape, theft, and physical injury.

Meanwhile, except for homicide cases which logged a slight increase of 0.42 percent in 2023, cases of murder, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft and carnapping dropped by 8.79 percent, demonstrating an overall improvement in peace and order.

PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. cited the efforts of the police force in maintaining peace and order in the country.

I am pleased to see the continuing positive trends in our crime statistics. The decrease in crime rates reflects the hard work and dedication of our officers and the effectiveness of our police interventions and strategies. However, we will not become complacent.

We will continue to strive for even greater peace and security for the Filipino people. Acorda said As the holiday season draws near, the Acorda ordered all police regional directors to intensify their campaign against criminality.
The Philippines and Australia shored up their security and economic alliance Friday with the signing of a strategic partnership, as they seek to counter Chinas growing regional influence.

The agreement was finalised following a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Manila.

Albaneses visit, which marks the first bilateral talks with an Australian prime minister in Manila in 20 years, follows a series of trips by senior members of his government to the archipelago nation since Marcos took office in 2022.

Australia is the Philippines second largest partner in defense and one of only two bilateral partners that has signed a Visiting Forces Agreement.

Under a strategic partnership, the countries will seek to expand cooperation in several areas from defence and security to climate change and education.

This elevation is an important symbol of the strength of our relationship and our shared commitment to do more together, Albanese told officials, diplomats, and reporters after the two leaders signed the agreement.

Chinas growing assertiveness on Taiwan and the militarisation of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea have spurred Canberra, as well as Washington, to deepen defence cooperation with longstanding ally Manila.

At the start of talks, Mr. Marcos thanked Albanese for his strong support for the Philippines as it seeks to fend off maritime claims that are not valid, in a thinly veiled reference to China.

To have friends like you and partners like you, especially on that subject is very gratifying and encourages us to continue down that path, Mr. Marcos told Albanese.

Albanese described the two countries as great friends and expressed hope that his visit would help take the relationship to an even higher level.

A strategic partnership is the highest level of bilateral ties that Australia has had with the Philippines.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims to parts of it.

Philippine ex-president Rodrigo Duterte pivoted away from his countrys traditional security partners towards China, but the Marcos administration has sought to reverse that stance.

Australian and Filipino troops last month held a major joint exercise near the contested waters.

The event was watched by Mr. Marcos, his defense minister Gilberto Teodoro, and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.

At the time, Marcos hailed the drills as an important aspect of how we prepare for any eventuality.

Those exercises came after a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands was blocked by China Coast Guard

vessels using water cannon on August 5, triggering a diplomatic spat and international outrage.

Among other agreements signed during Fridays talks was a memorandum of understanding for reciprocal work and holiday visas.

The countries also agreed to hold an annual defense ministers meeting.

Human Rights Watch had called on Albanese to also seriously discuss human rights during his talks with Marcos, including pushing for an end to the deadly drug war started by Duterte.

The Australian government should recognise that it would be a mistake to deepen defense and security ties with the Philippines while ignoring human rights concerns, Australia director for HRW Daniela Gavshon said ahead of the talks.

A security partner that routinely violates basic human rights will ultimately provide little safety and security for anyone. With Charles Dantes and Rey Requejo
Philippine banana and pineapple exporters scored victory in the Korean fruit market with the signing of the Philippine-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) during the sidelines of the recently-concluded 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The FTA allows for a graduated tariff decrease for both commodities in 5 to 7 years upon entry into force (EIF) of the agreement.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and South Korean President Yoon SukYeol witnessed the signing of the FTA between Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual and South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk Geun.

Mr. Marcos said the trade agreement would further enhance the vibrant relationship and partnership between the Philippines and South Korea, expressing optimism that it would go beyond the government-to-government partnership to involve private firms and private sector partners.

The signing of the FTA is certainly a very big step in that regard.

It can only be a successful arrangement for both our countries. I look forward to the expansion of the trade agreement between your country and mine, he told Yoon.

The Philippines and South Korea began their negotiations for the FTA in June 2019 and concluded them in October 2021. They were supposed to sign the agreement in June 2022 but both sides had to do some legal scrubbing on the concluded chapter texts of the bilateral pact.

Yoon said he is eager to elevate the strategic partnership between the Philippines and South Korea.

And in this regard, I believe that the Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement signed later today will set another important milestone in our bilateral relations, he told Mr. Marcos.

Pascual, meanwhile, said the FTA serves as a clear demonstration of the intent to elevate the current bilateral relations with South Korea to a stronger strategic partnership.

The Philippines engagement with South Korea is built on trade through market access, economic cooperation, and investments through collaboration in targeted sectors, such as critical minerals and supply chains, he said.

Very clearly our goal to correct the tariff disadvantage has been achieved. We were able to get from Korea a commitment for them to remove tariffs on the Philippines. Bananas are our major concern for this FTA alongside other agricultural produce and products, added Trade undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo.

Assuming the FTA enters into force by 2024, our bananas will enter the Korean market at 0 percent by 2029, Rodolfo added, stressing the

importance to start the process immediately since competitors from other banana-exporting countries are eating up the Philippine share.

From 90 percent market share, the Philippine share of the Korean banana market has eroded to 78 percent when Vietnam was granted preferential tariff on their banana exports to Korea.

Processed pineapples, on the other hand, are also given tariff reduction of annual gradual decreases leading to 0 percent at the 7th year after the FTA comes into force.

At present, Philippine processed pineapple exporters pay 36 percent duties as they enter the Korean market.

Aside from agricultural goods, Rodolfo said the FTA covered industrial goods such as petrochemicals, personal care goods such as shampoo and

soap, garments, and various automotive and automotive parts.

The FTA is envisioned to help promote the Philippines as a strong market for smart and sustainable investments, ensure its major economic gains with enhanced market access to South Korea, and yield strategic investments in priority sectors and industries.

South Korea is a valued trade and investment partner of the Philippines.

In 2022, it ranked fourth in terms of total bilateral trade, valued at $15.45 billion, and sixth in total approved investments, valued at $90.62 million.

Meanwhile, President Marcos has lauded the World Bank for realigning its programs, particularly in its partnership with the Philippines, to address emerging challenges in the post-pandemic era.

This was after Mr. Marcos bilateral engagement with World Bank Group president Ajay Banga on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

I have to commend the World Bank because now Im looking at the list of the programs and projects in the pipeline. And there you can see the very desirable shift from what we were doing before to what we are doing now, post-pandemic, the President told Banga.

Mr. Marcos thanked the World Bank for the various grants it has extended to the country, including the recently approved Philippine Second Financial Sector Reform Development Policy financing worth $600 million.

He expressed hope that the program would be a success to boost the resiliency and the sustainability of the financial sector after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But condemns illegal acts of China ships that interfered with operation

The Philippines successfully resupplied its Marine contingent on the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea Friday but condemned illegal actions by Chinese vessels that interfered with the operation.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, which includes key Philippine government agencies, said it strongly deplores and condemns the continued illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct of Chinese coast guard and militia vessels in the waters.

On Friday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard escorted supply vessels to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where a handful of Filipino Marines are stationed on a crumbling navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, the task force said.

While the mission was successful, the task force said it was informed that China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels had carried out harassment, dangerous maneuvers, and aggressive conduct toward the Philippine boats.

China claims almost the entire waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

In a statement, the China Coast Guard spokesperson accused the Philippine boats of entering the waters around the reef without obtaining permission from the Chinese government.

The Chinese Coast Guard issued stern warnings, trailed their entire course, and effectively regulated the Philippine ships in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said.

Ayungin Shoal is about 200 kilometers from Palawan, and more than 1,000 kilometers from Chinas nearest major landmass, Hainan island.

The resupply mission came a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told the 18-nation East Asia Summit in Indonesia to oppose the use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea.

Marcos told the gathering, which was attended by China, that Manila was concerned about the installation of military facilities on reclaimed features such as outcrops and reefs, as well as violations of international law.

We are concerned over consistent actions that are in violation of obligations under international law, Marcos said, according to a transcript of his remarks released by the presidential palace.

We must oppose the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea.

He did not mention any country by name at the summit, which was attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and US Vice President Kamala Harris.

China deploys hundreds of vessels to patrol the South China Sea and swarm reefs.

Its coast guard and navy ships routinely block or shadow Philippine boats in the contested waters, Manila has said.

The Philippines, a longtime US ally, has outposts on nine reefs and islands in the Spratlys, including Ayungin Shoal.

The Philippine Navy deliberately grounded the World War II-era BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal in 1999 to check Chinas advance in the waters.

The troops stationed on the rusty ship depend on regular deliveries for their survival.

Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

Tensions between the countries flared last month when China Coast Guard vessels used water cannon against a Philippine resupply mission, preventing one of the boats from delivering its cargo.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said Fridays operation was a manifestation of its resolve to assert the Philippines sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime zones.

The unprofessional act and dangerous maneuvers conducted by the China Coast Guard and its maritime militia will never prevail over our conduct of legal and legitimate operations that support rules-based international order, he added.

China, on the other hand, claims without legal basis that it has sole rights to the islands inside their 10-dash line and opposed what it called the illegal transportation of construction materials by Filipino sailors to the BRP Sierra Madre.

The China Coast Guard (CCG) maintained that it would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the sea areas under Chinas jurisdiction according to law.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri thanked and congratulated the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard for completing another resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.

I salute our men and women of the AFP and PCG for fearlessly staying on track to complete their mission, despite intimidation from the Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels, Zubiri said.

As long as the law and truth are on our side, illegal barriers to what is ours will continue to be pierced, by the sharp tip of world opinion that upholds our cause as just, he said.

On Thursday night, President Marcos returned from Indonesia, where he attended the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

I emphasized the importance of a rules-based international order especially in the disputes in the South China Sea, in as much as they affect not only our nation but the entire region, he said in his report about the recently concluded summit.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the President said that during the East Asia Summit, leaders were able to discuss the current regional and international issues.

I reaffirmed that the Philippines is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and called other countries to continue upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, he said.

The President also said that he had urged other parties to practice self-restraint and refrain from doing unilateral and assertive activities that could increase tensions and could lead to misunderstandings and miscalculations in the South China Sea.

He said he was also able to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido and US Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss how to strengthen cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, the Philippines, the US and Japan forged a commitment to ensure the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the gala dinner hosted by Indonesia during the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, President Marcos, Harris and Kishida discussed the situation in the South China Sea.

The meeting paved the way for the three leaders to review means to enhance trilateral maritime cooperation, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, the White House said in its readout.

The Foreign Ministry of Japan said Marcos, Harris and Kishida agreed to jointly tackle unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force.

While there was no mention of China in the readouts, Manila, Washington, and Tokyo recently launched a week-long trilateral naval drills off the Philippine waters to deter Chinas aggression in the South China Sea.

Japan, through its ambassador to the Philippines, also expressed the need to boost its military alliance with the Philippines and the US to realize its Free and Open Indo-Pacific dream.
Hanoi, VietnamPresident Joe Biden arrives in Vietnam on Sunday on a mission to bolster US influence, but the heavy emphasis on countering rival China will likely confine human rights concerns to the margins.

Biden will become the latest in an unbroken line of US presidents since Bill Clinton in 2000 to visit the Southeast Asian former foe.

The trip also includes a poignant visit by Biden to the memorial to his friend John McCain, the former US senator shot down and held captive during the Vietnam War who in later years helped rebuild ties between the two countries.

The underlying goal will be much the same as during Bidens time at the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekto shore up support against Chinas growing influence.

For decades, the US and Vietnam have worked to overcome a painful shared legacy of the Vietnam War, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing this week.

This visit is a remarkable step in the strengthening of our diplomatic ties, and it reflects the leading role that Vietnam will play in our growing network of partnerships in the Indo-Pacific as we look to the future, he said, using another term for the Asia-Pacific region.

On Sunday in Hanoi, the 80-year-old US president will meet the leader of Vietnams ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, the White House said.

There will be a welcome ceremony, speeches by the two leaders and a press conference by the US president who on Tuesday awarded the top US military honor to a helicopter pilot who rescued four soldiers during the Vietnam War. AFP

Biden will meet President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday.

On the cards is an upgrade in the relationship between the two countries, less than 50 years after the end of a conflict that left millions of Vietnamese and 58,000 US service members dead.

They are expected to sign off on a comprehensive strategic partnership, Hanois highest level of diplomatic ties.

Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said that for Vietnam, a partner countrys place in the hierarchy of diplomatic relations was important.

Currently Vietnam only has ties at the same level with Russia, India, South Korea and China.

And it is China that Biden has in his sights on the trip, as Beijing keeps up intense efforts to expand its influence in Asia.

China, which fought a war with Vietnam between 1974 and 1988, hasnt been slacking either. This week it sent a high-level delegation to Vietnam to reinforce solidarity and cooperation, according to Chinese state media.

However, Vietnam wont be keen to play a role in balancing Washington and Beijing, said Nguyen Quoc Cuong, the Vietnamese ambassador to the United States from 2011 to 2014.

Vietnam has a very clear policy of befriending all. Vietnam has always said we dont take sides, not choosing the US against China. The US is fully aware of this, said Cuong.

But Biden is betting that Vietnam wont mind being closer to Washington at a time when Chinas sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea have fueled tensions.

The Democrat, seeking re-election in 2024, is also thinking about the economy at home. He has called for global supply chains that are less dependent on China, and Vietnam could be a key player in that.

In Vietnam, Biden will be juggling strategic interests with the defense of human rights  a familiar theme from his dealings with allies like Saudi Arabia and India.

His trip comes days after a US government commission on religious freedom harshly criticized Vietnam for egregious, ongoing, and systematic violations.

Separately, the State Department has highlighted significant human rights issues in the Communist state including illegal or arbitrary executions, torture and the holding of political prisoners.

We also always raise issues related to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and other basic human rights, Sullivan said.

This trip will be no exception to that.

Vietnamese activists have few illusions.

I do not expect any serious push (for change) from the US, said Le Cong Dinh, a former human rights lawyer in Ho Chi Minh City who was imprisoned for subversion.

Human rights protection is no longer a top priority. AFP
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, second left, looks at what is says a new nuclear attack submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" at an unspecified place in North Korea Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Uncredited/AP)

SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea said Friday its new submarine has nuclear attack capabilities after years of development. Leader Kim Jong Un described the milestone as crucial in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.

The Norths official Korean Central News Agency said the vessel, named Hero Kim Kun Ok, is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire.

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South Korean officials were skeptical that the submarine would work as North Korea described and said it likely wasnt ready for operational duty. Still, the vessels development underscored how the North continues to potentially extend the range of its nuclear arsenal with systems that are harder to detect in advance.

Based on Kim Jong Uns comments and photos by North Korean state media, its likely the submarine is the same one Kim inspected in 2019 while it was under construction. At the time, experts assessed it as an effort to convert an existing Romeo-class submarine.

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The submarine appears to have at least 10 launch tubes  four of them apparently larger than the other six  that are possibly designed for missiles.

This submarine, though heavily modified, is based on 1950s Soviet-origin technology and will have inherent limitations. Nevertheless, in terms of complicating the targeting challenges that the U.S. and its allies will face, the submarine will serve North Koreas purposes, said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

In recent years, North Korea tested a variety of missiles designed to be fired from submarines as it pursued the ability to conduct nuclear strikes from underwater. In theory, such capacity would bolster its deterrent by ensuring a survivable capability to retaliate after absorbing a nuclear attack on land.

Ballistic missile submarines would also add a maritime threat to the Norths growing collection of solid-fuel weapons fired from land vehicles that are designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea and Japan.

Still, it would take considerable time, resources and technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned nation to build a fleet of at least several submarines that could travel quietly and execute attacks reliably, analysts say.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press on Friday placed the submarine and the ceremony that Kim took part in the eastern port city of Sinpo, where North Korea runs a major shipyard developing submarines.

The images, taken just before 8 a.m. local time Thursday by Planet Labs PBC, showed the submarine alongside a dock. The submarine appeared to bear the red-white-and-blue bunting seen in photographs released by North Korean state media on Friday. Other details of the state-released photographs matched known features surrounding the facility.

The submarine still appeared to be at port Friday morning, according to other images taken by Planet. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies first identified the submarines location.

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In speeches at the vessels launching ceremony Wednesday and an onboard inspection Thursday, Kim expressed satisfaction that the country has acquired its own nuclear attack submarine to counter the advanced naval assets of the U.S., KCNA said. In July, the U.S. docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

Kim said the country is also pursuing a nuclear-propelled submarine and plans to remodel its existing submarines and surface vessels so they can handle nuclear weapons, describing the building of a nuclear-capable army as an urgent task.

South Koreas military insisted North Korea was exaggerating the submarines capabilities. The Souths Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North would have needed to increase the size of the bridge and other parts of the original vessel to accommodate missile launch systems, but that the appearance of the new submarine suggested that it could not be operated normally.

There are signs of deception or exaggeration, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without elaborating.

Kim in recent weeks has been emphasizing the need to strengthen the countrys navy. Some analysts say the focus could be driven by a desire to expand military cooperation with Russia, which has suggested the possibility of combined military exercises between the countries.

Theres also speculation that Kim is preparing to visit Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss North Korean arms sales to refill Russian reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.

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In exchange for providing Russia with artillery shells and other ammunition, North Korea could seek badly needed economic aid and also advanced weapons technologies, including those related to submarine-launched ballistic missile systems, intercontinental ballistic missiles and military spy satellites, analysts say.

Planet Labs imagery of North Koreas Sohae Satellite Launching Station analyzed on Friday showed activity on its new coastal launch pad. A rail-mounted structure at the site, which covers its launch area, had been pulled back to expose the pad beneath, which typically happens ahead of a launch.

North Korea had two failed satellite launches in 2023, but vowed to conduct a third. It wasnt immediately clear if the activity at Sohae, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Pyongyang, was related to the satellite program.

Russia  which has always closely guarded its most important weapons technologies, even from key allies like China  could be unwilling to exchange major technology transfers with North Korea for whats likely to be limited war supplies transported over a small rail link between the countries.

Nuclear-propelled submarines, which can quietly travel long distances and approach enemy shores to deliver strikes, are among a long list of advanced weapons systems Kim has been openly pursuing as he attempts to build a nuclear arsenal that could viably threaten the U.S. mainland. But such vessels are going to be largely unfeasible for the North without external assistance in the near-term, Panda said.

Russian assistance could be quite helpful here, but its unclear if Moscow would be willing to share this sensitive technology, he said.

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Kim insisted that the submarine revealed this week would be just as daunting to his enemies as the nuclear-propelled submarine North Korea plans to acquire in the future.

The nuclear attack submarine, for decades a symbol of aggression against our republic, has now become a symbol of our revolutionary power to strike fear into the hearts of our despicable enemies, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

North Korea previously had only one known submarine capable of firing a missile, but that vessel has a single launch tube and analysts considered it a test platform.

North Korea has an estimated 70-90 diesel-powered submarines in one of the worlds largest submarine fleets. But they are mostly aging subs capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles.

Kim Inae, a spokesperson at South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said during a briefing it was deplorable that North Korea was continuing to channel its limited resources into developing weapons while ignoring the struggles of its deeply impoverished people.

She didnt provide a specific answer when asked whether Seoul believes Russia might have provided technological assistance to the North on its new submarine.

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KCNA said the launching of the submarine was timed for the 75th anniversary of the countrys founding, which falls on Saturday and was to be marked by festivities, including a paramilitary parade.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. was named the Philippines Best Bank for Digital Solutions by Asiamoney for a fourth consecutive year, solidifying its position as the undisputed digital banking trailblazer in the country.

RCBC is recognized for its roster of Innovations with Empathy, an array of digital solutions which champions massive digital transformation and supports the financial inclusion efforts of the government, all whilst cultivating a culture of customer service excellence.

RCBC isnt just building sustainable, impactful, and inclusive digital finance solutions, it is also working hard to expand digital access for every Filipino by positioning itself as a strong ally of government efforts to increase financial inclusion; catalyzing digital payment transformations; bringing financial services to unbanked and underserved communities; and reinvigorating innovation, Asiamoney said in a statement.

Anytime RCBC reports earnings these days, analysts immediately turn to its digital transaction growth. Indeed, its digital focus is a key reason why RCBC is one of the fastest-growing banks in the Philippines, Asiamoney said.

Asiamoney hailed RCBC as The Best Bank for Digital Solutions in the Philippines for delivering digital financial services based on a contextual banking strategy that aims to understand the Philippine landscape. Through this, RCBC has effectively implemented pioneering, high-impact, human-centric and demand driven digital financial innovations through RCBC Digital, RCBC DiskarTech, RCBC ATMGo and RCBC Moneybela Barangayan Banking, successfully marked with speed and scale.

We are delighted with the recognition, and it further inspires us to serve more of our countrymen with our innovative digital solutions. And with our intensified use of data science and artificial intelligence, we continue to be committed to make a difference in the lives of our customers, RCBC president and chief executive Eugene Acevedo said.

RCBCs series of wins come from the success of RCBC Moneybela Barangayan Banking, the countrys first physical-digital or phygital blended banking service. Fusing the warmth of physical banking with the ease of digital, RCBCs banking experience support agents delivered vital financial services to thousands of rural barangays nationwide.

Through MoneyBela, RCBC was able to introduce RCBC DiskarTech to low-income, geographically-disadvantaged communities. This was regarded as the worlds first multi-lingual financial inclusion super app in the vernacular catering to the mass market. The Philippines mass market is comprised of approximately 98 percent of the socio-economic class in the country. Financial services such as savings, fund transfers, mobile loads, telemedicine, insurance, and loans are made accessible and convenient to the Filipino mass market.

RCBC also launched ATMGo, the countrys first grassroots-based, bank agnostic, and last mile automated teller machine. ATMGo utilizes mobile point-of-sale devices to dispense financial services in remote and disadvantaged communities at village hotspots like the public markets, sari-sari stores, and public transportation hubs.

RCBC is the only private universal bank to have the most extensive reach covering all provinces in the Philippines even covering the entire Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, boasting over 1,400 terminals deployed at the end of 2022 and poised to grow to 10,000 units or a projected year-on-year growth of 614 percent.

ATM Go has been the Philippine governments trusted digital payment disbursement partner even before and at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues until present for the withdrawals of social welfare benefits for Conditional Cash Transfer household recipients under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the national government. Close to 70% of its transactions are cash withdrawals of Pantawid CCT household beneficiaries done in rural areas. Even conflict-prone communities such as Lake Sebu in South Cotabato are able to enjoy convenient and real-time banking within the comforts of their community.

Through RCBCs phygital services, it was able to boost bank onboarding in underserved areas by 210%. ATMGo has reached a total of 13,116 barangays or approximately 31% of the 42,000 total barangays nationwide, only six months since the program was launched last November 2022.

We are incredibly grateful to be recognized once again by Asiamoney for our dedication towards scaling inclusive digital finance, and our determination to make digital banking more accessible and convenient for every Filipino, especially empowering our micro, small and medium enterprises, said RCBC executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer Lito Villanueva.

Prestigious awards such as this validate our constant hard work and efforts in bringing banking to the people. This solidifies our unwavering commitment to providing innovative, socially-sensitive, and tailor-fit digital products and services that are not only cutting-edge, but most importantly, created with our clients needs in mind, Villanueva said.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic impacts of the global health crisis, RCBC emerged as one of the fastest growing banks in the Philippines after it leaped from its 8th position in 2018 to 5th position in 2022 in the list of the countrys biggest banks in terms of assets.
OLD FORT  In Old Fort, hungry patrons can now enjoy some delicious freshly made pizza from a wood-fired oven while sipping on Whaley Farm Brewerys craft beer.

Abbiocco Pizzeria is now serving up tasty food from its wood-fired mobile kitchen located at Whaley Farm Brewery, which can be found at 178 Catawba Ave. in Old Fort. Glenn Osterberg Jr. is the owner and chef of this eatery on wheels.

Osterberg told The McDowell News that abbicocco is an Italian word which describes how a person feels when theyre so full of good food that the person needs a nap.

Osterberg said he hopes his customers will come away feeling full and contented. Hes also happy to have his pizzeria as a partner with Old Forts newest craft brewery.

We are trying to uphold the same standards and mimic the qualities that they have in their beers with our pizzas, he told The McDowell News. Were working with local farms. Everything is handmade down to the mozzarella I make daily.

Osterberg, 34, is a chef with an extensive and distinguished career in the culinary arts.

Chef Glenn Osterbergs main pursuit has always been to show off the beauty of being intentional with simple local ingredients through rustic Italian cooking, reads the biography on his website. His vision is to create an atmosphere where guests can savor food in open air, surrounded by their loved ones, as if they were dining in his families own backyard. Abbioccos mobile kitchen, is used as an extension of his personal home kitchen where you can say hello to him through the open window. With wood-fire and dough being the constant, everything else on the menu is always evolving, drawing seasonal inspiration and showcasing his fresh creative approach to cooking that pairs deliciously with Whaley Farm Brewery beer.

He told The McDowell News that hes been doing this for most of his life. Even though he is 34, Osterberg has already amassed 20 years of experience with top-notch restaurants. He has worked for some of the worlds most renowned chefs, including New York City Michelin-starred Ignacio Mattos at Cafe Altro Paradiso and Hugue Dufour at M. Wells as a sous chef, and Lupa Osteria Romana. He has also worked as chef de cuisine for leading North Carolina chefs such as Matthew Kelly at St. James Seafood and John Fleer at Rhubarb, according to his online biography.

The menu for his 12-inch pizzas include the Tuscan, which is made of speck (Italian ham), parmesan, tomato, arugula pesto, olive oil; the Spud, which is made from potatoes, ricotta, confit garlic, almonds, lemon oil; the Margherita, which has mozzarella, fire roasted tomato sauce, confit garlic, oregano; the Pepper Pig, comprised of guanciale (Italian bacon), tomato sauce, roasted peppers, mozzarella, pecorino cheese; the Classic Specks, made with speck (Italian ham), arugula, tomato sauce, garlic oil, parmesan cheese; and the Funky Olive, which has marinated olives, caramelized onions, wild oregano, pecorino cheese.

If you want something sweet, Abbiocco has vanilla bean pannacotta with Black Earth Farm honey.

Abbiocco Pizzeria operates at the same time that Whaley Farm Brewery is open. It is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 2-8 p.m. or when it is sold out. It is also open on Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. or when it is sold out and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. or when it is sold out. It is closed Monday through Wednesday.

We will be open when Whaley Farm Brewery is open and there will be a two-hour break from 2-4, said Osterberg.

He operates the eatery with help from his wife Nicole and two employees. Abbioccos wood-fired oven has a glittery round exterior. At night, the oven is illuminated with a light so it can glitter like a big disco ball, said Osterberg.

As for the future, Osterberg said he plans to add a pizza with pepperoni and another made with soppressata, which is an Italian cured meat. He may add sandwiches to the menu.

Osterberg said his eatery opened for business on Thursday, Aug. 31, and has been an immediate hit. We have sold out every single day, he added.

One customer submitted a rave review on Abbiocco Pizzerias Facebook page.

The flavors are perfectly combined for amazing pizzas! wrote Carla Nerber. And the crust was just amazing!!! I cannot wait to be in Old Fort again so I can try the other ones. Oh and the pannacotta...WOW!!! Smooth and the honey sweetened it just right!!!!

People are loving it, Osterberg told The McDowell News. People are enjoying it. Weve had a lot of good feedback. People are liking the flavors. And now that the brewery has food, people are excited about that.

Osterberg said he is happy to partner with friends Chris and Jessica Whaley of Whaley Farm Brewery and be a part of Old Forts continuing economic growth.

Its a good harmonious adventure, he said. Its great to be here. I live in Old Fort and its good to serve my community because I want to be part of that growth.

For more information, visit the website www.abbiocconc.com/. It can be found on Instagram or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094357962857.
RALEIGH  In an ongoing effort to encourage increased awareness, understanding and recognition of the many contributions made by deaf people across the state of North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed September 2023 as Deaf Awareness Month.

Recognizing Deaf Awareness Month demonstrates North Carolinas ongoing commitment to promote communication equity among all of our states residents.

In North Carolina, more than 200 infants are diagnosed each year with permanent hearing loss, and each year about 200 additional children acquire hearing loss prior to starting school. It is projected 1.6 million North Carolinian adults will have a hearing loss by the year 2030.

Early and constant exposure to a fully accessible language, whether spoken English or American Sign Language, has been shown to help provide a strong linguistic foundation for deaf and hard of hearing children fostering meaningful attachments to their parents and ensuring their readiness for kindergarten, capacity to regulate their own behaviors and emotions, and their future successes as self-sufficient adults.

As a member of the Deaf community, I am frequently inspired by the diversity, vibrancy and ingenuity of its members, the richness of its culture and the sophistication of ASL, said Jan Withers, director of the NCDHHS Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. We learn so much from one another in this community on how to live fully in our society. That is why we at the department have dedicated ourselves to educating and supporting all North Carolinians in fully engaging this vital community.

This year commemorates 72 years since the first congress of the World Federation of the Deaf, which was held in September 1951. Coopers proclamation celebrating Deaf Awareness Month serves as a celebration and a renewed commitment to raise awareness of the many people who are deaf and hard of hearing who belong to a cultural and linguistic community with shared language, social norms, rules of behavior and history, as well as the vibrant population they comprise within the state of North Carolina.

The NCDHHS Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and its seven regional centers provide services, including advocacy for communication access, consultation, Deaf culture and ASL awareness, linking those who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind to needed services and resources, and training for agencies and businesses on ensuring communication access in their service delivery.
Popular Democratic Movement Parliamentarian, Hidipo Hamata, is expecting the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Albert Kawana, to explain to the public how some inmates managed to escape from lawful custody at some correctional facilities.

The minister owes the public an explanation about how these escapes are happening, he said.

Hamata, who put his notice of questions to Kawana in Parliament this week, said the Minister owes the public an explanation. The Parliamentarian said Kawana, should indicate how the Ministry will deal with the matter.

He also wanted to know what operational and security improvements the Ministry has made to prevent instances of escape. The Minister should tell the public about management practices and physical security features and systems to maintain the environment at correctional facilities across the country, he said.

Hamata noted that inmates breach the security of a prison and escape while under the direct control of a correctional officer.

I understand some escapes happen while inmates are under escort, and when they are being prepared to travel to and from courts or hospitals, said Hamata. He recalled in this connection that Chinese national, Wang Hui, who escaped from the Windhoek Correctional facility, in October 2022, is a serious concern for the public.

Local media reported that Hiu was serving a 15-year sentence for the illegal export of controlled wildlife products. He is still on the run. The Parliamentarian also recalled the case involving a 36-year-old man who escaped from the Windhoek Correctional facility in May 2022 by climbing the facility wall.

It was also reported that there were no officers in the unit at the time of the escape. A 32-year-old man was also reported to have been re-arrested after escaping from the control of an officer at the Windhoek Central Hospital in July 2023 while he was seeking medical care.
Japan on Thursday September 7 delivered 617 tons of wheat flour to Cape Verde as part of the food aid it regularly gives to the country, the Cape Verdean government announced.

The wheat flour portion of the aid is offered by Japan as part of the KR2022 program of food support to Cape Verde and other countries at a global level.

In this case, the agreements are signed annually through an exchange of notes between the two governments and the wheat flour to be delivered corresponds to half of the total.

The remaining support, allocated in rice, is scheduled to arrive in Cape Verde between November and December 2023.

On Monday, Cape Verde received another aid package from China, which delivered the African country 1,042 tons of rice, valued at 1.2 million. The aid, meant to mitigate the effects of rising prices, will be distributed free of charge to social and health institutions.

Prolonged droughts, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the disruption of logistics chains and the rise in prices associated with the war in Ukraine were among the causes that worsened food insecurity in the country in 2022, according to the World Food Program (WFP).

According to the UN agency, 46,000 people, around 10% of the population, suffered from acute food insecurity during the agricultural fallow season.
The governor of the Bank of Mozambique (BdM), Rogerio Zandamela, said that the country had accumulated a high public debt without having saved enough to deal with the impacts of the crises and to implement reforms.

The chronic and structural deficits that characterize the Mozambican economy make the management of monetary policy even more challenging, in a context in which the country has accumulated a high debt and, at the same time, has not saved enough to cushion the impact of shocks, which are increasingly frequent and intense, said the governor on September 6.

Speaking during an inaugural class of the PhD program in Development Studies, on the theme The Challenges of Monetary Policy in a Context of Crisis Management, which took place at the Polytechnic University in Maputo, he added that Mozambique is implementing reforms with little funding, highlighting the application of the Single Wage Table (TSU).

The ability to implement reforms in a sustainable way depends on abundant resources to sustain that growth. People keep asking us when such reforms are coming and theyre already tired. With money, the benefits would be easily visible, he explained.

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) considered that the Mozambican government should reduce the wage bill to the level of countries in the region, in order to be able to invest in priority areas, such as combating food insecurity and poverty.

On July 6, the IMF approved the second revision of the Extended Fund Facility for Mozambique, guaranteeing a disbursement of 60.6 million dollars, and revised Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth from 5% to 7%.
Abderrahim Hamdan Daglo, the brother and right-hand man of the head of the Rapid Support Forces, General Hemedti, is being sanctioned by the US Treasury for his leadership role in the Rapid Support Forces. According to US diplomacy, members of the RSF have been guilty of violence and human rights violations. This includes massacres of civilians, ethnic killings, and sexual violence, in Darfur and elsewhere.

Abderrahim Hamdan Daglo is the first individual to be sanctioned by the United States in connection with the countrys civil war. The fact that he is in charge of the RSF therefore sends out a message, especially as he is also the brother of the RSFs leader, General Hemedti, who has been at war with the armys Chief of Staff, General Al-Buhran, since April 15.

The sanctions are classic: his assets in the United States are frozen. Entities in which he directly or indirectly owns at least half of the shares are also blocked. Transactions with these entities are also forbidden to persons doing business in the United States.

In addition, the head of the RSF for West Darfur, General Abdul Rahman Juma, is subject to visa restrictions. He is accused of being behind the deaths of the governor of West Darfur and his brother.

But the explanation that circulated the most on this occasion was that Hemedti was dead, thus reviving a persistent rumor. Indeed, Hemedti has not appeared in public for several weeks. Mediators in the Sudanese crisis claim they have been unable to contact him.
UN Secretary Generals Personal Envoy for the Sahara Staffan De Mistura held talks Friday in Rabat with Foreign Minister Staffan de Mistura in the presence of Moroccos Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilal.

De Misturas trip to the Kingdom is part of a visit to the region with a view to relaunching the round-table political process with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the polisario, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, notably resolution 2654, adopted on October 27, 2022, says a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

During the talks, the Moroccan delegation recalled the constants of Moroccos position, as reaffirmed by King Mohammed VI, in the Royal Speech delivered on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Green March, on November 6, 2022, advocating a political solution, based exclusively on the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of the Kingdoms national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement adds.

Earlier this week, De Mistura had visited Laayoune and Dakhla, where he held a series of meetings with elected officials, chioukhs, local notables and economic operators. He also met with representatives of civil society, young people, and women.

All these interlocutors informed the Personal Envoy about the economic and social boom and the political and democratic dynamic that the two regions of the Moroccan Sahara are experiencing.

The UN Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara also visited socio-economic investment and infrastructure projects, and witnessed first-hand the progress made in implementing the New Development Model for the Southern Provinces, launched in 2015 by King Mohammed VI.

According to reliable sources quoted by news outlet Le360, the UN Envoy for the Sahara plans to meet with several ambassadors accredited in Morocco, especially those from the member countries of the United Nations Security Council.

In addition to Staffan de Mistura, the meeting is expected to bring together Puneet Talwar, the Ambassador of the United States to Morocco, as well as the heads or representatives of the diplomatic missions of France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China. Other foreign ambassadors accredited in Morocco have also been invited to join this meeting, aimed at informing them about his visit to the Kingdom.
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Mammograms showing a normal breast (left) and a breast with cancer (right). Credit: Public Domain

One radiologist supported by AI detected more cases of breast cancer in screening mammography than two radiologists working together, reports the ScreenTrustCAD study from Karolinska Institutet in a paper, titled "Artificial intelligence for breast cancer detection in screening mammography: A paired-readers prospective interventional screen positive trial," published in The Lancet Digital Health. The researchers say that AI is now ready to be implemented in breast cancer screening.

For over 30 years, screening mammography has been an important key in reducing breast cancer mortality rates. However, challenges include a lack of radiologists and that not all cancers are detected. Several retrospective studies have shown that artificial intelligence could help address these problems.

"AI and humans perceive images slightly differently, which creates a synergy that improves our chances of detecting cancer," says first author Karin Dembrower, affiliated researcher at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet.

Traditionally, two radiologists read every exam. In the present study, exams were assessed by two radiologists and AI in order to decide which women were to be recalled for further investigation. Based on which women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the end, the researchers could determine how accurate different combinations of AI and radiologists were compared to the traditional two-radiologist approach.

"With the ScreenTrustCAD study, we wanted to examine how well two radiologists performed compared with one radiologist and AI, and AI alone," says Dr. Dembrower.

The study was conducted at Capio St Goran's Hospital in Stockholm between April 2021 and June 2022. Over 55,500 women between the ages of 40 and 74 were screened.

The traditional approach using two radiologists detected 250 cancers. Not unexpectedly, the researchers found that adding AI to two radiologists detected most cases of cancer269. One radiologist and AI detected 261 in the same cohort. AI alone detected 246, which was statistically non-inferior to two radiologists.

"Compared with the current two-radiologist standard, assessment by one radiologist and AI resulted in a four percent increase in breast cancer detection and halved the radiologists' image reading time," says principal investigator Fredrik Strand, radiologist and docent at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet.

The researchers also found that compared with two radiologists, one radiologist plus AI and AI alone led, respectively, to a 6% and 55% reduction in false positiveswhich is to say the recall rate for healthy women, a procedural error that causes unnecessary suffering and cost.

"It's clear to us that for screening mammography, one AI-supported radiologist is a better alternative than two radiologists without AI," says Dr. Strand. "Unlike a previous study from Lund University, this improvement is statistically validated in ScreenTrustCAD. Even if AI takes over much of the initial examination, a radiologist is needed to make the judgment before any patient is recalled for further investigation, and, if necessary, to take biopsies from suspicious breast areas."

He continues, "Our study shows that AI is ready for controlled implementation in screening mammography. However, you must choose an AI system that has been properly tested on images from the same type of mammography equipment and ensure continuous monitoring after clinical implementation. In the longer term, AI has the potential to take over the majority of screening mammography assessments."

Screening mammograms have been assessed at Capio St Goran's Hospital by an AI-supported radiologist since June 2023, which has freed up time for the radiologists to devote to breast cancer patients.

More information: Karin Dembrower et al, Artificial intelligence for breast cancer detection in screening mammography: A paired-readers prospective interventional screen positive trial, The Lancet Digital Health, DOI: 10.1016/S2589-7500(23)00153-X
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: The Gerontologist (2023). DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad080

Two years ago, Monash sociologist Dr. Barbara Barbosa Neves and a group of researchers included an acclaimed Australian author as part of their team looking into loneliness among residents of Australian aged care homes.

The key question, with Miles Franklin winner Josephine Wilson on board, was, "How can we better understand and represent their complex voices and stories?"

Now, the unique research project is updated and extended, with illustrator-artist Amanda Brooks joining. The result, published by The Gerontologist journal, is sociological academia, but with creative non-fiction and comic book-style art.

"We give participants space and time to talk about what they feel, and how they see the world," says Dr. Neves.

The first paper two years ago focused on a sociological technique called "crystallization""a multi-genre approach to study and present social phenomena" examining the "ethics of representation, which is critical when engaging with vulnerable populations" to "deepen the understanding of a topic by analyzing and describing it in different forms, while resisting conventions regarding how findings should be presented."

The technique was first described by U.S. sociologists Laurel Richardson and Laura Ellingson in the 1990s while exploring ideas of merging personal narratives with research. The method also asks for reflection on researchers' roles, and how participants' voices are represented.

Dr. Neves wrote about this "crystallization" phase of the research for Lens, citing global estimates between 35% to 61% of older people in aged care feeling lonely, a considerably higher figure than for those living in the community, and reports of more than 40% of aged care residents in Australia not getting any visitorsbefore the pandemic.

The writer Josephine Wilson became co-author after immersing herself in interviews with aged care residents feeling lonely, and going through transcripts and field notes to write about two participants' experiences using their stories, plus her own imagination.

Illustrating loneliness

The new paper has the added element of the illustrations; Amanda Brooks immersed herself in the same manner for her illustrations through, the paper explains, "creative exploration" and "sociological narratives" from the original 101 hours of ethnographic observation in two aged care homes, with interviews of 22 residents aged between 65 and 95, exploring their experience and understanding of loneliness, and how they address it.

"The new paper pushes it forward with the illustrations and a more overarching examination of how arts and science collaborations can be not only a fruitful method, but a scientific practice and procedure," says Dr. Neves.

The concept of "live gerontology" is based on University of Glasgow Professor Les Back's idea, from 2012, of "live sociology""the fleeting, distributed, multiple and sensory aspects of sociality through research techniques that are mobile, sensuous and operate from multiple vantage points."

The Monash-led research used three main themesloneliness, institutionalization and agingand the paper describes "live gerontology" as a "broad" process based on Professor Back's work that connects "scientific, artistic and humanist genres to better understand and represent aging and its various meanings and contexts."

The same two aged care residents who had their stories reimagined for the first paper"Gurney" and "Patricia"are now illustrated, and revisited. Gurney (a pseudonym), who is 90, originally confessed he felt lonely all daybut joked it was "no more than once a day."

He's a former hospital warden who loves aircraft and flight, but reserves a special disdain for bingo. Patricia (also a pseudonym), 79, worked in a factory, married a "wonderful man," had four children, and went ballroom dancing. The paper describes her aged care days looking at a row of trees out her window.

"The trees represented a constant presence for her," says Dr. Neves. "The aged care facility wanted to move her to a better room, but she said, 'No, because I need this view, I can't see the trees from the other unit.'"

Gurney flies from loneliness. Credit: The Gerontologist (2023). DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad080

A different approach to gerontology

Dr. Neves says gerontology frequently comes with a "very dominant biomedical understanding of growing old," whereas social sciences can look at social and cultural dimensions "to understand aging beyond 'biological decline.'"

"Our purpose with this work was to unsettle that very dominant understanding and bring different ways of thinking about the senses. A lot of the work in gerontology is about sensorial decline. We wanted to bring a different way of thinking. How can we use the senses through artistic collaborations to really understand not just what people say and what they report, but what they feel, what they sense, what they perform? How do they inhabit this social world?"

Both Gurney and Patriciaand others in the projecttalked about ageism and stereotypes, and the lack of those around them taking their point of view seriously.

Both felt isolated, and both offered what the researchers call "micro forms of resistance," such as refusing bingo or smuggling a private kettle into their room, and both often used their imaginations, as reflected in the stories and drawings.

Revealing the subtleties

The sociological concepts in both papers hold that these drawings and stories can contain subtleties and moods not often apparent in drier research. For example, Wilson had Gurney waking from a troubled dream to find himself flying a Cessna, in control, climbing in altitude.

She depicted Patricia as someone being finally asked for her thoughts (by Dr. Neves), remembering her younger days, talking about what it means to be called "frail," and what it means to have one view of the trees, and wondering why no one ever knocks on her door before coming in.

The stories, rather than just documenting the facts of their lives and treating loneliness as the same thing for all people, emphasize the "personal contexts" of the aged care residents. Gurney's sense of humor emerged, as did Patricia's description of loneliness as "dead silent."

"They had no fear of being judged by us, because we created a safe and positive space," says Dr. Neves. "Most of our participants do not tell their family or friends that they're lonely because of the stigma of loneliness, and because they already feel that they're so dependent, this just brings another layer of personal failure.

"This kind of research is a space of comfort in a way, because they can talk about it. And they all usually at the end say, "I hope this is useful for other lonely older people.'"

More information: Barbara Barbosa Neves et al, "Live Gerontology": Understanding and Representing Aging, Loneliness, and Long-Term Care Through Science and Art, The Gerontologist (2023). DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad080 Journal information: The Gerontologist
At least two businesses fell victim to robbers Thursday night as the city floats a proposal to have Chicago Police Department officers work as security in liquor stores and bars to slow down an uptick in robberies.

Some aldermen are looking to make Chicagos moonlighting rules more lenient for police officers. A panel of City Council members are expected to explore renegotiating rules, some of which prevent officers from bartending or owning taverns.

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Recently, armed robberies have plagued businesses citywide with robbers working as crews of two or more people.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m., three men entered a shop in the 700 block of West Randolph Street on the Near West Side and approached the counter, authorities said. The men made their way behind the counter and took money from the register before fleeing the scene, Chicago police said.

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Shortly before 9:45 p.m., police responded to a liquor store in the 3500 block of West Lawrence Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood where two robbers came in and approached the counter, authorities said. One of the robbers was armed with a handgun and demanded money from the register, police said.

The employee complied and the robbers fled the scene.

Other armed robberies took place overnight Thursday on the West and North sides.

Around midnight Friday, a man and a woman were walking in the 1800 block of West North Avenue in the Wicker Park neighborhood when they were approached by two males who pulled out a gun and demanded their belongings. The couple complied and the robbers fled in a gray sedan, police said.

On the West Side, around 12:25 a.m., a 47-year-old woman was walking in the 2900 block of West Madison Street when she was surrounded by four males, two of whom were armed. They pointed their weapons at the woman and demanded her personal belongings, police said. She complied and the robbers fled the scene.

About 10 minutes later, a man and a woman were victims of armed robbers in the 1300 block of North Wood Street on the Near West Side. The couple was approached by three males holding handguns demanding their belongings. The victims complied and the robbers fled in a dark-colored sedan, police said.

No injuries were reported in any of the robberies and detectives were investigating.
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"I did this research by chance. I was enrolled at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT for my postdoctoral work to develop electrical devices with biotechnology. The institute is focused on cancer research and I happened to view other groups' work on cancer cells. I thought, 'This is quite interesting', and wondered if I could extend my work to cancer research," said Assistant Professor Desmond Loke at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Asst Prof Loke's primary expertise lies in electrical and computer design. Throughout his Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies, he worked on phase-change memory and led a research team that revolutionized the use of bacteriophages to improve the performance and capacity of this technology in computer storage. His research has earned him various awards, including the 2018 MRS Innovator of Materials Science Award and the 2016 Global MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Award.

While working alongside the cancer research groups during his postdoctoral studies, he became intrigued by the possibility of extending the application of his electronic devices to cancer studies. More specifically, he became interested in making cancer detection and treatment more effective. When he joined SUTD in 2016, he created the Loke Bio-nanotechnology & Electronics-for-Large-scale Lab (LBELL) to delve into this research area.

"That's why I started this labto explore new types of cancer cell sensors and cancer therapy using viruses in our electronic devices. I got interested in this area by chance because I actually saw excellent cancer technology and research at MIT," he explained.

The power of cross-disciplinary research

As the name implies, LBELL conducts research in two broad fields: bio-nanotechnology and electronics. Asst Prof Loke guides and leads postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in cutting-edge research across different areas, from memory technologies to artificial neural networks to electronics for biomedicine.

In bio-nanotechnology, among the lab's notable works is a highly sensitive cancer cell sensor developed using two-dimensional (2D) materials. Combining molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanosheets with a bioelectrical signal processing system, Asst Prof Loke demonstrated a sensor that can detect the bioelectrical signals of cancer cells in a single setup with greater speed and sensitivity than other biosensing technologies. This breakthrough study indicates the potential of 2D materials in improving the early diagnosis of cancer cells.

In more recent research, Asst Prof Loke is pioneering the use of the 2D material-based bioelectrical signal processing system in cancer ablation. One emerging method to ablate cancer is electrothermal therapy, which applies nanomaterials to the targeted cancer cells to allow electric current to pass through as well as heat up and destroy the cells without affecting surrounding tissues. However, the conventional nanomaterials used do not always produce sufficient Joule heating to ablate the cells effectively.

To overcome this limitation, Asst Prof Loke added an M13 bacteriophage on MoS 2 nanosheets and created a novel nanomaterial that binds better to cancer cells and has stronger electrical conductivity. The resulting nanomaterial was shown to reduce the number of pancreatic cancer cells two times more than conventional nanomaterials during electrothermal therapy.

"The bioelectrical signal processing systems built around the advanced 2D material could be harnessed for a broad range of medical applications, from tumor ablation to cardiac arrhythmia treatment to neuromodulation. The adaptability of the system suggests its potential wide applicability," said Asst Prof Loke.

Persevering against all odds

The interdisciplinary nature of the research carried out at LBELL is what makes the lab unique and innovative. Yet, not everyone thought such research to be possible at first.

"You're an electrical designer, how can you make a biologically based device? You can't."

"You're in one department. Where would you locate a lab to perform these two tasks?"

These statements reflect the initial skepticism that Asst Prof Loke faced when he proposed the idea of extending his expertise in computing and electrical design to cancer research. There were many doubters and naysayers, according to him.

"Initially, it was very difficult. Since we didn't have a lab, we decided to create a special laba combined bioelectrical labat SUTD. Inside the lab, we have a standard facility for cell culture and, at the same time, new tools and equipment for electrical study. So this lab should be able to carry out not only regular biological work, but also advanced electrical testing," Asst Prof Loke described.

Setting up a facility that could realize Asst Prof Loke's vision was one of the main challenges. Everything in the lab had to be custom-prepared and specially built. Yet, Asst Prof Loke was undeterred as his curiosity drove him towards his goal. The interdisciplinary nature of the lab might be unheard of, but he believed in the direction that his interest was taking him.

He also received excellent support from SUTD. "We had great assistance from the university managers and my colleagues. They supported our interdisciplinary research and helped us in building the necessary platform to conduct it," he stated.

In the end, he credited much of the success to his good fortune in finding researchers who share his vision and are interested in interdisciplinary work.

"The next step after creating the lab was to get people to join it, and I was lucky. I have very fantastic team members with different research backgrounds who are hardworking, courageous and adventurous to pursue this idea. Natasa Bajalovic, Maria Meivita, Denise Lee, Sophia Chan, Fitya Mozarthese are just some of the outstanding members in the team," he said.

With the advent of next-generation artificial intelligence, Asst Prof Loke foresees an exciting future as he continues to forge ahead with promising research, be it in the areas of computing or biomedicine. For his cancer research, he looks forward to moving from small-scale laboratory studies to exploring a larger type of cancer cell system and partnering with hospitals to carry out clinical studies.
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Children have loved Disney princesses since "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" premiered in theaters in 1937. While this adoration continues to grow in terms of princess movie ratings, some parents may wonder what effects these idealized images of young women might have on how their children feel about and express themselves.

According to new research from the University of California, Davis, a favorite princess improvedbut did not harmyoung children's confidence in their own bodies and the diversity of the ways in which they chose to play.

"People are critical of Disney princesses," said Jane Shawcroft, a doctoral student researcher in the Department of Communication and lead author of a recent study. But researchers' findings suggest parents, caregivers and mentors might want to give those princesses another look.

The paper, "Ariel, Aurora, or Anna? Disney Princess Body Size as a Predictor of Body Esteem and Gendered Play in Early Childhood," was published online in the journal Psychology of Popular Media.

Disney princesses, from Moana to Jasmine

Shawcroft and co-authors at Brigham Young University categorized Disney princesses, who have become more ethnically diverse and nonwhite over time, into three body categories. The categories researchers identified were thin, average and above average/heavy. For example, Moana from the 2016 film by the same name, was coded as having an average body size. Princess Jasmine, from the 1992 film "Aladdin" was coded as being thin.

By far, the most popular princess among both boys and girls in this study was Elsa from the 2013 film "Frozen" and its sequels. The next most popular princesses were Moana followed by Anna, also from Frozen.

Measuring body confidence and free play

The study focused primarily on how the body type of a favorite Disney princess affects children's body esteem, meaning how confident they feel about their own bodies, and their masculine or feminine play. These two criteriabody esteem and gendered playare parents' most-cited concerns about Disney princesses, said Shawcroft.

The team estimated body esteem by collecting responses from caregivers about how much their children liked, or felt good about, their bodies. A different assessment quantified children's masculine or feminine play based on their choice of toys. Play guns, for example, is considered stereotypically masculine. Pretty things and dolls are considered stereotypically feminine, researchers said.

The study included 340 children and their caregivers living in the Denver area at the time of the study, which took place from 2020 to 2021. A little more than half the children in the study were girls, and about 84% were white. The team surveyed caregivers first when the children were three years oldand again a year laterto measure any changes in body esteem and gendered play.

Diverse play

Whether a princess was average or thin made a big difference in how the children who loved them felt about their own bodies and the way they chose to play. Children whose favorite princesses had an average bodysuch as Moanahad higher body esteem a year later. These children were also more open to exploring play that was both stereotypically masculine and feminine, and this was true for both boys and girls, researchers said.

These effects were driven by how frequently the children pretended to be princesses when they played. The more a child pretended to be a princessif their favorite princess had an average and not a thin bodythe better they felt better about their own bodies and the more open they were to different types of gendered play, researchers found.

Shawcroft said part of what might explain these results is that Disney princesses with average bodies are more physically active in their stories.

"They're running and climbing enormous mountains and fighting things," said Shawcroft. "For these princesses, their stories are more about what they can do with their bodies than how their bodies look."

Princesses, thin or not, did not cause harm

An important finding, said Shawcroft, was that having a favorite princess who was thin did not change children's body image or gendered play.

Instead, the researchers described the benefits from having a favorite princess who has an average body as a protective effect for the young children who loved them.

"Princesses with average body size created a protective effect, strengthening how confident children feel about their own bodies and freeing them to play in different ways," Shawcroft said.

She said that researchers learned that Disney princesses matter much more than most people believe, particularly for childrenboth boys and girls.

"With children's media, people tend to be critical or dismissive of what kids, especially girls, like," said Shawcroft. "Disney princesses really matter to young children, and we should also recognize that media centered on women and that tell women's stories are important."

More information: Jane Shawcroft et al, Ariel, Aurora, or Anna? Disney princess body size as a predictor of body esteem and gendered play in early childhood., Psychology of Popular Media (2023). DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000494
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Ethical frameworks in medicine go at least as far back to the Hippocratic Oath in 400 BCE. With artificial intelligence (AI) now rapidly accelerating in health care settingsattested by the 500-plus AI devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration, mostly just in the past two yearsnovel frameworks are needed to ensure appropriate use of this new modality.

To that end, the international SPIRIT-AI and CONSORT-AI initiative has recently established guidelines for AI and machine learning in medical research. These frameworks, however, have not outlined specific considerations for pediatric populations. Children present uniquely complex data quandaries for AI, especially regarding consent and equity.

To address this gap, Stanford University's Vijaytha Murali and Alyssa Burgart have written a perspective policy piece with Stanford biomedical data science instructor Roxana Daneshjou and professor of health policy Sherri Rose for the journal npj Digital Medicine. Murali is a postdoctoral research affiliate in dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine; Burgart is a clinical associate professor in anesthesiology, with a joint appointment in the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, and the medical director of ethics for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

Murali, Burgart, and colleagues propose a new framework called ACCEPT-AI. In this interview, Murali and Burgart discuss the motivation behind ACCEPT-AI and how it can help ethically advance AI medical research involving pediatric patients.

Why is a framework like ACCEPT-AI needed?

Burgart: Over my career, I've watched AI go from something we see in science fiction movies to now exploding in the public spheres that impact our health. At this point, we need to figure out how do we do good work, how do we do ethical work, and how do we get ahead of these new technologies rather than waiting for there to be disasters.

Murali: Although the SPIRIT-AI and CONSORT-AI protocols have formed a strong foundation for ethical AI medical research, one particular area where we still need specific guidance is around children as a special population. The goal with ACCEPT-AI is to guide researchers, clinicians, regulators, and policymakers throughout each stage of the AI life cycle, from problem selection to data collection, through outcome definition, algorithm development, and post-deployment considerations to safe utilization of pediatric data.

Burgart: When they use or make datasets that include pediatric patient information, AI researchers aren't necessarily aware of the special protections that should be considered. With ACCEPT-AI, we are hoping to provide a way for AI researchers to do their best work.

What is a particular pitfall of pediatric research that could be perpetuated or even exacerbated by AI?

Burgart: Consent. For children, they have a parent who's going to be officially providing consent by signing some documentation. But as these kids get older, how do we treat their data? The reality is, if you're putting a child's data into these algorithms, we need to have a good understanding of what is going to happen with that data if the child is older and wants the data removed. We need to really think through not only that consent right now but what does that consent look like moving forward. Overall, we want to be able to include children in research in developmentally appropriate ways that respect their dignity as human beings.

Murali: There's a practicality concern here as well because once data does go into an algorithm, it's difficult to retrieve. There is also a lot of difference between how data is handled around the world. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation allows people to take their data out retrospectively, but we currently don't have a concrete legal mechanism to do that in the U.S. For pediatric populations now whose data could be part of AI algorithms used across many countries for many years down the road, long-term consent becomes a hard problem.

What is distinctive about pediatric health care data compared with adult data, and why are these distinctions important from an AI perspective?

Murali: We want to have safety mechanisms in place so we don't erroneously generalize adult data into the pediatric population, or vice versa. Compared with adults, childrenwho of course can be anywhere from zero to 18 years of agehave much broader ranges of size, development, and other anatomical and physiological variables.

Burgart: If there's mixing of the two data types, then AI algorithms may make inappropriate generalizations, and that's a really big safety point. Currently, there are no guard rails to differentiate the two data types.

Murali: This lack of differentiation leads to the concern that AI algorithms might perform better on adult data than on pediatric data because the algorithms have been trained mostly or even solely with adult data, which is much more readily available.

A big component of ACCEPT-AI is discussing what we term "age-related algorithmic bias." If AI researchers do not differentiate or make clear from the outset the data types and the age of the patient population that the data is extracted from when developing an algorithm, then the algorithm is going to produce results that may not be favorable for the pediatric population. We hope to address this issue with age transparency, called for by ACCEPT-AI, so researchers clearly know what's going into and coming out of an algorithm.

Burgart: Bias within research datasets is of course not new to AI. There are so many medical recommendations that we make that are really based on the default 70-kilogram white man. We know that bias has been infused into decision making and clinical rationale in the past, so we're hoping if we continue to develop and implement frameworks like ACCEPT-AI that we can have better quality and safer data that's going to benefit patients more significantly.

What are equity concerns that ACCEPT-AI helps to address?

Murali: Equity is a theme throughout our npj Digital Medicine perspective. In developing AI algorithms, the starting point is that it's important to involve children in the technological innovation these algorithms represent, which we believe has the potential to transform health care.

On a practical level, that means we need to accommodate diverse groups with representation across age ranges. We also need to involve underrepresented research groups, such as ethnic minorities. We need to include diverse socioeconomic groups as well and not just in the same country. There's a lot of AI research going on in higher-income countries but very little going on, or at least that is sustained, in lower-income countries. These challenges become even more difficult when extended to pediatric populations that are harder to reach and include in medical research.

What are the next steps for ACCEPT-AI and other AI ethical frameworks?

Murali: We've been fortunate to receive a lot of collaborative interest. We're in contact with several groups in the United Kingdom, including those that developed the SPIRIT- and CONSORT-AI guidelines. Another is the World Health Organization International Telecommunication Union Working Group, a focus group for AI for health where we have recently incorporated ACCEPT-AI into an upcoming WHO policy guidance. We are also putting out a call to the broader community for anybody who's interested in participating in moving to the next steps, where we're looking to develop a consensus statement among multiple stakeholders and formalize the recommendations. We'd be glad to welcome anyone from the Stanford community to reach out to us.

Pediatrics fits into a broader theme of the work that we're doing in developing AI research guidance for special populations. We also have projects in mind for rare disease groups, maternal health, and elderly patients.

Burgart: Overall in the health care space now, we're seeing a lot of the "move fast and break things" attitude from the tech world coming into AI. It's really important for us as health care leaders to ask how we can do this and not break our patients. We're making progress on that front with these ethical frameworks.

More information: V. Muralidharan et al, Recommendations for the use of pediatric data in artificial intelligence and machine learning ACCEPT-AI, npj Digital Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41746-023-00898-5 Journal information: npj Digital Medicine
THAT GOSPEL parable about a landlord who leased his vineyard to tenants (cfr. Mt 21,33-43) reminds us that we should be faithful to whatever...
The third in a series of mayoral candidate forums got granular Thursday night as the five prospective mayors delved into Tax Increment Financing, Montana Code Annotated and master planning.

Brandi Atanasoff, Andrea Davis, Jordan Hess, Shawn Knopp and Mike Nugent shared their thoughts Thursday in an effort to emerge as one of two candidates to prevail in the Sept. 12 primary.

They all agreed the city council needs more diversity, tenants right to counsel could be a worthwhile city pursuit and none of them has enough time for a proper date night during campaign season  although they identified their favorite spots to take their partners during slower parts of the year.

Atanasoff and Knopp both preferred The Depot, Davis pointed to Cucina Florabella, Nugent went for ramen at Michi and Hess said he likes to cook at home and then see a movie at The Roxy. On policy issues, too, each candidate took a different approach.

Brandi Atanasoff

A self-described wild animal, public relations professional Atanasoff pushed for greater communications and solidarity among Missoulians in her bid for mayor Thursday.

We all like dancing in the street, she said, referencing Missoulas individuality.

When it came to the issues, like housing and decriminalizing drugs, Atanasoff said she sought educational opportunities and ways to better engage all community members.

Specifically related to decriminalizing psychoactive mushrooms, a city council effort that stalled last year, Atanasoff said she seeks to, foster that were the ones carrying knowledge that needs to be given to other people.

Regarding houselessness, meanwhile, she suggested turning to alternative therapies.

We cant just throw shelter at it, she said.

Andrea Davis

Homeword Executive Director Davis stepped out of her housing role to weigh in on psilocybin, policing and neighborhood issues during the forum Thursday. Davis advocated a common sense approach to drug policy at the city and said shes noticed a cultural difference between the Missoula Police Department and other law enforcement agencies around the state.

I do believe we have a culture of acceptance, she said, for the most part.

Davis grew up in Kalispell. Now she lives in the Ward 6 neighborhood near the Johnson Street Community Center, and she used the forum as an opportunity to criticize the outreach the city has performed around reopening that site year-round.

That neighborhood, she said, needed to hear from the city earlier.

Nonetheless, she recognized the Johnson Street facility is the only city site capable of meeting the immediate need for shelter. Further on the issue of homelessness, Davis said she wanted clearer protocols around releasing people from Johnson Street, and she held up the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space as a model of successful government programming around providing shelter.

The TSOS, funded jointly by the city and county and run by Hope Rescue Mission, uses strict vetting to identify candidates for supportive measures to transition into permanent housing.

Jordan Hess

Mayor Hess, who was appointed to the post nearly a year ago following the death of former Mayor John Engen, flexed his local government knowledge on the mushroom question, pointing out Montana Code Annotated denies the city the power to instruct its police force not to enforce something thats illegal at the state level.

He also said hes supportive of evidence-based therapeutic uses for substances such as psilocybin, and hed like to see criminal justice reform as well. Reform was a tenet of Hess performance Thursday, as he cited the code reform process he helped instigate as a major tool for helping with housing pressures, while also repeating his familiar refrain for the need to reform the states tax structure.

He pushed back against calls to cut the budget  which led to a 9.78% tax increase for Missoulians this year  by defending the essential function of the programs funded by the city.

No amount of cutting, he said, is going to solve the fact that we are in an unfair, broken system that is completely untenable.

His impassioned denouncement of the Legislatures failure to enact tax relief this session earned Hess a round of applause from the crowd.

Shawn Knopp

Businessman Knopp touted his ability to have a conversation with anyone, reinforcing his self-characterization as the peoples candidate for mayor.

I run down the middle of the road, Knopp said. I try to bring both sides together.

He admitted to experimenting with illicit substances during his youth, but stressed he wants a safety approach that prevents people from using drugs like mushrooms, and then driving.

His vision for the future of the Johnson Street Community Center included full wraparound services like those soon to be provided by the Trinity Navigation Center. At the same time, however, Knopp pushed for spending cuts at the city.

One example of a cut hed make would be the consultant the city is utilizing to roll out its 100% Clean Electricity Resolution. Instead of using that resource, Knopp said hed like the city to invest in more solar panels.

Mike Nugent

City Councilor Nugent  who also works as a real estate professional  echoed some of Knopps sentiment around consultants. He stressed the city should be bolder in making decisions without input from hired outsiders at a cost to taxpayers.

He agreed with Davis and Hess that the state tax system strangles local government budgets, but he was more forceful in his advocacy to find a solution at the local level.

We have to try to figure out a way to live by those rules, whatever they may be locally, said Nugent, and its going to lead to some tough conversations.

He also proposed changes to the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and Tax Increment Financing that might alleviate frustrations for Missoulians. Nugent proposed, for example, a repayment clause attached to TIF payouts.

I do not think that would dissuade people from doing the things they do to invest in Missoula, he said. I think its naive to think that we cant be better on that front.

As for psilocybin, a debate Nugent took part in on council when Ward 3 Representative Daniel Carlino first brought it up last year, he said he subscribes to a live-and-let-live policy.
The University of Montana once again topped a national list ranking 1,487 four-year colleges and universities on their overall contribution to the public good.

For the second year in a row, Washington Monthly, a magazine of U.S. politics and government based in Washington, D.C., placed UM at the top of their public service ranking. (On the right-hand column, hover and click the arrow next to Service rank for rankings).

In the service category, UM ranked above many of the nations prestigious private and public institutions, including the University of Notre Dame, George Washington University, Duke University, the University of Chicago and many more.

The periodicals 2023 College Rankings List evaluates four-year institutions across three categories: social mobility, research and promoting public service.

Since 2005, Washington Monthly has developed a methodology and evaluation of American university performance that provides an alternative to Forbes and U.S. World News and Report.

UM President Seth Bodnar said the Washington Monthly ranking again formally identifies UMs cornerstone culture.

Traditional rankings often fail to dive into the big idea of what a college or university is supposed to do, Bodnar said, which is to provide and deliver on inclusive prosperity, social mobility and producing leaders who positively impact our collective communities. I join UM students, our staff and faculty in celebrating this humbling accolade, because it means were doing something right.

Bodnar added that the Washington Monthly ranking is uniquely important, because it evaluates national data on a colleges performance across a range of measures, including affordability, access, social mobility and volunteerism. He said many rankings only promote an idea of prestige, instead of recognizing institutions that make significant contributions through research, social mobility and service.

The Washington Monthly ranking stands alone in that it reflects an evaluation of American higher education that should be grounded in an ethos, Bodnar said. At UM, we are deeply tied to our place, community and one another, and those are the qualities our students take with them into their careers and lives.

The Washington Monthly ranking determined the service score by measuring each colleges performance across a range of measures, including AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, military service and federal work-study grant funding spent on community service projects.

The ranking methodology also included data related to student voter registration; voter activity; the number of degrees awarded in health, education and social work; and a colleges rate of producing leaders in socially valuable fields.

UM students are actively involved in UMs Peace Corps Prep Program, in UMs Military and Veterans Services and within UMs dedicated programs in global service and volunteerism like the W.A. Franke Global Leadership Initiative.

UM students work and study diverse areas that mirror Montanas greatest public needs. These include youth-in-crisis, public education, food insecurity, addiction studies, mental health counseling, natural resource nonprofit work, racial equity and legal services.

For many students, their first interaction as a Grizzly includes an experience within the community. UMs New Student Orientation includes the Big Sky Experience, where students work alongside community partners, including the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, Free Cycles Missoula, and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

The point of the Big Sky Experience is to showcase to new students that a UM education is woven into the community, said Devin Carpenter, UM director of New Student Success. The takeaway for students is an awakening and understanding of what we do here and why it matters.
HICKORY  A Burke County assistant principals story of hope and inspiration through her battle with breast cancer is expected to be highlighted tonight on NBC Nightly News.

A producer from the program reached out to The News Herald and Burke County Public Schools earlier this week after seeing the newspapers Tuesday story on Jordan Ferrell, assistant principal at Ray Childers Elementary School.

Her colleagues and students at Ray Childers surprised her Sept. 1 with a visit from the Pink Heals North Carolina Foothills chapter firetruck. Students gathered around the bus parking lot cheering for Ferrell.

Ferrell told The News Herald she was surprised but grateful for the opportunity to share her story of hope with others.

I was shocked to be honest, Ferrell told The News Herald. But at the same time it felt good to get to tell my story of Hope and how much support has been there throughout this journey.

She said she hopes this heartwarming story showing the support shes receiving from the community will help brighten someones day.

The news can sometimes bring you down with the negative in this world and I hope my story shows there is more good out there, Ferrell said.

Ferrell encouraged anyone else who is battling cancer or other chronic illnesses to persevere.

Cancer or any other chronic illness shouldnt define you, Ferrell said. That was one of my mindsets through this process. I didnt want to be defined by cancer but instead by the hope, strength, and love that has come out of my journey.

Ferrells story is expected to be part of the 6:30 p.m. newscast, and likely will air around 6:50 p.m. Tune into your local NBC station to see the story.

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VALDESE  The Berrytown community outside of Valdese could get new waterlines if the project receives a grant from the state.

The Valdese Town Council held a public hearing and approved applying for a $3 million Community Development Block Grant  Infrastructure Funds to replace old water lines in the community. CDBG grants are from the NC Rural Economic Development Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce and are intended to serve low to moderate income people.

Sherry Long, assistant executive director of Western Piedmont Council of Governments, told the town council Tuesday evening that the community currently has 2-inch water lines and the homes have no water pressure. She said there are homes at the end of the line where the owners cant wash clothes.

The project, if the grant is eventually approved, would replace 8,215 linear feet of water line to serve 72 homes along Berry School Avenue, Berrytown Avenue, Berrytown Street, Bost Johnson Avenue, Bost Johnson Avenue Extension and CV Johnson Drive. It also would include installing fire hydrants, which the community currently doesnt have, Long said.

In addition, the grant would allow replacing the lines between the water meter and the house, Long said.

She said the project was identified in the towns updated 10-year capital improvement plan, which the council approved as part of its consent agenda Tuesday night.

Valdese Planning Director Larry Johnson said the grant is an opportunity for the town to take advantage of funding thats out there to replace the lines.

While the homes are outside the Valdese town limits, they became Valdese water customers when the town took over Triple Community Water Corporation in 2018, according to officials.

The CDBG infrastructure funds would pay for the entire project, Long said. That means it wouldnt require any funds from the town, she said.

Johnson said the deadline for the town to apply for the grant is Oct. 2, with the awarded projects likely announced in March or April.

Long said if the grant is awarded for the project, it could be more than a year before water lines start being replaced. The grant also would cover engineering work, surveying, administration and legal work, she said.

No one spoke during the public hearing portion of the item.

During the meeting, the council also approved lease agreements at the Old Rock School with P&W Railroad Club, David Harmon Studios LLC and with Tranquility Day Spa.

The council also approved an ordinance closing Main Street from Hoyle Street to Eldred Street from 5:30-7 p.m. on Oct. 3 for the Draughn High School Homecoming Parade.
Larry Snelling, the presumed next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, fielded questions on a wide range of public safety issues facing the city and the force he hopes to lead Thursday during the first of five public forums hell take part in before he assumes leadership.

For more than an hour, Snelling listened and offered responses  with varying degrees of specificity  to questions and comments that addressed resources for crime victims, community anti-violence efforts, asylum-seeking migrants sleeping in police stations, the CPDs murder clearance rate and accountability for officers who commit misconduct, among other topics.

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Above all, Snelling said, a collaborative spirit between city residents and police officers is necessary to make Chicago a safer city.

We have to be partners in this, Snelling said. These officers have to be a part of the community, they have to embrace the community, and Im sure they would love it if the community embraced them the same way. This is the only way we get to the bottom of this.

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At the forum, held at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, Snelling was asked how he will maintain his independence amid the inevitable tidal wave of criticism that comes with a job as high-profile and public-facing as CPD superintendent.

Great leaders have no fear of criticism, and its going to come, Snelling told the several dozen who gathered to hear him. When you know youre making the right decision, it doesnt matter how much criticism comes your way. As long as I can go home and sleep at night and know that I made the right decision, thats the decision Im going to make. Ill make the best decisions for everyone involved. Not everyones going to like it. Youre not going to make 100% of the people happy because not everybody is going to agree with it.

Referencing his own upbringing in Englewood, Snelling called for a clear-eyed examination of the factors that often lead the citys youth down a path to violence.

Weve forgotten about our victims and weve forgotten about our children, Snelling said. Our children have become victims, and not just victims of crime, (but) victims of being ignored. And until we step up and we start looking out for our children in these communities, they grow up to become the next statistic.

He urged the city not to ignore its children.

Because when you have a 14-, 15-, 16-year-old shooter, you cant blame the 14-, 15-, 16-year-old, Snelling said. We have to start looking back to see where this child was failed. This goes beyond us.

Mayor Brandon Johnson announced last month that he had selected Snelling, the CPD chief of counterterrorism, to become the next permanent superintendent of the department. Snelling will require approval from the full City Council before he takes the departments reins.

The last permanent CPD superintendent was David Brown, the former chief of police in Dallas who was hired by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in April 2020. Brown quit after Lightfoot failed to make the runoff election earlier this year, and former CPD chief of patrol Fred Waller returned to lead the department on an interim basis.

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Though the 54-year-old Snelling joined the CPD in 1992, it was not until recently that the longtime training academy instructor saw his stock rise among the departments command staff, thanks in part to the CPDs much-maligned merit promotions system.

Chicago Police Department Chief of Counterterrorism Larry Snelling meets with the public on Sept. 7, 2023. Mayor Brandon Johnson announced last month he had selected Snelling to become the next permanent superintendent. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

A lifelong South Sider, Snelling spent more than half his career at the training academy, where he was certified to teach classes on use of force, the use of firearms and report writing. According to his resume, Snelling is certified to teach courses on active shooter scenarios, the use of Tasers, firearms and batons, as well as personal fitness. Aside from teaching police procedures, hes also a certified CrossFit instructor.

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As a result of his expertise, Snelling has been called to testify as an expert witness in more than two dozen civil and criminal cases involving police officers.

Among those cases was the 2018 criminal trial of three CPD officers who were accused of conspiring to cover up the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van Dyke four years earlier. Those three officers were ultimately acquitted in a bench trial.

Snelling also testified in the police board proceedings of four officers who faced administrative charges also stemming from the 2014 McDonald shooting on the Southwest Side. All four were eventually fired.

Snelling himself was the subject of two sustained misconduct allegations in the mid-1990s that resulted in two-day and five-day suspensions, respectively.

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Snelling was chosen over two other finalists, CPD Chief of Constitutional Policing and Reform Angel Novalez and Shon Barnes, the chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin.

Anthony Driver Jr., president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, the body that submitted the three finalists to Johnson this summer, issued a statement as Johnson made his choice.

Chief Snellings remarkable career and long tenure with the Chicago Police Department make him an exceptional choice for the role of Superintendent, Driver said. His proven leadership as chief of the bureau that focuses on criminal networks and narcotics, his dedication to cultivating robust community relations, and his fervent commitment to elevating professional standards within the Department set him apart as a proven leader.
Suspicious truck

Stacey L. Davis-Gilbert, 38, of Hayden, Idaho was arrested Wednesday for burglary, theft and violation of release conditions.

According to the police report, officers responded to an area near the East Ridge to investigate a suspicious truck, which had been reported stolen.

Inside was the Idaho woman, along with some items reported stolen from a storage shed.

MHP arrest

Cody J. Dodd, 30, of Butte was arrested early Friday by a Montana Highway Patrol trooper for resisting arrest, criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, and contempt.

Sound asleep

On Thursday, Austin J. Campbell, 32, of Butte was found sleeping in a vehicle belonging to the Silver Bow Developmental Disabilities Council.

Campbell was arrested for criminal trespass to a vehicle.

Deemed an absconder

Police got a call Thursday about a suspicious car parked on the south side of Ramada by Wyndham, 2100 Cornell Ave.

Inside was Quentin A. Wilson, 25, of Butte, who was reported as an absconder from Adult Probation & Parole. He was arrested at the scene.

Outstanding warrant

Bonita H. Hoyer, 59, of Butte was jailed Wednesday on an outstanding warrant.

Trailer break-in

A trailer in the 3800 block of South Wyoming Street was broken into. Taken were three chainsaws, a roofing nail gun, a laser level, and Makita power tools.
DEER LODGE  The Sun Mountain Lumber sawmill in Deer Lodge buzzes each week through about 2 million board feet of logs.

Sun Mountains process extracts everything but the high-pitched whine of the saws. It harvests lumber, sawdust, chips and planer shavings.

Some of the byproduct material ends up as a component in Starbucks coffee cups and other food-grade products. Other byproducts supply the fuel to heat the mills lumber-drying kiln and the mill itself.

Computer scanning guides bandsaws and circular saws to maximize how many sticks of lumber each log yields. The sawmill relies primarily on Douglas fir but also processes lodgepole pine.

Some bandsaw blades are 38 feet long and cost about $1,000 each new.

Sun Mountain specializes in two-by-fours and two-by-sixes of varied lengths, with 9 feet being the bread-and-butter product during an era of 10-foot ceilings. The sawmill also uses finger-jointing techniques to produce much longer lumber that is resistant to warping in hot and humid places such as Texas.

The whole process operates at an impressive speed. Logs get de-barked, cut to length, sawn into dimensional lumber and planed. The lumber is dried in a kiln, sorted by grades and stacked for shipping to customers.

Sun Mountain Lumber operates the sawmill and has its own logging crews and logging trucks through Sun Mountain Logging to augment timber delivered by independent loggers. The company employs about 200 people and is a significant economic presence in Deer Lodge, Powell County and the region, according to Jordan Green, chief administrative officer for the city of Deer Lodge.

Sun Mountain Lumber is the largest lumber mill in Montana and is one of the states last remaining mills, Green said. As such, it is a key employer both in the city of Deer Lodge and in our region. Having such a steady source of employment for Deer Lodge residents is an incredible benefit to our community, and the periphery economic benefits to the city, state and even nation are far-reaching.

Sean Steinebach, outreach forester for Sun Mountain, said working in the wood products industry is a Montana heritage occupation, like mining and ranching.

These are important jobs, he said.

And logging can play a role in forest fuels reduction, a forest management approach some say can reduce the severity of wildfires.

Green agreed.

The mill provides high-quality Rocky Mountain-grown timber products across the country, he said. Its forestry service helps with fuel mitigation in Montanas forests, which improves the states ecological and recreational well-being.

Steinebach said litigation about timber sales can create situations where the mill has to travel long distances to find logs.

Its a struggle, he said. Finding raw materials is one of our major issues. Were very dependent on federal lands.

Wages at Sun Mountain Lumber start at $19 an hour, and the sawmill fully pays medical and dental insurance costs. But, like many other contemporary employers, Sun Mountain Lumber faces challenges at times to hire workers.

Sun Mountain superintendent Nelson Bohrer said the companys contract to employ pre-release inmates from Butte has been a positive arrangement. Some have stayed on after release and become full-fledged, responsible employees, Bohrer said.

Sun Mountain Lumber, owned by Sherm Anderson, and R-Y Timber announced in June plans by Sun Mountain to buy R-Y Timber in Livingston. The transaction has been described as a win-win for both Deer Lodge and Livingston.

Steinebach said there is a signed purchase agreement.

There is work left to do on the facility to make it operational, he said. We do not have a hard date of operations starting back up, but hopefully soon.

Meanwhile, Green described the important economic contributions of the Deer Lodge mill.

The philanthropic efforts of Sun Mountain Lumber and its owners have an incredible impact on our community that cannot be overstated, Green said.

Sun Mountain Lumbers employment opportunities, cash and material donations to businesses and organizations in the community, and partnership on a variety of projects make the mill a vital facet of Deer Lodges successes.
A man being sought Wednesday by the Louisa County Sheriffs Office as a suspect in an armed robbery that was committed in Mt. Pleasant was located in Columbus Junction Wednesday evening.

According to a press release from the sheriffs office, the robbery had occurred about 11:21 p.m. Tuesday at the Best Western Motel. Witnesses helped identify the suspects and the suspect vehicle. The Louisa County Sheriffs Office was notified the vehicle was traveling toward the county.

A Louisa County Sheriffs deputy intercepted the vehicle and conducted a felony stop at 11:48 p.m. in Columbus Junction. The driver, Marquise Rushin, 28, of Chicago, Ill., was taken into custody and a firearm was seized. The passenger, later identified as Calvin Williams, 34, of Chicago, fled the scene on foot during the stop.

Rushin, was turned over to the Mt. Pleasant Police. He was charged with first-degree robbery, a Class B felony which can bring up to 25 years in prison.

Deputies searched for the fleeing subject. At about 6:10 a.m. Wednesday, the subject was seen in the 200 block of Main Street in Columbus Junction. Many agencies responded to assist in the search including the Columbus Junction Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, the Washington County Sheriffs Office, the Muscatine County Sheriffs Office, the Muscatine Police Department, Louisa County Emergency Management, and Louisa County Ambulance.

At about 12:46 p.m. a resident near the Columbus Junction Post Office reported seeing Williams on their porch asking them to open their door and sign for a package. He then fled to an apartment building in the 100 block of Walnut Street. Deputies searched an apartment and found Williams hiding in a closet. Medical attention was given to Williams for a cut he sustained breaking a window.

Williams is charged with two counts of interference, criminal mischief and trespassing. He is also on federal probation. He was transferred to Mt. Pleasant for the robbery investigation and will likely face further charges from multiple agencies. No court records had been filed based on the robbery incident on Thursday afternoon.
Lamu County is currently in the midst of an accommodation crisis, with over 600 tourists left without a place to stay due to a surge in visitor numbers to the region.

Vincent Sidai, the General Manager for Infrastructure Development at the Kenya Ports Authority, addressed the media on this pressing issue.

He pointed out that the hotels in close proximity to the Lamu Port are the hardest hit by the shortage. Sidai also warned that the situation could worsen as more people flock to the area for both tourism and business purposes related to the Lamu Port.

Sidai made a plea to the residents of Lamu, urging them to seize the opportunities at hand and build more hotels to cater to the increasing demand for accommodation. He emphasized that the expansion of the Lamu Port and the rapid growth of its operations are expected to draw even larger numbers of visitors in the years to come.

Furthermore, Sidai highlighted that hotels near the port are currently running at full capacity and are forced to turn away tourists with reservations. This accommodation crunch has even led some tourists to sleep on the beach, adversely affecting the tourism industry in Lamu County.

He stressed that the Lamu Port has evolved into more than just a business hub; it has also become a tourist attraction where people combine work and leisure.

The shortage of accommodation has had a ripple effect on local businesses, including restaurants and tour operators, as some visitors have had to cancel their trips.

In response to the situation, the Kenya Ports Authority has called upon the county government and potential investors to explore the feasibility of constructing new hotels in the area.

In the meantime, tourists planning to visit Lamu County are strongly advised to book their accommodations well in advance to avoid any inconveniences.
Outspoken lawyer Miguna Miguna is stirring up a political storm in Nyanza as he claims that politicians opposed to Raila Odingas leadership are gearing up for a showdown with the ODM party in potential upcoming parliamentary by-elections.

Miguna dropped this bombshell on Wednesday while urging five ODM lawmakers facing expulsion notices to step down, a challenge thrown at them by Raila Odingas allies.

The ODM National Executive Council has recommended the expulsion of Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda, Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo, Suba Souths Caroli Omondi, Langatas Phelix Odiwuor, and Bondos Gideon Ochanda due to their dealings with President William Ruto.

In response to Wednesdays announcement, Miguna argued that these by-elections could provide a platform for the anti-Odinga slavery movement to consolidate its presence in Luo Nyanza.

There should be by-elections in the constituencies of the expelled Luo ODM MPs. Its time to push the conman into a corner and liberate the Luo Nation, Miguna declared.

Even if the conman defeats them in the by-election, it will provide a forum for the anti-Odinga slavery movement to organize.

There should be by elections in the constituencies of the expelled Luo ODM MPs. Its time to push the conman to the corner and liberate the Luo Nation. Even if the conman defeats them in the by-election, it would provide a forum for anti-Odinga slavery movement to organize!  Dr. Miguna Miguna (@MigunaMiguna) September 6, 2023

Miguna alleged that the expulsion from Odingas party is ethnically driven, targeting only Luo MPs.

He pointed out that Esther Passaris, despite her meetings with and endorsements of President Ruto and her votes with the Kenya Kwanza government in Parliament, only received a fine, whereas Luo MPs, who had merely visited Statehouse and expressed their opinions within their legal rights, were expelled.

Miguna, alongside ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo and Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, has been at the forefront of challenging Odingas influence in Luo Nyanza. Once a close ally of Odinga, he fell out with the opposition leader, accusing him of betrayal after Odinga joined forces with former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018.

Miguna made headlines when he declared Odinga as the Peoples President, leading to his deportation from the country after numerous legal battles attempting to force the State to produce him in court.

Last year, President Ruto reinstated Migunas Kenyan passport, ending his five-year exile during Kenyattas presidency.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has announced that he will be hosted by Azimio leader Raila Odinga in Bondo, Siaya County, next week for the launch of an industrial park in the region. Kuria disclosed this during the inauguration of an industrial park in Trans Nzoia County.

He revealed that this decision followed discussions between him and the former Prime Minister, who agreed to his request. Kuria intends to use this opportunity to provide insights to the opposition leader on development matters.

Recently, we were with Raila, and I asked him if he can host me in his home area, and he agreed. I might impart some knowledge about development, said Kuria. Additionally, he affirmed that the Kenya Kwanza government would impartially serve all Kenyans, regardless of their voting preferences in the last elections.

The Cabinet Secretary further disclosed his plans to launch development projects in other counties, including Homa Bay, Kisii, Kisumu, and Migori in the upcoming week. During his speech, Kuria urged Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya to consider collaborating with the Kenya Kwanza government to ensure that his constituents benefit from a cooperative relationship with the national government.

Notably, Natembeya serves as the deputy leader of the Democratic Action Party (DAP-K) within the Azimio coalition.

The former Gatundu South MP also underscored the governments commitment to fulfilling its promise of generating job opportunities through the launch of the industrial park.

He instructed contractors to complete the industrial park within seven months, enabling the attraction of foreign investors.

We are commencing with Ksh500 million for the project. I give you seven months to complete it so that we can inaugurate it in the fourth month of the coming year. My role is to attract investors, thereby creating 30,000 job opportunities in this county.

Its inconceivable that Trans Nzoia produces 25 percent of the maize in Kenya, and yet its residents lack employment, he concluded.
Nairobis Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) are sounding the alarm, urging swift action by the anti-corruption watchdog, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). They seek the prosecution of five former City Hall officials entangled in the alleged misappropriation of substantial County Alcoholic Drinks and Liquor Licensing Board funds, amounting to millions of shillings.

Chege Mwaura, Chairperson of the Select Committee on Public Accounts, made the plea while officially submitting a report to the EACC. This report is the outcome of a rigorous audit that scrutinized the financial activities of the liquor board during the fiscal years 2018/2019 and 2019/2020.

In Mr. Cheges words, We have engaged in extensive discussions with the commission, and they have pledged to address the issues concerning the implicated officers and actively pursue the recovery of public funds lost during those financial years.

The officials implicated in the report include Alan Igambi (former Executive of Trade, Tourism, and Cooperatives), Dr. Jairus Musumba (former Chief Officer for Trade, Tourism, and Cooperatives), Mohamed Sahal (former Chief Officer for Trade and Tourism), Hesbon Agwena (former Director), and Julius Matekwa (former Accountant at the board).

These individuals, serving as the liquor funds accounting officers, are accused of flouting various procurement laws during their tenure. A significant concern raised by the MCAs revolves around the absence of proper receipts accounting for revenue collected in the financial years ending in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. Despite reports of the board amassing Sh427 million and Sh515 million for the respective fiscal years, theres a conspicuous lack of documented proof illustrating the funds transfer to the bank account overseen by the fund.

Robert Alai, MCA for Kileleshwa, underscored the urgency of the situation while condemning the alleged financial extravagance exhibited by the boards officials.

He state, This board has evaded auditing for two years now. They have consistently collected revenue, yet the officials seemingly indulged in extravagant trips to luxurious destinations. We beseech the commission to take immediate action and recover the public resources purportedly lost.

The MCAs further probed the officials following an audit report submitted by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, which was presented before the Nairobi City County Assembly.

The Auditor-Generals report raises concerns about the liquor boards blatant disregard for the Public Procurement Act by submitting financial statements three months after the close of the fiscal year, making it challenging to conduct a thorough audit of the financial records.
After being cooped up during the pandemic, people have been busting out, buying things, going on big vacations. Its been dubbed revenge spending.

Similarly inspired, Cheryl and I did a revenge day trip.

We threw ourselves onto I-80 during peak commute hours and headed for several of our old favorites: Market Hall in Oaklands Rockridge neighborhood and Berkeleys culinary mecca, Chez Panisse Cafe.

The catalyst for the trip was Cheryls birthday. Lunch at Chez Panisse would ease the trauma of becoming a year older.

Traffic beyond the county line was ridiculous. Thank heavens the birthday girl was doing the driving.

In Rockridge, we peered into the former home of Oliveto, our beloved coffee-and-pastry destination. We knew it had closed during the pandemic, but still  the visual evidence hurt.

Creatures of deep habit, we purchased breakfast at a business that shared a wall with Oliveto, Highwire Coffee, then grabbed one of the tables along College Avenue.

It was at this point that Cheryl let out a big sigh. Wed broken out of our Napa rut. Memories from dozens of previous Rockridge visits washed over her.

The loss of Oliveto wasnt the only thing that had changed in three years. The formerly jammed BART lot across the street seemed half empty. And before I could do justice to my blueberry/cornmeal scone, a Market Hall worker strolled by, cautioning everyone not to leave valuables in their vehicles. Break-ins had become epidemic.

The theft warning added a chill to the start of our day. Fortunately, wed emptied our car before setting out. It could only have been emptier if wed vacuumed it.

At our next stop, the Berkeley Bowl market, Cheryl stocked up on seeds and twigs for her morning cereal mix. I killed time observing the shoppers, a world-class mix of social and ethnic diversity. There was no mistaking this crowd for my neighbors at Browns Valley Market.

Unexpectedly, I found myself feeling insignificant  a minnow swimming in a vast sea of humanity.

Our itinerary included several drive-bys: the apartment where my son lived during his undergraduate years at Berkeley, and the dumpy rental where I landed in 1972 upon my post-Army return to the Bay Area. I recalled how the KFC next-door was flooding my apartment with fried chicken fumes.

The trip centerpiece was Alice Waters legendary Chez Panisse. Cheryl and I have been celebrating special occasions for nearly a quarter century at the upstairs cafe, one of the birthplaces of California cuisine. The locally sourced dishes are impressive, not pretentious; the serenity suggests what dining in heaven might be like.

As we settled into a table with view of the Bay, we asked ourselves why we had let COVID keep us away. Had we lost all perspective on lifes risk/joy balance?

We ordered modestly. Single glasses of wine, a shared pizza with broccoli di ciccio and red onions, a shared chicken dish with fresh shell beans, romano beans and a tomato confit, a shared dessert, a Dapple Dandy pluot galette with vanilla ice cream.

Happy, happy us.

In a moment of euphoria, I ordered an espresso to share with Cheryl. Cheryl had never tasted an espresso. Her sips nearly took her head off, but she kept sipping. What culinary adventurers we had become.

Noticing I still had a sip or two left of my Spanish red wine, I offered them to Cheryl. Generous me.

When she swirled the dregs, two objects resembling pine needles popped up. To my eye they resembled devil horns.

What the heck!

I wasnt going to make a big deal over the devil horns, but Cheryl pointed them out to our server who leaned in to take a deeper look.

The flummoxed server froze for a second, uttered a weak laugh, then offered us a free glass of wine. I declined. Minutes later she surprised us with a scoop of peach sherbet with fresh raspberries. Her peace offering worked. It cleared my mind of the evil lurking in my glass.

The drive back to Napa was hell  a 25 mph crawl nearly the whole way to the Napa line.

But we hardly cared. Wed had a great day.

Theres a big old world still out there, spinning and spinning and offering up untold delights. You just have to strip your vehicle of all personal possession before visiting.
Parliament deputy speaker: Armenia has no contender in high tech

Newspaper: Karabakh army handed over ammunition not to Azerbaijan, but to Russian side

Canada ambassador about sanctions on Azerbaijan: There is also dispute within Armenia regarding them

4.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Turkey

14 individuals were tortured, and 64 died on the move from Nagorno Karabakh. Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Council of Europe to prepare package of measures in response to refugee influx in Armenia

Mher Grigoryan and EU Ambassador exchanged ideas on regional developments

Minister of Defence had a meeting with the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of PRC

Yeremyan Projects has launched the regional first livestock complex in Tashir community

Rights of Karabakhs imprisoned former leadership are protected, Azerbaijan ombudsperson claims

Finance ministry: Armenia economic growth target will be maintained at 7% level in 2024

Elnur Mammadov: Most points in peace treaty have been agreed upon by Azerbaijan, Armenia

Statement: Alma-Ata Declaration has no mention of former union republics of ex-USSR

Dollar drops, euro rises in Armenia

Armenia defense sector capital spending planned in amount of around $1.4 billion in 2024

Lawyer: Maestro Sergey Smbatyan is acquitted

Premier: Armenia defense spending planned to be increased by 125% in 2024 compared to 2018

Armenia, Ukraine officials underscore Pashinyan-Zelenskyy first meeting

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Armenia official: We will not increase pensions, minimum wages in 2024

Armenia finance minister: National debt of more than $10 billion is safe

Pashinyan: Armenia government expects 7% economic growth in 2023

COAF secures 10M grant to transform education in Armenia's Syunik Province

RFE/RL: US supports EU monitoring mission in Armenia, embassy says

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Armenia nationals can now open bank accounts in Russia in simplified manner

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202-million-year-old dragonfly fossil discovered in UK

Armenia premier: I hope arrangements for opening border with Turkey will be implemented in near future

Pashinyan: Current world orders collapse is serious threat to Armenia

Armenia labor, social affairs minister is in Iran, memorandum to be signed on highly qualified workforce exchange

Armenia PM: 3 main principles of signing peace treaty with Azerbaijan have been agreed upon

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Biden, Netanyahu discuss ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

Arab, Muslim users of social media unhappy with ongoing supply of oil from Azerbaijan to Israel

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20 people injured, 2 in critical condition after mass riots at Russias Makhachkala airport

Kamala Harris: US has no plans of sending combat troops to Israel, Gaza

Russia researchers develop water evaluation system using smartphones

Russias Makhachkala airport closed until November 6

France releases city electric cars that can be driven without driver's license

Thugs attack bus carrying women, children in Russias Makhachkala

Anti-Israel protest in Russias Dagestan, crowd storms into Makhachkala airport

Slovenia donates 120,000, through Red Cross, to forcibly displaced people from Karabakh

Overall 3342 children died in Gaza since start of war

Israel bombs areas near Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza

Palestinian Red Crescent: Israel demands evacuation of Gaza hospital

UN peacekeeper wounded in Lebanese shelling

Israel Armenians newspaper: Situation in Israel still difficult

Iran President: Zionists were defeated, forced to retreat

Death toll of Palestinians in Gaza exceeds 8000

Azerbaijani Defense Minister also visits China

Israeli airstrikes on two houses in Gaza kill 13 civilians

Israeli army names main priority

UN Secretary General criticizes Israel again

Building of Jewish cultural center is set on fire in Russia

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting

Russian MoD: Crimea was attacked by 36 Ukrainian drones at night

Armenian Defence Minister leaves for China

Forcibly displaced teachers from Artsakh can continue work in Armenia

Death toll of mine accident in Kazakhstan reaches 42

Israeli PM deletes controversial post from social media, apologizes

Israeli opposition leader, National Security Minister criticize PM

At least 331 Israeli soldiers killed since start of war with Hamas

Baku arrests Iranian spies who wanted to create Kerime state in Azerbaijan

Lemkin Institute calls on UN to prepare proper mission to Artsakh

Moscow, Ankara effectively coordinate efforts to tackle important regional issues

Israeli army boosts contingent in Gaza, enters deeper into enclave

Aide to Aliyev, Iran Ambassador discuss Azerbaijani-Armenian relations

US Eisenhower aircraft carrier enters Mediterranean Sea

Road accident in Armenia leaves 2 dead

Iranian President: Israel has crossed the red lines

Artsakh President: Russian side was in observers position

Armenia Security Council Secretary meets assistants to US Secretary of State, France President

Armenia PM sends condolences to Kazakh President over mine accident

Death toll of mine accident in Kazakhstan reaches 33

Russian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministries confirm the need for normalization between Baku and Yerevan

Hamas ready to release eight hostages at Russia's request

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Hamas says there is no progress in hostage negotiations

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IDF expands ground operations in Gaza Strip

US calls its strikes on targets in Syria message for Iran
The former public works director in southwest suburban Summit pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring with the towns police chief to take bribes to grease a liquor license transfer in the village and admitted that hed also engaged in corrupt activities with other public officials.

William Mundy, 60, entered his plea to one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery and filing a false tax return in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger.

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A sentencing date has not been set due to Mundys ongoing cooperation in the case, according to his 24-page plea agreement with prosecutors.

Preliminary sentencing guidelines call for up to about five years in prison, but if Mundy offers full and truthful cooperation going forward, prosecutors will make it known to the judge and ask for a sentence below the low end of the guideline range, which is 46 months, according to the plea.

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While the case against Mundy centers around an alleged scheme with his co-defendant, former Summit police Chief John Kosmowski, Mundy admitted in the plea agreement he also engaged in corrupt activities with other public officials and accepted money from other people in return for using his official position to benefit them and their business interests.

Over an undisclosed period of years ending in 2019, Mundy accepted multiple bribe payments totaling over $40,000, the plea stated.

Mundys attorney, Patrick Blegen, declined to elaborate on those alleged payments when reached by phone Friday.

Mundy and Kosmowski each were charged in an indictment last year with conspiring to accept $10,000 from the relative of a business owner in 2017 in exchange for helping secure the transfer of a liquor license to another person.

According to the charges, Kosmowski received a $5,000 cash payment from the business owner on March 23, 2017, and then gave Mundy a portion of it. In the meantime, Mundy called a Summit elected official, identified in the charges only as Individual B, and told the elected official to approve the transfer.

Mundy admitted in his plea agreement that he failed to claim the bribe money on his 2018 tax return.

In early 2022, after being made aware of a grand jury investigation into the payment, Kosmowski met with Mundy in nearby Justice to tell him the government would be indicting soon and that it was going to be their version against ours, according to the indictment.

During the meeting, Kosmowski tried to persuade Mundy to lie about the payment by saying it was a loan, the indictment stated.

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Kosmowski has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The case is set for trial in May, records show.

The charges are an offshoot of a larger corruption probe that netted indictments of ex-Chicago Ald. Edward Burke and then-state Sen. Martin Sandoval.

Agents conducted investigative activity at Summit Village Hall in September 2019, the same day that federal law enforcement raided the government offices in nearby McCook and Lyons as part of a sprawling public corruption investigation.

In addition, Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez and Mundy were both named in the FBI search warrant served on Sandovals Springfield office two days earlier, records show.

Sandoval pleaded guilty in 2020 to taking bribes from a red-light camera company executive and was cooperating with federal prosecutors until his death in December 2020 from COVID-19 complications.

Rodriguez has not been charged with wrongdoing.

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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
The Baku Grave Crimes Court in the Azerbaijani capital held a trial in the criminal case of Fidan Aliyeva, who is accused of high treason.

The defendant testified at the trial, Lent.az reports. She pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

Aliyeva noted that she did not collaborate with the special services of Armenia.

"I met a Russian citizen on Telegram Messenger. My goal was only to get acquainted. I had no desire to inform him about Azerbaijan," she said.

The aforesaid court process will continue on September 25.

According to the indictment, Baku resident Fidan Aliyeva (born in 2002) met an employee of the Armenian special services on Telegram Messenger. She had been conveying informationsending photos and videosabout Azerbaijan to that person for a long time.

Aliyeva was detained.

According to some media, Fidan Aliyeva was a participant of the "environmental action" at the Lachin corridor.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan on Thursday had a telephonic conversation with Yuri Kim, the Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

Regional security issues, and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh were discussed.

Mirzoyan reiterated the need to lift the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan in accordance with the Statement of November 9, 2020 and two Orders of the International Court of Justice. The importance of ensuring unimpeded access and humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross to Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasized.

The Armenian FM thoroughly touched upon the destructive behavior carried out by Azerbaijan during this period, systemic policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, the disrespect towards its own commitments and clear calls of the international community. The need to establish an effective international mechanism for discussing rights and security guarantees between Stepanakert and Baku was stressed.

The agenda of Armenia-US bilateral cooperation was touched upon, too.
Bill Pinkney aboard his 47-foot cutter, Commitment, in New York, July 15, 1990. Pinkney, the first Black sailor to circumnavigate the globe alone by the arduous southern route  rounding the five great capes of the earths southernmost points of land, most notably the fearsome Cape Horn  died on Aug. 31, 2023, in Atlanta. He was 87. (Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)

Bill Pinkney was the first Black sailor to single-handedly circle the globe under the five southernmost capes, a voyage that included navigating the hazardous waves and the gusty winds off Cape Horn at the south end of South America.

What he did, I thought, was that he took down his personal barriers, and he said that even though he grew up on the South Side, that didnt stop him from thinking about going around the world and all that entailed  getting the boat, getting the experience, getting radio equipment and publicizing it, said Jerry Thomas, chairman of the Chicago Maritime Museum.

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Pinkney, 87, died Aug. 31 in an Atlanta hospital after suffering injuries from a fall down stairs while visiting Atlanta, said his former wife, Ina Pinkney. He had been a resident of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and previously lived in Chicagos Lakeview neighborhood.

Captain Bill Pinkney, 67, alongside The Freedom Schooner Amistad, in Muskegon, Michigan, in 2003. (Jim Hill/for the Chicago Tribune)

Born in Chicago, Pinkney grew up near 33rd Street and Indiana Avenue in a single-parent household that depended on welfare. After graduating as one of four Blacks in Tilden Technical High Schools class of 1954, he joined the Navy, where he served as a hospital corpsman and an X-ray technician.

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While in the Navy, Pinkney lived in Puerto Rico for a time, and after leaving active duty, he worked as a bartender, elevator repairman and limbo dancer. He moved to New York City in 1961 and worked as an X-ray technician.

Seeking a more creative pursuit, Pinkney trained as a freelance makeup artist, working on a variety of TV commercials and movies, including South of Hell Mountain, a 1971 Western starring future soap opera actress Anna Stuart.

In 1973, New York City-based Revlon Inc. hired him as marketing director for a line of cosmetics pitched to African Americans. After some success in increasing those cosmetics sales, Pinkney was recruited in 1977 to join Chicago-based Johnson Products as a director of cosmetics.

He subsequently worked for several years as director of program services in the city of Chicagos Department of Human Services.

Pinkneys interest in sailing started after he was discharged from the Navy in 1964. He initially navigated small cargo boats around the Caribbean islands. Once he left his city job, he decided on a bigger goal: sailing around the world.

I was the right age and not tied to anything, he told the Tribune in 1992.

Pinkney initially intended to sail around the world via the Panama and Suez canals. However, after another Black sailor, Teddy Seymour, accomplished that feat, he decided to sail around the southern capes.

On Aug. 9, 1990, Pinkney set sail from Boston in his 47-foot sloop, Commitment. The cost of his 32,000-mile trek, more than $1 million, was donated by a group of four businessmen from Chicago and Boston.

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Captain Bill Pinkney explains the history of the Amistad in 2003, a re-creation of the 19th century La Amistad that illegally transported Africans into the slave trade. (Jim Hill/for the Chicago Tribune)

Armed with a satellite phone, an array of prepared foods, a stack of books and a Sony Walkman, Pinkney traveled from Boston to Bermuda and then to the British Virgin Islands, Brazil, Cape Town, South Africa, and across the Indian Ocean to Tasmania. After that, he sailed across the South Pacific around Cape Horn to Uruguay before turning north again to Bermuda.

During his voyage, Pinkney experienced some harrowing moments, but no brushes with total disaster.

I have not had any near-death experiences, thank goodness, he told the Tribune in 1992. I was caught in a lightning storm between Argentina and Uruguay. For four hours, the lightning was hitting like mad all around me. I was the tallest thing.

Pinkneys journey was followed closely by schoolchildren in Chicago and Boston, with whom he communicated during his trip both in person and via shortwave radio. Ultimately, he was in touch with children from more than 150 schools.

Perseverance is a very important thing, he told the Tribune in 1992. Kids quit too soon now. They assume if someone tells them they are a failure, they go along with it. I am saying, Tell them to stick it in a flat hat. You are only failure if you believe it  and dont believe it.

After completing his circumnavigation of the globe in June 1992, he traveled by sailboat to Chicago and docked at Navy Pier, where he was met by an honor guard of junior ROTC cadets from Tilden High School and Sea Scouts from Montrose Harbor. He also was greeted by Clemente High Schools steel drum band and the Chicago Housing Authoritys chorus.

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I had a whole wall of pictures of school kids across from my navigation station, Pinkney told the Tribune in 1992. With all those people thinking about me and praying for me, there was no way that I could not make it.

Pinkney also explained to an audience at Operation PUSHs headquarters in June 1992 that he went on his journey to disprove the statistical information I was given as a young man.

Im 57, but when I was 25, the odds were good that Id be in jail, on drugs or dead. The thing is, I didnt believe that, he said.

Pinkney went on to work as a motivational speaker, and frequently spoke at schools. He also was the subject of The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney, a 1994 TV documentary that was narrated by his friend Bill Cosby, which won a Peabody Award, and he wrote a childrens book Captain Bill Pinkneys Journey, which was published in 1994. He also wrote an autobiography, As Long As It Takes, which was published in 2006.

Pinkney was involved in teaching about the horrors involved with the Africa slave trade. In 1999, he set out with a group of teachers and a crew on a vessel called Sortilege to retrace the Middle Passage slave trade routes.

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From 2000 until 2003, Pinkney was the first captain of a replica of the 1839 Amistad slave transport vessel, which was restored and launched at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. He took the Amistad on an expedition to West Africa and South America with nine teachers aboard as part of a plan to develop a curriculum on the Atlantic slave trade for the University of Nebraska.

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Pinkney was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2021. Last year, he was honored with the 2022 America and the Sea Award by the Mystic Seaport Museum, where he served as a trustee.

Theres no excuse for not making your dream come true, Pinkney told the Tribune in 1992. All you have to do is be willing to pay the price and work at it. Whether youre female or Black  or anything  you cant let anybody else set your goals for you. Youve got to get your butt in gear.

Two previous marriages ended in divorce. Pinkney is survived by his wife of 20 years, Migdalia Vachier Pinkney; a daughter, Angela Walton; a sister, Naomi; and two grandchildren.

Information on services is not yet available.

Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.

To purchase a death notice, visit https://placeanad.chicagotribune.com/death-notices/. To suggest a staff-written obituary on a person of local interest, e-mail chicagoland@chicagotribune.com
The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) expresses its profound regret and strong condemnation of the recent statement issued by the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE) concerning the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from EAFJD. In this statement the European rabbis expressed their concerns regarding the usage of terms such as "genocide" in reference to the situation the native Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh is facing.

As a European-Armenian organization the EAFJD acknowledges the sensitivity of the term, particularly in light of the immense suffering endured by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and fully supports the importance of paying homage as well as preserving the memory of those tragic events. The term is not used as a historical comparison; rather, it is being utilized in accordance with the definition outlined in the United Nations' Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Several reports and statements from independent international organizations and human rights groups have been alerting about Azerbaijans ongoing policy in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh which is genocidal in its essence. In a recent report the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo argues that there is a reasonable basis to believe a Azerbaijan is currently committing a genocide against the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh/ Artsakh. Genocide Watch has also issued numerous alerts in this regard.

The international legal definition of genocide, as recognized by the United Nations in the 1948 Genocide Convention, includes acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed duty to prevent and punish Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that the state parties should not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences and the whole point of obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act.

For nine months now Azerbaijan has been keeping the 120.000 native Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, including 30.000 children in a blockade, in blatant violation of 9 November 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement that it signed. Since 15 June 2023, the Azerbaijani authorities have imposed a total siege by blocking access to food and other essential goods. This has been happening, despite the fact that the United States, the European Union, International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice have all been calling on Azerbaijani to immediately lift the blockade. Azerbaijan has been using starvation and deprivation of access to basic necessities with the aim of forcing the Armenians out of their own homeland.

The EAFJD calls on the rabbis of the RCE to recognize the severity of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and stay true to the principles of justice and human rights as representatives of a nation that once urgently needed the support and empathy of the international community in its quest for justice.
President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Thursday received Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on an official visit to Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed issues of expanding the political dialogue between the two friendly countries, emphasizing in this context the importance of high-level reciprocal visits and effective interaction at the international platforms.

The President of the UAE and the Foreign Minister of Armenia touched upon the possibilities of developing mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and exchanged views on the implementation of joint programs in new promising areas. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the intensification of trade and economic ties between the two countries, emphasizing the need for more effective use of the significant potential between Armenia and the UAE. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that a favorable business environment has been created for Emirati companies in Armenia.

Among the key issues on the agenda of the meeting were also the latest regional developments.

Touching upon the security situation in the South Caucasus, Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Azerbaijan's maximalist aspirations and aggressive actions are hampering efforts to establish long-term peace in the region.

Minister Mirzoyan presented to the President of the UAE the difficult humanitarian challenges 120,000 people of Nagorno-Karabakh are facing and especially vulnerable groups as a result of around 9-months-long blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, emphasizing that despite two orders of the International Court of Justice and targeted appeals by numerous international partners, Azerbaijan continues to keep the Lachin corridor closed.
Could Turkey have assisted, provided means and aid to Azerbaijan during the 44-day war in 2020 if it had not received permission from the US? No. Russian political scientist Feodor Voitolovsky asked this during the Armenian-Russian media forum on Friday.

"Could Turkey have coordinated its actions with Baku without informing the leadership of the NATO command headquarters? Why did the US allow Turkey and Baku to do what they did? To whom does Turkey owe? Who is the leading donor of Turkish banks? Who is the Turkish client of various international projects, including in Iraq and Syria?

"Why did the US do what is happening in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] from the point of view of the humanitarian situation? Because that way it gets influence levers on the situation. It is aimed at weakening Russia and Armenia, as a weak Armenia is easier to manage," the Russian analyst added.

Voitolovsky noted that the US declares the need to unblock the Lachin corridor, but maintains contacts with Azerbaijan.
The acting President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Davit Ishkhanyan, on Friday issued a call to the people of Artsakh. The call states as follows:

Dear compatriots,

Tomorrow, on September 9, in accordance with the Constitution of the Artsakh Republic, the National Assembly will elect the President of the Republic. In this unprecedented situation, we are taking this step to quickly address the growing daily challenges, effectively organize the internal life of the country, and adequately face the external challenges.

The right and responsibility to elect the Head of the State is assigned by the Constitution to the parliament, which you elected. The authority to nominate a candidate for the President of the Republic is reserved exclusively for the factions of the Artsakh National Assembly, which was carried out in accordance with the established procedure. As of now, all preparatory processes for the resignation of the President of the Republic and the election of a new President have been organized in accordance with the Constitution and legislation, considering the current acute crisis situation.

Taking into account certain dangerous trends developing in public sentiments in recent days, at this responsible moment, with the right reserved to me, I call for sobriety to everyone and urge not to give in to the provocations that divide the people, not to succumb to narrow group interests and to put aside personal preferences for the sake of the common good. No one has the right to take our community, its individual groups, on an adventure during this time that is fatal for us. I want to specifically emphasize and assure you that all actions that undermine internal stability will be stopped by the force of law.

We possess all the means to thwart Azerbaijan's ambitions to dismantle the state institutions of the Artsakh Republic, and we should not contribute to the realization of Azeri criminal goals by any means.

We are committed to protect and strengthen the foundations of statehood we've built over three decades. It is the desire and will of our people, and we are obliged to be guided by those goals.

I extend my best wishes to all of us carrying out this crucial political process.

Believe that together we can turn the seemingly impossible into reality.
A 1943 photo shows a boat carrying people during an escape across the Oresund strait of some of the 7,000 Danish Jews who fled to Sweden from Denmark, three years after the Nazi invasion. (Scanpix Denmark/AFP via Getty Images)

Eighty years ago this month, my mother was looking forward to her ninth birthday when she found out she was Jewish and that her family had to flee her home in Denmark to escape the Nazis.

With the help of neighbors and strangers, she found herself days later recovering from seasickness after a long nights journey on a crowded Danish fishing boat. The boats captain had navigated rough waters and avoided Nazi patrols to find safety in a Swedish port. Several weeks later, she went to a movie theater with her family in her new host country to see James Cagney star in Yankee Doodle Dandy. I can only imagine how the promise of America appeared to a little girl who had spent three years living under Nazi occupation.

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Today in America we have become increasingly factionalized and the legitimacy of government institutions are under attack, the example that the Danes set on this 80th anniversary of the miraculous rescue of the Jews is worthy of retelling, as I do in my debut graphic novel Hour of Need.

The Nazis thought they were being clever when they decided to round up Denmarks Jews on Rosh Hashana in 1943. They planned to capture the Jews at their homes as they celebrated the Jewish new year. They miscalculated. Thanks to a leak from a member of the Nazi Party, many of Denmarks Jews received a warning when they were together for services on the eve of the holiday.

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Mette Shayne found out on her ninth birthday that she was Jewish, and that her family had to flee Denmark to escape the Nazis in 1943. (Family photo)

The next day my mother fled with her family for the countryside, leaving her hometown of Copenhagen for the first time. Her fate was in the hands of strangers, and at every turn, people she and her family had never met before helped them escape. She was fortunate to live in a country where antisemitism was low, and the Danish people she encountered thought of her as a fellow Dane.

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One of these helpers was a math teacher, Svend Otto Nielsen, who went by the name John when he joined the Danish resistance group Holger Danske. As my family made their way to the coast with the Nazis only hours behind them, he arranged for a fishing boat to carry them and other refugees across the body of water separating Denmark from Sweden. That trip would be one of hundreds the people of Denmark hastily arranged to evacuate more than 7,000 Danish Jews to safety.

The name Holger Danske comes from a Danish folk story set as a poem by perhaps Denmarks most famous Dane, Hans Christian Andersen. Holger Danske is a retired warrior who sleeps peacefully while Denmark is safe but vows to rise up and protect Denmark in its hour of need should danger ever come. As my mother and her family looked out on a foreboding sea with Nazis not far behind, John truly embodied the spirit of Holger Danske as he came to their aid in their hour of need. Many other Danes were there for my mothers family as well. They opened their doors, gave my mom and her family refuge and showed them kindness when the penalties for doing so were high.

Mette Shayne, at age 75, sits next to her son Ralph Shayne and holds her grandchild Ian while visiting Denmark in 2009. (Family photo)

While other occupied countries lost as many as 90% of their Jewish residents during World War II, the people of Denmark saved more than 90% of theirs. Denmark was an anomaly for many reasons. For one, Danes had accepted the Jewish community prior to World War II. Concerned about growing antisemitism in nearby Germany, King Christian X attended the 100-year anniversary of the Copenhagen Synagogue in a show of solidarity with Denmarks Jews. Also, the conditions of Denmarks surrender to Germany allowed Denmarks constitution to remain in effect for the first three years of occupation, and its equal rights laws prohibited the Germans from imposing the discriminatory laws it used to terrorize the populations of other countries it conquered.

Unfortunately, we are not done with the days of politicians who harness hate for political power and those who enable these tactics. In our country, political courage to push back on those who cleverly find ways to stoke hate is at a low, antisemitism is on the rise and the barbaric truths of slavery are being whitewashed. Demonizing immigrants, dehumanizing marginalized groups and delegitimizing institutions that are meant to treat all citizens equally are not new approaches.

The memories of World War II make the Jewish people sensitive to the role we all play to make sure that a defenseless minority group is not mistreated. In partnering with the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie to create Hour of Need, I have been able to capture the courage of the everyday Danes who stood up to Nazi bigotry and hatred to protect my mother. What the Danish people did for her 80 years ago should serve as a reminder that we are all safer and better off when we look out for each other and that we should step up to protect others in their hour of need. That was true in Denmark in 1943 and is true in America today.

Ralph Shayne is a native Chicagoan and an American of Danish and Jewish descent who tells the story of his familys Holocaust escape in the graphic novel Hour of Need, illustrated by Tatiana Goldberg. The Illinois Holocaust & Education Center will be hosting Shayne and Goldberg at an in-person book launch event on Sunday.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Vagharshak Harutyunyan, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Russia, has summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. In a statement on this occasion the Russian Foreign Ministry says.

We noted the appearance of certain doubts in the official circles and political elite of the Republic of Armenia regarding the expediency of allied relations within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and with Russia on a bilateral basis, as well as regarding the feasibility of the complex of tripartite agreements between Moscow, Yerevan and Baku reached in 2020-2022 about ways of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.



Against this background, the leadership of Armenia has taken a series of unfriendly steps in recent days, including the launch of the process of ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC, the trip to Kyiv by A.V. Hakobyan, the wife of the Armenian Prime Minister, and handing humanitarian aid to the Kyiv Nazi regime by her, as well as holding military exercises with the participation of the United States on Armenian territory.



In this connection, the Ambassador of Armenia to Moscow, V. V. Harutyunyan, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, to him a harsh announcement was conveyed. In addition, a note of protest was sent, which indicated the inadmissibility of insulting statements by A.R. Simonyan, the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from September 6, regarding M.V. Zakharova, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the director of the Department of Information and regarding Press and the Russian Foreign Ministry as a whole. Separately, concern was expressed regarding the detention in Armenia of blogger M. Badalyan and observer of radio "Sputnik Armenia" A. Gevorkyan on September 7.



At the same time, Moscow firmly believes that Russia and Armenia remain allies, and all agreements on the development and strengthening of partnership relations will be fully implemented for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries. This, among other things, concerns the organization of exercises within the CSTO and in the future sending to the Republic of the observation mission of the Organization in order to facilitate the settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Russian side will continue to apply all necessary efforts for these purposes".
Ten dead in northern China gas leak

The cause of the accident in Ordos is under investigation. File photo: AFP

Ten people were killed and three others were injured in a gas accident at a workshop in Ordos in China's northern Inner Mongolia region, broadcaster China Central Television said on Friday, citing local authorities.



A burst of high-pressure gas on Thursday afternoon killed 8 workers at the shop owned by Ordos Yiding Eco-Agriculture Development, CCTV reported.



Four workers were injured, one of whom later died, Xinhua news agency reported.



CCTV confirmed from local authorities that one more body was found at the accident scene.



Ordos Yiding Eco-Agriculture is a wholesaler of coal and manufactured products, with its business covering the production of ammonia, sulphur, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen.



The cause of the accident is under investigation. (Reuters)
Actor Jessica Chastain made an impassioned plea to American actors at the Venice Film Festival press conference for Michel Franco's drama Memory, imploring them to encourage indie films, reported Variety. I was very nervous about coming, said Chastain who was wearing a black 'SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) on Strike T-Shirt, revealing that there were actually some people on my team who advised me against it. Chastain then said that actors are, often made to keep quiet in order to protect future working opportunities, and we are often told and reminded how grateful we should be. And that is the environment that I think has allowed work to be abused, to go unchecked for many decades. And is also the environment that has saddled members of our union with unfair contracts. As per Variety, since Memory obtained an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, Chastain and co-star Peter Sarsgaard were present at the press conference. I am here because SAG-AFTRA has been explicitly clear that the way to support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket line and to work and support interim agreement projects, she said. Its what out national board, negotiating committee and our elected leadership has asked us to do. Chastain continued, The independent producers, like the ones here, are letting the AMPTP know that actors deserve fair compensation, that AI protection should be implemented, and there should be sharing of streaming revenues. I hope my being here today encourages other independent producers, and encourages actors to show up [at festivals] and support our union members. Hopefully we will see an end to the strike soon and hopefully AMPTP will go back to the table. Memory, directed and written by Franco, is about Sylvia (Chastain), a "social worker who leads a simple and structured life," according to the film's synopsis. "This is shattered when Saul (Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion. Their unexpected encounter will have a tremendous influence on each of them as they open the door to the past." In an interview with Variety, Franco said of casting Chastain in the film: Jessica is possibly the best actress in the states right now, its not an exaggeration to say shes the best actress in the world. Mexican auteur Francos last two films, New Order (2020) and Sundown (2021), both premiered at Venice. Art thriller New Order was awarded the festivals grand jury prize. Chastain, who won best actress at the Oscars last year for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, last had a film premiere at Venice in 2011 with Texas Killing Fields, reported Variety. (ANI)
An increasing amount of data suggests that psychedelic substances could be beneficial in the treatment of a variety of mental health issues. However, establishing their clinical benefits and overcoming the various regulatory barriers to their usage remain significant hurdles. The September issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practise contains a scientific review and update on the therapeutic use of psychedelics, with a focus on the use of psilocybin for depression treatment. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership withWolters Kluwer. At a time of growing excitement regarding the potential use of psychedelic agents to improve outcomes of otherwise intractable disorders, psychiatrists and patients alike need perspective on the current state of the evidence and the prospects moving forward, comments lead author Amir Garakani, MD, of Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, Conn., and the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn. "In this article, members of the Psychopharmacology Committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry and consultants discuss current research findings to provide guidance to clinicians concerning the prospects for psilocybin treatment for their patients struggling with debilitating depression." Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic substance foundin "magic mushrooms." Many recent clinical trials have found psilocybin to be effective in treating psychiatric diseases such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Evidence suggests that therapeutic responses to psilocybin "stem from, or at least go hand-in-hand with, an intense emotional or mystical experience," Dr. Garakani and colleagues write. Studies suggest that psilocybin leads to increased "openness to experience" and psychological flexibility enabling patients to "reconsider stereotyped perspectives and move beyond accustomed patterns of thinking." Research into psilocybin's biological effects suggest increased activity between brain networks, without corresponding increases within single networks. Greater changes in brain network flexibility have been linked to lasting reductions in depression symptoms six months later. To date, all psilocybin treatment studies have included a psychotherapy component, including preparation, dosing, and integration phases. In integration sessions, "Participants are encouraged to share their experiences, with the goal of helping them generate insights, and facilitating behavioral change," according to the authors. Various dosing strategies are being evaluated in academic and commercial settings. These studies follow highly controlled protocols in carefully selected populations, with special attention to maximizing patient safety during the psychedelic experience. Clinical trial registries show a "multitude" of studies planned or in progress, targeting MDD, TRD, and other conditions such as cancer-related anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. "The large number and wide-ranging scope of ongoing and future psilocybin trials not only show the interest in this drug in the scientific community but also the potential therapeutic role of psychedelics across diagnoses and clinical domains," the researchers write. Earlier this year, the Australian regulatory agency announced approval for psychiatrists to prescribe psilocybin treatment for TRD. In the United States, psilocybin has been designated as a "breakthrough therapy" for TRD and MDD. While two states have legalized or decriminalized psilocybin (Oregon and Colorado, respectively), it remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance under federal law. An official American Psychiatric Association position states that there is "currently inadequate scientific evidence" to endorse the use of psychedelics for treatment of any psychiatric disorder, outside of approved research studies. Nevertheless, "The research evidence presented here offers further support for the potential of psychedelics in mental health care," Dr. Garakani and colleagues conclude. "Psilocybin has demonstrated promise as a novel therapeutic and offers new perspectives on the function and dysfunction of the brain," according to the authors. However, they add: "[I]t remains to be seen if the current clinical, legal, and research landscapes will allow delivery on that promise."(ANI)
No casualty or injury to anyone has been reported so far.

According to officials, locals of the area noticed the fire and raised an alarm.

Following the information, fire tenders reached the spot and started the operation to douse the fire.

"No reports of casualties have been reported yet. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained," they said.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)